• Published 2nd Nov 2012
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Metroid: A Hunter in Equestria - Cusi



Samus crashes in Equestria.How will the legendary bounty hunter fare in the peaceful land of ponies?

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More Days in Ponyville

Disclaimer: Samus and Metroid elements belong to Nintendo. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro/the Hub. I own nothing but the plot.
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Chapter 17: More Days in Ponyville

Samus Aran’s Log, entry 020:
I have been possessed by Discord, the Spirit of Chaos. I was weak, and he took advantage of that. He made me do things that almost destroyed the trust these ponies have for me. How could I fall for such stupid tricks? How could I be moved by such foolish reasoning?

But it’s all over now. The ponies managed to stop me with the Elements of Harmony before I did something truly bad. The Elements are truly powerful, but seem to be very situational. Still, I appreciate the current outcome. I was trialed for my actions, but the verdict was a benevolent one. I still have to work to recover the shaken trust, but things look promising.

Another thing that may require more investigation is the Harmony Beam. It has proven to be useless so far, but I’m convinced there’s a way to properly wield it. But it’s nothing pressing; I have decided to enjoy my stay in this planet for the time being. There’s already a couple of projects in mind.

OXOXO

Samus was a little unnerved at Ponyville. She wasn’t afraid of retaliation, no. In fact, she had given her public apology to the Royal Guard and the princesses, as well as personally apologized to Luna, for her recent troublemaking. And other than them and the ponies present at the trial, her actions had passed under the radar for the rest of Equestria. A couple of days had passed since the trial and now Samus and the other ponies were back at Ponyville as if nothing happened. Her ship was back in the same place it used to be, ponies greeted her when they saw her, and not a single hostility went her way. It was precisely that lack of retaliation that somewhat unnerved her.

After the situation was explained, none of the hurt ponies held any hard feeling toward her. Scootaloo was doing a lot better and so was out of the hospital. She and the other crusaders were apparently fast healers. Some nurse commented she wasn’t surprised, given of the amount of visits those foals had to the hospital; they were quite a handful sometimes.

Big Mac, on the other hand, was recovering slower than the filly. He was doing well, but he wasn’t going to be able to do much in the farm for at least the rest of the week. When Applejack explained the situation, his only demand for forgiveness was that Samus do his work while he was out of commission. She agreed without hesitation.

And so here she was, doing some farm work around Sweet Apple Acres. Big Mac had a passive smile on his face as he saw her work. Applejack was busy elsewhere, and so the stallion was there to supervise her and make sure she did a good job. He was patient with the human, which made her feel a little guiltier when she remembered just why he wasn’t doing the job himself.

Samus raised her leg, took a deep breath, and swiftly spun to deliver a stamp kick to the apple tree before her. After quite a few tries throughout the last hour, Samus had gotten the hang of it. The tree shook with the impact of the kick and the few apples that remained fell to the baskets below. She noted, interestingly, that kicking trees was a tad more complex than it looked, if one was to harvest the fruits. It was also more fun than climbing the tree and picking the fruit one by one, not to mention faster.

“Nice kick,” said the red stallion in a complimenting voice.

“Thanks.” Oh yeah, that was a nice kick. Samus felt especially proud of that kick.

“Let’s take ‘em,” Big Mac motioned to the baskets. He picked up one and left the other two to Samus. They were a little big to comfortably carry with one arm, but not heavy to prove a problem. After a little shuffling, Samus got both baskets and followed the stallion.

“Aren’t we taking them to the barn?” Samus asked when she noticed her coworker was heading for the house and not the old barn.

“Eenope. These are for selling. Plus, we’re gonna rebuild that barn,” he said as he motioned to the building in question.

“All right.”

The both of them delivered the apples to the house, where Granny Smith had already made lunch. Applejack was also there taking a break from her chores. Apple Bloom was still in school, so she was not present. The elderly mare asked Samus if she was going to join them for lunch. When Samus looked at the food, she couldn’t help but accept the offer. She also salivated when the smell reached her nose.

OXOXO

“Ready?” asked the armored form of Samus as she aimed her Arm Cannon.

“Ready, sugarcube,” Applejack answered from behind a fallen trunk serving as cover. Beside her, Big Mac and Granny Smith watched with goggles over their eyes. “Fire!”

