Metroid: A Hunter in Equestria

by Cusi

Trials of Power

Samus poured some tea over a couple of cups. She offered one to Trixie and kept one for herself. They were sitting on top of the huntress’ gunship, enjoying the night sky. Samus took a sip of her cup and decided tea-brewing was definitely not her strong suit. It was still enjoyable, but certainly nowhere near the quality of the tea Spike brewed.

“Where to begin?” Samus pondered out loud. “I suppose back when I lived in K2-L. It was a peaceful mining colony that specialized in afloraltite, a mineral used to power the ignition module for most space-faring vessels.”

“The one you told me about earlier?”

“Yes. Anyway, one day, the chozo came to visit. They were bird people I had never seen before. Of course I was only a small child back then. I was afraid of them when I first met them, but they proved to be friendly and taught me that appearance didn’t matter, friendship respected no shapes. Later that same day, I met Ridley, leader of the space pirates.” Samus’ tone immediately went venomous.

“Ridley?” Trixie asked.

“A space dragon. Thinking about what the Chozo said, I offered him my friendship. I was a stupid, naive baby. Ridley proved to be the opposite of the Chozo. He and his group of pirates had invaded the colony and slaughtered everyone. I was the only survivor.”

Trixie gasped. She offered a hoof in support and rested it on Samus’ leg. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...”

“It’s alright. It was a long time ago,” Samus said, losing most of the venom in her voice. “Most of the pirates were killed and Ridley suffered severe wounds, anyway. After the whole ordeal, the chozo that visited earlier found me. They took me with them and raised me in their ways.” Samus’ voice now had a nostalgic tint to it. “I couldn’t survive in their homeworld at first, so they modified my body with some of their DNA to be able to survive Zebes’ harsh climate. I became part chozo, and for all intents and purposes, I became one of them.”

“Wait, so they modified you? So you’re not completely human?” Trixie asked, trying to wrap her head around the issue.

“I look human, but I’m actually a hybrid. Part human, part chozo, and now part metroid.”

“Metroid?”

“Yes. We’re getting a little off topic, so I’ll tell you about metroids later.”

The unicorn smiled. “Very well.”

“As I said before, the chozo took me in. They are one of the most advanced civilizations in the galaxy. Their technology was far superior than most, and their knowledge was ever-growing. And yet, they never forgot about the simple joys nature could provide. The perfect mixture of technology and tradition. They were the ones that engineered my Power Suit.”

“They sound like great people.”

“They were,” Samus said, but her tone lost some of its joy. “But after another incident with Ridley and the pirates, they vanished.”

“Were they killed by Ridley?” Trixie asked with some concern.

“Some were, but most escaped. When I say they vanished I mean that they... simply disappeared. To this day, I keep finding chozo ruins in many worlds, but I haven’t found the chozo themselves. To be honest, I have no idea if they still live.”

“What a mysterious race...” Trixie said mostly to herself. She returned her attention to Samus. “So they were the ones to give you your suit?”

“Yes. But the suit they gave me at first was nothing compared to the one I have now.”

“Oh?”

“When I was old enough, I left Zebes and became a recruit in the Galactic Federation. I spent most of my days hunting down and destroying pirates. After some differences I had with the federation, I left and became an independent bounty hunter. Still, they would be my most frequent employers. It was on a mission to assist Zebes during a pirate invasion that I got this suit.”

“What happened?”

“I destroyed most of the pirate base, but when I was about to leave the planet, they shot my ship down. My previous suit had sustained damage beyond repair. There were still many pirates and I had lost most of my offensive and defensive capabilities.”

“And yet, here you are,” Trixie said.

“And yet, here I am,” Samus repeated with a grin. “I ventured to one of the ancient temples, where I faced one of my greatest challenges yet: defeat the very power I was going to obtain.”

“What do you mean?”

“Shortcuts to power eventually lead you the wrong way. You can’t hope to control a power you can’t defeat by yourself. I faced the suit I now wield. A ghostly version of it, with my reflection inside. I had to defeat it with only my paralyzer.” At seeing Trixie’s awed expression, Samus’ tone got a wise quality to it. “You have power. It's up to you to master it and discipline your heart. And you can only do that on your own. Those were the words Gray Voice taught me. I can only hope they will be of use to you."

