//------------------------------// // 35. Magic // Story: Metroid Equis // by Flammenwerfer //------------------------------// Metroid Equis Chapter 35 Magic [Twilight’s Library | ~Six Months After Crater Collapse] Not a cloud was to be seen in the sky, but the temperature was quite pleasant; this ensured that there was a large number of ponies, and even humans, out and about in Ponyville. Samus, though, did not feel like venturing out on this uncharacteristically lazy Saturday, instead opting to lounge around the Library in some comfortable clothes, though by ‘clothes,’ she meant her now-standard sleepwear. Leaning against one of Twilight’s bookshelves and sitting on a pony-sized pillow next to the lavender unicorn herself, she was reading up on some news on her tablet from around the Federation as well as some of the material she scanned from the library itself. It was not particularly exciting, but it passed the time pleasantly in her opinion. Samus was quite the avid reader, after all, and she valued quiet; her friendship with Twilight was strengthened incalculably upon this revelation. The two read in silence, occasionally sharing a brief sentence or two. They were both enjoying the relaxing task, but Samus’ concentration was interrupted when the tablet occupying her hands vibrated in a familiar yet obnoxious pattern, preceding the telltale notification: [Incoming Transmission] Twilight looked up suddenly at the foreign sound piercing their comfortable silence but immediately went back to reading her tome once she discerned that it dealt with Samus’ systems. On the Hunter’s part, she acknowledged the transmission and her tablet displayed a large, detailed message from Galactic Federation High Command. Samus adjusted her sitting position to comfortably read the new message, her eyes scanning and scrutinizing every word. It was a good thing Twilight was not watching her, as she would have seen Samus’s expression change from comfortable stoicism to almost… dejected. Samus laid her tablet on her lap and took a deep breath, exhaling with an almost conflicted heart as she stared off into nothing in particular. For the first time in her post-military career, Samus hesitated, conflicted, as she pondered what to do with the message in front of her… but she knew very well what the answer was; what she must do. After an endless moment, she scrolled to the bottom and let her fingers drift towards the screen: [Accept Mission] When the confirmation was sent off, Samus really did not have the will to resume her previous activities. Instead, she locked her tablet and placed it aside, leaning back against her support and continuing to stare off into space. Twilight chose that moment to look up at the clearly conflicted human hybrid. “You alright, Samus?” Twilight asked concernedly, but the Hunter did not respond immediately. “Yeah… I’m fine,” Samus replied in her usual stoic manner. The unicorn rolled her eyes and sighed. “We both know that’s not true. Come on, what’s wrong?” Twilight pressed, closing her tome and facing her friend directly. “I…” Samus began, but was having trouble properly marshalling her thoughts to say what she wanted to say. At the same time, she realised that she’d rather tell everypony at the same time. “Can we gather the girls, Spike, and maybe the Princesses? There’s something you all need to know.” “Ummmm… how soon are we talking?” Twilight asked curiously, slightly taken aback by the unusual request. Samus locked eyes with her. “Tonight. It’s important.” Samus’s tone brooked no argument, especially the way the Hunter looked back at her with a somewhat conflicted gaze. “I think I can work something out… I’ll get on that,” Twilight stated, getting off her pillow and calling to Spike to help pen the appropriate letters. All the while, Samus strode to her room and sealed herself off, allowing her to collect her thoughts and figure out exactly what she was going to tell everypony and how. Samus could lie to others but it was fruitless to lie to herself; she was, for lack of better words, down. She didn’t show it, even to herself in the mirror, but there was little point in denying it. What was worse was that she knew for a fact this was going to happen. Some form of bullshittery was going to transpire somewhere in the Federation which would require her attention and physical presence. She had had ample time to prepare for this, and from the way she was feeling, she clearly either did not prepare enough, or there was something else at play. Samus sighed heavily and ran both of her palms up her temples and through her hair. Unfortunately, these were some of the unfortunate downsides to forming attachments to others with her current, active duty status. Samus knew this well. As a result, goodbyes were going to