Chapters 2: Ponies
Metroid: Equis
Chapter 2
Ponies
All her systems were a go as Samus trekked through the first trees out of the clearing. She held her Arm Cannon at a slightly raised position while she used her left hand to help clear a path through the foliage when necessary. It was a habit to be in a 'passive-aggressive' state, because from her experience, that extra second to lift her Cannon to battle ready status could mean the difference between besting an enemy and being severely wounded.
Either way, she was extremely cautious in this new environment… simply listening to the sounds of the forest as nothing of particular interest showed up that was worth gathering information about… for the time being. Soon enough, out of pure habit, Samus brought her left hand up to her helmet and switched her standard Combat Visor to her Scan Visor, allowing her to find particular objects and points of interest… "scanning" them, and retrieving sometimes vital information. Small indicators appeared over scan-able trees and fauna, but nothing really necessary to her survival or mission completion. There was no Phazon in the area. That was certain.
The town appeared a few miles north of here. Maybe something interesting will happen on my way there…
Samus set herself right on her course and walked on.
Oh who am I kidding, of course something will happen. It never fails.
It was basic Hunter instinct and experience that told her no matter how quiet the forest may be, she was never alone. After taking a few more steps the sound of a branch breaking behind her immediately grabbed her attention. Samus spun on her heel and planted her legs in a combat ready stance, pointing her Arm Cannon in the general area of the offensive noise… only to find a rabbit staring at her in a curious way. She lowered her weapon slightly and looked back with a humorous expression on her face… although the outside world couldn't see it through her green visor.
A little rabbit… it's kinda cute.
Soon after, a doe emerged from the bushes next to the rabbit, again sporting the curious look on its face.
Deer… are they not afraid of me?
Samus lowered her Cannon to her side and sensed movement behind her. Upon turning her head and consequently her body around, she was shocked to find a falcon and a couple other birds land on the ground and the surrounding branches. As she eyed the birds, Samus felt something nudge the back of her helmet. Turning once more she found the doe nuzzling her. Her defenses crumbled and she reached out with her left hand to stroke the face of the doe, petting it. Although they couldn't see it, Samus was definitely smiling in a giddy fashion. She hadn't been this close to wildlife before, at least the wildlife that didn't want to kill her.
There was another twig snap, which gained the attention of every animal, accompanied by a series of low growls. Samus turned towards the area in question to find the offending creatures.
Wolves…
The animals all scurried and flew away, leaving Samus alone, which was perfectly fine by her. However, something was off about these wolves…
Are they… made of wood?!
The four wolves began to circle her, deciding not to attack her yet so they could gauge her threat level. Samus used this time to scan the weird creatures. Switching to her scan visor, she pressed and held a button once her visor reticle was trained on one of the creatures. The scan finished with three 'beeping' sounds, displaying information on Samus's visor:
"Recorded to Logbook."
[Morphology: Timber Wolf]
You have * got** to be kidding me… seriously?*
[Lumber composed Canine Predator. Possess all traits of the common wolf, save for being bound together by innumerable pieces of wood by unknown means. Common predator in the forests of planets within the 51st Quadrant of Federation Space. Timber Wolf bodies are very fragile as a result of their construction. Exploit this weakness; however be aware of the wolves' unusually sharp teeth and claws.]
All she needed to know. She switched to her combat visor once more and raised her Arm Cannon in an offensive stance, pointing it towards the first wolf.
Alright… Sammy needs to practice her aim. Which one of you is first?
On cue, one of the timber wolves snarled and lunged at her from behind. Samus, in fractions of a second due to experience, immediately targeted the offending creature, aimed her Cannon and fired one Power Beam projectile with a resounding:
*POW!*
The golden projectile flew forward at high velocity and hit the attacking timber wolf midair, striking it in the chest and causing it to explode in a hail of lumber and wood fragments. After the first wolf went down, Samus immediately turned back towards her front and wasted no time in finishing off the rest before they could attack her or flee to regroup.
*POW!* *POW!* *POW!*
In perfect succession, Samus fired three more rounds into the three timber wolves, scattering their wooden carcasses all over the forest floor. She retracted her Arm Cannon in front of her and placed her left hand over the chassis in a semi-victorious fashion.
Too easy…
Samus began to casually walk away before she heard a slight twitching in the lumber remains behind her. She peeked over her shoulder plate and found the timber wolves reassembling themselves from the remains.
Or not.
Samus returned to her fighting stance, facing the four wolves that were hell bent on getting revenge on her for scattering their forms. To her, it was obvious that she couldn't shoot them with her Power Beam or simply pull them apart by conventional means. She kept her sights and Cannon trained on the growling and snarling timber wolves… just waiting for them to make a move. But before any attack came, the solution hit her like a Pirate Frigate:
Samus, you're an idiot.
She adjusted the orientation of the fingers of her right hand inside of the Arm Cannon, consequently eliciting a golden glow of the appendage that emanated from the barrel, but moved its way to the rear and back in a 'scanning' motion. The Cannon then became elongated outwards, stretching its components, with the voids being filled with magma: Samus's feared Plasma Beam.
Her new weapon armed, she trained the sights on the first timber wolf and fired. A powerful beam of pure molten substance shot out at high velocity, striking the creature and burning it up completely. There were no remains to be seen. Two of the other wolves jumped her at once, only for Samus to roll out of the way and fire two more beams in rapid succession; incinerating the two timber wolves where they stood. She aimed her Cannon at the last timber wolf who was cowering at the sight of his companions getting vaporized. Samus didn't fire and gave the creature a chance to flee.
"Go! Get out of here… before I charge this damn thing."
The wolf needed no other harsh words. It turned on its legs and scampered off into the forest, whimpering the entire way. Samus gave a curt nod in its direction, acknowledging the defeat. Her Cannon phased back to her Power Beam (which was the default beam) before she turned around and strolled northward through the forest once more.
'Timber' wolves… hehe.
Samus continued her trek, but not in a hurried pace. She didn't know the extent of the Phazon threat. For that, the Federation would have to do more investigating, but from what she could tell, this forest at least wasn't afflicted. Still, it was wise to get things done in a timely manner; at least in her line of work… it tended to avoid casualties. Her animal friends from before joined up with her again, walking alongside her. Granted, this wasn't something she was used to in the slightest, but she didn't complain about the company. Animals tended to have a knack for sensing things beyond human scope, after all.
Once again, Samus was stirred from her happy musings by an enormous roar in the distance… approximately a small trek east of her position. It wouldn't have been too bad, if said roar wasn't immediately followed (and overlapped) by a shrill scream of terror. Samus immediately sprung into a battle ready stance and looked off into the general area of where the two vocalizations came from. The animals, oddly enough, didn't scurry, but ran towards the sound. Before Samus could even wonder about them, the doe and the rabbit stopped and turned their heads over their shoulders, yet still ready to scurry off towards the disturbance… it was as if they knew something.
Universal non-sapien animal language for 'follow.' Either way, someone's clearly in dire straits. Lead the way!
Samus nodded to the animals; prepared to follow them… she trusted them for some odd reason. They seemed… different. Either way, the birds, doe, rabbit, and others sped off towards the continuing cries for help and roars. Samus ran behind them, matching their agility when having to bound over downed trees, cross natural trenches (by her choice of either jumping or summersaulting… or both). Soon enough the animals scurried in random directions, leading Samus to infer that they were right on top of the disturbance.
"Somepony… girls!! Please help me!"
Some…pony?
Samus's thoughts and questions were tossed aside when an enormous roar sounded again to her right. She turned and was met with the sight of what looked like an enormous lion… easily beyond several times the size of her, with a scorpion's tail and wings on its back.
Not even knowing who (or what) cried for help, she sprang into action. Samus aimed her cannon at the large creature, almost unphased by its appearance. Through her adventures, Samus's most used phrase soon became: "Oh jeez, what the hell is that?" So, using the preliminary calm before the impending battle, Samus did what she always did: scan.
Switching to her scan visor with her left hand, the internal computer in her helmet downloaded the necessary information as the two circled each other.
*BEEP-BEEP-BEEP*
"Recorded to Logbook."
[Morphology: Manticore]
[Hybrid Feline predator. Manticores are known for their seemingly genetic hybridity between a large lion, scorpion, and bat, as evidence from the large scorpion's tail and the large wings they possess. Enormously territorial and confrontational, manticores will relentlessly attack their prey and enemies with their razor sharp claws, stinging barb in the tail which produces highly toxic venom, and their powerful jaws. Subjects are extremely aggressive and very durable, possessing higher than average predatorial constitution and alacrity. Proceed with caution.]
Samus returned her visor to its combat form and planned her manner of attack-and-defend. Coming up with something solid, she unleashed fire from her Arm Cannon's Power Beam, unloading seven rounds into the manticore… which doubled back in pain (obvious from the anguish in its roars), but it ultimately only served to enrage the beast even more without dealing any lasting or crippling wounds. It charged at her and took a swipe. Samus dashed and rolled out of the way before getting back on her feet and unleashing another torrent of rapid fire of her Power Beam, followed by the launching of a missile. The missile exploded somewhere on the chest of the manticore, leaving the fur singed and burned but nevertheless it soldiered on, becoming even more enraged. It swiped again at her and Samus rolled out of the way once more, but only to come into contact with the manticore's scorpion tail sweeping in her path. It collided with her fiercely and she was thrown against a tree, shattering the bark with her impact.
Samus slumped to the ground after the hard impact but instantly recovered on her feet. She took notice that her suit's energy drained forty-six units as a result of the attack. Getting back into the fight, she concluded that ranging the manticore would only further aggravate it, and she didn't think it was a particularly good idea to attempt to set it on fire due to them being in a forest (the Plasma Beam only worked for the timber wolves because they were flammable as well as their size, allowing for near instantaneous vaporization). So, Samus believed she'd have to get in close and go for a killing strike… but that could prove problematic with the manticore's cat-like reflexes and barbed tail. After circling each other once more, the Hunter formed another plan.
She altered her right hand's orientation inside her Arm Cannon by separating her fingers outward, thus switching to the Wave Beam. She fired three rounds at the creature, each one homing in on it despite its attempts to evade; shocking it each time it hit. Samus then charged the beam, gathering its energy and forming an enormous ball of pure, purple-colored electricity which was coursing through her now bloated Arm Cannon. The creature still didn't back off, so she released the enormous projectile with a loud 'bang,' having it find its target in the manticore's chest. The impact of pure electricity sent the beast into a catatonic and convulsive seizure where it stood. Using this opening, Samus sprinted towards the creature and leaped up onto it, climbing onto its back while it was still in the midst of the Wave Beam's electrical shocking effect. Once she reached the back of its neck, she armed a missile and inserted the Cannon into its mouth; firing off the concussive round and having it detonate inside. That ended the fight immediately as the manticore stopped moving and slumped to the ground lifeless. As the now deceased creature fell to the ground, Samus leaped off of its back, somersaulting once more and landing on her feet; turning to see her handiwork.
That was… interesting. That hit hurt, too.
Samus gave a curt nod to the corpse, honoring it, in a weird sense, for providing her with a worthy battle. She respected all of her adversaries in her own way, even the ones she loathed with a passion.
Ridley…
She stretched her back and arms out, and as she was about to turn around another snap of a twig alerted her to another presence. Samus instantly raised and aimed her Cannon out to the side towards the noise.
"Eeep…"
Huh?
Samus lowered her Cannon and turned towards the faint voice and found a cream-yellow, pink-maned…
Pony…?
Upon a closer look, it had wings, which Samus was able to recall the names for winged horses being 'pegasus,' or 'pegasi,' in this case. She found the smaller creature trembling with fright and hiding one of its teal blue eyes behind its mane. Samus cautiously approached the pony as to not frighten her any more than she already was… most likely as a result of witnessing the battle between her and the maticore. She (or Samus assumed it was a 'she,') didn't even attempt to run. It was literally paralyzed in fear, and only trembled and whimpered more so as Samus stepped closer. When she was close enough, Samus got down on one knee so she could be at approximate eye level with the pegasus, who only shrunk lower, but managed to look back with some curiosity in her eye. The Hunter extended her left hand as a sign of good will to the creature and spoke with a soft tone:
"Do not be afraid, little pony. I mean you no harm."
