1. Impact/Arrival

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"A Great Poison burst forth into the land, clawing at life with such violence that we were ripped from our peaceful state and find ourselves wandering as shadows of the mortal forms we left behind, searching for why we are here."

-Chozo Lore

Metroid Equis

Chapter 1

Impact/Arrival

The Night. Feared and daunting, yet comforting and revered. It provides a sense of tranquility like no other when being experienced in its natural glory. Of course, a certain Lunar Princess would ensure that said natural glory would never wane, no matter where any of her subjects might be in the nation of Equestria. Each and every night, come her time to reign over the land, she personally customized the sky to a piece of brilliance and magnificence, one to be admired and drop the jaws of ponies around the nation each time they happened to gaze up into the eternal heavens… Her gift to them, one she knew they could truly appreciate from her. If there was one thing that ponies admired, it was the effort put into one's work… it rarely went unnoticed. After her banishment, it took some scouting around to see that this was indeed the truth of the matter… her subjects cared for her as much as Celestia. Princess Luna had more than made up for her past mistakes, and with their Princess of the Night back in control alongside Celestia, Equestria was prosperous once more.

So, like every night, Luna sat on a special cushion which rested on her chamber balcony. From this comfortable position, she happily gazed up to the sky at her handiwork… yet she was not even done! She had raised the moon not one hour ago and the sky was absolutely spectacular!

Let us brighten those stars over there… they shall add an exquisite effect to the mountain range overlooking Canterlot Fields.

The Lunar Alicorn did just that, her horn lightly flaring in her teal aura. The stars proceeded to brighten gradually until their light added the picturesque effect to the distant mountains that she so desired. Satisfied with her work, she grinned and moved on to another portion of her cosmic quilt. Luna was struck with an interesting idea and she smirked to herself.

There appears to be much activity in Ponyville tonight… perhaps an extra 'attraction' is in order?

With a brighter flare of her magic, Luna brought a small meteor shower over the Canterlot/Ponyville area; sending a few dozen stray meteors blazing past in a glorious display of light. Many wishes would be had tonight, that she was certain, as well as a few interesting dreams. Luna could practically sense the 'wows' from the small, few minute display, and she chuckled at that thought.

What else may I have the privilege of modifying in the sky tonight?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the opening and closing of her chamber doors followed by hoofsteps.

"Enjoying yourself, Lulu?" the Princess of the Sun asked with a small sense of smugness, knowing that Luna indeed enjoyed 'splurging' on the night sky whenever she was able. The Night Alicorn looked back and returned the smug but loving gaze.

"A bit much if I may be so blatantly honest," she replied, dimming a particular star and bringing out another constellation. Celestia couldn't help but look up and admire the work that her sister undoubtedly put into the sky… as always. It brightened her demeanor that much to know that Luna was finally happy with herself. Two happy Princesses ensured a stable Equestria, after all.

"Hmm… that star looks a bit bright, don't you think?" Celestia asked. Luna turned her attention towards where her sister was looking.

"Huh? I do not recall brightening that star. Allow me to rectify that immediately."

Luna brought her magic to life… but the star refused to oblige. This surprised her greatly and Celestia raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"That is… not possible…"

"Losing your touch, Luna?" Celestia asked, not resisting the chance to poke a bit of fun at her little sister. Luna colored a bit immediately, feeling the embarrassment of not having control of a simple star.

"N-No! I shall attempt once more!" she said hurriedly. Her horn lit up in her magical aura and her face shown great determination and resolve… yet the star refused to cooperate with her will. She released her 'hold,' panting and out of breath.

"How… How is this feasible?"

Celestia only furrowed her gaze and realized that the 'star' was getting… brighter.

"I'm not entirely sure that that is a star you're trying to move, Luna…"

Upon further investigation the object appeared to get even brighter as it began moving… it grew a trail and started its trek in the sky.

"That's… a meteor?" Luna asked, doubting herself and attempting to explain this uncontrollable celestial phenomenon. Celestia nodded in understanding.

"Indeed it is, and it appears it's on a collision course with the Frozen North. The cities in the area, as well as the Crystal Empire will have a bit of an extra show. Judging from this position, it does not appear to be of enormous size. Meteor strikes are uncommon, but not unheard of. Oh well," Celestia reasoned.

"But… I have no power over this object!" Luna said worriedly, witnessing the object get larger and pass over them towards the predicted destination. She noted its blue-ish hue.

"As you know, the stars and other celestial objects have their own magic. It is not unheard of for an object to be powerful enough to resist manipulation due to some oddity in the magical universe. I wouldn't worry too much. Reaching out, I can sense that it's not on any direct collision course with a city or residential area."

Luna's and Celestia's gaze followed the object as it streaked across the sky, becoming somewhat more visible, and witnessed its impact behind the mountain ranges in the distance which separated various regions of Equestria.

"I suppose you're right, sister. Very well. Get some rest, for I shall watch over the night as always," Luna commented. Celestia smiled softly and nuzzled her.

"I suppose that's in order. Thank you, Luna. Have a goodnight, and I love you!" she called out as she exited Luna's chambers.

"And likewise, I love you. Your dreams shall be pleasant tonight!" Luna called back. After her chamber doors were sealed once more, she turned her attention towards the general compass-direction of the impact. Since no emergency scrolls had been forwarded to either of the regal sisters, which would be a case of an extreme emergency, Luna shrugged and passed off the odd experience, taking off from her balcony and into the night.

And yet, some miniscule and residual thoughts plagued the back of her mind.

Space. Cold and silent; full, yet barren. It was particularly easy to go insane from lack of contact in the eternal void of nigh blackness. Yet nonetheless, it provided an odd sense of peace for the sole occupant of the Hunter Class gunship. Samus Aran sat back and reclined lazily in her chair… thinking. She was out of her Varia Suit, not that it really mattered since having an 'exoskeleton,' for lack of better words for almost her entire life ensured that she was more than used to the extension of herself.

Nevertheless, there she lay back, clad in only her blue and black skin-tight Zero Suit; letting her flowing blonde hair lay limp and untamed, not in its usual ponytail fashion. Her blue eyes bore the thousand-yard stare, showing clearly that she was troubled. She punctuated this with an audible sigh. The Galactic Federation had asked her to stand by after the Aether Incident, so as she waited for further transmission, all she could do is really… think.

Aether… I'm glad it's over…

As a soldier through and through who worked for the Federation proper as well as currently being a Bounty Hunter (ironically being hired by the Federation, so still working for them), Samus had seen more than her fair share of… forgive the use of crass language but, 'weird shit.' It only seemed as if every mission became progressively worse and worse. From her return to Zebes to destroy the Metroids, to Tallon IV, and then to Aether, it had all taken its toll on the still young and beautiful girl.

Aether takes the cake… and yet I can feel it's not over. Another change of scenery will trump it as usual.

Either way, this was her life… her choice and destiny bestowed upon her by the 'Bird People' (and guardians), the Chozo: Protector of the Galaxy. And so she waited… and had been waiting for almost a week, just drifting in space. The Federation had loosely shown that these incidents: Tallon IV, Aether, and whatever else undoubtedly came next, were correlated with a meteor strike… but not just any meteor strike. These meteors, 'infected' with the vile Poison known as Phazon, traveled to almost planned planets, traveling great distances by rupturing space-time and creating an artificial wormhole. The Federation was attempting to locate the next one.

Samus groaned to herself and decided to lie down and catch some shut-eye. It had been a long day… whatever the concept of a 'day' was in open space, and she decided it was best to rest up.

But of course, things don't always go as planned, and she had to be disturbed after an hour of uneasy sleep.

"Incoming Transmission"

Her computer came to life and notified her that the ship received a message for her. Samus groaned once more in disapproval but voiced her command anyway:

"Display on the central monitor… ugh" she replied out loud, sitting up and rubbing her eyes from what little sleep they decided to scrape. Aether had really taken a lot out of her, and she was still feeling the fatigue from the horrors of that damned planet.

At least the Luminoth are rebuilding with Federation help.

Samus shook her musings out of her head and read the transmission on the screen:

[Galactic Federation High Command]

Artificial slip-space rupture has been detected in the 51st quadrant of Federation Space directly over Planet VK109H, designation: Equis. Meteor impact on planet's surface has been confirmed. Be aware that Equis has not been explored, yet just falls under Federation purview.

"Just like Tallon IV and Aether. What a surprise there…" she sarcastically thought out loud.

Land on the planet and establish a foothold. Be vigilant against any Space Pirate attempts to also track and colonize the impact area, as the meteor has been studied and confirmed to be of Phazon composition. If sapient life exists on the planet, render any and all assistance necessary. Full federation resources will be at your call; use your greatest judgment.

[End Transmission]

Samus nodded to herself in acknowledgement and sighed once more. After typing a confirmation back to Command, she set her ship on auto-pilot with coordinates to this planet of Equis.

Coordinates set. Autopilot engaged… now, some sleep is in order.

With that, Samus's ship sped off into space towards her intended destination.

*One week later*

"Another one?!" Celestia almost shouted in a frantic manner. She stood in the throne room, speaking privately with a government official.

"I'm afraid so, Princess. We've received almost identical reports of the spreading of this… blue-like material that emanated out of the meteor impact site. It's slow but it's prominent, and ponies that have become exposed to it have a wide variety of effects. Some are just sickness due to exposure; others are more… violent," the Chief Medical Officer of the Equestrian Ministry of Health. Celestia furrowed her brow in worry. The unicorn official brushed his white lab coat and adjusted his glasses with his magic.

"Violent?"

"Regrettably so, your Highness. Some ponies have gone insane from the sickness. Others who have had more extensive contact have been virally corrupted by unknown means. In more generous cases, the patients have died from the exposures… others were not so fortunate. What I mean is that many have undergone mutations as a result of the corruption. And all this potentially may happen within seconds after direct contact with the material."

This was very troubling news for the Solar Princess. The casualties from this 'exposure' stood at just shy of a hundred ponies and most likely rising… those were the ones that were 'beyond saving.'

She pursed her lips and sighed once more.

"I understand, Doctor. Is there anything else I should know?"

"Yes, Princess. This… poison is greatly affecting the ecosystem and it's only getting worse!" the CMO exclaimed.

"And you're positive that this directly correlates to the meteor strike?" Celestia asked.

"I have little doubt in my mind, your majesty. Water supplies have been contaminated and we are starting to see large amounts of deaths and mutations in the flora and fauna."

"Is there any way we can contain this?"

"Magic works when transporting the Poison itself or corrupted material and ponies, but it requires an enormous amount of casted magic and it risks exposure to cleanup crews. We simply do not have the material necessary to protect us from this biohazard in order to do an effective containment," he explained.

"Very well, Doctor. Do what you must to help contain or slow down the spread of this Poison. Luna and I have been looking into our magical archives for information regarding this unknown material. Either way, this will not stop unless that meteor is removed. We'll tackle one problem at a time, but for now, go ahead and issue a national emergency and initiate an evacuation of all the towns nearest to the impact site and quarantine certain parts of major cities. I'll inform the Crystal Empire of the danger. Thank you for the information," Celestia said in a defeated manner. The CMO gave a curt bow and exited the throne room.

Celestia was ready to collapse on the spot. It had been a week since the impact of the strange meteor and things have gone to Tartarus. It was a wonder that full blown pandemonium had not broken out yet.

Her thoughts were disturbed when she arrived at the Archives. She found Luna already up and researching… she had not rested much since incidents have been reported. It showed, since recent night skies were rather drab. Celestia found Luna levitating and scanning several books at once, an exhausted and panicked expression etched into her face. Countless other tomes and books lay strewn around her. When Celestia was about to say something, Luna tossed a large tome back over her shoulder in a desperate fashion and simply moved on to the next.

"Luna…"

"I cannot find a single entry!" Luna shouted, tossing the rest of the books and scrolls in random directions before collapsing on her side in defeat. Celestia sat down beside her and nuzzled her in a comforting manner.

"It's alright, Luna… you need to get some rest. You've been at this for days."

"That is where you are wrong, sister. This is not 'alright' even in the least sense of the word. Our subjects are in enormous danger! This world is in enormous danger!" Luna countered, clearly angry with not being able to come up with anything on the subject matter at hand. She was starting to feel a bit… useless. She had bouts of depression and feelings of uselessness ever since her return from banishment.

"I know, Luna. But you mustn't kill yourself over this… for I need you more than ever in this troubling time," Celestia cooed, draping a wing over her sister's prone form.

Luna sighed in contentment within her sister's embrace.

"And I shall be here, for I am going nowhere… even if you banish me once more," she quipped. Celestia winced a bit at the implication but her features softened as fast as they hardened.

"I know, and I'm sure I couldn't keep you away even if I wanted to. Right now though, I require your aid. We need to have an audience with the—wait… what is that?" Celestia cut herself off, motioning out the large glass window which gave a perfect view of the land below the mountain and the Everfree forest.

Luna shifted her body to a sitting position on her rump and turned her head to where Celestia was looking, both of them finding a flying object of some sorts coming from the sky and gingerly going below the Everfree Forest's canopy line… presumably landing.

"I believe something just… landed in the Everfree. Did we schedule any Chariots? Or are there any Guard Training Regiments today for that location?" Luna asked, thinking out loud. Celestia shook her head.

"Not that I'm aware of, but I have a feeling that the meteor strike and this object landing in the forest are directly correlated."

"What makes you proclaim that assumption, Sister?" Luna asked, looking up and turning her attention to Celestia.

"Call it a mare's intuition… and thousands of years of experience in coincidences… and being a magic adept," she reasoned with a small chuckle. Luna returned the gesture as well.

"Well, if this anomaly is connected with the meteor and consequently this Poison, perhaps we will find some answers?"

Celestia nodded lightly.

"Hopefully. If that is to be the case, inaction is not a luxury we can afford." The Solar Alicorn concluded. Luna only held her gaze on her sister's face, which was staring towards the Forest tens of miles in the distance. Celestia then continued:

"I'll send a letter addressed to Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the Elements to be vigilant and to examine this occurrence immediately. I'd trust no other at this point."

"Very well, and I shall inform the Guard to stand by and be ready to intervene at moments notice," Luna said resolutely, finally getting some clear direction in her head.

"You do that. And worry not, Lulu. As with over a thousand years of our combined and singular rule, even the worst problems can be worked out. This shall be no different," Celestia said, nuzzling her little sister once more.

"Approaching Destination"

Samus was stirred from her slumber by her ship's computer. She groaned and sat up, taking a look out of the cockpit and confirming that the lush-looking planet of Equis was indeed in sight… in fact taking up the whole window pane. She ran her fingers through her hair once and sat down in the pilot's seat, taking over the controls once more and disengaging the autopilot.

These planets always look so much more majestic from space… yet always a damn hellhole on the ground.

She keyed in a few commands on the ship as she braced for penetration into the atmosphere.

Then again, I'm sure an Omega Pirate would look majestic from space as well.

Her orange metal-plated ship brilliantly reflected light on the sunny day. As she closed in on the ground, Samus picked a suitable landing point in a very small clearing in an enormous forest. As she approached, she began to note several distinct landmarks, notably the small town that was northward, as well as a large citadel-esque structure embedded in the side of a mountain.

Sapient and Civilized life on the planet. I'll send a report to the Federation.

Samus was oddly relieved at the sign of life, but the next question plagued her: what kind of life? She was no stranger to other sapient beings outside of humanity, especially since her line of work found her within the ranks and presence of other creatures that weren't human. What she knew for certain was that this was not a Space Pirate outpost.

Not yet at least.

I'll explore the surrounding area and determine the best way to reveal my presence to the town… and naturally I'll have to meet with leaders.

Samus was mentally running over what had to be done in her head in order to quickly contain the spread of Phazon with utmost precision and least amount of lives lost. Her thoughts were jarred when her ship flew below the forest canopy and the under-ship landing gear touched down. Samus spared a few glances outside of the cockpit, examining the thick lushness of the forest which was undoubtedly teeming with life… some most likely more hostile than docile. The fun part was finding out which was which.

All part of the job, I suppose. Now, I guess it's time to get dressed for work.

She gingerly got up from the pilot's seat and walked to the rear of her ship which housed a circular plate on the floor surrounded by other forms of equipment. Standing in the middle of it and after tying up her hair in a ponytail with a red band, she keyed in a few commands on the console, bringing everything to life. Samus spread her legs slightly and held her arms out as a small anti-gravity field suspended her about a foot in the air. Satisfied that everything was running its natural course, she sighed in contentment and closed her eyes, putting her full trust in the mechanics of what was essentially her home.

Two mechanical arms combined orange and yellow armor over her lower body, sealing the two parts together and encasing her long and toned legs in nigh impenetrable armor. Black underlay was added as necessary as the largest armor set was attached to her torso. The golden abdominal armor was of a more flexible material to allow for natural breathing cycles. Next was her breast and back plates, with the former jutting outwards and forming a ridge on account of her bust. Finally, her arms met the same fate as they were encased in their own armor, although her hands donned a more flexible form of the exoskeleton to allow for full use of her digits… also, the forearm of her right appendage was left without any protection, making way for her weapon, the Arm Cannon, to slide over it and connect to her elbow plate. The arm armor was then connected to the entire exoskeleton with two large, spherical shoulder plates, completely flanking her head on either side. At last, the gravity disengaged and Samus was set on her feet with a resounding metal "clink." Her Chozo exoskeleton lit up green on several points; especially the top of her hands and two slits on the breast plate.

The suit was now active... the Powered Armorsuit that was largely biological in nature and bound to her, was once again summoned for duty. Samus normally didn't have to have each and every part of her Varia Suit put on her body, for she could easily equip and unequip it by keying in a few commands on her Arm Cannon or arm (or simply willing it by her conscious thought). However, the suit had to physically come off once in a while, usually after large amounts of time being deployed, so it could be cleaned and repaired.

Samus did a once over of herself to ensure everything was in order. She grinned, satisfied as always, before turning for the last piece of her Varia Suit: her helmet. She carefully picked it up off of one of the residual mechanical arms and secured it over her head with a resounding click and hiss, equalizing the pressure inside of it with the rest of the suit. The full face visor showed green like the other points of interest on her suit, although from the inside, the view was not shrouded with green… as is the point of a 'visor.'

Samus looked over herself once more before giving a curt nod to no one in particular. With a metal clink for each step she took, she made her way to the elevator of her small ship which lead to the only exit: up top. The hatch to the outside world opened (not before ensuring the air breathable and not corrosive) and the floor rose up. She stood now on the top of her ship, drawing a few breaths of filtered, outside air and gauging the surroundings (although she was appreciating them more, as she was in space for longer than she had cared to be). Samus lazily swung her right arm (Arm Cannon) around out of habit, listening to the sounds of the forest.

A quaint area… I like it.

With her initial paranoia satisfied, Samus hunched down and with great strength, launched herself off the top of her ship and somersaulted in the air numerous times; landing perfectly on her feet and in a crouched position in front of her ship.

That never gets old; no matter how many times I do it.

She stood up on the earthly surface for the first time and took a full look around her, ensuring that she wasn't being watched by anything with malicious intent. Her second paranoia satisfied, she brought her cannon up to her chest and keyed in a few commands on it with her left hand, arming her Power Beam and establishing a cloaking device on her ship. Her visor booted up with several schematics such as current weapon layouts, different visor capabilities, energy shielding (fully charged), and other range-finding and useful tools. With final preparations complete, she did an obligatory swing of her Arm Cannon and proceeded to walk northward into the forest.

So it begins once more.

2. Ponies

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 2

Ponies

All her systems were a go as Samus trekked through the first trees out of the clearing. She held her Arm Cannon at a slightly raised position while she used her left hand to help clear a path through the foliage when necessary. It was a habit to be in a 'passive-aggressive' state, because from her experience, that extra second to lift her Cannon to battle ready status could mean the difference between besting an enemy or being severely wounded.

Either way, she was extremely cautious in this new environment… simply listening to the sounds of the forest as nothing of particular interest showed up that was worth gathering information about… for the time being. Soon enough, out of pure habit, Samus brought her left hand up to her helmet and switched her standard Combat Visor to her Scan Visor, allowing her to find particular objects and points of interest… "scanning" them, and retrieving sometimes vital information. Small indicators appeared over scan-able trees and fauna, but nothing really necessary to her survival or mission completion. There was no Phazon in the area. That was certain.

The town appeared a few miles north of here. Maybe something interesting will happen on my way there…

Samus set herself right on her course and walked on.

Oh who am I kidding, of course something will happen. It never fails.

It was basic Hunter instinct and experience that told her no matter how quiet the forest may be, she was never alone. After taking a few more steps the sound of a branch breaking behind her immediately grabbed her attention. Samus spun on her heel and planted her legs in a combat ready stance, pointing her Arm Cannon in the general area of the offensive noise… only to find a rabbit staring at her in a curious way. She lowered her weapon slightly and looked back with a humorous expression on her face… although the outside world couldn't see it through her green visor.

A little rabbit… it's kinda cute.

Soon after, a doe emerged from the bushes next to the rabbit, again sporting the curious look on its face.

Deer… are they not afraid of me?

Samus lowered her Cannon to her side and sensed movement behind her. Upon turning her head and consequently her body around, she was shocked to find a falcon and a couple other birds land on the ground and the surrounding branches. As she eyed the birds, Samus felt something nudge the back of her helmet. Turning once more she found the doe nuzzling her. Her defenses crumbled and she reached out with her left hand to stroke the face of the doe, petting it. Although they couldn't see it, Samus was definitely smiling in a giddy fashion. She hadn't been this close to wildlife before, at least the wildlife that didn't want to kill her.

There was another twig snap, which gained the attention of every animal, accompanied by a series of low growls. Samus turned towards the area in question to find the offending creatures.

Wolves…

The animals all scurried and flew away, leaving Samus alone, which was perfectly fine by her. However, something was off about these wolves…

Are they… made of wood?!

The four wolves began to circle her, deciding not to attack her yet so they could gauge her threat level. Samus used this time to scan the weird creatures. Switching to her scan visor, she pressed and held a button once her visor reticle was trained on one of the creatures. The scan finished with three 'beeping' sounds, displaying information on Samus's visor:

"Recorded to Logbook."

[Morphology: Timber Wolf]

You have got to be kidding me… seriously?

[Lumber composed Canine Predator. Possess all traits of the common wolf, save for being bound together by innumerable pieces of wood by unknown means. Common predator in the forests of planets within the 51st Quadrant of Federation Space. Timber Wolf bodies are very fragile as a result of their construction. Exploit this weakness; however be aware of the wolves' unusually sharp teeth and claws.]

All she needed to know. She switched to her combat visor once more and raised her Arm Cannon in an offensive stance, pointing it towards the first wolf.

Alright… Sammy needs to practice her aim. Which one of you is first?

On cue, one of the timber wolves snarled and lunged at her from behind. Samus, in fractions of a second due to experience, immediately targeted the offending creature, aimed her Cannon and fired one Power Beam projectile with a resounding:

*BLAM!*

The golden projectile flew forward at high velocity and hit the attacking timber wolf midair, striking it in the chest and causing it to explode in a hail of lumber and wood fragments. After the first wolf went down, Samus immediately turned back towards her front and wasted no time in finishing off the rest before they could attack her or flee to regroup.

*BLAM!* *BLAM!* *BLAM!*

In perfect succession, Samus fired three more rounds into the three timber wolves, scattering their wooden carcasses all over the forest floor. She retracted her Arm Cannon in front of her and placed her left hand over the chassis in a semi-victorious fashion.

Too easy…

Samus began to casually walk away before she heard a slight twitching in the lumber remains behind her. She peeked over her shoulder plate and found the timber wolves reassembling themselves from the remains.

Or not.

Samus returned to her fighting stance, facing the four wolves that were hell bent on getting revenge on her for scattering their forms. To her, it was obvious that she couldn't shoot them with her Power Beam or simply pull them apart by conventional means. She kept her sights and Cannon trained on the growling and snarling timber wolves… just waiting for them to make a move. But before any attack came, the solution hit her like a Pirate Frigate:

Samus, you're an idiot.

She adjusted the orientation of the fingers of her right hand inside of the Arm Cannon, consequently eliciting a golden glow of the appendage that emanated from the barrel, but moved its way to the rear and back in a 'scanning' motion. The Cannon then became elongated outwards, stretching its components, with the voids being filled with magma: Samus's feared Plasma Beam.

Her new weapon armed, she trained the sights on the first timber wolf and fired. A powerful beam of pure molten substance shot out at high velocity, striking the creature and burning it up completely. There were no remains to be seen. Two of the other wolves jumped her at once, only for Samus to roll out of the way and fire two more beams in rapid succession; incinerating the two timber wolves where they stood. She aimed her Cannon at the last timber wolf who was cowering at the sight of his companions getting vaporized. Samus didn't fire and gave the creature a chance to flee.

"Go! Get out of here… before I charge this damn thing."

The wolf needed no other harsh words. It turned on its legs and scampered off into the forest, whimpering the entire way. Samus gave a curt nod in its direction, acknowledging the defeat. Her Cannon phased back to her Power Beam (which was the default beam) before she turned around and strolled northward through the forest once more.

'Timber' wolves… hehe.

Samus continued her trek, but not in a hurried pace. She didn't know the extent of the Phazon threat. For that, the Federation would have to do more investigating, but from what she could tell, this forest at least wasn't afflicted. Still, it was wise to get things done in a timely manner; at least in her line of work… it tended to avoid casualties. Her animal friends from before joined up with her again, walking alongside her. Granted, this wasn't something she was used to in the slightest, but she didn't complain about the company. Animals tended to have a knack for sensing things beyond human scope, after all.

Once again, Samus was stirred from her happy musings by an enormous roar in the distance… approximately a small trek east of her position. It wouldn't have been too bad, if said roar wasn't immediately followed (and overlapped) by a shrill scream of terror. Samus immediately sprung into a battle ready stance and looked off into the general area of where the two vocalizations came from. The animals, oddly enough, didn't scurry, but ran towards the sound. Before Samus could even wonder about them, the doe and the rabbit stopped and turned their heads over their shoulders, yet still ready to scurry off towards the disturbance… it was as if they knew something.

They want me to follow them... I really don't know how I feel about this. This planet is already too weird...

... I'm really about to put my trust in wild animals, aren't I? Goddammit.

Samus nodded to the animals; prepared to follow them; the birds, doe, rabbit, and others sped off towards the continuing cries for help and roars. Samus ran behind them, matching their agility when having to bound over downed trees, cross natural trenches (by her choice of either jumping or somersaulting… or both). Soon enough the animals scurried in random directions, leading Samus to infer that they were right on top of the disturbance.

"That is not how you talk to somepony, mister!"

Some…pony?

Samus's thoughts and questions were tossed aside when an enormous roar sounded again to her right. She turned and was met with the sight of what looked like an enormous lion… easily beyond several times the size of her, with a scorpion's tail and wings on its back.

Not even knowing who (or what) cried for help initially, or talked just now, she sprang into action by instinct once the creature's sights of aggression turned on her. Samus aimed her cannon at the large creature, almost unphased by its appearance. Through her adventures, Samus's most used phrase soon became: "Oh jeez, what the hell is that?" So, using the preliminary calm before the impending battle, Samus did what she always did: scan.

Switching to her scan visor with her left hand, the internal computer in her helmet downloaded the necessary information as the two circled each other.

*BEEP-BEEP-BEEP*

"Recorded to Logbook."

[Morphology: Manticore]

[Hybrid Feline predator. Manticores are known for their seemingly genetic hybridity between a large lion, scorpion, and bat, as evidence from the large scorpion's tail and the large wings they possess. Enormously territorial and confrontational, manticores will relentlessly attack their prey and enemies with their razor sharp claws, stinging barb in the tail which produces highly toxic venom, and their powerful jaws. Subjects are extremely aggressive and very durable, possessing higher than average predatorial constitution and alacrity. Proceed with caution.]

Samus returned her visor to its combat form and planned her manner of attack-and-defend. Coming up with something solid, she unleashed fire from her Arm Cannon's Power Beam, unloading seven rounds into the manticore… which doubled back in pain (obvious from the anguish in its roars), but it ultimately only served to enrage the beast even more without dealing any lasting or crippling wounds. It charged at her and took a swipe. Samus dashed and rolled out of the way before getting back on her feet and unleashing another torrent of rapid fire of her Power Beam, followed by the launching of a missile. The missile exploded somewhere on the chest of the manticore, leaving the fur singed and burned but nevertheless it soldiered on, becoming even more enraged. It swiped again at her and Samus rolled out of the way once more, but only to come into contact with the manticore's scorpion tail sweeping in her path. It collided with her fiercely and she was thrown against a tree, shattering the bark with her impact.

Samus slumped to the ground after the hard impact but instantly recovered on her feet. She took notice that her suit's energy drained a decent fraction as a result of the attack. Getting back into the fight, she concluded that ranging the manticore would only further aggravate it, and she didn't think it was a particularly good idea to attempt to set it on fire due to them being in a forest (the Plasma Beam only worked for the timber wolves because they were flammable as well as their size, allowing for near instantaneous vaporization). So, Samus believed she'd have to get in close and go for a killing strike… but that could prove problematic with the manticore's cat-like reflexes and barbed tail. After circling each other once more, the Hunter formed another plan.

She altered her right hand's orientation inside her Arm Cannon by separating her fingers outward, thus switching to the Wave Beam. She fired three rounds at the creature, each one homing in on it despite its attempts to evade; shocking it each time it hit. Samus then charged the beam, gathering its energy and forming an enormous ball of pure, purple-colored electricity which was coursing through her now bloated Arm Cannon. The creature still didn't back off, so she released the enormous projectile with a loud 'bang,' having it find its target in the manticore's chest. The impact of pure electricity sent the beast into a catatonic and convulsive seizure where it stood. Using this opening, Samus sprinted towards the creature and leaped up onto it, climbing onto its back while it was still in the midst of the Wave Beam's electrical shocking effect. Once she reached the back of its neck, she armed a missile and inserted the Cannon into its mouth; firing off the concussive round and having it detonate inside. That ended the fight immediately as the manticore stopped moving and slumped to the ground lifeless. As the now deceased creature fell to the ground, Samus leaped off of its back, somersaulting once more and landing on her feet; turning to see her handiwork.

That was… interesting. That hit hurt, too.

Samus gave a curt nod to the corpse, honoring it, in a weird sense, for providing her with a worthy battle. She respected all of her adversaries in her own way, even the ones she loathed with a passion.

Ridley…

She stretched her back and arms out, and as she was about to turn around another snap of a twig alerted her to another presence. Samus instantly raised and aimed her Cannon out to the side towards the noise.

"Eeep…"

Huh?

Samus lowered her Cannon and turned towards the faint voice and found a cream-yellow, pink-maned…

Pony…?

Upon a closer look, it had wings, which Samus was able to recall the names for winged horses being 'pegasus,' or 'pegasi,' in this case. She found the smaller creature trembling with fright and hiding one of its teal blue eyes behind its mane. Samus cautiously approached the pony as to not frighten her any more than she already was… most likely as a result of witnessing the battle between her and the maticore. She (or Samus assumed it was a 'she,') didn't even attempt to run. It was literally paralyzed in fear, and only trembled and whimpered more so as Samus stepped closer. When she was close enough, Samus got down on one knee so she could be at approximate eye level with the pegasus, who only shrunk lower, but managed to look back with some curiosity in her eye. The Hunter extended her left hand as a sign of good will to the creature and spoke with a soft tone:

"Do not be afraid, little pony. I mean you no harm."

The pony stopped trembling a bit and peeked out more from her mane in order to get a better look at Samus… or what probably looked like a 'metal monster' to her. She did not expect such a soothing and feminine sounding voice to permeate through the robotic creature… one that didn't even appear to have a mouth.

The pegasus wordlessly nodded, although she was still apprehensive. This universal language of approval or acceptance took Samus a bit by surprise; for now there was no doubt that the pony understood her perfectly. She decided to 'press her advantage,' in a manner of speaking.

"Were you the one that screamed for help?" the Hunter asked. She mainly hoped to prove that she meant the creature no harm through the softness of her voice rather than through cognitive understanding. There was little doubt in her mind that the creature was sapient and could probably speak; however the chances of the pony actually speaking the same language as her were virtually nonexistent.

"Y-yes…"

Samus's eyes widened (although the pony couldn't see). She did a quick check and confirmed that her helmet's translator was not active for the response. Now this was completely unexpected.

"Wait… you're able to understand me?" Samus asked, clarifying.

"Y-yes… I can…Why wouldn't I?" the pony replied, softening her stance and opening up a bit more. Samus drew her gaze down and to the side… pondering everything so far.

Sapient, Basic-speaking ponies. I can't even… Well, at least this makes things easier. A lot easier.

She turned back to the pegasus:

"Are you hurt? Do you require any medical attention?"

"N-no, I'm fine. Is h-he… dead?" she asked in return, pointing towards the corpse of the defeated manticore.

"Indeed."

The pony sighed and looked down in a disappointed/defeated manner.

"I was hoping it w-wouldn't have to come to that. I tried to calm him down but he wasn't having any of it. The animals have been acting insufferably lately. Either way, th-thank you for coming to my aid," she said a bit louder but still relatively softly and hiding behind her mane a bit. It was clear that she was either still nervous towards Samus, or just really shy. Samus picked the former.

"No problem… but what's your name?" Samus asked.

"I-I'm Fluttersh…"

"I'm sorry? I couldn't hear you there."

"M-my name is F-Fluttershy…"

Umm… Sure. Fine. Okay.

"That's… an interesting name. I'm Samus. Samus Aran."

"I c-could say the same for you… if t-that's okay with you…"

Samus found her antics slightly amusing; especially since she was living up to her name in a manner of speaking. From what she could also gather, this Fluttershy was a lover of animals. That would explain a lot actually… especially when Samus's animal entourage led her to the pegasus when she was in danger. Speaking of which, Samus noticed that the doe and rabbit appeared next to Fluttershy, nuzzling her affectionately.

"Did you venture into the forest alone?"

"N-No. My five other friends and I came into the forest to search f-for something that apparently landed somewhere here. We split up to cover more ground and that's when I found the manticore," Fluttershy explained.

They witnessed my arrival and were looking for me. That also makes things easier…

Before Samus could speak, Fluttershy had the wheels turning in her head.

"Was it you who somehow came from the sky and landed here?" Samus nodded.

"You could say that, but there's an important reason as to why I'm here. That can all be discussed in due time but I believe it's in our best interest to find your friends and let them know of your safety as well as my presence," Samus suggested. Fluttershy, who was less afraid of the green-faced metal-clad creature now standing in front of her, seemed to agree.

"Y-yeah that would probably be a good idea. They shouldn't be too far away fr—"

"FLUTTERSHY?! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

They both turned at the interruption and found a Rainbow-maned pegasus rushing through some bushes.

"There you are Flutter…shy…" the female pegasus's voice trailed off as she took in the sight of Samus towering over Fluttershy; both looking at her. The cyan pegasus instantly flew towards Samus aggressively. Samus saw this coming (with a bit of astonishment) and dodged.

"What did you do to her, you freak?!" she asked with malice in her eyes, fluttering in place and ready to attempt another attack.

"RAINBOW DASH!" Fluttershy scolded. The two turned towards the yellow pegasus with surprised looks (though, of course, Samus's couldn't be seen).

"You have no reason to treat our guest like that! She, in all honesty, probably saved me from an enraged manticore!" Fluttershy proclaimed, pointing her hoof towards the downed manticore to further accentuate her point. Rainbow finally noticed the body. She mouthed 'Oooh…' in recognition.

"And her name is Samus!" Fluttershy continued. She then whispered to the Hunter:

"You are a girl… right?"

Samus wore a deadpanned expression, which, of course, was concealed. She merely nodded in response. Under Fluttershy's scrutiny, Rainbow Dash fluttered to the ground and rubbed the back of her head with one of her fore-hooves, a sheepish grin plastered on her face.

"S-Sorry about that… kinda got carried away when I saw you two there. After her scream I just kinda connected the easiest dots. Thanks for looking out for her," Rainbow apologized and expressed gratitude… although some of it came from obligation due to Fluttershy's serious expression, which lightened considerably.

"Don't worry about it. No harm done."

"I'm Rainbow Dash, by the way… and what are you?" the prismatic-maned pegasus asked, getting a closer look at the armor-clad Hunter.

"Samus, pleasure. And I'm human."

"Human, huh? Twilight would probably know more," Rainbow added. Fluttershy agreed.

"Yes, and we were talking before you arrived. It would probably be wise to find the rest of the girls. Samus here was actually the one who somehow landed here."

"Really?? You can fly?!" Rainbow Dash asked eagerly, her demeanor lightening up considerably.

"By myself, no. I actually arrived in my ship which is south from here," Samus responded, motioning behind her with her cannon.

"Ship? You mean like a chariot?" Dash asked confusedly.

This will take some explaining.

"Ehhh… more or less, yeah."

"That's… so awesome!! Can you show me? Huh? Can ya?" Rainbow asked even more eagerly, fluttering up to eye level with Samus.

Well, she's certainly taking a fully armed alien in stride.

"Later, we don't have the time for that right now. It's important that we find your friends since you've been looking for me," the Hunter responded.

"Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash! Where are you two?" another voice called out coincidentally.

Well, okay then!

"We're over here! Come this way! We found what we've been looking for!" Rainbow shouted back.

"What does that mean? And stay there, we're coming to you!"

"Waiting on you!" Rainbow shouted back once more.

"How many of you are there?" Samus asked out of curiosity.

"There's six of us, and you'll get to meet the other four in a few seconds."

Before the human could respond, four more ponies galloped through the brush towards them, stopping suddenly once they caught sight of the Hunter. They looked up at her in awe, and Samus wasn't sure how to go from here.

"G-Girls, this is Samus. She was the one who landed here in the Everfree and she rescued me from a large manticore, and she's a human… be nice to her…" Fluttershy introduced, still with her shy demeanor.

Unicorns… really now.

"A human?!" the lavender unicorn's eyes brightened. "All literature says they're just myths! And you don't really match the pictures."

Well, that's ironic.

"My, my… whatever it is you're wearing is simply marvelous!" the white unicorn exclaimed, walking around and examining the Hunter's armor. Samus watched her path out of instinct, a bit wary of that one.

"Oh, where are our manners? I'm Twilight Sparkle, personal student of one of our rulers, Princess Celestia, and tasked with assembling the six of us to discover what landed in the Everfree forest," the lavender unicorn introduced herself.

"I'm Rarity, and I must compliment you on your style of clothing… even if it is armor. You simply must tell me more about it when we get the time!" the white unicorn proclaimed.

"Ah'm Applejack. Me an' mah family run Sweet Apple Acres. Ain't gonna find finer apples in all of Equestria!" the orange mare commented.

'Equestria?' Must be their nation or colloquially recognized name for their planet.

"I'm Pinkie Pie but everypony calls me Pinkie. I work at Sugarcube Corner baking and cooking and I LOVE to party! Since you're an alien, that means you're not from this world and if you're not from this world then I don't know you and if I don't know you…" The pink mare stopped bouncing in place hyperactively and gasped audibly. Before she could do anything else, Twilight stopped her.

"Okay Pinkie, that's enough for now."

Samus stood there with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

Okay then..?

That's when she realized that it was probably wise to formally introduce herself as well. Confirming that the air was indeed breathable, she pressed a release on her helmet, accompanied by a click and hissing sound before she slid it off of her head, revealing her feminine, humanoid face. The other ponies' eyes lit up in awe as they got to see her true face that was not hiding behind the visor. Samus took a deep breath before speaking, holding her helmet under her left arm.

"I'm Samus. Samus Aran, and it's a pleasure to meet you all, albeit under somewhat less than appealing circumstances."

"Likewise, Miss Aran. I am under orders from our ruler, Princess Celestia, to take you with us so she can personally meet you, along with her sister. All will be explained and hopefully you can provide us with some—"

Twilight was interrupted when another roar in the distance made everyone perk up.

"While I appreciate the friendliness, Twilight, I think it would be better if we were not in this forest anymore…" the Hunter proclaimed. She nodded.

"You're probably right. Come on everypony, let's get back to the Library," Twilight ordered. Everyone nodded and formed up, walking northward towards the forest, Samus keeping somewhat to the rear, raising her cannon and just listening for trouble. She had replaced her helmet on her head for ease as well as to conceal her 'thinking face,' as she took everything in.

Talking, candy-colored ponies. I guess.

They trekked on in relative silence, save for a few questions asked back and forth (as they were saving the major discussion for when they weren't under threat of being slaughtered by possibly another manticore or whatever else lurked in the Everfree). After about an hour and a half's worth of travel, they arrived forest periphery.

"Twilight Sparkle, do you think it's a good idea for me to just stroll into town with you?" Samus pointed out, examining the town and its occupants going on about their days.

"Good point. I'll cast an invisibility spell on you and disengage it once we enter the Library."

Samus blinked a couple of times, wrapping her head around what was just told to her.

"Invisibility spell?"

"Well, yeah. It's quite common that—OH! Right, not from here. Well, as a unicorn I, as well as Rarity over there are capable of using and manipulating magic," Twilight explained.

Samus held a stoic face.

Magic. Why am I surprised? The Chozo were similar.

"Samus, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked, noticing that the Hunter was just standing there, her visor or helmet not moving in the slightest. Samus shook her thoughts clear.

"Very well. Do what you must," she finally answered. Twilight nodded and charged her horn, which Samus took great interest in.

I'm definitely getting a wealth of new information. I'll make certain of it. As well as a drink.

"Ready?" Twilight asked, confirming. Samus gave a curt nod. With that, Twilight's horn casted a single beam which enveloped the armor-clad Hunter and lingered momentarily before disappearing. Samus's systems responded immediately, displaying diagnostics on her visor.

[Unknown force acted upon Varia Suit. Scanning…]

[No adverse effects detected. Varia Suit has temporary ability to distort light waves, rendering you invisible.]

Samus was unable to see her physical body when she looked down. Waving her arms in front of her face failed to yield any results either. She was indeed, invisible.

"This is… very interesting," Samus commented, switching to her X-Ray visor and finding her physical body still there. She was still able to touch it as well.

Incredible... Even Shadow Pirate stealth technology pales in comparison.

Twilight giggled a bit. That was the usual reaction of those with first experience with a directly applied invisibility spell.

"I'll explain magic as best as I can to you when we sit down and talk about the whole situation at hoof. I'm assuming you know about the meteor that struck our planet?" Twilight asked.

"That is actually most of the reason why I'm here, so your assumption is correct. I feel it is wise to also speak with your leader or leaders as well when we do discuss important matters and implications," Samus added. Twilight nodded.

"Alright, I'll send a quick letter to the Princesses and they'll do their best to explain the entire situation. Now come on everypony, and… person?"

Samus grunted affirmatively at the correct word usage. Twilight nodded back with a smile and beckoned the group out of the brush and into the town limits. Samus followed closely behind, careful not to bump into anyone or anything. Soon enough they arrived at the front door of a large…

Tree house...

"We're here. Please, make yourself at home, Samus, and we'll send for the Princesses," Twilight added. Samus nodded in thanks to Twilight, letting herself in after the rest of the group.

The next few hours of discussion would be crucial.

3. Phazon

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 3

Phazon

Once the group of seven entered the Golden Oaks Library, the door was shut behind them and they dispersed in an organized way, finding solace in quick tasks to perform before the impending talk. After Twilight disengaged the invisibility, Samus opted for what looked to be an arm chair, albeit it was a tad small. Deciding against unequipping her Varia Suit just yet, she took Twilight's offer on getting herself comfortable. Samus lightly strolled over to the pretty comfortable looking chair with a resounding 'clink' after each step, which was ultimately drowned out by the random chatter going on between the six ponies in the room. With a sigh, Samus plopped down on the chair and just wordlessly stared at them, as well as her surroundings. The ponies let Samus have her space for now out of what appeared to be courtesy, but the Hunter believed that the motivation was more so out of apprehensiveness.

It was interesting to see that the entire, enormous tree had been hollowed out and created into a rather quaint living residence. The wood finish on everything provided a homely sense of tranquility, on top of large amounts of books that were undoubtedly filled with limitless knowledge of this new land Samus was in. She'd be sure to ask to borrow a few books on choice subjects, more towards pony demography and other cartographical references so she could log them into her database and map respectively. That would actually be first priority when she set off once more: mapping the area as best as she could. Since Samus was relatively sure that no map station existed on Equis, (or Equestria, as it's called), she'd have to insert map data manually.

On another note, Samus could not even remember the last time she was cordially invited into someone's place of residence; or rather she assumed this library was also a place of residence if the bedrooms and bathrooms gave her any indication. She had foregone much social contact, but that was the way of life of a Bounty Hunter. Even though she was here on business and business only, it was a welcome change. Though she worked alone, she had no complaint about having allies… at least that's what she hoped to ultimately consider these ponies.

As the ponies all chatted, got snacks, and talked about what would be written in a letter to what sounded like their leaders, Samus decided to do something that she had foregone earlier due to the circumstances.

Let's see if we can get a bit more information on our hosts…

The Hunter switched her visor to Scan, intending to learn as much as she could about the dominant species. Her reticle locked onto Twilight as she had her back turned and was talking with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

"Recorded to Logbook."

[Morphology: Equis Unicorn]

[Sapient energy-manipulating equine life-form. Native inhabitants of Equis, unicorns are one of four types of 'ponies,' the others being normal or 'earth' ponies, 'pegasi' ponies, and 'alicorns;' the latter which appear to be hybrids between the unicorns and pegasi. Unicorns are easily identified by the protruding, pointed appendage on their foreheads, commonly referred to as a 'horn.' This allows the species to control limited portions of the physical forces within themselves and the surrounding universe, bestowing them with numerous abilities including, but not limited to: directly manipulating the resulting energy to their whim, using as a telekinetic medium, or, in extreme cases, distorting reality. These feats are colloquially known as 'magic.' Abilities are not unlike the Chozo expertise and powers, save for the absolute need of the horn in order to utilize said abilities. If the horn is damaged/destroyed or violently removed, magic usage is nigh impossible without extreme probability of backfire.]

That's… very interesting, actually.

"SPIKE?! Are you here?! I need you to take a letter!" Twilight yelled out, turning around. This revealed another scan-able object: her horn.

"Yeah I'm here! I'll be down in a sec," a voice called back.

"Recorded to Logbook."

[Object: Equis Unicorn Horn]

[Organic force-manipulation appendage. A unicorn's horn is composed of bone, cartilage and an unknown genetic neurological makeup. It allows the tapping into and harnessing of the physical forces for any use which would be determined by the 'spellcaster;' as its manipulation is commonly referred to as 'magic.' Harnessing of forces (e.g. kinetic, gravitational, magnetic, etc.) is essentially explained, in theory by the creation of artificial vector fields with unlimited free parameters, allowing the unicorn to perform nearly any task with the 'borrowed' potential energy. Horns are very sensitive to touch, where the firmer touch has the ability to cause enormous pain, and the lighter touch has the effect comparable to an erogenous zone.

I could have lived my life not knowing that…

Use the former property of sensitivity to your advantage if at all necessary. If the horn becomes crippled in any way, magic summoning is all but impossible without extreme (and possibly deadly) repercussions for the caster.]

"…That should be all. Go ahead and send it to Princess Celestia please," Samus heard Twilight say when she disengaged the notes from her Scan Visor.

"Miss Aran?"

Samus perked up and looked to find Twilight standing with Spike. She had intended to scan one of the pegasi and earth ponies in order to read information, but Samus opted to just do a quick scan of Pinkie and Rainbow, before logging the data and answering Twilight's call.

"Please, Twilight. 'Samus' is just fine. And yes?"

"I'd like to introduce you to my number one assistant, Spike. He's a baby dragon," Twilight motioned to the young drake, who was looking in awe at the new visitor.

"Twilight… seriously?" Spike complained, as he didn't want to be embarrassed in front of their new visitor by being called a 'baby,' though he technically was. Samus only stared at him for a few moments.

Dragon…

She shook herself out of her musings.

"Samus. Pleasure, Spike," Samus curtly introduced herself, offering her hand to which he accepted the gesture. The other ponies came trotting over as well, forming around her, although not invading her personal space.

"Wow… you don't look like humans that I've read about in books. Is this your skin? Or scales?" The young drake asked.

"Not quite. This is more of… battle armor," Samus replied, attempting to find a suitable analogy for her Varia Suit. She figured 'Chozo Warrior Exoskeleton' would elicit a few more questions than what she was willing to answer at the moment.

"Ah, like the Royal Guards," Twilight inferred. Samus shrugged.

"I'll take your word for it. But on that note, I take it your leaders are on their way and I don't believe it would be wise to be donned in battle-ready equipment. Allow me," Samus added, standing up and activating the console on her Arm Cannon hinge. The circular console flipped out and she typed in a few commands on the buttons, the result being her entire figure engulfed in a golden, transparent light for about two seconds. When the directed light faded away, Samus's Varia Suit had vanished, leaving her clad in her Zero Suit.

The ponies were silent at first, taking in Samus's true appearance as she stretched herself out and ultimately plopped back down on the comfy chair with a satisfactory sigh.

That's better.

"You really don't look so tough out of your armor," Rainbow Dash commented with her ever present overconfidence. Samus just gave her a deadpanned look.

"Samus, we sent a letter to the Princesses and they should be with us soon. In the meantime, we thought we could just… umm… talk?" Twilight awkwardly suggested. In truth she was dying to get answers to almost every question she could think of, but some information was best left for when Celestia and Luna arrived.

Samus noted the fact that she would soon be meeting with the equine leaders, or Princesses. Until then, she also acknowledged that there was not much else to do but chat idly. Samus figured that she could at least make some effort in familiarizing herself with her surroundings as well as the inhabitants with what limited social skills she possessed. She shrugged.

"Very well; we'll leave all discussions on my arrival and purpose for when your Princesses show up. But until then, yeah, I suppose we could… talk," Samus answered with equal awkwardness. To hell with being invited in as a guest, she couldn't remember the last time she actually sat down and leisurely spoke with others.

Not since Zebes… I miss all of them.

Twilight brightened at the opportunity, as did the others who more than desired to know more about the Hunter, which struck Samus as rather odd. An alien-being touched down on their planet, they locate her and almost instantly treat her like a friend, even in her most menacing form which was in her Varia Suit. Granted, they were quite the bit more apprehensive when Samus was clad in her battle armor as opposed to her sitting in nothing more than her Zero Suit that moment, but still! The ponies were very accepting so it seemed. She didn't understand these ponies in the slightest, but that wouldn't always have to be the case. Also, that didn't mean that she wasn't the least bit grateful for their hospitality and non-hostility towards her. She'd be sure to express that again in due time.

"So, Darling, I have to say: whatever you're wearing right now is simply magnificent!" Rarity commented, entranced with the Bounty Hunter's choice of attire. Samus could safely say that she had never talked, or had been complimented, about her Zero Suit.

"Thank you. It's not the most stylish or, depending where you are, appropriate attire…" Samus began, referring to the skin-tightness with her latter clause, shooting a fleeting glance at her chest. "…but at least it's really comfortable and flexible. Very much required in my line of work," she explained.

"But you don't have wear that all the time, right?" Rainbow asked, admiring its color scheme.

"Well, of course I'd have to take it off once in a while for obvious reasons."

"'Once in a while??' Dear, do you mean to tell us that that's the only item of actual clothing you have?!" Rarity asked, almost flabbergasted. That was an interesting question for the young Hunter. Samus actually thought for a few seconds and she couldn't even remember if she carried 'normal' clothing in her gunship at any time. It was always habit for her to constantly be in her Zero Suit (and putting it back on after having to remove it for whatever purpose) in case she had to jump into her Battle Suit in a moment's notice. She really had no use for casual clothing.

"Ummm… I believe so. I've had no other use for regular clothing. I haven't been in an environment where I've needed it, or could have used it; especially since on my previous missions, everything in the environment wanted to kill me. I had to be in my Varia Suit at all times. Keeping up appearance really isn't much of a priority," Samus pointed out.

"Yer Very-what now?" Applejack inquired. Samus retained a stoic/neutral expression on her face, but she almost giggled at that. Almost.

"My Varia Suit. My battle suit that you all met me in." There was a collective 'ah' of understanding from the six ponies and one dragon.

"Then that settles it! You simply must let me create a couple new sets of clothes for you, Samus. Absolutely free of charge!" Rarity said with enthusiasm and an inflection that left little to argue with.

"Ummm… Rarity, right?" The white unicorn nodded. "As much as I appreciate your generosity, I'm here strictly on assignment and no time to socialize," Samus added.

"Maybe so, but for how long?"

*KNOCK**KNOCK*KNOCK*

Everybody perked up at the firm knocks at the door.

"That was… fast…" Samus commented. Twilight got up and trot to the door.

"They're usually here a lot faster," Twilight retorted as she opened the door. She was greeted by the sight of the two regal sisters, ever smiling and grinning (on Luna's part), with about four Royal Guards standing next to them.

"Princesses!" Twilight yelled happily and embraced her mentor. Celestia only giggled a bit before returning said embrace, nuzzling her.

"Good to see you as always, my faithful student," Celestia added in.

"Indeed. Wonderful to see you again at last!" Luna commented.

"Please come in! Everypony is here, as well as our guest," Twilight beckoned the group inside. Samus could only hear the conversation as the door blocked her view, but when Twilight led the group inside, her eyes came upon what she could only describe as a 'pure white' alicorn (thinking in terminology from her scanner), accompanied by an equally admirable looking dark blue alicorn who was slightly shorter in stature. All appeared to have adorned royal regalia, so if that told the Hunter anything, they were definitely the Princesses.

All the ponies stood up from their sitting positions and Samus opted to do the same and leave the rather comfy chair for a moment. When the two alicorns locked eyes with everyone the ponies smiled and bowed to their leaders. They were not Samus's leaders so she opted more for a respectful nod of acknowledgement when they looked at her. That eased things a bit, she could tell. They nodded back to her. Samus kept note of what she assumed were Royal Guards, four of them flanking the princesses. Two of them gave Samus rather dirty looks, ones which she returned with a stoic gaze. Samus already didn't like them.

"Wonderful to see you all again, my little ponies. And, who might this be?" Celestia asked, turning her attention to the Zero Suit-clad Hunter. Twilight looked to Samus and nodded, essentially 'saying' that it was okay to introduce herself. She moved forward swiftly and rose her hand up in a greeting manner. Right when she was about to speak, the front guard intercepted her and lowered his spear at her. The ponies became very surprised at this point, as this all happened in a matter of about two seconds.

"Halt! You will not approach the Princesses unless directed by their sole discretion!" he spat out in clear contempt. The Elements were horrified and before either Luna or Celestia could act, Samus instantaneously raised her right hand and grabbed the front (not the tip) of the spear and redirected it harshly, still keeping it firmly grasped and surprising everyone with the sheer quickness of her action. She then gave the guard a rather intimidating stare, in which he himself wore an astonished gaze.

"Do not point your weapon at me… guard-dog," Samus ordered in a very calm and non-threatening tone.

"Steel Blade! Sheath your weapon immediately! Twilight Sparkle has already deemed the Human nonthreatening. You will let her approach." Luna scolded the Guard heavily. Samus and he locked eyes once more before she let the spear go, and he returned to his position.

"Many apologies on behalf of our guards. They can be quite overprotective," Celestia stepped forward to help close the distance between her and Samus. Luna fell into step with her sister as well.

"Really, it was no issue," the Hunter replied, fixing a lock of her hair behind her ear. Celestia nodded.

"Well, since it appears there is no language barrier, I'll get right to the chase. I am Princess Celestia, Princess of the Day. With me is my younger sister, Princess Luna, Princess of the Night," Celestia introduced, motioning her hoof towards Luna.

"Charmed," Luna added in with a small grin. "And we both co-rule over this nation of Equestria," she finished.

"Princesses Celestia and Luna, leaders of Equestria. Pleased to make your acquaintances, I'm Samus Aran," the Hunter introduced herself formally, extending her hand which the princesses accepted with a small shake. The other ponies just watched with keen interest and silence as the conversation unfolded.

"With what we were briefed by Twilight, we know enough to go on so we shan't play coy with you. Although you seem to possess great technology and weaponry, we have been informed that you are not of any threat to us... but the question remains: why are you here?" Luna asked.

Straight to the point. I like them already.

"I'm assuming you're aware of the meteor that landed somewhere?" Samus asked, confirming what she was readily sure that they already knew. Celestia grinned.

"I was hoping you had information about that. Come," Celestia said in a cool manner, gesturing with her front-right hoof towards the ground where all the pillows and a small table were. "Guards, you may leave us," she then added over her shoulder. Steel Blade looked like he was about to protest.

"DO NOT QUESTION MY SISTER'S ORDERS. LEAVE US IMMEDIATELY!" Luna affirmed in her amplified voice. Samus winced and covered her ears slightly, as did the other ponies. The guards were almost thrown off their hooves by the forcefulness of Luna's voice and they quickly nodded and scurried out, closing the door behind them.

Wow… I like her even more.

Celestia rubbed her ear slightly from the disturbance, obviously having been used to it, and turned back to the group with a smile.

"Now then, shall we?" she gestured once more. The entire group sat down and Samus pulled the arm chair up to the table. She crossed her legs and looked at the two princesses.

"So, are there any questions you may have about the meteor? I will have some questions for you as well before I tell you why I'm here, but I feel I owe everyone here some answers," Samus began. The others nodded.

"What exactly are we facing?" Celestia asked seriously. The others also looked to Samus who had a pensive look on her face, most likely attempting to find a way to explain.

"How many ponies have died since the blue poison reared its head?" she asked. The others were slightly taken aback by the bluntness of Samus's question. It obviously struck a chord with them.

"Before we came here, the death toll currently stands at around a hundred… and most likely to have risen," Luna replied. Samus nodded, uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her thighs and linking her hands together.

"The Blue Poison is known as Phazon, a mutagen that causes a whole host of problems. It originates from a specific type of meteor, much like the one that fell here... though where such meteors come from, we cannot say. Physical contact with Phazon is enough to cause instantaneous death, and those are the lucky ones. Others will become horribly mutated. Afflicted individuals will slowly lose their sanity as the Phazon takes them over… they'll become more aggressive and violent as they sometimes sport mutations that seem to defy genetics and biology. They'll crave it like a drug, further inducing madness and enormous hostility until they succumb to the corruption. That is, of course, if they weren't killed by first contact," Samus explained, obviously having seen its effects. She shuddered internally at the Pirate Projects.

Samus then took the liberty of showing some scans of corrupted organisms through her console, the Princesses doing their best to stifle their disgust, though their concern was now greatly amplified.

"What can we do to combat this threat?" Luna asked.

"You cannot combat the Phazon with other chemicals, or soldiers, or really anything. You can only contain it, and if my assumption is correct, you wouldn't seem as dire right now if your magic had been working in any way to eradicate it, right?" Samus clarified. Celestia shook her head.

"No, simple force and destruction spells only serve to spread it even more, and sending the material to another dimension is enormously taxing on those who have magic prowess, yet this 'Phazon' still replaces itself," the white alicorn confirmed. The other ponies were just quietly listening to the conversation, not really having anything to put into it. Twilight, however, was fully vested in it and looked like she had some things to say.

"Like Princess Luna, I too have done my research and no record of this 'Phazon' exists in Equestrian History or magical archives. If we can't destroy it, you said we can contain it, right?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, containment is very possible at the source, but that's about it. You'd need material that would be suitable for its storage and transportation. It appears large amounts of magic can do the job for transportation, but you'd need to transport it elsewhere for safe storage, and then again you'd also have to be aware that the impact site will still produce more Phazon," Samus explained.

"How is that even possible?" Twilight asked again.

"From my experience and investigations with the Galactic Federation, the entity of which is my current employer and where I formerly devoted myself to military service, point to the fact that these meteors have a 'core.' These cores are life-forms that are basic in nature and usually native to the planet that the meteor impacted on. These life-forms have undergone enormous Phazon corruption to the point where they are actually producing the Phazon itself. They are the heart of it, and the meteor most likely latched on to a native creature or entity when it impacted. Actually, that's nearly certain since you say the Phazon is spreading. If that's how these meteors truly work, we really don't know, but it's the only theory we have to go by right now that explains anything. Either way, if this 'core' is eliminated, all Phazon associated with it will dissipate."

"That settles it then! We shall search the impact area and rid our planet of this core element!" Luna proclaimed. Samus shook her head.

"Were it so easy. Although on a side note, you seem to have the answer to my main question: Where is the impact site?" the Hunter asked.

"The Frozen North, within about twenty miles of the Crystal Empire's borders. It's perpetually stormy, though. Nopony can fly through there and travel on foot is very dangerous," Celestia answered. Samus nodded in acknowledgement.

"Fair enough. However, as I was saying, it will not be as easy as just marching into the impact site, combating and eliminating the core element. We'll have no idea what's even in the crater... it may very well be impassable due to strains of Phazon that even my suit can't handle. The Phazon will most likely have corrupted other life-forms that will have to be eliminated as well. Also, there's the future issue of the Space Pirates," Samus began, being prepared to explain a great deal.

"Space Pirates?" Twilight, Celestia, and Luna asked at the same time.

"The Space Pirates are bipedal organisms like me, although they differ greatly in physical appearance. They're a war-mongering species that the Galactic Federation and I have been fighting for as long as I can remember. Their tactics are merciless and brutal, for they are responsible for the deaths of countless innocents. They search for ways to greater their species and ultimately defeat the Federation, and they have discovered one thing that has given them a possibly frightening advantage," Samus began explaining.

"Allow me to guess, the Phazon?" Luna asked.

"Indeed. I was on another planet known as Tallon IV and they had discovered the Phazon after a similar meteor strike annihilated other sentient elements, namely a race of bird-like creatures known as the Chozo. Upon investigating, the Pirates found the Phazon and began to use it as an energy source. It was successful, but then they noticed its horrific mutagen properties and began attempting to infuse it with other creatures as well as themselves."

The others began widening their eyes at the revelations; some even had hooves over their mouths.

"Many Pirates, of course, died. Others accepted a particular strain of Phazon and it successfully fused with their genetic code, creating violent and terribly corrupted versions of their already warlike selves. When I compromised their operations on Tallon IV, they discovered another planet, known as Aether, and attempted the same thing, harnessing the Phazon for their own nefarious purposes. After their bases of operations were destroyed there, I came here to head off the meteor crash before they inevitably come," Samus concluded. The mention of hostile invaders was enough to keep everyone silent, as they really had no idea how to respond to that. Samus took this opportunity to continue:

"This brings us to why I'm here. My mission is to head off the Space Pirate forward operations before they can cause any real damage, and believe me, they will attempt to subjugate your population with extreme prejudice. Not only am I to eliminate their forward operations, but I'm also here to destroy this Phazon core and rid the planet of the substance. If it's gone, there's little point for the Pirates to be here other than to search for other means of energy."

"This Galactic Federation, are they able to provide any assistance?" Celestia asked.

"Yes. For once in a long time, I have full resources available to me should we need them and this includes materiel and weapons, as well as soldiers and other necessities," the Hunter confirmed.

"Very well. We have the Royal Guard as well as a few other standing forces but if what you say is true we may need all the help we can acquire, and we'd be most appreciative if you are able to provide," Luna confessed.

"My job is to aid in whatever way I can. I will, however, call for some supply drops as soon as I can; for I have a feeling we'll need them. As we progress further, I'll most likely call for forces as well."

"Most excellent. Then I believe that is all we needed to hear, as we have to deal with all the affairs that are coming of this calamity. We thank you for your service here and if you need anything, please feel free to let Twilight know. She will forward any requests to us, for it's the least we can do. You are more than welcome to stay in this town, Ponyville, and use it as your base of operations. Since we assume you arrived in a ship, a real bed may appeal to your tastes more, but of course, feel free to move any materials you may need," Celestia finished, standing up with Luna. All the other ponies plus the Hunter stood up as well.

"Thank you, and of course thank you all for your non-hostility towards me as well as for everything else. Normally I'd have to refuse your offer and I'd feel safer and more comfortable in my ship, but since there actually is a population, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to stay closer to those of importance, which if my instincts tell me anything, these six ponies are indeed of importance," Samus spoke with gratitude, motioning towards the Elements who had varying degrees of smiles and pensive looks on their faces. "Also, an actual bed sounds… kinda nice," Samus added. The Princesses smiled and Twilight jumped up at the opportunity:

"Samus, you can stay here if you like. This library is close to the center of this town and I'm in constant contact with the Princesses. I can reach them on a moment's notice and I have no problem resizing the bed and other amenities you may require," the lavender unicorn offered with a grin filled with gratitude. Samus couldn't understand right now how accepting they were of her, even offering her a place to stay outside of her ship. Also, nigh immediate contact with the Princesses was always a plus.

"Very well, I'll accept your offer. Thank you, Twilight," the Hunter responded in kind. Twilight nodded in acknowledgement and Princess Celestia levitated something out of a bag she brought with her. Thy looked like scrolls.

"Then it's settled. Also, Samus, we feel you might find these useful," the white alicorn began as she placed the papers on the table in front of Samus. "They're maps of Ponyville as well as other major areas including the Crystal Empire and Frozen North. We feel you might have great use for these," she finished. Samus unrolled one of the scrolls to find a map of Ponyville beautifully cartographed. Samus grinned.

Perfect…

"These will do nicely. Thank you, Princesses," Samus responded with a small nod of gratitude and respect.

"Of course, but now, we must be off. Thank you once again and we hope to see you soon. We will update you on any knowledge or findings we come across immediately, so expect to hear from us often," Luna spoke as the two Princesses walked out the door. "Until then, everypony," she added before the door shut behind them. The remaining group all looked at each other.

"Well, since Samus is staying here, I better get to work on preparing the guest room with Spike. In the meantime, since it's getting later, why don't the five of you take Samus around the town so she can familiarize herself with her new 'base of operations?' Once that's done, it would probably be wise to move any things she might have to the Library. Is that okay with you, Samus?" Twilight asked. Samus thought for a bit.

Well… it is getting later and I have little scan data that has been provided to me by Federation intelligence, or that my ship is picking up. To add on top of that, I have no idea where I'm going just yet and there is no sign of the Pirates… yet. As much as it goes against my philosophy I guess a relaxing tour of the area couldn't hurt.

"Sure, that's a sound plan for the moment. I suppose it also would be beneficial to introduce the locals to my presence while many are still out," the Hunter agreed.

"Alright!" Rainbow Dash said a bit enthusiastically.

"YAY! Samus is staying with us!!" Pinkie almost yelled out, bouncing up and down.

A bit excitable… jeez.

"Indeed, darlings. Now, let us be off, for we're burning sunlight," Rarity added, beginning to lead the way out of the door. Rainbow and Pinkie followed suit before Samus exited, followed by Applejack and Fluttershy.

Extra support from the locals could only benefit me anyways. This will hopefully prove beneficial.

Twilight giggled a bit as she watched her friends go with the Hunter in her company. It was always nice to see somepony, or somebody different being readily accepted, as was true to the ponies' nature. However, Twilight still couldn't help but worry for Equestria's future with these threats looming. For once, as an Element of Harmony, she felt somewhat useless since magic would have little effect right now.

In the end though, they've defeated threats without the elements, and this would be no different. With Samus's help, as well as whatever the Galactic Federation was, they'd overcome this with Equestria emerging stronger than ever.

Things would work themselves out as always.

"Right…?"

[Transmission Database]

[Compose New]

[To: Galactic Federation High Command | RE: Mission VK109H]

I've established a foothold on the planet and come into contact with sapient life forms of Equis. They are ponies and I've appeared to earn their trust for the time being, making the job easier. Transferring now is all scan data I have acquired, as well as my personal notes and experiences which include the extent of Phazon threats as of right now. Please review them. Also, requesting supply drop Class A.

Samus Aran

[Transmission Sent]

[Incoming Transmission]

[From: Galactic Federation High Command | RE: Mission VK109H]

Data received and currently being reviewed. We will provide you with intelligence as it comes in. For now, stand by and keep watch for any Pirate Activity. Aid in what you can against Phazon threats, Space Pirate activity, and population protection but do not take up your usual crusade just yet. We are conducting Phazon-centric research and some more time; the samples generated from the planet will prove most valuable.

Offer your expertise to the Pony Leadership if at all requested. Troops will be ready for deployment to Equis in a week's time and on standby around the clock.

Supply Drop request confirmed.

High Command

[End Transmission]

4. Discovery

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 4

Discovery

The Zero Suit-clad Huntress had been given the grand tour of her new base of operations, albeit with a few disruptions here and there but that didn't bother her too much… except when Rarity had attempted to take her measurements when they stopped temporarily at her boutique. Eventually, Samus had conceded although she felt very uncomfortable having her personal space invaded with measuring tape and hooves that were taking her, well, measurements; as well as asking her preferences in colors, special decorations, etc. if any. She survived, obviously, and now was finishing moving the last few things into the guest room in Twilight's library several hours later.

The bookworm had been rather generous in resizing the bed dimensions and it appeared to be a nice queen sized bed by human standards. Samus dropped a large bag of assorted things before taking a seat on the edge of the bed, giving the slightest hint of a smile at its softness and overall comfort. Satisfied, she stood up and equipped her Varia Suit for the moment. She then removed the helmet before unequipping the suit once more, leaving her with the physical helmet. She intended to do some reading and research on the scan data she collected before she slept that night, for it was imperative that she learn as much as she could about the planet and region as quickly as she could. For now though, it was barely getting into the early hours of the evening and it was necessary to unpack the few (by 'few,' she meant 'two') essentials she brought with her.

Might as well get it done now.

Samus set her helmet aside and set to work. She first pulled out a small, tablet looking device. Her own personal logbook/journal, having recorded her travels, encounters, thoughts, etc. since the completion of her first mission on Zebes. She intended to write in it later tonight and set it down by her helmet.

The next thing she slid out was a medium sized metal case with the Galactic Federation Marine Corps insignia on it. Upon opening it revealed a GF Assault Rifle; a portable automatic weapon that fired medium sized motes of directed hard-light not unlike her standard Power Beam. Samus had taken into account when she had been shot down over Zebes and was unable to equip her Power Suit due to a malfunction, leaving her with merely her emergency Paralyzer Pistol. She wasn't too keen on repeating that incident should she be forced to abandon and/or be stranded without her suit again. As such, she felt an upgrade from an emergency Paralyzer to an emergency rifle was in order. She made sure it was deactivated and its safety was engaged before setting it back in the case and slipping it under the bed.

Once that was taken care of, Samus spaced out momentarily before a knock at the bedroom door brought her out of her stupor.

"Samus?

"Yes, Twilight?" the blonde-haired hunter responded.

"May I come in?"

"Yep."

The lavender unicorn opened the door and casually trot to the bedside where Samus sat. The hunter noted that she was bearing a small package on her back.

"A couple things Samus: One, Spike is making dinner and we would like to know if you'd like something to eat?" Twilight asked. Samus could tell that she was still ever so slightly nervous around her, although she was trying to be a good host. In all honesty the fair-skinned huntress was somewhat astounded that Twilight still wasn't afraid in any sense.

Before Samus could answer her stomach piped up, letting out a low growl. She only pursed her lips and let out a somewhat deadpanned sigh and stare to go along with it. Twilight couldn't help but giggle a bit while Samus nodded.

"That doesn't sound too bad… thanks for offering."

"Mhmm! Also, secondly…" Twilight began, levitating the small wrapped package from her back and presenting it to Samus. The Hunter softly took it with her right hand.

"Rarity just dropped this off for you," Twilight finished. Samus looked at it with a brow raised in surprise.

"I literally just saw her three hours ago… and she's already made something for me?" she reinforced.

"She made the six of us Gala dresses in about five minutes whilst singing a song, so I'm not too surprised to be honest. She said it was only a small thing for now," Twilight responded. Samus pursed her lips again in thought before shrugging it off.

Sure.

Twilight nodded and smiled a bit. "I'll leave you alone for now. Food will be ready in twenty, so feel free to drop by whenever you wish," the unicorn informed as she trot out the door, closing it behind her. Once again, Samus was left to her own devices and her curiosity was focused on the white tissue-wrapped package that was sealed like an envelope with a blue diamond trinity sticker. Sliding her finger under the adhesive, the Hunter flipped up the top of the paper and slid out the folded garments. The one on top, after holding it at arm's length and letting the creases undo themselves, was a short sleeved, blue shirt that matched the color of her Zero Suit. In the upper right breast area, she noted her distinctive Runes symbol perfectly sewed into the fabric.

The next article of clothing was a simple black pants design. Samus also noted the Runes on the left side rear pocket. Her mouth was ever so slightly agape as she traced lines on both garments… they looked brilliant!

Wow… these look great!

Being completely honest with herself, she really wanted to try them on. However, her Zero Suit was in the way. Since she'd be joining for dinner relatively soon, she thought it best to have a shower in the bathroom connected to her room… a real shower.

Now that sounds pretty damn good right now…

With little effort, the battle hardened warrior stripped out of her Zero Suit, let her hair down, and made her way to the bathroom, finding the sink and shower/tub a tad bit smaller than she'd be used to due to her size. She wore her usual stoic expression, just staring at the smaller tiled and porcelain amenity.

I don't know what I was expecting.

She shrugged and decided to make do. She was going to take a nice, comfortable, and hot shower and that was final. She fiddled with the knobs until the temperature was perfect and she climbed in, having to hunch a bit in order to get her hair wet. Looking around, she found an assortment of shampoos, soaps, and other things to aid in the female pony cleaning process… whatever constituted to that. She quickly scanned some labels to ensure that nothing would destroy her hair, scalp, skin, or any combination of the three and set off to work.

Exactly seventeen minutes later, Samus reemerged clad in a towel (although small on her) with a fairly relaxed expression on her face… relatively speaking. She was definitely a bit more at ease. She made sure she was completely dry before dropping the towel and reaching for the new clothes… that was until she made an interesting observation:

Shit… there's no underwear.

It was more for the purposes of comfort and utility than it was for appearances. Samus's Zero Suit had supports and extra underlays in the necessary places which corresponded with certain parts of her anatomy, namely her breasts, crotch, and posterior. Samus decided against the clothes and reached for her Zero Suit again… until she spotted something else she didn't notice that was somewhat hanging out of the white package.

She picked up the questionable garment and examined it, finding what appeared to be a very basic blue bra. Upon a quick search, she found the accompanying blue panties, although the almost looked like very thin short-shorts rather than underwear. Either way, it fit the purpose beautifully and she couldn't really complain.

Rarity, you clever pony…

Within two minutes, she was fully dressed in her new clothes and she had to admit, they were extraordinarily comfortable. The sleeves and pant legs conformed to her figure almost perfectly, leaving little room for sagging of the fabric, yet they stretched and moved flawlessly with her body when she stretched and flexed in several places. Samus was pleased, and once again, she had the tiniest smidgeon of a grin on her face.

I can definitely get used to this.

Samus didn't have proper footwear but that didn't bother her since she had no plans on going out into town on a leisurely stroll. In the end barefoot was her only choice. She emerged from her room and joined Twilight and Spike as they were setting the table. Twilight looked up and smiled.

"Glad you could join us, Samus!" she exclaimed, sitting down. Spike was carrying what looked like a large bowl of fruit salad as well as what looked like a same-sized bowl of vegetable soup. Samus had to admit it looked pretty good, even though there was no meat.

"Diggin' the look! Oh, and help yourself!" Spike offered after setting the food on the table. Samus didn't need to be told twice as she helped herself to a generous serving of the fruit salad and nearly filled her bowl with the soup. With that, dinner began and light but pleasant conversation was had as they enjoyed… and Samus was particularly enjoying herself. She hadn't eaten freshly prepared real food in quite a while. Breaks between missions where she could visit Federation planets weren't as common as she'd like. On missions or in the field, her diet consisted of mainly MREs that had the essentials her body needed to soldier on. Nothing particularly satisfying considering the taste or enjoyment factor but she made do.

"Ahhh…" Samus commented as she dropped her rather small spoon in the bowl and pushing it away. "Now that was good. Thanks, you two," she finished. She never thought she'd be able to stuff herself with fruit and soup, but once again, her thoughts were proven wrong.

"No problem, Sammy," Spike replied back, to which Samus turned to him with a stoic face.

"Don't call me that."

"Okay."

"So, how was your first ummm… 'day' here?" Twilight asked somewhat awkwardly.

"It was interesting to say the least… and definitely a new experience. I have a couple days to just familiarize myself with everything before I go to work so, it's going alright, I suppose."

"That's good… but if I may ask a question…" Twilight began.

"You may."

"You've seen this type of thing before no doubt, with the meteor and what not, right?" Samus nodded. "What are your thoughts on our situation?" the lavender unicorn asked. Samus thought for a moment on how to answer that question.

"To be completely honest, you're lucky. As I said before, we caught this meteor impact almost immediately, so overall damage has been limited so far, last time I heard. However, make no mistake that your entire planet is in danger until we can locate and destroy the core… easier said than done. Many will die before this is all over," Samus spoke, calmly and collectedly. Twilight took her response in and simply nodded.

"Yeah, I know. But I also know we'll get through this! The girls and I have helped save Equestria on many occasions… but I'm not so sure how useful the Elements of Harmony will be against this… Phazon/core/threat thing."

"Elements of Harmony?" Samus asked, raising her brow.

"Oh, right… hehe let me fill you in a bit on the details of some recent history," Twilight offered, to which Samus turned her body to listen. Spike promptly excused himself.

Twilight proceeded to fill the Hunter in on information from Equestria's more recent history regarding Nightmare Moon and who she really was, Luna's redemption by forcing the Nightmare from her body via the Elements, the history with Discord and the incidents involving him, and finally the Changeling Invasion and the Crystal Empire incident. It was a lot to take in but Twilight was able to condense the material enough to where Samus could follow along, becoming less and less surprised at each turn of events. After all, this was some good information for the blonde-haired Hunter to know. And these powerful 'Elements of Harmony' could prove very useful in the end.

To help follow up on the subject, Twilight gave Samus a few books on Equestrian History and the Elements of Harmony (which, she remembered, were under 'E') so she could scan the information into her logbook. From there, the two retired to their respective rooms for the night, allowing Samus to read and log information at her own pace. Eventually, she removed her helmet and placed it on the nightstand next to her, ready to let the soft grasp of sleep take her from her first day on Equis.

…

"A-are you...Mr. Ridley? I-I'm Samus, th-three years old. You're not scary...I'm perfectly fine...E-even if you look different...W-we can still be friends...!"

In truth, Samus was scared… terrified even. But she attempted to apply the lesson given to her by Old Bird.

"Samus! NO!" Virginia exclaimed, taking the brunt of the blow that Ridley meant for Samus, slicing her own mother in half right before her very eyes.

Samus opened her eyes and inhaled a bit sharply as she woke with a start. She quickly regained control of her breathing and pursed her lips, sighing almost out of annoyance.

Damn dream.

She had a bit of sweat on her brow which she promptly wiped off. She had this dream before… countless times for that matter. Since she lived on Zebes with her Chozo caretakers, that particular nightmare haunted her to the point where now, she merely dealt with it rather than being terrified to sleep and relive the horrors.

However, she noted that the dream usually lasted a lot longer than that, which led her to believe that something disturbed her slumber. This was answered when her helmet, which was sitting on the nightstand next to the bed, lightly glowed on the visor, accompanied by a very familiar audio:

"Data Received."

It's too early for the Federation to have sent me orders… guess my ship picked something up.

Samus took a quick look outside. It was dark, save for the rather bright moon which was high in the sky. Her suspicions were confirmed when the clock in the room read half-passed midnight. She had fallen asleep a bit early due to the traveling, which made sense. She rubbed her eyes before sitting up and grabbing her helmet, placing it on her head and being greeted by the familiar notification. The helmet instinctively began to display information:

"Unusual energy fluctuations detected. Spikes are consistent with magical properties. Investigation suggested."

Energy spikes. That's original.

Samus pressed a command on the side of her helmet, confirming the notification and prompting more information. Her display switched to a map of her current location, the Golden Oaks Library, and subsequently changed scenery, zooming out of the Ponyville area. The map data then scrolled over to the Everfree before zooming in and ultimately stopping and blinking on a sector known as "Hall of the Patriarch." It was obviously unexplored in her map data and it was illuminated with a large question mark. From first glance on her map, it looked pretty massive.

Maybe it's time to go sightseeing.

In quick, fluid motions, Samus's normal clothes came off, her Zero Suit went on, and she took her helmet off before equipping her Varia Suit. When that was done, she slipped the helmet under her right arm; gently leaving her bedroom and exiting out of the front door of the library, careful not to wake either Twilight or Spike. Once she closed the front door, she slipped her helmet on and started strolling towards the edge of town.

Hey, guess I was going for a stroll…

Upon reaching the edge of town, there was a small hill that shadowed a tiny field which ultimately led to the Everfree. Samus stood on said hill and just admired the night sky while also staring out towards the forest itself, just spacing out a bit. At least, that's what she was doing until she sensed something land diagonally behind her.

"You sensed it too?" the Princess of the Night inquired, softly trotting to Samus's side.

"I didn't 'sense' it per say. Scans seem to indicate magical fluctuations somewhere in the Everfree. I'm sure magical anomalies are rather common here but this seemed odd enough for my systems to recommend an investigation," Samus spoke, not turning towards Luna.

"True, magical spikes are not uncommon, but what you stated was an 'anomaly.' By definition, that's a deviation from the common rule, so therefore, unusual, and consequently, my curiosity is piqued," Luna replied. Samus nodded in understanding before craning her head slightly towards Luna.

"If this is so interesting, why are you only here? Where's Celestia? I inferred from our meeting that you two were conjoined at the flank," Samus asked with a hint of sarcasm, although she was proud of her correct word usage. Luna giggled a bit.

"So it would seem, but not quite. I was only up because our meeting required the both of us due to importance. Celestia currently is asleep, and I reign during the night," Luna explained. Samus nodded slightly again.

Makes sense.

She then turned her attention back to the Lunar Alicorn.

"Any idea where it's coming from… or what?"

"Hard to tell. Chances are the magic emanates from one of the many temples and ruins that adorn areas of the Everfree. They all emit their own magical aura as many serve as the home for relics and the deceased of great magical power. Thus, tracking the source could prove difficult," Luna explained. "You said your scanners picked up this spike… did you receive any other information?" she asked.

"According to my maps and the system's sensors, the source is an area known as the Hall of the Patriarch," Samus replied. Luna visibly straightened up with wide eyes.

"Then I know where our destination lies," Luna said as she spread her wings and hunched her lower back down, looking at Samus expectantly.

"Ummm… Luna?"

"Flying will be much faster than walking, will it not? And if my assumptions are accurate, you are not capable of unaided flight. Therefore, climb on. And worry not, I'm much stronger than I look," Luna explained and beckoned. Samus had a disbelieving look on her face behind the visor. She, herself, was a rather larger woman by height and muscular physique standards, standing at a little over six feet and weighing a bit less than 200 pounds without her armor. Naturally her Varia Suit added a fair (generous use of the word) amount of extra weight to her.

Luna did have a point though: flying would be faster than walking. So, to remedy possible issues, Samus deactivated her Suit for the purpose of flight.

Fair enough.

Samus walked over and carefully slid onto Luna's back, gripping her neck in the appropriate place and securing her legs. When both parties were satisfied of the developments, Luna spoke out:

"Very well, let us be off. Do hold on!"

Luna spread her wings (Samus admired her wingspan for some odd reason) and lunged from her sitting position into the sky, letting her wings take her from there. Luna had little difficulty adjusting to the extra weight on her back and they flew with great speed over the forest. Samus had to admit that she'd never see herself riding a magical alicorn through the night… although her pride refused to let her admit that she was enjoying the experience.

After about ten minutes, Luna banked left and gently descended into the forest canopy. Samus was able to make out what looked like the tops of some structures under the massive trees and noted their position to where they eventually touched down. Samus promptly hopped off Luna's back and equipped her Varia Suit once more.

"Well… that was an interesting experience," Samus spoke up. Luna smirked a bit.

"So I've heard from others as well. Come, let us move," the Lunar Alicorn responded, leading the way and Samus falling into step. Normally, Samus would shun having company immediately, but since this was Luna's domain, she felt that she'd have little choice that Luna wanted to tag along. Samus worked alone, but having an ally that was more than capable of protecting themselves was not an issue. Soon enough, the two passed through the last set of trees before entering into a large clearing in the forest; giving way to a rather large looking, ancient temple.

Always the temples… always.

"Any idea what this place is?" Samus asked.

"This is Nightshade Temple, the shrine of King Lunarius: former ruler of our Moon and the Night, as well as Celestia's and my father."

"I see. Well, either way, let's take a look inside, shall we?" Samus asked rhetorically. Luna nodded and trot slightly ahead of Samus as they made their way to the large entrance of the temple. Upon entering, Luna lit her horn to provide directed light to help improve vision, more so for her rather than Samus, as the Hunter easily switched to her Thermal Visor. Samus kept her cannon at a semi-passive level, being ready for anything, even though she could sense that nothing was really stirring in the halls of the long abandoned shrine.

"It has been millennia since I have walked these halls…" Luna mentioned softly, taking in the sights of the busts, pillars, and obelisks that would randomly adorn the sides as she illuminated them. Many were the statues of what looked like Alicorn soldiers long passed; silently watching over the shrine of their deceased leader for all of eternity. Samus was likening everything to the structure of Chozo temples and ruins… to her, they weren't so different. However, something caught Samus's eyes:

"Looks like we've got some writing here…" she stated, touching the glyphs in the walls as she began scanning it. Luna walked over as well. Samus read the translation out loud:

"Recorded to Logbook."

[Pony Lore]

Translation: And so it is with great sorrow that we enshrine the creator of our moon within these walls. Yet even in death, he shall watch over our very beings with the just and iron hoof that he ruled unto us. Even when our race is no more, his blood and influence shall remain.

"So you can read old Equestrian with that helmet of yours? I am most impressed," Luna added with a smirk.

"I find that reading and logging Lore tends to help me later down the line. Speaking of which, there's another set of glyphs. Do you mind?" Samus asked rhetorically. Luna had no intention of denying her anyway, gesturing with her hoof towards the writing.

"Recorded to Logbook."

[Pony Lore]

Translation: Lunarius has become feeble and weak. His time with us in this realm dwindles, yet he is not afraid. He greets death like a friend of the Empire, and with reassurance from the Visitors he is ready to leave Equestria in the care of his own two blood offspring and pass on to the spirit realm forever more.

"In case you weren't able to infer, these writings go back in time… in a manner of speaking," Luna added.

"I was able to see that. However, I'm more curious about these… Visitors," Samus spoke, moving further down the hall and finding the next set of glyphs.

"I was too young to know at the time, even when Celestia and I took the throne. They had come long before we were around and father never spoke much of them. By the time we had enough sense to attempt to find them, they were gone… leaving only ruins and echoes behind," Luna replied. Samus raised a brow slightly.

Just like the…

She shook her head internally. It couldn't have been.

This one's gonna be a long read.

"Recorded to Logbook."

[Pony Lore]

Translation: Tall, powerful, warrior-like Visitors from beyond our sky have descended upon our land, offering peace and valuable information, requesting exploration and temporary residence. Our Great Leader sensed truth within their intentions and offered them asylum. In return, this race of beings more powerful than our own showed us great techniques in the magical arts, manipulating our very essence to serve our greater purpose, while instructing on building techniques for lasting structures to...

~break in writing~

…time had passed, and Lunarius inquired the great Visitors as to the future of Equestria. Their wise leader spoke of a Great Poison that would descend upon our land thousands of cycles in the future, snuffing out all life that dares attempt to hinder or stop it. Yet, they also spoke of a Great Warrior and Protector who would ultimately come to the future generation's aid and vanquish the Poison for eternity.

Samus slowly lowered her hand from the side of her Helmet, still staring at the writing on the wall. Luna herself had a look of great thinking on her face. She turned to the Hunter.

"Samus…"

"We need to get to the Hall of the Patriarch. How far are we?" Samus said, interrupting the Lunar Princess.

"Just down this way," Luna replied, leading the way. Samus followed and they soon ended up by a very large door that was sealed, but had no physical means of getting through. None of Samus's weaponry would be able to breach either, according to her scans.

"So, how do we get through?" Samus asked.

"It's a magical seal. Allow me," Luna replied as she charged her horn brighter and let an aura seep out, diffusing over the enormous stone door until it sunk in as if pulled by an unseen force. At that moment, Luna ceased her magic and there was a great rumbling echoing throughout the hall. The door slowly slid open, revealing an enormous hall, which Samus's map indicated was the correct place. The hall was apparently lit with torches, which appeared to be undying magic of some sort (Samus only inferred). In the center lay a sarcophagus of stone adorned with precious metals and gems. However, what really caught Samus's eye was the design on the wall behind it.

"They had said something about the Visitors adorning art within father's tomb. They said it would protect his body and spirit," Luna chimed in, walking to Samus's side to examine what she was seeing. Samus, on the other hand, was just staring at the artwork which consisted of a large, bipedal bird-like elder with his arms outstretched in perfect symmetry with the sarcophagus. On both sides of that were bird-like and Alicorn soldiers in mixed formation. That artwork… Samus felt as if she was back in the Ruins on Zebes.

"You know these Visitors… don't you, Samus?" Luna asked knowingly, connecting the dots. Samus nodded softly.

"The Chozo… they came to you…" Samus replied, although that was more of thinking out loud. The Hunter was processing this in her head. In the end, although rather different, the Ponies and Samus were more connected than she could have ever thought possible: The Chozo had assisted them in their development as a society for who knew how long. Luna was observing Samus as much as she could through her visor. She decided it was a good time to bring this up:

"I saw your dream." Samus turned slowly towards the Princess.

"You… what?" she asked in confirmation.

"As Princess of the Night I may enter the dreams of my subjects and those under my dominion, temporary or not. I had no intention of entering yours at first but your mind was under great stress." She turned towards the Chozo paintings. "I apologize for the great intrusion, but I have learned a great deal about you as a result. I am so sorry for your loss, and what you had to experience. I lost my mother at a very young age as well… although I suspect that is of little consolation."

Luna turned to face the Hunter who was just staring at her. Samus herself was a bit taken aback, not because Luna violated any odd sense of 'personal space,' but moreso that Samus was trained against psychological incursions, and the aid of Luna's magical skill completely nullified her mental defenses.

"However, with a bit of my magic and your Helmet picking up these fluctuations, your dream was able to come to an end before I was able to see more. I will not forget what I saw there, mind you. That image will haunt me for quite some time… as I am sure it continues to plague you. But my initial question that was to stem from this is: these Visitors… these Chozo… they were your guardians, were they not?" Luna asked. Samus turned away and back towards the artwork.

"Yes. They took care of me, infused me with their blood, and raised me to what I am today. They are… were my second family," Samus admitted plainly. She wasn't accustomed to talking about this with anyone. However, she never let the past bother her much anymore. Luna nodded.

There wasn't much else to say at this point and Luna knew that. Samus's attention was grabbed though when she found more glyphs under the Chozo Elder. What was different was that this writing was in fact, Chozo. Samus opened her scan visor and scanned:

You have come.

Samus blinked a couple of times and suddenly the Sarcophagus began to open behind them; the top of it slowly sliding downward. The Hunter and Princess turned around and eyed event a bit before glancing at each other and walking over. Luna had already inferred that whatever Samus had done just now was correlated to her and only her… even if it was opening the sarcophagus of her dead father.

Once the pair reached the now open sarcophagus there was a faint glowing inside. Soon, small motes of light from around the room began to condense into a glowing mass in front of them before lightly exploding outwards; leaving a spinning object that looked like an outstretched hand. Samus looked to Luna, who also looked on in awe, before the alicorn nodded and stepped backwards a bit, leaving Samus to do her thing. With that, Samus reached out and gently 'grabbed' the floating object, which promptly defragmented and diffused around Samus's left arm. The Hunter watched as her armor-clad arm glowed with great power as it absorbed into it before trailing down to her Grapple Beam. The appendage glowed bright teal several times before any remnant light exploded outwards, dissipating.

[Scanning…]

[Kinesis Beam Acquired!]

Pure, ancient magic has augmented your Grapple Beam. At the cost of energy units, the Grapple Beam may now be treated as a magical conduit, allowing you to manipulate matter much like a unicorn through its use.

"What happened?" Luna inquired, seeing that the process had finished.

"Well, apparently I can now use magic… in a sense," Samus replied, seeming a bit intrigued herself. Luna even expressed curiosity.

"Is that so? Well, test it out!" Luna added, curious to see what Samus's 'magic' would be like. The Hunter found a small stone on the ground about ten feet away from her and lifted her arm towards it. Remembering back from how she witnessed her Chozo caretakers use their powers, Samus concentrated on the stone and let her Grapple Beam fire up… soon she felt almost a mental tug from the object. The Beam appendage glowed in totality a light blue color much like any magical aura. Then the rock became adorned with a similar aura. With that, Samus moved her arm linearly and the stone moved accordingly. She was able to pick it up and move it before tossing it away. Although the power emanated from her Grapple Beam and ultimately her Suit's energy, the mental connection that it was somehow able to forge with her was a bit taxing, as it was her first time using it.

"Impressive, especially for a non-magic user. You'll need more practice though if you wish to make that effective," Luna said, complementing her ability to levitate a small stone, but observing that her form was faltering during the process... still even surprised that the human was able to acquire the ability of magic! Samus nodded.

Well, that was a really interesting experience.

"Wait… something's odd. My map and scans still show fluctuations of energy here," Samus remarked, checking her map data.

"I sense it too…" Luna began, flaring her horn to try and magically track it. "And it seems it's still coming from the sarcophagus… huh," she said as she walked to the edge of her father's final resting place. Samus looked on as Luna removed the shroud, revealing the skeletal remains of the Great Alicorn; in its bony hooves, another spherical object of pure energy and magic. Its aura was very strong, yet it was repelling Luna's magic as she attempted to go near it.

"This magic is not of Alicorn doing, and as such, it's repelling my own. It is your Chozo, who appeared to have left you another gift," Luna inferred. Samus took the hint and reached out, cupping the object and letting it consequently diffuse into her suit. It found her Arm Cannon and absorbed into it. Her cannon lit up brightly but then it died out suddenly. Samus and Luna glanced at each other with a confused expression (although the Hunter's couldn't be seen).

[Scanning…]

"Well?" Luna asked.

"My systems are still scanning…" Samus replied.

[Unknown Item Acquired]

Analysis inconclusive. Item not compatible with current suit.

Oh great. This again.

"Apparently whatever that was, was the source of the energy spikes here but it's incompatible with my suit right now," Samus informed Luna.

"Hmmm… Interesting. We will have to run some tests later then and see if we cannot unlock these abilities for you," Luna offered. The two then turned back towards the door in which they came, only to have it slowly close and seal itself.

"What? What is the meaning of this!?" Luna shouted out while lightly charging her horn. Samus raised her Arm Cannon and looked around the room for any sign of trouble, ready for combat.

Soon, however, the torches in the room dimmed to a very low level. The Chozo and Alicorn paintings on the wall began to glow a very odd white, static-like appearance. The odd pair noticed this and turned around, horn and cannon aimed at the wall in a semi-aggressive stance. The torches almost went out at this point, a bone-chilling hissing sound permeated through the hall, and the textures on the wall separated from the paintings, floating in the air as no form of matter before a physical form emerged; several forms of Chozo and Alicorn apparitions landing on the ground.

"Chozo Ghosts…" Samus thought out loud.

"Alicorn Spirits…" Luna spoke as well.

They glanced at each other and nodded; the Hunter aiming her cannon and the Lunar Princess charging her horn, aiming it at the aggressive entities.

5. A First

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 5

A First

The Lunar Princess and Armor-clad Huntress had their respective horn and cannon aimed at the potential adversaries: the Chozo and Alicorn specters; waiting for the slightest aggressive movement as the entities stared the two down with their 'eyes.'

This isn't right… the Chozo ghosts only attacked me because of Phazon corruption. It hasn't spread this far yet...

Luna, however, was having different thoughts as she lit her horn up brighter:

Even the ghosts may succumb to the corruption of dark magic.

Samus fell back on her instinct… and what was the first thing she always did when confronted with a potentially threatening enemy?

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Morphology: Alicorn Spirit]

[Spectral Entity of Alicorn warriors deceased.

Alicorn Spirits are very similar to Chozo ghosts in the sense that they will mercilessly defend sacred artifacts and shrines. They are invulnerable to all weaponry, including your Power Beam. Their presence was artificially created through enchantment of their deceased bodies via magic, and as such, only magic may banish them from the mortal realm.

Warning: Large presence of aggressive magic potential detected. Exercise extreme caution.]

All she needed to know, although the magic addendum posed a problem. Luna, however, was quick to the solution:

"Samus, you deal with your Chozo ghosts. I'll take the Alicorn Spirits," Luna stated, spreading her legs into a fighting stance and lightly trotting side to side. Soon, the 'arms' and 'horns' of the entities began to glow; a sight both Samus and the Lunar Princess were fairly acquainted with. With great speed, both dashed in opposite directions and avoided the spectral bolts of hard magic and energy sent their way, seeking immediate cover behind random obelisks and pillars situated within the room.

After the initial volley, both Luna and Samus leaned out from their cover and returned fire, the Hunter rapid-firing her power beam and striking two of the three Chozo ghosts a couple of times, damaging them and sending them phasing out of the immediate space. Luna had been firing teal motes of hard magic much like Samus's Power Beam save for the color and composition. Samus only had a moment to admire the Alicorn's warrior-like precision in hitting her targets before the Spirits themselves phased out of existence. Luna quickly turned to Samus in the few second lull in the battle:

"Have you any form of assisted vision for such a scenario?" Luna asked. Samus only nodded and switched to her X-Ray visor, the very familiar beeps and workings of it resonating in her ears. Luna nodded back and her eyes shown a bright teal, augmenting her vision as well for the purpose. Samus spied the elusive ghosts and stepped out of her cover, firing continuously and in enormously rapid succession, following up with a missile launch. The one targeted ghost was overwhelmed and the missile struck it hard, ending its proverbial life as it phased out of the known universe for good. Luna had been concentrating her hard-magic fire on one of the spirits that dared get close to her, stunning it enough for her to magically bind it in her aura and pull its essence apart, undoing the enchantment and sending the first of three Alicorn spirits to the realm in which it belonged.

The first two victories warranted a counter attack from the aggressive spirits as they launched hard magic and hard energy back towards the duo. Samus jumped and rolled to the side, expertly avoiding two blasts from the remaining Chozo ghosts, who promptly repositioned themselves. However, what Samus didn't account for was the Alicorn spirit that set its 'sights' on her. As she came out of the roll, she suddenly felt her entire form bound by an unknown force, completely unable to move and being suspended in the air. She suddenly felt enormous constriction on her torso.

[WARNING! WARNING!]

[Varia Suit bound by unknown force! Severe damage imminent!]

"Samus!" Luna shouted, directing her aura towards her and surrounding her suspended form. Luna's magic countered and subsequently undid the Spirit's own binding force, freeing Samus and letting her drop to the floor, breathing a bit harder than normal combat adrenaline should allow. The Spirit promptly escaped before Luna could go on the offensive, quickly jumping to her right to avoid a few hard magic projectiles. Samus quickly scurried to cover to check herself, checking her surroundings and warding off the two Chozo Ghosts momentarily.

"Samus, are you alright?" Luna called out from across the room.

"Y-yeah! That was a… new sensation," Samus commented back. She then charged her power beam and leaned out of cover, releasing the enormous ball of directed light towards a Ghost that was readying its own attack, striking it hard, before Samus unleashed another torrent of Power Beam rounds. One more missile finished the job, vanquishing the entity for eternity. She charged her beam once more before she felt something grab ahold of her midsection, startling her out of her stupor, and slamming her into the next obelisk over.

[Damage received. Defensive shielding: 72%]

[Varia Suit Integrity: Normal]

The notifications flooded Samus's periphery with valuable information as she righted herself, rolling to the side and avoiding another blast from the remaining Ghost. Checking her surroundings quickly, Luna was keeping the Alicorn Spirits' full attention. She flipped up back onto her feet and located the last Chozo Ghost, charging her beam once more.

I don't have time to deal with this. Another realm awaits you.

The Hunter aimed her cannon at the repositioning Ghost, however, the barrel lit up brighter before an enormous sound erupted from the cannon, a Super Missile being launched towards the remaining entity and striking it with merciless force. The Charged beam portion of the Missile Combination struck the ghost first as it separated from the missiles, the latter projectiles firing off in random directions before seeking their target once more. The final detonation of the missiles obliterated the deceased Chozo warrior's spirit, sending it to eternal peace. Samus quickly looked over to find Luna still engaged with the remaining Alicorn Spirits, her horn seeming to do endless work as it was firing constantly and attempting to grab one of the elusive and aggressive spirits. Samus dashed into cover.

"Luna, the Chozo Ghosts have been dealt with. How do you suggest I fight these things?" Samus called out in inquiry, not really being used to asking another how to combat an enemy. Samus had faced many enemies; enemies that were smaller than her to forty-times her size. She fought Plated Beetles. She fought Ridley many times. She fought Emperor Ing and Metroid Prime. Yet none of them had the apparent ability to bind her 'magically,' rendering Samus nigh completely defenseless. Samus had been afraid of many things in her struggles. To say she faced her enemies without fear would be lying. If she were to die at any moment, she would go down fighting. However, the thought of not being able to fight before her demise truly terrified her to some degree. She needed a way to fight magic.

"I'll do my best to override their magic if they bind you…" Luna began to say, ducking her head back into cover before returning fire and using a force spell to push the spirits away, unable to get a proper binding on one of them. "… but if I cannot, you need to use your new abilities to mentally counter their hold as best you can!" she finished. Samus nodded, as that was a way to defend herself.

"But what about to fight them, Luna?!" Samus yelled back somewhat impatiently, shooting a few rounds of her power beam towards the Spirits but feeling frustrated as the rounds phased right through them or were deflected entirely.

"You need to bind them with your magic as they do yours, then pull their essence apart!" Luna replied, dashing to alternate cover as she strafed the ghosts. "But your magic isn't potent enough, Samus!" Luna reminded her. The Hunter knew this well, but Samus was not going to be the useless one in this fight. She bounded over her cover and quickly slid to another downed obelisk in closer proximity to Luna. Checking that their attention was still on the greater threat, Samus concentrated diligently and fired up her Kinesis beam. The new conduit for magical energy in the grapple beam glowed a light blue and the somewhat weak magical aura enveloped one of the Spirits, which immediately began struggling. The tug on Samus's mind was enormous as a result.

"Luna! Bind it now!" Samus ordered, sweat starting to pour down her face as the Alicorn spirit struggled. Luna forced the second remaining one away and was able to bind the trapped one just as it broke free of Samus's hold. Samus cried out as her grasp was broken, feeling overly taxed mentally at the new sensation and let Luna do her work, searching for the sole remaining spirit.

Luna's magic held on tightly as she slowly undid the magical enchantments on the spirit, theoretically pulling it apart. The Alicorn Spirit was struggling enormously, slowing the process dramatically and Luna could only hope that Samus was able to keep the other spirit at bay lest said process of denaturizing be interrupted. Luna deduced that this Spirit belonged to that of a very powerful warrior with gargantuan willpower.

While Luna was doing her work, Samus came across the last spirit, however, it had repositioned out of her sight several times before coming to a halt several feet in front of her. Samus rolled to the side and stuck her arm out, activating her Kinesis once more and attempting to bind the spirit. However, the attack on the last Alicorn Spirit had left its mark on her and her mind simply couldn't hold the spell properly. She huffed and puffed, panting and yelling out as she attempted to keep it subdued but to no avail. The spirit broke free and initiated its own hold on her, suspending her several feet in the air. Luna could sense Samus was in trouble but denaturing the second Spirit was almost complete.

"Samus! Fight it! Fight with all you can muster and override its magic!" Luna commanded.

And fight she did. Samus mustered what energy she could to pour into her mental capacity to cast the counter-spell. She was seeing colors as she yelled out through gritted teeth. Her grapple beam lit up enormously but the Spirit only increased its hold. Soon enough, her Kinesis flickered and died out, Samus being drained completely. A ghastly hiss came from the spirit as it sensed no more fight from the Hunter, slamming her into the ground before swinging its head and casting her into another obelisk.

"Samus!" Luna yelled out in concern and some anguish, feeling a rush of guilt for not being able to help her. If she stopped the magic reversal the Spirit could effectively 'rebuild' itself and that would create a larger problem.

Just… a little bit more…!

Samus was breathing laboriously, her ears were ringing from the impact, and the mental taxation was leaving her physically drained. In her moment of disorientation, the spirit materialized next to her and bound her once more, this time constricting her midsection with enormous magical force. Her suit's warnings were ceasing to end as they flooded her visor one after the other, yet she was powerless to stop them, even as she attempted one last time to counter the binding. She could feel parts of the metal bending in ways they shouldn't, as well as a distinct metallic 'snapping' sound that chilled her disoriented form to the core; yet the warnings and notifications kept scrolling through her visor as it began to form some static after each one.

[WARNING! WARNING!]

[Suit Integrity Compromised!]

[Shield Generator Damaged! Shielding Offline!]

[Critical Damage to Weapons Systems! Failsafe Activated! Arm Cannon Offline!]

[Ammunition Storage Ruptured! Missile Launcher Destroyed!]

[Unknown Item Lost!]

[Suit Critically Compromised! Emergency Abandonment Strongly Recommended!]

[Power Supply Damaged!]

The list continued on before the Spirit smacked her into the ground once more and threw her into another obelisk right as Luna finished and intervened, binding the Spirit. She poured all her magic could and proceeded to quickly denature the spirit, as it's confrontation with Samus had taken most of its attention. Soon, the last of the Spirits was terminated for good.

"Samus!" Luna called out once more to the prone form of the Hunter. Galloping over, Luna could see that Samus was alive, that much she had no concern over. However, her battle armor was compromised in several locations; her Arm Cannon appeared to have a fracture through the middle, and other parts of her suit appeared to have taken a fair amount of damage from the constriction spell.

Samus groaned as her vision clouded. She felt her form being turned over onto her back and she could make out her name being called.

"Samus! You're going to be alright! Stay with me okay?!" Luna yelled to her face attempting to garner her attention before she most likely passed out. Luna began charging her horn and casting an unknown spell on Samus.

Uhhh… I-I got my ass handed to me by a spirit?

Her thoughts were also cloudy and disoriented both from the premature mental taxation due to the magic usage as well as the beating she received from the Alicorn Spirit. She could barely make out what Luna was saying. Yet, even in her mind, her pride was still somewhat wounded.

Magic… Goddamn… you…

That was the last thought Samus had before she let the darkness take over and she slipped from consciousness.

Samus had a dreamless sleep and to be completely honest, she really had no idea how long she was out. It could have been days for all she knew, but yet it only felt like she received a ten minute nap. Soon, she began to hear voices around her. She felt her eyelids flutter and she eventually opened her eyes, revealing her blues to the white room. The first thing she noticed, however, was that she was in quite the lot of pain all around her midsection from her breasts down to her mid-abdomen. As she attempted the subtlest of moves she involuntarily elicited a hiss of pain. Her eyes also hurt a bit due to the light flooding the room. It was obviously sometime in the morning.

"She's awake!" a voice gently, yet with an alerting tone called out. Samus could hear foot (or hoof) steps surround the bed that she apparently was on.

"Samus? Can you hear us?" a voice asked softly. With a bit of thinking, the Hunter recognized it as Twilight's.

"Y-yeah…" Samus replied softly. She was able to sit herself up but hissed in pain the entire way. That cleared up her vision pretty fast although she still felt a bit groggy.

"Woah there, don't exert yourself just yet…" Luna stated, trotting to her side. A quick look around revealed that Twilight, Luna, and Fluttershy were in the room surrounding her.

"Where am I?" Samus asked, figuring that was a logical question.

"Ponyville Hospital Emergency Room. We enlisted the help of Fluttershy and Twilight after I was able to evacuate you from the shrine and the forest. Fluttershy provided medical care that helped cease further injury before we brought you here," Luna explained, concern evident in her ever stoic voice. Some things didn't add up though.

"What happened to my Varia Suit?" she asked, now just realizing that she wasn't in either her Varia or Zero Suit.

"I was able to magically tap your mind and calm your unconscious thoughts into willingly letting me physically disassemble your suit component by component. I sent an emergency magic communication to Celestia and Twilight about what had transpired before teleporting the pieces to the Library. Your suit is safe, albeit quite damaged," Luna explained again. Samus sighed internally at the news that her suit was safe. She'd have to take it to her ship to get it repaired but that wouldn't be a difficult task. She was more concerned that this was the first time she actually got beaten so bad that she lost consciousness and her suit had to be abandoned.

"I just… I can't fathom that I was…" Samus began to formulate proper words. Twilight, however, was able to infer based on what she was told:

"Defeated so easily?"

"I'd opt for 'beat the living shit out of.'" Samus rectified as she went deep in thought. She and Ridley had some nasty battles, but none really left her in that condition. She got screwed up by a ghost. But not just any ghost… a magical ghost.

"Well, there's a first time for everything I suppose, right?" Twilight asked. Samus only turned to her with a look that spoke volumes of wounded pride and promises of hurt. Twilight nervously giggled and backed up a bit.

"It is clear that you haven't experienced a foe with any sort of 'binding force' capabilities. As a result, it is necessary that you train your new abilities in the magical arts as soon as your Varia Suit is repaired. Celestia, Twilight, and I will instruct you in said magical arts to ensure that this doesn't happen again," Luna informed. Samus nodded before losing herself in her own thoughts. She knew this would be essential, but the thought of her becoming a student like her days in the Academy weren't too appealing, and her pride took another bit of a hit.

"I realize that this may be demeaning for you, but it is absolutely necessary that you are able to harness the power that may very well be used against you," Twilight spoke up once more.

"Yes, I'm very well aware of that," Samus replied a bit irritably, mostly due to her stomach, which, upon lifting the blanket, found that it was quite bruised all over.

"On another note, since it's safe to assume that the doctors and some others know of my presence, what's the damage?" Samus asked, inquiring on her condition.

"Oh, yes!" Luna piped up, levitating a clipboard to eyelevel. "Well, you didn't have many lacerations as your suit protected you from any true cuts, but you did receive some severe bruising on your abdominal area as well as some internal bleeding. You had four fractured ribs as well as some abnormal muscle tears. Nothing that couldn't be fixed with medical magic and a day's worth of rest. You're quite lucky, Samus. Levitation and Binding Magic is very dangerous when going up against one who may be skilled in the art of magical combat, unlike what you may be used to seeing from your Chozo," Luna commented.

So it seems… And here I was starting to think my Varia Suit was indestructible,
Samus thought sarcastically.

"Oh, also," Twilight began to speak. "You should be well enough to be discharged sometime in the afternoon as the magic is still doing its work. Celestia would like to speak with you when you do get discharged by the doctors; she will meet you when that happens. Said something about an assignment relating to the Phazon."

"Alright."

The two ponies gave the recovering Hunter some last words of information before they departed (especially Luna, who was absolutely exhausted), leaving Samus in the company of Fluttershy, who was sitting in one of the chairs in the corner of the hospital room.

"H-How are you feeling? If y-you don't mind… me asking t-that is…" Fluttershy inquired softly.

"Quite sore, but I'm definitely feeling better than when I passed out, that's for sure," Samus replied back.

"That's good. Would y-you like me to bring you anything?"

Samus didn't like being waited on hand and foot. She felt like an invalid. But, she didn't want to agitate the healing magic (which had an oddly warming presence inside her), so she reluctantly agreed and submitted to her hunger's demands.

"I'm actually a bit hungry now that you mention it…" Samus awkwardly threw out. Fluttershy perked up and smiled.

"Oh! I'll be right back with some soup then, don't you worry!" Fluttershy commented as she gently flew towards the door. However, before she could get there, Samus stopped her:

"Thank you, Fluttershy," the Hunter expressed sincerely. Fluttershy hovered and looked towards the bedded warrior, smiling once more.

"You're welcome, Samus," the yellow pegasus replied with more confidence before disappearing out the door. Samus could feel the sincerity and kindness rolling off the yellow/cream-colored pony, something she hadn't felt in quite a long time. It was comforting, considering her line of work involved almost everything attempting to do her harm, it was actually nice to be 'cut a break,' so to speak. That brought Samus into thinking about her situation as a whole. These ponies, threatened by the force she sought to destroy, were taking it in as much stride as they were able and never wavering in their generosity and overall gentility towards the blonde-haired veteran soldier.

Samus laid her head back against the headboard with these thoughts in mind. As they processed, Samus found herself doing something she hadn't felt compelled to do in a long time.

She smiled.

6. Encounter

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 6

Encounter

"Alright, Miss Aran… After resting and letting the healing magic do its job, your body shows no sign of injury. Your ribs have been healed and all muscles have been repaired, although you may feel a tad sore. You're not restricted from performing any heavy lifting or anything else strenuous but nevertheless I recommend easing into something like that, at least until tomorrow… although I'll leave that to your discretion. You're all set. If you experience pain, come back and we'll give you a more potent painkiller or administer another dose of MedMagic," The doctor said, looking up at the Zero Suit Clad hunter and handing her some medical paperwork.

"Thanks, Doctor," Samus replied curtly but respectfully. He nodded back with a smile and motioned for her to exit the room. Samus was able to easily find the main lobby, and like Twilight had mentioned, Celestia was waiting there patiently while conversing with one of the staff. The white Alicorn perked up when the only fair-skinned bipedal creature walked into the room.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

"Sore, but peachy. Just peachy," Samus replied. Celestia could sense the slight irritation radiating off of the blonde-haired human, most likely due to her recent battle which proved less than victorious on her part. She only nodded and said nothing more on the subject, allowing the Hunter to speak up once more:

"Luna said you wanted to see me?"

"That I did. Come. Walk with me," Celestia replied, beckoning Samus with her head as she strolled out of the hospital. Samus followed suit and fell into step with her, her ever stoic expression present across her features. She treaded just a step behind Celestia so she could lead her to… wherever they were going, yet nothing was said. It was a surprisingly relaxing walk for the Hunter as lack of conversation was never really a complaint for her. As they walked through the town, the town residents could be seen going about their business and would turn to look at the new creature that stood roughly around Celestia's height. Samus noticed they didn't look upon her with fear, but rather with curiosity. They would also look upon the Princess with reverence and bow their heads respectfully as they passed. Eventually, Celestia broke the silence as well as Samus's musings:

"Hungry?"

"I could eat a bit," she replied honestly.

"Then follow me. I know this new café at the other side of town that's owned by Griffons," Celestia answered with a perky smile.

"Not like I'm following anyone else." Celestia turned to Samus with a humorous smile, embracing the sarcasm. Once again, the two walked without much conversation to the other side of town. Samus, once again, didn't mind the extreme lull in conversation. The relaxing walk allowed her to see more of the town and point out/mentally map places of interest for the duration of her stay. Samus made note of the markets, the hardware stores, blacksmiths, as well as places such as Carousel Boutique and Sugarcube Corner, all in relation to the Library. Samus glanced upward and noted the change in sunshine; Clouds were steadily making their way over the area and the Everfree looked like it had decent overcast weather. Chances are it was going to rain soon.

Soon enough, the Princess and the Hunter found themselves taking a seat at a small café that was frequented by non-pony folk such as dragons, other griffons, diamond dogs… essentially those who ate meat.

"Get whatever you would like. We'll speak after a small meal," Celestia kindly reassured. So, Samus ended up opting for a rather large sandwich while Alicorn Princess requested a Garden Salad. Some idle chatter passed the time while the two ate, and on that note Samus was pleasantly surprised with how tender and juicy the meat was. After a short while, both parties were satiated.

"I gotta say, that was pretty damn good," the Hunter stated while pushing her plate away and subconsciously tapping her stomach in satisfaction. Her plate was devoid of any food and Celestia smiled.

"I'm glad you enjoyed that, but now…" the regal Alicorn began, "…there is something I wish to show you." Celestia levitated a few things to Samus's side of the table where the Hunter promptly took them; discovering that they were photographs by quick inspection. Samus began to thumb through the photos, which consisted of mortally ill or dead pegasi. Samus was unphased by the gore, but years of experience in bloody battle gave her odd attention to detail where it counted. She was able to pick out a distinct commonality between all of the victims: they all had parts of their bodies that had a blue sheen to them (not that that required any expert observational skills). Some had what appeared to be infection of the blood vessels with bright blue trailing every which-way on their bodies. Others had enlarged or completely mutated appendages, while some just had concentrated affliction. Samus looked up and the Princess had a face of many questions.

"Phazon Exposure. I'd recognize it anywhere," Samus finally spoke up, still thumbing through the photos. Celestia nodded.

"Indeed, but that's not what is disturbing Luna and I," she replied. Samus raised her brow in curiosity while Celestia used the opportunity to continue:

"As you know, the impact crater lies in the Frozen North near the Crystal Empire. These photos were of victims who were in or resided in Cloudsdale, our Cloud City and Weather Center in the skies between Canterlot and Ponyville," the Princess of the Sun informed. This piqued Samus's curiosity and she leaned forward, resting her chin on her left hand; a million thoughts were running through her head once more.

That is not good.

"The Phazon can be spread very easily, but the fact that these victims had been exposed with no prior contact with the impact site is questionable. Do any ecosystems, which could have been contaminated, flow into Cloudsdale?" the Hunter asked. Celestia shook her head.

"No, not from the contaminated areas. I ordered the ceasing of any and all transfer of water from quarantined areas of the Frozen North," Celestia answered. Samus nodded in understanding and took a moment to collect her thoughts.

"Are you certain that everyone—erm… everypony who has had exposure to the Phazon has been quarantined?" Samus asked.

"To my knowledge, yes. However, I cannot be one hundred percent certain that nopony has escaped or evaded quarantine… or simply didn't report exposure," Celestia responded thoughtfully, taking a moment to process her thoughts before turning back to Samus. "What are your thoughts?"

"Phazon spreads through contact. It's essentially a viral corruption. Since no contaminated resource can make its way to Cloudsdale, and ponies are presumably still being exposed or rather being accounted for as mortally ill or dead, it's very possible that you have a rogue element on your han—hooves."

"Rogue Element?" Celestia asked for confirmation, fearing what she hoped wasn't the case. Samus nodded.

"Yes. Somepony who has survived the corruption may be spreading it. For what purpose… is anyone's guess." Samus theorized, leaning back in her chair with her stoic thinking face on. The Princess also looked troubled but obviously seemed to have something in mind.

"This malicious spread of Phazon among my little ponies is not tolerable. So, with that theory in mind, I come to the main reason I wanted to meet with you: I'd like to offer you a proposition; more specifically, a job."

"I'm listening…"

"You have all the knowledge of this Phazon… well, all that you are capable of knowing which is well beyond our scope. As well, your military expertise and your line of work as a 'bounty hunter' will prove most invaluable. As a result, you're the most qualified for this task, well beyond even Equestria's Special Forces. I would like to employ your services," Celestia spoke. "I would like you, after you take care of repairing your armor, to find this potential spreader or whatever the source is of this proliferation. You may use whatever means necessary to complete this objective and, of course, you will be compensated generously."

"I'm gonna need more to go on than just pictures, Princess," Samus pointed out. Celestia nodded and acknowledged this.

"I'm well aware of that. I'll grant you access to all the data and leads we have when you get your armor functioning again. But for right now…" Celestia trailed off as her horn lit up, levitating what appeared to be a small sack. She gingerly placed it on the table in front of Samus with the contents resounding with several jingles and clinks. Samus opened the small bag with one of her hands and found quite the amount of gold coins. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise and she looked back towards Celestia, who only smiled back determinedly.

"… a down-payment."

"This… is pure gold," Samus remarked in a slightly astonished manner, examining a couple pieces of the Equestrian 'bit.' Gold was still somewhat valuable within the Federation… although still definitely less valuable than Afloraltite and the new and popular Fuel Gel, it was still worth a decent amount.

"Indeed it is. I was worried that in your perspective, our currency would be essentially useless. I'm happy it has some value to you," Celestia remarked. Oh yes, indeed it did. Samus could exchange even this fair bag of gold for a nice sum of Credits.

"So…" Celestia spoke once more, garnering Samus's attention. "Do you accept?" she asked for formalities purposes. Samus technically was ordered by the Federation to render any and all assistance to the Princesses if at all requested. Hell, the Princesses themselves completely knew of this. Making bonus off of that wasn't a bad thing in the slightest, especially if the Princess was offering. Samus let a small grin show and she extended her hand towards the Sun Princess, who extended her right hoof in response. They shook on it.

"Deal."

Samus strolled into the library with the Princess following behind her. Twilight briefly greeted them although Samus did not really reciprocate, making a bee-line straight to her room.

"Is she okay, Princess?" Twilight asked.

"She's just fine, albeit in the mood to fix her armor. She needs to take it to her ship back in the Everfree so she can repair it. She will definitely need it for some work I'm having her do."

"What kind of work?" Twilight asked curiously. Celestia shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Twilight. As much as I can trust you, this information is completely classified. The fact that I told you anything is a breach of some regulations. I hope you can understand, my faithful student," Celestia explained in a somewhat saddened tone. Celestia and Luna didn't want this accidentally spreading out and alerting the public to possible perpetrators of Phazon proliferation, if that was even the case.

Twilight felt a tad hurt but understood completely. Those feelings left as soon as they came and she smiled in understanding once more.

"I understand completely, Princess. No offense taken."

Meanwhile in Samus's room, she was prepping herself for the several mile trek back to her ship. She found the pieces of her mangled suit placed and organized neatly by her bed and she gathered them up in the large duffle bag that she brought with her, making sure it was all neatly organized and packed in there before setting it down. Samus then removed the metal case from under the bed and opened it, retrieving her GF Assault Rifle as well as her Paralyzer Pistol; the latter of which she holstered to her hip. She strapped the duffel bag securely to her back like a backpack and picked up her rifle, checking her ammunition count. Satisfied, she strolled out into the common room, rifle in hand. Twilight, Spike, and Celestia all looked up to greet the Hunter.

"I'll return later," Samus stated as she casually walked to the front door. She looked a bit weighed down by her load. Celestia charged her horn.

"Oh, allow me." A small amount of magic from the alicorn's horn surrounded Samus's cargo on her back... and she suddenly felt like she was not carrying anything. Another (inwardly) astonished check of her materials showed that the pieces of her suit were indeed inside, but had no weight to them.

"A 'weightlessness' spell? Interesting..." Samus spoke, looking back at Celestia.

"In a sense... yes. As well, do you want some company? I could commission a Guard or two…" Celestia offered. Samus shook her head.

"No thanks. I'll do this on my own," she declined. The Princess nodded in understanding.

"Very well. Just be careful when you're that deep in the Everfree. The rain just started both here and over the forest so most of the dangerous creatures should have sought shelter. Nevertheless, be on your guard," the Sun Alicorn slightly lectured.

"Indeed, mother. I'll be back before supper," Samus replied with sarcasm, which the Princess slightly giggled and rolled her eyes. She was beginning to go as far as to say that she enjoyed the Hunter's presence. Samus nodded to Twilight before exiting the door, lifting her hand up and giving her two fingered wave/salute as she walked out, closing the door behind her. Being honest, Samus was starting to ever so slightly enjoy the Princesses presences… as well as the other ponies.

As soon as she closed the door, she let the bottom of her rifle fall into her left hand, holding it at a passive stance as she glanced at the sky, completely overcast and a moderate rain falling on the land. She pushed a lock of her hair out of her face and proceeded walking towards the Everfree. The few residents still outside in Ponyville who had met her beforehand gave gentle waves as they hurried to some shelter, to which Samus reciprocated with a gentle nod. She continued a brisk walk until she reached the edge of the Everfree, taking note that the rain was holding steady with no sign that it would end soon.

With that, she began trudging into the forest, the refreshing smell of ozone and the forest mixing together to form a somewhat of a relaxing scent. This reminded her of her time on Tallon IV when she first landed there, exploring the Overworld and how peaceful she found it.

Half a mile in, she pulled back a large branch of some sort, holding her rifle out with her right hand and ensuring a safe transition out of the brush. She bounded over a downed tree and spied a few animals scurrying for cover, while some looked at her curiously. Samus wouldn't get used to the fact that a lot of docile wildlife here was quite the more inquisitive than on other planets she has been on. Samus had to admit, she definitely preferred Equis to Aether… even when she was in the Torvus Bog. She would have tolerated Torvus more if it wasn't for the fact that every area she went, she was assaulted by Grenchlers.

Samus looked over her shoulders as soon as the thought of Grenchlers entered her mind. They were seriously a pain in the ass. Samus felt like Sheegoths were so much easier to deal with, almost a walk in the park in comparison, to Grenchlers.

Those fuckers could swim too! Then again, as water based predators, I don't know why I'm surprised.

Samus shook her mind clear of the beasts, getting a running jump and rolling on the ground after she jumped over a trench in the ground.

Screw them.

The trek was halfway over, as her map was showing on the console that she had on her wrist. The rain picked up a bit but it didn't bother her. Samus's Zero Suit was water-proof and she liked the feel of rain on her face. Granted, her blonde hair clung to her face and neck somewhat but once again, it didn't bother her that much. She checked her ammo count once more on her rifle for the umpteenth time and pushed some hair behind her ear as she continued on. The brisk traveling was continually relaxing even though she was about an hour into it. Just then, the console on her wrist vibrated and sounded.

"Data Received."

Samus rubbed some water out of her eyes and raised her left hand to her face to read the notification.

[Two unknown objects have penetrated Equis atmosphere and descended upon the Everfree. Scanners detect a landing within a mile of your ship.]

Samus pursed her lips and dismissed the notification, bringing her rifle to a semi-passive aiming stance and continuing onward.

Their arrival is a bit sooner than I expected. Thought it would take them a week to get organized.

The Hunter stopped for a second to ensure her equipment was secured tightly to her back before she took off into a brisk run, performing acrobatics through the natural forest obstacles that only one with years of experience could muster: Bounding over downed trees, kicking off of other tree trunks and somersaulting over other obstacles… using nature to her advantage. After another three-quarter of a mile, Samus came out of a roll in a battle ready stance, her eyes trained down the sights of her rifle, just in case something was waiting for her. She calmed her breathing, using the rain to help her cool off. The water accumulated on her Zero Suit and easily slid off to the ground as the Hunter briskly walked with her rifle up, barely making a sound and using the heavier rain to mask her movements.

Checking her wrist console, she was about a quarter of a mile away from her ship, and that's when things got a bit tenser. She stopped for a minute to hunker down and catch her breath. In her experience, she always thought it was best to assume that she was being watched the entirety of her journeys. Whether it be when she was being stalked by Chozo Ghosts while exploring shrines on Tallon IV or being trailed by the Ing and Dark Samus when walking through Dark Aether, she was better off ensuring a low profile no matter what… as low of a profile as a colored-armored bounty hunter could keep.

Things were going as planned… until Samus heard something move and break about a hundred feet from her. Her hair stood up on the back of her neck and she kept low, keeping her rifle at the ready.

Samus moved while low, hearing a few twigs snapping and leaves rustling in the near distance. She knew exactly what was out there; even more so when she heard the distinct communication between the entities traversing the Everfree near her position. She pulled the charging handle on her rifle and continued on, not favoring a confrontation right now.

Samus continued on, even with the noise in the background. The rain couldn't hope to drown out the footsteps and constant 'talking' between her adversaries. They were getting close to her now; there was no denying that, even as she was moving forward. As she moved silently, she accidentally stepped on a twig. Samus immediately dropped prone on the wet, grassy forest floor as a growl resounded, as if something was alerted to a presence. After a few tense moments of silence and the white noise of the rain, the interest of her aggressor died out.

Great… just great.

Samus was barely an eighth of a mile from her ship and she couldn't move without risking getting attacked, and she had barely a smidgeon of an idea where her enemies were. Samus would think she knew the direction, but then another grunt, growl, or however they communicated would sound elsewhere. Samus could effectively consider herself surrounded.

After chatter seemed to die down and she was sure the rain would mask her movements, Samus placed her rifle in the crevice of her arms and crawled forward, being sure make as little noise as possible. Listening to the chatter around her, her adversaries had moved collectively past her, forward towards her ship. There was a high probability that they could find it if they trekked straight, and if they found her ship despite its radar/signal cloaking, that would complicate things more than they were already.

Samus knew that she would have to confront them now. If they left or radioed back to their command, a whole army could be dispatched; even worse if they found Ponyville or any other area: a fleet. With that in mind, Samus got into a crouching position and moved forward, gently pushing through the rainy brush. After she pulled the largest leaf aside she immediately set it back and dropped low, ensuring she was in a prone position and had ample view of the small clearing.

Samus spied four Pirate Troopers, just as they were from Aether, closely conversing with one another. Since she didn't have her helmet on, she couldn't translate what they were saying, but she could gather from their body movements, such as pointing and surveying with their arms, that they were most likely talking about exploring towards her ship. Immediately after that, another figure stepped in through the brush: A Pirate Commando.

Most likely the Squad Leader.

Samus moved her rifle to her face, aiming down the sight at the Pirate Commando as she lay prone. As she waited for an opportune moment to strike, Samus began thinking about the specifics right now. The Pirates had some armor, albeit nothing that would really hinder her abilities with her weapon. It tended to be weaker on their backs, especially in the case of the Pirate Commando. Samus decided to attack when the Commando turned around. If he didn't, then she'd think of something else. Samus's gaze turned steely and resolved as she moved her eye back to the sights. This had to be done right. If things went south and she was forced into melee combat, it would prove more dangerous without her Suit. As augmented by Chozo DNA as she was, her human body still had its limitations.

Come on, you bastard… turn around…

After another tense minute of waiting, the Pirate Commando turned around and gestured to the forest while speaking to his subordinates.

Gotcha.

One firm squeeze of her trigger later, six rounds from her rifle found their way trailing up the back of the Commando and out his chest. He cried out in agony before dropping on his front. The four pirate troopers immediately turned to random directions, not seeing where the shots came from as they were also turned, and began firing into the forest. When one of the Pirates turned in her direction, Samus put several rounds in his chest and neck. He fell backwards clutching his wounds. The Hunter used this time to roll to the side and take up cover next to a tree. The rain was also doing well to obscure her presence.

A random shot from one of the Pirate's Accelerator Cannons singed the bark of the tree Samus was using to take cover. She recoiled slightly before turning her cover and returning fire. One of the other pirates managed to find where the bolts were coming from and notified the other two. Samus shot him next. The remaining two Pirates immediately scurried to cover behind some trees, obscuring their view from the Hunter.

Samus's breathing increased as she checked her ammo, ensuring a plentiful supply. She gingerly peeked out from behind the cover, seeing nothing but the forest and the heavy rain.

*BLAM*

Samus ducked behind cover immediately as the tree bark right next to her face exploded. She was unharmed, but the backside of the tree took about seven rounds of Accelerator Cannon fire. Samus leaned out the other side and let loose her own barrage, courtesy of the GFMC. She ducked behind cover and made a mad dash for the next few trees. After a few iconic screeches and growls from the Pirates, they began to track her. Samus was disappearing behind numerous trees as enemy fire trailed her path. Samus did her best to return fire on the move. She eventually ceased fire as she sprinted forward, hopefully losing her chasers as crossfire thinned out to nothing.

Where the hell's my goddamn sh—AH!

Two Pirate Troopers broke through the brush in her path. Samus instinctually shed her duffel bag-turned-backpack, dropping it, and went into a roll in between the two troops before coming out of it and sweeping her leg out to her right, taking the right-most Pirate off of his legs. Looking over her shoulder, Samus parried her assault rifle with the second Trooper's energy scythe and kneed him in the stomach. The Hunter lowered her assault rifle to fire but her ankles were grabbed and yanked out from under her by the downed Pirate as she pulled the trigger, forcing her to the ground in a face plant as her gun fired wildly. She immediately shrugged off the vertigo, kicked backwards, and rolled her body to the left just in time to avoid being stabbed in the gut by another scythe. She quickly flipped up to her feet and found herself face-to-face with the barrel of an Accelerator Cannon. Screaming out in exertion, she swung her rifle forward and knocked the barrel out of her face by pure adrenaline and used the sideways momentum to initiate a roll. Coming out of it, she aimed and sprayed rounds out of her rifle at the two Pirates point blank. The lead one took about twelve rounds to the chest and collapsed lifelessly. The second one was only lightly wounded and swiftly knocked the rifle out of Samus's grip.

The millisecond time of being stunned allowed the remaining Pirate to back-hand her across the face with his arm-cannon, sending her flying off of her feet and hitting the ground hard. Fortunately, she landed with her rifle; unfortunately, her chest collided with it when she hit the ground. Samus gritted her teeth and rolled out to the side, rifle in hand, just in time as her Zero Suit was singed with several beam attacks from the Pirate. She rolled onto her back, rifle aimed outward, and squeezed the trigger. The Pirate was right on top of her when she fired her weapon and she only managed to score another two hits into his outstretched cannon, disabling it and lightly injuring the Pirate himself, much to his enormous frustration.

With a quick execution out of the question now, the Pirate Trooper brought his fist in for a devastating punch, only for Samus to deflect it into the ground. She used the opening to circle his head with her legs and constrict his neck, forcing him backwards as she angled her body backwards towards the ground. The two hit the ground hard, Samus having the upper hand, and she quickly righted herself on her feet and stepped harshly on the Pirate's arm that had the scythe, fracturing it. The Trooper screamed out in agony as Samus ripped the scythe from his arm. She was forced off as the Pirate shakily got to his feet; Samus now having the melee weapon attached to her own arm. Hearing some activity beyond the rain in the distance, Samus realized she didn't have much time before the rest of the pirate forces in the area closed in on her. This battle dragged on longer than it should have.

Samus caught her breath quickly while the Pirate gave one last attempt to start his damaged cannon up. The Hunter dashed forward with frightening speed and slashed upward with great force. The would-be death blow was parried skillfully by the wounded Trooper and he landed a solid punch to Samus's side. She recoiled at the nigh-direct kidney shot and the Pirate advanced on her, bloodlust and revenge in his eyes. He played directly into her plan when he went in for the side-kick. Samus expertly contorted sideways and cleared the channel, bringing her scythe-clad arm up and cutting a nice swath through the Pirate's back-side, before twisting once more with great finesse and plunging the blade through is back and out his chest. The Pirate gave a loud roar of anguish before Samus yanked the blade out, allowing the Pirate to collapse on the soggy ground and ending the brutal melee confrontation.

Samus didn't risk staying to catch her breath as she sprinted forward, grabbing her rifle and duffel bag off the ground and hauling ass towards her ship. Listening through the rain behind her, the other two remaining Pirates (and possibly more) that she had lost the first time around had managed to track her previous position. Seeing her sprinting away, they fired after her with little success due to the trees and other foliage. Samus lifted her arm backward once to return fire, which expended the ammunition in the rifle.

"Damn…" Samus muttered to herself, still somewhat out of breath. She grunted in exertion and somersaulted over another large sump, which turned out to be higher than the ground in front of it. Samus landed in a hunched position and used the small hill to hunker down for a moment. The Hunter pressed a release on her rifle and tossed away an old ammo core, inserting a new one that was stored in her holster. The barrel lit up once in acceptance of the new ammunition supply and Samus pulled the charging handle; sprinting up from her position and dashing through the remaining foliage.

[Space Pirate forces closing in on your position.]

Right as her console notified her, a familiar arc of trees came into view and once she passed that, her ship lay in perfect condition. Samus got a sprinting start and launched herself upwards. The ship sensed Samus without any aid of her suit and distorted the gravity around it, letting her complete her spin-jump and land perfectly on the elevator, which promptly lowered her inside.

Had Samus not had a small force of Space Pirates inevitably surrounding her ship within the next minute, she would have collapsed for two to catch her breath. There was no time.

"Command! Auto-defenses online!" Samus shouted as she dumped the damaged pieces of her Varia Suit in the rear storage area where it was assembled on her body. The anti-gravity pad accepted it immediately.

"Command Confirmed. Auto-defenses active. Space Pirate Troops have breached clearing perimeter," her ship's computer sounded out and beam weapon fire immediately erupted from her ship's guns. Samus could hear Pirate beam weapons being deflected off of the ship's energy shielding as they were being either cut down or suppressed by her gunship's mighty weapons… literal definitions of the word "cannon."

Samus watched impatiently as the pieces of her suit were suspended in the anti-gravity and the tools went to work. The Chozo technology was working fast to repair all the damage, using the work of lasers and other forms of energy that the Varia Suit would readily accept for repair process. Ten seconds turned into thirty, which turned into two minutes. The battle was still raging outside and her suit was nearly complete and ready for donning and alignment. Samus felt like it had been an hour before all the cracks, singes, dents, and what not were fully repaired with no sign of any battle on them. She immediately stepped into the anti-gravity and let herself be suspended. The process soon repeated itself from when she first donned the suit on Equis as it realigned and fitted itself to her body. Not soon enough for her, the Varia Suit was fully functional. Samus was lowered to the ground with a familiar 'clink' in her step and she grabbed her helmet, forcing it on her head with the resounding 'hiss' and checking her ammo and energy.

[Rebooting…]

[Varia Suit Online]

[Performing System Diagnostic]

"Come on!"

[Morph Ball Systems Online]

[Space Jump Boosters Online]

[Speed Booster Online]

[Screw Attack Online]

[Grapple Beam Online]

[Kinesis Beam Online]

[Visor Systems Online]

[Arm Cannon: Error! Error! Weapon Systems Missing or Corrupted: Wave Beam/Plasma Beam/Ice Beam/Missile Launcher cannot be located. Reverting default schematics]

"That's just GREAT!"

[Power Beam Online]

[Charge Beam Online]

[Varia Suit Functioning to Battle Ready Capacity]

Samus dismissed the onslaught of notifications and made sure her HUD booted up correctly and quickly made her way to the top of her ship. She aimed her cannon out to attack as her ship's guns continued their defense. To add to everything, the rain refused to let up. There was even a flash of lightning in the distance.

[Remainder of Space Pirate Expeditionary Force in the landing area.]

That was the first good news Samus heard today. Her scanners had picked up that the Space Pirates that landed were a recon force, thus few in number. Samus bounded off her ship and proceeded towards the nearest suppressed Pirates, who were firing back to no avail. Samus let off an onslaught of power beam rounds towards their cover before running and bounding over, meeting three Pirate Troopers hunched up low behind some angled trees.

"The Hunter is here!" one of them shouted in surprise, Samus now being able to understand the Pirate's communication with her helmet's translator.

They turned at the same time and Samus decided to use her new abilities right at that moment. She activated her Kinesis and forced the head of one of the Pirates to collide harshly into the tree. She lifted her Cannon and unleashed five rounds into the chest and abdomen of the second Pirate at nigh-point blank range, dropping him. She grabbed the first Pirate's body with her Kinesis and (to the best of her ability) shoved him into the third Pirate as he attempted to fire on Samus. He shoved his comrade aside and went in close and personal. Not hindered by her lack of Varia Suit in melee combat, Samus easily parried his scythe with her arm cannon and, with the strength bonus of the Suit, socked him with a left hook square in his cheek. The Pirate stumbled and dropped to the ground in an enormous daze. Samus aimed her cannon down and finished the job with three well-placed rounds from her power beam. The first Pirate began to stir and the Hunter gave him a swift and enormous kick in the neck, ending him.

Samus took an Accelerator Cannon shot to her pauldron and she immediately took cover. With her ship's auto cannons firing once more, Samus charged her beam and aimed to where four Pirates were entrenched, one of them being a Commando. She quickly aimed towards him as he moved to take a shot at the Hunter and released the charged beam. It struck his exposed head with pinpoint accuracy and high velocity, the impact carrying his body backwards several feet. He was dead as soon as the charged shot slammed into his cranium, and Samus was a tad surprised that it didn't rip his head off entirely.

One of the remaining three Pirates attempted to return fire and was subsequently decimated by Samus's ship as he exposed his torso out of cover, suppressing the now two remaining Pirates. Samus used the opportunity and bounded out of cover. She began sprinting towards their cover, cutting a chord through the circular forest clearing. Soon, her speed increased enormously and her suit enveloped itself in a bright light as her sprint nearly quintupled in speed. She slammed into the enemy cover and directly into one of the Pirates pauldron-first, taking him with her as she slammed him into another tree with enormous velocity right before deactivating the speed boost. The Pirate never saw it coming and he was dead on impact. Samus immediately dove into a roll but didn't walk away with anything less than three shots to her side from the lone remaining Pirate. Her energy shielding protected her well.

"You'll receive more where that came from, Hunter!"

Remaining in cover, she activated her Kinesis on a fair-sized, downed branch and slammed it into the Pirate's face as he wandered close and out of the ship's targeting zone. He doubled back in pain if his anguish-ridden growls were anything to go by.

"AHH!"

Samus ducked out of cover and unleashed a small torrent from her cannon. The Pirate convulsed as each round struck his torso and he fell backwards, dead.

Samus checked her energy reserves. She had sustained some damage but nothing she couldn't take care of. Scans indicated that this was the last of the Pirate recon force, and since their Command wasn't going to hear from them any time soon, that meant that Samus as well as Equis could expect more of them, and soon.

She strolled back to her ship and restored her energy before composing a message to the Federation High Command.

[Compose New]

[A Space Pirate reconnaissance force had landed on Equis. I dispatched them with haste but they will certainly return. Requesting orders as well as the original supply…]

*BLAM!*

A loud thud echoed outside of the ship, as if something made impact, and Samus quickly went outside to investigate. She found a medium sized metal crate that had a parachute attached to it.

Well… there's the drop.

Samus kicked the GFMC insignia-adorned top off the crate and peered inside. She quickly removed the object before it could get wet and found it to be…

"Hey a Missile Launcher!" she exclaimed, a bit happy to have it replaced on her arm cannon. But wait… that meant that…

"They were gonna send me a useless missile launcher when I already had one?!"

Samus huffed in annoyance. It wasn't like she could complain anyways. It was merely irony at its finest. The Hunter promptly installed the Missile Launcher and replenished its ammunition. As she entered her ship once more to complete the message to High Command, Samus felt a tingling in her head… it was like her brain was itching…

Wait what?

A small huff of amusement sounded through Samus's mind. She was definitely feeling weird now.

"Relax, Samus. It's Luna. I was merely inquiring on your progress in repairing your Suit?"

"It's done, and I ran into some complications in the Everfree which we all need to discuss. Although being honest, I'm not so sure I'm comfortable having you in my mind," Samus commented.

"It is not a permanent thing. It is only for communication purposes only and I cannot read your thoughts unless you explicitly state them in your mind," Luna explained. "And what were these 'complications' you spoke of?"

"I ran into a Space Pirate Expeditionary Force. I dealt with them swiftly and there are no survivors, but they're going to come back and with much greater force."

"… I see. Do what you must back at your ship and make haste to Ponyville. We will discuss everything in the presence of Celestia, me, and the Elements as well as Military Leaders. As well, a new development has been made in the case of potential Phazon spreading," Luna added. Samus nodded to herself.

"Alright. I'm heading back now."

"See you then."

The connection in her mind was cut and Samus checked her suits energy and ammunition one more time before finishing the message to High Command and heading back to Ponyville. With the Space Pirates landing so soon, things were taking a turn for the worse sooner than expected. Samus really had no idea when she could expect Pirate reinforcements to arrive but what was certain was that if things got out of control, she'd have to request direct intervention by the Galactic Federation.

Equis could potentially turn into an enormous battleground, Phazon was spreading faster by unknown means, she had too much to learn with her new magical abilities…

…and the stoic-gazed, blue-eyed hunter was not liking the scenario one bit.

7. Ponyville

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 7

Ponyville

Nothing moved or sounded in Ponyville through the steady rain. Normally, Twilight enjoyed days like these as all she could really do was stay inside and relax, usually with a good book, some food, etc. Well, she did that anyways no matter the day but at least she had an excuse due to the weather. That suited her just fine. However, it would have suited her even more fine if the current state of affairs was... Nonexistent. Naturally, the worried mare's mind was continuously occupied with the future and safety of her friends and Equestria.

Indeed, that was not too relaxing a thought.

Of course, even through these troubling times, Twilight still managed to find some comfort... but that was ultimately diminished when the gentle white noise of the rain steadily striking her wooden residence was slowly drowned out by an enormous roaring sound that happened to emanate from outside her front door.

"Uhhh... Twilight?" the curious Spike asked in confirmation to the deafening noise as the walls were slightly trembling. Twilight shrugged and cautiously fancied a glance outside her door, gently opening it and peeking outside. There, she found an enormous orange, green, and red carriage-like thing about thirty feet in front of the door.

"Well... didn't expect that," Spike chimed in, having joined Twilight in taking a look. Soon after, a hissing sound resounded from the ship as well as a few metallic clinks, and Samus emerged from the top of the hatch, revealing herself clad in her telltale armor.

"Oh it's you!" Twilight remarked in a friendly manner, opening the door completely and trotting out to meet her right by the enormous carriage that she inferred was Samus's "ship," using some magic to protect her from getting soaked by the rain.

Samus didn't respond but merely hunched down and launched herself off the top of the ship, somersaulting gracefully through the air before landing on her feet in a hunched position to absorb the impact, right in front of the lavender unicorn. She stood back upright after a second or two.

Nope. Still hasn't gotten old.

"Hi, Twilight," Samus finally replied as she took one more step towards the unicorn so they proverbially were face-to-face. Samus believed her visor could perfectly hide her face and subsequently, her emotions which would be on display to the world. Somehow, Twilight was able to see past the visor and to the troubled gaze that lay beneath... probably most given away by the fact that the Hunter's posture was a bit more relaxed than normal. Samus had little idea that the Celestial student was that observant until the unicorn piped up.

"Are you alright, Samus?" Twilight asked, Spike joining her side and both meeting the hunters faceless gaze. Samus heaved a gentle sigh, visible only from her physical breathing patters portrayed by her body. This was an interesting mental development for her: in her (almost) three-day stay in Equestria, Samus was already starting to see the benefits of some regular social contact. It definitely offered others to confide in other than her own mind. However, she didn't spill what was on her mind... As she felt it would be necessary for the Princesses to hear them as well. Samus's form was enveloped in a bright flash of light, diminishing immediately and leaving the Hunter in her Zero Suit; the same stoic expression was ever present on her now visible, fair-skinned face, and remaining that way even as the cool rain ran down her face and figure.

"I'm fine. However I need you to contact the Princesses. Something has happened and they need to hear this as soon as possible," Samus stated. Twilight nodded.

"Alright, not a problem. Let's go inside."

For the short walk back to the front of the house, Twilight extended her magic coverage over Samus, shielding her from the rain. She appreciated the gesture. Soon, the two of them found themselves inside the Library, Samus still somewhat soaking from the rain before Twilight covered her. She honestly didn't know why she unequipped her Varia Suit. Her musing was interrupted when she looked down on Spike, who was handing her a large towel. Samus gave the little dragon a friendly grin and a nod before accepting the fabric, drying her figure off and finishing with wringing her hair out a bit before taking a seat on the armchair.

Ahhhhh... Comfy.

"Spike, Samus needs to send a letter to the Princesses. Take it down for her, will you? And make it top priority," Twilight instructed her assistant as she went to prepare some nourishment for them.

"You got it, Twi," he replied and looked up to Samus, scroll and quill in hand. "Alright, what'll it be?"

Samus pursed her lips in some thought, subconsciously shifting a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Tell them... My suit has been fixed and is fully operational, save for the lack of a few abilities which were lost in the earlier fight. However, one of my fears has indeed been founded. Luna has some knowledge of the situation as she contacted me a bit earlier but I feel that both of you should be here to hear this and discuss the ramifications of such an event. As such, I formally request an audience with both of you as soon as possible."

Spike continued scribbling for a few more seconds and forcefully punctuated the last sentence with pride.

"Here's what it looks like. Want me to send it?" he asked in confirmation, handing her the scroll. Samus skimmed over the admirably neat writing. It looked great to her.

"Send it."

And like that, the message was away in a burst of fire from the dragon's mouth, who then excused himself to join Twilight. Samus raised a brow but didn't question the method of mail delivery. She spaced out momentarily before opting to go upstairs and change into her newly dubbed 'civilian clothes,' returning to her same position on the chair and letting her hair down.

Twilight and Spike soon returned and indulged Samus with some light conversation over some snacks. Samus didn't reveal anything that happened in the forest, so she just enjoyed the lull in activity while snacking on a cookie of some sorts. Whatever it was, it was good. As with other 'normal' food, sweets were particularly hard to come by for Samus when she was deployed... Which was pretty much all the time anyway. As a result, she treasured and savored sweets whenever she was able to get her hands on them. Six medium sized cookies later, a bright flash of light originated from the middle of the common room, several feet from the three occupants, and died out as fast as it came, leaving Celestia in its place.

"Hello, you three. I'm glad that... Where's Luna?"

Another bright (blue) flash of light illuminated the common room and died out, leaving Luna in the midst of an enormous yawn. She nudged her crooked tiara back in place.

"I'm heeee... Ach! Here." Luna attempted to say through another yawn. She obviously had been forcibly woken up not to long ago.

"Didn't I just talk to you like... half an hour ago?" Samus asked, concerning Luna's state of being dead tired. Luna turned to Samus with droopy eyes.

"As Princess of the Night, I have complete Lucidity in my dreams. I can literally contact you in my sleep... And I did just that," Luna stated somewhat drowsily.

"I see..."

"How are your injuries?" Luna asked drowsily. Samus lifted her shirt up over her midriff, exposing her toned stomach and the healing bruises that lined it.

"Doesn't really hurt anymore compared to earlier, thanks for asking. Any updates on the Phazon spreading?" Samus asked in return. Celestia sighed.

"Most of Manehattan had to either be quarantined or evacuated completely. Sporadic instances of Phazon corruption are dotting areas of Las Pegasus and Detrot. In other words, it's spreading... slowly but surely," she replied. Samus nodded and and a small silence fell upon the four as Samus was lost in her thought.

"At any rate, Samus, you requested an audience?" Celestia stated. Samus nodded and crossed her legs in a lotus position on the chair.

"Well, like last time, I'll get straight to the point. On my leisurely stroll to my ship in order to repair my suit, I discovered a small recon detachment of Space Pirates."

Celestia's expression didn't change all that much and Luna merely held her gaze in deep thought. Twilight also was quite worried and Spike only listened intently. Samus took advantage of the silence and continued speaking:

"It was a small recon group of about ten to fifteen Pirates or so, I wasn't keeping too much count during the skirmish. There's an almost absolute certainty that they relayed their position to one of their fleets, and even my presence when I was forced to engage them."

"Were they the only ones to land?" Celestia asked. Samus... actually didn't consider that. She didn't anticipate the Space Pirates even arriving for at least a week.

"Honesty, I don't know. I didn't anticipate their arrival so soon. The fact that they were that organized and 'on top of their game' so to speak, is quite eye-opening. Going back to being completely honest, I wouldn't doubt if small scouting parties landed sparingly around Equestria."

"What about the rest of the world?" Twilight asked.

"Chances are, like myself and the Federation, that they were able to ballpark the general area where the meteor could have landed by basic probability from its trajectory. They also most likely have the same problem with actually isolating its exact location. With your help in telling me where the meteor actually landed, we have an advantage should the Pirates have already set up forward outposts. I recommend keeping a vigilant eye out and ensuring any military forces you can spare are deploy to areas of suspicion and the nearby civilian areas if any," Samus explained. There was another bout of silence, and Samus, this time, wanted an answer to her statements. The three were obviously thinking over their current predicament while Spike was just silent.

"You would know better than us on how to deal with these Space Pirates. We'll deploy the Guard and the Armed Forces to discussed locations. We will likely consult with you on that matter," Celestia finally responded. Samus gently nodded.

"That's fine by me. But, a warning: The Space Pirates are ruthless. They care not for other lives but their own... sometimes that's even questionable. Their only goal is power... power to fight against the Federation. They will slaughter any ponies they come across, if not capture them for experiments. Do not attempt to reason with them. If they attack first, or you even find a patrol of them wandering around, dispatch them with utmost prejudice," Samus proclaimed. Celestia and Twilight were taken aback by this, while Luna seemed indifferent either way.

"Samus, please bear in mind that Equestria hasn't been to war in nearly a thousand years. Issuing a terminate-on-sight protocol could be a bit... problematic."

"Your armed forces... what are they trained to do?" Samus asked, knowing the answer already.