be so much harder… but one thing was for certain: she did not regret anything. Nothing at all. [Later that Evening…] It had been a stretch for everypony important to find slots open in their schedules at the exact same time, but when they heard that Samus was requesting a high-priority meeting with all of them, the rest of the Mane Six, not to mention the princesses, were more than willing to cancel and move around their engagements on her behalf. Almost everypony was inside the Library and the last arrivals, being the princesses and Rainbow Dash, had just touched outside of the front door. Everypony was confused and curious about what Samus had to say; how their opinions would change afterward was anyone’s guess. Twilight helped usher everypony inside and made sure they all were comfortable as they waited for Samus to exit her room. Until that point, everypony was okay with indulging in idle chatter with each other. “Pray tell, is everything alright?” Luna asked nopony in particular, hoping for some answers. “We don’t know, Your Highness,” Rarity took the initiative in replying first. “Neither do I, Princess,” Twilight cut in. “Samus only asked me to get everypony here tonight, and from the way her face looked and how she sounded, I wasn’t going to question her. She wouldn’t ask something of me like that if it wasn’t truly important.” “Where is she anyway?” Celestia wondered. At that moment, Samus’ door unlocked and opened, revealing the usual Zero Suit-clad Hunter. Everypony’s expression brightened considerably as she made her appearance… but faded deeper into confusion as they took in the fact that Samus’ expression, normally best described as ‘stoic,’ had slipped a couple notches into ‘dour.’ Samus had a natural stoic resting face, but the ponies in her presence had known her long enough to start seeing past the façade, which revealed dejection. Taking a deep breath and running her hand under her nose, Samus finally spoke: “Hey everyone. Sorry for dragging you here so late but… it’s kind of important.” “There is no need to apologize, Samus. Now, what’s on your mind?” Celestia reassured in her iconic motherly tone. All echoed her sentiments and Samus took this as her cue to continue, but before doing so, she pulled a pillow up to the circle and sat down in her usual lotus position. “There’s something you all need to know, and I can almost guarantee that none of you will like it. The fact of the matter is… I’m being called away to the planet Norion,” Samus stated. The silence continued to reign, and some of her friends’ expressions began to change. Some did not understand what Samus was saying, while the rest, being somewhat more perceptive, flattened their ears against their heads in a display of emotion. “Wait… what?” Twilight asked for clarification. “The Galactic Federation wants me to link up with one of the main fleets in orbit around Norion. That’s pretty much the gist of it. I don’t know much else beyond that they want me there,” Samus answered. “W-When do you have to leave?” Fluttershy asked ever so softly, dismay clearly evident in her slightly trembling voice. “They gave me a deadline, and accounting for the distance from here to Norion space...I have to leave in about a week. No later.” “Wait, wait…” Rainbow Dash’s voice suddenly pierced the calm and collected atmosphere. “Don’t tell me you’re actually thinking of going...” All turned their attention towards her and Samus’ did not betray any hint of jest… even Rainbow could ascertain that. “I am going.” “Why?” the prismatic-maned pegasus asked, pressing for more answers as she sat up straight on her haunches. “Because it’s my job, and—” “You can always get a new job here!” Rainbow countered hastily. “Rainbow Dash...” Applejack spoke through her teeth, attempting to rein her in. However, the cyan pegasus was not having any of it. “No, Applejack. I just don’t understand why Samus would want to just leave; leave everything she has here behind and just… ugh!” Rainbow Dash continued to protest, becoming gradually more discomfited. She then looked back to Samus and spoke with a much softer tone after taking a long, deep breath. “You have a life here, Samus. Why do you wanna give that up? Give all of us up?” “You’re putting words into my mouth and you know it, Dashie.” Samus countered, level-headed; nevertheless, she knew Dashie’s feelings were genuine. “It’s not a question of wanting to go… I have to. I have a destiny that was given to me by my caretakers, and I have a duty to protect this galaxy.