9. Secret Dreams
Metroid Equis
Chapter 9
Secret Dreams
[Canterlot]
What started as isolated quarantine became a full-blown epidemic. Manehattan, Baltimare, and many others were slowly falling victim to the virulent plague of Phazon. The case was particularly bad in the city of Sarajneighvo, the capital city of the Equestrian Province of Bosnia and Horsegovina. Once a great cultural hub and vibrant city on par with Manehattan, was in 3/4ths ruins. What started as a simple quarantine of the new Phazon Hospitals became a mandatory evacuation of the city. Loved ones were being torn away from others who were infected. Many already died from Phazon exposure, but others weren't so lucky.
Pegasi had enormous wing growths, deforming their appendages and rendering them useless as they died an agonizingly painful death. Unicorns too often had their horns lined with Phazon until the sheer pain and mutagen overload caused their magic casting to go rogue, or backfire on them with gruesome results. Those who did not become belligerent and attempt to attack others began to slowly destroy themselves. Their bodies attempted to expel the vile substance at all costs, their vomit lined with the material which only served to spread more and more. Reports of Phazon addiction among those who survived with minor to no mutations were on the rise, and those who were deemed 'cleared' to leave quarantine despite unfortunate exposure were ultimately driven to withdrawals.
A large exodus of Pegasi from major cities resulted, all fleeing to the great cloud cities in the sky. Unable to control this, the Princesses ordered strict checkpoints lining the great cities of Cloudsdale, the Cumulus Metropolis (consisting of Cumulonimbus and Fort Stratocumulus, and Altocumulus), as well as the highest city in all of Equestria, Cirrostratus. Nopony was permitted entrance even if there was a slight ambiguity as to a certain pony's Phazon exposure. In the end, the Pegasi believed they were safe in the sky... ultimately Unicorns and Earth Ponies did as well. Many attempted to take advantage of cloud-walking spells in order to gain temporary residence. This quickly caused a lot of infighting and many ponies were arrested for starting large brawls.
All of this was outlined in the report that was personally hoofed to Princess Celestia when she asked for not only a status report of where Equestria stood since the Impact, but some other confidential information as well. Namely, the reports of Phazon-related poisonings and deaths that had allegedly come from Cloudsdale.
It was bright and early in the morning and Celestia was already at work on her throne, although with a more somber expression on her face. The report from the Cloudsdale incidents had been handed to her and she was reading every little detail. According to these investigative reports, somepony was indeed physically spreading Phazon. They were more of isolated incidents and hadn't reached an epidemic status yet, but that was thanks to the ponies seeking medical attention and quarantine at the slightest sign of illness, even if it was something simple as a cold or allergy symptoms. Celestia wouldn't count on things to continue that slowly, and if Cloudsdale was completely overrun by Phazon, one of Equestrias largest weather-manufacturing plants would be in dire straits, possibly spreading contaminated rainwater all over Equestria.
Potential leads pointed to a known Pegasus religious cult that had slipped from view for decades. Many alleged members had proclaimed that this new material... this Phazon, was a tool in advancing the Pony race beyond the others that inhabited the world; a next, artificial step in evolution, rather. These were only questionably credible statements, and whether these leads were correct remained to be seen. Nevertheless, this was all police and units from the Equestrian Intelligence Force could gather.
Celestia called an emergency meeting with military commanders after reading the report. Soon, the four officers, including Shining Armor, were sitting at a table in the throne room.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice, gentlecolts," Celestia humbly greeted.
"Of course, Your Highness. But if we may get down to business..." Shining armor respectfully urged. Celestia nodded.
"Indeed. The only lead we've been able to uncover on such short notice is the possibility of proliferation by a Pegasus religious cult... by the name of Wings of Glory" she began to brief. There were already incredulous looks on the officer's faces.
"With all due respect, Princess, this cult hasn't been involved with any notable crime in the last forty years," Colonel Mystic Shimmer spoke up.
"I'm well aware of that, Colonel, but this is the only lead we have... and as of right now, we can't afford to not take any leads. So, what are our options based on what we have in front of us?" Celestia inquired. The four all glanced at their copies of the investigative report.
"Do we have the Hunter to assist us?" Shining Armor asked.
"Immediately, no. She will be available very soon, however," Celestia replied.
"Well..." one of two officers from the EIF, Field Director Contrail, spoke, "one thing we will definitely need is an indicator of some sorts... an indicator that this proliferation has reached critical level without necessarily more and more ponies becoming afflicted withing Cloudsdale. I recommend we station someone we can trust by the weather factory. It is highly likely that one can do the most damage if Phazon gets into water supplies and spread via clouds all across Equestria. If we can detect odd changes in weather schedules, we can not only prevent disaster, but also 'reverse' the plot, for lack of better words, and take the new lead from there. All the while, we'd be investigating the Cloudsdale 'underground' with undercover agents to start out with," he suggested. The other officers seemed to indulge the option for now. Facing no resistance (on part to the others really having no idea), Celestia felt that this task would be best left in the hands of an Intelligence officer.
"Very well, that sounds sound for now. As for who would watch the factory, I feel the Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash, would be most suited to the job. Her record as a weather-pegasus is sterling and if anypony could tell odd schedules and weather patterns, my confidence lies with her," Celestia suggested, nominated the prismatic-colored mare.
"Very well, your highness. Ensure she will volunteer for the position and once that's settled, we'll take it from here," Contrail affirmed. The other Intelligence officer reinforced that affirmation. Celestia nodded.
"Shining Armor, Shimmer, please provide any resources the Intelligence Force may need from you. I expect full cooperation if the need arises. Gentlecolts," Celestia faced the two Intelligence members, "you have access to whatever you may need. Time is of the essence, and ponies are dying every day at an increasing rate. I needn't repeat what we have at stake here. Let's get it done," Celestia finished and thanked the leaders for their time. She decided to not wake up Luna and instead move to her study to examine more paperwork.
The second Intelligence officer was sure to leave the door opposite of Celestia's path as well as break off from Contrail's destination for a purported meal break. When nopony was in sight, green-aura magic enveloped his form, revealing a jet-black figure with teal blue bug-eyes in his place, holes lining his body randomly. 'He' vanished in a teleportation spell as quickly as his form was revealed.