"They're trained soldiers," Celestia responded.

"And what do trained soldiers do?"

"They defend their homeland from whatever threat rises against it."

"And what does that often entail...?"

Celestia didn't show it but she knew she was beaten.

"Loss of life will be inevitable."

"Indeed it will be. The Space Pirates have no qualms with genocide. You can either fight back and defend your subjects, or leave them to fend for themselves. What's it gonna be, Princesses?" Samus asked, still slightly irritated with their attitude towards conflict... but then again, what else could she expect from a nation dedicated to peacekeeping?

Celestia lowered her head in admission and turned towards Luna. Luna had a stoic look on her face but soon met her eyes with Celestias. Seeming to communicate instantaneously by mind, Luna concluded their little glance with a curt nod.

"Very well, Samus. We shall place our forces on high alert and issue the necessary orders to effectively combat the Pirates should the need arise," Celestia acquiesced.

"I knew you would understand," Samus replied sincerely.

"And suppose we do uncover an outpost...?" Luna proposed.

"Inform me of its location and I'll infiltrate it and destroy it, along with any Pirates I find."

"Alright. What will you be doing as of now? The main priority is still the spread of the Phazon!" Luna pointed out.

"I'm well aware of that, but after the fight with the ghosts, things have become more... complicated. I've lost most of my equipment... again. I thought just this once I could go without losing or having some creatures stealing my shi—ahem... getting said equipment stolen. As a result, I'll have to procure replacements." Samus bitterly replied.

"How would you do that? I'm pretty sure anything physical we have to offer in terms of technology won't be compatible," Twilight observed. The others nodded in agreement.

"Either way, it poses a problem. I was counting on my arsenal to be able to combat the Phazon and the Pirates with maximum effectiveness. Having only two weapon systems in my standing state doesn't suit my fancy. The Federation can only send me so many things in certain amounts of time and I can only make so much with my current skill set in construction, circuits, and what not."

Luna had a thoughtful look on her face.

"Your Kinesis... is it still active?"

"Actually yes... I had to use it against a Pirate Trooper."

"Your... what is it, Grapple Beam?" Samus nodded. "Your grapple beam acts as a magical link to your body. We can probably exploit that and restore some of your weaponry, or simply create our own," Luna proposed. This piqued Samus's interests.

"You could transfer a whole weapon system via magic?" Samus asked incredulously.

"But of course, that's the point! As I've heard some of my younger subjects state: 'It's magic. Ain't gotta explain shit.'"

Samus gave a sensible chortle.

"Fair enough. And as well, I have a hunch what you might mean, but could you clarify what you meant by 'creating your own?'" Samus asked.

"Of course. Many of the threats you face here will have certain vulnerabilities that we know of through our magic. We can channel different kinds of weaponized magic into your cannon and ensure full adaptive capabilities of our own design. However, cross-engineering takes an enormous amount of magic, so we wouldn't be able to simply replace your entire weapon systems in one spell."

"I figured as much with the last addendum. Then I'll have to resort to other magic found unnaturally on the planet. On the quick flight back here, my scanners picked up some anomalies of magical origin in different areas of Equestria. Chances are these areas will hold the keys to rearmament," Samus speculated. Celestia seemed doubtful.

"How can you be sure that random 'magical powerups,' for lack of proper nomenclature and the purposes of over-simplicity, will just be readily discovered and or uncovered through exploration?" the Solar Princess asked. It almost seemed... too linearly planned for it to be an actual reality. Samus shrugged.

"Let's just say from my years and years of experience... I merely have a hunch. The Chozo also seem to enjoy leaving things of great power behind for a random wanderer to stumble upon. As well, my exploration and search may indeed aid me in that little... assignment you gave me. It's relevance coincides with the direct mission at hand and the two will likely cross paths very soon."

"The Chozo?" Twilight and Celestia asked, having heard Samus mention the name before but not seeing the connection.

"The Visitors," Luna uttered. The two other mares connected the dots almost immediately. Luna had forgotten to mention Samus's colloquially recognized name for The Visitors while explaining the events to Celestia and Twilight. Soon enough, all matters had been covered.

"Well, thanks for listening, Princesses. Better earlier than never to get started on some searching and digging. The faster I'm up to full strength, the faster we can ultimately deal directly with the Phazon core," Samus noted. She then stood up, along with the other mares. Luna, however, wasn't done with her own thoughts.

"Samus, would you mind equipping your suit? I believe I have something for you," Luna stated, still halfway in thought, as if she was trying to figure semantics out in her head.

"Umm, sure. One moment," Samus stated, bounding up the stairs and reappearing with her Zero Suit before equipping her Varia Suit in a bright flash of light. Luna walked forward and circled around the Hunter, Samus and the others curiously watching the Lunar Alicorn's movements.

"Extend your cannon, please?" Luna asked. Samus complied without a word as she straightened her cannon out in front of her. Luna's eyes roamed over its features... Gazing as if attempting to find a way inside it. She started gently tapping the green, seemingly nigh indestructible metallic appendage with her horn before charging it. Her horn became enormously bright, almost blinding, before the magic slowly diffused out of the spiraled appendage and into Samus's arm cannon. The teal blue aura seemed to surround the cannon and slowly but surely seep into it as Luna poured more and more magic into it.

[Data transfer in progress...]

This is interesting...

[Arm cannon has been magically charged! Weapons Systems may now assimilate magic-based weaponry.]

Before Samus could even react to that statement, her visor cut her off once more as magic continued to pour into her cannon and consequently, her suit:

[Data transfer in progress...]

"Luna... What are you giving her?" Celestia asked. Luna only smiled as magic continued to pour out of her horn.

"Oh, just a little something of mine..."

The flow of magic abruptly stopped as Samus's arm cannon lit up with such luminosity that it shown almost bright white. Soon the magic dissipated, leaving her cannon glowing as if she acquired a new weapon. Samus felt her cannon grow unstable as was common when something new assimilated.

Samus felt this new weapon embed itself in place of her former wave beam. She felt compelled to relieve the cannon and as if Luna knew what was going to happen, she magically opened the front door as Samus took aim and fired. The cannon emitted a loud, almost distorted firing explosion as Samus shot. A single teal projectile a bit larger than a Power Beam shot left the gun barrel with a subtle trail of what looked like star dust, slamming into a nearby tree with enormous kinetic energy. All that remained was a singed, destroyed area on the bark that was left with an iconic magical burn. Twilight and Celestia looked on, Twilight staring with wide eyes and Celestia with a gentle look of surprise. Luna wore a smug grin on her muzzle.

Samus was pretty impressed with the results although she was still trying to process the events, as the final assimilation all transpired in about five seconds. She examined her cannon, which took on its Wave Beam orientation. However, instead of the purple, coursing electricity, she found a black, navy blue and violet twinkling night sky within the cannon's rifts. It was as if she was looking into deep space.

[Night Beam Acquired!]

[Lunar magic has augmented your arm cannon and allowed the assimilation of the Night Beam. The Night Beam is similar to your power beam, but differs in the respect that its projectile is magical energy rather than hard light. Use this new weapon against entities which would otherwise be extremely resiliant or bear immunity to your other weapon systems.]

"Well then... I can't wait to have a rematch with those damn spirits," Samus finally said as she examined her cannon. Luna chuckled and Celestia mustered a smile.

"Your first magic based weapon, one of my favorites of I do say so myself. Simple yet effective. This will allow you to engage magical entities at range rather than up close," Luna added. Samus nodded to her.

"Thanks."

"Twas no trouble."

"Samus, tomorrow I wish to discuss a development in the Cloudsdale incident. I believe we may have found something and I won't know until then, when the investigative report is in my hooves," Celestia stated. The Hunter nodded to her as well.

"Very well. Then in the meantime, I'm off to do some exploring," Samus said as she took a couple tentative steps towards the door.

"Where will you go?" Twilight asked.

"My ship's scanners have picked up suspected areas of ruin sites; Chozo origin most likely."

"That may be true, but realize that the Alicorns and Visitors lived in cooperation, often times with each other. You may stumble into Alicorn ruins as well. Take heed, for spirits may still lurk there," Luna pointed out.

"Thanks for the tip. I'll be in touch," Samus acknowledged. She nodded in thanks to the Princesses and Twilight before exiting out the door and bounding up and into her ship. The three mares watched as the ship's engines roared to life and rose up through the rain and disappeared into the white cloud canopy, it's sound slowly dying out as it cruised towards the Everfree.

The three plus Spike continued to watch as Samus's ship eventually faded from hearing.

"Princess Luna, weren't we supposed to give her magic training?" Twilight suddenly remembered. Luna chuckled along with Celestia.

"Indeed. We did say that we would, but worry not. I've already anticipated her destination. She will... 'receive' her training," the Dark Alicorn replied cryptically.

[High Command of the Galactic Federation]

[To: Samus Aran]

Thank you for the update on the situation. The news of the Space Pirates establishing a foothold on the planet in such a small time frame is concerning. Address the Pony Leadership as to the increased likelihood of direct Federation intervention at next next opportunity. In the meantime, work to replace your equipment and achieve maximum efficiency to combat the Phazon. We will aid you when possible in that respect. Other than that, your actions are at the discretion of these Princesses.

The Hunter sat comfortably in her chair as her gunship cruised comfortably and fairly slowly (relatively speaking). Looking over the maps that were given to her, Samus made the obvious conclusion that no sites worthy of exploration were near or in civilized centers. The closest ruins site besides Nightshade Temple was, according to her scanners, located somewhere in the deeper Everfree, where popular nomenclature referred to this lost area as Starfall Fortress. According to research able history, this place was built by the Chozo and Alicorns as an "impenetrable" fortress against the Dragon Hordes.

"A fortress. As good of a place to start as any I suppose."

Samus soon closed in on her destination, obscured by enormous cloud coverage, and descended into the canopy, once again finding a suitable clearing for her ship due to luck. Samus heard nothing but the sounds of the sense forest, this time even farther from Ponyville, as she exited her ship via the hatch. She checked her map, noting that nothing was explored, as she expected, save for a place of interest, an even larger area than from her previous adventure with Luna, this time known as The Siege Front.

Samus figured that if this area was that enormous, then the Fortress itself must be a lost wonder of the world. Samus opted to just leap off her ship and land on the ground comfortably. Arming her Power Beam, she followed her map into the forest in search of Starfall Fortress, eager to see what laid inside.

8. Starfall Fortress

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 8

Starfall Fortress

Samus gently strode through the tiniest of paths through the thick forest. Only through years of experience in the field was she able to even spot it, as it had been overgrown and lost to time, save for the small remnants of unnatural stone lining the dirt. The rain had moved over her location and picked up, drenching the area with a moderate downpour and low clouds, effectively reducing Samus's effective vision to only several dozens of feet in front of her. She was at peace right now, but still enormously curious as to what this Fortress held within its walls. Samus always had a soft spot for discovery and adventure; time was of the highest essence, however, so the Hunter couldn't enjoy the current task at hand as much as she'd like.

Samus had decided to start doing little things with her magic to exercise her mind. In her ship, she would move small things that she needed with her Kinesis, and as of right now, she was taking advantage of her newfound ability to move leaves and branches aside. Slowly but surely her mind was getting used to the taxing. Not to mention the little tasks were simple to deal with. Luna DID pledge her some magical insight, so she wanted to make sure she was able to perform when asked.

The Human set her mind back to the task at hand. Her map indicated that she was about half a mile from the Fortress. Samus didn't expect to encounter anything interesting on the way to her destination, and like she thought (and enjoyed), it was all quiet. Of course, quiet in her terms was merely the sound of nature masking most of her movements and allowing her mind to wander JUST a pinch. All that sounded were the moderate patter of the rain against the landscape, trees and leaves rustling and swaying with the rain and light wind, and her own steps as she marched onward. Soon enough, she noticed the foliage start to clear up a bit, indicating the presence of some structure nearby... her map confirmed this. Her map also had shown a large clearing, but Samus figured it would have been grown over some since it hadn't been inhabited for... who knows how long.

Samus held her cannon out as she passed through the last layer of the thickest brush, noticing just stomach-high grass and bushes laying in her path. After rounding the last tree, the Hunter finally saw what her search was meant to yield:

Starfall Fortress...

Her eyes trailed upward at the gargantuan citadel. Scans indicated that the structure was easily seven miles wide and even half a mile high at it's longest and highest points respectively. Samus had virtually no idea how this had not been spotted by the naked eye... anywhere. Then again, this area of the Everfree was perpetually plagued by rain and low lying clouds, so it would make sense in some respect. From what she could see, the structure was easily abandoned far in the past, as natural wear and tear had taken its toll on what was once most likely a beautiful sight to behold.

Samus stepped fully out of the brush and into the grass to get a full look at what seemed to be the rear of the Fortress. An endless flight of stairs lead up to several archways into the structure itself, flanked by enormous obelisks of Chozo warriors on one side, each looking like all the standing statues that Samus found on Zebes, as well as Alicorn warriors on the other side, each with their two front legs raised as if in combat.

She wasted no time and had a steady walk to the first steps. She gazed up the endless stairs, knowing that she couldn't just merrily skip up to the top... the Phazon would have taken the planet by then. Instead, Samus opted for a better idea.

Been a while since I've done this...

The Hunter hunched down and jumped as high up over a few steps as she could, reaching the apex in height and distance in her jump before activating her Space Jump boosters. They propelled her even farther as she initiated a somersault. She wasn't done yet though; Samus then activated her Screw Attack, being able to propel herself higher and farther each time up the stairs. After about a minute of this, she reached the top and landed perfectly on her feet.

I remember when I pretty much was able to fly with this on Zebes... yeah that worked well.

Samus comfortably entered the fortress through the large, twenty-foot tall archway in front of her. She was immediately assaulted by the beauty of the architecture of the hall she entered. It literally screamed of Chozo design, at least from the building styles she was able to recognize, on top of the telltale obelisks and statues. The place was completely and utterly deserted. Not another life to be found.

However, this unnerved Samus. The absence of other things in her immediate area was normally not a problem. However, there was NOTHING on her motion sensor... not even any local creatures. True, this place may be abandoned by every definition of the word... then again something was keeping the Fortress from being completely taken over. Samus soon found some writing on the wall.

Hmmm... maybe this will shed some light on history...

"Recorded to Logbook"

[Chozo Lore]

[Translation: "The Great War against the Dragon Hordes has taken its toll on our nations. Once, we were able to keep their hunger for power at bay. Now we find ourselves continuously but slowly being overwhelmed. Many of the Dragons' large sizes played to their advantage, as a single dragon could easily swipe away twenty of our best warriors. The construction of this mighty Fortress was soon ordered: the bastion of our great civilizations to be made impenetrable by any and all means."]

More history... most excellent!

Samus disengaged her scan visor and continued her brisk walk, arm cannon held at semi-passive elevation as her eyes roamed over the hall she was passing through. Said hall was lined with more Chozo statues on one side, Alicorns on the other. After thousands of years (or cycles), the architecture was still in excellent condition, as is usual with most structures of Chozo design. She also noticed the remains of catapults, arrows, traditional Chozo energy staffs and swords long rusted and lost to nature. She also noticed something else... There were the remains of a large cylindrical tube that lay in two pieces. The broken off front part appeared to taper off into a point.

"Recorded to Logbook"

[Object: Particle Beam Cannon]

[Magic based, projectile firing Heavy Gun. The Alicorns required heavier weaponry against their war with the Dragon Hordes. Isolated magic casting, or even group casting was too time consuming to deal with the enemy, so Alicorn weapons masters developed the ability to fire large volumes of hard-magic in a single projectile with the use of a weaponized core; this firing mechanism is similar to the 'cartridge mechanism' (with gun powder) used in early Human history.]

Samus looked around and indeed found random, corroded and rusted to time, cylindrical 'cartridges' that had long since been fired or burned out. Samus looked outside and found that this hall was overseeing large swaths of Everfree. She concluded that this was one of the stations manned by Chozo and Alicorns alike. This was confirmed while strolling down the entire line, seeing destroyed/corroded Particle Cannons one after the other. There had to be at least thirty of them in this section alone.

They really built this place up! If this Fortress was still manned I don't even think the might of the GFMC could breach this fortress!
.
.
Okay that might be a little far-fetched but there's no way the GFMC would come out of this unscathed, that's for sure.

Samus continued onward, carefully paying attention to her map in order to find this Siege Front. However, whenever she was pointed in the right direction, a hallway would take her elsewhere, which lead to open courtyards, which lead to more hallways. She had been walking for about forty-five minutes and was growing irritated at the complex design of this Fortress.

Even Sanctuary Fortress wasn't this damn complicated.

Samus then spotted more scripture on a plaque and decided to stop for a small read:

"Recorded to Logbook"

[Pony Lore]

[Translation: "The Dragons have pressed their attack for almost a week and still the Fortress holds strong, their bodies littering the enormous Everfree. However, were it not for The Visitor's help and technology, this sanctuary for our threatened ponies may have well been destroyed some time ago. Our new weapons can hold the Dragon's warriors at bay, but the Night Dragons proved ever resilient against our defensive attacks. The Visitors were able to integrate their technology with ours, creating a weapon so powerful, even the might of the Night Dragon couldn't hold against it. It remains in the center of Starfall, in a Great Hall overseen by the finest warriors of the Visitors. There it rests, the very essence of Starfall's survival shall strike down our enemies with utmost prejudice. The might of the Alicorns shall be feared once more."]

The Great Hall...

Samus immediately opened her map on her HUD and searched for any of the rooms she passed being close to something resembling "Great Hall." Unfortunately, none were, and it was probably too much to ask for a map station.

Realizing she'd have to search blindly, Samus let out an irritated sigh as she closed her map. However, as if fate had mercy on her, something was on the wall behind the writing she scanned. Squinting her eyes a bit, she found the remnants of what looked like a massive, worn...

Directory?

It was definitely rectangular in shape and had the layout of a map of some sorts. Samus equipped her scan visor:

[Scanning...]

A negative beeping resounded after a few seconds.

[Analysis inconclusive. Object missing key identification components.]

Samus huffed in irritation. So close, yet so far. This directory was useless in hindsight. She could probably search for days and not find a proper route to the intended area. Right as she intended to step away, she stopped suddenly in her tracks as a thought struck her:

Unless...

The Hunter looked to her Grapple Beam and back to the lost map.

Magic. It's worth a shot.

Samus stepped closer to the degraded directory and raised her Grapple Beam near one of the edges, slowly letting her mind filter. The appendage lit up with her teal blue aura, but Samus wasn't sure how to proceed from here. Magic filtered out but dissipated as quickly as it appeared.

Ummm... fix?

Nothing.

Repair?

Nope.

Restore? Yes! Restoration. Restoration spell... ummm...

Samus closed her eyes to clear out the rest of her mind of anything but restoring the map. Deep breathing ensued as she felt energy tug at her mind. Opening her eyes a bit revealed two dimly teal-lit eyes behind the green visor as magical energy poured through her form. Slowly, magic filtered out of her Kinesis and applied itself like a bright adhesive to the missing and chipped paint, effectively and somewhat literally "filling in the cracks." The bright blue energy then faded away, revealing a completely restored portion of the map is if it was repainted hours ago. Reassured (and somewhat proud of herself), Samus moved her Kinesis over the entire map, and what she wasn't able to reach, she was merely able to manipulate her aura to move farther.

After fifteen seconds, she ceased her actions and her magical aura receded, leaving her eyes shrouded behind the visor and her upper abdominal armor expanding and contracting with her labored breaths. She felt a bead of sweat or two between her skin and the helmet. Looking at her handiwork, the directory was now completely legible.

[Scanning...]

[Map Data Acquired! Starfall Fortress map data updated!]

Samus smirked at the small bout of intuition she had and decided to finally see where she was going. She opened up her map and to say that she was surprised was an understatement. Yeah, the cartographical representation on the wall was one thing, but Samus really had no idea as to the sheer size of the network within Starfall. She almost stumbled a bit backwards as to how much map data had loaded. Putting it conservatively, Starfall Fortress was about one and a half times the size of the traversable areas of the Pirate Phazon Mines on Tallon IV.

Aside from trying to figure out the most direct route to The Siege Front, Samus was also curious about this particular 'weapon' that was being stored in The Great Hall. With luck on her side, this great hall (which she had to comment was very large in appearance as well,) was directly in the path to The Siege Front. Samus would have to pass through it in order to continue on her way.

More than satisfied at the turn of events, Samus continued onward. After rounding a few corners and some halls lined with more statues, Samus came to a relatively large set of double-doors. These doors, according to her map, led to a ridiculously straight and lengthy corridor, although it was large enough in width to be a small highway. Samus deduced this was one of the main arteries of navigation through Starfall, as several other capillary hallways and rooms would attach themselves to it and lead elsewhere. The same prospect was present elsewhere around the fortress. The logic behind it seemed sound. This corridor, several miles in length, led directly into The Great Hall, which happened to be the exact center of the Fortress.

I don't know why that seems so ironic.

Rounding the last corner, she came to another large hallway, which held the archway with the huge double-doors. Walking up to the front of it, Samus first noticed the two Chozo head-statues jutting forward, mouths(beaks?) open, and some dim energy that still happened to be functioning. Samus figured it was magic. Activating her scan visor, she took interest in said energy.

[Scanning...]
.
.
[Chozo Artifact: "Abdication"]

[Object Translation: "As we prepare for our journey onward, we transfer this mighty Fortress to the Equine race. Let it forever be their beacon of hope and light in ever terrible odds. We Chozo have left them all they shall need, while sealing the center of this Fortress off to their magic. The Great Hall will serve as a shrine to our own who fell in battle against the Draconic Hordes, as well as our most powerful weapon, not deemed necessary to put into the hands of the Equines. This Sacred Shrine will we watched over for all of eternity by our greatest warriors who protected us in both everlasting light and omnipresent darkness."]

Well... that was poetic.

Samus then noticed that both entities of energy shown brighter within the Chozo statues' grasps. Samus scanned the second one:

"Grant entrance to whomever desires it, assuming they are of Chozo blood. Let them speak their name."

The ball of energy within the Chozo statue's mouth changed its hue from blue to red. No sound emanated, as if it was waiting for something. Samus reached out and grasped the ball of energy, letting it dissipate into her, before she went on her hunch:

"Samus Aran of Zebes," she spoke in perfect Chozo.

The energy diffused out of her and back into the statue, causing its eyes to glow red... and then turn to blue and flash a few times. Both statues simultaneously did this. Seconds later, a loud rumbling was heard, and Samus could hear the echoes and moving of the ancient tumblers of the locking mechanism, before the double-doors slowly opened with a piercing creak. Samus stepped back and allowed the doors to continue opening up until they ceased, the life within the statue heads snuffed out as their eye color returned to stone.

Samus found a semi-lit hallway (or highway, as it was large enough for even a Federation Tank to pass through easily), lit through holes that brought in light from the outside world somehow. Even though Samus could still tell that it was raining heavily, natural light poured through, although its intensity waned due to the obvious overcast weather.

Samus walked with slight trepidation as she always did when exploring new areas, but quickly found the hallway as barren as the rest of the Fortress she passed through. All the other doors leading to capillary passages were sealed shut or destroyed, some passages even being caved in. Deciding she did enough sightseeing of the architecture, Samus broke into a light jog... which evolved into a heavy sprint. Soon her suit registered the activation of the Speed Booster and Samus was propelled at high velocity through the highway.

After a whole minute and a half of running, she slowed herself down as she came to another set of double doors, although this time there was an enormous Chozo statue, like she saw on Zebes, blocking its entrance and outstretching it's hands as Samus had been accustomed to seeing. On pure instinct, Samus somersaulted into the Chozo statue's hands and phazed into her Morph Ball module. Samus 'felt' the Chozo firmly grasp her spherical form and bow it's head in recognition.

The statue sat on its posterior and flooded Samus's form with pure energy, restoring her energy reserves and replenishing her ammunition. Surprisingly, Samus noted that the taxation she felt after using the magic to an extent had dissipated, and her headache was gone.

She rolled out of the hands (which opened up) and morphed back into her standing form. Jumping on the head of the Chozo statue revealed the high-set double doors, half the size of the highway entrance, ready to be opened. As if sensing her presence, the Chozo lock flashed with blue magic and opened inward. Samus took a tentative step inside and observed the naturally lit, circular Great Hall. It was a perfect circle with only two exits: the one she came through and one on the opposite end. Turning her gaze upwards, the Hall extended upward to the apex of the fortress, of which was so high she couldn't even really see the ceiling, despite the entire center of the hall being lit up naturally by sunlight which permeated the overcast weather.

Samus jumped down into the hall proper, landing in a hunched position and began walking towards the center. There was no sign of any weapon being here. The only thing she saw was the statue of a burly Chozo Warrior, clad in its traditional battle armor and energy staff, to her 9 o'clock. Samus had seen a lot of Chozo statues in her day, but this one was... different; not just in appearance, but she received a weird vibe as well. She went to scan it but before she could, both doors locked suddenly. Samus turned frantically to both exits, seeing that her way out was sealed, and got in a fighting stance ready to shoot anything that moved.

The statue took a static texture to it, much like Samus experienced in Nightshade temple. However, the light wasn't forced away, nor did Samus hear any ghastly sound emanating from the entity.

Like she expected, the static entity separated into a full ethereal form of a Chozo Ghost, which stood upright and moved naught a 'muscle,' or whatever could be constituted to a muscle for an entity of another dimension. Samus lowered her cannon and had a staring contest with this... odd Chozo Ghost. She noticed that its chest expanded and contracted like it was breathing, and she could pick out enough detail where its eyes were on her. This had never happened to her, obviously, so Samus wasn't quite sure what to do as this staring contest continued.

Soon, however, the Chozo widened its stance and began, what Samus could best describe as, 'changing.' Samus witnessed a pool of pure energy and magic form at its feet before slowly traveling upward inch by inch. Slowly but surely, Samus's jaw dropped slightly as to what she was seeing, for, slowly but surely, this Chozo 'Ghost' was gaining color. Soon, the magic encased the entire ethereal form of the Ghost and dissipated, leaving what appeared to be a living being in its wake.

Impossible...

Samus's surprised gaze never left the Chozo as she slowly raised her left hand to the side of her helmet. As if sensing what she was doing, the Chozo entity took a more relaxed stance.

"Recorded to Logbook."

[Morphology: Chozo Warrior]

[Warrior class and warfighter of the late Chozo Empire. This Ghost of a fallen Chozo Warrior has found a link back to the physical realm, able to take on its fallen form as the mighty fighter it once was. Extremely strong, magically adept, excellent tacticians and impressive agility are only a few traits which truly describe the essence of any Chozo Warrior. They typically carry an energy staff which was forged by them and directly connected to their aura. Energy staff is capable of firing normal and charged projectiles identical to your Power Beam, as well as being used as a potent melee weapon. Extremely aggressive in combat, exercise caution.]

Samus lowered her hand and confirmed that the Chozo Warrior was indeed standing in front of her in all its glory. The Warrior reached behind its back and pulled out its energy staff, letting its hilt connect with the floor audibly and holding it at a passive stance, arm stretched outward and choking up on it. Samus didn't raise her weapon yet, but merely studied the Chozo. From the decorations and muscle mass, it was definitely a male. He stared back at her, straight into her visor and into her eyes wordlessly. Samus decided to take a similar stance, widening her legs a bit in a semi-passive form. Samus also took note that this Chozo wasn't an enormous, giant of a specimen, but rather close to her height.

The Chozo then beat his fist to his armor plating and pointed his staff with one hand diagonally outward. Samus knew that gesture.

A salute... or 'bow.' I remember clearly during training with my caretakers... but this Chozo, he can't seriously mean...

Samus's thoughts were cut off when the Chozo leaned his staff towards her, as if anticipating something. Samus could only smirk amusingly.

He wants a friendly battle!

"Full submission, no fatalities. It's been a while," Samus thought out loud in Chozo. The warrior didn't respond, but merely saluted once more. Samus, this time, returned the bow with one of her own: her iconic salute with her arm cannon, before pointing it at the Chozo, to which he reciprocated with his staff.

This is gonna be fuuuuun...

The two began to circle each other in their fighting stances, daring the other to take the first shot. However, Samus never won her confrontations by playing defense the entire time... so she broke the silenced and unleashed a burst from her Power Beam. The Chozo Warrior merely raised his hand up and called upon his own energy and magic to absorb the blasts, no harm done. Samus had anticipated this with her probing attack and unleashed a charged shot as he lowered his hand. The charged orb of pure hard-light barreled towards the Chozo Warrior who, with a surprising display of agility, cartwheeled forward and deflected the charged shot off the front of his staff (which was now lit in a golden aura), sending it hurtling back towards Samus. She quickly barrel rolled out of the way.

As soon as Samus recovered, the Chozo Warrior aimed his staff forward and began to return fire. Samus rolled forward and recovered with her Kinesis active, absorbing the shots much like the Chozo did. Samus rolled forward once more and bounded upwards on her recovery in an attempt to close the distance between the two. The Warrior stepped backwards a bit and took a probing swing with his staff once she landed. Samus parried the potential blow with her cannon and went for a straight punch to his face, which was promptly dodged by an impressive display of agility and flexibility.

The Warrior kicked his leg upward, leaning back into his momentum, but Samus narrowly dodged that as well. She stepped forward and swung her heavy arm cannon downwards in a pummeling motion. The Chozo expertly sidestepped and swung his staff hard, aiming for her torso. Samus phased into her morph ball form and boosted backwards, breaking off the engagement temporarily. She immediately returned to her standing form.

The Chozo advanced on Samus's position and let loose a charged shot from his staff. Samus dodged the first volley but she quickly calculated that there wasn't enough time to initiate another roll and dodge the charged power shot. Acting on instinct (and a 'here goes nothing,' mentality), Samus raised her arm out and generated a barrier. The barrier absorbed the shot and had it dissipate into her arm, which consequently became overcharged. Samus manipulated the beam manifested in her and fired it back not as a charged shot, but as a rapid-fire volley of standard power shots. The Chozo expertly dodged, but Samus was quick to recover after her attack and fired her native power beam several times, striking the Chozo in the shoulder when he attempted to dodge again.

The Warrior visibly recoiled before erecting another field in front of him before advancing. This move reminded Samus of when the Omega Pirate in the Phazon Mines would attempt to absorb her attacks as he advanced. Samus slowly backed up with her cannon raised as the Warrior advanced. Samus decided to take the fight to him instead of using ranged tactics and charged into him. The Chozo grappled Samus's abdomen and manipulated her movements, to which she found herself receiving a hefty kick to the small of her back and face planting on the floor. Samus rolled her body to the side just in time to see the floor crack open on her previous spot where her head was when the staff came down upon it.

Before Samus could get up, the Chozo continued to advance and brought his staff down upon her downed form. Samus caught the staff in her hand and used it as leverage to bound up and wrap both of her legs around the Chozo Warrior's head. She then leaned backwards, passing between his legs, and making sure to use her momentum to force his body on his back. She then bounded away, panting a bit. The Warrior recovered almost immediately.

"I certainly hope..." Samus spoke in Chozo through panted breaths, "... that you're having as much fun as I am."

The Chozo aimed his staff outwards but Samus, with a quick-draw of her arm cannon, struck the Chozo's dominant hand holding the staff, forcing a pained and somewhat ghastly grunt from him as he dropped said weapon. Samus quickly capitalized on this and used her Kinesis to toss the object far away over her shoulder. The Warrior, seeing that he had no ranged weapon, instead got in his warrior's fighting stance, ready to battle with fist and foot.

Normally, Samus would have capitalized on the disadvantage, but this was no ordinary time in combat. Without hesitation, the Hunter unequipped her Varia suit, leaving her in her Zero Suit, before she took on her traditional fighting stance, arms and hands guarding her face, Grapple Beam still attached to her left forearm.

"Shall we?"

The two circled each other briefly before dashing forward and instigating brutal melee combat. Samus parried a roundhouse and counterattacked with a solid punch to the Chozo's face.

"Ha-HA!" Samus exclaimed, landing the punch that would easily break the glass on GF face visors. However, her smile dropped as quickly as it came, as the Chozo didn't even flinch as he righted his face forward. He attempted a lighting fast punch straight to her abdomen, which Samus easily dodged by diverting his arm, but the Warrior had other plans, sweeping his leg and taking Samus right off of her feet and having her land on her back hard.

Samus caught what would have been a brutal stomp to her chest and planted her foot hard in the aggressor's crotch, forcing him away with a pained expression. She flipped back up on her feet and charged forward, landing basic target combinations that she was taught during battle training all those years ago. However, she hyper-extended her right arm in a cross, failing to recover properly, to which the Warrior enjoyed the spoils of a counterattack. He caught her arm by the elbow, drove a knee into her upper abdomen (knocking the wind out of her and forcing a cry out of the Hunter), and clocked her with a reverse right in the jaw. Samus was forced off her feet by the blow and landed on her front, panting and lightly writhing in pain.

She coughed twice and looked back on the slowly advancing Warrior. She grinned and spat some blood on the ground before standing up strong once more.

The Chozo had an expression on his face that Samus wordlessly interpreted as "Had enough?"

"Not a chance, Warrior. This is the most fun I've had in a long time," she replied before charging back with an audible 'war cry.' She attempted a high attack, which was blocked as suspected, before dropping down and using enormous force to initiate a full 360 degree sweep. The Warrior jumped over her leg and brought his own down in an axe kick which would have collided with her shoulder, were it not for Samus's instant dodge to the right. Her blue eyes shown with righteous fury as she counter-attacked, decking him in the side of the face with a right hook. Samus swore she heard something crack.

Samus was also able to grab ahold on one of his arms as he backed away in pain, dragging him back and meeting her forehead with the bridge of his beak, forcing him off his feet and hitting the ground hard. That hard hit surely stunned him somewhat and caused enormous pain, as the strike even hurt Samus a bit. Quickly, noticing he was about to recover, Samus swept his recovering leg (forcing him down hard again), and planted her fist forcefully in his abdomen, cracking some of the composite armor and eliciting some sort of a cry, holding his stomach as he doubled over to the left. Samus placed her foot on the base of the Warriors neck, looking straight into the one eye that could see her.

"Yield," Samus spoke in her caretaker's tongue. After tense moments and a stare-down, the Chozo slowly extended his arm upward and outstretched his hand. A sign of truce. Samus accepted it with her own hand and helped the Warrior back on his feet, backing away from him a bit to give him some space. The two stared each other down for who knew how long, the tension slowly dissipating in the air. The Chozo then placed his hand on his stomach and bowed respectfully, much like Samus had been accustomed to with the Luminoth. As he bowed, bright energy began to light up and flow out of him, pooling in between the two former belligerents. The magic phased together and exploded outwards, revealing a long, floating object that rotated on itself in the inside. It looked exactly like a Charge Combination.

"It's yours. Let the power of the Night guide you to salvation," the Warrior finally replied in an 'echoed' voice, if that made any sense. That was the only way Samus could think of the raspy voice. The Warrior began to slowly lose its color and fade back into the spectral entity it once was.

"Will I see you again?" Samus asked back, using 'you' to refer to the Chozo as a whole.

The spectral transformation was complete and Samus could make out what she thought was a small smile on the Chozo's beak.

"In... time..." he replied slowly, phasing out of the mortal realm. Samus stared at the spot where her worthy adversary once stood. Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the doors unlocking and remembered that a weapon was floating in front of her.

Wiping her mouth and chin of residual blood, she equipped her Varia Suit and strode towards the power-up, grasping it in her left hand and letting it diffuse into her. Like she suspected would happen, it headed straight for her arm cannon and auto-equipped her Night Beam. The beam charged itself, the first time Samus ever charged the beam, and it looked like a Spiral Galaxy at the end of her Arm Cannon. Soon, a very hefty portion of her missiles combined itself with the charged weapon and fired off almost vertically towards the nearly half a mile high ceiling with an enormous roar. The missiles reacted completely with the Night Particles and split into six bright-white projectiles, which launched downwards and slammed into the wall containing the exit door at high velocity one at a time. The projectiles hit so hard Samus thought the Hall would collapse on her.

After the debris and dust cleared, There was an enormous gaping hole where the door stood. There wasn't anything left of a door, just six large craters in and around the former archway. The destruction was uncanny. The weapon had fully assimilated itself.

I... What did I just unleash?

[Asteroid Bombardment Acquired!

[The Asteroid Bombardment is the Night Beam's Charge Combo. This heavy weapon uses sixty missiles!]

What... the fuck?

[The Asteroid Bombardment, when called upon, combines with sixty missiles and launches high into the air before splitting apart into six large projectiles (combining the destructive power of the Night Beam plus ten missiles each) and slamming into a locked on target one after the other. Can be considered a limited artillery strike. Large missile consumption limits liberal usage of the weapon. Warning: DO NOT use in confined space!]

Well then...

Samus lowered her cannon and switched it back to the Power Beam for now. She was less than half a mile's distance in total travel from The Siege Front and she felt even more confident with this new weapon on her side. However, she was down sixty missiles already, leaving her with about 200. She could call upon three Asteroid Bombardments if at all necessary, and a couple of super missiles after that.

As Samus walked out of the now gaping exit, she silently hoped that whatever waited for her there wouldn't be too terrible to deal with, as she didn't want to exhaust her new weapon just yet.

And come on, let's face it... my experience dictates that there's always something waiting for me. Never. Fails.

Samus lost herself in her own determination to see what laid ahead of her at The Siege Front, eager to claim whatever power it held for her rearmament.

8.5. Foreboding

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 8.5

Foreboding

The cold silence of space... only punctuates the feeling of singularity and void. Trillions of stars, billions of galaxies, yet still so much empty space... empty. Silent. Yet this silence and emptiness was purged when an enormous slip-space rupture revealed an gargantuan ship, followed by eight more large ruptures in space-time, which were in turn followed by dozens of minuscule ruptures. The modest fleet of warships slowed their speed to cruising, ensuring strict formation of capital ships and patrolling fighters.

The small spacecraft were garden-variety and comprised of the standard makeup of fighters, fighter-bombers, interceptors, and bombers, all running their normal patrols around their host ships. Their bluish hued, almost tadpole-esque hulls of the fighters cruised lazily in their premeditated patterns along with their slightly more attractive looking counter-classes. The larger ships were of Frigate classes, or at least six of them were. Of those six, four were Conqueror-class Frigates and the remaining two were both research and battle Frigates. The two remaining other ships were transport vessels. Unlike their much smaller fighters, these ships took on a more elegant look with more angled hulls... they looked ready to decimate anything in their paths. Their formation evenly surrounded the first ship, although there was a gap on the larger ship's side where another Frigate was undoubtedly supposed to be positioned. If one was to stumble across the fleet's registry, one would find the missing Frigate to be under the name of Orpheon. However, it's brethren, the Siriacus and the Vol Paragom were present on opposite sides of the central capital ship.

The largest of the capital ships, undoubtedly the flagship, was a Mothership-class cruiser. It had a definitive red hue to it... and it was unmistakable to certain individuals who would lay eyes on it. The fall of Zebes was not kind to the original bastion of Space Pirate might, as the Hunter took their base of operations and everything else with it in her escape. This ship, however, was freshly launched just days before the fall of Tallon IV. It arrived too late to relieve the Pirate force on the ground, or more importantly, retrieve the valuable experiments and other Phazon related data. However, when the newly commissioned fleet finally arrived at Tallon IV, not all appeared to be lost.

Pirate commanders did not expect to find the intact remains (although the word 'intact' would be used very loosely) of the Commander of Space Pirate Security Forces. With the help of several ships, their advanced technology, and a bit of specifically targeted cloning and printing, the second resurrection was complete. The fruits of that project sat in his lair within the Mothership, gawking at space as it passed by. However, even his enormous size couldn't even begin to put a dent in the space of this particular Mothership cruiser, as it was built nearly one and a half times as large. Nevertheless, he sat with his legs folded and weight on his haunches... his enormous organic and metallic wingspan pressed lazily against his back.

Ridley was alive. Pride and body marred by enormous lacerations (the latter of which was replaced by more augmentations of metal and composite material), yet very much alive. His bright orange eyes scanned space, as if expecting to see the intended destination.

Soon, however, a door rather far away to the rear had its shield deactivated and it opened, revealing a Pirate Admiral, dressed in full Pirate Naval attire. He stopped to give a salute and bow. Ridley barely acknowledged him until he spoke:

"Lord Ridley, please pardon my intrusion..." the Admiral spoke with slightly (but unusually) higher pitch than normal Pirates. He was obviously younger. Ridley barely even craned his long neck and head towards him. He responded with his iconic screeches, squawks, and grunts... but of course translators had been created for a reason.

"What is it, Admiral?"

"Our scouting parties have reported back from the suspected planets of the strike. All were negative, save for one."

Ridley remained silent. The Admiral took this as a cue to continue.

"One of our scout teams on a planet designated as VK109H by Federation directories. Decryptions reveal it's colloquial name as Equis. They landed in a lush forest but were subsequently wiped out."

"Why do you waste my time with these sickening reports of our scouts being destroyed?! I have little patience for their bumbling around and getting disposed of by the fauna like the weaklings they are!" Ridley roared. The Admiral kept his composure on the outside.

On the outside...

"That's just it, My Lord. The last transmission that we received, seconds before all communications went dark, was 'The Hunter is here!'"

Ridley said nothing for tens of seconds, but to the Admiral, it felt like hours. He could also make out a low growl of indignation from the Shipmaster himself. Meta-Ridley then let loose one giant roar of determination.

"Set course for Equis. If the Hunter is there, the Phazon meteor will certainly be there as well," he ordered.

"My Lord, please forgive me but does that necessarily mean that the meteor has--"

"A former shipmaster once made the mistake of questioning my judgement and orders, Admiral. What I am certain of is that you certainly will not make the same mistake," Ridley interjected and added the last word with a venom.

"Indeed not, Lord Ridley. Course will be set for Equis. All fighters and bombers are ready to launch in minutes notice and ground troops are ready to deploy planet-side when we arrive. Calculating the projected time before-hand revealed approximately five-day's travel unto our destination."

"Very well. See to it. Dismissed."

The Admiral didn't reply, but merely bowed and saluted once more before he strode off, the door closing and sealing behind him with a green glow.

The Metallic Dragon himself turned back towards the empty void of space, looking straight ahead as the ships all kept formation and changed course, entering slipspace once more with many things on his mind.

A score to settle was one of them.

9. Secret Dreams

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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.
.
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"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.
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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.

10. The Plan and The Offer

View Online

This glorious sketch was done by Porqupine, on his take of Samus stumbling across the portion of Starfall Fortress. She's in her Power Suit rather than her Varia but with the way he sketched it, the choice is actually better, as the pauldrons would have gotten in the way with the closeup he did. I really like it, I hope you guys do too!

Metroid Equis

Chapter 10

The Plan and The Offer

[In Transit to Ponyville]

Samus had affirmed she was hungry, but one other feeling dominated hunger tenfold: Samus was tired. Oh by any divine entity that existed she was absolutely exhausted, but she had to take care of protocol that involved acquisitions of new suits. Plus it wasn’t worth her time to try and catch much needed shuteye that she had been so deprived of since she left Aether while she was on the short trip to Ponyville.

Nevertheless, the flight back was comfortable for the lone occupant of the only gunship in Equestria, although most of her time was actually spent fiddling with her new suit and running its functions against her core Varia Suit to see what had actually changed, writing down notes in her personal logbook as a result. In the end of it all, Samus was more than satisfied with her findings and analysis. If one was to peer into her suit’s logbook, they would find a plethora of information beyond their wildest imagination, solely based on the Hunter’s observations. Of course, the first thing she made sure to do was ensure that all her core suit functions actually worked before running them against the Varia Suit.

[All Visor Functions: Combat, Scan, Thermal, X-Ray, Online]

[Morph-Ball Module: Fully Operational]

[Speed Booster: Online]

[Arm Cannon: All Sub-Systems Fully Operational]

[Space Jump Boosters: Online]

[Screw Attack Module: Online]

[Grapple Beam: Online]

[Kinesis Beam: Fully Operational]

The list went on until the final confirmation of “All Systems Operational” was shown to her. Samus had also confirmed that her Suit indeed provided a generous defensive shielding boost (in no small part due to the shield generator being infused with magic when the suit was put on her). Another note she made was that now, her suit would be fully capable of assimilating magical equipment and components, which eliminated the need for an external charge (as Luna performed with her arm cannon) in order to keep current magic-based equipment that wasn’t directly fused to her being, such as the Night Beam, running. In the end of it all, Samus was more than pleased with the results of the suit augmentation. She yawned once more.

I’m friggin’ exhausted.

The lush greenness of the forest soon began to wane and give way to a residential area as the Hunter Class Gunship comfortably cruised, systematically losing altitude out of the thick cloud-cover and descending into the square below, right in front of Twilight’s Library. The roar of the engines died out and terrified ponies who hadn’t witnessed the ship the first time around due to staying inside as a result of the rain, quickly gave it some space while some panicked. The partly cloudy day ensured that most of the town’s residents gathered at a respectable distance around the large anomaly, unhindered by rainfall. Murmurs and hushed whispers amongst the candy-colored ponies communicated a sense of concern which quickly gave way to a collective gasp as metallic clanks resounded from the ship and the Hunter revealed herself at the top of the hatch. Samus turned to the crowd she gathered, her face obscured by her navy blue helmet and violet visor.

“Hi everypony,” the feminine voice spoke from the obscurity of the helmet. Once the town’s residents heard that, they immediately identified her as Samus, the alien and human-turned-human/Chozo hybrid, and the one at the forefront of the defense against the Phazon. They all immediately relaxed, some replying with a greeting of their own, before going about their business. Samus had to remember that she hadn’t toured the town in her Varia Suit for this exact reason: not to cause panic. Now that she was uncontested by that thought, she jumped off her ship and gently entered Twilight’s residence. She found all six of the Elements of Harmony fervently discussing important subject matter amongst themselves, but nevertheless, they perked up at Samus’s entrance.

“Hiya Samus!!” Pinkie Pie shouted, much to Samus’s chagrin. She had too much energy for the Hunter right now.

“There you are! We were wondering when you’d return,” Twilight spoke up, trotting up to the Hunter. “Nice new clothes, by the way,” she added with a smile, admiring Samus’s new suit.

“Indeed, darling! Even in battle you look absolutely stunning, my dear!” Rarity supported Twilights statement, walking circles around Samus and eyeing her new Astral Suit’s every detail. The rest of the ponies walked up to her as well and extended their own greetings, especially Rainbow Dash who kept nagging her to take her flying in her ship.

“Oh come ON! Samuuuuuus you said we would,” she whined while hovering in the air at Samus’s eye-level. Samus had just unequipped her suit, save for her grapple beam, which she had been starting to keep on her at all times.

“No, Rainbow Dash. I never said we would, I said ‘maybe.’ There’s no time for that,” Samus replied flatly while the prismatic-maned pegasus pouted. “Twilight, what’s happened while I was away?”

“Princess Celestia received a briefing as to the issues in Cloudsdale, which she finally declassified in entirety to the six of us, and she wanted to pass it on to you,” Twilight replied as she handed a scroll with a seal that said “Top Secret” with her magic. Samus took it and attempted to unravel it, but found that it wouldn’t open, no matter how hard she pulled at the flimsy paper. Her patience was thinning extremely fast.

“Explain…?” Samus asked.

“Whoops! It’s a magic seal keyed to your own aura. Give it a little juice and the seal will fall off,” Twilight replied, forgetting to tell the Hunter about classification of royal documents. Samus looked back at the scroll and let her Kinesis fire up lightly, enveloping the scroll in her light blue aura. The seal cracked and dissolved, rendering the scroll readable.

Okay that’s pretty cool… I’ll give them that. Need. Sleeeeeeep.

Everypony (plus one human) decided to get comfortable as Samus sat down in the armchair she always occupied and read the very detailed information brief… which she found ironic considering the name. The Elements watched quietly and patiently as Samus’s eyes carefully scanned the paper from left to right, her slightly pale face showing little emotion from her blue eyes and neutral lip position. After a couple of minutes, the Hunter set the scroll aside and tiredly rubbed her eyes with her left thumb and index finger, squeezing the bridge of her nose in the process.

“The poor girl, she’s so tired…” Twilight thought as she observed Samus’s movements and body language. Eventually, Samus sat up straight and gave a small look to each of the six ponies in the room, who nodded in a friendly manner in return.

“Alright. I guess we’re gonna have to go to Cloudsdale. Rainbow Dash, you’ve accepted this position in the Cloudsdale Weather Factory?” Samus confirmed.

“You betcha! The Princess called me up and I accepted in a heartbeat. Element of Loyalty, after all,” Dashie affirmed in her usual overconfident manner. Samus nodded.

“Very well. For the rest of you, it appears that, as to avoid splitting up the Element bearers and to have you close by to both use various talents of yours and in the off chance that the Elements need to be used, you’ll all be coming as well, I presume?” Samus asked, making sure that she was processing the information correctly.

“That’s correct,” Twilight answered for everypony. Samus nodded a few times and looked back to the scroll. The text stated that forward operations were to commence the next day during the evening. The scroll had also detailed that with their help and cooperation with the Equestrian Intelligence Agency, Celestia expected to be able to locate the source of the Phazon spreading and find out where it came from. The plan of attack, which would coincide with Samus’s rearmament, was to essentially follow the Phazon’s path that it trickled, eventually leading them to the core. Tentative? Easily, for things could easily go wrong and other random variables hadn’t necessarily been accounted for. Solid? Fairly. Samus had little opposition, as she would finally be able to get into the dirty work.

“Looks good to me. We leave tomorrow then, yes?” Samus inquired softly.

“Yup! We’re gonna stay here for the night an’ leave fer Cloudsdale tomorrow,” Applejack spoke up. Samus ran her hand through her hair and rubbed both her eyes with her knuckles. Samus was internally begging for some sleep.

“Alright, then I’ll see you all later,” Samus said with a yawn as she got up and walked to her room.

“Where’re you going… if you don’t mind me asking? And if you had time… I wanted to ask you a couple of ques…tions...” Fluttershy spoke up, getting ever more curious about the Hunter by the day; but her words trailed off as Samus stopped and turned around with one of the most tired but irritable expressions on her face. Fluttershy could have sworn she saw bags developing under her eyes and she sunk down and cowered a bit under her gaze.

“I got beaten the shit out of by a ghost, I’ve explored miles of Everfree and been assaulted by Pirate scouts who probably have called for reinforcements, explored mile after mile of antique fortress, and I just killed an ancient dragon that refused to die as much as Quadraxis.” Samus then took on a softer, almost pleading tone, her back hunched a little bit. “Forgive me if I’m being short with you but I haven’t slept fully since I arrived here… hell, even since I came from Planet Aether. I’ve been having nightmares waking me up for the time I’ve been here. Please, I promise to help and I’ll gladly answer any questions you may have but I’ve been running on fumes. I’m going the fuck to sleep. I’ll see everypony later,” Samus finally finished her micro-rant before disappearing into her room and closing the door. Alone in her room and with silence reigning, she let out a breath she had not known she was holding, and the only thing she spied was her large bed… which she had just named Sanctuary Bed.

By the Creators and all Chozo Elders, please bless me for what I’m about to receive…

She walked to the nicely sized bed, letting her hair down in the process, and let her body drop unaided into the cushy comfort. She was out like a light before her cheek even hit the pillow, her hair splaying out in random directions comically; the softest sound of deep breathing and the lightest snore resounding through the sound-proof room.

The Mane Six were left a little bit stunned at Samus’s sudden outburst that seemed so uncharacteristic for the soft spoken human, so they felt it was best to give her space and let her rest up.

“Did… Did I say something wrong?” Fluttershy asked very meekly and shamefully. The others were quick to comfort her.

“Shucks, sugarcube, ya ain’t said nothin’ wrong. Samus is just mighty tired,” Applejack said softly, patting her hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder.

“Yeah, don’t worry too much, Shy. I’m sure you all remember what happens when I forget to sleep…” Twilight reminded the others. Everypony shuddered internally.

“Mhmm! I can also be a grumpy-grumpy pants when I don’t sleep…. Which is probably because I ate too much cake the day before,” Pinkie mused. The others looked at her incredulously.

“Really Pinks? I never thought you slept to be honest. I was almost sure that you ate enough sugar to keep you going for years,” Rainbow joked.

“When she crashes, she crashes hard,” Twilight emphasized and everypony giggled.

“But cake is just soooo good!”

“What’s a ‘Quadraxis'?” Dash asked.

[Day 3 in Equestria]

[Time: 23:41]

If one was to plant a camera to show time lapse in Samus’s room, one would expect to find her unconscious body fidgeting in her sleep and occasionally switching positions. However, that wouldn’t be the case here, as Samus didn’t move once from where she collapsed, nearly fourteen hours earlier. A couple of murmurs and subtle moans came from the unconscious form of the young Hunter before her eyes fluttered and groggily opened.

Samus was surprised to find it pitch-black outside and the time being what it was. She hadn’t remembered sleeping this long uninterrupted in a very long time. Sleeping for that long made her realize how much her muscles had been aching for proper rest since the Aether incident, as usually a random nightmare would wake her up or just her insomnia got the best of her.

She lifted her trunk up with her hands and stretched her back thoroughly before swinging her legs over the side of the bed and merely sitting, back straight. After rubbing the remnants of sleep out of her eyes and running her hands through her blonde hair to detangle and straighten it out a tad, she finally stood up and stretched fully for about five minutes, including a few acrobatic moves to loosen her body up.

Working up a light sweat, she was ready to figure things out now. She wasn’t able to sleep anymore, so she might as well have been productive. She strode into the bathroom and washed her face a bit. She was thinking about showering but felt a bit lazy at the moment and decided to do that in the morning when she, plus the Elements, left for Cloudsdale. Samus grabbed her red band and tied her hair up in her usual ponytail, letting two locks of her golden hair fall, framing her face and creating the look that was common to see when the Hunter was suit-less. She stared at the reflection in the mirror for a few moments before holstering her pistol and retreating to her room once more. However, she almost stepped on something that she hadn’t noticed in the darkness.

Samus hunched down and found a plate with three pieces of food on it, of what looked like some type of veggie sandwich cut into three triangles and some potato chips on the side as well as a glass of water. Under said glass was a note:

Hi Samus,

I’m sorry if I made you mad earlier… you were really tired. I thought you would probably be hungry so I made you something for when you woke up… I hope you don’t mind, that is.

Sweet dreams. You’ve earned it.

~Fluttershy

Samus couldn’t help but drop her stoic face into a kind smile, touched at the gesture. She made a mental note to thank her and apologize for her irritated outburst. Fluttershy was right though, Samus was starving… but she didn’t want to stay cooped up in the room right now.

Gingerly opening the door that lead into the common room, Samus found all six of the ponies sleeping soundly in close proximity to one another. Now, Samus hadn’t called anything ‘adorable’ or ‘cute’ in many, many years, but let’s say that she had to put a hand over her mouth to stifle a giddy giggle at the sight of them.

Brushing the thought off, Samus employed the help of her Kinesis and levitated the plate of food and glass of water as she tip-toed with grace towards the front door. However, the glass of water was a bit heavier than expected and since Samus was new to the levitation spells, holding it for a prolonged period (only about twenty seconds, really) caused the glass to waver out of her aura and almost fall right on Rarity’s face. Samus caught it in record time, cursing herself for clumsiness before slipping out the door, just opting to hold the plate with her left hand and clutch the glass to her bosom with the right, saving her any potential disaster.

Once outside and the door closed, Samus reprimanded herself for losing focus on the objects, yet reminded herself that she was probably the equivalent of a primary-school child in terms of magic. Gazing across the small square that lay in front of Twilight’s library, she opted to sit at a bench in the nearby park. It was light enough due to Luna’s moon, so Samus figured that she could enjoy a quiet dinner there.

She made her way to the bench and sat down, crossing her legs under her and digging into the delicately prepared food.

Why does everything taste so much better here?!

The sandwich was still fairly fresh, for she didn’t know exactly when it was prepared. The chips were crunchy and the water was cool. It worked for her, though she wasn’t sure if this would quench her appetite. Before Samus could dig into the second sandwich triangle, she heard a fluttering of wings and the sound of hooves landing delicately on the grass behind her.

“I did not expect to find you out here,” Princess Luna said delicately as she approached the seated Hunter. Samus turned her body, food still in her mouth, and gently waved to her.

“Hey Princess,” Samus finally was able to say after gulping her food down.

“Don’t you start with the formalities now… and you were doing so well!” Luna joked, taking a seat next to Samus. “Did you find what you sought?” Luna asked.

“I did. I received a new and very powerful weapon as well as a new suit. Had to go through hell to get it but either way, it works beautifully,” Samus responded in a more chipper manner than normal, most likely due to the sleep she restocked on.

“Most excellent. I’m sure it will aid us greatly in our fight against the Phazon,” Luna spoke.

“And the Pirates.”

“You know with certainty that they will arrive in force?” Luna asked. Samus nodded.

“Oh yes. You can bet on it. This, this whole situation…” Samus emphasized by waving her hand around. “… is going to get horrendously ugly before it gets better. I just hope you and Celestia are prepared to accept what is to come in the very near future.”

“Prepared? Yes. As diarchs of Equestria, we must be prepared to embrace anything. Is it our will to accept the circumstances? No. Not in the slightest. I’ve seen the effects of this Phazon. I’ve been to the afflicted areas. It is…” Luna could not finish her sentence as the images of earlier today and the previous day flashed into her head. The mutilated and mutated bodies as well as the Phazon insanity were enough to cause mental scars on their own. As well, the threat of invasion wasn’t taken too kindly in Luna’s mind.

“I notified the Galactic Federation, and they’re sending a fleet to the planet at my request and their best interest. Advanced medical technology which you can combine with your MedMagic, troops, supplies, and other logistics equipment are in tow. You’re not fighting this alone, Luna. And you can bet I’m not leaving until this Phazon is eradicated,” Samus spoke with conviction and reassurance. Luna, the toughest pony Samus had met so far, Lunar diarch of Equestria, seemed at her most vulnerable with everything compounding on her. She returned the Human’s reassurance with a thankful grin of her own.

“When this is over, Samus, don’t feel like you’re being forced to leave…” Luna alluded.

“What do you mean?”

“I know you’re a bounty hunter, and you go where you are called, especially with this Federation entity as your main employer, but you don’t have to leave immediately if you don’t want to,” Luna clarified just a little.

“Wait, are you alluding to what I think you’re alluding to?” Samus asked.

“I know enough about you from what you have told me and what I can gather from your dreams. You’re a warrior, through and through, yet you have your heart in the right place. I know, even as a warrior for hire, you would refuse payment if it meant the preservation of the innocent. I actually know that because you have done that before. I can relate to you… on a different level. I was the warrior of the family, still am, even in times of peace, but I digress. Because I can relate on some level, I have the ability to know and make that particular judgment of you. Just know that as a result, Equestria’s door is always open to you,” Luna finished.

Samus let her words sink in. Essentially, Luna was allowing Samus to reside in Equestria and Equis if she so chose to.

“Why?” Samus asked, having never dealt with an extension of an odd sense of ‘asylum.’ Luna turned to her with an incredulous smirk.

“Is it not that simple? Simply because you’re a powerful warrior with a good heart, which leads into the fact that I see you as a friend,” Luna confirmed. Samus turned her gaze to the sky, allowing the Lunar Alicorn’s words to sink in.

“You’re not being pressured or coerced into making a decision like that. It is still very early, and you have only been here a few days. But I learned from warding off your nightmares that after the… incident on the Moon known as K2-L and eventually, leaving the Planet known as Zebes…” Luna gathered her breath and thought how to say the next words carefully. “… you lack a land to call home.” Luna turned to Samus once more.

“I know this is sudden, but just know that you are always welcome here.”

Samus, in truth, didn’t know how to respond to that. Quickly running things over, she enjoyed the inhabitants of this planet and country, even though many could be rather quirky, the food was spectacular, and she could come and go as she pleased… it indeed sounded a lot like a home when put into retrospect. However, as much as the spontaneous side (however deeply it was buried) wanted to accept Luna’s offer immediately, she couldn’t do so in a clear conscience and mind, without accounting for other variables. Now was not the time to make that call. Samus opted to respond in a way that she deemed most appropriate for the situation, as well as to not betray all her emotions:

“I’ll consider it.”

“That is all I ask, Samus.”

Conversation died for a couple of minutes as the two enjoyed the silence and the scenery. Samus finished her food, stomach satiated to an extent.

“You kept my nightmares away?” Samus asked.

“You are performing a great deed for our nation and planet. As of right now, I feel the least I could do to aid you is to let you get a decent night’s sleep,” Luna said with a tinge of sarcasm and a friendly grin, the moonlight reflecting off her teal-blue eyes and accentuating her ethereal mane.

“Thanks,” Samus replied with a grateful tone and a small smile. Samus was starting to see Luna as a wonderful ally… maybe even as a friend; and she hadn’t had many of those since her Federation Police days.

“Not a problem. But before I go…” Luna began to say as she stood up from the bench, “I crafted something that you may find useful.”

Her horn glowed brightly and something materialized between the two of them after the magic that she casted exploded outward. Suspended a couple of feet in the air was a small ball of lavender energy.

“Have a good night, Hunter,” Luna spoke cordially as she took flight and flew into the night, Samus quickly losing track of her in the night sky. Her interest was quickly drawn to the object in front of her.

Standing up and equipping her Astral Suit, she moved forward and grasped the item and allowed its magic to course through her body. It moved to her helmet and her visor lit up brightly, the violet almost turning white from its luminosity. It eventually died down when Samus decided to fiddle with the visor controls.

[Aura Visor Acquired!]

[The Aura Visor taps into the magical dimension within Equis. Like the Thermal Visor is used to detect heat signatures and the X-Ray Visor is used to detect entities out of the visible spectrum of light, the Aura Visor allows detection of entities and magic which lay beyond the visible states of matter, illuminating the magic within the environment as well as individuals. Ideal for detecting magic potential (auras).]

Testing the new visor out, the environment faded into black. It reminded Samus of how the Echo Visor would dim the surroundings black. Any object that held magic was shown to be illuminated with varying degrees of intensity as well as different colors. From this visor she was able to conclude that Equis in and of itself had a magic-rich environment, although Samus wasn’t surprised.

With the help these ponies were willing to provide, as well as the smoothness that her rearmament was proceeding, Samus felt ready to tackle whatever lay in her path.

Although the little midnight snack was settling in her stomach and consequently, Samus started to feel a bit tired again. She felt that she could rest her eyes some more in preparation for Cloudsdale first thing in the morning.

The hunter unequipped her suit and silently strode back to the library, Luna’s words weighing in on her mind, but with even more resolve to stop the Phazon and beat back the Pirates.

One thing’s for sure… neither the Phazon nor the Pirates shall lay claim to Equis. I’ll ensure that.

Proofread/Beta-read/Edited by: Tatsurou

11. A Costly Mistake

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 11

A Costly Mistake

“No, Your Highness, we haven’t seen her all day,” yet another Royal Guard answered when Princess Celestia asked where Luna happened to be. It was another late night for the Solar Alicorn, almost one in the morning to be completely honest, and she hadn’t seen Luna in the castle. This last talk with yet another patrol of Guards confirmed that she probably was doing some routine flying around. With that, she strode to Luna’s room and awaited her return… which was almost perfectly aligned with Celestia’s entrance. Right as the elder princess stepped into Luna’s bedchambers, the latter landed gracefully on her balcony, fluttered her wings a bit and strolled inside. A smile graced her face as she spied her older sister.

“Greetings, dear Sister. To what do I owe the pleasure of finding you waiting in my quarters?” Luna asked, giving a friendly nuzzle and embrace to the pure-white Alicorn.

“Just checking up on you, seeing as you’re just as overworked as I am these days,” she replied with a tired but friendly tone. Luna chortled gently.

“I see. I just got done flying around the Ponyville area. I found the Hunter in one of the many parks there naught an hour ago, actually,” Luna acknowledged.

“Oh? And what was Samus doing out at this hour?”

“Partaking in a late dinner with a sandwich,” Luna giggled. For some reason she just found the situation… interesting.

“Indeed. Safe to assume you chatted?” Celestia asked. Luna nodded in response. “Did you extend our offer to her?”

“She said she would consider it. No more, no less. As well, I delivered another bit of technology that I crafted for her use.”

“Yeah? What did you make her? And why don’t you tell me anything anymore?” Celestia joked.

“Oh pray thee, Celestia, you know I would tell you when I was able. Nonetheless, I magically crafted assisted vision that would help detect magic potential. I felt it would be useful in her upcoming part in the Cloudsdale Operation,” Luna explained. Celestia had a thoughtful expression plastered on her muzzle and she voiced her concerns:

“Lulu, do you really feel it’s wise to inject Samus with all this magic so quickly?”

“She shall be fine. The Kinesis Object left behind by The Visitors allowed her physical and mental form to tap into the magical universe. Other than a few side effects, which are quite common to unicorns who are very powerful, I foresee nothing that could be a potential hindrance, even though she may be a human” Luna replied, dismissively waving her hoof before turning towards her dresser and setting her regalia down. Celestia shook her head and approached her younger sister.

"Not what I was getting at. In truth, I'm actually very very concerned about one thing in particular." Luna looked at her sister oddly out of the corner of her eye before turning to fully face her.

"And what might that be?" Luna prodded, her curiosity having piqued completely.

"To be completely honest, and getting straight to the point, I'm worried about Samus... and the Nightmare," Celestia came out completely and spoke her peace. Luna's eyes widened for fractions of a second before she continued with her standard, stoic gaze. Nothing was said for several seconds as the Lunar Princess continued to process the information and formulate a response.

"W-What about the Nightmare?" she finally asked, not particularly eager to discuss "potentials" relating to a rather dark time in her life.

"I'm afraid that Samus will succumb to it. Need I spell it out more?"

"And why do you feel that is the case?"

Celestia looked away for a bit, forming her words. She then turned back to face Luna.

"Despite her remedial skill level, you cannot deny that she has taken remarkably well to magic. Her armor-suit has already completely integrated with it and I can literally feel the untouched magic potential within her once she becomes more skilled in the art... it is within the range of Twilight Sparkle's own abilities should she be able to harness her full power combined with her armor-suit and hybrid augmentations," she began. Luna nodded along.

"Naturally, sister. I could feel her potential as well. My Aura Vision is nearly blinded by her presence."

"Indeed. But I'm not sure if you also have felt it... but her emotions... her feelings and thoughts. I can feel them too. She has so much sorrow... so much anger, bitterness, and hate built up and locked away in her mind... it's completely ripe for the Nightmare to fester." Luna understood completely now. Her ability to read emotions, thoughts, and the like was not as strong as her older sister's, but her ally was in dreamwalking. In Samus's dream, Luna recalled a few very important details.

"I see... and I can concur to some degree. In observing one of her dreams, a nightmare in particular... she witnessed her mother get torn apart at such an impressionable age, as well as the slaughter of the rest of her people. She was the sole survivor."

Celestia looked into Luna's eyes with urgency.

"Luna, you've been through this before... an experience that I still hold guilt for not trying harder to avoid... tell me, do you feel, based on all of our analysis, that Samus could fall to the Nightmare? A new Nightmare created in her psyche?"

Luna thought on her words. Based on her experiences, she could only run through familiar scenarios and look back into her sisters eyes with a deep fear.

"It is nigh certain."

Celestia pursed her lips and sighed in defeat.

"How long would it take?"

"I am not entirely sure, sister. With one who has relatively no physical or mental experience with the art of magic, her potential is essentially nullified. Should the Nightmare fester, it could corrupt her mind in mere days, and that is possibly being generous. Worst case scenario maybe around three days, and I would not be surprised if she started exhibiting and experiencing symptoms."

"We must warn her, Luna," Celestia said resolutely.

"I am well aware of that. I shall take care of that job, seeing as I supplied much of the magic to aid her. The Cloudsdale Operation will require our full attention but with her help, should not last more than a day and night. I'll pull her aside not a moment later, when all the elements are reunited so we may be ready to preemptively cleanse her."

"See to it, Luna. If she exhibits several symptoms on our journey to Cloudsdale, I'll be forced to reveal the information myself. You two are hitting it off somewhat, so I shan't interfere with your judgment and purview on this. Get it done, Luna. The Nightmare cannot take her... she would subdue the Elements if that were the case and all is lost."

Luna narrowed her eyes.

"I'll personally intervene should she succumb. The Nightmare will not have Samus, mark. My. Words."

12. Cloudsdale

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 12

Cloudsdale

The new day over Ponyville began ever as peacefully as it always had, and none would be the wiser save for the virulent Phazon wreaking havoc on even more of Equestria. What Samus had silently admired was how the common ponies took everything; not in stride, but rather, coping with the circumstances. Many societies would have descended into anarchy and complete pandemonium by now, but yet, the ponies, at least of Ponyville, were continuing about their days, smiles on their faces but never oblivious to what was happening. On another note, many of the residents of Ponyville had at least one other pony staying with them… family who had most likely lived in the affected cities.

Speaking of the Hunter, Samus was just stirring once again. There was no grace to her sleeping body. It was strewn and contorted comically as Samus undoubtedly got some of the best sleep in her entire life. As the clock struck seven in the morning, the blonde-haired girl, who was currently lying face down but almost orthogonal to the bed itself, began to move. She lifted her trunk up with her hands and brought herself to a sitting position. Registering where she was after ten seconds, she ran both her hands through her hair and stood up off the side of the bed. Going through her normal routine, she yawned and began her stretches and light acrobatics: back bends, hamstring stretches, splits, et cetera. Working up a light sweat once more, she gladly shed her Zero Suit and strode into the bathroom, grabbing a towel on her way. A much needed shower was in order.

Oh YES do I need this!

What Samus failed to notice, at first, about her discarded attire was that the inner part of the left forearm of the Zero Suit had turned jet black.

After fifteen minutes (felt like five) of scrubbing her body of sleep, sweat, and reminiscent muscle pains, the Hunter emerged from the bathroom, discarded the towel, applied some sterilization fluid to the inner Suit, and donned said Zero Suit once more. She tied her hair up in her usual style and let the usual two locks frame her face. Lastly, she holstered her Paralyzer… but that’s when she saw it:

“What..?” Samus asked incredulously as she held up and gazed at her left forearm. Rubbing her eyes and gently running two fingers over the composite material of the Zero Suit, she indeed convinced herself that the area was completely black in color. It contrasted perfectly with the blue which was probably why she didn’t notice it at first. Nevertheless, it didn’t detract from how perplexed she was. Since her under-attire never changed color upon acquisition of the Astral Suit, this did well to garner her suspicions. But, there were more important things to take care of, and as such Samus would have to let it be for now.

Barely on this planet for four days and I’m already losing my damn mind.

Opening the door to her room, Samus found Rarity with her hoof raised, as if about to knock, as well as the semi-shocked expression on her face from the door opening at the coincidental time.

“Hi there!” Samus spoke first in a tone most unlike her, looking down about two feet at the alabaster unicorn.

“Well… good morning Samus! I was just coming up here to make sure that you were awake. We’re almost ready to depart, and I see you’re all set. I apologize if I was disturbing you at all…” Rarity replied a tad uneasily.

“Not at all!” Samus replied in a friendly manner, waving her hand dismissively. “Are the others packed and ready?” the Hunter asked.

“Indeed! Gathering the last few necessities and waiting on you,” Rarity spoke, in return, dropping any uneasiness in her voice and embracing Samus’s friendlier attitude. “Then, we can just send a letter to Celestia and she’ll commission a Guard Carriage for us.”

“Hmmm… That won’t be necessary. Come,” she beckoned Rarity and the two made their way fully into the common room. There were various bags of clothes, toiletries, and other equipment organized neatly in the center and of many different colors. Of course most of them belonged to Rarity.

“Hi everyone,” Samus spoke cordially.

“Mornin’ sleepyhead!” Applejack joked, earning a few giggles. Samus just glared at her before letting her expression devolve into a small smile.

“You shut up!” Samus pointed at the farmer pony and tipped her hat off her head.

“Watch it, partner!” AJ shouted back and placed her hat back on her head. The others laughed, once again, embracing the Hunter’s friendlier aura. Samus ignored her scolding and got serious once more.

“Twilight, are we going straight to Cloudsdale?” the Hunter asked in her usual ‘down-to-business’ tone of voice… the one she used ninety percent of the time.

“Uhhh yeah, as far as I know. Once I call a Guard Carriage we should be on our way. Shouldn’t be more than an hour…” she then turned her head towards the kitchen. “Spike! Can you send for the carriage now?” she yelled out. Samus stepped in.

“That’s not needed. I’ll drive. Send a message to Celestia noting that instead.”

The others looked to her, one eyebrow raised.

“We’ll make better time if we take my ship and—” Samus couldn’t even finish her sentence when Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie both jumped up and screamed in a giddy fashion and ran for the door.

“… go straight there,” Samus finished. She turned to the door and then back to Twilight, looking for an answer.

“Ummmm… sure I guess. Does your ship have enough room for us and the bags?”

“Plenty. Let’s go. Now,” Samus directed and everypony filed towards the door. Twilight hefted all the bags easily with her magic. The Hunter fell into step beside the lavender unicorn.

“This is probably a better idea actually, Samus. I received another letter from Princess Celestia this morning… it’s getting really bad,” Twilight spoke up, trailing behind the others as they filed out the door.

“How bad are we talking?”

“Bad enough where they’ve classified types of Phazon poisoning and corruption as well as having to lift victims to hospitals in Cloudsdale and Cirrostratus… there’s not enough room in many general hospitals around the country,” Twilight mused in a somber tone. “That’s where we’re going first when we get to Cloudsdale: Celestia is going to meet up with us and we are to observe some of the patients. She feels your experience with the substance could provide more information.”

“I understand,” Samus replied with a gentle nod and they exited the door. Twilight turned back to Spike:

“Alright Spike, you’ve got the Library to yourself for a couple of days. I trust you’ll keep things in order?” Twilight asked her Number One assistant. Samus stood a couple of paces ahead of her and intended to wait for the unicorn… but...

“HEY! Get off the engines!” Samus scolded as she stomped over to where Rainbow Dash was, on top of her ship and poking her head inside the exhaust port. Twilight giggled a bit before turning back to the baby dragon.

“I got it, Twi. You don’t have to worry about me, really. Just be careful up there, alright?” Spike replied.

“Of course, Spike.” Twilight nuzzled the little guy affectionately and planted a small kiss on his forehead. “I’ll be back soon,” she said before joining the others, Samus having pried the prismatic-maned pegasus from the engine port.

“The hatch is up top. Let’s load the stuff in and be on our way. You all will guide me to where we’re headed,” Samus stated.

“Okie Dokie!” Pinkie chimed in while bouncing around a bit. Before Samus could get started in helping out, Twilight spoke up:

“Samus, since we’re going to Cloudsdale I’m going to need to give you cloud-walking abilities.”

“Cloud-walking abilities?” Samus asked with skepticism as to what that really meant.

“Well, unless you enjoy stepping on clouds and then falling to your possible death…”

“Fair enough. This sounds weird as it is but then again, I’m not in a position to comment on ‘weird’ from all the things I’ve seen. Do what you gotta do,” Samus conceded easily, equipping her Astral Suit. Twilight immediately cast the necessary spell over the Hunter’s form, her raspberry aura completely shrouding her for a few seconds before getting absorbed. Samus, once again, felt magic course within her and this time, head straight for her legs. The boot portion of her leg armor shown a bright lavender color and died out, the spell complete and successful.

[Scanning…]

[Cloud-Walker Boots Acquired!]

[Your suit’s boots as well as your physical form have been augmented to allow safe traverse over clouds and dense fog. Cloud environments of Equis now accessible.]

“Hm. I’ll admit, I’m a bit curious as to what I’m to expect,” Samus mused out loud while unequipping her Suit. Deciding to get on with the show, the ponies and human all got to work in storing their bags and equipment in the Gunship. Samus directed them all to a storage compartment on the lower-right side of the ship. One by one, the ponies entered the ship through the hatch, Samus of course entering first in order to direct them properly. It was a tad tight of a squeeze, but everybody was able to get comfortable… although the Elements were completely awed by the technology Samus’s ship possessed.

“What is this?” Twilight asked, staring at a screen displaying schematics of the ship. Other similar monitor screens were present in other various places of the ship, especially where Samus sat, in the cockpit. She swiveled in her chair and faced the other ponies, each fascinated by something different.

“Computer. Specifically, an Integrity and Inventory computer.”

“What’s a computer?” Twilight followed up. The others also looked at Samus expectantly, curious about the advanced technology. Samus opened her mouth but nothing came out… she then retreated into her seat and thought about her answer… not really knowing how to explain what a computer was in one sentence right off the top of her head.

“Simply put, and this is really over-simplified, it’s a device that has the ability to process and store vast amounts of data, as well as run and automate processes,” she decided to say. Naturally, Twilight’s face brightened and was about to ask for more but Samus cut her off.

“No. We don’t have time. Who’s gonna be my navigator?”

“Oh! Me!” Rainbow Dash came to the forefront. Samus nodded and pointed to her.

“You.” She thumbed in the direction next to her. “Next to me. You’re my co-pilot,” Samus confirmed as she swiveled back around and keyed in the necessary commands into the central pilot console to prepare for takeoff.

“Heck yes!” Dash hoofed the air and hovered next to the sitting Hunter, who looked over her shoulder and addressed the others:

“The ride won’t be too bumpy, but just brace yourselves for takeoff… Now,” she warned.

“Oh dear…” Fluttershy cowered slightly. The others huddled around her and did as they were told, getting a better footing on the floor of the ship. Samus keyed a final round of commands, took control of the joysticks and pressed another button. The engines roared to life and the under-ship thrusters slowly but surely began a steady ascent.

“Woah-nelly!” Applejack exclaimed as she wobbled a bit in place, not expecting the sudden loss of solid footing. Pinkie was somehow happily bouncing lightly up and down without much of an issue and Rainbow Dash propped herself on her hind legs and leaned against the side of the cockpit window, a gleeful smile plastered on her face. Soon, they had enough altitude and Samus ceased ascent for the moment, looking over at her interim navigator.

“I don’t have a map to Cloudsdale, as it appears it was moved by wind currents. Where to?”

“Southeast,” Rainbow pointed with her hoof. “Climb through the cloud layer over there and we should find it.”

“Got it,” the Hunter replied. The rear engines roared once again, causing the mares in tow to jump a bit, and the craft gently accelerated towards the destination. When the flight was stabilized, all the ponies got to their feet a bit shakily and went to the cockpit and looked out the enormous window.

“Woah…” sounded a collective word of awe as they flew through the sky. They had all been on chariots, yes, but this was obviously a new experience on a different level. Samus gave a gentle half-grin and ascended through the cloud layer, leaving Ponyville behind. After light conversation amongst the mares and Samus diligently piloting her ship, they broke through the cloud layer and spied the enormous cloud-city in the distance. Samus had to admit, it was very impressive, more-so based on the fact that it was entirely made of clouds. As they drew closer Samus’s computer piped up:

“Objects approaching ship directly ahead. No data available on craft type.”

They all looked forward and spied two specks approaching from the cloud metropolis at high speeds. As they got closer, they were revealed to be two pegasi of the Equestrian Air Wing. They overshot the ship and quickly banked around, coming up on both sides and extremely close.

“Ummm… Twilight, what do we do? I don’t believe they’re carrying radio equipment,” Samus asked calmly. Twilight didn’t respond but lit her horn, which the left pegasi was able to see. Getting a closer look, he identified Twilight Sparkle immediately and she waved to him. He nodded and beckoned with his hoof.

“We’re good. The pegasi are gonna escort us. Princess Celestia will be expecting us when we arrive,” Twilight finally spoke.

“Alright,” the blonde-haired Hunter replied. She banked the ship left and followed the military pegasi all the way to the city, bypassing line after line of other ponies waiting to enter the aforementioned metropolis. After a couple of minutes, they were all directed to what Twilight recognized as a chariot landing pad, and directed Samus to land there.

“My ship can't land on the clouds, so I’ll have it suspend over the side to prevent the thrusters from evaporating the clouds beneath,” Samus explained as she delicately eased the craft to a stop and turned it so the right side was facing towards the pad. Initiating the craft into a static position, they had finally arrived.

“Alright, let’s get out and unload the cargo,” Samus stated. She directed the ponies to ascend the hatch one by one and as they exited, they jumped off the hovering Gunship and safely onto the clouds below, Twilight having cast the cloud-walker on them already. When the last of the candy-colored equines filed out of her ship, Samus ascended as well and stayed up on the hatch, just leaning forward and peering at the dense clouds below. Her instinct told her she’d fall straight through. The Elements were waiting for her below.

“Come on, Samus! It’ll be fine!” Twilight shouted to her.

“It’s always weird the first time. Nothing’s gonna happen, and even if something did, I’d catch you in ten seconds flat!” Rainbow Dash added to the ‘words of encouragement,’ having seen the hesitancy of stepping on clouds in many Earth Ponies. Samus said nothing, but merely gazed at the six ponies in front of her and shrugged. She hunched down and with a grunt of exertion, launched herself into the air into another iconic somersault. After four flips in the air, her feet made perfect contact on something extremely soft yet sturdy. She opened her eyes and got up from her hunched position, gazing at her feet which had depressed the clouds about an inch and a half.

“How fascinating…” Samus mused, starting to march in place a bit and test the sturdiness, finding it to be almost like walking on a thick rubber mat. She keyed another command on her arm and the ship’s cargo-bay door opened revealing all the luggage. Before any other words could be exchanged, the sound of somepony clearing their throat resounded and the group of seven turned forward to find a beige unicorn with a white and navy-blue camouflaged helmet and uniform. He had brown eyes and an identically colored mane and tail.

“Glad you all could make it. The Elements of Harmony, as well as the famous Hunter… It’s a pleasure,” the soldier stated with a polite bow and a salute, stepping up to the group as he finished the gesture.

“Lieutenant Solar Storm at your service. I’ve been sent by Princess Celestia to escort you seven to her. I’ll have your luggage taken to where you’ll be staying. ”

“Pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant,” Twilight spoke, being the voice of the group, and Samus was perfectly okay with that. “Thanks for the welcome. Lead the way,” she gestured.

“Yes ma’am,” the soldier replied back. He cast a look upwards to Samus, eyeing her for a second. She gave him a miniscule nod of her head in acknowledgement and he in turn did the same. “As for your… ‘ship?’ Or whatever it’s called, it shan’t be disturbed. Please follow me.”

“Thanks,” she replied.

Damn right it will be taken care of. If you even breathe on it wrong I’ll level this base.

Samus then blinked and realized what she had just thought… that seemed a little too far for a dark-humored joke; coming off almost like a legitimate, internal threat. She shook her head and rubbed her forehead, once again gazing at her black-suited forearm and being reminded that the anomaly was still there.

Odd…

The seven formed around the soldier and they were off, Samus choosing to bring up the rear, keeping the group in her peripheral as she gazed upon the cloud architecture. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, Samus makes sure to give credit where credit was due: she was very impressed. All the buildings looked modern, relatively speaking from what she had seen on Equis. She overheard previous conversation on a ‘weather factory,’ and neglected to follow up on it, so she naturally deduced that the nation manufactured its own weather… which was unheard of! Samus began just mentally going over the possibilities if such techniques could be used by the Federation. She’d have the chance to show them when their fleet arrived in the next few days.

The group crossed what looked like a service road on what appeared to be a new military base, if the chariots ferrying Equestrian troops and building-clouds were anything to go by. Samus decided to not participate in the discussion with the group and the Lieutenant, who were talking about how the base went operational yesterday and Twilight asking about the military. Opting to keep silent, she continued to gaze around at her surroundings. As was expected, the six-foot tall bipedal human easily garnered looks from civilian and soldier ponies alike, especially the soldiers, who eyed her suspiciously; Samus couldn’t blame them. However, what she could do was have a little fun and return their stares with one of her hard, stoic ones; watching the presumably new recruits falter under her piercing blue eyes. She silently chuckled to herself.

Rule number one: I win.

Her thoughts were dragged back to reality when she found herself plus the group being led into what appeared to be a logistics room. Samus came to this conclusion after she had seen maps plastered all over the white/blue cloud walls, soldiers and civilians working diligently at their desks with scrolls and what appeared to be an archaic form of typewriters… Samus wasn’t really sure how that was working. Her assumptions were also reinforced when they passed through one more doors, guarded by two Royal Guards, and spied the Solar Princess speaking with several officers. The princess spied them as soon as they all entered and smiled, temporarily dismissing her military entourage. The six Elements bowed before their leader and Samus offered a respectful acknowledgement.

“Twilight, and the rest of the Elements,” Celestia greeted in a friendly manner, nuzzling her most faithful student. “… And Samus as well. Good to see you again. I thank you all for arriving so early, but there’s plenty we need to go over, set up, and eventually execute by nightfall. I feel we’re on the brink of a breakthrough… or I hope, rather.”

“Sounds good, Princess. What will you have us do?” Twilight asked. Celestia nodded and got right to it, leading the seven to a large map of the city on the center table. Samus leaned on the table and got a better look as Celestia began explaining.

“As you can see, we’re right *here,* at Hurricane Military Installation. Rainbow Dash, you start on Supervisor duty in the Cloudsdale Weather Factory today and I want reports ever half an hour. Twilight, you’ll be going with her to send said reports.”

“I won’t let you down, Princess!” Twilight spoke up.

“You got it, Your Majesty!” Rainbow Dash also answered, giving a mock salute.

“Rarity, I would like you to head downtown into some of the more… secret taverns and bars. We’ve come across them thanks to other informants and near constant surveillance. These places are often frequented by underground crime groups and some fanatical cults. Your charisma is unchallenged, and as a result, I would like you to see if you can charm your way into any new information. If you find anything and I mean anything of value in terms of info, you send me a report immediately. We have intelligence that points to a decent probability of something happening at the Weather Center tonight. Applejack, you accompany her just in case.”

“Well alright, Princess! Ah’ll make sure she doesn’t get into trouble,” AJ tipped her Stetson.

“Of course, Your Highness. It shall be done,” Rarity confirmed.

“Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, I unfortunately can’t offer you two a more concrete role in this operation but I’ll need you two close by just in case. We are all going to pay a visit to the nearest hospital and when we leave, I would like you two to stay there and help boost morale among the sick. Smiles are contagious, even in dark times, and any increase in some collective morale that things will be alright will be an enormous help, and very much appreciated.”

“Okie Dokie Princess!” Pinkie bounced once and smiled, seemingly excited for her job.

“Y-Yes Princess,” Fluttershy gently bowed her head and hid behind her hair. Celestia nodded to all of them in understanding.

“Very well. When the time comes, all but Rainbow Dash will be given either an illusion horn ring or a leg band to modestly alter your appearances to the outside world. This will be necessary, for if more than one of the Elements is reported, it could potentially compromise the mission. As of right now, I’d like to take a small trip to the nearest general hospital-converted-quarantine center. Let us leave,” Celestia finished, leading the troop of seven out the door and eventually off the expansive base, Samus taking more time to look at her surroundings and realizing how surreal it was.

Then again… was a city made of clouds really that odd for her? Granted, there was a certain, tiny little fluttering in her stomach and a few warning signs in her brain due to the fact that the only thing keeping her from falling to her messy demise was a bit of magic… and water vapor. Even so, she had crossed a dimensional rift to parallel world on Aether and battled hordes of monstrosities and inverse-dimensional creatures. And THAT rightly left a tad bit of permanent damage on her psyche. Samus pursed her lips.

Fuckin’ Ing.

Deciding to focus on the task at hand, she caught up to the group (though she didn’t really fall behind) and listened as a couple conversations went on at the same time. Samus had little desire to intrude, but that would change when she felt a timid poke on her thigh. The Hunter looked down and found Fluttershy staring up at her.

“H-Hi Samus…”

“You know you can just call me if you’re looking for me, right?” the Hunter replied with a knowing grin, raising her right eyebrow just a pinch. Fluttershy blushed in embarrassment and looked away for a few moments before turning back to her. Before she could speak though, Samus spoke up once more:

“I apologize for being so short with everybody yesterday… but, thank you for dinner. That was really thoughtful of you.”

“Not at all, Samus,” Fluttershy spoke softly, albeit with more confidence in her voice.

“Now, I believe you wanted to ask me some stuff?” the young woman confirmed, remember the whole spiel the day before.

“I only had a few questions…” Shy’s voice trailed.

“And I have a few answers,” Samus affirmed.

The two went back and forth for the duration of the modest walk, Fluttershy asking Samus questions about her earlier life (Samus answered what she felt was appropriate), her travels and experiences with other creatures, life as a bounty hunter, et cetera. Samus had to admit, the shy one was growing on her a little bit. Passed what she would describe as Fluttershy’s annoying level of shyness and borderline cowardice, beyond that exterior the pink-maned pony was quite enjoyable to have a conversation with. Fluttershy even actively talked back with Samus, not just listening on what the Hunter had to say.

Samus was just never informed about her ‘stare.’ Or the incident of what many would colloquially describe as ‘Flutterbitch.’ Their conversation died out when they were about to enter the hospital.

“Ach!!”

Samus yelped out as she felt a sharp pain deep in her head, shooting her hand up to the bridge of her nose, baring her teeth and clenching them hard in pain, eyes shut tight. The other ponies stopped abruptly and turned to her.

“Samus, are you okay?!” Fluttershy asked with urgency, instantly by the Hunter’s side. Samus was in a fair amount of pain. She was no stranger to the onset of headaches… severe ones too. Migraines were all too common when she had gone without much sleep in her travels. Thus she resolved to start implementing adequate camping time in the wilderness or on the field. The problem was, was that she had not felt anything this bad in a long time, and the last time she did was when she completed half her mission on Tallon IV without even stopping.

“Samus! What’s going on?!” Twilight added.

“Samus?” Rainbow Dash was hovering by her side, rubbing her hoof on the Hunter’s back as she rode out whatever pain she was going through. The oddly comforting gesture and the concerns of the other mares helped Samus eventually forego the pain… until it subsided completely and left as mysteriously as it came about. She had broken out into a light sweat and her eyes appeared to be a tad red.

“What in tarnation happened??” Applejack demanded to know. Samus only shook her head, regaining her steady breath.

“I don’t know. That was… I’m not even sure. Whatever it was, it’s completely gone… but holy shit that hurt like a son of a bitch!” Samus added. Celestia only turned away, pursed her lips, and closed her eyes tightly, shaking her head. She knew what that was. Celestia knew exactly what that was.

“I’m fine… really!” the Hunter assured. She didn’t feel bad at all anymore… there were no residual effects of the sudden headache. The other mares eyed her with skepticism but decided not to press further, each voicing their concerns to themselves.

“Okie dokie…” Pinkie acknowledged with a less than cheerful tone that was so characteristic of her own being. Samus was more than just a little concerned. That wasn’t a natural headache, according to her brief analysis. But, once again, that would have to wait as they were given clearance to an intermediate room, which lead into the quarantined ward.

The fleet of nine warships exited slipspace with simultaneous ruptures, the capitol ships still in perfect formation with each other and patrolling fighters still buzzing around. Ridley continued to eye the space in front of him, vaguely looking at the brightest object in front of the formation: a speck that was undoubtedly still a ways away. The Planet Equis. The Space Pirate commander had plenty on his mind, but first and foremost, was to get to the damned planet… for other reasons of course.

Miserable little brat! She has been the bane of my existence and our operations for too long. I should have killed her back on K2-L immediately instead of running my damn mouth.

Ridley’s defeat on Zebes and subsequently on Tallon IV had not just hardened his hatred and resolve to peel Samus’s flesh from her bones… but it also gave him (however small) a sense of humility. He was definitely not as egotistical and arrogant as he was back on Zebes, that much was for sure. The experience of death and defeat had indeed humbled him as he had found his true adversary, his rival… his nemesis.

Killing the hunter wasn’t a manner of not having a single regard for life, or even revenge, though that played a great part in his drive. Ridley was driven to kill Samus in what would surely be a bloody battle between the two of them. The Phazon was only coincidence… something that gave the two reasons to find each other and settle the proverbial scores… well giving him reason at least. Samus had plenty of reasons, no thanks to Ridley. He chuckled darkly at that thought.

A shame I didn’t get to slaughter her whole family in front of her little eyes.

“Lord Ridley.”

The voice drew the space dragon out of his thoughts as he turned to the same Pirate Admiral.

“Admiral?”

“Our course has made extraordinarily better timing than previously expected. We calculate that our fleet will be within the Planet’s orbit within a day and a half to two days. There will be no more need to enter faster-than-light travel.”

“Excellent. Send a report to High Command. As well, be prepared to dispatch foothold-units to the planet when we are within a day’s reach of orbit. I want scouting reports and bases set up. When the Phazon is discovered, I expect to be notified immediately. See to it,” Ridley ordered straight and to the point.

“Yes, Lord Ridley,” the Admiral replied and exited out of Ridley’s lair in order to carry out his will. The metal-plated Space dragon sighed deeply, running his claw over his mandible, which had new plates installed on it. Yawning, he revealed a set of alloy-based teeth, none of which were organic anymore.

As long as you live, the Federation will survive. I could forego revenge if it meant obliterating the Core Federation Worlds. Your slaughter will only serve as a much sweeter reward.

Ridley bared his razor-sharp teeth in what could be inferred as a dark and anxious smile. He clenched his fist as the ships under his command cruised gently towards that bright speck in the sky.

I’m coming for you, Aran.

Edited by Tatsurou

13. Dark Descent

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 13

Dark Descent

Samus opened her eyes after resting them momentarily, revealing her blues to the room once more and just observing where she was. They had been waiting in the intermediary room for some time, but the medical officer had gotten held back, so they were asked to get comfortable in the various chairs in the room… a little small for Samus’s taste but she made do nonetheless. She had let her hair down and had her legs curled up into her chest, a position she found oddly comforting when she felt stressed.

Stressed would be an understatement. Samus was really concerned. That… what she experienced outside the hospital was almost terrifying in her vocabulary and not many things entered her mind as ‘terrifying.’ Samus could count on her fingers what she considered terrifyingly chilling to the bone. Dark Samus: the idea of a split entity that she later found out was Metroid Prime mirroring her exact image, in a sense, was indeed chilling. On that note, Metroid Prime, Samus somewhat admitted, was probably “the scariest fucking thing” she had “ever seen in her entire life.” But yet, that headache was equally as terrifying. The pain shot deep into her psyche… hitting the core of her mind almost. She would, reluctantly, consult with Luna later about that.

Samus sighed and let her hair down out of the tie. The mares all gave her some space for right now, as the Hunter had demonstrated that she liked to think on her own. She rested her eyes once more, placing her forehead on her knees which were still curled into her chest, tightening her grip around her shins. Still listening, she figured chatter had died down a bit. Everypony was most likely tired anyways, since they had to wake up so early… but she still heard a whisper or two, which gradually was getting louder. She guessed they wanted to be considerate, as they had shown her plenty of that trait during her stay.

Samus…

Samus shot her eyes open and looked up with a start as a loud whisper shook any remnants of thought from her head. She looked around the room and found all the mares plus the princess either resting their eyes or just getting comfortable.

One thing was for certain: none of them called her.

The Hunter listened intently and continued to idly gaze around the room. Nothing sounded save for the steady breathing of the occupants, as well as her own heartbeat. Samus huffed in irritation and placed her forehead back on her knees.

This is all too weird.

One of the doors suddenly opened, startling everybody out of their stupor. The medical officer made his presence known after removing some safety headwear, revealing a grey unicorn who looked like he had some age to him… although much of that age most likely came of recent events.

“Good morning, everypony. I’m Doctor Stratus. I apologize to have kept you all waiting, especially you, Princess. Things… came up,” he spoke with a smooth, yet professional tone; his green eyes showing of great fatigue.

“It was no trouble, Doctor,” Celestia responded softly with a smile. The doctor nodded in appreciation.

“At any rate, since you’re all here to observe the extent of some of this, whatever this is, I’m going to have to ask you to please put on protective equipment. My assistant here is bringing in rubber, full-body suits much like I came in wearing.” On cue, another pony wearing similar protective clothing brought in the garments on her back. They were promptly distributed and the mares helped each other put them on. That’s when the doctor looked up at the hunter, perplexed.

“Ummm, I’m not sure we have any protection tailored to your bipedal nature…”

“Not a problem,” Samus replied. Her form was promptly engulfed in a ‘scanning’ light and then encased in her Astral Suit. Doctor Stratus was indeed surprised but then pointed to her arm cannon.

“I’m going to assume that’s a weapon. Hospital policy dictates no weapons near the patients, so if you don’t mind…?”

Samus’s arm cannon lit up briefly and disappeared, leaving an armored arm identical to her left arm in its place.

“Happy?”

“Thrilled. Let us get started,” the doctor finished, nodding in appreciation. The clothing was distributed and ensured for perfect fit on all the guests as Samus watched attentively. She was glad that the ponies weren’t taking this lightly by any means. It showed, and she figured casualty figures would be horrendously larger if they hadn’t. She would have to ask Celestia or Luna about figures later.

“Are you girls all set?” Celestia spoke through her opaque viewing screen of her suit. The others nodded, equally dressed for the occasion. They couldn’t be told apart save for protrusions on the head for Rarity and Twilight, as well as two extra bumps on the back in the case of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Samus took her place in front of the Elements and right next to Celestia and Doctor Stratus. Celestia took one last measure of caution and cast a form-fitting barrier spell on all the occupants, which would limitedly protect them from airborne and physical toxins. The Hunter then turned to the Mane Six as they were about to open the door into the Quarantined Room.

“Girls,” Samus spoke softly but very firmly from behind her violet visor, leaving no room for objections. “What you are all about to see may very well scar you. While you are not required to be here, it was brought to my attention that you six agreed to accompany Celestia and I. If you need to leave the Quarantine Room, please do so. If you follow us through this door, you know of the consequences. Do any of you wish to stay behind?”

None of the facial expressions of the Elements could be seen, but their confidence seemed fairly resolute.

“No, Samus.”

“I’m not backin’ out of this.”

“Right behind ya, RD.”

“Nope!”

“Not a chance, Darling. I feel we all need to see this.”

“I guess if you’re all going, I’m going too.”

Samus stared at the six of them for a few moments before nodding.

“Very well. Don’t say I didn’t warn you though.”

Samus let the Princess and Doctor lead the way and the door was soon opened up. Celestia and Stratus continued onward, but Samus stopped and observed, nodding to herself, before continuing down the middle of the endless rows of beds. Samus then stopped once more and turned back to Twilight and the others, who had all entered and were standing deathly still at what they had initially witnessed.

Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth ponies were all lying randomly distributed among the rows of beds. Many were unconscious… or probably dead, to be honest. Phazon was leaking out of some of them from orifices… others were violently vomiting with the help of hospital staff. Many of the others were writhing and crying out in agony, often times completely unintelligible. Samus spied a few pegasi with overgrown, Phazon encrusted wings which were completely and utterly deformed almost beyond the point of recognition. Unicorn’s horns had to be forcibly removed to prevent subconscious magic discharge… or they disintegrated on their own. What even got to Samus a tad was that she spied a few foals that had been exposed. One was even just taken out, having died naught two minutes before.

The moment Fluttershy laid eyes on the first few rows of terminal patients, she broke down in hysterics. Rarity, Twilight, and Applejack quickly rushed to her side. Pinkie stood there, saying absolutely nothing, and Rainbow Dash had to leave the room. Samus swore as the door closed that she heard heaving and retching. The Doctor was explaining things to Celestia so they continued forward. However, Samus felt compelled to retreat towards the breaking-down pegasus.

“No! No no no no no no…! I.. I can’t…”

“Shhh, it’s okay Fluttershy. It’s gon’ be okay sugarcube…” Applejack cooed. None could see the hysterical pegasus behind the face protection of the ‘hazmat’ suit, but she just continued ranting and shaking her head, undoubtedly continuing to sob.

“I’m sorry, Shy… this was a bad idea, but it’s gonna be alright,” Twilight attempted to nuzzle the poor mare however she could. Samus gently strode up to her and knelt down so she could be eye-level with Fluttershy: faceless visor meeting faceless visor.

“Fluttershy,” Samus began to speak.

“No… no… NO!”

“Fluttershy…”

“They can’t… I can’t… N-No just…”

“FLUTTERSHY,” Samus firmly spoke, but didn’t yell. For emphasis, she cusped the mare’s face in her hands, forcing Fluttershy to look at her. She shut her rambling up, only heavily whimpering. “Do you want to go back outside?”

Fluttershy didn’t answer, but just kept softly shaking her head in Samus’s grasp. This incident somewhat reminded her of when she, years ago working for the Federation Police, blindly ran in and saved the little girl from being killed out of pleasure by the Space Pirates, and how she comforted her and protected her. With that image in mind, Samus felt there was only one appropriate thing to do.

“It’s okay… it’s okay.” Samus gently (and admittedly, somewhat awkwardly) wrapped her arms around the mare and pulled her into her armor-clad chest. Fluttershy responded immediately and just let the sobs come out. Twilight, AJ, and Rarity said nothing, but inside, they were all very touched by the gesture.

“Why…?!” the others were able to somberly understand from the pegasus’s slurred words. Samus had no real answer for that question, and her tone delivered a pang of pain into her friends’ hearts. The Hunter said nothing behind her visor and comfortingly patted Shy’s neck.

“You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, Fluttershy,” Samus whispered before standing up once more, making her way to the Celestia and Stratus.

“Doctor, Samus here has had extensive knowledge of Phazon and its properties. What can you tell her, as well as I, about what you’ve seen here?” Celestia spoke once Samus joined up with them.

“It’s spreading almost like a disease. It doesn’t appear to be airborne, but I refuse to take any chances. Direct contact with the material is enough to cause instant… ‘effects.’ Yet I’m sure you’re aware of all of this, Samus.”

“The effects of contact seem to vary, although they all tend to have a common factor of becoming slowly more and more violent and addicted to the Phazon; at least the ones that survive initially,” Samus added. Stratus nodded.

“We’ve observed that. And on that note, we’ve had quite a few… ‘corrupted’ individuals result from what seemed to be mere sickness from exposure.” The doctor had to find his next words, as they seemed to pain him to a certain degree. “We had to often call the Guard when restraining proved futile and all cases of extreme corruption like that had to be put down.”

“My condolences, doctor. It shows that you care for all your patients,” Samus offered some words of consolation from behind her helmet. He nodded to her in appreciation. At that moment, two hazardous-suit-clad ponies entered the room, each bearing linen and other tools on their backs. Turning towards the new event, Samus and Celestia noted that the Elements indeed took Fluttershy out of the room. Only Twilight remained for knowledge and note-taking.

“Ah, my assistants have arrived. We can start some examinations of certain individuals in the room,” Stratus spoke, eager to get on with the show. He beckoned one of the ponies over while the other tended to a victim on the far side by the exit. Samus paid this no mind and continued to gaze over the nearest victim, who happened to be an earth pony with Phazon deposits in her swollen neck. Celestia stood between the two.

“Hoof the toolkit over if you don’t mind, Glimmer. Let’s get started.”

The female assistant gave a firm “mhmm,” no facial expression able to be seen behind the reflective plastic visor, and rummaged through the equipment on her back with her magic.

“AAAHHH!!”

The ‘assistant’ instead pulled a large knife in her magical grasp and swung hard at the doctor, inflicting a large laceration right up his chest and forcing him to stumble backwards. At that exact moment she lunged for Samus with a war cry, while her back was turned.

Samus immediately turned around as she heard the blood-curdling scream and, by impulse, shot her left hand out and ended up finding her target: the Hunter grabbed the suit-clad assistant by her neck before Celestia could even think about intercepting. Surveying quickly, especially because the large knife was still in the magical grasp of the now struggling pony, Samus acted just as fast and delivered a swift right jab to the muzzle of the suspended pony. The magical grasp wavered and to seal the deal, Samus went straight for her horn, grasped it, and bent it backwards with no mercy, fracturing the appendage, nearly shattering it.

“AAAAHAAAAHHHHHH!!!”

The blade fell immediately as the pony screamed in agonizing pain and suffering. Samus then threw her into the ground hard and stepped on her side, preventing the assailant from moving as she writhed in pain. All was not done, as the other ‘assistant’ was in a battle stance and charging its horn. Knowing it would take too long to equip her cannon and aim, Samus scooped the fallen blade up and threw it at the second attacker. Three quarters of the knife embedded itself into the second assailant’s upper left chest, eliciting a struggled scream of pain before he fell to the ground, frantically clutching his profusely bleeding wound.

Celestia ran straight for the doctor as Samus equipped her cannon, aiming it at the head of the attacker below her. Twilight ran over to the exit of the door, where the rest of the elements had busted in to see what the hell went down.

“What in tarnation?!” AJ exclaimed disbelievingly as she spied a severely wounded unicorn with a knife in his chest and Samus with her weapon aimed at the head of another. Not to mention the doctor, who was helped up, with a bleeding gash in his chest.

“Oh my gosh, doctor!” Fluttershy shouted as she ran to Celestia and Stratus, her adrenaline kicking into overdrive and seeming to do a complete 180 from her episode several minutes ago. The others followed her and joined them.

“Thank you… I’m… ach! I’m fine, but damn this is just painful… uhhh…” Doctor Stratus, struggled to say. His wound wasn’t bleeding profusely, thankfully, as the blade didn’t cut deep.

“Rainbow Dash, get help immediately!” Celestia ordered. Rainbow nodded and zoomed out the door, returning about twenty seconds later with other hospital staff in hazard-suits and pushing a stretcher. Samus, while concerned with Stratus’s status, was more concerned with the assailants still in the room.

“Thank you, thank you all,” Stratus said while in pain. Before Celestia could say anything, he was immediately carted off, as staff needed to make sure he was not mortally wounded. Internally, Celestia was fuming. Her initial plan for assessment of victims had completely turned for the worse, which reminded her that there were unknown assailants in the room. She turned to the first one, under Samus’s boot and barrel, with her ire in full force. The Elements quickly got out of the way and she got right in the pony’s face.

“Who. Are. You?” Celestia asked with extreme malice. The Elements had a chill sent down their spine from the sheer amount of venom in their ruler’s voice. No response was heard as the mare was still whimpering and crying behind the visor. Samus said nothing but pressed more of her weight into her boot, squeezing the assailant’s chest against the ground even harder, causing her to yelp and cough.

“I’ll ask again: WHO ARE YOU?!”

“L-L… I-In.. T-T-Tart-arus…” she was able to gag and whisper out. Suddenly, she deliberately casted a large spell, but since her horn was broken, it backfired immediately, sending the pure magic firing straight into her conscious and brain. Her neck and head went stiff and she gasped before her body relaxed, all remaining life seeping away.

Samus checked her vitals and confirmed her death, deducing that the mare had taken her own life. She removed her boot from the lifeless pony and stood next to Celestia, who looked like she wanted to cry and bang her head against the wall at the same time. Other hospital staff had tended to the other assailant and confirmed, as well, that he was killed and/or had taken his own life. Samus sympathized with the co-ruler. Just when she thought things were starting to get on track, it is confirmed without a shadow of doubt that unknown agents were at work. However, it wasn’t for nothing, as the operation in with the Weather Factory was still a go. Celestia sighed once more and addressed the whole group.

“Let us leave. Twilight, you and your friends please proceed to wherever you’re staying. Eat, get some rest, or do whatever you wish to prepare for your missions and roles tonight. Go now please,” she spoke somberly yet firmly.

“Yes, Princess,” Twilight affirmed.

“You got it, Your Highness,” Applejack followed suit.

“Okie Dokie, Princess.”

“Of course, Princess.”

“See you later, Princess.”

“O-Okay, Princess Celestia.”

They were all on their way, after giving a small wave to Samus on their way out, the latter of who returned the gesture. Celestia then turned to the Hunter.

“Samus, I would like you to station yourself in the weather factory as well, however, I want your presence completely secret… not even Rainbow Dash and Twilight are to know you’re there until the night ends or something happens, and I have a feeling something will. I’ll throw in a bonus for your troubles.”

“Understood, Celestia, but the last part really isn’t necessary,” Samus countered, but the Solar Alicorn would have none of it.

“Your original job was to be the task of hunting down a potential assailant, and while that is still the case I’m also putting you in the Weather Factory so you can help protect Twilight and Rainbow Dash if it comes down to it. They cannot be seriously injured. Since that is outside of what I had offered, I’m adding a bit extra,” Celestia affirmed.

“Very well. Thank you.”

“Now, let us go. We need to prepare for tonight, as whatever happens with Rarity and Applejack will also determine our course of action,” Celestia said as she started walking to the exit. Samus nodded and followed her, ready to start preparations for the main operation.

Evening came and went, giving away to full-blown nighttime over Cloudsdale. The regular workers and supervisors of the Cloudsdale Weather Factory all came and went, yet Rainbow Dash stayed. She surveyed familiar records of weather patterns and expected precipitation levels while Twilight was helping her archive. A messenger had arrived not too long ago, delivering crucial information from the Princess. Celestia had received information from Rarity and Applejack, who were in some run-down, underground tavern, that something big was rumored to happen at the Weather Factory tonight. What was interesting, however, was that no mention of the Wings of Glory cult… not one.

Nevertheless, Twilight and Rainbow Dash were expected to be on the lookout for any unusual activity in the now deserted weather factory. The observation deck, where Twilight and Dash were stationed, overlooked the main cloud churners, so if anything malicious were to happen, it would almost certainly be there, and it wouldn’t get by the two mares undetected. For an extra precaution, the two ‘worked’ in as little light as possible.

“Hey Twi, you think anything will happen tonight?” Dash asked, breaking the silence in the observation room. The lavender mare turned over her shoulder.

“I’d like to hope something won’t, but I’m sure you know our track record for ‘things not happening’ isn’t the most sterling one,” Twilight replied sarcastically. Dash snorted a bit in humor.

“You can say that again.” She blew a strand of her hair away from her face. “I just hope that, if something does happen, that you and I can stop it…”

“Dashie, you’re one of the fastest fliers in Equestria, and I don’t like to brag by any means, but I think I’m more magically capable than the average unicorn. I think we’ll be alright, wouldn’t you agree?” Twilight pointed out.

“Yeah, but your magic hasn’t always saved us on its own. Realize, like me, or like any of us, you’re still a pony. Weird things happen sometimes that we can’t explain but they… ummm…”

“Hinder?”

“That’s the word. Once in a while it’s caused problems. Sometimes I think you’re too powerful for your own good Twily,” Rainbow quipped in retaliation for Twilight using Dashie. Twilight rolled her eyes but giggled nonetheless.

“Yeah I suppose you’re right. But compared to some of those incidents, I’d like to think this is a tad more important. There’ll be no room for screwing up. I still feel we’ll be just fine,” Twilight reiterated. Dash shrugged in acceptance.

“Yeah I suppose you’re right. Either way…”

The silent conversation between the two continued on, while on the other side of the large cloud facility, Samus was gingerly patrolling the hallways and grounds while the mares were none the wiser. So far, everything was abandoned, as she expected, at this time of night. Samus crept silently through the shadows, taking easy steps while her hand was placed comfortably on her arm cannon, which was aiming forward… a typical walking stance for the Hunter. What she was not fine with, was that her headache had returned. Not in the force that it had hit her earlier today, but it was now a constant, irritating pain in her head that was refusing to go away. She even took a break and injected some painkillers which helped for only about an hour. She could have sworn she would hear someone calling her, but chalked it off to magical side effects or the painkillers. Nevertheless, Samus felt like this headache was getting worse.

Her footsteps were muffled due to the cloud ‘floor,’ allowing her to forego some more complex stealth axioms, but nevertheless, she remained vigilant. She entered back into the main facility and made a right turn down what looked like a run-of-the-mill hallway, lined with a few doors that lead into supply closets. As she was about halfway down the hallway, she saw a figure quickly move through the orthogonal hallway that lay straight in front (as the two hallways made a T-shape, with Samus looking down the middle one at the crossed hallway) from right to left.

Well, hello there…

Samus increased her pace ever so slightly, reaching the orthogonal hallway and making the left turn, finding the figure (with the help of her thermal visor) thinking about which way to take, as this particular hallway opened up to a full intersection a little ways up. Samus decided to hang back and examine: this figure was definitely a pony, a unicorn for that matter. What was odd was that her thermal visor wasn’t detecting much heat from it…

Let’s try the new toy...

Samus equipped her Aura Visor and this unicorn lit up like holiday lights. Recovering from the instant shock, she deduced, from the obviousness of the situation, that this unicorn was fairly magically adept, and proceeded forward as the unicorn decided to continue right. According to her maps, down that right hallway and all the way down to the left is where the main entrance to the cloud churners were. Bearing that in mind, Samus quickened her pace once more, evolving from a steady walk to a light jog. Rounding the right turn, she noticed the unicorn just hang a left. It was heading straight for the cloud churners, like she suspected. With that, she took off into a run down the hallway and made the left turn.

She spied the double doors leading into the main room and gently stacked against them, listening for anything that might be on the other side.

“Who’s there?!” Samus was able to hear what sounded like Rainbow Dash’s voice. They must have really been vigilantly watching over the area… especially for that long of a time. Samus inwardly commended them for their patience. However, her thoughts were cut out when she heard magical fire erupt. Without hesitation, she busted through the double doors, cannon aimed out to find a dark blue unicorn shooting volley after volley of green magic at the observation deck to the upper left. The Hunter was able to witness Twilight and Rainbow Dash take cover quickly and she chose that time to strike.

Equipping her Night Beam, Samus fired a charged round straight into the back of the unicorn, striking him with enough force to send him crashing into one of the metal canisters that were lining the large churners. When the unicorn finally (and surprisingly) got its footing back, it form was flashing green before the form of the unicorn disappeared entirely, leaving a modestly sized dark creature, lined with holes and bearing insect-like wings, in its place. Twilight and Dash had peeked over the observation window and saw the monstrosity below.

“Changeling!” Twilight shouted with some venom in her voice before charging her horn. The Changeling snarled and did the same thing but before either of the parties could attack, Samus fired a super missile straight at the creature, the concussive blast blowing apart the insectoid exoskeleton, dismembering two of its legs (surprisingly not blowing them off entirely), and sending the creature careening into another hard metal canister with a sickening squish, as there was no exoskeleton anymore to protect the soft insides.

The two mares peeked over the cover of the observation deck again and spied Samus with her cannon aimed at the lifeless looking creature.

“Samus?! When did you get here??” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Samus didn’t even look at her but raised her left hand to her. RD shut up immediately as Samus advanced forward, investigating. Seeing the creature was not moving, she equipped her scan visor.

“Recorded to Logbook”

[Morphology: Changeling; Status: Terminated]

[Changelings are crafty creatures, capable of enormous amounts of magical prowess. Their name comes from their inherent and infamous ability to change their physical appearance to anything they wish within reasonable size constraints of the individual Changeling. Due to your sheer size and suit modifications, your form is completely immune from being mimicked. While Changelings are formidable on their own, their real power comes from gaining certain knowledge and limited use of the powers of those they mimic. Extremely adept espionage agents, they can be detected with your Aura Visor.]

As Samus disengaged her scan visor, Twilight and Rainbow Dash had joined her on the ground by the dead Changeling, with its broken exoskeleton and insides for all the world to see. Dash was able to hold her stomach contents in this time… though nothing could really compare with what she saw earlier today. Upon investigation of the body, however, Twilight levitated something that lay under the corpse.

“What’s this?” she asked as she levitated what looked like a glass vial to their faces. Inside was a bright blue material. Samus took the vial from Twilight’s grasp and examined it, confirming its identity.

“Yup! This is definitely Phazon, and this confirms that there are other powers at work here. Where we go from here though… I’m not sure, as I recall reading that the Changelings were all forcefully and violently expelled,” Samus commented. Twilight, however, wasn’t fully satisfied. She grasped the vial once more and examined it more closely. She then made a realization and gasped.

“What is it?” Dash asked.

“This isn’t a glass vial, girls. As I’m holding it in my grasp, I can feel my magic being reflected in small but detectible quantities. Glass doesn’t do that.

“Well, even I know of only one thing that has the ability to reflect magic…”

“Crystallian Quartzite,” the two mares said in unison. Samus unequipped her suit and looked to them for an explanation.

“What is that substance? And what does that mean?”

“Crystallian Quartzite is a very abundant crystal found in the Frozen North that has many uses in constructing magic-proof vials, containers, glass, et cetera. There’s only one place it can be effectively mined and carved skillfully: The Crystal Empire,” Twilight concluded. Samus was fairly impressed by the development.

“This is a definite breakthrough. Well done, you two. We need to get this information to Celestia immediately,” Samus suggested, partially out of urgency, but also due to her head… which she swore she heard a voice. Samus felt it was getting completely ridiculous now. Twilight nodded in agreement.

“Definitely! Let’s go!”

The three made haste out of the weather factory and back to the military base, eager to catch some rest and start on the next step in ending this whole mess.

It had been a long day and a long night. Today, Samus felt it wouldn’t be any different. Her encounter with the Changeling (and only one. An immediate follow up by Equestrian military showed no further tampering with the weather systems and no other unauthorized individuals within the weather center) in the weather factory only proved in her mind that there was an even larger plan at work, and while she had suspected that was the case anyway, she silently hoped it wasn’t. With the Space Pirates undoubtedly on course for Equis and, by her estimates, arriving in a few days, she didn’t need to fight a war on two, possibly three fronts at the moment.

Not to mention she didn’t get much sleep last night. And her head was killing her. Being honest with herself, Samus felt like she was getting sick, although it was more of the malaise and not any concrete symptoms. She used the silence in the gunship to ponder this while she piloted the ship back to the Library in Ponyville. The knowledge of Changelings at the heart of the plot put everypony in a somber mood, especially since they would all have to return to the Crystal Empire on less than amicable terms once again.

Samus’s head began throbbing again, and any painkillers she administered by injection or consumed by tablet weren’t aiding her head’s recovery. What was weird was this ‘headache’ was almost hurting her mind, if that made any sense… because Celestia knows that didn’t make sense to the Hunter at all. Yet it was the only explanation or analogy, rather, which she could use, and until a better one surfaced, that would have to do.

Not to mention she was hearing voices again... more frequently.

“Are you okay, Samus?” Fluttershy spoke up, startling the Hunter out of her pained stupor. She was breaking into a light sweat and had to remove her Astral Suit just to get a bit more comfortable. Samus rubbed her eyes and nodded.

“Yeah… head’s killing me though.”

“You should see a doctor about that. Or at least let me look at you when we get back, okay?” Fluttershy offered with one of her sincere smiles. Samus, with all her willpower, couldn’t refuse the gesture. Seriously… it’s Fluttershy. It simply isn’t done. Samus gave a pained half-grin and nodded.

“Okay.”

Her head pain worsened and she let out a hiss, but it soon died away, leaving just the throbbing sensation. Thankfully, Ponyville was in sight and they began their descent, softly landing right in front of the Library where Samus’s ship rested the day before.

Once the ponies and the Hunter exited the hatch one by one, Samus once again helped remove the luggage so the mares could sort out what was their own and what not. Baggage was sorted out promptly and that was good news, since Samus just wanted to try and sleep, hoping her headache would go away. She buried her face in her palms and rubbed gently before something caught her hearing.

“Samus!!”

She quickly perked up and looked to her right, where Luna had just landed and started trotting up to her with a quick pace.

“What is it, Luna?” the Hunter asked.

“You and I need to talk. NOW!” Luna exclaimed with extreme urgency. Luna had to spill the beans now, as the symptoms her sister relayed to her had indeed gotten worse.

“Can it wait until a little later? I want to claw my own head off right now…”

“But that is just it! Samus this has to do with your headaches and that discoloration of your attire,” Luna spoke. Samus just looked at her at the same time her head decided to pound painfully with one of her heartbeats. Samus oddly felt like her vision had blurred. She shook her head and her vision returned to normal. However, her ability to process rational thought at the moment was impeded so she just looked at Luna curiously.

“What…?”

Luna became frustrated as she wasn’t able to convey her words straight.

“Samus, in using my magic to help regain and replace your lost abilities, there’s a high possibility that you have—”

“AAACH!!”

Samus clutched her head immediately, all ten of her fingers digging into her temples as she screamed in pure agony. The piercing of the peaceful air by her beleaguered voice drew the entire Mane Six out of the Library as soon as they had gone in.

“Samus! No… No no no no no no no no no…!! NO!” Luna began frantically repeating as she rushed to the Hunter’s side.

“What the hell is going on?!” Rainbow Dash shouted, all six of the mares rushing to the two of them and forming a circle around the blonde-haired Hunter, who had fallen to her knees in so much pain. Her breathing was labored and she struggled to maintain consciousness.

“Hah…. HAH!! Haaahh!!”

“S-Samus?” Fluttershy cautiously stepped forward, but Luna stomped hard on the ground.

“No! Stay back! All of you get back, NOW!” she commanded with her voice an octave lower than her Royal Canterlot tone. Samus continued to writhe and she dropped one of her hands to the ground, still clutching her temple. All the commotion stopped when the seven mares witnessed Samus’s Zero Suit slowly turn jet black. It emanated from her left forearm, and the blackness spread as the molecular color changed magically, Samus attempting to fight whatever was consuming her the entire time, if any of her grunts, screams, and snarls were anything to go by.

The mares all backed up even more, the Elements especially getting legitimately frightened at what was transpiring before their very eyes. Soon, the Zero Suit was completely black, but it didn’t end there. Her Zero Suit accents immediately lit up in a brilliant display of pulsing dark blue. Luna, magically, wouldn’t be able to intervene as it could possibly worsen what was happening. So she, with great pain, watched helplessly as, what she knew as the Nightmare, slowly and painfully take the Hunter over.

Samus’s skin complexion grayed a tinge and her blonde hair also slowly turned to jet black. The magical potential within Samus continued to rise throughout the whole ordeal, and soon enough, Samus’s own mind lost the mental battle with the unseen entity. She lost consciousness, and at that exact moment, a shockwave of pure magic exploded outward, blowing over the Elements and Night Princess like a forceful gale, forcing them to dig their hooves in and avert their faces.

Luna turned back first, to find the grayer-skinned, black-clad now black-haired hunter still hunched over and breathing heavily, eyes completely shuttered as air filtered into her lungs. When Luna was about to speak, Samus moved. She set her foot forward, and used that footing to stand up completely. Her eyes were still closed. Soon enough, her eyelids slowly opened... revealing brilliant sapphire eyes in place of her normal blues.

With pupils like a cat.

As well, her mouth etched itself into a grin, which became a full blown smile, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth and modestly elongated canines. When the Elements laid eyes on the Samus before them, it awoke a familiar fear in their hearts, sending severe shivers down their spine. Luna, however, just stared with a glare that could topple governments.

Samus closed her lips and looked around her, stretching her back muscles and then turning straight to Luna, grinning once more.

"The redeemed Princess Luna of Equestria graces my coming with her presence... this is most satisfying," the Nightmare-controlled Samus spoke out eerily in what could best be described as her own voice, 'layered' with a distorted, deeper version of her own voice on top like a voice mask. Luna felt nothing but disdain rising within her. Her newest friend, and the hope for Equestria, consumed by this usurper... it would not stand for one minute.

“Nightmare…” Luna spoke with seething rage. Twilight gasped audibly, as did the others, when that word made itself known. ‘Samus’ chuckled sardonically.

“Born into apt body and mind," she replied. Luna snorted and took a step forward. Samus raised her eyebrow.

"You have no place in this realm or this body." Luna knew her next words would mean nothing to her adversary, but anything was worth a shot. "Relinquish control back to Samus, or be forcefully removed, Nightmare!" The Nightmare chuckled darkly.

"A dignified attempt, but I shall have to pass on that offer. This body is just too perfect in every aspect!" She looked down at herself and examined her body. She raised Samus's hand in front of her face and had it light up in her magical aura, smiling evilly. Nightmare returned her gaze to a seething Luna. "A hellish fate awaits you, your sister, and the pathetic Elements of Harmony... and with this form, I, Nightmare Hunter, shall implement it."

“I'm afraid that shan't happen... for I WILL PURGE YOU WHERE YOU STAND!!” Luna yelled out in her most aggressive use of the Royal Voice. “Twilight! You and your friends find the elements! Go!” she commanded with no room for question. There was none, and the girls all split up frantically to get their respective Elemental adornments.

“No!” Nightmare Hunter yelled gruffly and lifted her left arm to fire a magical bolt at the nearest mare, only to have it intercepted by a massive, blue-hued force field dome that was immediately erected around she and Luna by the latter. She turned to face the Night Princess, who had just finished erecting the temporarily impenetrable haven. She smiled smugly.

“And what do you hope to accomplish?”

“When this is done, I will restore consciousness to Samus, and I will have my revenge for all the pain and suffering the Nightmare has caused my subjects, my sister, and me! You will feel all one thousand years of pure tartarus that I was forced to endure in solitary confinement in the form of my boot and my horn...” Luna seethed out as she got into a battle stance. Hunter was not phased.

“So be it. I need not your cooperation. I am fully capable of crushing these Space Pirates upon their inevitable arrival, single-handedly wiping the pitiful Changelings from this planet, and bringing Equestria under my banner. And if you happen to come out on top, I will only return in time,” Nightmare smiled darkly. At that moment, her entire figure was eclipsed by a blinding light which left as soon as it came about, revealing her in the Astral Suit, save the fact that the navy blue was now completely jet black with dark blue accents, the latter color being the one her visor took.

Luna charged her horn to blinding luminosity and aimed it straight at Samus, while the latter raised her arm cannon straight at the former’s head. Luna was never given the privilege to fight off the Nightmare in her own body. Luna, as well, smiled darkly.

And now she would have every pleasure of it.

13.5 Hostile Takeover

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 13.5

Hostile Takeover

Samus inhaled sharply and opened her eyes in a startled manner, trying to focus her vision on something... anything... but alas, nothing was to be seen. She was trapped in what appeared to be a void of nothingness... merely floating in the air weightless as if she was suspended in her ship's anti-gravity well. She had free movement over her limbs and full body, but again, she had no concept of any physics, so she had no idea of what was up, down, et cetera.

This changed when her feet came into contact with something solid and on a flat plane. Immediately her head went into a sense of vertigo as her body righted itself orientation-wise. So Samus was standing... that was one problem solved. Another problem was finding out where she was. She had vivid memories of what had just transpired when she was fully aware of her surroundings: something was attacking her mind, and any mental defenses that the Chozo had taught her were completely ineffective. Samus deduced she was in some representation of her mind, much like how her former caretakers were still able to contact her in one way. The next question was... why was she here, and the question after that was definitely 'how to get out.'

Samus sensed a presence behind her and turned on her heels, finding a figure that revealed itself from the shadows of the void. The Hunter's eyes widened when it looked like she was looking at a reflection of herself, save for the obvious features of her Zero Suit color, her eyes... and that unnerving smile.

"Greetings, Samus..." the figure finally spoke in her voice, although it sounded oddly layered. Samus wasn't entirely sure how to wrap her head around this. She had seen some weird things in her life and this was definitely passing many of those entries on that list.

"Ummm... who are you?" Samus couldn't really think of a more appropriate question. The opposing entity seemed to find this amusing.

"I? I'm you... all the manifestations of your deepest, darkest thoughts, emotions, and feelings fermented through magic. The monument to your dark side, if you will. And before you ask, we're in your mind... or what was formerly your mind," the mental representation of Nightmare Hunter explained, gently stepping towards Samus and talking animatedly with her hands.

"Cut the poetics. What the hell is going on?" Samus asked, already irritated and still unsure of so much.

"Straight to the point, I like it. In essence, your mind and body are no longer under your control. Like I manifested myself in the deepest recesses of your mind, that is where you shall remain while I remain in control. Think of this as your cell in a prison..."

"Yeah... I don't think so. I'm not entirely sure how you festered there but I assure you you're getting the fuck ou..." Samus advanced on her doppelgänger, ready to fight for her mind (however that battle would manifest) but only found her 'form' to lock up and be held into the air by Nightmare's magical will. The latter chuckled in an amused fashion.

"It is already done, Samus... and as if your insignificant magic prowess could hope to overcome my own." Nightmare Hunter smiled darkly as Samus was held suspended in her aura, struggling with all she was worth to no avail. "But, we may continue this at a later time. I shall require you to remain in this section of your mind while I deal with Princess Luna and the Elements of Harmony."

Nightmare Hunter forced Samus to the ground on her knees before grabbing her chin and forcing it to look in her cat-like eyes.

"No matter what... I'll win in the end..."

The void lit up brightly as Nightmare Hunter ascended to take the mantle of Samus's mind and body.

14. On Two Fronts

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 14

On Two Fronts

Nightmare Hunter had her arm cannon aimed straight at Luna’s face naught fifty feet away, whose facial expression of pure rage and hatred could burn a hole through her visor. Nightmare had to admit, at this point, the Princess of the Night was an enormous force to be reckoned with. Luna, in her long life-span, had seen ages of both peace and dreadful conflict. She had commanded armies and navies alike in the past and would show her enemies no mercy. As egocentric and goal-driven as Nightmare was, her former ethereal “host” would be absolutely no pushover by any skewed definition of the word. Still, she had an arsenal of advanced and deadly weaponry at her disposal, and that certainly would tip the balance somewhat.

Luna, however, was livid. Combined with the feelings that this was her own fault for not taking the mysteries of magic into account, and the fact that her worst fears actually became founded turned the Night Princess into a steaming ball of pure fury. All things considered, she could probably (and successfully) take on Samus, or in this case, the Nightmare, with her own hooves and horn. However, combined with the Nightmare’s enormous magical prowess, she felt that extra equipment would do well to aid her in this sacred battle.

Nightmare Hunter was about to attack but gently lowered her cannon as Luna’s form was eclipsed by a blinding light, colored to her teal-blue aura. The luminosity reflected off of Samus’s armor and even allowed visibility inside the visor temporarily. She had to avert her eyes temporarily as to how blinding the effect was, but once it was complete, Hunter laid her eyes on something that Equestria had never seen:

Luna opened her eyes and found her slender form encased in full-body, dark blue-colored armor made from purified Lunar metals and crystals. The armor itself was constructed from several plates and was as flexible as rubber, even more durable than Human Kevlar, and as reflective as Crystallian Quartzite. Her entire head and muzzle were also completely encased like an ancient “suit-of-armor” helmet, yet the ‘eyes’ were connected by teal-colored quartzite material, effectively obstructing her eyes from her aggressor; Her muzzle-piece had small holes poked in it to allow fresh air intake. As well, her horn, wings, mane and tail protruded cleanly through the normal places, unobstructed. Gone was the traditional Lunar Armor donned by her and, consequently, Nightmare Moon (what she ‘wore’ on Nightmare Night to scare the foals was merely an illusion spell); in its wake, lay a hybrid set of armor hoof-crafted by Luna herself bearing resemblance from Alicorn and Visitor designs. Luna glared back at her adversary, reared back, and stomped both front feet on the ground, cracking the hard rock beneath her.

“Such elegant and sophisticated armor…” Nightmare remarked, not letting her guard down.

“The battle with the Elements in the old castle destroyed my old armor-set. I merely crafted another over the years, gathering the materials on my own…” Luna replied matter-of-factly. Then her tone turned dark. Cinematic dialogue was over.

“I’m going to enjoy this… THIS ENDS NOW!” Luna screamed ancient war cry in her Royal Voice before charging straight at Samus’s alter-ego.

Nightmare quickly fired several power-beam rounds with deadly accuracy at the charging and raging alicorn, but to no avail, as every single round ricocheted harmlessly off her armor. At the last second, Luna’s horn lit up teal blue aura, but held a blinding luminosity on the appendage itself. Nightmare nearly missed being decapitated by the horn-turned-magical blade by rolling out of the way. A charged power beam shot was easily deflected as well and struck the bubble-shield high above them. Luna counterattacked with a rapid-fire torrent of her own Night Beam particles, which Hunter used her own magical prowess to shield herself from, (then flinging the barrier at Luna herself) while collecting information:

“Recorded to Logbook.”

[Life-form: Princess Luna of Equestria]

[Diarch of the nation of Equestria, she controls all which is the immediate surrounding night sky and the Moon. Enormous magical potential detected within life-form, equal to or debatably greater than that of Princess Celestia of Equestria, she is extraordinarily skilled in the art of combat including but not limited to melee, ranged, and magical. The armor she wears is all but impenetrable save for concussive blasts to certain points of weaker metallic density including the lower chest, the under-belly, and inner thighs. As well, generic weakness of pegasi and unicorns apply with the wings and horn respectively.]

Recommend maximum firepower in engagement!]

Hunter dug her heels in and fired a single missile at the Lunar Princess, which collided with her chest and exploded on contact, stopping her advance and forcing a grunt out of her but didn’t throw her off balance. Nightmare fired two more only to have them magically redirected back at her. She barely had time to react and deflected the first missile, but the second one found its mark in her stomach, forcing her off her feet and hitting the ground. No damage to the armor as the defensive shielding kept her completely safe and Hunter flipped back up on her feet. It was obvious she would have a harder time in ranged combat. A brief lull in the battle with distance between the two belligerents paved the way for some words:

“Really, Nightmare Hunter, I expected more from you. Samus would have put up a real fight should she and I have come to spar,” Luna taunted as she lit her horn to blade-capacity again and gently trot forward.

“Foolish Princess… have you no sense of probing strikes? And remember… I am Samus!” Nightmare responded before phasing into the morph ball module. Luna stopped in her tracks, as she had never laid eyes upon Samus’s morph ability. The mysterious armor encased ball began to roll around randomly so Luna couldn’t effectively track it, while it began to glow brighter and brighter. Without warning, the boost ball shot off directly at Luna with enormous velocity. The alicorn’s eyes widened considerably behind her own ‘visor’ and she rolled over her back to the left, narrowly missing taking a morph ball to her legs and undoubtedly having all her legs broken on contact.

She quickly got on all fours once again only to find the morph ball careening towards her again. No time to dodge, she spread her legs out and the ball pass right under her. In its wake, a static spherical object was left, which promptly exploded, sending Luna off her hooves.

“AAAHH!” Luna hit the ground hard, crying out as the concussive blast destroyed her sense of balance and she rolled. As she was about to get on her hooves and right herself once more, she saw Samus’s full form coming straight at her with cannon raised and a charged Night Beam shot ready to fire. Luna quickly shielded herself from the subsequent blast and returned fire, getting to her hooves quickly and closing the distance between the two. Nightmare Hunter lifted her cannon and had it parried by Luna’s hoof immediately, the super missile she armed firing off and striking the bubble shield. Luna then planted her left hoof straight into Nightmare’s visor having her stumble. Luna quickly turned around and intended to follow up with a buck to Nightmare’s chest but her aggressor easily dodged.

Capitalizing on the failed strike, Nightmare swung her cannon hard, striking Luna in her side and forcing her to stumble as well. Nightmare was about to follow up with a crippling hit to Luna’s wings when the latter encased the former in magic and flung her away, forcing the armor-clad Hunter to slam against the solid bubble shield. Luna regained her footing and had to remind herself of something very crucial:

Easy, Luna… if you kill the Nightmare, Samus dies as well. The Elements shall return soon, just keep her at bay until then.

Luna removed a large chunk of earth from the ground with her magic and flung it straight at the recovering Hunter at frightening velocity. Hunter managed to dodge… somewhat. The rock clipped the Astral pauldron as Luna galloped forward.

“Ach!” Hunter grunted out and aimed her cannon as she stumbled. A charged Night Beam shot found its target in Luna’s chest and the strike temporarily disabled her magic ability, as was a consequence of the Night Beam. Capitalizing on this, Hunter swung straight for Luna’s horn, which the latter dodged the strike by a hair and attempted a counterstrike by rearing up for a stomping attack. Nightmare recovered and sidestepped elegantly as Luna’s hooves came down and shattered the ground. The former followed up with a pounding-strike with her arm cannon right on Luna’s saddle… which sounded with an enormous “clang!” but the cannon was easily deflected.

Before Luna could even counter the failed attack, Nightmare grabbed Luna’s horn as it was charging up, a crippling move for the average unicorn.

Luna wasn’t an average unicorn.

She merely smiled and let her magic do the work, sending an electric current straight through Nightmare’s form, forcing her to cry out and convulse violently for several seconds before the former ceased her actions, Hunter releasing her grasp on the appendage and falling to her knees as her suit partially shorted out and was coming back online. Luna kicked her right-front hoof hard into Nightmare’s face, forcing her on her back.

*KABLAM!*

“AAAHHH!!”

Luna couldn’t declare victory yet as Hunter’s weapons systems were back online and the explosion of a super missile on her belly rocked her world, sending her flying and hitting the bubble shield high before dropping hard to the ground. Her abdominal armor was heavily cracked and not as tight fitting anymore; not to mention Luna’s breath had vacated her lungs and she had to magically calm her diaphragm so she could breathe again. She shakily got to her hooves, praising the fact that how little armor she had on her stomach prevented her from getting messily blown apart. Her own visor had a crack running through it, and looking at Nightmare Hunter, who had just got to her feet, she was in a relatively similar situation:

Hunter’s armor was singed and dented in several places, there was a crack through the right side of her visor running from top to bottom, and she looked like she developed a tiny limp. Unbeknownst to Luna, one of the collisions with the ground had rendered Hunter’s Space Jump boots and boosters inoperable. With the lull in the battle, Hunter decided to make some manual modifications:

[Select Weapon Systems]//

[x] Beam Weapons [ ] Missile Systems [ ] Bombs//

[x] Fire Governor//

[ ] Enable (Recommended) [x] Disable//

[Success: Fire Governor removed. Beam weapons now Fully Automatic]

[Warning! Automatic fire can potentially damage arm cannon systems. Exercise caution.]

Luna had charged her horn once more and aimed straight for the Hunter, who was aiming her cannon once more. The latter opened fire, releasing a rapid-fire, fully automatic torrent of Night Beam rounds. Each one found its mark somewhere on the Lunar Princess’s armor, but they weren’t deflected like the Power Beam shots. While they did negligible damage to Luna’s armor, they slowed her down, and the automatic (and magical) nature of the weapon was ever so slowly but surely degrading her armor. She called upon a heavy barrier, which absorbed all the rounds until a charged shot shattered it. Luna released her magical tension as Hunter’s arm cannon overheated and had to cool down. Luna took that opportunity to advance slowly.

“My dear Princess… you know you cannot exact your pitiful ‘vengeance’ on me. If you do, I will die… Samus will die.”

Luna chuckled darkly as she continued her hard breathing. Her muscles were aching and she was certain she had at least one broken bone somewhere, not to mention all the bruises. Nightmare had given her a hard fight… that was for certain. Either way, Hunter and Luna independently realized that nopony would end up dying in this battle between them: Luna couldn’t eliminate the Nightmare without killing Samus in the process, and Nightmare had really no interest in killing Luna, rather she wanted her to submit to her. Naturally, their full potentials were forgone.

Luna charged her horn and teleported out of existence. This put Hunter immediately on guard and she switched through all her visors, attempting to find her hidden foe. However, Luna’s cunning proved too much and the former reappeared directly behind Nightmare and her ‘blade-horn’ left a nice gash up her back, cutting through the armor easily before turning around and bucking her straight in the small of her back, forcing her to face-plant in the ground.

“I know that perfectly well, Nightmare. Indeed, I had to remind myself that I couldn’t wipe your essence and the scourge you are from Equestria. However, that does not mean that I cannot, using the language of my younger subjects, ‘beat the living shit out of you!’”

Hunter rolled her body horizontally as Night Beam rounds trailed her. She then flipped up on her feet and shot her grapple beam straight at Luna’s horn, which found its target. Completely immobilized by the new sensation (on top of her magical connectivity somehow failing) and out of shock, Hunter flew through the air as she retracted her beam, forcing the two of them together and consequently Nightmare’s boot found Luna’s face. The sound of metal hitting metal with such force was deafening, and Luna’s head lay limp momentarily from the strike, allowing Nightmare Hunter to sweep Luna off her legs, forcing her to the ground. Luna’s head was spinning and as she lifted it up to find her adversary, it was immediately kicked back down as Hunter walked by.

Luna cursed herself for not anticipating the Grapple Beam… then again she had never seen it used, much like the Morph Ball. Hunter paced around Luna’s aching and vertigo-ridden form.

“You can’t kill me, Luna… nor do I have the desire to end your miserable existence. As a result, this battle will merely be tit-for-tat, inflicting devastating strikes on each other, until we both die of sheer exhaustion.”

Luna noticed some movement out of the corner of her eye, outside of the bubble shield. She grinned externally, as her facial expressions were well hidden by her helmet. She merely kept her ruse of being incapacitated.

“I don’t want your life, Luna… I want you to submit to me.” Hunter placed her boot on Luna’s neck, pressing it down. The shield behind Hunter slowly whittled away and a hole was silently made behind Samus’s alter-ego. It was time… and Luna only chuckled again.

“You first…” she replied as shadows were casted from bright light behind them. Hunter immediately turned and aimed her cannon, finding all the Elements of Harmony in perfect formation, the ponies already floating in the air and ready to fire.

“No!” Hunter charged a Night Round and aimed straight for Twilight. In the blink of an eye, Luna called forth a large chunk of her magic, broke the Grapple Beam’s effect, and gripped Nightmare’s cannon and aimed it upwards, the round striking the bubble shield ceiling. At the same time, Luna delivered another, much more powerful magical-electrical shock into her adversary. The voltage and amperage were so intense, Hunter’s Astral Suit completely shorted out, even more so than Samus’s systems had ever experienced, and forced a “force-shutdown” of the suit, having it completely unequip from her body. Luna ceased the current and Hunter stood there, imposing in Samus’s body, still convulsing. Before she collapsed, the Harmony beam shot through her body, completely cleansing Samus’s own form and mind of the Nightmare and forcing it into the deep recesses of her mindscape. After the luminosity of the beam died down and eventually ceased, Samus stood there, unconscious with her Zero-Suit its normal color, and collapsed forward on the ground.

Luna sighed in victory as she laid her head on the ground. What she hadn’t noticed was that Princess Celestia and a squad of Guards were also with the Elements, who came rushing to both her and Samus.

“Lulu!!” Celestia screamed as she was by her side instantly. “Are you alright??”

“I’m more than ‘alright,’ sister… I’m soooo much better than that,” Luna spoke, high off her little victory over her former alter-ego. She unequipped her own armor and just laid there in her own flesh and fur.

“But… I am a bit tired. Can I go sleep, Celly?”

“Of course, Luna… Well done,” Celestia smiled down at her younger sister, who returned the gesture with great love.

“Guards! Take her away to the castle. Make sure she’s treated for any wounds she may have and just put her to bed,” Celestia ordered, to which her guards complied immediately, taking the Lunar Princess away in a chariot. Next to deal with was with Samus, who seemed in good shape.

“Is she alright?” Celestia asked concernedly. All six of the Elements had rolled her on her back and made sure she was in good condition.

“Y-Yes Princess. She’s alive and stable but completely knocked out right now…” Fluttershy answered.

“The Harmony Beam must have healed any injuries she sustained when it purged the Nightmare from her body,” Twilight deduced. Celestia shook her head.

"Indeed... although with her novice magical ability and rather dark thought process, it would only be a matter of time before the Nightmare manifests itself again..." Celestia conceded. The others gasped at the revelation and began to murmur amongst themselves.

“Well, what do we do now?” Rainbow Dash asked, adjusting her amulet.

“For now, I’m not too sure. We’ll have to think about that one. But let's get Samus inside. She looks like she’s not in any need of medical treatment, so just put her in her bed. Go.”

The others nodded and helped hoist the Hunter off the ground, not wanting to expose her to more magic than she was already, and took her inside the Library.

Samus groggily awoke from her sleep… and that’s what startled her out of her mind.

I’m awake!

She sat up immediately, albeit with some residual pain, and felt all over her body, making sure this wasn’t another mindscape anomaly. Satisfied that she wasn’t having a lucid dream or being held prisoner in her own mind, she sighed tiredly.

Well… that was definitely new.

“Good morning, Samus,” a voice uttered softly. Samus turned abruptly to the origin of the voice, finding Princess Celestia sitting on a rug with a pillow, reading some scrolls.

“Indeed… how long was I out?”

“About 23 hours. Luna really roughed you up, on top of the whole ordeal,” Celestia commented, dropping the scroll and looking at the Hunter, whose face held the expression of having many questions.

“What do you mean she ‘roughed me up?’” Samus asked, having a vague idea but still wanting details.

“Firstly, do you have any idea what happened to you?”

“Nightmare Hunter was apparently born of my darkest thoughts, manifested through a magical conduit from Luna’s work on my suit on top of my own magical inexperience… at least that’s what Nightmare told me…” Samus recalled, more than a bit peeved at the whole situation. Celestia nodded.

“Indeed. Luna was on her way to notify you when disaster struck. She still would like to talk to you about the whole ordeal when she finishes resting and healing up.”

“Does this have anything to do with the skull-splitting headaches and nightmares I’ve been having with higher frequency?” Samus asked, attempting to connect dots.

“Unfortunately yes. Nightmare took over your corporeal form and donned your battle armor. Luna was able to defeat her and allow for an opening for the Elements of Harmony to purge the Nightmare from the physical plane of your form.”

“But from the way that sounds, Nightmare still lives within me?”

“In some sense... More along the lines of your inexperience coupled with your thought manifestations can very likely trigger a re-manifestation, albeit a lesser probability of that occurring due to Element usage. While the possibility of a relapse is much smaller, your inability to resist magic manipulation, mental and physical, due to your novice abilities will not play in your favor,” Celestia revealed. Samus pursed her lips and looked at her sheet-covered legs, thinking.

“So… what do we do then?”

“All day yesterday, while you were still unconscious, I had a theory and I consulted Luna as well as the Elements about what they ultimately thought. Originally, I had planned to completely sever your link to magic, but that would prove more cumbersome, as your gained weaponry and equipment would have been for naught. As well, your defense against magic would have been nonexistent, so you need magic. That was quickly ruled out.”

“Understandable,” Samus spoke, urging Celestia on.

“My final theory was simply this: I want you to absorb the Elements of Harmony.”

Silence. Complete silence. Samus knew exactly what the Elements were after she went on a reading binge, and she knew the extent of their enormous power.

“…What? Is that even possible?” she asked with incredulity.

“Very much so. The elemental adornments themselves are nothing but magic taking a physical form when needed. I can render them back into their base magical entities and you can absorb them into your magical essence. Ideally, all elements absorbed into you would make you pretty much immune to any unwilling relapse. They’re just rendered inoperable by the normal bearers which can, of course, cause problems should their need for use arise. As well, with your novice ability, absorbing so much magical energy at once would pretty much vaporize you instantly. Even now with the option of starting you with only one element, is questionable,” Celestia thoroughly explained.

“From what it seems like, that’s our only shot…” Samus remarked.

“Quite. Consulting the Elements, Fluttershy volunteered to let you take her Element of Kindness into your being. You will, of course, not be replacing her as the bearer, but merely ‘holding onto it.’”

Celestia then opened a small chest that she had by her side, revealing a glowing pink orb of pure magic. Inside it spun a three-dimensional image of a butterfly. Samus admitted, the amount of power nested within the Elements themselves was a bit unnerving. She also felt that she should be rightfully irritated and angry at both Luna and Celestia for this whole Nightmare Hunter ordeal, but then again they didn’t really see this coming right off the bat. It seemed as bad if not worse than having Dark Samus stalking her back on Aether.

Still trying to decide what’s actually worse… Dark Samus or Nightmare Hunter.

“Very well. Shall we?” Samus asked, wanting to get things over with. Celestia nodded and Samus got up off the bed. She stretched her tight and sore muscles before facing the Solar Alicorn. Samus still figured she had to repair her suit, and it wasn’t necessary for absorption of the Element.

Celestia released the element and let it float in the middle of the room.

“Whenever you’re ready,” she encouraged, backing away and letting Samus have her space. Ensuring her grapple beam was still on her, ensuring magical link, she stepped forward and grasped the ball of magic, which immediately diffused to her arm.

Samus felt pure magic course through her every muscle once more and it exploded out from her arm, before trailing back to her chest, where the essence came to rest right on her heart, lighting up in the form of three butterflies before disappearing. Samus’s eyes pulsed pink four times before her eyes returned to normal. The absorption was an oddly warming sensation. The console on her arm lit up in notification:

[Element of Harmony Acquired!]

[This is the Element of Kindness: the first of six.]

No other information was available at the moment, and this reminded her somewhat of collecting the Chozo Artifacts on Tallon IV… if only a little. Samus dismissed the notification and looked to Celestia, who seemed dumbfounded.

“Well… you absorbed that with little issue! It is as if the Element found itself at home within you… most interesting.

Samus said nothing, and merely allowed Celestia to physically and magically observe her. She too didn’t expect the Element to embed itself within her so smoothly. She half expected to be knocked unconscious from sheer magic overload. She dismissed the notion, figuring there were reasons beyond her for the Element’s simple infusion. However, she felt compelled to say something:

“Thank you, Celestia. This will hopefully keep everything in check for a while I can absorb another. Thanks for taking care of me,” Samus spoke with a very soft tone that even shocked her after the words left her mouth. Celestia grinned at her knowingly.

“Oh, there may be some small… side-effects relative to which Element you absorb. Nothing bad, but… let’s just say that was very kind of you to say.”

Samus had never been a terrible person… in fact she had willingly put her life in danger countless times for civilians as a part of the Federation Police, Army, and even now as a bounty hunter, when she had no obligation but to do her assigned job. Anyone would see these selfless acts of nobility as truly kind, but Samus never saw it as that, merely as obligation to be a good person in the line of duty… at least that’s what she told herself.

Samus rolled her eyes and was about to say something before several screams from outside pierced the silence. The Hunter and Princess both looked at each other before storming out of the room, finding Twilight frantically entering back into the Library. The young librarian found the two of them immediately.

“Princess! Samus! Something is really wrong…” Twilight uttered in a truly terrified tone. She then beckoned for the both of them to come outside. The two obliged and as they stepped foot into the town, they found countless ponies eyeing the sky. It wasn’t hard to miss.

There in the atmosphere suspended was the enormous warship which Samus easily recognized, considering she had single-handedly destroyed one before (although it was smaller than the one currently in the sky). On cue, several other ships pierced the atmosphere and took formation beside the Mothership-class warship.

Samus gasped softly at the finality of the Space Pirate’s arrival. She clenched her fists and equipped her suit. The rest of the Mane Six formed next to Twilight and Celestia stood next to Samus, eyes wide and mouth gently agape. She knew they were coming… Samus had told her. But she had no idea that this was a fleet of warships. As one used to seeing actual water-based navies, the sight of a fleet of starships for the first time had genuinely frightened the Solar Alicorn.

“Celestia, I want all major towns and cities to start evacuating immediately. Deploy any forces you can to assist! Wake Luna up as well, you’ll need every soldier and Guard you can to aid. Go, NOW!” Samus ordered. Celestia nodded and mentally sent an urgent message to Luna before barking out commands in her royal voice to the ponies of Ponyville, who followed her without question albeit with a reasonable degree of panic. Celestia would not tolerate pandemonium right now and neither would Samus.

“Get the civilians out of Ponyville, but it will still be our Base of Operations. I’ll meet up with you later!” Samus spoke with commanding authority, leaving no room for negotiation as she ran and jumped up into her ship. She got inside and into the pilot’s seat and keyed in the necessary starting commands. She sent an urgent message to Federation High Command about the arrival of the Pirate Fleet before her ship lifted off the ground.

Here we go…

Extra Scene: Bonding

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Metroid Equis

Deleted Extra Scene: Bonding

[Location/Time: During Samus's enormous sleep of Chapter 10]

Samus was in the midst of her glorious sleep, that much she knew. Unbeknownst to her, however, Luna had driven away all her nightmares and allowed her a peaceful, uninterrupted slumber. However, a side effect of that magic used was allowing Samus full lucidity within her dreamscape.

And that's where she found herself: a sense of nothing yet in her physical form. Samus was aware of lucid dreams, and she was almost certain this was exactly what she was experiencing. Since she had no desire to wake up anytime soon, she decided to toy around with her dreamscape. A few tweaks in her mind and the void dissolved, revealing Samus standing idly in the city of Chozodia back on Zebes. It was a wonderful time, back when the city was still in excellent condition (and not mere ruins as when she returned to finish her Zero Mission). The only difference was that it was completely empty, devoid of no other Chozo nor creature. However, this wasn't entirely her doing. She felt the presence of much foreign magic that was suddenly acted upon her mental state... so in the end, she knew someone was here with her.