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “‘Duty’ and ‘destiny,’ how cliche. Don’t you have a duty to your friends as well?” Rainbow countered. “I do. By protecting the galaxy, I’m also protecting you. Rainbow Dash, you’re acting like I’ll never come back or that I don’t want to come back,” Samus observed. She knew this would be hard to get across to at least one of her friends but this was quickly proving to be more difficult than she had originally thought. “How do we know that?” “Do you really think I wouldn’t want to come back here as soon as I was able?” Samus asked, raising her voice a tad. “If you’re willing to just up and leave so easily, I have my doubts! You don’t seem to wanna stay here that badly,” Rainbow raised her voice in kind, startling the other mares with her assertions. “And you could be killed!” “Now you’re just being circular in your reasoning. And that’s a very real possibility we all have to deal with, especially me,” Samus replied. “That we all have to deal with???” Rainbow parroted in disbelief. “Selfish much?” “Rainbow Dash!” Twilight scolded. “Loyalty. Calm yourself,” Princess Luna rapped icily, her voice just this side of being an imperious command. Samus, however, held her hand out to Luna in a gesture of everything being okay as she got to her feet. “Well it looks like I’m going to have to spoon-feed this to you. Quite frankly, you’re in denial,” Samus pointed out. “Yeah okay,” Rainbow huffed out unconvincingly. “That only proves my point. You’re in denial. You knew this was going to happen eventually. You all knew, and even I knew… but I didn’t know when; I thought we would have more time,” Samus continued before setting her sights on Rainbow Dash, pointing at her and speaking expressively with her hands. “Do you think this isn’t tough for me? Are you willing to stand up on your hooves, hover in front of my face and tell me that this is not hard for me?!” Samus asked rhetorically, her voice raising uncharacteristically high and loudly. “Go ahead, Rainbow Dash,” she hissed through clenched teeth, “make my night!” She paused and waited, as did everypony else. Rainbow just stared up as Samus dwarfed her, but she had no fight in her. She knew the Hunter was absolutely right, but her stubbornness would never allow her to admit it in words. She merely sighed and flattened her ears against her head, drooping low and backing off. “Thought so,” Samus stated. “How dare you try to invalidate my own personal feelings and thoughts about this whole situation as if you somehow know the inner workings of my mind. In that respect, you don’t know me at all.” She then addressed everypony else. “None of you do. “Well guess what? This is my life. It was only a matter of time before I was called away and guess what! I’ve been called! My destiny and my bounty hunting career? They’re one and the same!” the Hunter continued to rant. Something inside of her gave away and she felt compelled, for once in her life, to speak her mind completely. She began pacing. “I was trained for this job since I was rescued at the ripe old age of three. I don’t know what the hell the Chozo saw in me but they sent me off on my own, with this job, by the time I was fourteen! Yeah! That’s right!” Samus reiterated as she began seeing the shocked expressions of her friends. “I, barely a pubescent girl, was sent off into the galaxy to protect it from threats with abilities and powers I was barely confident I knew how to use! Now here I am, barely a decade older, and I’m still sometimes not even sure what I’m doing! Samus took a deep breath. “My adoptive family… bless their hearts and spirits, they visit me in my dreams and almost constantly apologize for pushing me into this calling...that will likely consume the rest of my life. I wanted to hate them for it… but I never can. I love them. I love them so fucking much because they saved my life and taught me lessons invaluable. They raised me. “Even though this destiny has taken me forcefully, bent me over a table and screwed me in every single conceivable way… I know for a fact that it will never be that bad anymore. Know why?” Samus again asked rhetorically, gradually lowering her voice back to normal. “Because you have all given me a gift… a gift that proves to me that Old Bird’s teachings are still relevant; something that I never thought I would need or even want in my life after my Federation Military days: friendship. “This destiny is as old as me, and it’s my lot in life to pursue it. I don’t know when I’ll be back, if I’ll be able to come back immediately once this new mission is over… but what I do know, is that what will get me through it all, what will make me fight and protect with even greater righteous fury and luminance, is that I have you all waiting for me.” Every single mare plus dragon in that room perked up at those words, giving the Hunter their undivided attention. A few of them had misty eyes. “You’re right about one thing, Rainbow Dash,” Samus continued. “This place is my home. I do have a life here: a peaceful, amazing life. I absolutely love it here, everything about this place suits me perfectly and I truly would not wish to have it any other way, especially a life here without you all. “But I still have to do this… and I want to do this despite what I said before about this destiny, even though it’s all true. It brings a sense of satisfaction knowing I’ve made a difference, however small or large… and no matter the cost. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that I truly don’t want to leave Equestria.   “So...selfish, Dashie? I don’t think so. Ingenuine feelings? Think again,” Samus concluded, collapsing herself into a lotus on her giant pillow and framing her face with her hands. “You of all ponies should know the meaning and weight behind the concept of ‘Loyalty,’ Rainbow Dash,” Luna added. Dash reacted as if struck. Samus took long, deep breaths while everypony remained silent, mulling heavily on what they just heard and witnessed. “Sorry. I needed that. Thanks,” Samus also added, regaining herself and completely collected once more. Silence continued to reign but was replaced not by voices, but by hooves clopping against the hardwood floor. Against Samus’ expectations, every single individual in that room crowded around her an a gentle, group hug. The Hunter did not fight it at all, rather, she embraced it. There was something incredibly comforting about being ‘wrapped up in pony.’ “Feel better?” Celestia asked. “Yeah… I really do. Thank you.” Everypony was more than willing to step up when they saw their friend, the battle-hardened, tactical, stoic, and ever calculating warrior Samus Aran, need a hug. Samus claimed earlier that they were not able to read her emotions accurately beyond a reasonable doubt… but they seemed to get it right this time. Everypony was on the same page at least, but now, they had to address the fact that Samus was leaving. “So, one week, huh?” Spike asked, breaking the silence on everypony’s behalf and taking the initiative with the elephant in the room. “Eeyup,” Samus affirmed. “Well, I don’t know about you all, but I say we make this last week the best week of Samus’ life!” the dragon proposed. Everyone else suddenly brightened at the thought. “You know what, Spike? You’re right!” Twilight agreed wholeheartedly, already mentally creating a checklist of exciting things to do over the next week. “Indeed. This should not be a time of dejection, but a time of rejoice!” Luna weighed in. “Samus is not leaving us, she is merely going on an extended business trip.” Samus bobbed her head thoughtfully at that analogy, because it was technically true. “This is gonna be the BEST. WEEK. EVER!” Pinkie expressed gleefully, Samus donning her traditional smirk once more at the sudden, positive change in atmosphere and attitude. Rainbow Dash continued to remain silent yet in a much better mood. There were some things she had to say to Samus, particularly a groveling apology, but now was not the time to bring everypony back to that. “I’m more than okay with that. Let’s do it,” Samus said, more than willing to go along with whatever was planned.   “Then why not start tonight?” Rarity proposed. “Let’s go to Canterlot and have fun!” “R-Right now?” Fluttershy asked for confirmation. “YES! Right now!” Rarity affirmed. Suddenly, everypony was on board and even the princesses said they could spare a little bit of time with them all before they had to get back to the castle. Samus took one look around her as she giggled internally. This’ll be a fun week. And a fun week it was! That very night, every single one of them took a trip to Canterlot to a massive restaurant-bar that was notoriously open extra late. Everypony stuffed their faces, drank, and was merry the entire night even on the eventual return-trip back to Ponyville. An impromptu sleepover was held that night and the fun continued come the next day. The days slowly melded into each other as the fun never stopped. All together (with the princesses joining when they could), Samus, Spike, and the Mane Six partook in a record number of activities, both exciting and relaxing. They went to restaurants, bars, amusement parks, beaches, and mountains. They drank themselves drunk (with the exception of Spike) and forded the hangovers the following mornings with gusto. Sleep was of little concern to the odd bunch as they ensured to live up to Spike’s proclamation: give Samus the time of her life. The Hunter could not remember the last time she had so much fun with individuals that she cared for. That only added to the week as she got to experience the natural wonders and beauty of Equestria: places that she would never have been able to see under normal circumstances. It fully reinforced how much she loved this nation she agreed to call home, something