She just stood there. Stood there as she fired in place at the designated targets. In the end it proved less than fruitful... one of the darker days of her training. It was a miracle that Old Bird and Gray Voice hadn't lost faith in her already.
.
.
"Listen, despite the prosperity of the Milky Way Galactic Federation, violence and calamity continue to run rampant. You know that better than anyone. You can't be second or third place. Do you understand...?! If you are one of us, you are also a 'Protector of the Galaxy.' I wish for you to quickly become a soldier and carry out your 'duty.'" Gray Voice said to her. To Samus, it always seemed like he hated her... using her merely to the Chozo's own means.
That idea came to fruition when she returned to Zebes after it was attacked by Space Pirates, the latter capturing the remaining Chozo elders and finding Gray Voice as the purported military commander of the Pirates, Mother Brain at the center of it all.
.
.
He had betrayed the Chozo... betrayed her family.
-------
The scenery changed abruptly. Samus happened to lay eyes on Ridley for the first time since he wiped out K-2L. As he appeared right next to Gray Voice and Mother Brain, Samus had an enormous mental breakdown. Her PTSD from the incident was taking her in full.
"Hmmm... I've seen her before..." Ridley thought out loud.
"... That might be so. She's the only survivor of K-2L which you attacked. She's been under our care," Gray Voice commented.
"Hmm."
Ridley reached out and grabbed Samus's face, his entire hand covering her head and his claws digging into her.
"Oh... THAT brat, huh!" Ridley remarked, bringing Samus closer to him as she struggled for breath in his grip.
"You know Samus, Ridley!?" Gray asked.
"It was a TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE!" Ridley continued. "Thanks to YOU," Ridley brought Samus's obstructed face (save for her mouth and now nose) to his eyes, "the afloraltite exploded and I was also engulfed in flames! Can you even possibly fathom how I managed to survive?!"
"Ugh... Ah..!!" Samus was in to position to put up any fight. After her panic attack, her Power Suit disengaged itself. Gray Voice and Mother Brain only looked on.
"I shall tell you what I had to feed my injured body," Ridley continued staring at his helpless prey in front of him. "FLESH! I somehow survived by consuming the bodies of your kind, tossed every which way!" His voice lowered in disdain towards the struggling, terrified Human/Chozo hybrid.
"Foul... Foul ....Human ...FLESH!" Ridley then tossed her into the ground. Samus got onto her hands and knees and attempted to catch her breath. All that was still going through her head was watching the Pirates and Ridley rip the others apart... watching her mother get sliced in half. She eventually resolved to bury her face in her hands as the memories long repressed flooded back into her psyche in hordes.
"Hmph. Humans are always weak to the death of their own kind," Ridley continued reproachfully. "You don't know... maybe I even ate your 'Mama' so that my cells could live, hm?" the Black Space Dragon looked back on her before motioning to his draconic body. "Is she HERE?" he pointed to his shoulder. "Or HERE?" he pointed to his side.
"AT LEAST PAY YOUR RESPECTS!" Ridley yelled as he struck Samus hard.
----------
The scenery shifted once more.
Samus found herself in the care of the other Chozo Elders. Comrades that she had ventured to Zebes with had found a way to relieve Samus and the remaining prisoners after Ridley and Gray Voice left to organize their forces against the advancing Federation.
Moment's earlier, she was screaming bloody murder(literally):
"THEY'LL RIP US APART! WE CAN'T FIGHT THEM! EVERYONE'S DEAD! KILL ME NOW!"
"Mama-... Papa! No! I'm scared... N-NO MORE! KILL ME! KILL ME!!"
Her allies had attempted to get her back in her right mind, but to no avail.
Her psyche was still replaying all the horrors of that day on K-2L... so many memories long forgotten and repressed coming back full force. She had gotten so bad she begged her comrades to kill her... over and over again she pleaded with them to end her life.
"Samus..." the elder, Platinum Chest, spoke... somehow garnering Samus's attention.
"Our dear... most precious child. Our treasure... Samus..." he spoke softly. "You're frightened... you poor thing. You must be anxious... it's understandable. Since you were a child, we caused you to bear that fate and imposed upon you a great mission. You truly and earnestly paid us back... you must be so tired, child."
Samus visibly calmed slightly.
"Do not fret, Child." Platinum Chest continued as Samus knelt in the middle of all the Chozo, the former placing his hand on her forehead; her eyes bearing a 1000-yard stare. "Clear your thoughts. If you are pained, then cry. Release it from your heart. There is no need to worry, and no need to hold it in... because we are your family..."
Heavy tears welled up in Samus's eyes... tears which should have been shed over a decade ago.
"You have always done well, Samus..."
What started as a small whimper slowly turned into an agonized wail of sorrow as Samus cried her eyes out the hardest she ever had in her life... shedding all those repressed tears with her adopted, but true family... a cry that reverberated all throughout Zebes.
[Starfall Fortress]
Samus awoke, sans Varia Suit, and groggily came to the world from her troubled dream-state. She yawned and rubbed her eyes... finding heavy tear stains. She then frowned in irritation.
"Goddamn these dreams..."
Samus had decided to stop for the night in one of the darkest areas she could find in the Fortress, yet still on the path to her destination. She fell asleep relatively easily but vividly remembered the dream sequence she had, remembering everything she had seen in her sleep. Those were some of the darker times in her life... although they helped forge her into what she was today.
Samus stayed in her sitting position, kneeling against the corner for a moment longer to reflect on things. Equestria was a nice change of scenery, but for some reason, it was bringing up the worst of her memories. She had woken up earlier in the night after having the same dream with her mother. Something was bringing out these memories as dreams and she didn't like it. Samus had more than come to terms with her past since the incident on Zebes with Platinum Chest but that didn't mean she liked being exposed to them often...
