After Celestia and Luna had taken a quick glance through the entries regarding Samus' handling of Spike's infancy - and cooed and squeed the appropriate amount - those around the table settled down for waffles and stories. "So, Spike said he was just about to tell you about our mission to Tallon IV?" Samus spoke up.
"That's what he said," Twilight replied. "Though, given how small he was, I'm a bit surprised you took him onto a dangerous planet."
"I hadn't intended to," Samus growled. "I told him to stay in the ship!" She turned to glower playfully at Spike, who managed to look sheepish.
"I was bored!" he complained. "And hungry! And I couldn't open the ration packs!"
There were titters of laughter around the table. "Go on, then," Celestia urged. "Tell us the story."
"Well," Samus began, "it started out with investigating a distress beacon from an unidentified frigate orbiting the planet. It turned out to be Space Pirate-"
"Space Pirate?" Twilight and Rainbow both asked eagerly, Twilight in nervousness and Rainbow in fannish eagerness.
Luna chuckled. "Daring Do's tomb raiding no longer enough for your active imagination, Rainbow?" she teased.
Samus chuckled. "The Space Pirates are the scourge of the galaxy," she explained. "They used their vast numbers, genetic engineering of their own numbers into weapons, and vast weapons technology to steal anything and everything they wanted from those who could not defend themselves."
The mares around the table all gasped. Celestia glanced nervously towards the sky. Luna, however, frowned. "You speak of them in the past tense," she pointed out.
Spike scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well we kinda...sorta...accidentally...exterminated them. Rather thoroughly."
A pin was heard dropping from Twilight's writing desk in the following silence, bouncing on the crystal floor. "How do you 'accidentally' exterminate a race?" Twilight finally demanded.
"Destroying their biological super computer on their last planetary hide away, not knowing that triggered the planetary self-destruct systems," Spike explained.
"Spoi~lers!" Pinkie complained. "Stop jumping ahead in the story!"
Samus chuckled as everypony rolled her eyes. "Alright," she said. "Well, there's not much to talk about for while I was on the frigate. Since I had to go EVA, Spike couldn't come with."
"I should hope not!" Celestia asserted. "Even a dragon can't breathe in space."
"Well, I couldn't back then," Spike admitted.
All pony eyes turned to him with varying expressions from shock to disbelief...to irritation.
"Spoilers!" Pinkie hissed.
Samus chuckled. "Anyway, the only thing of note from my time on the frigate while it was in space was what the Pirates were doing on Tallon IV. Apparently, there a substance they'd termed 'Phazon' that was on Tallon IV as a result of a meteorite impact. It was a powerful mutagen, as well as being a high-energy mineral, and initial results from their tests suggested it was the key to them achieving the supremacy in the galaxy they desired."
"I take it you weren't about to let them manage that if you could prevent it?" Rainbow asked eagerly, already into the narrative.
"Definitely not," Samus confirmed. "Especially since Tallon IV was a Chozo world. Unfortunately, on the way out, I encountered Ridley in his newer manifestation." Tapping her logbook tablet, she called up the image.
"Th...that's a dragon," Twilight stammered. "But like none I've ever seen."
"He was a Space Pirate general," Spike explained. "And a repetitive thorn in our sides."
"Repetitive?" Rarity asked, curious.
"Among other sciences of questionable morality, the Space Pirates experimented heavily with cloning," Samus explained. "Between the two of us, we've killed Ridley...four and two-half times."
"Two half?" Twilight asked. "Shouldn't that just be five?"
"Two separate battles that we aren't entirely sure qualify as actually fighting Ridley," Spike explained. "But yeah, Ridley was a real pain in the tail. I'm still not entirely sure we've seen the last of him."
"But you said you killed all the Pirates," Applejack pointed out uneasily. "How else could he come back?"
"That's what we said back on the Bottle-"
"Spoilers!" Pinkie snapped, interrupting Samus.
Samus chuckled. "Alright. Anyway, when Ridley came after me on the frigate, I...took some suit damage. Most of the equipment upgrades I'd managed to collect ceased to function."
