Metroid: Ghosts of Harmony

Chapters

01. Arrival
02. Blip
03. Complicated
04. Two Sisters
05. Ignite
06. Foreign
07. Viridia
08. Kindness
09. Manifest
10. Generosity
11. Answers
12. Consolidation
13. Temporary Measure
14. Allies
15. Contact
16. Voices
17. Luna
19. Alive
20. Warmth
00. Foreword | Journal Entry 2077-0916
18. Ascendance

01. Arrival

Prior to the successful resolution of the Aether Incident, Galactic Federation Intelligence picked up regular, but transient Phazon readings from an unknown planet just on the edge of Federation Space.

Further complicating matters, the remnants of two Space Pirate Armadas have all retreated to this same planet.

The Phazon readings have now spiked.

Intelligence does not believe this to be coincidence and suspects a mass harvesting of Phazon by the enemy has begun.

Your orders are to get yourself onto this planet and reconnoiter Space Pirate facilities completely undetected. Engage in sabotage where able but obtain as much data as possible in the form of computer logs, pictures, et cetera.

Mark the main facilities for strikes and assaults by Federation ground forces before extracting yourself fully.

At least the rain would always keep her company…

…because the mission brief sure as hell never did.

But then again, Samus did not exactly need to relish in anyone else’s company but her own. It had been that way since she left Zebes for the first time. By this point she had gotten used to it all.

The silence.

The loneliness.

But through it all, even on her lonesome for the last several years, one thing she always found solace in was the steady, white noise of a fresh water-based rain on an earth-like planet.

She sat atop her gunship... her form unrecognizable to the average being’s eye, had there been any around. Clad in her form-fitting, full-body Zero Suit, Samus Aran was effectively incognito to all but a very select few individuals she could count on one hand… in stark contrast to the fully powered battle armor of her Varia Suit.

Hiding her face behind the iconic, neon-green visor of her helmet made her much more notorious to the galaxy… and her enemies. The irony had never been lost on her.

A peaceful, if stoic aura graced her features as her deep-blue eyes stared forward into the depths of her forested hideout… where the foreign yet seemingly familiar flora appeared to grow endlessly around her. And yet, the natural canopy and camouflage was no shield from the overcast, borderline torrential rain that poured its fury onto the lush ground below.

…and over her.

Just as she enjoyed it.

Samus ran her fingers through her soaked blonde hair and tucked an errant lock behind her right ear.

Two prominent strands framed her face as she had always preferred it, though that was a little problematic considering the water matted it to her face. Still, it was a coolness that she had relished in since she was a teenager… when her second home of Zebes would get a thunderstorm once in a blue moon.

And it helped calm her nerves for what was to come.

The planet had been located. The Phazon readings were present. Now, she was just running out the clock—she afforded herself every last second of her mental vacation before the harsh return to the status quo. Every little bit was worth it… what with her plummeting morale.

At least the hazard pay was spectacular.

Through her dearth in speaking—even to herself—on her missions, Samus’ mind was still a swarm of competing, conflicting thoughts that were an amalgamation of her entire life’s experiences.

Zebes. Tallon IV. Aether…

Samus brought her right hand into view, and carefully studied her covered hand. Her Zero suit’s deep-blue color matched her eyes perfectly. Turning her palm over revealed the bright-pink accented runes of her personal Chozo insignia… an accent scheme that matched the other Chozo symbols on her Zero Suit—a uniform of sorts that had served her well for almost a decade.

Her former caretakers had done well to leave her behind all the tools they felt she would need, as well as bestow upon her the best education and training they could.

In their eyes, she was the ultimate warrior—the protector of the galaxy. Both her Zero Suit and her Varia Suit with all its previous augmentations had certainly reminded her of this.

And to Samus, every time she looked in a mirror… every time she donned her Chozo battle armor on another crusade against the terror of the Space Pirates, she was reminded of this title. It was a title she never felt she could ever live up to, no matter how hard she tried.

But also, in Samus’ eyes, her feelings did not exactly amount to much when lives were at stake.

The console on her right wrist vibrated.

Samus knowingly brought her wrist up to eye-level and used her thumb to wipe away some rainwater from the screen. There, she viewed a system notification that she had been expecting.

Commence Operation

“Showtime,” she said.

Samus stood up on her gunship and stretched herself out completely with arms over her head. She bathed in the last, final moments she afforded herself under the natural blanket of the comforting rainfall and the resulting water running down her face.

She closed her eyes and smiled at the thought.

At that same moment, she flipped a little mental switch deep in her mind… one which had the result of encasing her entire six-foot, three-inch form in an almost angelic, golden light. For the briefest parts of a second, she lit up her forest enclave.

Gone was the Zero Suit-clad woman, unknown to much of the galaxy. In her place was the armored warrior who could bring destruction to her enemies on a scale she herself could barely grasp.

Even so… under the iconic orange armor—save for her helmet and the top of her breastplate, which were blood-red—that matched the scheme of her gunship, she was still the same woman. Her blue eyes, which were veiled beneath her neon-green visor, still harbored the same emotions every time she started a new mission… all the way from her very first missions.

Mild anxiousness.

Curiosity.

A deep knowing… knowing that things were not as they would seem. A knowing that the mission brief that she was always graciously provided by Galactic Federation High Command would only tell a tenth of the story at best. And ultimately, knowing that the plan would shift dramatically, yet still within the scope of her original mission.

It happened every time. Samus would never know when nor how, but no mission was ever as straight-forward as it was initially set out to be. How this mission would pivot is what led into her innate curiosity…

…and that in turn, fueled her anxiousness.

Still in the middle of her stretch, brought her armored arms down to level and gave herself a quick once-over.

Her entire suit was cleaned, buffed, and shined to perfection. Her spherical shoulder pauldrons—which housed critical system functions—remained one of the more identifiable features of her Varia Suit and were in the process of booting up all her systems. Her arm cannon--her multitool weapon that served her diligently for as long as she could remember--had been fully serviced and was ready for action.

She was ready.

Samus pivoted on her heels, facing the front of her gunship. There, she purposefully hunched low. With a mental and physical exertion that she had mastered since her first mission into the galaxy, she launched herself high into the air… trying her damndest to touch the forest canopy even though she knew well that was beyond her suit’s augmentations to her strength.

Exactly four somersaults later, and her heels impacted squarely into the wet, alien ground with a squelch that marred her once-clean, armored boots with mud. Hunched low to absorb the impact, Samus casually drew her vision--and her cannon--over her immediate surroundings.

Nary a peep from the forest. As with before rain was her only company. Her own calm collected breathing barely registered with her ears, either.

Samus stood up tall, fancied one last glance around her, and then tilted the side of her arm cannon towards her. A panel within one of the bulbous ‘hinges’ on either side flipped around, revealing her control center.

She used her index finger of her left, unarmored hand to press a sequence of three exact buttons. A powerful signal-cloaking had been activated for her ship.

And with one last deep breath, she sighed and steeled her gaze forward.

Alright… let’s do this!

With her arm cannon at the low-ready, where she could just make out its barrel at the edge of her vision, Samus started forward in a brisk walk towards the edge of her forest enclave. Even as her journey had begun, she had to make sure a few last preparations were in order.

Cool. Now, let’s boot up the HUD…

And on cue, said heads-up display was willed into existence as an AR overlay on her visor. Her Varia Suit’s defensive energy shielding meter right at the top edge of her visor showed fully charged, as well as a one-hundred percent suit integrity.

Her motion tracker—a single circle with Samus as the center with sonar-like blips rippling outward—took prominence at the top left of her vision. No movement in the slightest was detected.

Conversely, a small snippet of the area map lay on the top right. Unexplored and with no map data available, her suit’s systems were generating cartographical approximations of the area in real time.

Her ‘warning meter’ and missile launcher ammunition count took the entire left and right sides of her visor respectively. With no threats—environmental or otherwise—detected nearby, said meter was not filled in the slightest. Her missile ammunition was replenished completely thanks to her gunship’s onboard ammo factory.

The bottom left of her visor was occupied by her visor-selection matrix, which afforded her a look at her entire visor-suite. Her default visor, the Combat Visor, was selected front and center.

And on the bottom right lay her beam-selection matrix, which gave her a quick gander at her currently selected and available beam weapons at her disposal… each one (if available) triggered by an extremely specific orientation of her right hand within her arm cannon. As she had expected, her trusty Power Beam was the default, currently armed, and ready for battle.

Samus brushed aside the first few, gigantic leaves of the local flora as she decided to run a quick diagnostic. She then watched the readout of the results scroll up her visor:

[Chozo Battle Suit Ver SA1-4468-VM6-P. Diagnostic scan initiated.]

[Vitals: Normal. No Injuries Detected. No Sickness Detected]

[Varia Suit: Online. Integrity: 100%]

[Visor Suite: Combat, Scan: Online]

[Beam Weapons: Power Beam: Online]

[Missile Launcher: Engaged]

[Shield Generator: Online. Energy: 100%. Fully Charged.]

[Speed Booster Engine: Online]

[Space Jump Boots: Online]

[Morph Ball: Online]

[Morph Ball Bomb: Online]

[Grapple Beam: Online]

[Diagnostic complete. All systems active and functioning normally.]

Nice.

Samus stopped her trek to fiddle with her arm cannon console so she could complete the diagnostic. Her finger accidentally slipped, and she pressed one button once too much.

She could feel her pupils shrinking.

FUCKIN’, NO—

[Advanced Diagnostic Tutorial initiated.]

Samus pressed the same button firmly repeatedly about a dozen times, as if her irritation alone would stop the blasted machine’s execution of command. One day, she would learn to accept the futility of the fact that she would accidentally hit this button at some point during all her missions.

Today was not that day.

“UGH!”

Why the hell would they code dumb shit like this? They trained me, for fuck’s sake!

[Call up your map to see current objectives and local cartography of the area, where available.]

Samus let the information roll up her visor as she set off to continue her journey—she listened to the sound of the rain plinking against the top of her helmet and the slightly mechanical sound of her legs moving through the soppy, lush environment to help pass the ‘advanced diagnostic’ quicker.

But in an ironic turn of events, she did call up her map, and found that—based on the starting information that the Federation had provided her—as expected, her objective was straight ahead: an alleged Space Pirate enclave.

On the right track, I guess…

The Hunter dismissed her map (which zoomed out and returned to its cropped position on her HUD) and continued onward.

With a tentative hand on her arm cannon, she placed a greater emphasis on her hearing, and flicked her eyes from side-to-side while making sure to check behind every monolithic tree-trunk that she passed. The rain continued to keep her company, and no sounds of wildlife could be heard through the torrential curtain.

No wildlife could be seen either, as she continued her dutiful march… all likely nestled comfortably in their warrens by the time the storm had rolled in.

[Your Scan Visor can be used to search for clues, interact with electronics and machinery, translate text, and interface with the world around you.]

Samus rolled her eyes.

You don’t say?

Not that she would have forgotten—she had a habit of scanning anything and everything of interest around her. Her own logbook and database were one of the few things that could accurately make sense of her life. Samus even made some nice, extra cash on the side from selling some of her data to the Federation for research.

Samus brought her left hand to the left side of her visor. With her armored middle and index fingers, she switched over to her Scan Visor from her Combat Visor.

A magnified view overlaid her HUD, and she witnessed her environment’s color scheme switch to one much simpler, and one that she had been familiar with since her last firmware update back on Aether: objects glowing blue were scannable bits of interest. Objects luminously red were key objectives or objects of extremely high interest.

Everything else was simply dimmed out, taking its place as background noise. In its own way, the view oddly removed her worries in the moment.

In a—rather direct—way, it reminded her to focus on what was important.

As she had expected though, none of the flora had drawn her systems’ particular interests. The entire surrounding world was dimmed out, void of any life through the eyes of her visor…

…though the slightest gleam on the forest floor a hundred or so meters ahead and just off her path, stopped her right in her tracks.

Hmmm?

Left hand calmly yet purposefully placed on the top of her cannon, Samus waded carefully through the lush fauna towards her target. She continued to pay diligent attention to her motion tracker, as well as listen for anything out of the ordinary that cut through the white noise of a rainy forest—nothing of the sort made itself known to her.

What did make itself known to her was the identity of what her scan visors picked up: a reinforced transportation crate roughly the size of her torso. What made it instantly recognizable was the iconic Space Pirate insignia emblazoned on the side. But perhaps even more than that, Samus found the crate in less than perfect condition: it was obliterated on one side, and out that side poured a bright, blue luminescence that had haunted her last couple of missions.

And there it is.

She brought her left hand to the side of her helmet.

[Scanning…]

[Material analysis complete. Recorded to Logbook.]

[Morphology: Phazon. Volatile ore with biomutagenic properties. Origin point of Phazon unknown. First detection of element on planet Tallon IV, and again on planet Aether. Used by Space Pirates to produce vast levels of energy and for use in experimental weapons programs. Bioforms exposed to Phazon without proper shielding will eventually undergo radical, often horrific mutation.

Analysis places the purity of this sample at 99.963%. Extremely high purity suggests sophisticated use beyond what has been hitherto recorded.]

Hmmmm…

The purest Phazon samples came from the cores of the Phazon meteors that struck planets. This likely happened here as well, but with such pure samples, Samus began deducing that the Space Pirates were setting up shop right near the impact site…

…or even worse, right on top of it.

Samus—almost out of a feeling of obligatory nostalgia—reached forward with her armored, left hand towards the exposed Phazon pouring from the breached container. She noticed her warning meter spike up massively the closer her hand got to the substance.

Then, she touched it with the tip of her armored fingers.

Her systems immediately registered damage to her defensive shielding, and in retracting her hand back, Samus heard the distinctive sizzling… the radioactive burning of her shields. Any material on her hand quickly dissipated under its own half-lives and the pouring rain, though she lost a whole percentage point of her shield integrity.

Samus also traced her eyes from the breach, down the tiny, neon-blue river that the radioactive poison created… and watched it disappear, diluted under the massive amount of rain drenching the earth.

Almost like the planet was trying to clean itself.

That was all well and good… but Samus was still perplexed by the random—Space Pirate ballistics resistant—crate lying around in a forest just outside their alleged base. She knew from her experience that the Pirates valued Phazon more than their own troops… she only remembered one time back on Tallon IV where they abandoned a crate of the substance.

Especially of Phazon this pure.

Samus knelt and ran her thumb once over the Pirate insignia before initiating another scan.

[Scanning…]

[Scan complete.]

[Space Pirate Crate. Ballistics-resistant crate used for transporting high-value materiel. Nearly impossible to crack from outside force just shy of artillery shells.

This crate’s destruction is consistent with a direct energy blast from an unknown source. Energy residue left behind at point of impact has no resemblance to any known direct energy weaponry. Whatever struck this crate was enormous in power.

Furthermore, haphazard discarding indicates a complete disregard for its contents.]

They were running… and fast. The plot thickens…

Samus switched back to her combat visor and fancied herself a quick look around, and again paid attention to her motion tracker. Barren, as expected.

But still, the Pirates were no stranger to subduing populations and ‘taming’ local fauna… or outright eliminating it—even the most aggressive species. Anything that would make even the most hardened troops of the Space Pirates flee at the drop of a hat was something worth keeping a mental note of.

Samus stood back up and looked down into the forest at where her map was pointing her to. After a quick sweep around the area, she was off once again.

Brushing aside massive tree leaves and other forest flora with both her hand and her cannon, she continued to monitor her surroundings. Her eyes continually flicked over towards her motion tracker every couple of seconds. Despite the rain plinking her armor, the most prominent noise she could hear was her own rhythmic, steady breathing.

Samus bounded over a downed tree trunk with a single jump, bursting through the veil of green in her path all the while. She came face to face with what appeared to be one of the edges of a natural forest plateau. Gazing upward, patchy, green moss dotted the edifice of the imposing obstacle, and crisscrossing vines wove perfectly into the rock face. Her eyes followed the face upward, the top of which disappeared in the veil of the rain—she estimated it was about a good thirty to forty feet.

Her map still kindly pointed her in the direction past this edifice.

[Your Power Grip allows you to grab onto ledges to ascend upward.]

Samus looked at her left hand and flexed her armored fingers. Deep memories were called forth regarding how she came into the possession of the Power Grip back on Zebes… and how much shit it had gotten her out of, since. A soft, fond smile etched its way under her climate-controlled visor—this simple upgrade had saved her life on way too many occasions.

Right.

She gazed up at the rock edifice and found a suitable nook created by two massive vines. Steeling herself, Samus hunched low, then leapt upward. Her hand met the nook she eyed and held on tightly. And despite the rain pummeling her now skyward-facing visor, her Suit’s environmental controllers did well to keep her vision clear while she successfully hung.

Hanging off about ten feet above the ground, she spied another inviting nook that was maybe a few feet higher and to her right… but that’s when Samus came visor-to-visor with a bit of a problem.

Hrmm…

She would have to jump up to grab it… but there was no opposite wall to bound off with her favorite wall-jumping technique. Nor was she confident in being able to launch herself that far, to be able to grab it with her left hand. Even more than that, she found out quickly that an attempt to clamor upward would result in a rather uncomfortable fall—she tried to dig her boots into the vine mess, but they slipped rather easily due to moss and rain.

Her arm cannon could not exactly be disengaged on its own without physically prying it off. There were no other footholds to be found, either.

Samus deadpanned. Her suit’s annoying tutorial mode promptly reminded her of the most viable alternative:

[You can disengage your Varia Suit to more easily scale walls and other climbable objects.]

Samus dropped back down to the ground, where her boots sank slightly into the grass and mud with a squelch.

“Guess there’s only one way up…”

With another flip of that mental switch, she disengaged her Varia Suit, leaving her to the elements once again in her Zero Suit. The cool wetness of the rain on her hair and face was short-lived in enjoyment, as she hunched low and launched herself back into the air. Eyeing the previous nook that she had caught before, she found it properly with her left hand and hung limply once more.

Finding her next grapple point, Samus used her now-free right hand and pulled herself up.

From then-on, her Chozo training from back on Zebes took complete control as she began scaling the forest plateau like clockwork. Her hands gravitated to any potential handhold within the vines and mossy rock, as did her boot-clad feet.

Samus continued to ascend bit by bit, feeling the moist, colder air of the environment harshly cooling off her lungs as she breathed into her movements. The rain continued to not bother her in the slightest, and in fact, she welcomed the water flowing again over her face and down her hair, as it kept her cool during her exertion.

She slipped.

“SHIT!”

Samus gasped as the temporary handhold for her right hand was not as secure as she thought. The vine she chose to help her on her ascent tore in two, and her eyes widened as she was now bearing most of her weight on nothing at all. Samus clenched her left hand into its vine, saying a small Chozo prayer that it held… and that she would not be mildly inconvenienced with a fall back to the earth.

With a little pain in her shoulder (it bore the brunt of the slip-up) Samus quickly found another, much more secure handhold to haul herself further upward.

Fuck’s sake…

After repeating the same process several more times and ensuring that she was much more confident in her choice of grip, the top of this plateau appeared from beyond the veil.

Samus planted her right hand on the top while the rest of her body hung just beyond the edge. With a little extra finessing, she slapped her left hand up there to join her right and hoisted herself up completely—she then let her forearms and elbows bear her weight.

Her eyes suddenly met those of a Space Pirate.

Samus flinched, then shoved her right hand down to her hip and gripped the handle of her pistol. Adrenaline shot through her veins as her body prepared her for combat at an instant…

…until she understood those eyes staring back at her remained unblinking.

Lifeless.

As she calmed down, she noticed its entire, hulking body lying on its front. Its mouth was agape, and a pool of diluted blood collected in one of the larger crevices that naturally adorned the top of this mossy plateau. She judged by the lack of any continual trickle of blood from its mouth, as well as the unnaturally slackened, triple-hinged jaw, that this was not a recent kill.

Satisfied that no threat was posed, Samus finished hoisting herself up, and immediately re-equipped her Suit. During the equipping process, the golden beam of light that coursed over her had a warming effect as it harmlessly vaporized the water that collected on her person… and the blissfulness of what felt like a hot shower for the briefest of moments left as quickly as it came, much to the Hunter’s chagrin.

Through her visor, she gazed down at the dead Pirate Trooper and noted his position—right armored-up arm and assault cannon extended out in front… and his two legs completely straight behind. Samus then pressed the heel of her boot against his jutting-out armor plating.

Using little strength, Samus rolled him over.

Just from rolling him over, Samus could hazard a guess as to what felled the Trooper. Right in the center of his torso where the rest of his elaborate armor plating covering his vital organs would be… was just a crater twice the size of Samus’ fist.

Under normal circumstances, Samus would be content on leaving the dead Pirate where he lay and continuing on her merry way. But something just… seemed odd.

Which, in the end, really was not all that odd, considering ‘odd’ was par for the course in her adventures across the galaxy.

Nevertheless, she kneeled and placed her left hand right above the fatal wound to see if she could ascertain anything right off the bat.

Hmmm… whatever hit this guy just obliterated his chest. Sheesh…

She then brought her fingers up to her helmet and initiated a scan.

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete.]

[Morphology: Space Pirate Trooper. Status: Terminated]

[Death caused by a direct, fatal hit of a concentrated, directed energy blast to the chest. Analysis of the wound and residue left behind, inconclusive—no matches to any known Federation, Pirate, nor Chozo weaponry.]

More unknown energy. Interesting…

Samus switched off her Scan Visor and was about to continue onward on the path her map had set out for her…

…but out of the corner of her eye, something glinted off the natural, ambient light in the rain.

Samus cocked an eyebrow.

Hmmm?

Turning back to face the deceased Space Pirate, she indeed found something, at first glance, ‘shiny’ resting right by its body. Taking a step closer and kneeling once again to get a better look, Samus scooped the object out from its puddle with her armored hand and brought it up to visor-level.

Her eyes fell on the flat, planar, medallion looking object that clearly bore a formal insignia of some kind… an insignia that she did not recognize in the least. In fact, it seemed rather strange when gazing at the object from all angles, rotating it in her armored grasp. It appeared to be made of fine metal—a mixture of gold and silver if she had to hazard a guess. But what was most interesting to her was the symbol harbored within: two…

…horses?

Indeed, two horse-seeming creatures circled one another on opposite ends of an imaginary circle. One white, and one navy blue. The respective backgrounds they lay embossed on formed sort of a ‘yin-yang’ symbolic orientation. On a second look… they appeared to have one horn each. And wings. Engraved on the edge of the medallion, there lay some inscriptions that Samus could not discern, and which she assumed was writing of sorts.

A pendant? Maybe?

She carefully lay it on her arm cannon, and initiated another scan:

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete.]

[Object unknown. Resemblance found in Military Insignias and National Medals. Composition: Gold, Silver, Moonstone, Dumortierite. Inscriptions bear no resemblance to known languages in Galactic Repository.]

Hmph. Maybe there IS civilization here?

Samus dismissed her Scan Visor and gently placed the pendant back where she found it. She then stood upright and turned toward her objective once more. And as she stepped away, she made sure to make a mental note to keep a lookout for areas… or evidence… of civilization.

That little tidbit was starting to bother her, though. Samus used the full weight of her ship’s abilities—augmented with Federation tech—to scan for any signs of intelligent life. If there was intelligent life, then the Space Pirates were either subjugating the population, or were taking a stealthier approach in obtaining their Phazon, much like on Aether with the Luminoth.

But as Samus continued to diligently march through the tall grass of the forest floor, and the rest of the flora in her path… that little medal continued to occupy valuable space in her mind.

There were no signs returned of intelligent civilization on the planet—this planet was completely ‘dark,’ telling her that the worst she could expect was natural fauna.

And that in turn had a few potential ramifications. It either meant:

Her systems were wrong. Or…

The Space Pirates had already—completely and utterly—eliminated all intelligent populations on the planet. Or…

This Space Pirate brought a souvenir along from another unknown planet. Or…

Any civilization here was already gone, or in such a state of decline from some outside event (like a Phazon strike) that it could not be picked up by her sensors.

During her travels and missions thus far, Samus had encountered every single one of those scenarios in some context. But somehow… for some reason, she could not shake the feeling that she already knew which one of those possibilities was the most likely case. And it further solidified her theory that this ‘recon’ mission would be anything but a simple ‘get in, get out,’ cut-and-dry operation.

These feelings of pseudo-knowing continued to occupy her mind and heart as she approached what looked like the edge of the forest. It did not help that the further she inched forward, the more frequently she found strewn Pirate bodies in various states of telltale combat mutilation…

…and some in rather uncharacteristic mutilation. She just passed a Pirate Commando corpse that was horrendously torn in three. Another Trooper was completely decapitated with no sign of its head, along with three massive holes in its chest and stomach.

Something else was here. That much she knew. And her intuition told her that it was not just some aggressive wildlife.

Pushing said thoughts as far back as she could, the Hunter scurried off into the deeper cover of the foliage as she advanced further. Hunkered down low, arm cannon at the low ready, Samus continued to follow the guide of her map, which diligently pointed her straight ahead.

The rainfall, despite still being under forest cover, was suddenly much more powerful, and her visibility ahead dropped precipitously.

Wait a sec…

She glanced upward, and through the ripples of the raindrops that struck her visor, she blinked hard at the discovery: the tops of the massive trees had been completely seared off—skeletons of where further foliage should have been were now barren for her to see even on the ground. But after a second of mental processing, this made perfect sense, because to her, that meant…

The impact crater is close… really close.

As Samus moved up even more, her suspicions were further confirmed when more and more of the soppy ground beneath her was devoid of any flora—it was completely charred. Seared. The blast from the Phazon meteor strike had obliterated this portion of the forest. Further confirming things, she found the entire ground pockmarked with even smaller, micro-craters.

But it was always good to be sure, and Samus took a quick scan of a dead tree:

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete.]

[Radioactive atoms detected within tree bark and surrounding soil, consistent with Phazon-charged kinetic blast of incredible force.]

Samus dismissed her visor.

As expected. The edges of the impact blast incinerated the area… Gotta be right up ahead.

Sure enough, as Samus advanced a little more slowly due to a dearth of flora to use as cover, the ‘new edge’ of the forest gave way to desert-like ground… an upward angled ejecta blanket of no-man’s land that led straight into the towering, plateau-like raised rim of the impact crater.

Samus hunkered down low behind what remaining cover the scarred trees and rain offered her. She took a few moments to just… observe the monolithic structure which seemed to extend horizontally as far as her eyes could see either direction. Samus’ mind wandered away from the mission momentarily. Her gaze angled up towards the top of the outer rim.

Good lord… this meteor had to have been as large as the one that decimated Aether. Maybe bigger…

God, I hope there’s no Ing equivalent…

Samus had made sure to double-check for inter-dimensional flux, and she had found none… but again, anything was possible in her line of work.

Bringing herself back to the present, Samus gazed for the easiest route over the crater’s outer rim, as her map was still pointing her directly ahead. However, as she further scanned the rim of the crater, she noticed that this section was… noticeably shorter than the rest of the crater wall. Furthermore, she could have sworn she saw something moving in the haze of the rain.

She squinted her eyes and had her visor zoom in a couple times.

Well, well, well…

Right at the rim, she could see the hallmarks of trench parapets, as well as the barrels of Pirate Heavy Turrets and machine guns pointed outside of the crater perimeter. She also spied a few lone Pirate Troopers strolling along the edge, conversing with each other, and doing… pretty much what a soldier does on a manned trench line.

Drawing her zoomed-in gaze further down the sloped ejecta blanket, she found it pockmarked with foxholes, as well as a few isolated squads with their own heavy weapons…

…all aimed towards the forest.

This was not abnormal in and of itself… but the sheer number of heavy guns concerned her. The Federation clearly were not here—that was the whole reason she was sent as a lone-wolf recon force, after all.

What were the Space Pirates defending against?

Samus started snapping pictures of the defense from her remaining cover of the forest, which began immediately transmitting back to her ship’s databanks. That was all she could do for now… until she could figure out a way to ascend the ejecta blanket without getting herself spotted and shelled. With the sheer amount of firepower facing her, that was a tall order, even for the firepower she herself commanded.

A chorus of horrific, blood-curdling, inhuman, hellish screams sounded from the forest depths behind her, cutting a swathe through the natural ambiance.

Once getting over the small shiver that ran up her spine at the sound, her mind shot into overdrive as she flicked her eyes to her motion tracker. Unknown blips—too many to count—were showing up at her eight o’clock and advancing straight…

…straight towards the crater.

THAT doesn’t sound friendly…

The Space Pirates reacted immediately, and a chorus of their own voices were picked up by Samus’ translators:

“Defend this section!”

“They’re coming again! They’ll only find death!”

“High Command wills it!”

Any further thoughts she had on the matter were dissipated when the Space Pirate defenders started opening fire on a specific section of forest. Those… screams continued and intensified to the point where the sonic dampeners of her suit were starting to take effect. From the distance away, to the sheer volume of machine gun, blaster, and accelerator cannon fire the Pirates were spitting into the forest… on top of the rain picking up, she was not able to get any sight on the newcomers.

She could see… something in the forest all the way down there, though the rain and the remaining trees prevented any positive identification from this distance.

The only other thing Samus could discern about the attackers in her stealthy state was that they just… kept coming. Expanding out her motion tracker revealed a sea of red blips advancing forward at frightening speed.

But… perhaps this presented an opportunity for her.

Samus shot her gaze up towards the slope of the ejecta blanket she would have to ford. The crater was massive, but the Pirates had constructed their defensive works in such a way that the ejecta blanket itself was much smaller than it should have been… which meant less of a struggle to climb up, on top of an artificially reduced crater wall.

The question was… how to scale to the edge of the crater without being seen? She felt confident enough in her abilities to just simply storm the defenses if she needed to. But this was a recon mission. The moment the Pirates knew the Hunter, who had decimated at least three forward bases of varying sizes and strengths so far, was now on this planet… they would likely pack up shop instantly and the mission would be a failure.

Samus quickly drummed up her thoughts while keeping an eye on her motion tracker.

Scaling this slope undetected is almost impossible with the defenses facing the forest edge…

…unless they’re occupied.

The rain had picked up too. Samus furrowed her brow, and she knew the best move she could make was being presented on a silver platter right in front of her.

But then came more blips on her motion tracker.

New contacts, advancing from all around her. The Space Pirates apparently detected these as well, as reinforcements were being brought up and shifted to the crater brim right in front of her. Samus knew she was not seen—the Pirates had not opened fire yet. They were waiting for… whatever was about to crawl up her ass if she remained where she was.

Throughout her extensive career, Samus had learned one skill which was most valuable if she wanted to survive: pick your battles if you can.

And in this case, she most certainly had a choice. The Pirates could deal with this threat themselves.

Nope! I’ll try again at night.

Samus turned away from the frontline and hung a wide arc around the incoming hostiles to make sure she did not run into any trouble. The last thing she needed was to get into a firefight so close to the Pirate lines, lest she be detected.

Samus seemed to successfully evade battle, and the forest was once again quieter when she was able to return to her previous path outlined by her map.

Well, at least until she had to peek over her shoulder when she heard some loud, resonating ‘booms’ from what sounded like an artillery strike. Samus’ eyes widened a bit at the thought… it must’ve been a gnarly battle, and more than a threat and a half to give the Pirates this much grief. She shrugged at her thoughts when she stepped back onto the edge of the forest plateau, right where she had her previous ‘meeting’ with a dead Pirate Trooper.

Guess I made the right call!

As she moved to hurl herself off the edge and get back to the lower levels of this forest, one small… teeny, tiny detail stopped her in her tracks. The body of the Space Pirate trooper was gone.

Samus’ mind went back into overdrive, and she flicked her eyes between her motion tracker, and the greater environment. Everything seemed… quiet. Though to her, this time it was much too quiet to be natural, even through the white noise of the torrential downpour. She could hear her own breathing much more clearly, but the rain further veiled off her surroundings from her.

She was being watched. And the pit of her stomach told her that it most certainly was not the Space Pirates.

Mkay then…

Samus figured that she was deep enough in the forest that if she ended up having to get into a fight with something, the Space Pirates would be blissfully unaware. That was all well and good, but she also knew that a firefight on the edge of a drop was not a good idea, so, first thing was first:

After quickly drawing her barrel over her field of vision, she launched herself off the forest plateau, somersaulted a few times, and then landed in a proper combat roll before she got back to her feet.

Jogging back whence she came, she kept her arm cannon leveled towards her rear for a moment… then after bounding over a familiar tree-trunk, Samus came face-to-face, again, with the destroyed Space Pirate crate that was trickling ultra-pure Phazon onto the forest floor.

What should have been a rather standard, uneventful reunion with a pseudo-landmark stopped her dead once more:

The crate had been mauled and mangled even further since she saw it last… and the Phazon that lay nestled within was no longer present.

It was completely empty.

What really bothered Samus about the scene was that it did not look like it had been tipped over into another crate and hauled off… no, it was not neat in the slightest. The splatters of some of the residual, neon-blue poison over the soppy ground were a telltale sign to the contrary.

It had been… consumed.

And the realization on top of the still omnipresent feeling of being monitored made Samus’ skin crawl.

What the hell is going on here…?

Another, lone blip on her motion tracker to her right.

In one smooth motion, Samus turned to face the threat, knelt on one knee, and properly aimed with her arm cannon. Her charge beam was active, illuminating her visor further and swelling her weapon to the point where it appeared it would burst at its seams. The charged, luminously gold power beam round hummed almost peacefully at the end of her barrel like a miniature sun and was ready to be fired off into whoever—or whatever—would dare challenge her.

Whoever had been stalking her… if they wanted a fight, she would gladly oblige.

The unknown blip appeared to draw ever closer, and through the darkness of the background forest plus the veil of the rain, Samus thought she could make out a silhouette… one that was becoming clearer and clearer as the long seconds passed.

Training her eyes as best as she could, Samus began studying the figure as it gradually made itself known. A little over half her height, four legs, sharp ears standing straight up…

Wait… are those… hooves?

Four hooves. Long muzzle. Massive eyes… equine?

It stopped ten feet in front of her, and Samus took the rather pregnant pause to lower her cannon just a smidge to get a better look. Her charge beam remained fully powered though… just in case.

Focusing fully on the unknown, it indeed looked equine in nature… but… gaunt. She could see its ribs and other bones embossed against its sickly, seemingly charred skin. Small patches of what coat remained were matted to the figure. It twitched, gurgled, and whined… almost like it was in the process of dying a miserable death. Furthermore, she could see plates of what appeared to be the remnants of armor…

…with a couple eerily familiar medallions hanging off one of said plates.

And despite the appearance of death incarnate, it breathed in front of her. What stood out most were the hairlike, neon-blue vessels that spiderwebbed over its body and seemed to ‘pulse’ rapidly with the beat of its heart—a telltale sign of Phazon corruption and mutation… on top of the sporadic, bulbous tumors.

Where some of these poisoned blood-vessels lead on the newcomer also drew Samus’ immediate attention.

Wait… is that a… horn?

A unicorn?! What the hell?

Those eyes… those abyssal, pure-black, soulless eyes seemed to immediately lock onto hers through her visor.

And then Samus noticed the two mouths, one right on top of the other, where the mandible of the top mouth formed the maxilla of the bottom. The top one had flat teeth as she would expect of a horse… the bottom…

…razor sharp. Jagged.

For fractions of a second, Samus thought she could see emotion… its ragged, stringy remnants of its mane covering part of its face. Its hollow eyes seemed to convey a nameless fear that touched Samus in her heart, and for a moment, she considered lowering her weapon further.

A sickening, unnatural twitch in its head, and what sounded like the sharp cracking of bones dispersed this feeling at an instant, followed up by that same, blood-curdling, deafening screech and roar.

Samus’ eyes widened as its horn began to draw in light, gradually becoming as bright as her arm cannon…

…and then with rocket-like velocity, it launched itself at her.

02. Blip

It lunged at her.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Samus could soon make out every detail of the soulless, black, abyssal eyes from a mere couple feet away from her. Even more apparent was the snarling, dual mouths and sets of teeth from the corrupted monstrosity, illuminated by the golden light of her charged Power Beam shot.

With her cannon squarely locked on the target, Samus released the charged shot with honed timing and precision. With a sudden cannon blast and a sickly, feral death scream, the mutated creature was sent sailing back whence it came when the ball of energy slammed into its chest. From the amount of residual blood spatter that trickled down her visor, Samus thought the damn thing was torn right in half.

But as Samus stood up, it seemed that wasn’t the case. The abomination lay motionless on the ground ahead, a couple feet back from it initially struck out at her. The downpour was washing away the quickly pooling blood from its chest while its tongues lolled out of its mouths.

A quick glance around her, followed by a confirmation from her barren motion tracker, Samus marched over to her downed enemy and gave it a quick look-over. At this angle, it certainly had hooves, so she confirmed she wasn’t too crazy… yet. She further confirmed the whittling away of whatever coat or fur this creature had on account of the Phazon infection and corruption.

So much of this creature looked… unnatural.

But in the end... not unlike so many other monstrosities Samus had come across in her travels and missions.

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete]

[Entity Unknown. Genetic and Zoological data suggest equine relation, likely pony, though the presence of the horn complicates this link, and matches no known ungulate. Unknown, aetheric force detected flowing through the body, though it is unconfirmed whether this force can be called upon at will. Further unknown if this ability was present before Phazon corruption. More research and data collection will be needed to complete this logbook entry.]

[Lifeform status: Alive; Critically Wounded]

Samus blinked.

Wait… alive?!

It spit a massive globule of Phazon-laden saliva right onto her visor.

“FUCK!” Samus shouted…

...and then stumbled away. She was literally seeing colors as her defensive shielding sizzled at the contact of the mutagenic saliva. Wiping her visor clean with her hand and further helped by the rainfall, Samus aimed at the now-screaming, mortally wounded abomination.

She executed it with a single power-beam round to its head. And then confirmed its death properly.

Bastard.

Samus glanced back over her shoulder. More feral, inhuman screeches…

...and more…

...and even more.

She saw swarms of silhouettes moving through the veil of the forest and the rain, and even more than that, her motion tracker lit up like a metropolis. From all sides, her systems cautioned a horde of hostiles about to envelop her position from all around.

Ahhh hell.

Deciding to pick her battles again, Samus was more than content with getting back to her ship and letting its defenses take care of the dirty work. She pivoted on her heels and started running in that direction, intending to just fight off any of these creatures that got in her way.

This plan was promptly interrupted when two massive blasts of energy erupted on either side in front of her, stopping her mid-step. These coalesced instantly into spiraling pillars of neon-blue energy that disappeared as quickly as they were known, leaving two of the same unicorn entities in their wake, snarling and screeching.

Samus immediately threw her entire body backwards and into a roll to put distance between her two assailants. Once back to her feet, she fired a quick torrent of Power Beam rounds into the unicorn on her right, all but one of which struck it in the chest and forced it to stumble in place. The Hunter jogged horizontally to strafe her target and finish it off with one last blow to the head but her entire world was rocked when she felt herself being lifted off the ground.

What the hell?!

Eyes wide, Samus glanced all around her when she found herself horizontal to the ground, with some modestly transparent, intangible field blanketing her entire body. Her suit gladly reminded her of the rather obvious development:

[WARNING! Unknown Force acting upon Varia Suit!]

Thinking quickly, she was able to get one last good shot off on her original target, dropping it with one good Power Beam round between the eyes…

...all before she was thrown with frightening force against the nearest, fully-formed tree, back-first. She cried out through gritted teeth as she struck the solid tree-trunk.

“GAH!”

Bark splintered and shattered at the point of her impact before she fell to her briefly-wobbly knees. Her defensive shielding, unfortunately, did little to protect her from non-energized melee strikes… nor getting tossed like a ragdoll against a solid environmental object.

Shame.

Now kneeling while recovering from the sudden disorientation, Samus was much too quick on the draw for the remaining unicorn to follow up on its success—she made short work of it with a single charged Power Beam blast to its head, which blew it apart like a melon.

No sooner did Samus get back to both of her feet than a wave of these creatures burst through the flora wall of her immediate area. The first thing she noticed when she snapped her gaze to them was the distinct lack of horns on their heads. Quickly putting two-and-two together that the lighting of the horns produced this telekinetic force that threw her for a literal loop, Samus went on a quick offensive.

Through the chorus of screeching and cries that seemed to overwhelm her sonic inhibitors at times, Samus unleashed a fusillade of Power Beams straight into the wave of horn-less entities. She swept her field of fire over her mass of attackers, watching as individuals cried out hauntingly and stumbled over themselves when they were fatally struck.

What didn’t exactly help was seeing some of them ‘revive,’ mortally wounded with holes in their bodies, missing limbs, bleeding profusely… yet still attempting to get back into the fight before they collapsed and died.

Goddamn these guys take a lot to bring down…

Samus had little time to reflect on this development though. Once she had cut down a sufficient number of the wave in front of her, she turned on her heels and started sprinting back towards her gunship, knowing full well that she was going to run into another group of them courtesy of her motion tracker.

Just a little farther…

Samus burst through the next band of brush, finally arriving at the enclave her ship was nestled within… but three more bright flashes of blue cut her off, revealing three gnashing and snarling unicorns in their wakes.

Not even flinching, Samus hunched low and launched herself into the air, aiming to just sail over her new attackers and take refuge in her ship to outsource the defense…

...but that once again proved easier said than done.

Her eyes widened when she felt her stomach lurch, as the nigh-invisible hand of the mysterious unicorn force coiled itself around her midsection, stopping her in mid-air.

She was further rocked when what seemed like a few energy bolts—or whatever it was—were shot at her and absorbed by her shield generator, registering damage. Battle senses going into overdrive and her heart pounding in her chest, Samus was able to scour her immediate surroundings. She homed in on the one unicorn that was holding her in place as evident by its horn being perpetually lit up blue.

Samus leveled her cannon at the offending unicorn and fired four times. All rounds found their target and the last one struck her enemy right on the horn, killing it and letting her drop unceremoniously to the soppy earth beneath her.

Another bolt of mysterious ‘energy’ slammed into her side as she recovered, making her stumble a little bit before she could properly counter with another salvo of Power Beam rounds, neutralizing the second threat in the wake of another death roar. Now having understood a modicum of the threat she was facing, Samus was able to side-step another energy shot sent her way.

She began to feel the binding, tendrillic hold of this barely-seen aetheric energy around her armored body once more, but once again Samus was much too quick for her corrupted enemy. She sent a single missile sailing its way right into her enemy’s chest, the concussive blast then making short work of the unicorn’s bodily structure... and sending what remained sailing backward several feet.

All that remained was just pure carnage in her area: three mutilated bodies with massive amounts of blood having been spilled onto the ground below.

She was free from immediate assault, and her motion tracker having pretty much turned entirely red by now, Samus somersaulted into the air and stuck her landing atop her ship’s elevator. After her ship’s systems doing a system-level handshake with her Varia Suit, she dropped back down into the safety of her cockpit, disengaged her Suit, and sat down properly at her controls.

Her finger roamed across her instruments and holographic touchscreens.

“I’ll let the defense turrets deal with you guys,” she spoke aloud to herself as she stared into her ship’s defensive grid configuration.

The soft warnings of energy shield activations didn’t bother her much, as thankfully, her ship’s shielding was more than capable of standing up to more incoming unicorn’s energy blasts without any issue. It was built to protect her from the fire of Pirate capital ships, after all.

Her motion tracker was still red all around her, but Samus knew well that it would thin out pretty soon when she activated her ship’s defenses. She was just about to execute the command, when a familiar—yet foreign—alert caught Samus’ attention right before she engaged the turrets.

[WARNING! Space Pirate signatures detected! Pirate Forces en route to your location!]

Samus could feel her pupils shrinking to pinpricks as she inhaled sharply.

Oh no…

She scrambled to another window on her computer and widened the area of the motion tracker.

Sure enough, heading straight to her area from the direction of the impact crater and Pirate base, there were indeed blips that her systems recognized as Space Pirate signatures. She pursed her lips as she watched them approach her general area for a couple of seconds. Samus deduced that these blips were either a patrol or vanguard of some sort sent out to retake any lost territory from these creatures…

…or they heard or detected the happenings of the last couple of minutes, and were sending troops to investigate.

In the end, it didn’t matter what the reason was. All Samus knew was that she needed to get the hell out of here immediately. And with the Pirates in this close proximity, it wouldn’t serve her interests of ‘stealth’ to activate any defensive turrets right now.

“Alright… let's get fuck outta here…” she said aloud as she began starting her ship's engines and anti-gravity generators. It wasn’t more than a few tense seconds—with bright, flickering ambience from outside due to energy fire lighting up her forest enclave—until she was beginning to float up towards the forest canopy.

Samus’ relief turned into abject concern, however, when she spotted almost a dozen unicorns stepping forward from the horde of Phazon-corrupted ‘ponies.’ Said concern morphed into alarm when they all fired up their horns at once…

…and her ship ceased its movements completely, mere moments before she was about to break the forest canopy.

You have GOT to be kidding me…

Samus increased the power of her anti-gravity generators and her engines. No such luck, and in fact, she felt the lurching of her ship as it was partially willed lower from its ascent. Samus moved to desperately dislodge her ship from this unseen hold with extreme urgency.

“Oh now you’ve really got to be fuckin’ kidding me ri—WHOA!”

Samus’ back slammed into her pilot’s chair as her ship’s upward thrust was completely negated, and she plummeted to the earth like a stone. The nose of her gunship slammed into the ground, a hit that the Hunter-class gunship’s shields were most certainly not designed to protect against. She had strapped in at the last possible second, which prevented her face from acquainting itself with the control panel…

...but as she shook off the impact, she almost wished that she had been unconscious as to not hear that horrific cracking and metallic bending sound coming from the front of her ship. That had definitely broken a thing or two.

She couldn’t be bothered with figuring out what the damage was at the moment, even with the constant stream of alerts streaming over her ship’s HUD. Samus took manual controls back, and re-oriented her ship with great difficulty despite the struggle with this telekinetic force.

Come on… come on…

Samus flicked her eyes constantly back towards her motion tracker, which showed the Pirates nearly on top of her. If they got just a little bit closer they would probably be able to catch sight of her bright-orange ship in the middle of a green and brown forest… or at the very least hear the engines.

In a game of ethereal tug of war, Samus was able to free herself just a little bit, before her ship once again was willed slowly back towards the earth despite the thrust of her engines. She didn’t have any more time to play this game though. Going over her options in a flash, she armed her ship’s turrets, which promptly found their targets on the offending unicorns literally holding her back. She’d take her chances.

Samus remarked as she engaged her weaponry:

“Fuck… OFF!”

And with that, the four turrets on Samus’ gunship fired off a salvo of explosive rounds right into the small masses of unicorns and ponies, obliterating them where they stood. Her last-resort defense certainly lit up this patch of forest, briefly setting the vegetation alight which was quickly quelled by the falling rain. If the Space Pirates were in the dark as to what was going on here, Samus figured they definitely knew something was here.

Not that she cared right now… so long as she could skedaddle.

And in a literal explosion of fire, flora, bodies, and limbs, Samus’ ship was finally free of the foreign force acting upon it. Still taking manual controls, she piloted her ship up and out of her little enclave, clearing the canopy and the tops of the fog-blanketed trees entirely. She could’ve sworn she heard what sounded like Pirate weapon’s fire in the distance as they engaged what remained of the horde of corrupted beasts.

That was okay by her, as she was totally fine with letting them clean up the mess.

Her systems—along with a healthy dose of speculation—told her that she wasn’t detected by the Space Pirate forces yet… and Samus had every intention of keeping that a reality. And with that goal in mind, she leveled her ship off and disappeared into the clouds as she further put distance between her and that particular section of the forest… and the impact crater.

But getting away from physical danger at the moment presented a host of new problems that her systems were all too happy to inform her of:

[ALERT: Catastrophic damage to Cloaking Module! Detection profile significantly increased!]

[ALERT: Hypercomm Buoy destroyed! Long-range communications and transmissions offline!]

Samus cast a death-dealing glare at her systems as her ship continued to cruise through the cloud layer… as if by force of will alone, the broken modules would magically repair themselves immediately.

God. DAMNIT.

The first alert was of pressing priority to her. Samus ran over her options through her head at lightning speed, but all roads led to the fact that she needed to ground herself soon. Her cloaking module provided all the needed stealth and dampening to evade even the best Space Pirate detection systems… and remaining airborne with it severely damaged meant it was only a matter of time before they found her.

She flicked her eyes over a holographic map of the local topography she was passing over while she considered just jetting off back into space in retreat. She conceded that there would still be a high chance that her signatures would be detected leaving the atmosphere of the planet, and even though she’d be safe as a result, it could send the Pirates packing.

She couldn’t take that risk. Not without the Federation alert of the full strength of what she was dealing with on the planet.

And that in and of itself presented a problem in the way of her destroyed long range communications node. She couldn’t even alert the Federation of even the most basic defenses around the crater that she snapped pictures of.

The most important thing right now, though, was to get out of the air and somewhere where she wouldn’t be easily spotted—somewhere ideally outside of the Pirate patrol zone.

Samus narrowed her eyes when a structure came into view on the map she was using.

“Is that… a castle?” she asked out loud.

Checking her own radar and detection systems, nothing indicated that she was being tracked or followed in any way. It seemed that she had escaped the eyes of the Space Pirates… for now, and if only just. She pushed her controls forward ever so slightly, descending her to just below the cloud level.

Sure enough, as if Samus was flying in from the sea—a literal sea of forest—the figurative shoreline appeared to be a small settlement. Samus narrowed her eyes in deep thought as she took in the town-sized area that drew ever closer. Though admittedly, her eyes were much more drawn to the massive castle that seemed to spring out from right in the center of it… looking from a distance like it was literally sprouting out of the ground like a tree.

And as she drew even closer than that, she spied within its walls a rather deep courtyard, fully shielded from view save for the top-down. And it appeared that her ship would easily fit, despite the dilapidated and partially-compromised structural integrity. She made the split second decision.

“Let’s see how lucky we get…”

Samus accelerated forward, further drawing her eyes over the clearly abandoned settlement as she aimed for this castle’s courtyard. Despite its outwardly desolate appearance, the castle itself appeared in somewhat decent structural condition, at least the parts that looked to be made of crystal versus stone… though she figured she could get a better look soon enough. Fully over the courtyard, she drew her ship to a hovering stop and carefully lowered herself into her new refuge.

Her anti-gravity generators were whipping much of the overgrown grass and plants inside until her landing gear compressed safely against the secure ground. Samus then cut her engines and just… waited.

The natural quiet of a land devoid of life returned, and her ship’s systems did not detect any pursuit or any other unusual activity from the Space Pirates. Nevertheless, she kept her eyes diligently glued to her systems, flicking her gaze between each of the various alerts, idle warnings, and placid data feeds.

Nothing stirred. All was quiet once more, with only the rain falling atop of her ship to keep her company within her extra layer of castle walls.

Samus then drew her thoughts back to her choice of sanctuary: a rather prominent castle, despite it having clearly seen better—and more peaceful—times. She could explore it a little later. But for now, it was time to figure out exactly how the damage her systems warned her about, manifested physically.

Welp. Let’s see how fucked I actually am…

She got out of her seat and made her way out onto the top of her ship via her elevator, her face being greeted once again by the welcome, persistent rain. Cooling off what remained of any nerves and adrenaline from her previous engagement, she hopped onto the ground with a gentle grunt upon making groundfall. Her boots in no way sank into the ground like the forest, courtesy of the concrete-like material.

Alright. Am I fucked?

Shrugging off her jump and righting her posture, Samus casually strode in front of her ship. She could feel her natural stoicism melting away, revealing the raw layer of sheer annoyance underneath it with every step she took... and with every inch of the nose of her gunship coming into view.

By the time she was standing in front of her ship, she could feel the scowl weighing down her face. She put both her hands on her hips as she stared at the crumpled, conical nose of her pride and joy.

Looks pretty fucked to me.

She pursed her lips and nodded a couple times as she now considered her situation in full once again. While the Pirates hadn’t seemingly detected her, she was pushed into her own little corner with very little means of escape at the moment. Any attempt to break out through the atmosphere would not exactly be guaranteed to be not tracked.

Nor could she get the Federation to bail her out—long range communications abilities to the nearest extranet node were completely destroyed. Or at least, that’s what she gleaned from reading over the alerts on her wrist console that had popped up during the heat of battle.

Her irritation was welling up exponentially, but Samus took a deep breath and exhaled. Wishing everything worked the way it did twenty minutes ago wasn’t going to solve her issues in the present.

Samus keyed in a couple commands on her console and initiated her ship’s auto-repair function… to which she could hear the whirring of the internal machinery getting right to work, much as it diligently did when she made a pseudo crash-landing on Aether.

Her wrist vibrated in a most… peculiar manner. Samus rolled her eyes as she brought her console back up to view:

[Auto-repair functions initiated. Repair status: 0%]

[ERROR: Long Range Communications Buoy has suffered catastrophic damage. Auto-repair systems cannot remedy. Please seek appropriate servicing at the nearest certified shipyard.]

[WARNING: Cloaking Module has sustained heavy damage. Repair time projections significantly increased.]

Of course, of course…

“It can never be just an easy one, can it. Always gotta prove me right somehow,” Samus said out loud.

With that getting underway, and as the slowing rain continued to fall on her, Samus decided to draw her gaze over her current surroundings… or rather, her literal surroundings of the stone walls of her courtyard sanctuary. Any artificially planted flowers, trees, and plants that were on display had long since died… and instead replaced by moss and nature’s own personal choice for flora.

Flora that had no problem claiming these walls as its own.

If Samus had to hazard a guess, she would say this castle hadn’t been maintained in the last twenty years or so.

Each of the windows that overlooked the area were dark… barren. Either completely open where the deathly-quiet air would flow through, or covered with some kind of stained glass that was in no way properly cleaned nor maintained. This, on top of the horrors in the forest confirmed to her in full that there was indeed a civilization here.

A grand one, at that.

The questions that occupied part of her mind now were… what happened to this society? Were the Pirates solely to blame? The Phazon? Both?

These questions continued to rattle within her head, until she noticed something. Out of the corner of her eye, through a window that she thought she had scanned over… something was there that certainly wasn’t before. A mass of color peeking through that didn’t seem to belong in the slightest.

Samus shot her gaze to that very window. The moment she did, a purple head ducked back into cover behind the window. The Hunter blinked… her systems didn’t detect any Pirate signatures, but sparing a glance at her motion tracker which she hadn’t done since she put her literal boots on the ground, she indeed could see some unknown movement being returned.

Out of an abundance of caution though, Samus engaged her Suit with a bright flash of light and quietly stepped behind the cover of her ship opposite of the window about two stories up. She held her arm cannon at the low ready whilst still continuing to peek out back towards the window.

The same figure sloooooowly poked out again, and with her eyes glued to the window, Samus could now discern the shape of something distinctly reptilian, with the facial structure of what she would consider a…

A… dragon?

She shook her head, attempting to eject those thoughts from her mind… until they were promptly reinserted when the figure raised a clawed hand visible through the window, and waved tentatively.

Samus blinked, but she lowered her cannon just a tad, and poked her visor out a bit more so she could optically zoom in.

What the…

It stood up even more and sure enough with her own eyes, she saw what appeared to be a rather muscular looking dragon that was standing on two legs… and waving out at her curiously.

[Scanning…]

[Scan complete]

[Unknown entity. Reptilian and Saurian traits observed. Logbook entry will be updated when more necessary information is gleaned.]

Samus rested her hand on her cannon and steeled herself.

“Hello?!” she called out… which apparently startled the creature, as she saw it recoil, its eyes widening in surprise.

Samus didn’t sense any hostility from the creature, nor did she suspect it was affiliated with the Space Pirates. Nevertheless, she kept ready to start shooting at any second should that change.

She called out again, casting the figurative gamble that the creature could understand her in the slightest:

“Identify yourself!”

Of all things Samus expected, it wasn’t a voice that had a pitch identical to an average human teenage boy.

“H-Hi?”

And even less so, a response in English.

Samus blinked. Hard. And again called back tentatively:

“You can understand me??”

A response came without much hesitation:

“...am I not supposed to?”

Samus nearly rolled her eyes at that—she wasn’t blind to the slight sarcastic tone to that… but even the use of sarcasm further underscored the point: she really couldn’t believe her luck at finding someone not affiliated with the Federation, seemingly fluent in English.

She was about to come back to that when the creature had its attention drawn to something just beyond the side of the window… and began whispering to someone out of the Hunter’s view. Whatever this conversation was, it was pretty animated, based on the facial expressions and the hand gestures.

So… clearly intelligent life. And smart-ass life.

The draconic creature then turned back to her and beckoned with his hand.

“You uh… wanna come inside? Meet you halfway?”

She wasn’t really sure how to feel about that. But at the very least, it was a nicer invitation than being snuck up on like with U-Mos... and then suddenly assigned a whole ass mission to save a planet.

Umm… okay…

Be that as it may, this was certainly one of the more… colloquial meetings that she had in a good while. She sensed no threat from him, and in a call back to her own experiences to make sure and keep her humanity as intact as possible in these missions, she nodded.

Samus answered back a bit awkwardly:

“Okay… sure,”

Samus stood up carefully from out of cover but kept her hand right atop her cannon lest anyone try anything. Once fully into view, she looked back up toward the window, to which the dragon silently pointed to her left—towards one of the archways leading out of the courtyard.

“Go through the archway there. There’s a massive set of stairs you can’t miss. Go up and then go straight. I’ll uhh… meet you at the corner,” he said.

To confirm, Samus stood up straight and pointed to the same archway.

“That one?”

He nodded.

“Yup! See you soon!” he said, and then disappeared from the window, ostensibly to ‘meet her halfway.’

She glanced back at her motion tracker, and as expected, she was seeing a single blip moving in the general direction that she was instructed to do so. But as Samus kept her guard up and glided out of the courtyard through the designated archway, one question arose prominently in her mind:

Who was that creature conversing with? Shouldn’t there have been at least two blips on her tracker?

She could hopefully answer that later.

Out of the rain and carefully watching all her meters, Samus was still able to spare glances at her new, sheltered surroundings. Inside this castle proper, things seemed much like she would describe a castle to anyone… except instead of stone everywhere, there was lots of crystal. It was interesting to see some manner of her reflection on almost every wall and floor as she passed by.

She remembered that her ‘host’ was a couple floors up, and coming through the archway revealed the legitimately gargantuan stairway upward, as promised. It appeared that it would bring her up the entire three floors.

Samus started ascending the set of the odd hybrid crystal-stone stairs, and took note at more of her surroundings as she continued forward… namely, the occasional stained-glass windows that let what little light in there was from the rainy day outside. What stood out to her the most were the depictions within the stained glass:

Ponies…

So, we’ve got ponies and dragons… sort of. Every mission has its charm.

Indeed, Samus let her guard down just that much so she could study one of the larger windows. Even though it had faded and was covered with so much dust, she’d probably die from suffocation, she could observe the sheer amount of color that was present in the scene being painted. The scene looked like a bunch of multi-colored ponies just frollicking in the field in front of this very castle, and basking in the sunshine.

And amongst the depictions she could see horns on some of their little heads… as well as some wings on other ponies, too.

Unicorns. Interesting… which means that those ‘ponies’ in the forest gotta be what’s left after the Phazon had their way with them. Shame.

And… winged ponies? What’s the name uhhh... Pegasus?

Straight down her path was a cross-hall where she could hang a proper right turn and meet… whatever or whomever had beckoned her inside.

Rounding the corner though wasn’t necessary when a rather purple figure poked out from around said corner, stopping Samus in her tracks. She lay her hand on her cannon once again out of reflex and steadied her breathing, but did not feel the need to shoulder her weapon.

Yet.

For a few seconds that felt like they lasted minutes, Samus stared at this draconic creature and studied it… with it seemingly doing the same back to her. Based on what she could see right now, it was just under six feet tall and a smidge below eye-level, completely purple save for a light, almost seafoam green ‘underbelly’ portion that extended from their mandible all the way down their torso…

...and apparently back towards its tail as they stepped out completely from behind the corner, even if a little bit tentatively. And Samus thought that the ‘underbelly’ observation was probably not technically correct since, to her partial-astonishment, the dragon stood on its hind legs and walked like any human or other biped would, naturally.

Broad shoulders, angular jaw, a pair of draconic wings, and a muscular chest and core stood out prominently, as did the green, upright scale plating that ran from the top of its head down its tail. But what stood out even more than that were it’s bright green eyes… one that Samus could stare into without words and already confirm sapience and intelligent thought.

He spoke out finally, cutting through the tense, awkward silence:

“Hey there, stranger.”

Samus needed an extra second to take in such a… colloquial meeting like this, but nevertheless, her reply was somewhat just as awkward.

“Hi… sorry for staring. I’ve seen some interesting things in my travels but this is kinda up there,” she said, deciding to just go for it and accept the galactic miracle that they can understand each other without any translation software between them.

He cocked his head.

“Wait… so you’re not from this planet?” He asked.

And before Samus could even respond to that, his face shone of one connecting some dots and coming to conclusions… and his expression hastily darkened. So much so that Samus almost felt the urge to take a step back to potentially diffuse any situation that would arise.

“So… you’re with those invaders?” he challenged.

Ah… that explains some things.

Samus stepped forward, holding her hand and cannon up by her chest and urged calm as she put forth some descriptions to immediately distance herself from his accusation:

“Easy there… I’m assuming you’re talking about the Space Pirates, right? Their giant flying machines floating in the sky? Big hulking bipedal creatures with armor and energy weapons? Got three hinges on their jaw?” she asked, gesturing appropriately.

The dragon blinked the coming storm of anger out of his eyes and nodded slowly.

“Y-Yeah! We—I see their weird, giant chariot things flying around occasionally. Sometimes some of their soldiers pass through the town. Not sure what they’re looking for though. Not much left…

“But… you’re not with them? These… ‘Space Pirates?’” he asked hopefully, snapping right back to the point.

Samus shook her head.

“Nope. In fact, the reason why I came to this planet was to see what they’re up to, and ultimately remove their presence here,” she said, purposefully leaving out the details of the Phazon until she could gather more information… for now.

She could see his shoulders relax and get his feet back into a much more neutral stance… and she could also see the questions burning in the dragon’s eyes, and sought to pre-empt that.

She motioned, open-handed to him.

“And since you’re not with them, I’m not your enemy. And you’re not mine. It’s… a long story.”

A sudden but young, smooth, and feminine voice broke into the conversation.

“Well, I happen to like long stories! And so does Spike here!”

Both Samus and the dragon glanced suddenly towards the sound of that, and found a violet-coated pony making her way around the corner. She appeared a good foot and a half shorter than the dragon, sported an indigo mane and tail with a lone, pink stripe down the side of her mane-part and down her tail. All this was accompanied by large, bright lavender eyes, and a hopeful smile.

And what stood out most to Samus was that horn on her head, which she regarded with a little more than passing interest…

...and residual stress. She tightened her hold on her cannon by just that much.

Even more than that though, Samus realized that this unicorn only just appeared on her motion tracker. That certainly raised a question or two in her head.

Spike seemed to cringe the moment the unicorn revealed herself, and he turned to speak… reasoning with her through gritted teeth:

“Twilight… it’s not safe for you right now, especially in your physical form… double especially with strangers around!”

Samus opted to just listen right now, and observe this interaction while she stewed in her own thoughts of this… rather unorthodox meeting of intelligent life on an otherwise abandoned planet. These two had already said more than U-Mos had during her entire time on Aether, so this was already proving to be more… entertaining in a sense.

Among other things, such as remembering names.

Twilight and Spike.

Twilight, however, seemed more than okay to dismiss those concerns.

“I think it’s fine, Spike… besides, look at her!” she gestured to the armored Hunter. “She…”

Twilight turned to her for a second:

“‘She,’ right?”

Samus had to stifle the tiniest of chuckles but nodded once.

“She doesn’t look like she’s with the Invaders… she said so herself! And she sure as heck doesn’t look like she’s with... her,” she said.

Samus cocked her head again at the mention of yet another, yet nameless entity… one that clearly they’re afraid of when she arrived on the scene. Nor was she blind to the clear relief written on their faces at this fact.

‘Her?’

Spike sighed out and balled his hands a bit, countering protectively:

“Twi… you’re too trusting.”

“The tenets of Friendship don’t go out the window… despite everything that’s happened,” she reasoned.

“You and I both know this first hand, Spike.”

Spike wanted to offer more resistance to that, but when he spared another glance back towards Samus, she watched him sigh out and accept the situation. Twilight then nuzzled the dragon’s arm—grateful—before she stepped forward this time.

“I’m sorry if Spike was aggressive earlier. These are trying times, and he’s been very protective of me as a result. He really means well though,” she said, glancing behind her and offering him a sweet smile.

One which he nodded to and reciprocated. Samus smirked under her visor.

“With that out of the way…

“So you’re the mysterious visitor that landed that weird, loud chariot in our courtyard!” she said.

The unicorn closed the distance and looked straight up into and through Samus’ visor with great friendliness… and more than a comfortable air of intrigue lacing her words as. Samus could feel Twilight scanning over every inch of her armor.

The Hunter was first and foremost stunned slightly by the sheer forwardness of Twilight… whether she sensed no danger from her or otherwise. But, she reasoned that crazier things had happened to her in her travels. This was just one of the more interesting. Those two were sometimes mutually exclusive in her line of work.

The unicorn then extended her right hoof out to her and introduced brightly:

“I’m Twilight Sparkle! Princess of Friendship! Welcome to Equestria” she said…

...her expression sullied, averting her gaze solemnly.

“...what’s left of it.”

Not trying to think on everything too long since she was so graciously not attacked on sight by her new hosts, Samus decided to up the ante just a little bit. Samus brought her hand and cannon up to her neck and unsealed her helmet, and after a quick depressurization process, Samus gingerly removed her headpiece and placed it under her right arm. She then shook her hair and ponytail free… the entire display which brought no small measure of surprise to the two.

Samus put her armored hand forward, took Twilight’s hoof in her grasp, and shook firmly.

“Samus Aran… uhh… Bounty Hunter,” she introduced in kind.

Twilight’s smile rebounded as they shook on it.

“Pleasure to meet you, Samus! Oh! And this is Spike,” she said, gesturing back towards him, to which he crossed his arms and nodded once while smirking.

“Nice to meet you, Samus!”

“Likewise, Spike.”

With oddly straight-forward introductions out of the way, Twilight piped up again:

“From what I heard, you’re trying to help drive off the Invaders… or the ‘Space Pirates’ as you called them?”

Samus nodded.

“Yeah… well, technically yes, in a manner of speaking,” she said, intentionally vague… but noticing an opportunity, Samus decided to divulge just a little more:

“We’re kind of in a war right now. And that’s not to mention the Phazon that’s on this planet…”

Twilight looked quite confused, as expected.

“War? And Phazon? What’s that? Is that...”

She brought her hoof to her chin and glanced elsewhere.

“Wait… it can’t… you’re not talking about…” she glanced back up at Samus, wide-eyed.

Samus lowered her cannon fully to her side and continued talking with the gesture aid of her left hand.

“Like I said earlier… long story. And I’ve also got a bunch of questions too. Happy to exchange information for information?”

Spike cut in:

“Maybe we’d wanna move this somewhere more… comfortable and secure?” he ‘suggested,’ to which Twilight understood completely.

“Yeah… that’s probably a good idea Spike. Samus you seem like you’ve traveled quite a bit. Would you like to join us? Seems like there’s… a lot to discuss.”

Spike stepped forward with a smirk.

“We got plenty of supplies. Happy to whip something up if you’re hungry or thirsty, too,” he offered.

Twilight nodded back to him, and now both her hosts turned back to her, awaiting her response.

The environmental and threat-level whiplash was not lost on her. Barely half an hour ago she was blasting through hordes of corrupted ponies, and had a couple close calls with some type of telekinetic force in an attempt to not alert the Space Pirates to her presence. And now, she was being taken in by a non-corrupted pony and her dragon friend with very few questions asked, with the offer of nourishment and the promise of more information.

They were being much too friendly for their own good, but it was a friendliness that was espoused by her Chozo caretakers since she was the littlest of girls… and such an overture brought her no small barrage of memories from her past. Hell, Samus even understood completely when Spike seemed to want to rip her head off initially.

She wouldn't’ve let it happen of course… but she understood.

Samus nodded once, offering up a soft, lopsided smirk.

“Uhhh… okay! Thank you…”

Twilight beamed brightly, her eyes becoming as wide as half her face as she scampered off to Spike’s side. A bit of warmth permeated through her core as she moved to join them.

“Of course! Come, this way!” she said.

Samus nodded as she followed, placing her helmet back on her head so she could disengage her suit in full. And yet, as she trod along behind Twilight and Spike at an easy pace, she watched as Twilight—wings folded on her back—disappeared around the corner first, followed by Spike. She then spared a glance at her motion tracker before she followed in kind.

There was only one blip.

Author's Note

I wrote two versions of this... one where there needed to be a translation software ‘spell’ cast, or just divine intervention where equestrians and english-speaking humans can understand each other. I debated on both approaches for a while, but found that... while less believable at first, the option I ultimately went with causes the least amount of problems for the future.

Like with Equis I, I’m willing to take a hit on ‘’’’’realism’’’’’ for the ease of story-telling. Hope that’s okay with y’all.

Pinky promise chapters won’t take four fucking months anymore. Thanks! Hope you enjoyed the read!

~Flamm

03. Complicated

Author's Note

Things are heating up! LOTS of dialogue here, as pretty much all the beans are being spilled right now. Like… a lot of dialogue.

As you’ll see, action will begin next chapter. Some of you might see where this is going. And I’m REALLY looking forward to y’all’s comments on this one. Definitely a different take than Equis, methinks.

I really hope you enjoy! This might be a make or break chapter for some of you, and I don’t blame you hehe.

03. Complicated

Samus observed only one blip on her motion tracker… one that she could confirm with Spike having just rounded the corner out of her sight.

Hmmm. Interesting…

At least… that’s what she was thinking when she rounded the corner herself, which opened up into a hall that ran straight down the side of the castle. Samus stopped cold the moment she did.

Twilight was nowhere to be seen. And the Hunter certainly didn’t hear her sprinting down the hall… or doing one of those weird teleportation spells that she had witnessed in the forest.

Only Spike remained dutifully walking down the hall, illuminated as he passed the windows with what light filtered in from the world outside. But as if he could feel Samus staring at him in confusion, he, too, stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder. He turned fully with a friendly smirk and beckoned forward.

“Well? You coming, Samus?”

Samus shook herself out of her stupor, and in flicking that mental switch back off, she disengaged her suit in the usual flash of golden light… a sight which made the drake stumble backwards over himself at the sudden transition. Nevertheless, the Hunter fell into step with a still semi-shaken Spike.

“I am now. Was just… lost in thought,” she said.

Spike glanced over at her.

“Yeah? From what you just told us, I’m not surprised that there’s a lot going through your mind right now,” he replied.

Samus nodded once, staring straight ahead as she let Spike lead her through the winding halls of the castle. A quick check of her console showed that her systems were mapping the local area appropriately, and marking her ship’s location—useful if she needed to make a quick exit for whatever reason.

As they rounded another corner and down a similarly barren hall, accompanied by nothing else but the wind, rain, and odd paintings and glass, Samus decided to try her luck yet again.

“Mhm. Though what’s really interesting is that Twilight… doesn’t seem to be making a presence on my motion tracker—my system that tracks foreign movement. I can see you moving next to me just fine, but now I can’t see Twilight.

“She showed up when we shook hooves but…” she trailed off, leaving the end of her implicit question open to Spike’s interpretation.

And before he answered, Samus added:

“In fact… where did she go? She sprint off ahead of us?” she asked, and then remembered what the corrupted unicorns did in the forest. “Or… teleport?”

Samus listened for any response from the drake walking next to her, and when she happened to glance over at him, she found him pensively staring forward as they walked. After a couple extra seconds of seemingly intense deliberation, he sighed and met her eyes.

“It’s… complicated. We’d be doing Twi a disservice talking about it now without her present,” he explained.

“I know you have a lot of questions. Believe me, with you here, I do too. As long as you tell us all we want to know, we’ll answer all your questions. Even about Twilight.

“Sound good?”

Samus really only hoped for an acknowledgement of the situation, so the promise of even more information that could help her complete her mission was more than a welcome surprise.

She nodded with a soft smirk.

“You got it.”

Samus tuned out as she let Spike continue leading their way through the castle. Her thoughts still meandered to Twilight… though this time, a more physical aspect. She recalled seeing both a horn and a pair of wings on her back.

Winged unicorns… there’s a name for those, I thought, right? Alicorn, I think?

That sounded about right. With the newfound silence, she was able to concentrate a bit more on her surroundings… and the seemingly endless stone walls as they meandered through the halls. Adorned on every wall was some kind of painting, stained glass, or some other relic that clearly meant something to Twilight and Spike… not so much to her.

There wasn’t much time to scan anything around her either as they plodded on. With the times she tried by aiming her console at something, she was greeted with language errors… her system would need an update to translate some of this ‘Equestrian’ text.

Depending on how long she stayed here, and how pertinent it was to the mission at hand, she was sure she could learn a bit more context and history behind everything… all to satisfy her morbid curiosity about this world. That could come in time though, and at a more appropriate moment… especially as Spike threw open some massive double doors into the next room.

It had a high ceiling and a long table at the center with a massive window to the outside world providing all the ambient light needed. Said table was adorned with cutlery sets, along with a couple sofas and a fireplace for alleged lounging. Samus recognized a dining room anywhere.

Right as they stepped through the threshold, Twilight reappeared around the corner with a bright smile.

As did she reappear on Samus’ motion tracker.

“So… how ‘bout some dinner?” she offered.

And that’s how Samus found herself sat at a… rather short-in-height table across from Spike, with Twilight at the head. On a plate in front of her were some generous helpings of the freshest cuts of vegetables and fruits that she had the pleasure of having in a long time.

On top of a grand view of the desolate town and the overgrown plains before them with the rain continuing to plummet to the earth, Samus certainly had worse receptions. She had certainly seen much more majestic views… many others from Zebes, Tallon, and Aether came to mind. But those views didn’t come with fresh food, so to her, it might as well have been a wash.

But as Samus munched a bit in awkward silence with everyone there, she would occasionally meet either of her host’s gaze momentarily when sparing a glance.

Other than the clinking of the… much smaller and certainly more antiquated dishware, the silence was only broken by the occasional booming of the thunder from the torrential rainstorm outside.

The food was delicious though—Samus had to give credit where credit was due. And them not shooting at her on sight. The Hunter didn’t think she could stress that point enough, let alone inviting her in and treating her to a fresh meal… even if she could really go for some meat right now.

Not that she was in any position to be picky at the moment. Spike whipped up something delicious, afterall. It was already the highlight of this mission so far.

Though what was a bit interesting was seeing Spike chow down on a bunch of literal gems and crystals. The thought of how much bite force and the type of teeth he might have to even accomplish such an impressive display of gorging was a little unsettling from a combat perspective.

Twilight was the first one to break the silence as she pushed her plate away with a bright smile.

“Ahhh… that was good, thanks Spike. It’s always good.”

Samus quickly followed up with proper graciousness of her own. She may have preferred to be short with words normally when socializing, but her parents and the Chozo also raised her with some manners.

“Definitely,” she nodded with a small smirk of her own in the drake’s direction. “Best, freshest meal I’ve had in… well, a good while,” she said.

Spike’s cheeks colored a bit, and he retreated into himself slightly with a prideful smile.

“Heh, thanks.”

Twilight was quick to cut back into the conversation at the sound of another rumble of thunder. She gestured with her hoof to the three of them at the table.

“Now… I think there’s a lot we need to catch up on. That we all need to catch up on,” the alicorn began.

Samus folded her arms on the table and leaned forward, nodding quietly.

“Agreed. Tell you what… since you two so graciously trusted me and took me in… how about I go first?” she suggested.

Spike and Twilight glanced at one another and nodded in unison.

“Okay, that seems fair!” said Twilight.

Samus flipped her hands palm up while nodding as well.

“Then in that case… what would you like to know?”

Twilight was the first out the gate with the most important questions in her eyes:

“Why are you here, and where did you come from? Or… who do you represent?”

Samus nodded a couple times and leaned back in her seat, drumming her thoughts around as to how to best approach this rather glaring and front-most question. She would have to strike a proper balance, too. While providing the most information possible would be in everyone’s best interest here, too much information might very well overwhelm these two in front of her… and judging by the current state of society on this planet, it was painfully obvious that no one here had even seen space-travel, let alone faster-than-light travel.

“To give you the best answers to those questions possible, I think I’m gonna need to provide you with some context,” Samus began, leaning forward again and folding her hands together.

“I’m Samus Aran, as I’ve said before. Species—human… technically a hybrid actually… b-but that’s not important right now,” she said. “Your society may’ve wondered if there’s ever been life beyond your own planet… well, before the Space Pirates came.”

Twilight nodded intently.

“I’ve… wondered,” she affirmed. “Though with all the literal magic that happens on this continent, let alone this planet… I can’t say I’m surprised. Trust me, I’d be asking you so many giddy questions right now if… circumstances were different,” Twilight reasoned.

She glanced outside, sighing.

“And right now, I really wish you landed first.”

Samus took a moment to deviate:

“‘Magic,’ you say? Guess I’ve got a name for my ‘mysterious force’ that I encountered in the forest…”

Spike immediately added:

“Yeah… you reek of magical essence,” he casually pointed out, then glanced over at Twilight.

“Seems like she had a run-in with the you-know-whats.”

Twilight agreed wholeheartedly.

“Oh no question about it.”

Samus seized on that:

“Pardon… the what?”

Her hosts shared another look, and Twilight answered for the two of them with a warm, if uneasy smile:

“It’s… complicated. We’ll elaborate when you finish. We promise.”

“Of course,” Samus replied, flicking her gaze over to Spike to see if he had anything to say, but the dragon seemed more than content to just fold his arms and quietly listen.

“Well, there’s quite a bit of life beyond your planet. In fact, more than a few space-faring civilizations. Though I’m technically a hired freelance bounty hunter, in the current circumstances, I guess I’m now an ambassador from the largest in some official capacity: the Galactic Federation.”

Now Samus witnessed Twilight’s eyes go wide with glamor.

“Wow… a galactic-wide Federation?!”

The Hunter couldn’t help but smirk just a little bit at her child-like excitement, even amidst the dilapidation of this once-grand castle.

“That’s right. Countless planets, coalitions, and species all working together under a federative umbrella for the good of the galaxy… as far as bureaucracy will allow, but we can discuss politics later,” Samus answered.

She was about to continue, but Twilight’s hoof was by her chin again—the gears in her head were turning once more, and Samus was keen on staying silent to await an impending question.

“So then… the invaders. Or, the ‘Space Pirates,’ right…?” Twilight put forth.

Samus shook her head twice, intercepting the implicit question the moment it left the lavender alicorn’s mouth.

“No, they’re not part of this Federation. In fact, we’re currently at war with them… hell, we’ve been at war with them since the founding of the Federation in the first place. It’s… been a long time.”

Spike decided to pipe up:

“Seems like they’re giving this Galactic Federation a lot of trouble… I would think that a civilization this… big wouldn’t have much problem dealing with what sounds like a terrorist group.”

“Good point, Spike…” Twilight conceded.

Samus was more than happy to answer:

“The name ‘Pirate’ is more of a misnomer at this point. While they raid and steal and plunder and rape like any roving band of ‘actual pirates’ would… their numbers are vast, they're comprised mainly of one species, their technology is on par with the Federation, and they’ve raided and colonized whole planets and sectors much like any empire would…

“...while continuing to raid and steal and plunder and rape those very planets.”

Twilight appeared to be trying to take in all this information at once, and seemingly uneasy at the vast amount more to come.

“I… see…”

Samus continued:

“And I sort of have a personal vendetta against them… which, on top of my rather special training and a… particular set of skills, has led me to usually be selected for these types of missions against them. I tend to volunteer, too. Pay is good and I get to exact a revenge of sorts.

“Story for another time,” she elaborated, cutting off any future questions about her personal past, for now.

Spike had another question:

“But why you? As a bounty hunter… shouldn’t this big mighty Galactic Federation have like, a massive military?”

Samus nodded.

“They do. Quite massive, actually. Countless starfleets filled with warships like you’ve seen flying overhead… also filled with hundreds of millions of soldiers. But, the galaxy’s kind of a large place.”

Twilight raised her hoof.

“So… my guess would be that, while the Federation can police and patrol the front lines, core worlds, and the most dangerous lanes… the government hires bounty hunters to fill in the smaller gaps, right?” she asked, cocking her head.

To say Samus was impressed would be an understatement. She stared at Twilight for a couple moments, pursing her lips while nodding slowly.

“You… are correct, Twilight. The Federation hires… ‘specialist’ bounty hunters that know the sectors of space well, have a particular species adaptation to certain planets, or who are just the type of specialty soldiers that are needed in a fight. Our job is to help be the eyes and ears of the Feds where they can’t be so easily, and wrangle the Pirates where we’re able.”

“W-Wrangle?” Twilight asked.

“Exterminate,” Samus clarified.

The alicorn and dragon both flinched slightly at that word.

“Right…”

Spike cut in again:

“So… that answer’s Twilight’s first question. And clearly you’re here to get rid of the Space Pirates. But that begs the question: why here? Why did they come here?”

“Before I answer that, I need a little bit of clarification on something… the ahem… state of your society right now—Equestria and the planet at large. Did the Space Pirates cause this?” Samus asked.

Twilight and Spike spared a silent glance at each other before the alicorn answered solemnly, shaking her head.

“No.”

Samus nodded once.

“Did they have any hand in making the situation go to hell?”

Samus watched as Spike just… stared off into nothing, his expression flattening yet darkening all the same in recalling whatever he had seen. Twilight bore a similar look, but still answered for the both of them:

“Their ships arrived over the Everfree Forest just after the crisis was technically over. Other than capturing or killing the occasional survivor, they’ve mostly just been a nuisance to any plan we’ve come up with.”

Samus decided to wait a good few seconds before she responded, noticing that the two definitely needed to take a couple deep breaths from drumming up these fresh memories… memories and information that Samus hoped to glean when it was her turn to listen.

After that predetermined bit, Samus wove her fingers together again and nodded.

“Got it. Well, then I think I can hazard a guess at the main contributor. Notice a bright, neon blue, radioactive poison lying around that magically appeared from the sky?” she decided to put everything out there again.

Her two hosts raised their heads simultaneously, with an air of both surprise and expectation.

“The Blue Pestilence?” Twilight put forth, almost disbelievingly. “The Space Pirates came to this planet because of that… h-horrible thing?!”

Samus nodded.

“Yup. It’s called ‘Phazon.’ It’s a highly radioactive substance that spreads easily… and it corrupts, mutates, or kills anything that touches or remains near it for too long without protection. Though… something tells me that I don’t need to remind you of that.”

With Twilight and Spike still silent, yet paying ever close attention, Samus took a sip of her cup of water and then continued.

“In the Pirates’ ever-burning desire to destroy the Federation, they look for new technologies and advantages. After I destroyed one of their primary bases of operations, they found a planet—similar to this planet—quite a ways away from here that had the exact same thing happen here…

“This happened about a year and a half ago. By the time of their discovery, the planet had been infested with Phazon for about fifty years. The corruption of the planet was… catastrophic. In the Pirates’ curiosity, they discovered that the Phazon had enormous potential as an energy source.”

Twilight flatly cut in.

“They’re mining it.”

The Hunter nodded.

“They are. They’re using it for their war machine. Powering their weapons and using it as a fuel. Even more than that, because of the… horrific mutations it often causes to those exposed to it that survive, they see it as a tool to make their species genetically superior,” Samus explained.

Spike’s turn to speak:

“They’re… experimenting on themselves?”

“Yes… and other species.”

The duo looked like they both had the same realization… whatever it was, and their faces lowered further. Samus had some thoughts of her own, but figured it was a good idea to not ask about that, at least yet.

“To what end?” Spike asked again, almost out of frustration rather than lack of understanding.

“Like I said, to ‘better’ their species and the ultimate overthrow of the Federation. Hence why I’m here: to eliminate their position on this planet, and to find a way to destroy the Phazon presence here. The entity itself can destroy entire planets if it makes landfall. It’s a threat to galactic stability and peace, which is why I’m also tasked with eliminating it.”

Samus brought them back to the Pirates:

“From the size of just the perimeter of their base I was able to see… their position here is pretty substantial,” she said.

After a couple-second silence persisted without any response from her hosts, Samus also added something of pointed note… though the awkwardness was palpable:

“And as… un-ideal as this situation is right now. It may’ve been better that the Pirates came when they did instead of earlier. They’re known to genocide an entire planet’s inhabitants so they can claim it as their own…

“N-Not that that’s necessarily any consolation… but it makes a potential resolution to this whole mess that much easier,” Samus finished, pulling back a bit and averting her own gaze as she reflected on her choice of words.

I’m sure that made them feel so much better, Sammy. Great job.

Twilight nodded a couple times, staring off into space once more before sharing another look with Spike. They then looked back at Samus.

“Thanks Samus. That definitely gives us a lot more… perspective on what we’ve been dealing with,” she said.

The Hunter grasped her water cup and nodded once, sporting a soft smirk.

“Of course, guys.”

Twilight then leaned forward a bit.

“Now… I guess it’s our turn to fill you in on what’s happened… and where we stand,” she said.

Now, this is where it gets interesting.

Spike scooted a bit closer to Twilight while Samus was ready to listen intently. She watched as the alicorn took a deep breath and sighed out.

“About… fifteen years ago, a meteor slammed into the Everfree Forest. Meteor and asteroid strikes on the planet weren’t uncommon. But the thing was… okay, maybe some more background might help:

“One of Equestria’s diarchs—Princess Luna—has a bonded control over the astral objects in the immediate space around our planet, such as the moon with the exception of the sun. T-That’s reserved under the control of Princess Celestia, her sister,” she began explaining… and the Hunter could see she was desperately trying not to meander.

Samus already felt her head cocking in disbelief at what she was hearing… being blatantly told that this planet was defying Keplerian physics. Then again, she had seen stuff that was blatantly unnatural and defied all scientific reason, so she felt she couldn’t really straight up disbelieve anything being told to her.

She just nodded and silently cued her storytelling forward.

“She had no idea what this meteor was, and was surprisingly powerless to stop its descent despite her best efforts. Weirder things had happened in past… adventures here in Equestria, so the Princesses decided to send a battalion of army troops to secure the crash site and see what in Tartarus it actually was.”

Samus bobbed her head in consideration.

“Seems like a reasonable action, I’d say,” she commented.

Twilight continued, seemingly spouting everything off in a singular breath:

“All-in-all, about four-thousand troops set off deep into the Everfree… which isn’t the most forgiving place the deeper you go into it. The forest itself covers a third of Equestria, and essentially the rest of the continent. There’s still a lot that we don’t know of in the forest… one could venture in there every day and learn something new on the way out—”

Spike cut in playfully.

“Twilight… breathe. And focus,” he said with a knowing smirk, to which the alicorn giggled.

“Right… sorry for the rambling…” she said, blushing slightly, and then taking said breath.

Samus only smirked and gestured open-handed.

“Heh, it’s quite alright,” she said. “Go ahead!”

“Hehe well…” Twilight continued on. “...the battalion sets off. And the commander of the group is… was…”

Twilight’s words droned off before she even uttered the first syllable of a pony of interest. With great distress and sadness suddenly written all over her face, she averted her look once more.

Spike stepped in and reached for her hoof, having grasped it softly. He then took over for her:

“The commander of the force was a pretty powerful unicorn that we’ve been… really having great times with for a good while. Fantastic mare that had been atoning for past crimes against Equestria, and who had settled down with a job she knew well. A Lieutenant Colonel named Tempest Shadow.”

Twilight cut in with lament:

“Her name is ‘Fizzlepop,’ Spike...”

The dragon rolled his eyes and angled his head to properly retort:

“You know good and well she doesn’t even call herself that… not anymore.”

Interesting. Very interesting…

Twilight looked utterly defeated—her welcoming and optimistic body language wholly replaced by one who was reliving some of the worst memories of her life. Seeing that she was attempting to keep herself together, Spike opted to continue explaining things:

“Tempest led her troops into the forest and made contact with the crater. Sent back a bunch of information to the Princesses when they secured the impact site.”

Samus nodded, leaning forward even more in her chair.

“Alright… what happened next?”

“Updates kept coming through over the next week but… things got weird. It started when they reported back the first sightings of the Blue Pestilence. Or ‘the Phazon’ as you said it was called. The problems really started, then.

“Soldiers were going missing. Some of them—completely healthy—just going completely insane. Attacking fellow comrades, clawing their own faces off… dying suddenly. Severe sickness outbreaks. Not to mention how it just physically warped the wildlife… and the ponies sometimes.”

“Yeah… sounds par for the course with continued, low-level Phazon exposure,” said Samus.

Twilight decided to wrest back control of the storytelling, raising her head once more and laying her front legs on the table with a long sigh.

“After all these incidents… and a determination that the Blue Pes—Phazon was spreading out directly from the core of the meteor, the Princesses gave the order to storm the crater and destroy the core. Tempest moved to comply right away.”

She took another deep breath and spoke rather forlornly:

“All contact was lost an hour or so after that order.”

Samus leaned back into her chair and started stroking her lower lip out of habit as her thoughts began firing up again… wondering how this was all going to play out.

“Mkay… obviously that couldn't lead to anything… good,” she figured.

Twilight continued on, donning a much more stoic, lecturing tone:

“After several days of attempting to reestablish contact with the force, the Princesses seemed ready to send in the whole damn army plus ‘us,’” she said.

And stopped at the perfect spot, because Samus’ sudden question was at the forefront of her lips.

“‘Us?’ You mean… you and Spike?”

Twilight shook her head.

“No. The Elements of Harmony,” she enlightened… and then withdrew a bit sheepishly. “I uhhh… I guess a lot more context is needed here than I thought. I’m sorry,” she said.

Samus, however, was quick to dispel any notion of ‘fault.’

“It’s all good, Twilight. The more information you can tell me, the easier my job is. So by all means, continue,” she said.

Twilight smiled gratefully in return, took a deep breath, and continued on with her explanation:

“Throughout history before the crisis, Equestria had been kept safe and in balance with the aid of six magical items known as the Elements of Harmony. The Elements themselves—which manifest physically as magic-sensitive crystals worn around the neck like a necklace or peytral—can be unified together in times of extraordinary crisis to help battle, or completely vanquish a direct foe to peace and stability of Equestria and the Planet at large.”

Twilight had to take a deep breath.

As she listened intently, Samus’ mind was immediately brought back to the Chozo Artifacts on Tallon IV, though those were used as pieces of a cypher to lock away the greatest threat the planet had known. They still had powers of their own though.

“Okay…”

“The Elements themselves are: Loyalty, Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, Honesty, and Magic. Six ‘Elements’ and tenets of Harmony—and friendship—that keep the world in check and… well… in harmony.

“Throughout the ages, the Elements have been bound to different ponies… and have been anointed on others as the ones that came before passed away, or are no longer deemed worthy of carrying them. I’m the bearer of the Element of Magic.”

She then gestured to Spike:

“While Spike here is more than worthy in my eyes of holding onto any of the other Elements, he is not bound to any of them.”

Samus leveled a dainty finger in thought.

“Interesting… so these Elemental, ‘magical’ artifacts of ‘Harmony’ can be brought together as some form of deterrent or weapon? Sounds like they—and by extension, you and the remaining five—are quite powerful… and valuable.”

Twilight riposted:

“I wouldn’t exactly uhh… disagree with you there.”

“So… then it would make sense to probably send you accompanying a second expeditionary force… even if you may or may not have the appropriate military training to do so. Especially if you six can pretty much end any fight before it begins,” Samus deduced.

Twilight nodded.

“Right… but before we could even move out… that’s when the crisis truly began.

“The battalion originally sent to destroy the Phazon core re-emerged out of the Everfree… completely intact. But, in…

“...in no way as they were…”

Twilight lowered her head, no longer looking Samus in the eyes as she continued.

“Tempest had stood front and center just… her veins pulsing blue… her once broken horn completely restored. Her eyes just… soulless. She wasn’t herself anymore. She… she led her army of just—”

Spike reached for her hoof again, and this time she readily grasped his hand for support.

“Monsters. They weren’t soldiers anymore. They were feral… corrupted horrors of what they once were. They had no more memories. No more emotions. They weren’t even ponies anymore! She called them Storm Beasts.

“And Tempest… called herself the Storm Queen. She declared that the ‘Blue Pestilence,’ the Phazon, was Equestria’s future. That it held our salvation. Though her numbers were limited, she took the surrounding towns—including Ponyville, where we are now—by force. We were in the capital city, Canterlot, at the time preparing… but everypony else that was here...”

Samus nodded again.

“Killed?”

“No… corrupted. The Phazon spread after her, and those that weren’t killed putting up a fight were corrupted just like the first battalion. All they did was bolster her numbers more and more.

“She was gone. We had reformed her once. I wanted to believe then and there that we could do so again, but I knew better than that. I may be an idealist when it comes to the tenets of Friendship… but I’m not naive.”

Samus put forth a question:

“What about the Elements?”

“It was likely the only option… and we all knew that. However when the Elements are used against a threat to Harmony, we don’t always know how that’s going to play out. Sometimes they’re ‘reformed’ after they’re engulfed by the Harmony Beam. Sometimes they’re imprisoned in stone.

“Other times, they’re simply vanquished. No one had any idea what would happen when we used them.”

“I’m guessing by the state of things… that things didn’t go as well as one would’ve hoped,” Samus wagered.

Twilight stared into nothing again, slowly shaking her head. Her composure was breaking.

“No. The invasion was too quick, and any and all resistance was decimated. Princess Luna had gone off to start the process of evacuating ponies from city centers into the magical realm to keep them safe... lest Tempest and the Phazon corrupt all of Equestria.

“And Princess Celestia gathered us in the throne room to help amplify the Elemental effect… and be our final defense along with the Royal Guard until we were ready to fire.”

Samus rested her chin in the crook of her thumb and index finger, doing her best to be sensitive about the situation while her inherent curiosity kept her fully enthralled with these historical events.

“Were you able to fire?” she asked.

Samus watched as Twilight pursed her lips and just let the small rivulets flow down her face. Spike swooped in to hold her hoof again while she re-composed herself, and took up the mantle once more continuing where she left off:

“Y-Yes… and no.

“Tempest and her horde attacked the castle, overwhelmed the Guard, and stormed the throne room. Then…”

Spike seemed to consider his words for a moment, and his eyes shone of one who had witnessed these traumatic events in-person as well. Regardless of the fact, Samus conceded that things were likely even more complicated than she had initially thought.

Twilight took back control, having composed herself somewhat.

“We were just about ready to fire. We only needed a couple more seconds. Tempest was… was just too quick.” Twilight explained.

“I don’t know how it happened. But right as I felt the magic flowing through me… flowing through all of us. I just remember this god-awful pain in my chest. I could feel and hear myself screaming… but even worse than that, I heard my best friends in the world just…

“...their death screams, right as the Elements fired.” she managed to get out.

The alicorn took quite a deep breath before continuing on with the story:

“After sleeping for what felt almost like… a year, I awoke in the center of the Castle of Friendship—here,” she drew her hoof over their surroundings.

“It was barely even a couple hours later though. Spike was with me with only minor injuries, and he was able to let me know what happened: the Elements had successfully fired, but Tempest’s final Phazon attack botched the amplified ritual. It didn’t reform or destroy her… but it catastrophically wounded her, along with obliterating most of the Phazon that had followed her out of the Everfree. She retreated... somewhere.

“Celestia was caught up in the errant, botched blast trying to shield us. We don’t know if she lived or died. Nopony had been able to locate her.

“Luna has… not been found either.

“And my friends and I…?” she paused with a rhetorical question, and before she lost again, she looked to Spike with pleading eyes. He understood immediately and took over.

“This ties into what you brought up earlier, Samus,” Spike said. “When Tempest attacked the girls in their Harmony formation… she killed them. Immediately,” he said resolutely…

...and hung on his words as if he was expecting some sort of massive reaction from Samus. For the Hunter, of all the things she had seen and experienced, hearing a phrase like that was akin to ‘just a recon mission’ in the grand scheme of her career. Whether that was a good thing at this stage of her life was up to one's own interpretation.

Regardless, in getting that confirmation, the pieces started clicking into place in her head.

“That would explain a few… anomalies that I’ve been experiencing so far during my stay here.”

Spike nodded a couple of times, drawing attention to that notion:

“You said earlier that Twilight was showing up on your… what was it? ‘Motion tracker’ thing when she’s talking to you like this… but not other times? Well…”

Spike looked to Twilight, and after the two shared a silent conversation with one another, the alicorn understood, and took the next part into her own hooves. Wordlessly, she got herself out of her chair and planted all four hooves on the ground in front of Samus. She then took a deep breath, and shuttered her eyes as her horn flickered alight with a lavender glow.

And as the seconds blended together, Twilight’s corporeal form began to gradually become more transparent until she was barely visible to the naked eye. Samus was distinctly reminded of her experiences with the Chozo Ghosts back on Tallon IV, when they would fade out of existence at will.

Samus just observed the anomaly in silence, and took a quick gander at her wrist console all the while. As expected, Twilight’s blip on her motion tracker had vanished the moment she made her ‘transition.’

Any inner thoughts or musings Samus had were brushed aside when Twilight spoke once more, though her words were oddly layered behind the ambient white noise of her surroundings… as well as much more distinctly echoey:

“I don’t know if it was a built-in contingency plan, or if the Elements glitched since we were struck down when the firing was complete… but I apparently didn’t fully ‘die.’ I’ve been stuck in this odd flux that I can navigate between the physical and spirit realms. I’m anchored here by my physical element, which was teleported with me after the incident.

“One side-effect of… whatever this is, is that I haven’t aged in the last fifteen years. But beyond that… if this is what happened to me, I’m positive that the exact same thing happened to my friends,” she explained.

Samus finally cut in again:

“The other Elemental Bearers, right?”

‘Ethereal’ Twilight began pacing around the room.

“Correct. And if they suffered the same fate as me… then assuming Tempest or anypony else hasn’t found them somehow… then they have to be alive and just… waiting somewhere out there,” she laid out her thought process.

And as Twilight lit her horn once more and transitioned back into her physical form, Samus felt some pertinent questions were in order:

“Why not venture out of the castle then, and go find them?” she asked.

Spike spoke up:

“We tried,” he said. “But we quickly learned that Twilight’s ‘magical essence’ or ‘aura’ is… quite recognizable. The moment we got far enough from the castle, we almost got swarmed by her Storm Beasts. And for whatever reason, they tend to keep their distance from the castle. Maybe it’s something to do with the construction… though I really can’t say for sure.”

Twilight added:

“With the Princesses missing, much—but not all—of Equestria having evacuated to the magical realm, and no way to venture outside without getting detected by Tempest’s forces… we’ve just been living here on our own. Waiting. Hoping.”

“For what?” Samus asked.

“A miracle.”

When her two hosts went silent, they both looked back at the Hunter expectantly, and she figured that their storytelling was pretty much over. Samus leaned back in her chair again, letting her thoughts run wild for a few moments before consolidating on her response:

“Mkay… that really helps me out. I’m so sorry if it was painful to recall but… thank you. Like my story with you, that really helps me know what I’m dealing with.”

She then added:

“I don’t think I fully explained why I suddenly landed here in the castle, right?”

Head shakes all around, and Spike voiced what the two of them were thinking:

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious, since you said you landed in the Everfree, first.”

Samus elaborated anew:

“Right. Well, the original mission was to scope out the Pirate’s enclave here… which is actually a massive position on the planet, like I said. They’re already reeling from some pretty large defeats, so there’s a significant chance that if they knew I was on the planet, they’ll pack up shop and leave for… some other unknown place.

“The Federation wants them right here, blissfully unaware so they can strike them swiftly, and eradicate them in one-fell swoop.”

She touched off the rest of her water before finishing:

“And unfortunately, the Storm Beasts proved themselves to be quite the obstacle to stealth. Indeed, I got into kind of a large fight with them… so much so that the Pirates sent troops to investigate what was happening in that part of the forest. I had to book it as fast as I could… and those unicorns almost crippled my ship out there,” she gestured in the general direction towards the courtyard.

“The stealth module is damaged, and so are the long-range communications. Which means that I can’t escape the planet without most likely being seen… and I can’t send any data or communicate with the Federation. Had to land somewhere with some cover, so here I am.

“No idea how long my auto repair function is going to take with the stealth module either… so I’m effectively stuck here until I can find a solution to my problem, too.”

That’s when Spike and Twilight leveled their gazes at one another, the wheels in their heads turning rapidly once more. She could sense an excitement building that she couldn’t fully place, but Samus had an idea of what was about to be said.

Twilight then cleared her throat:

“Well… I don’t know how appropriate it is to be making suggestions like this so soon but… maybe we can help each other out?”

Maybe…

“Oh? What did you have in mind?”

Twilight laid out her barebones plan figuratively on the table.

“It sounds like our end goal is more or less the same: eradicate the Phazon on the planet. Would you agree?”

“I’d tack in the annihilation of Space Pirate forces with that, but besides that... fully.”

“Right… and doing that will likely involve needing to confront Tempest. Wherever she is. Which means that we’re going to need the other Elements of Harmony,” Twilight added.

Samus nodded in agreement.

“That makes sense to me. Do you know where they are? If not, how do you propose we find them?”

Twilight shook her head, lamenting the process.

“Unfortunately not. Once disaster struck, we got separated. In the end, I don’t even know for a fact if they’re still out there. The elements could’ve very well been hunted down and destroyed…” she admitted. “...I’m placing all my hope that that’s not the case.

“But if that truly isn’t the case, there is a way to locate them: The Friendship Map. The problem is that the magical crystal that powered it… died when disaster struck. It’s just a basic crystalline table now. We’d need to get another power crystal before we can locate the rest of the girls with any precision.”

“That… seems reasonable,” Samus conceded.

“And like I mentioned before, we’d’ve done this ourselves… but we can’t go out on our own without drawing Tempest’s forces to us. And as powerful as Spike is, he’s not trained in battle… but you are,” the alicorn further noted.

And before Samus could respond to that, Twilight spoke again, closing the distance between them with a pleading—begging tone.

“I… I understand we’re asking a lot of you right now. More than you signed up for. We can help you to the best of our ability with what you need to accomplish… a-and I mean… Equestria is rich in resources. I’m sure when everything is over and done… we can arrange some form of payment!

“But… after everything that’s been said. Please consider this a formal request: please help us, Samus! We have no more options! After fifteen years, I think you’re the miracle we’ve been waiting for. I don’t know how cliche this is… but at this point, you’re our only hope!” Twilight poured out, as if she was trying to further convince the Hunter.

Samus held out both hands with a reassuring smirk.

“Relax, Twilight. I’m already on board. The basic framework of your plan seems solid… though that doesn’t answer how I’m gonna be able to repair my long range communications module,” she threw out, retreating into her chair while stroking her lower lip again.

Spike raised his hand.

“A couple years ago, I remember watching three Space Pirate chari—ships going down somewhere in the Everfree. Don’t know why but they crash landed pretty spectacularly. Maybe you could scavenge parts?”

Samus’ eyes widened.

That’s it!

“That… that could work! Parts… or even just requisition a whole damn comm node. Depending on the size of the ship, it could be more than enough for my needs…” she nodded.

And then smirked.

“Yeah… yeah, alright! That sounds like a good plan to me. The Phazon Core needs to be taken out, along with the Pirate presence. While we work towards that, I’ll help you find the other five Elements. At the same time, you can direct me to the Pirate wreckages to help repair my ship. Sound good?”

Twilight and Spike glanced at one another, and with the most hopeful smiles yet, the both nodded once simultaneously.

“Let’s do it!” they both said.

Samus nodded in kind and crossed her arms.

“Very well then. Then if we’re done here… can you show me the map?” she asked.

With a smile, Twilight beckoned Samus to follow her.

“Right this way!”

[Castle of Friendship | Throne Room]

From the dining room, Twilight had led Samus and Spike into the Throne Room via a single double-door. Upon entering, Samus was greeted with a fairly large, crystalline circular flat-top table with six crystal thrones spaced around it evenly. And as Samus drew closer, she could make out one faded symbol each on the front of the thrones’ back support.

As the three of them took their places around the table and between the individual thrones, Samus was struck by one particular detail:

“It’s blank.”

Twilight explained:

“Mhmm. When we were killed and ended up back here, we found the map like this. Normally, each of the Elemental Bearers sits in their own throne, which then feeds power into the map itself to holographically generate on top of the table. With the Elements scattered and ‘dead,’ its power crystal burned out, and locked into place like this.”

Samus carefully leaned against the table to see if she could discern anything on the smooth surface. Other than a few discolorations and reflections here and there, absolutely nothing stood out to her.

“Okay… then like you said, we’ll need to recover a power crystal. You know where to find one?” she asked.

“The closest crystal quarry is right by the old Castle of the Two Sisters in the Everfree. It’s a good hour or two trek on hoof, but it’s doable.”

Samus nodded, righting her posture.

“Alright… can you tell me what you’re looking for? And the general direction? I can probably just go snag it quickly and come back,” she reasoned.

Spike was quick to disagree with that notion.

“I wouldn’t do that. It’s about to be night time. The Everfree is already pretty unforgiving… even more so at night around these parts. You’ll find Storm Beasts around every corner,” he said.

Before Samus could counter that she was more than capable of dealing with swarms of the beasts… for the most part, Twilight also had something to add:

“And it’s not a very specific type of crystal that you can just eyeball per se. It has a magical signature that I don’t think you’re attuned to, if your story with unicorn Storm Beasts is anything to go by.”

She added sheepishly:

“No offense…”

“None taken. Then what do you propose?” asked Samus. “You said so, yourself... that you can’t leave these walls without drawing attention. And unless Spike here can hold his own in battle while you stay here, then I’m gonna have to go it alone.”

Twilight brought her hoof to her chin and tapped it a couple of times, but her sudden ruminations were broken when she snapped her gaze back to Samus… and eyed her form from heel to face.

She began musing out loud:

“You’re right. I can’t leave the walls without being sensed. Unless… my magical aura can be masked somehow.

“Maybe through the layer of another individual.”

Now they had Samus’ attention.

“What are you thinking?”

Spike seemed equally in the dark.

“Yeah… what’s on your mind, Twi?”

“Samus, your armor wouldn’t happen to be adaptable to… foreign technologies, would it?”

That took Samus a bit by surprise.

“That’s an oddly specific question wrapped up in an inference… but the answer technically is yes. My suit was constructed by my caretakers to be adaptable to almost every bit of foreign tech… with some exceptions. If it can be absorbed via energy or data transfer, it can at least coexist with my own equipment.”

She quickly caveated this with:

“I can’t guarantee whatever you’re thinking will work though… or have undue side effects. Either way, I’m okay with it so long as it doesn’t kill me.”

“Okay…” Twilight said. “Because I think it just might work. But… it’s pretty late, and Spike and I need to figure out some specifics on our end.

“How about we square this away in the morning? Testing what I’m thinking won’t take more than a couple minutes. So if it fails, let’s approach other options with a rested mind.”

She then drew her hoof over the entire throne room with a smile.

“You’re completely free to use the castle, the throne room, whatever really… as a base of operations if you want. And you’re also welcome to take one of the guest rooms just past that door,” she pointed to another set of double doors behind Samus.

“As long as you like,” she further qualified. “It’s the absolute least we can do…”

Samus smirked again, and nodded gratefully, if a little awkwardly at such forward generosity.

“Thanks. I’ll get myself uhhh… settled then. Thanks again…”

Twilight shook her head, but retorted rather excitedly:

“No… thank you, Samus. We’ll meet you back here in the morning and we’ll go from there. If all works out, we might be able to have the map powered tomorrow!”

Twilight called over her shoulder to Spike:

“Spike? Let’s give our guest a little space for tonight.”

The drake quickly fell into line with her.

“You got it, Twilight.”

“Goodnight, Samus!”

“Goodnight, Samus.”

The Hunter waved gently in their direction.

“Have a goodnight, you two,” she said as she watched them disappear out of the double doors from whence the three of them came through.

After the two had closed the door behind them, Samus took a deep breath and sighed out, letting loose a massive breath she had been holding. She did more talking and ‘socializing’ in the last couple hours than she had over her last few missions combined. She didn’t even realize that she felt a small headache coming on until now.