A Super Missile was shot from the cannon. It’s destination? An old barn standing in the fields of Sweet Apple Acres. The missile went inside the barn, and not a moment later, it impacted. The barn exploded in a beautiful display of fire and destruction, with metal pieces and splinters flying in every direction. The Apples energetically cheered at the show.

“Now that’s what Ah call demolition!” Applejack said as she removed a splinter that had landed on her hat. “We can get started on building the new barn. You take it easy, Big Mac. We can handle it.”

“The doctor said Ah could work now,” the stallion said.

“Ah can picture it already!” Applejack promptly ignored her brother. “It’s gonna look great!”

Samus watched the family cheer when she felt something dreadful. A sinking feeling in her guts told her she should flee this land in the very near future. It went away as soon as it came, though, so she didn’t put much thought into it. After saying her goodbyes and borrowing a small wagon, Samus opted to visit the junkyard again. She had a project she wanted to start.

And so a while later Samus was walking through piles of discarded pieces and scrap metal. Not long after she arrived, she spotted Time Turner inspecting a bunch of small gears he found and decided to greet him. The stallion in question looked up and beamed brightly at his new company.

“Samus! What a surprise! What brings you?”

“Decided to start a little something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. Figured I might find some pieces here.”

“Ooh! A construction project, huh? May I inquire as to what?” Time Turner asked excitedly.

Samus couldn’t help but let out a rather proud chuckle. “I’m going to build a robot.”

Time Turner raised his eyebrow skeptically. “A robot?”

“A robot.”

“You’re not mocking me, are you? Because that whole ‘Doctor Whooves’ thing is really annoying. Those time-travelling things are for comic book heroes, not your average clock builder and Mayor’s assistant. It’s bad enough that-“

“I’m not mocking you. I really am building a robot. What are you going on about?” Samus asked with confusion on her face.

“Oh. Oh! OH! You can build real robots?!” Time Turner’s excitement returned tenfold. “Are you really going to build one? May I see it when it’s ready?”

Samus amusedly watched the stallion go from a grumpy old horse to acting like an overly excited child. “Of course. You’ll be the first one to see it working, once it’s ready. Now, what was that about ‘Doctor something’ and time travel?”

“Just a prank that got a little too far. Some foals, and even a few adults, somehow got it into their heads that I’m an alien that can travel through time and go on ‘timey wimey’ adventures in a blue box. It was fun at first, but it quickly got old.”

“Hehehe. That sounds like one of those Timelord things. Urban legends, if you ask me. Then again…” Samus threw a suspicious glance at Time Turner.

The stallion gave a step back, but his face quickly turned to annoyance. “Oh, come on! You too?”

Samus giggled at the stallion. “I can see why it’s fun.”

“Oh, ha ha. Very funny.”

“It is. Anyways, I’m gonna look around for pieces now. Nice talking to you.” Samus waved her hand as she got up and left.

“Likewise.” Time Turner nodded and headed his way.

The huntress walked to and fro, looking for anything that might be useful. Any piece of metal that caught her attention was deposited in the wagon she borrowed. In just a couple of hours she managed to get enough scrap to start assembling her Tinbot. Most pieces would need to be worked on beforehand, though. Still, Samus knew her way in metalwork. It was nothing she couldn’t handle.

On her way back to her ship, Samus encountered Pinkie Pie. “Hey, Sammy! Are you doing anything fun?” The pink pony seemed even more hyperactive than usual.

“No. I’m on my wa-“

“Because if you are doing something fun, you should, like, totally invite me. Then we could have fun together! I love fun, and I love it even more when there’s more ponies involved! So! What are you doing? What are you carrying all that junk for? Why did yo-“

“Shut it!” Samus shoved her palm on the pony’s mouth to silence her, but quickly calmed herself. “I’m going to, uh, observe rocks. And junk.”

Pinkie Pie stood still for a short moment. She then exploded in her usual enthusiasm. “That’s great! That’s what my sister likes to do! Hmm... I should go visit soon. Or! Or she could come visit! That has to be the bes-“

Samus left the rambling pony by herself while she resumed her trek toward her ship. It was during that trek that she found out why she had the sinking feeling earlier. Obscured from sight thanks to a conveniently placed bush, Samus watched with barely contained dread as a group of four Pinkie Pies bounced on their way to town.