Especially concerning Gray Voice. She had later found out that Gray Voice was deceiving Mother Brain and the Pirates all along and eventually betrayed them, attempting to destroy the former. Samus could remember feeling him suffer as he fought with Ridley, coming back to assist Mother Brain. Ultimately, this, along with new information, lead Samus completely out of her PTSD attack and back to her warrior-like self, surprising even her allies at the complete 180. She would have been too late to save Gray Voice, as he told her via an emotional link to 'move on.' This new 'information,' turned out to be that his genes were used when infusing her with Chozo DNA. Gray Voice was, essentially, her father of over a decade.
And she never forgot that... and referred to him as 'Father' after his ultimate demise at the hands of Ridley. He would make himself known once in a while to aid her, especially during her Zero mission where he guided her to the Varia Suit.
Shaking those thoughts for reflection for later, Samus stood up and equipped her suit, starting off once more.
With a bit of patience, Samus eventually found her way to what this Siege Front was: a gargantuan wall that curved itself in a concave fashion, facing outward. Samus was briefly awe-stricken at the complexity. This structure of steel and stone was at least two hundred feet high, overlooking the endless expanse of the Everfree. However, a large section right in front had been demolished by what Samus could only infer was constant warfare. Whatever magic scorched the earth below prevented the brush from growing back, even from thousands of years in the past.
Now THAT'S impressive.
Samus also concluded that this Front was the first line of defense, if the forty Particle Cannons lining the ridge were anything to go by. Samus slowly walked up the east side of the line, examining the wear and tear of the structural integrity as well as the heavy guns that were lost to time. Many had broken barrels. Others were simply corroded and looked wilted over the ridge-line. However (and Samus had to do a double-take as she walked past), she noticed the rusted remains of one of the Particle Cannons was relatively intact, compared to what she had seen of course. She looked down (not having to kneel, as the gun's size easily meant it had to be operated by at least two individuals), and examined its build, taking into account the very fine detail that was still able to be seen through all the rust and corrosion to time.
I wonder...
Samus was no stranger to fixed, heavy weaponry. She had been trained in many weapon's groups when she was formally a soldier under the Federation. Heavy Artillery was no strange matter to her. However, artillery that was thousands of years old and not using conventional directed energy or shell-based mechanics was a bit 'iffy' for her. Nevertheless, the coast being clear and her curiosity needing to be satiated at this particular instant, Samus moved around the gun to check all the components. There was no bore evacuator, nor a muzzle brake, but had what appeared to be a rather crude hydraulic recoil mechanism on the top. Samus moved to the rear of the barrel and found a large handle that looked like it was about to fall off. However, carefully testing the waters, Samus was able to pull it and reveal the rusted breech of the cannon.
It was about that time when Samus realized that there was no ammunition to load this gun with. This was confirmed when she looked around, spying cylindrical cartridges that had littered the floor right behind the ridge wall. However, something caught the Hunter's eye: there was a hatch leading into the wall itself by the gun that was ever-so-slightly opened. Kneeling down and opening it all the way (and having to use both her hand and arm cannon for extra leverage), she exposed a completely intact ammunition rack that was lost to the world. The magical shells were completely untouched, as they still held their metallic luster. Samus reached in and pulled out one of the heavy charges. Her stoic expression soon became a small smirk as she found that the glass at the center of the enormous 'vial' shown a luminous blue. It was an active shell.
With a new 'pep in her step,' Samus carefully loaded the magic shell into the breech and firmly closed it off by pushing the release forward. The cannon was armed now. She was getting more anxious by the minute. After a quick search, she was able to find an adjustment 'dial' and the firing mechanism. Satisfied where the cannon was aimed (and ensuring from her maps that no Equestrians were in its path), she was ready to fire.
In three...
two...
one...
Fire for effect!
Samus truly wasn't prepared for what happened. The entire wall shook as the cannon went off in a luminous display of pure magic, enough where she had to shield her visor for a split second with her cannon. The roar of the gun was comparable to the 'bang' a charged plasma-beam held when it fired, only amplified about 50 times. The directed hard-magic was already well out of sight by the time she was able to get a view of her handiwork.
She giggled a bit.
Now THAT'S a cannon!
Samus was about to continue her search of the area but that was cut short... as the wall continued to rumble. She cocked her head in confusion until she realized that the seismic activity was coming from...
Under the wall??
Samus peeked over the edge and there was a large, gaping hole in the wall that had most likely been demolished from the outside. It almost looked like a cave.... then it all clicked in the blue-eyed Hunter's head. Her eyes widened under her green visor.
Oh shit...
To save potential collapsing of the ancient siege wall (and as a result, getting stuck under thousands of tons of stone and steel), she leaped off the ridge, somersaulted repeatedly and landed about 100 feet from the hole in the great wall. She trained her cannon at the entrance and waited... prepared for anything. The seismic activity continued, having a pattern like something large was moving. These movements soon became distinguishable as footsteps... and slowly a large figure made its presence known from the cave. Three bright emerald eyes shown first, followed by the towering neck of a dragon.
The beast roared aggressively as it exited the cave in entirety... its navy blue scales reflecting off the early morning sun. It soon reared its neck back and roared once more, eyeing the armor-clad Hunter. This dragon was easily the size of Quadraxis, by her estimates at least. Looking up at the towering dragon, Samus only gently nodded and aimed her cannon, prepared for battle.
She started stepping backwards as the monster advanced slowly on her, each footstep shaking the earth gently. She opted to scan this thing, but already had a pretty good idea of what it was:
"Recorded to Logbook.
[Morphology: Night Dragon]
[Ancient warrior of the late Dragon Hordes. Although they had no wings, Night Dragons were the most formidable opponents faced by the Equines during the Great War and few remain to this day, easily able to take the punishment dished out by the combined Equine/Chozo weapons. Scales/natural plating harder than ionized steel will easily deflect the heaviest of projectiles outside of a Federation Bombing run. Magical properties of the Night Dragon are what give it enormous resilience. The Dragon will attempt to physically maul its opponent, as well as make use of their fire-breath, which reaches heats hot enough to melt most metals instantly. A genetic defect has left the scaling around the relatively small head considerably weaker than the rest of the body, use this to your advantage.]