They stayed silent for a long time, just enjoying the peace of the starry night. The silence was eventually broken by Trixie. “I will head to camp now. Thank you for sharing all this. You gave me a lot to think about. Have a good night.” She got up and jumped down from the ship.

“Good night. Sleep well,” Samus responded from her perch point.

Elsewhere, not too far from the peaceful town of Ponyville, a winged drone continued its search. Night had fallen, but its optical sensors were sophisticated. It continued searching for its target well into sunrise.

It was morning when its sensors picked up a promising lead. It followed the signal until it reached the outskirts of a town. It was there the drone found its target. The gunship that stood there could only belong to Samus Aran. The drone stopped flying and landed. A big antenna emerged from its head, ready to send the information.

It was, however, blown apart by a missile. The very person it was trying to find had found it, armored and heavily armed. The drone attempted to generate a defensive barrier, but another missile blew up one of its wings, where the shield generators were located. Grounded and defenseless, the drone could do nothing to stop the bounty hunter from yanking its head and neutralizing it.

“Nice try,” Samus said to the piece of technology she held in her hand. She gave a closer look to it. “Hm. This must be the new scouting drone I heard about.” She grabbed the body as well and took all the piece to her ship.

Once inside, Samus ran some scans and retrieved whatever information she could from the flying robot. She had first felt dread at seeing a piece of Federation technology just casually flying toward her ship. Quick-thinking made her equip her suit and destroying the drone’s means of transmitting data. The scans showed that it had been unable to transmit any information, however, and this made the hunter sigh in relief. The fact that they had sent a scout drone and not something more dangerous meant that they had no idea if she was here or not.

“Still, this could come in handy. It’s not every day you happen across a Federation Hummingbird-class scout drone. Let’s see what we can gain from this little piece of equipment,” she said to Tim, who beeped in response.

After triple-checking this little invasion did not compromise her position, Samus removed the right arm of her suit and placed it on a desk littered with tools. She pressed some buttons on her helmet and faced Tim. “Alright, looks like we can’t postpone this any longer. I’m uploading the blueprints and specs of the Power Suit’s arm cannon to you. Make sure you repair it. Prioritize beam weaponry. I get the feeling we’ll be needing all the firepower we can get. It’s only a matter of time before someone finds us. Adam, keep a constant watch on anything that could mean federation technology or that spatial anomaly we detected some time ago. Let me know when the repairs are finished. I’m heading out.”

“As you wish, lady,” Adam responded.

Samus left her ship to return to the trouble center, leaving her suit’s repair to Tim. She walked back to Ponyville, unaware of how accurate her feeling was.

A few days had passed since the federation drone encounter. Scans confirmed the Hummingbird-class drone had been unable to inform anyone of her current location, meaning she wasn’t risking inadvertently summoning the Galactic Federation to Equestria. In any case, her suit was once again in peak working condition, everything in her arsenal’s history ready to fire, with phazon weapons and the Hyper Beam being the only exceptions. Still, the federation drone was but one of the many questions that now circled her head.

Was there a connection between this piece of technology and the Luminoth drone they had destroyed a few days ago? Or was that simply an extremely unlikely coincidence? Either way, Samus had a feeling things were going to get more complicated. Maybe not necessarily bad, but certainly more interesting.

Samus walked to the trouble center to see if there was any interesting trouble today. Trixie was already there, looking for any rewards that caught her fancy. They both greeted each other as they took their place in the stand.

“What do we have today?” Samus asked.

“Nothing,” Trixie answered. “Unless you count Snips and Snails posting a trouble for me to teach them magic tricks as ‘something’. By the way, I’ll be leaving early today. I’ll be teaching Snips and Snails some magic tricks this afternoon.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Samus responded. “Might as well. I have a pending visit to Canterlot. Seeing as today will be a slow day, I was thinking of going this afternoon.”