Samus kept her cool. She simply resumed her walk to her ship. Once there, she simply shut the hatch shut, started her ship, and flew up to the sky. Samus left a sigh of relief she her ship left the planet’s atmosphere. A screen on her control panel lit up, showing Samus the events happening on the surface. She decided Ponyville, or the rest of the planet, would be fine without her for the rest of the day. Samus reclined on her chair to let the pink apocalypse below happen without her while she watched from the safety of orbit.

“Oh, HI! It’s the first time I’ve been to space! This is super fun! Are you going to observe space rocks? Ooo! A screen screening scree...” A pink pony had materialized just beside Samus. The Hunter simply sighed in annoyance.

OXOXO

The gunship’s hatch opened, and from it a pink pony was forcefully ejected to the emptiness of space.

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeee…” Pinkie Pie cheered as she shrunk in the distance. Samus watched with morbid indifference from inside her ship.

“Perhaps that was a bit harsh.” Adam suggested.

“For you perhaps. How convenient you happen to deactivate for the whole four hours we were trapped with her. That’s more than enough to break any sane person. Besides,” Samus said “it was just a clone. They found the real one and got rid of the doppelgangers.” Samus motioned toward the screen in her panel.

“Perhaps it’s time to land?”

“Yeah. I still need to work on the scrap I found.”

The gunship descended back to its landing stop just outside Ponyville. There were still a couple of hours of daylight, and Samus went to town to purchase any tool she was missing to work on her Tinbot.

But not before grabbing a bite at the café.

After enjoying another sandwich and a batch of fried potato sticks (which had gained popularity at the café), Samus continued her endeavor. Despite the early chaos induced by the pink pony clones, the town seemed at peace now. A quick search led her to a small hardware store. She found, as expected, that the tools weren’t exactly technologically advanced. Still, the simple hardware she acquired was more than capable of helping her with the project. She already had sophisticated tools for the sophisticated parts of the project, after all.

The sun was setting as Samus left the store. When she reached her ship, she decided the project would be started the next morning, with natural light helping her see. Still, it was a little too early to call it a day. Leaving the stuff in her home/transport, she went for a walk to the outskirts of town.

Her nightly stroll was calm and pleasant, unlike the middle of the day. Samus sighed contently at the night’s peace; no hyperactive pink ponies around to ruin it. Her walk eventually led her to a hill, where her eyes fell on the same pink pony she was glad wasn’t around.

But said pony wasn’t hyperactively partying. In fact, she looked very calm. Pinkie Pie was sitting at the top of the hill, overseeing Ponville from her vantage point. She was just sitting there, doing nothing. The sight was unnatural, and so it piqued the huntress’s curiosity. “Pinkie Pie? What are you doing here?”

“Hello,” Pinkie serenely greeted without turning to see who had joined her. “Just enjoying some peace and quiet. Care to join me?”

The human obliged, much to her own bewilderment. Samus noticed the placid, almost melancholic, smile on Pinkie’s face as she looked over the town she considered her home.

“Something troubling you?” Samus asked a bit hesitantly. Pinkie sighed in response and looked at her cutie mark.

“Not really. It’s just that I’m glad I’m the only me. With all those clones running around, I lost sense of who I was. How can I be special if there’s literal clones of me in every corner of Ponyville?” Samus raised her eyebrow at the question. Pinkie Pie giggled a little. “I guess you could say I’m having a bit of an existential crisis. And I can’t solve it with a party!” She giggled again.

Samus didn’t find it funny. She’s had her own share of those, and it was never funny. Nor was it for Pinkie, apparently, if the tear she wiped from her face was any indication. But to each their own, Samus supposed; however Pinkie dealt with those was her own issue. She just sat beside the pony in silence and hugged her own legs as she watched the quaint little town below.

“Please forgive me. I promise I’ll be my usual self by tomorrow. It’s just that it was a very hard day for me.” Pinkie Pie apologized. “Even I need my down time, you know?”
“Yes, I understand that perfectly.” Samus gave a little smile “Besides, I rather like the calm Pinkie.”

Pinkie Pie giggled a little again. “Maybe the calm Pinkie should come out a bit more often?”

“Maybe she should.”

Both girls giggled again, and then stayed silent with small smile on both their faces. They stood like that in peaceful silence for some time, just enjoying the quiet night.

OXOXO

The next days were spent mostly fining some metal pieces and helping some ponies with several jobs, as Mayor Mare made sure to take advantage of Samus’s community service sentence. It helped pass the time when she got tired of working on her project, if anything. She had something on her mind she wanted to discuss with the mayor, but some details still needed a bit of polishing.