Samus closed her eyes and breathed in and she smelt that familiar scent of fresh Zebesian air... one she longed to smell once more. However, she felt a presence behind her and she slowly came out of her stupor and turned around to face the figure.

Easily over six feet tall, the bird-like life-form stepped forward so Samus could readily see his face.

"Hi Samus..." he spoke in a very familiar voice. Samus's eyes widened a bit in surprise but she stepped forward nonetheless to confirm.

"Gray Voice..."

"I see your sharp sense observation hasn't deteriorated with age and battle," he quipped in return, Samus merely walking closer to him. The two were mere feet from each other as they locked eyes. With no one to see through her exterior but the being in front of her, Samus dropped her stoic face and closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around Gray Voice's back and embracing him with a smile on her face. Gray smirked and reciprocated the gesture.

"My, how you have grown, my child," he finally spoke, letting them ease their hug and facing each other once more.

"I could say the exact opposite to you," Samus quipped in return.

"Hilarious," Gray responded with a less than enthusiastic reply to her joke. Nevertheless the two devolved into laughter. The two separated finally.

"Come, it's been a while. Let us walk," Gray Voice beckoned as he began to trek in the opposite direction. Samus fell into step beside him as they tread through the park where she initially found herself in. The two fell into a comfortable silence as they gently strode through the soft grass under them, letting the surrounding structures pass by without a sound.

"I'd like to commend you for your work on Aether. The Luminoth are our brothers and I would have hated for them to end up almost fully extinct like our fallen Bryyonian brothers."

"Heh, thanks. I guess you have nothing better to do than watch over things even in death," Samus replied.

"We are Chozo. For eons we have aided in the development in many worlds apart from our own society. Death is of little obstacle to continue that sacred duty. It was the dead, in the form of spirits like myself that aided you in defeating your greatest adversary once more and opening the way for you to defeat the Worm on Tallon IV... of which I'd also like to express gratitude for," Gray explained.

"Gee thanks, Father," Samus spoke with some degree of sarcasm in the first clause. This caused Gray Voice to look at her curiously.

"I believe that's the first time you've ever referred to me as that," he observed with a slight smile.

"Really?? I could have sworn I mentioned something back when you appeared on Zebes during my Zero Mission."

"I suppose. You fully acknowledged it at that point though, so fair enough," he conceded. "Out of curiosity, do you truly feel comfortable with that?"

Samus considered her words for a while before she replied, tucking a stray lock of her hair back in its rightful place.

"I knew my real parents... granted I was only three before... everything happened, but I knew them well, or so I'd like to think. But, while they birthed me, you and Old Bird essentially raised me for all my life on Zebes after you took me in. You were my guardians and caretakers, that much was easy to see... but I still felt that I lacked something to call you by. Then again, this is when I felt you never wanted anything to do with me."

"I apologize if that is how I came across..."

"No matter. Either way, when I learned that your DNA was used as the sample to infuse me with Chozo DNA, it clicked that you, essentially, birthed the newer me on some odd level. You were my Father, and I never had the chance to say it physically before Ridley killed you. During Federation Police and Army days it was Adam who really seemed to fill that void but it really wasn't the same," Samus's tone dropped to a more pensive and somber one.

"Well... better late than never?" Gray Voice proposed with an understanding grin. Samus wordlessly replied with her own. Gray made a sudden turn and Samus stopped in her tracks to see what he was up to. The towering, former Chozo Warrior turned back to the Hunter.

"There's a few things I'd like to show you for purposes of nostalgia here while this figment of your dreamscape and my powers eventually fails. As well, there is much catching up to do," he reasoned. Samus didn't budge.

"How long do we have?"

"Unless you're violently woken up, my abilities can sustain us. Nevertheless we should make use of our time. Old Bird would like to see you too."

"He's here?!" Samus asked excitedly.

"He will be joining us in a little while," Gray replied. Samus thought for a few moments before her expression became one of sarcastic mischievousness.

"On one condition," she said resolutely. Gray cocked his head and replied with his own sarcasm:

"Oh, and just what might that be?"

"That you swear to find me and visit your daughter a little more often. She misses you, and the rest of her Chozo adopted-family," she iterated while her mouth formed a caring smile. Gray chuckled a bit and he grinned in return, replying in the same tone of voice:

"I'll drop by whenever I'm able."

Samus couldn't help but smile back at her 'second' biological father, finally deciding to join and fall into step next to him.

"Just wait until Old Bird sees you!"
.
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15. The Everfree: Invasion

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 15

The Everfree: Invasion

There are many natural and wondrous sights to behold on Equis, ranging from beautiful waterfalls made entirely of liquid rainbow, to vast canyons and oceans that span the lush planet. However, none really hold a candle to how the whole planet looks from one location: space. Specifically, just at the planets atmospheric periphery. These beauties were completely forsaken by Ridley as he stood on his chamber’s perch, gazing out the enormous glass pane and projecting his cold stare onto the planet below him. His bionic, orange eyes with pinprick pupils delicately traced the curvature of the planet and searched for any sign of extreme Phazon corruption, or the Hunter… neither of which he could see from this high up and he very well knew that his ‘search’ would bear no fruits.

Regardless, it gave the Pirate Commander something to do; something to occupy his time while he awaited final reports from Logistics.

Aran… I know you’re down there somewhere. Among the thriving civilization, you lay in wait… in defense of this pitiful planet. And I know just how to draw you out…

The planet provided a plethora of test subjects for new Phazon experiments… especially the native inhabitants; which scouts were reporting were equine in nature and very intelligent.

Apparently many were quite powerful as well. Stealth units who arrived about a day in advance reported a few casualties from ponies who defended themselves with an entity known colloquially as ‘magic.’ Ridley was a tad excited to hear this news, as he could only wonder what Phazon could do to maximize this potential and possibly integrate this ability into Pirate weapon systems. The possibilities were endless, really.

As well, he hadn’t had a good slaughter in a while… not since the days of Zebes and K2-L.

“Lord Ridley,” a voice sounded off in his radio.

“Yes?”

“We have determined with reasonable degree of accuracy the location of the Phazon strike, including corrupted areas which have been quarantined and abandoned by the equine civilization. As well, we have determined the location of the capital city of this particular nation. All ground troops are ready to launch planet-side.”

“Very well. Dispatch what you need. Divide our forces as the local commanders see fit between the north and the capital. I’ll support and lead what I am able. Put down any resistance immediately,” Ridley ordered.

“Shall we take civilian ponies as prisoners and test subjects?”

“Yes. Take what we need, terminate what we don’t. Since this pathetic race seems to have control over an energy anomaly running through their bodies, they may not be useless after all.”

“It shall be done, Lord Ridley. It will almost be time for you to deploy. Shall we test out your cybernetics?” the Pirate Officer suggested. Ridley stretched his large wingspan backwards and twisted in both directions to loosen his joints up. He then dropped to all fours.

“I suppose so. Let’s get this over with… I want to get planet-side already.”

“Yes sir. Be advised, opening the front port!” the unknown officer spoke once more. Soon, an alarm sounded in Ridley’s lair and the front end of the glass pane opened up to the vacuum of subspace.

“As with last time, your cybernetic enhancements to your lungs will allow you to survive in space and water environments without air. As well, without air, your wings would be useless. They are still energized as they were on Tallon IV. All your vitals are in peak condition and all mechanized parts are functioning optimally. You’re cleared to leave, Lord Ridley.”

The dragon spread his wings and flapped once, letting the vacuum take him into space and out of the ship, giving a single traditional screech as he exited. As his flapping soon became useless, he initiated power into his wings and they became energized, glowing luminously golden as he turned and performed many aerial acrobatics between the pirate warships and squadrons of fighters heading planet-side.

“Everything looks normal, Lord Ridley. We have deployed dummy targets between the ship formations. Your usual ranged weapons of high-grade plasma beams and plasma bombs were restored and made more lethal. Go ahead and destroy the targets, sir.”

The floating objects between the warships looked like little satellites and Ridley immediately swooped in for the kill. Doing a barrel roll, the first two targets didn’t stand a chance as he dropped two bombs from his mouth as he flew over, annihilating the first targets. Banking up and right, he let loose a constant stream of his plasma beam from his mouth, taking four more targets with him. This process continued as he advanced towards the rear of the ‘canal’ created by the ships. Ridley gave another roar of victory before swooping into the last two targets and piercing them both with his razor-sharp tail that could shear most metals.

“Nice work, my Lord. You even beat your last record!”

“Good… knew I wouldn’t be that rusty.”

“We have established a foothold base days before in one of the large forests of the planet in the specific nation of Equestria. Local data refers to it as the ‘Everfree Forest.’ I’ve uploaded the location to your internal Global Positioning Module,” the Officer stated. Ridley gave another typical screech.

“Very well. I’ll oversee operations down there,” Ridley replied as he set course for the Everfree Forest and got ready to pierce the Equisian atmosphere.

“Yes sir!”

And Ridley was off. His wings lost their energy luster as he successfully entered the atmosphere and was able to rely on his more natural wing flapping, his silhouette getting lost in the cloud coverage.

Royal guards were bustling all over the castle with the light of recent events. With Equestria in immediate danger from foreign invaders, it was first priority to wake the princesses (if necessary) and get orders from them. Two guards raced to the Lunar quadrant of the castle and straight to the bedchambers of the Princess of the Night. Right as they planted a hoof on the door, it burst open, throwing them both back, and revealing a stoic-faced Princess Luna in her normal regalia. She spotted the two stunned guards writhing a bit on the ground.

“Excellent! You two, with me, I want updates now!” Luna sternly spoke as she began walking down the corridor. The two officers shook it off and joined her in step.

“Your Highness, Equestria is in the beginning process of being invaded. The beings the Hunter had warned us about have unfortunately arrived. Evacuation processes have started for the cities under immediate threat from the hovering warships but we need further orders from you, as Princess Celestia is overseeing the evacuation of Ponyville and its subsequent transition into a military installation,” the guard on her right informed.

“Very well then. Thank you for the update. Return to your commanding officers and prepare for deployment to assist with evacuation and defensive maneuvers. As well, find the Captain and tell him to execute The Order. He shall know what I mean,” Luna spoke with perfect professionalism.

“It shall be done. What about you, Your Majesty?”

“I need to find Samus and coordinate a few things with her.”

“Princess Celestia has informed us that she has taken flight over the Everfree upon discovery of the Invader’s arrival,” the second officer informed.

“Makes no difference; I’ll find her myself. Pass along that the military leaders may command to their greatest judgment right now. Celestia will be overseeing evacuation operations and I’ll keep an eye on things militarily related once Samus is accounted for. She’ll do her own thing, but I need to know exactly the plan so we can hopefully stave off this invasion. Go!” she ordered. The guards nodded and took off flying down the corridor. Luna was alone now, and she had time to think for a few moments. She couldn’t talk to Samus mentally, as she didn’t want to inject or impose any more magic into her form in light of recent events. As well, an unforeseen side effect of the Elements destroyed the magical link between their minds… most likely for the better anyway.

However, with some magical ability in Samus originating from Luna herself, the Night Princess would be able to locate her via the same technique present in Samus’s Aura Visor. With that, Luna blinked hard once and opened her eyes again, revealing bright blue orbs of her augmented vision before taking off out of one of the windows and flying straight for the Everfree at speeds that would impress Rainbow Dash.

The vast tranquility of space was snuffed out when over a dozen warships exited through ruptures in space time… although these were different. They were plated in smooth, sloped, and angular metals which reflected light and shined proudly from the nearest stars. The largest ship was emblazoned with the mark of the Galactic Federation and identification G.F.S. Vogl, an Olympus-Class battleship and capital ship. This was easily identifiable as the fleet’s flagship due to its enormous size, and considering any of the other ships lacked the distinctive downward-spire. The rest of the accompanying ships were Griffin-class destroyers and a few transport vessels. Stiletto fighters buzzed around in an organized fashion, patrolling ahead and in between the large vessels themselves.

Equis, the 4th Fleet’s destination, was no more than about two days travel via hyperdrive, which was excellent news. The news of being able to finally stretch and get some (hopefully) fresh air was quite well received amongst the troops. None needed it more than the 14th Infantry’s Crusader Squad: an odd, small few of Federation Marines.

The four of them were kicking back in one of the many common rooms on the Vogl. Fortunately they were able to get some time to themselves and just… ‘chill,’ for lack of better words.

The one reclining lazily on the couch was Pfc. Nathan Krandor, a soldier as normal as they came… somewhat. Sitting there without his armor, he had an average height of about 5’9”, modestly built with brown hair and green eyes. His fair complexion blanched with small scars on his face and minor stubble gave the 24-year old Marine a more traditional, rugged look, yet he still maintained his youthful personality.

The only one in full combat armor, including helmet was recently promoted Sgt. Sydney Exeter… and if that last name sounds familiar there’s good reason. Her brother, Cpt. A.C. Exeter, was the commanding officer of the troopers that landed on Aether, and consequently slaughtered by the Dark Splinters. The others hadn’t seen Sydney take her armor off since news got to her about her brother’s fate, about two weeks prior. She was currently staring out of one of the windows into space. She could best be described as a collected and sarcastic individual with a fun side to her, but definitely not as sprite as Nathan might be on occasion. Of course, certain events put a dampener on that for her.

“How’re you holdin’ up, Syd?” Nathan asked with genuine concern, craning his neck to look at the fully armored female trooper.

“As well as anyone who lost someone close to them can hold,” she replied coolly. “…the same as the million other times you’ve asked me,” she concluded. Nathan threw his hands up and turned around. Sydney was normally not snappy at all but the sudden loss thrust upon her left her not knowing how to properly deal at the time.

“Jeez… forgive me for caring,” he muttered under his breath. She heard him.

“My condition isn’t going to change five minutes after you ask me the first time. Don’t even go near the ‘knight in shining armor’ thought,” she followed up. At that moment another person entered the room, face buried in sifting paperwork.

“More like ‘asshat in tin-foil…’ as if our armor can actually stop anything the Pirates throw at us,” the male voice spoke as he folded the papers and held them between two fingers behind his back. This was Cpt. Jacob Dittmar, a man in his early thirties who had joined the GFMC when he was merely eighteen. He had a long history of successful missions in full companies but his ultimate strength laid in micromanaging smaller squads and fire teams, which was what he was placed in charge of currently. The reputation of the blonde-haired, brown-eyed captain was one of business. He was known for getting the job done with excellent efficiency, but during combat operations or high threat levels he was known for not really helping to ease the stress.

Either way, his little fire team contained his greatest friends in the galaxy at the time, and they all knew that, no matter how much he got on their nerves.

“…So Nathan, just leave her alone. And you Sydney, enough with the attitude.”

“Please and THANK YOU!” the last soul in the room spoke out in relief, revealing the soft features of her olive-toned complexioned face as she put her book down. She was Pfc. Arianna Guerrera, a fairly new addition to the GFMC relative to the others. She was often more silent than Sydney, considering Sydney could have an extraordinarily fun, girly side to her. Arianna could be found reading a book or her tablet for the most part, and she wouldn’t often start the conversations. However, she was more than fine with conversing with others. She was also known to have a very fragile temper, which contributed greatly to her ferociousness in firefights. As well, there were a few reports of friendly Marines getting sent to the medical wing due to getting beaten the shit out of for saying something wrong to her.

“Got something to say, Ari?” Sydney shot back.

“No, I really don’t, unless you wanna give me something to say.”

“ENOUGH!” Nathan finally shouted. “We’re all supposed to be goddamn friends here. How about we act like it?”

“He’s right. Enough of this. We’re due to be sent planet-side as soon as we arrive to our destination so some fresh air will calm our nerves,” Jake admitted. Sydney became silent once more and she turned her attention to the stars again.

“First ones into combat against the Pirates as usual?” Arianna asked.

“Surprisingly no. We’re to help with first contact procedures with the natives, as well as link up with Samus Aran, which Command considered a treat for us for our hard work as of late. So, less than two days, guys… just hold it together until then,” he informed. Arianna and Nathan nodded and went back to their activities while the Captain made his way to Sydney.

“Hey… how long have you been in that armor?” he asked softly.

“Does it matter?” Syd replied.

“Yeah, it’s only going to make you feel more trapped. Come on, Syd… at least take the helmet off.”

Sydney only looked at him through her faceplate and after what seemed like several minutes, she conceded and removed the helmet, which came apart from the rest of the armor with a resounding ‘hiss’ of pressure equalization. The removal of her head-gear revealed amber, shoulder-length hair which was a little matted with sweat. Her blue eyes shown of sorrow and loss, not to mention the dark tear stains that rested on her tanned skin complexion. She breathed a little easier after her actions.

“Better?”

“Yeah…” she affirmed softly. Jake rested his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

“Go back to your quarters, take a hot shower, and rest. You need it… and don’t try to lie to me that you’ve been sleeping at all,” he ordered gently, fully understanding the pain that was involved with losing someone. She didn’t protest in words.

“We’re gonna need you in decent shape for when we get to Equis, alright?” he spoke with the slightest joking tone, treading careful waters. She nodded. “Go.”

And with that she was off. The three of them saw her out of the room before they all turned back to each other.

“40 hours, guys,” Jake mentioned one more time. The two lightly nodded and ‘saluted’ in understanding while the Captain joined Nathan on the couch, opting to lie down a bit, the three settling into comfortable silence as the fleet drifted ever closer to Equis.

The Hunter Class gunship drifted fairly low over the Everfree to avoid being seen by any passing Pirate fighters that were undoubtedly being launched at the moment. Samus herself was suspended in her ship’s repair field, letting the various tools fix up whatever damage was taken as a result of Luna. Specialized welders fixed up the enormous crack in her visor and directed beam repair got her Space Jump boosters back online. All other nicks, dents, and scrapes were easily dealt with in a timely manner.

“Pirate fighters approaching your position. Immediate evasion recommended.”

Samus took the advice immediately and brought her ship down as best she could under the canopy of the Everfree and engaged the static cloaking device. Gazing upward, the fighters came into view and lazily drifted over her position, but headed straight on a controlled descent deep in the Everfree. Samus’s fears were then confirmed that the Pirates did have another hidden base somewhere in the forest.

Samus removed helmet and buried her face in her armored hand.

“Oh god why…”

I’m tired of this forest. I don’t want to be in this DAMN forest!

Nevertheless she had her work cut out for her. A forward base could easily turn into a staging base for a ground assault… too close to Ponyville and consequently the elements of harmony. Sighing once more, she let her ship down completely, parked it, cloaked it, and exited out of the top hatch.

The forest was much denser around these parts, considering she was at least fifteen miles from Ponyville by her estimates. With all systems nominal, Samus jumped and landed on the Earth, having her ship estimate the direction of this Pirate Base, which it soon uploaded to her suit’s map.

Opening her map, her systems labeled an estimate about three miles from her position… not really a trek she wanted to take but she had little choice. Her hope was that upon infiltrating the Pirate base, she could find any good information that could lead to their ultimate plans of operation on Equis. Wasting no time, she began a brisk walk in the direction her map, well… mapped out for her.

While the rain started up again, the first mile was fairly quiet. Nothing unusual was seen but as Samus trekked closer, she started to feel uneasy. This usually came about when she felt that she wasn’t alone anymore… something else was in her vicinity. She raised her cannon a bit more and looked around for anything that could be out of the ordinary as she slowly marched onward, properly using the large trees for cover. Motion sensor wasn’t picking anything up, so that was good news. Nevertheless, Samus learned to rely less on her motion sensor, as she was certain Space Pirate tech had advanced to the point where troops could stealth their movements from her sensors.

Of course, that thought made her be extra careful. There would undoubtedly be patrols around the area, even if the new station was set up probably only a couple of days ago at best. Another hour and a half later had her trek three and a half miles. She dodged anything that looked remotely suspicious and even found a couple of infrared trip wires that were of Pirate origin. They were easily disabled with a few tweaks to her grapple beam, allowing Samus to pass before they came back online.

Nearing her target even more, she heard a couple twigs snap and she immediately stopped in her tracks, stacking up to the nearest tree and obscuring her form completely… listening. Her hand rested on top of her cannon, ready to strike at millisecond’s notice. Samus made sure to control her breathing in this unfamiliar environment and, with great practice over the years, steadied her rhythm and waited for whatever was out there to pass.

A few more steps were heard close to her position until her motion sensor picked up something on the opposite side of the huge trunk Samus was stacking up on. She heard a couple of low pitched breaths and a familiar grunting sound. Waiting for the aggressor to pass, Samus soon realized that it wasn’t going anywhere… merely standing watch.

Oh come on… Seriously?

This made her job harder, and Samus knew she wouldn’t be able to sneak by the Space Pirate without alerting him and, consequently, having the entire base be put on alert. It wasn’t the time for that. So, she knew that she’d have to take him out. A lone Space Pirate would be little issue for the long-time soldier, but any length of combat time would allow her adversary to communicate back to base. It would have to be a silent assassination… and she knew just what to do.

Her plan required her removing her suit, but noise was generated when she did so, so that wasn’t viable just yet. Samus noticed, however, that thunder was being produced throughout the rain-storm… thunder loud enough to conceal her suit removal. Waiting patiently for the next clap, she saw lightning flash and sure enough, thunder struck. She immediately removed her suit and the Pirate was none the wiser. Putting her plan into action, she reached down on her Zero Suit-clad leg and grasped something that she had picked up before she left the ship: a large energy knife.

When she was battling Pirates in melee combat while heading to her ship the first time to repair her suit, she ended up yanking the energy scythe off one of her adversaries to use in combat. She had kept the item and was able to use her tools to cut it down to size while utilizing the weapon’s energy core all the same. Thus her energy knife was born, courtesy of her decent construction/engineering skills she picked up over the years.

She grasped the orange hued blade by its hilt and bent down, picking up a rock and tossing it up and down in her hand for a few turns. She peeked out slightly and found the Pirate Trooper facing perpendicular to her position, which was good enough for her. She turned around the other side of the tree and heaved the rock into one of the far off trees, generating a large ‘crack!’ and definitely garnering the Trooper’s attention. With him facing completely away from her, Samus sprang into action and launched herself high, landing on the Pirate’s back, covering his mouth with her hands, and driving the energy scythe into his neck before dragging it in a slicing motion.

The Pirate fell to his knees, gagging only a little bit, before Samus released him to the ground. She wiped some of the blood off her hands and sheathed her blade once more, equipping her suit and treading forward to her destination.

As the final life drained from the Pirate’s eyes, distinct radio chatter could be heard:

“Unit 59H7, report current position.”

“Unit 59H7, report!”

“Unit 59H7, respond!”
.
.
Samus had bought herself more stealth time than the other options she had would have given her. It would only be a matter of time before a team was sent to investigate the ‘disappearance’ of one of their patrol units. Her hope was that they’d dismiss the disappearance, at first, as an encounter with wildlife gone wrong.

Whatever the case, the periphery of the forest was coming into view and as she peeked out from behind one of the final trees, she saw the fruits of her travel: a very large installation currently under construction: A large command center stood above all the buildings as more corridors were being added by stationary cranes. From what Samus could see, there were barracks, a medical wing, research and development, essentially everything for a long-standing Space Pirate base to function. A new squad of fighters and transports had just arrived, as well as a few Pirate skiffs, letting troops and supplies disembark.

From what Samus could see, her best bet would be to find a way to the command center. There, she could gather any valuable information before attempting to lay waste to the base. In the end, this outpost wouldn’t be allowed to exist… not by her watch.

She gazed around for a suitable entry point. She couldn’t readily just walk into the open with all these troops directly across from her. However, further investigation, including using an optical zoom function on her visor, showed a small, uncompleted portion of a main artery with large piping that had yet to be finished. Scans indicated her morph ball could easily traverse the piping, which would take her somewhere inside the base free of enemy eyes… for now.

I’d think the Pirates would stop creating shafts of perfect size for my Morph Module…

Then again why am I complaining?

Figuring that was her best bet, she morphed down and used her boost ball function to quickly roll over the open terrain and directly into the piping… a tense ten seconds Samus even admitted.

However, a Trooper patrol managed to lay eyes on her morph ball head towards the piping. Before the soldier could do anything, a blue magical aura encased his mouth and forced his startled form to the ground, unable to move. The midnight-blue Princess of the Night emerged from the foliage, eyes like bright blue orbs and with a blade conjured of pure magic, before she plunged it into the downed Trooper once, silencing him. She removed her makeshift magic sword and it disappeared as she hunched down low, also witnessing Samus’s form fully enter the pipes.

Luna’s mind, however, was more concerned with this base that was built. It was obvious that it wasn’t just started today… so she concluded Samus’s fears were correct the entire time. Luna’s search for the Hunter was not difficult. Her aura lead the Princess right to her. Her curiosity of these invaders was enormous right now, and she felt that she should meet up with Samus on the inside. After all, Luna thought that if she could help eliminate one outpost of the invaders, it would be less work to be done and potentially less of her subjects would be killed. Before Luna could make a move, large flapping sounds could be heard, and as a consequence she stayed very still in the brush. All the Pirate troops stopped what they were doing to view the spectacle: which looked like a large, metal-plated black dragon land on the open ground.

All the pirates saluted this one dragon… which Luna was studying greatly. She had never seen any dragon like this… one which was much smaller than the native dragons on her planet and was made of skin, metal, and machine. What looked like officers of the troops were speaking to this new and larger arrival, and it in turn replied back to them… both in languages Luna couldn’t understand, although to be fair the dragon’s rebuttals sounded more like low-key screeches, grunts, and growls. Either way… something about this dragon sent a shiver down her spine and gave Luna an enormous feeling of apprehension; something which was not done easily.

Seeing as they were occupied, Luna engaged an invisibility spell and made her way to one of the sides of the buildings linking up with the very large command center. She generated a portal on the wall and stepped into it, which allowed her to step inside the building unabated. Her current position looked like some sort of storage room, which was filled with unfamiliar technology. The Night Princess disengaged her invisibility, leaving her in her normal regalia, and poked around, admittedly awed by the advanced (she could only assume) weaponry that was being stored.

Our race doesn’t stand a chance technologically against these invaders… only magic is on our side.

Shaking off her curiosity, she knew she had to find Samus. Looking through her augmented vision, the Hunter was still in her Morph Ball form going through the network of piping above and below the corridors, hidden from view. She could easily follow the path that Samus laid out to the best of her ability.

The only exit out of the current room she was in was a large hexagonal door, which was covered by some blue-colored energy. There were no handles or any other type of object that Luna could discern was a method to open. She lightly touched her hoof to the center, the energy field enveloping the tip and causing no discomfort, but only a little tingly feeling. Retracting her hoof, Luna decided to try magic. She charged her horn and fired a single shot of her Night Beam, which ended with the shield deactivating and the door opening. Satisfied with the result, Luna craned her neck out and looked around.

Finding the hallway void of any life, she exited the room fully, having the door close and reactivate behind her. Samus had been moving, so Luna would have her work cut out for her in keeping up. She trot along the hallway until she came to a right turn. The moment she peeked out, she came face to face with a Pirate Trooper. Both of them jumped backwards in complete surprise, which left a corner of the adjacent wall between them. A few (what sounded like) angry growls from the adversary later resulted in the Trooper turning the corner hell bent on attacking, Luna retreating just a little and keeping about 15 feet between the two of them. He fired his weapon directly at Luna, who easily called upon a shield to absorb the impacts. Seeing as she’d have to fight her way to Samus’s position, she sent a large electrical shock straight from her horn into the Pirate Trooper, who convulsed painfully before slumping forward. Her left ear flicked due to a familiar feeling.

“And now, here they come…” Luna spoke to herself.

Suddenly, three bursts of energy shot from the ceiling, surrounding the Princess. In their wake, three more troopers stood up and immediately started attacking. Luna called upon her shield instantly and deflected all their assault cannon fire. As they closed in on her position, they took to melee combat with their energy scythes, swiping and jabbing at Luna, who was evading with very surprising agility. She called upon powerful magic, reared up, and stomped down, initiating a magic shockwave which threw them all back against the walls. Using the room, she equipped her own battle armor and was fully ready to fight. One of the Pirates was recovering and Luna finished him off with three shots from her Night Beam. A second one had recovered and sprung upon her with his blade, but she evaded and encased his head in magic, slamming his face into the wall and letting the trooper slump down before she came down on his back with the full power of her hooves.

The final trooper fired upon Luna’s turned back; whose armor easily deflected the energy projectiles. She jumped around and faced him, sending an electrical shock into the soldier which detonated his weapon’s power core, the explosive force sending his body careening into the wall and bouncing on the ground, lifeless.

Locating Samus’s position once more, Luna chose an identical path which followed the plumbing.

On Samus’s side of things, she wasn’t encountering any resistance. But (due to odd workings of the Morph Ball), Samus was able to see that many of the pirate troopers in the hallways suddenly turn and run somewhere. Lines upon lines of troops were all heading in the same direction. Yeah, it gave the Hunter less potential resistance in her path, but it still made her wonder what the hell was going on. She proceeded onward, her internal map showing that the command center wasn’t far off.

Luna galloped in full battle armor, keeping an eye on Samus’s position and attempting to find her way to her. The corridor ended and she shot the door in front of her, having it open into a four-way hallway. As she walked closer, two Pirate Commandos revealed themselves from both sides of the intersection. Luna charged straight at them as they fired their pulse cannons, returning fire as she ran and absorbing the energy with her magically generated shield. On the Pirate’s ends, it looked like this odd creature encased in armor was going to tackle them, so they braced their forms and blades against her… only to have the alicorn disappear entirely.

Luna reappeared immediately behind the two Commandos, magical blade in the air, and swung it straight into the one on her right: the blade cutting through the Commando’s armor like paper and nearly slicing him in half. The other Commando swung his cannon backwards, decking the Night Princess in the face and making her rear back slightly. Pressing his advantage, he used his boost pack to tackle into her. The two belligerents hit the ground hard and the elite soldier hit his cannon against Luna’s armor-clad face. As the Pirate was about to continue his attack, Luna sent an electrical pulse through her, severely electrocuting her aggressor. She forced him off of her with a hard hoof to the helmet and onto his back. She sprang up and fired four Night Beam rounds into his chest and head, ending him.

Luna craned her head up and augmented her eyes again, searching for the infiltrating Hunter. Samus was stopped by a large network of piping that she had to navigate herself through, so she wasn’t very far off. As she was about to continue, more pirate troopers and Grenadiers appeared in the straight-away in front of her. Luna stacked against the wall adjacent to her enemies as they immediately fired on her.

Not far off, a panel above an arbitrary hallway exploded, letting Samus’s Morph Ball drop onto the floor. She phased back into her standing state only to hear a great volume of weapons fire not far from her position. While she would normally thank her luck and continue onward unabated, something told Samus that she should investigate the disturbance.

These voices in my head suck.

She jogged down the hallway which lead to another perpendicular corridor, so a three-way intersection. Turning right, she found six Pirate Troopers running through a farther-down intersection. Not five seconds later, three Troopers cried out as an explosive force threw them backwards, bodies landing lifeless. Samus sprinted to the end of the hallway right as another trooper crossed into her path. Before the Pirate could even react to the feared Hunter’s presence, the latter activated her speed booster and rammed into him and into the wall, most likely shattering his ribcage.

Turning to where the bodies were thrown back earlier, there was merely a door. Shooting it and opening it, she came into contact with the rear of over a dozen Pirates of three varieties all firing to the same position. As well, the Hunter couldn’t help but notice the body count around the area. Samus couldn’t get too much of a view of what they were shooting at before one of the troopers turned around and spotted her.

Samus drew her cannon lightning-fast and shot a missile straight into his chest. The rest of the Pirates all had their attention turned to Samus, allowing Luna to press an offensive. The Pirates being caught in the middle of the two were systematically cut down by both of the infiltrator’s weapons fire. The last few troops were killed when Luna magically fractured her generated shield and sent the ‘shards’ straight at the enemies, piercing their armor and bodies; they fell back on the floor as the offending shards disappeared. At that moment, Samus laid eyes on the full-body armor clad alicorn.

“L-Luna?!”

The Night Princess magically unequipped her helmet.

“This outpost cannot be allowed to exist this close to the Element bearers,” Luna spoke, walking up to Samus.

“That’s the plan after I extract information… but why are you here and how did you find me?” the latter replied.

“I needed to coordinate defense based on your expertise in dealing with these… Space Pirates? But I was informed that you had already deployed. Nevertheless I needed to find you and since your magic has derivations from mine to some extent, I was able to ‘track’ you. Initially I only needed to share a few words with you but with the discovery of this outpost I feel it is in our best interest to eliminate it completely,” Luna explained, reequipping her helm and obscuring her face.

“Yep. From how you handled all those Pirates I can easily trust you to hold your own, and having some extra firepower won’t be bad in the slightest.”

“I don’t suppose you have a plan on how to deal with our objectives at the moment?” Luna wondered.

“I just might, but we need to get to the Operations Command Center,” Samus nodded and informed.

“Lead the way!”

A few corridors later and dealing with only a few enemy troops, the duo came upon a door with a green hatch cover. Samus had wanted to stop here for a few moments due to an alert on her map as to some acquirable technology. Luna attempted to shoot said door, only to have her shots ricochet.

“What is this sorcery?!” Luna exclaimed. Samus chuckled a bit.

“Stand back…”

Luna did just that as Samus fired a super missile, obliterating the hatch cover and leaving a standard blue door in its wake, which she promptly shot to open.

“My map indicates that this is a reverse-engineering lab. Scans also tell me that reverse-engineered Chozo weaponry exists here…”

“If there is something you wish to acquire I suggest you make it quick. We are nearing the Command Center and I do not wish to be here much longer, considering the entire base knows we’re here,” Luna stoically pointed out.

Samus ignored her as she spotted the object of her search: pure energy taking the form of what looked like Samus’s grapple beam was suspended in a container at the end of the dark room. Walking up to it and shattering the glass, the Hunter ‘grabbed’ the energy and let it flow to her grapple beam, which lit up a few times before dimming.

[Sticky Grapple Acquired!]

[The Grapple Beam is no longer limited to attaching to Grapple Nodes and Magical Magnetic anomalies. The beam may now physically attach itself to any object. Does not replace your magical grip, however.]

Samus tested this out by shooting her Grapple Beam at a piece of metal about a few yards away, having the line successfully attach and retract to her hand. She then magically flung it away.

“That’ll come in very useful actually. Pirate tech isn’t half bad… Let’s be off,” Samus remarked.

The two exited the room and continued onward, having to battle even more Pirates in their way, including an inordinate amount of Grenadiers and Commandos. Any resistance thrown at them was proven to be of little effect against the combined onslaught of the Hunter and Night Princess. Their (often wordless) communication with each other proved very decisive in breaking off engagements with little more than a few singes on armor and minor drainages of energy shielding.

After agonizingly long travels considering the two had to fight their entire way (not to mention the kill-count of at least a hundred and twenty Pirate soldiers), they finally arrived at the command center: an awe-inspiringly large, cylindrical structure containing many consoles surrounding a central pylon, which projected a holographic and three-dimensional map of Planet Equis. The fifteen-minute firefight that ensued with Pirate Commandos had also destroyed a few consoles delegating power to certain parts of the station; including one which completely shut the doors down to the Command Center itself. In short, no one was getting in or out for a good while.

The last Pirate Commando aimed over his cover, only to have a Night Beam round pierce straight through his helmet, throwing his head and body backwards onto the ground.

“Area’s clear,” Samus spoke, waving her cannon around to disperse some of the steam coming off of it.

“Very well. What must we do here?”

“I am going to gather some information first…” Samus replied as she began scanning several of the undamaged information consoles. She was collecting a wealth of information in Pirate Lore, Research and Development, Metroid Containment Protocol, Troop Deployments, et cetera.

Luna was busy studying the large holo-projection of her home planet. It rotated in real time, and it was dotted with several red dots within the nation of Equestria.

“Samus, what do those red dots mean on the planet projection?” Luna asked. Samus looked up and scanned.

“Looks like they’re current or planned base construction sites. Chances are this installation isn’t going to be the only one pretty soon.”

“I was afraid you might say that… do they all have a dragon who visits?” Luna pointed out. Samus stopped what she was doing immediately.

“What did you say…?” Samus asked, not entirely believing she heard right.

“When I arrived after you, before I could follow you a black dragon appeared and landed within the open base grounds. He wasn’t as large as the native dragons on this planet but it was odd… he was also composed of metal and machine… I had never seen anything like it!”

Ridley was here.

Samus stood up and faced Luna. Even behind her visor, the latter could tell Samus had a very… interesting expression on her face. Before Samus could speak, Luna then connected something in her head.

“But… he did look a bit familiar. I felt like I’ve seen some form of his before… possibly in—” her mind stopped right there as she slowly craned her head up and looked at the Hunter.

“…the murderer of your parents…”

“Luna, that dragon… he is known as Ridley. He’s a powerful commander of the Space Pirate military and I’ve fought him on numerous occasions, believing that I have killed him every time. He has survived yet again…” Samus mused.

“We’ll deal with that when necessary, but we’re going to need to find a way to take out this ba—”

Luna was cut off when an enormous explosion rocked them both. Shaking it off, the two looked to find a gaping hole in the top area of the command center. A very chilling and distinct screech sounded off and Luna felt herself blindsided and thrown into the wall, colliding harshly with the metal and falling over twenty feet to the ground.

“AHHH!”

“LUNA!” Samus yelled. Before she could even get to her, he landed straight in her path to the alicorn Princess. The large dragon opened his maw and let out the bone-chilling, high pitched screech straight at his arch-enemy.

The two nemeses stared each other down… Ridley’s piercing stare gazing straight into Samus’s visor as his feet and talons planted firmly into the ground. His wingspan was spread out and his front claws dug into the ground as well. The two simultaneously had the same word run through their minds:

You…!

Samus stood her ground and aimed her cannon straight at his face; the two standing twenty feet from each other. The two said nothing to each other… what could they say at the time? What was there to say? At this point anything would merely seem theatrical and stall the inevitable. However, ironically, only one word each was exchanged between them.

“Ridley,” the Hunter spoke stoically, arm cannon never retracting. In return, one screech/growl was emitted from the space dragon, which her translators fed back to her:

“Samus.”

Ridley smashed his fist into the ground and hunched down, letting out a mighty roar and battle cry towards one he wished he killed so long ago. Samus merely primed a missile in her cannon as she prepared for the next events…

16. Reunion

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 16

Reunion

Intense Boss Theme Insert

Samus’s senses were working on overdrive as she stared her archenemy in the face. Fancying a quick gaze towards Luna’s direction, she found a gaping dent twenty feet above where the alicorn fell unconscious. Ridley had clotheslined her flying at full speed and if she were an average human or pony sans advanced armor, Samus was sure Luna would be dead right now. All in all, however, Samus wasn’t worried about Luna’s well-being. She’d come to eventually. Ridley wasn’t likely to turn his attention to the alicorn, especially with his archenemy standing right in front of him.

It was interesting, though. Samus had fought Ridley twice before this point and had encountered him physically even more than that. She was not afraid to stand in his vision and fight, potentially to the death. Still, from what she had seen as a young girl, there was always a voice in the back of her head that she learned to suppress since her incident on Zebes:

Run… RUN!

He’s gonna slaughter you just like your family! You better run, you idiot!

Of course, it could say whatever it wanted but it was still promptly ignored and it didn’t change the stoic expression she wore under her violet visor… it was actually a bit more complicated than that. The right part of her lips curled down slightly as a result of some blood-lust coming through. Nevertheless, even though her adrenaline was fueled to the max, her breathing was controlled and her thoughts were perfectly clear.

Ridley growled once more before angling his head up and unleashing a mighty roar that not only shook the structure to the very core, but obliterated any glass and fragile equipment. Samus took this time to step back a bit and generate some distance between the two of them. Then, Ridley let out a shrill growl as he reared his head and upper body back… an action Samus knew very well where it lead. Immediately, Samus dashed to the side and rolled on the ground with the aid of her Space Jump boosters as Ridley charged forward, his jaws having been a second too late.

The harsh roll had Samus on her knee and she quickly recovered. She drew her cannon and fired a single missile, which struck Ridley’s cheek armor and forced him to recoil a tad on impact. Unlike previous experiences, Ridley didn’t expose his chest and instead shot his arm straight out and attempted to grab the Hunter. She somersaulted horizontally over his arm while unleashing a Night Beam torrent to little avail. Ridley reared back and countered with a Plasma Bombardment from his mouth.

“AHuuHH!” Samus cried out briefly as the bombs shot out like canister shot and engulfed her shielding in the tremendous heat before she was able to get out. The shielding held up thankfully and she got her mind back into the battle.

Ridley gave out another screech and took flight, circling within the large structure as Samus never released the lock-on. She charged a Power Beam round and held it for safe keeping, ready to send a Super Missile off at milliseconds notice.

“Come on you bastard…” she mouthed to herself as she watched her adversary take no particular pattern in his flight. She stole another glance and found the Lunar Alicorn still safely unconscious. This fight was, for some reason, energizing her confidence beyond normal means. Most likely another side effect of magic.

Ridley halted his flight right above the large projection of Planet Equis and spread his wings harshly. As he did that, six missiles erupted from launchers on his back one after the other and homed in straight for the Hunter. Samus released the charge round, destroying the first missile, obliterated the second and third with standard Power Beam rounds, magically generated a small shield which absorbed the impacts of the fourth and fifth before promptly shattering, and easily dodged the last with a hard dash to the right.

Samus found that Ridley’s launchers had to vent themselves so she took the opportunity that presented itself to deliver a quick strike with a Super Missile, which found its mark in Ridley’s abdomen as he attempted a last second dodge. The blast sent the dragon careening into some consoles on the ground and into the wall, though he recovered instantly with a glare that could kill entire worlds.

“You’ll pay for that you little brat…” He muttered to himself, though Samus’s translators couldn’t catch the words. He lunged forward with impressive speed with the aid of his wings and with a mighty dragon’s roar. Samus could do very little as he covered distance so quickly and caught her in his grasp. Right before Ridley impacted Samus into the wall, she fired a charged Night Beam round straight at his eye which forced him to recoil, slowing his acceleration, although Samus felt her back hit the metal wall harshly and saw stars for a few moments as a result.

Ridley lunged his neck forward and attempted to ensnare the Hunter, still in his grip, with his cybernetic jaws. She fired another charged round down his gullet just in time, forcing an agonized cry out of him. Ridley countered by pressing Samus into the wall and dragging her harshly as he flew. Samus’s shielding held but was slowly beginning to start whittling away at the constant abuse.

“GGAAHH!” Samus yelled in strain as she charged her Power Beam and aimed a Super Missile straight as Ridley’s hand. The blast forced his grip to open immediately yet the collateral damage sent Samus flying in the opposite direction. She hit the ground hard but after a few moments, regained her senses and flipped back up on her feet, arm cannon aimed right back at the dragon.

Ridley’s armor on his hand had cracked significantly yet he was undeterred. He rushed back at Samus in a similar manner, but as he looked like he was going to grab her, Samus was blindsided when Ridley altered his course and slammed the end of his tail straight into her. The strike swept her off her feet as she face-planted into the ground. She rolled to the side just in time, avoiding a death-dealing fist smashing into the ground on her previous position. Samus peppered Ridley’s face with Night Beam rounds, several of them hitting their marks in his eyes and forcing him to take flight once more… although not without dropping several Plasma Bombs, to which Samus shielded herself from magically.

Ridley fired a missile back at her, to which she tracked but its trajectory landed behind her, attempting to draw her attention. It failed, yet Ridley pressed on with his attack, flying low straight at her while his tail-head pounded into the ground with his ever-famous jackhammer attack. The small-grade seismic activity it created caused some disorientation with Samus’s footing, though she stood strong and waited for her opportunity. She aimed and right before she would have been impaled from the top, she fired another Super Missile, its trajectory taking it perfectly into Ridley’s chest even though he did his best to protect with his hands. He roared agonizingly as he hit the ground right in front of Samus, though not without the gift of his tail smashing into her with a hard swipe.

The thicker portion of Ridley’s tail collided with Samus’s full figure and slammed her into the wall, leaving a noticeable indentation. Ridley regained his bearings as he moved his appendage, releasing Samus as she fell to her knees from pain and disorientation. He pressed his attack and grasped her hard with his left hand before chucking her into the ground where Samus also noticeably bounced. Ridley had to clutch his chest with his right hand as pain was starting to form once more from Samus’s strike, yet he advanced forward.

Samus held herself up with her left hand and coughed. Her suit’s shielding was holding up though there was easily noticeable damage to the superstructure, one of the more notable signs being a crack on her chest plate.

“I’ll make sure there’s no body to bury…” Ridley muttered out in a pained manner before he charged a powerful beam in his mouth, ready to finish off his stunned/wounded prey. Samus immediately collapsed her arm and rolled on her back, sending a Super Missile straight into his gullet, and prematurely exploding his own plasma attack. The blast in his mouth sent him flying backwards and hitting the ground hard, and it was only by advanced cybernetics that the strike didn’t kill him instantly.

“F… Feels good huh?!” Samus screamed out as she got up, her anger and vigor shining anew. As Ridley was still reeling, Samus did a quick suit diagnostic:

[Suit Integrity: Seventy-one percent.]

[Shield Generator: Intact]

[Defensive Shielding: Moderately Depleted. Energy Tank recharge highly recommended.]

[Missile Ammunition: Sixty-four percent capacity.]

[All Systems Fully Operational.]

Samus dismissed the notifications and entered her battle stance once more, coinciding with Ridley’s recovery. It was clear that Ridley had grown stronger since she last saw him… which really wasn’t all that long ago. At this rate, there was a decent probability that he could wear her down and she’d succumb to him in this little game of attack-and-defend. Thus, she felt that she needed to go on the offensive.

Samus began sprinting towards her archenemy until her Speed Booster activated. She altered her trajectory several times in order to easily avoid the hailstorm of projectiles Ridley was sending her way.

“Come on… come on…”

Like she expected, Ridley took flight to avoid being hit by the speeding Hunter (which honestly would have done some serious damage to both of them). Samus initiated her Shinespark technique and shot herself straight at Ridley’s flying form. Ridley rolled over mid-flight and attempted to swat the ‘Shinepark-ing’ Samus out of the sky but she deactivated it, his hand overshooting her form. She let herself freefall for half a second before she shot her grapple beam while simultaneously charging her Night Beam; her now Sticky Grapple attaching to Ridley’s chest. Ridley was taken off guard, midair, while Samus retracted her beam and brought the two of them closer. She released the magically charged round straight into his weaker chest armor, magically weakening it temporarily, and ending with Samus extending her leg and slamming her heel into his chest, cracking the armor and forcing both of them to slam into the wall, as Ridley was still in the process of flight when this all went down in a matter of seconds.

The impact against the wall was too much and they went straight through it, Samus continuing to hitch a ride on Ridley’s chest and firing away with her Night Beam while the latter attempted to remove her. They flew several hundred feet out of the Command Center and into the uninhabited forest where they crash-landed, Samus being violently thrown off of her adversary as they tumbled and rolled. Cries, screams, screeches and roars could be heard simultaneously as inertia and obstacles brought their violent landing to a halt.

Samus had tumbled and struck the side of an enormous tree nice and hard, while Ridley had fallen on his head when he lost control. Both belligerents were stunned and lightly writhing on the ground. The rain pelted both parties as they slowly came to their bearings and righted themselves, both enduring bruising pain.

Samus was still catching her breath as she stood up strong (though it took some internal coaxing). Ridley was finally able to hoist himself up on all fours. The two then caught glances of each other in their weakened states. Both had conceded: this encounter between them had been short, yet incredibly destructive. Samus would readily admit that few of her adversaries had the ability to wear her thin like Ridley. The latter craned his neck to her and growled before speaking, Samus’s translators doing the work:

“You’ll… join your parents soon enough, Aran.”

“Just… die already…” Samus responded through her residual pain, raising her cannon and preparing for the inevitable attack. In all honesty, Samus wasn’t entirely sure how much either of them could take in terms of beatings. Nevertheless, she readied a Super Missile and was prepared for anything.

If she fell here, she would fall fighting.

Before either belligerent could strike, eight teleportation spells went off around Samus, revealing black-clad unicorn troops plus the Lunar Princess who quickly took positions in front of Samus, horns charged to great luminosity aimed straight at Ridley. The latter, equally surprised as Samus by the events that just unfolded, stared down the threatening unicorn troops, who had the term Magickakorps emblazoned on their black armor and uniforms.

Ironically, Samus knew Ridley relatively well. In her own weakened and exhausted state, it wasn’t like she could resist in any way to… whatever was transpiring, and the same thing went for Ridley. She suspected in his state, he wouldn’t fight any further, especially since he most likely knew from reports the dangers of weaponized magic.

This fight was over.

Ridley shifted his glare to the Hunter, who had removed her cannon from an aimed state and left it passive. The unicorn troops kept their horns charged, Luna standing next to Samus, ready to attack at moments notice, and Samus half expected them to attack the wounded Pirate-commander… though the fact that they didn’t when they immediately teleported in led her to believe that they weren’t under orders to engage the Pirates.

“We adjourn… for now,” Ridley begrudgingly conceded. In his state, he knew well that he wouldn’t be able to fight back effectively against several magical entities. He let out a mighty roar towards the Hunter and the interfering unicorns before taking flight, heading straight for his capital ship.

Another battle where both archenemies survived. Samus needed a moment to just… rest, so she took a seat on the forest ground.

“Soldiers, ensure our immediate area is secured,” Luna softly ordered, to which they all nodded and went about their task.

“Samus, do you require medical attention?” Luna asked, unequipping her helm. Samus looked to her through her own visor and shook her head. However, one thing was already bothering her:

“Why didn’t you attack him?”

Luna turned around to face her with a stoic expression on her face, ethereal mane further framing her power.

“While I could give a whole reasoning about 'honor amongst mortal enemies' and 'not being my place to destroy him,' simply put, we... I need you alive. While my soldiers and I could have most probably dealt with this 'Ridley,' there was a high risk he would attempt to attack you in your currently weakened state, and if he managed, however improbable you may consider the possibility, to kill you before we could finish our offensive, everything would be null. I sense your adversary is very powerful, and I was not willing to take that chance by going on the offensive. ”

Samus just stared at her, processing what she said. Luna continued, deciding to answer any questions before they were asked:

“Before I was banished I had a large control over things military. Of course when I turned, it wasn’t so nice for Celestia having half an army willing to follow me to their deaths. When I returned, I was explicitly forbidden to raise a well trained force without her knowledge, yet she would never understand. She felt the Guards Force, on top of a small peacekeeping army and air wing would be sufficient, and that we could rely on the Elements of Harmony for protection against whatever threatened our nation and planet.”

Samus continued to listen as the rain ran down her armor.

“Without her knowledge, I had been training for several years a force of magic adepts. Recruitment was secretive, and those in the Guard who showed promise were offered opportunity but had their memories magically ‘forget’ any mention should they have refused. So, I oversaw the build-up of my Magickakorps, a two thousand five hundred pony-strong force that could be called upon in times of extraordinary crisis should the Elements have proved ineffective.”

“How did they find us?” Samus asked.

“When I got word of the invasion, I immediately ordered the execution of a top secret protocol, which gave the Magickakorps complete knowledge of my whereabouts and my state of mind at critical points. Should I have fallen unconscious or had critical lifesigns, they would know where to find me, and so they did. After they helped me regain consciousness, which was apparently right after you took your fight outside, we set out to look for you, and a little bit of magical prodding yielded your whereabouts.”

Luna then placed her hoof on Samus’s pauldron as the latter kept her seat.

“Call your ship, repair your armorsuit, and return to Ponyville to brief with Celestia. She awaits your return as she coordinates evacuation efforts. Canterlot needs me right now. Gather what rest you can, for the day is not over and we shall need you in the fight.”

Samus nodded quietly and Luna took that as her time to leave. She called her troops back and they all teleported out of sight.

Samus was alone once more. As the rain quietly pattered on her armor , she stood up, released a pent up scream of frustration, and struck the nearest tree with her fist, cracking the bark and the wood under it.

She panted a bit while she unequipped her suit, letting the rain cool her off as it matted her hair to her skin. She called her ship via her arm-console and took her seat back on the ground as she awaited her carriage, a bunch of thoughts running through her head as she placed her forehead on her curled-up knees.

And as she waited, she did what she did best when she wasn’t in battle…

Think.

Edited by Tatsurou

17. Canterlot: Joint Capability

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 17

Canterlot: Joint Capability

After about fifteen minutes of the Hunter silently waiting through the pouring rain, Samus’s gunship revealed itself from the low-lying cloud layer and gently touched down on the battle-scarred forest floor right in front of her. In complete silence, the armorless warrior jumped to the hatch and descended into the cockpit, reveling in the warmth of her ship. Samus sat down in her pilot’s seat and keyed in the necessary commands to get the ship started and on course to return to Ponyville. Looking up before shey keyed for takeoff, Ridley’s flagship still lay suspended in the sky somewhere beyond the cloud layer, accompanied by two more other ships.

Without a second thought, Samus set off, her ship using the Everfree’s cloud cover for camouflage as she let autopilot take her to her destination. Not even a mile out, Samus’s eyes widened in realization:

I never destroyed the base!

At that moment a glorious display of light shown behind her: numerous explosions of different colors and intensities, all magically induced as scans could tell, erupted at several points within the now concealed forward outpost. This was followed by one large mushroom cloud finally erupting from the center in a violent show of force, raining charred debris within a half-mile radius which was quickly doused by the falling rain. Luna apparently hadn’t forgotten.

She’s good, I’ll give her that.

The cloud vapor obscuring her ship’s large viewport began to slowly whittle away as Samus progressed closer to Ponyville. Judging from the position of the sun, it appeared that several hours had easily whittled away since when she departed from the town. A lot could happen in several hours, especially with a full scale invasion of a planet in full effect. As Samus cleared the cloud layer completely, the same warships were still high in the sky weighing in on all who would see them; not to mention the fighters that were scrambling, moving like gnats on a hot summer’s day amongst the skyline.

The Hunter Class Gunship began its slow descent into its position outside of Twilight’s Library as the cloaking device was engaged, rendering it invisible from Pirate Radar. As Samus exited via the hatch, she was quick to notice that the entire town was… barren. Celestia had made good on her actions to evacuate the entire town.

“Samus!”

The armorless Hunter quickly shot her gaze to the origination of the voice calling her name: Twilight peeking out and waving her over with her hoof. Samus’s eyes were drawn to the two Elite Royal Guards keeping a low profile on either side of the library, energy spears at attention. Dismissing the observation, she quickly flew through the air and landed ever gracefully on her feet before making her way into the Library where the door was promptly shut behind her. Gazing around, all the remaining five Elements of Harmony were gathered in the common room while Celestia was seated, sending and receiving letter after letter, order after order, and memo after memo away through magical channels.

“Princess Celestia was able to evacuate most of Ponyville and the surrounding towns and cities,” Twilight began, trotting over to her friends with Samus in tow. Her eyes shifted as a result of stress and her mane seemed unkempt.

“Where to?”

“Farther east moreso, specifically towards the Whitetail Woods past Canterlot and beyond. Many went south towards Appleoosa and and as far East as Stalliongrad and even into the borders of other nations. The farther they go, the safer they’ll be.”

“Indeed,” Celestia piped up, addressing the recently arrived Hunter. “Any news since your departure?”

Samus was about to mention herself and Luna finding and ultimately eliminating a Pirate base in the Everfree, but from past conversation in the forest, she felt that Luna’s presence was meant to be as discreet as possible.

“I found, infiltrated, and destroyed a Pirate military installation in the Everfree. I was able to collect what data I could on other current and planned footholds. This will be invaluable to your troops and the Federation when they arrive in the next thirty or so hours.” Then Samus popped another question, already knowing something the Solar Princess most likely didn’t: “What’s the situation with military matters?” she asked, taking a seat.

“So far, nothing too serious. The peacekeeping army we have has been put on the defensive until further notice. We’ve grounded all air units on account of having no way to counter the smaller, faster ships… the ones that look like tadpoles.” Celestia explained.

“The fighters?” Samus clarified.

“If that’s the proper name, then yes. We don’t have the technology nor the ordnance to combat them air to air,” Celestia affirmed. “We’ve already lost dozens of good pegasi,” she added morosely.

“Have there been any skirmishes between the Pirates and your army?” Samus asked while looking at a map on her tablet.

“Luna tells me that there have only been minor probing attacks but that could change very soon. Activity is heavy towards the Frozen North and the Crystal Empire though.”

“Alright. I’m gonna need to head North as soon as possible, so just be aware of that,” Samus gave a verbal note.

“I am well aware of that, however with this Galactic Federation arriving to our planet soon I’d rather you be here to mediate first contact and help smooth this over at first,” Celestia proposed. The other mares plus young dragon seemed to agree.

“That’s… actually a good idea. Alright then, here’s what we’ll do…” Samus began, getting to her feet and starting to pace a bit. “Federation arrival by my estimates is a little over a day. I’ll help with any evacuation procedures if you need and as necessary I’ll help defend the area. Once contact is made, we’ll formalize the requisition of troops and supplies and start northward. With the Federation and your own forces helping to hold the south, we can all collectively drive the Pirates more north, allowing us to link up with the Crystal Empire and then find the Phazon core.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Twilight interjected. Samus gave a sarcastic grin.

“Simplicity has its own uses in battle planning. Of course, the idea of tentativity has heavy influence but nevertheless it helps to play by some structure,” Samus responded, finally turning to face everypony in the room, hands and arms crossed behind her back.

“So… what now?” Rainbow Dash asked, getting fidgety and not particularly liking the fact that she was forced into protective custody like the others.

“We wait,” Celestia answered.

“Yep. I just ask that you keep me updated about issues on the ground. If there are areas close by that come under Pirate attack I’d rather be there to help defend,” Samus added, also not a fan of just standing around, but there was little choice.

“We do have reports of ponies going missing or being visibly abducted by the Pirates,” Celestia read off from a parchment, her mood going even more south. “But all of these are coming from the north, deep within what can now be assumed as occupied territory.”

“Damn…” Samus furrowed her gaze. She knew that if she attempted to go north to assist in efforts to defend and evacuate, her ship would get shot out of the sky immediately by enemy fighters. In fact even when the Federation arrived, it would probably be wise to travel on the ground than risk being shot in the aerial battles that would ensue. “If there aren’t any reports of mass killings and only abductions, the Pirates are taking prisoners to use as test subjects… sometimes a fate worse than death in all honesty,” the Hunter addressed Celestia. She had a right to know.

All the mares turned their attention to their ruler, who looked like her head would explode from the sheer mix of emotions she was feeling. She had been trying to keep her thoughts clear lest she make a decision under duress, but the notion of her ponies being taken as test subjects did a number on her emotionally. It also wasn’t like she could go protect her subjects physically… the moment she took flight she’d get killed, even with magic. Besides, as much as she wanted to risk her life, Celestia knew it would be a foolish thing to do at the moment. Equestria and even the planet needed her and Luna’s leadership at the moment. Celestia went back to working and overseeing evacuation efforts, but no matter how much she kept her stoic face, everybody in the room could she she was slowly breaking down.

Samus, eyeing the strong Solar Alicorn, felt compelled for some reason to do something. While the other mares, including Twilight, decided to give their ruler space to work on her most important tasks, Samus decided to sit next to her, as if offering some intangible moral support while she poured over the Pirate Data she had collected.

Most likely another side effect of the elemental absorption.

Silence overtook the room for an unspecified amount of time. It felt like hours to Samus, but her thoughts were disturbed by Celestia’s voice:

“You’re ready for another Element.”

“Huh?”

“Come with me,” Celestia beckoned as she got to her hooves. Samus fell into step with her as they departed to the guest room. “Being one with enormous magical connection I have the ability to feel it naturally in others. I had expected the absorption of the Element of Kindness to make your own magical prowess a bit… unstable. To my surprise, however, your natural magical activity is completely docile. As such, I feel you’re ready to hold on to another Element,” Celesita explained, finding the same small chest and bringing it before the Hunter.

“I guess you’d know better than me. What’s next then?” Samus asked.

“This,” Celestia opened the chest and let an unidentified magical aura coalesce into what looked like a blood-red lightning bolt. “is the Element of Loyalty. Rainbow Dash volunteered to let you hold onto her element next, saying something along the lines of you being ‘cool enough for her’ to do so,” she finished with a small chuckle.

Samus stoically examined the holographic-looking magical lightning bolt as it hovered and spun counter-clockwise in front of her. Out of habit, she used her arm-console to scan the object in front of her.

“Loyalty.”

And that’s all her scan function had to say. Without further ado, she gently clutched the magic, which dispersed into her being and came together on her chest. Like last time, Samus’s eyes pulsed a blood red color, allowing her normal blues to be visible through between each pulse, before dying out completely.

[Element of Harmony Acquired!]

“This is the Element of Loyalty, the second of six.”

Like last time, no other information was available.

“How do you feel?” Celestia asked, genuinely curious as to the effect.

“I feel… interesting…” Samus commented honestly. She felt almost… ‘pumped.’ Like she got a burst of energy suddenly and was ready to just go do something.

“Hmmm…” Celestia eyed her curiously. “I want to monitor you for today. If things go well then maybe we can induce another later.”

Samus nodded and the two of them joined the rest of the group, Celestia immediately getting back to work and Samus analyzing all the Pirate Data she collected.

“Water! I need water now!”

“Go go go!”

Magical and Quantum Assault Cannon fire flew in every which direction of the street. The city of Trottingham was in the middle of an evacuation when the Pirates launched an attack from a foothold base. Ponies of the Equestrian Regular Army were doing all they could to keep civilians safe.

The scene was at the center of a fork in a main road in the heart of Trottingham, lined with townhomes and of which were ablaze in several locations. A platoon of pony soldiers that was assigned to defend a city ministry and the civilians inside was cut off when Pirate forces surrounded them. Slowly but surely the enemy advanced up the road in this urban battle. Unicorns could fight with their magic but Pegasi and Earth Ponies could only rely on their agility and strength respectively in close quarters combat when able. This put the Equestrians at a horrible disadvantage against the Space Pirates’ ranged weapons.

One soldier, a Unicorn Lieutenant, poked his head out and almost got it shot off.

“Lieutenant Whirlwind! Did you get the message to Princess Celestia?!” his commanding officer shouted at him as the entire line of unicorns returned fire towards the advancing horde of Pirates.

“Negative, Captain! The only unicorn who knew of the royal magical channel got killed!”

“That means we’re cut off from command entirely! The damn invaders are disrupting this new radio tech we have so we’re completely isolated! Prep your mares and stallions for a last stand, soldier.”

So… this is how it would end. The Lieutenant saluted his Captain and was prepared to deliver the news to his remaining squadron.

Suddenly, eight bursts of magic signaled long range teleportation spells activating. All the remaining troops looked up and found eight black-clad unicorn soldiers with the emblazoned Magickakorps on their armor line the top of the townhomes overlooking the advancing Pirates. As soon as they teleported in they opened fire, unleashing a rapid torrent of hard magic against the Space Pirate battalion in the street.

The formerly defending troops peeked over and found the Pirates getting cut down in droves by the unidentified friendly forces, falling by the dozens with multiple holes in their chests, heads, et cetera. They immediately seized the initiative and went on the offensive, bounding their barricades with a war cry, unicorns unleashing their own volley of magic-weapons fire from their horns. When the first section of the street was clear (albeit lined with bodies of Space Pirates and ponies alike) the eight elite troops teleported to the ground level and met up with the regular soldiers.

“Thanks for saving our asses back there! Command didn’t tell us they were sending reinforcements but… who are you?” Captain Stalactite addressed what appeared to be the officer of the newcomers. Finally able to get a better look, each of the soldiers was covered in jet-black leather with same-colored metal armor as an overlay. Their faces were completely obscured by black armor and a visor, which was again black, save for small holes poked in the snout area.

“We’ve cleared a route out of the city. Get the civilians out of here now!” the unidentified female officer spoke urgently. The Captain thought he should pull rank and demand to know who the newcomers were, but with the safety of civilians at stake, he opted to take the opportunity which presented itself.

“Lieutenant! Have your troops gather the ponies inside the ministry and let’s get them out of here.”

“Yes, sir!”

Stalactite turned back to the eight troops of the Magickakorps in front of him.

“Thanks again,” he only said, to which the elite force silently saluted in return before teleporting out.

Captain Stalactite looked around and found himself alone amongst the dead and ruins of the street. He gave one uneasy look behind him and took off running to join the rest of his troops in the retreat.

Eight teleportation spells went off once more on the roof of one of the taller buildings overlooking Trottingham. The eight elite unicorn troops gathered together while the leader pressed her hoof to her face.

“Vector Squad to Lunar One…”

“I read you loud and clear Vector Squad, how do you find these new radios?”

“They work excellently, Your Majesty. Trottingham on the whole is largely relieved and most of the civilians and troops are out. The invaders are still sending forces in and they continue to control the skies, Princess Luna.”

“Excellent work, Lieutenant. Here are your next orders…”

The squad’s attention drifted away from what Luna was saying when the eight of them spotted a gargantuan amount of movement in the sky.

“... Vector Squad?”

“Uhhh… Lunar One I believe we have a massive problem…”

“Go ahead, Vector…?”

One of the warships was moving in the sky. It slowly but surely yawed left and descended slowly, penetrating the atmosphere completely as it drifted closer to the ground. The large transport frigate then turned its course in a direction which sent a chill throughout Vector Squad’s collective spine.

“One of the enemy warships has completely entered the atmosphere! It looks like it’s heading straight for Canterlot! Based on its speed, ETA is approximately one hour before it will be completely over the city!”

Silence on the other end lasted for several seconds.

“Acknowledged and confirmed, Vector Squad. As of now your orders have changed. Return to Canterlot immediately and regroup at the HiveMind. Your orders will be given there. I must tend to something immediately.”

“Understood, Your Highness. Vector out.”

The eight unicorns of the Magickakorps all turned to each other, nodded once, and teleported out, leaving the now mostly-barren Trottingham to its fate.

Things had remained relatively the same for the next few hours at the Golden Oaks Library. Samus and Celestia were going about their own important work while the Elements just bided their time… it was all they really could do. The comfortable (term used loosely) atmosphere ended when the two Guards outside burst in.

“Princess! One of them is moving!” the one on the right frantically shouted out.

“What?!” Celestia asked, still not entirely sure what he meant. The entire group fancied a look outside and found the gargantuan frigate, at least a mile or two in the air, slowly drifting towards them. In a few minutes it would obscure the setting sun and cast shadow over all of Ponyville. The mares all looked up with wide eyes which bore nothing but fear at the giant floating ship made of metal above them.

“It’s heading straight for Canterlot!” Celestia concluded independently, judging its trajectory which landed perfectly towards her home. Samus nodded.

“It’s a Space Pirate Transport Frigate. It can carry thousands of troops and if that ship gets over Canterlot that city is as good as lost…” Samus announced.

“I need to notify Luna right now…” Celestia thought out loud, gathering her thoughts to connect a mental channel with her sister which had been inexplicably severed.

“I’m already aware,” a new voice sounded off. The origin was Princess Luna, who landed in front of them while simultaneously deactivating her magical active camouflage. “The city is safe… for now. We have approximately one hour before that ship stands over Canterlot.

“If it gets there, you’ll have at least four thousand Space Pirates to fight off,” Samus added in.

“That is unacceptable! I don’t suppose you may have a suggestion on how to deal with this vessel?” Luna inquired as the ship slowly began to pass over Ponyville.

“I’m thinking!” Samus spat out in frustration. The turn of events was a bit more than irritating to say the least. Samus only had her gunship, which would be next to impossible to take on an entire Space Pirate Frigate with. Even though it was only a transport, it wasn’t defenseless by any means and the Pirates surely sent air support with it. Ridley was most likely getting himself cleaned up so it was highly unlikely that he’d be anywhere near the area at the time, so that was one less thing to worry about.

“Can we board it?” Luna blurted out. If she could get close enough, she and a team of Magickakorps could teleport into the vessel.

“It would take too long. And in case you don’t remember me saying, there are thousands of troops on board. You and a simple team of soldiers would be overrun in due time if you don’t teleport to the right area. Even if you do get to the bridge or engine room, the sheer amount of resistance would slow you down. There won’t be enough time…” Samus explained.

“Well, we cannot simply ask them to turn around… we have to disable the vessel or force it to retreat somehow,” Luna piped in once more. Celestia didn’t offer words, as her specialty didn’t lay within military doctrine. Rainbow Dash, however, couldn’t help but try to listen to the Hunter and Night Princess talk strategy. Samus brought something to the forefront that was on her mind:

“You move the moon right? Can you not move the frigate?” she proposed. Luna shook her head.

“Like Celestia is able to with the sun, I can only move the moon by my magical connection to it. They are extensions of us, not merely just celestial entities. Theoretically, I or Celestia could move the frigate via magic, but levitation and control of an object this size would be nigh impossible, even with both of us combined.”

“Well shit… we’re running out of time here,” Samus exclaimed, her main idea going to hell.

“Wait… that thing’s not flying by magic?” Rainbow Dash pipped in suddenly, asking for clarification.

“No. Use of anti-gravity generators coupled with Fusion-Reactor and Phazon/Fuel-Gel compatible Engines drive that fat-ass up there…” Samus muttered out, studying the ship above her; her face felt cooler as it blocked out Ponyville’s sunlight.

“So… its just… flying… yeah?” Rainbow tried to reason through all the big words and meaningless jargon in her perspective.

“For all intents and purposes, yes…” Samus confirmed, trying to see where the prismatic-maned pony was heading with this. Something clicked in RD’s head as things added up.

“I know how we can bring it down!... or at least turn it away!” she yelled out with urgency. Everyone else turned to her.

“Dash…?” Twilight asked uneasily.

“Pray tell, Loyalty. What do you propose?” Luna asked.

“The Sonic Rainboom!”

Silence from all parties. Samus, in particular, hadn’t an inkling of a clue of what she just said.

“Rainbow this ain’t the time for yer showing off!” Applejack angrily shot back at her.

“No! Listen! Hear me out… when I first performed the Sonic Rainboom, I later learned that all pegasi within half a mile of me were knocked out of the sky by the initial shockwave or whatever you call it. The same thing could work but on a lesser scale for something this big…” she motioned to the warship above them. Luna was about to say something but she stopped herself and thought on Dash’s words.

“Can… someone fill me in here?” Samus asked, completely in the dark.

“Yes… yes that could work!” Luna concluded. Rainbow Dash had a look of success on her face. Luna then turned to Samus.

“We now have a plan. It involves, you, Rainbow Dash, the Canterlot Air Wing, myself, and a group of soldiers,” Luna spoke… putting subtle emphasis on the last word.

Time to see what the ponies were capable of.

18. Deadliest Flier in Equestria

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 18

Canterlot II: Deadliest Flier in Equestria

“Okay… and what exactly will I be doing?” Samus asked, begging for more information. She took little issue with the ponies taking charge of the defense of their capitol, though the least they could do is provide her with a bit more background information on what was exactly to be done. The Pirate Frigate creeped ever closer, slowly but surely, towards the Equine capital.

“You are familiar with a ‘Sonic Boom,’ yes?” Luna asked. Celestia and the others went to help Rainbow Dash get ready for the inevitable mission to come.

“Yeah… it’s the sound that’s generated by an object traveling through the air at faster than the speed of sound. Which, in reality, is kinda harmless,” Samus responded, trying to create some sort of logic.

“Indeed, but the ‘Sonic Rainboom’ not only generates sound, but the shockwave it creates is magically charged,” Luna began explaining, ‘talking’ with her hooves. “After the first time Loyalty accidentally performed the anomaly, flying pegasi were thrown out of the sky within a half-mile radius in all directions, with other effects persisting beyond that.”

Ahhh… like why entering slipspace within a planet’s atmosphere is so dangerous because of the shockwave it creates. It can decimate buildings for miles!

Samus understood things perfectly now. The Pirate Frigate would probably have some fail-safes in place for incidents with slipspace waves… but magically charged waves? Not a chance!

“Alright that makes perfect sense. Then I’d figure Rainbow would need to perform the act at nearly point-blank range to do any form of damage to that ship,” Samus mused.

“That is precisely where you and the Canterlot Air Wing come in. Our air guard will serve as a distraction to any airborne defenses. You, however, have the ability to engage air-to-air, and as such, you will protect Rainbow Dash as she sets up and ultimately executes what she must,” Luna further explained.

“What about you??”

“Get to your ship now! I need you to follow me first! Rainbow Dash, ride with Samus now!” Luna yelled with a sense of urgency. Rainbow was by the Hunter’s side immediately and the two sprinted to her ship. Celestia and the rest of the Elements saw the three off as the gunship took flight after Luna. After several minutes of flying where Luna was able to stay ahead of Samus’s engines at cruising speed, much to her surprise, the Lunar alicorn signaled for them to stop. They hovered about a mile ahead of the impending capital ship.

“What are we doing?” Samus asked, wondering why they stopped. Rainbow shrugged in response. Immediately then, the two heard a loud banging against the ship’s upper hatch. Samus opened it up and the elevator lowered the Lunar Princess inside.

“We shall set this plan in motion. The last part of said operation will involve a boarding party.”

“How are you getting a boarding party into a Pirate Frigate? This I’d like to know,” Samus asked, not entirely sure how Luna was to pull this off. Luna only smiled and charged her horn. The colored aura faded as it slowly became brighter and brighter. Once it was white-bright, it began to pulse like a beacon. Not ten seconds later, three teleportation spells went off in the confines of Samus’s ship, signaling the arrival of three Magickakorp troops, identities completely concealed through their armor and helmets.

“Whoa… who are you?! You guys look awesome!” Rainbow Dash asked with wide eyes. The three elite troops all turned their heads to the Element of Loyalty and said not a word.

“That is not important right now, Rainbow Dash. Samus, I need you to fly us under the ship so we may teleport inside. It matters not where you decide to place us,” Luna instructed. Samus only raised an eyebrow but she was willing to let her take charge of this little operation without a fuss. She maneuvered her gunship back towards the Pirate Frigate, careful to stay low and avoid any frontal guns that could possibly have gotten a lock on her. She then altered the course, ascending steadily until they reached the bottom of the ship, the Hunter slowly ascending even more until the top of her ship nearly touched the metal plating of the gargantuan ship. Samus placed her ship in synchronous movement with the Frigate.

“Alright, this shall do nicely. Warriors,” Luna addressed her three troops. “I am generating a portal into the enemy warship. Prepare for combat!” She then fired up her horn and shot an electrical charge right in front of her, generating a flat-planed portal into what looked like nothingness. She then closed her eyes for several moments as if searching… which soon bore fruit as an image began to show within this two-dimensional rift: the inside of the Frigate. Once the image completed, the three troops stepped in one-by-one. Before the Lunar Princess herself stepped in she turned back to Samus with an interesting expression on her face… one of slight fear and gratitude, mixed with determination.

“We shall attempt to distract the internal order of this vessel. You keep Loyalty safe no matter what! However, if this fails, just know that we are grateful for all you have done, and it has been an honor,” Luna uttered. Samus hardened her look and nodded in return.

“See you on the other side.”

Luna grunted in affirmation and stepped through, the portal collapsing on itself once her tail made its way through completely. Samus turned back to her console and disengaged the synchronous motion with the Space Pirate warship. She piloted her gunship out from under the behemoth until Rainbow Dash piped up:

“Let me out here, I need to fly and judge average wind vectors.”

“You sure about this?” Samus confirmed, taking the ship to a gradual halt in the air.

“Positive. I’m gonna need a lot of flight time to perform this and we probably only got one shot. I’ll be fine, as long as you’re covering my ass,” Rainbow affirmed.

“Alright. Good luck out there,” Samus iterated. Rainbow only smiled one of her cocky, determined smiles before offering her right hoof to the armor-less Hunter. The latter grasped the cyan appendage in her right hand, giving it a firm squeeze and shake.

“I got this,” Rainbow said as she grinned. She then stepped into the lift, to which Samus let the pegasus out into the open air. Rainbow flew in front of the cockpit and just hovered, attempting to judge best wind direction. Samus strapped herself into her pilot’s seat, waiting to play escort to a prismatic-maned pony.

All four of Luna’s hooves touched down onto the foreign floor, her troops rallying by her side immediately. She magically equipped her battle armor and observed her surroundings. Judging by the equipment, the… sectioned stalls and… what looked like faucets…

“A lavatory. Really now…” Luna commented out loud. Nevertheless, the group of four made their way to the only exit in the room, sealed with a blue door much like her experience in the Space Pirate forward base.

“Take heed in every direction. We are to cause as much damage as possible for the greater good of Samus, Loyalty, and our Air Force,” Luna issued final directives. She then activated a radio within her armor: “Universal order to Canterlot Air Wing, launch immediately. We are attacking.”

She then beckoned her troops with her head as she shot the door with a magical bolt, having it open. The four exited out of the lavatory and it promptly sealed behind them. What the ever observant Princess overlooked, however, was the small maintenance drone that was hidden, working in one of the stalls. A red light shone on one of its sensors and pulsed in an urgent manner.

The group of four entered the first transit hallway outside of the lavatory and found no resistance. Looking down the right, it was a dead end, so their only choice was to go left. This time, Luna was not looking to be discrete. As she had said, she was looking to do as much damage as possible to draw attention from the outside, inward. She kept this goal in mind as the small squad came to the end of the hallway, sealed by another blue door. However, before they were to open it, Luna’s ears picked up something from the other side: movement towards them. She held her hoof up, signaling her troops to stand guard and wait. Sure enough, several seconds later, the door lost its blue hue and opened, revealing a single Pirate Trooper. The moment said trooper made eye contact with the Lunar Princess, a charged magical round shot straight into his chest, throwing him off his feet and landing on his back, dead.

Luna, remembering her experiences, put herself and her troops on guard, as the first shot had been fired. Unlike last time, however, no attackers came. The soldier on Luna’s right jerked his head to the side.

“What was that!?”

“What was what?” a second soldier asked for confirmation.

“Could’ve sworn something passed me…”

On their guard, the four found nothing. They stood back-to-back, as little ‘hunches’ or feelings of being watched started to surface.

“Something’s watching us…” the third soldier spoke up, feeling her fur starting to stand up on itself inside the armor.

“I concur…” Luna replied. She closed her eyes and re-opened them, revealing nothing but bright orange light of her magically augmented thermal vision. In front of her, nothing but a straight hall; nothing to their sides either. As she gazed behind her, however, Luna found an imposing creature with a large blade drawn right on top of her rear soldier, right as the enemy moved to strike.

“NO!!!”

But there was nothing Luna could have done quickly enough as the Shadow Pirate’s blade pierced straight through her elite soldier’s neck. Energized metal punctured metal as the unicorn soldier gagged in final agony, being lifted into the air by the invisible entity before being thrown violently off his blade and onto the ground. Luna fired a powerful Night Beam round with shotgun like properties at her soldier’s killer, disengaging the active camouflage and obliterating his chest cavity.

It was for naught though… as in Luna’s eyes, that Shadow Pirate had already claimed a victory. Luna searched frantically for any other cloaked attackers. There were none, but in their stead, two Space Pirate Troopers entered through the transit-way door where they had killed the first unsuspecting Pirate. Luna and one of the remaining unicorn troops engaged and eliminated them easily with combined torrents of magical-beam fire while the second attempted to do something…anything… for their fallen comrade. There was no use. Her blood slowly poured out on the floor and magical scans showed no life signs. The second soldier regrouped with Luna and the first.

“Corporal Myst Shroud confirmed KIA.”

“Very well. Let us not let her death be for naught!” Luna spoke with conviction, internally cursing herself and shouldering complete blame for the loss of her elite trooper. The smaller squadron of three moved onward, ready to do battle with the inevitable Space Pirate Forces sent to engage them.

And Luna promised no mercy.

Samus waited patiently as the seconds drew themselves out. Rainbow Dash was still trying to determine the best flight path, and she was clearly close to deciding. However, a few warning beeps from Samus’s ship’s radar signaled the approach of enemy fighters from the west.

“Rainbow, you better make up your mind quick or this is gonna be a short mission…” Samus spoke out loud. Only finally did Rainbow Dash point with her hoof and she took off with frightening speed. Samus hit her thrusters and followed suit, catching up with her within twenty seconds. Several fighters banked off in Samus’s and Rainbow’s direction, while the others went to defend the ship. Samus checked her radar and found dozens beyond dozens of smaller contacts entering the airspace: The Canterlot Air Wing. Pegasi began to swarm the skies in random flight patterns, clearly attempting to do their job.

Samus banked her ship upward and initiated a full loop, attempting to get a drop on the three attackers from behind. She kept a fixed point on Rainbow Dash’s marker on her radar to keep track of her whereabouts and her surroundings. Like she had hoped, two of the tadpole-like snub fighters attempted to follow her into her loop, but one zoomed straight past, heading straight for Dash. Samus decreased the thrust of her ship to make a tighter loop and floored her engines right when she exited the maneuver. She armed her ship’s weapons as she sped after the aggressing Space Pirate fighter. Closing the gap as fast as she could, her computer attempted to lock onto the target in front of her.

“Find it… FIND IT!”

Right as her console confirmed a lock, the enemy fighter shot at Rainbow Dash, who happened to be looking over her shoulder and was able to barely roll to her side, the fighter’s beam weapons managing to snip one of her primaries. Right then, Samus fired a missile, blowing the Space Pirate out of the sky as the guided missile pierced the fighter’s armor and blew it up from within. Samus flew through the small fire-storm of debris , finding Dash straight ahead and in good health. Two more fighters were still behind her, evident by the three beam shots that just flew past her ship.

Samus held her stoic expression the entire time, although a small sheen of moisture was present on her hairline. She shifted her thrusters to maximum acceleration, overtaking even Rainbow Dash (to the latter’s great surprise), before turning right and circling back around half way, facing straight at her oncoming opponents. Kicking her thrusters into maximum once more, Samus armed two more of her ship’s air-to-air missiles and sped straight at the oncoming duo of Pirate Fighters. She managed to evade a few of their beam shots, although two found their mark in her ship’s front hull but the shielding held firm. Samus tilted her double-joysticks and went into a full three hundred and sixty degree roll, firing the missiles as she prepared to fly straight in between the two advancing enemies. She flew past them as they attempted to bank off in opposite directions, exposing the underbellies of their fighters to the oncoming missiles. The two were nearly simultaneously annihilated.

Samus held a small grin of accomplishment. Rainbow Dash was in one piece still and from the looks of it, getting ready to start her ‘rainbow run.’ Before Samus turned back to play escort once more, she glanced back at the aerial battle over the Pirate Frigate. Not only had more fighters joined the fight, but the Frigate had deployed Vigilance-class turrets on its upper hull, evident by the globules of energy being shot in every which direction, attempting to pick off the pegasi who were swarming the ship like flies. Most of the time they missed… sometimes they didn’t. Samus swore that before she turned around, she saw a speck of what was a pegasi just explode when at Vigilance turret scored a direct hit. They were far enough away where she couldn’t pick out too small of details but she was sure that was exactly what she saw.

Samus sped back towards Rainbow Dash, who finally decided to slow down and judge her trajectory towards the Frigate. Samus guided her ship next to the hovering pegasi and aimed her cockpit to where she was looking.

Hope Luna managed to find something useful to do.

When the thoughts left the blue-eyed Hunter’s head, she and Rainbow Dash witnessed, from afar, a rather small section of the starboard hull of the Frigate blow open with a frightening explosion from within.

*KABLAM!*

After several small explosions, one final eruption of energy became the finale of Luna’s and her troops’ efforts as they detonated the ammunition rack of a small anti-ship cannon. The explosion blew open the cover to the outside world, exposing the charred ruins of this particular battle station. Luna and the two remaining troops of the Magickakorps emerged from their cover and disengaged their magical shields.

“Excellent work, soldiers. But we are not finished yet!” Luna commented, entering another battle stance.

“Yup! Enemy troops!” the soldier on her left announced, the remains of the door on the opposite end of this station being blown open, revealing several squads of Commandos and Grenadiers.

“To battle!” Luna shouted, leading her two troops to the next set of debris that they used as cover, returning fire the entire time. The trio was able to carefully poke their heads over and continue to lob magical bolts at their enemy and hold them at bay, although this combat was not how Luna was hoping it would play out. She hoped to be constantly doing damage, not being bogged down fighting so soon. Thoughts on how to proceed were interrupted when another door perpendicular to their position was blown open, revealing another set of Pirate Troopers.

Luna was able to seal off the door where they entered the artillery station, but as more enemy troops poured in, the chances of them being surrounded slowly could come to fruition. As her troops returned fire and Luna peeked over even more to get a better shot, time slowed down as two long, red beams flew straight at her. One whizzed right by Luna’s neck, but the other pierced right through her armor and through her left shoulder.

“AAUUUCHHH!” Luna bellowed as her leg buckled, her entire form falling on her left side.

“Prince—!” Her soldier on her left didn’t get to finish his sentence as another long-beam pierced right through the side of his helmeted face, his head lurching to the right and his form crumpling to the ground completely lifeless. Luna’s eyes widened, tear-stained due to the pain, and she managed to crane her neck right. She found her last soldier taking cover.

“Princess Luna!” she shouted over the hailstorm of Pirate assault cannon fire.

“B-Be aware! Sharpshooter!” Luna was able to utter through the throbbing pain in her shoulder.

“Do you need—”

“I’ll heal! Provide cover, soldier!” Luna hissed through her agony, tears running down her face and matting her fur between her skin and helmet due to the most pain she had felt in over a millennia. Her horn flickered to life as she concentrated a powerful healing spell on the clean hole in her shoulder. There was no bleeding to stop, as the nature of the ionized-hydrogen beam weapon cauterized any broken vessels immediately. She applied a magical anesthesia and, through great concentration in calling upon a spell she hadn’t used since the last time she fought in a war, inserted a luminescent magical body into the wound, which was speeding along healing functions of her body as well as restoring some function to any broken nerves, muscles, or tendons. She was finally able to put some weight on her front-left leg and she returned to the fight with a vengeance, erecting a shield to protect against such an unforeseen attack.

Luna looked to the outside world via the port that was blown open by their actions.

“Please hurry, Loyalty…”

Rainbow Dash turned to Samus’s ship and nodded, signifying that she was ready to go. Samus nodded back and gripped her ship’s controls. On Dash’s mark, the two sped off. Samus’s ship had absolutely no issues in keeping up with Rainbow, but nevertheless, the speeds the pegasi was able to achieve were nothing short of astronomical. The miles slowly began to whittle away between them and the Frigate. Samus’s radar picked up two Pirate Fighters heading straight for them, and this was not a good time to have company right now. Her targeting computer wouldn’t be able to get a lock on them at this range, and even though they were closing in on each other faster and faster over the passing seconds, by the time they were in range, Rainbow could have been shot out of the sky.

Samus armed her ship’s plasma torpedoes. These were capital ship-grade munitions that could easily rip a large hole in the side of some lighter armored vessels as well as traveling three times as fast as standard air-to-air missiles, but her ship carried very few of them and since said ship’s ammunition factories didn’t make them… let’s just say that they aren’t cheap or easy to get her hands on. Nevertheless, she had little choice. Her computer locked onto the offending craft immediately as they closed the distance even more, high in front.

The bright-blue torpedoes took not even half a second to find their targets and obliterate them completely. Debris almost hit Rainbow Dash as a small cone of air was starting to form at her front.

This is it…

The bodies piled up. Luna lost count after sixty-two, and that was just in this particular room alone; the same artillery station. She fancied a look and found Samus’s gunship flying parallel to Rainbow Dash’s form, and they were not even four miles out by her estimates. A cone of air could be seen from her perspective and only a bit more effort on Loyalty’s part would be necessary to conjure a Sonic Rainboom. Before that moment hit, though, Luna and her remaining soldier would have to get out of the ship, because if the Rainboom worked like Luna hoped it would, the subsequent events would most likely not allow them to escape without severe injuries or being killed in the process.

“Soldier, be prepared to abandon this vessel. On my order, run as fast as you can and follow me!” Luna ordered, yelling over the constant noise of the firefight.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Luna peeked over and delivered an electrical shock to two more Commandos, who fell to the ground and convulsed violently.

“On my mark…”

The Canterlot Air Wing was doing its part at keeping the rest of the fighters at bay. Time slowed down as that cone of air in front of Rainbow Dash started to glow lightly. They were not even a mile out and at these speeds, they’d pass under the Pirate Frigate in seconds.

“Warning! Magical anomaly detected! Trajectory alteration highly recommended!”

Samus’s computer picked up the beginnings of what Samus assumed was the Sonic Rainboom, but it was too late to alter the course as they passed right under the Frigate. She jerked the controls right, but it was of no use as a bright, multi-colored light began to blind her vision.

“NOW!” Luna shouted in her amplified voice. Right as her soldier took off running to the gaping hole they created, Luna generated a shield, reared up, and stomped hard on the ground with all her might, releasing an enormous magical shockwave upon impact that threw all the Space Pirates within forty feet of her and sending them careening into the ground, walls, equipment, and one another. She then took flight towards the opening.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”

She passed her running unicorn soldier, only to hear her get cut down by one of the Pirate Sharpshooters, crumpling to the ground. She attempted to stop and retrieve her.

“NO!... unghn! GO!” she ordered her Princess through her pained breaths. She knew the job. She knew the sacrifices that might have had to be made. She swore an oath to protect the Princesses and Equestria.

The Princess would live, no matter what the personal cost.

Luna’s brain was working on overdrive and, with a fleeting glance behind her once more, she jumped with the aid of her wings straight out of the ship as Rainbow Dash and Samus passed under; a bright, prismatic-colored light slowly blinding her field of view as she took her leap of faith…

Celestia and the rest of the Mane six had watched the entire aerial battle unfold. At that moment, a massive explosion sounded, the epicenter directly below the impending Frigate. Simultaneously, the enormous magical shockwave with the distinct rainbow pattern exploded outward, its top hemisphere warping around the enemy vessel as magic collided with foreign metal. Instantaneously, a magic-electrical shock appeared through the entire warship as its nose banked upward and the engines in the rear flickered. Its course changed as the Rainboom eventually disappeared, (Rainbow Dash’s residual trail shooting far off into the south) as the sudden jerking of the entire vessel caused large-scale infrastructural damage.

One-by-one, the Frigate’s engines died out and its trajectory changed completely north as it slowly but surely lost altitude. The six watched and turned their heads in synchronization as one of the Pirate Warships, the beacons of darkness that surrounded them, plummeted into an uninhabited valley and violently dug itself into the earth.

Silence reigned supreme amongst the Solar Alicorn and the five Elements. They were all thinking the exact same thing:

It worked…

“Ha… hahahaha!! Whoa Nelly!!” Applejack yelled out in pure excitement.

“AHAHAA YES! YES!! RAINBOW DASH DID IT!” Fluttershy, of all ponies, jumped into the air and cheered her best friend’s name. Soon enough, all six of them wore a genuine smile of joy. Celestia even more so.

A victory for Equestria.

Samus had literally no time to evade the oncoming blast as the Rainboom hit with full force. Her last attempt to evade was unsuccessful as the shockwave warped around and through her ship. Her ships engines flickered and she saw stars and dots as pure magic from the Rainboom passed through her corporeal form. She was losing control of her ship from the shockwave, as was evident by her ship turning erratically and falling out of the sky. She equipped her suit (still somewhat damaged from the fight with Ridley) to help aid against the inevitable crash landing.

“Warning! Warning! Engines malfunctioning! Gyroscopic Stabilizer offline! Ship is losing altitude rapidly, brace for immediate impact!”

Samus’s ship collided harshly with the ground in the outskirts of Ponyville fields, bouncing several times before sliding to a halt in the dirt.

There Samus lay, slumped backward in her chair with violet visor obscuring her unconscious form. Her ship was a wreck on the inside and out, unfortunately. Nevertheless, her life signs were stable. However, as a result of her unconscious state, she missed a notification that appeared on her visor”

“Powerful magic has energized your suit. Scanning…”

[Rainspark Acquired!]

[Magical energy of Equis Rainbows has supercharged your Speed Booster systems. Impact against any object while Speed Booster/Shinespark is active will result in the generation of a magical shockwave similar to the Sonic Rainboom.]

Edited by Tatsurou

18.5. Memory Lane

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 18.5

Memory Lane

*Location: Zebes*

She was still so young, but her destiny was already set. Samus stood in an abandoned field with nothing but dirt and grass under her bare feet. In front of her was none other than Gray Voice, clad in nothing but simple garments and his staff on his back. Samus, merely twelve going on thirteen at the time and barely starting to develop as a woman physically, lowered into her fighting stance donning nothing but a midriff top and all purpose shorts; ideal for training. Gray Voice didn’t take his traditional warriors pose, as he was instructing the young girl on advanced fighting:

“Samus, you’ve been taught your basic stances and how to maneuver. You’ve learned your technique and now it is time to apply it.”

Samus only hardened her stare, her brilliant blue eyes hardening in thought as her shorter hair swayed with the wind and her natural movements. Gray voice then removed his energy staff from his back, twirled it expertly, and dropped the front into his left hand, pointing it straight at the young warrior-to-be. Samus’s eyes widened.

“D-Don’t I get a weapon?” she asked, starting to fear for her safety as the child inside began to show itself.

“You must assume your enemy will never fight fairly. You must always be under the impression that your enemy is more numerous, better trained, better equipped, and more battle hardened than yourself. Never underestimate what your opponent may do to achieve victory,” Gray responded. He then took his fighting stance and began to slowly advance on the young girl, his large, gray eyes boring into hers. She was afraid… terrified actually. Samus didn’t do anything as Gray moved to strike. Only at the last minute did she roll to the side and miss getting pummeled on the head by his weapon.

“If you do nothing to resist, your enemy will merely wear down your resolve.”

Gray voice swung hard horizontally, aiming for her legs. Her eyes widened and with a grunt of exertion, she jumped and back- flipped over the potential strike, but Gray had anticipated this completely and followed through, spinning completely and striking her in the arm with the opposite end of the staff.

“AAAAHH!” she screamed as she fell on her right side, clutching her left tricep.

“Get up!” Gray Voice commanded, slamming the energy portion of his staff against the ground. Samus complied, but only grudgingly. Her arm was heavily bruised from that strike, but the infusion of Chozo DNA with hers ensured that her bones were nearly unbreakable. Samus cracked her neck on both sides and initiated her fighting stance once more, her resolve hardening as the pain slowly melted away.

The two played a game of attack and defend, with Samus opting for the latter strategy and not having thrown a single offensive strike. Only after several minutes of her getting figuratively massacred, evident by the bruises and bleeding lining her face, arms, legs, and midriff, did she decide to go on the offensive.

She threw a probing jab straight at Gray’s abdomen (considering the height difference), only for him to dash backwards and retaliate with a jab of his staff. Samus parried the staff into the ground, jumped on it, and then used her momentum to deliver a spinning heel to the side of his temple.

It failed… miserably. As soon as Samus jumped onto his energy staff, her left cheek was met with a right elbow, knocking her completely on her back. Gray Voice followed up his attack and swung downwards. Samus rolled her trunk to the left, dodging the crippling attack, and then grabbing hold of it to use as leverage. She tugged hard, rolling under the staff and crushed both her legs around Gray’s controlling hand, forcing him to release grip on the front. From there she delivered a kick straight into his crotch and enabling her to wrest control of the staff. Gray grunted in some pain but still managed to grab hold of one of her legs, swing, and throw her behind him several feet, the staff still in her possession. Samus flipped up onto her feet, holding Gray’s staff (easily twice as large as her) pointed at him.

“Maybe there is an aggressive warrior within you. Decently done…” Gray spoke, closing the distance between him and Samus.

“YAAAHH!” Samus yelled as she swung the staff from left to right, aiming for Gray’s head. He easily used his left hand to catch the strike inches from his temple.

“… perhaps a little too decent…”

He quickly spun right, placing the offending end of the staff under his arm and continuing to turn, the parallel plane of his back and the force of his spin recapturing control over his staff and prying it from Samus’s unskilled hands. She gasped, startled that her weapon was now back in her ‘enemy’s’ hands, and in that half a second that her weapon was removed…

“AAHHHhhhAAH!”

Gray’s right fist met her jaw, throwing her completely off her feet and landing hard on her back. She gagged a little as a little trickle of blood began to fill in the back of her mouth.

“Is that all you’ve truly got?” Gray asked, clanking the bottom of his weapon against the ground.

Samus shakily supported herself with her arms and legs, snarling and grunting in pain the entire time and slowly but surely she got on her feet. Gray Voice twirled his staff once more and aimed it back at her. He took a hard swing vertically at the young Hunter, only for her to cartwheel to the side. Gray followed up with a horizontal swing to her legs as she righted herself from her evasive maneuver, but she again dodged with a horizontal somersault in the air. She then moved to strike. She threw herself at Gray, attempting to knock him off balance, but was met only with his right arm stretched out and grabbing onto her top like a vice. He then planted his other fist in her stomach, evacuating her lungs completely, and then throwing her against the ground where her form bounced once.

Samus breathed labored breaths that were slowly filtering back into her lungs. Her body ached all over and a few tears were spilling from her eyes. Gray Voice tossed his staff away and cracked his knuckles while walking to her side.

“Old Bird was right to insist you be indoctrinated as a warrior of the Chozo. You are making progress, Samus… that is certain.” Samus, beyond her look of agonizing pain, seemed very dejected, and she was inclined to disagree with her caretaker.

“I…*cough* I’m.. *wretch* weak…” Samus spoke out softly and with enormous difficulty. Gray Voice shook his head and knelt down by her side, moving his face closer to hers to be more personable.

“No, Samus… you were weak. Are you not Chozo?”

“I… ughh! I AM… errrhg! Chozo!” Samus was able to get out, spitting up some bile and blood. That part she agreed with. Even though she knew she was human, the Chozo were her family now. She knew no other life. No other upbringing.

“Then Chozo, by definition…” Gray Voice began, tracing one of his fingers on her chin to get her to look at him. “… must be strong!” he finished, giving her a soft grin. Samus coughed a few more times, blinked some tears out of her eyes, and returned the grin with one of her own.

“Come…” he said, extending a hand and helping the beat-up girl to her feet. “Get yourself cleaned up and dinner will be waiting when you’re finished. Then, get some rest. We shall continue tomorrow.”

“Did… Did I do good today, Gray?” Samus asked, unsure of herself.

“As well as I could expect you to do, Samus… maybe even a bit better,” he added a bit of crypticness to his response. “Continue to train your hardest and focus on your weaknesses… and maybe at this rate, you may well earn your Power Suit by your fourteenth birthday.”

Samus couldn’t help but smile at that… a nice smile consisting of some blood and bruises on her face. She let her hair down completely and fell into comfortable step with Gray Voice, heading back home.

19. Regrouping

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 19

Regrouping

Evening was quickly approaching and the disabling of the Space Pirate Frigate was a perfect culmination to the last rays of sunlight. Pony soldiers were en route to try and contain the crash site as best as they could, although they were advised to keep their distance, as it was not known how many Pirates survived. That could be dealt with in time, as well as with the fact that almost all major cities near the impact site had been evacuated completely, and as a result, reports of infection from Phazon had dropped off significantly. It wasn’t quite the tipping point yet, as the Phazon was still spreading and Pirate troops were continuing to make landfall. The Galactic Federation would ensure the balance tipped in favor of the Equines, and with a fleet less than a day out, there might have been something to look forward to in these darker times.

Nevertheless, the Frigate was knocked out and morale had a definite increase. All the ponies and Samus had to do was hold out just a little longer. But on that note, it was time to ask questions. The whereabouts of Samus and Luna were unknown. Rainbow Dash was able to circle back around and had just landed by her friends and ruler outside of the Library, receiving a hero’s welcome amongst friends. They all piled on her laughing and cheering, but ultimately just happy that she was safe.

“Rainbow I don’t know how ya pulled it off but ya did!” Applejack congratulated her cyan friend.

“Thanks AJ… I really didn’t think it would work when I saw that thing up close…” Rainbow admitted, her cheeks flushing a bit as she swallowed her pride.

“Gotta say though, watching that fateful moment will be something I’ll never forget,” Twilight admitted. Fluttershy draped a hoof over Dash’s back in a friendly and caring gesture while Pinkie was bouncing with glee. Princess Celestia stepped forward with a motherly smile on her face.

“And you’re right. That may not have worked. But when Luna and even Samus could not come up with a plan in such a turn of events, you were quick to step up to the plate and advise a course of action. That took some courage in its own right, on top of spearheading it of course. Well done, Rainbow Dash. You, along with Samus and Luna are a hero to Canterlot and ultimately Equestria,” she congratulated. Rainbow Dash could only bow her head in thanks, having really nothing to say in return. But those words sparked thought in a certain alabaster mare.

“On that note, where are Samus and Luna?” Rarity asked sincerely, placing her hoof to her chin as she gazed around. The same thought immediately entered everypony’s heads.

“Wait… you mean they didn’t come by and check in? I thought Princess Luna and Samus would’ve come back and went to check out the crashed ship…” Rainbow Dash expressed, under the impression that the two individuals in question’s whereabouts were known.

“Oh my… oh my…” Fluttershy muttered, fearing the worst.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions, my little ponies… let me try something…” Celestia spoke, closing her eyes and concentrating, attempting to establish a mental link with Princess Luna. She wasn’t getting anything. It was analogous to getting nothing but static on a radio comm. This started to worry Celestia quite a bit. She and her sister shared a deep mental connection that allowed them to communicate with each other confidentially at moment’s notice and have conversations lasting fractions of a second. Celestia ceased trying to reach Luna and opened her eyes, a worried look overtaking her features.

“Princess…?” Twilight asked, stepping forward.

“I need to find Luna,” Celestia softly responded, her sister becoming top priority. She shuffled a bit in place and ruffled her wings, prepping for flight.

“We’ll come with you!” Rainbow Dash stepped up, ready to fly once more.

“No!” Celestia said a bit more forcefully than she would’ve liked, making Rainbow recoil just a bit. “You’ve done more than enough, Rainbow Dash. You’ve risked your life for thousands and your loyalty is unchallenged, but I don’t want to risk your safety anymore. The same goes for all of you. If anything happens to one of you…” Celestia trailed off, not really keen on finishing that conjecture.

“What about Samus?” Pinkie finally spoke up, greatly worried for the blonde-haired Hunter.

“Samus can handle herself,” Celestia said with great confidence.

“How do we know if she’s even alive?!” Twilight asked nervously.

“I have full confidence that she’s alive and well. We didn’t have to baby her when she arrived, nor do we have to baby her now. Samus will return in due time. As for you six, I want you to stay locked up in the library. Understood?” She explained and then asked, almost authoritatively.

“Yes, Princess,” they all conceded in chorus. Celestia then turned to the Royal Guards stationed by the Library.

“Defend them as you would me. There’s a garrison of troops nearby if you need assistance with anything.”

“Yes, Princess!” they saluted to her, returning to their posts in concealment. She looked back to the Elements, nodding at them in a silent order. The six filed inside the library one after the other. Twilight was the last inside, but she looked back at her mentor, and essentially second mother, with a questioning gaze. Celestia only returned a soft smile and a gentle nod… one that said “I’ll be okay.” Twilight grinned back and shut the door after her. With that out of the way, Celestia furrowed her gaze and took off into the sky, flying low to avoid detection by any other Pirate fighters that might have been in the area. She also magically cloaked herself with active camouflage for safe keeping. Her search began, and with Luna’s mental signal cut off, it would make her search even harder.

Ponyville fields were as expansive as they were beautiful. An endless plain of lush grass for at least ten miles in every direction from its center. Everything had perfect symmetry and elegance against the setting sun from the point of view of the Equine nation. The wind blew gently as it created figurative waves along the blades of grass, a warranted calm after a crisis expertly averted. However, something didn’t belong: a pony-sized depression within the decently-sized grass approximately twelve or thirteen miles from Ponyville cradled the Lunar Princess in its gentle grasp, sans battle armor.

As soon as Luna stirred, murmuring and grunting as her eyes focused and refocused, she immediately remembered what happened after she took that leap of faith. She took flight into the open world right as Rainbow Dash’s rainboom hit, so she ended up violently losing control of her flight, which culminated with her being able to stabilize somewhat before crashing into the ground.

And so there she had lain for at least an hour… she really couldn’t keep track of time at the moment. She and Celestia had magically automated the rise and fall of the moon so they could deal with more pressing matters and emergencies, so there was no fear of not letting the moon fly its course. Still, these thoughts did nothing to alleviate the pain in her shoulder. The magical effect had worn off, and the impact with the ground had served to break new blood vessels in her wound, so she was bleeding; slowly, but enough to notice slight lightheadedness. As well, with all the stress she had been under for the past few weeks, she was magically exhausted. Her magically regenerative properties would speed up once the moon came into view, but until then, she could effectively classify herself as Wounded In Action and in need of some help.

With what little energy she could, Luna could have re-established connection with Celestia, but she dared not do that. She explicitly undid their connection temporarily lest Celestia find out about the Magickakorps, which she didn’t feel was an appropriate time, at least by her view. Either way, help was on its way as she laid there and thought to herself. In fact, it had actually arrived about ten seconds prior.

Six long range teleportation spells of various colors flashed simultaneously and instantaneously, revealing the same number of familiar black-armored unicorn troops. They immediately rushed to her side.

“Identification confirmed. We found her,” one of the troops spoke through a helmet-radio with an authoritative voice. Two other troops checked her over; Luna didn’t put up much resistance, as evident by her droopy eyes and magical exhaustion slowly working in conjunction with her wound. The remaining troops branched out farther and looked in every direction to ensure they were alone.

“Sir, she’s wounded and suffering from Magical Exhaustion. I’ll need to provide on-site medical attention before we can teleport her out,” the female soldier by Luna’s front relayed to her superior.

“Do what you must, but move as fast as you can. The less time we’re out here the better.”

“I assure you… I am in decent health, soldiers. Let us leave...” Luna finally spoke, raising her head a bit to get a better look. The last rays of the sun had been eclipsed by Canterlot’s mountains and the seven of them were now overlooked by nothing but the night and the stars above. The commanding officer shook his head.

“Sorry, Your Majesty. Protocol dictates we cannot do that if it is found your wounds need immediate address—”

“Luna?!” a surprised voice sounded off, close to them. All six troops jumped and stood in battle formation out of reflex, aiming their horns at the new entity, only to find someone equally as regal as their Supreme Officer in their sights. Princess Celestia wore an expression of pure confusion.

“Princess Celestia…” The commanding officer spoke bowed down, not knowing what to do in this situation in all honesty. The others followed and bowed to their ruler, leaving Luna completely unobscured in Celestia’s view. She only laid her head back down on the grass and muttered one word:

“Fuck.”

Back in geosynchronous orbit, The Space Pirate Fleet’s flagship still lay suspended in the atmosphere with several ships by its side, only lacking a distinct space where they were missing a particular Frigate. Ridley lay on a large, metal slab in his lair while over a dozen instruments worked on repairing his cybernetic form from the confrontation with Samus. Sparks were flying as broken pieces of metal were soldered together and foreign shrapnel was removed from any organic parts of his body. His eyes stared upward at the ceiling, only twitching in the lightest pain when the repair process hit a particularly painful point. Soon, the sealed door to his lair opened, revealing a familiar Pirate Officer.

“Lord Ridley…”

“If you do not have any information for me on the loss of our Frigate I’ll have you shot where you stand,” the large dragon spoke through his own language, interpreted by Pirate translators. He’d slice him in half himself, but his current situation prevented that.

“Y-Yes, My Lord, I come bearing news,” the somewhat adorned officer spoke, some of his nervousness spilling over.

“Well…?! I’m waiting…” Ridley grew impatient by the moment.

“It appears the anomaly that brought Frigate Siriacus down was caused by a supercharged magical sonic boom. It completely overloaded the ship’s electronics and disabled the engines. It crashed over thirty miles from its intended destination. We have not been able to establish contact as of yet but we are continuing to try to do so.”

“Send a strike team or two to salvage what they can from the ship, as the Siriacus had very high priority research and development on board as well as some elite troops. Regroup with survivors if any.”

“It will be done, My Lord.”

“Anything else, Commander?” Ridley asked.

“I thought you might be interested to know that we were able to trace the source of this anomaly. There were reports from the beginning of the mission of the Hunter’s ship being sighted and escorting one of the winged equines. Scans and radar indicate that this particular specimen originated from the town in which Siriacus passed over.”

“You thought correctly. Take a strike team or two to this town and capture any of the horned equines, alive if at all possible. Massacre any and all other inhabitants, especially the winged ones. Then, wipe the town off the face of the planet,” Ridley ordered coldly.

“Two teams have been en route as we speak. I’ll add the extra addendums to their mission brief,” the Commander replied.

“Your competence is the reason you hold your position and I keep you by my side. Do not disappoint me, Commander.”

“Yes, sir,” he saluted to his superior and left without another word. Ridley turned his gaze back towards the ceiling as the instruments continued their work on him, his mind slipping to other matters.

Samus’s vision slowly cleared as she groggily came to her senses. Upon sensing her alert state, her Astral Suit powered up and her HUD lit up brilliantly, forcing her eyes closed at the brightness amongst the lightless sanctuary she held during her unwilling trip to dreamland. She fumbled with her hand and pulled up a suit diagnostic.

[Core Diagnostic Initiated. Scanning…]

[Suit Integrity: 65%]

[Defensive Shielding: 41%]

[All Suit Systems fully operational. Suit Repair and Energy Tank Recharge recommended.]

I’ve been knocked out more times on this planet than anywhere else. This can’t be healthy.

Samus undid the harnesses that held her strapped to her pilot’s seat and looked around. It was nighttime, that was for sure, but she couldn’t see a damned thing. She didn’t really feel like seeing in different shades of blue and orange through her Thermal Visor either. Fumbling with her ship controls, she was happy to see that the interior lit up. What she wasn’t happy to see was that the interior had sustained considerable damage in the crash.

“Shit.”

Her suit was still damaged, but if her luck favored her, the ship’s repair bay could still function. Moving back to that area, she noticed there was indeed damage to the controlling console and several instruments were out of place. Scanning, it was revealed that the antigravity was still functioning, as well as the other tools needed for repair. Unfortunately, the energy recharge property was offline.

“Better than nothing.”

Samus keyed in the necessary console commands and stepped into the antigravity well. Once she was suspended, the arms of the station came to life and began to repair the suit’s exterior as she had done many times before.

[Suit Integrity: 100%]

Her suit was now like-new. However, her depleted shielding could cause a problem. But, that’s when another notification popped up on her visor:

[Your Astral Suit has the ability to replenish energy and magical potency in direct moonlight.]

That’s right! Thanks, suit.

The hatch to the outside world was jammed in the crash, so Samus had to release it manually. Once it opened, she hoisted herself up and stood on the top of her downed home, laying eyes on nothing but field for miles. In the distance, she could see Ponyville, Canterlot, and large plumes of where she believed the Frigate went down… which reminded her

So it worked… Good job, Rainbow Dash.

Moonlight hit the Hunter directly and soon enough, her whole suit began to light up a tad, becoming noticeably brighter to a certain extent. Samus felt pure energy course through her being as her energy tanks refilled themselves over the minutes. Once the process was complete, her suit returned to its normal dark colors.

[Energy Fully Replenished.]

Samus stretched her arms out and curved her spine backwards a bit in a stretch. Her suit and energy were repaired and recharged respectively, but she was still on the lower side of Missile Ammunition, about forty percent capacity. That didn’t matter too much at the moment, as her first order of business was to return to Ponyville. Looking to her left, she spied the small town ten miles away in the distance.

This field is massive… Jeez.

Samus lightly jumped and fell comfortably to her feet on the ground, the lush grass embracing her form. She looked towards the mountains, and found Canterlot as it was before this incident: safe, for now. She turned her gaze back to Ponyville and was ready to start walking when she noticed movement on the outskirts of town.

Huh?

Samus applied an optical zoom function to her visor, only to be greeted with the sight of two Space Pirate drop-ships, each unloading four Commandos and twelve Pirate Troopers each. The Commandos gave a gesture towards the town and they followed down the first street of houses.

“No…” Samus muttered out, shaking her head at the revelation. She had to get to Ponyville now. Her speed booster would take her there in a few minutes of total travel time in retrospect, but the occasional Space Pirate fighter was patrolling the area. Since it was night-time, they’d easily see her glowing speed-boosting form on the ground and that wouldn’t bode well. She’d have to sprint whenever she could, but stop when there was a danger of fighters passing over.

With that, Samus took off sprinting towards Ponyville, her speed booster activating shortly after. Unbeknownst to her, her form carried a more distinctive rainbow hue to it, as well as a noticeable rainbow trail behind her.

Twilight and the rest of the Elements plus Spike lounged around the common room in the Library, door locked and candle-light dimmed down to a minimum. Twilight was reading up on whatever information Samus shared with her about Phazon, Pinkie and Spike were eating cake that the former somehow had managed to store in the Library… something about ‘emergency cake stash around Ponyville,’ Fluttershy was just resting on the sofa, Rarity was gazing through some designer magazines, and Rainbow plus Applejack were talking amongst the two of them.

“You think Samus and Princess Luna are alright?” Rainbow asked the farmer pony.

“I’d like to think so…”

“They have to be!” Twilight reasoned. “Princess Luna and Samus are so much stronger than that. They’re alright, I’m sure of it,” Twilight worked up the courage to say. She wasn’t entirely sure before, but something told her that both of them were alive and well. Just… regrouping. Besides, she hadn’t received any notice, good or bad, from Celestia.

“All we can really do is hope at this point,” Fluttershy softly spoke out with her eyes closed. Before anyone could respond to her, all their ears perked up at the sound of an explosion in the not-so-far-off distance.

“What was that…?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Sounded almost like my party cannon!” Pinkie blurted out, almost seeming happy… but then the sound repeated itself and she quickly grew more concerned.

“Twilight, are there other ponies left in Ponyville?” Rarity directed her question to the lavender unicorn, hoping to shed light on the situation.

“About a little over a hundred, maybe. Celestia couldn’t get them all out before the Space Pirates took over the skies,” Twilight responded. Another explosion sounded… much closer this time and the candles swayed as a result. At that moment, there was a harsh knock at the door, but a specific ‘code’ knock that indicated it was one of the Royal Guards. Twilight ran to the door and peeked out, hearing more explosions as well as weapons fire close by. The Guard who knocked had an extreme sense of urgency when he spoke:

“Miss Sparkle, get yourself and the rest of the Elements into the safest room you can! Whatever you do, whatever you hear, DON’T open the door!”

Twilight nodded frantically, moisture beginning to make itself known on her brow line, before the door was closed and locked tightly. The others had heard what the Guard had said.

“We need to hide! Now!” Twilight shouted. The others, naturally, agreed. Spike took his place next to Rarity.

“We shouldn’t all be in the same place…” Applejack reasoned. While there was strength in numbers, being spread out was also not a bad idea.

“I’ll hide up in the observatory. I can also be your girls’ eyes,” Rainbow volunteered.

“I’ll take Fluttershy down to the basement,” AJ quickly added.

“Pinkie and I will go upstairs,” Rarity suggested.

“Spike, with me in the guest room. Everypony go!” Twilight ordered. The candles were put out and all the mares all scrambled to their places; once they were secure, they gently peeked out their doors to see each other. Once they were in position, they began to play the waiting game.

The explosions and weapons fire only continued to get closer and consequently, louder. The mares all heard yelling and the occasional scream of agony as well. The Space Pirates were advancing quickly through Ponyville and it would only be a couple minutes, if that, until the Library was reached.

“Rainbow!” Twilight whispered up to the Element of Loyalty. “Can you see anything?”

Rainbow Dash then gently snuck onto the balcony, prone, and had a look through the railing. There wasn’t much and as soon as she was about to turn back, a blood curdling scream erupted and was then silenced to a gagging sound, forcing Dash’s ears to fall against her head. The source: a pegasus mare who was being dragged out of her house by the throat. The Pirate Trooper who held a tight grasp on her began speaking in a deep, guttural language that Dash couldn’t hope to understand without a translator. He then threw the mare onto the ground and press his heel into her side, aiming his weapon at her head.

“Gob’ulat nohch wutal MEINHIG”

“No...NO! PLEASE! SOMEPON—”

She was silenced as the Space Pirate executed her with three energy rounds to her head, not leaving much of a decent sight to behold. Rainbow’s eyes widened in horror at what she had just saw, mouth agape… and her body was frozen. She began hyperventilating…

The Space Pirate perked up at the faint sound of heavy breathing and looked upward towards the source, but Dash had ducked back a moment before, his silver armor reflecting off the moonlight as he moved. He snorted once and moved on, kicking in the door of the next house.

Back inside the library, Twilight was still waiting for an answer.

“Rainbow!!” She whispered out harshly. Applejack was also looking to Twilight for answers, as was Rarity. Moving to get a better look, Twilight found Rainbow slowly fluttering down just a little bit. The unicorn was legitimately scared when she saw the scarred look on her friends face, one that said ‘I’ll never forget what I just saw...’

“T-They’re outside…!!” Rainbow whispered back, pointing towards the outdoors frantically.

“Okay! Hide, everypony! Don’t open the doors!” Twilight ordered with another whisper, and all doors shut immediately.

“Twilight…” Spike said fearfully, looking to his older sister.

“We’ll be okay… I promise,” Twilight responded softly, trying her best to put on a brave face. She was completely terrified by every definition and synonym of the word. But by any power she had, she would not allow her friends, especially Spike, to come to harm. There was a problem though: as powerful of a unicorn as she was, she had not studied much in the ways of self-defense spells nor spells intended to take the life of another. She had absolutely no desire nor need to do so! So, as of right now, her best defense was a shield if anything, and her best offense was levitation, and she knew it. Any experimentation with any spells that she knew to try and weaponize them could have disastrous results. She was quickly running out of ideas.

That was… until she spied a familiar metallic case under Samus’s bed.

“It’ll be alright sugarcube, I swear it, ya hear?” Applejack softly cooed to a distraught Fluttershy. The two could barely see each other due to little light filtering into the basement. Before AJ could continue, there was a loud bang on the front door, a bit muffled by all the walls in between them but nevertheless, extremely loud.

“Sh-sh-shhh...” Applejack shushed her cream-colored friend, who gently nodded through her frightened tears. In a daring move, she climbed the stairs and slightly opened the door, just enough where her pupil could see out. There was no movement in the common room, and it was completely silent. That was shattered when the door was thrown off its hinges inward, forcing the farmer pony to recoil just a bit. Nevertheless, she continued observing.

In walked an armored biped even taller than Samus, left hand and arm covered by a large scythe and right covered by what Applejack assumed to be a shooting-weapon. The Pirate Trooper stopped in the middle of the common room and gazed around.

“Volek’am tyusteb nactyet…”

As soon as it spoke, Applejack’s fur stood straight… and it took a lot to do that. This was the first time she had felt true fear for her life in a long, long time. She continued looking, but one of her hooves misstepped, and came down on one of the steps harder and louder than she expected.

“Rrrah!” he spoke in surprise, looking straight at the basement door. AJ’s eyes widened considerably as she cursed herself. The Space Pirate walked over with a purpose, but the mare had already come to the conclusion that if that door opened and she did nothing, she was dead… which meant that Fluttershy was dead. So she got into position and waited for just a couple of seconds.

Right when the Pirate was in front of the only barrier between life and death, AJ bucked with all her might. The door exploded off its hinges and crashed with incredible force against the Space Pirate, making him stumble as the large slab of dense wood hit him head on. Applejack sprang into action while he was stunned.

“APPLEJACK, NO!” Fluttershy called out fearfully, believing that was the last time she saw her friend.

Applejack, however, jumped to the Pirate’s Side and bucked his knee sideways, or at least that’s what she was hoping to do. Her hooves collided with the hard composite armor, hurting her in the process, but she felt the Pirate’s knee give slightly as it bent in a way it wasn’t supposed to.

“AAAARRHHHG!” he yelled out in pain as he fell on his left hand. Applejack moved to strike but he swung his right arm fully out, smacking her hard in the face, sending her flying and hitting the ground with a loud thud.

“NOO!!” Fluttershy wailed. The Pirate ignored the other voice as he got to his feet, painfully putting weight on his right foot. He then looked back to the writhing Applejack on the floor, revenge in his eyes.

“Regyop m’wevt zolt’esk do exut...” the Pirate Trooper spoke in his native tongue, extending his energy scythe completely. His words dripped of malice… one that spoke of a horrible death about to come. Right as the Pirate got to Applejack’s side (with a noticeable limp), his inevitable killing strike was stopped when he heard another door open behind him.

*click!*

The Trooper craned his vision over his shoulder, only to find a floating GF Assault Rifle aimed right at him, a lavender unicorn right by its side with an… interesting expression on her face. His eyes widened and he growled, immediately turning on his feet and aiming his Quantum Assault Cannon straight at Twilight. Without any hesitation, her magical grasp squeezed the trigger, sending a hailstorm of directed hard-light into the Pirate’s entire torso, the projectiles ripping through his armor and causing him to convulse and cry out before slumping down and to the left, completely lifeless.

*click!**click!**click!**click!*

The rifle was completely emptied of ammunition and smoking at the barrel. Twilight’s mouth was slightly agape, her eyes wide, and she was breathing very labored breaths. The other mares plus Spike began to emerge from the already open doors, ready to spring into action after AJ was smacked across the room. The aforementioned pony got herself up off the floor and joined the others by Twilight.

Silence reigned supreme for just a few seconds after the deed had been done, and all eyes were on Twilight. The rifle was still in her grasp, but starting to shake and waver a bit when the whole gravity of the situation took over.

“Twi…” Spike spoke out softly.

No one got to answer when another loud growl sounded at the completely open front entrance of the Library. There stood another Pirate Trooper, dropping in with the entire Elemental congregation in front of him. He raised his weapon and the lives of all the Elements flashed before their respective eyes within the split second of this occurrence.

Right when the Pirate fired, his knee buckled, sending the first shots sailing off into the ceiling and startling the mares out of their stunned stupor. They then witnessed an armored hand grip the Pirate from the top of the head and forced hard onto his back, revealing Samus as the savior, before she used the same hand to grip her energy knife and plunge it into the Pirate’s neck. She looked up and found all the ponies plus one dragon staring at her. She then noticed a dead Pirate Trooper and her GF Assault Rifle in the magenta-aura of Celestia’s student.

Whoa… now I really wasn’t expecting that.

Before Samus could step in or say anything her suit’s comms patched through a radio signal:

“Samus Aran! If you can hear this, respond immediately!”

Samus placed her hand on her helmet.

“This is Samus, identify yourself.”

“Glad we could reach you. This is Admiral Justin B. Forest of the Olympus-Class Cruiser G.F.S. Vogl. We made much better time than predicted,” a medium-pitched, commanding voice spoke.

Samus perked up and looked outside at that moment, noticing an equally large (or even larger) fleet of warships enter the upper atmosphere of the planet, the moonlight reflection off their build making their arrival that much more beautiful.

“We have launched fighters and are preparing to engage the Space Pirate Fleet in orbit. I picked up your presence in what appears to be a small town and I’ve dispatched several drop pods of Marines to your position just in case,” Admiral Forest continued. The mares were by Samus’s side finally, gazing up at the second majestic fleet of ships that arrived. At that moment, several loud impacts near their position were heard over the resounding gunfire, revealing large drop pods. They broke open and immediately, four Federation Marines exited from each, silver armor encasing their bodies and teal blue visors eclipsing their faces. They all equipped their rifles and began barking orders at each other as they expanded outward into town, meeting Pirate resistance immediately. Samus couldn’t help but smile under her visor.

“Thanks for the assistance, Admiral! Pirate presence on the ground is still widespread and we’ll definitely need more boots on the ground,” Samus replied.

“That won’t be an issue, Samus. Help the Marines clear this town and get any of these… ponies? Right… get any of these remaining ponies to safety. I’m sending more troops down in drop ships and I’ll personally meet with you to discuss logistics as well as meet with the Pony leadership once this town is void of Pirates.”

“Understood. Samus, out.”

She then looked back to the ponies and took her helmet off, revealing a small smile to all of them. That’s all it took to brighten their spirits a bit. That look on the Hunter’s face had spoken volumes to them.

They were gonna be alright.

“Ma’am?” an accented male voice sounded behind Samus. She turned and found two Federation Marines, rifles aimed downward. They were merely checking if she needed any help at all. The Elements all looked on with awe, finally seeing more than one human.

“I’m gonna help clear the town. Guard these ponies with your lives, Marines.” Samus then turned to the mares. “I’ll return soon.” She then set off to help the rest of the Marines recapture Ponyville, eager to truly fight back against the Pirates.

Edited by Tatsurou

Author's Notes:

Fuckin' sweet!! Broke 600 likes AND 100,000 words! :D

You guys are honestly the best. You've stuck with me for quite a long time with this story and I can only hope you'll stick with me until its completion. I've noticed a slight drop-off in comments and I just want to say to everyone to not be discouraged from commenting, as I will answer and respond to any comment that needs responding to. Plus, it's feedback for me, and I kinda NEED feedback to change or improve something with the story haha.

Oh, did I mention that we're a bit over half-way done with this story? :D

This chapter was fun to write, and there's A LOT going on, so be sure to let me know if there are any questions or concerns. I'll do my best to remedy them. Once again, thanks a TON for sticking with me and thanks for reading. See you next time ;)

~FW

20. Crashed Frigate: Salvage

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 20

Crashed Frigate: Salvage

Nopony could miss the complete destruction the Frigate caused when it went down in the glory of the Sonic Rainboom. Thankfully, there weren't many, if any, inhabitants of the valley where it eventually drove its final course. This valley was more used for a walking and hiking path, as the lushness combined with the decently-sized mountains (if you could even call them that) provided great entertainment for the local population who ventured out for the day to just relax or blow off some steam.

Of course, that idea was complicated by certain events. Frigate Siriacus went down mostly intact, but it hit the ground hard. No fires or anything of the like spread, but the local flora was quite impacted with the behemoth forcing its way into the natural order. The river that ran through this valley was completely cut off and diverted around, creating horrifically saturated grounds that could prove dangerous by the mountain bases. Still, not all was lost. With Equestria's victory over the Space Pirate Frigate, the prize was the large warship itself: rife with technology, data, and research beyond the Ponies' wildest imaginations (and sometimes beyond the Federation's imagination).

That was the topic of tonight's mission for the eight unicorns of Vector Squad of the Magickakorps. The eight, four of them mares and four stallions, were one of the best units that were at Princess Luna's disposal. The eight of them almost single-handedly evacuated the last civilians out of Trottingham and saved hundreds if not thousands of Equestrian Army troops from being surrounded and subsequently massacred. As a matter of fact, Luna hoof-picked them for this specific salvage operation:

The moment Luna stepped into that Pirate Outpost in the Everfree, she was enamored with the level of technology they possessed. With the development of an impending attack on Canterlot proper by a certain Frigate Siriacus, Luna was able to get a message to the HiveMind, where this particular unit of Equestria's finest was standing by. Their orders, under the assumption that the Rainboom stunt succeeded (which it overwhelmingly did), they were to break into the downed Frigate, note their findings, steal whatever they deemed useful (by teleporting objects to a safe zone, or if things were too large, carry them), eliminate surviving Pirates in their path, and ultimately find a way to destroy the ship for good lest the Pirates attempt a counter-salvage operation.

The success of the defense of Canterlot paved the way for this operation to take place. Currently, all eight of the black armor-clad unicorn troops were laying on their stomachs, laying low on one of the mountains overlooking the crashed Frigate. Two of the mares and one of the stallions had their helmets off, gently talking amongst themselves, while their commanding officer looked through a set of binoculars towards their target.

"Think we'll find anything interesting?" Radiance, the light blue mare asked her other colleagues around her.

"We friggin' better, otherwise this damned operation would be complete waste of time," Windfire, the gray stallion sporting a red mane, replied in a bored fashion. He was eager to get on with the show, that was for sure.

"I'm sure we will. I mean, just look at that ship! That tech is at least a hundred years ahead of our own," Starry, an equally gray-colored mare took her turn in voicing her opinion.

"Cut the chatter, guys. Op is a go in two," Captain Constant Function, with a smooth and silky voice, replied harshly. She was known as "Constance" by others off the battlefield.

"We're well aware of that, Cap', so just relax, if I may be so forward. Take your helmet off; get some fresh air!" Windfire replied. While the others chose to keep their helmets on and prepare, Constance decided to take their advice. A little fresh air before an operation would always be nice. So, she pressed her forehooves to the side of her helmet and took it off, revealing a gorgeous pink mare with a magenta mane tied up in (ironically) a ponytail. She closed her dark brown eyes and took a deep breath for good measure.

Many are taken by complete surprise when Constance would remove her helmet. A name and consequently a cutie mark dealing with mathematics rarely found its way into the military. She prided herself on finding ways to be different and break social expectations. Nevertheless, she found her calling as she quickly rose through the ranks of the Guard and later the Magickakorps. Mares and stallions alike mistook her beauty and silky voice for a weakness, but quickly learned otherwise during training. She could easily best several of her own squad mates in a fight... at the same time.

"Feeling better?" Radiance asked with a slight hint of jesting.

"Quite lovely, actually," Constance replied with her own sarcasm. She then secured her helmet back on her head and stood up. Radiance, Starry, and Windfire did the same while the rest of their armored squad stood at attention.

"Alright fillies and colts, we've all read the briefs so I'll spare us a reiteration of the mission directive. The time is upon us to go exploring in some enemy territory and find us some juicy tech to take home. Any questions?"

None were had. They all silently shook their heads.

"Excellent. Let's be off then. Short range radios on so we can keep our voices down."

They all did as they were told, turning on their short range radio comms.

"Alright, let's move down the hill... quietly. I'm on point," Constance spoke. Her soldiers formed behind her and they slowly but expertly scaled down the lush but rocky mountain side. After about ten minutes of making sure nopony killed themselves in a fall, the eight were safely on the ground. From where they were stationed, they were poised to enter the Frigate from the rear, which was not even a hundred feet from them. The large backside of the foreign ship completely obscured moonlight as it dwarfed their forms.

"Let's find a way inside," Constance ordered. The eight checked their surroundings for any patrolling Pirates and sprinted the remaining distance, stacking up against the metal lining the gargantuan engine ports. A small scanning spell pointed the way to a maintenance entry between two of the main engines. Continuing to stack up, the eight of them filed one by one to this particular door, secured by blue hatch.

"Starry, stack the other side and shoot the hatch."

"Got it, boss."

Starry did as she was told, stacking up on the other side before shooting a single hard magic bolt. The door's sheen disappeared and opened, revealing a lone Space Pirate. Starry's eyes widened and right when she was about to engage, the enemy combatant slumped forward to the ground. It was already dead. Silence reigned amongst the group for fractions of a second.

"Jeez, and I can't even get a stallion to fall for me like that..." Starry spoke, earning a few chortles and soft laughs.

"Or you killed it the moment it saw you by how ugly you are," Radiance responded to her friend in a joking manner.

"Har har."

"Enough, girls. Windfire, you're on point. All of us, inside!" Constance broke the chatter. Windfire peeked inside, ready to shoot, and found nothing greeting them. He signaled an all clear as he filed in, the rest of his squad following after him. This hall looked like any standard hall in a Pirate Frigate: made entirely of metal and covered with odd panes of glass that held information on them, although many of these were cracked or completely destroyed in the impact. They followed this maintenance route until they came to what they assumed was an elevator. When they approached, a hologram of the lift appeared right in the center. So far though, no salvageable technology.

"So... how does this thing work?" one of the other soldiers asked.

"I think I got an idea... but only one way to find out," Constance piped up. "Everypony, file on the elevator. Don't touch the hologram."

They did as they were told, lining up around the center of the elevator, where Constance took her place and stepped into the aforementioned hologram. An affirmation signal sounded around them as the elevator gently made its way upward. As the elevator crawled along, Constance's attention was dragged to her left, where she found Radiance gently bobbing up and down and alternating the tilt of her head left and right. Although they all looked the same right now with a black on black exterior, one could easily tell Radiance had somewhat of an excitable/joyful expression on her face under her visor. The moment she caught wind of Constance looking at her antics, she stopped immediately, cleared her throat, and stood straight.

Constance only chortled once. By then, the elevator reached its top, stopping with a loud 'clanking' sound. They looked up for any sign of where they were, only to find Pirate writing on a sign, one that they couldn't read nor translate. As usual, they were operating blind in terms of location. Luckily for them, the sign translated as "Research and Development."

"Dear Celestia, this place is a wreck..." Windfire commented, noticing broken glass everywhere, random liquids spilled all over the floor, a few dead Pirates, et cetera.

"Yeah, looks like Radiance's room... complete with dead bodies and everything!" Starry commented. Radiance looked back at her with an incredulous stare, one that could easily be 'seen' through her black tinted visor.

"Surely you're joking."

"Indeed I'm not... and don't call me 'Shirley,'" Starry replied. Radiance stared back at her friend, a look that read 'I could kill you for that pun' plastered on her mug.

"Shut the hell up, you two, and get your minds back on the mission," Constance interjected, getting a bit irritated. "On me."

She lead them out, gingerly avoiding the spilled liquids that mixed together for obvious reasons. Soon, the path between large glass storage containers split off into two directions: left and right, each ending at two blue doors.

"Windfire, Radiance, check out what's behind that left door. Starry, go right. I'll take the rest of the squad forward. Think you can handle the right by yourself, Star?" Constance ordered, then asked. Starry nodded.

"Of course! I'll return with news in a bit," she replied jovially and was off. Windfire and Radiance saluted and galloped to the left. Constance gestured forward with her hoof, the remaining four troops trotting forward. Right as she was about to join them, she thought she heard some weird, screeching sound that was muffled. She looked around, finding nothing in her field of vision. She raised her brow in suspicion before reluctantly continuing onwards.

Windfire and Radiance stacked up next to the blue door, shot it, and then both appeared in front of the entrance, horns aimed and ready to fire. No resistance met them and they gently trotted inward, the door sealing itself behind them. With their eyes adjusting to the light, they had realized they struck gold.

An armory.

"Jackpot," the two said in unison. Their joy was cut short when they heard some movement within the weapons racks in front of them. Windfire beckoned Radiance behind him and they stacked up against the first rack of Quantum Assault Cannons. Peeking out, Windfire found a lone Pirate Commando with his back turned to them, leaning on the edge of a rack several rows in front of them. He appeared to be wounded, but even then, he would be considered a threat.

"Lone Space Pirate elite..." Radiance commented, fancying a look herself.

"Yeah, let's take him out... quietly."

"Got his legs?" Radiance asked.

"You know it..."

The two applied active camouflage, rendering themselves almost completely transparent as they quietly advanced forward, their forms barely distinguishable as almost no light waves reflected off of them. Soon enough, they were within a leg's distance of their enemy.

With wordless coordination, they struck: they immediately disabled their camouflage as Windfire applied an aggressive holding spell on the Pirate's legs, rendering him immobile. Then, Radiance jumped, found a grip on her target's torso, and climbed up his back, where she wrapped her two front legs around the Commando's neck and jerked it in an unnatural direction, killing him immediately. Windfire released the hold and the Pirate fell to the floor.

"Not bad, little mare... not bad at all..."

"Heh... shut up and help me look at these weapons."

Starry had ran to her door and opened the blue hatch easily, quietly slipping inside with active camouflage while ignoring the sign above since she wasn't able to read it. It was also broken... half of it not lighting up due to power loss. Unbeknownst to her, the lit part loosely translated to "Containment." What she saw in there, however, was not what she expected, at least not here: dead Space Pirates. Dead Space Pirates everywhere. What struck her as odd was that they hadn't run into any resistance at all. According to Princess Luna, this ship had the ability to carry thousands of troops, and it was highly improbable that all of them died in the crash.

Unless the ship wasn't carrying that many troops, of course.

Starry closely examined the bodies, noticing that they looked somewhat... discolored. But placing her hoof to one of the bodies and rolling it over, she was able to feel some heat, which meant that they hadn't been dead for very long.

She pondered this anomaly and shrugged internally. Before she was about to move on, she heard what sounded like a high pitched gurgling and squeaking sound. Her ears perked up and she jumped around, ready to do battle, only to be taken by surprise with what she saw floating elegantly in the air.

The semi-transparent, turquoise creature sported nothing but what looked like internal organs easily visible from the outside, plus a set of enormous fangs... yet no means of being able to take flight. The strange creature glided to eye-level with Starry.

"What the...?" Starry commented, cocking her head to the left as she stared at the odd creature. The mystery creature squeaked... almost cutely, she admitted, as it backed up to a respectable distance. It then, however, released an agonizingly powerful screech as it flew forward at frightening velocity and bore its fangs into Starry's neck.

"AAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

Both parties heard the loudest, most terrible sounding scream they had ever heard.

"Windfire, Radiance, do you copy?!" Constance asked urgently.

"Yeah! We're here! What the hell was that??"

"It came from the right room. Starry's inside! All units move to assist and engage, now!" Constance ordered. By that order, all seven of the ponies joined up at the center and sprinted to the right door, shooting it open and entering inside with haste.

It was only then that the first half of the sign regained power...

"Metroid Containment."

20.5. If You Want Something Done Right...

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 20.5

If You Want Something Done Right...

Several hours later, the instruments at work on Ridley's form retreated into their places, allowing the Pirate Commander to stretch himself out and ensure that his body had been fully repaired. That would normally put him in a somewhat better mood but Ridley had gotten word that a Galactic Federation Fleet had made it to Equis much faster than had been predicted. He made a mental note to personally execute the group of analysts who provided him with the previous time estimates.

Of course nothing may proceed the way it's intended.

Ridley got on all fours and stretched his wingspan out, craning his neck and ensuring his plating had a comfortable fit. The Dragon twisted his neck back and fourth until several audible pops could be heard, him sighing in some relief with the somewhat better range of motion this action offered. He snaked his way to a large monitor, letting his large hands work the electronics fine-tuned to his stature.

"Greetings, Lord Ridley," his flagship's AI spoke in a somewhat soothing monotone.

"Feed me all information and key events that have passed while I have been incapacitated. Do not squander details," Ridley ordered. After a couple of seconds of silence, the computer responded:

"Yes, Lord Ridley. Firstly, as of almost eight hours prior, our forward base operating in the Everfree region has been completely annihilated. All contact with personnel has been lost, presumed casualties."

"Samus?" Ridley inquired.

"Negative. After your encounter with the Hunter, her presence was not seen in the outpost thereafter."

"Then how did we lose an entire base?!" Ridley ordered for answers, his temper already needing to be stayed.

"We were able to receive video-footage from maintenance drones and cameras linked directly with Mothership Vengeful Subjugation. Observe," the AI responded. On command, a large pop-up window on the giant monitor revealed several camera-angles from numerous areas of the outpost. Ridley was greeted with footage of black-clad unicorn troops wreaking absolute havoc upon his forces. There were at least ten of the enemy combatants in the outpost at a given time but even the Pirate Commandos had enormous trouble. In the end, he witnessed only three ponies fall as opposed to easily over two hundred casualties for the Space Pirates. This infuriated him even more.

"What can you tell me about these... soldiers..." Ridley asked, tracing his long mandible with a claw as he studied the footage.

"Apparently what was witnessed here, aside from the original and first large Equine intruder, was not an anomaly. Shortly after this incident, over a dozen reports within tens of minutes of each other came flooding into our BattleNet. The general armed forces of the Equine race is largely pitifully trained and equipped for ranged combat and thus have been reported as little match for even the lowly Trooper. However, reports of highly specialized Strike Teams consisting solely of unicorns were received from over ten outposts in the Frozen North, Whitetail, Everfree, Saraneighvo, Manehattan, and Trottingham regions of operation. We have lost complete contact with at least six of these outposts."

"Go on..."

"These Teams, each member clad in nothing but flexible and composite black armor made from unknown material, are highly skilled in the magical arts. They appear to be trained for nothing but war and possess enhanced alacrity, magic potential, and strength highly uncommon with other unicorns. They rival our own doctrine in pure mercilessness. The gap in sheer battle-readiness between these teams and the common military of the Equines is quite astounding. By my logic, it appears these forces were raised in secret."

"Do they have a central leadership?" Ridley asked, gently pacing away from the computer.

"Uncertain. Gatherings of these unicorns have not exceeded fifteen-count and due to subtle differences in exterior, it is difficult to determine commanding officers, if there is even a ranking system. They are highly coordinated and very precise and lethal in their execution, which suggests a high probability of a Central Power or Figurehead directing their actions. Whether this is the Equine Leader or linked to the first intruder remains uncertain. I apologize, but information beyond this is mere speculation," the AI explained. Ridley gave a low growl of thought, his orange-hued eyes narrowing.

"Where do we stand?"

"The arrival of the Federation Fleet has certainly complicated matters, but so far the Orbital Space is merely contested. Our ships and fighters are engaging to the best of their ability but no progress forward nor reverse has been reported through the BattleNet. Federation Troops have landed on the ground and deployment is increasing. Major battles are predicted in the coming days. As per Phazon exploration, Science Teams working in the Frozen North have discovered large deposits of the substance seeping out of the ground as if being produced locally. This leads me to believe the impact site would not be far off."

"Any notable landmarks?"

"Yes, Lord Ridley. There is a rather large civilization, colloquially known as the "Crystal Empire" that has been able to shield itself with some degree of success against the spread of the substance into its borders. As well, they sit on top of a large deposit which rests underground. I recommend this particular area to start an expedition and eventual dig to excavate and procure the Phazon."

"Very well. Where do our forces stand in the area?" Ridley asked, not skipping any details.

"We have approximately twelve-thousand infantry and hundreds of pieces of armor stationed collectively within four major outposts and citadels in the Frozen North, sir," the AI answered. "Shall I order the deployment of more?"

"Hmmm..." Samus's nemesis thought to himself. "Deploy three-thousand more units and include as many Commando and Grenadier variety as able without impeding of combat capability. I as well will depart personally to the area."

"It shall be done, Lord Ridley. When do you wish to depart?"

"Immediately."

"Very well. You're cleared to leave the ship. I recommend using our current controlled airspace under our ships to penetrate the atmosphere. I'll highlight a route on your internal positioning system to avoid contact with Federation Fighters."

"Excellent. Before I leave, any word on Samus?"

Silence reigned as the computer processed Ridley's request.

"I apologize, but the Hunter's whereabouts after your confrontation with her are unknown."

"No matter. This battle will continue to be fought in the north. It is almost inevitable I'll run into her within the coming days," Ridley reasoned, hunching down and ready to take flight out of his ship. He also mentally prepared himself for another confrontation with Samus, one that he was somewhat eager to fast forward to.

"Very well, Lord Ridley. Be advised, pane is opening to the vacuum of space. You're cleared for departure to the planet and the Northern outposts are expecting your arrival," the AI had the final words. With that notice, Ridley was off as soon as the pane to his lair was opened. He angled himself downward and made a speedy descent into the atmosphere before turning north, using the cloud coverage to obscure his presence as best as he could.

21. Northward Bound

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 21

Northward Bound

"All combat personnel, report to your assigned stations for immediate departure planet-side," the ship-wide PA system continued to blare in thirty-second intervals. The message throughout the G.F.S. Vogl carried such weight within the rather monotonous voice of the stationed Aurora Unit, one that was heard countless times by the members of Crusader Squad. On that note, three of the four members of the aforementioned squadron were currently leaning against the wall outside of Arianna's room within the Barracks Corridor: a rather spartan looking section of the Federation Capital Ship composed of nothing but grey-colored hallways leading into equally as boring-colored rooms, capable of housing several thousand troops per ship not counting the personnel its own accompanying fleet brought along. The bare walls occasionally had a few posters of Federation Ideals and stills of soldiers, obviously positive propaganda, reminding them what they were fighting for and against.

Nathan Krandor, Jacob Dittmar, and Sydney Exeter stood leaning against the corridor wall, waiting for their fourth squad-mate to finish preparations. Currently, the three were clad in their full battle armor save for holding their helmets under their arms. All three of them had an urgent expression on their faces, their eyes telling of extreme boredom... an indication that they had been waiting for Arianna for longer than was necessary. Nathan inhaled deeply and sighed once more, having had enough.

"Come on, Ari! Command is gonna have our asses if we're late!" he protested, calling her through the doorway. Troops were running in both directions, armored and armor-less, just as eager to get to their stations and get down to this new planet. At that moment, Arianna emerged, wiping her helmet off and tucking it under her arm.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go then."

Captain Dittmar motioned with his head and his troops fell into step. The four friends fell into perfect synchronization, with Jacob leading in front, Nathan in line with Arianna on either side of their Captain, and Sydney holding up the rear, as was a traditional formation for them since they were assigned together all those years ago. They trudged for tens of minutes through the endless corridors, knowing the ship they had been calling home almost perfectly by heart. They traversed through the proper sequence of twists and forks and through hordes of their own friendly forces in order to arrive, on time, at their first stop: an Armory.

There was a small line leading into the dimly-lit weapons distribution center. Personal Weapons Systems, such as rifles of all varieties, anti-armor weapons, and essentially anything that could be carried by one or two soldiers was distributed by a digitized identification system. Computer chips within ID cards (which could be integrated with the armor-suit or carried by hand) would be scanned and the proper weapon assigned to a particular combatant would then be handed over. Once the weapon was distributed, the soldier would then move to the ammunition station and get fully loaded before shipping out. The process tended to go by rather quickly on most days but of course, occasional hiccups occurred.

As the line moved steadily along, Sydney decided to equip her helmet, completely obscuring her whole head, as the Federation Marine armor scheme called for. Once connected to the main armor system, her visor booted up all necessary schematics as well as identifying all individual friendlies within view and proper range. The other three decided to follow suit in the completion of their armor set. By then, they had closed in on the front of the line and Jacob had already received his assault rifle and sidearm. Nathan was next, issued an identical assault weapon and his sidearm. Arianna was a sniper, so she was issued an anti-materiel sniper rifle followed by her own sidearm. Sydney, like her comrades before her, was handed her own assault rifle and pistol. Following in her squad-mates' footsteps, she received a full loadout of weapon ammunition cores for both of her guns, loading them to her suit's Internal Partition Belt, which held all her other equipment in addition to ammunition.

Fully stacked, she and the rest of Crusader Squad were ready for immediate deployment to the planet's surface. The four met up outside of the exit of the Armory and fell into step in their usual formation, holding their rifles low and their pistols strapped to their thighs. After a few minutes of brisk walking, they wordlessly found themselves at their assigned hanger, a dropship waiting to take them planet-side. These long bouts of silence were not uncommon nor awkward amongst the four good friends, but rather embraced. They all felt that a little bit of comfortable silence before a mission was rather... relaxing, to say the least. Being in the company of the others you could trust was more than enough to ease potential, and often inevitable, pre-battle tension. There would be plenty of time for talking and screaming during the ride to and on the battlefield, respectively.

Once again, the group of four fell into another line, though this time to board their assigned dropship. That went off without a hitch and they found themselves strapped into the seats, Nathan next to Ari and Jacob next to Sydney, pairing off across from each other.

"Alright guys," Jacob spoke, finally breaking the comfortable silence between them all. "As you all know, we're linking up with Samus Aran so she can mediate first contact with the pony leaders."

"I still don't know what to think about these species being... ponies," Sydney commented, the other two concurring.

"I know, I felt the same way when I heard. But nevertheless, they're intelligent and we shall treat them as such, forming proper judgments when we make formal contact."

"Isn't Admiral Forest supposed to come in person?" Nathan inquired.

"Unfortunately that changed. He is needed on the bridge to oversee the space battle, as it appears the Pirates are putting up even more of a fight than initially expected. He'll be present in the form of a holographic projection."

"Good enough for me," Arianna spoke. "I'm just curious as to what these ponies will be like. It may come as a shock to you all but I'm actually eager to meet some."

"I think we all are," Nathan affirmed. The four quieted down a bit as the loading door into the ship was shut and sealed tight. Soon enough, the engines started and slowly took the ship out of the hangar and into open space. The four looked on out of the windows at the vicious space battle in orbit, and thankful that they weren't going to be a part of it. Still, with all the different colored explosions and intricate maneuvers of ships, it created a rather majestic sight to behold. Soon enough, the ship was safe within atmosphere, friendly fighters escorting them, and making their descent to a predestined meeting point: Ponyville.

With a little push and shove, the Pirates that raided Ponyville were easily wiped out. There were no prisoners, considering it was completely against Space Pirate doctrine to be captured alive. Samus lead the charge throughout the main arteries of Ponyville, while other squads of Marines took the job of clearing places of interest, including residences, one by one. Overall, the job took a little over two and a half hours. The next job was to clear the street of the corpses and initiate cleanup. That, Samus decided to leave to the Federation. On that note, she decided to make her way back to the Library. Through her visor she could pass glances at the damage that the Pirates had wrought.

Mentally keeping track, Samus counted at least thirty ponies dead... although slaughtered might have been a more apt word given the often gruesome condition that she and the Marines found the corpses in. Strangely enough, there were an inordinate amount of pegasi casualties as opposed to the other races. This figure still did not keep track of the other bodies that Marines were bringing out of buildings and into the streets. As well, this was a very delicate situation for ponies to finally meet other humans. From what Samus was able to see on her solemn stroll back to Twilight's residence, most ponies did not appear to mind the presence of the Marines, but they did well to keep their distance for now, many just coping with what had happened... and many others grieving over the loss of friends and loved ones during the raid.

Samus gently shook her head and silently honored those who were needlessly killed in this blatant attempt at cleansing by the Pirates, most likely in revenge for their fallen frigate. The grotesque scenes of bloodied streets and mutilated bodies of multi-colored ponies, a few of whom she had actually gotten acquainted with courtesy of Pinkie Pie, were all that occupied her vision as she neared her destination. This was a testament to the Space Pirate's brutality, one that remained unchallenged throughout the galaxy. It was also around this time that Samus made a silent vow to herself and to the planet. One that hardened her resolve to not allow this region and planet to end up like her birth-world of K2-L. As long as she remained alive and battle-ready, she would ensure that fully.

Never again.

The Hunter finally arrived at the Library, although the surrounding area was much more crowded than when she initially arrived. It had turned into a channel of troops and supplies coming in out of the town. Marines were already setting up designated landing zones in the park right outside Twilight's home. Nevertheless, Samus needed to check on her pony allies. She was about to reach for the door handle by instinct but remembered that it was blown inward when the Pirates attacked. She ducked a little under the low entrance and headed inside, finding the six of her friends plus Spike huddled tightly around Twilight, the two Marines giving them space and taking their posts in the kitchen. Samus gave them a little nod and they returned the gesture.

When she was about to approach the group, she then noticed the object of Twilight's catatonic state: the dead Space Pirate. She huffed in irritation that no one had thought of removing the body and decided to do it herself. With augmented strength provided by her suit, she easily hefted the Pirate corpse under the arms with her hand and cannon and dragged it to the open door-frame. She heaved as hard as she could, tossing the body out of the way and heading back in.

Once in their presence, Samus unequipped her suit and approached the mares and dragon with great gentility, given the situation. She then kneeled down in front of them, but opting to actually take a seat instead. The mares all looked to her with wide eyes, save for Twilight whose features still bore a far off stare, tear stains heavily evident under her eyes. Samus knew very well she had to say something. Hell, she desperately wanted to say something. Being honest with herself, she did not know what to say that would any way significantly console them, especially Twilight. This was definitely something the Chozo never trained her for. Quickly calling upon her experiences with Damara on Jigrad, she decided to follow her heart rather than her brain for this next conversation.

"Twilight..." Samus began speaking softly. Twilight's lavender ears twitched gently, having heard the Hunter address her. That was not good enough though.

"Twi," Samus used her nickname this time. Simultaneously, she reached out and gently cupped Twilight's snout, making her angle her head upward and face the blonde-haired woman. After a couple of seconds, Twilight finally let her large lavender eyes lock onto Samus's blues.

"You saved your friends' lives, Twilight."

"I killed it... I didn't mean for anyone to die...!" Twilight began to get worked up again. Samus had to contain the fire and fast.

"If you did not act the way you did, the Pirate Trooper would have massacred every single one of you. I know you are not proud of what you did... but in time, you will see how much your actions meant to everypony here." Samus then reached out and took Twilight's hoof into her right hand and giving it a gentle squeeze in comfort. Twilight locked her gaze again with Samus, somewhat surprised by the actions of the normally detached Hunter.

"Well done, Twilight," she concluded, adding a little trademarked 'Samus Smirk.' The others could have sworn that they saw Samus's eyes briefly flash pink.