“Very well. Trixie was getting hungry. What do you say we go have some brunch?”

“My thoughts exactly. Some waffles sound good. What do you say?”

“Mmm... Trixie loves waffles.”

“Waffles it is.”

Samus and Trixie made their way to Sugarcube Corner. They arrived and took their seats. An overly energetic pink waitress greeted them, asking for their orders and telling some random story. Trixie, knowing the pink pony to be one of Sparkle’s friends and having literally removed her mouth not long ago, felt very awkward. Pinkie Pie, being Pinkie Pie, had seemingly forgotten such offense to herself had ever taken place. She treated Trixie like she treated every pony and non-pony in Ponyville: with lots of love and showers of friendship.

“I can’t believe that mare!” Trixie quietly exclaimed once the party pony left to fetch their orders. “I hurt and banished one of her friends. Heck, I even removed her mouth, for crying out loud!”

“What’s the problem?” Samus asked, clearly confused.

“There is no problem! That’s the problem!” Trixie almost yelled.

“I fail to see the sense in that statement,” the huntress calmly said.

“Did she forget who I am? Or does she simply not care for what I did? WHAT?!”

“Ah, that. From what I hear, this town suffers from some disaster or another on an almost weekly basis. You’re old news now. Also, Pinkie is the friendliest being I’ve seen in the galaxy. She probably considers you a good friend now.”

“That’s crazy.”

“But she’s riiiight~” Pinkie sang as she materialized, almost prompting Samus to retaliate with force and Trixie to suffer from a heart attack. She then happily deposited the plates with waffles on the table. “You’re in Ponyville now, which means we are now friends!” The pink mare hugged Samus and Trixie with her apparently-stretchable forelimbs.

Samus found Trixie’s reaction amusing. “Get used to it. If I can be friends with this mare, so can you.” It took Samus some moments to progress she just had called herself Pinkie’s friend. She smiled warmly. She supposed the pink pony simply had that effect on her.

“Um. Okay. “Trixie nervously gulped. “Trixie supposes we can start over. Uh, hello. I am Trixie. Pleased to meet you.” She broke the hug and offered her hoof.

Pinkie’s already gigantic grin somehow grew in size and shook the blue hoof with enthusiasm. “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! Welcome to Ponyville!”

The rest of the day was spent just talking with Pinkie Pie. Trixie had more fun than she had thought possible by just talking with the earth pony. Even Samus was in a more talkative mood than usual. Granted, ‘just talking’ was virtually impossible with Pinkie Pie, but for the most part both Samus and Trixie enjoyed their time. The magician even thought up a couple of trick just seeing how eccentric the party pony was and experiencing her antics in person.

The afternoon came quickly for the three girls, and so they had to say goodbye. Pinkie had an appointment with her other friends, Trixie had accepted a job to teach Snips and Snails, and Samus had planned a visit to Canterlot Castle.

The huntress flew her ship to the castle, trying not to catch too much attention. Nobles were, after all, mostly idiotic morons that would probably panic at her sight. This was one of the many times she had been grateful for cloaking technology. Landing some distance from the city proper, she headed for the castle on foot. As soon as the elevator hatch closed, her ship turned invisible.

Her visit had coincided with the lowering of the sun and the rise of the moon. Samus briefly wondered if it was all a farce or if Celestia and Luna really had control over the sun and the moon. She soon forgot about the question, though. As she neared the castle’s gates, a couple of guards stopped her.

“Halt! Who goes there?” One of the guards asked in a stern voice.

“Do you really need to ask? Who else would I be?” Samus snapped.

“What is your business in the castle?” the other guard asked, equally stern.

The bounty hunter had to admit the guards were at least very professional, not losing their stern faces for a moment. And considering she had almost decimated a relatively large percentage of the royal guard not too long ago, staying neutral faced was indeed impressive.

“I’m here to report about a case Princess Luna asked me to investigate,” Samus answered. “May I pass? Or do I need to summon her here?”

“Wait here,” the first guard said. The second guard went to announce the arrival of the alien to the castle. Samus waited a few minutes for the guard’s return. Finally, the guard returned, letting her know she was allowed inside.