The pony stopped trembling a bit and peeked out more from her mane in order to get a better look at Samus… or what probably looked like a 'metal monster' to her. She did not expect such a soothing and feminine sounding voice to permeate through the robotic creature… one that didn't even appear to have a mouth.
The pegasus wordlessly nodded, although she was still apprehensive. This universal language of approval or acceptance took Samus a bit by surprise; for now there was no doubt that the pony understood her perfectly. She decided to 'press her advantage,' in a manner of speaking.
"Were you the one that screamed for help?" the Hunter asked. She mainly hoped to prove that she meant the creature no harm through the softness of her voice rather than through cognitive understanding. There was little doubt in her mind that the creature was sentient and could probably speak; however the chances of the pony actually speaking the same language as her were virtually nonexistent.
"Y-yes…"
Samus's eyes widened (although the pony couldn't see). She did a quick check and confirmed that her helmet's translator was not active for the response. Now this was completely unexpected.
"Wait… you're able to understand me?" Samus asked, clarifying.
"Y-yes… I can…" the pony replied, softening her stance and opening up a bit more. Samus drew her gaze down and to the side… pondering everything so far.
Sentient, Basic-speaking ponies. I can't even… Well, at least this makes things easier. A lot easier.
She turned back to the pegasus:
"Are you hurt? Do you require any medical attention?"
"N-no, I'm fine. Is h-he… dead?" she asked in return, pointing towards the corpse of the defeated manticore.
"Indeed."
The pony sighed and looked down in a disappointed/defeated manner.
"I was hoping it w-wouldn't have to come to that. It saddens me greatly to see any animal killed. Either way, t-thank you for rescuing me," she said a bit louder but still relatively softly and hiding behind her mane a bit. It was clear that she was either still nervous towards Samus, or just really shy. Samus picked the former.
"No problem… but what's your name?" Samus asked.
"I-I'm Fluttersh…"
"I'm sorry? I couldn't hear you there."
"M-my name is F-Fluttershy…"
Umm… Sure. Fine. Okay.
"That's… an interesting name. I'm Samus. Samus Aran."
"I c-could say the same for you… if t-that's okay with you…"
Samus found her antics slightly amusing; especially since she was living up to her name in a manner of speaking. From what she could also gather, this Fluttershy was a lover of animals. That would explain a lot actually… especially when Samus's animal entourage led her to the pegasus when she was in danger. Speaking of which, Samus noticed that the doe and rabbit appeared next to Fluttershy.
"Did you venture into the forest alone?"
"N-No. My five other friends and I came into the forest to search f-for something that ap-parently landed somewhere here. We split up to cover more ground and that's when I got attacked," Fluttershy explained.
They witnessed my arrival and were looking for me. That also makes things easier…
Before Samus could speak, Fluttershy had the wheels turning in her head.
"Was it you who somehow came from the sky and landed here?" Samus nodded.
"You could say that, but there's an important reason as to why I'm here. That can all be discussed in due time but I believe it's in our best interest to find your friends and let them know of your safety as well as my presence," Samus suggested. Fluttershy, who was less afraid of the green-faced metal-clad creature now standing in front of her, seemed to agree.
"Y-yeah that would probably be a good idea. They shouldn't be too far away fr—"
"FLUTTERSHY?! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
They both turned at the interruption and found a Rainbow-maned pegasus rushing through some bushes.
"There you are Flutter…shy…" the female pegasus's voice trailed off as she took in the sight of Samus towering over Fluttershy; both looking at her. The cyan pegasus instantly flew towards Samus aggressively. Samus saw this coming (with a bit of astonishment) and dodged.
"What did you do to her, you freak?!" she asked with malice in her eyes, fluttering in place and ready to attempt another attack.
"RAINBOW DASH!" Fluttershy scolded. The two turned towards the yellow pegasus with surprised looks (though, of course, Samus's couldn't be seen).
"You have no reason to treat our guest like that! She, in fact, saved me!" Fluttershy proclaimed, pointing her hoof towards the downed manticore to further accentuate her point. Rainbow finally noticed the body. She mouthed 'Oooh…' in recognition.
"And her name is Samus!" Fluttershy continued. She then whispered to the Hunter:
"You are a girl… right?"
Samus wore a deadpanned expression, which, of course, was concealed. She merely nodded in response. Under Fluttershy's scrutiny, Rainbow Dash fluttered to the ground and rubbed the back of her head with one of her fore-hooves, a sheepish grin plastered on her face.
"S-Sorry about that… kinda got carried away when I saw you two there. After her scream I just connected the easiest dots. Thanks for looking out for her," Rainbow apologized and expressed gratitude… although some of it came from obligation due to Fluttershy's serious expression, which lightened considerably.
"Don't worry about it. No harm done."
"I'm Rainbow Dash, by the way… and what are you?" the prismatic-maned pegasus asked, getting a closer look at the armor-clad Hunter.
"Samus, pleasure. And I'm human."
"Human, huh? Twilight would probably know more," Rainbow added. Fluttershy agreed.
"Yes, and we were talking before you arrived. It would probably be wise to find the rest of the girls. Samus here was actually the one who somehow landed here."
"Really?? You can fly?!" Rainbow Dash asked eagerly, her demeanor lightening up considerably.
"By myself, no. I actually arrived in my ship which is south from here," Samus responded, motioning behind her with her cannon.
"Ship? You mean like a chariot?" Dash asked confusedly.
This will take some explaining.
"Ehhh… more or less, yeah."
"That's… so awesome!! Can you show me? Huh? Can ya?" Rainbow asked even more eagerly, fluttering up to eye level with Samus.
Well, she's certainly taking a fully armed alien in stride.
"Later, we don't have the time for that right now. It's important that we find your friends since you've been looking for me," the Hunter responded.
"Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash! Where are you two?" another voice called out coincidentally.
Well, okay then!
"We're over here! Come this way! We found what we've been looking for!" Rainbow shouted back.
"What does that mean? And stay there, we're coming to you!"
"Waiting on you!" Rainbow shouted back once more.
"How many of you are there?" Samus asked out of curiosity.
"There's six of us, and you'll get to meet the other four in a few seconds."
Before the human could respond, four more ponies galloped through the brush towards them, stopping suddenly once they caught sight of the Hunter. They looked up at her in awe, and Samus wasn't sure how to go from here.
"G-Girls, this is Samus. She was the one who landed here in the Everfree and she rescued me from a large manticore, and she's a human… be nice to her…"Fluttershy introduced, still with her shy demeanor.
Unicorns… really now.
"A human?!" the lavender unicorn's eyes brightened. "All literature says they're just myths! And you don't really match the pictures."
Well, that's ironic.
"My, my… whatever it is you're wearing is simply marvelous!" the white unicorn exclaimed, walking around and examining the Hunter's armor. Samus watched her path out of instinct, a bit wary of that one.
"Oh, where are our manners? I'm Twilight Sparkle, personal student of one of our rulers, Princess Celestia, and tasked with assembling the six of us to discover what landed in the Everfree forest," the lavender unicorn introduced herself.
"I'm Rarity, and I must compliment you on your style of clothing… even if it is armor. You simply must tell me more about it when we get the time!" the white unicorn proclaimed.
"Ah'm Applejack. Me an' mah family run Sweet Apple Acres. Ain't gonna find finer apples in all of Equestria!" the orange mare commented.
'Equestria?' Must be their nation or colloquially recognized name for their planet.
"I'm Pinkie Pie but everypony calls me Pinkie. I work at Sugarcube Corner baking and cooking and I LOVE to party! Since you're an alien, that means you're not from this world and if you're not from this world then I don't know you and if I don't know you…" The pink mare stopped bouncing in place hyperactively and gasped audibly. Before she could do anything else, Twilight stopped her.
"Okay Pinkie, that's enough for now."
Samus stood there with a dumbfounded expression on her face.
What just happened?
That's when she realized that it was probably wise to formally introduce herself as well. Confirming that the air was indeed breathable, she pressed a release on her helmet, accompanied by a click and hissing sound before she slid it off of her head, revealing her feminine, humanoid face. The other ponies' eyes lit up in awe as they got to see her true face that was not hiding behind the visor. Samus took a deep breath before speaking, holding her helmet under her left arm.
"I'm Samus. Samus Aran, and it's a pleasure to meet you all, albeit under somewhat less than appealing circumstances."
"Likewise, Miss Aran. I am under orders from our ruler, Princess Celestia, to take you with us so she can personally meet you, along with her sister. All will be explained and hopefully you can provide us with some—"
Twilight was interrupted when another roar in the distance made everyone perk up.
"While I appreciate the friendliness, Twilight, I think it would be better if we were not in this forest anymore…" the Hunter proclaimed. She nodded.
"You're probably right. Come on everypony, let's get back to the Library," Twilight ordered. Everyone nodded and formed up, walking northward towards the forest, Samus keeping somewhat to the rear, raising her cannon and just listening for trouble. She had replaced her helmet on her head for ease as well as to conceal her 'thinking face,' as she took everything in.
Sentient, candy-colored ponies. It's times like these where I wished my Gunship had a full bar.
They trekked on in relative silence, save for a few questions asked back and forth (as they were saving the major discussion for when they weren't under threat of being slaughtered by possibly another manticore or whatever else lurked in the Everfree). After about an hour and a half's worth of travel, they arrived forest periphery.
"Twilight Sparkle, I don't believe it's wise if I stroll into town with you at first, lest you're all comfortable with armor-clad humans walking around," Samus pointed out, examining the town and its occupants going on about their days.
"Good point. I'll cast an invisibility spell on you and disengage it once we enter the Library."
Samus blinked a couple of times, wrapping her head around what was just told to her.
"Invisibility spell?"
"Well, yeah. It's quite common that—OH! Right, not from here. Well, as a unicorn I, as well as Rarity over there are capable of using and manipulating magic," Twilight explained.
Samus's eye twitched.
Magic. Why am I surprised? The Chozo were similar.
"Samus, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked, noticing that the Hunter was just standing there, her visor or helmet not moving in the slightest. Samus shook her thoughts clear.
"Very well. Do what you must," she finally answered. Twilight nodded and charged her horn, which Samus took great interest in.
I'm definitely getting a wealth of new information. I'll make certain of it. As well as a drink.
"Ready?" Twilight asked, confirming. Samus gave a curt nod. With that, Twilight's horn casted a single beam which enveloped the armor-clad Hunter and lingered momentarily before disappearing. Samus's systems responded immediately, displaying diagnostics on her visor.
[Unknown force acted upon Varia Suit. Scanning…]
.
[No adverse effects detected. Varia Suit has temporary ability to distort light waves, rendering you invisible.]
Samus was unable to see her physical body when she looked down. Waving her arms in front of her face failed to yield any results either. She was indeed, invisible.
"This is… very interesting," Samus commented, switching to her X-Ray visor and finding her physical body still there. She was still able to touch it as well.
Of all the things I have seen throughout my days… I cannot fathom this. Even Shadow Pirate stealth technology pales in comparison.
Twilight giggled a bit. That was the usual reaction of those with first experience with a directly applied invisibility spell.
"I'll explain magic as best as I can to you when we sit down and talk about the whole situation at hands. I'm assuming you know about the meteor that struck our planet?" Twilight asked.
"That is actually most of the reason why I'm here, so your assumption is correct. I feel it is wise to also speak with your leader or leaders as well when we do discuss important matters and implications," Samus added. Twilight nodded.
"Alright, I'll send a quick letter to the Princesses and they'll do their best to explain the entire situation. Now come on everypony, and… person?"
Samus grunted affirmatively at the correct word usage. Twilight nodded back with a smile and beckoned the group out of the brush and into the town limits. Samus followed closely behind, careful not to bump into anyone or anything. Soon enough they arrived at the front door of a large…
Tree house...