Maybe it was the underlying stress of it all. She was a woman of few words, but even she enjoyed taking a load off after a particularly involved mission. These were in no way happy talks—Samus willingly accepted a partnership in a mission that had grown, as she had expected, exponentially in scope. Once again, she had the entire fate of a planet resting on her shoulders.

At least she had the back and legs to show for it.

Samus spared a quick glance at her wrist console, and her ship was reporting back no unusual data feeds from the Space Pirate networks. Satisfied that the world and galaxy at large weren’t gonna get any worse over the night, Samus pivoted on her heels and strode towards the other Throne Room exit.

She quickly found some chambers to her liking, and heavily dusted off the bed for good measure. Samus drifted into an initially uneasy sleep with the soft sounds of the continuing thunderstorm outside.

04. Two Sisters

As expected, she was early.

Not that it was anyone else’s fault that she found herself alone in the barren Throne Room at this hour of the morning—local, ‘adapted’ time according to her console was about five in the morning. Her mind was running competitively through her head, and what sleep she was able to get was a rather uneventful, dreamless catnap. A sleep that merely served to recharge her physically, rather than mentally.

That same, sullen morale and mental fatigue still plagued her, bringing a tiredness that no sleep could really cure. As such, she became an early riser out of reluctance.

But as she leaned up against the adjacent wall of the doorframe she entered through, the silence let her thoughts roam to more personal ones. Mainly of how this whole thing never seemed to end.

Samus let her back slide down the smooth, crystal door frame as she let her legs buckle and fold underneath her. Sitting down in a lotus position, she further rested her eyes a bit while her mind drifted. The first thought was a regular in the tavern of her daydreams. Namely, why Gray Voice and Old Bird felt that she was completely ready to just… take on the entire galaxy on her own.

She had plenty of successes. Major ones… which got all the attention. But what often killed her sense of worth and let the self-doubt spring up were the lesser-known defeats: The civilians she never got to save; the Pirates getting away; arriving to a catastrophe just too late to stop the worst of it.

Combined with the ever-present assault on her mind from the unfathomable horrors she had witnessed in her short career… Samus sometimes felt she was barely hanging on. That her fight was truly never-ending. That it was for nothing appreciable in the end. Surely if she was making a difference, things would visibly have gotten better in the galaxy at large, right?

Because everything seemed to just get worse and worse… with every mission more daunting, with ever higher stakes.

Would there really be an end to this? Would this galaxy truly know peace?

Little by little, after each mission, Samus questioned just exactly what she was fighting for.

Hell, she didn’t even get to keep any of the tech that she borrowed from the Luminoth. A few of those upgrades definitely would make this mission that much easier.

She could feel her thoughts meandering in a couple different directions at the same time, using her low morale as a figurative springboard to further stew in her self-doubt. Thankfully, things were prevented from getting too bad when Samus could hear some steps from the other end of the room, just behind the double-door entrance.

Guess it’s time.

Samus rose from her lotus position and got to her feet right when the aforementioned double doors were quietly opened. Wiping her hands, Samus approached from the other side of the blank canvas of the Friendship Map as Twilight and Spike strode towards her. She could see that they certainly had a lot more pep in their steps that she didn’t remember from yesterday.

And those were certainly hopeful, confident smiles.

Twilight giddily greeted the gallant girl with a rather beaming smile, followed by Spike who was a bit more level-headed in his salutations.

“Gooooood mooooorning, Samus! You’re up early!”

“Good morning, Samus.”

Samus huffed, smirking as she gave a somewhat placid wave.

“Good morning, you two. And yeah… woke up earlier and just couldn’t go back to sleep. The bed was super comfy though, so thank you!”

“Of course!” said Twilight, smiling warmly. “Again, it’s the absolute least we can do.”

“Now,” she began anew, getting right to the order of the day. “Before we have some breakfast and head out to get a power crystal… there’s one thing I wanted to test.”

Samus nodded once.

“Right… as you said I wouldn’t really know exactly what I was looking for… or something to that effect because… magic,” she reiterated the talking point as best she could.

To a normal person, it would likely sound ludicrous and an excuse to cover something up, but in Samus’ experience, such words used in a sentence constituted something extremely believable.

Again, she had seen weirder things in her travels.

“Exactly! Now, you said your armor can adapt to foreign technologies. I have an overarching idea of how this can all work, but first I need to test your adaptability with a simple spell,” said Twilight…

...and promptly followed up by the unicorn charging her horn.

“So, this won’t take long. Would you mind equipping your armorsuit?”

As Samus witnessed her magical appendage light up a bright magenta color, a reflexive uneasiness briefly took over. She managed to rein that in, and then nodded as she flipped that mental switch in her head. In a bright, golden flash of her own, she felt her entire body enveloped in her Varia Suit once more… and she now viewed the world from the eyes of her visor.

She lay a hand atop her cannon passively.

“Okay. I don’t think I need to fully ask ‘please be careful,’ but…”

Twilight smiled knowingly.

“Definitely—which is why I’m choosing this particular spell in the first place. It’s completely benign, so it’ll either have the intended effect, or it’ll just dissipate and have no effect at all. So, without further ado…”

Samus braced herself… not that she was expecting anything cataclysmic to happen, but she understandably got a bit nervous whenever new tech would be introduced to her Suit. It was the same way when she picked up those first Unknown Items, and it was just like when she happened upon the Energy Transfer Module back on Aether.

This would be little different.

Should be little different.

Twilight’s horn brightened even more before Samus felt herself being enveloped in magic once more. This time, there was an air of calm and caring as the semi-transparent, magenta field warped around her and cradled her like a blanket. Even more than that, without the sounds of battle overloading her senses, she could hear a distinct, ‘energetic twinkling’ as the field held some sort of charge. After a couple seconds of maintaining no coherent shape, it suddenly all coalesced into her helmet before it vanished from existence.

Her Varia Suit’s reaction was immediate, and Samus put two fingers to the side of her helmet.

[New Data detected. Protocol: Unknown]

[Running security scan…]

[No security threats detected. Initiating Data Transfer…]

[Data Transfer successful! Translator Update Identified]

[Installing…]

[Applying…]

[Optimizing…]

[Translator Module Updated!]

[Equestrian written text can now be fully translated and recorded to your logbook.]

Sweet.

“Looks like it works!” Samus commented, dismissing all the notifications. She then smirked under her visor, and gave Twilight a thumbs-up.

“Thanks for the translator update.”

Twilight was certainly intrigued.

“Huh… so that’s how the spell manifests on you? That. Is. So. Cool!” she beamed. “And of course! You should be able to read everything that’s Pony-written now without any issues. This’ll really help when we’re out and about.”

Twilight’s particular use of a word piqued Samus’ interest.

“When we’re out and about?” she inquired.

That’s when Twilight truly started bouncing on the tips of her hooves. Her eyes went wide with excitement as to what was—apparently—to come next. And based solely on that childish glee, Samus wasn’t sure whether or not she should be concerned as to what the ultimate plan was.

Twilight glanced at Spike for a moment, before clearing her throat to explain fully:

“So, the spell that I just cast on you shows that your suit—and I guess to some lesser extent, you—can handle magic. That means that you should be able to fully intake an Element of Harmony, even if it’s not bound to you!” she put forth.

Samus blinked a couple times from behind her visor.

“I’m not sure I fully understand… wanna run that by me again?” she asked.

“The Element is literally my anchor. In essence, I’m one with the Element of Magic, acting a two-way pseudo isomorphic projection in this weird limbo I’m in. So if your suit can work with the Element, then that means I can effectively come with you, while my magical essence is masked through your own aura!”

I… know some of those words.

“I… okay look, the Chozo kinda prioritized my warrior training so I’m definitely not as educated as you—especially in terms of this whole ‘magic’ thing,” Samus admitted.

“So what I’m hearing, is that I’ll be able to somehow integrate you into my suit in a way that you’ll be able to come with me. But in such a way that we won’t get assaulted nonstop by Tempest’s Storm Beasts because your magical signature is masked through me. That sounds about right?” she asked.

Twilight blushed as she giggled all sheepishly.

“Y-Yeah… more or less. Unless we stumble across them. They’ll attack anything that’s not their own.”

Samus shrugged.

“If this is really the only way forward, then I don’t have a problem with it—this absorption won’t kill me, right?” she thought to ask.

Extra clarification and assurances weren’t always a bad thing when it came to new technology, after all.

Twilight shook her head.

“Not at all. In fact, if for whatever reason the intake doesn’t work, the Element—and myself—will just pass harmlessly through you without incident…”

She then glanced elsewhere with a hoof to her chin.

“At least… I think,” she added.

Samus had to stifle a proper giggle at that one.

“Heh, right. Well at least you’re honest. And if I’m being honest, I’ve lived… a life. Screw it, let’s get this over with and see how it turns out,” she said, bracing herself anew.

Twilight nodded, smiling widely and turning to Spike.

“Okay then! Spike? You got the Element?”

The drake pulled a small box from behind him—Samus likened it to a simple, brown, wooden jewelry box. She didn’t know if he had it with him this entire time, but what she was certain of was the rather stoic, uneasy look on his face.

And then he opened it and revealed the smooth, lavender, crystalline six-pointed star that glinted in the natural light—what Samus ostensibly figured was the Element. Twilight now seemed to pick up on his body language, too.

“Spike… is everything okay?” she asked.

Samus watched as the dragon refused to look at anyone in the room while he was clearly contending with some internal deliberation and crisis. After a few moments of silence though, he closed his eyes, sighed out, and locked his gaze right through her visor.

“Samus…” he began, taking easy steps with the Element securely in his grasp.

“Twilight’s only here because a freak of magical nature… and this Element right here. If anything happens to it… she’s gone for good. And there’s nothing we’d ever be able to do to bring her back.”

Now standing in front of her, Spike’s expression hardened with resolve, yet that pleading, almost desperate look in his eyes remained.

“She’s all I have left. We can’t lose her. I can’t lose her!” he declared, and finally spared a glance over to his best friend in the world.

She only stared back in stunned reverence, just listening to him.

“Before I hand her to you… I need your word: will you protect and safeguard her with your life, as I have?”

Twilight cut in before Samus was able to even say anything:

“Spike…”

He shot his gaze to her and added softly before turning back to the Hunter:

“I need to hear her say it!”

Samus in no way could blame him for what he had asked. It was a simple request, really… but she knew how much it would mean to him. He was putting a lot of likely reluctant trust in her—no one had any choice in the matter if they wanted anything to get better.

She understood, and nodded.

“I promise, Spike, that nothing will happen to her without going through me, first.”

Seemingly satisfied, Spike glanced at Twilight again and nodded once, presenting the Element of Magic in its warren directly to Samus.

“Alright. Thank you, Samus.”

It was the Hunter’s turn to glance at the alicorn, who gladly began relaying instructions:

“Okay, carefully take the element and hold it in your hand. When you’re ready, I’ll start the spell.”

Tentatively, Samus reached forward, hanging her hand in mid-air as if she was anticipating any resistance from the duo. Like any artifact that she had encountered in her travels, whether it be Chozo, Luminoth, or whatever else, the way it glowed in the ambient light through her visor seemed to call to her.

Samus never understood what this feeling was. She was never able to properly explain it, but she always silently thanked it whenever she needed guidance on her missions.

She glanced up at Spike through her visor as her armored fingers were mere millimeters from the crystalline Element… and then she ultimately touched it. She gripped it firmly—but not too firmly, judging its structural integrity—just enough to have a secure hold on it.

Spike spoke up once more:

“Do you have her?”

She nodded.

“Please, say it.”

“I have her.”

He nodded once, and as Samus pulled the Element of Magic away from its container, Spike closed the box and watched the some-way ceremonial spectacle. Samus held the six-pointed star up to her visor, examining its seemingly perfect creation in front of her. She couldn’t detect any flaw from age nor wear… despite all she had been told about the magnitude of power Elements like these wielded.

Even more than that, as she held the back of the pendant to her palm… she again couldn’t place the feeling, but she could feel the aforementioned power radiating off of it. There was no field around it that she could detect, but something about it lent her both a comforting, and foreboding, sense of warmth.

Twilight cut in again, lighting her horn.

“Alright… let’s do this…” she said, and then closed her eyes as she brought her full power and concentration to bear.

The intensity that her horn brightly shone seemed to amp up accordingly. Samus kept here eyes glued to Twilight as her horn became a miniature sun, shrouding the room in a once-lavender glow that became pure white. And as the exposure of the rest of the room became less and less visible, Samus focused all her attention to the Element she had in her hand. Slowly, its corporeal form seemed to wither away.

Pink particles no bigger than specks of dust were carried away on a seemingly invisible wind… a wind that ebbed and flowed in a spiral helix up Samus’ arm. As the rest of the Element faded away with the particles, Samus found her entire armored body covered in some pseudo crystalline dust storm. The ambient sounds of her surroundings were supplanted by the gradually intensifying electric whining of whatever spell Twilight was casting.

And then she felt the surge.

Like the many, many power-ups and suit upgrades she collected over her journeys, Samus felt a sudden surge of energy through her. What was interesting and different about this one in particular, is that she could feel that sudden excitation in the deepest recesses of her mind.

And she could’ve sworn that she saw the reflection of her eyes—glowing—against the inside of her visor.

Suddenly, it ended… and there were no more residual, magical specks remaining. The Element of Magic that had once lay shining and shimmering in her open, armored palm now ceased to exist. Samus confirmed this when she curled her hand into a fist, and nothing prevented her from doing so in the slightest.

The Element was gone. And she had a pretty good idea where it was. Considering Spike only showed a morbid curiosity to the after-effects, rather than looking horrified, it appeared that the spell might’ve just gone well enough.

Samus turned back to Twilight… who was no longer standing in the place that she was before. A quick, wordless glance around the room and behind her confirmed the fact that the lavender unicorn was now missing.

However, the Hunter didn’t have much time to dwell on that, as her system began responding to the spell:

[Unknown Item Acquired!]

[Running security scan…]

[No security threats detected.]

[Aetheric force “Magic” detected. Varia Suit compatibility confirmed.]

[Analyzing…]

Twilight’s voice suddenly cut in—as if she was standing right next to her and speaking normally and clearly—while Samus watched the stream of info scrolling up her visor, breaking her concentration.

“Maybe this’ll help…”

[Element of Harmony Acquired!]

[This is the Element of Magic. The first of six. Each Element—a tenet of Friendship—brings with it a bonus to you. Gather all six Elements to unlock the Harmony within.]

Samus dismissed the somewhat cryptic notification as Spike spoke up.

“So… did it work?”

From what was shown to her after the rather dazzling display, and an odd dissociation of Twilight’s voice from her lack of physical presence… Samus wasn’t so sure what could be classified as ‘success.’

“Uhhh… I think so?”

In a small, sudden, spiraling display of lavender light, Twilight re-materialized where she once was with a beaming smile.

“YES! IT WORKED!” she cried out, bouncing high off her hooves and splaying them out midair in the finest exuberance Samus had witnessed from her yet.

Samus was about to reply, but then she noticed something at the bottom of the fringes of her vision through her visor when giving herself a look-over: sitting right atop her breastplate was a golden necklace-like piece of metal that seemed magnetically woven to her armor, which held the Element of Magic right at its apex.

“Huh… Interesting.”

“And congratulations! You’re now a proud bearer of the Element of Magic!” Twilight added…

…and then promptly, sheepishly amended:

“…actually more like ‘borrowing’ it but… semantics!” she punctuated with clapping her front hooves together.

Samus shared a look with Spike, who—despite not having a face shrouded by a visor—returned a similar glance of unknowing, but intense curiosity at the alicorn’s display.

“Right… so, I have some guesses, but my systems didn’t really tell me much. Wanna fill me in on what the changes are?” she asked.

And Twilight was all the happier to answer:

“Of course! So… the Element has been bound to you temporarily via the use of the spell I just cast. Its magic and subsequent signature now run through you—and your own personal aura. Which means that since I’m bound to the Element to even exist, I can now come with you completely undetectable to Tempest by traditional means. My aura is masked by yours, and runs through you concurrently!

“And don’t worry, you can take off the Element at any time with a little finagling.”

Samus cocked her head.

“Is that how I was able to hear you literally in my ears as clear as day without you being physically in front of me?”

Twilight perked up even more and nodded.

“So you did hear that! But yeah! I’ll demonstrate again!”

Twilight put forth her right hoof.

“I can exit you at any time, but I can’t ‘come back in’ without your permission. This permission is granted when you meet my hoof with your hand and ‘mentally’ allow me in.”

After a second of contemplation, Samus kneeled a little lower and opened her hand to Twilight’s hoof. She could feel the alicorn place her appendage in her palm, and after ‘okaying’ the connection, the alicorn’s corporeal form vaporized in a magical steam right in front of Samus’ eyes.

She watched as the dust-like particles all found their way back to the Element adorned on her chest, coruscating through the air all the while. After a couple seconds of silence, Samus knew what she meant when Twilight began speaking as if she was speaking all around her—but directly at her.

Like she was inside her head.

“Testing… can you hear me?”

Samus glanced around her, as if Twilight was gonna magically appear somewhere to explain the phantom voice. But again, she was nowhere to be found.

“Loud and clear. So… with me having the Element, it’s like you’re sorta in my mind? Beyond that, I’m not sure how I feel about having you directly in my systems, too… technically,” she voiced.

Spike—amusingly—seemed completely left in the dark since Samus looked like she was having a conversation directly with herself.

Twilight giggled.

“While you wear the Element, I can access anywhere that your own aura runs through, which includes your armor systems and your head… somewhat. If you’re wondering if I can read your thoughts? I can’t… well, not really at least.”

“Y’know… I’m less concerned about you reading my deepest thoughts as opposed to you having access to all my systems… of which you know how none of them work. I assure you, my thoughts are a lot less interesting.”

“Hmmmm…” said Twilight. “Maybe for now, but that doesn’t mean it’s not exciting! I mean… I know you can’t see this, but whoever put your armor system together is an artist! It’s so… beautifully put together in how everything works! How your energy just flows through it! How the machine melds with the organic components. And how… organized it all is!”

Samus cocked an eyebrow under her visor.

“...what are you doing?”

Her reply came with an air of mischief to it.

“Getting a feel for this sensation that’s new for the both of us…”

Samus stood straight, glancing her eyes up as if she would somehow see Twilight winding her up somewhere.

“I swear to god I’ll yank you if you touch anything…”

“Don’t worry! I’m not gonna mess with this natural order here! I’m just trying to see what my limitations are… now… what if I do this…”

Samus didn’t have time to react when her visor suddenly began rapidly switching back and forth from Combat to Scan. She also watched as the barrel of her cannon opened and closed so erratically that she thought it was gonna break. Stunned and horrified at the sudden onset of nonsense on her HUD and Suit, Samus staggered in place at the visual overload and held her hand to the side of her visor.

“FUCKING! STOP IT! GODDAMNIT TWILIGHT!”

“Huh, so that’s what those do…”

“TWILIGHT!”

Samus’ map began opening and closing upon its own volition, and she placed her hand on the ‘embedded’ Element on her chest. Spike’s jaw was slackened and his eyebrow was cocked so massively that it looked like half his face was going to be sent to the stratosphere.

The unicorn seemed to get the message immediately.

“Okay okay! I’m sorry… I’m done. I promise…”

Once Samus confirmed that nothing else was happening to her systems, and everything was functioning as normal, she let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. Calming herself down a bit—especially concerning her lifeblood equipment she relied on—she shook her head and huffed sarcastically.

“‘No security threats detected’ my ass… should’ve known my Suit’s anti-virus was shit.”

“Hey! Did you just call me a virus??”

“Look… can you please just not fiddle with shit while we’re in this predicament?”

Samus got serious again.

“My Varia Suit is the only thing that’s gonna give us a fighting chance right now in a lot of situations. I can’t help you without it… which is why I can’t afford to have you accidentally ‘touch’ something in the middle of a goddamn firefight and get us killed. I’d reject this outright if we had any other options, but clearly we don’t.

“So… I’m asking nicely. Please don’t touch anything. Okay?”

The silence lasted for another couple seconds before Samus heard a sigh.

“Okay, Samus. I’m sorry… b-but what if I can help? Can I at least ask, first?”

“Yes to the last question… though now you’ve got me a bit curious as to your first question considering this demonstration you pulled,” said Samus.

“Remember how your Suit wasn’t registering the Element at first? I was able to kinda… ‘nudge it in place,’ in a manner of speaking,” the invisible alicorn replied.

Samus glanced off to the side in thought, staring off into the void as she considered those words.

“Hmmm… can you actually ‘see’ out my visor as well?”

“Mhmm! It’s not exactly like looking through your eyes or my eyes, but rather through the eyes of your systems… which includes your visor. Based on this, it looks like I can also mark points on your map, and I can point things out directly,” Twilight explained.

“Huh… show me.”

“Okay, how about… this.”

Right as Twilight said her final word, Samus heard the tiniest electronic ping in her ear. And as that registered, Samus immediately noticed a circular point being suddenly highlighted right on Spike’s chest via her visor. Almost like if someone was literally touching her visor to show her what they were seeing.

Samus nodded, impressed.

“Alright… I’ll admit, that’s pretty cool. So you’re kinda like a Support AI of sorts… You seem the observant and detail-oriented type. So, fine. If you see something important that you know, or that you think I might’ve missed, ping it on my visor. Just don’t spam it unless we’re literally about to be killed if I don’t act.”

Spike finally voiced, shrugging:

“I have no idea what’s going on… but since you stopped screaming I’m gonna assume it’s pretty good?”

“Definitely,” Samus confirmed. “Just… working out some of the kinks in our new setup here. Again, I’d rather this not be the case, but we don’t have any other options to protect Twilight adequately.”

Twilight ‘slithered’ her way out of Samus’ chest plate via the Element and rematerialized physically.

“Agreed. Besides—I kinda prefer being somewhat useful anyway if you’re gonna ferry me around.”

She then turned back to Samus.

“And when we leave the castle, there’s a couple things that I see your system didn’t update you on yet. I think I need to ‘coax’ them into place again, but you bearing the Element of Magic gifts you a couple abilities that’ll be essential to our work,” she noted.

Now that piqued her interest.

“Alright. So… do we head out now, then?”

Twilight shared a knowing look with Spike, who nodded brightly.

“How about a quick breakfast, first?” she suggested.

Samus’ stomach growled a bit at that mention.

“Yeah… that might actually be a good idea. From what I had last night, beats an MRE, that’s for sure.”

And with those words, Samus unequipped her suit with the usual flair, though rather than just her being left in her Zero Suit, there was a distinctly new addition to her body. One that was in the form of a rather opulent-looking golden necklace chain that seemed to fit her just perfectly. Right at its front–just resting atop her chest–was the Element of Harmony just as it was, having survived the de-materialization of the suit demobilization process.

“Hm. Interesting...”

"You got everything you need?" asked Spike as he walked with Twilight and an un-armored Samus towards the main entrance of the castle.

The alicorn smiled.

“Yeah… I think so! I mean, there’s not much that I can really pack. I’m kinda just hitching a ride, as it were,” she said, giggling.

Though Samus had heard the question, she was a bit busy running some quick diagnostics on her systems to make sure all was functioning and in-order for the mission today. No ‘complaints’ were raised by any of her sensors, her missiles were at full capacity, her energy was fully charged, and for once everything looked to be in order.

And all without a sudden, inexplicable loss of the majority of her native abilities that she’d have to subsequently retrieve. Based on that current standpoint alone, Samus could tabulate a couple wins compared to other missions.

“I’m all set here. Thanks again for the food, Spike,” she said, right as the trio arrived in front of the hulking doors of the main castle entrance.

Samus had one more thing to say to Spike:

“By the way, I moved a bit of equipment in from my ship into the map room. There’s a communications node in there that’s connected to my systems. You don’t need to worry about how it works, but if you want to monitor our progress, there’s a big blue button there that you can press that’ll hail me.

“But I’ll also let you know via that channel that we got what we need and when we’re headed back. Beyond that, you can let us know if anything… weird comes up back here. Use it wisely,” she cautioned.

Spike smirked, then nodded.

“You got it. I’ll probably hang out in the area then—just in case. How long do you think you’ll be out?” he asked.

Samus looked to Twilight for that answer, and the alicorn was more than happy to speculate to that:

“Well, assuming we don’t run into any trouble out there—and that’s kind of a ‘big if’ these days—I’d say it’s about a two hour trek through the Everfree to the Castle of the Two Sisters. Maybe an hour or so to search for a crystal… then two hours back?” she said whilst looking back up to Samus for confirmation.

To which the Hunter just shrugged.

“Hey, you know the area and planet better than I ever could. Don’t look at me!” she quipped.

Though she did have one thing to add:

“But that seems like a ‘fine day out.’ Though I’d recommend that we don’t take our time with this. The less time we take wandering, the less chance we’ll run into any major trouble,” she said.

Twilight nodded.

“Agreed.”

Spike seemed more than satisfied with the answers from both of them.

“Sounds good to me…” he began, though he, of course, added one last stipulation:

“...but please be careful, as always. I trust you know where you’re going, and I trust Samus knows how to defend herself and you… but still… get back here in one piece, alright?”

Twilight’s warm smile returned, and she got up on her hind legs to nuzzle the drake just as warmly.

“You know we will, Spike. Samus’ll communicate back when we’re heading back,” she said.

And then looked back up at Samus.

“Alright, I’m all set!”

Samus nodded curtly, and gave the smallest, lopsided smirk.

“You got it. Let’s go,” she said, and presented her open hand.

A simple gesture that was somehow starting to have a lot more significance and weight for the two of them, and one which Twilight reciprocated with an equally determined face as she lay her right hoof in Samus’ hand. After the briefest moments, Twilight fizzled out of her corporeal form, and the ‘magical dust’ that remained all coalesced over Samus’ form, centering around the Element of Magic.

And from there, the Hunter re-equipped her Suit, preparing for the day’s events. She spoke out to Twilight:

“Can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear! Let’s go!”

Samus turned to Spike and gave a thumbs up.

“Alright, we’re all set and heading out. See you soon,” she said.

“Sounds good! Let me get the door for you,” Spike said, stepping forward and undoing the extensive bolting locks and other various, magical security mechanisms.

Mechanisms that in no way looked like they were added when the castle was built. Those were definitely created after the fact. Her thoughts on the matter were waved away when Spike finally got the left side of the double-door inward, letting the cool, rain-caked air of the heavily overcast day blow inward.

Spike then returned the thumbs-up that Samus had given him just a moment earlier.

“First mission, Samus. Get the power crystal and we’ll install it right away when you get back. Then we should know where everyone else is… if they’re alive. Good luck, you two!”

Samus gave him a firm pat on his shoulder as she walked past him and through the threshold of the now-open front entrance.

“Thanks. We’ll report in soon. I’ll contact you first on the comm when we’re back here. If anyone else knocks or calls out for you without that… it ain’t us.”

Spike nodded.

“Understood. I’ll look forward to it,” he said.

And with a final nod exchanged between the both of them, Spike sealed the door closed once more, leaving Samus out in the rainy day as the precipitation bathed her suit once more.

Holding her cannon at the low ready and idly flexing her fingers of her armored, left hand, she just… listened to her surroundings. Only the sound of the falling rain and the occasional, distant boom of a thunderclap interrupted the natural ambience. Her motion tracker only displayed one blip: that of Spike from just inside the castle entrance… before it faded off of the range of her systems. Nothing else stirred in the immediate area around her.

Just as planned. And just as she hoped it would stay.

But as Samus continued to just listen and breathe for a few extra moments, Twilight cut into her thoughts with a soft voice:

“Okay. Let’s get going. Start heading in this direction,” she said, and promptly highlighted an area of the overgrown Everfree Forest entrance just to the west.

Samus spared a couple-second look at where Twilight had indicated, studying the entrance into the dark, foreboding forest that apparently was ‘full of magic and wonder,’ per her own paraphrased version of Twilight’s words from yesterday. Steeling herself anew, she began an easy power walk in that direction.

“Alright. Something about a ‘Castle of Two Sisters,’ or whatever, right?” she asked.

“Mhmm!” Twilight replied. “Though I guess it’s sorta more of ‘what remains’ of the Castle of the Two Sisters. It’s been in a state of abandonment and disrepair since well before the catastrophe. Hell… it’s been that way for as long as I can remember. Probably at least a thousand years.

“There’s… a lot of history around it,” she mentioned.

“Sounds like it,” Samus replied as he reached the first bushes of the periphery of the Everfree forest.

She reached forward and ran her fingers through the first leaves of the bush, and gazed beyond into the depths of the lush abyss thereon. Right when she was about to just throw herself into the wilderness again, she remembered something that Twilight asked her to remind her of.

“By the way… before we go on, you said there were some other ‘abilities’ or something you wanted to ‘activate’ or whatever?”

“Oh, right!” she said. “One second…”

And after a few moments of silence, the Hunter’s Suit immediately reacted:

[Magicae Acquired!]

[Integration with the Element of Harmony has allowed the magical channels of Twilight Sparkle to flow freely through you. The result is proper sensitivity to magic and the magical realm. Certain magical abilities and spells are now open to you. Further abilities will build upon this foundational sensitivity.]

Samus was definitely interested in that, and she cocked an eyebrow.

“Huh… so based on this, this means I can use magic, right? Much like I’ve seen you and the Storm Beasts use?” she asked.

Twilight’s response was shorter than usual, as she was apparently still working on something on the back-end.

“Short answer, yes. Long answer: it’s complicated. Hold on… I just need to...”

[Oculi Magicis Visor Acquired!]

[Integration with the Element of Magic has opened up access to further magical abilities, one of them being ‘Oculi Magicis’–a unicorn and alicorn ability to ‘see’ through the magical realm. This ability manifests as the ‘Oculi Magicis’ visor, or the ‘OM’ Visor. The OM Visor can be used to peer into the magical realm and find objects and targets of magical significance.]

Again, Samus was impressed.

“Well… you’re definitely spoiling me today, Twilight. Wanna give me a quick rundown?” she asked.

“Absolutely!” Twilight exclaimed.

She then pinged the lower valley of Samus’ visor—once Samus focused, a new selection matrix suddenly appeared which looked identical to her beam and visor ones. It was fairly barren save for a single selection front and center: a sprite of the Element of Magic.

Her ‘teaching’ tone was front and center:

“So… congratulations! You can use magic now. I’m kinda massively downplaying how enormous this is, but there was really no way around it since you’re bearing the Element of Magic. ‘Selecting’ Magic in this matrix here will allow you to channel magical energy through me and perform spells and harness power as your ability and stamina allows. A lot of it is just practice with use cases, which I’ll walk you through when the opportunities present themselves.

“And before you ask, yes, when you ‘collect’ the other Elements when we find them, they’ll likely have their own set of abilities that manifest. You’ll be able to select ‘em in an identical manner.” she explained.

Samus pondered her words.

“Hmmm… I’m guessing that’s a long-winded way of saying ‘a whole new world was opened up to you so we’ll take it step-by-step,’ right?”

“Pretty much, yeah. Sorry I over-talk.”

“Nah, again: too much information when it concerns things like this is never a bad thing for me,” Samus replied. “But what about the OM Visor?”

“Right!” Twilight sprung right back into discourse:

“‘Oculi Magicis’ is a technique as old as the Alicorn societies that walked Equestria millennia ago. Those adept at magic, namely alicorns and unicorns, can see into a different dimension where magic manifests itself freely. This is super useful to locate and interact with magical artifacts, gauge one’s aptitude and power, bypass magical traps, and loads of other use cases,” she said.

She then pinged Samus’ visor-selection matrix, and in one of the empty slots next to the Combat and Scan entries, was a foreign entry that looked like a twinkling star shrouded in a veil of fog.

“Go ahead and give it a try?” she suggested.

With zero hesitation, Samus swapped out her Combat Visor for the new OM Visor, and was greeted with a very similar setup to her previously used Dark Visor back on Aether. The entire, lit, rainy world was now shrouded in a dull black, with vague highlights of her surroundings when she got close enough. However, certain elements within her environment had a the softest, lavender glow to them… a glow that only seemed to pulse and intensify at odd frequencies.

Twilight spoke up again:

“The trees in front of you glow softly as this particular species of tree is known to collect the residual magic that flows naturally over this world, and hold it for its own uses. The higher the magical content of an object—and the closer you are—will determine how intensely they glow, and, of course, how large,” she explained.

Samus nodded.

“Okay… does that extend to potential enemies, too?”

“It definitely does!” Twilight affirmed. “Hypothetically, if a unicorn or some other magical entity teleports or in some other way fades out of existence, you can track them through OM.”

“Awesome. Thanks, Twilight,” said Samus, and then took her first steps to formally re-enter the Everfree.

“Mhmm! Again, the least I can do, Samus. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get moving,” she said.

Twilight pinged Samus’ map section on the top-left of her HUD.

“I’ve marked the approximate position on your map, and applied a directional heading to help keep you on track—hope you don’t mind. I only say ‘approximate’ because your system really doesn’t have any map data to work with. That should change once we activate the Map back at the castle,” she noted.

Samus brushed past the first tree layer and entered into a light jog.

“Works for me. Thanks, Twilight,” she replied, pivoting course on her heel and making straight for the target indicator.

“No, thank you. You don’t know how much you’re helping right now…”

“I’m sure I have an idea…”

The words fell quiet and Samus was able to focus fully on the sounds of her environment once more. Her motion tracker still read fairly clear, though there was an occasional small blip that was marked as non-hostile: likely from some local animal that was scurrying around or trying to avoid contact with her. Nevertheless, she kept her easy pace up, her breathing consistent and easy, as she flicked her eyes around her forested surroundings. There were no weird Phazon hazards nor Space Pirate outposts to consider either (that she was aware of), so she felt this would be a rather standard trek through the forest.

Of course, unless the Storm Beasts showed up again. That was certainly a possibility high on the list. Though she felt that she had more than enough equipment (with the additional goodies Twilight provided her with the Elemental integration), she would prefer that they leave her alone.

The threats of her missions rarely abided by her preferences, though.

Samus cleared her path of some massive leaves in her way and entered into a tiny forest clearing. Almost instantly, dozens of little rabbit heads poked out of the grassy clearing and scattered in all directions, leaving the Hunter on her lonesome once more.

She broke the silence as slowed her pace momentarily to an easy walk, then lay her hand atop her cannon as she trod forward:

“Any dangerous wildlife I should be on the lookout for?”

Twilight offered up an answer:

“You may find some curious timber wolves—literally made of wood and animated by magic, by the way—or the occasional manticore, though the latter will likely keep its distance. Off-chance we may find a cockatrice, but I wouldn’t bet on it unless you’re actually looking for them.”

“Got it,” replied Samus as she bounded through the other end of the forest clearing.

She then resumed her easy jog, cataloging a few species of the local flora via her Scan Visor before posing another question:

“What can you tell me about the Castle of the Two Sisters?” she asked.

Twilight’s answer began as Samus hopped herself up onto the carcass of a massive, downed tree… and continued as she then somersaulted back to earth.

“It was the first castle that was built for Princesses Celestia and Luna, the two royal alicorn sisters I mentioned yesterday. It was essentially the former seat of power for Equestria.”

The ground in her path elevated somewhat over a small forest plateau… one that Samus could easily ford with a jump and the aid of her power grip. After a quick stop and looking up—being met with rain droplets splattering on her visor—the journey forward continued.

“What caused the move to uhhh… ‘Canterlot?’ Right?”

“Mhmm! Canterlot. And that’s… kind of a story in it’s own right. The short of it is that it was destroyed, hence its dilapidated condition that you’ll see first-hoof.”

Samus reached the end of this little forest plateau, which had quite a precipitous drop in elevation should she have taken a dive right off the edge of the pseudo-cliff edge. After sparing a quick glance through her OM Visor to confirm nothing weird around her, nor any threats being detected on her motion tracker, Samus hunched low and launched herself into a leap of faith off the edge. After the initial feelings of adrenaline coursing through her systems, and feeling her stomach rise up into her chest as gravity began pulling her back to the earth below, she went heels-over-head once… and then landed right on her armored feet.

She hunched low to disperse the impact, then righted her posture before continuing on.

“Was… was that in any way necessary?” Twilight asked.

“No.”

“Then, why?”

“Because I can, really.”

“Amazing.”

“On that note, why was it even destroyed in the first place? Context might help in the future…”

“Sure! Keep an eye out though, as this’ll probably take a while…”

Twilight started talking as Samus checked their progress relative to their destination. There was still a good two-thirds of the way to trek, and with the forest being as quiet as it was, Samus didn’t mind that Twilight rambled on at her request. In fact, Samus barely had to talk, as the moment that any question regarding Twilight’s history lesson came up, the now-ethereal alicorn in her head intercepted them with appropriate context and answers… almost like she was reading her mind.

Oh, right.

Nevertheless, Samus learned more of the Princesses of Equestria, Celestia and Luna, and how they controlled the path of the sun and moon, respectively. More interesting to her was their combined history as sisters... and how the latter rebelled and attacked the former after envy and jealousy got twisted into darkness and contempt, corrupting the younger sister into the entity known as Nightmare Moon. Samus learned how such entities—Nightmares—fed off of particularly, magically powerful individuals’ dark thoughts, and twisted their feelings and amplified perceptions of reality in order to take hold.

Twilight regaled that Luna’s corruption forced Celestia’s hand (or hoof) to banish her own sister to the moon for a thousand years, before she returned on the prophesied night. That’s when the newly-anointed Elemental Bearers combated her and used the Elements themselves to vanquish the Nightmare, purging it from the Night Princess.

Luna was promptly freed and was re-integrated into society, and welcomed back to her throne.

“Whew…” said Twilight, exhaling, as if she needed to breathe in her current state. “That was a lot of talking.”

By now, a good hour had passed, and the situation in the forest had changed little at this point. Samus continued to keep a diligent look at her motion tracker, and started forming a habit of checking her OM Visor for any anomalies—of which none made themselves known.

The only constant of note was the continued, pouring rain.

“Interesting story. Sounds like Celestia also bears a lot of blame for… what happened. Not that Luna’s actions are exactly excused,” she commented.

“Oh definitely,” Twilight replied. “The two worked out their issues together in a more… responsible manner after that. I think they both grew from the experience.”

Samus nearly giggled at that comment.

“‘A thousand years’ is one hell of an ‘experience,’ I’ll say.”

“Heh, never thought about it that way, actually.”

Twilight ended that line of conversation as Samus waded through another layer of flora, passing through another small clearing. Their destination was just up ahead.

“We’re coming up on the castle now, careful when peeking through this last forest layer…” she warned.

Samus hunched low as she melded into the tree-line, brushing aside tall grass and branches that dipped low from the trees above.

“Oh? Expecting something to happen?”

“Gosh I hope not. But I haven’t been out this way in a couple decades. I honestly have no idea what’s become of the ruins… or if Tempest and her forces did anything with it. I just don’t know, but doesn’t hurt to be prepared.”

“Fair. And I can’t say I disagree with you.”

As Samus crept through the thick underbrush, she could make out something… distinctly different than her surroundings through the flora. Once she understood that she reached the start of what appeared to be another clearing, she hunkered low and brushed some final tall grass and leaves aside, revealing to her…

...not a clearing in any sense.

Rather, it was a damn hole in the forest where the canopy completely opened up. While trees and unkempt bushes, moss, and grass still ruled her vision as far as she could see, despite their lack of maintenance, the massive height of the once imposing canopy of the Everfree was distinctly lacking here: she could see the sky in all its glory as it continued to pour limitless rain on her path before her.

The distance held even more forest on the hills and mountains beyond, and standing in her path between the ruins of the castle itself—about half-a-mile away—and her current hunkered-down position was a massive chasm where the earth looked like it was quite literally split. Samus could see two potential points of crossing, but no immediate means to do so, at least from this distance and the veil of the rain.

Samus brought her fingers up to the side of her helmet and activated her comms.

“Spike. Can you read me?”

A few seconds of tense silence seemed to blanket their little area of the forest before some random noise preceded the reply on the other end.

“I… think it’s working? Loud and clear, Samus! How’re y’all doing over there?”

“No problems going through the forest. Just reached the outskirts of the Castle and are about to try and find a way in. How’re things over there?”

“Nice and quiet, just how I prefer it. Thanks for checking in.”

“Sure thing. I’ll let you know when we’re on our way back.”

“Sounds good! Talk to you soon.”

Samus dismissed her communications overlay and lay her hand back on her cannon once more, still comfortably kneeling within the underbrush.

“Alright. Let’s go find our power crystal,” she said, getting back to her feet.

“Okay… I’ll keep looking out for anything weird. The first order of business will be actually finding a way inside,” Twilight mentioned.

Samus brushed aside the last bits of concealment she was using, and cautiously took her first steps out into the open. She watched her motion tracker like a hawk, as well as relying on proper sight as she scanned over the surrounding forests she was leaving behind, leery of any potential ambushes waiting for their opportune moment to pounce on her. She also occasionally engaged her OM visor to check for any more magical anomalies… with the only thing she was spotting was a dim illumination in the distance—right on the castle.

Interesting…

Samus answered rather sarcastically:

“Yeah… and I’m guessing we can’t just go up and knock, right?”

Twilight giggled.

“Not really, no. Though the bigger issue is… kinda this…” Twilight figuratively gestured as Samus closed ranks with the first obstacle in their path: The massive chasm that stood between her and the castle grounds.

Samus halted right at the edge and dared to peer over and down. She saw nothing but the rain disappearing into a white veil as low-level fog seemed to meander through the rock like an atmospheric river. A little curiosity got the better of her, and she brushed a few pebbles and dirt clean off the edge, and watched as they plummeted into the white abyss below. Satisfied that she couldn’t hear anything impact some sort of ground, she drew her gaze back up to the other side, where the Castle of the Two Sisters stood tantalizingly… goading her forward.

Samus nodded.

“Yeah… I can see that,” she said, then noticed the wooden remains of what was clearly a support for a bridge.

She shrugged, shaking her head.

“And I don’t think we’re gonna build a bridge any time soon. And I can’t jump that far… even with the aid of my space jump boots.”

“Huh…” Twilight called out, interested. “Look at that!”

Twilight promptly drew Samus’ attention straight ahead with a ping to the flat cliff-face on the other side… and the Hunter spotted it immediately: the bridge. Or rather, what remained of it. Clearly, the supports had been severed on their side, and it was now hung lifelessly, the individual wooden walking boards in various states of disrepair, and the entire remnants of it dancing slowly in whatever wind happened to blow at the moment.

And quite frankly, the Hunter wasn’t so sure where Twilight was going with this.

“Okay… it’s the bridge that existed to ford the chasm. It’s kinda cut, as you can see.”

“Duh!” replied Twilight, who promptly continued in her now-familiar teaching tone:

“So we can use your ‘newfound abilities’ to ‘reach across’ both the chasm and the magical plane to help get it secured again,” she said.

Oh right. Magic.

“Right… okay, sure. Then what the hell do I need to do? Just… think it? Say a magic word or a spell? Do something with my hand, or…” Samus prattled on, punctuating by tentatively reaching forward with her armored hand.

Hell, she tried to even remember some of the more… mystical aspects of Chozo science to see if she could call up any inspiration from there.

Again, Twilight giggled.

“Well… it’s hard to describe to someone whose never used magic before. It’s a little bit in between all of those, I guess,” she said. “Each unicorn and alicorn is a little different in the casting regard.

“At any rate, you can definitely do this. You know I’d gladly take care of this if me materializing on the grass and dirt here wouldn’t attract every Storm Beast in the forest. I’ll walk you through it.”

Samus spared another glance around her—nothing in the forest stirred, and the rain remained her ever-close company. Things looked safe… for now.

“Alright,” Samus said. “Ready when you are—let’s see if we can make this quick. I’d rather not stand in the same place for an hour.”

Twilight replied:

“It’s always hardest the first time. So… close your eyes.”

“...do I have to?”

“Normally, no. But it does help you concentrate. I recommend it for your first spell. Don’t worry, I’m watching the motion tracker… so go on!”

Her voice dipped much softer.

“Close your eyes and just listen to my voice.”

One last glance side-to-side via her peripheral vision was all she needed to placate her better senses for a little bit. She did as she was told, and shut her eyes… replacing the information-laden HUD with pure, peaceful blackness.

“Communicating with the magical plane is like getting in touch with a force of nature. Slow your breathing… hear your surroundings. Feel them. Exist within them. Hear the rain as it falls to the earth, and as it strikes your armor. Feel the cool, but filtered air entering your lungs with every breath you take.

“Let it all flow together… let it blend as you become one with it.”

Easily done, at least for Samus. The Chozo taught her no small amount of meditation techniques to help center herself and control her emotions when it counted.

And in just listening to Twilight’s voice… as she concentrated further, all other sounds around her gradually waned and fell away. Samus exhaled slowly, containing her mild surprise, as all her senses were met with a stony, eerie ‘sensory blackout.’ Only she existed now.

Along with Twilight’s soothing voice which seemed to echo off the softest parts of her mind.

“Touching the magical plane is like using any of your limbs. It’s another sense, another appendage you can use to reach out and feel beyond the physical world. You don’t have a horn, so we’ll use your hand.”

Twilight’s voice seemed to drop to barely a whisper that continued to echo in the back of her mind.

“Reach forward, Samus. See the bridge through the eyes of the magical realm. Touch it.”

Samus still couldn’t see anything by virtue of her closed eyes… not even the fact that her own eyes were beginning to glimmer a brilliant lavender. With her arm outstretched in nothing but what she thought was the cool air of a rainy day, and in heeding Twilight’s advice, her breathing hitched when she noticed something… different: In her hand, she could feel something… it was cylindrical in nature, course, fibrous… almost like a rope.

The rope of the bridge that would tie into the supports on either side of the chasm.

And why was her brow a little damp?

“Excellent… notice you’re not physically holding it. Your magical grasp is holding it. Now, through your mind and the magical realm, will it up here. Command it.”

Samus could feel it secure in her hand, and as she tried to ethereally pull the remnants of the limp end of the bridge to her it suddenly became… difficult. Her outstretched palm began to move on its own accord with the instructions from her mind, and her palm slowly started turning counter-clockwise. The silence that she had so enjoyed was gradually replaced by a low rumbling that she could hear all inside her head.

Her mind started to strain—seemingly physically as if it were a muscle—against the ethereal resistance. As her concentration broke for a split second, she could feel her ‘connection’ with the magical realm flicker, and her hand movements faltered. Samus could feel sweat dripping down her face, despite her Suit’s environmental controllers quickly moving to cool her off. She briefly ‘lost hold’ on the rope.

“It’s okay. Try again.”

And so she did.

Re-establishing her connection through the magical plane, Samus ‘grasped’ the bridge from a distance, and met the now-familiar, ethereal resistance once more. As her hand slowly turned, her palm gradually beginning to turn inward, and then up, the low rumbling continued to increase in intensity. It also sounded like some of the real world was breaking through her concentration, as if she were somehow ‘emerging’ from her meditative state.

The resistance suddenly intensified to an impossible level, as if she was coming up against a wall. Samus opened her eyes, and immediately inhaled a deep breath that she didn’t know she needed.

Such a deep breath became a halfway-hyperventilation, and she barely had the time to marvel at her achievement: The limp end of the bridge was now lying on their side of the chasm, ready to be secured for use once more. Samus’ vision didn’t get to focus properly before she got a good look at the lavender hue that slowly dissipated away with the completion of her spell.

“Hah… W-Whoa…” she managed through calm, but fatigued breaths. Her suit was also getting a rein on her temperature, drying the sweat off her face.

Twilight’s giddy giggling came through as clear as a sunny day, however:

“Well DONE, Samus!”

Samus paid the words no mind at first, as she rushed in to secure the ropes around the wooden posts, which rendered the bridge fully usable. Dilapidated and quite unstable looking with its frequently broken support beams and parts of the rope that looked like they were on the verge of collapse…

...but usable nonetheless.

“Jesus…” Samus finally remarked, still trying to ease her breathing a little bit. Her mind hurt.

“Thanks, but that took a while. Does magic take that long consistently?”

“Nope! The first time is always the hardest, especially for someone who never grew up with magic sensitivity. You did a lot better than I expected you to… you definitely have some training in the meditative arts which really helped you,” she noted.

She then added:

“You’ve just taken more steps into that much larger world. It’ll only get easier from here. Channel that same state of mind that you just experienced, and you’ll be more than proficient in no time!”

Samus chuckled.

“Easy for you to say, Element of Magic.”

“Hey! The point still stands! We all start from somewhere… and it’s not like I can really criticize you anyway. You’re kind of our only option, so your magical development is important to me!” Twilight noted.

Samus stood in front of the now-reestablished bridge and noted its rather unstable state. She tentatively placed a foot on the first board, and immediately noticed more give than she was in any way comfortable with.

“Fair enough,” Samus answered. “But on to the matter at hand. This bridge ain’t gonna hold me in my Suit.”

“Oh? Then what do you suggest? It would be unfortunate if you went through all that effort for nothing…” Twilight voiced.

“We’ll be fine. I’ll just disengage my suit while I cross it. No big deal.”

“Wait…” Twilight cut in, and began rambling.

“How does that account for the difference in weight? If your suit adds a lot of weight, how does it not apply when it disappears off of you? Where does it go? Conservation of mass and all…?”

Samus rolled her eyes as a bit of nostalgia washed over her.

“My caretakers figured that out and aside from following some mental triggers, it’s connected to my Zero Suit… the blue jumpsuit looking thing that I wear. I asked the same question once, and the Varia Suit technicians gladly explained it to me… in such a way where I could feel myself getting an aneurism by the second.

“Suffice to say, it doesn’t violate any laws of physics that I can tell. But on that note… stay put, I’ll be right back,” she finished.

“Oh what’re yo—”

Samus promptly disengaged her Varia Suit with the usual flair, with the only thing of note being the necklace chain with the Element of Magic resting squarely atop her chest. She took a moment to take some fresh breaths of the rainy air, and wiped her face… though there wasn’t any time to enjoy the weather.

She stepped on the first board once more, and there was much less flex… to the point that her comfort level in the probability of not falling to her death on a planet on the fringes of Federation Space was tolerable. Samus then stepped onto the next board that she figured could support her bodyweight, and her intuition proved correct when it held… even with an agonizing creaking and the breaking of a few wood fibers.

Keeping her grip tight on the ropes, and ready to bound back onto solid ground in case the bridge boards failed, Samus began to map out her path forward. She noted the boards that were completely broken, and the ones that she was suspicious that they could even hold her big toe.

Alright… let’s make this quick and try not to die an embarrassing death.

Samus committed her entire weight and bounded to the next board… and then the next, the next, and then the one after. She landed just beyond the middle of the bridge, and decided to commit to a proper sprint. Two more sections of the bridge were cleared before Samus hunched low and launched herself into the air. Sailing through the rain and the wind, she cleared the remainder of the bridge and landed on solid, grassy ground on the other side.

Hunched low, Samus re-engaged her suit, and stood tall once again, glancing back at the still-usable bridge that swayed in the gentle breeze.

Twilight’s voice broke through the silence.

“Well… that’s one way to go about it I suppose.”

Samus smirked.

“Are you complaining?”

“Heh, not at all! But on that note, we should probably keep moving. The castle’s open to us now.”

Samus turned to face the entrance and began a slow jog over, picking up the pace.

“Alright… guessing the front entrance is wide open? And where are we even headed?” she asked.

“Yup! And there’s a crystal quarry in the rear of the castle. We’ll have to make our way through the remains of the throne room to get there. It was used to power a lot of things at the time, and since this place hasn’t been inhabited for at least a millennium, it’ll probably be overgrown and we’ll have the pick of the crystals,” Twilight explained.

“Cool. Let’s see what we can find.”

“Then I’ll leave you to it. I’ll keep an eye out for anything weird, and I’ll ping points of interest if we pass any.”

“Roger.”

Twilight went silent as Samus made her way through the tall grass and small trees that had grown over the years.

She brushed aside the last bit of flora when she came to face the steps at what once was a fairly hulking castle. The Hunter drew her gaze up the stairs, the front door, and traced all the lines and curvature of the ruins, juxtaposing Twilight’s story with her current perceptions. Many of the missing chunks of the castle were certainly consistent with explosions and non-natural damage, especially towards the top where it seemed like something exploded upward. Beyond that, the stones and metal of the castle had been reclaimed by nature long ago, if the overgrown, lush-green moss and trees were anything to go by.

Samus put her right foot forward on the first step tentatively, and drew her cannon over her surroundings… just in case. Satisfied that there was nothing lurking just beyond the periphery of her vision, and that her motion tracker was still barren, she was about to continue her journey towards the mighty double-doors of the castle…

…until she spotted an overgrown plaque just off to the side of the stair-set.

Curiosity got the better of her, and Samus faced it fully so she could brush away some of the moss, revealing ‘familiar’ Equestrian writing engraved into the stone.

She brought her hand to the side of her helmet.

[Scanning…]

[New Pony Lore has been translated and recorded to the Logbook]

[Translated:]

[Upon the completion of this castle, the symbol of our unity is complete. Let this castle stand as the union of dark and light, of night and day, of living and dreams. Upon this beacon, Equestria shall build, expand, and modernize. And under the leadership of our myself and my sister, may all of Equestria prosper. May nothing come between us and a nation of harmony.]

Samus dismissed her scan visor and turned away to start ascending the stairs. She barely made it up a few of them when Twilight’s voice cut in again.

“Sorry to interrupt but… what’s that thing you’ve been doing? With your Scan Visor?”

“It performs a bunch of functions, but mainly gives me information about my surroundings. It can also translate foreign texts like that—thanks to your translator module update—and is good at attacking and toying with other systems: like Space Pirate systems,” she explained.

“That is SO COOL!” said Twilight. “Do… do you happen to have an archive of all your scans over your travels?”

“I do. You probably have access to it in my databanks that you can crawl around in,” Samus noted.

“Right, but we’re kinda busy right now. When we get back to the castle, is there any way for me to do some reading… if you’re okay with that?”

“Sure. I’ll set you up with a tablet or something. All the more reason to get this done as quickly as possible, right?” Samus offered.

“Yes! And yeah, let’s finish up here first.”

Samus ascended the last stairs and was greeted with the double-doors of the castle entrance. She had the pass under a waterfall of rainwater that had been collecting on the overhang above. Passing through the water curtain, the double-doors—lacking any form of upkeep since, as long as Twilight mentioned—were free for her to find a way through.

Though, Samus didn’t even have to try any of the knobs, as the right-most door was fairly ajar.

“Looks like we don’t have to break in. Someone kindly left the door open for us,” said Samus.

“Hmmm…” Twilight replied. “That’s a little interesting.”

“Understood. I’ll be on guard.”

Samus lifted her cannon and led with it, fully aimed, as she opened the loose door a little wider. Slinking inside, she quietly closed it as best as she could behind her… and was greeted with pure blackness.

Well, mostly. The foyer looked mostly intact, and was illuminated in places thanks to some holes in the roof. Water diligently poured through, and Samus could hear a wetness beneath her slow footsteps, as well as a consistent dripping. Another light source would be helpful… as well as her Thermal Visor, which she lamented its absence.

“Can’t see shit,” she said, and flicked an internal system switch.

A small flap at the bottom corner of her visor flipped open, and out shined a potent beam of light in her path, which gave her more than enough light to see in front of her. It was no replacement for the Thermal Visor or any equivalent, like the Dark Visor, but it worked nonetheless.

Samus was greeted with a wholly destroyed floor, with only small pieces of marble in any way still identifiable. Stone supports for busts and statues remained, but whatever they were holding had long since been removed or destroyed, leaving only twisted rock-faces in their wakes. It looked like holes had also been blown into the wall from… some source, and Samus also discovered a second floor, where railings from balconies looked down upon her position.

As she continued about halfway through the massive foyer hall, Samus stopped cold when she shone her light against the left-most wall to her position.

“Twilight?” she beckoned.

She heard a deep, but soft gasp of revulsion.

“Oh no…”

And she could’ve sworn she heard some type of retching.

Samus deviated from course and made her way to one of the walls, where a massive hole was blown through it. Stacked and slumped against the still-solid parts were the mutilated remains of ponies. Most of them were skeletons by this point, but oddly enough, a few of them looked fairly well preserved… as well as they could be at least. Mouths wide open in a silent death scream, they were all contorted in clearly-unimaginable pain up to their their final breath. Many of their necks and stomachs were sliced open.

A few of the bodies, however, caught Samus’ attention. Particularly, some that looked a lot fresher than the rest.

She knelt down and ran her finger over the muzzle of what looked like a young mare with a dark purple coat. Her mane was still a bit intact, and what remained of her blood had ended up as a massive stain beneath her. Her throat had a gargantuan bite taken out of it, and Samus could still see some of the fibrous interiors of her decomposing muscles. Her organs—spilled out from the gaping hole in the side of her abdomen—were still fairly ‘identifiable.’

“What the hell happened here…?” Samus asked.

Twilight’s voice was a lot shakier than earlier.

“I… I don’t know. These must’ve been ponies who weren’t able to get evacuated. And they maybe sought refuge in the forest and then the castle? It clearly w-wasn’t safe for them. Looks like the Storm Beasts got to them.”

Samus nodded, but drew her attention to the much less-decomposed kill beneath her.

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete.]

[Morphology: Equis Earth Pony. Life-signs: Terminated.]

[Death caused by catastrophic blood loss from tearing out the esophagus and rupturing of the abdominal cavity. Magical residue detected on the wounds. Trace Phazon DNA also detected. Full decomposition measures have not been completed. This body has not been here for very long.]

“The skeletons coincide with when disaster struck. These here… these look really fresh. Like, a week at most, fresh.”

“A lot of ponies didn’t get evacuated. It’s not implausible to think that many of them formed societies on their own as they fought to survive Storm Beast attacks. Maybe they tried to seek refuge here also? I…”

Samus was about to reply when Twilight pinged the obliterated neck of the unfortunate victim under Samus’ hand.

“Look at the bite. That mouth is way too big for a typical Storm Beast. Even for the under-mouth.”

“Could it be just a larger one? Or another Phazon-infected predator?”

“Maybe… but this isn’t good. It means whatever got these poor ponies might not have left. And I think it might’ve been a—”

Samus noticed nothing on her motion tracker that she would deem as unusual. But her senses suddenly screamed for her to turn to her right. She gave into her rather unusual reflex that had saved her life on many occasions. Her light illuminated the pitch-blackness…

…and was instead met with a hollow blackness of two massive eyes, a snarling pony mouth, and a gargantuan, drooling, lower mandible. All were connected to a proper warhorse-sized ungulate.

Samus felt adrenaline shoot up her spine as her eyes widened, and her pupils constricted… all while she also understood at an instant that this entity that had so suddenly appeared without warning was alive, its breath easily seen in the chilly air.

Twilight’s voice cut in shrilly, finishing her sentence as she, too, lay eyes on the monstrosity before them:

“STORM BEAST ALPHA!”

Samus immediately bounded backwards, launching herself into a sudden, rearward roll before righting her now-hunched posture. Cannon squarely aimed at their unknown visitor, Samus got a proper look at the massive Storm Beast in front of her, its mouth salivating at the prospect of more prey. It had a horn—completely covered in Phazon veins—and its entire body was covered in rather distinct, blue-hued tumors atop of what looked like decomposing skin. Hulking muscle was exposed just beneath patches of torn skin, interwoven with more pulsing Phazon veins.

“Jesus that’s a big fucker…”

Twilight replied meekly.

“I hope you’re as good in a fight as you say you are…”

“Watch me work.”

By: Hyze

Author's Note

See y'all next chapter for the first 'boss' fight :raritywink:

05. Ignite

Samus remained hunched low for a few moments, bracing for any potential, immediate follow-up from their unexpected visitor. It didn’t come... though, the massive Storm Beast made its intentions known as it stomped aggressively on the floor. It breathed deeply, almost with a sadistic desire as its saliva continued to dribble and pool on the floor beneath its razorwire lower mouth.

She righted her posture as the hulking creature stomped one last time, and unleashed a feral, foundation-shaking roar from its massive mouth… promptly followed—and oddly layered—by an anguished, horror-filled death scream of the ‘pony’ mouth. A scream that chilled Samus’ bones. Like with the other Storm Beasts that Samus had encountered, it had no eyes that she could see beyond the veil of those demonic, hollow spheres of darkness. Even so, she knew full-well that they were trained squarely on her.

And then, it began slowly advancing on her. Samus could feel the smallest vibrations through the massive room with each step it took… and it’s lower mouth hung perpetually ajar, hyperventilating at the prospect of satiating its extreme hunger. She kept her cannon jutted out, locked squarely between her to-be attacker’s eyes as she also kept her distance, for now. She brought her left hand to the side of her helmet, all the while she began to strafe in an arc around her enemy.

With some words that probably shouldn’t have surprised her, Twilight spoke uneasily:

“I don’t suppose your ‘Scan Visor’ can give us any tips…?”

“Trust me… way ahead of you.”

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete]

[Morphology: Storm Beast Alpha. Phazon Corrupted apex predator.]

[The Storm Beast Alpha is an unfortunate pony—a unicorn—that was taken and corrupted by the Phazon much like their lessers. Alpha’s are usually formed from the largest, and highest ranking soldiers of the Equestrian Army. Having undergone catastrophic corruption and near-terminal levels of mutation and growth, Storm Beast Alphas grow to gargantuan sizes on par with proper Earth stallions, steeds, and draft horses.]

[Phazon infection has not fully compromised inherent martial nor magical training of the host. Hyper-aggressive, and possessing superior alacrity and strength, it will use its host’s memories to its advantage. It will strike out with magic and physical attacks with its hooves, and predatory jaws that can shear through steel.]

[Phazon needed to support this life-form is terminally massive, resulting in many larger deposits and growths over its body. Scans indicate propensity of these to grow over vital organs and zones. Exploit its hyper-aggressiveness to attack these targets.]

Samus swapped it back to her Combat Visor, ready to begin firing wildly.

No sooner did she do this than did her adversary suddenly rear up and charge her. Like a bullet train ready to slam into someone who had no business being on the track, Samus knew better than to be in its path. She fired off six Power Beam bolts—all having struck the Storm Beast Alpha’s chest and face—before she made haste in diving out of the way.

She launched into a roll, and righted herself into a kneeling position to target the first Phazon tumor she could find: right on the knee of its front left leg. It seemed to pulse and glow a bright, Phazon-blue. Her targeting systems highlighted it immediately, and Samus locked on, charged Power Beam bolt at the ready.

The deadly ball of energy sailed forth when she fired…

…and was then promptly swatted away towards the ceiling as the Alpha lit its horn and generated a local shield over its leg. It snarled and lit its horn again, preparing to attack once more... but not before sending a burst of magic toward Samus with enough force to knock her off her feet had she not had proper balance. It was, however, enough to send her skidding backwards on the flats of her boots… and needing to hunch low in a three-point stance.

She kept her vision trained squarely on the Alpha while Twilight cut in quickly as the scene unfolded:

“It’s an Alpha… much more adept at magic and a lot more intelligent! I don’t think just the basic tricks will work…”

Samus pursed her lips, as that display just made her job a bit more annoying. Her response was one of resigned acceptance:

“Right…”

Samus kept her distance from her foe, strafing around it and firing off a salvo of Power Beam rounds directly at its face and chest… which the Alpha promptly seemed to just take like a champ. If anything, each successive strike on it seemed to annoy and inconvenience it rather than do any lethal damage.

But… still doing damage, as it seemed to be flinching with every strike, and not feeling the need to call upon any magical shielding like with the charged round. Samus devised a slightly more complex but still-dead-simple plan:

Overwhelm it with firepower until it drops dead.

Samus began a steady walk around the Alpha, whose horn was getting much too bright for her comfort. In an effort to thwart whatever it had planned, she just began opening up. As fast as she could reliably fire her weapon, Samus unleashed a torrential rain of Power Beam rounds upon the Storm Beast… who promptly began faltering in its steps and unleashing more hellish, feral roars in her direction.

Its horn dimmed somewhat, but what concerned Samus was when it had started ‘absorbing’ each consecutive round into its horn. Much like when she fought the Sheegoth back on Tallon IV, every single bolt she sent its direction got neatly pulled into its horn… a horn which was quickly regaining its luminance from whence it lost.

No matter. It could absorb her entire arsenal if it wanted. Ideally, Samus would overload the damn thing before it got anywhere close to her. It wasn’t the most elegant solution but it was one that got the job done over and over again in the past.

An invisible wall—a shockwave, emanating from the enemy’s horn—burst forth and slammed into Samus, forcing her to stumble and lose her footing for the briefest moments. Unfortunately, the briefest moment was all that was needed for a sudden, massive energy burst to explode outward towards the briefly disoriented Hunter.

Samus pushed through the sudden bout of vertigo when Twilight cut in shrilly:

“Samus watch out!”

Like a cannon firing canister shot, what seemed like hundreds of Power Beam rounds shot directly at her like a wall of golden yellow. Samus did all she could, which was to simply brace for the impact of all her shots coming right back at her. Not all of them hit her, but in shielding her face with her hand and bracing her pauldrons towards the front, the attack still shredded a substantial twenty percent of her defensive shielding.

“Fuck!” Samus exclaimed once the onslaught ceased, but the Hunter had exactly zero time to take a breather.

The moment she moved to aim and come up with her next plan, Samus felt a familiar vice-grip around her entire body. Her arms were clamped tightly to her torso, courtesy of that brightly lit horn on the Alpha’s head. Only her upper body and shins seemed free from the magical force enveloping her. A quick glance through her OM Visor showed this giant, magical tendril that had snaked around her, emanating directly from the Alpha’s horn.

But things went from bad to worse when Samus felt her legs scraping against the ground: the Alpha was pulling her right towards its waiting jaws… and taking easy steps to ‘meet her halfway.’ This was much different—and more potent—than when the ‘standard’ Storm Beasts held her firm, with the biggest difference being that Samus actually couldn’t wiggle out in any manner.

And the fact that she was going to be face-to-face with massive jaws that could probably tear right through her armor was starting to concern her a bit. Even more so because she knew for a fact her shielding would likely not offer full protection from a bite, like any melee strike.

Solace came from the softness of Twilight’s voice, so calmly and matter-of-factly:

“Relax. Control your breathing. I’m going to teach you to break the binding,” she said.

In normal circumstances, Samus would outright reject any ‘moral support’ in combat, as needless words that cluttered her thought process during battle were a liability. But as she continued to struggle, no amount of strength she put into her thrashing, nor employing any of her other systems was dislodging her from the iron, ethereal grip.

Though, oddly enough, it felt as if time was slowing down somewhat.

Twilight’s voice continued with no input from Samus:

“Channel the same state of mind that you had when lifting the bridge. Cast away the physical realm…”

Samus sighed out, and trusted her physical self to her own instincts… falling back-first into the magical realm. With that one breath, reality fell away—except for the grip around her torso—and she was met with a familiar silence.

She shut her eyes for good measure, despite the very looming, very real threat.

“Feel how the Alpha’s magic wraps around you. Really feel it. Understand it,” she continued.

Samus channeled all her mental energy into just isolating the feeling around her body. And in a way she couldn’t place, she could feel the grip around her. It suddenly felt as clear as day, like someone taller and larger than her had wrapped their arms around her from behind and held her in a vice-like bear-hug.

“Ahhh, you do understand it! You feel how the Alpha holds you in place. How it manifests itself to you.

“Now… break it!”

If someone had come up behind Samus and held her just like that, it would be a simple manner of using her superior and augmented strength to literally break their arms—and subsequently, their hold—on her. Channeling the same thought process through the magical realm, she could feel the current of magic flow through her veins as she thrust both her arms out and down violently.

At an instant, she was brought right back to the physical realm mere feet from the Alpha, and bore witness to its magical aura around her literally shredding to pieces. With how utterly violently Samus obliterated its hold over her, a magical shockwave was created that completely stunted the Alpha’s advance on her, forcing it to stumble and hyperventilate in place.

Despite the taxation of… whatever she just did… took on her mind, Samus immediately seized upon the opening.

She bounded forward, and after planting her right foot forward, she carried the momentum of her position change through her fist as she decked the Alpha squarely in its cheek. It didn’t even get the chance to cry out, nor completely trip over itself at the hit before Samus followed up with a horrendously powerful cannon-punch right to its chest.

She could’ve sworn she heard something crack under the barrel of her cannon. But as the Alpha continued to even attempt to collect itself at a distance, Samus eyed the first bulbous Phazon tumor that she had the clearest shot on: right on its front-right knee.

Following up from her quick one-two punch, Samus leveled her arm cannon, locked onto the tumor, and fired three precision Power Beam rounds. All three pierced right through the thin layer of skin and promptly exploded the growth in a grotesque shower of pure Phazon, blood, muscle, and other bodily bits.

The reaction from the Alpha was instant as its once ferocious roars had morphed into desperate-sounding, shrill cries of agony. Its knee had essentially ceased to exist, and its hoof hung limply below the joint… dragging on the ground as the Alpha made to retreat.

Twilight’s voice cut in anew:

“With ‘counter-spell,’ knowing and understanding is more than half the battle. The speed that you can undo a spell acting on you will only get faster with experience. Now, I think you can deal with the problem in front of you a little more expeditiously…” she then alluded.

Samus glanced to her open palm, and with some mental tuning, she flared her magical aura, enveloping her hand in a bright lavender. Just like Twilight’s. Once again, she didn’t notice her eyes flaring in kind, but her response was a bit more confident than a mere two minutes ago.

“Right.”

[Counter-Spell Acquired!]

[You now have the ability to counteract offensive magical effects against you. Speed, efficiency, and elegance of your countermeasures will become more refined with experience and technique.]

The Hunter swung her cannon forward again and took aim squarely at the now-seriously wounded, retreating Alpha. But before she could advance forward, its pained roars became much more… direct and precise. With an air of desperation that she could read on the ‘intact pony’ face, it cried out to the balconies above.

Samus glanced at her motion tracker to confirm her thoughts: it had lit up red all around her, and a cursory glance upward towards said balconies was greeted with a bunch of ‘lesser,’ animalistic screeches. Ones that sounded identical to the Storm Beasts that Samus had fought the previous day.

It had called for backup.

She then held fast as six earth pony Storm Beasts dropped like cast stones from the balconies, placing themselves squarely between her and the Alpha. All of them pawed at the ground aggressively, loosing even more feral roars before charging her all at once.

Samus charged forward as well, not wanting to give the Alpha much breathing room to potentially heal itself while she was busy. Much like when fighting the Omega Pirate back on Tallon IV, the plan would be to dispatch the underlings as quickly as possible… and for that to happen, she brought herself in danger close.

Samus swung hard with her cannon, seeming to cave in the skull of the first Storm Beast that dared approach her. As it fell under her hit, the second one moved to attempt to take a chunk out of her Suit pauldron, though with some quick thinking and channeling a small bit of magic, she thrust her hand forward and sent the Phazon-corrupted pony sailing backwards and sliding on the floor in a magical push… but in no way out of the fight.

All the while, she had charged her cannon, and let the Power Beam round swell her weapon to the point of bursting. She fired it at the third Beast that launched itself at her with its teeth ready to gnash at her visor. There were no teeth left to assail her. Nor a face. Nor a head. Nor a full body, really, as the ball of energy grotesquely tore it apart.

Two quick missiles fired one after the other made short work of the two farthest from her—felled well before they could truly threaten her. While she was occupied, the sixth one did manage to close into her guard and slammed its head into her core. That hit definitely registered, and forced Samus to stumble backward before she could properly counter…

…by seizing the Storm Beast’s neck and tightening her grip on its windpipe. She heard stirring from the second one that she had flung aside with magic. She watched as it attempted to stagger back to its hooves and bellow out at her aggressively, ready to lash out yet again.

Samus put a stop to that with four well-placed Power Beam rounds, where it then collapsed like a rag-doll with four neat holes in its forehead. The Hunter then turned her attention back to the struggling earth pony Storm Beast in her armored grasp. She didn’t even give it a chance to struggle for life as she tightened her grip, feeling every pop and crackle as she summarily crushed its windpipe.

The Hunter tossed the now-lifeless corpse aside and made straight for the Alpha…

…though, Twilight had more than a bit of pleading protest to add:

“Samus… please! Was… was that at all needed?! Have some compassion!”

Samus was not wanting to have this discussion right now, and she spat her response through gritted teeth as she locked onto the Alpha’s head… whose horn was lit and its magical aura enveloping its destroyed knee.

“Are you really complaining right now, Twilight?!” she asked.

All the while, she switched lock onto another massive tumor on the Alpha’s left-front leg and fired a single missile at it. However, the precision strike was in vain when the projectile sailed right through the Alpha’s form, as it had phased out of existence.

Samus drew her gaze—and cannon—over her surroundings in any effort to locate the massive ungulate that just suddenly vanished.

“I know… I know… but…”

“I’m sorry, but they’re not ponies anymore. They haven’t been for some time. It’s us, or them.” Samus hammered home the point as she switched to her OM-Visor.

The magical world seemed relatively silent through the eyes of her newest visor, and the only ‘anomalies’ she could see in snapping her gaze all over was her own self. Her own body glowed a modestly hued lavender. What was even more interesting was that Samus couldn’t seem to pinpoint the massive Alpha even in the magical plane. For a moment, it seemed that she could see some impossibly bright mass coalescing in random areas, but it would vanish as soon as she even locked eyes on it.

Even so, she kept hunched in her battle stance, cannon straight out… ready for the slightest provocation because she knew fully that her foe likely didn’t forfeit the fight so soon.

“SAMUS! DIVE!”

Twilight hadn’t been wrong yet, and the Hunter launched herself horizontal and into a roll just in time to miss a massive, neon-blue magical blast that came from one of the balconies up top… one that instantly seared and irradiated the ground where she once stood in a sizzling layer of Phazon and magic.

Samus exited from her roll and hunched low, aiming up to where the blast came from. Through the eyes of her OM-Visor, she saw this supermassive, luminous-blue entity that definitely stuck out from the dull surroundings… standing atop the highest balcony overlooking this foyer-turned-arena. The view wouldn’t last, though, and Samus felt no need to resume firing on the Alpha as suddenly her visor was overwhelmed by pure light.

Samus swapped back to her combat visor… only for the Alpha to instantly materialize from a teleport right next to her. Adrenaline shot through her entire body once more as she tracked its lower mouth… which lunged right at her midsection, trying to ensnare her in its jaws.

With that adrenaline spike, she threw all her energy into her legs, and with the aid of her Space Jump boosters, went horizontal in midair. The Alpha’s teeth sank into nothing as the edges of her suit brushed against its ragged mane during her half-somersault…

…culminating with Samus slamming the side of her cannon into its cheek by the time her boots touched the ground again.

The Alpha stumbled… and then reared back by slamming the side of its head into Samus’ face and sending her straight to her back onto her ass.

She didn’t have any time to gather her bearings either, and in leaving everything to her instincts, Samus rolled right out of the way just in time to have the Alpha’s massive hooves slam down onto the floor where her face once was… an attack which sent remnant flooring and gravel in all directions like shrapnel.

She keenly noticed that it only struck with its uninjured hoof, and in so doing, it wobbled uneasily in place. With its advantageous base of support now weakened, it appeared to her that the tumor strategy was a winning one.

Having put some measure of distance between her and the Alpha, Samus flipped back up onto her feet and took notice of the second tumor that she was able to see: the one on the side of its left-hind leg.

She raised her cannon to aim... but was forced to disengage almost immediately.

She had to throw her back near parallel to the ground to avoid a world-ending buck from the Alpha. The rather unorthodox position she found herself in did thrust a rather prominent weakness of her adversary’s right in front of her: its already-wounded knee.

Samus devised a quick plan… one that would probably elicit strong questions from Twilight.

The Hunter triggered an internal switch as she hunched low, and phazed down into her Morph Ball, her spherical form now suddenly halfing her height. She then rolled right under the Alpha’s abdomen and left a crackling, staticky bomb in her wake… which then promptly exploded in a pulse of energy that took the Alpha completely off balance.

Like clockwork:

“What the hell?! You can do that??”

Samus phased back into her standing form without answering, just close enough to see the Alpha cry out, and collapse suddenly to the floor with its legs splayed out. Without any further hesitation—as her enemy was quickly charging its horn through its hyperventilation—Samus brought her whole power down onto its wounded leg in a stomping kick, growling at the exertion when her boot-clad heel seemed to slam the ground through the corrupted ungulate’s leg.

The shrillness of the cry was gut-wrenching, and it responded by pushing her back through magic. It was successful, but Samus kept her balance much like last time. From there, she drew at its right hind leg which was splayed out behind it, and again fired three precision power beam rounds right into the bulbous tumor. All three rounds hit their mark, and the growth erupted with its contents spilling out onto the floor in a sea of red and blue, meaty chunks.

With two legs now essentially useless, Samus dove in for the killing strike, charging her power beam and ready to take the Alpha’s head clean off.

She was a little too late though… as all it did was scream out to the heavens before disappearing in a flash of magic. Samus skidded to a halt on her heels, keeping her hand to her helmet to pull up her OM-Visor once more. She continued to draw her aim over her surroundings. All that remained of the existence of the Alpha was the pool of soupy blood, guts, and Phazon on the floor.

Twilight asked quickly:

“More backup?”

Samus kept flicking her gaze all around her so fast and so frequently she’d probably develop diagnosed paranoia. Her motion tracker had not reported anything unusual, either.

“Doesn’t seem like it…”

Her OM-Visor was quick to dispute this, as three massive, magical vortices made themselves known before they appeared in the real world… right atop where the Alpha once lay. Samus braced herself for more battle.

“Nevermind!”

And in three familiar spirals of neon-blue magic, three Storm Beast unicorns phased into existence, ready to defend their Alpha. This time, having learned from the past, Samus attacked immediately, and used the charged shot she had saved for the Alpha against the center-most target.

She fired, and with the unicorn still preparing its horn for battle as it came out of its teleportation spell, it had no chance to react. The ball of energy slammed into its neck and chest, cratering it in a spray of blood as the unicorn sailed back on the floor, deceased.

Following up on her success, Samus charged forward, deciding to bravely thrust her arm forward, channel her magic, and use her enemies’ abilities against them.

Channeling what she could, she gripped the left-most unicorn around its neck through magic, and Samus felt emboldened when her efforts bore fruit: she could clearly see her aura having wrapped around its neck, lifting the heavy creature just off the ground and strangling it.

Samus’ confidence was suddenly shaken when her victim’s horn almost instantly flickered to life, and in a burst of magic, Samus’ hold was suddenly shredded. The sheer force of the thunderclap headache that struck her was almost crippling, and Samus lost all control of her magic as she stumbled backward.

“Aghhh! Fuck!” she cried out, subconsciously putting her hand to her forehead as if it would relieve the sudden pain…

...a pain that felt like her entire brain was being squished in someone’s hand.

So great was the pain that Samus barely dodged a burst of magic bolts fired her way… though she didn’t get to dodge the powerful beam blast that the second, remaining unicorn had also fired. She caught the beam full-force and cried out as she was thrown back a good fifteen feet through the air. She fell back to the once-pristine floor and did well to quickly pull herself together, one limb at a time.

That little move cost her thirty percent of her suit’s full shielding reserves—now down about half—and Twilight was quick to admonish her:

“What in Tartarus is the matter with you?! These are unicorns! You’re still barely learning magic! You can’t get overconfident with it, or they’ll counter you like that!”

Samus groaned as she got to a kneeling position, the sudden blood rush back to her head seeming to cure most of the headache, though the mental fatigue that came with it was taking its sweet time ebbing away. With a little extra effort, Samus picked herself up and stood upright, cannon aimed and ready to fight back once more.

Her response, pained as it was, seemed like a staple with Twilight’s ‘lessons.’

“Right…”

Samus sprinted forward, leveling her cannon off at the unicorn who dared counter her spell and cause her the worst headache she ever had in her life. The hail of Power Beam rounds she unleashed would make a light machine gunner blush in embarrassment, and her shots only got more and more accurate as she closed the distance between her and her target.

The second unicorn attempted to lob more and more magical fire in her direction to intercept her course, but only a fraction of their shots managed to even graze Samus’ shielding, which still lit up her surroundings when she got so much as tagged with foreign energy. To her, it was a small price to pay in energy units when she got to see how many times she managed to actually shoot her target, even as it tried to erect magical shields to deflect her own fire.

By the time Samus closed the distance, the unicorn was barely clinging on to effectiveness. She readied a missile and fired… the unicorn countered right away with a shield that caught the blast—just as planned. Samus used the time she gained to sail over her target, and whilst mid-air, aimed her cannon squarely at the back of her enemy’s head.

A single power-beam round executed it where it stood, and the Storm Beast was dead before it could even cry out, or crumple to the ground like an unstrung puppet.

Samus swiveled on her feet and was ready to finish off the final unicorn before she felt a familiar hold on her torso—much smaller and less powerful this time than the Alpha’s. She didn’t get the time to properly counter it as the Storm Beast forcefully beckoned her a good dozen feet towards it, with the fall being broken with her suddenly on all fours.

As Samus regained her bearings, the unicorn stormed her, firing the entire way over to close the gap, and keep her right where she was. In trading more energy shielding for time, Samus was able to dive out of the way and again regain her posture with her cannon trained on the enemy.

It disappeared in a blinding flash, and before Samus could switch visors to track it, it immediately reappeared behind her, and delivered a punishing buck to her lower back. Samus forcefully planted her front onto the floor, grunting through her teeth as she felt that impact a little more than she would’ve preferred.

The Storm Beast above her, however, put her in a precarious situation that she needed to move from immediately. Only… she wasn’t able to. The Beast held her right in place against the floor. Vulnerable. But, Samus remained perfectly calm and collected.

She channeled her magic.

And with a little exertion on her part through her still-present headache, she tore through the spell that bound her unwillingly to the floor. The magical ‘tearing’ that she heard, and the accompanying, cacophonous roaring from the Storm Beast signified success, and Samus quickly got to a kneeling position.

She decided to put a recent, simple addition to her arsenal to good use, and she unsheathed her combat knife on her left thigh. Through a simple judge of positioning, Samus put her entire weight in ‘punching’ with the knife, the blade slicing through the Beast’s neck with morbid grace. As the blood dribbled below the wound, Samus quickly finished it off, stabbing it at the base of the neck and forcing it to the floor, where it quickly stopped struggling.

Samus pulled the knife from the death-wound she inflicted with a wet squelch, wiped it once against the top of her cannon and sheathed it again in its special place on her thigh. She then raised her cannon and was ready to meet the Alpha that once more teleported back into existence in yet another attempt to kill her.

Twilight offered encouragement:

“Almost there, Samus! I can’t imagine the Alpha can take much more punishment…”

Though she could immediately see that it had lost whatever confidence it had against her… as it refused to charge her outright, it continued to shimmy from side to side in any attempt to likely find an avenue of attack. But in so doing, Samus was able to see that its balance and posture was shaky at best. Like Twilight said, she figured if she could land one more serious blow, the fight could end rather quickly.

“I’ll make sure it doesn’t take any more after this,” she proclaimed.

Samus unleashed another fusilade of Power Beam rounds right at its face, with the first volley of hardlight peppering its muzzle and forcing it to screech as it retreated further. Just as expected though, it then lit its horn brightly and began to ‘catch’ all further fire that Samus lobbed its way.

And just as planned.

With its horn clearly busy, Samus sprinted forward, keeping up the fire and attempting in any way to time properly when the Alpha would release all her fire back at her.

Just… about…

Samus never let up. She knew the stakes. If this was timed even a fraction of a second wrong, she’d be in a world of hurt, and possibly on reserve energy. But to her, at this point, she was done with this Storm Beast Alpha.

This fight would end here.

She had just about completely closed ranks to melee distance when Twilight seemed to get the idea of what she was trying to do, and gladly lent a helping hoof with a single word:

“NOW!”

At Twilight’s word, Samus lept at an angle from her head-on attack to the left of her target, and—as if a cannon shot had gone off right by her ear—the Alpha fired all Power Beam rounds back at her in a punishing wall of hardlight. Thanks to Twilight’s expert timing, they all missed her, just barely.

Coming out of a roll right beside it, Samus again employed her combat knife, and sliced through its left-hind leg as she got to her feet. Though she didn’t cut straight through it, the loss of critical tendons to her blade crippled the Alpha’s only good hind leg entirely. It’s reaction was instantaneous…

...if horrifying.

It’s ‘pony mouth’ wailed to the heavens in a feminine, piercing, blood curdling cry that shook Samus to her core. And it was intelligible.

“AHHHH! PLEASE! HELP ME! HEEEELP MEEEE!”

Twilight was first to react:

“HUH?!”

Samus couldn’t stop. She wouldn’t stop. And she’d end this before the Alpha tried any more perverted tricks.

Having righted her posture after slicing its leg open, Samus raised her arm cannon over her head and came down on the screaming Alpha’s horn, catastrophically fracturing it with a snap that echoed off the walls of this once-grand royal foyer. Any magic that it had queued up to cast had flickered and died with the appendage’s destruction.

Letting her momentum gracefully carry her, and almost twirling precisely on her feet, Samus found herself directly in front of the Alpha. She then plunged her cannon straight up against the underside of its mammoth jaw with an armed missile.

She pulled the trigger, and the concussive projectile shot straight through its jaw, and exited out its skull with an explosive rain of blood, Phazon, and brain matter. The missile continued its journey to the ceiling, and blew open and outward some more stone.

Both mouths were locked open in a haunting caricature of what was once a noble pony, and the dead husk gradually slid backward, and fell into a tangled heap.

Samus held her cannon outstretched, even as the corpse’s eyes drained of what little life remained of them… as if there was any life in them to begin with. Even so, that final, haunting scream that came from the ‘pony’ mouth continued to replay in Samus’ head… one that sounded so innocent. It was a sound that the Hunter knew well. A cry of desperation that she could do naught but listen to. An individual she couldn’t save.

A cry that, like the rest of them, would haunt her dreams for the foreseeable future.

Nevertheless, it was a simple task of using her Scan Visor to confirm the lack of vitals from the very much dead Alpha… as if the hole Samus blew through its chin and out its skull wasn’t convincing enough. Another cursory check at her motion tracker revealed nothing—any lesser Storm Beasts had scattered at the loss of its leader. She was alone once more… for now.

She lowered her weapon, and re-sheathed her knife.

“Welp, that was… something,” she said, and took some easy steps towards her initial, intended destination:

Through the foyer and into the throne room. At first glance, apparently the threshold between the two had been sealed off completely by way of rubble and destroyed building materials.

She stepped by the corpse without a second glance and continued on her merry way while Twilight sighed out.

“Yeah… it’s just… just a shame it ended the way it did.”

Samus cocked an eyebrow as she listened out for any other unusual sounds in the dank foyer, and a little more than surprised Twilight didn’t mention the haunting words.

“Did you really expect that battle to end some other way? That you can just beat the Phazon outta someone and they’ll shrug it off?” she asked.

The silence returned for a few moments, and Twilight’s forlornness sounded through prominently.

“I guess it doesn’t hurt to wish, sometimes.”

If there’s one thing she never wanted to snuff out in others, it was ‘hope.’ While she had become quite the realist and pessimist over her travels thus far, a little bit of hope and dumb luck never really hurt her chances in prevailing. Why try to explain it all away for Twilight?

“That’s… very fair,” Samus conceded.

Samus was ready to move onto the destroyed archway that led into the throne room, and find a way through it… but as the darkness returned after the battle ended, something seemed different. Samus noticed an odd shimmering and glinting off the stone and marble surfaces that she didn’t notice before. One whose dim light source seemed to emanate from behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder and indeed found the source of the odd light.

And it seemed Twilight caught it, too.

“Whoa… what is that?”

Samus could hazard a guess at what it was—it had been a staple of her travels thus far, through some mystical force that deigned to seemingly reward her for each of her triumphs.

So the trend continues…

She answered with a rhetorical question.

“I dunno. Why don’t we find out?”

With her cannon held passively in front with her hand atop, Samus turned on her heels and made for the mysterious, glowing orb that had coalesced above the Alpha’s corpse. As she drew closer, it’s luminous blue became much more apparent… and what looked like magical essence collected off of the body in striking currents of energy that fed into the floating artifact.

With her entire visor lit up, and the item overexposing her HUD, she could now see her own reflection from behind her visor.

And Samus could now make out the shape of what almost looked like Twilight’s cutie mark… a bunch of stars that seemed to twinkle in a rotating sphere. If Samus stared for long enough, she could also ascertain that the ‘star’ would gradually morph into the sprite of her missile… and then back again. As it gently bobbed and hovered in the unseen breeze, the edges of the residual magic that flowed off called to her, and a quick check through her OM-Visor indeed confirmed that this object in front of her was composed purely of the magic of this world.

Twilight, for her part, seemed quite enamored.

“Interesting~! Maybe it’s been a while, but I don’t recall ever seeing magic just… spontaneously coalesce into some artifact like this. I wonder what it could be?”

Samus chuckled softly.

“In my travels, the universe can work in mysterious ways,” she said, then promptly reached forward and ‘grasped’ the kaleidoscopic sphere before her…

…which then promptly fizzled away into magical specks that seemed to float on an unseen breeze. A breeze that gingerly wrapped itself around Samus’ arm cannon, cradling it and bathing it in a soft light as it all gradually absorbed into her cannon.

And then came the surge.

[Pulse Missile Acquired!]

[Your standard missiles have been augmented with a magical warhead. On top of their usual destructive power, the concussive blast is amplified by a magical charge, allowing it to become much more effective against magic-sensitive enemies and more resistant to magical countermeasures. Your missiles can now destroy objects composed of Magicite.]

[Additionally, a pseudo Charge Beam Combination is now available to you: Pulse Charge. With the use of one missile, your Charge Beam will emit a powerful magical pulse upon impact, disabling all magical abilities of your target for a short time. This will work with any beam weapon selected.]

Samus didn’t get time to process her new ability, nor react appropriately before Twilight managed to convey her feelings with a little more flair than she personally would’ve:

“That is… SO. DAMN. USEFUL! Ohmygosh… that potentially opens so many doors for us! Literally and figuratively! ‘Magicite’ is incredibly abundant here, and is used in a lot of construction, shields, and sometimes even full crystals are composed of them!” she noted.

Samus was more of a woman of action than words. She aimed her cannon at the nearest, blank wall, primed a missile, and fired it straight off. The first thing she noticed as the projectile left her barrel was that the normally dark-blue trail it left in its wake as it sailed forth had changed to a familiar lavender. She continued to watch as the missile impacted the wall, exploding in a spherical concussive blast that expanded outward several feet… with the distinct addition of a lavender, magical ‘pulse’ that burst out even further in all directions.

What remained of the spent missile were a few magical specks that floated in the softest breeze of the foyer, until they, too, fizzled out of existence.

The Hunter then repeated the exact same process with her Charge Beam, letting it swell her cannon before loading a single missile into the chamber as well. The golden, sun-like orb at the end of her barrel instantly turned a translucent lavender color right as Samus fired it off towards the same wall. The glowing orb slammed into the wall, but instead of a massive blast radius that Samus had expected of a typical Power Beam charged shot, it ‘popped’ with a rather electric-sounding fizzling. A lavender, smokey pulse burst forth, leaving naught but continued sizzling and ‘sparkling’ residue in its wake.

Samus dropped her cannon to her side. Now she felt safe in being a bit more enthusiastic toward the newest addition of her arsenal.

“This sounds great to me! Should make the Storm Beasts—and especially Alphas—a little easier to deal with…” she surmised.

And as Samus turned back towards the obstructed, rubble-filled former archway, Twilight seemed to agree.

“Mhmm! Though large swarms or much larger or more cunning enemies might still be some form of problem…”

“Agreed. Don’t worry, I won’t get overconfident.”

Twilight was too quick on the draw with her quip:

“Like you tried to magically hold a Storm Beast unicorn after you just barely learned how to counter?”

Though Samus smirked, her reply was quite deadpan.

“Don’t make me yank you.”

Twilight giggled, but Samus made sure to add one more important thing:

“Thanks for the help back there, by the way.”

“Heh, of course! We’re kinda intertwined at this point… so I can’t really afford to not help when it comes to magical matters. Still… you’re welcome. I hope I wasn’t too annoying...”

“Not at all.”

Samus finally made her way to what was once a perfectly good archway, only to have it fairly blocked off by the ruins of statues and the loss of a load-bearing pillar. The rubble and stones of various materials and sizes seemed to fit together like a puzzle, albeit loosely… and imperfectly.

Samus activated her flashlight so she could get a better look. The light appeared to be shining through the pseudo wall well enough where she could see just beyond it. But there wasn’t anywhere large enough for her to crawl through, nor use her Morph Ball to negotiate.

Twilight picked up on her intrigue:

“Looking for something?”

“A way through. A super missile isn’t gonna bust this shit down and there’s no pathway large enough… or structurally sound enough… to go in through via Morph Ball. Unless…”

Samus brought her hand to the side of her helmet and scanned the blockage.

[Scanning...]

[Scan Complete]

[Rubble and debris block your path. Large traces of Magicite are present within these materials.]

Samus smirked.

“Knew it. Bunch of this ‘Magicite’ stuff here. Should be able to blow it open with a pulse missile. Please hold…”

She then took a step back, placed her hand atop her cannon and aimed at the obstruction. The end of her barrel twisted open, revealing a single warhead of a missile, primed to fire. Samus quickly scanned to see where she could ‘deal the most damage’ before firing it right into the center.

The missile exploded without much fanfare… though the magically charged concussive blast seemed to quite literally dissolve the Magicite within the stone, of which its remnants scattered to the wind. What remained of the material simply crumbled before her into much smaller rocks and a fine dust.

Twilight seemed pleased.

“Excellent! Takes care of that! Now… let’s keep going. The throne room is just past this threshold, and beyond it, the castle opens up into a massive courtyard with its own crystal quarry. Once we get there, I’ll mark some crystals of interest.”

Samus started forward again in another easy walk, stepping over the unstable pile of rubble and passing into the throne room proper.

“‘Crystals of interest?’ Thought you knew what you were looking for…?” she questioned.

All the while, Samus was able to take in the mighty throne room, courtesy of the blown-open ceiling, which let in more than enough ample light… and rainfall. Thankfully the rainwater collected in little rivers on what remained of the thousand-year-old marble floor, and flowed into various holes and cracks in the wall base, mitigating the danger of any sudden flooding.

It was… mostly empty. No fancy decorations like marble busts were present, nor their remnants. The walls were as barren and lifeless as Ponyville itself, its contents likely destroyed or looted over the passing centuries. Vines and moss had made their way in from the outside world, having supplanted what splendor and grandeur once existed within these walls… especially regarding the two thrones that sat at the head of the room.

Lifeless. Empty. Yet, imposing.

“I do… but that doesn’t guarantee that the first crystal we come across is any use. Could be burnt out, too large, too small, not powerful enough, and so on. So this could take thirty seconds. It could also take ten minutes. Don’t know until we check ‘em out.”

“Got it,” she replied, and let their conversation fall silent again.

As Samus continued her easy trek across the throne room, she kept her eyes glued to her motion tracker, having planned for the lesser Storm Beasts to return with a vengeance. One thing she did notice the farther she looked up, was what was lining the periphery of what remained of the ceiling. Stone busts of what looked like unicorn or alicorn heads did well to eye Samus’ trek forward with less-than-lively gazes. She also noticed that there seemed to be two distinct faces—in various states of surprising resilience and dereliction—present, and gazing inward.

She could hazard a guess as to who they were, what with ‘Two Sisters’ and Twilight’s historical accounts.

Also much like when passing through the many Chozo Ruins in her travels, Samus felt like she was being… observed. Not necessarily keenly watched, but a familiar tingle ran through her core that was reminiscent of being casually surveyed.

As if her surroundings, or the ‘magic’ of this very castle were keeping passive, interested eyes on her.

In a way, with what Twilight had been telling her over the last day, that might’ve been more right than not. Not to mention that the Chozo had always found a way to keep tabs on her movements, whether through time or through direct observation through dimensions and space… wherever they now wander.

Perhaps the ponies weren’t so different. Hell, her caretakers were once very prominent in the galaxy at large. They were an empire. With how similar things seemed at a surface level, Samus wondered if the Chozo had ever found this place in the farthest vestiges of the Galaxy.

And if so, did they meet ponies? Or anyone?

Samus brought her thoughts back to the present, right as she passed before the high seats of the dual thrones. Even in their decrepit state, she found the design to be alluring… perhaps, a little too alluring.

And as she passed in front of one of the only pillars that remained standing by a massive hole blown in the wall leading to the outside, that allure turned into something that Samus in no way expected: familiarity. She let a knowing, lopsided smirk form on her face.

Speak of the devil...

She traced the hulking pillar with her eyes, following the stone road up to the ceiling, where a ceiling still existed.

Twilight’s attention was certainly garnered.

“Something wrong, Samus?”

“Nope. Just admiring the… construction.”

The now-ethereal alicorn, for her part, seemingly caught wind that there was more to the story than just admiring the view.

“What’s so interesting about a castle pillar? If you find them neat, then filly, do I have a treat for you when we get back to our castle…”

Samus huffed, amused.

“Heh, not like that, smartass. But… who built all this?”

“...the pillar?”

Samus rolled her eyes.

“The castle in general, so sure, I guess.”

“Well… the Princesses and the volunteer labor forces, of course!”

Samus didn’t respond right away, but rather pressed her armored hand to the pillar. More interestingly, she was focused on these particular notches that were engraved in the stone at odd frequencies. She thumbed one of them as she stirred her thoughts… and then finally let them be known.

“These are Chozo construction signatures.”

Twilight went quiet for a few extra seconds.

“...I’m sorry? Whose construction signatures??”

That’s when Samus realized that she hadn’t really divulged much of the Chozo race themselves to Twilight… which would also somewhat necessitate her delving a bit more into her past. She pondered the best course of action for a few moments, beating on the drum in her mind that controlled indecision before finally deciding on a compromise.

“Remind me to tell you when we get back to the Castle. All that to say, I think this planet just got a little more interesting.”

“I see… Now I’m dying to know just what you mean by this! The quarry is just beyond this wall. And thankfully, it looks like the battle a thousand years ago took care of the path for us, so we don’t have to go a longer route,” she said.

Samus hazarded a glance to where Twilight had pinged her visor. Indeed, the wall in front of which the thrones had been seated had been completely blown out from the inside. From the looks of it, given its position relative to the entire castle interior structure that she was able to make out, it seemed load-bearing… which made it all the more impressive that this castle lasted as long as it did from this level of damage and nature.

With her cannon at the low-ready and her left hand tentatively at her side, Samus moved forward, passing this second threshold which opened up into a monstrous, elliptical courtyard. She was welcomed once again by the omnipresent embrace of this eternal rainfall, which fell upon the area that distinctly reminded her of a greenhouse… without the ceiling. All the brush therein had long since been overgrown or taken over by nature’s own choices…

...but what distinctly stood out to her was the rectangular plot of land about the size of several competitive swimming pools put together. The dirt and gravel therein held what Samus could only describe as a veritable ‘garden’ of crystals.

The relief in Twilight’s voice could be felt through the rain.

“They’re still here,” Twilight confirmed whilst Samus inched forward, keeping an ever watchful eye on her motion tracker. “Just as planned. This should be pretty straight forward, then.”

As Samus brushed aside more flora, revealing more of the little quarry to her, she had one rather pressing question.

“Why the hell is there just a literal crystal farm in the middle of the castle?”

“For the same purpose that we need ‘em,” Twilight answered. “Special plots of land are dense in magic and collect it more than other parts. When combined with the natural processes of the earth, crystals will form and grow over time that are more or less magically sensitive.

“Essentially, you have a renewable power supply for anything that runs on magic.”

“So… like a magic battery then.”

“Precisely!”

Samus took her first, tentative step into the dirt, and in between the first rows of crystals.

“Alright… so, which one do we grab?”

“That’s part of the fun,” Twilight answered. “We’ll need to do a little bit of vetting before we yank one out of the ground. Go ahead and equip your OM-Visor, please?”

She did just that, and nearly recoiled at how much magical energy was being registered around her. While the vague outlines of the crystals remained around her in the dull blackness that now blanketed her vision, the brightest lavender ‘cores’ could be seen within the crystals themselves. Even more interestingly, those ‘magical specks’ made another return, forming rivulets of magic that dissipated into the air and back into the ground beneath it.

Some crystals were giving off much brighter signatures than others, and said power signatures didn’t seem to correlate with the physical size of the crystals themselves. That was, as far as Samus could tell as she continued her stroll down the ‘crystal corridor.’

Samus also noted that her map referred to the area as ‘The Crystalline Courtyard.’

Neat.

“Stop for a sec… let’s take a look at this one,” Twilight mentioned, and punctuated her words with a ping on Samus’ visor.

The target was a hexagonal crystal that grew to about knee-high—turquoise in color. Now, Samus had an idea why Twilight asked her to use her newest visor: this crystal gave off a markedly different magical signature than those around it: it pulsed at an odd frequency of three.

Samus knelt in front of it to get a better look.

“This our power crystal?”

“Let’s find out. Gonna need to run my magic through you. Hold your hand before it, please, and channel your state of mind?”

The Hunter held her hand out in front of the glowing crystal, her fingers mere inches away as she then let her eyes fall shut once more. Much more rapidly, the sensations of her world around her fell away and left her with a much less eerie, and rather, much more familiar silence. The only difference now was that instead of her doing the magical work, she could feel a foreign force flowing through her mind and manipulating her magical abilities without any of her own input.

Her hand began to rotate counter-clockwise in kind, her palm slowly beginning to face upward, per usual, with concentration-heavy spells like this.

That same deep, ever-loudening rumble affiliated with such actions quickly displaced the silence… and right when it seemed like it was to become a deafening roar, it abruptly ceased.

Twilight apparently had some high standards.

“Damn… it’s too strong. It’ll blow out the map if we try to use it. Let’s try this one,” she said, and pinged another crystal further ahead.

The rain had picked up, and veiled Twilight’s selection at first, but Samus navigated through the ‘curtains’ of rainfall to the next crystal, which was much stumpier and yellow in color. It’s magical signature through the OM-Visor also seemed rather different from the first crystal: it looked like it was beating like someone’s heart.

Samus preempted Twilight’s command by placing her hand appropriately close upon kneeling down.

“Let’s see if we get lucky…”

She let Twilight take hold once more, and after the same process finished, Twilight’s voice cut back in with much more excitement.

“Yeah… Yeah! I think we’ve found it!” she exclaimed.

Samus smirked, exhaling that lone breath she was holding in.

“Good to hear it! Then let’s get it outta the ground and head back to Ponyville,” she said.

“Couldn’t agree more! Go ahead and reach out with your magical grasp and give it a little tug. It’ll be a pain in the haunches if you tried to pull it out of the ground with raw strength. A little magic will nudge it out nicely,” she suggested.

Samus nodded, and after taking a second to breathe, she—without closing her eyes this time—reached forward through the magical plane and felt her ethereal hand wrap around the crystal rather uneventfully. She curled her fingers into a soft fist and heaved backwards with a little effort… which bore fruit when she heard the distinctive suction of sopping-wet ground giving way beneath the crystal.

And encased in her lavender, magical aura, it floated out and hovered above the ground. Samus then did well to grasp it physically in the air before cutting the connection.

“Got it,” she said.

Twilight was impressed.

“Well done, Samus! You’re learning quickly! But remember… don’t push yourself too hard if you don’t have to. Magical burnout is a very real thing, and like any wound you suffer, it’ll take time to ‘heal’ if you do,” she further cautioned.

“Duly noted,” Samus replied, then stood up tall before cradling their precious cargo in the hold of her left arm.

She then pivoted on her heels and proceeded back through the ruins.

“Alright. Let’s get out of here.”

“Mhmm! I’ll guide us back.

[Castle of Friendship]

Samus burst through the final foliage layer out of the Everfree, and drew the aim of her cannon all around her, just to be sure. Her motion tracker still remained peacefully barren, and with that, she lowered her cannon and made her way through the rain veil towards the now-familiar sanctuary of the Castle of Friendship.

Twilight sighed.

“Home sweet home.”

Samus didn’t respond, but instead put her hand to the side of her helmet, bringing her comms to life.

“Spike, we just got back from Two Sisters. We’re approaching the front door of the Friendship Castle now.”

Samus never broke her stride as she heard a few seconds of fiddling with the comm controls on the other end of the line.

“Awesome! Coming down now. Knock twice after I knock… just to be sure.”

The Hunter took an extra second of mental processing to understand that, but she’d figure that out in the next minute or so.

“You got it.”

The ‘distance veil’ of the rain that shrouded the front entrance to the castle cleared up as Samus approached. Before they got the chance to step foot and hoof inside sanctuary once more, Samus thought she’d have a couple more words:

“Moment of truth. What happens if this doesn’t work?” she dared ask.

Twilight seemed resolutely refusing to entertain that, at least at the moment, with her rather curt, determined response.

“We’ll play it by hoof.”

“You got it.”

Now directly in front of the door she had set off from a few hours ago, Samus pounded three times to signal their arrival. An air of understanding washed over her when she then heard two distinct knocks from beyond the thick double-reinforced-doors… to which, per instructions, she struck back twice with her armored fist.

The clicking, clacking, and metallic creaking from just beyond signalled that their simple ‘code’ had been accepted, and the door swung open inward, with Spike beckoning Samus inside. The Hunter strode right in, and did well to unequip her Suit as fast as possible in the usual fashion so the rivers of water flowing off her armor didn’t collect too much on the floor. Thankfully, most of it was vaporized in the process, and right as Samus felt fresh air on her face and the rest of her body, Twilight materialized right next to her.

Spike sealed the door, beaming as he finished.

“Welcome back, you two! Some good luck, I hope?”

Samus didn’t feel the need to respond with words, and only smirked as she held up the modestly weighted crystal for all to see.

“NICE!” the drake exclaimed.

She was about to add to that when a lavender field of magic enveloped the crystal and swiped it right out of her hands. With the most excitement that Twilight had ever displayed, Samus watched her tear down the hall, doubtlessly making her way to the Map Room.

And her urgence was… amusing, to say the least.

“Come on!” she exclaimed at the end of the hall, before disappearing in a teleportation spell.

Samus and Spike shared a look as they, too, started making their way after Twilight, though in a much more relaxed fashion.

Spike opened up with the conversation:

“So… how was the trip?” he asked.

“Interesting, to say the least. Twilight’s certainly got a head on her, that’s for sure. I don’t say this often when travelling with someone else… but she was good, intelligent company. She’s well suited to the ancilla roll, that’s for sure,” she mused.

Spike chuckled.

“Hopefully she didn’t drive you too crazy with how much she can ramble… and I take it there wasn’t too much trouble from the Storm Beasts?” he asked.

“Oh no there was definitely Storm Beast trouble. In fact, we ran into an Alpha that made its home in the Castle of the Two Sisters… as well as some of its more recent victims,” she explained.

Spike’s expression chilled at that statement.

“Wait… r-recent victims?”

Samus gestured forward.

“I’ll let Twilight explain when we’re done here. Let’s go catch up with her, first. We should probably find out if this was all worth it in the end, huh?” she suggested.

“Right!”

It was a short trip up to the Map Room, where Twilight was already busy fiddling with one of the supports underneath the circular map itself. Samus and Spike stepped closer as Twilight—through sheer desperation—was trying to remove a rather particular crystal panel, though her emotions were breaking her concentration.

“Come on… come on damnit…”

Spike was quick to rush in and assist.

“Easy now… here Twi… let me do it.”

Samus took a small step back out of both respect, and so she could have a good view of the happenings under the table. She watched as Twilight shimmied to the side and Spike knelt down in her place. Though she couldn’t get a full view due to their bodies blocking exactly how they were going about this, she did catch the drake putting both his hands on what Samus guessed was some panel of sorts… and with a bit of grunting and effort on his part, he pried off an entire section of the crystal support.

What then followed was Spike carefully reaching his hand inside, and his tongue pinched between his lips as he felt purposefully for… something. Samus watched his expression upturn when he seemed to grab what he was looking for… after nearly putting half the side of his body under the map.

She then observed Spike tossing what looked like a charred, burnt-out crystal towards the side of the room, where it promptly fell to the floor and skidded until it hit the wall… and then shattered.

Spike reached out to Twilight, open-palmed.

“Alright… can you hand me the new crystal, Twi?”

She lifted it with both her hooves and placed it right in his hand.

“Here you go!”

“Thanks! Don’t know if any of you two know any prayers… but if you do, it might be a good time to start chanting…”

Spike inserted the crystal back under the map, and was busy about securing it when Twilight replied:

“Don’t worry, it’ll work…” she said.

And then averted her gaze pensively while she softly added:

“It has to…”

Samus crossed her arms and took a couple steps forward again.

