Metroid Equis

by Flammenwerfer

24. To New Allies

Two hours had easily passed by since Samus left Crusader Squad and the remnants of Vector Squad to their own devices, and so far nothing of great significance had come to pass... other than Starry's gradual recovery, of course. The majority of her coat color had returned in full, her eyes were no longer glassy, and she was as chipper as she always was, her squad-mates and friends could attest to that fully. She'd be back to her "normal, adorable, yet annoying" self any moment now.

But in the end, it was her forwardness that was ultimately leading into a deep and enthralling conversation within the dual-species group. The odd bunch of eight found themselves randomly pairing off and sharing information about themselves, where they came from... practically anything, really. How the humans and ponies of two completely different militaries, not to mention different cultures altogether, hit it off so well was nothing short of astounding. The current topic at hand was the general idea of the Galactic Federation, as the ponies had a few questions regarding this governmental entity that they were hearing so much about. Jacob was doing well at explaining the whole idea of the Federation.

"...and the chain ends at the top with the Chairman, who is the acting leader of the Federation," he finished explaining the government positions.

"What's his or her name?" Constance asked.

"Keaton. Chairman Keaton," Sydney chimed in. Constance, Windfire, and Radiance sat on their haunches, helmets at their side, and listened intently.

"I like that name... has a ring to it," Starry commented thoughtfully.

"So, you say this Federation is a combination of several different sapient species... why, from what I'm gathering, is your military only composed of Humans?" Radiance asked.

"When the Federation was formed, we divided our expertise to suit the needs of the GF and the galaxy as a whole. While the military has open enlistment to any species who can meet the requirements, it was an agreement that the Humans would make up a large bulk of the ranks, since we had and still have the largest population and an anatomy more suited to direct combat roles. The other species tend to align themselves with different yet equally important roles, but as I said, anything is achievable by anyone regardless of species so long as they can meet any prerequisites," Arianna thoughtfully worded. Jacob nodded and continued:

"Quite so. As an example, Chairman Keaton is not human... though that doesn't stop us from referring to him as the 'Old Man.'" The four humans had a good chuckle at that. Windfire jumped in:

"Yeah we have two Princesses as rulers and they control the orbit of the Sun and the Moon, as well as many of the closer proximity stars."

"That... runs contrary to so many laws of physics we have solidified in the past decades and centuries," Nathan added, somewhat disbelievingly.

"Magic interweaves itself heavily within our world and its creatures. Some have the ability to control it more than others, case in point, unicorns. Unicorns, militarily, are considered the elites..." Constance trailed off as everyone in the room heard footsteps approaching them from the only exit. The Humans reached for their weapons but there was no need, as Samus walked into the visible light with great urgency in her step.

"Alright everyone, let's go! On your feet, soldiers, we are leaving right now," she ordered immediately. As everyone started to get up, Sydney noticed a very subtle limp in Samus's step, and confirmed her thoughts with the gaping hole in her quad armor.

"Samus... you're hurt!"

"Thanks for reminding me," the Hunter replied semi-sarcastically. "I'll get treated when we get out of here, but my shielding is essentially gone and I've rigged the fuel and power lines leading to the engines to self destruct, so we don't have much time." Samus then turned to Constance, with something in her hand. "Captain..." she handed the pony what looked like dog-tags, but they were in the form of a random cutie mark. She took them in her hoof and placed them in her armor, looking back up to the Hunter for answers.

"The Pirates captured a unicorn soldier from one of your ranks... almost killed me too. I'm sorry, but I had no choice," Samus iterated. Constance nodded, the other unicorns looked on.

"I understand. Radiance, Windfire, collect the remaining mark-tags. Our comrades will be buried with this ship."

They did as they were told, and while they were at it, Nathan stood up and picked Starry up in a piggy-back form, having her wrap her forelegs around the front of his neck and her rear legs around his waist.

"I can walk fine, you know..." she protested, though not very well. She seemed to enjoy riding on the back of a human soldier.

"Not taking any chances," Nathan said resolutely before helping put her helmet back on. Starry shrugged and looked onward, ready to move out on his back. Samus aimed her cannon upwards and placed her left arm over the top in a traditional manner.

"How's your guys' magical ability?" she inquired to the ponies.