"We're here. Please, make yourself at home, Samus, and we'll send for the Princesses," Twilight added.
Home… a word I haven't used in a while.
Samus brought herself out of her inner monologue and nodded in thanks to Twilight, letting herself in after the rest of the group.
The next few hours of discussion would be crucial.
3: Phazon
Metroid: Equis
Chapter 3
Phazon
Once the group of seven entered the Golden Oaks Library, the door was shut behind them and they dispersed in an organized way, finding solace in quick tasks to perform before the impending talk. After Twilight disengaged the invisibility, Samus opted for what looked to be an arm chair, albeit it was a tad small. Deciding against unequipping her Varia Suit just yet, she took Twilight's offer on getting herself comfortable. Samus lightly strolled over to the pretty comfortable looking chair with a resounding 'clink' after each step, which was ultimately drowned out by the random chatter going on between the six ponies in the room. With a sigh, Samus plopped down on the chair and just wordlessly stared at them, as well as her surroundings. The ponies let Samus have her space for now out of what appeared to be courtesy, but the Hunter believed that the motivation was more so out of apprehensiveness.
It was interesting to see that the entire, enormous tree had been hollowed out and created into a rather quaint living residence. The wood finish on everything provided a homely sense of tranquility, on top of large amounts of books that were undoubtedly filled with limitless knowledge of this new land Samus was in. She'd be sure to ask to borrow a few books on choice subjects, more towards pony demography and other cartographical references so she could log them into her database and map respectively. That would actually be first priority when she set off once more: mapping the area as best as she could. Since Samus was relatively sure that no map station existed on Equis, (or Equestria, as it's called), she'd have to insert map data manually.
On another note, Samus could not even remember the last time she was cordially invited into someone's place of residence; or rather she assumed this library was also a place of residence if the bedrooms and bathrooms gave her any indication. She had foregone much social contact, but that was the way of life of a Bounty Hunter. Even though she was here on business and business only, it was a welcome change. Though she worked alone, she had no complaint about having allies… at least that's what she hoped to ultimately consider these ponies.
As the ponies all chatted, got snacks, and talked about what would be written in a letter to what sounded like their leaders, Samus decided to do something that she had foregone earlier due to the circumstances.
Let's see if we can get a bit more information on our hosts…
The Hunter switched her visor to Scan, intending to learn as much as she could about the dominant species. Her reticle locked onto Twilight as she had her back turned and was talking with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.
"Recorded to Logbook."
[Morphology: Equis Unicorn]
[Sapient energy-manipulating equine life-form. Native inhabitants of Equis, unicorns are one of four types of 'ponies,' the others being normal or 'earth' ponies, 'pegasi' ponies, and 'alicorns;' the latter which appear to be hybrids between the unicorns and pegasi. Unicorns are easily identified by the protruding, pointed appendage on their foreheads, commonly referred to as a 'horn.' This allows the species to control limited portions of the physical forces within themselves and the surrounding universe, bestowing them with numerous abilities including, but not limited to: directly manipulating the resulting energy to their whim, using as a telekinetic medium, or, in extreme cases, distorting reality. These feats are colloquially known as 'magic.' Abilities are not unlike the Chozo expertise and powers, save for the absolute need of the horn in order to utilize said abilities. If the horn is damaged/destroyed or violently removed, magic usage is nigh impossible without extreme probability of backfire.]
That's… very interesting, actually.
"SPIKE?! Are you here?! I need you to take a letter!" Twilight yelled out, turning around. This revealed another scan-able object: her horn.
"Yeah I'm here! I'll be down in a sec," a voice called back.
"Recorded to Logbook."
[Object: Equis Unicorn Horn]
[Organic force-manipulation appendage. A unicorn's horn is composed of bone, cartilage and an unknown genetic neurological makeup. It allows the tapping into and harnessing of the physical forces for any use which would be determined by the 'spellcaster;' as its manipulation is commonly referred to as 'magic.' Harnessing of forces (e.g. kinetic, gravitational, magnetic, etc.) is essentially explained, in theory by the creation of artificial vector fields with unlimited free parameters, allowing the unicorn to perform nearly any task with the 'borrowed' potential energy. Horns are very sensitive to touch, where the firmer touch has the ability to cause enormous pain, and the lighter touch has the effect comparable to an erogenous zone.
I could have lived my life not knowing that…
Use the former property of sensitivity to your advantage if at all necessary. If the horn becomes crippled in any way, magic summoning is all but impossible without extreme (and possibly deadly) repercussions for the caster.]
"…That should be all. Go ahead and send it to Princess Celestia please," Samus heard Twilight say when she disengaged the notes from her Scan Visor.
"Miss Aran?"
Samus perked up and looked to find Twilight standing with Spike. She had intended to scan one of the pegasi and earth ponies in order to read information, but Samus opted to just do a quick scan of Pinkie and Rainbow, before logging the data and answering Twilight's call.
"Please, Twilight. 'Samus' is just fine. And yes?"
"I'd like to introduce you to my number one assistant, Spike. He's a baby dragon," Twilight motioned to the young drake, who was looking in awe at the new visitor.
"Twilight… seriously?" Spike complained, as he didn't want to be embarrassed in front of their new visitor by being called a 'baby,' though he technically was. Samus only stared at him for a few moments.
Dragon…
She shook herself out of her musings.
"Samus. Pleasure, Spike," Samus curtly introduced herself, offering her hand to which he accepted the gesture. The other ponies came trotting over as well, forming around her, although not invading her personal space.
"Wow… you don't look like humans that I've read about in books. Is this your skin? Or scales?" The young drake asked.
"Not quite. This is more of… battle armor," Samus replied, attempting to find a suitable analogy for her Varia Suit. She figured 'Chozo Warrior Exoskeleton' would elicit a few more questions than what she was willing to answer at the moment.
"Ah, like the Royal Guards," Twilight inferred. Samus shrugged.
"I'll take your word for it. But on that note, I take it your leaders are on their way and I don't believe it would be wise to be donned in battle-ready equipment. Allow me," Samus added, standing up and activating the console on her Arm Cannon hinge. The circular console flipped out and she typed in a few commands on the buttons, the result being her entire figure engulfed in a golden, transparent light for about two seconds. When the directed light faded away, Samus's Varia Suit had vanished, leaving her clad in her Zero Suit.
The ponies were silent at first, taking in Samus's true appearance as she stretched herself out and ultimately plopped back down on the comfy chair with a satisfactory sigh.
That's better.
"You really don't look so tough out of your armor," Rainbow Dash commented with her ever present overconfidence. Samus just gave her a deadpanned look.
"Samus, we sent a letter to the Princesses and they should be with us soon. In the meantime, we thought we could just… umm… talk?" Twilight awkwardly suggested. In truth she was dying to get answers to almost every question she could think of, but some information was best left for when Celestia and Luna arrived.
Samus noted the fact that she would soon be meeting with the equine leaders, or Princesses. Until then, she also acknowledged that there was not much else to do but chat idly. Samus figured that she could at least make some effort in familiarizing herself with her surroundings as well as the inhabitants with what limited social skills she possessed. She shrugged.
"Very well; we'll leave all discussions on my arrival and purpose for when your Princesses show up. But until then, yeah, I suppose we could… talk," Samus answered with equal awkwardness. To hell with being invited in as a guest, she couldn't remember the last time she actually sat down and leisurely spoke with others.
Not since Zebes… I miss all of them.
Twilight brightened at the opportunity, as did the others who more than desired to know more about the Hunter, which struck Samus as rather odd. An alien-being touched down on their planet, they locate her and almost instantly treat her like a friend, even in her most menacing form which was in her Varia Suit. Granted, they were quite the bit more apprehensive when Samus was clad in her battle armor as opposed to her sitting in nothing more than her Zero Suit that moment, but still! The ponies were very accepting so it seemed. She didn't understand these ponies in the slightest, but that wouldn't always have to be the case. Also, that didn't mean that she wasn't the least bit grateful for their hospitality and non-hostility towards her. She'd be sure to express that again in due time.
"So, Darling, I have to say: whatever you're wearing right now is simply magnificent!" Rarity commented, entranced with the Bounty Hunter's choice of attire. Samus could safely say that she had never talked, or had been complimented, about her Zero Suit.
"Thank you. It's not the most stylish or, depending where you are, appropriate attire…" Samus began, referring to the skin-tightness with her latter clause, shooting a fleeting glance at her chest. "…but at least it's really comfortable and flexible. Very much required in my line of work," she explained.
"But you don't have wear that all the time, right?" Rainbow asked, admiring its color scheme.
"Well, of course I'd have to take it off once in a while for obvious reasons."
"'Once in a while??' Dear, do you mean to tell us that that's the only item of actual clothing you have?!" Rarity asked, almost flabbergasted. That was an interesting question for the young Hunter. Samus actually thought for a few seconds and she couldn't even remember if she carried 'normal' clothing in her gunship at any time. It was always habit for her to constantly be in her Zero Suit (and putting it back on after having to remove it for whatever purpose) in case she had to jump into her Battle Suit in a moment's notice. She really had no use for casual clothing.
"Ummm… I believe so. I've had no other use for regular clothing. I haven't been in an environment where I've needed it, or could have used it; especially since on my previous missions, everything in the environment wanted to kill me. I had to be in my Varia Suit at all times. Keeping up appearance really isn't much of a priority," Samus pointed out.
"Yer Very-what now?" Applejack inquired. Samus retained a stoic/neutral expression on her face, but she almost giggled at that. Almost.
"My Varia Suit. My battle suit that you all met me in." There was a collective 'ah' of understanding from the six ponies and one dragon.
"Then that settles it! You simply must let me create a couple new sets of clothes for you, Samus. Absolutely free of charge!" Rarity said with enthusiasm and an inflection that left little to argue with.
"Ummm… Rarity, right?" The white unicorn nodded. "As much as I appreciate your generosity, I'm here strictly on assignment and no time to socialize," Samus added.
"Maybe so, but for how long?"
*KNOCK**KNOCK*KNOCK*
Everybody perked up at the firm knocks at the door.
"That was… fast…" Samus commented. Twilight got up and trot to the door.
"They're usually here a lot faster," Twilight retorted as she opened the door. She was greeted by the sight of the two regal sisters, ever smiling and grinning (on Luna's part), with about four Royal Guards standing next to them.
"Princesses!" Twilight yelled happily and embraced her mentor. Celestia only giggled a bit before returning said embrace, nuzzling her.
"Good to see you as always, my faithful student," Celestia added in.
"Indeed. Wonderful to see you again at last!" Luna commented.
"Please come in! Everypony is here, as well as our guest," Twilight beckoned the group inside. Samus could only hear the conversation as the door blocked her view, but when Twilight led the group inside, her eyes came upon what she could only describe as a 'pure white' alicorn (thinking in terminology from her scanner), accompanied by an equally admirable looking dark blue alicorn who was slightly shorter in stature. All appeared to have adorned royal regalia, so if that told the Hunter anything, they were definitely the Princesses.
All the ponies stood up from their sitting positions and Samus opted to do the same and leave the rather comfy chair for a moment. When the two alicorns locked eyes with everyone the ponies smiled and bowed to their leaders. They were not Samus's leaders so she opted more for a respectful nod of acknowledgement when they looked at her. That eased things a bit, she could tell. They nodded back to her. Samus kept note of what she assumed were Royal Guards, four of them flanking the princesses. Two of them gave Samus rather dirty looks, ones which she returned with a stoic gaze. Samus already didn't like them.
"Wonderful to see you all again, my little ponies. And, who might this be?" Celestia asked, turning her attention to the Zero Suit-clad Hunter. Twilight looked to Samus and nodded, essentially 'saying' that it was okay to introduce herself. She moved forward swiftly and rose her hand up in a greeting manner. Right when she was about to speak, the front guard intercepted her and lowered his spear at her. The ponies became very surprised at this point, as this all happened in a matter of about two seconds.