“Need any help?”

Spike shook his head, though he pinched his tongue between his lips again as he was, ostensibly, attempting to align the new crystal properly.

“Nope… just… need…”

Something audibly clicked into place, along with a sudden magical pulse, and his expression upturned immediately.

“Hah! Alright, it’s in! Here we go…”

Samus inserted herself between two of the thrones for a better view, while Twilight and Spike also backed off to see the results of their handiwork after re-affixing the panel. Her arms still crossed, she watched intently at the map for any sign of change… so far, nothing seemed different. Just the same, blank slab of flat crystal reflecting her image back at her.

The silence said more than any words could at the moment.

As nothing continued to happen while the seconds passed by, Samus could not remember a time when silence was so loud… and that she hoped someone would say something to slice the tension that was as thick as frozen butter. But as she glanced to either side of her, she could see both Twilight and Spike staring intently at the map… an intensity that gave way to desperation.

Then, Samus heard something. Much like the first time she ever experienced the touch of Twilight’s benign power, a ‘magical’ whirring began to stir. It was subtle… and Samus wasn’t even sure she ‘heard’ it per se, but rather it echoed in the deepest chambers of her heart. As if she could sense it.

Twilight was as hopeful as she could be:

“Yes… come on… please…”

But that sensation gave way to actual sound as a high-pitched, ‘twinkling’ whine began to make itself more and more prominent. Samus could’ve also sworn she saw the reflections in the flat crystal flicker for fractions of a second… and then again…

...and then, nothing. All sound and sensation ceased. The silence had returned.

But then, the map was suddenly rendered. Samus blinked and her head recoiled gently at the instantaneous change.

Spike audibly sighed, and Twilight squealed:

“YEEEEEES!!!” she cried out, jumping into the air and fluttering her wings… but Spike was quick to bring her back down to earth literally and figuratively.

“Hold on… we’re not outta the woods yet. If the map doesn’t show us where everypony is…”

Spike didn’t need to finish that sentence, and Twilight nodded in understanding, bringing herself the rest of the way back down. Samus understood. While the map is good to have online—and she was already studying the features of Equestria and beyond that were now laid out for her—they could be searching several lifetimes without having a direction of where to start looking.

They’d be left with little more than what they started with if that were the case. Samus silently hoped that Twilight’s now-penchant for ‘miracles’ would hold firm… otherwise her job would be made essentially impossible.

And the longer the seconds passed without any of… whatever the two were looking for, the more agitated and downtrodden their features seemed to become. Samus decided to step in:

“Relax guys… look at the map. It looks like it’s still trying to render things out properly. Not sure what’s processing all this, but you may need to give it a minute or so to—”

A floating, turquoise trio of diamonds made itself suddenly known above some geographic figures that Samus didn’t have time to study yet.

And then a prismatic lightning bolt over another.

Spike sighed once more, his expression now one of… pleasant fatigue.

“There they are…”

Suddenly, a trio of pink butterflies.

Then a trio of apples.

Twilight, equally, seemed stunned at the success. Eyes wide in pure joy, she softly added:

“It worked…”

A multi-colored trio of balloons.

And finally a six-sided star—Twilight’s ‘cutie mark’—right atop of Ponyville and the Castle of Friendship.

Samus let her smirk etch a little higher than normal, this time. Clearly, Twilight’s plan had worked wonders, and based on how she was reading this map, they’d have ample direction into where to start their searches for the remaining Elements. Logic would tell her that as a result, her job would be a lot easier now.

However, even she knew that she couldn’t lie to herself fully on that front. The path forward would have many hardships ahead, if any of her past missions were anything to go by.

But… Samus had to remember a little lesson from Old Bird and Gray Voice: relish in the small victories when you can.

She spoke up once more:

“Great thinking, Twilight! Guess we got the best outcome we could hope for, so far.”

Twilight glanced back at Samus, and the Hunter saw how damp her eyes were, despite her bright smile, shaking her head.

“We couldn't have done this without you, Samus… so, from the bottom of my heart already… thank you.”

Spike also cut in, placing a hand on her shoulder, to which Samus glanced back at him. He nodded with his own smile.

“Thank you.”

Samus nodded to both of them.

“You’re welcome, you two. Now, who’s closest?”

Twilight supported herself onto the table with her front hooves and stared down at the map, studying it, while Samus joined her by her side. The unicorn then pointed directly into the forest to the first cutie mark that Samus silently agreed seemed closest.

“Fluttershy. Element of Kindness.”

Samus nodded again—it looked like they had their next mission. But before she could add anything onto that, she saw Twilight blink… and shake her head.

“What the…”

She leaned in.

Samus cocked an eyebrow, and Spike decided to ask the probing question.

“What is it, Twi?”

“She’s in the Everfree but… she’s in an area that looks unexplored. But, heck, I remember us passing through here! The map for this area just seems... weird. I’m tempted to say that the map doesn't even fully reflect the reality on the ground for this little section...”

Samus lay her hands on the table to study it further from an eagle-eyed view.

“Doesn’t seem like we have a choice.”

Twilight shook her head again.

“Oh definitely not… it’s just interesting, is all. And it may just make for an interesting trip! The good news is that it looks like there’s also a downed Space Pirate vessel in that area. We can probably go find it after we collect Fluttershy, what do you think?”

Samus definitely liked the sound of that. She nodded once.

“Perfect.”

Twilight followed up:

“We’ll set off tomorrow morning then, alright? In the meantime… I think a small celebration is in order~,” she said.

Spike perked up and immediately pivoted on his heels.

“And I think I know just the thing!” he said, marching out with a purpose.

Samus watched him go as Twilight giggled, but the unicorn then turned back to the map and regarded it—especially the floating cutie marks—with a warm fondness… one not dissimilar to how Samus felt about her Chozo caretakers.

It was… nice to see.

“Just a little longer girls… I promise. I’m coming for you. We’re coming for you.”

Author's Note

Some notes from Flamm:

I didn't realize 'Magicite' was actually a thing from Final Fantasy until after I had finished this chapter lmao. It works for this story, and I'm too lazy to conjure up a suitable replacement, so Magicite it shall be (magic-infused stones. It makes sense ffs!)
Bringing in a standard combat knife for basic melee stuff aside from her fists, feet, and cannon. Never understood why the Prime games never had something like this as it makes perfect sense, tbqh. Hope that's okay with y'all, but it makes for some interesting interactions going forward, in my opinion.
Harmony of a Hunter Returns is based AF as are the other remix albums. Many of the soundtracks will make their appearances here.
I'm a day late. Better than a week late lmao, had more editing and more to add actually, so yay! More for y'all.

Hope y'all enjoyed! The adventure really expands now, and I got some... interesting things planned for next chapter. Stay tuned :trollestia:

06. Foreign

Author's Note

With two monolithic chapters previously... I didn't want to do a third one and take even longer to write it. And BOY was it gonna be such! Splitting the first half off in to this one. Second half will arrive soon (tm).

Also tired of holding onto specific sections forever in the name of perfection.

Enjoy!

06. Foreign

[Castle of Friendship | Later That Night…]

Once again, that was probably some of the best food Samus had the pleasure of stuffing down her gullet in a good while. The small bit of alcohol that Twilight and Spike had—and very generously shared with her—was also a nice bonus. A figurative confection to see off a hard-fought day in enjoying tempered spoils of their first victory.

If there was one thing Samus knew she needed more in her life, it was exactly that. And maybe a little more alcohol. She could definitely get used to some more of that ‘Crystallian Cutie,’ or whatever the hell Twilight called it.

That’s also when Samus learned that Spike, despite his size, was quite the lightweight. He retired a little earlier than expected… and perhaps a bit unwillingly.

With her thirst quenched and her stomach full thanks to her gracious hosts, Samus found herself relaxing and consolidating the day’s events up in the main common room of the castle. The storm outside continued to rage in earnest with zero signs of abating any time soon… which gave Samus the perfect white noise in the form of raindrops striking the massive window panes looking over what was once Ponyville.

The view was calming to say the least, and reminded Samus of many times she relaxed by her lonesome on Tallon IV, or when the occasional, powerful rainstorm would grace Zebes’ surface. Samus—hair free from the confines of her usual ponytail—found herself less-and-less reviewing her notes and scan logs, and more-and-more staring out the window and getting lost in the watercolor view, courtesy of the rain splatter.

Well, as long as the view could be enjoyed. By the time a light source was actually needed when night fell completely, the massive shades needed to be drawn lest it attract unwanted attention from… various sources. Once this had been taken care of, some magical candles were set alight, and the common room was bathed in a soft, ambient, amber glow.

All the more conducive, in her opinion, to relax into the giant cushion that she was provided. None of the chairs worked for her, what with her anatomy and height… so the next best thing was a ‘cloud cushion’ that Samus likened to a giant cat bed—perfect for her to curl up in a seated position much like the Chozo Statues she would find on Zebes and elsewhere.

As the dusk droned on into the proper night, Samus continued to placidly monitor the Space Pirate communications and battle network for any aberrations. After several hours of this, nothing stood out to her as odd: Phazon mining quotas versus actuals, troop deployments on and off planet, et cetera.

All the while on a different application, Samus tried—in vain—to see if her penchant for divine luck would somehow will into existence a proper communication to Galactic Federation High Command. Yet, maddeningly, shockingly, every time she tried to refresh the connection, the diagnostic tools for her ship would spin for a moment before returning network errors, and further pointing her to her offline Long Range Comms Node.

Damn.

Samus swiped it away. That was enough useless attempts for one day, in her mind. A quick check back to her ship, now that it was on her mind, showed that her auto repair function had made some decent progress over the last two days: thirty percent completion on the Stealth Module.

She nodded to herself, more than accepting.

If her ship could get repaired to at least that extent, then that would mean a much easier way to travel across this land… especially if the Map was to the scale she thought it was. The thought of figuratively—and with Twilight aboard, literally—hoofing it from Ponyville all the way to the ends of the country was not a tantalizing, productive use of time.

Satisfied, Samus dismissed her ship’s diagnostic tools and flicked her eyes over the brim of her tablet. Directly across from her sat Twilight on her own cushion. Her horn glowed dimly, with her lavender aura cradling a second tablet that Samus had lent her. It only took some basic learning for Twilight to pick up the general know-how of how to operate the electronic, and after setting her up with her archived logbook, Samus was amused that Twilight hadn’t moved a muscle over the last several hours.

It was an interesting experience seeing Twilight’s irises also glowing softly in conjunction with her horn, though this was explained as an intermediary translation spell so she could read non-equestrian text. It made perfect sense to Samus.

The Hunter smirked. She knew Twilight was getting some mileage out of her logbook, and from what time she had been spending with the alicorn, she figured there would be an avalanche of questions she’d be presented with. As always, she’d answer what she was able.

And willing.

But definitely not tonight. It was already getting late, and Samus knew that they would be starting early in the morning like today. With the effects of today’s trek and battle, the fatigue was starting to wear on her. But as she locked her tablet, set it aside, and yawned while stretching her arms overhead…

...she felt the sheer grime on her skin.

Samus cleared her throat softly, and Twilight flicked her eyes up at her from behind the shimmering tablet.

“Hey… I’m kinda exhausted, so I think I’m gonna go pass out and rest up for tomorrow. Quick question though since I didn’t get the chance to try: the showers and baths in the restrooms… Do they work? Considering… you know,” she gestured to their larger, geographic surroundings.

Twilight, with clear fatigue in her eyes that Samus could see, nodded with a small smile.

“Yeah, they work! We’ve got tons of water as you can probably see from the rain… and the crystals used to heat it up are still active. So you’ve actually got hot showers available,” she informed.

Samus’ day just kept getting better.

“Sweeeeet. Thanks, Twilight.”

“Of course!” the alicorn replied, but then raised a tentative hoof.

“But, before you go… can… can I ask you something?”

Samus had put both her hands on either side of her, ready to get to her feet again, but stopped at Twilight’s query. She curled her legs back into her chest.

Okay, maybe ONE question.

“Yeah, sure. What’s up?”

Twilight’s tired, but still pleasantly fatigued face seemed to devolve into one of uncertainty, and she glanced towards the massive, covered window pane for a moment before turning back to Samus:

“After all you’ve seen… after everything we’ve told you… what do you think?”

Samus angled her head slightly.

“What do you mean?”

Twilight clarified softly when the distant echo of thunder abated.

“Do you think it… this will all work? That we can come back from this? Get through this?”

“What… like ‘us’ individually in trying to get everyone back together? Or your country—and world—at large?”

Twilight remained silent for a few moments, and then sighed out, seeming to think the nearest candle was interesting.

“I guess all of the above.”

Samus pondered her overarching question for a moment, drawing her eyes up to the ceiling to aid in pondering a tactful response. She drummed her fingers on her shins all the while.

“I don’t know if my own experience is necessarily gonna help here in answering that, but I’ll try.

“I’ve arrived to planets much too late to save, and sometimes I’ve arrived just in time. Gotta be honest though—and not sure if this really helps—but I’ve been able to make a difference on planets that were much further gone than this one.”

She shrugged.

“Though, the threat we face here isn’t really similar to anything I’ve faced, for better or worse. Your planning and intuition’s been great so far, and I don’t think you’ve been wrong yet. Anything’s possible, from all I’ve seen in my travels… and I think we’ve got a real solid chance of things going as well as they can, if we just keep going forward.

“But… I’ve also failed. A lot. For all my exploits that people know about through the galaxy, few know of my failures. I know from my own experience that things can still go terribly, terribly wrong.”

Samus shook her head, keeping her eyes firmly trained on Twilight’s.

“The way forward isn’t gonna be easy… hell, you already know this. I’ll do my part to the best of my ability, to help guard against that. But in the end, despite our chances looking ‘good,’ I can’t really guarantee anything.”

The alicorn glanced away into the void for a few moments to digest her words. Right before Samus was about to take her leave from the sheer length and intensity of the silence, Twilight suddenly followed up with another sucker-punch of a question, turning back to her:

“Does it ever get easier?”

“…I’m… sorry?”

Twilight’s voice dropped to just above a whisper, almost like it hurt to speak what she was saying:

“So much has happened, as you know, Samus,” Twilight began. “The calamity was over fifteen years ago. And even though I’m in this limbo, I still have to sleep. Which means that I still dream… and the events of that day in Canterlot…

“…

“I still hear their screams during the night—the girls’. I still see Tempest’s face… soulless and uncaring. Sadistic. Her last, remorseless expression before she tore into us like a rabid animal.”

Her eyes glazed over as she continued:

“But I tolerate these dreams that haunt me… if only because I still have the girls with me when I do. I want to hope that when we’re all reunited. When—if we fix all this… I mean… I know you’ve seen a lot, Samus. A lot more than you let on. Some… difficult things…”

Samus understood exactly where she was coming from, and despite her clear trauma, she felt Twilight’s attempt at being courteous and sensitive to Samus’ own life experiences was nice of her.

“…but does it ever really get easier to handle?” she asked once more.

Samus softly took in her hopeful eyes, delaying her answer for a couple precious seconds as she fought briefly on how to best convey what she both knew so well… and ironically, advice that she wished she believed fully.

“Yeah,” she said, nodding. “It does. The whole road isn’t easy… but it does get easier. If that makes any sense. I really wish I had more to say to that.”

Twilight seemed to take this fully to heart, and she nodded silently, letting the rain and the thunder fill the void of sound for the next while. She then looked back to Samus and smiled gently.

“I guess… I knew most of that all along. Still, it’s nice to hear from someone more… experienced. Thanks anyway, Samus.”

The Hunter smirked.

“Sure thing.”

Twilight then locked the spare tablet she was using and got to her hooves, stretching each of her legs out individually while she let forth a yawn to the heavens. Samus figured it was time to get to stand up and prepare for sleep all the same.

“Then I’m probably gonna get some rest, too. Make sure you sleep well, alright? And enjoy the hot water waiting for you!”

Samus shot her a thumbs up as she pivoted on her feet and started for the door.

“Oh trust me… waaaaay ahead of you. And thanks Twilight, you too. Goodnight, and see you in the morning!”

And as Samus left, she had to wonder… in Twilight’s current state, was her ‘sleeping’ much different than hers? Is it needed to maintain that odd flux she’s in? She’d have to inquire a little later on the specifics if it ever became appropriate.

Though, she did take one bit of advice from the alicorn: she definitely enjoyed the first hot shower in a long while before falling into a much more fulfilling sleep. Of all things she could get used to the most, this was probably at the top of the list.

Basic full-body sanitizing just wasn’t the same.

[The Map Room | The Following Morning…]

It was one of the few nights that Samus actually remembered dreaming. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember what it was actually about… she remembered a few figures in her mind, their silhouettes dancing in her field of vision as if she was coming out of a medical procedure. She wasn’t even sure how long this dream actually lasted…

…but it was a dream nonetheless. And indicative of some of the deepest, most refreshing sleep she had had in a good while. Samus couldn’t remember the last time she woke up with that dopey, recharged smile on her face with her muscles coiled up and spring-loaded in a way that felt amazing. A few simple stretches made her feel like she could take on the world.

Or the galaxy, to be more accurate to her life.

Regardless, much of the fatigue from the previous couple weeks had been wiped away with that one rest, and Samus found herself extra alert after breakfast. This had the added effect of making her feel much more alert when she and her two hosts found themselves situated around the Map.

As Samus leaned onto the side to get a better look, she watched as Twilight used some magic to ‘zoom in.’ Suddenly, Fluttershy’s butterfly cutie mark was quite prominent in a seemingly undulating ocean of green amongst the Everfree.

Twilight began the briefing in an impressively academic tone, one uplifted by a tinge of hopefulness:

“Alright, so thanks to Samus’ amazing help in getting the map back online, we know where everypony is… and ostensibly, they’re all alive and waiting in a similar state to myself,” she said.

Samus huffed, smirking ever-so-slightly, but listened nonetheless as she nodded.

Twilight drew her hoof over the general area they were looking at:

“The thing is that this area of the Everfree on the map is a little interesting. I… I can’t explain it, but it just seems… ‘out of place,’ if that makes any sense at all. There’s some odd paths here and there that are mapped and we can follow, but beyond a certain point we’re probably gonna have to tread carefully…

“…as if we weren’t going to, anyway,” she added.

Samus interjected:

“But I thought you just said you’ve been here before?” she asked.

Twilight nodded.

“We have, or at least passed through at some points in the past during our own missions to ‘preserve the harmony,’ as it were. Wherever Fluttershy currently is right now… we’ve apparently walked right through this area. I remember when we did, too. I don’t recall ever seeing anything ‘out of the ordinary.’ That’s why I feel weird about it.

“She’s apparently just… here.”

Samus replied, staring off through the map as she put her thoughts together.

“Interesting…”

To which Twilight followed up:

“But call it a mare’s intuition if you want, but I don’t think her Element of Harmony would’ve teleported from Canterlot to some random place on the ground in the Everfree. Gotta be something going on here.”

“Right… out of curiosity, where’s the impact crater?” Samus asked.

Twilight brought the view of the map out and pointed it out on the map, where Samus could indeed see some large manifestation of a crater to the south-west, more than just a few miles away.

“There. Fluttershy’s location is to the south-east of us, and the distance between the two doesn’t seem to signal any play between them. When the Elements fired, it destroyed any of the Phazon that spindled its way into Equestria proper… or so I remember.”

Samus nodded.

“Right. And from when I arrived, I wasn’t able to see much spread of it. Looks like the Pirates ‘capped’ the crater just in time when they arrived, to prevent it from spreading outward again. Doesn’t say much for any underground exposure and spread, but I haven’t seen any of the telltale signs… yet. So I’d agree that there’s probably not any play between the two,” she elaborated.

Twilight seemed aligned with that thinking.

“Agreed,” said Twilight. “Well, until we know for sure Fluttershy’s actual circumstances, I’d say the biggest issue we’d run into are potentially more Storm Beasts. Maybe some other more aggressive fauna as well, but that’s always the case when going anywhere in the Everfree… even before the crisis. Can’t really predict what else will await us beyond that.”

Samus stood up straight and crossed her arms, all the while she ran a couple fingers over her chin, thinking out loud:

“The real question will be… what actually needs to be ‘done’ when we get there and find Fluttershy? Wherever she is.”

Twilight, as always, had her thoughts on that:

“My guess would be that her situation—and likewise, the same with the rest of the girls—would be similar to mine: anchored to their element, so still in an odd limbo where they’re alive yet not exactly or entirely. Beyond that though, I wish I had more answers. This is just as new to me as it is to you, honestly.

“Unfortunately, we’re just gonna have to play it by hoof when we get there. Or wherever she is,” she reasoned.

Samus clasped her hands together.

“Makes sense to me. Anything else, then? Or are we ready to go?”

Twilight thought for a moment, and Samus watched her gaze over the map one last time before she shrugged.

“Nope. I think that’s it! I’m ready when you are!”

On that note, Samus flipped her mental switch and equipped her Varia Suit for the first time today. As her HUD booted up, she brought her hand to the side of her helmet for an order of business she didn’t have the chance to get to last night.

“Sounds good. One sec, lemme grab the map data real quick.”

An easy scanning job allowed her systems to download the visual map data of the area they were headed to, along with all of the Ponyville and in-between sections of the Everfree. As she had expected upon a quick examination, much of Ponyville was mapped almost to the house and building level… while the Everfree only divulged a few pathways through—and up to—certain points.

Much as Twilight had stated earlier.

[Scanning…]

[Map Data Acquired!]

[Everfree Forest: South East Quadrant now available!]

Like always, as she passed through these ‘vague’ points, her Suit’s trackers would do the rest in mapping out her immediate surroundings to fill in the blanks.

“Alright, I’m all set,” Samus declared, dismissing her Scan Visor and making her way over to Twilight and Spike.

She asked knowingly:

“Ready to get back to work?”

Spike smirked at the words, as did Twilight who replied with her own determination:

“Plenty to be done!” she said.

And with that, Samus offered the alicorn her hand, and Twilight ‘completed the circuit’ with her own hoof. In a flash of magic the two were integrated once more.

“Can you hear me?” Samus asked.

Twilight’s response came in prompt and energetic:

“Loud and clear!”

With that all settled, the Hunter turned to Spike and gave a thumbs up.

“We’re all set.”

Spike returned the gesture with a determined smile of his own.

“Perfect. Lemme get the door for you like last time,” he said, beckoning Samus after him.

In a process that mirrored the previous day, Spike escorted her and an ethereal Twilight to the front castle doors, where he turned them both loose to the ever-present rainstorm once more. Samus stepped forward past the threshold, and gave Spike another pat on the shoulder as she left the safety of the Castle yet again.

She then said over her shoulder:

“We’ll be back in a few hours based on the distance… which means plan for half a day knowing my luck.”

Spike definitely heard her, but apparently that wasn’t what was most important to him:

“Hey Samus?”

She stopped mid-step and pivoted back towards Spike.

“Yeah?”

“Just… again… good luck. Please keep Twilight safe. And please bring back Fluttershy.”

She understood completely, and only needed to nod curtly, once.

“Will do.”

And with that, Spike sealed the door shut once more, leaving Samus—with Twilight in tow—to her own devices. A quick call up of her map brought their destination up front and center. Juxtaposed with where they were currently, they’d have more than just a couple miles of trekking to get through. It was times like these that Samus wished her ship was at least fully stealth-capable, but the universe rarely gave into her deepest desires.

“Alright…” she said, dismissing her map and drawing her gaze over the Everfree border south of her position. She pointed in the general direction.

“Looks like we’re headed southeast, right?” she asked, and began walking nonetheless.

“Mhmmh!” said Twilight. “Just head straight through… here,” she added, punctuating with a ping on Samus’ HUD through the rain in the near-distance.

“You got it. Thanks.”

“Yup! You’ll find a path over there that takes you to the southeast sections of the known forest. If I may suggest, just follow it the entire way until we’re about where Fluttershy supposedly is. Honestly, if things go as well as I expect them to, this’ll be ‘easier’ than picking up the Power Crystal yesterday.”

With a hand on her cannon and making her easy way towards Twilight’s waypoint, Samus responded:

“That’s one hell of a bold statement, Twilight. Let’s see how that goes.”

The alicorn giggled.

“I guess we will!”

There began one of the more… enjoyable aspects of Samus’ adventures. Namely, just traveling without much in the way of anything bothering her. Or wanting to kill her. Maybe it was just the time of day, or the direction they were heading, but the trek forward seemed… oddly peaceful for the Hunter. Normally this only happened when she had carved a path forward, returned to the relative safety of her base of operations or a Save Station, and then set out again with a new mission in mind.

But no, this was a completely new area. She wasn’t even anywhere close to where she originally made planetfall. Her motion tracker remained oddly barren. Save for the occasional fauna she crossed paths with, such as a group of deer or some more rabbits and other little critters, nothing hostile revealed itself to her. No Storm Beasts, no local predators… nothing.

Not that Samus was at all complaining. Especially since the interim silence was taken up by some smalltalk between her and Twilight.

The alicorn did most of the talking, though… mainly about Fluttershy herself when Samus inquired about her. Twilight gladly elaborated on how the two of them met when she came to Ponyville for the first time, especially her hallmark: her seemingly crippling shyness… which when elaborated upon, sounded like undiagnosed anxiety in Samus’ perspective. Nevertheless, Samus had to concede that this Fluttershy mare sounded quite lovely and soft spoken, which would be perfect when she’d also be ‘in her head,’ as it were.

Now that Samus thought about that, how would all of these ponies would manifest? Would they all be in her head at once? Did she have the ability to tune out potentially six ponies in her head if everything about this mission went according to plan? Either that, or all of Twilight’s friends were cool-headed and as soft-spoken as Fluttershy.

Or rather, she hoped that was the case.

Unfortunately—perhaps fortunately, she had to dwell on this for most of the rather uneventful journey to their destination… as after more than a couple hours of just walking, they arrived nowhere in particular despite being right on target. Even after more detailed searches of the area, it was just… ‘average’ forest. Nothing stood out, there were no conceivable places that anyone could be hiding in…

…nothing. No Element. No Fluttershy. Just a lot of green.

“You know,” Samus began as she slowed her trudge through the undergrowth. “I’m starting to think we might be lost.”

To say that Twilight was exasperated would be an understatement.

“I… am I going insane? Did Tempest hit me too hard back in Canterlot fifteen years ago?? We should literally be talking to Fluttershy right now! We just… we had to have missed something…” she figured.

Samus had conducted more and more ever-detailed searches of the general area since they arrived here nearly half an hour ago. Every bit of extra effort expended yielded the same results, and she was starting to see some of her meandering tracks through the cross-woven grass beneath her boots.

She leaned up against a particularly large tree, helping herself to a breather as she drew her gaze idly around her.

“Maybe, but we’re at the point of ‘wandering’ now. Could something have gone wrong with the Map, maybe? Like… maybe magnetic interference or…?”

Twilight was quick to dismiss that outright.

“Not possible. The map relies on aetheric positioning to determine the Elemental Bearers’ locations. It would work, even if the planet’s poles inverted at odd angles. Which is why I’m just…

“UGH!”

Samus was about to cut in with another suggestion, but Twilight curtly punctuated, still beside herself:

“Lemme review the map data again… gimme a couple minutes.”

A couple minutes to just stare at her motion tracker and not care about things? She might as well have been given a vacation.

“Sure thing, Twi.”

Samus leaned most of her weight against the massive tree, and as the seconds droned on she let her vision blur from staring off into space. She emptied her mind, dumping whatever worries she had for the briefest of moments that she could spare to just think about… nothing. Throughout her years of traveling, crusading, and bounty-hunting, she had always—and insisted on—working alone. After all, it was much easier to just worry and take care of herself as opposed to others, not to mention being able to move and advance at her own pace.

She had to admit though. It was… kinda nice having some of the more mundane things looked after, as it were, while she handled the nitty-gritty. Maybe she’d have to reassess what it meant to travel ‘with’ someone, as this was a particularly special circumstance.

Before Samus could truly enter into a more concentrated daydream, something suddenly tugged at the edges of her hearing. She blinked as she could’ve sworn she heard something that sounded like a whisper… almost like someone was trying to get her attention right next to her, right into her right ear.

Samus refocused her eyes, and fully extricated herself from her blissful daydream… only to have the whispering in her ear subside substantially.

But, not entirely.

She glanced towards the ‘direction’ in which she heard the nebulous, unintelligible whispers that increasingly sounded like multiple people speaking softly over each other. In tracing it to just beyond the veil of another line of underbrush, Samus then felt she wasn’t exactly crazy and just hearing voices all around her.

Well, to be fair to herself, Samus figured that it was entirely possible for her to be crazy.

And under normal circumstances, Samus would immediately raise her internal threat level and prepare her arm cannon for any threat—perceived or not. But, for reasons she couldn’t explain, these soft whispers seemed to touch only at the fringes of her fight-or-flight response… and in fact, she felt an aura of contentedness washing over her.

Which made her all the more curious about the source of these mysterious voices. Indirectly and directly, they called to her. And in isolating where she thought they were emanating from, Samus pushed herself gently off her tree-turned-leaning post and tread lightly towards that very line of underbrush…

A move which certainly didn’t go unnoticed by Twilight, who promptly asked her:

“What’re you doing? Everything okay?”

Samus responded tentatively with a question of her own.

“Can’t… can’t you hear that?”

“…hear what?”

“The whispering.”

“I… no? Are you okay, Samus?”

While said whispering continued—and in fact, got louder—as Samus approached a rather suspicious thicket, she adamantly asserted:

“I know what I’m hearing… and it’s coming from right behind here…”

Samus burst through the veil of brush and trees, and though she ‘sensed’ no threat, she drew her cannon at the low-ready anyway, and did a quick sweep of her immediate area. Her motion tracker was as lifeless as ever today, and her systems found no targets that warranted being fired upon. But perhaps most-infuriatingly and cliché was that the mysterious whispering abruptly ceased. She was left with nothing but the silence of her surroundings.

Though perhaps a little too silent. All other ambient sounds that one would expect to hear deep in a forest had completely died out. It was a silence that Samus knew well: one that was overbearing. All-encompassing.

Claustrophobic.

Almost like an apex predator was nearby, and every molecule around her was trying to keep as low a profile as possible. And yet, her senses were not ringing any alarm bells. The hair on her skin did not stand rigid. Adrenaline did not suddenly course through her body. Though she angled her cannon upward and placed a controlling hand atop the center of the barrel, she in no way felt threatened.

And that in and of itself perplexed her.

At least, until the whispering returned from further ahead. Only this time, she was not met by anyone trying to tell her something. Her motion tracker confirmed this outright, and even a quick scan through her OM-Visor revealed nothing but the occasional, ambient magic collection via the surrounding flora.

Twilight cut in:

“Okay, I think you may actually be on to something…”

Samus perked up.

“Why? Can you hear the damn whispering? It keeps calling to me… from over there,” she said, and continued straight through the forest, determined to get down to the bottom of this.

Twilight’s answer wasn’t entirely expected:

“No I can’t hear anything else… but I can tap into the magic around you, through your body. Something seems… odd about this place. This section of the forest, like when I talked about it in the map room. But this is different than I expected.

“It doesn’t feel like the natural, ambient magic the Everfree is known for. It feels…”

Twilight seemed to struggle with the appropriate word, until she decided on a rather telling one:

“…foreign.”

As she said that, Samus realized something about her steps: she was in no way the first to make them, and right beneath her boots existed a trail. It was barely noticeable, and one had to really look for it to see it, but as she continued walking, she understood it was a trail nonetheless.

“Check this out: looks like a path. Barely used, but still used at some point in the recent past.”

Twilight still seemed beside herself.

“This is so weird. This whole section of forest seems like it doesn’t belong. Something’s different about it, and I can’t quite place it. Something also tells me that we may not have any other options in pursuing Fluttershy, so all I can say is to be diligent with our surroundings, as always.”

Samus nodded, flicking back to her motion tracker—nothing out of the ordinary.

“Yup. The map’s still responding but… hey, Fluttershy’s marker moved!”

That garnered Twilight’s attention fully.

“What?! Oh my gosh, you’re right… it’s now pointing straight ahead! How in… where did you step through?? Did you perform a spell when I wasn’t looking?!”

Samus replied:

“I don’t know! I just walked through some random thicket from where I was—and still am—hearing this goddamn whispering! But it’s getting less audible as we, coincidentally, are walking along this small path.”

Twilight huffed.

“I don’t like this… this is too convenient to be anything but bait.”

“Agreed, but like you said, I don’t think we really have much of a choice here.”

While Samus didn’t slow her pace much, she raised her cannon fully and aimed it out in front, ready to get the drop on anything that dared to think they could entrap her. It hadn’t been her first rodeo in needing to enter into obvious traps, and it certainly wouldn’t be her last. Regardless of that fact, she was at least thankful that there was a path forward from… wherever she stepped through. Unwelcome thoughts about alternate dimensions and universes began to filter into her head, much like the status quo on Aether.

She certainly hoped this wasn’t one of those circumstances, in which she just accidentally stepped through some time or dimension slip.

While the mysterious whispering finally died out again, Twilight’s own whisper cut through the tense silence:

“Something’s up ahead…” she said, and pinged the object of interest: what appeared to be a slab of stone through the veil of rain and lushness that was overgrown, and reclaimed by nature.

“Let’s have a look,” Samus said, and as she approached into scan range, she could already take in its size:

Monolithic.

From a distance, it seemed to blend in with the trees just on the periphery of this less-traveled path through the Everfree. As she drew even closer, its inherent, obelisk-like geometry made sure it stood out as a notable landmark in a veritable sea of green. Its height eclipsed her own by at least two times… though what was more interesting was the metal plaque that lay embedded within the once-smooth, lazer-etched stone, obscured by foliage.

Samus tore off the obstructing vines and brushed her armored hand over the rectangular plaque, only to widen her eyes at the clear, embossed writing. She inhaled deeply.

And… then smirked ever so slightly.

Of course you were here.

“What is this? Doesn’t look like any Pony or ancient Alicorn writing… or any other language I know of. What does it say?”

“‘Viridia.’”

Samus internally chuckled when Twilight astutely noticed something:

“…you didn’t use your Scan Visor for that.”

“I know. Didn’t need to. It’s Chozo.”

“…What?”

“It looks like my suspicions were correct. There’s probably an abandoned Chozo outpost up ahead. Curiously, in the same direction Fluttershy is.”

Samus dared to look up past some leaves towards the top of the obelisk, and in using some of her magic to brush the hulking foliage aside, she found a massive, familiar, avian-esque face staring down at her. It’s once-bright, hollow eyes seemed to stare straight through her visor and soul over its prominent beak.

“Yup. They were here alright.”

Twilight, understandably, was not in the loop, nor had any frame of reference as to what Samus was talking about. Or rather, who she was talking about. Her frustration in her lack of understanding was more than palpable.

“What… what…? Who’s ‘they?’” Who are these ‘Chozo’ you keep speaking of? You never elaborated on them back at the castle.”

Samus marched forward, much more determined than before with the sinking feeling that those whispers she heard were not exactly a fluke of nature, anymore.

“I told you to remind me when we got back to the castle. You never did. Figured you would’ve read up on some stuff when you were glued to my tablet,” she replied.

Twilight didn’t seem too keen on that response, and Samus had to stop herself from giggling.

“Well excuuuuuuse me! I was reading your data on the Space Pirates because I want to understand the invaders!” she countered.

“Welp, then prepare for a crash course… because I don’t have time to tell you right now. Instead, I’m gonna show you. Let’s see what my former caretakers were up to on your planet…” she mused.

What was a little more confusion to Twilight?

“I… Okay…”

Samus broke into a light jog down the path… which gradually became more and more defined with past use as she drew closer to the suspected Chozo settlement. Foregoing some extra care towards her motion tracker, Samus only concentrated forward… and on the sound of her heavier breathing as she exerted herself marginally. Her vision occasionally caught sight of other obelisks, though with no other identifying features on them save for identical Chozo busts.

A little while later, Twilight broke silence again:

“Careful… map shows that the path abruptly stops and drops.”

“Noted.”

And indeed, the fog of the everlasting rainstorm seemed a lot more visible through this remaining section of forest… much more than she would’ve expected unless there was another clearing of sorts, similar to the Castle of the Two Sisters. She slowed down either way, breaking her jog and falling into an easy walk as she approached what increasingly looked like a cliff’s edge. She used both her hand and cannon to brush aside the final barrier of undergrowth… and stopped immediately at the sight.

Twilight was first to react, and sounded like she was ascending to a different plane of reality to explain what was in front of her… or having a panic attack:

“Oh… what is this…? What is all this?! This isn’t possible… the Princesses never mentioned any other race of beings that… that could’ve built this! How…?”

Samus was impressed, to say the least.

“This is… definitely not an outpost.”

Samus lowered her hand and cannon to her side as she took in the entire sight… where numerous, imposing structures as high as at least twenty-story buildings took prominence around the elliptical perimeter. Each one held the massive face of what Samus could recognize as a Chozo Warrior, peering down and onto the buildings below… watching.

Waiting. Protecting.

Those very structures below seemed to be interwoven with the foliage of the Everfree… partially due to reclamation of the forest, but almost as if to ‘replace’ what had been cleared out from ground to canopy. The sharp, curved, and smooth geometry of unmistakeable Chozo architecture conformed to Samus’ expectation of what a ‘large’ settlement had come to be. A collection of various utilitarian structures—of which Samus could discern their purpose from her vantage point—told her everything she needed to know.

Though as always, there was a certain beauty by design to all of it. One that never failed to make Samus exhale most of her troubles. Usually.

This was a colony. In no way brand new, but in no way derelict. From the fact that nothing seemed overtly falling to pieces and crumbling to time, things had been halfway maintained somewhat through the recent past. And the similarities to the ruins on Tallon IV were of striking note to her.

Samus thought that the rain curtains were playing tricks on her eyes with the distortions of light and shadows in the distance… but as the rainfall cleared up ever-so-slightly, the surrounding obelisks no longer took prominence. Her eyes lay solely on the megalithic, trapezoidal Chozo Temple at the opposite end. One that loomed even larger and more imposing than anything else around.

Fluttershy lay directly ahead. And the way forward was a wide set of stone stairs—marred by floral vines—that dropped straight down into what looked like the main, bisecting road at the center of this city.

‘Viridia.’ Hmmmm.

Twilight noted to no one in particular before she asked:

“I uhh… I think we found our way forward. Think Fluttershy is in that giant… thing over there?”

“Oh?” Samus began, then asked wryly: “Just whatever gave you that idea?”

Twilight responded with identical tone:

“Call it a mare’s intuition.”

“Only one way to find out. Let’s also see if we can learn a thing or two.”

“Please! I have… so. Many. Questions. And more than a few concerns.”

Samus took a deep breath, steeled her thoughts and emotions for what was potentially to come, and propped a hand on her cannon as she began the easy trek down. A singular, full-body Chozo statue that she had not paid mind to at first oversaw her initial descent.

07. Viridia

Author's Note

Done holding onto this chapter. It's not perfect. I've re-written it like two and a half times already, and for what I want to do and for things I want to set up for the future, this is what I feel is the best rendition of this. Lore drop chapter, too... one that's needed I think for future setups.

I love what I've introduced here, and there's plenty of more (comparatively) exciting things to come as a result. Hope this was worth the wait, and I really hope you enjoy it!

07. Viridia

A simple check of the time from when she began her descent, to where she found herself now would reveal the obvious truth: the trek down the massive, ‘welcoming’ stairs into this Chozo city that seemed to materialize out of nowhere, did not take longer than a couple minutes at most.

But to Samus, every step that she took seemed to slow down time as her view of Viridia cleared up.

Imposing, for sure. Majestic, even. This was the largest, single settlements she had stumbled upon since Tallon IV. More than that, it even rivaled Chozodia back on Zebes. Perhaps her mind was attempting to take in more than she was seeing… to archive these sights and preserve them in any effort to keep the memory of her caretakers alive.

On a deeper level, it meant so much more to her.

Despite the distance that she closed, and no matter how quickly her Suit’s environmental controllers worked to clear up the water splatter on her visor, her curiosity couldn’t be sated from a safe distance. Anything she tried to get a proper look at seemed just out of focus for her eyes, even with the aid of some optical zoom, courtesy of her Visor.

Any clarity that could otherwise prove vital to hers—and Twilight’s—survival was just beyond grasp. Any potential answers to the questions burning inside her head were merely echoes of intelligible whispers.

As it always tended to be, for Samus.

Twilight suddenly broke the silence with her reverence:

“This is insane…”

Samus was more than inclined to agree in equal temper:

“Right? After all this time they still manage to surprise me.”

“Wait, what? You said you lived amongst these Chozo…”

“Not these specific Chozo that once resided here, obviously, but yes. And?” Samus inquired further.

“Oh for… duh! But I’m asking how any of this surprises you, like… at all. You lived amongst them, so shouldn’t their mannerisms and general antics be kinda, you know, familiar?”

Samus actually had to chuckle at that, and she delivered an answer with a sarcastic response that wasn’t so much pointed at Twilight, but was more a mild venting of frustrations.

“Oh ho ho, you’d think that, wouldn’t you? One might think that after living with them for the greater part of my life that I’d know everything about the Chozo and how they operate!

“God, I wish that were me,” she said. “In all seriousness, no. There were a few things I didn’t even know about my immediate caretakers—my second parents. And I have a feeling that, like you, I’m gonna have more than a few questions of my own. Probably more than’ll be answered, if I go off my experiences. That doesn’t even account for tribal differences.”

Silence returned as Samus cleared a few more steps, and then Twilight spoke up with a bit more knowing, if tentative, tone:

“…That was was probably the most emotion I’ve ever seen—and felt—you respond with. Did I touch a bit of a nerve? I’m sorry…”

The Hunter was quick to dismiss that.

“Nah, you’re good,” said Samus. “When you get cast off as a young teen to ‘do your duty,’ it shouldn’t come as a surprise that you’ll have many lingering, unanswered questions and ‘issues’ with those who sent you on your merry way…

“Especially when they do their damndest to stay hidden nowadays.”

“Why hide…?”

“There’s many reasons. Some I know… some I don’t. Sure they all factor, somehow. Something I intend to find out, eventually.”

“You think we’ll find out here?”

“I doubt it. The Chozo are notoriously secretive about things like this. I mean… we might, but I wouldn’t count on it,” said Samus.

By the time she finished her sentence, Samus had lay her first step onto the main ‘street’ of Viridia, one that gave her a straight line of sight down to the hulking Temple at the other end… now much more visible through the shroud of rain. Though there was much to explore on this side of this small city… or really, the whole city to explore and sift through, Samus knew that her goal lay within the confines of this—according to her map—Grand Temple.

Her top priority lay directly ahead. It was rare in her career that any ofher objectives were this linear. The temptation to explore a literal Chozo colony, though, was immense. She knew the mission at hand…

…but that didn’t mean she couldn’t meander down this street, and take in the sights and scour for information on the way down.

Twilight spoke up again:

“Well… either way, now that we’re right here, doesn’t look like anyone’s been here super recently.”

Samus was keen to agree. A closer look at the first structures flanking the road showed much more dilapidation than could be seen from their previously higher vantage point. Cracks that were previously unseen through the shroud of rain were much more in her face, spiderwebbing up from the foundation and marring the once pristine surfaces.

Entire chunks of stone and alloy material had been born to the earth by gravity, leaving gaping holes in the edifices. The ethereal fingers of the Everfree also did well to reclaim its territory… grasping at the structures with its vines and moss.

And as she took her first steps forward, Samus quickly learned that this wasn’t just isolated to the first sets of structures. They were nowhere near the state of utter collapse that the ruins of Tallon IV were in…

…but in no way brand new, either. That was for sure.

Indeed, as she marched forward at an easy pace, none of the buildings seemed to be in any state of habitability.

Nevertheless, she went onward…cautiously. Only the constant falling rain and her easy breathing kept her audible company. The wet haze and the endless sea of drops striking the stone road and surrounding lushness beckoned her like an aircraft down a runway of ‘peaceful dereliction.’

As she flicked her eyes back and forth, she noted how it all looked so familiar.

The construction, beyond the similarities to those found on Tallon IV, was just personally familiar to her—nigh identical to some of the very same buildings that she had spent some of her formative years in, back on Zebes. She knew for a fact that she just passed an abandoned laboratory. She made a mental note and a mark on her map to check it out on the way back, as she might find something interesting. Perhaps some Chozo tech she could use.

But, Fluttershy first.

Samus continued her meander down the main street, and her view of the Grand Temple cleared up more and more. As well, her journey was in no way ‘alone’ in the traditional sense: statues of Chozo warriors—all standing at attention on either side of her, and gazing and aiming their spears towards the temple—flanked her path forward.

One hell of a direction marker, if she ever saw one.

And as she approached the first statue—easily over twenty feet tall—she found a simple inscription that she could read as ‘Warrior’s Path.’ However, there lay some scripture just underneath, much like an information plaque, that would’ve taken her much longer to decipher on her own rather than just employ her Scan Visor.

No matter how familiar the inflecting, triangular writing was. Formal jargon always tripped her up.

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete…]

[Chozo Lore Translated]

[If the natural universe in balance is the beating heart of our Empire, this defense colony is the iron bone and muscle of our unity that shields it, therein. Only the finest and mightiest warriors and the purest scholars of our grand society shall be forged in the flames in Viridia. In a galaxy of darkness, may the beacons of the incorruptible light the way.]

Twilight cut in as Samus dismissed her scan visor:

“Poetic.”

“It’s a habit of theirs,” Samus added, moving on and continuing right down the middle of the street. The Chozo Temple was slowly but surely getting closer.

“That text also said that they were an empire? How can they claim such a mantle, and yet remain so hidden… so… secretive?”

“They were,” the Hunter answered. “The Chozo Empire doesn’t exist anymore. It fractured into a few prominent tribes… and probably some lesser known ones. That was before the real decline happened.”

“What happened to them?”

“To my knowledge, almost all the Chozo as a race are extinct now for… various reasons, many that I don’t even know.”

Twilight quickly put two-and-two together.

“So… that means that Viridia’s been here for a while. A long time… And from the rest of those words, I’m guessing this colony exported soldiers and intellectuals to the Empire.”

“Yeah. Definitely seems that way. All these Chozo Warrior statues make a lot more sense with that frame.”

But as Samus continued onward past the third row of Chozo statues flanking her path forward, a familiar, dread-filled tingle shot up her spine… One that was gone the moment she felt it.

She stopped in her tracks.

If there was any room between her skin and her suit, all the hairs on her body would be standing straight.

A familiar claustrophobia overcame her, and Samus spared a cursory glance around her when her motion tracker held no answers. Nevertheless, she began a deeper scan with her eyes, occasionally flipping visors at anything that looked like it didn’t even remotely belong. The business end of her arm cannon led her gaze.

The sudden change elicited a fair response from Twilight:

“You’re a lot tenser, suddenly. You good, Samus?” she asked.

“We’re being watched.”

“Huh? How do you know? Nothing’s on the motion tracker. And reaching out through magic, I… don’t sense anything in the area…?”

“You don’t survive in my line of work as long as I have without your own sixth sense like this. We’re being tracked. I don’t know by whom, and I have nothing to prove it… but I know we are.”

“…okay. I believe you. But we’re still gonna have to keep moving forward.”

“Oh I know. That hasn’t changed… but the whole context of this has changed. We’re not alone.”

“Right. I’ll keep monitoring our surroundings with magic.”

Moving on, there was no more scripture to be found that further expanded on that first plaque. While it certainly answered what this place was, as expected, there was nothing really telling her what actually happened to Viridia, nor any dates to ascertain how long it had actually been since its decline.

What Samus did find instead on her left was a familiar, open-ceilinged, sloped structure that seemed to span an entire couple blocks. Even more iconic and telltale was the fact that some of the standing pillars leading up to an observation post were still somewhat intact. At first glance to anyone in the know, it would look exactly like a community obstacle course.

A wave of familiarity overtook her, and Samus was compelled to gently stop.

She didn’t mention anything to Twilight, who remained blissfully silent. Nevertheless, after a quick, cursory glance over her shoulder, and then another casual look about her surroundings with her cannon, she moved back towards the center of the street so she could take in the full sight.

She knew whatever was out there—just past the periphery of her vision and senses—was still watching her. Her instincts, along with her systems, told her well that whatever, or whoever it was was intending to keep its distance.

Regardless, she lowered her cannon and allowed herself to reminisce for a few moments.

She vividly saw her younger self: At ten years old, she was onto the next step of her training. She remembered Gray Voice and Old Bird watching her intently as she was putting her athletic and acrobatic skills to the test. The exhilaration she felt… the lightness in her core and the face-spanning, open-mouthed smile she had as she squealed with excitement upon ‘taking to the skies.’ With nothing but a rope to swing from, it was all that stood between hopping successfully from pillar to pillar, and a potentially mortal plunge to the ground below.

It was supposed to be an examination of her general fitness and alacrity. It was supposed to be serious business. It was dangerous. It would be telling of her abilities to come.

She had the absolute time of her life.

And right next to this facility appeared to be a fitness clinic… or rather, Samus assumed that was the case, since it looked exactly as it did back on Zebes, in Chozodia. She also remembered the excitement and pride she felt after her physical that day, the doctors proclaiming her ready to take on the aforementioned next step in her training.

Samus remembered how Gray Voice looked on—pleasantly annoyed—while she bounced around… all before she vaulted over Old Bird’s head to sprint towards the training facility.

Samus sighed almost dreamily, and let her stance sink a little bit as a fond smile formed on her face.

I could’ve used a year or two more…

Her daydreaming was suddenly interrupted by Twilight:

“Hey… you okay?”

The Hunter didn’t respond immediately, letting herself relish a little bit more in the silence and warmth of her reverie.

“Yeah. Yeah I’m fine,” she said. “Sorry. Just… got lost in thought.”

She continued her path forward, and willed herself into a light jog to make up for time during her minute-long reminiscing session. While she got some nostalgia-fueled morale boost that she didn’t know she needed, it also put a dampener on the other side of her mood… reminding her of some rather profound, personal questions she had for her caretakers that she never got an answer for.

Thankfully, Twilight again cut in before her good mood could spiral downward:

“So, I’ve been kinda feeling out deeper into the world with magic as we get closer to the Temple…” she began.

Samus could hear the excitement building in her voice.

“And?”

“There’s a familiarity in the magical current surrounding this side of the temple. It’s the traces of an aura I haven’t felt in a long time. Looks like the map is accurate: Fluttershy’s here. I can sense her, myself. We’re on the right track.”

With confirmation from both her own map, the Map back at the Castle, and Twilight’s own magical senses, Samus was more than ready to get this over with.

“Awesome. Let’s double-time it, then.”

And once the last word left her mouth, Samus broke into a proper sprint. The Chozo statues that lined the street began passing her by faster and faster… as her own Suit carried her faster and faster in kind.

Significantly faster than she could sprint on her own. The almost robotic-sounding whirring as the joints of her Suit kept up with her pace almost drowned out the entire ambient rain and her heavier breathing…

…but this wasn’t enough.

Samus wanted to go even faster. Accepting the fact that whatever was stalking and keeping tabs on her was keeping its distance still—and that it knew she was already here, by extension—she decided to take her speed to the next level.

Samus kicked her Speed Booster engine into gear, and after a couple seconds of her systems calibrating her sprinting speed, she felt the telltale lurch. Suddenly, her surroundings appeared as if they were partially obscured through an energy sheen, and Samus’ legs carried her seemingly orders of magnitude faster. She could barely keep track of the Chozo statues as they—and the rest of the small city—now passed by in a blur.

The Hunter had been starting to somewhat live for the reactions of her Suit’s guest.

“WHOA! Okay then!” she exclaimed the moment the boost activated. “You can become a ball, and you can run at super speed. Got it… are you an actual super hero?”

Samus didn’t answer that, but did manage a small smirk under her visor.

A trek that would’ve taken at least half an hour of just meandering flew by in a matter of a couple minutes, when the Temple took up her entire visor. Once some stairs came into view that looked like an easy front entrance, Samus cut her Speed Booster off. Inertia was easily overcome by pivoting on her heels and skidding to a halt just before the first step upward.

She wouldn't admit it, but she almost lost her footing and fell flat on her front with the river of rainwater underneath her boots.

“Alright… that takes care of that,” said Samus, stretching her legs a bit.

Twilight seemed inclined to agree.

“I’ll say! Heh, that’s one way of making better timing! Surprised you didn’t use that sooner!”

“Conditions need to be right for it, I’ll leave it at that for now.”

“Fair enough!”

From there, after another quick check to her sensors—and that sense that she was still being tracked—Samus brought her heel atop the first step up and into the Temple. From there, she opted to get a good look at the ‘object of her affections’ for the last half an hour or so. It’s sloped, trapezoidal exterior remained its greatest prominence, along with two more hulking Chozo Warrior statues with their spears crossed over the entrance in a pseudo arch.

Even through the rain, Samus could see that the Temple seemed in much better shape than the rest of Viridia.

In drawing her gaze over either side of the entrance, she could see that the rain matted two massive flags against the exterior. She took particular interest in these, and Twilight seemed to notice as well:

“What do you see?”

“The flags. They’re imperial flags.”

“…okay?”

Samus explained:

“Like I said earlier, the Chozo Empire hasn’t existed for quite some time. The fact that there’re still imperial flags here, along with the earlier text, means that you were correct: this colony is quite a bit older than others. It’s been here for some time.”

“That mean anything special for us?”

“Nothing really in particular. Just interesting to note… other than the implied history this place would have relative to the planet at large,” Samus noted as she further began her ascent towards the massive double-doors under the sloped overhang…

…an overhang which, when following it with one’s eyes, continued on towards the clouds above, which ended in another, imposing Chozo Warrior’s head.

“Yeah, true… when we find Celestia and Luna… if we do, I know I’m gonna have so many questions for them. This is unprecedented,” Twilight added.

Samus reached the halfway point of the stairs upward, and this section tapered off into a flatter section before continuing onward.

“It’d be interesting to get their take, that’s for—”

Samus cut her thoughts immediately as a sudden, singular, unknown blip on her motion tracker popped up.

At that exact same time, she noticed movement directly above her, right where the roof above the entrance met the sloped side of the Temple. Through the rain shroud, Samus could clearly make out a shadowy, hulking, bipedal figure hunkering down low.

She could see two shining, golden eyes through the veil.

Twilight even seemed to notice the newcomer right when she did, as the alicorn dropped a ping-marker right on their new target the moment Samus noticed it.

Samus thrust her cannon forward, arm atop it for stabilization, and kept her systems locked on the new entity. She slowed and controlled her breathing, choosing to wait and see if they revealed themselves or did anything untoward before she started shooting.

Twilight whispered:

“Who is that?!”

Samus shot a hushed answer back, hunkering down into a more nimble shooting stance:

“How the hell should I know?!”

As if reading both of their minds, the mysterious figure launched itself from its high perch, somersaulted in the air once, and dropped meteorically to the flat, level stair floor just in front of Samus. The profound, earth-shattering impact scattered rubble and water outward around the figure’s two, four-taloned feet, and forced Samus to take a couple steps back to shield herself.

Nevertheless, she kept her cannon jutted forward as she finally got a good look at the newcomer.

The golden forward-facing eyes were what drew her attention first, but as the figure unfurled itself fully and righted its posture to half again her height, Samus’ scanning gaze was drawn to much more interesting features.

And much more familiar ones.

Samus immediately took note of the the not-too-short, but somewhat wide and sharp beak. Small tufts of feathers seemed to worm their way out of the tight, full-body armor-suit that they wore… A suit that had abdominal, chest, and shoulder pauldrons that bore more than a striking resemblance to Samus’ own Varia Suit. All save for a bluish-green accent instead of bright red and yellow like her own. They held a gargantuan, ornate, double-ended spear in their right, four-fingered hand.

Thin forelimbs gave way to larger quadriceps and biceps… which fed into their massive, armored chest along with its helmet-less head… replaced instead by an ornate, arrow-like crown.

While Samus kept her cannon aimed straight at the newcomer’s chest, her combat stance belied her absolutely floored state of mind.

You can’t be serious…

Much more urgent words came from Twilight through hushed, seemingly gritted teeth.

“Uhhh… Samus? Who is this?! Is this a…?”

Samus spoke aloud to no one in particular, seemingly to convince herself more so than to answer Twilight’s question.

“Chozo…”

“…What?”

The imposing Chozo did not level its own spear at her, despite Samus aiming her weapon directly at their chest. From just their body stature, she could tell that they were male. Though, the lack of overt hostility from the newcomer encouraged Samus to lower her cannon somewhat… slowly.

Then a bit more…

…until it finally rested at her side, and the two engaged in a rather placid staring contest.

While Samus regarded the living, breathing Chozo in front of her with a processing, stunned silence, Samus could feel his eyes scanning over her with an infuriatingly, if understandably suspicious look as the rainwater flowed over and dripped down his beak.

Judging her. Evaluating her.

To convince herself during the pregnant pause that she wasn’t hallucinating despite Twilight seeing exactly what she was looking at, she consulted her Scan Visor quickly.

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete.]

[Entity Identification: Chozo Warrior]

She could hear Twilight continually pestering her with questions that she hadn’t the slightest what she was asking. To her, there was something suddenly much more important to focus on.

Dismissing her Visor, Samus allowed herself to relax just a bit more in her posture, even if she had to admit to herself the lack of any idea what was about to happen. Though she was feeling no direct, threatening aura from the Chozo, the tenseness of the situation was massively overbearing… especially in her wondering if she should be the one to speak first, or break the silence in some other, unconventional manner.

‘Social awkwardness’ was starting to become a hitherto unprepared-for commonality.

At last, the Chozo Warrior suddenly spoke in a deep, raspy, but much more formal dialect than she had ever been used to:

“So you have finally come. Or you are a brilliant mimic. Or perhaps I am already going mad.”

The Chozo language that graced Samus’ ears… one that she hadn’t heard in so long, was a nostalgia trip on its own. In a move she should’ve expected from Twilight, she could see a sudden translation program being layered onto her HUD, likely for the alicorn’s own purposes to keep abreast of what was happening.

Nevertheless, she never forgot her second native language.

“I’m… not sure what you mean by that?” she replied.

Apparently responding in Chozo was one major ‘check’ of sorts, as the warrior relaxed his posture a bit in kind, and in a brave move, racked his spear on his back. He began enunciating and emphasizing his next words with his hands.

And there was definitely an edge of sarcasm to some of his words.

“The Prophecy, of course. ‘The One who would vanquish evil and the Great Poison… and bring peace and light to the Galaxy, saving it from the veil of darkness,’” he answered.

And then promptly followed up with:

“Or so the Elders had told me.”

Samus huffed, and delivered a rather sardonic retort:

“Yeah… I’ve apparently been doing that for a while. Don’t really know what I’m doing a lot of the time though?”

She relaxed her stance a little further, resting her hips to one side.

The Chozo seemed to smirk at her remark. A closer look at just the color saturation of his feathers told Samus that this warrior wasn’t young per se, but he certainly wasn’t ‘old.’

He placed his hands together in front of his abdominal plating and began to pace in a circle around Samus. She carefully followed him with her peripheral gaze when she could.

“Well, you certainly wear the armor of our people. No doubt a great help in accomplishing the goals set out for you,” he noted, nodding, and then caveated:

“An older model, for certain… but still very capable. And a ‘Legendary’ frame, nonetheless.”

Samus nodded.

“It was a gift from my caretakers on Zebes. And the ‘Legendary,’ fully-powered aspects were gifted as a result of the Ruins Test in Chozodia. I’ve attempted to modernize it over the years,” she elaborated.

He completed his circle around her and nodded once in understanding.

And in a move that made Samus lose any and all tenseness, he placed a hand over his heart and bowed his head, tilting the arrow-like, golden headpiece towards her slightly.

“I am Viridian Shield. Warrior-Overseer of what remains of our Chozo Empire’s colony on this planet. Namely, of this city: Viridia.”

Samus cocked her head and put forth one bit of correction:

“Chozo Empire? The Empire hasn’t existed for some time…”

Viridian rolled his eyes.

“Indeed. Perhaps I just long for our society’s golden age. Then perhaps it’s more appropriate to say… I’m Viridian Shield, Tribe Viridus, Warrior-Overseer of what remains of our capital on this planet.”

He then hung on his words, and added something most pertinent:

“…and now I also defend what was asked of me once, long ago. Namely, an ‘Element of Harmony’ in my care. Perhaps you’re aware of such things?”

Samus smirked as she could hear Twilight squeeing happily. Clearly, Fluttershy was here, safe and sound.

She then mirrored the same gesture. Hand over heart, she introduced herself, if a little awkwardly:

“Samus Aran, Tribe Thoha, and uh… Bounty Hunter and semi-Chozo Warrior, I guess? Though, from what you said, it appears our Elders’ continued penchant for foresight has preceded me.

“And yes. In fact, I hold the Element of Magic within me currently. I hope you don’t mind that she listens and walks with us?”

He smirked again, nodded, and then turned on his heels while adding tersely:

“Come, Samus. There’s much to talk about.”

And he started up the stairs.

Samus glanced towards the translation layer that Twilight had placed on the corner of her HUD, and as if the two were sharing a ‘look’ with one another, Samus then followed Viridian on his heels.

Twilight tried her luck again with a tentative, prodding whisper:

“Am… I allowed to talk again?”

“Yeah, sorry about that. This is… a lot for me.”

“No worries! Let’s see what he says when we get inside.”

A quick journey up the remaining stairs, along with Viridian disabling an energy lock on the front entrance, and Samus found shelter from the rain for the first time on her adventure today. She watched as the Chozo Warrior sealed the door once more, and reclaimed the lead in front of her. It was an easy start down the foyer and into the first hall, which held a few doors on either side within its pristine stone construction… along with many more statues of Warriors and Scholars in different poses.

To Samus, it was almost like walking through some of the ritualistic temples on Zebes… maybe a little too much so. The nostalgia was overwhelming almost to the point of disorientation.

Viridian led on at an easy pace, and allowed Samus to close ranks next to him as he folded his hands together.

He then said something Samus nor Twilight expected to hear:

“You said you carry the Element of Magic with you. Twilight Sparkle, is it?” he asked.

“Yes…” Samus answered. “H-How did you know her name?”

The Chozo spoke as if the answer was simply obvious:

“Well… The Element of Kindness whom I’ve had the privilege of looking after, Fluttershy, told me much of her, naturally. And her friends.”

To Samus, that made perfect sense… but then her brain kicked in fully as they walked. That implied Viridian was able to talk to her, which then held a whole host of implications.

Implications that Twilight had picked up on, much like Samus already did:

“Wait… if he talked to her, then that means she’s able to freely walk around in physical form! So it has to be safe here from Tempest and the Storm Beasts, right?”

Samus broke from the conversation with Viridian to address Twilight’s question:

“Wait… does that restriction apply to the other Elements, too? Last time we talked about this, you couldn’t venture out without… consequences.”

“I think it does…” Twilight answered, the grand assumption front and center. “I don’t see why it wouldn’t apply to them. Though everypony else but Rarity can’t use magic, magic still flows through them in a distinctive manner. That’s what an aura is. It makes sense.”

Samus took particular issue with that last sentence of hers.

“You know good and well what ‘makes sense’ rarely happens in situations like this, Twilight.”

Viridian Shield suddenly entered the—from an outsider’s perspective—one-sided conversation, seemingly knowing an answer to an implicit question that hadn’t been asked yet:

“We’ve gone through great lengths over time to ensure that his site, and Viridia at large, are protected from… undue interference and intervention from those outside our realm. Twilight Sparkle may walk freely here.”

Twilight apparently didn’t need any further input from Samus, as the moment Viridian finished his last sentence, the alicorn ‘slithered’ her way out of Samus’ suit and materialized right next to her.

“YES!!” she exclaimed, happily bouncing on her hooves and doing a quick circle walk in place, all while fluffing her wings a bit. “Soooo good to finally get out like this!”

She was clearly in a good mood, and in her own opinion, Samus felt that Twilight had the right idea about some stuff… so with that, she flipped that mental switch and unequipped her Varia Suit. She stretched herself out, and was more than thankful to feel the cool air running through the temple on her face.

She then watched as Viridian chuckled, and knelt down onto one knee so he could be at closer eye-level with Twilight… who looked upon him with a hybrid sense of awe and non-understanding.

The Chozo also seemed to have more surprises for everyone in the form of much more mutually understandable words… all laced with that same, deep, distinctive rasp:

“Un-armoring oneself has no equal in feeling, that I agree. And perhaps I should switch to a more common language? It’s rude to talk when those around us cannot understand.”

He then extended his right hand forward to her.

“I am Viridian Shield.”

Twilight, after some hesitation, placed her hoof in his hand.

“Twilight Sparkle… heh… Princess of Friendship and uhh… Element of Harmony,” she introduced in kind.

Viridian smiled warmly, and Samus could discern how the ambient lighting, along with some crystal lighting, bounced off his subtly blue-ish feathers and skin.

“An honor to finally meet you. Fluttershy has told me much of you.”

Twilight giggled.

“I’m so happy to hear that she’s safe with you. And all good things, I hope?”

“All good things,” he replied. “I mean that quite literally. We’ve learned much from each other in the many years we’ve spent here.”

Viridian then stood straight up once more, and beckoned both to follow him forward.

“Samus… why have you come? Beyond the obvious… I sense a greater purpose beyond the vanquishing of the Phazon, or pure nostalgia and happenstance.”

Samus was all too happy to explain.

“My original mission on behalf of the Federation was to just scope out the Space Pirate enclave here, and their Phazon operations. Fortune wasn’t exactly on my side and my ship got damaged in a battle with those Phazon-corrupted Storm Beasts, along with making sure the Pirates don’t know I’m here,” she began.

Twilight decided to politely add to that:

“And fortune was on our side when Samus sought refuge in our castle. We took her in and exchanged information. In the end, we came to an agreement: She’d help me reunite the Elements of Harmony to accomplish our goals, which in turn would help her repair her ship and do her assigned job.”

Viridian nodded, and seemed to deliberate on this as the easy walk forward continued.

“I see,” he said. “I’ve heard so much about these Elements of Harmony. Not just from Fluttershy herself. But through legend and text from those who came before me.”

Samus asked the implicit question that Twilight was debating on how to ask:

“Did you know the Ponies? Or interact with them at all?”

“Not me, personally,” he answered. “When the Chozo Empire first came to the planet well over a millennia ago, one we thought was uninhabited, we were surprised to discover a fledgling society of equines.”

Samus glanced over to Twilight, whose full attention was on the Chozo Warrior with wide, rapt attention.

He continued:

“Normally we would have moved on… but the ambient energy here. The magic was much too strong to ignore. It would have been a boon for progress. We made contact and asked for permission to establish a few colony cities deep in this forest called Everfree. Well out of the way of their realm, as we had no need to interfere. In return, we would share knowledge and some technology: building and structural methods, farming techniques, crafting expertise… et cetera.”

Samus saw Twilight avert her gaze momentarily, processing everything he just explained. Samus could practically feel the questions and implications swelling the alicorn’s head.

The Hunter asked a question:

“What was this colony, Viridia, supposed to be?”

“A capital for a newly established tribe: Viridus. While the Chozo Tribes were unified in an Empire and federated accordingly, each tribe still had unique specializations and autonomy that was valuable to the whole.

“Every other tribe: Thoha… Qolga… Ovindus… Mawkin… Parnulom… all had at least one planet to call home. This would be ours, though with a much more unique living situation with the Equines.”

Samus followed up with the next logical question in her mind:

“What happened, then? Seems like Viridia is all that’s left.”

“Indeed,” he lamented. “Viridia is all that remains of one of the Chozo Empire’s oldest colonies. Where once we had many, thriving cities and were in occasional contact with the ponies… when the Empire fractured and much of our race decided to retreat into the relative isolation of scientific progress, we scaled back our settlements. They’re still out there, but they stand abandoned.

“This happened quicker when specialists, warriors, scientists, scholars… even the common citizen were needed elsewhere but Viridia. Many called to action for special projects of the highest importance.”

Now that interested Samus.

“Where’d they go?” she asked.

“Many decades ago, a planet had been discovered,” he began. “But not just any ordinary planet, but one teeming with both life and a… special energy, similar to the ‘magic’ of this planet. The potential for scientific and scholarly progress was limitless, and the Thoha tribe put out a call to all other tribes, asking for scientists, warriors, scholars, engineers… this was supposed to be one of the most important colonization efforts in our society’s history.”

Twilight looked like her head was about to explode, but the massive smile she sported as she kept her attention squarely on Viridian was just too adorable for Samus.

Almost.

Samus got the chance to follow up when Viridian stopped their trek and decided to draw his gaze over a sitting Chozo statue. His features fell into lamenting and reflection.

“As the years passed, a grave threat was discovered on this planet. A threat that had galaxy-ending implications to it, given enough time. All of Viridia’s best warriors, scholars, and scientists were called away immediately. Even survivors of Tallon IV, many who had sought refuge here and had forsaken higher technology, came out of retirement to leave for this world, to aid in neutralizing this threat.”

Samus rested her chin in the crook of her fingers, and stroked her jaw in thought. Knowing that there were healthy survivors of the scourge on Tallon IV was certainly a comforting thought. But the idea that a massive amount of what remained of the Chozo before she was born had coalesced on one particular planet was… concerning.

She brought the conversation back full circle, while subtly trying to press for more details for her own curiosity:

“So that explains the state of everything… but why didn’t you go? Why remain here after all this time? Seems awfully convenient that you’re just here to receive Fluttershy when things went to hell for the Ponies,” she thought aloud.

Viridian spared a glance down at her and imparted a knowing look… one that silently told her that he expected her to ask these questions.

He continued leading deeper into the Temple as he answered:

“Well, the survivors of Tallon IV were the ones that imparted all their knowledge and foresight. Especially the Elders, who were rather adept at the practice. It’s how I came to know of you, Samus,” he explained.

“Oh?”

“Indeed,” he said. “They proclaimed your presence… your future in cleansing Tallon IV and restoring it to its former glory. They claimed that, like Tallon IV, this planet would suffer under the Great Poison. But like then, you would come and cleanse it once again. To aid in this prophecy, the Elders ordered me to remain here, for my own higher purpose.”

“To help me?” Samus asked.

Viridian gestured appropriately with his hands.

“Ostensibly, yes. As I’m sure you know, foresight from our Elders is not always… specific.”

Samus felt that. Extremely. She exhaled as every memory of Old Bird and the Zebes council’s teachings, speculations, and predictions flooded her head. They were laughably unhelpful at times.

“Yeahhh… boy do I know that too well. Was this ‘threat’ dealt with?” she asked.

“Yes,” he answered simply. “However… problems arose once a solution was… engineered.”

Samus cocked an eyebrow with a humorous smirk.

“Weren’t we literally just talking about vague foresight?”

Viridian chuckled.

“This is true. But unfortunately, there are some things I’m not at liberty to speak of right now. I will say that in some ways, based on what I can sense of you through your travels, the answer to such a question was right in front of you… as it were,” he said.

Then waved his hand dismissively.

“I’ll leave the actual, mystical digging and foresight to those who are more attuned than I am. I apologize, Samus, but I’m not at liberty to speak of it beyond that.” he added.

That was probably the best answer Samus could’ve gotten, all things considered.

“Okay… then if this so-called galactic threat had been taken care of. Where is everyone? Why haven’t the Chozo come back?” she asked the golden question.

Viridian exhaled as he clearly pondered an appropriate answer for this.

“Much of the greater Chozo population’s hubris and arrogance in ‘continuing their work’ was to be our downfall. Our brightest minds, our mightiest warriors… and most others sought to extend their lifespan beyond what was natural. In a rare lack of foresight, a majority of our denizens could no longer reproduce. And technology could no longer provide the answer. Among other things.

“All I can say is that, in the end, more than a select few of us still remain. Alive and well, and we intend to reveal ourselves… in time,” he smirked.

And then his features downturned briefly as he added a rather telling bit:

“Though I admit, I would rather some Chozo… remain hidden and isolated away from galactic society. For our own sake.”

As they were talking, Samus noticed that the trio were coming up on a massive set of doors. Her map wasn’t revealing much, other than documenting where she had been, so she figured Viridian was leading them directly to Fluttershy. And on that vein of thought, Twilight decided to jump back into the conversation…

…if a little forward yet sheepish:

“The history of all this is certainly fascinating… and I really would like to know more… but how does this all tie back to Fluttershy? I mean no disrespect to you, Viridian, but I would really, really like to see my best friend again…” she voiced.

Samus couldn’t exactly blame her for those words, and in fact, she regarded her with a rather impressed look. She’d probably react the same way if she wanted to see someone who was essentially family… and the others in the party were babbling away at something possibly only tangentially related to the important stuff at hand.

Viridian nodded with a warm smile, however.

“Of course! Which is exactly where we’re headed right now, actually! But to answer your first question… it all had to do with the ‘higher purpose’ bestowed upon me. I had also assumed that it was to guide Samus here on her journey… and as the Great Poison fell to the planet and spread, the pieces of my own mission began to fall into place as I patiently waited here. Alone.

“Namely, by a miracle of magic and mysticism, I came into possession of one of these so-called Elements of Harmony—the Element of Kindness, as you’re aware,” he confirmed.

The trio arrived at the massive, shielded door into what Samus expected to be a ritual room, or a Hall of Elders as was most common in the middle of any Chozo Temple that she had the privilege of entering. Viridian then reached to his back and armed his spear, charging the blade with energy before pressing it agains the shielded door. Said blue shield promptly dimmed before the door irised outward and open.

“To defend the lovely equine creature that came with the Element was a means to an end to aid Samus. And with everything I’ve heard from you both, I believe I can now, finally, complete my task. Only then, will I be allowed to join my brothers and sisters once more,” he finished.

And with that, he beckoned everyone forward, and into what was indeed a Hall of Elders… one that Samus immediately remarked looked suspiciously circular in nature as opposed to squared off. Nevertheless, as she strode in behind Viridian, she took note of the hulking, sitting Chozo statues of Viridus Overseers and Elders of long past.

With Samus and Twilight able to fan out on either side of Viridian, that’s when Twilight immediately caught something at the end of the hall, and pointed straight towards it.

“Her Element!”

Samus nodded as she spied the pink butterfly gem at the very end, with the ambient light glinting off of it confirming its presence. Viridian then stepped forward while calling out:

“Fluttershy? We have… guests… I suppose is the right word! And I think you’ll be happy to see at least one of them!”

Samus watched Twilight perk up immediately, and hold her breath with massive apprehension on her face… made worse by the fact that there was no immediate answer. Twilight looked like she was about to start searching herself, when one of the energy doors towards the center of the Hall’s perimeter suddenly opened up.

The softest, smoothest, most timidly sweet voice that Samus had ever heard preceded the pink mane, teal-blue eyed, cream-colored pony that trotted in.

“What was that, Viry? It sounded like you said we had gue—”

Several dozen feet away, she stopped dead when her eyes fell on Twilight. The tense, claustrophobic atmosphere returned… and Samus felt like she could hear everyone breathing with how silent it seemingly became.

Twilight, shakily, stepped forward and raised a tentative hoof, and spoke softly:

“F-Fluttershy?”

Samus was more than content to stand back with Viridian and just observe what was about to happen. She watched as Fluttershy still seemed absolutely stunned in place, her gaze completely frozen in time… though she could see—clear as day—the wealth of emotion welling up in those wide eyes of hers.

Twilight tried again, with a much more pleading tone:

“Fluttershy… it’s me!” she said, and then added with playful sarcasm after taking a couple extra steps forward: “You couldn’t’ve possibly forg—”

She didn’t get a chance to finish that sentence as Fluttershy—in a blur—seemed to soar immediately over to Twilight and slammed herself right into the poor mare’s chest. Samus recoiled, stunned, that such an unassuming little mare could perform such a feat of pure speed, but that shock was quickly converted into amusement, and then warmth as Fluttershy’s hooves were securely wrapped around Twilight’s neck.

“TWILIGHT!” she cried, sniffled, and let her tears flow freely. “It’s r-really you…!”

The alicorn was not shy with her own emotions, and her own tears spilled over.

“Yes! It’s me, I’m here… Fluttershy I’ve missed you so much…” was all she could manage before the two of them embraced each other nice and tightly.

“I… I don’t know what happened!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “We were in Canterlot and then…” she sniffled, shuddering. “Then…”

“Shhh… it’s okay. We’ll deal with that later. All that matters is that you’re safe,” Twilight replied.

“W-Where’s the rest of the girls…?”

Samus sighed out, smiling softly as she watched the heartwarming scene in front of her. It had been a good while since her chest felt that light, and that ‘feel-good’ feeling diffused through her core. She knew it wasn’t all that much compared to some of her more grueling travels through the galaxy… but helping Twilight reunite with one of her best friends like this… and seeing clearly how much it meant to the both of them?

Worth every little bit of effort so far.

Samus glanced over at Viridian, who had crossed his arms, and too, sported a smirk. The two of them could talk business while the mares started the process of making up for lost time.

“She has been waiting for… some time,” he noted.

“They both have. They all have,” said Samus, nodding as well.

She then turned to look up at him fully.

“Thanks for keeping her safe, though. We’ve got a solid plan to reunite the Elements, so I can take her off your hands now.”

Viridian nodded once, and replied with more than a little forlornness in his voice:

“Of course. She has been most pleasant company these last fifteen years… that I’ll admit. But I knew this day would come eventually.”

He gestured over to the Element itself, encased in a protective glass, still glimmering in the ambient light of the Hall.

“The Element is yours. I’ll relinquish it—and by extension, her—to you, Samus. But…”

Samus cocked an eyebrow at that last word, and Viridian took that as his cue to continue.

“If I may, I would like to ask one favor of you…?”

“Yeah, anything…” Samus offered.

He sported a much more determined smile.

“Could I trouble you for a fight?”

Samus immediately wondered if she heard him correctly.

“I’m… sorry?”

Viridian hammered home the point by suddenly launching himself into the air as high and far as his powerful legs would take him, and then landing squarely on the other side of the arena-like Hall. In one fluid motion, he unhinged the massive, staff-like spear off his back and twirled it twice in his hold.

“I’m the Warrior-Overseer of Viridia… with me being alone for so long, I haven’t had the chance to keep my skills as sharp as I’d’ve liked to, against a worthy opponent. The Elders saw something in you… and the Thoha Council on Zebes trained you to the best of their ability. Will you show me?” he asked.

And then produced another spear. To apparently drive home the friendliness of the offer, Samus watched as he removed the sharp blade portions of the spears, turning the two weapons into blunt staffs. Once done, he hurled one towards her, and by pure reflex, Samus caught the coruscating weapon right in the center with her hand outstretched.

Twilight… had some concerns.

“Uhhh Samus…?” she began to ask.

But the Hunter needed zero convincing from Viridian. In fact, she was beaming. She didn’t think she had smiled this widely in years.

“Terms?”

08. Kindness

Author's Note

Finally done, just in time for the new year. I went back and forth on a couple parts in this, hoping I did them right as much as I could... welp, we're about to find out lol. Definitely let me know what you think about this one in the comments. I REALLY wanna hear what y'all have to say at this point in the story hehe.

Happy New Year, y'all!

08. Kindness

“Terms?” Samus asked simply.

Viridian didn’t respond right away, and instead preceded his words with a bright, blue flash of light enveloping his body. Much like when Samus disengaged her suit, Viridian’s body was left clad in a rather similar, muscle-tight, Zero Suit replete with familiar Chozo inscriptions and symbols… save for a forest-green color in contrast to Samus’ shades of blue.

“Blunt spear, fist, and foot. I do not believe one of us intends to die today over a bit of… fun. First to yield loses.”

‘Giddiness’ was not a feeling Samus expected to have coursing through her wound-up muscles, today.

“Music to my ears!” she stated, and then began stretching out her limbs and neck… all before she dropped into a proper fighting stance with her spear-turned-staff aimed forward at the ready.

Twilight’s concerns never abated. She called out a little more harshly while Fluttershy glanced anxiously between Viridian and the Hunter.

“Samus!” the alicorn yelled. “W-What’s going on??” she asked. Not that she wasn’t familiar with what was happening. There was very clearly a fight about to take place. The Hunter figured that she just didn’t know why.

Samus replied with a placating, soothing palm towards her. She had this, and of course there was nothing to worry about. She also, on the surface, understood Twilight’s worries… but in the end, the alicorn just didn’t understand what this all meant to her, personally. She would explain in time, for sure… as Twilight would likely have many questions when this was all done.

But for now, Samus wanted to indulge in something purely for her own sake and pleasure. With the current mission at hand, and whatever came after when this was all done, she had no idea when she’d even be able to have such an opportunity.

“Relax… no one’s dying today. I haven’t had a proper sparring match with my people since I left Zebes. Just… let me have this for me… please,” she urged.

Twilight wanted to say something else. Samus could see it in her unsure eyes and open mouth, ready to counter her concerns with that tentatively lifted hoof. No such riposte came, and she smirked gratefully when Twilight sighed out instead, and simply nodded with an uneasy smile of her own. The two shared a single nod of understanding with one another…

…and that freed up Samus’ attention for much more important matters at the moment.

She resumed her stance, pointing the now-blunt end of her spear towards Viridian… who fell into a rather unique fighting stance of his own: one leg bent in front of the other, with his entire body leaning forward and his right hand providing counterbalance behind him with this own spear clutched therein.

Viridian smirked.

“Are you ready, Samus?”

She clutched her loaned spear a little tighter, mirroring his smirk as she started nimbly shifting the weight balance between her feet.

“Definitely. You?”

“A warrior of the Chozo is always ready for the next fight,” he declared, and then promptly added:

“Oh! And I have one more request before we begin?”

Samus cocked an eyebrow, but didn’t alter her stance in the slightest… which Viridian took as his cue to continue.

“Please show me all you’re capable of. Don’t feel the need to temper your abilities.”

Samus didn’t answer him beyond that… she had no intention of ‘tempering’ her abilities in a fight, but naturally, she understood that this was supposed to be a friendly fight, and anyone going full-power here would probably end up extremely hurt. Or worse. She figured that she understood the underlying meaning of Viridian’s words.

With the giddiness of ‘training’ again with one of her kin returning to her core, Samus excitedly took a few steps forward in her stance, not daring to let the blunt end of her spear fall even a millimeter. Viridian, it seemed, mirrored her movements, and took his first steps forward as well, as if conveying a willingness to ‘meet her halfway.’ The determined smirk on his face was contagious… and Samus understood that she, in some way, was feeling exactly as he was. Perhaps even less than him, considering he had been here probably longer than she had actually been alive.

The distance closed. They got even closer to meeting in the center of the room.

And by this point, Samus was honestly much too excited to delay the inevitable, and she broke into a sudden sprint. Viridian followed suit, and Samus initiated ‘hostilities’ by throwing her entire kinetic energy and weight behind a downward swipe towards the Chozo warrior’s neck. A probing strike, to see where this all headed.

As she fully expected, Viridian blocked her strike with his own spear… but in a way most unexpected: he didn’t even flinch, let alone register that her strength had any effect on his stance. He was solid as all the statues she had passed here.

His smirk never let up.

“Straight to the point. I like it!”

Samus knew exactly what was coming next, and put all the resistance in her arms as Viridian moved to thrust her away… ensuring when she was inevitably—and easily—shoved off, she landed perfectly on her feet rather than being strewn about the arena haphazardly like used laundry.

The mere moment Samus landed perfectly on the balls of her feet, Viridian lashed out at her with his own swipe at her midsection… which was easy enough to parry away with her spear after a quick dash back. What she didn’t expect was for the Chozo to immediately follow up with a rather elegant twirl in place, which intended to meet the head of his weapon with Samus’ ankles.

Adrenaline shot through her body once more, and she decided against blocking the strike outright. Instead, she leapt over the sweep with the full intention of counterattacking the moment Viridian’s attack passed right under her. She moved to action her plan, twirling her grip on her weapon and preparing to strike at his back…

...but was instead met with Viridian’s foot planted right into her chest via a side-kick, which sent her straight onto her ass with a silent ‘oomph’ from her in response.

The double-follow up from the seasoned warrior should’ve been expected, in her opinion. Nevertheless, the strike didn’t cripple her in the slightest, and the moment she felt her ass harshly hit the floor, Samus utilized the sudden influx of kinetic energy and bounded up backwards into a reverse-backbend… which placed her right back onto her feet, ready to continue the fight.

If only she could see Twilight and Fluttershy both simultaneously stretch their hooves forward in grave concern for Samus’ health at that moment.

Viridian stepped forward and opened his arms invitingly. The teasing could be read on his face before the words even flowed from his mouth.

“Surely that isn’t your best, Samus? I wouldn’t expect that to have gotten you this far in your journeys.”

Samus was more than happy to respond to friendly banter with some of her own, now… and that smile of hers never left her.

“Good hit. And trust me,” she assured. “Had to see what I’m working with. I’m just getting started.”

As Viridian closed the distance between them further, Samus jabbed forward with the end of her spear once he came in range… further probing his defenses around his face and chest. As she had fully expected, the Chozo expertly dodged (with Samus noting how quickly he moved despite his size) or simply parried away her strikes with his own spear.

She didn’t let up, though.

His defiance in not wanting to get hit only fueled Samus’ drive to exploit an eventual opening. She never let up her assault, and in adding much more elegant and precise, trained, powerful strikes to her incessant barrage, she forced Viridian to retrace his steps backward. Reclaiming part of the initiative, Samus pressed her slow advantage… letting the first beads of sweat drip down her brow as she fought to prevent Viridian from counterattacking.

In one final burst of aggression, Samus lashed out with her spear and motioned to devastatingly slam it into Viridian’s knee. As she had expected him to, though, he stunted her strike right in its path with his own weapon…

...which, combined with his sudden, hunched over stance, gave Samus the perfect opening to launch a roundhouse right as his face… which he also managed to dodge, just barely.

And in the final stage of Samus’ grand plan, she had expected him to likely dodge her surprise attack. Using the built up energy from her kick, she followed through with a reverse-roundhouse from her other leg, and clocked Viridian right on the side of his head with the back of her heel.

The impact echoed through their makeshift arena. Samus could sense the two ponies off to the side flinching at the sight, and Viridian certainly felt that impact… as he immediately grunted deeply and broke off the engagement. He slammed his hand to the side of his head, stumbling away as Samus’ rather punishing strike put him off balance. Nevertheless, Samus stood ready to follow-up if he was going to try any more Chozo tricks.

None were forthcoming, and Viridian seemed to merely shrug off the hit with a few shakes of his head, before letting a smile return to his face.

“Now that’s more like it, Samus! Excellent hit!”

A third, reticent voice entered the arena when Fluttershy shouted through her hooves:

“Viry! Please… be careful!”

He didn’t regard her with a verbal response, but he did sport a fonder smile for a moment as he dropped back into his combat pose.

“Let us continue!”

Samus lunged forward and struck first once more with another stab towards his midsection… and that physical overture kicked off another fierce melee between the two of them at ultra-close range. A melee that, to an outside observer, might appear like an ultra-choreographed dance.

With the first probing attacks—and getting hit once—telling her all she needed to know about the scope of this ‘battle,’ she let her instincts take full control as her training and experience guided her actions…

…within reason.

On occasion, when Samus would block a strike, or lash out when an opening presented itself, she would catch Viridian cocking an eyebrow at her. At first, she dismissed this as merely a psychological trick to get her to trip up… one that she had no interest in falling for, so she paid it little mind.

Until Viridian broke off… and came roaring back with a massive, overhead strike that Samus barely had time to block without going to a single knee to cushion the blow. Both spears collided as Viridian leered down at the Hunter, and close enough where the two could share a comfortable eye-to-eye.

Then, through his following words, it became clear that Viridian was much more perceptive than Samus had expected during a fight like this:

“You’re holding back…” he observed, then cocked his head.

“Why?”

He was right, and Samus wasn’t sure exactly how to respond to that. As she struggled under Viridian’s weight, and shakily kept her left heel planted into the floor to stave off possible submission, she had enough time to ponder that question… one she didn’t have an immediate answer for. She knew this wasn’t a fight to the death—far from it. But she also knew that she shouldn’t be holding back what she was truly capable of, as Viridian requested at the start.

But, very real fears had been swimming around in her chest since the start of this… ones that she really didn’t feel comfortable vocalizing at the moment. It had been so long since she had even met another Chozo… another one of her adoptive people. And if Samus were to—accidentally—have a hand in bringing about their demise in a friendly bout?

She’d never forgive herself.

Even more than that, admitting these very real emotions never really yielded the best results for her when she actually was in training. Excess turmoil in her mind was a quick way to unintentionally unequip her Power Suit, or worse, slip up in her training… which would often lead to more admonishment from Gray Voice.

And rather than answer verbally, Samus channeled all her energy into her legs and thrust herself upward, and in turn, thrust Viridian fully away from her. He stumbled back and kept a bit of his distance as Samus righted her posture.

She then stood ready to attack once more. Her breathing was much heavier, and as the two stared at each other once more, Samus felt another emotion rise within her that she tended to keep under wraps: pride. One that was scratched when Viridian called her out on her very real temperance of her abilities. Keeping these emotions in check was part of her training, and it was of less effort now to suppress them and make sure they didn’t affect—or had as minimal effect as possible on—her combat capabilities.

But that didn’t mean she had to like when someone called her out on her bullshit. And like the experienced warrior Viridian was, he seemed to notice this as well.

And in noticing, an aura of familiarity and understanding graced his features.

“Ahhhh… I see now. I’m going to give you a gift, Samus… an ‘allowance,’ if you will,” he began as he dropped into his fighting stance again.

“Consider this a training exercise… and I’ll let you, just this once, do something the Thoha never allowed you to do: to feel. Feel your emotions. There are no consequences to failure here. I want to see all your power!

“Don’t hold back!

“Show me all of it,” he declared.

Samus blinked. She needed no one’s permission to ‘feel’ anything. But her training and consistent deployments made sure that she kept all her intrusive thoughts and feelings out of battle for the most part, and saved them for when they were most ‘appropriate.’ Nevertheless, being given a figurative green light by someone who was many years in age and experience over her in her own career as a warrior was something she, frankly, didn’t exactly know she needed to hear.

Still, she hesitated, and instead responded in her own, subtle sarcasm:

“I thought we weren’t trying to kill each other today, Viridian? And an esteemed Chozo warrior telling his own to let emotions get in the way? Never thought I’d hear the day!”

The two began to circle each other, closing the distance more and more as they took their steps.

Viridian lashed out again, grunting as he put his full power behind a massive, midsection strike. Samus had to throw her back parallel to the ground momentarily to avoid it… and the moment she saw him follow up with another sweep to her legs, she had to bound off her hands into a somersault to land back on her feet… just in time to dodge Viridian’s attempt to shove her with his shoulder. He merely brushed past her as she evaded with a quick dash on her feet, and the two resumed aiming their spears at one another.

“So wise were the Thoha in their science and mysticism… and yet, they never understood something you clearly do: said emotions you speak of. Feelings, of course, should never be used as a cudgel or in excess. But they can be used as an enhancement!

“Use them! Or perhaps… I should extract them from you!”

Viridian lunged forward again with a punishing jab of his spear, as if he was trying to run Samus through her stomach had the sharp end not been removed.

Samus gritted her teeth, brushing off his comments, even though she didn’t particularly appreciate the subtle put-down of her adoptive tribe. She then blunted his strike with two hands, thrusting the midsection of her own spear against the end of Viridian’s after some expert timing. With his attack coming up short and missing, Samus was given a golden opportunity to strike right at his face, which she took…

…by planting her heel right atop the bridge of his beak with her own grunt of exertion.

Viridian definitely felt that, though he continued to surprise Samus when he just accepted the punishment, and instead immediately countered with a swift backhand to her face. Said backhand rocked Samus’ world, and felt more like a proper punch with more surface area as she saw stars for the briefest moment. She was knocked straight backward and onto her ass and back.

It didn’t take long for Samus to shrug off the hit, clear her vision, and bound back up onto her feet, ready to continue the fight once again.

Viridian prattled on with his banter:

“Really now, Samus… is this what they let you leave Zebes with?”

The tinge of anger deep within her core flared up. Samus ignored it—stuffed it back down. Wordlessly, for now at least, she struck back at the Chozo towards his chest, forcing him on the quick defensive to block her attack… just as Samus had predicted.

She feigned being stunned by the parry, stumbling backward, which she hoped to elicit a counter strike from Viridian…

…one that materialized in the form of a massive swipe to her shoulder. Time seemed to slow down for the Hunter as she tried to find the perfect opening in his attack. And in the ambient light afforded to their arena, the perfect moment seemed to glint off his spear mid-attack.

Now!

Samus pounced and broke out of her feint to swipe up with her spear at the right moment, which resulted in the blunt end smashing right into Viridian’s dominant hand with an echoing crush, forcing him to drop his weapon at the impact. It was the Chozo’s turn to be completely stunned, as his hand seemed to convulse and freeze in place from the punishing strike, which gave Samus more than enough breathing room to immediately follow up on:

Samus jabbed the blunt end right into Viridian’s abs, evacuating his lungs and forcing his eyes to go wide as he lurched over… which put his face in perfect position to swipe up with her elbow, smashing it into the underside of his chin and beak. And that gave Samus the perfect target of his already thoroughly rocked core, by planting a powerful side-kick into his diaphragm with all the strength she had.

And for the first time in this match, she forced him back onto his rear, ending her brutal attack by pointing her spear directly at his downed form.

Samus smirked… then properly smiled. Sudden memories of her taking down her Chozo trainers for the first time in her life flooded her mind. The same feeling of pride and giddiness swelled her chest, and her morale swelled in kind.

More than enough to voice a proper reply to Viridian, who had not yielded and was already getting back to his feet.

“I didn’t ‘leave’ Zebes. I was sent away… when Gray Voice, Old Bird, and all the others felt they couldn’t train me anymore.”

Viridian reached for his spear and stretched his limbs and core out… along with biting at the air and seeming to realign his jaw with his hand as he dropped back into his fighting stance.

His expression was one of pure joy.

“Excellent hit, Samus! Such righteous anger… I know a proper target combination when I see one. Well done! And I had wondered,” he answered. “By your stance… the frustration I felt in your attacks after pressing…

“…you resent them for that, don’t you?”

Viridian closed the distance between the two of them again, and brought his spear up to level with Samus’, touching them together as they circled one another, seeing who would break the lull in their sparring.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because I wasn’t ready,” Samus answered simply.

Viridian parried Samus’ spear, forcing it down low to bring her guard down, only for the Hunter to wrangle out of it and bring her weapon up to level again… and then put a little bit of extra space between the two of them.

“Is that so?”

“Among other things.”

“It certainly shows,” he said.

“That obvious?” she asked, with perhaps a bit too much sarcasm in her voice.

Viridian suddenly brought his spear up and to the right, forcing open Samus’ guard at an instant before swinging his staff back around and towards her midsection. The fact that he was able to complete a full rotation on his feet in barely perceptible time was a feat in and of itself… but Samus had little time to marvel, as she leapt from the floor and threw herself horizontal to narrowly avoid his crippling attack.

Samus stuck her landing and jabbed forward at Viridian’s now-undefended head… though the Chozo simply gripped the blunt edge of the staff and suddenly yanked her forward. The Hunter was quite literally swept off her heels as her entire body was tugged forward, and her neck met the warm embrace of Viridian’s hand.

She could feel her eyes widening, her entire body starting to struggle as she was lifted off the ground by her neck with nothing for her feet to stand on. Mere moments seemed to pass in a small lifetime while her survival instincts suddenly kicked in. During the whole, couple-second ordeal, she ended up dropping her spear to free up her hands in supporting her body on Viridian’s wrist.

Though before she could organize any form of counterattack, Viridian had a proper, if simple answer to her previous, mostly sarcastic question:

“Very.”

And then Samus felt herself being hurled away like trash, though her body was more relieved for the intake of air once more. She tumbled onto the ground but quickly found her bearings to roll with the momentum and regain her composure back on her feet… though without her loaned weapon, which had fallen just in front of the Chozo.

“I’m starting to doubt the stories I’ve heard…” Viridian prodded, and then added with no small modicum of disbelief:

“You’ve battled your way across this galaxy time and time again—achieved exploits and victories only you were supposedly capable of. Continue to fight for so much good in this universe… all to fall to me in a simple training match?”

He didn’t stop, and struck out at her with his venom-laced words as if they were another tipped spear:

“Perhaps I should’ve been the ‘Chosen One?’ Or were the Thoha prophecies just rambling whispers in the wind? A tired race of senile birds placing unfound faith in the dainty hands of some orphaned human?”

Samus didn’t realize she was balling her fists white under her Zero Suit. Her head seemed much more claustrophobic and hotter than she remembered. The annoyance that barely registered on her radar of ‘banter amongst kin’ had now devolved into a proper anger… an anger that only swelled within her as her pride was further wounded by her own hubris of caution.

Behind her, she didn’t notice Twilight boring her eyes into the back of her head, studying… something about her rather intently.

Fluttershy, however, noticed a change in her best friend’s demeanor immediately.

“T-Twi? Are… are you okay?”

The alicorn shook her head, attempting to even form words that could explain what Twilight was seeing, or rather, feeling through her magic.

“I knew Samus was strong with magic potential from the moment she used it for the first time… but this? I can feel it growing by the minute. It doesn’t make sense… she’s a beginner! There’s no possible way…”

Viridian’s verbal onslaught never ceased:

“A. Little. Girl. Whose life would’ve been meaningless had her entire planet not been slaughtered by those marauding reptiles. Perhaps the Thoha sent you away… not because they felt you were ready when you, yourself, knew you weren’t… but because they couldn’t face their mistake?”

Samus furrowed her brow, glaring daggers at him.

Fluttershy began taking issue with the things being said as she called out the Chozo’s name scoldingly:

“Viry!”

He ignored her:

“That perhaps the prophecy was wrong: that in the end, all they created was a broken, childish, genetic chimera of a woman who was doomed to fail and eventually die before the altar of an impossible task!

“And if in all their wisdom, they knew this fate would come to pass… then we Chozo deserve our extinction.”

Samus growled as she sprinted forward, and in an act of reflex that surprised herself and her sparring opponent, she flared her magic and beckoned her weapon from the ground. It sailed through the air and met her halfway, nestling itself roughly into her palm as she struck fiercely at Viridian’s face with all her might.

A strike that he barely blocked, and one that forced his knees to buckle despite the rather prominent size-difference.

Samus didn’t even realize she was baring her teeth lopsidedly in a soundless snarl, only concentrating on boring her death glare into Viridian’s eyes.

And once the shock apparently wore off for the Chozo, he smiled widely.

“Or perhaps… I’m wrong. And maybe that Chozo fire still burns white hot within you!”

Samus, for her part, expected via pseudo-Pavlovian training to be punished for even daring to let anger course through her muscles. But Viridian only praised it. Tacitly encouraged it, even! In a moment of clarity when she expected her feelings to be one garbled, emotional mishmash of disarray from breaking training protocol, her mind felt oddly clear and razor-sharp. Her anger was channeled… focused.

Where she had been fighting for so many years for a goal that she couldn’t even comprehend its end, she suddenly, even if just for this fleeting moment, had something to prove. To prove to Viridian, to the Chozo…

…but even that thought didn’t sit entirely right with her. She shook the thought of proving something to someone else.

Her sagging morale that had been building up during her last couple missions had started to elastically rebound. The almost childish naivety veiled by excitement, adventure, and righteousness was thrust to the forefront once more.

Because in reality, Samus realized that thanks to Viridian’s rather harsh choice of words, she once again had something to prove to herself.

Viridian thrust Samus away from him via his spear and knee, and moved to deck her right in the face, but the Hunter was much too quick for that, even while stumbling away. In utilizing her much more nimble form and the acrobatic advantages it came with, she parried the punch away from her face and then jabbed the blunt end of the spear right into the Chozo’s gut once more.

In a lightning-quick follow-up, Samus then slammed Viridian’s weapon-hand with the other end of her spear, chopping downward on his digits which forced him to drop his weapon yet again… and that left a wide opening for her to continue even further.

Gritting her teeth, Samus followed through on her momentum in disarming her foe to twirl on her heel and send that built-up energy right into Viridian’s face with her fist, which forced him to stumble away this time, and attempt to right his posture.

She smirked. That hit was so satisfying. She could’ve sworn she heard Viridian squawk slightly when being hammered right between the eyes. But there was no time, in her opinion, to dwell on her small victories… she had an attack to press.

And press she did when she charged forward, shoulder-first, into the Chozo Warrior’s already-wounded diaphragm… and despite the size-difference, Samus successfully sent him straight to the ground and onto his back. She felt a sharp jolt in her shoulder from the hit, but she resolved to deal with that later, and promptly shrugged off the pain.

Apparently it was Twilight’s turn to voice her opposition once more:

“S-Samus!!” she called out, naively thinking Viridian had submitted when forced onto his back.

Like Viridian with Fluttershy, the Hunter ignored her exhortations entirely… and instead moved to bring her spear down on Viridian’s neck in a fierce swipe downward.

The Chozo caught the attack in his palm just in the nick of time, though the sudden stoppage of Samus’ follow-through left her blind just enough to Viridian’s counter-attack: his right leg, wound back curled.

Samus could’ve sworn her vision cut out momentarily when she caught his heel right on the bottom of her chin. And no amount of stumbling prevented her from the very real need to collapse right onto her ass a few paces away from a recovering Viridian.

Shit…

“G-Good hit…” she managed to slur out.

There was no response, and as she regained some measure of her bearings, she could sense Viridian back on his feet. However, she definitely woke up fully when the full force of his fist seemed to punch through her abs and into the ground below. All the air in her lungs felt like it was vacuumed out as every single one of her core muscles clenched all at once.

The anguished cry and groan that fell from her mouth at such a perfect hit to her stomach was not at all planned.

Viridian seemed to be having trouble breathing on his own from her previous hits she landed on him, and when Samus’ now-wide open eyes fell upon the hulking form above her, he found him with his hand massaging his own core.

“Heh… you’re most certainly Samus Aran. That fire still burns. And better yet… heh… you’re learning. Good. Yet you still hold back somewhat for my sake. I’m flattered!”

Little bits of air were managing to filter back into her lungs, and despite the praise she earned from her elder, all Samus could think of was how she was going to return the favor. Though apparently, that decision was made for the both of them when suddenly a lavender, magical pane of glass—a shield—materialized between the two ‘friendly’ combatants.

Twilight stomped forward, shouting as a scolding parent would their children, all accented with her imploring them to cool it:

“Alright you two! That’s enough! Samus, I respect your ‘training’ with your long-lost people… but I—we need you alive and in some working order! Please!”

Fluttershy had stepped out behind Twilight to say her peace:

“Please you two… n-no more fighting…”

Samus winced when she finally managed to sit up and rest her forearms on her knees, and she and Viridian shared a look from either side of the magical barrier that still stood between them. She could see her reflection in the glasslike shield, and she could plainly see a few marks from some of the hits she took in the last few minutes. Viridian wasn’t exactly better for wear, either, as his eyes looked a lot more puffed up. The mandible of his beak was slightly off-center from swelling in his cheek, and he continued to rest his hand idly on his stomach.

Nevertheless, it was a look of understanding… understanding that the two ponies standing before them just didn’t understand.

They smirked at each other, and Viridian nodded.

“Very well, you two,” he said, and added with more than perceptible giddiness that he just didn’t have ten minutes ago. “Even if I was looking forward to Samus’ counter-attack here… eagerly awaiting what she’d come up with.”

Samus held a similar sentiment.

“Ach… believe me. I was planning on it,” she said, as she worked to uncurl her still-sensitive stomach so she could stand up.

Seemingly satisfied, Twilight tossed the blunt spears away, and then dropped the shield from between the two.

“You fight well, Samus! You have much to learn… but the Thoha have trained you well! Though… hmmm…” he said, then squinted his eyes in inquiry, seemingly questioning what he was seeing, and his experiences.

Samus cocked her head.

“You okay?”

“Are… are you only Thoha Chozo?”

To Samus, this question didn’t make the slightest bit of sense, so she figured she’d reiterate what was already known:

“Well, I’m a human first and foremost, so…”

“I know that… but your… stance, musculature and… bah,” he waved his hand dismissively. “Nevermind. Perhaps I got hit too hard and am just seeing things that aren’t there.”

Viridian moved quickly to offer Samus a helping hand.

“Well done, Samus!”

And offered her another friendly, proud smile. Samus happily accepted his hand, and he immediately pulled her up to her feet. The tinge in her abs that she felt upon righting them fully was gnarly, and she winced at the sudden sharpness. She thought she might need to actually take painkillers for that hit…

…because she certainly didn’t have a whole Varia Suit equipped with pain dampeners to help her out in this fight.

As the Gods intended.

She looked up at him and smiled right back.

“Heh, thanks. Definitely roughed me up… ow…” she clutched her stomach. “Don’t think you’re all that out of practice, Viridian.”

His appreciative nod devolved into another fond smile.

“I apologize if I crossed the line with my words. I truly just wanted to draw out your best… your mightiest. And I was successful. Almost.”

“Nothing to be sorry for. Especially if they’re true… or thoughts that I gotta say I’ve had once or twice…” she finished a bit sheepishly.

Those words did sting… but in her mind, they served an important purpose, and helped reinvigorate her that much more after being on this transient frontline in the galaxy for so long.

The Chozo warrior gestured towards the Element of Harmony within its protective casing.

“The Element is yours, Samus.”

A small silence enveloped the group when Viridian ‘officially’ relinquished the Element to Samus… a silence that the Hunter only continued with a soft nod of understanding. Though, before she made her way over to claim her prize, she felt compelled to share a look with Twilight.

And she was beaming, nodding vehemently as she encouraged her forward with a hoof. Fluttershy seemed tentatively happy, though bearing the hallmark, flummoxed expression of not fully understanding what was happening.

Nodding once to her as well, Samus strode forward with all eyes on her, and to make sure she could monitor the Element’s future integration with her Suit properly, she re-engaged her Varia Suit. It also had the effect of dampening some of the pain she was still experiencing from the sparring match, which allowed her to shrug it off entirely and focus on the miniscule task at hand.

Samus stood in front of the small enclosure, and for some extra practice and gentleness, she used a little bit of magic to grasp at the glass casing and move it aside. And from there, she simply plucked the pink butterfly crystal off its resting plate. In the palm of her hand, much like with the physical Element of Magic, she could feel the power radiating within, though much more potently, likely due to her sensitivity to magic, she figured.

This ‘power’ felt… different.

Where the Element of Magic, physically, felt comforting and ominous, The Element of Kindness felt like the pure manifestation of warmth. Contentedness. A different kind of heat that swelled her chest and calmed the most active fringes of her nerves.

After dwelling on this for no more than a few seconds, Samus turned back to the group and promptly rejoined them.

“All set,” she said. “I’m assuming the integration process is the same?”

“Simpler, actually!” replied Twilight. “One second…”

She closed her eyes, lit her horn, and after a few seconds where the tip grew brighter and brighter, the physical crystal in Samus’ armored hand flaked away into small dust particles. Instead of surrounding her completely, a steady stream of them were absorbed directly into the Element of Magic on Samus’ chestplate.

Once the last of them were absorbed, Samus’ entire armor glowed softly with a mostly-transparent, pink, magical sheen for a couple seconds before that, too, faded away. Samus knew it was done when she felt that same energy she felt in her hand moments earlier… but now all over her entire body. The intake was complete.

And her Suit took the liberty of formalizing that:

[Element of Harmony Acquired!]

[This is the Element of Kindness. The second of six. Each Element—a tenet of Friendship—brings with it a bonus to you. Gather the remaining four Elements to unlock the Harmony within.]

“It worked, right?” Twilight asked.

Her systems showed no issues, and glancing down at her chest, as expected, the magical, lavender, six-pointed star was now joined on her chest by a pink, crystal butterfly to its left.

“Yup! No problems,” said Samus, and once she dismissed the notification, there was one bit of business left to tend to.

She disengaged her helmet for this. Samus then locked eyes with Twilight, and the alicorn gestured towards Fluttershy, who was getting her first proper look up at the Hunter since they first lay eyes on each other. Samus dropped to one knee in front of her to be at approximate eye-level, fighting to maintain some composure as she noted how Fluttershy cutely retreated behind her pink mane.

Twilight then began the proper introduction.

“Fluttershy? I’d like you to meet my friend, Samus. She’s a bounty hunter and warrior… and we can catch up on how she got here in the first place but… she’s here to help us. To help save our friends, Equestria, and the planet.”

