Another Hatchling

by Tatsurou

BSL: False Hunter?

"After getting my Screw Attack back, we made our way as quickly as we could out of the Tourian-like Sector back into Sector 1," Samus continued once the tension of Ember's revelation had passed, still not having released Rainbow from the headlock. "We had to go through it to get back to the Main Sector, and up to the Main Deck where the controls were. We didn't encounter anything that would prove an obstacle to us along the way, but..." Her voice trailed off, unsure how to explain things.

"We encountered progressively larger empty Metroid cocoons," Spike filled in. "And since the data stated that the ones running the station had found a way to make an infant grow to an Omega, and we hadn't seen any Omegas yet..." Several of those listening shivered.

"So you had to fight an Omega Metroid - without Ice Beam - to get to the controls for the station?" Scootaloo gasped out, stunned.

"No," Spike corrected. "Thankfully not. We made it up to the Main Deck without incident. However...something was waiting for us there..."

---

As Samus and Spike approached the Operations Room, they found the door sealed against possible damage. Samus paused as she reached the door. "Why would it...?"

A loud explosion echoed from behind them, the sound of a wall being blasted open. As the pair turned, they saw an SA-X somersault in...Screw Attack inactive, using only the Space Jump. As it landed, it immediately launched a barrage of Super Missiles towards Samus, which she barely dodged.

Spike immediately lunged forward, trying to clash with the SA-X, but it leapt over his muzzle and struck right at the back of his skull behind the ear frill with an overhand chop of its free hand, dazing him from the strike, before leaping past him to attack Samus. As soon as the angle was right, Samus unleashed a Dragon Auto-Fire right into its face, slamming it back into the opposite wall as the Wave-Diffusion locked its muscles until it hit the wall, the Plasma cutting through the suit to damage it internally.

As Samus cut the beam to regroup, the SA-X dropped to the ground, its entire form briefly fluctuating. Samus expected it, since nearly every other X she'd faced off against had after a heavy hit, but what happened next confused her. The SA-X stared at its hand like it had never seen it before, shuddering for a time...and then clenched its fist before racing around, firing off its beam weapon...surprisingly careful not to hit Spike.

Samus wasn't sure what had caused this behavior in the SA-X, but if it wasn't going to attack Spike, she was going to take advantage of it. "Spike, get clear!" she ordered.

"But Mom-"

"Now!" she barked out, charging the SA-X as she triggered her Speed Booster to slam it into the wall before backhanding it across the faceplate with her arm cannon. The SA-X countered by punching her on her own faceplate, knocking her back. She glanced away just enough to see Spike following her orders to withdraw, then dove to the side as she heard the shrieking of air that foretold the use of the Screw Attack. Barely evading, she locked onto her foe with the Dragon Grapple and slammed it into the wall again.

Again, the SA-X fluctuated, and again it hesitated. This time, however, Samus didn't. Switching from Dragon Auto-Fire to charge, she charged her beam to maximum as she raced forward, and unleashed it right in the SA-X' face, sending it tumbling to its knees. Its form fluctuated angrily...and it expanded.

The resulting mutant bulked over Samus and Spike, staring down at them from a dark blue dome on an orange body as its entire body pulsated like an overgrown tumor. Before it attacked, it let out a roar from a giant mouth as it stared down at itself...then paused as Spike once more returned to Samus' side. It stared at them both for a while...and then they received that strange signal again, still garbled, and yet...somehow sad.

And then the mutated form crumbled away, the membrane around the blue Large X Core collapsed, and the X floated away. So stunned were Samus and Spike by what happened that they took no action to stop its escape.

---

As Samus finished explaining what had happened, the sound of a balloon deflating echoed around the table, and every eye turned to the flat-maned Pinkie who began to bawl her eyes out. "Pinkie?" Samus asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"I...I was right..." Pinkie sniffled. "I didn't...want to be right..."

"What do you mean-" Twilight began, only to cut herself off. "Pinkie, you don't mean...you think it was like the Mirror Pool? An imperfect copy...that didn't know it was a copy?"