"Halt! You will not approach the Princess, beast!" he spat out in clear contempt. The Elements were horrified and before either Luna or Celestia could act, Samus instantaneously raised her right hand and grabbed the front (not the tip) of the spear and redirected it harshly, still keeping it firmly grasped and surprising everyone with the sheer quickness of her action. She then gave the guard a rather intimidating stare, in which he himself wore an astonished gaze.
"Do not point your weapon at me… guard-dog," Samus ordered in a very calm and non-threatening tone.
"Steel Blade! Sheath your weapon immediately! Twilight Sparkle has already deemed the Human nonthreatening. You will let her approach." Luna scolded the Guard heavily. Samus and he locked eyes once more before she let the spear go, and he returned to his position.
"Many apologies on behalf of our guards. They can be quite overprotective," Celestia stepped forward to help close the distance between her and Samus. Luna fell into step with her sister as well.
"Really, it was no issue," the Hunter replied, fixing a lock of her hair behind her ear. Celestia nodded.
"Well, since it appears there is no language barrier, I'll get right to the chase. I am Princess Celestia, Princess of the Day. With me is my younger sister, Princess Luna, Princess of the Night," Celestia introduced, motioning her hoof towards Luna.
"Charmed," Luna added in with a small grin. "And we both co-rule over this nation of Equestria," she finished.
"Princesses Celestia and Luna, leaders of Equestria. Pleased to make your acquaintances, I'm Samus Aran," the Hunter introduced herself formally, extending her hand which the princesses accepted with a small shake. The other ponies just watched with keen interest and silence as the conversation unfolded.
"With what we were briefed by Twilight, we know enough to go on so we shan't play coy with you. Although you seem to possess great technology and weaponry, we have been informed that you are not of any threat to us. However, we would like to ask why you might be here?" Luna asked.
Straight to the point. I like them already.
"I'm assuming you're aware of the meteor that landed somewhere?" Samus asked, confirming what she was readily sure that they already knew. Celestia grinned.
"We were hoping you'd say something along those lines. Come, let us all sit," Celestia said in a cool manner, gesturing with her front-right hoof towards the ground where all the pillows and a small table were. "Guards, you may leave us," she then added over her shoulder. Steel Blade looked like he was about to protest.
"DO NOT QUESTION MY SISTER'S ORDERS. LEAVE US IMMEDIATELY! " Luna affirmed in her amplified voice. Samus winced and covered her ears slightly, as did the other ponies. The guards were almost thrown off their hooves by the forcefulness of Luna's voice and they quickly nodded and scurried out, closing the door behind them.
Wow… I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that. I like her even more.
Celestia rubbed her ear slightly from the disturbance, obviously having been used to it, and turned back to the group with a smile.
"Now then, shall we?" she gestured once more. The entire group sat down and Samus pulled the arm chair up to the table. She crossed her legs and looked at the two princesses.
"So, are there any questions you may have about the meteor? I will have some questions for you as well before I tell you why I'm here, but I feel I owe everyone here some answers," Samus began. The others nodded.
"What exactly are we facing?" Celestia asked seriously. The others also looked to Samus who had a pensive look on her face, most likely attempting to find a way to explain.
"How many ponies have died since the blue poison reared its head?" she asked. The others were slightly taken aback by the bluntness of Samus's question. It obviously struck a chord with them.
"Before we came here, the death toll currently stands at around a hundred… and most likely to have risen," Luna replied. Samus nodded, uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her thighs and linking her hands together.
"The Blue Poison is known as Phazon, a vile material that spreads death and corruption wherever it finds itself. It originates from a meteor… and where that meteor came from, we cannot say. Physical contact with Phazon is enough to cause instantaneous death, and those are the lucky ones. Others will become horribly mutated. Afflicted individuals will slowly lose their sanity as the Phazon takes them over… they'll become more aggressive and violent as they sometimes sport mutations that seem to defy genetics. They will soon begin to hunger for the substance as if it was a drug, further inducing madness and enormous hostility until they succumb to the corruption. That is, of course, if they weren't killed by first contact," Samus explained, obviously having seen its effects. She shuddered internally at the Pirate Projects.
"What can we do to combat this threat?" Luna asked.
"You cannot combat the Phazon with other chemicals, or soldiers, or really anything. You can only contain it, and if my assumption is correct, you wouldn't seem as dire right now if magic had been working in any way to eradicate it, right?" Samus clarified. Celestia shook her head.
"No, simple force and destruction spells only serve to spread it even more, and sending the material to another dimension is enormously taxing on those who have magic prowess, yet this 'Phazon' still replaces itself," the white alicorn confirmed. The other ponies were just quietly listening to the conversation, not really having anything to put into it. Twilight, however, was fully vested in it and looked like she had some things to say.
"Like Princess Luna, I too have done my research and no record of this 'Phazon' exists in Equestria History or magical archives. If we can't destroy this substance, can we at least contain it?" Twilight asked.
"Yes, containment is very possible at the source, but that's about it. You'd need material that would be suitable for its storage and transportation. It appears large amounts of magic can do the job for transportation, but you'd need to transport it elsewhere for safe storage, and then again you'd also have to be aware that the impact site will still produce more Phazon," Samus explained.
"How is that even possible?" Twilight asked again.
"From my experience and investigations with the Galactic Federation, the entity of which is my current employer and where I formerly devoted myself to military service, point to the fact that these meteors have a 'core.' These cores are life-forms that are basic in nature and usually native to the planet that the meteor impacted on. These life-forms have undergone enormous Phazon corruption to the point where they are actually producing the Phazon itself. They are the heart of it, and the meteor most likely latched on to a native creature or entity when it impacted. Actually, that's nearly certain since you say the Phazon is spreading. If that's how these meteors truly work, we cannot say, but it's the only theory we have to go by right now that explains anything. Either way, if this 'core' is eliminated, all Phazon associated with it will dissipate."
"That settles it then! We shall search the impact area and rid our planet of this core element!" Luna proclaimed. Samus shook her head.
"Were it so easy. Although on a side note, you seem to have the answer to my main question: Where is the impact site?" the Hunter asked.
"The Frozen North, within about twenty miles of the Crystal Empire's borders," Celestia answered. Samus nodded in acknowledgement.
"Thank you, that was a problem solved. However, as I was saying, it will not be as easy as just marching into the impact site, combatting and eliminating the core element. The Phazon will most likely have corrupted other life-forms that will have to be eliminated as well. Also, there's the future issue of the Space Pirates," Samus began, being prepared to explain a great deal.
"Space Pirates?" Twilight, Celestia, and Luna asked at the same time.
"The Space Pirates are bipedal organisms like me, although they differ greatly in physical appearance. They're a war-mongering species that the Galactic Federation and I have been fighting for as long as I can remember. Their tactics are merciless and brutal, for they are responsible for the deaths of countless innocents. They search for ways to greater their species and ultimately defeat the Federation, and they have discovered one thing that has given them a possibly frightening advantage," Samus began explaining.
"Allow me to guess, the Phazon?" Luna asked.
"Indeed. I was on another planet known as Tallon IV and they had discovered the Phazon after a similar meteor strike annihilated other sentient elements, namely a race of bird-like creatures known as the Chozo. Upon investigating, the Pirates found the Phazon and began to use it as an energy source. It was successful, but then they noticed its horrific mutagen properties and began attempting to infuse it with other creatures as well as themselves."
The others began widening their eyes at the revelations; some even had hooves over their mouths.
"Many Pirates, of course, died. Others accepted a particular strain of Phazon and it successfully fused with their genetic code, creating violent and terribly corrupted versions of their already warlike selves. When I compromised their operations on Tallon IV, they discovered another planet, known as Aether, and attempted the same thing, harnessing the Phazon for their own nefarious purposes. After their bases of operations were destroyed there, I came here to head off the meteor crash before they inevitably come," Samus concluded. The mention of hostile invaders was enough to keep everyone silent, as they really had no idea how to respond to that. Samus took this opportunity to continue:
"This brings us to why I'm here. My mission is to head off the Space Pirate forward operations before they can cause any real damage, and believe me, they will attempt to subjugate your population with extreme prejudice. Not only am I to eliminate their forward operations, but I'm also here to destroy this Phazon core and rid the planet of the substance. If it's gone, there's little point for the Pirates to be here other than to search for other means of energy."
"This Galactic Federation, are they able to provide any assistance?" Celestia asked.
"Yes. For once in a long time, I have full resources available to me should we need them and this includes materiel and weapons, as well as soldiers and other necessities," the Hunter confirmed.
"Very well. We have the Royal Guard as well as a few other standing forces but if what you say is true we may need all the help we can acquire, and we'd be most appreciative if you are able to provide," Luna confessed.
"My job is to aid in whatever way I can. I will, however, call for some supply drops as soon as I can; for I have a feeling we'll need them. As we progress further, I'll most likely call for forces as well."
"Most excellent. Then I believe that is all we needed to hear, as we have to deal with all the affairs that are coming of this calamity. We thank you for your service here and if you need anything, please feel free to let Twilight know. She will forward any requests to us, for it's the least we can do. You are more than welcome to stay in this town, Ponyville, and use it as your base of operations. Since we assume you arrived in a ship, a real bed may appeal to your tastes more, but of course, feel free to move any materials you may need," Celestia finished, standing up with Luna. All the other ponies plus the Hunter stood up as well.
"Thank you, and of course thank you all for your non-hostility towards me as well as for everything else. Normally I'd have to refuse your offer and I'd feel safer and more comfortable in my ship, but since there actually is a population, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to stay closer to those of importance, which if my instincts tell me anything, these six ponies are indeed of importance," Samus spoke with gratitude, motioning towards the Elements who had varying degrees of smiles and pensive looks on their faces. "Also, an actual bed sounds… kinda nice," Samus added. The Princesses smiled and Twilight jumped up at the opportunity:
"Samus, you can stay here if you like. This library is close to the center of this town and I'm in constant contact with the Princesses. I can reach them on a moment's notice and I have no problem resizing the bed and other amenities you may require," the lavender unicorn offered with a grin filled with gratitude. Samus couldn't understand right now how accepting they were of her, even offering her a place to stay outside of her ship. Also, nigh immediate contact with the Princesses was always a plus.
"Very well, I'll accept your offer. Thank you, Twilight," the Hunter responded in kind. Twilight nodded in acknowledgement and Princess Celestia levitated something out of a bag she brought with her. Thy looked like scrolls.
"Then it's settled. Also, Samus, we feel you might find these useful," the white alicorn began as she placed the papers on the table in front of Samus. "They're maps of Ponyville as well as other major areas including the Crystal Empire and Frozen North. We feel you might have great use for these," she finished. Samus unrolled one of the scrolls to find a map of Ponyville beautifully cartographed. Samus grinned.
Perfect…
"These will do nicely. Thank you, Princesses," Samus responded with a small nod of gratitude and respect.
"Of course, but now, we must be off. Thank you once again and we hope to see you soon. We will update you on any knowledge or findings we come across immediately, so expect to hear from us often," Luna spoke as the two Princesses walked out the door. "Until then, everypony," she added before the door shut behind them. The remaining group all looked at each other.
"Well, since Samus is staying here, I better get to work on preparing the guest room with Spike. In the meantime, since it's getting later, why don't the five of you take Samus around the town so she can familiarize herself with her new 'base of operations?' Once that's done, it would probably be wise to move any things she might have to the Library. Is that okay with you, Samus?" Twilight asked. Samus thought for a bit.
Well… it is getting later and I have little scan data that has been provided to me by Federation intelligence, or that my ship is picking up. To add on top of that, I have no idea where I'm going just yet and there is no sign of the Pirates… yet. As much as it goes against my philosophy I guess a relaxing tour of the area couldn't hurt.
"Sure, that's a sound plan for the moment. I suppose it also would be beneficial to introduce the locals to my presence while many are still out," the Hunter agreed.
"Alright!" Rainbow Dash said a bit enthusiastically.
