Metroid: A Hunter in Equestria

by Cusi

Judgment

Disclaimer: Samus and Metroid elements belong to Nintendo. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro/the Hub. I own nothing but the plot.

Luna walked to her balcony with weary eyes. She was, to put it mildly, so exhausted she could almost taste death. She only had one more job to do before sweet, sweet slumber could claim her, and that was to lower the moon. As per usual, Celestia joined her on her way to the balcony.

“You look tired, sister.” Celestia sometimes had this annoying habit of pointing out the obvious.

“I am.”

“Samus?”

“Indeed. I just can’t get a good read at her. One time she’s deadly serious, another she casually strolls around the library.” They reached the balcony. “Any news on Sombra or the Crystal Empire?”

“Not yet, but our scouts are on the lookout. We’ll let you know as soon as we get anything.”

Luna nodded in acknowledgement. Then she lit her horn and began lowering the moon. In a few moments, the Sun would begin to rise and Celestia would take over the day. Finally, she would get some well-deserved rest.

“You get some sleep, little sister,” said Celestia as her horn glowed a golden hue and the Sun began creeping out from the horizon. “I’ll take care of things from here.”

“Thank you. Now if you’ll excuse me…” Luna turned around and headed directly to her bed. She didn’t even bother removing her royal regalia before she dropped ungracefully on her bed.

“Rest, little sister. You’ll need your energy for the coming days.”

Princess Celestia was sitting on her throne, going over some papers regarding Samus’s trial. She read through several of her counsellors’ suggestions, plus some of her own ideas that were written in paper.

The Hunter had been complying so far, not causing much trouble. Celestia was grateful for this, since there were other manners that needed to be dealt with. If things with continued to go smoothly with her, she might even…

Suddenly the doors to the throne room were abruptly opened, and a guard came rushing in. “News from northern Equestria, uh… your highness,” said the guard as he knelt before his ruler.

“Yes?”

“I am simply to tell you that it has returned.”

“Find Princess Cadance and Shining Armor,” she ordered another guard who was standing by her throne. The time had finally come, and she was ready.

“Yes, your highness.”

As the guard galloped away, Princess Celestia gathered some paper and began writing.

“My dearest Twilight, you must come to Canterlot at once…”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go as well?” Luna asked her sister. Both were regarding the several stained glass windows that decorated that room. They had received news from the North just yesterday, and so they had taken the necessary precautions.

“Yes. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor are already there. The others will be joining them soon.”

“The Empire’s magic is powerful. It cannot fall again, my sister.” Luna was a bit apprehensive about leaving such an important task to her sister’s student. She didn’t doubt Twilight’s prowess, but after hearing Lulamoon’s side to that particular story, well… Maybe she did doubt Twilight a little.

“She will succeed at her task. And when she does, we’ll know that she is that much closer to being ready.” There was the sound of someone clearing her. “Trust me, little sister.”

At least her older sister had complete faith in the lavender unicorn. That reassured Luna a little. The lunar princess made her way to the door to leave, giving Twilight one brief but observing glance. She still had to deal with Samus, after all.

“You wanted to see me? To give me a test? I brought my quills! And plenty of paper to show my work.” Luna heard Twilight say as she exited the room. Then the sound of things hitting the floor. ”Sorry, sorry!” So much for reassurance.

Luna stood by the door to the throne room, waiting for Celestia and her student to end their discussion. Twilight seemed extremely nervous about the idea of a test, which didn’t bode too well with the lunar alicorn. She briefly considered sending Samus to the Crystal Empire, she quickly scoffed at the idea. She had caused enough problems as is. As Luna’s mind began to wander, she heard hoofsteps approaching.

“I have every confidence you will succeed. And when you do, I’ll know that you are ready to move on to the next level of your studies.” Celestia said in that motherly tone of hers.

Luna wasn’t completely convinced, though, and she made Twilight know as much with her stare.

“But what if I fail?” Twilight asked, still unsure about the whole thing.

“You won’t.”

“But… what if…?”

“You won’t.” Celestia said while putting her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. This seemed to silence any doubt Twilight had. “But Twilight, in the end it must be you, and you alone, who ultimately assists Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in doing what needs to be done in order to protect the empire. Do you understand?” Twilight’s resolve strengthened at that. ”Then go. There is no time to lose.”

And so Twilight left, leaving the two sisters behind. They watched the unicorn leave until they were by themselves again. Silence reigned for an uncomfortable while.

