Metroid Equis II: Duality

Chapters

3. Sapphire
4. Awakening
5. Timelapse
6. Set in Motion
7. Venator Caelestis
8. MED
9. Gathering Storm
1. Prologue
2. Lunar Solace

3. Sapphire

Author's Note

Here is where Equis: Interlude, what I mentioned at the end of Equis 1, comes into play, in case some of you didn't know. All events of that side story apply here. Reading it is not required at all, but recommended because it's an awesome story in general which picks right up from when Equis 1 ended. It focuses mainly on Sapphire and her interactions with others. Who is 'Sapphire' you ask? Well, go check out the story above, or prepare to be surprised. You may want to recall how Equis 1 ended though. :rainbowlaugh:

3. Sapphire

Metroid Equis II: Duality

Section 3

Sapphire

[The Everfree Forest]

The peaceful, natural, ambient sounds of the Everfree were invaded by heavy bipedal footfalls and the rhythmic sound of strained, exertive breathing. A lone Federation Marine, clad in the very latest in Federation armor technology, sprinted towards the nearest, widest tree trunk they could find. Stacking up against it, they clutched their assault rifle close and held it at the low ready. The soldier’s nameplate, visible now that they had lowered their rifle, proclaimed that their name was ‘S. Exeter.’

Steeling her expression, Sydney took a quick breath and left the cover of the tree, dashing forward and bee-lining for the next point of cover, skidding to a stop and planting her shoulder in the bark. Stilling her breathing to listen more closely to the forest, she heard nothing save for the sounds of nature, but she knew full well that she was not alone… there was a hidden assailant who was always watching her. It was Sydney’s job to find the aggressor, and terminate them. She peeked out from beyond her organic cover, easing her right eye into position to survey the forest ahead. Cycling between her armor’s different visor overlays did not yield any insight, so she had no choice but to continue her advance.

She swept her proposed path with her rifle and was confronted with nothing, so she picked a tree, turned out and began running low for it. She had barely stepped away when, in response to some intuition of hers, she threw herself to the ground moments before a gunshot broke across the forest, the hardlight round searing the bark of the tree she had so recently sheltered behind, right where her head used to be. Panting even harder, soldier’s instincts told her the shot had come from her left. She scrambled back behind the tree, keeping it between her and her assailant. Her blood continued to cycle through her system at an ever-increasing rate, though she knew she had to control her breathing.

Sydney poked a fraction of her head out once more, cycling through her visors in an attempt to see anything, but she knew her enemy was smarter than that. She had to get up close and personal to take them out.

With a grunt of exertion, she tore away from her cover and sprinted straight towards a natural hillock in the forest floor… right in the direction where the shot had come from. She just about made it to cover when, to her ten o’clock, she noticed a sudden glimmer of light. Sydney raised her rifle and fired five shots on the run, to get her assailant ducking. She then hit the ground by the hillock and crawled halfway up, awaiting any movement that might come her way. All she had to do now was confirm whether she hit her target or not.

She had her answer in moments, as another round buzzed over her right shoulder, causing her to press her body further against the earth.

Sydney flattened her body, spreading out, figuring this shot had come from in front of her and slightly to the right, thus, she deduced her assailant had wisely shifted position. Her breathing rate subconsciously increased, but she did not really know why she was all that surprised… she could not have reasonably expected her enemy to remain in one location. Tightening her grip on her rifle, she crawled to the right of the hill and did what she could to peek out without exposing herself too much. When nothing revealed itself, she eased more of her body out to get as good of a look as she could…still, though, she saw nothing.

Pushing herself off the ground and back to her feet, Sydney bounded over her former concealment and barreled straight towards where she thought her adversary was… she was so close, she could feel it. As she closed with another massive tree she had designated as her next point of cover, something broke through the forest to her right, in her peripheral vision. Syd immediately executed a combat roll forward and planted her right knee into the ground, swinging her rifle to the right and scanning her surroundings.

Nothing.

Keeping her rifle at the high ready, she righted her posture and stood up completely. It would take quite the distraction to compromise Sydney’s renowned focus now. This distraction took the form of a large, brilliantly blue bird that alighted on a tree branch just ahead of her.

Her brief moment of distraction cost her dearly.

She did not even hear the gunshot before a hardlight round entered right into her lower back, Sydney crying out agonizingly as it diffused a harsh, stun charge throughout her entire body, forcing her to convulse on the spot. She fell to her knees and onto her chest as her extremities still continued to twitch. Her pained screaming was replaced with lethargic and fatigued moaning and groaning. She had no desire to move anymore, and the absence of her movement prompted another figure to step out of their hiding spot: an equally armored Federation Marine whose armor bore an intricate camouflage pattern. A long rifle with a bipod hung in their grip.

“Really, Sydney? Getting distracted by a bird?” the voice of Arianna sounded before she removed her helmet, revealing her tanned face and shoulder-length hair. “I thought we were special forces,” she added blithely, placing her boot under Sydney’s shoulder and rolling the unresponsive woman onto her back. The poor girl still twitched periodically, but mustered enough energy to remove her own helmet, uncovering her fair-skinned face and amber hair that fell just above her mid-back (though necessarily messy and splayed around her head). Her blue eyes locked onto the Arianna’s brown ones, irritation cutting through the pain.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up in my moment of weakness… now help me up, ya bitch.”

Arianna held out her hand to her downed friend and Sydney accepted it without hesitation, needing a bit of help to steady herself on her feet once she was able to find them. As she attached her rifle to her back and picked up her helmet, six other armored individuals broke through some forest cover: two humans and four unicorns. All of them had no helmets and their weapons were slung or attached to their backs.

“Not gonna lie, that looked painful,” Radiance felt compelled to say after witnessing Sydney drop like a ragdoll. Her cyan coat and jet-black mane looked, coincidentally, as radiant as ever. The last three years had done her well, and she became an even better soldier in the company of her new squad.

“Got farther than the rest of us, so at least you have that going for you,” Nathan added, rubbing the back of his neck. Nathan did not appear to have aged at all in the last three years; his face was still as youthful as ever. The only difference was a bit more stubble on the lower half of his face. Starry, who was by his side, had not changed a bit either (much to Radiance’s annoyance). Her eccentric personality was always on display but she did grow out her faded navy-blue mane. The general consensus was that it looked much better.

“But, come on… a bird?” Jacob pointed out, shaking his head. “You’re better than that, Sydney,” he finished pointedly. The ‘original’ captain still looked like he was ten years younger than he actually was, and the last three years did little in the way to belie that assessment.’ He was still the fair-skinned, cleanly shaven, brown-eyed soldier that everyone knew and loved. His ability to change from being stern to laid back on a dime was as refined as ever.

“Yeah, I know, Captain. You know I keep my distractions to a minimum,” Sydney grumbled, dejected.

“Don’t beat yourself up. It was a good exercise, and observing each other in these drills is really the only entertainment we have while stationed at this damn facility,” Constance reasoned. As befit her name, Constance had remained relatively unaffected by the passage of three years’ time; the only thing to change was the closeness she felt to the human members of her squad. She had grown to enjoy their presence and ultimately see them as great friends; as one of her own. She still kept her magenta mane in a neat ponytail.

Further discussions of the team’s performance during the training exercise was cut short by a burst of static from their commlinks, heralding a brief conversation.

“Well, we should probably head back,” Windfire cut in, having listened to the transmission. “Looks like Lunar Solace has returned!” he exclaimed. Windfire had cut his fiery mane much shorter recently, deciding a change of style was in order. He was still the focused, supportive, and ever-vigilant soldier that earned him a spot on Vector in the first place.

“Alright, then we better get back to base,” Jacob proposed. “The Princess’ll probably want a briefing on the facility status the moment she hits land.”

“Alright, then let’s go,” Arianna motioned, placing her helmet back on her head, Sydney following suit. The eight hefted their weapons and entered the forest, six individuals disappearing behind the lush shroud of recently-explored Everfree. Starry and Nathan remained behind, and before they followed their teammates into the brush, the unicorn looked up to the human and flashed him a little smile. Nathan reciprocated the gesture, and then proceeded to one-up her when he knelt down and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead and patted her cheek lovingly, before turning to follow the rest of their squad on the trek through the forest.

Starry could not stop the heat that rose to her face, even though such little gestures had been quite common over the past year of officially being an item. Of course, upon relaying the message to the rest of their friends when they felt it was time, they were certainly shocked to find that half were ecstatic and half were annoyed… funnily enough, those people who were annoyed, to a person, gave bits to the ecstatic people.

“Nate! Wait up!” she called out once she cleared her head, disappearing into the foliage.

[Ponyville]

It was a partly cloudy day in Ponyville, and Celestia’s late-afternoon sun shone brightly over the landscape, casting her golden, life-giving rays across all who would receive it. The quaint town was bathed in the glorious light and comfortable heat, revealing a town that looked very much the same as it was three years prior, with the occasional piece of foreign technology used to raise the standard of living for everypony. While not exactly a bustling tourist destination just yet, there were still a fair amount of humans interspersed throughout the native population; most of them off duty soldiers.

However, despite the comfortable weekend that was afforded to everypony, it was not entirely serene for the town’s newest Princess. Twilight Sparkle was darting to and fro around the library to make sure she had times, dates, and everything else organized for today. Today was the day that Princess Luna and the Fleet of Lunar Solace returned from their ceremonial voyage. Luna had transmitted a last-minute message ahead of time that she intended to make planetfall at the outskirts of Ponyville, right on the border of Ponyville Fields, rather than Canterlot, and, to Twilight’s consternation, hadn’t given a reason. Twilight and Celestia had no reason to question her, though, and as such Twilight was put in charge of a little welcoming.

“Spike? Spike!” Twilight called out, her wings ruffling apprehensively. “The fleet’s in the upper atmosphere, Princess Luna’s gonna be down here any minute, we have to get going!”

“I’ve been ready for like, an hour, Twilight. Was about to ask if you were ready,” Spike replied pointedly as he made his way down the stairs. The lavender alicorn had little time to offer a riposte as she quickly ushered Spike out the door. Outside, they found the rest of their friends gathering.

“Looks like we made it!” Applejack commented.

“YIPPEEEE!! PRINCESS LUNA’S BACK!” Pinkie came bouncing up and quickly making her presence known.

“I must say it’s quite nice of Luna to pay us a visit after three months away,” Rarity entered into the conversation.

“Yeah, but since Princess Celestia’s still in Canterlot, I’m wondering why she’s coming here and not going there,” Twilight finally saw fit to ask, since it had become apparent Celestia would not be joining them for whatever reason.

“Hey girls!” Rainbow zoomed down from the sky. “Did I miss anything?”

“No, we’re about to go right now. Where’s Fluttershy?” Spike answered and then asked. The question was answered, however, when the cream-colored pegasus came galloping from the direction of her home.

“S-Sorry everypony…” she panted out, catching her breath. “I’m here now. Just had to let Sapphire and Angel know that I may be out for a while. I don’t know how long this is gonna take.”

“Alright, we’re all here! Let’s go!” Twilight rushed everypony onward, leading the way to the border of Ponyville Fields. According to Luna’s message, she did not want anything fancy, but only for the Elements and Spike to meet her. Not one to deny such a simple request, Twilight and the others were more than happy to await her arrival and hear of her travels to Earth and Daiban.

“Well, there’s the fleet up there,” Rainbow Dash pointed out while hovering in the air, the gentle shape of the Faust visible in the clear summer sky, surrounded by the dagger-like shapes of the other ships in the fleet. “When’s she supposed to get here?”

“Looks like you spoke just in time again, here she comes now!” Spike spoke up, pointing to a moving speck in the sky which gradually became larger and larger as it descended, revealing itself to be a run-of-the-mill Federation dropship. Flanking it during its descent was an escort of four pegasus fighters, who broke off to do a quick circuit around Ponyville once the dropship settled onto the field.

“Awesome…” Rainbow commented under her breath as she watched, eyes held fast, as the fighters in their shiny armor and brilliant wings regroup in formation. The attention of the assembled citizens turned back to the dropship when the rear hatch dropped to the ground, right in front of them. The group of seven had varying degrees of excitement about their faces, being that they would be greeting Princess Luna after a three month absence.

“Ahhh,” a regal voice sighed out blissfully. “It does my lungs well to breathe Equestrian air once more,” Princess Luna finished, stepping out of the confines of the passenger carriage in full admiral’s uniform. She had a beaming smile and her eyes sparkled of enlightenment, a wealth of knowledge one can only earn from traveling far and wide.

“Princess Luna!” Twilight greeted, leading the way to the edge of the ramp, all of her friends quickly drawing in close. By instinct, they all bowed low. “Welcome home!”

“Please, everypony, there’s little need for formalities right now. I appreciate the gesture and am more than happy that you all have met me here on such short notice. However, I’m not here on any sort of formal mission with you. In fact, I must leave for Canterlot the moment my... business here is taken care of,” she said regretfully. She bade everypony to rise, but they certainly had a few questions after the conclusion of her mini speech.

“Ummm, what’d’ya mean, Princess?” Applejack asked the question on behalf of everypony, earning only an amused chuckle from the Night Ruler.

“Of course, I couldn’t stop by Ponyville without greeting my sister’s faithful student, as well as her friends,” she said beatifically. “However, I am also here to drop somepony off,” she said, as if it were the most usual thing in the world, yet still retaining the smug, Cheshire grin of someone who knew something the other party did not.

“Oh… okay. Drop somepony off? Is it somepony we know?” Twilight asked, muzzle wrinkled in thought. She remembered well when Princess Celestia suddenly saddled them with Discord. However, since Discord was not around at the moment she knew of no other who needed any other reforming or something similar.

“Oh, I shouldn’t think so,” Princess Luna replied, gesturing back towards the open underbelly of the transport craft before casually examining the back of her own hoof. “On our way back to the planet, we happened to run across a drifter, stranded in the Void, and decided to give her safe transport to friendly territory.”

As the Princess finished her sentence, everypony could hear authoritative footfalls emanating from inside the dropship. As the Princess moved out of the way and the individual in question revealed herself from the darkness of the ship’s carriage, everypony’s eyes widened and their muzzles slowly began to be dominated by massive, disbelieving smiles.

Clad in her Zero Suit, Samus stood there proudly, her face bearing its typical half-smirk, a new, recent inner peace piercing through her eyes.

“Hey gi—” Samus could not even finish her second word back on Equis, owing to the fact that she was violently tackled to the ground by a certain rainbow-haired pegasus. She was knocked clean off the ramp and hit the grassy ground with a loud ‘oomph!’

“IT’S YOU! OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH YOU’RE BACK!” Rainbow let her words flow over each other, nuzzling her face into Samus’ cheek as the girl regained her bearings after being taken completely off of her feet.

“SAMUS!!!” Pinkie screamed out and quickly piling onto her, landing on the girl’s stomach with all of her weight and nearly evacuating the Hunter’s lungs in the process.

“PINKIE…” Samus managed to squeak out as her diaphragm spasmed.

“Samus, you’re okay!!” Fluttershy exclaimed gleefully with tears streaming down her face, much more comfortably and carefully piling herself onto the Hunter.

“YEEEHAWW! She’s back, everypony!” Applejack threw in her own exclamations, opting to prance around close to the Hunter rather than contribute to the ponypile. Twilight, Spike, and Rarity felt such an approach was more ideal, as well.

“SHE’S BACK! And only two and a half years later! I told you to not keep a lady waiting!” Rarity playfully rebuked her, nuzzling Samus’ already crowded face.

“Well… this is certainly a welcome surprise,” Twilight said rather calmly, looking over towards Luna who was nearly in hysterics at the whole scene. However, the new princess’ resolve was eventually eroded by her excitement. “Oh, to Tartarus with it… SAMUS IS BACK! YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!” she began bouncing around gleefully. Once Samus was finally able to get the others to give her some space, she sat up and rubbed her head. To her immediate right, she found an ecstatic-looking Spike and she quickly pulled him into an endearing one-armed embrace and a noogie.

“Heh-hey! Welcome back home, Samus!”

“It’s… definitely good to be home,” she noted happily, returning the hugs that had been bestowed upon her.

“Where you belong, Samus,” Luna remarked. “Now, I must get back to Canterlot. We shall postpone asking to hear of your exploits until later this week. For now, enjoy yourself.”

“I will, Luna,” Samus replied, nodding affirmatively.

“Very well, Princess,” Twilight acknowledged. “Thank you for stopping by and dropping her off. I hope we get to hear how beautiful these other worlds are, soon.”

“And I look forward to telling, and showing, everypony the same. Have a wonderful remainder of the day, Elements,” Luna bade them all farewell as she returned to the dropship.

“Thanks for the ride, Luna!” Samus waved, adding her voice to the chorus of farewells. Luna only replied with a friendly nod over her shoulder as the transport sealed itself up and took flight towards Canterlot. As Samus saw her off and exhaled serenely, she turned to her company… and found that all of them had smiles wider than their faces.

“Hey girls.” Samus was finally able to complete her initial sentence, earning more than a few cuddles as a result, though one thing immediately took Samus’ attention when she returned a proper hug from Twilight.

“Wait… when the hell did you get wings??” Samus asked, raising her brow and patting the feathers of the appendages. Yup, they were definitely wings.

“Oh… right, well it’s kind of a long story,” Twilight replied bashfully, scraping her front-left hoof against the ground.

“She’s...kind of a princess now,” Rainbow plowed ahead, putting the subject plainly out in the open.

“Wait, really?” Samus asked and Twilight affirmed with a simple nod. “Well then… Your Majesty,” the Hunter added whimsically.

“Please don’t,” Twilight pleaded with a long-suffering expression on her face, earning more than a few laughs from Pinkie, Applejack, and Rainbow, especially since they would often joke with her in a similar manner. Twilight, for her part, absolutely hated the title. “But yeah, I’m an alicorn now… but it’s not important. What is important is that we get you set up!” Twilight energetically remarked, gripping onto Samus’ hand with magic and helping her get to her feet.

“You still want me to stay with you?” Samus asked, dusting herself off once she was able to stand up straight.

“Duh!! Now come on, everypony! I’m calling a sleepover, tonight!” the new princess decreed, earning a chorus of cheers all around. Samus, for her part, could not help but shrug and smile. There was plenty to catch up on and she was more than willing to admit how amazing it felt to be in the company of those she cared about once more. The eight of them started back towards the Library, and the air was rife with pleasant and energetic conversation. While Pinkie and Rainbow decided to hop and hover respectively next to Samus, the others decided to use the ground for its intended purpose as words flew between them all. Samus suddenly found herself in much better spirits, and any troubles that she had on her mind had seemed to vanish, if only for the moment.

“...but no, the sheer fuckery of my last mission. That’s… a damn novel all by itself,” Samus finished her sentence, briefly telling everypony where she had been. She would save the actual story for later when they inevitably sat in a circle. For once, the Hunter looked forward to telling her tales, and she certainly hoped there would be some beverages of the alcoholic variety present.

“Can’t wait to hear how much ass you’ve kicked, Samus,” Rainbow expressed, fluttering around the group and adding a couple of air punches and kicks to punctuate her enthusiasm. Samus observed her antics with good cheer.

God, it’s good to be back, she thought wistfully.

The group was already in front of the Library.

“Oh I’m sure your stories will be amazing, Samus,” Fluttershy enthused warmly. “But do wait for me! I need to fetch Sapphire and bring her over. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she added, floating into the air and taking off towards her cottage. The girls and Spike bid her a quick, collective ‘see you in a second’ while Samus paused at the sudden departure.

“Sapphire?” Samus asked.

“Oh yeah, she’s some weird creature Fluttershy found in the Everfree a few days after you left. They’ve become really close,” Twilight answered nonchalantly.

“Yeah, she’s SUPER FUN!” Pinkie added with her usual flair.

“I’ll admit, Sapphire’s pretty awesome and cool looking,” Rainbow also gave her input. Twilight opened the door to the library and everyone filed inside. Samus, however, almost smacked her head on the doorframe before remembering at the last second to duck.

“Fair enough,” the Hunter replied indifferently. Once she got inside the Library, however, nostalgia took hold as she saw how little her friend’s home had changed, even though there were a few noticeable things that were certainly not native to Equestria during her last visit. “I see you have a couple tablets laying around,” she said as she walked to Twilight’s desk, examining a run-of-the-mill datapad.

“Couldn’t help myself,” Twilight replied from the kitchen. “It’s an amazing piece of technology!”

“She sometimes spends hours on it,” Spike added, helping Applejack and Rarity set up a seating area in the common room. “Access to the extranet was the worst thing that could’ve happened to her.”

“More like best thing!” Twilight countered, exiting the kitchen with the others and holding a tray of fruit in her magical grasp. “My personal tablet even has one of those communication chips in them. I got one for my parents and now I can talk to them via voice or through video whenever I want!”

“Oh, it’s one of those models?” Samus asked, picking up the tablet again and manipulating the interface. “If that’s the case… then I’m giving you my CommID. If you happen to need me for whatever reason and I’m not around, this’ll get hold of me, wherever I am,” she explained, pressing her wrist console up against the tablet’s screen to transfer the encrypted information. She then created a contact profile under the name ‘Samus A.’

“Oh! Well thank you, Samus!” Twilight replied gratefully, flashing the woman a smile as she set down the large plate of fruit in front of everypony. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie certainly looked like they wanted to say something, but Samus pre-empted their questions, raising a cautionary finger:

“Yes, that means any of you can use it to talk to me for whatever reason, not only emergencies. But. That does not give you a right to spam it. Also, my CommID is locked and encrypted; don’t even try to give it to anyone else.”

“Sounds good to me!” Applejack shrugged.

“YAAAY!” Pinkie squealed but quickly settled down when everyone else decided to sit around the plate of food. Getting settled on large sitting pillows, as Samus remembered, light conversation ensued for about two minutes before there was a knock at the door.

“Is that Fluttershy? Already?” Samus asked.

“Probably,” Rainbow replied over her shoulder, trotting over to the door. “She only lives a few minutes away, you’ve been there.”

“Still, that was… fast,” the Hunter added, shaking her head and returning her attention to the plate of fruit in front of her. She grabbed an apple and took a massive bite, savoring the flavor and fluttering her eyes closed for a few moments.

“Hey Flutters, come on in,” Rainbow greeted as she opened the door. “What’sup, Sapphire?”

“SKREEEEE!!”

Samus’ eyes shot open, pupils constricting to pinpricks, and the apple in her grasp was completely crushed. Reluctantly, unwillingly, Samus looked up towards the door and found a floating, pulsing-blue metroid in the flesh.

“S-Samus?” Twilight asked, watching with consternation as the warmth drained from Samus’ face, her mouth twisting in a soundless snarl, donning an icy cold, calculating expression. Without warning, Samus leapt to her feet and equipped her suit in a flash of light, arm cannon aimed straight at the floating creature next to Fluttershy. Much to everypony’s mounting horror at the abruptness of her actions, Samus began advancing.

The room exploded in a cacophony of voices, each trying to make itself heard over the others. Through the clash of sound, Applejack and Pinkie physically restrained Samus, Rarity and Twilight magically held her back, and Rainbow fought to lower Samus’ weapon.

“WHOA! WHOA! SAMUS!” Applejack shouted as the clamor died away. Fluttershy instinctively pushed Sapphire behind her and darted forward, surprising everyone present as she stuck her face right into Samus’.

“Samus! You do NOT point your weapon at Sapphire!!” the pegasus yelled, her gaze brooking no argument and promising hellfire.

“Excuse me?!” Samus retorted, flabbergasted at the reaction she was receiving. Her eyes, however, stayed focused on the gently-bobbing metroid. “Does someone wanna explain to me why there’s A FUCKING METROID FLOATING AROUND HERE?!” Samus yelled in kind, nearly losing control of her temper.

“What’s—a ‘metroid?!’” Twilight asked, wrapping Samus’ arm cannon in her magical grip and yanking it down, though the Hunter desperately tried to resist.

“Ummm… Mama…?” the metroid questioned cautiously, her gelatinous layer suddenly transitioning to a light yellow color. Though it seemed impossible, Samus stiffened even further.

“IT TALKS?!” Samus asked, completely floored in astonishment.

“You can understand her???” everypony asked in unison.

“She understands me!” a feminine, if childish voice seemed to float through Samus’ ears and mind, the yellow coloring shooting right back to bright blue.

“All the metroids are supposed to be dead! I watched the last of them die myself,” Samus growled through her teeth, her adrenaline flaring anew as her body desperately tried to prepare her for combat at the mere sight of the admittedly oddly-colored metroid. “And now...they’re alive...and they’re talking?!”

“Oh right. Pretend me not here,” Sapphire said pointedly, if sarcastically, rising a little in the air to make herself noticed.

“I… am NOT okay with this!” Samus snarled once more, as the weight of the X still existing and now metroids not being truly extinct fell upon her.

“Sapphire don’t mean anypony ANY HARM, SAMUS!” Applejack yelled back a reply, tendons standing out in her neck as she attempted to wrestle Samus behind her.

“Samus, STOP!” Fluttershy commanded, pressing her muzzle right against Samus’ helmet, seeking and holding the Hunter’s gaze. “That’s quite enough! I don’t know what you’ve been through with her species, but Sapphire has been with us for the entire time you’ve been gone!”

Samus’ eyes finally locked onto Fluttershy’s, completely obscuring her vision. Her pupils finally returned to normal size and she brought her breathing under control, forcing her body to calm. Glancing back at the metroid, it was in the same place it was just… hovering. Hovering and gurgling.

“Everything’s fine, Darling. Now, please, take your armor off,” Rarity said calmly, and with encouragement from the others, Samus relented, clenching her jaw and disengaging her suit. With that, Twilight and Rarity released the magical hold on her and the others released their physical holds.

Samus, released to her own devices, exhaled deeply and let her posture slip, glancing over at the metroid that quickly joined Fluttershy’s side.

“I need to sit down,” the blonde-haired girl said curtly, finding her pillow seat and making a beeline for it.

“Samus, are you—” Pinkie inquired but was quickly interrupted.

“JUST…!” Samus started sharply, then shook her head and took a calming breath, quickly reining in her emotions. “...just… give me a moment,” she finished, groaning as she sat down and rested her eyes and forehead in her hands.

“Did I do something bad, Mama?” Sapphire asked. Her question was only comprehensible by Fluttershy and now Samus as well; anypony else would only hear gurgling squeaks.

“No, Sapphire, you didn’t at all. Samus has just been through a lot,” Fluttershy replied in a very motherly tone. Everypony else had taken the liberty of crowding around Samus and pressing their bodies against her; in the past, the same gesture served to help calm Samus down.

“Samus?” Fluttershy meekly called out, landing in front of the woman and garnering her attention. “I’m sorry I yelled at you...like that,” she apologized shyly.

“No, it’s fine. I’m sorry for…” Samus gazed up and found Sapphire hovering right next to Fluttershy’s face, much closer than she would let any metroid get to her. “...assuming the worst.”

“Alright, I think we’re all calmed down, then,” Applejack thought out loud.

“That was a wild ride,” Spike admitted. However, the musings of the others were of little concern to Fluttershy, who decided to pave the way for a formal introduction. Everypony turned to watch.

“Sapphire,” the pegasus cooed, earning the metroid’s attention with an accompanying skree, turning to present the side they took to be her face. She then gestured to Samus, who had shifted into a lotus position. “This is Samus… somepony very near and dear to me… to all of us.”

“Hi Samus! You the ‘human’ from picture at home! Friend of the Queen is friend of mine!”

“Sapphire, huh?” Samus asked rhetorically, a thread of incredulity lacing her tone at the situation she found herself in. “Sorry about earlier.”

“No problems!” Sapphire replied, happily floating away towards Rainbow Dash. Much to Samus’ horror this time, the metroid squeaked and settled herself on Rainbow’s head, her fangs barely grazing the pegasus’ coat, serving merely to hold her in place. Pinkie and Rainbow giggled as Sapphire looked like a hat of sorts to the cyan pegasus.

Samus opened her mouth and reached out to the two, a warning on her lips, but Fluttershy took hold of her hand and lowered it with a gentle smile on her face. Plain in front of her, everypony seemed to gather around Rainbow, who was in no apparent discomfort as a genuine metroid perched on her. Sapphire let out a bubbly gurgle, eating up all the attention. Still, Samus just could not shake the discomfort from her face, could not dispel the adrenaline at the mere sight of a metroid latching onto one of her friends, even in a benign way.

The fact that Rainbow wasn’t a lifeless predated husk threw a spotlight on a very important question…

“Girls?” Samus asked, getting to her feet and pointing to Sapphire. “What are you feeding her?”

“Magic,” Twilight replied matter of factly, everypony (including a metroid-hatted Rainbow Dash) turning their attention back to Samus, who just barely narrowed her eyes at this new revelation.

“What the hell do you mean, you feed her magic?’”

“Well,” Fluttershy began, clearing her throat. “I found her buried in the wreckage of a crashed ship in the Everfree, and I had no idea what she ate. Eventually, we found out she fed on a creature’s life energy and, well… I let her feed on me for a little while.”

“You what?” Samus asked, concerned for her friend’s safety.

“Don’t worry, Samus, we stopped Fluttershy from doing that after a while,” Rarity pointed out. “In fact, the poor dear ended up so weak she was practically bedridden.”

“And Sapphire wasn’t getting enough, anyway,” Pinkie added, remembering the whole fiasco. “So, turns out she can feed off of a pony’s magical energy, too!’”

“It’s really interesting,” Twilight weighed her input. “Sapphire will just latch onto a hoof, the wings, or the horn and siphon some of the residual magic that flows through us ponies naturally. Doesn’t hurt at all, though it’s a weird, tingly feeling.”

“...really?” Samus asked in disbelief. “She just feeds off of some magic and there’s no side effects?”

Everypony looked at each other, shrugged, and nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Rainbow said finally.

Samus shook her head, resting her forehead in her right palm.

“Alright, I need to do this out of habit,” the Hunter said after a lengthy pause, re-equipping her suit (though disengaging her arm cannon out of courtesy) and bringing her left hand to her helmet to engage her scan visor. Twilight, remembering when Samus would scan things for her to find out more information, immediately lit up with the possibility that she was about to find out more about Sapphire. Since her failed analysis spell all that time ago, she’d been desperately curious about her little friend.

“Sapphire, hold still,” Twilight coaxed.

“I comfortable here,” she replied, still lounging on Rainbow’s head, though Twilight could not understand her, only hearing an affirmative ‘skree.’

[Scanning…]

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Morphology: Equis Metroid]

“Equis Metroid…” Samus thought out loud. “Huh. Interesting…”

“She’s an Equis Metroid!” Twilight parroted, teleporting to her desk and fetching a pen and paper. Seeing what she intended to do, Samus decided to read aloud the wealth of information to everypony in the room.

[The Equis Metroid is a type of metroid created by the Space Pirates in response to the unique ecology and magical-laden environment of VK109H. Direct offshoots from the SR388 batch, the Equis Metroid holds all of the native strengths, weaknesses, and evolutionary forms that made those on planet SR388 infamous, with a few key differences, as seen with the Tallon IV variants. Ambient exposure to the planet’s aetheric field in the egg stage has induced a strong resistance to directed magical energy, a trait which will only grow more prominent as the Equis Metroid evolves. Direct magical infusion at the same stage has manifested itself prominently in two ways: a cosmetic change to the metroid’s gelatinous outer layer, whose colors now reflect its state of mind; and, perhaps more importantly, its feeding habits. Exposure and attunement to VK109H’s aetheric field has led the Equis Metroid to be able to feed on the aetheric energy found in attuned individuals. As a further result of magical exposure, the evolutionary cycle of the Equis Metroid is different from its SR388 progenitors; preliminary analysis suggests that this variant will bypass Alpha, Gamma, and Zeta evolutionary forms, advancing from the Adult stage directly to Omega. This metamorphosis, however, is far more difficult to catalyze than a standard metroid; the raw amount of energy necessary may prove fatal to an insufficiently hardy organism.]

“This… This is incredible!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy expressed with a hoof over her mouth. A similar sentiment was echoed by the others, who felt a new sense of pride for their resident metroid, each of them voicing their own impressed responses.

“Also…” Samus spoke up once more. “It looks like she has the necessary genetic coding to become a Queen Metroid.” Samus’ voice was almost awed. “It’s almost certain she won’t because that would require an environment like SR388 offered, but...she appears to have the ability to, which is impressive on its own. I guess… I may have misjudged you, Sapphire,” she admitted, wholly impressed with what she saw. Sapphire was certainly an interesting breed in both senses of the phrase.

“SKREEE!!!”

“A Queen Metroid?” Rarity voiced with sparkles in her eyes. “It looks like we have another member of royalty amongst our friends.”

“Now,” Samus alerted everypony in the room once she disengaged her Suit. “I suggest we get drinks and food, because you won’t believe the shit I’ve seen since I left.”

[Elsewhere in Galactic Federation Space]

The Galactic Federation’s Sixth Fleet was one of the most renowned battle groups in the Federation Navy, present in almost every major engagement with the Space Pirates, save for the Norion campaign. Though the Sixth Fleet paled in comparison to the First Fleet under the command of Fleet Admiral Dane, it would be no less foolhardy to tackle it in a running battle. Its current course taking it just outside the Core Regions, the Sixth Fleet was comprised of no fewer than five Olympus-class Battleships, fifteen destroyers and an equal number of frigates, all of mixed classes, as well as a variable, additional complement of extra troop, armor, and aircraft/starfighter carriers dependent on mission profile… and this was at its weakest.

The Sixth Fleet’s battle group commander was Admiral Fredrick Conway, a highly-decorated officer within the Galactic Federation military. The hawk-nosed commander was seated on the bridge of his flagship, the G.F.S. Oculus, calmly regarding the expanse of space that was his to patrol. A lesser man would possibly have twiddled his thumbs as he awaited the news he expected to hear and, based on the initial brief his agents had sent him, none of it promised to be good.

Fredrick Conway had been in service with the Federation military since its inception as a distinct branch, much like his former colleague and ‘friend,’ Adam Malkovich. Also like Adam, Conway commanded from those who served under him undying, near-fanatical loyalty and unwavering respect; possibly more than they showed to the Federation Chairman. Conway looked every inch a commander; his fair skin, perpetually-calm expression and the manner in which he carried himself combined with a strong build for a human of his age to create an intimidating personage. Still, his level head, proven brilliance and ruthlessness on the battlefield, and piercing hazel eyes furthered his charismatic appeal to others.

The door to the bridge whooshed open behind him, causing him to raise his head, but not to turn.

“Sir,” a feminine voice permeated the calm atmosphere of the bridge. Conway knew immediately who it was and stood up from his seat to face her.

“Commander Eisen,” he greeted with a half-smirk, smoothing out his uniform and adjusting his visor-cap. He met her halfway along the walkway from the bridge entrance to the observation pane. After they exchanged salutes, the two broke regulation to share a brief hug.

“How are you, Commander?” he asked, beckoning her to his side and towards the observation pane. His stoic demeanor returned almost instantly.

“I’ve been better, especially with the news I’m here to deliver, Admiral,” the several-inches shorter woman admitted, policing some of her blonde locks back under her cap. Commander Tess Eisen was a younger woman who showed great military promise; she and Conway had met over twenty years prior during another military campaign, and the two had grown close as friends despite their age disparities.

Eisen was an excellent auxiliary battlefield commander, and Conway had pulled strings to ensure that she held a job at his right hand once she made it to an appropriate rank. Her main focus, however, was in the Federation Scientific Research and Development, proving herself quite useful for Conway’s ambitions.

“Is that so. Very well, give it to me straight,” he ordered, gazing out of the observation pane.

“Our troops that were sent back to investigate the BSL station found nothing, literally.” Conway gave the younger woman a disbelieving look. “The station had deorbited and impacted the surface of SR388. It is likely that the station’s self-destruct had been triggered, as well. The resulting impact was so devastating, we’re likely looking at an extinction-level event. The majority of the planet is now a wasteland,” she continued. Conway stiffened; he had known the results were bad, but that didn’t mean he was prepared to accept it. “Our team does not believe any X survived the impact and subsequent explosion.”

“Of course… of course that happened,” he grumbled. “Where the hell is Samus in all this?”

“Wasn’t present when we arrived. She’s alive, though. We were able to intercept a transmission sent by her A.I. officer...the one on board the ship Command sent her back to BSL with, detailing what was going on there; the metroid breeding, our plans for the X, everything,” Eisen explained. Conway turned his head to face her, agitation barely piercing his collected demeanor.

“Did the transmission reach High Command?!” he asked urgently.

“No, sir; as I said, we intercepted it. As luck would have it, it passed through a comm buoy in our space on its way Coreward. I was able to have it pulled before the transmission went through to High Command,” she explained further.

“Very good. At least there’s something to be salvaged from this shitshow,” Conway praised, though his complexion quickly soured. “Still, this doesn’t detract from the fact that Aran has now obliterated two of our bioweapon operations: the Bottle Ship, and now this.” he seethed. “What’s worse… Malkovich, that bastard... even beyond the grave, he somehow manages to get in my way and fuck it all up. Who even thought of the idea of uploading personalities?”

“Your guess is as good as mine, sir. I always frowned upon the practice,” Eisen expressed.

“When I die, make sure that never happens to me,” Conway ordered halfheartedly.

“Heh...Of course, Admiral. But yes, it’s unfortunate that Samus Aran has destroyed what we’ve been discreetly working for, but we were able to retain some crucial research. Where do you wish to go from here?” Eisen asked, looking up at Conway after a moment of silence from his end. She found him deep in thought, resting his chin in the web of his right hand as he stared into the void.

“I’ve wasted enough effort keeping the rest of the military and the Senate out of the loop, and I don’t intend to waste any more trying to protect our operations from Samus’ prying eyes. Ideally, I want her six feet under and her helmet on my desk as a paperweight as soon as possible,” Conway mused out loud, his face adopting quite the scowl at the mention of the Hunter’s name. “If I knew she’d end up being this much trouble, I’d have had her euthanized while she was in her medical coma after Zebes’ destruction.”

“Perhaps not a bad idea,” Eisen agreed. “But bear in mind, had you done so, we wouldn’t have been able to collect anywhere near the amount of...samples that we have.”

“That… is a good point,” Conway conceded grudgingly. “Still, she’s defeated entire armies of Space Pirates and single-handedly wiped out entire species. Simply put…? Samus Aran, regardless of her loyalties, is the single greatest threat to the Galactic Federation and the Galaxy for the foreseeable future. I want her captured, I want her entire armorsuit in R&D for sampling and reverse engineering, and I want her shot in the back of the head,” the Admiral ordered heatedly.

He turned and faced the Commander fully.

“The first step is locating her. She obviously fled the station prior to its destruction. Do we have any leads on where she might be?” Conway asked, leaning back against the railing of the observation pane and resting his chin between his two fingers once more.

“Actually...yes. There’s some chatter saying she got picked up by the Fourteenth Fleet on its way home from a diplomatic circuit,” Eisen answered factually.

“Interesting that they didn’t put that in writing.” Conway paused, cocking his head. “Wait…the Fourteenth...isn’t that the new fleet that was commissioned for planet...Equis, was it? It is, isn’t it?” Conway recalled.

“Ummm…” Commander Eisen thought to herself as she pulled some documents from her coat, skimming them over. “Yes sir! About seven months before the attack on Norion...Samus was sent there to investigate a Leviathan impact. She fought there with the help of the Fourth Fleet and the local population, a species calling themselves ponies, against the Space Pirates and the Phazon corruption.”

“Okay, so then it’s safe to infer that she was brought back to Equis… perhaps she found good company with the inhabitants. Whatever her reasons, that’s where we’re headed as soon as possible,” Conway decided, nodding firmly.

“Then, are we moving out, Admiral?” Eisen asked, ready to help facilitate the order.

“Not just yet, Commander. Jumping straight to Equis with the entire fleet would raise more than a few eyebrows, and open us up to questioning from High Command. There’s no reason at all for us to be there. Most of the Senate and High Command has grown somewhat wary over our recent actions. We narrowly avoided a full investigation after the Bottle Ship incident shook out; but you know as well as I that they would not understand. None of them would understand the importance of our projects to continued Federation supremacy in the Galaxy. Thus, I’m going to need a bit of time to… give us a reason to go,” Conway alluded darkly.

“Yes sir. I’ll await further instructions,” Eisen replied affirmatively, inclining her head.

“Oh stop that, Tess, please; we’re friends,” Conway added, annoyed with his friend’s extreme formality. While he prided himself on rigid adherence to regulation, Commander Eisen was the only exception, and the only officer aboard allowed to call him by his first name. Tess audibly giggled.

“I’ll keep that in mind, Fredrick.”

“Good. Dism— Oh, before you go… what’s the status on Project Duality?”

“As expected, sir. Great progress, but not ready for deployment; development milestones are good, considering the completeness of what we’re working with,” the Commander reported.

“Very well. I’ll handle the bureaucracy and the Senate before our departure to Equis. I want your entire team focused on Duality,” Conway ordered, gesturing with his right hand.

“Understood,” Eisen nodded curtly.

“Excellent. We’ll speak later. Dismissed,” Conway formally dismissed her, the two of them exchanging sharp salutes once more before Eisen left the bridge. Then, Conway was left to his own devices among the general chatter of the bridge staff below his observation deck. But, for all intents and purposes, to him, he was alone. He turned on his heels and stood at parade rest, staring out into the void of space once more.

Conway pulled his cap off and ran a hand through his close-cropped hair, so brown it was almost black, a sigh escaping through his nose. As he replaced his cap and crossed his arms in front of his chest, his trademark, resting scowl imposed itself on his features again as his thoughts returned, mulishly, to the loss of his Bottle Ship and BSL Station projects.

It was time to draw up plans for ‘preventive maintenance.’

4. Awakening

Metroid Equis II: Duality

Section 4

Awakening

“...so what you’re saying, is that Dark Samus was not only still alive, but the architect of the Leviathans?” Twilight asked, making sure she had properly understood Samus’ story. Everypony, including Samus and Spike, were gathered around a stack of pizza boxes, comfortably sat on individual pillows as communal attention was focused solely on the words from Samus’ mouth. Sapphire was nestled comfortably on her own pillow… right next to Samus.

The Hunter scooted away a couple inches out of reflex.

“Yes… and no,” Samus responded after a moment’s thought, taking a bite out of her pizza slice. “Turns out she found Phaaze and had gained control of it. She was going to use it to send Leviathans all over the galaxy and, eventually, the universe.”

“Then...that means the Phazon could’ve come back here!” Rainbow Dash surmised.

“It probably would’ve eventually, had we failed in the attack on Phaaze,” Samus agreed. “But, since I’m here breathing, I obviously made sure that didn’t happen.”

“So what happened then?” Spike asked, backed up by an affirmative squeak from Sapphire.

“Well,” Samus began, adjusting her sitting position. “The hope was to make a beeline straight back here, but in transit, the Federation contacted me and told me that, due to the destruction wrought by the metroids, they were too dangerous to be left alive. I agreed wholeheartedly.”

“Ahem…” Sapphire made herself quickly known, and Samus rolled her eyes.

“No, Sapphire, of course you’re not included in that,” she replied, a little stiffly, though her statement earned a much happier squeak out of the metroid. “So, I had to divert to SR388 where I spent nearly two solid months cleaning out the goddamn metroid hives. Interestingly, though, it happened that the Queen metroid was guarding an egg...which happened to hatch before I could dispose of it. It was so young that it imprinted on me rather than attacking, which made it easy to take it to a science team. They were going to humanely study the creature and harness its abilities for the good of the galaxy.”

“Awww, you were the mother then!” Fluttershy cooed.

“For all of about a day. Turned the little guy over to a science team...and I thought that was that, and I’d be on my way back here. Just my luck that I had hardly gone beyond the asteroid belt housing the station when it came under attack,” Samus continued her story, taking a swig of her drink. “I found out the hard way that Ridley survived the Corruption incident.”

“Seriously?!” Applejack inquired in disbelief. “He came back again?”

“Yup,” Samus replied. “In fact, he was the one who raided the Ceres Space Colony with a contingent of troops, stealing the infant metroid and taking it back to planet Zebes, where the Space Pirates had rebuilt their base of operations that I had destroyed like, six years beforehand.”

“Didn’t you used to live it up on Zebes?” Pinkie asked in a much more calm but still energetic manner. Samus raised one of her brows and the corner of her mouth in good humor.

“I wouldn’t really call it ‘living it up’ as opposed to just ‘living’ and training. But yes, I lived on Zebes for most of my life growing up with the Chozo. Not where I was born, but it was still home. Anyway, Ridley took the infant metroid back, and since it was the last one in existence, I knew they would try to use its abilities for destruction or attempt to clone it.”

“Did they clone it?” Rarity asked, equally into the story as everypony else.

“They did… somewhat. I encountered a type of creature that my systems called ‘mochtroids,’ which were failed clones of the metroid. They were pitifully primitive, and why the Pirates didn’t use beta radiation to force the baby metroid to multiply, as they had done on Tallon IV and elsewhere, I’ll never know,” Samus explained, adding a few of her own musings to the mix. “These were only found in one area, though, which led me to believe that they were just...trying something new.” The Huntress waved her arm dismissively

“Perhaps a less costly alternative to beta radiation-induced mitosis?” Twilight proposed thoughtfully, earning a few looks of confusion from the others. Samus, however, was impressed.

“What?” Twilight asked. “It seemed like that’s what she was getting at.”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Samus confirmed. “As I moved deeper through the rebuilt facility, and after killing Ridley yet again—and confirming that he died—I discovered the Pirates had indeed successfully replicated metroids by traditional means. I quickly dispatched them, but before I could continue on with the mission, I got attacked by a massive metroid… one far larger than any I had and still have ever seen.”

“Go on…” Rainbow Dash urged rather impatiently, wanting to hear how this all ended.

“It overpowered me...latched on and started draining my tanks...” Samus’ face grew pensive, her eyes distant. “...and right before it drained my suit and killed me, it just...stopped. Stopped, and let me go. It was at that moment that I, and my systems, realized that this metroid was the infant,” Samus rambled on, finishing her pizza slice before eagerly going for another. In response to her assertions, there were a few gasps from around the room.

“Then… since it stopped draining you of your energy, it must’ve recognized you, too!” Fluttershy concluded.

“That’s what I thought as well. I continued on and engaged Mother Brain, the leader of the Space Pirates… she and I had some history from when I was incredibly young. That’s a story for another time, though. At any rate, when I first engaged Mother Brain, she was just a powerful brain in a jar...I felt something was different this time. She had gotten herself a body, somewhere, and a hyper beam weapon. She overpowered me and at the last possible moment, the baby metroid rushed in and assaulted Mother Brain,” Samus continued.

“No. Way,” Pinkie uttered, being completely immersed.

“Yes. Way,” Samus responded, nodding emphatically. She put her food down and used her hands to aid in her speaking. “It drained Mother Brain of all of her energy and then drifted over to me and latched on… transferring the energy that it drained from my enemy, to me.”

“Wait… metroids can do that?” Twilight asked, her analytical nature overriding her desire to hear the tale to its conclusion.

“I guess,” Samus replied, shrugging. “I only saw and experienced it once, but maybe they have an ability to transfer energy. I never looked into it...but it would make some sense.”

“Sapphire,” Twilight called to the relaxing Equis Metroid.

“Skreee?”

“I want to try something. Take a little bit of energy from me, then give it to Rainbow Dash. Think you can do that?” Twilight asked sweetly, earning herself more than a few surprised gazes.

“SKREE!”

“Wait, huh?” Rainbow asked, completely unsure of what Twilight meant. Samus, however, remained silent. While her desire to protect urged her to act, she knew intellectually that Sapphire meant no harm...and this would give her a chance to see the ‘harmless feeding’ process in action.

“She says ‘I guess,’” Fluttershy translated, more for the ponies’ benefit than Samus’. Everypony watched as Sapphire floated gracefully through the air and latched comfortably onto Twilight’s horn. As instructed, she took just a little bit of magic potential from the alicorn, no more than might be used by a minimally taxing spell. Samus watched with keen interest, noting that Twilight’s body seemed to glow a tad brighter during the brief energy siphoning. While certainly having felt the effect, she did not seem discomforted in the slightest.

Sapphire then floated over to Rainbow Dash and gently lowered herself to the pegasus’ wings. She gripped and, after a few-moment’s pause in trying to figure out what she was doing, Rainbow Dash’s form suddenly glowed that much brighter, much like Twilight’s. Her luminosity returned to normal after a few seconds, signaling the end of the energy transfer. Sapphire then floated off, orbiting Twilight.

“Whoa…” Rainbow commented, getting to her hooves and stretching out.

“Well?” Twilight asked. “How do you feel?”

“I feel… a bit more energetic actually. It feels like after I eat something healthy,” Rainbow noted, feeling less lethargic than she was just lying down and listening to Samus’ story. The Hunter pointed to the both of them.

“That, can actually be useful if employed right. So, I guess metroids have the natural ability to transfer energy at will. Most impressive.”

“Thanks! Not that hard, though,” Sapphire replied to Samus, floating back to her little pillow.

“Wait… I thought you didn’t know how to do that?” Fluttershy asked curiously.

“I not know. Just tried and it worked,” Sapphire so eloquently put it.