"YAY! Samus is staying with us!!" Pinkie almost yelled out, bouncing up and down.
A bit excitable… jeez.
"Indeed, darlings. Now, let us be off, for we're burning sunlight," Rarity added, beginning to lead the way out of the door. Rainbow and Pinkie followed suit before Samus exited, followed by Applejack and Fluttershy.
Extra support from the locals could only benefit me anyways. This will hopefully prove beneficial.
Twilight giggled a bit as she watched her friends go with the Hunter in her company. It was always nice to see somepony, or somebody different being readily accepted, as was true to the ponies' nature. However, Twilight still couldn't help but worry for Equestria's future with these threats looming. For once, as an Element of Harmony, she felt somewhat useless since magic would have little effect right now.
In the end though, they've defeated threats without the elements, and this would be no different. With Samus's help, as well as whatever the Galactic Federation was, they'd overcome this with Equestria emerging stronger than ever.
Things would work themselves out as always.
"Right…?"
[Transmission Database]
[Compose New]
[To: Galactic Federation High Command | RE: Mission VK109H]
I've established a foothold on the planet and come into contact with sapient life forms of Equis. They are ponies and I've appeared to earn their trust for the time being, making the job easier. Transferring now is all scan data I have acquired, as well as my personal notes and experiences which include the extent of Phazon threats as of right now. Please review them. Also, requesting supply drop Class A.
Samus Aran
[Transmission Sent]
[Incoming Transmission]
[From: Galactic Federation High Command | RE: Mission VK109H]
Data received and currently being reviewed. We will provide you with intelligence as it comes in. For now, stand by for two days and keep watch for any Pirate Activity. Aid in what you can against Phazon threats but do not take up your usual crusade just yet.
Offer your expertise to the Pony Leadership if at all requested. We will have several divisions of troops ready for deployment to Equis in a week's time and on standby around the clock.
Supply Drop request confirmed.
High Command
[End Transmission]
4: Discovery
Metroid: Equis
Chapter 4
Discovery
The Zero Suit-clad Huntress had been given the grand tour of her new base of operations, albeit with a few disruptions here and there but that didn't bother her too much… except when Rarity had attempted to take her measurements when they stopped temporarily at her boutique. Eventually, Samus had conceded although she felt very uncomfortable having her personal space invaded with measuring tape and hooves that were taking her, well, measurements; as well as asking her preferences in colors, special decorations, etc. if any. She survived, obviously, and now was finishing moving the last few things into the guest room in Twilight's library several hours later.
The bookworm had been rather generous in resizing the bed dimensions and it appeared to be a nice queen sized bed by human standards. Samus dropped a large bag of assorted things before taking a seat on the edge of the bed, giving the slightest hint of a smile at its softness and overall comfort. Satisfied, she stood up and equipped her Varia Suit for the moment. She then removed the helmet before unequipping the suit once more, leaving her with the physical helmet. She intended to do some reading and research on the scan data she collected before she slept that night, for it was imperative that she learn as much as she could about the planet and region as quickly as she could. For now though, it was barely getting into the early hours of the evening and it was necessary to unpack the few (by 'few,' she meant 'two') essentials she brought with her.
Might as well get it done now.
Samus set her helmet aside and set to work. She first pulled out a small, tablet looking device. Her own personal logbook/journal, having recorded her travels, encounters, thoughts, etc. since the completion of her first mission on Zebes. She intended to write in it later tonight and set it down by her helmet.
The next thing she slid out was a medium sized metal case with the Galactic Federation Marine Corps insignia on it. Upon opening it revealed a GF Assault Rifle; a portable automatic weapon that fired medium sized motes of directed hard-light not unlike her standard Power Beam. Samus had taken into account when she had been shot down over Zebes and was unable to equip her Power Suit due to a malfunction, leaving her with merely her emergency Paralyzer Pistol. She wasn't too keen on repeating that incident should she be forced to abandon and/or be stranded without her suit again. As such, she felt an upgrade from an emergency Paralyzer to an emergency rifle was in order. She made sure it was deactivated and its safety was engaged before setting it back in the case and slipping it under the bed.
Once that was taken care of, Samus spaced out momentarily before a knock at the bedroom door brought her out of her stupor.
"Samus?
"Yes, Twilight?" the blonde-haired hunter responded.
"May I come in?"
"Yep."
The lavender unicorn opened the door and casually trot to the bedside where Samus sat. The hunter noted that she was bearing a small package on her back.
"A couple things Samus: One, Spike is making dinner and we would like to know if you'd like something to eat?" Twilight asked. Samus could tell that she was still ever so slightly nervous around her, although she was trying to be a good host. In all honesty the fair-skinned huntress was somewhat astounded that she still wasn't completely mortified.
Before Samus could answer her stomach piped up, letting out a low growl. She only pursed her lips and let out a somewhat deadpanned sigh and stare to go along with it. Twilight couldn't help but giggle a bit while Samus nodded.
"That doesn't sound too bad… thanks for offering."
"Mhmm! Also, secondly…" Twilight began, levitating the small wrapped package from her back and presenting it to Samus. The Hunter softly took it with her right hand.
"Rarity just dropped this off for you," Twilight finished. Samus looked at it with a brow raised in surprise.
"I literally just saw her three hours ago… and she's already made something for me?" she reinforced.
"She made the six of us Gala dresses in about five minutes whilst singing a song, so I'm not too surprised to be honest. She said it was only a small thing for now," Twilight responded. Samus pursed her lips again in thought before shrugging it off.
Sure.
Twilight nodded and smiled a bit. "I'll leave you alone for now. Food will be ready in twenty, so feel free to drop by whenever you wish," the unicorn informed as she trot out the door, closing it behind her. Once again, Samus was left to her own devices and her curiosity was focused on the white tissue-wrapped package that was sealed like an envelope with a blue diamond trinity sticker. Sliding her finger under the adhesive, the Hunter flipped up the top of the paper and slid out the folded garments. The one on top, after holding it at arm's length and letting the creases undo themselves, was a short sleeved, blue shirt that matched the color of her Zero Suit. In the upper right breast area, she noted her distinctive Runes symbol perfectly sewed into the fabric.
The next article of clothing was a simple black pants design. Samus also noted the Runes on the left side rear pocket. Her mouth was ever so slightly agape as she traced lines on both garments… they looked brilliant!
Wow… these look great!
Being completely honest with herself, she really wanted to try them on. However, her Zero Suit was in the way. Since she'd be joining for dinner relatively soon, she thought it best to have a shower in the bathroom connected to her room… a real shower.
Now that sounds pretty damn good right now…
With little effort, the battle hardened warrior stripped out of her Zero Suit, let her hair down, and made her way to the bathroom, finding the sink and shower/tub a tad bit smaller than she'd be used to due to her size. She wore her usual stoic expression, just staring at the smaller tiled and porcelain amenity.
I don't know what I was expecting.
She shrugged and decided to make do. She was going to take a nice, comfortable, and hot shower and that was final. She fiddled with the knobs until the temperature was perfect and she climbed in, having to hunch a bit in order to get her hair wet. Looking around, she found an assortment of shampoos, soaps, and other things to aid in the female pony cleaning process… whatever constituted to that. She quickly scanned some labels to ensure that nothing would destroy her hair, scalp, skin, or any combination of the three and set off to work.
Exactly seventeen minutes later, Samus reemerged clad in a towel (although small on her) with a fairly relaxed expression on her face… relatively speaking. She was definitely a bit more at ease. She made sure she was completely dry before dropping the towel and reaching for the new clothes… that was until she made an interesting observation:
Shit… there's no underwear.
It was more for the purposes of comfort and utility than it was for appearances. Samus's Zero Suit had supports and extra underlays in the necessary places which corresponded with certain parts of her anatomy, namely her breasts, crotch, and posterior. Samus decided against the clothes and reached for her Zero Suit again… until she spotted something else she didn't notice that was somewhat hanging out of the white package.
She picked up the questionable garment and examined it, finding what appeared to be a very basic blue bra. Upon a quick search, she found the accompanying blue panties, although the almost looked like very thin short-shorts rather than underwear. Either way, it fit the purpose beautifully and she couldn't really complain.
Rarity, you clever pony…
Within two minutes, she was fully dressed in her new clothes and she had to admit, they were extraordinarily comfortable. The sleeves and pant legs conformed to her figure almost perfectly, leaving little room for sagging of the fabric, yet they stretched and moved flawlessly with her body when she stretched and flexed in several places. Samus was pleased, and once again, she had the tiniest smidgeon of a grin on her face.
I can definitely get used to this.
Samus didn't have proper footwear but that didn't bother her since she had no plans on going out into town on a leisurely stroll. In the end barefoot was her only choice. She emerged from her room and joined Twilight and Spike as they were setting the table. Twilight looked up and smiled.
"Glad you could join us, Samus!" she exclaimed, sitting down. Spike was carrying what looked like a large bowl of fruit salad as well as what looked like a same-sized bowl of vegetable soup. Samus had to admit it looked pretty good, even though there was no meat.
"Diggin' the look! Oh, and help yourself!" Spike offered after setting the food on the table. Samus didn't need to be told twice as she helped herself to a generous serving of the fruit salad and nearly filled her bowl with the soup. With that, dinner began and light but pleasant conversation was had as they enjoyed… and Samus was particularly enjoying herself. She hadn't eaten freshly prepared real food in quite a while. Breaks between missions where she could visit Federation planets weren't as common as she'd like. On missions or in the field, her diet consisted of mainly MREs that had the essentials her body needed to soldier on. Nothing particularly satisfying considering the taste or enjoyment factor but she made do.
"Ahhh…" Samus commented as she dropped her rather small spoon in the bowl and pushing it away. "Now that was good. Thanks, you two," she finished. She never thought she'd be able to stuff herself with fruit and soup, but once again, her thoughts were proven wrong.
"No problem, Sammy," Spike replied back, to which Samus turned to him with a stoic face.
"Don't call me that."
"Okay."
"So, how was your first ummm… 'day' here?" Twilight asked somewhat awkwardly.
"It was interesting to say the least… and definitely a new experience. I have a couple days to just familiarize myself with everything before I go to work so, it's going alright, I suppose."
"That's good… but if I may ask a question…" Twilight began.
"You may."
"You've seen this type of thing before no doubt, with the meteor and what not, right?" Samus nodded. "What are your thoughts on our situation?" the lavender unicorn asked. Samus thought for a moment on how to answer that question.
"To be completely honest, you're lucky. As I said before, we caught this meteor impact almost immediately, so overall damage has been limited so far, last time I heard. However, make no mistake that your entire planet is in danger until we can locate and destroy the core… easier said than done. Many will die before this is all over," Samus spoke, calmly and collectedly. Twilight took her response in and simply nodded.
"Yeah, I know. But I also know we'll get through this! The girls and I have helped save Equestria on many occasions… but I'm not so sure how useful the Elements of Harmony will be against this… Phazon/core/threat thing."
"Elements of Harmony?" Samus asked, raising her brow.
"Oh, right… hehe let me fill you in a bit on the details of some recent history," Twilight offered, to which Samus turned her body to listen. Spike promptly excused himself.
Twilight proceeded to fill the Hunter in on information from Equestria's more recent history regarding Nightmare Moon and who she really was, Luna's redemption by forcing the Nightmare from her body via the Elements, the history with Discord and the incidents involving him, and finally the Changeling Invasion and the Crystal Empire incident. It was a lot to take in but Twilight was able to condense the material enough to where Samus could follow along, becoming less and less surprised at each turn of events. After all, this was some good information for the blonde-haired Hunter to know. And these powerful 'Elements of Harmony' could prove very useful in the end.
To help follow up on the subject, Twilight gave Samus a few books on Equestrian History and the Elements of Harmony (which, she remembered, were under 'E') so she could scan the information into her logbook. From there, the two retired to their respective rooms for the night, allowing Samus to read and log information at her own pace. Eventually, she removed her helmet and placed it on the nightstand next to her, ready to let the soft grasp of sleep take her from her first day on Equis.