"Significantly recovered, though not entirely full strength. Our attacks and defenses might not be as potent," Constance responded, the others affirmed, helmets equipped and ready to move out. Crusader Squad was fully armored once more, as well.

"Marines," Samus addressed them. "Let those three use your sidearms. Nathan, you keep yours, I kinda lost your assault rifle during battle."

"Eh, no problem," he replied, arming his pistol. Jacob, Arianna, and Sydney all pulled their pistols out, armed the weapon cores, and handed them to Constance, Windfire, and Radiance respectively. They took the weapons curiously in their magical grasps.

"So... what are these?" Radiance asked, gazing over the small object consisting of a grip and a barrel of some sort. She was about to look down the barrel when Sydney slapped it away, the pistol not falling from her grasp though.

"A gun. Simple. Hold it in your magical grasp from the handle or wherever provides less recoil. Aim, and pull the trigger. You'll get the idea if we run into problems," Samus said, not offering much of an explanation as she was ready to just leave.

"Ready to move," Jacob voiced.

"Me too," Arianna and Sydney spoke up at the same time.

"All set," Nathan piped up, Starry secure and surprisingly comfortable on his back.

"We're ready," Constance voiced for Radiance and Windfire who stood by her side. Samus nodded and turned towards the door she jammed earlier: their way out.

"Alright then. Jacob, call for extraction to meet us outside of the engines bay, make sure there's enough room for all of us," Samus ordered. Jacob did just that through his helmet's comms. "Everyone, get clear..."

Everyone gave the Hunter her space as she charged her power beam and aimed it at the useless door, arming a super missile and blasting it completely from its hinges. The pieces of metal door exploded outward, leaving them with a clear path into the Research and Development center. All they had to do was make a left towards the service elevator and they would have a straight shot at the exit.

"On me..." Samus took point, cannon aimed outward. Human and pony fell into a randomly ordered column behind Samus as she lead them out to the perpendicular path. Though no one heard anything, Samus held up her left hand in a fist, to which everyone stopped moving immediately. It was not anything that Samus heard that forced her to stop everyone... it was the fact that a lot of the vials, research papers, and really everything strewn on the ground were completely cleaned up... like someone collected them.

"Something's here..." Samus whispered through helmet comms. Samus felt a few taps on her left leg, and when she angled her head backwards, she found Constance pointing to where her ear would be and shaking her head.

Wrong comm frequency... shit.

As Samus was turned around, Radiance, who was looking ahead, saw the blue door straight across from them open up, revealing two charging Space Pirates.

"Space Pirate!" she shouted, aiming her gun through her magic and working the trigger action three times. The first two shots went wide but the third one found its mark in the lead Pirate's chest. The first shots alerted everyone and Samus turned back to the now lone Pirate Trooper, cannon raised. Before she fired she noticed the door leading right on the perpendicular pathway opened up, several more Pirates filtering out and taking cover.

"Get to cover, go!" Samus ordered, opening fire with her Night Beam against the single Trooper ahead, the latter taking three hits to his chest and falling. The other squad of Pirates aimed out from their cover behind metal containers and desks and returned fire. Samus formed a weak magical barrier in front of her to allow her comrades time to quickly scurry to cover, especially Nathan who was carrying Starry.

"Squad Engage!" Jacob ordered behind his cover, he, Sydney, and Arianna aiming their rifles over and engaging the Pirate Troopers in crude 'trench warfare.' Constance, Radiance, and Windfire, found cover elsewhere, Federation pistols still in their magical grasp as they figured out how to completely work them. Nathan took his place next to Jacob and was about to help battle the Pirates with his own sidearm when the latter forced his hand on his shoulder.

"No, you're carrying precious cargo, you stay low," he ordered. Nathan did not protest and turned to Starry's face on his shoulder.

"Keep your head down."

Samus eventually found her own cover as even more Pirates poured in to the expansive R&D room. She would aim out and lob fire towards her enemy, only for her target to take cover and three more to pop up and fire at her, almost getting shot several times. After about a minute, she aimed out of cover and scored a hit into a Trooper's eye, ending him, but at the cost of taking an assault cannon round to her pauldron, her shield lighting up around her form as it absorbed the energy. She quickly slipped back into cover to run a combat diagnostic on her suit.