On another trip to the junkyard, the Hunter was somewhat surprised to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders looking around for materials. After greetings, apologies, and some questions, Samus learned there was going to be some sort of harvest festival in a few days and the fillies were going to attend with a float of their own.

Still feeling somewhat guilty for possibly causing them psychological trauma, Samus offered her help should the trio need it. The three fillies thanked the huntress, but said they wanted to do it on their own. And so each girl set on their own little path to continue their search. Samus offered if the girl would like to go build their float over by her ship and spend some time knowing each other a little better; she had a feeling it would be better to keep an eye on the troublemaking fillies than let them on their own with access to tools. She was once again a little unnerved at the eagerness and total lack of fear from the fillies.

OXOXO

Samus looked unbelievingly at her hand. More specifically, she looked at the viscous fluid that stained her hand.

It was tree sap.

How, she asked, did her hand get covered by tree sap? She remembered inviting the Cutie Mark Crusaders to begin building their float by her ship. Construction was good at first, with a couple of mistakes here and there, but nothing that couldn’t be corrected. Samus was fidgeting with the metal canister she found, which would be later modified to become her robot’s head.

She also remembered she specifically landed her ship in this clearing with no trees in the near distance, and that that fillies were not working with any viscous fluids of any kind. So how was it that when she was distracted with her metal pieces and the fillies messed up, they ended up covered in tree sap surrounded by their float’s destroyed frame?

Even the fillies looked baffled at the tree sap.

Samus eventually sighed. “Are you sure you don’t want any help?”

“Um... if it’s not too much trouble, please,” the crusaders answered a little embarrassed.

OXOXO

Samus and the fillies gave a couple of steps backs to admire their work. The wooden frame of what would eventually become a giant pumpkin float stood before them, proud and tall.

“It looks great!” yelled Scootaloo. While her friends agreed, Samus couldn’t help but think it could’ve been better. Then again, carpentry wasn’t her forté and she was helping little fillies; it was a good job all things considered. Besides, she just wanted to avoid any more disasters, so she didn’t really do much other than provide the muscle required.

“Thanks a lot for the help, Samus!” Apple Bloom hugged Samus’s leg in appreciation, her friends mimicking her soon after. “We’ll take it from here. We can finish it in the barn.”

“I’ll help you move it, then.” Samus offered.

OXOXO

A few days later, coming back from the library, Samus walked toward her ship with a couple of metal rods on one arm and a book on the other. She then noticed three miserable-looking fillies on their way to town.

“Is something the matter?” Samus asked.

“My cousin Babs is visiting.” Apple Bloom answered.

“And...?”

“We thought she was going to be nice, but she’s nothing but a bully!” The girls proceeded to tell all about the things Babs had done to them. Samus listened with attention.

“Yeah! Anyways, we gotta go now. Rarity is waiting for us.” Sweetie Belle said.

“Bullies are always a handful. I really hated those guys when I was in the academy.” Samus told the fillies as she remembered her academy days.

“You were bullied? You? Samus? Space bounty hunter?” Scootaloo was almost speechless.

“Well, it was for a short time, but I guess you could say I was.”

“Tell what happened!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

“Back when I got into the academy, a lot of people looked down on me because I was the only girl. While only a few caused problems, it was obvious the macho guys didn’t like me. At first, it was just annoying. But then this asshole thought it would be funny to start playing pranks. I ignored most them at first, but when they started interfering with my duties, I politely asked him to stop. Being the moron he was, he paid no mind and continued. Again, I told him to stop or he would get hurt. He didn’t stop...”

“So what did you do?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I broke both his leg and both his arms. It got me in a lot of trouble with the higher-ups, but no one ever bothered me again.” Samus said with a nostalgic smile.

“O-oh...”

“Anyways, I got some things to do and you were on your way to Rarity’s. Don’t want to keep you. See ya.” Samus continued on her way and the fillies on theirs.

The next couple of hours were spent working on another metal piece and writing a document with help from the book Samus borrowed from Twilight earlier. Said document was going to be presented to Miss Mayor Mare in the near future. After making the first draft, Samus opted for some lunch. And what better place than her now-favorite café?

So after another great meal, Samus was simply enjoying a nice cup of tea on the outside of the café. As she took a sip, she saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders for the second time that day. Deciding to check on them, she finished the last of her tea, left some coins on the table, and headed to talk to the girls.