…
"A-are you...Mr. Ridley? I-I'm Samus, th-three years old. You're not scary...I'm perfectly fine...E-even if you look different...W-we can still be friends...!"
In truth, Samus was scared… terrified even. But she attempted to apply the lesson given to her by Old Bird.
"Samus! NO!" Virginia exclaimed, taking the brunt of the blow that Ridley meant for Samus, slicing her own mother in half right before her very eyes.
Samus opened her eyes and inhaled a bit sharply as she woke with a start. She quickly regained control of her breathing and pursed her lips, sighing almost out of annoyance.
Damn dream.
She had a bit of sweat on her brow which she promptly wiped off. She had this dream before… countless times for that matter. Since she lived on Zebes with her Chozo caretakers, that particular nightmare haunted her to the point where now, she merely dealt with it rather than being terrified to sleep and relive the horrors.
However, she noted that the dream usually lasted a lot longer than that, which led her to believe that something disturbed her slumber. This was answered when her helmet, which was sitting on the nightstand next to the bed, lightly glowed on the visor, accompanied by a very familiar audio:
"Data Received."
It's too early for the Federation to have sent me orders… guess my ship picked something up.
Samus took a quick look outside. It was dark, save for the rather bright moon which was high in the sky. Her suspicions were confirmed when the clock in the room read half-passed midnight. She had fallen asleep a bit early due to the traveling, which made sense. She rubbed her eyes before sitting up and grabbing her helmet, placing it on her head and being greeted by the familiar notification. The helmet instinctively began to display information:
"Unusual energy fluctuations detected. Spikes are consistent with magical properties. Investigation suggested."
Energy spikes. That's original.
Samus pressed a command on the side of her helmet, confirming the notification and prompting more information. Her display switched to a map of her current location, the Golden Oaks Library , and subsequently changed scenery, zooming out of the Ponyville area. The map data then scrolled over to the Everfree before zooming in and ultimately stopping and blinking on a sector known as "Hall of the Patriarch. " It was obviously unexplored in her map data and it was illuminated with a large question mark. From first glance on her map, it looked pretty massive.
Maybe it's time to go sightseeing.
In quick, fluid motions, Samus's normal clothes came off, her Zero Suit went on, and she took her helmet off before equipping her Varia Suit. When that was done, she slipped the helmet under her right arm; gently leaving her bedroom and exiting out of the front door of the library, careful not to wake either Twilight or Spike. Once she closed the front door, she slipped her helmet on and started strolling towards the edge of town.
Hey, guess I was going for a stroll…
Upon reaching the edge of town, there was a small hill that shadowed a tiny field which ultimately led to the Everfree. Samus stood on said hill and just admired the night sky while also staring out towards the forest itself, just spacing out a bit. At least, that's what she was doing until she sensed something land diagonally behind her.
"You sensed it too?" the Princess of the Night inquired, softly trotting to Samus's side.
"I didn't 'sense' it per say. Scans seem to indicate magical fluctuations somewhere in the Everfree. I'm sure magical anomalies are rather common here but this seemed odd enough for my systems to recommend an investigation," Samus spoke, not turning towards Luna.
"True, magical spikes are not uncommon, but what you stated was an 'anomaly.' By definition, that's a deviation from the common rule, so therefore, unusual, and consequently, my curiosity is piqued," Luna replied. Samus nodded in understanding before craning her head slightly towards Luna.
"If this is so interesting, why are you only here? Where's Celestia? I inferred from our meeting that you two were conjoined at the flank," Samus asked with a hint of sarcasm, although she was proud of her correct word usage. Luna giggled a bit.
"So it would seem, but not quite. I was only up because our meeting required the both of us due to importance. Celestia currently is asleep, and I reign during the night," Luna explained. Samus nodded slightly again.
Makes sense.
She then turned her attention back to the Lunar Alicorn.
"Any idea where it's coming from… or what?"
"Hard to tell. Chances are the magic emanates from one of the many temples and ruins that adorn areas of the Everfree. They all emit their own magical aura as many serve as the home for relics and the deceased of great magical power. Thus, tracking the source could prove difficult," Luna explained. "You said your scanners picked up this spike… did you receive any other information?" she asked.
"According to my maps and the system's sensors, the source is an area known as the Hall of the Patriarch ," Samus replied. Luna visibly straightened up with wide eyes.
"Then I know where our destination lies," Luna said as she spread her wings and hunched her lower back down, looking at Samus expectantly.
"Ummm… Luna?"
"Flying will be much faster than walking, will it not? And if my assumptions are accurate, you are not capable of unaided flight. Therefore, climb on. And worry not, I'm much stronger than I look," Luna explained and beckoned. Samus had a disbelieving look on her face behind the visor. She, herself, was a rather larger woman by height and muscular physique standards, standing at a little over six feet and weighing a bit less than 200 pounds without her armor. Naturally her Varia Suit added a fair (generous use of the word) amount of extra weight to her.
Luna did have a point though: flying would be faster than walking. So, to remedy possible issues, Samus deactivated her Suit for the purpose of flight.
Fair enough.
Samus walked over and carefully slid onto Luna's back, gripping her neck in the appropriate place and securing her legs. When both parties were satisfied of the developments, Luna spoke out:
"Very well, let us be off. Do hold on!"
Luna spread her wings (Samus admired her wingspan for some odd reason) and lunged from her sitting position into the sky, letting her wings take her from there. Luna had little difficulty adjusting to the extra weight on her back and they flew with great speed over the forest. Samus had to admit that she'd never see herself riding a magical alicorn through the night… although her pride refused to let her admit that she was enjoying the experience.
After about ten minutes, Luna banked left and gently descended into the forest canopy. Samus was able to make out what looked like the tops of some structures under the massive trees and noted their position to where they eventually touched down. Samus promptly hopped off Luna's back and equipped her Varia Suit once more.
"Well… that was an interesting experience," Samus spoke up. Luna smirked a bit.
"So I've heard from others as well. Come, let us move," the Lunar Alicorn responded, leading the way and Samus falling into step. Normally, Samus would shun having company immediately, but since this was Luna's domain, she felt that she'd have little choice that Luna wanted to tag along. Samus worked alone, but having an ally that was more than capable of protecting themselves was not an issue. Soon enough, the two passed through the last set of trees before entering into a large clearing in the forest; giving way to a rather large looking, ancient temple.
Always the temples… always.
"Any idea what this place is?" Samus asked.
"This is Nightshade Temple, the shrine of King Lunarius: former ruler of our Moon and the Night, as well as Celestia's and my father."
"I see. Well, either way, let's take a look inside, shall we?" Samus asked rhetorically. Luna nodded and trot slightly ahead of Samus as they made their way to the large entrance of the temple. Upon entering, Luna lit her horn to provide directed light to help improve vision, more so for her rather than Samus, as the Hunter easily switched to her Thermal Visor. Samus kept her cannon at a semi-passive level, being ready for anything, even though she could sense that nothing was really stirring in the halls of the long abandoned shrine.
"It has been centuries since I have walked these halls…" Luna mentioned softly, taking in the sights of the busts, pillars, and obelisks that would randomly adorn the sides as she illuminated them. Many were the statues of what looked like Alicorn soldiers long passed; silently watching over the shrine of their deceased leader for all of eternity. Samus was likening everything to the structure of Chozo temples and ruins… to her, they weren't so different. However, something caught Samus's eyes:
"Looks like we've got some writing here…" she stated, touching the glyphs in the walls as she began scanning it. Luna walked over as well. Samus read the translation out loud:
"Recorded to Logbook."
[Pony Lore]
Translation: And so it is with great sorrow that we enshrine the creator of our moon within these walls. Yet even in death, he shall watch over our very beings with the just and iron hoof that he ruled unto us. Even when our race is no more, his blood and influence shall remain.
"So you can read old Equestrian with that helmet of yours? I am most impressed," Luna added with a smirk.
"I find that reading and logging Lore tends to help me later down the line. Speaking of which, there's another set of glyphs. Do you mind?" Samus asked rhetorically. Luna had no intention of denying her anyway, gesturing with her hoof towards the writing.
"Recorded to Logbook."
[Pony Lore]
Translation: Lunarius has become feeble and weak. His time with us in this realm dwindles, yet he is not afraid. He greets death like a friend of the Empire, and with reassurance from the Visitors he is ready to leave Equestria in the care of his own two blood offspring and pass on to the spirit realm forever more.
"In case you weren't able to infer, these writings go back in time… in a manner of speaking," Luna added.
"I was able to see that. However, I'm more curious about these… Visitors," Samus spoke, moving further down the hall and finding the next set of glyphs.
"I was too young to know at the time, even when Celestia and I took the throne. They had come long before we were around and father never spoke much of them. By the time we had enough sense to attempt to find them, they were gone… leaving only ruins and echoes behind," Luna replied. Samus raised a brow slightly.
Just like the…
She shook her head internally. It couldn't have been.
This one's gonna be a long read.
"Recorded to Logbook."
[Pony Lore]
Translation: Tall, powerful, warrior-like Visitors from beyond our sky have descended upon our land, offering peace and valuable information, requesting exploration and temporary residence. Our Great Leader sensed truth within their intentions and offered them asylum. In return, this race of beings more powerful than our own showed us great techniques in the magical arts, manipulating our very essence to serve our greater purpose, while instructing on building techniques for lasting structures to wh-
~break in writing~
…time had passed, and Lunarius inquired the great Visitors as to the future of Equestria. Their wise leader spoke of a Great Poison that would descend upon our land thousands of cycles in the future, snuffing out all life that dares attempt to hinder or stop it. Yet, they also spoke of a Great Warrior and Protector who would ultimately come to the future generation's aid and vanquish the Poison for eternity.
Samus slowly lowered her hand from the side of her Helmet, still staring at the writing on the wall. Luna herself had a look of great thinking on her face. She turned to the Hunter.
"Samus…"
"We need to get to the Hall of the Patriarch. How far are we?" Samus said, interrupting the Lunar Princess.
"Just down this way," Luna replied, leading the way. Samus followed and they soon ended up by a very large door that was sealed, but had no physical means of getting through. None of Samus's weaponry would be able to breach either, according to her scans.
"So, how do we get through?" Samus asked.
"It's a magical seal. Allow me," Luna replied as she charged her horn brighter and let an aura seep out, diffusing over the enormous stone door until it sunk in as if pulled by an unseen force. At that moment, Luna ceased her magic and there was a great rumbling echoing throughout the hall. The door slowly slid open, revealing an enormous hall, which Samus's map indicated was the correct place. The hall was apparently lit with torches, which appeared to be undying magic of some sort (Samus only inferred). In the center lay a sarcophagus of stone adorned with precious metals and gems. However, what really caught Samus's eye was the design on the wall behind it.
"They had said something about the Visitors adorning art within father's tomb. They said it would protect his body and spirit," Luna chimed in, walking to Samus's side to examine what she was seeing. Samus, on the other hand, was just staring at the artwork which consisted of a large, bipedal bird-like elder with his arms outstretched in perfect symmetry with the sarcophagus. On both sides of that were bird-like and Alicorn soldiers in mixed formation. That artwork… Samus felt as if she was back in the Ruins on Zebes.
"You know these Visitors… don't you, Samus?" Luna asked knowingly, connecting the dots. Samus nodded softly.
"The Chozo… they came to you…" Samus replied, although that was more of thinking out loud. The Hunter was processing this in her head. In the end, although rather different, the Ponies and Samus were more connected than she could have ever thought possible: The Chozo had assisted them in their development as a society for who knew how long. Luna was observing Samus as much as she could through her visor. She decided it was a good time to bring this up:
"I saw your dream." Samus turned slowly towards the Princess.
"You… what?" she asked in confirmation.