“Well, getting back to the story,” Samus spoke up, receiving everypony’s attention. “I soon found out that Mother Brain wasn’t as dead as I had hoped. She ended up recovering and she attacked the metroid as it tried to shield me… and she killed it,” the Hunter said flatly, though even she could not keep the barest hint of dejected emotion from lacing her tone, if only for fractions of a second. Her audience seemed to echo the sentiment.

“Oh… I’m sorry, Samus. Were you attached?” Fluttershy asked, offering her condolences with her ears flattened against her head. Samus shrugged.

“Ehhh. Not attached per se. I mean…” Samus began, gesturing weirdly with her right hand as she tried to marshal her thoughts. “At first, it was just a metroid that imprinted on me, but...the fact that it remembered me, saved my life...and subsequently gave its own for me…” Samus’ gaze drifted downward a couple degrees. “No matter what, it kinda has an effect on you, y’know?”

At the periphery of her vision, Samus saw the others nod in ragged unison. It had been a noble sacrifice, and because of the actions of a single metroid, their human friend was alive.

“Ya avenged ‘em, right??” Applejack asked eagerly, hoping her assumptions were correct.

Samus nodded briskly. “I annihilated Mother Brain, and with her destruction, the entire network began to collapse. I was able to get out, get to my ship, and escape… but unfortunately, the base was so integrated with Zebes, that its destruction destroyed the planet itself. That was a shame,” Samus added. “Essentially, my second home was lost forever.”

“It’s really been a rough road for you, huh?” Rainbow Dash asked after breathing a heavy sigh. She truly felt for Samus and how her adventures so often seemed to be bittersweet, pyrrhic victories.

“It certainly has… but it doesn’t end there,” Samus noted.

“Wowie! You’ve really had an adventure!” Pinkie remarked, ever eager to hear a good story.

“So what happened then, Darling?” Rarity asked, facilitating the conversation.

“Well, after the adrenaline wore off from the events on Zebes, it came to light that I had sustained worse injuries than I had thought. So, I had to check myself into a Federation hospital, and they put me in a medically induced coma for a good while… close to a month I believe. Once that was taken care of, I turned in my mission report and I was off… I had hoped to come back here, finally, but I ended up intercepting a distress call,” Samus continued.

“Who was it from?” Spike asked, adjusting his position and deciding to lie down instead.

“Didn’t know at the time, but I decided to follow it anyway… it took me to some seemingly derelict space station known as the Bottle Ship. Landing and doing a bit of exploring, I came across an unexpected sight: a few of my old buddies from my Federation Security Forces days...as well as my former commanding officer and mentor.”

“Adam?” Twilight asked after a moment, remembering their study session two and a half years ago.

“...Yeah, Adam,” Samus replied, surprised that she remembered that little detail. “He was leading a special forces team into the Bottle Ship because they had picked up the signal too. As we explored the gargantuan vessel, we discovered that whoever was in charge of the facility was using it as a proving ground for illegal bioweapons and research, just like the Space Pirates had done. It was almost like my Zebes missions, save for...a detail or two. If there’s one thing in common with each of my major missions, it’s always a few surprises...”

[The Bottle Ship | Geothermal Power Plant]

Samus frantically searched for the winged attacker, senses on high alert as she turned to cover the entire chamber... but the sudden movement of a massive figure amidst the light of the falling magma drew her attention to her left. Like a demon, plucked from her memories and given form by the ship itself, a massive, draconic entity made itself known from below the platform, slamming atop it with a titanic crash. It turned its head, spotted Samus, and loosed a terrifyingly familiar, ear-shattering screech filled with naught but purest malevolence.

Samus gasped involuntarily, her arm cannon dipping slightly as recognition slammed home.

“What the fuck…? You??” she said, too softly for her radio to pick up, her expression darkening upon laying eyes on Ridley once more. Ridley, for his part, seemed not to recognize Samus, loosing another feral shriek as he slunk forward, arms outstretched towards his prey. Samus backed away, maintaining the space between them. Her arm cannon never wavered, though she did not immediately engage him in open combat; partly because Anthony was too close, and could easily get caught up in the crossfire (something she really did not want to subject him to), but primarily due to the fact that she was too furious to think.

In the control room, Adam’s attention was drawn back to the display by the flickering of Ridley’s entry. “Huh? What the…?” Adam asked himself, hardly believing what he was witnessing through Samus’ helmet camera. “Samus? Do you copy?... SAMUS?”

To Adam, it appeared Samus was cowering before Ridley’s might...but in actuality, the fury in her had built itself up to levels that she hadn’t felt in a long time, excluding all other thoughts of action. She balled her left fist up tightly.

“Samus! Use your Plasma Beam! Do you read me?!” Adam continued to call out through the commlink.

“You just can’t stay dead… ANTHONY!” Samus called to her comrade after her musings, finally breaking her anger-filled stupor. “Get out of here! Find the others!”

“I’m not leaving you here alone, Samus!” Anthony shouted back, immediately moving into action and blasting Ridley with his weapon, catching the creature off-guard, but drawing his full ire. With the battle thus commenced, Ridley struck at Samus with his claw. She leaped backwards, away from the attack, and with her on the defensive, the dragon lashed out with his tail, the segmented appendage catching Anthony full in the chest and sending him tumbling off the platform.

“ANTHONY!” Samus cried out upon witnessing her friend get tossed to his apparent death, her rage clarifying, condensing into a sharp, brilliant spearhead. At that moment, she knew; this would be the end-all. Ridley would not be the cause of any more deaths and suffering in her life. He would not cause any more pain. She did not know, at the time, how he managed to worm his way back into existence, but his re-emergence from her memories, where he belonged, ended here, and it ended now.

Samus snarled, baring her teeth, and steeled herself, eyes blazing as she swung her arm cannon up to meet Ridley’s insane gaze. This felt good. This felt right.

“I’m sending you straight back to hell!” Samus declared furiously, charging her beam and rushing directly at Ridley...

“He was still alive???” nearly everypony asked in disbelief after Samus’ detailed recollection of the battle with her greatest adversary.

“How was that even possible? You confirmed his death back on Zebes, right?” Twilight added to the question.

“Unfortunately, he was,” she confirmed. “And I did confirm he was dead… by shooting him a few more times in the head. But...as it turns out, the answer lies with when I checked myself into the hospital afterwards. Before I removed my Suit, I asked them to just run it through a decontamination cycle, because I hadn’t had a chance to clean it myself; my injuries took precedence. I think it was then that they were able to find the DNA from the metroids...and from Ridley, though no one could’ve possibly known. Ridley, I was told, was an accidental creation; a clone,” Samus explained while placing two slices of pizza on top of each other. She then took a bite.

“Well, shit,” Rainbow Dash stated in a tone that essentially said ‘I guess!’

“My sentiments exactly. But, now that I think about it… it’s weird…” Samus answered, her tone turning inward, self-reflective. “Ridley was absolutely my arch-nemesis… but, despite the horrible things he did to me, and to others, he and I had an intricate relationship. I almost felt bad for him, at the end.”

“What you mean?” Sapphire asked, apparently having been listening as well and having enough of an understanding of what was being said. While only Samus and Fluttershy could put words to Sapphire’s inquiry, its curious tone said what the others could not understand.

“What I mean is that… when I truly killed him and confirmed it for the first time, it was as if a massive weight had been lifted off my shoulders,” Samus explained, sounding at once happy and contemplative. “At the same time, upon his death, I almost felt an… emptiness inside. All my life, I guess I subconsciously had my doubts if he was ever truly dead, and as long as I had that doubt...I had purpose. I had a motivation. Knowing for sure that I’d killed him… I felt like… like… I didn’t know where to go from there.”

“He was your greatest challenge,” Rainbow Dash stated, seemingly empathizing with a feeling she knew all too well. Samus nodded.

“In a way, yeah. He kept me...focused. With him gone, it was an odd sense of vindication; I avenged my parents, my birth colony, and my Chozo family… but for a few fleeting moments, I felt almost aimless. And then...when he reared his head on the Bottle Ship, he was merely a clone.” Samus narrowed her eyes, studying the back of her hand. “He had no memory of who I was, no Space Pirate indoctrination, nothing. There, Ridley was a simple predator, driven by nothing but instinct,” Samus continued to elaborate, adopting a far-off look as she finally gave voice to some thoughts that had been plaguing her. “It was almost… sad, when it was all said and done.”

“Having a powerful, personal adversary reduced to nothing but a feral animal?” Twilight guessed. Samus did not know why she was still surprised at Twilight’s ability to be so insightful.

“Exactly the way I felt.” Samus nodded before opening up another beer; 'Crystal Standard' was quickly becoming her favorite. “But, moving on from personal sentiments, I continued to explore my own way. I stumbled across a sector of the Bottle Ship that was an exact mimic of the environment of Tourian.”

“Where that Mother Brain was, right?” Fluttershy voiced.

“Right,” Samus acknowledged. “Well, skipping a really long and complex history, some group within the Federation had been breeding metroids. But, these weren’t ordinary metroids… they had been genetically modified to not have their crippling weakness: vulnerability to cold.”

“So that’s why Sapphire refused to come out during the Winter Wrap Up,” the cream-colored pegasus added in. “I guess your entire species just doesn't like the cold... or can't handle it,” she said to the relaxing metroid.

“No cold!”

“Right. So, without that check, metroids would be practically indestructible by conventional means,” Samus replied, shaking her head. “And, on top of that, if you learned how to train them...control them, they’d be the most valuable, deadliest asset on the battlefield and could be used for terrible purposes,” Samus elaborated.

“So, you found such metroids, then I’m assuming you dealt with them, right?” Rarity asked.

“...No, actually,” Samus admitted. “Before I had a chance, Adam took me down and explained that the metroids couldn’t be frozen once they matured...and that the only way to destroy them was to destroy the sector housing them.” She sighed, running a hand through her hair. “And that the only way to do that was to damage the sector so badly that the station’s computer would automatically jettison it.”

“That sounds like a terrible failsafe from a technical point of view,” Twilight said, voicing her concerns.

“How did Adam incapacitate you?” Spike asked, stuffing his face with a couple of gems.

“He shot a stun round into my back,” Samus answered.

“Why?” Pinkie asked, cocking her head to the left in confusion. Samus opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out. She donned a similar expression of bemusement.

“I… I’m not sure, actually. If I had to make a guess, he thought I would stop him from doing what he had to do next… though it’s weird, because if he was so set on it, I wouldn’t have stopped him anyway.”

“Whadd’ya mean by that?” Applejack questioned.

“Well…he decided to activate the self-destruct sequence...by himself. He sacrificed himself to destroy the sector,” Samus replied, doing her best to mask her still-somewhat-raw emotion as mere indifference. The others gasped and murmured a bit at the revelation. “He and I may have had some bad history together, but that notwithstanding, he was still my mentor and my good friend. The Federation lost one of its best, if not its best that day. I’ll only ever admit this to you eight, but it was one of the only times I ever shed tears in front of anyone.”

“I’m so sorry, Samus,” Fluttershy apologized again, expressing her condolences on behalf of everypony else.

“It’s fine, girls. What can ya do?” Samus replied offhandedly. “Well, again, skipping a few details that aren’t so necessary at the moment, we finally finished the mission on the Bottle Ship. Thankfully, Anthony had survived, and he helped me transport a high value individual back to Earth for questioning. The Bottle Ship was eventually destroyed, and that was the end of a major, potential threat to the galaxy.”

“Is that when you came back here?” Twilight asked, shifting her body on her pillow to retain maximum comfort. Samus shook her head.

“No. I was far across the galaxy at that point, and as much as I wanted to return home, I was hired for a few other jobs here and there.”

“You workaholic,” Rainbow chided playfully.

“Oh, you know me too well. I had about… a little over twenty random jobs that I was contracted for. Most of them weren’t major,” Samus said, quickly moving ahead with the next topic. “Provide security for a few weeks, help guard a short-staffed outpost for a couple of days, provide recon against potential insurgents… little things, relatively speaking. One mission, though, started as ordinary as the rest… but quickly proved to be otherwise.”

“Alright, now you’re just teasin’ us. Out with the story!” Applejack urged her onward, eliciting a little bit of a chuckle from the Hunter.

“Alright, alright! Remember when I told you about going to SR388 and exterminating the metroids there?” she asked everyone to put them on a point of reference. All nodded. “Well… turns out that wasn’t a fuckin’ good idea in the long run, and I’ll get to that in a bit. Anyway, about a month ago, I’d been assigned to watch over a Biologic’s research team, so I once again found myself on SR388.”

“That’s lovely,” Spike remarked, remembering full well Samus’ opinions of the planet.

“Well, it was there that I was attacked by a life-form that I had never encountered before,” she continued, pulling up a picture of a single X parasite on her console to show to everypony. There were plenty of grimaces all around. “However, it was only later that I learned the identity of my attacker: a parasitic organism that we called X. I displayed no symptoms when it first attacked me and infiltrated through my suit, so, unaware of my condition, I was returning to our operations station when disaster struck.”

“Ummmm… define ‘disaster,’” Twilight asked, begging clarification.

“The parasite infested my central nervous system, I lost consciousness, and my ship drifted into an asteroid belt…” Samus answered her directly.

“Oh…”

“Yeah. The ship's emergency systems automatically ejected the escape pod before impact. Biologic's vessel recovered it and transported me to Galactic Federation HQ for immediate medical treatment. Thankfully, we weren’t far away from one of the major medical command centers,” Samus continued her tale. “My condition worsened by the minute, however. During the journey, the X multiplied within me, corrupting large areas of my Suit, which sucked even harder.”

All the ponies and dragon leaned forward with keen interest, completely forgoing their food and drink to hear the next words out of Samus’ mouth.

“It then came to light that the organic components of my Suit were so integrated with my system that it could not be removed while I was unconscious… a problem which could’ve, ironically, been remedied with magic. Large portions of my suit had to be surgically removed, dramatically altering my physical appearance. Even after clearing that infestation, the X in my central nervous system were too embedded to be removed safely. I was given a minimal chance of survival,” Samus said, revealing how terrible her condition actually was. To say that there were horrified looks around the room would be an understatement.

“So you were this close to dyin’ and none of us would’ve even known,” Applejack whispered, saying what everypony else was thinking.

“Hey, in my defense, I had no idea what the hell was going on.” She rubbed her chin. “Although, technically, I could’ve died on any of my other missions—and almost did, as I told you before—and no one would’ve known, so…” Samus countered, gesturing appropriately with her hand for emphasis.

“Don’t remind us,” Twilight grumbled, blowing a lock of her hair out of her face.

“But naturally, since I’m sitting here in front of you, I clearly survived. The reason was that someone had found a cure. To this day, I have no idea what possessed them to try this out, but the medical staff proposed using a metroid cell to make some sort of ‘anti-X vaccine.’ Wisely, the Federation had managed to preserve a cell culture from the infant metroid. So, the serum was prepared and injected as quickly as they could manage it… The X parasites were immediately and completely destroyed,” Samus continued, her companions’ expressing morphing from horrified to relieved.

“This story is getting more intense as time goes on,” Spike commented with his mouth partially full of gemstones.

“I was quite literally brought back from the brink of death. But, not entirely the same. As for me, one life ended… yet I survived as something a bit different.”

“Well, that was dramatic!” Pinkie spoke up after a while of just listening and bouncing in place, earning laughs all around at her playful sarcasm.

“Be quiet, Pinkie,” Samus retorted with whimsical stoicism, which only fueled the combined giggling fits. “To elaborate what I meant by that, I’m sure you all noticed the change in my suit from when you last saw me… a radical change, I should say.”

Samus then equipped her suit in full, not bothering to stand up.

“I was gonna ask about that, but it kinda got lost in the commotion,” Rainbow Dash remarked, and everypony else seemed to nod in agreement.

“Right,” Samus replied. “Well, this was the result of surgery as well as the metroid vaccine, which altered some of my DNA. Originally, it was much bluer in color, but because of...events on the BSL station, it now resembles my Varia Suit more closely. On another note, though… this,” she gestured to her armor-clad body, “...was only made possible because of the late infant metroid. I pondered this when I awoke, as well… I owe it my life twice over.”

Samus unequipped her suit, leaving her back in her Zero Suit.

“It also turned out that the metroid was a natural predator of the X back on SR388, hence, why I said that exterminating them was not a great idea in hindsight.”

“Did you come back here once you healed up,” Fluttershy asked, everypony attempting to connect the time of her arrival.

“Wishful thinking. Upon waking, I was told that there was an explosion at BSL station and that all contact had been lost. What was worrying was that that’s where pieces of my surgically removed, infected Varia Suit had been sent for study. I don’t know why, but it awoke a nameless fear in my heart… like somehow, on a level beneath my consciousness, I knew exactly what had happened,” Samus explained while finishing off her pizza sandwich.

“How do you figure?” Twilight asked, ever excited to hear Samus tell her stories.

“Well, the first thing you guys have to understand, is about the nature of the X. The X infect the host, kill it, and then take on its form in a much more aggressive, though sometimes much more intelligent way,” Samus answered, getting a few nods of understanding in return.

“So, it’s like cloning but the host dies and a feral form remains,” the lavender alicorn said, implicitly asking for confirmation. Samus nodded deeply.

“Somewhat. So, with some odd feeling in my gut, I was sent to investigate the facility, taking orders from a computer, which was supposed to be my commanding officer for the mission. Remember Adam?”

Everypony nodded and gave their own affirmative responses.

“Well, he lives on… through here,” Samus almost endearingly pointed out, gesturing to her wrist console. “Adam?” she then called.

“Yes, Samus?” Adam blipped to life on her console, his ‘eye’ taking shape right in the center of the screen.

A pin could be heard dropping as a result of the stunned silence.

“Wait… what??”

“Huh?”

“Whoa…”

“Okay…”

“COOOOOL!”

“Ummm…”

“Skreeee…?”

“To intercept the onslaught of questions you all have: I recently learned that it’s common practice for the Federation to ‘upload’ the personalities of the greatest minds after they pass away,” the Hunter elaborated. “How they do it, I’m really not so sure, but regardless, Adam is here… his joyful persona and all.”

“I’m sensing large quantities of sarcasm in your words, Lady,” Adam responded.

“Did he just call you ‘Lady?’” Rarity chimed in, cocking an eyebrow.

“It’s… it’s an inside thing between us,” Samus vaguely explained, but her expression became somewhat irritated once she saw Rarity’s eyes sparkle. “No. Don’t even get any ideas. I know exactly what you’re thinking and it’s not true in the slightest,” Samus scolded pointedly. While the others were confused, Rarity was already laughing into her hoof.

“I wasn’t insinuating anything, Darling…”

“You were thinking about it…”

“I was not…”

Samus rolled her eyes. “Yes you were… But ANYWAY, Adam was with me the entire time, and I didn’t even know it until the end of the mission. Investigating the BSL station, it was built similarly to the Bottle Ship, so it progressed similarly as well. The X had spread all over the facility and Adam sent me to each sector to do my best to rid them of the parasite, all while regaining my abilities and avoiding the SA-X,” Samus said, getting right back to the story.

“SA-X?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Oh right. Remember how pieces of my infected suit had to be surgically removed? Well, those pieces were sent to BSL station to be studied. The X had, with my DNA, reconstructed a full Varia Suit from the parts, as well a simulacrum of my body,” Samus answered. “I never got to see the SA-X out of the suit, so I only guess it was some perverted mockery of my own self.”

“Like Nightmare Hunter?” Fluttershy asked, searching for a parallel. Samus thought on it for a few moments and in fact, it was a fairly similar concept.

“Ummmm, yeah… Yeah you could say that. It was different, though. The SA-X, for all intents and purposes, was me… me with all of my native weaponry, while I had nothing. Adam would warn me about its movements, because until I could find or download my weapons and abilities back, I was absolutely no match for it in combat. I had to run and hide, scurrying through the shadows like a rat while it hunted me down,” Samus recalled, remembering the many sleepless nights locked up in the Save Stations and Information Rooms… getting little to no sleep over the fear of the SA-X blowing the doors in and slaughtering her.

Before Samus could continue properly, there were a few firm knocks at the front door, drawing everypony’s attention.

“Who could that be?” Twilight asked, but Spike beat her to the rest.

“I’ll get it,” Spike announced, picking himself up off his pillow and trudging to the front. Samus turned back to the others.

“Well, guess we have company now. I’ll tell you the rest of the story later, but just know that in the end, the X were getting out of hand, as well as me finding another illegal metroid breeding program. I set the station on a crash course for SR388 before Adam and I fled, destroying both planet and station. Finally I was on my way here and Luna’s fleet happened to be in the area. So, I bummed a ride with her, and here I am!” the Hunter concluded briefly, earning a small chorus of ‘hurrahs,’ reminding everypony that Samus was indeed back and safe, just as she had promised over two and a half years ago.

“Indeed, here you are!” a familiar, regal voice permeated the air, garnering everypony’s eyes. Samus turned with a smile to see exactly who she knew was there.

“Princess Celestia!” she greeted, immediately rising to her feet and embracing the alabaster alicorn. The latter was adorned in her usual regalia and everypony else rushed to greet her, including Sapphire.

“It is so wonderful to see you again, Samus… I apologize, everypony, for the intrusion, but when Luna informed me of your safe return, I could not help but stop by and say hi,” she added gleefully, separating from the human so they could get a better look at each other. “You haven’t changed, nor aged a bit, Samus.”

“Damn, well that’s good to hear. I feel like I’ve aged thirty years, mentally.”

“No intrusion at all, Princess!” Twilight happily dismissed Celestia’s concerns. “We were just sitting down to Samus telling us of her adventures. You’re more than welcome to join us!” she offered, hoping that the greatest inspiration in her life would accept. Celestia giggled adorably.

“Nothing would give me greater pleasure, my little ponies… and my human subject,” she began, addressing Samus as ‘subject’ as a term of endearment. “...but I only had time to stop by and say hello. I must be present with Luna when we have a meeting with some financial ministers of the Federation early tomorrow. That, and to introduce Samus to somepony else…”

“Wait, do you mean…”

“Hello~ everypony!” Discord greeted the entire room when he ‘popped’ into existence, floating in on a pink cloud. Samus was, naturally, a bit startled at the sudden entrance of what appeared to be a serpentine mish-mash of different animals, but the others responded amiably, if a little annoyed.

“Oh. You.” Sapphire quietly added.

Celestia smirked and spoke once more:

“Discord has been on his best behavior...so I thought I’d bring him along and introduce him to—”

“Samus Aran!” Discord exclaimed, snapping his fingers and teleporting right behind the Hunter, slithering around her to get a better look, as Samus attempted to do the same. “Yes, I’ve been informed of you… the prophesied daughter of the Chozo…”

“Wait, what?” Samus asked, he also earning a few cocked eyebrows at that statement.

“I said ‘the great human friend of the Elements,’” Discord said, covering his previous words so smoothly. “Just like the pictures… I’ve been wondering when I’d get the particular pleasure of meeting you,” he stated excitedly, disappearing and reappearing as a miniature version of himself standing on Samus’ right shoulder, leaning on her chin. “I am Discord… Lord of Chaos and all of Equestria’s underlying entropy.”

“I see… nice to meet you too, I guess?” Samus replied uncertainly, being slightly put off at his eccentric behavior. With another snap of his fingers, Discord teleported next to Celestia, leaning over her back. Samus looked a bit miffed, while the others regarded Discord with a long-suffering acceptance.

“I’m glad! Unfortunately, mother Celestia here did not have plans for us to stay, so we must be off back to Canterlot… but I thoroughly look forward to fraternizing with you in the near future,” Discord said in a quite friendly manner.

To everypony else, it was almost too friendly.

“Right…” Samus replied.

“Well, on that note, it is best that we head back to the capital. My apologies for this being such a short meeting,” Celestia noted, nuzzling Samus, then Twilight, on the cheek. “But please, don’t be a stranger! The castle is always open to you… especially if the Elements here begin getting on your nerves,” she offered, winking at the six ponies plus dragon. There were chuckles to be had all around.

“You got it, Princess. I don’t think I’ll be bored for a while, though… but I’ll be dropping by as soon as I’m able,” Samus informed with a grateful nod.

“Luna and I look forward to it. Goodnight, everypony,” Celestia bade everyone farewell, turning on her hooves and heading back towards the door with Discord floating alongside.

“Tata, everypony!” he exclaimed in kind, snapping his fingers and disappearing once more, but this time, not reappearing.

“Oh! Before I forget,” Celestia called out before making her exit, looking over her shoulder and locking eyes with Samus. “All of your financial assets have been unfrozen, and are free for you to use once again.”

“Oh cool! Thank you very much!” Samus replied eagerly. She had completely forgotten about that, and now that she got the answer of whether or not the money she had left behind was still valid, she now had absolute freedom to do as she pleased in Equestria.

Samus could now start paying rent again to Twilight… which would no doubt lead to a colossal argument in the near future.

Or, she could look into investing in her own place nearby.

“Of course, Samus. Have a goodnight, everypony,” Celestia said once again before closing the door behind her, leaving everypony as they were before her sudden arrival.

“So… the night’s still young; what now?” Rarity asked, everyone still teeming with good energy and more than willing to continue with Samus’ return celebration.

“No idea,” Samus replied, though clearly up for anything.

“I could make us all supersonic ice cream SUNDAES!” Pinkie exclaimed, jumping in the air and spazzing out in screaming her last word. All the other ponies plus dragon and metroid let out a combined, garbled chorus of affirmative responses. Samus was no stranger to Pinkie’s cooking and natural talent for crafting pastries and other sweets. Thus, she knew that whatever made these ice cream creations special would be absolutely worth it all.

She also missed liberally loading up on sweets during her last stay in Equestria.

“I have no idea what the ‘supersonic’ means, but I want one,” Samus said resolutely.

[G.F.S. Oculus | Some Time Later…]

It was time. Conway had gotten the alert he had been waiting for for over two months: Commander Eisen wanted to see him in the Black Ops Research wing, buried deep in the heart of the most classified area of the flagship.

The fruits of Project Duality were soon to be revealed.

Conway marched with single-minded intent through the corridors of the Oculus, having forgone a proper escort because he did not want to get bogged down with basic protocol. To the crewmen who saluted him as he passed, Conway paid no heed—uncharacteristic of him; his entire attention was focused on what awaited him. Eisen had been reassuring him that Duality stood to be much fitter for purpose and application than the X, Metroid and Bottle Ship bioweapons programs, primarily due to the projected lack of side effects.

He would be the judge of that in the future, of course, but for the moment he trusted Eisen and her impeccable judgement. Conway knew for a fact that he would most likely be pleased with what was presented to him. He had fullest confidence that she would deliver…how much, however, remained to be seen.

Stepping off the elevator into the bowels of the ship, clad in his usual, ceremonial dress uniform, Conway strolled forward, the only direction afforded to travelers in this chthonic realm. The only break from the corridor’s monotony was a single, hallway-spanning blast door, imposing in its blankness yet equal intimidation. Flanking the door stood a pair of equally intimidating, fully-geared marines. Wordlessly, they came to attention and pressed two buttons on the walls simultaneously, a sharp hiss and a slight inrush of air indicating that the door was opening. Conway did not even wait for the blast doors to open completely, brushing past the soldiers and moving to a decontamination chamber.

After the standard decon cycle, Conway moved onward, down a corridor as stark, dim, and spartan as the one he just passed.. Were any other crewman to somehow make it past the ever-watchful, elite guards, they might lose themselves here. By contrast, Conway moved with unerring grace and certainty towards a massive, sepulchral chamber awash with medical equipment. Dominating the room, in pride of place, was a single medical bed.

“Commander Eisen,” he greeted upon walking through the door, finding the Commander and a few of her scientific aides standing around the bed, conversing quietly amongst themselves, interpreting medical readings, and monitoring the bed’s occupant.

“Good afternoon, Admiral,” Eisen replied with barely-constrained enthusiasm, beckoning him over.

“So, I hear you have something to show me in the way of progress…”

“Certainly do!” Eisen replied, pulling up her datapad to bring up the appropriate information, Conway standing beside her as he stared down at the subject on the bed, arms crossed, fingers drumming against his upper arm. “The samples we took from Samus Aran while she was in a medically induced coma were more than suitable for our needs. Through hypno-conditioning and forced biological growth, the subject’s mind and body are both approximately in their late teens.”

“How are her vitals?” Conway asked, resting his chin in the crook of his hand as he continued to observe.

“Better than my team could have hoped for at this state,” Eisen responded happily. “Her internal organs show absolutely no sign of degradation after the forced-growth procedure; I credit the Ninazu group for that breakthrough. Cardiac function is strong; we had a minor scare in the third week of development when her primary pacemaker shut down, but we were able to restart it.”

Conway raised his head and looked at Eisen. “I don’t recall receiving a report about this.” To her credit, Eisen looked abashed.

“Erm...Well, we solved it quickly enough that we—I didn’t think that you needed to be bothered.” Conway let his head fall to his chest again.

“No more. I want a report on everything; let me decide what’s important.”

“...Yes, sir. Anyway...neural function is off the charts, far beyond what initial projections and extrapolations would have predicted. We now believe she possesses cognitive abilities on par with the template. Her lungs have developed to the point where we felt safe taking her off the respirator two days ago; she’s been breathing independently ever since. Obviously, we won’t know for sure until we wake her up and test her, but we believe she should be, in theory, as strong as her template.”

“And the bionic enhancements?” Conway inquired, beginning to circle the bed predatorily, almost shark-like.

“So far, we’ve had consistent success with lab samples inducing accelerated dermal and subdermal tissue regeneration; those have been activated in the subject. As for the other enhancements you requested…” Eisen winced. “We had enough trouble getting them to function consistently in a laboratory environment that we didn’t dare try to include them… at least not yet. Immunologically, she’s been given the standard Federation battery of inoculations, and her immune system has been hyper-activated.”

“I see. I’m assuming you didn’t call me down here just for a status report…?” Conway asked leadingly, knowing that Eisen could have just forwarded a memo to him about what was just said, and wasted less time.

“Would I do that?” Eisen asked sweetly. “Because she’s surpassed all of our milestones so far, we believe we are prepared to fully activate Project Duality,” she said proudly. “She’s ready to begin training and indoctrination cycles.

“Oh?” Conway asked, an almost-malevolent gleam in his eye. “And you brought me down to do the honors? I’m touched, Commander.”

“It was your idea, after all… I was merely the architect.”

“Very well. What is her designation?” Conway asked, looking back down to the seemingly incapacitated woman.

“Officially, Project Duality has been designated ‘SA-2,’” Eisen answered confidently, holding her datapad under her arm.

“SA-2… aptly named, Commander,” he reflected. “But perhaps, maybe at first, it’s only proper to address her as she truly is...Wake her up,” Conway finally ordered, the barest hint of a cruel smile tugging at his lips, staring down upon the sleeping, fair-skinned, blonde-haired body.

“Yes, sir.” Eisen looked at her staff and nodded sharply, relaying the order. They bustled around the hospital bed, attaching needles to the occupant’s IV lines, pushing various chemicals into her body. She twitched and jumped under the sheet covering her, eyes rolling behind closed eyelids as her system tried to keep up with the strange wash of chemicals. “Heart rate climbing,” one tech reported. Another called out, “EEG is moving.”

A few moments later, all was still, the monitors settling down into relaxed beeps.

“Witten?” Eisen called, directing her attention to the tech who had reported on the EEG. “How is she?”

The tech looked down. “EEG is showing a stable delta rhythm. She’s out of the coma, Admiral. Ready to be roused at your order.”

Conway nodded respectfully at the tech, making his way around the bed to its other side. Looking down at the figure below him, he reflected on the odd reversal, the person now bearing this face in particular. As if borne out of reflex, he reached down and, almost paternally, brushed a lock of her hair off of the girl’s forehead.

Her head twitched in response to the touch, a healthy sign. Conway leaned in, speaking firmly into the girl’s ear:

“It’s time to wake up, Samus.”

As if she had been waiting to hear her name, the heart rate monitor began beeping frantically. The subject gasped, and her eyes shot open, revealing an all-too-familiar pair of teal-blue irises.

5. Timelapse

Metroid Equis II: Duality

Section 5

Timelapse

The training chamber was dark and barren, abyssal in its emptiness save for its lone occupant. A younger, less physically mature form of Samus gazed around apprehensively at this new environment that she was standing in. Clad in nothing but a form-fitting, grey and white suit that would bear only a passing resemblance to the real Samus’ Zero Suit, she waited, as she was told, for her next instructions. Her body was still, but her mind raced, her newly-minted intelligence buzzing with questions at a million miles a second. What’s happening? chased Where am I? around her mind, but one question reigned supreme, presiding over all the others:

Who am I?

She gasped and jumped slightly as an unseen speaker high above her in the blackness squealed loudly. Light suddenly flooded her vision, forcing her to shield her eyes and squint so they could properly adjust. The new light source bathed the girl in a column of light: SA-2, her ‘faux-Zero Suit’ dark grey on her chest and abdomen, shoulders, hips, and thighs, while the rest was alabaster-white. Her flawless blonde hair fell to a length slightly shorter than Samus’, secured in a ponytail by a teal-blue hairband; the distinctive, face-framing locks of golden hair were absent, however. Her eyes held fear and curiosity in equal measure as she looked for the source of the light and sound.

A small burst of static chased the squeal into the echoing silence of the chamber, as the speaker’s unseen operator calibrated it.

“My apologies for keeping you waiting,” Admiral Conway’s voice broke across the silence, forcing SA-2 to look around for the source. “Can you understand me?”

She understood him perfectly, and nodded in response. She suspected she was being watched, and so the nod might have been enough, but for some reason she had the sudden, unquenchable desire to speak, to acknowledge the voice. Her lips moved, but her mouth was dry and refused to respond… but after what seemed like an eternity, she was able to force herself to talk.

“Y-Yes…” she spoke with a modicum of difficulty, uttering her first words. Hearing her speak, Conway did not know why he was surprised that she sounded exactly like Samus. SA-2 did not get to witness his mild shock; he, along with Eisen and a few technicians, were safely hidden in the control room. Dressed in their usual, ceremonial attire, the cleanly-shaven admiral and seemingly-fatigued commander watched with keen interest. The former had the microphone, and the latter had the necessary testing list.

“Good! It appears the advancements in cloning have done wonders for speech. You’re looking well-rested since we woke you up a week ago. How do you feel?” Conway asked, a paternal note entering his tone. SA-2 did not know why, but his voice seemed to calm her nerves. Her expression cleared, her subtle jitters went away, and she straightened.

“I...I feel well... very well. Thank you for asking,” she replied with some more confidence, speech seeming to come to her naturally, as if the capacity for speech was suddenly unlocked with her first words.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Conway said approvingly. “Now, I do apologize for getting straight to business,” he continued, the warmth receding slightly from his tone, “but you need a name. Right now, you’re designated ‘subject SA-2,’ but that feels...a bit impersonal, don’t you think? Yes. You need a name,” he mused, rubbing his chin with one hand. Standing next to him, Eisen pulled her attention away from the girl and fixed Conway with a cocked-eyebrow and overall quizzical glance. When Conway felt her gaze, he slid his eyes to the side and turned his head, meeting her eyes. An unspoken challenge passed between them, and Eisen returned her attention to the chamber below.

“...Huh? A name?” SA-2 called out once he went silent for a few moments.

Conway ignored her question. “The template from which you were cloned is the famous...albeit highly vexing, Samus Aran. We can’t have two Samuses running around...it would strain credulity. I think….Sam would be appropriate!”

“S-Sam?” the girl asked uncertainly, the name seeming to click in her mind in a way that she couldn’t quite place.

“Indeed. Do you like that name? ‘Sam?’” Conway asked, awaiting her response. SA-2 seemed to seriously consider this, muttering the name to herself a few times over, cocking her head and pondering its significance and meaning to her.

And she smiled weakly.

“Yes… I do.”

“Very well then. Your callsign shall be ‘SA-2,’ and your real name shall be ‘Sam,’” Conway replied with a half-smirk. Eisen bore a similar expression; partly out of pleasure at how well the clone was responding, and partly at seeing her stodgy commanding officer unbend himself, if only a little.

“O-Okay… I’d like that,” Sam responded positively, the same, weak smile adorning her blemishless face.

“Now, you’re probably wondering what you’re doing in this training chamber,” Conway said, turning his attention to the matter at hand. He righted his posture much more and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Yes…?”

“You will now undergo basic diagnostic training,” Conway began, the rest of the warmth draining from his tone, leaving behind cool professionalism. “This diagnostic is to ensure your basic physical functions are operating as expected... but we won’t be here for very long at all today, since we took measurements and other stats a mere few moments ago. Before we begin, though, despite you being awake for a week, I don’t believe I’ve even given you my name...since our first meeting was rather brief due to your body going into shock.” Conway slid his eyes to Eisen, a silent rebuke passing from one to the other.

“I am Admiral Fredrick Conway, leader of the Galactic Federation’s Sixth Fleet. However, you will refer to me as ‘Admiral,’ ‘Admiral Conway,’ or ‘sir.’ Understood?”

“Yes sir!” Sam responded affirmatively, showing that she understood everything that was told to her. She didn’t entirely understand what was happening, and she wasn’t cognizant of anything outside her immediate surroundings, but what she did know was that this man, this voice had given her a name, and had given her instructions. Moreover, his voice seemed to put her at ease even more, something deep in her mind telling her to listen with utmost obedience.

“That was… fast,” Conway replied, gratified that Sam had responded so quickly to his first instruction. It was a simple thing, to be sure, but such a response boded well for her future pliability. “But I’m glad things are getting through. Anyway, let us begin.”

On cue, a cross-like device descended from the ceiling, a floodlight at the end of each arm.

“Sam, I’d like you to look at the green light that comes on. Move your whole head, don’t merely glance at it,” Conway said, and, on cue, the top light lit up bright green. As instructed, Sam looked straight at it. “Alright, now look to the bottom one.”

Sam did just that, looking at the bottom light. In the observation room, Eisen looked to her technicians, busily crowding around a console. The senior tech looked back at Eisen after a moment and nodded. “Looks good, Commander.” Eisen nodded in kind.

“Go ahead and proceed, Admiral,” she added with a thumbs-up.

“Good. Now, look at the top light again. Move your eyes this time, please..”

Sam glanced at the top-most light.

“And the bottom one, once more…” Conway continued, to which their subject complied. In the observation room, Eisen’s techs pored over the ocular data, before nodding assent. “Alright, we’re finished, Sam. Thank you for your cooperation.”

“You’re welcome, sir,” Sam replied coolly and with a heightened air of confidence about her. The arcane contraption receded back into its lair in the ceiling.

“Putting that aside, let’s move on,” Conway began anew. “Sam, if you look about ten degrees to your left, down the room, you’ll see two upright poles. Can you locate them?”

Sam angled her head and looked down the room; indeed, two poles were fixed into the chamber floor, almost as a goal line.

“I see them, sir,” she responded affirmatively.

“Alright. We know you can walk; you’ve been walking for the past couple days. Right now, we’d like to test just how fast you can run,” Conway explained. “I’d like you to sprint as fast as you can between the two rods. They’re going to tell us all we need to know. Think you can do that for me?”

“Of course, Admiral,” Sam replied with a nod, getting herself ready, hunching down and prepared to perform what she was asked.

“Whenever you’re ready, Sam.”

Almost immediately, Sam crouched and broke into a sprint, tearing frighteningly from her initial position and barreling towards her target. Adrenaline flooded her system as her legs cycled madly, her body carrying her straight between the poles. As she passed between them, the poles lit orange, then green. She brought herself to a stop, and though her breathing was slightly heavy from the sudden exertion, she didn’t feel tired in the slightest.

It was a simple action, but she felt alive.

“My God…” Eisen said under her breath once she saw the data that was collected.

“What’s the verdict?” Conway asked, awaiting the official report on how she did. If the numbers matched up with what Conway just saw, he would be most pleased.

“Twenty-seven miles per hour… and that’s not even at her full potential.”

“Well, Sam…” Conway began into the mic in a pleased manner upon hearing the results. “It appears that you’ve performed well above expectations…I expected nothing less from you, to be honest,” he praised, eliciting a nice smile out of Sam.

“Thank you, sir!”

Before Conway could say anything else, Eisen sidestepped next to him and whispered something in his ear, the former listening intently before nodding in acknowledgement.

“Alright, well, it looks like you’ve given us quite a bit of data to go over today. Before I let you go today, I want to make something clear, Sam. You weren’t cloned to stroke an ego, or to prove a point. You’re a soldier, Sam, the finest we have,” he said, gesturing with his hands though she could not see him. “You have a purpose. A very important one, which you will come to further understand as your training progresses: you are to assist in the termination of the greatest threat in the galaxy, Samus Aran.”

Sam nodded in understanding, a few words, a phrase seeming to take root in her mind: Soldier. Finest soldier. Assist in termination of Samus Aran… my template.

“But, that’s enough for now, even if this was a very short session. I’ve lifted some restrictions on your ability to travel through the ship, and you can now go anywhere you please on this deck. Feel free to visit the gyms to practice distance running and other strength-training exercises as you see fit. Once we log this physical and medical data, we’ll begin with basic combat training. That should be in about a week’s time. Sound good?” Conway asked, elaborating on the future plans for the clone.

“Yes sir,” she replied in earnest, nodding in no particular direction, as she could not see the observation room.

“Very good. Get yourself something to eat. You’ll find an extra sweet ration for your troubles. You’re dismissed,” Conway ordered with finality.

“Thank you, Admiral,” Sam responded, immediately making for the door that suddenly opened as an exit. As for Conway, he adjusted his visor cap and moved to leave the observation room.

“So far so good?” he asked without turning his head.

“Most definitely,” Eisen replied as her eyes caressed her tablet, eager to sit down to analyze the wealth of information. “The data I’ve seen so far is incredibly promising. I’ll send word to you once I’m finished synthesizing my report..”

“Very well. We’ll speak then,” Conway replied curtly before taking his leave, heading straight for the bridge of the Oculus.

[Ponyville]

The week following her return had passed in a blur, and Samus quickly found herself falling into very nearly the routines she had years ago, picking up where she left off. Even so, it was no excuse for her to become indolent and since she felt safe in assuming that she would most likely not be called to duty by the Federation any time soon while they (hopefully) dealt with the politics of the BSL incident, Samus felt that it would be good to secure some measure of employment down the road, despite a hefty and comfortable savings.

The moment anypony who was anypony heard that the Samus Aran, Hero of Equestria, was even remotely considering a job suitable for her skills, the poor girl was absolutely swamped with offers.

To Samus’ surprise, the offers weren’t actually all that bad. Funny enough, however, was a discreet offer she received from Princess Luna, not on official Equestrian letterhead. Luna’s offer was for a position as drillmaster for the Equestrian Special Forces, as well as an honorary commission as captain, with the pay of an officer two ranks higher. She would also be paid for freelance bounty hunting on behalf of the crown.

Additionally, one offer that did make her cock her head was ‘Professor of Combat Theory, University of Canterlot.’

However, these were all problems for future Samus. For now, all she had to do was relax.

And that’s exactly what she did, with all of her friends. Today was an ‘outside’ day, as the girls and Spike had decided to head to the park to lounge around. Samus was more than happy to tag along, and knew that, in their company, there would not be a dull moment. Twilight opted to read while still chatting with everypony; Rarity was on her back and basking in the sunlight with sunglasses on with Spike doing the same at her side; Fluttershy was laying next to Twilight with Sapphire floating around her general area; Pinkie was off chasing various birds and other little critters in a faux game of tag, and Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Samus made up a large triangle, playing a rather intense game of frisbee¹.

The lone human had opted for more casual clothes today in place of her Zero Suit, clad in a light-blue t-shirt and some comfortably fitting cargo shorts. Her pistol also rode with her, holstered comfortably on her left hip in crossdraw. To top it all off, she let her hair completely down and let the gentle breeze flutter through it as it pleased. One thing that remained constant, however, was her wrist console which, if someone were to ask her, Samus would say she carried to keep up to date with the Federation and her ship.

In reality, she just gotten comfortable in having Adam with her wherever she went.

Applejack clutched the frisbee in her teeth and hurled it at Samus with all her might. It banked high and rose into the air but the blonde-haired Hunter was unphased. She merely hunched down and jumped straight up, clearing a good seven feet of vertical distance and snatching the toy out of the sky. She then tilted back and went heels over head, making contact with the ground and absorbing the impact with her legs.

“Jeez, Samus, way to make us look bad,” Rainbow commented on the Hunter’s choice of acrobatics. Samus then responded by tossing the frisbee towards the cyan pegasus, banking it sharply to the right. Rainbow had little issue zipping over with the use of her wings and catching it in her teeth.

“Hey, I’m an overachiever. You should know that by now,” Samus sarcastically replied. “Oh, by the way, Fluttershy,” Samus called out to the cream-colored mare as Rainbow was about to toss the frisbee back at Applejack.

“Hmm?” Fluttershy replied, tearing her attention away from Sapphire.

“I’m meeting with Luna this weekend and we need to go somewhere in the Everfree. Unfortunately, exactly where I’m going is classified, but, if you would let me take her, I could actually use Sapphire’s help,” Samus implicitly asked. Technically, she didn’t need Sapphire’s help, but since the X were involved, it would be interesting to introduce her to what would be her natural prey. It could possibly help in her development and, in reality, Samus was starting to grow fond of the ‘talking’ metroid. She still felt a bit uneasy around her but she was growing more accustomed to her presence over time.

The implicit question, nonetheless, drew everypony’s attention.

“Ohhh… ummm, would she be in any danger?” Fluttershy asked in response, Sapphire giving a questioning squeak at her mention in passing.

“Based on what Princess Luna has told me, and given that Sapphire’s a metroid, no. Not at all. Besides...you know me; I’d make sure absolutely nothing happens to her,” Samus answered. “It’s up to you, though.”

“Sounds like fun! I wanna go!”

“I don’t know, Sapphire…” Fluttershy replied instinctively, clearly mulling over it.

“Come on, Mama… let me do something fun!” Sapphire pleaded. The rest of their friends looked between Fluttershy and Sapphire, only understanding half of the conversation.

“We do a lot of fun things!” Fluttershy countered. “Besides, it’s the Everfree Forest…”

“Me not infant anymore, Mama…” Sapphire deadpanned.

“And you’re not an adult either,” Fluttershy fired back in an infuriatingly motherly tone of voice.

“Well, technically...” Samus began to interject, but when Fluttershy flashed her a sideways glare, she wisely decided discretion was the better course of action rather than drawing Fluttershy’s ire. “...nevermind.”

“You may be a metroid and all of these amazing things that Samus has detailed, but you can’t just go gallivanting wherever you wish, even when Samus is here!” Fluttershy pointed out.

“You let me fly to friends-who-are-not-foods’ houses when I want… nopony else with me! This time, Samus with me… Samus super strong! I no see problem!” Sapphire countered very tactfully. Samus had to give the little one credit: she certainly had a growing vocabulary, much like Fluttershy had said. Still, this conversation was at least a little funny, and Samus couldn’t help but chuckle lightly at the display.

“I’m aware of that, Sapphire, but…” Fluttershy shook her head and looked down to the grass. “I guess you’re right. You are old enough to make some decisions without the ‘Queen’s’ consent,” she acknowledged, using a word for herself that Sapphire was very familiar with and still called her by, though admittedly much less frequently as of lately.

Fluttershy nodded confidently.

“Alright, go ahead and have some fun,” she agreed finally with a small smile, much to the metroid’s glee. She then turned to Samus. “That’s fine, Samus, but please… please make sure she stays safe.”

“No one else but me will be handling her and she’ll be restricted to being by my side or at least in my sight at all times. The area I’m going, a structure in the Everfree, is already controlled by Special Forces. That, and Luna will be there as well. She’ll be just fine,” Samus assured. “We’d only be gone for a few hours at most, anyway.”

“Alright. Then I suppose all is well,” Fluttershy conceded fully.

“Hey everypony,” Twilight spoke up, putting her tablet aside. “It looks like the temperature up by Manehattan is gonna be really warm sometime next week. We should go to the beach,” she suggested. Everypony else seemed to brighten up at the mention of the place full of sand, cool water, and plentiful sunshine.

“Shoot, it’s been a good while since I’ve been,” Applejack thought aloud before receiving another toss of the frisbee from Rainbow Dash.

“I must admit, I wouldn’t mind getting some more sun lying on a beach,” Rarity readily agreed, but lit up when she thought of something else. “And Samus, that means I get to make you a swimsuit!”

“You can make me one, if you’re okay with me probably not wearing it,” Samus replied nonchalantly. Applejack hurled the plastic disk far to the left, clearly intending for Samus to miss it. She turned and leaped, springing into a long somersault before bounding into the air and grabbing the frisbee, rolling again when she hit the ground.

“Oh come, ON!” Rainbow complained.

“Really, darling, why not?” Rarity asked. It was always somewhat difficult to make clothes for the human.

“Because why do I need a swimsuit when I have my Zero Suit? It can be modularized like my Power Suit, so I can remove pieces of it as needed...plus, it’s waterproof and a lot more comfortable, in my opinion,” Samus answered.

“Oh, very well, Samus, if you simply must… but you best believe that I’ll be diligently crafting you a dress when it comes time for the Grand Galloping Gala...and I expect you to wear it!” the alabaster unicorn exclaimed, that spark of inspiration in her eyes flashing brightly in the afternoon sun.