she would never in her right mind have dreamt when she hit planetside six months prior. Two days in, Rainbow Dash apologized to Samus for her outburst in the Library, and after a nice hug, all was well. Samus even took Dash for a ride in her new ship to show that everything was water under the bridge. Unfortunately though, a week is just that: a week… and that week did have to eventually come to an end. [Twilight’s Library | Day of Departure] Everypony was up extra early to ensure Samus had the greatest breakfast yet, and after another enjoyable meal with everyone she saw as friends, Samus asked to excuse herself for about fifteen minutes. She had wanted to take one last walk around Ponyville and drink everything in once more before she left. None denied her, and Samus enjoyed her last walk around the town she called home for the last six months, a small, sad smile eternally present on her face as everything of her time here flashed before her eyes. Once her walk ended, and upon returning to the library, it was time to get ready to go. A temperate day in Ponyville with not a cloud in the sky; it certainly made packing that much easier, though Samus did not have much in the way of luggage to pack. With her ship landed outside of the Library, Samus hefted her locked-up rifle into the entrance elevator as well as her personal datapad. Princess Luna helped carry a small sack of extra things that Samus had wished to take with her, handing it to the girl when she asked. That was soon placed into the elevator and taken into the ship’s cockpit. “Is that everything?” Luna asked as she watched the elevator ascend into the cockpit, the maneuvering thrusters briefly kicking on before it dropped back down to the ground. Princess Celestia and everypony else were waiting a few feet away. Samus did a quick mental check before turning to the Lunar Princess. “Yep, that’s it.” Luna beckoned Samus to follow her with a tilt of her head and the two moved back to the main group, where Luna got back in line with the rest. There, Samus stood in front of a small line of nine individuals: two alicorns, six mares, and a dragon. All looked at her with smiles, but underneath there was definitely some sadness… after all, their week of fun did have to end with Samus ultimately departing from the planet. The gentle breeze rustled hair and manes, Samus reveling in the feeling of the fresh Equestrian air hitting her face. She took one more deep breath before gazing upon everypony in front of her. “Well, guys... I... I guess this is it,” Samus began, not entirely sure where to go from here. She was not really the greatest at goodbyes since she often just got up and left from her other missions. However, her dilemma was settled when Fluttershy took a tentative step forward… and then she approached the Hunter. [Suggested Ambience] Samus got down on one knee to be as close to eye-level as possible. “It’s been fun, Flutters,” Samus said softly, a small, caring smile gracing her features. Said smile faltered a bit when the shy mare let out a series of sniffles. She got onto her hind legs, wrapped her front legs around Samus’ neck, and pulled her into a hug, a tight hug which the Hunter gladly and enthusiastically reciprocated. She could feel Fluttershy letting out a few tears. “Please t-take care of yourself, okay? A-And come back soon…” Fluttershy gently whimpered. “I will… and you know I’ll be back here the moment I’m free. Say goodbye to Angel for me,” Samus replied softly, but loud enough where everypony could hear. Though she couldn’t see it, the initial parting words were beginning to have a bit of an effect on everypony else. This was definitely going to be hard. The two separated and Samus scratched behind the mare’s right ear before releasing her. Fluttershy returned to the line of her friends with tear-stains under her eyes and in her place, Rarity stepped forward. “Oh Darling…” she began, putting a hoof on Samus’ shoulder. She wasn’t openly crying but she was definitely misty-eyed. “...just continue being absolutely gorgeous and be safe please! I’ll miss you. We’ll miss you, Samus.” The first comment elicited a gentle chuckle from Samus. “I’ll try, and I’ll be just fine, I’ll make sure of it. We can go to the spa the moment I return,” the Hunter replied, pushing a lock of her hair behind her ear at the same time. The two then hugged. “Don’t keep a lady waiting,” Rarity said before breaking away and rejoining her friends. Applejack stepped forward, pulling her stetson off her head. “Ya got enough food?” she asked, more than willing to cook Samus up something extra if it meant having her stay a little longer. “Oh yeah, that sack that I packed is full of the individually wrapped apple fritters and apples you gave me.” “Good! Imma miss you, partner,” the