"So what happened on this...Bottleship, then?" Shining Armor asked curiously before pursing his lips. "Yeah, you're right Spike. That just does not have the epic sound one of these stories seem to call for."
"Know what you mean," Spike agreed. "Wasn't even all that great an adventure."
"Was still rather important," Samus commented dryly. "For a variety of reasons..."
As Samus set the ship down gently aboard the Bottleship, she gestured for Spike to follow behind her. He obeyed readily, his claws clicking quietly against the metal walkway making less noise than her own boots, his tail lashing gently in the air showing the relaxed tension of his body. Samus kept her hand on her arm cannon, just in case she had to shoot something. Neither made a sound at first, waiting to see what would come.
Before too long, Samus spotted another ship that had apparently landed in the dock some time before. A quick scan showed it had the Galactic Federation logo...but an explosion further in grabbed attention before either of them could investigate further. The pair quickly made their way to the source of the explosion, Spike shifting halfway to his 'Speed Boost' shape so that he could run faster without actually triggering the biological reaction. Samus kept her own pace much the same.
Shortly after the second explosion made the pair reconsider whether or not to actually activate a Speed Boost, they reached the source of the noise. Samus went into a diving roll as she brought her arm cannon to bare, while Spike leapt into the air to cling to the ceiling as he built up his flame. Across the room from them, a squad of Federation soldiers in standard issue power suits spun to face them, weapons primed.
The whole tableau held, on the verge of hostility...until the largest of the troops stepped forward, a bulky plasma cannon strapped to his back. "Ah...fancy meeting you here, Princess!" he called out in a comfortingly familiar voice. "And the Little Prince too, not so little anymore! Where'd the muscles come from, ankle biter?" He lifted his visor, revealing his wide grin.
"Uncle Tony?" Spike asked in shock as his fire faded, relaxing as he recognized that this one, at least, was friendly. Samus herself returned to an 'at ease' posture as opposed to active combat.
"Anthony..." Samus breathed in relief, plainly as glad to see the familiar figure as Spike was.
"Princess?" Rainbow gasped out, snickering.
"You didn't tell us you were royalty!" Twilight burst out, amazed as she turned to Samus. Her amazed expression turned to confusion when Anthony burst into laughter, and Rainbow only laughed harder.
"It's an affectionate nickname," Samus explained, rolling her eyes. "Admittedly, I can see why you'd make that mistake, considering there are four of them here-"
"Five, actually," Gandrayda corrected. "I don't make a fuss, but...yeah. My people have a sort of fusion between an oligarchy and a meritocracy, so I was slated for a position in the ruling class...in about 500 years when they decided I was 'experienced' enough."
"And technically, as the last living representative of the Chozo in this plane of reality, and thus their sole living representative, you technically are one, Mom," Spike corrected. "Even if they never had a monarchy."
Samus groaned as her hand met her face. "Can we get back to talking about the mission instead?" she groaned.
"From the sound of it, this conversation's going to be much more fun!" Discord teased. "Now...do we want to know about the rest of that unit beyond 'you knew them all personally'...or do they all wind up dead?"
Samus closed her eyes as the jocular atmosphere slowly faded. "...let's continue..."
"Haven't seen you since the last time I sat the ankle biter!" Anthony greeted warmly as he stepped forward. "And your buddy's here too!"
Samus hesitated as her eyes fell on Adam Malkovich, plainly the commander of this mission. A welter of emotions swamped her mind. On the one hand, he had been the closest to a father she'd had since leaving Zebes the first time. On the other, they...hadn't parted on the best of terms, and the less said about that the better, all things considered. And he'd never entirely approved of Bounty Hunters in the first place, let alone her decision to become one.
"What are you doing here?" Adam demanded coldly.
Noticing Spike bridling a little, Samus struggled to get herself under control. "We picked up the distress signal," Samus explained firmly. "We came to investigate." She knew why Spike might have taken offense to Adam's tone, but the Commander had always been all business on missions. He never let his emotions get in the way of what had to be done. "What brings you here?"
As Anthony started to speak, Adam cut him off. "That information is not for an outsider," he stated bluntly.