Fluttershy revealed a little more of her face from behind her mane, and despite the uncertainty and straight-up reticence that her face sported, the awestruck look in her eyes was difficult to ignore. And Samus had to somewhat resist an urge to gently pet the mare.

She smiled nonetheless, and added in her soft—if somewhat awkward—greeting.

“Hi Fluttershy. I’ve uhhh… I’ve heard a little bit about you, but it’s nice to finally meet you,” she said.

Fluttershy glanced over to Twilight again, a wordless ask for reassurance, and Twilight happily granted that with a single, drawn out nod and smile. The pegasus mare then pulled out completely from behind her mane and smiled back up at Samus sweetly.

“H-Hi Samus… nice to meet you too…!”

Samus smiled just a little bit.

“Ready to head back to the castle? Not sure if Twilight told you, but Spike’s waiting for us to come back.”

Fluttershy perked up even more, gasping with a wide smile.

“He’s there?! YES! And the other girls…? And the princesses…?” she dared to ask.

Twilight felt it appropriate to step in:

“We’ve got the map working again, and we’re gonna go find them. One by one. I uhh…” Twilight lowered her head and glanced off to her left.

“...I don’t know what happened to the Princesses. There’s been no sign of them, yet.”

Samus brought it all together:

“We’ll figure something out.”

Fluttershy’s more dejected face morphed back into one much more hopeful, and she hummed, nodding once.

“Okay… let’s go.”

She then glanced past Samus, towards where Viridian was standing, quietly and fondly observing with his arms crossed over his chest.

“You’re coming with us too, right, Viry?”

Samus held her tongue… this was going to be the next order of business, as Viridian’s previous words held implicit meaning, in that once Fluttershy was securely in Samus’ ethereal hold, he’d leave to rejoin the other living Chozo… wherever they might be. The pegasus beat her to the punch.

Ahhh… there it is.

And Viridian’s silence told the mare everything, as he just gazed upon her ruefully.

Her features sullied again, as she stepped forward to meet him, wide eyes gazing right up into his.

“Viry…”

The Chozo sighed, and with a regretful smile, he dropped to one knee to be a little closer in eye-level to the mare… whom Samus saw looked like she was about to break down.

Samus and Twilight shared a quick glance, and watched on curiously.

“Dear Fluttershy… you and I both knew that this day would come. It’s been an amazing decade and a half with you…”

He placed his hand on his chest.

“You’ve made all the lonely years before you worthwhile, and gave another purpose to this aging warrior,” he smiled.

Fluttershy sniffled, looking away.

“Y-You’re not that old, Viry…”

He chuckled, as did Samus in the background.

“And befitting your Element, your kindness knows no bounds. I’ve learned much from you. But…” he gestured to Twilight and Samus.

“Your friends survived, and they await your return. Your home is with them, and they’ll need you for the fight that’s to come—”

“And we could use your help! I… could use your help!” Fluttershy reasoned.

Samus cocked an eyebrow. Another look was shared between alicorn and Hunter, both struck at the mare’s sudden burst of assertiveness.

This… is getting interesting.

“It’s… not my battle to fight. And my brothers and sisters—”

“I know, Viridian,” Fluttershy cut him off, completely teary-eyed, in using his full name. She placed a single hoof on his arm.

“I just… don’t want to lose you as my friend. You’ve looked after me and protected me all this time. And…”

Fluttershy stopped for a moment, lifted her head and blinked. Samus knew that look anywhere—something clicked in her mind.

She sniffled but continued on, much more determined than before.

“And you told me years ago that your own ship doesn’t work anymore since the engineers left! How’re you even going to get where you’re going?”

It was Viridian’s turn to glance away, seemingly struggling with words.

“I… intended to figure that out, after I was sure you were safe. Find a way to rebuild it, make it functional again,” he admitted.

“And in between? You’d just sit around… lonely again. For how long?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then why not come with us? Help us save our world… I think… I think we might need a somepony like you. R-Right, Twilight?” she asked.

Her confidence reserves seemed to be breaking down, and once again, Samus glanced over at the lavender alicorn. In a bit of split-second eye-language that seemed to transcend their ‘magical bond’ of sorts, Samus felt they were suddenly on the same page.

Twilight nodded with a bright smile.

“Yeah! There’s plenty of room at the castle and tons of supplies. Honestly… none of this would be happening without Samus here… but as strong and powerful as she is, I don’t think she can be everywhere at once,” she said.

Viridian didn’t say anything as he regarded her words pensively. This time, Samus had something to say toward this. It had been way too long since she had seen another one of her people, alive and well. She had no idea when that would happen again… if that would happen again. After much deliberation, and Fluttershy’s exhortations, Samus didn’t want this opportunity to pass on by without any input from her:

“They’re both right,” she said simply. “I can do the footwork in taking Twilight where she needs to be… on top of finding some parts to repair my own ship and going about my original mission.

“We could use some extra firepower back at the castle when I’m not around, among other things,” she said.

The two locked eyes, and they seemed to have an understanding once more. Nevertheless, Viridian regarded a once-again hopeful Fluttershy with a lopsided smirk.

“Is that so?”

Samus sweetened the deal:

“Tell you what. I’m working very closely with the Galactic Federation. As long as I can get the necessary parts and find the remaining Elements, it’s inevitable we’ll have to meet them face-to-face. If things go well enough, likely in the next couple weeks.

“I can… negotiate the transfer of a ship for you to leave to… wherever, once this is done. Strip it of all tracking and make it yours for your travels. That might beat tinkering around here for a few years… possibly more,” she offered.

He visibly cocked a massive eyebrow.

“You… can see to that?”

Samus smirked.

“Assuming I don’t die…”

She noticed Twilight immediately about to protest that, but cut her off, pointing directly at her before she could say anything.

“It’s a hypothetical, Twilight!”

She turned back to Viridian with a much more self-assured tone:

“As you said earlier, I’m ‘Samus Aran.’ When this is all done, the Feds will give me whatever I want. Trust me.”

Viridian brought a hand to his beak, staring elsewhere in thought, though Fluttershy seemed to have one more thing to add:

“And, Viry?”

He was brought out of his stupor and looked back to her.

“Like Twilight said, I’m sure Samus is strong… but she can’t be everywhere at once. That means I still could use protection when she’s not around…

“...which means that your mission still isn’t finished,” she alluded.

Samus pursed her lips. That was a proper ‘gotcha!’ moment if she had ever seen one.

Damn…

Viridian took a deep breath and sighed out drawing his unsure eyes over both Samus and Twilight… and then letting his fond expression return once he looked at Fluttershy again.

That’s when he stood up tall, and in a brilliant flash of familiar blue light, and he was garbed in his own, very green Power Suit once more. He sported a much more prominent, determined smirk. He had made up his mind.

“You’re right, Fluttershy. The elders told me that I was to keep you safe for your intended purpose. Until that purpose has been fulfilled, and until this planet is made whole again, my task is not finished.”

Standing tall and proud, he nodded towards Twilight.

“And if you would graciously have a middle-aged warrior past his prime, I would wish to remain around to fulfill such a task in helping watch over her. As you said before, Samus is more than capable—that I know first-hand now. But as you also said, she cannot be everywhere at once,” he asked the formal, implicit question.

It was Samus’ turn to grin widely.

Twilight reiterated the answer she gave earlier:

“Absolutely! We’d love to have you.”

Viridian placed a hand over his chest and gave her a familiar, respectful bow, all before another bright light enveloped his head, and his warrior’s helmet was now fully equipped.

“Then it’s done.”

“YES! THANK YOU!” squee’d Fluttershy, flying forward and throwing her arms around Viridian in a tight, smile-laden hug. After overcoming the initial shock, the Chozo smiled warmly, placed a hand on her back and returned the gesture.

“And, I think it’s my turn to offer some compensation,” he began again, releasing the mare to talk to Samus specifically.

“You need some parts, yes? Before we leave, let us stop by my own ship. Since it’s fairly useless in its current state, might as well give it life elsewhere. Let’s salvage what you think we might need, and we’ll find the rest elsewhere.”

Music to Samus’ ears. The less needless wandering around downed Pirate vessels, her life span and patience might be that much more.

“Sounds great to me!”

Samus then gently stepped towards a much happier Fluttershy, and knelt down to eye-level. It was time to finish the ‘process.’ She softly smiled.

“Ready to go?”

Fluttershy angled her face back towards Twilight.

“We’re gonna find the girls… and… and save Equestria again, right?” she asked.

For Samus, the alicorn’s determined words were nice to hear.

“As we always have, Flutters.”

The pegasus nodded in return, and gazed back at Samus more determined than ever.

“I’m ready. Let’s do this!”

With those words, Samus re-equipped her helmet, shrouding her features behind the neon veil of her visor, which somewhat startled Fluttershy. But, Samus wordlessly put her at ease when she offered her her open, armored hand. Fluttershy appeared to regard it curiously, but with a shy smile of her own—and some wordless reassurance from Twilight—she placed a dainty hoof into Samus’ palm.

In a bright-pink magical flash, Fluttershy’s physical form was no more, and Samus’ eyes briefly glowed the same color behind her visor. Twilight stepped forward as well, and she in turn re-integrated back into Samus’ systems.

“Welcome back, Fluttershy!” came Twilight’s ethereal voice in Samus’ head.

“O-Oh my… this is… weird. I don’t…” the pegasus barely said through sudden environmental whiplash. Samus wasn’t sure what it was like being body-less inside her own systems, but it was probably a bit different than the real or magical worlds.

Twilight was quick to the rescue:

“Don’t worry—I’m here. You’ll get used to the feeling, and we can get out once we get back to the Castle. Just… don’t touch anything in here. Samus gets annoyed if you do.”

The Hunter ignored that.

She then turned to face Viridian, who was coming up right next to her, fully armored, and holstering his ‘re-armed’ spear on his back.

He locked eyes with her.

“Shall we?”

She nodded once up at him.

“Let’s go.”

09. Manifest

Author's Note

Shorter chapter than normal, but there's a method to my madness.

As I'm gliding along writing the next arc of this story, this section wouldn't fit with the rest of the next chapter and 'Elemental Section' by way of too much tonal whiplash between parts. So, I'm breaking this off into it's own part to serve as both development and setting the tone for future arcs. I think it'll make sense once y'all read.

At any rate, please enjoy this shorter read! And do let me know what you think! :pinkiehappy:

09. Manifest

[Castle of Friendship | Common Room | Later That Evening…]

It was the first time she had been able to sit down since this morning, and her entire body was grateful to be cradled in the enormous ‘cat bed’ cushion: something that had become a staple of her unwinding in the Castle’s common room. Its usual, perfect position right up against the wall let her sit and lean comfortably, while also letting her mind get lost in the much-welcome scenery afforded through the massive window.

Well, at least until the shades had to be drawn. Then she could more easily get lost in the relative quiet of the room to review her notes, scan data, or whatever else needed consolidating at the day’s end by magical candlelight.

While there wasn’t much to pull together from a data perspective, there was plenty to take in from the day’s events:

The journey back to the Castle from Viridia had been largely as uneventful as the trek there. What made it different, and perhaps a little more lighthearted, was Fluttershy’s presence in Samus’ systems. She remained quiet though, as did Twilight… courteous to the Hunter since she still needed to be aware of their surroundings as much as possible in the event she had to fight to keep everyone alive.

That job had been made a little easier when Viridian brought up the rear, idly turning around in stride with spear in hand to cover their asses. Like Samus’ internal company, he didn’t speak a word as she led them back to base.

What Samus hadn’t been prepared for was Fluttershy materializing out of Samus’ suit the moment they were inside, and nearly tackling Spike once he had come to greet them. Much like the reunion with Twilight, Samus fondly recalled Fluttershy remarking on Spike’s growth as they shared one of the tightest, most genuine hugs… followed by numerous platonic kisses on his cheeks.

Likewise surprising, Spike didn’t need much convincing to accept Viridian’s temporary place in the castle once the situation had been explained to him. After a customary bow from the Warrior and a shared handshake between the two, Spike had come to the rather quick conclusion that if Samus and Twilight both trusted him, he trusted him as well.

It also went a long way that the Chozo had kept Fluttershy safe for about the same time they had been holed up in the Castle—a fact that the reticent mare gladly attested to. That counted for a lot in the drake’s mind.

What followed was a couple hours of reveling in the reunion of the second Element of Harmony, along with Twilight catching Fluttershy up with current events and where they all stood. Samus likewise caught up Viridian with galactic events since the start of his isolation, along with helping to convey the whole notion of ‘extraterrestrial life’ to Fluttershy… not that it was necessary.

Turns out, Viridian taught her much of the Chozo and the Galaxy at large to the extent of his knowledge. There were more than a few surprises in Fluttershy’s legitimately deep knowledge of the Chozo at this point. Samus was colored quite impressed.

And it all culminated with relaxing in the common room with one another. Like clockwork from the last couple of days, Samus found herself on her ‘usual’ resting place, Twilight found a place right in front of her with the Hunter’s spare tablet, and Spike kicked back and relaxed on a chair next to Twilight.

The difference was Fluttershy having snuggled up peacefully next to the alicorn, resting her eyes with a soft smile on her face when the three of them weren’t talking silently amongst themselves. Furthermore, Viridian found solace in the monstrous bookcases that Twilight maintained in the common room… and Samus wasn’t sure the Chozo—clad only in his own Zero Suit for now—really moved at all once all the texts caught his eye. He just… picked books out, read them for tens of minutes at a time, and occasionally swapped out for another book. He was at this for hours.

Samus glanced up after a while longer, and that’s when she met the tired gaze of Twilight.

“Hey… the three of us…” she gestured to herself, Fluttershy, and Spike, the latter two who were also getting to their respective hooves and feet. “...are gonna turn in a bit early. And really just… have some time to ourselves. I’m sure you understand… is that okay?” she asked.

Samus replied with a soft nod.

“Yeah, sure thing! I’m sure I can keep myself entertained,” she quipped.

Twilight giggled.

“I figured as much… and I think you might enjoy some time away from me,” she teased right back, earning a humorous huff from the Hunter.

“I won’t be up much longer anyway. Guessing we’re gonna have the usual early start in the morning?”

“Was thinking the exact same thing. We’ll go over the next steps tomorrow.”

Samus smirked.

“You got it.”

“Goodnight, Samus.”

“Goodnight, Twilight.”

And as the alicorn trotted off towards the common room doors, Spike also gave a brief wish of sweet dreams. Fluttershy, however, lingered for a moment in front of the Hunter, and her unsure presence told Samus all she needed to know about her next words:

“Goodnight, Samus… and… thank you again. F-For bringing me back. I… I don’t know how I can even repay you, but…”

Samus reached forward and lay her palm on Fluttershy’s shoulder, seeming to calm her nerves at an instant, even if the cream-colored mare flinched slightly at the unexpected contact.

“Relax, Fluttershy,” Samus reassured with a soft smile, never breaking eye-contact. She wasn’t ever the best at addressing heartfelt praise or gratitude, though she tried her best when it was appropriate.

“Just doing my job, and for what it’s worth? It’s my pleasure—and uhh… you’re welcome,” she finished, if a bit awkwardly.

Fluttershy’s tired, reticent face turned a soft smile in return, and a gentle nod of her own, seemingly relaxing into Samus’ hand on her shoulder. The Hunter patted her a couple times for good measure before pulling her hand back.

The pegasus then concluded softly:

“I can’t wait to get to know you more. Goodnight, Samus. See you tomorrow.”

Samus smirked.

“Likewise. Goodnight, Fluttershy. See you in the morning.”

And with that, they all took their leave, repeating their same well-wishes of the night to Viridian by the bookcase as they passed by.

Especially Fluttershy.

“Goodnight, Viry!”

“Thank you kindly! And a most pleasant slumber to you, my dear,” he respectfully replied.

Samus smirked at all the interactions that just took place. They lasted mere seconds, but the fact that everyone was getting along so swimmingly with Viridian was an extra bit of a mood boost that she always welcomed.

But once the drake and two ponies had left the room, Viridian daintily placed the book he was holding back in its position on the case. He then turned to Samus with a tired smile.

“Perhaps now we can exercise more… familiar language,” he snapped right back to his—and Samus’ second—native tongue.

Samus smirked right back.

“Sounds good to me!”

Viridian made his way over to her at an easy pace, and opted to take Spike’s place on his chair just across from the sitting Hunter.

“I took a look at your ship, by the way…” he said as he sat down, groaning pleasantly as his back was cradled just right. “For the communications node, I was able to replace the signal converter and reroute the damaged frequency amplifiers through replacements I had.”

Samus blinked hard—stunned.

“Oh! I didn’t even expect that much to be salvageable… thank you!” she said.

Viridian nodded once.

“Of course! Though, unfortunately I still found one more problem: the power supply is completely destroyed. None of the ones I have will fit. I think you’re still going to have to find a replacement in a downed Pirate vessel, like you mentioned.

“Furthermore, the stealth module is pretty much magic to me. Nothing I can help with there.”

Samus nodded in return, leaning back against the wall and folding her hands on her lap.

“It’s more than I could’ve hoped for at this stage—thanks again, Viridian. I really appreciate it,” she said.

She then smiled teasingly.

“And thought you said you were no engineer…”

He chuckled deeply.

“I had to learn a few things in the absence of proper engineers. I’m sure you’ve picked up a few trades not native to warriors of your esteem, as well,” he said.

Samus huffed, nodding in familiarity.

“Yeah. That’s one way to put it.”

Viridian smiled fondly with another, single nod of understanding. At that point, a comfortable silence re-entered the room, making it easy enough for Samus to space out a bit. It was a silence that she almost never got since she left Zebes… where she could just sit and exist with someone with whom she had a basic understanding. Twilight and Spike were the first instance of this when she was so graciously offered refuge in this castle.

But with Viridian? It was different.

Within that difference was, paradoxically, much familiarity. As much as Samus got on with Twilight and Spike, no amount of talking about herself would really make them understand her place within the Chozo and galaxy at large. Viridian, however, did.

A lot.

He cleared his throat, which brought Samus’ eyes back into focus. She locked onto his face, where she noticed the shadows of the amber, magical candlelights dancing over his form.

“How have your travels treated you?” he asked.

Samus had no idea where to even start with just basic conversation, so as potentially vague as that question was, she really had no other ideas.

She shrugged, sighing out as she let her posture sully.

“Space Pirates are active and still both a galactic power and threat. They continue to have and clone metroids. Other galactic threats seem to pop up constantly. I just feel like I haven’t made any progress since I’ve left Zebes…

“I just… I guess the answer to your question is ‘I don’t know.’”

Viridian cocked an eyebrow.

“You give yourself little credit for all the good you’ve done. Why?”

“What’s there to credit?” she asked, then shook her head solemnly. “The job’s not done. The Pirates kill more every day… and every time I’m not there to stop it, or every time they slip away, prolongs it all.

“Sometimes I just feel like I’m failing miserably. Maybe your words back at the temple weren’t just banter…”

“Do you honestly believe that?”

“I don’t know what to believe, sometimes.”

“I think you and I both know that no one expected perfection out of you. All know you’re merely one being with the weight of the galaxy on her shoulders. Even miracle workers can only work miracles with what they have in front of them.”

Samus sighed.

“I’m just afraid I’ll never get in front of it. That one day, as expected, I’ll die. And the galaxy will be left with nothing more than how I started off.

“Would it even have been worth it in the end?”

Viridian’s retort was familiar:

“Again, do you truly mean that?”

“Yes,” came Samus’ terse reply. “Because for once in my life, I’d like to be selfish with just one thing: to understand.

“All that I’ve done. Everything that’s been done to me. If I died here, on this planet. Or twenty years from now. Would it have meant anything?”

Samus’ chest felt lighter after those words left her mouth.

She then averted her gaze to the shade-drawn windowpane, as if she could see right through it to the night-shrouded expanse below… all the while no response was forthcoming from Viridian. She could still feel his eyes strongly affixed on her, as if he was trying to read something. She figured he was probably placing her merit against the countless warriors he trained and sent off. Maybe she said too much… not that his opinion of her really mattered in the first place.

Though she only needed to wait a few more drawn-out seconds before he replied in an equally solemn, yet lamenting tone:

“You’ve… truly been through a lot…

“Haven’t you, girl?”

Samus blinked, and looked back to him with wider eyes than whence she turned away with. It wasn’t necessarily just the words themselves that took her by surprise, nor merely his sympathetic tone. After all, it was pretty obvious with all her travels and missions thus far. Anyone could put that together. But it was the implicit message under it all, from a warrior of his caliber and of her adoptive kin.

Acknowledgement.

Simple acknowledgement of everything she’s been through. All her suffering, her sacrifices… all her wounds, physical and mental.

And that implicitness made her feel a warmth in her stomach and chest… one that swelled into a mishmash of conflicting emotions all vying for dominance. Comfort. Anger. Shame. Fulfillment. Viridian appeared to read all of these on her face like a book, as pure understanding fell over his features.

Samus curled her knees a little tighter into her chest and lowered her gaze. Pleasant silence returned to the common room once more, and remained that way for the rest of the evening.

[Map Room | The Next Morning…]

Twilight cleared her throat as she took stock of everyone in the room.

“Alright… good morning, everypony! Looks like we’re at quorum, so let’s just get right to it.”

With that, she drew everyone’s attention to the map itself, and Samus was once again greeted with the expanse of all of Equestria. The only difference this time was the location of Fluttershy’s elemental sprite: situated right on top of Twilight’s and—according to the Map—nestled in the embrace of the Castle.

Perfectly accurate so far. No complaints from the Hunter.

Samus placed her hands on the edge of the map so she could get a closer view, and she spared a glance to her side when she noticed Viridian—arms crossed over his chest—peering over the interactive, flat pane of crystal as well.

Twilight continued promptly:

“So, thanks pretty much entirely to Samus and Viridian here, we’ve got Fluttershy back…” she glanced gleefully at the pink-maned pegasus right next to her, who returned a similar look in kind.

“But, those of us here who know basic arithmetic know that there’s four more of us we need to have reunited just like her. So the question is now… which one of the girls out there is either the closest, or will be the easiest to travel to?” she asked to no one in particular as she used her magic to zoom out ever so slightly.

Twilight didn’t follow that up with anything, and instead, everyone seemed to take a closer look at the map. Samus propped her chin in the crook of her thumb and index finger as she scanned over everything, studying the idly floating Elemental sprites at various geographic locations. There were immediately two things she noticed:

One of the targets looked noticeably closer than the others, another was situated much higher than the others in the area as well. One of the others was just… way out there.

Samus decided to ask some questions to feel everything out. She pointed to the closest target to their position:

“Who’s this? And where is this?”

“Rarity, Element of Generosity. Canterlot. Equestria’s capital city.”

Samus drew her finger a bit farther to the northeast.

“And her?”

“Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty. Cloudsdale.”

And then to the quite far west, and somewhat south. Well-past the impact crater.

Twilight didn’t need Samus’ beckoning, this time.

“Pinkie Pie, Element of Laughter. Rock Farms of the Quarry Range.”

And finally, all the way to the east.

“Applejack, Element of Honesty…”

Twilight’s expression suddenly turned down to abject confusion.

“Wait, what? Spike, you seeing this?”

Spike leaned in a little closer, then cocked an eyebrow.

“The Dragon Lands? Really? At least the other girls’ locations made some sense…”

Samus interjected.

“What is it? And there’s a… pattern?” she asked.

Twilight shook her head, still unsure.

“It almost seemed like there was, which would’ve maybe shed light on why this is all happening in the first place. But the fact that Applejack is in the Dragon Lands as opposed to like, Apple Loosa or even in the Macintosh Hills is… concerning.”

“And on top of that, we still don’t even know where the Princesses are.”

“Do you think they’re even alive, in your heart of hearts?” Samus asked.

Again, Twilight seemed unsure.

“With how bad everything became so quickly… and had this been like, over a decade ago, I wouldn’t’ve fathomed that they lived. But now, with all this coming to light about how the Elements were preserved, I can’t help but wonder if something similar happened to Celestia and Luna.”

Samus nodded a couple times.

“Think we’ll find any clues?”

“I hope…” said Twilight. “Though… hmmm…” she caught herself, then brought her hoof to her chin before nearly burying her face into the map.

“What’re you thinking?” asked Samus.

“Based on this information, the closest one is Rarity in Canterlot. That’s where we all were before we…” she stopped herself.

And then steeled her resolve after sharing a brief, knowing look with Fluttershy and Spike before continuing:

“…Celestia was with us, there. Until the end. If we go there and find Rarity, we might also be able to find some clues as to what the hell happened to her and Luna. If not revisiting the throne room, then there has to be something written down. A failsafe or some text that wasn’t disclosed to me. I refuse to believe this is all just random chance.”

Samus was inclined to agree.

“Yeah, this is all too convenient to be anything but apart of some grand design. I’m surprised you weren’t told of any of this though…” she remarked.

A ‘nostalgic frustration’ could be read easily on Twilight’s face.

“As amazing and benevolent as the Princesses are, I’ve found that they… like their secrets. There’s some things about Equestria’s past, present, and possibly future that I haven’t the slightest idea of. I know for a fact because they politely rebuff or outright exclude me from such answers to seemingly mundane questions.

“Case in point, the existence of the Chozo on our planet,” she said, gesturing towards Viridian.

Samus had to concede that.

“Fair point. In that case…” she considered all the options lain out in front of her, then shrugged.

“Looks like the closest—and most practical choice—is Rarity, then.”

Twilight smiled fondly, nodding a few times as she regarded Rarity’s indigo diamond sprite with sweet affection, as did Fluttershy and Spike.

“Seems that way. Welp… guess we’re going to Canterlot then. And in bringing back Rarity, also finding some trace of the Princesses.”

Spike and Fluttershy seemed in agreement.

“Awesome!” said the drake.

Fluttershy, despite the softness of her response, seemed in excellent spirits:

“Yay!”

Samus felt the day’s mission had been lain out appropriately based on the information at hand.

“Great. Any thought’s from you, Viridian?”

The Chozo Warrior remained silent for a few moments, still studying everything that had been lain out before he, too, nodded once.

“Seems reasonable to me. If this is the method in which you found Fluttershy and myself, then I see no reason why it would not work once again,” he said.

And then brought up one more logistical question to the forefront:

“Now, on the question of me… would you and Princess Twilight feel it prudent for me to accompany you? Or do you feel it would be best if I remained here at the castle?”

Excellent question.

Samus glanced over at Twilight, who glanced right back at her in kind. All the Hunter had to do was shrug in indifference for the alicorn to make the decision appropriately.

“I would prefer if you stayed here at the castle. We’re going a lot farther than previously, and as much as I trust Spike to keep a lid on things here… I’d like to make sure he stays out of trouble,” she smirked at the drake, who rolled his eyes in kind.

Samus loosed a half-smirk as well at the exchange, and Viridian seemed more than happy to comply.

“Of course! Then I shall remain here to guard the Castle… and to keep this strapping young being ‘out of trouble,’ as you say,” he cautiously waded into the joke as well, which earned him more than a few giggles from the mares and his own, pleasantly annoyed chuckle from Spike.

Samus stepped into the conversation once more, ready to round it all off and get to work.

“Sounds good. We ready to go, then? Also, you said we’re going farther. How’s the trek over?”

Twilight’s cheery expression flattened a little bit.

“That’s… a good point. Damn, I didn’t think about that. When things were normal, we’d just take a train over to the capital. Was about a forty-five minute ride at a comfortable pace. Which means it might be two, maybe three hours away by hoof,” she wagered.

Samus pursed her lips.

“That’s… a little unideal. I’d rather be back before nightfall if I’m being completely honest.”

“Trust me—we want to be.”

“Then in that case…” Samus thought aloud. “I think I might have a solution: how high do we need to travel?”

Twilight thought for a moment.

“Uhhh… definitely not as high as Cloudsdale for certain. The city itself is embedded in a small mountain, but the entrance to the city itself can be accessed at the rear with sloping hills. Why?”

“We should be able to take my ship, then—even though the Stealth Module is offline, if I stay below a certain altitude and keep out of sight of any Space Pirate vessels in the area, we should be fine in avoiding detection.”

Twilight shrugged.

“Makes sense to me. Then I’m all set. You ready to go, Flutters?”

Fluttershy furrowed her gaze and nodded curtly.

“I’m ready.”

“Then let’s get to it,” said Twilight, smiling once more. “We’ll need all the time we can get to search for both Rarity and find ourselves some insight as to what the hell happened to the Princesses.”

On that cue, Samus engaged her Varia Suit and offered both ponies her hand.

“Let’s head out.”

10. Generosity

Author's Note

Sorry this took for goddamn ever! Please accept me drawing Viridian Shield as a token of my gratitude for your patience:

And yes, that is indeed his name in the Chozo language :P

And by all means please enjoy the chapter! I REALLY am curious to know your thoughts on the chapter itself, and where the story is headed :pinkiehappy:

10. Generosity

[Castle Courtyard]

With Twilight and Fluttershy ‘loaded up’ in her systems, Samus marched into the courtyard, where her ship was still safely nestled and ready for action. A sparing glance at her ship’s diagnostics showed that all other damage was still only about sixty percent complete… not that it mattered now. Her ship was still a couple days away from a repaired stealth module, which meant that she’d have to figuratively tip-toe around Equestria until then. The state of repair would help her radar profile a little bit… but in no way completely shield her.

Samus felt eyes on her, and in glancing back up towards the surrounding walls, she found Spike and Viridian watching over them from a higher level. Rather reminiscent of when she first met the drake and alicorn, though this time, the two were there to see them off.

But before she could hop up to the top of her ship’s elevator, Twilight had one bit of business to take care of:

“One second, Samus… lemme prime Fluttershy’s elemental ability for you. Forgot to do this earlier…”

“Oh! Sure.”

Samus had stopped right in front of her ship on Twilight’s beckoning, though she didn’t have to wait long for her systems to respond:

[Active Camouflage Acquired!]

[Integration with the Element of Kindness has allowed use of magic-based active camouflage. At the cost of magical endurance, you can temporarily cloak yourself from all visible light, as well as fully disperse your thermal, x-ray, and magical signatures. Movement or combat while this ability is active will require significantly more endurance and ability. If your magical stamina depletes, the cloak will deactivate.]

[Another unicorn and alicorn talent, it is also known as the ability to ‘Shy Away.’]

Samus smirked under her helmet.

“Damn, Fluttershy…” she said, then teased: “Not sure what you were saying last night about ‘not being able to repay me.’ I think you kinda just did…”

The Hunter swore she heard a cross between a giggle and an ‘eep’ in her head. Twilight, however, seemed to agree fully with Samus’ assessment of Fluttershy’s unknowing ‘gift’ to her.

“I’ll say!” she said. “This is super valuable! Now if we bump into a bunch of Storm Beasts… or heaven forbid, those Space Pirates… you don’t have to fight if you don’t want to. Now we can just walk right by, though… that sorta depends how long you can keep up the ruse.

“Wanna give it a try before we head out?”

“Probably a good idea,” Samus agreed. “Any suggestions on how to best… invoke it?”

“It’s no different in invoking any other spell, really,” Twilight replied. “Channel that familiar state of mind when doing anything magical, manifest the desired effect in a way that makes sense to you on an ethereal level, and then just concentrate like hell. Sorta like mind-to-muscle coordination, if I had to make some sort of analogue,” she further explained.

Samus nodded a couple times.

“Right. Worth a shot. I’ll probably understand a little more once I immerse myself, anyway,” she said.

“Heh, that’s the spirit! I can see that there’s a new entry on your ‘Element Selection Matrix’ at the bottom of your visor. Maybe ‘select’ Fluttershy’s element and see what happens?”

And with that Samus calmed her mind, exhaled a bit, and channeled that zen-like state that she, quite frankly, enjoyed being in. It had always been a bit easier since she had to consistently harbor a low-level version of this state to just maintain that mental switch for any of her suits, lest she disperse it unintentionally. With the extra practice afforded by her magic sensitivity, she found herself fully centered in that still-eerie, sensory blackout in short order.

From there, Samus started thinking about the very concept of cloaking herself from the rest of the world… and surprisingly, her Suit filled in the pieces immediately.

In a swiftness that surprised even her, she felt her Suit respond right away, and at an instant, her hand and cannon disappeared from view entirely. In fact, in glancing around, her whole body was completely gone from view.

A small notification was present just under her energy shielding meter:

[Camouflage Active.]

Twilight seemed a bit surprised as well.

“That was… fast.”

“I don’t think I did all of that. It was like flipping any mental switch my suit is compatible with. Guess since this is a proper armor ability, maybe my Suit is doing the heavy lifting with the magic when I select Elements?”

“Seems that way. I can feel your suit drawing from my Element, and not really you doing it. That should make things a lot easier in a pinch. Still gonna drain you mentally if you keep it up for too long if you’re not used to it, I’d wager… just like using any magic at all.”

Oh yes. Samus could feel it already.

If she stood completely still, there was this subtle, ‘background draw’ of energy that she felt on her mind… one that felt akin to when she was thinking really really hard. What she also noticed was that, whenever she moved her hand, or her cannon… and especially when she took a couple steps forward towards her ship, that feeling altered significantly. It suddenly began feeling like she was getting a slowly-building pressure headache around her temples.

Definitely noticeable, but not debilitating… yet.

That was, until she tested this further by trying to run like normal… which she was able to keep up for a split second before she felt the vestiges of a sharp, thunderclap headache about to strike.

She ceased movement immediately and the cloak flickered rapidly over her form. She then let everything go, exhaling a breath she had been holding as the rest of the cloaking faded away entirely. Samus breathed heavily for a couple seconds, resting her hand on the side of her ship for some extra support as she processed what she had felt, and how the ability manifested itself.

At least the ‘pressure’ in her head had pretty much all-but subsided after a good ten seconds of rest and basic movement. Now she had a vague idea of what her Suit meant when it referred to ‘magical stamina.’

Twilight offered her thoughts:

“Good run for your first use! Looks like for now, it might be better to just move slowly and steadily at most if you need to Shy Away. I think you’ll get better at keeping it active as you get more and more practice with just using magic.”

Samus processed those words for a few seconds, staring into nothing before answering.

“Y-Yeah. Makes sense to me. We ready to go?” asked Samus.

“Mhmm! Interfacing with your map data now. I’ll set a heading for your ship. Keeping in mind the altitude restrictions you mentioned, I’m plotting a course for flying under a couple-hundred feet. Further, I’ll also find you a place to touch down just outside the city… and hopefully with a little bit of cover.”

Twilight was definitely on her game today. Samus smirked.

“Thanks, Twilight.”

And with that squared away, Samus glanced over and behind her to an observing Viridian and Spike. With a single nod, she closed the remaining distance with her ship, and then threw a three-fingered wave behind her with her left hand for good measure. From there, she hunched low and bounded up high, as if she was trying to clear her ship’s height, but rather managed to stick her landing on the elevator platform.

Her audience of two duly saw her off as the hatch opened up and took her into the bowels of her ship below.

Fluttershy piped up again at the sudden change of surroundings.

“O-Oh my… this is… different.”

Twilight had her own thoughts on the matter.

“I’ll say! Nice chariot, Samus!”

The Hunter huffed, amused.

“Heh, thanks,” she said, sitting down at the controls. “Let’s try not to damage him more than he is already on the way to Canterlot.”

“‘…him?’”

“Yes, I refer to my ship as a ‘he.’ Got a problem with that?” she lightly teased.

Twilight and Fluttershy giggled together.

“Not at all, Samus. Gimme a moment to upload the map route to Canterlot. Shouldn’t take more than a few seconds.”

Once that route started taking form on her radar and map screens, Samus remembered a rather crucial detail about the journey that she internally lambasted herself for forgetting.

“Ugh, that reminds me. Forgot to check for Pirate signatures, too. Fuck!” she cursed, and went right about setting scan parameters.

While Twilight worked, Samus diligently typed one-handed on her keyboard. After one final button press, she leaned back to take in the results of her long-range scanning. She rested the lower cleave of her visor in her armored hand.

Twilight inquired:

“How’s it look?”

“Hm. Grand majority of forces, ground and airborne are around the Impact Crater. Expected. But like you’ve seen here, and how we’ve occasionally seen, some fighters and other smaller warships make occasional expeditionary runs around the area. Looks like there’s even a couple outposts… here…

“…here…

“…and here. But notice the crude ‘lanes’ their ships are using. Some pass over Canterlot on occasion.”

Twilight pondered for a moment.

“Hmmm… so they’ve got presences in what looks like The Crystal Empire, the Bay of Celestia, and the Rock Quarries. Damn… so they’re around where Pinkie probably is, too. Hmph.

“Well, in regards to Canterlot, my guess is there might be some Pirate troops there. It is a large city after all. Based on your data, doesn’t look like they landed an army, though. I think your camouflage should be able to keep us out of their sight if we encounter any.”

“Thinking the same thing,” Samus agreed. “Good thing the stealth module should be repaired in a couple days. We won’t have to be as careful, then.”

Twilight went silent for a moment, before meekly stating something that Samus wasn’t really giving much thought:

“…that means you can also leave the atmosphere, if you wanted… you know.”

And the Hunter was quick to nip those concerns right in the bud.

“I’m not going anywhere, Twilight. I’m committed to this. And even if I wanted to, I’d probably get refitted with a new comm node and sent right back… which would probably take even longer than salvaging the last remaining part I need. No worries—I’m here to stay.”

“Thank you, Samus… again. For the millionth time.”

“Heh, you got it.”

A couple more taps on the controls, and her gunship’s engines roared to life with a consistent, smoothly vibrating, yet body-rattling rumble. They were primed for takeoff.

She had one more question though:

“Storm Beasts?”

Twilight seemed a lot less confident on that implicit question.

“I honestly don’t know… we were holed up in the Castle when it all went down. I think a lot of the capital was evacuated already, but… I know not everypony made it out. Whether they were killed or corrupted… I can’t be sure,” she said.

Samus heard a single, gentle gasp of realization from Fluttershy. This was probably her first time being privy to all this. What horrors she was probably spared, having suddenly come into Viridian’s care after Tempest had killed them. She also hoped Twilight had a plan when Samus had to engage in combat. With how innocent this mare seemed, she’d rather not deal with somepony in hysterics literally in her head.

But, those were problems for the future.

“Then outside of potential Pirate threats, what it sounds like I’m hearing is ‘Could be nothing. Could be infested.’”

“I’d agree with that assessment.”

“Okay. Ready to lift off. Guide me, Twilight,” said Samus.

“Yup! Map route should be uploaded now.”

And with that, for the first time in a couple days, Samus disengaged the anti-gravity locks on her ship. Her chariot gave a bit of a lurch as it freed itself from gravity’s hold, and she controlled the gentle ascent up and out of the Castle courtyard. She promptly adjusted her altitude when she was able, keeping low as she flew with a northeastern heading, leaving the Friendship Castle behind her.

It was one hell of a view.

The whole ride was one hell of a view, really, even with being so low to the ground during their flight. While nature had certainly retaken its hold over the bodies of civilization, the destruction that was wrought a decade and a half ago was still readily apparent… even from her altitude.

It was a somber, eerie peacefulness, combined with the the general lack of words from any of her guests in her systems. In many ways, it reminded her of the open areas of Tallon’s Overworld, where the remains of some of the Chozo structures lay. Where once they were undoubtedly teeming with life and vigor, they now stood abandoned.

Much like many of the settlements they passed over, and Ponyville in general.

But when Canterlot itself broke through the haze and veil of the rainfall from the distance, Samus couldn’t control the hard blink the moment her eyes made out the overall structure of the city. Quite plainly, it was massive. A majesty in and of itself.

But one specific feature that stood out to her right away: the ‘floating city’ aspect of Canterlot. It looked like it was quite literally bolted into the cliff-edge of the mountain they were approaching. Even though she figured that magic had something to do with it, it was an impressive feat of engineering, even for a planet and civilization that was in no way spacefaring.

Twilight softly spoke:

“There it is… Celestia it’s been so long since we’ve set hoof anywhere near it…” she sighed.

Fluttershy agreed.

“Yeah. Not since… you know.”

“Mm. I hate this so much. It used to be so beautiful…”

This time, Fluttershy softly disagreed:

“It still is, Twilight…”

“Yeah—yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Flutters.”

Samus cut in as the rain haze cleared up on their approach.

“Alright, we’re getting close. Where’re we putting down?”

The answer came first with a ping on her map, and a marker on her heads-up display. It pointed her straight ahead, about an eighth of a mile in front of what she assumed were the city walls.

“There’s a main road that leads up into the city entrance that spirals in and around the mountain. It was made to accommodate trains and some hoof traffic, so if we’re lucky, the forest and nearest tunnel entrance should provide enough cover… and be close enough to hike the rest of the way.”

Samus nodded once, tightening her hand on the control stick of her gunship as she made course adjustments.

“Perfect. That should be fine. Bringing us in now, one sec…”

Occasionally glancing at the tapped Space Pirate battle network for any signs that she had been spotted, Samus punched her speed in, clearing the remainder of the distance in rather short order. In her mind, the less time she was in the air by this point, the better.

The forest thickets that lined the side of the main roads that Twilight had described came into full view upon Samus’ final approach, as did a still-open tunnel entrance that housed the aforementioned train tracks. Samus adjusted the throttles and lowered her speed until she was practically floating over the tracks, and eased herself over them, and into the tunnel itself.

Once her vision went dark and her Suit’s optical adjustors started to take over, she figured that her ship was deep enough in the tunnel where it would be as stealthy as she could get it. It was a simple matter of setting it down fully, and feeling the shock absorption of the landing gear compressing beneath her ship as it came to a complete stop once more.

Wasn’t perfect camouflage… but Samus figured it was a lot better than potentially being spotted from above by any straggling, nosey Space Pirate ships. Every little bit helped.

From there, it was a simple matter of exiting out the hatch, dropping down, and emerging from the tunnel itself onto the main road. She could feel the sudden change from crunchy gravel to a much smoother, paved road once she stepped off the train tracks themselves.

Arm resting passively on her cannon, Samus casually stepped forward towards the very edge of the road, leaving fully the cover of the thicket that lined the tracks at the tunnel entrance. She could see how the path wound up farther and approached the front of the city, with the first spires of the surrounding wall just visible from around the bend.

Straight ahead though, lay the cliffside of the mountain… and a view of the land most would kill for in life.

Samus stepped forward, and let her boots grace the very edge of the rocky cliff, where a rudimentary guardrail stood planted in the ground, unmaintained. She stared ahead, high enough to seemingly touch the rainclouds above her that continued to unrelentingly pour. Even through the haze, she could’ve sworn she could plainly see the Castle of Friendship in the distance, still standing tall amidst all.

The mountain range beyond provided a looming shadow that cut through the cloud layer, one that looked like a lush wave threatening to swallow the massive valley below and Ponyville with it… much like a familiar shadow that had been looming over this planet.

Twilight whispered, comfortably breaking Samus’ silent reverie.

“Wow… I hate that I never appreciated this view. Equestria’s so beautiful.”

“Yeah…” Fluttershy added, and her voice remained uneasy: “Do you really think we can come back from this?”

“Of course we can,” Twilight replied without hesitation.

The sheer confidence and determination in her voice was much more profound than what Samus had remembered when they first ventured out together.

“Especially with Samus here with us… I think we can do anything, including the impossible. Speaking of which, I think we should probably let Samus think in peace for a moment…” she giggled.

“Oh! Right… sorry… hehe,” Fluttershy squeaked.

Samus smirked.

“Thanks, girls,” she said, and turned away from the cliff. She began a power-walk following the foot-path up towards the city entrance.

“I see Rarity’s marker on the map still. Any idea where we’re headed?”

“Not sure,” Twilight replied. “The Map didn’t provide an in depth mapping of the city, so I think you’re gonna just have to use Rarity’s element as a ‘true north’ for now.”

“Got it.”

Samus broke into an easy run, hearing the paved, somewhat sandy ground underneath her boots crackling beneath her while her environmental controllers worked to clear her visor of raindrops. The extra traction provided by her Suit’s combat boots, along with the sheer speed in which she was capable of running at without expending much endurance made sure that they cleared the distance between her ship and the city gates in very little time… and the entrance itself gradually made itself known when she rounded the bend.

She slowed her pace to a gentle walk, and lay her hand on her cannon once more as she observed the path forward. The seemingly marble-esque stone walls had long since fallen to disrepair, and while a bridge remained standing over the river that flowed in front and fell off the cliff edge, there was no true way forward. The golden and silver-accented arches of the city gates had completely collapsed into a gargantuan barrier of stone rubble. This barred entrance into the city proper, and what Samus would’ve figured was a main roadway.

Well, an easy way into the city at least.

Samus remarked sardonically:

“Of course.”

She minded her motion tracker while she thought out loud.

“Way forward is blocked. Can’t have it easy all the time, I guess.”

Twilight took this as a cue to weigh in:

“Can you blast through it? The stone construction here has a lot of Magicite. You could use that ability you got?”

Samus shook her head.

“I could… but taking down something this large would require more than just a few Pulse Missiles. That, and when this thing comes down, if there’s anything inside the city, I don’t really think it’s gonna attract the good kind of attention,” she countered.

“Ahh. True.”

An easy eye-scan noted no grapple points, and the archway stones looked too smooth to scale manually without the high probability of falling to some painful injuries. But a glance to the left of the ‘proper’ entrance let Samus’ eyes fall on another partially collapsed portion of the wall… where the pieces of stone were large enough and seemingly stable enough for her to climb up. To her, it looked like it led straight into the remains of one of the guard towers.

“Okay… I think we can get in through here without much of a fuss…” she thought out loud.

Samus darted off the road in a running start, having set her sights on the figurative path forward. She locked onto the largest stone—a boulder—that she figured she could get on to start her journey upward.

Then, she launched herself into the air as high as her augmented leg strength would lift her. This allowed her to clear the top and bound even higher, further as a springboard upward.

The engaging of her Space Jump took her an extra bit farther, and Samus went forward heels-over-head as she reached upward at the closest rock she could grab ahold of. Her Power Grip did the rest of the work in keeping her hung a good distance above the ground. Her Suit did well to clear up the raindrops that splattered on her visor as she gazed towards the gray expanse above.

She then disengaged her suit as she carefully scaled the rest of the way up the destroyed wall. Split second decisions needed to be made to make sure she made the right choices to trust her weight and balance with. Extreme concentration helped the moment pass by that much faster, and Samus found herself hoisting herself up onto the apex of the rubble of what once was this section of wall.

And from there, she bounded off once more to fully vault their first barrier, and re-engaged her Suit just before she hit the ground in meteoric fashion. Her Suit absorbed the impact as she fell to one knee, and she jutted her cannon out in preparation to get into a fight the moment she landed. No fight materialized, and Samus stood tall once again. A quick check of her motion tracker showed that she was still alone.

For now.

And a glance backward towards the destroyed city gates proved that she made it inside, right where she should’ve been.

“Alright…” she spoke. “We’re in.”

Twilight replied suspiciously:

“A lot quieter and easier than I expected… quieter in a lot of ways, especially since we’re on Main Street right now,” she said.

Hand still on her cannon, Samus moved from the center of the road, shuffling off towards the sidewalk. All the while, she flicked her eyes over all the windows she could see overlooking the street. She knew her motion tracker wasn’t detecting anything… but so many openings to get potentially ambushed from never provided her the pinnacle of comfort when fighting in urban environments.

“Expecting something?” she asked.

“Yeah, actually,” Twilight answered. “But… I just don’t know what exactly. Or how much.”

Fluttershy spoke up, clearing her throat:

“Wh-Where’s Rarity?” she asked.

Samus knelt to the ground and called up her map on her HUD.

“No map data of the city… but she’s still pointing us Northwest of our position.”

Twilight weighed in:

“General heading seems towards the Castle. That’s my best bet, but we’ll really only know once we get underway.”

Samus nodded once, got back to her feet, and began walking.

“Got it. Let’s see where she leads us.”

“Okay, Samus. I’ll keep an ear to the ground, too.”

And as Twilight’s voice went silent, the familiar, lonely sense of foreboding started to return. The linings of the residential homes and what were likely once businesses in this bustling city started to seem a little taller and denser than normal. Other than the rain and the casual, background pings and beeps of her Suit’s machinations, only her steady, deep breathing kept her company.

Nevertheless, with her hand on her cannon, Samus started off in an easy jog, and added her metallic footfalls to the background ambiance.

Though the rain continued to be a constant, her easy trek forward was occasionally marred by the remnants of destroyed buildings littering the street. Overall, she had to concede that Canterlot seemed fairly well-put together despite being desolate for the last decade and a half. And from how the shops and townhomes that flanked her on either side, other than those which were clearly destroyed, were quite pristine for a derelict building’s sake… she felt that the invasion of the City by Tempest’s forces was indeed very swift. From what she had passed, and the progress she had made from whence she had started, it was easy to conclude that the city was in no way destroyed.

That, or the city just got off lightly.

The outer bands of the city began to morph into the entertainment and commercial shopping districts of the inner city from the sudden transition to much larger buildings. From what her translator module could pick up when passively reading signs, there was certainly a vibrant night life at one point, too. Prominent fashion district, as well.

For a moment, Samus imagined a massive congregation of ponies here, enjoying their evening out with one another, and all that was here on offer to fulfill their nights.

No more. Barren.

At least, until she realized it wasn’t. Twilight was quick to say something to Fluttershy:

“Flutters? Look away for a little bit…”

“O-Okay…”

Samus checked her motion tracker as she made to pass through a large plaza, and that’s when she saw the first corpse… and then a few more strewn about. They certainly weren’t in the most recent condition, and were swollen, bloated, and shriveled on account of the rain and decomposition. The stony buildings, blank and flat, bereft of life, gazed down upon her as she marched through the dead, almost like the Chozo did back in Viridia.

Except there was no warmth, familiarity, nor security in these Canterlot edifices. In a manner most similar to her travels, Samus felt that this plaza, this city at large, felt much like a tomb.

Though… when the Hunter accidentally stepped into a puddle, she felt the distinctive cracking of brittle bones underneath her boot. She stopped for a moment once she felt that, especially when Twilight gasped softly.

“Sorry…”

“It’s… fine,” she lamented. “Probably a remnant from the Crisis. Been here ever since.”

Samus marched on, but pointed out that the other bodies—many of which lay in horrifically contorted positions on the ground and over ledges, weren’t exactly that old:

“Yeah… a lot of these don’t look like they’ve been decomposing for fifteen years. With the rain and everything… these haven’t been here for nearly that long.”

Twilight sighed, then lamented:

“Yeah. Which saddens me… and concerns me.”

Samus was inclined to agree.

“Mm. That would mean—”

Twilight cut in immediately the moment that Samus registered a group of blips on her motion tracker. The alicorn’s voice brooked zero argument as she commanded Samus through her figurative teeth:

“Samus Shy Away Shy Away Shy Away SHY AWAY SHY AWAY!”

The Hunter bristled at Twilight’s frantic warning, and complied immediately—with how she had not led her astray thus far, Samus decided to continue throwing her trust into the digital alicorn. With that, she knelt between two concrete planters to keep as small of a profile as possible while still allowing her to counterattack if needed… and channeled the appropriate state of mind.

And like back at the castle, her Suit took care of the rest of the heavy lifting. Her entire form was shrouded in a nigh-perfect cloak where she could see right through herself, from behind her visor. Just like back at the castle, her HUD flashed an appropriately placed notification just under her shielding meter:

[Camouflage Active]

Just as she hunkered down in place, invisible to the world, the blips on her motion tracker revealed themselves from just down the rainy street: a pack of Storm Beasts. A quick mental count told Samus that there were fifteen of them—all ‘Earth Pony’ variants. Samus watched them keenly as the zombie-like quadrupeds ambled through the rain. She could hear their groaning and gurgling… their whining and mere existence that sounded worse than hell itself.

Their second mouths were all slackened slightly, and their mandibles dangled with their often-uneven gaits.

Their eyes were just as soulless and lifeless as she had seen in any of the ones she had slew. All bristled with Phazon veins. And on that note, with them all being Earth Ponies, if push came to shove, she could probably take them down with relative ease now… especially with the addition of her magical arsenal. And just her general competence growing every day.

Twilight seemed to read her mind, and softly noted:

“Probably not a good idea to engage. Killing them all, even quickly, would draw more here. I suggest you let them pass.”

Samus didn’t answer right away, and she tightened her hold on her cannon. Occasionally, one of the beasts would gaze in her direction, but as expected, would stare right through her. None regarded her presence at all, and as long as she kept still, she felt she could keep this ruse up for hours.

“Yeah. Agreed.”

Fluttershy butted in with a shaky, border-line fearfully demanding tone:

“W-What’s happening? What’re you talking about, Twilight? Killing what?!”

“Keep your eyes closed, Fluttershy… it’s Storm Beasts.”

“Oh… right. I know what they are. And who they were. We went through the Crisis together, you know. I don’t like it at all but, if it’s to save everyone… Samus needs to do what she has to.”

Twilight seemed a bit surprised by that response from what Samus presumed was the meekest of the group.

“…Right. I also just didn’t want you to see the—”

“Bodies? I already saw them,” she lamented. “After what we all saw fifteen years ago, I… I don’t think you need to coddle me on this, Twilight. Not anymore.”

“I…” she sighed. “Okay, Flutters.”

Samus cocked an eyebrow, tentatively listening to the conversation whilst keeping a keen eye on the Storm Beasts ahead of her. She understood what Fluttershy’s words implicitly meant, and it was something she never liked to see among the victims of Space Pirate attacks: loss of innocence, especially among young civilians. The Hunter was particularly sensitive to this when she thought back on how she parted ways with her own, at three years of age.

In effect, she never got to have any. Many sleepless nights were spent wishing she had just a sliver returned to her.

The Storm Beasts continued their amble down the street and passed out of visual and motion tracking range. Samus then sighed and let the cloaking dissipate. The acute stuffiness in her head immediately withered away.

“Let’s keep moving,” she said simply.

“Yup!” Twilight replied.

Samus quickly made her way out of the Plaza, lest the Storm Beast pack decided to come back for whatever reason. From here, she continued to set Rarity’s marker as a heading while shifting to less conspicuous avenues of approach. Namely, she stuck to the streets and alleys that ran parallel to the main streets towards their destination.

She kept up her running speed—she had no desire to slow down right now.

One suspicion that Samus was confirming all the while was when the spires of the Castle became more and more prominent through the veil of the rain. In fact, the largest one seemed to scrape the overcast sky above, and she watched as it occasionally disappeared behind the clouds, only to ominously reappear.

Her HUD continued to diligently point her straight ahead. It would make things a lot easier, she thought, if her objective was literally straight ahead this time, as opposed to some Chozo magical shenanigans that led to Fluttershy.

She opted to keep quiet about it for now. No sense in speaking of the devil when he was not present.

Samus’ legs continued to carry her down another street when another open space seemed to materialize at the end. Twilight was there to caution her with the appropriate details:

“Careful… you’re approaching another major street we’ll have to cross.”

“Yeah, I see it…” she said, and glanced up once again to her motion tracker.

Just as she was about to declare an all-clear and just bolt across, she skid to a halt when familiar, loud-cracks and electrical pulses of weapon-fire graced her ears in the distance. She stacked up against the nearest wall, cannon aimed down the alley, and Shied Away.

Twilight interjected, concerned:

“Whoa… what is that sound?” she asked

Samus knew the answer from the first rapport:

“That’s Space Pirate heavy cannon fire. They’re here.”

Before anyone could add to that thought, the inhuman, soulless screeches of nearby Storm Beasts erupted in a horrifying chorus. Suddenly, Samus’ motion tracker was awash with red, yet all passed her by as they headed to the south whence she came. She even saw a couple sprint by at the very end of the alley.

She stopped herself from moving the moment two unicorn storm beasts entered the alley and galloped straight towards her, snarling in inhuman hunger.

She held her breath and steeled her mind as their sudden course diversion nearly made her nascent magical mind flicker the cloak. The Storm Beasts’ labored breaths accented their beastly growling and howling… yet neither of them paid her any mind when they sailed right past her, until they were eventually out of sight and out of sensor range.

The digital alicorn remarked:

“We’re clear.”

Samus exhaled as she disabled the cloak, catching her breath whilst she opted to take an easy stroll the rest of the way through the alley. She looked both ways before shuffling across, all before pressing onward into another run.

“Thanks, Twilight.”

“Samus, why would the Space Pirates even come here?”

“Don’t know for sure, but if I had to guess, Canterlot is a strategic point on the continent,” she said, pausing to vault in somersault over a destroyed barrier.

“It’s a damn city on a mountain, after all. Think about it—one hell of an outpost or observation point, if they manage to take it.”

Silence prevailed for a few moments, and Samus figured Twilight was processing the information and coming up with her own conclusions, as she was oft to do.

She spoke up again:

“Then… then this means that this is likely not their first foray here. Then that could mean that there’s Space Pirates in the castle, along with Storm Beasts…”

Samus didn’t even think about that. She wept for her magical-beginner of a mind if that happened to be so.

“That would be… unideal, to say the least,” she mentioned. “But in my business, it’s best to expect the worst, and somehow the universe will still manage to disappoint you. Also, this is assuming Rarity is in the Castle to begin with.”

There was another small pause before Twilight resolutely, joyfully declared:

“I think she is!”

That stopped Samus in her tracks, and she hunkered down underneath a destroyed awning once she was reunited with Main Street… where this end of it led straight up to the castle.

“So sure?”

“Mhmm!” she exclaimed, then excitedly added:

“Your sensor range is large enough that I can peek out well-beyond your motion tracker range. Rarity’s Element shows up directly where the castle would be, and no longer clings to the horizon as I feel out further. She’s gotta be here!”

Samus nodded a couple times, drawing her eyes over the barren, lifeless street that still seemed fairly pristine for not being maintained for fifteen years. Though this road led straight to the castle, it seemed that it was spared the brunt of the fighting that happened.

Corpses in various states of decomposition were still aplenty, though.

She smirked regardless. Twilight was quickly earning her keep in Samus’ systems.

“Sweet. Thanks again, Twilight.”

Fluttershy had something to add again:

“How strange… Rarity didn’t seem to go far from where we all…” she trailed off.

Everyone knew exactly what she meant, though.

“I’m sure we’ll find out eventually,” said Samus.

No sooner did she say that, than did her systems alert her suddenly:

[Space Pirate Transponders on IFF Detected]

Samus dove into and hunkered down inside covered doorway just along Main Street and immediately re-engaged her cloaking… just as she heard the growling engines of a Space Pirate Skiff tearing through the silence overhead.

She watched as the angular, flat-planed, seemingly autonomously flying craft quickly lowered itself to about roof-height. As Samus expected, Twilight had something to add to this with a whisper:

“What is that…?”

Her question was answered, also as Samus expected, when a fire team of Pirate Troopers fell to the earth from above. One by one, they landed on their feet, combat-ready, with their assault cannons drawn for battle. Only then did Samus hear Twilight and Fluttershy gasp.

“Pirates…”

Samus nodded, then whispered:

“Yup.”

The team of six formed up around their officer—a rather distinguished one in Samus’ view, if the color scheme and shoulder armor were anything to go by—and quickly began seeing to the security of their surroundings. All were merely twenty feet from her at the most, and none paid her a single bit of mind. Samus internally remarked how this cloaking was truly working wonders.

She just hoped they moved on, soon.

All the while, she narrowed her eyes keenly at them whilst amplifying their communications for eavesdropping. Their guttural, deep growling and chirping was enough to make her blood boil whenever she heard it… but it was more than enough to provide her with a wealth of information:

“Zircon One to Zircon Actual. We’ve inserted and are moving to carry out clearing operations. How copy?” the taller commander spoke.

The reply over his communications node still came in loud and clear for Samus’ systems to listen in on.

“Zircon Actual to Zircon One. Understood. Proceed as planned. Slaughter the beasts where they stand. Remember, High Command is paying out bonuses for heads taken back as proof of a job well-done. Earn your pay today. Actual Out.”

“Very well. You lot heard the Commander. Let’s bleed this wretched hive of a city.”

One of the troopers motioned towards the other side of Main Street, just opposite of where Samus was hunkered down.

“Sir! One of ours!” he pointed out, and through the veil, revealed something that Samus hadn’t had the chance to see yet:

A dead Pirate Trooper. And from the looks of it, extremely dead. She couldn’t make out much of a right-side of its torso with how it was laying lifeless. Nevertheless, if this group left soon enough, Samus knew there might be valuable intel to be had.

“Good find. That’s exactly why we’re here. His sacrifice will be worth the price of this city. Let’s avenge him and all our fallen brothers. These creatures will pay dearly for the Pirate blood they have spilled. Move out!”

All of them began sprinting down the street, heading toward the direction of the ongoing weapon-fire. Samus dare not move nor disengage the cloaking until she could neither hear their soppy footfalls on the waterlogged street, nor see them on the range of her tracker.

Once they finally disappeared, Samus did just that, then made a bee-line towards the deceased Space Pirate.

It was as gnarly as she expected.

Though laying on his back with his mouth agape in what was likely a final death-scream, the entire right half of his torso was completely obliterated. From the jagged edges of the shredded muscle and the burn wounds on his internal organs, Samus figured it was likely a dual attack from a Storm Beast’s jaw, and a magical blast.

She could’ve sworn she heard Twilight retch. What she did hear was Fluttershy sniffling.

“Oh… Celestia…”

Samus felt bad for having to subject them to a scene like this, but there was something that she knew could help them answer their questions.

“Sorry, girls… but I’m just looking for… a-ha!” she exclaimed.

Strapped just above where the Trooper’s arm was sheathed into its weapon was his datapad. Based on how recent this kill looked, Samus wasn’t too surprised that it still had some juice in it.

She brought two fingers to the side of her helmet, kneeling.

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete]

[New Pirate Data has been Recorded to Logbook]

[Translation:]

[Thirteen more deaths today. Many more wounded. The beasts in the forest continue to assault our crater defenses despite the death we inflict upon each of their waves. The Captain says these attacks have only intensified since the discovery of an alleged creature that was inhabiting the core.

Nothing’s been confirmed. High Command is tight-jawed about this. Not sure I believe it, but the Captain never steered us wrong.

Apparently, the discovery came about when the vapor-for-brains Science Team decided to try and set up a Phazon purification hub directly next to the core. Whatever it was, slaughtered them… and no amount of forces we sent in came out alive. High Command opted to seal the creature within the confines of the core chamber, which apparently it was not able to break out of of despite its immense power.

Or… so they say.

High Command, understandably, refuses to release the creature, assuming it even exists. Allegedly, even our deadliest troops who entered the core to clear it out were erased from existence. Could be an excuse to cover up high-profile losses.

But… ever since the ‘discovery,’ more and more of these attacks by the beasts have occurred, with increasing intensity. Other soldiers, scientists, and non-military staff have also reported seeing what looks like ghostly equine wandering the halls, observing certain individuals.

It’s reported that several soldiers were killed directly by it. Others went insane and they had to be pulled off active-duty.

I can’t help but wonder if such a creature actually exists? Or if this is just some mass hysteria over a silly ghost story, perpetuated by some bored Commandos who had nothing better to do. I haven’t seen it myself. Part of me hopes I really don’t get the privilege.

No matter. My unit is being sent to the Mountain City to aid in clearing out any beasts and setting up an outpost. Maybe I’ll get the chance to talk to our resident ghost when I get back.]

“Interesting…” she mentioned.

Samus dismissed her visor, mulling over the information she just read as she continued to run straight towards the Castle. By now, it was pretty much taking up her entire field of view, as the entrance lay straight ahead once Main Street came to an end.

Twilight had her own thoughts:

“You know… I can’t prove this a hundred percent right now, but I have a very prevailing theory based on that trooper’s account…”

Samus never broke her stride, and continued glancing to either side of her visor to ensure her vision was clear, all while keeping her motion tracker front and center of her mind. Nevertheless, she listened as raptly as she could.

“Yeah? Go on…”

“I don’t think this ‘entity’ was just a ghost story. Again, I can’t prove this, but it seems awfully convenient how it lines up so well. I think it’s Fizz—Tempest. It has to be…”

Samus cocked an eyebrow.

“Really now?”

Fluttershy gasped.

“W-What? So you’re saying she lived…?”

“Unfortunately, even before this, it seemed that way. When we fired the Elements right when she tore into us… she was grievously wounded. With how corrupted with the Phazon she was, maybe she sought out the source of the pestilence, the impact crater—the core—to heal her wounds?

“And that would mean that once the Pirates found her healing up, it led to these altercations, and their situation now!”

Samus reached the edge of the bridge that led straight into the massive, over-arching front entrance. She glanced down either side of the bisecting street and hunkered low near the canal boundary, Shying Away once more for extra care.

“So the Storm Beast attacks,” the Hunter began to springboard off Twilight’s thoughts.

“Then they’re just trying to get to their ‘master,’ right?”

“Yes!” she confirmed. “And this would also mean that she’s trapped. And that Phazon might act as some form of natural retardant to magic, if she’s unable to blast her way out or get out by any other means… assuming that’s how the Space Pirates sealed her in,” she wagered.

Samus nodded, intrigued.

“Interesting… might need to test that theory when we come across another Phazon sample. All this holds water so far…

“But what about this ‘ghost?’”

Twilight sighed, unsure.

“That… I’m less confident in. It’s too convenient for it to not be related to Tempest… but at the same time, I’m not sure how she’d accomplish that. I’m not saying it’s not possible, but I don’t know of any spells that can, in essence, be a conduit for reliable astral projection for the level of activity the trooper was describing. That’d be the Princess’ domain, for sure.”

“Mm,” Samus acknowledged. “Either way, they’re clearly hunting down Storm Beasts. Other than the whole tactical advantage, maybe there’s another reason to it?” she wondered aloud.

“Maybe? Either way, seems like they’re paying a heavy price to do so,” the alicorn answered.

“The Pirates will pay any price to achieve their goals. So that doesn’t surprise me. They’ll just feed more and more of their troops into the meat grinder.”

Samus could practically hear Twilight shaking her head.

“Disgusting.”

From that point, Samus’ barren motion tracker, and no further developments on this side of the city that she could track, made her more than comfortable with crossing the bridge. But before she decided to move out, Twilight had one thing of note:

“It looks clear for now, Samus. And we’re close enough where I’ve been able to use my magic in combination with your system’s scanning ability to ‘peer’ through all levels of the castle. I’ve confirmed with no shadow of a doubt that Rarity’s here. In fact, she’s in the tallest spire of the castle: Luna’s old Observatory and Armory.”

With that information in mind, Samus peered again down either side of the street, then stood up from behind her cover. From there, she dissipated her cloaking and made a mad dash across the bridge. She felt the old, under-maintained boards creaking and nearly breaking under the weight and force with how hard and fast she was running… she silently prayed it wouldn’t give way.

In the end though, she could break through the wood and fall into the canal for all she cared… but only if it meant keeping her continued presence undetected. She prayed even harder that no roving Pirate Skiff, nor Storm Beasts approached during this moment.

All the while, Samus added:

“Okay. So you can guide me up?”

“Mhmm! I know the way like the back of my hoof. Assuming we don’t run into any trouble, it shouldn’t take long to get up there.”

Samus’ boots fell upon solid stone once again, having completed the tense, if short, trek across the bridge. She skidded to a halt, generating a few sparks under her as she fell to a kneeling position… all before cloaking herself yet again.

“Big if,” she mentioned. “Also… in the event you don’t know the way in the future for any of this, can I track Elements through OM?”

“Absolutely! So long as you’re close enough for your systems and magical ability to detect their signatures, you totally can.”

“Good to know.”

Satisfied that she hadn’t been seen, Samus dropped the cloak and slunk inside the eviscerated doors of the grand entrance to the castle.

Leading with her arm cannon, and her hand firmly gripping its top, trepidation accented her careful, calculated footfalls as she forded the first bisecting main hall. It didn’t take long to pass the threshold of another set of destroyed, gigantic double doors into an even grander foyer… one that bore no small passing resemblance to the one found in the Castle of the Two Sisters in the Everfree.

The ornaments and tapestries that once hung from the bannisters above were as lifeless and colorless as the corpses she had passed—torn to shreds as they hung. An errant breeze from the outside occasionally made them flutter in a soundless current.

Rugs and statues had all met the same fate, and many of the stained-glass windows that were in place had all but shattered some time ago. Samus couldn’t rightly place it, but much like in the outskirts of Canterlot itself, this place was just… lonely now. A familiar sense of foreboding crawled over her skin, but a more unfamiliar sense of unease and anxiousness was worming its way through her core.

That wasn’t to say she had never once been anxious or uneasy. Samus had been through much, much more tense situations than this. She just wasn’t quite sure why her legs felt the need to move, lest they tremble, in such a simple environment.

Twilight, once again, had the answers to the questions Samus merely asked herself internally:

“Magic often leaves scars that take decades, sometimes centuries to fade. What you’re feeling right now—and much of what you felt in Canterlot—are the magicized echoes of many who died here.”

Samus wasn’t sure what to say to that, but Twilight continued as Samus kept a stern watch on her motion tracker.

“The more in-tune with magic you become, you may even be able to accurately piece together what happened all that time ago. The fact that you can even feel this though, means your magical ability is strengthening by the day. In a morbid sense… you’re doing well. Thank you… again.”

“Thanks for the insight. And… don’t mention it,” Samus replied.

A sudden, angular glint to the right of Samus’ peripheral vision immediately caught her attention as Space Pirate in origin. She thrust her cannon to her right… but no counter-movement, nor attack, was forthcoming.

From either the body she just discovered, nor her motion tracker. Her systems didn’t seem to have anything to say regarding active Space Pirate signatures, either.

“Pirate Commando,” said Samus, and she lowered her cannon to her side to stroll over.

The body lay propped up against one of the balcony supports, just in front of another archway out of the foyer… one that led deeper into the castle, and more towards where Samus’ destination led. Further down the darkened hall, which was lit merely by the ambient light from the shattered window at the very end, she could make out multiple bodies.

All Commandos.

All in various bodily positions and states of dismemberment.

The lakes of blood that stained the stone, splattered on the walls, and dried on marble beneath them suggested fairly recent kills, possibly to the tune of weeks as opposed to months.

Fluttershy’s hushed words filtered through:

“Oh… Oh my Celestia what happened here?”

Twilight didn’t have any answers, and was equally curious at the carnage.

“I’ll say… Storm Beasts, maybe? But I don’t sense any of their essence that comes with their encounters. Weird.”

Samus knelt before the first, propped-up Pirate Commando she had found. She reached out for his arm to find a datapad in the same place as with the previous corpse.

“Let’s see if we can find any answers…” she said.

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete]

[New Pirate Data has been recorded to your Logbook]

[Translation:]

[Another squad went in. One returned, and he had to immediately be admitted for psychiatric evaluation.

Kept wailing about attacks coming from nowhere. Quadrupedal, spectral entities that graced the fringes of their vision, only to strike our comrades down one-by-one before disappearing.

A previous survivor mentioned that these attacks began after chasing a bunch of the beasts into the fortress. In an effort to hunt them down, the beasts were found slain. The trooper recalled their commanding officer disturbing some unknown, seemingly valuable artifact in one of the many rooms… all before they, too, were descended upon and ravaged with haste.

High Command has deigned it necessary to send our Commando Group to clean up the mess and establish control over the fortress. This will aid our forces in establishing a greater foothold to colonize the rest of this continent, and then the planet at large. The defensive infrastructure is already in place from the previous inhabitants… and it would be a shame if High Command marked this castle, and city as a whole, for destruction if we fail to wipe these beasts out once and for all.

I survived the Chozo Ruins on Tallon IV. And from there, I know ghosts can be killed. These, too, will find only death.]

Samus dismissed her Scan Visor as she pursed her lips.

“Hmmph. This is what I would call not exactly ideal,” she voiced.

The alicorn agreed wholeheartedly.

“Ponyfeathers. Sounds like we need to grab Rarity immediately, as well as any clues that can help us possibly find out what happened to the Princesses. We might not have a Canterlot to come back to if we wanted to try again later. And yet…”

Samus stepped away from the body, and started following the lavender, arrow-directional heading that Twilight suddenly slapped onto her HUD.

“What is it?” she asked while stacked up against a corner wall… all before she shuffled around and continued down the dark, stony corridor.

Twilight continued.

“Another ghost. Or these ‘spectral entities,’ as they said… I haven’t the slightest what these could be. I lived here for a lot of my life and remember nothing of the sort, nor any spells that would produce similar effects, let alone kill ponies.”

Samus peered straight ahead, launching into borderline-sprint when her motion tracker declared an all-clear. She had to vault over a few more Pirate bodies, but the distance tracker between her and Rarity was decreasing in value greatly, which only spurred her forward.

“We’ll deal with what comes our way.”

“Yeah… yeah we will.”

Samus continued to follow the marker Twilight had set, and by this point she felt that she had ran the entire length of one side of the castle. Nothing peered out at her, nor attempted to stop her pace. Other than the digital company in her head, these walls were as barren, flat, and empty as the rest of the castle and city. Only the metallic clanging of her footfalls as she ran echoed far in front and behind her.

Other than that? Silence. Haunting silence.

It did well to drone out the continued weapon-fire in the distance, though.

The marker began to turn, and angle itself towards slowly towards her left as Samus approached what appeared to be an entrance to another hallway just ahead.

She broke her run and eased herself back down into a walking pace when she met the entrance to a spiral staircase… one that led straight up to where Rarity allegedly was.

Twilight spoke:

“Almost there… this staircase goes straight up to the Observatory. It also lets off at other levels of the castle, so just be cautious as always when you approach those doors on the way up.”

“Will do.”

All the doors were still barricaded shut, as least that she could tell on her way up with the rusted, iron bars strapped across them.

When her motion tracker continued to pick up nothing at all, Samus adjusted her steps into proper strides, fording three to four stairs at a time as she spiraled upward. Nevertheless, she made sure to land appropriately so that, every time they passed one of the doors leading to another level, she was on a solid footing and ready to fight anything that might’ve burst out to attack her.

As their fortune continued to hold, nothing of the sort happened…

…suspiciously so.

No ghosts.

But those suspicions faded away, at least temporarily, when Samus placed her right boot on the final step that led directly into one final door. At first glance, it looked like an onyx-stone slab with how black it was, and therein existed a faded white crescent moon emblazoned right on the center. It seemed like there weren’t any handles or knobs to turn, at least from her side.

“It’s a magic door. Your OM Visor should be able to interface,” Twilight suggested.

Samus did just that, and shrouded the world in a comfortable darkness with the visor overlay. Sure enough, the final barrier between them and Rarity glowed a modest lavender, which seemed to emanate directly from the crescent moon… and which her systems deemed important enough to highlight in similar fashion to her Scan Visor.

Huh… so then I can…?

Samus tentatively placed her fingers to the side of her helmet in inquiry… and she blinked widely when her systems responded much like its information gathering counterpart would.

[Scanning…]

[Seal deactivated. Magical lock bypassed.]

The whiteness of the crescent moon faded even more, and without any physical exhortation from Samus, the door gently swung ajar, inward.

“Neat.”

Twilight agreed.

“Yup! We may be seeing a lot more of these if we need to delve into the more arcane areas of magic to save Equestria. Good thing I happen to be an expert on much of it~.”

Samus smirked at the confidence upturn, but steeled herself once more when she sought to enter. Leading once more with the barrel of her arm cannon, Samus brushed the deceptively-light observatory door out of her way, which opened into an identically deceptive, circular enclosure.

As the Hunter stepped forward and into the more well-lit room, she could see exactly why this place would be an observatory: it actually scraped the cloud layer, and some fog meandered and trailed its way in to bathe the room in an ominous white. The wooden and stone structure of this sanctuary was darker than most of the stone she had seen thus far in the castle, and if the growth of some moss and rotting of some of the wooden tables and furnishings were anything to go by… this place had not been utilized since the Crisis.

As expected.

Samus peered around to either side of her, having spied various sets of papers, massive tomes, star maps littered on the floor and messily pinned around the circumference of the room, as well as various telescopes…

…and most interestingly, a gigantic, dilapidated chest that held a suit of alicorn armor with various cloaks.

All lay derelict and seemingly undisturbed for the last fifteen years. If this was Luna’s Observatory, and she lived through the Crisis, she certainly hadn’t made herself known.

The lavender, bluish glint off her Visor drew her attention to the center of the room, and the sight of the single, rhomboid diamond was enough to loosen Samus’ tension. She lowered her cannon to her side, and let her shoulders relax a bit… all while taking in the soothing light of the Element of Harmony idly, elegantly rotating in the center of the room.

They made it.

Samus heard Twilight exhale softly, then whisper with relief all over her words:

“There she is…”

Fluttershy wasn’t far behind, and the Elemental Bearer’s name fell forlornly from her digital mouth.

“Rarity…”

Smirking once again, Samus stepped forward whilst she called up her Scan Visor again for a final confirmation, if only as a formality:

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete]

[Element of Generosity]

“Looks like it’s her,” said Samus. “Anything I should do specifically? Is she safe to just… reach out and pick up?” she asked, all while she hesitantly reached outward with her armored hand.

Twilight, interestingly to Samus, seemed tepid at first.

“It should be fine… but I’m curious now…”

Samus held her hand suspended, just before Rarity’s Element, though Fluttershy was the one that asked the pertinent, yet simple question:

“About what, Twi?”

“Her Element is just… here. Has Rarity even tried to assume her corporeal form? Out here? Or…”

Her tone depressed at her next thought.

“…has she just been stuck here, chained to the Element after all this time without even setting foot even in this room?”

Samus asked:

“Would the Storm Beasts have hunted her if she tried?”

“I don’t know…” replied Twilight. “It seems the Space Pirates kept their distance ever since these incidents with these so-called ‘spectral entities.’ And other than that dead soldier’s data referencing chasing some Storm Beasts inside… I haven’t seen any of their bodies. Have you?”

“Nope. Can’t say I—”

A lone blip suddenly appeared on Samus’ motion tracker—right behind her.

Simultaneously, there was a sharp creaking of one of the old floorboards right by the door Samus entered in.

Samus swiveled on her heels and thrust her arm cannon forth, the end of her barrel splayed open and ready to fire off a missile at the threat who dared approach her from behind…

…but all that met her was a startled yelp, and a hodgepodge of white and indigo tumbling messily to the floor out from behind a massive tower of papers and cabinets.

Another ‘eep!’ later as the now-identifiable pony damn-near face-planted, and Samus was face-to-face with a porcelain-white coated unicorn. Her frizzy mane—clearly unkempt—could barely hide the deep-seated fear in her traumatized, deep-blue eyes. Her pupils were pinpricks, and her mouth quivered as her entire body shuddered in Samus’ presence.

However, Samus was able to make out the cutie mark on her haunches. It matched the Element perfectly.

Before Samus could even react, Rarity whimpered, her purely horrified face boring into Samus’ visor as she attempted to scurry back into her hiding place, and towards the now-open door into the castle.

In the couple seconds that this happened, the voices in Samus’ head exploded:

“IT’S HER!”

“RARITY!”

“NO! SHE’S TRYING TO RUN!”

“NO!”

“STOP HER!”

Samus winced, but did the next best thing before Rarity scurried away and made this much more difficult: she called her name.

“R-Rarity!” Samus called, holding her hand out to her.

The unicorn—whom Samus could now see had some smudges of dust on her face and body—froze in her tracks.

Her quivering voice responded in an edge Samus could only describe as ‘dignified.’ Even so, her velvety tone did not belie her abject dread.

“W-What? What is the meaning of this?! Who—what are you?! How do you know my name… please… d-don’t hurt me… I beg you… I… I don’t…”

Samus didn’t get a chance to follow up, when she heard an impatient grunt belonging to Twilight. At an instant, she watched as the alicorn materialized out of her Suit and stood before Rarity…

…a Rarity who suddenly went much more wide-eyed in being stunned rather than fearing for her life.

Fluttershy followed Twilight’s lead in taking a massive, barely-calculated risk. Both of them quickly crowded the distressed unicorn mare beseechingly in any effort to calm her.

“Rarity!” Twilight exclaimed. “It’s us! It’s okay… it’s us!”

Samus watched as Fluttershy reached for Rarity’s hoof, taking it in both of hers while repeating:

“It’s us… we’re here!”

Rarity’s mouth hung open in what seemed to be a mighty need to say something, yet nothing was forthcoming. Her questioning eyes flicked rapidly between Twilight, Fluttershy, and Samus, who elected to stand just behind them. Her aimless trembling gradually began to subside.

The Hunter ultimately decided to further relax the situation by disengaging her Suit in a quick flash, dropping her much more intimidating visage.

“Wh-What? T-Twilight? F-Fluttershy? It… How… who is this?” she thrust a hoof towards Samus, pointing right at her.

Twilight cupped Rarity’s cheek with her hoof.

“It’s okay… please calm down, Rares. It’s us… I swear. We’re real and we’re here. We can explain more on the way but we shouldn’t stay here too long.”

Fluttershy gestured back towards Samus.

“And this is Samus—she’s here to help, I promise!” she said, and glanced back up at her.

Samus met the meek pony’s gaze and nodded once, opting to keep silent until she needed to step in. They may have been in a hurry, but she didn’t mind them having a few moments to themselves… so long as they didn’t take too terribly long. She still kept tabs on her motion tracker on her wrist, which only registered the group of three in the room together.

To Rarity’s credit, she seemed to calm down immensely, but still looked quite apprehensive of Samus, which the Hunter understood completely. Her eyes still flicked between the three of them…

…until the unicorn finally threw her hooves around both Twilight and Fluttershy’s neck and pulled them close.

She buried her face in their necks and began openly weeping.

“Girls…” she sobbed. “I… I missed you so much… so long… what happened? Where’s everypony else…?”

True to their nature and as Samus expected, Twilight and Fluttershy wrapped the alabaster unicorn up in their own hooves and shared a moment with each other. None of them had any dry eyes that Samus could see.

“We missed you too, Rarity…” Twilight sniffled out before adding resolutely. “And we’re gonna get the rest of them, and bring them home too.”

As heartwarming as this was, Samus felt the need to interject in the interest of time:

“I hate to be a buzzkill in a time like this… but we should really make this quick. You all are really exposed right now…” she said.

Twilight nodded a couple times through her tears.

“Yeah… it’s probably fine, though. Seeing Rarity’s form like this has gotten me thinking. Whatever killed the Pirates may’ve kept the Storm Beasts at bay, too. Which means that there might be some unknown defense mechanism in the castle…”

Samus could see all the questions scrawled on Rarity’s face right now, but Twilight didn’t give her a chance to ask them.

“And that means I think we have enough time to integrate Rarity into you properly, rather than just snagging her Element and waiting until we got back home.”

Samus held Twilight’s confident look for a while, and after sparing another glance between Fluttershy and Rarity—the latter now on her haunches—the Hunter let her posture relax just that much more. With that, Twilight smiled warmly, and beckoned her forward towards the sitting unicorn.

Samus smirked softly as well, then knelt to eye-level with Rarity.

“Rarity?” Twilight began. “This is Samus Aran. We can explain more when we’re out of here… but she’s here to help us get the girls back together. To reunite the Elements and save Equestria. She’s super nice too,” she added with a giggle.

Samus reached forward with her hand.

“Hi, Rarity. Nice to finally meet you… and lemme tell you: the girls here have told me wonderful things about you,” she added in extra overture to further melt the ice that had already been broken.

It took a couple seconds, but the unicorn eventually returned the soft smile, and placed her hoof in Samus’ hand for a quick shake.

“M-Much obliged, Miss Samus… my apologies for acting rather unladylike a couple minutes ago. I must say… though intimidating for certain, your suit of armor was quite lovely~!” she sniffled, though finally managed a sweet smile.

Samus chuckled… further spurred on when Twilight and Fluttershy both giggled at a comment that most certainly characterized Rarity.

Continuing the line of easy ice-breaking, Samus stated:

“Heh, thanks! We can talk more about it later once you’re all safe.”

Twilight grabbed her attention:

“Element’s ready for you, Samus. You know the drill by now.”

She then addressed Rarity as Samus stood up to go grab the Element:

“Samus can carry us with her by binding our Elements to her battle suit. Like we all said, we can explain more when we’re back in Ponyville. This may feel a bit weird…” she warned.

Samus was way ahead of the game, having already re-equipped her Varia Suit sans helmet, and plucked Rarity’s Element from the invisible force that was holding it suspended in place. Once it was in her armored hand, she faced Twilight and nodded once.

“On you.”

Twilight nodded once in return, closed her eyes, and began the familiar ritual.

Her horn gradually brightened until the entire room seemed awash in luminous, blinding lavender light. All the while, Rarity’s Element flaked away into familiar, magical dust particles which coalesced, and were then absorbed through Samus’ chest via the Element of Magic.

The Hunter’s systems reacted accordingly.

[Element of Harmony Acquired!]

[This is the Element of Generosity, the third of six. Each Element—a tenet of Friendship—brings with it a bonus to you. Gather the remaining three Elements to unlock the Harmony within.]

“We’re good,” said Samus.

Twilight cut her magic once the integration completed, and Rarity promptly remarked:

“Huh… that does feel weird, Twilight!”

The alicorn giggled.

“It’s only gonna get weirder come the next part, lemme tell ya! See you inside~!” she teased.

Samus could hear the implicit language in those words—it was time to go.

And with that, she offered out her hand. She watched as Twilight and Fluttershy glanced back towards Rarity with bright, knowing smiles before placing their hooves in her hand one by one. Both absorbed into her Suit without any issue, and she was able to immediately confirm their presence in her systems.

From there, she fell to a knee once again before Rarity and offered her the same hand.

Rarity glanced at Samus’ armored, open palm wherein she had just placed her hoof not even a few moments ago, and the point where her friends disappeared. Based on what she had just witnessed, Samus figured that she knew the general idea of what was happening…

…and yet, this mare came back with a confident quip:

“You know, darling… you really should get to know me better before you start offering me your hand like this, Samus.”

Samus deadpanned, which evoked a hoof-covered chuckle from the unicorn. She had to admit, though—that was a good one! She offered up a genuine, if lopsided smirk.

“I’ll keep that in mind, smartass. Now, come on—let’s get you home.”

Rarity offered up another giggle again, all before finally placing her hoof into Samus’ palm.

“It’s been long overdue. Thank you, Samus, from the bottom of my heart.”

And in a flash of deep blue translucence, Rarity’s corporeal form faded away into magic and made its way into her systems. The integration was fully confirmed when Samus’ eyes flashed that very-same blue behind her visor, and Rarity’s element showed up on the selection matrix at the bottom of her HUD.

“By Celestia… you’re right, Twilight!” Rarity exclaimed, further confirming her digital presence. “This is SO much weirder!”

“You’ll get used to it, Rares. Just try not to be so dramatic when you do… and don’t touch anything!”

“Oh I would never, darling!”

“Mhmmm.”

Samus’ eyes widened as she briefly stared off, lamenting at the revelation whilst she stroked the temples of her helmet:

I have THREE voices in my head now. By the Gods…

Twilight’s voice rang out again:

“Lemme prime Rarity’s Elemental Ability real quick. Just… about…”

[Flash Teleport Acquired!]

[Integration with the Element of Generosity has conferred the ability to locally teleport yourself instantaneously. Three consecutive short-range teleportations, or one longer range teleportation are now possible. The range and recharge are subject to endurance and magical ability.]

“Looks good on my end… and that definitely sounds useful. Thanks, Twilight! And thank you, Rarity!”

“Not sure what I did, darling but… of course!”

“Sure thing! And wow is that gonna be so useful! We’ll need a wider space for you to practice and see how it manifests… but you’re becoming well-versed in the magical arts really quickly!”

Samus huffed.

“A little too quickly it seems, sometimes,” she wagered.

“I think you’ll be fine, Samus,” said Twilight. “Now, we’ve got Rarity. As planned, we need to see if we can find any clues as to the whereabouts of the Princesses before we leave. I have a couple ideas to start.

“Samus, I’m setting a marker towards the Throne Room. There, and the private study behind the throne wall itself would be worth checking out.”

Samus started walking right away, heading for the only exit she entered from.

“On it.”

11. Answers

Author's Note

Here we go, y'all! Lemme know what you think of THIS chapter if you feel so inclined! I'll be reading and responding to all comments~.

11. Answers

Samus held her arm cannon charged, ready to prime it with a Pulse Missile, though she held her fire.

“You sure?” she asked Twilight.

The alicorn’s resolute reply was immediately forthcoming:

“Most of it has already been destroyed, anyway. Might as well finish the job now, make it easier for us, and rebuild later. Do it.”

“You got it.”

With that, Samus fed the missile into her charged shot and released it into the mix of half-destroyed remains and rubble of the Throne Room doors. The shot blew apart any other supports that kept marble and ceramic barriers in their path, while completely dissolving and disintegrating any of the Magicite that had been present. The act left nothing but a gaping hole when it was all said and done. The sound of rubble settled and died away, leaving nought but eerie silence once more, with the occasional pattering of gunfire from further inside Canterlot in the distance.

Easy enough for Samus to simply walk on in, and the Throne Room—bathed in musty, light fog— was now wide open to the group.

Samus stepped forward, keeping her cannon jutted outstretched with her hand atop it, ready to engage anything that might dare attack her. Though, she knew good and well to keep a few things in mind: the Pirates and Storm Beasts were all, allegedly, cut down by something when they tried to storm the castle, retreat, or in general, just take refuge here. It was very likely that they still weren’t alone…

…however quiet it was.

It was still nice that she didn’t need to turn a flashlight on. The Castle had a remarkable way of pulling in natural light from the outside. A giant, lavender carpet—torn, folded on itself, in general dereliction due to time—acted as a figurative runway and a path forward. There was little else to do but follow it.

Once Samus passed through the threshold, Twilight materialized out of Samus’ armor, putting her hooves to the floor right next to her. Following her example, Samus watched Fluttershy and Rarity take their places right next to their alicorn friend, and all four of them continued to advance further and further into the barren room.

‘Barren’ was certainly a way to describe it, though even while empty, Samus could feel the rising tension—that same unease and anxiousness that had wormed its way into her core when she first entered into the Castle grounds. This time, it was much much more intense, like the formations of a pressure headache, though mysteriously without really any of the pain associated with it. The mark it left on her state of mind though, was a different story.

She felt cold. Shaky.

Paranoid.

It was made even worse by the fact that no one made a single sound. The only ambiance that kept them any form of company was her metallic footfalls, which melded with the three ponies’ own tentative hoof-steps. The occasional breeze that made its way through rounded it all off.

Halfway through the throne room and scouring through all her visors to confirm they were as alone as possible, Samus kept her role as head of the party, but stole glimpses at the ponies behind her. Twilight looked very conflicted, yet determined to continue forward. Fluttershy looked like she was putting on as brave of a face as possible, but kept soldiering on next to Twilight as she took in the sights.

Rarity just… stared blankly. Her head never moved, and she seemed to just stare at nothing on the floor a few feet in front of her. Zero emotion on her face. Apparently Fluttershy also seemed to notice this, and she brought herself in close to nuzzle her. Rarity’s disposition didn’t change at all.

A pang of pity washed over Samus. Being alone for that long with zero contact, or awareness that anyone was alive, or what was going on likely did a number on her mental state. She could only hope that when they made it back to the castle, more of her personality would come out like when they first met.

That the damage hadn’t been too permanent.

Samus blinked. She didn’t expect to be caring personally about these ponies so much by this point. But perhaps, just once in her life… this development wasn’t a bad thing?

That remained to be seen. For now.

Still, nopony uttered a peep. Samus recalled that this was where it all ended for them, or where they ‘were killed.’ This was probably a lot to unpack for all of them, and Samus was content in not being provided updates by Twilight for the time being. Even if it wasn’t ideal, they needed this.

And this remained especially true when the quartet passed the visible, easily distinguishable remains of a large crater just after the midpoint of the throne room. Samus wondered if this was where the Elements themselves were fired before it all ended? She could’ve also sworn she saw lots of dark stains within said crater—possible remains of blood. Their blood.

Samus felt no need to point out nor acknowledge it out loud. And as the ponies marched right by, whether they noticed or not, no one else seemed to find the need for mention, either.

Finally, Twilight broke the silence:

“It’s… exactly the same as it was. Other than the lighting and the other destruction, nothing’s changed at all. It’s like I’m walking through my ‘final moments’ again. Celestia I can still feel little echoes of ourselves from all those years ago…”

No response from anyone else, especially Rarity, who continued her pattern of not really acknowledging anything, but just following closely with the group.

Samus brought her attention to the thrones that sat in front of her once they made it to the end. Or rather, what remained of them. What were once the majestic seats of this government and nation were in complete shambles. Shattered. Only the shapes of the seats themselves remained intact in any manner.

The Hunter continued to flick through her various visors. Nothing special revealed itself in either case, though, her OM detected the presence of low-level magic just hovering around the area.

She did jerk her head slightly when she heard Rarity gasp, but that was in the presence of the first Space Pirate body they stumbled upon, as was foretold by previous Scan Data. It wasn’t immediately obvious what killed him, but there was another job to do, so she resolved to come back to it later if need be.

“Space Pirate,” Twilight said aloud. “Dead. We’ll… explain more later, Rares,” she softly added.

The unicorn didn’t reply, but only righted her gaze limply back towards the floor in front of her and nodded a couple times.

By the time the group had reached the thrones themselves, an archway just off to the left and right of each respective throne were the only paths forward that Samus could see.

“Which way, Twilight?” she asked.

“Either one works,” she said. “They both meet behind the thrones and lead to the Princesses’ private meeting chambers and studies.”

Samus chose the right path, just to the right of the Lunar Throne without any further beckoning. Twilight followed, with Fluttershy and Rarity trotting along silently.

“Their personal offices?” she asked.

“Mhmmm.”

As Twilight had mentioned, the halls circled around and met behind the thrones, which in turn offered up only one path forward: through a set of unassuming double-doors. The left one held the emblem of the sun, while the right one held that of the moon. What was interesting to Samus was that this doorway seemed just as normal as any that she had come across in the Castle. She would’ve figured entry into a head of state’s office would’ve been a bit more… ornate.

Not that it mattered. She could practically see through the badly-mauled wood anyway with how ill-maintained it had been over the last decade and a half.

“Anything we should expect?” Samus asked as she reached out to grab hold of what remained of one of the handles.

Twilight shrugged.

“I don’t know. The Throne Room Study was always restricted—even to me.”

Samus cocked her head, surprised. Apparently that even got Rarity talking, albeit softly:

“R-Really, darling? After everything you’ve accomplished…” she wondered. Fluttershy nodded in agreement.

Twilight shook her head.

“We. I couldn’t have done half those exploits without you girls,” she corrected. “But nope. Never was allowed. I asked once or twice but was politely declined each time.”

Samus pointed out a similar vein of thinking to Rarity:

“You were their esteemed student.”

“Be that as it was, the Princesses didn’t share every facet with me,” she said, then looked up to Samus’ eyes through her visor, shrugging again.

“Everypony needs their secrets. Right?”

Samus’ turn to shrug.

“I guess. Alright, then hopefully the answer to my question is ‘nothing deadly.’ Get behind me…” she directed, and all three ponies complied without question.

Samus placed her armored hand on the door latch and tested it. Unlocked, but it refused to budge inward. Her vision through the jagged, worn slats in said door was obscured by something solid. Something was just behind the door, preventing it from swinging inward, or so it seemed. Thus, Samus then fiddled with the handle again in preparation to pull it open…

…to which the door promptly swung open suddenly as the weight behind it was dislodged, with the shredded, partially decomposed corpses of a Pirate Commando and a Storm Beast falling and slamming to the floor loudly.

Samus didn’t react but with mildly-widened eyes. Twilight apparently saw the future the moment soulless, lifeless eyes of the Storm Beast and Commando revealed themselves, and she magically muzzled Rarity and Fluttershy…

…who were on the verge of screaming at the mutilated, frankly revolting sight of two dead, bloodied, decomposing monsters suddenly appearing.

“Shhhh… easy, girls… we can’t be making much noise… I’m… I’m sorry,” said Twilight before slowly undoing her magic and releasing their muzzles.

Fluttershy seemed to regain her composure significantly faster than Rarity, likely because of her own experiences, and what she had seen ‘first-hoof’ through Samus’ visor. Rarity still looked positively distraught. Her mouth hung open, breathing heavily though no words came out. Her eyes were wide in recognition… and if Samus had to deduce, she had seen the Pirates wandering around the Castle at some point.

Samus threw the door open fully and stepped into the threshold, cannon jutted out, and scanned the entire room for contacts.

Nothing stood out to her. Other than a few more Pirate and Storm Beast corpses.

“Clear,” she announced. “Looks like we found where the Pirates chased down the Storm Beasts,” she noted, taking her first steps inside.

Ambient, natural lighting from the outside still managed to filter its way into this surprisingly large back-room study which revealed itself to be just a giant, four-walled room. It reminded her distinctly of a dining room with how high the ceiling was, with a destroyed chandelier hanging at its apex.

Samus turned back to see Twilight and the others carefully stepping over the two bodies as they entered. Their ears drooped as did their posture when they could smell the death in the room. They did their best to ignore it and soldier through, especially Rarity, which Samus commended them for.

“Yeah…” Twilight answered. “Look at the orientation of the bodies, too… they were trying to run. All of them. Whatever did this…” she observed.

Samus finished her sentence.

“It started here. Good eyes. We’ll just have to be careful then. Nothing immediately looks like it could literally shred someone’s body,” she said.

Twilight nodded.

“That’s all we can do, really. Let’s split up, all. Something’s gotta be here that can tell us more. If anywhere, it’s here,” Twilight declared.

“O-Okay Twi.”

“Yes, dear…”

“You got it.”

Samus turned away from the group to face the rest of the Office… and that’s really all she could describe it as. A simple office. Other than the corpses strewn about the ground, and the occasional artifacts that looked more pony-esque in nature, nothing stood out to her, other than its size.

Two executive-looking, yet very-much wooden desks lined opposite sides of the grand room, with some small, open vaults and cabinets in various states of disrepair. What remained of some papers were strewn about them, though most looked weathered and decomposed to time. Moving over to the darker, mahogany-looking wooden desk that Samus assumed was Luna’s, even through her armored hand she could feel a weakness in the wooden structure itself. A dampness. Moisture had likely accumulated through a breakdown of the ventilation.

No upkeep. Made sense to her.

Glancing up to about eye-level, Samus was met with a welcome surprise: A stone map of Canterlot, still in excellent shape and easily readable through her Suit’s translation layer. Out of curiosity, Samus pivoted on one foot and took a glimpse over her shoulder: another stone map. This time, of the entire nation of Equestria.

She smirked.

Right, I’ll be having that.

[Scanning…]

[Map Data Acquired!]

[Map Data for Canterlot City now available!]

[Scanning…]

[Map Data Acquired!]

[Partial Map Data for all of Equestria now available! Warning: More precise map data may be needed for various regions.]

As expected with the former acquisition, Samus’ pre-rendered map was now filled entirely with a street-by-street view, and the context of the path in which she took to get here. She had a hunch that the trek back out through the desolate streets would be much easier now.

Nice.

But with that out of the way, and glancing over at the other girls to see if they needed any help in their search, Samus decided to explore Luna’s desk a bit more closely. It seemed like the best option with Twilight practically putting her eyes and nose flush up against Celestia’s desk for anything of note.

A few intact and semi-cracked remnants of drinkware were also strewn about with the aforementioned remnants of documents and papers. Flipping through some of the heavily dust-caked books also didn’t reveal much other than what Samus figured were star maps and constellation designs.

Flipping back to her scan visor didn’t really reveal much of note either. In fact, her systems held exactly nothing in high enough regard to warrant the usual scannable highlights. A manual flip of what papers did survive their aging with an addition of a translation layer didn’t reveal much either…

…though Samus did learn a smidge about the Equestrian legislative process. Fairly parliamentary in nature.

Samus pursed her lips.

Unless…

She swapped to her OM-Visor, halfway expecting to suddenly be hit by some magical overload coming from something that she missed.

Nope.

Other than a baseline level of ambient magic and the occasional echo, she was once again left with nothing more than what she started with. The environment remained annoyingly dim. Not a peep from the girls either, and the fact that they were now rummaging through the lowest levels of the side-cabinets made Samus figure that their search wasn’t bearing much fruit either.

Something glinted off her visor.

Wait… huh?

Samus noticed the faintest possible glimmer from inside one of the drawers of Luna’s desk. In fact, she was sure it was likely a reflection off of her visor, but in replicating the exact way she moved to even notice the aberration, the glimmer returned—through an imperfect seal between the metal handle and its base.

Sufficiently spurred on, Samus grasped the handle of the drawer and pulled. It didn’t budge past a certain point—of course it was locked…

…but the Hunter barely pulled with any strength. And she felt the rather weak hold that the lock held on the drawer after all this time. With a little extra encouragement and some rather violent shaking, the drawer sprung free entirely from the rail within the desk… and Samus had to rest the bottom on the top of her cannon lest it tumble to the ground.

She lay the now-loose drawer on the desktop as her entire OM-Layered vision was lit up by a pulsing, red hue. Even as she dismissed the OM-Visor, the culprit inside—a clear, rhomboid crystal the size of half her entire armored palm—continued to pulse with a glowing, alluring red light.

Apparently the noise had alerted everypony else, too:

“Samus, you don’t have to destroy everything… careful, please…” Twilight pleaded.

The Hunter only answered by tenderly taking hold of the crystal and holding it up for all to see.

“Found something. Signature in OM. Does it mean anything?”

Fluttershy and Rarity, while they slowly trotted over, didn’t hold any bit of recognition in their faces the longer they stared at the crystal in Samus’ hold.

“W-What is that…? I’ve never seen a crystal like that before…” Rarity asked with utmost curiosity.

Twilight, on the other hand, gasped immediately.

“That… that’s an Imprint Crystal! Excellent find, Samus!” she exclaimed as she drew even closer to examine it.

Samus held it lower so Twilight could have a proper look, careful to keep it securely in her hold, but not too tightly that she shattered it in her grasp. With a reaction like that, it had to be important.

“Guessing it’s something good, then?”

“These types of crystals are really rare. But it can imprint magical data onto it.”

“Like… a recorder of sorts?”

Twilight nodded vehemently.

“Yes! Exactly that! We need to see what’s on it… here, allow me…”

Twilight shut her eyes and furrowed her gaze momentarily as her horn flickered. Samus felt a sudden rush of energy through her hand—evidenced by a sudden, whisplike flow of magic over her limb—that then rushed over the crystal.

The alicorn seemed to have some final, desperate words before she finished whatever she needed to do:

“Please… Please give us something. Anything…”

Whatever Twilight did afterward to interface, the walls of the room flickered a dim red, and as if the crystal came to life, it projected magical dots around them as if the group were in a magical snowglobe. All then coalesced into the upper torso of another, rather regal-looking alicorn in the same shade of monochrome red that the crystal presented itself with.

And the crescent-moon insignia told Samus just who this was. An aura of familiarity broke upon the trio of ponies as they all gasped:

“Princess Luna!”

The—ostensibly—recording didn’t react, but only seemed to eye whatever was in front of her with keen interest for a few, silent moments.

Twilight had one last tidbit to add:

“She looks… young, here. Like, this is well-before the Crisis.”

No one could answer to that as the magical recording spoke with an almost magical-static layer over her smooth voice:

“This… this Imprinter Crystal is to remain hidden from Celestia. Here it shall reside in my own desk, free from prying eyes. Even hers.

“Celestia has a heart of gold, and has ruled the nation fairly in my absence. But that heart of gold holds, in my opinion, too nurturing and coddling of a soul in her efforts to shield her subjects from what otherwise may be painful to hear. Her pupil, Twilight Sparkle, has shown to be no exception to this mindset of hers.

“Especially Twilight with the more arcane arts of magic. Only to be revealed when Celestia decrees. She has demonstrated this time and time again. Sometimes I agree. Sometimes… I do not. Problems could have been prevented had Twilight been properly educated and briefed on events…

“...such as my return from banishment.”

Samus watched and listened with rapt attention, but couldn’t help but steal a glance at the crowd that formed around her hand. All had wide, revering eyes for the Lunar Princess—even a recording of her.

“In the end, this crystal shall serve two purposes: firstly, as transparency. Secondly, as an emergency record. Especially with Twilight’s continued growth and proposed succession, I personally feel she will need all the help she can get for important state matters.”

Twilight and the others gasped, one after the other. Samus also raised an eyebrow at this.

Luna sighed.

“One day, I’ll reveal this to Celestia… once I get the idea she won’t banish me to the moon again for keeping this. One day, she may understand. But for now, I believe it’s time to pay some old friends in the Everfree a visit.”

After another moment, the recording ended, and the room was again bathed in the natural, ambient lighting. The crystal in Samus’ hand still dutifully pulsed red.

[New Crystal Imprint Data recorded to Logbook.]

Silence. Pure silence enveloped the room, and even the background noise of the falling rain from outside, layered with the continued conflict raging in Canterlot’s streets seemed to fade away with the sudden tension that rose in the room.

Fluttershy was first to speak:

“Twi… you were gonna succeed them? As the Princess?”

“The next leader of Equestria…” Rarity also weighed in.

Samus gazed at Twilight, who looked even more stunned at what she heard than any of the others. Wide-eyed, she looked like she was attempting to make words with her mouth, but no words were forthcoming as she grappled with the undoubtedly conflicting thoughts that were suddenly awash in her mind. Samus couldn’t imagine how she felt, after all of this… and finding out in the end that you were slated to rule a country that now has effectively been destroyed.

“I… I didn’t know…” she began.

But her thoughts seemed to take her elsewhere, and her gaze furrowed as she returned her attention to the crystal in Samus’ hand.

“T-There has to be more. That can’t be all of it…” she said out loud.

Samus watched as Twilight lit her horn, concentrated by closing her eyes about half-way, and then just observed as her magical aura enveloped the crystal once more. This went on for several seconds, and Twilight seemed to be ethereally searching for something specific.

Her eyes perked up and she grinned.

“Yes!! There is! I can sense the imprint dates! And… wow Luna recorded a lot.”

Samus put forth the obvious:

“I don’t think we’re in the best position to go over the entire history of Equestria…”

“I know. But I’m looking precisely for… a-ha! The date the meteor struck the planet!”

“Play it.”

The crystal responded in exactly the same way, but instead of Luna’s regal, collected face gracing the room and seemingly addressing the crystal directly, there is instead footage of her staring at some unknown documents on her desk. More notably, her face was distressed, and she appeared like she hadn’t slept for a couple days.

Also different was the presence of who Samus could discern was Celestia, who looked as concerned for her sister as Luna did at… whatever she was looking at.

“Luna? Are you alright? What happened?” Celestia asked.

“An astral object has fallen to the planet in the Everfree,” came her terse reply. “No casualties have been reported, and the only damage has been to this section of the forest… which wasn’t inhabited by anypony to our knowledge, anyway. Crater is reported to be quite large. That’s all the information about the event I have for now.”

Celestia seemed rightfully confused at the response, and cocked her head.

“...okay? You seem distressed. Were you not able to stop it?”

“That’s… the issue, sister. I tried. With all I was capable of. I noticed it a couple nights ago when I was going about my usual stargazing. My magic was… blocked. Whatever is in that meteor, or whatever it was made out of… it actively pushed back against my magic when I tried to grasp at it and nudge it off-course away from the planet.

“But from what I was able to feel… it was not natural. Having felt what I felt, I truly believe there is something amiss. I…I don’t like this a single bit,” she said, shaking her head.

Celestia placed a shoe-clad hoof on Luna’s shoulder.

“You look genuinely afraid, Luna.”

Luna turned to her to face her properly.

“I am. I’ve never experienced something like this… never had an astral object—my own domain—push back against me. No… like I said, something is wrong. Very very wrong. And I am indeed afraid.”

Celestia could read Luna’s face easily, and the combination of her serious words appeared to brook no argument for the Solar Alicorn.

“Very well. Then to be safe, I suggest we secure the crash site in the meantime until we can ascertain what the threat is, if any… and see just why you weren’t able to control it. Perhaps it’s some arcane magical object that’s been known to exist?”

Luna shrugged.

“What shall we tell the public?

“The truth: we’re investigating. There’s no cause for alarm yet… which is indeed true, even if your gut feeling says otherwise. We’ll need to be pragmatic about this, regardless,” Celestia replied.

Luna nodded once.

“Very well. I’ll have a detachment of troops sent into the forest to secure the impact site. And I think this will be the perfect opportunity for our newly-promoted Tempest to hold command of the operation on the ground.”

Celestia smirked—the first smirk that Samus recalled seeing in the two recordings thus far.