mare admitted, the tears welling just a bit but not spilling. She then went for the hug and the two held each other. “Just come back in one piece, ya hear?” Applejack ordered. “How else are we going to buck apples?” Samus asked, as if it was the obvious response to the mare’s words. The two separated after a few more moments and Applejack fell back into line. Rainbow Dash stepped forward. “I ummm…” she began to speak, rubbing the back of her head as her words eluded her. Samus was one of the only ponies, or, human in this case, who could keep up with and surpass her physically. Samus had a gratifying way of testing Dash; that was one of the reasons she loved hanging out with the Hunter so much. The fact that she had to address the departure, on top of her not being good with words, was making tears well up uncomfortably in her eyes. Samus decided to wordlessly take the initiative and hold her fist out. She knew what Rainbow was trying to say, and knew very well that emotional words didn’t come to her well (the two definitely had that in common). Rainbow grinned and planted her hoof on Samus’ fist, but eventually pulled the Hunter in for a true hug. “I’m really bad at goodbyes,” Rainbow admitted as they embraced. “I know. Me too. It’s been really fun though. Thanks for everything,” Samus replied. “Just… come back soon alright?” “I’ll race you then,” Samus added endearingly, which almost made Rainbow lose it. The two finally separated, Samus scratched behind the mare’s ear and the mare floated back into line. Pinkie Pie stepped forward, though her mane was much less springy and poofy than normal. “It’s been a wild ride with you, Pinkie, and I’ve enjoyed every minute,” Samus spoke first as Pinkie initiated the hug. “I’ll throw the biggest party ever when you come back,” Pinkie sniffled out shakily. “It better be a wild party too, with your special donuts,” Samus added her two stipulations. “Heart failure never tasted so good.” Pinkie nodded into the girl’s neck. “Pinkie Promise you’ll come back safely and soon?” the mare asked as the two separated. The Hunter smiled endearingly. “Cross my heart, hope to fly… stick a cupcake in my eye,” she recited the sacred rhyme along with performing the appropriate hand-movements. What Samus had also been noticing is that these goodbyes were starting to compound on her. Satisfied, Pinkie nodded and smiled brightly. With one last scratch behind both of her ears, she rejoined her friends, with Spike stepping up to the plate. “Hope to see you here really soon, Samus,” Spike stated outright, holding his hand out for a shake. Samus, on her part, took his hand and shook, but unexpectedly pulled him against her into a tight hug. “You’re not exempt from this, Spike. I’m going to miss you too. You take care of Twilight and the girls, alright?” Samus asked, having grown quite fond of the little dragon over the past six months. He was wonderful company and conversation, and like everypony else, Samus would definitely miss him. “Y-You got it, Samus,” Spike replied, doing his best not to show any emotion as they separated and he rejoined the line. Twilight stepped forward. “Hey,” Samus began as Twilight closed the distance. “Thanks for opening your home and putting up with me for over six months.” The unicorn immediately pulled the Hunter into a hug and began crying. “It’s s-still your home too, Samus… and I expect to come home one day and you’re r-reading in the living room, okay?” “I’ll remember to do just that,” Samus replied softly with a smile and held the mare just a little tighter as the latter spilled her tears. A few moments later, though, Twilight separated and with a parting smile shared between her and the Hunter, she rejoined her friends. Samus stood up and both princesses approached at the same time. They, with their age and concepts of the magnitude of time, were completely composed but still quite disheartened that Samus, the Hero of Equestria, had to leave. “Thank you for everything you have done for us, and know that we… all of us, will miss you dearly. Equestria is your home, Samus, and as such, she shall always welcome you with open arms,” Princess Celestia stated with a motherly smile. “As will we. Please do not be a stranger, and come home soon, Hunter,” Luna added. “The future of Equestria and our planet will be most exciting, but I cannot envision it without you here.” “You know I’ll be back, you two. Equestria… has been wonderful to me, and will be even more amazing when I return. Thank you all so much,” Samus replied before all three of them shared a several-moments-long hug. Eventually though, the princesses separated and rejoined everypony else, leaving Samus on her lonesome in front of them all. I guess this is it then. With one final smile and nod, Samus moved