//------------------------------// // Zebes: Tourian // Story: Another Hatchling // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// "Tourian?" several voices asked Samus and Spike in shock. "The nerve center of the Space Pirate base on Zebes," Samus explained. "Where everything was directed from, all research was performed, and where Mother Brain was installed. The most heavily defended and fortified part of the entire planet...and where everything began so long ago." "Where it all began?" Rainbow asked, confused. "Zebes is the Chozo world I was raised on, after the deaths of my parents at Ridley's hands," Samus explained. "And...Tourian is where I received the gift of Chozo blood, making me into the ultimate warrior they foresaw the universe needing." She glanced away. "And...it's where I first faced off against Ridley as a warrior...and lost. That battle...shaped me." She shook her head. "So I was in no real rush to return there if I could avoid it." "Which is one reason why we didn't look there first," Spike elaborated. The whole table was silent for a time. Eventually, Samus spoke up again. "And like last time I was on Zebes, the gate to Tourian was sealed so that it couldn't be opened until certain beings were defeated. Although it was...a little different this time..." As Samus and Spike entered the chamber deep within Crateria, the door sealed behind them. The small cavern was just large enough for the four golden statues sitting in the pool of water before them: Kraid, Phantoon, and the Draygon, with Ridley resting atop them. Each statue had a gem of a different color where the eye was supposed to be. Kraid's was green, Phantoon's was yellow, Draygon's was blue, and Ridley's was red. As they watched, the gems shattered one by one, gray energy escaping from them as the statues changed from gold to grey. When all the gems were broken and all the statues were grey, the chamber shook. The statues sank into the ground, revealing a pathway to an elevator beneath them. As Samus made her way to the elevator within the water, she heard the sound of stone being smashed. Turning, she saw Spike floating beside the rubble that had been the statue of Ridley. As she glowered at him, he tilted his face in one of the cutest expressions of faked innocence she'd ever seen. She just knew that, if he could talk under water, he'd be saying something along the lines of, "Wasn't me!" As laughter echoed around the table, Spike chuckled. "Actually, I was trying to say, 'What?' I didn't really think I did anything wrong there." As Samus finished her own chuckles, she shrugged her shoulders. "I was glad for the brief break in the mood, though. Tourian itself was...almost oppressive. Where the rest of Zebes was almost entirely natural with very little technology visible, Tourian was pure technology. Metal walls with diodes and lights blinking from within them. Black metal pipes flowing from ventilation and power systems. Nearly every room had a pit of lava for the geothermal systems. It was...overall unpleasant, not even including the Metroids we faced." "They were all adults," Spike continued, "obviously created from Squishy...but all but mindless, mere puppets of Mother Brain. We were...forced to kill them all." Silence greeted this proclamation, interrupted only by a brief whimper from Fluttershy. "Space adventures aren't all glory and adventure," Rundus spoke up. "Sometimes they're unpleasant...grim...or just bloody." "You're all fortunate your world moves through the cosmos under its own power," Ghor added. "None who would have interest in it could ever find it without guidance." Everyone remained silent for a time. "And...Squishy?" Fluttershy asked worriedly. After a further time of silence, Samus continued the tale. Samus and Spike made their way down to a region that was incongruously covered in dark brown earth. After making their way past an incredibly durable pair of creatures - whose natural armor was immune to the Plasma Beam, and could only be sufficiently damaged by Samus' Super Missiles - they made their way to the next chamber. Numerous creatures filled the chamber...all brown and dead. When touched, the husks dissolved into the brown dust that covered the floors. Samus shuddered at the sight, recognizing the signs of lethal Metroid predation. As they progressed, another of the creatures they'd encountered before limped towards them...only to be seized by a Metroid larger than Ridley had been. In moments, the beast had drained the creature dry. Samus primed her arm cannon, but her systems quickly informed her that the Metroid had absorbed enough energy that even her fully charged ice beam wouldn't even slow it down. Its exterior had also reached a particular texture where explosive impact wouldn't damage it unless it had been frozen first. All she could do was try and evade. And then the beast lunged, and neither she nor Spike could do even that as they found themselves trapped in its maw. Both of them struggled as much as they could, but the Metroid that had hold of them was simply too powerful. Each could only watch in their suits' HUDs as their energy dropped down to almost nothing. Then, just before Samus' suit would have fallen apart and Spike's energy shields collapsed, the creature stopped. It hovered over them, confused and uncertain. ...Mama? it skreed. ...Brother? "S...Squishy?" Spike gasped out, surprised. As it floated away from them, Samus reached out to gently caress the creature...only for it to flee. I'm sorry...I didn't...they hurt me...I didn't see...I'm sorry... Before either of them could do anything, Squishy had fled. Samus and Spike were both silent for a long time. No one dared speak up. Eventually, Spike resumed the