As most of the unit turned towards Adam in shock, Samus closed her eyes. His words had hurt, showing just how much damage she'd done to her relationship with the man with how they'd parted so long ago. Hearing Spike begin to growl as her suit detected an increase in heat, however, forced Samus to push that aside as she turned to give Spike a warning glance. While he didn't seem to be in a forgiving mood, his growling quieted.
At that point, one of the other troops informed Adam that they were 'all prepped', and the whole unit pulled back. An explosive device attached to the large sealed door in front of them went off after Anthony had guided Samus back out of range. However, the door did not open.
"No dice," one of the other troops grumbled. "I think our only option is to slowly cut our way through with the laser."
"The electrical system's out," Anthony explained to Samus, "so we can't get the door open. And explosions are tricky without causing collateral damage. What we need is some way to focus the power on a centralized location." He shot Samus a wink.
Samus rolled her eyes, knowing that was an obvious hint to use her missiles. However, before she could, there was a loud crunch that made everyone spin.
Spike had just put his clenched fist through the metal of the door, right where the explosion had been. Pulling his fist back, he gripped the edges of the hole he'd just made with both foreclaws and pulled. With a screech of twisting metal, a reasonable sized passageway had been forced open. "You coming Mom?" he asked bluntly.
Anthony whistled in appreciation. "Well look who's got the big guns now!" he teased, making Spike chuckle and flex playfully.
Adam glanced briefly from Samus to Spike, then stepped forward. "The Federation is handling this objective," he stated bluntly. "We don't need any interference from outsiders."
Spike snorted derisively. "Well, I came here in response to a distress beacon, so I'm going to look for whoever sent it to offer rescue."
"Interfere with our objective, and we will treat you as hostile," Adam continued firmly.
Spike gave a cursory look at the unit's armaments as the other soldiers tensed before snorting defiantly and getting into a combat stance. "And if your entire arsenal could even so much as scuff my scales, I might be the slightest bit intimidated!" he barked back.
Samus quickly stepped forward before it could devolve further. "Spike, enough!" she snapped. "Stand down!" Much to her surprise, Spike immediately obeyed. Turning to Adam, she gathered her thoughts, trying to figure out how to smooth this over. "Commander Malkovich, I recognize this is not a mission posted for any Hunters. However, I find myself concerned for any civilians on board. My abilities and arsenal are available at no charge, should you choose to avail yourself of them."
Adam stared at her for a time, then nodded. "You remember the regs?" he said coldly.
"Yes sir," Samus confirmed, using mental commands to disengage some of the more advanced tech in her power suit, reverting back to the basic set up, though leaving the rest to be activated at need.
"Then stick to the objectives, and keep him under control," Adam directed firmly.
"Yes sir!" Samus confirmed.
She wasn't sure if she imagined the approving smirk under his faceplate as he turned away, but it quieted her roiling emotions either way.
Samus paused, noticing a lot of hostile glances being directed Adam's way from the pony members of her audience. The only one not looking at him with some degree of hostility was Twilight, and she was looking at Spike in concern. "Why'd you react with so much hostility, Spike?" she asked worriedly.
"I...honestly don't know, Mom," he replied softly. "It's just...the moment I laid eyes on him...I felt insecure and angry. I felt like I had to assert myself, to let him know I wasn't afraid of him or his dinky little guns. And yeah, that actual thought crossed my mind. It didn't fade until Mom told me to stand down." He glanced towards Samus, his eyes confused.
"Instincts," Adam replied reasonably. "Samus is Spike's Alpha, so when my presence caused her emotional state to become confused, Spike's instincts decided I was a threat, and compelled him to clash with me. It's why I pushed the conflict. It both forced Samus to realize how much her emotional stability affected Spike's self control, and compelled her to bring her own emotions under control, which was to the benefit of the mission. She'd hardly function at her best as an emotional wreck."
Celestia pursed her lips in a somewhat disapproving frown. "I'm not sure that was the best way to handle it..." she murmured.
"It worked," Adam replied firmly. "If Spike had been human, I'd have handled it differently. But even with how well he thinks and how well developed his emotions are, he's an animal." Noticing several unpleasant reactions to that statement, he continued, "I mean that as a compliment, of course."