“You seem to have an awful lot of trust on your student, sister.” Luna said at last.

“And you seem like you don’t,” the solar princess observed.

“After the last few days, can you blame me?”

“What is that supposed to mean?” asked a befuddled Celestia, but Luna was already leaving for the dungeon.

The walk was, as always, uneventful. Luna arrived at the dungeons to find the guards in rapt attention at Samus, who was doing some exercise. Those flexes looked like it would at least dislocated half your bones, but the human did them effortlessly. Perhaps it was human anatomy?

“What brings you here today?” asked Samus when she noticed the princess, despite the solid wall of magic that blocked the door of the cell. It was a sturdy wall, but it was translucid and still allowed sound to go through.

“Just came to make sure there were no problems concerning you,” Luna answered.

“Nope. Though I do have a small request,” Samus said.

“And what would that be?”

“More books. I already read the ones you lent me.”

Luna sighed. “Of course. Any special interests?”

“Whatever seems interesting.”

“Right. I’ll be back shortly.”

Luna walked to the library. Despite being the highest of royalties, here she was running an errand for a prisoner. A small price to pay, she bargained. It was better to keep Samus distracted so she didn’t attempt any more mischief. While Luna was certain she and her sister could take on and overpower the huntress, she’d rather not resort to violence.

Not yet, at least.

And so she reached the library. She wondered through the countless bookshelves until she casually came upon a specific section. Now it was her turn to give a mischievous grin. Samus didn’t specify just what kind of interesting she wanted to read.

Samus turned another page of her book. She thought, for the Nth time during the last couple of days, that Luna could be quite naughty. Not full on despicable, no. But she certainly knew how to play a prank, the kind that Samus could appreciate. The huntress gave a quiet chuckle as she closed that copy of the Ponysutra and put it on top of the others: A Foal’s ABC, All There Is to Know About Canterlot Arquitechture, and some horror novel that surprised Samus when she saw just how morbid the imagination of some ponies could be. On the upside, she could now read the ponies’ language without her helmet’s translator.

She put the book down and stretched. The guards that were in charge of keeping an eye on her didn’t move. They never moved, and so they had become part of the background in the Hunter’s eyes. She yawned a little and looked outside the small barred window of her cell. Purple skies and some clouds here and there. It was an overall nice evening.

That is until the aurora came. Samus watched with some interest how an aurora blue, pink, and yellow started decorating the skies. It was clear something happened somewhere, something big. She idly wondered what that was, but shrugged and continued with her book. She would find out later, she reasoned.

It finally came.

Two days after the aurora incident, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, along with a squad of guards, had come to collect Samus at the dungeon. It was time for the trial, and Samus felt something akin to nervousness and eagerness combined.

They were walking through the castle corridors on their way to the trial room, where several other ponies were already waiting. Sporting shackles on her legs and wrists, it was a little more difficult for Samus to keep up with the four-legged equines. Nonetheless, she kept up. It was as they were passing through a big hallway that Samus noticed the newest addition to the decoration of the room: a new stained glass window. While she would normally ignore such things, this one was different in that it depicted none other than Spike holding what looked like a crystal heart. She recalled hearing that only events of great importance were described in these windows, so seeing Spike in them caused the Hunter to feel a certain pride for the baby dragon. She gave the tiniest of smiles at that window.

Still, they marched on. The trial room was not too far, so they reached it in a matter of minutes. The trial room was, not much to Samus’s surprise, the throne room given some modifications. There were two thrones in the back of the room, were the princesses would likely sit. Stationed by the wall every three meters were guards, surrounding the room. Forming an arc beside the left throne were seven chairs, each occupied by an Element bearer or one particular baby dragon. Next to the right throne were only three chairs, one occupied by Land Scout, one by Iron Shield, and the last one by some light blue mare Samus briefly recalled seeing during her ‘purification’ with a harmony blast. Around the rest of the room, several other seats were being used by other several ponies Samus didn’t recognize. All the seats were on a higher level floor than the single stool that stood at the center of the room.

The guards accompanying the newly arrived group led Samus to the stool, where every pony in the room could see her. She unceremoniously sat down. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna took their places on the thrones, while the guards took theirs by the entrance to the room. As expected, it was Celestia who spoke first.