“That’s not coming up for like, a long time, though,” Spike pointed out.

“Ummm, what?” Samus asked as she tossed the frisbee to Rainbow Dash, who had to go long in order to snatch it out of the air.

“You left Equestria before you had a chance to participate, but it’s essentially a ball that’s held once a year at the Castle. But as Spike said, it won’t be here for a while,” Twilight explained, orienting her tablet in front of her and resuming her reading. “Honestly, if I know the Princesses, I don’t think you’ll be given a choice whether to attend or not.” She giggled.

“Well, I guess I’m going then…” Samus conceded sarcastically at the prospect of dolling herself up in a fancy dress. “Fine. But, when the time comes, just don’t go apeshit on my dress, Rarity,” Samus requested.

“I shall hold back my creativity if only for you,” the alabaster mare agreed. “But rest assured, I intend for you to like it nonetheless.”

“We’ll see, when the time comes,” Samus replied, intercepting another throw her way. Sending the frisbee back to Rainbow Dash, the Hunter took the time to wipe her face of moisture using the bottom edge of her shirt. Such an action exposed Samus’ incredibly toned stomach, but this was nothing new to the ponies. What was new, were the additions of a seemingly new scar, as well as the much-more recognizable definition of a six-pack.

“You’ve definitely been working out,” Rainbow Dash commented, which Samus responded to with a knowing chuckle.

“You don’t know the half of it.”

[G.F.S. Oculus]

“Alright Sam,” Conway’s voice filtered throughout the new training room, one which had several target setups as well as weapon emplacements. Sam, standing at the west end of the massive chamber and garbed in the same attire as before, perked up immediately at the sound of the Admiral’s voice. “It looks like you’ve been making good progress since the last time we saw each other, so today we’re going to advance onto something incredibly important: combat training.”

“Yes, sir,” Sam responded, steeling herself and glancing around her for any sign of something different other than the aesthetics of the room.

“All you have to do is listen to your body. You have been...programmed, for lack of a better word, with all the abilities you will need. This training is to ensure that you learn to access your latent abilities in a controlled manner, and to further refine them. Do you have any questions for me at this time?” Conway asked, the seriousness in his voice no longer seeming to put Sam on edge, but rather served to help keep her focused.

“No, sir.”

“Very well, let’s begin,” the Admiral said, and right on cue, a door opened further down on the right side of the chamber. Two marines filed in, dressed in PT gear the same color as Sam’s suit. With calm expressions, the pair took vaguely threatening stances and began advancing towards her.

“We’ll start with the basics: hand-to-hand combat. You can use martial arts to dispatch enemies non lethally, or silently when a mission calls for it. These elite marines have been instructed to attempt to rough you up. It’s your job to fight them off,” Conway informed. Sam’s confidence suddenly waned as the marines got closer and closer, the two cracking their knuckles for added effect.

She took a few steps backward.

“The knowledge is within you, Sam… you have to bring it out,” the Admiral reminded as the marines were on her. The one on the right pushed her roughly, forcing her to recoil a few steps.

Within me… Sam thought to herself, but her musings were cut short when the right trooper’s fist lashed out and connected with her cheek.

“AHHH!” she cried out and backed up further, clutching her aching left cheek which was rather red from the impact. They hit her, and it hurt… it hurt a lot. But as she looked back to the ever-advancing duo of troops, a new feeling replaced the one of apprehension:

Anger.

In the observation room, Conway and Eisen were watching the display unfold with keen interest. Eisen was practically jittering, muttering “Hit him, hit him,” under her breath. She looked at Conway, and the microphone in his hand, but stayed where she was; her friend and superior already had very stern words with her.

It was Sam’s job to find the motivation within her.

She was, quite naturally, pissed that she had been hit… and that the strike hurt plenty. While she was focused on the built marine who hit her, she noticed in her peripheral vision that the other trooper was beginning to crowd her. A foreign instinct took hold of her, and she lashed out with a wild cry, planting her left fist harshly against his chest, forcing him to step back and clutch the impact point for a few moments. At that moment, breathing harshly and with her left arm outstretched, time slowed as inspiration flashed across her mind. It was as if she had suddenly awoken, and realized a truth to which she had been blind before:

...she could fight.

Baring her teeth and directing her ire at the marine who struck her first, Sam moved to counterattack. Her adversary attempted to hit her with a roundhouse kick, but she closed within his guard, slamming her left shoulder into the soldier’s diaphragm. He visibly recoiled and Sam followed up on her advantage by drawing her right knee to her chest and striking out with her heel, driving into the trooper’s chest with almost enough force to stave in his breastbone. As it was, the sheer energy drove the trooper back and to the ground.

Sam’s attention immediately turned to the second marine, who had by this point recovered from her first probing strike. She was on him in an instant, batting aside a hook meant for her face and slamming her right fist into his neck, causing his windpipe to instantly spasm and constrict. Before he even had a chance to clutch his neck at the sudden loss of breathing ability, Sam followed up by grasping her left fist in her right palm and slamming her elbow into the hapless marine’s face, breaking his nose and gashing open his lip.

That marine crumpled like an unstrung puppet, his broken nose and busted lip gushing blood as he cried out in excruciating pain. Turning on her heels, Sam was just in time to deflect a strong-side jab aimed at her face. She gripped the outstretched limb by the wrist and held it in, delivering a sidekick straight to the soldier’s crotch, demonstrating conclusively that Federation troopers certainly did not wear cups and forcing him to double over… but Sam wasn’t done with him yet. With the newfound height advantage, she immediately drove her knee into the elbow-joint of her adversary’s outstretched arm, snapping it free and bending it the other way. The crack of the joint was beaten in loudness only by the agonized wail of the poor Marine, but that was quickly cut short when Sam kicked him in the face, dropping him to the deck.

After twenty seconds, the entire engagement had ended. Both marines that had volunteered to try and beat up the new clone had failed miserably in their task, one completely knocked out, and the other attempting to gain some semblance of composure with blood flowing out of his broken nose. The bloodlust that Sam also experienced suddenly started to whittle away, replaced with curiosity, wonder, and dawning horror as to what just happened.

Up in the observation room, Eisen held a hand over her mouth in astonishment, while Conway had a look that betrayed his extraordinary pleasure at what he witnessed. His mouth was upturned in a massive grin.

“I’m sorry…” Sam suddenly muttered with complete remorse. “I’m sorry, sir! I didn’t mean to—!”

“Calm yourself, Sam, that was quite the impressive display,” Conway said soothingly. "Perhaps we all misjudged your initial ability to learn, as well as your strength.” Sam thought she could detect a note of pleasure running underneath his words. Another door opened, and two medics hurried inside and began tending to the wounded soldiers before dragging them out.

“It appears you’ve learned a good deal through that small engagement, but let’s see what we can get out of you in a much more challenging environment…”

From the same door the two original soldiers came from, six more filed in, standing abreast in front of Samus and adopting fighting postures.

“Dispatch all targets in the room. Match their aggression equally with your own. Ready?” Conway instructed, waiting to ensure Sam was ready to fight. For her part, Sam gazed upon the group of Federation troops in front of her, all volunteers to try their hand at kicking the hell out of the clone of Samus Aran. Naturally, she was apprehensive, but after a gulp, she steeled herself in a fighting stance of her own.

“Ready, sir.”

“Very well. Begin.”

[Optional Listening]

Her resolve waned, if only slightly, when on the admiral’s signal, all six troops charged straight at her, sprinting. She retracted a few steps but right when the first two were to seemingly tackle her to the ground, Sam let her instincts take over completely and she bounded into the air, jumping over the line of troops and landing right behind a lone soldier who had lagged behind his fellows. She did not waste any time feeling surprised that she could perform impressive, acrobatic evasive maneuvers, instead opting to clasp her hand around the unfortunate soldier’s neck and sweep his legs, throwing him to the ground back- and head-first.

The others had quickly turned to address Sam and moved to assault her, but Sam was far quicker than they were. She deflected a one-two combination from a soldier on her left, then grabbed him and pulled him into what might have been a lover’s embrace were it not for the foot of the next soldier in line colliding with his jaw. She kicked the dazed soldier into her erstwhile attacker, downing them both in a tangle of limbs.

After shaking off a lucky punch to her jaw, Sam swung her head to glare at the enemy who dared land a successful attack on her: a woman who held a particularly aggressive stance. Sam juked backwards from a high kick meant for her upper chest and decided to not be fancy this time around, stepping forward and smashing her right fist into the female soldier’s face. Sam completely shattered her opponent’s nose in an explosion of blood and laid her out entirely.

Sam suddenly felt her head get jerked backward as she found herself flung to the floor, seeing stars as her head smashed against the decking. The assailant never had a chance to follow up, as Sam recovered immediately; she twirled her legs around her, forcing her enemy back lest they face the consequences, before bounding onto her feet once again.

She sensed movement to her immediate right and, after a quick turn, snapped her right elbow up in a rising arc, slicing her enemy’s lip right open and following up by driving her knee into his diaphragm with all the strength she could muster. The enemy soldier’s breath whooshed out of his lungs, and Sam threw his struggling body in the way of the remaining attackers to provide her some breathing room.

Sam, in her mind, did a quick mental tally: two enemies literally knocked out, and one withdrawn from combat. During this tally, something else stood out to her: the soldiers appeared to be moving in slow motion, as if sluggishly through molasses. She didn’t spare this observation much thought; after her tally, she drove towards the three remaining enemies in a lightning offensive with renewed vigor.

Sam easily parried three punches in quick succession, counterattacking with a hard chop to the neck. The soldier doubled over clutching their neck, and Sam fended off another attacker with a sidekick before downing her current target by stabbing her right elbow into his upper back.

She suddenly felt both of her arms bound behind her back (as well as seeing the second and last soldier approach from the front), but shock quickly morphed into action as her superior strength allowed her to easily break the hold. Sam scraped her heel upward and planted it into her enemy’s crotch before grasping the female soldier’s arm firmly, slamming her onto her back after utilizing her adversary’s own weight as an effective counterbalance.

Sam drove her right heel into her downed enemy’s abdomen before quickly turning her aggressive sights on the lone soldier that remained, dropping into her fighting stance and baring her teeth almost rabidly at him. What was different this time, was that the final soldier hesitated and quivered in place, before unceremoniously raising his hands in surrender. A wise decision after seeing the destruction that Sam wrought within the span of about a minute.

With that, she thought the fight was over. However, the break of the room’s speaker, heralding Conway’s voice, put and end to that idea.

“Finish him off,” he ordered bluntly. The soldier’s eyes flicked from the speaker to Sam’s face, eyes widening in horror, arms thrust forward as if to ward off a new assault. Sam’s eyes widened momentarily also, as she had a sudden, involuntary mental conflict, her stance faltering noticeably. Her enemy, who attacked her, learned the error of his ways and attempted to surrender; she wanted to leave it at that, to let him go.

But, he’s surrendering. NO! Admiral gave me a purpose… a life… an order…

An ORDER.

Her deliberation ended almost as quickly as it began, Sam charging at her last adversary, screaming ferally, and whipped her right leg forward, planting her heel firmly in his lower rib cage. She could feel the lowermost ribs cracking under the force of the impact, and the soldier was taken clean off his feet by the impact, landing spine-first, curling into a fetal ball and whimpering. Those that weren’t knocked out by Sam either lent their voices to the symphony of agony or did their best to simply suffer in silence.

Sam’s bloodlust receded into its lair and she stoot straight once more, gazing around at her handiwork with a mixed expression on her face.

“Destruction of all targets confirmed,” Conway acknowledged coolly, and before Sam could say anything, he quickly followed up. “You did pretty well, Sam; far-exceeded expectations, that’s for certain.”

Sam’s trepidation began to wane, being replaced with one of elation as a smile quickly formed at the close of his praise. She showed off her pearly whites while she reined her breathing in, adrenaline finally beginning to wear off.

“Thank you, sir!” she replied with great confidence, idly massaging her cheek and wincing slightly from other hits.

“I hear you like milk chocolate?” Conway asked randomly. The very mention of the word caused Sam to perk up. She rapidly found an affinity towards the sweet once she was allowed to try it for the first time.

“Very much so, sir.”

“Then there will be some extra chocolate ration for you after your dinner meal tonight. You’ve earned every bit of it,” Conway praised heartily, earning another giddy smile from the clone.

“Thank you very much, Admiral!”

Up in the observation room, Conway chuckled at her enthusiasm, as did Eisen.

“Take a two-minute break, Sam. We’ll be with you in a few moments,” he said as he cut the comm line, turning to his friend and subordinate.

“So, what do you think?” Conway asked, folding his arms and awaiting a detailed analysis from the architect of his masterplan. Eisen was absolutely ecstatic, hardly able to wait for the data to replay on her screen before she exulted.

“She’s advancing far beyond even our most optimistic projections every day!” she exclaimed. “She’s already gained 15% more muscle mass than models predicted, her cunning and tactical sense, though needing refinement, is nothing short of impressive… her ability to tolerate pain is in line with our models, and there’s something—oh my,” Eisen stopped enthusiastically reading off the results when she discovered something else.

“Commander?” Conway prompted her, taking his place next to her and glancing at the charts on her tablet.

“I thought it was just heightened brain activity, combined with the optical data and her naturally high dexterity… but it appears there was a beneficial side-effect we…my models did not account for. I’m sure you’re well aware of the phenomenon called tachypsychia, yes?” she began explaining.

“Of course,” Conway nodded. “Release of adrenaline in battle, things seem to move slower than they actually are. The mind speeds up.”

“Right,” she affirmed. “But, I had been getting some odd brain-patterns, matching up temporally with spikes in her adrenaline levels and the complexity of her attacks. I...can’t be sure right now,” she said cautiously, “I need to run more tests...but Sam might be able to consciously control her tachypsychic response.”

“Eisen… are you saying that Sam can control the passage of time relative to her in battle?” Conway asked slowly, almost uncertain himself.

“Yes! Well…no,” she replied after a moment. “What she controls is her perception of how time passes. We perceive time as flowing normally, but what looks like rapid-fire attacks to us is actually a natural reaction to her! She can willingly slow down how she perceives time, and react accordingly!”

“I’m not gonna even ask how you were able to discern that, but we must investigate further. Are we ready to continue testing?” He asked, to which he received an enthusiastic, affirmative nod from Eisen. With that, Conway fetched the mic and opened communication channels once more.

“Alright Sam, let’s continue on with something a little more fun: Weapon’s Training.”

[Everfree Forest | Research Facility Gamma]

Bright and early, a dropship and its fighter escort was sent to pick up Samus and Sapphire from Twilight’s place to take them to the location of the classified research facility in the Everfree—though the latter’s presence did generate a certain amount of shock to the pilot, and nearly caused a mission abort. Regardless, the trip went off without a hitch, the entire flight being about an hour and a half of comfortable cruising over the gargantuan forest. Samus and Sapphire were given instructions to enter the facility and meet up with Luna inside the proper laboratory; simple enough for the duo.

Equestrian engineers had installed an elevator on the upper floor of the research station to ease movement of personnel up and down. Samus, Luna and their attendants rode it down to the bottom, where two Equestrian Special Forces troops met them, stepping aside to grant them full access upon confirming their identities. Samus, fully armored-up, nodded in thanks as she passed into the main trapezoidal corridor, Sapphire spryly floating around the Hunter’s torso all the while.

The Equis Metroid still never failed to draw the attention of the overwatching soldiers, especially the lone human Federation trooper that greeted them, clad in full combat armor save for her helmet.

She nearly jumped at the sight.

“Jesus Christ! T-That’s a metroid…” Sydney shakily observed, taking a couple of steps back in response and almost reaching for her rifle out of reflex.

“So she is,” Samus noted wryly. “As unbelievable as it sounds, she’s friendly, and she’s with me. Either way, it’s nice to see you again, Lieutenant Exeter,” Samus replied, allaying the soldier’s concerns as much as she was able, while also addressing the clear promotion she received in her absence.

Sapphire let out a gentle skree at the mention of her presence.

“Okay then…” Sydney addressed Samus’ first statements. “And likewise, Samus,” she added with a smile, brushing some errant strands of her hair out of her face.

“I’m guessing you were sent to lead us to the Princess?” Samus inferred, Sydney nodding in response.

“Yup! It’ll be an easy walk,” she said, gesturing down the dimly-lit tunnel.

“Alright, we’ll follow your lead. Come on, Sapphire,” Samus beckoned the metroid who had floated up to the ceiling to check something out.

“Coming!” she called back, taking a position next to Samus’ arm cannon as Sydney began to lead them down the seemingly abyssal tunnel. Conversation slowed down when Sydney had to listen to and relay a few commands through her radio, and Samus took the time to gaze at the architecture of her surroundings. Definitely Chozo, if all the differently oriented statues were anything to go by. The place actually held a rather eerie and ominous atmosphere to it, which, in Samus’ own experiences, was wholly uncharacteristic of Chozo structures, where she would normally feel at home and at peace.

Samus was able to observe some of the writings that lined the walls, also happening upon the sectioned-off inscriptions that she had been shown on Luna’s ship. The other writings she was able to mostly understand (her visor passively translating the rest) were nothing more than basic directions and directories. Those that weren’t simply informational were jargon-dense to the point where Samus struggled to comprehend their meaning.

“I’m hungry.” Sapphire so bluntly let Samus know, floating over to the Hunter’s left side at eye-level.

“Didn’t you eat before we left?” Samus asked softly.

“No… Not hungry then.”

“Sounds like a personal problem. Wait a little bit longer and you can eat all you want,” Samus replied, rolling her eyes and inwardly chuckling at the metroid’s honesty.

“But I hungry now," Sapphire whined, orbiting Samus’ helmet.

“Well, you should’ve eaten when you were supposed to. You’re gonna have to wait,” Samus replied stoically, facing ahead and noticing that Sydney had glanced curiously over her shoulder.

“Can I feed from you?” Sapphire asked sweetly.

“No,” the Hunter delivered her answer with conviction.

“She’s talking to the metroid…” Sydney whispered humorously to Arianna through the short-range radio on her wrist. If one had been listening hard enough, they would’ve been able to pick up a shriek of laughter that Sydney quickly had to muffle.

“Why not?”

“Because I have enough metroid-based nightmares as it is,” Samus answered plainly. “You’ll eat in a little bit. I promise,” she alluded.

“Fiiine…”

Samus was able to pick up an extra pair of eyes on her, and found Sydney glancing over her shoulder and back at her with a curious expression.

“Long story. I’m not crazy, I swear,” she said in her own defense, not even bothering to try and detail the fact that she could understand Sapphire entirely. Sydney only chuckled and faced forward once again.

“I’m not saying anything,” she replied jokingly, still slightly wary of the metroid as they continued onward. There were two additional checkpoints that the group had to pass through, and each time, Samus had to make sure that no one shouldered their rifles at the sight of Sapphire. At this point, the metroid was not even scared of almost being shot at numerous times; she started to see this as a common occurrence and had, by this point, learned to simply let it go.

After passing through one final checkpoint at the entrance of the laboratory (one which held a machine gun emplacement), Samus and Sapphire were officially in the ancient Chozo research facility. Luna was about ten feet away speaking with a couple of the scientists, and with the small amount of time that the Hunter allowed her eyes to wander, she could tell that her adoptive race had been doing some serious work here. More modern equipment had been moved in to supplement the already large supply of materiel the Chozo had on hand, and scientists were moving about the large laboratory with great precision and purpose. At the far end rested the stasis tank that Samus had heard so much about, and she did not need to be up close to confirm the occasional, small blob that flew about inside.

“Alright, we’re here,” Sydney pointed out the obvious, picking up her helmet which she left on a nearby table and holding it under her arm. “I’m gonna have to get back to my squad; they’re coming back from a small exercise and I gotta head back topside now.”

“Alright then, thanks for the lead,” Samus replied with a curt nod, the both of them slapping their armored hands together and giving firm shakes. “Say hi to the others for me, alright?”

“You got it!” Sydney answered back as she slipped her helmet back on her head. “See ya around!”

The elite trooper sauntered back down whence they all came from and Samus approached Luna, Sapphire in tow.

“Samus!” the armor-clad alicorn acknowledged with a pleasant smile, dismissing the two pony scientists she was discussing with before trotting up to the Hunter, giving the side of her helmet the gentlest of nuzzles. “...and the metroid...who, curiously, everypony forgot to mention,” she said good-naturedly.

“That’s me!”

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Luna replied formally. Sapphire’s utterance drew the attention of the researchers in the room, but after a moment they returned to their duties. She then faced Samus once more. “My apologies I wasn’t able to meet you personally, but I had a few matters of science to attend to.”

“Not a problem,” Samus dismissed indifferently. “So, I’m guessing that they’re in there?” she asked, pointing towards the massive observation pane.

“Indeed. Come,” the Princess said, beckoning Samus with a tilt of her head, and Sapphire quickly caught up once she finished exploring the ceiling. “This is the facility we found a little over a year ago; abandoned and teeming with Chozo spirits,” she explained as she led on.

“Any further spectral attacks?” Samus asked, keenly observing the situation around the ancient laboratory. Samus could not adequately describe her surroundings, as much of the area was littered with machinery, piping, and ancient tech that even she had little knowledge of.

“Nary a single one, which is often uncharacteristic of those who have not passed into the spirit realm,” Luna replied, making her mild concerns known. "But, they have left us alone for a year, and when you finish with your work here, all the equipment is being removed and we shall convert this facility into a listening outpost,” she added pointedly, the two finally in front of the gargantuan stasis tank.

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

Conversation slipped slightly once Samus laid eyes fully on the organisms in front and below her. Within the dim, lethargy-inducing red-hued light, there lay dozens beyond dozens of the parasite that the Hunter had worked so tirelessly to rid the universe of. Even though this was seemingly an ancient sample, they looked little different than the ones she faced on BSL station, and she wondered how much they had evolved in such a timespan, if at all. Her Scan Visor revealed nothing dissimilar or worth noting, other than they being much less active than they should be due to aetheric exposure.

Samus nodded gently.

“Eeyup. Those are definitely X,” she commented nonchalantly. Luna looked on as well, but before she could weigh her own thoughts in, Sapphire suddenly nudged her way between them and took in the sight before her.

“What are thoooose?” she asked, demanding to know. She had no knowledge of the creatures before her, but for some reason, she began salivating. Her talons were quickly starting to become slick, as if she was anticipating a massive meal. Samus chuckled lightly, admitting to herself yet again that the Equis Metroid was beginning to grow on her.

“These, are X Parasites, and your natural prey,” Samus answered, drawing a curious glance from the lunar alicorn. Sapphire suddenly perked up with a quick, piercing screech, bringing herself level and ‘looking’ at Samus eagerly.

“Food???”

“Yes, Sapphire. Food,” the Hunter answered in her characteristically stoic manner.

“Pray tell, you can understand her?” Luna asked, affixing her gaze on Sapphire as she happily floated around, purring all the while.

“Remember when I told you about metroid DNA being infused to save my life?” Samus asked, causing Luna to recall the conversation they had two days prior. The alicorn nodded deeply.

“How could I forget?”

“Well, an apparent side effect of that was being recognizable by and, apparently, able to communicate with metroids. I just figured out the latter a week ago, myself,” Samus explained.

“I see…” she commented with a cocked eyebrow. In her long life, the display was far from the weirdest thing she had ever seen.

“Yup. Anyway, got everything you need from the X? Because it’s time to finish this,” Samus said, reminding Luna that she wasn’t here merely to pass the time.

“Our scientists have gotten all the data they can, and you’re free to do with the samples what you wish, Samus,” Luna replied professionally, gesturing to the tank and its contents. With the green light being given, the only real obstacle that was left was finding a way to safely enter the holding tank. It was more than large enough to walk into comfortably, but Samus did not fancy blowing open the tank for at least two reasons: firstly, no matter how lethargic the X were, she did not have even the slightest desire to potentially let one escape into the environment. Secondly, blowing open the tank would likely require missiles, and the only missiles she currently had equipped were Diffusion-type… something she did not wish to test in her current environment with Sapphire around her.

Fluttershy would most likely not appreciate Sapphire being returned frozen solid.

“Alright, then let’s get this over with,” Samus declared, but at that moment, she also knew of a rather simple solution to her conundrum. “Luna, would you be able to create a one-way portal into the tank?”

“Verily,” the Princess replied with a nod, charging her horn to proper power. “On your command.”

“Alright, Sapphire. Get ready to follow me inside, alright? Once we’re in there, you get to eat until you’re full,” Samus called out, earning the metroid’s attention immediately.

“Let’s go!” Sapphire replied, happily taking her place right next to Samus. The latter then looked to Luna and gave a single, curt nod. With that, Luna sent a bolt of magic straight at the tallest portion of the glass, a two-dimensional whirlpool of energy suddenly being created, teal blue magic coruscating clockwise. Samus was taken back to when Luna and a few of her troops boarded the Pirate Frigate to save Canterlot.

“Here we go,” Samus said to no one in particular as she sauntered towards the glass, Sapphire floating right behind her. As expected, both parties passed right through the harmless portal with relative ease and ended up on the other side of the glass. After the tingling sensation of portal transport wore off, both individuals immediately turned their attention to the massive congregation of dozens of X. As if sensing their presence, they suddenly seemed to stir to life and take flight, orbiting in what would be menacing patterns if they weren’t slowed by the ambient aetheric field.

“All yours, Sapphire!” Samus proclaimed, pointing harshly at the cluster of X with a half-smirk under her visor.

“FOOD!” Sapphire bellowed, charging straight into the cluster. The X attempted to attack her and infect her, driven by base hunger, but they passed harmlessly through her gelatinous layer and were absorbed as life force energy. Sapphire also chased and hunted down individual parasites, as if propelled by instinct, and brought them into her hungry maw with help of her fangs. All Samus really had to do was take an easy stroll and act as a target for any stragglers or those who would try to flee; if they fled certain death and tried to attack the other target, they quickly found she wasn’t as easy as she seemed, as they absorbed right into her in a green pulse of light. Samus felt a familiar warmth pass through her as each individual parasite was converted into the proper energy to top off her tanks.

After a mere five minutes of chasing down the X, a task which would have been monumentally more annoying if not for their lethargy, the tank was finally cleansed in entirety.

The Parasite was no more.

However, what should have been a knowing moment of absolute elation and peace… brought relatively nothing to Samus. In a moment of reflection, Samus might attribute her lack of good feeling to a Chozo sense that something was still wrong, still missing; more work yet remained.

“So good… No more food please…” Sapphire weakly groaned, dizzily floating around the tank after the massive meal she consumed. Samus led the both of them back out into the main laboratory, and Luna collapsed the portal behind them.

“All is well?” she asked with a great smile, but said smile wavered when she sensed the conflicting emotions in Samus’s mind. “What’s wrong?”

“Luna, are there any other structures similar to this in the area? Or in the forest?” Samus asked suddenly and pointedly, a question that Luna did not anticipate.

“Ummm, I have troops still looking, but... the Chozo inhabited a wide area, so I can’t say for certain.”

“Well, if I may make a suggestion, double their efforts. Something just… I don’t know how to explain it but, something’s telling me that this isn’t over,” Samus confessed, letting Luna in on her uncertain feelings as she glanced back at the now-empty stasis tank. “I just… wanna be sure, is all. Maybe all my years in the field are making me paranoid...or maybe it’s the Chozo in me, but if there are any more hidden structures, I don’t wanna take any chances.”

“Of course. I’ll have a few extra patrols sent out and I’ll requisition some air power to help in the search. If there are any more Chozo ruins, we shall find them,” Luna agreed fully, doing what she could to assuage the Hunter’s concerns. She would ensure such action was taken as soon as possible; she knew through extensive trial that she could trust Samus’ intuition a hundred percent.

Samus pursed her lips and nodded thoughtfully, acknowledging the connotation of Luna’s words but not entirely listening as her thoughts meandered elsewhere.

“Okay.”

“You simply must relax, Samus. Nopony is in danger. Shouldn’t you be exercising your freedom from duty with the Elements and Spike?” Luna asked knowingly, earning Samus’ attention back.

“Heh, I should, shouldn’t I? Well, we’re going to the beach next week… so there’s that.”

“Then, pray tell, why are you standing here? Go have fun! Shoo! Out of the armor and into some sun!” the Princess playfully demanded, nudging Samus out of the laboratory.

“Alright, alright!” Samus replied, lightly giggling, stumbling from the force of Luna’s shoves. With Sapphire in tow again, Samus and Luna parted ways for the day, and both left with their worries, if not entirely put to bed, at least taking a nap. With Luna’s word worth more than its weight in fuel gel, Samus was certain that she would confirm her suspicions as simple paranoia. Until then, she would be sure to have plenty of fun with her friends and to undo all the stress that she was barely free from about three weeks prior. A trip to the spa with Rarity for one of those rejuvenating massages would do well to help coax her relaxed side out.

True, it was her job to question the veracity of essentially everything, as her missions never had a track record of going as planned. Her inner voice told her that something wasn’t right, at a time when she should be jumping for joy that a nightmare was finally over… and Samus had to concede the fact that said inner voice was almost never wrong… and the Chozo, to their credit, were not always transparent with everything they did.

As Samus departed for Ponyville with Sapphire at her side, just once, she hoped that her intuition was indeed, wrong.

¹Tribute and shout-out to one of my favorite scenes in my friend Tatsurou’s own Metroid fic, Another Hatchling!

6. Set in Motion

Metroid Equis II: Duality

Section 6

Set in Motion

[Canterlot Castle | Research Lab]

“Ummm… what exactly do you want me to do?” the Federation technician asked Samus, rubbing the back of his head. His lab coat was draped over his shoulders, revealing a plain-gray undershirt. Opposite him, Samus stood before the console, armored up save for her helmet, which lay next to her on the end of the desk. The Huntress’ arm cannon was connected to the console by a tangle of interface cables, linking the two systems.

“A lot of the weapons I have on me right now have too much capability to cause collateral damage should I need to use them. The Federation data they sent while I was on the BSL didn’t let me switch between beams; all of them were always on. I need that switching ability back. Save for the suit itself and a few other miscellaneous systems, everything should be Federation code. Think you can do it?” Samus cocked her head, frowning slightly as she considered what she asked. Up to this point, at the start of each mission, fate willed to deprive her of the equipment she had amassed over her prior mission. This would be the first time she sought a downgrade herself, and the irony of the reversal was not lost on her.

She had deliberated on this for about a week, but came to the decision that, since she was not alone anymore, she had to be much more careful about the possibility of collateral damage and civilian casualties, should she have to actually use her weaponry on the ground again. For example, her Diffusion Missiles with their enormous area of effect were not something Samus would want to use in a potentially populated area. By the same token, the Federation variants of her Plasma and Wave beams, with their properties of piercing enemy and structure alike, would render her ineffective around others. This, Samus reflected, was not even considering the Wide Beam rendering her incapable of precision fire.

In short, it all needed to go.

The technician blinked. “Uhhh, yeah! I think so, if you say it’s all Federation code. L-Lemme take a look,” the scruffy-haired tech replied, turning his attention to the monitor and tapping away at the keyboard, bringing up a code interface that displayed line after line of jargon which would be meaningless to the average person or pony. After a moment, the console beeped. “Would ya look at that…”

“Well?”

“It’s all Objective-F code. I can read this in my sleep,” the technician confirmed happily, scrolling through the code controlling Samus’ cannon functions. “…well, up to a certain point,” he admitted, scrolling further. “The lines after this point seem to be garbled… I don’t even think it’s English-based anymore.”

“Then that’s where the Chozo base software code begins. I’m gonna need you to start deleting the sections of F code one by one, because there’s some stuff I wanna keep,” Samus instructed with a nod. The slightly nervous tech pushed his glasses back and nodded in understanding.

“Okay. Let’s see ummm… under the weapons section, I’m looking at some code for ‘Diffusion Missiles.’”

“Take that out. Too dangerous in a crowded area,” Samus said, shaking her head. Her helper typed a few things before pressing the delete key, perhaps over-dramatically.

“Alright. Next is….jeez you weren’t kidding. This is just a single chunk of weapons code. Uh…” he commented as he leaned in, scrolling slowly through the display. “First up, wave and plasma beams. You want to keep them?” the tech asked, turning briefly back to her. Samus caught sight of an ID tag reading ‘Johnson’ swinging from his coat pocket. “Oh! Also, I’m reading an ‘Ice Beam.’”

“Let’s keep the Ice Beam for now… as for the others, take them out.” Samus shook her head. “Too high of a probability of somepony getting hurt; the Wave Beam goes through solid objects and the Plasma Beam can hit multiple people,” Samus explained. Johnson went right to work as he nodded, running a hand through his scruffy hair.

“Okay, I can do that. ...Now I’m seeing some code designated ‘Wide Beam.’ How ‘bout it?”

“Delete it, please. Don’t have a use for it anymore,” Samus affirmed. A few keystrokes and the code of her systems was again altered. “Also, the Charge Beam should be stacked with my standard Power Beam. Think you can decouple them into separate entities? Can you also do that to my Power and Ice Beams?”

“I think I can do that…” Johnson answered, flexing his fingers as he warms to his task. After a few more keystrokes and growing tension from the Huntress, he pressed the ‘Enter’ key. “Done.”

“Awesome. Under the Missiles section, what should be left is both Ice Missiles and Super Missiles. I want the Ice Missiles gone and the Super Missile ability decoupled from the regular missiles,” Samus instructed once more. She wished to control when and when not to use Super Missiles, citing principles of overkill and overall precision.

“Ummm… Yeah, yeah I see them. This might take a tad longer though, gimme a few minutes to work,” Johnson said, setting off to tackle Samus’ request diligently. The Hunter silently nodded and stood idly as she awaited the results, glancing around at the massive research lab that Princess Luna had built under the castle. It looked identical to just about every other research lab she’d ever been in, and only the presence of Equestrian personnel and the necessary concessions for pony anatomy highlighted the fact that she was not, in fact, on a Federation installation. In fact, looking around, Johnson was the only human in sight at the moment. Samus wasn’t sure what research this lab focused on, but given that this installation fell under Luna’s purview, it was more likely to be weapons research and development.

Samus’ musings were interrupted when her wrist console began pinging insistently, the pattern of the signal indicating that someone was trying to reach her directly. Samus could count on one hand the number of beings who had her direct line, and so she had no issues with plucking her helmet off of the table and jamming it right onto her head. When she answered the call, the window sprang open to reveal the anxious yet eager face of Twilight Sparkle.

“Hi, Twilight,” Samus greeted in her usual manner. The alicorn’s visage brightened visibly when she caught sight of the Hunter’s face.

“Samus! I thought you were going to the beach with us, where are you?” she asked worriedly. Behind her, Samus could hear the muted noise of the girls and Spike hurriedly packing their belongings for such a trip.

“I told you I had to go to Canterlot to get my suit worked on,” Samus reminded her. “I’m still gonna tag along, though, so don’t worry. Should be done here in...what, half an hour, I’d say?” she asked, turning her head to meet Johnson’s inquisitive gaze with her own. The tech paused, then nodded. “Yeah, I’ll come home in half an hour.”

“Actually…” Twilight thoughtfully began, tapping her hoof to her chin. “The transport we’re taking passes through the Canterlot Transit Hub on its way; you’re in the city already, want to just meet us there?” she suggested. Samus paused, reflecting for a moment. Canterlot’s transport hub, formerly the Canterlot rail station and now expanded to accommodate all manner of cargo and passenger transport vessels, was, as she had learned, not a fifteen-minute walk from the castle proper.

“Sounds like a plan. Send me the transport information and I’ll buy a ticket,” Samus agreedwith a gentle smirk. Twilight nodded and fired up her magic to aid in multitasking on her tablet.

“Done. Transmitting now. Oh, and Samus?”

“Yeah?”

“That’s the first time I’ve heard you call the Library ‘home,’” the lavender alicorn said, smiling smugly yet endearingly at the woman. Once the meaning of those words unpacked itself in Samus’ mind, the Hunter understood that she, indeed, subconsciously referred to it as such… something she was okay with, and relayed that fact with a well-humored huff and a soft smile.

“Which means…” Twilight continued. “…you really don’t have to keep paying rent, like... seriously.”

“Not a chance in hell, Twilight,” Samus replied immediately, moving her left hand to the side of her visor. “I’ll see you all in about forty-five minutes.”

“UGH! Damn it, Samus! See you soon.” Twilight acquiesced with good-natured exasperation and Samus ended the call while chuckling audibly. The grin plastered on her face and the warm feeling inside her took a little longer to fade. It had been about a month since she had set foot in Equestria again, and it was every bit as good as she left it. Everything was just perfect for her right now, especially since she had fallen into the same routines… as if she had not even left in the first place. Samus underestimated it before, but there was an indescribable, pleasant feeling that flowed freely through her body and mind at the thought of the word ‘home’; one she hoped to never have to part with again.

“Done!” Johnson shouted out, clapping his hands together in accomplishment and startling Samus out of her reverie. “Alright, you’ve got your Power Beam and Ice Beam, Charge Beam is now a separate ability, Missiles and Super Missiles are separate, and… I think that’s all we did so far. Was there anything else?”

“Okay, ummm,” Samus thought to herself, pulling her helmet back off and dropping it on the table with a bang, cupping her chin in her now-free hand “Let’s leave the actual suit abilities alone… I don’t think I wanna mess with those and frankly, I like what I have. Let’s keep the Speed Booster, the Morph Ball and all of its subsystems… I need a Grapple Beam but I’ll figure something out, I don’t think one can code that into existence.”

“So, whaddya think?” Johnson asked. “If that’s it, then I’ll deploy the changes. Of course, once I do, there’s no way to revert them. So, I’ll ask as a matter of formality: are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, his finger hovering above the enter button. Without even a moment’s hesitation, Samus nodded tersely.

“Do it.”

“Deploying.”

Samus slipped her helmet back on and, as expected, Samus’ suit responded immediately.

[Firmware update in progress…Please do not turn off your Power Suit.]

Heh.

At that point, all Samus could do was twiddle her thumbs and drum her fingers on her cannon as the changes were made, a window with a progress bar right in the center of her visor. Johnson watched a mirrored version of this deployment process on his console, and after what seemed like half an hour of awkward silence, the system beeped and went black.

“Alright, it looks like we’re finished,” he notified her. “The code is definitely much more Chozo than it is Federation.”

As he spoke, Samus’ systems completed its own installation of the revised coding and were quick to tell her.

“Looks like it. My suit’s going into diagnostic mode. Gimme a second.”

[Firmware revision complete. Main Power Restored. Multiple abilities have been lost. System Check Initiated…]

[Chozo Battle Suit Ver >>ERROR: MODEL UNKNOWN<<]

[Main computer: Online]

[Targeting System: Active]

[Arm Cannon: Active]

[>Beginning arm cannon diagnostic…]

[>Power: …… [OK] ]
[>Charge: ….. [OK] ]
[>Ice: ……….. [OK] ]

[>Fire Governor Status: Enabled (Recommended)]

[Armor: Engaged]

[Morph Ball: Engaged]

[>Beginning Morph Ball subsystem diagnostic…]

[>Morph Ball Bomb: Online]

[>Power Bomb: Online]

[>Spring Ball: Online]

[>Boost Ball: Online]

[HUD Suite: Online]

[Visors:]

[>Combat ….. [OK] ]
[>Scan: …….. [OK] ]
[>Thermal: …. [OK] ]
[>X-Ray: …… [OK] ]

[Missile Launcher: Engaged]

[>Super Missile: Online]

[Ammunition Module: Deployed]

[Speed Booster: Online]

[Space Jump Boots: Online]

[Screw Attack Engine: Online]

[Multiple Systems No Longer Present In Codebase…]

[All other systems online and functional.]

“Mkay,” Samus spoke up again. “Looks like everything took nicely. That’s all I needed, so thank you very much for your help, Mr. Johnson,” Samus said as she began disconnecting the cables from her arm cannon before eventually willing her Suit away in full. She extended her arm to the technician who put up with her, shaking his hand heartily.

“My pleasure, Samus. Do seek me out if you need any more software help; that was fun!” he offered, waving her off as the Hunter exited the lab. She seemed to have a barely noticeable, extra pep in her step as the exit doors opened up, revealing Princess Luna standing here patiently in her usual regalia.

“All is well?” she asked.

“Perfect,” Samus replied happily. “Thanks for letting me borrow your tech for a bit, Luna. I needed to get that done before I felt safe using my weapons again… if I ever needed to in a populated area.”

“Certainly, Samus,” Luna replied with a nod. “Johnson is one of our best human coders and technicians that work here. He was perfect for the job when you asked about this particular problem you had. Do come back if you have any issues; I’m sure he would jump at the opportunity to work with your Suit again. Moreover, your concern for the general populace is most appreciated,” Luna added warmly, leading Samus back out into the main castle arteries.

“Hey, this place is now my home, after all.” Samus smiled, her face lighting up warmly. “As much as I’d like to, I can’t stay and chat right now; I need to head out to the transport hub. I’m meeting the girls and Spike for a beach trip and I have to buy a ticket.”

“Say no more, Samus; I’ll help get you there in time. Come.”

[G.F.S. Oculus]

It was several hours after the end of the duty day, and most of the fleet’s nonessential personnel had left their respective stations. After a particularly grueling training session, a notably-impressed Conway had granted Sam her leave for the rest of the day and the following day for recuperation and leisure. Following her exemplary performance during her hand-to-hand combat training regimen, the admiral had lifted a few more restrictions that had been in place. Notably, this time was the issuance of a restricted Galactic Federation identification. This essentially announced her existence to the ship’s systems, and granted her access to unrestricted locations and information, including more challenging training areas as well as the ship’s armory.

Despite a hard day’s work, Sam was not tired in the slightest, and in fact, was quite eager to explore the new areas of the ship she had just been given access to. Clad in her usual white and grey ‘pseudo-Zero Suit,’ she meandered around the two decks of the ship, trotting down major arteries and corridors, merely taking in all the new sights that had been afforded to her.

Sam lost herself for several minutes in one of the ship’s lounges, one hand pressed to the observation pane as she regarded the glittering vista before her. She shook herself, then turned and made her way out of the lounge, making her excuse as she brushed past a trooper on his way in. Glancing left and right, she made the right and headed down another drab, featureless hallway. One door in particular caught her eye; rather, the computers in the adjoining room did. She cocked her head and looked at the sign posted next to the door.

“Computer Lab…”

Whenever they both had a spare moment, Eisen took it upon herself to provide Sam with reading material to ensure that her mind received as much of a workout as her body. She took to it immediately, and was always excited to receive new books and other articles from the Commander. Not one to waste an opportunity, Eisen studied and monitored her mental progress, finding that the clone was able to not only retain and process everything she read, but also coherently engage in discussions based on the material. Eisen was quite pleased with this, as was Conway when he was apprised of the situation.

Sam stepped into the Computer Lab and let her eyes roam over the long rows of high-powered computers, all the monitors glowing placidly, headphones slung atop them clearly indicating their recreational purpose. There were only a few people in the lab this evening, and Sam decided to take a corner-seat, cautiously planting herself in a chair and running her eyes over the features of the machine. However, they settled on the large monitor, on which floated a simple prompt:

[>>Enter GFID<<]

Sam blinked a few times in quiet bemusement, but flicked her eyes downward at the keyboard, whereupon she noticed the familiar letters of the alphabet. Another foreign reflex took hold of her, and her hands seemed to settle into position on the typing device, her fingertips resting on the appropriate keys of the home row. Ensuring the machine responded, Sam slowly answered the emotionless request.

[SA2-93420-SAM]

[Enter]

After hitting the enter key, Sam was startled at how quickly the computer responded with another popup window.

[This is your first time logging in with this GFID. Please create a password…]

Another text box was highlighted and Sam stopped to think for a moment. She understood the concept of a password, but needed a moment to figure one out for herself.

[********]

[Please re-enter your password:]

[********]

[Enter]

[Password accepted.]

[Alert! This GFID has been provisionally assigned to you by your superior. Class 3 restrictions are in effect. Access to Level 0 classified information granted. Extranet filters are in effect in accordance with GFR 670-1.]

[Authenticating… Applying user settings. This may take a few moments.]

As the computer was temporarily indisposed, Sam glanced away from the computer screen. Her eyes fell on a mirror that a careless soldier had left leaning against the next terminal over, reflecting her bright, blue-eyed expression. As she looked at her reflection, she noticed anew something that had long irritated her:

These pesky locks…

Indeed, there were two vexing bits of hair that fell to frame her face; Sam did not care for them in the slightest. So, with two simple movements, she wove them back into the rest of her hair… only for the locks to fall once more to their original positions. She huffed and pursed her lips in determination, utilizing both of her hands to ensure that these two burdensome pieces of her blonde hair would forever mesh with the rest of her hairstyle. Sam had a stare-down with herself, daring the unruly locks to drop back down. They didn’t, and she smirked victoriously.

Turning back to her computer, she noticed that a message had popped up on screen, notifying her that her session had been prepared. Dismissing the notification, Sam was greeted with a standard desktop for a new user, with a host of applications and a rather drab wallpaper featuring the Federation insignia. At this point, she had little idea where to start, the icons completely foreign to her.

Then a particular application caught her eye: Encyclopedia.

Sam pressed her finger to the icon and was immediately greeted with a wealth of different links on either side of the screen; more prominently, however, there was a large banner which read ‘Get Started!’, along with a few links to popular articles and articles by genre. Under the ‘History’ section, Sam’s eyes were drawn to a link titled ‘Human History.’

Selecting it, that hub link ballooned up into a chronology of other articles, which started with ‘Sumer, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Babylon.’ Sam pursed her lips in thought and drummed her fingers on the desk for a few moments.

Hmmm… okay!

Pressing her finger confidently to the link, she was greeted with a massive wall of text with some picture diagrams, much to her delight. With an eager smile adorning her complexion, Sam supported her head on her right hand and began reading, content to take in all the information she could until she fell asleep at the desk. That was almost the case actually, and this was only hampered when Eisen found the girl about to doze off; the commander escorted her to bed.

[Planet Argewahld | Silber Beach | Some time later…]

Conway and Eisen stood side by side and watched with keen interest as the combat exercise unfolded below them. Superficially, little distinguished this exercise from any other; however, one soldier in particular attracted the attention of the pair of officers: Sam. The decision had been made to include Sam in a regular training exercise to see if she were capable of bringing her tactical acumen to bear on a more traditional role.

The setup was rather simple. There were two teams of one hundred and fifty troops each, Blue Team and Red Team. Red team, the force Sam was allied with, would storm the beach and attempt to fight their way inland to Blue Team’s mock HQ. If Red Team made it to Blue Team’s HQ and captured it, they would be declared the winners. If, however, Blue Team eliminated Red Team or kept them from completing their objective for long enough, they would win. For this exercise, the soldiers were outfitted with heavy stun weapons, but otherwise carried their normal combat loadouts.

Unfortunately for the attackers, Blue Team had had plenty of time to get into position before the landing craft arrived at the beachhead, and they were throwing ludicrous amounts of firepower towards the invaders from an outcropping of four hills. Several Red Team attackers had already been removed from the exercise, and the remainder of the first wave had taken cover behind piles of rubble, pinned down by the overlapping fields of fire.

“Where the hell are our heavy weapons teams?!” one of the squad leaders demanded of his radio, crouching to hear the reply over the scream of gunfire. The troops around him flinched nearly constantly as rounds skipped off the rubble, pelting them with chips of rock. As if on cue, a second wave of landing craft made it to the beach, dropped their ramps and let loose their troop complements.

“There! There’re Gold and Arc Platoons!” another marine called out, pointing to two teams of soldiers sprinting across the killzone with shoulder-fired rocket-propelled stun grenades. Response fire from Blue Team picked off a few of the soldiers from each platoon, but most of them skidded into cover with their payloads intact.

Almost lost in Red Team’s eagerness to see their heavy weapons teams safely in, a lone soldier bearing no distinctive unit insignia made their way up the beach behind the advancing platoons.

“Captain… who’s that?” A lieutenant nudged his commanding officer, pointing out the lone soldier who slid to cover behind the rocky outcropping next to them. Like them, they were clad in the usual Federation armor scheme; unlike them, their coloration failed to identify their unit and the visor was tinted so harshly that nothing of the soldier’s face could be seen. All that could be discerned was that the soldier, whoever they were, carried a rocket launcher and had an assault rifle slung to their back.

“Soldier! Identify yourself!” the captain demanded, waving the soldier down. Without even sparing the superior officer a look, they simply hefted the rocket launcher, leaned in, and sighted on the nearest of the fortified positions. They pulled the trigger, two rockets firing simultanously. The payloads circled each other on their approach, then flattened out and sailed into the pillbox’s interior, an electric blue glow visible from inside as the stun charge laid out the Blue Team troopers inside.

With the bunker’s incessant machinegun fire finally silenced, and a wedge driven into the hitherto-impenetrable no-man’s-land, the unknown soldier did the unthinkable: discarded the launcher, drew her rifle, and exhorted their comrades forward.