“Excellent choice. I know she’ll do well in her role, if her… past is anything to go by.”

Luna offered up a gentle smirk in return.

“Fully agreed.”

The recording ended, and much like last time, Samus’ systems had recorded, transcribed, and archived it for posterity. Also much like last time, there was silence amongst the group, with the main difference being Twilight desperately, magically sorting through the crystal’s imprinting dates to bring up the next recording:

Luna suddenly appeared again, looking absolutely disheveled. Samus figured that she hadn’t been making any progress on the sleeping front since last time. Also much like last time, the Lunar alicorn’s eyes were pasted directly onto her desk.

Celestia arrived on the scene, and urgency in her heavier breathing and eyes told all. She had been summoned.

“Luna… what has happened?” she asked.

Luna responded drably:

“All contact with Tempest and her forces has been lost.”

Celestia furrowed her brow in abject horror.

“W-WHAT?!”

“When we gave the order to storm the impact crater and destroy the meteor… things went completely silent after the first few minutes. All communications and magical hails are not being returned. It’s just… blank. Pure. Utter. Silence,” she punctuated each of her words with dread.

Celestia looked away for a moment, equal amounts of horror staining her regal, beautiful face… and through pursed lips she finally managed a succinctness of thoughts:

“This… is not good.”

Luna offered up a suggestion:

“Should we ready the Elements, sister?”

“We might have to… though I’d wish to not shoulder them with yet another burden. Do you feel we need them at this time?” Celestia asked.

Luna processed her question, and glanced away to marshall her thoughts for a moment.

“Let’s put them on standby. But for now, I want the entire army mobilized, and a search-and-rescue operation initiated immediately. I will personally lead and command if nopony else is available.”

Celestia nodded.

“Very well. I’ll contact Twilight and her friends, and—”

Some noise came from the background of the recording, and both Celestia and Luna were interrupted with their attention suddenly being jerked elsewhere beyond the range of the recorder. What Samus could hear was some urgent mumbling that could not get quite picked up by the crystal.

Whatever it was, their reaction was immediate, and both Princesses’ eyes went wide with deep, primal fear.

Celestia shook her head, mouth slackened, but Luna held the last words:

“No… NO!”

The recording abruptly ended, but Samus’ systems barely let her know that the recording was archived before Twilight—hyperventilating—got the next one up and playing.

The recording opened with Luna slamming her hoof onto her desk as she spoke angrily with what looked like a military officer.

“What do you mean the vanguard has been swept aside!? Tempest re-emerged a day ago!” Luna demanded.

“I watched it happen, Your Highness. Those that weren’t felled were… taken. Assimilated into those monsters. Her forces grow stronger by the hour and are fighting aggressively towards Canterlot. I… I don’t know how long this can be kept up. A few days at most with our current, horrendous attrition.”

Both their attentions were then brought elsewhere when Celestia suddenly entered the recording range.

“Luna—the Element’s have been gathered, and will reside in the Throne Room until Tempest’s eventual arrival.”

Luna nodded, and turned back to her officer and solemnly said:

“You’re dismissed, General. Whatever you need… you have my permission. Buy us the time we need. I’m sorry… that we can’t do more for you and the troops.”

The general saluted the two of them and expertly kept his composure despite the wavering in his response.

“W-We’ll do what must be done. And for what it’s worth? It’s… It’s been a privilege, Your Highnesses.”

“And you as well.”

“An honor and a privilege, indeed, General.”

He took his leave, and the two regal sisters were left alone once more. Luna turned to Celestia once the door to their office closed.

“So they’re assembling? Good. They may yet be our only hope once again. Tempest will be drawn to them… she has no choice but to walk into their line of fire, if it comes to that. And like the General said, we may only have a couple days at most to prepare. The rest of the army is paying with their lives to buy as much time as they can for the rest of the country.”

Celestia sighed, nodding as she added:

“While your plan is underway, right? Do you have everything you need?”

“Yes, sister. The gateways have all been set up, and I’m being told that it’s continuing to be an orderly evacuation into the magical realm. I’ve also set up some special gateways for some of our finest forces… whose lives may be better recalled from the Magical Realm in the future when needed rather than being sacrificed on the frontlines…”

Luna quickly corrected herself:

“N-Not that their lives are inherently more valuable than those fighting valiantly to buy us the time we need but…”

Her composure was breaking, that much Samus could see, and she watched as past-Luna pursed her lips and spoke heartfeltly to Celestia:

“Sister… are you sure you wish me not to stay here and help defend the Elements… with you?”

Celestia let her eyes fall shut as she shook her head resolutely.

“No, Luna. Your mind has always been leagues ahead of mine when it comes to logistics and tactics. Our ponies will need your help in the major cities. Go… and get everypony out. Help compress as many as possible into the Realm. Save as much of Equestria as you can.”

Luna nodded once.

“Of course, Celly. But you and I both know even with my power, I can only aid the jobs of the gateways so much… and… and…”

Samus felt a pang in her heart when she saw it: Luna’s lips quivering. She struggled with her next words…

…until she broke completely. Luna began openly weeping as she tried to keep eye-contact with her equally-distraught sister.

“W-We can’t get everypony out… I… I can’t. There’s not enough time…”

Celestia lay a hoof around Luna’s neck and embraced her as she, too let her own tears flow.

“I know. And may they all forgive us…”

“B-But…” Luna began anew, trying to muster the courage to answer the question that was likely burning on both of their minds, despite clear resignations to their fates having been evident in their voices.

“What if the Elements fail?”

“I… I don’t want to think about that right now, Luna. We know Tempest will be affected by the Harmony Beam. All our foes have been to some extent. This… we’ve never dealt with something like this before, so ‘how much?’ I can’t say. Like you, I can only hope that it cleanses Tempest and the legions she corrupted.

“Or… destroys her.”

Luna seemed to agree, but, to Samus’ confusion, she asked another way:

“Indeed… but when or if the Elements are struck down…?”

Samus listened intently… didn’t Celestia answer that with a big fat ‘I don’t know?’ She would’ve figured that maybe she was trying to grasp at whatever hope remained when the entire situation was hopeless… but that certainty in her voice made the Hunter think she was asking about something a little different.

As she continued to listen to see how this played out, she also noticed that Celestia had not answered her. There was complete silence from the Solar Alicorn.

Luna pulled back from Celestia’s embrace to look her in the eye.

“Sister… do they know?”

After another couple-second staring contest, Celestia finally answered:

“No.”

To say Luna recoiled in abject shock would be an understatement, and her response was marinated in anger:

“W-What?! They don’t know about the Elemental Failsafe?! How could you possibly have kept this from them?!”

Celestia came ready to argue:

“Of course they don’t know! Could you imagine if they knew about it from the start? That if they ended up actually getting themselves killed in the execution of their Elemental Duties… the Failsafe process could reconstitute them?!”

Celestia pulled away as Luna still appeared to be processing the whole ordeal… and Samus felt that it was kind of a big deal with Luna’s face looking like her world was turned upside-down.

“That if they knew all we had to do was retrieve their Elements, mosey on down to the Tree, and regenerate their forms. Think of the absolute recklessness! Especially—bless their hearts—from not just Twilight. But Rainbow Dash? Pinkie Pie?! And what if the Tree anointed new bearers??”

“I… I disagree, sister…” Luna lamented. “The Bearers would know to treat the power with the respect it deserves. They never attempted to use the Elements to solve all their problems… and you and I both know that we’d all know when the Tree chose a new group.”

Luna turned away from Celestia for a moment, facing her desk before shaking her head and gazing back at her.

“They should’ve known! We could’ve planned for something like this! For such eventualities!”

“No,” said Celestia. “This only would have mattered if we were going to come out of this alive, anyway. Only we have the power to reconstitute them. And despite our own celestial failsafes, if we’re incapacitated, this entire idea is moot. Me telling them would not change anything.”

Luna was enraged.

“I disagree wholeheartedly, sister!” Luna yelled. “You always do this! Every time. Every single time! Do you not trust your ponies? Do you not feel that even the smallest knowledge of the Failsafe would provide an extra layer of framework to lean on in times of cataclysm like this?!”

Celestia also raised her voice.

“If. We. Survived! Twilight hasn’t ascended yet. That means, we’re still it!” she declared. “We’re going to die. You and I both know this. But like the Elements, our ‘death’ will be a temporary incapacitation. We ourselves still need to be restored to bring them back.”

Luna knew she was right… but she still shook her head regardless as the tears continued to stream from both their faces.

“They still should’ve known. But… we do hold the figurative keys to the Tree.”

Celestia stepped closer to Luna once more.

“I know.”

Sudden determination crossed over Luna’s features, and she reached forward ‘towards the viewing group.’

“Then we make the plan, now.”

Celestia’s attention was sufficiently grabbed when both their faces suddenly took up the majority of the imprinting view. Apparently, Luna chose this time to reveal the crystal to Celestia, and the latter suddenly held an aura of familiarity to what she was looking at…

…and defensiveness.

“W-What is that…?!” she asked, but even Samus could tell that that was a token question at best.

She knew exactly what she was looking at.

Luna responded:

“You know it as an Imprint Crystal, as do I. But I now understand it as the key to our salvation.”

Luna, much like the first recording, then looked directly ‘into’ it. Celestia did as well, though with more of an unknowing at what her sister was planning.

“Twilight…”

Samus heard a gasp, but barely stole a glance as she was laser-focused on what was about to be said.

“We have made crucial mistakes. We are not infallible… but you are likely aware of this. We will atone for our mistakes in time, if we can see this through but… should the Elements fail, and should you fall in the faithful execution of your duty…”

Luna glanced over at Celestia, who had calmly taken her place next to her, apparently resigned to the fact that there was no point in getting angry now. She knew what Luna was doing, and continued to let her younger sister talk:

“...you and your friends shall walk this world again. My sister and I intend to do what we can to the end as well. As we have the ability to restore you, you have the ability to restore us. You must go to where Celestia and I were anointed with our powers: The Alicorn Temples in the Luna Bay and Celestial Sea—I’m sure you’re also aware that we’re asking you to travel to two opposite sides of the continent.

“While the failsafes were created long ago independently of one another, our breeds of magic are very much intertwined. You will therefore be able to reconstitute us.”

Celestia suddenly cut in:

“And gather your friends and their Elements as well. Once we are restored, we can go to the Tree and restore you fully.

“Twilight… my most faithful student. I’ve asked much of you over the years, and there’s still so much I haven’t told you. If this works… I promise to do better in the future. And… I know you’d be a better ruler in my place.”

Celestia motioned to continue, but had to stop herself as fresh tears began flowing down her face.

“I’m… I’m so sorry. Please, free Luna first. She’ll be able to provide immediate help upon her regeneration. It’s okay… I promise.”

And with that, she broke down entirely. It was Luna’s turn to wrap a weeping Celestia up in her hooves.

“Rest assured, Sister. Twilight will pull through. Your faith in your student has never been misplaced. We just… may be waiting for some time until she can figure things out, and find her way here.”

Celestia sniffled and looked to her sister with a glaring question:

“Twilight is wise beyond her years… but like any of us, she’s still just a pony. What if she doesn’t figure this out? Or finds herself unable to do so for any reasons we don’t foresee? What happens then?”

Celestia’s walls crumbled in on themselves a second time as more realizations seemed to hit her like a freight train. She wept her next response:

“Oh by the gods I should’ve told her everything… y-you were right!”

Luna held her tightly.

“If that comes to pass… well,” she chuckled sardonically. “I was banished for a millennium once. We can do it together, if need be.

“And if that’s the case? I guess that’s just the future we’ll have to accept.”

No words were forthcoming for a few moments… moments so tense that they seemed to pass by like small eras. Nevertheless, Luna reluctantly pulled away.

“It’s… it’s time for me to go. Best of luck, Celestia and… I love you.”

“I love you too, Lu… more than you know. Whatever happens, we’ll meet again, right?” Celestia asked, her words brimming with hope.

Luna nodded once, a brave smirk on her face.

“In death. And in life.”

And with that, the recording ended, and Samus noticed that the Imprint Crystal itself had dimmed considerably from when she first found it.

By that point, she had also realized that she hadn’t checked on the girls since they started watching the second recording. Attaching the crystal to a compartment on her waist for safekeeping, Samus turned to face Twilight specifically…

…whom she found wide-eyed, slackened-mouthed, and with fresh, hot tears just streaming down her face.

“...Twi?” Fluttershy tentatively put a hoof forward. “Are you okay?”

Rarity, likewise, showed much concern for the alicorn:

“Darling… please, talk to us?”

Samus watched as Twilight’s lip continued to tremble, which was soon followed by heavy sniffling. And before long, Twilight’s composure had utterly shattered as she, herself, began sobbing…

…but not before turning to her two friends and wrapping her friends up in her hooves, weeping into their necks. The raw emotion that even Samus could feel was contagious, and their hitherto strong walls finally collapsed together.

They bundled one another up all the same, but Twilight had plenty babble out so heartfeltly:

“I’m… I’m sorry, girls… I-I love you girls so much… I’m so so sorry I c-couldn’t figure this out sooner… I kept you waiting f-for so long!

“I… I… I swear to you…” she sniffled and slurred, continuing. “We’re g-gonna win. We’re gonna bring everypony back… W-We’re gonna do this, girls! I p-promise…”

Both Fluttershy and Rarity were near-instant in moving to dispel her self-defeating words.

“Darling, shhhh~... It’s okay, sweetheart, I promise~,” Rarity cooed, holding her as tightly as she could.

“You did what you could. You always have. None of us knew what was happening, either.”

“Rarity’s right, Twi…” Fluttershy added. “You couldn’t have known until now. Please please don’t blame yourself…”

Samus let her posture slacken slightly at the display, and a familiar warmth diffused through her chest and core. Though they couldn’t see it from behind her visor, she let an easy, fond smirk crawl up the side of her face. Seeing—and feeling—how deeply these three cared for each other evoked some wonderful memories and nostalgia. But more than that, Samus felt like she was more energized than ever. Twilight had been nothing but kind, accepting, and strong considering all that had happened to her, and likewise with her friends, not to mention Viridian.

It took a lot for her to ask for help, and Samus eagerly accepted out of both convenience and mutual benefit for both parties. But now? She wasn’t so sure those were the only pillars propping her up.

She had come to this planet with morale so low, her thoughts were straying to previously darker, unthinkable areas of her mind. While she hadn’t fully come out of this slump, Samus could feel the change in her own demeanor, just from these past few days allying with Twilight.

Her drive had begun to return.

Her morale swelled with every passing day.

And even through the seriousness of the situation, she could feel that childish, youthful tickle of raw adventure and exploration deep within her stirring once more.

Viridian’s words echoed loudly in her head:

...that Chozo fire still burns white hot within you.

“They’re right, you know,” she said, earning everypony’s attention. “Even if you did figure it all out somehow, it’s not like you could really move anywhere with the Storm Beasts hunting you down, anyway.”

Within her friends’ embrace, Twilight sighed out and nodded a couple times, having let a small crease of a smirk reveal itself after she wiped her tear-stained face. She then shuffled out of Fluttershy’s and Rarity’s hooves, and Samus watched her close the distance…

…then wordlessly fly up to eye-level only to throw her own hooves around Samus’ neck.

Samus didn’t quite expect the wordless intrusion into her personal space, and feeling her eyes go wide and her body go unnaturally stiff was evidence of this. What brought her out of her stunned stupor was Twilight repeating her words:

“Thank you… thank you, Samus… I’m sorry to put you through this. To ask so much of you. I-I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you… thank you so much…”

The Hunter understood her words fully, even if they were laced with more whimpering… and she reacted in kind by gently placing her armored hand on Twilight’s back to hold her. Samus understood just how awkward she was being right now, considering Twilight and Fluttershy had nuzzled her back at the castle and she was totally fine in accepting the gesture.

But she still wasn’t used to this kind of affection on a semi-regular basis… if one could even call this ‘affection.’

Though, she had to admit, with the extra warmth in her chest even through her armor, it felt… kinda nice. And as the aforementioned awkwardness dissipated, it had dawned on her that it had been a little while since she was last hugged, even if right now Twilight needed it most from her.

Samus scratched her back a bit.

“Compared to what the Federation or the Chozo asked of me… you’re totally fine. And don’t worry about that, alright? You’re letting me sleep comfortably in your home, so I think it evens out in the end.”

Twilight nodded.

“Mm. Won’t ever stop me thanking you, though. So… thanks again, Samus.”

“Heh, fair enough. And… don’t mention it.”

The human and pony released each other, and Twilight fluttered gently back down to her hooves… though with two distinct differences in her features that Samus immediately noticed: no more tears, and a sparkle of resolve having returned to her eyes.

She smiled—determined—up at Samus, and though she likely couldn’t see the smirk she was sporting in return, the Hunter in no way could suppress it. In a way, Samus admired Twilight on a couple fronts, emotionally and tactically.

That, and it was probably really nice to have a group of friends that would have your back through anything and everything… even after all that had happened. The closest thing she could remember were some of her friends amongst the elderly Chozo back on Zebes, as well as her two comrades in arms during her Police and Army days.

Hope Kreatz and Mauk are doing okay… wherever they are.

Twilight then turned back to a waiting Rarity and Fluttershy with that same smirk. She angled her head back over towards Samus, and the latter got the message, and was ready to fall into step.

“Come on girls,” she announced, and waved her hoof towards the door.

The choice of words was not lost on Samus, as Twilight had never really referred to her as ‘one of the girls,’ in a sense.

“Let’s get outta here. I think I have a plan…”

Rarity and Fluttershy shared a quick glance, and though curious, quickly fell behind Twilight. Samus followed suit as the alicorn led the group back into the remains of the Throne Room still veiled by a thin layer of fog.

“So…” she began anew, not letting anyone even beckon the question out of her.

Samus and the two ponies gathered around all the while.

“The Bay of Luna… and Celestial Sea. I know exactly where these ‘Ascension Temples’ are. And if Celestia’s insistence is correct, that means that a regenerated Luna could make an immediate difference while we’re off searching for the rest of the girls. What this means though… I’m not sure, since we all saw that neither of them elaborated on it. We’ll just have to find out.”

Twilight punctuated with a single, curt nod, with a swelled confidence written all over her face..

“But all that to say, the next mission should be to the Bay of Luna. We pick up Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, and Applejack, and then go find Celestia. With Samus’ help here, we now have one hell of a chance to set things right.

“What do you all think, girls?”

There wasn’t even a hesitation, and Fluttershy was first to affirm her stance:

“We’re with you, Twilight.”

Rarity had seemed to perk up much more than earlier.

“Since the beginning, I’d follow you anywhere. That hasn’t changed, darling.”

Though her own thoughts on involvement were trivial, Samus threw them in regardless:

“Count me in. And like I said earlier, I’m committed to this.”

Samus watched as Twilight glanced pridefully between the three of them, and she damn-near looked like she was gonna start crying again from all the affirmations alone. But, to her credit, she held it together, and with another curt nod and a bright smile, she said:

“Heh… just like the beginning indeed, Rarity. But now, I think we can—”

A deep, feminine, demon-esque voice suddenly interrupted:

“So… they return to the scene of the crime. How predictable.”

Samus could practically feel the collective chill up everyone’s spine wrangle its way up to their hearts.

All turned towards the source of the voice at the Throne Room entrance, and found a single pony standing there, garbed in Phazon-studded armor, just inside the threshold.

Twilight’s reaction was immediate shock and horror.

“T-Tempest?!”

The immediate features that stood out were her larger stature than the rest of the ponies, deep crimson, bordering-on-indigo coat… and her face.

The right half of it from her view looked completely normal, and showcased her light-blue eyes not dissimilar to Fluttershy’s… but the other half of her face at an angle, all her coat and skin seemed to have sloughed off completely, leaving a skull with vestiges of torn muscle, and pulsing veins of blood and Phazon. Her second eye was non-existent. Abyssal. Hollow. Much like the countless Storm Beasts that Samus had faced thus far.

The teeth of her skull were always visible on the left—razor-sharp, predator-like, perpetually in a soundless snarl. And that was before Samus noticed the gigantic, second mandible underneath her ‘standard’ mouth, again, in Storm Beast fashion.

All the while, Samus sprang into action, jutting out her cannon and aiming it straight between Tempest’s eyes before thrusting her hand out towards the group.

“Get in, now!” she ordered.

Rarity and Fluttershy were about to immediately obey, but Twilight, interestingly, angled her head and squinted her eyes, completely confused at what she was seeing once the initial shock had worn off.

“Wait a minute…” she stepped forward towards the newcomer. “It’s not her. It’s a magical projection… somehow,” Twilight announced, trotting right up to the taller entity for extra measure.

“She can’t harm us… even if she wants to.”

Samus instead transferred use of her hand into aiming her cannon… keeping it passively aimed in Tempest’s general direction out of an abundance of caution.

Tempest began stepping forward, and Twilight moved to rejoin the group in kind as the former lamented the alicorn’s words:

“Unfortunately, you’re right. I can’t slaughter you all right now and claim your Elements for myself… considering all you, the Elements, and Equestria have done to me. And even then, my work clearly wasn’t finished from the first time I killed you lot.

“Most… curious,” she hissed, narrowing her eyes at the group.

Samus remained silent, opting to let Twilight and company do the talking unless she was directly addressed by them.

And boy, Twilight had some talking to do. She scoffed, shaking her head whilst bravely maintaining eye-contact with her.

“You were on the mend, Tempest… you had all you wanted! Friends who cared about you! A job you loved!”

Twilight stomped a couple paces forward and spat venomously:

“We had been nothing but accepting and accommodating of you… even though we had zero need to be, you bitch!”

Samus flinched, wide-eyed at Twilight’s rare outburst of anger, but nevertheless kept her digital sights trained on the intruder. Rarity and Fluttershy rallied behind Twilight all the while.

Seemingly begging for an answer that wouldn’t come, Twilight again lashed out with a question:

“Why… Why did you do this?! And why are you doing this?!”

Tempest held her head higher, literally looking down upon the group of ponies as she emotionlessly replied oh-so matter-of-factly:

“You wouldn’t understand, Twilight. I can’t expect someone like you to… but the core of the meteor: it opened my eyes. Showed me the truth.”

Samus’ turn to question that.

Uhhh…?

Twilight seemed to play off her thoughts, squinted her eyes, and shook her head like she was trying to understand what Tempest had just told her.

“W-What?! What does that even mean? What ‘truth?!’” she demanded.

“I told those ponies we called princesses when we emerged: It spoke to me… it’s alive, Twilight! And it needs the Elements. The magic. All of it!”

Samus, internally, expected Twilight to ask why, and for what purpose. Her expectations were subverted when Twilight huffed out, in complete disbelief whilst continuing to shake her head in her own lamenting. The alicorn’s words were soft… yet they punched so pointedly above their weight, especially her first two:

“Fuck. You.

“You’re sick, Tempest. You’re corrupted. Infected. That’s all it is…”

Twilight raised her voice continually as Tempest remained emotionless:

“That’s all it ever was! That this… all of this…” Twilight swept her hoof around her. “You did because you, unfortunately, touched the Phazon poison. You started hearing things!” she yelled.

But she was in no way finished, and Samus continued to listen to Twilight’s continued, frothing declamation:

“Hearing. Voices! And like with the Storm King before you with the promise to heal your horn, you took his former title of some supposed Storm Queen, and did the bidding of this ‘meteor core.’ This ponified version of the voices in your head that aren’t even there! You… you are no more than a mental-pony in command of an army! You complete, utter fool!”

Samus was… impressed with how angry Twilight was, though she understood entirely.

Jesus Christ, girl.

Tempest, once again, shed little emotion. In fact, she looked almost… amused at Twilight’s outburst. Like a parent watching a child throwing one hell of a temper tantrum.

“And unlike that useless Storm King, the core already healed my destroyed horn,” she mentioned, pointing to the top of her head where a curved, sharp horn crested with a bright, Phazon-blue.

“He was an idiot of the highest order, and the remnants of his feeble empire will pay in time once I’ve taken care of everything here in Equestria…

“But in the end, there’s little point in trying to convince you of what I know to be the truth. I will be needing the Elements of Harmony. And eventually, the Princessly powers, which, unfortunately, includes yours as well, Princess Twilight,” she declared.

Twilight stopped for a moment, and narrowed her eyes.

“You… you knew, didn’t you? That you didn’t truly kill any of us… that we would come back.”

Tempest chuckled evilly, closing ranks completely. Samus noticed that her hoof-falls never made a single sound, further putting truth to the idea that she was some kind of projection, different to the magical and corporeal limbo that Twilight and her friends existed in.

“Do you understand now? The Core. Knows. All. Sees all. Controls all. And I’ll be the first to admit that you haven’t been as sneaky as you’d’ve liked.

“I knew the moment you all were still alive when I retreated to tend to the… admittedly grievous wounds you gave me. I could feel as you tried everything to break out of your protected Castle… even after these invaders came. Which, in a way, saved your life—the irony of such a gift with what you call the Poison, means that it absorbs just about all magic. Had I been allowed to be free, I would have sieged your castle until Spike starved.

“And in the end, I knew the moment that she…” Tempest pointed directly at Samus. “...landed on the planet.”

Tempest didn’t give Twilight the ability to respond, as she turned her attention directly to Samus, who held her cannon squarely at Tempest’s face. The Hunter watched as she drew in closer and closer to look up at her through her visor.

“And you…” her paranormal-sounding voice scratched at Samus’ sonic dampeners. “You’re their miracle, hmm? Their literal knight in shining armor. How fitting… and by extension, ironic. Since by that logic, you’re also my hero, as well…

“Twilight here is unfortunately correct. I’m merely a projection of my actual self, trapped in the chamber of the Core… which means I cannot simply kill you and take the Elements for myself, even if I wanted to.”

She huffed, then lowered her voice confidently.

“This projection outside of my forced sealing in the Core is… extensively taxing. But, judging by what I just heard of your plan, there’d be no point in killing you, in either case. You’ll just bring the Elements to me, anyway, in an effort to destroy the Core. And me.”

She smiled unnaturally widely, then glanced back at the three ponies who were searing their death-glares into the back of Tempest’s head.

“How easy~. It’ll definitely be fun to see Rainbow, Pinkie, and Applejack join you three in this one’s head. Along with…”

She turned back to Samus and stopped her words cold. Samus then watched while Tempest suddenly seemed confused as she bore her gaze through her visor and eyes. She narrowed her eyes and continued to stare deeply through her, as if she was trying to peer into her mind itself, almost like she was taking another look at something she thought she saw in her peripheral vision.

Samus, in turn, didn’t react one bit… at least, until Tempest’s features elastically morphed into one of pure surprise. Just like that, the tension in the air could be physically grasped through the dankness of the Throne Room once again.

After what felt like a small lifetime, Tempest’s evil smile returned, and she chuckled sadistically.

“Hmmm… interesting. That… changes things. Perhaps you’ll even bring them to me willingly. Then there truly is no point in even trying to kill you. You might be your own demise~.”

Samus cocked one hell of an eyebrow at that statement, though dismissed it outright for the moment. It wasn’t her first rodeo with psychological warfare.

Twilight spoke up and declared:

“We’ll defeat you again, Tempest. Just like we did last time, when all hope was lost even then.”

Tempest turned back to the whole group this time, and backed up a couple paces whilst chuckling deeply once more. Before she could even answer to that, Samus’ sensors spiked:

[Seismic activity detected. Localized to your current location.]

Immediately, a steady, unnatural rumbling shook the foundations of the room, and possibly even the whole castle. All in the room plus Samus perked their ears or glanced upward, respectively.

Tempest smiled once more, and her entire form flickered in the light like a digital aberration.

“You all may wanna get on with your mission~. Because as much as I love reminiscing where I slew you all once, the foundations of this Castle won’t take kindly to… hostile presences meddling around here.

“Don’t keep me waiting~.”

And with a final, malevolent giggle, Tempest’s form evaporated right into the fogginess of the room, as if she were never there in the first place.

The seismic activity ceased, but Samus already had immediate questions:

“Okay… uhhh, what was she on about?” she asked.

But no one could give her a proper answer before the three ponies all gasped—a bright, aqua-blue shield had suddenly erected itself over the remnants of the Throne Room door.

Simultaneously, Samus’ motion tracker lit up with contacts.

“Ahhh hell…”

Then came the screams… the anguished, deafening screams that were much different to the Storm Beasts. The hellish screams sounded like people being tortured within an inch of their life, and carried a distinct ‘magical’ accent and rasp to them.

She drew her cannon over their surroundings, thrusting her hand out as the ponies coalesced around her, all looking for a source of the nightmarish sounds.

“Okay now I think it’s time to get in!” Samus announced.

“YUP! Come on!” Twilight parroted the order, and all the ponies digitized themselves into Samus one by one.

“Looks like we’ve got a fight on our hands.”

“Right… but we got what we came for. I don’t think we should stay here much longer!”

“Agreed. Let’s make this quick.”

12. Consolidation

[Back at the Castle of Friendship…]

The cool, rain-soaked air entered his nostrils when he took a deep breath, chilling his chest in such a way that further calmed him. Upon exhaling, Viridian sighed out blissfully, and then opened his eyes to the north, where Samus’ ship had disappeared in the clouds several hours earlier. The continued, torrential pummeling of the lush fields and the town ruins the Chozo could see further veiled the view towards the mountain on which Canterlot rested.

He squinted, and though the crystal awning-esque doorway that led out into one of the few towers high above the castle kept him nice and dry, it still didn’t keep the subtlest tinges of nervousness from his core. Even with his arms folded and crossed behind his back, his chest puffed out, and his head held high as he loomed over the landscape below…

…he still watched. And waited.

Samus would undoubtedly survive.

His duty to her and to the Chozo would be fulfilled.

Nevertheless, even his steely resolve and ages of training and discipline could not keep at bay the fringes of worry for the Hunter and her companions. After all, to him, she was as Chozo as any of the warriors he had trained and sent off.

And he always worried about all of them. Every single one.

A tiny bit of movement and noise from whence he came drew his attention back over his shoulder. His inquisitive look morphed into a familiar smirk at finding Spike joining him on the pseudo-balcony of sorts.

“Thought I might find you here,” said the drake, who then took his place right next to Viridian.

An onlooker would still note the considerable size difference between the middle-aged Chozo Warrior and the already quite tall dragon.

“Ah, Spike!” he greeted, beckoning him all the while. “Perhaps I might’ve found a rather… preferred spot of your Castle. I certainly hope you don’t mind,” he smirked.

And then followed up with: “And that look on your face tells me you have something on your mind, young one.”

He watched as Spike smirked knowingly. Ever since Viridian was graciously taken in by Spike and Twilight, the young drake had always cautiously approached him with various questions about him, the Chozo’s existence, or history of the planet that he had been only modestly privy to. Twilight had similar, and many more orders of magnitude of questions of the same variety.

Spike occasionally surprised him though.

“Heh I don’t mind at all! And well, yes I… do have something on my mind,” said the drake, glancing up at Viridian, and the Chozo noticed the anxiousness—pure shyness in his face.

Viridian turned to face him fully, arms still crossed comfortably behind his back. He invited Spike’s thoughts with a soft smile.

“Very well! And what intrigues you today?”

“I…” Spike paused for a moment, and pursed his lips to marshal his thoughts. “Samus isn’t gonna be here a lot of the time when she’s out trying to find all the girls… hell, you might not be if she ever wants you to go with her and Twilight. I… I wanna be able to better defend our home if it ever comes to it.

“I don’t wanna be… useless in this fight.”

Viridian cocked an eyebrow.

“Useless?” he questioned, shaking his head in some disbelief.

“Spike, I can assure you that you’re far from useless. From what I’ve been able to see, you’ve been Twilight’s anchor for a decade and a half… and likely longer. You’ve kept her grounded, alive, and sane. Call me old-fashioned but I believe this is quite the way away from ‘useless,’ wouldn’t you agree?”

Spike smiled a bit, and Viridian knew he was getting through to him. Regardless though, the drake had other words to add:

“Ever since Samus got here, she’s been doing the heavy lifting. Twilight’s also putting her own life in danger, as she always has with the rest of the girls.”

Viridian countered:

“Samus does what she does—in the way she does—because there is no one else who can. She is, in essence, a specialist. Surely you can understand that not everyone is suited to be a soldier… as not everyone is meant to be a farmer, nor a cook, nor sometimes, even a close friend and confidant,” said Viridian, and he punctuated his last words with a friendly pat on Spike’s shoulder.

He could see his features warming somewhat, even as his breath fogged up in front of his snout.

“Heh… that’s true. But I’d feel a little more competent if I was able to…” Spike shook his head.

“Bah, ponyfeathers I’ll just come out and ask it. You were a trainer, right? Of warriors?” he asked.

Viridian had an idea where this was going, but was more than happy to indulge him, regardless.

“The more ‘correct’ answer would be the overseer of all the training, equipping, and teaching of the warrior class of Tribe Viridus of the Chozo Empire. The short answer, however… is ‘yes.’”

“Could you teach me how to fight? Like you and Samus?” asked Spike.

Viridian stared at him for a few, silent moments as he let the sound of the falling rain around them make up the temporary void of conversation.

He considered his words carefully after studying the drake’s features for a moment—he could practically peer through those wide eyes and pick at the anxiousness with his hands. It was anxiousness for the health and well-being of his dearest friends, and dare he say, family… but in no way could he discern any wavering in the meaning of the words of his request, themselves.

He crossed his arms under his chest, and finally mustered:

“What you ask, specifically, is quite honestly not at all possible. Myself—Samus especially—have trained a literal lifetime to be where we are presently. To do battle in a Chozo manner is not merely just a fighting style, like a martial art.”

Viridian gestured out into the rainy expanse with an open palm.

“It is literally a way of life. A complete change in attitude and outlook toward your world and the universe at large would be necessary. The physical training is only a mere part of a much larger, mental tuning,” he noted, then shook his head lightly.

Though his explanation—in his opinion—was sufficient, Spike’s look only hardened in determination. Viridian felt that the drake wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer, per se.

He then drew his previous gesture toward the drake himself, and much-more understandingly added:

“However… if you’re more concerned with the ‘the fight,’ what you ask is not entirely unwarranted, nor is it impossible. While I cannot train you to fight like a Chozo Warrior per se… perhaps we can find better use for these armored scales and broad build of yours to be more at home in physical confrontation. Would this suffice, young one?”

Spike’s eyes lit up, and his smile sprouted.

“Yes! I totally understand what you said before… but really, if push comes to shove… I wanna make sure I can put myself between Twilight and the enemy. Tempest even, if need be.”

Viridian halfway cocked his head and leveled some caution.

“You speak humbly and nobly. But I must warn you … this will be no easy task, even when not considering would-be mental and fortitudinous changes to your spirit. Are you truly sure you’re prepared for what’s to come? What it would truly mean to put yourself in mortal danger?”

Not even a moment’s hesitation, nor a blink was forthcoming:

“Yes, Viridian. I am. Anything for Twilight and the girls. In whatever way I can help us more, I wanna be there for it.”

Viridian offered up a single, deep nod and an admiring smile… though he wasn’t sure if that was just his own admiration for Spike’s selflessness that was making him smile. A tingle of excitement and nostalgia played at the fringes of his spirit deep within his core… of a calling that he had always adored.

“So be it. Then in light of the circumstances, your training must begin immediately.”

It was now Spike’s turn to be surprised.

“Wait… you serious?”

Viridian pressed his fingertips together in front of him as he glided towards the threshold back into the castle. An extra pep in his step was barely perceptible as he turned on his heels to face back towards the stunned dragon.

“Quite so, Spike! We’re going to ensure you’re in the greatest shape and readiness for when Samus inevitably needs a partner for refresher training I was thinking of presenting to her… and I feel there’s much you two could learn from each other in that case.

He cocked a joking eyebrow.

“Unless… of course… you’re having second thoughts?”

Spike dismissed that outright and joined him in step… even if Viridian could see a visible hesitation at the thought of merely sparring with Samus.

“Hell no. I’m ready for this.”

“Hah! We shall see about that.”

[Back in Canterlot Castle…]

“Don’t keep me waiting~.”

And with a final, malevolent giggle, Tempest’s form evaporated right into the fogginess of the room, as if she were never there in the first place.

The seismic activity ceased, but Samus already had immediate questions:

“Okay… uhhh, what was she on about?” she asked.

But no one could give her a proper answer before the three ponies all gasped—a bright, aqua-blue shield had suddenly erected itself over the remnants of the Throne Room door.

Simultaneously, Samus’ motion tracker lit up with contacts.

“Ahhh hell…”

She drew her cannon over their surroundings, thrusting her hand out as the ponies coalesced around her, all looking for a source of the nightmarish sounds.

“Okay now I think it’s time to get in!” Samus announced.

“YUP! Come on!” Twilight parroted the order, and all the ponies digitized themselves into Samus one by one.

“Looks like we’ve got a fight on our hands.”

“Right… but we got what we came for. I don’t think we should stay here much longer!”

“Agreed. Let’s make this quick.”

Samus held her battle stance firmly, but took a few steps back towards the ‘relative’ safety of the rear of the throne room, if only to put some distance between her and the mass of contacts her motion tracker was displaying. She flicked her eyes back and forth from her motion tracker to the ceiling, which was still eclipsed somewhat by the dankness of their surroundings. Her eyes blinked faster to keep her eyes keen, honed, and much more moisturized for the battle to come.

All the while, she peered around for an escape.

She couldn’t shake the feeling deep in the pits of her core… but something about this coming fight was warning her to be extra vigilant. An uncharacteristic nervousness tugged at the fringes of her mind like a deep cold would nip at one’s exposed skin. The goosebumps were noticeable… even encased in her Suit.

Samus shook it off as best she could. There was really only one way to find out.

At that moment, the Hunter caught sight of the first enemy to enter the fray, breaking visibly through the fog as she noticed its inchoate, gelatinous-like mass on one of the throne room pillars. It seemed to be roughly the size of a pony in overall size.

Twilight noticed it too, and was kind enough to point out two more that Samus hadn’t fixated on via an HUD ping:

“There!”

Samus steeled her aim on her first target, her systems able to lock on appropriately, but she held her fire… for now. Merely observing the new arrivals, another, much more apparent scream of damnation and dismemberment sounded as her target began taking a much more coherent form:

Out of the navy-blue, semi-transparent mass of something came the nightmarishly distorted head of a pony… and then out came a hoof—a clawed hoof. And then another… and more identifiable features of an equine native of this planet began to form until it became a horrendously terrible mockery of what Samus knew to be a pony.

Black, soulless, endlessly deep eyes seemed to reflect the ambient light as it caught sight of Samus, and began ‘crawling’ down the throne room pillar. Tar-like tears—what Samus assumed were tears—streamed down its semi-transparent, bony cheeks. The others followed suit, and even more than Twilight had pointed out.

They all moved—crawled, spasmed, and twitched—like they had been grievously, mortally wounded. Seemingly paralyzed from the barely-coherent shape of their waist down, they dragged their bodies almost teasingly slowly towards the floor below.

The screaming became a cacophonous choir of demonic crying that further sent shivers up Samus’ spine, as memories of her encounters with Chozo Ghosts on Tallon IV remained fresh in her mind. She took another step back, but as she was prepared to ready her Scan Visor, the other girls had something to say as they all began voicing their words of utter disgust and horror:

“WHAT IS THAT, DARLING?!”

“OH MY CELESTIA… WHAT IS…”

“I DON’T KNOW—OH MY G—”

“Can you all PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP?! I’M TRYING TO…”

Samus was about to continue her tirade in a bid for silence as she continued her slow retreat, when Twilight came back suddenly with:

“Wait… those can’t be…”

The alicorn gasped, but in a manner more perplexed than truly afraid like she was moments prior.

“Wha—SOMNIA?! In the waking world?! H-How!?”

With the first step to identification complete, Samus retreated further back until she felt it would be unsafe to back herself up too close against the thrones themselves. With her cannon outstretched, by now she felt she put sufficient distance between her and the ‘Somnia…’ which continued spawning from the fog like steam from boiling water.

She got her grip on the situation and asked the appropriate questions:

“Worry about it later, Twi. You know how to kill these things? Can we even kill ‘em?”

“I… I don’t know! They’re literally dream entities. This is Luna’s domain!”

“Got it! I’ll take it from here!”

Samus prepped her Scan Visor, locked onto the Somnium that was closest to reaching the floor and scanned:

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete]

[Creature: Somnium. Spectral, dream-walking entity and life form.]

[As Princess Luna patrols her domain of dreams, she does her duty of vanquishing as many nightmares of her subjects as she’s able. The cause of these nightmares are the manifestations of the fears—real or imagined—of the ponies themselves, which coalesce into the dream entities known as Somnia.

With Princess Luna now indisposed, many Somnia have been able to filter into the waking world in various locations where fear and despair have reigned supreme at the time of the Crisis. A Somnium will attempt to latch onto its victims to attack their mind, their dreams, and their fears directly. Once paralyzed in horror-induced insanity, the Somnium will shred its victim with its grotesque, taloned hooves.

Much like Chozo Ghosts, Somnia are immune to most elemental damage, with the difference that your Power Beam will likewise not faze them. As they are dream beings created from magic, they can only be destroyed with magic. Magically enhanced melee strikes and Beam Weapon attacks are necessary.]

“Good enough for me!” Samus declared as she dismissed her Scan Visor.

And at that moment, the first Somnium dropped to the floor, bellowing a challenge to her through the black void of its now-open mouth, and jagged, hazy teeth. Just to test the waters herself, Samus offered up a quick burst of her Power Beam… and just as her systems had mentioned, each of the three rounds phased right through the dream entity like bullets flying through a cloud.

The Somnium appeared to take that challenge, screamed something hellish, and launched itself into the air—straight at Samus via unknown means. It’s unnaturally clawed hooves led its charge.

Suddenly wide-eyed at its sheer speed, Samus didn’t have time to arm a Pulse missile, and instead relied on instinct to flare her magic via her hand. With some quick thought in constructing a simple spell, she thrust her hand forward, and a magical shockwave rippled outward straight in front of her, thrusting the Somnium away.

Her attention being focused on the first one that dared attack her allowed a second Somnium to get in closer, and latch itself to her leg with its spindly, clawed hoof. It bellowed out an anguished, malevolent cry up at her, but Samus was quick once more with her armored fist alight in magic. Like a lavender, transparent, doubly-armored fist, Samus threw her weight behind a downward pound to pummel the dream entity into the ground.

Samus smirked when her fist met ‘firmness’ and a crunch in her strike as she sought to punch straight through her enemy. The Somnium wailed out in hellish agony—mouth having grotesquely folded back on itself—as it fizzled away and disappeared for good…

…though Samus was suddenly privy to more and more contacts lighting up her motion tracker. Moreover, she watched as a horde of Somnia were not only crawling like zombies down the Throne Room pillars, but were seemingly spawning out of the ground-level fog like demons from hell.

Their screams were deafening to the point of sonic overload. Combined with frightened, desperate commentary from the girls, and Twilight telling the others to shut up, Samus could barely hear herself think right now.

And such a brief window of distraction—much like with the rest of her illustrious career—cost her dearly.

While Samus was able to fire off a few Pulse Missiles at a group of Somnia that attacked her piecemeal, one she had not noticed latched onto her thigh… and before she could react appropriately, it suddenly slithered around her back, over her head, and down to her visor… where Samus came literally face-to-face with the equine dream monstrosity.

Retreating where she could, Samus moved with a magically ignited hand to extricate the Somnium from her face… but didn’t react quick enough before it bellowed another, feral roar right into her face, shrouding the view through her visor in an abyssal void of blackness.

At an instant, Samus blinked and noticed things were not as they were. Her eyes focused not on a dank throne room on the planet of Equis… but the hellish remains of a human colony destroyed and set ablaze. All her senses suddenly shifted as well, and Samus was overtaken by familiar sounds, and the smell…

…the smell of burning buildings, trees, and even worse, charred and roasted flesh. And it wasn’t that these senses in and of themselves were familiar—she had arrived at human colonies too late after the Pirates had sacked them…

…but a few key details on the ground made these senses feel much closer to home.

A sudden, horrific, intimately familiar, reptilian shriek behind her drew her attention, and Samus pivoted on her feet. Her eyes widened at the sight of Ridley’s draconic form towering and looming over her, ready to strike out at her with his talons. Not questioning what she was seeing in the moment, Samus relied on pure instinct, pulling back and raising her cannon to engage him…

And yet, Samus only saw her bare arm and hand enter her field of view. Even more than that, her arm was much smaller. A lightning-quick once over of her form revealed the rest of her much, much younger body.

“SAMUS! NO!”

Her vision was immediately taken up by the sight of her mother throwing herself between her and Ridley, just as the Pirate Commander struck. Samus watched as Ridley’s talons sliced right through Virginia, completely obliterating and killing her instantly… so vividly, as if she had traveled back in time.

And though she couldn’t feel it, Samus could hear herself screaming, wailing murderously as she watched her mother die again, with her hot tears streaming down her already burning face.

A calm voice suddenly broke through the ether that Samus instantly recognized:

“Samus… focus!”

At that moment, the Hunter gasped, and she was yanked back into the reality of the present.

The previous sensory overload of the end of her childhood on K-2L abruptly ceased, replaced with those that she had become familiar with. Finding herself exactly where she had been a mere a second after the Somnium had attacked her face, Samus finished what she started.

She magically gripped the dream creature and—with a snarl—smashed it into the ground.

She could’ve sworn she heard and felt the crunching of bones as the Somnium shrilly cried out before fizzling out of existence. Building off of that, Samus channeled even more magic through her, and thrust a literal wall of magic outward in a wide arc. Her area counter instantly gave her more breathing room as all the Somnia in a few-foot radius of her were suddenly swept away and hurled backward like debris in a powerful storm.

So strong was the shockwave she generated that it actually ended up shredding more than a few of her enemies.

Stoically, Samus said:

“Thanks, Twi.”

“Anytime, Samus.”

Samus’ eyes dazzled in luminous lavender from under her visor all the while, and though she regained her previous footing and assumed her battle stance, the disorientation from the Somnium’s attack was… extreme. She still felt the extremities of her body trembling slightly, and her mind had yet to process just how vivid the hallucination was. She had had many dreams of that night… but none so realistic as that.

Incapacitated? Not in the slightest.

Unsettled? Entirely.

Nevertheless, with the extra breathing room and clarity of mind once more, Samus placed her hand atop her cannon and began a systematic advance. With each step, she sent off more and more pulse missiles with a resounding, magical crack of cannon fire. With the aid of her systems and supreme marksmanship, each one found their mark on any Somnia that entered her pre-determined ‘combat space’ of prioritizing targets. Any that broke through her defensive line, Samus was there to deal with them up close and personally with a powerful slug of her armored, magically-enhanced fist.

Twilight helped too, silently placing appropriate pings on her HUD to any enemies that spawned just outside Samus’ peripheral vision, but also took care to make sure that she wasn’t cluttering her vision.

Another Somnia broke through the torrent of missiles she sent forth, and sailed towards her Visor screaming like a soul of the damned. Samus intercepted it midair with her fist, obliterating it and ‘splattering’ its ethereal remains all over her visor… remains which merely fizzled away and melded back into the fogginess around her.

And with the much-more afforded breathing room at the tail-end of her counteroffensive, Samus allowed the more rational part of her mind to pull back into the forefront as she continued to pick off any more enemies.

Her missile ammunition counter was slowly but surely depleting itself.

“We need to get outta here, Twilight—I don’t have the ammo to hold off Luna’s entire army of literal dreams.”

“Yep! I’ve been trying to think and work on it while you fight…”

“Respectfully… please think faster!” Samus urged as another of her computer-guided missiles found its mark.

And that’s when she, only for the second time, noticed the aqua-blue magical barrier sealing them inside the throne room.

“Wait a minute…” Samus cut Twilight off before the alicorn could respond with direness in her snark.

“Can’t I punch through that barrier with Pulse Missiles? Or a magic fist? Anything magic?” she asked, flaring her fist in response to more Somnia that were ‘seeping’ out of the ground to square off with her.

The horrific chorus of tortured ponies never ceased all the while.

Twilight shouted her answer over the commotion:

“No! That barrier’s made of arcane Lunar Magic. Without Luna here I’d need weeks to break it, even on my own!”

Samus shot two more out of the air that attempted to lunge at her… as well as one more Somnium that managed to break through to latch onto her leg. She wasn’t falling for that a second time. Even so, more and more Somnia were spawning out of literal thin air faster than she could vanquish them…

…and her magical endurance, not to mention her ammunition supply, still did not become infinite after the last couple of minutes.

Samus’ tone brooked zero argument as to their situation, and despite the occasional whimpers and gasps from Fluttershy and Rarity, they did well to keep as quiet as possible through her and Twilight’s exchanges:

“That’s a great story, Twi… but we still need an exit. Now.”

“I know! I know! But… oh this is bad, but we really don’t have any other option.”

“What is it?”

“Crash course in Flash Teleportation! I just hope your suit does the heavy lifting again…”

Samus was able to process her suggestion for a couple seconds to fend off another Somnium that charged her, screaming. There were no routes up and out of the room that she could identify, and even if there was salvation beyond the hazy veil… Samus didn’t exactly want to pass through said veil that was actively spawning her enemy.

There really was only one answer to Twilight’s suggestion:

“It’s the best we’ve got. Guide me—what do I do?”

Twilight’s instructions, though necessarily curt, were halfway familiar:

“Center yourself…”

Samus didn’t get the chance at first when she had to continue her work, needing to cede some ground to the horde of Somnia trickling in from the cracks in the stone floor.

“Center yourself. Imagine—feel—yourself as if you’re walking through the magical realm to your destination. The closer it is, the easier. Visualize as best you can! The more direct your line of travel, the better!”

As good as it’s gonna get!

Samus bounded backward as another group of Somnia descended upon her, and under no circumstance was she gonna let them touch her this time. Heels over head, she gracefully landed on her feet, flared her hand in fiery magic, and loosed another ripple in the magical realm. Like a single, destructive tsunami wave, the wall of magic was successful in thrusting her enemy back, clearing her personal space and shredding the Somnia that had dared ventured too close…

…though at a cost. Samus could already feel the makings of a headache deep within her mind. The kind of headache that couldn’t be remedied with an intravenous painkiller injection.

Nevertheless, the Hunter cleared her head as best she could and channeled the same state of mind she had become more and more in-tune with… more than she had normally, through her training. All the while, she selected Rarity’s Element within the ‘Elemental Matrix’ on her HUD.

All the wailing and screeching around her… the horrors of those howls that tore at her humanoid, visceral, ancestral fear of the dark and unknown had been muzzled, muffled…

…and then, silenced.

The calm, sensory blackout had returned to her mind, and despite her best judgment, nor any exhortation from Twilight, she closed her light-flared eyes on her own accord. She trusted Twilight to call to her if the situation in the waking world changed drastically in the next few seconds.

As she found herself within the depths of her own senses, knee-deep in the magical realm, Samus began visualizing the picture of her surroundings. She manifested a simple framework of her positioning, and what helped her along was the similar manifestation of the bright, pulsing, arcane magical barrier that kept her holed up in the Throne Room.

And within her simulated environment, Samus took her first, tentative steps forward, walking straight through the magical realm. Each step she took seemed to echo multiple times off the edges of her sound-muddled mind, and in what fractional bit of time that seemed to pass, she felt her feet carry her further….

…and further until she walked straight through the barrier as if it was merely a mirage, finding herself on the other side.

At that moment, Samus felt as if someone—or something—was physically ‘grabbing’ her mind. Being pulled from her trance-like state, she instantly found herself yanked forward from her previous position in the Throne Room. In a literal flash of bright, lavender magic, she found herself propelled. A fleeting moment later as the flash had dissipated, Samus gasped as she felt the familiar feeling of de—and re—materializing almost identically to how she felt on Aether.

Nevertheless, finding her footing once more, she stumbled… incredibly disoriented. Even so, she realized her surroundings had changed at the same instant, and found herself on the other side of the barrier. The Somnia therein had all turned to face her from beyond the veil.

Samus’ eyes widened through her deep breathing. She had done it successfully—or at least mostly, considering she couldn’t discern any part of her that was missing or had been left back in the throne room. Maybe she was getting better at this.

Her heavy breathing continued nonetheless.

“Heh… whoa…”

Twilight seemed just as surprised as her:

“I uhh… Y-You got it! Celestia, you got it, Samus oh my gosh!”

The others were also quick to offer their surprised praise:

“O-On your first try, Samus!” Fluttershy stated.

“Oh my! Darling!” exclaimed Rarity.

The howls of the damned cut through any attempt to revel in and process what she had just accomplished. The Somnia began to filter and seep through the walls like smoke through the cracks… out of the throne room in which they had attempted to trap her, they would clearly not give up their prey so easily.

Samus took a few steps back as she witnessed the pony-like heads reform grotesquely through the cracks and seams of the stone walls, only to shriek in a cacophonous chorus so goddamn loud that might as well have shaken the foundations of Canterlot.

Time to go!

Samus did not feel the need to add any more commentary to their situation, instead opting to turn on her heels and sprint down the hall, plotting her way back to the entrance foyer all the while.

The Somnia still trailed her regardless, and Samus was getting more adept at blocking out some of the actual terrified screams of Rarity and Fluttershy. She couldn’t exactly blame them though, as the sight of the dream entities manifesting on the ceiling and walls as Samus passed by, was not something one would forget.

The Hunter still kept her focus pinpoint on one objective: They needed to leave. The Castle and Canterlot, immediately.

Skidding on her boots, Samus hung a sharp right turn into another hall that Twilight had marked right on time, and continued sprinting forward. She bounded over the familiar corpses of the Space Pirates that were slain by those mysterious ‘spectral entities’ that were now presently hunting her down. It would be a cold day in hell before she met the same fate, though, as Samus resolutely jumped forward, bounded off the side wall, and launched herself at an angle into the foyer.

Channeling her acrobatic acuity, Samus then bounded off the side of a crumbling pillar—which sent the unmaintained support structure falling apart—and finally dropped to the ground in morph-ball form for the extra aerodynamic boost out the Castle doors.

Only once she was bathed in the light of Canterlot through the rainy, overcast veil above did she return to her standing form, sprinting the rest of the way across the bridge. The rain swept over her visor, and her hot, fast breathing had begun to fog up the internals of her HUD before her environmental controllers took effect.

At that point, Samus realized that she wasn’t being tailed anymore.

She dropped into a slide, skidding on her leg and sending a few sparks flying as she ceased movement in a hunkered, almost-prone position with her cannon aimed straight back at the castle doors through the light rain haze over the bridge.

No more noise. No more shrieks nor howls. Not even a sighting, as if the Somnia weren’t even there, having vanished like the literal ghastly figures they were. But as Samus had figured based on her scan data and what Twilight had managed to tell her, she had a hunch they wouldn’t follow her: they were bound to the Castle by whatever ‘Arcane Magic’ Luna was able to conjure.

But based on her scan data, that didn’t mean she couldn’t possibly find them elsewhere.

With Rarity now in tow, they were relatively safe… for now.

Samus slowed her breathing, and listened to the rain just fall on her armor in gentle rhythm of metallic ‘tinks,’ all while Twilight finally muttered:

“Are… are they gone? Did they follow?”

Samus shook her head, keeping her tone low all the same as she continued to eye the still-imposing, ominous entrance to the castle.

“I don’t think so… nothing on Motion Tracker, my ship’s detected nothing on radar, and I can’t see shit. I think we’re in the clear.”

Everyone’s relief was palpable.

“Whew!” Twilight exclaimed. “Great fighting and maneuvering as always, Samus. We really couldn’t do this without you… thank you again.”

Fluttershy seemed extra giddy.

“Oh I can’t wait to give you a big hug, Samus!”

Rarity added onto that note:

“Quite! Is it too early to properly thank you now, Samus?”

Twilight giggled while the Hunter rolled her eyes.

“Let’s wait until we get back to Ponyville, girls,” replied Samus… and that’s when she also understood that the word ‘girls’ had easily rolled off her tongue.

Nothing about it felt wrong to say in the slightest… and a half-second of emotionless processing gave way into a simple, lopsided smirk and an internal shrug. She got back to her feet all the while.

Tea or coffee back at the Ponyville Castle sounds amazing right now…

…wait…

…sound.

Samus suddenly noticed that other than the rain striking her armor and the occasional rapport of thunder in the clouds, absolutely nothing sounded. It was quiet.

And for a ruined city that was previously rife with gunfire and battle? Much, much too quiet.

Samus went stiff again, dropping back into battle stance as Twilight appeared to catch on at the same time:

“Wait… are the Space Pirates still here?!”

Their thoughts were interrupted—and answered—when four teleportation spells exploded around Samus: two directly in front of her, and two behind on the bridge from whence she came. The city had suddenly come alive as four Storm Beast unicorns emerged from the magical realm with feral screeches… with countless dozens more echoing off the ghastly ruins from deeper within Canterlot.

Samus reacted immediately, and unleashed a salvo of quick Power Beam rounds straight into the head and chest of the right-most unicorn in front of her… and then threw herself into a steadfast advance against the second unicorn with two Pulse Missiles. Her first foe had dropped limply to the rainy stone beneath it before it could even react.

The second one couldn’t stem the tide of the magically enhanced ammunition, and its attempt at erecting a shield to defend itself was token at best—Samus’ shots pierced straight through, and made short, bloody work of the bodily integrity of the second Storm Beast unicorn.

Just as she had hoped, a path was cleared the way she had arrived… and she literally jumped at the opening. A quick glance backward greeted her with a rather horrifying sight: the other two Storm Beasts that had sought to ambush her had been overrun—and were in the process of being sliced up by—Somnia, who still held reign over the bridge.

Sprinting back down the street whence she came, Samus was greeted by a sudden, magical roadblock when four more Unicorns teleported into existence right into her path… along with several Earth Pony variants having lined the low tops of the buildings flanking her path. Their screams rang out with Tempest’s own fury seeming to echo off their howls for bloodlust and battle.

Samus computed her response on the spot. She hadn’t been sprinting fast, nor long enough to engage her Speed Booster to plow right through the sudden, organic barrier. It would in no way be expedient to their departure to have a fight in the middle of a now-busy Canterlot street. She didn’t even know for sure if the Space Pirates had truly been cleared out, either.

Twilight was a bit concerned at the lack of Samus’ immediate reaction… as well as the fact that she was still running them towards the enemy. Especially so as magical fire erupted around her, with Samus taking a couple hits to her shielding as a result.

“Samus… SAMUS?! What’re you—”

Samus answered with Rarity’s Element still diligently selected in the matrix, and ‘simply’ flash teleported right behind the roadblock. What was different this time was exiting the magical realm in Morph Ball form, and laying a trio of bombs behind her to help cover their escape.

She felt a sudden pulsing deep within her head, once more. It left as soon as she had finished the teleport, and reminded her of the consistent, low-level headache she was sporting—nothing debilitating but it wasn’t exactly comfortable. She could worry about it later.

Upon their detonation and employing the boost mechanism to propel her fast away for extra measure, Samus phased back into her standing form. She rode the literal wake of her Boost Ball energy to send her straight into an even faster sprint, diligently following the urban jungle path that had been mapped out by her journey to infiltrate the city.

Samus continued to tune out the trio of voices in her head, only isolating Twilight’s if she absolutely needed to… though the impacts of magical bursts and spells barely missing her took up the majority of her peripheral sense. The fire and echoing yells around her ceased when she hung a hard right, taking her off Main Street and into the previous alleyways that she had traversed to avoid this kind of attention in the first place.

The straightaway allowed her to cycle her legs as fast as her Suit would allow them, ready to engage the speed booster to speed up this process… though her Map’s choice in path didn’t hide her from the enemies around her: her motion tracker continued to light up red as she still held visible contact of Storm Beasts jeering or firing down at her from the rooftops.

Three of them dared to try and jump down onto her, but at that moment her Speed Booster was primed, and she engaged it without prejudice.

One of the unicorns missed her entirely, and attempted to use its magic to hold Samus in place, though the attempt was swept aside by the raw kinetic and potential energy swelling within her.

The other two Earth Ponies that dared stand in her way weren’t so lucky, and she tore straight through them, like a transport craft through unfortunate wildlife in its path.

The startled, horrified screeches of everyone in her head at the sight of bloody, chunky remains on her visor being hastily burned away by the Booster Engine were sheer indication of its raw power.

With the Booster Engine also doing most of the work in cycling her legs, Samus was able to take the smallest of breaks to catch her breath. Such relief was short-lived, however, when her bright, incomprehensibly fast form just made it to the periphery of the Plaza where she once had to hide from passing a Storm Beast pack. Her systems were quick to dispel any notion of an easy exit:

[Warning!]

[Space Pirate IFFs detected en route to Canterlot. Pirate reinforcements inbound.]

Samus’ glare alone could probably shatter the inside of her visor.

“Are you shitting me right now…!?”

Samus disengaged her Speed Booster and skidded to another wet stop, stooping low to a knee and Shying Away to contemplate her options.

[Camouflage Active]

Twilight, who had been diligently monitoring the developments, offered up her rapidfire thoughts amongst the incessant, countless demonic cries of the legions of Storm Beasts searching for her throughout the city:

“Samus, there’s no point in being stealthy now. With the Pirates on their way, we need to get you specifically outta here!”

Samus brought up her map, and kept an estimated arrival time for when the Pirates would be on top of her: a few minutes at best.

“What do you suggest? Straight line from here to my ship is literally Main Street again, and out the blocked front gates. Shit’ll be swarming with ‘em either way.”

Samus could hear the shrug in Twilight’s voice.

“It’s not really elegant or the most ideal… but I don’t think there’s another better option that puts a premium on time!”

Samus knew she was right. With that, it looked like it would be a slugfest of an exfiltration, to her.

“Fair enough! Let’s go!”

Samus steeled herself, and as expected, the moment she dropped the Active Camouflage and her magical signature returned, every Storm Beast within a short radius of her began screaming bloody murder. Right on cue, as Samus made to start sprinting back towards Main Street, she was greeted with a quartet of unicorns with their horns all conspicuously lit… but not taking shots at her nor casting any notable spells despite being in perfect range to do so.

Samus got the answer to her implicit question before she could even break the encirclement by way of an ominous, crackling, crumbling rumble. Twilight shrilly alerted with an aggressive ping to her HUD:

“WATCH OUT, SAMUS!”

The Hunter noticed it at the exact same time: an entire several-story building—decrepit and derelict through consistent rain, non-upkeep, and time—was being brought down right on top of her.

Eyes wide, Samus dove wide in any attempt to evade the massive collapse of an entire goddamn edifice onto her. It wasn’t enough—it wouldn’t be enough, and so in a split moment of thinking, Samus engaged another Flash Teleport, doing her best to visualize placing herself well-out of range of the collapse.

She felt her thoughts flicker for the briefest of moments though… and that was all it took for the spell to misfire. Instead of finding herself merely beyond the range of the deliberate demolition, Samus found herself staring up at a swirling gray sky with rain falling upon her visor… and then feeling her stomach filter up into her esophagus when gravity willed her down from said sky, where she landed squarely on her back not more than a second later…

…on top of one of the many surrounding buildings.

Oh fuck—

“Misfire! You still need to keep extra focus, even if your Suit is doing the heavy lifting!” Twilight cautioned.

Samus silenced an earth pony Storm Beast right next to her—that seemed just as surprised as her teleportation misfire—with two Power Beam rounds to its chest. From there, she thrust herself back to her feet, shrugged off the sudden, acute bout of vertigo and disorientation, and uttered a familiar word to Twilight’s teachings:

“Right…”

She shook her head, noting how it was beginning to actually throb painfully, but nevertheless, she couldn’t stay on this roof. All attention was still completely on her, and a quick glance over the side of the building revealed a literal horde of Storm Beasts jeering up at her like a murderous mob. She could see the glow of horns being lit, and she had no desire to find out if they were going to bring this building down too, with her on top of it.

Samus glanced around, and the vantage point she now held gave her an excellent view of her progress thus far… and even more than that, eyeing southward, she could see the city’s perimeter wall in the near distance. Putting together a quick plan of action as she noted the Space Pirate’s approach, she figured she’d have more than enough time to do some roof-hopping with the help of a couple more Flash Teleports.

She leapt off the roof, finding her landing spot just in the middle of a slightly smaller, angled-roof of the next building with the extra boost from her Space Jump. All this served to do was draw more magical fire in her direction.

A sudden teleportation spell went off next to her—a Storm Beast Unicorn introduced itself to her intimately. Samus was long gone by then, courtesy of her own Flash Teleport.

Three consecutive such spells took her over three buildings that ran parallel to Main Street, and put her in prime position to roof-hop the remainder of the way to the Perimeter Wall. The veil of the torrential rain had dissipated entirely as she drew nearer and nearer to the literal, final hurdle to temporary safety.

Even as she drew closer though, the throbbing in her head became more and more pronounced. It didn’t just hurt anymore… it didn’t just feel like every capillary in her brain was stretching well-beyond its integrity.

She was beginning to hear the throbbing as well. As her breathing also took prominence in her head, the run and gun battle that she was waging—along with her hopping, space jumping, somersaulting, and teleporting from roof-to-roof—was beginning to muffle the ambience around her.

She knew it well… the audial distortion of firing off a few too many super missiles in quick succession, or standing next to Federation artillery guns for too long as they fired continuously.

Yet her mind remained steadfast in her current objective: get out of Canterlot. She even ignored Twilight’s rather impassioned words that were flowing over her ears… if she could even hear them clearly to act on them:

“Sam…

“…drawing… much magic!

“…down … gonna… self!”

Samus was practically ignoring enemies in her path, teleporting away each time to buy herself the extra milliseconds needed to escape the view of the incoming Space Pirate reinforcements. In Samus’ unexpectedly hyperventilating situation, Twilight could bitch at her all she wanted once they made it back to her ship.

She would’ve at least gotten them out alive… and still under the radar.

But as Samus used the roof of the closest building as a springboard for her final hurdle over the perimeter wall from whence she arrived… only then did Samus truly understand that she couldn’t ignore the problem forever.

Her neck stiffened mid-air as she initiated one final teleportation spell.

Only then, with the last bit of brain bandwidth that didn’t split her skull, did Samus extrapolate what Twilight was warning her of all this time.

After she had rematerialized, completed a full somersault over the wall and escaped the last grasps of the pursuing Storm Beasts, she properly felt her feet impact the rainy, muddy entrance road beneath her. Unlike any of the even worse jumps she had made, she felt the impact shoot up her legs, her spine, and then seem to swell her brain past the carrying capacity of her skull.

She felt her blood suddenly rush to her head as if she had stood up too quickly. Her vision went partially staticy.

Then, the deepest, sharpest pain within her head that she had ever felt suddenly lashed out at all her senses.

Samus screamed agonizingly.

All three of her ‘passengers’ cried out in unison:

“SAMUS!”

She caught a glimpse of her eyes flaring brightly in the reflection from behind her visor before her legs went limp. That sudden weakness and general numbness quickly spread to the rest of her body for a fraction of a second.

It was all that was needed.

Like a suddenly unstrung puppet mid-stride, Samus collapsed front-first onto the muddy ground just outside Canterlot’s entrance… still very much in the open despite the continued battering of the torrential rainfall.

Samus knew she didn’t black out for very long… her vision began clearing up—revealing a muddy, blurry, half-veiled view from inside her visor—while Twilight’s loud, pleading exhortations were still ongoing. Hell, despite the sudden, crippling weakness that had entered her body, she had come-to mid-word, and Samus could slowly feel her strength returning to her body.

She hadn’t the slightest as to what happened… yet the urgency in her mind was further pushing blood flow back to her limbs at a rapid pace. Nothing hurt to move, per se… but it had been a good, long while since Samus had pushed herself so hard that she not only collapsed, but felt like each of her limbs weighed as much as a Federation warship hull.

On top of… whatever the hell that was. She could worry about it later.

Samus groaned, and as she began regaining her bearings and slowly working up the strength to stand up again, Twilight’s words were blaring in her ears as clearly as her Suit’s System voice.

“Samus! Come on, filly… get up! Please! We need you to get up! The Pirates are gonna be right on top of us! Come on… Samus… you’re so close!”

“Y-Yeah… I’m here… fuck…”

“Samus! Are you alright?!”

“Debatable…”

“Oh thank Celestia! You were drawing way too much magic at one time for your endurance ability. I’m checking you over when we get back home… but now would be a very good time to leave!”

Samus braced her torso on her armored hand… then got to a single knee… and as her mental clarity and weakness rapidly began to retreat, she stood up on that one supporting leg and was finally able to stand up. She shook her head clear of any remaining mental haze—which only agitated her still-splitting headache—and did a quick once over of her body to find everything where it should’ve been.

And just like that, her physical weakness disappeared entirely. She launched into a full, if uneasy sprint back into the forested, overgrown entrance to the train tunnel. Even with this, she could tell that, in fact, her overzealousness with magic per Twilight had left some deep fatigue in her mind.

Samus lessened her jog as she entered into the train tunnel… and right then she could hear the gravelly rapport of Pirate Troop Carriers screaming overhead and heading deeper into Canterlot, proper. Samus didn’t wait to take the opening once the full wave of enemy ships passed over… and she eased her ship out of the tunnel before letting it drop off the side of the mountain to lose as much altitude as possible.

From there, Twilight silently plotted a course back to the Castle of Friendship, where Samus could effectively use the terrain and clouds for cover. As safe as they all were now, nopony spoke much. Everyone wordlessly felt that any celebration was best saved for when they all touched down safely in the Castle courtyard.

Samus was appreciative of the silence.

Author's Note

Debrief/Next Mission Briefing is next! The bag (Rarity) has been secured!

Thanks for y'all's patience as always! I really hope it was SOMEWHAT worth the wait lol

13. Temporary Measure

The final lurch came when the landing gear of Samus’ gunship locked into place, the interior giving a gentle sway as the craft settled back into its pseudo docking bay. They had finally touched down back within the Friendship Castle’s courtyard. The engines’ mechanical whirring gradually faded away into a barely perceptible, idle hum through the cabin, its sound overtaken by the various electronic happenings of the ship’s systems.

And it was just as Samus had left it earlier in the day: quaint, rainy, and overgrown. The evening was well on its way with dusk no more than a couple hours away, but nevertheless, they had made it. All were in one piece.

And like Fluttershy before her, now Rarity was home.

Samus nodded to herself and glanced over her shoulder, as if the three ponies in her systems were already physical manifestations.

“Mkay… you’re home, girls.”

The collective sigh of relief was wholly uplifting for the moment. Even Samus, ready to head for her ship’s elevator, felt the need to just… recline back into her pilot seat for a couple moments. In that small span of time, she thought back to what happened just outside of Canterlot’s walls. What felt like a bayonet being precision-inserted into the center of her brain… she had never experienced a pain like it, even if it lasted for a fraction of a second.

She could categorically admit that it was even worse than the DNA transfusion after-effects from when she was a child back on Zebes… and that practically crippled her for a whole week.

Even so, the pain had not returned.

And having not exercised any magic since that moment, Samus could barely detect the faintest traces of a lingering soreness in her mind’s recesses. The pressure had subsided, and if anything, it was the type of headache that resulted from her being dehydrated or overtired. A quick, physical diagnostic check courtesy of her Suit showed nothing out of the ordinary medically with her, either.

A few painkillers would probably do the trick to relieve the residual pain, though Samus couldn’t help but spare a bit of concern towards Twilight’s words. She only hoped that no lasting damage was done to herself, nor the elements as a result of—in her opinion—necessary overzealousness with her magic to keep them all alive and undetected.

And then there were Tempest’s words. She still had no idea what she meant by that, even if they were all likely bluster. She’d ask Twilight later in the evening after the debrief, when everyone started winding down, if anything weird came up. In the end, if Twilight felt little need to mention anything with how much she was monitoring Samus’ magical state, it probably wasn’t worth much of her own worry, anyway.

Mixed words from all three girls stirred Samus from her ruminations, and she got to her still-armored feet as Twilight’s voice was most prominent and excitable:

“Oh thank Celestia… we made it, and we’ve got Rarity back! Thank you, Samus… thank you again!”

Fluttershy quickly added with equal fervor:

“We’re home again! Thank you so much!”

“Oh it’s so good to be back! Spike is here, right? And the other girls, too?!”

Samus heard Twilight sigh as she stepped into the Elevator to take her topside.

“You may not’ve heard me back in Canterlot… but Spike, yes. The other girls, no. We still need to find them, like we found you. It’s a long story—we’ll catch you up over dinner tonight. Something tells me you probably haven’t eaten well since…”

After an unexpected silence, Rarity answered:

“I… I made do. With what the Castle had in storage.”

Even Samus couldn’t hold back the pang of pity in her core. The Elemental Failsafe that the Princesses had talked about was enough to keep them alive in such a state of limbo… but even Twilight had eaten and gotten hungry and thirsty in her presence. Had Rarity not found what she did, would she have gone through the motions of starvation without actually dying?

She pursed her lips momentarily as her ship’s lift brought her upward.

The moment her ship’s elevator locked in place, all three ponies filtered out of her and excitedly bounded down to the solid, familiar ground of the courtyard. No one seemed to care about the rain though, especially Spike and Viridian, who equally excitedly strode out to meet the group, as Samus had fully expected them to.

The dragon, however, seemed oddly sweaty and twitchy, especially for a day like this. Might’ve just been the way the light was striking the duo coming out from the shaded courtyard entrance.

Samus didn’t follow quite yet, and opted to just disengage her Suit and let her body finally cool off in the falling rain that seemed to calm a bit with the moment at hand. As her hair and face got more and more damp, and as she let the drops rivulet down her face, Samus keenly kept her eye on Rarity. She seemed to freeze in place at the sight of Spike, who no doubt was much larger than she had remembered him, based on what Twilight had regaled from fifteen years ago… and in some pictures that were lying around from that time.

And yet, the moment Spike knelt low and opened his arms wide to greet her, this seemed to snap her out of it, and Rarity lunged at Spike, grasping him around the neck and just letting him cradle her…

…all while sobbing once more.

Samus smirked lopsidedly, sighing out and letting her posture sag a bit at the wholesome display. Said display was made even more wholesome when the rest of the ponies piled in on top of Rarity for a giant group hug—a group hug that the Hunter had borne witness to via the aforementioned pictures where all the mares plus Spike were crowded in together.

Here, it was an incomplete picture. But a meaningful one, nonetheless.

She watched as Viridian respectfully stepped back to let the ponies and the drake have a moment, and instead the two of them shared a knowing look. A simple, shared nod was all that was needed to convey ‘mission accomplished.’ They’d likely speak more later tonight, if their patterns and routines continued to hold up.

Sighing out, and a full smirk returning to her face at indeed accomplishing another important part of her mission with tangible, measurable progress, Samus bounded inelegantly onto the wet ground just in front of her ship. Beyond that, she hadn’t a single moment to get her bearings back, as it was suddenly her turn to be on the receiving end of a group pile-on embrace, likewise showered in genuine ‘thank yous!’

She didn’t mind much being brought down onto her ass for such an occasion. Her Zero Suit was water-proof, after all.

Much like the little bouts of camaraderie that she and Twilight had shared so far—beyond the initial awkwardness and stiffness she fronted when her personal space was violated so grossly—she had to admit…

…it was nice.

And what was even nicer was allowing herself to lean into it more, literally and figuratively.

“Heh, don’t mention it.”

Samus’ much cheerier demeanor sullied somewhat when they separated, and Twilight flared her horn for the briefest of moments. At that instant, her Suit’s systems reacted with a litany of relevant notifications on her wrist console. Samus remained seated on the wet floor, rain continuing to pelt her, as she pursed her lips at the display:

[Element of Magic Offline! Your magical connection has been inactivated!]

[OM-Visor Offline]

[Pulse Missile and Pulse Charge Offline]

[Active Camouflage Offline]

[Flash Teleport Offline]

[All other non-magical systems are online and functioning.]

Damn. And I was just getting used to that stuff, too.

She could feel the difference, too. Suddenly there was a lack of background, ambient warmth flowing through her limbs that she had no idea was there… well, until it was gone. Samus didn’t get the chance to speak out about that, as Twilight’s words were much more forthcoming when the Hunter finally locked eyes with her… and said words reflected eerily close to a perfect combination of Gray Voice and Old Bird:

“You got us out alive and undetected, and I can’t thank you enough, yet again. But that was really reckless all the same, and you could’ve caused permanent damage to yourself if you burned out… which I really hope you didn’t, Samus. If that happened, you could’ve artificially, permanently limited your ability, or destroyed it entirely.”

“So… you’re cutting me off?”

Samus almost appreciated the whimsical edge to Twilight’s words:

“Yup!” Twilight nodded through her own now-soaked mane. Though, she was quick to caveat that:

“It’s only temporary for now so I can monitor your health with my own magic. ‘Cut off’ isn’t really the right phrase… more like I just corked your power at the source. I can re-enable it at any time, once I know that there’s no lasting damage to you.”

Twilight offered Samus a wet hoof while others stood back to give them some space. The Hunter was happy to take it, and got back to her feet. The easy understanding between them still held firm.

The alicorn added sarcastically all the while:

“You’ve gotten this far in your life without magic ability, so I’m sure you can manage for a little bit.”

Samus rolled her eyes but smirked gently all the same. While she wasn’t particularly fond of having her power limited by anyone but herself, she understood its necessity, and Twilight had her health at heart—and in her line of work, a health check was often overlooked way too much.

Which was her own damn fault to begin with.

Her mood bounced right back though after another bout of being stunned when Rarity threw her hooves around her midsection in a tight hug. Arms slightly lifted, Samus let the warmth return to her pained core, and lay a gentle hand on the back of Rarity’s neck… while her other one was still grasped firmly by the crook of Twilight’s hoof.

“Thank you for the thousandth time, Samus… for bringing me home.”

Samus squeezed her neck softly a couple times in response.

“The privilege was all mine.”

[A Little Later…]

The next ‘welcome home’ celebration moved indoors, and much like with Fluttershy’s homecoming, Spike was quick to the kitchen to start cooking up as much of a feast as he could. Everyone else was happy to take a breather in the dining room, unwind, and debrief for the evening while Spike continued to be the chef within earshot. Samus was happy to sit off to the side and converse quietly with Viridian while Twilight, Fluttershy, and a shouting Spike got Rarity all caught up on what had happened, and what had been happening operationally for the past few days…

…well, what hadn’t already been revealed by Princess Luna’s imprint crystal.

And somewhere after the congratulations from the middle-aged Chozo, Samus—and an eavesdropping Twilight—learned of Spike’s new training regimen at Spike’s own request.

And that certainly started rather… tense conversation between the alicorn and drake at the dinner table once food had been served. Samus felt like she was in the middle of a family kerfuffle while silently enjoying the—as she had come to expect and appreciate—delicious food. Rarity and Fluttershy animatedly talked with each other, ignoring Spike and Twilight in a manner that belied this being an infrequent occurrence during much happier times.

Even then, Samus could tell something was off. She could read the subtle concern that Spike, Twilight, and Fluttershy held when looking at Rarity. Despite the latter’s much more boisterous personality coming out and presenting itself, something still seemed… unlike her.

The Hunter figured that this would be addressed by them all at some point… likely when they all parted ways for the night for private time.

Once the argument seemingly concluded, the two hosts rejoined the conversation, all while Viridian and Samus ate in relative silence, only really sharing a few words here and there. They knew they’d likely talk at length a little later, as had been established pattern over the last couple days.

There had been more riveting conversation to tend to over dinner, anyway.

And once face-stuffing concluded, Samus found herself once again embraced by the massive cat-bed cushion up in the common room that she had come to look forward to over the last few days. Practically being cradled when she essentially lay down on it rather than sitting up, Samus let her eyes glaze over, if only for a few moments to just… exist.

Their harrowing day sufficiently behind them, Samus peered out into the ever darkening, verdant landscape, which continued to be drenched by the incessant rainfall. She wondered to herself if it had rained the entire time since the Crisis came about, fifteen years ago. Twilight and Fluttershy had mentioned something about the pegasi ponies ‘controlling the weather,’ so with those specialized teams gone… was torrential rain like this just the default?

Samus lightly nudged her head from side-to-side. If there was one good thing about her mind wandering randomly, as it was from that alone she could tell that even her major headache had all but disappeared. Though, she also figured it was helped along since she had been able to eat. And hydrate…

…and really just rest, as she was doing now. While there was a smidgeon of residual soreness, it’s nothing that Samus hadn’t lived with in some form for the last several years since she left Zebes. Her entire modus operandi was pretty much a consistent pressure headache, anyway.

She sat up on the cat bed more properly and lay her head against the window, having spared a last glance over the landscape before darkness fell and the shutters would need to be drawn. All the while, she brought her tablet back up to her view, and idly tapped the screen while snooping in on Space Pirate communications. She managed a lopsided smirk when she couldn’t find a single mention of anything out of the ordinary on the Pirate BattleNet… or at least, anything mentioning her presence.

Just lots and lots of casualties… and incoming, elite reinforcements from off-planet. Not a single sign that they were winding down operations—quite the contrary, they were expanding them. All of this pointed to the fact that her presence was as stealthy as ever.

The more the merrier.

After one more refresh of her data showed nothing important, and checking that the repair status of her ship’s Stealth Module would be ready by tomorrow, she dismissed all the apps on her screen, set it aside, and decided to just kick back and… observe.

Twilight remained dutifully laying on her stomach just in front of Samus, though her attention was uncharacteristically split between the loaned tablet, and Samus herself. The alicorn continued to keep her horn dimly lit to tap into the Hunter’s vitals every few minutes, as well as apparently checking in to make sure that her ‘magical spark’ continued to not overload and not burn out catastrophically.

And considering Twilight had said very little, and instead would go back to diligently reading after every wellness check, Samus figured that all was as it should’ve been.

Not too far away but more towards the fireplace was one of the sofas, occupied by Rarity, Fluttershy, and Spike. The former two continued to talk and giggle while Rarity seemed eager to get back into her element, in a figurative sense. Samus watched as the unicorn ran her hooves through Fluttershy’s pink mane, with what few of her tools she had at her disposal to make the pegasus look as radiant as possible, given the circumstances…

…and much to the shyer one’s pleasant annoyance.

Like with Twilight and Fluttershy, there were many smiles—many more than when Samus had first met them. Nevertheless, with Rarity in particular, she could see into those bright, deep-blue eyes of hers. At least yet, there was no sparkle in them. The more Samus looked, the more she could see the deep despair that she still harbored.

Rarity had been alone for fifteen years. Truly alone. Where Twilight and Spike had each other, and Fluttershy had Viridian, the alabaster unicorn truly had no one. She did what she needed to to survive, and likely saw things that no one should ever have been subjected to in a major hive of Storm Beast and Space Pirate activity.

Not that Fluttershy, Spike, nor Twilight didn’t have their own major issues and traumas, but so far, Rarity had it the worst. Who knows what the others they hadn’t found yet held in this regard?

In the end, Rarity was clearly happy she was home with her best friends in the world—ecstatic, even. They could all slowly get back to work in helping to save their planet with her around. She was not hurt physically, and she appeared in good morale and spirits for the fight ahead. She was putting on a brave face, perhaps… and trying to show that not much had really changed since the Crisis, and was ready to get back to work.

But she was not well.

She was soothed, somewhat, by Spike right next to her, who seemed barely conscious as he stroked her back with his claws. All this, while he gazed into the magical fireplace—much like Samus, just existing right now. Just doing his best, and happy to have another one of his friends back home safe.

The wholesome scene brought another soft smirk to Samus’ face, but some movement around the bookcase drew her attention beyond the fireplace. Viridian had apparently found something to read that he was particularly interested in, as he began pacing away from the bookcase, keeping in step around the perimeter of the common room.

Samus sighed out, much more relaxed.

All was as it should’ve been.

And from there, she turned her full attention back to Twilight when the alicorn went to check her vitals for the umpteenth time tonight. Wryly, the Hunter asked:

“How’m I doin’, doc? Gimme the news straight.”

Samus heard Twilight snort, and the alicorn giggled into her hoof at her comment. Nevertheless, before she answered, Twilight got to her hooves, closed the distance, and tapped her horn physically to Samus’ head. After a small flash of magic enveloped Samus in a way that the Hunter had become most familiar with over the past few hours, Twilight rendered her verdict:

“Well… just like earlier, I can’t seem to find anything that’s really wrong. Or really, just ‘not normal,’ with any part of you.”

Samus didn’t get the chance to ask any probing questions—Twilight had been really great at intercepting them, thus far:

“Your physical vitals being… well, quite fantastic. I mean… really no other way to put it. I’d say you’re immortal if I didn’t witness you actually getting hurt, just from your vitals alone, heh. Literally the mare—woman of steel!

“I’m meandering. Anyway, your Magica Centrum—or whatever counts as the center of your, like, aura for a non-pony non-unicorn—is only a bit bruised. From what I can tell, it’s healing up really well, and it doesn’t look like you did any permanent damage to it.”

Samus nodded once with a half-smirk at Twilight’s sheer eggheadedness.

“Good to hear—thanks, Twi. So… what happens now, then?”

“Well…” Twilight began anew. “I could probably re-enable your magical connection with very little consequence, and everything would still heal up just fine while you slept tonight. But really though… I’d rather not push it, and let it heal up all the way without any tethering from your MC.”

The alicorn shrugged, and sheepishly added as if Samus needed any more convincing of her judgment:

“Everything should be back to normal within a day, I’d say. Until then, for tomorrow, I’d probably recommend we go somewhere that doesn’t really need magic to succeed. I just don’t wanna push things… but we probably shouldn’t waste time, either. Does that make sense?” she asked.

Samus replied:

“Guess that leaves out the Luna Bay as the next destination, right? Gonna guess there’s not a chance in hell that we’d be able to get through there without any magic from me.”

Twilight then suggested with a knowing smile:

“I agree… which is why maybe we should go search for that one part you need. After what Viridian brought over, you just need like, one more thing, right? I don’t think the ruined Pirate vessels will boast any magic abilities unless there’s something you didn’t mention.”

Now that was something for Samus to properly smile at. In the heat of all the most recent missions and combat, she had completely forgotten about the missing power supply for her Long Range Comm Node.

“That’s… true. And the extra day would also be more than enough time for the Stealth Module to finish repairing itself. I could then be completely sure we wouldn’t have to be so careful when making our way over longer distances.”

Samus drew the tips of her thumb and index finger over her bottom lip as the makings of a plan materialized in her brain.

“And grabbing a power supply means that the Comm Node can be reactivated, and I could get in touch with the Federation—and with the help they can probably offer, our job could get a lot easier.”

Twilight mirrored Samus’ determined look with an identical one of her own.

“Sounds like we’ve got a plan!”

Samus put forth her only remaining concern:

“Are you sure that… is it really okay that we put Luna and the others on hold for this? Considering how many ponies are MIA, after all.”

Twilight shrugged, and never let her hopeful smile wane.

“We’ve all waited this long for a miracle. You’re here now, right? What’s a day or two detour at this point?

“And besides!” Twilight added with a friendly pat of Samus’ shin. “Our hero needs all her tools to be at her best. But… we can talk specifics tomorrow when we brief in the morning, mkay?”

For a planet in such dark, dire straits, Samus found herself smirking and smiling significantly more in the past few days than the last couple years combined.

“Heh, sounds good, Twi. Thanks.”

“Thank you, Samus.”

And with one last knowing, understanding smile shared between the two of them, they figuratively broke off and went back to silently reading… especially Twilight, who seemed much more comfortable with Samus’ condition and resolved to catch up on some lost reading, it seemed.

The evening continued as Samus had come to expect with the soothing ambiance of the crackling, magical fireplace along with Rarity’s and Fluttershy’s chatting… up until all but Viridian and Samus excused themselves for the night, with the resolve to reconvene in the morning.

And thus, co-opting Spike’s chair for the rest of their time together, the Chozo Warrior and Hunter sat across from each other once more, and up late.

“I forgot to mention today,” Viridian opened. “Well done in returning another of their number. You’ve truly proven yourself to be an avid scavenger hunter,” he quipped.

Samus offered up a light chuckle before Viridian continued:

“Especially so, in light of the great difficulty I was able to sense. Or, what I could, at least.”

It was Samus’ turn to quip:

“How sweet—you were worried about us~.”

Though clearly taken as a counter-quip and in good stride, Viridian nevertheless offered up the serious truth:

“You are a daughter and a warrior of the Chozo. It is quite literally a job of mine to worry about you,” he said.

Tired smile on her face, Samus leaned back into the cat bed, having decided to let her torso brace on her elbows.

“Fair enough… but you’re not wrong. Was a bit more difficult than I expected. ‘Dream Entities.’ Heh, and here I thought I had seen it all after everything on Zebes, Tallon IV, and Aether. Then again, I guess by now I should be used to the unexpected.”

“You and I both know that there’s a great many things about our universe that we don’t understand… even us Chozo. Chief in point is Phazon, of course, at least in its entirety,” he quickly caveated whilst leaning back further into the embrace of the chair.

Samus’ interest sufficiently piqued, she then asked with the subtlest pleading edge to her words:

“On that topic… what do the Chozo know about the Phazon? Anything at all, other than what I and the Federation have deciphered so far? I know the Chozo like their secrets and all… but if you were ever itching to share any of those secrets, now would be a wonderful time, you know,” she prodded.

As she had expected in some manner, Viridian shook his head.

“I would entrust you with a grand majority of the secrets of the Chozo, Young One. However, there is little I can share beyond what you might already know… as I legitimately have few answers in my arsenal.”

Samus pursed her lips and lay her head against the wall. She sighed out.

“Guess I should’ve expected that.”

“Now now, Young One… I said there was little I could share. Not nothing…”

The Hunter cocked an eyebrow.

“Oh? And what might that be?”

Viridian leaned forward a bit.

“As you know… there were survivors from the colony on Tallon IV. Many of those survivors who made their way to this planet had also done extensive work on another planet… one arguably much more important than Tallon IV, here… and rivaling the importance of even some of our core imperial worlds.

“You may know the name—Elysia.”

Now that interested Samus.

“Yeah? I’ve heard of it… Chozo colony. Outpost, really. Under Fed control right now. Haven’t had the pleasure of visiting yet, but I’m at least acquainted with it.”

The Chozo Warrior nodded with a smirk.

“Correct. Long ago the Searchers there found… something. From what was told to me and shown, it was but a fleeting moment but all signs pointed to finding an odd planet. But not just any planet… a planet that, for all intents and purposes, appeared to be entirely sentient.”

Samus blinked once, her expression unchanging. Nevertheless, she tilted her head slightly to the left.

“Even from everything I’ve seen, that almost sounds almost too unbelievable. How’s that even possible?”

“I don’t know. The satellite they sent out discovered this aberration, sent back what data it could glean from the mere minutes after the initial hail of discovery… and then nothing. Contact was lost. Never again would the Searchers be able to find this anomaly ever again, despite incessant efforts to do so evoked by the piqued, collective curiosity of the Chozo on Elysia.

“...even by the time they all left for Tallon IV.”

There was a brief silence before Samus reminded, saying the quiet part out loud in the process:

“And then the meteor struck. And then the Phazon. Now that you mention this, it almost seems too convenient for this stuff to not somehow be related in any way.”

Viridian nodded.

“Indeed. But that’s all the information I have… and armed with ‘only’ just, I cannot ascertain a certain truth either way. No one can, for now at least. I have no reason to doubt our brothers and sisters, and yet beyond that, the evidence simply is lacking.”

Samus leaned back against the wall, attempting in any way to peer out past the drawn shutters and into the rain-soaked landscape below as silence blanketed the duo once more. She brought her fingers to the bridge of her nose and just… exhaled. Something in the pit of her stomach and in the depths of her receding headache told her that… if she got off this planet alive, the fight would be far from over as far as Phazon was concerned. Her thoughts continued to drift over the logistics of it all.

That is, until Viridian’s voice beckoned Samus again with a serious leveling:

“Samus… listen to me.”

She re-cocked her eyebrow, and leaned in where their faces were barely a foot apart. Viridian’s telling gaze bored straight into her eyes.

“I have never claimed to be adept in foresight like our Elders. Nevertheless, with whatever I’m capable… I sense… something. A great many horrors may await you here, Hatchling. This planet will test you.

“It may even break you. I would put it out of your mind that you leave this planet as you were… in mind, or in body. You must be vigilant.

“Whatever awaits you, this planet may take much from you… if not everything you have left to give, save for your life.”

Never breaking eye-contact, Samus didn’t realize she had fully inhaled as her own brow furrowed, and her complexion darkened at his words. In the short time they’ve had together, she had never heard him speak to her so seriously.

He continued:

“And yet, whatever happens… you must not let the Phazon claim this continent. Nor the planet. If Equis falls, it may very well be the catalyst to tip the rest of the galaxy off the precipice and into the abyss, after it.

“This Phazon—this cancer—is unlike anything I have ever seen or known of. That anyone has ever seen. Call it a warrior’s intuition, or a conspiracy theory, but I sense the cancer exhibits a sentience that I cannot place. A lust for satiation that shall never be fulfilled. You must eradicate it, lest it corrupt the very magical essence of this world.”

Samus shook her head, and beyond the obvious reiteration of what had become her ostensible, ‘true’ mission, she understood the weight of his words. What Equis as a planet—and the life on it—meant to Viridian beyond just a mission.

“I have no intention of failing here, nor letting this planet become my tomb. You have my word on that,” she affirmed.

She expected a simple nod and acknowledgement. Maybe a thank you from him. What she didn’t expect was a continuation:

“Perhaps more specifically, Samus… I sense another darkness looming. It is unlike anything I have previously mentioned. I pray that I am imagining, and this is merely a fault of my inexperience in foresight. Nevertheless, it is difficult to detect.

“And yet with my limited exposure to the arcane, magical essence of Equis, I feel something is not quite right. A disturbance in the aetheric fabric beyond the Phazon… and I feel it coalesces around you,” he pointed a single, long finger at her.

Samus’ blink carried a smidge of weight to it when she recoiled slightly, especially so, since Twilight hadn’t mentioned anything unusual to her on the magical front. Inward reflection on her own state didn’t reveal anything that she didn’t expect.

“Or at least, it is all too convenient to not deal with you. Until we can find the source—or even better, I’m proven insane—I advise you to double your efforts in vigilance on matters concerning yourself. I have been wrong many times in the past, and I can only hope I am once more. Nevertheless, it would behoove me to inform you of my elderly ramblings.”

The quip on his not-so-advanced-age aside, she nodded in return.

“That’s… more than a little concerning to say the least, especially coming from you. I guess I’ll see if Twilight knows more tomorrow when we set out. Worth the ask, even if she didn’t mention anything.”

“Mhmm. After our talks thus far, I hate to reaffirm the burden we have placed on your shoulders… but there is no other option, Our Hatchling. You must succeed here. I’m sorry… though, know that I will do my part to aid you in any way I'm able.

“For the good of these ponies, Equis, and the galaxy at large. If you fall, it all falls with you.”

At the conclusion of his words, Samus crossed her arms and retreated further into the comforting embrace of the cat bed. In no way underestimating the potential gravity of Viridian’s words, she opted to stare blankly at the ceiling and silently ponder—as had become custom on her missions—the gravity of her situation as well as just what the hell she managed to drag herself into.

Author's Note

Aaaaand debrief! Briefing and next operation are up next! See you then, y'all!

14. Allies

The following morning, all had gathered around the map pedestal to start off the day.

Once Twilight brought up the actual map, it proved to be a palpable morale boost for everyone to see Rarity’s Element placed squarely atop the Castle of Friendship, much like Twilight’s and Fluttershy’s were. Samus may not have been great at having lengthy social chats with others until even somewhat recently, but she needed to be able to read the thoughts and emotions of those in supposedly friendly territory for mission purposes.

And she could absolutely feel less weightiness in the air.

There wasn’t time to dwell, though—there was still a mission to complete, and the alicorn started off the briefing in good order.

“Alright! Good morning, everypony! I’m pretty sure we expressed it since the start of last night, but there’s no words to truly describe how we feel having Rarity back with us!” she began, to many smiles and giggles amongst the natives.

Rarity, to her credit, offered up a flamboyant flip of her now perfectly-styled mane.

Samus offered up a pleasant smirk, yet still kept her eyes squarely on the map whilst her arms remained crossed under her chest.

“But, there’s still three of us missing, not to mention the Princesses. It should go without saying by this point, but we’re gonna need all of us back in action if we’re gonna have any chance of stopping Tempest, the Space Pirates, the Phazon, and really, reclaiming our continent and planet. The good news is that we’re over a third of the way in getting everypony back. Half-way exactly if you count just the Elemental bearers.”

She then glanced over to Samus with mild, yet well-meaning concern.

“The bad news is… well, Samus’ episode yesterday,” she reminded. “Her sudden collapse due to overexertion of magic usage was not good. I’ve been monitoring her throughout the day yesterday, and through the night. And considering she’s still with us and hasn’t complained to me about any other side-effects… I think it’s safe to say that her vitals—both physical and magical—are pristine,” she said.

She glanced back over at Samus, who returned said sideways gaze with a smirk and a single nod. Even so, her conversation with Viridian from last night still weighed heavily on her mind.

“So, even if I feel she’s perfectly ready to go and kick some flank with her ever increasing magic ability, I still want to play it a little safe today. I want one more day of just casually monitoring her magical vitals specifically. So, I’m keeping her magical ability disabled to make sure there’s zero question that things heal fully and properly.

“And that means our previous plan of heading to the Luna Bay is gonna need to be postponed for a day or so.”

It wasn’t ideal, for sure… as getting Luna back in action, whatever that entailed, would be a hell of a boon for the group. Much like the morale boost from before, the disappointment was now equally palpable on all the faces of the ponies plus Spike. None questioned it, though. Samus admired that they all seemed to steel their resolve for whatever came next, and still spared her concerned looks.

Being seen as a living being with physical integrity rather than just a mindless robot when fully Suited up was a perk of the job that came disappointingly sparingly with her missions. It always made those operations that much more enjoyable, and in the end, it just plain felt nice.

She let a small, yet confident smirk remain constant on her face as Twilight continued:

“But, there’s no sense in just sitting around here. As Samus stated last night, we’d need to do something that won’t require her to use magic to either get through obstacles… or even just to survive. So, after a little discussion last night, I think we’ve come up with a plan!”

She then gestured towards the Hunter and offered her the floor.

“Samus?”

She nodded once.

“Thanks, Twi. And thanks everyone for understanding. I know I’d rather be carrying on with the proper mission as much as possible, too. Turns out though, this’ll work to our advantage. I don’t like hearing my own voice for long periods, so I’ll try not to talk more than I need to, so with that… Twilight, can you pivot the map a bit southeast?”

“Sure thing!”

The focus of the map was placed on a few clearings within the Everfree, a good few miles southeast of the Castle of Friendship. Twilight zoomed in a bit for good measure. Nothing out of the ordinary seemed apparent there. No castles, no other installations, nothing… just the forest and a few clearings therein.

“Thanks,” said Samus, putting both her hands on the edge map table to lean over it.

“So, during one of, like, our first conversations, Spike told me that about a few miles away, a Space Pirate vessel went down. How? I’m not really sure.”

She tapped her index finger a few times on exactly one of the larger clearings shown in the Everfree.

“I researched this a bit more last night, and my systems confirmed it fully. It’s in this area right here. Now… why am I telling you this? Because ever since my ship was damaged when wrestling with some Storm Beast unicorns, they fucked up—pardon, they messed up two things in particular: my long range communications node, and the stealth module.

“The stealth module was able to be repaired by my ship’s auto-repair function. I think it’s just tying up some loose ends, which should be ready by the end of today. Once that’s done, we’ll be able to move around with my ship much quicker with practical impunity. Quicker operational capacity is always a good thing.

“The same can’t be said for the comm node. Viridian here was graciously able to lend me a hand with some spare parts he had, but there’s one thing that can’t be repaired automatically, nor that he was able to provide: a power supply.

“Much like the power crystal we needed to get to activate the map, the power supply will allow me to bring the node back online. And from there… we can get a lot more help. In the end, the goal is a simple retrieval mission. These vessels—and this one in particular—have been here for some time. I think about at least a couple years based on the model of ship. I’m not expecting much in the way of Pirate presence as a result. It’ll probably be barren, I’d wager.”

Twilight chimed in.

“How do you figure?”

“By this point, knowing the Space Pirates, these ships have already been salvaged and picked apart for anything valuable… well, that’s even assuming the Pirates found it worth it to grab whatever survived the crash, braving the Storm Beasts and the Everfree in general.”

Twilight nodded, looking on a little more closely next to Samus.

“How big is it? The ship? And would it be super involved to find such a power supply?”

“My systems indicate that it’s about the size of a Corvette. A smaller ship in the Pirate Fleet, but still sizable. Any power supply will do assuming it’s over a certain power threshold. As long as things have been kept relatively safe from the elements, it should be fine. There’s a little more leeway than with power crystals.

“In the end, once I find one in decent condition, it should be easy enough to slot in with the comm node. If it can’t be slotted, as long as it’s powerful, I can do a little extra work to rig it up.

“And from there, I can finally make contact again with the Federation, and reach out to them for assistance. In the end, that’s the end-goal. The nature of the mission I was sent to complete on this planet has changed. Just scouting and marking the Pirate base won’t be enough—there’s way too many of them here for a simple strike… on top of everything else I’ve discovered in working with you all.

“Once they understand the gravity of the situation, the Feds can probably blockade the planet, and keep the Pirate forces on the surface… which would be even more attractive if more and more of them can be lured here into a trap and ultimately destroyed. In the end, if we can somehow outsource the bulk of the actual fighting of the Pirates to the Federation forces, we can concentrate entirely on finding the rest of the Elements and cleaning up the planet at large.

“And when it eventually comes time to deal with the crater and Tempest herself, we’ll have the entire backing of the military industrial complex of a galaxy-wide Federated state… along with all the assistance that can come with it if we succeed, once the threat is dealt with.”

Samus inhaled deeply, hitherto not realizing how much she had talked. She sighed out and gauged the faces of all those present. All appeared to be nodding in various states of hopefulness, and Twilight was again the one to speak up for everyone…

…even if it was somewhat lamenting:

“We could probably use a lot of that aid once this is all done. Just let me and the Princesses know who to thank for it… if we even end up being able to get them back.”

Fluttershy decided to weigh in, surprisingly:

“From what the Princesses said in that crystal thing… I think that’s more than doable, Twilight.”

The lavender alicorn flashed her a thankful smirk, and from that, all seemed much more assured in the general plan forward after today.

So, she decided to wrap everything up:

“To boil it all down, the mission is pretty standard for today: Enter the downed Corvette. Get a Power Supply. Deal with threats as they come up. Contact the Feds and move forward. Any questions?”

Viridian had one, and stepped forward to ask:

“Would you prefer that I stay at the castle again? Or shall I accompany you this time?”

Samus almost instinctively told him to remain at the castle, but as she opened her mouth, she closed it again to think. Bringing her fingers to her chin, she quickly reminded herself that she can’t use any of her other magic right now. So other than Twilight coming with her, Samus would be able to do little other than talk to the alicorn in her systems. Rarity and Fluttershy coming along would just be pointless, and putting them in needless danger, with whatever look that took.

“Now that I think about it… Twilight, I figured you’d come with me regardless for general assistance. Rarity and Fluttershy can stay home. I think they’ve earned their rest for today. Keep Spike some company” she smirked at them, and earned a couple giggles and chuckles in response.

Samus then looked up to Viridian and said:

“So I’m thinking you, Viridian, can come along with us for extra fire support. What do you think, Twi?”

All looked to the alicorn, and she answered with a resounding smile:

“Absolutely! It’ll let Spike catch up with the girls a bit, like you said.”

Samus smirked, and in glancing back up at Viridian, she found him with a wide smile and a telltale warrior’s sparkle in his golden eyes. Beyond that, he merely nodded once before he answered:

“Very well. Then I should probably go dust off my own Arm Cannon, then. We might need the extra firepower other than my spear. Just in case.”

Samus couldn’t help but properly smile at that, with her own determination welling up in her cheeks. It would be a hell of an experience to go on a proper operation with an actual Chozo warrior—one that could probably best her in battle if they were both at full power.

“Sounds like we’re all set, then! We’ll head out once you’re ready, Viridian!”

“Very well! I shall meet you out front when I’m settled. I shan’t be too long,” he said, and with that, he dismissed himself from the table to head down the residential hall.

Fluttershy called out with a knowing smile:

“Oh, do be careful, Viry!”

The Chozo didn’t respond with anything but an endearing chuckle before he disappeared from sight.

Spike and Rarity stepped forward to join the group with Fluttershy, and the drake had his usual cautions to add:

“Samus, I—we—know you can easily handle this. But…” he shrugged, knowing he was probably talking somewhat redundantly on this. “...please be careful. And you too, Twi, also be careful. Everyone here knows how stupidly reckless you are when you get caught up in something you find interesting.”

Fluttershy and Rarity both backed that up:

“Seriously, darling! Please keep your wits about you!” said Rarity

And Fluttershy followed-up with:

“What they both said. We’ve come this far…”

Samus huffed, amused, while Twilight giggled into her hoof. The alicorn answered on both of their behalfs, though:

“Thanks, everypony. I’m in great hooves with Samus, as I have been since the first time!” she answered, looking up pridefully towards the Hunter.

Samus huffed again. This had certainly been turning out to be one of the more socially exciting missions that she had been on recently… that was for sure.

[Everfree Forest | A Few Miles Southeast | A Couple Hours Later…]

The trek through the Everfree Forest was about as eventful as Samus could hope for… which was not eventful in the slightest. The forest all looked the same to her beyond certain landmarks she had come to recognize around the castle, and she still hadn’t seen a blue sky since she arrived on-planet. She still never complained about the over-abundant rainfall, though—she didn’t think she’d ever really get tired of that.

Even so, Samus also felt that she wouldn’t exactly complain when it came time to travel farther to other parts of Equestria for their next operations. It would give her a break from the claustrophobia of the trees, if nothing else.

Blinking away her daydreams and ruminations, Samus still found herself hunched low, having finished the several-mile trudge through the soppy, rainy forest. By now, she and Viridian had reached the edge of the clearing that the map, and her systems, had described… and also like her systems confirmed, straight in front of her a few hundred yards lay the partially-obscured remains of the Pirate Corvette. She could see the darker metallic, angular build of its massive chassis silhouetted in the backdrop, veiled by the rainfall—certainly out of place juxtaposed near the trees (both untouched and destroyed) of the artificial Everfree clearing.

Neither of them had said a word for the last few minutes, and a quick glance by Samus saw Viridian seemingly doing as she was: just taking in the rain-soaked expanse in front of them. The only difference this time was Viridian’s entire head being encased in a helmet much like hers, but entirely fitted to the contours of his avian features. As hers were mostly veiled by an outside-facing wall of green, his features were similarly hidden behind aqua-colored glass, with identically colored accent lines on his Suit body.

It was a Varia Suit after all… at least, in glancing at the main similarities, color aside. And even Samus had to admit: it looked aesthetically pleasing.

Samus was even further drawn back to the looming, hopefully quick operation when Twilight’s voice broke through the silence:

“Okay, I think I’ve been able to project my voice through the comms versus just magic in your head, Samus. Can you hear me?”

The Hunter nodded.

“Yep. Loud and clear.”

“Great. Viridian?”

Samus flicked her eyes in his direction, and watched as the armored-up Chozo moved his hand from atop his almost identical arm cannon to the side of his helmet.

There was no way his words were anything but a joking, light-hearted addition to help break the silence:

“Your lovely voice comes through magnificently, Your Highness.”

Even Samus couldn’t resist an amused huff that bordered dangerously close to a snort. And the jokingly annoyed sigh, borderline retch, in her ears further lay ease on the situation at hand. The intangible alicorn still managed a giggle before continuing onward:

“Great! Looks like the ‘comms,’ as you call them, are rigged up properly. But at any rate, here we are. This ship fell to the Everfree a couple years ago. Maybe three. I honestly don’t remember. Been here ever since, and neither Spike nor I really recall if we saw any other ships flood to the area to salvage it… so here’s hoping you can find what you’re looking for quickly and we can get out of here just as fast. Not that I think we’re in any more danger than we’ve been in, but we still are deep in the Everfree…

“...would rather not be out here for longer than we need to. I can’t detect any movement from Storm Beasts or anything else with as wide of a scan as I can. Even so, the amplification of your magic for me to reach out beyond your systems is nonexistent while I keep your powers offline. So I don’t know what lies beyond.”

