The Last Adventure: The Inner Darkness
"So, the dive into your memories was literally reliving all of your past adventures?" Ember asked curiously.
"Pretty much," Samus confirmed. "Before I went to the Core of my mind, it was basically just walking through a patchwork of everything I'd lived through, a patchwork that became more and more straightforward as I recovered more of my latent abilities. I could have gone straight to the Core at any time...but long habit had me gather all my latent abilities before I did." She smiled softly. "Besides, it...felt good to retrace my steps like that, reliving my memories."
"So everything you encountered is something we've already covered, then?" Rainbow clarified.
"Until the Core, yeah," Samus confirmed.
"Then what was the Core like?" Rainbow demanded eagerly.
Samus shivered slightly as she remembered. "It was...strange. And...terrifying..."
As Samus reached the Core of her mind, the doors were unlike any she'd ever encountered in her travels. They were massive and engraved in language that she did not recognize, and yet she could read it plainly.
Here lie your greatest secrets, your worst nightmares, and your true self. Beware entry, for you will leave whole or not at all.
Samus couldn't help but shiver at that as she stepped up to the doors, which swung open easily for her. Steeling herself, she stepped through...
She found herself back on K2L...but not the ruins. The whole planet looked exactly like it had before Ridley and the Space Pirates attacked. Everything seemed calm and peaceful, just like she remembered it from those peaceful days. As she walked, she was surprised to see a child running by, chasing a familiar bunny like creature.
And then the sky exploded, and the Pirates descended. Before her very eyes, her parents rushed to save her younger self from Ridley's attack. She realized...she was going to watch them die.
"No!" Samus snapped out, lunging forward. Just as Ridley lunged for her parents, she grabbed him around his neck, flipped over him to twist him into a grapple, shoved her arm cannon into his mouth, and fired off a Super Missile. "I won't let you kill them again!"
Ridley flapped back, screaming in rage...and the Pirates swarmed around, aiming for her parents. Samus narrowed her eyes as she braced herself. "Not this time..." she growled, ready for battle.
The first wave of Pirates came in firing weapons, and Samus used the new energy in her left arm as she'd seen the Luminoth do, throwing out tiny light barriers to block each shot as it came. When each wave of shots ended, she opened fire with her arm cannon, taking down as many pirates as she could before the next wave of shots came. This repeated several times, until eventually the Pirates realized they couldn't get a shot past her.
After that, the Pirates charged in with their blades. Growling under her breath, Samus disabled her arm cannon to handle them in melee. In addition to punches and kicks, she occasionally grappled tight with one Pirate to rip it apart or snap its neck. At one point, she grabbed one Pirate's wrist and used its blade to kill several of its fellows before crushing its torso. When she felt herself becoming overwhelmed, she would slam her right hand into one of the Pirates' chests and use her new predation aspect to drain them completely. Before long, all the Pirates were down.
A shriek caught her attention, and she saw Ridley sweeping down, reaching once more for her folks. She could see her younger self cowering in terror, unable to act...and she slammed herself into Ridley's sternum with her Speed Booster. "I said...not this time!" she roared out as Ridley descended and she landed. Reaching out, she grabbed hold of Ridley by his tail and swung him over her head, slamming him into the ground. Leaping upward, she focused the energy she'd absorbed into her left hand, charging as much electrical energy as she could and unleashing it point blank into Ridley's chest. The fell dragon flexed, pulsed...and dissolved into memory mist.
Turning, she walked over to her parents and younger self, who watched her with awe. "She did it!" her younger self called out happily. "Mommy, Daddy, we're safe!" She turned towards them...only to see them dissolving into memory mist. "Mommy? Daddy?"
Samus felt the twisting in her gut. She knew it hadn't been real, but she'd wanted so badly to have a chance to save them. She realized now what she had to do. Walking up, she knelt beside her younger self. "It's alright," she said softly. "There was nothing you could have done. It's not your fault."
"B...but..." Her younger self clutched her bunny-like friend, tears in her eyes.
Samus embraced herself. "Be strong," she told herself softly. "I know it hurts...but letting it control and define you will only destroy you. They wouldn't want that."
No they wouldn't, Hatchling, Old Bird whispered softly to her as her younger self faded away. But this day had sat inside your mind for all your life. In order to find balance within yourself, you had to face it again, and understand it...so you could let it go.
Only years of Chozo training and discipline kept Samus from sniffling. "...didn't make it easy..." she mumbled softly.
Necessary things seldom are, Hatchling.
Samus was rather unsurprised this time around to find herself on the receiving end of a ponypile of hugs. "It's alright," she said softly. "Yes, it was hard...but at the same time, it was cathartic. I'd thrown myself into my training, and becoming as strong as I could, so that I could look back on that day and say 'never again'. Discovering that I was indeed strong enough to actually do so...it was healing." As the ponies pulled back misty-eyed, she chuckled. "Besides, that was just the first stage..."
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Probably for the best.
Oh?
This sort of stuff never is.
Oh dear.
this is simply wonderful. your custom adventure is so far better than most of the games.
Angel Bunny, just what have you been upto? You should've been long dead by now, or is this one of your forebears?
makes me think of
okay, it would be a lot more detailed than that, but still.
7451991
Neither. The critter is from the Manga. Can't remember if it had a name.
Another enjoyable chapter. Well done.
today is the 30th Anniversary of the Metroid Series. just thought I'd point that out.
Reading this chapter for the first time, and I have to say that her description sounds like Breath of the Wild meets Metroid Prime. I like it, and would love to see that game come to life.
7451991
Actually, it was supposed to represent Samus' own pet from the manga.
It was a little rabbit-like creature she called Pionchy or something like that.
And yes i am aware i am replying to a nearly 5 year old comment.