“Come on!!” a feminine voice screamed, beckoning her comrades after her, then ignoring them as she rushed forward, refusing to wait up for them. She stormed up the first hill and, as she reached its apex, she spied the forward line of the trenches and the ruined machinegun nest. A few Blue troops who by sheer dumb luck had avoided the stun charge suddenly turned to her in shock, but had little time to do more than gawk and grope blindly for weapons they would never draw before they were taken out of the fight by stunningly-accurate running fire. Sparing a backwards glance, Sam noticed friendly troops advancing somewhat more cautiously through the opening she created. That was all the convincing she needed to somersault into the enemy trenches.

Crossing into a main artery, she fired a three-round burst into a Blue soldier on the right who tried to ambush her, then dove into a side branch just in time to avoid taking fire from her left. Turning around and catching sight of her would-be attacker, Sam put two rounds into the enemy’s head, dropping them like a ragdoll. Before she could move on, however, three more opposing soldiers charged over the top of the trenches and dropped down next to her. Time seemed to slow to a crawl partially by her own will, the soldiers moving as if through molasses as her body reacted quicker than thought. She swept a rising arc of fire up one soldier’s torso, then dropped her weapon as she stepped towards the next. Her hand quickly unsheathed a specially-modified stun knife and discharged it into her foe’s gut. She then followed up with a roundhouse kick to the third soldier’s hands, knocking his weapon away before unholstering her pistol, planting the barrel against his chest armor, and pulling the trigger four times.

With all of the immediate threats down, Sam picked up her rifle again and headed inland along the trenches, her just-crested allies bearing witness to the destruction she caused with utter disbelief. The recently-snubbed captain laughed aloud as he dropped into the trench network. “Well, whoever she is, we need more soldiers like her! Let’s go, before she gets all the kills!”

Red troops poured into the opening and with the new front line established, the first line of Blue Team’s defense had been broken. Sam advanced unchecked, cutting down any Blue combatants that dared stand in her way, and though she did catch a few errant rounds, her remarkable pain tolerance and physiological resistance to the stunning effect proved invaluable. Friendly forces advancing in her wake found only dazed, crumpled Blue troops strewn across their path, but no further sign of their mysterious ally.

Further ahead, Sam had gotten bogged down at that staple of ancient warfare: an opposing trench line packed with defenders. Naturally, due to sheer numbers at range, Sam had more sense than to cross immediately or expose herself out of cover in any way for extended periods of time. Still, she knew that she had to cross this little stretch. Realistically, Sam knew she should wait and regroup with the Red forces closing with her, but she needed this, the adrenaline rush of sole combat, combined with her developing personality exuding impatience.

Hunkering down behind the wall of the innermost trench, Sam double-checked her loadout, discovering that she had been issued several hand grenades; both smoke and stun. She bounced a smoke grenade in her palm, considering her options. A devilish grin broke across her face as she hit upon a viable, immediately actionable plan.

She primed two smoke grenades, hurling them out of the trench in opposite directions. As the dense smoke erupted from the canisters, the random fire from the Blue side of the battlefield slackened; her cue to make her move.

Not wasting her opportunity, Sam leapt out of the trench bearing two stun grenades, hurling them forward amidst the defensive line. She let her momentum bear her to the earth again, waiting for the sounds of the discharge, then leaping into the opposing trench.

The first two soldiers she saw were dispatched with simultaneous rifle and pistol fire. With no landmarks in sight, Sam proceeded inland, knowing that by end-running around the beachside bunkers, she was that much closer to Blue Team’s HQ, and her goal. Flattening herself against the wall, she was able to surprise three marines just turning the corner to investigate the silence. With a feral snarl, Sam flipped her weapon around and slammed the butt of the rifle into the lead marine’s face, shattering the visor and sending the female trooper reeling to her knees before spraying rounds into her two companions. On her way past, Sam drew her pistol and delivered the figurative coup de grace to the first, now-visorless soldier.

After her bloodlust faded, Sam began to notice that her comrades had closed the gap, as they were beginning to cross the no-man’s land. Squad leaders called for her to wait for support, but she paid them no heed. She answered only to Conway and Eisen; no one else. They had deployed her on her own and as such, she was on her own. Ergo, she would take the initiative however she pleased.

Reloading her now-spent magazine, Sam continued onward towards the enemy HQ, constantly changing paths in the trench network so enemy forces could not get a bead on her, all the while easily disposing of the now-token resistance arrayed against her. Any enemies that she missed or that slipped past her in a parallel trench were mopped up by her comrades. Sam did, however, wait for a couple squads of friendly troopers to help her breach the HQ, which went off without a hitch, and with minimal casualties (despite a last, furious resistance) due to Sam’s insistence of taking point and ‘borrowing’ grenades from friendly troopers.

The battle had been won, and it was won from the start once Sam seized the initiative on her lonesome. Much to her gratification, once the exercise was called, the soldiers that backed her up in the breaching operation all swarmed her and lavished praise on her in the form of cheers, hearty backslaps, and no shortage of enthusiastic applause and whistles.

“Trooper,” the first captain on the beach called. Sam turned to face him, expressionless helmet almost managing to look inquisitive. “I don’t know who you are, but you’ve got balls of steel bigger than Kendrick’s ego,” he said, jerking his thumb towards a trooper behind him, who managed to look mildly disconcerted, “and we need that in the GFMC. What’s your name?”

Rather than answer immediately, the victorious soldier disengaged her helmet and pulled it off, revealing the stunning face of Red Team’s hero. As if sensing that an odd form of propriety had changed, many soldiers followed suit.

“I’m Sam! Callsign SA-2, sir,” she replied, throwing her sharpest salute accompanied by a giddy, if victorious smile plastered on her face.

In the observation post, which still floated serenely over the war zone, Eisen and Conway stood impassively, continuing to monitor the exercise’s aftermath as screens around them displayed helmet-cam recordings of the assault. To say that both officers were pleasantly surprised at the wargame’s result would be a gross understatement: operating mostly on her own, Sam spearheaded an unorthodox assault which concluded the exercise in less than half an hour, with an efficiency rate hardly ever seen before.

“Well…” Eisen broke the ice first. “She’s certainly taken to her role nicely.”

“Indeed,” Conway agreed, nodding gently as he rested his angular chin in the crook of his right hand. “She may very well be ready for her armor soon enough… Well done, Sam.”

[Manehattan Beach | Several weeks later…]

A gorgeous, sweltering day in one of Equestria’s largest cities heralded an onslaught of visitors, both foreign and domestic, to the famous beaches of Manehattan. Of course, this included the six Elements of Harmony, Spike, Sapphire, and Samus, the latter more than eager to catch some sun and water with her closest friends for the first time in too long. As much as the Hunter was more keen on overcast days, rain, and moderate temperature, she had to admit that there was something about these Equestrian beaches that made them much more special to her.

Perhaps it was just the idea of them being a part of her adoptive home planet and nation. That, and she absolutely loved how clear the water was.

Currently, the group was a bit spread out. Rarity, Spike, and Fluttershy (with Sapphire) rested comfortably on the velvety sand, more than okay with the idea of resting their eyes and taking in the rays of Celestia’s Sun; that left Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Samus and Twilight splashing around in the water at Samus’ knee level and having a textbook example of a good time.

“Ahh!! Hey!” Samus mock-scolded Rainbow as the mare splashed her with a sizeable amount of water, the prismatic-maned pegasus laughing her heart out. “Damn, the water’s cold here!” the Hunter also remarked, getting a spontaneous shiver up her spine as she got used to the water temperature. The rest of the mares were already soaked completely in their one-piece bathing suits...a fashion choice which struck Samus as profoundly odd due to their coats; their manes stuck to their necks as they all smiled and laughed without a care in the world.

As for Samus, though, she was not fortunate enough to have a coat of fur to help ease the chilling effects of the water. Instead, she opted for her Zero Suit. Her usual attire’s modular capability allowed Samus to ‘remove’ certain parts for the occasion, namely the midriff, the sleeves up to her shoulders, and the legs below her upper thighs; every other piece of it was as it should have been. Her hair was in its normal fashion and overall, it was as if she was wearing her iconic two-piece that she, unfortunately, lost before the BSL incident, if only a bit more form-fitting.

“Yeah, but it’s refreshing, don’t ya think?” Rainbow commented before turning to talk to Applejack. The second she turned around, however, a torrent of water splashed down upon her, courtesy of Samus, who only looked away inconspicuously. She deadpanned at the Hunter while the others laughed at her expense, her mane dripping copious amounts of water. “Okay, you got me. Truce.”

“Alright, well,” Samus announced, stretching her arms over her head and loosening up her back. “I’m going for an actual swim under the water. It’s been too long since I’ve been able to without my Suit.”

“Okay!” Twilight replied, nodding and shaking some of the water off her face. “This section of the beach drops off fairly quickly, so it’s perfect for that.”

“Okie Dokie!” Pinkie readily agreed, continuing to bounce around the group and mildly splash everypony.

“Want some company, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, wringing out her mane.

“I swim fast. And I’ll be underwater the entire time. I don’t know how long ponies can hold their breaths,” Samus cautioned.

“How long can you hold your breath?” Rainbow asked, curious about that fact out of competition. Maybe she’d challenge the Hunter to a contest of how long each can remain underwater.

Samus paused to think. “Depends. Practically speaking, while swimming at a normal rate, the most I’ve ever done is about fifteen minutes¹; remember, augmentations and all that,” Samus answered, gesturing to herself to hammer home the idea. Rainbow’s jaw nearly dropped; there went any chance of her being able to stand up to the Hunter in a breath-holding contest.

“Right, right,” Twilight said, nodding in understanding yet still reasonably impressed at the assertion. “Have fun then! Be safe”

“Yup. If I don’t surface in fifteen, I was probably being stupid. See you all in a bit,” Samus announced, saluting her friends before wading as fast as she could, deeper toward the shelf. When she deemed it deep enough, she took a massive breath and slipped underneath the water, immersing herself entirely.

[Suggested Ambiance]

The initial shock of her mostly-bare body being instantaneously dunked cold water quickly wore off as she gazed around. Twilight was right, in the fact that the sea floor did seem to drop away suddenly about twenty feet ahead, and with Samus’ augmentations, she was able to see a bit more clearly in the water. Moreover, her eyes were a bit more resistant to the salt.

Utilizing the breaststroke, Samus glided through the bluish, crystal-clear water towards the dropoff, eager to see if there was anything interesting on the other side. As she cut through the water with relative ease, her thoughts drifted to the whole experience; most of her time in open water like this had been with the aid of her Suit, and usually to explore for something vital to her mission. This was the first time in a long while that she had been able to swim purely for her own enjoyment. It felt exhilarating, liberating…

...and she felt alive.

Samus checked her wrist console when it vibrated, and found that Adam was silently monitoring the CO₂ and SO₂ levels in her body, helping to give her an indicator as to how much time she had before she would have to surface for air. Smirking, she swam onward, over the drop and deeper downward. She didn’t think there would be much to see this close to the shore but Samus was in an exploratory mood, just eager to look around without being pressed for a mission or some apocalyptic scenario.

Samus continued to swim down the side of the drop off, seeing if it took her anywhere exciting. It leveled out a tad and she came face to face with a rock structure that was playing host to a small group of fish. A brief glance at her console showed that she was about forty feet under the surface. Having nothing better to do, she swam her way over to the towering formation and climbed over them, examining them for anything interesting. As she expected, there was not much to be seen, so she decided to continue farther and see if that changed.

A few more large rocks embedded into the floor made themselves known, along with small schools of fish but that was about it this far out and deep. Glancing around and floating in the water, Samus did not expect to see massive amounts of sea life and activity this close to the beach, but it was fine with her. In reality, she used her desire to explore as an excuse to just swim. She would have to check out the lake that was right by Ponyville if she wanted to go seeing any decent amount of other life. So at this point, Samus opted to swim to and fro, and just bask in the feel of the cool water surrounding her, at least until she was forced to swim to the surface for air.

And that’s exactly what she did. With a grin on her face, she swam wherever her mind decided to pull her.

Back towards the beach proper, Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack, and Pinkie were still horsing around with each other after a good ten minutes. Suddenly, Pinkie stopped, cocking her head as a particularly shrewd thought struck her.

“Hey girls, have you noticed how happy Samus is?”

“Well yeah,” Applejack commented as if it was the most obvious thing. “Samus has been in a good mood since she got back, after all.”

“Yeah, it’s like the six months after the Phazon Conflict. She was in much higher spirits when she was able to just relax,” Twilight added. Unconvinced, Pinkie shook her head adamantly.

“It goes beyond that,” she remarked.

“Whaddya mean?” Rainbow asked, bidding for clarification.

“I’m the Element of Laughter, girls,” Pinkie reminded her friends. “I know when somepony’s truly happy. She is! But something’s… different this time,” Pinkie asserted, glancing out towards the ocean where they saw Samus before she dove into the deep. “She was happy two and a half years ago, it’s true, but now, she almost seems…” Pinkie circled her hoof, frowning as she tried to come up with the appropriate word. “...Tranquil,” she concluded astutely.

“Come to think of it,” Twilight interjected again, rubbing her hoof to her chin pensively. “She has been acting like that… almost like she’s at peace with everything.”

“How d’ya figure?” Applejack asked, shaking some excess water off of her exposed coat.

“Well for one, she’s much more physical than she ever was, at least with me,” Twilight answered, flipping some of her mane out of her eyes. “In fact, the other night when we were reading, she put her tablet down, stretched out, and pulled me into a hug out of nowhere. I actually had to process what was going on for a while before it occurred to me to hug her back,” she confessed. “And when I asked what the occasion was, all she said was ‘No reason.’”

“Y’know, I think you’re right,” Rainbow chimed in. “Samus is as cool-headed and snarky with me as ever… but she does seem to be a lot more comfortable being close, at least in my opinion. She’ll randomly tousle my mane when we work out.”

“Then Ah think she really cares about us,” Applejack mused warmly.

“There was never a question about that, at least in my opinion,” Twilight added. “Honestly, I really don’t know what’s going through her head… none of us do; she’s made that clear and it’s completely true.”

The others nodded and bobbed their heads in agreement.

“She’s extremely difficult to read. Whatever the case and whatever her reasons, she’s become at least somewhat more comfortable with closeness and friendly intimacy,” the alicorn continued.

“Also…” Rainbow Dash closed in with her friends. “Now that all of this ‘Samus being at peace’ stuff is being brought up, I’ve also noticed that whenever I’m around her, I also feel a lot more… calm.”

“You too, eh?” Applejack weighed in. “It’s like she’s radiatin’ whatever she’s feelin’.”

Twilight cocked her head and opened her mouth to respond, but she was caught off-guard by a panicked scream before she could formulate a thought.

“AAAHHH!!” Pinkie screamed in fright as her left hoof was suddenly yanked backwards towards the ocean, causing her to faceplant in the water. Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash screamed in response but their fear died away when dripping-wet Samus revealed herself and stood up tall, holding Pinkie up by her hind leg as if she had just caught a particularly pink fish. Pinkie’s yells quickly morphed into uproarious laughter and giggles at her current predicament, which, of course, was contagious to everypony else. Samus wore an upturned smirk of victory and chuckled lightly as she set Pinkie down properly into the water.

“Have fun?” Twilight asked, seeing that Samus had indeed returned from her small absence under water.

“Oh yeah. We should go to that lake by Ponyville next time… for some reason, I’m eager to swim to the bottom of that now,” Samus said, thinking about exploring a fully contained ecosystem. “But for right now, I’m gonna take a little break and join the others on the beach.”

“Oh okay,” Rainbow Dash replied. “I’m getting hungry so we’ll probably join all of you out there in a bit.”

“Alright,” Samus acknowledged over her shoulder as she strode through the shallowing water and onto the beach itself. Free of the constraints of the ocean, the sopping Hunter’s feet sunk into the warm, soothing sand and finally making her way to the remainder of her friends who were just eating up the sun. Under a bright, multi-colored umbrella, Fluttershy lounged with Sapphire, nestled in a little hole under the towel. Right next to them lay Rarity and Spike, both with sunglasses on and resting under the rays of sunlight. Fluttershy’s demeanor brightened when she saw the Hunter coming ashore.

“Oh, hi Samus,” Fluttershy softly greeted. Sapphire turned towards Samus, floating a little higher and skree’ing in greeting. “How’s the water?”

“It’s pretty nice,” Samus replied, fetching her towel from their combined bags and drying herself off.

“I must say,” Rarity piped up, lowering her glasses as Samus dried herself, eyeing the human girl’s muscular form and in particular, her stomach arms, and thighs. “Removing parts of your Zero Suit worked quite fabulously. You look incredible in your makeshift swimsuit.”

“Thanks, Rares,” Samus responded while placing her towel on the sand next to Fluttershy, opting to use the alabaster unicorn’s nickname that Dash usually favored. “Told you it was better for me anyway,” she added, letting her hair down from its ponytail, wringing it out, then picking up her tablet and laying back.

“I suppose you’re right… this time,” Rarity said pointedly, making sure Samus knew that she would not be getting out of being made new clothes in the very near future. She placed her sunglasses back over her eyes and lay back yet again, the chatter devolving into easy silence. As for Samus, she decided to use her tablet to quietly look at listings for properties in the Ponyville area that she had made a note of. Living with Twilight was fun and had its many benefits, but eventually, Samus did want to get out of the unicorn’s mane. Equestria was her home now, and with permanent homes, she wanted a place to herself.

Such a place, however, would require quite a few modifications to suit her needs. Namely, larger doorframes, weapon-resistant building materials, and other sundry tasks necessary to adapt Equish buildings to human anatomies. There were also a few luxuries she wanted that she could easily afford, though they served more practical purposes in line with her personality.

This went on for a good twenty or so minutes, even after the rest of the mares came back from the water to eat their lunch. Samus exchanged pleasant words with her friends while her face was still buried in her tablet, but after a while, Samus realized that she was dozing, and opted to drift off into a little cat nap under the oh-so-comfortable heat of the sun. Placing her tablet under the shade of Fluttershy’s umbrella, Samus folded her arms behind her head and let her eyes drift shut, fully succumbing to a power nap on a beach… something she could never see herself doing if it were merely a few months prior.

Mmm… this is nice…

Samus did not know how long she was asleep, being only dimly aware of her immediate surroundings and more focused on her exposed skin being bathed in the warmth of the sunlight. At this rate, she would probably get some tan lines, and her face would, naturally, darken slightly… but that did not bother her. It would all return to normal once she donned her Zero Suit again on a regular basis, which she tended to do anyway. On the precipice of falling into a deep sleep, Samus could have sworn she felt a cool touch to her left tricep, along with a gentle purr.

Then she heard her name being called.

Fluttering her eyes open to see who disturbed her, the only thing that took up the entirety of her vision was ‘metroid.’ Old adrenaline shot through her, her nerves jangling and her pupils shrinking to pinpricks as she saw herself face to face with a deadly foe.

“Samus!”

“GHAHHH!!” the Hunter cried out fearfully, flailing her arms and legs aggressively and causing a an equally startled screech from Sapphire as well. Everypony suddenly jerked their heads to see what the commotion was about, and were greeted with the sight of Samus suddenly several feet to the left, right arm thrust forward as if she were wielding her cannon. She was hyperventilating but quickly calmed down and regained her composure when she saw that everypony was looking at her curiously. Rainbow Dash and Applejack, however, were doubled over in laughter.

“Don’t. Sneak. Up on me, Sapphire!” Samus commanded, calming her heart rate and rejoining her friends, the rest of them clearly having regrouped from the water. “I like you but... please, just… don’t do that!”

“S-Sorry…”

“Are you okay, Samus?” Fluttershy asked, trotting up to the Hunter as she took her seat again.

“Yeah, don’t worry, I’m fine,” she replied, pinching the bridge of her nose before deciding to sit up and be a bit more social with the others. She certainly did not feel tired anymore after that awakening. With a gentle smile returning to her features, Samus sat with her friends as they all ate lunch together (including Sapphire; it was Applejack’s turn to feed her today). Sandwiches all around, prepared by Pinkie, were greedily gobbled down while talking never seemed to end. What’s more, Samus was not second-guessing the way she carried herself anymore, at least, in a way she had been obliged to in the past.

A life of constant fighting would do that to anyone.

After a while though, all the mares and Spike decided to hit the water again. Samus was enjoying the sun, so Sapphire was left in her care, though the metroid was entertaining herself by drawing things in the sand with her talons. Samus observed her curiously, noting that Sapphire was able to trace coherent things. One such example was six crudely drawn stick-ponies. The Hunter, leaning back in a beach chair and having her arms folded behind her head again, watched over Sapphire with keen interest, only annotating the experience with her thoughts.

That’s impressive…

Gurgling happily to herself, her gelatinous layer glowing a deep, almost midnight blue, Sapphire continued her little portrait in the sand, adding a smaller bipedal stick figure to represent Spike as well as a lopsided circle with two sticks pointing outward in different directions under it; representing her. Lastly, Sapphire added a tall figure in the middle of the group.

That’s...me… This metroid is something else…

“Nice picture, Sapphire” Samus commented, Sapphire turning around to ‘face’ her when she heard her name being called.

“Thanks!” she replied jubilantly, but before she was to turn back to her work, Sapphire perked up with an adorable-sounding squeak, as if she remembered something.

“Look at this,” she said softly, floating over to Fluttershy’s bag which contained all the beach essentials for her and Sapphire (but mainly for her). Samus, curious at the metroid’s antics, leaned forward and observed her actions.

“What is it?” she questioned, and wordlessly, Sapphire used her talons to gingerly rummage through the various things in the bag, searching for something. Finally, she came across something that definitely did not belong. The metroid grasped it and dropped it onto the beach blanket in full view. To Samus, it looked like an evil appendage of sorts, an inverted triangle with a blood-red pendant in its center, topped off with a silhouette of an alicorn; definitely not an inviting look. “Okay… what is that?” she asked cautiously.

“Secret. Alicorn Amulet. Its magic tastes gooood~; Spicy!” Sapphire answered honestly. The amulet began glowing softly, and Samus glanced up and around her to see if anypony else was seeing what she was seeing.

“Does Fluttershy or anyone else know you have this? And why is that in the bag?”

“Nopony knows. I put it in bag when Mama not looking. Don’t tell her, okay?” Before Samus could say anything in response, Sapphire picked up the amulet and absorbed the residual magic it let off, the amulet glowing bright red as it filtered into the metroid. After a few seconds, Sapphire dropped it, began quivering, and then belched out a bright, red laser which shot right into the sand next to the blanket, causing Samus to nearly fall over in her chair from recoiling. The Hunter looked in nascent horror at where the laser struck the sand, and then back to Sapphire, who seemed to giggle happily, bobbing in place.

“Y-You may wanna put that back before Fluttershy finds it…” Samus suggested, shaking her head in bewilderment and glancing again at the charred area of sand. Fancying a look around, it did not appear that anypony else had witnessed the spectacle.

“Okay!”

Just when I thought I’d seen it all…

[G.F.S. Oculus]

While Conway had an infinite amount of patience—at least by his standards—,one thing that he had absolutely no tolerance for was politics. However, his ability to politic his way around ensured that he maintained his favorable impressions and esteem among the upper echelons of the GF military, which came with a slew of benefits including the near limitless resources of the Galactic Federation military-industrial complex. Moreover, his intimidating but still charismatic personality allowed him to slip and slide by certain bothersome regulations… not that he had exercised this ability for anything outrageous, at least, until quite recently.

Project Duality was, so far, an astounding success, and Sam had made incredible progress towards the goals set for her by Conway and Eisen. The first and second steps to Conway’s plan of ‘securing’ the Galaxy from further threats including Samus Aran were being conducted simultaneously: train up a clone of her, with DNA already ‘built’ to withstand such brutal and draconian methods, while personally lobbying the Galactic Senate for the ability to move his fleet and its resources near Equis. Sam’s overwhelming success in the wargame marked a massive milestone of her training, although it would still be a month or two before she would be deployable.

The latter was just about complete. Conway was able to convince a large majority of the Senate of the soundness of his plans, and a vote was to be called in the coming weeks. Conway was sure of success, especially since the intelligence about resurgent Space Pirate forces that he used was rather convincing… this being the case because it was partially based on fact. The Admiral was suspicious of the Pirate force’s disappearance following the battle on Phaaze, especially since there was evidence of multiple homeworlds. The Unknown Regions of Federation Space were where most reports of covert Pirate activity came from, and coincidentally, Equis fell right on the fringes of this purview.

In the meantime, Conway wanted a small footprint on the planet, which was one of the main reasons he called a meeting in one of the many briefing rooms between he, Eisen, and six specific soldiers.

“Spectre Squad. Thank you for joining me today, ladies and gentlemen,” Conway began the meeting in earnest, smoothing out any wrinkles in his uniform before firing up the holographic projector. Eisen stood rigidly by his side and remained silent, only observing. “I have called you six here because as of right now, you are the best squad of Federation Stealth Troopers we have.”

“Sir, thank you, sir,” the leader, Captain Igor Butenko spoke on behalf of them all. No defining features of any of the troopers could be made out through their armor, so black that it seemed to absorb the light around them. The design of the Federation Stealth Soldier was similar to that of a Galactic Federation Marine, but apart from the obvious color scheme difference, Stealth Troopers sported more streamlined armor, as well as the most advanced tech the Federation could put on a single soldier. They were the best-trained fighting force anywhere in the Galaxy, and even the least-capable Stealth Trooper could go toe-to-toe with a Space Pirate Commando. The visors themselves were also a slightly lighter color than the blackness of the armor, evoking the ancient tale of the Grim Reaper, the embodiment of death.

“You are no strangers to covert, suicidal missions against Space Pirate forces. Your unit alone has one of the highest kill-counts to date, especially of high-value targets amongst Pirate ranks,” Conway praised, pacing gingerly up and down the opposite end of the holographic projector. He then sharply turned to his audience. “However, the mission I have for you is like none you’ve undertaken before… if you’ll pardon my choice of dramatic words.”

The six soldiers remained silent as the grave, and Conway continued after a moment.

“Intelligence afforded to us by the boys upstairs indicates there may be an upwelling of Pirate activity in the 51st sector; likely near the newest addition to the Federation: VK109H, colloquial designation ‘Equis.’ More specifically, we’re interested in this particular nation.” Conway brought up a holographic representation of the planet, zooming in on and highlighting the nation of Equestria.

“This goes further than that, though. We have reason to believe that Samus Aran...” Conway brought up a few images of the Hunter, masked and unmasked. “...may know something about this. While, true, Samus has been an invaluable asset to us in our war against the Space Pirates, she has also caused untold destruction of Federation property and decades of research since the destruction of Phaaze.”

“Sir, with all due respect… the Samus?” one of the Lieutenants interjected. Interestingly, Samus’ work in mostly clandestine operations meant that she was not well known throughout Federation Space for her roles in those missions, especially when she would disappear after assignments. But, at the same time, her name was thrown about, reported on, and her armor was iconic. She was, to many, a symbol of the Federation’s might and a pillar of morale, but to others, merely a mythical creature. Naturally, this raised the aforementioned, natural question.

“Indeed; A well-trained mercenary who has worked for the Military in times of extraordinary crisis. However, she is still just that: a mercenary. She has no loyalty to anyone but herself. Forensic investigations of the top secret BSL records suggests that Samus Aran is in possession of a full history of the work being done on the station that she so-nicely plunged into SR-388’s atmosphere. This information could prove catastrophic if she were to cash in by selling it to a hostile entity. Samus is an unknown, unpredictable; if she were made a good offer, who’s to say what she would do?

“Yes, sir,” Captain Butenko nodded curtly, if with a bit more aggression in his voice at the mention of the potential sale of dangerous intel. Conway nodded in return and highlighted a few key points in Equestria in red.

“For now, your mission is simply reconnaissance. You are to track down Samus; she is rumored to have taken up residence in this nation. With no active conflict, Samus’ behavior is impossible to predict. Figure her out.”

“Yes, Admiral. We’ll head out immediately,” another Lieutenant spoke out stoically, this time with a feminine voice.

“Very good. One final note,” Conway added, pointing at the commanding officer. “Samus is a force to be reckoned with...if you underestimate her, it will be the last mistake you ever make. That said, it’s only my preference that she be taken alive. If she comes peacefully, so much the better… though it’s nigh certain she won’t. In that case...well, the essential data I want will be on her body or in her residence.

“Reiterating in conclusion…” Conway continued, emphasizing his last phrase and gesturing pointedly at the squad of six before continuing. “Samus is not to be taken lightly in any sense of the word, but if she is routinized, and you are in any position where you feel you will have the upper hand on her in battle, your orders are to terminate her and obtain the stolen data. Until then, just watch her and report your findings. Have I made myself clear?”

“Understood, sir. Crystal clear,” the captain replied tersely, and the rest of his squad nodded. Conway returned the gesture.

“Very good. Everything is set up and if you leave now, you should arrive on Equis in about two weeks, which gives you around another week to set up before deployment. Dismissed,” Conway concluded with a sharp salute, one which was returned by the six Stealth Troopers.

“Yes sir!” they all responded before filtering out of the briefing room one by one and heading to the hangar to embark on their mission. Before he could reflect on his orders to the elite soldiers, Eisen cleared her throat.

“Admiral, if I may…”

“Stop with the ‘if I may’ stuff. The answer is ‘yes’ and will always be ‘yes.’”

“Do you truly feel that Spectre can kill Samus?” she asked seriously, not entirely sure on every step of Conway’s plan, since he did not share exactly everything with her.

“No,” he replied confidently without missing a beat, shaking his head. “They will observe Samus and report her movements back to us. In a perceived moment of vulnerability, they’ll engage her; Samus will kill them. In fact, she’ll most likely slaughter them without breaking a sweat,” he remarked with chilling callousness. “But from there, we use that incident—which will get reported heavily on the Equestrian side—to further our cause to ‘investigate.’”

It was a testament to Eisen’s self-control that she didn’t immediately, instinctively object to her commanding officer admitting, bald-faced, to sending six of his best troops on a mission intended to kill them. Upon reflection, she realized, grudgingly, that it was an inspired move: reports of the death of a squad of the galaxy’s elite would, almost certainly, prompt a decisive response. The fact that Samus killed them would only further Conway’s aims.

It was a despicable move, but she could not deny the sheer, underhanded genius of the plan.

“I see…” was all she said, her inner thoughts going unvoiced. “Well, then... all we have to do now is collect information and wait it out.”

“Quite so,” Conway replied before beckoning Eisen to follow him out of the briefing room. “Now, let’s get something to eat. I’m starving.”

¹The world record for a human holding their breath underwater, having hyperventilated, breathed pure oxygen beforehand, AND NOT MOVING AT ALL, is about 22 minutes. I based her ability on that.

Author's Note

Alright, this was a long time coming. As you can see, the ball is officially rolling, and shit can only happen from here on out. Let me know what you thought! :pinkiehappy:

Again, sorry this took for goddamn ever. Merry Christmas!

7. Venator Caelestis

Metroid Equis II: Duality

Section 7

Venator Caelestis

[G.F.S. Faust | Equis Space | High Polar Orbit]

With the Gamma Facility situation under control, Crusader-Vector Joint Task Force was due to rotate off of active duty and be recalled to the Faust to await their next deployment… whenever that happened to be. It had already been two and a half weeks of lounging around, so they would probably get their next orders sooner rather than later. The capital ship’s accommodations were certainly better than Gamma Facility’s, and reminded the human component of the task force of their previous station, the Vogl. Commandeering an empty common room with a nice view of the planet below, all eight members of the squadron occupied themselves in their own ways, all just happy to be out of the constant rain and muck of the Everfree Forest and out of their armor.

The humans were in their long-sleeved PT uniforms, while the ponies just lounged around in their own coats, as expected. Radiance and Windfire were huddled up together, completely knocked out on one of the couches, which was fairly standard for the two of them after long deployments. Constance had her face buried in a book, snuggled up against Arianna’s leg, her normally well-regulated mane freed from its ponytail. Arianna, for her part, also rested a book in her hand, her eyes following the words intently as she reclined into the back of the couch.

Directly across from them, on an identical couch, Starry sat with her back to Nathan, the latter dragging both of his hands in neat, even lines up and down her back, digging his fingers into her coat and skin. Jacob had left to go find Sydney for a very important reason, which explained his noticeable absence.

“Hmmmm…” Starry hummed, eyes closed with a shameless, dreamy smile plastered on her face as she took in the wonderful feelings of her human coltfriend’s touch. Nathan did well to run his fingers methodically through her thick, silken mane, treating her once in a while by massaging her ears between his fingers, an action that garnered a humorous coo of sorts from the mare.

“Enjoying yourself a bit too much there, Corporal?” Constance asked stoically, but obviously in jest while never tearing her eyes away from inside her book. Arianna smirked and chuckled without looking up from her book, and Nathan as well felt compelled to join in. Starry, however, was unfazed.

“With all due respect, Captain, fingers are incredible…” the grey-coated mare replied honestly, continuing to enjoy Nathan’s lavishing.

“Oh I’m sure they—OOooohh...” Constance’s words failed her, replaced with an involuntary coo when Ari suddenly let her left hand fall to the back of her neck, making firm gripping motions through her coat. Starry nearly burst out laughing at the sound that she had never heard her commanding officer produce. Radiance was nearly startled awake by the sudden onset of laughter.

“Heh… well then,” Nathan voiced, in similar straits to his significant other in front of him. Constance’s face colored significantly, visible even underneath bright-pink coat at her unbidden outburst, but never took it upon herself to stop Arianna’s ministrations.

“Works every time,” the dark-haired girl commented victoriously to no one in particular, a sly half-smirk etching that prominent dimple into her right cheek as she continued reading.

“Thought Jake and Syd would be back by now,” Nathan spoke up again, this time switching his tactics and kneading his thumb into Starry’s lats. She had never been closer to falling asleep sitting up.

“Well, we know Dittmar went to find Syd, and my guess is she’s having some trouble in the pissroom. Considering the hell of a time yesterday’s chow gave me last night, I wouldn’t be too surprised.” The offhandedness of Ari’s remark earned a brief snort from Nathan. Starry, however, was somewhat less partial to the remark’s crudity.

“Thanks for sharing, Ari. Sheesh.”

“Good news, everyone!” a new, yet familiar voice entered the unusual lot’s ears, and turning their attention to the common room’s entrance revealed the fresh-faced Captain Jacob Dittmar, hefting Sydney bridal style in his arms. “Found the birthday girl!” Sydney held onto his neck for dear life while those who were awake gave their own enthusiastic ‘happy birthday’ greetings at the arrival of their friend. Jacob also carried a small backpack slung over his shoulder.

“Jake! Put me down already, this is harassment!” she joked when her commanding officer and friend refused set her on her feet at any point since they met up.

“Yeah, you’d like that wouldn’t you?” the blonde-haired captain shot back challengingly, shooting her an exaggeratedly lewd smirk before finally setting her down.

“You’re hilarious, you know that?” Sydney added sarcastically, though the giggle that accompanied the remark robbed it of some of its bite. She then smoothed her clothes out and stretched her shirt back down over her midriff. Arianna waved her over and patted the spot on her right, which Sydney gladly took, and without even looking up from her book, the dark-haired girl pulled Syd into a one-armed embrace.

“Also,” Jacob announced, joining the rest of his squad whilst setting the backpack down. “Mail call!” With that, he unceremoniously emptied the contents onto the floor, which happened to be a few packages and some letters. With the advent of more direct and instantaneous electronic communication which allowed soldiers and their families to remain in near constant contact, perhaps unsurprisingly, the frequency of physical mail calls dropped precipitously. However, there are just some things that remained undeliverable through the extranet, and the sentimental value of a physical piece of mail was irreplaceable by its electronic counterpart.

“Alright!” Nathan exclaimed, patting his marefriend’s side and kissing the top of her head before parting with her to sift through the mail pile. Jacob did his part to pick up what he could and distribute them out so the others did not have to get up.

“Okay… Constance…” Jacob began reading off the names, handing the appropriate letters and packages over to each individual in turn. “...got a few here, Sydney… ummm… Radiance and Windfire…” Jake looked over to where the unicorns lay sleeping and lightly tossed the envelopes over to them, the stationery plopping on their bodies. They barely flinched before drifting off to a deep sleep again. Nathan took his and Starry’s together, and the captain slid his own mail to the back of the pile. He still continued to sift through for something that he hoped was there.

It wasn’t.

“Sorry, Ari… th-there isn’t anything for you.” the Captain sighed a tad dejectedly. Arianna, however, was unfazed, and continued reading her book regardless.

“That’s what happens when you have no surviving family,” she replied, unemotionally turning a page in her book. Regardless, Constance felt a sharp pang of sadness for the girl, and gave her a short, sympathetic look. “Don’t have to apologize each and every time.”

Jacob decided not to say anything else to avoid any awkwardness, wordlessly nodding. Arianna was long past grieving for her lost loved ones, and had no trouble talking about her experience quite candidly. Of course, it was not something she always wished to bring up willy-nilly. Memories were still painful en masse, after all.

“Oh shit!” Starry exclaimed, a bright smile appearing on her face at the opening of her care package. “Parents sent me a damn industrial supply of my favorite chocolates!” Her eyes lit up and she rubbed her hooves together with an eagerness of a young foal receiving their favorite toy… a look that Nathan absolutely adored.

“You’re saying this out loud because you’re sharing… yes?” Sydney joked, but only in part. Seeing the first pack of sweets that Starry magically lifted out of the box made her suddenly crave chocolate, and Sydney was one who would go out of her way to sate her cravings when they were upon her.

“Duh! There’s no way I’d be able to finish these by myself in the next year. Besides, we gotta take care of the birthday mare,” Starry replied knowingly, tossing the first box Syd’s way which the latter caught in her lap. “Also, these just go straight to my haunches.”

“I bet Nathan wouldn’t mind that,” Radiance, whom everyone thought was fast asleep, remarked from beyond the veil of the sofa like it was her job.

“Shut your whore mouth and go back to sleep,” Starry quipped without missing a beat, unpacking a box of chocolate for herself while Nathan shook his head and grinned at their exchange, continuing to run his fingers through his mare’s mane.

“You should do the same when you two’re together; at least tone it down,” Radiance shot back, making quite the obvious allusion to certain events. Starry’s jaw dropped; Nathan averted his gaze, finding the couch much more interesting at the moment, and the others had to feign coughing at the same time.

“Lock it down, Radiance,” Constance warned over the top of her book. Though the captain had no issue with the squad’s horseplay, she had no tolerance for squadmates airing each other’s private matters. While Starry and Radiance may have been foalhood friends, it was just plain rude in her eyes.

“You know what, you little bitch…” Starry muttered under her breath, tearing out of Nathan’s embrace and bounding over the seat of the couch. She tackled Radiance on the next couch over and dragged her onto the floor, where the two proceeded to pin each other. Windfire only shifted his sleeping position and the rest went about their business as the two mares playfully duked it out.

“SAY IT!”

“GAH! Fuck off!”

“SAY. IT!”

This type of occurrence was that common.

“So, what’d you get, birthday girl?” Jacob asked, sitting on Sydney’s other side and patting her leg. The young woman examined the small package she held in her hands, finally finding the small bit of writing on the label; she instantly smiled at the familiar handwriting.

“It’s from dad! He usually sends me electronic messages and stuff, so I wonder what this could be…” Sydney mused out loud. Everyone turned their eyes to her as she fished out a multitool from her pocket and neatly sliced open the top of the box. Pulling the inner lips of the package out and apart, she removed the first item which was wrapped up in bubble wrap, finding that it was something she was craving, but could not buy in Equestria.

“Aww hell yeah! Sweet Tarts!” Sydney exclaimed, holding a pack of sixteen individual, smaller packs victoriously in the air with a beaming smile on her face. While all the humans in the room gave a combined ‘whoop!’ at the reveal, the ponies looked at her curiously.

“Sweet Tarts?” Starry asked, she and Radiance having finished their little bout of wrestling. The two sat next to each other on the couch and Nathan placed his arm around the former.

“Here, for the chocolates,” Sydney said, removing one of the individual packs and tossing it over to the unicorn, compensating her for her previous generosity. The unicorn caught it in her magic and studied the tube-like candy pack. “They’re tangy candies.”

“Nice!”

“Looks like you got something else,” Jacob commented, pointing into the box and drawing Syd’s attention back to the other heavily-wrapped object. Taking it out and unwrapping it revealed said object to be a modest-sized chrome picture frame, and the picture that it held elicited a gentle gasp from the amber-haired girl. She cupped her hand over her mouth, veiling her smile, though her eyes betrayed her emotions to her comrades.

Staring back at her was a black and white, formal picture of Sydney and her brother Andrew in full ceremonial garb. They both sat, arms on their laps, at an angle to the camera and held similarly stoic gazes over their somewhat-more youthful complexions, though the visorcaps transformed their expressions from blank to slightly intimidating. In this picture, Sydney’s rank was that of a Corporal, while her brother’s was still that of a Captain.

“Awww look at that…” Arianna cooed. The others did their best to crowd around and see the picture, but Sydney made it easier on everyone and showed them; there were pleasant reactions all around. “How long ago was that taken?”

“Almost four years,” Sydney replied with a soft, whimsical smile. She was already wondering where she was gonna hang or place this treasure, and she also made a mental note to contact her father as soon as she was able.

“Rest in peace, Andrew.”

Before more conversation could get underway, the sound of a throat being cleared drew everyone’s attention to the doorway. Turning their gazes to the entrance, CV caught sight of someone they were always happy to see.

Jacob, who had leaned over to catch a glimpse of the photograph, stood ramrod straight and barked, “Officer on deck!” Sydney was the first to leap to her feet, dropping the photograph on the couch as she assumed the position of attention. Everyone else followed suit, Windfire the last and slowest owing to the corporal having been asleep.

“I thought I might find you all here,” the neatly-combed, gray haired officer spoke, taking his cap off his head and looking at the assembled troops.

“Please… At ease, ladies and gents,” he said, chuckling as an easy smile spreading across his features.

“Brigadier General Borsig,” Jacob greeted, an equally easy smile blossoming on the younger officer’s face. He shook his hand on behalf of everyone. “It’s good to see you again, sir!”

“Likewise, Captain,” he chuckled. “You’re the first who hasn’t called me ‘Colonel.’”

“Congratulations on the promotion, sir,” Sydney added, the rest of the squad gathering around their commander.

“Thank you! However… I’m afraid I didn’t come here just to wish Lieutenant Exeter here a happy birthday; happy birthday, by the way,” Borsig quickly added, trying to take off some of the edge for what he had to say to the squad.

“Thank you, sir.”

“So...what’s going on, General?” Constance’s voice came. “Is it something bad?”

Borsig shook his head. “No, no… just a little bit of a downer is all. I wanted to see you all in person to deliver your next set of orders,” he followed up, and made the appropriate gesture to cue the imminent, simultaneous groaning.

That’s exactly what happened.

“Damnit… I was enjoying doing nothing,” Windfire spoke his first words of the hour.

“Believe me, I don’t agree with this; you’ve been stuck in the mud for a good while and I didn’t want you going anywhere for at least another week, but…” He shrugged helplessly. “Joint Command needs an extra, highly experienced squad on the ground at Fort Trottingham, and like it or not, you’re the best we’ve got. It’s right next to the Crystal Mines,” the General elaborated, retrieving the formal orders from his coat pocket and handing a copy to both Jacob and Constance while reviewing his own.

“Well, at least it’s not the Everfree,” Nathan sighed, ever the optimist.

“True, and I can drop by my place on leave,” Starry immediately noted, already making plans to see her parents in the city proper. Nathan scratched behind her ears out of habit, and she immediately leaned into his hand.

“Understood, General.” Jacob nodded. “We’ll gear up and deploy in two days, as this says.”

Borsig nodded slowly, clearly impressed at the alacrity with which the group received their orders.

“You’re all taking this a lot better than I expected, honestly. But then again, I guess that’s why you’re all the best the fleet has, huh?” he asked rhetorically.

“Just doing our jobs, sir,” Constance said.

“Indeed! Very well, meet me in the conference room on this level in three hours and I’ll brief you more formally. This should be an easy ride for you all.”

[The Everfree]

Log 05-25-2426¹

It’s been almost seven weeks since I last made an entry. Today marks the fourth month since my return; as far as I can tell, the Galactic Federation doesn’t know either of us are here or simply doesn’t care, as unlikely as that may be. Even so, I don’t think I’ll make myself available any time soon, and I’m more than happy to just lay low for the foreseeable future.

Still, moving from mission to mission for two and a half years straight leaves habits that are hard to break. Over the last couple of weeks, it feels like I’ve gone back to high alert… I feel like I’m being watched constantly. I can’t shake it… no matter how many times I look over my shoulder when I feel someone staring at me… no matter how many patrols I’ve done in the middle of the night, no matter how often I switch my visors, how often I try to see… I just can’t find the source. My senses have rarely failed me, and this is concerning, especially because nothing is happening.

I’m starting to lose some sleep over it. It’s annoying, to say the least. Further, the girls are becoming a little wary.

Perhaps it’s just my mind inventing artificial concerns to keep me prepared and on edge in times of complacency. Though… I’m not even sure of that anymore. Sometimes, I even surprise myself by still being sane. Things were starting to get to me so much that, last night, when my suit picked up a ‘massive thermomagical spike’ in another unknown region of the enigmatic Everfree, I was almost elated that I had something important to do again; something potentially dangerous to investigate. I’m not used to downtime again; I’m still re-adapting psychologically to handle having nothing to do.

Due to the inherent ‘magic-ness’ of this place I’m headed, it was necessary to take someone along who happens to be so in tune with the power.

Hopefully this will provide me some respite. If nothing else, it’ll just be something interesting to do.

[Sign Off]

Samus, in her usual Zero Suit, typed the last characters of her log entry on her wrist-console and exited out of the application. Before she could relax again, her console vibrated, and Adam’s eye made itself known to her, text silently spilling onto her screen:

Anything you would like to talk about, Lady?

Samus smiled softly, wiping away some grime and dust from the corner of her console with a fond gesture before typing up a response.

No, I’m good, Adam. Maybe later; thank you, though.

If you do not wish to talk to me, remember that you have others you may approach.

I know… believe me, I know. I’m fine though, don’t worry. We’ll talk later, how’s that sound? :)

I’ll be here.

Sending off that last message, Samus then reclined in her seat and looked over at Twilight who sat across from her in the back of a comfortably drifting Federation Dropship… and she looked positively brimming with excitement.

The Hunter smiled and produced a gentle chuckle.

“I see you’re all ready to go,” she remarked.

“You have no idea, Samus!” Twilight replied giddily. “In all my time living in Ponyville, I always knew that mysterious magical areas and temples existed because of my research, but I never had the chance to explore them myself!” she explained, speaking animatedly with her hooves and darting her eyes around. “Thank you! Thank you for taking me!”

“Heh, no problem. Thanks for coming, actually. Since I can’t do magic anymore, it’s probably not wise for me to enter an undisturbed magical place,” Samus added. There was a tiny bit of turbulence outside the ship and the pilot notified the both of them that they were one minute out from the drop zone.

“Alicorn Spirits, right?”

“Yup,” Samus confirmed.

“Don’t wanna get your flank kicked again?” Twilight asked, unable to suppress the cheeky smile forming on her muzzle, a look to which Samus replied with a deadpan expression and a cocked eyebrow. Twilight was getting pretty good at this.

“You’re never gonna let that go, huh?” Samus asked sarcastically as the dropship began shedding altitude over a tiny clearing. It wasn’t large enough for it to land though, so the hatch dropped and the two were greeted with the open air over the Everfree.

“Nope!” Twilight replied with a knowing grin.

“Alright, you two, we’re at the drop zone,” the pilot called back through the ship’s comms. Samus nodded to Twilight and the both of them stood up and glanced down at the well-lit… yet still rainy, forest ground below.

“We’re heading out now,” Samus replied through her console. “Thanks for the ride. Pick us up in a little while.”

“Don’t you worry; I’m tasked to you for the next five hours. Command wants me and my bird back on the Faust after that; take longer than five hours, you’re walking,” the pilot joked.

That was more than enough time for their purposes. Samus curtly nodded and shot a sideways look to Twilight, who had spread her wings in preparation to take flight out of the dropship. The Hunter hunched down and let a grin tug at the edge of her lips.

“See you on the ground, Sparkle,” she said, almost challengingly.

“Let’s go!” Twilight echoed. With that, the alicorn took flight and Samus took a leap of faith. The Hunter somersaulted in midair and, as she righted herself, a sheet of golden light encapsulated her, replacing the sensation of rain on her skin with the sound of rain impacting metal as her Unnamed Suit was called to action. Her environmental regulators appeared just as she hit the ground, her weight compressing the soppy earth under her feet. She stood up and took in her surroundings, HUD coming online as Twilight landed next to her with considerably less force. A spherical cap of energy lay suspended above the alicorn, shielding her from the rain.

Both, however, turned their attention to the fact that, while there was certainly a steady downpour, the sun shone through the thick cloud layer beautifully and illuminated the general area, giving rise to the ‘sunny rain’ phenomenon. Moreover, Celestia’s rays, at their current angle, seemed to shine down prominently on a certain area up ahead, one which was veiled from their view.

Of course, that was their destination.

“Always gotta make a grand entrance, hmm?” Twilight teased. With Samus being back the last four months, the lavender alicorn and the Hunter had picked up their relationship as if Samus had been gone merely a couple of days, and gentle banter was now common between the two… that was, assuming they weren’t reading, of course.

Samus smirked beneath her visor at the comment.