“We are gathered here for the trial of Samus, alien visitor, for her actions against Equestria,” Celestia said in a loud but gentle voice. She then turned to the Elements bearers. “I would like to thank you all for attending this event, and I would like to apologize for the unpleasantries this may cause after you were celebrating such a historical event.”

“We understand, princess. Don’t worry!” said Twilight on behalf of her friends.

“Thank you.” Celestia answered. She then turned to Samus on the lower ground. “We are ready to begin. Samus, anything to say before we do?”

“I can see how you resemble the sun,” said the huntress.

“Because she’s bright and warm and looking over us all?” piqued the lavender unicorn. Samus gave her an annoyed glace.

“No.” Samus turned to Celestia again. “It’s because I can’t stand looking directly at you for long.”

There was a collective gasp at the insult. The princesses, for their part, remained stoic as if nothing had been said, save for one miniscule twitch in the solar ruler’s eyebrow that went unnoticed by all. “Anything else you wish to add?”

“No.”

“Good. Then let us begin. Samus Aran, you are charged with royal theft, assault on authority, property damage, endangerment of civilians, and attempt of murder. Though it comes to my attention that you were under the influence of Discord’s evil magic. I hereby ask you, how do you declare yourself?”

“Guilty,” answered Samus with a calm voice. This seemed to surprise quite a bit of the ponies present.

“We admire your honesty and responsibility,” Luna said.

“Guilty? And you say that like it was nothing?!” Rainbow Dash exalted. She got up from her seat and flew over to Samus’s face. “Scootaloo is in the hospital because of you. We almost lost our friends because of what you did!”

Samus didn’t flinch. With the same calm voice as before, she spoke. “I suggest you calm yourself, Miss Dash. Otherwise, I’ll break your neck.”

“Why, you little…“ The pegasus tensed and was about to lash. Several guards were already in position to interfere if necessary.

“Rainbow Dash!” both Celestia and Twilight scolded at the same time, but it was the princess who kept talking. “Take your seat. Now. We are having this trial for a reason. Please avoid any further offenses until this is over.”

Dejected, Rainbow Dash flew back to her seat. “Yes, your highness.”

“And Samus,” the princess continued “I will not tolerate any more aggressions.”

“Or what?” defied Samus “Are you going to scold me? Turn me to stone? Banish me to the moon?”

Every pony, sans the guards, recoiled at the last sentence. Celestia looked like she was physically hit, although she recovered quickly. A quick glance to her sister revealed Luna was angry, though she couldn’t determine if it was at her or at the huntress.

Luna rose from her seat, and calmly paced to where Samus was. Once in front of the human, Luna raised her hoof and slapped Samus in the face with enough force to make her fall of the stool and hit her head on the floor.

“It would do you good to remember where you currently stand, human,” the dark alicorn seethed.

The shock didn’t last long for the Hunter. Samus simply got up and took her seat in the stool, sporting a red swelling cheek and a small trickle of blood from her nose. “And you would be wise to understand why exactly I’m standing where I am.”

Luna gave a couple of steps back. Not in fear, but to give the huntress some space. “Explain.”

“You ponies don’t know what true evil is,” Samus began “You claim Discord is one of the greatest evils this land has faced, but he is nothing more than an attention-seeking brat. For reasons that now seem idiotic, I let him get some control over me. He promised something, and against my better judgment I believed him. All this manipulation just for one purpose: to make the Elements of Harmony unavailable to the ponies. That way he could roam free unopposed. Then he could proudly show everybody what he can do, just like some child who wants to show off the pretty drawing he just made. He is powerful and twisted, I’ll give you that, but he is not evil.”

“Care to explain that?” Celestia asked. Luna had joined her by the throne while Samus talked.

Samus gave each Element, princess, or dragon a look in the eye before continuing, taking a little longer on the latest. “While under Discord’s influence, there was one order he kept repeating. That is to avoid killing any pony. Dead ponies are no fun, he reasoned. Still, he wasn’t going to cross that line. I, on the other hand, would’ve done the job faster and with less trouble if I didn’t have to hold back. While I avoid killing bystanders, I won’t hesitate to terminate whatever gets in my way.”

“And why are you telling us all this?” asked Luna. “You are defending that which made you act out of order, that which manipulated you.”

“I’m not defending him; I’m stating how I see things. He is clever,” was Samus’s answer. “He knows where to attack, and how to manipulate. And I let him. Ultimately, it was his overconfidence what eventually led to his downfall.”