"Get used to that," Spike commented. "That happens to Mom a lot."
Samus glowered at him for a while. "Anyway," she finally grated, "after that, my first goal was to find ways to rearm myself on the planets surface, so once we landed, I engaged my ship's cloak and scanners."
"Your ship cloaks?" Twilight asked eagerly. "How does it work?"
"No idea," Samus replied. "The Chozo trained me as a warrior, not an engineer. I do know from scanning Pirate logs that it shields the ship from detection by anything except organic visual confirmation."
"Meaning they can't see it with anything except the naked eye?" Pinkie clarified.
Samus nodded. "Exactly. At any rate, my sensors picked up quite a few potential upgrades I could pick up in an area of Chozo Ruins. Some really basic stuff. A new missile launcher, a replacement Morph Ball, a few others. I decided I'd swing pick those up before coming back to check on Spike. I told him to wait in the ship till I'd scouted around and came back."
"And he didn't," Twilight sighed.
"I tried!" Spike complained. "She was gone forever!"
"I checked the ship logs," Samus pointed out. "It wasn't five minutes after I'd left when you'd opened the hatch."
Spike groaned. As all eyes turned to him, he sighed. "Alright. Well, when I couldn't sit still any longer, I left the ship..."
Spike clambered out of the ship to take a look at his surroundings. It seemed like he was in a tropical forest of some sort. Blue sky, green grass, strange creatures. Had he been older, he might have appreciated it more. However, he was still a very small child and was driven more by his belly than by his brain. As such, he looked around for something to eat.
First he tried the grass. Unfortunately, it all either tasted bad or tried to eat him back-
"Carnivorous grass?" Twilight asked in shock.
"Tangle weed," Samus explained, showing the logbook entry. "One of many reasons I told Spike to stay in the ship."
Spike rolled his eyes. "As I was saying..."
-the creatures were either bigger or faster than him, or stayed out of reach. The only thing that seemed even remotely in his range of edibles was a large sac that seemed filled with syrup or honey behind one of the blue doors that opened to his fire breath. However, when he tried to take a bite, it exploded, blasting him back against the opposite stone wall.
Samus stared at him. "You never mentioned trying to eat a Sap Sac," she pointed out.
Spike looked away, embarrassed. "Didn't want to worry you, since I didn't take much damage anyway..."
"Except for an explosion of flavor in your mouth?" Pinkie asked eagerly.
Spike chuckled. "Well, it was flavorful..."
After that unsuccessful attempt at filling his belly, he continued to wander, staying close to the ship. Eventually, one path led him to a wide lake. At the near shore, he saw two Space Pirates with jetpacks doing something with two large canisters filled with a glowing blue and white liquid. As he approached, the Pirates left, apparently answering some sort of call, so he continued up to the canisters. He noticed the top was open on one of them.
Clambering up on the other, he saw that the liquid inside flowed despite a total absence of motion. Taking a sniff, his mouth began to water. It looked like liquid sapphires, one of his favorite gemstones. Bending precariously, he stuck his hand in the liquid to scoop up a taste.
Spike paused in the story as he saw seven pairs of pony eyes looking at him disapprovingly. "What?" he asked.
"Really?" Twilight asked. "You encounter an unknown chemical being gathered by enemy troops on an unknown world...and your first thought is to stick your hand in it to see if it tastes good?"
"I was four!" Spike complained. "What did you expect?" Seven facehooves greeted this statement as Samus shook her head ruefully.
"What's wrong with what he did?" Pinkie asked. "Sounds alright to me! How do you know if it'll taste good without tasting it?" More facehooves greeted this statement.
Spike chuckled. "At any rate..."
Raising his hand to his mouth, Spike gingerly licked the liquid. He found it tasted a great deal like Sapphires, but spicier. It was delicious. He quickly licked his hand clean before scooping another handful into his mouth, eager to fill his belly with the delicious liquid. As he ate, his perch became uncomfortable, and eventually he shifted back to the ground. When the canister was half empty, he could no longer reach far enough to scoop out more, so he lifted the canister to pour the remainder into his mouth.