The two continued tracing large circles around each other... and Samus knew it would be mere seconds before the dragon would strike. Thinking, she figured that the head/face was ultimately weaker than the body, like her scanners said, and with those three eyes... it reminded her of when she fought Kraid! A similar approach could be useful, she deduced.
Samus started firing her power beam as a probing strike, and like she expected, her shots easily deflected off the face and neck plating. The dragon growled and licked two sharp scales that almost went into it's mouth... it looked much like a helmet from Samus's perspective. It then lashed it's long neck out at her, which Samus dodged to the side. The dragon had struck so hard that it embedded its face partially into the ground. Samus capitalized on this and fired a single missile at the middle, open eye. The eye was completely obliterated by the concussive blast, dark crimson blood spewing out from the enormous socket as the Dragon freed himself at the same time, roaring in pain.
Deciding physical attacks weren't its strong suit at the time, the Night Dragon breathed a blue-hued fire, though not to be confused with a weak flame of course. Samus rolled out of the way but the flames kept trailing her, forcing her to literally run away. Finally the flame-thrower of which was the Dragon's mouth ceased to spew fire, leaving large but dying flames in its wake. Samus was close enough and they were so hot, her visor was giving her 'Heat Level Critical' warnings.
Samus took note of the bleeding orifice occupying the middle of the Dragon's head and decided to aim for its right eye. Samus launched a charged power-beam shot but it only served to aggravate the beast. The quadrupedal dragon then charged Samus at an alarming speed. She was forced to enter morph-ball mode and boost under the belly of the dragon. On her way, she laid three bombs which exploded one after the other. It caused him some pain, if the angered roars and growls were anything to go by but Samus could clearly see that it wasn't anything crippling. It wasn't really a tactic to pursue, as if one of the Night Dragon's feet landed on her in morph ball form, it was all over.
Samus reverted to her standing form and switched to her Night Beam, aiming back at the dragon who was still turning its body in full.
"Alright you bastard... is that all you've got!?" Samus yelled out, out of character for her but she felt energized today for some reason. She let loose a barrage of Night beam rounds, which definitely had a better effect on the dragon as it retreated a little when Samus struck its face. Deciding to charge the shot, a spiral galaxy forming at the end of her arm cannon once more, she fired and the beam-round collided hard with the Dragon's open mouth as it roared. That had to have done some damage as it's roars soon became pained and desperate. It looked like it vomited some blood before it trained its eyes back on Samus, clearly enraged.
So it is like fighting Kraid! Gotta get him to open his mouth...
Samus made mental notes and created a tentative plan of action. She locked on to the dragon's right eye and fired a missile. The dragon repositioned his head and the missile exploded fruitlessly on its cheek armor.
"Damn!"
Samus had advanced while she shot at his eye, but she didn't account for the dragon moving forward suddenly. The Hunter was once again forced into her morph ball as she boosted under the Night Dragon... although things went a bit differently. Right when Samus reverted to her standing form, her stomach was greeted by a hard swipe by the Dragon's tail. She was flung into the Siege wall with fair force, leaving tiny cracks within the resilient structure. Ensuring no fatal damage to her shielding or suit in general, Samus got back on her feet and advanced once more. That's when she decided to experiment with her Chozo-gifted weapon.
Charging her Night Beam, and avoiding another strike by the Night Dragon, she exhausted 60 missiles as the Asteroid Bombardment shot high into the air. Locked onto its head, Samus retreated to see what would happen. The dragon advanced farther and soon the first projectile slammed into its cheek, forcing its neck to contort to the side by the sheer force of the impact. It roared out with great sound but was snuffed out as the second round smashed into his open mouth, forcing him to double back and vomit more blood... which was subsequently interrupted when the third projectile struck his upper neck with the combined power of two Super Missiles. Soon, all of the rounds impacted on or around the dragon's head, and when it finally got its bearings (Samus didn't expect the battle to be that easy), it was missing a second eye. As well, much of its armor on its face and neck had been cracked.
Samus fired one more missile to try and follow it up, and the missile found its target on the dragon's remaining eye. The missile didn't destroy it, but it struck it hard. Samus was ready to follow up with another Night Charge but to her dismay, the dragon only growled in pain instead of roaring out. This took her by surprise.
It learned...!
She fired two more missiles plus another charged Night shot at the advancing dragon's face after avoiding another inferno spewed forth from its mouth. Again, it caused pain but the dragon refused to open its mouth, confirming Samus's thoughts. As a result, she knew that she needed something more powerful... enough to get the dragon to open its mouth. Her Asteroid Bombardment was a viable solution, but she could only call on two more, and last time she only landed one in its mouth. Judging by its state, the Night Dragon had a good amount of fight left in it, so thinking she could end this battle with 120 missiles was a bit far-fetched.
That's when Samus took note of the heavy Particle Cannons lining the Siege wall. That was almost becoming a necessary option, but those walls were 100 feet high... she'd need some enormous velocity to get up there via boost ball...
Or maybe I don't have to use boost ball...
Samus decided to put into practice a little trick she hadn't used since her Zero Mission... but she'd need enough room to run. She dodged another strike from the dragon's tail by jumping over it and then led the behemoth away from the wall at an angle. She was waiting for the appropriate time after the dragon struck and that time was...
Now!
The Night Dragon reared back and lunged its face at her, jaws open wide. Samus rolled to the side once more and started sprinting towards the wall. Soon, her speed booster activated (and the dragon was not far behind her, unfortunately) and she abruptly stopped, but didn't deactivate the boost capability. Samus's entire suit coursed with potential energy as she made a small jump in the air and angled herself towards the wall. Activating the boost function once more, her body launched herself diagonally upward right as the dragon swiped with its tail in her former place. Samus rocketed upward and she deactivated it right as she flew over the ridge and not having to collide with the structure behind it.
The dragon could easily poke its head over and it slowly made its way to the wall. Samus found the canon she worked and quickly yanked a shell out of the ammo rack and loaded it. Aiming it just in time, she fired it off and the magic round struck the remaining eye hard... there was no more eye. The rest of the magic was somewhat deflected off the heavy plating but nevertheless, the dragon was completely blind. That didn't remedy the situation in total, as the Night Dragon was still able to turn its head in the exact position Samus was, no matter how she moved, leading her to conclude that these things had wonderful senses of hearing and smell.