“What’s up, girls? Looks like you aren’t feeling down anymore.” Samus observed. Indeed, the fillies had an outright naughty look on their faces.

“Oh, we just decided that we’re going to get back at Babs for bullying us.”

“Now now, girls. You want to get revenge? A responsible adult would tell you revenge is bad and you should all get along.” Samus started. She took a look at her surroundings before facing the girls again. “But I don’t recall someone ever calling me a responsible adult. I’m all up for revenge. What’s your plan?”

Samus kneeled as the girls whispered their idea on her ear and nodded several times.

“Ooh, I like it,” the huntress said with a devious smile of her own. “I have some ideas you may like. Need any help?”

OXOXO

“...and a bag of fried potato sticks to go, please.” Samus ordered some snacks from the usual place, ready to enjoy the harvest festival that was taking place in town. She paid the clerk with some bits and started making her way. Seeing as the ground was too crowded, she climbed a house and took a seat on the roof. She ate one of her fries while she briefly wondered if giving blueprints for a booby trap to three small fillies was a good idea.

Who was she kidding? Of course it was! She had been looking forward to see how it was going to end all day! She made sure it was nothing too dangerous, anyway; it was all going to be fine. And in the unlikely-but-possible case something did go wrong, she would be ready to jump into action and intervene.

Oh, there’s the golden apple! Samus watched her three accomplices getting shoved by an earth-colored filly with red mane, who she assumed was Babs Seed. Babs got into the float and left the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Looks like things were going according to plan.

“Wait, what?” Samus said to herself as Applejack arrived at the scene. The huntress watched as the farmer said something she could hear because of the distance. Whatever she said, it must’ve been bad, because the triumphant looks of the fillies turned into surprise, then into regret. As Applejack left, the Cutie Mark Crusaders talked in group before rushing over to catch the golden apple float. Things turned interesting, it seemed.

Samus grabbed her bag of fries and began jumping from roof to roof to keep the golden float on sight. She saw the fillies enter a giant lettuce to give chase, but Babs was a lot rougher than she thought, given that the apple float bumped into the lettuce float, making it go out of control and crash. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were not down, however, and continued their chase. They reached their target and shoved Babs out of harm’s way. In doing so, the three blank flanks got into the receiving end of their own trap.

Samus stopped at the last roof of the hill and watched everything happen. So they decided to save Babs instead of enacting their revenge, huh? Samus felt a little disappointed that their plan failed, but there must’ve been a reason for that and she was going to find out what it was. Still, a show was a show and she felt a little proud of seeing her design work.

The four fillies and Applejack left the scene almost as soon as the crowd arrived to see what happened. Samus saw them go to the farm. She sat down to finish her fries, and made her way to the farm when she was done. By the time she arrived, she saw the muddied fillies taking a bath. A confused-looking Babs Seed approached the fillies, so Samus hid behind a tree to see the events unfold. From her hiding place, she could hear all the explanations and apologies of the ponies.

So that’s what happened. Samus saw the fillies go to their clubhouse while Applejack stayed behind to put away the bathing supplies. Deciding to make herself known, Samus went out of hiding to talk to the farm mare.

“Oh, heya Samus! What brings you here?” Applejack greeted.

“Just checking up on the little ones. So everything turned out to fine in the end?”

“Sure did! They made up and things looks like they’ll be good between them. Heh, kids will be kids, but they still have their own problems. Know what I mean?”

“I guess...” Samus looked a little pensive at the statement.

“There’s still something that bothers me a little...”

“Oh? And what would that be?”

“Apple Bloom has gotten really good at building stuff, but how did they manage to engineer such a trap?"

“Ah, that would be my fault. I gave them the blueprints to make the booby trap. The whole revenge thing may have also been my fault.”

“You WHAT? Why would you do that?!” Applejack almost strangulated Samus. “What in the world would possess you to do something like that?”

There was a long, awkward pause. Samus coughed.

“That was a bad choice of words...” Applejack conceded. “But still, they’re still kids.”

“Things worked out in the end, right? Besides, young or not, they need to stand up for themselves. Most bullies will stop bullying with a good punch to the face.”

Applejack hit her own face with her hoof.

OXOXO

Well, yesterday was a fun day. That scold Applejack gave her was...uncomfortably enlightening, to put it in a way, but didn’t do much to lower her good mood. Samus got out of her ship with little more insight of pony philosophy. They really did believe in the power of friendship.