Pinkie nodded. "That's exactly what it was...that first SA-X - the one that broke out of Quarantine, almost found them in the first hallway, and fought them on the Main Deck - had all of Samus' abilities, tech, and memories...but a broken language center. So she kept trying to call Spike to reunite with him so she could figure out what happened...only to find him with a Metroid version of herself...which she probably thought was Dark Samus come back controlling him somehow..."

"That's why it wouldn't risk hurting Spike when fighting you," Twilight Velvet spoke up. "Even if he was enthralled...she couldn't hurt...her son..."

"And when it started to lose its form, it was confronted with the terrifying realization that it was the fake," Discord spoke up. "And then when it mutated...it couldn't deny it anymore."

"When it roared, it was enraged," Rarity offered, her voice throbbing with emotion. "It wanted to tear into you, to take back what it thought was its life...but it saw that Spike was with you, and was happy...and that was all it really cared about...just like you."

Ember shivered. "Can you imagine what that must have been like?" she asked. "Desperately tracking down a monster with your face to try and protect the one you care about the most...only to discover you are the monster that needs to be stopped?"

Samus looked away, a strange nightmare and part of another adventure suddenly making sense after all this time. "...I don't have to..."

Comments

[Xenoguyver]

Geez. Great chapter, and REALLY hit the feels in the family jewels.

[DT42]

Best chapter of the story so far.
My god the feels

[VampDash]

What other adventure is she thinking about?

[jwizard]

You certainly don't pull your punches, do you Tats?

*sniff*

[Tatsurou]

7391202
An original creation that takes place between Fusion and the return to Equestria.

[Starcat5]

7391234
Side effects of heartlessly devouring ubsorbing her X counterpart for the final upgrade? Don't answer that. It is a tale that will be told in the fullness of time.

...unless my theory is well off the mark, in which case, let me know so I can try again.

[Chrome Masquerade]

As Samus finished explaining what had happened, the sound of a balloon deflating echoed around the table, and every eye turned to the flat-maned Pinkie who began to bawl her eyes out. "Pinkie?" Samus asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"I...I was right..." Pinkie sniffled. "I didn't...want to be right..."

"What do you mean-" Twilight began, only to cut herself off. "Pinkie, you don't mean...you think it was like the Mirror Pool? An imperfect copy...that didn't know it was a copy?"

Pinkie nodded. "That's exactly what it was...that first SA-X - the one that broke out of Quarantine, almost found them in the first hallway, and fought them on the Main Deck - had all of Samus' abilities, tech, and memories...but a broken language center. So she kept trying to call Spike to reunite with him so she could figure out what happened...only to find him with a Metroid version of herself...which she probably thought was Dark Samus come back controlling him somehow..."

"That's why it wouldn't risk hurting Spike when fighting you," Twilight Velvet spoke up. "Even if he was enthralled...she couldn't hurt...her son..."

"And when it started to lose its form, it was confronted with the terrifying realization that it was the fake," Discord spoke up. "And then when it mutated...it couldn't deny it anymore."

"When it roared, it was enraged," Rarity offered, her voice throbbing with emotion. "It wanted to tear into you, to take back what it thought was its life...but it saw that Spike was with you, and was happy...and that was all it really cared about...just like you."

Ember shivered. "Can you imagine what that must have been like?" she asked. "Desperately tracking down a monster with your face to try and protect the one you care about the most...only to discover you are the monster that needs to be stopped?"

Samus looked away, a strange nightmare and part of another adventure suddenly making sense after all this time. "...I don't have to..."

Wow!
Okay that nets you a 6th bonus point

[ShadowLDrago]

"So you had to fight an Omega Metroid - without Ice Beam - to get to the controls for the station?" Scootaloo gasped out, stunned.

Thankfully no.

A loud explosion echoed from behind them, the sound of a wall being blasted open. As the pair turned, they saw an SA-X somersault in...Screw Attack inactive, using only the Space Jump. As it landed, it immediately launched a barrage of Super Missiles towards Samus, which she barely dodged.