“Princess Luna is waiting for you in her quarters. One of the maids will lead you there,” the guard explained.

“Thank you.”

Samus went inside, where a soft green earth pony mare was waiting. The maid led her to Luna’s room, where the dark alicorn was currently sitting in. The maid excused herself and left them alone.

“You wished to see me?” Luna asked.

“Is there a way to bypass all the guards and protocols? It’s annoying.”

“Nice to see you, too.”

“I have some news,” Samus said with some seriousness.

“Oh?”

“I was spotted by a scouting drone. I don’t think it has compromised my location, but just in case, I need you to warm me if there is anything out of the ordinary.”

“A scouting drone?” Luna asked somewhat perplexed.

“I did mention the federation was hunting me down, right?”

“Yes, you did. I also recall you saying this part of the galaxy was unexplored and as such it was extremely unlikely they would find you here.”

“Yes, and yet there was a scouting drone of federation technology. And there’s also the luminoth drone your guys found. They may be related, but I don’t have enough information to confirm that.”

“So what’s your plan?” Luna asked.

“I have scanners looking for any spatial anomalies and unusual technological signals, so I’ll know if something shows up. Still, I would like you and your team to inform me of anything out of the ordinary that may be related to this.”

“Very well, we’ll be on the lookout.”

“Here.” Samus gave Luna a device. It was a small communicator design to dock on the princess’ tiara. “This is a communicator. It’ll let us keep in touch instantly if something happens. Far more efficient than mail or sending someone.”

Samus taught Luna how to operate the device. After a few tests, Samus was pleased to see Luna had gotten the hang of it. Luna seemed happy to be able to use alien technology.

“Say, since you’re already here, why not join us for dinner?” Luna invited.

“You know what, I think I’ll accept the offer,” Samus said. “Just to be sure, do you know anything about afloraltite?”

“The name is unfamiliar to me. What is it?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it,” Samus dismissed. “Now, about that dinner?”

Luna smiled and led Samus to the dining room. After a magnificent dinner and a fun chat with the alicorn, Samus returned to Ponyville.

Morning exercises, meet with Trixie, breakfast at the café, man the trouble center. This had become Samus’ routine. The town of Ponyville seemingly forgot Trixie was once a ruthless tyrant that tried to rule with an iron hoof, with the exception of a few ponies. Plus, with enough therapy and exercises, the unicorn had finally gotten the full use of her magic again. The trouble center had gotten more and more popularity as well, and now had some volunteers and reward hunters working for it from time to time. Also, bits were abundant, so the pair enjoyed some indulgences every now and then.

Yes, things were looking great for the unicorn/human duo.

Today was an especially good day for the bounty hunter; the Cutie Mark Crusaders were out on a camping trip with Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity. This meant no imminent danger from the over-energetic fillies and no Rainbow Dash for at least the rest of the day.

“You seem to be in a good mood,” Trixie commented when she noticed Samus. “Any special occasion?”

“No Rainbow Dash and no crusaders,” Samus happily answered.

“Excuse me, is this the trouble center?” a random mare asked. She had a golden yellow mane and tail, while her coat was a vivid pink.

“Yes. How may we help you?” Samus replied.

“Oh, thank goodness,” the mare happily said. “I was tasked with a delivery to Manehattan, but I’m awfully busy and won’t be able to make it. Would you be able to deliver the package in my stead? They’re some parts for a hot-air balloon.”

“Of course. What are you offering as a reward?”

“I have some old jewelry you could have. And maybe offer you a free ride in my balloon.”

“Ooh, Trixie likes!” Trixie said excitedly.

“We accept your trouble. Can you give us some more details?” Samus asked.

“Yes, of course,” the mare answered. “The delivery is due for three days. There’s a stallion by the name of Heated Winds that runs a shop for vehicles and accessories at Horsehay Street, in Manehattan. Take the package to him and bring me the money. They should be around 300 bits.”

“Trixie knows the place! She bought some supplies for her wagon there once,” Trixie commented.

