Samus and Spike sat in silence for a time, plainly lost in painful memories. Eventually, Fluttershy spoke up. "What happened to him?" she whispered softly.
Samus sighed sadly. "That was actually the next mission...which was more a continuation of the previous one. Before I went to file the report of the successful extermination of the Metroids, I...dropped the little guy off at Ceres research station. I wanted them to give him a full going over, make sure he was healthy, figure out how to feed him without predation..." She shrugged. "Maybe figure out how to synthesize the crystallized bio matter from SR-388."
"I explained to little Squishy that the humans were going to take care of him until we got back, to do as they said, and to not eat them," Spike added.
"S...Squishy?" Rainbow Dash snorted out. "You...you named him Squishy?"
Spike shrugged his shoulders. "Neither of us are really good with original names."
"Didn't the researchers of Ceres take good care of him?" Cadence asked worriedly.
Seeing the pair's expressions, Shining Armor frowned. "Someone else took care of them first, didn't they?"
"Yeah," Samus agreed. "I'd just set course to get their report when we got their distress beacon. Ceres Station was under attack..."
Once Samus' ship had docked with Ceres Station, she and Spike entered carefully, weapons primed and senses sharp. The docking elevator had them entering at the top of a tall shaft, and the pair carefully made their way down through the dark passage, even the emergency lights non-functional. Reaching the bottom of the shaft, they found the automatic hatches still functioned, opening as they approached.
The next chamber in the path to the central research chamber was the cafeteria. There were chairs and tables, but no signs of life. Leaping over them all, Samus and Spike took the stairway downward.
Reaching the next chamber, Samus froze, struggling not to see what awaited them. It wasn't even the damage to the lab that bothered her, though all the damage to the machines meant no data could be recovered. What hit her so hard were the bodies scattered about, lifeless and broken. While it wasn't the first time she had encountered the aftermath of a battlefield like this...this was the first time the bodies were people she knew personally, ones whose names she now tried hard not to remember. After all, they were all on her Christmas card list.
Even trying not to think about it, happy memories forced her to see as she passed each body. Here was the lady scientist who had discovered just how much Spike enjoyed being scratched under his ear frills as opposed to over. Looking at the body, she heard Spike's happy giggle in her mind as the memory of that day played through her head.
Over there were the two younger scientists, about Samus' age, who were such total dorks. While studying Spike, they would awkwardly attempt to inveigle Samus to allow them to 'study' the 'capabilities' of a human/Chozo hybrid in a more 'controlled environment'. They were so socially awkward about it - and so obviously smitten to the point of blindness with her - that she'd laughed it off rather than taken it as insult, even gone so far as to encourage them to find a girl who was actually interested, giving them pointers on how to have more confidence.
Against the far door...the one who'd discovered the Metroidal DNA in Spike after Tallon IV, and the one she'd left Squishy with. She gently shifted the body aside before opening the door.
The hardest part of all of it for her...was that she recognized the wounds inflicted upon them. She knew exactly who she'd find behind the door. She privately regretted that she'd limited her arsenal coming in here to avoid damaging the station further.
She really wanted to tear Ridley apart, piece by piece.
Dead silence reined as Samus paused in the story to rub her eyes a bit...only to find the ponies divided evenly between glomping onto her or Spike. Cuddling her was Twilight, Luna, Cadence, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. Shining Armor was trying to reach through the pony pile on Spike to give him a brotherly embrace, but was having trouble getting past Celestia, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Apple Bloom, and Gandrayda.
Discord was oddly quiet, his eagle talon and lion paw clenching and flexing. "...tell me you left him in pieces," he suddenly growled out, startling everyone with how intense the raw, seething hatred in his voice was.
"...not there," Samus admitted. "But we did. Several times."
"Ridley was in the back of the station...but..." Spike began.
As the pair entered the last chamber, they saw Squishy in his containment capsule, skreeing pitifully. As Samus and Spike moved towards him, however, his skrees became much louder. Mama! Brother! Danger!
Hearing the warning, Spike pulled Samus back just before Ridley leapt out of the shadows, roaring at them. Grabbing the capsule, he took to the air, bombarding them with flame bombs. Spike and Samus both unleashed the full arsenal they had available against him as best they could, but they had to be careful not to hit Squishy. Ridley's lashing tail was also a concern in the confined space, which prevented Spike from taking to the air as well.
After taking enough hits, Ridley withdrew, fleeing with Squishy in tow. Samus and Spike were briefly torn between two conflicting desires: immediately pursuing Ridley to retrieve Squishy, or seeing to a proper disposition for the remains of their friends on the station.
The computer coming online settled that dispute for them. "WARNING: Research Area Containment Breach! Galactic Safety Protocols Implemented! Self Destruct Sequence Activated! One Minute Till Detonation! Evacuate Colony Immediately!"
"Fuck!" Samus snapped as she turned, rushing alongside Spike just to make it back to the ship in time as the insides of the colony started to collapse. They were left with no choice but to leave the bodies of their friends behind...