"She's right, Twilight," Applejack piped up. "Ya did what ya had to do... and I think deep down you know that's true."

Twilight let her words sink in, and she looked around, the others nodding with somber smiles confirming the previous affirmation. The lavender mare then took a deep breath and sighed out heavily, letting her eyes close a bit and leaning more into her friends for support. Her mind only cycled one sentence now... that she really could not have asked for better friends. Eventually, she opened her eyes again and found Samus still there. She gave the Hunter a thankful smile of her own, her features improving marginally. Rarity and Applejack also fancied a look at Samus, giving her another wordless confirmation of her kind actions.

Overall, Samus was feeling fairly decent. Okay maybe that is a slight understatement.

Samus's bonding moment with the six mares plus one dragon was interrupted when someone cleared their throat behind them. Samus turned around and found the same two Federation soldiers keeping a respectable distance.

"Samus, we're being order to bring you with us outside. An audience has been requested."

Samus looked back to the mares, all of them nodding and letting her know that it was okay if she left. She wasn't really sure why she checked with them to be honest.

"Alright. Let's go," she said as she stood up, not equipping her suit. She then followed the two troops outside to find the hustle and bustle of dozens and dozens of Marines going about their business including but not limited to evacuating the wounded, setting up staging equipment, et cetera. Following the lead of the two troopers, she still attracted the attention of many of the soldiers. After all, it was not often one got to see the famed Samus Aran, let alone without her armor on! A group of three troopers followed her with their gaze for well over what was deemed appropriate.

"Don't even think about it," their CO spoke as he walked past. The three then shrugged and went about their business.

The Federation had gained control over the skies over Ponyville as was evident by the squadrons of fighters patrolling constantly. As a result, a large landing zone was established in the park where supply ships were arriving and leaving at a fairly frequent pace.

"Hold here," the soldier on Samus's right directed. She did not have to wait long. Within two minutes, a Marine drop ship came into view and landed with its back facing her, kicking up some dirt with its vertical engines and making the grass sway unnaturally. Once the dropship stopped moving, the hatch in the back opened, revealing another two dozen Marines who all exited out promptly and heading out to their assigned tasks with haste. However, four Marines were last out and took their time. Samus deduced that this was her company. The leader dismissed the other two Marines standing guard around the Hunter.

"Samus Aran," the commanding officer spoke with some pride, and maybe just being a bit dumbstruck, though his emotion was largely concealed behind his bright blue visor. He extended his armored hand to her, which Samus took with her own smaller grasp and firmly shook. "Captain Jacob Dittmar, Crusader Squad."

"Samus. Pleasure, Captain," Samus reciprocated the greeting. The other three members of his small unit addressed her one by one.

"Private Arianna Guerrera. Nice to meet you." The two shook hands.

"Likewise," Samus responded.

"Private Nathan Krandor. It's an honor."

"Nice to meet you."

"Sergeant Sydney Exeter. Nice to finally meet the hero of Aether." Samus shook her hand but before she could respond in kind, something clicked in her head. She gathered her words.

"Pleasure to meet you, Sergeant. Forgive me for prying, but are you related to Captain A. Exeter?" she asked. No one could see it, but Sydney's eyes widened at the revelation. Even the others were taken by surprise.

"Y-Yes. He was my brother," Sydney responded in kind with as little emotion as she could muster.

"I'm sorry for your loss. I know it is not much of any consolation, but he died honorably." Sydney only nodded in thanks. With introductions out of the way, Jacob spoke up again.

"The space battle over the planet has intensified and as a result, Admiral Forest, regretfully, wasn't able to make it down in person. He's requesting an audience via holo-projection in our new command post. He's expecting us momentarily."

"Alright. Lead the way, Captain."

"Samus!" a familiar voice shouted the Hunter's name from behind her. She stopped and turned around, finding both regal alicorns landing on the grass. However, Luna had a large bandage wrapped around her shoulder. Their arrival drew the attention of everyone in the area. The Princesses stood tall, easily just as tall as all the soldiers, who looked on in awe.

"Hey, Princesses. Luna, I see you're in decent shape," Samus greeted and commented. She did notice, however, that Celestia gave Luna a very... irritated look. She did not look happy by any means but did not address it.

"Quite, Samus. Pray tell what happened in our absence?" Luna asked to be informed, as they flew straight to the Hunter. Samus really was not sure of the best way of informing them but before she could, Jacob spoke up:

"Hi Princess. If I may," he began to speak. Luna turned her attention to him and he continued. "The Space Pirates launched a raid on this town. It appears their sole purpose was to dispatch anyone they found. I regret to inform you that there have been numerous casualties." Luna's ears flattened as anger and sorrow swelled through her. Celestia began to panic.

"The Elements!"

"They're safe, Celestia. I made sure of it. They're in the Library if you wish to see them and I'm sure they would benefit from your company right now... especially Twilight," Samus finished a bit awkwardly.

"What happened with Twilight?"

"It's... you'd be better off having her tell you. She could use all the support she can get," Samus affirmed. Celestia then turned to Luna, the same face of irritation and anger directed especially towards her.

"Remain with Samus and these soldiers. I'll check on the Elements."

"Very well, sister," Luna responded in kind. It was quite obvious that the two were having quite a disagreement and falling out over something. This was no time to press for details though. Celestia continued to glare at her sister before turning around and trotting to the Library, Federation Marines looking on in wonder and curiosity as she passed by without giving so much as a passing glance. Luna returned her gaze to the armored human who addressed her.

"I do not believe I have received your name..."

"Captain Jacob Dittmar, Crusader Squadron, Galactic Federation Marine Corps," he introduced himself as he extended his hand. Luna presented her hoof and they shook on it.

"These other three are my squad mates: Nathan, Sydney, and Arianna." The three waved back awkwardly.

"Charmed. Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria. Thank you for the update on Ponyville."

"Of course. Admiral Forest of our fleet has requested an audience with Samus. Since you're one of the leaders, I feel your presence would be most appropriate, if I may be so bold," Jacob explained respectfully.

"Indeed. If that is the case I do wish to accompany you and Samus. Please Captain, do lead the way."

The small band of Marines lead Samus and the Night Princess to a makeshift and tentative command post that was set up once a larger bulk of forces arrived down from the Vogl. It was not the most impressive structure that Samus had ever seen by any means but it served its purpose. For Luna, however, being in the presence of all the advanced technology employed was a tad awe inspiring, even for one with as great of power as herself. Luna drew a few looks from operators around the command structure but she would stare back with her own gaze, making them falter and return to their work. Luna chuckled inwardly.

The middle of this metal structured post was a large table that specialized in holographic projections. This is where the meeting would take place.

"Wait just a moment while we set up the connection," Jacob spoke. Samus nor Luna said a word and just shot each other a glance. Soon enough, the table came to life and a projection came forth. In front of them stood a holo-projection of Admiral Forest, an officer who stood tall and whose clean-cut face carried an aura of business. He donned a standard Admiral's uniform, although the monochromatic nature of the holographic field being used prevented any discernable features from coming through.

"Admiral Forest, Samus Aran and one of the Pony Leaders," Jacob introduced. The Admiral turned his face and laid his eyes on both of the figures in question.

"Thank you Captain," the Admiral acknowledged. "Samus Aran, good to finally link up with you. I apologize for not being able to shake your hand in person but things got a bit hairy up in orbit."

"I understand, Admiral."

"So you are the commander of these new ships in orbit?" Luna piped up, talking to the holo-projection, although it seemed a bit weird for her to do it at first. The Admiral turned his attention to the tall equine.

"Indeed I am. You must be the aforementioned leader of the ponies."

"One of them, yes. Princess Luna of Equestria. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Admiral," Luna introduced herself amiably.

"Likewise, Your Highness. I see you've got yourselves in a bit of a bout with the Space Pirates. I also see that with Samus's help, you were able to bring down one of the enemy Frigates. I must say, I'm quite impressed and would like to know how you pulled that off, at a later date," Admiral Forest commented. Luna gently bowed her head in appreciation. "Samus, has the Frigate been followed up on?"

"No, Admiral. My ship was lost in the process of bringing it down and when the attack on Ponyville started, more pressing matters came to light, such as the protection of high value individuals." Luna decided to speak then:

"I dispatched a squadron of my most elite troops to the downed warship to scour it for any technology and information that could benefit our nation. However, I have not received word of their progress." Admiral Forest carried a look of conflicted emotion on his face.

"That's not good. Frigate Siriacus, the one you brought down, was not carrying a conventional payload of troops. It was a research and containment Frigate. More specifically, it was carrying Metroids," he informed.

"Ahhh, fuck," Samus interjected with a voice of irritation, running her palm on her face. Luna, however, was confused.

"Metroids, Admiral?"

"It would take too long to explain. Captain Dittmar, can you procure any basic information on Metroids and lend it to the Princess here when we're done?" he requested.

"Of course, sir."

"Many thanks, Soldier," Luna voiced her gratitude, becoming increasingly worried about her troops.

"If that Frigate was carrying Metroids, there's a high possibility that they could get released into the environment. They would decimate the local ecosystem, not to mention the potential casualties of their rapid expansion," Samus voiced, talking with one of her hands. "I'll need to either enter the ship and annihilate them all, or destroy the ship from the inside. None can escape." Admiral Forest contemplated her words carefully.

"Then we'll skip our original briefing for right now, as this takes precedence. We're going to need you to head northward as soon as possible to help counter the Space Pirate buildup around the main Phazon deposits. The threat you just explained, however, is very real and should it be realized it would only impede our progress and possibly derail it altogether. Get it done, and get it done fast. Head to the Frigate as soon as you're able."

"Will do, Admiral," Samus nodded with her typical determination.

"Are you still equipped with your freeze beams?" Forest inquired. Samus's eyes widened as she completely forgot about that.

"N-No. I lost most of my weaponry in an... incident," she began, not disclosing her earlier battle with supernatural ghosts. "I have not been able to recover my Ice Beam. While that is my preferred method of dealing with the little pests, a well placed Super Missile or two will do the job just as well, as per my experiences on Tallon IV."

"Very well, then."

"If I may interject..." Luna cut in. "If you happen to find any of my soldiers alive, I only ask that you evacuate them. They were one of my best units. If none survived..." she gave credence to the thought that she sent some of her best troops to their deaths. "…then bury them with the ship." Samus acknowledged her and nodded. It wasn't like she would leave any troops that were alive to die anyways.

"I'll do that, Luna." Samus then turned back to the Admiral. "Dealing with Metroids, Pirates who survived the crash, and rigging the warship to tear itself apart from the inside will be a bit much to do on short notice, even for me. Can you spare some boots to help with evacuation and escort of friendly forces?" the Hunter asked. Admiral Forest looked to Captain Dittmar.

"Crusader Squad?"

Jacob looked to his squad-mates and friends. They all nodded, clutching their weapons as if ready.

"We're with ya, Cap," Nathan also spoke. Jacob then turned back to the Admiral's holo-projection and to Samus.

"Well Samus, we're with you then," he said proudly.

"Crusader Squad is, as well, one of my best units I have at my disposal. Do not squander their talents. Update me as soon as the job is complete. We'll continue our work here. As well, Princess Luna, do not hesitate if you need assistance with anything around the nation. That's what we're here for," he affirmed the Federation's commitment to Equestria and Equis as a whole.

"Thank you, Admiral. I shall," Luna replied, expressing her gratitude.

"Marines," Forest addressed Crusader Squad. "Samus and you all are headed to the Crashed Frigate on the dropship you arrived in. Saddle up and get going."

"Yes sir!" the unit responded in unison.

"Once again, contact me when this is all done. Until next time..." the Admiral saluted and the hologram disappeared. Samus turned to the accompanying Marines.

"Get everything ready. I'll meet you outside momentarily."

"You got it," Jacob said, and lead the other three outside. Luna then took her place next to the Hunter.

"I know they're alive in there, Samus... at least some of them. Bring them back," Luna had a somewhat pleading tone, although it was very subtle.

"I will, Luna," Samus affirmed, gently patting the alicorn on her back in a gesture of comfort.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Before you go, Celestia wanted me to ensure you received this." Luna then materialized a small magical box. Opening it up and letting the magic come out and coalesce, revealed the magical projection of an orange apple with a green stem... just floating and idly spinning on front of her. A new element. Many of the operators in the room had stopped what they were doing to gaze upon this spectacle.

Knowing the drill already, Samus reached out and grasped the magic, allowing it to disperse throughout her body and eventually combine in her chest. Her eyes pulsed orange several times before her own natural eyes returned. Her wrist console, as expected, had something to say:

[Element of Harmony Acquired!]

[This is Honesty. The third of six. New information and scans indicate that the combination of these six elements will unlock unknown abilities. Pursuit of the additional elements is recommended.]

"Thanks, Luna," Samus said. Luna grinned a little and the two parted ways.

It was the dead of night, save for the landscape being brightened by the moon above, having reached its apex. The light revealed a valley north of Ponyville marred by a crashed warship and debris strewn all over. Silence reigned but was broken when a Federation dropship flew in expertly and gingerly set down about a hundred feet from the rear of the ship, by its damaged engine ports. The ship touched down and its back opened, four Federation Marines exiting out promptly, followed by Samus in her Astral Suit. The latter took a look around and found nothing but silence and destruction. The Marines formed up on her.

"I have a feeling you've got more experience in this type of stuff, so we'll follow your lead," Arianna spoke up, the entire squad having loaded their weapons and prepared for combat.

"Alright. First thing's first: let's find a way inside," Samus said, starting off with the basics.

"I think that might have been done for us already. Look," Nathan pointed out, finding a door leading into a maintenance entrance, but the door kept trying to close on the Space Pirate corpse that was laying within the doorway.

"Good enough as any I guess. Let's go," Samus beckoned, leading the troop in a light jog to the entrance framed by enormous engine ports. Samus shot the door with her power beam, having it open completely and allowing Sydney to drag the body of the Space Pirate out and lay it out of their way. Samus aimed her arm cannon in and found only a hallway leading straight, nothing special. She beckoned the troopers behind her with hand movements and she took point, keeping her cannon at a passive-aggressive level as she normally did. The Marines stood in their own formation keeping up with her and never lowering their rifles as they ensured they were alone. Soon enough, after traversing through much broken glass and bent metal, they came to a service elevator only going up. Samus scanned the terminal and a hologram in the center came to life.

"Everyone, pile inside," Jacob's voice came softly over the radio. His squad followed, Samus leading up the back and being the one to step into the hologram. The elevator came to life and the gears started turning, beginning to take the five up. Arianna removed the scope from her sniper rifle, leaving it with just iron sights to account for the close quarters.

"I wonder how far the pony soldiers got," Sydney thought out loud.

"Maybe I can find out..." Samus spoke out. Her hand came to the side of her helmet and her Combat Visor switched to her Aura Visor. The thought she had was that if this visor could detect magic potential, maybe it could detect residue magic or magic within the air itself. It was worth a shot.

"Would ya look at that..." Samus commented, finding some dull but very much present remnants of magical auras on the ground and in the air. At that time, the elevator stopped at the next floor, revealing a trail of very powerful aura. "They definitely came through this way. Hold up, let me see where we are."

Samus looked upward and found a broken sign written in the Pirate Language. She scanned it and it indeed read "Research and Development." The very large room was in complete disarray with glass, unidentified liquids, and a few bodies just strewn everywhere, most likely from the crash.

"Alright let's go, keep your wits about you," Samus said, beckoning them along as she once again took point. Samus followed the path that the Aura Visor was showing, and they came to an intersection leading to three other pathways: straight, left, or right. Samus decided to make a random call, as the auras were starting to lose their strength indications.

"Jacob, take your squad forward. I'll go left."

"You got it, Samus." He then addressed the others. "You heard, her. Let's move. Sydney, you're on point."

They then split off as they decided. Going straight, Sydney scanned all around her as she lead the squad forward. Her visor's motion tracker was not picking anything up so it seemed like they were alone, for now. What she found as weird was that there were relatively few bodies, and it seemed highly improbable that all the Space Pirates died in the crash. Then again, there were also supposed to be Metroids, lots of them, on board. Moving up only took them to an area containing endless rows of stasis tanks, easily designed to hold decent sized creatures suspended in water. Some were filled, with what they could describe as local creatures and plants. However, one of the tanks that they passed by caught Nathan's eye.

"Guys... might wanna see this," he said as he stopped his advance, looking up at one of the tanks. The others stopped and just stared. Nathan could have sworn that he heard Sydney and Arianna lightly gasp in disgust. Within the tank a unicorn was suspended. Its color from its coat had long since become completely blue from phazon infusion. One of its eyes was missing from the sockets and grotesque tumors were appearing all over its body, including its horn, that were pulsing with light due to the radioactive nature of the material.

"My god..." Jacob softly voiced his thoughts as the four could not seem to look away from the disgusting and equally terrifying spectacle.

On Samus's side, she passed through the blue door without any issues and continued inward, easily seeing that this place was an armory, if the rows upon rows of weapons were anything to go by. The aura seemed a bit stable here and a path was lit against the third and fourth rows of weapons. Following the path calmly, Samus turned the corner of a weapons rack and found a dead Pirate Commando. She gingerly walked up to the corpse and scanned it.

[Morphology: Pirate Commando. No lifesigns detected. Death caused by destruction of the vertebrae protecting the upper spinal cord. Subject was previously wounded before this action and it is almost certain that his neck was snapped.]

Hmmmm...

Curiously enough, the magical aura path stopped right here. It was perfectly possible that the ponies that were here advanced farther up, but it did not make sense to Samus that the path that lead her here was relatively strong, yet it suddenly disappeared after this Pirate was killed. The only conclusion was that they retreated, or went back the way they came for whatever reason. That's when Samus remembered that there was a third door leading right relative to their entry point. More clues would definitely await them there.

"Captain, it's Samus. Find anything?" she spoke through her radio.

"Negative, no pony soldiers or bodies. However we found the remnants of what looks to be a unicorn pumped full of phazon in a stasis tank. It's... not pretty."

"Acknowledged. Head back to the intersection. It looks like they went to the third door that we didn't check out yet."

"Heading there now. See you momentarily."

Samus head back the way she came but before she exited the door, she heard a whine and a gurgling sound. She stopped in her tracks and turned on her heels, entering a battle stance with her power beam charged. She aimed everywhere and found nothing. All of her visors showed nothing. The Hunter shifted her eyes suspiciously before letting her charge beam power down. She shot the door once and got out hastily.

Moments later, the group reunited at the center and turned their attention to the final blue door, which had yet another damaged sign above it. Samus opted to scan it, just to make sure.

"'Metroid Containment'... their path leads right into there. That's not good..." Samus spoke.

"Squad, we're dealing with Metroids. Arm Freeze Rounds," Jacob commanded. Without a hitch, all four of them unloaded the live weapon core from their rifles, lit with bright yellow, and replaced them with an identical weapon core, lit bright blue. Samus was impressed. At that rate, these Marines would have an easier time with Metroids than she would.

"Ready when you are, Samus."

She took point once again and before she shot the door, she heard something... it sounded exactly like magical weapons fire.

"Let's go, now!" Samus ordered, shooting the door open and charging in with the Marines behind her, weapons raised. What they found was a bit interesting. They definitely found the pony soldiers, all of them clad in black armor and emblazoned with the name Magickakorps, but four lay lifeless on the ground while another was slowly dying. The remaining three were casting a shield over a lone Metroid that was pissed off beyond belief.

"Dammit! Pin it, now!"

"It's absorbing... my *pant* magic. I'm running on fumes here..."

Samus decided now was a good time to interject.

"Troopers, get ready to shoot." She then yelled at the pony troops. "Release it from the shield, now!"

Samus's interference drew the Elite Pony warriors' attention and as a result, the shield dissipated, the Metroid immediately gaining as much height as it can while letting out another screech of displeasure.

"Shoot it now!"

Samus and the Marines opened fire, the Marines' freeze rounds piercing the gel layer of the Metroid's skin and freezing it from within. It cried out in agony before it fell to the ground, writhing as its internal organs were penetrated and froze from within. Samus walked up to it, placed the barrel of her cannon against its "head," and fired a single missile, making the creature explode violently from the concussive blast, its guts coating Samus's armor.

She turned around to address the situation. The Marines were reloading their rifles and the Magickakorps troops were tending to their one severely wounded member. One of them, however, was catching their breath.

"Th-The Hunter, eh?" a feminine voice sounded from behind the black armored helmet. "You picked a damn good time to find us, we weren't sure how much longer we could've held that thing down. Those damn things absorb magic!"

Metroids absorbing magic... that's an interesting property. Samus learned something new everyday.

"No problem. The Federation finally arrived and we've been sent to get you out of here and remove this warship from existence. I honestly wasn't sure that we'd find anypony alive."

"Yeah... had you come a bit later that might have been true."

"Constance!" one of the ponies yelled, taking her attention towards the two other ponies kneeling over their wounded comrade. Right as Constance moved her legs gave out from magical exhaustion and she collapsed.

"Captain!" Radiance shouted, equally as tired from magical exhaustion. Windfire wasn't faring much better and Starry... well... she was definitely in the worst position.

"Marines!" Samus yelled, beckoning her groups' attention and moving to assist the ponies. Samus ran straight to Constance's side while the four went to assist Starry and the rest of them.

"Hey... come on, are you alright?" Samus checked, gently tapping the downed unicorn's helmet. She was breathing, that was for sure. The Hunter helped remove her helmet to get some fresh air, and she in turn took off hers to look more personable. The Marines did the same thing, as Windfire and Radiance found their energy was not enough to sustain them. They let the Marines take over as they in turn collapsed in an exhausted heap. Sydney helped remove Windfire's helmet while Jacob and Arianna tended to Radiance. That left Nathan to deal with Starry who was in the worst condition. He removed his helmet to get some ventilation to his skin before moving to remove hers. The removal revealed Starry's face and her gray coat... which was more pale now due to the Metroid attack. Her silver eyes, which held a far off gaze, locked on to Nathan's green ones.

"H-Hi there..." Starry, still her friendly self, said very weakly.

"Hello to you too," Nathan replied. Before he could say something, he brushed some of the fur on Starry's coat aside, revealing the entry wound of the fangs from the Metroid.

"Samus! This one's got major Metroid Predation!" Nathan called out. Samus looked up but then looked down at Constance, who gestured weakly with her hoof.

"I'm fine... magical exhaustion does that to you. Go take care of Starry... please don't let her die... I've lost too many today."

Samus nodded and ran over to Starry's side, next to Nathan.

"Jacob, Sydney, Arianna, how are the other two?" Samus urgently inquired.

"Stable but exhausted beyond belief," Jacob piped up.

"W-We're okay... honestly. It's just magical exhaustion," Windfire reiterated weakly. They assured her that their condition was not serious compared to Starry's.

"I need rations of some kind. Any kind of food or drink!" Samus let everyone know. Metroid Predation, if stopped on time, would heal on its own over time. The life-force energy siphoned by a Metroid would replenish eventually as long as too much wasn't taken. Other forms of acquiring energy, such as food and drink, would help ease the process. Magic could probably help but Samus knew she could not cast such a spell with her current experience, nor were Starry's comrades in any condition to do so.

Arianna and Nathan both handed her some MREs as well as water and juice canteens. Arianna took some of the supply and went over to Constance to help her along with her exhaustion (the same idea could help give them a bit more energy to replenish their magical reserves) while Jacob and Sydney administered the same treatment to Windfire and Radiance respectively. Samus had Nathan sit on his heels and she put Starry's head on his thighs, allowing her easier access.

"Here... drink..." Samus softly ordered, putting the lip of the juice canteen to Starry's lips. She responded by drinking greedily. As the process continued, a loud series of multiple Metroid screeches erupted from further down a corridor connecting the room they were currently in. A Metroid attack was definitely imminent.

"Nathan... take over for me. I'll deal with the Metroids."

"Alright, but here..." Nathan said, handing Samus his fully loaded rifle with Freeze rounds. "I think you could use that. It's an extended magazine, too."

Samus took the rifle in her left hand and examined it. She then put it down and called her helmet over to her with her magic, earning a few surprised glances from Sydney and Jacob. She secured her helmet to her head and stood up, picking up his rifle in her left. As a test, she aimed down the corridor with her arm cannon and Nathan's rifle in her left hand. She could muster this easily.

"Thanks," she said. Before moving forward, she moved to the door to which they entered from and found its control conduit on the floor. She kicked it as hard as she could, resulting in a few sparks and the blue shield on said door deactivating, rendering the door useless. "I'll be back shortly. Take care of them," Samus ordered the Marines as she moved further down the dimly lit containment corridor, both weapons raised. She soon disappeared from sight as the darkness overtook her form.

Starry had finished the juice and Nathan gave her solid food, an MRE bar full of proteins and carbs. She took small bites and chewed slowly. She then weakly turned her gaze to him.

"You humans look weird..."

"Says the pony with holes in her neck," Nathan replied without skipping a beat. Starry could not help but weakly giggle but then moan in pain. She then went back to silently eating and drinking.

"Not even the same species and severely wounded... still she's her extroverted self," Radiance commented.

"I can say the same thing about him," Sydney remarked. The two had a sensible chuckle.

Maybe the ponies and humans weren't so different after all.

22. The Corrupted

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 22

The Corrupted

[Crashed Frigate]

Samus marched forward, thermal visor equipped, with a focused and determined glare and with experienced trepidation in each step she took. She had cleared the corridor artery leading back to the containment room, yet nothing stirred in her vision, nor did she pick up any sounds. Just the metallic clanking of her suits boots against the metal ground. She held her arm cannon out, casually aiming it elsewhere when she looked around, her lended Assault Rifle equipped with freeze rounds held in her left hand close to her face and aimed upward. Further down her nearly completely dark path, a little light had shown, enough where she could switch back to her combat visor.

She turned the corner and leaned her head out, fancying a look. She found dead Space Pirates of several varieties lining the floor and slumped against the walls. All had died from Metroid Predation, as evident by their complete lack of lifesigns and ultimately color in their skin. Still, nothing stirred, and so Samus quickly turned the corner and aimed both her weapons forward, continuing the same path of caution in her slow advance. This irritated her somewhat, because she and her backup had definitely heard the screeching of several, most likely over a dozen, metroids down this way. This expansive room, which she wasn't sure what it was (no map data), was completely devoid of life.

Too quiet...

Samus reached the middle of this room when she stopped to take a look. Aside from the obvious body count in the area, Samus was able to notice that the walls parallel to her path were lined with large stasis tanks... much too big for a Metroid. As well, they would be too small for containment of multiple Metroids. The remaining tanks had nothing in them, yet, at least ninety percent of them were completely broken and shattered, the proof being the shattered glass laying everywhere. But, that's not what bothered Samus.

Hmmm...

She turned left and walked to one of the destroyed tanks, kneeling down and examining the glass. The glass intrigued her because the material used, if shattered in the crash, would have been strewn everywhere. However, the shattered glass isolated itself directly in front of the respective tanks. Samus concluded that whatever was held in here, had broken out; most likely disturbed from when the Frigate went down. The fact that these tanks were irregular for metroids concerned her. Perhaps "containment" applied to something else.

But what...

Samus shrugged internally and came out of her lunge, standing up straight. Before she was to continue forward, she heard a very familiar squeaking sound, followed by a bone chilling screech. Samus, in fractions of a second, turned on her heel with the assault rifle in hand and pulled the trigger against the charging metroids.

With the entrance door rendered completely useless and the only other connection to Metroid Containment being another artery corridor being traversed by Samus, Crusader Squad and the remnants of Vector Squad could rest easy for a little bit. After all, Samus did leave them in charge of nurturing Luna's troops and getting them ready for the inevitable evacuation. Even so, all four of the Federation Troopers felt somewhat of a guilty pang in their minds, even though none would say it. Nathan, however, was dragged out of this thought process in order to look down at Starry, who was still laying her head on his armor-clad thighs and munching away at the remnants of the meal ration. While her eyes still looked tired and held a far-off gaze, he did notice that her pale coat was starting to gain its color back, which he assumed was gray. As well, her eyes became more silvery and natural.

"How's she doin' Nathan?" Jacob inquired, sitting next to Windfire as he rested. Before he could respond, Radiance decided to chime in:

"She may be an idiot but she's a hard mare. She'll be alright!" she called out. Nathan looked down to Starry, who only chuckled lightly and muttered one word.

"Bitch."

"Yeah she's doing fine. Her color is returning, actually," Nathan commented.

"That's wonderful news..." Constance spoke up with genuine contentedness, still lying on the floor as Sydney and Jacob switched places overseeing her. "You hear that, Starry?! You're gonna be just fine!"

"L-Lucky me. That means I'm still squad-ed up with you all. I probably already died and went to tartarus."

"Yeah, she's definitely feeling better," Windfire commented amusingly, his strength returning to him. He sat on his haunches and observed. Arianna initiated some conversation with him and Jacob and with that lull, Starry turned her gaze up once more. Nathan, feeling himself being watched, turned his eyes downward and meeting Starry's eyes once again.

"So..." she attempted to start conversation of her own, having satiated her stomach and starting to progressively feel better.

Nathan blinked a few times, still a tad surprised by this mare's forwardness. He would consider himself quite outgoing and friendly but this talking pony (which he still hadn't really got over the idea of talking ponies. In truth, he was still wondering how he felt about that) may even take the prize from him.

"What'sup?" he finally decided to respond, settling on what he deemed appropriate.

"I'm Starry, you're Nathan, right?" she asked with what Nathan would describe as adorable inquisitiveness. The fact that he labeled something as 'adorable' was already a problem for him. He felt the need to throw a brick through a window just to feel manly again.

"Yup! Nice to meet you... though on less than ideal circumstances." She giggled.

"Something tells me I might not have made it if the Hunter hadn't arrived and brought you all. Besides, you're the one tending to me. The pleasure is all mine," she countered with a grateful grin.

"Just doing our jobs, Starry," Nathan pointed out in his own friendly tone. He then looked around and remembered the bodies of their four other squad mates. "I'm sorry about your squad mates." Starry sighed, but Constance was the one to respond.

"There was nothing you could've done... or we could've done. They were amazing soldiers and they fought well. Still, I... ummm..." Constance was starting to have trouble coming up with words and her caretaker swore he saw her eyes start to mist over. Jacob knew exactly how she was feeling. The situation of her losing half her soldiers was starting to weigh in on her. Even though he was still weirded out by the idea of "talking ponies," he still felt the overwhelming need to comfort the fellow squad leader.

"I've lost good men and women too. More than I'd prefer to count to. I'm sorry... it's not something I'd wish upon any leader."

"They died for their country. That's all they wanted, really. I couldn't be more proud of them, in the end," Constance conceded. Nathan turned back down to Starry, and she still looked a bit downtrodden over the event. But she quickly pushed her sad thoughts behind and turned back up to him with more questions.

"So, what's your designation? And what is all that cool stuff you have on you?" she asked, somewhat eagerly. Nathan chuckled a bit. He was already enjoying this mare's company.

Guts, body parts, and full dead metroids lay strewn all over the room as Samus expertly dealt with her sworn enemies. The Hunter was in full hunting mode as she shot at the rushing creatures with pinpoint accuracy. She jumped backwards and evaded another ramming attack from a Metroid, only to pepper it with freeze rounds and step on it as it fell to the ground, squashing it like an oversized bug. She then looked over her shoulder and swung her arm cannon in a crescent path, striking another one of the creatures and sending it into the ground, allowing her to finish it off with four power beam rounds to its mouth and a missile to rupture it.

She was absolutely relentless. She stepped forward, and continued her attack-defense. Her form was impeccable and the control she exhibited in firing two weapons simultaneously in two completely different directions and forms was nothing short of mesmerizing... like an intricate battle dance that had been rehearsed time and time again full of attacks, defense, and evasions. She stayed the use of her magic, as she remembered that it had little effect on them. The ambushing metroids had lost cohesion once their numbers thinned out, and none could even approach Samus without getting shot. After several minutes of gaining the upper hand, the fight was over. Both of the Hunter's weapons were smoking from the barrels and her suit was completely covered with viscous fluid from Metroid membranes and their brain matter. She then took a pose with her weapons at the ready... listening for anything.

Nothing came. Not a sound, save for her own breathing. Samus counted over twenty-five metroids slaughtered over a period of five minutes. But that was when she lost count. The threat from Metroid attack was over, for now. She placed the assault rifle on the ground and then her hand on her helmet's side.

"Captain, do you read me?"

After a few moments of silence, there was a response.

"Loud and clear, sorry, had to get my helmet. What's going on?"

"I dealt with the metroid threat. I do not believe we are in any danger from that anymore," she concluded, looking around at her handiwork.

"Excellent to hear. What do you wanna do from here?"

"Ummm... Keep taking care of the Magickakorps troops, I'll go on ahead and see if I can find a way to destroy this ship from the inside. From there, we can head straight out the way we came and evacuate Vector Squad, how copy?"

"Solid copy, Samus. We'll hold our position until you return."

"Excellent. See you soon, Samus out."

She disengaged her comms and moved to continue forward. As she turned back to her initial direction before the ambush, a loud explosion rocked the other side of the room, startling her back to her complete battle senses. Only then did Samus realize that the second door straight ahead had been completely blown apart, and the explosion she heard just now came through there. Even her suit picked it up.

[Unnatural explosion within adjoining room. Investigation highly recommended.]

The suit has spoken.

She jogged to the blown open door, finding what looked to be a testing room, as it was even more expansive as the previous and it was partitioned in sections of containment field housings. Immediately when Samus entered this slightly less lit room, she heard that odd whining and gurgling that she heard before and couldn't figure out what it was. This time, however, it originated from across the room. She lifted her arm cannon and advanced forward, as whatever was there, was obscured by darkness.

The middle of the room was circular in nature, almost like a testing arena. When she reached the center, she heard the same whining, accompanied by more gurgling and what she described as heavy whimpering. She stopped immediately and kept her cannon forward-aimed. Footsteps sounded... but they were more of an irregular clopping sound. She was not kept waiting for long, soon the figure was revealed in the light.

A whimpering and whining unicorn strode into the light, but its coat was completely indistinguishable from the completely fluorescent blue caused by total phazon corruption lining its body. Some tumors were evident in several places and there was a noticeable limp in its walk. Samus then locked eyes with this abomination. Those white, soulless eyes that still held fluorescent blue veins running through them, lighting up with the subject's heart beat stared into her very soul. Its mouth was coated with the substance and it hungered for more, its dripping salivation too viscous to be natural. Its gurgling and growling became more aggressive as it stopped its advance about thirty feet in front of Samus.

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Morphology: Corrupted Unicorn]

[Standard Equis unicorn artificially infused with Phazon. The unicorns that survive the viral corruption of the phazon infusion become a mere shell of what they once were. Now, they desire nothing more than to feed on more phazon. Extraordinarily violent and unpredictable, the phazon has completely destroyed any cognitive control over the unicorn's magical inhibitions, making such a magic wielder a particularly dangerous threat. However, complex spells are forgone from their magical vernacular. Scans detect phazon supercharges and infuses with the unicorn's magical reserves. Potentially lethal in numbers.]

Returning to her combat visor, Samus's motion detector showed nine other contacts approaching her from all sides. Their zombie-like whines, gurgles, and growls only grew larger as she surveyed her surroundings. She was completely surrounded.

Those goddamn monsters... I'm sorry, but there's no other way out of this.

*Battle Music*

Samus planted her feet in the ground and raised her weapons, ready for combat. Once she did, all ten of the corrupted unicorns screamed a bone-chilling and feral roar before they ran at her, horns charging.

Samus let loose a charge round straight into the first unicorn she saw, sending it flying backwards, but she had no time to stay still. She bounded up and forward, somersaulting over more attackers and avoiding magical blasts and streams charged with phazon. She planted her foot once more and turned around, activating her own magical shield to absorb a hailstorm of magical bolts. The shield shattered in seconds and she went on the offensive once more. She charged straight into the remaining nine unicorns and swung her arm cannon, decking one of her attackers in the side of the face and forcing the others to stumble upon themselves. The sheer amount of phazon in their coats actually inflicted shield damage on her when she made contact.

She spun on her heels as they righted themselves, charging their horns, and she let loose a hailstorm from her lended assault rifle. Although the rounds were freezing in property, they still pierced easily into the neck and chest of two of the unicorns, striking vital organs and ultimately forcing them to fall lifeless, though not without a shrill scream of feral agony.

*click**click**click*

The rifle had been emptied and she immediately chucked it with all the force she could muster, into the face of another of her remaining attackers. That allotted her very little breathing room as she unleashed more torrents of fire from her power beam. They found their target in the face of a corrupted unicorn and she scored another victory, though not without a price. Samus's pauldron was struck with a few magical rounds, forcing her to stumble. But it wasn't over, as another attacker rammed straight into her legs from behind with no regard for itself, taking her completely off her feet and forcing her onto her back with a loud 'clang!'

The unicorns capitalized on her predicament and one mounted her immediately on her chest, charging its horn to unpredictable levels while gnashing its teeth into her visor, spraying phazon infected saliva all over her. With a grunt of exertion, the unicorn was smacked off and Samus flipped up onto her feet. She immediately assessed a concentration of three of the unicorns to her immediate left and she formed a plan. Samus somersaulted horizontally and got back to her feet with her beam charged. She aimed and let loose a Super Missile, the large round colliding directly with the middle unicorn of her target concentration and blowing the three of them apart completely.

Samus had no time to think on the gory situation as her back endured the full force of a magical blast, sending her flying several feet forward with a cry of disorientation and hitting the ground on her chest. She turned on her back to find a unicorn pouncing on her with its horn charged, and she sent three Night Beam rounds into its abdomen to return the favor. Said unicorn writhed on the floor in agony but Samus was forced to evade another magical strike before she could finish it off. Having avoided more shielding damage, Samus extended her Grapple Beam which found its mark on the attacking unicorns chest. She retracted it and with great force, swung the corrupted pony into its comrade, sending them tumbling to the ground. She then acted quickly when she heard a roar behind her, turning on her heels and firing a single missile, which struck the sole unicorn's horn and fragmented it as it was charging. The utter destruction of the horn backfired and sent the magic blast straight into the unicorn's head... there was no head anymore. The corpse crumpled to the ground.

Oh... god...

Samus had seen much gore in her life, and as such, she was little stranger to it during combat or what not. The slaughtering of her entire colony on K2-L was one of the many sights she would never forget until she died. However, the sight of a unicorn's head exploding from misfired magic... well, she would not be forgetting that image for a long while.

Permanent damage right there.

Three corrupted unicorns remained. Samus sent a charged Night-Beam round into the mortally wounded one that was writhing on the ground, ending its life. The other two had gotten untangled and righted themselves, horns charged and about to strike. Samus attacked right there, extending her Grapple Beam again and pulling back one of the unicorns. She met its face with the front barrel of her arm cannon and hearing an audible snap of bones. She followed through that attack and aimed at the remaining unicorn before firing another lone missile which struck its chest, sending it careening into the air and bouncing on the ground. No more movement came from it.

She then surveyed the scene. All ten unicorns had been killed, and in all honesty, they were better off dead than corrupted. A collection of body parts had been strewn in random directions, and full bodies took no particular form or formation on the ground.

Samus did not want to look at the headless pony to her rear left.

A quick diagnostic check revealed that she had gotten out of that battle relatively unscathed. Her shielding held at ninety percent, but she had not been able to rearm her missiles. They now stood just shy of forty percent capacity. Getting her head back on track to finding a way to destroy the frigate (she settled on destroying the phazon engine cores), her motion sensor picked up a sole contact in the darkness towards the only other exit. Upon instinct, she raised her cannon out and waited.

She heard what sounded like more clopping sounds against the ground, but they were... different. They had more weight to them. Like last time, the Hunter did not have to wait long for the enemy to reveal itself.

She noticed the general shape of a unicorn first, but this was covered in onyx black (although heavily fractured) armor, and a full face helmet completely obscuring its soulless and corrupted face. The same sounds of whining, growling, and sickening gurgling still emanated clearly from the newcomer. The armored equine continued to advance forward towards Samus until it stopped abruptly in the light. The sudden stoppage of movement forced a piece of the unicorn's compromised armor to detach itself and expose the infected coat and skin; an oblique plate hit the ground with an audible metallic sound, phazon material coating its inside, and was labeled with a single word:

Magickakorps.

For the first time in a very long time, Samus uttered two words in a very particular order as her eyes widened behind her visor, the full implications of the current (and very near future) weighing in on her:

"Oh... shit."

22.5: Birth of Starlight

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 22.5

Birth of Starlight

[Canterlot. One year after Princess Luna's return.]

The city life of Canterlot, Equestria was filled with the traditional hustle and bustle of an expanding and slowly evolving nation. Buildings slowly but surely became larger and taller, population increased, and technology advanced at a steady pace. Still, even through all the advancements, the traditional royal palace looked at stunning as ever in its own, antiquated beauty. The sight was completely breathtaking for a lone unicorn mare, gray to the coat and with silver eyes. She was clearly not native of the city as she took in its grandeur.

My name is Starlight Noctus... but if you ever called me that to my face I'd kill you so hard you'd die to death.

She manually closed her mouth and hardened her gaze, working up the courage to finally approach her destination: the castle itself. All she heard was her own heartbeat and her hooves against the cobblestone as she approached the Guard checkpoint.

Starry. Starry Night will do just fine. Forgive me if I'm on edge... today is a big day for me.

"Halt!" the Royal Guard to the right said calmly as he met the new visitor. There, Starry stared at him in all his glory, clad in the traditional armor of the Guardians of the Princesses and Canterlot.

"You're either here for Basic, or you have no business here at all."

Starry handed him her identification and he ran it against some records he called to his side. He gazed at her face a couple of times, and Starry hoped her nervousness wasn't showing through. Fat chance.

I enlisted in the Equestrian Armed Forces when I finally came of age. Ever since my father retired, it's been my dream to become a Royal Guard.

"Alright everything checks out, so head on inside. There'll be directories telling you exactly where to go, so don't worry about getting lost. Welcome to Canterlot, recruit, try not to be late."

Starry nodded in thanks and proceeded over the moat and inside the enormous castle.

... and today was the day I reported. By pure luck, and some test scores, I was assigned to report to Canterlot's military base, which is within the castle itself. I'm sure I don't need to tell you what Basic Training entails, but in short, only the best of the best are allowed to apply for the few Guard Positions available. That's right, you bet your flank I'm gonna be one of them, too.

Starry navigated through the castle with relative ease thanks to the directories at every turn and corridor. Still, she had some time to spare where she could take in the beautiful sights as she trot, such as the murals, busts, and windows depicting important figureheads in Equestria's history. There were even a few enlistment posters, reminding them what recruits could potentially achieve. Her mouth constantly mimed the word "wow" at everything she saw. This was the first time she was ever in the castle, and, if things went well, it most certainly would not be the last.

I'm by no means a country mare. I grew up in Trottingham for most of my life. My father was away a decent amount of time, being a Guard and all. He was able to come home fairly often during rotation, so there really wasn't much need to make the trips to Canterlot in all honesty. Besides, it wasn't like we could necessarily afford it anyway.

Her guided search finally ended when the corridor she was following opened up to a large and expansive training ground in the rear of the castle. Hundreds, maybe even over a thousand recruits were standing around and socializing, waiting for the last ponies to show up before they would get herded away. This was the part that scared Starry the most... she had no friends here. She left them all behind in Trottingham. Her normally outgoing nature paled at this new experience. She had told herself many times that she was ready for this and every time, her mind always found some way to dismiss that claim.

I'll never forget the look of pride dad gave me when my MAT results came in. They were nearly top marks, and they deployed me to Canterlot. So, here I am... ready to make dad, and mom, proud.

"Alright, recruits listen UP!" one of many commanding officers shouted through a bullhorn. Everypony quieted down instantly. "It looks like everypony has checked in and we're going to move you to the next training area to find your assigned commanding officers. I want a single file line to prevent any problems. Line up and get moving! Go!"

Starry was able to find a particular place in line, between a mare and a stallion she obviously did not know, and slowly marched forward. She then noticed that there was another observer that appeared next to the first officer, a certain navy blue alicorn with a distinctive ethereal mane.

And there she was... Princess Luna of Equestria. This was the first time I had ever laid eyes on her personally. She's beautiful... and she just radiates power.

Starry, and others, could not help but stare at Princess Luna as they passed by her. Her stoic and commanding gaze held high above the others just observed the line in whole as they passed by... until Starry locked eyes with her. She expected her gaze to immediately turn back to the line but no... she kept looking at Starry... engaged in a passive staring contest as the line slowly crawled along. Starry felt absolute dread when those eyes pierced into her very being. Even as the line traveled, the alicorn's curious gaze never faltered from her and her only.

Even as the line moved forward, and I eventually moved out of sight, Princess Luna kept looking only at me. I'll never forget that look for as long as I live. I did not see her for a good while after that. Time marched on like my hooves would march through rainy, rocky and soppy ground during long marches. I was taught everything I would need to know: endurance, strength training, and as a unicorn, I learned many spells that would aid me in attacking and defending. As much as I don't like blowing smoke up my own ass, I was achieving top marks and commendations for offensive magic.

"Private Noctus!" the drill sergeant yelled out the mare's name after a particularly challenging exercise for unicorns ended. She responded and snapped to attention immediately, her uniform and coat matted completely due to rain and sweat.

"Sir, yes SIR!"

"Private do you know that you just broke a company record for magical target elimination?!" he pointed out, almost seeming like he was angry.

"Sir, no SIR!"

"Celestia DAMMIT, Noctus that is outstanding work, Private. You keep this shit up and every faction of the military will be begging for that flank of yours! If you didn't seem so goddamn happy all the goddamn time I'd think you'd be a captain or a general by now, Private!"

"Yes SIR! THANK YOU SIR!"

"NOW GET YOUR ASS BACK TO BARRACKS, YOU'VE EARNED YOUR REST TODAY, PRIVATE! MOVE OUT!"

"THANK YOU, SERGEANT!" Starry saluted and ended the shouting match that got louder and louder. She had to prevent herself from laughing at the end by how ridiculous it was.

I had eventually found my calling. When things got settled, I was able to be happy and "carefree" in a sense like normal. That confidence boost was all I needed, and I'd be a Guard in no time.

The rain pattered against her helmet relentlessly and as she was about to turn back to barracks, Starry noticed that she had another observer.

There she was again. Princess Luna was looking down on me from a high balcony, not caring that her hair and coat were getting completely matted by the rain. She narrowed her eyes at me before turning on her heels and moving inside. I thought I had done something wrong...

Starry felt a shiver move up her spine, finally forcing herself to go back to barracks for some much needed rest.

Time continued to pass. Graduation from Basic was merely a week away and we had already submitted our applications to our desired fields of work. Of course, I submitted to the Royal Guard. I was rudely awoken that night at about one in the morning.

The door to Starry's room slammed open, almost taking it off its hinges. She started awake with a yelp and her horn charging out of instinct.

"PRIVATE NOCTUS! GET YOUR ASS UP YOU'VE BEEN SUMMONED BY NONE OTHER THAN THE PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT HERSELF!" her drill sergeant spouted off, tossing a paper to her groggy form.

"SIR YES SIR! I'LL REPORT TO HER IMMEDIATELY, SIR!"

"DAMN RIGHT YOU WILL, PRIVATE! NOW MAKE YOURSELF PRESENTABLE AND MOVE OUT!"

She did just that. Starry put on her cleaned uniform, helmet, et cetera and started off into the castle with her summons in her coat. She was ordered to report to Princess Luna's study. The note did not say too much else, but Starry was a nervous wreck as to what this might entail. She lost track of time and soon found herself at the double doors of her destination. Straightening her uniform, she gave a couple confident knocks.

"Thou may enter," a regal voice spoke a second afterwards. Starry opened the door and was greeted with the sight of Princess Luna sitting at her desk, papers in front of her, and writing something out. Obviously official business. She then looked up to her visitor.

"Ah, yes. Please close the door behind thee, and take a seat," she gestured.

I did as I was told and sat my flank down straight in front of her. She did not acknowledge me for what felt like an eternity as she finished writing something. However, that changed completely once those thoughts entered my mind.

"Private Starlight Noctus..."

Starry snapped to attention in her seat and saluted, but Luna raised her hoof gently and stopped her.

"At ease, Private, that shall not be necessary. I shan't consider this a formal audience and thou may feel free to do the same. Now, I am most certain thou art inquiring as to why I have summoned thee to my study chambers," she spoke in her hybrid archaic and modernized tongue.

"Y-Yes, Princess."

"Well..." she continued to sift through a few pages, as if looking for something. "It appears thou hast distinguished thyself in all areas of the magical arts, especially in offensive magic. Unicorns possessing such talent are quite rare. With that skillset, the Guard would most certainly enjoy what thou hast to offer. Thou hast applied to the Guard as is shown on thy record, correct?"

"Yes, Princess. It has been a dream of mine since my father."

"Orion Noctus is thy father, yes?" Luna inquired.

"Yes, Princess." Luna smiled.

"A wonderful Guard he was. Even though I did not get to see him much due to him being commissioned as a Solar Guard, from the instances I had the pleasure of conversing with him, he is of wonderful character."

"Indeed he is, thank you, Princess." Luna then set her papers down and looked straight at Starry.

"The Guard, Solar and Lunar, would love to have th- *ahem* you... if there were any spaces available." She corrected her archaic usage to more modern pronouns. She was trying her best to do that. "Unfortunately, that is not the case. With the recent Changeling incident, we have had to call back those who were recently retired to refill positions that would have normally been given to new recruits."

And at that moment... I felt that my life's work had just had its head cut off. I was pretty sure Princess Luna could sense it too.

Starry tried to prevent herself from looking down demoralized, but she could not.

"However, that was only partially the reason I have called thee here."

Her face perked back up as she faced the Princess once more.

"While the news of unavailability in the Guard is most unfortunate, I would like to extend another opportunity to you, based on the extraordinary skillset thou has to offer us."

"Princess?"

"Come with me," Luna stated as she got up from her chair and lead Starry to a secret passageway behind a bookcase. Starry could not help but express inwardly how cliché that was. Nevertheless, she followed, down a large, dark passage way that lead to an open room. In the room, stood a single pillar being covered by misty glass. Starry could not discern what was inside.

"As I had previously stated inside my study chambers, I did not call thee just to tell you of the unfortunate rejection circumstances you would have found out in a weeks time. As you know, I have watched thee... for the entirety of your training. I called you to... offer you a job."

"What kind of job, Princess?" Starry asked, turning her eyes away from the center panes to Luna.

"Your ability with magic reigns supreme amongst thy peers. If you would care for my honest opinion, you would have been over qualified for the Royal Guard. However, I am offering you an opportunity to place yourself amongst those who you may stand on an equal footing with. I have developed a new force of only unicorns who are just like yourself. You shall receive the greatest training, most modern equipment, and learn the most potent spells to which you may defend Equestria from all who would seek to harm her. I am offering you a distinct position in the ranks of the Magickakorps."

I could not believe what I was hearing. I thought this stuff only happened in movies, really. So, naturally, I did not know what to say at that moment.

"I... umm..."

"This force was raised in secret, and shall be capped out at a specific number, relatively small compared to the entirety of the armed forces. You are free to accept or reject this invitation by your own will. However, if you reject, I will be forced to wipe your memory of the last half an hour. You shall wake in your bed none wiser. If you chose that route, you may walk out the way you came," Luna explained, gesturing to the corridor in which they entered.

"But... become one with the Magickakorps... and thou shalt be frontline defense of all of Equestria under my direct command and with my blessing."

With those words, the misted-over glass panes fell gently to the floor, revealing an onyx black suit of armor surrounding the emblem of this Magickakorps. Starry could not peel her eyes away from this armor... it called to her. The full-faced black helmet stared into her eyes through its own tinted visor.

And at that moment... I knew.

Starry, without looking back to the corridor, gently walked over to the armor suspended in the air magically. She tentatively reached a hoof out and touched the perfect visor of the helmet. She also undid the strap of her own helmet, the chunk of metal falling to the ground audibly.

I wanted to be a Guard. But even more, I wanted to help Equestria.

Luna could not help but grin as she watched Starry stand on her hind legs and pull the helmet out of the gentle grasp of the suspending magic. Channeling some of her own magic, she helped right the orientation over her head and slipped it on. It was a perfect fit.

I enlisted into the military to become a Guard. There was the high chance I would not make it. And in the end, I didn't.

With the helmet secure on her head, she planted her hooves firmly on the ground and looked towards Luna.

"It suits you perfectly and beautifully," the Princess commented with genuine pride.

I got something better... beyond my wildest dreams.

"I accept your offer, Princess Luna, and am yours to command," Starry said with more confidence than she had ever mustered in her entire life, saluting. She had never been more sure of anything. Princess Luna only raised her head high and returned the salute with a large grin on her face.

23. Cannon and Horn

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 23

Cannon and Horn

[Crashed Frigate]

Armored soldier gazed at armored soldier within this grand arena-like room. However, the room changed a bit when Samus noticed circular containment fields come to life, effectively sealing off any of the exits to her. Since her experience with magic did not allow her to teleport, her only option was to fight. But really... like she was gonna do anything else? She looked around without altering her passive stance, just to get a glimpse of her surroundings and what she had to work with: there was effectively no cover. Nothing she could kneel behind to apply suppressing fire. Her magic potential against the potential of one (even corrupted) of the likes of the Magickakorps would be laughable at best. That left Samus with really only one thing in her skill-set that she could rely upon to avoid getting potentially massacred: her unmatched dexterity and finesse.

Not making any sudden movements to provoke the corrupted unicorn soldier, Samus slowly inched her hand up to her visor, her adversary not making any indication that it was doing anything but existing. Scan data would be absolutely vital in the coming events. She was thankful that her systems provided a wealth of information:

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Morphology: Corrupted Magickakorps Trooper]

[Phazon corrupted elite unicorn soldier. The phazon has completely infused with one of Princess Luna's best, leaving nothing but a war machine in its wake. The extensive magical training undergone by any member of the Magickakorps has guaranteed an almost complete remnant control of magical casting abilities. Scans indicate that the phazon has not inhibited any form of cognitive control over movement abilities as well as aforementioned magical weaponization, suggesting the presence of several beneficial mutations. Enchanted armor, however compromised, may still offer resistance to your weapon-fire. The usual weak points of a unicorn apply, however, target's inherent training and retention of full body function may make targeting the horn nearly impossible. Thermal and X-Ray scans show phazon tumors still present from the first infusion near several vital body parts and organs. Consider targeting and eliminating armor pieces, and then the underlying tumors to inflict potentially catastrophic wounds. WARNING: Your defensive shielding will not stand against constant magical bombardment of that caliber. Evasive maneuvers highly suggested as a defense mechanism rather than shield strength and magical ability.]

Samus engaged her combat visor once more and achieved a lock on the elite unicorn two-thirds her size. Her cannon was aimed and her Night Beam was charged, waiting for the slightest provocation once more. The corrupted unicorn trooper did not move a muscle at Samus's battle ready status. All that was readily apparent was that the entity was breathing... otherwise Samus would have suspected that it died standing up. But still... she expected this adversary to at least make a few other movements. With the calm before the storm, Samus made one adjustment to her suit properties for the purposes of the amount of jumping and moving she'd have to do:

[Weapons Systems]
>[Screw Attack]
>>[x]Always Active [ ] Manual-Activation [ ] Auto-Activation

Now when she'd somersault in the air, the damaging screw attack would take effect immediately. Samus reasoned that it could prove to be a powerful weapon in such circumstances. Still, this unicorn was bothering her.

Standing too still...

Her thought process was completely altered when her instincts suddenly screamed for her to evade left. She complied without hesitation and rolled on the ground to the left, nearly missed getting torn into by a large magical beam that pierced the "Magickakorps Trooper" she was initially facing... only to have the now discernable magical echo fade out of existence, the real adversary coming back into the light from its positioning behind Samus, horn still charged to full power.

And the first shots had been fired.

Samus came out of her evasion in a kneeling position and aimed her cannon behind her, unleashing the charged Night round before following up with a torrent of standard shots. The unicorn completely manipulated the path of the charged shot in a different direction while calling upon a shield to absorb the standard shots, which rippled in the magical bubble like drops of water in a lake. Before the trooper could strike back, Samus unleashed a single missile as a probing strike. The unicorn's horn lit up brightly and a single, thin beam of magic made contact with the projectile in the air and altered its trajectory, sending it straight back to Samus. She bounded off her feet and into another aerial somersault, the screw attack ever present in her jumps breaking apart the missile in her path.

Samus erected a magical barrier in front of her like a portable shield as she fired another volley from her cannon. The unicorn merely rolled horizontally to the right and returned fire. The finesse and agility that the unicorn trooper showed was remarkable. Samus bounded off her feet again and into a cartwheel, keeping up her weapons fire the entire way. Her enemy continued to return fire, rolling and bounding side to side like a trained soldier, and occasionally using teleports to disorient Samus's targeting but it did not deter the Hunter from unleashing all she was capable of, never standing on her feet for more than a couple of seconds at a time.

There was a problem. Samus was currently stuck in the middle with a magical shield and cannon while the magical soldier continued to teleport all around her. As much as she could dodge and evade, her weapons had little effect on her adversary's shield, or got redirected back to her. Her systems could detect no discernable pattern between the teleports so she was perpetually on the defensive. Nevertheless, her suit still had something to say:

[Aura Visor can detect movements in the Magical Field.]

Right!

Samus immediately switched visors, the entire room dimming out completely save for structural outlines. The unicorn trooper was a bright, pulsing, golden light silhouette, like she expected. However, while still on the move, Samus noticed that about two seconds before a teleportation occurred, a bright light was detected on her visor, and the unicorn would teleport there. It made sense in her mind, as time (however small) was necessary to determine the pathway of the teleportation spell. With this revelation, Samus formed a battle plan.

Samus cartwheeled to the side once more and unleased a heavy volley of Night Beam fire, ceasing fire to arm her power beam and charge it... waiting. In all honesty though, the "waiting" was about sixty percent waiting, but another forty percent hoping... hoping that her plan would afford her enough time for her strike to land before the Magickakorps trooper could put a shield up or redirect her projectile back at her. The latter thought was a bit unnerving. If a super missile was sent back her way, it would do enormous damage to her suit as it stood.

This better work...

Samus was so concentrated waiting for the moment to strike, she let her guard down just enough. A beam round from the unicorn soldier found its mark in Samus's upper chest, making her lose her evasive footing and stumble in slight disorientation. Her enemy sprung into action. The loss of her coordination allowed the elite unicorn to grasp her form in a holding spell. She resisted and applied her magic all she could, but said resistance paled with the enemy soldier's magical might. It tossed her straight into the containment field, her upper back and neck taking most of the impact before she crumpled to the floor. Samus, even more disoriented and gaining her bearings back as fast as she could, felt the same magical force turn her over and fling her yet again across the "battlefield." This time she bounced on the floor and skid, her armor creating a few sparks. Samus lifted her left hand just in time to cast a shield that fended off potentially lethal rounds of Night shot.

However... no attack came.

Samus flipped up to her feet immediately and scanned around her. Nothing was to be seen, and the moment she switched to her Aura Visor, she felt four legs clamp onto the back of her torso and attempt a grip on her neck... a killing strike. Samus did a half-backflip and landed on her upper back, her attacker taking the entire brunt of the counter-measure and easing its grip. She immediately rolled away and charged her beam, but as she released the shot, the writhing trooper vanished in a teleportation spell. Quickly springing into action (barely two seconds worth of time), Samus, viewing through her currently equipped Aura Visor, detected immediate fluctuations in the magical field right behind her. With quick precision, she swung her cannon overhead and aimed at the exact, vacant location and fired a single missile. Like she hoped, the missile made perfect contact with the Magickakorps soldier as it came out of its teleport, the projectile striking its leg armor and the concussive blast throwing the trooper backwards, sending armor-pieces everywhere.

The trooper shakily got to its feet, its left leg armor obliterated and displaying a throbbing phazon tumor. Once it got its bearings, the only sight it took in was the one with Samus charging straight at it and getting back-handed by her arm cannon. The clanging of two armor pieces meeting in brute force sounded throughout the room and reverberated off the walls, only overtaken by the sound of the Magickakorps soldier tumbling on the ground after flying through the air. Samus decided not to be overzealous and waited for her enemy to shakily get to their feet... her cannon aimed and ready with a charged Night round. Stepping forward cautiously and ascertaining her enemy's location, she released the shot as it got to its feet, the magical properties of Samus's beam wiping out any magical ability for a few seconds. The revelation of no magic visibly shook her adversary, and in the end, a few seconds was all Samus needed to fire three precise power-beam rounds into the tumor on the unicorn's leg.

The tumor exploded grotesquely, sending blood and phazon in every direction. The popping of the bulbous appendage took many vital muscles and tendons with it, leaving the leg limp and useless while forcing involuntary (corrupted and distorted) cries of excruciating agony. Still the corrupted unicorn soldier was undeterred, and opened magical fire on Samus in a similar fashion as before. Samus resumed her pattern-less attack/evasion strategy with an internal grin of her plan of attack having had some effect. Said effect was immediately apparent, as her adversary would stumble with the loss of function of one of its legs.

This round of attack was simple for Samus to evade her enemy's magic fire, but as well, the trooper was able to evade her own cannon fire just as well. Like last time, Samus knew that either one of them would have to slip up again, or one of them would have to break the stalemate.

However, the unicorn moved first. It bounded forward and planted itself directly in the center of the battleground. Samus ceased her attack once she saw her enemy generate a large bubble shield around itself. Keeping her cannon ever aimed and locked on, the unicorn raised its head up and charged its horn to almost blinding luminosity. As the horn got brighter and brighter, Samus was not noticing anything about to happen... until her visor's threat alert level was slowly rising to 'warning' levels. Only then did she notice that the unicorn's shield was starting to fracture in several locations. Those fractures extended all around the magical bubble shield until it completely lost form, leaving large, sharp shards of hard magic floating in the air. With another bright flash of her adversary's horn, one by one the shards flew at her at frightening velocity.

Samus's eyes widened, recalling the destruction this particular magical spell caused back in the Pirate Everfree installation. Samus cartwheeled to the right to avoid direct piercing strikes, the magic shards shattering on the containment fields. Having to gain her footing again, she wasted no time in somersaulting forward, her screw attack obliterating even more of the extremely sharp pieces. She repeated the same process to the left and charged her Night Beam passively. Her plan of attack was to eliminate the threat of getting impaled by magic before attacking with a point-blank charge shot.

Almost... NOW!

Samus somersaulted forward once more, destroying the last spear-like shard of magic, came out of the move in mid-air, and released the shot. The charged beam round of "anti-magic" made perfect contact with the Magickakorps trooper, forcing it back and into a retreat for the few seconds it had without magic potential. Pressing her advantage, Samus called upon her sticky-grapple, firing her grapple beam and having it attach to the trooper's oblique plating. With all the strength she could muster, she yanked her attached beam back, violently removing the armor from her adversary's side and exposing another large, bulbous phazon tumor. The unicorn stumbled backward as its armor gave away to Samus's grapple beam.

Not a second later, the trooper's horn was back in commission and charged fully without hesitation. Samus moved to strike quickly before an anticipated defensive spell could be cast but her world was rocked when the unicorn roared out with a magically amplified voice, almost identical to the Royal Voice but once the magically charged sonic waves hit Samus, she felt like her eardrums were going to explode. Screaming in pain, her body seized up, her hand and cannon went to the sides of her helmet in a futile attempt to cover her ears from the blood-curdling and crippling sonic attack. She fell to her knees, her body almost convulsing, as her visor displayed warning after warning of sonic and neural overload, dampeners failing to minimize the attack. The unicorn ceased its nonlethal but certainly immobilizing attack in order to rear back and stomp down on its good leg , sending a powerful, blue-hued shockwave in every direction. The waves overcame Samus's form and threw her back against the containment field, her defensive shielding having taken all of the blow, and a heavy one at that.

It took almost a full two seconds for the Hunter to recover her bearings and get back to her feet swiftly. Her defensive shielding had been depleted a level of fifty-four percent integrity, a new record low for her, at least on Equis. Setting her mind straight once more, she had gained ground: the phazon tumor was exposed and ripe for attacking. The unicorn's horn had ceased its blinding charge, undoubtedly in an effort to recharge some magic potential or conserve it, moreso. Samus ran over another plan of attack in her head. Judging by the size of the exposed tumor, destroying it would cause severe damage to many vital organs. It most likely would not be enough to take it down, in which case, scans indicated the presence of such a tumor which would do the job: under the helmet.

Samus decided to go on the offensive and take advantage of her enemy's cool-down period, however small it would be. Aiming her cannon, she primed her missile launcher and fired two missiles one right after the other while run-strafing. Like she expected, the trooper attached a magical beam to the first missile and redirected it into the second missile, the two destroying each other, no harm done. While it was distracted, Samus had already been running in a circle and decided to charge straight at her enemy. Her plan was to hopefully have enough energy to activate her speed booster.

It worked, just in time. Two feet in front of her enemy, the unicorn attempted to cut her down with a magical beam but Samus's speed booster kicked in right then. However, neither the Magickakorps soldier, nor Samus knew of her recently acquired ability: The Rainspark. Samus bounded off the floor at a point blank distance, her shinespark taking effect as she collided into her enemy, taking it with her as they sped across the battleground with a rainbow trail. Not even three seconds later, Samus crushed the unicorn, tumor-first, into the containment field. What she did not expect was a miniature Sonic Rainboom to erupt from her point of impact. The magical blast coursed through her adversary, not only temporarily knocking out its magical ability, but the overload of hostile magic coursing through its body exploded the already agitated tumor since it was crushed against the field. Blood, phazon, and some guts sprayed onto said containment field before either being incinerated or sliding down it.

What the....?!

Samus, having no time to ponder her bewilderment on the revelation, bounded backwards off the impact zone, back-flipping and aiming her cannon. Had the rest of the armor been removed from her enemy, that move would have ended the fight right there.

Remarkably, her enemy got right back to its three feet, albeit mortally wounded. Samus waited this time to see what her still-dangerous enemy would do instead of rushing right in like last time. She was right to do so, as it charged its horn brightly once more. This time, her systems warned her of sonic fluctuations, and as a test, Samus cast a magical shield in front of her and crouched behind it, waiting for the magically amplified sonic strike. When the unicorn screamed out, the nonlethal sonic waves did not penetrate Samus's shield, but diffused off of it, like sound being absorbed and negligibly reverberating off a sound-proof wall. With her enemy's retaliation attack done, she needed to find a way to remove the trooper's helmet. She felt that a similar strategy of magical disruption with the Night Beam and prying the helmet off with her grapple beam worked nigh flawlessly, and opted to repeat the strategy. Taking one last glance at her enemy, the unicorn was faltering. The loss of its limb and enough blood and phazon was starting to weigh in.

Samus fired missile after missile after missile at the Magickakorps trooper while strafing once more, depleting her ammunition levels below thirty percent. This did not give the trooper time to merely redirect the paths of the projectiles, which it did for the first four new missiles that Samus fired, but instead opted to erect another bubble shield around itself. The concussive blasts of the missile barrage bombarded the unicorn's shield incessantly, and Samus refused to let up, regardless of low ammunition warnings. Unlike her beam weapons, the concussive blasts would eventually shatter her enemy's shield and she was waiting for that exact moment to strike with a charged Night round. She watched as her enemy's shield glowed more luminous and consequently more unstable with each explosion of the next missile. She judged accurately and ceased fire, closing her cannon's barrel and allowing it to quickly charge her Night Beam. The charge completed exactly when the last missile impacted the shield, one that should have shattered the shield and left the trooper defenseless. It's defenses seemed more desperate rather than calculated as they were earlier in the fight.

It did not go as anticipated. At all.

The unicorn's shield did shatter... but not as intended or expected. Instead of the shield collapsing on itself and fading out of existence, the shield exploded outwards, sending large, shear-like shards of hard magic in every direction like a giant, pony-sized fragmentation grenade. Her enemy had put whatever reserves of high-intensity magic into a spell which absorbed the exothermic energy of her exploding missiles into the shield, and when it could hold the charge no more, a "distorted" explosion, sounding like an artillery cannon, sounded throughout the room. Samus had no time to react.

"AAAAAAHHH!!!"

The explosive power was so violent that it propelled the magical shards at hyper-bullet velocity, it was more than enough to negate her shielding (and counting almost as a melee strike) and pierce the flattest side of Samus's right-thigh armor as she tried to shield herself at that instant, the shard embedding itself through the metal and deep into the side of her quadricep. A second magical shard embedded itself deep in her suit's pauldron, but it was high enough above her shoulder that no harm was done. Nevertheless, even after the fractured magic disappeared back into the magical field, it left an open, two-and-a-third-inch, profusely bleeding gash. She instinctually collapsed to her right knee. Blood was already starting to trickle out of the gash and down her armored leg as well as between the armor and her Zero Suit, but with her adversary not dead yet, she could not administer medical attention to her leg. With a wound that large, she would not necessarily bleed out in a short time, but the blood loss would compound on her fighting abilities until she would be overtaken, and extreme amounts of movement would only exacerbate a wound on such a critical muscle needed for her finesse.

She needed to end this fight, and end it now.

Time seemed to slow down for her as she looked to her adversary, who was charging its horn yet again. What she did pick up, however, were little flickers, lasting fractions of a second, in the magical charging process. Her enemy was slowly being overtaken by magical exhaustion, and one final push was needed.

Samus raised her cannon, fighting through the stabbing pain in her leg, charged her Power Beam and fired a Super Missile. Right after the large projectile left her barrel, she sprinted out of her kneeling stance straight toward the unicorn. Despite her leg feeling like it wanted to die right then and there, she pressed onward. The unicorn fired a locking beam onto the missile and attempted it to redirect it back at Samus, but her positioning so close and the extra power of the Super Missile ensured that it could not do so. With the Magickakorps trooper's horn concentrated on diverting the Super Missile, Samus charged her Night Beam and plowed right into her adversary, tackling it to the ground as the redirected Super Missile impacted the ceiling.

Her enemy would have none of it, and quickly charged its horn to force her off. However, Samus released the charged round directly into the unicorn's abdominal plating, ceasing any magical casting ability. Samus rolled with the now desperately writing corrupted unicorn soldier until she locked it in a sitting position. Its magic was about to come back online and right then, she wrapped her hand around its horn and bent the appendage sideways with all her might, completely shattering it and nearly tearing it off. It cried out in a deathly-painful scream as its horn was rendered inoperable, and Samus went for the kill. She used her left hand to grasp the underside of the helmet and rip it off with all her strength, exposing a giant tumor taking up most of the left side of the infected pony's face. Without the armor, her adversary was now virtually indistinguishable from the other corrupted unicorns she fought. It still desperately struggled in her grasp and she ended up pushing forward, pinning her adversary to the ground under her weight. She raised her cannon to the tumor on its head.

Rest... in... PEACE.

She fired a single missile which exploded the tumor, phazon particulates and blood spraying over Samus's front and visor. The wound took half of the unicorn's head with it, and the struggling ended immediately.

Samus's heart was racing as she looked down upon her lifeless adversary. Nothing else moved or sounded around her save for her own breathing and heart-beat. She let out one last sigh as she collapsed on her heels and then onto her back for a few moments to revel in what she considered one of the hardest battles she ever fought. Only when her leg reminded her that she had a wound that was still bleeding out did she get up from laying down. She stood up, limped to the opposite side of the room where the containment fields had now gone offline, and took out some medical supplies that she stored in one of the small (and only) compartments in her suit. She would have to seek more proper medical attention when she was out of this place but this "patch" would hold her until she did so.

She then unequipped her Astral Suit and sat down, right hip up, and went to work on cleaning and treating her wound. She winced and grunted at her work of sanitizing the gash as best as she could before injecting some painkillers and wrapping it up in gauze. Her attention was so focused on herself (and rightfully so) that she did not notice magic form off the lifeless unicorn soldier and coalesce into what looked like an odd rendition of the morph ball. Once Samus was done, she looked up and indeed found the object floating and rotating in the air. Wordlessly, she stood up with some residual pain, and equipped her suit once more. Gently walking over to her prize, she grasped it and felt the magic course through her body and form up in her abdominal area. Out of instinct, she morphed down into her morph ball and laid a bomb. Instead of exploding normally like the concussive, static charge it was, the blue bomb grew larger and brighter. When it exploded, it exploded out by violently fracturing itself and propelling hard magic shrapnel in every direction, piercing any object in its path before the magic disappeared.

Samus phased back to her standing form.

[Fragmentation Bomb Acquired!]

[Your bomb arsenal has been expanded with the Fragmentation Bomb. These bombs form from your magic casting abilities into a bubble-like shield only to explode violently, sending shrapnel in every direction. Deadly against large groups of soft targets and has the ability to break through enchanted metals.]

Samus dismissed the notification, proud of her earnings, and moved onward, past this god-forsaken room. Her original mission still stood: destroy the ship, evacuate Luna's troops.

24. To New Allies

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 24

To New Allies

[Crashed Frigate]

Two hours had easily passed by since Samus left Crusader Squad and the remnants of Vector Squad to their own devices, and so far nothing of great significance had come to pass... other than Starry's gradual recovery, of course. The majority of her coat color had returned in full, her eyes were no longer glassy, and she was as chipper as she always was, her squad-mates and friends could attest to that fully. She'd be back to her "normal, adorable, yet annoying" self any moment now.

But in the end, it was her forwardness that was ultimately leading into a deep and enthralling conversation within the dual-species group. The odd bunch of eight found themselves randomly pairing off and sharing information about themselves, where they came from... practically anything, really. How the humans and ponies of two completely different militaries, not to mention different cultures altogether, hit it off so well was nothing short of astounding. The current topic at hand was the general idea of the Galactic Federation, as the ponies had a few questions regarding this governmental entity that they were hearing so much about. Jacob was doing well at explaining the whole idea of the Federation.

"...and the chain ends at the top with the Chairman, who is the acting leader of the Federation," he finished explaining the government positions.

"What's his or her name?" Constance asked.

"Keaton. Chairman Keaton," Sydney chimed in. Constance, Windfire, and Radiance sat on their haunches, helmets at their side, and listened intently.

"I like that name... has a ring to it," Starry commented thoughtfully.

"So, you say this Federation is a combination of several different sapient species... why, from what I'm gathering, is your military only composed of Humans?" Radiance asked.

"When the Federation was formed, we divided our expertise to suit the needs of the GF and the galaxy as a whole. While the military has open enlistment to any species who can meet the requirements, it was an agreement that the Humans would make up a large bulk of the ranks, since we had and still have the largest population and an anatomy more suited to direct combat roles. The other species tend to align themselves with different yet equally important roles, but as I said, anything is achievable by anyone regardless of species so long as they can meet any prerequisites," Arianna thoughtfully worded. Jacob nodded and continued:

"Quite so. As an example, Chairman Keaton is not human... though that doesn't stop us from referring to him as the 'Old Man.'" The four humans had a good chuckle at that. Windfire jumped in:

"Yeah we have two Princesses as rulers and they control the orbit of the Sun and the Moon, as well as many of the closer proximity stars."

"That... runs contrary to so many laws of physics we have solidified in the past decades and centuries," Nathan added, somewhat disbelievingly.

"Magic interweaves itself heavily within our world and its creatures. Some have the ability to control it more than others, case in point, unicorns. Unicorns, militarily, are considered the elites..." Constance trailed off as everyone in the room heard footsteps approaching them from the only exit. The Humans reached for their weapons but there was no need, as Samus walked into the visible light with great urgency in her step.

"Alright everyone, let's go! On your feet, soldiers, we are leaving right now," she ordered immediately. As everyone started to get up, Sydney noticed a very subtle limp in Samus's step, and confirmed her thoughts with the gaping hole in her quad armor.

"Samus... you're hurt!"

"Thanks for reminding me," the Hunter replied semi-sarcastically. "I'll get treated when we get out of here, but my shielding is essentially gone and I've rigged the fuel and power lines leading to the engines to self destruct, so we don't have much time." Samus then turned to Constance, with something in her hand. "Captain..." she handed the pony what looked like dog-tags, but they were in the form of a random cutie mark. She took them in her hoof and placed them in her armor, looking back up to the Hunter for answers.

"The Pirates captured a unicorn soldier from one of your ranks... almost killed me too. I'm sorry, but I had no choice," Samus iterated. Constance nodded, the other unicorns looked on.

"I understand. Radiance, Windfire, collect the remaining mark-tags. Our comrades will be buried with this ship."

They did as they were told, and while they were at it, Nathan stood up and picked Starry up in a piggy-back form, having her wrap her forelegs around the front of his neck and her rear legs around his waist.

"I can walk fine, you know..." she protested, though not very well. She seemed to enjoy riding on the back of a human soldier.

"Not taking any chances," Nathan said resolutely before helping put her helmet back on. Starry shrugged and looked onward, ready to move out on his back. Samus aimed her cannon upwards and placed her left arm over the top in a traditional manner.

"How's your guys' magical ability?" she inquired to the ponies.

"Significantly recovered, though not entirely full strength. Our attacks and defenses might not be as potent," Constance responded, the others affirmed, helmets equipped and ready to move out. Crusader Squad was fully armored once more, as well.

"Marines," Samus addressed them. "Let those three use your sidearms. Nathan, you keep yours, I kinda lost your assault rifle during battle."

"Eh, no problem," he replied, arming his pistol. Jacob, Arianna, and Sydney all pulled their pistols out, armed the weapon cores, and handed them to Constance, Windfire, and Radiance respectively. They took the weapons curiously in their magical grasps.

"So... what are these?" Radiance asked, gazing over the small object consisting of a grip and a barrel of some sort. She was about to look down the barrel when Sydney slapped it away, the pistol not falling from her grasp though.

"A gun. Simple. Hold it in your magical grasp from the handle or wherever provides less recoil. Aim, and pull the trigger. You'll get the idea if we run into problems," Samus said, not offering much of an explanation as she was ready to just leave.

"Ready to move," Jacob voiced.

"Me too," Arianna and Sydney spoke up at the same time.

"All set," Nathan piped up, Starry secure and surprisingly comfortable on his back.

"We're ready," Constance voiced for Radiance and Windfire who stood by her side. Samus nodded and turned towards the door she jammed earlier: their way out.

"Alright then. Jacob, call for extraction to meet us outside of the engines bay, make sure there's enough room for all of us," Samus ordered. Jacob did just that through his helmet's comms. "Everyone, get clear..."

Everyone gave the Hunter her space as she charged her power beam and aimed it at the useless door, arming a super missile and blasting it completely from its hinges. The pieces of metal door exploded outward, leaving them with a clear path into the Research and Development center. All they had to do was make a left towards the service elevator and they would have a straight shot at the exit.

"On me..." Samus took point, cannon aimed outward. Human and pony fell into a randomly ordered column behind Samus as she lead them out to the perpendicular path. Though no one heard anything, Samus held up her left hand in a fist, to which everyone stopped moving immediately. It was not anything that Samus heard that forced her to stop everyone... it was the fact that a lot of the vials, research papers, and really everything strewn on the ground were completely cleaned up... like someone collected them.

"Something's here..." Samus whispered through helmet comms. Samus felt a few taps on her left leg, and when she angled her head backwards, she found Constance pointing to where her ear would be and shaking her head.

Wrong comm frequency... shit.

As Samus was turned around, Radiance, who was looking ahead, saw the blue door straight across from them open up, revealing two charging Space Pirates.

"Space Pirate!" she shouted, aiming her gun through her magic and working the trigger action three times. The first two shots went wide but the third one found its mark in the lead Pirate's chest. The first shots alerted everyone and Samus turned back to the now lone Pirate Trooper, cannon raised. Before she fired she noticed the door leading right on the perpendicular pathway opened up, several more Pirates filtering out and taking cover.

"Get to cover, go!" Samus ordered, opening fire with her Night Beam against the single Trooper ahead, the latter taking three hits to his chest and falling. The other squad of Pirates aimed out from their cover behind metal containers and desks and returned fire. Samus formed a weak magical barrier in front of her to allow her comrades time to quickly scurry to cover, especially Nathan who was carrying Starry.

"Squad Engage!" Jacob ordered behind his cover, he, Sydney, and Arianna aiming their rifles over and engaging the Pirate Troopers in crude 'trench warfare.' Constance, Radiance, and Windfire, found cover elsewhere, Federation pistols still in their magical grasp as they figured out how to completely work them. Nathan took his place next to Jacob and was about to help battle the Pirates with his own sidearm when the latter forced his hand on his shoulder.

"No, you're carrying precious cargo, you stay low," he ordered. Nathan did not protest and turned to Starry's face on his shoulder.

"Keep your head down."

Samus eventually found her own cover as even more Pirates poured in to the expansive R&D room. She would aim out and lob fire towards her enemy, only for her target to take cover and three more to pop up and fire at her, almost getting shot several times. After about a minute, she aimed out of cover and scored a hit into a Trooper's eye, ending him, but at the cost of taking an assault cannon round to her pauldron, her shield lighting up around her form as it absorbed the energy. She quickly slipped back into cover to run a combat diagnostic on her suit.

"Suppressing!" Constance yelled out and the Magickakorps troopers all looked out from their cover, pistols magically aimed, and shot at the covering Space Pirates with rapid fire, Windfire scoring a lethal hit on a trooper in the neck and the result being the reinforced squadron covering once more. Currently, Samus was stacked up against a large cooling unit on their exit path. The Crusader Squad plus Starry were in cover behind a steel workbench, and Vector Squad had ran across the perpendicular path to take cover behind two enormous metal chemical-mixers.

Weapons fire was being exchanged constantly, rounds and bolts hitting anything and everything in the path of the two groups of belligerents, creating a light show of sparks, deflections, et cetera. As enthralling as any firefight was, Samus knew that they had no time to waste, lest they be taken with the detonation of the Frigate's engine lines.

"We can't stay here! The Frigate's gonna..." Samus was cut off when the north-most door relative to the group's position exploded off of its hinges, four black, quadrupedal creatures dashed in and surveyed the scene. They looked like ponies but they weren't, and their entrance captured the attention of both warring parties.

"Changelings!" Constance shouted out, turning her gun on them. They immediately got into battle stance and shot green bolts against both Samus and company, as well as the Pirates before taking their own set of uniform cover. Samus fired a volley towards the new enemies before ducking back to avoid getting shot by the Pirates, and then turning her cannon on them, striking another trooper in the upper chest.

"Changelings?? What the hell are they doing here?!" Windfire yelled back, taking cover and ready to fire again.

"What the shit are Changelings?!" Jacob asked rhetorically, knowing his question would not get answered in the heat of a firefight.

"Ugh!!" Samus nearly screamed out in frustration at the turn of events. In less than ten seconds from Samus's last sentence, the situation got exponentially worse, turning into a three-way firefight. "We need to leave now!" she informed once more, ducking deeper into her cover as sparks flew from a magical impact near her head. Taking cover against two enemy squads was definitely more difficult.

I've been in worse. Much worse.

Samus armed a missile as she recovered from her cover-taking, finding an exposed Changeling and firing without haste. The missile struck the changeling in the neck and the concussive blast ripped its exoskeleton to shreds, as well as having annihilated the underlying organs and skin. It hissed out as it collapsed to its knees and onto its side, dead.

"Troopers! Get some flashbangs out, we're getting out of here!" Jacob ordered, pulling a flashbang grenade from his suit's belt compartment. Sydney, Nathan, and Arianna did the same as they lay in cover. Samus heard the plan and kept up suppressing fire along with Constance, Windfire, and Radiance.

"Ready?" Jacob asked. The others nodded and affirmed, having pulled the pins and holding the spoons down, ready to heave.

"Flashbangs out! Avert your eyes!" the four GF troopers heaved the grenades in the general direction of the Changelings and Space Pirates. Samus turned away and got into cover as they threw... but then noticed the fighting Magickakorps did not seem to get the message.

"Get into cover you idiots!" Samus shouted frantically. Constance and Windfire ducked behind cover but Windfire was still shooting when he barely heard the Hunter's command.

The grenades bounced on the ground and rolled to a stop.

"What?" Windfire asked. Right then the flashbangs detonated, the Pirates and Changelings recoiling back from the blast. Windfire's vision suddenly became nothing but white and his ears were ringing as he fell to his side.

"What the fuck?!" he shouted out, completely blinded and writhing on the ground.

"Everyone move to the exit!" Samus ordered. Crusader Squad plus Starry wasted no time in dashing for the service elevator, which was up and running. Constance and Radiance followed suit, galloping after the Federation soldiers. Samus aimed out, fired three more times, and sprinted towards the exit. Windfire was still writhing and his vision was disoriented, but Samus skid to her knees, grabbed him by the scruff-plate of his armor, and half-dragged him along as she got back to her feet and followed after her comrades.

Samus did not even look behind as she joined Crusader and Vector Squad, throwing Windfire in as she jumped in, his body crossing the hologram threshold and activating the elevator down. Everyone had their guns aimed outward to ward off any counter attack but none came, as the Changelings and Space Pirates continued to fight each other. Samus lowered her cannon as the downward trajectory of the elevator neared the ground.

"Everyone okay?" she asked.

"Sound off, Crusader," Jacob ordered.

"Nathan, good," Nathan responded.

"Sydney, check."

"Arianna, perfect."

"Vector, status," Constance chimed in.

"I'm good," Radiance replied.

"I'm... okay..." Windfire popped in, having taken his helmet off and was rubbing his eyes.

"Pretty good here," Starry replied, still holding securely to Nathan's back.

Then there was silence, as by habit, Constance expected the other four members of Vector Squad to report in. No reply came and then it hit her again. She had a dejected look under her helmet. Her resolve then steeled itself once more. So far, everyone was in good condition, which Samus was happy about. The elevator hit the bottom, revealing the maintenance hallway leading straight out the back of the engine bay. They had a straight shot out of the Frigate. Right then an enormous rumble permeated through the entire ship, forcing Sydney and Windfire to lose their balance a bit.

"The engine lines are detonating! Where's evac?" the Hunter asked, keeping her cannon aimed as she stepped out. Before Jacob could answer, radio comms came to life.

"Vector Leader, this is Phoenix 2. We're on station and ready for pickup. It got noisy with a large explosion near the front of the ship, get out here now!"

"They're here! Let's go let's go!" Jacob ordered. That was all the confirmation Samus and the rest needed, and they all started sprinting down the maintenance hall as yet another explosion rocked the engine bay. Samus aimed forward and fired once, disabling the shield on the door and letting it open right as the group got to the exit, all of them sprinting out like bats out of hell. Just as promised, there was a large Federation dropship waiting for them not even a hundred meters out, ready for immediate takeoff. It opened its rear drop compartment, ready for their immediate boarding.

"Go! Go!" Samus yelled back, taking point as everyone continued running away frantically. Once she got to boarding distance, she stopped and ushered everyone inside. Nathan took Starry in first, and Windfire, Constance, and Radiance (though for a split second, were a bit intimidated by the large metal 'carriage') jumped in immediately after. Sydney entered with Arianna taking her hand to help her in. Jacob jumped in and Samus followed suit.

"We're all aboard! Get us out of here!" Jacob yelled to the pilot, who returned with a thumbs up gesture. The hatch leading to the outside world closed and they were off, speeding back to Ponyville.

[Ponyville]

Night had passed its apex since Samus and Crusader Squad had left to the Pirate Frigate, and Ponyville had become a full landing zone for the Galactic Federation. Princess Luna, Celestia, and the Elements of Harmony (who were together but standing aside) were involved in conversation with Federation Military Officers in Ponyville Park. While conversation was important, having to deal with the necessary logistics and what not, Luna could not help but look as hundreds of troops landed, bringing with them unfathomable technological equipment that she could only hope to understand.

As well, they were treating any of the wounded from Ponyville in the recent Pirate raid, evident by medical troopers taking ponies away on stretchers into medical centers which were recently set up. Celestia had medical staff from the castle flown in to help with unicorn patients, and to be honest, both alicorns (and Federation in actuality) were inwardly quite amazed as to how well "first contact" was going.

Pinkie Pie was already chatting it up with two Federation soldiers and it looked like they were having a great time. Fluttershy, naturally, had hidden behind Rainbow Dash and Applejack, whom were also speaking with a Trooper. Twilight stood by Celestia's side and Rarity decided to join Pinkie. All in all, things were going quite well in Ponyville.

Suddenly, though, light but noticeable seismic activity permeated through the area accompanied by a bright flash of light in the distance, forcing conversation to grind to a halt as everyone, Federation and ponies alike, were trying to figure out what was going on. Their questions were answered when someone pointed out large clouds of billowing smoke rising where the Frigate once stood, over thirty miles away.

"They did it..." Twilight casually commented.

"Of course they did. With Samus at the helm of the operation, I had full confidence nothing but victory would come about," Luna replied with a grin.

"Indeed." Celestia adjusted her regalia. "I knew she would get the job done... but let us celebrate only when she returns," she noted, doing her best to have faith but being a realist as well. Movement in the sky took Luna's attention, and she immediately grinned once more.

"Then I believe it is time to prepare for said celebrations, for here they come now..." Luna spoke out as she walked over to the approximate landing zone. As the dropship that came into view began to set down, the grass beneath it flared wildly and small amounts of dust were kicked up, but Luna nor the others, did not mind. Once the dropship settled completely, the hatch opened, the first out being Crusader Squad, with Nathan carrying an armored Starry in his arms. Constance, Radiance, and Windfire promptly followed suit, and the last one out was the Hunter herself.

There were a few cheers from the surrounding Federation Troops a the completion of a successful mission by a squad of their own, but celebration was the last thing on their minds.

"We need a medic over here!" Nathan called out on Starry's behalf. Constance noticed the presence of unicorn medical staff, which prompted her to call out for a pony medic. Federation and Equestrian medics rushed over with a stretcher, which Nathan put Starry on and helped her remove her helmet.

"Treat her for the gaping holes in her neck. Metroid attack, so give her some preventatives against predation," Nathan passed along to the medical staff.

"You got it, boss."

"And give her a few magical stimulants," Constance told the unicorn staff.

Sydney, Arianna, and Jacob stood behind Nathan while Constance, Radiance, and Windfire stood on their hind legs and placed their front hooves on the stretcher so they could see Starry, they themselves having also took their helmets off.

"They'll fix you up completely," Nathan told her, looking down at her with a small grin.

"Thanks, Nathan," she replied with her own smile of gratitude.

"We'll see you in a little bit, Starry," Constance added.

"Make sure they fix those holes in your neck!" Windfire said jestingly.

"Hope you die, bitch..." Radiance said, but in a way that only best friends could interpret as lovingly. Starry and her shared a laugh before Radiance leaned in and nuzzled her friend affectionately. With that, medical personnel wheeled her away into a ward not even twenty feet away.

All the while, Samus met up with Luna halfway while Celestia and Twilight joined Crusader Squad and Vector Squad. Unfortunately for Samus, her painkillers were wearing off for her wound, and she was fairly certain she could feel some residual blood seeping through the gauze. She'd deal with that in due time.

"Your work and accomplishments never cease to amaze me... and I have lived for many millennia; that should be saying something!" Luna spoke first. Samus opted to remove her own helmet to speak with her.

"All in a day's work, I suppose."

Luna then looked over to the large group consisting of Crusader and Vector Squad as well as Celestia and Twilight. The rest of the Elements also decided to filter in. She grinned just a bit before turning back to the Hunter.

"Thank you for bringing home my troops... although I can see Vector is... short-staffed," Luna alluded somberly. On that note, Samus retrieved a few things from her suit's storage compartment.

"I gave these to Constance but she thought, since you sent me to rescue them, that I should hand you these..." she held up a group of Magickakorps mark-tags, five in total. Luna used her magic to levitate them out of Samus's grasp and held them close. "We buried them with the ship, as you asked."

"I understand. Thank you." But Luna counted them and noticed something odd. "Vector Squad only had eight members total, yet there are four surviving members and five mark-tags..."

Samus then decided to put her helmet on so she could unequip her suit in full. Only then did Luna notice the blood-stained bandage work adorning Samus's right thigh. Her eyes widened considerably and her jaw dropped just a tad.

"While searching for a way to destroy the ship, I encountered another soldier of your elite force, but completely corrupted by Phazon." Samus looked down to examine her leg, as Luna would not take her eyes off of it, evident by the astonished features adorning her face. Some blood was starting to gently trickle down her leg and she could definitely feel the pain. "Luna, all I'll say is that you trained your troops very well."

"I... see. Samus, you need medical attention immediately..." Luna said with a tone of voice that was nonnegotiable. With Samus's injected pain killers wearing off by the second, her leg started to shake a bit from the pain and as a result, did not feel inclined to argue.

"Yeah... I think that would be nice," she mused, a pained grimace making its way to her features as her mouth curled downward and her eyes clenched a bit.

"We require medical aid posthaste!" Luna called out in a somewhat amplified voice. Not even twenty seconds later, three medics found their way to the pair with a stretcher.

"That won't be necessary, just... lead me to a medical ward..." Samus insisted. With that, the medics ditched the stretcher and stood by Samus's side as they walked to the nearest ward, the Hunter limping the entire way. Luna followed alongside as they got her situated onto a bed and began working on her leg by removing the gauze, cleaning her gash, and doing whatever GF Medics did as Luna could not follow the advanced medical procedures too much.

"Since I have you here, there is some information I wished to pass to you," Luna said, looking down on Samus as she rested her eyes, her wound being cleaned out at the moment.

"Shoot."

"According to Federation Military Officers, movement northward against the Pirates will begin sometime tomorrow. They wish to gain more control of the skies so we, and you especially, can maneuver without fear of aerial attack. So, the good news is you shall be able to acquire much needed rest."

Rest... I'm okay with this.

"Sounds good to me. Anything else?" Samus asked more softly than she intended due to fatigue, she popped an eye open. Luna shook her head.

"Nothing more for now. However, I have some personal orders for you: When you are in medically good shape, which should not be long from now I gather, go back to your room in Twilight Sparkle's place of residence and get much needed rest, as I had said earlier. You shall be briefed on course of action whenever you wake up. Understood?" Luna spoke with a gentle air of authority laced with jesting, one that Samus could easily pick up. A small grin etched itself on the peaceful face of the latter.

"Crystal clear."

"Very well then. I have matters to discuss with local commanders, so I shall leave you for now. See you tomorrow... or later today technically? Depends, actually. Goodnight, Samus."

Luna disappeared out of the medical ward, leaving Samus to get her wound fixed up and dressed. She'd be ready to move out whenever she was needed, but until then, she was more than inclined to get a head start on Luna's "orders."

After walking out of the medical ward, Luna decided to rejoin the large group of Federation Troops, her elite troops, Celestia and Twilight, as well as what appeared to be a Federation Officer. All looked to her as she arrived, but the Officer spoke first.

"Princess Luna of Equestria, I presume?" the older officer spoke with a respectful tone. Under his Federation visor-cap he sported silvery hair combed backwards, and to compliment his features he had lightly-colored blue eyes, a fair complexion, and an average build for a human male of his age.

"You would presume correct."

"And from your sister, Princess Celestia's words, you are the Princess of the Night and the leader of these valiant ponies," he gestured to Vector Squad. "I am Colonel Borsig, Galactic Federation Marine Corps, and the high officer of Crusader Squad, all of us reporting in some way or another to Admiral Forest."

"Pleasure to meet you, Colonel Borsig," Luna said cordially as she extended her hoof, the human taking it in his grasp and shaking it comfortably.

"I was just briefed by both of our infantry squads here and from what I've been told, they have shown remarkable talent together, and in all honesty, built a great amount of camaraderie already," he spoke confidently, showing great admiration in both equine and human troops. The two squads mingled with each other in a random order but still remained silent. He had a point though, even Luna and Celestia could both feel a sense of festering trust between the two squadrons.

"It would seem that way, would it not?" Luna spoke again with an arched brow and a grin of her own, lightening up just a bit. The Colonel nodded.

"Indeed, which is why, to help along Federation-Equestrian relations, I have a proposition for you, one of which they have asked me to relay to you."

"Go on..." Luna replied, curious. Celestia and Twilight listened on.

"It was unfortunate what happened to the four other members of Vector Squad; my deepest condolences. Crusader Squad, on the other hand has always been somewhat short on members even though most of the time they preferred it just the way it is. At any rate, their proposal, or request, rather, is that they wish to form a single squad together... a joint task force, if you will. Personally, I feel a human-pony joint task force would be very beneficial in paving the way for potentially close ties between the Federation and your planet and nation," Borsig finished. All eyes were on Luna, who looked back and forth between Borsig and the individuals in question.

"You propose a very valid argument, Colonel, and personally, I feel such a joint task force would not only be beneficial for relations, but most effective. Elites of both of our militaries combined would be one to contend with." Luna looked to her three troops with a determined smile, filled with admiration and pride in them, more than happy to grant such a request. "Very well, by my authority and command over the Magickakorps, I wholly approve of such a merge."

"Nice!" Nathan said out loud, bringing a fist down in victory.

"Alright!" Radiance shouted. The others all wore grins of giddiness.

"It brings me great pleasure to approve the merge as well. Here's to new allies," Borsig reached his hands out to both Celestia and Luna. Both regal sisters looked at each other and then back to the Colonel before placing their hooves in his hands.

"To new allies."

Edited by Random_Dragon

24.5: Rest and Recovery

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 24.5

Rest and Recovery

[Golden Oaks Library]

It was only when Samus was discharged from the medical ward about an hour later that she realized how tired she was. Thinking back on it, she had not slept since the Space Pirate Fleet presented itself to the world, which was well over a day at least. Considering the fact that she had been running around to several different locations within the span of twenty-four hours, battling Ridley and almost getting killed, taking down a Frigate, exterminating Metroids, almost getting killed by a corrupted unicorn elite, and blowing up the aforementioned Frigate, it was safe to say that Samus had put in more than enough overtime for a typical work day.

The painkillers and local anesthetics used in the process to patch her up didn't help her state either.

Nevertheless, orders from Luna were orders from Luna, and as much as she did not like taking orders from a superior, much less a non-employer, she had little qualm with taking "orders" from what she was starting to consider a... friend; Orders that benefited her completely as well. Rumor had it that Luna magically soundproofed the Library to drown out all the commotion with the Federation Foothold outside the damn doorstep.

Her eyes were droopy and she felt weak as the adrenaline in her system slowly began to reabsorb into her body. When she left the small medical ward, even with the Elements and Celestia waiting to greet her, all she was able to muster was a small wave for everyone as she walked past, heading towards the library. They wanted to congratulate and thank their new friend for a job well done but the Hunter would have none of it, really. Celestia had advised that they let her pass out for the night, and to follow up with her when she woke up.

That was all she remembered before losing consciousness on her bed. She didn't even bother to take her Zero Suit off.

Samus groaned and stretched her back as her eyes refused to open and escape from dreamland. Her body ached all over and another short, feminine sounding murmur emanated from her mouth before she reluctantly let her eyes flutter open. Judging by what little she was able to see without opening her eyes completely, Samus found that she was in her room, curtains shut, but nevertheless could also discern that it was sometime during the day, most likely the morning... it just had that feeling to it. She contemplated for a split second if she should get up.

Nope.

And just like that the decision of the century was made. She let her head fall back to the complete embrace of her pillow, cleared her throat a bit, and clicked her tongue as she let her eyes fall closed once more, letting her cheek come into contact with the comfy goodness of her head-rest. Her face bore a tired, yet peacefully rested (and ever stoic) expression as her breathing became slower and more rhythmic. She was almost back to dreamland when she realized something... odd.

Bed is really comfortable today... and warm...

Samus moved to stretch her stiff arms but found that her right one was wrapped around something. At the same time, she realized something was pressed against her left side. She let her tired eyes open just a bit to peer down at her side, and the first thing she noticed was a lavender coat and a purple mane. Her brain buffering, she soon ascertained that Twilight was curled into a ball up against her left breast. As well, she noticed that her left arm rested on Twilight, and her hand came to rest on the back of a blue coat... Rainbow Dash's head was resting on Samus's stomach, fast asleep and peaceful.

...Wat

Samus blinked a bit in confusion but her attention was turned when there was movement on her right arm. Tiredly turning her head, she found her arm wrapped snuggly (as if by her own doing) around Fluttershy, who was nestled comfortably and her head resting on Samus's shoulder/underarm area. As feeling returned to her body, Samus felt weight by her lower regions. Willing her head up a bit and looking down, she found her leg draped and laying over Applejack's body, the latter who was slumbering on her side and seemed to enjoy the extra weight on her. Pinkie Pie and Rarity were snuggled against Samus's hips. In turn, due to their positions around her body, they were all resting against one-another as well.

These ponies weren't small by any means... once Samus was fully aware of her "situation," she realized they were the reason for her extra warmth. The bed was crowded, that was for sure... but she only took another look around, her expression not changing at all once the inner bout of surprise wore off.

Fuck it.

Samus, once again, let her head fall back into her pillow and turn on her right cheek as she closed her eyes. Her right arm's grip tightened a bit as she pulled Fluttershy into her more, and her left hand that rested itself on Rainbow Dash's neck began to idly stroke its fingers through the pony's coat; the latter sighing in contentment in her sleep.

The grips of sleep finally overtook the Hunter and launched her back into her dreamscape for much needed rest and recovery. The only difference this time was that once she lost consciousness, her peacefully stoic face was instead adorned with a small smile.

25. The Crystal Empire

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 25

The Crystal Empire

[Ponyville]

The new day in southern Equestria brought with it torrential rainfall. Thick, white clouds obscured any form of Celestia's sun in any direction, the relentless precipitation restricting potential vision to no more than about twenty feet in front. The constant pattering of water on the treehouse and in particular, on the window leading into Samus's room was more than enough encouragement to keep laying in bed and resting... exactly what the blonde-haired girl had planned on doing in the first place.

Hey, orders were orders, after all.

As much as her body begged to be lethargic, Samus's mind continued to force her eyes open. With a final, irritated sigh, she opened her eyes fully and stretched her arms out over her head. However, being able to do that comfortably, she realized something was amiss once more. Finally deciding to sit up and slouch somewhat, she confirmed that her bed was empty... devoid of the ponies that once occupied respective positions around her. They had probably gone off to do their normal stuff... or whatever constituted to "normal stuff" in trying times such as these.

The most subtle pangs of disappointment at said revelation left as quickly as they came. Samus really had no idea why that was.

Nevertheless, it was time to get up. There was plenty of work to be done today, after all. Remembering that she was already clad in her Zero Suit, Samus opted to stand up off the side of the bed and stretch herself out from the lingering sleepiness. As she rid herself of the residual tension in her aching muscles, she heard chatter coming from outside her door and in the common room. Only then did she open the door and emerge from her hibernation.

"Hey, sleepin' beauty is finally awake!" a familiar farmer-pony's drawl sounded out. Samus's attention finally turned to the Elements plus Spike (now known to Samus on paper as "Harmony+1") who were eating lunch in the middle of the common room.

"Hi everypony."

"You know, you've taken to Equestrian language quirks quite well," Twilight pointed out. Samus decided to join them, so Fluttershy and Rarity made room and she took the invitation, sitting between them in a lotus position.

"We speak essentially the same language. It really isn't that hard... a bit weird but not difficult."

"Still..." Twilight said, motioning her head in a way that said 'oh well.'

"What did I miss?" Samus asked, grabbing some fruit that was in a large bowl in the middle of them all. "And where's Luna and or Celestia?"

"The Princesses returned to Canterlot soon after you went to bed," Fluttershy softly spoke.

"And other than the Federation increasing their foothold, not much. The Space Battle above is still somewhat stagnant," Twilight answered Samus's first question. The Hunter was a tad surprised that nothing of enormous interest happened... though she quickly reasoned if that was the case, then she would have been promptly awoken to help deal with whatever chose to go down at that particular time. At that moment she decided to space out, if only for a moment too long.

"Samus you do look as if you've seen better days. Would you like to rest some more?" Rarity asked concernedly.

"The previous day is always better than the present day for me. And believe me, I've tried. My body refuses to let me sleep anymore."

"Don't say that, Samus! Your day is only as good as you make it!" Pinkie jumped in with her over-excitable personality. Samus let out the subtlest huffs of amusement.

"I suppose you're right, Pinkie." The Hunter took a few more bites of her apple before speaking again, deciding (for reasons that even eluded her) to humor the pink mare: "And just how would you suggest I go about that?" she asked with a slightly exaggerated inflection of curiosity. Pinkie Pie jumped at the opportunity.

"Simple! It all starts with a genuine smile."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah really!" Pinkie nodded with a smile that expanded past the width of her face. Samus found her antics, as always, quirky yet amusing. She couldn't help but raise the right corner of her mouth in a coy half-grin while looking down at her food.

"See?! Just like that!"

"Come on, Samus... now ya gotta go all the way or she'll never leave ya alone!" Applejack joked. Samus rolled her eyes and, feeling that there was nothing better to do at the moment, decided to humor her company. She raised her head and put on a full grin... not a smile but a genuine grin. It was a start, right? However, the ponies' reactions were quite the opposite of what Samus expected.

In front of her were Pinkie, Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Their smiles and grins of humor all suddenly dropped to one of seriousness and inquiry... as for Twilight, her expression regressed into fear.

"Okay I know my smile isn't that bad..." Samus thought out loud.

"Samus... your eyes..." Rainbow pointed out with her hoof. Rarity and Fluttershy fancied a look and immediately recoiled in shock.

"Woah..." Spike's eyes widened.

"What are you guys... give me a mirror!" the Hunter grew more irritated by the minute and she had to find out what was wrong. Twilight raced to her room and had a small mirror in tow with her magic. Samus took it out of her grasp and set it in front of her face. Other than her quite unkempt hair, Samus's attention was instantly drawn to both of her eyes:

Her natural blues were more brilliant and were... unmistakably cat-like.

She blinked a couple of times and rubbed her eyes but alas, her vision remained perfect and nothing changed.

"...well then. That can't be good..." Samus remarked, recalling the telltale signs of the Nightmare.

"Twilight we should contact the Princesses..." Spike pointed out, a piece of darker (urgent status) paper in his hand as well as a quill.

"Good idea! Send to both of them the discovery and that we need them here ASAP."

Spike nodded as he scribbled before sending the message away in his green flame. Samus, however, was preoccupied with gazing at herself in the mirror and figuring out how this came about.

"This is unbelievable..." Luna spoke softly with great surprise as she manipulated Samus's head with her hoof under the former's chin. Samus was keen on letting her do what she wanted if it meant getting to the bottom of this, so she sat still and let the Night Princess examine her. Celestia was off to the side observing, as were the Elements plus Spike.

"And you're certain you've been feeling none of the symptoms I spoke with you about...?" Luna asked once more. Samus nodded her head.

"Positive. I woke up beautifully rested, no headache, no cold sweats, no pain aside from my omnipresent muscle soreness, no odd bouts of emotions or violent mood swings... nothing. Although I'll say... I think my vision has improved a tad."

"Most interesting... I have never in my life seen such a thing." Luna then addressed Celestia: "I did not acquire eyes like these until I turned... yes?"

"I don't recall seeing anything weird about you apart form your overall demeanor," the Sun Princess answered.

"Hmmm... perhaps the induction of another element..." Luna pondered, looking off to the side with a thoughtful gaze.

"Am I able to take on another so soon?" Samus asked, slightly uncertain.

"You're taking to magic abnormally well... possibly from your inherent upbringing from the Chozo. You should be able to absorb another," Celestia inferred. The Mane Six plus Spike had kept their distance while the Princesses went about their business but only then did Twilight pipe up:

"If the Nightmare has found a way to circumvent the Elemental barriers, albeit slowly, the induction of another should slow it down if not place it in a dormant state, at least temporarily."

"While the elements are not all present, I do not believe the Nightmare has been able to counteract their pacifying nature... but the lack of any other symptoms associated with the corruption is what has me perturbed." Luna then gave an indifferent sigh, not sure where to go from there. "Very well... do we have an element available?"

Celestia produced a familiar enchanted box.

"I brought one, expecting the worst," she stated before opening the box and letting the magic within filter out. Said anomaly coalesced into a sky-blue entity, which when, upon 'purifying' itself, took on the form of a single blue balloon... gently oscillating and subtly bouncing in the air.

"So that's what they look like in their magical forms..." Twilight spoke out loud. The rest of the mares were entranced by the display's beauty. The way the excess magic sparkled and in some sense 'orbited' around the representation of Pinkie's cutie mark was hypnotizing.

Samus wasted no time in 'grasping' the magic and letting it travel up her arm, all over her body, and then finally, like always, combining somewhere in her chest before it was completely absorbed by her form; only difference this time is she was still sitting down during the process. The others watched the process closely and, as was expected by Samus and the princesses, the former's eyes pulsed sky-blue for several seconds... and the moment of truth came.

"Well...?" Samus asked everyone, not really wanting to pick up the mirror and see for herself. Luna and Celestia had a look of disbelief.

"The elemental induction removed the extra brilliance from your eyes... so they appear to be normal color. Nevertheless, your pupils are still elongated," Luna commented. Samus then picked up the mirror and saw for herself.

Natural color is back... it's something.

"Well, until someone finds out what's causing this, I guess I'll be getting used to it," Samus conceded, more indifferent on the matter than she'd expect herself to be.

"Not gonna lie... it's kinda creepy to look you in the eyes now..." Rainbow Dash commented bluntly. In response to her comment, Samus moved some of her hair out of her face and threw an exaggerated glare at Rainbow Dash, eyes wide and everything. The moment the prismatic-maned pony locked eyes with the Hunter, she recoiled with a shiver up her spine.

"Eeechh!!"

Applejack and Pinkie, as well as Samus, could not help but giggle. Hard. It was only then that Samus fully processed her own actions.

Where did that come from??

"It appears this particular Element already had some effect on you..." Celestia commented with a small inflection of humor in her voice. Samus then decided to check her wrist-console.

[Element of Harmony Acquired!]

[This is the Element of Laughter, the fourth of six. Acquisition of all six will unlock presently unknown abilities. Pursuit of remaining elements highly recommended.]

"Well, that's four down, two more to-"

"Data Received."

"Eh?" Samus looked down to her console. The others looked on curiously.

[Equip Suit and bring up Suit Diagnostic view for more information.]

Samus stood up and in a bright flash of light, her (again, damaged) Astral Suit was equipped. Pressing a specific button near her visor, her vision was assaulted with a silhouette display of her Suit, with several pointers jutting out from specific modules of her armor which highlighted abilities contained within a particular module's purview. For example, her Arm Cannon contained the abilities (with descriptions) of the Power Beam, Night Beam, and missile variations.

The entire list was populated but a new ability was added under Arm Cannon, Visors, Magic, and Miscellaneous. Like her time on Zebes, each was in a garbled, gibberish language and was unable to be deciphered for more information, as they were not compatible with her current suit. She unequipped her armor and stretched once more.

"What happened?" Luna questioned.

"It appears more is happening when I obtain an element than merely just holding on to it..."

"Like what?" Celestia asked, cocking her head.

"My suit is telling me that these elements have provided me with hidden abilities... but they're not compatible with my current suit and as such, I have no idea what they are," Samus explained.

"So you mean the elements are acting almost as... weapons?" Rarity spoke up.

"So it seems, but I won't truly know until I get these unlocked... if I get them unlocked."

"Most interesting... we'll have to see what these developments yield. If it wouldn't kill you instantly, I'd give you the last two Elements immediately!" Luna perked up.

"So you'd sacrifice my life for scientific research?" Samus responded, jesting easily heard through her stoic and level voice.

"Repeatedly!" the Lunar Princess replied a bit too eagerly. Snickering erupted from the Spike and Pinkie.

"That's comforting to know, Luna. You'll always be in my heart." Samus ran both of her hands through her hair, removing her hair-band and re-tying it on. Before more conversation could continue, the door to the Library opened, a Magickakorps soldier standing in its place.

"Your Highnesses... they're moving," the faceless pony spoke in a husky voice.

"Then let us observe," Luna replied and moved to exit, along with Celestia.

"Wait... what did I miss?" Samus asked, still unsure of what was going on.

"Your Army is ready to march northward."

"Stay here for now," Celestia softly ordered the Elements, who nodded with gentle smiles.

This was an interesting development... considering Federation High Command had told her that there were only a few thousand troops on standby... a far cry from an 'army.' So, naturally the best way to satiate her curiosity was to follow the crowd outside. All in all, Samus really was not prepared for what she saw... and somehow the torrential rain, though restricting her vision, added some majesty to the sights:

The Federation foothold was not just restricted to Ponyville, which by this point had become a de facto military installation... rather, the Federation had effectively occupied several square miles of Ponyville Fields. Samus trusted the Princesses to lead the way, so she blindly followed as she gazed around. There were thousands beyond thousands of troops in the area... probably upwards of seven thousand if she had to make an educated assessment. It would make sense, considering the large warship that was currently sitting peacefully in the distance on the fields, still continuing to disembark the last of the soldiers and supplies.

Turning towards Luna and Celestia, the two had very different expressions on their faces. The latter had a look of intimidation... one which spoke of not having seen such an enormous concentration of combat-ready forces well above her technological expertise. Luna, on the other hand, was eating it all up. She had almost a giddy expression being surrounded by unknown technology and all things military. After wading through the endless columns of Marines, it appeared the trio had arrived at their destination at the outskirts of Ponyville.

"Colonel Borsig..." Luna spoke up, finding exactly who she was looking for. The middle-aged Federation officer perked up and turned around, a pleasantly surprised smile adorning his features and not seeming to care about the rain in the slightest since he was dressed in a rain coat.

"Princesses Celestia and Luna, a pleasure to see you both again." He then found the Hunter in tow. "And to you, Samus... welcome back to the land of the living! Hope we didn't make too much noise out here."

"No... actually you guys did well. Damn! You all were efficient. Gotta say, this definitely looks like more than the original few thousand troops maximum I was promised," she articulated her observations.

"When you first contacted us quite early through your arrival, we did not expect an invasion-capable fleet from the Space Pirates. We had to adapt accordingly." He then recoiled lightly while looking at Samus, blinked a few times, and leaned in more. "Samus... is there something wrong with your eyes?"

Aaaand so it begins...

"No... well technically yes. It's a long story and one I don't want to speak of at the moment," she replied stoically.

"As you wish. Either way, you're looking very well rested, which is good since we'll need you in top shape for the operations in the north." With that, he removed a holo-projector from his coat pocket and activated it. Upon activation, the blue-hued hologram displayed a 3D map of Equestria.

"Incredible..." Luna spoke out at the perfect cartographical representation of her nation. Even Celestia, while less inclined technologically, had to give credit where credit was due.

"You haven't seen anything yet, Your Highness..." Borsig alluded with suspense as to what was to come in the near future. "Anyway, here's what's going on."

Several markers lit up on the 3D map.

"The Light Blue Federation Insignia indicates our positions... the larger they are, the more concentrated and numerous. So, here we are in Ponyville. Since the Space Pirates have operational control over central and part of northern Equestria, this is where we're concentrated. Our forces are going to move northward along this main 'highway.' On the way, we're going to assist in retaking the city of Trottingham, as per Celestia's request."

"As per both of our requests, actually. My troops will approach from the opposite direction and we shall squeeze the invaders between our two battle groups, meeting up in the city center," Luna added in.

"Quite so," Borsig continued, adding the Magickakorps symbols to the map to signify Equine elite-troop positions. "Trottingham is the largest and most important obstacle in our path. Once taken, we can ensure any civilians still within the city are tended to. As well, the area shall serve as a forward supply center."

"My troops will take care in liberating the rest of the minor cities and towns," Luna was sure to add.

"I'll ensure the regular army and Guards Force are mobilized and combat-ready to take up defensive positions in recaptured areas," Celestia contributed. Samus continued to watch the interactive hologram as she listened intently, observing the arrows of various colors moving to tentative positions regarding future movements.

"The heaviest fight will be once we reach the western part of the 'Frozen North.' We'll deal with the Pirate's main forces there," Borsig pointed out.

"And Samus, you'll assist the Crystal Empire directly," Luna cut in.

"Sounds like a plan to me."

"We can adapt if at all necessary, but for now, that's what we'll go by." Borsig deactivated the holo-projector and placed it back in his coat pocket. "Now, were you here to observe the movement north?"

"Indeed we are," Luna affirmed, taking her place next to Celestia. Samus stood next to Luna and decided to equip her suit, as she was getting a bit cold from the rainfall. "I'm also curious about all of this equipment and technology you are in possession of. Would you care to elaborate more if I have questions?"

"Sure thing! Our army should be good to go any-"

Several squadrons of Stiletto fighters screamed overhead (though were unseen by the cloud and rain coverage), followed by simultaneous commands through dozens of bullhorns. Soldiers lined up in perfect columns and turned on their feet in perfect synchronization.

"Speak of the devil..."

The four lined up on the outskirts, having a perfect view of the Federation's forces departing immediately. Luna's first question was about the trooper's armor, as she wanted to draw comparisons between her own soldiers' equipment. Borsig answered what he could and Luna, as stated before, was just eating it all up. Samus was just diligently and silently observing, while Celestia on the other hand, had different thoughts running through her head.

"FORWARD... MARCH!"

And just like that, a tidal wave of pure force was launched northward. Celestia observed Federation Marines in perfect columns, rifles slung on their sides, marching forward wordlessly. They all looked the same to her through their armor, and said armor of hundreds combined in the first wave generated a rhythmic sound of metal and boots hitting the ground. Row after row passed her and she could only wonder how young these humans were, marching off to war and fighting for complete strangers.

The rows thinned out a bit and what marched in front of her, she could only guess were more specialized units. These soldiers carried larger weapons, many taking the form of the rifles she saw but much longer. Others were these enormous tube-like 'things' that had to be shoulder mounted. The Sun Princess wondered how these troops could carry all this weight, in addition to what they were carrying. All she knew was that they could probably cause more damage than the common soldier.

The specialized units were soon mixed with what looked like (to her) extremely fast carriages with weapons mounted on them. She did not grasp the idea of a fast-attack vehicle, so Celestia could only guess that they were supposed to be armored, yet mobile units. Peering over to her sister, Borsig was incessantly explaining everything that came into view, and all Celestia was able to pick up was 'Light Recon-Assault Vehicle'... whatever that meant.

Several minutes of soldiers and vehicles (and soldiers on vehicles) passed by her, but she was not prepared for what was next. Her eyes widened as she gazed upon the rows of what looked like, to her, beasts composed of metal and machine, which possessed what looked like rotating cannons. Soldiers marched alongside these weapons of war like nothing, but to her, these armored beasts filled her with a sense of dread, as she was certain they could carry out destruction on an unprecedented scale. Again, all she was able to pick out of the conversation between Luna and Borsig was 'Jackknife Main Battle-Tank.'

Celestia was not sure how much time passed after that, but soon enough, a loud roaring was heard from the mighty engines of the Federation warship that had touched down. Having finished its duty of dropping troops and supplies, it was needed to assist in the battle above. The earth shook as it lifted slowly off the ground, any ponies in the vicinity staring with unadulterated awe as it quickly climbed through the cloud layer and headed back to space, the sound of its engines slowly being eclipsed by that of the rain.

"Well, that was most interesting!" Luna commented, having learned a great deal. She was eager to see what she could apply to her own troops, and hopefully develop new equipment to expand her military's capabilities.

"Glad you thought so."

"Samus," Celestia addressed the Hunter. "We're going to need to depart for Crystal Empire as soon as possible. How soon are you prepared to leave?"

"Once I can get back to my ship, repair my suit, and recharge my ammunition, I'll be ready to leave immediately."

"That reminds me," Luna cut in. "While you were out on the downed enemy warship, my soldiers as well as the Federation went to recover your ship. Unfortunately it's completely totaled."

Samus pursed her lips behind her helmet, looking quite irritated.

"Anything else?"

"Not all was lost though. We were able to salvage important parts of your ship which were not heavily damaged or destroyed, and we brought them to you, installing them as you slept," Borsig explained.

"Ummm, what?" Samus asked, completely confused as to what they meant. Installed? Installed where?

"Take her back to the Library. I must remain here and oversee logistics and deployment before I move out as well. I'll see you around," Borsig said his goodbyes for now and went off about his business.

"Let's go back and we'll show you," Celestia added with a gentle smirk of anticipation. Samus complied wordlessly, now eager to see what they meant. Upon arriving and greeting the Elements on their return, Luna gestured with a hoof to the basement.

"Go on... I'm hoping you enjoy what you find," Luna said softly. Samus gazed back at her but wordlessly turned and walked towards the basement entrance. The door hadn't been repaired yet so it was a gaping doorway leading to a flight of stairs downward. Gently traversing down with a metallic clink in each of the Hunter's steps, a light slowly filtered into her vision. When she reached the floor proper and laid eyes upon the devices, she was a bit surprised to say the least. Her suit confirmed everything immediately:

[Save Station Detected]

Lo and behold, the repair bay that was in her ship now stood fully functional and ready to use. Was she happy? Yeah, she was definitely in higher spirits now that she could get her suit back to full integrity. Still, she looked back up to the two alicorns looking down on her from the doorway.

"Just a little way in the sense of... 'thank you, for everything,'" Luna affirmed with a grateful grin. Celestia sported a similar look of admiration.

Samus did not respond. Being completely honest with herself, she did not really know how to respond. So, her words would come later. Now was the time to repair her Astral Suit. So, like many times in the past, she stepped into the chamber and let the machine do its work, and it worked as flawlessly as it did within the confines of her ship. When the process was completed, the arms canopy of the station shot beams of bright-blue light over Samus's entire armored form, effectively replenishing her energy tanks and sterilizing her suit. She then stepped out of the well.

"Such an intricate process... it was almost hypnotizing to watch," Celestia commented.

"I guess the ammunition factories of my ship were beyond salvage?" Samus asked, still in desperate need of missile ammunition.

"Unfortunately so. Borsig had reported that they had been severely damaged. You were lucky that they were not ruptured during the crash," Luna conceded.

"Well, shit..."

"However... that is where the quirks of magic come into play," Celestia spoke with a sense of smugness as she descended the stairs, meeting Samus's gaze nearly eye to eye.

"If you trust me enough, present your cannon and allow me," she gave the Hunter a choice. Samus cocked her head about fifteen degrees.

"I let Luna alter my cannon and suit makeup... I think things should be fine. Knock yourself out," Samus said with little inflection in her usual voice, holding her cannon out passively. Celestia smiled at the Hunter but wasted no time, as she quickly lowered her head and inserted her horn into the barrel of Samus's arm cannon. The Solar Alicorn promptly charged her horn and let her magic filter out within the barrel. At first, Samus noticed nothing different, but that changed within a few seconds as she noticed her missile-reserve meter instantaneously hit one-hundred percent. At that point, Celestia's magic ceased and she removed her horn from the barrel.

[Missile Ammunition fully replenished.]

That was just like a recharge station.

"Thanks, Princess."

"Don't thank me yet, Samus. I gave you a little... something extra," Celestia added, gesturing for her to check.

[Scanning...]
.
.
.
[Anti-Magic Missiles Acquired!]

[Your standard concussion-missiles have been altered through magical manipulation to carry Anti-Magic warheads. The concussive blasts of your missiles will now be charged with anti-magic, extremely effective against magical shields and unicorns in particular. Enchanted metals and crystals may now also be destroyed with ease.]

IIIIIIInteresting...

"I'm sure that'll come in handy. Thanks again."

"My pleasure! Now, are you ready to leave?" Celestia asked Samus, her gaze hardening into one of seriousness and business. Samus, in return, did the same under her visor.

"Let's go."

[Trottingham]

Federation fighters were already engaged with the Space Pirate airforce by the time the main army arrived at Trottingham. The city was surprisingly still intact from the outside, considering it was nigh laid to waste from street to street. About a dozen Recon Units and APCs had sped ahead of the main force and quickly took positions amongst the lush, green hills surrounding the Equestrian city. Their job was to take the first few city streets and blocks to secure a foothold for the army to grasp onto. The lead vehicle held the mission commander, who quickly opened radio comms:

"Alright, welcome to Trottingham, ladies and gents. Princess Luna's troops are ready to move in on the opposite end of the city and it's our job to get a foothold here, making it easier for the main force to flush the Pirates out. First, we take the first two blocks lining Mane Street. Then, we spread out horizontally until we reach the city limits perpendicular to where we enter. Let's do this by the books and we'll hopefully get out of this in one piece. Our new Marine-Pony joint task force is gonna take point. You know your objectives... now let's move out!"

The doors to the lead APC were thrown open, and two lines filed out side by side, one of four Marines, and the other of four Magickakorps troopers. All had their rifles in their hands (or magical grasps) as they filed out of their carrier and met up in front, getting an eyeful of Trottingham on fire. There were mixed reactions amongst the newly-named Crusader-Vector Squad, or simply CV Squad.

"My home..." Starry muttered softly as she took in the sights. She was not able to get word from her parents when the Pirates struck and she did not know whether or not they were safe.

"And we're taking it back," Nathan spoke up, clutching his rifle a bit tighter. Starry looked up at him, armored face to armored face, and new determination ran through her veins. She was so ready for this.

"Everyone's equipment good?" Constance asked once. Everyone responded with their own affirmations.

"Who's got the machine gun?" Arianna took a turn to ask a question. Sydney lifted the massive Light Machine Gun, strapping her usual rifle to her back.

"Right here."

"Let's do this..." Windfire spoke up, ready for a fight.

"Don't have all the fun," Radiance chimed in, taking her place next to her stallion brother in arms.

"Then prepare for combat... let's move!!" Jacob ordered with a hand gesture forward, and with that, the eight took off jogging down the hill towards their first objective, arming their weapons while more troops backed them up. The Liberation of Trottingham had begun.

[Crystal Empire]

The sky was ablaze over the majestic ranges of the Crystal Empire. While the crystals themselves provided outstanding color shows with sunlight reflection, the areal battle overhead between Pirate and Federation Forces carried a different sense of intimidating beauty. Despite warnings to stay inside and safe, many of the Crystal Ponies could not turn away from the dangerous firestorm of lights presented to them. Explosions of energy charges, aircraft going up in flames, and the like were awe-inspiring even moreso due to the fact that nopony really understood what these flying beasts actually were.

Although the shield erected over the Crystal City had taken a beating in recent days, pressure was taken off when Federation forces finally arrived, engaging the Space Pirate air and ground forces with their own fleets of fighters and bombers. This had been a norm for the last twelve hours, but what was different this time was the new squadron of aircraft approaching the heart of the Crystal Empire, bearing the Federation insignia. Two Federation dropships escorted by a squadron of Stiletto Fighters made itself known in the airspace.

Samus, clad in her armor, sat in the left rear-most seat closest to the rear exit of the dropship, looking down at the scenery below. Next to her sat Princess Luna and a squad of Magickakorps soldiers, while Celestia rode in the second dropship. In the parallel row sat three Marines, on board for logistics purposes. The pilot of the craft called back into the carriage, addressing Luna.

"We're on an approach vector to the Crystal City now. The shield's still up, Ma'am!"

"As it should be. Just continue flying, Pilot, and worry not about the shields. I'll take care of that," the Lunar Alicorn responded in kind. While the pilot was hesitant to fly straight into what looked like a city-sized energy shield, she followed orders and pressed onward. As they got closer and closer, their fighter escort broke off to rejoin the battle. Luna's horn began to glow, encasing the entire craft in her teal-hued magic. The second Federation dropship experienced a similar anomaly, save the magical hue was Celestia's golden aura. True to her word, the two ships effortlessly passed through the powerful shield with nothing greater than minor turbulence.

"Welcome to the Crystal Empire, Samus."

The Hunter's vision craned downward once more to notice the beautiful structures and streets... the city in general was pristine and radiant... literally. The name "Crystal Empire" was now perfectly apt in Samus's mind. She had little time to dwell on her thoughts when the dropships touched down in front of the Royal Crystal Palace.

"Thank you for your services, Pilot," Luna thanked the pilot, to which the latter saluted.

"No problem, Ma'am. Good luck over here!"

Samus wasted no time in exiting the dropship and setting foot for the first time in the Crystal City, the capital of the Empire. Her boots sounded audibly against the glass-like streets as she took in the sights around her. She did not outwardly admit it, but this would be a place she'd love to explore more.

"A marvelous sight, is it not?" Celestia asked rhetorically, taking a place next to Samus.

"It's nice."

"Indeed. Come, it's time to meet Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor. Then, we discuss what must be done over the coming days."

With that, the duo joined up with Luna and her troops before proceeding straight to the entrance of the Palace, ready to formulate the defense of the Crystal Empire and the inevitable counterattack that would stem from within its borders.

Edited by Random_Dragon

25.5. The Warhorse

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 25.5

The Warhorse

[Starfall Fortress]

Time: ~1 hour after events of Chapter 24

Samus was safely tucked away in bed after the successful rescue of Luna's remaining troops. Unbeknownst to her, or any others though, Luna immediately requested the aid of those four soldiers, including a fully recovered Starry Night. They did not have much time, as the sun was due to rise within a few hours but nevertheless they had a mission personally sanctioned by the Night Princess herself. After easy travel due to targeted, long range teleportation, the group of five found themselves at the entrance of the once mighty Starfall Fortress, almost identically where Samus passed through several days prior.

"I apologize for drawing you away from your return home, but something important came up and I would trust no others to assist me," Luna was the first to break the ice, fully clad in her battle armor, as were the remnants of Vector Squad.

"Officially fused with the humans in a joint task force and you've already separated us, Princess?" Constance joked.

"Indeed, but nopony else can know about this. You'll be returned to joint jurisdiction upon mission complete. Let us get moving," the Princess instructed and lead the way forward into the massive fortress. Constance, Starry, Windfire, and Radiance armed their Federation Rifles that they were issued to use before falling into step.

"Use your horns, soldiers. Human weapons will be of no use here," Luna craned her head backwards, not losing her step. The four looked at each other and inwardly shrugged, attaching their rifles to their backs and moving onward. Starry took her place right next to Luna as they continued down the first corridor in pitch blackness. Luna lit her horn with a light spell.

"It appears Samus passed through these exact walls... but our path shall differ right here," Luna thought out loud, taking a left turn where she had sensed the Hunter had instead turned right. Windfire brought up the rear, ensuring they were not followed, before rejoining the group.

"Princess," Starry piped up, "Forgive me for asking, but why exactly are we here?" Luna chuckled a bit.

"I did not really tell you all much, did I? Well, I suppose I owe you that much. In hindsight, I need your help in looking for something."

"What are we looking for?" Radiance asked.

"While ponydom descends directly from the Alicorns, in hindsight we know almost nothing about them. Even Celestia and I, under the rule of our Father, did not have exposure to the true majesty of what was the Alicorn Empire of eras long past. Father was well over ten thousand years our senior and there was still so much he did not tell us. However, upon searching royal archives of recovered ancient texts... something is here in this fortress..."

The four continued through the fortress, although it took nowhere near as long as Samus to navigate, as Luna appeared to know exactly where she was going, as evident by her predictable and calculable movements. There were large lulls in conversation as the group listened to the quiet... almost too quiet... ambiance of the long abandoned stronghold.

"What exactly?" Starry urged on, even more curious now. The group entered what appeared to be some training chamber.

"A weapon. The final battle of the Draconic War was fought at the Second Battle of Starfall Fortress. The First Battle, we were barely able to hold our own... but in the Second... we shattered the back of the Dragon Hordes. That was all thanks to what is something known as 'The Warhorse,'" Luna explained.

"What is it?" Constance asked.

"I do not know. Discovered texts only described it as monstrous in design, composed by Metal of the Visitors, and held together by Magic of the Alicorns. It is of Alicorn design, but the Visitors helped refine and produce the materials of greater quality than we could ever have achieved at the time. Whatever it is, it was enough to warrant the Dragon Horde's scattering at Starfall that day."

"But that was many thousands of years ago... How do we even know it's here, let alone it actually being functional and not rusted to time?" Windfire questioned.

"Notice how much of the remaining devices here are still somewhat functional. The Alicorns had used spells to prevent metallic and stone decay... or prolong its onset, rather. Even if such technology is barely useable, it is relatively simple to apply restoration spells, so long as the object in question has not decayed beyond repair. Texts describe that the Warhorse was enshrined here, just in case the Dragons mounted a desperate counterattack. None came, and the lack of any major conflicts did not necessitate its use, so here it supposedly remained. Whether it was salvaged is the real question," Luna lectured once more. The four stayed silent as they fell in closer by Luna. By then, the group of five had come to a very large entrance to subterranean catacombs. Honestly, with what they were able to see with magically casted light, this aperture to the unknown was easily thirty feet wide, and combined with how high the ceilings normally rested in this fortress, it was pretty big.

"We're making excellent timing... let's continue on..." Luna was interrupted when a ghastly whine sounded throughout the corridor behind them. Everyone jumped and got into battle ready stances, horns pointed to the pitch black path where they came from.

"Go! Into the catacombs. We have little time to deal with Alicorn Spirits," Luna ordered. Everypony complied immediately, and Starry was the first one leading the charge down. Paranormal activity gave her the chills. After about an entire minute of stairs and more stairs, the squads hooves finally met level ground. Shining light around the area revealed that only the ground was paved, while the walls and ceiling seemed more natural, like an underground tunnel. However, said catacombs kept the length and width of the original entrance, so it was not crowded by any means.

"I think we lost 'em..." Constance broke the silence.

"For now, so it seems. We must keep moving though," Luna affirmed, taking point once more and amplifying her generated light.

"Forgive me for the continued questions, Princess, but why exactly would we need such a device with a questionable existence?" Starry pointed out, a little bashful at her desire to know. Radiance would have piped up with a friendly insult for her best friend, but Luna was known for not tolerating any snide comments between comrades in her presence; she was purely business in battle. So, she kept silent and laughed to herself.

"While this Galactic Federation has proven most amicable and helpful, and Celestia and myself are wholly grateful, I do not like relying on a foreign entity. Celestia has been in talks with the Griffons about the crisis and they have expressed interest in a united front, but even so, it is different with the Federation. We're now involved in a much larger-scale war than I have ever seen in my life and I wish to make sure we have the ability to adapt. In order to do so, we have much to catch up on in the ways of technology," the Night Princess again lectured as she lead the group down further into the catacombs.

"What about our magic? The Federation soldiers do not seem capable of utilizing or producing it," Constance asked.

"Magic should be used as an aid, not as a crutch. That being said, our magical ability will enable us to advance relatively quickly technologically. As well, taking inspiration from our mighty ancestors will only help... exactly what we are trying to do now."

They had been walking for who knew how long. Starry had lost track of time since the scenery never seemed to change around her. What wasn't illuminated by their horns was pitch black by every definition of the phrase. What was visible was merely a different rendition of rock and dirt, held together so perfectly and composed of many--albeit drab--colors. Her thoughts followed a surprisingly linear track, which was even odd for her, considering the eccentric mare's mind tended to bounce around (though not as much as Pinkie's, of course).

For such a powerful and revered race, the Alicorns never gave much thought to the underground.

Well duh, who was gonna see it?

Riiiiight.

She continued the mental conversation with herself, having tuned out the others a decent while ago. She was certain that this tunnel went on forever at this point... or they were going in circles. Nothing seemed to change to her.

I'm bored already.

Starry rarely got bored on missions, but when she did, it was usually because of too much walking. Then again, she and the Magickakorps as a whole had not been called up fully until very recently.

Nathan would have something interesting to say...

There was that thought again... the one that made the powerful, gray unicorn-mare under all her intimidating armor feel so small.

Ugh... what the hell is...

"BOO!"

"AAAAAHHH!" Starry jumped almost two feet vertically before reflex made her jam her horn into Radiance's face, who began busting out laughing. The other three were startled out of their minds, and all eyes were on the pair.

"Starlight! Calm yourself, you need not be this spry. And Radiance, that will be all..." Luna spoke in an authoritative tone, subtly communicating "knock it off."

The walk continued, albeit with Starry a bit shaky in her steps. Radiance gently made her way to her best friend and fell into step with her.

"I think I know what youuuuu're thinking about..." she spoke softly, as to not draw the ire of Princess Luna, although she was already drawing Starry's ire by the millisecond. The latter opted to ignore the former.

"When he rescued you and picked you up in his biiiig strong arms...."

"Radiance, if you don't shut the fu..."

"We're here," Luna spoke loud enough to get everypony's attention. Looking ahead, the single catacomb tunnel (however large) spread out into something even more enormous... so much so that none of their lights could reach the end. All that was seen was just pitch black.

"This is the Preparation Chamber. It must be around here somewhere. Let us search, for we cannot miss it in direct light."

There was no imagery for their brains to process, as they could not see anything but the oddly neat floor beneath them. They were trotting blind as they attempted to shine their lights in every-which direction in hopes of finding their prize. For several minutes, no luck was had. Windfire happened to kick a small stone into the darkness, only to have it collide with something metallic sounding, and immediately being followed by the sound of a large spell dissipating.

"What was that?" Constance asked, as she was the closest. Windfire was already on the case as he shined his horn in the direction to where he kicked the rock, only to be met with an enormous metallic-gray (most likely silver) mass. His head traveled upward, his horn following suit and consequently the light, and soon enough, he was met with the face of intimidation. As his gaze ascended, his eyes widened and his jaw descended. It all made sense: the reason they had not been able to find anything, as well as the mysterious magical sound, was because it had been perpetually camouflaged.

"Ummm... uh... I think we found it..." his voice sounded out to everypony, uncharacteristically shaky.

The others who were away immediately grouped by his side and shined their lights to meet his own. Luna, once again, took the forefront.

"Whoa..." Radiance finally got out

"Oh my Celestia..." Starry added.

"I... wow..." Constance even had few words. Luna did not speak immediately afterwords, just studying the gargantuan object in front of her. The only immediate reaction was the smile slowly etching its way onto her face, turning into a full-fledged, teeth-bearing grin of determination and enlightenment, especially when a few rudimentary magical scans revealed that it was still very much operational. Only then did she speak:

"The Warhorse lives..."

Luna gazed behind her and motioned for her troops to back up, so they could get a better view of the monstrosity before them: the object had four enormous legs, so definitely quadrupedal, and it was completely covered in some unknown, hyper-refined metal alloy coated with a distinct crystalline sheen. There was a torso... and a head...

"It's... it's an alicorn..." Starry commented, finally seeing the distinctive shape and features. Standing between forty to fifty feet high was indeed a giant, metallic-looking alicorn. The forelegs were connected to the upper-legs via magical joints which were inactive (so stiff and rigid), and likewise for the upper-legs and the torso. Most was anatomy was correct, including a proportionally large pair of metallic "wings" attached to the back. There was no mane or tail to be seen, and Luna was not quite sure why that was. The four eyes, two in each 'socket,' were large, grayed out orbs of nothingness that stared lifelessly everywhere at once, and as if the intimidation factor was not enough, the fact that there were two mouths with two rows of metallic teeth sent chills down their collective spines. To them, the entire fortress catacombs seemed to drop twenty degrees as the metallic face stared deep into their beings. To top it all off, there was a single horn, quite elongated compared to alicorn standards, and if size estimates were accurate, was easily twenty feet in length.

Nothing was said for several moments as the five silently gave reverence to the machine of war in front of them... one which had been so decisive in making an aggressive and ruthless horde turn and run completely. All anypony was certain of at this moment, was that Equestria now had an ace up her sleeve.

A game-changer.

Author's Notes:

Sorry, Random_Dragon! Needed to push this out and I wasn't patient enough at this point lol.

Yeah, we're going a bit back in time, but it's necessary. I was debating on when the Warhorse was going to make an entrance, and ultimately its announcement was optimal at around this time. So, sorry for the lack of Samus in here. I've already written somewhere along the lines of 500 to 1000 words of Samus in the Crystal Empire but I did not like the way the two themes clashed, so I moved the Crystal Empire scene to next chapter. More details on that below.

Three guesses as to where I got my inspiration for the Warhorse from. Just in case you can't though, Quadraxis was one of my favorite bosses of all time.

Shorter chapter than my usual, I know, but just a little something to tide you over while I go into finals. If I waited to work on this after finals, I'd have no desire to do shit. Chapter 26 will be very exploration-oriented, so lots of scan data, walking, inner thoughts, occasional action here and there, some dialogue but not as much as in other chapters. You guys have been right though: there hasn't been as much exploring like in any of the Metroid games, so to rectify that, she'll have a full chapter devoted to it!

Sorry for the influx of .5 chapters... they're very necessary though.

All your thoughts are valued and appreciated!

***Shit guys, I got in the Featured box again!!! A little over a year after this story's publishing, that's the greatest anniversary 'gift' ever!!! You guys are awesome! Thank all of you for your random comments, praise, criticism, whatever! ***

~FW

26. Connecting the Dots

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**Author's Note: Going through some pictures I saved, I saved a particular work of fanart that I don't believe I shared when I said I would... and I feel terrible that I completely forgot about this work of art! So, I'd like to extend my apologies to 1998alberto for forgetting, and so, you're getting featured now, on the longest chapter of the story! Here is a logo he made as if it were a game... and I like it a lot! I hope you all do too!

Now, onto Chapter 26!!

Metroid Equis

Chapter 26

Connecting the Dots

[Starfall Fortress Outskirts]

Time: ~1 hour after the events of Chapter 25.5

"Princess, we're in position outside the sinkhole and are standing by," Constance spoke through the radio. The four Magickakorps troops were at ease on Starfall's outskirts by what looked like a natural, albeit gigantic, sinkhole in the ground. Looking over the edge revealed nothing but blackness, as if the pit that was easily over sixty feet in diameter was a pit to Tartarus itself.

"Confirmed. I am still attempting to figure out how this works, so do give me a few more moments. Thank you for your patience," Luna replied, currently still in the Preparation Chamber.

"Copy that. Have you found a way inside the Warhorse?"

"Indeed. Since it's piloted, there was an entrance on the 'back,' anatomically speaking. There are some odd appendages and I'm trying to figure out how they work in activating this contraption."

"Gotcha. We'll be holding he--"

"Got it! It's some kind of a magical and neural connection to the machine itself. I'm about to connect myself, soldiers. Stand by..." Luna interrupted with an epiphany. Constance, Starry, Windfire, and Radiance all waited anxiously as Luna's words immediately became staticky... and suddenly the line went blank.

"Princess?" Constance asked. Nothing.

"Princess Luna, come in..." Windfire spoke up. Still complete silence. Nopony said anything for an undetermined amount of time, though it seemed like an eternity. Did the process go wrong and kill Luna? That's certainly what the four were thinking, and silently hoping wasn't true.

"...Can you hear my voice?" a familiar, regal voice sounded through the radio. Everypony perked up immediately.

"Princess Luna?"

"Indeed! I apologize for keeping you all worrying, but the integration process was a bit weird. I'm honestly surprised that the radio still works... I know not why that is but I shan't look a gift hydra in the mouth," she spoke.

"Really? It actually works in tandem?" Constance curiously asked.

"Ehh... more or less. I may have told a tiny fib... for I'm transmitting my vocal thoughts via the radio uplink. Magic is glorious, is it not?"

"So... what now?" Radiance asked.

"This feels... quite odd, yet interesting nonetheless. It is like my consciousness has been transferred to the machine itself! This... this is remarkable!"

"Copy that, do you need us to find you?" Constance clarified.

"Negative. I shall come to you as originally planned. Stand by..."

They did just that, sitting on their haunches by this gaping hole, waiting. After a couple of minutes, there was a noticeable, rhythmic shake of the earth that was originating from below their position. The four looked at each other oddly (though their helmets obscured it) while the tremors became greater in intensity, the frequency never changing. It got to a point where whatever was moving was right under them, feeling the tremors work their way into their muscles and bones. After a brief lapse in seismic activity, they all perked up again at the sound of what would best be described as 'metallic movement,' followed by another decent sized tremor... then another, and another, and one more. Truth be told, none of the fearless Magickakorps troopers wanted to look into the massive, artificial sinkhole for they knew what was inside... and making its way up.

After waiting anxiously through even more of shaking earth (Starry's teeth started chattering involuntarily due to movement), a gigantic, metallic-silvery appendage reached out of the hole and got a hoof-hold over the edge, followed by another on the opposite side. They immediately became discernible as legs and hooves.

[Suggested Listening]

The four began to back up a bit apprehensively into greater tree density, giving the machine enough room to surface. With some more metallic movement and clanking later, the enormous hooves released their contracted positions, revealing the upper body of the Warhorse in all its glory, save for the fact that its four eyes were glowing teal blue, much like Luna's. As well, a proportional magical mane appeared on its head and the back of the neck, identical to Luna's ethereal mane. Getting a better grip with the hind hooves, the Warhorse hoisted itself up and out of the sinkhole, revealing an identical tail to complete the figure.

The Warhorse... the incredible, giant alicorn of metal and magic, was fully operational.

"Awesome!!!" Starry called out upward towards the mighty machine, where Luna was safely inside.

"Jeez... I can't believe it. It actually works..." Constance admitted.

"You might want to move around a bit and get a feel for it, Princess," Windfire suggested. The four of them fell in line to gaze upon their superior, superior in more ways than one. The Warhorse looked down upon them with the four-eyed gaze and double mouth... it even looked like it was breathing naturally!

"That is a wise idea... very well soldiers, let us test the Warhorse out," Luna's voice sounded off in their radios. The machine raised a hoof, took a look around, and then set it back on the ground with a gentle tremor of the earth.

"Alright, Princess... even though you were able to get out of there yourself, let's see some basic movements again. Try lifting all your hooves one by one," Radiance instructed, referring to the Warhorse and Princess Luna as one entity for clarity. The Warhorse responded by lifting its left hoof off the ground, like any pony would naturally in an act of trepidation, before setting it back down and repeating the simple task on the other three. Luna fancied a look at her hooves, and the Warhorse responded in kind.

Seeing her 'metallic' hooves and body was a bit off putting nevertheless. Inside the warhorse itself, Luna's true body was suspended in a simple, teal-colored magical field with an arm-like appendage connecting directly to her horn, while other similar devices held her body in place. Her face bore an expression akin to sleeping peacefully, and other than the necessary equipment 'operating' on the Lunar Princess, the internals of the machine were quite spartan, with plenty of space inside. Since her consciousness was transferred, her true form did not actually move the way she willed, and only the Warhorse responded to her physical commands.

"How does it feel?" Windfire pipped up.

"It feels oddly natural... although the height disparity is going to take some 'getting used to' as you say."

"Okay, now try simple movement. Show us an easy, standard walk," Constance took her turn with instruction. The Warhorse gave a nod and faced forward before beginning a gentle walk, as if enjoying the view. Of course, the four elite unicorns were forced to gallop along side the machine to keep up with it due to the sheer size difference. Keeping up through the foliage of the Everfree was easier said than done but it would be a little hard to lose the Warhorse among the trees. Each time one of its hooves hit the ground, it was accompanied by a gentle shake of the ground.

"This is riveting!" Luna spoke through the radio. She willed walking for a few more moments before coming to a stop, a hoof raised in a natural movement she was used to performing by habit.

"Princess! Rear up!" Starry almost pleaded. Luna chuckled inwardly and hunched down (the Warhorse followed in kind, and at this point, 'Luna' and 'the Warhorse' are one in the same), before raising her upper body off the ground and almost doubling her height. She flailed her front hooves a bit to add an extra intimidation factor to the rearing up before letting said hooves fall back to earth with an enormous tremor, enough where the four troops lost their footing and stumbled over each other.

"I don't even want to test trotting and galloping right now..." Windfire added with a nervous chuckle.

"Yeah that would probably be ill advised," Luna agreed.

"Then let's test weapon capabilities," Constance proclaimed with a business-like tone. "Try just calling upon magic?"

Luna did just that and found her horn light up as it should. As well, she felt her magic proportionally amplified to her size, so, for instance, if she could levitate a heavy stone with ease, the Warhorse could probably levitate a boulder fifty times the stone's size without strain. As a test, she uprooted a patch of trees and brought them up to her face to observe. Easy enough.

"So it looks like spells are amplified accordingly. Try conjuring your blade," Radiance suggested. Luna called upon her magic again, her extraordinarily long horn lighting up again, and summoning a magical blade about as long as her barrel, easily surpassing a decent amount of Everfree trees in terms of length. She twirled it around expertly before dissipating it.

"Lastly, try simple hard-magic fire," Constance added again. Luna lit her horn up again and fired four standard bolts of hard magic, though the result was like firing a high-powered magical cannon akin to what could be found in Starfall Fortress proper.

"Amazing... simply amazing. We'll test more later; we're short on time," Constance conceded.

"The Space Pirates are in for a biiiiig surprise..." Starry darkly alluded. Right then, the Warhorse's eyes went gray and the leg joints stiff, while the mane and tail disappeared. Moments later, a hatch on the back opened outward and Luna herself appeared, face covered in some sweat, before waving and yelling down at her troops:

"Now, let's figure out how we're going to move this northward undetected... and where..."

"...Forgive me, Your Highness, but you don't know where you want this, let alone how to transport it?"

"I never believed we would get this far, honestly."

[The Crystal Empire]

Present Time

The Crystal City of the Crystal Empire was gorgeous, Samus had to give credit where credit was due. However, the Royal Crystal Palace was something else entirely. To her, it appeared as if the entire structure was composed of a giant diamond by it sheer reflectiveness. The details were completely perfect, and even the geometry was awesome. True to a crystal's nature, nothing was "rounded," rather every structure, including, of course, the palace, was purely jagged in the most regal definition of the word. Samus could not stop moving her head in different directions to get a complete view of her setting.

"Samus, shall we move on?" Luna asked, stepping next to the armor-clad Hunter and taking her out of her imaginative stupor. The latter unequipped her suit in an instantaneous bright flash of light.

"Yup."

With that, the royal sisters took their places next to each other with Samus in tow. Four Magickakorps soldiers took positions on either side of the trio. As they began the short trek to the main entrance, Samus's peripheral vision spied some movement between the residential structures. Fancying a closer look, she found a normal earth pony mare... save for the fact that her coat was absolutely pristine and radiant... like it was made of crystal. Samus locked eyes with the mare, whose eyes widened in response and she subsequently tucked tail.

"They're Crystal Ponies," Celestia spoke out, as if she could sense Samus's conflicted thoughts and emotions (she technically could to some extent). "They are like us in many ways, and yet in many ways, different. The obvious being their coats having the metallic, shiny sheen that they do."

Samus didn't respond, continuing to look around as they reached the main stairs. As they began to ascend, she noticed dozens more of these Crystal Ponies peek their heads out from alleyways, homes, businesses, et cetera... curiously eying the new entity whom they have never seen before. It got to the point where Samus didn't want to crane her neck backward, and they reached the main double-doors at the Palace entrance, guarded by two Crystal Guards.

"They're waiting in the throne room, Your Highnesses," the right-most guard spoke in a medium-pitched, accented voice.

"Thank you," Celestia responded as the doors opened for them. They wasted no time in entering through the enormous double doors, Samus facing forward and retaining her trademarked stoic gaze. The Crystal Guards fancied an odd look as she walked past, but the last two Magickakorps soldiers stopped and returned their gaze through their faceless helmets... the reaction being immediate as the two Guards instantly faced forward again.

Once inside the palace proper, the group continued to make their way straight until they came to yet another set of double doors, which Celestia took the liberty of opening herself. Samus was greeted with the throne room, the ceiling which reached the apex of the palace itself and as shiny as the purest glass. Tapestries and banners bearing the flag of the Crystal Empire as well as murals depicting several iconic instances in the Empire's history lined the perfectly carved crystal walls.

Samus paid the rest of the group no heed as she continued to admire and gaze upon the decor. Ultimately, her eyes settled on a particular piece, to which she decided to get a closer look. Breaking off from the main group, she came to eye level with a glass mural of what looked like Spike grabbing a crystalline heart while the entire Crystal City watched. Judging on why it was a commemorative mural, Samus could only infer that he saved it.

The little guy's a hero.... huh.

"I like this one a lot," a new, feminine, unfamiliar voice sounded off right next to Samus, drawing the Hunter immediately out of her exploratory stupor. Turning her head to her right, there stood another alicorn, about as tall as Luna, except that this one was pink in coat, with a long flowing mane of purple, magenta, and gold. Her own gaze was still glued to the mural. "Spike conquered adversity when Twilight was physically unable. The Empire, and myself, are in his debt," she finished with a sigh of genuine gratitude.

"Never thought he had it in him," Samus casually commented in return. Cadance giggled.

"The little one loves Twilight dearly. He'd do anything to protect her and between you and me, Spike would follow her to his death," the newcomer replied, as if casually shooting the breeze with the Hunter.