to turn on her heel towards her ship. “Samus!” She stopped her movement immediately and looked to Twilight, the source of the call. “Yeah?” Twilight, looking much more composed right now, glanced at all her friends and the princesses. They all gave her reassuring smiles and Celestia nodded, signaling to urge her on. “W-We wanted to give you something. Something from all of us,” Twilight began, turning her head and seemingly fishing out an object from her coat. Samus stepped forward just a little bit as Twilight floated something over to her. “It’s nothing fancy, but we just wanted you to have something that reminded you of all of us… remind you that you will always have friends here that truly care for you.” Samus held her right hand open and the little trinket was dropped, losing Twilight’s magical aura as it fell lifelessly into her palm. That’s when she knew that she was looking at what looked like a bracelet, composed of eight beads on a simple chain: the six mares’ cutie marks and a fragment of one of Spike’s scales flanking a large central bead, bearing Samus’ Chozo runic insignia. Moreover, each one magically glowed faintly with the true colors of the cutie marks. This was interesting for Samus… as she gazed upon the little trinket in her hand, running her thumb over the beads, something inside her welled up. This was a gift imparted to her by her friends, and the only other gift she had received in her life was her Power Suit. This bracelet was quite simple, but Samus had simple tastes… it was the perfect gift. The purest essence of the friendships she made, condensed into physical form. Old Bird was and would continue to be proud. She pursed her lips together as the weight of it all started to hit her. Her face was obscured from everypony else as she stared at the bracelet but when Samus set her sights on them once more, all were a little more than surprised to see a sad smile on her face on top of the slightest misting over of her eyes. It was truly something to see this far beyond the deadly Hunter’s walls. Samus ran her left hand inside of the bracelet… a perfect fit. She then closed her eyes and took two deep, shaky breaths as she regained her composure, channeling her collected, Chozo self once more. Upon reopening her eyes, she smiled widely and hunched down on one knee once more. Wordlessly, she opened her arms up and beckoned everypony to her, to which they all responded immediately, crowding around her in a massive pony-pile of a group hug. There were giggles, sniffles, and a few varieties of ‘we’ll miss you’ and ‘come back safe’ before they all separated, knowing it was time. “I guess it’s time for you to go, huh?” Rainbow brought up, finding the ground very interesting as she rubbed her left-front leg. “Yeah… it is. I’ll see you all… later,” Samus stated resolutely and genuinely, finally turning on her heel and taking one of the longest walks of her life towards the elevator of her ship. Stepping onto the platform, her ship sensed her presence and came to life. The maneuvering thrusters at the back of the vessel began to activate, rendering speech impossible as the elevator bore her towards the belly of her craft. As the elevator brought her closer and closer to the inside of the cockpit, Samus took one last, deep breath of fresh Equestrian air while her friends all, sadly, waved her goodbye. The Hunter returned the gesture with a wave of own and a stoic yet wistful smirk as her friends were obscured from her vision, being replaced with the inside of her ship as the elevator completed its ascending journey, the cool Equestrian air replaced with the gentle thrum of her ship, waiting for its mistress. Samus fancied a little look around, the cockpit of her ship being welcoming but not as welcoming as Twilight’s Library. Nevertheless, she quickly sat herself into the pilot’s seat and began keying in the necessary commands. She began inputting Norion’s coordinates into her navigation computer, and with a final button press, the thrusters vectored down and lifted the ship’s bulk off the ground. From the outside of the ship, the Elements, the princesses, and Spike all watched as Samus’ ship lifted off the ground, its landing arms swinging up into flight configuration. Samus’ ship rotated in place, its bow reaching for the sky as it began rising on its maneuvering thrusters. When it broke past a few hundred feet, Samus brought up the main engines, twin points of cerulean fire flaring to life and bearing her craft skyward. They all tracked her ship as it became barely a speck within the sky… until it vanished completely. “It’s definitely been fun,” Rainbow Dash expressed, still gazing at the last place they saw Samus’ vessel. “Indeed, but fear not. She shall return when she is able… and she shall return to