“Been a tradition since my first day on the job; and who the hell am I to let tradition die out?” she replied. Checking her map, the area they were supposed to investigate was directly ahead through the forest veil, much like her previous trek to Starfall Fortress those couple years ago.

“It’s beautiful out here… with the rain and the sun together,” Twilight observed, drawing her enamored eyes across the top of the forest line and taking in the calm, innate beauty that the depths of the Everfree held. Samus glanced over her shoulder and, after allowing herself a smirk, beckoned Twilight behind her before taking the leading stroll onward; Twilight quickly fell into step, but her curious gaze never faltered. “It reminds me of those pictures of Tallon IV you showed me.”

Samus nodded at the alicorn’s frame of reference while clearing away some bushes with her hand. She aimed her cannon out and proceeded onward with Twilight right behind her.

“Yeah, the planetary surface always had some deep sense of soothing that would just…” Samus tried to find the words for it, gesturing with her hand trying to recall her memories of that mission. “...I always felt at peace, despite what was happening. That place is partially the reason why rain is my favorite weather, actually. That, and it was never as common as I’d have liked in Chozodia and Crateria back on Zebes.”

“I can see that,” Twilight agreed, nodding gratefully to the Hunter as she swept aside another patch of vegetation in her path, allowing her to step through. They could both see some sort of clearing up ahead. “You may just convert me.”

A comfortable, easy silence fell upon the duo, both of them stepping to the edge of the forest clearing together and bearing witness to the imposing structure in front of them… one which still held sway over its surroundings, dominating its clearing. Twilight was, naturally, enraptured by the sudden appearance of the edifice in front of her; Samus merely gave it a cool, assessing gaze, sizing it up.

This structure was not as imposing as Starfall Fortress, nor did it possess the natural majesty of the Great Temple or the gravitas of the Sanctuary Fortress. Though she could not draw an exact parallel to any other places she’d visited, Samus keenly felt that peculiar mixture of belonging and foreboding that so often characterized her travels. In fact, Samus’ systems were not forthcoming on what exactly this entire structure was, save for the fact that they needed to venture to a circular chamber in the center, which her map dubbed the ‘Ascendance Chamber.’ As for the monolith of a structure itself, it had an overall look of a place of worship rather than a fortress.

Probably a temple. That’d be a surprise.

“Wooooow!” Twilight finally spoke, her eyes having seemingly widened to eclipse half of her face, a trait which Samus always found mildly amusing, and faintly disconcerting. “You didn’t tell me we were headed for the Gateway Temple of Caelestis!”

Nailed it.

“Hey, I had no idea what it was called. I just knew the direction we were going,” Samus pointed out, shifting her gaze back to the mysterious, imperious structure. If Samus had to estimate, it was about half the size of Starfall Fortress… which still made it fairly large, though this place seemed much more uniform in its construction. What the pair could see of the structure looked to be a regular pyramid, such as might be found on Earth. Towards its apex, light struck stone and set it aglow, to the point where it was difficult to tell where stone ended and sunlight began. Despite the perpetual rain blanketing this stretch of forest, the pyramid’s construction showed little to no signs of erosion, its pristine surface marred only by the encroaching foliage. A few apertures were interspersed throughout the structure’s ‘levels,’ acting as windows to which any insidious beings could be using to tactically observe the duo… though that was just Samus assuming the worst, as she tended to do.

Celestia’s luminous Sun combined with the Everfree’s constant rain and mist to lend a peculiar, quiet majesty to the whole affair.

“Caelestis Temple, also known as ‘the Gateway Temple’ or just ‘the Gateway,’ was a temple that conducted rites of ascendency among Solar Alicorns,” Twilight explained so succinctly, the rapturous look in her eye fading, replaced with one of bemusement. “But… the practice died out when modern Equestria was formed after the collapse of the Alicorn Empire. Why would we be coming here?”

Samus ushered her forward out of the sea of lushness, and the two approached the first set of stairs leading up.

“What ‘practice?’” the Hunter asked. The two began ascending the stairs two at a time. Their boots and hooves respectively splashed in the small waterfalls that the stairs created, courtesy of the rainfall.

“This was where Solar Alicorns were granted their connection to the sun, where they ascended. They had to pass through a series of trials meant to assess their magical prowess and dedication,” Twilight explained as they continued to climb the massive flight of stairs. The rain was bogging them down a bit, and even though Samus didn’t need it on account of her suit, Twilight extended her magical umbrella over the Hunter. Although she was never known for expressing her emotions openly (she was getting better at it), it was little things like this that Samus loved about her friends.

“Any idea what those trials might’ve been?” Samus asked. After what seemed like fifteen minutes (in reality, it was closer to three), Twilight had to stop and catch her breath from all the stairs they had ascended together. They were about halfway up to the main entrance, and they were close enough where Samus’ map highlighted her general area as ‘Gateway Entrance.’

“Heh… Nope… hah… ah, Celestia, I didn’t think I was this outta shape,” Twilight chided herself lightly. Her recently-gained appendages quickly rose to the front of her mind. “Mind if I fly the rest of the way up?”

“Oh yeah,” Samus remarked. “It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea for the both of us to, actually.”

“Huh?” Twilight blinked in confusion, cocking her face to the right and scrunching up her brow. “Since when can you fly?”

“It’s not flight per se, but it’s close enough,” Samus replied, crouching down and launching herself into the air head over heels with a majestic somersault. Twilight was startled to see the Hunter not only jump that high, but her spinning form become instantly surrounded by a bright, coruscating green light. Every time Samus started to fall, the light surrounding her flared and she bounced upwards again. She hopped up the stairs in this manner, eventually coming to a perfect rest at the top of the stairs.

Twilight took a moment to collect her jaw from the step on which she stood.

“Hey, you coming?” Samus called down to the alicorn, waving down at her.

“Uhhh… yeah!” Twilight answered, beating her wings and taking flight over the stairs. After about a minute of easy cruising through the humid air, she landed comfortably next to Samus, who beckoned her to enter into the temple.

“Okay, since when could you do that?!” Twilight demanded, trotting alongside Samus as the two passed under the arch above the main entrance. The first feature that both parties noticed was the placement of two reared-up, hulking alicorn statues bracketing the doorway, adorned with solar marks on their elegant yet intimidating armor. They appeared to be composed of the same material as the rest of this section of the temple: beige stone that had held up to time unnaturally well, save for the occasional vine or moss that grew upon it.

“Since a long while actually,” Samus replied nonchalantly. “I’ll let you examine my Suit later; let’s get some exploring done.”

“Alright,” Twilight agreed readily, especially at the prospect of her eyes and hooves wandering over the schematics of Samus’ enigmatic armorsuit. “Any idea where we’re supposed to go?”

Samus stopped her trek for a moment to call up her map. While Samus was thusly occupied, Twilight decided to have a proper look at her current surroundings. Light still permeated their hallway rather well, which revealed the design language of the Alicorns who built this temple; built in familiar styles, with arches and pillars throughout that certainly influenced methods of nations that came after. Given that this was a magically-inclined location, Twilight was able to naturally tap into the surrounding aether. The structure around her bore an aura of peace that was almost tangible and, though the temple was certainly ostentatious, it felt as familiar to her as her own home.

“‘The Ascendance Chamber,’ apparently,” Samus read off, studying the depiction of the circular room; the highlighted question mark that rested above it called to her, and Samus’ natural desire to explore intensified. “And based on our current position, we may have a little ways to go.”

“This is gonna be so amazingly scientific!” Twilight pranced around Samus with an enthusiastic smile and attitude overtaking her entire demeanor. “I can’t wait to write to the Princess after this!”

Samus chuckled and gestured onward for Twilight to begin walking, and the two quickly fell into a friendly, synchronized step with each other. Holding her hand passively on her cannon, Samus led the way, starting their little journey…

...and the woman had to admit, Twilight was excellent company in the field.

[Optional Listening]

That was something interesting for Samus to admit to herself as the two of them set about meandering through the corridors of the Gateway, searching for some route that would allow them passage to their destination. The Hunter never allowed others to accompany her unless she either had no other choice, or the other parties involved were able to take care of themselves. She wasn’t so sure exactly which category this particular circumstance fell into, but it began mattering less and less as their mini-adventure progressed. Like Twilight, the Hunter felt that the energy that seemed to flow freely and voluminously through the entire area bore an air of tranquility. As such, Samus allowed herself to relax, if just a bit, to point out all the things that she found as they continued their journey.

The duo traveled through what seemed like kilometers of expansive corridors, beautiful courtyards, and rooms the purpose of which neither could ascertain. As Samus had come to expect, Twilight’s style of investigating involved her sticking her muzzle into every nook and cranny, eyeballing every unknown object; Samus followed behind, giving everything Twilight found the once-over with her Scan Visor to provide her with any other tidbits they might find interesting. It was a wonder Twilight was able to see anything when she fell into her habit of taking notes, as her face became almost constantly buried in parchment. Samus took pleasure in pointing things out that Twilight missed, and offering new insights. Occasionally, Twilight’s curiosity bore ill fruit; on a couple of occasions, Samus had to yank Twilight back and explain that the guardians of this place had left traps behind.

However, Samus’ original purpose for Twilight’s presence went unfulfilled; there were no hostile Alicorn Spirits to be found in the halls, and so it became more of a field trip for the pair.

Samus could not recall the last time she talked so much while on a mission, though to be fair, she almost never had anyone to talk to.

Twilight would, every now and then, nuzzle up against Samus’ leg, which the Hunter found a bit peculiar, though she never questioned it. It may have bothered her three years ago, but certainly not now; she was used to the ponies’ intensely physical society, and she herself had adopted that philosophy in some regards.

Some.

Although Samus found herself relaxing somewhat, she maintained her vigilance: she was always the first into the room, cannon leveled. Though she knew Twilight could take care of herself just fine when remembering their initial adventures together during the Phazon Conflict; she was a ‘big girl,’ after all. Still, she’d rather not have to answer to the rest of their friends and the Princesses should Twilight somehow get hurt in a manner she could have prevented.

There was no shortage of scannable stuff, and Samus would always read aloud everything that came up on her visor. The process ended up taking much longer than she would normally have liked, since Twilight asked—no, demanded—that the Hunter scan everything. She wanted this all transferred to her own logbook for later research, and Samus would be more than happy to oblige that request.

“I’ve been all over Equestria and seen things that nopony else will ever see… but I think this is probably the most beautiful!” Twilight exclaimed as she glanced all around her. The duo’s current position was about a few hundred feet from their objective, having made excellent progress over the three hours that they had been exploring.

“I gotta admit, it’s pretty nice. Seems a little bit too... elaborate for a place that hosted rites of passage,” Samus commented, letting her scan visor roam over anything that might have provided more information.

“Shouldn’t rites of passage be beautiful ceremonies? So this would make sense, yeah?” Twilight questioned.

“Not for the Chozo, heh,” Samus fondly, if sardonically, recalled. She never thought those bruises or cuts would heal, but alas, she had no scars to show from that time.

From her perspective, they were in some transit capillary, considering its shorter width and the lack of much in the way of visuals. Outside light still filtered into the stone passageway through regularly-placed slits lining the upper corners of the room. This hall seemed to be exposed to the outside, as evident by the sound of the falling rain which could be faintly heard, at least for Samus. Her suit amplified both her hearing and vision; her body on its own also had hypersensitivity with her senses due to her own DNA augmentations.

What’s more, clear water flowed through irrigation slits at the lower corners of the room, leading into the next hall which was suspiciously locked by a door of sorts. Samus would have to take a look at that in a moment.

“Okay, I have got to hear that story,” Twilight said, giggling into her hoof at the thought of Samus getting her young ass handed to her in some ritualistic ceremony.

“Sure… but what I’m curious about now is this door,” Samus remarked. On closer inspection, it bore a passing similarity to the hexagonal doors seemingly in use everywhere in the galaxy. Instead of an energy shield, however, it was secured by a physical lock; a strange stone puzzle. Engraved in the lock was what looked like a maze, surrounded by flowing script. As Twilight drew closer to examine it herself, Samus brought up her Scan Visor.

“Huh, what kind of door is this?” the alicorn asked, pawing at it curiously.

Samus’ visor beeped, and she raised her fingers to her temple. “I’ve got something…”

Remain ever vigilant in your quest for ascendancy. Our majestic Sun casts its benevolent rays upon us all, lighting the way for the Chosen of the gods. Beware, however; those deemed unworthy, or those who seek power for their own ends shall be struck down by the relentless Fire of their eternal guardians.

With that, the entire temple began to shudder, and the odd door which was erected between the duo and their destination slowly receded into the ground, much to their surprise.

Suddenly, Samus became hyper-aware of all the statues they passed… which, she now realized, all looked exactly the same. Memories of a certain triple-eyed Amorbis began to trickle into her forethoughts.

“Okay then…” Twilight remarked as there was virtually no sign of the foreign barrier, and the road into the Ascendance Chamber lay open.

“Well, that’s not foreboding at all,” Samus added, sarcasm dripping from her mouth at her words, and Twilight couldn’t but agree. The Hunter entered into the gargantuan room first, cannon drawn for anything that might jump out at them, but she saw nothing… and her motion tracker was blank thus far. Not even a quick cycle through her visor suite revealed anything. Deeming the area safe for now, Samus lowered her cannon and took stock of where they stood for the moment while Twilight rallied by her side.

The door they just passed through shot back up and closed smoothly, with no readily apparent means of opening it. Twilight jumped in surprise and ran over to it, while Samus merely looked over her shoulder.

Yeah that sounds about right.

The two stood on a high entrance ledge above the main body of the room, which was a giant circular arena-like affair as highlighted by her map. Small canals of flowing water lined the perimeter of the entire room. The same building material used throughout the temple was here expertly crafted to have smooth, concave walls surrounding the arena itself and providing little in the way of escape or shelter for those trapped below. Natural light poured in through more slits much like the rest of the structure, and rain could still easily be heard from the outside. Small patches of moss and vines grew at random intervals around the entire chamber, but what unnerved Samus the most was that this room, other than its size and intricate structure, held nothing out of the ordinary.

Before anyone could say anything, Samus’ systems instantly picked up that same thermomagical energy spike, though it was massive. As for Twilight, who was magic sensitive, she simultaneously flinched.

“Did you feel that, too??” she asked.

“No, but my systems did. It was an enormous thermal spike… but there’s nothing here that could have caused it.”

And despite the idea of ‘thermal,’ the two felt as if the entire room’s temperature dropped ten degrees. Angling her canon upward and drumming her fingers on its body, Samus hunched low and had a quick look around before she gestured for Twilight to jump with her.

[Optional Listening]

Both bounded off the high ledge, though Samus landed on her feet, crouching low to absorb the impact while Twilight touched down gracefully with the aid of her wings.

“Stay close to me,” Samus spoke, quietly and solemnly. Her senses were practically screaming at her that something was incredibly wrong; they were being watched. “I don’t like this…”

“Samus… what’s going on?” Twilight asked, her heart rate having increased exponentially. She was no stranger to feelings of dread and ominousness from her adventures around Equestria… but that didn’t mean that she had to like those very feelings. Seeing Samus go so tense didn’t allay her feelings in the slightest.

“I don’t know, okay?” the Hunter shot back, just a little peeved. Her cannon was outstretched and she swung her gaze around, trying to take in as much of the room as much as possible as they advanced towards its center. What she didn’t tell Twilight, however, was that the peculiar mix of anticipation, fear, and dread rising from her core matched how she felt as she dropped into Nightmare’s lair on the BSL station.

Something suddenly whooshed behind them, crossing to the right, and both of them instantly turned to face...nothingness. Samus charged her Power Beam and held it, her arm cannon bloating with golden light, an ethereal hum filling the air as the charged golden orb held fast at her cannon’s muzzle.

“What the hell was that?!” Twilight gasped, voice threaded with panic, but before Samus could reply to that, a blood-curdling scream tore through the silence. Twilight covered her ears and withdrew slightly from the noise, while Samus leveled her arm cannon at its source, an imposing spectre began phasing out of the ground. The entire room seemed to shake something hellish as this looming figure’s appearance quickly became much more apparent. This spirit bore only passing resemblance to the Alicorn Spirits that Samus expected to face here; this spirit was four times the size of Princess Celestia, its form wreathed in and composed of a dusky, vaporous mass. It was clad in pieces of dark, imperial-looking armor, which when coupled with the inchoate nature of its body, prevented specific features from being identified.

“The Sunfire Vigilant…” Twilight breathed respectfully, eyes widening in a profound sense of majesty and admiration for the rising figure before them.

Samus had already gotten a head start on scanning and Twilight had recovered, instantly rallying to the Hunter’s side as they fell back, putting distance between them and their unknown adversary.

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Morphology: Sunfire Vigilant]

[Ethereal guardian of the Gateway Temple’s Ascendance Chamber. Selected for duty from the most elite ranks of deceased Solar Alicorn Warriors, the Sunfire Vigilant is bound to the Gateway Temple, and charged with the sacred duty to test the merit of those seeking solar ascendancy. Only those truly deserving of their bond with the Sun may defeat the Vigilant and return the spirit to the realm of the fallen.

The Vigilant’s armor plating is charged with aetheric energy, keeping it anchored in the spiritual plane and invulnerable to attack. Structural scans of this armor reveal it is comprised of a material sharing many physical characteristics with cordite; Super Missiles are likely effective against it.]

“Twilight,” Samus said, keeping her eyes on the Vigilant as it flared its wings, loosing another bone-chilling cry. Samus backed up, leveling her cannon at what she assumed to be the spirit’s face. “Ummm… you can sit this out if you want.”

“And trust you alone with a magical enemy? You couldn’t take on a classroom of unicorn fillies by yourself!” Twilight scoffed, flaring her own wings, charging her horn, and preparing herself for battle. To her, this felt little different than when she and her friends met various threats around Equestria, and as such, she would see to check this threat accordingly.

A voice filled the air around them, layered over itself, dark and twisted: "Thou who wouldst challenge the Sun... who wouldst seize our power for thine own… Prove thyself against me, mortal!"

The Vigilant reared, then slammed its hooves on the ground challengingly, wasting no time in living up to its name. Its horn flared and sent a golden bolt of magic towards its two opponents, who broke in opposite directions. Twilight two-stepped to the side, and Samus dove into a roll. As she came up on a foot and knee, she responded by releasing her held round and following it with a quick volley of fire. The charged shot impacted the helmet at a broad angle and splashed off, while most of the rest sailed harmlessly through its incorporeal form. Casting her eyes to her comrade, she noted Twilight circling the other way rather than dashing straight to her. Samus was forced to recall that Twilight was not entirely green anymore; she had served admirably in the northern campaign. Quickly, she sketched battle plans in her mind.

The Vigilant charged its horn again, and Samus prepared to evade. However, instead of another bolt, the Vigilant discharged a concussive wave that bowled Samus over, dumping her to the ground and flat on her butt. The Hunter was still by no means defenseless; regardless, Twilight stepped in before the Vigilant could press its advantage, and peppered its helmet with rather ineffective fire.

“Hey! Over here!” she baited her enemy, and the Vigilant took it without hesitation, allowing Samus a straight shot at its torso and flank armor. As the behemoth of an alicorn warrior beat its ghastly wings and turned on its new opponent, Samus charged her Power Beam, intending to discharge a Super Missile into the exposed flank plate.

That is, until a certain notification ballooned up on her visor when she armed her missile launcher.

[No Ammo]

“You have got to be shitting me!” Samus cursed, slapping her cannon as if she could induce it to create missile ammunition out of sheer ire, recalling that she had not found a way to resupply after her ‘disarmament.’ She abandoned her attempts, resigned to using charged shots to chip away at her foe in a slightly less-efficient manner.

Twilight, meanwhile, evaded an electric attack directed straight at her while still doing her best to pepper the Vigilant with magical rounds which did little but graze the surface of its armor. Noticing that Samus was charging her beam, the alicorn did her best to hold the massive spirit’s attention.

“That’s right! Keep on me!” she yelled out, willing to draw their adversary’s fire for just a little longer while charging her own horn. Delaying no longer, Samus took aim at her original target and released a charged round, and this time the impact was noticeably damaging if the spall coming off the armor was anything to go by.

Growling at the sudden damage, the Vigilant faded even more noticeably into existence and trained it’s soulless sights on the armor-clad Hunter. This time, it reared up completely and flared its wings outward, punctuating with another hellish scream as it slammed its hooves on the ground. A shockwave spread in concentric circles from the point of impact, throwing up dirt and stone as it expanded. The speed at which the ripple approached Samus caught her off guard, but she was easily able to somersault over the debris wave. Twilight attempted to mimic Samus’ maneuver, but unfortunately lacked sufficient mass to stay airborne; the shockwave knocked her out of the air.

“Talk to me, Twi!” Samus called out when she witnessed her friend take a spill. To the alicorn’s credit, she took only a second to shake herself off and get back to her hooves, fluttering into the air in preparation for their next course of action.

“I’m good!” she called back, charging her own horn and firing a powered-up blast straight into the second section of flank-plating which was exposed to her. The amplification of magical force behind dealt more damage than Samus’ charged Power Beam round could, and it cleanly broke that section of armor in two, rendering it effectively destroyed, much to the readily apparent chagrin of the Vigilant.

“Good shot!” Samus called, dodging three more super-heated hard-magic projectiles and returning fire with another well-placed charged round, but before the Vigilant could face Twilight down again, the alicorn noticed something glowing in the wake of the armor’s destruction in the corner of her eye: a missile ammo pickup.

“Samus!” she yelled, grabbing the Hunter’s attention. The woman turned, and found the alicorn cradling the coveted ammo recharge in her magical grasp, one which her missile launcher was starving for. The problem was their enemy between them, however. The pickup was too far away to be grabbed her her Charge Beam’s tractor, but the Hunter was struck with another bout of genius as she faced down the imposing Vigilant, which was ready to strike yet again.

“Launch it at me when I say!” she ordered, attempting to land another charged round on the Vigilant’s helmet, though it threw up a magical barrier and absorbed it harmlessly. Twilight nodded and watched, helplessly, as their foe homed in on her human friend, anxiously waiting for her cue. Charging its horn brightly, the Vigilant let loose five massive projectiles, bright as the noonday sun, that launched into the air and suddenly homed in directly on Samus. Adrenaline surged, instinct took over, and Samus leapt to her left, her boosters cutting in briefly to aid her.

“Now!”

Samus’ intuition was proven correct when the blazing projectiles slammed into the ground with explosive force, spraying rock and dirt, clipping Samus’ shielding as she fled from the punishing assault. Twilight launched the ammo refill towards her with a grunt of exertion. Samus charged her power beam in the middle of her flight, and grinned to herself as the beam caught the pickup in its intangible grip. Rolling and getting to her feet, Samus absorbed the missile ammo and her cannon whirred to life, her missile launcher priming and ammo counter climbing until it displayed ten percent capacity.

“Got it!” Samus exclaimed when her cannon’s barrel opened up and the internals spun, accepting the ammunition and preparing it for use. Heart racing, Samus began charging her cannon anew and prepared to fire. Of course, she’d have to be a bit more conservative until more ammunition pickups made themselves known, but that was a virtue that Samus had learnt over the course of her adventures.

Samus began charging her cannon, but was cut short when she felt a familiar constriction around her torso. The Vigilant, with its tendrils of magic wrapped around the Hunter, hoisted her bodily into the air. Samus turned her head to call out to Twilight, but the alicorn was already on the scene, closing the distance and harassing the Vigilant from the rear. A powerful blast destroyed the remainder of its croupiere, drawing its attention, ire, and its magic. Samus fell out of the air as the Vigilant turned, ready to crush its meager foe.

Samus hit the ground roughly, cannon already charged, with motes of energy circling and coalescing. She gritted her teeth, calmly took aim at the ghastly alicorn warrior’s torso plating and discharged her first Super Missile since she was last on Equis, the mighty warhead, the iconic embodiment of Samus’ arsenal exploding out of her cannon and sailing directly into its intended target: the main plate surrounding its torso.

As her Scan Visor had predicted, the Vigilant’s magically-charged armor was no match for the force of a Super Missile. If Twilight’s attack cracked the armor in half, Samus’ shattered it into a dozen pieces, provoking a scream of rage from the affronted spirit. All it had left was its peytral and helmet anchoring it to the spiritual plane. It leveled a hateful glare at both Samus and Twilight, then faded from existence entirely.

Both Samus and Twilight knew better than to believe the Vigilant had forfeited the fight.

Still, the girl took the opportunity to collect the two ammunition drops that the destroyed armor had left behind in its wake, which refilled her ammo count to thirty-three percent; hopefully, enough to last her the remainder of this battle. Holding her cannon at the ready, she and Twilight caught their breaths, hearts racing as they attempted to find their enemy anew. A quick cycle through her visor suite revealed little, and this was one of the times that Samus would have loved to have kept the Aura Visor.

Low-grade seismic activity shook the entire chamber, and out of one of the walls appeared the Vigilant once more, screaming insanely while tearing up parts of the ground. Suspending massive chunks of fractured stone weighing at least a ton each, the Vigilant reared up and and hurled all four pieces at the duo.

Twilight easily dodged the first one, but she failed to account for the second gargantuan projectile. With a frightened gasp, she suddenly disappeared under the massive weight of the monolithic stone. Samus had little trouble dodging the incoming rocks, slipping past the first and bounding off the second as it flew past, but she had clearly seen what looked like the lavender alicorn getting crushed.

“Twilight!” she called out, but her call was answered by a bright, magenta flash of light as the mare in question teleported back into existence.

“I’m here,” Twilight called, squaring her stance and recharging her horn. “What’s the plan?” Likewise, the Vigilant stomped both hooves on the ground angrily and lifted its helmeted head up high, encasing itself in an aetheric barrier while its horn charged brightly. Clearly it was preparing another strike, but the sudden lull in battle afforded Samus the opportunity to further her battle plans.

“The chest plate,” she pointed out, gesturing to the gigantic armor-piece that bore a gleaming, familiar insignia of the Solar Alicorns. “We survive this attack, then counter by hitting the center of the armor at the same time. Then, I’ll draw its fire and you fly up behind it and destroy the helmet. We’ll figure out what to do after that.” Samus quickly rattled off, spilling her plan out for Twilight to process.

“Right, let’s do it!” she affirmed, though with heavier breath… and that’s when she realized she was sweating. “Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?” At the same time, Samus’ HUD began notifying her of a sharp rise in local temperature. Both looked to the ever-brightening horn charge that the Vigilant was sporting.

“You may wanna shield yourself in some colder temperature if you know a spell for that… because it’s about to get really hot,” Samus warned the alicorn. Her suit started beeping a strident alarm due to the slow exponential increase. Trusting the Hunter with her life by this point, Twilight wordlessly heeded her warning and encapsulated herself in a climate-control spell which served to keep the temperature in her little magenta bubble constant. Samus didn’t have to do anything nearly as overt; the capabilities of her Varia suit that she recovered on BSL shielded her from temperature extremes.

Of more immediate concern were the thermal readings coming from the tip of the Vigilant’s horn, which continued to spiral out of control; Samus’ systems couldn’t get a precise fix on the electromagnetic flux, but approximations showed a temperature that were far higher than Samus felt comfortable with.

Like an erupting volcano, Samus and Twilight were faced with a two-pronged attack, a twinned blast from the Vigilant’s horn, one for each of them. Twilight was able to simply teleport away, but Samus wasn’t afforded such a luxury. She leapt clear, her suit’s jets kicking in to help her move clear. The closeness of the beam, even without a direct strike, ate a chunk out of Samus’ shielding strength as it was. The floor where the two combatants had stood had been converted into a pool of glowing magma from the intense heat.

The speed of Samus’ evasion had unbalanced her, and she hit the ground on her side, her armor skipping and sparking off the stone as she ground to a halt. She leapt to her feet, charging her cannon in earnest. A flash of light across the chamber heralded Twilight’s reappearance; Samus caught her attention and nodded. The Vigilant reared onto its hooves, screaming its challenge, an exhortation echoed by its two foes as they launched their respective attacks. The Super Missile and charged magical round slammed home at the same time, pulverizing the armor plate and leaving its torso bare.

The Vigilant either could not or would not stop its attack, slamming its hooves into the ground. This time, the shockwave was a bright, angry red, and Samus and Twilight both leapt over it, unwilling to experience its effect.

Successfully drawing the Vigilant’s ire again, Samus peppered its transparent form with a torrent of Power Beam fire to take its attention away from Twilight as she got herself into position. Time was of the essence, even if Samus was more than capable of holding her own in almost any situation. The Hunter was expertly keeping the Vigilant distracted, evading any attack it threw at her while Twilight found the target she was looking for: the back of the helmet.

“Anytime today, Twilight!” Samus yelled, getting back to her feet after taking a direct hit from an energy shot. She continued dodging the Vigilant’s hooves attempting to crush her where she stood.

As if cued, Twilight fired a powered magical blast at the flattest part of the Vigilant’s helmet, annihilating it and leaving the spirit completely unarmored, removing its last piece of protection.

The Vigilant threw both Samus and Twilight back with another force wave, clearing its immediate area and generating distance while it rose into the air. Transparency turned to opacity as the massive Spirit assumed a corporeal form: a dark-gray coated alicorn with soulless, abyssal black eyes and a mane of pure hellfire.

Realizing that the battle had moved into a new phase, Samus brought her fingers to her temple, invoking her Scan Visor anew.

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Morphology: Sunfire Vigilant]

[With the destruction of the armor which protected it from direct physical attack, the Sunfire Vigilant has now been forced into the physical plane of reality. Scans show that, aside from tremendous magical potential, the Sunfire Vigilant is no more resilient than any other alicorn; use Super Missiles for greatest effect.]

Its chest filling with air it didn’t need to take, the de-armored Vigilant let out a keening wail, mimicking the screams of the damned straight from tartarus. Lesser beings may have cowered in fear, though admittedly, Twilight’s ears drooped slightly at the most frightening cacophony she had ever heard. She rallied quickly, however, neither she nor the Hunter wasting any time in pummeling the Vigilant with overwhelming firepower. Under Samus’ tactical direction, cannon shots, Super Missiles, and magical bolts marred its once-pristine form. The Vigilant waged a valiant effort, but it stood little chance fighting on two fronts, a task it was never supposed to perform.

With Twilight holding the beast’s attention, Samus evaded another flare, slid to a stop in front of the Vigilant, and brought her charged, pulsating cannon to bear on the spirit’s wounded chest. One final Super Missile delivered the fatal blow. The energy burrowed into the Alicorn Spirit’s chest, suspended there for an eternal moment. The Alicorn Spirit looked down, an almost comical look of surprise spreading across what passed for its face before the munition exploded, rending the Spirit’s chest.

The dying screams of the Vigilant, worse still than the previous, clawed at their ears. The darkness fled from the Spirit’s body, chased by a bright light that grew more intense, more luminous until suddenly, it burst out from the Vigilant’s husk like a supernova, causing Samus’ visor to instantly polarize, and Twilight to avert her eyes.

When they were able to see again, what they saw standing where the Vigilant had just stood surprised them both. A Solar Alicorn Spirit, whole and pure, stood regally amidst the chaos and destruction that had just been wrought, her coat as golden as the sun now beaming down into the chamber. Her mane and tail were as fire, burning fiercely and wafting in an invisible breeze. Her eyes, now a piercing, radiant blue, sought those of Twilight and Samus.

Silence reigned as the two combatants brought their breathing under control, Samus and Twilight exchanging an odd glance. Twilight’s gaze held a deep admiration, almost a reverence for the sheer majesty of the sight before her. Five seconds became ten, ten became thirty, and time lost meaning as the Alicorn Spirit stood, motionless. Slowly, regally, the Alicorn Spirit smiled, looking between the Hunter, clad in metal, and the lavender alicorn...

...and then, she bowed her head. She spoke again, her voice layered on itself, light and harmonious: “Thou hast done well, my children, in proving thyselves against me. However, I cannot grant ye ascendancy. Thou,” she said, turning her gaze to Samus, “are not of mine kind, though I can sense a powerful, warrior spirit burning within in thee; verily, worthy of our Sun.” Her gaze shifted to Twilight, and she sounded confused. “Thou art an alicorn...but I cannot sense a solar connection. Thou, however, are more than worthy to bear the name of our once mighty society.” Her eyes narrowed slightly, then relaxed.

“Thank ye both, and may ye find harmony everlasting.” She bowed her head again, and her form began to lose cohesion as, freed from the Temple, she returned to her hallowed rest.

Twilight and Samus shared a sideways glance, and the two felt a simultaneous emotion well up within, a kindredness of sorts that manifested in a sense of joy, tempered with pity for the fate of the Vigilant, confined here for countless years.

That was quickly set aside, however, when in place of the friendly Alicorn Spirit, the remaining magic coalesced into what looked like a floating, miniature sun. Curiously, this sun appeared astronomically correct, complete with sunspots and the occasional prominence. It didn’t take very long for Samus to divine that this was meant to be their reward.

“Looks like a consolation prize,” Twilight broke the silence.

“Hmm?”

“Well, as she said, you’re not an alicorn, and I’m not a solar descendant, so we don’t get to ascend and connect ourselves to the sun. But… it looks like there may be something for you,” the Princess explained, gesturing to the power-up idly holding its place in the center of the now-ruined chamber. Needing no further invitation, Samus took her first, tentative steps towards her latest prize, Twilight close behind her. The chamber was now deathly quiet, and their combined metallic footfalls and hoof-falls served as the white noise while approaching the magical object, one which Samus wasted no time in grasping with her hand when she was sufficient distance away.

Familiar with the general routine, Samus allowed a familiar, warm feeling to diffuse throughout her body as the magic that absorbed into her spread out to the farthest extremities of her armor-clad body… and it all wormed its way back to her arm cannon, which pulsed brightly with an extraordinary amount of energy.

And that energy abruptly died out completely, causing Samus to blink in confusion. Where was her new beam weapon that she was so eager to try out?

“...what happened?” Twilight inquired, noticing that nothing really interesting happened once Samus absorbed the magical object.

“Don’t tell me…” Samus interjected, ignoring Twilight’s question as her suit went to work in seeing what it had just modularized.

[Scanning…]

[Unknown Item Acquired!]

“Oh COME ON, really?!” Samus protested after reading out-loud what her suit returned, continuing to press that special button on the side of her helmet as if it would yield a different analysis from her suit. “After that battle, you’re really gonna gimme this shit??”

“The fuck… seriously?” Twilight blurted out, and her precise choice in words startled Samus out of her annoyed stupor, throw a questioning gaze at the lavender alicorn.

“Since when do you curse?”

“Picked up some good habits from you before you left,” Twilight replied with sarcasm faux-innocence. “But seriously, is that all your suit says?”

“Umm… let’s see…”

[Analysis inconclusive. Item not compatible with current suit. Further analysis indicates this item requires an active connection to an aetheric field.]

“So, from the way that sounds, you need to be able to use magic again to access whatever it is you just got,” Twilight confirmed, and Samus nodded glumly.

“Yeah, but I’m not going there again; I have absolutely no desire to deal with a potentially resurgent Nightmare Hunter,” she mentioned.

“Yeah… let’s not do that”

“Well, now that that’s over, we’ve still got a little more time before we need to head back. Wanna check a few more areas out?"

[Ponyville | One Week Later…]

Evening had come to Ponyville once again, and under the usual, breathtaking night sky unmarred by the passage of any errant clouds, there was little going on in the way of out-of-the-ordinary. What little there was was embodied by six foreign troops that had called the town their temporary home in secret for the last month or so. Perched on a small, grassy knoll surrounded by a patch of trees, the deathly black-clad troops lay low and out of sight, lying prone and observing a specific structure in the heart of Ponyville: The Library. Their leader, Captain Butenko, concealed himself the most as he gazed through a pair of binoculars, scrutinizing every little detail of the Library and its inhabitants. As for the rest of his squad, his two Lieutenants lay back and gazed up at the heaves that were slightly veiled by their tree cover, and the remaining three corporals were either cleaning their weapons or just idly standing by.

All maintained the strictest silence imaginable, and no features from any of them could be discerned through their haunting armor.

“Anything, Igor?” his executive officer, First Lieutenant Melissa Dragicevich asked as she crawled up next to him. She cast her gaze towards the Library and could see somepony was definitely home considering the lights were on, easily visible through the open windows. Occasionally, a figure would pass by but that had been common over their tenure here.

The Captain handed her the binoculars.

“No joy,” Igor replied, disappointed. “We haven’t seen Aran all day today… and we’re seeing her less and less,” he complained.

“She may’ve gone to the capital city today; we weren’t able to listen in on communications this time around” Dragicevich remarked, attempting to allay her commander’s concerns, but the latter only shook his head.

“It’s been a month, Melissa; we’re running out of time. From the first week we got here you saw how Samus went on heightened alert. She’s nearly spotted us three times already, and it’s only a matter of time before she does, and if she gets the drop on us, we’re gonna have a fight on our hands,” he added coolly, but his second in command could easily hear through the voice that exuded confidence, instead hearing that tinge of urgency in its place.

Before Melissa could respond to his concerns, however, she spotted movement out of the corner of her eye through the binoculars. Training them on one of the main streets that intersected directly with the Library’s path, she found their target… and then some.

“Target spotted, confirmed Samus Aran along with one winged-equine and…” her words abruptly ceased and Igor looked to her for answers, hanging on the sentence that she had not finished yet. “...that’s… that can’t be.”

“What is it, Melly?”

“I’m about ninety-nine percent positive that that’s a metroid floating around the two of them.”

“Metr—what?! Bullshit, lemme see.” The Captain yanked the binoculars out of Melissa’s grasp, but at the mention of a specific word, the other Lieutenant joined the pair, nestling herself to Igor’s left.

“Did I just hear the word ‘metroid?’” Lieutenant Tori Irvine butted in incredulously. Sure enough, she could make out Samus, a cream-colored pony, and some creature floating around the two of them energetically. Most peculiarly, if concerning, was the fact that neither Samus nor the pony seemed at all afraid for their lives.

“That… is a metroid,” Igor confirmed, sighing out. “Jesus, I thought Samus destroyed them all… why the hell is there one just floating around like it’s no big deal? Where did it even come from??”

“I’ll prepare a report for Conway,” Melissa piped up, manipulating her visor controls accordingly as well as taking screenshots from her in-helmet recording device. “Establishing secure extranet connection; this may take a little bit.”

“Unbelievable…” Igor spoke again, as if speechless. “Tori, look at this; it’s like the metroid’s tame!”

Sure enough, when Tori took a hard, studious look through the binoculars, they found the lone metroid cozying up to the pegasus, though Samus herself did not seem to mind. In fact, she seemed to encourage the spry behavior that the aforementioned creature exhibited. She also noticed that the Zero Suit-clad Hunter was carrying a bottle of wine in her left hand… and by her flushed complexion noticeable on her cheeks, it was safe to assume that Samus may have had a few drinks in her.

“Someone’s been drinking tonight. And woof… metroid is something I didn’t expect to see on this mission. How we could be here nearly a month and not see this is my question, actually,” Tori added in disbelief. “Did we really miss a floating metroid for a month? Clearly they’re on good terms with each other.”

“No matter, but we may have an opening here…” Igor commented, laying his chin on his knuckles as he weighed his thoughts and plans.

“Cap?” Melissa asked. Samus and her companion plus the metroid reached the door of the Library and promptly let themselves in… but not before Samus stiffened and shot her suspecting gaze behind her, sensing that she was being watched, as she had for the last few weeks.

“Engage active camouflage,” Igor ordered, and at an instant, the entire squad was rendered invisible and undetectable across the entire EM spectrum. Spectre Squad had been outfitted with the best experimental stealth tech that the Federation could provide, and so far, it had worked flawlessly. The Hunter dragged her gaze side to side, studying every nook and cranny of the environment behind her but seemingly assuaged her own concerns, if for the moment, and shrugged before heading inside.

The six troops disengaged their cloaking.

“We have a tame metroid that clearly identifies with the winged pony and a slightly inebriated Samus; this may be the edge that we need. If things go well, we can capture the docile metroid. What do you two think?”

“Samus is deadly, even if she’s allegedly tipsy. Any action against her would have to be instant and decisive, but we can pull it off. I recommend we move now, or within the next few minutes,” Tori stated her opinion confidently. Nodding, Igor then turned to Melissa.

“I’m all for a quick strike; it’s what we do… but I highly recommend letting me establish an extranet connection to report these developments to the Admiral before we move. This could take upwards of two hours to ensure no disruption and no potential interdiction by Equestrian or friendly outsiders,” she weighed in.

“Sir, if we lose track of Samus’ whereabouts within the structure we’d lose our opportunity and open ourselves up to a counterattack. We’re days away from being discovered, at best. I recommend we move immediately; catch her in the disarray amongst her companions,” Tori added, drawing the Captain’s gaze back to her.

“We need to report this metroid finding first,” Melissa objected. “This is huge!”

“It is! But it’s being kept as a pet, essentially. We breach, put a round in Samus’ head, and pepper the metroid with enough freeze rounds to stun it and haul it away. It would look a lot better if, when we make direct contact with Conway, we’ve not only terminated Aran, but also have a live metroid under our arms. We’d get medals of honor for this!” Tori countered, both of the lieutenants attempting to sway their captain’s opinion and eventual orders on the matter.

“I agree with Tori this time,” Igor voiced. “We’re running out of time, we need to move quickly, and we can’t squander any opportunity given to us. We’re pressing forward with the assault.”

“Yes, sir,” Melissa and Tori said simultaneously, though one was understandably more unconvinced than the other.

“Alright everyone, lock and load. That includes you, Hannah, Malcolm, and Jamie.” the Captain ordered to everyone. “Make sure your suppressors are on tight; we’re moving out in thirty seconds.”

“Yes, sir!”

“You got it, Captain.”

“All set.”

“Igor,” Melissa called. “It’s my obligation to let you know that I firmly oppose—”

“I know, Melly, and I normally agree with you on most things. But we’ve been hiding for a month with little to show for it; it’s time to act before Conway deems our mission not cost-effective and recalls us.”

Melissa sighed as she readied her rifle.

“As you wish, Captain.”

“Alright guys…” Igor addressed everyone. “Remember, this is not a capture-or-kill operation; this is a straight up termination. You know the plan, we’ve discussed it before. Three teams of two, we attack from three sides. Go for Samus and the metroid; ignore the ponies if they don’t resist. They’re not our problem. After they’re dealt with, secure her equipment and find the BSL data. I’d like to get her ship, too, but we have to assume it’s under the control of the ponies; it’s lost to us. Remember, there is a metroid in play; don’t drop your guard because this seems like a milk run, okay? Syncing mission chronos...now. Dropship’s on its way, ETA fifteen minutes.”

“Breaching charges are ready to go,” Tori added. “Ready to move out on your order.”

“Right… everyone form up and follow me. We are go; let’s move!” Igor ordered, getting to his feet and leading his squad in a lighting-fast sprint across the road and directly towards the inhabited library, the tranquility of the spring evening disrupted by rapid, metallic foot-falls against gravel.

¹ Editor’s Note: For the purposes of this story, the Galactic Federation is assumed to have been established in the mid 2300s, and Samus’ birth fixed at ‘around’ 2400. We attempted to reconcile the approximation of “cosmic year” with a projection forward from the common era, which allowed for only two possibilities: either the current year by Gregorian reckoning would be in the 41st century, or the GFed must have been established in the first half of the first millennium. The latter is ridiculous on its face, and the former offended Flammen’s sensibilities. Ultimately, we decided to scrap the concept entirely, and render the timeline in purely Gregorian terms.

Author's Note

Will Spectre Squad be successful in their endeavors? Or will Samus be asking little fillies if they wanna see six dead bodies? Tune in next time for the next episode of Dragon Ball Z

8. MED

Ponies have always been the champions of peace; seeing the light in the darkness and the best in the worst with the aid of the Elements of Harmony. May you rue the day that all of Equestria cast these principles aside and cried for war…

Metroid Equis II: Duality

Section 8

M.E.D.

“Oh, Twilight? Are you home?” Fluttershy called as she entered the Library with Sapphire in tow, who in turn, let out a friendly skree. Bringing up the rear was Samus, her previously-wary expression transmuting into a smile to complement her slightly flushed complexion. She closed the door behind her and light-heartedly juggled the bottle of wine in her right hand.

“Sure am!” Twilight called out as she exited the kitchen with Spike by her side. “Oh, hey Samus! Haven’t seen you all day,” she added brightly.

“Yeah, I was speaking with Luna today over in Canterlot about some military matters… but at any rate, I’m here now... and I bought some wine on the way back. Fluttershy and Sapphire met me at the landing site since apparently they were coming here, too,” Samus answered, handing over the bottle of liquor for Twilight to examine in her magical grasp. The lavender alicorn spared another look at the Hunter, easily noticing her colored cheeks and more-jovial-than-usual demeanor, and quickly put two and two together, giggling.

“Have you been drinking?”

“I’ve only had about three drinks, nothing that’s really ‘impaired’ me, really...but it’s definitely warmed me up!” she replied, dismissing Twilight’s implicit inquiry as to whether she was actually drunk. “I am in a great mood though, so we can finish that bottle off tonight if we would be so inclined,” she suggested. “Fluttershy, you’re obviously welcome to join us, of course.”

“M-Maybe just a little bit…” the pegasus offered shyly. Sapphire floated off towards the ceiling of the Library with a happy gurgle trailing her movements.

“Fine by me!” Twilight said, floating the bottle over to the kitchen counter. “Spike, could you go to my room and get—”

Twilight was interrupted when Samus’ wrist console vibrated obnoxiously, along with a jarringly familiar ‘alert’ tone that the Hunter hadn’t heard in a long while. Her face was instantly glued to her wrist.

“Alert! Six unidentified contacts approaching the Library on foot at high speed; ETA: twenty seconds,” Adam warned. Adrenaline crashed through her system as her senses surged into overdrive, sobering her immediately. Instinct and training returned to her in a flash, and her eyes darted around the room, gauging its defensibility.

“Twilight, kill the lights!” she ordered, the intensity of her voice brooking no argument. Twilight, thrown by Samus’ sudden severity of her orders, complied wordlessly, a flash of her horn being all that was needed to snuff out the candles. Spike hid behind Twilight while Sapphire took refuge behind Fluttershy, the metroid the first to recover her voice.

“Mama…what’s happening...?”

“Samus? What’s going on?!” Twilight demanded, her eyes still adjusting to the sudden onset of darkness but the Hunter’s words were quite telling of impending danger, yet were not forthcoming with any answers, even further muddled when Samus closed off her guard, seemingly preparing for combat.

“Twi, Shy, take Spike and Sapphire into the basement and lock the door,” she rattled off rapidly, ushering them all towards their destination with extreme urgency. Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but Samus cut her off, refusing and unable to explain. “Do not argue with me! Just do it! No matter what happens, do not open that door, do you understand!?”

With a wide-eyed stare, Twilight finally nodded and ushered everypony into the basement, Fluttershy and Sapphire quickly entering followed by Spike. Before the door closed fully, Twilight shot Samus a pleading look, one which held so many questions but ultimately conveyed ‘be safe.’ Samus nodded to her, and with that, the basement door was sealed completely.

She moved to engage her suit, but stopped just short of doing so. Samus glanced at the darkened library and realized, almost too late, that were she to engage her suit, the resultant light given off would ruin her element of surprise. With a steady breath, she hunkered low and, silent as a grave, disappeared into the shadows of the Library.

“All teams in position, sir,” Malcolm’s voice sounded over the radio from the opposite side of the Library. Nodding, Igor directed Melissa to the other side of the front door in preparation for breaching. “And...sir? Windows are open; no one’s on the ground floor.”

“Understood. Give me a moment…” Igor replied, reaching into one of his pouches for a small fiber-optic camera. Feeding it under the door, he surveyed the inside of the structure. He cycled through visible light, infrared and ultraviolet, but saw nothing of value or concern. He retracted the camera, spooling it up and tucking it back in his gear. His brow furrowed and he reconsidered his initial battle plan. Taking a chance, he gingerly grasped the doorknob and turned it...surprised to find it unlocked, and even more surprised when it opened nearly noiselessly.

“Alright...well, looks like we won’t be needing those breaching charges after all,” he reported with a cautious shrug. “They didn’t shut the lights off for nothing. Expect anything, take nothing for granted. Enter as you can.”

After the rest of his team raggedly acknowledged, Igor shoved the barrel of his rifle through the gap in the door and pushed inside. Melissa tucked in right behind him, head behind her optic, blood up and ready to engage anything that wasn’t them.

Disturbingly, their motion trackers were completely barren; nothing that wasn’t them was moving within a thirty-foot radius. As they pushed into what they quickly recognized was the common area of the darkened structure, all that stood in their path besides the daunting blackness was a collection of hastily-abandoned stationery and technology.

A few creaking floorboards towards the upstairs bedroom briefly startled both troopers, their rifles twitching upward, but their instincts proved correct when both Malcolm and Hannah quietly made their way down the stairs, joining their comrades.

“Anything?” Igor asked, though he was already fairly certain what the answer was, given that neither he nor Melissa had heard any struggle.

“No, sir. Master bedroom is completely empty, bathroom and all,” Hannah reported. “Where’s Tori and Jamie?”