Samus and Viridian both nodded, though Samus smirked softly as she replied:

“Well… there’s an easy remedy for that…” she mentioned whilst attempting to trigger her grayed-out OM-Visor. It still remained annoyingly out of reach and unselectable, even if it was still recognized.

Twilight giggled again.

“Not just yet, Samus. I think you should be fully good to go by the time we get back—how’s that sound?”

“I’ll go with whatever you recommend… but it would definitely make all our jobs easier.”

“Or just doable, really, heh. But in the meantime, I think the rain and fog should provide more than enough cover against anything that might be lurking still around the clearing. Speaking of which… Do you know if the Pirates could still possibly be around? I know I said that we didn’t see any other ships try to come to the rescue… but it in no way guarantees that it didn’t happen.”

“If the crash site is as old as you say it is, I’d wager it’s abandoned by now. I would’ve expected them to send some ground teams in by this point… but really, it’s anyone’s guess. As you’ve seen with your time together—weirder shit has happened.”

“Yeah… that’s true. We’ll just see what happens, then.”

Viridian chimed back in:

“Ready when you are, Hatchling.”

Samus nodded, and there wasn’t any more point in resting and prolonging what needed to be gotten over with. Right as she was about to stand up and lead the way forward, her systems brought forth a massive notification:

[Alert: Multiple Slipspace Ruptures Detected. Space Pirate Reinforcements Have Arrived to the Planet]

On that cue, Samus looked up, and though she couldn’t see anything through the dense cloud layer, a sudden flood of what sounded like six lightning strikes all at once echoed over the area from the high atmosphere. Viridian likewise turned his attention upward.

Twilight asked:

“What’s that?”

To get a proper answer, Samus expanded that very notification as more data came pouring in from her systems’ analysis.

“According to my readings… five Pirate capital ships have arrived: two Battleships, two Frigates, and one Corvette. But apparently there’s also one smaller one. Working to identify. Regardless, big surprise, their heading is straight for the Impact Crater occupation ba—”

A chilling, blood-curdling, bone-brittling, familiar squawk, followed by an equally piercing, predatory roar cut Samus off and echoed ambiently, yet audibly, over the quiet Everfree landscape. Samus felt her eyes go wide briefly, as well as her entire body going suddenly stiff. After a few precious seconds, Samus exhaled deeply the breath that she had been holding dearly in her lungs.

And apparently her change in mood was quite noticeable by all parties, even through her armor. Twilight followed-up one after the other with the question at hand:

“Samus? Is everything okay? Your heart-rate and blood pressure suddenly spiked.”

Though Viridian’s question was much more on the nose:

“It is… him. Isn’t it?”

Samus had to devote mental resources to actually unfurrow her brow. She then closed her eyes and centered herself, stuffing back any stewing rage and incomprehensibility back into the much-too-small container where it belonged.

He survived. How?! And he came here? Of course he did.

Samus opened her eyes and shook her head, addressing both parties:

“Not worth mentioning now. I’ll explain when we get back to the castle, because by the gods, I’ll need a little bit to drink.

“But at any rate, it’s time to go. Let’s finish this up.”

And with that hard pivot back to the task at hand, all dropped the previous topic—Samus stood and began to move out into the clearing.

Hunched low with Viridian following just behind her, Samus heard her metallic boots sink into the soppy grass, squelching as it broke the ambient noise of the rain. Senses heightened, and feeling like her movements were making much more noise than they were, the Hunter continued to scan back and forth through the dense tree-line and underbrush. Nothing stood out to her. There was no deeper feeling of being watched.

…and most importantly, as they made it past the halfway point towards the crashed Corvette, no one shot at her ambush style. Twilight confirmed what Samus figured was the truth based on her motion tacker:

“All clear.”

Viridian backed her up.

“Nothing on my end. All is well.”

Samus conceded the fact as well, as the duo finally made it to the Corvette itself. The angular, aggressive steel construction that hadn’t been claimed by vines or other opportunistic fauna was unmistakably Space Pirate in engineering. And as had been expected based on data she reviewed previously, their approach lined up with where one of the maintenance entrances was—it was easy enough to find amongst this side of the wreckage, as it was the door was the only hexagonal section that stood out like a sore thumb, even if it was veiled by more vines and a now-natural waterfall, thanks to Everfree nature and the rain.

The only thing that would’ve made it stick out even more would be the standard door shielding, usually blue from Samus’ experience. As expected though, there was nothing of the sort. The door was shut tightly, and no amount of Power Beam salvoes would open it.

“Right… here’s our way in. No power—how surprising. I can blow it apart with a Super Missile if we absolutely need to, but I’d rather not attract unwanted attention.”

Viridian was there with a solution:

“Perhaps I may be of assistance?” came his rhetorical question, and he pointed to a steel box that appeared to feed wires conspicuously into the steel hull right next to the lifeless entrance.

“Is this the power box?”

Samus cocked her head, but answered:

“Uhhh… looks like it. What do you have in mind?”

He didn’t answer with words, but rather reached forward with his massive, armored hands and—with a little effort—ripped the steel covering off the alleged power box. From there, he angled his Arm Cannon’s barrel towards the exposed wiring, and summarily fired a single, electrifyingly purple shot.

Samus’ eyes sparkled as she recognized the familiar Beam Weapon choice immediately, and as she had then expected, the entire power node appeared to crackle and light up…

…and the Maintenance Door flickered to life with an inviting, light-blue glow.

Just like that.

“Huh. You didn’t tell me you used a Wave Beam!”

Viridian smirked.

“As much as I love our standard Power Beam… I always felt naked without it always on me. Though is it truly that strange? The Chozo gave you most of your arsenal”

And with a final shot of his Wave Beam onto the door, the shield dissipated once more, and their path forward irised open.

Viridian closed out with a knowing quip:

“You would have it as well… if you had done well enough to not lose your tools, constantly!” he said, before gesturing inward:

“After you, Hatchling.”

Samus rolled her eyes, though she would have some trouble wiping the cheeky grin off her face.

“Oh shut the fuck up, Viridian,” she chuckled as she led the way inward.

The Chozo Warrior echoed the same sentiment with a chuckle of his own. Even Twilight wasn’t immune to the rare display of banter involving Samus and the Chozo.

The Hunter waved Viridian in behind her, who did well to cover their entrance lest they were followed. With no alerts from behind, the door closed shut, sealing them in a pitch-black tunnel that sloped upward, and listed somewhat to their left. The simple solution was engaging her flashlight to brighten the way forward—Samus once again lamented the loss of her Thermal Visor, and the semi-replacement of the OM-Visor, however temporary.

Viridian continued to follow Samus’ lead, and engaged his own flashlight.

The Maintenance Tunnel was a straight shot forward, with no other intersecting pathways thus far, based on what little map data her systems were able to assess through their trek forward. Likewise, the once omnipresent sound of the rain had been entirely shut out, replaced by an infrequent cacophony of drippage, creaking, and clanking from the settling of metal, water, and various other materials courtesy of a haphazardly abandoned, destroyed space-faring vessel.

Even her own footsteps seemed to echo down the hall. Neither wished to spare the extra seconds to engage if necessary, and kept their cannons outstretched.

Twilight broke the tense ambiance:

“Do we know where we’re headed?”

“Electrical or Comms room should be more than enough for my needs. No need to explore the entire vessel, thankfully.”

“You know how to get there?”

“Working on it. If I can find a computer… like a maintenance computer that’s not too damaged, I should be able to slice some map data out of it. We can follow that to any of the two rooms. Keep a look out for lots of big wires.”

Viridian cautioned:

“We are coming up on the end of this tunnel. Looks like a much larger room ahead.”

Samus agreed, exhaling as her Suit’s environmental controllers quickly cleared away her visible breath from inside her visor.

“Yep. Stay alert.”

As Viridian had pointed out, the entire next room suddenly opened up—no lights were present, but Samus could visibly make out lots of unexploded shells and various other ordinance. All were haphazardly tossed around undoubtedly when the ship crashed those years ago. As they passed through, Samus could see just how cracked and destroyed they were… many of their power cores had simply wasted away from lack of proper storage protocol and maintenance after these years… and probably due to water damage, if the consistent dripping and rivulets through the room were anything to go by.

But as they trekked through the massive ammo storage room, Samus stopped in her tracks when she noticed a bunch of wires hidden behind a few shells that were rolled against the slanted wall. She followed their serpentine path diligently, and as her flashlight illuminated the path her eyes took, they finally ended on the multiple screens of a group of computer consoles.

Samus gestured forward whilst remarking:

“And look what I hoped we’d find…” she said, looming closely to inspect the computer terminal’s viability.

“Any luck?” Twilight asked.

Samus thumbed over one of the main, larger screens that harbored a massive crack down its left side. She also observed other portions of the computer that had been egregiously corroded by water damage and simply a lack of maintenance. But the main console in front of her, despite a few scratches and one or two heavy cracks… seemed in relatively good condition all things considered. Its electronic base, still standing without any cracks or dents, seemed entirely intact.

“It… looks okay…” said Samus at the onset. “Really only one way to find out though.”

And with that, Samus reached forward with her armored hand and tore off the single armor plate over the power conduit, the sound of which split the silent, leaky room with a reverberating clang. She then looked back up to Viridian and asked:

“Care to do the honors?”

She could practically hear the smirk under his helmet.

“But of course!”

Samus stood up and backed off a couple paces. Viridian took her place and let loose a single blast of his Wave Beam into the computer’s power conduit, which lit up the section of the room in a deep, if brief purple, electric glow. After a couple tense, silent seconds, an electric whirring could be heard, which continued to gain prominence over the water flow and dripping ambiance, until finally the main computer screen flickered to life.

And a couple seconds later of various gibberish and digital artifacting, the boot screen of a familiar Pirate operating system displayed in perfectly usable condition.

Samus properly grinned as Viridan stepped away—she took her place again in front of the screen to begin work immediately.

“Perfect!” she exclaimed, and wasted no time in selecting her Scan Visor to get to work.

Viridian hummed.

“Well thought-out!”

Twilight seemed just as excited as Samus… and with how the alicorn had digitized herself in her systems, she was basically gawking over her shoulder at this point.

“Nice! What’cha got?”

Samus’ Scan Visor was well-underway in slicing through Pirate System encryption, and let her systems go to work in both pulling and archiving some relevant intel, as well as searching for some map data as had been the original need.

“Looks like a good amount of data is still available. Excellent. Schematics show the name of the ship being ‘Valkyrie.’ Neat. Now lemme just reroute some network pings to make sure we have no problems…”

Samus went a bit stiff again as she made sure her systems complied in shielding the Pirate Battle Network from the downed Valkyrie’s attempts to phone home, other than what was already present locally. A few seconds later, she was able to relax when her systems did indeed confirm success in not allowing the ship to connect to the extranet.

She sighed out and eased her posture just a smidge.

“Cool. One less worry.”

Twilight was ever-curious:

“Why? What happened? And these are one of these ‘computer’ things, too, right? Like your tablet and all your other systems?

“That’s right. Once the computer powered on and started going through the motions of connecting to where it needed to, it would inevitably try to ping—or in a way you’d probably understand better, write back—to the Space Pirate network.”

The alicorn seemed to understand immediately.

“Ooooooh… and if it did, and someone noticed, that means the Space Pirates would probably find it very curious that one of their vessels that was confirmed lost—presumably salvaged already—suddenly ‘wrote back’ to their main network…” she surmised.

“Exactly. Would probably invite a lot of sudden, unwanted attention. Easy way to get a Space Pirate strike team sent to this location. Doubly-so if the ship’s already been salvaged.”

“I understand—and even though we already talked about it, I’m starting to wonder if the invaders even did salvage, if much at all. I’m starting to think they didn’t.”

Samus cocked an eyebrow as she initiated the download of map data.

“Never knew you became an expert in Pirate salvage doctrine,” she quipped. “What’s got you so sure, this time?”

Twilight giggled, but answered seriously all the same:

“Just building upon your thoughts from earlier. Whatever brought this ship down, whether it was internal or external… it fell into the proper depths of the Everfree Forest. Not even us ponies truly ever knew with complete certainty the dangers that lurked out here… it’s pretty much a pillar of our legends. If the Pirates are having this much trouble elsewhere, I’d think a simple, ‘smaller’ ship like this would likely not be worth potentially sacrificing a bunch of troops.

“Well… unless it was carrying something super important, of course,” she wagered.

Her armored fingers drumming idly on the side of the computer screen, Samus shook her head as she considered Twilight’s analysis… specifically at that last part.

“Not a Corvette type ship. Frigates and Battleships would absolutely be worth the effort for them, though. Either way, I could get behind that.”

Samus’ visor pinged her suddenly:

[Map Data Acquired!]

[Map Data for Pirate Corvette ‘Valkyrie’ now available!]

“And done… which means that we have a map to both the Electrical and Comms rooms. As for which one’s closer…”

Samus brought up the map and examined their position relative to the entire ship… but of course, she knew this was in ideal circumstances when the ship was in full-working order. There would likely be some cases where paths forward would be completely inaccessible, and other routes would be needed. Nevertheless they needed to go on what they had, and Samus could see a clear, straight-forward path forward from the ‘Auxiliary Ammo Storage’ Room, to the Long Range Communications Housing in the Comms Center.

“Comms Center. By a fair bit,” she announced. “Likely to find something much more ‘fitting’ for my needs there, anyway, so this works out just fine. Ready to head out?”

A single gunshot deafened the room—distinctly from a Space Pirate Assault Cannon.

With expertly honed reflexes, Samus and Viridian dodged in opposite directions, and the lone, golden energy projectile sailed between their heads and into the computer console they were once using. The round impacted and blasted the computer into multiple pieces, destroying it completely this time around. Mid air-dodge, Samus fired two Power Beam rounds at the suspected source, both which impacted harmlessly against the bent remains of metal walls and reinforced metal bars.

Samus emerged from her dodge back onto her feet, squarely in her battle stance, aiming directly at the aforementioned source of the weapons fire in the darkness of a tangled mass of metal and wire… one that seemed to be the remains of the metal walls of this room. A likewise instantaneous glance towards Viridian showed him in similar positioning to her.

Merely a couple seconds had passed all the while. Twilight added a:

“Motion detected behind the remains of the room’s wall. Two entities.”

Samus could definitely see that. Breathing much faster now in the anticipation of combat, she reined in her heart rate, courtesy of being startled, and noticed something else of intrigue: no further weapon’s fire came forth, even though Samus had clearly not hit her targets. Secondly, her motion tracker was not recognizing the alleged assailants as Space Pirate in nature.

Her systems confirmed this all the while: no Pirate signatures were detected within tens of miles of their position.

That cannon was unmistakably of Pirate origin, though… which made the sudden situation all the more tense, if interesting.

“I can see that… no Pirate signatures. No follow-up attack… motion still present… I wonder…” Samus reasoned, then, remembering she had more-than-adequate backup, she decided to be a bit more diplomatic despite being fired upon.

More than a bit awkwardly, Samus called out in overture:

“Hi there! Don’t shoot! You’re not Space Pirates, right?! I will engage if you shoot again… you have one chance to identify yourselves! Talk to me…”

Twilight didn’t seem impressed at Samus’ words:

“That sounded way too awkward. Even for me.”

“How about you try talking things out after someone just shot at you!”

Simultaneously, Samus maneuvered so that her flashlight could get a better look at the darkness behind the destroyed, metallic mess of a wall. She knew for a fact that she could see some movement that corroborated the existence of individuals on her motion tracker. Hell, she could’ve sworn she saw the proper flickering of light on eyeballs.

All the while, she could pick up on some hushed conversation—audible whispers that her Suit was able to pick up on through sonic amplifiers. Two distinctly female voices of two differing accents, but entirely understandable via both English and Equestrian conventions:

“Wait… the fuck mate? They speak our language? Who’re they?”

“How the hell should I know? But they walk on two legs, like those things…”

“Aye, but those things didn’t fuckin’ speak like them—we can actually understand ‘em!”

“We could understand those other beasts, too, sometimes! You saw how well that turned out!”

“Don’t remind me, lass…”

Viridian remained silent, and like Samus, kept his cannon trained on the source of the impromptu, animated, hushed discussion. Twilight had an out-loud thought:

“Wait… they sound familiar…”

Samus took the reins back:

“Uhhh, hello? Identify yourselves!” she demanded, stiffening the grip on her cannon.

That shut the conversation down entirely, and silence returned once more if but for a few moments. In a tone that sounded almost of a desperate hail mary, the first voice called back out with what Samus could entirely describe as a Scottish accent:

“O-Oi there! We hear ya! Y-Yer not with those other tall things are ye?”

Likewise, she could spot two eyes peeking out from two separate holes in the wall: one gold, one emerald.

Samus lowered her cannon the tiniest bit and shook her head.

“No. If you’re talking about the Space Pirates… taller than me, look reptilian and monster-like? Got a lot of armor and look like the thing you took your weapon from? No. Definitely not with them. They’re my enemies, too.”

Twilight cut in again:

“No I absolutely know who that is with, like, ninety-nine percent certainty. Quick… m-mention ponies in general. And that you’re working with me!”

Samus took her suggestion and further added:

“Are you ponies? Survivors?” she asked. “I’m working with Princess Twilight right now… you know her, I’m guessing?”

The Hunter didn’t get to finish her thoughts to convert them to words, as there was an instant, excited response from both voices, to which the other one, Samus would describe as somewhat Slavic-esque:

“AYE!”

“S-She’s alive? Where…?”

Of course they would ask where she was… it was only natural. The problem was that Twilight couldn’t exactly just materialize and make the whole situation better without drawing all the Storm Beasts in the area—and possibly in the ship—to their position.

For the first time, Samus heard Twilight mutter the phrase:

“Oh for fuck’s sake…”

Samus had to stifle another giggle today, but nevertheless rolled her eyes. She glanced over at Viridian, who only looked back to her with a shrug, while likewise keeping his cannon squarely aimed. He was deferring all action to her at this point.

Samus cleared her throat again and answered:

“She’s with me right now actually… well, magically speaking, at least. She can’t come out right now because of the Storm Beasts. Long story.”

A huff and a reply sounded:

“How convenient.”

Samus could hear Twilight pretty much bouncing around in her head all frustrated, as the alicorn couldn’t seem to get a single coherent thought out as she was in disbelief at their situation.

“I know, believe me. She’s seething right now in my system at that fact. Because it would make everything that much easier,” she said.

Samus lowered her cannon more, and Viridian followed her lead.

“We’re operating out of the Castle of Friendship back in Ponyville. Twilight and the other Elements we’ve found so far would love to have others who survived this long. I’m also a lot nicer looking outside of my Suit—it’s safe to come out, I promise.”

The animated whispering continued on the mystery ponies’ end… softer this time where Samus’ systems couldn’t pick it up other than specific words. After what seemed like thirty seconds of deliberation, the silence returned… followed by a resolute sigh.

And then, a lone hoof snuck its way out into the open from behind cover. Samus could immediately make out a dark gray coat—one covered in a worn, armor-boot of some kind.

It waved in their direction.

“Alright… we’re comin’ out! Please don’t shoot us, mates.”

Samus huffed, and lowered her weapon a little more as she heard some shuffling.

“No worries—so long as you don’t shoot us!”

The tenseness returned to the room as some shuffling, and what sounded like hooves stepping through puddles of water, gave way into proper steps as two ponies slowly filed out from their metallic cover. Samus immediately noted the aforementioned grayish coat, with a taller, more muscular-seeming mare behind her with a copper coat. With the former’s golden eyes, Samus noted how long her navy blue mane and tail were, even if her mane was styled into a messy ponytail. She also noted a few infrequent lighter, almost-gray strands mixed therein.

The second pony’s emerald eyes and contrasting copper coat was brought all together with her seemingly longer golden mane, much messier and unkempt, flattened with obvious helmet-hair.

Samus also noted how at first glance, their faces and bodies—despite still being fit and retaining quite the youthful complexion—contained a multitude of crisscrossing scars and occasional wrinkles.

And that’s when Samus realized that if these were truly survivors of the Crisis, then the two of them had been out here in the Everfree—and elsewhere—for fifteen years, just surviving. Samus figured, based on this brief, first look-over in overexposed lighting in the darkness, they didn’t look older than their mid-thirties, if she was guessing pony ages right. Either way, they were probably still older than her.

Nevertheless, a pang of pity washed over her, as she could also see a familiar hollowness in their eyes… much like with Rarity. A depth of void in which harbored unspeakable sights that she was sure these ponies would rather forget.

Speaking of which, she noted the equipped armor they both had, even if it was dented or cracked. And in also noticing how both of them cradled Pirate Assault Cannons on their back—jerry-rigged with strings, wire, and miscellaneous bits of metal to form what looked like rudimentary gun sights—these two had to be soldiers of some kind.

Especially with that ingenious work with the weaponry. Samus was impressed. And in one final bit of sizing-up their new company, Samus noted the bat wings, the elongated pupil slits in their eyes, and the tufts of hair atop their more-angular ears. She silently wondered if they were a subspecies of Pegasi, or if they were their own ‘batpony’ under the Pony family.

The tenseness of the room was tangible, though it gave way to an awkward silence with the first true meeting of non-Elemental Bearer survivors since Spike… though what lessened it somewhat was when Twilight started squeeing boisterously.

“Oh my gosh! It’s them! They survived! YES, THEY SURVIVED!”

Samus knew for a fact that Twilight was prancing animatedly in her head… figuratively at least. And that was the final bit of confirmation needed for her to truly lower her weapon to her side. Viridian followed suit right after.

The golden-eyed one gazed through Samus’ visor, and then glanced between her and Viridian before finally chuckling awkwardly to lead into an uneasy:

“Heh… oi there, mates…” she waved limply. “S-Sorry fer shootin’ at ya. We uhh… saw two legs and kinda put it together in our heads… fucked that one up though. Our bad!”

The other one glared at her.

“Really… that’s the best you got after shooting at them?”

“The fuck else am I supposed tae say tae them, lass?!”

Samus and Viridian shared a look again, though Twilight was quick to jump in:

“This is normal between the two of them—literally nothing’s changed in a decade and a half, which is great… but intervene now or this’ll become a full argument.”

Samus heeded the advice and swooped in with her own wave:

“Hey, you two. And uhhh… no worries about that. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve shot first and asked questions later…”

Twilight interjected in her head:

“That’s horrifying.”

Samus hissed back:

“Oh shut up.”

With that, Samus disengaged her Suit fully… and the sudden flash of golden light illuminating the room did well to startle the ponies enough for them both to take a full couple steps back. She planned to remediate any residual fear by kneeling down and putting forth her right hand.

“Samus Aran. Off-worlder. Soldier. Bounty Hunter. Working with Princess Twilight to complete my mission and her mission at the same time via an arrangement we have. Told you I was a little nicer looking outside my armor… I hope,” she quipped.

“Nice to meet you two.”

Another familiar, electrifying sound garnered Samus’ attention behind her, and she found that Viridian had disengaged his helmet. He offered a respectful half-bow to the ponies.

“And I am Viridian Shield. Warrior-Overseer of the once-Imperial Chozo Colony on this planet. Much obliged to make both of your acquaintances.”

The two batponies seemed a little confused by the words they both chose to use… and Samus couldn’t help but smirk. She was sure it would get explained later on, but thankfully, the two nodded, and their expressions seemed to bounce back elastically and then some.

Sporting the first, hopeful smiles Samus had seen from them, the blue-maned one put her hoof forth in kind, laying it in the Hunter’s hand.

“Corporal Stella Sabre. Second Guard’s Flying Infantry Battalion, Their Majesties’ Lunar Guard. Cheers lass… and lad? Lad. Cheers lad.”

They shook on it, and emerald-eyes was not far behind with an identical gesture… though, perhaps a bit disturbingly, Samus cocked a stoic eyebrow when the mare’s look went from elated to oddly flirtatious. Though it must’ve been a trick of the light, or the lack thereof… because that hitherto visage seemed to dissipate as quickly as it came about, replaced by her erstwhile shaken, skittish demeanor.

“Specialist Midnight Song. First Guard’s Shock Battalion, Their Majesties’ Solar Guard. Lovely to meet you as well, Samus and Viridian. Especially you, Miss Samus~.”

Stella didn’t react, but Samus wasn’t blind to the harsh heel-kick that she delivered unto Midnight’s hind left thigh, with the latter flinching at the strike. The Hunter and the Chozo spared another brief, questioning glance between one another, though Samus was quick to stoically address them again.

“Stella and Midnight…” she pointed to each one respectively to remember names. Nodding, she then asked the next relevant question:

“You two’ve been here since the Crisis?”

They both nodded, and Samus could see the fatigue in their eyes… another type of fatigue from years deployed with no rest, from which reprieve wasn’t merely a few weeks of good night’s sleep.

“Aye, lass. Fifteen years… well, not here,” she gestured to the ship around them. “This flying shitewagon that came down near our previous encampment has been our home fer only the last couple.”

Twilight was amazed, and she sighed out lamentingly:

“They did it… I can’t imagine how they did, but they did. Please bring them home with us, Samus… whatever you do.”

Samus glanced at her motion tracker and found nothing else out of the ordinary, and all the while, she could see Viridian had resumed sentry duty, which left the Hunter open to prod for a little more information:

“Yeah I figured. How’d you even end up here?” she asked.

Midnight answered this time:

“The front lines were cracking, and the Princesses needed more time for the Elements… so they sent in a bunch of us Guard Divisions to fill holes in the ranks.”

Stella nodded, then promptly added:

“Aye, and that’s when it all went tae shite… but on that note, where even are the Princesses, anyway?” she then asked. Her eyes widened after a couple moments of deliberation, and her subsequent, shakier words harbored a sudden rush of fear:

“Are… are they alright?”

Samus pursed her lips—that wasn’t exactly a concept she could just belt out with easy comprehension right now.

“They’re missing right now… but not really presumed dead, and we’re working to ‘bring them back.’ It’s another long story. The short of it is, there was some gigantic failsafe that no one knew about.”

Stella and Midnight both sighed out, and shared an uneasy, defeated, if marginally hopeful look amongst each other. Both pursed their lips in kind, and Stella nodded.

“Aye… guess that’s as good of an answer as we can get right now. And you said Twilight is still around, mate?”

Samus nodded, and Stella smiled at Midnight. The latter shrugged and smiled whimsically.

“Guess we have someone to report to again, in the meantime!”

Stella chuckled.

“Heh, gods does that feel good tae know after all this time.”

Twilight giggled, and Samus springboarded off of that with a little more lightheartedness once the tenseness again began to evaporate:

“What’ve you two been up to, since?”

Stella answered:

“We were fightin’ on the front line, and then suddenly just… bright white light and rainbows. The Elements had fired and those fuckin’ Storm Beasts were just wiped out, mate. We weren’t entirely sure what happened at first though, so us and other survivors—soldiers and civvies—moved intae the forest fer cover, and tae await further orders…

“...and awaitin’ orders turned intae hopin’ fer rescue when no orders came, and the Storm Beasts returned.”

Stella’s eyes seemed to go blank as she shook her head once.

“Rescue never came. And after the first month with no official word or rescue, we figured Equestria had actually fallen. We set up societies as best we could after meeting—and attempting to find—other survivors,” she further explained.

Midnight added:

“We did our best to survive. Food. Water. Shelter—made it if we had to. Still had to keep fighting off those… Storm Beasts, right?” she begged clarification from Stella.

She nodded, and picked up Midnight’s words:

“Aye. On top of those fuckin’... those other tall, two legged hingejaw twats that walk on two legs like you two… no offense, mates,” she elaborated.

Samus said:

“Space Pirates. And none taken, no worries… but you said that you met up with ‘other survivors.’ Are there others here? Civvies, especially?”

The two ponies shared a knowing, lamenting look with one another, as well as a sigh that might as well have been deafening in its own right. They shook their heads.

“No,” said Midnight. “After fifteen years…” her expression sank completely, defeated.

Stella finished her thoughts that were already well-conveyed to Samus, by this point:

“We’re all that’s left. Just been tryin’ tae survive fer as long as we can. Even with the shelter here… those beasts still wander in. Not tae mention those—what did ya call ‘em… Space Pirate—patrols that we’d find in the forest on occasion.”

Samus understood. It was a damn shame that there weren’t other civilians that survived this long, at least in the area, but Stella and Midnight had done all they could until they were the last ones standing. Regardless, she considered that impressive in her own mind, especially considering how young they probably were when things all went to hell.

“Got it. Well, if you’ve got anything you value stored here, you may wanna go and collect it now. You’re coming with us—and we’re gonna get you out of here. How’s the Castle of Friendship sound? Got warm food and plenty of beds.

“Your fight’s done, soldiers.”

With each consecutive word Samus uttered, she could see both pairs of eyes visibly brighten and mist up in the light of her flashlight. Their hopeful smiles were contagious, and by the end of it, she felt she could resonate fully with their feelings… somewhat. She may have been constantly deployed since she was fourteen or so, but she at least had the ability to take breaks and decompress a little bit after each mission.

These two had been fighting to just survive for the last fifteen years straight. It didn’t come as a surprise that they looked like they were about to start crying.

They shared another look with each other, then simultaneously nodded curtly up at Samus.

“Alright, lass. T-Thank you, Samus… and Viridian. And we’ll see Twilight when we get back, right?”

It was Samus’ turn to nod, though with the return of an amused smile under her visor when Twilight was practically jumping for joy at the prospect of more, familiar allies.

“Absolutely. Like I said, she’d welcome you home right now if she could, but we’re gonna have to wait until we’re safe in the castle walls.”

Midnight stepped forward and excitedly asked:

“So… are we heading out now, then?”

“Not just yet. I need to find something here, first, which was the reason we came here in the first place.”

Midnight cocked an eyebrow.

“Really? From this wreck? What’re you looking for?”

“A power supply, which will help us, in a way, get even more allies into this fight. That’s why you found us at this computer here,” Samus gestured back towards the now-permanently-destroyed console.

“We were mapping our way to the Comms Center. Looks the closest on the map data I was able to download. The problem is the ship’s shitty condition, so even though it says it’s an easy walk, I’m guessing most of the corridors have completely collapsed by now.”

Midnight stepped forward again.

“Wait… Bunch of antennas and other of those ‘computer consoles’ or whatever they are, right? I think I know exactly the place you’re looking for.”

Samus nodded.

“Sort of, yeah… sounds promising. Know a path over there?”

Stella stepped in:

“We were storin’ our foraged supplies there. We can lead ya over there. It’s the absolute least we can do if yer gonna take us outta this shitehole and save our lives, essentially.”

Midnight was all too happy to affirm that stance.

“Yeah… I don’t know how much longer we could’ve survived like this. So… thanks in advance.”

Samus glanced back at Viridian, and then shared another look with the two mares with a lopsided smirk. One more nod later, and she stood up tall and re-engaged her Suit.

“Sounds good to me! Lead the way.”

Stella and Midnight eyed her up and down before the former replied with uncertainty:

“Uhhh… it might be a tight squeeze, lass. Sure ye can follow our path?”

Samus huffed under her visor, amused.

“I’ve made a career of getting into places I shouldn’t be. We’ll be fine.”

Apparently that was good enough for Midnight, and she promptly waved the three of them after her as she started towards the nearest, destroyed door. She sheepishly beckoned:

“Then let’s get what you need. Forgive me, but I just… really don’t wanna be here anymore.”

Stella followed suit with a chuckle, and Samus was quick into step with Viridian just behind her.

“Pirate vessels aren’t exactly known for their comforts and hospitality. I don’t blame you.”

Author's Note

Happy New Year, y'all!

Interesting conversations, reveals, and new allies abound! Let's make it a great 2023! See you next chapter!

15. Contact

The rain continued to flow in glimmering rivulets down her visor, obscuring her faraway vision just enough where the Castle in the distance was barely a blurry mass emerging through another blanket of fog. The main ambiance she had been used to for her tenure on the planet had resumed with their return journey, with her continued trudge in a familiar mud, overgrown grass, and foliage just as she led their party out of the clutches of the Everfree yet again.

This time, however, there was more than Viridian’s set of footfalls following her out.

Samus glanced back and saw Viridian bringing up the rear as he had diligently done this entire time, his eyes scanning to their sides and paying particular attention to their rear. His stoic, steely demeanor belied his much more approachable self, and was a callback to how Samus met him in the first place. And yet, his spindly hand continued to gently drum on his own arm cannon.

She smirked. It may not have been the most exciting mission, but she could see that he was having a whale of a time.

Between the two of them, Stella and Midnight trot along silently, occasionally sharing glances with one another and the occasional word… but throughout the whole search and extraction process, Samus had to commend how well they behaved and followed orders. They were professional soldiers, after all… so perhaps this should not have been surprising to her. She could visibly read the relief replacing the unease on their faces as they gradually made their way out of the bowels of the Everfree and into much more ‘familiar’ territory.

For Samus’ own sake, she reached behind her towards the small of her back and felt the bulbous, metallic cylinder that remained securely, magnetically fastened. It was still there and hadn’t moved at all during their trudge back to safety.

Thanks to stumbling upon the two VIPs whom they were now escorting back to the castle, salvaging such a power supply in working condition was an unbelievably easy task since they knew exactly how to get to where Samus needed to go through the destroyed remains of the Pirate Corvette.

And it was a good thing these types of power supplies coiled up their cables and innards… or the rain would’ve quickly dashed any hopes of contact with the Federation well before she set foot outside of the downed ship’s radius.

The clearer sight of the castle brought enough comfort out of the two ponies that they began speaking so openly, with equally high spirits.

“Ahh… Castle of Friendship. It’s been too fuckin’ long…” Stella mused.

“No kidding. Never thought I’d ever miss this place so much,” came Midnight’s reply.

Samus smirked under her visor as they continued to prattle on—she tuned out of their conversation pretty quickly though, and instead decided to return to her success: other than needing to find a way in and getting acquainted with the new ponies of the party, there were exactly zero issues in getting what she needed. This was a rare win that she was more than happy to savor.

Yet, she couldn’t. As she continued to lead the pack and keep watchful eyes on her motion tracker, her thoughts were drawn to what they had said previously back in the downed corvette:

They mentioned patrols. Space Pirate patrols. Yet, according to her systems which had been tapping and siphoning off every bit of data out of the Pirate BattleNet, there hadn’t been any patrols out this way for months, at least in this region. Hell, likely years, based on the state they found the ship in.

And yet, Midnight and Stella spoke of Pirate patrols as if they were here like, two weeks ago. The Pirates were known to keep meticulous records on the movements and whereabouts of their vast legions. Other than some of the most top-secret Shadow Pirate movements, in her opinion, something wasn’t adding up.

The voice in her head spoke suddenly, breaking through her thoughts and ruminations as clear as day:

“Is it surprising, though? You always failed at figuring out the big picture. Understanding why. It’s why your torment has never ended, and never will.”

Samus’ march was nearly thrown off-balance by how hard she blinked. Not that she was particularly offended, but the banter she shared with Twilight didn’t often cut so cleanly to the heart of her own insecurities.

Eyes temporarily wide after processing, Samus chuckled and huffed, plenty amused. Clearly she had been getting better at shit-talking.

“Christ, Twi. Zinger, but that was harsh. The fuck did I do?”

“Hmmm?”

Samus pressed jokingly:

“Wanna tell me how you really feel?”

“...I… didn’t say anything, Samus?”

The half-second silence lasted much longer in Samus’ head.

“Wait… didn’t you just…”

And in the silence that followed her implicit question, Samus could pretty much feel Twilight shaking her head slowly. The Hunter cautiously huffed—she knew exactly what she heard. She may have been a veteran of seeing things beyond comprehension, and it was often easier to tell others she was exaggerating a bit rather than admit that most of the outlandish things she had experienced in her life were true to the letter.

But she knew for a fact she wasn’t crazy. She heard those words in her head, and knew they were completely foreign thoughts. And she knew it sounded just like Twilight…

…or rather, she thought it sounded like Twilight. A couple extra seconds of deliberation later, Samus suddenly wasn’t sure if those words that she heard were of Twilight’s voice, or even of her own internal monologue.

She shook her head.

“...right.”

And before she could dwell on it further, Twilight spoke up:

“Though, I did just ‘switch’ your magic back online. Maybe there was some weird side-effect? Not uncommon for anomalies to manifest to the user when suddenly enveloped with a lot of magic again… or having it ripped away from them.”

At that mention, Samus pulled up a quick diagnostic check of her systems, and indeed, front and center, she found a notification showing her exactly what she expected:

[Element of Magic Online! Your magical connection has been reactivated!]

[OM-Visor Online]

[Pulse Missile and Pulse Charge Combination Online]

[Active Camouflage Online]

[Flash Teleport Online]

[All other non-magical systems remain online and functioning.]

“Looks like everything’s back where it should be. Thanks, Twi.”

The digital alicorn giggled and added sheepishly:

“Of course! Looks like you’ve got a clean bill of health still, so there shouldn’t be any issues. Just… take it easy with the camouflage and teleporting repeatedly one after the other, if you can?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“That’s all I wanted to hear. OH—Did you let Spike know we were coming back with guests and to let us in?”

Samus internally chastised herself for forgetting something so simple.

“Oh, shit. Thanks for reminding me. I’ll do that right now,” she replied.

And without waiting for any follow-up from Twilight, Samus hailed the comm system she left inside the Castle.

“Hey Spike. You around? Spiiiiiiiike. Come on in, Spike.”

Twilight giggled, which provided pleasant background ambiance until the drake responded a few seconds later:

“Relaaaaax, I’m here, Samus! You guys back so soon?”

“Yup! Got what I needed, but we got something better: two pony survivors. I think you know them pretty well, so in the interest of some fun, I’ll let you see who they are. Let us in?”

Spike’s voice audibly perked up:

“N-No way! Uhh, okay! That’s awesome news! I’ll let the girls know and we’ll be right down to meet you!”

Samus smirked.

“Sweet. See you all soon.”

And with that, she ended the comm line, and conversation was immediately picked up by Stella’s chuckling from just behind her:

“No shit? Spike’s still around? Now that’s just the fuckin’ cherry on top! He was always a sweet little lad… it’ll be great tae see ‘im again!”

Midnight concurred fully.

“Oh YES!! He was always so adorable and always helpful~.”

Stella smirked impishly.

“Aye, ya think he’s stayed that small?”

Midnight nearly snorted, cackling, as she flipped her wet mane back out of her face. Stella was quick to follow suit with that.

“Gods I hope so! You knew how much fun I had picking him up and putting him on my back! He even had fun, too!”

Stella wasn’t particularly convinced.

“Hah! As if, lass—he fuckin’ never knew what tae do with himself when ya did. The Princess always made you put him down every goddamn time, too.”

Samus caught Stella nudging Midnight roughly via her shoulder plate.

“Either way, Midds… try tae restrain yerself this time, aye? It’s been fuckin’ fifteen years, at least try tae act like ye grew some fuckin’ decorum since society went tae shite.”

“Hehe, no guarantees~.”

With that, the four of them arrived unceremoniously at the castle’s locked-down front entrance, and like before, Samus slammed her fist against it in the predetermined fashion. The rapport of her harsh knocking echoed inside, heard even through the continued rainfall, and the remaining trudges of Stella, Midnight, and Viridian as they all congregated.

Right on time, the telltale unlatching of the security mechanisms sounded in return, and the door swung open, just ajar enough for all to slink on into the ambiently lit castle foyer. Samus was greeted by Spike first with a bright, expectant smile, along with Fluttershy and Rarity who had stood just behind him for a better look.

“Welcome back, Samus, Viridian,” he filed the taller beings through.

Samus didn’t respond with anything but a nod, as she gently brushed past him to join Rarity and Fluttershy… just so she could get a better view of the reacquainting that was right about to happen. She silently greeted them in kind, as well.

She watched as Midnight and Stella remained just in front of the threshold, jaws having shattered on the floor as they practically struggled to look up at Spike from their proximity to him. Spike, himself, was barely able to shut and secure the door before he, too, fell into similar straits. The pure recognizance on his face, seeing his eyes widen to nearly half the size of his head was palpable.

Stella was the first to break the ice:

“S-Spike? F-Fuck me lad, is that really you mate?”

“No way—I’ll say… that you, little Spike?!”

“Holy. Shit. Stella!? Midnight?!”

He barely managed to finish mentioning their names before both ponies immediately jumped him, proceeding to ensnare him in their hooves gleefully after he stumbled backward, nearly taken completely off balance. Samus could only hear a few words amongst the sudden cacophony of friends practically screaming in pent up excitement at each other before Twilight finally materialized out of her suit.

“Spike!” she playfully began to scold with a giggle. “Language!”

And with the Princess’ entrance, all words from the newcomers ceased entirely, and Samus could see in their eyes that they now understood that she wasn’t fibbing in the slightest. Here stood Twilight in the flesh before them, just as Samus had promised.

Their attention now focused away from showering Spike with various degrees of affection, Stella and Midnight dropped back to their hooves to properly stand before her, eyes wide with knowing and longing. From what Samus could see, Twilight wasn’t exactly taller than them. Hell, Midnight was clearly the tallest out of all of them… yet nevertheless, the two of them looked upon her with a reverence to someone much larger than anyone in the room.

Fluttershy and Rarity looked ready to join the party, but as both of them happily opened their mouths to voice complete recognition of the same, albeit aged ponies that they had known since before the Crisis, Samus stopped them in their tracks. With her armored hand, she brought a single finger to her visor to call for silence, and both ponies understood fully as they joined in further with the group.

And by that point, Twilight seemed to get a bit weirded out by the extra bits of silence. She let the two guardsmares a bit awkwardly:

“Uhhh… girls? This is getting kinda weird now. L-Like Samus said… it’s me! Here I am!”

And to further hammer home the point, Twilight patted both of them on their shoulders, which evolved into just flat-out bringing them both into a vice-like hug.

Samus smirked… as right away, she could see Stella and Midnight decompress at the same instant, melting into Twilight’s embrace as they, too, returned the multi-pony hug with all the emotion they could muster. Laughter and giggles abound, Spike, nor Fluttershy nor Rarity could compel themselves to stay quiet: all of them burst out into cheers and happily joined in on the group hug.

Samus remained on the sidelines, happy to just lean up against one of the pillars in the foyer and bathe in the good feelings abound. She shared a quick look with Viridian, who had by this point disengaged his own Suit and gotten more comfortable—he, too, seemed more than content to just silently observe the ponies’ antics.

By then, all had separated from one another so Twilight and the guardsmares could share some inevitable words to come. From what Samus could see, Stella looked the most affected by the reacquainting with Twilight… one whom she clearly held in such high regard.

“Y-Your Majesty…” she finally spoke with a much less-confident, shakier tone as she curtsied low between her front legs.

Midnight giggled at the display, but nevertheless, felt compelled to follow suit.

“It’s an honor to return, Princess Twilight~.”

Samus watched Spike and the girls suddenly pursed their lips as if they were holding back a torrent of knowing laughter at their best friend’s expense. Based on this, Twilight’s reaction was rather expected when the alicorn retreated into herself and fell into a very uncomfortable demeanor.

“Oh, gosh I… p-please you two. Rise… you two know good and well that I was never a fan of that!” she beckoned throatily.

And in lightening the mood even further, she shook her head with a sarcastic smirk.

“Gods… after all this time and the first thing you two do is decide to annoy me. I guess maybe it’s good that not much has really changed all that much,” she giggled.

She then sighed out blissfully and finished with some endearing, meaningful words:

“But… I’m just glad that you two are alive and well. You two may’ve wreaked havoc on the peace in the Castle and the general area whenever you were assigned here, but damnit, you always brought some hilarious life here and I adored having you. And I’m—we are just thrilled to have you here with us again.”

Stella began to visibly tear up. Even though Midnight’s eyes were in no way dry, Stella appeared she was on the brink of actually sobbing. Samus couldn’t blame her… based on how long they had been fighting both a war, then to protect others, and then finally to survive with each other, it was a wonder they held things together as well as they had been.

Stella sniffled. So did Rarity and Fluttershy in quick succession.

“It’s… j-just great tae have someone tae report to, again,” she said, nodding. “Aye. That it is.”

Twilight smiled softly, patting her shoulder again.

“And like I said, I’m just glad you’re alive. But if you’re gonna refer to it like that… then my first order is that I’m ordering you to both take a breather.”

She held her head high and proudly proclaimed:

“Your fight’s done, for now. And if anything, at the most, and only if you get bored, resume standard guard patrols around the castle. Okay?”

Samus felt clearly what Stella was suddenly feeling, as apparently hearing the words ‘your fight is done’ in some capacity just utterly shattered what composure she had left. She actively began crying.

As for Midnight, she didn’t appear that outwardly emotional, but Samus couldn’t think that she could possibly decompress any further… just happy to not need to fight solely to survive anymore. She knew that from experience: the first time that one was able to truly take a break after a long deployment was a pleasure that Samus had a hard time conveying to others. Though, in a way, it really wasn’t entirely the same as her experience. Samus was technically still fighting based squarely on the mantle bestowed upon her by the Chozo.

And fifteen years? These ponies were older than her and had been fighting for what she would consider the entirety of her adult life, and well through her childhood with no one else to turn to but each other. And now they could rest easy.

She sighed.

Lucky.

Shakily, and still reeling from a short crying spree, Stella attempted to compose herself and said:

“Th-thank you, Princess. So much,” and then looked right at Samus. “And thank you, Samus, fer bringin’ us back.”

Midnight was well in-accord with that sentiment, practically curtsying to her:

“Definitely,” she nodded deeply. We both owe you our lives bringing us back to Princess Twilight. I really don’t know how much longer we would’ve lasted out there, so… thank you, again~.”

Samus eagerly, calmly returned a single, deep nod.

“Sure thing. Just doing what I can to help.”

Midnight batted her eyelashes.

“Oh trust me… you’ve helped plenty~,” she cooed.

Stella kicked her shin again, earning a curt hiss of pain in return.

Twilight shot Samus a warm smile before taking back control of the conversation… especially because by this point, Stella and Midnight realized that Fluttershy and Rarity were here, and looked like they were about to lunge at them in greeting.

The alicorn cleared her throat:

“Before we all get together tonight though… you two,” she pointed to the guardsmares. “How about you two go pick a couple rooms for yourself and enjoy a proper bath now. We’ve got plenty of space and the water still runs and is warm! Just might need to dust a few things off though,” she added sheepishly.

She followed up much like an instructor or a mentor would:

“Dinner will be later tonight. I’m sure you’ve got a lot of questions. We’ve got some answers. Some that we’re only really just finding out, if I’m being honest. We’ll catch you up over some food.”

She smiled softly, then cocked her head.

“Sound good?”

The sharp, metallic-sounding, synchronous salute from both mares echoed throughout the foyer.

Both said in unison, though Stella shakily with fresh tears still in her eyes:

“Yes, Ma’am!”

Twilight rolled her eyes.

“You two are too goddamn much~.” She then tilted her head towards the sleeping quarters.

“Get outta here. Clean up and relax. We’ll see you in the dining room in a couple hours.”

They both nodded, and the child-like glee that welled up in their faces was what fueled their sudden sprint past everyone, and down the darker hall of the hall towards the bedrooms.

“Come on, Midds! Fuckin’ hell I need a bath. Me coat’ll be four fuckin’ shades lighter!”

“Yeah… and I don’t even think half these grays in my mane are, like, actual grays!”

Their words grew softer and softer until they were completely gone from sight and sound. And by that point, Fluttershy and Rarity had properly rejoined the group, just happy to throw their hooves around Twilight at another successful return.

“YAAAAY! YOU’RE BACK AGAIN!” Fluttershy blurted out, though she suddenly went wide-eyed and quickly reined herself in to much giggling from the others, including Viridian.

“Hehe, it’s still me, Flutters, don’t worry! I’m still here!”

“Th-that… oh Ponyfeathers, I don’t care! I’m just so glad you’re safe, Twi! I don’t ever wanna lose you again. Any of you,” she nuzzled deeply into her cheek.

“Indeed, darling!” Rarity added. “After everything that’s happened… we can’t exactly take our returns for granted.”

“Yeah, that’s true… but thanks to Samus here, I think we can rest a little easier on that front. Thanks again for lugging me back and forth safely!”

Fluttershy and Rarity, for the umpteenth time with Twilight, also lavished her with equally heartfelt words:

“Truly, Samus… Th-Thank you.”

Rarity had a proper quip up her figurative sleeve:

“We truly do owe you our lives, our literal lady in shining armor! Thank you, dear.”

Samus chuckled, smirking.

“Heh, Christ. Don’t mention it, girls.”

Spike, however, joined Samus over by the pillar she was leaning up against with a knowing smirk.

“I know you’ve probably heard enough of the thank-you's right now, so I’ll spare you further grating on your ears… even if you already know the words that would come out of my mouth for protecting Twilight so diligently…” he began.

Samus finally disengaged her suit, then ran some fingers through her hair before she retorted with her own knowing smirk.

“No worries at all, Spike. Again, just happy to help. We’re helping each other here!”

He nodded.

“You got what you needed?”

Samus, happily, raised up the cylindrical power supply that she claimed as loot, with some errant drops of water flowing off of it and dripping onto the floor.

“Yup! No resistance, thankfully. Which reminds me…”

Samus pivoted on her heels and made for the courtyard.

“If you'll excuse me, I need to install this on my ship right away!” she said on her way out.

Viridian strode up next to Spike and called out while the ponies watched her go:

“Need any assistance, Young One?”

Samus called back before she disappeared with an extra pep in her step:

“I think I should be good, thanks though. I’ll catch up with everyone afterward at dinner.”

Twilight got one last question in as Samus disappeared from sight.

“You sure?!” she called out.

“Yup!” came the curt, echoing reply.

[Later that evening…]

By the time dinner had rolled around, Spike again decided to leverage his skill in preparing something truly delicious for the occasion. In his mind, the return of two additional friends to the group was a cause for celebration, and no one could argue with that logic. In his mind, they were bringing Equestria back together, or at least, whoever remained of it, little-by-little, one pony at a time.

Samus, for her part, remained in blissful silence as she happily enjoyed the plate Spike had placed in front of her. She was more riding on the high of installing the power supply into her ship which juiced up the long range communications node. Though she had to pull off a few panels to seat it properly, it connected without issue and was more than enough for diagnostics to be run on the once digitally inaccessible piece of loaned equipment. Everything looked great, and it just needed some time to itself to settle.

That was all fine and dandy—Samus intended to attempt contact with the Federation after dinner anyways. Food always helped make the mind a little clearer. Spike’s food was just fantastic for that.

In the meantime, the Hunter was happy to occasionally share words with Viridian and the others when called upon… but ultimately, just existed amongst the group. She watched as Midnight and Stella both devoured their foods and went back for seconds. She never thought she could see actual smittenness in one’s eyes just at one’s cooking but even Samus could see that from the moment the Drake served the stalwart guardsmares.

Or maybe it was the fact that they had their first decent meal in quite some time. She had definitely been there before. That was for sure.

Spike, to his credit, took any overt flirtation in stride, feigned ignorance, or flat-out obliviousness, as according to him, he was just happy to continue doing what he enjoyed. It didn’t stop others from chuckling and giggling at his reactions though, from what little red colored his cheeks.

Even from Samus.

From there, she tuned out further when Twilight began getting the newcomers caught-up on the story and situation so far. It was something that Samus had heard a few times already, and other than piping up when she needed to answer something specific from the intently-listening, ever-curious guardsmares, she went straight to her tablet, monitoring any new developments in the Pirate BattleNet.

She still processed discussions and back-and-forth regarding the Space Pirates, Tempest, and the Chozo… with the latter being more of a spicy side of mystery to everything else. Viridian took the lead in answering what he was able to.

Or rather, what he was willing to share.

Either way, Samus knew it would be a lot to take in for anyone, and the looks Stella and Midnight shared with each other held such uncertainty, nigh-disbelief at so many things that had happened. They resolved to all sleep on it when it was time to retire for the night… which quickly turned into the two of them ready to pass out right after dinner, so they ended up retiring early.

And at that point, everyone filed into the Common Room, where Samus immediately found herself getting to work.

“Okay…” she said to herself, setting up her tablet right on the catbed that she preferred to sit on.

“This should do it.”

Twilight stood next to her, having curiously looked on as Samus put a bow on her setup process… all which ended with her tablet being hooked up to some large wire that was attached to a puck-like device set up in the middle of the room. Viridian, Rarity, and Fluttershy were happy to keep their distance and let Samus work.

“So… what’s all this, then?” she finally asked.

“We’re contacting the Federation momentarily, now that I’ve confirmed that my comms are fully operational again. My tablet is gonna be the connection device. But that…”

She pointed towards the aforementioned puck-like device a dozen feet away.

“...is a holoprojector. We might need it if we’re able to establish full contact and need to end up speaking with someone actually important. No guarantees, as I figure most things will be done over voice. But, you never know.”

Samus flicked through a few windows on her tablet, gracefully swiping to and fro with her fingers over the glass.

“Everything looks good. Power supply is doing its job, and the Comms Node is just humming along, fully online. Nice.”

She glanced over at Twilight.

“It’s time.”

Twilight didn’t seem exactly unsure, as she had expressed excitement about the prospect of contact with the Federation, but Samus could read a deep-seated trepidation in the act. She couldn’t exactly blame her. Foreign entities from beyond the stars further ravaged her planet, after all, excitement and glamor be damned.

“Remind me again… what do we hope to accomplish with this?”

Samus began the preliminary step to communication: establishing a link to an encrypted channel.

“Help. For all of us.”

Twilight nodded at the simple response, and seemed placated with enough hope to take a few steps back.

And by that point, Samus’ tablet and systems at large eagerly informed her of the results so far:

[Communications Open]

[Encryption Status: Encrypted]

“Alright… here we go,” she said, then took a deep breath.

She opened up a communications terminal and began to speak authoritatively:

“Hunter Actual, GF Mercenary ID 62468, to FLEETCOM, does anyone read?”

All remained quiet, and throughout the gentle flickering and crackling of wood feeding a fire within the common room, all Samus could hear on the other end of the line was static… but what heartened her suddenly was that the static seemed like it was ‘moving’ and undulating with the connection. Something had to be getting through.

“Repeat—this is Hunter Actual, GF Mercenary ID 62468, to FLEETCOM. How copy? Over.”

Again, nothing but ‘moving static.’ Samus could feel Twilight’s questioning gaze on her, but just as she was about to try again to break the tense moment, the line suddenly went clear as crystal.

An official-sounding, voice-made-for-radio male voice suddenly responded:

“FLEETCOM to Hunter Actual, responding from Federation Olympus-Class Battleship Iberia, Third Fleet, Galactic Federation Navy.”

It was Samus’ turn to visibly decompress, and there were more than a few cheers from behind her, though the Hunter immediately, erratically waved her hands back at them to get them to shut up.

Though, she couldn’t blame them. She was feeling even better already.

“Solid copy, Hunter Actual. ID Confirmed. You’re a little later than usual with checking in, Samus,” came a lighthearted quip.

Samus smirked.

“Wouldn’t be the first time and definitely won’t be the last. Ran into some… problems. Whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”

The other party chuckled before introducing himself:

“COMMO Alphonse Swtizer, at your service. And the pleasure is all mine—night shift’s usually pretty boring. Buuuut I’m guessing by your tone, you’re not checking in just to report that you’re alive and well… or just to say hi?”

“Yeah, you already know how it goes,” said Samus, and she began bringing up other files on her tablet as she typed furiously.

“You should be getting a secure transmission from me momentarily. The first part of my assigned, agreed-upon mission goals is complete. Pictures and videos of enemy assets are en route. Pirates have a lot more than just harvesting equipment on this Planet—designating as Equis.”

“Uhh—ah! Received. And ummm… hmph. That’s… right. Yeah this unfortunately needs to go well above me.”

“Need me to open comms with someone else?” Samus asked.

“No need,” the COMMO replied. “Fortunately for us both, the Admiral is a night owl. He’s likely still on the bridge just… pondering. Lemme see if I can transfer you over directly. Please hold?”

“You got it. Thanks a bunch, Switzer. Great to hear friendly voices again.”

“That’s what they pay me for. It’s an honor to meet your voice personally! Patching you through now, shouldn’t be more than a small wait. Good luck, Samus!”

And with that, the line went into hold, and Samus sighed out again with more than a measure of relief.

She glanced over at hopeful Twilight and behind her at the rest of the girls plus Viridian and Spike with a placid smile.

“So far so good!”

“What happens now?”

“Well, if things go as I expect them to, we plan for the Federation to arrive in force. From there, we can—”

Samus shut herself up and immediately turned back to the tablet once the communication line went clear and live once again. However, she noticed that the holoprojector was also responding, so she quickly got to her feet to stand before it.

As the contraption came alive, it produced a muddled, staticky picture at first, but ultimately, it suddenly coalesced into a sharp, bland-colored projection of a lone human standing before them all a fraction of the size they would normally be:

A ramrod-straight, well-maintained man who was adorned with the classic Federation Admiral’s dress, insignia, and large visorcap with straight shoulder pauldrons to boot. Samus immediately took notice of his steely blue eyes and tanned skin, accented by a perfectly maintained, gray beard that fell just below his chin. She could also recognize the few wrinkles of an aged, yet grizzled veteran of many conflicts, which intermeshed with a gigantic scar that seemed to cut a swathe through his facial hair from the top of his left cheek, down and diagonal to the center of his upper lip.

With a small smirk, he began to speak. A Spanish accent weighed heavily on his words, yet remained fully understandable:

“Iberia Actual to Hunter Actual. Samus Aran…” his smirk widened.

“I’ve been expecting you.”

He then saluted sharply, so much so that Samus could practically hear the crackles of his uniform.

“I am Vice Admiral Horacio de Vasco, commander of the Federation’s Third Fleet… and also the sponsor of your mission by order of Fleet Admiral Castor Dane. It truly is an honor and a privilege to finally meet you.

“Oh, and it would be remiss of me to mention that Admiral Dane sends his regards, as well.”

Samus nodded deeply.

“Admiral de Vasco. Nice to meet you, too. I anticipated checking in a little earlier than this, that much I’ll say. Sorry if I caused anyone any sleepless nights… things ended up not being so straight-forward.”

De Vasco didn’t respond immediately, and he cocked an eyebrow as he looked to peer past Samus’ right… and when she followed his gaze, Twilight had apparently ambled close enough in her curiosity where she could be seen on the Admiral’s side.

Twilight suddenly seemed to know she was being gawked at, and she sheepishly pulled back a couple steps.

“Heh… oops. Sorry…”

To his credit though, de Vasco took the new information in stride:

“Hmm. So it seems. I can certainly see that there’s been some… developments.”

Samus huffed.

“Heh, that’s one way to put it. But, to say simply regarding the original mission, the Pirates are here, in force. In much larger force than we anticipated, really. They’re making full attempts to colonize this planet and utilize the Phazon that arrived planetside about fifteen years ago. I’ve sent over all the data I’ve been able to collect, either from scouting or just passive snooping on their systems.”

De Vasco leaned forward and began typing, presumably on the computer or other device he was using to talk to Samus in the first place.

Samus continued:

“There’s… a lot, actually. So much so, that I’ve been needing to operate in the shadows with the help of the remnants of a native, sapient species that survived the effects of the Phazon. It’s… a long story.”

The Admiral looked to be scanning over and skimming through what Samus had sent over earlier, and he held his chin the crook of his fingers all the while.

“Hmph. I can see that. That is a problem. And as for the new species…”

He directed his attention back towards Samus where Twilight, again, had let her curiosity get the better of her, and was gawking back in projection range.

“...I can see that clearly. Looks like the nature of our operation changes in accordance with Federation Doctrine.”

He stood upright again and began to ask:

“What’s the current status of this new species or society, the…”

As he fumbled for words, Twilight unexpectedly, suddenly entered the conversation:

“Ponies. Equines… among other species around the planet of which we have no clue of their status…

“...sir.”

Samus regarded Twilight, amused, but in no way surprised that the alicorn decided to field some initiative, even if Samus would’ve asked anything the alicorn would’ve wanted on her behalf. So, she gestured towards the projection, bidding Twilight to continue if she liked.

The Hunter didn’t need to intervene.

De Vasco, seemingly stunned at first that Twilight understood and responded in perfect English, smirked and nodded once.

“‘Ponies’ it is, then. May I correctly presume that you represent your societal remnant?”

Much more confident, Twilight likewise nodded once.

“Yes, Admiral. I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle… Acting Regent of Their Majesties’ government of the Diarchy of Equestria.”

“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” de Vasco confirmed and noted. “And what is your societal status?”

“It’s a bit more complicated than a simple status report, but in the interest of time for now, in a vacuum… functionally extinct.”

The Admiral cocked an eyebrow.

“Functionally?”

“Yes, sir. We’ve placed the majority of our surviving population in stasis using the effects of ma—”

Samus gently, yet firmly, placed her hand on the nape of Twilight’s neck, which had the desired effect of stopping her mid-sentence.

Samus would intervene here, this time:

“There are some… arcane arts and forces at play that I’ve been made aware of, much like we discovered when working with Chozo technology, or our interactions and research with the Luminoth and other more mystical societies. I’ve also experienced these forces first-hand.

“In essence, as Twilight said, the Equestrians have been able to keep the majority of their surviving society in a stasis-like state. This was a last resort in the fight against the Phazon, and its direct effects. The arrival of the Space Pirates doomed any further action, unfortunately.”

Samus glanced questioningly back at Twilight, silently asking if she got the basics right. The alicorn nodded in return, and both faced de Vasco again as Samus concluded firmly with:

“We’d be happy to explain further when we both have more time, but like you said, this mission has become much more complicated and multifaceted.”

De Vasco pulled back and pondered for a moment, again affixing his fingers onto his chin as Samus again sent over more data after furiously typing.

“Admiral, I’ve just sent over the last major tranche of data, which further details the approximate troop strength of the Pirates that I’ve been able to glean, just based on possibly monitoring their transmissions. It’s a conservative estimate… but it’s been growing steadily. This planet could serve as staging for future invasions elsewhere in Federation Space.”

The Admiral nodded a couple times, deep in thought, before he replied:

“Looks like you’ve done all the research and tapping you could. And honestly, I think you’ve completed your full mission for us, based solely on this data collected.”

Samus blinked.

“Sir?”

De Vasco smirked.

“Well, pulling up our agreement here…” he leaned in, scrutinizing something close to his projector.

“Sabotage was optional… but you’ve successfully completed all recon. And there’re really no discrete ‘facilities’ to mark for strikes by the Navy. Based on this data, we need to completely eradicate their presence. Wipe them out entirely. Further, the presence of an actual continent, or even planet-spanning society—however remnant—changes our course of action from mere destruction and Phazon eradication, to a relief mission in parallel.”

Twilight’s features perked up, and she glanced curiously at Samus, who nodded in thought.

De Vasco added lightheartedly:

“And of course, the last stipulation was that you remained alive so we could actually pay you. Therefore, your mission is completed, and I’m authorizing the transfer of your agreed-upon fee, now,” he said, and continued typing.

The Admiral then gestured to someone off to the side, and resumed typing. Samus was about to thank him, but he continued:

“I’m sending over a new contract for a mission extension. We’ll need all the help you can give us on the ground, as well as acting as an ambassador of sorts between us and the Pony societal remnant. Fee is completely negotiable.”

Samus replied:

“So long as I won’t need to take an active role against the Pirates at this time, Admiral. It’s gonna need to wait until sufficient Federation forces arrive in situ. Until then, revealing myself now may very well cause the Pirates to pack up shop and get out of dodge. And if they don’t, the full force of a planetary armada may bear down on me. I’m no superhero, so I can only do so much if either of those happen.

“And with Pirate Commander Ridley also confirmed on station—”

De Vasco cut in:

“Ridley is… alive?”

“Yeah. My sentiments exactly when I found out, but he’s here. But as I was saying, until sufficient force arrives, I fully intend to switch to a passive role, so I can focus on where I’m needed most right now. If you have anything to spare in the meantime, some assets will allow me to concentrate on their preservation, helping fulfill the relief part of the mission: namely their preservation and the continued ambassadorial work you’re now requesting of me.”

Samus shot Twilight and the others a quick glance, and noted that all were intently listening in with more than a modicum of curiosity… though it was the Princess herself who seemed somewhat on edge, as if she was banking more than a few things on the outcome of this talk.

De Vasco righted his posture before answering:

“I understand. I’m sure I can easily get an authorization for a shift into such a role.”

Samus simply retorted:

“With all due respect, Admiral, I wasn’t asking. Just letting you know what’s gonna happen until the Federation can arrive in force.”

De Vasco smiled, almost expectantly, and chuckled as he said:

“I’ll gladly relay the message up the chain. As for assets…”

He casually adjusted the lapels on his collar before explaining straight-forwardly:

“The present issue is that we only planned for a limited strike on what we thought was just a ‘large mining operation.’ Obviously, based on the data you’ve graciously provided, along with all the other problems you found yourself with, that’s no longer the case at all. We’ll need to get all the necessary approvals and nods from above—typical bureaucracy. Not to mention the time it will take to put together a proper siege and assault force.

“Once that’s available, we can take the heaviest lifting off your hands. All the data you’ve sent me, as well as your word will make this go much quicker. But even so, assembling dozens of ships and tens of thousands of troops—likely more—will not be an overnight ordeal.”

He stroked his beard in thought.

“If I pull some strings and have my fleet reassigned, as well as call up reserves and unused ships and troops from some of the core worlds, I might be able to ballpark arrival in Force in about two weeks. Closer to three. That’s pushing it, and I can’t guarantee anything… but I’m willing to try my best.”

Samus shrugged. She hadn’t dealt with someone in his position who had been so willing to help in the past other than Dane himself, so all things considered, in her mind, this was the best outcome she could hope for. With that, she quickly brought up the transmitted contract, skimmed it, nodded, then digitally signed it.

“Fair enough, Admiral. I just signed the new contract you sent me. Looks good, and Fed checks have always cleared. Back to my original question though: anything you can spare now? I think things will go more smoothly if I can concentrate on laying groundwork with the Ponies while someone else can handle keeping the Pirates off of us while keeping a low profile.

“The more we help them now, the more they can help us when it’s time to crush the Pirates and deal with the Phazon.”

He nodded once.

“I had heard that question before the conversation went elsewhere… and I do. I took the liberty of activating one of our in-ship response fireteams. They’re multi-role infantry Special Forces… so while they can’t take on a whole company of Pirates, they know just how to both start, and get out of trouble, among other things. I trust this particular team with my life. If you provide some landing coordinates, they can set out tonight and be there within a day or two.”

Samus sent something off immediately:

“Done. Plenty of room and cover here.”

He offered up a thankful, if sheepish gaze:

“Thank you. I know it’s not much… but it’s the best we can do right now. We just came off of a deployment and are still refitting. I can also send them along with some extra supplies other than their own if you need: food, medical, weapons and munitions…?”

Twilight looked almost starstruck at how this was going, which evoked a single, amused huff from the Hunter.

Samus eagerly accepted:

“We’ll take anything you’re offering. The more they help, the more I can help the ponies… and the more I can help the ponies, the better position they’ll be to help you… and I have a feeling there can be a mutually beneficial relationship here. I’m no diplomat, but I like this place.”

Samus wasn’t privy to the warm smile Twilight and the others gave her behind her back.

De Vasco smirked again, nodding.

“Fully understood, Samus. More information will follow soon. Anything else we should be aware of?”

Samus thought for a moment, and realized that she hadn’t spoken about Viridian. After all, she did promise him a ship once this was all over. However… in respecting the ways of her adoptive people, Viridian and the Chozo didn’t wish to be found unless they wanted to be.

The Hunter shook her head.

“No, sir. I think that’s everything for now. Thank you, Admiral, for everything so far… much obliged.”

“Likewise for all your work and hardship thus far. It’s an honor and a privilege. We’ll update you on our timelines.”

“Sounds good.”

“Iberia, out.”

One final salute later, and Admiral de Vasco’s holographic projection faded away, and the entire communication line went dead.

Silence from the group behind her followed as Samus went through the rather mundane process of severing the encrypted communication tunnel. Once she got full confirmation that everything had been shut off, and a cursory check on Pirate communications data to see that the last conversation in fact was not intercepted, Samus turned back to face the group.

With all eyes on her, she allowed herself a laid back smirk and announced:

“Well. Gotta say, that went a lot better than expected,” she began.

Before anyone else, especially Twilight, could respond to that, the Hunter elaborated while she sat herself down in her usual catbed, stretching her legs out and leaning back a bit:

“The Feds are definitely invested in eradicating the Space Pirate and Phazon threat… and not only that, seem much more interested in providing all that’s necessary to help in aiding and rebuilding Equestria. Not that they normally wouldn’t be, as it’s protocol when there’s a new, sapient species discovered… but I think someone in the background is pulling some extra strings or giving an extra strong nudge to put things in motion. This includes materials and help in rebuilding Equestria and the planet at large.

“All that to say, we’re gonna have help on that front, soon enough.”

Samus jumped in her seat, eyes having gone wide for a second as she was startled by the sudden cheer of elated spirits that erupted around the room from Spike and the girls. So loud was it that it echoed off the high ceiling of the common room, and what used to be a standard, quiet evening was anything but.

Samus watched, content, as all the ponies bounced and jumped and ultimately were scooped up in a hell of a bear hug by Spike… well, once they all jumped him and he was left with little choice. Like with earlier today, Viridian likewise tempered himself, and the two shared a knowing, accomplished glance.

Though they said nothing from across the room where they both sat, their eyes and the lone nod they shared did all the talking.

Well done, Hatchling.

Thanks. Couldn’t’ve done it without your help.

Samus was brought entirely out of her stupor when Twilight suddenly materialized next to her and threw her hooves excitedly around her neck with a squee. The Hunter was able to remain seated and stable, but it took some proper effort to not get blown back into the embrace of her seat.

“Thank you! Thank you so so much, Samus! I know I’ve said it so much so far but…”

She could hear the sniffling, and sudden shakiness of Twilight’s voice.

“...thank you. Forever and always. Even if we don’t succeed in all of this.”

Samus felt her cheek being scrunched as Twilight’s own, damp cheek was being pressed firmly into hers as the alicorn nuzzled her gratefully. The Hunter then awkwardly, yet much more confidently than in the past, patted and tousled Twilight’s mane around her horn.

“Heh, no worries. Like I said, our goals are intertwined. For what it’s worth, it’s been… interesting so far. And hey, we haven’t failed just yet, so give yourself—all of us, really—some credit.”

Twilight giggled, and was happy to just leave it at that with a nod and one more hug before pulling away from Samus for now. Viridian, on the other hand, had a little bit more to say on Samus’ choices of words from earlier:

“And I would like to thank you, Young One, for not speaking of me or the existence of surviving Chozo at this time to the Federation. While I have no intention of remaining hidden, even when the Federation Vanguard arrives in a couple days, announcing to your High Command would draw needless attention to myself… and the Chozo.”

“No worries, Viridian. I’ll make sure whoever the Vanguard is, that they keep things classified… on my orders.”

The Chozo Warrior seemed to be satisfied with that answer, and he responded with a wordless, half-bow before he moved back towards the bookcase.

Twilight, happy to let Rarity and Fluttershy continue the much more jovial atmosphere with Spike, trot back over to Samus with a rather pertinent question:

“So… what happens now?” she asked.

Samus cocked an eyebrow with an air of incredulity, and prodded Twilight playfully.

“The hell are you askin’ me for? Wasn’t it you that had a plan yesterday? Something about the Luna Bay?”

Twilight giggled, as she knew Samus was right.

“I didn’t mean it that way. But like… with the Federation!”

Samus shrugged.

“All we can do is wait. Couple days out for an advanced Vanguard from what de Vasco said, though we’ll probably get a better ETA in the next day or so. In the meantime, I see no issue heading over to the Luna Bay—the Stealth Module is fully operational again, so we should be able to head straight there without any issues from the Pirates.

“And assuming the Luna Bay goes well, it would be a huge boon to have someone of the original leadership around.”

Twilight’s hopeful elatedness knew no bounds tonight.

“YESSS! YES YES YES YES YES!” she bounced back and forth.

And with that Samus was happy to just breathe another sigh of relief as she leaned back up against the wall. She was more than content to exist and vibe again while everyone else took up the mantle of liveliness—after all, in Samus’ own mind, they earned every bit of it. And what kind of guest would she be if she also didn’t relish in good company for a while as her own exhaustion slowly but surely took over.

She’d retire to bed in a little while. In the meantime, she was happy immersing herself with Pirate Data being skimmed off the top by her systems.

Silence resumed, however, when someone else stumbled into the common room. The newcomer drew all eyes to her, and Samus could see that it was in fact Stella who had ambled in groggily. She had to admit that it was jarring seeing her out of her worn and used armor, and instead freshly cleaned and brushed. Her mane was styled in a somewhat messy ponytail, and her sudden presentability made her look, dare Samus even say, ‘pretty’ much like the others.

Stella didn’t seem to mind all the eyes on her, and instead produced a tired smirk in response…

…and then also produced an aged-looking bottle in the crook of her hoof, filled entirely with a fluorescent blue, sloshing liquid.

“Sounds like a fuckin’ party in here, lads and lasses. Anypony want some good shit? Aged a wee bit but always kept some knockin’ about fer a fun occasion~.”

Twilight surprised Samus especially, and the Hunter looked on amusedly as Twilight energetically exhorted such an offer:

“Hell yeah, Stella! Spike, get some glasses, pretty please? I’ll happily drink to hopefully getting Luna back tomorrow!”

The bridge of the G.F.S. Iberia was much like any other of the Olympus-class Battleships at the helms of their fleets: A generous view of the space before them, with all the engineers and bridge-crew diligently working their stations to ensure the flagship kept purring along was the standout feature, along with a rather simple platform for the officer on deck to properly command.

At this time of ‘conformed’ evening, there was more of a skeleton crew. Where under normal transit paths, the second Olympus-class of the Third Fleet, the G.F.S Canaria would assume temporary command to afford the rest of the Iberia some proper rest, the entire battlegroup had entered slipspace towards the Core Worlds for refitting—they were safe and far away from the nearest Space Pirate fleet of meaningful size.

And so, they could all rest after their latest combat deployment, and have been, thus far.

For the commander of the whole fleet, Admiral Horacio de Vasco treasured his time on a nearly empty bridge. He had always appreciated the nights back planetside, and the grizzled Admiral, a veteran of many of the Federation’s many deployments and expeditions, never found sleep coming to him easily.

So, he was more than happy to fatigue himself just… pondering out the reinforced glass that stood between him and a depressurization death in space.

At least, until he was notified that someone whom he had been waiting to hear from, had finally made contact… almost a week later than he had expected her to. Suddenly, as he eagerly returned the call, the bridge was awash with a reinvigorated bout of activity that was only seen during the ‘day.’

“Fully understood, Samus. More information will follow soon. Anything else we should be aware of?”

The projected, armorless Hunter shook her head.

“No, sir. I think that’s everything for now. Thank you, Admiral, for everything so far… much obliged.”

“Likewise for all your work and hardship thus far. It’s an honor and a privilege. We’ll update you on our timelines.”

“Sounds good.”

“Iberia, out.”

And with that, he saluted one last time, and cut the connection. De Vasco’s once-ironclad demeanor softened for just a few seconds as he processed everything, and averted his gaze all the while. He then let himself smirk and sigh out blissfully, steeling himself against the railing of the bridge overlook before he threw his prominently steely exterior back up.

De Vasco stood ramrod, ran a smoothing hand through his beard via the path of his gigantic scar before he continued. He bellowed his orders to the ship-bourne AI with the conviction of a commander who had prepared for war innumerable times:

“Aurora? Prepare the entire Third Fleet for linkup with Federation Fourth Fleet. Double-time the refitting process to the extent as to not compromise battle readiness for siege and blockading warfare. And issue a passive alert to all naval and ground forces: All approved leave duration beyond one week as of this order is hereby canceled.”

The robotically soothing, feminine voice of the Aurora Unit replied back:

“Yes, Admiral. Issuing now.”

De Vasco didn’t have much time to ponder what to take care of next, as a lone Federation Marine, clad in full armor, announced:

“Admiral, Fireteam Crusader is on deck!”

He smirked, and pivoted on his heels to meet them at the entrance adjacent to the command platform. There, he was greeted by four much leaner-armored Federation Troopers, their normally iconic silver-esque armor much grayer, and each with a patch on their right arms with the colorless insignia of a crusader knight’s helmet. And of helmets, none of them wore their own, instead opting to hold them under their arms for the time being.

De Vasco approached eagerly, despite keeping his professional posture.

“Crusader!” he greeted, to which all four saluted in unison. The Admiral dismissed the gesture with his own as he closed ranks fully with them.

“At ease, all. Thanks for coming up here. You already have your mission, but I just wanted to see you off properly… especially after all the great work you did this deployment so far. I’m sorry I need to call upon you again so soon.”

“Always appreciate the personal touch you’ve given the team, sir. You know we’re happy to help,” said Captain Jacob Dittmar, his own blue eyes having locked onto the Admiral’s as the latter shook his hand firmly.

His unkempt blonde helmet hair and fair, surprisingly smooth and well-maintained skin gave him a somewhat younger appearance than the others of his age, likeness, tenure, and ability, and often contributed to him being mis-addressed as a lower rank when out of uniform or armor. This was more than made up for by his chiseled jawline and taller stature at six-foot-two that made him look like the build and face of a GFMC propaganda poster child.

De Vasco smiled, needing to physically look up to him a couple inches.

“Always a pleasure, Captain.”

And from there, he went down the line. He then shook hands with Corporal Sydney Exeter, the seemingly more tempered in enthusiasm of the group, as of right now at least, which de Vasco understood: her older brother, another captain in the Marine Corps, had just been confirmed as killed in action on Planet Aether.

Even though she happily accepted his handshake and greeted his stare with a wide-eyed, confident smile behind her own more muted blue eyes, he knew her feelings… all too well, especially when he noticed the couple tear stains she had missed when likely giving her face a wipe-down. It was her, more often than not, that he’d end up catching in the mess hall with a late night snack. The two got to talk for more than just formalities here and there.

He nodded to her regardless, and acknowledged gratefully:

“Corporal.”

And she, in kind:

“Sir.”

The Admiral moved on to Corporal Nathan Krandor, who arguably both looked and acted his age, having just celebrated his twenty-third birthday. De Vasco knew him as the newest member to the venerable Crusader Team, yet his somewhat-short, unkempt, wavy brown hair with the universe held in his green eyes belied his actual skill amongst special operators like his team. He didn’t get to where he was by his charm, nor his brazenness alone… even if he was known to annoy Sydney in some occasional after-action reports he read.

Another handshake and a genuine acknowledgement:

“Corporal.”

“Sir.”

De Vasco then moved on to the last of their group, but in his mind, most certainly not least: Lieutenant Arianna Guererra. His gaze lingered on hers in an almost knowing fashion… a look in which the twenty-five year old, tanned-skinned, brown-eyed face reciprocated, at least in a playfully annoyed fashion.

Though his prideful eyes lingered on her gaze for more than a couple extra seconds than an observer might think appropriate, he still offered her his hand and acknowledged her professionally.

“Lieutenant.”

She huffed, but happily reciprocated.

“Sir.”

From there, he pulled back a few steps so he could clear his throat and address them all. With one arm folded behind his back, he gestured appropriately as he informally briefed:

“I’m well aware you all have read the quick mission brief, but it really is that simple… even if the requirements for success underneath such a simple objective may be anything but: you four are to get the privilege to meet Samus Aran in a couple days. I expect you all to help her with whatever she needs. I’m informally placing you under her command, though of course, mine, and GFSSOC supersedes hers. Use your best judgment on what to follow, and if there are any concerns, run it by me…

“...though, I don’t anticipate any issues happening. I trust her not to squander your talents. Assist her with whatever she needs, and if you cannot provide something she needs, let me know, and I’ll see what we can arrange.”

All snapped to attention.

“Yes, sir!”

De Vasco was quick to level them off with the appropriate palm gesture:

“Again, at ease, soldiers. No need for that, right now. At any rate, god be with you all, and god willing, myself and the fleet shall join you in at most a few weeks. Take care of yourselves, please… mkay?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Will do, Admiral.”

“Always have, sir.”

“Yes, sir.”

The Admiral smirked and again nodded approvingly.

“Very good. Off you go, then…”

All four of them turned on their heels, but de Vasco had one last thing to add for one person in particular:

“...except Lieutenant Guerrera. Please remain for a few moments.”

Arianna halted mid-stride, and yet again with a knowing, faux-inconvenienced visage, she elastically morphed back into her previous stance. All three of her comrades had stopped for a moment to see what the fuss was about, but their own faces of knowing, recurring obligation prevented them from asking any questions.

Arianna spoke over her shoulder:

“I’ll catch up with you all in a moment.”

Jacob answered for all of them:

“You got it, Ari. See ya soon.” he said, and the rest of the group took their leave through the nearest door, which was sealed behind them with the re-activation of the blue energy shielding lock.

With them alone save for the working bridge officers and the soldiers at their posts, de Vasco let the steelier side of his exterior melt away, and with a much softer tone, he closed the distance between him and Arianna and said:

“Be careful, okay?”

Arianna was unfazed and asked with joking incredulity:

“Seriously, dad… we really gonna do this like, every time now?”

De Vasco smirked.

“Yes… because you know good and well it’s what your mother would’ve wanted.”

Arianna huffed, yet rolled her eyes in mutual understanding.

“Yeah, yeah… heh, ain’t that the truth.”

The Admiral laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Just… take care of yourself, alright?”

“I will, Dad. I always do.”

He seemed more than satisfied with that answer, and with another nod and a thin, prideful grin, his eyes sparkled as he brought her in for a proper hug… a hug which Arianna eagerly, gleefully reciprocated.

And he punctuated with a single peck on the top of her head, through her hair.

“Good girl. God be with you, Mija.”

De Vasco could feel Arianna rolling her eyes even while they embraced.

“God you know how much I hate that word and you still use it! I wouldn’t’ve told mom I approved of you if I knew you were gonna be this annoying!”

He chuckled heartily.

“And yet here we are, and you knew exactly what you signed up for when you started calling me ‘Dad.’”

The two finally separated and after getting a good look at each other again, they saluted in unison.

“See you soon, dear.”

Arianna had one last quip:

“See ya later, Horacio!”

And with that, the Lieutenant hastened her jog through the entrance she arrived through to catch up with her team. Once she was gone and the blue door had irised shut, another voice—deep, male, and smooth as the finest liquor—from behind de Vasco broke the few seconds of silence that followed:

“Gotta say… Not like you to commit to such a rapid re-deployment on the whims and words of a merc,” noted Second in Command, Rear Admiral Fredrick Conway, as he took easy steps to fall in line with his equally well-dressed superior.

Conway’s identically clean-shaven, fair, yet immeasurably chiseled face belied his own stratospherically rising acclaim within the fleet and navy at large.

De Vasco smirked as Conway continued:

“Maybe you’re actually working on that more cautious reputation of yours? Finally coming to an end in a flair of cavalierness, sir?” he joked.

The Admiral, despite his humorous reception to the quipping, replied with a rather prominent note in a more serious, emotion-laden undertone.

“True. In fairness, maybe this was a sudden shift of priorities, considering it wasn’t what we had expected out of Samus’ mission,” he agreed.

De Vasco faced his equal-heighted subordinate.

“But in the end, I would trust her word with my life. And even if I didn’t…”

He looked back towards the glowing, blue-shielded door where Arianna had last exited through.

“I owe that merc more than she knows. Please see to the continued rearmament and resupply… ever the logistician you are, Conway.”

“Sir, yes sir!”

Author's Note

Thank you all for your patience... for what I wanted to do, this was about as good as I could get it. Perfection is the enemy of progress. And what's this? The return of some possibly familiar names from eras of shittier writing long passed???

Let's see if Luna can return next chapter~. Hope you enjoyed! By all means please let me know what you thought below!

See ya next time!

--Flamm

16. Voices

Samus could’ve sworn that the sky was blue a moment ago… maybe with a touch of white from clouds and fog, or orange and yellow if she considered some of the gas that the mining machinery produced as they extracted the Afloraltite from the ground. Even so, the sky was always blue.

And yet, it wasn’t. It was blood red, and the white clouds that often drifted on by as she wandered about the site had been replaced by pillars of billowing smoke. The once bustling activity of her small community in which she had already known most of the names had been reduced to ash by the columns of swirling hellfire.

It all reflected off her wide, unflinching eyes. Her face was damp with sweat and tears that she hadn’t the slightest idea that she was crying. Her hair, unkempt and marred with soot, fluttered aimlessly in the surrounding wind which further fueled and carried the destruction on its invisible current around her. She ambled aimlessly, sobbing, as she failed to fully understand the mangled, eviscerated bodies that suddenly seemed to surround her… mauled, charred, utterly annihilated by the newcomers.

Suddenly a shadow loomed over her, and in turning around, she saw him. She knew not how to conceptualize, yet she knew he was a demon… a monster. Evil incarnate… and over his charred, angled beak, she could see into those eyes. Those glowing, golden, fiery eyes.

Uncaring.

Unfeeling.

She saw the end of life in them… a void of darkness that awaited her. In her little mind, her existence should have ended right then and there, as he squawked out a rebuttal that she couldn’t hope to understand. It was a rebuttal to the babbled, incoherent, desperate words she spoke in an hope that this winged, spindly, massive creature was her savior from the destruction that had been suddenly wrought upon her home.

And yet, as she screamed her final scream, and the behemoth before her lashed out at her with what should’ve been a fatal blow… her end didn’t come. Instead, she heard the voice of her mom, shrieking her name.

“SAMUS! NO!”

But no respite came, as Samus’ face was instead coated in a thick layer of hot, splattered blood as the silhouette of her mother’s body was split in two.

Samus wailed as the impact had, too, sent her careening to the ground, into a split-second of darkness.

That voice… that familiar voice that sounded so much like her yet foreign, echoed off the walls of her mind:

“This should have been your end.

“You were too special to die here… or, were you?”

And that’s when she gasped upon inhaling… she could barely feel her cheek. It was numb, as she stared at the desolate, oddly smooth, yet sandy ground beneath her. Still prone, she whimpered as she drew a hand over her face, only to find her own blood dribbling from her nose and mouth rather than her mother’s splattered and spackled all over her face. Gone was the smell of fire, burning chemicals, and burning corpses, and was instead supplanted by the distinctive smells and sun of Zebes’ Chozodia city.

“All of your happiness. All of your innocence.”

That was when she became aware that she could barely see out of her swollen right eye.

Her hearing, though ringing, was wholly undamaged when she could hear Gray Voice’s cold stoicism dripping venomously from his beak from afar… just beyond the range of the Chozo training droid:

“Get up, Samus.”

She was now aware of her ribs screaming at her, all thanks to that last blow. It felt like her lungs were on fire as she shakily breathed. Samus understood those words, and she willed her sore body slowly but surely back to her feet. Her messy training clothes that were clearly meant for a smaller Chozo Warrior, not a barely pubescent girl, had barely hung on.

She didn’t care… modesty wasn’t a virtue when she could feel her eyes, her very soul seething with rage, bordering pure hate, at the Chozo Elder, Gray Voice before her… not to mention Mother Brain’s army of ruthless automatons.

“All of your childhood.”

Samus hocked a wad of blood onto the ground, snatched up her sparring spear, and held it at level with the metallic mimic of a Chozo Warrior.

She apparently wasn’t quick enough, as the moment she set her gnashing sights on her trainer who had made her bloody, her entire world was rocked to the point of losing what little was left in her stomach when she caught a Chozo heel straight into her abs. Tears streaming down her face, with no breath left in her lungs to even cry, she collapsed in a fetal position… heaving, retching, sniveling, and whimpering.

“Stripped away.”

And as she blinked away those tears, the sands of Zebes no longer blew into her nose… and suddenly the smells of the desert were replaced by the off-metallic smell of weapon’s fire. Her orientation had likewise changed, and her once tear-laden eyes were instead clear and razor sharp, augmented by the HUD of her trusty Visor. And through that Visor, no more sun could be seen.

Her eyes widened, she gasped as one last blast from her arm cannon was the harbinger of the lone Space Pirate Trooper in front of her crumpling to the ground like an unstrung puppet after one last feral, death-growl. Samus could not see beyond twenty feet around her, noting only the steam rising from the barrel of her arm cannon… a likely outcome considering she also found the corpses of her felled enemies around her, countless Pirate Soldiers, slain in various states of having met their violent, bloody ends. From what else she could see, she was in some kind of Space Pirate base or capital ship.

That voice… the one that sounded so much like hers, yet so different and hauntingly distorted to the point where it was wholly unnatural, had more to say:

“All that made life worth living… stolen. Appropriated.”

Samus’ motion tracker pinged with an unidentified contact that seemed to materialize just behind her. Gasping, she pivoted on her heels and aimed without prejudice…

…only for her to recoil in horror when there stood in front of her, not another Pirate Trooper throwing their life away in a suicidal attack against her…

… but hulking, imposing form of Viridian Shield.

He leered down at her glaringly, piercingly disappointed. Samus stumbled back to put some respectful space between the two of them, stumbling as the Chozo opened his beak to speak…

…and yet his voice was not his own. Only that same echoey, nebulous voice, which declaimed with a grandiose thrusting-out of his hand threateningly towards Samus:

“And yet here you remain!” he began. “No life. No wonders. No dreams. Nothing but pure, robotic devotion to being the imposter in her own story. A sacrificial lamb… made to die on the altar of an impossible task!”

Samus shook her head, and hearing that voice out of Viridian’s body only steeled her resolve. These words weren’t true… mostly. The only impostor here was him.

She bore daggers into, then leveled her cannon at the false Viridian, and yet, ‘he’ continued prattling on impassionedly:

“The Galaxy will never be at peace, Samus. And even if it could… what peace would it bring you?” he demanded to know, pointing directly at her heart.

Samus held her finger on the trigger of her cannon, yet refused to pull it as those words in particular seemed to impact her, as if striking her physically.

“What would final victory truly bring you… oh shell of a traumatized, broken woman?”

Viridian shook his head, and as he did so, a revolting horror dawned upon Samus as she witnessed that once-wise, impassioned, avian face seem to split apart at his skull with a bright, fluorescent blue flair at the impact point. At an instant, his entire body split in half with barely a chance for him to cry out agonizingly.

His body torn in half vertically, two halves of the Chozo Warrior dropped to the ground, with all his steaming blood and entrails falling between him. Samus could only stand and observe, mouth slackened… as she watched her only living kin that she knew of get eviscerated.

Just behind where he stood, a black silhouette floated several feet off the ground, just behind where Viridian had stood… its features not discernable, but its shape, which seemed to mirror Samus herself clad in her Suit, was immediately recognizable. Whatever source of light that seemed to shine from just behind the newcomer illuminated it with an accent of Phazon-blue.

Samus could feel her pupils constricting to pinpricks as the hair on her skin stood ramrod enough to make her a human porcupine from within her Suit.

And then came the demonic, guttural, mocking laughter that felt like it shook the foundation of Samus’ surroundings.

“A pitiful fate awaits you, Samus… and only one thing will truly bring you peace. It is within your power, and yours alone.”

Behind her yet again, where she had slain the last Pirate, a familiar, bone-chilling growl sounded. She pivoted yet again and aimed her cannon straight into the maw of Ridley. A righteous hatred welled up in her as she charged her beam, ready to send a super missile straight down the gullet of the one who dared challenge her.

Somehow it all made sense after all, from what she had just seen. The logical progression of events was of no concern to her.

“End it.”

Samus didn’t get the chance to pull the trigger, and instead felt a blinding, all-assaulting pain course through her stomach as Ridley’s razor-sharp tail pierced straight through her defensive shielding, and in turn, right through the armor of her abdomen just above her belly button… and continued on right out her back.

She could hear herself wailing in agonized, mortal pain as the shock of the impact of Ridley’s killing blow struck her in full.

And that’s what brought Samus completely out of her dream with a garbled mess of a scream.

“AAAAAHHH!! GAHAHH AHHHH!!”

Eyes wide, face—and body—completely drenched in sweat, Samus hyperventilated as her entire body was on battle alert fresh out of sleep. The catastrophic pain she knew she just experienced had completely left her. Her hands desperately gripped at her stomach where she felt the fatal strike.

Nothing. Just blemishless skin and muscle.

She scanned her surroundings all jittery… finding nothing but the darkness of her room, not even illuminated by any magical candles. The sound of the ever-present rain and thunder continued drumming on her window, which she remembered now was the white noise that she had fallen dead-asleep to. She could barely see the graces of dawn beginning to peer through the clouds in the distance, and if she had to make an educated guess, it was probably close to five in the morning.

She still hyperventilated, but gradually reigned her breathing in as she brought her hand to her bare chest. And as she calmed herself, she suddenly felt a couple drops of warm liquid splatter atop her hand… tears.

Samus rolled her eyes, huffing indignantly as she wiped her face using the bedsheets.

And from there, realizing that she was now wide awake, she threw back the covers off of her, and her legs over the edge of the bed.

She ran both her hands through her unbound, unkempt, flowing hair. The air of the room cooled her further and further as she did so, but through it all, her hands continued to tremble just enough to be annoying. Samus steeled her breath further and leaned back onto her arms, but that’s when realized, to her chagrin, that the sheets were just as damp as her forehead with sweat.

She sighed with a deadpan. The lone night she had crashed immediately after showering, and thus fell asleep nude… and now her loaned bed was uncomfortable for the remainder of the night due to a bad dream.

A really bad dream.

“Fuck’s sake,” she whispered to no one.

Samus reflected on the vivid nightmares. She had many of them over her short life, ever since things transpired the way they did on K-2L. Countless, actually. Debatably worse than the one she just came out of in terms of content. But never once, even in her darkest voids of her mental state, did she experience something so… real. So tangible. Real enough to the point where she only just reined in her trembling fingers, her breathing, and her sky-high heart rate.

“Never this bad.”

But that voice in her head… she knew for certain what she heard. It wasn’t Twilight’s voice, and yet, even though it sounded just like herself, it felt indescribably foreign. And the juxtaposition of that familiar, guttural cackling and that oh-so familiar silhouette?

Samus shook her head.

But… fucking how? Dark Sam—Prime died with Aether. I watched her die.

Samus pursed her lips at her very mention. There was no way in the devil’s hell, despite what her systems had anointed the creature, that she’d ever refer to that thing by the name of ‘Dark Samus.’ The moment she saw her twisted mockery of a helmet melt away from Phazon consumption, she knew she was Metroid Prime literally in the flesh.

So, Prime it was.

But the fact that she was even thinking of this was a blight upon her normally centered thoughts. Was Prime that voice in her head? Samus never heard her speak beyond inhuman grunts, screeches, and mocking laughter, so she didn’t really have a baseline to go off of.

But even if it was her…

How is this even possible?

Samus cleared her mind for a few precious seconds, and slowly turned her gaze towards her window. She centered herself fully as she stared off into the void of the lingering darkness that shrouded Ponyville’s remains. Occasionally she followed the trail of rainwater as it traveled down the ornate glass pane, before it ultimately met its fate by the striking of another raindrop.

Something was very wrong, that much was for sure.

And all while she came to terms that things in her head were not as they should have been, Viridian’s words from the previous couple days began to echo in her mind…

…how darkness centered around her.

In the end, Samus knew that she had to bring this up with Twilight. But, the more she thought about it, the Hunter found herself asking the unthinkable: if it would even be worth doing so?

Samus narrowed her eyes, concentrating on a particular raindrop that seemed oh-so interesting to her at the moment. It wasn’t like she didn’t care… after all, she had just gotten her tremors under control, and the fact that she was even dedicating thought to this and not simply rolling over face-first into dreamland again proved otherwise.

But what would actually come out of a conversation with Twilight that would be conducive to a solution? What could Twilight actually do to help? Could the unicorn, with her connection to the very Element that Samus was harboring, banish the voice and the nightmares that came with them? Or was there something more to it she wasn’t considering?

In the end, Samus wondered what these very real voices in her head could even realistically do to her besides violently interrupt her sleep here and there? Clearly this was a side-effect of some sorts brought on by magic… one that seemed to tunnel deep into her memories and fears to manifest in some way as Prime herself. As malignant as it could be, how would it affect her?

Was it nothing more than a bunch of bad dreams and hallucinations? Or was there something more pressing at play… like the advancing of a disease brought on by the invocation of magic?

Samus shrugged, huffing out as she stood up to properly stretch out her whole body. She had made up her mind, and like a seemingly small wound in the field, it did her no favors not addressing what could become a major problem in the future.

With magic involved, anything was truly possible.

I’ll talk to Twilight in the morning. Before we’re knee-deep, underway in the mission.

And with that, she also recognized that all this deliberation and thinking wasn’t gonna let her get back to sleep. Checking the time, she also realized she only had an hour left before she needed to be up and ready to ship out with the girls, anyway.

Samus snagged the towel that draped limply over the front-left bedpost, slung it over her shoulder, and marched straight into her room’s bathroom. She’d wake up properly with a shower before the mission ahead.

[A Little Later…]

There wasn’t much of a briefing needed, and after confirming that Viridian would remain back at the castle to not only continue watching over it, but continue Spike’s training, Samus and the girls set off for the Luna Bay. The promise of returning with the Princess of the Night and Stars, herself, further swelled everyone’s mood by the time Samus’ ship was ‘wheels-up.’

With the Stealth Module having been fully repaired, it was a breath of fresh, rain-soaked air to not have to be as cautious with flying as before. Samus’ gunship was essentially fully cloaked from all known, contemporary Pirate radars, and in flying in a relatively straight path to the northeast, it was easy enough for her to confirm that all was well: flying at an altitude just below the cloud cover, the Hunter could see no aggressive movement of any enemy ships, nor any unusual chatter zooming back and forth on the BattleNet.

It made the relative quiet of the nearly two hour flight much more enjoyable since she didn’t have to worry about high probability of interception, or being blown out of the sky by ground-based weaponry.

Well, it was still a possibility, but at this point, in her mind, if the Pirates managed to do so with all other precautions taken, they deserved their victory over her.

Come the last leg of the journey, Samus could see on her map that they were fast approaching the Bay. As Twilight had mentioned, the defining feature of said Luna Bay was the sprawling field that bordered the shore, which gave way to the massive cliffside which cradled the Lunar Ascension Temple—apparently, it was built right into the cliff-face.

As for herself, Samus had already been prepared for the landing, and had engaged her Suit about ten minutes prior for some routine diagnostics. All was as it should have been in these times: the girls were ‘nestled’ away in their elemental forms within Samus’ systems, and all her gauges read back at either full capacity, or peak optimization. Further, despite the sudden termination of her sleep last night, Samus felt largely well-rested, even though the scenery of her gunship’s cockpit canopy splitting the rain as it fell was largely unchanged for the last couple hours.

Though to also be completely fair to Spike, Samus had been growing fond of the mean cup of coffee he could brew up. She damn-near felt like she was getting another DNA augmentation from how it perked her up. Over coffee is where Viridian noted that he and Spike would be continuing their training. Further, he requested that she participate as an example and dummy of sorts.

Having spaced out looking at the rainy, hazy Equestrian expanse below, Samus smirked to herself. She already couldn’t wait to get this mission underway and done—with Princess Luna in tow, hopefully. It had been a while since she had participated in proper ‘training,’ and despite having the absolute shit kicked out of her as a kid and still carrying trauma from those experiences to this day, as evidenced by her most recent dream…

But, with the benefit of experience and hindsight, it was pretty fun, all things considered!

And refreshers with someone as ‘beefy’ as Spike would never hinder her in the slightest. Hell, depending on how the whole mission went, and thanks to her dreams from the previous night, she’d likely need the outlet for her own mental health.

Seemingly right on cue, Samus’ daydream was disturbed when Twilight’s voice gently nudged its way into the forefront of her attention:

“I’ve felt your… for lack of better words, disquiet, the entire ride so far. You okay?”

The gig was up, and after a moment of respite in the form of checking location data again, Samus felt that there was no better time to bring up her ‘issues’ than now.

“Yeah, well… mostly. It’s just…” Samus pursed her lips behind her visor, thinking of the best possible way she could convey this ‘problem’ she was having.

Twilight seemed to beckon her response with almost maternal encouragement:

“Just…? It’s okay, Samus. You can talk to me—to us—if you want. We’re all in this together, after all.”

“I just wanna preface that I’m not crazy… well, beyond what grips of reality I’ve lost since I was a child but… you know what I mean. I’m lucid and I perceive just fine. But…”

She held her breath for another moment, then spoke the words with a gravitas that belied their vagueness and conciseness:

“I’m hearing things.”

The Hunter kept her attention squarely focused on the view outside, as well as checking more of her systems as an extra few beats of silence were forthcoming from Twilight. None of the others piped up either.

“...hearing things?” came Twilight’s genuinely curious reply. “Like what?”

Samus exhaled a breath she had been holding. Not that she was particularly afraid of any judgment or anything Twilight would’ve said per se, but she knew that if the digitized alicorn hadn’t written her off immediately, there was likely some solution on the horizon, and the mission wouldn’t be complicated too much.

Well, hopefully, at least.

Samus responded candidly:

“Voices. Well, one voice in particular. It sounds just like my own voice, but it… isn't. It sounds distorted and just… wrong. It’s not my own, internal monologue. It’s almost like hearing you, with how prominent it is.

“A little more annoying rather than worrisome is that, in my dream last night, this voice took the silhouette of someone from my more recent past. It only started as a random vocal comment that I thought I heard… and is now manifesting in my dreams not long after.”

Twilight, seeming to take this very seriously, had more immediate questions:

“...When you asked me why I said something yesterday before we got back to the castle…?”

Samus was impressed that she immediately put two and two together, recalling that one moment. It had to have stuck with her, as well, she figured.

“Yep. I’m wondering if it has anything to do with the whole magic thing with me.”

“Hmmph. Have you had anything like this happen to you before? At any point in your life?”

“Nope. Never… or at least, no voices nor lucid presences in my dreams that I didn’t expect in my dreams. Long story,” she qualified appropriately.

“Gotcha. Hmmm…” Twilight said, thinking deeply. “Right… from what it sounds like based on the research I’ve done, from these very early symptoms, it could be what in magical phenomenon terms is what we’d call a ‘Nightmare.’ Or at least, one in the beginning stages of manifesting. It’s what happened to Luna—remember that story I told you?”

Samus indeed recalled immediately, and she replied quite flatly at the thought of her current condition were it true:

“Oh, right. Well, that’s just great. So if that’s the case, what does that mean for me? Do I need to get banished to the moon for a thousand years or some shit?”

Twilight giggled, and apparently that comment earned a couple snorts and coughs from eavesdropping Rarity and Fluttershy, respectively.

Twilight’s initial response was quite blithe given the subject matter:

“Heh, it’s only speculation… it may very well just be some side-effect, like you said, of gaining active magical abilities. We have no data on ‘humans’ like you, so I couldn’t really say. However, if it is a Nightmare… well, hehe I don’t think banishment like that is necessary,” she said.

She continued:

“Thankfully, we’re gonna hopefully retrieve the pony who has the most experience in this, so Luna herself may have more answers, and possibly solutions. Of course, I can’t guarantee the latter, but it’s worth being hopeful for. Right now, the only for-sure remedy would be to sever your magical connection entirely. Not plug it. Not reduce it. Cut it off full-stop…”

Twilight sheepishly added:

“...and for all of our sake, especially since I don’t know how your body would react with a very-sudden severing, that’s unfortunately not an option right now.”

Samus had already accepted that, and even if Twilight suggested she go through with it, she already knew that her ability to wield magic was already the crux to the success of the overall mission. She’d’ve declined to do so, either way:

“Mhmm, I know. I just didn’t know what this all meant. It was all such a sudden onset, and with my literal nightmare last night being one of the worst I have ever experienced as a result… I’ve been a mite concerned.

“And between you all, me, and that landmark down over there…” Samus gestured outside the cockpit to one of the nearest, lush mountaintops. “...Viridian also let me know that he’s been sensing something’s off. With me, specifically.”

More silence from Twilight… much longer than when she first brought up the topic. Figuring she was mulling on it further, said silence allowed Samus to concentrate on the final approach. Her systems had scanned for any Pirate signatures, and none were detected within almost a hundred miles, nor even close enough up in high polar orbit to cause any problems. Combined with a scan of the local topography, the ideal landing point was just outside the Lunar Alicorn Temple… or whatever it was called.

She took over manual control and began their descent from the fringes of the clouds, and from there, if she squinted hard enough through the rain haze, she could see the expanse of an ocean in the distance. As her ship drew closer and closer, she could likewise make out the waves lapping at the coastline, in which the sand was right up against what looked like a gigantic, completely smooth, concave cliff-face. At the center of this cliff-face was something that didn’t seem to belong. She couldn’t make it out from this far away just yet.

Twilight’s voice cut back in before Samus could study it further:

“Welp… we’ll just need to make sure we don’t dilly nor dally, then. Let’s not spend more time here than what we need to. We find Luna, restore her… whatever that means… and bring her back. Once we’re back at the castle, the first order of business will be seeing what she can do for you.

“Sound good?”

It was as good of a plan as Samus could’ve come up with, and not really all that different from what she hoped would happen in the first place.

“Works for me.”

“Cool. For right now though, even though I’m sure I don’t need to say this… ignore the voice. Don’t listen to it. Going by what Luna opened up to us with in the past, assuming this is indeed some kind of Nightmare manifesting… it lies.

“It deceives. It will stop at nothing to wear you down by your own volition until it can assume control of you. Control that, if it breaks you, you’ll cede over willingly.

“Don’t trust it… whatever you do.”

Samus had no intention of doing anything but ignoring it all to the best of her ability, anyway. Still, she appreciated the concern.

And she smirked gently under her visor as she let a small quip fly:

“Thanks. Not like I’d ever look for direction from the weird voices in my head anyway.”

“...

“Okay, wow… you know what?”

That got the other girls giggling heartily. Samus had never been one for levity in such situations, so she had to admit to no one but herself that she was proud of that one, however little it was.

Samus took control of the conversation:

“Alright, Temple in sight. We’re about to touch down…” she noted.

Twilight replied, excited:

“I see it!” said Twilight. “We’re so close…”

And as Samus followed the guides that her ship’s systems provided for her, she instantly noticed a sudden break in the clouds. Almost on cue as her ship moved into the area, a lone ray of sunlight poured through the gap and illuminated a portion of the cliffside, which brought part of the Temple into greater view. Where before she couldn’t make out many of the details due to the rain, now she could see much more elaborate construction, including pillars and arches which all seemed to statically gesture towards a singular point of entry.

The natural source of light also helped with that. Samus hadn’t seen the sun since arriving on the planet.

Samus’ systems directed her towards what seemed like a natural, gigantic divot in the ground, covered in a thick layer of wild grass, and further surrounded on all sides by even grassier knolls. Even more convenient was, the landing site being not more than a short, straight hike away from the Temple entrance. She remarked to herself how it certainly wasn’t the most camouflaged landing site she ever had afforded to her, but it was far from the most open she had also experienced, likewise.

After confirming that, indeed, no Space Pirate signatures had closed in on her position from whence she checked them last, it was more than easy enough for her to maneuver and set her gunship down. The landing gear made easy contact with the grassy, damp ground beneath, and after the tiniest of lurches, the gunship came to a complete stop.

Another few seconds of silence, and only the idle hum of the primed engines and the occasional, infrequent beeps and whirs of Samus’ systems going about their routines were the ambient company.

From there, the Hunter made haste topside, courtesy of her ship’s elevator. She rose silently from inside, and the moment the hydraulic doors slid open, her suit was bathed in a familiar blanket of rain, along with the tiniest slivers of sunlight that still defied the cloud layer above. Standing atop her ship, she was able to get her full, uninhibited look at the temple before her. Gone were the electronic, artificial sounds of advanced tech, replaced entirely by falling rain, rolling winds, and gentle waves breaking on the shore line.

The temple itself, straight ahead, seemed to be carved entirely into the cliffside… and in fact, it appeared to take up the entire, imposing cliff-face with a gargantuan arch that expanded from the sandy, grassy edge of the beach up to the top of the cliff. Pulling her gaze back out was when Samus realized that the arches were in fact, two crescent moons, concaving outward. From the beach began an equally impressive set of stairs that led directly to a single point of entrance. Coincidentally, this was also dead-center of the two, stone-carved crescent moons. Further convenient was the fact that there seemed to be no door of any kind barring Samus entrance, at least from this standpoint.

Just a singular point of entry, trapezoidal in nature, revealed itself to be large enough to accommodate heavy battle tanks, if she had to estimate. It was certainly convenient.

Almost too convenient, in her mind.