Today was a little colder than usual, and so Samus decided to go get some coffee at usual café. Once there, she sat on her usual spot and enjoyed her drink. A little strong, but with milk and lots of sugar. Despite the image her career might project, the legendary intergalactic bounty hunter actually had a very sweet tooth.

With currently nothing to do, and nothing planned for the day, the Hunter decided to visit the spa and enjoy their various services. It was coincidentally the same day Rarity and Fluttershy had their weekly visits, so the two mares were surprised to see Samus already at the counter. Given that she hadn’t really interacted much with either mare after the trial, Samus decided it was as good a time as any to spend some time with them and hopefully find a way to make it up to them for the trouble she caused. And so the three were now sharing the spa’s bathtub.

Needless to say, it was an awkward situation.

“I see your horn is doing good...” Samus said. Rarity did her best to stay calm, while Fluttershy sunk a little deeper in the water and avoided eye contact.

“Yes, it is doing well.”

“Sorry about that.”

“It’s all in the past, darling. I can’t rightly blame you; I know how irritating someone can be when brainwashed by Discord. Firsthoof experience.”

“Yes. It wasn’t very nice” Fluttershy added.

“But it all worked out in the end. I couldn’t really work too well with a fractured horn, so I took the week off and enjoyed a little vacation and refill my creativity. Business was a little slow, anyway,” Rarity said.

“Good to see it work out for you. Still, it’s kinda my fault too, so if there’s anything you need help with...” Samus started, already regretting her next words, “Just tell me and I’ll help however I can. Same goes for you, Fluttershy.”

“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly make you work for me,” the shy pegasus said.

“What about your home?”

“Oh. Well, it wasn’t too damaged. Remember you put out the fire. And my animal friends already helped me clean up.”

“Well, if anything comes up, just let me know.” Fluttershy nodded at the huntress’s offer.

“I think I may take you up on your offer,” Rarity said when a brilliant idea formed in her mind. “Would you mind helping me around the shop? There’s some ideas I’ve been dying to try out on you ever since I first saw you! How does later today sound?

Samus only hesitated for a moment before she gave her agreement. While she wasn’t really looking forward to being Rarity’s fashion test subject, it did wonders in lifting the heavy air around them. The rest of the spa session was spent sharing some stories and talking about some gossips Rarity heard. Fluttershy was mostly quiet, but it wasn’t the awkward quiet. Even Samus found herself having a good time with the gossips, even if she had no idea who some of the ponies in question were.

OXOXO

As evening settled, Samus exited the Carousel Boutique carrying a bag. She had never really been into fashion, but she had to admit trying out different outfits was fun. Sure, she was a ruthless bounty hunter, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy looking at clothes and trying them out. The pretty dress that was inside the bag was proof of that. The huntress took out her dress and gave it a look. It wasn’t too gaudy or frilly, but had enough effort put in it to really show.

The dress also represented the fruits of Rarity’s and Samus’s creativity working together. Rarity had been ecstatic to be the first pony in Equestria to design clothes for an alien, and went all out to obtain all the information regarding human clothes she could from the huntress. Samus, not being someone that cared much for it, couldn’t offer much and mostly described some of the clothes she and her race usually wore. Rarity drew sketches of what her imagination thought they looked like and Samus mostly nodding. Once she had had enough rough ideas, the white mare’s fashion sense kicked in. Sketch after sketch she drew, combining pony fashion trends with the new shapes of clothes. Samus eventually got caught up in the moment and started pitching her own ideas.

It was then that the bounty hunter realized she didn’t really owned a lot of clothes, especially nothing formal. Voicing her thoughts, Rarity wasted no time in suggesting they both designed a dress. Samus was going to refuse the offer, but after the day she had been having, decided she might as well. It was ‘quality girl time’, as Rarity had put it. It certainly was more fun than anticipated.

So here she was, looking a dress she and Rarity made together. Samus let out a small laugh as she put her dress back in the bag and continued her walk to her ship. The dress was a nice reminder that not all her life had to be conflict, and that she could still enjoy all this peace and friendships while she was in this planet.

With nothing else to do, the dress-owning woman entered her ship and prepared to sleep.

OXOXO

The next morning, Samus decided to visit the junkyard again. She almost had all the pieces required for her little project, missing only a couple of parts she could adapt for her Tinbot.