narrative. "Thankfully, there was an energy restoration station nearby, and my armor was able to adjust to let me refresh myself there as well. Both of us were...well, pissed was a massive understatement." "We charged in, determined to make Mother Brain pay for what she'd done," Samus continued. "Her chamber had a pool of acid covering the floor...but it didn't slow us down long..." As Samus and Spike passed through the passageway to where Mother Brain rested, numerous tubes blocked the path, filled with energy to give them integrity. Spike ripped them from their moorings, and tore their moorings from the walls for good measure, clearing the way for Samus to somersault through with her Screw Attack. Eventually, they reached Mother Brain herself, a massive pulsating monstrosity not unlike the Aurora Units, but far more menacing, pulsing orange flesh with silver spikes sticking out from within. Spike wasted no time shattering the glass container with a single blow, clearing the path for Samus to barrage the abomination with Missiles and Super Missiles. Before long, the machinery began to break apart as the flesh turned grey and sank, unprotected, to the floor as the acid drained from the suddenly sealed chamber. And then a new body arose, a distortion of a Metroid Queen supporting Mother Brain at the top of the neck. Mother Brain's eye opened, and she let out a ferocious shriek as she unleashed everything in her arsenal. Samus and Spike fought back as best they could, with breath weapons and beams, blows and missiles...but nothing slowed the behemoth for even a moment. After a time, Mother Brain began charging energy...and released a wave of rainbow colored light that tore through the armor of both Hunters, knocking them back against the far wall and leaving them winded, barely able to move. An alert message on Samus' HUD showed her that her Missile Launcher and Power Bomb generator had both been damaged, rendering the systems inoperable. Spike was the first to recover, relying more on his physical strength than on his armor, even though the energy shields were fluctuating. Snarling defiance, he lunged to the attack, only to shriek in pain as Mother Brain's claws - enhanced with the same coating that allowed Metroid fangs to penetrate the toughest armor - slipped between his scales and into the flesh of his torso. Samus tried to get to her feet, but Mother Brain shrieked again as she hurled Spike on top of Samus, leaving them both pinned. She then began drawing in energy for another barrage of the rainbow wave. LEAVE THEM ALONE!!! That horrendous shriek tore through the air as Squishy lunged in, latching onto Mother Brain and draining every drop of gathered energy, and a great deal of energy from Mother Brain itself. By the time it released the monstrosity, it had turned dark grey. Floating over, Squishy enveloped Samus and Spike...and began pouring energy into them both. Samus came aware as they were wrapped in Squishy's protective embrace. She could feel her strength returning, and could see that Spike was recovering as well. The wounds in his torso sealed before her very eyes. But as Squishy replenished them, Mother Brain regained energy as well. Once again at full strength, she roared her fury before opening fire on Squishy. Despite shrieking in pain from each impact as each blow impacted his dome, he refused to let go until Samus and Spike were both once more at full strength. By then, the green of the membrane had dulled to pale yellow, and the red nucleus had darkened to violet, both from the barrage and the cellular degradation of reversing the energy drain. Squishy released them. I'm okay, Mama...brother... he skreed softly. I just need...to feed again... "Squishy, no!" Spike shouted out, but it was too late. One last shot from Mother Brain punched right through the Metroid's membrane, collapsing its body over top the pair, the gelatinous body dissolving and dispersing as the nucleus lost cohesion. As the last traces of the Metroid interacted with the energies of her suit, Samus let out a roar of pure, unadulterated fury. Energy welled up inside her as she aimed at Mother Brain and opened fire. "I...don't really remember anything after that until we were back on the ship, the planet exploding behind us," Samus admitted. "It's...all a hazy blur. I...remember watching Mother Brain die...and saving the Etecoons and Dachora...but it's all a blur..." "It wasn't pleasant," Spike mentioned when all eyes turned to him. "I don't want to talk about it beyond that." "All I know for sure is that...I got a new beam function based on what Mother Brain hit us with," Samus concluded. "A...function that stopped working once Zebes exploded." The whole table was silent for a long time. Eventually, a broken sob broke the silence. "S-Squishy..." Fluttershy whimpered, tears streaming down her face. Samus glanced away, clenching her fist. "There was...nothing I could do..." "...but I could. And did." All eyes turned to Spike. "W...what do you mean?" Samus asked, confused. Spike closed his eyes. "I...I ate his nucleus," he explained. "I...I thought that, with all the things I'd absorbed...maybe I could carry his mind...his essence with me. I didn't know if it had worked until we returned here...when the magic of this world suffused me again..." He opened his eyes, revealing the compound look of the later stages of Metroid growth. "When he woke up in here," he concluded, tapping his skull. "He's with me...with us both." Samus stared in disbelief...before stumbling against Spike and holding him close. When Spike blinked again, his eyes returned to normal, the focus to maintain more Metroid traits a bit rough on him, even as the ponies gathered around to embrace the pair.