A stone overhang—further supported by pillars that seemed to have much in common with the construction of the Castle of the Two Sisters, and by that extension, the Chozo—seemed to protect any wanderers from the falling rain, should they be seeking any refuge from the ocean, the beach, or the surrounding, endless expanse of fields and forested mountains in the distance. A quick zoom in on her visor to check for any ambling, hazardous wildlife revealed that what she thought were destroyed pillars were, in fact, supports depicting busts of pony faces… one of them being a dead ringer from a recording she had saved from Canterlot.

It all made her wonder, lost in her reverie in sizing up her next ‘zone of adventure,’ if she’d find anyone inside that had taken refuge from the Crisis? It had to have been far too long, she figured… and unless they managed to survive like Stella and Midnight, it was likely the ‘best’ they could hope to find were remnants.

For now, all that stood between her and the first steps of this temple was the rolling, overgrown grass that straddled the sandy coastline.

“The Lunar Ascension Temple,” said Twilight. “It’s… definitely been sometime since I was last here. The short of it is… this is where Luna ‘ascended,’ just in case the name didn’t give it away. Like other Alicorns before her, this is where she achieved, and was deemed worthy, of her power over the Moon, among other celestial bodies around the planet.”

And with those words, Samus gave a little half-hop, which propelled her just enough off her ship where she was able to land easily and unceremoniously into the tall grass’ embrace. A quick check of her systems and motion tracker showed nothing untoward, and she began the march straight towards the massive stairs beckoning her from about half a mile away.

Samus bounded in strides to summit the small valley her ship found itself parked in, and once she got up top, she continued to march a swathe through the grass that came to about chest-height. The lushness, combined with a checkerboarding pattern of wildflowers as far as she could see even through the rain, tickled the fringes of her vision as the coastal winds continued to roll and whip the field around her to the backdrop of crashing, breaking waves.

Nevertheless, hand on cannon and eyes flicking between her motion tracker and her surroundings, she marched forward. Occasional checks in the OM-Visor yielded nothing interesting, at least yet.

“Any idea what we can expect inside? And what about what we’d need to actually, like, go and do?”

“I have a few guesses, but I’m not a hundred-percent sure. I was only here once as a filly on a field trip for class. We weren't able to tour the whole Temple, but I do know that all the way towards the depths is the ‘Ascension Chamber.’ We never got to see it, but that’s where the whole ritual and ‘proving’ took place… so if I were betting money on it, that’s where I’d think we’d need to go,” she explained.

“Beyond that, though?” she added. “I’m not sure what else might be waiting inside. I don’t really have any certain idea of what to do.”

Samus continued her march, trudging through the grass and the soppy, sandy ground.

“Well, I know for sure there’s no Pirates. Not even any signatures saying that they’ve been here at any point in the past, so at least there’s that,” said the Hunter.

“There could be Storm Beasts… but if there are, likely not many. I’d be very surprised if there were any large populations of them. This place is a bit far off from the nearest, largest settlements… or what were the largest settlements,” Twilight noted.

That was good enough for Samus, and she started into a proper jog.

“Right. Welp, works for me. Then it sounds like the first thing we need to do is figure out exactly what the hell we need to do to bring Luna back.”

Cheers all around from the girls.

“Yeah! Makes sense to me!”

“Magnificent! I certainly hope she’s fared well…”

“Y-Yay!”

By that point, Samus had arrived at the grand entrance, placing her armored foot on the first step upward… the culmination of which would put her at level halfway up the cliffside. The entire Lunar Ascension Temple appeared much more grandiose and imposing up close, considering it was literally carved into the cliff-face… Samus really needed to be up close to appreciate its majesty, as was custom with Chozo, or in this case, clearly-Chozo-inspired architecture.

She almost missed it due to salt corrosion from lack of upkeep… but upon a second glance, Samus spotted a circular shield-like object carved into the front of stone overhang. Squinting just enough, she could discern what appeared to be a chiseled depiction of the moon and stars, all placed above three vaguely defined pony figures: an Earth Pony, a Pegasus Pony, and a Unicorn.

Beyond this, she was able to get a look at two of the half-pillars holding busts of alicorns looking down at those who would dare to enter. Stoic and silent, their rock-chiseled, drab manes flowed in a nonexistent, static wind. Further behind them were even more statues that Samus had not been able to see from the distance… and from her lower vantage point, she could barely make out two full alicorns rearing up on their hind legs.

Samus began their cautious journey upward, one derelict, chipped step at a time with the ocean wind at her back.

Twilight’s voice cut in through the ambiance, suddenly stunned:

“Whoa… do you feel that?” she asked. “I just felt this, like… deluge of magic in the air, like it was flowing out of the Temple entrance. Gods, it’s like feeling the wind blowing directly into my face!”

Right on cue, Samus felt the effects, herself. She felt a familiar, sudden onset of ‘stuffiness’ in her mind, like it was physically too full for her brain and her other thoughts to coexist peacefully. The sudden-onset claustrophobia returned.

“Yeah, I feel it too. But it would make sense that there’s a shitload of magic here, right?”

“True, but this is still substantial. I don’t even remember it being this powerful when I was here last. Maybe it has something to do with this whole ‘reconstitution’ process?” she remarked.

Samus ascended the last stair, putting her on level floor with the cavernous entrance just ahead. Even being so close in front of it, standing directly in the center between two rows of hexagonal pillars and busts which seemed to beckon her forward, she could barely make out any further details inside the trapezoidal entryway beyond the aged, cracked, patchy stone just beyond the threshold.

Nevertheless, after running a quick scan of the statues for archival and logbook reference for late-night reading, Samus marched forward, leading with her cannon.

“Really only one way to find out. Guess we’re going in blind.”

“That doesn’t seem daunting to you?”

“This is pretty standard for me. I’ve gotten used to it. What, don’t tell me you haven’t ever gone into one of your ‘harmony’ missions without knowing a goddamn thing?”

“W-Well, not knowing everything of course, but usually I have at least a clue or two to go off of. Maybe a headwind.”

“Oh lucky you, Twilight.”

Author's Note

Please see my blogpost for further information, but we're gonna need to wait for one more part for Luna to return. Sorry about that, but this was already getting way too long and I didn't wanna do another cliffhanger before a future boss fight.

With that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this smaller buildup chapter! Lots more exploration and action coming next chapter!

And for the record... in case anyone doesn't know, Dark Samus is likely still a floating mess of Phazon around Aether before being picked up by the Pirates later. So she cannot be physically present here. Something else is at play... :trixieshiftright:

17. Luna

Author's Note

As detailed earlier, the rest of this arc is already written and in the process of being edited. Thank you for your continued patience--I've looked at this for so long and as a result, I hate it somewhat but I know it's in the best state I can put it in at this time.

I really hope you enjoy.

17. Luna

“...and that’s why I tend to just completely disregard the briefings at the beginning of my missions, as they never tell the full goddamn story. And usually by the time it’s all over, everything I’ve been through and had to do bears fuck-all to the original job I was contracted for.”

Samus finished her rather succinct summary as to why going into new missions or areas completely blind never really fazed her anymore… all while she took her first steps through the monstrous trapezoidal entrance into the Lunar Ascension Temple. Her first metallic steps echoed off the entirely hollow interior, a rather familiar omen of discovery that harkened back to each of the ruins she had explored in her travels thus far, Chozo or otherwise.

Twilight’s own response to that seemed to need a bit of processing:

“I… wow. I’m so sorry, Samus. I really have no words. I don’t even know what I’d do without even the tiniest semblance of a clue…”

She then quipped:

“I guess that’s why you’re here, huh?”

Samus smirked.

“I suppose so. And yeah, ‘no words’ is a good description. Because that’s exactly what I offer when I’m told what’s supposed to go down. No sense getting annoyed anymore—comes with the job description.”

Much like the grandiosity of the exterior, the interior was entirely similar in that, what she had seen so far, the entrance never changed material nor color other than what was elementally and environmentally standard from the outside. The same aged, precisely carved and gradient-smooth stone further lended credence to the fact that the whole structure was likely carved into the cliff itself. Even more than that, Samus was still struck at how the Chozo—and now, the ponies—had managed to construct such megaliths that seemed to defy the laws of light and shadow, as her Visor nor eyes didn’t need to adjust to any lack of light exposure from the outside thanks to perfectly-placed, barely-visible skylights.

She wasn’t sure she should’ve been surprised, though. Literal magic existed in this universe—anything was possible.

The lack of darkness didn’t necessitate any form of augmented vision nor the use of her helmet light, which she was thankful for.

Nevertheless, Samus didn’t stand to marvel. She still made forward, leading with her cannon and drawing her aim idly wherever her vision took her. Careful precision accented the hollow footfalls that echoed off the ancient walls, ready for anything to assault her or attempt to ensnare her in its trap, especially since the first massive room she was met with just through the entrance hall had opened up into a vertical cylinder.

What immediately stood out to her was that there were no grand, ornate structures greeting her, unlike her first foray into the Castle of the Two Sisters or even Canterlot Castle… hell, not even like the entrance just outside.

No grand foyers with pillars nor worn busts and flags.

No opulent top floors and balconies to overlook her approach.

Nothing… just a seemingly lightly decorated, barren, high-ceilinged and domed room.

Spanning from the center outward of said domed ceiling, Samus took in what appeared to be a mural of sorts that overtook its entirety: an expansive painting of the night sky with a full moon shining down on the landscape. She noticed a perfect depiction of the temple itself buried in the cliffside. A collection of ponies—unicorn, pegasus, and earth ponies—were scattered along the beach, gazing up into the firmament as an androgynous-looking alicorn flew above, wings and legs all splayed out directly in the center of the full moon. The skillful painting belied its clear age and deterioration with what time had passed since the Crisis…

…or really, whenever this Temple was even last used.

Silence reigned as Samus stopped in her tracks and continued to analyze her situation. The girls gave her plenty of breadth to think in her own head, and ultimately she lowered her cannon to her side after yet another check against her motion tracker that remained as desolate as the area appeared.

With no immediate threats, Samus gazed ponderously around the room, immediately noting that there were three ovular exit-ways out of this foyer-like ‘starting’ room, if she could even call it that. Further, interspersed between these exits into undoubtedly deeper parts of the Temple, there were other murals and what stood out to her as engraved text.

A closer investigation upon looking up directly at the center of the domed ceiling felt warranted once it loomed large over her. She traced an imaginary line from the ceiling down to her feet, where she noted that she was standing atop a textured, circular plane a fourth the size of the room that revealed a rather detailed, carved, two-dimensional surface of the moon itself.

Such a line, from the massive moon embossing on the floor, to the moon on the ceiling, seemed almost too convenient in her mind.

Hmmmm.

Twilight spoke up again:

“This is the Hall of Ascendance. Whoever was next in line to receive their connection to the Moon and the non-solar celestial bodies around the planet would first come here and perform the appropriate ritual, surrounded by other esteemed alicorns.”

Samus nodded as she further memorized her surroundings. Even so, she couldn’t shake the significantly larger moon depiction beneath her boots and how they possibly related to the drawn moon and alicorn directly above her. In all her years of adventure thus far, true coincidences were as hard to come by as a mission brief that gave her all the brass tacks.

“Makes sense.”

“Mhm. But with Celestia’s and Luna’s ascendance to their respective mantles and the continued declining of Imperial Alicorn presence up to that point, this process and the ritual, naturally, haven’t been repeated since, which was well-over a millenia ago.”

Samus hummed in acknowledgement. She had never been one to travel with partners since her policing days, but even she had to admit that with her short time here, Twilight had wrangled away many barriers of the fog of war…. Maybe in the future, she’d actually consider one of those AI programs that the Federation had been practically shoving into her face if they happened to be even half as helpful as Twilight was.

If they didn’t force it upon her at some point by contract condition.

“Right. Anything else? You’re spoiling me for clues—ironic, considering our last talk.”

Twilight giggled.

“Like I mentioned earlier, I can’t really attest to what this process of ‘restoring’ Luna is like. However, I do know that to get access to the Ascendance Chamber, which is above the Ascendance Hall, we’d need to activate the lift that you’re standing on right now…

“...which, needless to say, proved your initial intuition correct. I’m impressed you saw it before I even told you.”

Samus took another gander at the ‘lift’ beneath her feet, and it now made sense why there was proper embossing of the moon depiction here versus anywhere else on the floor. Now with some form of end-goal in mind, Samus was ready to move out.

“You wouldn’t happen to know how to do that? It’s okay if you don’t…”

“Yeahhhh, I don’t. And unless Rarity or Fluttershy know anything, the field trip I took didn’t cover any of the specifics of the ritual itself. We were only allowed to explore for a little bit, marvel at the architecture, ask a few questions… that kind of stuff.”

Rarity and Fluttershy likewise added:

“Sorry, Darling… don’t think I’ll be much use beyond moral support and my element. You do look fabulous, if that helps, Samus.”

“N-No I don’t know anything. I’m—I’m sorry…”

Samus nodded.

“No worries. Blindfold’s on, then.”

Having gotten all the intel she’d get from first-party sources, Samus stepped off the center lift ‘moon’ plate entirely and headed to her direct left. She ambled towards the nearest mural on the wall that caught her eye, all while a sudden rush of coastal winds began to flood in and create some sort of vortex thanks to the geometry of the room… all accompanied by an eerie, lonely moan.

Through it all, as Samus stepped just in front of her target, it turned out that what she thought was another mural painting was just a rather ornate wall of text. It was in no way dissimilar to the various blocks of text, familiar and foreign, that she had seen in various Chozo Ruins or other ruins across her travels.

She readied her scan visor, but simultaneously asked Twilight:

“This mean anything to you?”

Twilight sheepishly replied:

“It's an older Alicorn script. It bears a lot of similarity to modern Equestrian, but it would take me a lot more time to decipher it. You’d be much better off just going by your Scan Visor and instinct from now on, if I’m being completely honest. From what I remember, a lot of the stewards of this place were a little cagey with some questions.”

“Works for me.”

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete.]

[New Pony Lore has been translated and recorded to your logbook.]

[Translation:

She had finally arrived, brought here in haste for what might very well have been the last ritual of our dying, Alicorn Empire.

We gazed upon her, and noted how small she was. She was but a child in stature compared to her elder sister, yet her age and supposed inexperience was belied by her ability and sheer magical prowess. Even we could feel the hunger within.

She expertly found and activated the glyphs, and upon presenting the remaining, unused three Elements of Harmony, she ascended into the Chamber above, only for her to return stronger than ever, faster than had ever been recorded. With her gift of the Moon and Stars safely nestled in her hooves and bosom, our remnants and all of future Equestria may relish in her majesty.

May her rule be long, her Moon and Stars bright, and may all dreams be pleasant and all Nightmares be vanquished under her graceful, humble touch.

Long Live the Princess of the Night!]

After Samus (and girls, she assumed) all finished reading the time-capsule of a passage, every single one of them muttered the same word simultaneously:

“Glyphs!”

Samus would never be able to understand why the preferred cryptic communications of ancient civilizations happened to be through glyphs, but at this point, she was thankful. She had a multitude of experience with Chozo and Luminoth Glyphs in the very recent past, and they often held the literal and figurative keys to moving onward through her missions.

It seemed like this would be no different, and now armed with a general idea of what she was on the lookout for, Samus immediately began to throw her gaze around the main room, flipping to her OM-Visor as well. In doing so, the same magical currents and specks returned, dancing around her darkened vision.

Twilight cut in:

“Okay, from what I recall… I remember seeing one of these glyphs in the room just beyond the exit here,” she said, and pinged the exit-way that Samus was standing next to, right by the text they just finished reading. Never got an answer as to what it was at the time.

“It’s a small walk, but I vaguely remember it looking like a metallic plate embedded into the wall next to some similar text like we just read. That was a while ago, though… so, not sure if anything changed but given the state of everything, I have no reason to believe it did.”

That sounded fine to Samus, and with those figurative marching orders, she stacked up against the left side of the exit arch to properly peer in with her cannon and visor.

“Welp, might as well check it out and see where it gets us. Thanks, Twilight.”

“Of course! Thank you!”

Light was still ample through the next corridor, and with nothing else of note popping up on her motion tracker, Samus rounded the corner and strode forth into a power-walk, all while she kept her cannon at the low ready. First glances revealed everything she had expected for the most part: a thus-far straight hall carved out of the same, beige-cliff-side, dusty rockface.

Much dustier than the main room, though, as Samus figured coastal winds that managed to worm and meander their way through the area likely kicked up a lot of it over the centuries. Walls were expectedly cracked from disrepair, dereliction, and ultimately, erosion and rock shifts. The latter was likely fueled by the presence of coastal fauna, whose vines weeded their way into the spider-webbing cracks along the ceiling, floor, and both walls. These same plants all sprouted forth in Samus’ path in a colorful display of various, random-colored flowers.

Samus wondered how there possibly could’ve been enough direct light from the outside for such a floral ecosystem to maintain itself… but clearly, as always, life found a way.

Her march forward continued, and she noted a few crumpled, collapsed walls and cave-ins that framed her path… notably blocking off other potential capillary exits off her route. Further, Samus had to stop for a moment when a massive amount of tiny blots began to dot her motion tracker. That’s when she witnessed a line of some of the tiniest crabs she had seen skitter in single-file from crevice to crevice.

A quick scan revealed them to be simple ‘Equis Crabs.’

Samus’ attention and march resumed forward with the arrival of another round of eerie moaning from the galeforce winds jetting through. Interestingly though, rather than feeling a burst of winds throwing her forward, and expecting the need to anchor herself accordingly, she was a bit bewildered to instead be met with the winds coming at her head-on. She nearly lost her balance as the invisible current buffeted against her whilst moving forward.

Hmph. Cross-ventilation. Multiple entrances to the temple?

But if so, what did that mean for potential, hazardous wildlife?

Beyond a small bush that managed to spawn from a massive hole in the floor, Samus came face-to-face with the results of another cave-in… one that, this time, had taken the entire right-most wall with it, leaving nothing but a small opening on the lower left of her path with which to proceed onward.

She wasn’t fazed in the slightest, and as she continued her easy walk to her next obstacle, Twilight mentioned:

“First glyph should be just beyond here. The obstruction is not very sturdy, so you should be able to blow it open pretty easily, I’d think.”

“No need,” answered Samus.

She had already determined by trained eye-measurements that it was easy enough to just roll right underneath. One mental command later, Samus engaged her Morph Ball, rolled through the opening, and phased back to her feet all within the span of a couple seconds.

Though there was silence once she regained her full standing form, she could sense the mild anxiousness from Rarity and Fluttershy… all but confirmed when they spoke their minds themselves:

“Ahh! Samus, do warn a lady before you do that again! I’m still not over the first couple times!”

“Wh-Whoa… that always feels like an out of body experience… wait… am I allowed to talk?”

Twilight, however, was much less surprised this time around.

“Oh. Right, I keep forgetting you can do that.”

“Ya know? Me too, sometimes,” said Samus.

Indeed, just as Twilight had predicted, Samus’ path forward ended in a hard stop at another wall. However, embedded therein was a circular, metallic plate that bore normal resemblance to any plate metal that Samus had seen… practically anywhere. What was different about it was that it appeared to be just some plain-steel plate.

“This is it,” Twilight confirmed. “Exactly how I remembered it.”

Samus leaned in for a closer look, and she could see that, with a better view, not all was as it seemed. In the right light, visible now were the markings of textured metallurgy… and the surface of the plate itself was fashioned into what the Hunter could make out to be a fully-textured, circular moon… much like its larger version back in the Ascendance Hall.

The main difference didn’t stop at its size, but rather, the entire surface was completely blacked out.

And also like Twilight had mentioned, right next to the glyph was a similar wall of text, engraved a layer deep in the wall on smoother stone.

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete.]

[New Pony Lore has been translated and recorded to your logbook.]

[Translation:

The Moon appears high in the sky as she always has, familiar in sight, feel, and presence. Yet, tonight it truly feels like a New Moon… and as the time for her Ascendance approaches, it truly is likewise a time of new beginnings.

Luna, as brave, headstrong, young, and lively as she is, in her current state, represents such a high-potential unknown. She embodies this pivotal moment… one for a time of introspection for a whole nation and planet as new foundations are laid.

And once those foundations have been laid, a new future shall be forged.]

It suddenly clicked for Samus.

“The glyph… the New Moon. Or Dark Moon or whatever the fuck it is. I think I have an idea of what to expect.”

Twilight agreed.

“Excellent eye! Now, let’s see about ‘activating’ it…”

Samus switched over to her OM-Visor, and the vision she was subjected to was nothing short of mesmerizing. The glyph plate itself seemed magically charged, as an incalculable number of those characteristic, magical flakes, specks, and motes—all pink in color—were seemingly generated directly from it. They flew and jettisoned off of it, carried away on an invisible current with both magic and the winds from outside. As for the plate itself, it glowed dimly and pulsed regularly like a resting heartbeat. The silhouette of the new moon shone with a dim, deep indigo, much in contrast with the pink plate and magic it birthed thereof.

As for activating, unlike the lock to Luna’s Observatory back in Canterlot Castle, there appeared to be no option to interact with it by ‘scanning.’ Samus spamming the lone button on the side of her helmet further reinforced this point, as it simply did nothing.

Twilight, once again, came in clutch and remarked:

“One suggestion, if I may…”

“Go on…”

Her tone was almost challenging, like a teacher would a promising student:

“I have a sneaking hunch that this’ll likely work out like the power crystal we had to get to reactivate the map. Maybe try channeling that usual state of mind, then reach out through the magical realm? I think you can do it yourself without me this time~.”

Samus went expressionless for a moment.

She’s enjoying the teacher role a bit too much. Probably getting off on this somehow.

When Twilight didn’t remark back with anything snarky or protesting, she took this as infallible, if tacit proof that the alicorn couldn’t, in fact, read her mind… and thus far every instance was just extraordinarily coincidental.

Samus then regarded her hand with some implicit questioning on her magical ability, flexed her fingers, and then reached out towards the glyph. She did not physically touch it nor the plate itself, but rather was getting into a proper position to interact with it magically, much like she had with many other objects up to this point.

In another spur of the moment decision, Samus did not close her eyes this time, as she opted to observe the happenings through her OM-Visor. She initiated her mental blackout and entered into a familiar, zen-like trance where all the noise around her faded out entirely into nothingness. She began constructing mental images of herself reaching out into the heart of the glyph itself, and while she was becoming familiar with how magic intertwined itself with her mental state and reacted with her will accordingly, she was still surprised to see the actual results of such will.

The once idle pulsing of the glyph became much more frequent, beating and pulsing more like a particularly fast drumbeat with a deep, accompanying rumble with each pulse. She could see what she likened to spindly fibers sprouting forth from her fingertips and lacing themselves atop the glyph.

All of this happened as she thought about reaching out to said glyph and ‘activating’ it, manifesting it all in her mind as turning a dial or switch from one position to another.

She could feel the connection become ironclad, as Samus felt a firm tug against the depths of her mind that was in no way painful… but felt like flexing a trained muscle just under its limits. That feeling, as if she could ‘connect’ no stronger, was when she understood the magical connection with the glyph to be accepted. Upon this revelation, a pink flurry of specks, flakes, and a sudden, tendrillic current of magic all blanketed and enveloped her arm.

In keeping the connection active, her arm might as well have been welded in place.

Her hand continued to slowly rotate counter-clockwise, as had been custom during intensive magical procedures.

More than that, a reverse, lavender counter-current flowed down her arm, which ultimately broke upon the face of the glyph plate. The mental pull and exertion still literally weighed heavily on her mind, holding her ‘muscle’ firmly in a static position even as if it felt like she was on the verge of beginning to over-exercise or risk ‘tearing.’ Her brow dripped sweat, and her breathing deepened and quickened in kind.

Without any warning, the connection severed itself in a brilliant, brief, if technicolor explosion of magic. Her arm was flung back, though she caught it. All the while, her OM-Visor was suddenly overwhelmed, and had flashbanged her with pure white to such intensity that her Suit automatically failed back to Combat Visor to protect her eyes in that instant.

Even so, after recovering from a half-stumble, Samus switched right back to OM to find the surrounding magic at previous, ambient levels… though the main change was the glyph itself:

The New Moon was still dark, but was bathed in the gentlest, solid iridescence from activated magic. This held true even when defaulting back to Combat Visor a second time. Likewise, through the cracks and building lines that surrounded its placement on the wall, a contrastingly bright current of solid, cyan-blue magic, easily visible to her normal vision, shone through a predetermined path up the wall, over the ceiling and headed back in the direction of the Ascendance Hall.

Samus wordlessly followed its path upward and back, and commented:

“Looks activated to me.”

Twilight was much more enthusiastic in her confirmation:

“YEEEEEEEESSSS FILLY! DAMN fantastic, Samus!

“And based on what I can sense, I think I definitely agree. There’s residual magic flowing off the glyph to where we can see it with our own eyes. I guess all that’s left is to figure out how many there are, and then activate them all.”

Samus was already en route back.

“Yup!” she said just before she re-engaged Morph Ball to pass back under the previous obstruction.

It was simple enough, and yet as she righted her posture back into standing form, Samus stopped all her motions dead. Hand atop her cannon and with one leg stepped in front of the other mid-stride, Samus knew something was instantly wrong.

The winds fell silent. The idle sounds of rustling fauna and plants were gone. The hollow, idle ventilation was not to be heard. The tension in her blood vessels probably went some way towards her echoing heartbeat. All other sounds died out entirely, but more than that, Samus felt like even her headspace had ‘hollowed out.’

A chuckling voice intruded and echoed throughout her mind… so similar to her own, yet so foreign, even though she recognized it from the previous night’s terrible dream.

Samus remained frozen as her eyes went wide and she could feel every hair on her body stand straight. She thought she’d leave dents in her Arm Cannon with how that chuckle made her fingers curl, she felt like no matter how hard, nor how fast she breathed in, she simply couldn’t get enough air.

It was as if she was right behind her when the words flowed over her shoulders.

“Did you truly think I was defeated?”

Another chuckle and the voice faded into the returning winds, along with whatever trance Samus found herself in. All other sounds from her environment faded back in over the next couple seconds as if she had only tuned out for that brief moment.

“...mus?”

“...amus?!”

“Samus! Are you okay??”

“Samus talk to us, filly…”

“What’s going on?!”

Or… so she had thought. Samus shook the rest of her ‘daydream’ from her mind and ran a quick diagnostic on her systems to see if all was as it should have been. At the same time, she calmly moved to reassure her panicking ‘headmates.’

“Yeah… just got lost in thought for a moment. I’m fine, what the hell was all the commotion about?” she asked.

Twilight, sighing with relief, quipped:

“That was a hell of a long moment, Samus. You were completely unresponsive for an entire minute!”

Samus flinched so hard she stood ramrod.

“...what?”

She could practically ‘feel’ everyone nodding in her head.

“Y-Yes, Darling…”

“Twi’s right…”

Twilight, rather than confirm what she had said originally, instead asked a more pertinent question:

“Was it the voice again?”

Samus paused, but only for a couple beats as she reasoned there was no point in hesitating to admit this… not since she spilled everything thus far back on the ship.

“Yeah. The same one…”

Twilight hummed.

“Understood. All I can suggest right now is to ignore it or endure it as best you can… but I don’t think you needed me to tell you that. We still need to press onward though… I’m sorry…”

“No worries. I’m fully aware.”

It wasn’t like Samus had any other options, but with that swift kick in the ass of her urgency, Samus opted to throw herself into an easy run for the entire route back to the Ascension Hall.

Interestingly, the entire way was accented with that same, thin current of magical light which snaked a path through natural cracks in the walls and ceiling. Though her path only took her straight back to the main Hall, she still used this light as a true north to guide her back, fueling her anticipation and suspicion as to what she might actually find once she was back where she started.

And upon coming to an easy halt back in the Ascendance Hall, Samus smirked at seeing that very same stream of hard magic light cut a swathe through the center of the exit-way arch. It then split in two down either side, only to reform at her feet where it further snaked towards the central, massive depiction of the moon’s surface on the floor.

The teal-blue light pooled and bathed the entire northeastern quadrant, and what was once a blank canvas of what she now recognized as another New Moon was replaced by a dimly lit depiction of a crescent. More specifically, Samus knew it as the Waxing Crescent.

Perhaps she smiled a bit more than that. With how much had changed from the activation of a single glyph, her being on the right track was rather obvious.

“Nice. Looks like there’s four glyphs that we’ll need. Seems reasonable,” she wagered.

Morale swelled amongst the girls.

“Makes sense to me! One down, three to go! You got this, Samus!”

Samus peered around, and noted that there were two other exits out of the Ascendance Hall that she had yet to explore.

Checking her options with the help of her OM-Visor, she noted how the route she had just taken did not produce nearly as much free-flowing magical phenomena as when she first entered. As she had further expected, wisps of magical current and specks heralded her forward from the other two possible routes, beckoning her to take her next steps forward into whatever lay ahead deeper in the Temple.

Samus wagered that, by that logic, at least two glyphs (or all three, if the remaining paths were connected and merely looped around into each other) would be found through one of these paths.

In the end, she decided on the northernmost exit, directly opposite of the grand entrance to the temple.

The path forward, though nearly identical in scenery to her first, was much darker this time around. Samus kept a steady hand on her cannon as she plod along… all while eyeing up any nook or cranny that could possibly hide any enemies in an ambush. The grip on her weapon was a little tenser than she normally would afford, but with her most recent ‘episode’ manifesting in the waking world, Samus was not particularly keen in taking the most chances.

Her mind was taken off of processing what had happened earlier when the hall opened up entirely in the blink of an eye. Gone were the claustrophobic ceiling and crumbling walls on either side of her, where instead she was suddenly greeted with a monstrously open room… one which housed an equally monstrous, jagged canyon-like chasm at its center, obstructing her path forward.

The winds from the outside, now unconstrained by tiny-by-comparison tunnels, flowed freely and lashed at her from every angle.

After sparing a few seconds to admire her new surroundings, and double-checking her usual systems to make sure that she was sufficiently alone, Samus drifted forward and made her way straight to the edge of the chasm. Much like what had been the first obstacle of her magical career in her goal of getting to the Castle of the Two Sisters, another canyon stood in her way, though most rudely without any semblance of ability to cross normally.

The need to roll her eyes was powerful, near biological. Samus silently hoped that ‘fording canyons’ wasn’t going to be the theme of her journey on this planet.

No bridges, nor supports could be seen on either side of her, and in a testament to the cliché that even she had to admit to, the Hunter kicked a small rock off the edge, and listened for any impact over the howling winds.

Such an impact did sound… but only after a few unnerving seconds later.

Twilight popped in:

“Hey, check it out! The glyph! It’s on the wall on the other side!”

She pinged Samus’ HUD for good measure, and a scan through OM-Visor indeed confirmed the telltale, dim, pulsing glow of an unactivated glyph. Further, her visor also confirmed that this was the second source of the magical energy that she had seen previously. Armed with this second confirmed observation, Samus surmised that the inactive glyphs produced a magical signature that aided others in finding them, but only if they were sensitive to magic enough to know that the clues were there.

What was more interesting to her was that these same specks and motes floated not only from the glyph in front of her. Further, albeit weaker, magical signatures were carried on windy currents from deep inside the chasm itself, which likewise confirmed Samus’ suspicion that there were likely two glyphs in some closer proximity to each other.

She could tackle that one as the time came, but for now, she turned her full attention to the chasm itself.

Surveying the scene, a quick glance already told her that she wouldn’t be able to jump over it by any measure… even with the help of her Space Jump boots and boosters. There were too many smaller obstacles in her path from back in the hall whence she came to safely use a Speed Booster-enhanced jump.

More than that, even though the rock she sacrificed proved that she wouldn’t fall to her inevitable death (doubly so, based on where she figured her supposed future path was supposed to lead her), the walls of the chasm were chiseled completely flat. Jaggedness aside, further investigation yielded no handholds, ladders, nor steps of any kind.

The mere distance between both sides meant that a wall-jumping strategy was likewise not in the cards.

“Hmmm. Wouldn’t be fun if it was easy…” she thought to herself.

Twilight, again, had some observations.

“Normally this wouldn’t be much of an obstacle… if you were a pony. An alicorn undergoing these trials would simply fly over, which isn’t really an option for you right now, unless there’s something else you’re hiding from me?”

Samus shook her head.

“Nope. Can’t fly… Well, not technically. Don’t have that equipment anymore.”

“...Right. Though, you could technically Flash Teleport to the other side? It’s well-within suitable distance, and you’ve teleported farther.”

That was an option for sure, but that’s when she was reminded of the lingering, low-level pain that had been idling over ‘center’ of her mind since she had activated the first glyph.

Even so, she dealt with significantly worse when she was put in a much more desperate situation like when she needed to break out of Canterlot lest her presence be broken to the Space Pirates. But she was brought back to that visceral, hellish pain… the pain that felt like the deepest parts of her brain were being carved and cored out when she realized too late that she had overexerted her magical ability to the point of nearly burning out.

Samus would rather not get to that level again unless their lives were in danger.

“Honestly, the glyph activation was kinda taxing. I’d rather make sure I’d have enough stamina left to actually do so. And from what I remember, teleportation took a lot out of me…”

Twilight understood immediately.

“Ooooooooh… right. Good point. Then I guess… now what?”

A rather obvious question, but it was one that allowed Samus to zone out for a bit and consider her surroundings.

With other methods of traverse out of the question, the Hunter paid some closer attention towards the walls that lined the edges of the chasm and the gargantuan, open chamber at large. Much like the sides of the chasm itself, both ends of the room were completely smooth, marvels of engineering in their own rights. Further, there were no obvious grapple points, which was most unfortunate and inconsiderate, if Samus was being completely serious.

Though, in flicking her gaze between the wall and the other side of the chasm that met the wall… Samus deduced that maybe there was indeed an acrobatic way over her hurdle.

Samus shrugged to herself. At the very worst, she would plummet to the bottom of the chasm in a most unpleasant fall, but she’d survive no worse for wear… and that would mean that she’d simply pursue the other glyph waiting for them further down the line.

She had a plan.

“Okay… let’s try… this,” she declared.

Samus began backing up a few paces, gauging how much of a running start she’d actually need to do what she wanted to do.

Twilight, however, had questions.

“Oh? What’re you—WHOA!”

Samus took off sprinting at an angle towards the chasm, right where the edge of the drop met the wall of the chamber at large. Legs in tune, and eyes noting the perfect jumpoff point at the last possible moment, she then leapt as far as her Varia Suit-enhanced legs would carry her.

Employing a burst from her Space Jump boosters and somersaulting mid-air, her second action and requisite, expertly practiced timing carried her just enough where her armored feet made contact with the side-wall at an angle. She rode the kinetic energy from her jump as she sprinted along said wall for as long as gravity was willing to put up with her shenanigans… which wasn’t for very long.

But Samus was faster on her feet. Loose wall particles chipped and cascaded off into the void in the wake of her armored stomping, and though she felt her entire body slipping and being welcomed earthbound to the chasms maw, she had one last act to perform.

By the time her feet could no longer run at such an angle without slipping, Samus jumped off the side-wall as hard and far as she could. Another assisted Space Jump and somersault later, she cleared her obstacle entirely when felt her feet made perfect contact with the solid, flat edge of the other side. So close was she that she teetered backwards once, but ‘controlled flailing’ was quick to right her balance.

Samus hopped forward to more secure ground, and unceremoniously made her way towards the second glyph, the spoils of which were now entirely hers for the taking.

“Hah! Now that was pretty cool, I have to say,” Twilight giggled.

“Undoubtedly, Twilight,” commented Rarity. “Speed. Elegance. Precision. Rainbow Dash would certainly have more than a few things to say about that performance.”

Samus smirked, though if she was being honest with herself, she was just happy that Rarity was talking more and more.

“Yeah? Well, I look forward to meeting her very soon when the time comes.”

“Oh you will. You most certainly will. And I think she’ll like you a lot, Samus.”

The second glyph stood distinct on the wall in that there was literally nothing else on the blemishless, aged expanse of stone.

It, however, bore no significant difference in appearance, and from what Samus could see upon first examination, it was exactly as she had anticipated: The same steel, magically charged plate, adorned with the clear depiction of a waxing crescent. The sliver of the moon hummed a brighter, yet gentle pulse of pink hued magic through the symbol itself while the rest of the glyph remained shrouded in darkness.

Samus flicked her eyes just to the left of the glyph and found yet another, beautifully engraved wall of text. Her hand was already on its way to her visor to begin the scan before she even sized it up.

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete]

[New Pony Lore has been translated and recorded to your logbook.]

[Translation:

Her journey has been a long one. From a frail, skittish Alicorn foal barely worth the figurative weight of the future crown to be placed on her head, she has emerged as a force of nature to be reckoned with. With a hitherto unseen energy and an inferno of determination in her eyes, she has every intention of claiming the mantle over Our Moon and all that surrounds her Lunar Majesty.

From merely the ‘Younger Sister,’ she has formed herself into ‘Luna,’ willing to sacrifice anything and everything to achieve her goal.

For better, or for worse.]

Twilight spoke:

“These texts… We're essentially reading excerpts of Luna’s history from the eyes of the remnants of a fallen empire. It’s so fascinating, if more than a bit surreal.”

Samus agreed, but didn’t acknowledge verbally, opting to get right on with the show. She reached forward and lined up her arm and hand to interact with the glyph, again, without physically touching it. Opting to also keep her eyes open and observe the process through the OM-Visor, Samus got underway, and went through the exact same process and mental manifestations to will the glyph to ‘activate.’ That same concept of a ‘dial’ loomed large in her mind, and she ‘turned’ it by force of magic.

The one thing that was different this time around was that her head had started to ache beyond just passively.

And by the time the process was complete and the second glyph was fully activated, the pain subsided… but didn’t fully dissipate like a normal pressure headache would. Samus slouched upon exhaling, reeling more from this iteration as she could feel her legs shaking, as well as her stomach clearing out like she was over-hungry. She was in-tune enough with her abilities to know that she was beginning to run on fumes for magic, and a burst of intensive magical exertion would likely put her in a similar situation as she was back in Canterlot.

That meant coming to terms with possibly not having enough magical stamina left to activate the remaining two glyphs without some form of rest.

“Alright!” exclaimed Twilight. “Two down… two to go! Well done, Samus!”

The Hunter observed another thin, bright spider web of hardlight magic illuminating a predetermined path up the massive chamber wall, over the jagged ceiling, and ultimately back towards the Ascendance Hall.

“Thanks. Slight problem,” Samus began. “I’m getting fatigued… magically. I can literally feel it in my bones. Any ideas? Otherwise I’ll probably need to take a breather for a few hours.”

“Oooh, yeah we don’t want a repeat of what happened the other day. Luckily, there are ways to ‘recharge’ one’s magic on the fly. Remember the crystals we grabbed the first time around?” she asked.

“Yeah…”

“You, too, can technically siphon off the stored power from any magical crystal you find to replenish your magical stamina.”

“Huh. That’s actually pretty handy.”

Twilight had some caution, and added rather ominously:

“Just be a bit careful, okay? The feeling of instantly getting all your magical reserves topped off is… a rather lovely feeling, and it’s pretty easy to overindulge. Don’t replenish more than you need, or there could be consequences.”

Samus cocked an eyebrow.

“Right…”

Samus walked to the edge of the chasm and peered over the side as Twilight had something else to add:

“Also, crystals themselves may not be necessary. There were designated ‘recharge points’ that were pretty common amongst Alicorn Society and can still be found in pretty much all remaining structures of theirs. In fact, similar technologies are used today, all powered by the power crystals themselves!

“Soooooo… with this being a major Alicorn holy site, along with the sheer magnitude of magic that flows freely, crystal production or some form of recharge ability is all but guaranteed.”

“Thanks, Twi. I’ll keep an eye out. Like I said, I’m not even sure I’d have the energy for another activation sequence.”

“No worries. I’ll monitor in the background.”

With the culmination of that conversation, Samus took a leap of faith and dropped into the black void of the chasm below.

The moment her boots slammed into the ground with all her weight, and she hunched low as her Suit dispersed the massive amount of kinetic energy, she realized that things had gone completely silent once more.

The howling wind that had buffeted her fall somewhat from its sheer power had completely and utterly died out—she was alone in a world hollowed out of sound, shrouded in darkness with only a small amount of light beckoning her from straight through the lane of the chasm. Samus understood that ‘straight ahead’ was likely her next destination… but she knew what was coming next.

She stood tall, regardless.

Even so, how that voice, whom she assumed to be Prime, layered itself over the folds of her brain and seemed to emanate from within her skull, still continued to raise the hairs on her body.

She spoke to her through an air of contempt:

“But did you not end me in my cradle?

“Did you not scatter me to the winds in the collapsing world of darkness?

“Or did you merely fail to end me, time and time again?

“I must admit… this predicament, and our connection eludes me… but it is a gift, nonetheless. Or maybe it isn’t? Is this voice in your head nothing but the ramblings of a mind shattered by the weight of her failures?

“Or perhaps because of those same failures…

“I am very…

“...much…

“...alive.”

Samus’ mental fog subsequently dissipated, and all ambient sound returned to the world as she had expected.

Though, she didn’t give anyone a chance to ask any questions when she preempted with:

“How long was I spaced out?”

It was Fluttershy that brought her up to speed:

“About another minute or so… s-sorry…”

“Thanks, Flutters.”

Samus didn’t hesitate and instantly bounded into a jog from a standstill, and headed straight towards the light of the next area which she expected would lead her out of the bowels of this chasm.

All the while, she noted to herself that Prime wasn’t exactly telling her anything new. Or rather, any underlying thoughts she hadn’t already tortured herself with since she began this line of work in the first place.

She then mentioned out loud:

“Ya know, this is gonna get really annoying if these mental intrusions are gonna become more frequent and last longer. Adding to the list of things to tune out.”

Samus really only meant those words as a bit of a vent of frustration rather than anything else. She wasn’t exactly a complainer… but Twilight’s response to that was more wholehearted and borderline pleading for forgiveness than she was prepared for:

“Maybe for the short term, yeah, that’s all you really can do. Even so, you shouldn’t have to live with this… especially since you’re essentially carrying water for this whole mission. If it weren’t for you, none of this would even be possible! I’m so sorry…”

Samus didn’t get the chance to respond, as Twilight picked right up with a rather pointed declaration.

“I swear to you, personally, Samus… that we’ll figure it all out. We’ll rid you of this once we get Luna back, or at least find a way to mask it until you don’t need to hold onto the Elements anymore. On what remains of my life, I promise we’ll see to this.”

Even so, Samus gave a lopsided smile at her sincerity.

“Don’t worry about it, Twi. I’m sure we’ll sort things out soon enough. Let’s get through this first.”

A good minute of following the only path forward did indeed lead her out of the chasm, following the light through another barely-lit tunnel, until it opened up into another cylindrical room.

Very cylindrical, as when Samus gazed up, not only were the perimeter walls a perfect circle much like the central Ascendance Hall, but she couldn’t even see the ceiling above, at least from her current angle.

No aesthetic features were afforded to her, either, much unlike her starting room—just drab, featureless walls without adornments nor care paid to its appearance. At least the Chozo, in Samus’ mind, still managed to decorate even the most unassuming rooms of their ruins, whatever functions they might’ve played host to in the past.

But this room, which her map affectionately dubbed the ‘Lunar Tower?’ An aesthetic deadzone, with only one defining feature she would come to see.

Advancing further into the interior of the roughly few-meter-wide silo, the one thing that was instantly clear to her was the single pathway afforded to her: up.

Many-a memories flooded back into her mind, harkening back to the days of her return to Zebes when she practically had to scale silo-like caverns much like this one that lead upward using only platforms and cliffsides… as well as the hostile fauna themselves.

No such critters were available, easily confirmed by her motion tracker, but she did notice a few thick platforms available to her to get her started. Platforms which were made out of the same rock and stone as the entire temple were thus far… even the methods of traverse had been carved out of the same cliffside.

Samus didn’t exactly envy the engineers that had to plan, construct, and chisel away everything to this degree of meticulousness.

A glance through OM further directed her upward by way of the ever-beckoning, magical current.

With her path still laid out for her, Samus got a running start towards the closest platform and lept for it. With the aid of her Space Jump boosters, she was able to grab ahold of the ledge of the first platform with her armored hand.

Now hung off the ground at least a good couple meters, Samus’ Power Grip enhancements began engaging, ready to assist. Satisfied that her weight could be easily supported atop these platforms since it hadn’t crumpled and sent her on a rather inconvenient fall back to the base of this tower room, she hoisted herself up.

Her first hurdle out of the way, Samus’ path still continued upward, and she took stock of how many platforms existed. She noted their relative positioning from this new angle, and mentally calculated what would ultimately be the quickest way to clear the area. Another scan through OM confirmed that there weren’t any pesky, invisible platforms that she could make use of, or that would block her path upward.

At least in that particular spectrum.

It was an easy Space Jump to the next platform, which had Samus clear the entire diameter of the silo. The moment she landed, however, the Hunter—a small lifetime of experience in traversing massive heights through platforming under her helmet—bounded straight upward to the platform just above to hoist herself to even newer heights.

And yet another Space Jump to again clear the diameter… and from there, she was greeted with another platform high above her position but in no way out of reach. The catch was that this platform was not a part of the wall structure in the slightest. In fact, it seemed to be the only piece of this temple that was not left where it was milled, and instead was suspended in midair by a metal chain.

It was a smidge too high for her to be able to reach for after a Space Jump, but she had other options available.

Samus glanced over her shoulder and back at the wall that her current platform was attached to. A quick calculation of distance was all she needed, and she charged said wall. Half a second later she was airborne executing a perfectly timed wall-jump. She bounded upward at an angle off her vertical springboard, and with the extra help of her Space Jump boosters, the final platform that she had seen was summited without issue.

Even so, her landing perfectly on her feet had rocked the whole chain-bound platform a little more than she would’ve preferred.

Samus sighed and surveyed her newer surroundings.

Where to go from here?

There were no exits on any part of the perimeter of the tower, even at her current altitude. Her OM-Visor showed no seemingly invisible magical platforms, nor exits hidden behind any other elusive magical trickery. It also further confirmed that the magical currents were active, more intense, and still originating from straight up above her. A cluster of magical specks seemed to gather somewhere in the distance the further she looked up, providing even more of a figurative ‘come hither’ in her quest for the third glyph.

Twilight mentioned:

“I suspect that this is probably where an alicorn would simply fly… or even long-range teleport. If I had to guess, it’s these simple barriers that are meant as a check against non-alicorn beings from getting into places they shouldn’t.”

Samus nodded, but she was much more transfixed with the chain that was holding up the entire platform she was standing on.

With some help from her Power Grip, and happy to note that the chain was narrow enough for her to get a better working grip, she test-lifted herself a couple inches off the platform. The result was rather mundane, as she didn’t even end up disturbing any debris from wherever the ceiling was, shrouded beyond some moisture and a swirling, haze-like veil.

Nothing fell, nothing rattled, and nothing jostled nor slackened. It was a boring result, but it was the best result Samus could’ve hoped for. Even so, she wanted to be a little on the safer side—this was potentially over a thousand years old, and as such, she took a rather abundant heaping of caution.

“Mkay. Sturdy, but if this breaks halfway up, we’re fucked. I’m gonna do this a little more manually. Please hold.”

None of the ponies were able to get a word in before Samus disengaged her Suit. The biting cold air from the consistent winds chilled her face and neck, and further overwhelmed what warmth her Zero Suit provided without the environmental controllers of her Varia Suit. It wouldn’t kill her, but she’d be more than a bit uncomfortable if she had to remain exposed like this for longer than she needed to be.

Both her hands found a secure grip around the chain, and she unceremoniously began the arduous climb upward. She engaged all the muscles that she had honed and chiseled since she was a child, doing similar drills that had her scale entire sides of Chozo structures. Her breathing remained steady and her eyes remained honed just above her as she pulled herself up through modest exertion.

By virtue of using both her hands, she quickly found herself well-passed the point where she could jump off and land safely back on the platform without a decent injury, lest she re-engage her Suit beforehand.

As she ascended into the foggy veil that swirled entropically through the currents of the winds, she wasn’t worried in the slightest. She had been up at much higher altitudes in previous missions without any version of her Power Suit, but she could always call upon it in emergency if she lost her grip—all par for the course.

She pressed on with one hand in front of the other like a well-oiled machine until she ascended another forty-feet or so vertically. By this point, her face had gone numb from the cold… but she was finally through the musty, atmospheric veil and was now met with the moss-covered ceiling of the spire-like room, which heralded the end of her climbing journey.

Breathing heavier, her face held a new layer of dampness to it, and as she surveyed how far she had made it, Samus couldn’t help but break another smirk. Since she was a kid, this was the type of activity she lived for… seeing just how far she could push her body when she had some time to herself.

Samus then made a note that she’d need to go for a proper, aimless run and gun through the Everfree when this was all over, and see what else there was to climb, blow through, or just see.

Back in the present, Samus surveyed her new surroundings and was afforded two choices of exit: one on either side of her on opposite ends of the silo. To her left was an archway typical of what she had seen in the temple so far… one that could easily accommodate her height and offered nothing else to the imagination but a way out of here.

To her right, by contrast, looked more like an entrance to some ventilation shaft rather than a proper exit. Whatever it was, it was carved in such a way where it was perfectly circular, which told Samus that it was not in any way done through erosion or time—it was completely intentional, like pretty much everything else she had experienced here thus far.

What made it a little more interesting, and counter to her rather coincidental experiences over her many travels, was that it was even too small for her morph ball to pass through… at least, just by eyeballing it.

So she either had to choose a decidedly normal path, or she’d have to remain armorless for a little bit longer.

If she had her OM-Visor available to her right now, Samus could make a much more educated guess on which path to take. She didn’t feel comfortable re-equipping it, lest worst happen and this chain, in fact, couldn’t handle a sudden weight increase commensurate with her armorsuit.

Ergo, with her Suit disengaged, her magical ability was not available to her.

Samus blinked, and then brought one of her hands up to eye-level.

Or is it…?

It made sense that she couldn’t hear any of the girls in her head right now. It felt oddly empty, yeah, but that was also because Twilight and company were integrated with her systems, proper… not just magically attached to her. But the magic flowing from the Elements of Harmony themselves?

She reasoned that her systems didn’t exactly specify any limitation to her sensitivity so long as she was still holding onto the Elements.

Still clinging to the support chain with one hand, Samus leveled her right arm and hand outward. She concentrated as if she were casting any spell thus far, just to get some sort of sign.

Her entire hand flared alight, having come alive with a neon-luminous, purple lightshow before dissipating once Samus cut the dummy spell.

She huffed, victorious.

Perfect.

Having confirmed that at least a basic magical sensitivity and function was available to her without her Suit being engaged, she then wondered if she could use some equivalent to OM without the visor itself? She knew there was really only one way to find out, but if she had to guess, it would be more difficult to do so since her suit was doing most of the heavy lifting by just allowing her to ‘select’ abilities at will. Without that crutch, how much would it strain her mind?

Samus closed her eyes and channeled the usual state of mind she always had. She envisioned her will through the magical plane as Twilight had taught her, and after a couple deep breaths, she re-opened her eyes.

To some surprise from her, she was greeted with a world of dull darkness that she had become more than acquainted with when gazing through her OM-Visor. All that stirred were the flakes, specks, and general, transparent currents of dull magenta magic that she had likewise been all too used to seeing. She did notice a gentle, background tug on her mind most characteristic of any complex spell she’d cast, as this was actually taking some effort for her to maintain.

She now felt unnaturally hungry… and was getting hungrier.

The most intriguing part of the experience was when Samus, as she drew her gaze around, focused on the darkened chain when she noticed an errant reflection… one that became more prominent as she leaned in, and softer when she pulled back.

Her eyes were glowing.

…okay that’s kinda cool.

Mind back on the mission, Samus looked to the larger exit, and saw a rather conspicuous amount of magical flow and aura emanating from beyond the threshold… which to her, was a pretty telltale indicator of the right path forward. And yet, as she gazed in the opposite direction, Samus was thrown for a loop when she was greeted with a dull, solid, pulsing light… one whose frequency was slower than that of the two glyphs she worked with, yet still called to her like a moth to a flame.

And Samus felt stupid acknowledging it as such. But in the end, this exercise didn’t really help her make her case. Both paths could be correct. Most recent experience told her that she should follow the magical currents, as the glyphs gave them off.

Yet, as she turned back to the smaller tunnel, she couldn’t deny that it truly did play the right notes to her more adventurous side. In the end, it was all still towards completing the mission, right?

Goddamnit, fine.

Samus made her choice, and either way, she knew she’d need to use a bit more of her abilities regardless.

Channeling some extra focus via a few deep breaths to further steel herself, she braced her feet on the chain and lept towards the tunnel as far as the awkward angle would let her springboard. From there, she timed herself and manifested all necessary conditions to instigate a single Flash Teleportation. With the literal blink of an eye, she had rematerialized a split second later…

…with her hands gripping the circular edge while she hung limply off the side.

Samus had to admit, though: the stretch to her shoulders and back was phenomenal, and she had exactly zero qualm with remaining here for a few extra seconds to relish in the feeling.

She spared a single glance over her shoulder and down below, where she couldn’t even see the ground from whence she ascended. If anything, it fascinated her rather than churning her stomach—years of training and real-world experience made sure of that.

Up and at ‘em!

She finally, shakily, hoisted herself up, but the size of the tunnel opening meant that she needed to immediately insert herself on all-fours… only to then flatten her form further. Even so, she found her back scraping up against the high wall as she crawled through practically prone, further confirming that her Morph Ball would in no way fit through.

Focusing forward with heavier breathing from the awkward positioning, she pushed further, occasionally needing to press errant locks of her hair back behind her ears when they came loose… all while she flicked back and forth between her magical sight to confirm that she was still on the right track.

Indeed, something dead ahead was continuing to give off a gently pulsing light, though rather than a heartbeat as Samus would liken the glyphs, whatever this was…

…it seemed like it was breathing.

Even so, how the magical light tickled at a biological center in her body was a feeling she wasn’t used to. She attributed it fully to the sixth sense she gained through magic, and Samus felt that there were some foreign feelings to her that would manifest with her abilities. Being drawn to magic like this, at least through her rationale, made some form of sense… even did not like it in the slightest, and she knew such a sense and its inherent compulsion could be manipulated.

Possibly like how it was, right this moment. Or maybe it was simply this ‘magical hunger’ that was having this effect on her?

She soon had her answer though, as once she forded the tunnel with her Paralyzer Pistol drawn, Samus rose to her feet and checked all corners…

…though she quickly found that there was not all that much to actually check.

It was a small, blocky room no larger than an average bedroom and not at all dissimilar to any of the capillary rooms that she would end up finding that held occasional abilities, map rooms, save stations, and anything else she might end up finding useful on whatever mission she happened to be on at the time.

There was a single statue, however—significantly different from the rest of the cliffside temple material, but made to look like it was sprouting out of the floor like a tree—bore the appearance of some nameless, featureless alicorn from the torso, up. Its hooves reared up and its wings splayed outward, its featureless head was dutifully tilted towards her in some form of stony reverence, with an oddly large horn.

Unsure of what it might be exactly, Samus re-engaged her Suit… though she didn’t get to remotely engage her Scan Visor before she received a sudden tsunami of heaping of praise from Twilight:

“OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH THAT WAS AMAZING, SAMUS! THE INGENUITY!” she excitedly rambled.

“You’ve gotten SOOOO good in such a short time! So many unicorns take years to combine acrobatics with magic! I just… I don’t know what to say!”

The Hunter chuckled, and sarcastically added:

“Careful now, you’ll get me all red in the face with praise like that. Besides, it helped that I had a great teacher.”

Twilight giggled in kind before she intercepted Samus’ next question, and promptly launched into such a teaching mode:

“Hah! As if! But before you ask… I knew I was correct when I told you: In front of you is one such Magic Recharge Point, or MRP. The bust is made of pure Magicite with a crystalline interior. This allows it to collect the excess magic that runs off from the environment, as well as facilitate a donor-like ability.

“Alicorns and unicorns can simply tap their horns against the MRP’s horn or whatever the recharge key happens to be. With a mental handshake, it’ll replenish all their magical energy and top off their stamina. This is done by both direct infusion and passive recharge, like a battery… in addition to soothing the aches and general wear and tear that come from consistent magical use.”

“So, like muscles from exercise?” Samus asked.

“Yes! Great analogy! And as for how to recharge… clearly you don’t have a horn but you’ve been getting by just fine using your left hand as the main point of contact. Grasping the horn should do the trick, I’d think… though realistically? I don’t think it really matters,” explained Twilight.

Samus, for her part, was more than amicable to the simplicity.

“Oh… that’s it? Okay then.”

Ever the woman of action, Samus wasted no time in pondering and instead reached forward and grasped the middle of the stony horn with abandon… gently, but firmly as Twilight had instructed.

Unlike with other magical happenings, Samus did not have to wait for any other cues, as the once lifeless, carved eyes of the bust lit up a brilliant blue the mere moment her magically-sensitive digits made contact. The horn was likewise suddenly awash in a field of magic that blanketed Samus’ entire, armored hand.

The Hunter could feel the telltale tingle of the foreign magical touch even through the armor of her palm… but even more than that, she was graced with the inexplicable feeling of a light, feathery, nurturing, caressing touch to the deepest reaches of her mind. It felt almost exactly like when she was wordlessly asked to mentally ‘allow’ Twilight or the girls into her systems, and it felt utterly unthreatening.

And so, she let ‘it’ in, and Samus stiffened, startled, when she felt the sheer surge of magical energy ingress through her hand… an influx that energized and electrified her entire body from her core to the fringes of her fingers and toes.

Any and all magical fatigue… hell, even physical or imagined, was washed away at an instant in a torrent of re-energizing magic that flowed both into and over her entire form. The entire act produced a pseudo, brief overshield-like effect that flickered a dull blue around her Varia Suit for a couple, lingering seconds.

Her hunger had been sated.

The whole process itself had lasted not more than five seconds, despite the considerable change Samus felt through her body and mind. All then fell silent and lifeless again as the Magic Recharge Point finished its job admirably. With no further input from Samus, the foreign magical connection with her mind had been gently severed.

Samus unceremoniously pulled her hand back and let it fall limply by her side as she normally would, then pivoted on her heels and turned back to the tunnel from which she arrived. Her HUD confirmed everything she had suspected from the experience:

[Full recharge complete. All Weapons and Energy have been replenished. Magical Stamina has been restored.]

As for how she felt?

Samus couldn’t remember when she felt this physically great in the last couple of days. If she had to liken it to anything, it was like waking up from the most efficient sleep… with an energy that she could literally bound out of bed with the highest morale and take on the day.

“Huh. Goddamn I feel more fuckin’ alive than I have in a long time. You weren’t joking, Twi,” she joked.

The girls all giggled.

“Well, looks like this was the best outcome. Looks like there’s only one way forward, then,” said Twilight

“Yep…” Samus said as she got to her knees, and before she disengaged her suit to crawl back through the tunnel, she added.

“Back to work.”

It was easy enough to crawl back through to the silo-esque tower, but it was a little more difficult sliding somewhat sideways and over the edge to properly hang without suffering a precipitous, fatal restart to the ground.

She was able to manage it with a little bit of extra effort, nonetheless… and after reversing her previous strategy in using her powerful legs and a Flash Teleport, she re-materialized with some kinetic energy still in play by the time she made contact with the central chain she had been clinging onto previously.

This time, she rode said kinetic energy, swung her weight around, and expertly springboarded off the chain itself to enter a second teleportation spell. This time, she landed squarely on her feet, low in a fighting stance, just beyond the threshold of the exit across from the MRP tunnel entrance.

Samus victoriously re-engaged her Varia Suit, again, to Twilight’s continued heaping of praise, though this time much more measured in temper:

“You really are getting good at this. Gosh, if you continue at this pace, I’m gonna run out of things to teach you!”

The Hunter smirked, but opted not to respond but with a gentle shake of her head as she continued down the next hall.

She rounded the next corner with her cannon in the lead, but rather than any enemies waiting to ambush her and meeting the business end of her mainstay… she was met with just another hall that ended rather abruptly. Shuffling forward whilst keeping a continued eye on her motion tracker, Samus also found the third glyph bolted to the same wall that put an end to her continued advancement forward.

The whole endeavor to hunt for the third glyph of four now seemed rather… anticlimactic, if Samus was putting the whole Temple arc into perspective.

She had not even the slightest pleasure of needing to fire her weapon yet.

Samus examined the glyph in front of her—the same moon, but in Waxing Gibbous—all too ready to claim it and get just that much closer to restoring, reconstituting or resurrecting Luna.

She wasn’t sure which one was technically true. Perhaps a little bit of all columns?

“Seems… abrupt,” Samus spoke such thoughts succinctly.

“Agreed,” said Twilight. “I also expected more winding and general deathtraps awaiting us in the depths of the Temple but… then again, this is technically only part of a larger story.”

Like with the other glyphs, it came bundled with another set of text in the wall just off to the right side for her reading pleasure.

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete.]

[New Pony Lore has been translated and recorded to logbook.]

[Translation:

Everything is falling into place. All the preparations have been finalized and Luna now has all she needs to take the mantle of ascension. She goes forth with a zeal not seen since her sister took up the mantle of the Sun… and arguably, even moreso.

In our eyes, she is the physical manifestation of a new, Fuller Moon. Victory is hers to achieve. She only need grasp it… and by the will of the Gods, the Moon, and the Magical Universe at large, she will undoubtedly seize it.]

Dismissing her HUD, Samus then repeated the same activation sequence for the glyph, and noted this time that her head and mind felt perfectly up to the task, unburdened by any residual pains nor fatigue from wear and tear.

Successful a third time, Samus watched as the now-active glyph projected, like its predecessors, a line of hard magic across the ceiling and back down the hall and out presumably all the way towards the Ascendance Hall.

Even with her third objective sectured, Samus still braced herself and took pause. She steadied her breathing and glanced from side to side while keeping her ears peeled for any changes in the environmental sound around her… she fully anticipated the telltale sign of Prime’s mental intrusion to begin in earnest with the usual time distortion.

And yet, nothing out of the ordinary seemed readily apparent. Through the pause, Twilight seemed to whisper her concerns in a confirming tone:

“Samus? Another episode?”

The Hunter shook her head, though the ability to even hear Twilight as clear as day further confirmed to hear that no mind tricks were being played on her at this time.

“No. Not right now… was kinda expecting it, though. I’m fine, but uhhh…”

Samus scoured her line of sight in front and behind her, puzzled if she was missing something.

“There’s nowhere else to go? And we know there’s one more glyph to grab. Guessing I missed something on the way here?”

“I don’t think so…” pondered Twilight. “Girls, did you notice anything interesting we might’ve missed?”

“None, dear.”

“N-Nothing that stood out to me? I might’ve not been paying the best attention… I’m sorry…”

Twilight again built upon those answers with her own frustration:

“And I’ve been really putting feelers out there, monitoring constantly. If you missed some major magical clue or something, I would’ve let you know immediately and routed you elsewhere!

“But either way, there are options available to us… but they’re rather precise, so we’d need to have an idea where to look or we’d be here for years trying to figure this out.”

A quick glance around revealed nothing of interesting note. Everything was where she had expected it to be, nor had the glyph changed in the few seconds of deliberation. The same whooshings and tormented moanings of the wind system remained alive and active. Samus even jogged back towards the edge of the tower she scaled to see if anything new happened as a result of the glyph’s activation.

Yet, other than the spider-webbing line of magical hardlight trailing down the edge of the chamber, that was it.

Samus idled back around the corner, content with waiting by the glyph until she either got bored, or Twilight figured out something else.

“Well… if you’re saying there’s no need to do a more thorough search, then I got nothing.”

That was, until her entire body was overcome with a foreboding anxiousness and toe-curling paranoia… the same exact, visceral feeling that she experienced back in Canterlot Castle.

Samus’ gaze pierced straight forward and she drew her cannon as Twilight simultaneously detected the magical aberration:

“Entity! It’s… wait—oh…?”

Samus took stock of the appearance of teal-blue streaks of magic that suddenly lingered between her and the glyph. Idly glowing, flashing, and floating, a tangled web of ethereal magic coalesced into an incomplete, hologram-like apparition that Samus would entirely liken to a ‘ghost.’

Samus watched as by unknown means, more defining, feminine features sprouted in the form of mane, tail, wings, and a horn. The formerly androgynous, now feminine-looking alicorn took on a still-incomplete, yet much more familiar form… one whose gaze she could feel at the periphery of her battle-hardened senses.

A gaze that compelled Samus to soften her guard when she felt an inexplicably nurturing touch to her aetheric center, quelling her unease in an instant.

The Hunter lowered her canon a couple inches, then cocked her head as she softly called:

“Luna?”

19. Alive

Author's Note

As promised. Not holding onto this any longer LOL. I like what I've done here--hope you do, too. If you don't... well, damn, RIP me lmfao.

Enjoy! I sustain myself with comments so do let me know your thoughts below! This concludes the Luna arc~.

19. Alive

Samus jolted awake, sitting up ramrod as she fought to get a sudden bearing on her surroundings. Breathing heavily, she jerked her gaze around, whipping her hair sharply with wide eyes when she realized she was no longer battling the Tantabus’ physical form in the Ascendance Chamber.

She felt the remnants of a sandy warmth on her cheek where she had ostensibly fallen on her face, and the rush of equally warm, desert winds breaking upon her. She then leaned back into her hands, feeling the distinctly sandy, rocky ground that reminded her eerily so of Zebes.

And as she drank in more and more of her surroundings, a sudden, hair-straightening realization dawned on her: it was Zebes.

It looked and smelled of Zebes. She anxiously peered around, and could make out all the craggy canyon rocks, mountains, and general landscape so reminiscent of her second home. Though…

Hmmm…?

…It seemed oddly vague, as if there was a fog of inadequate draw distance beyond a certain point that she couldn’t really attribute to heat dissipation off the scorched desert rocks and sands. Almost like it was a game of sorts.

Or perhaps, a dream.

Attention rapt, Samus leaned forward and lay her forearm on one of her knees. She knew this was a dream. Her memories of her battle not a moment previously were still fresh on her mind, but likewise fresh out of the oven of her mind was how visceral everything felt right now. She was no stranger to vivid dreams like she had the previous evening, but this was the most tangible, lucid dream—if one could even call it that—that she’d ever experienced.

The smells.

The feels.

The sounds.

Despite the limitations of a lucid dream, it all seemed oddly perfect and quaint. That was also about the time she realized her forehead was damp. That was only somewhat expected because she knew she wasn’t wearing her Varia Suit anymore. Her arms, curiously, were much warmer than she would have come to expect them, even in this environment… assuming her Zero Suit’s rudimentary cooling abilities were functioning.

They weren’t, because she wasn’t wearing that, either. Further examination of herself led to the discovery of her being clad in a set of familiar, if basic training clothes from her childhood days. Her arms, most of her legs, and a couple-inch, uneven sliver of her midriff were bare to the elements around her.

Even more curiously, they fit her current frame perfectly. She never once owned a set of tailored, Chozo training clothes that had fit anything but her early mid-teens form, which would’ve looked comically undersized on her.

“Mkay then…” she spoke aloud, noting how her voice seemed to offer back the subtlest of echoes.

“Twi?” she called out, further gazing around her desert home. “Rarity? Flutters?”

No reply, which she somewhat expected. She didn’t exactly anticipate them following her into a controlled dream state. She did remember that Twilight was monitoring her somewhat.

“Keep me alive, Twilight. While I figure this out at least… maybe…” her out-loud thoughts tapered off.

Samus stood up, feeling—and watching—her bare feet sink softly into the warm sand underneath her weight.

“Zebes. But where am I exactly?”

She squinted her eyes to see as best she could through the vague veil in the far distance all around her. She couldn’t make out Chozodia anywhere, nor any of the other minor outposts and training installations that she was familiar with. No other landmarks that she had known by heart since she was a late toddler stood out to her, either.

And yet, as she crossed her arms and retreated deeper into her thoughts, Samus knew that something about the barren, sandy plane she currently occupied seemed oddly familiar. She could pick out a few shattered ruins that looked correct, but despite passing familiarity, she couldn’t rightly place why she felt that way.

Perhaps it was the consequence of her being in a dream, along with all its subtle imperfections adding up. Or maybe it was as a result of being kept anchored wherever she was based on magical trickery Twilight was employing, along with the Tantabus’ machinations.

Samus took a couple steps in either direction, just to test the figurative waters and see if anything drastically changed in her dreamscape.

Nothing. Even the sand felt the same, as she would’ve expected it to, as did the continued, ambient sound of the whipping desert winds and sand particles bouncing off her face.

“Wonder if you girls can see this play out,” she mused in between scouting which way she should start walking to get things underway.

“Like a crystal ball or… a fish tank… maybe? Guess we’ll find out when this is all over.”

“Well, this is a most interesting surprise.”

The foreign voice cut through the silent atmosphere like a superheated knife through room-temperature butter… a knife extra sharpened by the fact that the sudden voice was, in fact, very familiar to her.

It was a voice that emanated from just a few feet behind her, rather than an omnipresent one like Twilight’s was in her head. She knew good and well that she had just faced that way, too… and there was nothing that could have possibly been the source, at that time.

Even so, it was instantly recognizable without any shred of doubt. More than that, Samus’ entire body went stiff, ridden with goosebumps when she suddenly sensed a distinct presence behind her in kind.

The older, smooth, paternal voice continued from above and behind her:

“I did not expect you for some time.”

Samus whipped around to find exactly whom she expected: an older Chozo, just as she remembered him: dark-gray, feathered face garbed in one of his drab cloaks, under which, despite his age, was the stature and musculature of a Thoha warrior long past his prime. Just as he had always coolly presented himself, his hands were neatly folded in front of his torso… though where once, even in childhood, she’d look up to him and find mild contempt and stoicism, she was struck on how instead she found abject curiosity.

Pleasantness as well, but confusion nonetheless.

And the lack of any scathing edge to his words in conjunction with his softer expression was proof enough that he was somewhat happy to see her… or what she remembered passing for ‘happiness’ from the colder of her adoptive parents. For the briefest of moments, Samus wondered if this was actually entirely a dream. Maybe, standing in front of her, was a made up version courtesy of her own imagination rather than him choosing to appear before her in a method of his choosing in the past.

Still, she softly replied in equal measure of disbelief. There really was only one way to find out:

“Gray Voice…?”

She tentatively began to walk over to him, and Samus consciously made sure that she could still feel her surroundings. The wind still whipped sand into her face and threw her hair behind her. Her feet were still warm, nestled by the Zebesian sand that she had sprinted through countless times as a child. Everything still felt real enough to her.

He offered a shallow, affirmative nod.

She kept the conversation going, further probing with a rather trademark, rebellious attitude that she had always had with him:

“And what’s that supposed to mean, hmm? What the hell do you mean I’m early and over-punctual?” she said, smirking.

By the time the last of her words left her mouth, she stood tall in front of him, though despite her age since the last time she saw him, even as a vision, she still needed to look up into his faded gold eyes, over his beak.

Still, definitely not as much as she remembered.

He still hadn’t said anything as he appeared to be verifying what he was seeing in kind, and Samus was all too happy to fill in the conversational void with some sardonic wit:

“That’s how you greet me after all this time? It’s been a while, Gray. Well, since I saw you when I was last on Zebes when you decided to be oh so helpful during my Zero Mission.”

Samus was riposted with something she had rarely seen Gray Voice do:

He smiled.

“You’ve indeed grown much since I last saw you, my child,” he finally said. “Don’t think I have not kept up with your trials since we last spoke: your work on Tallon IV and with our Luminoth brothers in their hour of need has been nothing short of magnificent.

“I, and the others who still trek just beyond the mortal realm extend our greatest thanks.”

By the time Gray had fully said what he did, Samus had already truly realized that this wasn’t just a dream. It truly was Gray Voice’s projection in front of her, much as he had appeared to her in the past. Even if she had no physical proof, her intuition and the way that he spoke those words on her most recent past further put her at ease.

Her stance and posture relaxed by the time silence had returned between them. She smiled softly, and after not seeing him since her Zero Mission, she opted to close the remaining distance and properly throw her arms around his midsection.

All remaining, infantesimal doubt that this was just some dream trickery was thrown out the window when she could feel a familiar warmth against her chest when she hugged him. That dopey smile spread further across her face as she hummed softly, nestling herself further into him and tightening her hold around one of her adoptive parents.

She giggled though, when she could feel the elder Chozo’s posture go stiff at the sudden, admittedly startling intrusion of his personal space. He had lifted his arms enough to give her room, though she had to further stop a girlish laughter from escaping her lips when he could feel him, awkwardly at first, laying his own embrace around her.

Through the silence, Gray Voice seemed to relax as well, and they shared a proper hug.

“Are you alright, Samus?” he broke the silence.

“Yeah,” Samus replied, then released him to stand before him. “I…

“...I just missed you.”

She watched his features reflect soft knowing.

“The feeling is most certainly mutual… and I apologize that I have not been able to come around sooner.”

Samus knew by his tone that he was hanging on his words, and she cocked another eyebrow.

“I’m about to hear a ‘but.’”

“...but I know you deciding to visit yourself is not why you’re here.”

Samus glanced around, and noticed that darkness had crept in: The hills and ruins just beyond the well-rendered, nebulous haze in the far distance were now completely shrouded in a void of black.

Something told her she was not exactly rich on time, though she was in no way going to squander her moments with Gray Voice… covertly fighting the Tantabus notwithstanding.

“Oh?” she asked. “And what makes you say that?”

He gestured out with one arm around towards the environment at large.

“This is a sequestered plane—one that exists at the nexus of your mind, your dreams, and the astral plane at large. It is a rather specific place to be for such a random occurrence,” he noted, then returned his faded golden eyes to hers from over his beak.

“And as such, it is evident that you have come here with a purpose… whether willingly or not.”

Samus shrugged, and pivoted on her heels a bit as she, too, gazed pensively over the horizon, and into the surrounding void that had further closed in.

“Yeah… truth be told, I’m not really sure what the hell I’m supposed to be doing here. Something about reflection and forgiveness or something to fight the Tantabus,” she let herself ramble in his presence, even if he might not have had the context for everything she was currently dealing with right now.

Who was she kidding? He was one of her Chozo elders. He had enough context for everything, all the time, even in the afterlife.

“So… uh, yeah. Not sure what I’m supposed to forgive myself for. There’s been a lot of shit over the years, so really, it could be anything. Was never good with the cryptic stuff. Even with you and Old Bird.”

And in Samus’ mind, the entire reason for her morale slump over the last couple missions was because she didn’t know what she was looking for… what else she needed to continue to live up to the name and task bestowed upon her by the Chozo at large. This was really only somewhat remedied once she found tangible, re-fired purpose with her travel companions thus far—her time in Canterlot Castle and with Viridian Shield further reinforced this.

But, it in no way treated the cause. Merely the symptoms. Was she really expected to solve all of that right here and now? In some weird astral projection of a lucid dream of Zebes with Gray Voice?

She shrugged one last time and resolutely added:

“I legitimately don’t know what to do.”

She exhaled to reign in her frustration a tad.

Through the silence of the flowing Zebesian winds, she watched as Gray Voice smirked… though it was in a way in which she couldn’t tell if he was having a chuckle at her slight dig at him, or if he saw something else that she didn’t.

Knowing him, it was a little of column A and a hell of a lot of column B, if she had to hazard a guess.

Another glance to her surroundings, and she noted the void approaching further: the closer hills and rocky plateaus amongst the desert sands were now swallowed up and completely gone beyond the abyss… an abyss that seemed to still-perfectly mesh with the bright blue sky above the further upward she looked.

By this point, she knew it had something to do with the Tantabus’ methods of ‘subsuming’ her and feeding on her. Thankfully, Gray Voice finally spoke, which brought her mind away from approaching doom, for the time being.

Straight-forwardly, he said:

“Quite frankly, Samus, I do not believe you when you say that.”

Samus didn’t get to respond, and was instead privy to something even rarer from him—sarcasm—as he gestured around him.

“I can only wonder why you just so happened to meet me here, on Zebes, in a rather crude projection of where you last knew that I was alive?”

Samus froze.

Her eyes went wide as the realization struck her harder than a Pirate assault rifle burst when she wasn’t paying attention. She was suddenly hit with the core memory of firstly when she learned that he had been the DNA donor that allowed her to survive on Zebes… knowledge she had cherished since she learned it after he had died. The literal, familial connection, essentially a father-daughter-esque bond, further swelled the sudden tidal wave of emotions she was experiencing when she understood, secondly, where they were.

“This… this is where you fought Ridley.”

“And died, yes,” he flatly confirmed. “Admittedly, this is not a perfect recollection since you weren’t there, but it’s close enough.”

The void further closed in.

Samus stumbled a step as she shakily exhaled, further put off-balance by a second layer of realization as to what she thought was happening.

She now understood why she was here. The words pertaining to this realization fought valiantly to burst out of her throat, but still, she fought them. Her mouth hurt with how badly she wanted to say certain things… things that she had only said to herself when alone on an insomniatic night when missions were few and far between.

Samus had to, though. She knew she did.

Thus, even though she pensively—anxiously—averted her gaze at first, she quickly affixed her eyes up at Gray’s. Then, her much softer, tender words were spoken:

“I couldn’t save you.”

The Chozo, for his part, didn’t seem particularly fazed by Samus’ revelation of what she considered one of her greatest failures. He shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing in the universe.

“Of course you couldn’t. It had all been by my design… and I knew that if any part of it went awry, I would be the only one to suffer for it.

“To that end, Samus, you did exactly what I asked you to do, and got the rest of the Chozo off Zebes so they might live. And that the Galaxy would have more time to defend itself.”

Samus continued to stare at him wordlessly, even though his last words fell silent more than a few seconds prior. Again, she found the ground much more interesting when she felt his genuinely pitying gaze…

…along with his large hand upon her shoulder.

“You still hold that over yourself. Don’t you, my child?”

There were no reserves of confidence anymore that Samus could draw on. Her admission had spent it all, and her silence was more than enough to answer his question, at first. His inquiry brooked a response, but she still could not bear to look him in the eyes right now, and was all-too happy to let her bangs droop over her eyes.

“No… Maybe… I-I always wondered what could’ve happened if I got back to Zebes sooner than I did. Or if I didn’t break down in front of Ridley and started shooting him on sight…”

She finally looked back up at Gray Voice, eyes beginning to feel a little sore.

“...That things might’ve ended differently. That maybe, if I hadn’t frozen up when I did, that just maybe you’d still be alive, and you would’ve had to do what you did.”

Gray Voice softly shook his head, yet still managed a soft smile for her.

“There truly wasn’t anything that you could’ve done. As I said before, the entire thing was planned from the ground up: attempting to strike at the heart of the Pirates and Mother Brain herself once I had realized she had essentially gone rogue in her programming.”

He gestured open-palmed to her with his free hand.

“You being brought before her and Ridley as an attempt to sway you to the cause was all part of the ruse. Perhaps there was the tiniest twinge of disappointment that you didn’t even attempt to attack Ridley on sight… I’ll be honest and forthcoming about that. I feel after everything, I at least owe you that much.”

Samus listened intently as he continued:

“But to that end, it would’ve made absolutely no difference. Had you overcome your fears and your trauma attack and launched yourself at the Pirate Commander…”

He shrugged again, having already known the answer:

“You and I both know that you were in no way in the appropriate mental state for combat with him of all creatures. To put it simply: I had already decided to use myself as bait and a sacrifice to get the rest of the Chozo off Zebes.

“And through that, you being incapacitated for those moments bought enough time for you to help facilitate this goal. But perhaps, my child, something more important happened: You, yourself, survived.”

Samus increasingly felt the air taken from her lungs as her second father continued his lecture:

“Samus, I was not merely commenting on your height when I said that you had grown after all these years since I last saw you. You’ve shown that my faith in donating Chozo genes to you has never once been misplaced… and even after death, I’ve continued to watch you grow.”

The Hunter’s composure cracked when Gray unexpectedly pulled her in for another, most paternal hug… one that she didn’t even hesitate in returning as she buried her face in his chest.

“And like I had said in those final moments before that wretched reptile finished me off: you’ve grown so strong, Samus. You’ve only continued to do so, after Zebes.”

By the time she separated from him, Samus had fully grasped her folly. For all these years she had been carrying the self-inflicted wound that she was somehow responsible for Gray Voice’s death. He had instead ordained it himself, and in reality, there was nothing she could’ve done that would’ve changed things, or seen to her survival.

Shakily, she looked to her hands as they trembled before her. Her vision blurred from tears that she didn’t know she could cry, even in a dream… tears which fell between her fingers and disappeared in the sand.

Not that clearer vision would’ve helped her in the slightest: she could no longer see beyond the void that had consumed the ruins the two of them stood in. Both she and Gray Voice stood alone on a patch of sand.

Only when she gazed back up, full of hope, into his eyes did the Chozo further speak:

“Do you remember what I said to you, when I visited you after you returned to Zebes to finish what I could not? Because it was the truth: the Chozo’s tasks had truly been completed… for a time, at least.

“But, there was one thing I neglected to mention for lack of my own time.”

He pointed a long, aged, spindly finger right at Samus’ heart.

“So long as you live, Samus, the Chozo will continue to exist. Through you, our legacy shines like the brightest stars in the known universe… whether we are truly extinct, or not.”

Samus had no more shame to give as her body trembled. She dared not avert her gaze this time as she nodded vehemently, and pursed her lips as her eyes dribbled rivulets of hot tears down her cheeks.

Gray Voice warmly, proudly finished:

“You have done so, so well, my child. You truly never asked for any of this burden, and for that, on behalf of all Chozo, I apologize, for anything it might be worth at this point…

“Yet, here you stand, amongst all the good you have accomplished. Though your fire may have dimmed, it was never extinguished—it still burns brightly with the righteousness I always saw in your eyes.

“After all this time, my daughter, you are my greatest achievement.”

Whatever remaining composure she had broke entirely as Samus began openly weeping.

She threw her arms around him and held him as tightly as she could, spilling the rawest emotion she had since her mental breakdown the first time she ever returned to Zebes. Much to her relief, he seemed more than happy to reciprocate, nor was there any emotion returned but pure, loving support.

But much unlike that previous time, she could not have felt better saying what she said, and hearing what she heard.

This was it.

But hearing Gray Voice say those things to her… he acknowledged her. Her growth, her pain, her suffering… her life. It was a paternal feeling of guidance and reassurance that she didn’t know she needed from him specifically, and of which no one else could provide.

There had just never been enough time to hear it.

Samus shut her eyes tight, wringing out any more tears that might’ve remained. After a few pleasant moments, she then sniffled and breathily steeled her resolve that had been so powerfully reforged:

“T-Thanks, Gray… I swear… I can do this. I’m going to do this!”

“I never believed you couldn’t. Nor has your ability ever been in doubt with me,” he replied, and despite their height difference, Samus could hear the smirk in his voice:

“It is good that you finally understand: it’s okay. It was always okay, and I hope that breaking yourself free of this shackle will come to not only save your life, as you’ve saved the lives of countless others. But more than that, may it unchain you literally, and propel you forward.”

She nodded silently, and felt her body energized in a way that she hadn’t felt in years, further building upon her already-swollen spirits. Her thoughts, however, were cut short when a deafening rustling, an eerie moaning like a ferocious hurricane wind battering the shoreline began to gradually overtake the silence.

She pulled back from Gray Voice and turned to see the darkness physically swirling with the wind around her… and perhaps more disappointingly to her, Samus glanced back to her adoptive parent and watched as the fringes of his form began to slowly fizzle into nothingness.

She sighed out solemnly, knowing full-well what this meant.

“Already…? So soon?”

Gray Voice smiled ruefully, and nodded.

“I’m afraid so, Samus.”

Samus meekly replied:

“Just a little longer… please?”

He reminded her:

“Viridian Shield still lives, which means you are in marvelous hands should you ever need guidance. And you still have a quarrel to finish.

“There will be plenty of time to reconvene again when both of us are less… occupied,” he then hinted.

Disappointed, Samus pursed her lips and nodded, nevertheless accepting his words as her temporary reality began to brighten around her into a blinding light. Gray Voice’s body further was carried away on the winds of her inevitable awakening.

“Okay, Gray…” she said. And in one last external bout of self-reinforcement, she nodded curtly with a renewed, steely stoicism she had appropriated her whole life since Zebes.

And in a spur of the moment decision, she trialed one more word in acknowledgement:

“Will do, Dad.”

Gray smiled wider.

“And, Samus?”

“Yeah?”

His echoing, declaiming voice was all she heard as she was suddenly blinded by pure white like a growing flashbang, and his form faded completely.

“The defense of the Galaxy still rests in your capable hands, my daughter. May you succeed where we failed. Wield our weapons and armor—your weapons and armor, Entrusted One. Defend this planet. Defend your companions. Defend our legacy.

“GO FORTH AND FIGHT!”

Samus shot awake with a righteous scream as her entire body coursed with a sudden, electrical jolt that instantly ignited all her senses back in reality.

Eyesight crystal clear from a moment’s wetness, flared with magic via the light reflection from inside her visor, Samus was greeted with a familiar heads-up display. She was further reoriented when she realized that she was still prone, facing the ceiling of the Ascension Chamber. She flicked vision in all directions, and caught the slightest glimpse of the magical wake of a lavender, spherical field that had expanded outwards in all directions.

Her ears, once ringing, were now assaulted by the horrific, blood-curdling screeches of hellish, grievous wounds as the Tantabus was shredded by… whatever she had just seen.

She sat up, and a quick test of all her limbs confirmed that she was completely free of her magical restraints and her enemy’s attempts and subsuming her. Further, the once muffled voices in her head quickly began to gain more prominence as her sense of hearing stabilized through the cacophonous, gurgling screeches that sounded like the Tantabus was choking on its own viscera.

Samus leapt to her feet, fully reinvigorated as she aimed her cannon at a partially-reconstructed, faltering dream entity.

The Tantabus kept attempting to rapidly reform itself into a pony, but failed every time as it melted back on itself. Each time it only managed a broken, nightmarish caricature of its previous form as it seemed to lack the constitution to reform into anything. Through its wretched howls that rattled Samus’ bones and the chamber at large, it ceded ground.

Her thoughts were fully cleared up to ask the relevant questions now that she had breathing room:

“What the hell happened?! Did I kill it?”

Twilight was on the scene to brief her with equal urgency:

“I don’t know! You definitely did something, though! We’ve fought the Tantabus in the past and this never happened!”

That was all the confirmation that Samus needed to know that she did what she had to do, and she severely wounded it at the very least. Wordlessly, and with an emotional inferno that likewise re-ignited the entirety of her fighting spirit, Samus charged headlong against the Tantabus.

Cannon outstretched, she poured a one-woman enfilade of Pulse Missiles in a literal walking barrage. Nearly all shots hit their mark, and she happily sent charged shots its way for the extra insult whenever she needed to dodge outstretched, spearing attacks in the Tantabus’ last, desperate attempts to defend itself.

Shot by shot, blast by blast, Samus cut down its nebulous formations of appendages that were thrust against her, until she was just close enough to take inspiration from her fight with the Somnia back in Canterlot.

Gritted teeth, steely eyed, and with a viciousness hitherto unseen by her travel companions, Samus went in for the kill with a magically charged fist. Her target was the screeching, jaggedly half-formed pony face.

She stopped her attack dead, frozen, wide-eyed as she was inexplicably greeted with the image of Gray Voice in the Tantabus’ place. He was wounded and prone on the ground before her, holding his scarred hand up to shield his face from Samus’ incoming blow.

So stunned was she by the display, that the single second it took her to realize the ruse was all that was needed for her enemy to slink away entirely. She lowered into a fighting stance and shot three more rounds off at its fleeing form, but nevertheless sped away up the cavern walls, having reformed with a couple of its satellite ‘puddles’ that had broken off during their recent fight.

The Tantabus screeched the entire time until Samus could no longer hear, nor see it on radar. It was completely out of sight and mind.

It had fled the area and forfeited the battle entirely, though in its wake, left behind more than a few questions and clues as to what’s been happening. Samus still aimed down her sights towards the shrouded ceiling of the chamber, and used the few moments of a rather bloated silence to collect herself from the more recent experience.

She exhaled and then relaxed her posture, dropping her weapon to her side, and sarcastically observed:

“Now I’m wondering how much that thing has been responsible for in the last couple days. Not all of the bullshit could’ve been mere coincidence. But, it’s gone now. I’m sure there’ll be absolutely no problems from that at all.”

“Considering our own experiences with it, this is kind of expected behavior of the Tantabus. Whatever you did in your dream though… whatever it was, seriously hurt it. I hadn’t ever seen it torn to pieces like that!” Twilight said.

Samus narrowed her eyes where she last had sight of the Tantabus’ form, but nevertheless remained silent for a few moments. It wasn’t the first time that mortal danger ended up getting away from her, only to come back and literally haunt her further down the line in her mission. She huffed before she turned back towards the altar, then casually marched her way over.

“I’ll make sure to kill it properly, next time if it shows up again.”

The exceedingly bright, coruscating sphere of magic was now free of the Tantabus’ veil, and like she had first seen it, its blue hue heralded her forward. It was time to actually finish what they came here to do.

“Not sure that’ll be possible without Luna’s help, at least from my memory,” said Twilight.

Speaking of memory…

Samus asked pointedly:

“How much did you all see while I was unconscious?”

Only hearing her own footfalls for the next few seconds as she re-approached the steps of the altar of the Ascendance Object told her everything.

Rarity, however, gingerly admitted on behalf of the whole group:

“More than enough, dear.”

Siiiiigh.

She wasn’t exactly sure why she was annoyed that they bore witness to… well, all of that while she was out for the count. She could speculate on what insecurities she had, or if it undermined her image of her knowing what she was doing… not that she really ever claimed to know everything she was doing.

Samus wasn’t in the mood to rationalize herself into a corner right now, and from the ensuing silence afforded by all three of the girls, it seemed they were more than happy to give her space from the subject. She was more than grateful for that.

At least, for now. If Samus knew Twilight well-enough, she’d try to broach the subject at some point in the near future. That was fine by her.

Samus re-ascended the altar, step-by-step, and continued the process of speculation from where she left off before the Tantabus made its unwelcome appearance. Finally in front of the swirling ball of entropic magic, Samus could just feel how powerful and chaotic it was through her own sensitivity. It enveloped her in a foreign warmth… but so antsy and electrified did she suddenly feel, that she figured if she stepped any closer, the idle humming that she was feeling through her Suit’s metal and her bones would somehow lash out and consume her.

As the silence continued as Samus figured the girls were likewise taking in the magical object before them. Her curiosity all the while got the better of her, and she brushed past the pillar that held the lone aperture, and dipped a single finger into the swirling magic…

…which phased right through, though it disappeared behind the veil.

But oh did she feel the sudden effects. A surge of energy wormed its way up her spine as the tendrils of the magic graced her energy shielding. She was thereafter greeted by an interesting, if familiar pop-up on her HUD:

[Full recharge complete. All Weapons and Energy have been replenished. Magical Stamina has been restored.]

What she distinctly did not feel was any hostility. In fact, owing to the fact that she, in fact, hadn’t gone mad by way of the Tantabus’ antics, she could distinctly feel the sphere’s chaotic energy begin to calm… as did the intensity of the currents of magic, visually. It was the warmth similar to seeing an old friend that gradually put her at ease, and Samus could feel it beckoning her forward.

It was inviting her… which begged the question on how to proceed.

“Okay so…” Samus broke the silence. “What to do? Twi? Guessing it has something to do with that interface over there?” she turned back towards the pillar, whose aperture was conspicuously the size of her cannon’s barrel.

“Not entirely sure, but when you touched it just now, I could feel it reacting warmly as you did, so I don’t think there’s any danger here. Buuuut… remember from the crystal recording that Luna said that I had the power to reconstitute her and Celestia?”

“Yeah…”

“So I’m thinking that you channel me in my purest elemental form via your hand. Just like the cypher lock earlier.”

“And then?”

“Use that ‘interface’ and try inserting me directly into the magic?”

It was as easy as Samus could’ve hoped, magically speaking, and thankfully the experience with the lock beforehand gave her all the knowledge she needed to work with.

In a moment of deliberation, Samus raised her armored hand to eye-level just in front of her visor, and regarded it pensively. She was rather well acquainted with the irony that, unlike her other missions in so many systems where her Arm Cannon had been the interface, this time it would be her venerable hand that had been doing the literal and figurative heavy lifting with her newfound abilities.

As she had been taught so well, Samus closed her eyes and easily isolated Twilight’s element via magic, and at once her hand and forearm responded with a brilliant, lavender hue of her magic’s glow. The manifestation of Twilight’s element appeared in her palm, safely nestled.

Immediately, Samus could see that the entropic sphere reacted strongly to the Element of Magic, like it called out directly for it. She could feel that warmth even more strongly than before… a warmth that was once friendly but was now excited. Jubilation.

Hunger.

She took a couple rearward steps to get in front of the interface properly.

“Alright, then. We’ve gotten this far. Do what you gotta do, Twi.”

The Hunter wasted no further time and thrust her lit-up arm through the aperture and hilted up to her elbow, which had the effect of sinking her hand midway down her forearm into the entropic magic.

Much like when she had thrust her cannon like a spear into the energy controllers back on Aether, Samus felt a sudden, seismic surge of energy coursing through her body. It was all magic, and she didn’t know her visor was capable of displaying colors like an oily puddle as said magic rippled over—and through—her form.

She steeled herself and held firm. It didn’t repel her, nor did she have any sudden urge or compulsion to disengage. In fact, whatever she was reacting with beyond the now aggressively coruscating veil of magic… it, and the aperture, held her cemented. It was wholly unwilling to release her arm in any direction, as if Samus were magnetically attached and at the mercy of whatever process was taking place.

She started seeing things again.

Rather than phantom sightings of Prime, they were much like the visions she was subjected to during the transition from the Ascension Hall to the Ascension Chamber. Flashes and instants, fleeting seconds of recollection of memories of various scenes of ponies that she knew she couldn’t possibly have. Each one graced Samus with different stages of Luna as she grew older throughout her rather long life, from her childhood as a filly, to her corruption as Nightmare Moon, and ultimately as she remembered her through the recording as an adult alicorn ruler of Equestria…

…and the final vision of a blinding, rainbow flash as she stared down certain doom, having met her end at the tail-end of the Crisis.

An entire life’s story was flashing before Samus’ curious eyes… and what she was decidedly not privy to was a swirling, unmistakably visible and conspicuous column of teal magic rising from outside the temple, and arcing towards the visible moon high in the late-afternoon sky.

At this point, her forearm was now struggling to maintain its position inside the activated magic, shaking so violently as if it was trying to pull her further inward. Concerned over the course of these last few seconds, and with no vocal intervention from Twilight nor the other girls in her systems, Samus debated when would be a good time to attempt to extricate herself from her position, if that was even possible.

She was suddenly, utterly, and violently released via the throes of a blast of magical energy that careened her clear off the altar.

Samus had been submitted to worse, unwilling changes of position in the past, so it was easy enough to lean into her newfound kinetic energy and drop into an elegant roll.

Silence reigned again, and whilst knelt, a quick diagnostic check revealed all systems fully online, functional and at capacity. She flared her hand in magic, proving its continued existence, and her connection with the Elements, all registering on her HUD, was as strong as ever.

She glanced back up at the altar, where the nestled sphere of magic had faded entirely from existence, with the only remnants of the previous process being the lingering magically charged sparks, bolts, and zaps around the chamber.

“Everyone alright?” Samus called out.

Twilight replied, surprisingly groggily:

“W-Whoa… I could feel her… and yeah, I’m here! I don’t really know what happened as it felt like I was just existing but, I’m okay!”

“I’m here too!” said Fluttershy.

“Myself as well!” likewise said Rarity.

More than happy that everything was as it should be, Samus further inquired as she made her way back up the stairs to the altar, having noted the absence of the central sphere of magic.

“Good to hear. But what now? Did we do…”

Her words trailed off, as did she pause with one foot on the platform when she spied something that was decidedly not there previously. Laying messily strewn before her was what appeared to be a larger pony, navy-blue in coat, with a lifeless, lighter-blue mane splayed out haphazardly around her prone form.

“Uhhh, is that…?” Samus wondered aloud, quickly making her way over to the fallen form to kneel over her.

“It’s her!” exclaimed Twilight. “She’s alive… right?”

Now loomed over her, Samus could not only confirm her identity visually based solely on Twilight’s tellings as well as the recordings she had seen—lack of ethereal, magical mane notwithstanding. She could also see a steady, if slow, rhythmic rise and fall of Luna’s barrel.

“Well, she’s breathing, which is good. One sec…”

Samus performed a quick scan, not that she really needed to, on account of the lack of any identity crisis on Twilight’s part regarding the newcomer.

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete]

[Princess Luna. Status: Alive. Vitals Stable. Magical signature is markedly weak, but slowly rising.]

“Yeah, she’s good. Seems a bit weak though, which I guess is expected.”

Ever the risk-taker, Twilight materialized in the real world in a flashing torrent of magic right next to Samus’ kneeling form, ready to be on the scene. Rarity and Fluttershy followed closely behind in their own radiant flashes of colored magic.

“Princess…?” Twilight tentatively called out, hoof raised, as the rest of them crowded around Luna’s nascent, debatably conscious body.

“Can you hear us, Your Highness…?” Rarity likewise asked.

Fluttershy opted to remain quiet, though Samus watched as she curiously peeked from behind the veil of her flowing mane, scanning the diarch’s body for what the Hunter assumed was any obvious sign of injury.

Luna, however, gasped…

And then coughed…

And then finally groaned groggily in her first signs of conscious life. Her mane hung droopily around her face as she steadily took deeper and deeper breaths. Soon enough, she managed to get herself on her haunches, to which the girls were instantly upon her to help stabilize her.

“Easy, Princess…” Fluttershy spoke softly. “Nice and easy, now…”

All the while, Samus watched them sit her up properly, and only then did Luna seem to understand what was happening as she regained lucidity. Her mane parted from her muzzle when she gazed, groggy-eyed, to the ponies around her. Realization seemed to sparkle in her teal-blue eyes, which gradually widened as Samus figured she was wondering how much of this was actually reality or not.

She’d been there, once or twice.

Her eyes fell on each of the three ponies, her gaze full of recognition before finally, Luna spoke, fatigued, if beholden in the most exhausted way possible:

“Y-You—You found me…

“You restored me…”

And those words brought more than measurable, beaming grins to all the ponies’ faces.

Twilight nodded vehemently, and even giggled through her own tears of happiness she was shedding.

“YES!! We did! We found your message and, well… you led us here!”

Luna smiled warmly.

“I must admit…” she began anew, stretching out her shoulders until all heard an audible pop.

“...that went by a bit quicker than I expected. I feel like I awoke from a very long, unsatisfying nap.”

The girls all giggled at that, and that’s when Luna opened her legs and brought all of them in for a deep, meaningful hug, more than happy to have her personal space overcrowded.

“It’s so wonderful to see you all again. I… I don’t think I can ever thank you enough for actually restoring me.”

“And it’s beyond marvelous to have you back, Your Highness,” said Rarity.

Fluttershy happily said:

“It was a bit of a team effort, Princess… maybe a bit more from some of us, than others,” Fluttershy alluded, and shot a knowing, thankful look back at Samus.

Luna hummed in observation as she pulled back from the group hug.

“There’s only three of you… things have certainly transpired.”

And that’s when she noticed Samus, knelt a little further back behind the pony cuddle pile, and the Hunter could feel her lingering, rapt curiosity boring through her entire form.

“Interesting things, indeed.”

Twilight proved to be the perfect lead into introductions, as she gestured towards Samus.

“We couldn’t’ve done any of this without her,” she noted. “Princess, this is Samus Aran. An offworlder—not affiliated with the other ones. There’s more to it than that, and we’ll catch you up when we get back to Ponyville, but she made this all possible.”

Samus crept in just a smidge closer, though remained on one knee as she removed her helmet with the telltale depressurization hiss. She shook her hair free of any matted strands and then decided on her own introduction:

“Heh, what Twilight said,” she began. “Samus Aran. Bounty Hunter. Species: human. Happy to expand on that later but… yeah. Thanks for the clues you left behind in Canterlot. Made the job a lot less of a blind crapshoot.”

Luna smirked, nodding and never once breaking eye contact.

“Yes… I had hoped the Elements would find that, somehow. And it appears that you’re the one who helped them. Indeed, much has happened, it seems, and I look forward to playing catchup.

“I’m Luna. Princess of the Night of Equestria. Thank you, Samus, for helping to restore me. I’ve only just met you and I know not how I can repay your efforts… but for now, regrettably, I must ask you one immediate favor.”

Samus cocked her head.

“Hmm?”

Luna placed her hoof in Samus’ armored palm and reluctantly asked:

“I sincerely apologize, but would you kindly help me up?”

All the girls devolved into outright laughter, and even though Samus could read the abject seriousness on Luna’s face, the Princess likewise giggled into her other hoof. Samus wasn’t immune, and smirked as she rolled her eyes.

She nodded, nonetheless.

“Sure thing! Come on…” she took a firm hold of Luna’s hoof. The rest of the girls nudged her with their muzzles.

Once Luna braced herself properly, Samus then hoisted her up.

“One, two… there we go!”

She struggled at first, and though she needed to lean on the taller Hunter for support initially, she was quickly able to regain full balance on her hooves on her own. Quick conversation between the three Elements and Luna allowed Samus to get a good look at the Princess: her mane was still a lifeless blue, which she figured was because of some magical issues, perhaps. She seemed a little gaunt in musculature compared to pictures and the recording, but she figured that would also resolve itself fairly quickly depending on how involved she got.

Even so, Luna still measured up to around Samus’ chest-level in terms of height when she held her horned head high for the first time through her deep, struggling breaths.

Not talking to anyone in particular, Luna shamefully added:

“I apologize sincerely after all the trouble you went through to retrieve me, but in light of certain events, my magical ability right now is quite poor. I’ll need at least a few days to recharge from my weakened state to near full potential… though proper moonlight will speed the process somewhat.”

Twilight was the one to break the news to her with a shake of her head:

“Not much back in Ponyville unfortunately. Been raining most days out of the year since the weather teams aren’t around… pretty much since the end of the Crisis.”

Luna shrugged and shook her head right back, resigned placidity in her voice.

“Then it’ll be as long as it takes. I just apologize in advance that I won't be as useful as I might be under normal conditions.”

Luna further caught her breath before adding:

“And I don’t mean to whine, but I certainly hope that you have an easier mode of transport back to Ponyville? I can’t imagine you hoofed it all the way over here!”

“We’ll deal with things as they come,” said Samus. “Just happy to have you back. And don’t worry. Transport won’t be an issue at all. We’ll be back to Ponyville in a couple hours at most.

“Because like you all mentioned, there’s definitely a lot to talk about. Would rather we all be awake for that.”

“Agreed,” said Luna as she started forward towards the edge of the altar. “Then let us make haste to—”

She stopped in her tracks right as she tore her gaze from Samus’ eyes, and instead decided to linger on them.

As for Samus, she blinked, cocked her head, yet didn’t avert her own gaze. In an odd callback to Canterlot, she felt as if her soul was being peered into, much like with Tempest. What added a smidge of unease for her was when the Night Princess’ eyes widened in a rather profound, knowing concern.

“You good?” the Hunter asked.

Rarity likewise seemed to take note of Luna’s concernedly frozen state.

“Your Highness? What’s wrong?”

Luna ignored the inquiries directly, and through her observations, she seemed to be getting more stressed by the second.

“How… the Tantabus attacked you. You’re marked. I sense…”

She pursed her lips and finally looked elsewhere to catch her breath again, as well as to seemingly steady her composure. Samus figured she shouldn’t be so surprised that Luna could hone in on what appeared to be happening so quickly.

“Yes, Princess,” Twilight confirmed. “I don’t know how it’s even in the waking world but it attacked us. Samus had to fight it off before we could restore you.”

Samus nodded.

“Yeah. And that’s something I—we—need to talk to you specifically about. Well, there’s a few things I’m told we’ll need your help on but we can take care of that later. Let’s get you out of here, first.”

Luna’s features calmed mostly as she took a deep breath, and upon sighing, she smirked softly.

“Very well, Hunter.”

“Come on, girls!” Twilight then directed. “Let’s go home!”

“Agreed!”

“Oh, yay! Please, all my yay!”

They lined up one-by-one, and thereafter one-by-one, Samus readmitted them into her systems, much to the wide-eyed, wholly confused astonishment of Luna. It was then Samus’ turn to sport a half-smirk before slipping her helmet back on with a resounding click and hiss.

“Hope you know the way to get that elevator running again. I sure as shit don’t.”

Samus took her first, victorious steps out of the Temple Entrance, and the fringes of what remained of the afternoon sun breaking through the marine layer glinted majestically off her armor. The full brunt of the last vestiges of the late-afternoon sun, however, in no way hit her full force as she strode in half the shadow of the lunar alicorn steadfastly leading the way.

Stable on her hooves by way of her easily visible, dogged canter, Luna was the first to stand at the precipice of the first steps leading away from the Temple… the same ones that Samus had forded hours prior.

She did not descend, even when Samus fell in line with her on her immediate left.

She did not speak.

She merely stood there, basking in the view of the majesty of Equestria’s western coastline as it battered the sandy shores.

The Hunter was happy to catch the last bits of light before the return trip, as well as admire the scenery for a few moments. As she glanced at Luna, however, even she couldn’t help but offer a hidden, measured half-smirk.

Because there Luna stood, eyes closed, her head held triumphantly high as she let the first, powerful coastal winds she felt in a decade and a half ruffle through her mane, kiss her coat, and bathe her form. A wide, pleasant grin eroded her once-steely exterior much like the oceans carved the very cliffside they stood atop.

A second time in her life, she had returned.

A second time, she existed.

And much like her, Samus likewise felt a distinctly prominent excitement of being alive.

As another, massively powerful gust of wind seemed to herald the coming of evening and the return of the Night Princess herself, Luna finally met an onlooking Samus’ own gaze with one eye through her windswept mane. Further, Samus could note the tiniest hue of blue around her periphery, in the presence of the visible moon above.

“There’s much work to be done. Especially with you.”

Samus raised an eyebrow behind her visor.

“Oh?”

“You, Samus, have the Tantabus stalking you. There’s much to do to ensure you’re prepared to finish it off when it does come back.”

She then gestured down the stairs.

“So. Shall we?”

20. Warmth

Author's Note

Happy Halloween, y'all! Hope you enjoy the read! :D

20. Warmth

The greatest mainstay of her current time on Equis, other than Twilight, was the large cat bed that Samus had been all-too happy to be embraced in since the first time.

From the moment she dropped her ass onto the impossibly soft yet firm structure that was questionably made of ‘cloud’ internals, the built up fatigue in all the crevices of Samus’ body was allowed to manifest in full. The sigh she let out was enough to draw everyone’s attention in the common room for more than a few beats.

No one commented other than a few scattered giggles. All were much too tired from the day’s events, as well as full from the ever-delicious food that Spike managed to prepare in anticipation for the Lunar Princess’ return…

…as well as the safe return of all parties involved. Any residual energy had been expended during the boisterous celebrations at the dining room table.

Samus was more than okay with that. She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to muster the mental energy to answer more of Twilight’s ceaseless curiosities tonight… especially about the most mundane entries of her logbook that even the Hunter herself wouldn’t spare a second reading.

Either way, Samus was grateful that the girls managed to catch Luna up on the happenings since the Crisis, as well as their joint-masterminded plan which had yielded unbelievably ripe, juicy fruit thus far. The Elements even got many of the details about Samus’ job and mission right, to the point where she didn’t really need to interject or correct all that much beyond technicalities.

She pondered whether or not that was a good thing… and whether or not she had been sharing too much with her temporary companions.

Samus sighed out, and that sigh turned into another yawn. She knew good and well that it was fine to open up how she was. It’s what Old Bird and even Gray Voice would’ve wanted. But she was too tired to take herself down another meandering road of philosophical debate, laden with spatterings of sightseeing her own insecurities and perceived inadequacies.

A time and a place for everything.

And as tired as she was, Samus wasn’t ready to head to bed just yet. She was still knee-deep in decompressing and unpacking the day’s events, personally. She preferred her usual, mind-calming activity for the job, which was idly monitoring Pirate Battle Net activity and snooping on anything interesting.

Unfortunately… or perhaps, this time, thankfully, Samus found a dearth of anything notable to log for future deep dives. She’d just log the whole batch and turn it over to the Federation.