"Suppressing!" Constance yelled out and the Magickakorps troopers all looked out from their cover, pistols magically aimed, and shot at the covering Space Pirates with rapid fire, Windfire scoring a lethal hit on a trooper in the neck and the result being the reinforced squadron covering once more. Currently, Samus was stacked up against a large cooling unit on their exit path. The Crusader Squad plus Starry were in cover behind a steel workbench, and Vector Squad had ran across the perpendicular path to take cover behind two enormous metal chemical-mixers.

Weapons fire was being exchanged constantly, rounds and bolts hitting anything and everything in the path of the two groups of belligerents, creating a light show of sparks, deflections, et cetera. As enthralling as any firefight was, Samus knew that they had no time to waste, lest they be taken with the detonation of the Frigate's engine lines.

"We can't stay here! The Frigate's gonna..." Samus was cut off when the north-most door relative to the group's position exploded off of its hinges, four black, quadrupedal creatures dashed in and surveyed the scene. They looked like ponies but they weren't, and their entrance captured the attention of both warring parties.

"Changelings!" Constance shouted out, turning her gun on them. They immediately got into battle stance and shot green bolts against both Samus and company, as well as the Pirates before taking their own set of uniform cover. Samus fired a volley towards the new enemies before ducking back to avoid getting shot by the Pirates, and then turning her cannon on them, striking another trooper in the upper chest.

"Changelings?? What the hell are they doing here?!" Windfire yelled back, taking cover and ready to fire again.

"What the shit are Changelings?!" Jacob asked rhetorically, knowing his question would not get answered in the heat of a firefight.

"Ugh!!" Samus nearly screamed out in frustration at the turn of events. In less than ten seconds from Samus's last sentence, the situation got exponentially worse, turning into a three-way firefight. "We need to leave now!" she informed once more, ducking deeper into her cover as sparks flew from a magical impact near her head. Taking cover against two enemy squads was definitely more difficult.

I've been in worse. Much worse.

Samus armed a missile as she recovered from her cover-taking, finding an exposed Changeling and firing without haste. The missile struck the changeling in the neck and the concussive blast ripped its exoskeleton to shreds, as well as having annihilated the underlying organs and skin. It hissed out as it collapsed to its knees and onto its side, dead.

"Troopers! Get some flashbangs out, we're getting out of here!" Jacob ordered, pulling a flashbang grenade from his suit's belt compartment. Sydney, Nathan, and Arianna did the same as they lay in cover. Samus heard the plan and kept up suppressing fire along with Constance, Windfire, and Radiance.

"Ready?" Jacob asked. The others nodded and affirmed, having pulled the pins and holding the spoons down, ready to heave.

"Flashbangs out! Avert your eyes!" the four GF troopers heaved the grenades in the general direction of the Changelings and Space Pirates. Samus turned away and got into cover as they threw... but then noticed the fighting Magickakorps did not seem to get the message.

"Get into cover you idiots!" Samus shouted frantically. Constance and Windfire ducked behind cover but Windfire was still shooting when he barely heard the Hunter's command.

The grenades bounced on the ground and rolled to a stop.

"What?" Windfire asked. Right then the flashbangs detonated, the Pirates and Changelings recoiling back from the blast. Windfire's vision suddenly became nothing but white and his ears were ringing as he fell to his side.

"What the fuck?!" he shouted out, completely blinded and writhing on the ground.

"Everyone move to the exit!" Samus ordered. Crusader Squad plus Starry wasted no time in dashing for the service elevator, which was up and running. Constance and Radiance followed suit, galloping after the Federation soldiers. Samus aimed out, fired three more times, and sprinted towards the exit. Windfire was still writhing and his vision was disoriented, but Samus skid to her knees, grabbed him by the scruff-plate of his armor, and half-dragged him along as she got back to her feet and followed after her comrades.

Samus did not even look behind as she joined Crusader and Vector Squad, throwing Windfire in as she jumped in, his body crossing the hologram threshold and activating the elevator down. Everyone had their guns aimed outward to ward off any counter attack but none came, as the Changelings and Space Pirates continued to fight each other. Samus lowered her cannon as the downward trajectory of the elevator neared the ground.