Samus had to run a length of the wall as the Dragon let loose its inferno. She returned fire with two charged shots from her Night Beam, forcing the creature back just a tad, but enough for her to move. She had to get back to that one cannon that was still working. Samus began running the length back when the fires were dying out (and she could see leakages from melting metal trickling down from the wall behind her), firing charged Night rounds the entire way. Samus picked up another round and loaded it into the cannon, ejecting the spent magic cartridge.
She knew exactly what to do. She had to time the cannon fire right, along with her Charged Night Beam and Asteroid Bombardment and this battle would be over. She charged her beam and fired off the Bombardment, the missile combination soaring into the air once more. She immediately ran to the side of the cannon and went to aim it a the dragon's face, but she wasn't prepared to have to dodge the dragon's jaws once more. It's face clipped the cannon and forced the shot to fire off course. The Astroid Bombardment fell upon the Night Dragon with great force, crippling the majority of its facial armor and leaving it a profusely bleeding mess. The face was almost unrecognizable. A couple more mouth shots, or heavy rounds to the face should do it, but this time, no mistakes could be made.
Samus loaded the cannon once more while the Dragon was recoiling from the 'shock and awe' of the Asteroid Bombardment. She reiterated to herself that no mistakes could be made, as she only had enough missiles to call forth one more volley of her heavy weapon. After ten agonizing seconds, the cannon was ready to fire. She charged her Night Beam and fired off the last of her available missiles with her bombardment. Immediately, she aimed the cannon properly, the dragon beginning to advance once more, and firing. The sound displacement of the cannon echoed through her being as the round found its target in the Night Dragon's mandible. It hit it's jaws side so hard that the armor completely cracked and the bone as well as the skin under it was ruptured. The Dragon's jaw was now hanging off of its face. That stroke of luck was all Samus needed as she watched the first projectile collide with the dragon's nose. The force of the blast forced the dragon to recoil and the second round found its mark right in the dragon's throat. The third, fourth, and sixth in its mouth as well, for the fifth strike completely severed the dragon's jaw.
Samus watched with a sense of victory as the Night Dragon was spewing blood out of its mouth as its roars became higher pitched. Eventually all four legs collapsed, followed by the long neck as it finally died on the battleground. She opted to just stare at the lifeless corpse for several moments to revel in the tough battle. Had she failed in her final Asteroid Bombardment... well that would have made things even more difficult. Samus noticed that the fallen dragon's scales slowly lit up with a dark-blue hued magic which trickled out of the corpse and formed into something solid a few feet off the ground by its face. The magic came together and exploded outward, revealing Samus's runes symbol casually spinning with the wind. It's circular background was colored black.
Samus jumped off the wall once more and landed hunched before moving to investigate. Upon coming closer, she found that the black, circular background of this item was dotted with stars and galaxies... it looked really aesthetically pleasing, to say the least. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Samus reached out and 'grabbed' the object, which immediately diffused into her.
Samus felt herself slowly get lifted into the air a few feet, and forces beyond her knowledge compelled her to stretch her arms to her side and open her legs ever so slightly. She felt magical energy course through her body and modifications being made to her suit. The feeling was oddly relaxing, and she opted to rest her eyes for a few moments. Her form became brighter and brighter with blue-hued magic until it exploded outwards, lowering Samus down not as she was, aesthetically speaking. As her feet touched the ground, she noticed her armor was dark, navy blue (darker than the Gravity Suit) with a tinge of black. The yellow portions of her suit were replaced with a darker, more golden color. Her helmet had turned from red to navy blue and her pauldrons weren't large and round anymore, rather they were about the size of the former Light Suit's pauldrons and dodecahedral in shape. As a finishing touch, her visor turned from iconic green to violet.
[Astral Suit Acquired!]
[The Astral Suit draws distinct connection to the Night Sky. The defensive shielding has been amplified 1.5 times and the suit provides enhanced alacrity. In addition, the Astral Suit will regenerate energy shielding and carry reinforced magical properties in Moonlight.]
Well then... I can live with that!
Samus dismissed the notifications and checked herself out. She found the suit very pleasing to the eye as a few key components were changed in appearance, but overall, most of the physical aspects of her suit were largely the same. She definitely felt lighter though, and that was a bonus.
Satisfied with the outcome of the battle and her acquisition, Samus remotely called for her gunship, which touched down about twenty minutes later in the clearing. She then manned it once more and made haste to Ponyville, eager to plan out where she would head next.
And she was hungry for some real food.
Been here a few days and I'm already getting spoiled.
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wonderful chapter yet again!
man that backstory makes me want to read the manga, anywhere you know that I can read/get it? also the feel of the Metroid games is captured very well. I also like how the main focus is samus, you capture her character very well. also that boss battle was AWESOME, again feels like something that would actually be in Metroid. so keep up the good work 
3188201 Thanks dude! :D
And um....
<.<
>.>
*fishes out of pocket and pushes it into yours before walking away*
http://metroid.retropixel.net/comics/metroidmanga/
3188204 (takes hold of said item and walks away suspiciously) P.S thank you
Now that was a boss battle, and we get to see the new weapon in action, before we got to see a new armor mode as well. It seems Samus is having a good day in item retrieval. But, for every good thing to happen, it is understandable that the opposite is true. The Changelings have now enter into the mayhem...wonder how that will play out.
Good read, And I see you even got the lines right from the Manga translation, did you use the Metroid Database version to reference? Either way this is turning out to be a great story, hopefully you can find someone talented to draw this new Astral Suit! I'm eager to see it!
3188212 *whispers* No problem dude... enjoy yourself!
3188236 I use a whole plethora of data from various sources if I'm not sure about something. I red the manga long ago and for flashback purposes, I needed to procure a copy to make sure my lines were correct. I believe I stumbled upon Metroid Recon for that info :)
As for concept art, I was considering drawing some myself when I get the time, to be completely honest. If someone wants to step up and say "lol here's some art," I'd accept it with open arms because I'm curious as to other's takes on what my ideas spit out on paper :D
oh my god we need fan art for this shit.....