"As Princess of the Night I may enter the dreams of my subjects and those under my dominion, temporary or not. I had no intention of entering yours at first but your mind was under great stress." She turned towards the Chozo paintings. "I apologize for the great intrusion, but I have learned a great deal about you as a result. I am so sorry for your loss, and what you had to experience. I lost my mother at a very young age as well… although I suspect that is of little consolation."
Luna turned to face the Hunter who was just staring at her.
"However, with a bit of my magic and your Helmet picking up these fluctuations, your dream was able to come to an end before I was able to see more. I will not forget what I saw there, mind you. That image will haunt me for quite some time… as I am sure it continues to plague you. But my initial question that was to stem from this is: these Visitors… these Chozo… they were your guardians, were they not?" Luna asked. Samus turned away and back towards the artwork.
"Yes. They took care of me, infused me with their blood, and raised me to what I am today. They are… were my second family," Samus admitted plainly. She wasn't accustomed to talking about this with anyone. However, she never let the past bother her much anymore. Luna nodded.
There wasn't much else to say at this point and Luna knew that. Samus's attention was grabbed though when she found more glyphs under the Chozo Elder. What was different was that this writing was in fact, Chozo. Samus opened her scan visor and scanned:
You have come.
Samus blinked a couple of times and suddenly the Sarcophagus began to open behind them; the top of it slowly sliding downward. The Hunter and Princess turned around and eyed event a bit before glancing at each other and walking over. Luna had already inferred that whatever Samus had done just now was correlated to her and only her… even if it was opening the sarcophagus of her dead father.
Once the pair reached the now open sarcophagus there was a faint glowing inside. Soon, small motes of light from around the room began to condense into a glowing mass in front of them before lightly exploding outwards; leaving a spinning object that looked like an outstretched hand. Samus looked to Luna, who also looked on in awe, before the alicorn nodded and stepped backwards a bit, leaving Samus to do her thing. With that, Samus reached out and gently 'grabbed' the floating object, which promptly defragmented and diffused around Samus's left arm. The Hunter watched as her armor-clad arm glowed with great power as it absorbed into it before trailing down to her Grapple Beam. The appendage glowed bright teal several times before any remnant light exploded outwards, dissipating.
[Scanning…]
[Kinesis Beam Acquired!]
Pure, ancient magic has augmented your Grapple Beam. At the cost of energy units, the Grapple Beam may now be treated as a magical conduit, allowing you to manipulate matter much like a unicorn through its use.
"What happened?" Luna inquired, seeing that the process had finished.
"Well, apparently I can now use magic… in a sense," Samus replied, seeming a bit intrigued herself. Luna even expressed curiosity.
"Is that so? Well, test it out!" Luna added, curious to see what Samus's 'magic' would be like. The Hunter found a small stone on the ground about ten feet away from her and lifted her arm towards it. Remembering back from how she witnessed her Chozo caretakers use their powers, Samus concentrated on the stone and let her Grapple Beam fire up… soon she felt almost a mental tug from the object. The Beam appendage glowed in totality a light blue color much like any magical aura. Then the rock became adorned with a similar aura. With that, Samus moved her arm linearly and the stone moved accordingly. She was able to pick it up and move it before tossing it away. Although the power emanated from her Grapple Beam and ultimately her Suit's energy, the mental connection that it was somehow able to forge with her was a bit taxing, as it was her first time using it.
"Impressive, especially for a non-magic user. You'll need more practice though if you wish to make that effective," Luna said, complementing her ability to levitate a small stone, but observing that her form was faltering during the process... still even surprised that the human was able to acquire the ability of magic! Samus nodded.
Well, that was a really interesting experience.
"Wait… something's odd. My map and scans still show fluctuations of energy here," Samus remarked, checking her map data.
"I sense it too…" Luna began, flaring her horn to try and magically track it. "And it seems it's still coming from the sarcophagus… huh," she said as she walked to the edge of her father's final resting place. Samus looked on as Luna removed the shroud, revealing the skeletal remains of the Great Alicorn; in its bony hooves, another spherical object of pure energy and magic. Its aura was very strong, yet it was repelling Luna's magic as she attempted to go near it.
"This magic is not of Alicorn doing, and as such, it's repelling my own. It is your Chozo, who appeared to have left you another gift," Luna inferred. Samus took the hint and reached out, cupping the object and letting it consequently diffuse into her suit. It found her Arm Cannon and absorbed into it. Her cannon lit up brightly but then it died out suddenly. Samus and Luna glanced at each other with a confused expression (although the Hunter's couldn't be seen).
[Scanning…]
.
.
"Well?" Luna asked.
"My systems are still scanning…" Samus replied.
[Unknown Item Acquired]
Analysis inconclusive. Item not compatible with current suit.
Oh great. This again.
"Apparently whatever that was, was the source of the energy spikes here but it's incompatible with my suit right now," Samus informed Luna.
"Hmmm… Interesting. We will have to run some tests later then and see if we cannot unlock these abilities for you," Luna offered. The two then turned back towards the door in which they came, only to have it slowly close and seal itself.
"What? What is the meaning of this!?" Luna shouted out while lightly charging her horn. Samus raised her Arm Cannon and looked around the room for any sign of trouble, ready for combat.
Soon, however, the torches in the room dimmed to a very low level. The Chozo and Alicorn paintings on the wall began to glow a very odd white, static-like appearance. The odd pair noticed this and turned around, horn and cannon aimed at the wall in a semi-aggressive stance. The torches almost went out at this point, a bone-chilling hissing sound permeated through the hall, and the textures on the wall separated from the paintings, floating in the air as no form of matter before a physical form emerged; several forms of Chozo and Alicorn apparitions landing on the ground.
"Chozo Ghosts…" Samus thought out loud.
"Alicorn Spirits…" Luna spoke as well.
They glanced at each other and nodded; the Hunter aiming her cannon and the Lunar Princess charging her horn, aiming it at the aggressive entities.
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. 10. The Plan and The Offer
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Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. 18. Deadliest Flier in Equestria
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Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. 20.5. If You Want Something Done Right...
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Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. 29.5 Sculpting of Radiance
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. 33. Dance of Darkness [Part 1]
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. 34. Dance of Darkness [Part 2]
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. 34.4 A Friend a Day [Part I]
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. 34.5 A Friend a Day [Part 2]
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. 34.7 A Friend a Day [Part 3]
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. 1: Impact/Arrival
"A Great Poison burst forth into the land, clawing at life with such violence that we were ripped from our peaceful state and find ourselves wandering as shadows of the mortal forms we left behind, searching for why we are here."
-Chozo Lore
Metroid: Equis
Chapter 1
Impact/Arrival
The Night. Feared and daunting, yet comforting and revered. It provides a sense of tranquility like no other when being experienced in its natural glory. Of course, a certain Lunar Princess would ensure that said natural glory would never wane, no matter where any of her subjects might be in the nation of Equestria. Each and every night, come her time to reign over the land, she personally customized the sky to a piece of brilliance and magnificence, one to be admired and drop the jaws of ponies around the nation each time they happened to gaze up into the eternal heavens… Her gift to them, one she knew they could truly appreciate from her. If there was one thing that ponies admired, it was the effort put into one's work… it rarely went unnoticed. After her banishment, it took some scouting around to see that this was indeed the truth of the matter… her subjects cared for her as much as Celestia. Princess Luna had more than made up for her past mistakes, and with their Princess of the Night back in control alongside Celestia, Equestria was prosperous once more.
So, like every night, Luna sat on a special cushion which rested on her chamber balcony. From this comfortable position, she happily gazed up to the sky at her handiwork… yet she was not even done! She had raised the moon not one hour ago and the sky was absolutely spectacular!
Let us brighten those stars over there… they shall add an exquisite effect to the mountain range overlooking Canterlot Fields.
The Lunar Alicorn did just that, her horn lightly flaring in her teal aura. The stars proceeded to brighten gradually until their light added the picturesque effect to the distant mountains that she so desired. Satisfied with her work, she grinned and moved on to another portion of her cosmic quilt. Luna was struck with an interesting idea and she smirked to herself.
There appears to be much activity in Ponyville tonight… perhaps an extra 'attraction' is in order?
With a brighter flare of her magic, Luna brought a small meteor shower over the Canterlot/Ponyville area; sending a few dozen stray meteors blazing past in a glorious display of light. Many wishes would be had tonight, that she was certain, as well as a few interesting dreams. Luna could practically sense the 'wows' from the small, few minute display, and she chuckled at that thought.
What else may I have the privilege of modifying in the sky tonight?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the opening and closing of her chamber doors followed by hoofsteps.
"Enjoying yourself, Lulu?" the Princess of the Sun asked with a small sense of smugness, knowing that Luna indeed enjoyed 'splurging' on the night sky whenever she was able. The Night Alicorn looked back and returned the smug but loving gaze.
"A bit much if I may be so blatantly honest," she replied, dimming a particular star and bringing out another constellation. Celestia couldn't help but look up and admire the work that her sister undoubtedly put into the sky… as always. It brightened her demeanor that much to know that Luna was finally happy with herself. Two happy Princesses ensured a stable Equestria, after all.
"Hmm… that star looks a bit bright, don't you think?" Celestia asked. Luna turned her attention towards where her sister was looking.
"Huh? I do not recall brightening that star. Allow me to rectify that immediately."
Luna brought her magic to life… but the star refused to oblige. This surprised her greatly and Celestia raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"That is… not possible…"
"Losing your touch, Luna?" Celestia asked, not resisting the chance to poke a bit of fun at her little sister. Luna colored a bit immediately, feeling the embarrassment of not having control of a simple star.
"N-No! I shall attempt once more!" she said hurriedly. Her horn lit up in her magical aura and her face shown great determination and resolve… yet the star refused to cooperate with her will. She released her 'hold,' panting and out of breath.
"How… How is this feasible?"
Celestia only furrowed her gaze and realized that the 'star' was getting… brighter.
"I'm not entirely sure that that is a star you're trying to move, Luna…"
Upon further investigation the object appeared to get even brighter as it began moving… it grew a trail and started its trek in the sky.
"That's… a meteor?" Luna asked, doubting herself and attempting to explain this uncontrollable celestial phenomenon. Celestia nodded in understanding.
"Indeed it is, and it appears it's on a collision course with the Frozen North. The cities in the area, as well as the Crystal Empire will have a bit of an extra show. Judging from this position, it does not appear to be of enormous size. Meteor strikes are uncommon, but not unheard of. Oh well," Celestia reasoned.
"But… I have no power over this object!" Luna said worriedly, witnessing the object get larger and pass over them towards the predicted destination. She noted its blue-ish hue.
"As you know, the stars and other celestial objects have their own magic. It is not unheard of for an object to be powerful enough to resist manipulation due to some oddity in the magical universe. I wouldn't worry too much. Reaching out, I can sense that it's not on any direct collision course with a city or residential area."
Luna's and Celestia's gaze followed the object as it streaked across the sky, becoming somewhat more visible, and witnessed its impact behind the mountain ranges in the distance which separated various regions of Equestria.
"I suppose you're right, sister. Very well. Get some rest, for I shall watch over the night as always," Luna commented. Celestia smiled softly and nuzzled her.
"I suppose that's in order. Thank you, Luna. Have a goodnight, and I love you!" she called out as she exited Luna's chambers.
"And likewise, I love you. Your dreams shall be pleasant tonight!" Luna called back. After her chamber doors were sealed once more, she turned her attention towards the general compass-direction of the impact. Since no emergency scrolls had been forwarded to either of the regal sisters, which would be a case of an extreme emergency, Luna shrugged and passed off the odd experience, taking off from her balcony and into the night.
And yet, some miniscule and residual thoughts plagued the back of her mind.
Space. Cold and silent; full, yet barren. It was particularly easy to go insane from lack of contact in the eternal void of nigh blackness. Yet nonetheless, it provided an odd sense of peace for the sole occupant of the Hunter Class gunship. Samus Aran sat back and reclined lazily in her chair… thinking. She was out of her Varia Suit, not that it really mattered since having an 'exoskeleton,' for lack of better words for almost her entire life ensured that she was more than used to the extension of herself.