"Pray tell, elaborate," Luna requested curiously.
"Humanity left behind being 'animals' ages ago," Adam explained. "We traded it away, along with our older instincts, in exchange for our reliance on technology, civilization, and other such things. While many feel this is proof of human superiority...I feel it has left us a weaker species overall."
"From what Samus talked about with the Chozo, I'd say they agreed with you," Anthony offered. "Weren't their biggest teachings about balancing nature with the development of technology?"
"That's right," Samus confirmed. "With that attitude, you'd have probably fit right in with them, Adam."
"An odd view to take for someone of your rank, however," Ghor offered.
"The only logical view, in my opinion," Adam countered. "I've lost count of the number of stories I've come across where someone was saved from becoming an unwitting victim of a psychotic or a sociopath because their pet dog sensed something fundamentally wrong with the individual in question that their owner could not, responding to it with uncharacteristic hostility."
"Don't mention that sort of thing, please," Spike pleaded, rolling his eyes.
"Remembering Sir ni Vore?" Adam asked, his voice as calm as ever.
"Eh?" Pinkie asked, confused.
"A rather eccentric billionaire who believed that the truest expression of humanity was the hunt," Ghor explained. "He challenged anyone to best him in the true hunt. It was speculated he also imported rare and exotic - especially endangered - species specifically to dine on them. An absolute scoundrel...but unfortunately, he was careful to make sure he never did anything actually illegal."
"And then when Spike was 13, he arranged to redirect him to one of his 'hunting grounds', with every intent of making him his latest delicacy," Adam explained. "And he was never heard from again."
"What happened to him, anyway?" Anthony asked curiously.
"He didn't taste very good," Spike replied.
Samus stared at Spike, stunned, and she wasn't the only one. "You didn't..." she began
Spike shrugged. "Meat is meat. Once it's dead, what does it matter what it was while alive?"
Luna tilted her head, curious. "Then...you would not find it objectionable to dine on, say, anypony here after they died?"
"Actually, I think I'd want to," Spike explained simply. "I mean, now that I know doing so kept Squishy alive inside me...I wouldn't want to lose anyone I care about for eternity. Eating them after they die...it's just making them a part of me forever." He chuckled. "Not that I'd ever dream of doing anything to hasten that day. I enjoy spending time with everyone too much."
As everyone relaxed, Adam smirked. "How very Martian of you," he said idly. Glancing around at the relaxed faces of the ponies, he shook his head in amazement. "All of you."
"So you really wanna eat me someday, huh Spike?" Rainbow teased.
"Well...a creature's diet effects the flavor of the meat...so maybe if you drank a little less cider and ate your veggies," Spike countered teasingly, startling laughter from several listeners.
"How come I'm the only one even close to wigging out over Spike talking about eating his friends?" Anthony asked Adam.
"Because everyone else here is far more civilized than we are," Adam replied easily. "They know Spike's in no rush to, as Heinlein said, grok them in fullness before they've reached their fullness."
"Huh," Anthony replied thoughtfully.
"Well," Scootaloo spoke up expansively, "I don't know about the rest of you, but if I'm gonna achieve 'fullness', I need some more nachos!"
As those gathered laughed or groaned as was their wont, Spike headed to the kitchen with a chuckle to make more snacks.
Gotta love spike, amirite?
Nice save there, Adam. And it's a good point, that dogs or other animals can sometimes sense something amiss when we humans would not.
Ehh, this was the best I could find.
An... Interesting philosophy regarding the death of Friends...
Me personally? I want to be burned on a Pyre. That way in the event that if either Magic returns to the world I won't be brought back by some crazed Necromancer, or if the Zombie Apocalypse happens I'll simply stay dead. Weather or not my friends and Family toast marshmallows on the flames is their prerogative...
Say Tats: did you ever go to Bob & George? The Metroid comic that was briefly in the fancomic section before the Author seemed to have quit her game, shortly before the main comic ended?
Well I am creeped out. They would be fine if Spike ate them after they had lived full lives, strikes me as a little creepy. Still good chapter and looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Not to come across as rude, but I think it's supposed to be plane, not plain.