"Everyone okay?" she asked.

"Sound off, Crusader," Jacob ordered.

"Nathan, good," Nathan responded.

"Sydney, check."

"Arianna, perfect."

"Vector, status," Constance chimed in.

"I'm good," Radiance replied.

"I'm... okay..." Windfire popped in, having taken his helmet off and was rubbing his eyes.

"Pretty good here," Starry replied, still holding securely to Nathan's back.

Then there was silence, as by habit, Constance expected the other four members of Vector Squad to report in. No reply came and then it hit her again. She had a dejected look under her helmet. Her resolve then steeled itself once more. So far, everyone was in good condition, which Samus was happy about. The elevator hit the bottom, revealing the maintenance hallway leading straight out the back of the engine bay. They had a straight shot out of the Frigate. Right then an enormous rumble permeated through the entire ship, forcing Sydney and Windfire to lose their balance a bit.

"The engine lines are detonating! Where's evac?" the Hunter asked, keeping her cannon aimed as she stepped out. Before Jacob could answer, radio comms came to life.

"Vector Leader, this is Phoenix 2. We're on station and ready for pickup. It got noisy with a large explosion near the front of the ship, get out here now!"

"They're here! Let's go let's go!" Jacob ordered. That was all the confirmation Samus and the rest needed, and they all started sprinting down the maintenance hall as yet another explosion rocked the engine bay. Samus aimed forward and fired once, disabling the shield on the door and letting it open right as the group got to the exit, all of them sprinting out like bats out of hell. Just as promised, there was a large Federation dropship waiting for them not even a hundred meters out, ready for immediate takeoff. It opened its rear drop compartment, ready for their immediate boarding.

"Go! Go!" Samus yelled back, taking point as everyone continued running away frantically. Once she got to boarding distance, she stopped and ushered everyone inside. Nathan took Starry in first, and Windfire, Constance, and Radiance (though for a split second, were a bit intimidated by the large metal 'carriage') jumped in immediately after. Sydney entered with Arianna taking her hand to help her in. Jacob jumped in and Samus followed suit.

"We're all aboard! Get us out of here!" Jacob yelled to the pilot, who returned with a thumbs up gesture. The hatch leading to the outside world closed and they were off, speeding back to Ponyville.

Night had passed its apex since Samus and Crusader Squad had left to the Pirate Frigate, and Ponyville had become a full landing zone for the Galactic Federation. Princess Luna, Celestia, and the Elements of Harmony (who were together but standing aside) were involved in conversation with Federation Military Officers in Ponyville Park. While conversation was important, having to deal with the necessary logistics and what not, Luna could not help but look as hundreds of troops landed, bringing with them unfathomable technological equipment that she could only hope to understand.

As well, they were treating any of the wounded from Ponyville in the recent Pirate raid, evident by medical troopers taking ponies away on stretchers into medical centers which were recently set up. Celestia had medical staff from the castle flown in to help with unicorn patients, and to be honest, both alicorns (and Federation in actuality) were inwardly quite amazed as to how well "first contact" was going.

Pinkie Pie was already chatting it up with two Federation soldiers and it looked like they were having a great time. Fluttershy, naturally, had hidden behind Rainbow Dash and Applejack, whom were also speaking with a Trooper. Twilight stood by Celestia's side and Rarity decided to join Pinkie. All in all, things were going quite well in Ponyville.

Suddenly, though, light but noticeable seismic activity permeated through the area accompanied by a bright flash of light in the distance, forcing conversation to grind to a halt as everyone, Federation and ponies alike, were trying to figure out what was going on. Their questions were answered when someone pointed out large clouds of billowing smoke rising where the Frigate once stood, over thirty miles away.

"They did it..." Twilight casually commented.

"Of course they did. With Samus at the helm of the operation, I had full confidence nothing but victory would come about," Luna replied with a grin.

"Indeed." Celestia adjusted her regalia. "I knew she would get the job done... but let us celebrate only when she returns," she noted, doing her best to have faith but being a realist as well. Movement in the sky took Luna's attention, and she immediately grinned once more.

