//------------------------------// // 21. Northward Bound // Story: Metroid Equis // by Flammenwerfer //------------------------------// Metroid Equis Chapter 21 Northward Bound "All combat personnel, report to your assigned stations for immediate departure planet-side," the ship-wide PA system continued to blare in thirty-second intervals. The message throughout the G.F.S. Vogl carried such weight within the rather monotonous voice of the stationed Aurora Unit, one that was heard countless times by the members of Crusader Squad. On that note, three of the four members of the aforementioned squadron were currently leaning against the wall outside of Arianna's room within the Barracks Corridor: a rather spartan looking section of the Federation Capital Ship composed of nothing but grey-colored hallways leading into equally as boring-colored rooms, capable of housing several thousand troops per ship not counting the personnel its own accompanying fleet brought along. The bare walls occasionally had a few posters of Federation Ideals and stills of soldiers, obviously positive propaganda, reminding them what they were fighting for and against.   Nathan Krandor, Jacob Dittmar, and Sydney Exeter stood leaning against the corridor wall, waiting for their fourth squad-mate to finish preparations. Currently, the three were clad in their full battle armor save for holding their helmets under their arms. All three of them had an urgent expression on their faces, their eyes telling of extreme boredom... an indication that they had been waiting for Arianna for longer than was necessary. Nathan inhaled deeply and sighed once more, having had enough.   "Come on, Ari! Command is gonna have our asses if we're late!" he protested, calling her through the doorway. Troops were running in both directions, armored and armor-less, just as eager to get to their stations and get down to this new planet. At that moment, Arianna emerged, wiping her helmet off and tucking it under her arm.   "Yeah, yeah. Let's go then." Captain Dittmar motioned with his head and his troops fell into step. The four friends fell into perfect synchronization, with Jacob leading in front, Nathan in line with Arianna on either side of their Captain, and Sydney holding up the rear, as was a traditional formation for them since they were assigned together all those years ago. They trudged for tens of minutes through the endless corridors, knowing the ship they had been calling home almost perfectly by heart. They traversed through the proper sequence of twists and forks and through hordes of their own friendly forces in order to arrive, on time, at their first stop: an Armory.   There was a small line leading into the dimly-lit weapons distribution center. Personal Weapons Systems, such as rifles of all varieties, anti-armor weapons, and essentially anything that could be carried by one or two soldiers was distributed by a digitized identification system. Computer chips within ID cards (which could be integrated with the armor-suit or carried by hand) would be scanned and the proper weapon assigned to a particular combatant would then be handed over. Once the weapon was distributed, the soldier would then move to the ammunition station and get fully loaded before shipping out. The process tended to go by rather quickly on most days but of course, occasional hiccups occurred.   As the line moved steadily along, Sydney decided to equip her helmet, completely obscuring her whole head, as the Federation Marine armor scheme called for. Once connected to the main armor system, her visor booted up all necessary schematics as well as identifying all individual friendlies within view and proper range. The other three decided to follow suit in the completion of their armor set. By then, they had closed in on the front of the line and Jacob had already received his assault rifle and sidearm. Nathan was next, issued an identical assault weapon and his sidearm. Arianna was a sniper, so she was issued an anti-materiel sniper rifle followed by her own sidearm. Sydney, like her comrades before her, was handed her own assault rifle and pistol. Following in her squad-mates' footsteps, she received a full loadout of weapon ammunition cores for both of her guns, loading them to her suit's Internal Partition Belt, which held all her other equipment in addition to ammunition.   Fully stacked, she and the rest of Crusader Squad  were ready for immediate deployment to the planet's surface. The four met up outside of the exit of the Armory and fell into step in their usual formation, holding their rifles low and their pistols strapped to their thighs. After a few minutes of brisk walking, they wordlessly found themselves at their assigned hanger, a dropship waiting to take them planet-side. These long bouts of silence were not uncommon nor awkward amongst the four good friends, but rather embraced. They all felt that a little bit of comfortable silence before a mission was rather... relaxing, to say the least. Being in the company of the others you could trust was more than enough to ease potential, and often inevitable, pre-battle tension. There would be plenty of time for talking and screaming during the ride to and on the battlefield, respectively.   Once again, the group of four fell into another line, though this time to board their assigned dropship. That went off without a hitch and they found themselves strapped into the seats, Nathan next to Ari and Jacob next to Sydney, pairing off across from each other.   "Alright guys," Jacob spoke, finally breaking the comfortable silence between them all. "As you all know, we're linking up with Samus Aran so she can mediate first contact with the pony leaders."   "I still don't know what to think about these species being... ponies," Sydney commented, the other two concurring.   "I know, I felt the same way when I heard. But nevertheless, they're intelligent and we shall treat them as such, forming proper judgments when we make formal contact."   "Isn't Admiral Forest supposed to come in person?" Nathan inquired.   "Unfortunately that changed. He is needed on the bridge to oversee the space battle, as it appears the Pirates are putting up even more of a fight than initially expected. He'll be present in the form of a holographic projection."   "Good enough for me," Arianna spoke. "I'm just curious as to what these ponies will be like. It may come as a shock to you all but I'm actually eager to meet some." "I think we all are," Nathan affirmed. The four quieted down a bit as the loading door into the ship was shut and sealed tight. Soon enough, the engines started and slowly took the ship out of the hangar and into open space. The four looked on out of the windows at the vicious space battle in orbit, and thankful that they weren't going to be a part of it. Still, with all the different colored explosions and intricate maneuvers of ships, it created a rather majestic sight to behold. Soon enough, the ship was safe within atmosphere, friendly fighters escorting them, and making their descent to a predestined meeting point: Ponyville.   With a little push and shove, the Pirates that raided Ponyville were easily wiped out. There were no prisoners, considering it was completely against Space Pirate doctrine to be captured alive. Samus lead the charge throughout the main arteries of Ponyville, while other squads of Marines took the job of clearing places of interest, including residences, one by one. Overall, the job took a little over two and a half hours. The next job was to clear the street of the corpses and initiate cleanup. That, Samus decided to leave to the Federation. On that note, she decided to make her way back to the Library. Through her visor she could pass glances at the damage that the Pirates had wrought.   Mentally keeping track, Samus counted at least thirty ponies dead... although slaughtered might have been a more apt word given the often gruesome condition that she and the Marines found the corpses in. Strangely enough, there were an inordinate amount of pegasi casualties as opposed to the other races. This figure still did not keep track of the other bodies that Marines were bringing out of buildings and into the streets. As well, this was a very delicate situation for ponies to finally meet other humans. From what Samus was able to see on her solemn stroll back to Twilight's residence, most ponies did not appear to mind the presence of the Marines, but they did well to keep their distance for now, many just coping with what had happened... and many others grieving over the loss of friends and loved ones during the raid.   Samus gently shook her head and silently honored those who were needlessly killed in this blatant attempt at cleansing by the Pirates, most likely in revenge for their fallen frigate. The grotesque scenes of bloodied streets and mutilated bodies of multi-colored ponies, a few of whom she had actually gotten acquainted with courtesy of Pinkie Pie, were all that occupied her vision as she neared her destination. This was a testament to the Space Pirate's brutality, one that remained unchallenged throughout the galaxy. It was also around this time that Samus made a silent vow to herself and to the planet. One that hardened her resolve to not allow this region and planet to end up like her birth-world of K2-L. As long as she remained alive and battle-ready, she would ensure that fully.   Never again.  The Hunter finally arrived at the Library, although the surrounding area was much more crowded than when she initially arrived. It had turned into a channel of troops and supplies coming in out of the town. Marines were already setting up designated landing zones in the park right outside Twilight's home. Nevertheless, Samus needed to check on her pony allies. She was about to reach for the door handle by instinct but remembered that it was blown inward when the Pirates attacked. She ducked a little under the low entrance and headed inside, finding the six of her friends plus Spike huddled tightly around Twilight, the two Marines giving them space and taking their posts in the kitchen. Samus gave them a little nod and they returned the gesture.   When she was about to approach the group, she then noticed the object of Twilight's catatonic state: the dead Space Pirate. She huffed in irritation that no one had thought of removing the body and decided to do it herself. With augmented strength provided by her suit, she easily hefted the Pirate corpse under the arms with her hand and cannon and dragged it to the open door-frame. She heaved as hard as she could, tossing the body out of the way and heading back in.   