I wanted to make a proper comment on the whole eating thing. . . . but I got nothing other than I don't really see how it creeps people out. Oh well, another very enjoyable chapter
Tats, what the f***. Like seriously. I understand the sentiments, but what the ever-loving f***. Something tells me that the CMC should be at least a little freaked out by that.
Rainbow Dash! such a deviant thought!
Sez you! I bet you thought you had a better chance at being eaten
so saucy
wow you guys are tasty see you in the morning!
nothing like seconds
well of course he doesn't want to eat them now, lots of food taste the best when they have been aged to perfection
HA!
Hey, a "Stranger in a Strange Land" reference!
... And looking back at the chapter title, I should've expected it. God I'm dumb.
6937525 sadly, what u want and what actually happens may not be the same things...mostly since after u die, technically, u r not property and thus u have no control over what happens to ur worldly remains.
6937601 People generally leave instructions on what to do with their bodies after death in their wills, so long as they have the resources for this and the family/friends in charge of any and all funeral preps are aware of this, and so long as their are no ethical issues (burying your favorite butler [whilst still healthy] like the pharaohs of Egypt for example would be a no no) it would be the persons call.
Spike, that's a bit creepy. That said, given what you know... and how you've acted until now regarding eating things... I guess it makes sense.
Still, bit creepy there, mate. Touching, just... yeah, let's just move on for now.
6937633 not quite, there r a lot of folks who had some neat ideas for their bodies after they died, and the families readily agreed. The law and the powers that be? Not so much...
6937528 Bob and George was a Mega Man comic, though
6937528
Yes, I liked Metroid: Third Derivative.
6937529
6937582
It's a direct reference to Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein. The Martians practiced that 'ritual cannibalism' by dining on the body of the recently departed while the spirit - in the next stage of the Martian life cycle as an Old One - socialized with them. Thus why Adam said "How very Martian of you" about the ponies being so blase about it.
And why wouldn't they be? They live in a world where they're one of the dominant species despite a good portion of the wildlife seeing them as a food source. And they've gotten used to the idea of him eating things...and they already heard about Squishy.
Another enjoyable chapter. Sounds like Spike is trying to become his own universe. Good job.
6937528 Third Derivative? I bet our friends Tatsurou and/or Flammenwerfer here could manage to at least finish that story in text form quite well if they put their minds to it.
PLEASE TATSUROU, FLAMMENWERFER! YOU ARE OUR ONLY HOPE!!!
6937966
Unfortunately, I can no longer access the archinve.
No kidding.
Ready for action, but not tense.
Uh guys, these are the ones that obliterated Ridley and Mother Brain, along with the Queen Metroid and the Emperor Ing, you really want to fight them?
Ah yes, Tony, the one GOOD part about other M other than the graphics.
She's not.
Neat.
Princess Samus Aran, that sounds very nice.
Well Tony obviously lives, but the others, never played Other M.
I, won't ask then.
I think you mean bristling. Also, yeah, business before anything.
Ouch.
I see.
Like a Missile or Spike's fire breath?
Or you could just punch through the door, that works too.
WEHEY! Shots fired!
Already this is a better way of explaining why Samus is limiting herself than Other M.
Not impossible.
Right, I think it's an Alpha thing.
Called it. Also, while blunt, I like Adam, he makes a good point.
It worked, didn't it?
Elaborate.
I see.
That was their shtick, yes.
Now that's amusing.
You make sense.
Who names their kid Vore?
Already hate his guts.
He tried to hunt a DRAGON that has been trained by Samus Aran herself, I, wow. That is, just, wow. Stupidity at its finest.
... No comment.
Yeah, this is as disturbing as it is heartwarming, you have one heck of a talent, ya know that?
Don't follow.
OK, what's that a reference to?
*sigh* Really? Really?
6937969
Stranger in a Strange Land. Classic science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card about a human raised by Martians returning to a somewhat futuristic Earth.
6937978
Never heard of it.
6937983
...I feel old...
6937994
There, there. I have a lot of old jokes if it makes you feel better.