Before any reached his lips, however, he paused as he realized a rather significant incongruity. "Didn't the canister used to be bigger than me?" he wondered aloud.
Blinking, he realized that a lot of things around him were smaller than they had been. He quickly realized what had happened. "Did...did I just hit a growth spurt?" Setting the canister down, he measured himself against it. He was quickly able to determine that he now stood upright at about elbow height on Samus in her power suit. "There's...there's no way I should have grown this fast," he muttered. "This can't be natural." He glanced into the canister. "Maybe...it's this stuff?"
Making a decision, he picked up the canisters. "I'm probably going to get in trouble over this, but I need to tell Mom what happened so we can figure out what this stuff is." As he started to walk, the open canister sloshed, and he paused. "Hmm...I probably shouldn't risk spilling any," he decided. "Who knows what it might do." He set the canisters down. "...well, the full canister is probably enough for Mom to get answers..." He glanced at the half empty canister. "And I am still kinda hungry..."
At this point, even Pinkie facehooved.
I can't resist:
/eyes wide as tire rims/
You wat m8?!No no no no no. Let me rephrase that.
YOU WAT M8?!
I concur. (facepalms)
Oh, that Spike.
6011509 Nostalgia I'm still waiting...
Geezus fuck, Spike. What are you going to do next? Eat a bomb?
Was that what I think it was? Did spike eat copious amounts of what I think he ate copious amounts of?
...So dragons are immune to Phazon, then?
I have a question.
If a reader face-palms and no ponies can cross or hear past the dimensional barrier, does it make a sound?
Great chapter. Thanks for the update.
6011561
uh...
6011562 Not totally immune... more like empowered... Granted... *looks to a certain planet* That he didn't become a Guardian of a Levia-
: SPOILERS!
6011583 I want that pic
I know you were young and all but that earns a facepalm from anyone who hears this story.
Damn Spike.
6011550 http://www.fimfiction.net/user/DARKPHANTOM13
6011634 http://www.fimfiction.net/user/Jonathon+Smythe
I agree with you both
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/001/582/picard-facepalm.jpg?1240934151
Spike, I dub thee Nappa.
Anyone else sat down and said you know your on another level when Pinkie is facepalming at your stupidity.
Love the story by the way.
Another enjoyable chapter. Great job.
vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/aceattorney/images/c/ca/Phoenix_Objection.gif/revision/latest?cb=20130329201545
OBJECTION!
According to Corruption, Samus designed her own ship, which includes both Federation and Chozo technology. Given how capable that ship was, she must have at least a moderate grasp of engineering. I'm a little disappointed that you didn't think up some sci-fi jargon to explain how Samus' ship can cloak, like "It alters the energy shielding to bend light around the ship." At the very least, she could have said "sorry, that's need-to-know information, and you don't need to know."
Of course, her ship might not even be able to cloak, and the Space Pirate science team are just a bunch of incompetent buffoons who don't want to get in trouble for not being able to find a ship. (¬‿¬)
http://m.imgur.com/r/futurama/udekpUM
BOOM that's how her ship is invisible
6011583
Damnit Spike.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2014/4/29/612973__safe_solo_twilight+sparkle_princess+twilight_upvotes+galore_floppy+ears_cropped_facehoof_artist-colon-vavacung_wing+hands.png
6011561
Erm...
He kinda already did.
6011810
Actually, it states the ship was designed to her specifications. My headcanon is that her Power Suit on board computer also has the full specs of her ship...enough that a competent engineer can reproduce it, but she herself doesn't have the understanding to explain it.
6011943
If you scan Samus' ship in Corruption, it specifically says "Designed by Samus Aran, this one-of-a-kind vessel was custom built at the Federation shipyard of Aliehs III." If you really don't believe me, I could go through the trouble of screen-capping it for you.
With that said, I could see her not being able to translate technical knowledge into something that other people can understand; one can be skilled in something without being able to teach others in that skill.
6011835
Given how stupid the Space Pirates can be, I could see that being the case.
6012030
Oh. I was going by the specifications in the scan log for the first Prime game, where it says it was designed to her specifications.