3188252 Lol so others have been saying xD
I've offered to draw when I have time but if anyone knows or is willing to step up to that plate, I'm curious to see how others view my designs and quite anxious to see if anyone will, to be honest haha :D
Glad you enjoyed the read!
3188256 the only thing i can really do is color alterations to something thats already there, (as in my avatar....)
just changed the dark suit to have the color scheme of the varia suit.
3188249
Oh! If you can draw it that works too for sure, after all you know best what it looks like, I didn't know your talents extended beyond writing, that's epic! Can't wait to see it! Perhaps the Night Beam and the Astral Bombardment combo too then? This is definitely a good fic and with art to boot I can only imagine how great this is gonna turn out!
I WANTS TO SEE THE NEW SUIT!!!!!!!
3188263 ME TOOOOOOO
Man, now I REALLY want to play this game!
Epic boss battle, expansive world, I can actually feel the world in the descriptions, and that new suit design!
How do you do it? HOW?
Question. Is the new suit compatible with the 'mysterious items' she got earlier in the story?
3188306 hahaha I'm glad you're enjoying the reads! :D
And to answer, I haven't decided yet. Remember she lost it when the Alicorn spirit slapped her shit, so that will come in time. I think I'll pull a Zero Mission and make universal compatibility at the end :)
3188316
Fair enough.
Question, though. Will whatever suit she gets after Astral Suit negate the nighttime bonuses she gets from the Astral Suit?
If she gets a suit that gives daytime bonuses, will she be able to switch between them?
How's Luna going to react to the Astral Suit?
Any chance once the story is over Samus might mark Equis as a preferred vacation spot?
Oh, and I have an explanation for why these upgrades aren't available in future games.
Samus: Wonder how the Astral Suit will fare here on SR388?
Computer: ERROR! Thaumic fields too weak to utilize the following upgrades Night Beam; Asteroid Bombardment; Astral Suit; Kinesis Beam; etc.
Samus: *swearing like a sailor*
Besides, I'd really love to see a sequel where Samus post Fusion flees to Equis to avoid pursuit by the Federation (since Equis isn't technically Federation territory) and the ponies help her to come to terms with now being part Metroid.
3188342
Alright let's see
1) Good question, but no. It will have a stacking effect (I.e power>varia>gravity>Phazon) where the suit retains its predecessors native abilities. It would suck if the gravity suit wasnt resistant to extreme temperatures haha.
2) If that came to fruition, I'd say the suit would be able to tell when to apply bonuses depending on the energy it senses on it
3) no clue! I'll work on that
4) hell yeah! There's gonna be deleted scenes at the end of the story, showing the side stuff and shenanigans that Samus and the Mane six get into. It will be more comedy centric then, as the story now warrants a more serious, game like undertone.
Shhhh don't give me ideas for a sequel just yet... ;p
"NOT BITCH-FITTIN' HEYERE"
[youtube=YKUOB8MN4Kc]
In regards to the A/N:
Team Ninja had nothing to do with Samus' portrayal in Other M. Yoshio Sakamoto himself was entirely responsible for the script. Besides, dialogue and tones more often than not get lost in translation. In the Japanese version, Samus' 'bitch fit' was likely nothing more than genuine surprise at seeing Ridley, yet again, back from the dead. Additionally, PTSD never goes away regardless of experience and charisma, so Samus' reaction was wholly justified. It would help to remember that, Chozo blood and all, Samus is still human and far from invincible both physically and emotionally.
In regards to the story:
It would be nice if you could devote equal time to Samus and the ponies like in the first chapter; that's what made the story stand out from other crossovers on this site. Now, however, too much attention is being devoted to Samus. If this problem could be rectified in future chapters then happy days for all.
I love how in this story Samus' upgrades that she finds/wins from battle (& Awesome battles they are too!) are themed around Equestria. Firstly she gains access to Magic, & now both her Arm Cannon & Suit have a distinct 'Luna' connection. I suspect that she'll need to make full use of these benefits to fight for her other upgrades. Maybe a visor or 2 as well as other Arm Cannon/Suit adaptions with perhaps, a 'Sunnier' slant?
It's sad that the chozo can't fight back due to a mental block
No wonder they lost Zebes
I have not yet finished the chapter yet, but I feel I need to comment on this now.
For Celestia's sake, this is getting agonizingly hard to follow. I'm sorry if this comes off as rude, but... could you invest in actually describing what the environment looks like?
Since you aren't, this is really, really hard to follow. I have no idea where anything is or what it looks like. The only description I got for where I am in the chapter is that there's a big wall. And apparently there are cannons on it somewhere? Something about a ridge that I have no idea where that is. What was the area like leading up to this wall? Does the wall reach the ceiling? I mean, they ARE inside after all. 
Just... just... please, describe what the surroundings are like. Always always always. This is painful to read.
Oh, by the way, you don't need to put things in parenthesis all the time. It's bad form.
Is the regenerative effect from the night about the same as the beacons in Echos? IE: One energy unit per second? Or maybe more than that?
3188252>>3188256
After reading the description of the Astral Suit, I then took it all down in point form notes, to try and draw myself. Will find a few references and apply the differences to the best of my ability; might be good for getting me back into drawing.
3188342>>3188355
I totally have this image in my mind now that Samus will get her daytime powered suit during the day, at the onset of evening. Beat the boss, get the upgrade, look badass. Then, night hits, and her suit auto changes back to the night variant for the duration of the night.
EDIT: Ooh! Ooh! Later, each version of the suit could TOTALLY be more resistant to a matching attack from certain enemies, and she can get the ability to switch suits at will! Go Ikaruga on this shit!
You evil, evil author. You have me pumped for stuff I can't have in the games. Ergh.
Reading this story with all the music links got me playing Metroid Prime Trilogy again. They still hold up. Just finished Prime 1 & moving onto Prime 2.