"So it would seem." Cadance faced Samus properly.

"I'm Mi Amore Cadenza, Princess of Love and of the Crystal Empire, although please, 'Cadance' is preferred. You must be the famous Hunter that Celestia and Luna speak so highly of," she presented her right hoof while making eye contact with the blonde-haired human.

"Samus Aran. Pleasure." She reciprocated the gesture, taking Cadance's hoof in her right hand and giving a firm shake. The alicorn had a determined but welcoming grin on her face, which was soon replaced with one of curiosity.

"I must say, your eyes are... quite interesting," Cadance commented on Samus's reptilian/cat-like eyes.

Goddammit.

"They're not my natural eyes... and it's a long story. One I'd rather not get into at the moment." Cadance gave a sensible chuckle.

"Very well, although I'm sure it's a very entertaining one."

"...You could say that, I guess." It appeared Celestia and Luna had not told Cadance too much, or she was just being coy. Cadance grinned again.

"Come, let's rejoin the others. You also need to meet my husband," the pink alicorn beckoned the blonde-haired Hunter, the latter falling into step with a professional, comfortable distance between the two.

"I take it your husband is Prince of the Crystal Empire?" Samus asked, still keeping her stoic gaze forward and on their destination: Celestia, Luna, and an unknown unicorn of the same coat-color as Celestia.

"Technically yes, but he doesn't really enjoy the title. He still wishes he could go by Captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard."

The pair finally made it back to the main group. The Magickakorps troops stood by at random positions around the throne room.

"Nice of you to rejoin us," Luna said sarcastically with a subtle grin.

"So you're the famous warrior that came from beyond the stars. " the new unicorn addressed Samus with a professional but friendly attitude. To her, he sounded similar to a typical Federation University frat boy... and it was sort of amusing. He wore what looked like a bright red military officer's suit, which perfectly complemented his blue hair and white coat. He wore no other regal attire unlike Cadance, but no one seemed bothered by it. Merely an observation.

"In a sense, yes," she replied indifferently, shifting her weight onto her right leg.

"Well, anypony that's a friend of the Princesses and Twilight is a friend of mine. I'm Shining Armor," he raised his hoof out and Samus shook it with her right hand.

"Samus Aran. So, what're we discussing today?"

"Straight to the point it is. It's time to discuss the current... situation," he began the conversation.

[Suggested Listening]

"How does the Crystal Empire currently fare?" Celestia asked first. Shining Armor took a deep breath and let out a lengthy sigh.

"Surprisingly well given the circumstances. There's the Phazon which you've all brought me up to speed on thanks to Samus here... and to put it simply it's everywhere out there. It's one of the main reasons we've quarantined the entire empire with the shield. The meteor struck about a dozen miles northwest but the Phazon has spread all over the Frozen North region as well as underground. Based on some reports, it looks like there are new deposits forming underneath the Empire itself, but oddly enough, the walkable ground is clear within a few mile radius of us." Cadance then cut in:

"As well, the Space Pirates have fortified positions within the Frozen North, close to large deposits of Phazon. We can't confirm positions due to quarantine, but it looks like the Federation entity you've mentioned, Princesses, is combatting them."

"Yeah. The Pirates are looking to harvest the substance for energy, among other things," Samus confirmed, listening intently.

"I see. There hasn't been any aggression as of lately, but that might have changed without the intervention of the Federation. Still... I'm not entirely certain that we're completely safe," Shining added, shifting on his hooves with uncertainty... and uncertainty was not the only thing killing him softly. "... and I heard Twily was involved in an incident. Is she okay?"

"She is well, Shining, albeit still shellshocked. I spoke with her personally at length, along with Celestia. Her actions saved the lives of her and her friends nonetheless," Luna attempted to assuage Shining's concerns.

"I just hate that I couldn't have been there for her..."

"No need to worry. She and the rest of the Elements will arrive here in a couple of hours, so you may ask her about her well-being yourself," Celestia took her turn with assurances.

"Then... there's the Changeling problem," Cadance added. Celestia and Luna both perked up.

"Here as well?"

"Indeed. Guards on patrol before quarantine reported many confrontations with Changeling drones. Reports indicated they were attempting to gather Phazon from deposits. Many of them died just attempting to transport the substance. What they're using it for is a complete guess."

"Have they attacked the Crystal City?" Luna asked. Shining Armor shook his head.

"No. They've surprisingly kept their distance. They're ignoring us unless we get too close... which is why I don't like this, and I don't think it will stay that way forever."

"We've dealt with issues in Equestria proper and my troops are currently working in tandem with Federation forces to retake major cities and junctions captured by the Space Pirates, and then dealing with the Phazon removal. The source of the substance stemmed from the impact site and spread rapidly, although we can contain the Phazon after the aforementioned operations have ended in success," Luna explained.

"Then we have the Changeling Problem, the Space Pirate Threat, and the Phazon Threat, in which the former two tie in with the latter. This is where you come in, Samus," Celestia turned her attention towards the Hunter, who was standing with her arms crossed.

"How can I help?" she asked stoically.

"We will update you as information comes in, but this is what we have to go on as a tentative plan: We need to see if we can deal with the Space Pirate threat and Changelings almost simultaneously. The Federation will provide us support to the extent of Pirate footholds in the region and the rest of Equestria and the world, so our troops, Federation forces, and the Griffons will deal with fighting them on the front lines for now. The latter entity has decided to commit forces, as Space Pirates have encroached on the Griffon Empire's territories. I apologize if this is rather vague," Celestia explained in detail. Luna then took over:

"As for the Changelings, our knowledge is fairly limited on their whereabouts and intentions, so you may use your best judgement on how to deal with them should you encounter them. I need not reiterate their capabilities to you, or their magic potential."

"Nope, I got it."

"Excellent. You'll be free to explore all of the Crystal Empire and the surrounding Frozen North. I'll draft a press release to ensure that you don't get harassed by the population, but don't expect a friendly welcome just yet," Cadance pointed out.

"I'll get on it, then... but what about the shield? I'm pretty sure I can't just walk right through it," Samus inferred, eager to get on with the show.

"You'd actually be vaporized immediately," Shining Armor added with a pinch of sarcasm. Samus subtly chortled.

"What about a spell like you cast on the dropships? Can you perform the same magic on me?" the Hunter asked with a gentle animation of her right hand.

"Unfortunately not. The effect would not be permanent and there would be no telling when it would wear off. You would either need to cast it yourself, which is not possible considering your current magical expertise, or have the ability inherent in your own form," Luna explained. This left Samus in a pickle... she was free to explore yet there were physical boundaries. The job simply would not be able to be completed.

"Then... is there another option?" Samus asked curiously yet impatiently. By her allies' tones, she could tell that something was missing. Cadance grinned a tad.

"We had already foreseen this problem well before you came here, so once the Princesses notified us of a temporary plan, as well as how your battle suit worked, we began working on something for you." On cue, two Crystal Guards approached with an enchanted box of some sort, very much like how the Elements of Harmony were transported. Upon setting it down and opening it, out floated a three-dimensional rendition of Samus's 'runes' insignia, gently twirling in the air, bearing a teal color and a familiar sheen oh so common to the Crystal Empire.

A new suit...?

Samus looked up towards Cadance and Shining armor with a curious expression, brow raised and everything; the two took that as the cue to continue:

"With the help of Princess Celestia and Luna, we were able to magically construct this suit of armor for you... it will surely protect you and be more suited to the environments of the Crystal Empire and Frozen North, among other benefits," Cadance continued. Shining Armor picked up where she left off:

"And the best warrior needs only the best equipment. This suit's compatible with all your current technology." He then moved out of the way and beckoned Samus straight into the floating power-up; the others moved back a few steps to give her space. With only a few seconds-worth of hesitation, Samus stepped forward and grasped the floating magical energy, letting it diffuse through her entire body.

The effect was immediate, and her Astral Suit equipped itself before she slowly rose into the air. Shining Armor himself was very impressed by her armorsuit but kept his comments to himself as he and the others watched the process about to take place. Like she had done many, many times before, Samus let her arms be raised and her legs be spread just a bit while the energy bound to her and altered her suit's makeup, closing her eyes and taking deep, relaxing breaths in the process. Several seconds later after her entire form was eclipsed in golden light, the magic exploded outwards and her form was gently placed on the ground with a telltale click of her boots.

Opening her eyes, Samus's armor-color was changed from navy-blue to teal, the red parts of her original Varia Suit returned, and the deep golden modules of the Astral Suit remained. As well, her suit's pauldrons were no longer dodecahedral but rather were wide, angled, and jagged on the top, much like over-formed crystals and her suit accent, which included her visor and the systematically placed lights on her 'body' were sapphire. All other extremities like her kneecaps and elbows were more jagged and pointed. Finally, her entire form had a brilliant sheen upon it that glittered majestically in all angles of light, much like that of the Crystal Ponies themselves.

[Crystal Suit Acquired!]

[The Crystal Suit further augments the abilities of your Varia Suit. The hardness of the crystal material adds significant boosts to your defensive shielding as well as overall suit integrity. As a result, your suit can withstand much more punishment before being physically pierced. The crystal itself is highly magical and also adds significant magical resistance while strengthening the potency of your own magical abilities. Said magical properties of the Crystal Suit allow you to draw energy and missile ammunition from certain types of crystals found in the natural environment which may be destroyed by magical means. Finally, the Suit will allow you to transcend magical barriers without risk. All other abilities inherent with the Varia and Astral Suits retroactively apply.]

Samus was impressed... very impressed actually. The new abilities afforded to her would make things progress quite smoothly in the field. Of course, it did not bother her that she loved the look of her suit right now. Quickly pulling up her suit schematics, she found, to her dismay, that the suit did not unlock any of the incompatible items. With a silent huff of irritation, she closed her schematics and returned to her combat visor.

"Wow... just... you look absolutely amazing," Celestia commented. The suit truly was a beautiful work of art.

"As always, Cadance and Shining Armor, you have outdone yourselves," Luna also had a few words, eyeing Samus's form up and down and walking in a gentle circle around her.

"It looks so much better on you rather than just floating in magical space," Cadance added. Samus fancied a few looks at herself and was more than satisfied with how things played out. True to their word, none of her current technology conflicted with the new suit, save for the already incompatible items she possessed.

"Thank you... very much," Samus finally spoke, conveying her gratitude perfectly through her tone. Cadance and Shining both bowed their heads respectfully in acknowledgement, smiles on both of their faces.

"It was our pleasure, Samus. Now, you're free to come and go as you please and are free to leave whenever you wish. Help yourself to any food in the dining hall and any supplies you may happen to need in the armory, although I'm sure that won't be the case due to what you already have on you. The four of us must continue drawing up plans for how we're going to deal with the evolving scenario, so we'll leave you to what you seem to do best," Cadance had the last words. Princess Luna and Celestia bade the Hunter their own farewells for the time being and fell into step with Cadance and Shining, Luna's troops quickly falling into their respective steps.

Soon Samus was alone in the middle of the throne room, with nothing more than herself, her suit, and a broad task given to her.

Just the way she preferred it.

Fancying a quick look around, she swung her arm cannon a tad and raised it to a passive level where she could see the barrel in her visor and proceeded to move towards the castle exit. With little else making any noise, the grand throne room echoed with the metallic clinks of her boots against the ground. There was only so much she could do at the given time based on the available information... and she was given freedom on exploring so being completely honest, she was not in that much of a hurry.

[Suggested Listening]

Once she got to the entrance of the castle and stared down at the Crystal Empire in all its glory, she placed her hand upon her helmet to check her map data. Like she remembered, her map was updated since she arrived in Equestria and the Princesses gave her maps of the entire known country and pieces of surrounding nations. So, with full map data of the area, she was more than ready to get started.

Taking the first few steps down the palace entrance, she pondered where to go first, as a brief look at the map revealed nothing too terribly interesting at first. Fancying another look, there was an area marked as Crystal Plaza that seemed to stand out more than anywhere else. So, it was decided. Once Samus reached the bottom of the steps, she took a quick look around, being able to enjoy the scenery around her for just a little bit... even if a massive aerial battle raged on (though the shielding's effect added opacity which simulated a somewhat blue sky, though cloud coverage was quickly rolling in). A few of the Crystal Ponies who had dared wander the streets around this time froze in their tracks to see the metal-clad being that graced their presence. Samus took the time to gather some information:

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Morphology: Crystal Pony]

[Subspecies of the Equine genome. Crystal Ponies and standard Ponies are essentially identical save for their natural crystal sheen which is inherent to their very being. Created by the special magic within them, the trait is purely hereditary in a magical sense, and many standard ponies have successfully bred with Crystal Ponies to produce Crystal hybrid offspring, as the trait is quite coveted. It is also worth noting that Crystal Unicorns have a slightly more potent magical ability compared to an average unicorn.]

Samus dismissed the scan visor and continued on her way, leaving the pony that was the target of her scans a bit confused (and frightened) as to why this creature of metal was seemingly staring her down. The latter shrugged and continued on, while the Hunter walked down the miraculously paved road, surveying the architecture that she was somewhat fond of. She still kept her even pace as she trod along, the most prominent noise being her own boots as usual.

The sound of a window opening to her upper right drew her attention, and she stopped to look while reflexively raising her cannon... not to a threatening level but just in passive preparation. Another crystal pony was getting some air into their residence and he, upon seeing the familiar crystal sheen of Samus's suit, did not feel particularly threatened by her presence. He cast her a small, friendly wave of his hoof. Samus responded in kind by tipping her cannon to her helmet.

It did not take very long to reach Crystal Plaza. In fact, it took her about five minutes of walking. The region and city itself was impressive, but Samus kept asking herself how this entire city was considered an ‘empire.’ Everypony referred to it as the ‘Crystal Empire.’

But it’s not. It’s… a friggin' city.

More accurately it was a city; separate from Equestria… a sovereign city, or a city-state. But an empire? Please, Samus did not really feel the title was apt at all. Nevertheless, she could debate semantics with the ponies later. For now, she was curious about this ‘Crystal Heart,’ and it was not hard to spy the blue-hued, angular object, as it was perfectly in the middle of the plaza; which was really a rather nicely glorified park. About a dozen crystal ponies were hanging out, doing their best to catch a break despite the circumstances.

Samus caught a few wayward stares of curiosity as she made her way towards the floating heart. As she got within a few paces of it, she saw that the heart was ever so slowly twirling counterclockwise as it lay suspended in the air, and whatever magic it was generating was being shot up in a continuous beam of blue light towards the top of the shield.

Ahh, it’s generating the shield.

From what Celestia and Luna had told her about Cadance and Shining Armor, the latter had quite the knack for defensive magic; shielding, in particular. Shining Armor had to constantly recharge the shield that defended Canterlot before the Changeling invasion and Cadance had to constantly keep her horn casting… so Samus did have some degree of wonder as to how the shield was staying up. Now she had her answer. What could scan data reveal?

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Artifact: Crystal Heart]

[Extremely powerful magical artifact. The entire extent of the Crystal Heart’s power is truly unknown, although its track record in terms of potency is indisputable. Scans indicate a magical presence similar to that of the Elements of Harmony, as the Crystal Heart emanates and absorbs the power to protect and cleanse, among others. It is currently powering the shield which is protecting the Crystal Empire from outside threats, including the Space Pirates and from Phazon spreading.]

Samus dismissed the last bit of information but before she was to switch back to her combat visor, she noticed that the spire the Heart was ‘on top of’ contained some writing… too small for her to lean in and read, so she opted to have the lore brought up to face-level:

[Here stands the pylon whereupon the Crystal Heart rests. From the Age of Tyranny of Sombra to whatever age of indubitable prosperity lies ahead, let this artifact protect all within its domain with the love and power that defines, in entirety, the Crystal Ponies.]

Poetic. Hm.

She decided to sit casually on one of the rather small benches and enjoy the small scenery afforded to her before she got moving again… Samus did not need too much time; ten minutes was plenty. She then moved on from the Plaza and eventually made her way to the shield section that would ‘transport’ her to the western area of the Frozen North. As much as she enjoyed exploring a new environment that was not particularly hostile to her presence, Samus did admit to herself that it was necessary to continue onward and deal with the threats at hand, as swiftly as she could given the current constraints. Even so, she managed to kill about thirty-five minutes in total, which was a lot of time in a small area for her to explore, considering the fact that she could navigate from Tallon Overworld, to the Chozo Ruins, through Magmoor and arrive at Phendrana in twenty back on Tallon IV. Thirty if she took her time.

Samus finally reached the city’s outskirts after about another fifteen minutes of taking the long way navigating the streets, ending up right where the blue-hued shield came to an end. The imposing magic stared her in the face, but she knew she could cross through it without incident.

Her suit said so, after all.

Still, she decided to scan anyway:

[Transport to Frozen Overworld, step through shield.]

Steeling her resolve, Samus stepped right into the thick shield and walked right through, like nothing was even there; it was almost anticlimactic. She fancied a look back and found the Crystal City still safely protected from whatever lay on the outside.

[Suggested Listening]

Turning back around on her heels, she took a good look around at this Frozen Overworld, spying nothing but snow, ice, and other assorted crystals that formed hills, mountains, and the overall terrain in odd combinations of the aforementioned elements. All was white, save for certain crystals and the parts of mountains that were not covered by snow. A gentle snow was falling while sparse arctic critters moseyed around, reminding her much of her time in Phendrana on Tallon IV.

Taking a few tentative steps forward, she could feel her heels sink into the plush snow, the sound of the slush being compressed underneath her boot was somewhat refreshing for her. Deciding to relish in it, Samus placed her left hand under her helmet on the right side and lifted it off, giving a gentle shake of her head as it came off, her hair whipping just a little. She used her hand to move some of her wayward hair behind her ear, again letting the two locks frame her face as she liked it… she then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the cold, frozen air chill her lungs, before exhaling, her breath easily visible leaving her mouth, as well as her nose through her steady breathing.

Samus held her helmet under her arm for a while, just relaxing a bit in the fresh air of a new environment. Truth be told, she was happy to be out of Ponyville for now. Now, she could safely say she was in the exact area where she needed to be. The Space Pirate’s ground forces were being pushed out of mainland Equestria and were making their stand here in the North, if their fierce resistance was anything to go by. That would also mean she would inevitably have to confront Ridley again… That could be dealt with in time with Federation assistance, but there still existed the Phazon and the Changeling problem. Taking a moment to analyze what she knew, Samus kept trying to connect the dots in multiple scenarios.

The Space Pirates are just being themselves… attempting to mine the Phazon and enslave or eliminate the local populations. Just as they always have…

Cloud cover had rolled in, as evident by the light snowing that had begun, obscuring the aerial and space battle above that undoubtedly continued to rage on; one less thing to depreciate the scenery.

But the Changelings are attacking everyone… as well as harvesting Phazon. But for what?

[Incoming Scan Data…]

Samus’s suit notification brought her out of her thoughts immediately. Her systems must have obviously picked something up, so she placed the helmet right back on her head and accepted the notification.

[Hive-like activity detected within high-radiation zones. Investigate hive-like behavior.]

Her map then pulled itself up and showed, relative to her current position, the place in question: the Frozen Lakebed. Judging its location, Samus concluded that this would be a decent journey, where the destination lay through the mountain pass just ahead. With a plan already laid out for her, Samus raised her cannon to passive level and began the trek anew. Things became more interesting when she passed by a few crystal formations, one of them dark blue and the other crimson: the former towering above her form and the latter short and stubby, but having many lattices jutting upward. Samus would have normally passed them by but her visor notated them as something of interest. So, she decided to scan them:

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Object: Energy Crystal]

[Energy-filled crystalline structure. Due to abundant magic inherent within Equis, if the conditions are right, crystals tend to sprout up naturally and rather quickly, large formations being able to form as fast as a week’s time. Certain crystals draw certain types of energy out of the magical field, and said magic may only be harnessed by destroying the crystal (in part or all) by magical means. Attempt to use your standard weaponry will only result in absorption or deflection. This particular Energy Crystal absorbs pure magical energy that traditionally has a purpose of supplying life-giving magic typically used in casting healing spells. Destroy the crystal and absorb the pure magic it releases to replenish your energy tanks.]

Samus was eager to test this out because depending on where she was, she could have an extra reserve of energy from the environment… she should only be so lucky. She lifted her cannon straight out and aimed at the large crystal, but right when she was about to fire, she realized her power beam would not work in this case. Only magic-based weaponry would work.

Alright, sure.

Her arm cannon lit up brightly as it switched to the Night Beam. Aiming once more, she fired three shots, only to have the crystal glow brighter each time one of the shots hit it, and unfortunately it easily absorbed her rounds without so much as any visible damage done. She was about to try a charged shot, but something else came to mind.

Riiight…

The barrel of her cannon slid open and she armed her missiles, but she had to remember that her missiles had been stacked with anti-magic properties. It was worth a try. Aiming at the crystal once more, she fired a single missile. The concussive blast exploded with a bright teal event horizon and consequently the crystal fractured and exploded quite easily, releasing its internal magic and having it coalesce into floating dark-blue, red, and cyan balls of pure magical energy, one each. They had some transparency, much like what she had seen in her past adventures. She scanned each one in that order:

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Research: Small Energy]

[Will replenish 5% of total energy capacity.]

[Research: Medium Energy]

[Will replenish 12% of total energy capacity.]

[Research: Large Energy]

[Will replenish 20% of total energy capacity.]

Samus used her own magic to draw the energy into her, and they easily absorbed into her suit. Since she already was at maximum energy capacity, nothing really special happened. Her gaze turned downward towards the somewhat stumpy-looking crimson crystal formation.

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Object: Weapons Crystal]

[Weaponized magic-based crystal. These natural crystals were debatably more vital than Energy Crystals during the Griffon-Equestrian wars and Crystallian-Equestrian wars of the past, as they supplied magical stimulants which would replenish essential magic needed to cast offensive spells. Although often differing in appearance relative to Energy Crystals, they work and thrive in identical fashions. Destroy the crystal and absorb the pure magical energy it releases to replenish your ammunition.]

Not a moment later, the crystal exploded in an anti-magic burst, scattering pieces of the lattice in every direction and leaving and leaving a bright orange ball of energy in its wake.

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Research: Small Ammo]

[Will replenish 5% of all weapons ammunition.]

Nice.

She drew in the pickup with her kinesis beam and, as expected when the magic diffused into her suit, the two missiles that she used to break apart the crystals were instantly replaced and she was at full capacity once more. With this revelation, now the ability of field-resupply was completely feasible. Samus took a look at her surroundings again and looked out in each direction as much as her vision let her. There were countless crystals of these varieties scattered all over the region, albeit some were hidden under the snow cover or were crystallizing in interesting places.

Samus continued onward, picking up here pace just a little. Based on her map, there was a loose path that she could follow, as this lakebed appeared to be an attraction of some sort… at least before the meteor struck. According to her map data from the Crystal Empire, she could follow a loosely traversed road that went through the north of this open plane, through a mountain pass, and then down a hill where the Lakebed would be plenty visible by that time.

Two miles came and went but it might as well have been ten or twenty considering the terrain. The snowfall had accumulated and Samus could not physically see the Crystal Empire behind her… but to be fair she had descended into a small valley where a frozen river lay still on the top layer, the fish still swimming below. Scans had detected trace elements of Phazon within the water, so Samus inferred that this river must have come from the lake, as it was the origination of the highest radiation levels in the area. Following the river led her straight to the second landmark that her map had indicated: Crystal Pass.

She was starting to have doubts on the ‘Lakebed being an attraction’ idea when she came across what appeared to be a statue of some sort right before she was poised to enter the mountain pass.. She almost missed it, as it was covered by snow and almost frozen over, but with some effort on her part to remove the snow, it looked as if it was a statue of some creature… she could not entirely tell what it was, as a good portion of it was broken off, but from the looks of it, it had more than one head. It looked like a dragon of some sort but then again it did not… Samus was not really sure what to make of it.

[This statue appears to have no use for anything in the area. Possibly used as a warning to travelers.]

Oh, that’s perfect.

Samus shrugged it off and continued to wander forward, the snowfall picking up a bit, though not uncomfortably so. It was, however, enough to obscure a large figure with orange cybernetic eyes from her immediate vision and situational awareness. Said figure was perched on top of the highest ‘mountain’ in the area and watched the Hunter wander through the pass.

Things were going nicely until Samus picked up some seismic activity while moving through the pass. Once she isolated it, she was able to dodge backwards and avoid getting crushed under snow and rocks form a small-grade avalanche within the pass… however it blocked the most direct route to the Frozen Lakebed.

“Oh for f…,” Samus spoke out loud, looking up at the towering wall of snow and rocks that blocked her way. There was no way she was going to go out and around the small set of mountains… so she’d simply go over the blockage… but how to do that. She could only keep up the space jump for so long moving vertically, but it was worth a try, since the pass was narrow enough. She stepped back a bit and decided to start her glorified wall-jump on her right hand side. She turned on her heels right and backed up against the wall behind her to get as much room as she could, and then she ran at the wall in front of her. Samus jumped as high as she could and had her feet make contact against the wall perpendicular to the somewhat snow-covered ground. She immediately propelled herself off with a grunt of exertion and entered into a somersault, letting her heels perfectly contact the opposite wall. However, right when she was going to propel herself off a second time, only then did she realize that ice had been lining the wall, as her propulsion caused both her heels to slip upward.

“WOOAHH!”

Her back and helmet hit the wall hard and she immediately dropped about a dozen feet to the floor, yelling out in a feminine, undignified manner the entire couple-seconds down and hitting the ground back-first with a pained grunt and a metallic clang. The sensation of vertigo persisted for a little while and Samus opted to lie on her back for a few moments, considering she was outrageously dizzy from the spectacle. She definitely was not going to do that again.

Sonovabitch…

After some convincing, she bounced back up on her feet and looked up to where she had to go. It was obvious that wall jumping was not going to get her anywhere, save seriously injured if she kept it up. Looking closely at both walls of the pass, she found ledges which looked like they jutted out just enough for her to grab onto. Samus brought her left, armored-hand up to her visor, clenching and unclenching her fingers a few times.

Power-Grip, don’t fail me now!

The closest one was on the left-hand wall, so she bounded up to the right wall, contacted with her feet, and then wall-jumped off before somersaulting once and grabbing the particular ledge with her hand. She prepared for the worst but the little rock ledge held firm. Samus used her arm cannon for some extra leverage and looked to the other side of the wall, finding yet another suitable target to grab onto. With a couple of heaves back and forth, Samus wall-jumped again, expertly grabbing onto the somewhat smaller but equally stable rock ledge with her hand. From there, she allowed herself to dangle a bit and surveyed her progress. Only about twenty feet up by her estimates, and the blockage was easily higher than that. However, there was a problem: the next ledge that she could have any hope of grabbing onto was well out of her jump range.

Samus huffed in irritation as she was literally ‘hanging in there.’ But maybe her salvation did not lie within the parallel wall, but the blockage itself. Samus craned her neck to let herself see over her left hand and found a few sharp rocks that were perfect candidates to attach herself to. Setting the plan in motion, she got her extra leverage next to her left hand with her arm cannon and swung her body from left to right to generate momentum. When she gathered enough, she launched herself left…

“Hyah!!”

…and grabbed onto the predetermined rock… which happened to actually be a lodged crystal. There were no other ledges or rocks for her to grab onto, but from where she was currently hanging, there was a ledge large enough for her to stand on, so she opted to pull herself up and set her feet on the rock-ledge with a soft exhale of her breath. Relishing in having her feet on somewhat stable ground, she took a brief break to check her progress and rest her hand: she had made it a decent way up, but once again, fate had a way of screwing her over: there was absolutely nowhere else she could grab onto, and the walls had become too far apart for any hope of pure wall-jumping to freedom.

Not like she’d want to try that out at this height anyway.

So there she was, having come so far and her progress blocked indefinitely.

Come on, throw me a bone there has to be some way of getting through this mess…

She could not bend over much because of how narrow her standing-space was, and she did not fancy falling that far. She then tried using her X-Ray Visor to see how thick this blockage was… it was pretty damn thick, so she could not just blast her way through. However, upon some inspection she noticed something: there were small tunnels through this aforementioned blockage that seemed to have been formed by crystals propping up rocks that had fallen on top of each other. The snow only served to slicken the path or lightly block tunnels which could easily be dealt with. Of course, she could not simply crawl through, and she did not feel like taking her Suit off due to the temperature. So, a human could not fit through by the sheer size disparity…

But a ball can…

Ensuring there was enough room, Samus phased down into her morph ball and carefully rolled to the nearest tunnel entrance, which happened to be blocked by a crystal that was jutting upward. She knew though, that the Fragmentation Bombs she acquired from defeating the corrupted Magickakorps soldier in the downed Pirate Frigate could destroy the possibly magical crystal. Laying a single bomb, the charge exploded out violently, the magical shards tearing the crystal to shreds before it eventually crumpled into smaller crystals. Samus rolled inside immediately so she would not have to deal with a cave-in.

The tunnel was naturally formed, with ice, snow, rock, and other crystals creating just enough room for her morph ball to maneuver, but since there was no method to how the avalanche fell, all the turns she was traversing were unbelievably sharp. More often than not Samus found herself banging up against the end of the tunnel really hard, only to realize that there was a ninety-degree turn.

About fifteen minutes of maneuvering, bombing crystals, and creating new pathways due to others caving in on her, she finally made it out when her morph ball plowed through a final barrier of snow and ice with some help of the boost capability. She did not even hesitate to morph back to her standing form.

The end of Crystal Pass was in sight, with nothing but cloudy skies visible to her which suggested a downhill trek into this Frozen Lakebed. So, Samus casually walked, mentally waving goodbye to the irritating cavern, and was met with what should have been a rather picturesque scene of snow, mountains, and ice. Instead, she was met with enormous amounts of Phazon being collected by the hill and mountain bases, while the center, towards the frozen lake itself, remained oddly barren of the substance.

There was a great lake frozen over… ice and (mostly) snow completely surrounding it, and with the help of the mountains, small and majestic, the area was akin to a small valley with the lake not exactly center, but towards the farthest end relative to where Samus was standing. It appeared that Phazon had corrupted the entire area, but she could easily see that it was artificially removed from the ground level. Taking her first tentative steps down the hillside from the pass afforded her a much better view of the situation. Large, imposing Phazon veins and sacs had manifested themselves through the entirety of the perimeter of this Lakebed… so much so that Samus had to enlist the help of a double-jump to clear the obstruction in her path. Her suit’s warning indicator was going crazy with the substance surrounding her… it reminded her of Emperor Ing’s lair… save for being several times larger and not in a depressing and ominous atmosphere.

Samus finally got a stable footing within the Frozen Lakebed, and found it oddly deserted. Granted, local life tended to either scatter or die very quickly in the presence of Phazon but this feeling she was getting was quite different… a different sense of being ‘too quiet.’

I’m being watched…

She took a battle stance and aimed around, looking for anything that could possibly be offending in any way. Her eyes scanned the hill/mountain tops and her suit’s systems attempted to pick up anything out of the ordinary in terms of motion. But… nothing. Silence, save for small, comfortable gusts of wind. Samus resolved to tread forward towards the lake, but with more trepidation in her steps. The sound of her boots sinking into the snow became much more defined as she was straining her ears to pick up anything. While these hypersenses of being a warrior saved her life on countless occasions, Samus had admitted to herself many times that she hated being like this; ‘this’ being jittery, all her muscles tensing and relaxing in an attempt to be ready for anything and her heartbeat controlled but speeding up. Her senses kept screaming at her that something was wrong… really wrong.

What was worse was the fact that she could feel magic in the air. As she lived with her own powers more and more, she started being able to feel the presence of other magic… the feeling was somewhat indescribable, but Samus likened it to a cold, electric humidity. Right about that particular moment, though, she felt like someone, or something, was standing right behind her.

[Warning! Large fluctuations detected in the surrounding magical field.]

Samus immediately equipped her aura visor as she spun on her heel, entering a fighting stance with her cannon aimed and her Power Beam charged.

Nothing.

Samus snorted once and just held her position while her eyes scanned again… side to side…

After a tense three seconds, just when Samus was about to move on, eight teleportation spells went off in bright flashes of emerald light, revealing eight completely black, bug-like quadrupeds with insectoid wings.

Shit!

[Suggested Listening]

Samus jumped and dodged to avoid getting shot by magical bolts as feral hisses followed in tandem. She fell into a roll and fired a single missile as she righted herself, the projectile obliterating the black exoskeleton and much of the underlying internals of the creature that had the unfortunate circumstance of being too close. It slumped over to the ground.

Samus gazed down at her adversaries; all seven of them with fangs barred and jagged horns charged to extreme luminosity. Their wings were flared as well, prepared to strike. Samus scanned quickly:

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Morphology: Changeling Drone]

[Workers and conscript soldiers of the Changeling hordes, Changeling Drones are still deadly in numbers and expert at espionage due to all Changelings’ inherent ability to transform and shape their physical appearance relative to their size. While offensive magic is limited compared to the average unicorn, Drones tend to travel in squadrons and large formations, making up for their usual ineptitude in combat with sheer numbers. Organic and magically reinforced exoskeleton provides fair protection from standard weaponry, although constant abuse will rupture it. Anti-magic weapons or heavy weapons in general will make short work of it, exposing the vulnerable internals to attack. Once a Changeling’s exoskeleton has been destroyed, its survival chances are almost nonexistent.]

Samus switched back to her combat visor and ran straight at her adversaries, locking onto a random Changeling and unleashing a torrent of her Night Beam. The magical-beam literally burned holes through her enemy’s exoskeleton and took most of the underlying flesh with it. She left it to die as the rest of the enemy formation rushed at her all at once.

Fresh into her combat mindset, Samus initiated a cartwheel, shooting nonstop and managing to score a few hits on two of the raging Changelings, but they weren’t killing strikes, so they continued to assault her with magic projectiles. Three of the ‘bugs,’ as Samus now referred to them, began to take flight while two of them teleported out of existence, giving her breathing space to cast a handheld magical shield to absorb more incoming fire. Samus returned fire from behind her shield as the bugs in the air rushed her, managing to kill and shoot one of them down but not without being tackled by the right-most Changeling… or at least the attempt was admirable. It managed to make her stumble but Samus immediately countered by grabbing it by the wing, ripping it off with her hand, grabbing its neck and breaking it over her knee, feeling the multiple snaps and cracks of the exoskeleton. She then threw it against the ground and stepped on its chest for good measure. She had no time to do anything but turn on her heel to return fire against the two that re-teleported in.

They managed to cast rudimentary magical shields to deflect her rounds and they, yet again, rushed her full on, although their numbers had been depleted by half. Samus was about to charge straight into them as well, but a magical bolt from behind her sent her stumbling to the left, nearly losing her footing: two more Changeling Drones had teleported in, reinforcing the enemy count to six. They gave her, again, little breathing room and attempted to charge her with horns ready to strike.

The closest one tried to ram her head on, but Samus met its face with an extremely hard, right roundhouse kick, completely shattering the exoskeleton and destroying the creature’s neck in the process. The carcass flew a few feet to the left and lay motionless. By now, the snow surrounding the makeshift arena was being matted with green-hued blood as Samus continued her onslaught against her ambushers.

Samus took two hits to her side as a price for being able to dodge and cast a shield, avoiding well over ten rounds of hard magic, before countering a Changeling flying straight at her face with one enormous downward pound of her arm cannon. She shot it three times in the head to ensure it did not get up. She somersaulted on the ground and came out into a spin jump in order to gain some leverage and not create pattern in her movements. She did not stop… all of her movements had a purpose, either to defend herself or to unleash hell upon her attackers. Of course, once Changeling numbers thinned out (despite a few more reinforcements), she went completely on the offensive.

A Drone had just witnessed its hivemate get utterly massacred by Samus’s bare hand and cannon when it dared to challenge her in close-quarters-combat, and it had no time to fight nor flee when Samus turned her sights on it. The Drone stumbled backwards, firing three bolts of magic at her, to which the Hunter dodged the first one and absorbed the second and third with a generated shield, before using her own magic to hold the struggling Changeling in place, allowing her to annihilate it with a missile.

Damn bugs.

The Drone’s combat incompetence was completely visible to the untrained eye, as after the tenth or twelfth Changeling that she had dealt with, the remaining ones that were sent to reinforce the ambush either teleported out or attempted to flee by flight. Samus managed to shoot two more out of the sky, her fifth kill with a ranged weapon. The remaining carnage was all from hand-to-hand combat.

Samus, for once, thought she was in the clear. But ten seconds of battle-lull proved her wrong. Two large teleportation spells, same emerald color, went off to her two and ten-o’clock simultaneously, revealing alicorn-esque statured Changelings. Easily the size of Princess Luna, the two bulging Changelings, complete with black exoskeleton and wings, stomped the ground in front of them and unleashed much mightier feral roars as they charged their horns. Samus did notice something odd about them: they had Phazon veins running through their exoskeleton.

Samus had little time to gather information, since they both began to gallop straight at her, firing emerald-colored hard magic bolts with surprising accuracy.

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Morphology: Soldier Changeling]

[Corrupted Changeling Drone with beneficial mutations. Continuous working with Phazon has been bound to result in mutations for the Drones that came into contact with the substance, and the Soldier Changeling is one of those 'beneficial' culminations. Apart from the readily apparent increase in size, strength, and aggressiveness, the Soldier Changelings have several times the magical potency of a Drone, making them much more independent and deadly in combat, both ranged and melee. The mutations did not extend to the exoskeleton, however, as it is of the same thickness and sturdiness as a Drone’s. Exploit the identical weakness to achieve victory.]

Bring it, you Grenchler wannabes…

Samus immediately aimed her cannon fully to the attacking Soldier on the left and opened rapid-fire with her Night Beam, but only the first two shots struck her enemy (burning holes in the exoskeleton) before an emerald shield was erected to absorb the remaining shots. Before the second Soldier could intercept her, Samus made use of quick thinking and sprinted straight to the aforementioned target, plowing into it when her speed booster activated. She activated her shinespark (now rainspark) while she clutched her enemy and propelled them straight into the ground (almost like a pile driver) with a resounding crack of the exoskeleton. The force of which they impacted made the destruction of the shell like bending and breaking plastic. This was not like fighting a Magickakorps soldier, so Samus could have a field day.

Her evasive technique proved itself nicely against the Soldier she was currently engaging, but Samus was still blindsided by a magical power-blast which threw her off her first adversary and buried her in the snow. She recovered instantly and finished the mortally wounded Soldier with an anti-magic missile. Her shielding took some damage but nothing that could not be fixed by destroying some of the crystals that lay in the area.

Nevertheless, when the remaining Soldier and Samus were about to attack each other, a slow but steady rumbling permeated the landscape, shaking some of the less stable snow off the hills. The seismic activity continued though… and only continued to get louder and more intense to the point where both the Soldier and Samus were having trouble keeping balance. The former looked to the Hunter, the feral expression still present on its features, and promptly disappeared from existence via teleportation, leaving Samus in the midst of what seemed like a moderate earthquake. Her suit definitely had something to say about the matter:

[Localized seismic activity detected within the lake. Large object is on the move.]

Samus gazed towards the frozen-over lake, the trembling getting even more intense, and decided to tuck tail in the opposite direction in order to put some space between her and whatever was about to happen. Once she was satisfied with the distance, she jumped and turned on her feet, aiming towards the lake right as the ice covering it violently broke outward.

[Suggested Listening]

Out from the lake rose what looked like the head and neck of a gargantuan, aquatic dragon save for shining in a crystal sheen she had become so familiar with… but Samus immediately dismissed that notion when two more heads rose up from the freezing water and immediately set their sights on her with bone-chilling roars. She knew what it was the moment the first of four legs took a step out of the frozen lake. It seemed mythology had a way of coming to life on this particular planet.

Hydra…

Fully standing, the quadruped stood about as tall if not taller than Kraid. From Samus’s first observations, it did not look like the Hydra merely had an inherent crystal sheen… it looked like it was literally made of crystal due to its too natural reflective properties and angular plating on heads and legs. Samus needed all the information she could possibly get her hands on.

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Morphology: Crystal Hydra]

[Ancient lake-dweller native to the Frozen North. Crystal Hydras have been thought to have all but vanished since the age of Sombra due to being, like their more standard brothers, a lonesome species. The warfare and Phazon have disturbed one of the undoubtedly remaining creatures and it shan’t return to its slumber until what has awoken it perishes. Crystal Hydras are extremely resilient to both magic and conventional weaponry. While the crystal plating may be destroyed, Phazon infusion has allowed a magical mutation to manifest where destroyed crystal may be re-grown in a matter of seconds. Destruction of the crystal plating on the legs and heads exposes soft tissue which is not as resilient as a standard Hydra; however, targeting of this tissue may prove rather troublesome with the high growth-rate of said plating. The Crystal Hydra has the ability to fire crystalline projectiles at high velocity at its prey, as well as manipulating crystal growth in its immediate vicinity. If all else fails, it will attempt to ensnare its adversaries with its three sets of jaws or attack with its tail.]

Samus planted her left heel into the ground behind her and lifted her cannon straight up at the trinity of heads leering down at her. She briefly gazed behind her and found that the entrance to the Crystal Pass was still open, but that was only as a last resort… if things turned really ugly. Somehow, she knew that this fight would take a lot out of her… though she did not know to what extent, and what exactly, would be asked of her in the future in order to prevail.
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Meanwhile perched on the highest mountain, obscured by low clouds and overlooking the Frozen Lakebed, Ridley hardened his gaze, focusing on the unfolding ordeal between the Hunter and the Hydra below, with his omnipresent scowl.

Edited by Random_Dragon

Author's Notes:

So, I know I kinda lied about the small amount of dialogue, but at least you still got your readings-worth of exploration. I just had to include sort of a diagnostic testing of the Warhorse so everyone who was salivating over its concept could get just a tiny bit of what it's capable of. Expect to see it again really soon. Samus is on the verge of another boss fight, but some really important things will happen next chapter... so stay tuned and ready to rock!

So how did you like the extra long chapter? Hopefully it was a decent read and worth the time :p. As well, what about Samus's new suit? She was due for a cosmetic upgrade anyway.

As well, in my usual style, I overemphasized imagery in certain areas, while I left some descriptions very vague. This was done on purpose, as usual.

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Aww yeah gurl gimme dat feedback.

27. Enemy of My Enemy

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 27

Enemy of My Enemy

[Suggested Listening]

The sheer abominations that nature was capable of never ceased to amaze Samus. As she continued to stare down the Crystal Hydra with her arm cannon as a mediator, she thought to herself that she should honestly be presented with some scientific medal or award for the discovery and documenting of all these new species and creatures. Then again, if she went that route, she would probably have to also be condemned for wiping out said species shortly after she discovered them. Species activists would have a field day.

Not waiting to be made into minced meat, Samus decided to plan her attack first. Thinking quickly, there were three heads on the Hydra and four legs, each covered with crystal plating that was vulnerable to destruction with soft tissue underneath. Based on what was in front of her, she felt that she could treat this battle much like when she fought the Amorbis on Dark Aether. She could weaken the heads and then attack the legs to immobilize it or the exact opposite, and achieve the same effect. It all depended on what she wanted to deal with in both the short and long run.

She locked onto the middle head and fired two missiles, one after the other. The Hydra made no attempt to dodge the projectiles and they impacted directly onto the creature’s plated head, forcing the targeted head to recoil and growl at what Samus interpreted as a damaging hit. This was corroborated by the plated armor turning a darker color, from a white, somewhat opaque crystal to a pinkish hued one. Based on this, it looked like she would have to just keep hammering away at the crystal until she breached it, and then attack the exposed head.

Before Samus could strike again, the left-most head from her point of view recoiled back and lunged straight at her, intending to ensnare her in its jaws or pummel her into the ground. In all honesty she really had no desire to find out, and opted to dash to the side with the aid of her Space Jump boosters. As such, the creature’s head missed her and ended up embedding itself into the ground. It struggled to remove itself and Samus capitalized immediately, firing a super missile straight into its plated head and completely destroying the arrowhead-shaped crystal “helmet.”

The action sent crystal shards in every direction and caused an agonized roar to permeate the air from the downed head, which was still struggling to remove itself. Before Samus could ready another super missile, however, she got hit with a crystal projectile decently hard, forcing her to break off her engagement and turn her attention to the remaining two heads, who were launching said projectiles of variable sizes and shapes straight at her in defense of the third head. Successfully dodging a second strike, she was able to return fire with her Night Beam but ended up getting struck in her right pauldron by a rather sharp crystal, making her stumble and further put distance between her and her adversary.

Gazing over at the left head that had finally freed itself from the ground, to her frustration, Samus found that it had fully regenerated and regrown its crystal plating. She silently cursed herself for not having found a suitable replacement for her coveted Seeker Missile Launcher that she had obtained on Aether, as the weapon would have come in quite handy in this situation. Nevertheless, Samus pressed on with her attack by equipping her Power Beam again and firing off another Super Missile. The middle head attempted to dodge but it was no use, and the ballistic projectile destroyed the crystal armor, exposing the soft and pink flesh underneath. Samus, again, went to follow up on her attack by firing another salvo of four missiles, but to her utter surprise, the two heads on either side of her target crossed themselves in front of them middle one, the latter head recoiling back behind its protectors. The missiles impacted harmlessly against the Hydra’s nearly indestructible neck plating and about twenty to thirty seconds later, with Samus not being able to get any angle on her target at all, the middle head emerged again, no worse for wear.

Aww that’s just perfect…

Now, the Hydra began to slowly advance on Samus, taking slow and deliberate steps as the three heads fired down on her with razor-sharp crystals, some easily the size of her. She was able to dodge relatively easily but as she was about to jump back, something grabbed hold of both of her legs. Startled, she looked down and found a crystal had sprouted up from the ground and enveloped her legs up to her middle thigh. She was now completely unable to move, with the massive Hydra bearing down on her.

This would not have been much of a problem, as she had fought enemies which had the ability to freeze their prey, such as Sheegoths back on Tallon IV. But, this was not ice that her legs were encased in, but hard, dense crystal. Thrashing her immobile legs as much as possible yielded no results, and looking up to meet the three faces of the Hydra, they were joining their heads together (again, much like the three worms making up Amorbis) and producing, magically, a crystal of monolithic proportions intended to end Samus’s existence where she stood. Her eyes widened and, in a sudden bout of remembrance, aimed her arm cannon downward towards her legs and fired a single missile, the anti-magic properties obliterating the surrounding crystals and setting her legs free, albeit the small blast from her missile sending her backwards onto the ground. Nevertheless, she was free, and she jumped and rolled to the right to miss being buried under the monolith of a crystal.

She was quickly running out of conventional means of attack and defense, as it was clear that she underestimated the sheer intelligence of the creature. Brawn truly was not the inverse of brains, which Samus was irritatingly finding out. She did, however, possess a weapon capable of untold carnage and destruction… one that she employed the use of a couple of times against a certain Night Dragon in a certain Starfall Fortress. The Night Dragon was nearly identical in height and bodily brawn to this Crystal Hydra, save for the fact that the Hydra had three heads instead of one.

So, she armed her Night Beam and charged it up fully. Knowing she could currently spare the missiles, her arm cannon launched the main projectile of the Asteroid Bombardment straight up into the air, well above the height of the Hydra. The latter creature followed the projectile upward but after a while, merely believed that it missed its target, only to have the left-most head get slammed into by the first strike. The projectile destroyed the crystal plating but the second strike hit the middle head’s neck, which was strong enough to withstand the blast. The third and fourth strikes hit the face of the middle head and the jaw of the right respectively. Crystal fragments rained down like hail as Samus attempted to see the damage done.

The left-most head had taken the most damage, as evident by the complete lack of crystal plating on it and, like Samus expected, the other two angled themselves in front of it, despite having taken damage as well, so it could regrow its plating. The sheer power of the attack stopped the Hydra’s advance on her and allowed her to pursue an alternate method of attack: its legs. As the heads were busy shielding each other, Samus planted several missiles into the knee-plating of the creature’s front right leg, shattering it and exposing the soft tissue underneath. The Hydra immediately altered its own approach and the three wounded heads began bombarding the Hunter with crystal projectiles. Samus dodged what she could to get a lock on the weak leg-tissue but she had to cast a shield in order to avoid getting pummeled solely by the volume of fire the three heads were spitting, thus forcing her to break off her attack. Had she pressed forward, a generated crystal would have enveloped her form and she would have been subject to the whim of the Hydra’s onslaught.

God… Dammit!!!

Samus retreated to a respectable distance, thinking to herself how she could proceed in attacking this damned creature. Sure enough though, gazing upon it once more, she found that, aside from a few minor scuffs and cracks on the hardened scales and plating around the body, the Hydra still had full fight left in it and had not taken much ‘weakening’ damage. Possible plans of attack ran through her head but occasionally, she stole a glance back at the entrance to Crystal Pass as well as the random assortment of munitions and energy crystals in the ground. For once, Samus was actually glad to have an exit out if she needed to make a tactical retreat for whatever reason. She hoped that would not be the case, even though she knew that sometimes she had to pick her battles, her pride was a problem.

She dug her heel in and aimed up at the Hydra once more. This was going to be a long battle.

[Trottingham]

The combined Federation/Equestrian objectives were supposed to be simple: simultaneously destroy the Space Pirate forward operations base and retake Trottingham to use as an intermediate supply drop zone, and then continue northward to attack the main Pirate Force. Of course, in the history of military strategy, operations have moreso gone awry than according to plan. Estimated Pirate strength within the decent-sized city was anywhere from two-thousand to twenty-five hundred troops of various varieties. To counter that, the Federation landed approximately nine-thousand Marines and several hundred tanks and other vehicles, while Princess Luna deployed five hundred Magickakorps troopers. Princess Celestia also placed the Royal Guard as an auxiliary/reserve, as well as five-hundred regular army troops. So, aggregate friendly forces were around twelve-thousand troops including armor and vehicular support.

However, the Pirates were known to be absolutely ruthless, and refused to surrender. The price for cowardice among their ranks was death, so it was expected that all Space Pirates were to be wiped out before Trottingham could be truly cleared. This was common knowledge. What the Federation and Equestrians did not anticipate, however, was the Pirates being impressively entrenched after so little time. While the Magickakorps was making steady gains on the east side of the city in no small part due to the use of magic, the Federation was fiercely fighting and paying well above MSRP for each foot of land they gained from the Pirates.

Even with CV-Squad leading the charge, it had been quite difficult for the first three hours of fighting. They had taken the first few blocks by storm relatively easily, but once they hit an entrenched Pirate Commando line about three miles in from their starting point, things went to hell. Currently, with the help of a couple of Marine squads backing them up, CV-Squad was split up amongst piles of ruins of buildings, returning fire against the Space Pirate defensive line. An explosion rocked the middle of Mane Street, forcing everyone back into cover.

“Goddammit! Someone kill the grenadier!” Jacob shouted as he reloaded his assault rifle. He was in cover on the north side of the road (they were heading east) with Radiance and Constance, who were using their horns for combat rather than their issued rifles. Assault Cannon, Assault Rifle, and Magical fire were traded back and forth as the Federation lay within a couple-hundred feet of the defensive line.

“I’m working on it!” Arianna yelled back through her radio, well behind the rest of the squad’s position as a sniper. She was dialing in her sights and looking for said grenadier.

“Sydney, can you relocate your light machine gun and give us suppressing fire? We’re gonna move up!” Starry called out from a ruin-pile opposite of Jacob, Radiance, and Constance. She was in cover with Nathan, while Windfire was aiding Sydney with the use of the LMG.

“Yeah! Hold on,” Sydney replied back, changing the barrel and folding up the bipod of the large weapon with Windfire’s help. They braved the crossfire and dove into prone position behind another suitable cover position that shadowed Starry’s and Nathan’s potential advancement path. Just then a loud shot rang out, followed by an energy bolt piercing straight through a Pirate Grenadier’s chest.

“Grenadier’s down,” Arianna spoke through the radio comms while cycling the bolt on her rifle that worked the cooling mechanism. Jacob made the motion of blowing a kiss back towards Arianna, who only chuckled.

“Don’t get stupid, Star!” Radiance called out to her best friend while lobbing powerful bolts of hard magic towards the Space Pirates. Doctrine between the GFMC and the Magickakorps was a bit differed in close quarters and urban fighting. Where automatic weapons such as assault rifles prevailed with the Marines, the elite unicorns were taught to focus less on volume of fire, but more on large, power blasts (i.e. larger, harder hitting magical bolts) that were guaranteed to kill if it hit. In urban combat, it was dangerous to only wound an enemy and let them live, as they could potentially escape and cause more damage in the future; as Princess Luna had always said: “A wounded combatant can often still fight.”

“Me? ‘Stupid?’ When would I ever be?” Starry called back sarcastically. While Starry was actively fighting, this was more than just a fight for an objective to her. This was a fight for her home, and it showed, as in her comrade’s eyes, she was being extraordinarily more aggressive. But perhaps that was an understatement. When the squad moved as a unit, Starry ended up taking point, which was traditionally Jacob’s or Constance’s role. It was also debatable if she had the most confirmed kills at the moment.

The rapid fire of a heavy weapon indicated that Sydney had gotten the machine gun working once more, and the effect was immediate as the defending Pirates took as much cover as they could. That was the time to strike.

“Frag out!” Nathan called out, priming a grenade and lobbing it into the Pirate’s trench, where it promptly exploded and inflicted an unknown number of casualties. His adrenaline was running high but his suit’s ventilation kept him cool. Starry sprinted ahead towards the Pirate’s trench, with Nathan hot on her tail.

"Star! Nathan!" Constance called out, wondering, like the others, what the hell they were doing rushing straight into enemy and friendly crossfire. Her calls went unheeded as Starry still took point with Nathan right behind her.

One Pirate Trooper attempted to stand up and fire but was surprised to find itself face-to-face with the faceless unicorn, who promptly blasted the trooper in the chest with a magical round. Starry, with a tiny grunt of exertion, jumped into the trench where the grenade had struck, and found not only a couple of bodies, but well over a couple dozen surprised Space Pirates. Nathan jumped in as well and they stood (figuratively, due to size disparities) back to back. Fighting erupted immediately when the GF trooper opened fire, cutting down three of the much taller Pirates before hand-to-hand combat ensued, something Nathan was rather proficient in, and the human’s smaller size gave him an advantage.

Starry, as soon as Nathan attacked, fired a power blast with shotgun-like effect into the Commando and Trooper in her immediate path, blowing open their chest armor with relative ease. Once they slumped backwards, she conjured her magical sword and charged down the opposite side of the trench-line. Due to the sheer width of the trench, only one-to-one engagements were possible, and Arianna’s sniper rifle plus Sydney’s machine gun ensured that no other Pirates could reinforce from behind the trench-line. So, Starry and Nathan were free to engage in brutal hand-to-hand (and hand-to-hoof) combat, with the latter having fixed a bayonet to his rifle. Starry easily parried blade with scythe but the combination of her dexterity and skillful offensive strikes with the fact that she was filled with righteous fury ensured that she scored victory after victory against the Pirate invaders.

Nathan had the tiniest lulls in battle and gazed back towards Starry to ensure she was okay, but instead found bodies piling up as she advanced down the trench-line. He witnessed her expertly dodge a chopping strike, lop off the Pirate’s attacking arm up to the elbow, and following up by cutting through its right leg and ending it all with a stab straight through the chest. The Pirate Commando cried out in agony and Starry snarled as she bucked the dismembered and dying body off her blade and continued her onslaught.

“Make… Them… Suffer!” she screamed her war cry as she cut down another adversary. Nathan had to do a few double-takes, as did the rest of the squad. Was this really the bubbly, eccentric Starry Night that he met on the Frigate?

By the time the rest of CV-Squad actually advanced up, the entire trench-line had been cleared out, and the most immediate threat had been eliminated. The Federation now had a straight shot into the heart of Trottingham, where they were supposed to link up with the Magickakorps and proceed northward, effectively liberating the city. Now, support could be called in to evacuate the wounded and the dead.

“Jeez, Starry,” Constance could not help but comment on Starry’s handiwork. The latter and Nathan jumped out of the now cleared trench-line and met up with their friends and squadmates.

“Hey, you ruin my home and I’ll fuckin’ destroy you,” Starry replied seriously, but then righted herself when she realized who was talking to her: “… Captain.”

“At least you’re both okay and that’s all that matters. Taking on two dozen Pirates in close-quarters-combat is no easy feat. You two seem to work well together,” Jacob pointed out. Radiance was staring at Starry but the latter knew that there was a shit-eating grin under the visor. Starry and Nathan just shared a glance with each other and that was that.

“We better move to the center. The rest of the Korps is probably waiting on us,” Windfire decided to speak up and remind everyone of the objective. With no objections from anyone, Jacob and Constance resumed the lead and they all jogged to meet the friendly equine forces that were undoubtedly waiting for them.

Half the battle was over. Now the other was ominously waiting for them.

Frozen Lakebed

Son of a bitch!

One hour. An entire hour’s worth of fighting and Samus had gotten absolutely nowhere. The Hydra was so much like Amorbis yet it was completely different, and much more intelligent. Samus had to have her missile ammunition replenished too many times by the environmental crystals and as a result, said crystals were pretty much all gone now. With her ammunition stocks becoming much less plentiful than they were, the option to flee through the Crystal Pass was quite an appetizing option at this point. She, herself, had taken relatively little damage in the way of energy or suit-integrity depletion (not even ten percent of the former) but the fact of the matter was that regardless of how excellent of health she was in, it'd be impossible to combat the Hydra with no suitable weapon stock. In fact, after another failed offensive employing the use of three Super Missiles and nearly getting crushed, the 'tactical retreat' was exactly what Samus felt was the best option.

I'm gonna run away right now...

I'm REALLY gonna run away right now...

Finally coming to terms with the fact that she'd get killed due to attrition Samus fired off one more Super Missile and bolted for the Crystal Pass. There was really no major thinking to this plan, as she just needed to get the hell out and get out quickly. It was time to swallow her pride and pick her battles, choosing to disengage for once and fight another day. The idea was, with the Super Missile keeping the Hydra in check, Samus could sprint until her speed booster activated and she could use the extra momentum to jump over the small Phazon lining. There, she would just quickly run up to the Pass and disappear back the way she came.

Of course, that was the hope.

The increase of seismic 'thuds' under her feet in both frequency and power indicated that the Crystal Hydra was not as slow as she once had thought. Not bothering to look back, she reached the point where she would jump. Once she did, she bounded with all of her strength towards the exit. She was in the clear... until her somersaulting form collided with something unbelievably sturdy and hard. Her speed booster shattered part of the object but stopped her jump all the same with her impacting back-first. Samus was almost knocked out by the impact, but she realized soon after that she had impacted on a large crystal that the Hydra had generated from the ground, right in her path. Laying in the fluffy snow just below the entrance, she angled her head to her destination and found it completely sealed to a height that she could not traverse.

The Hydra had trapped her.

Shakily getting on one knee due to the shock from the impact, she found the Hydra closing in on her, looking as if it was about to strike with all three of its heads at once.

So be it.

As much as Samus would rather not, she would fight for her life as long as she could, and hopefully through the combat she could find another way out. Of course, fate tends to take interesting twists and turns for the blonde-haired Hunter.

As she was prepared to defend from the strike, Samus was temporarily deafened and blinded by a series of explosions that erupted between her and the Hydra, forcing the hulking creature to back off in surprise. The surprise was not lost on Samus either, as it was like an aircraft executed a precision airstrike.

Federation bombing run?

At least, Samus thought that was the case before a telltale, high-pitched screech sounded throughout the valley. One that never failed to bring some measure of chill down her spine.

[Suggested Listening]

God... FUCK!

Samus frantically looked around and found Ridley circling the scene. The Hydra also turned its attention to the new intruder that prevented it from having its small meal. The metal dragon screeched a couple of times before flying aggressively towards the duo. Samus was ready to attack immediately but was quite dumbfounded when Ridley veered from course and landed in front of her... facing the Hydra.

On all fours and growling aggressively, Ridley unleashed a more fearsome and feral roar, which the Hydra gladly returned. The two were engaged in a primal battle of volume at first as the dragon began to gently pace back and forth, as if Samus was not even present. His tail snaked left and right angrily.

I... what??

Her thoughts were thrown for an even wilder ride when Ridley angled his head back towards her and began growling. Her translators were feeding voice data back to her:

"I'll break the armor on the head and legs. You attack while I keep the heads distracted."

Samus understood exactly what was said to her, but the fact of who it came from was just... it made no sense. With no response from the Hunter, Ridley turned back to her with an even more aggressive 'tone of voice.'

"Are you daft? I'll crack the plating, you finish off the wretched creature!" he ordered, shaking her out of her stupor before taking flight and drawing the Hydra's attention, the latter attempting to follow his flight path.

This. Goddamn. Planet.

Samus had half a mind to shoot Ridley out of the sky, but for whatever reason that he did not capitalize and slaughter her in her moment of weakness, she decided not to do the same for reasons unknown to her. Besides she had quickly realized to combat the Hydra, she would need external aid. If Ridley was willing and able to provide that, then so be it. She could deal with him after the fact, ammunition count willing.

Samus ensured her Power Beam was armed and charged. She was ready to fire off a missile at a moment's notice but refrained from doing so as she watched Ridley's actions, both for his plan of attack and for the slightest sign of treachery. One of the Hydra's heads concentrated on Samus and fired crystal shots at her while the other two attempted to take down Ridley with their own crystal weaponry. Both mortal enemies were easily able to dodge the rounds through rolls and basic flight maneuvers respectively. Circling left and wide, Ridley closed the distance and zoomed over the Hydra's head, peppering the creature with plasma bombs which seared some of the scaling, although most entirely missed the heads. However, a few errant rounds made contact with the armor on the Hydra's right-front knee, destroying it and exposing the familiar tissue.

Samus sprang into action and immediately fired her Super Missile at the sight of the tissue. Ridley ensured that he had the Hydra's heads' attention as he spewed fire from his mouth and rained it down on the Hydra's heads, who desperately tried to snap at him or fire crystals, which he easily dodged. On Samus's end, the Super Missile scored a direct hit on the tissue and blew it apart, spewing blood and destroyed muscle in various states of dismemberment everywhere. The Hydra screamed through all three of its mouths as the leg refused to support any more weight, forcing it to trip on itself. Redistributing its weight, the limp leg dragged along as it began a slow retreat towards the lake.

Samus advanced forward but tripped on herself and got hit by a crystal when her right leg was ensnared. She was not the only one to slip up, as Ridley ended up getting hit by a crystal fired by the middle head. It struck him in the chest and forced him to lose some altitude before he corrected himself. He circled back around and dropped more plasma bombs, this time more accurately. Four bombs found their mark and incinerated the crystal plating of the right-most head. Shortly after, a Super Missile struck the exposed tissue, sending a flood of blood and most likely brain-matter spewing outward. After several high pitched, agonized roars, the head died, crashing to the floor with an enormous thud and adding another weight for the Hydra remnant to lug in retreat.

The tables had completely turned. Where Samus was in extreme danger of getting worn down and killed, the Crystal Hydra was being absolutely pummeled into submission by the combined firepower of Ridley and Samus. However, it was not without its slip-ups. Ridley circled around and came too close to one of the heads, and almost got ensnared by the jaws of the middle head but got head-butted by the left head. After a squawk of pain he careened into the ground but quickly found his bearings. Before the Hydra could attempt any revenge on him, Samus ensured he had room to get up and away by drawing the ire of the Hydra, forcing it to retreat even more. No words were exchanged between them but they knew what they had to do. Samus could not beat the Hydra on her own so she begrudgingly accepted Ridley's help, while Ridley could really not attack Samus without getting destroyed by the Hydra. Even if he just wanted to bomb her into submission and whittle her shields, she could easily turn her improved arsenal against him.

At least, that was Samus's interpretation of the dragon's thought process.

Getting back to the battle, Ridley quickly gained altitude and swooped in for another bombing run. He dropped about eight different bombs on both of the heads, shattering their armor and allowing Samus to strike. Ridley again rained down molten plasma from his mouth in order to keep the Hydra's attention off of the Hunter. A second Super Missile literally blew the brains out of the left-most head, the long neck falling lifeless on top of the middle head and forcing it to carry the extra weight upon its figurative shoulders. The plasma that Ridley had rained down on the middle head had kept the crystal armor from regrowing, and this time, he took the opportunity to go in for a killing strike.

Ridley flew down and slammed feet first into the middle head, digging his rear claws into the head complete with a gory, squelching sound and a complementing, agonized roar from the remaining Hydra head. The dragon harshly flew upward, ripping meat with his claws and finishing off the head by shearing his tail straight through it. The Hydra's last mouth hung open as Ridley's tail pierced its brain and once the latter removed said tail, the head snaked to the ground and landed like a rock. Soon after, the legs collapsed with the complete loss of brain function.

Samus fought the Hydra for over an hour and made absolutely no progress. With an unwilling partnership between her and the Pirate Commander, they were able to defeat the creature in a little under ten minutes, leading Samus to conclude that the Hydra was not a tough combatant per se, but an enemy that required ingenuity to best. She compared the battle to Flaaghra or Quadraxis.

The Hydra was dead, its carcass and guts splayed across the lakebed as proof. Samus stared down the carcass for a while, not giving the rest of the world any mind as she thought to herself. Normally, she would have turned her attention to Ridley immediately, but somehow, she knew that he would not attack her. This was supported when she sensed him flap down and land right next to her, folding his wings to his side as they both stared at the deceased Hydra. An uncomfortable and awkward silence fell between the two arch-enemies, but someone was bound to break the silence at some point. Samus only had one question for Ridley, comprised of one word but loaded with so much meaning:

"Why?"

Ridley cocked his head lightly towards her.

"I would not attempt to thank me nor show any admiration for my actions, whelp," the Pirate Commander spoke back mirthfully.

"Yet you intervened."

"I did. After you nearly killed me on Zebes, I wanted you dead. I still do. However, the difference was that I did not care how that was accomplished. I offered great rewards to any one of my troops who was responsible for killing you when you came to Tallon IV. After you defeated me there yet again, things changed. Then, it was solely my battle."

"Poetic and honorable for the murderer of my parents and countless others," Samus pointed out with her own mirth. The effect was immediate as Ridley roared and lunged at Samus, grabbing her in his right hand and bringing her up to his mouth, while she in turn armed her Night Beam and charged it fully, ready to send the pure Asteroid Bombardment straight into his mouth. The weapon would kill them both from its sheer destructive power, and although she did not prefer it, she took no issue with taking him with her.

"If you think your words mean anything to me, you are sorely mistaken. I am a murderer and I commit genocide at will... and I would do it again and again and again. I want to, and I will be the one to shear my tail straight through your heart and peel the flesh from your bones. I will ensure to finish you as I did your parents."

Samus said nothing as she listened to her nemesis, her cannon still trained on his face and ready to fire the moment Ridley opened his mouth aggressively. His cybernetic eyes locked onto her blues through her visor. He then lowered his stance but kept her locked in his grasp.

"I have no intention of potentially falling here. This pathetic planet filled with these 'ponies' is not worth the phazon it excretes. I've lost too many forces due to early Federation arrival, and your usual meddling along with unexpected resistance from the Equines only adds to the problem. As well we've lost the upper hand in space with two of my frigates lost."

"My heart weeps for you, Ridley."

He pulled her close to his mouth again and Samus never lost her resolve. She was willing, as a last resort, to commit suicide to end Ridley's existence... but she was almost certain that Ridley was not willing to do the same if he did not have a certainty that she would be dead.

"This... This will be your only free lunch from me. I will not aid you, I will not speak to you, and I will not fraternize with you in any form. Because next time we meet, and we will meet, I will attack you immediately and I will show you no mercy. You would do well to be ready then," he threatened. Samus would take said threat seriously. Since Ridley essentially stated that he's pulling his forces off of Equis, he had every intention to survive.

"Then get the fuck off this planet," Samus replied with a low and dark tone of voice. Samus flinched under the cover of her helmet because a sudden spasm of sharp pain entered her head, originating deep within the recesses of her mind. It went as quickly as it came.

Ridley lowered his eyelids at her and the two stared each other down for what seemed like several minutes before the former tossed her into the snow. Samus flipped back up onto her feet to be greeted with the scene of Ridley taking off towards the West, to link back up with his forces and initiate a withdrawal, most likely. His flapping form soon disappeared among the clouds and once again, she was alone. She had no idea when or where she would see him again.

Maybe I should've asked him to drop me off outside of the Crystal Pass.

She did catch something out of the corner of her eye, however. Next to the Hydra's corpse lay a floating crystal. It shined brilliantly like the common crystal sheen and even smaller crystals orbited the larger crystal like electrons to an atom. Samus slowly made her way to the suspended prize and she made no hesitation to reach up and grasp it with her left hand, and the pure energy immediately went to her arm cannon. The cannon lit up brightly and Samus studied it, holding it orthogonal to the ground before aiming and firing once. An incredibly sharp crystal about the size of her fore-arm exited the barrel at high velocity, striking the snow and embedding itself. Her cannon took the orientation of what was once her Ice Beam.

[Needle Beam Acquired!]

[The Needle Beam, unlike your traditional Ice Beam, fires a thin, incredibly sharp crystal needle at bullet-like velocity. The projectile is extremely lethal against soft targets, but quickly loses its use against armored targets, as the crystal will merely shatter; ideal for dispatching multiple metroids quickly and efficiently, as well as any other fleshy targets. Impact from a charged round of the Needle Beam will encase a target completely or partially in crystal, allowing for the use of a missile to quickly eliminate tougher adversaries.]

Samus was about to dismiss her visor when another notification popped up:

[Apparent Charge Beam Combination bundled with the beam. Scanning...]

[Crystal Lattice Acquired!]

[The Crystal Lattice is the Charge Beam Combination of the Needle Beam. At the cost of seven missiles, the attack will trigger the growth of monolithic-proportioned crystals from the ground, ensnaring multiple targets or possibly the limb of a much larger target.]

Samus returned to her combat visor and, with another weapon added to her arsenal, she was ready to continue on the task of finding a way out of this damn lakebed. She destroyed the remaining crystals in the area to replace her energy and missiles as much as she could. Her energy was replenished to full capacity, while her ammunition could only be replenished to approximately seventy-nine percent capacity. It was good enough for her, and easily able to get her by should she run into trouble. Sensing no movement or any presence of anything that could attempt to attack her, she decided to remove her helmet and sit in the snow. She placed her arm and arm cannon on top of her knees and just laid her forehead on the cool metal, gently closing her eyes and thinking.

After a few deep breaths and zoning out for a few minutes, Samus lifted her head and stared down at the dead Hydra. Studying its form and curvature, her blue eyes followed the length of the heads, almost memorizing it as she passed the time. However, upon 'tracing' the path of the middle head, she noticed something a bit out of place. Standing up and walking closer to where the third head landed, she found that it was not embedded in the snow... but that it looked like its head had fell into a hole of some sort. Investigating further and not caring about the snowfall picking up (and patting her directly in the face), she looked down the hole that the head was hanging in, and found that said hole was not a natural formation. The Hydra had actually broken through the ceiling of what looked like underground catacombs when it fell dead.

Samus was able to spy some dim lights from reflections off of crystals, but no activity from below. Looking back around and confirming that there was indeed no way out of the lakebed, she realized that there was really no choice but to explore these caverns and see where they lead.

This totally can't backfire in any possible way.

So, Samus fixed her helmet back on her head and with a gentle bound, jumped straight down and into the waiting caverns.

Edited by Random_Dragon.

27.5: Derivative of a Constant

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 27.5: Derivative of a Constant

[Canterlot. Approximately one year after Luna's return.]

"Alright, the Guard Report for this month is all set. Just finished it, sir!" a female unicorn Royal Guard spoke as she finished drafting the last few words on a large parchment. The Royal Guard had a decent sized Command Center right in the, coincidentally, center of the Royal Palace. This is where administration was taken care of, such as troop deployments, mapping patrol routes, customizing training regiments, as well as being a safe haven for the Princesses should the castle fall under attack. The gray mare in question, clad in Solar Guard armor, slammed the quill on the table as a show of accomplishment. The enchanted clock read 5:45 in the evening.

Maybe it's just me, but I enjoyed this kind of work. I'm Constant Function, by the way, and I was a Logistics Operator and Tactician in the Royal Guard. Everypony calls me Constance, though.

"Good work, Lieutenant Function," Captain Shining Armor replied as he continued with his administrative duties. Being Captain of the Guard was no easy task and Constance certainly did not envy his position. She then levitated the now rolled up scroll and placed in on Shining's desk as always. From here, he would deliver and discuss the report with the Princesses, as he always did on the last Friday of every month.

"Here you are, sir. I'm calling it quits for tonight, I'll see you tomorrow," she yawned, taking off her helmet which dissipated the cloaking magic of the armor, turning her coat back to its natural pink color and her eyes back to their deep browns. She shook her head gently to let her long but straight hair fall back into place: its natural ponytail form with the help of some elastic fabric. The mare was absolutely gorgeous.

"Erm... hold on, Lieutenant. I have a big favor to ask you."

"Sir?" she asked, turning to face Shining fully.

I've got some reputations to live up to, considering I come from a pretty impressive line of soldiers. My father, Continuous Function, is a reservist Warrant Officer in the Equestrian Vanguard. My grandfather, Piece-wise Function, was a Brigadier General in the Army... when Equestria had a large army. Hell, I'm pretty sure we've traced roots back to family that commanded assaults against Sombra's forces.

"You see, I'm going on a date with Cadence tonight and the reservations at the restaurant are in about an hour. I completely forgot about it during our usual affairs so I won't have time to deliver this to the Princesses. Would you do it for me?" he asked rather than ordered. Constance was ready to go home honestly, but she would feel guilty for turning down not her superior, but in this case Shining Armor as a pony. He had always treated her well and made her job enjoyable.

"Yeah... Yeah I can do that," she replied genuinely. Relief immediately washed over his features.

"Oh thank Celestia. You're a life-saver, Constance. I owe you one!" he replied enthusiastically and in much better spirits.

"Not a problem. You have fun tonight, I'll deal with the politics this time," Constance reassured him, taking the scroll off his desk and heading for the door, but not before putting her helmet back on which turned her into a generic grey mare with amber eyes. Not even her cutie mark of a straight line intercepting the vertical axis on a coordinate plane was visible. "Goodnight, Captain."

"Goodnight, Lieutenant!" Shining waved as he saw her off. As she exited the Command Center, she took a deep breath and exhaled, leaving a gentle smile on her face as she lazily trot towards the Combined Study, where private meetings with both Princesses would be held.

Having a military background does have it's perks though. Top MAT scores plus three years at Point Sol Military School in Canterlot ensured that once I passed basic, I was immediately promoted to a Lieutenant in the Guard. Based on my course of study, I was assigned as a Logistics Operator and Tactician position. I got to work out and train with my comrades but I also got to design drill plans, suggest deployments and routines, among other things. Sometimes I do wish I could just be a soldier though.

After a ten minute walk through the castle corridors, through the guard station, patrols, and seemingly endless salutes, Constance had arrived at the Combined Study, the large double doors emblazoned with Celestia's cutie mark on the left and Luna's on the right. She immediately gave two firm knocks, eager to see the ponies inside. As a Royal Guard, she interacted with the Princesses to some degree, but mainly overseeing logistics, she never truly formally met them.

"You may enter," the easily recognizable voice of Princess Celestia called out from behind the obstruction. Constance turned the doorknob and pushed the door inward, peeking in before letting herself in completely. Both Princesses were standing at a table overlooking some papers and when they turned around, they were quite surprised at the distinct lack of Shining Armor.

"Hmmm, I do believe we were expecting someone else at the moment. Nevertheless, is there something you need, soldier?" Celestia asked inquisitively. Luna appeared to be studying her closely. Constance saluted respectfully.

I felt conflicted... Under Princess Celestia's gaze, I felt at ease, yet under Luna's I felt scrutinized. Suddenly I wasn't so eager to do this presentation.

"F-Forgive me, Your Highnesses, but Captain Shining Armor had to attend to some... personal emergencies that arose and asked me to come in his stead. I just finished Guard Report not fifteen minutes ago, actually. I hope you understand," she replied. Celestia's gaze became much more at ease while Luna's remained constant, her eyes staring into her very being.

"So you're the one who drafts these magnificent reports! I feel it would be rude of us to continue calling you 'soldier,' as I do not believe we have met you personally," Celestia replied.

"Right! Where are my manners? I'm Lieutenant Constant Function, Alpha Regiment, Logistics Administration." She bowed her head respectfully before putting forward the rolled up scroll. "Here is the Guard Report, Your Highnesses."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Now, what can you tell us about this month?" Celestia asked, having the three of them convene to the central study table to lay out framework and schematics. Constance was easily able to find her words, even though Luna continued to scrutinize her very existence. Celestia asked most of the questions and did most of the reciprocal talking, although Princess Luna also asked key questions here and there.

Despite my initial entrance, the presentation went rather well. Even Princess Luna expressed admiration for my work, especially since I knew my shit, excuse my language. Hey, you're not part of Logistics Administration if you don't know not just your shit, but your variable, different types of shit.

After about an hour, the presentation was over and each party was satisfied of the outcome. Surprisingly, Luna commented that Constance would have to report to them more often, and that she was free to contact them whenever she needed something. The ability to skip bureaucracy and chain of command to get things done? Hell yes. She went home proud of herself that night.

Little did I know though, that that particular meeting would change my life forever. The next few months went on like normal with only one oddity: I started running into the Night Princess a little too often to be coincidental. As a soldier, true coincidences are rare at any rate. The training regiments had been buffed and the drills and war games became much more involved. I may not have been the common soldier, but war games saw me having to rally recruits to fight effectively. I may have been good when outnumbered, but I can't turn back the tide.

Hey, I didn't spend three years at Point Sol banging my head against the wall. Apparently this was enough to warrant a private audience with Princess Luna. I was surprised to learn that she essentially dug up all information involving my military career. She highlighted my commendations, marks of excellence, and overall performance in battle tactics and weaponized magic against multiple belligerents. Compared to how some of the other soldiers fought, I'm not sure what she saw in me, but it was enough for her to offer me a position in the Magickakorps as a potential squad leader. I accepted immediately for the sake of my career.

I really had no idea what I got myself into.

The months passed rapidly and it was easily noticeable that Basic Training in the Magickakorps was so much more brutal than in a regular military (all the training being at night and in classified locations of the Everfree Forest made things somewhat worse). Constance was sweating bullets and her armor felt like it weighed two tons. It was a game Princess Luna called "First Response," which simulated a scenario where a large strategic area, such as a city, was being attacked on multiple fronts and severely outnumbered the defending force. After beating back an attack on one front, they would immediately have to tuck tail and intercept an attack from another front, one which could come from directly across the defended area. The idea was that with such few numbers, dividing forces would ensure defeat.

While the soldiers' magical abilities improved drastically over the months (magic potency works similarly to weight lifting over extended periods of time) they were still far from able to long-range teleport with any degree of accuracy. Constance's muscles just wanted to fall off her skeleton and hide in a hole, as they had been at this for well over two hours, but she had a squad to lead and an objective to defend. Although they could not directly see her, Luna was always watching.

"Heh.... COME ON! THE *gasp* attack is coming north-west. Move out!" She ordered and, despite her body's protests, urged herself into a full gallop, along with her equally if not more exhausted twelve troops. Even if they had the ability to teleport longer distances, Luna would not let them. "Magic is an aid, not a crutch."

I thought the first month was brutal... but I could not even fathom something like this. The tactics are brilliant but Luna was stressing the worst case scenarios all the time.

The rear-most soldier collapsed, breathing extremely hard. Constance glanced back once she heard the thud.

"All of you, continue to the objective, I'll link up with you... heh.... G-Go!" she ordered before galloping to the downed soldier's side.

"Get UP soldier!" Constance used her magic to help the mare up and nudge her on.

"I-I can't..." the mare began to sob through the pain.

"WE ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING TH-THE BATTLE, PRIVATE. The price of failure will be worse than any pain you feel now! G-Get UP! That's an ORDER!" Constance used her magic along with physical nudges to get the soldier on her hooves. After a few seconds of coaxing through shaky legs and hooves, the both of them grunted through gallops and had to double-time it back to their squad. They were able to make it just in time before an opposing squadron of Magikakorps was to arrive at the objective in which the defense would 'lose the battle.'

The engagement began immediately as both sides took cover behind large trees and downed trunks. Lethal weaponized magic could be used safely as Princess Luna cast a spell over the battlefield which ensured that any hits would only wound and stun. Nopony would be killed.

"Mystic! Take Blastcap and finish off the three soldiers on the left. Flank around the branch arch!" Constance ordered, returning fire and scoring a headshot on an 'enemy' soldier.

"Yes Ma'am!"

"AAAAHHH!!" A shrill scream pierced the air amongst the fired shots and yelled battle orders as one of her soldiers took a shot to the chest.

"Cross! Treat her and get her back in the fight! I need everypony blasting!" she galloped with all her might to the other side of the defensive line to rally her troops and stay their resolve. This was not her own squad, as they were still in training. She was just designated a squad leader, so she was often given random troops under her command by rotation. The two troops she sent to finish off a firing position on the left were successfully engaging them and thinning out numbers.

"On it!" Cross said and went to treat the downed mare.

"MIDDLE RIGHT IS FALLING! QUASAR, GET A SHIELD UP THERE NOW OR WE'LL GET SPLIT! Sleet, take Blitz and Flux to counter their push! Strike them down where they stand!"

"With pleasure!" Sleet replied before taking command of the two troops and charging towards the enemy advance.

Most listened well, but the problem was that few had any inkling of tactical sense. They could shoot and fight... ferociously and very well actually. But not using mobility to one's advantage is the easiest way to get encircled. If we lost games due to tactical stupidity, I tended to lose it really quick. I'm surprised I hadn't been reprimanded for when I've bitched out those who were working under me at the time.

Hi, I'm Constance and I've got temper issues. Runs in the family. Shut up.

"Their ranks are thinning, Lieutenant!" a soldier from her right called out. Constance had been so focused in managing her group and ensuring they took as few casualties as possible, she did not notice that her two-pronged 'mini-counterattacks' were working marvelously. The last eight enemy troops had made the mistake of concentrating themselves too close to the defensive line, trying to gain area-strength in numbers. The line between who was attacking and defending was becoming more and more blurred by the minute.

But having a temper wasn't so bad... especially when in battle.

"Then let's finish 'em! Prairie-Drive Formation!" Constance ordered. Everypony in the Magickakorps knew exactly what that meant. Not a moment later, it was executed:

"MAGICKA!!!!!" all of Constance's remnant squad, including her yelled at the top of their lungs as they conjured their magical long-blades and bounded from their cover, galloping straight for their enemies' cover not even twenty feet away. The sudden battle cry and close-quarters rush scared the living shit out of attacking remnant and they screamed in fear with vain attempts to defend.

It was an unimaginable slaughter. Due to the magical field erected over the battlefield, the magic-blades would not slice through each other, but would feel like getting hit with enough electrical voltage and amperage to get stunned or knocked out. As the final attacker fell, a regal voice permeated through the land.

"BE STILL!"

Constance's squad remnant ceased their actions as Princess Luna teleported in front of them, clad in her own armor sans helmet.

"First Lieutenant Constant Function... Out of all the runs these past months, thy leadership has ensured that this war game was won from the defender's perspective for the first time. Mag-nificent work... Captain," Luna complimented from the heart. Murmurs rose from her remaining troops which then turned into applause as they stamped the ground at her leadership and consequent field promotion.

"Nice work, Captain!"

"Way to go, Ma'am!"

"WHOO!"

"Saved our asses!!!"

It was a hard fight... and I honestly had never been so close to defeat and come back to win. It was a great day for all of us. The squad fought well, I must admit.

"All are dismissed for the night. You're all coming along slowly but steadily," Luna said, dispersing her units and all beginning to trot back to base, well beyond exhausted.

"Congrats, Captain... and, thanks back there," a mare commented from behind. Constance turned around and found the trooper without a helmet. A mare grey to the coat and distinct silver eyes with lightly faded, navy blue mane and tail had come to personally thank her. The rest of the squad helped the defeated 'enemies' off the ground and helped them walk it off back to base.

"You're... you're the soldier who fell behind." The mare's ears flattened on her head as she looked away sheepishly and shamefully.

"I felt like I couldn't go on. Everything just hurt so much and... and I wanted to thank you for getting me off my ass," she softly spoke, rubbing her armored left leg with her right. Constance gave a friendly nudge to her side.

"Hey, sometimes all we need is a swift kick in the ass to remind us what we need to do. What's your name, Private?" the newly promoted Captain asked. She knew her last name, but wanted to know her first.

But despite all the logistical and physical successes, they were not the most important 'successes' by any means. I'd find out later that I never wished to take any more of these promotions because of reasons. Ultimately, I would gain much more than a mere advancement in rank...

"I'm Starlight Noctus, Ma'am. But you can call me Starry Night."

28. Encroachment

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 28

Encroachment

“Okay squad, bring it in,” Constance called softly. A gentle rain pelted the armor of the eight combatants of CV-Squad as they huddled close together. They had all advanced northward and had great success, but it was not over yet. The Federation and the Korps were poised to liberate the entirety of Trottingham and all that stood in their way was Trottingham University. It was the last bastion of Pirate resistance in the city, but there was a problem. Airstrikes and fixed artillery had been pounding away at the massive stone buildings, but enchanted building techniques were holding firm against Federation shelling. Princess Luna and Celestia had given the okay to “burn the university and the Space Pirate occupiers to the ground,” that the learning institution could easily be rebuilt. But with this new revelation, ground troops would have to go in and personally deal with the invaders.

“The Korps is leading the charge and we’re going with them. The Federation has graciously provided us with the use of a few tanks and artillery, right?” she asked. The Magickakorps wished to be the one to liberate the University, so the Federation largely was allowed to take up defensive and supportive positions. Command accepted immediately, considering that based on reported casualty figures, the Federation had already lost about seven-hundred Marines, with at least half of those killed. In contrast, Luna’s troops had only incurred exactly sixty-three casualties, of which twenty-four were deaths.

“Yup, they’re our mobile cover so use them,” Jacob confirmed.

“Sydney and Arianna, you’re coming with us this time?” Nathan inquired.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Arianna commented. She swapped out her sniper rifle for a standard long rifle.

“Always,” Sydney chimed in, armed with her usual assault rifle.

"Glad everyone's ready, because you're about to be a part of how the Magickakorps deals with its enemies personally," Radiance added. It was nearly time to launch the assault, as was evident by the entire Magickakorps force lining the periphery of the University from the front. The elite unicorns crowded around each other, with CV-Squad right in the middle, as well as a few Federation Jackknife Tanks ready to provide cover.

Nothing sounded except for the rain and thunder as all of the faceless unicorns plus the faceless Federation Troops (both Crusader remnant and the second wave) stared down the imposing structure. The Space Pirates were horrendously entrenched and this final phase of the battle would undoubtedly involve the most casualties, and a somber, but prepared silence reigned supreme. That was the case... until little murmurs broke out among the unicorn ranks.

"Magicka..." an unknown unicorn stallion murmured. Each of the equine elements of CV-Squad immediately perked up and began regarding each other with admiration. Clearly something inside that the humans probably would not understand.

“Magicka… Magicka…” every unicorn soldier began to slowly fall into synchronized speaking with each other, and the humans could only watch and listen as they got louder and louder.

“Magicka! Magicka! Magicka!” the sound of almost a thousand unicorns at once began to become quite deafening. To add to the spectacle, everypony began stomping their right hooves to the first and last syllables of the word. Nathan, Jake, Sydney, and Arianna all silently agreed that something epic was about to happen, and those thoughts were corroborated when nearly a thousand magical swords were conjured at once. Many unicorns in front, though, opted to cast sturdy barriers and others were just ready to use ranged attacks.

The chanting continued until the fateful order was given, to which the mantra was replaced by a battle cry of pure bloodlust. The tanks moved forward and all the unicorns began the slow trek… a literal sea of black... across no-man’s land through a hail of Pirate machine guns and sniper fire. CV-Squad was near the spearheading drive behind one of the tanks and advanced out under a deadly hailstorm of enemy fire that suddenly erupted, ready to complete the liberation of Trottingham.

[Geosynchronous Orbit: Mothership Vengeful Subjugation]

The space battle over Equis had grown ferocious as the hours had gone by. As Ridley cruised through the last layers of the atmosphere, he had to do well to avoid the wreckages of fighters and other junk that had been destroyed during the battle, as well as avoid friendly and enemy fire from fighters and capital ships. With enough effort, he was able to enter through the hatch he exited from before, effectively returning to his lair. The hatch to open space closed and sealed him inside, where he folded his wings onto his back.

“Welcome back, Lord Ridley,” the ship’s AI spoke with the usual, emotionless yet oddly calming monotone.

“Spare me the pleasantries, update me on the whole scope of the battle,” Ridley irritatingly asked.

“Of course. The Ground Battle is being contested towards the north, but we are quickly losing ground in the center of the Equine Nation. With the induction of the Federation and other Nations taking up arms against us, we simply do not have the troops to hold our positions. Heavy casualties have already been suffered in the central Trottingham region. The large-scale deployment of these black-clad, horned-equine troops are utterly decimating our forces in ranged and close-quarters combat. They are much more efficient than Federation Marines.”

“And of the space battle?” he asked. Ridley knew of some detail already, but wanted a full report.

“With an unsuccessful counter-strike on a frigate group, we are also losing space. Frigate Coercion was lost. It attempted to land planet-side in the Everfree region but crash landed after continued long-range volleys by Federation Dreadnoughts. We can hold out for substantially less time than on the ground.”

Ridley breathed a heavy sigh as he thought of everything. Things were going so well and the advanced timing of the Federation had completely thrown everything off-balance. Then again, he did not know how populated this particular planet was, and he simply did not have the ground power to enforce his will upon the entire planetary population, even with his direct intervention. The discovery of magic (and unsuccessful attempts to harvest it) further provided a great detriment and demoralization factor to his troops. To make matters worse, there were no available reinforcements within the general space sector that would make any meaningful difference in the outcome of this battle.

While Ridley was bloodthirsty, cocky, ruthless, and downright evil, that did not impede his rational thought. While he would like nothing but to bury the planet under relentless orbital strikes, he simply lacked the means to do so on account for underestimating both the timeframe of the Federation arrival as opposed to what they could harvest in Phazon, as well as the amount of fight the potential local population would put up.

Like he had told the wretched Hunter not too long ago, he had no plans to make this planet his potential grave, and he had come to the conclusion that the opportunity cost of continuing operations on Equis was simply too great. Even secret runs to a rebuilding Aether were essentially costing less (though yielding less output) than this operation. Combined with the discovery of other major Phazon-producing planets, this all gave no credence to remain here. With that, Ridley, ever the opportunist, made his decision.

So it has come to this…

“Initiate a withdrawal of as many forces from the planet as possible. We’ll need as many as we can get. Send out my universal orders for a tactical retreat. We’ll regroup at the First Homeworld.”

“Yes, Lord Ridley. It shall be done.”

[Crystal Empire]

“Your Highnesses, the Elements have arrived,” a Crystal Guard interrupted the congregation between Princess Luna, Celestia, and Cadence as well as Prince Shining Armor. There was a more diverse group of individuals as evident by the four High GFMC Officers including Colonel Borsig, the latter showing a document in great detail to the ponies and explaining something unidentifiable from a distance.

“Very well, we’ll reconvene at a later time,” Celestia acknowledged and addressed the four officers.

“Of course, Princess. At your convenience and hopefully when we’re not burdened by current events,” Borsig respectfully replied and motioned to the other officers to stand aside to discuss amongst themselves. He then slipped the confidential document within a folder which had a discreet title along the lines of “Framework for 1st Equisian Fleet.”

Forming up together, the four ponies convened back to the throne room, where all of the Elements plus Spike had just entered. Shining immediately ran up to Twilight and embraced her tightly.

"Twily! I'm sorry I couldn't be there... what happened?? Are you okay?!" He asked in quick succession, berating her with questions like the overprotective brother that he was. Twilight returned his nuzzles happily and with a few giggles.

"I'm okay, BBBFF, all thanks to my friends and Samus," she replied honestly. It would be a while before she got over the whole ordeal... for anypony to get over the whole ordeal due to what was seen back in Ponyville. Shining almost spilled some liquid pride and embraced her nice and tightly.

"And like last time, it appears as if she has gone missing," Rarity pointed out.

"But this time, I can assure you she is just fine. She is out in the Frozen Overworld, observing the Changeling threat," Celestia joined in on the conversation.

“Indeed. Samus’s ability to explore the unknown and counter the threat of Phazon surpasses our own ability, so we felt that giving her free reign on how to handle herself against this substance, as well as the link between it and the Changelings, was the best course of action,” Luna explained as she joined her sister’s side. “As well, it is necessary to maintain the homefront.

“Ah don’t know…” Applejack voiced out loud, looking down to the floor and having conflicted thoughts.

“What’s wrong, AJ?” Rainbow asked.

“Ah just feel like we’re doin’ nothing! We’re supposed to be the Bearers of the Elements and Ah don’t like just sittin’ on our flanks while Samus takes the lion’s share of the work!”

“For once I have to agree with Applejack,” Rarity voiced. “All we’ve done is sit and wait in safety while Samus, other ponies, and this Galactic Federation are risking their lives for our nation. This was a mantle that we were supposed to take on, was it not?”

“It most certainly was, but realize that the Elements, while still bound to you, are mostly in Samus’s possession,” Celestia reminded. Shining and Cadence could only watch the back-and-forth.

“Does that really matter though? Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow and Pinkie may not have their elements available but we six are still the Element Bearers,” Twilight voiced her opinion. Applejacks bout of bluntness had spurred a surge of thoughts that had been suppressed ever since the Phazon grabbed at life in Equestria.

“Twily…?” Shining softly called her name with concern, fearing she may have overstepped her boundaries somehow. Spike had nothing to contribute and he just listened with apprehensiveness, clutching onto Twilight’s left front leg.

“No, Shining Armor, it is perfectly fine,” Luna took the reins. “Twilight Sparkle, I… we understand your willingness and wanting to do something to aid your kin, but realize you are simply too important right now. We need you when it will really matter and if anything were to happen to any one of you that, forbid, takes one of your lives, the Elements would be void.”

“I realize that Princess Luna, and we had first hand experience with that during Discord’s return, though nopony died, granted,” Twilight conceded.

“B-But as Elements Bearers, the mantle requires sacrifice… I-It’s what it means to be an Element of Harmony, in the end…” Fluttershy finally expressed herself.

“There was always a risk, and we have always been aware of that, Princesses,” Pinkie Pie also voiced, albeit in a more serious and determined tone.

“And with all due respect, Princesses, if I never took the risk you wish to avoid, all seven of us would have perished back in Ponyville when the Space Pirates attacked,” Twilight admitted with confidence. Celestia, nor Luna, had anything to counter that argument, because the both knew it was completely true.

“Please, Princesses… just let us help in some way. We don’t all have to be in the same area, nor do we have to be soldiers sent to the very front lines, but please, let. Us. Help,” Twilight closed her argument with a deep request. The remaining five Elements plus Spike rallied around her, facing the two regal sisters, including Cadence and Shining, waiting for an answer. Celestia and Luna looked to each other for a couple of seconds, undoubtedly having an enormous mental conversation which concluded as fast as it began. The latter breathed a heavy sigh of concession.

“Very well, Twilight. You and the Elements may provide direct assistance to our efforts,” Celestia said. A wave of relief flew over the Elements and Pinkie jumped for joy.

“Then we shall figure out what we can have you all do for…” Luna was cut off when a Crystal Guard Officer and two Magickakorps troops burst through the throne room, accompanied by a platoon of Federation Marines behind them. All had a look of urgency as the Crystal Guard made his way directly to the Princesses.

“Your Highnesses!” he blurted out before offering a quick bow.

“What is it, soldier!?” Shining Armor immediately asked, on the edge.

“In the Frozen Overworld… The Changelings have amassed a huge army!” the Guard wasted no time with small talk. Everypony was silent for a tense few seconds, and not even a peep could be heard from the Marines.

“W-What?! What are we dealing with?? Estimates, soldier, out with it!” Shining Armor yelled, needing to know exactly how to plan.

“We don’t rightly know, it’s changing every minute. My educated guess is greater than three thousand, mostly drones, and some weird, larger changelings. A lot of scouts died getting this information, sir!” he informed.

“What forces are stationed within the Empire’s borders?” Luna inquired?

“The Guard Force is five-hundred strong, and our regular forces number at about twelve-hundred,” Shining ran through numbers in his head.

“Fifty of my Elites are committed here,” Luna added.

“And don’t forget a hundred marines,” a new voice entered the conversation. All turned and found Colonel Borsig and his staff having returned to the throne room, getting briefed by their own intelligence.

“Our warships from space indicate about closer to four-thousand enemy combatants massed and encroaching on the Empire’s shielded border. Unfortunately, we don’t have any more available troops or air support to divert to the area. The Changelings seem confident that they can break the shield,” he continued.

“They’re going to. The shield was meant to halt the spread of underground Phazon into our land, not to repel an invading force,” Shining admitted. Nevertheless, time was running out, and action had to be taken. Orders were necessary immediately.

“I need to find Samus,” Luna concluded. Her prowess would be crucial in breaking the siege with minimal loss of life.

“How?” Twilight asked, dumbfounded. Tens of minute ago, nopony had the slightest clue where she was.

“Her magical prowess stems from my own, and I can track my own magic. Think of it as an organic compass.”

"Just be careful, Your Highness. The Phazon spreads unabated throughout the region," Borsig mentioned. Luna nodded resolutely.

“Orders, Your Highness?” one of the Magickakorps troops asked, alluding to the fact that Luna would not be directly commanding on the ground. She turned to the faceless soldier with a look of dire determination.

“Defend this city with your lives,” Luna simply ordered, to which her troops wordlessly saluted and teleported out to their command posts to deliver the message.

“Alright girls, it’s time to get with it,” Twilight said with friendly authority. The others rallied along-side her.

“Twilight, surely you don’t mean…” Celestia was cut off when Twilight’s horn lit up and, to the surprise of one of the GF Marines, yanked his assault rifle out of his hands and rested its side on her chest, clutching it protectively. She then gave a look to her mentor that left no room for debate.

“Very well, Twilight. But please, please be careful. I trust your judgement fully,” she conceded. She and Luna knew that the other Elements plus Spike would follow her direction without question. Twilight was always the unofficial leader of them all in dire situations.

“You know I always am, Princess. We’ve fought Changelings before, and we’ll gladly do it again. Now...” Twilight magically pulled back the charging handle on her ‘requisitioned’ weapon while directing her gaze to her best friends in the world. “We’ve got work to do, everypony.”

The Elements all stomped their hooves in unison and gave their own expressions of affirmation, while Spike stiffened his resolve next to his older sister. With some final words being said, soldiers were dismissed to take up positions, Luna took flight out of the castle to locate Samus, and Twilight, Celestia, Cadence, Shining Armor, and Borsig began to draw up plans.

[Crystal Catacombs]

Samus’s feet hit the ground of the catacombs and she hunched down to absorb the impact, a subtle ‘clink’ of her boots permeating throughout the new territory. The only visible light was through the hole she jumped through, and upon looking up, the dead Crystal Hydra was staring right at her.

That’s lovely.

It was time to figure out what was around her and, if possible, where she exactly was. Placing her hand on the side of her helmet and pulling up a larger view of her map, Samus was off-put but not entirely surprised at the lack of map data available. As such only the hard way remained: She’d have to explore these caverns herself. Fancying a look around, light was present, yet not as much as she’d have liked. However, there was enough throughout any path she could take that it did not warrant the use of her Thermal Visor.

There were large and jagged crystal and phazon formations of any conceivable color lining the tunnel walls and reflecting any available light, dispersing it evenly throughout. Still, Samus wished she could see a bit better without sacrificing the detail of her Combat Visor. She took a few steps forward, out of the light created through the ceiling, and was about to choose a pathway to follow, whether it be north, east, or northwest.

Oh wait… duh.

Samus tapped the side of her helmet and a small light on the side of her visor lit up brightly, casting light in front of her. She had forgotten that she had a flashlight equipped on her suit, and had inwardly chastised herself for not employing its use in her earlier missions.

With extra light, she decided to head straight into the northern tunnel where… absolutely nothing awaited her. Other than a few twists and turns, a few different Phazon strains to add to her scan logbook, there was nothing of interest. Whatever had created these tunnels appeared to not be using them now, or had abandoned them completely. Unless of course, whatever was hypothetically in these catacombs was there, and just watching her, waiting for their opportune moment to strike.

Yeah, that’s probably it. That’s definitely it.

So she continued her trek in silence, ever vigilant of her surroundings, especially when small tunnels would intersect the main one she was walking. Things changed up however, when she entered an intersection but her motion detector picked up movement to her immediate right, causing her to duck back and stack up against the adjacent tunnel wall. Taking a small peek, she found two Changeling drones attempting to harvest one of what appeared to be a Phazon growth with marginal success. With their attention elsewhere, Samus armed her Night Beam and struck immediately.

A rapid-fire hail of searing magical rounds decimated the first drone, leaving nothing but eroded exoskeleton and destroyed internal organs. The other attempted to fight back, but Samus side-stepped and dodged a magical bolt before following up with a binding spell, holding the Changeling in place, and ending it with a missile to the torso. The fight was over in about five-and-a-half seconds, and Samus had to admit that her evolving magic was now having a greater, complementing effect on her fighting ability.

Still, something was off about this growth that they were harvesting. Taking a closer look, Samus confirmed that said growth was actually crystallized Phazon.

Odd... Phazon never calcifies like this,

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Object: Phazon Crystal]

[Phazon growths with crystalline traits. The large quantity of magic within the Frozen North of Equestria has appeared to have altered the genetic makeup of some Phazon strains that have expanded through the ground. Large, quantifiable amounts of magical energy detected within, and the Changelings appear to harvest and collect these specific types of Phazon Crystals. Further analysis needed to corroborate, but it appears Changeling Drones consume these crystals to catalyze their metamorphosis into Soldier Changelings. Contact with substace will cause damage to shielding.]

Samus's reading was cut off when a bright-green magical bolt impacted the rock near her head. Qucikly taking cover around a bend, Samus oriented herself against her attackers: a squad of four Drones lead by a Soldier. As soon as she peeked out, a storm of magical fire erupted, forcing the Hunter to cast a small shield and return to cover. However, there was no point in drawing out this confrontation into a needless, ten-minute firefight. She needed to find a way out and figure out where she was, ultimately.

Samus charged her Power Beam to full and aimed out deeper down the tunnel where the Changelings advanced. She then fired a Super Missile which deliberately impacted in front of the group, obliterating the Drone that trekked too far ahead, and collapsing the tunnel on top of the aggressors. They never saw it coming and thus, did not have time to maneuver or teleport out.

Too easy.

While that addressed the problem of her getting shot at, it did not really help to solve the larger problem at hand: finding a way out. Her map was of no use, as no matter where she went, it was a newly explored area, and she honestly had no idea how far this network of tunnels continued on for, or in which directions. After continuing her trekk and dodging Changeling patrols when she could (she had been 'down here for too long and ain't nobody got time for this'), her search and efforts were met with little progress; she could have been under the Crystal Empire proper for all she knew. She was not low on energy, her ammunition was somewhat plentiful, and ultimately she was not in any critical danger, relatively speaking. In the end, Samus just felt she was merely wasting time, time that could have been better spent elsewhere.

She was a little hungry though, but she could address that later.

Her efforts would have been rewarding if she had come across the Changeling Hive, and while this location seemed promising from the beginning, the lack of Changeling volume was quickly dissipating those speculations.

Huh?

Her suit detected movement in one of the closer tunnels, though not in Samus's immediate vision. She would, under these circumstances, be inclined to ignore the little blip, but the fact that this blip on her motion sensor was accompanied by a notification of a point of interest is what piqued her interest.

[Powerful entity present in the immediate area. Scans inconclusive due to magical interference. Identify unknown entity.]

She wanted to walk away... but due to her appetite for adventure, willingness to put herself in danger, and ultimately, because her suit said it was important, Samus slowly began to hunt this target. Her motion sensors confirmed that it was moving, but at a slow rate, so likely walking or searching. She came to an artery and made an appropriate transfer of tunnels, hot on the path of this 'powerful entity.' The Hunter made slow but steady gains, ensuring that she was not followed and attempting to be as ginger in her steps as possible. A couple beads of sweat formed between her suit and her skin on her head, necessitating a slight adjustment in suit temperature.

Another artery was reached, but Samus had detected that her target had stopped in the middle. Turning off her suit's flashlight, she took a peek out of the tunnel and found a quadrupedal creature, taller than a Drone but thinner than a Soldier. Samus could not make out too many details of the creature due to lack of light, but before she could engage her Thermal Visor, it had finally made up its mind and continued down the left-most tunnel. The only thing left to do was to persue, but as she moved to follow, her systems could not detect any more motion, as if the entity disappeared. On the flip-side, her map data showed that this particular tunnel had an end.

Finally!

Finally making her way out of the tunnel, the passageway opened up into what looked, what Samus would best describe, like a massive "Phazon chamber." While the network of tunnels crisscrossed in these catacombs, there was only one entrance to this chamber, namely, the one she just emerged from. The walls spread out immediately to give the impression of a super-massive biodome where the walls were lined with numerous colors of different Phazon strains. Quite frankly, the whole scene was bringing back unpleasant memories of Emperor Ing's lair in the Sky Temple back on Dark Aether.

Come to think of it, it's only been about two weeks since that all happened. My, how time doesn't fly.

While, what she was now calling as the "Phazon Biodome," was impressive, she still did not know what purpose this structure would serve the Changelings. Samus's thoughts were jumbled, however, when a lone figure appeared in her vision.

It appeared to be waiting here long before she came, but Samus could not discern any identifiable features of this new entity due to the light being given off by the collections of Phazon that were shining in front, effectively blackening the appearance. One thing Samus knew immediately though, was that this creature was quadrupedal and had a horn.

Samus entered more into the biodome and planted her metal foot into the ground, raising her cannon towards the unidentified quadruped. Upon hearing the noise, said creature in question turned around, and revealed the typical stoic face of somepony quite familiar to the Hunter during her stay on Equis. Samus lowered her cannon back to her side. Oddly enough, a spike of intense pain hit her head once she laid eyes on the co-ruler of Equestria.

"Oh, hi Luna. You seem to have a habit of being able to find me," she spoke first. Luna was still a little far away, and amongst the small bouts of sound generated, Samus didn't think she heard her, as evident by the lunar alicorn not responding but casually closing the distance between them. That, and this biodome was actually quite large, again, akin to Emperor Ing's lair.

"No sign of the Changeling Hive though... anyway," Samus also met Luna halfway and clutched her cannon with her left arm, ready to move. "Lead the way out."

Luna, clad in her standard regalia, did not move a muscle, but merely stared at Samus with a look of deep contempt. The fact that Samus was talking more than Luna was already raising major red flags, indicating that something was wrong. While Samus was starting to feel at ease in Luna's presence in general, right now her instincts were telling her to "get the fuck out right now."

"Luna...?" Samus spoke again, taking a few steps back. A preliminary scan showed that it was indeed the Princess of the Night standing in front of her. Aura visor showed nothing out of the ordinary. But that's when it hit her.

Samus, reluctantly, performed a full scan of the Night Princess, and found Phazon Corruption that had not manifested completely, as due to the lack of external signs.

No...

Samus took one more step back and planted her heels in the ground, having a staring contest with Luna, her weapon still at a passive position by her hip. While she appeared perfectly stoic and 'normal,' internally Samus was in chaos. This was a major ally (and dare she say, a friend) that had just been taken by the Phazon. What was becoming worse, though, was Samus's headache.

Luna huffed and stomped her left hoof into the ground and let out an exerted cry to battle as her horn flared up. Samus, acting upon instinct (with some major reluctance) raised her cannon towards the Night Princess, expecting an attack. However instead of an attack, Luna's magic drew physical Phazon from the walls, into her body. The material formed around her and absorbed into her coat. Samus could only watch in silent horror as the alicorn began changing in front of her. At first, she thought Luna was merely equipping her battle armor. But Phazon was not necessary for such a feat, so naturally, when Luna's coat began to darken considerably, she knew something extraordinary was taking place. Taking a few more steps back, one magical shock-wave later and what stood in front of her was a literal Nightmare out of Equestrian history.

Her horn became elongated by one and a half times, rudimentary and ancient battle armor in the form of a helmet and light plating on her back appeared, and most notably, her eyes became distinctly catlike/reptilian. To compliment it all, fluorescent Phazon veins ran through her skin and armor, pulsing with light synchronous with her heartbeat. Samus, of course, was going to have only one clear, inevitable choice: she was going to have to stand and fight. Not like she had a choice, since Phazon had formed and blocked the only exit.

Fuck me...

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Morphology: Nightmare Moon]

[Dark Magic corrupted Princess of the Night. Princess Luna's alter ego was purged and removed by the Elements of Harmony after her one-thousand year banishment, but it appears contact with Phazon has allowed her to be reborn and to resurface, at least, in part. This Nightmare Moon differs from the true Nightmare Moon, as the true one was born of Luna's deep seated resentment, sorrow, and anger. This rendition was artificially brought out by Phazon exposure, and thus, is far less powerful than the true Nightmare. Nevertheless, enhanced magic potential brought out by the sheer ferocity of the Nightmare, plus amplification by Phazon will yield powerful magical attacks laced with Phazon, as well as heightened aggression. No specific points of weakness detected other than the standard horn and wings.]

Samus reactivated her combat visor and stared down at the Luna-turned-Nightmare Moon, who was now fully transformed and returning the gaze with one of pure malice. Her headache had achieved a stable but durable pain, which concerned the Hunter, as the Nightmare was undoubtedly getting a rise from the deepest recesses of her mind. Despite it all, Samus gently lifted and aimed her cannon square at Nightmare Moon's head.

I'm sorry, Luna.

[Suggested Listening]

Where Samus was going to perform the first strike, the aiming of her cannon provided all of the provocation needed for Nightmare Moon, as she fired short bursts of magical beams, tainted with Phazon Energy, not unlike Samus's Phazon Beam. Samus barely had time to dodge and roll before Nightmare immediately rushed her, plowing straight into her full force and knocking her onto her back. She was able to cast a shield to block any other strikes while she lay on the ground but her shield soon shattered under Nightmare’s Phazon Beam.

Samus quickly angled her cannon and fired a charged Power Beam blast, which sent the Nightmare about fifteen feet backward and allowed the Hunter to land back on her feet. Like her systems had stated, there was really no strategic way to combat Nightmare Moon, and from the first few opening attacks, Samus had a feeling that this battle would essentially be a war of attrition. She also noticed several breaks in the ancient-style armor, quite different from Luna’s standard battle armor that she was used to seeing. Thus, it was time to put her Needle Beam to good use.

Samus’s cannon oriented itself to fire the crystalline munitions and she aimed squarely at her recovering adversary. She fired once and the needle impacted Nightmare’s chest armor, shattering on impact with no effect save for aggravating her enemy even more. So, Samus locked onto an exposed area that would do the least amount of damage possible: the ankle.

Focusing her combat visor, Samus aimed and fired three times to ensure a hit, and a hit was scored.

”AAAhhh!!” the Nightmare bellowed in a sickeningly familiar voice as the crystal round pierced straight through her exposed ankle. Blood trickled out and dripped to the floor as she recoiled her left leg in anguish, shooting Samus a deathly look and a snarl as she retreated ever-so slightly. Nightmare then activated a magical shield to hold Samus at bay and stay any advance so she could heal herself.

In response, Samus engaged her Night Beam and pounded the Nightmare's shield with rapid-fire. The sounds of casted magic and the high-pitched piercing sound of Samus's beam (A/N: Think of the wave beam in Zero Mission) were all that pervaded through the chamber as the Hunter moved to shatter Nightmare's shield... and shatter it did, but not before her horn flared and a Phazon tendril ensnared Samus's leg, tripping her.

The Blue Phazon burned into her suit's shielding as Samus attempted to get her leg free. The Nightmare had removed the crystal round from her ankle and adequately healed herself, so Samus needed to get free immediately. The Nightmare advanced on her but Samus was able to pour some Night Beam rounds on her to force her on the defensive, though her shields were continuing to drain from the Phazon exposure. Samus activated her Kinesis and, with slight desperation on her mind, discovered a small-grade destruction spell which blew apart the Phazon tendril (though not destroying the Phazon), freeing her leg.

She got back to her feet, only to find the Nightmare, again, charging directly at her and attempting to cast an unknown spell. Samus quickly armed her Needle Beam again and attempted to pepper a few rounds into Luna's alter-ego (with some success) before having to dodge and roll away. Samus came out of her roll on one knee and quickly looked back towards the Nightmare, who had cast a magical sword into existence. Samus spied two Needle rounds having struck Nightmare's lower chest non-lethally but before she could aim out again, Nightmare disappeared.

Samus's adrenaline went wild, her eyes widened, and her instincts screamed for her to evade low and to the right. She complied and immediately, the Nightmare reappeared and attempted a diagonal chop with her sword that would have cut Samus in two. The latter countered with a hard swing of her arm cannon which connected perfectly with the side of Nightmare Moon's face, forcing her to lose her balance and stumble away. Samus aimed out and was about to fire, but again, had to dodge a long thrust of her enemy's blade... but that's when the realization hit her:

Due to the lack of armor, and Samus's magical-shield penetrating weaponry, the Nightmare literally had no decent defense mechanism, and she was outclassed at range. Thus, she was attempting to give Samus no room for ranged combat. So, Samus would be forced to essentially fight hand-to-hoof.

Samus would not lie to herself... she was holding back against the Nightmare. There was no point though, she reasoned. She would not fall here.

Dodging another strike and countering with pounding-movement of her cannon, Samus reached down with her left hand to her lower thigh and unsheathed her energy knife... just in time, as Nightmare recovered and followed up with an overhead swing of her sword, to which Samus was able to parry. She then moved on the offense and took a swing at the dark-alicorn, only to have her own blade deflected by Nightmare's technique. Samus retracted her arm in a fake-out and attempted another strike, only to have it blocked again, but this time, the Nightmare dissipated her sword and, with a magical burst of energy, pushed the Hunter back into the wall of Phazon.

Her shields immediately reacted and began draining, but the Nightmare used her own magic to wrap Phazon tendrils around Samus's limbs, effectively preventing her from falling to the ground and keeping her pressed against the growths. Warning after warning was flooding Samus's visor and her shields were draining at unprecedented levels, having reached sixty-percent already. Nightmare re-activated her sword and was in a position to almost crucify her enemy.

Samus could only rely on her magic at this point. With an almost-feral cry, her Grapple Beam module lit up to extraordinary luminosity and Samus cast the same, though higher-powered, destruction spell all around her, destroying her figurative 'chain's and letting her fall to her feet. Using her magic once more, she called to her knife on the ground and brought it to her hand before Nightmare continued with her onslaught.

The dark alicorn attacked yet again and the sheer power of the chopping attack forced Samus to one knee, since she did not have the leverage of a full sword to help block. They parried each other hard, and Nightmare kept forcing her sword closer and closer to Samus despite her best efforts to stay its advance. Of course, this was part of the plan.

Samus grinned and lifted her cannon to Nightmare's chest level, a charged Power-Beam having lit the barrel, and released the shot. Nightmare careened backward and Samus immediately got to her feet and gave chase. The former bounced a few times but got back to her hooves, re-conjuring her sword right as Samus was on top of her. The Hunter swung and stabbed a few times but to no avail. She attempted to follow up with three rounds from her cannon but the Nightmare expertly cast a localized shield to absorb the shots. Progressing forward and pressing her resolve, Samus swung her knife and it connected with a re-conjured blade right before it would have contacted Nightmare's neck, and a trap-shunt was initiated.

No more prolonging the inevitable.

This ends NOW!

Nightmare angled their connected blades to Samus's left in an attempt to swing upward, but the latter instead felt it appropriate to back-hand Nightmare Moon with her arm cannon, an ear-shattering *clang* echoing throughout the Biodome as metal connected harshly with metal. Samus then followed up with a Charged Night Beam round, silencing the Nightmare's magical capability and forcing the dissipation of her sword. Nightmare's eyes widened in true fear as Samus was upon her instantly.

Suddenly, there was a sickening squelch and a curt, shrill cry.

Samus had wrapped her arm cannon around Nightmare's neck, pulled herself against her, and plunged the energy knife into the dark-alicorn's neck. Samus did not relent and only pressed the blade deeper before the 'Phazon' Nightmare broke free, gagging and quickly losing fight. She tried to cast magic but the energy blade continued to cause imeasurable pain and burn through her throat... so her horn merely flickered before she fell to her front knees. Nightmare writhed, screamed, and gagged as if she was rabid, and Samus could only watch with quiet sadness and disappointment as she gently strode over to the dying alicorn.

She closed her eyes and sighed somberly. She was not going to make this painful. Luna deserved this much.

"I'm so sorry..."

Samus engaged her Needle Beam and was content with ending her suffering. She aimed at the blood-puking alicorn.

And then an enormous beam of teal-energy struck the dying foe, throwing Nightmare Moon through the air and forcing her to land, weakly writhing, twenty feet away from Samus. The latter turned abruptly to the source of the blast...

... Only to find a certain Lunar Princess, Phazon-free, clad in battle-ready armor and a fierce expression on her face. The massive web of Phazon on the walls had been blown through.

Samus recoiled in complete disbelief. Her mouth opened, but was unable to form words. She looked back between her and the dying Nightmare Moon... but instead of the latter, she found another Luna, dressed in only her royal regalia, dying on the floor. A few seconds after that, her form 'flickered' and eventually dissipated, leaving a nearly dead Soldier Changeling in the imposter's place.

"W-What...?" Samus expressed, still in a state of bewilderment. The real Luna did not answer, and merely bypassed the Hunter and stood over the Soldier Changeling. She stared it down for a good few seconds before firing five Night Beam rounds into its head, ending it for good. She then cradled the blade, still stuck in it's neck, with her magical grasp and handed it to Samus, who wordlessly sheathed it. Luna finally rejoined the Hunter.

"I had tracked you here to find you, but this... large Changeling... must have seen me and assumed my form."

"But... Nightmare Moon?? Not even a minute ago I thought I killed you!" Samus pointed out with more emotion than she would have liked. She thought she had to justifiably murder the Princess of the Night, probably one of the closer allies she had made... definitely some trauma that would last for a little while.

Seriously, how would she explain that to the others if it were true?

"That... is what is disturbing me. While it is known that Changelings may assume the powers, to some extent, of whom they took the form of, the fact that this one was able to channel a low-grade form of Nightmare Moon, even a weaker version, throws me into territory I have no knowledge of. I honestly do not know, Samus," Luna explained, glancing again at the dead Changeling, before turning back to the Hunter with an incredulous gaze.

"And really... I can assure you I would have put up a spectacular fight. I can assure you, you would not have killed me," she followed up jokingly. Samus's relief, though, was cut short when more feral hisses and growls came from the only exit of the Phazon Biodome.

"So... I don't suppose you have a way out of here?" Samus asked, readying her cannon for a fight. Luna got into a battle stance, aiming her horn at the exit.

"Indeed. I left a return spell back in the Crystal Empire, which will allow us to teleport directly to the throne room. We need your immediate assistance, and I doubt you wish to remain here," Luna explained, charging her horn. Samus was just happy that there was a way out and her headache had subsided.

Thank the CREATORS!

"Get us out of here," Samus affirmed stoically. Luna chuckled lightly.

"Of course, Hunter," she said, charging her horn.

The humor was short lasted, though, when Samus's head was engulfed in excruciating pain, emanating from what felt like her brain.

"FUCK!" Samus cried as she gripped her helmet with both her cannon and her hand, and fell to her knees. It felt like her mind wanted to claw its way out of her head, accompanied by heavy breathing and pained cries of exertion. Luna, though extremely startled, wasted no time. Samus needed another element.

"Hold on, Samus!"

The two then disappeared in a bright flash of teal light.

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[Welcome to Galactic Federation Interstellar Database. Clearance Level Four (4) or greater required. Enter Credentials.]

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New Data > Equis > Equestria > Ponies > Society > Military > Special Forces > Magickakorps

[Retrieving...]

[United Equestria Magickakorps Archived by Samus A.]

[The Magickakorps is an all-unicorn part of the Special Forces branch of the Equine Armed Forces. They have been kept secret for the past several years and were inadvertently revealed during the Space Pirate Incursion of the Planet and Nation. The revealing has allowed them to play a much more active and transparent role in the defense of the Equestrian Nation under the direct command of Princess Luna, Co-ruler of Equestria. Experience studies have shown that, without the local anomaly known as "magic," they are equally as trained as Federation Marines. With magic, one lone trooper can hold off an entire company of enemy combatants. Battle prowess is astounding. Personal accounts from the battlefield allege platoon-sized annihilation of Space Pirate Commandos, the most feared among Federation Soldiers, with a mere one or two troops. Brigade-size concentration is nearly unstoppable without the aid of air support. Deadly in ranged, melee, and psychological combat, the standard Magickakorps Trooper may fight with their horns by means of directed energy, with loaned weapons, in melee combat with the casting of their own personal blade, or simply with the anomalies of magic which we know next to nothing about. No further information is available. See below diagram for physical specifications and traits. Simplified due to lack of information:]

[Sign Off]

Edited by Random_Dragon

Author's Notes:

Oh no! Sammy!!! :(

Surprise!!! So, what do we have here... a bunch of things happening during an undetermined, somewhat overlapping time-frame. As well, I promised you some art, and I delivered, and just in case the signature is not visible for you, yes I did draw that :D

Hopefully that clears some stuff up in the form of imagery. So, I'm super stoked that I got to finish this before my exam! Things speed up on the accelerator a bit in this chapter but that's the effect of a lot of things happening at once. I feel like I always say this, but major chapter next chapter. Shit goes down in 29, and most of it is centered around CV-Squad and the Mane Six, with some Samus at the beginning and end.

Hopefully this lived up the standards you've become accustomed to. All questions and comments welcome, so sound off below!

29. In the Shadow

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 29

In the Shadow

[Trottingham. The Morning After.]

The falling rain had largely doused the raging fires around Trottingham, restoring some sense of somber beauty, especially from the vantage point of the top of the Trottingham University Chancellery. Jacob, with Sydney by his side, gently strode to the edge of their buildings, visors devoid of emotion and rifles hanging low in their grasp, and took in the sight of all of the formerly occupied city. They, along with the rest of CV-Squad had to get into the University and clear it out room by room, building by building. The fighting was long and bloody, but the resolve and sheer destructive power of the Magickakorps ensured inevitable success. However, the cost was a bit steeper than anticipated. Almost two-hundred of the Elite Unicorns had perished in the entire fighting so far, the grand majority of those casualties being incurred on the initial assault into campus grounds.

“Well… this is it,” Sydney commented to Jake as they finally got to the edge of the building, looking outward. The rest of the squad also caught up, all panting and gathering their breath due to the exhausting battle. They were all able to get some degree of rest by taking one of the classrooms since the final clearing out was taking so long, but nevertheless, war takes more than its fair share of toll out of the individual, human or pony.

“Seems like it,” Jake replied, engaging the safety on his rifle and continuing to stare out over the city. “Just need to wait for the all clear.”

“It’s funny,” Windfire commented as he joined Sydney’s side. “My parents had always hoped I’d get into Trottingham University…”

“Wait… you mean you actually had plans for your life?” Constance interjected, while Starry began giggling uncontrollably with Radiance. Windfire deadpanned to his leader.

"Hilarious. You're a master of humor, Mother Function," he quipped in return, using a nickname he gave her a long time ago to play on the words. Starry and Radiance leaned into each other more and laughed even harder. Constance rolled her eyes and looked out towards the scenery again.

"Jeez, barely out of battle and you're already having fun?" Nathan commented, Arianna next to him, as they finally completed the Squad at the edge of the Chancellery. No one replied, though no one minded either. The silence was comfortable as each one of the eight members took in the scene of the city, rain continuing to pelt and run down their visors. The silence was only broken through radio chat:

"All units, this is the all clear. Repeat: Trottingham has been fully taken and liberated. Units bringing up the rear are going to help with the cleanup and tending to any civilians who were trapped while the Main Force finishes off the Pirates in the North. OpsCom Out."

"YES!" Starry shouted and started bouncing up and down with glee, though her armor could not show her expressions. Everyone else had a small smile on their face for a job well done.

"Looks like our work here is done..." Jake said, but before anyone could reply or say something else, the low rumblings of a small craft permeated their hearing. The source: a Federation Dropship that flew in and hovered right behind the squad of eight. The craft yawed in place until the pilot could face the curious troops.

"CV-Squad, glad to see you all in one piece. Got anymore fight left in ya?" the pilot asked through radio chat.

"I don't know about everyone else here but I'm good for another round," Nathan commented.

"Sure, why not?" Arianna affirmed.

"Yeah!" Radiance and Starry also added.

"Well... then I guess we do. What'sup, pilot?" Jake questioned.

"Under orders of Colonel Borsig, you're all being moved to help against the defense of the Crystal Empire way up north where the snow is falling. Get aboard, we don't have much time!" the pilot exclaimed. Jake and Constance looked to each other and then the rest of their squad. All were ready and willing to continue the fight. Besides, they could catch at least some rest on the way.

"You heard him, everybody. Let's go, let's go!" Jake ordered. Thus, they all filed to the back of the craft and into the ship two-by-two. Once all were aboard, the dropship took off seamlessly from the top of the Chancellery and sped off to the Frozen North, leaving the newly liberated Trottingham in excellent hands.

[Crystal Empire]

[Suggested Ambiance]

It was organized chaos in and around the Crystal Empire. The Federation was using what little airpower was locally available, in the form of about a dozen dropship transports, to evacuate as much of the Imperial City’s civilian populace to safer parts of Equestria before the newly emboldened Changelings inevitably attacked. Some civilian Crystal Ponies, moved by duty to their home and families, had volunteered to stay behind, where unicorns volunteered as front-line militia, while pegasi and earth-ponies helped with defense building and second-line militia.

The overall objective was simple: Defend the Crystal Empire at all costs against the Changeling incursion. With some strong, coordinated magic, enemy troops could break in through the shield but would not be able to disable it. Thus, the growth of Phazon underground would be stayed. The Crystal Heart, however, was responsible for keeping said shield up. If it was destroyed or seized, the defensive shield would collapse, rendering the entire Crystal City vulnerable to attack as well as Phazon encroachment from below (and eventually breaking through the surface). The details of how this operation would be carried out were at the sole discretion of Princess Celestia, Colonel Borsig, Shining Armor, and Cadence. Of course, simplicity was only true on paper.

“Very well, the Crystal Heart is being moved to the center of the castle,” Cadence commented, having just returned from observing its movement. She joined Celestia, Shining, and Borsig at one of the tables to the right of the thrones. On it, a map of the Crystal Empire was laid out with several figures being drawn, representing positions of troops.

“Good. That makes our job much easier,” Borsig commented, adjusting his visor-cap before turning back to the plans of action. “Surveillance is limited right now on account of nearly all air support being engaged to combat the retreating Pirates, so we won’t necessarily have immediate warning as to when the attack will start. However, this is what we’ve all come up with, and anyone feel free to interject if something was not agreed upon.”

He cleared his throat, and the other three gathered closer around while the throne room was bustling with activity from pony and human soldiers alike.

“First line of defense is just outside the shield periphery. A light garrison of troops will be in the way, but they’ll easily be able to retreat back into safety if things go downhill. Prince Shining Armor, you’ve given the unicorn troops the spell to enter the shield safely?”

“Yup. All can cast it well,” Shinning affirmed.

“Good. Greatest chance that the first line will fall. In that event, remaining troops from the first line will regroup at the second line, which is a perimeter extending to Crystal Park, where the Heart once stood. That’s where our Marines and the Elite Unicorns will provide the fiercest resistance. The final line is of course, the Castle. We all defend the Heart until the last man, woman, stallion, or mare,” Borsig finished the run-through. “As well, I’ve called for CV-Squad’s immediate diversion. They’ll be arriving, although I don’t know when."

Several hoof-steps and clops towards the entrance to the throne room garnered the Equine and Human leaders’ attentions, revealing the Mane Six plus Spike trotting towards them.

“Secondary defenses are set up, Princess,” Twilight spoke first, rifle on her back. They had been tasked with helping build and fortify fortifications around Crystal Park, and their help ultimately sped up the completion of the project in merely two hours. Princess Celestia’s star pupil could really get anything done.

“Excellent work, all of you. Those defenses are invaluable and the fact that you all helped speed up the process by that much time could have potentially saved many, many lives,” Celestia commended. Borsig even offered a small salute.

“Indeed. I know the Marines appreciate any help they get. It’s remarkable how well we, as two species, have been able to work together, I must say,” he added.

“Times of conflict may unite the most uncommon individuals, Colonel,” Cadence replied thoughtfully.

“Ideally said, Princess.”

“Sir!” A marine with a thick accent spoke to get Borsig’s attention before jogging up to him. “We have two more groups of civilians to evacuate. We should be done within the hour, once the remaining transports return.”

“Thank you, Soldier,” Shining Armor decided to speak up on behalf of his civilians.

“Now we’re just missing a couple bodies…” Borsig commented on the absence of Samus and Princess Luna. Everypony instinctually looked around for the two and indeed confirmed that they were not there… though they knew that well.

“I sincerely hope they arrive soon lest the battle start without…” Princess Celestia was interrupted when a bright teal flash of light lit up the throne room instantaneously. All eyes turned to the source of the disturbance, finding the individuals in question, although everybody knew that something was really wrong when they found Samus on her knees, clutching her head, having just removed her Suit.

“Samus needs an Element, posthaste!” Luna called out using her royal voice. Only Celestia had access to them, however.

“Sister! What happened?!” she asked, trying to make sense of the suddenly chaotic situation. Samus’s labored breaths and growls pervaded through the throne room, and the Mane Six did their best to try and help their friend.

“Do not question me! We need the Elements now!”

Looking back to Samus once more, Celestia knew exactly what was happening and called upon some magic to summon the remaining Elements. A few of Luna’s troops who were stationed in the throne room immediately moved to set a perimeter around Samus.

“What the hell is going on here? Samus?!” Borsig moved to get a better look but was immediately blocked by a couple Magickakorps troops.

“What’s going on!?” Twilight shouted as she and her friends were pushed away from Samus by Luna’s elites. “You said the Elements would keep the Nightmare dormant!”

“Sister, are they ready??” Luna turned back to Celestia, ignoring Twilight’s, and now the rest of the Elements’ outbursts.

“Right here… Generosity,” Celestia floated a hard-magic object over to Luna, one which took on the shape of a trinity of bright-blue diamonds. Samus was starting to lose consciousness and was forming incomprehensible slurs of speech. The Mane Six all looked on with equal degrees of concern for their blonde-haired human friend. For the rest of the humans in the room, now it was time for them to witness a ‘medical’ process beyond their comprehension.

Luna immediately took the Elemental Magic in her grasp and manipulated Samus’s form onto her back. She struggled, but not due to her own volition. With that, Luna wasted no time in plunging the magic artifact straight into Samus’s chest. The reaction was immediate as a colored-aura enveloped her body before recombining in her sternum. Through the noise of the magic working on her form, all were deaf to Samus’s mental struggle. Once the noise had subsided and the light had cleared, Samus lay motionless with her eyes closed on the floor, her heavy but rhythmic breathing the only indication that she was alive.

The Mane Six and the two Princesses gently trot forward, no sudden movements. The soldiers dispersed but still looked on as the Hunter was still motionless.

Until a gentle grunt and soft movements emanated from her body.

“Samus…?” Luna gingerly spoke.

“Sam?” Rainbow Dash let her concern shine through. All had a single hoof lifted in the air, as if they wanted to poke the prone woman. Samus moved even more, but what looked like a miracle soon became more chaos as she screamed out painfully and clutched her head once again, attempting to try and claw her own face off. Her legs thrashed and her body contorted itself violently… all were taken by complete surprise and adrenaline surged through everypony once more.

“It didn’t work?!” Twilight again questioned harshly.

“Celestia, we need to give her the last one! The induction was ineffective!” Luna commanded, looking to her left towards her sister.

“What?! You know full well that it could kill her instantly! It’s too much magic!” Celestia barked back.

“Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh…” Fluttershy began sobbing to herself, not sure what to think of anything that was so suddenly sprung on them.

“And if we do not give it to her she shall succumb to the Nightmare and die anyway! We will not be able to cleanse her when five of the six elements are inside her! You said it yourself, her magical potential possibly rivals that of Twilight Sparkle, we have no choice but to take the risk!” Luna punctuated with several stomps of her right hoof, the floor cracking beneath it. Shining and Cadence stood aside and, like the rest, watched with deep concern, but knowing they could not do anything to help.

Princess Celestia had visible beads of sweat forming on her face, much like Luna, due to the sheer amount of adrenaline coursing through their veins. The normally calm and collected nature of both Princesses in the face of unexpected adversity was being heavily tested. The Sun Princess bore the look of internal debate… but she finally conceded.

“Alright… here’s the Element of Magic.” Celestia released the sixth and last element from the box where she kept it, letting the magic which took the shape of a lavender somewhat asymmetric six-pointed star, fall gently into Luna’s grasp. Samus’s struggling was losing its vigor, and Luna noticed that her skin tone was becoming darker. Standing over the Hunter and looking between her and the Element in her grasp, Luna steeled her resolve and plunged the final Element into Samus’s chest.

Like with the last element, an identical process began, albeit with a much brighter and intense light radiating off the Hunter’s form. After said light eclipsed her body, it, as expected, combined in her chest. Again, there was no more struggling from Samus, and her skin tone had returned to normal.

Everypony was on edge, even the humans that were witnessing this spectacle were becoming increasingly antsy at watching the legendary Samus Aran fall victim to… whatever was happening. She was still breathing, that was the best part, so the magic did not vaporize her, as had feared. The silence and tension were thick, and one could cut them with a knife, but again, subtle movements and groans interfered.

Samus’s hands felt around, and realizing she was on the ground, she steadied herself and slowly stood up, muscle by muscle, limb by limb. She weakly raised her head and everyone took notice of something very different:

Her eyes were back to the normal, circular irises everyone was accustomed to seeing.

“Samus…?” Luna finally spoke up, attempting to gauge her well-being. The Hunter reacted immediately to her name being called and looked towards the dark alicorn, no worse for wear.

“That was definitely a roller coaster…” Samus’s voice finally sounded, looking at her hands.

“How’re you feeling?” Borsig finally had to say something. All eyes were on her as she seemed fully recovered and completely rejuvenated. She began to speak, rather vividly and expressively:

“I feel fine but I feel… different. I can literally feel the magic in me. Holy hell it’s… powerful. I’ve never felt anything like this, even with the Chozo… It feels like I can almost—”

A sharp intake of breath and a scarring choking sound suddenly interrupted Samus’s speech as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She collapsed hard while violently gagging and seizing up. Screams from the girls and gasps from everyone else sounded immediately when she hit the floor. Samus’s eyes also began lighting up brightly, like she was casting an enormous spell.

“Shit!” Borsig shouted, frustrated with the situation and the false sense of security her previous state had given them all. Luna and Celestia, however, sprang into action immediately.

“She’s going into magical seizure!” Celestia noted, this time oddly calmer than before.

“Soldiers! Restrain her limbs!” Luna barked and her troops complied, physically and magically holding her limbs outward as she flailed, her seizure continuing unabated.

“Hold her jaw… Hold her jaw!” Celestia ordered another soldier, and he complied, ensuring Samus did not bite her own tongue off. Twilight, Spike, Applejack, and Rainbow could only look on in horror while Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity could not bear to watch the gruesome spectacle.

“We need the last resort, Celestia. She’ll die soon!” Luna turned back to her sister, who had finished summoning another magical artifact.

“Already have it! It’s ready to go,” the Solar Princess replied with equal urgency yet precision… like they had rehearsed a scenario like this. The magic coalesced into a gently, counter-clockwise spinning object which took on the shape of Samus’s runes-insignia. Luna, again, took the floating object into her grasp and stood over the restrained, seizing Hunter with a determined scowl.

“You will live, Samus Aran. That is an order. You. Will. Live!”

All had to avert their eyes with their hands or hooves as Luna plunged the power-up into Samus’s chest with all her might. Samus immediately came out of her seizure as her eyes oriented themselves and opened wide while she inhaled, taking in a deep and sudden breath of air. Immediately, she was forced into the air, limbs splayed out, and magic began to coalesce onto her body. She looked around startled while breathing in the life-giving air she so desperately needed but soon, the bright light of energy working on her body eclipsed her form entirely. Soon enough, all the energy exploded outward, forcing everybody to avert and close their eyes at the luminous display of power, and all anyone heard was the subtle *clink* of metallic boots hitting the ground.

Once everyone’s vision was restored, they gazed upon Samus, who was hunched into a kneeling position and breathing steadily, her left hand supporting her frame while her right knee remained on the ground.

Although retaining the distinctive sheen of the Crystal Suit, Samus’s armor lightened considerably, almost becoming generic metal in color and reflective like a Federation Marine’s armor. In fact, it was nearly identical to that. While her Varia Suit and others had different colored modules in some places, the color was completely homogenized (except her cannon, which remained its normal color), much like the Light Suit. While the color was a noticeable change, it was the farthest from the most interesting. Once Samus decided to stand up on her feet, all accents and her visor were magenta in color, like Rainbow Dash’s eyes. Her visor took its standard Varia Suit orientation, but much narrower and more angled, giving her a fiercer look. Likewise, her pauldrons were quite similar to the Varia Suit, but perfectly smooth and spherical.

Still, not the most interesting change.

In two slits right in between Samus’s boosters on her back, magenta-colored hard magic jutted outwards into two flat-planed but easily classifiable and noticeable ‘wings’ proportional to her torso, although they were much more angular than pegasi wings. To top it all off, her Grapple Beam’s mount was moved to the top of her arm and was very distinctly horn-like in pointed shape and ‘rifled’ creases up its body.

She looked stunningly dangerous yet mesmerizingly beautiful at the same time. No one could look away.

[Alicorn Battle Suit Acquired!]

[The Alicorn Battle Suit has its origins from the late Alicorn Empire. This suit unlocks and uninhibits all your magic potential. All spells, provided you learn them, are available to you to cast without any potential consequences to you, although certain species and physical limitations are still in place. The suit provides you a defensive shielding multiplier of three and an integrity multiplier of two in relation to the Crystal Suit. The magic wings will not allow you to ‘fly,’ but instead work in tandem with your boosters, allowing unparalleled dexterity and speed, and may be modified with further powerups.]

Samus dismissed the alert on her visor and gave herself a few once-overs, checking to ensure everything was in the proper place. Once again, magic never failed to impress her. She liked the Light Suit build that U-Mos gave her on Aether, aesthetically speaking, and she was keen on the metallic look of this Battle Suit. Satisfied, she looked up to her audience.

“So… how’d this happen?” Samus asked with her usual stoicism in referring to her new clothes. No one responded, but instead, the Mane Six all crowded around her and pressed themselves against her in a somewhat awkward embrace, all muttering their own sets of relief and joy. Samus only lifted both of her arms a tad and looked down oddly.

“Nice to see you all too… was it really that bad??” she finally asked.

“Yeah, you came within inches of corruption and/or death several times,” Twilight said matter-of-factly.

“Ah. Well, shit happens I guess. Sorry.”

“We are just glad that you are safe and free of corruption. How do you feel?” Luna asked, stepping forward to admire Samus’s new look.

“Honestly, I feel just great. Like I slept for a whole day straight. Probably a side-effect of all the magic,” Samus answered, but before she could elaborate more, her visor lit up with a notification.

“What is it?” Celestia asked, also closing the distance.

“Remember when I said yesterday that the Elements were becoming weaponized when they fuse with me? Well, it looks like we’re about to find out what they are…” Samus lead on and then accepted the notifications.

[Bringing up Suit schematics.]

[Visor]
>[Combat]
>[Scan]
>[Thermal]
>[X-Ray]
>[Aura]
>[?????]

[Arm Cannon]
>[Beam]
>>[Power]
>>[Night]
>>[Needle]
>>[?????]
>[Missile]
>>[Anti-Magic]
>>[Super]
>>[Asteroid Bombardment]
>>[Crystal Lattice]

[Morph Ball]
>[Boost]
>[?????]
>[Bomb]
>>[Fragmentation]

[Misc.]
>[Grapple Beam]
>>[Kinesis]
>>[Sticky Grapple]
>[Screw Attack]
>[Space Jump]
>[Speed Booster]
>>[Rainspark]
>[?????]
>[?????]

[Magic]
>[Sensitive]
>>[?????]

To Samus, it was truly amazing to see how much new tech she had gathered in such a short amount of time. Still, she was no less eager to see what was hidden behind the proverbial veil. The veiled names began to flicker in the colors of the Elements.

[Visor]
>[Combat]
>[Scan]
>[Thermal]
>[X-Ray]
>[Aura]
>[Kindness]

[Arm Cannon]
>[Beam]
>>[Power]
>>[Night]
>>[Needle]
>>[Magic]
>[Missile]
>>[Anti-Magic]
>>[Super]
>>[Asteroid Bombardment]
>>[Crystal Lattice]

[Morph Ball]
>[Boost]
>[Laughter]
>[Bomb]
>>[Fragmentation]

[Misc.]
>[Grapple Beam]
>>[Kinesis]
>>[Sticky Grapple]
>[Screw Attack]
>[Space Jump]
>[Speed Booster]
>>[Rainspark]
>[Loyalty]
>[Generosity]

[Magic]
>[Sensitive]
>>[Honesty]

“Whoa…” Samus softly remarked, but the decryption as not done yet, as the names of the Elements began to flicker again.

[Visor]
>[Combat]
>[Scan]
>[Thermal]
>[X-Ray]
>[Aura]
>[Gravity]

[Gravity Visor: Locking on similarly to the Scan Visor, you may strengthen the gravity around a target or a small group of targets, effectively crushing your enemies under their own weight.]

[Arm Cannon]
>[Beam]
>>[Power]
>>[Night]
>>[Needle]
>>[Magicka]
>[Missile]
>>[Anti-Magic]
>>[Super]
>>[Asteroid Bombardment]
>>[Crystal Lattice]
>>[Harmony Blast]

[Magicka Beam: Taking the orientation of your former Plasma Beam, the Magicka Beam fires blasts, similar to the aforementioned molten weapon, of pure, high intensity, weaponized magic. Can destroy enchanted metals and barriers with ease, as well as potentially immolate enemies.]

[Harmony Blast: The Harmony Blast is the Magicka Beam’s missile combination. Calling upon the inherent nature of the Elements of Harmony, this weapon fires the cleansing beam distinctly attributed to the Elements of Harmony. This combination, oddly, uses no missiles, but may only be called upon when the Elements are needed. You, and the Elements as magical entities, will know when this time is.]

[Morph Ball]
>[Boost]
>[Spider]
>[Bomb]
>>[Fragmentation]

[Spider Ball (Magicka): Like your traditional Spider Ball, this ability allows you to attach the Morph Ball to magnetic surfaces. Unlike your traditional Spider Ball, this ability also allows you to attach yourself to magically enchanted surfaces, including metals, crystals, and barriers.]

[Misc.]
>[Grapple Beam]
>>[Kinesis]
>>[Sticky Grapple]
>[Screw Attack]
>[Space Jump]
>[Speed Booster]
>>[Rainspark]
>[Blade]
>[Active Camouflage]

[Blade: Uninhibited magic allows you to call upon a melee weapon, a sword, of pure magical energy, identical to the Magickakorps ability. This blade will slice through even the toughest armor and barriers. Weightlessness allows unmatched wielding capability.]

[Active Camouflage: Uninhibited magic allows you to render yourself completely invisible to the visible and magical spectrums of light and energy. It does not, however, protect you from X-Ray vision capabilities. Since this is an active spell, the magic is rather intensive, and thus, may only be cast for variable amounts of time.]

[Magic]
>[Sensitive]
>>[Hyper-Sensitive]

[Hyper-Sensitive Magic: All possible spells are now available for you to cast without any of species or physical limitations, as well as fear of backfire. All benign magic may now be absorbed without fear of magical vaporization or overload, as well as heavily increasing resistance to offensive magic.]

Because they all contributed in some way, Samus decided to read aloud what each of the Elements gave her to work with. To say that everypony was stunned would be quite the understatement.

“My Element can do that?” Fluttershy timidly asked.

“I knowwww right?!” Rainbow added with disbelieving enthusiasm.

“This is indeed most impressive!” Luna exclaimed with her joyous, giddy voice. Out of the corner of everypony’s eyes a couple Marines entered the throne room with urgency in their steps and quickly made a beeline for Colonel Borsig, pulling him aside.

“Is everything alright, Colonel?” Shining Armor asked, observing the tense exchange of words. Borsig continued to listen intently before he thanked the soldiers and turned to Shining, said soldiers continuing to stand at attention.

“The Changelings are moving in. We need to get to our positions immediately,” he announced before turning back to the messengers. “Get the word out. All Marines not involved with the first-line defense are to be on highest alert. Go!”

“Yes sir!” the two Marines answered, saluted, and sprinted out the throne room doors. Celestia decided to speak out next:

“You heard him, soldiers. Get to your positions immediately! Samus, will you assist us?” she asked, turning back to the armor-clad Hunter. Though veiled by her helmet and visor, Samus had an easily ‘visible’ look of incredulity.

“Was there any question of that, Celestia?” She and the Solar Princess shared a brief ‘moment’ until a bright light eclipsed Samus’s arm cannon. It left as soon as it came, leaving her right arm identically armored to her left, but with a distinct lack of her primary weapon. Samus, in disbelief, looked to both of her hands back and forth.

“W-What happened?” Twilight asked unsurely.

“I…. am not sure…” Samus replied before moving to call upon her system diagnostics.

“What is the problem?” Luna cut in, just joining into the conversation after confiding in some of her troops.

“I can see my right hand! That’s the problem!” Samus addressed, pointing to her right forearm for emphasis. “Hold on…” she called up the notification on her visor and again, read out loud.

[The Elements of Harmony allow your Arm Cannon to make use of the Magicka Beam and Harmony Blast as weapons. Although the Alicorn Battle Suit allows use of previously untenable amounts of magical power, your Arm Cannon must be correctly partitioned to allow for proper use of the Elements of Harmony as a combinatorial entity. As a result, your primary weapon system will be offline for approximately one-and-a-half to two hours until the process is complete. All other weapon, defensive, and miscellaneous systems are fully operational.]

Samus’s right eye twitched under her visor.

“That doesn’t make any… fucking sense!” she exclaimed as she kept jamming on that magical button on her visor.

[No other information is available at this time.]

“It actually makes perfect sense…” Twilight cautiously worded, dragging her hoof meekly on the floor and averting her gaze somewhat. Celestia stepped in to affirm that notion:

“Quite so. One of the complexities of Magical Theory is known as the Spectral Division Theorem, which allows for specific elements of magic to become unusable while still retaining auxiliary uses; case in point, the weaponization of each individual Element of Harmony as opposed to the combined Elements of Harmony.”

Samus deadpanned under her visor, but there was no use in getting angry. She took a deep breath and exhaled.

“Okay, then I guess I’m without my cannon for a little while. In that case I’m gonna need a weapon, hand grenades, and a partition belt.”

Borsig nodded at the proclamation and called out to a heavy trooper that was manning a defensive position for the throne-room:

“Trooper! Hand over your automatic rifle, belt and all your ammunition and grenades… then resupply yourself from the armory.”

“Yes sir!” the higher-pitched voice of the female Heavy Marine replied as she jogged over, putting the safety on the long, automatic rifle and placing it in Samus’s armored hands.

“Thanks, trooper,” Samus spoke with sincere gratitude, getting used to holding a physical rifle in her grasp. The solder then unclasped her partition belt and helped Samus put it on her waist.

“My pleasure, Ma’am. All extra weapon-core magazines are on the right partitions of the belt, and your hand grenades are on the left. It should all be plenty but you may resupply here or elsewhere in the city. Good luck out there,” the female Marine explained succinctly and confidently before running off to the armory somewhere within the castle.

“So, what’s the plan?” Samus asked, holding her rifle low.

“We’ve got some anti-air defenses and machine-gun nests placed in variable locations around the city because numerous Changelings will undoubtedly penetrate the shield through the air,” Borsig began to explain. Luna then took the reins:

“The Elements have been aiding these joint human-pony positions in several ways and will be needed for the fight. Can you escort them to their designated positions?”

“I’ll take care of ‘em,” Samus nonchalantly replied, clutching her weapon a bit harder.

“Awesome!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, pumping her hoof into the air.

“Yeehaw!” Applejack stomped her front hooves.

“Yuppee!” Pinkie Pie exuberantly bounced in place.

“Marvelous!” Rarity affirmed her approval.

“Yay…” Fluttershy spoke with trepidation, drawing close to Samus.

“And I’m with you, Samus,” Twilight noted, assault rifle on her back and, surprisingly, clad in some form of enchanted Guard armor and a bland helmet with her horn poking through. Samus did not even notice that she had disappeared and gotten changed. She was about to question Twilight’s decision for a combat role given her very recent ‘incident’ with a Space Pirate, but her gaze spoke volumes; one which would not be denied.

“Alright then. Hope you can handle a rifle in battle, Twilight,” Samus cautioned, still getting used to the idea of having company with her in battle, though she knew Twilight was fully capable of taking care of herself.

“I have a knack for learning things very quickly…”

“Be safe, Twily!” Shining nuzzled his armored sister affectionately.

“Always am, BBBFF.”

“Best of luck out there. Please keep them safe, Samus,” Celestia concernedly added. The Hunter only turned her head and nodded in affirmation. She’d get it done, and Celestia knew that well.

“Let’s go, everypony. Tell me where we’re going and I’ll get you there,” Samus spoke with authority, gesturing out the throne room. With that, Samus took point, rifle raised, exiting the throne room with precious cargo in tow.

She would not let any harm come to these six ponies… for more reasons than it just being an assignment.

Edited by Random_Dragon

Author's Notes:

Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned that Fimfiction does not like any sort of excessive 'tab'-ing or any type of tech-tree like structure. As a result, in case you could not figure it out, know that [ ] indicates a category, >[ ] indicates a subcategory, and >>[ ] indicates a sub-subcategory, etc. You'll understand what I mean when you read on. It looked a lot better but Fimfiction messed it up completely, so this was the last resort. As for the graphic, I could not think of a better looking, 'sci-fi futuristic' automatic rifle than the Clone Trooper's main armament from Star Wars. I'd say go on that as a basis for Samus's makeshift weapon system right now, and giving her a standard GF assault rifle didn't seem too appropriate for some reason. Moar firepower!

Hope you enjoyed! Sound off below! See you all next time :)

29.5 Sculpting of Radiance

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 29.5

Sculpting of Radiance

[Canterlot. Six Months after Princess Luna’s Return]

“You realllly need to relax, Star…” a very feminine-sounding voice sounded out through the halls of Canterlot Castle. The light from the early-evening sun was still somewhat plentiful and lighting up the entire corridor for all to see, though two of the occupants using it for transit were not paying much attention to what was held on its walls.

“Filly, I just finished the MAT test… you know, the one that determines my future as a soldier? Totally nothing, right?” the gray-coated unicorn mare complemented with silver eyes and lightly faded navy blue mane/tail, known as Starry Night, replied with some noticeable degree of apprehension. Her friend’s efforts at passive consolation were failing miserably.

“I’m very well aware of that, but you do realize that you don’t need to have a perfect score to get into the Guard, right? You need to slow down, Star,” another unicorn mare, ever so slightly taller in stature, followed up. She was light blue to the coat, though darker than the iconic Cyan coat of Rainbow Dash. A jet-black mane/tail and sapphire eyes ensured, combined with her physique, that she was first noticed of the two friends. She was clad in the golden armor of the Royal Guard with a sword strapped to her hip, though sans helmet, which ensured that her natural color showed through.

I’m Radiance, and yeah as you could tell, I was not really as awesome as Constance. I was lucky enough to land a position in the Guard as a common soldier, but that’s exactly what I wanted to do in the first place.

The two rounded a corner right as Radiance finished her last sentence, in perfect step with each other.