“Very well. We should be delivering the package by tomorrow. Just come here to pick up the money and give us the reward” Samus said.

“Oh, thank you! I was going to do the delivery in my balloon, but some stuff came up and I can’t,” the mare repeated. “I will see you later with your reward!”

Once the mare left, Trixie turned to Samus. “Manehattan! It’s probably the biggest city in Equestria, even bigger than Canterlot. It’ll blow your mind!”

“I’m no stranger to big cities,” Samus said with some amusement. “There’s even a small planet that’s all one big city.”

“Oh.” Trixie looked a little too stunned. She eventually recovered. “Guess you’re better traveled than I am.”

“Well, I do have a spaceship. That’s a pretty big factor.”

The next day, Samus and Trixie flew to Manehattan on Samus’ ship. Trixie, having visited Manehattan a couple of times, acted the role of guide. The city lived up to its fame; most ponies were too busy to spare more than a passing glance at Samus, who was obviously not from the neighborhood. This suited the human just fine.

The delivery went smoothly. Trixie even bought a couple of things she liked for her after it was done. Samus also browsed the store to see what it had to offer. Heated Winds was nervous about the extraterrestrial, but happy nonetheless to show his wares. At the end, he even managed to convince Samus to buy a little souvenir.

“Another trouble solved,” Samus said as she piloted her ship back to Ponyville. She offered her fist to Trixie. “Nice work.”

The unicorn, however, seemed to be lost in her mind. It took her a while to process the offered fist, and a little longer to react accordingly. “Likewise!” she said as she bumped her hoof against the fist.

“You ok?”

“Yes, Trixie was just a little out of it, that’s all.”

“You sure? Because you’ve been ‘out of it’ quite a number of times during the last couple of weeks,” Samus accused.

“Just some things I can’t seem to forget.”

“The amulet?”

Trixie hesitated for a moment. “Yes, the amulet. And also the things you told me the other day, about having power and mastering it. It has given me much to think about.”
Samus looked at her partner for some time. Her piercing gaze told Trixie that while she believe what was being said, there was more to it than just that.

With a sigh, Trixie continued. “I don’t think I have fully ridden myself from the influence of the amulet. Every now and then, I hear a voice whispering things in my mind. I try to ignore it, but it just turns whispers into shouts.”

Samus was unable to comment. Mostly because she had no idea what to say.

“Don’t worry, though. I know better than to actually listen to it. It is something I have to deal with myself,” Trixie added, noticing the face Samus was giving her.

“Very well. I’ll leave you to it,” Samus finally said. She then gave Trixie a rather uncharacteristically warm smile. “But don’t forget about me. If you need help, you just need to ask.”

Trixie returned the smile. “Thank you. I won’t forget.”

The rest of the trip was spent with the two girls talking about some of their previous travels. Once they reached their destination, both girls said their good nights and Trixie returned to her camp while Samus stayed in her ship and went to sleep.

Trixie, however, didn’t. She gave a look at the ship she just exited and sighed. She returned to her camp and procured a piece of paper from one of her bags. After some mental debating, she began writing, her nervous expression never leaving her face. Once she finished, she gave an almost regretful sigh. She left the camp and made her way to the Everfree Forest.

Another black portal began forming on the spot where a flying red eye focused. The portal expanded and grew, reaching gigantic proportions. And just as it was about to deposit another subject, the portal collapsed on itself, leaving nothing resembling a trace of its existence.

The eye just looked on. This experiment was a failure; further adjustments had to be made.

Elsewhere in the galaxy, a certain humanoid figure sat in front of several screens, looking over some plans and statistics. The room was dark, only the screens providing illumination. The sound of automatic doors opening was suddenly heard.

“Sir, we have some news that may be either promising or disappointing,” a voice said from the door frame.

“I told you to not call me ‘sir’,” the figure said.

“Sorry, sir. Old habits.”

The figure sighed. “Whatever. What are the news?”

“Scouting drone HS-1744 had failed to send a report ping. We believe it has been destroyed. And given its durability, we believe it was destroyed by our target.”

“Where was the drone sent?”