“Hold it right there!” A voice suddenly yelled. Samus stopped her walk and turned to see who the voice belonged to. It was Trixie.

“Hello. What brings you here?” Samus asked.

“I’ve come here looking for you. There’s something I want to try out.”

“Oh?” Samus did a more throughout observation on the mare before her. There’s was something off about her, but aside from the silver and red necklace she was wearing she looked like the same azure mare she met before. “And what would that be?”

Samus barely had time to jump to her side as a red lightning bolt attempted to strike her. As soon as she landed, she had to jump again as more bolts came her way. “I just acquired this little piece of jewelry. Very powerful, it seems,” Trixie said as she stopped her attack to show her newly-acquired Alicorn Amulet. “I figured a test run was in order. And being as powerful as you are, who better to test it with?”

For a few moments, Samus could see Trixie’s eyes turn red in color. Her magic aura was also red, now that she gave a closer look. It was obvious this wasn’t the same Trixie she knew, and Samus wasn’t going to be anyone’s target practice. Without hesitation, she materialized her signature Power Suit.

Trixie grinned evilly at the armored woman and resumed her attacks. Samus evaded the bolts and returned fire, but her shots bounced off the red spherical barrier that now protected the magician. “Nice try, but you’ll have to try harder.”

Not missing a beat, Samus switched from Power Beam to Wave Beam and fired again. As expected, the electrical beam bypassed the shield and hit Trixie on her chest. The Hunter shot a few more times, but Trixie was smart enough to dodge the incoming shots. She was not, however, knowledgeable of the homing properties of the Wave Beam, and so she still got hit. As Trixie struggled to get up, an orange uppercut hit her square in the jaw and sent her flying.

“Wanna keep at it?” Samus asked calmly.

Trixie shot her a death glare. “No. In fact, Trixie thinks she’ll end this now.”

Samus didn’t take her too seriously, but still put her guard up in case the unicorn decided to surprise her. For a few seconds nothing happened, but then the Hunter started levitating. Trixie’s horn was glowing red, and so was Samus’s suit. The human smirked at this, knowing her leeching abilities would start absorbing Trixie’s magic shortly.

Her smirk quickly turned into a pained expression. She was indeed absorbing a little magic and her energy tanks were slowly filling, but the sensation was unlike any other time she drained magic. While other times she just felt a reenergizing sensation, now she felt like the magic would get her sick; it just felt wrong.

Trixie also felt the slow draining process, but ignored it. Instead, she began pulling the Arm Cannon away from the suit, putting more and more energy into it. Samus felt the tugging at her primary weapon, but could do nothing at the magical aura restraining her movements. The unicorn kept putting more effort in her task, keeping the restrain and attempting to rip the cannon off. She put so much magical force behind it that her expression was pained and sweat covered her face.

Samus realized what the mare was trying to do. While she remained calm at first, she began to panic when her visor showed the damage that was being inflicted on her suit’s arm. Before any more damage could be done, she commanded her suit to eject the Arm Cannon, thus saving the piece from any more abuse.

Trixie, seeing the cannon separate from the rest of the suit, laughed at her opponent. “This is incredible! I never would’ve done that on my own, but now that I possess the Alicorn Amulet I’m more powerful than ever!”

Samus only glared at her with gritted teeth. “You’re going to regret this.”

Trixie’s cackling died a little after, but het wicked grin stayed. “And what are you going to do about it?” Before Samus could respond, Trixie’s horn glowed red again. A nasty-looking thundercloud materialized above the bounty hunter. “I’d like to stay and gloat, but there’s a pesky purple librarian I need to humiliate. It was fun, Samus, but now it’s the end for you.”

Samus looked at the cloud as it released a ferocious red thunderbolt at her. Without the full protection of her suit, she received a lot more damage she would’ve taken otherwise. She screamed as her body convulsed in shock for what seemed like an eternity.

At long last, the attack ended and she fell to the ground. She watched Trixie walk away while laughing manically, leaving her behind. Samus could only curse the azure mare as her body gave up on her and she collapsed.

Author's Note:

I don’t know if “Doctor Hooves” is his official name now, but I’ll keep calling him “Time Turner” because I like it more. And I’ve never watched Doctor Who.

As always, if there’s anything you want to say about the story, fell free to let me know in the comments. Thank you for bearing with me, y’all!