“Implying you weren’t a nervous bucking wreck when you returned from your MAT test. Implying you didn’t almost develop alcoholism and insomnia until you got your results. Implying you believed you didn’t need a perfect score to be a Guard. Implying implications,” Starry threw her rebuttal in Radiance’s face.

In case you couldn’t figure it out, Starry is my best friend. We grew up together, though I wasn’t from Trottingham. I wanna toss her out the window every now and then but I’d take a spear for that mare…

...Not in the face or anything but maybe in the hoof or a glancing blow across the flank.

“Fair points. But I’m only saying that since I’ve been through this personally, advice from one best friend to another, it’s no use stressing out. What’s done is done and please, you’re more studious than me by a longshot. If I could get in the Guard downing a bottle of Apple Gin the night before I’m sure you’ll have little issue,” the blue mare coaxed. Starry huffed as they exited the castle proper and crossed the bridge over the moat.

“Totally. I had my nose buried in military texts since I could read. You had yours buried elsewhere,” Starry added with inflection and implicit innuendo.

“Wow. ONE time some colt you had a crush on likes me instead and suddenly it’s my fault? You’re still on about this shit, oh my Celestia let it go it was five years ago!”

“Implying.”

“Hey, I never asked for this!” Radiance pointed out with friendly frustration. “If I had a bit for every time I was hit on or borderline sexually harassed in the Guard by stallions and mares I’d have already bought a mansion in Zebranica.”

Starry has always had a habit of holding on to things, more of the mental variety rather than the physical. Drives me insane when she compares herself to me in terms of looks, because she sells herself so short. She’s super sexy, and I have no problem saying that, but it’s not my problem if she doesn’t put herself out there and just expects things to happen. As I’ve always said, dating is pure economics. If you have a marketable product, ponies will buy. If you don’t, ponies won’t buy. If you don’t create a market, ponies won’t buy anyway because you won’t let them… I’m getting off topic here, aren’t I?

The two mares continued to walk down Canterlot’s Mane Street, oblivious to the world around them but each other. Furthermore, neither could see the Lunar Princess eyeing the blue mare from her tower as they walked away from the castle proper.

“Ahhh… now there’s a place I’d love to visit. Why don’t we go?” Starry quickly changed the topic to something more exciting.

“Ummm, probably because I’m still waiting for my promotion raise to retroactively kick in and implying you have a thousand bits to drop right this moment because I ain’t spotting your ass for a whole vacation,” Radiance added with a smirk, throwing Starry’s trademark word back at her. The latter turned to her with an annoyed expression.

“Don’t ‘imply’ me, filly. I’ll ‘imply’ you through that goddamn shop window,” Starry playfully threatened with a dark tone of voice. The other mare would easily concede, Starry was the better one at pure magic.

“You seem to be forgetting that I have my sword on me,” Radiance smugly pointed out, giving her flank a gentle shake to let her weapon rattle against her armor, as well as let some of her cutie mark, a long-sword wrapped in a flowery wreath, show through. Starry rolled her eyes.

“You win this time, Radiance. Damn your swordsmare-ship, damn it to Tartarus,” she replied dramatically, waving her hoof at Radiance’s face. The latter chuckled.

That’s pretty much where my skill comes in. I was holding a blade of some sort since I could levitate objects with magic. I just got lucky though, because the only one I knew of with any sort of experience in swordplay was my great great grandmother. It skipped everypony in between and I got the skill for some reason. My dad is currently a very talented blacksmith and he always joked that somepony had to get the genes sooner or later.

“I can, however, spot you for drinks if you buy dinner,” Radiance offered. Starry perked up at the idea of food.

“Yeah, I’m cool with that! Let’s go to that restaurant that we like, the one that that sweet Griffin runs.”

“Oh that one! He’s super nice and the food is fantastic. Race you there!” And Radiance took off immediately, leaving Starry startled in the dust.

“Bitch!” and just like that Starry was in hot pursuit.

Okay fine, I’d get my left hoof sliced off for that mare. The left one, mind you, not the right one. If it had to be the right hoof… well I guess she’s shit out of luck and I’ll give the eulogy at her funeral. Still, she keeps me sane. From muscle destroying Guard drills to getting hit on constantly, she keeps me in balance with her spry and exciting personality. When I didn’t get the chance to hang out with her though, I would usually catch free time in the sparring room.

Now, the sparring room is a necessarily large room filled with dummy targets and small ‘arenas’ that are meant to test the Guard’s competency in melee combat. So naturally, spears, swords, maces, morning stars, et cetera. No ranged combat was allowed here. I was so good with a sword that I was often called upon by the instructor to help other swordsponies, especially unicorns. It wasn’t enough for me though. I absolutely love the feeling of holding a sword in my magical grasp… it makes me feel powerful and alert. So, when our shifts were over during the night, I would often sneak into the sparring room and, by light of a couple of candles, practice my forms.

It turned out though, that Princess Luna had taken a keen interest in my performance, both official and unofficial...

Two nights later, and sometime after midnight, Radiance had stealthily worked her way into the sparring room and had begun ‘shadow-practicing.’ Sapphire aura surrounding her trusty sword, the only sounds that could be heard were her grunts of exertion, the cutting of the air, and the gentle clops of her unarmored hooves. She was barely visible even by her candlelight but nevertheless, the flames flickering and casting shadows on her form ensured that the empty room got a powerful show of force.

“Rrrrah!” Radiance growled as she swung her blade in an overhead, diagonal chop to end one of her long-forms before sheathing her blade. She was about to sit down in the middle of the ‘arena’ she was in and catch a break when her senses immediately alerted her.

Someone was watching her, and had been watching her from the shadows, but before she could attempt to locate whoever it was, they appeared from the veil of the shadows.

Into the candlelight, the alicorn of the Night made herself known, stoic look on her face. Radiance dared not say anything as she looked upon Princess Luna with reverence and some fear. She knew that she would not harm her or attempt to, but her entrance, combined with her rather intimidating posture, set her just a bit on edge.

“Let us see how you handle a true opponent…” Princess Luna softly uttered as she cast her teal-blue magical long-sword, holding it at an angle towards Radiance, whose jaw was figuratively on the ground.

I had never seen a magically cast sword before… only the most skilled unicorns have been able to ever cast one. I just had to get it through my head that Princess Luna, who was probably watching me every time I was there, had challenged me to a duel…

Radiance, acting with some excitement but mostly on instinct, cast her aura on the hilt of her sword and drew it, drawing it towards Luna and letting the blades touch each other… the hard magic not damaging the enchanted metal in any way. Luna grinned determinedly and Radiance hardened her gaze. If it was a duel Luna wanted, she was gonna have to deliver.

Luna began strafing and circling, to which Radiance reciprocated the movement, their swords still gently touching and the aura from both of their magics lighting up the room a bit more. Staring down at the front of a magical sword was a very humbling experience from the start for Radiance.

Luna moved first, giving a tender swing away from Radiance’s blade and low towards her left leg… Radiance swung low and parried easily. Luna was clearly probing her. Luna’s eyes never left Radiance’s as she again struck, pulling her sword back and delivering first a vertical chop, which the unicorn swung upwards (while taking a couple steps backward) to block, but Luna followed up immediately with another low swing, this time towards Radiance's right hoof.

Another easy counter, and the unicorn Guard decided to take the initiative. Flaring her magic, she pushed Luna’s blade back and freed her own sword, swinging at her Princess, to which the latter crossed her weapon in front of her face to block the attack… but it didn’t stop there. Radiance pressed forward and delivered two chops followed by a horizontal sweep to Luna’s two front legs. The Princess parried and blocked the two chops with excellence and caught her opponent’s low sweep with an angled block before parrying the metal blade forward, placing them both into a neutral position, the two weapons resting on each other yet again.

“Impressive finesse, Miss Emeralda…” Luna complimented, both of their breathing rates having slightly increased.

“Thank you, Princess… means a lot coming from you,” Radiance replied genuinely, not conceding at all while they circled each other.

“That means I shan’t have to play novice with you…” and with the end of her sentence, Luna immediately swung down and to the right, following up with a vertical chop and then a power-swing when Radiance deflected both attacks. The powerful hit forced Radiance’s magic to falter slightly when she countered, and also having her lose her footing slightly. Capitalizing on this, Luna reared her weapon back and chopped once more, but instead of blocking the hit, Radiance just glanced it off her sword’s flat and used the momentum to roll to her right and back up onto her hooves.

Radiance followed through and swung at Luna’s backside, who glanced the blow while side-stepping out of the blade’s range. The two continued to parry, attack, power-swing, for several minutes, with Luna upping the ante with nearly every successive minute that passed by.

I had never felt so alive before… I mean, sparring with Princess Luna, a rumored master swordsmare, is like a wet dream in my little world. In the end though, she knew exactly what she was doing. Consistently upping the ante and testing my skills to the very limit, she was trying to guage what I knew… trying to probe my weaknesses. As confident as I was in my abilities, I had no realistic expectation to best her in a sword fight, and it was only a matter of time before something gave.

Radiance was becoming more exhausted after nearly ten minutes of constant fighting. Luna was beginning to use forms, combinations, and techniques that she had no familiarity with… but the only thing that kept her going was the fact that she was having the time of her life. The movements, the swords themselves, the purposeful twirls and just the sheer sound of hard-magic hitting metal was just beautiful to her in its own rite.

Soon enough, after another failed counterattack, Luna performed a counterattack of her own and Radiance put too much force into her block. When the Princess’s sword struck the unicorn’s, she let the force of the blow carry it farther away than she should have. As a result, Luna followed up with a lighting-fast vertical chop onto the hilt of Radiance’s weapon, severing the magical connection to its owner, and finally, in the latter’s surprise, swung the magical blade deliberately into the lowest part of the Guard’s helmet.

“Ahh!”

The blow did not hurt Radiance by any means, but it struck the rib of her helmet with such force that it forced her to the ground on her right side. Luna then stood over her, teal-blue sword pointed straight at her face, to which Radiance’s eyes could not look away. Luna looked down upon her, but not with a look of disappointment, but one of praise, one that, for some reason, made Radiance feel amazing about herself despite her ‘loss.’

“Excellent… Outstanding, Corporal,” Luna began speaking gently, but words were laced with a pleasant and encouraging tone. Radiance could not think of anything to say at the moment, but just decided to keep panting and catching her breath. Even Luna, it seemed, had one or two visible beads of sweat formed on her cheek and brow.

“T-Thank you, Princess…”

“Rise, Radiance,” the Princess gently commanded, dispersing her sword and letting the Guard get back to her hooves.

“If I may speak… freely Princess,” Radiance began through her breaths. “That’s the most fun I’ve had in a long while.”

“I too thoroughly enjoyed myself. However, my appearance was not only due to me wanting to have fun,” she replied, turning much more business-like and serious. The shadows cast by the remaining candles danced upon her face. “I have watched you, Radiance… for the past month. Your skills with a blade are truly remarkable, beyond what I have seen in the current Guard roster and many others. I have something to ask of you, noble Guard.”

“Anything, Your Highness.”

“Actually, it is not so much of a question as it is a job offer…” Luna corrected herself.

“A j-job?”

“Indeed. Bluntly, you are overqualified for the Guard. I personally could use somepony such as yourself with a certain skill set such as yours. Your ability with standard magic, of course, surpasses a grand majority of your peers… but the way you use it, in melee combat, is where you truly shine. I can place you in a force where those skills will be needed. Not only will they be needed, but they, under my personal tutelage, will be tested, honed, perfected, and sculpted to create one of the greatest swordsmares that Equestria has ever seen…” Luna preached, perfectly accentuating all her words.

Holy crap… it was like she was trying to sell me a key to my dream life. One of Equestria’s greatests swordsmares, trained by one of said greatest swordsmares?!

Radiance, on the other hand, had no words, so Luna took this as a sign to continue:

“Take your rightful place in the Magickakorps, help defend Equestria where the Elements of Harmony cannot, and set your potential free next to peers just like yourself…”

Obviously I said yes… a million times yes. And you know what? She was right. I had never felt more powerful in my life once I received that armor… and the know-how on how to cast a blade of my own. I could not wait to know what the future held for me.

30. Fight Crystallien

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Author's Notes:

Hey guys! It's been a while!

Alright, again, sorry for the long wait but about a third of the way through I decided to scrap the chapter and start over. The main reason was because originally, this scene was supposed to have TONS of fighting, but I soon realized that wording became much too repetitive and the influx of heavy imagery for such short time spans made the chapter drab and overall, unnecessarily bloated. As a result, you'll probably see a lot less descriptive fighting than you'd have expected, as much of it is alluded to in standard text. This chapter was definitely the most difficult to write so things should be much smoother as we move on. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter and I sincerely hope it ends up being worth the wait for you all .

Also, please read the last author's note at the end of the chapter. Some or many of you won't care what I reference there, but some might.

Metroid Equis

Chapter 30

Fight Crystallien

The throne room doors opened inward and out walked the group of seven, of which was composed of six ponies and one human. Samus, arm cannon currently out of commission but the entirety of her Suit operational, took point with an automatic rifle in her grasp. There was one last atrium after the throne room that led into the world outside of the castle, and Samus took this time to reorganize her equipment: ammunition on the left side of her loaned partition belt, and grenades on the right. This configuration made for a potentially much less awkward reloading experience. The mares all watched their armored human friend, meticulously checking her equipment and ensuring all was well, but it might as well have been a distraction… a much needed distraction for what they would all have to go through, and the apprehensiveness showed on all of their faces in varying degrees.

“Umm, Twilight? Where’s Spike?” Samus asked, feeling a bit weird that she was the one to bring up this question upon realization of his absence, and none of the other girls in her stead.

“He’s staying here. There’s no way I’m letting him outside the protection of the castle until this is all over,” Twilight reasoned; an excellent point, in Samus’s eyes. Truth be told, the Hunter had been growing a tad fond of the little guy. Despite him being about half her height, she still considered Spike one of these so-called ‘friends.’ Spike also thoroughly enjoyed Samus’s company as she never patronized him due to his size, and always treated him like one of the other mares.

“Alright then. And Twilight, if you’re volunteering as a soldier right now, you’re gonna have to act like one. Check all your equipment… rumor has it you’re good at checklists,” Samus pointed out. Rainbow Dash huffed and rolled her eyes.

“Oh you have no idea…” the rainbow-maned pony muttered. Twilight ignored her comment and only wore a smug expression on her face.

“Already triple-checked everything: Rifle is cleaned and all parts in working order, a full load-out of ammunition including eight weapon cores, three grenades, and medical supplies, all armor is in pristine condition,” she noted. Samus was impressed, as most recruits would often forget their own helmets in a combat situation.

“Impressive, but you forgot one thing: make sure your armor is secured.” Samus pointed to a few clasps on Twilight’s vest and shoulder plates that were loose and jiggling with her movements. “Loose armor can be a death sentence. Fix it.”

“Alright just let me…” Twilight used the aid of her magic to realign some armor but a couple of clasps refused to cooperate despite her proficiency and precision in the magical arts. She was becoming increasingly embarrassed and Samus could not help but chuckle at the scene. Finally, she got down on one knee and placed her loaned rifle on the ground.

“C’mere, I’ll do it for you,” Samus beckoned the purple unicorn, who accepted her help without hesitation. After a few seconds, her armor was completely secured and all was as it should have been. Twilight looked up to Samus, who had gotten back to her feet and reclaimed her weapon. She held a great deal of admiration and gratitude towards the Hunter, who was putting her life on the line for all of them. But the fact that she could clearly see the magic of friendship coursing, at least partially, through the emotionally detached human was what really put a smile on her face. Samus looked back down through her magenta visor and found the unicorn looking up endearingly at her.

“Thanks, Samus.”

“Yup… Something up?” Samus questioned the unicorn’s look.

“Nothing,” Twilight replied, affirming with a shake of her head. The armor-clad Hunter shrugged and turned to the rest of the mares.

“Shouldn’t you all have armor?”

“There weren’t any more sets,” Rainbow replied. That posed somewhat of a problem, because that meant on the off chance that Samus, somehow, could not oversee them, any hit could potentially be fatal.

“Alright, then Twilight and I will cast shields when able to. But Rarity,” Samus pointed to the alabaster unicorn. “On my words, I’m gonna need you to cast a shield around everypony. As strong as you can make ‘em.”

“I’m no Shining Armor but I’ll do my very best!” Rarity affirmed, her hoof pressed to her chest. Samus nodded and continued; this time, becoming very serious.

“Alright then, we’ll play this very simply. You’re all going to stick very close to me but Twilight and I will be on point checking all around us. Twilight knows the terrain, but I know how to survive in war. If I say ‘Rarity, cast a bubble shield,’ you cast a bubble shield. If I tell you all to fall in or take cover, you all take fucking cover. My job is to not let anything happen to any of you and the way you can make my job easier is by doing just that. Any questions?”

There were none. All Elements confirmed that her instructions were indeed, crystal clear.

“Very well. Twilight, where’s our first stop?”

“Crystal Hospital is about three-fourths of a mile east of the Castle proper. That’s where we’re dropping off Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie,” Twilight informed.

“Then let’s go before more Changelings get inside. Get these doors open and fall in beside me.”

[Suggested Listening]

“You got it!” Twilight replied, and with a burst of magic, the front doors of the Castle flared open. Samus, rifle aimed out at the ready, stepped out first. There wasn’t much chaos at the moment as the situation was still very manageable. Magic and gunfire could be heard sporadically throughout the city and the flying specs in the sky were all she could identify as the Changelings right now. Samus thought that if they could double-time it to the hospital, they could potentially escape combat as the situation inevitably got worse. Standing on top of the main stairway and looking east, there was indeed a street that lead straight down. It was flanked on both sides by residences and business establishments, so plenty of cover was available should things get bad.

“Alright. Let’s get moving before we get swarmed. Down the stairs and to the left… on me!” she ordered. Twilight fell into step, rifle in her magical grasp, and the others followed right on Samus’s heels. She ensured she wasn’t sprinting (as nopony aside from Rainbow Dash would be able to keep up with her) so her pace was set to that of a hurried-jog once they reached the bottom of the stairs. Samus’s motion sensors were not picking up anything aside from the group as they kept up their pace down the main street. While Samus ensured that the front and the tops of the flanking buildings were clear, Twilight ensured that they were not being followed from the rear.

That changed about half a mile into their journey when Twilight spotted something moving behind them, but ducking back in between two buildings.

“Samus something’s behind us…”

“Yeah, just saw it on my motion sensors… but it looks like it’s on top of us now. Girls, take cover,” Samus ordered. Without hesitation, just like she asked before, the remaining five mares huddled close and into a nearby alley.

“Watch where you’re steppin’ partner’,” AJ’s voice rang out.

“Heh, sorry,” Rainbow apologized.

With the precious cargo out of the potential line of fire, Samus scanned all around, rifle aimed. Her visor displayed a ‘manual aiming-reticle’ which made aiming her weapon that much easier. In fact, she was quite pleased that her suit was able to adapt to another weapon beyond her own, standard arm cannon… then again she never felt the need to experiment in the first place.

Twilight moved to close the distance between her and Samus but suddenly a green magical bolt landed and exploded right in front of her right hoof, forcing her to jump back with a startled yell. Samus immediately turned around and spotted a few Drones lining the building-tops.

“Twilight, get to cover!” Samus ordered, aiming up and returning fire on one knee. One Drone took a head-shot and the rest ducked back. The buzzing still continued incessantly, along with the occasional hisses of un-translatable communication. Samus continued to aim around, carefully watching her motion tracker and listening for anything out of the ordinary. Suddenly, though, the buzzing of wings became substantially louder and her motion detector was flooded with large, red dots, prompting the Hunter to drag her gaze everywhere. She finally had direction when a magic bolt landed right behind her, causing her to look up and see four Drones buzzing above her, attempting to engage her from the air. They tried to rain magical fire down on her but Samus was completely undeterred and unimpressed, as she had dealt with Pirate Aerotroopers innumerable times in the past. She evaded backwards (with greater distance covered thanks to her hard-magic wings) and squeezed her trigger. Two of the Drones were killed immediately and their lifeless bodies dropped to the ground while the third and fourth scored lucky hits, though Samus's shields easily shrugged off the damage.

In the midst of the return fire, the last two Drones landed on the ground on opposite sides of Samus, who quickly spun to her right and unloaded six rounds into the Drone's chest. Her shielding lit up again as two more bolts scored hits but before she could finish off the last one, two other shots rang out, striking the aggressor in the rear leg and back of the head. The final Drone hit the ground immediately and looking farther, Samus spied Twilight entrenched in cover, assault rifle aimed next to her face. Samus lowered her rifle, as all was quiet... for now.

"Not bad, Sparkle. Not bad," she complimented.

"Good going, Twi!" Rainbow commented, her and the other girls' cover being opposite of the lavender unicorn. Before Twilight could reply, however, the omnipresent buzzing returned and, looking up as well as on the street behind them, well over twenty Changeling Drones appeared ready to attack.

"Whoa..." Applejack muttered, peeking out from their cover. Samus, aiming her rifle down the street, decided on a split decision.

"Twilight, erect a barrier now!" Placing her weapon on her back, the unicorn complied and cast a vertical barrier against the aggressors behind them. Of course, nothing was preventing them from flying over but Samus would prevent that.

"Girls, all of you, we're making a run for it. Let's go, LET'S GO!" The five mares sprung out of cover and galloped towards Samus, whose rifle was still aimed back towards the encroaching Changelings. She pried a hand grenade from her belt. Definitely not as accurate as a missile strike but it would do.

"Twi, drop the shield and get over here now!"

As the last syllable left Samus's mouth, Twilight's horn cut off magical supply and the shield disappeared immediately. The Hunter had already chucked the grenade, giving them some sort of cover as Twilight regrouped with everyone.

"Alright run, run as fast as you can let's go!" Samus again ordered, firing several rounds behind them before turning around and taking point once more. The ponies galloped and Samus ran as fast as she could but allowing them to keep pace, ensuring to not kick in her speed booster. Samus running was somewhat dazzling as her 'wings' swayed back and forth with more prominence due to the weapon in her grasp, creating some sort of a light show which was mesmerizing. Regardless, after about two minutes of running like hell and the Changelings certainly tailing them, the Hospital was in sight. A few more gunshots sounded from the rear and looking over her shoulder, she found Twilight had turned around and was 'galloping' backwards while firing as best as she could at their pursuers. There was little need to aid Twilight at the moment, however, as they had just arrived at the front doors of Crystal Hospital. Before they could even step inside, the front double doors of the large facility opened, revealing two Magickakorps troopers who quickly took their places outside as the ponies all ran in. Samus took up position with them in order to allow Twilight to catch up, which she inevitably did a few seconds later.

"You two go on inside. We'll take care of things out here," a gruff male voice emanating from the right elite unicorn spoke to Samus and Twilight.

"Thanks, we won't be long anyway." The two then moved inside to meet the other mares while the two troops took up positions to deal with the Changelings. Inside the main waiting-room of the Hospital (which was also used as a shelter for civilians and soldiers), Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were all bidding Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie good luck. Samus strode in with her rifle loosely in her hands while Twilight moved to join her friends.

"We'll be back for you when this is all over, Darlings," Rarity said, nuzzling the cream-colored Pegasus and the hyperactive Earth-pony.

"Don't worry about us, girls. Just please be safe out there..." Fluttershy voiced, returning everypony's nuzzle.

"I'm throwing a 'Successful Defense of the Crystal Empire' party when this is all done!" Pinkie excitedly replied, bouncing on her hooves and brightening everyone's spirits just that much. Surprisingly, Samus also had a couple of words:

"You're doing good work, girls. Take care of yourselves and keep safe," she said, ruffling Fluttershy's and Pinkie's mane a bit, a gesture in which both enjoyed thoroughly and warmed the others' hearts to see, especially, again, for Twilight. She speculated that this new battlesuit and the Elements of Harmony combined were having a positive effect on the Hunter in terms of emotion. Despite not being able to see through her visor, Twilight could easily discern genuine looks of endearment from the Hunter.

"Alright," Samus spoke, knocking Twilight out of her thoughts. The Hunter turned towards the remaining mares, rifle on her back. "The sooner we get moving, the more effective we can all be. Where to next?"

"There's a heavy fortification towards the end of Crystal Street. We're gonna have to take quite a few side-streets to get there though, it's the quickest way."

"Then let's get going. Load up on ammunition and water if you need to," Samus ordered curtly. The mares nodded, took one last look back at their two friends they were leaving behind, and proceeded towards the front door, back into the hostile battle quickly unfolding. Samus pulled up her weapons-systems schematics:

[Elemental Partition in effect. Arm cannon temporarily unusable until the process is complete.]

[Partition Process: 22% Complete]

[Crystal Empire Outskirts]

"What the hell...?" Jacob thought out loud, looking through the cockpit window as the pilot flew them towards a shielded Crystal Empire. All the Marine Captain could see were thousands of black dots on the ground and buzzing around.

"What's going on up there?" Constance's voice could be heard from the passenger bay, along with some metal hoof-clops as she joined him in the cockpit. Both had their helmets off, analytic looks gracing their naturally authoritative features. However, it appeared that both were growing tired from the near constant fighting of the past couple of days. A few stains of dirt, scrapes, and some sweat adorned Jake's face while Constance's ponytail was a mess, likewise with her coat being matted with the normal dirt, grime, and sweat of battle.

"There's a whole damn army surrounding the Empire. I'm not sure of what but they're clearly there!" he pointed out, gesturing with his hand.

"Changelings... what are you up to...?" the equine squad leader mused out loud. She did not need to be told that they were all gonna have to get dropped right in the middle of that mess; in fact she would be surprised if they weren't thrust to the very front line.

"Hate to break it to ya, but your stop is right onto the first defensive just outside of the shield. I'd get ready to step out soon, we're landing in one minute. Standby," the pilot informed, and that was all Jake and Constance needed to hear. The two moved back into the cabin to give the announcement, where the remaining three humans and three ponies were intermingled.

"Get ready, guys. We're disembarking real soon," Jacob calmly stated, the reaction immediate as everyone stood up and checked themselves over.

"Let's do this," Radiance commented, sliding her helmet back on, an action that everyone undertook at the same time. However, while the process of preparing for a drop was going smoothly, the sudden bout of turbulence was not helping things along, especially when the rear hatch began opening as the dropship systematically lost altitude.

"Shit! We're taking fire from the ground! The original landing zone's gonna be too hot!" the Pilot exclaimed, the turbulence increasing and the passengers continually losing their footing.

"Then land us elsewhere as close as..." Jake was cut off when something unknown slammed into the front of the craft, making it bank upward.

"We've been hit! HOLD ON, WE'RE GOING DOWN!" the Pilot yelled out authoritatively, attempting to control the inevitable crash landing as he called out various 'mayday' codes through the radio.

With quick thinking, Jake, Nathan, and Arianna were able to grab onto something to prevent them from falling out, likewise, they were able to grab onto a hoof of a random pony, who did not have the luxury of opposable digits. Starry, who wasn't able to get grabbed, was able to hook the end of her hoof onto the side of one of the cabin seats to prevent from being thrown out of the ship... but Sydney wasn't so lucky. When whatever projectile struck the craft and banked it upward, her attempts to grab onto something were futile when Constance accidentally knocked into her due to the sudden jerking.

"AAAAHHH!!" Sydney screamed as she fell out of the back and to the white ground below.

"SYDNEY!!" all the humans called out to her, unable to save her from plummeting to the ground. The short trip to the ground for her was marred by her flailing and screaming in terror but she, fortunately, did not get met with a bloody fate. With a slushy-sounding thud, and one pained groan, Syd was stuck face up in the thick snow of the Frozen North. While her fall was cushioned somewhat (also in part due to her armorsuit locking up), she still landed hard enough against the ground where she began losing consciousness. The last thing she saw before everything went black was the rest of her team flying away in a dropship that was clearly going down.

[Target Located. Initializing...]
[Subject: Sergeant Sydney Exeter]
[Vitals: Stable...]

Another pained groan and Sydney finally awoke. Both of her armored hands moved to her face and with shock, realized that she was in the process of putting on her helmet when she was thrown out of the dropship... as a result, her face was disproportionately cold to the rest of her armor-insulated body. Everything, including the time of day, looked the same, so she deduced that she could not have been out for too long.

Stupid... fuggin'... turbulence.

The first thing to do was to get the rest of her body dug up from the snow. That took few minutes but Syd was able to wrench herself free of her deep, white enclave. She finally got to her feet (which sank into the snow again), her amber hair wet and a mess, as well as two small cuts on her face, likely from the fall. Her blue eyes scanned all directions and found nothing but frozen paradise... or wasteland, depending on who you talked to. Her human intuition told her that nothing in the immediate area was a threat, despite getting shot down... but one thing was for certain:

I need to find my helmet.

Indeed that was top priority. Radios and communicators were built into the helmet so she had no way to contact her squad or to even know if they were alright. Likewise, they were probably trying to contact her constantly and not getting any response... possibly believing her dead. There was another problem, upon inspecting the equipment present in her armorsuit: she had a few weapon-core magazines, which reminded her that she had no rifle. Sydney immediately checked her thigh holster.

"Fuck!" she huffed out in frustration: her pistol had also gone missing. Oddly enough, ruffling through the rest of her partition belt, she had plenty of medical supplies, a water canteen, one MRE, her bayonet and three hand grenades. In the end, this is where she stood: clad in full Federation Marine Corps armorsuit but with no helmet and no projectile weapons. She needed her helmet, but where the hell could she possibly start looking?

Hmmm... where's the Crystal Empire?

She had to have been on some hill, because she could not see the Empire in any direction... and they were pretty close to it. The problem was, that other than a few boulders and crystals, there was nothing that could afford her a view from above to gauge her location. Focusing on her hearing, Sydney could hear the sounds of battle going on in the distance, but the echoes were reverberating off of crystals and other natural formations. Still, she was able to conclusively tell that the Empire must be somewhere to the north-west of her position; her relative position of course. Even so, it would be foolish to charge into battle dangerously under-gunned. Again, she needed to find her helmet.

Sydney glanced around her position once more and then started walking in the opposite direction of the Empire.

The helmet is lighter weight and was knocked off of me when I was thrown out... so it had to have landed behind me somewhere.

Each step she took sunk her boots into the ground up to almost her knees but she was determined. The pristine-white snow was nearly flawless on its surface and she knew that if there was something out of the ordinary, she would do well to investigate it. It would have helped her immensely if the sun was out since there would likely be a sharp reflection of the light off of her helmet... but that was probably a bit much to ask given the current situation. So she searched, and it appeared a few minutes turned into tens of minutes... which then turned into nearly an hour. She refused to give up, however, and it seemed that fate wished to spare the poor girl more agony as a few indentations in the snow caught her attention.

Investigating, Sydney found nothing in the holes, but more indentations in the snow were close by, indicating to her that something had fallen and bounced. Naturally, following the 'trail' she found the current object of her affections resting in the snow nearly a quarter of a mile from where she fell. Getting down on her knees and plucking the helmet from the snow, it appeared in decent condition with a few dings and scratches on the metallic parts, but nothing that could not be fixed. Cleaning it off as best as she could and getting the snow out from the inside, she slid the helmet onto her head with a resounding hiss and click as pressure equalized with her armorsuit. It booted up like it should have, displaying her armor integrity as well as important vital signs and most importantly, an area map.

"CV-Squad, it's Syd, how copy?"

"..................."

"Jake... Ari, Nate? It's Sydney, over."

Again, nothing. Although all eight of them were linked to the same frequency, anything was worth a try:

"Constance? Windfire? Please respond, over."

Out of the corner of her eye Sydney thought she saw movement, but whatever, if anything was there, it had scurried away just in time. Her hand instinctively went to her sheathed bayonet as she continued watching the area in question. She thought twice about investigating but something else caught her eye: the slightest metallic glimmer right next to a natural crystal about six feet from her position. Quickly checking it out, she found the barrel of her rifle sticking out of the ground, and she wasted no time digging it out of the snow and taking it into her grasp. Fishing an ammunition core from her belt, Syd inserted it into the rear of the rifle and pulled the charging handle, relief washing over her features when the weapon responded with a high-pitched whine indicative of it coming online. As expected, her visor lit up with a notification of her ammo count: Seventy rounds in the magazine.

Now equipped with her preferred weapon and her face heating up finally, Sydney was ready to take on whatever was thrown in her path, but firstly, she needed to find the others.

"Guys, if you're getting this, I'm alive. Repeat, I'm okay and I'm gonna try and find you. Please respond at any time, over!" she called out through her in-helmet communicator as she began high-tailing it towards the Crystal Empire, though it was much easier said than done as sprinting took much more energy out of her than usual due to her feet sinking into the snow and slush with each step. Her motion tracker showed no activity going on around her so she continued onward, finally able to see the Crystal Empire through some of the low-lying clouds. Likewise, she was also able to spot a battle going on right in front of the shield, which was the first defensive line that they were told about.

"CV-Squad it's Sydney, how copy?" she tried her communicator again, perhaps in closer proximity to the battle, she could pick something up.

"I... Syd!... fire!..." Through the staticky response, Sydney, with great relief, was finally able to pick up something.

"Guys! Stay where you are! I'm coming to you!" Sydney responded eagerly. After nearly three hours of being alone, she silently reflected that she had not been unwillingly separated from her three human companions for more than half an hour at a time. Regardless, she could find them much easier now. Since there was a (albeit weak) signal, Sydney could easily have her suit's systems lock onto it and point her in the general direction of its location.

[Signal Acquired]

"Yes!" she huffed out in victory and started towards the marker on her map. The new pep in her step ensured that she had more than enough energy to run through the frozen land, gleeful effort coursing through her veins as she had confirmation that they were alive... though she silently pushed out the thoughts of the possibilities that anyone may not have made it. Unlikely though. The four (and now eight) of them were hard bastards, and they've survived worse battles with the Pirates in the past.

After about a mile of straight trekking and coming across a field of crystals and rocks, Sydney stopped in her tracks as her motion detectors picked up movement all around her... definitely unidentified movement as the dots were red. She clutched her rifle that much closer and since she was now armed, was more than willing to meet any aggression with aggression of her own. Still, what unnerved her somewhat was that once she acknowledged the fact that there existed other entities around her, her motion tracker immediately went blank.

"Guys... can you hear me?" Syd transmitted softly through her communicator, still wary of her surroundings.

"There you are!" Nathan's distinct voice sounded crystal clear through the channel. For once, she was overjoyed to hear him specifically. Before she could reply, Jacob's voice sounded:

"Good to hear from ya, Syd, we were starting to worry until we got your first staticky transmission."

"Hi Sydney!" Starry's spry voice was next to be heard, bringing some measure of a grin to the soldier's face.

"Likewise, I knew you would all be alright though," she replied while moving tactically against a jagged rock the size of her being for cover. "What's the situation over there?"

"The Pilot didn't make it unfortunately, and we're holed up by the crashed dropship. The Changelings have been prodding us but it's all quiet right now. Radiance went out to find you," Arianna's voice came through.

"Radiance, you there?"

Silence. Not even a static connection which would suggest a buggy signal, but complete silence.

"I'm not sure how I feel about that..." Constance's voice patched through to Sydney, the latter hearing a faint hissing to her right. Turning on her heel with her weapon raised, Sydney came face-to-face with four Changeling Drones randomly spaced along with a gargantuan Soldier Changeling right behind them. No emotions save for feral bloodlust could be read from their soulless eyes and aggressive stances, and what set Sydney off more was when they began charging their horns. Once she saw the horns active, she immediately started spraying rounds from left to right, her finger squeezing the trigger with all its might. The hard-light projectiles ripped through the three left-most Changelings and tore up their exoskeletons while the right-most was only wounded. The Soldier Changeling properly shielded itself and the hard-light ricocheted off said emerald-colored barrier harmlessly. All the while, Sydney dashed for another set of cover.

"Sydney! We heard gunfire what's going on!?" Jake called back through the channel. Sydney's heart was beating wildly as she was able to dive into prone, the Soldier Changeling returning fire with its own hard-magic and barely missing her torso.

Really, what do they think is going on???

"I'M BEING ENGAGED, WHAT DO YOU THINK?!" she yelled back, peeking out of her cover in a crouched state to aim as best as she could, counter-firing against her aggressors as best as she could. The two remaining Changelings split off in two directions and Sydney took the chance to quickly reload and fix her bayonet. Of course, that was the time when the wounded Changeling Drone teleported right next to her with its horn charged and ready to fire. Taking quick action, Syd smashed its face to the side with the butt of her rifle, part of the Drone's facial exoskeleton cracking under the blow. Six rounds of hard-light were pumped into its torso and it collapsed, where Sydney finished it off with a bayonet to the side, which took quite a bit of force to puncture through the exoskeleton. She quickly freed her weapon with a grunt of exertion and turned on her heels to counter the Soldier Changeling...

Which was not there.

"Sydney? Talk to us..." Jacob's voice pleaded, but she was too engrossed in the fact that her aggressor was missing to care.

Her motion tracker was barren but she knew damn well she was not alone. She did not have to wait long for confirmation as she felt herself enveloped in magic and thrown harshly against a crystal formation ten feet from where she stood. Sydney cried out in pain as she slammed ass-first into the dense energy crystal, but she was clearly able to see the Soldier Changeling bearing down on her. Dazed, she still got to her feet and aimed her weapon, squeezing the trigger and keen on unloading the entire ammo core into her aggressor... though the much more competent Soldier easily cast a shield to deflect all of her projectiles. Her firing ceased when the Changeling dropped the shield (taking a few hits as a result) and magically hurled a rock towards Syd's hands, smashing against them and knocking her rifle away. The sudden onset of pain and loss of her weapon stunned her long enough where her enemy turned and bucked its hind-legs into her chest with all of its might, her back smashing against the crystal in response to the enormous force behind the kick. Sydney saw stars as the back of her head (though in-helmet) connected with the crystal, collapsing like a rag doll face-up.

The growling, clearly victorious Changeling stood over its prey and before that final magical bolt could be fired into her head, she was able to hear some sort of a war cry before promptly witnessing the Soldier Changeling get it's head cut clean in half by a magical sword. This time her enemy collapsed (albeit obviously lifelessly) and she found another black-clad figure replacing it, though clearly smaller in stature with a black tail jutting out of the back of the armor.

"You okay Sydney??" Radiance's smooth voice spoke out as Sydney's ears stopped ringing. The elite unicorn magically helped sit the Federation soldier up.

"Yeah... thanks for saving my ass," she replied, her voice strained as she was still recovering from the painful blows. She definitely owed her life to Radiance at this point.

"No worries, Syd." Radiance then addressed the channel: "Alright, it's Radiance. I've got her. She's a bit roughed up but we're coming back to you. Keep the snow warm for us,"

"You got it! You alright over there?" Nathan replied, awash with relief.

"I can still fight. I'll be sleeping well tonight though!" she joked. All shared a gentle chuckle before Radiance helped Syd to her feet, ‘handing’ over her rifle when it was all said and done. With indifference to the weather or the gorgeous views of the winter wonderland beholden to the Frozen North, the unicorn took the lead as the two made their way back to their squad, eager to reunite the young woman with her friends.

[Crystal Empire Proper]

With Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie safe and well-protected inside Crystal Hospital, the remainder of the group led by Samus was able to move although many more Changelings had penetrated the City’s shielding. Each meter of ground was quickly becoming a fight where fire was traded back and forth for nearly an hour with nearly a hundred Changelings having fallen by their guns. Twilight perfectly supported Samus’s tactical movements and counterattacks while being able to simultaneously help protect her friends… like she would do anything else? The Hunter had to give more credit: Twilight was excellent at multitasking.

After two more squadrons of the buggers were dispatched, they were clear to enter the next street over, where the friendly fortification stood. Said fortification was in essence a reinforced wall that was magically enchanted to be much more resistant to offensive magic and weapons fire. The wall was built about twenty feet up to get views above roofs of the lower-built shops, which was necessary since there was a massive anti-aircraft cannon along with several smaller machine guns and rapid-fire anti-air weapons. The group of five made it up the last flight of stairs of the fortification, reaching the top which garnered an excellent view-point of this portion of the city; they were greeted by four troopers reloading the massive cannon.

"Oh hey they're back!" the right-most one exclaimed, rushing to meet them. This was clearly Rainbow Dash’s, Applejack’s, and Rarity’s stop.

"And welcome to hell, Samus," the commanding officer introduced herself. Samus was not interested in learning names, as her job was to get her friends... erm, the Elements safely to their posts, so she responded with a curt nod.

"Dude, are you that pony that brought down that Pirate Frigate?" a new trooper, clearly a young man, exclaimed while laying eyes on Rainbow Dash. Regardless of the situation, even with machine guns blasting next to them, her ego was always willing to be stroked.

"You know it!" she flew level to his visor to meet him face to face.

"Rock ON dude!! Bump it!" he expressed his admiration, holding his armored fist out which Dash promptly got the message and bumped her hoof against it.

“Totally!”

There was nothing going on at the moment as it appeared the Changelings had backed off… for now. Samus took this lull to check on her systems:

[Elemental Partition in effect. Arm cannon temporarily unusable until the process is complete.]

[Partition Process: 81% Complete]

That was great news. During the street-fighting, it appeared that the process had made a considerable jump. Samus knew that once her weapon’s systems were fully operational, the Changelings would not stand a chance against her plus the combined presence of the Magickakorps and Federation. Finally, after witnessing the marker increase by one percentage point, she dismissed the schematics and her combat visor booted back up. Taking a look around the street in which this fortification was built upon, she could definitely see that a decent battle had been taking place, if the bodies of the Changelings were anything to go by. Samus was taken out of her thoughtful and observant mindset when she felt something amiss behind her… not dangerous but distress.

Must be the magic again.

Actually turning around though revealed Twilight Sparkle leaning against the ridge of the side-wall, helmet off and rifle strewn aside… looking pained and dejected with a thousand-yard stare glued to her face. Her friends had appeared to notice at the same exact time.

“Twilight dear?” Rarity voiced, trotting to her side along with Dash and AJ. She didn’t respond, nor did she change her expression as her friends crowded around her. Samus decided to walk over as well, though stand immediately out of the friendship ‘snuggle.’

“C’mon Twi, talk to us, what’s wrong?” Applejack spoke next, attempting to coax what was bothering her out of her. Twilight looked like she wanted to say something… anything about how she was feeling, but she could not describe it. She was scared… terrified actually, and she did not know where it came from. Tears slowly streamed down her face and all she did was shake her head and sink lower, especially when an explosion went off nearby (though to be fair all heads lowered considerably). Now the Hunter understood.

I knew it was too good to be true…

Samus was quite surprised that Twilight was able to, at least on the surface, completely shrug off the incident of about two days ago. Now it appeared it was finally resurfacing:

The trauma. Looking upon the unicorn, Samus could not help but feel a sharp pang of sadness wash over her, but it left as soon as it arrived… empathy.

The battle and most likely taking up the rifle literally and figuratively was the onset, Samus deduced. Again, she called upon her past experiences to help deal with the situation… there was time after all. She unequipped her suit and sat down next to the troubled mare, the others making room for her. She placed her right hand on Twilight’s upper back and began rhythmically and comfortingly stroking/petting her up and down the length of her neck. The unicorn sniffled as the gesture indeed had some effect after a little while.

“I’m… I’m sorry everypony I just…”

“There is nothing to be sorry for, Twilight,” Samus sternly yet gently cut her off. The others finally understood what was happening and the Marines politely gave them all as much space as they could without detracting from their jobs.

“Ya did what ya had to do, sugarcube. There ain’t no shame in it,” Applejack reiterated.

“You saved our flanks back there and we owe you big time,” Dash added in her own two bits.

“Indeed, Darling. It’s okay to feel like this… in fact we all do somewhat. We stared death in the face!” Rarity also added, nuzzling her friend’s cheek.

“You can stay here if you want. You don’t have to and I’m not gonna make you continue fighting,” Samus spoke up once more, never ceasing her actions. That’s when Twilight brushed everyone off and stood up.

“No!” she yelled, tears still freshly staining the coat under her eyes. “I have to, I have to help protect everypony I don’t want anypony else to die!” she magically levitated her rifle up to her chest. Samus, however, saw through the facade. The sense of duty was strong with Twilight, and, though she would not stop her if she chose to continue, Samus knew that being in this state made her somewhat unstable. She placed her hand on Twilight’s back once more.

“Twilight… it’s okay. You don’t have to. You’ve done your part completely and everypony understands,” she said, staring down at Twilight who was looking straight ahead of her. Her body was still quivering slightly, so Samus reiterated:

“It’s okay…”

The way Samus said those words hit a chord in Twilight’s being… and with fresh sniffles and sobs being choked up, her magical grasp flickered and her loaned rifle dropped to the ground. Samus nodded to herself in affirmation about the lavender mare’s state:

She was done.

Twilight fought extraordinarily well given how green she was at the entire aspect of war, but Samus knew well that even the most hardened soldiers reached their limits from time to time. She herself would have a mental breakdown once in a great while and just bawl her eyes out… of course no one would see her and it was usually spurred on by complacency between missions.

“I love you girls… thank you…” Twilight choked out, though she became visibly much more calm and less on-edge. Samus would’ve said something else as the mares huddled together in support, but her console vibrated on her wrist. She immediately re-equipped her suit.

“This is forward command, the first line is cracking but not out! It’s gonna be a much bloodier fight if they get through us, are there any reinforcements available?!” a Federation Officer yelled through the common channel, the sounds of gunfire easily heard. There was nothing Samus could offer to the conversation as she was not in charge of defenses… but another recognizable voice came through:

“We hear you loud and clear soldier, hold on and do not let them through!” Luna’s voice came through crystal clear. “I’m diverting a few more of my troops to your position until the real reinforcements arrive. It will be deploying in the next thirty minutes!”

“Very well, Your Highness… we’ll hold out as long as we can.”

“Samus, are you there? Status report?” the Lunar Princess addressed her this time.

“I’m right here. All the Elements are safe. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are helping out in the Hospital and the rest of us are on the Central Fortification. There was no need to go any farther on account of a lull in the battle and Twilight’s state,” Samus responded.

“Her state?”

“Trauma from Ponyville.”

“Ooooooooooh….” Luna’s voice indicated understanding, laced with a bit of dejection and pity.

“Yeah. Thought it would happen sooner or later. Do you want me to move to the front to help defend?”

“Nay. In fact I need you to come back to the castle. It is time to finish this fight,” Luna cryptically worded, making Samus raise a brow in oddity.

“O...kay. I’ll be there as fast as I can then,” Samus replied, gripping her rifle tighter and getting ready to move out.

“Your new battle armor grants you the ability to teleport. You may find that a much more suitable and safer alternative.”

Teleportation… now this will be interesting.

“Any guidelines for first-timers?”

“Not really, as the process is much more instinctual than you might think. Just be sure to focus on your entire being lest you teleport half of yourself… which would be bad,” Luna’s subtle sarcasm could be detected, one which Samus appreciated.

“Got it. I’ll figure it out,” she confirmed.

“Excellent. Do arrive as soon as possible!” Luna spoke once more before the line went blank. Samus turned back to the mares and gave Twilight another neck rub before delivering the news:

“I gotta go back to the castle. Will you all be okay here?”

“Don’t worry about us, we’ll be just fine. Besides, we’ve got jobs to do,” Rainbow Dash spoke for everypony, and honestly if Dash could bring down a Frigate, she could help handle a fortification. Rarity and Applejack smiled and nodded, busy ensuring that Twilight was enveloped in their combined embraces. That reassurance still did not stop Samus from addressing the marines sternly:

“Guard them with your goddamn lives.”

“You got it, Ma’am!” they all responded in unison, and that was all Samus needed to hear before she allowed her own magic to envelop her form, her brow beneath her visor furrowed in concentration.

[Crystal Palace: Throne Room]

The Throne Room was bustling with even more activity as the battle raged outside, communication never ceasing between ponies and humans alike as all of importance ensured that nothing catastrophic befell them all. Around a rather large table containing a map of the Crystal Empire and its surroundings for miles, Princess Luna, Celestia, Cadence and Colonel Borsig and Shining Armor constantly moved to reposition markers and issue orders as status reports came in. All wore headsets that connected to all proper channels for radio contact and there was non-stop communication between the three of them and the troops at the front.

“Sir, CV-Squad has arrived at the defensive line intact but even so we’re getting beaten back! I’ve got wounded we can’t tend to and there’s just too many of them!” a frantic squad leader from the first defensive line urgently said.

“Hold your ground soldier, I’ve just ordered two more squads of Heavy Troopers to your position. I know it’s not enough but the Princess has a plan. How long can you hold out?” Borsig asked calmly as if experience made him somewhat indifferent to the situation.

“We’ve stopped another mass wave and there’s bodies everywhere. The elite unicorn troops are doing what they can to counter magic but even so my marines are getting gradually ripped apart! With current ammo levels and strength, I’d say about an hour. No more, but realistically less.”

“We only need part of that time. Stand firm.”

“Yes sir, we’ll do what we can.”

Borsig heard Shining Armor ordering troops from the Crystal Guard Corps to help strengthen the line as he patched through CV-Squad:

“CV, this is Borsig, do you read me?”

“Dittmar. Loud and clear,” Jacob responded, addressing with his last name over the storm of weapons-fire and explosions in the immediate vicinity.

“Double your efforts and spearhead the defense. Rally the troops and give the enemy hell, we’re working on relieving you as we speak. Think you can handle that?”

“Of course, sir!” Jake replied eagerly before addressing the rest of the squadron over the same channel: “You heard the Colonel, let’s give ‘em a taste of combined firepower! We’re retaking the artillery position near the command trench, let’s go LET’S GO!” His orders were punctuated with a much more aggressive firing of weapons of both human and magical origin before the line cleared out completely. Borsig looked towards his Equine comrades.

“We’ve probably bought another twenty to thirty minutes if we need it.”

“Excellent! Now all we need is for Samus to arrive…” Luna mused, it having been about twelve minutes since she last spoke to the bounty hunter. Of course, right on cue, a bright-teal flash lit up the throne room and left immediately, leaving Samus standing in the center like last time, albeit she was slightly hunched over in apparent discomfort. Before anyone could even motion towards her, the Hunter held up her left hand, asking for a moment to herself while her right hand palmed her visor.

“I see you were able to teleport properly… are you alright?” Celestia asked her but again, seemingly on cue, Samus hastily removed her helmet and collapsed to her knees, flashing a quick, sorry look towards Cadence and Shining Armor.

“Sorry for this…” she uttered while putting her helmet aside and letting her upper body fall, supported by her armored hands, as she began puking all over the pristine throne room floor. Cadence and Shining visibly recoiled and all the humans in the vicinity looked quite disturbed, wondering if they should intervene to help… though they knew little was at stake the moment Luna had to stifle her giggling.

“It happens to everypony when they first teleport… I apologize, I should have probably mentioned that would likely happen,” Luna spoke with a humorous inflection. Samus only responded with more retching and using her left hand to give the Lunar Princess the middle finger, a gesture that she was not familiar with but could infer its meaning, thus shrugging it off in good humor.

“Samus, is Twilight okay??” Shining asked, quite concerned for his younger sister as he had heard what was happening through Luna’s conversation with her.

“She’s... *retch*... in good hands, or hooves, whatever…” she replied, deeply breathing before more bile came up her throat. Samus continued to hold herself steady and retch at intervals as Celestia approached Luna.

“Samus has arrived as necessary, what is the next step?” she asked her younger sister. Before responding, Luna’s horn charged to full power and enveloped herself in her magical aura, emerging in her battle armor.

“She and I will venture off into the underground castle network. I need you all to remain here and help coordinate the defense,” she explained. Samus was able to sit on her heels and she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Okay seriously, what is it with this world and catacombs? Like, honestly, everywhere I go now there’s fuggin’ catacombs,” Samus exclaimed out loud, though that thought was meant for herself only. Placing her helmet back on her head she once more checked the partitioning process for her arm cannon: 90% complete.

“Many of the catacombs and other underground networks that exist today predate modern society when technology was scarce in terms of storage capability,” Cadence explained. “Of course it’s little different for the Crystal Empire. We normally use the network as a safe route to the outside of the city for emergencies, or as simply storage as previously mentioned. You won’t find much down there,” she implied, wondering what Luna could be up to.

“Wait… what’s down there?” Celestia echoed her thoughts but with a bout of irritation, being, frankly, quite tired with all of Luna’s secrets.

“Yeah, what are you talking about, Princess?” Shining Armor equally had little clue of what was going on. Luna only had a smirk etched on her face.

“I needed to keep this as secret as possible because honestly, what is hidden beneath our hooves was quite difficult to transport undetected, so I shan’t go into those details. Telling you exactly what lays beneath us would only raise more questions than provide answers, so I can only ask that you wait to behold the majesty to be unleashed, one which will end this battle and drive the Changelings back to the pits in which they were spawned,” Luna spoke quite poetically, raising a few eyebrows from others in the process. She then faced Celestia with a knowing and determined grin.

“I will, however, say one thing. The might of the Alicorn Empire still lives.”

“You’ve become quite interested in military and imperial affairs of long past… do I need to be worried?” Celestia asked in what seemed like a sarcastic manner, but she was actually being somewhat serious. Luna beckoned Samus over with a wave of her head, the latter moving to her side and rifle back in her hands.

“Not for me, but for the fate of those who threaten us. Come, Samus. We must move!” Nopony else had time to question them as the pair ran off through the castle, Samus hot on Luna’s hooves though the latter had little idea to where and why she was following the Lunar Princess. Still, from her exposure to Luna’s ways of making warfare such as in the Pirate’s Everfree Installation, the Hunter knew that she could trust in the alicorn to at least some degree.

That, and apparently that’s what alleged ‘friends’ do.

After galloping/sprinting for a decent amount of time, Luna lead Samus to the Castle dungeon, which contained a rather inconspicuous entrance into the Castle’s underground network and the catacombs around the city. Being honest, underground networks were starting to lose their edge with Samus, despite her first mission on Zebes being almost entirely underground, sometimes well over a mile deep underground. Chances are she got spoiled with the ability to walk on the surface of places like Tallon IV and Aether, and now Equis, but she could ponder that at a later date when Phazon wasn’t threatening to consume the entire planet.

“So, do I have to wait for this so-called ‘surprise’ you have? Because honestly, there are few things that would surprise me anymore,” Samus asked, somewhat curious as to why she was called to Luna’s side when she knew whatever the mare had planned, she could easily do herself. Again, being completely honest, she was still worried about Twilight’s state, as well as the others. She knew that at one point, she and all of them would have to sit down and discuss how to work through it. It would be the least she could do, to offer her expertise on how to cope.

“That is partially it, though. In our possession, we have a device that survived the Draconic Wars, one which was created by both Alicorns and you Chozo. I felt you would be curious to see the handiwork of your adoptive caretakers,” Luna added, one of the stone walls of the dark and damp dungeon receding into the ground, leaving a pitch-black pathway into the unknown.

“Okay I’ll bite… joint technology?” Samus followed close as Luna entered through, the wall sealing itself once more. Luna’s eyes glowed bright teal with assisted vision for the dark while Samus switched to her thermal visor.

“Indeed. I know you have seen much in your travels and campaigns, but I am most certain you will be somewhat impressed,” Luna added confidently over her shoulder, picking up her pace through the somewhat cramped tunnel they were passing through… definitely a step down from the catacombs where Samus came from first. Her pauldrons kept scraping the stone sides, probably leaving marks.

“Could they build this shit any smaller?” the Hunter asked, barely nailing her face against a protrusion from the ceiling of the tunnel.

“You’re a smart mare, Samus. Ponies are anatomically smaller than humans, and you’re above average in height and build of humans if I correctly recall some of your statistics. There was physically no need to build catacombs to accommodate creatures of your size.” The two continued their winding course for a few hundred feet.

“Fair point, I suppose. Either way, I hope this does not take too long. We shouldn’t keep the front waiting,” Samus voiced her opinion, wanting to be cognizant of time.

“This journey shall not take long. A five minute walk to the main junction of these catacombs and then it is a straight path to the preparation chamber.

“Fair enough…” Samus conceded, putting her faith in Luna while following close, and thankfully her patience paid off as, true to her words, the tunnel opened up into a massive atrium with nearly eight other paths to choose. Knowing already where she was going, the alicorn made a beeline straight for another tunnel that wasn’t quite opposite of their position, but more to the left. The two traversed this new link in the catacombs in silence and with great haste up to a point where things became much less cramped.

The final stretch was a tunnel that was much, much wider and taller to the point where Samus could not even see the ceiling with her assisted vision; the drab stone and dirt walls climbing up until they disappeared into an artificial ‘void’ created by her visor. In the midst of looking up and attempting to find the aforementioned ceiling, Samus almost ran straight into Luna’s back when she suddenly stopped, holding up her hoof as a sign to remain still.

“Something else is here…” she softly spoke. Samus aimed her rifle out towards the blackness deeper down their path. A few seconds later, Luna’s form began to fade from the light, disappearing entirely. Samus was going to attempt to find what little cover existed in these catacombs but remembered that the Alicorn Battle Suit allowed for Active Camouflage, which she decided to immediately test out. Teal blue magic emanated from her grapple beam and with decent concentration, Samus noticed that her being became much lighter until it disappeared entirely. She did not know how sensitive the spell would be so she opted for calculated and slow movements, switching to her X-Ray visor to identify Luna’s presence: stacked up against the left wall of the tunnel.

Samus mimicked her movement, rifle never lowering as she planted her back against the wall waiting for whatever was straight ahead. Realistically, she expected some Changelings had found these catacombs and would use them to enter the city safely and unexpectedly. After about forty seconds of standing still, sounds of scurrying and ‘bug-like’ hissing and communication could be heard getting louder and louder, and soon enough, a group of eight Changelings: six Drones and two Soldiers, became visible through Samus’s X-Ray vision.

“We attack when they pass us… do not move,” an extraordinarily soft voice sounded through Samus’s in-helmet radio.

“On your signal,” she replied. However, her visor brought up a notification that was essentially an early present for her:

[Elemental Partition and Compartmentalization Complete. Arm Cannon is now useable. Equip Arm Cannon?]

Yes!

But she dare not equip her cannon just yet. Doing so would compromise her camouflage and the element of surprise. So Samus waited for Luna’s signal, desperate to drop her rifle and equip the weapon she so missed adorning her right forearm. The seconds felt like minutes as the Changelings slowly but surely passed them, heading in the opposite direction towards one of the many entrances to the Crystal Empire and once they got to a respectable distance, Luna spoke:

“Now!” she exclaimed, dissipating her invisibility spell and Samus immediately followed. Luna opened fire with her horn as Samus dropped her rifle and equipped her cannon back with a bright flash, said cannon defaulting to the ‘Magicka Beam.’

Two changelings took hits from Luna’s hard magic and fell to the ground while the others stumbled over each other attempting to turn around and return fire. Samus locked on and aimed at the first drone in her sight, firing three times and her cannon erupting in a bright teal beam of pure magic which reminded her of her Plasma or Light Beams. Much to her surprise, they were piercing shots, the first rounds breaking through the Changeling’s exoskeletons and exiting out, immediately killing the creature. Aiming at one of the Soldiers that erected a shield to protect itself, she fired and was quite pleased to find that her beam completely negated the enemy shield and set him on ‘magical’ fire.

After more rapid-fire rounds from Luna’s horn in conjunction with a few more shots from Samus’s Magicka Beam, the Changeling Squad ceased to exist, all lying in a heap in the center of the catacomb tunnel.

“We must continue onward,” Luna stated, turning on her heels and galloping down the tunnel, Samus immediately giving chase and falling into step. After disposing of another, smaller group of Changelings, the two turned right at a fork in the tunnel, which opened up into a massive chamber that had light from the surface seeping inside, which helped explain a few things to the human, as in reality, there would be little way that a chamber this wide could stay artificially covered without causing a catastrophic cave-in and sinkhole. However, it was quickly apparent that the creation of this chamber was of little importance now, considering Samus laid eyes upon something even more majestic.

“Behold! The Warhorse!” Luna proclaimed, ‘demonstrating’ with her hoof as Samus switched back to her combat visor, being able to see fairly clearly without assisted vision. She took in the features of this giant, mechanoid creature and could not help but be reminded of a few recent experiences.

Reminds me of Quadraxis… But this reeks of Chozo engineering and the double mouth and eyes are kinda unsettling.

“Gotta say, I can definitely see the Chozo design influence in the metals. You’re saying the Alicorns had this technology way back when and it still works?”

“It certainly does! Vector Squad and myself found it in Starfall Fortress’ own underground, as a matter of fact,” Luna boasted. But… that just created some more questions.

All the way in Starfall?

“How the hell did you get this here without alerting the entire damn country?” Samus thought out loud, thinking of no conceivable way this monstrous machine could have been hidden on the entire journey to the Crystal Empire. Right as Luna opened her mouth to respond, Samus held up her hand.

“Actually… don’t answer that.”

“As you wish, Hunter.”

“So… what exactly do we do with this?” Samus asked, content that they found their destination and prize, but they needed to relieve the front as soon as possible.

“It is piloted by a single individual by a magical and neural link into its systems. I would like you to be my co-pilot,” Luna explained.

“I can do that, let’s load up then,” Samus replied moving to the massive leg of the Warhorse but Luna apparently forgot an important detail, as she cursed to herself.

“Actually… that would create problems. The commander’s section is a bit cramped, though you’d have no trouble physically fitting inside, the neural link to the commander is done via horn, and the cramped compartment would mean that anatomically, you would not be able to contort yourself to allow your grapple beam to interface, I guarantee you.”

“Okaaay… then what do you suggest?” Samus asked, growing impatient.

“If that is the case, I’ll take the commander’s section and you shall pilot,” Luna corrected her previous statement, looking towards the Hunter with all seriousness in her eyes, though none could see the other through their visors.

“Wait… what?”

“You are going to have to operate the machine, Samus. I assure you, it will feel natural once you interface.”

“I’m pretty sure this was built for those who walked on four legs their entire lives,” Samus pointed out, still unsure that she should be the one taking up the mantle of piloting an unfamiliar machine at such a critical point.

“Trust me, Samus. You will be just fine,” Luna reassured, not that Samus needed any reassuring due to confidence, but rather she was not sure how Equestrian technology of thousands of years ago worked. Then again, she had to remember that this machine was also influenced by Chozo design and engineering, and as such, she figured she could work with that.

“Fine, then let’s get moving,” Samus said. Luna unequipped her armor and flew up to the back of the Warhorse, getting the hatch open while looking down at the Hunter still on the ground.

“Do you have a manner of getting up here?” Princess Luna asked.

[Your Spider Ball may attach to magnetic and magically enchanted surfaces.]

“Yup! One moment,” she replied, phasing into her Morph Ball and, as expected, attaching herself to the Warhorse’s leg, making her way up to the main body and inside the hatch that Luna held open. It was now the dark alicorn’s turn to look oddly at how Samus was able to ‘transform’ herself into such a small, spherical object. Questions could be asked later, and she joined the human inside as Samus phased back into standing form.

“Now, take your grapple beam and connect it to this interface arm… this may feel odd…”

[The Crystal Empire: First Defensive Line]

Though CV-Squad was at full strength and the comparative advantages of Humans and Unicorns could be used to maximum effectiveness, there was, realistically, little they could do to fully stem the tide of nearly two thousand Changelings slamming straight into them. While the enemy had easily taken the brunt of the casualties, it was quite clear that the situation was devolving into a war of attrition, where the Federation Marines and extra Magickakorps Troopers were slowly but surely dying off one-by-one due to just sheer overwhelming enemy numbers.

While ammunition was plentiful, near constant firing of weapons was starting to melt barrels from heat, unicorns were suffering from eventual magical exhaustion and fatigue, and ultimately all would succumb within the next ten minutes.

“We hold this command post until we are relieved or we’re dead, understood?” Constance ordered all around her as gun and magical fire were traded back and forth. They all stood in a trench line that overlooked the Frozen Overworld, where there was just a sea of black due to the sheer number of Changelings while dozens more dotted the skies above them. Wounded and dead Marines, Changelings, and Unicorns were strewn around with no order to them, indicating that positions had been taken and lost several, several times. However, Constance and CV-Squad agreed that there would be no more retreat, due to given orders to stand their ground.

“Load up while you can, they’re coming back for more!!” Nathan shouted, reloading his rifle as Sydney was operating a Heavy Machine Gun next to him, Radiance helping to feed the ammunition as she never stopped the deafening rain of bullets spewing out of the barrel. While most weapons in the GFMC were weapon-core/hard-light based, a few heavier weapons still fired physical projectiles such as bullets, slugs, or shells. Other sectors of the defensive trench line were barely holding and artillery fire was easily a third of what it once was due to strafing from Changelings above but the remnant forces all pooled together and continued to rain death on the enemy. There was a problem, though: the elite unicorns were running out of energy crystals and magical stimulants to offset exhaustion. This was visible through Starry, as casting hard magic became much more difficult for her in lethal amounts. So she had to resolve to using her loaned rifle, as did Windfire.

“Shit! We’ve got a dozen of them closing in on the left over there,” Jake pointed so Sydney and Arianna (the sniper) could see.

“I need another barrel, Radiance!” Sydney yelled, stopping her fire and opening up the barrel housing of the HMG, yanking out the nearly-melting and steaming barrel.

“This is the last one, Syd!” Radiance handed her another, to which she swapped in and closed the housing.

“WHAT?! That’s not good I’m gonna need more barrels if I’m to keep an effective rate of fire!” she shouted over her resuming her torrential machinegun-fire. The .50 Caliber rounds quite literally tore up enemy combatants and were surprisingly effective against cast shields, though it took about ten of those rounds to effectively shatter defensive shielding.

“Go down the trench and see if you can find any extra! I’ll help feed the ammo!” Jacob volunteered, about to swap for Radiance’s place as Sydney’s gunner ‘assistant’ but before she could take off, a low rumbling sounded, which was quickly identified as low-grade seismic activity. Ally and enemy alike stopped fighting as they looked around, many losing their footing as the ‘earthquake’ never ceased. The epicenter was identified, however, when slightly less than half a mile northwest, exactly to the left of the Changeling’s ranks, an ice shelf burst outward and two gargantuan hooves and an alicorn head made itself known. All watched silently as the mechanoid, impressively large even from a distance, worked its way out of the hole in which it was spawned from, quickly getting a footing on all four legs and leering directly at the Changeling ranks.

The Warhorse lived, but this time, both magical ‘mane’ and ‘tail’ were golden in color while the soulless eyes were teal-blue.

“What the fuck is that…?” Arianna asked as her jaw dropped, murmurs from human and unicorn alike sounding from up and down the line. For the first time since the battle began, all was silent as both belligerents gazed unknowingly at the menace before them… until the gigantic horn flared bright blue and sent a magical round about the size of an artillery shell at rail-gun like speeds straight into the Changeling front line, completely blowing apart and annihilating nearly three dozen of the tightly packed creatures with the round’s high-explosive capability. Chaos erupted on both sides but the Changelings were quick to take whatever cover was available while those who were exposed began the chaotic process of an unorderly retreat.

“Excellent shot, Samus!” Luna shouted from inside the commander’s seat of the Warhorse, which was a small-ish compartment inside the ‘head’ with a viewport between the two eyes. Luna had a perfect view of their destination and the battle straight ahead of them, and could easily direct Samus and her movements. The latter, however, was sitting in a meditative position without her suit on save for her grapple beam while the interfacing mechanism connected to said beam. She sat close enough to it where she did not have to awkwardly outstretch her arm while the containment cells kept her comfortably suspended and dynamically stabilized. Her eyes were closed as if she were sleeping, though of course, her conscience was ‘transferred’ to that of the Warhorse.

“I don’t even know what to think of this… it’s too natural to be comfortable,” Samus’s ‘voice’ was magically projected through a shared radio link.

It’s like I’ve walked on four legs forever…

“Indeed! Those were my exact thoughts when I first operated this grand machine but now, we have a battle to win. To the front line!” Luna commanded with an authoritative tone. Samus did not respond as she was still getting used to ‘her hooves,’ but nevertheless, began a gentle, yet intimidating trot towards the enemy ranks; four eyes and two mouths glaring at the enemy and horn charged brightly, ready to drive the Changelings back to their hives or decimate them where they stood.

***Author’s Note II: Yeah, ending on another minor cliffhanger because I have to keep you all interested enough to come back somehow! As for Twilight's Post Traumatic incident, I can't hope to truly mimic what it actually feels like to those who suffer from it. If anyone was offended by its possible unrealistic portrayal, I duly apologize but after the past incident in Ponyville, it had to be addressed.***

Edited by Random_Dragon.

30.5: Late Nights

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 30.5

Late Nights

[Time: Unknown]

[Location: Northern Equestria]

It was clear that the Space Pirates were in a full retreat, but nevertheless, they were ensuring that any attempts to destroy or disrupt their tactical maneuvers would be a hell of a price to pay. The Galactic Federation's fleet was doing what it could to assault the enemy's own ships and destroy ground fortifications while armor and infantry moved in. A combined army of Federation Troops, Equestrian regulars and Magickakorps, and even some Griffon expeditionary forces were taking part in the assault on the invaders. The day's battle had stagnated in the North where arctic conditions gave way into that of a standard desert, and come nightfall, trench warfare gave the attackers and defenders some time to rest. Samus, taking part in the assault with CV-Squad was currently in a natural trench leaning her back against a large boulder... listening, thinking. Her helmet was off but she kept the rest of her suit on in case something were to happen during the night.

Samus enjoyed the dark, and the 'dark' in this case was the natural shadow of the trench wall while the moon shown brightly overhead. The distant sounds of sporadic exchanges of gunfire and explosions sounded and created a sense of white noise for her. Oddly enough, she felt at peace but in times when she was alone like this, she often thought about the situation she found herself in. Samus's thoughts were interrupted, however, when some steps on the rock above her alerted her to another presence. Knowing it was not an enemy, the Hunter turned her attention to the new figure, finding a Federation Marine with CV-Squad's insignia on the left arm and a sniper rifle in hand.

"This seat taken?" Arianna's voice sounded through her helmet. Samus wordlessly gestured with her arm cannon to the spot on her right. The young marine nodded and stepped down into the slight-darkness, sitting next to the famed Hunter (with admittedly, some starstruck-ness) and removed her helmet, placing it on her left between the two. She laid her rifle against the rock wall on her right. Samus spared a glance at the young girl, who to her, did not look older than eighteen. Her shoulder-length black hair was perfectly straight, though with a few split ends and matted slightly with sweat, which was to be expected given the conditions, and her dark-brown eyes revealed one who had seen much in her battles.

Arianna glanced at Samus when she felt she was being watched and the two awkwardly locked eyes, nodding to each other respectfully and leaning their heads back. Nothing was said for what felt like tens of minutes and quite frankly, Samus was quite impressed. Few marines could resist attempting to strike up a conversation with her while on duty (and occasionally get hit on by men and women alike)... but this one was as silent as a church mouse. Still, Samus admitted that she was a pretty girl, and silently wondered how someone like her ended up in the Marine Corps as a sniper no less.

"You don't seem the talkative type," Samus remarked casually, the result being Ari turning towards her with a curious expression.

"This coming from the famous bounty hunter notorious for stoicism and silence? I'm honored," the marine replied with mild sarcasm but genuinely was somewhat thankful for the underhanded compliment. Arianna silently idolized Samus and the fact that the latter willingly spoke to her made her giddy inside... though of course, that would never be let on to.

"Fair point. You should be resting though," Samus remarked.

"It's my turn to be on lookout. Besides, can't really sleep anyway. It's alright though, my weapon is built for this kind of job," Ari added. Samus glanced at the several-foot long sniper rifle.

"Fifty-'hardlight'-caliber D74F Anti-Materiel Sniper Rifle. Looks like you got a ZF-110 thermal optics on it too. It's a pretty good gun, I like it personally," Samus commented, listing the name and specs of Ari's rifle to boot. The marine was shocked and impressed.

"All that from just a glance?"

"I'm no stranger to Federation weaponry. I get to test things out when I want," Samus alluded without much detail.

"I can see that," Arianna added open-ended-ly, turning back towards the opposite side of the trench and just staring. The silence reigned once more as a few shots from a machine gun about a mile away rang out. Above in the clear night sky, colorful explosions created a light-show as the two fleets battled for dominance. While there was a silent and somewhat morbid beauty to the scene, the young lady's idol was sitting next to her. She turned to find that the Hunter was gently resting her eyes, but she knew that she was not sleeping or attempting to do so.

"S-Samus?"

"Hmmm?" she replied, not opening her eyes or moving at all.

"Can I ask you something?" Arianna inquired, her tone of voice being one of trepidation and carrying weight, like she had something on her mind. Samus, while never particularly caring when marines just waltzed up to her and tried to talk to her like they were friends, felt that if others genuinely wanted to talk and she was not being bothered, then so be it. She did not feel above others despite her fame and notoriety... they were all soldiers, after all.

"Sure."

"What gets you through it all?" she asked calmly. Samus was not entirely sure what that meant, though she had a few ideas.

"Elaborate?"

"You've done so many things... you've saved countless lives, been in countless fights for your own, you've killed necessarily and almost have been killed, not to mention, please excuse me, your rumored upbringing. How do you just... deal with it all?"

That was an interesting question, but it seemed that Arianna was really looking for answers. Perhaps she just wanted to know how Samus did for her own edification... or perhaps she was having her own, unknown issues. Samus stayed silent as she collected her thoughts, considering her words before she answered:

"I'm gonna tell you a story."

"Alright."

"About six years ago, I was working with the Federation Security Forces.* With a few other members, we were investigating Space Pirate activity on the planet Jigrad. Upon looking into it, the Pirates had taken over most of the civilized portions of the planet and intended to enslave the human population. They set up this system for the children that if they could not meet a certain height boundary, like an amusement park ride, they were to be executed while their parents or guardians watched," Samus began recounting her tale.

"Oh, God..." Arianna remarked, her undivided attention being given to Samus.

"Eeyup. We remained hidden to watch, but all the children were alright... save for one. One girl who had dark hair like yours came up short. She was taken out of the line and taunted before the Pirates were going to execute her. I watched this unfold and something snapped in me. So, I broke our element of surprise and rushed in, shielding the girl from certain death. There were dozens of Space Pirates and they refused to be reasoned with... they were after blood. Unfortunately, in front of the children, I had no choice but to slaughter the Pirates in my and their defense."

"Wow..."

"The one who ordered the execution, however wounded, survived and attempted to crawl away... through the contraption being used to measure height. In his prone form, he did not 'make the height requirement.' I taunted that fact as I rolled him over and aimed my cannon straight at his fuckin' face. He had the nerve to beg for mercy. I laughed in his face and right before I pulled the figurative trigger, someone stopped me: the girl who faced certain death. She begged me not to kill her former executioner, reasoning that if I did so, I would be no better than them," Samus continued, talking with her left hand. Arianna was completely enthralled by the story.

"That's... deep for a kid." Samus nodded in agreement.

"I told her that she was right, and had my squad-mates arrest the Pirates who survived. I personally took her back to her parents, hand in hand with the girl. Her name is Damara, and I saw her a few more times after that. She had a promising future in the Federation Academy studying engineering. I only hope she was able to move on and find peace, as well as a rewarding career," Samus mused out loud. Arianna wanted to say something once Samus named this girl she was talking about, but Samus continued before she could get a word out:

"Point is, Arianna, to not lose your humanity. Don't ever lose your ability to care; to be kind and gentle to those who can do nothing for you. Knowing she and others were able to live their lives to their fullest potential because of me is what gets me through it all... all the memories, the loss, the trauma that we all have in varying degrees. It makes me feel like I've truly made a difference in the Galaxy," Samus concluded her little anecdote with little emotion, though the fact that Samus changed her inflection and actually displayed emotional capacity through her story dispelled many rumors for Arianna: the rumors of her being essentially inhuman and without feeling.

"Now that you mention it, and it may be purely coincidental, there is a soldier stationed in our fleet that I've spoken with once or twice. Her name is Damara and she happens to be a combat engineer and a First Lieutenant," Arianna remarked. This piqued Samus's interest.

"Really now? Well, if I may ask a favor..."

"Anything, in return for picking your brain."

"I want you to tell her something that only she would understand. Tell her that Samus says: 'You better be taking care of Pyonchi.' If she understands that completely, tell her to come find me down here when she has the time... I'd love to speak with her. If it's not her, then oh well," Samus asked before turning back to the opposite wall again, her ponytail and two locks of hair framing her blemish-less face swaying with the gentle breeze that picked up. Arianna nodded.

"You bet, Samus. And thank you for the words." Samus huffed in affirmation.

"What about you? What's your story?" the Hunter asked. The marine looked to her with a bout of confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"You're a pretty girl with a sharp head on her shoulders. How'd you end up in the Marines?" Samus asked.

"I never planned on it, actually. I was studying risk management to learn how to run my own business on planet Sudaten. I'm sure you know that that planet fell to the Space Pirates when they attacked the Federation shipyard on it four years ago," she began. Samus could probably guess where this was going.

"It was a damn massacre before the GF could dispatch a force to counterattack." Ari nodded.

"Mhmm. When the bombs fell, half my family and friends were vaporized immediately. My father worked inside the shipyard and was killed there, along with two of my brothers. My mother was in the surrounding city that they carpet bombed and got gravely injured. She was rescued but despite all they could do, she passed not even a few days after that. A few of my friends survived, though, and I still talk with them... the rest, I haven't heard from and no bodies were found," Arianna recounted with some residual sadness, though it was clear that she had spent her tears long, long ago.

"I'm sorry for your loss, if it means anything," Samus offered her sincere condolences.

"Thank you, Samus, but yeah... there was nothing left for me there. One of my friends was in the Corps at the time so he survived... and now I have to put up with Nathan's shit every day." Samus gave an amused huff.

"Oh really? You two got placed together?"

"He never told me how he did it, but apparently word got around that he was one of my only surviving friends, or one of the only surviving people I knew anymore. Command granted a request to be placed with him in that sense, which is highly unusual and rarely ever honored, but I guess they made an exception. At any rate, I enlisted, my aim was well above average, and I became an elite sniper. The rest is history with those four, and now the extra four that joined us."

"Thank you for sharing, Arianna."

"You shared your stories and thoughts. It was only fair that I shared about me. Thank you, Samus," Arianna poured her gratitude into her words. Samus thought about this exchange with her and honestly, this quiet marine and her were not entirely different. While their upbringings were radically different, it was clearly seen that Samus's first impressions of the starstruck girl were quite wrong, just as she was able to dispel rumors about her own being.

Silence continued to reign as the two looked forward and rested their eyes, waiting for the morning to come and renew their offensive drive against the Space Pirate remnant in Equestria.

Humanity... Empathy... Never lose it.

*In the Manga, Samus was apart of the Federation Police. Researching a bit, she being apart of the police was retconned.

31. Rally Point

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 31

Rally Point

[The Crystal Empire | Throne Room]

Human and pony alike gathered at the magical projection of the western front in the center of the throne room, all wondering if they were indeed seeing the same thing: a mechanized-looking alicorn trotting and moving to slam into the Changeling lines. Unicorns particularly skilled with magic had the ability to relay between each other and project images over short to moderate amounts of ‘hoofing’ distance since there were no battlefield video cameras available. Whispers and mutterings never ceased as all, including the Princesses and Federation Officers, tried to wrap their minds around the awesome display of force.

“So, just to be clear, we’re all seeing the same thing, right?” Colonel Borsig was the first to break the collective stunned silence.

“Indeed so,” Celestia replied, eyes transfixed on the display and knowing that this machine was entirely Luna’s doing.

“Yep,” Shining Armor added, having few words that could adequately describe what he was thinking at the sudden entrance of the Warhorse.

“Glad I wasn’t the only one,” Princess Cadance finally had her words. With initial confusion abated, it was clearly seen through the projection that the formerly offending Changelings were now completely on the run. As everyone’s minds began returning rational thought all believed it was a good idea to capitalize on the unexpected yet welcome retreat of the much-more numerous enemy. Borsig fixed his earpiece:

“All units, the Changelings are in full retreat! Pursue the enemy, repeat! Changelings are on the run, give chase!”

“All Equine units are to follow suit! Find out where they came from and we’re gonna chase ‘em back to the depths of Tartarus,” Shining Armor also ordered a full-on counterattack. With Samus, Luna, and that thing leading the front they were almost assured a victory. It would be borderline lying if Shining had not had a bit of revenge on his mind for the semi-recent events of a particular wedding of his.

“Alright, now it looks like we can all breathe a bit easier,” Borsig added, removing his headpiece and ruffling the silver hair under his visorcap. That was the greatest relief to all, as the Changelings were threatening the very existence of the Crystal Empire as a whole, so it appeared that threat was completely wiped out or at the very least diverted… though with what just entered the field, odds are it was gonna be the former.

“So it seems. I’ve tasked Luna’s troops to deal with whatever remains inside the Empire’s borders. Now, it’s time to take the fight back to the enemy and vanquish this threat for good,” Celestia stood firm, taking a very serious and commanding look much unlike the motherly and compassionate leader the ponies have grown to know. She turned to one of the Magickakorps troopers watching the show:

“Pass on an order: Double-time the cleansing of the Empire’s streets. Once it’s safe, I want all of the Element Bearers back here posthaste.”

“Right away, Your Majesty!” the female soldier saluted and teleported out of sight.

“Now,” Celestia turned back to the projection as the Warhorse slammed straight into the front lines. “We find where the Changelings came from, eliminate the hive, and continue dealing with the Phazon.”

[Frozen Overworld]

[Suggested Listening]

Samus did have to admit that ‘trotting’ felt almost too natural as the Warhorse, but even so, she still stumbled every now and then simply due to the fact that her mind was never wired for such a feat. Nevertheless, in the face of a retreating enemy on both the ground and in the air, there was still time for what could be considered more or less as a ‘field tutorial’ with Luna at the head… literally.

“Alright Samus, we need to stabilize your locomotion before we can fully catch up to the retreating Changelings. Remember, movement along the diagonal: left front hoof with right rear, and right front hoof with left rear. Think of how your arms passively swing when you walk,” Luna instructed as she kept a diligent eye on the battlefield as well as the schematics of the machine that were fed into her mind via the magical/neural uplink for the commander.

Samus wordlessly performed as she was told, and Luna’s little algorithm certainly helped her balance tremendously. What little correction was needed was achieved, and the Warhorse was quickly closing distance.

“Concentrate on your ability and charge the horn like you would your grapple beam,” Luna spoke up once more. Samus took no issue with listening to her instruction as she operated the Equine equivalent of Quadraxis. As such, she did as she was told and the Warhorse’s horn glowed luminously teal... it was as if the horn was actually her grapple beam, which sounded utterly ridiculous in hindsight but now was not the time to debate realities and semantics.

"Very good, now concentrate just as you did on the destruction spell to fire a hard-magic projectile. Depending on how skilled you are as well as how wild your imagination may run, you may alter the properties of the offensive magic as you see fit. There's a platoon-sized formation of Changelings on the ground still threatening our forces, five degrees to the left. Eliminate them," Luna casually ordered. Looking to the left through the eyes of the mechanized beast, Samus indeed found what the Lunar Princess was referring to and released the 'charged-shot' with similar high-explosive capabilities of the last. The teal-blue hard-magic 'shell' impacted directly into the center of the offending formation, completely annihilating it and relieving friendly forces, who immediately joined the counterassault.

"Excellent shot, Samus! Press forward!" Luna praised heartily, continuing to survey the battlefield. Her radio, however, notified her of another attempt to contact her:

"Luna, this is Celestia. Are you there?" the Solar Princess broadcast on the channel.

"I read you loud and clear, sister. What can I do for you?" Luna answered with some mix of smugness and elation lacing her words. Obviously she did not seem stressed anymore.

"I'm assuming you have everything to do with the enormous metal alicorn-like machine that just literally popped up from the ground..."

"Your inferential abilities continue to do well by you, Celestia! I'm currently in the head of the machine as we speak and march," Luna confirmed, another magical discharge of energy being sent off into another group of Changelings.

"I do not suppose you have an explanation to how you acquired such a weapon?" Celestia asked sarcastically, knowing full well that this was just another one of Luna's secrets. Samus, on the other hand, was passively listening to the exchange as she took care of the business side of things. The Warhorse had finally reached the defensive trenchline.

"I shall be more than happy to explain once this is all over, but for now, I only wish for you to take events as they are until the Changeling threat has been dealt with accordingly. Can we do that, please?” she asked, wanting to make sure the important events at hand were dealt with first before inevitably getting into another argument with her sister over secrets. Samus’s trek stopped, having finally retaken all lost ground while a sigh from the other end of the radio could be heard after several moments of silence.

"Where is Samus?"

"She is here with me, piloting this mechanoid!"

"Hi Princess," Samus was able to speak (though she did not entirely understand how) and affirm the Day Princess of her presence. Knowing they were both safe, Celestia only sighed once more and conceded to abide by Luna's request.

“Very well, Lu. We averted a disaster with the potentially catastrophic spread of the Phazon should the Empire's shields have been taken down. We cannot afford another sudden emergency. Take the fight back to the Changelings and ensure that they cannot mount another offense. Find their hive and destroy it," Celestia spoke with confidence and authority. Luna could not have had any more respect for her than at the present moment.

"It shall be done, sister. They shall be dealt with swiftly and firmly," Luna responded, the channel going dark once she finished her words. She then switched over to the general battle channel which her troops as well as the Federation had access to:

"Valiant warriors, fear not this machine of metal and magic for Samus and I are within. Rally around us and let us all drive the Changelings back to the pits of their hive, then immolate it in entirety. Onward!" Luna gave the order, to which all soldiers on the ground instantly complied with a tenfold boost in morale. Samus began the trot anew, fully giving chase to the retreating Changeling army. However, it appeared hundreds had taken flight and were on another attack path, Solders and Drones alike.

"Luna, is there a way to deal with airborne enemies?" Samus asked, bracing for another confrontation in which she felt a magical blast of previous proportions would be an inappropriate response to such an attack.

"Yes, unicorn soldiers from long past created the 'No-Fly Zone' spell to knock pegasi and griffons alike out of the sky. The spell generates a three-hundred and sixty degree outward-expanding wave of magic that rips through the wing membranes, paralyzing them, which is not fatal in its own but the inevitable drop and inability to get away from enemy forces is what kills them. Attempt it now!"

Samus internally nodded and proceeded to charge the horn back up. She envisioned knocking all air-combatants out of the sky and once she could perfectly concentrate and visualize the action, the spell released itself. A massive, 'hollow’' pop sounded, in its wake a bright yet transparent teal force-field expanded out in a circle with the horn at its center. True to her word, all airborne Changelings that attempted to intercept either the Warhorse or friendly forces were violently thrown about in the sky before dropping helplessly to the ground. Those that weren’t dispatched by the fall would be overwhelmed by advancing Magickakorps and Federation Troops.

“Well done, Samus! That most likely took over a hundred enemy forces out of combat!”

“I still don’t entirely know what to think about all of this… I’m so used to destroying the giant mechs, not being one,” Samus honestly voiced, taking the first trepidatious step in another trot into the completely open Frozen Overworld. The sheer size of the Warhorse combined with the ease of momentum would ensure that Luna and Samus would leave the Crystal Empire behind in a fairly little amount of time. If that was the case, then the crisis was surely averted and the battle would clearly be drawn elsewhere. All that was necessary was to have the Changelings (hopefully) lead them to their hive.

Another development that came to the forefront was that, while Samus could fire as many projectiles as she had the stamina to cast through the horn, after a while, the horn would refuse to respond for a good while. It appeared that Luna was already noticing this in the commander’s port as well.

“How come I can’t fire continuously?”

“The horn is still mostly metal, unlike the bone and cartilage of an actual organic horn, so to prevent any melting or disfiguring from constant use, it appears a fail-safe was introduced to cut off magical flow so it could cool off… oh my…” Luna explained, but then reacted with subtle surprise as if reading something unexpected.

“What’s wrong?” Samus asked.

“Nothing at all, but the schematics refer to it as the ‘Primary Horn.’” the Princess remarked, staring at the magical diagrams that were fed to her through her own pointed appendage and studying them deeply.

“... Please tell me that’s not an ancient, dirty joke.”

“No, no… I was not able to see anything out of the ordinary at first, but that particular word usage must suggest that somewhere… A-HA!” Luna exclaimed, finding what she was looking for amongst what could be considered a magically-virtual ‘operator’s manual.’ “In addition to the main armament, there exist two secondary horns on either side of the Warhorse’s muzzle. They are smaller, much like an enlarged alicorn horn.”

“So it’s like a coaxial machine-gun… intuitive,” the mentally immersed hunter ‘commented.’

“I suppose, whatever that means,” Luna said. Some new, metallic noise from outside on the muzzle grabbed her attention and she spotted two horns coming into existence on both sides of the muzzle, extending out to about half the length of the mouth. She also noticed that the Changelings were attempting to rally somewhat, and moved into defensive positions to fire upon the Warhorse… though it was negligible as any magical beams that struck it were absorbed into the armor with no damage or ricocheted off. While Samus prefered more of a ‘hands-on’ approach when it came to combat, she had to admit, she could get used to being behind several tons of enchanted armor.

A few-hundred feet farther, they came across the first attempted entrenchment of the Changelings, and for the first time, Samus noticed many of the Drones attempt to take the form of normal ponies and unicorns but the ruse was easily seen through. Before friendly forces caught up, the Hunter decided to test the ‘coaxial-horns,’ which began spitting magical fire at about three rounds a second towards the ground. Each fired simultaneously, Samus spraying the field before her with the deadly equivalent of magical ‘machine-gun fire.’ Hard-magic rounds ripped through exoskeleton like paper and generated shields stood absolutely no chance… entire squadrons were wiped out in seconds, several platoons in well over a minute. The sheer level of destruction this machine was capable of did nothing short of amaze Samus, who could now envision truth when Luna stated that the Warhorse completely routed entire Dragon Hordes.

Pristine white snow was marred with deep-hued green as blood stained the ground from fallen enemies. To say that there was any sort of resistance left would actually be somewhat generous, because once again, the remaining Changelings continued their running retreat, fewer taking flight this time around in fear of getting obliterated much like their other airborne brethren. Samus did well in ceasing her fire and allowing the enemy to gain some distance, as if she annihilated every single Changeling, there would be nothing left to lead her to their hive, which was the ultimate endgoal. This allowed friendly forces to catch up and rally alongside the massive machine, and after taking a small break, the order was given to move forward once again.

As that order to press onward was given, a volunteer reservist unicorn who was part of the second detachment had pulled out a camera to snap a picture of the scene in front of her: Regular Equine troops, Federation Marines, Magickakorps all meshed together as one cohesive unit alongside the ‘Giant Alicorn.’ There were no cliques of ponies and humans merely interacting, rather it was a painted picture of union against a common enemy. Marines helped ponies out of natural trenches, ponies lent helping horns and hooves to exhausted humans, but most of all, they were united; infantry rallied together with the Warhorse.

Little did she know how famous and symbolic that picture would soon become.

“With luck, they shall lead us straight to their hive, but it doesn’t look like we’re headed to the same place you found me in those catacombs. I thought that was close to their hive… or one of them at least?” Luna shook her head.

“No. Those catacombs appeared to be some sort of underground mining operation, not the Hive. Had it been the Hive, the number of Changelings encountered would have been substantially larger,” she explained, which made perfect sense. Another ‘Phazon Mines’ scenario all over again.

Another round from the Main Horn was fired into the retreating Changelings, along with several bursts from the secondary armaments.

“So, we’re just going to be hoping that they don’t all teleport out at some point, and lead us straight there?” Samus asked, starting to find the idea a bit ludicrous, now that she actually gave more in-depth thought to the matter.

“That could also potentially prove to be a problem… however, call it magical intuition from a long life relative to yours, but I have a strong feeling as to where the Hive likely lies, as it adequately explains this obsession and hunger over the Phazon. Fancy a guess as to where that might be?” Luna asked, almost rhetorically as she knew Samus would understand immediately.

“The Impact Crater.”

“The way I observe, we have two options. One, we could follow the remnants of this Changeling force, hope they do not lead us to a dead end nor teleport out at a safe distance; or two, we go on our hunch, destroy this army, and make course straight for the Impact Crater, which would take about an entire day of travel time.”

Samus gave thought to both of the strategies placed in front of her, but it was clear what the right decision would be.

“Technically, my actual assigned mission was to help eradicate the Phazon. Fuck it, let’s hit the Crater and go home,” Samus decided, stopping in her tracks once more to allow Luna to make the necessary arrangements.

“I am not entirely sure if I have mentioned this in passing, but I enjoy the way you think, Samus,” Luna commented before switching to the appropriate communications channels… which were all of them. “All units, this is Princess Luna and there has been a change of plans…”

[The Crystal Empire | Throne Room]

“...the new directive is as follows,” Luna’s regal, highly authoritative and commanding voice sounded through countless radios within the Throne Room which was essentially the de facto command center anyway. Borsig held his hand against the earpiece to ensure he heard clearly, while Celestia, Cadance, and Shining held their hooves to their own respective ears. “We finish off our enemies here, removing the immediate Changeling threat to the Empire, and then Samus and I will turn northward with a reinforced division following behind us towards the Impact Crater. Within the next two days, this will all be over.”

The Lunar Princess’s voice finally cut off, leaving the occupants of the throne room to mull on her decision. While Princess Celestia would normally question her thought process at a time like this, she had to realize that Luna would not make such a decisive move against not only the Changelings, but the Phazon as well, without consultation with Samus. As such, she trusted her sister’s judgement, as long as she made do on her promise to end the fighting as quickly as possible. The white alicorn somberly sighed, having had enough of the destruction and death that engulfed her nation.

“Princess,” a Crystal Guard’s deep voice startled the Solar Alicorn out of her pensive stupor. Turning her attention to him, he gestured over to the throne-room doors, where all six Elemental Bearers had entered through, completely unscathed.

“Twily!” Shining yelled, galloping over to his younger sister’s side and nuzzling her cheek affectionately, a gesture Twilight appreciated more than he would know. Celestia and Cadance also joined them, eager to express their own words of relief at their collective safety. Borsig, however, stayed behind to communicate his findings to the higher authority:

“Admiral Forest, are you getting the battle-feed of this?” the Federation Officer asked via a video transmission on a computer that was brought in for logistics, sending pictures and video-footage taken by his troops straight to the Vogl. A video feed of the Admiral soon popped up on the screen.

“Looking at it right now, Colonel. I must say, when you told me of the Equines having a secret weapon, I certainly didn’t expect something like this,” the Admiral, clad in silver naval-officer’s garb with a corresponding visor-cap, replied. He rested his chin between his thumb and index finger as he carefully studied the footage. His expression was one of gentle fatigue, slight bags having formed under his eyes and facial stubble gracing his normally clean-cut and commanding features.

“None of us did. I don’t even think many of the Equestrians expected that much.”

“What do we know about it?” the Admiral asked, most curious at recent developments due to the tide of the battle turning almost instantaneously. Live footage continued to stream, showing the Warhorse wreaking complete carnage upon enemy forces. All that tried to mount any resistance to it were cut down by a gargantuan blast from the main horn, ripped apart by the rapid-firing secondary horns, or were simply trampled under the massive hooves.

“Other than the easily apparent massive destruction potential and firepower output, the ponies call it the ‘Warhorse.’ Main armament appears to be the large unicorn horn which fires volatile magical rounds, or really whatever the operator wants it to do. It functions like a unicorn would ‘cast magic,’ but for all intents and purposes for us, it’s a high explosive energy weapon. There also exist two secondary ‘horns,’ which appear to act as heavy machine guns.”

“That main armament is most impressive, but what of armor capabilities? It doesn’t seem to look like a glass cannon…” Forest observed, still glued to the video feed.

“All I’ve been able to gather, or anyone here really, is that it’s built of a highly refined steel alloy that we have no knowledge of, apart from magical enhancements or ‘enchantments’ as the ponies call them. Any ability to attack it has been in vain and it remains without a scratch thus far, so one can assume that this mechanoid is at the very least, quite durable. As for specific technical specifications, your guess is as good as mine,” Borsig answered with all the knowledge he could impart. While uncertainty dominated the conversation, it was quite clear that all parties were thoroughly impressed.

“Fair enough, Colonel. I’m gonna forward this to High Command back on Earth and Daiban. I know quite a few people in the upper ranks that would be interested in seeing this, including the Chairman,” the Admiral commented, moving things around on his own computer and typing in commands that sent the battle-feed away to its intended recipients.

“Very well, sir. As well, with the emergence of the Warhorse, offensive action is planned towards the Phazon Impact Crater. Samus will be able to deal with it but in order to give her as much time and breathing room as possible, we may need some more boots on the ground. How’s the battle with the Pirates going?”

“We’ve destroyed what we could of enemy ground forces that were retreating back to their ships and we’re gaining the upper hand on their fleet in orbit. So… that actually frees up quite a few ground forces for a last operation. What do you need, Borsig?” Forest asked, folding his arms in front of his chest.

“First and foremost, supplies. Ammunition, food, water, arms, armor replacements, and especially medical supplies. We’ve got a lot of wounded we need evacuated. In terms of forces, anywhere between five-hundred to a thousand Marines should be more than enough with some armor and air support,” the Colonel reasoned after giving his answer a bit of thought. He was sure that the ponies would appreciate the reinforcements. Admiral Forest wordlessly leaned in towards the screen, focusing elsewhere, as he began keying in commands.

“Done. Seven-hundred troops, twenty tanks, and eight fighter-bombers along with all the supply drops you could ever want. How’s that sound?”

“Perfect. Thank you, sir!” Borsig said, standing straight and saluting his superior, the latter returning the gesture with equal vigor.

“Of course. Good luck out there and let me know if you need anything else. Forest, out.”

Once the video-communication was cut off, the Colonel turned his attention to the group of ponies, deciding to interrupt them as he strode over:

“I do apologize if I’m interrupting any tender moments, but I thought all those in charge would be happy to know that I’ve managed to secure reinforcements as well as much needed supplies, both medical and materiel.”

“That’s wonderful news, Colonel! We’re in desperate need for any sort of medical supplies we can get our hooves on right now,” Shining Armor voiced his relief. Cadance echoed his sentiments with a grateful nod of her own.

“Thank you, Colonel,” Celestia also added in with a respectful bow of her head. He gave a friendly salute in return.

“No trouble at all. I’m just glad that these six...” Borsig gestured to the Elemental Bearers. “... made it back safely.”

“Okay… what in Tartarus that? Twilight finally voiced, catching a glimpse at the live battle-feed and seeing the Warhorse for the first time.

“Somewhat of a long story, but we can explain a little later. Right now, we just need to get you all situated,” Cadance answered. It was apparent that the tide of battle had clearly turned, so that left just one question that needed to be answered:

“So… what now, everypony?” Applejack piped up, wondering where they all went from this point on. Celestia spared another glance at the battle-feed before she answered:

“For us in this room, as of right now, it is time to wait a little while. The next plan of action is out of our hooves until Samus and Luna get closer to the Meteor’s Impact Crater. Either way, within the next two days, we will most likely all have to move up as well. When this is finished, the Elements of Harmony will need to be returned to their physical forms.

“So we’ll get our Elements back?” Rainbow Dash questioned.

“Yes. When the final moment passes, whatever that may mean and whenever that may be, Samus will no longer require them.”

“I just hope she’ll be okay…” Fluttershy added softly, ever worrying about their new friend. The Solar Alicorn smiled, pleased at her concern and living up to her Element through it all.

“She will be just fine. And when Samus emerges after defeating our foe and the Phazon, as a hero she shall return to our warm, grateful, and friendly embrace,” she assured them all, which led to them all looking forward to the near future.

“And a PARTY!!” Pinkie Pie jumped up suddenly, startling the humans around her even more when confetti exploded outward from her body seemingly from nowhere. Borsig visibly recoiled and bore a look of acute confusion. The other Elements, as well as Celestia, Cadance, and Shining seemed to not react at all. The former, however, gave an amused chuckle.

“Yes, Pinkie Pie. You’ll get to throw a grand party.”

[Frozen Overworld]

CV-Squad and any other surrounding soldiers stumbled as another round fired from the Warhorse’s main armament impacted the ground a few hundred feet away. It did little to stem their advance though, as morale had shot through the roof once the giant mechanoid made its presence known on the battlefield. Snowfall had picked up and with the battle raging around, effective view-range on the ground was quickly dropping. Magic and hard-light rounds were being traded from both sides of the ‘white veil,’ though any Changeling fire was of course, green, while friendly forces had a multitude of colors, creating yet another somewhat of a deadly light show.

Using the Warhorse as a rally point with the loss of vision for the infantry resulted in casualty figures dropping sharply. As well, any wounds that were being sustained tended to not be life threatening. Nevertheless, as a consequence to the initial stages of the battle, the number count of the friendly forces was still fairly low by comparison. Even so, the veil had its own problems other than the inhibition of sight: Single Changelings were cloaking themselves, evading the Warhorse, and attacking lone troopers before they themselves got killed. Thus, even though there was a clear advantage to be pressed, all troops, human and pony, were on edge.

“Come on, guys! They’re on the run!” Jacob urged onward, trudging in point position through the thicker snow. Nathan and Windfire took positions on either side while Starry and Radiance teamed together: Radiance would spot with magically augmented thermal vision to see the enemy while Starry would shoot with her loaned rifle. As well, Constance was helping to rally pony reservists and other Magickakorps into makeshift squadrons and Sydney teamed up with Arianna, both carrying the heavy weapons.

“Reunited and you’re already making me carry the heavy shit, I see!” Sydney yelled out in response, hoisting the heavy machine gun on her right shoulder, the bipod having fallen loose and swinging against her breast plate with every step through the thickening snow. Arianna had taken a knee to take a shot through the ‘veil,’ using the aid of her thermal scope. All faces were obscured by either silver armor and blue, opaque glass or black armor and black glass… yet all facial expressions could easily be interpreted amongst each other.

“Look on the bright side!” Radiance called back. “At least that means you don’t get to take full point!”

“That’s not an advantage right now, Radiance!” Constance commented. “The Changelings are artists at stealth!” The Warhorse continued to move forward, firing either from the Main Horn or with the secondaries, generating near-constant noises of battle along with its steps. Both sides, though they could not see each other fully (aside from augmented vision capabilities), continued to exchange fire. Starry had scored another kill on a Soldier Changeling with Radiance’s help when an unlucky Marine got struck in the gut by a hard-magic round.

“Ach... AAAAHHH!” he screamed out, dropping his weapon and lurching forward into the snow whilst clutching his wound as hard as he could. Starry and Radiance looked to each other for a split second before sprinting into action, the former sheathing her weapon on her back. The two crowded around the wounded, moaning Marine and flipped him as gently as they could onto his back.

“You’re gonna be alright!” Radiance assured the faceless Marine as he attempted to cope with the pain. The two unicorns hoisted him up with their magic and did their best to carry him back, his arms draped over their shoulders while they attempted to keep his legs from dragging in the snow and exacerbating his wound. Armor ground against armor as they hefted him away from the front line.

“Come on, big guy… you got this!” Starry encouraged, spotting a Magickakorps medic by a stroke of luck. Without magical stimulants, all unicorns were thoroughly exhausted and as such, the two friends did not have enough to perform any decent healing spells. Thus, they had to find an aforementioned medic that was infinitely more skilled in performing advanced medical magic. Nathan had witnessed the whole ordeal and was gonna move to help, but Arianna beat him to it. She swooped in to help carry the wounded Marine.

“Medic! Over here!” she called out with an appropriate wave of her arm, garnering the black-clad pony soldier. The medic immediately rushed over and they all made a small clearing to lay the Marine down, the former immediately going to work on treatment. All were breathing heavily as a literal weight was lifted off of their shoulders. Starry glanced towards Arianna.

“Thanks.”

“Thank you,” the sniper replied with gratitude for the selfless act of saving one of her own, patting the unicorn on the back of her neck and turning around so she could quickly take her place next to Sydney once more. However, what she saw once she turned around would haunt her for a long time to come.

Sydney, trudging forward and holding up the rear of their original positioning, barely reacted when a cloaked Soldier Changeling revealed itself about ten meters to her left. Her motion sensor had picked it up but her hands were occupied in lugging the heavy machine gun, so she had no ‘actionable’ weapon.

“SYDNEY!” Arianna frantically yelled out as she aimed and steadied her rifle as quickly as she could.

The moment Syd looked to her left, her eyes widened and she completely froze as she spied the massive Changeling with a charged horn. A high-velocity magical round struck her straight in the side of the neck.

“UUUAAAHHH!!” Sydney’s shrill cry pierced through each one of her squad-mates as the moment unfolded in a blink of an eye. Jacob, Nathan, and Windfire immediately turned to see Sydney get shot and careen onto her back by the force of the impact. Just a moment too late, a hard-light round went straight through the head of the offending Changeling, essentially blowing it off and the carcass dropping lifelessly.

“SYD!!!” Nathan, Arianna, and Jake called out in horror simultaneously. Ari, Radiance, and Starry were the first upon their friend’s body, the young human woman unsure of where to start placing her hands. She quickly decided to get her friend’s helmet off.

“GET A MEDIC!” She yelled to Constance, who had just come onto the scene. She quickly nodded and sped off. Not even a couple of seconds later, the others were by her side.

“Syd! Talk to us!” Jacob’s thoughts began to assume the worst, extreme distress consuming him as he feared that she got killed under his command. She did not respond immediately. “Is she…?” he did not get to finish his sentence as Arianna removed Sydney’s helmet, which elicited a pained cry from the questionably wounded soldier. Partial relief washed over everyone’s (and everypony’s) veiled faces. Sydney, however, continued moaning and growling through bared teeth, the smallest trickle of blood oozing out onto the snow-covered ground, her face becoming wet with her tears and snow that melted on her skin.

“Hold on, Syd, help’s coming!” Nathan pleaded, not knowing how mortally wounded she was since some seared and destroyed under-layer still covered the wound. Before they could truly check, Constance returned with another unicorn medic.

“Sydney! I swear to shit if you die on me…!” Arianna nearly yelled in anger and a mix of other painful emotions after just witnessing one of her best friends take what looked like a fatal shot. The Magickakorps medic wormed her way through and was able to use precision magic to cut and peel back the fractured pieces of under-layer that were covering the impact site (much to the painful chagrin of Sydney), finding a burned but not a piercing wound. There were two lacerations that trickled a tiny amount of blood, but the main wound was a burn, and as such, was cauterized.

“The shot didn't go through her. Burned her skin pretty nicely but she’ll be just fine,” the medic announced, beginning to apply a pain-killing spell after propping her head up on her helmet. All let out deep breaths that they were holding and Arianna rested her face in her hands in pure, unadulterated relief. Sydney’s crying and groaning died down as the pain-killing spell slowly but surely took effect.

“Looks like the Changeling fired right after coming out of another spell, so it wasn’t a fully charged round,” Windfire commented, thinking back to the previous incident of her surviving getting thrown out of the dropship. “All things considered, I can’t tell whether she's extremely lucky or unlucky...”

Arianna wasn’t taking her eyes off of her friend, who was much more calm now that the magic had taken it’s full effect. The medic was currently treating the magical burn with some unknown spell and Sydney finally opened her eyes, seeing all of her friends plus their new unicorn squad-mates around her. Her eyes, however, rested on Arianna, becoming much more… sultry looking.

Ari cocked her head at the bedroom eyes, as did the others.

“Ari… my heeeeroooooo…” she spoke with a seductive, yet completely joking tone. Arianna threw her hands up in anger and frustration. Nathan attempted to suppress his laughter, as did a few of the others, though mostly in elation that she was not only alive, but nearly her normal self. Sydney giggled at her reaction, though quickly regretted it as the pain-killer magic did not cover her that much.

“I’m sorry, Ari… I couldn’t resist,” she softly added, recovering from that spell of deep pain.

“Fuck you, you fucking... fuck!” Arianna yelled at her on her feet, pointing down to her to emphasize her current thoughts. “I thought you were dying, you bitch!” Clearly, Arianna was not in the mood for any jokes. Jacob and the others kept silent, allowing the two of them to have one of their ‘best friend moments,’ though that did not prevent them from grinning under their helmets that Sydney was alive and well, and could easily be patched up with medical magic.

“L-Like I’d leave you alone with these…” Syd weakly gestured to Nathan and Jacob. “...twats.” She quickly motioned towards Jacob: “Respectfully, sir.”

“Oh don’t start the ‘sir’ crap right now,” Jake replied, rolling his eyes. Arianna chose not to reply to that, still somewhat irritated. The unicorn medic finished her work right then:

“Alright, you’re good to go. I was able to heal what I could of the affected area but the rest you’ll have to let heal on its own. The pain-killing magic should remain for that duration, though, so it shouldn’t cause you too much trouble.”

“Thanks, doc,” Sydney thanked the medic, willing energy back into her body in order to turn onto her front, supporting herself with her arms as she slowly began to stand up.

“Not a problem. Stay safe out there!” the medic replied before galloping elsewhere where her services might be needed. Constance handed Sydney’s helmet to her and she gently placed it back over her head as Nathan helped her stand up completely.

“Alright, I’m good! I’m good…” She moved towards the heavy machine gun that she dropped but stopped herself mid-motion.

“Screw you all, I ain’t carrying that anymore,” Syd decreed, equipping her rifle off of her back. The others this time could not help but laugh.

“Deal,” Jake affirmed, all of them forming up and walking forward towards the frontline, quite ready to get on with finishing off the Changeling force before they followed the Warhorse north.

They all protectively stood a bit closer to Sydney this time around, especially Arianna. The latter huffed amusedly internally.

Bitch.

32. Impact Crater

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 32

Impact Crater

[Impact Crater Outskirts | 27 Hours Later]

“Completely and utterly destroyed” was too generous of a descriptive phrase for the remnants of the offending Changeling army. Its fate was necessary, however, to ensure the safety of the Empire; as a result, the Changelings would hopefully not be able to mount another offense while allied concentration shifted towards the ultimate goal: The Impact Crater. Princess Luna was right about the travel time, which was primarily due to the fact that a storm rolled through from the Griffon Kingdom, obscuring vision and searing any exposed skin in the blisteringly cold conditions.

The Warhorse, accompanied by a battalion of five hundred of the most seasoned troops that Equestria and the Federation could currently spare, had stopped just outside of a mile and a half from the crater proper once forward scouting elements determined that the Changelings had built what appeared to be a fortress of ice surrounding the core. As well, their arrival during the night ensured that they would have to wait until the morning to launch any attack.

The ‘Phazon Fortress’ was the most interesting part, however. Further reconnaissance flights by Federation air assets over the crater proper had clearly shown that the meteor itself was no longer there, having been dragged underground while Phazon was breathed into life from an entire network of tunnel entrances dotting the entire area.

Scans by two reassigned capital ships were inconclusive, unable to determine the location of the missing meteor and its core; therefore, neither orbital bombardment nor low-altitude bombing runs would be feasible courses of action. A large portion of the underground network was mapped, though; its sheer size indicating with near certainty that the Hive indeed rested there. Even so, without any sign of the core, indiscriminately bombing the crater would only complicate matters, since the result from the previous conclusion was that Samus, along with coalition forces, would have to go in. Furthermore, such a bombardment could collapse tunnels throughout the Hive network, making locating the core that much more of a migraine.

That also meant that Samus would not be out of a job in the near future.

The worst of the blizzard cleared for a few seconds, revealing the Warhorse, standing rigid and lifeless, along with several tanks and infantry entrenched next to it. The wind whipped snow against anyone unlucky enough to be on foot, and troops so exposed did their best to keep their balance, and their warmth. Samus and a certain armored Lunar Alicorn, however, remained unphased as the latter looked through a pair of binoculars at their target while the Hunter, outfitted only in her Zero Suit, just stood by and observed.

“Are you not frigid right now?” Luna commented with a curious tone of voice, not peeling her eyes away. Samus continued to shield her face from the wind and snow.

“I just spent nearly a day mentally locked in the Warhorse, I need some fresh air,” she replied, her breath easily visible with her exhalation. Luna shrugged and continued to observe the fortification ahead of them. It appeared to be a monolithic wall with large amounts of Phazon spidering across its surface like veins. It covered the only entrance into the crater area, as it was flanked on either side by mountains which potentially held more difficult obstacles on them. Thus, the only sure way forward was straight through this defensive structure.

“Did you get any sleep?” Luna asked, again not looking away from the enemy, though the silhouette was disappearing under the blizzard. Magical augmentations could only aid so much against extreme weather that was not controlled by pegasi.

“Some… but I’m used to not getting a lot when I’m deployed, so it’s fine,” Samus answered, beginning to blow air into her hands and rub them together for warmth, as well as shifting from side to side. Luna rolled her eyes, mildly amused at the Hunter’s constant movement in order to generate heat. The attention Luna paid to the Hunter, however, came at the expense of her analysis, but those thoughts left as soon as they came; especially when the blizzard continued to abate, markedly improving their visibility of the target. Due to her uncertainty as to when the storm would regain its momentum, Luna decided that it was time to advance. The Princess lowered the binoculars and teleported them out of existence.

“Let us mount up. It is time.”

“What’s the plan?” Samus asked, secretly eager to return to the warmth of the Warhorse. Luna ruffled her feathers a bit to rid herself of the snow in her wings before replying:

“Rather simple. We attack straight in the front, break through the fortification, and you enter the Hive to locate the meteor core. I shall be piloting this time, however.”

“And what about you and the rest of the troops once we breach the wall?” the Hunter asked, stretching and rolling her shoulders a bit before equipping her suit.

“We are just here to ensure you have enough time to do what you must do,” Luna replied resolutely. That struck somewhat of a chord with Samus; essentially, Luna was risking her own life, along with the lives of her own troops, plus Federation Marines to ensure she could work as fast as she could without all the extra pressure. It would certainly make her job easier, and the blonde-haired girl was, again, not quite sure of the mix of feelings and emotions she was experiencing.

“Just so you know, the entire crater area and then some is gonna completely collapse once the core is destroyed. You’ll know exactly when that happens, and that’ll be your cue to tuck tail out of there, alright?” Samus cautioned, keying a few commands into her cannon and letting the Lunar Princess know exactly what to expect come the moment of truth. She had a feeling that there wasn’t a more opportune time to do so. Luna nodded with a small grunt.

“Just ensure you get out as well, yes?” the Princess added, the slightest pleading edge to her tone evident. Samus responded with a friendly nod, a grin on her face veiled by her helmet.

“Let us get situated and then we shall pass on the order just before the initial salvos.”

No reply from Samus was needed as the two chose their own methods of ascending the giant machine; one flew, and one used her Spider Ball.

Galactic Federation Marine and Magickakorps armor were both insulated quite nicely, but even that did not stop the troops from shivering at least slightly. No one could hold a candle to Starry, though, in terms of comparative misery. She sat on her haunches behind a tank, hoping some of the exhaust given off of it would warm her up, but to little avail. The others could even hear her teeth chattering from inside her helmet as she stared at the ground, looking absolutely miserable. While the others of CV-Squad managed as well as they could, Starry did not want to deal with anything at the moment aside from just getting warm.

“Is... she alright?” Sydney asked as she laid eyes upon the poor mare. Radiance looked over her way and could not help but let out a highly amused giggle.

“She’s fine, just being overdramatic as always. Starry’s not the biggest fan of the cold.”

“Absolutely hates it,” Windfire added, joining the conversation. “The arctic warfare training was hysterical with her, because she melted the snow with how much she bitched.”

“Eh, I can sympathize with her…” Arianna said, while rubbing her hands together.

Not too far away, Nathan, Jacob, and Constance emerged from one of the few command vehicles that were used for logistics purposes, and moved to rejoin the group. Nathan stopped, however, when he spied a downtrodden Starry behind one of the tanks.

“I’ll join you all in a second,” he commented, breaking off from Constance and Jacob as they went to join the other three. He casually walked over and took a seat next to the chattering mare, who was muttering profanities under her breath through her shaky breaths:

“...fuck… cold shit… fuck this place… goddamn blizzard… shit Frozen North…”

“Not a fan of the cold, huh?” he finally broke the silence after listening to her ramblings for about forty-five seconds. Startled, Starry immediately sat up straight with an ‘eep!’ She clearly was not aware of her surroundings in her attempt to stay as warm as possible.

“Oh! Heh. When’d you get here?”

“About a minute ago.”

“Ah… but yeah, I hate the cold. I’ll be glad when the assault starts, because then I’ll get warmed up pretty quickly,” Starry stated somewhat awkwardly.

“Yeah, I’d take warmer weather any day, myself,” Nathan agreed. He spared a glance at the Warhorse’s silhouette a couple hundred feet away; its imposing figure still as rigid, grey, and lifeless as it had been for the last several hours. Starry nodded a couple of times at his words, imagining a wonderful, warm place she loved. The thought helped her along, if only a little bit.

“Nathan, take me to Zebranica,” Starry half-jokingly ordered, still not facing towards the human. The latter looked over curiously.

“I literally have no idea where that is,” he chuckled, shifting his position to face her more properly. Starry finally looked over and up at him.

“Doesn’t matter. I know where it is. Let’s go.”

“Right now?” Nate asked, humoring the quirky, grey-coated mare.

“Right now,” Starry affirmed. “We can desert and veg out on a beach in a tropical, southern nation far far far away from the cold.”

“Desertion is a capital offense, Starry,” Nathan pointed out as a friendly reminder. The mare giggled.

“It’s only illegal if you get caught,” she replied playfully.

“True… what’s the punishment for desertion in the Magickakorps?” he asked, furthering the meaningless conversation.

“Execution by unicorn firing squad,” Starry answered without missing a beat. Nathan blinked a few times in genuine surprise.

“Wait, you’re actually serious?”

“No.”

“So what is it then?” he asked, baited by his own curiosity.

“Life in prison.”

“Really?”

“No.” Starry fought to repress a smirk behind her helmet.

“Goddammit!” Nathan exclaimed under his breath, having fallen for the little jest. Starry threw her head back in a fit of giggling, the human joining her before long. Truth be told, Starry was already feeling much warmer after just a couple of minutes. Not very far away, the remaining six pairs of eyes of CV-Squad were on the two.

“Well, she’s certainly feeling better,” Constance remarked casually.

“You just might owe me fifty bits soon, Cap,” Windfire pointed out, still not looking away from the human-pony duo. The three humans, however, all looked oddly at him.

“...Seriously? You’re placing bets on this?” Arianna asked skeptically.

“Do humans even have cross-species relations?” Radiance asked, keeping to herself the fact that she had placed fifty bits in the collective pool as well.

“Not entirely common, yet not completely unheard of,” Jake confirmed, gazing back towards the two in time to witness Starry shoulder-bump Nathan, the latter not put off in the slightest by the silly contact. Arianna also witnessed the gesture and immediately turned back to Constance.

“Fuck it, fifty credits that it’s gonna happen,” she said with complete seriousness in her voice. Sydney let out a mighty guffaw while Jacob shook his head in mock disapproval as the Equine Squad Leader willed a small piece of paper and a pencil into existence, writing down the bet:

“Fifty… credits… it will... Arianna. Whatever that amounts to if an exchange rate gets set up. Anypony else?”

Jacob looked over to the two subjects of this conversation, as well as taking a quick glance around him.

“Nate may be adventurous, but I think this is really strange territory, even for him. Fifty credits; it ain’t happening,” he said, placing his own bet. Sydney, who was just calming down from her laughing fit, nearly lost her footing and fell into the snow as she started choking on her own spit from laughing again. This was hilariously, unbelievably ridiculous. Radiance covered her ‘mouth’ with her hoof as she attempted to suppress her own giggles, lest they attract unwanted attention from the subjects of their little competition.

“Fifty… Jacob…” Constance read out as she scribbled on the paper.

“Stop! I’m gonna fucking choke…!” Sydney wheezed, doing her best to catch her breath. If anything could be said about Sydney, it was the fact that she had a contagious laugh.

Nathan and Starry looked over to see their friends and squadmates behaving… oddly. Constance was writing something down; whatever it was held Windfire’s, Radiance’s, and Arianna’s undivided attention, while Sydney was absolutely losing her shit. Jake was just standing around and attempting to look occupied with something else.

“What the hell are they doing?” Nathan asked, eyebrow raised under his visor. Before Starry could voice an opinion, however, the Warhorse suddenly sprung to life, a sparkling, midnight-blue ethereal mane shooting out of its formerly lifeless head. As soon as it started up, the main horn launched a hard-magic shell towards the Changeling fortification, startling everyone present out of their idling. Nathan, recovering first, quickly stood up and grabbed his rifle from over his shoulder, bringing it forward and letting it fall into his grasp.

“Looks like you got your wish! It’s about to get really warm,” he commented. Starry was already ready to go.

“Let’s go!” she exclaimed, her thoughts on her partners’ activities set aside in favor of the looming battle.

CV-Squad quickly regrouped and discussed their strategy amid deafening salvos from the combined firepower of the Warhorse and their tanks. Soon enough, however, the advance began and all troops moved out, using the steadily moving armor as cover from whatever would be thrown at them.

A good second after the highly energized magical ‘round’ left the horn, it impacted ferociously right in the middle of the fortification. Princess Luna immediately began the slow trot towards their target while Samus, sitting somewhat comfortably in the commander’s seat, gazed outward through the provided viewport.

“That definitely woke ‘em up…” Samus spoke, thinking out loud. Federation tanks formed up around the gargantuan mechanoid while troops of both varieties spread out in organized formations while using any cover afforded by the armor available. The armored vehicles kept pace with the Warhorse’s advance as, combined, they continued to hammer the Phazon Fortress with shells and magic. So far, they were completely out of range of any possible Changeling counterattack, but that would most likely end sooner rather than later.

“I am not entirely sure about that, Samus. Let us continue ‘rattling the bed!’” Luna exclaimed, firing off another round before following up with several bursts from the secondary horn. Despite the snowpack on the ground, the speed that the Warhorse advanced on top of no resistance meant that they had already covered a quarter of a mile.

“Well, they’re not rushing to greet us, that’s for sure… but you can bet they’re not gonna want us near the crater,” Samus commented, merely observing the movements of their forces. Federation fighters still flew close air support, though obscured by the low-lying cloud layer. At the moment, there was little she could do until they were through the fortified wall. Samus silently wished that there was a larger port-hole to shoot out of.

“Indeed, but the good news is that from what we have seen of the Changelings’ combat capability, there will be little they can field to stand in our way,” Luna stated proudly as the Warhorse continued to soldier on. However, continuing to observe the fortification slowly drawing closer, a bright, emerald light pierced through the slight haze.

“Luna, what’s that ball of light?” Samus asked, watching it quickly close the distance but still not able to discern it. As it got closer and closer, Samus’s instincts already knew the answer to that. Luna herself barely had time to react to the new development when the large, magical round slammed into the Warhorse’s right-front leg. The massive explosive force startled Luna to such a degree that she almost lost her footing. Once the dust cleared, however, the only damage to the Warhorse was a couple miniscule scratches. The impact had rattled the entire interior and Samus had to reposition herself.

“Blasted insects! They are pooling their magical power to create much more powerful offensive spells,” Luna shouted angrily, cursing the Changelings over another example of their unexpected cunning in the magical arts. Fusing magic together from multiple casters was not unheard of and, in fact, was employed among the Magickakorps to combat larger threats, such as Manticores or even lesser dragons. In essence, what would be considered standard magical fire could be enhanced to the equivalent of an anti-armor or artillery shell in terms of penetration and explosive power.

“Cunning. Can they damage the Warhorse?”

“Unlikely. A few scratches or dents in the enchanted armor but nothing crippling unless in vast numbers. They will, however slow us down if we do not exercise due care to evade when possible,” Luna answered, firing a volley of explosive rounds out of the main horn and following up with five-second bursts of the secondary horns. Federation tanks easily kept pace in middle gear, keeping up their fire against the wall while doing their best to also avoid any of the newly observed explosive magical rounds. Through decent maneuverability and the ability to see enemy fire coming, no casualties had been reported thus far, and the less, the better.

The Warhorse continued to soldier on through the final stretch, easily evading the new, more lethal projectiles. Luna was keen to take this as slowly as she was allowed in order to minimize casualties and ensure that Samus could safely be inserted into the crater hive network. However, a foreign, incoming transmission on the radio network put a damper on that notion:

“Your Highness, this is Captain Gates of the G.F.S. Stratus Light in orbit above the impact crater,” a new voice broke across the communications channels. “Scans are indicating that the enemy is sealing up entrances to the Hive network with Phazon. Unless you plan on digging, the window of opportunity is closing fast.”

“Yeah… I may be good, Luna, but I can’t dig through Phazon,” Samus added, being completely realistic with the situation at hand. That the Changelings were sealing the entrances to their tunnels with the mutagen was of enough importance that the fleet felt the need to notify the Princess, so it was clear that there was not much time left on the clock. The attack force was still a little more than half a mile out from the fortification, but it had taken considerable damage, a spiderweb of cracks competing with the Phazon veins.

Although the Changelings had finally started to mount resistance with the magical equivalent of small arms fire and anti-armor, it was only slowing the advance, not stalling it. If too many casualties were incurred, however, they might not be able to distract the Changelings from Samus’ individual advance long enough, slowing her down even more as she fought her way through their Hive network.

“Acknowledged. Thank you, Captain,” Luna replied before addressing the Hunter: “Well, it looks like we must quicken our pace. I suggest securing yourself…”

“Wait, what do you mean by that?”

Samus did not have to wait long for her answer, as the comfortable ride quickly became quite turbulent. The Warhorse cycled up to a full-fledged gallop, causing the earth to tremble and making for an incredible sight to behold. Earth and snow were thrown outward from the impact of the enormous hooves, yet the machine continued to pick up speed, easily outpacing the supporting tanks which had to shift into the highest gear, but still began to fall behind the terrifyingly graceful machine. The infantry that did not manage to hitch a ride were completely left behind. Inside the Warhorse, however, Samus was doing her best to stabilize herself.

“Whoa! Luna… what are you doing?” the Hunter asked somewhat apprehensively. She heard no magical fire being lobbed towards the fortress and they were quickly closing in.

“Ramming speed!” came the response from the focused lunar diarch.

“Is the Warhorse rated for ramming??” Samus asked, not taking her eyes from the viewport as their target was closing in, physical impact at this point unavoidable.

“We are about to find out! Brace yourself!” Luna commanded, charging the horn as much as she could and releasing one final, devastating magical shell into the weakest part of the wall she observed. Immediately after, she lowered the Warhorse’s head so that the horn pointed straight forward like a spear, still charged luminously. Just before the moment of truth, Samus only had one word to describe her thoughts:

“Shit!”

The impact was nothing short of awe-inspiring. The dense metal alicorn crashed straight into the substantially weakened Changeling fortification, the charged horn acting as an impact shield or a spall liner of sorts. The horn pierced straight through the ice, further destabilizing its already-compromised structure, providing a point of failure which the Warhorse immediately exploited, destroying a vast section of the icy obstruction through sheer kinetic force. All entrenched Changelings who didn’t flee from the oncoming mechanoid died, either crushed outright by its sheer bulk upon impact, or else by falling to their deaths, thrown clear by the force of the collision.

As the entire body of the Warhorse penetrated the final defense, the snowbound and iced-over crater could be easily seen, stretching for who-knew-how-far with its center deep within the earth. Several tunnel entrances were still open but more Changelings were quickly popping out to slow the advance while others of the Soldier caste quickly worked to seal the remaining ones.

“Samus! Go, now!” the Lunar Princess outright ordered Samus out of the confines of the Warhorse. The Hunter wasted no time in moving to the hatch, quickly exiting, downing two flying Changelings unfortunate enough to find themselves there, and using her Spider Ball to quickly descend the right-front leg. With a little extra momentum afforded by her Boost Ball, she bounded off the leg and phased back into standing form in order to hit the ground sprinting. Samus completely sped past or outright ran through any Changelings that got in her way once her Speed Booster kicked in, a distinctly rainbow tail of energy following her.

She spared quick glances at the crater ground beneath her, looking for any opening and completely ignoring the fact that she was being shot at from all directions. Soon enough, her efforts bore fruit when she spied a large Hive entrance that had yet to be sealed. After running through and completely annihilating one more lone Soldier that dared attempt to stay her advance, Samus bounded and somersaulted in the air, perfectly jumping through the entrance and disappearing into the network of caverns below, while the battle continued to rage on the surface.

[Impact Crater]

After dropping approximately fifteen feet, Samus’s boots hit the rocky ground, and she hunched low to absorb the impact while quickly finishing off five Drones that were passing through. Similar to her previous experience in the catacombs after the debacle with the Crystal Hydra, light was able to easily penetrate the Phazon-veined rock, although much of her ambient light came from the energy that was given off by the massive amounts of Phazon that lined the sides of the path and the walls of the tunnels. A brief glance at her motion tracker and physical surroundings revealed that, for the moment, she was on her own. Samus checked her map data, looking at the portion of the tunnel network that had been mapped so far by Federation orbital scans; to say that the Hive network was "massive" would be a significant understatement.

The tunnels appeared to criss-cross throughout the entire impact crater, following no discernible pattern; each section probably holding untold surprises for her, but Samus was not keen on taking her time exploring this time around: she had a job that needed to be done as quickly and efficiently as possible.

But where to start…

A few growls, roars, and hisses emanating from somewhere behind Samus alerted her to the presence of less-than-welcoming life at her back. She had to make a quick decision on where to go; this time, fortunately, she could rely on available map data. Continuing to study the three-dimensional mapping, she noticed that towards the center of the Impact Crater, a gigantic tunnel was present where the core should have been, appearing as if it had been taken underground. This corroborated earlier reconnaissance. One way to start would be to make her way to a group of smaller tunnels that ran parallel to this central shaft before they intersected deep beneath the surface. If she followed that to the Phazon Core, she would be one step closer to her final objective.

Firstly, though, was choosing the quickest route; a simple job for Samus’s map. A couple more commands, and the the quickest path to a potential intersection given the available data was highlighted in bright, pulsing red. While “shortest” it may have been, the trek would still be an arduous one. Another wave of collective hissing and growling coming from behind, so it was in Samus’s best interest to get a move on.

Let’s get this over with.

Resting her elbow against her side and leveling her Arm Cannon, and ensuring all her systems were primed for battle, she set off at a jog, though Samus quickly realized that she was producing her own illumination, which could prove problematic if she wanted to be at all stealthy as she progressed. The light was magenta in color and, looking over her shoulder, she quickly found the source to be her hard-magic ‘wings,’ casting a soft glow.

Is there a way to shut these off? the Hunter thought irritably.

The moment the words ‘shut these off’ crossed her mind, the wings vanished completely, disappearing as if they had never existed in the first place. She could still feel them, however, and Samus tested this by willing them back into existence; sure enough, they reappeared immediately. Once more, she willed them away.

Neat.

With that sorted, she continued onto the next area as determined by her route, where the tunnel she started in opened up into a somewhat larger chamber. Light was much more plentiful here, as below the pathway was a massive pit of Phazon, though this time it was not the usual blue strain that she was used to seeing. No; this strain was bright emerald, definitely an entirely different ‘flavor,’ possibly the product of a mutation or magical interference unique to Equis. Samus confidently strode to where the solid tunnel ended and an bridge began, taking a cautious look over and into the pit. Calling forth her Scan Visor yielded some new information:

[Preliminary analysis indicates significant differences in this sample of Phazon from those encountered on Tallon IV and Aether. This sample's emerald color is attributed to an inclusion of lethal amounts of raw magic into the Phazon vein. While the Varia Suit's shielding is able to protect you from the ambient radiation, it will not protect you from direct contact. Further study recommended.]

All she needed to know, for now. Samus dismissed her Scan Visor and, reverting it back to its Combat variant, turned her gaze towards the bridge that she had every intention of crossing as quickly as she could manage. Right as her left foot set down on the bridge, a massive, green magical blast impacted just ahead of her, obliterating the bridge in an instant and spraying the area with stone fragments due to the explosive force. Samus threw her arm up in an instinctive gesture, and looked towards the source of the blast, observing a tunnel that overlooked her position. From within, two Soldier Changelings leered down at her, horns charged brilliantly.
She immediately moved to engage, aiming and firing a torrent of Magicka blasts towards their position, killing the Soldier on the right. Its body plummeted into the Phazon as Samus quickly dispatched the second with three more shots, immolating and vaporizing it with pure weaponized magic.

Checking her surroundings more closely, Samus was able to spot several more pairs of malevolent eyes staring at her from all directions… and that number multiplied as she realized that even more, smaller tunnels made their way into this phazon pit. Not keen on stalling her advance to fight every single Changeling, Samus deployed her wings before jumping as high as her legs could take her, using the extra boost afforded by her Space Jump and the two magical appendages to easily clear the pit. Once her boots connected with the ground again, Samus came to terms with the fact that the longer she delayed, the lower her chances of success would ultimately become.

Time to sprint it!

Samus broke into a sprint down her chosen route, ignoring any activity behind her. She kept her pace just below where her Speed Booster would kick in, to account for her potential need to move in something other than a straight line.

Three Soldier Changelings attempted to ambush her from the top as she came by but they dropped too early… it only took Samus a little bit of extra energy to ignite her Speed Booster and plow through their forms with deadly force. Blood and pieces of exoskeleton were all that remained, but Samus spared no thought, bringing her speed back down to more manageable levels and continuing on. Her blood vessels pumped fresh oxygen to her body, her heart beat strong and fast at the sensation and knowledge that she was so close… so close to meeting the final foe and absolutely nothing would stand in her way.

A lucky ambush by a Soldier Changeling at a tunnel intersection sent Samus and her ambusher harshly to the ground. Another Soldier, along with five Drones teleported into existence and intended to overwhelm her downed form but Samus broke an attempted binding spell, shooting her potential executioner in the head before flipping back up to her feet. She cast a shield between herself and her remaining aggressors, firing from around its perimeter, making quick work of the second Soldier and four of the Drones. Dropping her shield in an attempt to locate the last survivor, a magical power blast nailed her in the back, causing her to stumble and fall on her side. Her shielding easily absorbed the projectile with minimal loss in energy.

Rolling to the side, Samus quickly located her target charging up another magical power round for a point-blank shot. Reacting, the Hunter bounded up and sprang forward, sliding inside the Drone’s guard and backhanding it with her cannon, dissipating the charge around its horn and freeing her to continue her assault. Samus decked the Drone in the snout with her left fist and quickly cast a binding spell of her own to prevent its recovery. She forced her enemy to the ground, planted her cannon against its head and fired.

The small skirmish was over in a grand total of twenty-three seconds and Samus spared barely a moment’s thought before she resumed her trek towards her destination. It certainly would not be the last skirmish she had to wade through, considering that her map showed one more major ‘section’ before her path took her to the core of the Hive. Surprisingly, though, she encountered far less resistance than she expected, leading her to believe that Luna’s plan of wreaking absolute chaos in and around other parts of the Hive was working as intended, drawing forces that would otherwise have contested her fiercely.

Samus continued to make unprecedented progress through the puzzle of a Hive, though her map made it just that simple. The Changelings were getting desperate, however, throwing whatever reserves they had in an effort to mount some resistance to the Hunter’s unyielding advance.

Samus’s motion tracker showed that she had company giving chase behind her, but that did not deter her in the slightest. She quickly came up on another large Phazon chamber. The presence of the emerald Phazon notwithstanding, the larger room would give her plenty of space to play.

Three Drones dared to stand in her way at the entrance of the luminous chamber, and Samus cut them down with three precision Magicka shots while on the move. The moment the third creature fell lifeless, Samus cleared the entrance, running along the path which ran to the exit on the other end, flanked by Emerald Phazon on both sides. She brought herself to a halt and turned on her heels, aiming her cannon back towards any Changelings that may have followed her, only to find a dozen of them stopped, statue-like, outside of the entrance… glaring at her.

Who wants to die first??

Strangely enough, however, none moved to attack her… in fact, they retreated out of sight, a few of them teleporting out of existence. It appeared that the Changeling’s willingness to throw their lives away had finally been broken upon seeing the carnage Samus had wrought. She lowered her cannon and let out a curt huff… right as her motion tracker picked up a lone enemy behind her.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

A chill went down Samus’s spine as she went rigid. She slowly turned around, cannon aimed, only to find a lone metroid, though safe to say, it was not like any metroid she had ever seen before.

Okay...what the hell is that?

To begin with, this metroid was half again as large as a standard metroid with fangs that, rather than being curved, were straight and as sharp as obsidian… on top of the fact that there was an extra pair of them. The transparent gelatinous layer was bright green rather than teal and its internal organs looked like they had been crystallized. Samus’s Scan Visor was already at work, and it certainly pulled up a great deal of information:

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Morphology: Arcane Metroid]

[Standard metroid over-inundated with the magical effects of Planet Equis. This metroid has been exposed to staggering amounts of pure magic, both ambient and direct, targeted exposure. A moderate mutation has formed as a result, increasing the metroid’s natural resistance to magical assault; incoming attacks may be actively redirected instead of merely absorbed. The Arcane Metroid seeks to feed on both vital and magical forces, increasing its lethality against magic-sensitive beings. Its fangs can pierce fifty millimeters of armor-grade steel, and are not restricted to merely retaining hold on a target for energy absorption purposes. Magical crystallization has manifested around the Arcane Metroid’s nuclei, enhancing its overall resilience. Recommended Tactic: Use your Needle Beam to destroy the protective gelatinous layer; then switch to Anti-Magic Missiles to destroy the nuclei.]

The second Samus dismissed her scan visor, the Arcane Metroid charged at her with frightening speed, forcing her to contort her form to avoid getting her face smothered by three pairs of fangs while also avoiding falling into the Phazon. Turning on her heel and aiming at the recovering metroid, Samus switched to her Needle Beam. What she noticed, as she observed its recovery, was that it swayed side to side much faster than its standard counterpart, but this fact was of little importance. Samus unleashed a rapid-fire torrent of needle rounds at the Metroid, more than a few finding their marks and piercing straight through the gel layer.

The metroid screeched in agony but charged at Samus once more, attempting to bore its fangs into her yet again; but in response, and like any encounter with a more traditional metroid, Samus dodged to the side, the only difference being the usage of her Needle Beam rather than a vastly preferred Ice Beam variant. While a charged Needle Beam shot would have done the job, the metroid would easily outmaneuver the slower round. Samus’s patience paid off when five more needles shredded through the Arcane Metroid’s protective layer, the gelatinous sheath losing integrity and exposing the crystallized inner nuclei.

Samus quickly armed a missile, the Anti-Magic warhead primed and ready. After another failed attempt by the creature to latch onto the Hunter, she quickly fired the single homing projectile into its exposed innards, the magical crystals shattering explosively under the force of the Anti-Magical concussive detonation. The Arcane Metroid screeched one last time before it dropped lifelessly into the phazon pool, never to be seen again.

Samus, again, was only concerned about getting to the Hive Core, but as she started towards the intended exit, her motion tracker picked up another lone enemy spawning from the exact same place that the Arcane Metroid fell. Sparing a reluctant glance, the very same metroid appeared no worse for wear, save for being somewhat different in appearance and quite pissed off. The gel layer was now dark emerald in color while a green, magical charge was flickering around the fangs and the now repaired internal organs… much like a horn would appear as it charges magic.

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Morphology: Chi Metroid]

[Arcane Metroid further evolved from extreme Magical Phazon exposure. The Chi Metroid is the result of exposing the nuclei of an Arcane Metroid to a catastrophic amount of Phazon-tainted magical energy, creating a new divergent form of the Metroid evolutionary line. While retaining the attributes and abilities of the Arcane metroid, the Chi Metroid is highly advanced, possessing the ability to fire potent blasts of the same magic that gave birth to it. The incredible power lent by the corrupt energy will cause significant shielding depletion upon direct contact. However, the unstable nature of the Chi Metroid’s nuclei require it to stop before firing; it is completely vulnerable during this time. Exploit this vulnerability by barraging it with Anti-Magic missiles when it prepares to fire.]

Samus briefly wondered if this thing would follow her if she made a run for it… but that quickly left her mind when the metroid charged at her. She evaded easily, but it recovered much more quickly than its predecessor, emerald-colored magic flickering around its fangs as it charged. Samus immediately armed her missiles and moved to strike, as she had little desire to figure out what such magical ‘bursts’ entailed.

Samus launched two missiles back to back at the creature. Much to her surprise, however, the Chi Metroid immediately launched an energy attack in the short span of time before the missiles crossed the intervening space. The attack reminded Samus nostalgically of the Parasite Queen on the late Frigate Orpheon. The missiles impacted the creature, forcing it to abruptly break off its attack, but Samus had little time to evade; the energy beam seared across her suit’s left shoulder pauldron The shielding that surrounded it was nearly obliterated and once the remaining shielding was redistributed, her suit calculated that the brief attack had depleted fifteen percent of her suit’s energy capacity.

Jesus…

The metroid paused but went back for more, moving to charge its magic once again; this time, however, Samus gave it no quarter. She fired missile after missile, a total of eleven highly-energized warheads impacting the Chi Metroid before it convulsed violently in midair and exploded, leaving no remains behind to ‘resurrect.’

Samus sighed heavily, allowing herself to calm down just a tad after the short yet riveting engagement with essentially two new types of metroids. She then moved towards the exit, confirming with her map that there was one last massive drop into the Hive Core. Exiting the previous chamber and proceeding to what looked like a massive underground sinkhole, the blue phazon residue confirmed by her suit’s systems corroborating the claim that the actual meteor passed through this area.

Glancing into the sinkhole, Samus could tell the drop would be a considerable one; the bottom of the shaft disappeared into blue-black nothingness. Thankfully, though, her map indicated that the drop was angled, so she could essentially slide down at some point and not get killed by the fall.

Looking over her shoulder once more and ensuring her pursuers had indeed given up, along with no other surprise visits from any new metroids, Samus hunched low after taking in a deep breath.

Alright… this is it.

Samus gently jumped into the ominous, phazon-covered void which would bring her face to face with the core itself.

Edited by Random_Dragon and ToxiClay

33. Dance of Darkness [Part 1]

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 33

Dance of Darkness [Part I]

[Hive Core]

The cacophonous sound of metal grinding against rock and dirt gradually increased as Samus rode down the last leg of the drop, having made the fateful plunge into the sinkhole. The heels and tailbone sections of her suit slid along the shaft wall, intermittent bursts from her Space Jump boosters keeping her speed merely almost suicidal, and preventing her from tumbling. Finally, after much anticipation, her heels made contact with solid, level ground, her momentum swinging her upright and her left hand resting firmly on her arm cannon as she scanned her immediate surroundings. The placement of her hand on her weapon brought up a crosshair in her visor, allowing her to manually aim with greater ease. A flick of her eyes to her motion tracker revealed absolutely nothing, and Samus's initial paranoia was satisfied. Immediately to her left stood an energy crystal; she immediately destroyed it with a missile and took in the pickups that dropped from it to replenish the energy lost due to the Chi Metroid’s attack. Now, she could focus on her general location.

Similar to her past final encounters, the Hive Core was a grand, coliseum-like affair about the size of Emperor Ing’s Chamber… if not marginally larger. However, unlike the Dark Aether habitation, this was much more reminiscent of Metroid Prime’s lair with its rocky, Phazon-infested scenery. There were no indications that this room was excavated hastily, as the Hive Core’s walls and ceiling were quite smooth; not necessarily polished, but care had evidently been taken in the construction of this area. This led Samus to believe that magic was heavily involved in creating the chamber in which she now found herself. Naturally, Phazon made up the majority of the walls and floor, spidering its way across the exposed surfaces, stemming from a central location.

The ground was as Samus had come to expect from within the Hive; rocky, dusty, and as had become increasingly common, lined with tiny capillaries of Phazon that seemed to pulse like a malevolent heartbeat. On unspoiled sections of the ground, though, numerous magical crystals showed themselves—both energy and munitions variants, which was a welcome sight for the beleaguered Hunter. As before, in Metroid Prime’s lair, pools of concentrated liquid Phazon, both Blue and Emerald, were scattered randomly throughout the entire interior of the chamber. What looked like enormous Phazon veins worked their way around the far end of the Hive Core; upon closer inspection, Samus could see that the material flowed in a manner reminiscent of flowing water. It snaked its way towards the perimeter of the chamber, where it filled the pools and ultimately filtered out through the walls.

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Biohazard: Phazon River]

[Liquid Phazon transit system. These rivers facilitate the spread of liquified Phazon through the Hive Crater and out into the surrounding environment. Cartographical comparisons between your suit's local scans and regional map data indicate these rivers are connected to those that are contaminating the Frozen North, polluting rivers, glaciers, and compromising crystal formations. Hydrological studies suggest that this pollution contributed to the rapid spread of Phazon throughout Equestria. The purity of these rivers indicate that they are fed directly from the Phazon Core; destruction of the Core will quickly eliminate these rivers.]

The last two sentences brought her to her final, most important observation: the presence of the Meteor Core. It lay straight ahead, seemingly embedded into the opposite wall. About two to three times her height, the imposing, luminescent rock acted as the wellspring of all Phazon in Equestria, generating the synchronous pulse that every inch of the substance mirrored. With its destruction, Equestria would quickly return to normal, though precisely how quickly would remain to be seen. All Samus needed to do now was figure out the proper way to destroy it, as she had never directly destroyed a meteor Core before. Usually, taking out a Guardian did the job, but clearly no Guardian was present. Furthermore, Samus was sure that “shoot it until it blows up,” though often her favored strategy, would probably not avail her here.

Samus started towards the Meteor cautiously, closing the distance to it and avoiding Phazon pools and rivers as she approached. Her cannon was raised and aimed while her left hand continued to rest comfortably on it, continually scanning her surroundings, gaze occasionally drifting to her motion tracker, and listening for anything out of the ordinary. Her senses failed to yield anything substantial, however; the only sounds her ears picked up were her own boots against the ground and her deep, instinctually apprehensive breaths.

Too quiet… Samus thought apprehensively.

Nothing impeded her progress, and soon, she was standing about ten feet in front of the Meteor Core.

That’s when Samus remembered that she had temporary command of the Elements of Harmony. Based on what she had read and what Twilight had been telling her, use of all six could effectively defeat and cleanse any foe… perhaps she could employ their use here?

Okay… how to do this?

Charging her Magicka Beam and attempting to use the Harmony Blast via the Charge Combination yielded no results, as if the missile combination had not even been ‘unlocked.’ As she continued in vain to initiate the Charge Combo, her suit flashed a notification on her HUD:

[The Harmony Blast uses no missiles and may only be activated when the appropriate conditions are met. Only you and the Elements will know when this time is.]

Ugh, what does that even mean???

Immediately at the close of her thought, a bright, emerald light suddenly erupted from the Core’s center, gently swirling as it gained size. Samus, reasonably surprised at the sudden development, putting a safer distance between her and it, cannon leveled at the disturbance. The coruscating emerald energy eventually stopped growing and a figure began to emerge, seemingly floating out of the Meteor as if it was inside the entire time… though Samus soon detected that the light was in fact magical in nature, leading her to believe that whatever was arriving on the scene had teleported in.

Due to the luminescence of the magic, Samus was not quite able to discern what had appeared in front of her, but the silhouette had at least revealed a figure about the size of an alicorn, roughly the size of Princess Celestia, by Samus’s quick estimates. Once the light disappeared completely, and the new arrival had finished teleporting in, she found herself face to face with something new entirely.

Now able to see the creature clearly, Samus noted that it was indeed about Princess Celestia’s size, and clearly a Changeling as evidenced by the black exoskeleton riddled with holes and its insectoid wings. The main difference, however, was that its exoskeleton was doing its level best to match Phazon levels with its surroundings. The mane and tail were transparent emerald and had hints of both strains of Phazon, pulsing synchronously with the Core. Its head was identical to that of a Soldier Changeling or an alicorn, save for the horn being longer and its forehead being unnaturally elongated upward, into what looked like a ‘headpiece’ of pure blue Phazon.

“So you are Equestria’s hero… I must admit that I did not expect something like you,” she spoke, her tone an equal mix of curiosity and contempt. Her voice seemed...off, sick somehow. Samus lowered her cannon, puzzled; not often did her foes speak.

“I could say the same about you,” Samus replied truthfully; given that past Guardians ranged from thirty to forty times larger than her, to be faced with an opponent so close to her own size would prove interesting.

“One of few words, it seems. I am Chrysalis—Empress Chrysalis, the Changeling Queen—and you are trespassing in my domain. I do not take kindly to intruders…” Chrysalis continued, narrowing her corrupted eyes and injecting malice into her tone.

“Nor do I with Changeling agents operating in Equestria and the spread of the Phazon, so I guess we’re about even,” Samus returned stoically. Chrysalis straightened and drew herself to full height, further raising her head above Samus and looking down her nose at the smaller figure, contempt dripping from her corrupted form.

“You refer to this…” she gestured expansively towards the material around her. “...this gift of power? No longer will my kind need to sneak around like vermin, dependent upon the emotions of others.”

The Changeling Queen looked down and dipped her hoof into the nearest Phazon pool, the poison diffusing into her exoskeleton with ease, the Phazon veins along her body glowing brighter as they responded to the new energy. She turned back to the Hunter.

“This provides all what we need for sustenance, for evolution, for power, for numbers. The ponies are simply...no longer needed. But I also know you are here to destroy it… and thus I fear we are at an impasse, as I shan’t allow you to do so,” Chrysalis declaimed, spreading her wings and facing down the Hunter.

[Suggested Listening]

“Never expected you to,” Samus affirmed resolutely, aiming her cannon once more and leaning forward, changing her stance to ready herself for combat. Chrysalis, however, looked rather unimpressed, and actually seemed to be amused by the woman’s actions. Her attitude grew more serious, losing said amused demeanor as she adopted her own combat stance.

“This ‘Phazon,’ this gift, will propel us to supremacy, and render us the dominant species on the planet; but for you...this Chamber, once my home, will be your unmarked grave, Hunter,” the Changeling Queen concluded, cutting off any response the Hunter might deign to issue. Not that Samus would be keen on further conversation; she had, once again, a well-defined target and an objective, one which her suit seemed almost too eager to display:

[Objective: Kill the Changeling Queen!]

The two now-belligerents slowly backed away from each other, though Samus was retreating, looking to put sufficient distance between them to permit her to scan. Chrysalis, for her part, drew back as well. Samus was ready to start liberally firing at any slight provocation or aggression, but she took the opportunity, likely to be her only one, to scan her target… though that was when she ran into her first problems.

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Creature: Empress Chrysalis]

[Changeling Queen and Phazon harbinger. Empress Chrysalis has evolved greatly with the help of the Phazzz;kam’lmea890aj’ajkæÓ¥äÞ¹¸šxÇ@ŠÚ÷}‰’†ë¶]

What the hell?!

Fortunately, Samus did not have to reboot her entire suit; after a couple abortive attempts to scan Chrysalis, her power suit forced her back into her Combat Visor, and displayed a notification, so she didn’t have to wait long for an answer as to why her systems were failing her:

[Scan Visor has been scrambled by targeted magical interference. All other systems online and fully operational.]

If that was the case, then so be it. Samus would have to go in blind in terms of information; however, with the powerful arsenal she had at her disposal, she was certain that she could find something of at least marginal use to combat the Empress. She raised her cannon, Magicka Beam fully primed, and dug her heels in, taking a stand and ready to fight.

Chrysalis attacked first and with little warning, suddenly launching a high-velocity magical bolt towards the Hunter, who easily slid to the left to dodge, the round narrowly missing her and slamming into the rock behind her with explosive force. Samus never once took her eyes off of Chrysalis and immediately returned fire while advancing forward, shooting off Magicka beams in hammered pairs while the Changeling Queen threw up a barrier, Samus’s rounds diffusing into it like raindrops vanishing into a puddle. As the battle began in earnest, the Hunter’s heart started racing as adrenaline pumped into her body, fueled even more by the fact that this was it… the final obstacle; the final battle.

Her horn flaring with sickly green light, Chrysalis shattered her barrier and wasted no time in sending the resultant razor-sharp shards straight at Samus. The latter confidently squared her stance and held her forearm vertically in front of her face, her Kinesis flaring into being and producing a shield of her own right on time. The incoming hard magic either ricocheted harmlessly away or embedded itself into her shield, all of the projectiles disappearing simultaneously once the counter-attack concluded. Chrysalis masked her surprise at the revelation that Samus was able to not only wield a magic-based weapon, but actively cast magic. Her own battle strategy from here on out would be altered significantly.