“Unexplored sector, sir. About two quadrants from the nearest map. We have its last coordinates.”

“Excellent news!” The figure said. “Looks like we may have found our target. Prepare a couple of squads to leave. I will go as well. I have a feeling this is it!”

“Very well, sir!”

The figure sighed again.

Samus didn’t see Trixie show up until around midday, and for some reason she was wearing a dark purple cloak. The pink mare that requested the delivery yesterday had showed up to receive her due payment and give them the promised reward. Trixie had quickly picked up a couple of sapphires, saying she had a fancy for blue jewels. She looked rather distracted yet again, but Samus decided not to interfere this time. Her decision didn’t matter, as Trixie eventually turned to her and gave her a piece of paper.

“I need your help,” Trixie finally said. “Here’s the trouble.”

Samus read the paper. Requesting for her assistance was Beatrix Lulamoon. She required help to on a possibly pointless hunt. The reward offered was information of a pony known as ‘Clyde’, Samus’ only lead on afloraltite.

“You sneaky little wench,” Samus said after seeing what the reward was, though there was no malice in her voice.

“You should know better than to use all your tricks in the first show,” Trixie shot back playfully. Her voice quickly became serious, though. “But I really need your help. I need a failsafe in case things go awry.”

“What do you mean?” Samus asked.

“I’ll explain on the way. For now, let’s get out of town. I want to start as soon as possible.”

“I’m ready to go whenever.”

“Good. Let’s get going, then.”

As they were about to exit Ponyville, Trixie and Samus were confronted by Twilight and Zecora. Both of them looked very irritated. Samus heard Trixie curse at the sight of the lavender unicorn. To make matters worse, the rest of the Elements of Harmony soon arrived at the scene; even little Spike was present.

“Give it up, Trixie. We’re on to you,” Twilight demanded.

“What’s happening here?” Samus asked in a rather commanding voice.

“That freak is nothing but trouble!” Rainbow Dash was quick to accuse.

“Trixie stole the Alicorn Amulet. She plans nothing good, I bet,” Zecora angrily said, pointing at Trixie with her hoof. “She demanded the amulet and attacked me last night. I couldn’t keep up with her tricks and lost the fight.”

“Yah tricky varmint! Can’t you just stay outta trouble?!” Applejack snarled.

“We can’t let you run free with that accursed amulet,” Rarity said in a more civilized tone.

Fluttershy, and uncharacteristically Pinkie Pie, stayed silent. Samus simply watched the events unfold.

“Guess there’s no choice, then,” Trixie said in a dark tone. She levitated the Alicorn Amulet and placed it around her neck. All opposing ponies took a step back. “Trixie has no time to lose with you.”

“That’s too bad, because we’re only here to stop you!” Twilight declared as she gave a step forward. The rest of the elements followed suit.

“Trixie figured as much,” Trixie said as her horn started shining a bright pink. “Rise, my soldiers!”

The azure unicorn shot a pink beam at the ground between her and her foes. A few moments later, a decaying hoof rose from the soil. Many more then followed suit, and soon the ground was filled with zombie ponies. All living ponies, zebras and dragons gasped and shuddered at the sight. They tensed when the zombies slowly turned to them and began walking.

“Let’s see you stop this!” Trixie taunted.

“Alright, enough of this,” Samus casually said. Suit equipped and cannon ready, she fired each zombie once. Each gunned corpse collapsed in a pile of pebbles and dirt. “Stop with the tricks, Trixie.”

“Illusions?” Twilight asked out loud as she saw the ‘zombies’ were just disguised soil. All her companions recovered their bearings and confidence.

“Very well. Looks like tricks won’t work on you. Time to reveal the real me!” Again, her horn shone a bright pink. The light quickly turned to flames. In another flash, Trixie was enveloped in a pink fire that lasted only a second. When the fire died, however, azure fur had been replaced by navy chitin. Where normal legs once were, now holes ones took their places; a unicorn horn was replaced by a curved one, and fangs and a pair of insectoid wings appeared where there were none before. Once the flames died, a navy changeling had replaced Trixie.