Spike immediately lunged forward, trying to clash with the SA-X, but it leapt over his muzzle and struck right at the back of his skull behind the ear frill with an overhand chop of its free hand, dazing him from the strike, before leaping past him to attack Samus. As soon as the angle was right, Samus unleashed a Dragon Auto-Fire right into its face, slamming it back into the opposite wall as the Wave-Diffusion locked its muscles until it hit the wall, the Plasma cutting through the suit to damage it internally.

Remember, there is no such thing as overkill or too much gun! Only "open fire" and "reload". Especially against the X.

The SA-X stared at its hand like it had never seen it before, shuddering for a time...and then clenched its fist before racing around, firing off its beam weapon...surprisingly careful not to hit Spike.

Interesting...

"Now!" she barked out, charging the SA-X as she triggered her Speed Booster to slam it into the wall before backhanding it across the faceplate with her arm cannon.

Is Samus gonna have to super speed slap a bitch?

Again, the SA-X fluctuated, and again it hesitated. This time, however, Samus didn't.

I wonder why it's hesitating?

The resulting mutant bulked over Samus and Spike, staring down at them from a dark blue dome on an orange body as its entire body pulsated like an overgrown tumor. Before it attacked, it let out a roar from a giant mouth as it stared down at itself...then paused as Spike once more returned to Samus' side. It stared at them both for a while...and then they received that strange signal again, still garbled, and yet...somehow sad.

The same signal again.

"What do you mean-" Twilight began, only to cut herself off. "Pinkie, you don't mean...you think it was like the Mirror Pool? An imperfect copy...that didn't know it was a copy?"

Oh, oh, god.

Pinkie nodded. "That's exactly what it was...that first SA-X - the one that broke out of Quarantine, almost found them in the first hallway, and fought them on the Main Deck - had all of Samus' abilities, tech, and memories...but a broken language center. So she kept trying to call Spike to reunite with him so she could figure out what happened...only to find him with a Metroid version of herself...which she probably thought was Dark Samus come back controlling him somehow..."

It honestly thought it was the real Samus Aran...

"That's why it wouldn't risk hurting Spike when fighting you," Twilight Velvet spoke up. "Even if he was enthralled...she couldn't hurt...her son..."

Yeah.

"And when it started to lose its form, it was confronted with the terrifying realization that it was the fake," Discord spoke up. "And then when it mutated...it couldn't deny it anymore."
"When it roared, it was enraged," Rarity offered, her voice throbbing with emotion. "It wanted to tear into you, to take back what it thought was its life...but it saw that Spike was with you, and was happy...and that was all it really cared about...just like you."

It realized what it was. A pale copy.

Ember shivered. "Can you imagine what that must have been like?" she asked. "Desperately tracking down a monster with your face to try and protect the one you care about the most...only to discover you are the monster that needs to be stopped?"

The Tomato In The Mirror.

Samus looked away, a strange nightmare and part of another adventure suddenly making sense after all this time. "...I don't have to..."

... Samus has been through a lot, and at this rate, I think that psychiatric help may be of some use.

[Nova Blaze]

A very feels heavy chapter, even more so when she shows up to help Samus fight the Omega.

[shinigamisparda]

media.giphy.com/media/eL9SM2ZXbTmZa/giphy.gif

[OmegaRuby]

dam....... I Suddenly want to read a story about that sa-x a one shot maybe??

[PrismStrike]

I knew this was what you were gunna go for with the SA-X...one of the only times i truly hate having such an analytical mind. saw this comin from the moment you had pinkie mention it chapters ago. still hoping your going to take my suggestion from a few chapters later and somehow manage to give us a direct from the SA-X's point of view chapter

[ShogunWriter106]

THE FEELS!!!!

[DreamyBlaze]

7391720
this is why i think this author i s one of the best in fimfiction.

[sailing101]

Called it

[Void Runner]

7391283

The Tomato In The Mirror.