“Right here,” Tori’s voice sounded from above, and the four troopers swung their gazes upward towards the entrance to the observatory. “Guest bedroom’s window was sealed tight… and since we decided on a more stealthy approach I figured it wouldn’t be wise to break into it. We found another way in; observatory is clean,” she explained, the two remaining troopers joining and bringing their squad back to full strength.

“Captain, I really don’t like this…” Melissa voiced, an uncharacteristic concern lacing her words as she glanced around the oddly barren library. A slight shiver ran up her spine, courtesy of a nonexistent chill that ran through her surroundings; the bookcases and the hollowed out tree itself seemed to speak to her, and they did not want them past their threshold. “I feel like we’re being watched right now.”

Igor sighed. “She’s right; the longer we stay here, the higher the probability of failure. Still, if worse comes to worst, everyone be ready to retreat. Hannah, Jamie, Tori: you check out the basement. Melissa, Malcolm, and myself will look into the guest bedroom.” The other five troops nodded, breaking into their groups. Igor’s detail headed for the guest bedroom, but stopped when the other group called to him from the door to the basement.

“Sir,” Malcolm called, seeking the Captain’s attention. “Locked down tight. Should we blow it?”

Igor paused. “If the basement door’s locked,” he reasoned, “they’re probably holed up down there. Shock and awe value of blowing the door gives us the advantage. Do it; if anything down there so much as blinks at you aggressively, shoot it. Or...floats at you aggressively,” he quickly amended, turning back to the stairs.

Almost as if cued, something crashed inside the sealed guest bedroom, capturing every individual’s attention immediately. Everyone spun around and leveled their weapons, drawing lines of destruction towards the thin, lone barrier that separated them from their potential quarry.

“Captain, I recommend we bail right now; We may be compromised,” Melissa urged breathlessly, gripping her rifle that much tighter. Something just felt wrong to her, wronger than she could remember. She was the veteran of several brutal campaigns, but never before had she felt this particular, unique terror.

“You’re a lot more skittish today, Melissa… but you may be right. We’ll only be at this a little longer, in that case,” Igor remarked, then gestured to Tori, Hannah, and Jamie. “You wanna find out what that was while the rest of us wire the breaching charges?”

“Nah, the faster we get this door open the better; I’ll check out the room myself,” Tori replied nonchalantly, cautiously approaching the fatefully sealed bedroom door. Meanwhile, the others resumed with lining the basement door with some low-grade charges. While they could have simply booted the door in, Igor reasoned that the light, smoke and noise from the charges would plunge the occupants into disarray.

“Alright, but be prepared for anything. I want you calling for backup the instant you suspect that Samus or the metroid are present, understood?” Igor cautioned. Tori glanced over her left shoulder and nodded in affirmation.

“You got it, Cap. Motion tracker’s not picking up anything inside, and if they’re not in the basement, they might’ve bailed for whatever reason. I’ll be back in thirty seconds at most,” she answered, stretching her arm out and taking hold of the doorknob without any further direction from Igor. Silently turning the metal knob while leading inward with her rifle, Tori crept in and was greeted by...nothing special; a dimly-lit guest bedroom that had a spartan-looking bed, a nightstand, a dresser, and not much else.

Tori huffed, keeping an eye on her motion tracker as she tried to find anything out of place with the room she was in, a reason for the noise they heard; there were no signs of struggle to indicate that Samus or anyone else had left in a hurry. The last place left to check, at that point, was the bathroom. Hanging a sharp right at the door, Tori took a few easy steps towards the small washroom, entering and finding exactly what she expected. A counter was present on the left side with a few amenities and toiletries as well as a mirror. The right side held a shower, whose curtain was half-open, and a toilet against the far wall.

Nothing.

She shrugged and turned around, heading back towards the bedroom. As she exited the bathroom, however, she heard a soft ‘ping’ coming from her left. Immediately, her rifle came up, meeting her shoulder and aiming at the source of the sound. Advancing towards the bed, she saw a GF standard tablet half-concealed by the bedsheets. Flipping the linens aside with the muzzle of her weapon, she leaned in to observe the notification screen, showing a text message from a contact named “WorshipMyMoon.”

Tori smiled under her visor.

Jackpot.

“Captain, it’s me,” Tori opened up a commline so she didn’t have to go back out just yet. She picked up the tablet and examined it. “I think I found the Hunter’s datapad, but no sign of her.”

Being occupied with contacting her commanding officer, as well as trying to maybe find a way to interact with the goldmine of data on the tablet in her hand ensured Tori was plenty distracted… distracted enough to not see a lone, shadowy figure descend menacingly from the top of the bathroom.

“Copy that. She’s probably holed up below then… shit,” Igor reflected. “It’d be suicide to funnel all of us through one doorway. We could map the basement and tactically place other charges to drop down below.”

“...that sounds like it could take a while, sir.”

“...that sounds like it could take a while, sir,” Samus was able to hear the female trooper’s side of the conversation clearly; though she was trying to keep her voice down, Samus’ enhanced hearing and the silence of the library rendered such a task trivial. It was no matter though, as her only thought was moving at the right pace in deathly silence to avoid tripping the motion trackers. She moved low, nearly on all fours as her eyes burned with a silent rage at the gall these soldiers had to violate her home and that of one of her closest friends… geared up and ready to kill. She was able to catch snippets of the conversation, and was able to determine that these Federation Stealth Troopers were here for her… and not to merely arrest her.

She unsheathed her combat knife when she got sufficiently close, the metallic blade glimmering in the afforded moonlight.

“But will there be enough time? Should we split?”

Not on Samus’ watch. All she needed was an extra moment of stealthy movement and this soldier would not be going anywhere. She had debated merely subduing the troops non-lethally, but her job would be significantly more difficult given their armor, as well as her own when she would equip it. Seeing the rifles and hearing enough conversation to know that this was a ‘search and destroy’ mission was all she needed to convince her to simply dispatch her enemies.

None of them would leave this place.

Now!

Samus struck, righting her posture and closing the remaining distance between her and the trooper.

Tori had just enough time to notice the blip on her motion tracker before said blip was upon her. Her weapon hung slack in her grip as Samus’ left hand wrapped around her visors face, pulling her head back as her right hand drove the knife into her neck. Tori lacked even the time to scream as the knife slipped in with a morbid grace, the flexible fabric underlayer posing no barrier as the blade passed through the soldier’s throat, nearly touching her spine. She gurgled, the knife sealing its own wound for the moment as her legs quivered, straining against Samus’ iron grip. Samus narrowed her eyes and tore the knife sideways, severing the soldier’s jugular and carotid and effectively splitting her neck open. Tori’s eyes widened, and she tried to scream, but only managed to groan and gurgle.

As her struggles waned and life fled her eyes, Samus lowered the woman to the ground almost tenderly. As she stood from her kill, Samus claimed the dead trooper’s rifle for her own, checking the magazine as she stepped towards the door.

“Tori’s vitals just went critical!” Melissa shouted, shooting her gaze towards the ajar door. All the other troopers stopped what they were doing and aimed their rifles to the door… which suddenly, and mysteriously, slammed shut. Everyone else’s heart rates shot through the roof as if in sympathy with Tori’s and everyone could hear the others’ ragged breathing.

“...and they just flatlined,” Hannah added in a horrified whisper.

“God… damnit!” Igor growled. “Jamie, you take point and get that door open. Hannah, the moment he opens it, lob a grenade in. I don’t want anything alive in that room!”

“Yes, sir!” Jamie responded immediately, jogging to the door and ready to bust it down with his heel, as there was no time to appropriate one of the breaching charges. Hannah stacked up against the left side with a hand grenade in her hand, ready to prime while Igor, Hannah, and Malcolm sank to one knee with rifles trained on the door.

Jamie steeled himself as he looked to Hannah—who nodded curtly—and back to Igor, who did the same.

“Do it.”

Jamie complied instantly, bringing his knee to his chest and driving his heel forward with all his might against the door, breaking the latch and deadbolt, slamming it open against the far wall. Right when Jamie was supposed to barrel out of the way so Hannah could roll a grenade inside, the former was confronted with a sight that made his eyes shoot wide open, and stop in his tracks completely; Tori’s armored body slumped against the bed, facing the door.

“STOP, IT’S TORI!” Jamie cried reflexively just as Hannah was about to release the spoon on the grenade and toss it in. Another second, however, and Jamie caught sight of a torrent of blood staining the front of her onyx armor, and her body in a position that couldn’t comfortably be assumed by a living body. So preoccupied was he with seeing his squadmate having been brutally killed that he did not notice a rifle aimed directly at him from across the bed until it was much too late.

Samus’ gaze was steeled, and she gripped her requisitioned rifle more firmly after having lined up the sights with the invading trooper’s chest.

Not today.

Samus pulled the trigger to the rear and held it there, the rifle dumping its entire magazine, hardlight rounds zipping past the doorframe and chewing through Jamie’s armor. The rifle exhausted itself in a matter of moments, Jamie quivering on his feet before flopping ungracefully to his back, his torso riddled with holes. Jamie continued breathing, agonized, for a moment or two longer, his vital signs fibrillating wildly before ebbing away entirely.

“JESUS CHRIST! Toss that grenade in and fall back! FALL BACK!” Igor screamed, and Hannah lobbed the explosive into the room. It landed on the bed and Samus hit the deck, dropping prone to the floor and equipping her Suit moments before the grenade detonated. The explosive annihilated her bed and sprayed shrapnel around the room, though Samus’ shielding was barely affected. Her suit’s systems automatically damped the sound and light to preserve her senses. With that, she bounded to her feet and tore towards the door to the common room with her Power Beam charged... where she found the four remaining Stealth Troopers scrambling for cover in four different directions, desperately trying to gain a defensive position.

She didn’t know who any of these soldiers were. She didn’t know who sent them, why they were here, or what they intended to do. All she knew about them in this moment was which of the remaining troops would be the next target.

She then released her shot, and the charged hardlight sphere sailed straight into the unfortunate trooper’s back, completely blowing open the armor at the point of impact and cratering her lumbar spine.

“UUAAHHH!!” Hannah shrieked as she was propelled forward with great force, dropping to the floor and skidding along the boards. By that time, Malcolm, Igor, and Melissa had already slid to safety, and Samus took the opportunity to stack up next to the doorframe. From behind cover, she unleashed a one-warrior fusillade of unforgiving Power Beam fire, and the troopers responded in kind.

“Hannah’s been hit!” Malcolm cried out, but his words were drowned out by both the gunfire and Hannah’s sharp, struggling breaths.

“I c-can’t move! I-I can’t breathe!” the downed soldier cried desperately, screaming in pain. She writhed on the ground, and the Hunter’s withering counter-fire made assistance all but impossible, though it would not have mattered in the short run…

“Stay with us, Hannah!” Melissa urged after a little bit of time, but received no response at all.

“Fuck…”

“Melissa… you and I provide covering fire. Malcolm, move along the side of the room, get into position, and drop more grenades inside. Go!” Igor commanded, and on his last word, he and Melissa leaned out from the kitchen entrance and spit fire from their rifles. The hardlight rounds either flew through the doorway where Samus was standing a moment prior, or impacted on the wall behind which she was taking cover. Behind said cover, Samus held her cannon close and waited for them to deplete their ammunition cores. At the same time, her arm cannon’s barrel whirred and opened up as she armed her missiles.

As she waited for the right moment to strike, several thoughts flickered through Samus’ mind, foremost of which was how poorly these Stealth Troopers were performing against her in a stand-up firefight. These types of soldiers were the best of the best, veterans of countless missions against the Space Pirates and colonial insurrectionists throughout the galaxy behind enemy lines. Their deadliness, however, stemmed primarily from their ability to sneak around unseen and strike when the opportunity presented itself, from far behind enemy lines.

Why would they attack her in this way?

These questions were driven from her mind by the momentary lapse in rifle fire flung in her direction. Samus stepped out from around the doorframe, cannon leveled towards the other troops, about to lob a missile into their formation, but movement to her left, in her peripheral vision, caught her attention. She turned her head, and caught sight of Malcolm sneaking along the left side of the room, not having counted on Samus’ quick reaction.

He hadn’t even pressed the primer.

Samus instantly turned her cannon on him, firing a single missile that drove directly into his chest. The lighter armor the Stealth Troopers wore was not able to withstand a direct hit from the devastating concussive blast, though it did save him from getting completely torn to shreds. Without even time to scream, his body was blown backwards, slamming into the stairs and dropping to the floor like an unstrung puppet. The unprimed grenade rolled out of his dead, mangled hand. The two remaining troopers shied back from the light and noise of the missile blast, their senses rattled.

“NO!” Melissa snarled, ready to charge out but Igor stiffly held her back with an arm across her chest, preventing her from committing suicide. Four of his squad had been killed… no, massacred; he felt himself responsible for their deaths, the deaths of his friends. He had been on enough missions to know that this was no longer a fight, but a slaughter… and a rising tide of remorse crashed over him at the realization that he had made a terrible mistake; it was the height of folly to think that, even with tactics and surprise on their side, they could actually defeat the Samus Aran. In that moment, Igor resigned himself to the inevitable.

“This is your only chance!” Samus’ voice bellowed aggressively through the Library, though neither Igor nor Melissa could see her directly on account of cover. For one of the few times in their entire careers, they were both afraid… very, very afraid. “Throw your weapons towards the door and surrender now!”

Melissa looked to Igor, and she could tell that he was looking directly at her. They both knew the rules; Stealth Troopers were not permitted to surrender to enemy forces. Their only choices were retreat or death.

“Melly… I’ll distract her; you get the hell out of here, okay?” he whispered. “The evac’s still on standby, get out and run… get to a safe place, call it in. Tell Conway what happened when you get back to the Oculus.”

“I’m not leaving you here, Igor!” Melissa immediately protested, but the Captain was not having any of it.

“That’s an order, Lieutenant!” he growled, though without much in the way of force behind his words; here, at the end of their world, he was a friend talking to a friend. Melissa pursed her lips and held her emotions in check, taking his hand in hers and shaking it firmly.

“Yes, sir,” she stated, her voice flat. Her mission now was one of pure survival.

“You have five seconds!” Samus called out once more, counting down in her head. When their time ran out, she would just rush their position; she knew she had enough shielding to absorb any punishment they could throw at her. While obviously, Samus would allow the troops to surrender if they so chose, she planned no mercy if they refused. These soldiers, these intruders, had violated her home in a (quite poor, all things considered) attempt to kill her, and the lives of her friends had been and were still being threatened as a direct result.

The longest five seconds in history passed with no movement from the shadowy enemy. At the end, Samus advanced forward from the doorway, leading the way with her cannon. She marched past the cooling body of the trooper whose back she had blown out as her footfalls resounded like the harbinger of death itself, and she hoped the sound struck fear into the hearts of the invaders. They had had their chance; now, the place Samus called her own ‘Sanctuary Fortress’ would serve eternally as their tombs.

Halfway to the kitchen, one of the two remaining troopers leaned out from behind cover with their rifle drawn, immediately opening fire on the advancing, hulking Hunter. Her shielding absorbed the first few incoming rounds without much difficulty, draining her about half an energy tank before she was able to stack up against the parallel wall. As Samus loped for cover, the soldier closer to the outer wall broke for the window. Unfortunately for her, Samus’ reflexes were quicker than her movements; the Hunter took lighting-fast aim and fired a single Power Beam round that found its mark in one of the trooper’s flexible side panels, eliciting a shrill, feminine scream of agony as the trooper collapsed, fetching up against the wall underneath the window.

A moment later, Samus turned her aim to her previous target and fired again, though instead of scoring a hit on the last remaining trooper’s body, his quick retreat into cover resulted in her shooting his rifle, rendering it useless.

Samus was about to continue her onslaught when, in a last act of desperation, Igor chucked his now-paperweight of a rifle at the Hunter with all of his might as he simultaneously charged her, roaring his challenge. Taken by surprise at the suddenness of such a brazen, bullheaded act, Samus failed to bat away the rifle, which connected with her helmet. Though it didn’t dent or even scratch her armor, it did distract her long enough for Igor to knock her off her feet, crashing into the floor. Recovering a split second before the Hunter, Igor straddled her and drew his fist back, prepared to crack her visor with the sheer force of his fury.

Samus denied him that honor.

The first hammer-fist that Igor threw was immediately intercepted by Samus’ left hand. She caught his fist in her hand and squeezed, crushing armor and bone alike, eliciting a pain-filled howl from the enraged Captain. In the next moment, she released his fist and decked Igor in the visor, spiderwebbing the plasteel and forcing him to fall back and release her.

Though she was on her feet in an instant, Igor recovered almost as quickly, fighting as best as he could with one hand out of commission. Though Samus found no real trouble deflecting or dodging his attacks, she was forced to acknowledge his sheer stubbornness. Igor fought like a coordinated wildcat, making every attempt to whittle her down and managing to hold Samus at bay longer than most people would be able to, but he wasn’t able to land a single blow.

As Igor grew desperate, he grew sloppy. Samus batted his arm aside with her cannon, leaving him crucially open to counterattack. Samus seized the initiative, slamming her armored fist into the right side of his helmet, denting it severely and shattering the right half of his visor. He staggered to the left, put off-balance by the crippling blow, whereupon Samus lashed out with her right leg, forcing him to one knee. Samus spun almost gracefully, moving behind Igor. The soldier was winded, trying to catch his breath so that he could stand up again. Unfortunately for him, Samus had decided playtime was over, her cannon brought to bear against the back of his helmet.

One shot was fired, the loudest and last sound the Stealth Trooper would never hear. A moment later, what was left of Igor Butenko collapsed to the floor.

It was done, and yet, Samus’ breathing rate didn’t return to normal; if anything, she grew more agitated. While she was fighting, she was calm and collected; yet, when the reality of what had just happened hit her, she realized that not all was as well and good as she had hoped. As of right now, she felt that the Federation was indeed plotting against her and possibly those she held dear, and though she did not wish to jump to conclusions just yet, she knew there were things that had to be done immediately.

Millions of thoughts flowed through her mind like water through a faulty dam, flooding her head with implication after implication. Though she was able to get her breathing under control finally, standing in the middle of a room of dead soldiers was not helping solve any of her problems. Thankfully, the most important thought of all fought through the rest and came to the forefront.

“Twi…” Samus looked around almost frantically, her eyes boring in on the basement door. “Shy… Spike… Sapphire,” she whispered the rest of her friends’ names as she jogged over to the explosive-laden entrance.

“Adam… are these charges primed?” Samus asked, kneeling before the door to get a better look; she did not want to take any chances at the moment. Almost instantly, a small blip appeared just above her motion tracker on her visor; Adam’s Eye.

“Most likely. Put your arm in NFC range,” he requested, and the Hunter did just that, extending her fist towards the two breaching charges that had been wired mere minutes prior. After a few moments, Adam’s eye glowed gently. “Charges defused.”

“Thanks,” Samus uttered, before ripping the now dormant explosives off the door and setting them aside. She then knocked on the door three times. “Guys, it’s Samus! Are you okay?!”

“Samus?!” A shaky, muffled voice came back from beyond the door, easily recognizable as Twilight’s. “We’re fine, but we heard all this gunfire! What the fuck is going on up there?!”

“I…” Samus began to speak, finding herself at complete loss for words. How could she possibly explain the six bodies in the alicorn’s home? “I was attacked…”

“WHAT?! Are you hurt?! Is it safe to come out?!”

Samus reached for the handle and cracked the door open, finding the questioning gazes of Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike. Sapphire floated curiously around Fluttershy’s mane, and seeing their faces made Samus ask herself just how she was going to approach this; was she going to let them just emerge to the scene of a slaughter?

“Umm… it’s safe now but…” the Hunter struggled for words from inside her helmet. “I had to defend you all and myself, just know that, okay?” Samus pointed out, as if she was trying to convince her friends before they even knew what happened.

“Samus, what’re you talking about? What happened up there?!” Twilight persisted, trying to sneak a glance through the darkness, but the Hunter blocked her vision.

“Sapphire, bury yourself in Fluttershy’s mane. Fluttershy, close your eyes. Same to you, Spike. I don’t want you guys seeing this; I’ll lead you outside,” Samus requested, which the three in question obeyed at once, but left a multitude of unanswered questions for Twilight. “You may wanna do the same, Twi.”

“No… I can handle this.”

“I’m sorry, Twilight,” was all Samus said before she lead the group up, taking Fluttershy’s hoof and leading the others to the front door. Twilight’s insides seemed to twist in unfathomable knots when she laid eyes on the bodies. Her mouth dropped, her eyes widened, and she fought for air as she began hyperventilating. Horrible memories that she once thought she had put behind her were suddenly dusted off, placed right before her, and demanded her attention. She shook her head, wondering how this could’ve happened yet again, and why?! Of all questions she had, that took the most precedence.

Still, Twilight had to remain strong for everypony, and she shook off what she could to help open the Library door to the outside… only for the entire group to see yet another shocking site: ponies had gathered at a respectable distance, clearly at a loss for why gunfire was erupting from Twilight’s home. Murmurs and wide eyes permeated the entire scene when they emerged, and ponies pointed toward Samus, commenting on the fact that she was armored up.

It was no matter… Samus brought Fluttershy and the rest of them outside and allowed Sapphire and Spike to separate. Most uncharacteristically for the metroid, she was oddly silent.

“Alright, stay here, guys. Twi, don’t let anyone inside the Library right now,” Samus softly ordered, disengaging her suit and immediately bringing up her wrist console.

“Alright, but what do we do? I don’t even know what happened!” Twilight asked, and then exclaimed with sudden realization. All she saw inside were the bodies of what she thought were some kind of soldiers, but the armor was much too dark to belong to the Federation forces she was used to seeing on a near daily basis.

“Twilight, I promise I’ll explain everything tonight, but right now, I need to deal with this. I don’t want you, ‘Shy, Spike, or Sapphire staying here tonight,” Samus resolved.

“Wait… then what are we doing?” Twilight inquired.

“I’m taking care of that right now,” Samus answered, bringing her console level with her face and signaling Princess Luna. Thankfully, she picked up not a few seconds later. The midnight-blue alicorn’s face took up the screen, and she was clad in her usual regalia.

“Samus? Please disregard the last message I sent you, it wasn’t meant for you—”

“Luna, we have a problem.” The Hunter cut her off abruptly, which elicited a few hard blinks out of the Princess.

“...and what’s that supposed to mean?”

“We…” Samus shook her head, fumbling with her words. “I was attacked at the Library. Federation Stealth Troops. I need a dropship here, now.”

“You were what?!” Luna questioned imperiously, her complexion darkening considerably. “I’ll summon the ambassador at once!”

“No, Luna… this is… I don’t know! But I’ll explain everything tonight; I’m bringing Twilight, Fluttershy, Spike, and Sapphire. Can you send a dropship, please?” Samus evaded the question, just wanting to sort everything out first. Luna visibly calmed down and nodded.

“Of course. I’ll order transport immediately and send a squad of soldiers. I can expect answers upon your arrival, yes?”

“Absolutely,” Samus affirmed with a curt nod. Luna returned the same gesture. “Thanks, Luna. I’ll see you soon.” With that, the Hunter cut the transmission. Twilight had trotted back to the entrance to her home to peek inside, and Samus felt it would be wise to disperse the crowd at the moment. Running her fingers through her hair, she turned to the gathered ponies and spoke.

“Okay everyone, all is well and everypony is safe! There’s nothing to see here! Local police and military will take it from here! Please return to bed!”

“Samus!” Twilight shouted over her shoulder, a certain urgency in her voice that demanded immediate attention. Samus spun on her heels to face her. “I’m hearing groaning inside…”

Twilight did not need to elaborate further, especially in the presence of a slowly dissipating crowd. Samus understood the message entirely, and jogged back to the entrance of the Library, poking her head inside. Like Twilight had, she too heard the strained groans and sharp breaths, the telltale indication that someone was alive inside.

“Twilight, grab your tablet inside and call emergency services,” Samus said, and Twilight complied at once, nodding and rushing inside to find her prized piece of technology. The Hunter entered as well, and was able to locate the source of the pained sounds within a few seconds. Standing in the entrance and looking to her left, Samus found the second-to-last trooper that she remembered shooting in the side, propped up against the wall and weakly clutching her wound. Her breathing was shallow and she weakly tried to keep her head up with marginal success.

She then locked eyes with the Hunter.

Shakily, she reached to her other side and attempted to grip her sidearm, but Melissa was so concentrated on trying to utilize her weapon that she did not see Samus already in front of her. Her pitiful attempt at one last stand was put to rest when the blonde-haired Hunter pressed the boot of her Zero Suit into her armored hand, pressing it firmly into the ground and forcing her to slacken her grip. A weak moan also fell from her lips.

“That’s enough,” Samus solemnly spoke, kneeling down and removing the pistol before tossing it away. The black-clad trooper could only watch in unbridled fear as she awaited Samus to execute her… but that never came. Instead, the Hunter switched knees and reached for the hand coddling her wound.

“Let me look,” Samus softly ordered, and Melissa was in no place to deny her. Samus pried her enemy’s hand away and observed the entry point of her Power Beam round. It was a pinpoint hit, a clean puncture through the softest part of the armor. There was bleeding, but the high heat of the Power Beam already cauterized most of the broken vessels. In Samus’ estimation, though the trooper had definitely lost no small amount of blood, the wound wasn’t fatal.

“Emergency services are on the way,” Twilight told Samus over her shoulder, and the alicorn spared a momentary glance at the wounded soldier, her eyes playing host to a cold fury that she did not know she was capable of.

Somehow, Melissa felt it.

“Thanks, Twilight. Come over here, I need your magic to help with some medical treatment,” Samus requested, and Twilight nodded. She didn’t want to, though. Something inside her wanted to just walk away and leave the unknown soldier to her fate, but she of all ponies knew that kindness and compassion, even to those who sought your death, was a core tenet of the friendship she held so dear.

“Alright, what do you need?” she asked, ready to cast any spell Samus deemed appropriate… within her power, of course.

“A pain-killing spell first, please. She’s in a lot of pain,” Samus noted.

“On it.”

Samus pressed both her hands to the underside of the soldier’s helmet and unsealed it, a hiss of air escaping as the positive-pressure seal was broken. Sensing no resistance from the soldier (whether she acquiesced or simply had no strength, Samus couldn’t say), she continued on, and gingerly pulled the helmet off of the wounded warrior. Setting it aside, Samus and Twilight set their eyes on one of the former’s would-be assailants. Dark brown hair fell to just above the fair-skinned woman’s shoulders, and her face was absolutely matted in tears and sweat. Her features were soft, which gave the impression of someone who looked much younger than they were, and three small freckles dotted her right cheek in a straight line.

Her large, hazel eyes did not dare look at the Hunter, nor her companion.

Samus stared her down emotionlessly for a few moments, memorizing the face of one who would see her and possibly her friends killed. She turned to Twilight and nodded, giving her the implicit permission to cast the spell. Twilight did just that, and a warming, tingling sensation diffused through Melissa’s entire body.

And just like that, the pain was gone.

“What’s your name, trooper?” Samus asked, though she expected no answer from one who barely had enough energy to keep her head up. Indeed, she made no response, her breathing slowing slightly, eyelids fluttering. She mumbled incoherently before her head fell forward.

“I-Is she…?” Twilight ventured to ask.

“...No. She’s fine, but we’ll need to tend to her wounds some more before emergency personnel arrive,” Samus said, shaking her head. “You have any medical supplies?”

“Yeah! In my room; I’ll go get ‘em,” Twilight snapped into action, teleporting out of existence. Samus laid her eyes on the place where her friend was, then turned her head sluggishly towards the unconscious Stealth Trooper. In the moment of silence, she elected to stretch out her legs and have a seat for the first time tonight, sinking her head tiredly into her palms.

This is gonna be a long night…

[Canterlot Castle | Two Days Later…]

The Hunter stood, clad in her Suit sans helmet, as she leaned against the wall of the elevator which was bearing her down… down into the depths of the mountain upon which Canterlot was built. At the bottom lay the Equestrian Situation Room, as well as several R&D and weapons labs. She looked idly to her sides, the shaft walls flickering past reminding her of countless elevator trips on Tallon IV and Aether. Her face was expressionless as she mulled over the events of two days ago, and the rapidity with which even a deeply-held inner peace can completely and utterly implode on itself.

It was too good to be true…

She breathed a sigh and gently shook her head, placing a lock of hair that dislodged itself from her forehead back into place. Her gaze narrowed subtly when she felt a pair of eyes linger on her, which could only come from a single source: a batpony Lunar Guardsmare that was tasked with escorting her down to the Situation Room from the castle itself. The onyx armor of the Lunar Guard remained largely the same as it had pre-Federation save for some technological modifications such as built-in proximity motion trackers and newer helmets that gave them a heads-up display through a clear visor strip, but still retained the obviously ceremonial edge that they had had.

This particular pony, though, was interesting.

Samus swung her gaze to the other pony, banking on reverence and intimidation to cause the other pony to avert her gaze. This pony, however, seemed to be made of sterner stuff than most, and her gaze grew analytical, almost penetrating as her piercing, golden eyes swept up and down Samus’ armor before returning to her face. Samus returned the gesture, looking the thestral over in kind. She thought she could see a slight blue tinge to the normally-grey coat that most thestrals bore. Her navy-blue mane was mostly obscured by her imperial helmet, though some locks escaped their alloy prison.

“Uhh… Can I help you?” Samus finally ventured to ask when she realized that the mare would not stop gawking at her.

“Niiice armor, mate…” the batpony complimented, her speech mildly accented Federation standard. Samus identified it as ‘Scottish,’ and it never ceased to amaze her how closely certain elements of Equestrian society paralleled human society… namely languages and dialects.

“T-Thanks,” the Hunter responded, if a bit awkwardly.

“And look at the fuckin’ size of those fangers!” the mare exclaimed, violating Samus’ personal space and taking the Hunter’s arm in her hooves. She ran her appendages over the curved spikes on the human’s arm where her Grapple Beam used to reside. Her eyes widened, lighting with an almost sexual gleam. “You could castrate some poor bastard with these!”

Samus had to restrain a throaty chuckle. She definitely needed that laugh.

“Heh, never thought of it that way…” she replied in good spirits, examining her own armored arm in the process. “I’ll have to remember that.”

The mare extended her hoof with a confident, toothy grin.

“Stella Sabre.”

Samus shot her a friendly half-smirk and reciprocated, taking the mare’s hoof in her hand and shaking firmly.

“Samus Aran. Nice to meet you.”

“Aye, the pleasure is all mine, Hero of Equestria,” Stella replied, Letting Samus onto the fact that her reputation preceded rather pervasively. Suddenly her helmet’s visor blipped and signaled an incoming transmission. “Sorry, gotta take this…” Stella tapped her left forehoof to the side of her visor. “This is Sabre.”

Samus nodded and opted to relax for the rest of the ride down, though she would undoubtedly catch some… enlightning snippets of Stella’s conversation with a fellow soldier.

“...Ooooh no. I am not bailing yer ass out a second time. This is your problem, not mine. You fucked it, now you unfuck it, mate, how copy?”

...I like this mare.

The elevator finally slowed to a gentle halt as it made quiet contact with the lowest level, which led to a rather spartan looking hallway with no doors and only one way to go: straight ahead.

“Yeah, not my fuckin’ problem. Sabre out.” Stella ended the transmission and looked to Samus with a less than amused expression, shaking her head. “Coworkers,” she said, channeling all her disgust into that single word.

“Eeyup. That’s why I don’t have any,” Samus agreed, and the mare gestured for the Hunter to exit first. There, the two walked the length of the corridor which opened right up into the massive Situation Room, a strategic planning hall that housed the most powerful computers in Equestria as well as one of the largest transmission screens that Samus had ever seen. The room itself was circular, with several layers of workstations forming concentric circles around a central pylon that held a holographic representation of the planet Equis. Behind that hologram stood Princess Luna and Celestia, garbed in military uniform, speaking to a Federation officer.

Stella beckoned the both of them forward, conversation becoming more and more clear.

“...still most disturbing to hear of Federation troops attacking Samus. I’ll file a report of this immediately and get some teams out there to investigate, based on the pictures and evidence you’ve given me,” the cleanly shaven Admiral agreed resolutely, his arms uncrossing and his hand then cradling his chin in thought.

“We would most appreciate that, Admiral. I wish for this unit’s commanding officer to face an immediate court-martial and for this to all be put to rest; royalty was in danger, as well,” Princess Celestia said, nodding her head deeply in respect.

“Verily,” Luna weighed in. “Were you able to find any information on where this unit came from?”

“Negative,” the human officer said, shaking his head. His hands then extended downward to fiddle with a keyboard “Running the names through databases didn’t turn up their personnel files, unfortunately… though, based on the armor designs from the pictures you forwarded, they’re Stealth Troopers, and it’s GF protocol not to list their members in generally-accessible databases, so that stands to reason. Further…” the man’s words trailed off as he looked past the Princesses. “It looks like we have the person of the hour gracing our presence.”

Turning on their hooves, both regal sisters smiled at the Hunter’s entrance, and for the sake of decorum in front of a powerful officer in the Federation Armed Forces, they opted to salute each other as opposed to going straight for a hug.

“Samus! Thank you very much for joining us tonight,” Luna greeted, then turned her appreciative gaze towards Stella. “Thank you again for your help, Corporal Sabre. You’re dismissed.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Stella replied with a grin, saluting before turning on her hooves. Before she left, however, she shot a glance over her shoulder towards the Hunter. “See ya around, Samus.”

“Have a good one, Stella,” Samus returned the greeting in kind. Once the batpony had retreated down the hall from whence they came, all returned their attention to the big screen.

“Samus, this is Admiral Fredrick Conway, commander of the Galactic Federation’s Sixth Fleet. They’re the closest battlegroup to Equisian space, so they’re our point of contact,” Celestia introduced the two of them, and unlike with Luna and Celestia, the two did not salute each other. The Admiral said nothing, staring her down for a few moments.

“Good evening, Samus,” Conway had the first words, smoothing out the cuffs on his uniform. “It’s a pleasure to meet the Galaxy’s hero… though I wish it were under better circumstances.”

“Likewise, Admiral. I’m assuming I’ve come in at the end of a conversation… and there’s nothing groundbreaking to report?” Samus asked, getting straight to the point. Her suit made a subtle pinging noise, Adam’s signal to her that he was listening.

“Regrettably not. In accordance with Federation military protocol, the unit and its members are known only to their direct commander. Even their electronic tags would only have contained their names and ranks, nothing else… though possibly some buried metadata,” Conway reiterated. “However, what we can do—as I explained to Their Highnesses—is we can deploy some teams to perform an investigation on the ingress route of these Stealth Troopers. With the Fourth Fleet having rotated out, High Command wanted a battlegroup to remain in the 51st Sector to counter any possible remnants of Space Pirate activity. We can knock out two objectives, and make a stop at Equis to further said investigation.”

“That sounds like a sound plan for the moment,” Luna nodded, interjecting into the conversation. As for Samus, she glared at the Admiral, trying to read him… but to her consternation, she had quite the difficulty in doing so. She had little reason to distrust him, but simultaneously, she had little reason to not distrust him. “We, and Samus, of course, shall aid you in whatever capacity you need, Admiral.”

“I appreciate it fully, Princess,” Conway bowed his head. “First, we’ll need the general e-tags from the dead troopers… I’m only assuming you killed them all in self-defense, right?” he asked with the utmost understanding. Time slowed to a halt in Samus’ head; by the way Conway phrased his question, it was clear that he didn’t know of Melissa’s survival. Clearly, the Princesses would have told him everything to aid in an investigation, and because they saw fit to omit this information, so did she.

“Well… yes,” she lied. “I didn’t have the chance to scan the bodies since half the town showed up to see what the commotion was, but we still have them. We’ll collect the e-tags and submit them to you as soon as possible,” Samus affirmed. Conway shot her a respectful half-smirk and nodded.

Conway held up his hand, shaking his head slightly. “Don’t worry about the time. We’re all just happy that none of the ‘good guys’ were killed or wounded,” he added.

“Indeed,” Celestia piped up. “Very well, Admiral. Thank you very much once again for meeting with us and addressing our concerns. We hope to meet in person soon.”

“Likewise, Your Majesties,” Conway said, saluting the two alicorns, who reciprocated the gesture. “We’ll be poring over the data tonight, and with luck, we should have our ships in orbit by the end of the month. Until then, have a wonderful evening,” he ended, and with that, the video transmission ended.

“Well, I’m glad we got that sorted out, at least for now,” Celestia sighed, but, finally able to drop the facade, she threw her front legs around Samus’ neck, enveloping her in a crushing hug which the Hunter gladly returned.

“I see you both didn’t tell him of Melissa,” Samus astutely noted.

“And we were hoping you would not,” Celestia replied, relieved. “We wished to question her after she recovers before disclosing her existence.” Samus agreed completely, and the three silently, tacitly agreed to not speak a word of it. Surely they trusted Twilight to also say nothing, but Samus would follow up with her just in case.

“Quite. Now, Samus, you and I can get along with the second reason why I asked you down here,” Luna chimed in, magically adjusting her visor-cap. “I’ll take it from here, sister. You go and get some sleep.”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you both tomorrow,” Celestia said, nuzzling both Luna and Samus on the cheek before taking her exit down the hall. The Lunar Princess glanced to Samus with an excited grin.

“This way,” she beckoned with a tilt of her head, and Samus fell right into step. The Hunter did not realize it when she first entered with Stella, but there was another hall that exited out of the Situation Room and led deeper into the mountain. “I’m glad we’re in agreement that it would be best for you to acquire more powerful weapons… I want you to have a better way to deal with this ‘situation,’ should it arise again,” she admitted.

“Oh trust me, I was gonna approach you first about it… but the problem is that I wouldn’t know where to start,” Samus elaborated. “I can’t access my native Chozo weaponry, and the weapons that I had coming from BSL are still not precise enough, in my opinion. That, and I’d rather not ask for a reconnection to magic, just so I don’t have to deal with a possible resurgence of the Nightmare,” Samus spoke, gesturing vaguely.

Luna smirked at her sideways as they continued their trek.

“Nor I, but I believe we now have the solution to that problem… if you’re willing to be the test subject of a so-far highly promising weapons and armor system,” Luna replied with an enticing edge.

“...New weapons systems? Lulu, you treat me way too well,” Samus added whimsically, earning a chuckle out of the regal alicorn. Samus could see, up ahead, the entrance to what she guessed was a proving ground of sorts for magical weapons.

“I trust that I need not explain the PED system to you, yes?” Luna asked as the two closed the distance to a guarded door, circular, with a sophisticated locking system at its center. Two Equestrian troops stood on either side of it.

“Not at all. The Phazon Enhancement Device… though it’s a bit useless with Phazon being destroyed,” Samus confirmed. The two soldiers saluted Luna as she passed, angling her head and letting the scanner in the center of the door scan her horn. Confirming her identity, it irised open into the brightly, blue-light lit room. There was a single lane, much like one would see at a firing range, along with a single orb of pulsating magic at the center, never settling on any one color, which was being monitored by four pony scientists.

“Quite so… we were too late to receive any for our soldiers before you destroyed Phaaze,” Luna continued. “But we wished to develop a system so that earth ponies and pegasi could serve as combat infantry, able to harness magic for offensive and defensive use, despite not being able to willfully project their magic outward. This has been a job reserved for unicorns, as going into modern combat without any ability to use ranged weaponry is laughably suicidal. Because of that reason, our ground forces have been limited in size.”

“Go on…” Samus beckoned with a twirl of her hand, the duo’s walking pattern having slowed to a halt in front of this electric-looking orb of magic that lay suspended in a transparent holding tank. It reeked of a powerup.

“As such, I felt with your Suit’s adaptability and modularity, you would be the perfect candidate to field the first fully operational solution. May I introduce you, to the MED!” Luna proudly proclaimed, gesturing toward the magical item in question.

“Magic Enhancement Device?” Samus asked, her eyes squarely locked with the powerup.

“Precisely!” Luna replied giddily. “The MED is a magical object, and when it binds with a being who lacks the ability to manifest external magic, it shifts form into an augmentation that absorbs ambient magical energy around it. It’s very similar in concept to your old PED, in that you can inject an energy tank into it, but it will also passively collect aetheric energy from the planet, allowing you to use magical weapons and armor… as well as replenish your energy shielding and what not.”

“Wait! Direct injection?” Samus questioned immediately. “Does that mean…”

“Yes!” Luna exclaimed. “Like the PED variant, you can inject an energy tank to replenish magical supply. If your supply is full and you inject an energy tank, you enter ‘Harmony Mode!’”

“Harmony Mode… but that was when I had the Elements of Harmony bound to me. How’d you manage that?” Samus countered.

“Erm… well, we just call it ‘Harmony Mode,’ as the overload of magic activates the Magicka Beam you were privy to during your first visit,” Luna admitted a bit sheepishly. “But, as well, you can use stored magic at your own whim!”

“Like my Kinesis Beam…”

“Yes! Provided you have stored magic, of course. Because magic will then flow through the module as a discrete entity and not your person, there’s no risk of Nightmare Corruption,” Luna concluded with a smug smile on her face, clearly proud of her ingenuity and her team’s efforts.

“Yeah, but the problem is that my suit, when I have it on, is both separate and part of me. If magic runs through my suit, it’s gonna run through me.”

“That shan’t be a problem; ambient magic that overflows will pass through you harmlessly, like the natural field around all of Equis. Not to mention, the MED never fully integrates with the individual. After all, I can cast spells on you and there’s no risk of corruption… but the threat arises when it comes from within... and the induction of the Kinesis Beam directly affected your person, making you inherently magic sensitive,” Luna explained.

“With you as a nonsensitive being, the MED is the source for your magic needs, and by both Magical Spectral Theory and the Magical Dichotomy Theorem, you and magic can work together, yet remain separate,” Luna concluded with utmost conviction. Samus locked eyes with her for a few moments, her emotions wholly unreadable as she processed the information given to her.

“Can… can I put this thing on now?” Samus asked, her eyes lighting up almost impatiently as she heard the guarantees.

“Of course! Ready the MED!” Luna commanded, and her scientists immediately set off to work. At the same time, her console vibrated with the arrival of a notification, and she opted to ignore it for the time being. She watched the small bit of preparation, which essentially entailed the scientists removing the small barrier between her and the magical powerup.

“Ready?” Luna called, smiling excitedly at her and pointing at the MED powerup, signalling that it was all hers for the taking.

The key to the girl’s rearmament awaited. Dusting herself off and stretching her back, Samus readied herself for the coming experience, the feeling of being connected with Equis’ magical field. Now, as she was faced with it again, she finally realized how much she had missed it.

“Right! Let’s do this, just give me one second...”

Samus brought her console to her face just to check what that notification was, and found it to be a text message from Adam, one which was so simple yet held such a profound meaning to it:

[Do not trust Conway.]

Author's Note

Dun Dun...

...DUUUUUUUN

9. Gathering Storm

Author's Note

Not even gonna attempt to justify the lack of updates. There is none.

Anyway, just a brief recap so y'all don't have to go reread Section 8: Spectre Squad enters into the Library and gets BTFO. One survivor, though this isn't told to Conway. Samus about to get MED. Adam says Conway is a lil' bitch.

That about sums it up. This is the last filler/build-up chapter.

9. Gathering Storm

A duality shall be created through malice… the Hatchling now lives as two, each with her own destiny. This rift must be sealed at all costs, lest her shadow spread its ethereal wings, suffocating the future of the Galaxy.

Metroid Equis II: Duality

Section 9

Gathering Storm

[~Two Months Prior…]

“H-Hey Samus?” came Twilight’s hesitant question, breaking the gentle tranquil of the falling rain.

The Hunter looked over and replied:

“Hmmm?”

Peering up at the human from her prone position next to her, the lavender alicorn fidgeted in place and finally worked up the courage to get that burning question off her chest.

“If you’re up to it… I’d like to know about your family?”

As for the Hunter, dressed in little more than her blue, fuzzy pajamas which were decorated with repeating patterns of her personal runic insignia, a slight inquisitive tilt of her head was the only indication she had even heard the question.

Her usual silence felt much more profound this time, cutting into Twilight’s patience like a knife and producing some of the longest moments of her life as the alicorn awaited the fateful response.

Sitting close and comfortably to one another with some blankets and pillows on the observation balcony of the Library, Twilight felt that their little quiet bonding—combined with the gorgeous view of the porcelain white firmament letting loose its torrential payload over the Ponyville expanse—would be the perfect opportunity to bring the question up again.

Her tail flicked from side to side in anticipation of Samus’ ultimate answer, especially since the blonde-haired woman had not been very forthcoming on that subject for the tenure of the two’s friendship. Often she would politely direct conversation elsewhere, or just outright say ‘no’ or ‘not right now.’

Samus took a sip of her tea and adjusted her legs under the blanket, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand whilst still staring out at the sea of white, lushness, and falling rain.

“Okay.”

Twilight’s ears perked up immediately.

“Really??”

Samus nodded, clearing her throat before delivering a cordial forethought.

“Just… bear in mind that these are the memories of a three year old, many things most likely distorted, exaggerated, or outright lost because of... succeeding events.”

Twilight nodded deeply once.

“Of course.”

Samus then took a modest breath before turning her face to Twilight.

“As you know, I was born on K-2L. It was a small mining colony planet whose closest neighbor was Zebes,” she began.

Samus then averted her gaze slightly upward, a fraction of a nostalgic smirk gracing her stoic, yet still soft, beautiful features.

Speaking with the gesturing aid of her right hand, she continued:

“It was… quaint. Terraformed—Earthlike. We didn’t need pressure suits or breathing rigs, and we grew our own food, but make no mistake: it was no Equestria. Mostly dirt, a few trees, and a mine that spanned the entire planet wasn’t all that conducive to tourism.

Twilight bobbed her head, returning a soft smile as she took in the valuable, if vague imagery.

“Still. It sounds nice. Home is home, after all.”

Samus huffed, nodding in kind.

“Oh yes. Home it was. I was born into a working-class family, pretty typical, all things considered, actually.”

The Hunter continued, still gesturing with her free hand.

“Had a mom, a dad, and then there was me. That was it, really.”

She then recalled a rather important detail.

“Oh! And my pet rabbilis, of course.”

Twilight cut in with an expected question.

“What were their names?”

There was more than a little apparent hesitation in Samus’ response, but Twilight was put at ease with just how… wistfully she spoke:

“Pyonchi was my pet, the first real friend I ever made on my own. My dad was Rodney Aran, and he was the chief officer of the mining operations on K-2L. He was kind of a workaholic, but my mother, Virginia, kept him grounded. She was a rather standard housewife, though she would directly aid my father in the more administrative duties as well as the physical aspect of the mining ops…”

Her words seemed to fail her at that moment, trailing into nothing, and she gazed upward bemusedly.

“At least… I think so? Ugh, I honestly… don’t remember entirely. I’m surprised I remember as much as I do.”

Twilight pressed her right cheek into Samus’ fuzzy-coated arm, tenderly nuzzling her. Out of longstanding habit that continually surprised them both, Samus then responded by wrapping her arm around the alicorn’s neck, pulling her comfortably into her side.

Twilight’s cheeks burned something fierce initially, though once she got over that initial surprise, she glanced up at her human friend and raised her right eyebrow.

The impending cheek was imminent.

“Sheesh… somepony’s really open today,” she teased, but leaned into Samus more nonetheless.

Further, she refused to relent:

“Besides, you gotta buy me dinner first.”

Samus fixed Twilight with a flat stare, then remarked in a rather timeless deadpan:

“Oh ho ho. Look who’s the funny mare today. Don’t push your luck, or I won’t tell you any more stories.”

It was Twilight’s turn to exaggerate her voice and response, gesticulating wildly with her left hoof.

“Oh noooo~ the horror! Samus never talking again, by the Sun it’s not like she ever talks anyway!”

She then swiftly rested her head back against Samus’ side and looked up to her, locking her impish eyes with those of a stoic Hunter and fluttering them oh so innocently.

“Oh but please, do continue.”

“Uh huh,” Samus uttered, rolling her own teal-blue orbs.

“Mom was… she was a great mom from what I can remember. Dad was stern, but I knew that he loved me. And…”

Samus’ next words were shaky, and Twilight glanced upward, half-expecting to see Samus in a more emotional state. But, instead of sorrowful recollection, the human’s face seemed almost… disappointed.

“Samus?”

“No, I’m fine it’s just… I used to remember more than this. I-I can’t anymore, and, well,” the Hunter moved a small bit of her loose, flowing hair back into place, tucking it behind her ear.

She angled her head downward and furrowed her brow pensively, clicking her tongue.

“As you know, I never really discussed this with anyone for obvious reasons… maybe that was a bad idea. I would talk to myself sometimes and imagine that they were still with me when I was beginning training, when times would get particularly lonely.”

She reaffixed her look back down at Twilight, who was staring back up with rapt attention.

“It helped keep me sane until I could move on and...come to accept it. I think… I think I’ll start doing it again,” Samus continued, bobbing her head thoughtfully as she considered her actions going forward.

“If not that, so I don’t appear entirely off my goddamn rocker, then maybe I’ll talk to you and the girls and Spike about them. If not for my sake, then to just keep whatever fading memories I still have alive.”

Twilight was stunned into silence. This was one of Samus’ most open moments, and she would treasure this for a lifetime.