6937848 No no: the Metroid: Third Derivative fancomic that got featured on the site. At any rate, yeah, Tats already said he (she? The Authoress, Reynard, was a girl, after all) knew it, too. I'd link you to the archive, but seems it can't be reached right now... aha! Just the Fancomics listing page is down, the archive itself is still up! Here: http://bobandgeorge.com/comics/metroid
6937967 Just the fancomic listing page, including the convenient zip file, but here ya go, seems to work: http://bobandgeorge.com/comics/metroid
6938020
Thanks. Found that after I commented I couldn't access it.
At any rate; I therefore request a Joey Tribbiani and Johnny Depp cameo.
6937967 I believe I actually have that comic downloaded on my HDD. I could quite easily compress them in a .zip file and upload them to Mediafire or something for you if it would help.
6938033
It's been found online.
6937978 Last I checked, the story of Michael Valentine Smith was written by Robert Anson Heinlein, not Orson Scott Card.
6938092
Oops. Been a while since I read it.
With all the weird stuff the CMC are hearing, they're not surprised at Spike's thoughts on eating friends and family when they're dead.
The eating of recently dead friends and family doesn't bother me as much as the idea that he would eat them without properly cooking them for flavor and texture, like every thing else he has eaten. Making the last memory he has of them a good one.
6938033
6937966
Just got through rereading the M''' Archives.
...that last comic looks like something that could actually happen in Equis II.
as cold and reckless -reckless as in Spike might have retaliated at any time- as that was, it makes a lot of sense, actually, when put that way.
Right with you there, Celestia.
6937557 No he means last on this plain of existence sense the Chorco become spirits or whatever. Also they had more than one planet.
Personally this reminds me of in Cirque Du Freak where the vampires where willing to drink the blood of dieing friends to that they could keep their friends memory and minds alive in a way or like in IZombie.
Talk about a pileup of princesses.
Now that's a story prompt all by itself, the mane six, friends, and allies alive in Spike for the duration of his lifespan.
Right, because that's exactly what Dashie was asking when she asked if Spike would eat him.
6938693 No, he definitely meant Plane.
Google search| define Plane: https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome-psyapi2&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&q=define%20plane&oq=define%20plane&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.3596j0j7
Google search| define plain: https://www.google.com/search?num=100&espv=2&q=define+plain&spell=1&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiD2uPeyvrKAhWC8CYKHetABXcQBQgaKAA&biw=1396&bih=773
The specific definition used here is the 2nd Noun definition of Plane.
6939515 That's what I said a plane of existence, I just spelled it wrong.
Well, as strange as the whole thing about eating his friends and families was, I can recognize that the entire notion was primarily meant to be silly and heartwarming, since we know that Spike cares way too much about them for it to have any negative meaning at all. And while I forgot when and how I heard this before (had to Googled it recently to be sure), I had heard that there was people who has a culture of eating their decease out of respect and love. As for my view on the idea, it is a bit disturbing, but I can respect it...as long as it is done morally...
As for the arc’s beginning, it seems like you’re doing great so far with the plot. Keep up the great job.
C&Cs will be PM.
Hmmm, nice change already. I like Spike just tearing down doors, but next time let's see it from an enemy's perspective and Spike make a Knock Knock joke out of it.
NOW THAT'S IRONY!!!!!!
I like Spike's change in personality or rather revelation of a much different and somewhat more viscious mind set. It would be rather fun to perform a psychoanalysis on him and see what happens.
6937597 Two bits says Sir ni Vore's first name was 'Carl'
Is it wrong that the last part of this chapter made me VEEEEEERRY hungry.
I have to say that I genuinely have never really comprehended the taboo of cannibalism from a 'moral' standpoint. From a medical standpoint, yes, as there are several pathogens that can only be passed that way like laughing sickness (alongside the more common things like hepatitis). But proper meat preparation generally neutralizes those, just as proper cooking neutralizes salmonella in chicken.
But once the body is dead, it is just meat. Why not show respect for the memory of your loved one by recycling their physical form. Makes more sense to me than pumping more preservatives into it than a twinkee, the burying it in a sealed box that prevents even the grass for benefiting.
Honestly, the biggest turn off to me is that (according to a survey of Papa New Guinea tribes, done decades ago) humans taste most like Spam. Very fatty and salty. But morally . . . I just don't get it.