3189061
I havent decided yet, but that's definitely a good starting point for thought! I'll keep that in mind :)
3189038 Interesting... First complaint that the description is subpar. I only say that because I've been complemented pretty frequently on my imagery, although I'll admit that description wasnt as prominent in this chapter.
No no, it's a valid argument, and I did have attempt at large amounts of imagery in, well, everything, but comments told me that the story felt too saturated. It's apparent you're one who appreciates description that allows you to visualize every little detail, and that's perfect, but unfortunately that level of imagery hasn't born as much fruit as I'd like.
I have more positive feedback on the currently level of environmental description that I have, as it also allows you to imagine things on your own. I personally feel ones own interpretation plays a significant part in the reader's experience.
As I said, my description in this chapter was definitely less than last, and just was also in part that the scenery within the fortress wouldn't change drastically. With the wall, yeah I probably could have done better in that respect. I'll take this suggestion to heart and take more care in detail, hopefully finding a balance so the chapter isn't saturated.
As for the parentheticals, yeah I have a problem with them. That I know too well haha.
3189086 well this is a stroke of luck!
Alright! I'm VERY curious as to your interpretation (one of the reasons I didn't provide the most meticulous description of the Astral Suit). I can't wait to see what you come up with :)
3188405 fair enough, but I still feel the voice acting was more than subpar. It really wasnt believable in my opinion.
As for the story part, I understand completely. I needed to get Samus well established first and that's been taken care of. Now that she's headed back to Ponyville, the Mane 6 will be getting their heavy time in the spotlight. Wouldn't be an MLP crossover without MLP, right? :)
Don't blame Team Ninja, Flammenwerfer. They only did what they're good at; making overly sexualized women and fighting games. It was Sakamoto who fucked everything up, including hiring TN in the first place.
3188405
No, it's pretty hard to mistranslate literally turning into a child as anything other than a bitch fit.
Yeah, that doesn't sound right in any language.
And about the PTSD, you have to keep in mind that although it doesn't go away, it is an illness of the mind, and people's minds have a way of changing over time. While it first (chronologically speaking,) manifested as fear and defeatism, it may later evolve into inconsolable rage or antisocial behaviour, the latter of which is much more canonically likely for Samus.
3189366
Working on the base design in MS Paint right now before printing to use as a bit of a ref. to make sure I have the proportions right, but it's going along smoothly so far!
3188355
Speaking of ideas for a sequel...
The Pirates - when they eventually make a base of operations on Equis - are bound to bring Metroids as a power source. What if, after everything's put back to normal, one Metroid egg gets overlooked by everyone...except Fluttershy.
Fluttershy - because of her ability to speak to all animals - is able to communicate with the baby Metroid that imprints on her as Mama. She teaches her self control, good behavior, and not killing. Everything here goes just fine...until a Space Pirate surveillance drone keeping an eye on the world sees the Metroid attack a Hydra to protect Fluttershy, and then back off when Fluttershy orders it to. Given how many of the Space Pirate computer data you can find in Echoes talking about trying to train Metroids to obedience, an organism capable of controlling Metroids would be worth more to them than all the Phazon in the universe.
Space Pirates immediately set a course for Equis, intending to capture Fluttershy and do a full physical, mental, and genetic analysis on her to determine where the ability comes from so they can apply it to the Space Pirate genome. Or, failing that, mass produce preprogrammed clones of her to control Metroids.
This is when post Fusion Samus stops by for vacation/reevaluation/spending time with friends. And, to top it off, the Space Pirates somehow bring a sample of the X parasite. However, the X doesn't work on ponies the same way as it does on other organisms due to their magical nature. It's also discovered that Fluttershy's pet can drain the X parasite out of its victims without killing them because of the self control Fluttershy's taught her, since Metroids are the primary predator of the X.
Then throughout all of it, something even more serious is discovered.
1. Fluttershy's Metroid has mutated from the high magical environment of Equis, as well as the frequent little feedings she's managed to get from Fluttershy and - at Fluttershy's urging - her friends.
2. The Metroid is referred to as 'she' for good reason. It's a baby Queen.
3189376 I agree the voice acting was subpar at best, but that's to be expected when dubbing Japanese works into English. I'm sure Prime 3 faced similar criticism in Japan.
Glad to hear that. *squee*
3189381 Dude, use the actual quote if you want to prove a point.
Furthermore, before Other M, there wasn't a game in the main series that really delved into Samus' psyche in regards to her PTSD. It can be reasonably argued that Other M is where Samus finally overcame that fear and defeatism.
3189444
THIS. ALL. . . OF FUCKING THIS!
Dude, you are a genius and a half. That sounds brilliant.
On another note, Astral suit design coming along decently. Just need to work the dodecahedron into the pauldrons and maybe a few more tweaks to the overall armour, Equestrian style.
3189953 Nice. Also, idea. Something like a zealots blades would be a really cool upgrade. Wrist blades like that are always awesome, of course, but imagine what Samus could do with them!
3189364 Yeah, I can understand not wanting to saturate the story with loads and loads of description fluff, so much that it ruins the flow of the story. That's one thing, but a good balance would be to include enough description that the reader has at at least a decent idea as to what things are like, and then let their imagination take over now that they have something to go on.
Boy oh boy, I've read numerous stories that will over-saturate itself with description. You can almost always expect each line of dialogue in a conversation to be interrupted with a paragraph or three. It's practically a 20 second wait between each line of dialogue, which is just crazy. I had a nice flow going until you stopped the story dead to delve into an overly deep info dump of something in mid conversation.
And then it keeps doing that. 
But yeah, back on track! In this chapter, there was virtually nothing to go on. I have no idea where the particle cannons were, for example. Were they mounted on the large wall or sitting in front of it? What would they have aimed at? Down a corridor? If so, how wide was the corridor? Narrow or super super wide? Things like that would have been good to establish.
A simple example may be that Twilight walks into a room. You could say that the room was fairly small, and that a bed was directly across from the door, with a night stand just to the left, and a window on the wall to the right. That's all it took to establish a basic understanding of the room's layout, and then the reader can take that and let their imagination do the rest.