And then, after a brief aversion of her telling face, Samus again looked back to her but not with stoicism...

...but with a subtle, yet very tangible fear in her eyes, one which Twilight felt was rarer than extreme elation coming from this girl.

“Twi, I’ve never asked much of you or any of you girls before… but, I’d… I think I’d like it if you brought up my parents from time to time.”

This wasn’t an ordinary request by any means, and Twilight’s understandably cautious reply worked its way out of her mouth.

“A-Are you sure?” she asked.

Samus nodded solemnly.

“Positive. It’s nowhere near as bad as it may sound, but I want you girls to help me keep these memories of mom and dad alive,” she said, tapping the tip of her index finger on Twilight’s nose.

“I don’t want to one day, several years from now, wake up and not be able to piece their faces together in my mind,” she concluded.

And to that, Samus leaned the side of her head against the observation balcony wall.

The mighty Daughter of the Chozo shut her eyes as she took a deep breath of the ozone-scented air that she loved during heavy rain, and breathed a sigh.

“I’ve done things in my life that I’m not entirely proud of. I have more than my fair share of regrets. But, if I ever forgot my parents, my birth parents… I don’t think I could ever forgive myself for that. The only time I ever want to forget is when I’m dead.”

Samus glanced back to Twilight.

“You think you can do that for me?”

To those words, Twilight only had a warm smile—one that meant the world to Samus—with an accompanying, determined nod.

“You got it. We won’t ever let you forget.”

Samus reciprocated that gesture, and even included some teeth in that return-smile. Though her stoicism—as if elastic—soon returned, her reply came uncharacteristically soft and emotion-laden.

“Thanks, Twi. For asking, and for your help,” she said, and then pulled Twilight even more snuggly against her.

The alicorn had little to say to that, and opted to just relish in Samus’ atypical (though gradually becoming more typical) closeness. With a gentle sigh, she adjusted herself to comfortably lean into the human’s side, and the two soon let the sound of the pattering rain and feeling of comfort in one another gradually weigh down their eyelids.

Almost simultaneously, a Hunter and a princess let their conscious minds escape the physical realm of tranquility and rainfall, passing into the nap-scape without a single care.

A best friends’ embrace certainly didn’t detract from the experience.

[Canterlot | 49th Army Headquarters Weapons Research and Development, Block A | Present Time]

The helmet-less Samus wasted no time when Luna gave her the go-ahead, and she promptly reached forward and grasped the obvious, beaming-blue power-up in her armored hand.

All ponies currently in the room stopped what they were doing to bear witness to their over-two-year’s-worth of laboring finally get tested… and on Samus’ end, things went just as she had come to expect.

First, the object lost cohesion and broke up, dissolving under her grip before it promptly diffused throughout her upper arm and then her entire body. All parties watched with rapt attention as its ethereal manifestation orbited the Hunter’s torso, then coalesced directly in the center of her chest.

Samus felt nothing out of the ordinary as she let the magic condense brightly, it humming and gradually expanding in size and luminosity as something was undoubtedly being created. Even her previous thought of ‘not feeling anything’ was soon voided when she felt a familiar presence begin to creep its way into her metaphysical form.

Her chest exploded brilliantly.

A magnificent display of magical power was ejected harmlessly from the Hunter’s chest in all directions, and in its receding wake remained a pulsating disk right on her breastplate, identically colored to Samus’ curious eyes. From this luminous disk were birthed harnesses which attached themselves securely to the Hunter’s form.

The coruscating light finally dimmed.

In its place, presented proudly on her chest was a new armor modification, one altered her suit color scheme to bear striking resemblance to the aesthetics of the PED Suit. Rather, instead of a Federation insignia at its center, there stood a glowing insignia of that of Equestria, namely of the common flag. Further, it actually rotated at a slow, crawling pace.

Other than this change, as well as a familiar blue color being essentially strapped onto Samus’ Unidentified Suit, not much else had rendered events unexpected.

Luna grinned knowingly, pointing to Samus’ chestplate.

“Oh, and I hope you don’t entirely mind being… ‘branded.’”

[Scanning…]

Samus lifted her arms a tad to look herself over. Indeed, her suspicions were confirmed: it was identical to a PED Suit ‘modification,’ though much less intrusive, as she did not develop any new pauldrons or other miscellaneous parts.

That Grapple Beam was still on her wish list, though.

Nevertheless, Samus nodded, and a soft smirk broke upon her face; one of pride.

“I don’t mind at all, actually,” she revealed. “I… well, let’s just say that our flag is growing on me.”

Luna held her head high with a prideful smirk of her own, but Samus did not have much chance to share a small moment with her on account of her systems completing their preliminary scans of the new technology.

[Equip helmet for full diagnostic.]

“Alright, lemme read up on this quickly…”

Samus did just that, and once her unchanged helmet took form on her head, her HUD was quite prompt with the alert.

[Magical Enhancement Device Acquired!]

[The Magical Enhancement Device (MED) is a modular add-on to your Suit which allows you to absorb and utilize both ambient and directed magic. The MED allows you to call upon this stored magic to replenish your energy tanks, reload weapons, and utilize magical technology.]

[More Info]

Samus recoiled visibly at the monoliths of text that suddenly spilled onto her visor in a torrential flood.

[Following the destruction of Phaaze, the Federation's Phazon Enhancement Device program was forcibly terminated. However, Fleet Admiral Dane recognized that the PED program served Federation troopers admirably during the Norion campaign, and instructed Federation scientists to preserve the design. While Equis was joining the Federation, joint Federation-Equisian science teams uncovered files from the PED program, and attempted to replace the Phazon workings with Equisian technology. The result is the Magical Enhancement Device.

[Relying on Equisian aetheric cells, the MED permits its users to interface, in a limited sense, with Equis' ambient aetheric field. Users do not gain the ability to cast magic; however, any devices they possess which are inherently magic-sensitive can utilize the MED. Recharging the MED's battery may be accomplished in several ways; first, exposure to a high-density aetheric field will cause the device to charge through simple exposure. Second, an individual able to actively project magic is able to recharge the device using directed energy. Finally, the Magic Recharge Station can directly interface with the MED to provide high-speed recharging.

[Further, when magic potential is maximized, injection of an energy tank into the MED activates Harmony Mode, allowing the wearer to use the Magicka Beam.]

“You guys really put a lot of thought into this,” Samus mused, dismissing her logbook and disengaging her helmet.

Luna chuckled, stepping next to the Hunter and stating proudly:

“I was the head of the project. Of course too much thought would have gone into it!”

The Princess turned and gestured towards a single firing lane.

“Would you care to test the Harmony Mode?” the alicorn inquired, the corner of her mouth upturning in a knowing smirk.

This was further helped along when, through Samus’ usually stoic visage, she saw the subtle, childish gleam in her blue eyes.

“Yes, Luna,” the Hunter said pointedly. “I would very much like to test out the Harmony Mode.”

A girly giggle escaped the Lunar Princess’ lips.

“Then kindly step into the firing lane and we shall demonstrate it,” Luna suggested, and Samus moved into the fairly typical weapons testing lane; it wouldn’t be far out of place on any GF installation, save for obvious concessions to anatomy.

Luna then explained:

“First, I shall charge the device to full. It should feel little different than when you were magic sensitive, save for one caveat: it will not feel as profound since it's not coming from within. Further, the weapon should be no different than when you natively possessed it.”

Samus nodded, equipping her helmet and placing her left hand on her hip. She keenly noted the placement of another meter just under her defensive shielding integrity: Magic; it was at 1% and ‘charging’ due to the heavy magical presence in the room.

“Got it. Let's do this,” she declared.

Scientists crowded at a distance to observe the fruits of their labor, and Luna illuminated her horn brightly, filling it with lambent magic, ready to cast.

A small batch of reflective targets sprang up at the end of the firing lane, and Samus got into her usual stance, aiming her cannon and placing her left hand atop.

She scoped out her first target and called over her shoulder:

“Ready when you are.”

Luna nodded, then spoke aloud via the same gesture.

“Prepare for the live fire test!”

And at Luna’s words, Samus locked onto the first target of the group that she selected at random. All she needed was the final part of the equation, which Luna would graciously provide.

The alicorn’s horn glowed even brighter.

“Beginning MED charge. Supersaturation!!”

On her cue, she zapped Samus with raw magic, targeting the MED module itself (though it did not really matter).

In the heat of the moment, time slowed down and Samus was suddenly overwhelmed with the familiar sensation of magic coursing through her body… and it was a feeling that she truly had no idea how much she missed until she felt its presence again just now. How the ethereal force touched her insides… her soul in the most intimate of ways nearly had her slacken, caught in a heavy sense of nostalgia.

It was not the same as when she was a magic-sensitive, but it opened her eyes as to her latent longing for it again.

But in that same moment that she was overcome with an enormous tingling sensation that superseded all other feelings. Raw power was filling her body to such a degree that even the mighty Hunter was feeling jittery and needing to move around immediately.

What kept her in place was when her magic meter instantly shot to 100%, then displayed a bold, pulsating ‘OVERCHARGE.’

Her arm cannon responded just as quickly, whirring to life as visible, rainbow-colored magic coursed kaleidoscopically over Samus’ entire form. Her arm cannon swelled, gaining length as its internals appeared filled with prismatic energy.

[Harmony Mode Active!]

[Magicka Beam Active!]

What everyone failed to notice for a multitude of reasons, was that Samus’ eyes also pulsed brightly from under her visor, widening considerably as she felt the most ‘pumped’ she had ever felt in a long time.

And without further instruction or exhortation, Samus engaged the targets before her, lashing them with pulse after pulse of kaleidoscopic power and laying waste to them in a matter of seconds.

Princess Luna and her entourage of some of the greatest Equestrian minds watched with knowing pride and all-consuming awe, respectively. After all, Samus laid down a one-person fusillade of the magical equivalent of the plasma beam in one deadly accurate shot after another.

Even when there were no targets left, Samus wasted the excess magic that had collected within her with indiscriminate fire, much like she had with Hyper Mode and the Phazon Beam of what she dubbed the ‘Corruption Incident.’

Old habits died hard.

Once the last of the aetheric overchargehad been exhausted, her arm cannon returned to default orientation, and Samus was left standing as she was not even thirty seconds prior.

She nodded once and turned to Luna with a simple phrase quintessential to her personality:

“I like it!”

Luna donned a rather placid smile and nodded knowingly in response.

“As I knew you would. But tell me, how do you feel?” she asked.

Samus had to pause for a brief moment to formulate a response to that. Disengaging her helmet and averting her eyes, she had to easily concede to herself that it was a wonderful feeling. That is, feeling magic flow through her body once more. While the excess had drained out from the firing of the Magicka Beam, she keenly noted before removing her helmet that the magic meter still read ‘99’ to match her energy shielding.

“I feel… pretty awesome, actually,” Samus finally said. “The magic feels nice and the weapon system works flawlessly. I can definitely use this should I need it… though hopefully I won’t, at least for a good while before I can safely go on missions again.”

But before anyone could speak further, Samus blinked a few times, remembering a certain battle in The Gateway Temple against a certain Sunfire Vigilant… and a consolation prize that could not be applied due to the lack of a magical connection.

“Wait a minute… hold on!”

Luna looked on curiously as Samus re-equipped her helmet to check her suit diagnostics for current scans.

Her intuition was right.

[Diagnostic Scan Complete. Unknown Item identified. Integrating with MED. Analyzing....]

[Celestial Beam Acquired!]

[The Celestial Beam alters the properties of your Arm Cannon, lining the internal surface with an aetheric bottle, allowing the weapon to suspend small globules of superheated, magical plasma in isolation. Upon exiting the barrel, the plasma disperses in a wide pattern, suitable for room-clearing or dispatching foes in a wide area. Firing the weapon in this mode consumes a single unit of magical charge.

Charging the beam alters the bottle; instead of multiple smaller globules, the weapon’s payload combines into three large ones fired in a high arc. The forward choke accelerates the globules and destabilizes the individual containers; on impact, they explode, immolating a wide area. Safety interlocks in the design prohibit use of the Cannon in any mode for five seconds to allow the internal temperature to cool to safe levels. Firing the weapon in this mode consumes ten units of magical charge.]

Shotgun and Plasma Launcher. Nice.

Samus read the results aloud so Luna could weigh in with her own thoughts, and Luna was certainly impressed to hear of the weapon system’s recovery.

She took a much more explanatory tone, gesturing with her hoof as an aid.

“The Celestial Beam is a group of offensive spells that the Solar Alicorns imparted onto their most skilled warriors. Celestia is the only one who still knows the group, and I do not believe even Twilight Sparkle is capable, at least yet.”

Luna still couldn’t shake off her surprised look, though she physically tried to, as she shook her head clear of her previous thoughts.

“You have a powerful weapon in your arsenal, Samus. Further, I’m working on an enhanced version of the Night Beam to which I shall impart onto you. At this point, I believe your ‘re-armament’ has been quite successful.”

Samus was more than inclined to agree and accept.

“Awesome! I’ll look forward to when that’s do—”

Her suit chimed in with another notification.

“Oh for… what now?” Samus huffed, re-engaging her helmet.

She was immediately greeted with the last thing she expected.

[Charge Beam Combination Detected.]

[Coronal Ejection Acquired!]

[The Coronal Ejection is the Charge Combination of the Celestial Beam. It uses twenty-five missiles and thirty units of magical charge! The Coronal Ejection fires an explosive, ultra-heated flare over a wide area which will vaporize targets not protected by heavy armor.]

Luna deadpanned at hearing Samus read out her further ability.

“I wanted you rearmed… not with enough power to overthrow a star system!”

And while that comment earned a hearty chuckle out of the Hunter, it did little to soothe her worried yet curious mind. Adam’s four words over the Admiral to whom she was recently introduced still weighed heavily on her.

Even when retiring back to her temporary lodging in the castle with admittedly ‘good loot’ in tow, to her, this was no time for rest. It was time to have a little heart-to-heart with Adam, as well as gather some information.

Having shed her Zero Suit and swapped it out for a more comfortable T-shirt and sweatpants, Samus let her hair down and took a seat on her bed. She was about to commence some research on her tablet (which had survived the incident) when a familiar little chirping and gurgling entered her ears.

Samus lifted her head and spied the resident metroid floating through her open balcony window, membrane as blue as could be.

Without a second thought, Samus greeted the creature.

“Oh. Hey Sapphire,” she said, turning back to her tablet and bringing up some databases.

“Hi Samus!” came Sapphires boisterous reply.

As she floated in the middle of the room to just see what was up, a third voice promptly entered the room, one much deeper and mischievous.

“Yes. Helloooo Samus,” Discord cooed as he slithered out of a dimensional void, the malformed draconequus overlooking the Hunter.

“Ugh. Bye Samus,” Sapphire muttered, her membrane snapping to orange..

She then promptly floated back out the window with nary a single word, and Samus, more or less unfazed by both Discord and his arrival, watched her go before remarking calmly:

“Jesus… she actually doesn’t like you.”

Discord quickly found his place, splaying himself out along Samus’ bed, willing a fan into existence as he made himself comfortable.

“Sapphire and I have an… understanding,” he corrected delicately.

“I, however, merely wanted to pay the ‘Great Hero of Equestria’ a visit to see how she was doing in light of more recent events,” the draconequus added.

Samus nodded, her eyes having not once strayed from the screen of her tablet.

She had only spoken to Discord on a handful of occasions, and while the others often found their mutual, ‘composite’ friend somewhat abrasive, he never really got under her skin. In fact, Samus wholeheartedly felt that being good friends with Pinkie was more than enough training to deal with someone like the Lord of Chaos.

Ergo, he often came and went as he pleased, which ended up being fairly infrequently, and with Samus’ limited exposure to him not yet testing her patience, she was usually okay with it.

Usually.

Samus’ answer came swiftly and succinctly:

“I’m fine. Thanks. But considering I had to dispatch five people in Twilight’s Library, I’m sure you could imagine I’ve been better.”

Discord nodded.

“Quite. Which is why I’d imagine you buried in a book with a cup of tea like Purple Smart in the other room… or fast asleep, to be honest. Not attempting to conduct boring research,” he droned, extending his back over the edge of the bed for emphasis.

“Yeah… well, something tells me something’s not right here. There’s an odd set of coincidences that make no sense. Intuition hasn’t failed me once in my travels, so I’ve got my work cut out for me to make sure shit doesn’t spiral outta control,” Samus replied, performing multi-touch gestures with the fluid grace of an expert in her field.

And for the first time this evening, she flicked her eyes up to meet Discord’s… who rolled his in response with a scoff.

“The same placid arrogance, the same cynicism… the resemblance is uncanny,” he began, sitting up straight and earning a cocked eyebrow from the Hunter.

Discord shook his head, his mad eyes looking quite sane as he locked her gaze.

“All this talk of ensuring ‘natural peace and balance’ in the galaxy while at the same time,pursued even more destructive weapons, built their armies, and expanded their influence. While you harbor little similarities as far as that behavior goes, their habit of whining and worrying about literally everything was passed onto you clear as day.”

“You certainly are their daughter.”

The woman’s eyes widened for the briefest of moments.

“Excuse me?” Samus was quick to reply, though not born of snark… but curiosity.

“All I’m saying is that I find it amazing how the Chozo, though they had such powerful prophetic abilities that they were able to predict you, could still be so worried about the future,” Discord mused.

Samus wasn’t concerned about that, though. In fact, she ignored his last comment and for even the fewest moments following, she decided to forget her troubles and pursue an odd conversation with an equally odd individual.

Perhaps that heart-to-heart with Adam could wait for half an hour.

“Discord… did you know any of the Chozo personally?”

[G.F.S. Oculus | Deep Space]

Sam lay stretched out on a long couch in one of the many lounges of the capital ship, garbed in her usual pseudo-Zero Suit. This evening, the clone was celebrating yet another milestone in her training, one which had proven her a cut above Federation Special Forces.

Ergo, this was her time to just veg out and do whatever she pleased, with Conway’s blessing, of course.

With one hand folded behind her head and the other cradling and idly juggling an apple, she snacked at her own pace, her eyes lidded in comfortable fatigue. Sighing out, she recrossed her legs and took another, satisfying bite of her fruit, letting its juices run messily down the sides of her face. Her hair was out of its natural ponytail state, splayed around her head discordantly.

She cared little for propriety at the moment; her muscles pleasantly ached and she was just enjoying some time to herself.

That’s all that mattered.

A few other Federation personnel, usually marines, came and went at their leisure and said hi to her if they happened to know her; Sam had made a couple of friends since her impressive victory back on the Silber Beach exercise, so she had been occasionally joining them for meals or on her own time… but not now.

This time was just for her.

Sam finished her snack, and then to her annoyance, realized that she would have to actually get up from her comfy enclave to dispose of the core. To her, this was not an option, and she elected to just hold onto it, perhaps hang it lazily in her right hand as it drooped off the side of the couch.

Her eyelids became heavier with the passing seconds, and suddenly a nap did not seem like a bad idea… while actually exerting physical energy to properly toss out the remnants of her snack, by contrast, seemed like the worst idea in the universe.

Fuck it.

She did just that, sighing out heavily as she closed her eyes. Her mind escaped to the realm of dreams… after all, it would just be for a little nap.

Right?

Sam opened her eyes after what seemed like a most relaxing cat nap… only to realize that everyone had left the lounge, and the large clock that was right in the center between two window panes read almost four hours later than when she knocked out for supposedly only a few moments.

Adrenaline surged through her system at the sudden, irrational thought that she was late in reporting to Conway… and she instantly sat up groggily on the couch while accidentally crushing the apple core in her hand.

Then she grasped the idea that that wasn’t the case… and all that startling herself accomplished was to make a mess out of her hand with the apple’s remains.

“Son of a bitch…” she cursed, flicking some of the remnant juices off of her covered hand.

She then came to terms with the fact that someone would have to clean up this little mess of fruit.

And that someone was not going to be her.

Sam looked around conspicuously, finding that no one had witnessed her little spaz episode, and she quietly slunk out of the lounge.

Meandering through the corridors of the monstrous ship, Sam stopped by a restroom to wash off her hands before figuring out what to do next; her little nap had staved off any bit of imminent sleepiness she would have, so as a result, she wasn’t tired in the slightest.

Continuing her search to occupy her time, she heard what sounded like synchronized marching farther down the hall. Stopping in her tracks to confirm this, something was definitely going on; so, letting her curious side get the better of her, she sprang forth to investigate.

Sam found the source of boots and shoes hitting and skidding against the floor to be from an empty recreation room.

Hmmm…

Peeking in cautiously, she found the room to be shrouded in darkness save for the center, a few lights turned on to illuminate the room’s occupants and the source of the noise. Five soldiers, all in their casual PT wear, appeared to be dancing in routine; three men and two women—one of the former whom Sam was not sure whether or not she recognized—were present.

“Alright, let’s take it from the top, with music this time!”

The moment the tunes started and the group began their opening moves, Sam was already enraptured. Struck by the coordination and graceful, deliberate movements synchronized to the beat, Sam’s eyes went wide and she gave into the compelling urge to quietly enter and take a seat in the darkness.

As said routine went on and the quintuplet’s dancing became much more complex and sophisticated, the clone smiled brightly and leaned progressively more forward in her seat.

Something about this performance—she could not place it—made her feel wonderful, as well as, ironically, question how any human could have such skill and coordination.

Amazing!

“Nice! That worked out better than last time!”

One of the men, however, stopped in his tracks and focused right on Sam in the darkness, startling the poor girl.

“Whoa hold on there… looks like we’ve got a little audience.”

Sam immediately stood up straight, smiling awkwardly and fidgeting in place as she marshalled her thoughts to properly explain herself.

“Oh! Heh… sorry!” Sam replied, beginning to gradually face the door. “I’ll umm… I was just watching, I’ll go.”

“Whoa there, wait a minute,” another man stepped forward, ceasing abruptly Sam’s attempts to get out of their hair.

He was a fair-skinned, short-haired blonde, but looked like he had a light suntan. He had green eyes, a stature just a couple inches above Sam, and a lean build most typical of the soldiers of the Federation. Something about his face, however, his features, stirred recognizance in Sam.

“Sam, is that you?”

The clone faced him and narrowed her gaze inquisitively… then her expression suddenly lit.

“Connor?!”

It was the man’s turn for his face to brighten.

“Ha HA! She remembers me!”

Connor strode up to her and wrapped his left arm around her shoulders, facing his comrades.

Both had smiles on their faces and he gestured to her pointedly.

“This girl, right here, was the one who pretty much dominated the frontline drop wargame two weeks ago. She’s unstoppable, lemme tell ya!”

“No shit! That’s her? The Samus Aran lookalike??” the right-most woman spoke, almost starstruck.

“You bet it is!” Connor confirmed.

“Damn, Connor, you didn’t tell us you were friends with a supersoldier!”

“And she’s so pretty! Fuck, some people really do get it all.”

“Dude, and she doesn’t chill with us? Not cool, man. Not cool.”

Truth be told, Sam had stopped taking in their words after the first input from the others, as all the praise was starting to get her red in the face… something she was not so keen on putting on display. Admiral Conway (and to a lesser extent, Eisen) had always lavished her with genuine praise (and scathing criticisms), and after a while she got used to it, though their appreciation for her efforts never dwindled.

Hearing it from others, however, was humbling yet thrilling at the same time.

Sam shifted on her feet idly, pointedly avoiding all of the unfamiliar yet giddy gazes.

“Heh, well… just a soldier is all,” she said.

Connor interjected with a sudden change in topic, nudging her arm deliberately with a hopeful inflection lacing his tone:

“I see you snuck in and watched us from the shadows all mysterious-like… what’d ya think? Were we any good?” he asked.

The others fixed their gazes on Sam, seeking her answer in kind.

With the subject being drawn away from her, Sam breathed an internal sigh, but the new topic brought her original reasons for being in this predicament to the forefront.

Even so, she had little trouble answering his question with the shimmering-eyed enthusiasm that she had become somewhat known for on the front lines.

“You guys were amazing! I mean… heh, the way you moved in ways that matched the music so perfectly,” she began, stopping herself from going on a tangent.

Chuckling awkwardly at her little outward display, Sam simply ended with a shrug:

“I was enjoying the show, in case you didn’t notice.”

One of the women, dark-skinned and sporting some stylish, shortened black hair, stepped forward with a bright smile, offering her hand.

“Damn, that feels awesome coming from you! Corporal Denise Greer. It’s so awesome to meet you!”

Sam took her hand with a giggle and shook, though she retreat somewhat behind a few of her bangs.

“Heh, I’m Sam. Nice to meet you, too.”

Denise cocked her head with a prodding smirk.

“Is ‘Sam’ short for something? And no rank or last name?” she teased.

Oh boy.

Sam took a deep breath as she prepared for what she was about to say, the same, rehearsed speech she had memorized since her first weeks.

“I’m actually new here and reporting directly to Conway,” she explained tentatively…

...then as she earned everyone’s attention at her words, she continued confidently.

“I’m technically a Corporal on paper, but Conway’s got something in mind, so he told me to stay away from identifying myself by rank. Sorry to say, it’s classified. Oh, and my last name’s Kerwin.”

Sam cleared her throat, excitedly yet curiously relaying the next part:

“And… no, I don’t think it’s short for anything? Everyone’s just called me ‘Sam’ for as long as I remember. But please, ‘Sam’ is just fine.”

At the mention of Conway’s name, all five of the others donned much more impressed looks, as well as garnering a few ‘oohs.’

“Well, excuuuuse us, Corporal Kerwin,” Denise replied, exaggerating her words to everyone’s amusement.

“Say, Sam…” Connor cut back in, drawing everyone’s attention. “We’re looking for a sixth person to join us on our routines on downtime. And you’re pretty cool. You interested?”

Sam, understandably blindsided by the question, subconsciously backed away from the group as she felt crowded all of a sudden.

“W-What? I umm… I couldn’t. I don’t even know how to dance, and I don’t think I’d be able to keep up with you guys at all, especially with my training,” she politely declined.

Though deep down, something screamed at her to accept. A combination of her normal duties as well as her lack of social skills contributed to her not being able to do so, in good conscience.

Denise, however, had other plans, evident by she gripping Sam by the hand.

“That’s a great idea, Connor! And don’t worry about it, Sam… we’ll get you up to speed!”

And with a shrill yelp from the clone, she was forcefully dragged by the group of overly-friendly Federation troopers that were so eager to become her friends.

Well, at least that’s what she eventually found out.

[The Bridge | Some Weeks Later]

The steely, ever-calculating face of Fredrick Conway stared out into the open void of space from his perch at the forward viewport, where he could usually be found if someone were to come looking for him.

The bridge’s staff buzzed to and fro, doing their duties to keep the Oculus on station, though the place was a little more awash with activity. Preparations were underway to ensure the entire Sixth Fleet was ready to make a jump to hyperspace.

Among the activity of his subordinates, Conway’s stillness stood out. Arms folded comfortably behind his back, his always clean face and neatly pressed uniform gave him one of the most imposing presences when combined with the odd lighting. Few of his fellows dared approach him in this position, though Conway tried to convince them it was okay. Everyone aboard his ship, from vice admirals down to the greenest trooper, were permitted to seek him out should they need him..

He figured this had to do with how stoic he looked, how every time someone laid eyes on him, the edges of his lips were curled down in a soundless snarl. A ‘resting commander’s’ face, he liked to refer to it as, but he had his reasons for having such a natural complexion.

Still, the only one who would approach him without any regard would be Commander Eisen.

Conway let his mind wander as he waited for some final diagnostic results and confirmations, taking a deep breath and exhaling.

He recalled vividly how when he made the rank of Captain, his wife, Anne, had surprised him by leaving him. With this excitement expertly dashed by a single note, this was the spark that drove him into a simultaneous spiral upward in rank and achievement, yet downward in sheer bitterness and cynicism at the galaxy.

He was merely a captain, then. Since that day, he had raked in the praise of higher officers and even the Chairman himself for his tireless efforts in making the Federation safer and more secure for all sentients—with the help of Admiral Dane, of course.

Yet now, here he was: on the verge of uniting the Galaxy under the Federation’s rule and exterminating or expelling every remaining threat to Federation dominance. His efforts may have be unorthodox, yes, and some might call his practices unethical, he conceded… but under his command, the Federation would flourish, and the Chairman would grant him a Fleet Admiralship when Dane retired.

Overseer of the entire, greater Armed Forces of the Galactic Federation.

If only Anne could see him now.

“Fredrick?”

Conway stiffened his posture and turned on his heels with a smirk; there was only one person who had the right to call him by his first name. In doing so, he found exactly who he expected, though with the smooth, authoritative voice that rang out, he did not expect anyone else. He found her in her usual uniform, hair tied up neatly in a bun under her visor-cap, with that same tablet cradled in her arm since the first day he met her.

“Tess. How’re you today, adjutant?” he asked, raising the corner of his mouth.

Eisen scowled.

“Ugh, you know I hate that title.”

Conway chuckled, tilting his head briefly to relieve some tension in his neck.

“I’m well aware, which is why I continue to use it once in awhile; gotta keep you on edge,” he replied.

Then he took a much more familiar stance and crossed his arms under his chest.

“I trust you have good news for me?”

Eisen sneered at him jokingly, to which Conway inwardly giggled at having riled her up.

“Have I ever let you down?”

“Not to my knowledge, unless there’s something you’d like to tell me now that’ll break this trend,” the Admiral suggested, cocking an eyebrow.

Eisen rolled her eyes, unlocking her tablet and navigating appropriately.

“Oh ye of little faith, Admiral… but at any rate, it looks like the last ship’s engineering team made ready a half hour ago. CIC reports fleetwide navlock; the Fleet is prepared to jump on your order.”

Conway nodded, then placed his chin in the crook of his thumb and index finger.

“Very good. And Sam is doing well? With these preparations, I haven’t been able to check up on her as personally as I’d have liked this month,” he inquired.

The Commander beamed.

“Certainly is! She’s getting stronger every day and her skills only continue to improve. Her mind is like a sponge right now, too… and her ability to speak and formulate sentences gets better by the day. It’s like she’s rapidly catching up to where she should be as a naturally born adult in the span of a few months!” she reported.

Conway relaxed his stance, then leaned back against the bridge railing.

“Is that so? And she’s not burning out in the slightest or showing any negative effects from her constant training and knowledge building?”

Eisen shook her head, her complexion never changing.

“Nope! In fact, at my recommendation, she’s taken up a couple of hobbies to help relax her mind. These include reading, weight training, and most curiously… dancing.”

The admiral recoiled at the mention of the last word, and as if it would help him hear properly, he adjusted his visor-cap out of habit. He averted his face but kept his eyes squarely trained on Eisen.

“...Dancing?”

“Mhmm!”

He caressed the cleft of his chin, eyes donning a thousand-yard stare for a brief moment.

“Interesting… well, whatever helps keep her focused on her purpose and missions is alright in my book, I suppose. At any rate, on the topic of missions, once we jump into hyperspace I would like you to give Sam a preliminary briefing on her first real deployment once we arrive at Planet Equis,” Conway instructed.

His posture righted once more in the face of business. The first die had been cast with the perfectly planned ‘deployment’ of Spectre Squad, and their consequent failure to return. The next phase of the ruse would necessitate more covert operations before the actual objective would be revealed.

Eisen’s eyes widened briefly.

“Is it time?”

“Yes,” Conway reaffirmed resolutely, his eyes playing host to that soulless stare that Eisen had become so privy to when assumed his rightful ‘commanding’ role.

“She’s come a long way since her ‘birth.’ The moment we enter Equisian orbit is when we start sending teams out. Working with intelligence, we shall brief her more formally when the time comes, but this first mission will be critical to our objectives.”

Eisen took a deep breath and shut her eyes for a couple seconds, exhaling solemnly. It was difficult knowing that eventually, something you had to create and that you hold so dearly, experiment-wise, would be put into harm’s way. Still, this was balanced out by knowing she would get incredible data to work with.

SA-2 would also survive and perform optimally. There was no question about this.

“Yes, sir. I’ll speak to her tonight when I’m able.”

Conway patted her shoulder with a friendly smirk, one which Eisen herself couldn’t help but reciprocate.

“It can wait until tomorrow. Take the rest of the night off, you look exhausted,” he almost ordered, eliciting a light-hearted chuckle out of the Commander.

“Then I’ll do just that. Thanks, Fred,” she replied, snapping to attention and delivering a more formal salute.

Conway’s return salute was militarily perfect, and static nearly crackled from his uniform. Dismissed, Eison hurried from the bridge, with extra urgence from the Admiral. Conway suspected she’d disobey and continue to work before retiring, but her unwavering work ethic was what earned her her place by his side.

Hence, the reason Conway usually gave her free reign.

Facing back towards the viewing pane, Conway decided it was time to make the announcement:

“Aurora 192!”

“Aurora 192 ready,” came the prompt, omnipotent reply from the ship’s controlling intelligence.

“Alert the Fleet!” Conway boomed. “We enter hyperspace in ten minutes! Destination: Planet Equis VK109H.”

“Acknowledged. Broadcast to: Galactic Federation Armed Forces Sixth Fleet,” the Unit began, in its slow, deliberate cadence.

“All personnel prepare for hyperspace jump. Hyperspace jump commencing in: ten minutes.” the Aurora Unit began broadcasting in one-minute intervals with updated time.

With the fleet officially set in motion, a galvanized Conway resumed gazing out of the window pane at space and the fleet before him. The final course corrections were being made and soon, all would follow along the three-day journey to Equis.

Operations would commence immediately.

1. Prologue

We see her wounded eyes, and remember the child we found so long ago... a fledgling orphaned on a savaged planet, did a warrior's pulse already beat in her veins, filling her with righteous fury?... We shall do all that we can to aid her, for she bears our legacy as she bears the ancient armor and weapons of our people.

-Chozo Lore

Metroid Equis II: Duality

Section 1

Prologue

[The Everfree Forest | ~1.5 Years after the Phazon Conflict]

[Suggested Ambiance]

The air in this particular, foreign section of the Everfree smelled wet and earthy, owing to the perpetual rainfall it was currently experiencing, unadulterated by weather pegasi. The sky above the forest canopy was an unbroken expanse of grey and white, pouring out its torrential fury on the ground below. The natural fauna, undisturbed for centuries, had retreated into their homes, rendering this stretch of forest silent save for the rainfall. The mist, born of the constant downpour, reduced visibility to mere meters; yet, a sense of primeval peace existed there, underscored by the breathtaking natural patterns of the local flora.

The aforementioned peace was soon broken by the light and sound of four long-range teleportation spells as four ponies broke the long silence.

Four sets of hooves sank slightly into the saturated ground. Their owners: four unicorns clad in distinctive silver, full-body armor with bright-blue T-Visors on their full-face helmets. Said armor was emblazoned with G.F.M.C., with a smaller font inscription E.S.F. directly below it, on both sides of the torso. In lieu of nametapes, the armor bore the images of their wearers’ cutie marks on the flanks, and the Galactic Federation insignia was placed on both sides of the helmet right under the exposed ears. Tails flowed freely out of precise openings of the armor (whereas manes were concealed), and horns protruded out of an aperture in the forehead of the helmet’s outer shell.

The group’s armor was already streaked with the mud and dirt of the forest, the rain beginning to cut through it, while at the same time impairing their vision.

“Alright, this is the place. It looks like we made it, then,” a female voice broke over their short-range radios, exuding command. The owner of the voice, the unicorn at the head of the formation; her cutie mark identified her as Captain Constant “Constance” Function.

“Roger that. For the record, I still can’t see shit,” Lieutenant Radiance Emeralda remarked, doing her best to shake the water off of her visor, though that was proving difficult. The rain storm was quickly replacing water droplets on her visor faster than the helmet’s environmental control unit could evaporate them.

“Oh, so you’re allowed to complain and I’m not?” Corporal Starry Night interjected sarcastically.

“The difference is that you’re really annoying when you open your mouth,” Radiance shot back with equal humor, earning a harsh body-check from Starry. The two mares were the best of friends and banter like this was constantly ongoing.

“Come on,” Corporal Windfire Galeforce, the final member of the squad, exhorted. “The sooner we get this done, the sooner Starry can get back to her coltfriend.” Windfire’s helmet concealed his smirk, and his experience kept it out of his voice.

“Oh shut up.”

“That’s enough for now, guys. The structure’s this way,” Constance shushed them before leading on, her three friends and soldiers falling into step behind her. The four magically unslung their Equestrian-made Assault Rifles and held them at the low ready. Their visor systems, recognizing that the weapons were held ready, brought the targeting systems online. The jungle was dead silent, save for the steady patter of the rainfall which served to mask the sound of their approach. With all the fauna being gone, the group’s motion trackers were clear, save for each other.

“Windy, you still got the Item?” Radiance asked Windfire through the radio, referring to a magical relic—known simply as “the Item”—that the group had to pick up on a detour through Nightshade Temple. After careful searching with Princess Luna, the group was able to find it. According to her, this item had been recovered, then lost, by the Hunter during a previous mission.

The male unicorn gave a gentle shake of his flank, the glowing ‘ball’ of foreign magic being strapped to his hips and contained within an opaque, enchanted vial. The vial tapped against his hip a couple of times, signifying that it was indeed still there.

“Yup. Hope the Princess’ hunch was right, though…”

“It would suck to be all the way out here and this doesn’t work,” Radiance mused, everypony else agreeing wholeheartedly. It would be disheartening for their massive trip to be for nothing, but Princess Luna had rarely been wrong before… they just hoped that this was not one of those rare cases. Silence took over once more as the four of them continued trudging onward. A few minutes later, Constance put her hoof up to stop her squad’s advance.

“Structure’s up ahead. Fan out,” she ordered. The other three responded affirmatively and complied with her instructions, spreading out along the treeline. They laid low with their weapons ready to fire as Constance scouted ahead, ensuring their path was clear. While Constance was doing that, the other three attempted to ascertain the structure ahead of them. Unlike Starfall Fortress, a grand, imposing Chozo edifice, this installation looked like nothing so much as a simple warehouse. It seemed to be designed to blend in as much as possible, though the Chozo markings along its walls betrayed its origins.

“R-Really? This is it?” Windfire spoke up, expressing his doubt at the sight before him.

“I… I guess so,” Starry answered, echoing a similar sentiment through the uncertainty in her words.

“Far cry from Nightshade or Starfall, but orders are orders. Come on, let’s get inside,” Constance added, breaking through the treeline, her companions falling into step behind her. The squad kept eyes in every direction, senses alert for threats that might make themselves apparent as they approached. The jungle, however, remained stubbornly quiescent, motion trackers continuing to read clear and rifles having no targets.

The warehouse entrance stood before them, unfettered by door or any other hindrance. With silent hoof gestures, Constance ordered her squad to stack up on either side of the entrance, then quickly peeked inside. Nothing revealed itself to her but darkness and, dimly, the far wall of the structure. Satisfied, Constance ordered her team inside.

[Suggested Ambiance]

“Aaaand there’s nothing here…” Radiance stated, the four soldiers having turned on their helmet-mounted flashlights. The added light revealed only strange symbols, glyphs in the Chozo language, their purpose unclear. Starry started experimentally stomping the ground.

“Yeah, even the ground feels completely solid,” she observed, nothing seeming to be flimsy or giving way. Constance joined Starry in examining the floor of the warehouse. It was as solid for her as it was for her subordinate, and this fact led her to wonder why this structure existed at all. It housed nothing, and the floor was so unmarred that it likely never did. Things did not add up, and it appeared, at first glance, that this mission was already over.

Windfire, however, was even more suspicious, and this suspicion prompted a closer investigation. Looking from the floor to the walls, he noticed that the floor, or at least sections thereof, appeared newer than the rest, as if it had been torn up and replaced.

“Scan the floor with something else. I wanna see past the stone itself,” he commented. “Anypony know a decent spell we can use?”

“Maybe… how about this?” Starry asked, charging up her horn and aiming it at the floor. Releasing the spell, a small sphere of pure magic slowly fell earthwards, diffusing into the massive slabs of concrete-like material as easily as a drop of water into a sponge. The magic suddenly highlighted the perimeter of the entire building… but what was interesting was that the spell did not return merely the perimeter of the floor… but a giant, perfectly circular hole, clearly the start of a shaft, that laid a few feet below.

“Knew it…” Windfire remarked proudly.

“Well done, Windfire. At least this structure isn’t just a random building,” Constance praised. The next step was actually accessing this secret passageway. “Now, did anypony happen to bring one of those new breaching charges?”

The four looked at each other and shrugged. None had expected to have to brute force an entrance, though in hindsight, as Special Forces, they realized that they probably should have planned for such a scenario.

“Alright, then we’re doing this the old-fashioned way. Starry, cast that spell again so we can see exactly where the entrance is. The rest of us are going to cut a hole in the floor,” Constance ordered, everypony immediately moving into their appropriate positions around the target area. With one curt, affirmative nod from Constance, Starry cast the spell and illuminated the hidden entrance underneath the slab of flooring. Slinging their rifles to their backs, the other three charged their horns and fired continuous, concentrated beams of hard magic at the floor beneath them and began slowly walking around in a circle as said beams pierced through. With the ability to see the quite large hole below, they used its circumference as a guide to cut through the flooring, which happened to be over a foot thick.

Once a full circle had been completed, the circular section of floor sank an inch or so into the ground. Constance moved cautiously onto the platform and jumped up and down, trying to knock it loose. Fortunately, perhaps, the platform couldn’t be dislodged this way, stubbornly holding firm. After a couple of attempts, Constance moved back onto solid ground.

“Alright, let’s take this a bit farther. Radiance, set a grenade in the center. I’ll put a shield over it which will focus the force of the blast downward,” Constance softly ordered yet again.

“You got it, Cap,” Radiance replied, magically fishing a grenade off of her belt. She held it level with her eyes, shooting a questioning glance at her commander. Getting a final, approving nod, she pressed the primer, the spherical explosive lighting up as the fuze entered standby mode.

“Fire in the hole, I guess…” she added with a lack of enthusiasm, placing the active grenade in the center of the cut flooring. Constance immediately conjured the shield in place around the grenade, preparing herself for the onslaught. In the event that her shielding failed to hold for whatever reason, she wished to ensure that only she took the punishment.

“Everypony, shields up, just in case.”

The grenade went off right as everypony encased themselves in their own spherical barriers, but Constance’s plan went off without a hitch; the powerful blast was fully contained, the force directed downward, blowing apart the massive piece of flooring that they cut out.

“Alright… that did it. Now, how deep does this go?” Starry asked, peeking her head into the shaft entrance that they had created.

“...Not sure. Switch to night-vision,” Constance instructed. Wordlessly, four pairs of visors switched into night-vision mode; however, even with their newly-enhanced sight the shaft still faded into blackness. Again, it appeared that the group was going to have to proceed the hard way.

“So… what now?” Radiance chimed in.

“If this is like other Chozo structures, my guess is that this shaft won’t go deeper than two hundred feet. Let’s rappel down for as far as we can,” Constance said. Everypony sounded off in the affirmative, readying their rappel systems (located in their right forelegs), anchoring the piton into the floor at the top of the shaft, then harnessing themselves in and stepping over the shaft’s edge. All four of them leaped and pushed off the walls of the entrance shaft in perfect synchronization as they continued downward. Their night-vision served to correct for the nonexistent light but what was more interesting was that the shaft’s walls were completely smooth, indicating the technology level of whoever dug this out. Interest quickly turned elsewhere when a small problem reared its head:

Vector Squad only carried so much rappel line, and now they were literally at the end of their rope.

“Well… how’s it hangin’?” Radiance asked, earning an annoyed, almost pained groan from everypony else.

“Just… shut up,” Windfire said, face-hoofing his visor and shaking his head. Starry similarly chided Radiance for her terrible, completely unoriginal pun while Constance turned to face the darkness and switched on her flashlight, sweeping the beam towards the bottom. As luck would have it, her night-vision permitted her to see the bottom, a smile worming its way onto her muzzle.

“Guys, looks like about another forty or thirty feet to the bottom. Lock your armor and we’ll drop the remaining distance.”

“Won’t we, like… die?” Starry asked.

“Not if you do as I say and lock your armor. The impact will be redistributed, but you may be a bit sore though,” Constance replied with a warning, and though everypony else looked at each other with some trepidation, they knew full well to trust their squad leader with their lives. She was the best there was in the Magickakorps and she was the best there was now in the Equestrian Special Forces.

That, and she was their good friend, if that meant anything at all.

Thus, they did as they were told, and after a few magical commands, their armor was now rigid and ready for any impact, encased by a light sheen of golden energy.

“Ready.”

“All set.”

“Let’s get this over with.”

“Alright,” Constance spoke once more, readying her armor for impact. “Detach the rappels in three… two… one… NOW!”

All rappel lines disconnected simultaneously and all four bodies plummeted for about two seconds to the solid ground, their armor and underlayers absorbing all the impact as they struck the bottom of the shaft with frightening force. After waiting a few seconds to give internal forces time to dissipate, Vector gave their armor suits the command to disengage their armor locks, allowing their limbs motion once more.

“Ugh… my head. I almost landed on my damn horn,” Windfire spoke, gently shaking his head clear and stretching his body as much as he could.

“My ass though…” Starry whined, trying to massage her armor-clad haunches against the unforgiving floor.

“Mine too,” Radiance chimed in, sympathizing with her best friend. Constance, though as sore as the rest of her squad, merely rolled her eyes.

“Time sure hasn’t changed you three at all. Seriously, none of you stop complaining… ever since basic it’s always ‘whine, whine, whine,’” Constance admonished with good humor, but not without a thread of seriousness lacing her words. She shook her head, sighing as she got to her hooves and began walking through the only path available to them. This path happened to be an entrance to an even larger compound, as evident by the size of the ancient, trapezoidal arch that was at least five times their heights; also covered with more Chozo glyphs.

The other three quickly fell into formation with her, rifles at the ready.

“Yet you love us all,” Radiance added endearingly, Constance huffing but ensuring she did not betray any humor.

“I’d sell you all to Tartarus for a single chocolate bar,” she deadpanned.

“Hey, that’s better than last time! Movin’ on up!”

The next room beyond the arch was but a straight corridor, with no side passages or alcoves in sight. The massive hallway was flanked on either side by Chozo Statues and obelisks at irregular intervals, serving to intensify the already-ominous atmosphere. Chozo writing was beautifully engraved on almost every section of the walls, though there were certain portions that appeared set off from the rest, speaking to some inherent significance.

“Windfire, scan these for later analysis. The Princess wanted as much lore to decipher as possible,” Constance ordered as they passed the writing, the group never slowing. Windfire did as he was told, using his visor to snap pictures of the glyphic writing as he went. The group’s hoofsteps echoed off of the corridor’s walls, the only sound to break the silence of the perfectly preserved corridor. The group’s attention was torn away from a closer examination of their surroundings as they continued on, however, when their motion trackers suddenly blipped, highlighting six contacts ahead of them.

“Rifles up!” Radiance shouted, suiting action to words. “Contacts fr—”

She was interrupted when all motion trackers went blank as abruptly as they were populated. The four held position, rifles fully drawn as they fanned out, two looking ahead and two looking back, ears pricked forward and listening for the slightest noise foreign to their surroundings. All that sounded was the group’s collective heavy breathing, and nothing made itself visible.

“Ooookay then. Everypony, be on your guard. We’ve been this far in life together without major injuries and I don’t want it happening now,” Constance spoke.

“Ahem,” Starry replied, clearing her throat and calling attention to the memory of the downed Space Pirate Frigate.

“Oh, right. You all know what I mean, though.” She then noticed that their path came to an end in forty or so feet, where it doglegged to the left. “Starry, you’re on point. Check around the bend.”

“On it.”

As Constance, Windfire, and Radiance advanced at a steady pace, Starry broke ahead of the group and approached the blind corner, stacking up against the wall and poking her head quickly into the next part of the path. Spying nothing but more of the same darkness, she looked back toward her CO.

“Looks clear for now, Cap; I’m scouting farther ahead,” Starry reported, leading with her rifle around the corner and disappearing from view.

“Solid copy, just don’t go too far ah—” Constance was cut off when a deafening, ghastly hiss rang through the corridor, followed by a shrill scream from Starry. Four rifle shots sounded in rapid succession before Starry came bolting back from around the corner in a full gallop back towards her friends.

“NOPE! NOPE! Chozo Ghosts!” Starry exclaimed, ceasing her gallop and executing a less-than-elegant equivalent of a smuggler’s turn, rejoining her comrades with her weapon aimed. Her allies followed suit.

“Alright everypony, prepare to engage!” Constance ordered. “Just like with Alicorn Spirits… augment vision, now.”

With a little extra magic, four sets of eyes glowed brightly from behind their visors. Their newly-augmented vision would permit Vector to track the ghosts’ manifestation energies, instead of relying on visible light, which is unreliable given the ghosts’ propensity to fade out of sight.

[Suggested Ambiance]

After another ghastly hiss, two hulking Chozo Ghosts phased out of the corridor walls and dropped to the ground, their hands glowing brightly as they channeled energy in preparation for their attack. All four unicorns opened fire, their rifles spitting golden hardlight projectiles directly into the chest of the left-hand ghost. The combined firepower of the four rapid-fire weapons nearly instantaneously defeated it, its body floating and disappearing from the mortal realm.