a much brighter Equestria!” Luna proclaimed, her attitude serving to bolster the morale and dry all the tears amongst all of the Elements and Spike. Nine pairs of eyes never tore away from where Samus was last seen in the sky. And they all wore proud smiles for their friend, now departed from them. *Meanwhile, in the upper atmosphere* Samus took complete control of her ship as it broke through the last layer of Equis’ atmosphere, speeding into space. With the coordinates programmed, all she would have to do is clear the Federation Fleet in orbit and she could set herself on autopilot for a good duration of the journey. “Unidentified vessel, this is the G.F.S. Vogl. You are flying through space protected by the Galactic Federation Fourth Fleet. Is that you, Samus?” a familiar voice intruded on her ship’s communications systems. “Affirmative. Is that you, Admiral Forest?” Samus asked in kind. “Likewise affirmative. Nice new ride.” “Thank you. Take care of this place while I’m gone,” Samus added with a tiny smirk. A small chuckle could be heard on the other end. “For as long as we’re stationed here, you have my word, Samus. Good luck over at Norion! Forest, out.” Samus quickly cleared the Federation Fleet and with a couple of commands, she set her hyperdrive to kick in after warming up for about a minute. Leaning back in her seat, she took another deep breath before bringing her left hand in front of her face, gazing at the bracelet wrapped firmly around her wrist. She thumbed the individual beads once with a gentle smile, turning to regard Equis one last time through a rearward camera, the pale green and blue orb of the planet hanging gracefully in space, surrounded by the slim, dagger-like shapes of the Fourth Fleet, before leaning her head back completely, resting her eyes. Her ship notified her that its translight engine was fully charged, preparing to slingshot it on a slipspace course for Norion. With another press of a button on her ship’s command console, a manual timer was set for five seconds, counting down. “Thanks for all the magic… See you all real soon…” With a pulse of light, her ship tore a hole in space, leaving behind nothing but a glittering starscape. [Everfree Forest | Four Days After Samus’ Departure] “Okay, okay, I’m coming, don’t worry!” Fluttershy replied, frantically trying to keep up with her animal friends as they led her deep into the heart of the Everfree Forest. Mr. and Mrs. Deer were the ones leading with Fluttershy being flanked by Mr. Bear. They had dragged Fluttershy in a panic, communicating to her that something, most likely a creature, was in need of assistance. Not one to turn down an emergency like that, Fluttershy sped out of her cottage with her animal friends guiding her. However, they led her to a place in the Everfree that she did not remember coming to recently, and it definitely stood out once they cleared a small brush: a sizeable portion of the wreckage of a ship, something left over from the conflict, was strewn all over the forest floor along with downed trees and shrubbery beginning to grown on the metal itself. What was quite distinctive as Fluttershy and her friends entered into the area was the distinctive sound of ‘whirring,’ as if the ship’s powerplant was still active. “W-What happened here?” Fluttershy asked out loud as she looked around at the destruction. Fluttershy, Mr. Bear, and Mr. and Mrs. Deer trod farther in, passing by a large, mostly destroyed cylindrical structure which was the source of the whirring sound, and the wires coming off of it fed into what looked like an industrial-grade refrigeration unit but in reality was a stasis chamber. Her friends were pointing her towards an opening of the unit and upon investigating, Fluttershy found a small, gelatinous sack spilling out of the stasis chamber, and at the edge of the sack, appeared to be an egg. “An egg?” Fluttershy pondered, lifting her left hoof as she got closer and examined it, but before she could touch it, the top of the egg suddenly folded open, eliciting a sharp gasp out of the mare. Nothing appeared immediately, and Fluttershy steeled herself for another look. Something stirred inside the egg’s shell, and slowly a small, somewhat translucent-green-colored jellyfish-like creature floated outward, purring. Before the pegasus could do anything else, it nuzzled against her leg, still purring and gurgling the entire time. What was more interesting is that the color of the creature's gelatinous membrane changed from translucent green to blue. The cream-colored mare’s expression of uncertainty and fear turned into one of motherly concern and good humor. “W-What are you, little one?” Fluttershy asked herself after giggling at the weird creature’s ministrations. "Of course I'll take care of you..."