Once in their presence, Samus unequipped her suit and approached the mares and dragon with great gentility, given the situation. She then kneeled down in front of them, but opting to actually take a seat instead. The mares all looked to her with wide eyes, save for Twilight whose features still bore a far off stare, tear stains heavily evident under her eyes. Samus knew very well she had to say something. Hell, she desperately wanted to say something. Being honest with herself, she did not know what to say that would any way significantly console them, especially Twilight. This was definitely something the Chozo never trained her for. Quickly calling upon her experiences with Damara on Jigrad, she decided to follow her heart rather than her brain for this next conversation.   "Twilight..." Samus began speaking softly. Twilight's lavender ears twitched gently, having heard the Hunter address her. That was not good enough though.   "Twi," Samus used her nickname this time. Simultaneously, she reached out and gently cupped Twilight's snout, making her angle her head upward and face the blonde-haired woman. After a couple of seconds, Twilight finally let her large lavender eyes lock onto Samus's blues.   "You saved your friends' lives, Twilight."   "I killed it... I didn't mean for anyone to die...!" Twilight began to get worked up again. Samus had to contain the fire and fast.   "If you did not act the way you did, the Pirate Trooper would have massacred every single one of you. I know you are not proud of what you did... but in time, you will see how much your actions meant to everypony here." Samus then reached out and took Twilight's hoof into her right hand and giving it a gentle squeeze in comfort. Twilight locked her gaze again with Samus, somewhat surprised by the actions of the normally detached Hunter.   "Well done, Twilight," she concluded, adding a little trademarked 'Samus Smirk.' The others could have sworn that they saw Samus's eyes briefly flash pink.   "She's right, Twilight," Applejack piped up. "Ya did what ya had to do... and I think deep down you know that's  true." Twilight let her words sink in, and she looked around, the others nodding with somber smiles confirming the previous affirmation. The lavender mare then took a deep breath and sighed out heavily, letting her eyes close a bit and leaning more into her friends for support. Her mind only cycled one sentence now... that she really could not have asked for better friends. Eventually, she opened her eyes again and found Samus still there. She gave the Hunter a thankful smile of her own, her features improving marginally. Rarity and Applejack also fancied a look at Samus, giving her another wordless confirmation of her kind actions.   Overall, Samus was feeling fairly decent. Okay maybe that is a slight understatement.   Samus's bonding moment with the six mares plus one dragon was interrupted when someone cleared their throat behind them. Samus turned around and found the same two Federation soldiers keeping a respectable distance.   "Samus, we're being order to bring you with us outside. An audience has been requested."   Samus looked back to the mares, all of them nodding and letting her know that it was okay if she left. She wasn't really sure why she checked with them to be honest.   "Alright. Let's go," she said as she stood up, not equipping her suit. She then followed the two troops outside to find the hustle and bustle of dozens and dozens of Marines going about their business including but not limited to evacuating the wounded, setting up staging equipment, et cetera. Following the lead of the two troopers, she still attracted the attention of many of the soldiers. After all, it was not often one got to see the famed Samus Aran, let alone without her armor on! A group of three troopers followed her with their gaze for well over what was deemed appropriate.   "Don't even think about it," their CO spoke as he walked past. The three then shrugged and went about their business.   The Federation had gained control over the skies over Ponyville as was evident by the squadrons of fighters patrolling constantly. As a result, a large landing zone was established in the park where supply ships were arriving and leaving at a fairly frequent pace.   "Hold here," the soldier on Samus's right directed. She did not have to wait long. Within two minutes, a Marine drop ship came into view and landed with its back facing her, kicking up some dirt with its vertical engines and making the grass sway unnaturally. Once the dropship stopped moving, the hatch in the back opened, revealing another two dozen Marines who all exited out promptly and heading out to their assigned tasks with haste. However, four Marines were last out and took their time. Samus deduced that this was her company. The leader dismissed the other two Marines standing guard around the Hunter.   "Samus Aran," the commanding officer spoke with some pride, and maybe just being a bit dumbstruck, though his emotion was largely concealed behind his bright blue visor. He extended his armored hand to her, which Samus took with her own smaller grasp and firmly shook. "Captain Jacob Dittmar, Crusader Squad."   "Samus. Pleasure, Captain," Samus reciprocated the greeting. The other three members of his small unit addressed her one by one.   "Private Arianna Guerrera. Nice to meet you." The two shook hands.   "Likewise," Samus responded.   "Private Nathan Krandor. It's an honor."   "Nice to meet you."   "Sergeant Sydney Exeter. Nice to finally meet the hero of Aether." Samus shook her hand but before she could respond in kind, something clicked in her head. She gathered her words.   "Pleasure to meet you, Sergeant. Forgive me for prying, but are you related to Captain A. Exeter?" she asked. No one could see it, but Sydney's eyes widened at the revelation. Even the others were taken by surprise.   "Y-Yes. He was my brother," Sydney responded in kind with as little emotion as she could muster.   "I'm sorry for your loss. I know it is not much of any consolation, but he died honorably." Sydney only nodded in thanks. With introductions out of the way, Jacob spoke up again.   "The space battle over the planet has intensified and as a result, Admiral Forest, regretfully, wasn't able to make it down in person. He's requesting an audience via holo-projection in our new command post. He's expecting us momentarily." "Alright. Lead the way, Captain."   "Samus!" a familiar voice shouted the Hunter's name from behind her. She stopped and turned around, finding both regal alicorns landing on the grass. However, Luna had a large bandage wrapped around her shoulder. Their arrival drew the attention of everyone in the area. The Princesses stood tall, easily just as tall as all the soldiers, who looked on in awe.   "Hey, Princesses. Luna, I see you're in decent shape," Samus greeted and commented. She did notice, however, that Celestia gave Luna a very... irritated look. She did not look happy by any means but did not address it.   "Quite, Samus. Pray tell what happened in our absence?" Luna asked to be informed, as they flew straight to the Hunter. Samus really was not sure of the best way of informing them but before she could, Jacob spoke up:   "Hi Princess. If I may," he began to speak. Luna turned her attention to him and he continued. "The Space Pirates launched a raid on this town. It appears their sole purpose was to dispatch anyone they found. I regret to inform you that there have been numerous casualties." Luna's ears flattened as anger and sorrow swelled through her. Celestia began to panic.   "The Elements!"   "They're safe, Celestia. I made sure of it. They're in the Library if you wish to see them and I'm sure they would benefit from your company right now... especially Twilight," Samus finished a bit awkwardly.   "What happened with Twilight?"   "It's... you'd be better off having her tell you. She could use all the support she can get," Samus affirmed. Celestia then turned to Luna, the same face of irritation and anger directed especially towards her.   "Remain with Samus and these soldiers. I'll check on the Elements." "Very well, sister," Luna responded in kind. It was quite obvious that the two were having quite a disagreement and falling out over something. This was no time to press for details though. Celestia continued to glare at her sister before turning around and trotting to the Library, Federation Marines looking on in wonder and curiosity as she passed by without giving so much as a passing glance. Luna returned her gaze to the armored human who addressed her.   "I do not believe I have received your name..."   "Captain Jacob Dittmar, Crusader Squadron, Galactic Federation Marine Corps," he introduced himself as he extended his hand. Luna presented her hoof and they shook on it.   "These other three are my squad mates: Nathan, Sydney, and Arianna." The three waved back awkwardly.   "Charmed. Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria. Thank you for the update on Ponyville."   "Of course. Admiral Forest of our fleet has requested an audience with Samus. Since you're one of the leaders, I feel your presence would be most appropriate, if I may be so bold," Jacob explained respectfully.   "Indeed. If that is the case I do wish to accompany you and Samus. Please Captain, do lead the way."     The small band of Marines lead Samus and the Night Princess to a makeshift and tentative command post that was set up once a larger bulk of forces arrived down from the Vogl. It was not the most impressive structure that Samus had ever seen by any means but it served its purpose. For Luna, however, being in the presence of all the advanced technology employed was a tad awe inspiring, even for one with as great of power as herself. Luna drew a few looks from operators around the command structure but she would stare back with her own gaze, making them falter and return to their work. Luna chuckled inwardly.   The middle of this metal structured post was a large table that specialized in holographic projections. This is where the meeting would take place.   "Wait just a moment while we set up the connection," Jacob spoke. Samus nor Luna said a word and just shot each other a glance. Soon enough, the table came to life and a projection came forth. In front of them stood a holo-projection of Admiral Forest, an officer who stood tall and whose clean-cut face carried an aura of business. He donned a standard Admiral's uniform, although the monochromatic nature of the holographic field being used prevented any discernable features from coming through.   "Admiral Forest, Samus Aran and one of the Pony Leaders," Jacob introduced. The Admiral turned his face and laid his eyes on both of the figures in question.   "Thank you Captain," the Admiral acknowledged. "Samus Aran, good to finally link up with you. I apologize for not being able to shake your hand in person but things got a bit hairy up in orbit."   "I understand, Admiral." "So you are the commander of these new ships in orbit?" Luna piped up, talking to the holo-projection, although it seemed a bit weird for her to do it at first. The Admiral turned his attention to the tall equine.   "Indeed I am. You must be the aforementioned leader of the ponies."   "One of them, yes. Princess Luna of Equestria. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Admiral," Luna introduced herself amiably.   "Likewise, Your Highness. I see you've got yourselves in a bit of a bout with the Space Pirates. I also see that with Samus's help, you were able to bring down one of the enemy Frigates. I must say, I'm quite impressed and would like to know how you pulled that off, at a later date," Admiral Forest commented. Luna gently bowed her head in appreciation. "Samus, has the Frigate been followed up on?"   "No, Admiral. My ship was lost in the process of bringing it down and when the attack on Ponyville started, more pressing matters came to light, such as the protection of high value individuals." Luna decided to speak then: "I dispatched a squadron of my most elite troops to the downed warship to scour it for any technology and information that could benefit our nation. However, I have not received word of their progress." Admiral Forest carried a look of conflicted emotion on his face.   "That's not good. Frigate Siriacus, the one you brought down, was not carrying a conventional payload of troops. It was a research and containment Frigate. More specifically, it was carrying Metroids," he informed.   "Ahhh, fuck," Samus interjected with a voice of irritation, running her palm on her face. Luna, however, was confused.   "Metroids, Admiral?"   "It would take too long to explain. Captain Dittmar, can you procure any basic information on Metroids and lend it to the Princess here when we're done?" he requested.   "Of course, sir."   "Many thanks, Soldier," Luna voiced her gratitude, becoming increasingly worried about her troops.   "If that Frigate was carrying Metroids, there's a high possibility that they could get released into the environment. They would decimate the local ecosystem, not to mention the potential casualties of their rapid expansion," Samus voiced, talking with one of her hands. "I'll need to either enter the ship and annihilate them all, or destroy the ship from the inside. None can escape." Admiral Forest contemplated her words carefully.   "Then we'll skip our original briefing for right now, as this takes precedence. We're going to need you to head northward as soon as possible to help counter the Space Pirate buildup around the main Phazon deposits. The threat you just explained, however, is very real and should it be realized it would only impede our progress and possibly derail it altogether. Get it done, and get it done fast. Head to the Frigate as soon as you're able."   "Will do, Admiral," Samus nodded with her typical determination.   "Are you still equipped with your freeze beams?" Forest inquired. Samus's eyes widened as she completely forgot about that.   "N-No. I lost most of my weaponry in an... incident," she began, not disclosing her earlier battle with supernatural ghosts. "I have not been able to recover my Ice Beam. While that is my preferred method of dealing with the little pests, a well placed Super Missile or two will do the job just as well, as per my experiences on Tallon IV."   "Very well, then."   "If I may interject..." Luna cut in. "If you happen to find any of my soldiers alive, I only ask that you evacuate them. They were one of my best units. If none survived..." she gave credence to the thought that she sent some of her best troops to their deaths. "…then bury them with the ship." Samus acknowledged her and nodded. It wasn't like she would leave any troops that were alive to die anyways.   "I'll do that, Luna." Samus then turned back to the Admiral. "Dealing with Metroids, Pirates who survived the crash, and rigging the warship to tear itself apart from the inside will be a bit much to do on short notice, even for me. Can you spare some boots to help with evacuation and escort of friendly forces?" the Hunter asked. Admiral Forest looked to Captain Dittmar.   "Crusader Squad?"   Jacob looked to his squad-mates and friends. They all nodded, clutching their weapons as if ready.   "We're with ya, Cap," Nathan also spoke. Jacob then turned back to the Admiral's holo-projection and to Samus.   "Well Samus, we're with you then," he said proudly.   "Crusader Squad is, as well, one of my best units I have at my disposal. Do not squander their talents. Update me as soon as the job is complete. We'll continue our work here. As well, Princess Luna, do not hesitate if you need assistance with anything around the nation. That's what we're here for," he affirmed the Federation's commitment to Equestria and Equis as a whole.   "Thank you, Admiral. I shall," Luna replied, expressing her gratitude.   "Marines," Forest addressed Crusader Squad. "Samus and you all are headed to the Crashed Frigate on the dropship you arrived in. Saddle up and get going."   "Yes sir!" the unit responded in unison.   "Once again, contact me when this is all done. Until next time..." the Admiral saluted and the hologram disappeared. Samus turned to the accompanying Marines.   "Get everything ready. I'll meet you outside momentarily."   "You got it," Jacob said, and lead the other three outside. Luna then took her place next to the Hunter.   "I know they're alive in there, Samus... at least some of them. Bring them back," Luna had a somewhat pleading tone, although it was very subtle.   "I will, Luna," Samus affirmed, gently patting the alicorn on her back in a gesture of comfort.   "Oh, I almost forgot. Before you go, Celestia wanted me to ensure you received this." Luna then materialized a small magical box. Opening it up and letting the magic come out and coalesce, revealed the magical projection of an orange apple with a green stem... just floating and idly spinning on front of her. A new element. Many of the operators in the room had stopped what they were doing to gaze upon this spectacle.   Knowing the drill already, Samus reached out and grasped the magic, allowing it to disperse throughout her body and eventually combine in her chest. Her eyes pulsed orange several times before her own natural eyes returned. Her wrist console, as expected, had something to say:   [Element of Harmony Acquired!]  [This is Honesty. The third of six. New information and scans indicate that the combination of these six elements will unlock unknown abilities. Pursuit of the additional elements is recommended.]  "Thanks, Luna," Samus said. Luna grinned a little and the two parted ways.   It was the dead of night, save for the landscape being brightened by the moon above, having reached its apex. The light revealed a valley north of Ponyville marred by a crashed warship and debris strewn all over. Silence reigned but was broken when a Federation dropship flew in expertly and gingerly set down about a hundred feet from the rear of the ship, by its damaged engine ports. The ship touched down and its back opened, four Federation Marines exiting out promptly, followed by Samus in her Astral Suit. The latter took a look around and found nothing but silence and destruction. The Marines formed up on her.   "I have a feeling you've got more experience in this type of stuff, so we'll follow your lead," Arianna spoke up, the entire squad having loaded their weapons and prepared for combat.   "Alright. First thing's first: let's find a way inside," Samus said, starting off with the basics.   "I think that might have been done for us already. Look," Nathan pointed out, finding a door leading into a maintenance entrance, but the door kept trying to close on the Space Pirate corpse that was laying within the doorway.   "Good enough as any I guess. Let's go," Samus beckoned, leading the troop in a light jog to the entrance framed by enormous engine ports. Samus shot the door with her power beam, having it open completely and allowing Sydney to drag the body of the Space Pirate out and lay it out of their way. Samus aimed her arm cannon in and found only a hallway leading straight, nothing special. She beckoned the troopers behind her with hand movements and she took point, keeping her cannon at a passive-aggressive level as she normally did. The Marines stood in their own formation keeping up with her and never lowering their rifles as they ensured they were alone. Soon enough, after traversing through much broken glass and bent metal, they came to a service elevator only going up. Samus scanned the terminal and a hologram in the center came to life.   "Everyone, pile inside," Jacob's voice came softly over the radio. His squad followed, Samus leading up the back and being the one to step into the hologram. The elevator came to life and the gears started turning, beginning to take the five up. Arianna removed the scope from her sniper rifle, leaving it with just iron sights to account for the close quarters.   "I wonder how far the pony soldiers got," Sydney thought out loud.   "Maybe I can find out..." Samus spoke out. Her hand came to the side of her helmet and her Combat Visor switched to her Aura Visor. The thought she had was that if this visor could detect magic potential, maybe it could detect residue magic or magic within the air itself. It was worth a shot.   "Would ya look at that..." Samus commented, finding some dull but very much present remnants of magical auras on the ground and in the air. At that time, the elevator stopped at the next floor, revealing a trail of very powerful aura. "They definitely came through this way. Hold up, let me see where we are."   Samus looked upward and found a broken sign written in the Pirate Language. She scanned it and it indeed read "Research and Development." The very large room was in complete disarray with glass, unidentified liquids, and a few bodies just strewn everywhere, most likely from the crash.   "Alright let's go, keep your wits about you," Samus said, beckoning them along as she once again took point. Samus followed the path that the Aura Visor was showing, and they came to an intersection leading to three other pathways: straight, left, or right. Samus decided to make a random call, as the auras were starting to lose their strength indications.   "Jacob, take your squad forward. I'll go left."   "You got it, Samus." He then addressed the others. "You heard, her. Let's move. Sydney, you're on point."   They then split off as they decided. Going straight, Sydney scanned all around her as she lead the squad forward. Her visor's motion tracker was not picking anything up so it seemed like they were alone, for now. What she found as weird was that there were relatively few bodies, and it seemed highly improbable that all the Space Pirates died in the crash. Then again, there were also supposed to be Metroids, lots of them, on board. Moving up only took them to an area containing endless rows of stasis tanks, easily designed to hold decent sized creatures suspended in water. Some were filled, with what they could describe as local creatures and plants. However, one of the tanks that they passed by caught Nathan's eye.   "Guys... might wanna see this," he said as he stopped his advance, looking up at one of the tanks. The others stopped and just stared. Nathan could have sworn that he heard Sydney and Arianna lightly gasp in disgust. Within the tank a unicorn was suspended. Its color from its coat had long since become completely blue from phazon infusion. One of its eyes was missing from the sockets and grotesque tumors were appearing all over its body, including its horn, that were pulsing with light due to the radioactive nature of the material.   "My god..." Jacob softly voiced his thoughts as the four could not seem to look away from the disgusting and equally terrifying spectacle.   On Samus's side, she passed through the blue door without any issues and continued inward, easily seeing that this place was an armory, if the rows upon rows of weapons were anything to go by. The aura seemed a bit stable here and a path was lit against the third and fourth rows of weapons. Following the path calmly, Samus turned the corner of a weapons rack and found a dead Pirate Commando. She gingerly walked up to the corpse and scanned it.   [Morphology: Pirate Commando. No lifesigns detected. Death caused by destruction of the vertebrae protecting the upper spinal cord. Subject was previously wounded before this action and it is almost certain that his neck was snapped.]  Hmmmm...  Curiously enough, the magical aura path stopped right here. It was perfectly possible that the ponies that were here advanced farther up, but it did not make sense to Samus that the path that lead her here was relatively strong, yet it suddenly disappeared after this Pirate was killed. The only conclusion was that they retreated, or went back the way they came for whatever reason. That's when Samus remembered that there was a third door leading right relative to their entry point. More clues would definitely await them there.   "Captain, it's Samus. Find anything?" she spoke through her radio.   "Negative, no pony soldiers or bodies. However we found the remnants of what looks to be a unicorn pumped full of phazon in a stasis tank. It's... not pretty."   "Acknowledged. Head back to the intersection. It looks like they went to the third door that we didn't check out yet."   "Heading there now. See you momentarily."   Samus head back the way she came but before she exited the door, she heard a whine and a gurgling sound. She stopped in her tracks and turned on her heels, entering a battle stance with her power beam charged. She aimed everywhere and found nothing. All of her visors showed nothing. The Hunter shifted her eyes suspiciously before letting her charge beam power down. She shot the door once and got out hastily.   Moments later, the group reunited at the center and turned their attention to the final blue door, which had yet another damaged sign above it. Samus opted to scan it, just to make sure.   "'Metroid Containment'... their path leads right into there. That's not good..." Samus spoke.   "Squad, we're dealing with Metroids. Arm Freeze Rounds," Jacob commanded. Without a hitch, all four of them unloaded the live weapon core from their rifles, lit with bright yellow, and replaced them with an identical weapon core, lit bright blue. Samus was impressed. At that rate, these Marines would have an easier time with Metroids than she would.   "Ready when you are, Samus."   She took point once again and before she shot the door, she heard something... it sounded exactly like magical weapons fire.   "Let's go, now!" Samus ordered, shooting the door open and charging in with the Marines behind her, weapons raised. What they found was a bit interesting. They definitely found the pony soldiers, all of them clad in black armor and emblazoned with the name Magickakorps, but four lay lifeless on the ground while another was slowly dying. The remaining three were casting a shield over a lone Metroid that was pissed off beyond belief.   "Dammit! Pin it, now!"   "It's absorbing... my *pant* magic. I'm running on fumes here..."   Samus decided now was a good time to interject.   "Troopers, get ready to shoot." She then yelled at the pony troops. "Release it from the shield, now!"   Samus's interference drew the Elite Pony warriors' attention and as a result, the shield dissipated, the Metroid immediately gaining as much height as it can while letting out another screech of displeasure.   "Shoot it now!"   Samus and the Marines opened fire, the Marines' freeze rounds piercing the gel layer of the Metroid's skin and freezing it from within. It cried out in agony before it fell to the ground, writhing as its internal organs were penetrated and froze from within. Samus walked up to it, placed the barrel of her cannon against its "head," and fired a single missile, making the creature explode violently from the concussive blast, its guts coating Samus's armor.   She turned around to address the situation. The Marines were reloading their rifles and the Magickakorps troops were tending to their one severely wounded member. One of them, however, was catching their breath.   "Th-The Hunter, eh?" a feminine voice sounded from behind the black armored helmet. "You picked a damn good time to find us, we weren't sure how much longer we could've held that thing down. Those damn things absorb magic!"   Metroids absorbing magic... that's an interesting property. Samus learned something new everyday.   "No problem. The Federation finally arrived and we've been sent to get you out of here and remove this warship from existence. I honestly wasn't sure that we'd find anypony alive."   "Yeah... had you come a bit later that might have been true."   "Constance!" one of the ponies yelled, taking her attention towards the two other ponies kneeling over their wounded comrade. Right as Constance moved her legs gave out from magical exhaustion and she collapsed.   "Captain!" Radiance shouted, equally as tired from magical exhaustion. Windfire wasn't faring much better and Starry... well... she was definitely in the worst position.   "Marines!" Samus yelled, beckoning her groups' attention and moving to assist the ponies. Samus ran straight to Constance's side while the four went to assist Starry and the rest of them.   "Hey... come on, are you alright?" Samus checked, gently tapping the downed unicorn's helmet. She was breathing, that was for sure. The Hunter helped remove her helmet to get some fresh air, and she in turn took off hers to look more personable. The Marines did the same thing, as Windfire and Radiance found their energy was not enough to sustain them. They let the Marines take over as they in turn collapsed in an exhausted heap. Sydney helped remove Windfire's helmet while Jacob and Arianna tended to Radiance. That left Nathan to deal with Starry who was in the worst condition. He removed his helmet to get some ventilation to his skin before moving to remove hers. The removal revealed Starry's face and her gray coat... which was more pale now due to the Metroid attack. Her silver eyes, which held a far off gaze, locked on to Nathan's green ones.   "H-Hi there..." Starry, still her friendly self, said very weakly.   "Hello to you too," Nathan replied. Before he could say something, he brushed some of the fur on Starry's coat aside, revealing the entry wound of the fangs from the Metroid.   "Samus! This one's got major Metroid Predation!" Nathan called out. Samus looked up but then looked down at Constance, who gestured weakly with her hoof.   "I'm fine... magical exhaustion does that to you. Go take care of Starry... please don't let her die... I've lost too many today."   Samus nodded and ran over to Starry's side, next to Nathan.   "Jacob, Sydney, Arianna, how are the other two?" Samus urgently inquired.   "Stable but exhausted beyond belief," Jacob piped up.   "W-We're okay... honestly. It's just magical exhaustion," Windfire reiterated weakly. They assured her that their condition was not serious compared to Starry's.   "I need rations of some kind. Any kind of food or drink!" Samus let everyone know. Metroid Predation, if stopped on time, would heal on its own over time. The life-force energy siphoned by a Metroid would replenish eventually as long as too much wasn't taken. Other forms of acquiring energy, such as food and drink, would help ease the process. Magic could probably help but Samus knew she could not cast such a spell with her current experience, nor were Starry's comrades in any condition to do so.   Arianna and Nathan both handed her some MREs as well as water and juice canteens. Arianna took some of the supply and went over to Constance to help her along with her exhaustion (the same idea could help give them a bit more energy to replenish their magical reserves) while Jacob and Sydney administered the same treatment to Windfire and Radiance respectively. Samus had Nathan sit on his heels and she put Starry's head on his thighs, allowing her easier access.   "Here... drink..." Samus softly ordered, putting the lip of the juice canteen to Starry's lips. She responded by drinking greedily. As the process continued, a loud series of multiple Metroid screeches erupted from further down a corridor connecting the room they were currently in. A Metroid attack was definitely imminent.   "Nathan... take over for me. I'll deal with the Metroids."   "Alright, but here..." Nathan said, handing Samus his fully loaded rifle with Freeze rounds. "I think you could use that. It's an extended magazine, too."   Samus took the rifle in her left hand and examined it. She then put it down and called her helmet over to her with her magic, earning a few surprised glances from Sydney and Jacob. She secured her helmet to her head and stood up, picking up his rifle  in her left. As a test, she aimed down the corridor with her arm cannon and Nathan's rifle in her left hand. She could muster this easily.   "Thanks," she said. Before moving forward, she moved to the door to which they entered from and found its control conduit on the floor. She kicked it as hard as she could, resulting in a few sparks and the blue shield on said door deactivating, rendering the door useless. "I'll be back shortly. Take care of them," Samus ordered the Marines as she moved further down the dimly lit containment corridor, both weapons raised. She soon disappeared from sight as the darkness overtook her form. Starry had finished the juice and Nathan gave her solid food, an MRE bar full of proteins and carbs. She took small bites and chewed slowly. She then weakly turned her gaze to him.   "You humans look weird..."   "Says the pony with holes in her neck," Nathan replied without skipping a beat. Starry could not help but weakly giggle but then moan in pain. She then went back to silently eating and drinking.   "Not even the same species and severely wounded... still she's her extroverted self," Radiance commented.   "I can say the same thing about him," Sydney remarked. The two had a sensible chuckle.   Maybe the ponies and humans weren't so different after all.