“True,” commented Celestia. “But he always seems to have an alternative course of action. He is, after all, quite unpredictable on that regard.”

“Yes,” Samus agreed. “Which brings me to my point. You, Celestia, have to be the biggest imbecile I’ve had the disgust of meeting.”

The reaction was almost chaotic. Most of the ponies in the room gasped loudly, some getting vividly angry at the statement, and even a few fainted. Applejack and Rarity had to physically restrain Rainbow Dash and Twilight, respectively, to keep them from pouncing at the human for her bold insult.

“Order!” yelled Luna. The effect was almost instantaneous, as every pony calmed down at the princess’s outburst.

“While I can understand your dislike for me, I would like to know why you think that,” Celestia asked with a neutral voice.

“What do Luna, the changeling queen, and Discord all have in common?” Samus asked. “Tell me.”

“They were all, at one point or another, a threat to Equestria.” Celestia’s gaze turned uncharacteristically cold for a moment. “Not unlike you, I might add.”

“And just like me, they are alive. While I can understand wanting to spare your sister, what reasons did you have to not finish off the other threats? Why not kill them when you could? In fact, how many more ancient threats have you failed to properly slay? How many of those will one day return to wreak havoc, hm?”

The princess looked at the Hunter with almost disdain. “I will not commit murder. No matter what reason, there are lines I will not cross.” Celestia flared as she spoke. “Nopony has the right to decide whether other sentient being lives or dies.”

“Then,” Samus began, “be prepared to face the consequences. Had Discord perished when you had the chance, he wouldn’t have manipulated me in the first place. Had the changeling queen been slain, she wouldn’t have abducted your ponies. If you won’t eradicate the threat, the threat will eventually return.” Samus gave another look to the gathered ponies. “And not all evils are as mellow as Discord.”

“You think Discord is mellow?” some random pony from the audience asked in shock.

“There are creatures that will maul for entertainment. Fiends that will torture and kill because it’s fun. Monsters that will commit genocide on a whim. Demons that you can’t stop with harmony or friendship.” Every word that Samus spokes came out with more venom than the last, and in her mind she could see the silhouette of a space dragon burning down a village. “You think Discord is evil? You ponies wouldn’t know true evil until Equestria burned to the ground.”

There was a long moment of heavy, uncomfortable silence.

“Is that what happened to you?” Luna asked at last. Samus looked down and remained silent. “You… You are the last survivor of your village. That wasn’t just a nightmare I saw, it was a memory.”

Several murmurs could be heard from the several ponies throughout the room, but still Samus said nothing, letting her silence speak for her.

“With such a troubled past, it is no wonder Discord found a way to break you,” Celestia once again spoke. “I see that it wasn’t your intention alone to cause so much damage. And before this whole incident, you were always honest. While I know you can be quite ruthless and you lack sympathy, I don’t think of you as evil or malevolent.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because,” Celestia answered “you stand before us. Were you truly evil, the Elements would’ve done much more than cause you to black out.”

“Why bother with a trial, then?” Samus asked. “What were you hoping to accomplish with this?”

“First of all, whether influenced or not, you were the one that made all the mess. We can’t simply ignore that fact. Secondly, I wanted to hear your version of the events. Thirdly, we all know you a little better after this. Lastly, I want to make sure you won’t represent any more danger to our people.”

“I see…” Samus said, feeling a lot more pensive than when she just arrived at the trail.

“Do you remember our talk when we first met? The one by the gardens?” Samus nodded in response. Celestia nodded in acknowledgement. “I’m glad you do. So, before we reach a decision, I would once again like to ask you: Can we trust you?”

“My answer remains the same,” said Samus as she looked at Celestia, but her gaze quickly went to the darker alicorn “I have no intention of bringing any harm to your land or its inhabitants.”

“Thank you for your honesty,” Luna told Samus. Then she directed her voice to the rest of the ponies in the room. “Thank you for your time, everypony. We will now make our decision, and will let you know shortly.”

“Please excuse us.” Celestia said. “Twilight and Applejack, if you could join us, please. And you too, lieutenant.”

Iron Shield followed with the military behavior of a guard. The summoned mares, however, followed the princesses out of the room with clear confusion as to why they had been summoned. It was pretty obvious to Samus, though. Iron Shield had been keeping an eye on her, so he would know more about her than the common pony. Applejack was honest and to-the-point, so her opinion would probably be harsh, but true. Twilight was Celestia’s student, and so was likely there for a more personal opinion.