And either way, given how advanced simulation technology is in the Federation - with everything they can do with holograms - even designing it herself doesn't mean she knows how it works. She incorporated various systems of Federation and Chozo origin into the design, and had it built. None of that actually requires her to know how said systems work.
Wait, my englisch isn't the best, so say if i get this wrong. But didn't this line means the canister was smaller before, and is now bigger?
But he got a growth spurt, so should it not have been bigger before?
but another great chapter XD and Spike acting like a real child is also nice to see.
I can just picture Samus and Twilight both rolling their eyes at this last bit.
So... baby dragons are just as hungry as human teenagers???? Poor Samus, I'm guessing she nearly had a heart attack if she found the ship empty when she returned or saw Spike had grown. And I'm sorry Spike, but when you cause Pinkie Pie to facehoof you've done screwed up big time.
...All I can picture is this:
6011617
Uh... my profile pic or Spike eating a bomb?
6011509
Yeah.
Okay, I haven't played any Metroid games, but...
...
Did Spike just eat several gallons of phazon?
Even I know that's a bad idea!
He ate Phazon?! He just ate the most deadly, mutagenic, toxic, and radioactive substance in the entire universe... and then decided to eat more?!
I... What? He... ATE A Tankful Of Phazon?! AND SUFFERED NO READILY APPARENT DRAWBACKS?!?! I... I Must Go. I Will Be Back, I Just Need To Process This Information...
Best Regards,
Prophet_Of_Madness
... So, he ate a highly mutagenic and deadly substance...
It's Spike, don't question it.
6012327 Profile but if you do the other ill take it as well.
Cute Pinkamina is Cute
6012687 derpicdn.net/img/view/2012/6/21/14260__safe_solo_pinkie+pie_filly_pinkamena+diane+pie_pillow_artist-colon-speccysy.png
https://derpiboo.ru/14260?scope=scpe728d7d37ed9da35b80729374b57cce30deb8d57a
6012473 well I'm not entirely sure it's the MOST toxic/radioactive stuff. There's still the "Super Phazon" inside the Impact Crater of Tallon IV that could damage you even with the Phazon Suit.
6011562 that does explain Omega Ridly from prime 3.
Dude! Didn't Pinkie eat an ex[loding cupcake and make that same comment in "Fortresshy, The Nine Fathers"? Good going, there!
6012043
True, but you must consider that her ship not only worked, but worked well. Speaking from experience, I can say that when someone who isn't familiar with the finer aspects of what they are designing, whatever they design is mediocre at the very best. In Corruption, her ship actually outperforms her old ship, with greater self repair capacity (despite being the slightly smaller), and a design that's actually modular. Not to mention, it was capable of true self-piloting, which is apparently too complex for the federation, because it was a plot point in Fusion that the Federation ship given to her was not capable of flying itself.
6017646
Fusion never stated the ship couldn't fly itself. It stated that the ship was set up so that only a manually input command could allow the ship to take off. Adam as the ship's computer was fully capable of flight and maneuvering. The "only manual takeoff" setup makes sense as a security measure, in case the ship's comp gets hacked.
And considering the Command Visor that allowed the ship to fly around on its own by command was a Federation equipment upgrade and not her own creation or Chozo Tech, your logic is fundamentally flawed.
Pretty sure this was asked already, but is this going to follow the entire series chronologically, starting with Metroid Prime?
6019221
Yes.
6019267
Sweet. The Metroid/Prime games were my favorite, aside from Zelda. At any rate, caught up, now, and still reading your other fics. So. Awesome! Also, Spike, Phazon isn't good to eat. It mutates, mostly fatally with enough exposure, and makes most species hostile.
So! I should probably start commenting more, but my vita usually goes retarded on me. Good thing I'm on my tablet!
6017714
Here's the original transcript:
The key word there is "guided." This line indicates that the ship requires manual control in order to fly.
Not to mention, the "security against hacking" theory doesn't really make sense. If someone knows enough about the ship to identify and decrypt its computer's wireless access*, then they would also probably know that it could only be started manually and would be nearby (or have a proxy nearby) in order to climb on and take off, and that's assuming that they've gone through the trouble of trying to hack it wirelessly.