Once again, all opposing quadrupeds and dragons tensed and gasped.

“Don’t insult me,” Samus annoyingly said and jabbed Trixie with her taser. The ‘changeling’ lost consciousness, and with it, the magic powering the illusions. The magician reverted back to a pony form, and the necklace around her neck turned into a simple ruby charm on a silver chain.

“What’s going on here?!” Twilight asked in a rather high volume. “That’s clearly not the Alicorn Amulet!”

“Clearly,” echoed Samus.

“But what about Trixie’s intrusion?” Zecora asked, more confused than angry at this point. “Was it just an illusion?”

“But why would she bother with it in the first place?” Applejack pondered out loud. “Aargh! I just can’t figure out that mare!”

“Um, maybe she has her reasons,” Fluttershy said, her voice barely audible.

“Hmph. I bet she’s just going to cause more trouble.” Spike crossed his arms.

“I’ll deal with her. You guys go home,” Samus ordered.

“No, let us help. Whatever’s happening, we can figure it out together,” Twilight said with some hope.

“I said leave her to me. You guys would probably just get in the way.”

“But...”

“It wasn’t a question. Go home,” Samus said with finality.

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “What makes you think you can just order us around? Let Twilight do her thing. Or do we need to ‘convince’ you?”

Rainbow Dash shook her hoof menacingly. A shot from Samus’ cannon singed the upper part of her mane and shut her mouth. Rainbow Dash gulped and shrunk a little. Once again, everybody tensed at the imminent confrontation. Samus noted this, but focused her attention on the prismatic pegasus.

“Can’t you just do as you’re told for once?” the bounty hunter asked in a tired voice. “You’ll have to trust me on this one, because the alternative is neutralizing you here and now. And honestly, I’m happy with both options.”

“Samus! Rainbow! Stop this now!” Twilight ordered.

“Aw, come on, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie bounced over to Rainbow’s side. “Let Sammy talk to Trixie.”

“But...” The blue pegasus sighed. “Alright. Just because you and Twilight insist.” She turned to Samus. “But you better keep an eye on her. I’m warning you!”

Samus, however, ignored her. She picked the unconscious unicorn and put her on her shoulder. Without saying another word, she walked back to her ship, Trixie in tow. One by one, the ponies left until there was only a unicorn, a zebra, and a dragon left.

“Do you think letting them leave was wise?” Zecora asked Twilight. “Trick or not, the amulet was gone; I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Samus is stubborn and difficult to deal with, but she knows what she’s doing,” Twilight commented. “It’s Trixie the one I’m worried about. I can’t figure out if she’s trying to become a better pony or if it’s all just a ruse.”

“I can’t say I trust either, but I trust you. If you need any help, just give me the cue.”

“Thanks, Zecora. To be honest, I feel a little uneasy,” Twilight said. “Trixie doesn’t have the best of history in Ponyville, and we can’t just sit around while the Alicorn Amulet is missing. Both are related, I know it. I’ll let Samus handle it for now, but there’s never too much caution. I’ll let the princess know about this. Maybe she’ll be able to help.”

“That is an option I like,” Zecora said with her signature grin. Then she looked around with a questioning expression. “By the way, where is little Spike?”

Twilight also looked around, only to find her number 1 assistant was not currently with them. “Oh no! Spike! Where are you?!”

Meanwhile, Spike was stealthily following Samus and Trixie. He was being extra careful not to give himself away, specially knowing of Samus’ almost-paranormal sixth sense. The going was slow and difficult for the little drake, but he eventually managed to arrive to a cluster of trees near the stationed gunship. With a determined expression, he found a good hiding spot and focused all his attention to spying the two girls on his sight.

Samus had arrived a few moments earlier. She dropped Trixie on the ground and de-equipped her armor. She entered her ship via elevator and disappeared from sight. A few moments later, she re-appeared in the elevator holding a metal canister in her hand. Tim had exited alongside her. Samus walked over to Trixie’s prone body and began rummaging through her cape. Eventually she procured a rather special piece of jewelry. Spike had to cover his mouth to stifle the loud gasp that had threatened to come out. In the human’s hand was none other than the Alicorn Amulet.