Samus closed the distance as she initiated her own attack, not giving Chrysalis any breathing room as she began peppering her with Magicka rounds. Chrysalis responded to the new assault by calling forth a more powerful version of her previous barrier, Samus’ rounds having an even less perceptible effect. Samus switched to her Anti-Magic Missiles and launched two, the projectiles streaking towards Chrysalis’ shield and striking it nigh-simultaneously. The specialty warheads detonated against the shield and it crumbled around the Empress. Samus pressed her momentary advantage with another hammered pair of Magicka Beam blasts. One struck Chrysalis in the shoulder; the other sliced through the empty space where she had stood moments before, a fast teleport saving the Empress from another impact. Chrysalis was again surprised at the Hunter’s capacity for magical warfare, and further refined her plans.

Once Chrysalis teleported out, Samus went into high alert, activating her Aura Visor and aiming in all directions looking for a sign of her missing adversary. Samus knew one of her rounds found its mark, and Chrysalis certainly looked like she felt it; Samus was proud of that. But the problem she now faced was that Chrysalis was nowhere to be seen on her Aura Visor; it was as if she had quit the field entirely. A quick check with her other visors yielded similar results. The next time Samus cycled back to her Aura Visor, however, it suddenly overloaded, becoming blindingly bright akin to when her Thermal Visor would overload, necessitating a switch back to the Combat Visor. Samus quickly peered to her left, her motion tracker pinging and identifying a single entity, Chrysalis suddenly back in view, pawing the ground and charging her horn. She fired a volley of Magicka rounds but they all harmlessly phased through the Changeling. Right as the now-discernable magical echo vaporized, Samus got knocked off her feet by a magical blast from her right. She hit the ground hard and rolled to her back, her status bar indicating a precipitous forty percent reduction in shielding strength from that attack alone.

Chrysalis moved to follow up with a charged horn but Samus let loose with a charged Magicka round from her disadvantageous position, repulsing the Empress’ offensive by forcing her to defend against the massively powerful blast or weather unmistakably heavy damage. Having bought herself some breathing room, Samus aimed her cannon to the right, firing a single missile at the energy crystal that stood a few feet away, which released a medium and large energy upon destruction. Samus quickly drew in the two pickups, replenishing her shielding thirty-two percent and recovering most of her loss.

She flipped up onto her feet ready to continue the attack… but Chrysalis had disappeared yet again. Samus did not have to spend much time searching, though. Responding to a motion tracker blip behind her, she turned to find an incarnation of Princess Celestia, head lowered and horn glowing, ready for battle. The presence of the Solar Alicorn, let alone the Solar Alicorn ready to attack her, put Samus off her game for the briefest of moments, before she remembered that Changelings possessed the ability of perfect mimicry. Then, it was of little concern to Samus as she waited for ‘Celestia’ to make the first move.

And she did not have to wait long for that. Letting loose a savage cry in Celestia's voice, the Empress' eyes flashed gold. She reared back on her hind legs, and slammed her hooves into the ground, throwing out a shockwave of alabaster fire. Samus' HUD lit up with danger notifications; not because the shockwave would be particularly hard to dodge (though the fiery columns did stand taller than the Hunter), but rather for the fact that, were she to be caught by the encroaching blast, she would not be entirely sure how much shielding she’d have left.

Aided by her wings, Samus gracefully flip-jumped over the wall of fire and hit the ground shooting and running. Celestia summoned a local, mobile shield to deflect the barrage of Magicka attacks, but as Samus drew ever closer, she called forth a punishing ring of fire. Samus skidded to a halt barely in time, her arm cannon kissing the flames and draining two percent of her energy. Samus threw herself backwards into a reverse tumble, and as she found her feet, Celestia emerged from her cocoon, eyes and horn glowing fiercely. Samus charged her Magicka beam and attempted once more to scan her foe.

[Scan Visor Unavailable.]

Celestia charged her horn, then launched a beam of molten plasma at Samus at high velocity, forcing her to break off her attack and duck to the right. She released her charged Magicka shot, but Celestia willed a local shield into existence, causing the beam to be deflected into the ceiling. Celestia fired twice more; Samus dodged one, and ‘swatted’ the other away with a shield of her own. The encounter devolved into a circling firefight, neither combatant providing an opening to the other. The space between them was filled with a beautiful, deadly display of paired Plasma and Magicka beams, and those that were neither deflected upwards nor absorbed outright began to trace a pattern of destruction on the wall while some, indeed, scored hits on both belligerents. When they could, both sides razed energy crystals to keep their shield or health intact.

As the battle stagnated, Samus changed tempo, launching two missiles at Celestia. She threw up a bubble shield as soon as she saw the missiles streaking towards her. While Celestia was distracted by the incoming projectiles, Samus launched a third missile, as well as a barrage of Magicka rounds. Celestia's shield, while easily able to dissipate the energy of the Magicka beams, simply couldn't withstand the twin Anti-Magic Missile detonations. Celestia's shield crumbled, and the distraction of the Magicka beams peppering her ensured the third, late missile took her by surprise, exploding against her chest and hurling her away, sending her careening into the ground.

Samus advanced upon her immediately and once her adversary moved to get back to her hooves, Samus drilled a precision Magicka shot right in her neck, making the false Princess shrilly cry out in agony. Samus went to follow up, but her arm cannon was suddenly jerked upward by magical binding and a Plasma beam found its mark straight in her chest. With a cry and an ‘oomf!,’ she fell onto her back as the high velocity shot quite literally laid her out. Quickly regaining her bearings, a flick of her eyes to her energy showed that her suit’s shielding was holding at forty-nine percent.

Stripped of its shielding, Samus' Power Suit would still be a perfectly functional armorsuit, as strong as the Chozo-manufactured and refined metal that went into its construction. Her ability to withstand damage would certainly be diminished as a result, however. Nevertheless, as long as the supply of energy and to a lesser extent, ammunition crystals remained, Samus could continue the successful use of her anti-magic as a counter to Celestia’s ranged magic and powerful shielding capabilities.

Emerald fire suddenly consumed Celestia's body, stripping the illusion away and returning the form of the Empress, who definitely looked worse for wear. Small cracks had formed in her exoskeleton, her breathing was deep and pained, and her piercing gaze conveyed pure frustration, having realized that using Celestia’s form would result in defeat sooner or later.

Samus suddenly felt her body being enveloped in magic, her movement completely restricted. Bad memories returned, unbidden, to her mind as she was reluctantly brought back to her first and only experience with Alicorn Spirits, and how she was powerless against them. Chrysalis was out for blood and was intent on squeezing the life out of the Hunter. Samus' Alicorn Suit, along with her natural magical prowess, afforded her the ability to, with some difficulty, break free of the binding spell, dropping heavily to the ground. Chrysalis, getting more annoyed by Samus’s persistence by the second, had other plans.

[Suggested Listening]

Shaking her head to clear her mind of light-headedness, she looked up to see that Chrysalis had now adopted the persona of Princess Luna, albeit without the battle armor to which Samus had become accustomed. Expecting to jump right into the fight, Samus sprinted straight for the false Lunar Princess only to be blown back by a powerful gust of wind. ‘Luna’ had taken flight, rising into the air and flaring her wings out as her horn charged, becoming much more luminous with each passing second. Samus launched a missile, but it detonated harmlessly against a renewed magical barrier. All Samus could do was watch and wait, cannon aimed, anticipating what was to come.

As before, Samus did not have long to wait before Luna's attack came, a massive energy blast erupting from Luna's horn, the characteristic blue tinge of Phazon interwoven with the color of impure magic. Samus had to roll to her left to avoid being enveloped by the deadly beam, yet Luna corrected its path each time and homed in on her. Samus couldn't afford to stop and sight in; she was forced to improvise constantly.

Samus took off sprinting towards the false Luna, who corrected the hyper beam’s path directly in front of her. Samus quickly began a string of random evasions, jumps, jukes, and rolls to avoid being swept by the continuous, lethal beam. Each pass saw the Hunter draw ever closer to the false diarch, though, and eventually, as she suspected, she drew too close for the beam to effectively track her. The opportunity presenting itself, Samus raised her arm cannon and fired a single Anti-Magic Missile at point-blank range into Luna's horn. The detonation snapped Luna's head back and dropped her limply to the ground, stopping her assault.

Samus had hoped that, while Luna was downed, she could further capitalize on this state by unloading a charged Magicka shot into Luna's skull, effectively ending the fight right then and there. That unfortunately was not to be, as Luna immediately got to her hooves and took a swipe at Samus with a rather familiar magically cast sword. The Hunter expertly dodged and moved to counter with a pound of her arm cannon, but Luna teleported behind her, sword drawn back, ready to strike. Samus flip-jumped out of the way just in time and upon landing, attempted to put some distance between her and the pissed off faux-alicorn.

It was of little use, though, as Luna took hold of her magically and chucked her against the wall, Samus’s back and the back of her head rebounding off of the crystalline wall. Her shielding continued to take a beating, and she had not been able to replenish it at all in the last few minutes. Gathering her breath, letting the pain die down just a tad, and regaining her feet once more, Samus witnessed Luna destroying several energy crystals and consuming their pickups greedily. Checking her surroundings, there was only a single crystal that stood nearby, and thankfully it was of the energy variety. Destroying it yielded two large energies, replenishing her shielding strength to sixty-seven percent. That’s when it dawned on her that there were absolutely no more crystals left; her ability to resupply was now officially gone.

Luna teleported out of existence once more, suddenly reappearing to Samus’s left. Samus responded with a reflexive teleport of her own, shunting herself forward ten feet. Luna quickly closed the new gap, refusing to afford Samus any room to maneuver. It was perfectly clear at this point that the Changeling Queen was not going to give Samus any breathing room for ranged combat, much like her battle with Nightmare Moon. That’s when she remembered that one of the Elemental weapon abilities allowed her to cast her own melee weapon.

Not even sparing a thought, Samus ignited her Kinesis and a weapon soon filled the void in her left hand. Looking over, She was pleasantly surprised to find a teal hard magic rendition of a Chozo spear. The weapon, though familiar, needed two hands to wield properly; Samus dispelled her Arm Cannon to free her right hand, taking up a proper stance and presenting the spearhead to her foe.

With a clash of magic, the battle began anew, Luna on the offensive, with Samus defending and counter-attacking when possible. Their respective skills with their weapons had shown greatly with the expert twirls, teleportations, evasions, and target combinations. The two weapons smashing into each other created a distorted metal ‘clanging’ sound attributable to the hard magics slamming together, bright flashes of light illuminating the Hive Core with each parry and block.

Luna took a low swing at Samus, the latter dodging over the blade and using her momentum to counterattack, swinging her spear downward onto Luna’s back. The faux-alicorn teleported out of the way, the spear embedding itself into the ground where she had stood. Luna reappeared behind Samus and swung vertically upward, Samus rolling forward and turning to face her aggressor, spear aimed, before she thrust forward, Luna hastily dodging right to avoid getting skewered. The imposter swung her sword downward onto the spear in response, embedding it into the ground before following up with a swing towards Samus’s face. She had little choice but to duck or risk getting decapitated, but that allowed Luna to cast a force spell, tossing Samus harshly away.

Right as Samus was about to bound to her feet, an invisible force came to bear against her, pressing her into the ground, a binding spell keeping her stationary, on her back and in a very vulnerable position. The concentration necessary to maintain her magical blade had fatigued her enough where she was having immense difficulty in breaking the hold. The imposing Lunar Alicorn made her way over, though without her sword due to the use of the binding magic, and Samus really did not want to find out what she had planned. In her moment of imminent demise, Samus recalled yet another ability that she had yet to employ. She mustered the energy to at least partially break the binding spell on her left arm, slowly raising it to her visor controls.

Come… ON!

Her fingers, trembling with exertion, flipped her visor from Combat to Gravity, right as Luna reared back, her hooves raised high. Such a blow would certainly drain all the energy she had left, and she had no doubt that Luna possessed enough power to end her. Aiming her visor’s reticle at the fake Lunar Princess, she activated it and the effect was immediately apparent: Luna's expression transmuted into abject shock as the gravity around her increased tenfold. With a protracted scream of pain and anger, Luna was forced back onto all fours and into a kneeling position. The binding spell around Samus ceased to exist as the changeling redirected her magic into countering this new ability.

Samus instantly seized the initiative, leaping to her feet and calling upon her spear once more, keeping the Gravity Visor trained on the struggling faux-alicorn, who was, slowly but surely, starting to counter the gravitic effect. Grasping her Chozo Weapon firmly, Samus moved to end this fight immediately by thrusting the spearhead straight into the imposter’s muzzle, but unfortunately, Luna broke the gravity spell right then and stood up straight. Samus couldn’t redirect her blow; she was already committed. The attack missed Luna’s face, but struck her full in the chest, the magical blade piercing her flesh with an unhealthy-sounding crack and squelch.

“AAAAAAHHHGH!!” ‘Luna’ screamed in feral agony as she fell to the ground, bright, emerald magic engulfing her form once more. Samus re-equipped her arm cannon and aimed down at her writhing foe, though she had to quickly dodge backward and throw up a protective shield once the eclipsing magic violently burst outward, revealing Empress Chrysalis, her exoskeleton severely fractured, tainted blood seeping copiously from the wound in her chest before a Phazon vein wound its way up her body and plugged the hole. It was clear that Samus had inflicted significant damage on the Changeling Queen, and the latter was seething and hurting both physically and egotistically; how could this strange creature, whom she had never heard of before, cast magic so effectively and be so battle-hardened? Hell, she needed armor to fight!

This human, this worm was beneath her!

Chrysalis snarled and spitted Samus with a gaze that, were it a laser beam, would have reduced her to cinders in an instant. Samus only steadied herself in a combat stance and aimed squarely at the Changeling Queen’s face.

“Your life ends now, human!” she exclaimed confidently and mirthfully, her mane coalescing into four separate tendrils of equal length that immediately took on the black color of her exoskeleton. Each tendril tapered off into a point that distinctly resembled a horn. Samus’s fears were confirmed when all four tips, as well as Chrysalis’ primary horn, energized themselves. The way the horns looked as they charged reminded Samus powerfully of the Chi Metroid, and she reasoned that being struck by multiple such blows would be a rather bad thing. However, the Empress didn’t appear to be faring too well. One good missile salvo or a well placed charged Magicka shot would end the fight in Samus’s favor. Glancing at her shielding level once more, she saw that it read sixty-one percent. Samus took one deep breath.

Alright… time to make it all count!

Samus cartwheeled to the right and fired off two missiles, both of them getting blown up harmlessly in mid-air by two emerald-colored beams from Chrysalis’s tendrils. Samus followed up with a charged Magicka shot, but Chrysalis’s horn plus her other two tendrils generated a powerful barrier that redirected the beam into the ground while the two remaining tendrils fired their charged, phazon-tainted beams at Samus, who was able to dodge the first, but her dodge carried her straight into the path of the second blast.

Forty-seven percent.

Come on…

Samus let loose a torrent of magicka rounds interspersed with missiles as she attempted to strafe around the Changeling. All were absorbed expertly by localized barriers and the missiles were shot out of the sky. Any of Chrysalis’s tendrils that were not used in defense immediately counterattacked, continually shooting short bursts of the emerald phazon beams at the Hunter. Samus was able to block one attack with a generated shield and evade another, but a precision shot from the Changeling’s proper horn drilled into her right shoulder pauldron, forcing her to stumble.

Thirty-three percent.

Samus was, for the first time in a long time, starting to get truly desperate, and it started showing in her more erratic movements.

Focus… FOCUS!

Again, it was becoming increasingly clear that she would not be able to penetrate the defenses of what were essentially four fully powered horns against her. Clearing her thoughts for just a moment, she came up with a solid plan.

After successfully evading a barrage of Phazon beams from three of the tendrils, Samus switched to her Night Beam and armed a missile, opting to use the beam’s property of temporarily disabling magical ability upon impact. Dodging another barrage only partially by leaping through the air, but taking two shots, Samus landed hunched low, her hand digging into the ground as if ready to charge. She had a plan, but there was one problem that her systems were quite eager to share with her:

[Defensive shielding depleted! Shield generator offline!]

This is it…

There was zero margin for error, now. One slip, one miscalculation, would cost Samus everything she’d worked for. Unfortunately, the Hive Core wasn’t large enough to employ an Asteroid Bombardment, so the idea was that she’d fill the Hive Core with a wall of missiles, overwhelming the tendrils to the point where they wouldn’t be able to respond to a charged Night Beam round. With her foe distracted and powerless, Samus would engage her Speed Booster and the impact would certainly finish off Chrysalis for good based on the state she was in.

She immediately set her plan into motion, firing missile after missile, keen on exhausting her ammunition supply should it be necessary for Chrysalis’s defeat and her own survival. With such a huge salvo of missiles heading her way, the Changeling Queen reacted as Samus had predicted she would, indeed breaking off her attack in favor of shooting down the projectiles. Samus refused to relent, having to make sure that she was completely distracted; one mistake or unintended lapse in fire and it would all be over for the Hunter.

Satisfied that there was a solid enough wall of missiles streaming Chrysalis’s way, Samus charged her Night Beam to full and aimed at the Changeling, who was destroying the remaining missiles with ease. Waiting for the opportune instant, Samus released the shot, and the round impacted squarely against the Empress’s chest right as the last missile was downed, Chrysalis’s magic flickering and dying out, shocked at being rendered powerless.

The Hunter, however, had started moving the instant the shot left her barrel, throwing her entire essence into one last, desperate sprint, thankful at last for the sheer size of the Hive Core, which afforded her systems enough time to cycle up. Samus rapidly ate up the distance between herself and her foe, and right when she was seemingly inches in front of the Changeling did the latter recover from the shock, level a hateful gaze at the Hunter in the instant before her death—

—the impact never came.

Samus’s Speed Booster engine died in the space between spaces, the sudden lack of kinetic energy deeply wrong, and with a surprised yelp, Samus found herself suspended in the air, visor directly level with Chrysalis’s face, which bore a hideous, victorious smirk. The Hunter’s eyes widened not primarily because of the suddenness with which she was rendered immobile, but more due to her immediate, crushing realization that her final gambit not only failed, but failed disastrously.

"AAAAAYAAAAHHH!"

A scream tore itself, unbidden, from the Hunter’s throat at the impossibly sharp pain, the perfect agony of a single Phazon beam piercing through her abdomen and out her spine. The magical binding was released at that moment and she was thrown dozens of feet, bouncing and landing painfully on her back… Her body refused to answer her, and her visor was missing a large portion of glass where her right eye would be, exposing it to the room.

[[>WARNING<]]

[[!!SUIT INTEGRITY COMPROMISED!!]]

Ugh… I… w-what!?

[Fatal injury detected! Dispensing biofoam…]

Her visor (the part that was intact) displayed a simple anatomy of a human, highlighting a massive area where the Phazon beam had blown through her. That’s when she was struck with the fresh realization that her abdomen hurt like absolutely no other. Chrysalis, on the other hand, was catching her breath and slowly walking over to her.

No, get up… Get… UP!

Samus's suit came alive with an emergency notification, the circled exclamation mark and strident beeping signifying its urgency. Chrysalis, damnably, still took her time and yet Samus’s body refused commands. The pain was simply too much, even with the help of the biofoam filling up her wound. She slowly was feeling the strength seep from her body.

[[>>SYSTEM WARNING<<]]

[[System Alert! Suit physical integrity compromised! System failure imminent! System Alert! Suit physical integrity compromised! System failure imminent!]]

Fuck! This is… no! MOVE!

Samus’s eyes displayed true fear for the first time in years as the reality of what was happening broke upon her, like a wave. She would not go down like this though… this was not how it was going to end! Her movements became much more jerky as coherent strength left her.

I… I…. can’t. Get u-Samus…

[[SYSTEM FAILURE. ERROR-3. SYSTEM FAILURE. ERROR-3.]]

[>>LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS OFFLINE<<]

Samus clenched her fist as hard as she could, not even able to will her head up anymore. None of her body responded after that. Chrysalis was only a few steps away from standing directly over her body.

No… I… move…

Her helmeted head slowly drifted, turning to its left. Her eyes were wet and tearing from the pain; pain which was slowly ebbing away.

I… I…

I…

As Chrysalis arrived and stared down upon her, Samus’s visible eye blinked no more. It stared off to the side where her head faced and her body, much like her gaze, was lifeless. The Changeling Queen let out a single huff.

“An unmarked tomb for Equestria’s ‘hero,’” she spoke contemptuously, using a tiny bit of magic to will Samus’s eyes closed before spitting next to her corpse. She walked away, moving towards the shaft from which the Hunter entered, not even glancing back at the corpse since she was needed to help cleanse the invaders from the rest of the Hive.

That Chrysalis failed to look back at her fallen foe ensured that she did not notice the subtle movement of the Hunter’s arm, nor did she notice when, behind her cracked visor, Samus’s eyes snapped open...

...revealing distinctly reptilian irises.

Edited by Random_Dragon and ToxiClay

33.5. Load Last Save?

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 33.5

Load Last Save?

With a sharp inhale, Samus’s eyes shot open as she lay on the ground, only to see absolutely nothing. Quickly taking in her surroundings, she still found… nothing. She was in a void once more, like she had been when the Nightmare had assumed mantle over her mind back in Ponyville. She shakily sat up and caught her breath, wondering what the hell was happening. The last thing she remembered was… well, dying in the Hive Core.

“So…” she spoke out to no one in particular. “This is how it ends, huh?”

“Oh, hello there.”

Samus jerked her head to the left and found Nightmare Hunter, a near mirror image of her save for the eyes, slightly darker skin, and a jet black Zero Suit, sitting right next to her, observing her fingernails. The Hunter scooted away a couple of feet.

“Oh, it’s you,” she replied in monotone, not really sure what to say at this point. It would not matter anyway.

“You don’t look so happy to see me…” Nightmare Hunter added, looking over towards a seemingly downtrodden Samus. The latter decided to ignore the last comment and face her.

“I don’t suppose you know what happened?”

“Out there?” Hunter confirmed, pointing her thumb behind her for emphasis. Samus looked to her with incredulity. “Oh, you died… erm, well, you’re about to die actually. You fought a reborn Chrysalis, Changeling Queen, and you lost. Though really, I wasn’t all that surprised. Even the princesses probably would barely leave with their lives against her. So, pat yourself on the back. You did well given the circumstances,” she finished nonchalantly, her oddly layered voice serving to irritate Samus even more. She chose to ignore the underhanded compliment in favor of a specific word.

“What do you mean about to die?” Samus asked for clarification.

“I dragged your consciousness from the forefront right before you perished. There’s no concept of time in the mindscape, so technically, you’re about slightly less than five seconds away from death, though it will feel like an eternity in your current state.”

“Awesome. That’s just great. Y’know, I envisioned my death to be a lot less ‘weird,’” Samus pointed out in irritation, not even sure why she was indulging the Nightmare in conversation, though there was not much else to do at this point.

“Well, I would not go so far as to say that anything is for certain…” Nightmare began alluding, her voice trailing off with intent to attract interest from Samus.

“Oh what the hell does that even… ugh! Can anyone make some fucking sense of anything on this planet?! Do you all have to be so goddamn cryptic?!” Samus nearly screamed out in anger, pissed off at the entire scenario and the fact that even in supposed death, no one could give her a straight answer to anything. She cupped her face in her hands.

“What I mean is that there is a way out,” Nightmare said.

“Oh really?”

“Yes, really. All it involves is merely you letting me take control,” the dark doppelgänger added. That idea sounded completely and utterly ludicrous, and Samus was about to issue a snarky remark when Hunter held up her hand.

“Allow me to elaborate. You are in a life and death situation, which means that we are in a life and death situation. I could not save myself from certain destruction since you currently bear all six Elements of Harmony. I cannot directly manipulate you anymore, no matter how powerful.”

“You just said that you pulled my consciousness before death…” Samus pointed out, attempting to find a folly in her reasoning.

“I-It’s the best wording I could place on such an event. I can describe my actions directly and precisely if you like…” Nightmare offered sarcastically.

“Just get to the point,” Samus ordered, turning and fully facing the Nightmare before getting to her feet. The latter mirrored the gesture.

“I figured you’d see reason. At any rate, I cannot seize control over you anymore due to the Elements… you have to willingly let me in,” Hunter claimed, pointing at Samus for emphasis. That voice masking effect was continuing to creep out and irritate Samus.

“And why would I do that?” Samus asked, knowing this was leading somewhere important.

“Now, dear Samus, you are asking the right questions. Since the Elements are still attached to you, I cannot tap them magically even if you let me take control of your being. As such, you can effectively wrest control back from me at any time,” Hunter explained animatedly.

“Go on…”

“This is what I propose,” the Nightmare began. “Give me control… my vastly superior magical ability will be unlocked in full and strengthened with the enhancements of your armor suits. Your injuries will be completely healed, the suit will be repaired to maximum integrity, and shielding will be fully replenished. That’s the first phase. You will remain here, but with your connection to the Elements, I cannot trap you. You will be a ‘spectator,’ to what happens in the physical world.”

“Continue…” Samus urged on, trying to see where the catch would be, that she would ultimately have to refuse this proposal and let herself die anyway.

“The second phase is complete and utter annihilation of the self-proclaimed ‘Empress Chrysalis.’ What is interesting, and should you have survived longer—pity—you would have found out that Chrysalis cannot be physically killed due to her deep, magical connection with the Core and Phazon. All she will do is call upon more of the material to heal her wounds and increase her power until she kills herself… which would not happen for a long while regardless,” Hunter continued explaining.

“Okay… that’s lovely.”

“When she is in a hyper-weakened state, which will be easy enough for me to accomplish, that is the optimum time to seize back control. The timing will be just right for the Elements of Harmony to be called forth. Strike Chrysalis and the Meteor with a single Harmony Blast and all will be well,” she concluded. A red flag was immediately raised for Samus.

“Wait, wait… but in activating the Harmony Beam, that will cleanse you from me, won’t it?” Samus asked, trying to find the best words to phrase what she was getting at. Things were simply not adding up.

“Ahhh it will, but that is of little concern to me,” Hunter admitted.

“So… you’re willing to essentially get killed? Go on, sell this to me,” Samus demanded answers. On the whole, this plan sounded perfect… and it was the only plan to go off of that would ensure her survival as well as Equestria’s. But why would the Nightmare throw her life away?

“Tell me, Samus… do you understand basic concepts of probability?” Nightmare asked somewhat condescendingly.

“That depends. What context?” Samus asked, though she had little idea what her alter-ego was getting at.

“Let us talk conditional probabilities. The chance that I can return if you die is strictly zero, as is your chance, since if you die you are not alive,” Hunter began anew, going on a micro-lecture.

“Right…”

“However, suppose you accept my proposal and you live, and you will live. You may cleanse me with the Elements… but there is a tiny chance that if you survive, I can manifest myself once more.”

“A tiny chance?” Samus asked, raising her eyebrow.

“It’s infinitesimal, nearly zero probability but not quite zero. The point is, is that we can both die with no hope for me to return, or you can survive and I have a one in a billion chance, but still a chance to return. Is that enough context for my actions to make sense to you?” Nightmare concluded, laying her scheme completely on the table for Samus to see. The true Hunter was silent in taking this all in… what troubled her was that this all made absolute, perfect sense. The smallest chance is still greater than no chance at all, and Samus could easily take precautions against the Nightmare’s resurgence, even though realistically, it would not be necessary.

The right answer was once again laid out before her. Even if she refused, Equestria would still likely be lost, so there really was only one socially optimal choice. Samus locked eyes with Nightmare’s, confidence having fully returned. She could not believe she was going to say the next words so resolutely in the slightest, but...

“Let’s do it.”

Nightmare Hunter smiled greatly, revealing the elongated canines as her eyes flared bright teal.

“It has been an absolute pleasure working with you, Samus.”

34. Dance of Darkness [Part 2]

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 34

Dance of Darkness [Part 2]

Samus's eyes snapped open, revealing a pair of slitted, reptilian, sapphire eyes, which flared a bright teal shade as she got her legs under her, levering her body off the ground. As she rose to her feet, a plane of teal magic passed up her body, leaving a faint glowing trail in its wake. Her abdomen, complete with its gaping, Phazon-induced hole, kept the glow for a moment or two more as flesh knitted itself together, leaving her body absolutely no worse for wear. Shortly thereafter, her Alicorn Battle Suit was fully repaired to the pristine, nigh impenetrable armor it always was.

The damage her suit had suffered at Chrysalis' hooves disappeared, teal magic filling the holes, only to be replaced with the Suit’s material; the same magic that healed her body working the same way to repair her suit. However, the visor was not immediately repaired, the Nightmare’s eyes gazing balefully at the turned back of her would-be murderess.

Chrysalis, hearing the combination of magic and metallic clinks behind her, froze, turning slowly to face Samus, her eyes shrunk to pinpricks. Uncertainty and apprehension shot through her, and she breathed out:

"I-Impossible..."

“Hello, Empress Chrysalis,” ‘Samus’ greeted coolly, clearly not herself, the presence of the Nightmare manifesting vocally as an odd, dual voice, the dissonance causing Chrysalis to backpedal instinctively. Moreover, the reflective, silvery color of the Alicorn Battle Suit slowly began to darken, tainted by the Nightmare’s presence. Likewise, the exposed flesh seen through the broken visor also began to darken substantially as power coursed through her.

“A Nightmare…?” Chrysalis asked softly, almost refusing to give credence to what her eyes showed her. She closed her guard, lowering her head. That this human could play host to a fully-realized Nightmare was grave news indeed; Chrysalis’ fear renewed itself as she recalled her current state.

“In the flesh, as it were...and I must say that this suit is perfect. With this as my vessel, I can use my entire magical potential!” Nightmare declared, barely addressing Chrysalis’s own observations before spouting off her own cockily. The Alicorn Battle Suit darkened further still until the metal was as black as onyx while the suit accents all flared simultaneously, becoming bright blue. The hard magic wings followed last, also taking on the accented blue scheme.

Chrysalis, for once, wasn’t her confident, cocky self. In fact, she had nothing to come back with that would not make her seem weak and frail from the previous engagement. To be fair, Nightmare was not interested in any of the theatrics and the only thing that kept her from immediately attacking the vulnerable Changeling Queen was the pleasure she took in witnessing the apprehension and fear writ large over Chrysalis’s face. After a couple of moments of drinking in that scene, Nightmare had had her fill and Chrysalis had recovered, squaring her stance and preparing to fight.

“You underestimate my connection to this elixir of life, Nightmare,” Chrysalis spat hatefully. “It shall feed me and grant me and my brood power beyond even your comprehension!” The Empress finally showed some resolve, sprouting her four tendrils again and charging all five ‘horns’ while absorbing some of the Phazon in the ground to heal some of her wounds.

“Oh, I’m well aware of that, Changeling; it does not concern me in the slightest.” Nightmare dismissed her opponent’s claim, her expression morphing into a darker, far more aggressive one, her eyes narrowing. “But now...I grow tired of this drivel. A fate far worse than death awaits your conniving and unnecessary species and I shall gladly facilitate that descent, starting with you,” she threatened, parroting a similar phrase she coined upon her first rise to Samus’s form.

[Suggested Ambience]

The moment those words left her mouth, Nightmare touched two fingers to her visor, the broken glass flaring bright blue, Nightmare’s magic leaving it fully repaired before she magically levitated into the air. Kinesis beam charged to full power, Nightmare Hunter advanced towards Chrysalis, floating intimidatingly as she decided how she would approach the battle.

Chrysalis immediately went on the defensive and fired beams of Phazon-laden magic at the advancing Nightmare, but the latter literally ‘swatted’ the beams away in one motion of her arm. Nightmare Hunter responded with a charged, overpowered Magicka shot straight into Chrysalis’s chest, launching her back into the far wall with a sickening crack of her exoskeleton fracturing in likely several places. Shaking off the painful impact, the Changeling Queen snarled as she saw Nightmare Hunter gracefully advancing upon her once more, her feet never touching the ground once.

Chrysalis shot her tendrils out and ensnared the floating, corrupted human, but Nightmare was completely unphased, magically generating a powerful electrical current around her form. A nasty, quite damaging shock was delivered straight through the Changeling Queen’s body, her body convulsing violently, tendrils springing away and releasing Nightmare. The latter counterattacked, shooting her hand out and taking hold of Chrysalis’ neck in her magic, raising her body into the air, her foe’s hooves pawing uselessly at the intangible magic. Nightmare then pivoted, hurling Chrysalis behind her, the Changeling smashing brutally into the ground and sliding to a halt.

“This seems to be a recurring pattern with you Changelings,” Nightmare taunted her opponent as Chrysalis got to her feet and attempted to cast a barrier to give her some respite and allow her to heal. Nightmare immediately shattered that notion literally and figuratively as she fired an Anti-Magic Missile, destroying the barrier and leaving the Queen open to further attack. Chrysalis fired a Phazon beam from her main horn, striking Nightmare Hunter in the upper-right chest but she was unphased, only recoiling slightly from the kinetic impact. She responded with a sharp, horizontal swing of her free hand, generating an expanding offensive barrier which knocked the Queen back further.

“Savoring the sweet taste of victory at the battle’s victory...only to have it turn to the bitter ash of defeat as you lose the war,” she continued taunting while advancing on her struggling foe. This time, Nightmare set her boots on the ground and physically grasped Chrysalis vice-like by the neck, lifting her head up to face her visor, then levitating once more to bring her off the ground. While struggling for breath, the fearful Changeling Queen could swear that she could see straight through the ominously-glowing visor and into the eyes of the Nightmare, twin irises promising naught but eternal damnation.

Nightmare continued to toy with her prey, a twisted, sadistic smile ever present on her concealed face. She knew well that Chrysalis could not mount any dangerous offense against her in her present state, and until her foe decided to devote her entire attention to using Phazon to heal herself, which would be Samus’ signal to retake control, she was going to enjoy every last second of this. Nightmare planted the barrel of her arm cannon against Chrysalis’s abdomen and fired a missile point-blank, holding her in place as the concussive blast almost obliterated the tough exoskeleton that the Queen sported, fragments near the explosion’s center falling away. Once the damage had been dealt, Nightmare tossed her limp body towards the meteor.

“It’s a shame that you did not overpower Samus sooner than you did… then maybe you could have given me an actual fight,” Nightmare mused out loud, further provoking and enraging the gravely wounded Chrysalis. It sure as hell was working, Chrysalis’s temper outdoing the excruciating pain she was feeling. This whelp was dead... and she resurfaced as a Nightmare stronger than even her? This would not stand for even a moment!

“And it is a fight you shall receive!” Chrysalis declared, her tendrils unspooling from her mane once more, all four of them, plus her horn, fully charged and ready to strike Nightmare down like she did Samus. Again, Nightmare looked fairly unimpressed, bored even, as Chrysalis unloaded several beams of Phazon-laden magic straight into her. Nightmare admitted to herself that the attacks were more powerful than anticipated, causing her to teleport out of existence.

Chrysalis snarled and growled, looking everywhere for the missing, corrupted human, yet she was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, a charged Night Beam round struck her straight in the flank, dissipating any magic she would cast, and Nightmare was upon her immediately, seemingly extracting herself from the rock wall. Binding Chrysalis in midair, she grasped one of her tendrils with her hand and tore it straight from her body, the result being an unbid scream of agony at the forceful loss of an appendage.

“Naughty, naughty...I shall have to take these toys away from you…” Nightmare remarked, continuing to hold the Changeling Queen suspended and ripping out each of the tendrils from her mane and tossing them aside. Once the last one was ‘surgically’ removed, Nightmare threw Chrysalis straight into the meteor, her body bouncing off of it and bleeding profusely from her neck onto the floor. At this point, Chrysalis had no choice but to immerse herself in the Phazon to heal herself entirely.

“This torture will not go unpunished, Nightmare!” she seethed, her horn flaring brightly and pulling Phazon radiation straight out of the meteor itself. She combined it with her own magic to form quite a durable shield around herself as liquid Phazon and its radiation absorbed into her body. “Your twisted sadism and corruption ends here,” she shouted, drawing power back into herself to heal her wounds. Nightmare found it somewhat humorous that Chrysalis did not see the irony in her words.

But in the end, it would only mean that Chrysalis would not be moving much for the next minute or so.

“Just as planned…” Nightmare breathed as Chrysalis drew enormous power from the meteor core, effectively rejuvenating herself behind the seemingly impenetrable shield. Nightmare set herself, tensing her body.

“Now, Samus! Seize control!” she ordered in which would likely be her last spoken words, though only time would tell if this would remain the case. On cue, Nightmare’s form was enveloped in a bright, golden light which subsumed her completely. After a couple of seconds, Samus emerged clad in the same Alicorn Battle Suit with its usual silver and magenta color scheme, all traces of Nightmare corruption wiped away. To say that Samus was pleasantly surprised that the whole scheme played out perfectly would be an understatement. She brought her gaze back to her target, blue eyes blazing.

Back from the dead!

Samus wasted no time in facing the quickly recovering Chrysalis and aiming her cannon, charging up a Magicka round. What was different this time, was that accompanying the usual upswell of magical energy around her cannon were ‘holographic’ representations of all of the Elements of Harmony orbiting tidily along the length of her implement, pulsing in sequence. That by itself would have told Samus all she needed to know, that the Elements were ready. If this weren’t enough, however, Samus’ suit displayed a single, strident notification at the top of her visor, and she began to feel a warmth arising from deep within her core:

[Harmony Mode Active]

With that, Samus activated the Magicka Charge Combination, the barrel of her cannon glowing bright white before a solid, cylindrical beam shot out, scintillating in every color of the rainbow. The beam passed through Chrysalis’s shield as if it were not even there, bore straight through Chrysalis herself, and arrowed into the meteor behind her. The beam’s recoil against Samus’s cannon was so great, the Hunter was obliged to lean in and set her leg behind her, teeth gritted, right arm locked straight out. Even still, the beam grew more powerful and much larger, quickly engorging itself until it stood taller than both combatants The sheer amount of magical energy radiating from the beam caused magical electricity to arc and jump across the Battle Suit, but at this juncture, Samus would not, could not stop her assault. Somehow, she knew that the Elements themselves would know when to stop the torrent of magic pouring out of her barrel.

“What?? NO!!” Chrysalis shrieked in despair as she realised what was happening. Her attempts to counter the ferocious beam or escape it as it tore through her were in vain, the magic holding her firmly in place. The effect of such a beam striking her slowly began to be apparent as her exoskeleton began to flake off into dust within the beam, her form slowly vaporizing. The undirected magic radiating away from Samus’ cannon arced back as if magnetized and entered Samus, undoubtedly purifying her of the Nightmare.

“NO!!!! NOOOOOOO!!!” the Changeling Queen continued to scream, eyes wide in unadulterated terror as the Elements of Harmony did their job. The unfortunate thing was that, while the Elements are designed to cleanse evil from their host, Chrysalis was simply too far gone from Phazon corruption. Because she could not be harmonized, the Elements would do the best they could to promote Harmony: by terminating her. Her hind legs were first in the vaporization process; then her abdomen and forelegs flaked into tiny particles of dust and nothingness. Then, after one final shrill scream of horror, she met her fate when her head and horn vaporized completely.

The beam did not stop firing, however, as it concentrated fully into the meteor. The Harmony Magic quickly overtook and destroyed the Phazon lining the malevolent rock. Samus’s heel was pressed backward by the increased force and though her snarls of frustration and massive muscle fatigue were eclipsed by the deafening sound of the beam, she never relented. Samus’s patience would be tested, time blurring and losing its meaning as she strained, her Suit continuing to pour energy into the meteor, the arcing magical fire increasing in density. An undetermined amount of time later, the Phazon Core began to show signs of wear, and then something within the meteor exploded, a harmless shockwave loosing itself. As the shockwave passed over Samus, the Harmony Beam abruptly ceased. Samus finally allowed her cannon to drop, her right arm feeling like she lifted a Federation Capital Ship.

Slightly disoriented from the magical electricity still coursing through her suit, she was able to see the Phazon lining in the meteor slowly disintegrate entirely, leaving behind nothing but benign rock and minerals. Her breathing was heavy and labored, and her vision slightly blurred from the massive amount of magical energy her body had so recently been, and was still being, subjected to. It was… fatiguing.

“Uhn...ugh…” Samus groaned, letting herself fall to her knees, and then onto all fours, just allowing herself to breathe as she let her eyes rest. Because she was so preoccupied in just clearing her mind and affording herself a brief moment of rest, she neither realized nor felt the Alicorn Battle Suit around her begin to fall apart. Module after module, component after component fell off of her body; as they struck the rocky ground, they crumbled to dust and were returned to the magical realm from whence the suit was originally crafted. Those pieces that did not fall of their own volition flaked off and vaporized, as withered leaves carried away on an invisible wind. In the back of her mind, Samus knew that she was losing her Alicorn Battle Suit, but she was still so fatigued that she couldn’t muster the energy to be very concerned.

There, she was left in her Zero Suit, hair matted and skin dripping sweat onto the ground beneath her. With no sensation her body lit up brightly for the briefest of moments before all six Elements of Harmony in their magical forms removed themselves from her body, performing a few orbits around her and then suddenly flying up through the rock…

[The Crystal Empire | Throne Room]

Though the threat to the Empire was virtually nonexistent, no one ended up getting much sleep through the night due to the coming battle in the morning. Unfortunately, their information would be relayed solely via radio, as their forces were too far away to magically project what was happening at the Impact Site. Princess Celestia, Cadence, Shining Armor, and Colonel Borsig all listened, but did not add, to the communications across the Galactic Federation battlenet. From the sound of it, all was going well; a fierce fight, but the upper hand was apparently being gained. Still, there was no word from Samus.

The Mane Six plus Spike all sat around uneasily towards the center of the Throne Room, having little to do but wait for any sort of news. The quiet chattering amongst themselves was completely silenced when a translucent stream of magic suddenly struck Rainbow Dash harmlessly, her elemental adornment appearing around her neck. All were startled, to say the least.

“Woah… M-My element’s back!” she exclaimed, poking it with her hoof to indeed find that it was real and physical. The other five began crowding around her to investigate when Rarity was suddenly hit by a violet-colored stream of magic, her element appearing around her neck as well.

“Mine too!”

Suddenly in quick succession, Fluttershy’s, Pinkie Pie’s, Applejack’s, and Twilight’s Element’s all returned in that order, forming their respective adornments on their bearers. Celestia and Cadence had come to investigate once the scene had began.

“Princess! They’ve returned to us!” Twilight announced to her mentor excitedly, but her gaze suddenly dropped into one which was much more pensive. “But... what does that mean?” Princess Celestia observed the scene in front of her, the Bearers all looking to her with questioning gazes as to Samus’s fate.

She grinned.

“It means… Samus did it,” she stated resolutely, breathing in deeply at what she knew in her heart to be the truth: The Elements were no longer needed in Samus’s body, so they returned to their original owners. All of their faces lit up at the proclamation, almost ready to exclaim in joy but they knew that it wasn’t over just yet. All had to make it home safely to share in such a victory. Of course, that did not concern any of them in the slightest.

Because ultimately, from that point on, everything was going to be alright.

[Hive Core]

The Elements had vacated her body, that much was for certain, and Samus still did not care so much. Her breathing stabilized and she finally opened her eyes to survey the scene around her. The immediate Phazon had all but disappeared and Chrysalis was gone, forever… as was the Nightmare. Her mind felt oddly… light, as if there was nary a nefarious presence anymore. Shakily getting to her feet, Samus finally accepted victory; accepted, not claimed, however. She still needed to answer the question on how she would get out of the Hive Network before the Crater ultimately collapsed on itself. Before she could answer such a question, her wrist console vibrated and beeped a few times. Pushing a sweat-matted lock of her hair behind her ear, she brought her arm up and read the notification:

[Main Power Restored.]

[System Check Initiated.]

[Chozo Battle Suit Ver SA1-4468-VM6-P]

[Alicorn Battle Suit has been lost. Restoring Varia Suit default schematics…]

Samus immediately felt a familiar energy envelop her form, a bright, golden light eclipsing her as she felt her suit rebirthed around her. Once the light receded, she examined herself to find her Varia Suit as it always was, clean and pristine. Checking her meters she found her shielding at full power. The only weapon available to her was her standard Power Beam, but her suit quickly went into diagnostics mode before she could find out more on her own.

[Varia Suit restore successful… Varia Suit online.]

[Beginning Diagnostic Scan…]

[Main Computer: Online]

[Targeting System: Active]

[Arm Cannon: Active]

[Running weapons subsystem diagnostics.]

[>Power Beam: Engaged]

[>Charge Beam: Engaged]

[Morph Ball: Engaged]

[Morph Ball Bomb: Engaged]

[Speed Booster: Engaged]

[Grapple Beam: Engaged]

[HUD Suite: Online]

[Visors: Responding]

[Running visor system diagnostics.]

[>Combat Visor: Engaged]

[>Scan Visor: Engaged]

[Missile Launcher: Not Responding]

[All other weaponry and miscellaneous abilities have been lost. Your magical connection has been severed.]

Samus frowned slightly at that last revelation, but maybe it was for the best, in the end. Before she could even mull on the situation, massive seismic activity erupted, she having to quickly stabilize herself lest she fall on her ass. Her suit’s scanners were already at work deciphering the situation but she knew already what was happening.

“Shit.”

[CRATER COLLAPSE IMMINENT!]

[LOSS OF PHAZON HAS CAUSED CATASTROPHIC INFRASTRUCTURAL FAILURE IN THE HIVE NETWORK. EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!]

[EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY]

The Hive Network began crumbling around itself and Samus quickly turned to her only exit: the same passage from which she entered earlier. A massive piece of rock had dropped straight to the bottom of the shaft, giving her something to springboard off of. Sprinting to the exit and hoisting herself upon the aforementioned rock, she looked up and found that the destabilization of the shaft had created ledges for her to grab onto and spring from.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she jumped as high as she could and grasped the first ledge, beginning her arduous climb.

“That’s it, soldiers! She did it! All units proceed with the planned evacuation, now!” Princess Luna, sans helmet, ordered, standing next to a squad of her troops. Just like that, all human and equine troops turned on their heels and made a tactical withdrawal from however far they made it into the Hive. It was organized chaos as Luna helped to direct any troops who had lost their way, but they slowly made progress to their entry points, which were carefully guarded by Magickakorps infantry and Federation tanks.

“Samus, come in!” Luna called over the radio net, hoping that the destruction of the core would somehow reduce the radio interference to allow contact.

No response.

“Dammit! All units, keep going! Go, go!” Luna commanded as she kept trying to ping Samus’s comms. The troops she was leading fell behind her as they sprinted through a familiar chamber they passed through earlier. They faced no further resistance; any Changelings they ran across were likewise fleeing for their lives, and had no interest in comparatively petty squabbling. When the light of day became visible down the massive tunnel they were traveling, along with the welcome sight of troops ahead climbing out, is when Luna knew that they were this close from being in the clear.

But what about Samus?

“Samus! Do you read?! Please respond!” she tried once more in attempting to contact the Hunter.

Nothing.

“Fuck!” she exclaimed out loud, uttering the rare profanity at the thought that Samus might not make it out. She shook her head, marshalling her thoughts: she had troops to get out safely; then, she would worry about Samus. The few dozen troops she had with her arrived under their designated opening to the surface, Federation Marines outside offering their hands down to anyone or anypony who needed assistance getting out.

“Come on, everypony! Climb out, go!” she ordered again, she and a few unicorns helping the Federation Marines out by levitating them to their comrades above. The process continued at an agonizingly slow pace as the Crater continued to collapse around them, the sinking ground easily seen as well as felt. Finally, she flew outside and turned around, levitating one last Magickakorps trooper out of the deathtrap of a Hive. Luna had moved the Warhorse back to the rally point to be put on standby, as it would most likely no longer be needed for the battle.

“All unicorns, teleport to the designated beacon immediately! Marines, hoist yourselves upon your vehicles and let us leave this place!” she issued the final evacuation order, taking flight and ensuring that no one was left behind that did not unfortunately lose their life inside the Hive Network.

Still, no sign of Samus, and the massive cacophony of collapsing rock within the crater made it difficult for Luna to hear her own voice, let alone her radio. Luna waited for a few long, agonizing seconds as her troops got a head start, the Marines sprinting as far as they could or hitching ride on tanks while all the unicorns had teleported to a safe distance. Sparing one last, pained glance at the collapsing crater, Luna teleported herself to the designated meeting point where she could watch the inevitable from afar.

All who entered the crater and survived had made it to a safe distance, and none had to wait long before the center of the Crater finally lost its battle with gravity, the collapsing core throwing up a plume of snow, rock and other debris, accompanied by the hellish shriek of rock on rock. The rocks and heavier debris settled first, leaving a haze of snow, water vapor and light particulate matter to blow past the soldiers, forcing them to shield their faces against it.

A sickening sensation quickly overtook Luna’s gut as there was still no sign of the Hunter, clad in metal, but she refused to let herself believe, even for a moment, that Samus was gone. Samus said she would get herself out, and Samus was a mare of her word. Troops surrounding her looked to her for guidance, as well as wondering where Samus was, but Luna never tore her stoic gaze from the direction of the Crater, even as the haze subsided. Silence reigned.

Then, there was movement from beyond the veil.

Breaking the vapor barrier with a gentle swing of her arm, Samus emerged, arm cannon held high and armor somewhat scratched and dirtied yet again. Once Luna clapped eyes on the Hunter, she hung her head low in relief while all soldiers in the area let out a collective cheer. The last person missing in action was finally accounted for, and the coalition mission could be ruled a complete success.

Luna did not hesitate to trot and meet Samus halfway, eager to assure herself that this was no mirage.

“Told ya I’d get out… and Phazon readings are dropping quite nicely,” Samus pointed out nonchalantly with two fingers on the side of her helmet, Luna huffing with a gentle smile on her face.

“So it would seem,” Luna replied, deciding to be a mare of few words, though clearly relieved that the two friends (she hoped) had been reunited. Samus took her place next to Luna and they both looked towards the remains of the crater, which could be clearly seen now that the shroud had been blown away by the wind.

“So, did I miss anything?” Samus finally spoke, breaking the comfortable silence as she gazed out, surveying her handiwork. Luna shook her head.

“Nothing important… but you did it, Samus. Just as you always do,” Luna complimented, turning her gaze somewhat towards the Hunter, witnessing Samus’s hand and cannon go to the sides of her helmet. The pressure was released with a positive ‘hiss’ and Samus removed her helmet, moving her head in a somewhat exaggerated manner with her hair whipping from left to right.

“Huh... I guess I did,” Samus remarked to herself. Luna turned her gaze in full only to find Samus with an unusual, far-off complexion. Something was obviously bothering her.

“What’s wrong, Samus?” Luna asked, curious as to why Samus would be harboring such a conflicted expression at a time like this. Samus met her gaze with Luna’s.

“Hmmm?”

“Did something happen down in the Hive’s Core?” Luna pressed, knowing something down there did occur that did not thrill the Hunter at all. Samus on her part, however, turned back towards the Crater remains for a few brief moments before facing Luna once more.

Yeah, I died… and the Nightmare revived me and is greatly responsible for my success.

“Nope. Nothing at all, Luna,” Samus replied confidently with a small half-grin and shaking her head. What happened down there would remain between her and the Nightmare which no longer existed within her. She would not breathe a word to any of her newfound allies of anything that went wrong.

Not a word.

Luna nodded with a reciprocating grin, knowing full well that Samus was lying, but understanding that she had her reasons for doing so. Luna decided to not press the issue, and resolved that she never would. Both turned back to the Crater remains in silence, continuing to observe the death of the greatest threat known to Equestria and probably the planet itself. Their silence was disturbed, however, when a lone Magickakorps servicemare shyly trotted up to the duo.

“Ummm, e-excuse me...Your Highness and Miss Samus?” the veiled mare asked for recognition, bowing respectfully in front of her leader.

“Rise, soldier. We are all equal in stature today. Now, is there something you required?” Luna asked. Samus merely looked on.

“N-No, Your Highness, but I was wondering if you and Miss Samus would like to be a part of a photograph of this historic moment for Equestria…?” she asked, levitating a camera off of her back. Princess Luna looked behind her and indeed, found herself and Samus to be in the perfect position for a scenery shot, one which would go down in history.

Luna said nothing but looked to Samus with a small grin, right eyebrow raised in inquiry. Her ethereal mane blew in the invisible breeze as she waited for Samus’s response to her silent proclamation of ‘only if you are in it with me.’ Samus returned the gaze, a full-on grin worming its way onto her own features.

“Sure, I don’t see why not,” Samus agreed, stepping to the Lunar Princess’s right.

“Very well, soldier,” Luna responded. Samus, deciding to be ever so slightly adventurous, draped her armored left arm around Luna’s neck while her arm cannon was pointed upward. Both held determined yet victorious grins on their faces. The unicorn soldier aimed her camera and got into a proper position.

“Alright, that looks great!

“In three…

“...two…

“...one…”

*snap*

Edited by Random_Dragon and ToxiClay

34.1 Hero's Welcome

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 34.1

Hero’s Welcome

[Canterlot |~28 Hours after Crater Collapse]

It was over. The crisis, the Phazon threat, it was all categorically and officially over. Princess Celestia and Luna both lifted the states of emergencies, as did surrounding nations, while the Federation Fleet took a much more friendly, protective position in the upper atmosphere. Celebration erupted immediately, with the largest being in Canterlot as ponies celebrated and danced in the streets. Pegasi put on little air shows as well as to convey the first welcome to Equestrian and Federation troops marching back from the North. The sun shined brightly and there was nary a cloud in the sky for this special day.

Canterlot's position on the side of a mountain allowed for a perfect place for Federation transport ships to pick up Armor and materiel that was no longer needed, so tanks slowly rolled through the main streets, careful of partiers, but they were quite well received with cheers and thunderous applause. Marines even hoisted up mares from the street to ride with them on the tanks as a show of camaraderie and plain-old fun. Magickakorps Troopers intermingled with Marines to reinforce this bond between human and equine.

The eight troops that brought up the rear of this particular convoy, however, had a slightly different destination. CV-Squad, sans helmets, armor polished and shining brilliantly in the afternoon sun, stood tall and confident as they waved in all directions in response to deafening cheers which were especially for them. All had smiles that could rival the brightness of the sun, and there was not a frown to be seen throughout Canterlot, for that matter. They were the rumored 'joint task force' that had become famous over the course of the conflict, and for their success in both combat and relations, they were to be honored personally by the Princesses at an award ceremony being held on this day.

The rest of the convoy made a right turn at the end of the street but the eight soldiers continued straight through the gates to the Castle, being saluted by Royal Guards as they entered in perfect step. Crossing the moat, they were let into the Castle through the massive double-doors, leading to the main hall in which the throne room was just beyond the next set of doors. A Royal Administrator trotted up to the new arrivals with a pep in her step, much like everypony else in Canterlot.

"Right on time!” she exclaimed. “I’m Lumina! Feel free to relax here for a little while, as you’ll be called in a couple of minutes. Give me just a few moments and I’ll explain everything you have to do for your part in the ceremony,” she said quickly before trotting off yet again. All eight troops watched her go, barely having time to absorb her words.

“Well… she’s certainly spry,” Nathan spoke softly with humor evident in his tone. The others gave sensible giggles but Jacob had the next few words:

“Guys… we did it.” All shared jovial looks amongst each other and took long, deep breaths of fresh air. They could finally rest easy. For the four humans, another mission was successfully completed with their bodies intact. For the unicorns, it was an overwhelmingly victorious defense of Equestria. Bonds were formed, and losses were suffered, but the new squad and friends ultimately came out on top.

“So… what happens after this?” Starry voiced, realizing that there was no conflict in Equestria anymore. What would happen to their squad?

“I honestly don’t know,” Sydney replied. “I hope they don’t split us up…”

“They better not!” Radiance interjected, angered at even the prospect of losing some new friends.

“Yeah, I’ve grown fond our little setup,” Arianna commented, genuinely happy that there was someone else to talk to (and get annoyed by) other than Nate, Jake, and Syd. At that moment, Lumina chose to return to share important details:

“Alright, you’re up! Once the doors open, just stand tall and proud, walk in at ease and approach the Princesses. You’ll know what to do when you get there, trust me,” the mare quickly uttered with a beaming smile. All nodded at her and looked forward, but not before Jake also had the final word:

“We’ll just have to wait and see what happens, but for now, let’s enjoy the ride while we’re on it,” he concluded encouragingly right as the throne room doors opened. The throne room was covered in decour of both Equestrian and Federation design including national flags and the GF insignia. Royal Guards flanked every pillar in the room and a massive red carpet lead from the throne room doors straight to the Princesses, who had just finished giving a small speech to the spectators after honoring others. On Celestia’s left, stood all six Elements of Harmony plus Spike, clad in gorgeous dresses and a sharp tuxedo respectively. High ranking military officials from both the Federation, Equestria, The Griffon Kingdom, as well as dozens beyond dozens of soldiers who were previously recognized were present. Video cameras were also set up, broadcasting live to all areas under Galactic Federation purview, while news unicorns projected the scene around the capital and to be relayed around Equestria.

“And now…” Luna proclaimed through a slightly amplified voice. “Will Crusader-Vector Joint Task Force please approach the throne?” she beckoned. That was it. On cue, the eight soldiers strode forward with a proud posture in a straight line. They formed an alternating pattern of human-equine-human to communicate unity and trust, a big deal especially since they were being filmed for all of Equestria and the Federation to see. Chances were, even the Chairman was watching.

The eight stopped just in front of the throne setup, and Luna continued to speak:

“These brave soldiers were part of an experiment concocted with no preparation… an experiment of whether two physically different, intelligent species hailing from unfathomably foreign walks of life and possessing vast differences in technology could truly bond and coexist. This unit not only proved this hypothesis true, but they were the most effective fighting unit on the battlefield during the short yet destructive conflict. By my own observations as a militarist of well over several millennia, I decree this ‘experiment’ an overwhelming success.”

Starry spared a glance and smile upward at Nathan, the latter returning the gesture as they continued to face forward. The Element Bearers all wore genuine smiles as they looked on. Luna looked down upon the eight with endearment to her own troops and gratitude to the humans, before speaking once more:

“Thus, in agreement with the command of these valiant warriors, it is with utmost pleasure that I award you, Nathan Krandor, Starlight Noctus, Jacob Dittmar, Constant Function, Sydney Exeter, Windfire Galeforce, Arianna Guerrera, and Radiance Emeralda… the Celestial Valor, the highest medal that Equestria may bestow.” Princess Luna produced a rectangular, wooden box that upon opening, revealed eight medals. Each medal took the ‘yin-yang’ form with Celestia’s Sun and Luna’s Moon composed of pure gold and silver respectively. The box still in her magical grasp, Luna gently trot down the steps leading up to her throne and personally placed the medals on each individual soldier’s chest, the accolade sticking like a magnet to the armor. She gave a smile, a curt nod, and a hoof shake to all eight of them.

When the final medal was bestowed, grand applause erupted from the crowd, to which Luna, Celestia, and the Elements all joined in on (with hoof stomps, of course).

It was a proud moment for all of CV-Squad.

As the cheering continued, Rainbow Dash leaned into Rarity and whispered:

“Where’s Samus?”

“Probably waiting. It will be her time when it is her time,” the gorgeous fashionista replied, flipping her hair and continuing her dignified applause.

“She has to be next. There was no one else to honor on the roster,” Twilight commented.

“Wouldn’t be an award party without the guest of honor!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bouncing up and down excitedly, eager to see the woman in question.

“Think she’ll come in a dress?” Applejack asked humorously, earning a snicker from Rainbow Dash.

“Oh believe me, Darling, I tried. She flat out refused. At the very least, though, she let me clean her hair, her face, and her usual… what does she call it… her ‘Zero Suit,’” Rarity replied seriously, Rainbow Dash having to stifle her laughter along with Applejack. They just could not see Samus in a dress.

“I think she looks quite pretty in it, regardless,” Fluttershy voiced honestly, the others nodding and bobbing their heads in synchronous agreement. At that moment, CV-Squad chose to step aside and join the ranks of honored soldiers in the crowd in the front row. The applause died down and Celestia held up her hoof to signal for silence before she began to take her turn to speak:

“Now, we have come to the conclusion of our ceremony and as such, we shall honor one more; one who bears nearly all of the responsibility of our success and survival; one whose aggression, determination, and confidence allowed us to rally behind her. A battle-hardened warrior through and through, yet through her stoic exterior she harbors a caring, generous heart able to warm others through the coldest of nights… will Samus Aran please approach the throne?” Celestia finished right as the throne room doors opened, revealing the Zero Suit-clad Huntress standing tall and content.

Samus entered the light of the throne room and strut forward at a respectable pace, all eyes upon her as she bore her gaze forward. A few things were noticeable immediately: firstly, her Zero Suit was absolutely pristine, having been washed and polished to Rarity’s neurotic standards. Secondly, her hair, tied in its usual ponytail fashion with the two omnipresent locks framing her face, had been washed and conditioned, split ends had been taken care of entirely, and it had been somewhat straightened, also courtesy of Rarity; as well, her natural blonde color seemed much more prominent. Thirdly, her face was cleaned to perfection with nary a blemish on her, and though she would refuse to admit it if asked, the slightest hint of coloring was added for purposes of presentation.

As she continued her saunter towards the Princesses, the Mane Six could not help but stare at her with an odd sense of surprise. There was no question that they all saw her as a friend and held a deep respect for her, as well as acknowledging the fact that as a warrior constantly deployed, she had little time or patience to devote to personal appearance. Nevertheless, Samus held a sense of innate appeal, all who laid eyes on her knew she was undoubtedly beautiful beyond the roughly brushed, slightly greasy, unkempt hair and dried, sweat-laden face. Rarity looked on with pride over her ‘work,’ yet all seven were thinking exactly what Spike voiced:

“She certainly cleans up nicely,” he commented under his breath.

“Not bad…” Rainbow Dash breathed.

“Keep yer wings down, partner,” Applejack sternly joked.

“Oh shut up,” Rainbow rebutted, nudging her friend with her shoulder.

“They’re addressing her now, shut the buck up!” Twilight scolded both of them through her teeth, keeping a bright smile on her face.

Indeed, Samus had concluded her walk right in front and center of both thrones, crossing her forearms behind her back and straightening her posture even more. She, Celestia, and Luna all sported proud grins, the princesses looking down upon her from their slightly raised positions.

“Samus Aran,” Luna began announcing. “The actions you have performed and the responsibilities you have taken on in Equestria’s name… are beyond words. Mere statements of eternal gratitude and indebtedness would offer little in the way of value or compensation, in our personal opinions. This is why, we have two things to offer you…” she continued, Samus’s complexion becoming more stoic out of respect as she stayed silent, waiting for the next words.

“Samus, you are not part of any formal military nor security force, which is why awarding you the Celestial Valor would be inappropriate. As stated previously, we have two things to award you with… both of which you may accept or reject at your own discretion. Firstly, Celestia, I, and all of Equestria would be honored if you would allow us to knight you as an eternal hero of our great nation!” Luna proclaimed, eliciting several murmurs and gasps from the equines in attendance. All of the Mane Six plus Spike were greatly impressed.

“Whoa…” Spike muttered.

“Do you accept?” Luna asked softly, locking eyes with the Hunter.

“Yes, Princess,” Samus agreed with a nod, a pleased, gentle upturn of her lips gracing her features once more. Acknowledging her decision with a nod of her own, Princess Luna trot down to Samus.

“Very well, then…” Luna spoke before conjuring her magical sword for all to see. “If you would, Samus…” she did not even have to finish the sentence, the Hunter understanding the message immediately and kneeling down, resting her left forearm on her left knee and quad while her right lay stretched out behind her. She bowed her head marginally, the small, contented grin not leaving her face.

“Loyalty and Generosity...” Luna tapped the flat of her cast blade on Samus’s right shoulder, the magic giving off somewhat of a cooling sensation. “Honesty and Laughter...” The Lunar Princess tapped Samus’s left shoulder. She then carefully placed the blade under Samus’s chin, aiming it towards her heart. The Hunter adjusted her head as necessary. “...Kindness…” Luna then finished by gingerly tracing a straight line from the human’s chest to her forehead. “... and Magic. All six qualities that promote the spread of Harmony, yet in no way limited to the Bearers themselves,” she continued, Celestia looking on proudly while the Mane Six plus Spike observed intently, having never witnessed a knighting ceremony.

“In displaying and holding true to these traits in the most trying of times, you, Samus Aran, have gone above and beyond the call, and are hereby knighted as a True Hero of Equestria for all of eternity!” the Night Princess decreed. “Rise, noble warrior,” Luna finished, offering her hoof to Samus. The latter accepted the gesture and she rose to her feet to the sound of glorious applause and cheers.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Samus finally had the chance to speak, shaking Luna’s hoof with gratitude. Celestia held out her hoof again, calling for silence.

“Finally,” Luna began speaking again. “Do you recall an offer that I extended to you previously on behalf of both Celestia and I?” she asked, referring to the offer of legal Equestrian residency upon discovery that Samus had lacked a place to truly call home. Spectators were left in the dark, however, by lack of context.

“I do, Princess.”

“And have you come to a decision at all?” Celestia inserted herself, asking the question.

“I have...” Samus replied without hesitation, stoicism taking over her complexion once more. All of the Elements and Spike had varying degrees of confusion covering their faces, looking to each other for answers.

“Would you like to let us know of the outcome of your deliberations right here? Or would you rather speak in private?” Luna inquired on her preference. Samus shook her head.

“It doesn’t matter to me. After careful thought…” the Hunter began, sparing a glance at her surroundings, her gaze eventually falling on the Mane Six who all smiled at her excitedly and endearingly. She gave a subtle, amused huff with an accompanying half-smile.

“I… accept your offer.”

Both princess’ reactions were immediate, discernable by simultaneous deep breaths and gratified, full smiles. Princess Luna’s horn flared momentarily and produced a set of papers rolled up into a single scroll, a teal-blue ribbon holding it all together. Twilight recognized the color of the seal immediately, feeling confused yet inexplicably excited at the same time.

“Are… are they…?” she thought out loud, whispering.

“Then these...” Luna magically handed over the ‘sealed’ documents, Samus taking them in her right hand. “...belong to you. Enclosed are your legal residency papers. Welcome to Equestria, Samus,” Luna stated with the proudest smile yet, Samus taking absolutely no issue in reciprocating. Once the words left Her Royal Highness’s mouth, all attendees and honorees erupted in ear-shattering cheers. Samus and Luna shared a firm hand-hoof shake while the Mane Six and Spike were quite literally jumping for joy at the news.

[Twilight’s Library | Five Hours Later]

The front door to the Library opened inward, Twilight, Spike, and then Samus entering inside from the night. The formal ceremony and subsequent celebration lasted a few hours but ultimately, the train-ride back was a bit slower than any of them would have liked. As a result, all were tired and in desperate need of sleep, no one more so than Samus. Spike bee-lined up the stairs into the main bedroom and Twilight tiredly turned to Samus:

“It’s… been a long few weeks, eh?”

“Heh, I’ll say,” she replied tiredly, rubbing both of her eyes with the back of her hands. Everything was starting to catch up with her now, and Samus could tell that she would be getting some of the best sleep of her life. That thought alone made her smile unbidden through her fatigued expression.

She was looking forward to every minute of it.

“Let’s just call it a night, then. The bed in your room has already been made and everything.” Without even thinking due to her weary, clouded mind, she nuzzled the side of Samus’s stomach briefly, the Hunter slightly startled by the sudden action.

“Goodnight, Samus,” Twilight bid, trotting up the stairs and leaving Samus to her own devices before she could properly react. In the end, though, she wasn’t phased at all. Another gentle half-grin worked its way onto her face after mulling over the little display of friendly affection. Having slightly vague recollections of being smothered by six ponies while nearly comatose, Samus mused to herself that she maybe... just maybe, could get used to all of this.

The Hunter took one last look around the darkened Library before heading straight to her room for some much deserved rest and recovery.

I’m gonna sleep the shit out of this bed.

34.2 Going Out

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 34.2

Going Out

[Twilight’s Library | ~14 Hours Later]

Samus’s eyes unwillingly began to open and a soft groan escaped from her lips. Shrouded completely in the covers of her bed, face buried between the two pillows. The first thing she noticed was that all of her muscles ached like hell and had every qualm with moving from her current position. Still, she managed to roll over onto her back, not remembering having discarded her Zero Suit before she slept, apparently having slept in a set of plain cyan, loose-fitting pajamas that Rarity had gifted her before the ceremony.

She didn’t even remember putting those on.

Arms splayed in opposite directions, Samus stared at the ceiling, her hair also spread around her head and the hem of her sleeping shirt riding up her midriff. Wiping away some of the crust from her eyes, Samus came to terms with an early-morning realization:

I don’t have anything to do…

Indeed, there was nothing to combat. The Federation had not given her any new assignments and the fact that her ship had been totaled (and she ordered a replacement, currently being built) meant that she could not even leave the planet freely either… though a good part of her knew that she did not want to anyway. Cleanup processes have undoubtedly gotten underway with coordination between the Federation and the Equestrians, further corroborating that Samus was in friendly, lively territory with nothing having to weigh in on her mind. Finally deciding to accept that as such, she wondered if she should go back to sleep.

This bed is way too comfortable…

Blehhhhh.

Samus, with some effort, sat up and swung her legs over the side of her bed, stretching and yawning like it was some cheesy movie. Running both of her hands back through her hair once, she turned to the clock to find it was about one in the afternoon. Realizing that, again, she was not pressed for time with anything, she had to figure out what she was going to do with herself for the day.

What’s Twilight up to?

Before she could act on her thoughts, Samus spied a large scroll attached to her side of the bedroom door. Standing up stiffly and continuing to stretch as she walked, she grasped the obvious note in her hands, one which apparently was quickly scribbled. The contents were fairly detailed, though:

Samus,
Wasn’t going to wake you up this early (9:30) but just wanted to let you know that I needed to head back to Canterlot for the day with Spike to sort out some administration with the Diarchy and the Galactic Federation. You weren’t required to attend. A couple of things though:
-Your clothes, gifted and received from before, are cleaned and ready for you should you wish to use them.
-There’s plenty of food in the refrigerator and cabinets. Help yourself to anything you might find appealing. If nothing suits your fancy, Sugarcube Corner and other places around Ponyville are fantastic places to eat.
-You’re absolutely more than welcome to hang around the library. Please, make yourself at home in any way you desire. If you venture out, the rest of the girls may be available if you want company. Otherwise, feel free to explore Ponyville. It’s probably nothing like your adventures through space and the galaxy, but you may find something that piques your interest.
-You already have mail; a heavy package. The box is ornate, and I’m pretty sure it’s from the Princesses.
That’s all. See you later this evening.
-Twi

Samus pursed her lips briefly before folding the note, placing it on the nightstand.

There goes that plan... It was thoughtful of her to let me know, though.

She quickly shed her sleep clothes and tossed them on the bed, opting for a satisfying shower before dressing in her Zero Suit. Samus then finished by running her hands through her hair in front of the mirror and tying her hair up into her ponytail, letting the two usual locks frame her face. Satisfied, she exited the bathroom and back into her room, checking her wrist console for any notifications, finding one message that was of high importance:

[From: Galactic Federation Treasury-98F43-2]

[To: Samus A.]

[RE: Funds Deposited]

[Greetings Samus A.,

Congratulations upon successful completion of your mission. As per the assignment contract and you having met all primary and secondary conditions, we would like to inform you that your fee has posted and has been credited to your account, effective and useable immediately:

Base Fee (Cr): 5,750,000

Bonus Fee (Cr): 7,396,400

Total Amount Credited (Cr): 13,146,400

Sincerely,
M.E. Robinson
Director GFT-98F43-2]

Samus smiled softly, closing the message and checking her account, finding that the funds were indeed deposited. She nodded to herself in approval.

Nice. Too bad it can’t buy a damn thing here yet.

Implying it's not gonna all go to rearming my new ship.

Samus moved to her door but stopped suddenly as her hip felt a little light. Searching around, she found her pistol on her nightstand… which she knew was a terrible place for it in hindsight and mentally berated herself for ever, even in a dead-tired state, placing a weapon out in the open. Scolding herself for her irresponsibility, she holstered her handgun and exited out of her room, closing the door behind her.

Now for the next thing to occupy herself with. Samus recalled Twilight stating that she had mail in her name.

“Now where would that… aha!” She spoke to herself quietly, finding a stack of letters by the door along with the aforementioned, quite massive box that indeed had a very ‘royal’ scheme to it. None of the actual letters were for her but there was one envelope attached to the top of the metal and wooden chest which was adorned with the Royal Seal. Flicking her finger under the lip, she opened the envelope to reveal yet another message. This time, it was beautifully written in the most gorgeous handwriting Samus had ever seen:

Samus,
No amount of physical compensation could ever repay you for your service to our country and planet, which is why we offered you what we did during the Ceremony. I and certainly Luna were beyond pleased that you accepted our gifts, but I do recall you doing a job for me in the beginnings of our investigation into the Phazon incident. I gave you a small sample to show that I meant business, and promised a bonus as well.
Enclosed is a sizeable portion of the rest. Ten thousand bits are enclosed within this chest in the form of one, five, ten, twenty, fifty, and one hundred-bit coins. I took the liberty of opening a special savings account in your name with the central banking institution of Equestria. If you wished to see for yourself, Ponyville’s bank will have you on record for ninety thousand bits for a grand total of one hundred thousand bits. With that total is an extra bonus for your work, troubles, and patience.
I certainly hope this will cover any of your needs here for a long time. As well, please do not hesitate to contact me nor Luna should you require anything at all.
Thank you so much, Samus.
-Celestia

Samus was stunned; she had completely forgotten about the promised payment for her little 'side job' for Celestia, though it ended up being directly relevant to the whole incident. That's when she was reminded that she did not even spend any of that stipend she was given those couple of weeks ago. Bounding back to her room and searching under her bed, she found the bag which, upon counting, contained five hundred bits in ten and twenty bit coins. Samus brought the small sack out and decided to open the chest… she had never seen so much gold in her life.

Holy fuck…

All the bits were organized in stacks by their respective values, lowest in the front, highest in the back. Samus reached in and, not caring much for organization, took a handful of the Equestrian currency and let it drop back into the chest. It was most certainly authentic. This certainly solved her problems for the immediate future, and perhaps she would stimulate the local economy in deciding to explore Ponyville.

Samus emptied the older sack of bits into the chest and, with some great struggling due to the sheer weight of it all, slid it into her room. There, she opted to take one hundred bits with her in the form of three twenties, two tens, three fives, and five ones. She tied the sack to her belt on her left hip. Satisfied once more, she decided to head off into Ponyville, opening the front door and closing it behind her.

The warm Equestrian air grazed Samus's face comfortably as she took a breath of fresh air. Upon exhaling, her usual stoic face remained, looking around aimlessly as she decided what to do with her now seemingly limitless time. A few ponies passing by gave her startled looks at first, but quickly waved to her with a smile upon realizing who she was. She returned the friendly gestures with gentle nods and smiles. Her stomach growled and it felt like it slightly twisted on itself.

Oh yeah, I should probably eat something.

Indeed, she had not eaten for about eighteen hours in total, so she was naturally quite famished. Thus, Samus made her first objective to get something to eat. Her wrist console chimed.

[Primary Objective: Obtain Nourishment.]

Samus cocked her head to the left, right eyebrow raised in confusion.

What the…?

Her suit proceeded to display her location, as well as the location of several different places where she could ‘obtain nourishment.’ Her systems behaving almost comically was not okay with her, though. Samus keyed a specific sequence of buttons on the console.

[System Reboot Initiated.]

Once everything appeared as normal as it could be, she took off in the direction of Town Center. The ponies heading in the same direction paid her little mind beyond simple greetings, which was fine by her. Samus also took note of the diversity of the ponies, that there was no concentration of unicorns, for example, in a particular area, while griffons and other minority species intermingled nicely. None seemed to have any problem with each other, which would afford her more ability to move about freely, within reason.

Samus wasn’t in a hurry, and as such she could stroll at her own pace and admire the scenery around her. She had been given the grand tour of Ponyville before when she first arrived, but seeing it in a different light other than impending combat was something else. The architecture was homely looking, and the lushness of the park was quite inviting. She admitted that this place did have some appeal to it, and when she satiated her stomach she vowed to explore a bit more.

Wading through crowds of ponies gingerly was another task on its own due to her traversing through the market section of town. Fortunately, she ended up seeing a rather familiar, Gingerbread-esque establishment.

Remembering that that was where Pinkie Pie worked and lived, Samus figured that there was no harm in dropping by and seeing what was on the menu. Hell, she could even say hi if the over-excitable mare was working today, and there was little reason she should not have been.

“Thank you,” Samus said as an outgoing pony held the door open for her, the Hunter immediately being smacked in the face by the sheer amount of sugar in the air. She could almost taste the sweetness in the air, and it felt like it had some sort of viscosity and thickness to it. She’d definitely have to assimilate to that.

Sure enough, Pinkie was working the counter serving a small line of ponies who were eating in and taking out. Pinkie looked up momentarily, locked eyes with Samus, and immediately beamed, somehow able to stretch her smile past the width of her face. She waved at the Hunter but quickly went back to serving the pegasus mare in front of her. Samus decided to get in line, though it was a bit odd, considering she was the tallest one by an average of two feet.

Samus let her mind wander slightly as she checked out the interior design of the place, finding it much too bright and ‘in your face’ for her tastes. Eventually she came face-to-face with Pinkie, who looked like she was gonna explode from excitement.

“SAMUS HOW ARE YOU!!?” Pinkie screeched excitedly, Samus recoiling slightly from the assault on her ears.

“I’m… fine, Pinkie. Thanks,” Samus coolly replied, recovering from the sudden bout of pure energy. She decided to tousle Pinkie's mane in greeting her, the latter giggling.

“Hungry?!” the mare asked hopefully, jumping at the chance to inundate the human with her hoof-made confectionary or any other food she might want.

“Starving, really. What’s good here?” Samus asked, leaning on her forearms against the counter.

“Only absolutely EVERYTHING!” Pinkie exclaimed, her expression and smile never wavering one bit, and truth be told Samus really did not know how she pulled that off. She rolled her eyes playfully at the less than helpful, though friendly response.

“Everything does look good…” she commented, humoring the mare. Thankfully no one was in line behind her so she could take her time. Pinkie knew it was her calling to feed this woman, so she took on a pensive complexion, taping her hoof to her chin.

“Oh OH I KNOW! Do you like bread??”

“Depends on the type,” Samus replied.

“Well your favorite is sourdough bread and we make it great here!” Pinkie remarked with another excited smile. Samus blinked a few times at what she just said.

“I… I never told any of you about my preference in bread. How could you have possibly known that?” she asked, completely dumbfounded.

“Well duh! The Chozo raised you on bread that was similar to sourdough since you were a filly, so…”

Samus’s eye twitched and she struggled to find any words that would come out of her mouth in a coherent manner.

“Wha-How… know what? I don’t even wanna know. Yes, I’ll take a couple of slices,” Samus relented, not wishing to get a headache from the mere act of ordering food from a friend. She was quickly learning that Pinkie was... something else.

‘Friend...’ Yeah, friend.

“Okie Dokie! Butter?”

“Of course,” Samus affirmed. She then looked into one of the display trays behind some glass and found what looked like a stack of standard, frosted donuts with some sort of sprinkles on them... though the sprinkles completely covered the pastry. They held her interest for long enough where she thought she would ask about them:

“Those donuts?” Samus asked to confirm.

“Yup! But they’re special kinds! I made them earlier today!”

“What makes ‘em so special?” Samus again questioned.

“Instead of being raised donuts, they’re extra-large cake donuts, but inside there’s also chocolate cake, frosted on the top with chocolate. Even more special, they have chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry cream fillings at the center… all of that covered with tiny little pieces of strawberry rock candy!” Pinkie explained excitedly, her own mouth was even watering as she emphasized every complement in flavor. Samus held her usual, stoic expression.

“That sounds utterly diabetic-coma inducing…

“I’ll take two.”

"That... was wrong," Samus spoke out loud to herself, vegging out comfortably under a tree in Ponyville Park. The remains of her lunch were packed neatly beside her, but there were some residual crumbs and grease marks on the fingers of her Zero Suit. She tiredly wiped away the remains of her desert from her lips, her entire meal consisting of bread, a large milkshake, and those two massive donuts. She wiped her hands with the remaining napkins and set them aside.

"...but so right..." she admitted, having enjoyed the junk food binge entirely. Her stomach was satisfied, that was for certain, but Samus knew that she would have to eat real food later. Regardless, she knew she earned it. After all, it was not often that she got to pig out on sweets. One such side-effect of all those carbs, though, was her becoming somewhat tired again.

Maybe a nap in the park is in order...

Samus slid down the tree and folded her arms behind her head, laying down comfortably. Before she could rest her eyes, though, a small gust of wind fluttered her hair a bit and a mass set itself down next to her. Peeking one eye open, she found Rainbow Dash making herself comfortable.

"Taking one of my napping spots I see..." Rainbow jokingly accused. Samus yawned and stretched, still debating whether she was comfortably or uncomfortably full. She did not feel like responding in any way so she merely shrugged indifferently. Rainbow focused her sights on the remains of the meal.

"You ate Pinkie's special donuts, didn't you?" Rainbow asked knowingly. Samus opened both of her eyes and turned her head to face the cyan pegasus.

"What's it to you?"

"They're so good huh?! They also make me wanna nap the day away like you're about to," Rainbow pointed out, giggling and ruffling her wings just a bit. Samus could not help but smile and huff humorously.

"Mind if I join you?" Rainbow asked while laying down next to the Hunter with a comfortable space between them, not even bothering to let Samus accept or reject her offer.

"I guess not," Samus replied semi-sarcastically, taking a deep breath and exhaling with a comfortable sigh, settling into the grass just a bit more. Rainbow wasted no time in laying her head down on her forelegs. There the two dozed off into a nice nap, the warm breeze wafting over their shaded forms. One last thought ran through Samus's mind before she drifted off entirely:

I could get used to this...

34.3 Victory Celebration

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 34.3

Victory Celebration

[Ponyville Park | One Week After Crater Collapse]

Another gorgeous Thursday had come and gone, paving the way for the evening, and Samus had once again found herself sitting on one of the various benches in Ponyville’s park. The Hunter had been finding herself venturing out of the comfort of the Library more often than not, starting to spend more time outdoors and exploring her surroundings. Things had been settling down much more, allowing for a much more peaceful aura to fall on the small town and quite frankly, Samus more than welcomed it. For the past couple of hours, the Zero Suit clad Hunter was busy working on her tablet, having received the final build-design for her new ship and being afforded one last chance to make any changes she might want. She had been spending the greater part of her time in the park scrutinizing every little detail of arguably her most important asset. The only time she pried her eyes from the tablet’s screen was to take a bite of her tuna sandwich, which she publicly remarked was ‘fucking delicious.’

Samus swiped her hands over the screen, ‘spinning’ the displayed object about ninety degrees in order to get another good look at its specs before grabbing her sandwich and stuffing her face once more. It was about that time that she realized it was dark outside and she was the only one in the park, her eyes having to adjust a tad from the brightness of her tablet’s screen. Giving one last look to the render of her ship, she submitted the confirmation and powered off the device. Samus then stood up, finished the last bite of her food, and tossed any residuals in the trash can before heading back to Twilight’s Library, holding her tablet against her side. One thing she did admire was the view of the night sky… though she had to get used to the fact that it was the result of Luna’s manipulation.

About ten minutes of comfortable walking, Samus reached the front door of the Library, gently turning the knob and letting herself in. Closing the door behind her, she found all six mares talking loudly amongst themselves, setting up drinks on a table on the side of the common room. They all looked up and smiled upon her entrance.

“There you are!” Twilight exclaimed. Apparently they were looking for her.

“Did I miss something?” Samus asked curiously, observing that Pinkie was hanging up streamers and what not. There were several beyond several bottles of what Samus could only assume were alcoholic beverages and a few plates of sweets rested next to them. Rainbow Dash appeared to be getting a speaker-system set up and there was also a distinct lack of Spike.

“Everything has settled down… so tonight is a party for us!” Rainbow Dash added, eager to get things going.

“Ah. Alright, I’ll be in my room if you need me,” Samus replied, moving to her door but stopped when a certain cream-colored pegasus cleared her throat.

“Ummm… Samus you’re included in ‘us,’” Fluttershy shyly pointed out. The others all looked to Samus encouragingly. The Hunter sported a small but touched smile.

“I appreciate the thought girls, really, but I’m actually kinda tired…”

“Yeah, Samus. Stay with us… you of all ponies’ve earned this,” Applejack parroted the other mare’s sentiments.

“Come on, Samus! When’s the last time you really had fun?” Pinkie asked, knowing full well that the blonde-haired girl had not rewarded herself much in her travels. Samus just looked at all six of them staring back at her, not quite sure what to come back with at that point, because they were absolutely right.

“Indeed, Darling, come partake in the festivities with your friends,” Rarity urged.

“Yeah, don’t be lame, Samus. I wanna drink you under the table anyways…” Rainbow Dash invited challengingly, eliciting a giggle from Applejack. Samus, on her part, was touched that all wanted her to be included. Again, she noticed the absence of Spike.

“Where’s Spike?”

“He’s stayin’ the night at the farm with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Mah brother Big Mac is watchin’ them tonight… so it’ll just be us seven,” Applejack answered her question excitedly. Conceding that she did not have anything better to do at the moment, Samus felt she could stay for at least a little bit. She donned a determined half-smirk.

“Oh alright. Lemme just put this away,” Samus agreed, gesturing to her tablet before entering her room. The other six all erupted in their own cheers of success at Samus’s acceptance. The latter returned after a few moments and the last of the drinks were set up for consumption. Shot glasses, scotch glasses, and wine glasses were all lined up and organized; not to mention all the beer and cider bottles under the table.

“Alright,” Twilight began to fill Samus on the details. “After a hard but rewarding adventure, we like to throw ourselves a little night-long party like this. It was Pinkie’s idea the first time and I actually love it. We always start off with a toast,” Twilight finished, Samus nodding in understanding.

“Way ahead of ya’ Twi!” Applejack called out, having finished filling the last of seven shot glasses with a clear liquid. “Soup’s on, everypony!”

All seven moved to the drink table and picked up a shot glass… though Samus was a combination of impressed, weirded out, and confused as to how Pinkie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash were able to hold the drinkware with one hoof. Nevertheless, Samus took the last one and examined the liquid inside.

“So, what’re we starting off with?” she asked, swirling it a bit.

“Vodka imported from the Griffon Kingdom!” Rainbow answered enthusiastically, more than ready to get the ball rolling. Samus shrugged in indifference. Vodka was perfectly fine with her.

Glad alcohol seems to be the same here.

“Alright everypony, a toast...” Twilight began, leading the toast. “...to friendship, and the heroic actions of our new friend, Samus!” she toasted, holding her drink high in her magical grasp. Samus lightly chortled at the nice gesture yet raised her glass all the same with her new friends.

My friends…

“To friendship, and Samus!” All seven echoed, though the Hunter did not parrot her own name due to how weird that sounded. They held their drinks high and immediately brought the shot glasses to their lips, downing the liquid in one go. The foreign alcohol slid down Samus’s gullet quite smoothly but she immediately tasted the crisp, telltale aftertaste of genuine vodka, the satisfying burn of her esophagus following quickly.

“Not bad!” Samus commented, nodding her head in approval and placing her glass back on the table.

“AHHH!! That’s good!” Fluttershy unexpectedly growled gratifyingly, nearly slamming the glass on the floor. Rainbow Dash stifled a guffaw with her hoof.

“Oh yeah, Fluttershy is amazing when she drinks, just letting you know, Samus,” Rainbow pointed out, trotting to the speakers to get some music going.

“Let’s get this party STARTED!” Pinkie screamed before joining Rainbow Dash in organizing what was to be played that evening. Samus opted to get herself another shot of that surprisingly good vodka.

[Twenty-five Minutes Later…]

“What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen in your travels?” Twilight asked, she, Samus, and Fluttershy sitting on large pillows while the other four danced to some very poppy, club-esque music. Samus held a gin and tonic in her left hand while Twilight held the same in her hooves. Fluttershy was sipping on flavored vodka.

“In what context, though? For me personally, that’s a very open-ended and vague question,” Samus replied, asking for narrower parameters. She swirled her drink, the ice clinking in the glass before she took another sip. She was two shots in, combined with what she had already drunk of her current drink. Twilight took a large gulp of hers before continuing.

“Alright… what’s the craziest creature you’ve seen to date?”

“Hmmm… that’s a really tough one, honestly; because I’ve seen some shit,” Samus said initially, still trying to find some order on her personal ‘craziness scale.’ “You’ll never believe me when I say this but… I’m gonna have to say ‘Dark Samus.’”

“I’m sorry… what?” Fluttershy asked after finishing off her glass.

“Yeah, what does that even mean?” Twilight pressed, facing herself more towards the casually-sitting human. Samus was really not in the mood to explain the very concept of her contrived alter-ego.

“I really don’t want to get into that discussion because it’ll raise more questions than answers… so later on, just remind me and I’ll let you use my tablet which has my entire archived logbook from my adventures,” Samus offered, and Twilight’s face lit up like a Christmas Tree at the prospect of a new source of information beyond her own world.

“Yes! I’d love that! Thank you, Samus!!” Twilight exclaimed rapidly and enthusiastically. Fluttershy was dragged onto the dance floor by Rainbow Dash and Samus patted the unicorn’s back.

“No worries. Now…” Samus finished off what was left of her third drink. “How about we get a refill?” she asked, standing up. The unicorn reciprocated.

“Definitely! You gotta try this Zebranican tequila. Take a shot with me?” Twilight requested as they both walked to the liquor table with their empty glasses.

“I’m down.”

[Twenty Minutes Later…]

Five total drinks in, Samus was finishing off her sixth in a race with Rainbow Dash. The other five watched intently and encouraged the duo on as the cyan pegasus and interstellar bounty hunter competed for how fast they could chug their respective bottles. It was neck and neck but ultimately Samus won by a fraction of a second when she slammed the empty bottle on the floor in front of her, everypony on large, comfy pillows. The spectators all erupted in laughing cheers.

“Damn Rainbow! She actually beat ya!” Pinkie exclaimed with a giggle, Rainbow having lost by *just* that much. Samus belched lightly but quickly covered her mouth before leaning back with a victorious grin. All had drank a decent amount by this time and as such, were beginning to already be well within the ‘tipsy’ zone. Even Samus’s cheeks were slightly colored from the increased heat afforded by the alcohol, but then again, so were everypony else’s.

“Bleh, you just got lucky,” Rainbow replied pointing her hoof at the Hunter for emphasis, ever the sore loser that everypony loved.

“Ah’m next!” Applejack voiced, wanting a go at drinking with the Hunter competitively. Samus held up her hand.

“Just give me a bit to let the alcohol settle… I’m already pretty tipsy,” Samus admitted, punctuated by an almost involuntary giggle at the ridiculousness of the situation.

“You’re feeling it Samus?” Pinkie confirmed.

“Oh I’m definitely feeling it.”

“That’s just the feeling of friendship warming up your soul,” Fluttershy said jokingly, getting a sensible chuckle out of everyone.

“Actually I think that’s the feeling of four different types of alcohol hitting my system at once,” Samus sarcastically corrected.

“Well, then how about ‘bout we make it five types, partner?” Applejack suggested, offering Samus a nice bottle of cider. Samus stared at the bottle being hoofed to her and she finally shrugged, taking it from the farmer and quickly opening it.

“Loser takes an extra shot!” Twilight shouted bubbly, adding the rule at the last second. Both would-be contestants looked to her and agreed immediately, clinking their bottles together and furiously beginning to chug the alcoholic elixir.

[Thirty Minutes Later...]

About an average of nine drinks in for everypony signaled the level where all had perpetual smiles on their faces accompanied with ‘the giggles.’ Unfortunately for Samus, though, she had lost the round with Applejack which necessitated her downing a shot of vodka for comeuppance. More interestingly, Samus found out that ponies, somehow, were naturally more resistant to the effects of alcohol and thus required more to become inebriated. For her, she was around their level in terms of ‘resistance' due to her modified genetic makeup, as well as the occasionally downing a bottle of whisky in one go during her travels. So for all intents and purposes, everypony was, on average, the same level of ‘drunk.’

The seven found themselves playing a game the mares called ‘Drunk Hoof-Dot,” which was essentially the exact same thing as the human game of ‘Drunk Twister.’ Things were made more interesting when Twilight again amended the rules, requiring sometimes two limb-placements at once. If one ended up ‘falling,’ they had to take a double-shot of gin. Fluttershy, having the least tolerance of them all, offered to be the ‘caller.’ The thing was, was that the ponies, however flexible they might have been, were absolutely no match for Samus even in her inebriated state.

“Okay ummm… right front-hoof blue and left front-hoof red,” Fluttershy called out. Rainbow Dash was easily able to get herself onto the proper positions due to her initial placement… but with Samus’s opposite initial position, it appeared that the move would have been nearly impossible with having to keep her feet on their necessary dots. Only she and Samus were the remaining contenders, the others having lost and taken their drinks.

“There’s no way you’re gonna get that Samus…” Rainbow stated, drunkenly wobbling yet confident in her victory; but, lo and behold, Samus still expertly bent backwards, creating nearly a perfect circle with her arch. Her right hand snaked between her legs and laid comfortably on the blue dot, and she stretched her left hand out in the opposite direction, laying it on red.

“Oh COME ON!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, exasperated. The others looked on in complete awe.

“Alright now that’s just unfair...” Applejack remarked while Twilight had a hoof to her mouth in surprise. Fluttershy spun the spinner.

“Alright, ummm… left wing green!” she voiced, and Rainbow immediately, though with extreme discomfort, stretched her wing out and pressed a primary feather to the nearest green dot.

“Hah! You don’t have wings so unless you magically get them or use something else, I win automatically!” Rainbow commented, never seeming to learn from Samus’s determination and intuition. She was right though, Samus clearly did not have wings nor could obtain them by magical means. She had to improvise… and improvise she would.

A cocky smirk graced her features when she saw that the nearest green dot was right ‘in front’ of her, relative to the position of her head which was facing the ground. She knew what she could do immediately.

Redistributing some of the work to her abs and quads, Samus bent at the knees, forming almost a perfect table top while never straining her back nor removing her limbs from their required positions. She then bent further into her arch and lowered her trunk. To the absolute disbelief of Rainbow Dash, she touched her left breast to a green spot. Hey, she had two of them and had to improvise, so it was all the same.

One could hear a pin drop at that moment.

“I… I guess that counts…” Fluttershy thought out loud while Pinkie busted out laughing.

“UGH! I’M DONE… gimme the damn drink!” Rainbow acquiesced verbally, having no will to be disappointed anymore. She quickly downed her required alcohol and Samus untangled herself. The latter stabilized herself from the slight vertigo of her movements in conjunction with her inebriated state.

“Okay… now that was fun,” she admitted completely before devolving into a snickering fit. She then joined Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity with partaking in a glass of wine.

[Thirty Minutes Later...]

Pinkie was in complete hysterics and Fluttershy had absolutely no words as she, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow were looking on at the scene with keen interest.

“W-What exactly am I lookin’ at?” Applejack asked out loud.

“...I don’t rightly know, D-Darling,” Rarity echoed similar sentiments, slurring her words yet coherent enough to comprehend the idea of an abomination in front of them.

“And how plastered are they?” Rainbow asked, she herself pretty damn plastered. All eyes were on Samus and Twilight attempting to dance to a rather nice, upbeat and ‘grooving’ song. ‘Attempt’ would be meant in the strongest of cases, as it was not dancing in front of them; it was a visual cacophony of flailing limbs, hip movements, and head bobs. Samus had even let her hair down during some indiscernible time, adding to the chaotic visual.

“I’d never take Samus as terrible a dancer as Twi… I mean, just look at her; look at THEM,” Rainbow gestured, continuing to place emphasis on the situation in front of them. All six of the equally decimated mares had managed to get Samus pissed-drunk enough to dance with them, and once she and Twilight got going, they all immediately had to step aside and just watch… it was like looking at the sun: you knew it hurt to look at but you just couldn’t look away. Samus and Twilight were having an indescribable amount of fun as evident by the variation of smiles adorning their faces, though, not having realized that their friends had spread out.

“Rainbow I’d love to see you pull out yer fancy moves bein’ more shitsloshed than mah uncle the day after his harvest… which you are,” Applejack sarcastically challenged. Rainbow Dash only shrugged.

“Indeed, we ourselves are not in the most right minds, I doubt we’re much better,” Rarity also voiced.

“Meh.”

The bystanders all rejoined their unicorn and human friend on the dance floor and proceeded to show off their drunken moves to the hypnotic beat.

[One Hour Later…]

Crash. That would be the only appropriate word to describe the events leading up to this moment. The seven all danced their drunken little hearts out and wore themselves out entirely. A noticeable quantity of the total alcohol pool had been consumed and as a result, every single pony plus one person was out like a goddamn light in a drunken slumber. Desynchronous snores all sounded throughout the common room, alcohol was spilled and glasses were strewn about… it was the perfect scene of the aftermath of a textbook-successful night.

Twilight was snoring, open-mouthed, on her back with her front hooves folded against her chest. Fluttershy was snuggled up against her side, seeming to be the only individual with any semblance of a normal sleeping position. Samus was face down and on her stomach, peacefully knocked out as a small puddle of drool formed at the edge of her mouth and right arm draped over Twilight’s stomach. Rarity cuddled Samus’s left arm but got a face full of Samus’s long hair. Pinkie was sprawled orthogonally on Samus’s back while Rainbow Dash was laying on her side against the Hunter’s left leg. Applejack cuddled Samus's right leg, her stetson having disappeared somewhere.

It appeared to be the perfect end to a wild, fun night. Even in the morning when Samus would emerge from her slumber with one of the largest hangovers she ever had (to the point of puking), she would concede that it was all worth it… even though she most likely made a complete ass of herself and ended up nearly bedridden with the rest of the girls from the sheer magnitude of the headache.

Absolutely worth it.

34.4 A Friend a Day [Part I]

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 34.4

A Friend a Day [Part I]

[Twilight’s Library | Two Weeks After Crater Collapse]

Pouring rain; which meant that general activity would be impeded and dampened somewhat, but it did not particularly phase the Hunter, partly because she liked the rain, and partly because this time she did have a job to do. A Federation Dropship touched down on a grassy knoll just outside of Twilight's home and the rear hatch opened, revealing Samus clad in her Varia Suit as the only passenger. She stepped out and once her boots made contact with the soft ground beneath her, she waved the transport off, to which it immediately took flight, disappearing into the white, low-lying clouds. Samus stood there for a while and just let the rain fall on her; she really did enjoy steady downpours as they were often the only bearer of solace and soothing white noise for her troubled and stressed mind.

Cleanup efforts had officially began and Samus volunteered her expertise and her Suit's biohazard resistance capabilities to help secure and contain residual Phazon for storage... that, and she figured it was high time to stop being lazy. The Poison was absolutely useless to the Equestrians but the Federation was taking grand hauls of the substance back to the fleet. Rumor had it that they were in the process of finalizing the testing of a new armorsuit for the Federation Marine Corps, one that could be supercharged by Phazon and render the common soldier immensely more powerful and more effective against the Space Pirates. It made no difference to Samus.

Taking a deep breath, Samus exhaled and trudged towards the Library's front door, the clinking of her boots against the paved ground the only constant sound over the perpetual rainfall. She let herself in as per usual without knocking (Twilight generously insisted that, however temporary, this was her home as well until the Hunter decided otherwise) and unequipped her Suit. Taking another deep breath, letting her hair down and running her fingers through it, Samus felt a little relaxation was in order since she had been working by the Crystal Empire for quite literally half a day. First things were first, though; Samus had been thinking about Twilight not batting an eye in providing her refuge and essentially a home for about a month... her generosity was certainly not lost on the blonde-haired woman. Samus did not like just 'receiving' things that she did not necessarily feel that she earned, as she was a woman who could and would pull her own weight.

Disappearing into her room and discerning that Twilight was not around, Samus reemerged with a small sack of bits; two thousand to be precise. She also found a small piece of parchment and a pencil and stoically scribbled a little note, leaving both on the counter by the front door where the unicorn would definitely discover them upon her return.

Rent for the month. Thanks for everything so far. If you try to give this back to me at any point I'll destroy you.
-SA

With that, Samus grabbed a massive drink of water, retired back to her room, and closed the door... though she did not close it with enough force so that it latched, it instead remaining ajar. It was still early evening so she decided against having a shower right at this moment and just wanted to rest her eyes, maybe fix herself something to eat in a bit. With her tablet on the dresser, Samus laid down on her bed and pressed few buttons on her console to play some music from said tablet on shuffle. She folded her arms behind her head and breathed a sigh as she closed her eyes.

She did not know how long she was laying there, having lost track of time amid her deepening comfort, slightly mumbling along to any musical piece that had lyrics. As a result, she had not heard the front door opening, and three gentle knocks on her own slightly opened door brought her out of her cat-nap. Samus opened her eyes and paused the music, looking over to her door to find Spike peeking in.

"Oops, sorry... I'll come back later," Spike shyly said, backing out of the doorway.

"No no, it's fine. I was just power napping," Samus stated dismissively, sitting up and rubbing her eyes of any residual sleepiness. Spike nodded with slight uncertainty and stepped fully into the room.

"Whatsup?" the Hunter asked and greeted, moving to sit on the edge of her bed and face him completely, hands resting on her knees.

"Nothing really, your door was open so I thought I'd say hi. Twilight will be in Canterlot until a lot later, just to let you know," Spike replied calmly and explained. Samus nodded, spacing out slightly.

"Ah, alright."

"Well, I'm gonna make something to eat, did you want anything?” Spike asked, turning on his heel but waiting for her response.

“Ummm, sure, if you’re offering,” Samus voiced, knowing full well that Spike could cook excellently, so quite frankly the offer sounded appetizing since she had been mostly experimenting with the cuisine around Ponyville. "Need help?"

"If you want, sure," Spike replied happily, leading the way out of her room and straight into the kitchen. Samus stood up and casually strolled behind him as he peered into the refrigerator, deciding on what to possibly make for supper. The Hunter casually leaned against the counter, arms crossed, overlooking the amenity and staring off into nothingness.

"Hmmm... you can't eat gems, can you?" Spike asked, looking over his shoulder and up to the intrigued girl.

"Gems...?" Samus asked with her left brow raised. "You mean like, ‘diamonds, emeralds... sapphires’ kind of gems?"

“Yeah. I’m guessing you can’t?”

"No, definitely not. I value my teeth," Samus asserted accompanied with a shake of her head, though a bemused expression still clearly etched on her face. The idea also reminded her that she could probably use a check up for her teeth. She’d ask later about a dentist.

"Fair enough... how’s spaghetti sound?” Spike asked once more, offering yet another option. Samus pursed her lips pensively for a few moments, mulling over that idea in her head. To her, it sounded like quite a nice option. She’d be eating well tonight.

“I’m fine with that,” Samus confirmed with slightly observable excitement, moving next to Spike so she could potentially help him with things to carry. Spike fished out the ingredients and Samus took them from him, placing them on the counters. Closing the fridge, he quickly moved to the pantry and climbed up the shelves, grabbing the noodles. Again, Samus was there to take them from his possession so he could get himself down safely. Reiterating from before, that was certainly one thing Spike really liked about the blonde-haired Hunter: she never patronized him nor treated him like a child.

“This everything?” she asked, organizing the ingredients neatly on the counter. Spike joined her, pushing a stool so he could stand and look over the counter.

“It… looks like it!”

“Cool. What are we doing first?” she asked eagerly. For some reason, the idea of cooking with Spike sounded entertaining… that or the promise of good food was clouding her mind.

“First, we make the sauce, then we boil the noodles, serve it all, clean up, then we eat!” Spike listed out the process, collecting the first necessary ingredients to prepare sauce.

“Sounds good to me. What do you need me to do?”

As he had stated, the first thing to do was to prepare the sauce, which would usually be most of the process of making spaghetti but they opted to use a red sauce concentrate and add their own spices and other ingredients. Samus did have some knowledge of advanced cooking which was imparted to her by the Chozo but certain skills like that were often pushed aside in favor of battle training and formal education. As such, Spike had to show her more efficient ways of cutting vegetables and spices in particular fashions, among other things. Samus did not mind in the slightest though, as she had to admit she was having a good time. Spike, to her pleasant surprise, was great company and quite well spoken, though she immediately attributed that to Twilight rigorously educating him. After about twenty-five minutes, a decent-sized pot of sauce was ready and they placed it on the stovetop to heat and simmer. Samus could already tell it was going to be good just by the way the powerful smell of the spices wafted around her nose.

“Alright now we just let that heat up and we’ll start on the noodles,” Spike stated, moving his stool over and fishing out the rigid, dry noodles from their box. He was debating if he should break them in half or use them at their full length.

“What’s on your mind?” Samus asked, noticing Spike internally debating about something. Her thumb wiped off a drop of red sauce that happened to find itself on her cheek.

“We’re gonna need a pot of water for these.”

“Well yeah, unless you have another way of cooking noodles. Where do you keep them?” she asked in return, kneeling in front of the appropriate section of cabinets and looking back at him for direction.

“Bottom left… but how long we want the noodles will determine the size of the pot we need...” Spike continued to muse, Samus looking to him as he made up his mind. Fortunately, he did it quicker rather than not.

“Let’s do long. We’ll need the largest pot that’s all the way in the back there,” he called out, looking over his shoulder. Samus was already anticipating that, having gotten onto her knees and retrieved the appropriate cookware.

“Way ahead of ya.”

The noodles did not take very long to finish, but with Spike’s experience in cooking the dish, the timing in which they set the two pots on the stove ensured that sauce and noodles were ready to serve at the same time. The unlikely duo procured two bowls, one for the sauce and one for the noodles, and set the table. They filled the two used pots with water to aid in the washing process later on, and with how hungry they were, it did not take long to serve themselves and begin feasting.

“This is good…” Samus felt compelled to comment in between bites, slurping on the noodles on her fork. Her own plate contained an enormous portion of noodles completely drenched in sauce. As soon as she finished speaking she dove in for more. Spike, as well, was quite pleased with the outcome of their meal.

“I’ll say! This came out pretty well! Nothing fancy but gets the job done,” Spike agreed, having a bowl of crushed gems by his main plate. The two continued to eat in comfortable silence, metal forks banging against ceramic plates as well as the occasional slurping of noodles being the only sounds that occupied the Library.

“Thanks, by the way,” Samus stated stoically yet gratefully.

“Hey, you helped me. So we made this,” Spike pointed out, a fact that the Hunter could not argue, yet she still felt that the dragon bore most of the work, so she flashed him a friendly grin nonetheless. Soon enough, the two finished their meals and were sure to leave Twilight a nice portion for when she returned, storing it in the refrigerator. After washing the dishes together in again, comfortable silence, the two walked out into the common room ready to most likely part ways for the night.

“Well, that was fun, but I’m exhausted… I think I’ll go to bed,” Spike said with an accompanying yawn, rubbing one of his eyes with the back of his hand.

“Yeah, that was nice. I’ll probably have a shower before retiring though,” Samus agreed. Spike looked up at her with a mischievous smirk.

“So that’s what that smell was…” he commented with playful sarcasm, Samus riposting with a look of playful incredulity.

“Oh you’re hilarious, you know that?” she spoke dryly but donned a small smirk nonetheless. The two shared a gentle chuckle before silence reigned once more, though slightly awkward this time around.

I like this kid.

“Well, goodnight Samus,” Spike bid her farewell for the evening, walking to his room while looking and waving at her.

“Goodnight, Spike,” she replied… though oddly, she felt almost compelled to do something. Samus could not put her finger on what it was but her body was telling her to physically act on something.

As Spike left though, she opted to ignore the feeling, which eventually went away. Removing her Zero Suit, she readied a shower before Twilight eventually came home. After speaking for a few minutes, the two both mutually agreed that it was a long day and sleep was in order. Though neither of them knew of the other, they both read themselves to sleep, Twilight slumping into her book and Samus’s tablet laying next to her when she drifted off.

[Ponyville | The Next Day]

It had continued to rain throughout the night but the following few days were scheduled to be partly cloudy and definitely hotter in temperature. Samus did not particularly mind, as she was more impressed with the fact that weather could almost be perfectly predicted because it was ‘manufactured.’ She had found it extraordinarily odd to attach such a description to the weather but then again, she had been through weirder.

When Twilight eventually returned later the previous evening, Samus had inquired about a dentist. While her altered genetic makeup gave her bones, muscles, cartilage, and overall, entire body much more resilience to deterioration and disease, it did not mean she was invincible. She was still very capable of getting sick (especially due to any unfamiliar diseases that could potentially be passed to her on Equis) or in this specific case, tooth decay. Fortunately, Twilight was able to point her in the right direction immediately, and Samus vowed to go the next day.

The Zero Suit-clad Hunter was laid back on a dentist’s patient’s chair, though it was much smaller due to it being used to accommodating ponies. This was remedied by adding a normal chair at the end so her legs could stretch out. Her eyes stared at the ceiling as Colgate, the resident unicorn dentist of Ponyville, peered into Samus’s open mouth with a mirror and a scraper in her magical grasp. She scrutinized every tooth, noting the differences between ponies’ dental makeup and that of the human woman laying in front of her. All the while, after the basic lookover was done, Colgate worked to scrape away any residual material from on and between Samus’s teeth.

After a final rinse and spit, Colgate placed her tools back on her tray and moved out of Samus’s personal space.

“Alright that’ll do it, Miss Aran. You’re good to go!” she stated happily. Clearly there was nothing to worry about. Samus sat up and bit at the air a few times to loosen up her jaw from being open for so long.

“What’s the damage?”

“Perfect teeth! For a profession such as yours, you’ve still managed to take amazing care of those pearly whites. I must say I’m very impressed,” the Colgate genuinely complimented. Samus gave a half-smirk in return. “How do you find the time?”

Genetic engineering.

“I make time. The last thing I need is a toothache when I’m deployed… anyway, thank you Doctor,” Samus thanked, standing up and stretching her arms out. That was one important thing that she was glad she took care of.

“Anytime! Thank you for letting me perform dental work on the first human! Come find me if you have any issues with your teeth.”

“You got it, Doc. What do I owe you?” Samus asked, reaching for the bag of bits she was carrying on her hip.

“Please, call me Colgate. And nothing, actually. Checking the information provided to me, it appears all medical costs you may incur are covered by the Crown,” Colgate informed with her own perfect smile. Samus was a little surprised at that revelation but she shrugged it off. She’d speak with the Princesses later and inform them that, while appreciated, that was not necessary.

“I see… Well, thanks again anyway, Colgate,” Samus said, bidding the blue mare farewell and exiting the practice completely. Stretching her back out and yawning once the high-noon sun graced her skin, she started off back to Twilight’s Library. Today was the day that Twilight wished to take Samus up on her offer to examine the information afforded to her on her tablet, if only just to learn more about the universe around them. Samus really was not too sure where the mare wanted to start as the sheer volume of the wealth of information was nigh inconceivable. To prevent possible ‘sensory overload,’ Samus felt that it would be in both parties’ best interest to constrain what was available for her to look at: her logbook would suffice.

After a quick meander through town and picking up a quick snack, Samus arrived back at the Library, letting herself in and gingerly ducking under the usual low doorframe. Twilight had been catching up on some reading and was quick to intercept her at the door, but before she could even utter a word out of her excitable mouth, Samus cut her off with a raised palm and a calm voice:

“Yes, Twilight, let me get the tablet.”

“Yes! Yes yes yes yes yes yes!” Twilight exclaimed repeatedly and gleefully, bouncing around the center of the common room like a little child. Samus shook her head with a smirk as she made her way to her room. The first thing she did was unholster her Paralyzer and lock it in the small case with her assault rifle. She quickly located her tablet on the dresser and brought it back out with her into the common room, finding the unicorn still bouncing up and down.

“Alright alright…” Samus voiced in an attempt to calm her down somewhat, dragging two pillows over for them to sit on. Twilight immediately plopped down next to Samus and the latter brought up her logbook.

“So, this is my logbook archiving lore, history, creatures, and pretty much everything I could scan in my adventures from when I left my second home-planet for the first time, to today,” Samus said, displaying an entire, beautifully archived web of files.

“Awesome… but how does this contraption work?”

“Think of a book that you can touch to perform actions,” Samus tried to explain, but that only caused Twilight to look at her weirdly.

“Ummm… I can touch a book to turn the page though.”

“Not like that... okay here, let me show you,” Samus replied, showing her exactly how to make precision touches with her fingers in order to manipulate the device display. Of course, Twilight used the tips of her hooves to replicate but any multi-fingered gestures required her to be a little innovative, necessitating the creation of a very mild force spell to apply pressure to the tablet screen. It worked out rather well, and Twilight was less enamored by the advanced piece of technology in front of her due to the desire to learn about… pretty much everything.

“Okay okay ummm… I don’t even know where to start!” Twilight exclaimed energetically while looking over the categories of which she could explore. Both laid on their stomachs with the tablet between them, though Twilight retained control of it.

“There’s a ‘random entry’ command if that helps. It’s on the top left,” Samus pointed out the function to the lavender mare, who magically pressed it without question. The random entry that was generated happened to be of the Chozo.

“Wow… getting into some deep stuff already,” Samus commented, but Twilight had already blocked her out as she was reading as fast as her brain could absorb the new information. Samus tried to keep pace with where the unicorn’s eyes were roaming, but said eyes were just widening in revelation at all the documented achievements of this society. After a few minutes of she reading and Samus looking on with some amusement, Twilight looked up to face the Hunter.

“I know you said that you’re part Chozo… it says there they have a language, do you know it?”

“A little rusty but still fluent, yes,” Samus replied. With that, Twilight willed some paper and a pencil into existence.

“Show me!” she nearly demanded, eager to see and hear this new language. The Hunter was taken aback by Twilight’s forwardness and the oddities of her stopping on the lingual aspect of the Chozo society but, this was her time to spend as she pleased, and Samus did like the unicorn’s company.

“Uhhhh, sure I guess. Let’s start with the alphabet,” Samus began, taking the pencil in her hand and beginning to write down the ‘letters’ with their corresponding enunciations. Everytime Samus spoke, Twilight repeated in kind, as if she was the student and the Hunter the tutor. As time went on, Samus had to admit that she was impressed with the unicorn’s ability to remember and memorize… though she was by no means able to replicate a perfect ‘accent’ (since the Chozo language was quite guttural in nature), she was doing fairly well for a first learner. Still, Samus had no intention nor the desire to teach her the language, and after a few basic phrases, Twilight wished to explore further.

She generated another random entry.

“Hmmmm… Grenchlers,” Twilight read the top of the entry before looking to Samus.

God, and then there’s these assholes.

“Ah, think of a menacing reptile that could walk on two legs and could shoot electricity at you. Also, the bastards traveled in pairs. They were… annoying,” the Hunter added her commentary in. Twilight grimaced slightly at the animation of one of said creatures and read on a little more in depth.

“Interesting…” Twilight spoke after about two minutes, generating another random entry.

“Adam Malkovich?” Twilight read out loud, again, looking for Samus’s commentary before she read on further. Samus, for her part, retained a completely stoic demeanor devoid of any emotion, staring at the table for what seemed like half a minute.

Really now…

“Adam Malkovich… a General in the Galactic Federation Army and an old officer-slash-mentor of mine when I did some service in said army. We got on fairly well, though we’ve been out of contact since I left the formal military,” Samus explained somewhat vaguely.

“Sounds like you two have some history together,” Twilight remarked, always seemingly interesting in what Samus had to say, no matter what.

“You could say that.”

“Romantic?” the unicorn inquired seriously, no teasing inflection detectable at all.

“Nooooo,” Samus replied with great tonal emphasis and shaking her head. “He was more of, as I said, a mentor and dare I say, a friend. I was a lot younger then and I looked up to him.”

Twilight generated another entry.

“War Wasps…”

“You read that one yourself, I’m sure you’ll like what you see,” Samus alluded, Twilight turning back and diligently taking in all the information the Hunter was able to log in her encounters with the insect. Twilight’s neutral gaze slowly turned into a grimace.

“‘...stinger that can shear steel.’ That is bucking horrifying…”

“It’s not even the worst I’ve ever seen… nature can be pretty scary sometimes,” Samus remarked.

“You mentioned something about ‘Dark Samus.’ What did you mean by that?” Twilight asked, recalling a little bit of information that Samus had shared before they and the girls got lost to alcohol.

“I do owe you a little explanation, huh? Alright, story time,” Samus affirmed, moving her tablet in front of her to pull up the necessary entries, Twilight watching the screen intently.

“I guess I’ll start from the beginning. About eight months ago, I was sent to investigate a derelict Space Pirate vessel orbiting a planet known as Tallon IV,” the Hunter began, showing Twilight a picture of the planet and its essential characteristics such as location, climate, etc. “It turns out they were performing some interesting experiments with the Phazon which went to hell, and after getting to the planet’s surface and foiling their operations, I found something that the Chozo had left behind.”

Samus brought up pictures of the Chozo Ruins on Tallon IV taken straight from visor snapshots.

“What was it?” Twilight asked, never once tearing her eyes away from images in front of her, keen on letting Samus tell her a visual story, and tell the story she did. Samus was not entirely sure how much into detail Twilight wanted to go, but upon asking, the unicorn wished to know everything. Thus, it took a great deal of effort to wrap the ideas of the Chozo ‘ascending to an alternate plane of reality, some being pulled back by the chaos the Phazon was causing when it smashed into the planet, and them leaving tools behind for Samus to deliver the planet from evil.’ After explaining about the Turned, the Cipher, Ridley, and finding Metroid Prime, Twilight wanted to ensure she was understanding things properly.

“Okay, so you collected the twelve artifacts for the Cipher, thought you defeated Ridley, and found Metroid Prime, the mutated metroid that the Chozo had prophesied was born of the Phazon core… right?”

“Right,” Samus confirmed, bringing up more pictures of Metroid Prime herself, both with the exoskeleton and in ‘head-form.’ “Once I defeated her, the crater began collapsing much like it did here, but in her last dying breath, she snagged onto me and literally tore the Phazon Suit off of me, leaving me in my Gravity Suit. It was of no loss and I was able to escape. It turns out though, she used my Phazon suit to regenerate herself. She became the Dark Samus I met on Aether, where I went to later.”

“So Dark Samus was Metroid Prime in your Phazon Suit?” Twilight inquired, again, making sure she had all of her facts straight.

“Yeah, but scans also detected my genetic material within her, meaning that she was also able to rebuild herself around my DNA, which makes sense since she had my suit; my suit is partially organic in nature and genetically connected to me,” Samus continued to lecture, going into her adventures on Aether and her encounters with her dark alter-ego. Samus had to admit that she never thought she would be talking almost passionately about her adventures, but then again, even though Twilight’s question only revolved around Dark Samus, the unicorn was still genuinely interested in Samus’s endeavors; Samus had never been asked to essentially tell a story before, so she really did not have a baseline.

Once again, Twilight was completely floored at the prospect of a planet being in interdimensional flux… she’d be writing a lot to Celestia in her next report.

“... and by the time Emperor Ing was defeated and the final planetary energy drained, Dark Aether began to collapse. Of course, right before I would’ve made a prompt escape, Dark Samus revealed herself yet again and blocked my path… though she had absorbed so much Phazon that she was deteriorating and highly unstable, moreso than usual. Her helmet was gone and a very familiar face made itself known...” Samus continued, neither she nor Twilight sure of how much time had passed.

“And that's when you truly realized it was Metroid Prime, right?" Twilight interjected.

“You connect dots pretty well, Twilight…” Samus admitted, culminating her story as to the origin of Dark Samus and why, exactly, she was the worst creature that the Hunter had ever encountered. Twilight appeared to agree whole-heartedly.

“Well, at least Dark Samus is gone, right?” Twilight asked rhetorically after hearing the grand tale, stretching out on her giant pillow before getting up to quench her thirst with some water. Samus silently agreed, pursing her lips and nodding as she stared off into the ceiling. That was one chapter that she’d rather not experience in any similar fashion in the future.

“Yeah... She’s definitely gone.”

She vaporized in a collapsing alternate dimension, there’s no way she got out of there. If she survived I’m going to lose my shit.

Samus rose to her feet and stretched out as well, following Twilight into the kitchen for some nourishment before returning to their ‘ground pillows,’ swapping reading material: Samus taking some books off Twilight’s shelf while allowing the unicorn to continue exploring her logbook.

[Carousel Boutique | Three Days Later…]

The ‘study session’ three days prior went quite nicely, and when they decided to culminate with silent reading, Samus knew for a fact that Twilight would never be irritating company. Both valued silence in the most optimum conditions and few words were exchanged as the two read on into the night. It was not awkward in the slightest, however, which was always nice. One-on-one time provided the perfect opportunity for Samus to unwind with a friend. Overall, a pleasant and successful day.

She was still getting used to the title of ‘friend’ for these ponies, even though she had accepted the idea as fact.

Samus hoped that Rarity did not have anything too energy-intensive planned for the day, as she got absolutely no sleep the night before. Right before she drifted off, Twilight screamed bloody murder from her room and Samus instinctively jumped into action. She burst through Twilight’s door, Varia Suit equipped and arm cannon drawn assuming the worst… only to find Twilight had woken up from a terrible trauma-induced nightmare. Samus spent the greater part of the rest of the night comforting and watching over her so she could feel safe and drift back to sleep.

“Good morning, Darling! Thank you so much for joining me today,” Rarity sang out as she let Samus into her home and shop. The alabaster unicorn wished to see the Hunter for an unspecified reason and since Samus did not have anything to do on that particular day, she saw no reason not to see one of her friends, even if she was somewhat tired.

“Sure. What did you have in mind for today?” The Zero Suit-clad Hunter asked as she looked down upon the unicorn standing next to her. The mare was beaming with anticipation.

“Well, Samus, today we’re going to have a splendid time—”

“I’m not trying on any dresses,” Samus interrupted, but Rarity shook her head.

“Oh I know, dear, you made that perfectly clear last time. Which is why I’m treating you to an all inclusive spa-day!” Rarity exclaimed with her omnipresent, beaming smile and a spark in her eyes. Samus, on her part, definitely did not expect that, though given Rarity's nature, probably should have.

“Ummmm... I'm not so sure about that.”

“Oh come on now, I insist!” Rarity exclaimed, dismissing Samus’s reservations. She lead the Hunter outside and closed the door behind them, leading the way towards the spa. Samus fell into step next to the gorgeous unicorn, both facing forward and walking at a comfortable pace and bathing in the warmth of Celestia’s Sun. Samus spoke up again:

“You have to understand, Rarity, the Chozo raised me for battle… gender social constructs were not emphasized that much.”

“What do you mean, dear?” Rarity asked, wishing for elaboration. “Do you not think you’re beautiful?”

“Again, it’s not really that it’s just…” Samus was struggling to figure out how to put her apathy for the whole ‘beauty’ and ‘fashion’ situation into words. “I’m female. I harbor all the traits. I identify as woman… a girl. I know that well enough and abide by what was imparted to me from my parents and caretakers… but simply put, I was never raised to put any emphasis on my physical appearance other than what is most basic. I was raised for battle, not beauty,” Samus explained.

“And yet you maintain a gorgeous figure,” Rarity pointed out. The two turned down another street, a few ponies waving their way as well as the occasional human that had found themselves there.

“So? Firstly, that’s subjective, and secondly, it’s a necessity. My line of work demands top-notch physical ability and naturally, I have a body to show for it. For my work, not for beauty. Practicality,” Samus countered. Of course, being trained rigorously from such a young age would ensure that her musculature was sculpted to near-perfection. Rarity seemed to take this point to heart.

“Fair point I suppose, but are you meaning to tell me that you have never once even thought of yourself as beautiful?”

“I don’t think you’re grasping the idea that I’ve never needed, except on one or two covert missions in the past, to care about beauty nor how I come across to others physically in a noncombat situation. Consider this: I used to wear green and beige cargo-pants and a military vest over my Zero Suit in my Federation Army days… while I had short hair. I simply don’t care,” Samus elaborated, Rarity scowled at the idea of those colors clashing with said Suit, which brought her attention to the garment.

“On that note, your skin-tight clothing certainly draws more than a fair share of gazes from mares and stallions alike. Does that not count for something?” Rarity asked, still not fathoming the idea of this woman not wanting to look her best. Samus flashed an incredulous side-glance at the alabaster mare.

“No. I’m in a skin-tight suit which clearly accentuates T and A; I know people stare at me. It’s for aerodynamic purposes in battle when I’m without my Suit. Again, practicality.” Samus again hammered home stoically. Rarity looked back up at her with a bemused expression.

“T and A?”

“Human female curvature,” Samus corrected herself, Rarity able to understand the image being conveyed after surveying the Hunter’s figure once. Focusing on where she was walking, Samus spied a small building that said ‘Spa’ on it, and based on her acute sense of observation, she sarcastically concluded with near certainty that this was their destination.

“Well, Samus, we’ll have to discuss this more when the treatment starts but please, I assure you all will be well and you shan’t be violated in any way, shape, or form,” Rarity began on a micro-lecture as the duo entered into the establishment, the unicorn quickly signing them in.

“You may be right,” she continued immediately. “You may never have a need to look absolutely stunning in the slightest, but take it from me, all ponies, no matter where they are or what they do, enjoy looking their best at least once in a while… it does the individual morale wonders.”

“Alright fine, I’ll try your ‘spa treatment’ but if I don’t want to do something specific I’m not doing it. Deal?” Samus asked almost rhetorically, clarifying her stance on the matter. At that moment, Aloe and Lotus, the ‘spa twins,’ beckoned the odd couple in.

“Deal,” Rarity agreed with complete confidence, a self-assured smirk plastered on her mug. After introducing themselves, the twins gave the Hunter the basic rundown of the treatment which included a deep massage, a mineral bath, and a sauna. At first glance nothing struck Samus as too weird since the Chozo had their own forms of massages and soothing baths but then again, this whole spa experience was admittedly quite new… an unfamiliar feeling took hold of her as a result and she was not particularly fond of it. The whole idea of getting… pampered just seemed off to Samus.

The massage came first, and after stripping down, letting her hair down, and laying on an extended massage table, Samus got a first-hand experience at what hooves felt like against her skin and muscles. To say that she was surprised would be a gross understatement. Inherently, the idea was that hands and fingers would be able to massage deeper and with more precision than hooves, a flat, often planar appendage, could. What made the difference was the strength of earth ponies as well as her general misconceptions being plain wrong.

“Jeeeesus~” Samus spoke involuntarily as Aloe, one of the spa twins, undid a particularly massive knot in the girl's left upper back. The Hunter could feel every single knot of her entire life whittling away under this mare’s expert hooves. Lotus was taking care of Rarity on the table parallel to her.

“How are you feeling, Samus?” Rarity called out, completely relaxed as there were not many knots in her own muscles; she came to the spa frequently, after all.

“Actually quite incredible, at least here…” Samus admitted, coming to terms with the fact that Aloe was working some magic on her lats. The warm, almost ‘tickling’ sensation radiating outward each time a knot was undone was bringing an unintentional, lazy smile to her face.

“Miss Aran, the number of knots you have in this back of yours is nothing short of astounding!” Aloe commented, working her hooves deeper into the middle of Samus’s right lat muscle, the Hunter twitching and flexing involuntarily at the contact points.

“Yeah… maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea,” Samus, again, admitted. Before Rarity could bring up another point, Aloe beat her to it:

“Miss Aran, your body type is that of a soldier, so smooth, chiseled in musculature, and dare I say beautiful… said muscles need to be unwound once in a while to help remain nimble! That’s crucial for you!”

It was true, and she could already feel her traps and lats becoming much looser as Aloe worked her way down to her lower back. It was a little weird for her when the mare worked down her buttocks and her legs but that sense of awkwardness wore off when those muscles, as well, became positively relaxed and unwound. Samus would refuse to admit it, but she felt that the massage ended too early when she and Rarity were directed to the mineral bath. There, the two opted to relax and just enjoy the hot mineral water around their sensitive, post-massage muscles in silence.

After relaxing their eyes and letting the minerals sink deep into the skin and hair (and in Rarity’s case, her coat), the two were again transferred, this time to the sauna.

“The mineral bath certainly did wonders for your skin, Samus,” Rarity commented, giving the seated Hunter a once-over. Her skin definitely seemed a small shade lighter and more ‘vibrant.’ On Samus’s end, running her fingers up her forearms confirmed that her skin was much smoother as well.

“I suppose so. I’ll admit that it wasn’t so bad...”

“Trust me, Samus. You may not care but you’re going to look just marvelous for anypony who catches your eye!” Rarity exclaimed eagerly, imagining the final product when this whole treatment was over. Samus looked to her oddly.

“Catches my eye?”

“Oh darling, a significant other! A special somepony!”

“Oh… no. I don’t have one nor intend to have one,” Samus stated resolutely much to Rarity’s chagrin.

“I beg your pardon?!” the unicorn asked, completely astounded. Samus found some sense of humor in the unicorn's overreaction.

“I’ve told you what I do for a living. As such, I don’t have the time, the patience, nor the will to hold down a partner; and quite frankly, it doesn’t appeal to me,” Samus stated in her usual, stoic manner, wiping off some of the sweat that was accumulating on her forehead.

“But what about when you retire? What about a family?” Rarity asked, this time much more calmly, though Samus’s response only raised more questions than answers:

“The day I retire will most likely be the day I get killed, and no. I don’t want a family of my own nor would I be able to even if I did.”

“Even if you did? I do apologize if I’m prying, Samus, but what do you mean by that?” she inquired, facing the Hunter completely on her haunches as her own sweat continued to soak her coat.

“If I’m understanding what you’re asking, the answer is that I can’t have children,” Samus stated bluntly, Rarity blinking a few times at the implication.

“So you’re…”

“Infertile. Yes,” the Hunter admitted nonchalantly with a corresponding nod of her head, as if she was speaking of something technical rather than personal, which completely threw Rarity for a loop.

“Oh my…” Rarity uttered with a hoof over her mouth, feeling she had stepped on a mine or brought up something Samus did not want to talk about. The blonde-haired woman, though, did not seem to mind in the slightest, seemingly quite unphased.

“Don’t worry, Rarity, I’m not offended. But to answer the question burning a hole through your head, when I was infused with my caretaker’s DNA, the process granted me the ability to survive a harsh environment I’d need to be inhabiting, as well as augmenting my own physical abilities as a human. One side-effect in becoming a hybrid, though, was that it killed my reproductive ability,” Samus explained analytically. Rarity, however, still looked horrified that she even stumbled upon such a private detail despite Samus’s reassurance that all was well.

“I’m… And this doesn’t bother you, Dear?”

Samus merely shook her head.

“Nope. At least, I’ve never felt that it has to this point. In fact, I could argue that being barren and whatever other side-effects have had a silver lining: I don’t get a menstrual cycle.”

“I see… well, e-either way, Samus, I still stand by what I said earlier: looking one’s best every now and then does the morale wonders,” Rarity added on a much lighter note, backing off from the previous discussion and suddenly finding the tips of her hooves rather interesting. Samus shrugged indifferently at the sudden change in topic and faced forward once more, allowing the sweat to pour down her face uninhibited.

“If you say so. Thanks for today, by the way,” Samus said, expressing her gratitude and glancing over to her with a friendly smirk. Rarity looked up and returned the expression in kind, gently nodding her head as she flipped a sweat-laden lock of hair off of her horn.

“Of course, Samus. You of all ponies deserve every bit of it.”

The duo silently enjoyed the remainder of the sauna experience in a somewhat awkward atmosphere but soon enough, the conversation picked back up and no ill will was to be had… though Samus never even considered that to begin with. Once the entire treatment ended and the Hunter got back into her Zero Suit, she had to admit that her overall complexion did seem to brighten somewhat: her skin was definitely cleaner and smoother. The greatest change for her though, was how much more nimble she felt due to the new looseness in her muscles. Upon exiting the spa, Samus immediately performed a full circular back-bend, ending back on her feet, before backflipping just to feel any potential difference.

It definitely felt marginally easier. What Samus did not breathe a word about, however, was when she returned to Twilight’s library for the evening: she spared a second glance at herself in passing a mirror and gave herself a quick once-over before bed.

Samus would neither confirm nor deny that she was content with what she saw.

34.5 A Friend a Day [Part 2]

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 34.5

A Friend a Day [Part 2]

[Sweet Apple Acres | One Week Later]

Sleep was not an issue for the next week, even as Samus had to return north to help clear out more residual Phazon. Apparently, one of the better side-effects of the little ‘spa day’ with Rarity was an increased propensity to fall and stay asleep, and consequently, Samus felt much more rested, her work not seeming to drag on like it did the last time… though Samus had never really experienced a ‘lack of excitement’ in her adventures, so that was somewhat new for her to deal with anyway.

After another good-night’s rest, Samus was extended an invitation to go say hi to Applejack down at Sweet Apple Acres, though the reason being was left out. Then again, friends did not need a reason to see each other, right?

“Mighty kind of ya to join me, Samus!” Applejack called out from the shade of one of the apple trees with a wave of her hoof, Samus having just cleared the main gate. The sun shone brightly overhead and even though it was early enough before noon, everypony knew it was going to be a sweltering day.

“Sure thing. Whatsup?” Samus asked, gently striding over to the farmer sitting under the shade of the tree. Applejack got to her hooves as the Hunter closed the distance while the Zero Suit-garbed woman made sure her hair was tied up as per normal.

“Well I heard that a few other ponies were gettin’ some quality time with ya, so I reckoned that I’d snag ya for a few hours if ya don’t mind,” AJ commented eagerly, meeting Samus’ gaze with an excitable one of her own.

“Not at all. What are we doing?”

“Well despite everythin’ that’s happened, the farm’s got quite the bountiful harvest and we’re on the last leg of the southern orchard. If ya don’t mind sweatin’ a bit, would ya wanna help me buck the last round o’ trees?” Applejack asked, gesturing with her hoof towards the south orchard, Samus following her direction and spying quite a number of trees that were indeed full of admittedly scrumptious-looking apples. She, however, looked slightly unsure under her ever stoic wall, though that was more due to curiosity as to what exactly ‘bucking’ meant.

“Ummmm, sure… you’ll probably have to show me the ropes, though,” Samus stated, AJ gesturing to their path.

“Right this way!”

The two walked through the seemingly endless expanse of apple trees while Applejack talked animatedly and passionately about the farm and its significance. Samus did not mind at all, as she preferred to listen rather than talk, and moreover, somewhat enjoyed the small little tour and history lesson being afforded to her. What also struck her was just how green everything was, from the leaves of the trees to the bushes and grass… everything was just positively lush.

“Alright, we’ll start here,” Applejack stated, arriving at one of the identical apple trees of the southern orchard before gesturing to the remaining, unpicked apple trees. “As you can see we have these last few dozen to finish up. Shouldn’t take us more than a few hours.”

“Fine by me. How do you want to approach this?” Samus asked, giving the earth pony her attention as the latter backed up close to the base of the tree.

“Us earth ponies don’t have all of that fancy machinery in other countries so we just buck ‘em!”

Adjusting her weight, Applejack reared her hind legs and bucked with a precise yet impressive amount of strength, striking the tree and the resulting impact shaking all of the apples to the ground. Samus watched with some interest as the apples fell to the ground like a red rain and when the last of the fruit rolled to a stop, Applejack spoke once more:

“Then we just collect ‘em in these here buckets,” she gestured to the barrel-sized buckets lying nearby. “Wanna give the next one a try?”

Samus turned her attention to the next apple tree in line which looked completely identical to the one AJ bucked, shrugging indifferently. Silence engulfed the duo as Samus positioned herself in front of the tree and pressed her heel firmly onto a particular part of the bark, testing its resistance. Backing up and loosening up her legs with a few stretches, Samus dropped into her fighting stance and swung with a hard, right roundhouse kick. She purposely missed the tree and planted her foot into the ground, completing her twirl using the massive amount of kinetic momentum and sending a devastating left side-kick straight into the trunk of the tree. The sheer power behind the ‘attack’ shook the entire thing with equal if not greater force than when Applejack bucked, taking the mare completely off guard, especially since all the hanging apples dropped to the ground below.

“Damn…” AJ broke the silence while Samus removed her heel from the bark (it fractured heavily under the force) and stood up straight. She then rubbed her butt just a bit as the resistance went straight to her left glute.

“Ow.”

“That was goddamn impressive, Samus! But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised with yer physical ability,” Applejack commented, bucking another tree and sending every single one of the apples falling to the floor.

“Thanks,” Samus replied before looking towards the next tree full of apples. While this activity was most unusual for her of all people, she took little issue in admitting to herself that the idea of kicking a tree really hard had an odd sense of allure to it.

She gestured to said tree.

“May I?”

“Go right ahead!” the farmer responded enthusiastically, watching the Hunter’s next moves with great anticipation. Opting to switch to her right heel for striking force, Samus repeated the exact same target combo but mirrored, delivering an equally destructive right side-kick to the tree and ridding it of all of its apple contents. Now knowing what to expect, Samus was able to ensure that she could prepare for the resistance going into her backside, so it did not hurt her as much the second time around.

“Is the simple act of kicking a tree for fruit supposed to be this entertaining?” the Hunter asked, standing up straight while pushing a wayward lock of her blonde hair behind her right ear. She began gathering the apples into her hands and bosom as Applejack let out a throaty chuckle.

“Do ya see me mopin’ about?” she asked rhetorically in return, using a single hind leg to kick a less girthier tree before hefting a bucket to their position.

“Fair point.”

As the two gathered up what apples fell in comfortable silence, Samus allowed her mind wander a bit to the previous night’s events: She had a lucid dream with Gray Voice and Old Bird paying her a visit. Her Chozo ‘second’ biological father commended her greatly for a job well done while Old Bird had expressed great pride and happiness that Samus was still applying the lessons he imparted to her when they first met on K-2L: building friendships. Samus had argued that she truly did not seek friendships in this case, that they merely happened on account of the conflict, but the Chozo Elder countered by pointing out the fact that she was not pushing everyone away, as she had done so before, for the sake of duty.

Both also commented that their adoptive daughter truly seemed—for the first time since they were all physically together back on Zebes—happy.

She could not argue that, and only responded to them with a genuine grin before eventually hugging them both.

“You alright, Samus?” Applejack asked, her voice completely dissipating the Hunter’s daydream and bringing her back to reality. They were finishing packing in the last of the apples into two buckets.

Samus shook her head clear.

“Yeah, sorry I just spaced out. Do we just leave these here or…?” the woman asked in return, wondering about their haul. Applejack nodded.

“Fer now. We’ll come and get ‘em when we’re done buckin’ all the trees.” Samus shrugged indifferently and they continued on down the line of the orchard. The temperature picked up as time went on, both mare and human beginning to sweat under the physical exertion and Celestia’s rays. Conversation picked up reasonably and before the two knew it, at least an hour and a half had passed.

“Hyah!” Samus grunted out as she kicked another tree, sending its contents to the ground. The more trees she kicked combined with the heat beginning to rise from temperature and exertion were taxing her legs in a good way. With a final ‘whew!’ and wiping some of the free-flowing sweat from her brow, Samus admired her work as she caught her breath.

“Not bad for a first timer, I think.”

“I’ll say! Now, there’s one last tree but this one’s a bit different,” Applejack said, leading the Hunter over to an apple tree that was clearly larger than all the others, but absolutely packed with the fruit.

“What’s wrong with it?” Samus asked, looking up at the bountiful yield that this particular tree produced.

“Nothin’ at all, but the gosh darn thing is a pain! The trunk’s too thick to buck!”

Just gazing at it, Applejack was right: the tree seemed about three times thicker in girth than the rest, but Samus decided to try nonetheless. Instead of a side-kick though, determining a proper place to strike it, she would opt for a stomping kick, a kick she could put quite literally her entire body weight into. When the farmer mare saw Samus getting into position, she lifted a hoof and called out.

“Erm… I don’t think that’s a good idea, Samus,” she attempted to dissuade the Hunter, but it was of no use: Samus was determined to at least try. It was no question that despite Applejack’s physical ability, the Hunter was easily stronger than her, so perhaps she’d have a bit more luck. Rearing her right leg up in front, Samus’ heel connected squarely in the center of the trunk with every ounce of force she could muster behind her own body weight. The impact was so loud that Applejack visibly recoiled, even more so when large pieces of bark snapped off like shrapnel from a grenade.

A measly four apples dropped to the floor, and after a few-moments silence, Samus abruptly retracted her leg.

“AAAGH FUCK! SHIT! GAHH!!” Samus screamed out through bared teeth, both of her hands grabbing and digging into her right buttcheek for dear life as she hopped on one leg in any attempt to dispel the sharp, radiating pain that went straight her glute muscle.

“I told ya,” Applejack pointed out as she shook her head, attempting to stifle her chuckle at the human’s expense. After a slightly embarrassing display and a continued, expletive-filled cry of agony, the pain subsided and the two were back to staring at the tree, wondering how to deal with it. Applejack was about to suggest just getting a scythe to cut the apples off manually but before she could say anything, Samus cut her off while turning on her heels.

“I’ll be right back,” she muttered, marching off.

Applejack acknowledged her but did not track her movements, merely looking back up at the tree. She was about to go and fetch the scythe after a few seconds when some heavy, metallic-sounding footsteps sounded behind her in quick succession. Turning around, Applejack found Samus, equipped in her full Varia Suit, running (but not sprinting) towards her general area. The sudden sight made her clear enough room immediately and allowed her to witness Samus jump and dropkick the tree. Both of her metallic heels struck and planted themselves into the bark, shaking the apple tree to its very core so much so that when Samus fell flat on her front, every single apple rained down upon and around her.

“HaHA! That did it, Samus!” Applejack exclaimed joyfully, jumping up and down as she laughed happily at the spectacle. Samus got to her feet, picking up an apple from the ground that happened to bounce off the back of her helm. She unequipped the helmet and tossed the plump, red apple up and down in her armored hand, giving a curt but friendly and affirmative nod to her friend.

“Gotta say though, didn’t think you’d be so into all of this,” Applejack also added, Samus catching the apple in her hand one last time. She looked at the mare with a half-grin.

“Eh, I can have some fun, be immature, and do stupid things within cautious reason,” Samus admitted.

“From the way you always spoke about a job needing to be done… so centered around duty and not, I never would’ve guessed.”

“War… is kinda all I know. But let’s just say I’ve gotten some recent reassurance that it’s good to enjoy myself while I can,” Samus explained, referencing last night’s little lucid meeting but choosing not to give away any details. The two only shared a nice smile rather than words.

Samus realized that grins and smiles were coming a lot more naturally for her these past couple of weeks.

“Well, whadd’ya say we gather up these apples and we go back to the barn for lunch and sweets? It’s the least I can do for yer help today,” Applejack suggested. Samus jokingly mulled on it for a few moments before delivering her expected answer.

“If you’re offering, sure!”

“I wouldn’t’ve taken ‘no’ for an answer anyhow!” Applejack replied with a giggle. Right before the two were going to start bundling up the harvest, Samus gestured to the apple in her left hand.

“I’d be insulted if ya didn’t!” the mare affirmed, watching as Samus moved to take a massive bite out of the fruit, the juice running down the sides of her mouth and onto the breastplate of her Varia Suit as her teeth bit in with a satisfying ‘crunch.’ Applejack did not have to wait long for the Hunter’s response: Samus’ facial expression contorted into one of comfortable joy while she chewed.

“Mmmmm... that’s the greatest apple I’ve ever had.”

“Well… I’m honored you feel that way!” Applejack responded while fanning herself with her stetson. Samus quickly finished off her apple and crushed the core in her hand before the two set off to bundling up the remaining apples. Time passed by much faster as the two talked about a range of topics, Samus finding quite a lot in common with the farmer mare such as work ethic, determination, and one major thing: stubbornness.

Once the apples were hauled into the barn, Applejack dragged Samus inside, introduced her to Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Applebloom, and then treated her to an Apple-family class lunch. By the time she parted ways with them, Samus felt she was carrying a massive food baby from the apple fritters she could not stop herself from overeating.

She noted the dark-humored irony in that.

[Twilight’s Library | Three Days Later]

Samus was quite surprised to wake up the next day with so much muscle soreness, especially since her adventures across the galaxy were so physically taxing. Thankfully though, Fluttershy was able to mix up a natural concoction that she learned from her friend Zecora to help ease muscle aches… and the Hunter was pleasantly surprised at the speed and potency of such a ‘home remedy.’

What that day on the farm highlighted for Samus was how satisfying physical labor and basic exercise was to her. So, after she had to assist with cleanup for the next two days, the Hunter felt that the next day would be perfect to blow off some steam with standard exercise, or what qualified as ‘standard’ for someone of her caliber. Samus had bought some weights and other equipment earlier in the morning in order to prepare for her little session and come that time somewhere around one in the afternoon, everything was set up perfectly.

Preparation was not too difficult as Samus would only be utilizing two sets of dumbbells and her own body-weight. As well, with great fortune, one of the items that survived Samus’ ship being totaled during the conflict was a very sentimental article of clothing that she had not worn in a while: her plain-blue two-piece that she had since she left Zebes for the first time. She often used it as an alternate to her Zero Suit when she would merely lounge around during lapses in her initial training, her Federation Army/Police days, or between missions. Even more surprising was the fact that it still fit her, though it was a little bit of a literal and figurative stretch. It would suit her purpose for today.

With Twilight out running some errands with Spike, the two-piece-clad Hunter was sure that she would not mind her using the common room for her activities. With some very soothing and ‘focusing’ music playing from her tablet as ambience, Samus stood on the hardwood floor, feet together and with ‘prayer-hands’ in front of her chest. Her eyes were closed as she channeled her inner Chozo in the simple yet relaxing meditative position. With her concentration, cyclic breathing, and ambience, her world slowly faded away. Only she existed.

Time to warm up.

Inhaling deeply through her nose, she spread her legs about shoulder-width apart and stretched her arms up. She then exhaled and swan-dove downward, effortlessly touching both of her palms to the floor. With another inhale and exhale, Samus spread her feet slightly wider and grasped both of her ankles with her hands, widening her stretch and placing her forehead a few inches above the floor. Holding and enduring the slight stretch for a few moments, Samus employed her core to slowly lower her crotch to the ground and initiate a full split of her legs, her hands never leaving her ankles until they anatomically had to ride up to her knees. She exhaled on the stretch.

Ahhhh that’s good…

Breathing in, Samus released her knees and stretched her arms up over her head as high as she could. Holding, she then exhaled and curved to the right, stretching out her left lat. Retaining that position for a few moments, she repeated the process for her right lat. Releasing and stretching upward once more, she turned her upper body and, legs still in their horizontal split, stretched to grasp her right foot, feeling the tension in her hamstrings and back. Samus held that oh-so comfortable position for a few moments before repeating the gesture for her left side. To complete the series, Samus stretched upward fully once more and leaned forward, pushing her arms out and laying her trunk as flush as she could against the floor.

Alright… now for the fun part.

Getting back to her feet, Samus inhaled and swan-dove once more, placing both of her hands on the floor again but this time, she shifted all of her weight into her core and stabilized herself with her hands. The result was Samus ending in a perfect handstand as she pointed both of her feet to the ceiling, her arms supporting her body shoulder-width apart. There she remained, closing her eyes and completely centering herself. Any slight wobbling and instability quickly diminished to nothing as she reigned in control, her abs tightening visibly and she ending in a perfectly motionless handstand.

Samus then initiated a horizontal split of her legs, forming a seemingly parallel line with the floor. Continuing her breathing cycle, she closed her legs and then split them vertically with the same result though somewhat different resistance. Continuing, she returned her legs to their initial position in the handstand and, with careful allocation of the work, began performing pushups. She touched the tip of her nose to the floor each time and ensured that her shoulders got an incredible burn.

Having had enough with the handstand, Samus lowered her feet to the floor ‘in front’ of her, which effectively placed her in a half-circle table top position. Holding that position for a few moments, she sunk her core low and propelled herself back to her feet.

That’s when she picked up her thirty-five pounders and went right to work, utilizing dynamic movements to ensure she worked the greatest amount with the highest efficiency. Samus had to admit that she was having a good time letting it all out and working up a satisfying sweat. Her mindset was somewhat interrupted when, in the middle of a balancing bicep curl, the front door to the library swung inward with a mighty slam.

“Twilight you home?!” Rainbow Dash’s voice pierced the silence as soon as the door was thrown open, Samus almost losing her balance and toppling to the floor. That’s when the prismatic-maned pegasus noticed the Hunter in the midst of her routine. “Oh, hey Samus!”

“They’re not here… and you just let yourself into her house?” Samus inquired, resuming her activities. Rainbow Dash ignored her question and noted that the Hunter was clearly working out.

“Whoa, you’re training and don’t invite me?!” the mare asked, as if it was a legitimate grievance to hold.

“Yeah,” Samus replied nonchalantly, using perfect form to combine dual bicep curls with shoulder presses.

“Well you should totally join my routine today. I was gonna do some running and sprinting,” Rainbow suggested as she trot up to Samus’ side, observing her precision movements and noting how much the human’s muscles bulged upon every contraction. Out of her Zero Suit and into something somewhat more revealing, Rainbow conceded that Samus looked much more formidable, though she knew that Samus was more on the muscular side anyway.

“That’s fine, just let me finish up here,” Samus breathed out, straightening her back and bending over, letting the weights fall completely into a deadlift. Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to begin warming herself up. Stretching and trotting in place for a good while, the mare was about to perform some pushups when Samus dropped her own weights and assumed the same position, immediately moving to tire herself out at the close of her circuit. Rainbow, ever the competitive mare, fell into synchronization and silently attempted to beat the Hunter in an unofficial pushup contest.

Twenty seconds in, Samus had already completed twenty pushups and Rainbow was diligently keeping up with her in what the odd equivalent was for a pony. The Hunter was certainly aware of what the mare was doing and only chuckled internally as she picked up her pace even more. Twenty pushups quickly turned to thirty… which turned to forty, and by fifty, Rainbow gave out and collapsed onto her chest while Samus soldiered on.

“Heh… geez how are you even doing that??” the cyan pegasus asked, completely out of breath as Samus hit sixty-five, which turned into seventy… and then eighty. Rainbow Dash continued to observe the human hybrid, completely slack-jawed, as Samus passed one hundred pushups, her arms finally giving out at one hundred twelve. The sweat flowed freely off of Samus’ entire body as she stood up, and truth be told, she felt absolutely incredible.

“That’s what happens when you’re raised from three as a warrior. Now, I remember you saying you wanted to do some running?” Samus answered and asked, more than willing to go on a run with Rainbow or whatever else she wanted to do. The mare brightened immediately.

“Yeah! When I work my legs I usually run around Ponyville for a while before I sprint ‘em dead. Come on!” Rainbow stated, leading the way out of the library and into the cooler air of the outdoors. Samus closed the door behind them and Rainbow completed whatever remaining stretches she needed to do.

“Alright we’ll start here. Easy jog for now,” Rainbow Dash instructed. Samus nodded and once the mare was finished with her last stretches, the two were off, jogging side by side towards Ponyville Park but Rainbow subtly leading the way. Oddly enough, there was little to no conversation as they ran, but probably due to them picking up speed and not wanting to waste their precious breaths in order to keep proper pace. It did not seem to bother either of the duo though, who would exchange friendly glances once in a while.

The odd pair attracted a few wayward stares from ponies around Ponyville as well as the occasional human who recognized Samus, but they paid the others no mind, save when they happened to see Pinkie, who waved to them enthusiastically. After about half an hour, Dash and Samus had completed a lap around Ponyville, ending back at the park that they initially ran to. They finally stopped under the shaded tree that they took a nap under a couple of weeks prior.

“So… what now?” Samus asked, not out of breath but wiping her forehead with the backs of her hands.

“Now is when I usually do a full run around Ponyville. Then, we end up back here with some sprints. How’s that sound?” Rainbow Dash asked, also shaking off a bit of perspiration.

“Fine by me,” Samus replied with a nod, getting ready to go again but Rainbow stopped in her tracks.

“Unless… wanna race?” the mare asked, adopting a determined, devious expression. Samus raised her eyebrow.

“...really? Do you ever not race anyone?” the Hunter asked incredulously, Rainbow seemingly always in competition with those around her. The latter shrugged.

“Applejack’s the same way, actually. You should see when we go at it.”