Silence reigned yet again. Samus took another look around the room, until her gaze fell on Spike. He noticed her looking at him, but he shied away. Samus maintained her gaze, feeling uncharacteristically ashamed of herself. She looked away when the sound of opening doors was heard.

The judges took only a few minutes to come to their decision, and so they opened the doors and reentered the room, each of them taking their place. Until every pony was seated, some calm and collected while other barely contained their nerves, Celestia gave her verdict.

“We have come to a decision. After consulting with some of the present ponies, we have decided that Samus Aran is worthy of being trusted. However, “Celestia said before neither celebration nor riot could start “she is to publicly apologize to those she harmed. She will also provide community service during her stay in Equestria in atonement for her actions, as they were not all entirely to be blamed on Discord’s influence. In addition, she will be kept under surveillance until she finds a way to go back home. Not only that, but she will also respond to the call of either princess should the need for her services ever rises. This, of course, will be rewarded in monetary goods.” She looked at Samus again. “Does the accused agree to these terms?”

Samus looked at Celestia. “You really are a soft idiot,” she said, though she gave a small smile, “but thank you. I agree to the terms.”

‘And I swear on the Chozo that I will not let this planet be robbed of its peace or its beauty’ Samus thought to herself as she glanced at Luna and Spike.

“Then we declare this trial OVER!” Luna declared with a loud voice.

Samus was sitting on a tree by the royal gardens. She watched as the festivities around the castle continued, despite the trial that just took place. They weren’t for her, after all; the honors belonged to a certain baby dragon.
Princess Celestia was over there, idling with other ponies and snacking on some sweets. Princess Luna had disappeared somewhere. And all the other ponies were having fun taking part in the celebration. From the distance Samus watched, silent and thoughtful. It wasn’t until a rustling sound alerted her that she was no longer alone.

“Hey, there,” Spike the dragon greeted as he struggled to climb the tree. He eventually succeeded and sat by Samus.

“Hello,” the huntress responded.

“So, uh… Nice weather we’re having.” Spike was nervous. Samus couldn’t really blame him.

“It is,” she said, looking up to the sky for a moment. She then motioned her head toward the party at the castle. “Why aren’t you over there enjoying the party?”

“I, uh, wanted to talk to you.”

She looked back at him. “What about?”

“It’s just that you were really scary, and I thought you were a bad pony when you started hunting down my friends. But now I see it wasn’t your fault. So, uh, sorry for attacking you.”

Samus couldn’t help ruffling his spines. “Don’t worry, kiddo. I kinda deserved it. And I applaud your bravery. Speaking of which, I heard this whole party was because the Crystal Empire was saved thanks to you. For what it’s worth, I’m proud of you.”

“Aww, shucks…” Spike blushed. Samus laughed a little at the flustered dragon.

“What’s the matter? You can valiantly save an empire head on, but you shrink at a girl’s compliment?” Samus teased. The effect was instantaneous, Spike blushed even redder. Samus laughed again.

“Hey! It was a thing of the moment! And besides, King Sombra didn’t tease me like that.”

“King Sombra, you said?”

“Yeah. Have you heard about him?”

“I heard the name. Nothing else, though.”

“I see.” Spike’s flustered state was gone now. “Hey, Samus? Can I ask you another question?”

“Sure. Shoot.”

“Why did you say all those mean things to Princess Celestia? Do you hate her?”

Samus looked back to the celebrations at the castle. “Honestly, I believe she is an idiot. She strikes me as egotistical and vain. And I’m angry that it seems like she’s careless when it comes to dealing with enemies. She has a good heart, and I can respect that, but sometimes that’s not enough. I think she’s too soft and too forgiving.”

“But aren’t you free because she is soft and forgiving?” countered Spike.

“I suppose you’re right,” Samus conceded. “Still, I don’t like her. I don’t rightly hate her, but I certainly don’t like her.”

“I see,” Spike said with some thoughts, but he quickly perked up. “Heh, you should’ve seen Twilight earlier. She was really angry at you for saying all those things.”

“Yes, well, not all of us hold Celestia in a high pedestal and worship the ground she walks.”

Spike laughed. “It’s good to see you’re not evil.”

Samus smiled at the little drake. “Got that right.”

Things were once again starting to look good for the Hunter.