3190938 An but I did! This wall made of steel and stone overlooked a large expanse of the Everfree and was about 200 feet high. Thus, this siege wall is outside. There are particle cannons lining the ridge. It would be intuitive to Infer that they were aiming out over this expanse (which had a clearing in front of the wall, as per constant warfare). HOW these cannons were aiming can largely be irrelevant, as over time they were wted and broken. This is actually written in there :p
3191092 Somehow I missed the Everfree part. I was under the impression the entire complex was underground.
So, I thought she was still inside. It would seem pretty weird for there to be a siege wall and defense turrets already inside of a fortress.
But this confusion could have been avoided if you were a bit more... vivid.
3191283 Yeah that I understand. I skimped a bit on the vividity because the fortress imagery wouldn't have changed TOO terribly much.
Either way, I'll take 'more description/imagery' to heart when I start drafting the next chapter :D
3189498
I was using the quotation box metaphorically. By simplifying the concept behind your "clashing cultures" theory, I was pointing out the flaws in it. I simply used the quote box to separate it from the other text.
Samus is reasonably expressive in the Prime series, which canonically would come before MOM, and she never showed anything more than a little surprise with her encounters with Ridley in those games.
But I'm guessing you're going to side with Sakamoto on this one and say that the Primes never happened. In that case, I'll remind you that the (canonically approved by Nintendo) manga showed her overcoming her fear of Ridley well before the events of the first Metroid. Fast forward to SM, and we see that she doesn't even flinch when encountering Ridley. If they had ever intended for Samus to express any kind of fear towards him beyond that point, they would have at least made her kneel or something.
Besides, Other M is so riddled with inconsistencies and gaping plotholes that even if you omitted the Primes, there's simply no way it could even begin to fit into the series. And even if it could be fit in, it makes Samus and Adam into such terrible people and has such sexist overtones that just playing it feels like a sin. Why are you even defending it?
TTTOOOO MANY LUNAR EQUIPMENT!!!!! I WANTS IT ALL!!!
3189444 Yes, Yes, YES.
That is an awesome setup that I would definitely read, (Hey, I would probably buy) especially as it has Post-Fusion Samus, something that I would dearly love a good writer to take on.
I don't doubt that its been done by other Fanfic writers & i would like to read those too, its just that I would like to see it through the lens of FIM, like this story is doing for the Prime version of Samus.
3192327 Again, PTSD never goes away, and there's a difference between it and actual fear. And the cultural difference IS a LARGE factor in this debate, something which you fail to realize. Also, as canon as the manga may be, it can always be retconned, same thing with the games.
Really, sexist overtones? I know westerners are shallow-minded retards who see everything in black and white, so point out any instance in which such things seem to come into play and I'll happily disprove them.
3193812
I know PTSD never goes away; I've worked closely with the military for a good portion of my life, and I'm very familiar with it. However, it can manifest itself in many ways, such as irrational fear, sadness, or rage. The fear reaction is uncommon among those who've had multiple encounters with their trigger.
I don't care how culturally different Japan is (and they're really not that different, I know because I lived there for a little while), people don't have mental breakdowns and turn into children when they're surprised. If they did, they'd be too busy flipping their shit on a daily basis to achieve anything.
Retconning is something that should be avoided whenever possible, except in a situation where it's strongly agreed that the retconned material should not be canon. Other M is doing the exact opposite, by retconning the very popular Prime series out of existence and convoluting the ending of SuperMetroid, which is considered the greatest game in the series, arguably the greatest Metroidvania type games, and one of the best games of all time.
Here, this troper explains it all. Frankly, I don't have time to transcribe eighteen pages worth of criticism of ungodly writing, deprecation, and sexism. I'd love to see you try and disprove everything he says.
3193354
Screw you guys, you're making me put too much thought to a sequel too soon! XD
If I remember this ill probably shoulder the project. I think it would be fun
3194094 wait wait WAIT...
Other M is based on a retconn of the Prime Series and others???
Sorry for the upcoming rage rant here Flammenwerfer, it has nothing to do with the story, but this comment just struck a chord:
3193812
I may not have played Other M yet, so I can't comment in reference to that, but I can comment on this:
THAT is fucking insulting. GREAT job stereotyping. Tell me: are Americans, South Americans, Canadians, and technically Brazil, all included in that statement? Because they are ALL western hemisphere/culture. I'm a Canadian, and I will outright tell you, I am NOT "shallow-minded" "retarded" and I don't "see everything in black and white".
Watch what you say.
Again, sorry for the rage Flammenwerfer, but I have a lot of trouble letting something like that slide.
3194422 Just so you know, I myself am American. I know I'm not alone among westerners in thinking in shades of purple and gray, but because of how sparse such people are in this country I keep feeling like I am.
The reason why I made that generalization is because western critics/gamers with idealistic (and unrealistic) notions of Samus' character are the ones who harped on Other M so much.
3194094 Look, I love the Prime series, but it doesn't deserve canon status based solely on its popularity. If anything, it should be retconned from the main timeline so both can be separately enjoyed from each other.
What I meant by cultural differences is Samus' breakdown would come off differently to Japanese players. They'd more easily understand it's PTSD and, especially if Other M is retconning the series, that the fear symptom is understandable since her total encounters with Ridley up to that point are fewer in number if the Prime series is left out.
As to that link, find someone who's NOT a biased fanboy and has actually played the game.
3194684
Now that you made the distinction, I rescind my rant. Without it, it sounded more like you were from another country—say, somewhere in Europe—and it came across as very racist/elitist/whathaveyou. I DO understand what you mean by many gamers being biased and perfectionist, though. But as I said, since I have not played the game yet, I have yet to decide if they are justified in this case or not.
3194311
Yeah, sorry about that. I shouldn't be thinking of sequels while you have an already awesome story already ongoing.
It's just that this story appears to show a really good grasp for how to write Metroid as an Adventure, & the fact that its integrated with FIM is the icing in the cake. It would be great if you felt like expanding on that later with the potential in Tatsurou's outline. Guess we'll just have to see.
Speaking of your story though, is there any chance that a certain dark-suited antagonist with a vested interest in Phazon might be showing up later?