“I don’t doubt that, but… fine. Where are we racing to?” Samus conceded. She had also been noticing that she had been agreeing to things much more willingly.

“You know the path we took around Ponyville, right?” Rainbow Dash began, Samus nodding and recalling how they ran around the periphery and took a few detours through the town proper before they ended up back where they currently stood. “Well, let’s do the same thing, but whoever gets back here first wins!”

“Alright then,” Samus agreed, taking a ‘ready’ position next to Rainbow Dash. “If anything this will expend my remaining energy.”

“One… two… three… GO!” Rainbow counted down and sounded the start. Both of them took off in a sprint towards the end of the park, the athletic mare almost completely astonished as to how easily Samus was able to accelerate on two legs. Nevertheless, she was completely determined to best the human on her own turf. She may have lost the drinking games against her but she would not lose here!

As for Samus, she was sprinting, but definitely not sprinting the hardest she could muster. The air battered against her skin and through her hair, cooling off her face as she eventually did speed up, pulling ahead of Rainbow Dash as they tore through the end of the park.

Both were neck in neck when sprinting and running around the periphery of the town, but Rainbow looked like she was gaining the upper hand when the two had to travel straight through the shopping district. While Samus was incredibly acrobatic by any meaning of the phrase, Rainbow’s much smaller size afforded her greater maneuverability through tight spaces and many ponies. Samus was about to pull ahead even more but three ponies were moving two shop carts into position, right into their path.

Seriously??

Rainbow was easily able to squeeze under the opening of the cart, Samus clearly having to slow down. However, in Rainbow Dash’s small moment of victory, the Hunter quickly hunched down and jumped as high as she could (which even without enhancements from her Suit, she could still clear a surprising vertical distance). Somersaulting over the first cart and bounding off of the second one with startled ponies as witness, she hit the ground with a combat roll and took off sprinting once more.

The race took itself out of the crowded shopping district and into Town Square. Rainbow Dash gazed behind to to see how far ahead she got ahead of the Hunter, only for a horrified look to cross her features when she immediately saw Samus about to catch her tail, the latter holding a look that said ‘I’m comin’ for ya!’

Town Square came and went and the two were again neck and neck, Samus having to increase her speed to nearly her full potential yet Rainbow was still impressively holding on despite clearly struggling to maintain her negligible lead. Once the two rounded the last corner and were on the last stretch back to the park, Samus injected every little bit of her residual energy into her legs and completely overtook Rainbow Dash by storm. Were it not for Rainbow’s pride and sheer determination to rival Samus herself, the Hunter would’ve been indisputably victorious. At the last possible second, the cyan mare called forth all of her reserves in one of the most powerful gallops she ever had to muster. The two once again were completely tied and in the spirit of fun, both lunged for their predetermined starting spot.

In the blur and heat of the moment neither of them knew who had crossed the ‘finish line’ first. All that was for certain was the two of them on the ground in an exhausted mess as they caught their breaths as best as they could. After the occasional chuckle as they laid on their backs, the two finally sat up and scooted themselves under their tree. Both of them were absolutely drenched in (new and drying) sweat as well as the grass and dirt that was sticking to their respective skin and coats as a result of their tumble. Samus and Rainbow Dash were absolutely disgusting and revolting right now, and neither of them would honestly have it any other way.

The two finally looked at each other and shared a small laugh before Samus reached out and tousled the mare’s iconic rainbow mane.

“Hey, hehe stop it!”

“Thanks for inviting me out today,” Samus spoke up with a half smirk, wiping off some grass that stuck to her triceps.

“Duh! We should do this more often!” Rainbow replied excitedly at the prospect of having a workout partner that could essentially keep up with her neck and neck, if not best her completely (though Dash would never admit that publicly).

“You know, I think you’re right,” Samus affirmed with a nod. The two shared another friendly look before the Hunter stood up, Rainbow doing the same.

“Well, I don’t know about you but I am in dire need of a shower,” the blonde-haired girl admitted, pulling some wayward pieces of grass out of said hair and beginning to feel the ‘grimy-ness’ of cooling sweat. She stretched out the hems of her top and shorts, satisfied as they became unstuck from her body.

“Yeah me too, sheesh. Mind if I join you?”

“Excuse me???” Samus immediately shot back, a completely weirded-out tone lacing her words.

“What? Oh OH! NO! Not what I meant I’m sorry I completely forgot!” Rainbow Dash lifted her hooves defensively, her cheeks coloring in obvious embarrassment. “It’s actually common for ponies to bathe together since hooves aren’t always the best at reaching everywhere on your back. My bad!”

Samus chuckled.

“Gotcha. That’s a shame, I was actually considering it…” she mused out loud.

“Really??” Rainbow inquired curiously at the sudden change in attitude.

“No!” the Hunter exclaimed with a joking smile on her face. “Now go home and shower off, you silly pony! Let’s work out tomorrow, same place.”

“Hahaha! I like you Samus… And you bet! I’ll see you tomorrow,” Rainbow said, laughing almost hysterically. She and Samus shared a hoof/fist bump before the mare took off like a jet into the sky. Samus observed her flying away, shaking her head and huffing out amusedly before strolling back to the Library.

34.6 Onward

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 34.6

Onward

[G.F.S. Vogl | Three Weeks After Crater Collapse…]

“You heading off to bed Syd?” Nathan asked as he and Sydney were finishing cleaning up from their little personal celebration in their usual lounge room. It had been a few hours since all eight members of CV-Squad got back to the Vogl and, while they enjoyed being planetside for the celebrations, it was not all just fun and games. There was quite the bit of administrative work to do, not to mention the military parades and joint exercises… it was all exhausting to say the least. In the end, all appreciated the fact that they would be sleeping in their own beds for once, though that assertion only counted for half of the squad. For the other four, it was a slightly different story. Either way, all eight of them immediately discarded their armor at first ability, the humans opting for much more casual, loose clothing and the ponies their own coats.

“Oh god I’m gonna crash so hard, Nate, you have no idea,” Sydney replied, tossing one last piece of trash into a receptacle and running both of her hands tiredly through her shoulder-length amber hair. Her eyelids felt super heavy and she was already envious of Arianna who had decided to turn in early. Jacob had a few ‘captain-ly’ duties to tend to with Command but opted to retire for the evening upon completion of whatever he had to do, so in effect, it was only Nathan, Sydney, and the four enamored unicorns who remained for a quiet celebration.

“I’m with ya, there. We should probably show those four to their quarters though,” Nathan gestured to the row of four armorless ponies lying down and gazing out of the massive observation window towards their world below. Out of their enchanted armorsuits, the normally monochromatic group of unicorns across the room were in a multicolored row, never peeling their eyes away and sparing an occasional soft word with each other. Nathan and Sydney chuckled a bit, realizing that indeed these ponies were the first four in space and being in orbit around your own home planet is an interesting experience to say the least. It surely puts quite a few things into perspective.

“Heh, yeah good idea. It’s getting late anyways,” Sydney agreed. However, as Nathan moved to walk over to the unicorns’ area, Syd stopped him with her hand on his arm and some soft words.

“Nathan, before we go over there, I just wanted to apologize…”

“What the hell for?” the young man asked completely blindsided and confused. Sydney held up one of her hands, signaling to let her speak before he said anything.

“Before we got here, I was being a complete bitch to you and everyone… but especially you. It was completely uncalled for and I know it’s a bit late for this but it’s been weighing on me the entire time we were down there in the shit. When I fell out of the damn dropship and got wounded in the battle it really put things into perspective for me that you three are pretty much my anchors, and I don’t ever want to lose you… not from battle and most certainly not from me being a dick,” she poured out. The four unicorns were quickly growing on her and they were certainly her friends, but she had been with the other three humans for a good long while. They truly meant everything to her.

Nathan placed his right hand on the girl’s shoulder comfortingly.

“Hey, there’s nothing to be sorry about. You lost family… and I don’t hold anything against you for how you may have acted. We’ve all dealt with loss, but believe me when I say that you’re kinda stuck with me, Jacob, and Arianna,” Nathan replied with some humor at the very end, a genuine, caring smile forming nonetheless. Sydney said nothing but pulled the man in a tight embrace, one which Nathan gladly returned.

“Thanks Nate,” the girl muttered after a few moments of holding each other.

“Anytime, Syd,” he replied endearingly, the two finally separating. “Now, let’s get our friends to their beds, yeah?”

Sydney giggled just a bit and motioned with her head, the two moving to join their four unicorn friends.

“I think I see the Griffon Kingdom…” they heard Radiance speak softly as the two approached.

“How do you figure?” Windfire spoke up, trying to focus a bit harder to see what she was seeing.

“See those massive mountains by that storm system?” Radiance tried to point out, though physically pointing on the pane towards something on Equis (or as the ponies coincidentally called it, Earth) was a bit difficult.

“Is that Mount Greifen?” Starry inquired.

“I’m pretty sure that is,” Radiance affirmed. “So that has to be the Griffon Kingdom.”

“Huh. Guess you’re right. Jeez, I’m not sure how I feel about all of this,” Constance finally voiced, the others agreeing with her readily.

“Kinda makes you feel insignificant, huh?” Sydney chimed in.

“Yeah…” the pink unicorn captain reluctantly agreed. “It does.”

“That feeling goes away after a while, so don’t worry,” Nathan reassured.

“Anyway,” Sydney took the reins of the conversation once more. “We’re tired as hell so we wanted to show you where your rooms were before we hit the sack.” Mention of bedtime immediately got all four of the unicorns to their hooves.

“That sounds wonderful,” Radiance said eagerly, wishing to sleep away her exhaustion and weird feelings about being in orbit above her home. Constance and Windfire readily agreed but before they were all going to start off to their quarters, Starry cleared her throat.

“Actually everypony… I’m gonna stay here for a bit longer. I’m enjoying the view. Don’t worry, I’ll find my way around,” she dissented but reassured them all. She really was getting a kick out of the view and the whole new environment. While she was tired, she wanted to absorb just a bit more of it.

“You sure?” Sydney asked.

“Positive,” Starry echoed her initial sentiment with a tired smirk on her face, her silver eyes slightly obscured by her currently unkempt, faded navy-blue mane. None in the room looked particularly presentable at the moment for that matter. “I’ll catch up with you all later. Keep the bed warm for me, Radi,” Starry added jokingly using Radiance’s pet name along with bedroom eyes. A few chuckles and giggles erupted from the listeners as Radiance rolled her eyes.

“I’ll piss in your bed, Star,” blue-coated mare replied less-than-convincingly to yet another round of gentle laughter at their banter.

“That’s fine. I’ll stay with her until then so she doesn’t get lost. Get you and them to bed,” Nathan stated to Sydney, who agreed. All said their goodnights and Sydney led the three tired unicorns out of the room, Radiance making teasing googly eyes at Starry up until they exited out of the door. The latter sat back on her haunches in front of the window.

“I see you have a nice relationship with Radiance,” Nathan commented, taking a seat next to the mare.

“She’s an assclown but she’s my best friend… you didn’t have to wait up for me, I’m sorry,” Starry suddenly deflated a bit with guilt, her ears flattening against her head. Nathan waved her off.

“No trouble at all. I like the view too, actually,” he conceded, and he was telling the truth: he really did not mind staying with her. The ponies were growing on him quite nicely and he really enjoyed their presence, especially Starry, with whom he shared a somewhat similar personality.

Starry smiled at him and nodded, the two facing out towards Equis once more. Since Starry was sitting on her haunches and Nathan sitting normally, they were essentially equal height at this point, and in fact, Starry actually had a few inches on him not including her horn. That disparity was rectified and reversed after an undetermined amount of time when the unicorn opted to lie on her stomach.

After a few more moments of comfortable silence, Starry absentmindedly leaned to her left and into Nathan’s leg (he was sitting in a lotus position). The human gazed down at the sudden contact and Starry immediately realized what she did, pulling back to the right.

“Heh, sorry. Pony habits die hard,” she admitted, which was partially true: ponies were naturally much more touchy-feely culturally. Nathan, however, did not mind in the slightest as he had many snuggles over the years with Sydney and Arianna (and even Jacob to everyone’s amusement). He rolled his eyes and pulled the mare back into him, eliciting a startled squeak from her.

“You’re fine, don’t worry at all,” Nathan affirmed, patting her side. With his reassurance, her expression evolved into a comfortable smile as she leaned into him more, both individuals keenly observing the gorgeous scene in front of them as Nathan’s fingers subconsciously began to run up and down the length of her back, as if he were stroking a dog.

It would’ve been his turn to have been embarrassed beyond belief if it were not for a gentle coo of Starry getting much more comfortable against his side. Nathan’s features turned up in a comfortable, tired smile before he again turned back towards Equis below.

34.7 A Friend a Day [Part 3]

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 34.7

A Friend a Day [Part 3]

[Twilight’s Library | Two Weeks After the Events of 34.5]

While Samus had had the pleasure of spending time with all of the mares or a couple of them at a time, the Hunter was noticing a small pattern of they attempting to get some quality time with her… merely an observation. The extra little reassurance and push she was given by Gray Voice and Old Bird, however, was really all she needed to start opening up just a bit more and just a bit more frequently. Since she did not really have to be in a fighting mood constantly anymore, she could turn her attention and efforts to other matters, such as learning her way around closer friendships, much like the ones that were manifesting before her eyes.

Also, despite Twilight’s often quite vocal protests, Samus continued to pay rent.

Fluttershy had asked the Hunter the day before if she would be so inclined to hang out today, and Samus naturally accepted. In fact, she was actually wondering when the shy mare would request more personal time with her, based on the little aforementioned pattern. Like always, there was little mention of what was to actually transpire but knowing what Samus knew of Fluttershy, the chances were rather high that anything the two were to do together would be nothing labor intensive nor dangerous.

Tying up her hair and holstering her pistol to her thigh, Samus said bye to Twilight, fist-bumped Spike, closed the door to the Library after herself and began the now effortless trek to Fluttershy’s cottage. Having been well over a month and a half since the Hunter had been residing in Ponyville, she was more than familiar with the town including all of its establishments, landmarks, and, of course, where everypony lived. However, she knew that things would be changing and changing fast. The Galactic Federation was cozying up quite nicely towards Equestria and the planet as a whole… politics at its finest, but the end result would surely be Equis becoming, initially, a Federation Protectorate. If that were to happen, Samus predicted that it would not be long before interstellar commerce was in completely full swing, and once that was set up, the economic boom would be incredible.

Samus was actually somewhat excited for the future of the planet. However, potential futures were not really what had the Hunter in a particularly good mood today… she had gotten notification that her new ship’s design submission had been fully approved and assembly would begin in the next few weeks. Samus was given an estimate of about three months until it was physically delivered to her literal doorstep.

Not even a Space Pirate raid would probably wipe the gentle, seemingly perpetual smirk off of the normally stoic blonde-haired girl’s face upon reading the news.

Truth be told, Samus felt somewhat restricted and confined without her ship, which was fairly ironic considering that when not deployed, that’s the only place she ever really was.

Having been lost in her thoughts, she realized that she arrived at the bridge that allowed her to cross a rather small river, and said path leading up to Fluttershy’s cottage proper. Samus decided to leap over the river rather than use the bridge for her own entertainment, but continued on the path up towards the shy pegasus’ door. Samus gave a couple gentle knocks and she did not have to wait long for her friend to shyly answer the door.

“H-Hello?” Fluttershy asked cautiously, peeking out with a single eye, but upon laying her eye on Samus, who waved at her with a little smirk, she opened the door fully with an excited smile. “Oh, hi Samus! Thank you so much for coming over today!” She stepped out of the way and let Samus inside, the latter having to duck under the doorframe a bit more than normal.

“Yup! What did you want to do today?”

“W-Well if you don’t mind, I wanted to introduce you to my animal friends and you can help feed them if you want. That, and we could h-have some tea afterwards,” Fluttershy suggested.

“Uhhh, sure. Your animal friends?” Samus asked curiously and on cue, a pristine-white rabbit bounced into view and landed right next to Fluttershy.

To say that Samus was suddenly taken way back would be an understatement.

“Oh, hello Angel! This is Samus, she’s another good friend of mine and she’ll be our guest tonight,” Fluttershy addressed the little bunny like she would a normal pony, and surprisingly, the creature seemed to understand completely. Samus had to realize that wildlife on Equis seemed to be much more intelligent and interactive than on other planets she had been to. That, and it was always a plus that not everything wanted to kill her.

“Hey there, little guy…” Samus spoke softly as she kneeled down and presented her left hand to the fluffy critter. Angel looked rather annoyed by the attempt but seeing her gesture, as well as her physical appearance, his indignation quickly turned to curiosity as he moved to sniff her hand. With a shrug of indifference, Angel, much to Fluttershy’s surprise, hopped into Samus’ hand and she stood back up with a little smile on her face.

“Oh my! Angel has never been so outgoing before, even with me sometimes!” Fluttershy remarked as the rabbit began to climb up Samus’ arm.

“I’m kinda surprised too, actually. On another note though, I used to have a rabbit when I was growing up… well, a ‘rabbit-like’ pet I should say,” Samus replied as Angel sat on her left shoulder quite comfortably. Fluttershy giggled a bit as she closed the door to her residence.

“Aww really? What was his or her name?”

“Pyonchi. The best pet I could’ve ever asked for,” Samus reminisced as she scratched Angel’s head.

“That’s a cute name. But maybe you’ll find another animal that you’d like to take on as a pet when I introduce you to all of them,” Fluttershy suggested, to which Samus shook her head.

“Thanks, but that wouldn’t be a good idea. I’m traveling too much in my line of work, not to mention going to places that aren’t the most welcoming in the Galaxy.” Angel jumped to Samus’ other shoulder before crawling down her right arm. She let him off on the sofa and he hopped away.

“O-Oh okay… well there are several pets that don’t need constant supervision, but that’s completely your choice. Come on! I’ll show you!” Fluttershy said, leading Samus further into the living room where a few birdhouses and dens, among other things, could be clearly seen. What was more interesting was the fact that, for a home that seemed to be frequented almost constantly by different animals, that it did not smell at all.

Introductions to animals, which sounded silly to Samus in the first place, went about as well as she’d expect, at least with the animals inside the house. Samus was introduced to more rabbits, some ferrets, several types of birds, a tortoise, and two foxes. They were all super friendly and Fluttershy let Samus feed them, which the Hunter enjoyed a lot more than she thought she would. It was made all the better by the fact that every animal, as previously mentioned, was incredibly expressive. Chalk it up to the magic of Equis.

“And out here…” Fluttershy kept speaking as she led Samus out the back. “…are more animals that I can’t keep inside for sometimes obvious reasons." Almost immediately, several other species of animals came from seemingly nowhere.

“This is Mr. and Mrs. Deer,” the cream-colored mare introduced the human to a buck and a doe respectively. Samus, however, was immediately drawn to the doe.

“Hey, I remember you! You were the doe who approached me with all those other animals when I first got here. You and the others led me to Fluttershy,” Samus recalled, somehow able to distinguish the doe from any other doe that might lurk in the Everfree. The doe nodded and walked behind the Hunter, nuzzling her back.

“Hehe, it looks like you’ve already had friends here before us,” Fluttershy giggly said.

“No kidding huh?” Samus added, patting the side of the deer’s face. At that moment, a very large yet proud looking bird of prey landed and perched itself on Fluttershy’s back.

“Oh! This is Mr. Falcon,” Fluttershy gestured, to which said falcon seemed to give a respectful bow of his head. Samus huffed amusedly yet again.

These animals are something else…

“And where is…?” Fluttershy looked all around before beginning to call out. “Mr. Bear! Are you out there, Mr. Bear?”

“Don’t tell me…” Samus mused disbelievingly out loud. “You seriously take care of a bear?”

Not even a few moments later, a few tremors in the ground emanating from the Everfree got stronger and stronger before their source came into full view: a massive Brown Bear who immediately brightened up once he saw Fluttershy.

“That… is a bear,” Samus concluded obviously as if not entirely believing it. Of all the things she had seen in her travels, a bear was making her question her sense of sight. The Hunter took a couple of instinctive steps backwards while her right hand inched ever closer to the grip of her pistol… just in case. Fluttershy flew up to the bear’s face and pet him, much to the latter’s delight. He emitted a few low, pleased growls at the contact, nuzzling the side of the mare’s muzzle with his own.

“And yes, Samus. This is Mr. Bear,” she then turned to him with a knowing, slightly mischievous grin. “Go on, say hi to Samus…”

The Hunter shrugged and stepped up.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Bea—AAAAHH!” Samus was taken completely by surprise when Mr. Bear hunched down and gripped her tightly against his chest in a literal bear hug, a goofy, friendly smile ever present on his face as he swung the Hunter around. Samus’ legs flailed as she was getting squished against his chest but soon enough he relaxed his posture, setting her down in front of Fluttershy, who was giggling profusely. As for the woman, her hair was completely ruffled and she smelled like… oddly clean-smelling bear. Mr. Bear let out a series of low growls which sounded a lot like laughing.

“Well… I can cross ‘getting a literal bear hug’ off my bucket list,” Samus spoke, running her fingers through her hair and making sure her red hair-tie was still secure. “I’m actually slightly disappointed that I didn’t evade that by instinct.”

Fluttershy introduced the Hunter to a few more of her animal friends that were present and the two got to feeding them. Like all of the other mares that Samus had gotten the pleasure of spending quality time with, Fluttershy was quite easy to talk to, especially since she had, for the most part, become completely comfortable around Samus. However, around the time when they were having some tea together, Samus was still not entirely convinced as to why or how Fluttershy could have warmed up to her so quickly when it took her several months to become even completely comfortable with her best friends. That was not to say that Fluttershy was not shy or awkward around Samus at all, but from what the latter had gathered from her time here, it seemed like an oddly fast pace for someone who clearly had self-confidence and trust issues.

The answer was a little unexpected:

“I already feel safe around you… like nothing bad’s ever going to happen. You’ve proved that several times already when you’ve saved our lives.”

Samus immediately remembered what it was like to have words make one feel nice and warm on the inside.

[Sugarcube Corner | One Week Later]

Samus was almost certain that Pinkie Pie would have been the first of the mares to bust down her door and attempt to party with her or whatever she liked to do. Surprisingly though, the Hunter had spent personal time with each one of the girls besides Pinkie by that point, but apparently that was due to Pinkie being absolutely booked for ‘end of the conflict’ parties as well as her job. The day came, though, when, after a little get together of all the mares plus Samus, Pinkie wanted the Hunter to drop by Sugarcube Corner the next day.

After completing her now somewhat-usual regimen with Rainbow Dash and witnessing a group of ponies break into song and dance to music that seemingly came from nowhere for the first time, a Zero Suit-garbed Samus finally made it to Sugarcube Corner at around the time she was expected. Knowing Pinkie as well as she did (which in retrospect may or may not have been that much), Samus knew well that the curly-haired pink mare had enough energy to recharge her Suit’s energy tanks. Thus, there was little telling what the party pony could possibly have planned for the two of them.

Only one way to find out.

After giving a passing, friendly wave to the super friendly mailmare, Samus entered into Sugarcube Corner and found Pinkie Pie finishing up what appeared to be a large order for several cakes. They were all boxed and she was ringing up the seemingly middle-aged unicorn. Pinkie did spy the blonde-haired woman and briefly waved at her, Samus returning the gesture in kind. The Hunter was not in any rush so she opted to take a seat in the corner and gaze at her wrist console as the hyperactive mare finished her business. In fact, that actually worked out rather well; since Samus’ ship (which she proudly engineered the design herself much like her last ship) was being put into production at Aliehs III, she had to order a few other specific computer parts so she could port over Chozo-designed software for interfacing purposes.

That was always the most annoying part of acquiring a new ship, and Samus had always hoped that she would not have to get another one for a long time.

A few minutes passed and Samus was able to quickly purchase all parts that she would need. As she was closing out a few applications on her console, she was greeted with the pink mare trotting up to her with a much more placid smile than what Samus had come to expect these past two months.

“Hey Samus!” Pinkie greeted in, again, a somewhat less excited demeanor than the Hunter would have thought… it was almost anticlimactic as Samus had expected her eardrums to start ringing as a result.

“Hi Pinkie. I hope I’m not disturbing you during your work hours,” Samus replied and voiced mild concern, hoping, despite being invited to the sweet-shop at this specific time, that she was not interfering with any duties. Pinkie, however, softly shook her head, her omnipresent smile never failing her.

“Nope!”

“Well… okay! What did you want to do today?” Samus asked, oddly suspicious of the mare’s relatively calm demeanor.

“A coffee date! How d’ya take yours?” she asked gleefully. Samus, for her part, let the right side of her jaw go semi-slack and her respective eyebrow raise in confusion, merely staring questioningly at Pinkie for what seemed like several moments.

Is that even a good idea… let alone safe?

“Uhhhh… one cream, one sugar please.”

“Okie Dokie Loki!”

Samus keenly watched Pinkie Pie hop away towards the counter, and out of instinct, the girl looked around to ensure there was not some weird ambush planned by how smoothly things were going. She mentally berated herself for even considering the ludicrous possibility that the pink party mare, one of her friends, would set her up for an ambush… what would such an ambush even look like anyway?

In the midst of clearing her head of all the ‘weird stuff,’ Pinkie had returned with a plastic tray balancing on her back, two large mugs of what looked like freshly brewed coffee resting on it. She expertly set it on the table and nudged it towards the center with her snout before taking her seat opposite of Samus. The latter continued to look at her expectantly… mentally prepared for a sudden surprise or an explosion of confetti; Pinkie only gestured to the two mugs with her hoof, never losing that calm smile.

“Thanks…” Samus replied somewhat hesitantly as she grabbed one of the mugs, pulling it towards her. Pinkie reciprocated and the two began taking probing sips of the steaming brew. After the first sip, the pink mare breathed out a more than satisfied sigh.

“Gotta admit, I was expecting a little more… flair out of you,” Samus finally spoke her mind, going for another sip of one of the greatest cups of coffee she had ever had. Quite a few culinary records were being broken for her on Equis.

“Yeah I know,” Pinkie replied between sips. “But it’s nice to wind down juuuuuust a bit every now and then,” she admitted, fully facing the Hunter with a smile, the latter nodding and offering a gentle smirk in return.

“You feeling okay?” she genuinely asked the mare, wondering if she was down about something or maybe she was coming down with a sickness.

“Oh yeah, I’m Pinkie Perfect as always!” she replied eagerly with a little bounce in her seat. She then took another sip of her super-sweetened elixir. “But even Pinkie needs a tiny recharge once in a while. The last few weeks have been super-duper hectic, that’s for sure!”

“Hmm?” Samus asked in the middle of taking a sip, curious as to what ‘hectic’ meant for a mare that could seemingly do an infinite number of tasks at once. “What have you been doing these past few weeks? Work bogging you down?”

“Not really, but there’s so many parties to plan since the end of the fighting,” Pinkie rebutted.

“Too many for you to handle?” Samus asked, taking a playful jibe at her, the mare giggling in response.

“There’s no such thing as ‘too many parties’ for me, not at all! I’m having the time of my life!” Pinkie raised her voice to a much more excitable level that Samus was used to. “But, as I said, even I have to recharge though it never looks like it. Nothing that coffee and cake can’t solve!”

“It’s funny,” Samus began to comment before taking an elongated sip. “Seeing how excitable and hyper you are, I always thought what it would be like to give you coffee. I’d almost think that you’d, like, explode or something.” Pinkie snorted adorably and failed to stifle a hard giggle. It was incredibly contagious and was almost too much even for Samus.

Almost.

“I had an incident with coffee once… once. It went about as well as you’d expect, which is why I drink decaf. Still perks me up though,” Pinkie explained cryptically.

Ahh. That explains why she’s not bouncing off the damn walls.

“I can only imagine,” Samus replied with a slightly sarcastic edge, swirling the contents of her mug before taking another swig. “I have to say though, I’m really enjoying this,” she added genuinely, throwing the mare another friendly half-grin. Pinkie returned the gesture knowingly.

“I knew you would. And I do realize that I can be a little too energetic for some ponies.”

“Maybe just a little,” Samus answered honestly. “But please don’t take that the wrong way. I just need to get used to it a little bit more.”

“Never took offense at all! Heck, even the girls have to calm me down sometimes,” Pinkie admitted with another giggle. Samus let out an amused huff at the mare’s antics, finishing off her coffee and leaning back into the chair.

“I will have to be exposed to at least one of your parties sometime though. Word amongst the girls is that they’re the absolute best,” the Hunter mused.

“You never had a choice in the matter, Samus,” Pinkie spoke so matter-of-factly, punctuating with another hefty giggle when Samus raised her eyebrow incredulously.

“Well I guess that settles it then,” the blonde-haired girl replied sarcastically. Pinkie finished her cup off at that time and pushed the empty vessel forward. “Gotta get back to work?” Samus inquired.

“I have about ten more minutes. Want some cakes?” Pinkie asked hopefully.

“Wait… ‘cakes’ plural?”

“Yeah! Do you want cakes?”

“Umm, maybe one or so. You mean small slices, right?” Samus asked to confirm.

“Maaaaaaybeeeee…”

The Hunter deadpanned. As much as she loved Pinkie’s baking and all of her confectionaries, it was not good to be consuming so much of the irresistible sweets.

“Well, whatever unit of measurement you decide upon, I’ll have one. ONE.” the Hunter stated resolutely, emphasizing the number with her right index finger.

“Okie dokie! She wants one cake!” the mare said to no one in particular as she bounced off behind the counter. Samus watched her go and shook her head facetiously while chuckling to herself, opting to rest her chin on her supporting left palm to watch the mare work. Thinking about it all, Samus had to get it through her head that she had called Equis home for about two months already, the longest she’s ever stayed in one place since her Federation Academy days and Zebes before that. She recalled the moment that she first stepped out of her ship into the Everfree, she could not even in her wildest dreams (and she had some pretty wild ones) imagine that she would have befriended six mares, a baby dragon, and two Princesses who happened to be ponies of all creatures.

She laughed to herself over the ridiculousness of whole thing… also realizing that she had been laughing a lot more too, come recently. However, she immediately retracted the notion of it all being ‘ridiculous,’ as she would have it absolutely no other way.

Thankfully, when Pinkie returned, the unit of measurement for cake happened to be ‘slice,’ and a single slice of fresh cheesecake was more than enough for Samus to enjoy. Pinkie, however, had the remaining complementary amount of cake and by the time Samus was finished with her slice, Pinkie had already finished eating a few minutes prior. Despite Samus’ silent astonishment at quite a few things that the pink mare happened to do, they talked for another ten minutes about a number of things, the one that resonated the most with the Hunter being Pinkie’s background and upbringing. Such a conservative childhood certainly explained more than a few obvious things, and by the time that the two parted ways (with Pinkie, true to her word, springing back up to her over-excitable, over-clocked self) Samus left with a much deeper sense of respect for the party mare as to why she was the way she was.

Samus was delighted to see that Pinkie could hold a serious yet pleasant conversation, and, like with the rest of the mares, she left with a much more profound knowledge of who Pinkie was as a pony. Like many of the humans who were starting to mingle a lot more with the equines, Samus was increasingly finding said ponies much more interesting than she could have ever thought possible. She was in absolutely no rush to get off the planet (especially since she was technically a legal resident, in effect, making this place her de facto home) even with her ship on the way. However, as Samus walked back to the Library, she vowed to not let such pleasantries and luxuries not previously afforded to her to make her complacent: she would have to keep up her combat readiness and ensure that her battle prowess was as sharp as ever. Regular, rigorous workouts were barely a part of that though, she needed to physically have adversaries that challenged her. Perhaps…

I wonder if Luna would be up to sparring sometime?

34.8 C.M.C.G.F.C.S.E.

View Online

Metroid Equis

Chapter 34.8

C.M.C.G.F.C.S.E.

[Cutie Mark Crusader’s Clubhouse | ~3.5 Months After Crater Collapse | 10:34 PM]

As the months since the conflict passed, life continued on normally… though senses of what “normal” meant were somewhat changing and changing rapidly. Much as Samus had anticipated, a trade agreement between the Galactic Federation as an entity and Equis as a planet was signed with great fanfare, with Equestria as its central hub in what would be a network spanning all participating nations. The demand for new goods and services had already sprung up from both sides: new technology and means of production from the Federation traded for abundant, magically renewable, seemingly inexhaustible resources from Equestria and other nations. Princess Celestia was eager to see new relationships between the humans and her ponies foster and grow, while Luna was itching for the aforementioned new technology, both civilian and military. Both drives would ultimately lead to a stronger nation and a stronger union, after all.

As a result, the backdrop of the last two weeks had been several Federation Ships touching down in the expansive, lush Ponyville Fields to deliver and receive the first batches of traded goods: basic capital stock and metal ores respectively. This resulted in several frigate and cruiser-sized ships from a now solidified fleet presence touching down and returning to orbit in an almost predictable, cyclic pattern. Federation Marines helped to secure the area, though no one seriously thought there would be any true incidents. Marines even held some ‘unauthorized’ tours of the ships and the processes for some of the curious ponies, though no one said anything in protest. It was, however, rumored that a few marines and ponies scored some dates with each other as a result of the seemingly forced mingling.

The G.F.S Stratus Light was the latest ship to be currently ‘docked’ in Ponyville Fields, and its presence definitely did not go unnoticed by Apple Bloom. She clearly wished to get inside of it and see what it was like, on top of any new cutie mark opportunities that may arise, but naturally, Applejack would have absolutely none of it. Of course, the young filly was no stranger to disobeying her sister’s orders for the greater good of Cutie Mark Crusading, much like her other two friends. Thus, with a little bit of hasty thought, a tentative plan was devised:

Scootaloo would sleep over at the farm, which was a fairly normal occurrence outside of the conflict; what complicated things was that Sweetie Belle would not be able to use that ruse due to things she had to do with Rarity the following morning. Thus, Sweetie would have to sneak out and meet Apple Bloom and Scootaloo at the clubhouse which, according to her assurances, would be little issue. From there, they would all sneak through Ponyville and somehow get inside the ship to have a look around. Where they went from there was still somewhat up for debate, but either way, the two fillies were waiting on the aforementioned third before they could set their plan in motion.

“Gosh-darnit, where the heck’s that unicorn?!” an iconic, yet much younger-sounding southern drawl huffed out in irritation. Apple Bloom, clad in her usual red bow was standing on her hind legs and leaning on the windowsill of their clubhouse, looking out for any sign of Sweetie Belle who was supposed to arrive fifteen minutes prior. Scootaloo, who was laying down more towards the central podium where they held their ‘club meetings,’ rolled her eyes.

“Please, Apple Bloom, on time for her is like half an hour late. It’s not like that ship’s gonna go anywhere anyway.”

“That’s just it, though, if it’s anything like the last few ships!” Apple Bloom rebutted as she pushed herself off the windowsill and placed her hooves back on the floor as she walked over to Scootaloo. “They’ve been here all day and they could be gone any minute!”

“I’m not so sure about that. When I walked over here earlier the humans were still working quite a bit. They could be staying the entire night for all we know,” Scootaloo countered. Before Apple Bloom could say anything to that, a few steps coming up the ladder could be heard, and upon turning their gazes to the disturbance, they found that Sweetie Belle was just arriving.

“There ya are!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, trotting over to meet the unicorn at the entrance.

“Sorry, girls, getting out of the Boutique was a lot harder than I thought it would be,” the curly-maned filly apologized, setting down a little knapsack she was carrying on her back.

“What happened?” Scootaloo inquired, also getting up and joining the other two fillies.

“Rarity was still up and reading some terrible romance novel, bawling her eyes out. I gotta say, I’m kinda glad we’re doing something because I don’t think I would’ve been able to sleep anyway.” Sweetie explained. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both grimaced slightly at the revelation, completely excusing the unicorn for her late arrival.

“So, now that we’re all here,” Apple Bloom spoke up again. “We should probably get going. I don’t wanna get there and find out the ship is gone.”

“By how loud those things are I think we’d know if it was leaving,” Scootaloo reasoned.

“Yeah you’re probably right, but let’s get going either way. There’s bound to be some cool stuff in there!” Apple Bloom continued, grabbing a bag of tools and strapping it to herself before moving to exit the Treehouse. The others were behind her.

“Oh definitely, but was there anything specific we were looking for?” Sweetie asked, descending from the treehouse after Apple Bloom, Scootaloo right behind her.

“Not really and that’s what’s exciting to me! Think of all the new ways we could get our cutie marks that we don’t even know about!” Apple Bloom answered excitedly as her hooves made contact with the ground. Her friends seemed to mirror her own eagerness.

“Yeah! Heck, we might even get our cutie marks in just exploring something that nopony has explored yet!” Scootaloo also added.

“Alright, let’s go!” Sweetie urged, and like that, the three were off. Skirting through a section of the apple orchards, it did not take too long to leave Sweet Apple Acres. The issue now was getting through Ponyville at this time of night without getting spotted. It was not that Ponyville was dangerous (quite the contrary, actually), but that pretty much everypony knew everypony else and as such, the trio would likely be rounded up if they were seen sneaking around. While that provided an obstacle with necessary risk, ultimately the three knew all the shortcuts and figurative back-alleys through the town, and there would not be that many ponies in the town proper, at least, that was the hope.

Since it was Friday, there would still be some nightlife towards the center of town, but thankfully the fillies did not have to pass through that portion. Instead they opted to dodge through the residential areas and now-inactive shopping districts while sticking strictly to the shadows. That was all easy enough, but the most difficult obstacle by far would be crossing into Ponyville Fields, dodging Marines, and then actually getting onto the ship.

The Crusaders finally reached the edge of the town, peeking out on top of one another from behind a building into the open field. There rested the G.F.S Stratus Light in all of her glory: the massive frigate that aided in the final battle up in the Frozen North. There were seemingly thousands of metal crates containing who-knew-what, and there were dozens of Marines, completely armored-up, all going about their business and diligently working.

“Okay this may be a bit harder than I thought,” Apple Bloom conceded.

“Pfft. Ya think?” Sweetie Belle retorted sarcastically.

“You can go back and listen to Rarity cry over a book if ya want, Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom suggested with her own sarcasm, causing Scootaloo to have to stifle a giggle.

“Nah, I’ll take sneaking around humans and weird stuff any day.”

“Cool, but how are we getting on? I really don’t think they’ll just let us walk in.” Scootaloo voiced.

“Well what choice do we have but walkin’ right in? We just can’t let ‘em see us is all,” Apple Bloom replied, which was the truth. It was not like Sweetie Belle could teleport them all inside or something similar. They would figuratively have to ‘brute force’ a solution, but in a clever way. They could easily use their much smaller sizes to their advantage and sneak around, though the Crusaders were blissfully unaware of Federation Marine Armorsuits coming equipped with Motion Trackers. The three would have to navigate what was essentially a maze of supplies in order to reach the ship proper.

“Alright… follow me!”

Apple Bloom took point and the three dashed across the open road and into a larger knoll of grass which bordered Ponyville Park. Peeking out, they spied two marines, both male, in armor standing at the periphery and making light conversation with each other, most likely a token guard force. They stood without their helmets (which left them without their motion trackers, much to the fillies’ dumb luck) idly chatting with each other. Right next to them, however, was a small wall of the aforementioned metallic crates. A quick dash while the marines weren’t looking would allow them to be unseen.

“There!” Scootaloo whispered while pointing to the stack of crates. “Behind those, go!”

Moving as almost a single entity, the three made a dash for the first wall of crates. Scootaloo happened to accidentally trip over herself and Sweetie Belle quickly dragged her behind the wall before the marines could even notice, though one turned his attention to that area where he thought there was sudden movement.

“Hey, did you see that?” one of them asked the other.

“No? See what?”

“Huh, that was weird. Whatever. Like I was saying, I really don’t think they’d be up to the whole…” the two began talking animatedly after a few seconds, the first guard dismissing what he thought he saw. The three fillies just on the other side of the crates listened for a few more seconds before Apple Bloom motioned to another, this time ‘L-shaped’ stack of even larger crates, each with the Federation Insignia on them. Right before they were about to lunge into the shadow it created, Apple Bloom spotted three marines about to walk past right in front of them.

“Shhh wait for it…”

The three fillies hunched down to as low a profile as their little bodies could manage, being obscured by the shadow cast by the stack height and moonlight. They dared not move a muscle, and again, it was a perfect coincidence that they did not attempt to adjust themselves, as the trio of marines that marched past were fully helmeted, ergo motion trackers. Said trackers did not pick up their movements as they strode past, gossiping with each other about nothing in particular. Seemingly in the clear, Apple Bloom ushered Scootaloo and Sweetie across into a makeshift corridor which obscured them from direct vision. The earth filly peeked out, looked both ways, and then bounded across the pathway.

The process continued for the next forty-five minutes, figuratively stepping on eggshells across the field towards the Stratus Light. There were quite a few close calls where the three Crusaders had to run away to other cover once or twice when marines actually moved to investigate disturbances and things that they thought they saw. Often times, also due to the luck of the fillies, marines who noticed their motion tracker blip often attributed the anomalies to their comrades walking about, affording the three friends more breathing room.

Finally, after navigating the maze of soldiers and supplies, the Crusaders arrived at the Loading Bay, which was just a large section of the ship opened up to the world. Dozens of marines were working inside and once the fillies peeked out and saw what waited for them, they immediately knew there would be absolutely no way of getting inside through there.

“Yeah… we’re never getting in there,” Scootaloo voiced; the others silently agreed.

“We can’t quit now! There’s gotta be another way inside…” Apple Bloom protested, scanning for any other possible entrances into the Frigate.

“Wait, look over there!” Sweetie Belle pointed out a lone, helmetless marine walking towards the back of the ship where its engines would be.

“Good catch, Sweetie. Let’s follow him,” Apple Bloom said, Scootaloo leading the three by attempting to navigate a safe path through the supply crates towards the back of the ship. Sweetie Belle did what she could in keeping an eye on the marine to see if anything special happened. He disappeared around the end of the ship, where Sweetie lost track of him, but by the time that they were all able to get a better look, the three fillies spied the aforementioned marine facing towards the expansive Fields while smoking a cigarette. Luck smiled upon the Crusaders even more when Scootaloo silently pointed out that there was an open door leading into the ship, and said door happened to lead into the engine and electrical rooms.

“Awesome! Let’s all move in three… two… one… go!” Apple Bloom signaled, all three of them quickly checking that they would be clear in dashing over open ground, and then actually doing so. Attempting to be as light on their hooves as possible, and aided by the acoustic dampening of the grassy field, they were able to scramble inside the lone door without detection and quickly put some distance between themselves and that one marine in case he came back inside. The trio turned wordlessly into the nearest corridor perpendicular to their entrance path, which just so happened to be the Stratus Light’s engine room.

[Twilight’s Library | 11:17 PM]

Despite all of the commotion going on in Ponyville Fields right next to the town, it was still peaceful inside the Library where Twilight was sitting on her favorite pillow with a tome in front of her, reading peacefully into the night. Spike had gone to sleep and Samus had come home extra late from the Crystal Empire around nine, refused dinner, and passed out completely. There was not much conversation involved and that was okay; Twilight could easily see that the Hunter was dog-tired. That left her with some peace and quiet to read a tome on magical theory, and she was more than content with continuing until she slumped over in the book, but several seemingly frantic knocks at the front door changed that for her.

“What the…?!” she exclaimed with a start, staring back at the door with a glare as the knocking continued. Her quiet was being disturbed and she had two sleeping friends; this would not stand.

“Who in tartarus is knocking at this time of night??” Twilight muttered under her breath as she stomped over to the door and opened it slightly. She spied a frantic looking Applejack and Rarity.

“You two do realize what time it is, right?” the unicorn asked, clearly annoyed.

“We know, sugarcube, but it’s urgent… the fillies’ve gone missing!” Applejack replied, Twilight instantly feeling bad about projecting her irritation outward.

“W-What?”

“Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo are all missing. They snuck out and wandered off!” Rarity spoke with urgency and fear. Twilight quickly mirrored their concern as she opened the door fully.

“Okay, they couldn’t have gone that far… where do you think they could’ve gone off to, because I sure haven’t seen them,” she wondered.

“Apple Bloom had been eyein’ up that ship that’s been in the Fields all day; they have to be there!” Applejack reasoned, drawing on the fact that the three Crusaders had explored every nook and cranny in Ponyville, and that the de facto landing field was the only place of interest. Apple Bloom even talked to her about maybe getting on for a tour when AJ had said no; it was no question!

“Indeed, but we tried to alert one of the humans but they won’t let anypony on the ship, nor do they say that they’ve seen one filly, let alone three!” Rarity added. Twilight tentatively agreed but was not entirely sure what her friends wanted her specifically to do. She would surely search with them if they asked.

“Alright alright… how can I help?” she asked, rubbing her eyes and ready to move out immediately.

“Come with us… but we need to get on that ship. Samus can get us on so we have to wake her,” Rarity stated.

“Yeah… ummm…” Twilight began with uncertainty, averting her gaze somewhat awkwardly. “The thing is, Samus had a really long week, got home late, and just passed out. I can give you an hour’s worth of reasons why waking her up right now to search for some fillies would be a bad idea… I mean, I can come with you and we can probably get…”

“Twilight, she’s the only one who can get us on there as quickly as possible; I’m pretty sure I know her, she’d understand! She can be mad at us all she wants but we need her help. I’m waking her up,” Applejack added resolutely, turning and bounding to Samus’ door. Twilight knew she had a point, and followed cautiously after them. Applejack confidently knocked harshly—but not too harshly—on the bedroom door and awaited a response. The trio could hear sudden shuffling, then a loud thump… then slow, heavy steps getting louder and louder.

Then the door creaked open partially.

The three mares suddenly lost a bit of their confidence when they happened on Samus, long hair completely unkempt and disheveled, clad in wrinkled pajamas and a sunken facial expression that conveyed pure fatigue. Her eyes bore her normal stoic gaze laced with the far-off stare of just having suddenly woken up.

The Hunter did not speak, waiting on the mares to say something since there wasn’t the urgency of battle or invasion, and the trio quickly got the message that they had better start speaking immediately.

“Samus!” Applejack took the lead. “We really apologize but we need your help! Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo wandered off and we’re pretty sure they snuck into the ship in the field! The marines won’t let us on and I don’t think they’re looking for ‘em and we need to get them off before something bad could happen, please can you get us on the ship?!” Applejack pleaded, nearly groveling at the dead-tired Hunter’s feet. Samus only looked down at her and said nothing, keeping the same expression for a few seconds before closing the door. After a few odd moments of waiting and the sounds of shuffling around behind the door, Samus re-emerged with her Zero Suit, her hair still completely unkempt.

“Come with me,” she spoke softly yet with an air of complete authority, her voice slightly cracking from adjusting from sleep. The three mares sighed in relief and quickly fell into step behind her. Once they exited the library, Samus engaged her Suit sans helmet, letting her un-brushed hair flow down her armored back. Gazing up, Rarity still found Samus’ typical stoic look, she having seemingly ‘woken up’ a tad, but nevertheless, she was most likely annoyed to hell.

Samus lead the group with a purpose onto Ponyville Fields and, shrugging off the stares of working marines, they continued on and sauntered up to the entrance of the massive cargo-hold of the Stratus Light. A few marines greeted them as they got close, rifles attached to their backs, and appearing from the sides of the enormous loading bay, as it was a sensitive area.

“Samus Aran… and company,” one of the marines greeted as they closed the distance between them. Samus held her hand behind her to stay the mares. “What can we do for you tonight?”

“Yeah, I’ve been told by my friends here that they have reason to believe their children have wandered onto your ship. As well, I’ve also been told that you will not let them on to search, nor will you investigate.”

“That’s correct. We cannot let them on for security reasons and there has been no report, nor any sighting on security feeds of any wandering ponies within the confines of the ship,” the commanding officer responded.

“I can understand the first reason, yet you won’t investigate the possibility of lost children on the ship due to simply not seeing them? Last time I checked my definitions, if you saw them, they wouldn’t be lost,” Samus countered, her voice lowering somewhat and already getting irritated with the marines at the ridiculousness of the situation.

“W-Well, it’s a little more complicated than you put it…”

“No. No it really isn’t. In fact, I’m pretty sure you’re violating a few statutes for not investigating a missing individual possibly aboard your vessel… but that’s fine, if you don’t want to look for them, I will,” Samus stated and moved to step forward, but realized that the four marines were not moving out of her way. Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity looked on with suspense, not wanting Samus to get in trouble for helping them out, yet they knew they had no place in this conversation.

“I apologize, but you’re not getting on this ship.”

Samus looked at them stoically, her already fatigued and irritated complexion darkening. She had absolutely no patience for this right now. She was exhausted, somewhat hungry, annoyed, her friends had missing family, and now there were uncooperative troops. None of this would stand at all.

“If you don’t get out of my way you’re going to find yourself on medical leave,” Samus threatened impatiently. The other three marines that stood with the commanding officer subtly took half a step back. The scene attracted the attention of other working marines, while the Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity were wondering if Samus was about to start a fight. The commanding soldier moved his right arm behind his back to grab his rifle.

“I have orders to—”

Samus promptly raised her Arm Cannon to the low ready, her left hand easing atop the barrel, which found itself angled towards the ground separating Samus from the marines.

“I can draw on you first if you need more convincing.”

Three of the marines immediately backed off completely, lifting their hands up a bit defensively and abandoning their commanding officer. Any other marines that happened to be watching the spectacle quickly turned and went back to work.

“J-Just make it quick,” the officer nervously conceded, losing his spine after perceiving a credible threat from the Hunter.

“Thank you kindly.” Samus then turned back to the ponies. “Stay here, I’ll be back in a bit. Let me know if they so much as look at you wrong,” she instructed and walked past the marines into the loading bay. Twilight could’ve sworn she heard a softly muttered ‘pricks’ coming from Samus as she strolled on. The commanding officer turned to his subordinates with an annoyed expression under his visor.

“You three assholes are absolutely useless to me.”

“Whoa…” Scootaloo breathed in astonishment as she and her friends trotted through the seemingly deserted engine room. They were all looking in three different directions, eyes scanning over the massive housings of the Frigate’s engines as well as all the other equipment and machinery surrounding it. They had little idea what any of it was, naturally.

“What is all this stuff?” Apple Bloom asked nopony in particular, knowing full well that neither of her friends would have any answers to that.

“All I know is that these three giant things are the engines, like the Ponyville Express train,” Sweetie replied, gesturing to the three engine housings above them.

“Yeah those look as big as the Ponyville Express,” Scootaloo said, somewhat wary of their size as the group passed under one of them. “But what could we even do to get our cutie marks?”

That was a good question. The trio stopped and they all looked at each other as they attempted to come up with some inkling of an idea as to what to do in such a foreign environment. Clearly, the Crusaders had not planned completely ahead.

“Oh! What if we tried fixin’ stuff?” Apple Bloom suggested. Sweetie and Scootaloo looked at her oddly.

“Ummm… we don’t even know what like, all of the things in here are, how could we possibly fix anything?” Scootaloo replied.

“Not huge things, I mean little things! A leak is a leak and a crack is a crack regardless. We could get our cutie marks in working with new technology!” Apple Bloom elaborated and hypothesized, reigniting Scootaloo’s and Sweetie Belle’s excitement.

“Yeah, alright! Then where should we start?” Sweetie asked, looking around for anything that could possibly use ‘fixing.’ The three then split up and began searching while they were still alone. There appeared to be nothing of interest at first glance within the engine room, as it was quite clean and nothing looked out of maintenance. However, that was a different story when the gang wandered into the electrical room.

“Girls, look at this!” Scootaloo called. Apple Bloom and Sweetie quickly ran to her side, the pegasus gesturing to some weird, glowing, bent, node-looking thing jutting out from the wall, looking almost wilted. Amongst a bunch of neatly organized wires, it was quite an eyesore.

“What is it?” Sweetie asked, cocking her head to the left.

“I dunno but it sure as sugar doesn’t belong! It even looks worn out and beat up!” Apple Bloom commented, looking it over. “I don’t think we can take it out but maybe we can bend it straight. Sweetie, can ya use your magic for that?”

“Sure I can try!” Sweetie stated and lit her horn up. She magically grasped the node and with some exertion, attempted to bend it upward so it would jut outward perfectly straight.

“Yeah! There we go!” Scootaloo urged on as the unknown node slowly began to be righted.

[G.F.S. Stratus Light’s Bridge]

“What the…?” the comms officer on the bridge questioned as extranet signal strength began deteriorating rapidly. She opened a diagnostic window on her console in attempt to correct the problem, but her outburst had already attracted the attention of the ship’s commander.

“Is there a problem, Lieutenant?” the Commander of the Stratus Light asked in a subtle Germanic accent as he walked from the observation window towards the black-haired woman’s desk.

“Sir, our extranet connection is wildly fluctuating in strength. What the hell are they unloading down there?”

“Can you diagnose it?” the Commander asked, leaning over his officer and observing the connection windows on her screen.

“That’s what I’m attempting to do—aaand it’s gone,” the Lieutenant cut herself off as the extranet connection completely flatlined unexpectedly.

[Engine Room]

Sweetie Belle was still working on straightening out the stubborn (what they did not know was the extranet) node while Apple Bloom was looking on. Scootaloo had wandered a few dozen feet down the end of the room in order to search for any other possible things to fix.

“Nnngh… gah! There!” Sweetie Belle cut off her magic as the node was now perfectly jutting outward… though it clearly appeared to have gone agains its intended bending path.

“Great work, Sweetie!” Apple Bloom praised as her unicorn friend continued to work. She then moved to trot elsewhere. “When you’re done there, we can look for other—WHOA!” Her musings were cut off as she tripped on a small mass of wires with her entire weight in motion, completely severing the set from the wall next to the extranet node.

[Bridge]

“—aaand it’s gone,” the Lieutenant cut herself off as the extranet connection completely flatlined unexpectedly. The Commander pursed his lips as he stood up, moving to his observation podium and pressing a specific button.

“Engineering, can we get a unit down to Electrical to check out the extranet?”

No response after fifteen seconds.

“Engineering! Get down to Electrical, now!” the Commander ordered. Again, there was no response after twenty seconds.

“Ugh, if they’re drunk on the job again I’m having them court-martialed.”

“Uhhh sir? I just completed the diagnostic and we’ve also lost ship-wide voice communications,” the Lieutenant called over her shoulder informatively.

“What the f…” he ran both of his palms down his face. “Alright, get a message to Engineering to high-tail their asses to electrical and find out what the hell is going on.”

“Yes sir. Typing that up now and… shit.”

“Oh what now!?” the Commander asked, losing his patience by the second.

“The exchange network has been powered off… there’s no text-based communication either.”

“Fuck’s sake…” the ship’s leader stomped to the exit of the bridge, slid the door open, and peered to the marine standing guard on the left.

“You. Get your ass to Engineering and tell them to make themselves useful in Electrical. The extranet, comms, and exchange network are all down.”

“Yes sir!”

[Engine Room]

“That should do it,” Apple Bloom said as she reconnected all the wires that she had torn from their sockets. However, what she did not realize was that they were all jumbled, disorganized, and plugged into the wrong ports… all twelve of them.

“Did anypony get their cutie marks yet?” Scootaloo called out from around the artificial gravity generator.

“Nope!” Sweetie Belle replied instantly from the side of the water purification power supply. Apple Bloom eagerly looked to her flank and still found it as blank as ever.

“Nuh-uh!”

The three fillies froze in their steps, however, when someone cleared their throat loudly. Said sound emanated from right behind Apple Bloom and she, reluctantly, looked behind her. Staring down at her was none other than Samus who held her usual stoic gaze, though this time it was laced with irritation. The other two fillies looked on and Samus pointed to both of them, beckoning them over with one finger. All three Crusaders’ ears were flattened against their head and Samus pointed to the exit.

“Let’s go,” she ordered, and her tone brooked no protest. Apple Bloom fell into step next to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo next to her, starting their trek out the entrance.

Samus did not have much trouble finding the three, as she had just inferred their position from a lack of sighting. Since they had not been spotted within the ship’s main decks, chances were that they were on the lower ones, and as such, there were only the Engine, Electrical, and Cargo Decks to choose from.

Samus had led the three fillies out the way they had come in, and they left just in time before an engineer had finally come in to investigate what was causing problems throughout the ship. She happened upon the now mangled extranet node and the completely mismatched and unkempt wires, her jaw going completely slack.

“Oh what. The. FUCK?!”

With Samus leading the way out, it was a simple matter of reuniting the three fillies with Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight. The original guard marines that had given them trouble looked on disbelievingly as Samus emerged from their periphery with three little fillies in tow. As expected, AJ and Rarity immediately galloped over while Samus shot a subtle glare at the marines.

“What in tarnation is the matter with ya three??” Applejack asked, demanding answers.

“S-Sorry sis… we just were trying to get our cutie marks in—”

“What could ya possibly want to get a cutie mark of in this here ship?” Applejack cut her off, not wanting to hear it at all.

“A cutie mark should be the least of your worries, girls,” Samus spoke up, addressing the fillies. “You were wandering around in the Engine and Electrical rooms messing with things; consider yourself lucky that you were not seriously hurt.”

“Wandering around in the… Sweetie Belle I’ve taught you better than that!” Rarity took her turn in scolding her younger sister.

“And Scootaloo your parents will definitely be hearing about this!” Applejack added, addressing the pegasus, who lowered her head in understanding, much like the rest of the fillies who opted to say nothing. They’d be getting a much more dynamic and dedicated earful later. Twilight only looked on and shook her head with some humor at the plight of the Crusaders, this was not the first time that any of them had gotten into danger or wandered off… and she would bet hard currency that it would not be the last.

“Well, it looks like you three have this covered. So, I’m going to bed,” Samus announced, unequipping her Varia Suit entirely but before she sauntered off, she gently pulled Rarity and Applejack to the side.

“I had to threaten marines. Please don’t let this happen again,” Samus sternly ordered but in the sense of a friend scolding other friends. Nevertheless, she was completely serious: she did not enjoy having to threaten a fight with Federation Troops (even though they annoyed her greatly anyway).

“Y-You got it, partner,” Applejack answered softly.

“Crystal clear, Samus,” Rarity added in kind. The two mares shot another set of glares at the three Crusaders.

Samus then left the six of them to their own devices, lazily strolling through the organized chaos back towards the library so she could resume the sleep she was so irritatingly pulled from.

34.9 Kerfuffle

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 34.9

Kerfuffle

[Ponyville Park | ~ 4 Months After Conflict | 11:13 AM]

Samus found herself grateful that the coming week was not going to be too terribly hot; in fact, it was scheduled to be slightly cooler than what she had seen over the last month or so. Samus was obligated to brave nearly every conceivable environment in her travels and missions, but as an individual, she was entitled to her preferences: warm to temperate weather was perfect for her, but sweltering days were not entirely her fancy. However, her favorite was rain, and ranking up with that were cool, snowy days. Since today qualified as a comfortable day for her, she decided to spend it outdoors, opting for a bench in Ponyville Park.

Samus had nothing too extravagant planned for the day, and her daily workout with Rainbow Dash was cancelled on account of the latter going to Cloudsdale to visit her parents for the day. That was fine by Samus, as it gave her some quality time with her tablet to catch up on some news around the Federation, as well as check on the progress of her new Hunter-class gunship. On both of those fronts, there was nothing that really stood out in terms of news; new trade agreements were being hammered out apace, and her new gunship was well into construction and was expected to be delivered in about a month’s time.

Samus, clad in the Zero Suit, finished the article she was reading and set her tablet aside, taking a swig of water from her bottle as she reclined into the bench. With her arm resting on top of the bench back, she gazed out towards the expanse of the park, idly observing foals horsing around, grown ponies taking walks and socializing, as well as the occasional off-duty marine intermingling with a group of mares and stallions. It seemed like a textbook ‘good day,’ and even more so when she breathed in deeply. The air seemed crisp and refined, stirring memories of her younger days in Chozodia. A half-smirk graced her features as she exhaled, her face donning a much calmer and more content expression as she enjoyed her surroundings.

She was pulled out of her musings when her senses pulled her to the left. Fancying a look, Samus spied one of the groups of young colts that she had spotted playing around earlier. What was interesting was that the five colts were no longer rough-housing, but huddled together and sneaking glances in her general direction. They did not look older than ten or eleven by her estimates, and were not being subtle at all in their gestures towards her. Samus raised a brow at the scene.

What are you up to? she mused.

Samus shrugged indifferently and picked up her tablet again, checking to see if there were any new developments on a computer virus that had the potential to affect GF Aurora Units. Her reading was interrupted a few minutes later, however, when she again sensed another presence, though this time right in front of her. Her instantaneous inference as she put placed her tablet down and out of her face was that the colts decided to try and play a prank of some sorts on her; to mess with the big weird human.

As Samus looked over her tablet to see who was in front of her, there was a lone colt which belonged to the aforementioned group. He was a unicorn, blue-coated, with a combed, amber mane and eyes of the same hue. He looked… unsure of his presence in front of her, especially when Samus looked down upon him with an expectant gaze. Occasionally, he would start to say something but instantly close his mouth, averting his own gaze to the ground. Flicking her eyes upward for a split second, Samus observed that his group of friends almost looked annoyed, and kept silently trying to urge him on. Finally, the colt seemed to shrug indifferently, swallowing his fear, and magically brought an object in front of Samus’ eyes: a little white water lily (or so it looked like), one of the quite beautiful flowers that grew in the river that flowed adjacent to Ponyville’s park.

To say that Samus was completely dumbstruck at the gesture would be an understatement; it was only by virtue of her ironclad self-control and stoicism that she kept her composure.

Her brain activity slacked in part due to residual social awkwardness on her part. It was also in part due to the fact that she never in her wildest imagination expected something like this to happen. What was responsible for the most of her mental reboot, however, was the fact that very few people who knew who she was barely worked up any courage to interact with her on their own volition (sure, she had a few secret admirers), yet here was this colt handing her a flower.

I… okay. Ummmm, this is kind of a first.

Samus reached out and took the lily into her grasp, inspecting it and feeling its smooth texture between her fingers. It still had water droplets on the petals, indicating that it was not picked too long ago. The question was now, as the seconds slowly ticked by, how to play it off?

Know what? ...Eh, why not?

Samus offered the flower back to the colt, who took it in his magical grasp. Looking at the flower, a dejected expression began to spread across his face. Samus, however, leaned forward and turned her head, the gentlest of smiles on her face as she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear invitingly. The young colt, after a few blinks of surprise, got the message and placed the stem of the lily right in the crook of her ear, Samus adjusting it and running her hair around it so it was nice and secure. With the return of her usual hair style, a new addition was added in the form of a small, white water lily. Samus called upon the front-facing camera on her wrist console to look at herself. The flower showing through her hair added a very odd sense of complementary allure to the deadly Hunter.

Not bad.

Satisfied, Samus turned back to the colt and shot him a friendly smile, conveying her gratitude with her eyes which did not fall on figurative deaf ears. The colt smiled and Samus tousled his hair before playfully pushing the side of his face, eliciting a giggle and sending him on his way back to his friends. Samus watched him go, now clearly the envy of his friends, and huffed humorously while gingerly shaking her head, careful of the flower still resting on her ear.

Kids. What a little charmer, though.

“My, my, I never knew you to be such a heartbreaker, Samus,” a familiarly smooth, regal voice pierced through Samus’ second set of musings with a teasing edge. The Hunter knew who it was immediately and jokingly rolled her eyes, angling her head to her rear right as Princess Luna, garbed merely in peytral and tiara, approached seemingly from nowhere.

“Oh, that’s definitely me,” Samus began her reply with pure sarcasm as the Lunar Princess took her seat beside the woman. “Breaking bodies at work and breaking hearts on my free time.” Luna chuckled as she got comfortable on the bench, both of them devolving into a comfortable silence while they observed the goings of the park.

“How are you, Samus?” Luna eventually asked.

“I’m pretty well, actually.”

“Still enjoying your stay after four months?”

“I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t, that’s for sure,” Samus responded genuinely. It was true, if any of her more recent experiences and feelings were anything to go by; she enjoyed it in Equestria; dare she say, she loved it here. “How are you, Luna?”

“That’s wonderful to hear… and I’m quite well but, busy busy busy. The Federation is keeping Celestia and me constantly on our hooves but now that the trade agreement has been finalized, we can rest a bit easy, which is why I was able to come down and say hi. We do not have too much time though, as there are talks scheduled to happen in terms of our planet gaining protectorate status next week,” Luna explained, reclining into the bench back, setting her tiara aside, and removing the magic from her mane, allowing it to flow through the natural breeze with its natural color.

“Oh? Well, I can’t say that I’m surprised over a potential protectorate status, but I am surprised that it’s happening so soon. The Federation must really like Equis as a whole for them to be stepping up their game like this,” Samus mused out loud. The Princess looked at her partially.

“Anything I should be concerned about?” she asked. Samus dismissively shook her head.

“Nah. What would be cause for alarm is if they tried to increase their military presence on the planet… but a good portion of the troops and supplies sent down to fight during the conflict have been withdrawn back to the fleet...which itself has not been reinforced. But I’m sure you’re completely aware of this, as well as the fact that the Federation is only keeping troops in their own outposts or jointly controlled outposts for training purposes.”

“Indeed. I have not noticed any unusual buildup or stumbled upon any secret operations… and before you ask about that, I’m naturally somewhat paranoid about my nation’s borders, a habit I’ve never broken since well before my banishment, so I have my ways of finding out. In actuality, the Federation has been quite open with their deployments, joint exercises, and resource expenditures in our nation, often approaching me personally to let me in on little details. I must say I’m quite pleased,” Luna replied with an explanation of her own.

“Fair enough, I suppose,” Samus agreed.

“I as well came down here to tell you personally that I received your message,” Luna added with a knowing smile. Samus turned to her, reciprocating the gesture.

“Yeah? What do you think then?” Samus responded, already full-well knowing the answer.

“I would be absolutely thrilled to spar with you, Samus!” Luna exclaimed, reaffirming the stance that Samus already knew.

“Awesome, so… when would you want to do this, and where?” the Hunter asked, ready to hash out details so she could be ready by then.

“How about this Saturday at eleven in the morning? Ponyville Fields will do just fine.”

“Sounds good to me! What are the rules?” Samus asked.

“I propose a three-tiered match: Round one will consist of basic fist, foot, and hoof; no weapons, no armor, no magic, and no flight. Round two will be melee combat with the primary weapon being a blade of your choice. The third round will be a full arsenal fight: all weapons, magic, and abilities will be fair game. However, since your current armor and weapons layout is nowhere near as versatile as the Alicorn Battle Suit was, I shall drop the defensive enchantments on my armor and forego binding magic. How does that sound?” Luna explained and asked, detailing a rather specific process of their eventual sparring. Samus just stared at her for a few moments, both pairs of blue eyes never once losing their locks on each other.

“That… sounds like one of the greatest times of my life. I love the sound of every bit of that,” Samus confirmed, readily agreeing to all of the stipulations that Luna laid on the table. In fact, she was even more excited now.

“I do not believe either of us will hold anything back, and even though I’ll have a spell in place that will protect against fatal blows and shots, we will both most likely get seriously wounded,” Luna cautioned just in case. Samus shrugged and shook her head.

“I’d have it no other way, honestly.”

“Neither would I,” Luna echoed the Hunter’s sentiment. “Then it is settled! This coming Saturday, eleven in the morning, Ponyville Fields.”

“I’ll be there,” Samus said as Luna got off the bench and onto her hooves.

“Be ready, Hunter,” Luna replied with a friendly yet cryptic smile on her face before hunching low and shooting into the air, rapidly taking flight back towards Canterlot. Samus watched her go and the moment she lost sight of the flying alicorn, she tucked her tablet under her arm and sprinted back towards the Library… for she now had some major prep work to ensure she was ready for Saturday.

The water lily fell out of her hair about halfway to her destination.

[Ponyville Fields | Saturday | 10:45 AM]

It had only been a few days since Samus and Luna spoke, and only with each other with nopony else in earshot... but somehow word had gotten around that the two were going to have a friendly (but definitely brutal) go at each other on the weekend. Upon asking around, Pinkie was the culprit; when asked, she alleged that by Pinkie Sense, when she had two simultaneous twitches of her four hooves and had the strong urge to punch Rainbow Dash in the face, meant Samus and Luna were going to fight each other.

Samus had been learning quickly not to question the pink mare.

Regardless, due to word getting around, what was supposed to be a gathering between two friends actually became a proper event in Ponyville Fields, and it was not limited to just the ponies either… word had spread to Federation troops and those who could get clearance to leave flocked to the location. Of course, CV-Squad ensured they got front-row seats, sitting on the ground right on the periphery of what would be considered the arena, all in casual clothes or in their own coats. Said arena was a flattened, circular area within the Fields which provided enough traction for hooves and feet, but was still soft enough for cushion due to the sheer size and thickness of the aforementioned flattened grass.

Nearly all of Ponyville came out to watch, and Pinkie Pie was playing the role of the hyperactive organizer and pseudo-bookie, starting a betting pool, to which ponies and marines were all too eager to contribute. Ten minutes before everything was scheduled to begin, Twilight did a rough headcount and estimated that about two hundred individuals had showed up, excluding the combatants. The Mane Six (excluding Pinkie who was running around) all had their own front-row seats.

Samus was already in the arena, garbed in her Zero Suit and stretching herself out while awaiting Luna’s arrival… but she nor anyone else had to wait long. About five minutes before the scheduled time to begin, both princesses swooped down from the sky and landed on the arena’s periphery. The regal sisters were greeted with great applause from all of the ponies as Luna moved into the fighting area while Celestia took Luna’s regalia off of her hooves and had a seat next to Twilight.

“I see we have an… audience,” Luna observed out loud as she closed the distance between her and Samus.

“Yeah, word got around and apparently this is the match of the century or something,” Samus replied, meeting Luna halfway. The two began to talk idly as time passed and on the sidelines, Twilight leaned over to Celestia.

“Forgive me, Princess, but I’m somewhat surprised to see you here,” Twilight admitted sheepishly to her mentor, the latter giggling.

“And miss Luna possibly getting her flank handed to her? Priorities, my dear student. One must learn their priorities,” the Solar Princess replied humorously, but she was completely truthful: like any sister, she wished for her sibling to do well, but would not turn down an opportunity to see them get completely laid out flat. Twilight giggled into her hoof and right as the clock struck eleven, Pinkie dashed into the center of the quite large arena.

“ALRIGHT EVERYPONY!” she screamed at the top of her lungs through a megaphone, silencing everyone immediately. “Today we’re going to witness the greatest. Match. EVER! So let’s get this show on the road!”

All were silent as Pinkie was doing a wonderful job at getting everyone hyped up.

“On my right, we have the Human, the Chozo, the Hero of Equestria, the Hunter claaaaaad in metal… Samus Aran!” Pinkie introduced the Hunter, and Samus looked around somewhat awkwardly as everyone, especially her friends and the marines, delivered massive applause at her name’s mention. She opted to cross her arms confidently.

“And on my left… we have the Moon, the Night, the Protector of Dreams, our very own Frontline Warrior Princess… give it up for Princess Luna!” Pinkie introduced her with great fanfare. All the ponies erupted in cheers, especially Celestia, who was surprisingly the loudest of them all. Luna looked around with great pride as ponies and some marines cheered her name, her confidence swelling and reminding her that she was their princess… revered and appreciated.

Pinkie held up her hoof and the cheers slowly died down. Samus and Luna were hilariously impressed as to how well the pink mare was rallying everyone.

“These two warriors will be beating each other senseless in three separate rounds… Princess Luna!” Pinkie addressed the Night Princess. “What are the terms of the first round?”

“Merely fist, hoof, and foot. No armor, no magic, no flight,” she stated. Samus nodded and there were a few murmurs from the audience as they mulled upon the terms.

“So a regular fight!” Pinkie reiterated. “Who will win in this round? It’s anypony’s guess!”

“All set?” Samus quietly asked Princess Luna. The Princess then lit her horn up and shot a small bolt of magic above them, which then expanded outward into a massive bubble shield that disappeared once it made contact with the ground. Such a spell would prevent any life-threatening injuries.

“Indeed!” Luna finally replied confidently and the two shared a grin.

“Make no mistake this will be a bruuuutal match!” Pinkie continued to announce with some crypticism as her entire form shivered visibly with excitement. “This will not be for the faint of heart and queasy of stomach… you have all been warned! FIGHTERS! Take your positions and make your introductions!”

Luna and Samus blinked in confusion, looking at the hyperactive mare simultaneously.

“Ummm, what?” Samus asked.

“Pray tell, did you not just introduce us?” Luna echoed the Hunter’s sentiment.

“No not like that! It’s tradition to make a flashy introduction that taunts your opponent!” Pinkie urged excitedly.

“By whose tradition?” Samus asked. Pinkie was about to answer when Samus cut her off. “Actually, don’t answer that.”

“Well, who am I to break tradition?” Luna reasoned, more than happy to do it. “Let’s have some fun.”

“Alright,” Samus conceded indifferently, she and Luna sharing a fist/hoofbump before retreating to their sides of the arena. Pinkie stepped out of the ‘killzone’ and all eyes were now on the combatants. Luna’s smile immediately turned stoic and fierce.

“So the great Hero of Equestria graces my presence… much like her face shall grace the ground…” Luna taunted, hunching low, lifting a single hoof off the ground, and flaring her wings in her fighting stance. There were distinct murmurs and ‘ooooooh’s’ from the crowd, especially the ponies, as Luna looked particularly aggressive.

Samus donned her usual battle-hardened stoic expression and took a few steps forward. She then placed her left hand on her hip and ‘observed’ Luna, pursing her lips in a way that conveyed a sense of being unimpressed.

“Hmph,” she huffed out, as if almost bored, before taking her own fighting stance. Eyes widened at the gesture, because she essentially snubbed the Princess and already took a figurative jab at her. There were even louder ‘oooooooh’s’ from the crowd and one could distinctly hear Arianna saying “OOHOHOHO DAMN!”

[Round 1 Suggested Theme]

“Alright everypony! Let’s get started!” Pinkie announced with her right hoof in the air before suddenly slamming it to the ground. “FIGHT!”

Everyone, from what they knew of her, expected Samus to assess the situation and go from there, to see what Luna would do and react accordingly.

They were wrong.

Samus immediately leapt from her position and somersaulted in the air, covering the ground between herself and Luna with catlike grace before extending her right heel and attempting to plant it in Luna’s face. The sheer speed with which she executed her first, lightning-fast strike almost ensured that her plan was realized, but Luna side-stepped to the left at the last second after overcoming her own surprise. Samus’ heel slammed into the flattened grass below and she turned to face off with the Princess of the Night, the two almost face to face now.

“WHOA! NOPONY COULD’VE SEEN THAT COMING!” Pinkie shouted, playing the role of the announcer.

Samus followed up immediately with two left jabs and a right hook, Luna dodged every single one and when she angled her head out of the way for the last strike, the lack of impact caused Samus to overextend slightly, off-balancing her and giving Luna an opening. She slightly reared up and moved to plant her hoof in Samus’ face but the latter blocked the hit with her right forearm, left hand rising to take hold of the princess’ leg. Samus attempted to flip the alicorn on her back but Luna had other plans: she used the momentum Samus had created to slam her left hoof straight into the right side of the Hunter’s face.

Samus stumbled and released the Lunar Princess, clutching her cheek but recovering just in time to avoid what would have been a devastating buck to her chest by collapsing her legs under her. Effectively ducking under the strike, Samus swept Luna’s supporting, front legs off the ground and nearly suspending her in the air for a moment as she fell flat on her left side. The vicarious pained groans of the crowd fell on deaf ears as both combatants were in their zone; only they existed.

Luna quickly recovered from the painful shock of being forced on her side, rolling to her right side just as Samus’ fist came smashing into the ground where her face used to be. Luna quickly found her hooves and fell back into her fighting stance as Samus continued to press her advance. The latter threw a right roundhouse but fell short of Luna’s face, and the Princess wanted to capitalize on the Hunter’s failure with a straight punch to Samus’ face, but did not anticipate the Hunter following up on her missed kick with a punishing left sidekick. Samus’ left heel connected squarely with Luna’s snout. After a pained cry from the Princess, the crowd reacted instantly.

“OOOH, FUCK!” Starry shouted from next to Nathan as the meaty impact of heel and snout thundered across the field. Luna hastily retreated and Samus advanced slowly, affording the Lunar Princess some breathing room. When the latter looked up at Samus again, her snout was visibly bleeding, yet her face bore no reduction in aggression nor morale. As for Samus, the perfect hook that Luna had landed on her face was clearly visible in the form of a red mark on the pale skin of Samus’ right cheek. It had not even been a couple of minutes yet all were completely captivated by the match… even Celestia was hanging on the edge of her seat.

“Not holding back, I see…” Luna observed out loud.

“Am I ever one to shirk?” Samus replied and began her assault anew, initiating a powerful wheel kick. Such a kick would be devastating if it connected with the sheer kinetic energy that Samus could muster, but the drawback was that it was slow to start and easy to spot. She was well aware of this but this was not a singular move: it was a part of a long, Chozo target combination that essentially relied on the evasion of the kick. The plan was for Luna to draw herself backward in an attempt to counter attack, and then Samus would have an absolute field day.

That wasn’t what happened at all.

Luna made absolutely no effort to put much distance between her and her temporary adversary. In fact, upon discerning Samus’ intent, she merely sidestepped to the left. As a result, Samus suddenly found herself next to Luna with her back turned… a near instantaneous vulnerability that the Princess capitalized on immediately. Luna harshly body-checked Samus in her back, making her stumble forward and putting some distance between the two. She then followed up with a ‘dual punch,’ planting both of her front hooves in Samus’ upper back full force. She was not done there, though. Before Samus could fall forward, she felt her ponytail suddenly gripped in Luna’s teeth. Immediately after, and with a great deal of pain, she was yanked backward and thrown onto her back, the back of her head bouncing after hitting the ground.

“Damn, Princess!!” Rainbow Dash cheered while the rest of the Mane Six looked away when Samus’ head slammed into the ground.

“Come on, Samus!” Sydney urged with Arianna. They liked her as a person but also they each had a hundred credits-turned-bits riding on the entire match.

Samus saw stars as soon as she hit the ground but was able to clear them out immediately to bound back to her feet… however the moment she bounded back up, Luna socked her straight in the upper-right cheek, forcefully returning her to her ass and back. Everypony had some degree of reaction to that scene.

"OOOH, THAT'S GOTTA HURT!" Pinkie continued to announce a play-by-play.

Shooting her eyes open and gauging her surroundings, Samus rolled her entire body laterally to the left just as both of Luna’s hooves came crashing down on where her stomach was not even milliseconds ago. Opting not to try and get to her feet with Luna shadowing her, Samus, with some extra thrust from her arms, shot her legs out and wrapped them tightly around Luna’s neck. Angling herself perfectly in front and gripping the sides of her muzzle, it was Luna’s turn to see stars when the crown of Samus’ head collided directly with the base of her horn. That connection was also quite audible; every single unicorn in the audience ‘felt’ that impact and violently cringed, especially when they heard Luna cry out.

Samus released herself from Luna, the latter backing off and trying to massage the pain away. Still, Samus opted to press her attack once more; she knew as a bipedal human that she had the advantage in weapon-less melee combat over a quadrupedal pony, but that didn’t mean Luna didn’t score a few painful hits on her. Samus’ plan now was to get Luna harshly to the ground and deliver one more devastating blow to ensure she didn’t get up. That would end the fight immediately.

Sprinting at the retreating alicorn, Samus was going to tackle straight into her with all of her might but Luna had sensed her presence and, with astonishing speed, turned on her front heels and bucked with her rear as Samus got within perfect striking distance. As fortune would have it, the top of both of Samus’ breasts took a heel kick, throwing her off of her feet mid-sprint and again, finding herself on her back once more. It was now every woman in the audience’s turn to cringe.

While certainly radiating and throbbing, that pain was by no means crippling to Samus, who laterally rolled several times so she could safely get back to her feet. Looking over to Luna, Samus found her still clutching her head and shaking off the blow that was delivered to her… and that slight reduction in adrenaline amplified the pain in her chest several times… to where it almost was crippling, she herself having to bend over and clutch herself for just a little bit. Pained grimaces were quite prominent on both belligerents’ faces along with pained groans and cries.

Both seemed to recover near simultaneously and charged each other, initiating a stalemate of thrown punches kicks, and blocks. All were on the edge of their seats as the fighting pair were doing their absolute best to wear the other down and eventually find an error in their respective defenses. Hits and kicks were blocked and parried but more than a few scored hits on each other’s bodies.

Eventually though, Luna made a critical blunder in underestimating Samus’ close-quarters dexterity, overextending both of her front legs which paved a perfect opening for Samus to grasp her adversary’s horn. The sudden contact on such a sensitive appendage nearly stopped Luna in her tracks for a split second, but a split second was all that Samus needed. With her left hand firmly grasping Luna’s horn, Samus delivered an underhanded fist to the alicorn’s chest, Luna’s eyes widening as she felt a crushing pain in her ribcage. Samus then followed up with a destructive right axe-kick straight to the top of Luna’s back, right below the base of her neck. The alicorn’s legs gave out near instantaneously and she collapsed like a ragdoll onto her stomach.

K.O.

One could hear a figurative pin drop when Luna went down, and all that sounded were both parties’ heavy breathing. While Samus was clearly victorious, damage had definitely been done: a few cuts on her face, a terrible headache, mild vertigo, a semi-bruised back, two sore breasts, and a swollen (but not completely black) eye.

“AND THERE YOU HAVE IT EVERYPONY! SAMUS WINS ROUND ONE!” Pinkie finally announced after overcoming her own stunned stupor. The crowd applauded wildly and while Twilight and the rest of the Mane Six were visibly concerned for Luna, Celestia was joining in on the applause with an impressed look on her face. Samus did not care for the limelight in any form, and her first concern was to see if Luna was okay, she kneeling down over the downed alicorn’s face.

“Princess,” Twilight addressed. “Forgive me but are you not worried for Princess Luna?” Celestia shook her head.

“Not at all. Luna has survived so much worse.”

Meanwhile on the field…

“Hey… Luna?” Samus softly called, stroking the heavily breathing alicorn’s face. Though Luna’s darker coat most likely obscured a lot more in terms of physical damage done to her, Samus could clearly see the bloody snout and swelling at the base of her horn. Likewise, Luna also had a semi-black eye and a couple of mild scratches and cuts on her face.

“I am okay, Samus… though thank you for the concern. That was a damn good hit…” Luna replied gratefully, shakily getting to her hooves with Samus helping her a little bit. The two then escorted each other out of the arena so they could heal up with some magic. The Mane Six plus Celestia and Spike all came up to greet and commend them for their performance but before they could express anything, Samus turned to Pinkie Pie.

“Thirty minutes.”

She nodded and picked up her megaphone as the duo followed by their other friends moved to a designated recovery area.

“THIRTY MINUTE INTERMISSION, EVERYPONY!”

[Thirty Minutes Later]

Right on the dot, Samus and Luna returned to the center of the arena seemingly no worse for wear. All cuts and bruises were magically healed to near perfection and all headaches had been beautifully cured. Thus, the two belligerents were eager to get the next round started: weaponized melee combat.

“AND WE’RE BACK, EVERYPONY! WITH ROOOUUUUND 2, THE SAME RULES APPLY AS THE LAST, BUT THIS TIME THEY’LL BE USING SWORDS!!!” Pinkie returned to her announcing and hosting duties. “BUT REMEMBER… THERE ARE THREE ROUNDS, WHICH MEANS IF SAMUS TAKES VICTORY HERE, SHE WINS THE MATCH!”

All sat on the edge of their seats and Luna and Samus got into position, this time much closer to each other. Luna currently was not holding anything in her grasp but Samus was idly twirling a standard Equestrian Longsword. There was nothing really in particular differentiating it from a standard longsword but it did have an enchanted edge which allowed it to spar with Equestrian ‘pure blades’ without getting lopped off.

“GET READY…!” Pinkie announced, Samus and Luna responding by closing more of the distance between each other. Luna’s horn lit up and she conjured her blade of pure magic, angling it toward Samus, who reciprocated in kind with her own blade. Both had determined, fierce smiles on their faces yet again.

[Round 2 Suggested Theme]

“Ready?” Samus asked.

“Come at me, Samus,” Luna uncharacteristically goaded, eliciting a humorously bemused expression from Samus, one that said ‘oh, I see how it is.’

“…FIGHT!”

This time, Samus did not opt for a first strike, rather, she and Luna stared each other down as their blades touched. The crowd was completely on edge as they squared off, idly circling each other in their respective fighting stances. One mare, however, decided to interrupt the silence.

“Hope you enjoy what you’re about to see,” Radiance whispered to Sydney, the two of them having debated on who would win this match. Back on the field, the two were still squaring off after thirty seconds, but the peace was quickly disturbed when Luna pulled back and delivered a powerful, if standard, vertical chop. Samus easily parried it but it came with much more power than she had anticipated… with Luna controlling her weapon via magic, Samus suddenly had to concede that gauging intent and power would be much more difficult.

Samus slid her sword out from under Luna’s and attacked with a right, diagonal chop. Luna instantly intercepted the strike, sidestepping and countering with a forward thrust, Samus also having to sidestep in kind. There they began a little dance, with Luna completely dictating tempo, probing Samus’ strengths and weaknesses, gauging just how well she knew how to fight with a blade. Even though Samus was trained to an extent melee combat, she couldn’t hold a candle to Luna’s combat experience, honed to a razor’s edge in the crucible of centuries. The general crowd felt that the two were in a deadlock, but the few Magickakorps soldiers who were observing knew much better… the Princess was figuratively playing with her food.

Luna suddenly went on the offensive, striking with a flurry of chops from every direction. Samus had to back up in order to block and parry each one but a strike from down low caught her off guard. She had no time to parry; in order to avoid getting hit, she rolled to the right. In coming out of her roll, however, she misjudged where Luna would strike from and ended up taking a glancing blow to the side of her left tricep. True to Luna’s word, the magical field surrounding them prevented a sizeable portion of her Zero Suit and skin from getting cut into, but a nasty shock was delivered in its place. Even with the quick contact, Samus grunted in pain but regained her footing, ready to meet Luna’s next move.

No move ever came as Luna met Samus as they started, the two in equilibrium once more. Samus was a little shaken but still fiercely determined, while Luna was completely calm and collected, as well as perfectly confident.

Samus moved to end that, suddenly bursting out of their little detente with four successive strikes, which Luna was more than capable of blocking or evading outright. To finish her combination, Samus called upon her Chozo training and bounded off of her feet, laterally rolling in the air as her blade came down vertically on Luna in a massive power attack. Luna did not expect such a flashy yet powerful move from the Hunter, and was obliged to splay her legs and quickly interpose her own blade underneath Samus’. Still, the sheer force behind it all forced both of their now connected swords to angle towards the ground on Luna’s left.

Right as Luna dissociated her blade from her opponent’s, Samus followed up with a balled-up backhand to the side of Luna’s face, the pointy end of her knuckle connecting squarely with the side of the alicorn’s temple. Recovering within an instant, Luna stopped Samus’ offensive in its tracks and she began to beat her back.

“OWIE OW-WIE!! THAT LOOKED PAINFUL!” Pinkie continued to yell through the megaphone. This time, however, she had help in the form of Spike, just like with the Running of the Leaves.

“I have to agree, Pinkie,” Spike yelled through his own megaphone. “I’d not want to be on the receiving end of that one.”

The sword-fight continued to heat up with Samus putting up admirable resistance but ultimately, each and every one of her offensives was beaten back, worse and worse each time. The souvenirs of her slow loss of ground were beginning to mount up, though, in the form of lacerations in her Zero Suit as well as a few red spots and some swelling from when Luna caught her off guard and punched her a few times. Her wounds greatly outclassed anything she was able to deliver to the Night Princess.

Luna was absolutely done playing around, as was evident by her much more complex target combinations and maneuvers; employing combat rolls and utilizing her wings not for flight, but to twirl in the air in order to aid in stabilization and power. On Samus’ part, this was nothing like fighting Chrysalis-turned-faux-Luna… this was something else entirely.

Luna struck five times in quick succession, all upward strikes and Samus was clearly having some trouble in evading and parrying.

“Uh oh… I think she’s having some trouble here…” Spike observed.

“IT AIN’T OVER ‘TIL IT’S OVER! SAMUS LOOKS LIKE SHE’S GOT SOME FIGHT LEFT IN HER!” Pinkie added her commentary. True to her words, Samus sprang up for one more go, abandoning the rigidity of combat forms in favor of the explosive fluidity of one final assault. Had she the time, Luna would have readily admitted that she was impressed with the explosive finesse and controlled fury on display from the Hunter. She never doubted Samus’ melee weapon combat abilities, but the sheer amount of experience that she had dwarfed what the Hunter could muster; Luna was just being realistic.

Samus managed to score a lucky hit on Luna’s shoulder in the midst of several consecutive flurry strikes. The Hunter ended with a final vertical chop and a forward thrust when she had Luna in the perfect position. Samus had blunted a counterattack from Luna and if she played her cards just right, she could end the fight right now.

Luna, however, batted Samus’ thrust completely to her left, the Hunter missing and suddenly overextending herself. Luna then chopped down on Samus’ hands, the sword tumbling from suddenly-nerveless hands. Luna then ended the fight with one final lateral swipe of her blade, the weapon slicing through Samus’ upper abdomen/diaphragm area and delivering a crippling jolt. Samus screamed out through bared teeth and clutched the impact point with both hands as she dropped to the ground onto knees, then her side. She laid curled in a fetal position riding out a continuous jolt that caused her to tremble involuntarily. To signal the end of the fight, Luna stood over her adversary and pointed her sword at her head. Samus made no attempt to get up through her twitching.

K.O.

“THAT’S IT THEN!” Pinkie called out as the crowd slowly began to cheer for the victor, especially the ponies in the crowd.

“I hear you there, Pinkie! This round is over and the clear winner is Princess Luna!” Spike announced.

The entire round had not even lasted a proper five minutes and Samus was already down for the count. This time, Luna hunched over the Hunter’s form and prodded her with her muzzle to ensure that she was okay.

“Samus? Are you well?” she asked. Samus, eyes still closed and riding out some of the residual shock, nodded.

“Yeah… j-just gimme a moment,” she replied, finally rolling onto her stomach and supporting herself on her knees and with one arm, the other still clutching the gash in her Zero Suit. “God that was a good hit, Luna…” she added as she shakily stood up.

Luna allowed the girl to lean against her as they moved to exit the arena, Samus gladly accepting the gesture.

“Thanks.”

“Of course,” Luna responded. She then turned to Pinkie and Spike as they exited the perimeter like last round. “Fifteen minutes.”

“ALRIGHT EVERYPONY! ANOTHER FIFTEEN MINUTE INTERMISSION!”

[Fifteen Minutes Later]

Again, right on time, the two belligerents returned to the field with much fanfare, looking perfectly healthy. The only signs of combat were some gashes within Samus’ Zero Suit but that could easily be repaired via her ‘save station’ in Twilight’s basement. That would be dealt with in due time since she would not be needing her Zero Suit proper in this round. Round three, as was discussed with Luna earlier in the week, was a full-arsenal battle, meaning Samus would have full access to her entire Varia Suit, along with most of its capabilities. The only exception would be her missile launcher, which still refused to work; Samus had not figured out how to reactivate it.

So, Samus had her Power Beam, Charge Beam, Morph Ball, Bombs, her Speed Booster, and Grapple Beam to work with; not such a bad suite of tools in the end.

“ALRIGHT EVERYPONY, HERE WE GO!” Pinkie got everyone’s attention once Luna and Samus took their places within the arena for the final round.

“It’s the third round and both Her Highness and Samus are tied in victories. Remember, whoever wins this round, wins the entire match!” Spike reiterated. On the sidelines, many of the spectators were anxiously awaiting what would happen, munching on snacks as they were all leaning forward. Princess Celestia and Twilight were going at popcorn like there was no tomorrow while never taking their eyes off the combatants.

“SO! FOR SAFETY, THE SHIELD AROUND PRINCESS LUNA AND SAMUS WILL ABSORB ALL ATTACKS THAT’LL STRAY OUT OF THE ARENA!”

“So Princess Luna, Samus… get ready for the final round…” Spike announced the start of preparations, and there weren’t that many that needed to take place. Simultaneously, Samus and Luna’s bodies were eclipsed in a bright golden and teal-blue light respectively, leaving them clad in their own armor-suits. This time the duo stood much farther apart on account for the inevitable ranged combat. Like Luna had promised, she also dropped the defensive magical enchantments on her own armor, so Samus’ power beam (her only ranged weapon) would not be rendered completely ineffective. This round, everything was fair game except for extended binding magic.

The two took slightly different fighting stances: Luna aiming her horn towards the Varia Suit-clad Hunter, and Samus squaring off with Luna and aiming her arm cannon right between her eyes. Both intended to fight brutally to the end in the name of practice; the shield surrounding them ensuring that there would be no loss of life today.

[Round 3 Suggested Theme]

Just damaged bodies.

“GO!” Pinkie and Spike announced together, and the shooting erupted immediately. Power and Night Beams were traded back and forth as the two began firing and evading, circling one another. The initial volley of magic and hard-light rounds brought forth a lightshow of hit and missed rounds, those which missed their targets absorbed harmlessly into the shield like ripples in a pond. Shielding lit up as it was struck and while the crowd was instantly engaged with the fighting, both alicorn and Hunter established that this ranged shooting war would quickly become a stalemate, and it had to be broken in the very near future if they did not want this fight to drag on for literally hours.

With the slightest lull in the hailstorm of rounds, Samus leapt into the air even higher and farther than last time due to her Suit enhancements. Luna shot at her in the air as she backed off and, as expected, Samus landed in front of her but right as she landed, she released a charged shot. The overcharged Power Beam round sent Luna careening backwards and she bounced on the ground once before coming to a rest.

“That definitely broke the stalemate!” Spike observed out loud through his megaphone.

“WOWIE! THERE SHE GOES!” Pinkie also added as everyone saw Samus start sprinting towards Luna’s downed form the moment she came to rest. Samus began firing a massive torrent of Power Beam rounds as the Princess was attempting to get back to her hooves, but Luna cast a heavy shield which absorbed everything that was sent her way. Right as Samus bore down on her, Luna grappled Samus in her magic and held her in place, releasing her only when Luna had charged her own beam and shot it directly into Samus’ visor, launching her away and negating any advantage in ground that the Hunter had acquired.

“WHOA! DID LUNA JUST BREAK THE RULES WITH BINDING MAGIC??” Pinkie wondered out loud.

“No! It was too short of a spell in duration to be binding magic, so I’ve learned from Twilight. That could be treated as a grapple,” Spike replied as the scene continued to unfold.

Now it was Luna's turn. As Samus moved to get back to her feet, the Princess responded with a rapid-fire torrent of her Night Beam, several rounds impacting Samus’ shields before she was able to gain some lateral distance away from her adversary’s line of fire. Luna suddenly teleported out of existence but before Samus could switch visors, the alicorn reappeared right behind her. Samus then felt a charged Night round slam into her back and send her into the ground.

Samus quickly entered Morph Ball mode and boosted away before Luna could follow up on any attack, sliding to a halt on one knee and her left hand as she phased back to her bipedal form, confident of the sufficient distance she put between the two of them. Her arm cannon was aimed out and she was prepared to defend or assault at a moment’s notice. Her shielding held steady, though some depletion had definitely occurred, but Samus was not worried at all. This was a friendly but aggressive sparring match and all damage sustained could easily be repaired.

With Samus’ advance temporarily stalled, Luna was already rearing up for another magical attack, and by the time the Hunter had pivoted to face her, she was in the middle of stomping both of her hooves to the ground. Such an action birthed a shockwave of magical electricity that expanded outward with Luna at its center. As the wave approached Samus, she leaped from the ground once more, somersaulted in the air, and fired down on Luna as she dropped back to her feet. Luna returned fire with another rapid-fire torrent but Samus quickly dashed to her right to avoid the brunt of the hard-magic rounds.

The Hunter did have a trick up her sleeve, and as Luna turned to track her, Samus launched her Grapple Beam and it found its mark perfectly on the tip of Luna’s horn. The crowd all seemed to gasp as one, including Luna who was suddenly reminded of a certain battle with a Nightmare-corrupted Samus. Like that time, the Grapple Beam nullified all magic casting and was stuck firmly, as if by magnet. Samus pressed her advantage by yanking backward, which pulled Luna forward. In an attempt to dislodge herself from the beam, Luna tugged backward, splaying her legs and digging her hooves into the ground, which pulled Samus much farther than she pulled the much more stably-footed alicorn.

Samus then decided to sprint around Luna, which resulted in her head being forcefully dragged along but Samus was not done yet. Luna was slowly overcoming the ‘magnetic’ effect of the Grapple Beam and it would be only a matter of time before she dislodged herself. Thus, Samus yanked her left arm backward and opened fire with her Power Beam, the rounds peppering the temporarily defenseless Princess. Every single one of her rounds scored a damage-dealing hit on the Princess in either her faceplate or chest, and in one final act of desperation, Luna reared up and used every scrap of magic she had access to within her being in a desperate bid to get the Grapple Beam off of her horn. The result was Samus being taken completely off of her feet and face-planting into the ground.

“WOWIE! IT’S A GAME OF TUG-O-WAR NOW!” Pinkie observed as Luna fought back against the Grapple Beam.

“That’s a bold strategy, Pinkie, let’s see if it works for her!” Spike also added, leaning forward and completely entranced in the fight.

“RYAH!!” Luna roared out, yanking her head back once more, but this time, Samus jumped towards the alicorn and with the extra momentum from Luna’s tug, she quickly closed the distance between them. At the very last second, Samus retracted the Grapple Beam and, like a blast from the past, Luna’s faceplate was met with the cold, unforgiving heel of Samus’ Varia Suit. The transparent visor nearly shattered, bereft as they were of Luna’s protective enchantments, and the cracking was quite audible. Fortunately, the construction of Luna’s visor prevented lethal shattering, restricting the damage to an impressive spiderwebbing. Luna’s neck craned itself in an awkward direction immediately afterward along with some terribly radiating pain, but at least she was free of the Grapple Beam.

Samus continued her offensive with a downward pound of her arm cannon but Luna had recovered enough to quickly evade the punishing strike. The sudden miss gave Luna an opening and she let loose an electrical shock straight into Samus’ entire being. She screamed out as she spasmed in place, and Luna ceased the electrical stream, replacing it with a powerful hoof to Samus’ visor. She was not done yet, though… as Samus stumbled backward from Luna’s hard-hitting hoof, the alicorn wreathed her body in magic, hefted her a few feet into the air, and slammed her into the ground breastplate first. She bounced from the impact and Luna finished her combo by digging her front hooves in and bucking Samus full-force in the side, sending her about ten feet away.

The spectators all roared in applause at Luna’s burst of aggression after so long on the defensive, and her little victory, however fleeting, was enough to galvanize her for an offensive of her own. Luna charged forward but Samus recovered much quicker than expected, locking onto her and shooting a charged round with sniper-like precision. Luna was able to call up a barrier before the round impacted, but her haste meant that the barrier wasn’t as strong as it could have been; therefore, it shattered prematurely, the residual force from the blast finding its mark in Luna’s chest. The impact cut her legs out from under her and caused her upper body to cartwheel into the ground. Her face harshly planting into the grassy ground was enough to dislodge a few pieces of cracked glass from her visor, and a broken visor was not good to fight with. Consequently, she pulled her helmet loose and discarded it before resuming her advance.

Samus was already back on her feet and promptly began renewing her fire, forcing Luna to prop up another magical shield to absorb the rounds. This time, though, it was much stronger, allowing her to advance forward under Samus’ withering hailstorm of Power Beam rounds. Weathering the barrage of fire, Luna closed with Samus, then telekinetically projected her shield forward, ramming Samus with it, halting her attack. She then lunged and tackled the Hunter to the ground, delivering another hoof-punch to the visor before Samus reached out and grabbed hold of her horn.

It was at this moment that Samus knew she screwed up.

Luna sent yet another electrical pulse through Samus with the same results as last time. As the Hunter spasmed on the ground, Luna reared up and brought both her hooves down with bone-shattering force on Samus’ armor plating. The impact drove the air from Samus’ lungs; however, her armor saved her from catastrophic trauma...though not without its own cost, as Samus’ suit dispassionately informed her:

[Shield Generator Destroyed! Shielding Offline!]

FACK

Samus angled her arm cannon upward and fired a charged round straight into Luna’s abdomen, but hadn’t given the round enough time to reach full charge; therefore, the shot’s effect was limited to driving Luna’s breath from her lungs in turn. It did force the Princess to retreat retching and kneeling down from the painful strike as the Hunter found her feet with some difficulty. Though each combatant had tended to their injuries between the last two rounds, what went untreated as well as sheer fatigue began to take their toll.

A fierce melee confrontation immediately broke out when the two met each other, Samus pressing another offensive, yet Luna was evading every single one of her attempted hits. When Luna countered, she was much more successful in scoring unexpected blows on Samus, and in fact, with a magically charged punch to the side of Samus’ head—made worse through the latter’s lack of shields—she ended up crippling Samus’ visor suite, scrambling her Combat Visor to the point of inoperability. Samus broke off temporarily to discard her helmet.

Every time Samus aimed and fired, Luna summoned a barrier to absorb or deflect the shots; when the alicorn opted to return fire, Samus would evade with superior agility. Luna refused to permit Samus to gain the advantage of increased range, relying on micro-teleports to constrain the battle to much more acceptable distances. Both combatants independently concluded that this battle would once again culminate in close quarters, though the armor enhancements certainly made for an interesting spectacle. Naturally, there were some move-sets (most of which would deal certain death, despite failsafes put in place) that both parties unspokenly agreed not to use, as they were not facing true enemy combatants.

This fight had dragged on longer than the other two rounds combined and yet, every single spectator in the crowd (including some pegasi who were flying above for a different view) simply could not look away. Princess Luna and Samus continued to trade merciless blows. Armor clashed against armor, body checks were rampant, cold steel struck exposed skin and coat. Bruises were inflicted, damage was dealt, and blood was spilled. A brief lull in combat when the two opponents separated led the crowd to hesitantly believe that they had had enough. That theory was disproven when both parties lunged almost ferally at each other in one last clash of all they could muster.

Samus delivered a crushing underhand into Luna’s stomach when she reared up to strike, driving her left fist into Luna’s barrel; a similar attack of that power on any normal pony or human at that would have crippled them for life. Luna backed off as she attempted to breathe again, leaving herself completely open. Samus found herself squared off with a seemingly retreating Lunar Princess and one final, crushing backhand with her arm cannon to Luna’s face would end the fight.

With a cry of exertion, Samus dashed forward, bringing her arm across her chest and twisting slightly to her left. She then swung her cannon out in a vicious arc. However, as Samus committed her entire body to her strike, she noticed too late that Luna was winding up her own attack; a right hook aimed straight for her face. The result: the barrel of the arm cannon impacted the side of Luna’s face with terrifying force, but that extra kinetic energy that transferred into Luna also added momentum to her right hook, which found its mark with increased ferocity in Samus’ now-unprotected jaw.

Both let out simultaneous throaty, guttural cries of anguish before dropping like unstrung puppets. Both appeared conscious and were definitely breathing, albeit shallowly...but neither of them made any effort to get to their feet or hooves.

Double K.O.

The silence was even more profound this time; the earth itself seemed to hold its breath. This was the last round… and both combatants were down!

“Oh my Celestia…” Spike finally mustered the words that all were thinking.

“It’s… THEY DOWNED EACH OTHER! IT’S A DRAW!” Pinkie excitedly announced, bouncing up and down. The crowd began to murmur in slight disappointment; because the contest ended with no clear winner, everyone’s bets would be returned, not paid. That disappointment didn’t long prevail, quickly becoming an encouraging, thunderous cheer for the amazing entertainment. The Mane Six plus Celestia and Spike were clearly the loudest, though their cheers were muted somewhat with their deep concern for the wellbeing of the Lunar Diarch and the resident Bounty Hunter.

After the fight was called, and the two combatants regained a modicum of composure Samus and Luna took their time in sitting up, supporting themselves with their free limbs as they breathed heavily. The damage had clearly been done.

Samus’ shield generator was destroyed and, as a result, any other damage she took from Luna’s attacks was dealt straight to her Varia Suit and physical form. Her Suit was cracked and dented in several places, a small piece of her right pauldron was missing, her helmet that she had discarded was dented and cracked on and around the visor, and she herself hurt all over. In terms of physical injuries, she had a full black eye, several cuts on her face one of which was still bleeding from the final blow. A basic diagnostic also revealed that she had a hairline fracture on one of her ribs.

As for Luna, her armor fared no better and no worse. She too was obliged to discard her largely useless helmet and the armor’s superstructure itself was falling apart, some parts even hanging off of her. She had two sprained ankles, a hairline fracture in her horn, as well as an identical black eye and several small lacerations all over her face… on top of the clearly broken nose/snout.

The two looked weakly at each other, sharing a friendly smile as they took in life-giving breaths.

“You doing alright over there?” Samus asked, leaning over and spitting to her side.

“Never better!” Luna replied. Samus moved to stand up fully but the sudden movement made her wince in pain, a pain which originated from somewhere in her abdomen, most likely her rib. When the duo finally did manage to get to their feet, adrenaline had greatly worn off and the anguish they were both in slowly became much more profound.

“Should we go to the hospital?” Samus ventured semi-seriously. Luna turned to her and bobbed her head thoughtfully. At that point, the Mane Six and Celestia were all heading to meet them in the arena.

“That may be a wise decision,” Luna allowed.

“Luna, Samus, are you both alright??” Celestia asked concernedly, trotting up to her sister with urgency and nuzzling her. Luna gladly accepted the gesture but chuckled at what she would consider an overreaction. A little bit of blood stained her sister’s pristine alabaster coat.

“We are both quite well, sister. However, we do desire to relocate to the general hospital at this moment for proper healing and medical care… just to be safe.”

“Okay… do you need us to come with you two?” Twilight asked, ready to help escort the two. The two former belligerents shared a gaze and, while they were most likely capable of walking to Ponyville’s hospital by themselves, it probably wouldn’t hurt to get teleported as a group over there, considering Luna’s horn was giving her trouble and the seven mares plus Spike were going to keep them company anyway. Chances were also quite high that none of the individuals present would allow Samus and Luna to walk anyway, considering Samus was absentmindedly clutching her abdomen with her left hand and Luna was clearly having difficulty supporting own weight on two sprained ankles.

“Sure, why not. Teleporting would be nice,” Samus conceded, and Luna readily seemed to agree. Princess Celestia was already charging her horn for a group teleportation spell.

“Of course. To the hospital,” Celestia said out loud as her magical aura enveloped them all.

“To the hospital,” Luna repeated thankfully right as the group all suddenly disappeared.

34.10 Scrapbook

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 34.10

Scrapbook

[Ponyville | ~5.5 Months After Conflict]

The weather schedule for this particular day was a steady rain, and as such, the residents of Ponyville had cleared out rather quickly once the benign storm started. However, Samus was not like the normal residents of Ponyville, and in fact, she was the only one currently out and about. Garbed in her Varia Suit sans helmet and with her hair let down, Samus had decided to take a casual walk throughout the quiet town. She had nothing in particular to do but, with a gentle pace, she patrolled through the place that she had called home for nearly six months. All was quiet, safe, and all was as it should have been.

The cool, refreshing rain pattered over her face and armor but she embraced it all, often stopping and taking deep, thoughtful breaths and never once wiping her face. Her soft smile was omnipresent as she continued to trudge through every little street of Ponyville, waving to the occasional pony that happened to be out on this beautiful Sunday. Everything was just… nice in her life right now. She had been on many breaks between missions on friendly worlds but she never cared for them too much. Where she was now was a similar situation, but there was a key difference:

She had friends here, as well as a growing attachment to the place.

After about fifteen more minutes of walking, her patrol around Ponyville concluded back at the front door of Twilight’s Library. As Samus approached, she dragged her mind back to the thought of possibly getting a place of her own. While Twilight never seemed to mind at all, Samus would rather give the unicorn her original space back and furnish herself in this town. Her lingering propensity to do so wasn’t born of her inability to afford it or a lack of desire; rather, the fact remained that Samus was still very much contractable. That meant that, should the Federation offer her an assignment, she would have to leave her new home, most likely hastily. Ergo, buying and constructing her own residence would likely be for naught, as she would have little idea of when she’d return should she accept a contract.

But, that was not something she wanted to think about just yet. She trusted that the Federation would reach out to her if there were problems requiring her…particular touch. Until then, her life could remain on cruise control.

Perfect.

Samus opened the door and let herself into the Library, immediately disengaging her Suit which left her in her dry Zero Suit; that solved the problem of drying off (only having to wring out her hair just a tad). However, apparently the common room had a small gathering going on: All six mares plus Spike greeted Samus as she walked in. This was not an uncommon occurrence during Samus’ stay, but what was different this time was the presence of what appeared to be a massive, hardbound book in the center of them all.

“Hey Samus! Come join us!” Twilight was the first to speak up and beckon the Hunter over with her hoof. “We’re about to look at some pictures.”

“Pictures…?” Samus questioned, approaching the group curiously. Spike and Applejack quickly made some room between them, Samus grabbing one of the giant pillows and plopping down on it in a lotus position. “Pictures of what?”

“Pictures of all of us these recent months! But… you’re in almost all of them,” Pinkie added excitedly, which only raised more questions for Samus.

“Okay that’s not weird or creepy at all… but I’m more curious as to how you got these pictures because other than a few times, I’ve never once seen you with a camera,” Samus admitted.

“Well somepony’s gotta document all this!” Pinkie riposted.

“That doesn’t answer my question, like, at all. How did you get pictures without anyone noticing that you had a camera?”

“Well since you asked…” Pinkie began, opening her mouth wide to deliver her explanation. Samus stopped her immediately.

“A-Actually, no. That’s okay, I’ll just take it as is. But yeah, sure, show me pictures,” Samus conceded, getting comfortable by stretching out and lying down on her stomach while Twilight magically began manipulating the book. Everypony else waited impatiently as Twilight turned to the first page of the new chapter of their photo album.

The first picture was one of Samus getting magically dragged around Ponyville for her first grand tour when she arrived. Rarity was the one pulling her, leading with Rainbow Dash while Fluttershy and Applejack brought up the rear. Pinkie, of course, was the one who took the picture. The fact that Samus looked so uncomfortable in the photo led everypony in the room to snicker behind their hooves.

“Well, I definitely didn’t hide my discomfort,” Samus stated with some sarcastic admission.

“Could you look any more awkward?” Rainbow asked, trying but failing to rein in her laughter which quickly became contagious to Spike and Applejack.

“Hey, I had just made planetfall that day, and I’m used to being attacked by everything that moves. It was a new experience for me, shut up,” Samus replied with mock admonishment. Rainbow blew her a raspberry and Samus shot back with a playful scowl.

All attention turned to the opposite page where they found Samus, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna all looking over a map in the middle of the Library. Samus was the one talking and in place of her previous awkwardness and discomfort was the face of a strategist in her element, self-assured and in command.. The two diarchs had nearly identical expressions and appeared to be listening very intently to what Samus was saying.

“Samus you look so… tactical,” Twilight observed.

“A-And so confident,” Fluttershy gave voice to her own thoughts. Everypony readily agreed with that and Samus shrugged.

“I’d hope so. It was important stuff we were discussing, after all.”

There was not anything particularly exciting about that picture so Twilight promptly turned the page and the next picture had its origins in the Crystal Empire. Specifically, it was a photo of Samus in her Alicorn Battle Suit with a rifle in hand; at this point, her Arm Cannon was still compartmentalizing the Elements of Harmony. Bright emerald magical fire was streaming past her as she waved Twilight and the rest of the girls into cover, heedless of the viridian destruction flowing past her.

“You took a picture in the middle of a firefight?! You could’ve been killed! Are you mental?!” Samus scolded the pink mare out of concern, though the latter took absolutely no offense at all. In fact, she giggled almost maniacally.

“As I said, someopony had to take pictures!”

“You’re breaking my balls, Pinkie,” Samus stated as she shook her head, running her palm down her face. That comment earned more than a few laughs from all the mares. The following page had the picture of Luna and Samus, clad in their armor save for helmets, posing against each other in front of the just-collapsed impact crater. Both had victorious grins on their faces yet looked just as fierce and battle-hardened as always.

“Wow… I must say I really like this picture of you,” Rarity commented genuinely. The others readily agreed but Samus was more struck with something else.

“Wait, this was the picture that one of Luna’s troops took. I see you got a copy of it,” Samus mused out loud. Being honest with herself, she was actually quite pleased with how it came out, though she could not help but wonder how the picture was spread around… and how many copies of it were out there. Then again, that soldier did say this was a ‘historic moment,’ so in the end she was not so sure why she was surprised to begin with.

“When I saw that picture, I had to have it! It’s PERFECT!” Pinkie replied enthusiastically.

“Darn right! Ya look downright accomplished there!” Applejack mimicked the sentiment. Samus certainly did feel accomplished that day. To date, it was her hardest fought mission and in the end she gained more of a reward out of it than she ever could have imagined, and she was most certainly not referring to the money she earned.

The next picture was of Samus getting completely swamped by a massive group hug when she returned to the Crystal Empire after the Crater Collapse. She, like Luna, was completely exhausted but that did not stop her from somewhat enjoying being subjected to the embrace of six mares, being pinned to the ground and nuzzled from all directions. After all, it was not like she did not enjoy the sentiment, as she was clearly smiling under the pony-pile, as well as pulling in and returning a hug to whichever mares were closest to her.

“D’awwwww…” every single pony in the room cooed at the picture while Samus and Spike just shared a glance. They quickly rolled their eyes at the display and shared an amused, if curtailed giggle. Surprisingly, the girls did not bring up anything much to discuss for that picture, merely reminiscing amongst themselves, and quickly turned the page.

The next picture took place during the after-party of the welcoming ceremony, the one where Samus was formally thanked and knighted. Samus remembered this picture quite vividly: she and all the mares, Spike, and the two Princesses all took part in a wide-angled, pride-filled photo with Samus at the center. The Hunter held her usual smirk and seemed more than happy to take such a picture, as evident by her open posture; a rather informal picture at such a formal event.

“That was a really fun night,” Twilight reminisced, remembering stumbling into her Library with Spike and Samus all tired as hell.

“Indeed, Darling. And I must say, you did not look uncomfortable anymore,” Rarity pointed out, noting that Samus’ discomfort at closeness with them all had diminished over time.

“Yeah...I’ll admit, I enjoyed myself that night,” Samus said.

All turned their attention to the next picture, which was one of Rainbow Dash and Samus sitting together on the floor of the Library. They were clearly drunk, a judgment which was corroborated by their blushed complexions and drinks in front of them, and they appeared to be laughing uproariously. Rainbow Dash was in the midst of banging her hoof on the floor to try and compose herself while Samus made no such attempt, her head back in a mighty guffaw.

“What were you two even laughing at??” Spike asked through a giggling fit while Pinkie already burst into full laughter. It was so weird seeing the Hunter so comfortable and in a carefree mood. Then again, she was drunk so that most likely explained a great portion of it.

“I… really don’t remember,” Samus admitted, trying her best to jog her memory about what was so damn funny. Rainbow, as well, was figuratively scratching her head.

“Yeah, I have no idea what we were laughing at to be honest,” she agreed. “We were plastered so it was probably something lame.”

“Or Twilight’s dancing…” Pinkie Pie quipped, causing Applejack to choke on her own spit while Rarity had to stifle a very unladylike laugh. Fluttershy buried her face in her mane while Rainbow actually did bust out laughing this time. Samus, while she thought that quip was clever, was in no position to laugh as she was more than guilty of drunkenly attempting to ‘move it’ as well. Twilight gave a less-than-convincing ‘harrumph’ before turning the page.

Another picture on the following page was one of Samus and Fluttershy together. The mare was leaning against Samus’ side with a wide, comfortable smile while Samus had a coy one plastered on her face. Samus’ arm was notably around the mare.

“C-Can I get a copy of this picture, Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked timidly while the others were gawking at the adorableness of the picture.

“Of course!!” Pinkie replied eagerly.

“I will say that I like how this one came out,” Samus spoke up, not being able to resist the half-smirk worming its way onto her face. She wiped off a bit of dust that accumulated on the picture on top of Fluttershy’s face.

A few more pictures passed which had the same general content, save for a few candid shots of Samus as well as one or two where she actually posed in her usual fashions. The most recent picture that sent everyone to tears in a humorous manner was one of Samus and Princess Luna together in the hospital. Upon arriving after their bout in the Fields, it appeared that Luna’s and Samus’ injuries were much worse than they thought, especially when the pain they were experiencing began to amplify as their adrenaline surges faded. As such, the two had to stay overnight but were released first thing in the morning. However, that did not stop a picture being taken of the two former belligerents in parallel beds facing the camera. They looked absolutely beat up and decimated, not to mention their expressions sagged from fatigue.

“Okay, now that’s priceless,” Fluttershy unexpectedly uttered, holding her hoof to her mouth in a failed attempt to stifle her giggle. That sent everyone, including Samus, into a small bout of laughter, and the Hunter did concede that the whole context behind the picture was downright ridiculous. She and a demi-goddess Princess shared a hospital room together… cross that off her bucket list.

After a few more pictures and tons of snarky commentary, Samus’ wrist console pinged for attention.

“Hmm?” She asked to no one in particular as she checked out the notification sent to her. She did not even have to read all the words for the Hunter to decide to immediately bound to her feet and run towards the door. The only thing that was different about this time instead of others was that she had a smile on her face.

“Samus! What’s wrong?!” Twilight asked frantically, getting to her hooves and wondering if there was another invasion transpiring or something.

“It’s here!!” Samus excitedly called over her shoulder as she opened the door and bolted outside. Thankfully, the rain had cleared up a little bit for Samus to get a good look towards the sky and, like she had expected, a Heavy Dropship was slowly working its way down to the earth in front of the Library; magnetically clamped to the bottom was Samus’ new gunship.

Unlike her old ship, the Hunter’s new vessel was sleek and smooth, featuring two aggressive, articulated arms flanking the cockpit and thrust forward like the claws of a great beast, with two engines in the rear and two gimballed maneuvering thrusters below and bowward.

While everypony else stood behind Samus to investigate what was happening, the Hunter took the liberty of helping to direct the dropship down with her hands and arms, allowing the pilot to land the new ship in the perfect position.

“Alright you’re good!” Samus called out as she urged the craft lower, forgetting for a moment that the captain almost certainly couldn’t hear her. “Slowly…”

The gunship’s arms were already in their landing configuration, landing elevator deploying as the ship prepared to take its own weight as the cargo ship drifted downward, whipping the dust beneath it into a miniature windstorm and casting doubt on the existence of inertia. Samus silently resolved that she would beat the dropship pilot to death with her bare hands if her ship was dropped or damaged in any way, shape, or form… but thankfully it did not have to come to that when the ship gracefully settled onto its arms and elevator. Samus let out a breath of relief as the dropship detached from the ship and landed itself a respectable distance away.

Out of the rear hatch exited a courier from the Aliehs III shipyard, donned in some type of protective clothing. He almost looked like a cross between a mechanic and a postman with the oil stains on his uniform and the datapad in his hand. Said man never looked up as he approached Samus, appearing to pull up necessary information on his tablet.

“You are Samus Aran?” he asked in a heavy accent (one which Samus, remembering from her readings, she believed would be called ‘Russian’).

“Yup. That’s me,” Samus replied. The courier finally tore his gaze away from the datapad and looked at Samus… then eyed her body up and down for much longer than would have been deemed socially appropriate.

“You are most definitely Samus Aran,” he stated with a questionable tone of voice as he looked back to his datapad. Samus blinked a few times at the now-awkward atmosphere that was just created.

Okaaaaaay then.

“I will be of needing your thumbprint as signature and registration of title of one Hunter-class gunship,” he added, presenting Samus with the datapad. She willed the glove and forearm of her Zero Suit out of existence and pressed her naked thumb onto the appropriate place on the screen. The datapad effortlessly scanned and confirmed her identity.

After checking over everything and ensuring accuracy, the courier looked to the Hunter, smiled, and nodded.

“Perfect. She is all yours.”

“Thank you very much,” Samus replied eagerly. As the courier retreated to the dropship which eventually took off, Samus sauntered up to her new ship and gave it a once-over, walking around and admiring every little detail, ensuring that the ship met her exacting standards. The next step was to install custom computer hardware and flash the necessary Chozo software onto the ship’s systems; a crucial step, especially for the Biotech Computer. Then, it would be ready for flight and battle.

She was merely having a moment.

“You good over there, Samus?” Rainbow Dash called out, breaking the silence on behalf of the rest of her friends. The Hunter was brought out of her little stupor and gazed at the group with a gentle grin.

“Oh yeah. I could not be better…”

35. Magic

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Metroid Equis

Chapter 35

Magic

[Twilight’s Library | ~Six Months After Crater Collapse]

Not a cloud was to be seen in the sky, but the temperature was quite pleasant; this ensured that there was a large number of ponies, and even humans, out and about in Ponyville. Samus, though, did not feel like venturing out on this uncharacteristically lazy Saturday, instead opting to lounge around the Library in some comfortable clothes, though by ‘clothes,’ she meant her now-standard sleepwear. Leaning against one of Twilight’s bookshelves and sitting on a pony-sized pillow next to the lavender unicorn herself, she was reading up on some news on her tablet from around the Federation as well as some of the material she scanned from the library itself. It was not particularly exciting, but it passed the time pleasantly in her opinion.

Samus was quite the avid reader, after all, and she valued quiet; her friendship with Twilight was strengthened incalculably upon this revelation.

The two read in silence, occasionally sharing a brief sentence or two. They were both enjoying the relaxing task, but Samus’ concentration was interrupted when the tablet occupying her hands vibrated in a familiar yet obnoxious pattern, preceding the telltale notification:

[Incoming Transmission]

Twilight looked up suddenly at the foreign sound piercing their comfortable silence but immediately went back to reading her tome once she discerned that it dealt with Samus’ systems. On the Hunter’s part, she acknowledged the transmission and her tablet displayed a large, detailed message from Galactic Federation High Command. Samus adjusted her sitting position to comfortably read the new message, her eyes scanning and scrutinizing every word. It was a good thing Twilight was not watching her, as she would have seen Samus’s expression change from comfortable stoicism to almost… dejected.

Samus laid her tablet on her lap and took a deep breath, exhaling with an almost conflicted heart as she stared off into nothing in particular. For the first time in her post-military career, Samus hesitated, conflicted, as she pondered what to do with the message in front of her… but she knew very well what the answer was; what she must do. After an endless moment, she scrolled to the bottom and let her fingers drift towards the screen:

[Accept Mission]

When the confirmation was sent off, Samus really did not have the will to resume her previous activities. Instead, she locked her tablet and placed it aside, leaning back against her support and continuing to stare off into space. Twilight chose that moment to look up at the clearly conflicted human hybrid.

“You alright, Samus?” Twilight asked concernedly, but the Hunter did not respond immediately.

“Yeah… I’m fine,” Samus replied in her usual stoic manner. The unicorn rolled her eyes and sighed.

“We both know that’s not true. Come on, what’s wrong?” Twilight pressed, closing her tome and facing her friend directly.

“I…” Samus began, but was having trouble properly marshalling her thoughts to say what she wanted to say. At the same time, she realised that she’d rather tell everypony at the same time. “Can we gather the girls, Spike, and maybe the Princesses? There’s something you all need to know.”

“Ummmm… how soon are we talking?” Twilight asked curiously, slightly taken aback by the unusual request. Samus locked eyes with her.

“Tonight. It’s important.”

Samus’s tone brooked no argument, especially the way the Hunter looked back at her with a somewhat conflicted gaze.

“I think I can work something out… I’ll get on that,” Twilight stated, getting off her pillow and calling to Spike to help pen the appropriate letters. All the while, Samus strode to her room and sealed herself off, allowing her to collect her thoughts and figure out exactly what she was going to tell everypony and how.

Samus could lie to others but it was fruitless to lie to herself; she was, for lack of better words, down. She didn’t show it, even to herself in the mirror, but there was little point in denying it. What was worse was that she knew for a fact this was going to happen. Some form of bullshittery was going to transpire somewhere in the Federation which would require her attention and physical presence. She had had ample time to prepare for this, and from the way she was feeling, she clearly either did not prepare enough, or there was something else at play.

Samus sighed heavily and ran both of her palms up her temples and through her hair.

Unfortunately, these were some of the unfortunate downsides to forming attachments to others with her current, active duty status. Samus knew this well. As a result, goodbyes were going to be so much harder… but one thing was for certain: she did not regret anything.

Nothing at all.

[Later that Evening…]

It had been a stretch for everypony important to find slots open in their schedules at the exact same time, but when they heard that Samus was requesting a high-priority meeting with all of them, the rest of the Mane Six, not to mention the princesses, were more than willing to cancel and move around their engagements on her behalf.

Almost everypony was inside the Library and the last arrivals, being the princesses and Rainbow Dash, had just touched outside of the front door. Everypony was confused and curious about what Samus had to say; how their opinions would change afterward was anyone’s guess.

Twilight helped usher everypony inside and made sure they all were comfortable as they waited for Samus to exit her room. Until that point, everypony was okay with indulging in idle chatter with each other.

“Pray tell, is everything alright?” Luna asked nopony in particular, hoping for some answers.

“We don’t know, Your Highness,” Rarity took the initiative in replying first.

“Neither do I, Princess,” Twilight cut in. “Samus only asked me to get everypony here tonight, and from the way her face looked and how she sounded, I wasn’t going to question her. She wouldn’t ask something of me like that if it wasn’t truly important.”

“Where is she anyway?” Celestia wondered. At that moment, Samus’ door unlocked and opened, revealing the usual Zero Suit-clad Hunter. Everypony’s expression brightened considerably as she made her appearance… but faded deeper into confusion as they took in the fact that Samus’ expression, normally best described as ‘stoic,’ had slipped a couple notches into ‘dour.’ Samus had a natural stoic resting face, but the ponies in her presence had known her long enough to start seeing past the façade, which revealed dejection.

Taking a deep breath and running her hand under her nose, Samus finally spoke:

“Hey everyone. Sorry for dragging you here so late but… it’s kind of important.”

“There is no need to apologize, Samus. Now, what’s on your mind?” Celestia reassured in her iconic motherly tone. All echoed her sentiments and Samus took this as her cue to continue, but before doing so, she pulled a pillow up to the circle and sat down in her usual lotus position.

“There’s something you all need to know, and I can almost guarantee that none of you will like it. The fact of the matter is… I’m being called away to the planet Norion,” Samus stated. The silence continued to reign, and some of her friends’ expressions began to change. Some did not understand what Samus was saying, while the rest, being somewhat more perceptive, flattened their ears against their heads in a display of emotion.

“Wait… what?” Twilight asked for clarification.

“The Galactic Federation wants me to link up with one of the main fleets in orbit around Norion. That’s pretty much the gist of it. I don’t know much else beyond that they want me there,” Samus answered.

“W-When do you have to leave?” Fluttershy asked ever so softly, dismay clearly evident in her slightly trembling voice.

“They gave me a deadline, and accounting for the distance from here to Norion space...I have to leave in about a week. No later.”

“Wait, wait…” Rainbow Dash’s voice suddenly pierced the calm and collected atmosphere. “Don’t tell me you’re actually thinking of going...”

All turned their attention towards her and Samus’ did not betray any hint of jest… even Rainbow could ascertain that.

“I am going.”

“Why?” the prismatic-maned pegasus asked, pressing for more answers as she sat up straight on her haunches.

“Because it’s my job, and—”

“You can always get a new job here!” Rainbow countered hastily.

“Rainbow Dash...” Applejack spoke through her teeth, attempting to rein her in. However, the cyan pegasus was not having any of it.

“No, Applejack. I just don’t understand why Samus would want to just leave; leave everything she has here behind and just… ugh!” Rainbow Dash continued to protest, becoming gradually more discomfited. She then looked back to Samus and spoke with a much softer tone after taking a long, deep breath.

“You have a life here, Samus. Why do you wanna give that up? Give all of us up?”

“You’re putting words into my mouth and you know it, Dashie.” Samus countered, level-headed; nevertheless, she knew Dashie’s feelings were genuine. “It’s not a question of wanting to go… I have to. I have a destiny that was given to me by my caretakers, and I have a duty to protect this galaxy.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“‘Duty’ and ‘destiny,’ how cliche. Don’t you have a duty to your friends as well?” Rainbow countered.

“I do. By protecting the galaxy, I’m also protecting you. Rainbow Dash, you’re acting like I’ll never come back or that I don’t want to come back,” Samus observed. She knew this would be hard to get across to at least one of her friends but this was quickly proving to be more difficult than she had originally thought.

“How do we know that?”

“Do you really think I wouldn’t want to come back here as soon as I was able?” Samus asked, raising her voice a tad.

“If you’re willing to just up and leave so easily, I have my doubts! You don’t seem to wanna stay here that badly,” Rainbow raised her voice in kind, startling the other mares with her assertions. “And you could be killed!”

“Now you’re just being circular in your reasoning. And that’s a very real possibility we all have to deal with, especially me,” Samus replied.

“That we all have to deal with???” Rainbow parroted in disbelief. “Selfish much?”

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight scolded.

“Loyalty. Calm yourself,” Princess Luna rapped icily, her voice just this side of being an imperious command. Samus, however, held her hand out to Luna in a gesture of everything being okay as she got to her feet.

“Well it looks like I’m going to have to spoon-feed this to you. Quite frankly, you’re in denial,” Samus pointed out.

“Yeah okay,” Rainbow huffed out unconvincingly.

“That only proves my point. You’re in denial. You knew this was going to happen eventually. You all knew, and even I knew… but I didn’t know when; I thought we would have more time,” Samus continued before setting her sights on Rainbow Dash, pointing at her and speaking expressively with her hands.

“Do you think this isn’t tough for me? Are you willing to stand up on your hooves, hover in front of my face and tell me that this is not hard for me?!” Samus asked rhetorically, her voice raising uncharacteristically high and loudly. “Go ahead, Rainbow Dash,” she hissed through clenched teeth, “make my night!”

She paused and waited, as did everypony else. Rainbow just stared up as Samus dwarfed her, but she had no fight in her. She knew the Hunter was absolutely right, but her stubbornness would never allow her to admit it in words. She merely sighed and flattened her ears against her head, drooping low and backing off.

“Thought so,” Samus stated. “How dare you try to invalidate my own personal feelings and thoughts about this whole situation as if you somehow know the inner workings of my mind. In that respect, you don’t know me at all.”

She then addressed everypony else.

“None of you do.

“Well guess what? This is my life. It was only a matter of time before I was called away and guess what! I’ve been called! My destiny and my bounty hunting career? They’re one and the same!” the Hunter continued to rant. Something inside of her gave away and she felt compelled, for once in her life, to speak her mind completely. She began pacing.

“I was trained for this job since I was rescued at the ripe old age of three. I don’t know what the hell the Chozo saw in me but they sent me off on my own, with this job, by the time I was fourteen! Yeah! That’s right!” Samus reiterated as she began seeing the shocked expressions of her friends.

“I, barely a pubescent girl, was sent off into the galaxy to protect it from threats with abilities and powers I was barely confident I knew how to use! Now here I am, barely a decade older, and I’m still sometimes not even sure what I’m doing!

Samus took a deep breath.

“My adoptive family… bless their hearts and spirits, they visit me in my dreams and almost constantly apologize for pushing me into this calling...that will likely consume the rest of my life. I wanted to hate them for it… but I never can. I love them. I love them so fucking much because they saved my life and taught me lessons invaluable. They raised me.

“Even though this destiny has taken me forcefully, bent me over a table and screwed me in every single conceivable way… I know for a fact that it will never be that bad anymore. Know why?” Samus again asked rhetorically, gradually lowering her voice back to normal.

“Because you have all given me a gift… a gift that proves to me that Old Bird’s teachings are still relevant; something that I never thought I would need or even want in my life after my Federation Military days: friendship.

“This destiny is as old as me, and it’s my lot in life to pursue it. I don’t know when I’ll be back, if I’ll be able to come back immediately once this new mission is over… but what I do know, is that what will get me through it all, what will make me fight and protect with even greater righteous fury and luminance, is that I have you all waiting for me.”

Every single mare plus dragon in that room perked up at those words, giving the Hunter their undivided attention. A few of them had misty eyes.

“You’re right about one thing, Rainbow Dash,” Samus continued. “This place is my home. I do have a life here: a peaceful, amazing life. I absolutely love it here, everything about this place suits me perfectly and I truly would not wish to have it any other way, especially a life here without you all.

“But I still have to do this… and I want to do this despite what I said before about this destiny, even though it’s all true. It brings a sense of satisfaction knowing I’ve made a difference, however small or large… and no matter the cost. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that I truly don’t want to leave Equestria.

“So...selfish, Dashie? I don’t think so. Ingenuine feelings? Think again,” Samus concluded, collapsing herself into a lotus on her giant pillow and framing her face with her hands.

“You of all ponies should know the meaning and weight behind the concept of ‘Loyalty,’ Rainbow Dash,” Luna added. Dash reacted as if struck.

Samus took long, deep breaths while everypony remained silent, mulling heavily on what they just heard and witnessed.

“Sorry. I needed that. Thanks,” Samus also added, regaining herself and completely collected once more. Silence continued to reign but was replaced not by voices, but by hooves clopping against the hardwood floor. Against Samus’ expectations, every single individual in that room crowded around her an a gentle, group hug. The Hunter did not fight it at all, rather, she embraced it. There was something incredibly comforting about being ‘wrapped up in pony.’

“Feel better?” Celestia asked.

“Yeah… I really do. Thank you.”

Everypony was more than willing to step up when they saw their friend, the battle-hardened, tactical, stoic, and ever calculating warrior Samus Aran, need a hug. Samus claimed earlier that they were not able to read her emotions accurately beyond a reasonable doubt… but they seemed to get it right this time.

Everypony was on the same page at least, but now, they had to address the fact that Samus was leaving.

“So, one week, huh?” Spike asked, breaking the silence on everypony’s behalf and taking the initiative with the elephant in the room.

“Eeyup,” Samus affirmed.

“Well, I don’t know about you all, but I say we make this last week the best week of Samus’ life!” the dragon proposed. Everyone else suddenly brightened at the thought.

“You know what, Spike? You’re right!” Twilight agreed wholeheartedly, already mentally creating a checklist of exciting things to do over the next week.

“Indeed. This should not be a time of dejection, but a time of rejoice!” Luna weighed in. “Samus is not leaving us, she is merely going on an extended business trip.” Samus bobbed her head thoughtfully at that analogy, because it was technically true.

“This is gonna be the BEST. WEEK. EVER!” Pinkie expressed gleefully, Samus donning her traditional smirk once more at the sudden, positive change in atmosphere and attitude. Rainbow Dash continued to remain silent yet in a much better mood. There were some things she had to say to Samus, particularly a groveling apology, but now was not the time to bring everypony back to that.

“I’m more than okay with that. Let’s do it,” Samus said, more than willing to go along with whatever was planned.

“Then why not start tonight?” Rarity proposed. “Let’s go to Canterlot and have fun!”

“R-Right now?” Fluttershy asked for confirmation.

“YES! Right now!” Rarity affirmed. Suddenly, everypony was on board and even the princesses said they could spare a little bit of time with them all before they had to get back to the castle. Samus took one look around her as she giggled internally.

This’ll be a fun week.

And a fun week it was! That very night, every single one of them took a trip to Canterlot to a massive restaurant-bar that was notoriously open extra late. Everypony stuffed their faces, drank, and was merry the entire night even on the eventual return-trip back to Ponyville. An impromptu sleepover was held that night and the fun continued come the next day.

The days slowly melded into each other as the fun never stopped. All together (with the princesses joining when they could), Samus, Spike, and the Mane Six partook in a record number of activities, both exciting and relaxing. They went to restaurants, bars, amusement parks, beaches, and mountains. They drank themselves drunk (with the exception of Spike) and forded the hangovers the following mornings with gusto. Sleep was of little concern to the odd bunch as they ensured to live up to Spike’s proclamation: give Samus the time of her life.

The Hunter could not remember the last time she had so much fun with individuals that she cared for. That only added to the week as she got to experience the natural wonders and beauty of Equestria: places that she would never have been able to see under normal circumstances. It fully reinforced how much she loved this nation she agreed to call home, something she would never in her right mind have dreamt when she hit planetside six months prior.

Two days in, Rainbow Dash apologized to Samus for her outburst in the Library, and after a nice hug, all was well. Samus even took Dash for a ride in her new ship to show that everything was water under the bridge.

Unfortunately though, a week is just that: a week… and that week did have to eventually come to an end.

[Twilight’s Library | Day of Departure]

Everypony was up extra early to ensure Samus had the greatest breakfast yet, and after another enjoyable meal with everyone she saw as friends, Samus asked to excuse herself for about fifteen minutes. She had wanted to take one last walk around Ponyville and drink everything in once more before she left. None denied her, and Samus enjoyed her last walk around the town she called home for the last six months, a small, sad smile eternally present on her face as everything of her time here flashed before her eyes.

Once her walk ended, and upon returning to the library, it was time to get ready to go. A temperate day in Ponyville with not a cloud in the sky; it certainly made packing that much easier, though Samus did not have much in the way of luggage to pack. With her ship landed outside of the Library, Samus hefted her locked-up rifle into the entrance elevator as well as her personal datapad. Princess Luna helped carry a small sack of extra things that Samus had wished to take with her, handing it to the girl when she asked. That was soon placed into the elevator and taken into the ship’s cockpit.

“Is that everything?” Luna asked as she watched the elevator ascend into the cockpit, the maneuvering thrusters briefly kicking on before it dropped back down to the ground. Princess Celestia and everypony else were waiting a few feet away. Samus did a quick mental check before turning to the Lunar Princess.

“Yep, that’s it.”

Luna beckoned Samus to follow her with a tilt of her head and the two moved back to the main group, where Luna got back in line with the rest. There, Samus stood in front of a small line of nine individuals: two alicorns, six mares, and a dragon. All looked at her with smiles, but underneath there was definitely some sadness… after all, their week of fun did have to end with Samus ultimately departing from the planet.

The gentle breeze rustled hair and manes, Samus reveling in the feeling of the fresh Equestrian air hitting her face. She took one more deep breath before gazing upon everypony in front of her.

“Well, guys... I... I guess this is it,” Samus began, not entirely sure where to go from here. She was not really the greatest at goodbyes since she often just got up and left from her other missions. However, her dilemma was settled when Fluttershy took a tentative step forward… and then she approached the Hunter.

[Suggested Ambience]

Samus got down on one knee to be as close to eye-level as possible.

“It’s been fun, Flutters,” Samus said softly, a small, caring smile gracing her features. Said smile faltered a bit when the shy mare let out a series of sniffles. She got onto her hind legs, wrapped her front legs around Samus’ neck, and pulled her into a hug, a tight hug which the Hunter gladly and enthusiastically reciprocated. She could feel Fluttershy letting out a few tears.

“Please t-take care of yourself, okay? A-And come back soon…” Fluttershy gently whimpered.

“I will… and you know I’ll be back here the moment I’m free. Say goodbye to Angel for me,” Samus replied softly, but loud enough where everypony could hear. Though she couldn’t see it, the initial parting words were beginning to have a bit of an effect on everypony else. This was definitely going to be hard.

The two separated and Samus scratched behind the mare’s right ear before releasing her. Fluttershy returned to the line of her friends with tear-stains under her eyes and in her place, Rarity stepped forward.

“Oh Darling…” she began, putting a hoof on Samus’ shoulder. She wasn’t openly crying but she was definitely misty-eyed. “...just continue being absolutely gorgeous and be safe please! I’ll miss you. We’ll miss you, Samus.”

The first comment elicited a gentle chuckle from Samus.

“I’ll try, and I’ll be just fine, I’ll make sure of it. We can go to the spa the moment I return,” the Hunter replied, pushing a lock of her hair behind her ear at the same time. The two then hugged.

“Don’t keep a lady waiting,” Rarity said before breaking away and rejoining her friends.

Applejack stepped forward, pulling her stetson off her head.

“Ya got enough food?” she asked, more than willing to cook Samus up something extra if it meant having her stay a little longer.

“Oh yeah, that sack that I packed is full of the individually wrapped apple fritters and apples you gave me.”

“Good! Imma miss you, partner,” the mare admitted, the tears welling just a bit but not spilling. She then went for the hug and the two held each other.

“Just come back in one piece, ya hear?” Applejack ordered.

“How else are we going to buck apples?” Samus asked, as if it was the obvious response to the mare’s words. The two separated after a few more moments and Applejack fell back into line.

Rainbow Dash stepped forward.

“I ummm…” she began to speak, rubbing the back of her head as her words eluded her. Samus was one of the only ponies, or, human in this case, who could keep up with and surpass her physically. Samus had a gratifying way of testing Dash; that was one of the reasons she loved hanging out with the Hunter so much. The fact that she had to address the departure, on top of her not being good with words, was making tears well up uncomfortably in her eyes.

Samus decided to wordlessly take the initiative and hold her fist out. She knew what Rainbow was trying to say, and knew very well that emotional words didn’t come to her well (the two definitely had that in common). Rainbow grinned and planted her hoof on Samus’ fist, but eventually pulled the Hunter in for a true hug.

“I’m really bad at goodbyes,” Rainbow admitted as they embraced.

“I know. Me too. It’s been really fun though. Thanks for everything,” Samus replied.

“Just… come back soon alright?”

“I’ll race you then,” Samus added endearingly, which almost made Rainbow lose it. The two finally separated, Samus scratched behind the mare’s ear and the mare floated back into line.

Pinkie Pie stepped forward, though her mane was much less springy and poofy than normal.

“It’s been a wild ride with you, Pinkie, and I’ve enjoyed every minute,” Samus spoke first as Pinkie initiated the hug.

“I’ll throw the biggest party ever when you come back,” Pinkie sniffled out shakily.

“It better be a wild party too, with your special donuts,” Samus added her two stipulations. “Heart failure never tasted so good.”

Pinkie nodded into the girl’s neck.

“Pinkie Promise you’ll come back safely and soon?” the mare asked as the two separated. The Hunter smiled endearingly.

“Cross my heart, hope to fly… stick a cupcake in my eye,” she recited the sacred rhyme along with performing the appropriate hand-movements. What Samus had also been noticing is that these goodbyes were starting to compound on her.

Satisfied, Pinkie nodded and smiled brightly. With one last scratch behind both of her ears, she rejoined her friends, with Spike stepping up to the plate.

“Hope to see you here really soon, Samus,” Spike stated outright, holding his hand out for a shake. Samus, on her part, took his hand and shook, but unexpectedly pulled him against her into a tight hug.

“You’re not exempt from this, Spike. I’m going to miss you too. You take care of Twilight and the girls, alright?” Samus asked, having grown quite fond of the little dragon over the past six months. He was wonderful company and conversation, and like everypony else, Samus would definitely miss him.

“Y-You got it, Samus,” Spike replied, doing his best not to show any emotion as they separated and he rejoined the line.

Twilight stepped forward.

“Hey,” Samus began as Twilight closed the distance. “Thanks for opening your home and putting up with me for over six months.”

The unicorn immediately pulled the Hunter into a hug and began crying.

“It’s s-still your home too, Samus… and I expect to come home one day and you’re r-reading in the living room, okay?”

“I’ll remember to do just that,” Samus replied softly with a smile and held the mare just a little tighter as the latter spilled her tears. A few moments later, though, Twilight separated and with a parting smile shared between her and the Hunter, she rejoined her friends.

Samus stood up and both princesses approached at the same time. They, with their age and concepts of the magnitude of time, were completely composed but still quite disheartened that Samus, the Hero of Equestria, had to leave.

“Thank you for everything you have done for us, and know that we… all of us, will miss you dearly. Equestria is your home, Samus, and as such, she shall always welcome you with open arms,” Princess Celestia stated with a motherly smile.

“As will we. Please do not be a stranger, and come home soon, Hunter,” Luna added. “The future of Equestria and our planet will be most exciting, but I cannot envision it without you here.”

“You know I’ll be back, you two. Equestria… has been wonderful to me, and will be even more amazing when I return. Thank you all so much,” Samus replied before all three of them shared a several-moments-long hug. Eventually though, the princesses separated and rejoined everypony else, leaving Samus on her lonesome in front of them all.

I guess this is it then.

With one final smile and nod, Samus moved to turn on her heel towards her ship.

“Samus!”

She stopped her movement immediately and looked to Twilight, the source of the call.

“Yeah?”

Twilight, looking much more composed right now, glanced at all her friends and the princesses. They all gave her reassuring smiles and Celestia nodded, signaling to urge her on.

“W-We wanted to give you something. Something from all of us,” Twilight began, turning her head and seemingly fishing out an object from her coat. Samus stepped forward just a little bit as Twilight floated something over to her. “It’s nothing fancy, but we just wanted you to have something that reminded you of all of us… remind you that you will always have friends here that truly care for you.”

Samus held her right hand open and the little trinket was dropped, losing Twilight’s magical aura as it fell lifelessly into her palm. That’s when she knew that she was looking at what looked like a bracelet, composed of eight beads on a simple chain: the six mares’ cutie marks and a fragment of one of Spike’s scales flanking a large central bead, bearing Samus’ Chozo runic insignia.

Moreover, each one magically glowed faintly with the true colors of the cutie marks.

This was interesting for Samus… as she gazed upon the little trinket in her hand, running her thumb over the beads, something inside her welled up. This was a gift imparted to her by her friends, and the only other gift she had received in her life was her Power Suit. This bracelet was quite simple, but Samus had simple tastes… it was the perfect gift.

The purest essence of the friendships she made, condensed into physical form. Old Bird was and would continue to be proud.

She pursed her lips together as the weight of it all started to hit her. Her face was obscured from everypony else as she stared at the bracelet but when Samus set her sights on them once more, all were a little more than surprised to see a sad smile on her face on top of the slightest misting over of her eyes. It was truly something to see this far beyond the deadly Hunter’s walls.

Samus ran her left hand inside of the bracelet… a perfect fit. She then closed her eyes and took two deep, shaky breaths as she regained her composure, channeling her collected, Chozo self once more. Upon reopening her eyes, she smiled widely and hunched down on one knee once more.

Wordlessly, she opened her arms up and beckoned everypony to her, to which they all responded immediately, crowding around her in a massive pony-pile of a group hug. There were giggles, sniffles, and a few varieties of ‘we’ll miss you’ and ‘come back safe’ before they all separated, knowing it was time.

“I guess it’s time for you to go, huh?” Rainbow brought up, finding the ground very interesting as she rubbed her left-front leg.

“Yeah… it is. I’ll see you all… later,” Samus stated resolutely and genuinely, finally turning on her heel and taking one of the longest walks of her life towards the elevator of her ship. Stepping onto the platform, her ship sensed her presence and came to life. The maneuvering thrusters at the back of the vessel began to activate, rendering speech impossible as the elevator bore her towards the belly of her craft.

As the elevator brought her closer and closer to the inside of the cockpit, Samus took one last, deep breath of fresh Equestrian air while her friends all, sadly, waved her goodbye. The Hunter returned the gesture with a wave of own and a stoic yet wistful smirk as her friends were obscured from her vision, being replaced with the inside of her ship as the elevator completed its ascending journey, the cool Equestrian air replaced with the gentle thrum of her ship, waiting for its mistress.

Samus fancied a little look around, the cockpit of her ship being welcoming but not as welcoming as Twilight’s Library. Nevertheless, she quickly sat herself into the pilot’s seat and began keying in the necessary commands. She began inputting Norion’s coordinates into her navigation computer, and with a final button press, the thrusters vectored down and lifted the ship’s bulk off the ground.

From the outside of the ship, the Elements, the princesses, and Spike all watched as Samus’ ship lifted off the ground, its landing arms swinging up into flight configuration. Samus’ ship rotated in place, its bow reaching for the sky as it began rising on its maneuvering thrusters. When it broke past a few hundred feet, Samus brought up the main engines, twin points of cerulean fire flaring to life and bearing her craft skyward. They all tracked her ship as it became barely a speck within the sky… until it vanished completely.

“It’s definitely been fun,” Rainbow Dash expressed, still gazing at the last place they saw Samus’ vessel.

“Indeed, but fear not. She shall return when she is able… and she shall return to a much brighter Equestria!” Luna proclaimed, her attitude serving to bolster the morale and dry all the tears amongst all of the Elements and Spike. Nine pairs of eyes never tore away from where Samus was last seen in the sky.

And they all wore proud smiles for their friend, now departed from them.

*Meanwhile, in the upper atmosphere*

Samus took complete control of her ship as it broke through the last layer of Equis’ atmosphere, speeding into space. With the coordinates programmed, all she would have to do is clear the Federation Fleet in orbit and she could set herself on autopilot for a good duration of the journey.

“Unidentified vessel, this is the G.F.S. Vogl. You are flying through space protected by the Galactic Federation Fourth Fleet. Is that you, Samus?” a familiar voice intruded on her ship’s communications systems.

“Affirmative. Is that you, Admiral Forest?” Samus asked in kind.

“Likewise affirmative. Nice new ride.”

“Thank you. Take care of this place while I’m gone,” Samus added with a tiny smirk. A small chuckle could be heard on the other end.

“For as long as we’re stationed here, you have my word, Samus. Good luck over at Norion! Forest, out.”

Samus quickly cleared the Federation Fleet and with a couple of commands, she set her hyperdrive to kick in after warming up for about a minute. Leaning back in her seat, she took another deep breath before bringing her left hand in front of her face, gazing at the bracelet wrapped firmly around her wrist. She thumbed the individual beads once with a gentle smile, turning to regard Equis one last time through a rearward camera, the pale green and blue orb of the planet hanging gracefully in space, surrounded by the slim, dagger-like shapes of the Fourth Fleet, before leaning her head back completely, resting her eyes. Her ship notified her that its translight engine was fully charged, preparing to slingshot it on a slipspace course for Norion. With another press of a button on her ship’s command console, a manual timer was set for five seconds, counting down.

“Thanks for all the magic… See you all real soon…”

With a pulse of light, her ship tore a hole in space, leaving behind nothing but a glittering starscape.

[Everfree Forest | Four Days After Samus’ Departure]

“Okay, okay, I’m coming, don’t worry!” Fluttershy replied, frantically trying to keep up with her animal friends as they led her deep into the heart of the Everfree Forest. Mr. and Mrs. Deer were the ones leading with Fluttershy being flanked by Mr. Bear. They had dragged Fluttershy in a panic, communicating to her that something, most likely a creature, was in need of assistance. Not one to turn down an emergency like that, Fluttershy sped out of her cottage with her animal friends guiding her.

However, they led her to a place in the Everfree that she did not remember coming to recently, and it definitely stood out once they cleared a small brush: a sizeable portion of the wreckage of a ship, something left over from the conflict, was strewn all over the forest floor along with downed trees and shrubbery beginning to grown on the metal itself. What was quite distinctive as Fluttershy and her friends entered into the area was the distinctive sound of ‘whirring,’ as if the ship’s powerplant was still active.

“W-What happened here?” Fluttershy asked out loud as she looked around at the destruction. Fluttershy, Mr. Bear, and Mr. and Mrs. Deer trod farther in, passing by a large, mostly destroyed cylindrical structure which was the source of the whirring sound, and the wires coming off of it fed into what looked like an industrial-grade refrigeration unit but in reality was a stasis chamber. Her friends were pointing her towards an opening of the unit and upon investigating, Fluttershy found a small, gelatinous sack spilling out of the stasis chamber, and at the edge of the sack, appeared to be an egg.

“An egg?” Fluttershy pondered, lifting her left hoof as she got closer and examined it, but before she could touch it, the top of the egg suddenly folded open, eliciting a sharp gasp out of the mare. Nothing appeared immediately, and Fluttershy steeled herself for another look. Something stirred inside the egg’s shell, and slowly a small, somewhat translucent-green-colored jellyfish-like creature floated outward, purring. Before the pegasus could do anything else, it nuzzled against her leg, still purring and gurgling the entire time. What was more interesting is that the color of the creature's gelatinous membrane changed from translucent green to blue. The cream-colored mare’s expression of uncertainty and fear turned into one of motherly concern and good humor.

“W-What are you, little one?” Fluttershy asked herself after giggling at the weird creature’s ministrations.

"Of course I'll take care of you..."