Also, where did you get the idea that the command visor is Federation tech? While the Federation gives her permission to use it on landing pads they control after Rundas saves her, it's a system she's had since at least Prime 1, if this scene is any indication.
*This is assuming its computer even has wireless access. It's entirely possible and reasonable that the ship only has wireless communication, and the computer itself can only be accessed through direct connection.
6019473
"Guided" is poetic. It specifically states it can only be "started" manually. And even if that's not the case, she only said that ship doesn't work that way, not all Federation ships.
And even if the Command Visor isn't of Federation origin, there's nothing to suggest that it's something only Samus can do.
Besides that, Samus may have designed the ship herself, but she didn't build it with her own two hands. It was built in a Federation ship yard, using Federation tech.
6019473
6019509
Don't forget the creatures she rescued. They could have started it. Been on her ship for, about half the game, and were quite intelligent. They could have very easily learned how, so to protect themselves and the ship from the omega metroid.
6019536
Actually, in the aftermath, Adma specifically states "You're wondering how I started the ship? ...they gave me a hand."
6019549
Ah, right. Forgot about that. Been a while since I've actually played. but yeah, they help start it, which would be the manuel start part.
Anyway, doesn't matter, you're the writer, and for all were concerned, you could have the ship made of vanilla beans, if you wanted.
6019509
"Oh, it's poetic." That's a really weak argument. I could just as easily say that "started" was poetic. The line specifically says "The ship moved on its own, guided by someone's hands." If it at least said "as if guided," maybe I could agree with you, but it's stated as a fact that the ship moving on its own is the product of manual guidance.
After some thought, I agree with you; the Federation almost certainly has the technology to make self piloting ships. After all, that's what the Aurora Units did, and if they can upload someone's consciousness to a computer that fits on Samus' gunship, they could upload their piloting skills as well. However, Samus is still surprised that the Federation did that, indicating that she didn't know they could do it before that moment. This means that her ship's computer in Corruption probably wasn't someone's consciousness, and given that the only other AIs shown that were capable of piloting ships were the AUs (which were easily twice the size of her ship, not including the tank and external systems), it's very unlikely that the AI on Samus' gunship was Federation made.
True, Samus didn't pick up a wrench and build the Gunship herself. Just as most car designers almost never pick up a construction tool. The way I see it, Samus probably built (or at least found) some Chozo tech, shipped it to Aliehs III, and gave them a design that integrated it with common Federation designs. At the very least, Samus probably has a good understanding of Chozo technology. After all, why would a dying race famed for their advanced technology and general pacifism leave a warrior with little technical knowledge as their progeny?
6019536
They did. Here's the entire scene, starting with the dialogue.
6019693
In regarding what you said, nothing in what you said of how Samus got her ship built requires her to know a thing about how it works.
As far as anything technical she's ever done, her suit took care of everything.
Cracking Space Pirate code? Her suit's scan visor.
Interfacing with various alien tech? Her suit does it automatically.
Even her ship's controls have suit based tutorials. (Admittedly, that's gameplay exaggeration, but still.)
As far as acquiring Chozo tech? None of the Chozo tech requires her to know how it works. Just that it does.
For example, let's say the cloaking is based in the material of the ship's hull. All she knows is that particular alloy does that, and so she tells the manufacturers to use that alloy for the ship's hull. Nowhere in that does she need to know how the metal does it, just that it does.
Same with most Chozo tech, actually. Chozo tech seems almost designed to naturally interface with any technology present as long as Chozo DNA - in the form of Samus in her power suit - is present. It could very well be that she did build her ship herself...but bringing chunks of old Chozo ships to a shipyard, energizing them from her suit, and throwing them at a Federation ship chassis.
Admittedly, this is all assumption...but so is the conclusion that Samus understands technology to the degree you describe.
However, in Metroid Prime in the Phendrana Drifts, there were statues representing the Chozo castes, with heavy implication that Chozo trained in only one. Scholar, Warrior, Statesman, Engineer. Implying that Warriors wielded tech, while Engineers designed it.