"Then I believe it is time to prepare for said celebrations, for here they come now..." Luna spoke out as she walked over to the approximate landing zone. As the dropship that came into view began to set down, the grass beneath it flared wildly and small amounts of dust were kicked up, but Luna nor the others, did not mind. Once the dropship settled completely, the hatch opened, the first out being Crusader Squad, with Nathan carrying an armored Starry in his arms. Constance, Radiance, and Windfire promptly followed suit, and the last one out was the Hunter herself.

There were a few cheers from the surrounding Federation Troops a the completion of a successful mission by a squad of their own, but celebration was the last thing on their minds.

"We need a medic over here!" Nathan called out on Starry's behalf. Constance noticed the presence of unicorn medical staff, which prompted her to call out for a pony medic. Federation and Equestrian medics rushed over with a stretcher, which Nathan put Starry on and helped her remove her helmet.

"Treat her for the gaping holes in her neck. Metroid attack, so give her some preventatives against predation," Nathan passed along to the medical staff.

"You got it, boss."

"And give her a few magical stimulants," Constance told the unicorn staff.

Sydney, Arianna, and Jacob stood behind Nathan while Constance, Radiance, and Windfire stood on their hind legs and placed their front hooves on the stretcher so they could see Starry, they themselves having also took their helmets off.

"They'll fix you up completely," Nathan told her, looking down at her with a small grin.

"Thanks, Nathan," she replied with her own smile of gratitude.

"We'll see you in a little bit, Starry," Constance added.

"Make sure they fix those holes in your neck!" Windfire said jestingly.

"Hope you die, bitch..." Radiance said, but in a way that only best friends could interpret as lovingly. Starry and her shared a laugh before Radiance leaned in and nuzzled her friend affectionately. With that, medical personnel wheeled her away into a ward not even twenty feet away.

All the while, Samus met up with Luna halfway while Celestia and Twilight joined Crusader Squad and Vector Squad. Unfortunately for Samus, her painkillers were wearing off for her wound, and she was fairly certain she could feel some residual blood seeping through the gauze. She'd deal with that in due time.

"Your work and accomplishments never cease to amaze me... and I have lived for many millennia; that should be saying something!" Luna spoke first. Samus opted to remove her own helmet to speak with her.

"All in a day's work, I suppose."

Luna then looked over to the large group consisting of Crusader and Vector Squad as well as Celestia and Twilight. The rest of the Elements also decided to filter in. She grinned just a bit before turning back to the Hunter.

"Thank you for bringing home my troops... although I can see Vector is... short-staffed," Luna alluded somberly. On that note, Samus retrieved a few things from her suit's storage compartment.

"I gave these to Constance but she thought, since you sent me to rescue them, that I should hand you these..." she held up a group of Magickakorps mark-tags, five in total. Luna used her magic to levitate them out of Samus's grasp and held them close. "We buried them with the ship, as you asked."

"I understand. Thank you." But Luna counted them and noticed something odd. "Vector Squad only had eight members total, yet there are four surviving members and five mark-tags..."

Samus then decided to put her helmet on so she could unequip her suit in full. Only then did Luna notice the blood-stained bandage work adorning Samus's right thigh. Her eyes widened considerably and her jaw dropped just a tad.

"While searching for a way to destroy the ship, I encountered another soldier of your elite force, but completely corrupted by Phazon." Samus looked down to examine her leg, as Luna would not take her eyes off of it, evident by the astonished features adorning her face. Some blood was starting to gently trickle down her leg and she could definitely feel the pain. "Luna, all I'll say is that you trained your troops very well."

"I... see. Samus, you need medical attention immediately..." Luna said with a tone of voice that was nonnegotiable. With Samus's injected pain killers wearing off by the second, her leg started to shake a bit from the pain and as a result, did not feel inclined to argue.

"Yeah... I think that would be nice," she mused, a pained grimace making its way to her features as her mouth curled downward and her eyes clenched a bit.

"We require medical aid posthaste!" Luna called out in a somewhat amplified voice. Not even twenty seconds later, three medics found their way to the pair with a stretcher.

"That won't be necessary, just... lead me to a medical ward..." Samus insisted. With that, the medics ditched the stretcher and stood by Samus's side as they walked to the nearest ward, the Hunter limping the entire way. Luna followed alongside as they got her situated onto a bed and began working on her leg by removing the gauze, cleaning her gash, and doing whatever GF Medics did as Luna could not follow the advanced medical procedures too much.