I feel like I should understand this reference, but for some reason it's going over my head...

[ShadowLDrago]

7391843

It's a trope.

[Dirty Bit]

Those feels hit hard. I found myself thinking of the song 'Lost Impact' from Shadow the Hedgehog while simultaneously thinking of Tales of the Abyss.

[p0nypanda]

Damn, you just made me feel pity for an X. Good job!

[Draconicus the Reaper]

that's just sad poor X

[Kenshinryuu]

This is a first... I want to hug the SA-X. Never thought I would say that. Hopefully, when the final battle occurs, the SA-X might be able to give Spike a "Live and be happy!" speech or something.

[grey_shadow]

7391843
WARNING WARNING ** TV Tropes link ** WARNING WARNING
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TomatoInTheMirror
WARNING WARNING ** TV Tropes link ** WARNING WARNING

It's what TV Tropes calls it when a character realises what's been obvious to everyone else (except possibly the viewer) all along - that they're actually not who they think they are after all!

[SolidBlackPanda]

You just took one of the scariest video game enemies from my childhood...and made me feel sympathy for it. Excuse me, I need to go process this.

[GMZ_Casper]

To be honest, I actually was a bit sympathy with the SA-X at the end of the game. But you definitely made it far more so in this chapter, that for sure. I suppose it is because there was a lot more emotions shown by the SA-X than in the original version. Poor SA-X...

[Fire Flyer]

"What do you mean-" Twilight began, only to cut herself off. "Pinkie, you don't mean...you think it was like the Mirror Pool? An imperfect copy...that didn't know it was a copy?"

Pinkie nodded. "That's exactly what it was...that first SA-X - the one that broke out of Quarantine, almost found them in the first hallway, and fought them on the Main Deck - had all of Samus' abilities, tech, and memories...but a broken language center. So she kept trying to call Spike to reunite with him so she could figure out what happened...only to find him with a Metroid version of herself...which she probably thought was Dark Samus come back controlling him somehow..."

...Welp, that's some serious Fridge Horror right there. Poor SA-X...

[Revan]

This was strangely touching and heartwarming.

[djthomp]

Oh damn, so that's what Pinkie had predicted. How unexpectedly personal for her.

Well, at least based on what we've seen in the show, some of the original Pinkie clones have made lives for themselves. Seems unlikely that the same could happen for any of the SA-X, though.

[StarChaser01]

Damn it. I had hoped that the sapient SA-X would have survived.

[Devildogg20]

7436412 There were more though right?

[_That Guy_]

7621576 From the way that Pinkie reacted earlier, I believe that only the first SA-X was a Samus clone; the rest were just X wearing her suit.

[ShadwSonic]

7410018
I'd agree... but this paragraph

Samus looked away, a strange nightmare and part of another adventure suddenly making sense after all this time. "...I don't have to..."

...it makes me think that its memories fused with the real Samus when it gave her the Ice Beam. So in a sense it DID survive.

[orivonfist]

Never mind to my previous post

[HeartfireFirebrand]

"I...I was right..." Pinkie sniffled. "I didn't...want to be right..."

"What do you mean-" Twilight began, only to cut herself off. "Pinkie, you don't mean...you think it was like the Mirror Pool? An imperfect copy...that didn't know it was a copy?"

Pinkie nodded. "That's exactly what it was...that first SA-X - the one that broke out of Quarantine, almost found them in the first hallway, and fought them on the Main Deck - had all of Samus' abilities, tech, and memories...but a broken language center. So she kept trying to call Spike to reunite with him so she could figure out what happened...only to find him with a Metroid version of herself...which she probably thought was Dark Samus come back controlling him somehow..."

Oh, that's sad.

[Flutter-Spark]

8656465
Enough said... *bows head*

[PactOfSkyranger]

"What do you mean-" Twilight began, only to cut herself off. "Pinkie, you don't mean...you think it was like the Mirror Pool? An imperfect copy...that didn't know it was a copy?"

Requiescat in pace, mirror of Samus Aran.