Windfire and Radiance broke ranks, rolling in opposite directions to evade the remaining ghost’s attack, a twinned energy blast that would no doubt have found its mark in each of their chests. With the left spirit taken care of, Vector turned its rifles on the remaining entity, loosing a joint burst that punched holes in the Chozo spirit’s ethereal form. One final, painful-sounding hiss and the Chozo spirit’s ‘life’ was ended for good.

Though the immediate threat had been dealt with, the four barely had time to slow their breathing before a haunting chorus of ghostly wails sprung up from around them. The ponies backed towards each other, rifles ever ready for more action. Constance, however, was having none of it:

“We’re not getting bogged down here. Radiance, cover our asses. Starry, with me in front. Windfire, middle. Move out!”

The four took off and began moving without another word, maintaining formation as they slipped around the corner. Radiance risked a glance over her shoulder, only to see more and more Chozo Ghosts phasing out of the statuary as they passed, helping to further populate their motion trackers; a perfect incentive to keep moving. The corridor continued the intermittent statuary, and like their brothers, started dispensing Chozo Ghosts as well. The forward element lit up immediately, a fusillade of hardlight fire streaming forth from the formation; enough to force the Chozo Ghosts to break off, warping away to reposition. This cleared Vector’s path forward, permitting them to continue ahead. However, ghosts began showing up in droves, spawning at a much higher rate than the unicorns could dispatch, especially with the sheer volume of attacks headed their way. Keeping their rifles levitated was quickly proving a liability; the ponies couldn’t adequately defend themselves while their attention was occupied.

Suddenly, Radiance let out a strangled cry as a Chozo Ghost’s energy bolt struck her right in the chest, forcing her to faceplant into the ground. Her entire body coursed with energy, characteristic of being nailed by a Chozo Ghost’s attack.

“Radi!!” Starry called out, but Radiance had already scrambled back to her hooves, shaking off the hit and rejoining her squad.

“I’m fine! Keep going!”

“Everypony, switch to horns!” Constance ordered. With the precision afforded by well over a year of practice, the squad slung their rifles in almost perfect synchronization and began charging their horns. This allowed the four to use offensive magic as well as cast shields for active defense without fear of dropping their rifles; a much more effective means to battle in close quarters. Using their magic as a weapon per se would drain their magic reserves at a much faster rate as opposed to casting a constant, low-power levitation spell for a rifle, but the increased power draw was an acceptable tradeoff for tactical flexibility. Training dictated when to use both approaches.

Hardlight rounds were replaced with hardmagic and Vector renewed their advance, erecting shields when necessary to absorb any incoming Chozo attacks that could not be evaded.

Constance trapped a Chozo Ghost in a spherical barrier of pure force and began shrinking it, collapsing it into a singular point before it imploded on itself completely, shredding the ghost trapped within. She then quickly turned to assist her beleaguered squadmates, who were all busy fighting off multiple enemies. Radiance was back-to-back with Windfire, keeping ghosts off each others’ backs and dancing away from their foes’ attacks. All the while, Constance witnessed Starry take two energy blasts to her left side and haunches before getting tossed into the corridor wall, lacing the hallway with spallation by the sheer force of her impact. The captain did not have to intervene, however, as Starry set off a massive force-spell that rudely shoved the ghosts well out of her personal space, affording her the chance to go back on the offensive. Despite overwhelming enemy numbers, Vector continued to advance, just as they were trained.

Constance dispatched another Chozo Ghost—one that was threatening Windfire—with three rapid bursts of hard magic fire. The six other spirits that remained phased out of existence and into the walls to regroup, and most likely counterattack.

“Come on! We don’t have long before they come back!” Constance spurred the group onward, everypony falling into step with her as they galloped forward, sprinting down the corridors like bats out of Tartarus.

“They sure as hell… don’t want us… near… whatever’s here,” Radiance gasped as she ran, nobody stopping as ghastly howls and wails resounded, as if emanating from the very stones themselves. For what seemed like miles, the squad galloped, their hoofsteps beating out a backdrop to their headlong flight, a flight hurriedly checked by the looming presence of a flat wall blocking the way forward. On closer examination, however, the wall appeared more like a tremendous door, intricately inscribed with pictorial inscriptions and inscrutable writing.

“Looks like we’ve reached the end of the line… dig in and prepare to re-engage,” Constance ordered calmly, her voice not betraying an ounce of uncertainty; only the confidence of a seasoned combat officer in its purest form. Vector began charging their horns, each member bathed in the radiance of their own magical aura, their bodies quivering in anticipation. However, when the Chozo Ghosts melted out of the walls and took form once more, the dimly-lit Item on Windfire’s hip began pulsing brightly. In what could have been a lethal moment of distraction, the squad spared the vial a glance. When they looked back up, however, they were startled to see that the Ghosts hadn’t moved, and in fact, seemed almost transfixed. They lay suspended in the air in front of them, ‘staring’ at them. The only sound in the corridor was the group’s ragged breathing and the ethereal notes of magic at full charge; the tension in the atmosphere was slowly becoming overwhelming.

Without warning, the Ghosts melted back into the walls without attacking, leaving the four alone for the first time.

[Suggested Ambiance]

“Wait...” Radiance began to muse as the squad’s attention was drawn back to the vial. “Could we really have avoided that if we just flashed them the Item?”

“It was on display the entire time… though the vial is kinda opaque,” Windfire added.

“Whatever the case, we don’t have a fight on our hooves anymore… now we just have to get through this wall,” Constance muttered, joining the rest of her squad in facing the silent sentinel in their path. However, Windfire was much more preoccupied with the Item, which was now moving within the vial and jerking harshly, as if trying to free itself.

“Whoa… this thing’s starting to act up,” he remarked. “It’s tugging towards the wall!”

“Should we let it out?” Starry asked, anxiously looking at the Item trying to break out of the vial and lighting up more luminously than any of their charged horns could become. Constance shrugged.

“Doesn’t look like there’s much else we can do,” Constance admitted reluctantly, walking it from one side to the other. “This thing’s too thick for magical cutting or any explosives.” She explored the joint between one side of the door and the wall. “Yeah, this thing looks almost...like it’s part of the tunnel itself. Let’s hope this is the part where Princess Luna is right…”

“Alright, Windy… do it,” Radiance urged with a curt nod. With no disagreement from the rest of the squad, Windfire used a bit of his magic to unseal the vial at the top; almost instantly, the Item shot out and moved , as if by its own volition, directly in front of the obelisk-like wall, hovering in place as its luminosity began to dim. Without the shroud of ethereal light, the squad could see that the object itself was cyan in color and segmented; its pieces roughly describing two concentric circles, which rotated gyroscopically about each other. The seemingly random motions left Vector in a hypnotic state as they watched the scene unfold, but they were quickly brought back to reality as the object broke apart, each individual piece slotting into its proper place on the glyph wall.

With all the pieces of the once unified Item in their proper positions, all inscriptions on the wall began pulsing a bright, golden light. The pulsing never ceased, and the floor beneath the squad’s hooves started rumbling ominously. The four unicorns immediately backed off and were on their guard as the rumbling and shaking continued; their collective gaze not leaving the wall as cracks began to spider across its surface. Piece by piece, the once mighty barrier between Vector and their object slowly began to whittle away, crumbling under its own weight until it was naught but a massive layer of rubble in front of them. The clatter of rock on rock died away, followed eventually by the subterranean rumble of the seismic activity diminishing to nothing.

Their path was clear once more.

“Welp, she was right again,” Radiance broke the silence after the tranquility was restored. Nopony else elected to say anything, especially when Constance took point once more and beckoned her friends to fall back into formation. The squad unslung their rifles and held them ready as they moved into the space beyond the door; not the continuation of a corridor, but the beginning of a vast, new chamber of sorts.

This chamber, somehow magically illuminated (albeit dimly) was distinctly different from any others that the group had encountered, namely due to the extensive amount of piping and ancient, but very well-preserved glassware that had held no contents for who knew how long. Haphazardly strewn across the floor were fragments of stone that bore inscriptions, remarkably similar to the Chozo writing the squad had seen prior. As the four unicorn soldiers advanced further, they noticed that at the far end of the room, a section of wall had been replaced with a glass pane. Regardless, taking in the sights for a bit longer, all four of the occupants came up with the same conclusion:

“Is this… a laboratory?” Starry asked.

“So I wasn’t the only one thinking that…” Radiance agreed. She advanced ahead towards the end of the room while the others continued to drink in the sights around them.

“I was thinking the exact same thing, but everything barely looks a few decades old!” Constance iterated. “This place was supposedly unused for thousands upon thousands of years.”

“It’s a damn strong anti-degradation spell,” Windfire reported, having taken the time to scan several of the objects in the area. “It’s completely throwing off any form of dating capabilities, too...at a guess, this stuff’s going to last at least as long again.”

“E-Everypony?” Radiance called from the end of the room, her voice uncharacteristically uncertain of herself. “Come here…”

Constance, Windfire, and Starry immediately broke into a full gallop to the end of the room, and after linking up with Radiance, all of them found themselves staring into a gargantuan stasis chamber, one which could best be described as an oversized aquarium tank. A deep-hued red light permeated the entire tank and what rested at the bottom was like nothing that any of the four had ever seen.

“Oh, sweet Celestia, what in Tartarus are those? ” Windfire moaned, utterly disgusted. Under their helmets, all of them held identical expressions of revulsion. The objects of their attention: dozens of seemingly animate, various-sized, gelatinous-looking creatures that were slowly but surely moving about at the bottom of the tank. Constance tapped on the surprisingly thick-sounding reinforced glass and all the creatures seemed to wake up further, the beige-colored blobs floating into the air and sticking against the wall of glass.

All four seasoned unicorns took a few steps back, almost as one.

“T-They’re alive!” Starry stated the obvious, though nopony seemed to believe it themselves.

“Ugh… look at the way they move and…” Radiance couldn’t finish her sentence as an involuntary shiver wracked her entire body.

“Hey, there’s a plaque over here,” Windfire pointed out, drawing attention to just below the glass of the tank. On a small podium centered on the window, there indeed rested a rectangular plate of metal. Windfire moved forward again to investigate.

“Probably nothing we can read,” Constance added, being realistic. This was a Chozo structure, after all.

“Yeah,” Windfire nodded in confirmation. “There’s like, five weird runic glyphs of sorts but then there’s a wide space and what looks like an ‘X.’”

“Huh?” Starry asked, not entirely understanding what he meant. Constance trotted over to him to see for herself.

“He’s right. The only thing I recognize is what looks like a capital letter ‘X.’”

None of them could decipher what it meant, but the looming mystery certainly didn’t stop them from gazing back at the stasis chamber where the living, multi-globular organisms continued to float around and press themselves against the glass.

“Windfire, contact Princess Luna,” Constance ordered grimly. “She needs to see this.”

Author's Note

Welcome back, everyone! It's time to begin a new adventure.

2. Lunar Solace

Metroid Equis II: Duality

Section 2

Lunar Solace

Galactic Federation NIPRNET

GFOS v7.9

Please identify yourself:

user: A_MALKOVICH

pass: ***********

Welcome back, CMDR Malkovich.

Enter Request:

Synthesize and display all major non-classified news items relating to Equestria and Planet Equis from the close of the Equis Incident to present.

Processing request…

Authorizing…

Approved.

Generating synthesized report…

Time = 0 months
-Departure from Planet Equis to Norion

Time = 2 months
-Princesses Celestia and Luna call a global summit to discuss provisional membership in the Galactic Federation
-All signatory nations of Equis are officially under Federation Protectorate Status.
-Equestria establishes itself as central trading and networking hub.
-Heightened economic activity in Equestria, the Griffon Kingdom, and Minotauria.

Time = 5 months
-Equestrian economic performance surpasses expectations of Federation analysts.
-Renewable crystalline resource native to Equestria found to have favorable properties for Galactic Federation capital ship hulls. Unfathomable amounts of untapped precious metals are also discovered. Massive demand for resources ensues and money pours into the treasury.
-With the finalization of the exchange rate between the two currencies, the Federation credit becomes tacitly-accepted money.
-Demand for labor to meet trade obligations rises sharply. Largest number of ponies, notably unicorns, in over two hundred years has come of working age; prevents a labor market collapse. New cutie marks begin appearing.
-Princess Luna announces a vast military restructuring to align Equestrian forces with current Federation doctrine, as well as hybridized standards. Other world powers follow suit in the coming months.

Time = 9 months
-Equestrian Gross Domestic Product has nearly doubled. Trade deficits quickly become consecutive trade surpluses.
-Infrastructural overhaul begins, mainly in larger population centers such as Canterlot and Manehattan.
-Joint efforts by Equestrian and Federation science teams, as exercises, lead to the reverse-engineering of numerous pieces of technology, including the internal combustion engine and afloraltite- and fuel gel-driven starship engines. Federation aid advances Equestrian technology levels between three and five decades.
-Military investment increases by nearly one thousand percent.
-Staffing problems arise for military. Insufficient numbers of enlistees entering the service to meet Equestrian restructuring goals. Princess Luna refuses to implement any form of conscription.
-The Warhorse is designated a Class III Weapon of Mass Destruction and, pursuant to Federation conventions, is decommissioned.

Time = 15 months
-Immigration into Equestria surges as the nation’s prosperity flourishes without a loss of national identity.
-Princess Celestia is convinced of the need for a strong military. Approves an incentive program to bolster the Equestrian ranks in support of Princess Luna’s restructuring.
-First Equestrian ambassadors are transported to Earth and Daiban as part of an Equisian delegation.
-Under Federation supervision, Equestrian scientists, in collaboration with their Griffon counterparts, successfully reverse engineer the translight engine and slipspace drive.
-The First Equisian Fleet’s framework is approved and enters an aggressive production timetable at recently established shipyards in Equestria’s North Fields, the Griffon Kingdom’s Ostgarden region, and Zebranica’s Midlands.

Time = 18 months
-Princess Luna dissolves the Magickakorps, and announces its restructuring into the new Equestrian Special Forces.

Time = 21 months
-Fueled by gratitude and loyalty to the Princesses, loyalty to Equestria, a new appreciation for the military, and potential opportunity to take the fight to the Space Pirates, ponies swarm recruiting centers all over the nation. Many recruits are recently naturalized ponies; notably high number of unicorns, perhaps due to the intrigue surrounding the actions of the Magickakorps during the conflict.
-Staffing problems are overwhelmingly resolved, and mass military restructuring continues as planned.
-Equestria’s military-industrial complex has advanced to the point where they can now domestically manufacture sufficient weapons and armor to supply their forces.
-To bolster the First Equisian Fleet’s strength, the Fourth Fleet signs over a complement of frigates and cruisers, along with one Olympus-class battleship and the full fighter complement for each vessel. Domestic shipyards produce several more frigates, cruisers, and a second Olympus-class under license, along with the fleet’s flagship, a new vessel of unknown type. The Federation ships contain skeleton crews; ponies, griffons, and others make up the rest of the personnel aboard.
-The Equestrian Special Forces are fully commissioned.

Time = 25 months
-By this time, the First Equisian Fleet is at 75% total strength, with the remainder of the complement expected by the end of the galactic year.
-Military reconstructuring successfully completes. Princess Luna officially activates the Galactic Federation 49th Army, known as the Royal Army of Equestria. Its structure is classified, but its strength, including active-duty and reserve personnel, is estimated at 255,000.

Time = 28 months
-The Galactic Federation High Council bestows Princess Luna the title of ‘admiral,’ officially recognizing the First Equisian Fleet. Taking command of the expeditionary fleet, she takes it on a maiden, ceremonial voyage to Earth and Daiban.

The Hunter attempted to scroll down more on her tablet but the news synthesis stopped at twenty-eight months, or about three months prior. When she hit the digital wall, she closed out the application and locked the device, leaning back in her pilot’s chair and staring out of the cockpit for what seemed like another two hours. Samus, her body free from the confines of her 'Unidentified Suit,' eventually tore her eyes away from the eternal, perpetual void of space and focused on the computer in front of her.

"Adam?" she queried gently, the blank console screen of her ship flickering to life and displaying the omnipresent 'eye' that she had become so used to on BSL Station.

"Samus," it—no, he, she reminded herself—answered in monotone. With each passing day she could almost hear the resemblance.

"How long have we been cruising?"

"Exactly six days, fifteen hours, twenty-eight minutes, and five seconds."

Samus did not respond immediately, sparing a glance behind her towards the three etecoons and two dachorae peacefully sleeping once more. The sight elicited a gentle smirk from the Hunter, still pleasantly surprised that the five creatures managed to not only help her again, but escape BSL Station without infection from the X. Likewise, she was certainly glad that this ship was stocked with supplies, but when the hyperdrive malfunctioned a bit over three quarters of the way in, it would be a long journey to anywhere... and there was truly only one place that Samus could call friendly with any certainty.

"Any idea how long until we reach our destination?" Samus asked, returning her gaze back to Adam.

"With thrusters at maximum power and no obstacles, I'm predicting approximately no less than two weeks until arrival at Planet VK109H... but likely much more than that."

Samus shook her head as she exhaled, cursing silently. After everything had been said and done, all of her adventures after her stay on Equis had taken its toll: Phaaze, SR388, Zebes, The Bottle Ship, and now the X and BSL Station... combined, she had been away for a bit more than two and a half years with no way to contact anyone (she tried), and perfectly timed interruptions dispelling any ideas of planned visits (she also tried).

They're all probably pissed at me... god I'm gonna get it the moment I touch down.

Samus looked down and tangled the little trinket in her fingers, the one she was given by her friends when she left, the finishes on each bead having worn down over the past couple of years, as well as their magical glow eventually being snuffed out by time. Even so, it never failed to bring a smile to her face, reminding her that even though she had jobs to do, lives to save, and enemies to kill, she, as an often cold, calculating warrior, still had friends who missed and cared for her deeply... something Samus did not anticipate missing as much as she most certainly did. In summary, waiting for her, she had great company, a warm bed, and freshly cooked food.

Home.

Samus' reminiscing was cut short when Adam lit up the ship's console in a 'warning' manner.

"Unidentified fleet of warships ahead. Analyzing..."

"Shit... what're we in for?" Samus asked, silently hoping that, had they stumbled upon a Federation fleet, that they either did not know what transpired, did not care, or were out of the loop altogether. Steeling her gaze through the cockpit window, the fleet of about twenty ships—an expeditionary force by its size—slowly started to grow larger as their paths converged. The formation appeared to be heading at right angles to her line of flight, but more interestingly, there was one ship whose class she had never laid eyes on before, or at least, that’s how it appeared at this distance. Samus decreased thruster-speed as they approached quickly.

"Identity confirmed: Galactic Federation Fourteenth Fleet. It appears to be more well-known as the Fleet of Lunar Solace," Adam stated, as close to curiously as a computer could manage. "They appear to be friendly as of now."

"As of now," Samus parroted with extra emphasis on that clause. Her ship's motion trackers immediately picked up two objects moving towards them at high speed: Stiletto Fighters. The two ships broke formation and took up flanking positions to either side of her ship.

“We’re being hailed,” Adam reported tersely.

“Patch it through,” Samus responded.

"Unidentified Federation craft: you are approaching a Galactic Federation Military Formation. Switch to a secure radio frequency, and please transmit your identity code now."

"Well Adam," Samus began saying as she keyed in the appropriate characters on her computer's command console. "How do you think this will turn out?"

"As non-ideal as this may be, we will have to just see what happens. Transmitting identification key now."

Once the key was sent off, the radio went dead as, undoubtedly, the fighters relayed her information to their superiors. As seconds turned to minutes, Samus grew more uncomfortable, the tension settling on her like a weight and almost being tangible; something had to have gone awry. Finally, the fighters’ voice broke over the comms again:

"Transmission verified. Greetings, Samus. Stand by; you are being patched through to the commander of the Faust."

The line again went dead before Samus could even respond, but before she could even convey her pleasant surprise to Adam, he cut her off with a notification:

"Incoming Transmission. Patching it through now."

When the next voice spoke, it was at once the last voice Samus expected to hear in command of a Galactic Federation vessel, and yet, oddly enough, the one she most wanted to.

"Do you recognize my voice, Samus?" an authoritative yet painfully familiar voice pierced the silence, almost immediately dispelling the tension in the cockpit and replacing it with an air of belonging. Samus, for her part, widened her eyes and her mouth went ever so slightly slack as she processed the tone through her ears.

"L-Luna?" Samus asked just to confirm she was not hearing things.

"Huzzah! You do remember," Luna replied playfully. “It has been some time... I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten about us!”

"I... haven't been able to visit. I hope you understand," the Hunter replied with unexpected, marginal emotion, sighing in a mix of relief, happiness, and a modicum of guilt. She had little idea how amazing would feel to hear a friendly voice after so long. "For what it's worth though, I was on my way back."

"You know I do... and so you were, as your ship has so kindly provided me with your flight path. Luckily for the both of us, we are headed to the same place."

Samus could not help the smirk that slowly began to etch its way onto her face, her eyes staring back at the fleet in front of her. She did not need to reply, as Luna continued:

"Come, Samus. I’m sending you a waypoint now; land in the Faust’s hangar.” Indeed, Samus’ navigation console began lighting up, the underside of the unknown ship blinking placidly. “It’s time for you to come home.”

Samus sunk into her chair even more, much more relaxed than she had been in the last couple of years, a lengthy breath escaping her lips as a lazy, almost tired smile etched itself onto her face.

“So soon, Princess? I was having a ton of fun just lounging around and drifting slowly towards Equestria in my ship…” Samus mock-whined, her much more amiable and friendly side beginning to show already in the presence of one who helped bring it out. The Hunter could hear a subtle giggle on the other end of the line.

“Do not give me that, Samus; it’s past your bedtime, young lady,” Luna replied with equal demeanor, eliciting another smirk from the girl. “I’ll personally greet you in the hangar… I expect to see you there.”

The Faust cut the channel and Samus placed her ship in autopilot, beginning the small voyage to the designated landing spot. The same fighters that greeted her took their places on either side of her ship, giving her a proper escort as they returned to their positions within the battle group. Fighters buzzed to and fro in their own squadrons, but a few fighter groups had drawn Samus’ curiosity as they flew past, passing her from back to front.

Are those… pegasi?

Indeed, a formation of craft with much the same color scheme as the Stiletto Fighter came into view, though they were certainly smaller. In fact, they appeared to actually be pegasi free-flying through space, though with the aid of what appeared to be some sort of full-body armored flight-suit. The suit of armor was bulky and their four legs were allowed freedom of movement, much like a pegasi would orient them to fly, though their wings were replaced with what appeared to be much larger, hardlight versions of physical, air-pushing ones. The colors varied from unit to unit and the energy wings even flapped. While almost identical in function to what she saw Ridley using when he escaped to Tallon IV, she’d ask Luna about them when she saw her.

Samus had been seeing many more squadrons of these seemingly space-faring pegasi, but what stole her attention yet again was when she ended up getting a much closer look at the fleet’s flagship: the G.F.S. Faust.

Passing in front of an Olympus-class battleship, Samus’ window pane was occupied by a ship that did not seem to follow any design doctrine of the Galactic Federation. Design-wise, the Faust was not sharply angled like its Federation counterparts, but rather rounded and quite ovular in nature. It was easily three times the length of an Olympus Battleship and half again its height… the size of a decent city, not counting its girth! Eight monstrous engines gently nudged the behemoth along through space while Samus could make out what looked like dozens of hangars and firing bays with massive cannons on them. What was truly the standout feature, however, was the easily over a thousand foot-tall ‘horn,’ which jutted out at a forty degree angle and tapered off to a rounded point.

Wow…

Samus’ Stiletto escort eventually broke off, being replaced by two of the pegasi she saw earlier, who assumed a ground control function, bracketing her as her ship coaxed itself towards its destination. Disengaging autopilot and taking over control for the final descent, Samus angled her ship properly before setting it down, feeling the satisfying thud of the ‘legs’ of her ship making contact with the hangar floor.

“Alright Adam,” Samus finally spoke after complete silence during the journey to the capital ship. “Looks like we’re in friendly territory now.”

“So it would seem. I’ll look after the ship and let you know of any developments,” Adam replied, pinging Samus’ wrist console as a show of contact. She huffed in approval, flashing a gentle smirk to the main console of her ship before turning back towards her animal friends still sleeping peacefully.

“I’ll be in touch.”

Stepping over to the gravlift, the Zero Suit-clad Hunter allowed her ship to slowly lower her down onto the metal floor of the hangar, though what she found waiting for her was certainly a surprise: an honor guard, comprised of dozens of pony troops garbed in fearsome, yet gleaming Federation armor standing at attention and creating a path for the Hunter, a path which led straight to a very familiar alicorn. Across the hangar, the human and alicorn locked eyes with each other and did nothing about their lips upturning in brilliant smiles.

As Samus began her trek between the two columns, each pair of soldiers saluted her as she sauntered past. The two friends never broke eye contact and Samus could see Princess Luna had donned a rather iconic uniform of a Federation Admiral, complete with the silver visor-cap and tassels. Regardless of her genuinely ecstatic demeanor, Samus had to admit that Luna still carried the very essence of a commanding officer; the confident, fierce stature necessary in any high ranking position.

The Princess fit the mold perfectly in every conceivable way, if Samus’ experience alongside her was any judge.

“Princess Luna…” Samus spoke first as she approached within acceptable speaking distance. “An admiral at that, too…” she added, giving her a respectful, if humorous salute. Luna, however, righted her posture more before lunging at the human, enveloping her in a crushing hug.

“OH JOYOUS OCCASION! SHE HAS RETURNED TO US!!” she screamed in delight with her Royal Voice, swinging Samus around in her death-grip. Samus flailed her legs and let out strangled, pleading cries for mercy, her ribs creaking in protest. Eventually, Luna did get the message and set the human down, affording the two another chance to glance at each other.

“It’s…” Samus began, collecting her words to accurately portray her good feelings. “Well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t really excited to have heard your voice, and now to see you again,” she finally admitted, still not entirely keen on jumping for joy at the moment, though perhaps that would change when she actually got back to Equis and Equestria.

“Most definitely, Samus,” Luna replied endearingly, giving the human woman a friendly nuzzle on her cheek, a gesture Samus happily accepted. The Princess then beckoned Samus to walk alongside her with a curt tilt of her head before dismissing her troops in the welcoming party. “Come, let us walk.”

“Erm, I have some animals in my ship that are very near and dear to me… is it possible to ensure they’re taken care of?” Samus asked hesitantly, not entirely thrilled about leaving the etecoons and dachorae to fend for themselves aboard her ship. Luna responded with a deep nod.

“Of course, Samus. They’ll be taken care of,” Luna affirmed, looking to one of her soldiers standing by and nodding to them. They saluted and took off to complete their task. Once more, Luna beckoned the Hunter to fall into step with her and they moved to exit the hangar.

“Have you eaten, Samus? You must be starving for a proper meal,” Luna surmised with measurable concern, looking over the human walking next to her. Samus pursed her lips, doing her best to fight back a knowing smile; though she wouldn’t admit it in so many words, she was sorely looking forward to enjoying Equestrian cuisine once again.

The pair of warriors crossed from the expanse of the Faust’s hangar into the intimate closeness of one of the vessel’s major access corridors and all of its traffic, allowing Samus a brief moment to rein in her enthusiasm.

“I could definitely eat if you don’t mind,” Samus agreed. She had been living off of MREs for good while and some actual food tickled her fancy quite nicely. Luna nodded and continued walking, military personnel both human and nonhuman flowed around them, though, as apt for an Equisian vessel, the majority of personnel were ponies. All species, however, rendered salutes to Luna as they passed.

“We shall stop by a cafeteria near the bridge. On our way, I’ll give you a small tour,” Luna suggested as she continued on, leading them both out of the docking wing and into a transit hub. Such a room carried elevators, moving walkways, and teleportation nodes.

“Sounds good to me! You have an impressive ship here, I might add,” Samus confessed, still quite taken with the architecture and complexity of the warship. The two stepped on a moving walkway and it took them at comfortable speed past several other wings on the right, while an observation pane on the left ran the entire length of the walkway.

“You could say this ship, an Alicorn-class dreadnought, is my home away from home. We’ve made several refinements to the standard Federation design doctrine; I’m sure you’ve noticed the observation panes throughout the ship.” Luna waved a hoof dismissively towards the panel to their left. “In addition, Equisian shipwrights forwent one single hangar in favor of multiple smaller ones along the port and starboard... dozens, actually, and multiple fighter squadrons per each as a complement. We have full armories and even manufacture a portion of our own munitions on board which will be crucial in battle. We have several hundred heavy batteries that are fairly standard throughout Federation warships.”

“What I’m really curious about is the giant horn sticking out of the top of the ship,” Samus added, earning a knowing chuckle from the princess.

“Ahh yes, the main armament of the Alicorn-class…” Luna began, but was quickly interrupted.

“Wait, that’s the main armament?” Samus asked for clarification, believing it was merely for show, though in hindsight, that would be a terrible burden on a ship for the mere sake of identity.

“Indeed it is! Our shipwrights patterned the weapon off of an alicorn’s horn; along its length, hundreds of self-recharging aetheric batteries funnel a magical charge upwards, to the tip, reminiscent of any unicorn’s horn. When released, it fires a highly-concentrated ‘shell’ of raw magic.” An air of pride emanated off of Luna’s words as she continued. “Our simulations suggest no material nor shielding system in existence can withstand even a single direct strike.”

“What’s the catch?” Samus asks, frowning. “I mean, this thing’s a damn superweapon,” Samus thought out loud, continuing the conversation as they stepped off the moving walkway and into an elevator to take them closer to the bridge.

“It’s a massive target, I admit, and requires its own separate shield generators at the base of the horn; the traditional arrangement couldn’t be adapted to properly shield it. The weapon itself is unusable for about forty-five minutes between shots as it recharges. It’s also worth noting that such a massive discharge of magical energy does not take the ship offline, thankfully… As you can imagine, shot placement is critical, and while the horn is recharging, the Faust has to fall back behind a fighter screen for preventative safety, though it is more than capable of defending itself,” Luna explained, which made proper tactical sense to Samus. Samus certainly wouldn’t want to be the first one into the breach against such a vessel. As Luna pointed out, it wasn’t like the ship was defenseless while its main weapon recharged, either, with the sheer number of defensive batteries.

The two exited the elevator and continued down another busy corridor towards the cafeteria while Luna continued to cover matters and nuances of the Equisian fleet versus a standard Federation fleet in depth. As well, one of her first questions had been answered: the ‘space pegasi’ operated identically as she had believed. Their suits were a cut-down version of a Federation EVA suit, as thin as it could be while still retaining pressure for maximum maneuverability. Their hard-magic wings were, in principle, the same as Samus saw Meta-Ridley use when escaping the Orpheon. Aptly designated as ‘Pegasus Fighters,’ they boasted far greater maneuverability than a Stiletto, coupled with the ability to make devastatingly accurate precision strikes. However, owing to their smaller size, they were more fragile, could neither accelerate as quickly nor travel as fast and carried a reduced and often limited types of ordinance. Additionally, because they lacked their own slipspace drive, they relied on their host vessel for long-distance transport.

Samus’ questions about those topics, as well as what she missed back in Equestria, never ended; not even the change of environment to a cafeteria table stopped her inquiries… at least until Luna forced a brief end: Samus was ordered to help herself to whatever she wished in the sparsely populated dining court, and the Hunter certainly made good on that; loading up on meat and fresh fruit in particular.

As she drank, and Samus ate, Luna felt a wave of sympathy rising as she watched Samus almost ravenously descend on her food. Luna considered her a close friend, and the thought of the warrior woman gallivanting across the galaxy without a decent meal anywhere in sight broke her heart.

“Better?” Luna asked as Samus pushed her now empty plate away, an expression of blissful contentment befalling Samus’ face.

“Oh hell yeah… I needed that.”

“So, when do I get to hear about your galactic exploits?” the alicorn pressed informally, more than curious as to what she had seen and what left her in a slightly different state than what Luna remembered. Luna could notice subtle differences in Samus’ movements and expressions—a closeness of the shoulders, an overall closed-off stance—that indicated a few less-than wonderful experiences over the last two and a half years.

“How about when I get to see the rest of the girls? They’ll have the same questions too and I’d rather have everyone there at once,” Samus deferred, running a hand through her unkempt hair. At that moment, her console vibrated; when she checked it, she found a silent message from Adam, notifying her that an Equisian service member had taken her passengers to safety. “Other than what we discussed, anything else I missed?”

Luna stared at her for a few moments, pursing her lips and questioning whether she should reveal the material her special forces squad had found the previous year… was it too soon to start calling in assistance?

“Well… I don’t know if you wish hear about Chozo-related discoveries…”

“You found more Chozo artifacts?” Samus asked, leaning forward and setting her hands on the table.

“Ehhh… it is a bit more complicated than that, Samus. You remember Vector Squad, yes? One of my units that joined with the humans and formed a joint task force?” Luna asked, her previous frivolity draining from her tone. Samus was unphased, eager for more news from her adoptive homeworld.

“Oh yeah! Are they still active?” Samus asked, smirking as fond memories resurfaced.

“Very much so, though the last time they were deployed was to investigate an abandoned Chozo structure deep in the Everfree. After recovering that unknown item you lost when you were on Equestria for the first time, they figured out that it was in fact, a key of sorts which opened a path to an underground laboratory,” the princess continued, magically willing a datapad into existence and presenting Samus with a few pictures that were taken via Vector’s helmet cameras.

“Definitely Chozo, no doubt about that,” Samus said, indicating a section of an image detailing the Chozoid inscriptions on the wall and general architecture. “Anything interesting inside?”

“Quite so,” Luna replied. “The laboratory, which had been well warded against degradation, held a stasis tank at the very end of it. Inside…” Luna shook her head, taking a breath. “Inside the tank was something I still can’t explain, nor can any of my scientists.” She cocked her head. “Maybe you know something? Small, gelatinous creatures, no real form to them. They’re beigeish, and…” Her voice trailed off as her eyes refocused on her conversation partner. “...Samus? Is everything alright?”

Samus had gone still, her expression of relaxation slipping off her face, replaced by a blank mask of stoicism. “Beige, gelatinous creatures?” she asked in a much softer tone. Luna manipulated her datapad and brought up a picture, confronting the Hunter with a perfect photograph of a nightmare she thought she had rid herself and the galaxy of: The X Parasite.

Samus, however, did not respond immediately, her eyes relaxing into the middle distance, her mood darkening. Attuned as she was, Luna quickly sensed a myriad of conflicting feelings pouring up from underneath Samus’ exterior. Samus reached for her glass of water and as she brought it to her lips, her hand trembled with barely-leashed emotion. She set her glass back down on the table with seemingly exaggerated care. A few moments later, however, her fist convulsively clenched, shattering the glass with a sharp report, causing her alicorn counterpart to harshly flinch.

She pushed the tablet back towards Luna with a sullen expression. The latter quickly called up some magic to dry up the water and dispose of the broken glass.

Samus’ nostrils flared as her eyes sought Luna’s. “You found a living sample of the X Parasite in a random Chozo structure?” Samus asked for confirmation, donning a much darker complexion along with her her tone being deathly low.

“The ‘X Parasite?’ Well, it appears we now have a name for our mysterious creatures.” The forced levity faded from Luna’s voice. “I take it from your sudden change in demeanor that these are not benevolent in nature?” Luna asked half-heartedly, already knowing her answer but still, on some level, pleased that she was making some headway in solving this mystery after a year.

“Luna… I literally just got done battling this goddamn parasite on a research station. The amount of damage it could do, should it get loose… I’d rather not discuss it now. ...I programmed the station out of orbit and slammed it into this parasite’s home planet...it should be over. This parasite should no longer exist! Why is it here?!” Samus hissed through clenched teeth, clearly not at all happy about this revelation, and growing more agitated by the moment, though not at her host. Luna was quick to act.

“Samus, please do not fret… the parasite has not been, and will not be released. It is still contained in the same facility we found it in. We have not touched it, but merely observed it and attempted to study it. The stasis tank it resides in is quite sturdy; my scientists tell me it would take a huge amount of force to breach it. All is well,” she reassured her, placing a comforting hoof on Samus’ hand, who unexpectedly curled her fingers around it.

“Alright… that’s good to know. Still, it begs the question: why?” Samus began, musing out loud because the whole scenario made absolutely no sense to her. “The X are the single greatest threat to this galaxy and the universe… even more so than the metroids. Why would the Chozo in all their wisdom, and of their own volition, remove a sample from SR388, and bring it to Equis of all places?”

Samus folded her arms together on the table and rested her forehead on them, attempting to make sense of her ever mysterious caretakers’ logic. Luna, now, had similar questions.

“Perhaps we can shed light on this subject,” Luna proposed, scrolling through pictures on her datapad.

“Luna, does the Federation know about this??” Samus asked urgently, shooting her head back up. To her relief, however, Luna shook her head, slightly bemused at both the question and the urgency with which it was asked

“They do not. I only have a few scientists working at the facility and a platoon of my finest troops monitoring it at all times—Crusader-Vector Joint Task Force included. As a matter of routine, I do not disclose matters related to The Visitors or the Alicorns to the Galactic Federation, as quite frankly...it does not concern them.”

“Good… otherwise things could become very ugly, very quickly,” Samus concluded, though that led to a new series of questions in Luna’s mind as she slid the datapad back toward the Hunter. What did Samus know about this parasite in relation to the Federation? Those questions could be asked at a later time, though.

“Here...my soldiers recovered these samples of the writing found in the facility. Perhaps you can decipher some of it?” the alicorn asked.

“In my sleep,” Samus replied, bringing up her wrist console to scan the picture. Samus could understand a few words of the script at first glance, though despite knowing the language, advanced scientific texts or religious scripts were still better left to the translator in her suit’s computer. As soon as her console finished the job, Samus read aloud so Luna could hear.

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Chozo Lore | Chozo Script translated]

[This section of this magical forest has not been touched in eons… a perfect place to perform our crucial testing. The discovery of the Parasite on SR388 is most unfortunate, and the seers, with their infinite wisdom, have unanimously prophesied the destruction of the known universe should this pestilence spread. Our greatest mystics and scientific minds have bent their labors to the task, and have proposed two options to eradicate this threat from the galaxy, one of which has only recently been confirmed viable. One path we may take is to create a life form that preys on this parasite… one that will ensure its extinction. Another solution, however, may involve the planet Equis’ recently discovered, strong, natural aetheric field. More research is required, and will take several lifetimes, but we are optimistic that the second option shall bear fruit. We Chozo wish to influence life, and ensure life continues on its own natural, benevolent path… It is not our place to draw forth life out of nothing, and so we place our faith in aetheric research.]

“So it appears this was a secret research lab,” Luna confirmed the obvious, though definitely concerned about the destructive power of such a parasite should it get released. “And this confirms that our decision to not agitate the holding tank was a wise one.”

“Yup, but it looks like we may get an answer as to why the Chozo would even remove them from their home planet…. or at least, I hope so. Is there any more?” Samus asked as Luna scrolled to another picture.

“Right here.”

“Well, from first glance it appears there’s some chronology here,” Samus remarked as she let her console scan the photograph. “That, and these writings were taking place decades apart.”

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Chozo Lore | Chozo Script translated]

[Preliminary test results on the Parasite sample removed from SR388 are most promising. The ambient aetheric field that naturally permeates this planet appears to act to hold the Parasite’s nature in check; greatly reducing aggressiveness, reigning in virulence, and interfering with its ability to quickly take the shape of its host. This calls for more research; we wish to investigate the effects of directed-energy aetheric exposure. . The High Council is eagerly awaiting more results, and if our research continues to yield results, we may yet redirect our efforts away from the predator project. As ever, the rest of the Chozo remain unaware; the Council wills it that the vast majority of our Empire be ignorant of the general threat, though their reasons, we know not.]

“Really…” Samus murmured to herself after reading the translation, resting her chin in the web of her thumb and forefinger as she pondered the words of her adoptive people. Luna, however, was more interested in a select couple of sentences from both translations.

“What do they mean by ‘creating a predator?’” she asked uncertainly.

“I’m wondering the same thing… but what’s weird is that before one of my...escapades, I was in critical condition, medically speaking, and my life was essentially saved by a vaccine created from metroids,” Samus explained, forcing Luna to recall what metroids were at the second mention of their name, and she eventually remembered in full.

“What are you thinking?” Luna asked, pressing for how Samus thought that detail might be related.

“After extensive study, Federation scientists concluded that metroids were the sole natural predator of the X Parasite… but…” Samus cocked her head, frowning. “...from what’s being said here, there’s an inherent insinuation that the Chozo created the metroid,” Samus elaborated, though by the way she said it, she seemed to be trying to convince herself rather than Luna. Gray Voice, Old Bird, nor the others mentioned anything about the creation of the metroid, to her at least.

“Wait a minute… were you able to find anything else? There has to be more...” the Hunter asked, her thirst for knowing rearing its head full-force. That, and she wanted to be certain, in the end, that the X posed no threat to Equestria and Equis.

“There’s one more image that the squad captured. Here,” Luna affirmed, displaying the final wall of script on the datapad’s screen.

[Recorded to Logbook]

[Chozo Lore | Chozo Script translated]

[It appears our faith in our abilities has not gone unrewarded… direct, concentrated exposure to the aetheric field of this planet acts as a retardant to the Parasite, completely inhibiting its abilities beyond that of a simple disease and overall, rendering it quite lethargic. This news bears fantastic implications with it, and now all that remains is to channel some of this natural magic into a tangible state so it may be weaponized as a preventative measure against the Parasite. No direct action may be taken until the High Council approves of such a plan, however, until that day arrives, Project ‘Ultimate Warrior’ shall continue as a failsafe.]

“You clever bastards…” In one breath, Samus cursed and praised the ingenuity of the Chozo. “The signs were all there...and I didn’t even see it. Completely extinct, to my knowledge, and your secrets still continue to surprise me,” she continued to talk to herself.

“Samus… to ensure we are on the same page, what sense can you draw from this?” Luna asked. Luna trusted Samus with her life, and because she had more (and recent) experience in dealing with the X, she would follow the Hunter’s recommendations for exactly what to do with the sample of the X.

Samus sighed and curled up in her chair, burying her face in her palms.

Gray Voice… you and I are gonna have a little chat later. And god I’m in desperate need of a shower.

“From what I’m gathering, the Chozo discovered that Equis’ aetheric… or magical field proved effective at rendering the X rather docile, and the Chozo were attempting to use that to combat it instead of, apparently, creating the metroids. It looks like, for whatever reason, they stopped that line of research, because the metroids exist… or, did exist,” Samus explained, recalling how she exterminated all of the creatures. “There’s no reason to keep the Parasite, Luna. They need to be destroyed.”

“Very well. I’ll give the order for thermic sterilization,” Luna agreed, but Samus quickly shook her head.

“No, that won’t work. The X are horrifyingly adaptive, and even though magic is making them lethargic I’d rather not risk the X adapting to the heat and somehow breaching the tank. I’ll destroy them myself but we need to get back to Equestria as soon as possible,” Samus added with great urgency. Luna, however, held up one of her hooves and gave the girl another calming smile.

“Samus, please, you truly work too hard. Nothing will happen to the Parasite without my order. When we return to Equestria, I shall personally take you to the facility where you may dispose of them how you please. But for now, promise me that you will take a break?”

As the two gazed at each other, Samus’ sense of urgency slowly died under Luna’s comforting smile. After all, she had apparently had this whole situation under control for over a year and nothing bad had happened… so another little while would not cause a problem. Two times in a row, she had to be settled down.

Guess I’m still a bit in ‘battle mode,’ heh.

“Alright… and yeah, there’s definitely a few ponies I want to see before we go,” Samus said, finally relaxing and thinking about six specific ponies and one dragon who were eagerly awaiting her return.

“I can certainly imagine,” Luna replied knowingly. “Now then, how about I show you to your quarters?” she added, the two getting back to their hooves and feet.

“I’d like that, actually. After everything that’s happened and what we just learned… I just wanna sleep right now,” Samus admitted, the very essence of fatigue lacing every word. “Just show me to the nearest barracks, I’ll take an empty bunk.”

“Over my dead carcass!” the Lunar Alicorn protested, shocked. “We have vacant rooms in the Commander’s Wing; you shall rest in only the finest we can offer you,” Luna vehemently insisted. Samus, while she appreciated the gesture, was more than fine with a simple mattress and blanket. Any bunk with the troops would do.

“Thank you, Luna, but really, it’s—”

“The mattresses are ‘cloud’ and you have your own, expansive shower,” Luna interrupted tersely, and while Samus merely stared at her in clear contemplation, the princess already knew to take her silence as tacit agreement.

“On second thought, if you’re offering…” she said with a grin.

“I figured that you would see it my way. Now, come Samus. I must return to the bridge soon so I’d like to take you there now,” Luna stated, beckoning the Hunter along and leading the way towards the vast bridge. The two continued to talk the entire way, though as Samus’ worrying began to completely subside, her tiredness from it all began to slowly take its toll; despite being on her ship for nearly a week doing nothing, she was still absolutely exhausted. A ‘paradox of inaction,’ in her eyes.

“And here we are,” Luna proclaimed as the duo entered into the Commander’s Wing and stopped right in front of a rather elegant-looking, ebony-wood door. There was no nameplate on it unlike the others in the area, but a quick look around revealed that this room was right next to Princess Luna’s. Opening the door for her, the princess gestured inside and allowed the Hunter to enter (though she had to duck a bit under the door-frame) and turn on the lights, revealing an expansive living arrangement… almost like a fully furnished, expensive hotel room with a queen-sized bed, a small refrigerator, and a door leading to a gorgeous bathroom.

“Well? Will it do?” Luna asked excitedly, awaiting the verdict and eliciting a chuckle out of the girl.

“It’s perfect… it’s too much, actually,” Samus confessed, though was clearly pleased with her setup.

“Nonsense!” Luna protested, again, not having any of it. She waved her hoof dismissively and shook her head. “You’ve been away for too long, taking on responsibilities that would kill anypony else… you’ve earned every bit of this and even more! Now, there’s something I’d like you to do for me…” Luna began, taking on a much more serious tone and trailing off her sentence to leave room for Samus to interject. The Hunter faced her as she returned from the middle of the room.

“What is it?” she asked curiously. Luna placed her her right hoof on the side of Samus’ left bicep and locked eyes with her.

“Bathe yourself from all of your troubles. Then, I would like you to lie down and get some actual sleep… do not attempt to persuade me that you have been sleeping much, either,” Luna stated.

Samus only smirked.

“Okay, Luna. I will.”

“Very good. I must return to the bridge now, so I’ll leave you to your own devices. The fleet will be entering hyperspace again in about an hour and a half, so we’ll return to Equestria hopefully in about two days or so,” Luna informed her.

“Okay. I’ll see you...tomorrow, then?” Samus replied, suddenly realizing she didn’t know what time it was aboard the Faust. A quick glance at the room’s clock, synchronized to Equestria time, quickly confirmed that her assumption was accurate. Luna nodded before continuing.

“Have a good night, Hunter.”

“Goodnight, Luna.”

The door sealed shut as Luna walked off back to the bridge, leaving Samus alone… though she was not truly alone, being reminded as such when her wrist console blipped.

“Are you alright, Samus?” Adam asked, as if he could sense a slight change in mood. He didn’t really even need to ask; connected as he was to the Hunter’s computer, he could easily read her biometrics. The sudden sound of his voice suddenly permeating the quiet atmosphere startled Samus out of her reverie. Looking down at her console, the the simple purple ‘eye’ occupied her screen, identical to what she would see in the Information Rooms on BSL Station. What was once a cold, omnipresent, and often intimidating conduit for curt orders and dry information was now oddly comforting for the Hunter.

“Yeah… yeah I’m fine, Adam. I just need a shower,” Samus replied coolly, beginning the process of removing her Zero Suit and stripping down… was not like Adam’s ‘eye’ could see anything, right? Not that she cared, though. Sauntering to the bathroom, she began running the shower and as she waited for the water to heat up to her preferred temperature, better befitting Norfair than her skin, she took a look at herself in the mirror.

There were easily-visible bags under her eyes and her hair was wholly unkempt, split ends everywhere and matted with sweat. Her skin had actually darkened due to dried sweat and general grime, especially on her face, which was notably darker than the rest of her body by virtue of not being exposed.

She turned away and stepped into the pristine, porcelain shower, a sigh emerging unbidden from her lips as the perfect-temperature water flowed over and down her body. Samus took her time luxuriating under the spray, letting the hot water relax her muscles, before beginning to actively clean herself. As she began the process, murky and darkened water flowed off of her, the remnants of physical souvenirs from her most recent missions flowing down the drain.

As she cleaned herself, the soothing effects of the hot water and the mist it formed were having a similar effect on her mind as they were her body. Despite being on the Faust for barely a couple of hours, she had already been through a combination of different emotions, a testament to her missions. However, only now did it truly start registering in her head that she was in friendly hands… or hooves, and most importantly, headed home. She only hoped that the Federation would not attempt to harass her too much.

Samus sat herself down on the shower’s small porcelain seat and rested her soaked body against the equally porcelain side wall, more than content with allowing the water to rain down upon her. She closed her eyes as she sighed once more, the edges of her lips upturning in blissful peace.

Author's Note

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