"Since I have you here, there is some information I wished to pass to you," Luna said, looking down on Samus as she rested her eyes, her wound being cleaned out at the moment.

"Shoot."

"According to Federation Military Officers, movement northward against the Pirates will begin sometime tomorrow. They wish to gain more control of the skies so we, and you especially, can maneuver without fear of aerial attack. So, the good news is you shall be able to acquire much needed rest."

Rest... I'm okay with this.

"Sounds good to me. Anything else?" Samus asked more softly than she intended due to fatigue, she popped an eye open. Luna shook her head.

"Nothing more for now. However, I have some personal orders for you: When you are in medically good shape, which should not be long from now I gather, go back to your room in Twilight Sparkle's place of residence and get much needed rest, as I had said earlier. You shall be briefed on course of action whenever you wake up. Understood?" Luna spoke with a gentle air of authority laced with jesting, one that Samus could easily pick up. A small grin etched itself on the peaceful face of the latter.

"Crystal clear."

"Very well then. I have matters to discuss with local commanders, so I shall leave you for now. See you tomorrow... or later today technically? Depends, actually. Goodnight, Samus."

Luna disappeared out of the medical ward, leaving Samus to get her wound fixed up and dressed. She'd be ready to move out whenever she was needed, but until then, she was more than inclined to get a head start on Luna's "orders."

After walking out of the medical ward, Luna decided to rejoin the large group of Federation Troops, her elite troops, Celestia and Twilight, as well as what appeared to be a Federation Officer. All looked to her as she arrived, but the Officer spoke first.

"Princess Luna of Equestria, I presume?" the older officer spoke with a respectful tone. Under his Federation visor-cap he sported silvery hair combed backwards, and to compliment his features he had lightly-colored blue eyes, a fair complexion, and an average build for a human male of his age.

"You would presume correct."

"And from your sister, Princess Celestia's words, you are the Princess of the Night and the leader of these valiant ponies," he gestured to Vector Squad. "I am Colonel Borsig, Galactic Federation Marine Corps, and the high officer of Crusader Squad, all of us reporting in some way or another to Admiral Forest."

"Pleasure to meet you, Colonel Borsig," Luna said cordially as she extended her hoof, the human taking it in his grasp and shaking it comfortably.

"I was just briefed by both of our infantry squads here and from what I've been told, they have shown remarkable talent together, and in all honesty, built a great amount of camaraderie already," he spoke confidently, showing great admiration in both equine and human troops. The two squads mingled with each other in a random order but still remained silent. He had a point though, even Luna and Celestia could both feel a sense of festering trust between the two squadrons.

"It would seem that way, would it not?" Luna spoke again with an arched brow and a grin of her own, lightening up just a bit. The Colonel nodded.

"Indeed, which is why, to help along Federation-Equestrian relations, I have a proposition for you, one of which they have asked me to relay to you."

"Go on..." Luna replied, curious. Celestia and Twilight listened on.

"It was unfortunate what happened to the four other members of Vector Squad; my deepest condolences. Crusader Squad, on the other hand has always been somewhat short on members even though most of the time they preferred it just the way it is. At any rate, their proposal, or request, rather, is that they wish to form a single squad together... a joint task force, if you will. Personally, I feel a human-pony joint task force would be very beneficial in paving the way for potentially close ties between the Federation and your planet and nation," Borsig finished. All eyes were on Luna, who looked back and forth between Borsig and the individuals in question.

"You propose a very valid argument, Colonel, and personally, I feel such a joint task force would not only be beneficial for relations, but most effective. Elites of both of our militaries combined would be one to contend with." Luna looked to her three troops with a determined smile, filled with admiration and pride in them, more than happy to grant such a request. "Very well, by my authority and command over the Magickakorps, I wholly approve of such a merge."

"Nice!" Nathan said out loud, bringing a fist down in victory.

"Alright!" Radiance shouted. The others all wore grins of giddiness.

"It brings me great pleasure to approve the merge as well. Here's to new allies," Borsig reached his hands out to both Celestia and Luna. Both regal sisters looked at each other and then back to the Colonel before placing their hooves in his hands.

"To new allies."

Edited by Random_Dragon