Let the nerds play with that one.

A rather sharp crack of wood in the fireplace brought her out of her zoned-out state, and she glanced over the brim of her tablet as more background ambiance of the common room filtered into her ears. She couldn’t help but crack a tired smirk at seeing Luna at the center of attention, with everyone including the girls, Spike, Stella, Midnight, and even Viridian all lounging on the sofas, chairs, and the floor, all sharing a lively post-dinner conversation.

Even for someone as cynical and jaded as she was, Samus could read the love and adoration in each pair of eyes like the pointed alerts of her system’s Heads-Up Display. She remembered the times when she would return from some of her first missions while still a part of the Army… and the post-debrief fireside chats along with all the associated bro-ing out with Kreatz and Mauk.

Samus let her eyes fall comfortably shut, and she allowed herself to smile a little more.

They were some of the best times of her life… and some of the few times that she truly felt she belonged.

Felt wanted. Felt befriended, rather than feared. She understood, though, that Twilight and company had considered her a friend by this point, with all they had been through in their short time together.

And Samus was okay with that, and was slowly but surely embracing it on her own terms.

Even so, itt had been more than a long while since she had last made an effort to truly reach out to her old friends and comrades again.

I should, soon. Hope they’re well… wherever they are. God, I miss those assholes.

Samus’ tangential reverie was disturbed, this time by a notification on her tablet: a rather simple confirmation from Fireteam Crusader that they were perfectly on schedule to arrive tomorrow. Further, an encrypted data request was to also arrive in short order.

Easy enough.

Another attempt to get back into her zoning out was swiftly abandoned when she sensed a rather hulking, if friendly presence right in front of her. Flicking her eyes over the brim of her tablet found her Viridian taking a seat in front of her as he spoke:

“‘Bewildered’ is the word I’d use when describing the minutiae explained to me on how you managed to bring Luna back to this world…”

Samus smirked, but didn’t get get to reply right away, since he continued:

“Though if I’m being completely honest, I’m likewise bewildered that Luna was indeed even alive and well. I was not sure you’d find salvation the way you did, and yet, here we are. Your efforts are truly commendable, and you should be most proud of your accomplishments today, and thus far.”

He then returned her smirk, though with solemn eyes.

“I… merely hope that bringing about her return did not come at too great of a cost, if any at all.”

Samus shook her head, and offered up a half-truth, cheeky response:

“No. Well, not in the traditional sense at least.”

Viridian tilted his head.

“And what could that possibly mean?”

“It’s a bit of a long story… one that I don’t think would mesh too well with the cheery atmosphere,” she mentioned. “And per usual, parts of it I uhhh, don’t really understand, either. At least, yet.

“Happy to tell you, though we might be here a while. Maybe another night when it’s a little quieter and there’s less of a good vibe to shit all over?”

Viridian chuckled at her choice of words.

“I eagerly await, Hatchling.”

A by-now familiar, if newer, smooth, and regal voice careened into the conversation:

“And I’d be happy to help explain the finer intricacies of what you might not fully understand, Samus… but yes, likewise, perhaps tomorrow,” said Luna.

She then turned to Samus fully:

“Tonight, I humbly request some time alone to catch up with an old friend,” she implicitly asked, glancing over giddily towards Viridian, much to Samus’ surprise.

Viridian likewise acknowledged her with an ever meaningfully deep nod.

“By Your Highness’ grace, I would be more than happy to bring you up to present on the happenings in the Everfree and amongst the Chozo at large.”

Luna shook her head, annoyed and disappointed simultaneously.

“After all this time you're still so formal. At this point I can only believe you’re doing it on purpose… but regardless, that would be lovely.”

The implications and irony of Luna actually knowing just as much if not potentially more about some aspects of the Chozo than herself were not lost on Samus. If she had a credit for every time she didn’t actually need to elaborate about the Chozo thus far, she’d have two credits… which wasn’t a lot but it was weird to her that there were technically two other subject matter experts that were not Chozo in the room presently.

That aside, Samus shrugged, shaking her head in indifference whilst regarding both with a tired smirk.

“Fine by me—don’t think you really need my permission for that one,” she quipped.

Viridian added as he got back to his feet:

“We shall reconvene another time and speak more on the matter then, Samus.”

The Hunter nodded, but no sooner did she acknowledge him then did Luna again take prominence in the conversation:

“And I, as well, request some time with you specifically tomorrow.”

Samus’ turn to tilt her head.

“Just me?”

“Yes. Like I mentioned earlier today, there’s much work to be done. Twilight has done marvelously well in teaching you magic, as they say, ‘on the fly’ thus far. But in light of certain events, your training must be accelerated drastically.”

Another genuine smile from Samus. It had been a while since she had a proper training session in a more controlled environment.

“Count me in. We’re probably not gonna be doing much tomorrow anyway on account of Crusader arriving later in the day, anyway.”

“If I may interject…” said Viridian pensively. “I believe I may also have a way to assist Spike at the same time with his own interests in learning how to fight. Perhaps we can discuss this together as well, Your Highness.”

Now that piqued Samus’ interest, and she was even more eager to learn what he had in mind in the morning.

Luna, however, rolled her eyes while she started away.

“Viridian, please, for once in your life—while you still live—can you please just call me ‘Luna’ at least once?!”

Viridian snickered and fell into a slow-striding step with her.

“I shall consider it, I suppose. Would you prefer ‘Majesty’ instead?”

“I will add to the decline of your species, Overseer!”

“HAH! A wit as sharp as ever, Princess.”

Samus sighed out a gentle chuckle, more than happy to let them go. If anything, her tiredness was already trying to pull a pillowcase over her head and suffocate her to sleep—perhaps an earlier sleep than anticipated was in the cards, and she was at her limits of resisting.

She was able to rub away a little bit of the fatigue at the corner of her eyes, but any relief that they brought was short-lived. She figured her eyes were somewhat red at this point as sleep fought valiantly to take her in the best ways, unlike with the Tantabus.

Ergo, despite her earlier thoughts to the contrary, Samus knew it was about time to bid everyone else in the room a good night. However, it seemed that others had beaten her to the punch when she found a small crowd making their way towards her with identically exhausted faces mirroring her own.

Twilight mentioned on behalf of everyone:

“Hey Samus, we're going to head to bed now. I'm sure you can keep yourself occupied on your own, but we're all on the verge of death, right now," she quipped.

Samus was all too happy to dismiss them, and excitedly began to stretch out her back and arms overhead.

“Hey, no worries. Don't let me stop you! I'm about to pass out, too. It might be a rest day tomorrow, but make sure you all sleep well. It's still probably going to be a big day with Crusader arriving.”

“Duh! Though to tell you the truth, I'm kind of excited. You're the only human I've seen. Other than that projection of the admiral we talked to. I'm sure it'll be interesting," Twilight said to some immediate giggles from Rarity and Fluttershy…

…and a hearty nudging and ribbing from Stella and Midnight.

“Can I say, Princess…” Stella began with her peeking around the crowd, her words quickly followed by an exaggerated roll of Twilight's eyes as she angled her attention towards her.

The facial gesture in no way dispelled the impending laughter that Stella had been building up.

“...that I'm so fuckin’ happy that ye haven't changed a fuckin’ wink since I met you?”

“Well, it's not like I can object, or anything,” Twilight deadpanned. “You kinda just said it anyway.”

Amongst more knowing laughter and a hearty huff from Samus, Twilight switched to a more serious tone for something Samus had heard many, many times in their short time together:

“Oh, and before we go, Samus… thank you. Again. For all the adventuring, exertion, and as you would say, all the ‘bullshit’ to help bring Luna back to us. I don’t think you really know how much this—she—will help our efforts.”

Samus huffed again, smirking tiredly while she shook her head in jest.

“Are we really gonna do this with each and every pony we find?”

Twilight had zero hesitation with her retort, mirroring Samus’ smirk with an added accent of smugness:

“Most assuredly yes!”

“I see. Heh, then yet again, don’t mention it. Now all of you, go get some sleep. Once Crusader arrives tomorrow towards the evening and we debrief them, we can then discuss who’s next on the list to pick up. We’ll have a lot more breathing room with them being able to tie down Pirate Forces, so I say we sleep on that.”

Twilight adopted a tired smile as she still managed some excitement through her fatigue to sway on her hooves giddily.

“Can’t wait! And don’t you worry, I think we already have a few ideas…~” she alluded, shooting knowing glances over to Rarity and Fluttershy, who returned them in full.

Samus nodded.

“Good. Keep ‘em fresh and sleep on ‘em, then.”

“Will do, Samus. Sweet dreams!”

“Goodnight, Samus!”

“See ya tomorrow, Samus!”

“Sleep well, Darling.”

“Sweetest of dreams, Hunter~”

“G’night, lass!”

Samus watched the ponies all file out of the common room one after the other, waving them off as they left her entirely alone. Once they were gone, she began closing up and locking a few applications that she had been working with on her tablet, more than eager to make her way back to her room as well.

Extra eager, even, because the Tantabus and likely orchestrator of her shitty dreams had been dealt with… for now. She figured, or rather, hoped, that some fantastically satisfying, unabated deep sleep awaited her.

Samus paused at the thought.

There were still those lingering questions in her mind… questions that Luna would probably be happy to answer in the morrow:

Did the Tantabus make up all that dialogue in her head?

Was it masquerading as Prime? Or was it opening some kind of bridge between them somehow?

Was Prime even alive? Somehow? Or was it all just a giant ruse to keep her off-kilter so it could subsume and kill her in the Lunar Ascension Temple?

Whatever.

Her tablet pinged her with a notification, shoving down these internal questions and bringing her attention to what she had expected from earlier: an encrypted data request from Fireteam Crusader’s leader, Captain Jacob Dittmar. It was a request for landing coordinates for tomorrow’s arrival.

With some honed dexterity of her fingers, Samus worked through her mapping software and highlighted a top-down area just in front of the Castle entrance, about a hundred meters in radius. Part of it was an open field while the rest of it was offered some cover by an overgrown Everfree forest.

Easy enough access and enough cover, if needed.

A few more taps on her screen, and Samus had sent the geolocation data off, confirming its delivery through the encrypted comms software…

…as did the Captain, along with his thanks.

[Received. We’ll see you soon, Samus.]

[Safe travels, Crusader.]

With that last message, Samus ended the secure transfer tunnel and encrypted chat session, locked her tablet entirely, and placed it under her arm as she trudged out of the Common Room. She snuffed the magical fire in the fireplace all the while with a quick spell behind her back, shrouding the room in complete darkness in her wake.

[The Following Morning…]

It was a slightly later start to the morning than usual, but Spike had apparently been up earlier to prepare breakfast for the larger group ahead of time… which had the effect of still putting everyone around the Map at a reasonable hour, in Samus’ opinion.

And as had been customary thus far, Twilight opened up iwth what Samus felt would be a rather standard debrief and re-brief:

“Alright! Morning, everypony! Especially to Princess Luna here, of whom I can likely speak for all here when I say that we’re thrilled to have you back and with us!” she beamed.

In the wake of a mishmash of murmurs of affirmations in the sea of smiles sent her way (along with a rather boisterous ‘fuck yeah!’ from Stella), Luna replied calmly, if still a little groggily:

“And it is fantastic to be back. Unfortunately, as I had mentioned earlier, my full magical recovery will take some time. This is still the case—slow, but well, nonetheless.”

Twilight nodded, still with an excited smile of reverence, before continuing:

“Of course… and it’s a good thing that today’s not a day of action, though. Samus? Wanna explain a little more?”

It was Samus’ turn to nod and step up to the plate:

“Sure thing, and again, I’ll try to be brief. As we talked about a day or two ago—I honestly don’t remember when exactly after everything that’s happened recently—Fireteam Crusader of the Federation Third Fleet is due to arrive around early-evening time.”

She planted her palms atop the edge of the map and continued as she scanned over the magical, holographic depiction of all of Equestria:

“The main focus will be getting them situated as well as taking stock of all the equipment and supplies they bring. Once that’s done, I think we’ll need to have another briefing on their mission and orders, as well as how we can use them best to draw Pirate eyes away from our mission. Their support is gonna be crucial until the Fleet arrives in a couple weeks.

“But until then, like Twilight said, it’s gonna be sort of an off day to either tidy up some things you want to, or just do whatever the hell you want, really. I’ve got nothing else new to report on from the Pirate front so… yeah. That’s all I got,” said Samus.

She further yielded the talking floor by pushing herself off the map and taking a couple steps back.

Luna, however, was quick to take her place from across the Map when she stepped forward with a tentative hoof raised.

“If I may…”

Twilight vehemently nodded.

“O-Of course, Princess! Please!”

“I’d like to again thank everyone here for all the monumental efforts thus far, as well as getting me well-informed on the latest details of where we stand. I fully stand behind the plan you all have in place and will render all help I can, especially once I’ve fully recovered…

“And as for Samus…” she leveled her gaze at the taller Hunter, who replied with a cocked eyebrow.

“You’ve done marvelously well, and I can’t personally thank you enough for all you’ve helped us with. But to be even more successful and… expedient, as I had mentioned last night, your magical training must therefore accelerate.”

Samus nodded once.

“Yeah, you mentioned.”

“Indeed!” Luna got giddier by the second. “And namely, we must enhance and expand upon Twilight’s excellent teachings thus far, and help channel it for fighting more potently.”

Luna gestured towards Viridian and Spike, who were both standing together, and added:

“And to speak of fighting… I believe Viridian mentioned Spike wishing to learn more of the martial arts? Therefore, I propose that he and Samus be sparring partners for the occasion!”

Twilight blinked, wholly unsure.

“Uhhh…”

Samus, however, was honestly content with this arrangement and shrugged.

Spike, likewise with Twilight, seemed unsure, yet his pupils visibly narrowed in horror, seemingly at the mere prospect that he’d have to go up against Samus in a physical altercation, no matter how ‘practice’ it was.

His own response dithered but nevertheless he seemed resigned to his fate, much to the ultimate hilarity of the girls:

“O-Oh okay…” he managed.

Viridian only replied to the whole proposal with a knowing smile and a deep nod. He then springboarded off by asking:

“Would these terms be acceptable to all?”

“Works for me!” said Samus. “Anything that gives me an edge and makes things that much easier is fine by me.”

Her neutral look became much more knowing when she locked eyes with a still-nervous Spike:

“And getting some practice fighting in with a friendly opponent that surprisingly mimics the general build of a Space Pirate would probably be beneficial for me, too,” she smirked.

Spike again confirmed:

“Y-Yeah, I think I’m good with that.”

Fully energized, Luna adopted a much more determined looked and suddenly said:

“Then we shall begin immediately! Spike, please use this time to prepare yourself however you please. Samus? To the roof of the tallest watchtower! We must get you on magical conditioning exercises posthaste!”

It was Samus’ turn to blink, though it wasn’t without finding the humor in the all-powerful Night Princess’ excitement.

“Oh shit, like, ‘right now’ right now?”

Luna affirmed with an almost manically excited look:

“Absolutely! ‘Right now’ right now!”

It had been a good, long while since Samus was truly warm—borderline hot—during a rainstorm.

It was a testament to how well her Varia Suit’s environmental controllers kept her body temperature in perfect operating equilibrium during her expeditions, so not having it for something as ‘mundane’ as magical training made her appreciate it all the more.

Samus righted her mental focus, and brought it back to her perfect, mental center while the rain poured its wrath upon her atop the highest flat roof of the castle. So concentrated was she that she barely paid any mind to how soaked her face was, with her blonde hair having completely clung to her skin, only to draw endless rivers of water off—or down—her body.

She was in perfect, practiced meditative balance. She breathed deeply, focusing on how the air passed back and forth through the threshold of her nostrils while she diligently kept low in her fighting stance, hand outstretched, and dutifully encased in lavender magic. Much like Luna had alluded, these endurance exercises felt just like she was in a gym for magical training… training a particular muscle until close to failure and subsequent soreness.

Whatever the equivalent of lactic acid buildup in her magical center was, she was definitely feeling it. Through her centered mind, Samus wasn’t exactly sure how much of the water pouring down her face was courtesy of the rain, or her sweat.

Still, Luna made her hold it—she had completely lost track of time, but she was content to continue playing the student for her audience of Luna with Twilight observing from just under the roof-entrance overhang.

Viridian was also there to observe, though he seemed, much like Samus, all-too happy to be pelted by the rain.

She had to admit to the difficulty: this was the equivalent to her holding a wall-squat for several minutes.

Luna’s voice spoke to her, barely disturbing her concentration:

“Well done, so far! You certainly know how to draw upon a centered state of mind—this is not your first experience with this in the slightest. And as I’m sure you’re well-aware by now with your line of work: overwhelming, precise strikes have their place, for certain…”

Samus deepened her breath as the manageable pain yet-increased through magical exertion, and she clenched her closed eyelids a little more firmly.

“Like the sprinter has their own place, the endurance galloper likewise has their niche and must not be neglected nor underestimated.

“But even more importantly: facing down a well-armed, magically powerful and sophisticated enemy is being nimble in your roles—switching between both at the whims of the fight. Much the same way as you choose the right weapon for your work at hand, or your cadence of battle.

“Now, again: barrier.”

Samus inhaled deeply, then let loose her breath as she did as commanded.

From her hand sprouted a hard-magic, lavender wall of tessellating, hypnotically morphing geometric shapes, called upon to defend her from a hypothetical kinetic or magical attack.

Her impromptu shield flickered almost imperceptibly, and her hand shook with nigh-hypertrophic exertion. Even as the fresh memory of her nearly burning out her magical ability and doing untold damage to her mind weighed heavily on her, she steadied her breathing… and breathed more.

Her thirst for water was a testament to how much she had sweat during this entire session. A boiling shower would be her reward for a genuine effort she hadn’t remembered giving since her earliest days of learning magic…

…or her Chozo training.

Nevertheless, like a good student, she complied in holding the spell, as she would hold a weight nearly to failure.

Relief came when Luna curtly commanded:

“Strike!”

At an instant, Samus exploded the shield, shattering it and propelling its jagged, deadly shards in all directions in front of her like a horrific, magical shotgun. Any hypothetical target in her path would’ve been sliced to gory pieces.

And through her efforts, she advanced a single step.

“Barrier!”

Samus again complied through an effort-filled, distressed grunt—her sweat rivulets meshed perfectly with those of the rain running down her face. Though somewhat more sluggish than her previous defensive spell, she nevertheless re-erected her barrier to the barest minimum of Luna’s standards.

“Strike!”

Another shotgun-like rapport of the same, crystalline-esque explosive shattering of her barrier spell.

And another step forward.

“Strike!”

Samus followed-through, thrusting her right fist forward in a figurative gut-punch that could’ve broken the sound barrier with its speed. Instead, the culmination of her precise motions birthed a powerful, magical blast that would’ve put a hole in any enemy that remained standing before her.

Another step forward.

“Strike!”

Samus bounded forward in an ever-elegant, horizontal somersault, and led with her left hand in a crescent arch that sliced a magical swathe through the torrential rain, severing the water drops asunder as they fell.

“And strike!”

No sooner did Luna’s final command come than did Samus land on her feet. With a gnashing growl of her hardest exertion yet, the Hunter swept her left hand over her entire field of view, calling up on all her magical reserves to thrash the rain forth in one final, magically kinetic push.

Just out of her firing line, Viridian still stood tall, his cloak billowing in the artificial winds.

Samus’ mouth was wide and slackened, her chest and entire posture heaving as she desperately hyperventilated. Her skin had been fully colored a half-shade of red from the cumulative exertion thus far, and yet, she firmly held her low, bent position where she had cast her last spell.

No further command was forthcoming.

Only praise, carried on a harbinger of an approving huff as Luna spoke, smirking:

“Goooood! Very well done!”

Those words alone let much of the tension in Samus’ engorged muscles release somewhat, and she slowly righted her posture to let the downpour get a headstart in cooling her off.

“Twilight was right when she mentioned that you learn quickly! This appears to have been no exaggeration. You’ve very much gotten the basics down, and even though much of what I’ve taught you today may seem superfluous, we cannot assume that you’ll always have access to your mechanical arsenal within your armorsuit.

“But… I feel we’ve taxed your mana enough for the day. Please, take some rest, Samus. Again, you’ve done marvelously.”

Samus allowed her posture to sag fully, having exhaled a deep breath she had been holding, waiting for some surprise bonus command to come in an attempt to get a jump on her. As much as she silently took measured enjoyment in her recent magical training with Twilight and now Luna, today was the first day that she was thankful no more was planned.

The hot shower that awaited her was like a siren’s call to sailors of the past… and Samus was ready to jump overboard and disappear.

She then dropped onto her ass, not even bothering to elegantly seat herself, or in any way appear in-control and ready to go again—she cared not anymore after that work, and was perfectly fine with cosplaying a corpse, resting her eyes while the rainfall further drenched her face and hair.

She was magically spent.

Through the ambient sound of the rainfall atop the castle overlook, Luna’s voice again sounded:

“Twilight, our training with Samus concludes for the day. Whenever you’re ready, you may fetch Spike—erm, perhaps I should ask though… Samus?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you still well-enough to train with Spike?”

“Yep!” she replied, having found no need to open her eyes to respond. She offered a high thumbs-up for further assurance.

She huffed when she could hear the muffled sounds of Twilight’s giggles, obviously at her current state.

“Just gimme a couple minutes to cool off and I’ll be good.”

“Very well, Hunter. Twilight? Please retrieve Spike at your leisure.”

Twilight nodded once, her voice still dripping with residual uneasiness about the whole arrangement with him.

“You got it, Princess. I’ll uhh, I’ll be back then,” she said, and dismissed herself back into the castle.

Samus continued to relish in her rest, finally cooled off to the point where she felt genuinely comfortable enough to fall asleep here under the rainfall, if she so chose. Twilight could take as sweet of a time as she liked in fetching Spike, but all she knew was that when this day was done, she was going to have the sleep of legends the likes that she hadn’t had since her first training days on Zebes.

Despite the overpowering sound of the rain and gentle, distant thunder, Samus detected the sudden encroachment of someone else in her personal space. She opened one eye and found Luna braving the rain, having thrown back the hood of her cloak and seemingly happy to soak right next to her.

“I believe I owe you a small apology. I must admit, I might have silently misjudged you.”

Intrigued, Samus opened both eyes and sat up fully, resting her shaky arms on her knees so she could give off the appearance of having some manners when not in a fight.

“Oh?”

Luna nodded once.

“Indeed. I had thought the Elements’ words of your magical prowess to be…” she twirled her hoof in an effort to find the proper word. “...overstated, in light of the circumstances. Perhaps because of your no-less important role as a conduit and shield for the bearers, I figured your magical role had been menial at best.

“Which is why I had been so keen on getting you a proper baseline in foundational offensive and defensive magic. However, it appears I was mostly incorrect, and as such, I apologize for assuming your lack of skill in the magical arts.”

Samus shrugged, though she snorted as the sudden humor in ‘I’m sorry I thought you sucked more than you do’ hit her as hard as that one time she got smacked by Ridley’s tail. Even so, there was no offense taken.

“Heh, that might’ve been more true if you’d been around a week and a half ago,” she said.

“Perhaps, but even then, it’s a testament to your true ability to adapt that you’ve been able to do in nearly two weeks what unicorns cannot learn in a year. The teachings of the Chozo from your upbringing have served you markedly well here.

“In the end, after chatting with Viridian, it became obvious.”

Samus offered a placid smirk and a nod, not entirely sure where to follow this line of conversation. She had never been good with long talks that didn’t have an obvious point to it all, much to Old Bird’s annoyance…

…and the annoyance of what few friends she had through her career.

Even so, she was perfectly fine to stay silent and enjoy more of her break, though she knew good and well that their talk was likely not over… especially since Samus did have some rather important stuff she wanted to broach with Luna.

“Now…” Luna, as Samus had expected, began anew:

“I know you have some questions for me, especially as related to the Tantabus. Though, I must query as well, if you don’t mind?”

More than happy with the arrangement of rest, Samus crossed her arms behind her head and lay back, shuttering her eyes whilst letting the rain again soak her face and waterlog her bangs.

“Not at all. Shoot.”

“I… pardon? Shoot what?”

Samus opened one eye again, rolling it with a good-humored smirk.

“Oh, right. I meant ask whatever you want.”

Samus could’ve sworn she saw Luna’s cheeks color, though it might’ve been a trick of the light when she averted her gaze in pure embarrassment.

“Oh by the Moon… right, duh!” she shook her head incredulously between her hooves.

Samus huffed, amused, as she again closed her eyes, shutting out the world and just feeling the firm water droplets splash evenly across her face.

“But, sure. Ask away. You know I’ve got more than a few questions for you so I think it’s only fair.”

Luna hummed.

“Mm. Indeed, and I have a hunch they might be related, but to not delay any further, I must know… when you arrived on this planet, before you found me or anyone else…

“...did you notice the Tantabus? Or anything that you now know of it?”

Samus shook her head.

“Nope. First thing I really encountered here were those Storm Beast mutant remnant ponies when trying to infiltrate the Space Pirate outpost here.

“Though,” she quickly corrected. “It’s more like a citadel and staging ground now rather than a little outpost, but either way, no. Noticed nothing, not even when I was first touched by magic.”

Samus could practically hear Luna nodding as her line of questioning continued with seemingly no particular goal in mind, at least for now:

“These invaders, Space Pirates… you mentioned at dinner last night that they’re your enemies. Obviously, ours as well. You’re not affiliated with them, nor the Federation, correct?”

“Correct on the first part, a little complicated on the second. I work for the Federation as a mercenary, essentially. I am a citizen, but I don’t get involved much in their politics or anything like that. Got a few good contacts in the military but that’s about my extent of involvement. I do their work that often parallels what I need to do for my own sake, their payment clears, and I go about my life.”

“Understood.”

Again, Samus had to internally remark how eclectic Luna’s questioning was when the Princess continued with a much more profound topic:

“Again, perhaps I owe you an apology, but, while you slept last night—for lack of better wording right now—I ‘touched’ your dream realm. I didn’t intrude, at least this time… but it bears the telltale scars of the Tantabus’ tampering in a recent time.

“What did you dream of? The night before you found me?”

There it is.

Samus paused for a beat, mulling how to answer most succinctly without rambling too much, getting into too much specifics, or getting into a long-winded discussion about missions past that was of debatable importance. After a few seconds, she exhaled and did her best:

“I’ll try to explain this as best I can without sounding too insane but…

“Someone from my past. Someone who looks a lot like me, but born out of the remnants of some of my battle armor, my DNA, and the Phazon—that blue, poisonous, radioactive element we caught you up on last night.”

Luna kept silent, though even through Samus’ sealed gaze, she could tell there was a stuffiness of rumination present.

“Ah, yes! I remember. Do continue…”

“Essentially, a corrupted version of me when fully armored up—I call her ‘Prime,’ as I can later explain, she’s an adversary from my previous mission before then.

“She, if it could even be called a ‘she’, seemed to only have a purpose of feeding on the Phazon… until I became a threat to her. She hunted and fought me relentlessly through my last mission until I killed her at the very end.”

Luna prodded inquisitively:

“And what did you dream of her?”

“Her voice, at first. She was speaking to me personally, like she was still alive. I was at first reliving the worst parts of my life: the slaughter of my parents, my lowest mental point in my Chozo training, and my sloppy first expeditions against the Space Pirates. But then the memories became… twisted.”

“How so?”

Samus opened her eyes and glanced at where Twilight was, seeing that she hadn’t returned with Spike yet. Likewise, she shot her gaze over to Viridian, who seemed to still be enjoying the expansive view of rainy lushness in the distance.

She met Luna’s eyes with a more hushed tone.

“Viridian appeared, speaking as he would, but… darker. Saying terrible things even if they might’ve been logically sound. Trying to demoralize me like the entire time I was hearing Prime’s voice. Maybe she was speaking through his image? I don’t know for sure.

“Prime then killed him in front of me, appeared before me, and in no uncertain terms told me that the only way I’d know peace was to pretty much die in battle or kill myself.

“And, well… that’s when the dream ended when Ridley killed me.”

Luna cocked her head as she listened intently.

“Ridley?”

Samus elaborated with a rehearsed brevity regarding her mortal enemy:

“Space Pirate Commander. My parents’ killer and the slaughterer of countless. Remind me later tonight to catch you up on him. You’ll need to know everything, as we’ll be dealing with him in the near future.”

Luna blinked, seemingly shocked at the nonchalance of Samus’ admission regarding the fate of her parents but nevertheless paid it no mind for now.

“Understood. And thank you for the information, Samus. It helps immensely, and certainly explains why the Tantabus has taken a particular interest in you.”

Her interest more than sufficiently piqued, Samus lazily rolled onto her front and lay her head in her palm, her elbow keeping her supported so she could pay utmost attention.

“Oh? This might lead into my questions, then. Why’s that? I mean… I have some scan data to go off of that gave me a little food for thought, but I’m sure as shit that’s not the whole story.”

Luna shrugged and delivered oh-so matter-of-factly, if a bit uneasily:

“I’m not sure if this is a polite way of saying this, but to be rather candid, and to use a pony military analogy… you have quite the baggage train about you.”

This time Samus could not hold back the huffing, coughing laughter, even balling her fist in front of her mouth out of manners alone.

“Heh, yeah?? Tell me something I don’t know. So this ‘dream parasite’ is latching onto me because I’ve got unresolved issues and past trauma?”

Luna gave a half-smirk at Samus’ understanding.

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

“Right… but then why me, specifically? I can’t be the only one on this planet, survivor or otherwise with unresolved issues, right? Don’t tell me this is like, I’ve just been ordained with this shit? This whole cataclysm for your planet was traumatic for everyone, though. Why doesn’t it latch onto any of them?”

“It likely had, well before you arrived,” Luna answered. “Though, it’s a being composed of dreams and magic. Once you arrived, with your baggage train in tow, then obtained access to magic, and then became the only other active, preeminent battle mage second only to Twilight…?”

Samus finished the rest of the answer, pursed lips in annoyed understanding.

“It took notice of me. Put a target on my back.”

Princess Luna nodded once, deeply, and smirked widely at Samus’ conclusion.

“Ahhh, now you’re understanding better.”

Samus pondered further, but quickly realized there was one bit missing from her comprehension.

“Twilight said she still dreams, despite her limbo state with the Element. She’s beyond my realm of power with magic—she’s the source of it, even. Why doesn’t the Tantabus just continue to haunt her?”

Luna inhaled and sighed out, then turned her attention towards the same scenery that Viridian was pondering over. Regally fording the rain pouring over her face, she answered:

“That is… also what I had been trying to answer. Like your dreams, I pried into everyone’s here to see if I could find the Tantabus’ mark.

“There were some aberrations in Twilight’s dream realm. It appeared to have a significant presence in her dreams well into the past. But the overwhelming majority of the Tantabus’ interest was with you… and I nearly lost sleep wondering why this was the case.”

She faced Samus again, holding gentle eye-contact.

“After all, I was able to sense its mark on you immediately upon waking, back in the Ascension Temple. Your dream realm is the equivalent of a scarred battlefield with its handiwork. But after you indulged my first questions, I think the answer is quite obvious!

“In a way, you and I are much more alike than anticipated.”

Samus raised an eyebrow.

“Definitely not royalty, that’s for sure. But what do you mean?”

“Well, it would appear that neither of us are alone in having a twisted doppelganger whose only purpose is to see our destruction and in a way, feed on darkness and despair. I architected the Tantabus from the trauma and my failures—real or perceived—from my experience as Nightmare Moon, after all.”

Samus blinked, her face entirely deadpan, which belied her full, annoyed realization.

“Oh so not only did it take notice of how well I use magic, but you’re saying I remind it of home.”

“That is certainly a way of putting it, Samus, but yes. Your ‘past profile’ mirrors mine in some of the more substantially important ways that are enticing to it.

“So I take it back. You understand fully now.”

Samus took her liberty in sitting back up and hunching over her legs, criss-crossed in a lotus. Her waterlogged hair draped around her face as she minded nothing with any particular interest. However, she mulled Luna’s words, wondering aloud:

“I killed Prime during my previous mission. My dream of her… she spoke to me like she was still alive. Not to mention the audial and visual hallucinations in the temple she taunted me with while I was awake. Was that the Tantabus speaking to me through Prime’s voice?”

It was Luna’s turn to cock an eyebrow, and she spoke with utmost seriousness:

“Audial and visual hallucinations? The Tantabus breaking out into the waking world is certainly new territory even for me, but I’ve never known it to produce any type of hallucinations, even after a night of terrible dreams where it flourished.”

She shrugged.

“I legitimately don’t know. If I were to speculate, I would assume that the Tantabus certainly played a part.”

“Twilight mentioned something about a ‘Nightmare’ festering inside me, possibly. Like what happened to you. Is this at all possible?”

“Technically, yes, the Tantabus could induce Nightmare Corruption,” said Luna, though she was quick to dismiss it:

“But very unlikely. My Nightmare Corruption was a specific set of circumstances: rage, resentment, loneliness, loss of purpose, and a whole other host of complicated emotions and external events that I do not believe you’d be privy to for a Nightmare to flourish. You may have some of these, but you’re much more well-equipped and adjusted than I ever was at that age.

“I don’t foresee such an eventuality at all.”

Samus nodded, but glanced away in pure disapproval.

“Then the alternative is that Prime actually survived our encounter during my previous mission, and wherever she is now, she’s able to communicate with me through either magic, Phazon, the Tantabus’ interference, or some bullshit combination of it all.”

She threw herself back into the embrace of her crossed arms, letting the rain pelt her full body directly again.

“Ugh. And I really don’t wanna think about that idea right now. I’m just starting to get fantastic sleep again.”

“Worry not on that front, Hunter. I’ll see to it personally that your sleep is peaceful. We need you as well-rested and capable as possible for this to all succeed. It’s the absolute least I can do.”

Samus smirked softly, propping herself up again.

“Heh. Thanks Luna.”

“But of course, Hunter! Thank you. For both answering my questions…”

Her tone became much less whimsical and more heartfelt.

“...and all you’ve done thus far. I don’t think there’s a way to properly repay you, so at the very least, I can make your sleep and dreams most pleasant.”

A door swinging open and some wet steps drew everyone’s attention, and Samus found Twilight re-emerging from below with a fidgety, nervous Spike in tow. This was the first time that Samus ever witnessed the young Drake not be able to keep eye-contact. She had better manners than to laugh, but deep down she giggled more at the fact that Spike really had nothing to fear.

Those scales of his were probably as hard as diamonds, and she figured they functioned much like fine armor. She’d crack her hands outside of her Suit just punching him once with all she was capable of.

“We’re back, Princess!”

Samus shared a look with Luna, who nodded deeply in kind before answering:

“Excellent! Then in that case, as Samus’ rests her mana, we shall explore the fundamentals of martial arts under Viridian’s tutelage. Viridian?” she gestured to him with her hoof.

The Chozo Warrior was already on the scene, with an excited glint in his eyes that Samus hadn’t seen since she accepted his request for a sparring match back in Viridia. As contagious as it was, in that she also smiled, Samus’ body was still a bit stiff from the magical exertion, so she took her time in untangling her limbs and getting back to her feet.

Viridian spoke with a giddiness that accented all his words, having not had the pleasure of training any recruits—or anyone for that matter—in however many years, Samus figured:

“Yes, Your Highness! I shall happily take it from here. Spike? Please,” he then gestured towards the Hunter.

“Take your place in front of Samus and we shall begin your training immediately, young one! Hatchling? Would you please demonstrate your proper fighting stance to start us off?”

[Later that Evening]

Samus made the right call resorting to palm strikes during her first training with Spike.

Her intuition had been correct in that, had she thrown a punch against him with any modicum of significant force, she’d’ve probably broken all her knuckles. Thankfully, she only broke a sweat instead, and she could still type on her tablet as she monitored Fireteam Crusader’s expected whereabouts.

Her palm was a bit sore, though, and she duly massaged her wrist when she took a break to just stare at her screen. A worthy sacrifice for both their betterments, and it would just harden her up more, anyway…

…not that Spike needed any hardening up with that natural armor of his. In Samus’ speculative opinion, he was nigh-impervious to most standard weapons-fire from both the Federation or the Space Pirates.

Hand him a rifle, teach him to use it, and he’d make a tank of a trooper.

As she lazed just outside the castle entrance, back propped up against the bolted-shut door in the early-evening twilight, Samus kept a diligent watch over her ship’s low-orbit radar scans. She smirked as she thought back to how thankful she was that Admiral Dane had just ‘so happened’ to decommission one of these particular modules. Moreover, he was more than happy to ‘lose it in combat’ during an expedition, as Samus would never have been able to access the system on her own.

And such a system was invaluable to her already in her more recent missions… from being able to further aid her own stealth systems in dispersing her own radar signature in low orbit, to being able to monitor planetary ingress and egress from the ground, it also had the uncanny ability to reveal even the sneakiest of ships that didn’t want to be found.

Much like the stealthy, Federation heavy corvette that ambled into the low-orbit identification zone of the planet, without so much as a figurative blink from the Space Pirates.

Perfect.

Samus’ comms came to life in a brief burst of static, with a non-familiar, masculine voice on the other end:

“Crusader One to Hunter Actual, over.”

Samus got extra comfy leaning up against the door before responding neutrally in kind:

“Loud and clear, Crusader One. That you, Captain Dittmar?”

“Yes ma’am. Support ship GFS Pantera has entered geosynchronous low-orbit over designated planet Equis. We’ve already completed pre-departure and boarding procedures before arrival. We’re heading down now to your provided coordinates, ETA T-minus five minutes, how copy?”

“Solid copy, Captain. I’m here and waiting.”

“See you shortly, Crusader Out.”

As expected, Samus’ systems alerted her to a dispatch of a much smaller ship from the Corvette, likely an equally-stealthy dropship of some kind, if she had to wager, given the nature of Crusader’s work. Even so, as she lay back and let her mind wander, she was somewhat surprised that they came with an entire heavy corvette, even if it was just as stealthy.

That, or Crusader was just that a big enough deal where they got their own cozy ship to call home.

Her systems kept diligent track of their rapid descent through the atmosphere, and yet all the while, Samus stared off into the darkness. She got the pre-briefing of who was arriving, and she wasn’t sure how much a team of four could realistically do to keep the Pirates off her back, or at least divert their attention from more well-traveled paths to find the other Elements…

…and yet, she was but one woman against the entire galaxy, so in the end, maybe this group was all that and then some. They were some of de Vasco’s best troops, after all, so she was still more than willing to keep an open mind.

At least they have a heavy corvette.

Her comms whirred to life again:

“We’re approaching the LZ now.”

Samus zoned back in, got to her feet and gazed up high into the rainy sky. Her vision was pelted by fresh rain drops as she thought she could hear the quietest, ambient rumbling growing ever louder… but not overly so.

“Roger. I think I hear you coming—Pirate Battle Net’s a graveyard. Not a peep.”

“Great to hear.”

Samus observed a black-armored craft break through the low cloud layer, one that bore striking resemblance to a Federation Patrol Ship like she had seen on Aether, but much more svelte. Even within a direct line of sight, she was impressed that its engines were barely competing with the sounds of the rainstorm around her.

“We see the castle. Touching down now.”

Samus stood back and watched the craft expertly come to a smooth, silent hover a good twenty feet off the ground, which whipped the wild grass and foliage away from its vertical engine exhaust. From there, it rotated to reveal the loading bay and descended fully to land on Equis’ surface.

As Samus strutted forward to greet the newly arrived craft, the massive, rectangular loading bay door swiveled out and dropped to the lush ground below, forming a solid ramp. Thereafter, four Federation Operators, clad in much leaner, darker armor than the typical Federation Marine, filed out one by one with weapons in one hand and their helmets under their other arm.

Samus offered a wave from the shadows of the silhouetted Everfree thanks to the rising moon, and she then held out her hand to the first trooper—a blonde, blue-eyed, confident man of whom she could see the enthusiastic starstruckness scrawled upon his chiseled face.

“Samus Aran?” he asked, but he clearly knew who he was talking to.

“Welcome to Equis, Crusader.”

The Hunter could read it on his face that this man rarely had to physically angle his eyes upward to talk to someone, if only just barely. She smirked as his armored hand firmly grasped her own, and she purposefully returned the firm shake in kind.

“Captain Jacob Dittmar. Fireteam Crusader of GFSSOC Epsilon. A pleasure and privilege to meet you, ma’am.”

Samus nodded, confident smirk in kind.

“Likewise, Captain. Is this all of you?” she asked, moving to go down the line and introduce herself to the others properly.

“Lieutenant Arianna Guerrera, ma’am,” said the tanned-skin, dark-haired, brown-eyed girl that seemed to regard Samus with more than a shred of god-like reverence.

“Great to have you, Lieutenant.”

“Corporal Nathan Krandor, ma’am. It’s an honor,” said the very young-looking, pale, light-eyed man with childlike gleam in his awestruck gaze. His hair seemed to be even more unkempt than helmet hair would be responsible for.

“Great to meet you, Corporal.”

“Corporal Sydney Exeter. Likewise a pleasure, ma’am,” said the amber-haired, steely-light-eyed gal who stood a good couple inches shorter than the rest. Her gaze seemed a bit more closed off and steely than the rest.

Her last name struck Samus as familiar, but she couldn’t rightly place why that was. If she had to guess, it was something she read in her scan files, and she made a mental note to check it out later.

“Thanks for coming, Corporal.”

She addressed everyone at once with polite, if obligated formality:

“Alright, just to put any doubts at ease…”

In an instant, her entire body flickered amongst a scanning, golden light as she re-equipped her Varia Suit, much to the startled, jittery, enamored reactions of the four newcomers.

“I’m Samus Aran, as you can see. Yes, you’re talking to the right person. No, I’m not an imposter.”

“Noted.”

“Niiiiice.”

“Whoa.”

“No questions.”

“Cool,” Samus answered. “Now, let’s get you all inside and your equipment settled before we unload any other supplies you brought. I wanna get you all introduced to my hosts, and get you familiar with what’s essentially our FOB.”

“Roger that. Fall in, Crusader.”

Samus delivered a few firm knocks to the castle door, which immediately creaked open.

“Samus?” sounded Spike’s voice.

“Yup—found the new friends we expected,” she alluded.

“Cool! Dinner’s ready, too. Come on in, y’all!”

The door swung open fully, and as Samus stepped inside and disengaged her Varia Suit, she took more than a bit of pleasure in the entire group of ponies plus Viridian’s curious eyes meeting the collective eyes of a stunned Crusader.

Jacob remarked through the awkward, thick silence what he and his entire team were thinking:

“O-Oh… the Admiral was being literal with ‘ponies.’”

“Yep,” said Samus. “There’s a lot to talk about.”

Twilight agreed, and eagerly took over the greeting:

“Double yup! And hi there! I’m Twilight Sparkle—come on in and let’s get you something to eat while we catch you up and get you some rooms.”

It was clear that none of Crusader expected this kind of welcome, based on how all of them had their jaws slackened at various angles.

“U-Uhh, right. Okay! Hi!” Jacob awkwardly agreed.

“Sure! I guess? Hi as well!” said Arianna.

“Hey there! Okay I’m actually kinda hungry, thank you!” added Nathan.

“Same, uhhh, thank you? Hello hello!” likewise replied Sydney.

Though Spike’s cooking was always immaculate, the most memorable thing for Samus was how the initial awkwardness hung in the air more than the delectable smell of the food.

She had to wonder if she herself was that stiff when she first arrived here. She didn’t think so, but then again, she had been used to seeing and interacting with sapient species that weren’t the most humanoid in nature.

Even if it took a little longer for the ice to break for the newcomers, it eventually shattered entirely when Stella brought out more alcohol that she had hidden away somewhere, which immediately ingratiated herself to the special operators.

She also witnessed Midnight trying to hit on Jacob. Which did not have the same effect, and Stella had to wrangle her comrade back in line.

From there, Samus, again, didn’t have to do much except elaborate on some details of the mission while Twilight took the lead on explaining what had been happening on the planet since the Crisis. Luna would take over when the history of Equestria and its governance had been appropriate to bring up.

Samus continued to reflect humorously at the whole dinner scene while she and the operators finished unloading the remainder of the supplies from their dropship, as well as seeing it off. She smirked internally at another key development that Captain Dittmar revealed once it was their turn to process everything being told to them: Admiral Dane was briefed on the assault preparations by de Vasco.

Again, the Grand Admiral of the entire Federation Navy continued to eagerly come through for Samus’ needs, as he was apparently bolstering the Third Fleet with dedicated siege ships and additional battle groups. He likewise had given the order to rein in less important operations to further assist with the coming Equis Campaign, forces of which were already combat ready.

They’d be arriving in under two weeks—record time, yet plenty of time to get most of the remaining elements plus reconstituting Celestia before joining in on the offense against the Space Pirates.

Samus was just content that things had been going better than she had expected, and it was a contentedness that gave her an extra pep in her armored step while she hefted a gigantic ammunition crate in her embrace.

“That's everything?” she asked, setting the crate down right next to the bed of a chosen room a few doors down from the Map Room.

“Yup!” said Arianna, carefully laying on the bed what, to Samus, looked like two anti-tank recoilless rifles. She then gestured out the door and across the hall.

“MREs and extra medical stuff are in there. We’re gonna keep the ammo and small arms here.”

Samus glanced around at the eclectic mix of ammo types, boxes of shells, assault rifles, machine guns, grenades… and pretty much anything a growing Federation Marine would need.

“There’s worse places for ‘em,” she remarked as she disengaged her Suit.

Jacob strode in, breathing heavily and wiping his neck.

“Heh, not the best storage procedure but it’ll do for now. Thanks for the help, Samus. Ari? Did Nate and Syd get their kit settled? Haven’t seen them in a few.”

Arianna nodded.

“Yep! They picked out rooms and everything. Once they brought all their shit in, Syd went to relax with Twilight, Fluttershy, and… was it Rarity?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow at Samus for confirmation.

The Hunter nodded with a half-smirk, and Arianna continued.

“Yeah, Rarity. Apparently she was like, really enamored with Syd’s hair and wanted to tidy it up a bit. She seemed surprisingly open to the idea of getting it experimented on.”

Jacob chuckled, shaking his head.

“And she said she wanted to cut it. Well, she could use the relaxation… she’s still, you know.”

Arianna again nodded, though much more thoughtfully—a gesture that Samus was in no way blind to, and only fueled her suspicions with Sydney’s last name.

Why does that seem so familiar? Did she lose a family member in battle? She had to have… wait, were they one of the fallen troopers on Aether?!

“Yeah, yeah. If it helps her, it helps her.

“And Nate’s staying up a little later with Spike, Stella, and Midnight. The drink got his dumbass in a talkative mood, and I think he found a couple unfortunate souls willing to listen to him,” she joked.

Jacob smiled, though his eyes put forth one bit of joking caution:

“Gotcha gotcha. Never known either of them to be unreliable, so whatever makes them happy. Just… if you don’t mind, Ari?”

“Hmm?”

“Can you please check on Nate and make sure he’s still there in one piece? Midnight, bless her heart, is a charming gal but…”

Samus suppressed a throaty chortle while Arianna was already strutting past them and out through the door on a mission.

“On it! Lemme check. Thanks for the help, Samus!” she called back.

“Don’t mention it!” she answered, which left her alone with the Captain.

“Anything else? Otherwise I’ll leave you be, and we can discuss first missions in the Map Room in the morning.”

“Nope! That’s everything,” Jacob answered. “But… there is one thing for you specifically.”

Samus cocked a very curious eyebrow as the Captain fished what looked like a prerecorded holodisk out from one of his armor compartments.

“What’s that?” she asked.

As he moved to hand it to her, he said:

“That, I’m not sure. It looks like a pre-recorded message of some kind. Just before we left the Iberia, once de Vasco gave the mobilization order, one of the Marine Commanders—damnit I can’t remember his name right now but I remember his face—asked me to deliver this to you personally. No idea what it says, but I figured that’s for you to find out.”

“Oh… I see.”

Samus took hold of the disk just larger than her palm and examined it, and saw nothing out of the ordinary but how a normal, pre-recorded holodisk would look. Internally, she wondered who was sending her a message? Wasn’t out of the ordinary to occasionally have fan mail find its way to her through questionable means, though it had been a while.

“Uhh, cool. Thanks!”

Jacob smiled and nodded in return.

“You got it. I’m gonna make sure my squad is still in one piece before we head to bed, so I’ll leave you to it. In case I don’t see you later, have a goodnight Samus.”

Samus reciprocated the gesture.

“Goodnight, Captain.”

From there the Hunter watched Jacob leave, and once she no longer heard his echoing footfalls through the halls, Samus’ curiosity overpowered her discretion.

As she made her way towards her own room, she hit ‘play’ on the holodisk… and the wall she hit when two very familiar, if slightly aged, faces greeted her stopped her dead in her tracks.

“Hey there, stranger! It’s been a while!” the ‘Elfin’-species Kreatz, looking much-less unkempt than she had ever been used to seeing, greeted her.

She’d recognize that thin, mischievous face and those knife-like ears from anywhere. He clearly took some advice on taming his hair, if only a little bit.

“Indeed it has, Samus!” the hulking ‘Simian’ Mauk greeted with a wide smile.

Samus could immediately see that upon his massive, apelike form, he was garbed in the casual uniform of a Federation Marine Commander. He had grown his beard and hair out, with both framing his face like they would an older, regal lion.

“Sorry it’s been a while… you’re kinda impossible to find these days,” said Kreatz. “I think that’s your idea though. We know you being out of the police and army means it's kinda hard to keep friendships.”

“We tried to help you back on Zebes… but turns out you didn’t need any help, huh? Pirates were all destroyed by the time we got there! Then, your trail ran cold, and we didn’t hear from you,” Mauk explained, though quickly smirked and jokingly-yet-not-so-jokingly added:

“We hope that wasn’t to get away from us!”

Kreatz giggled as he said to Mauk:

“Wouldn't it be hilarious as shit if we got to Equis and Samus didn’t recognize us at all?”

Mauk refused to entertain the idea.

“Shut up, as if. It may’ve been a while… but it hasn’t been that long,” he regarded the camera fondly.

“Oh yeah, that’s right—we’re attached to the Third Fleet’s Iberia Battle Group. We have our orders and if you’ll have us, we’d love to work with you again like old times.”

“And even if not, screw work,” Kreatz interjected earnestly. “Just to say hi and have some drinks or something. We really do miss you, Samus.”

“That we do, girl. That we do. I’m gonna hand this off to Captain Dittmar before he heads off to Equis now. You take care, okay Samus? We’ll see you soon.”

Kreatz seemed in disbelief.

“Man, how the fuck did you know Crusader was headed there? I’m the one with the big ears, not you!”

“You see, Kreatz, it pays to bend the rules on occasion a little more steeply than you ever would, especially with the elite troops on deck. Good words float easily.”

“OoOoOoo okay, Mauk! Don’t need to let Samus know about your lewd behaviors! Now give it to Dittmar before I skin your mane.”

Mauk shoved Kreatz out of frame, layering his serious tone with an accent of pure jest:

“Mind your tone in the presence of superior rank, whelp.”

“Oh you know what?”

Mauk ignored him entirely and smiled excitedly.

“Hope you’re well, Samus! We’ll hopefully see you soon!”

“See ya soon, Samus! I still owe you that drink from that last time you saved my ass all those years ago!”

The recording abruptly ceased.

Samus blankly stared at the now-inactive holodisk, her entire brain mush from just processing what she heard. From thinking about them last night, to actually receiving a physical message—not only confirming that they were alive and well, but that they had remembered and thought about her—filled her entire chest and stomach with a radiating warmth that she didn’t know how to deal with.

It was a similar feeling she had been getting on and off with the girls recently, though nowhere near as profound, where it forced her hand to her core as her heart raced excitedly…

…like now.

Thinking about that, suddenly a conflict brewed in her mind. These ponies were probably her friends, too. Right? Technically? Should she have felt more strongly for them right now?

Goddamnit I’m not good at this shit.

It’s fine. It’s fine.

She took a deep breath and stopped herself from spiraling, anchoring herself and conceding that Kreatz and Mauk were probably her closest friends ever. They just hadn’t been in her life for a while, doing their own things, and now they were coming to reconnect with her.

The warmth hadn’t gone away, and in fact, only intensified, demanding action.

Stone-faced, Samus glanced over both her shoulders and took a gander at her wrist’s motion tracker. She was well and truly alone in this wing of the castle.

So, she took a deep breath, exhaled, and relished in the pleasant warmth of having old friends coming to see her…

…and then let her face promptly light up like the Federation Capital City as she squee’d in abject excitement.

She bounced giddily on the balls of her feet, holding her ‘friends’ close to her chest as pranced down the hall to her room, shamelessly giggly, with her smile as radiant as the crystal construction around her.

00. Foreword | Journal Entry 2077-0916

[Logbook: Samus Aran | September 16th, 2077]

“The Protector of the Galaxy.”

That’s what they called me—the Chozo—when they sent me off on my own for the first time since they rescued me.

Sixteen.

That’s how old I was. Sixteen years old when my caretakers felt they could train me no more… when they had placed all their faith and confidence in me, and sent me on my way.

An orphaned little girl who should’ve died on K-2L with her colony was suddenly thrust to uphold a mantle—an image she could not hope to aspire to in her wildest dreams.

Even with the seemingly endless threats of the Space Pirates and the virulent Phazon, I’ve yet to fully understand what the Chozo—the bird people, my people—truly saw in me. And yet here I am… My Galactic Federation Policing and Army days, the horrors of my return to Zebes, my adventures on Tallon IV, and my gallivanting across Aether have all led me here.

Another nameless planet.

I was a little girl… and now I’m barely a woman at just over twenty-two. I was genetically enhanced with Chozo DNA to make me stronger, faster, tougher, and more intelligent than I could ever have become on my own. With this, all augmented in conjunction with my Power Suit and its various enhancements over the years, I am who I am now.

I was made into a soldier.

I was molded into what my adoptive family saw as the ultimate warrior.

But…

As I’ve constantly found out, I’m only human… with emotions and impulsivity to boot, despite my valiant and usually successful attempts to not cloud my own judgment with said hallmarks of humanity.

I’m good at what I do… the best in the galaxy—it was to be as such, after all. Even so, I feel…

.
.
.

…I don’t know.

I feel like something’s missing.

A void grows within me, one that had been barely detectable about a decade ago. But for every new mission that I’ve been contracted, it becomes more noticeable. With every Space Pirate I slay, with every ounce of Phazon I cleanse from this galaxy, it becomes so much harder to ignore.

Its hand reaches out to me and craves for a feeling, a wholeness of sorts that I cannot seem to sate… let alone know what it is.

It eats away at me…

My resolve? Minutely whittling away with every enemy I’ve felled.

My morale? Low.

But these feelings matter little in the grand scheme of things. I will soldier on as I always have. I will play every part I must in restoring peace and stability to this galaxy… piece by piece, planet by planet, enemy by enemy…

…as I was made to do.

And I can only hope that with each new adventure, each new mission, each new revelation… this hunger—or whatever this is—can be quenched and quelled once and for all.

But… what am I even looking for?

18. Ascendance

Author's Note

It's been a while!

Per my latest blog post, after gauging limited reactions from you readers, I'm opting to split the full gargantuan finished arc into two chapters. This part is being released today. The 19th chapter will be released tomorrow. I've fuckin' poured over this and it's as good as I can get it right now. Readers will probably find an instant issue somewhere as per usual LOL. I've just accepted that. Just comment them below and i'll correct 'em.

I can't believe I had initially intended to fuckin' write all of 16, 17, 18 and tomorrow's 19 in one chapter, encompassing the whole arc lmaoooooo.

I REALLY hope you enjoy this direction I'm taking. I eagerly look forward to the comments, and if speculation pans out for tomorrow's release~.

18. Ascendance

“Luna?”

Samus wasn’t really sure what she was expecting of the magical aberration. But like any echo she had felt or sensed thus far on the planet, Luna… if it even was supposed to be her, didn’t respond to her calls. Flickering between existence and lack thereof, she merely stood there—or rather, floated—in silence, regarding Samus placidly, like a statue would regard visitors.

While Samus lowered her weapon and began to amble tentatively back towards the glyph, Twilight offered up some words:

“I can sense her magical profile as clear as day: it’s an echo of her for sure, though she seems much younger here. Well… all echoes are of ponies when they were younger, but she’s really young here. I think it’s actually of her when she was going through the ascendance trials.”

Samus cocked an eyebrow.

“Wait. I thought the whole ‘magical echo’ concept was just for like, traumatic magical events… like the strife back in Canterlot?”

“Sort of,” Twilight corrected.

“It’s that, or really anything where there’s a substantial magical presence that’s been collected, accumulated, held, or that’s otherwise just remained stagnant. There just, well… tends to be just that in times of extraordinary crisis.”

She then suggested:

“Don’t worry about being subtle—echoes don’t respond to physical stimuli. Get closer and focus on it a little more. We might find some answers?”

Samus shrugged.

“Better than any other idea I had.”

As Samus drew closer, the magical echo of Luna suddenly appeared more skittish, turning on her blurry hooves and sparing unsure glances to either side of her. Samus only resumed following in her steps when ‘Luna’ then trot hurriedly towards the glyph that had already been activated. By the time she caught up with the apparition fully, she could clearly observe Luna going through her own motions to undoubtedly bring the glyph to life all that time ago.

To sate her own curiosity though, Samus then brushed her hand through Luna’s mane, and was unsurprised in how her armored fingers faded straight through her neck. If anything, her systems registered a modest drop in temperature, but as Twilight had led her to expect, the echo did not react in the slightest.

Even so, Samus couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to eventually meet her.

As the Hunter watched Luna line her horn up with the glyph, and gaze into history as she activated it herself, Samus had to again contend with the fact that she had been silently enjoying the physical connection with Twilight and the others…

…even if she had recoiled the first couple times Twilight invaded her personal space and hugged her. As things were now, they made the silences a little less oppressive.

Samus’ reverie was torn asunder as she noticed Luna stepping away from the glyph, only to then light her horn, and cast some unintelligible spell against the left adjacent wall. Samus took a step back and observed her, clear as day, as she then walked right through it.

“Whoa wait… what?” she asked aloud.

She then poured over the very wall, noting no imperfections in it, nor anything that would indicate that there was a hidden passage. Nothing of interest was apparent to her—not even simple cracks in the edifice that, themselves, were rather common through the entire Temple thus far. A quick flip back and forth through her OM-Visor, likewise, left her with no more answers than she had started with.

Twilight also had some words, though Samus could hear the gears turning in her head through her own intrigued response:

“IIIIInteresting…~”

“I’ll say. Just checked OM, too. No weird magical sensitivities or anything,” replied Samus.

She brushed the same wall with her hand, tracing various nooks and crannies with her armored digits and yet, nothing else was revealed to her.

Thinking out loud much more willingly now that there was more than her own monologue in her head in a literal sense, she then added:

“Welp. No obvious exits. Wall is way too-pristinely carved to have been the result of a cave-in, and based on everything I’ve seen so far with magic… I bet my next check from the Feds that Luna knew of some passage only accessible by a spell.”

“Wholeheartedly agreed,” said Twilight. “You got ahead of my thoughts on that, actually. I will say that I had a hunch there was some kind of hidden passage. It’d be another defense mechanism against non-magic intruders potentially mucking up or destroying sensitive parts of this place.”

“What do you recommend?”

“Guess there’s no time like the present to teach you a new spell! Heh, not like we really have much of a choice, anyway.”

Samus shrugged, dropping into a half-battle stance and raising her hand idly, ready to cast a spell. Neutrally, she asked:

“Mkay. What’cha got for me this time?”

“Something that’ll allow you to generate simple portals to phase through walls, barriers, and the like. It’s essentially like Flash Teleport, except much less intensive on magical ability since it’s temporary, very short distance, and doesn’t involve disintegrating yourself at the atomic level, however instantaneous.

Simply put, it’s called ‘Gateway.’”

“Sounds simple enough, I guess.”

“Mhmm! That’s kinda the idea,” Twilight affirmed. “Very short range for when you don’t need to invoke the full power of Rarity’s element. The good thing is that it also works to determine if a wall is even passable. After all, you can’t really phase through an entire cliffside…

“...or conversely, don’t really wanna fall to your death.”

It made perfect sense to Samus.

“Works for me. The usual state?” Samus asked, getting ready to do what she had been doing since she started off with magic.

Twilight mustered a tiny giggle.

“Definitely, but first there’s a couple things I want you to start off with. Swap to OM, if you would, please?”

Samus did just that, bathing her vision in the usual, familiar darkness that reigned over her magical sight, saved for a marked increase in the wisps and magic particles that floated and flew on by. Like she had noted previously, nothing vastly new had been revealed to her, save for a slightly warmer magical signature where Luna’s echo had disappeared through the wall right in front of her. All of this, Samus figured, were traces of the ‘echo of the echo’ of Luna.

“Now…” Twilight continued.

“Go ahead and place your palm against the wall right there—where Luna seemed to walk through it in the past. And once you do, keep that position and channel the usual state of mind. Filter out all distractions and just listen to my voice.”

Easy enough for her, and with a further honed practice, Samus expelled her breath through her lips in a soft sigh as she let her eyes fall shut.

Twilight’s voice echoed, hollowly and soothingly, off the corners of her mind:

“Now, this time, I want you to envision not the Temple wall in front of you… not the wall that you’re pressing your hand against… but what might be lurking behind it. Reach out, Samus, and see if there truly is another path forward. Manifest this as if you want to pass through a simple doorway.

“Considering you were able to perform a Flash Teleport without even your Suit to help you earlier… I think this should be a lot easier for you. Anyway, I’ll shut up now. Go ahead and give it a try.”

To Samus, it made perfect sense, much like the rest of Twilight’s simply-put lines of teaching. She somewhat remembered that the alicorn was the prized student of Celestia, and close confidant of Luna. She sure behaved the part when imparting knowledge in a way that was digestible for her.

It was probably the reason they had been getting along so well, all her eccentricities aside.

And through that same trance-like state, she followed Twilight’s words to a T: in the darkness of her mind, eyes still closed, and her breathing deep and controlled, Samus pictured the wall in front of her. She felt it.

She felt her armored palm pressing flat against it, pressing into the somewhat uneven grooves and stone aberrations that had been the persistent work of erosion and time. She could see the imperfections amongst the elegantly, meticulously carved wall. But from there, she peered past it. Pushed passed the mental block that told her flat out that she couldn’t simply imagine a reality that she couldn’t see.

Samus was immediately rewarded with a vivid sight—the existence of a parallel hall a couple feet beyond her current obstruction was now fully visible through her closed eyelids.

Seeing what literally lay ahead, Samus opened her eyes, finally catching a glimpse of their reflection as they flared with her magical prowess. She knew what she had to do—what came next, magically: creating the portal.

From the center of her palm, a flood of magenta hard-magic burst forth and coated the wall in front of her, emanating outward into a flat ovular threshold plane. Ripples began to form like she had dipped her hand in a pool of water, spreading outward as Samus channeled more and more of her magic into creating this ‘gateway.’ An optical illusion of a whirlpool, replete with perceptions of depth, twirled towards the center with ever increasing frequency.

Samus suddenly felt her magical ‘muscle’ stretch taut as the spell reached critical mass. Where once there was a literal wall, then a wall of hard-magic, the latter irised open like one of the innumerable shielded doors she had passed through since her first missions through the galaxy. In its wake, the hidden, parallel hall lay in wait for her first, confident steps. Much like her magical vision had foretold, it was a near-identically-architected hall to the point where she had to confirm there wasn’t some reflection trickery happening.

Through the combined gasps of the girls in her systems, Twilight squealed in excitement as Samus casually stepped through the threshold she just spawned. Once she made it through, the spell ceased, as did its occupancy of her magical center, closing behind her and sealing her off.

Whether she now wanted to or not, she was committed to her new path forward.

Even Samus couldn’t help but marvel with some small bit of pride, staring where the gateway had once been to the backdrop of the heaping praise she was receiving.

“AMAZING!!!” Twilight further squealed, beyond approvingly. “You nailed it, filly! And again on your first try! Gods you’re getting so good at this!!”

“Well done, Darling… as always~.”

“Heh, yeah! Good job, Samus!”

Samus, not wanting to get further behind schedule, strode ahead as her Suit’s systems added some extra context to her newfound, newly-taught ability:

[Gateway Acquired!]

[An offshoot of Flash Teleport, the ability to generate localized portal gateways has been conferred. Significantly less taxing and energetically inexpensive, you can now traverse through walls, barriers, shields, and blockages of hazardous materials.]

“Thanks, girls,” said Samus as she dismissed the new notifications. “Let’s get back on track, now.”

Twilight was more than happy to oblige.

“Roger that! I’ll continue monitoring the magical space. Just keep us moving forward…”

Hand back atop her cannon with her eyes flicking over her immediate front, Samus resumed vigilant watch for anyone, or anything, that might attempt to ambush her through her journey forward. Thankful for the silence to concentrate and lose herself in her work once more, not much was willing to stand before her aggressively… perhaps disappointingly so thus far on this leg of the journey.

Well, other than her mind of course.

She hadn’t even needed to use her Charge Beam nor Missiles to blow through any debris—the cave-ins of the halls she followed thusly hadn’t been total. The moss and vines that continued to dot and criss-cross her path respectively did little to hinder her meandering, winding trek forward.

Samus again noted the presence of a few Equis Crabs, with a few larger ones leading their respective, disciplined groups from shattered edifice to to shattered edifice.

And the literal straight-forward path culminated in yet another instantaneous drop-off. Samus stopped in her tracks to marvel at how suddenly the journey simply ended into a shaft with nowhere else to go—not even a grand cavern like just before the second glyph.

Just a drop, almost like construction abruptly ended.

As the Hunter stepped to the edge and took a gander down at the abyssal darkness that awaited her, as had been local custom for her, she recalled the arduous, decidedly uncomfortable journey upward to get to where she was presently in this whole Temple system.

Was this drop going to simply negate that whole effort in one fell swoop?

Her OM Visor again revealed little of surprising magical significance: the specks and currents of magic were back again, and continued to undulate and float around her like a river whose pull was much too weak than to just nudge her further along.

Right into the drop.

Samus wondered if she should be feeling insulted by now.

She then glanced side-to-side, as if Twilight and the girls were standing on either of her pauldrons, there to offer her any advice or thoughts as they normally would if they happened upon something interesting or relevant. No such preemptive advice was forthcoming, and with another wordless, if uneventful hop, Samus dropped into the awaiting darkness.

As she fell through the air through the void that had consumed her entirely, only fleeting flecks of light that had entered through some cracks in the edifice had graced her vision in scanning motions. Through it all, she braced herself as she estimated the distance she fell, prepared for her Suit to absorb the impact… but no such impact came.

Hmph…

Her steadiness waned somewhat as Samus knew for a fact she had been falling further than she expected to, while further accelerating in her descent. A shakiness and lack of stability took over as she noticed a light coming up at the literal end of the tunnel after seven seconds since her jump.

She braced for impact, and her Suit’s dampeners did the rest of the work as she finally impacted solid, stone ground.

Knelt down to further disperse said impact, Samus drew her cannon over her line of sight and back around, quickly checking her motion tracker as well as her direct surroundings with two sweeps back and forth. Nothing interesting was forthcoming, and her motion tracker lay barren of hostiles as did her new passageway surroundings.

Except for a couple paintings of what Samus would consider rudimentary ‘Pony Runes.’ None of them looked particularly noteworthy, nor did her Scan Visor contradict her assessment. Her magical sight continued to bathe her vision in a plethora of magical flecks that danced around on those same magical currents, beckoning her forward.

Just a whole lot of nothing.

As Samus stood up and continued her cannon-led stroll onward, she mentally made a note to, in the future, not complain internally so much when the combat was nonstop. Because as much as she enjoyed the ancient puzzles the Chozo and the Luminoth left behind for her, literally fighting for her life in the heat of battle was preferable to just a drab, monochrome hellscape of nothing to look at, as had been for a fair part of this leg of the journey.

Thankfully, this bout of monotony soon ended when she passed through one more archway threshold, in which the hall opened up into another circular, cylindrical room. Much unlike the Hall of Ascendance where this whole mission started, Samus noted how there was barely any space to maneuver versus the hall path she had just emerged from… and yet, the room, with another portrait of the full moon that spanned the floor, took on the appearance of a small lift.

In her mind, there was no way it wasn’t part of some elevator system.

Though more interesting than that, Samus came to a halt in the center when she realized that the final glyph was right in front of her: on the opposite wall, where the path her journey took her on terminated entirely.

Twilight exuded a profound relief as she sighed out her words:

“There it is…”

Samus wasn’t entirely impressed with its presentation. It was just… here? She had expected some other type of trap, or more use of her abilities as the Temple would increasingly play tricks on her to get the final glyph.

Not even the courtesy for an ambush of some kind by local, aggressive wildlife. It seemed almost too easy.

“Mm…” she hummed.

A flip through her magical sight showed nothing untoward, save for the glyph itself glowing white-hot with magic in the expected shape of a full moon—the final phase. So aggressive were the glowing and magical artifacts seemingly ejected from its surface, Samus had to wonder if there was some other force at play attempting to likewise aggressively hail its activation.

Having no need to stall the process, Samus got right underway in activating the final glyph when she spotted another similar bit of accompanying text, etched underneath. Much like with the third instance, this one proved little issue or wear on her mind, and after the appropriate light show accompanied by the single line of hard magic shooting straight up into the unseen ceiling above, Samus went right to scanning the text.

Curiously, the result was in no way as wordy as the Hunter had come to expect from the rather poetic style of retelling history of long past:

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete.]

[New Pony Lore has been translated and recorded to your logbook.]

[Translation:

[By the grace of Fate, She has Ascended.]

Those words carried literal weight to them as a sudden bout of seismic activity shook the foundations of the room… and from how profoundly the vibrations entered her bones, seemingly the entire foundations of the Temple at large.

“Whoa!” yelped Twilight as Samus, ever stoic and glancing around the room, felt herself rising upward with the floor.

As the Hunter had suspected, the expansive mural of the moon beneath her boots was the floor of a lift, and carried them upward into the shaft above. The room which held the final glyph nestled in its watch had disappeared entirely in the coming darkness, only ever partially illuminated by some natural light that passed by in scanning motions.

Samus, this time, was the first to speak:

“Mkay. That should be everything.”

Twilight agreed.

“Yeah… should. But I guess we’re back to not knowing what happens. Hopefully it’s nothing too arduous.”

Samus decided to let her thoughts on the matter of ‘difficulty’ be known:

“Gotta say… all things considered, that wasn’t exactly the most difficult puzzle I’ve ever gone through. Unless there’s something else I’m missing… does that mean I’m a magical prodigy?” came her dry humored quip.

Through the combined giggles of Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy, Samus checked her systems and all their sensors—there was absolutely nothing she could see that changed as a result of the glyphs being activated. No environmental oddities nor any other seismic activity that her system didn’t even deign to inform her of.

“Well…” Twilight began with an air of dancing around the subject. Samus herself couldn’t help but huff, amused that Twilight even thought she was being serious with her last facetious question.

She giggled again, having seemingly detected Samus’ ribbing but further added:

“In all seriousness though, you’ve really been opening my eyes up to what’s possible with magic in such a short time. I know I’ve said it a lot… but beyond just the abilities you arrived with, you’re doing a fantastic job with magic. If you had a horn, I would’ve expected you to have been a hell of a spellcaster in some top university here!”

Samus smirked.

“Heh. I wasn’t being serious but… thanks, Twi.”

“Well, I am being serious, so…”

Samus added a huff to her smirk, but was more than content to let the remaining ambient sounds of the lift taking her upward fill the now-complete dearth of conversation. Like had been the norm when traversing the various systems in her previous travels, she was happy to silently ruminate and take in what sights were offered.

Often, it wasn’t much. Unlike the previous times, that same, thin stream of hard magic kept her company from the glyph below. Either way, she was happy to stand in silence.

A sudden lurch of the elevator platform drew Samus’ attention upwards, just as the ceiling irised open. She braced her legs as her ascent suddenly slowed, and then came to a complete stop with a metallic clang that reverberated through the Ascendance Hall… where Samus found herself standing atop the center of the now-brightly, magically illuminated Full Moon. The entire perimeter was lit up in that same, omnipresent teal-blue light that had guided her progress since the first glyph.

Again, she smirked. It was done.

And again, all ambient sound cut out entirely, and a ‘familiar,’ layered, echoey voice made itself known once more. Samus, used to the bit by now, sighed and closed her eyes as she listened to Prime’s voice, as if she were speaking authoritatively straight into her ear:

“So long as the ambrosia exists, so will I.

“So long as it feeds on all life, so will I.

“So long as it consumes you… gnaws at your very life, mind, and being…

“...so too, shall I.”

The natural world broke through the wall of unnatural silence once more as Prime’s latest diatribe faded away with the coastal winds that swirled through the Ascendance Hall.

Twilight prodded carefully:

“...Samus?”

“I’m here. She’s gone… for now,” confirmed Samus

“...she?”

Oh. Right.

“Another long story you might’ve gotten the high level on with reading my logbook. We’ll talk more when we get back.”

Twilight seemed more than happy to drop it for now.

“You got it, Samus. And speaking of ‘back…’ looks like we’re back where we started!”

The Hunter nodded, regarding her surroundings almost fondly, and more than that, appreciating access to a quick exit if things were to go to shit in the next few moments. She hung on those next few moments, steeling herself for the grand entrance of Murphy’s Law.

No such moments came that necessitated abandoning her position, and so Samus replied:

“Yeah… and like I said before, I’m a bit curious as to how easy that all was. That can’t really be it, right?”

“The glyphs themselves were likely only a part of the whole test. Also remember, there was nearly half a lifetime of training for Luna to go through in other areas, not just this ceremonial ritual. If anything, the little adventure we just went on through the Temple was more of a verification of magical ability versus an inherent test to become connected to the Moon.” Twilight explained.

“That…” The digital alicorn further added. “...comes later. And I can’t really tell you what lies ahead. The echo of Luna didn’t provide much future prediction, nor did the imprint we found go into any great amount of detail. So really… I’d bet it isn’t over at all.

“In fact, I’d be really surprised if nothing else waited for us,” the alicorn finished.

Samus huffed, and as if right on cue, another round of seismic activity grumbled and churned under her feet, seeming to shake the entire Ascendance Hall. She braced herself, and as she sought the source around her, she stood her guard down when she came face-to-face with the culprit: a stone pillar, hitherto hidden by an identical stone slab at the ‘head’ of the full moon. It rose from its resting place with a deep, aged, grinding mechanical sound of stone on stone, with the cacophony ceasing when it locked in place with a firm ‘clang.’

Samus lowered her cannon and stepped up to the new pillar, where she now recognized the telltale signs of three concave, dome-shaped slots facing her… each of which began to pulse a gorgeously pleasant, inviting blue.

Samus’ reaction, as silence again returned through the ever present whooshing of the coastal winds, was a rather succinct:

“Huh… I see.”

From here, she wasn’t entirely sure what to do. From her previous gallivanting on Aether, she could recognize a ‘magical’ lock anywhere. Even consulting her Scan Visor for a quick check confirmed through its own speculations that this was where to place some keys to complete some aetheric handshake. It likewise let her know that the magical potential nestled therein was immense, but beyond that, nothing that was immediately actionable.

But… what keys?

“Any ideas?” she asked.

Twilight answered:

“Hmmm… seems like it’s a—WHOA hold on there, that’s weird!”

Rarity immediately followed Twilight’s astonished, self-interjection with one of her own:

“By Celestia—what is that feeling?!”

Fluttershy was hot on their tails with her own thoughts, further clouding Samus’ headspace:

“Th-This is so weird, girls… what is that…?”

Samus practically stumbled over with the vocal overload from three foreign voices literally in her head. She squinted her eyes and planted her armored fingers against the side of her helmet, imploring:

“GIRLS! For fuck’s sake please organize your thoughts before you all burst out yelling like that. For my own sanity.

“One at a time—what’s happening?”

As Samus had come to expect, Twilight was first to speak up:

“I feel just like… a sudden tugging at my Element. My very being, really, which I guess is just an extension of my Element. It’s a super weird feeling that’s hard to explain but, somehow… I can feel that it’s not malicious in any way. It’s like any of my friends pulling me along for a walk.

“It’s welcoming.”

Fluttershy simply added:

“Yeah. It’s… gentle. Like one of the animals trying to nudge me to play. I’d feel safe.”

As did Rarity:

“I agree, dear… and if I had to rely on my intuition, I’d have to say what everyone is thinking: that it’s coming from that shining contraption that literally just appeared from the ground.”

Samus nodded, though from her point of view, that latter point was beyond obvious. But hearing what she did from all three of their figurative mouths was enough to let her know that she was on the right track with the thoughts brewing in her mind.

Twilight actually did one better when she confirmed that Samus had hit the nail on the head:

“Okay, I think I understand what’s happening now—it’s a cipher lock! Remember that first passage you scanned when we first got here? Actually, I think I can just search through your logbook archives myself, one second.

“And…

“A-ha!”

If she were in her physical form, Samus’ would’ve shot her a sideways glance.

She did that WAY too quickly. She’s getting too comfortable poking around in my systems.

“Here. Whoever wrote it mentioned that after Luna presented the ‘...remaining, unused three Elements of Harmony, she ascended into the Chamber above…’ That means that an Elemental Lock of sorts was called upon once you activated all the glyphs. So I think that means you need to ‘present’ us to the lock so it can do what it needs to do.”

Samus had pretty much figured out where this was going, and even through the gratuitous reassurance from all three of the girls that this magical ‘tug’ didn’t feel at all malicious, she still hesitated. Naturally more than a bit concerned at exposing all three of their Elements at once, she pursed her lips, fidgeted in her stance and softly, yet firmly asked with no hint of unease:

“You uhh… sure about this?”

Somehow—and Samus could not figure out how she knew this, but she could sense the three of them ‘looking’ between one another… sharing a sense of knowing like real life friends would agree silently amongst each other.

“Yes,” said Twilight.

“Absolutely,” added Rarity.

“I’m okay with it,” agreed Fluttershy.

Samus still had her reservations, of course, but that was all she needed to confidently proceed. Hand outstretched, she asked:

“Okay… what do you need from me?”

“You can magically generate our elements by manifesting them from your systems, much like you would cast any spell so far. That way, you’re not physically yoinking us from your suit and preventing causing whatever problems that would definitely happen after that,” Twilight instructed.

“That,” she concluded. “...should suffice as a magical handshake for the cipher.”

Samus nodded.

“Right.”

Hand still outstretched and having already channeled the usual magical state, she closed her eyes and fished within her body, isolating the three distinct, foreign energies within her. As Samus imagined the Elements floating before her, she used the abilities each one granted her—sensitivity, teleportation, and cloaking—as anchor points to manifest each respective one.

Through her blackened vision, she could now vividly see each of the elements one-by-one.

Then, she opened her eyes, again noting their glare from behind her visor.

First came Twilight’s star, which coalesced into a lifelike, blown-up projection of the real thing in a show of gorgeous, glinting colors. Samus knew it wasn’t the actual Element itself, but seeing the projection so life-like before her eyes, and peacefully rotating in place above her flared hand brought her distinctly back to the memories of the Dark Temple Keys on Dark Aether.

In another gentle show of magical beauty, then came Rarity’s diamond… and then Fluttershy’s butterfly in short order thereafter, both with their respective, aesthetically pleasing magical, coruscating wakes. Neither likewise lacked any twinkling sheen in the ambient light of the Temple.

Though she held her concentration, Samus asked:

“Still with me?”

The answers were immediate:

“Yup!”

“Right here, dear.”

“Mhmm!”

Silence again returned as the Hunter then gently beckoned the Elements forward with her hand. She watched as, through her magical will, the projections floated gracefully on an unfelt, silent breeze towards the cipher. Each one claimed their respective, pulsing ‘domes’ therein, seeming to fit perfectly into place with a resounding, ominously powerful ‘click!’

Just like a massive key.

The sound of the final ‘unlatching’ continued to echo off the far reaches of Samus’ mind, as each one carried literal weight to what came next. Suddenly, Samus felt on edge. Much like the danger she knew she would find in the Dark Aether Temples, something inside her screamed that she was walking into mortal danger.

She always was. She always did. And as such, she suppressed it, as always. What else could she do?

The Ascendance Hall suddenly, yet again, came alive on the heels of the unlocking with another round of seismic shifting. Much more potent and precise, it felt as if the entire cliffside wherein the Temple rested was experiencing an earthquake.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy timidly voiced.

Samus, however, remained unfazed. If the cliffside was actually collapsing, she figured they’d know soon enough. It was an entire possibility, given the age of the Temple itself… but likewise with the age, it soon became evident that this was entirely by design. Simultaneously, with their purpose fulfilled, all three Elemental manifestations phased out of existence, atomizing before Samus’ eyes.

Fluttershy, in a subversion of expectations, was the first to vocalize her thoughts from the experience:

“I can’t place why but… that felt nice.”

Twilight and Rarity were in adamant agreement:

“Hehe, yeah… not sure what that was, but if that’s what it takes to bring the Princesses back, then I’m all for it. Never really felt anything like that in all my magical studies. So foreign, and yet? So similar.”

“I can say much the same, though anything else is bordering on… inappropriate for a lady.”

Samus rolled her eyes.

“Alright, alright… I get it, girls. Back to more pressing matters now, please.”

All the while, she observed the happenings of the Ascendance Hall. She gently drew her cannon around as the entire platform on which she stood—the now-fully lit moon—seemed to glow even more intensely alight with a powerful magic. What once began as questioning the entire structural integrity of the Temple at large morphed gradually into the Full Moon platform rumbling to life.

And as Samus had long suspected since she first arrived here, the platform was part of a much larger lift system, as evident when it began to ascend her towards the domed ceiling above.

“Looks like we’ve got our way forward.”

Yet as the lift took her closer and closer to the point where she could scrutinize the smallest details of the night sky mural above, Samus’ instincts grew only mildly concerned for the integrity of her body… assuming the intent was to crush her between the ceiling and the platform. As she had seen many times through her travels and just the extent of her time here on this planet alone, rarely were things what they seemed.

“Okay…” Twilight sighed out, seemingly steeling herself for what was to come. “Here we go.”

Right where Samus would expect a normal, malfunctioning elevator to turn her into a fine mix of human mulch and machine against the apex of the ceiling, the visuals of the night sky seemed to whittle away. Instead, a thick haze of various blues, sparkling, magically charged fog, not too dissimilar to what she’d often see through her OM Vision, quickly enveloped her form and snuffed out her surroundings… as if she were passing through this veritable cloud layer.

She could feel her body still moving against gravity thanks to the lift, even as all other ambient noise died out entirely aside from a ‘magically electric,’ staticky sound that emanated from everywhere at once.

The most interesting aspect of this ‘magical elevator’ was the sudden appearance of light flashes, like a thunderstorm on a foggy night, and most peculiarly: fragments of visions no matter where she looked. Visions of what appeared to be familiar, partial figures of Luna and various other ponies, both familiar and unknown to Samus.

Just based on the reactions of the girls, these were likely not figments of her own mental state as it meshed with her magical center.

“Whoa! Luna,” observed Twilight.

“Is that… Celestia?” asked Rarity when they all took in the brief flash of a much younger Luna and a pink-maned pony. “I forgot her mane was pink when not energized by magic.”

“And… wait. That’s us! Nightmare Night!”

Twilight also had her theory:

“I think these are her memories.”

Which made Samus piggyback off of that with her own thoughts out loud:

“If these are memories, then they sure as shit didn’t exist back when she ascended. She’s gotta be close.”

No further words were spoken as the light show continued in earnest… at least until the elevator carrying them further into the unknown depths of the Temple lurched suddenly. Samus braced herself as the magical mist which had hung around her for the last half minute began to fade away right as the lift locked into place.

With the new environment, the Hunter went fully guarded, and drew her aim wherever her eyes would take her.

Fluttershy asked:

“Where are we?”

“Deeper, though higher, in the Temple I guess…” answered Twilight.

“No idea,” said Samus. “Workin’ on it.”

As her vision further cleared and her eyes adjusted, she could see that, wherever she was, she was in a much more massive, gargantuan chamber of sorts. All seemed to be made out of the same material as before: the cliffside rock itself. Her eyes traced the edges of jagged and uncarved, unrefined rock upon the edges of what counted for cavern walls.

And in further situational whiplash, Samus peered up at the ceiling and found really no ceiling to behold. So high was it that not even the fringes of the Temple’s natural lighting seemed to touch it, leaving nothing but literal space to stare into. The jaggedness of the walls continued upward nonetheless, and Samus could now discern some type of bioluminescent plant life and algae decorating and spider-webbing upward and beyond.

Samus blinked away any nascent tunnel vision and noted the oppressive, moisture-laden atmosphere that had supplanted the magical haze—a fog that seemed to hang halfway over the whole area and did well to keep her view beyond a few dozen feet in all directions obstructed.

The biggest change by far was the lack of any of the ambient, oceanic winds that battered and swirled through the interior of the Ascendance Hall. It was now way too quiet.

She stepped off the center of the now lifeless platform, drawing her aim around her as she mulled on where she might be. A quick check of her map only revealed the extent of this internal section of the temple, though curiously not highlighting an elevator pathway from the Ascendance Chamber to where she was now, designated the ‘Ascendance Chamber.’

“Well. Looks like we’re where we should be,” said Samus, having lowered her Arm Cannon. “Honestly would’ve expected it to be more ornate.”

She wasn’t sure what Twilight and the others were saying, as Samus became keenly aware of a foreign lightsource. Through more of the same, a distinct bit of dull, teal light broke through the wall of humidity. From her map’s help in orienting her through the literal fog of war, it seemed to be emanating from the far end of the chamber.

Still doing well to keep her thoughts centered, Samus reached out through magic, centering herself, and was surprised to feel an almost friendly connection reach back out from that very direction. Whatever this light was, it called to her in a way that felt most natural to her, and Samus had to wonder if this was what the girls were talking about with the cypher lock.

Because if it was, with the warmth she felt cradling the depths of her chest and core like she was being embraced by a close friend… she actually did understand, now.

Nevertheless, Samus advanced forward towards this unknown, glimmering light in a battle stance, cannon at the low ready as she stepped fully off the platform. As a further precaution owing to the threats she might face, she kept her armored hand ready, floating above her weapon to cast a sudden defensive spell if she needed it in a pinch.

She had been caught off guard magically too many times in her short campaign on this planet to feel comfortable letting it happen yet again.

“Okay, here we go,” she announced, which silenced whatever conversation the girls were having.

“Oh! Right… we’re so close. We have to be—I literally sense her magic in the air. It’s so familiar, like it’s her physical presence. It’s exactly the same as if she were just standing right next to me.”

Samus finally broke through the hazy veil, and she was greeted with a small set of stairs… stairs which were carved out of the same rock and into the shape of wings not dissimilar to Twilight’s own pair. She silently counted seven steps, and noted how they beckoned her to a single pillar with a single, hollow aperture that seemed to rise to the height of just under her chest. Its design called back fully to the cypher lock, save for one position instead of three.

This played vanguard to the pony-sized ball of swirling, coruscating, entropic ball of pure, pulsing teal magic just behind it.

Whatever this swirling ball of magic was, it was held encased by a frame of crystals that sprouted from the ground. These crystals, entirely magical in nature, also appeared to channel and feed the magic encased therein, in a manner akin to a fuel source or generator.

Harkening back to her most recent adventure before Equis, Samus drew an eerily familiar comparison to the portal devices between Light and Dark Aether with the deliberately intricate, crystalline structure surrounding the coalesced, aggressively swirling magic.

Getting a closer look as she forded the provided steps, Samus could see straight above the undulating ball of energy to find a veritable stream of magic. It seemed to spiral slowly but surely from all other parts of the chamber… collecting residual and freely flowing magic beyond and coalescing it to a singular point atop the highest crystal.

Samus internally labeled this contraption the ‘Ascendance Object,’ as her Scan Visor had no other input aside from some form of powerfully magical device.

“Is this it?” Twilight asked herself aloud.

Again, Samus shrugged.

“I guess…” she figured, and in doing another check through OM, Samus nearly stumbled back off the raised platform because of how bright the area was.

“Christ!”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. Shitload of magic here. Fuck, it’s like looking at purple sun.”

Seeing what she could through her magical sight, the entire area might as well have been bathed in some radioactive, ‘steaming’ Phazon, as the residual magic coming off the walls was like gazing down a long, desert road and seeing all the heatwave distortions.

And then, she saw the silhouette.

Samus stiffened and bristled as the sea of bright magic through OM was disturbed by the sight of a dark, floating silhouette of her likeness amongst the distant, magical steam.

Samus stood there for a few seconds, boring into the apparition that, likewise, seemed to placidly float several dozen feet away. All the natural questions all came barging into her mind regarding if what she was seeing was real, or a figment of her mind and imagination all mixed together in a delightful cocktail of magical hallucinations, not to mention the lack of sleep from the previous night.

The very, barely-possible notion that Prime could be here, standing in front of her immediately sent her into high-alert and nigh unbridled rage, and Samus drew her cannon on the unknown intruder. The moment her cannon began to swell with a charged Power Beam round ignited a maelstrom of startled inquiries.

“WHOA, Filly! What’s going on??”

“Samus?!”

“What is it??”

The figure did not move, even with its center mass in her digital sights. Still, she hesitated… part of her wondering if she took the shot, that would be the first domino to fall. That she would be admitting that she was now not only hearing voices, but seeing magical manifestations.

Twilight managed to break through:

“Talk to me, Samus! What’re you seeing??”

She shook her head.

“Something’s not right. Radar doesn’t show shit. Something’s here. I can see it. Beyond the veil of the fog and magic. Straight ahead…

“Maybe I’m hallucinating. Could all the magic be affecting me?” she considered the second-worst case scenario.

Nervous, and now likewise on high alert with Samus’ curt words, managed a reply:

“M-Maybe? Maybe it’s some weird echo? I’m… don’t know for sure, but I don’t see what you’re seeing. Can’t even really sense much beyond the massive torrent of magic here, so I’m running a bit blind, myself. I’m sorry…”

Silence returned, aside from the static, consistent whirring of her charged shot hanging on at the edge of her cannon, ready to be fired off. Her target remained unchanged: a clear hallucination of her alter ego taunting her with the very existence of the idea that Prime was, somehow, alive. It quietly floated there, insulting her with its presence and wordlessly looked ripe to receive the first salvo of what would’ve been a messy fight, had Prime actually been floating where she was.

Samus sighed out, loosening her posture.

“Yeah,” she said, annoyed that she was forced into the highest of her alerts for pretty much nothing but smoke and mirrors.

“Probably nothing.”

She then unceremoniously fired off the charged shot into the foggy void, if only to get rid of it, sending it straight through the middle of the silhouette’s torso, which promptly dissipated with the flowing torrents of air that her shot had brought along. She then shook her head and turned around, ready to deal with the whole point of this gallivanting adventure through the Temple.

Samus froze again, hearing that her charged round did not impact any stone. It sounded distinctly like it struck a mixture of flesh and magic… a sound that she became completely in tune with in her previous battles with the Somnia the other day in Canterlot.

Twilight preempted Samus’ alarm.

“I heard that.”

“Something’s here.”

Samus turned fully, ready for combat, observing keenly that whatever she hit triggered something lying in wait beyond the foggy veil. Not a moment later, her motion tracker lit up with a massive red blotch while she felt a distinct tingling in her magical sensibilities: the presence of foreign, powerful magic.

“I think you were right about whatever you were seeing, Samus…”

“Yeah. How right, though?”

Samus noticed the first bit of movement towards her, and she jutted her cannon forward to track the sudden incursion of an incoherent mass… a mass that seemed to fluctuate between a moving, liquid puddle and a migrating cloud.

All at once, this condensed, dark cloud of seemingly pure magical essence per her OM-Visor cast aside the curtain of the foggy veil, and hummed along as it slithered towards Samus’ higher position by the Ascension Object. It glowed dimly an ominous, navy blue as it slowly slithered up the right-most adjacent rocky wall like a river carving through rock.

Though Samus still tracked her unknown enemy, relieved that it didn’t seem to behave in any conceivable way that would clue her in to Prime’s presence, she still knew they had a fight on their hands of some kind, and quickly leapt off the platform to scurry away. She again dropped into her combat stance, ready to start shooting the moment this lurker’s intentions were known now that she had put sufficient distance between the two of them.

Twilight nervously added:

“Do we have a fight on our hooves?”

The Hunter replied dryly, if matter-of-factly:

“Always.”

Samus attempted to do her usual intelligence gathering, but, infuriatingly so, it seemed she put too much distance between her and the intruder for her system’s to scan it properly.

“Fuck’s sake…”

She then made to advance so she could re-attempt, though she stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes widened in surprise, a backdrop to the horror that all three digitized mares in her head voiced as the blobby mass of magic surrounded the brilliantly entropic ball of magic within the Ascension Object.

“WHAT?!” Twilight bellowed. “We were SO CLOSE!”

Samus watched as their unknown foe enveloped the entire portal-like object, becoming more and more transparent with the magical light shining through it somewhat.

“Is…” Rarity dared to ask what everyone was thinking. “Is it feeding off the magic?”

No answer was forthcoming when their enemy quickly extricated itself and coalesced before the altar, Facing Samus from her erstwhile previous position atop the platform. Once an amorphous mass and cloud, all observed with rapt keenness and varying degrees of morbid curiosity as it flattened itself into a viscous puddle of navy-blue magic.

Slowly, like a figure rising out of water, the general, featureless form of a massive pony began taking shape… one that loosely mimicked the presence and poise of Princess Luna herself.

Samus cocked her head curiously, though Twilight’s reaction was markedly different after she gasped:

Pure, existential horror… a deathly low tone in her voice that cut deeply into Samus’ understanding that Twilight was truly afraid for her life.

“No… how…?”

It then reared up and delivered a guttural, mouthless roar that tingled all of Samus’ bones through her armor, while seemingly penetrating through the structural holds of the entire temple.

Fluttershy broke through shakily:

“Is that—”

“YES!” Twilight immediately answered.

Samus had finally closed enough of the range to gather intel:

[Scanning…]

[Scan Complete…]

[Creature: Tantabus]

[Also known as the Magnum Somnium or Night Terror, it is a dream entity created by Princess Luna herself in an act of self-flagellation for her past crimes as Nightmare Moon, born from her own pain and guilt. Like the Somnia, as Luna became incapacitated during the Crisis, it appeared to have escaped its reins and gained enough power through the nightmares of a dying Equestrian populace to break into the waking world.

The physical Tantabus will prey on its targets with various magical and kinetic attacks as well as psychological strikes over time meant to inflict the most crippling, terror-induced psychosis. Once its target is wholly incapacitated through fear, it subsumes its nightmare-like visions for nourishment and sustainment. Said visions strike at the heart of the victim’s mind, and those not prepared to face their deepest fears, regrets, and terrors may self-terminate.

Magic-amplified kinetic attacks will stun and enrage it. Only self-reflection and forgiveness will deal lethal damage to the Tantabus.]

Samus barely finished the scan before she was shaking her head at the incomprehensible brain cave-in with the sudden, massive question she now had:

“What the fuck does that even mean?! Twilight?? At least I could magically beat Somnia to death!”

Samus put her left hand forward with flared magic as she tactically, slowly gave ground to put more distance between her and the now-hulking Tantabus… which then began to dematerialize and slink its way down the altar towards her on a ghastly trail.

“I know what you need to do, Samus…” Twilight explained. “...but you’re not gonna like it at all. You probably won’t even believe me.”

Samus had yet to open fire, and opted to be cautious with the entrance of this powerful magical creature as it still snaked its way towards her like a serpentine shark honing in on its prey.

“I could really do without the cryptic shit right now, Twi!”

The alicorn blindsided her with:

“Do you trust me?”

It had only been a short time since they were forced to occupy the same headspace unwillingly. The entire time thus far, Samus had been fully convinced that Twilight has never led her astray. In the grips of legitimate danger, she didn’t think the alicorn would start doing anything differently.

With this half-second, yet nigh-instantaneous deliberation as she forced down the whiplash of such a question, Samus answered curtly:

“I do!”

Twilight then rapidfire vomited her words as the Tantabus slunk into striking range:

“Okay! First thing’s first: annoy the shit out of the Tantabus! Long enough that it stops trying to attack you physically and just attempts to end the fight by attacking your dreams directly!”

Samus had no time to mull what that last part meant, nor that Twilight started swearing so openly. All she heard was ‘annoy’ and in the presence of larger enemies passed, she knew exactly what to do.

The Tantabus instantly coalesced back into its hulking alicorn form, all while simultaneously lunging towards Samus with frightening speed in its opening attack: It thrust a hoof at Samus that nightmarishly deformed into a spear aimed straight at her heart.

The Hunter was much too agile for such a first strike, and she threw herself to her immediate left, going parallel to the ground for the briefest moment to exit into a roll and back onto stable feet. Eyes sharp behind her visor, she lined up her cannon and immediately returned fire at the seemingly bewildered dream creature with a Pulse Charge… which impacted the Tantabus directly in its side before it had any other time to react.

As Samus expected, some kinetic effect was had, but the real effect was depriving it of its magical ability for a few moments of key opportunity. The Hunter rushed her enemy in a literal strafing run, firing her Power Beam wildly as it bellowed another terrible torrent of infuriated screeches.

Being enfiladed by a one-woman firing line, it slunk away towards the nearest chamber wall as Samus closed in further, but in no way forfeited the fight.

Locked in her combat position, she kept her cannon aimed up at the amorphous puddle that lay suspended against the wall, shimmering in the light of the entropic sphere of magic at the other end of the chamber wall.

With just enough breathing room as the lightning attacks ended with a square-off, Samus followed up on Twilight’s previous instructions with more than a fair bit of disbelief in lacing her urgent words:

“Attack my dreams?? What the actual fuck are you talking about?” she asked.

Sheepish, Twilight replied:

“Yeah, that’s about the reaction I expected from you.”

Samus tersely followed up:

“I’m not hearing an explanation, Twi…”

Twilight rapid-fired:

“Okay! You said you trusted me… so when the Tantabus really lashes out, and you’ll know it when you see it, you’ll need to be really close to sleep or already in a dream state.”

The cloudy, magical puddle on the wall began aggressively shifting up and down the rockface.

“Fucking… why?”

“Because you need to be in control of the pace of the dream, Samus! If it attacks your mind directly when you’re fighting back alert and awake, and induces a coma against your will, you might not be able to come out of it.

“And if you lose that fight in your dreams…”

Samus huffed, acquiescing to the truth.

“Right.”

She understood completely, and it was clear that they had no choice in the matter with them now being engaged in the heat of battle. Once the Tantabus began slithering off the wall at inhuman speeds, it then re-assumed its equine-esque form, and seemed poised to lash out at her with its hooves again—Samus was ready to meet it.

She flared her magic while charging up her cannon to deliver another Pulse Charge straight to its ethereal face, and then follow up with a spell of her choosing.

Yet, whatever it had planned, it didn’t seem to fully commit to the attack.

Samus, however, did.

The moment Samus fired off her attack, it slammed into the Tantabus with a blast of lavender light, blunting its own tepid offensive as it then broke off the engagement again.

It started to slither around in what she assumed was an attempt to force another opening. Samus knew better than to let it out of her sight, and she counter-strafed in kind, letting the two of them dance at distance and at length.

“Here’s the thing…” Samus then added on.

“Missions and battles can tire me out but I’m not lucky enough to be able to just decide to go full lights out with this thing right in front of me.”

“That’s where I come in!” Twilight exclaimed. “I’m the controller of all magic that you can call on, and we’ve seen how I can manipulate some of your Suit functions. I can use some combo of magic and control over your systems to induce a peaceful sleep!”

Samus went wide-eyed as the Tantabus reverted to a puddle and lunged at her, like a blanket being thrown over her. She was much too quick on the dodge, and by honed reflex, threw herself into another roll while leaving the Tantabus a torrent of Power Beams for its attempt in her wake.

Twilight continued once Samus got to a proper kneeling position, cannon outstretched:

“Once you do whatever you need to do in your dreams, which I can monitor based on your brain and magical activity, I can rip you awake!”

Yet again, Samus was not at liberty to process Twilight’s plan once the Tantabus rose out from its puddle and charged her in a full, ghastly gallop. This time more than prepared for what to expect, Samus threw herself into another roll rearward, dashing straight into a retreat while leaving three Pulse Missiles to greet two outstretched spears for hooves from the Tantabus.

In the aftermath of the torrent of missiles, just as Samus took all of what Twilight was saying to heart juxtaposed to her scan data, she hardened her stance.

Heels dug into the ground beneath her, Samus charged her weapon and was ready to leap into a counter attack after acknowledging the tacit plan with a curt, shrill:

“Right!”

Though, no sooner did she commit to a counterattack than did the Tantabus change up its own tactics, literally. Samus halted mid-stride, eyes suddenly feral as the dream entity cracked its own neck ninety degrees… and then all of its limbs one after the other with sickening, haunting cruelty and an accompanying, human-like scream of mortal agony.

The end result was a near picture-perfect mimicry of Prime herself, down to the subtle details of her deep-hued Phazon Suit as she remembered it on Aether. Other than seeing this vile transformation with her own eyes, the only true difference was the color scheme matching that of the Tantabus’ navy aura rather than a lighter blue.

By now, Samus had been used to idle tactical chat, or just general gasps and wordless, yet audible expressions from the girls in her head. Pretty standard reactions as she got on with her work and bulldozed through whatever roadblocks and horrors had been in their path. This was the first time she could recall complete silence at the sight before them.

“...Huh?!” Twilight asked in complete disbelief.

The Hunter paid them no mind as the Tantabus went on the attack again, and Samus had to suddenly contend with the dream entity’s swift retaliation: it flung a flurry of magical, pseudo-power beam volleys in its first kinetic attack, shot straight from its rendition of Prime’s arm cannon.

Tunnel vision had taken over as her swelling fury honed in on the entity, mimic or not, that had caused her so much anguish and loss of sleep over the last three missions thus far. Now faced with a much more ‘traditional’ shooting and maneuvering battle, Samus expertly dodged all incoming fire while simultaneously throwing herself into a teleportation spell to quickly put more range between her and the Tantabus.

Rematerializing farther away afforded her little respite as Samus instinctually called upon her magical command to shield herself from even more incoming fire from an advancing Tantabus… an advance that Samus parried after sideways-somersaulting over another incoming salvo and sending a Pulse Charge straight at its chest.

Her counter tore a jagged, gory swathe through ‘Prime’s’ chest armor in what would appear to any outside observer as a killing blow with an even gnarlier exit wound.

A killing blow it was not, and Samus knew this upon landing on her feet while watching the Tantabus revert back into a puddle… a puddle which then melted into the cracks of the ground like draining water.

Out of sight but in no way out of mind, Samus dug her heels in and brought her cannon to bear, scouring her surroundings and flipping between her visors to ascertain where her enemy would strike next. Her breathing was steady and her eyes were laser-focused on any imperfections in the environment, having already experienced how even the mist could be used to play mind tricks on her.

With her usual tactical acumen brought another sudden, glaring realization: was the Tantabus responsible for the voices? And her dreams? Was this the Nightmare? Or something else entirely.

And if it could be wounded as a result of Twilight’s plan, it could be killed… and maybe then it would prove to be one less hassle to deal with in the already nigh-impossible task of saving this planet.

Twilight jostled Samus out of her thoughts by pinging her HUD towards a seemingly unassuming spot of ground, covered in tree roots, flowers, and rock.

“It’s coming back! Get ready!”

Just as Twilight had predicted, the Tantabus burst through that very stretch of ground, in the form of two separate, bulbous, deep-blue, slitted eyes at the end of tendrillic appendages that Samus could feel boring straight through her visor. They reminded her of significantly larger versions of the Inglets from her last mission, and much like the Inglets, she had already fired off a single missile against her left-most aggressor, exploding it in a hail of magical viscera before it could attempt anything nefarious.

She advanced forward and managed to get off four Power Beam rounds against the remaining one… only for three more of the eyes to burst up from the ground behind her, and tower entirely over her.

“WATCH IT!”

“SHIT!”

Samus turned to engage, but found her body unresponsive once all three of the eyes flared bright teal. All the while, another puddly mass formed before her, seeming to open up like the curtain to beckon her in. The telltale aura of magic held her firmly trapped, bound by the barely-seen force that had given her significant cause for concern since she first encountered the Storm Beasts. Adding further to the literal nightmare that was attempting to claim her into its orbit, Samus could hear veritable screams of the damned—personally familiar screams of agony and mortal pain that had haunted her dreams over the years…

…her trauma that echoed off the farthest reaches of her mind since she was a girl on K-2L amalgamated into the hero’s death that she felt likely awaited her if she were pulled into the puddle.

Despite her heels dug firmly into the ground, her armor chipped rock after rock as she was drawn further towards the void-like puddle via the ironclad grip the Tantabus’ magic held over her.

She knew better, now.

In a mirror of her adversary, Samus’ own eyes flared, glinting off the rear of her Visor whilst she re-fired her magic. With a little bit of hectic centering, the Hunter wrested enough control over the Tantabus’ tendrillic hold via Counter-Spell. The very moment the critical inflection point where her magic manifested more powerfully over herself than her enemy’s arrived, Samus tore through her bindings with a frustrated cry.

“RAAAAAHH!”

The Tantabus’ magical hold shredded, and the ear-searing shrillness of its wounded cries serving as her reward for evading death once more, Samus went on the offensive: six shots to the left eye, a missile immediately blasting apart the right in the hail of magical viscera, and then finally bounding off her feet to strike the center-eye straight through the pupil with a flared fist.

It evaporated around her fist as she fell back to the ground’s much more welcoming, neutral embrace via gravity.

By the time she had fully plummeted back to the earth , her spectral opponent was there to greet her return from behind. Samus led with her cannon, turning to find the Tantabus fully apparated into its equine shape.

She had expected another immediate attack in its seemingly more and more frustrated attempts to subsume her, especially with how fiercely she had been resisting thus far with barely a scratch to show for its efforts. Instead, Samus observed as the dream entity suddenly loomed massively over her as it literally projected itself the size befitting of a Temple Guardian, only to then bellow a feral, powerful roar that blew the surrounding fauna back with the wind generated from its attempt at intimidation.

Samus had seen fiercer, and like a mountain against the coastal winds, she didn’t even move a millimeter against the challenging display.

What did surprise her was when its chest and neck suddenly cracked and split apart, beginning to shred itself as if it were beckoning her forth with the most grotesque display of cordiality it could muster. The transformation was further completed as the perspective took the form of a massive cape, thrown open and ready to envelop her fully and wholly from all sides.

And this time, she was fully surrounded.

She didn’t recall hearing from Twilight to cease annoying the shit out of her attacker, and so she opted to simply shoot ceaselessly into its center.

Samus hardened her stance and her gaze, staring into the abyssal void of darkness… darkness which in no way was brightened with the muzzle flashes of her firing arm cannon. She knew there, within the Tantabus, she was about to get a whole host of questions answered pretty soon, and contemplated taking the leap of faith and throwing herself into its hostile embrace.

Much like Twilight had cautioned her, she now knew what she was seeing.

The alicorn further affirmed this:

“This is it! Are you ready?”

Samus continued to fire wildly into the continually-expanding darkness, ignoring her very biology to try and escape. She reserved only a couple seconds of internal deliberation, knowing that there wasn’t much else that could be done against an enemy that was clearly only annoyed with her rather than actually wounded despite the perceived pain she inflicted upon it thus far.

Whatever happened next, she’d make sure to kill it. She trusted Twilight completely and wholly to deliver her properly to do the job as the alicorn played the part of figurative logistician.

Her answer was curt. She hadn’t been more sure of anything so far as she furrowed her brows.

“Do it.”

Twilight’s confirming response was laced with uncharacteristically sardonic wit during the heat of battle:

“Sweet dreams, Samus…”

The Hunter was at an instant overwhelmed by a foreign sense of soothing warmth, as if she was being cradled in a calming magical aura. Just as the Tantabus seemed to fully consume her in its magical darkness, Samus also contended with her systems, one by one in quick succession, entering hibernation… all having coincided perfectly with how thoroughly exhausted she swiftly became.

And lastly, as her eyelids grew heavier than steel, she vaguely remembered how she felt her body crumple and fall limply. She never could recall feeling so tired, that embracing sleep in the throes of combat would be such a wonderful idea as it was right this moment.

She was out like a shattered lightbulb before she even hit the ground.