//------------------------------// // Aether: Armor // Story: Another Hatchling // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// "So U-Mos healed Spike?" Twilight asked when everyone regained their composure. "Not just healed," Samus replied. "He did a lot more for us than that." As U-Mos approached Spike's weakened form, he gathered energy that seemed to be made of pure light. According to Samus' scan visor, it seemed to be the same type of energy as was stored in the massive collector above the Energy Controller that dominated the center of the Temple. Coming to the first hole in Spike's side, U-Mos plunged the energy into the wound burned in by Dark Aether's atmosphere. A sizzling noise shocked Samus, and Spike roared in pain. "You're hurting him!" "I must burn the poison from the wound," U-Mos replied. "If I do not, it will drive deeper and deeper, and eventually claim his life. I have treated such wounds many times. It will be painful, but he will survive. Please, calm him as I do so. If he becomes too pain maddened and attacks me, I will be forced to defend myself." There was no hostility in the statement or his voice, merely calm certainty and absolute confidence. Samus found herself reminded of how Old Bird and Gray Voice talked to her back in training whenever she got too unruly. Almost instinctively as a response to that tone, she went to Spike's side. Disengaging her armor, she reached up and held his face in both hands, drawing him down to look her in the eye. "I know it hurts," she whispered, "but it's a healing pain. It will help you get better." Spike stared into her eyes for a time, then slowly calmed. He visibly flinched every time the energy surged into his wounds, but he no longer writhed. After a time, all the external wounds were dealt with, and U-Mos approached Spike's face. Opening Spike's mouth, he sent a flow of the energy into his mouth, throat, and lungs, purging the Dark Aether toxin at last. "His condition is stable," U-Mos explained. "It will still be at least an hour before he recovers fully. In that time, I will tell you of our world's tragedy...and prepare you for the adventure to save us, the journey you've chosen to take." "So...what did happen to Aether?" Luna inquired. "A Phazon meteorite," Samus explained. "They tried to redirect it using the planetary energy they'd gathered to sustain the planet, but it didn't do any good. When the meteorite hit...the planet was drastically altered, and a dark echo of Aether appeared in another dimension, containing half of Aether's planetary energy. The Ing that came as well were overwhelming the Luminoth...so they tried to end the war that had begun by reclaiming the missing planetary energy. They even created a device specifically to do just that." "Which the Ing somehow got a hold of and turned against them, but was that strange glowy sphere you absorbed after defeating the Dark Alpha Splinter?" Rainbow guessed. "So now you had to journey to Dark Aether, unlock the Dark Temples with keys scattered across the planet, reclaim the planetary energy from the massive Ing Guardians protecting them, and then escape before the world collapsed?" Scootaloo added eagerly. Samus stared at them both. "...basically." "You two have played too many video games," Spike scolded, setting mare and filly to giggling. "But how would Spike get to-" Fluttershy cut herself off with a gasp. "The armor!" she whispered, pointing to the armor plates covering a good portion of Spike's form. Grinning, Samus continued her tale. As U-Mos finished telling the story of Aether's fate, Spike had recovered enough to stand. "I'm not going to be much help, am I?" he asked. "Until I've managed to adapt to Dark Aether's environment - which is unlikely - I'll be more a liability than an asset in that world." "I did say I would prepare you," U-Mos explained. "With what little energy is left to wield, I cannot do much...but I can do something for you." Gathering energy from the storage unit above, he shaped it before hurling it forward to Spike. Spike stared in surprise at the white and gold armor that appeared over him. "Whoa..." He flexed himself a bit, but blinked. "I...feel a little weaker." "The armor puts limits on your abilities relative to your environment," U-Mos explained. "In addition, it uses the power it is containing to project an energy field to protect you from environmental effects. It can recharge when exposed to the energy of Light Crystals, which are scattered throughout Dark Aether. While the protection is limited, it should last you long enough to get from crystal to crystal, oasis to oasis left behind by our soldiers who struggled to save us. Perhaps in time you will adapt to Dark Aether as we could not, and the protection will not need to be as strong." Spike smiled, gazing from one wing to another. The holes that had still been there after the healing were now sealed, and they were surrounded by a faint field of white light. Seeing Spike doing better now, Samus smiled and nodded to U-Mos, donning her armor again. "We'll do it," she said firmly. U-Mos smiled, and raised his hand. To Samus' surprise, data fed into her translator program on her scan visor. "I have updated your translator," U-Mos explained. "You can now access Violet holograms. I have also updated your map with the location of another of our temples, where you may find things of use." When Spike opened his mouth to complain, U-Mos interrupted. "I do not give you all you would need to access all of Aether and Dark Aether because some areas of Dark Aether are safer to explore than others, and some areas of Aether will be more hostile to you. The areas available to you now are those of the lowest risk, in the hopes you may find equipment left behind by our soldiers that can aid you in your quest." Spike closed his mouth. "Oh..." Samus chuckled. "Alright. We'll start with the Agon Wastes, then." "Return to me when you have restored energy to a Temple," U-Mos explained. "I will aid you as I can...though what I can do is limited. I must guard the slumber of those of my people who survive, and manage what little energy is left to hold the planet together." "Understood," Samus replied. "This is hardly the least prepared I've ever gone into a mission on. I've got my power suit, I've got Spike, and I know where I'm going...I'm ready for anything." "Bravado, much?" Luna asked archly. "On Zebes, I went up against the full force of the Space Pirates for a time armed with just a stun pistol," Samus countered. "Compared to that, this was still a walk in the park." "At that point..." Spike mumbled, remembering what was yet to come.