“Well, shit. Tim, I need you to go to town and close the stand for today. We may be gone for some time,” Spike heard Samus say. As the little robot run off, the huntress put her finger on her ear and started talking again. Spike leaned in a little closer to listen better.

“Samus here, come in... Good, but I’m afraid we have a situation... Related to the amulet you told me about... Calm down, she’s not wearing it now. I’m going to find out the details in a moment. Just wanted to give you a heads up... Yes, I’ll take care of it... No need, but I’ll contact you if things go badly... I understand... Come on, have a little faith in her... Alright, thanks. Call me if you find out anything regarding the other situation... Very well. Samus out.”

Spike watched in anticipation as Samus sighed and ran her hand through her hair. She opened the canister she was holding and promptly the cold water it was containing over the sleeping Trixie. The liquid had the desired effect of waking up the unicorn.

“Whu- Whe- Wha- Where am I? What happened?” Trixie asked out loud as she regained her bearings. She saw Samus. “Was this your doing?”

“I have some questions for you,” Samus said as she showed the amulet in her hand. “I can only assume your trouble is related to this thing.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Ok, I need to get some facts straight. You want to go on a hunt for some voice you heard in your head after your removed the amulet.”

“Yes. I believe there is more to the amulet than just corrupting power. I want to find out what, and silence the voice once and for all.”

“You are aware that this could be just a delusion on your part and that there may not be anything worth looking for, right?”

“It is possible, but I have a feeling I’m right. Trixie has learned to not question her gut feeling.”

“I can understand that,” Samus said with a grin. “Now, if the event we find out the source of this mysterious voice, what are your motives?”

“I will uncover the secrets of the Alicorn Amulet, and then I will either destroy it or seal it. I will defeat the amulet’s evil power with my own.”

“So if you seek to destroy the evil power, making you a good guy, why the false wickedness with the elements?” Samus asked.

“Trixie doesn’t want them interfering. If they knew what I want to do, they would just tag along to ‘help’. Despite trying to be a better pony, I still can’t stomach the thought of most of them, especially that unbearable Sparkle and her goody-four-hooves attitude. I’m grateful to her, but I still hate her guts. That, and Trixie doesn’t want to share the glory with them.”

“So the show was to take them off your back,” Samus deduced. “And what would you have done if they took the initiative and attacked you first.”

“That’s where you come in. I was counting on you to take matters into your own hoof, er... hand, and dissuade the situation,” Trixie smugly said. Then she rubbed the spot where Samus had tased her. “Though I should’ve known you weren’t going to be gentle.”

“And I played right into your game...” Samus was stunned for a moment. “I guess you’re trickier than I expected.”

“Well, I am TRIXie.”

Samus gave a small chuckle. “Touché. One last question. If this is a personal matter to you, why ask me for help?”

Trixie’s demeanor quickly darkened. “As I said in the trouble, I need a failsafe. What I’m about to embark upon will most likely require I wear the amulet. If things don’t go as planned and I succumb to the amulet’s corruption, I want you to end me right then and there.” Trixie looked unsure for a moment, but carried on. “I ask you, and only you, because you’re the only one I know that has the stomach to do what has to be done.”

Samus stayed silent for a rather long time, just looking at her new friend in the eyes. “Are you really sure you want to do this?” she finally asked.

“Yes. Even if it seems stupid, I won’t regain my pride unless I finish this amulet incident. And without my pride, I wouldn’t be able to live.”

Samus sighed heavily. She looked unsure, but ultimately agreed to help the unicorn. “Alright. I’ll come with you.”

“Hey, don’t look so grim! It’s just a failsafe. I’m still confident in my abilities. And I think it’s about time I master my own power and discipline my heart,” Trixie said with the most determined grin Samus had seen her wield. Samus eventually returned the grin with one of her own.

“Then let me provide some assistance with that.”

At this point, the hidden Spike’s jaw couldn’t go any lower and his eyes couldn’t open any wider.