Nevertheless, there she lay back, clad in only her blue and black skin-tight Zero Suit; letting her flowing blonde hair lay limp and untamed, not in its usual ponytail fashion. Her blue eyes bore the thousand-yard stare, showing clearly that she was troubled. She punctuated this with an audible sigh. The Galactic Federation had asked her to stand by after the Aether Incident, so as she waited for further transmission, all she could do is really… think.
Aether… I'm glad it's over…
As a soldier through and through who worked for the Federation proper as well as currently being a Bounty Hunter (ironically being hired by the Federation, so still working for them), Samus had seen more than her fair share of… forgive the use of crass language but, 'weird shit.' It only seemed as if every mission became progressively worse and worse. From her return to Zebes to destroy the Metroids, to Tallon IV, and then to Aether, it had all taken its toll on the still young and beautiful girl.
Aether takes the cake… and yet I can feel it's not over. Another change of scenery will trump it as usual.
Either way, this was her life… her choice and destiny bestowed upon her by the 'Bird People' (and guardians), the Chozo: Protector of the Galaxy. And so she waited… and had been waiting for almost a week, just drifting in space. The Federation had loosely shown that these incidents: Tallon IV, Aether, and whatever else undoubtedly came next, were correlated with a meteor strike… but not just any meteor strike. These meteors, 'infected' with the vile Poison known as Phazon, traveled to almost planned planets, traveling great distances by rupturing space-time and creating an artificial wormhole. The Federation was attempting to locate the next one.
Samus groaned to herself and decided to lie down and catch some shut-eye. It had been a long day… whatever the concept of a 'day' was in open space, and she decided it was best to rest up.
But of course, things don't always go as planned, and she had to be disturbed after an hour of uneasy sleep.
"Incoming Transmission"
Her computer came to life and notified her that the ship received a message for her. Samus groaned once more in disapproval but voiced her command anyway:
"Display on the central monitor… ugh" she replied out loud, sitting up and rubbing her eyes from what little sleep they decided to scrape. Aether had really taken a lot out of her, and she was still feeling the fatigue from the horrors of that damned planet.
At least the Luminoth are rebuilding with Federation help.
Samus shook her musings out of her head and read the transmission on the screen:
[Galactic Federation High Command]
Artificial slip-space rupture has been detected in the 51st quadrant of Federation Space directly over Planet VK109H, designation: Equis. Meteor impact on planet's surface has been confirmed. Be aware that Equis has not been explored, yet just falls under Federation purview.
"Just like Tallon IV and Aether. What a surprise there…" she sarcastically thought out loud.
Land on the planet and establish a foothold. Be vigilant against any Space Pirate attempts to also track and colonize the impact area, as the meteor has been studied and confirmed to be of Phazon composition. If sentient life exists on the planet, render any and all assistance necessary. Full federation resources will be at your call; use your greatest judgment.
[End Transmission]
Samus nodded to herself in acknowledgement and sighed once more. After typing a confirmation back to Command, she set her ship on auto-pilot with coordinates to this planet of Equis.
Coordinates set. Autopilot engaged… now, some sleep is in order.
With that, Samus's ship sped off into space towards her intended destination.
*One week later*
"Another one?!" Celestia almost shouted in a frantic manner. She stood in the throne room, speaking privately with a government official.
"I'm afraid so, Princess. We've received almost identical reports of the spreading of this… blue-like material that emanated out of the meteor impact site. It's slow but it's prominent, and ponies that have become exposed to it have a wide variety of effects. Some are just sickness due to exposure; others are more… violent," the Chief Medical Officer of the Equestrian Ministry of Health. Celestia furrowed her brow in worry. The unicorn official brushed his white lab coat and adjusted his glasses with his magic.
"Violent?"
"Regrettably so, your Highness. Some ponies have gone insane from the sickness. Others who have had more extensive contact have been virally corrupted by unknown means. In more generous cases, the patients have died from the exposures… others were not so fortunate. What I mean is that many have undergone mutations as a result of the corruption. And all this potentially may happen within seconds after direct contact with the material."
This was very troubling news for the Solar Princess. The casualties from this 'exposure' stood at just shy of a hundred ponies and most likely rising… those were the ones that were 'beyond saving.'
She pursed her lips and sighed once more.
"I understand, Doctor. Is there anything else I should know?"
"Yes, Princess. This… poison is greatly affecting the ecosystem and it's only getting worse!" the CMO exclaimed.
"And you're positive that this directly correlates to the meteor strike?" Celestia asked.
"I have little doubt in my mind, your majesty. Water supplies have been contaminated and we are starting to see large amounts of deaths and mutations in the flora and fauna."
"Is there any way we can contain this?"
"Magic works when transporting the Poison itself or corrupted material and ponies, but it requires an enormous amount of casted magic and it risks exposure to cleanup crews. We simply do not have the material necessary to protect us from this biohazard in order to do an effective containment," he explained.
"Very well, Doctor. Do what you must to help contain or slow down the spread of this Poison. Luna and I have been looking into our magical archives for information regarding this unknown material. Either way, this will not stop unless that meteor is removed. We'll tackle one problem at a time, but for now, go ahead and issue a national emergency and initiate an evacuation of all the towns nearest to the impact site and quarantine certain parts of major cities. I'll inform the Crystal Empire of the danger. Thank you for the information," Celestia said in a defeated manner. The CMO gave a curt bow and exited the throne room.
Celestia was ready to collapse on the spot. It had been a week since the impact of the strange meteor and things have gone to Tartarus. It was a wonder that full blown pandemonium had not broken out yet.
Her thoughts were disturbed when she arrived at the Archives. She found Luna already up and researching… she had not rested much since incidents have been reported. It showed, since recent night skies were rather drab. Celestia found Luna levitating and scanning several books at once, an exhausted and panicked expression etched into her face. Countless other tomes and books lay strewn around her. When Celestia was about to say something, Luna tossed a large tome back over her shoulder in a desperate fashion and simply moved on to the next.
"Luna…"
"I cannot find a single entry!" Luna shouted, tossing the rest of the books and scrolls in random directions before collapsing on her side in defeat. Celestia sat down beside her and nuzzled her in a comforting manner.
"It's alright, Luna… you need to get some rest. You've been at this for days."
"That is where you are wrong, sister. This is not 'alright' even in the least sense of the word. Our subjects are in enormous danger! This world is in enormous danger!" Luna countered, clearly angry with not being able to come up with anything on the subject matter at hand. She was starting to feel a bit… useless. She had bouts of depression and feelings of uselessness ever since her return from banishment.
"I know, Luna. But you mustn't kill yourself over this… for I need you more than ever in this troubling time," Celestia cooed, draping a wing over her sister's prone form.
Luna sighed in contentment within her sister's embrace.
"And I shall be here, for I am going nowhere… even if you banish me once more," she quipped. Celestia winced a bit at the implication but her features softened as fast as they hardened.
"I know, and I'm sure I couldn't keep you away even if I wanted to. Right now though, I require your aid. We need to have an audience with the—wait… what is that?" Celestia cut herself off, motioning out the large glass window which gave a perfect view of the land below the mountain and the Everfree forest.
Luna shifted her body to a sitting position on her rump and turned her head to where Celestia was looking, both of them finding a flying object of some sorts coming from the sky and gingerly going below the Everfree Forest's canopy line… presumably landing.
"I believe something just… landed in the Everfree. Did we schedule any Chariots? Or are there any Guard Training Regiments today for that location?" Luna asked, thinking out loud. Celestia shook her head.
"Not that I'm aware of, but I have a sick feeling that the meteor strike and this object landing in the forest are directly correlated."
"What makes you proclaim that assumption, Sister?" Luna asked, looking up and turning her attention to Celestia.
"Call it a mare's intuition… and thousands of years of experience in coincidences … and being a magic adept," she reasoned with a small chuckle. Luna returned the gesture as well.
"Well, if this anomaly is connected with the meteor and consequently this Poison, perhaps we will find some answers?"
Celestia nodded lightly.
"Most likely… yes. But even more, perhaps we may receive help." The Solar Alicorn concluded. Luna only held her gaze on her sister's face, which was staring towards the Forest tens of miles in the distance. Celestia then continued:
"I'll send a letter addressed to Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the Elements to be vigilant and to examine this occurrence at earliest convenience. I'd trust no other at this point."
"Very well, and I shall inform the Guard to be on their… well, guard, as well." Luna added, hesitating with her unintentional use of diction which elicited a laugh from Celestia… and her as well. It was definitely needed.
"You do that. And worry not, Lulu, we'll get through this… we'll figure this out," Celestia said, nuzzling her little sister once more.
"Approaching Destination"
Samus was stirred from her slumber by her ship's computer. She groaned and sat up, taking a look out of the cockpit and confirming that the lush-looking planet of Equis was indeed in sight… in fact taking up the whole window pane. She ran her fingers through her hair once and sat down in the pilot's seat, taking over the controls once more and disengaging the autopilot.
These planets always look so much more majestic from space… yet always a damn hellhole on the ground.
She keyed in a few commands on the ship as she braced for penetration into the atmosphere.
Then again, I'm sure an Omega Pirate would look majestic from space as well.
Her orange metal-plated ship brilliantly reflected light on the sunny day. As she closed in on the ground, Samus picked a suitable landing point in a very small clearing in an enormous forest. As she approached, she began to note several distinct landmarks, notably the small town that was northward, as well as a large citadel-esque structure embedded in the side of a mountain.
Sentient and Civilized life on the planet. I'll send a report to the Federation.
Samus was oddly relieved at the sign of life, but the next question plagued her: what kind of life? She was no stranger to other sentient beings outside of humanity, especially since her line of work found her within the ranks and presence of other creatures that weren't human. What she knew for certain was that this was not a Space Pirate outpost.
Not yet at least.
I'll explore the surrounding area and determine the best way to reveal my presence to the town… and naturally I'll have to meet with leaders.
Samus was mentally running over what had to be done in her head in order to quickly contain the spread of Phazon with utmost precision and least amount of lives lost. Her thoughts were jarred when her ship flew below the forest canopy and the under-ship thrusters angled themselves to a single point; stopping the craft just above the ground and holding it in a suspended state. Samus spared a few glances outside of the cockpit, examining the thick lushness of the forest which was undoubtedly teeming with life… some most likely more hostile than docile. The fun part was finding out which was which.
All part of the job, I suppose. Now, I guess it's time to get dressed for work.
She gingerly got up from the pilot's seat and walked to the rear of her ship which housed a circular plate on the floor surrounded by other forms of equipment. Standing in the middle of it and after tying up her hair in a ponytail with a red band, she keyed in a few commands on the console, bringing everything to life. Samus spread her legs slightly and held her arms out as a small anti-gravity field suspended her about a foot in the air. Satisfied that everything was running its natural course, she sighed in contentment and closed her eyes, putting her full trust in the mechanics of what was essentially her home.
Two mechanical arms combined orange and yellow armor over her lower body, sealing the two parts together and encasing her long and toned legs in nigh impenetrable armor. Black underlay was added as necessary as the largest armor set was attached to her torso. The golden abdominal armor was of a more flexible material to allow for natural breathing cycles. Next was her breast and back plates, with the former jutting outwards and forming a ridge on account of her bust. Finally, her arms met the same fate as they were encased in their own armor, although her hands donned a more flexible form of the exoskeleton to allow for full use of her digits… also, the forearm of her right appendage was left without any protection, making way for her weapon, the Arm Cannon, to slide over it and connect to her elbow plate. The arm armor was then connected to the entire exoskeleton with two large, spherical shoulder plates, completely flanking her head on either side. At last, the gravity disengaged and Samus was set on her feet with a resounding metal "clink." Her Chozo exoskeleton lit up green on several points; especially the top of her hands and two slits on the breast plate. The suit was now active. Samus normally didn't have to have each and every part of her Varia Suit put on her body, for she could easily equip and unequip it by keying in a few commands on her Arm Cannon or arm. However, the suit had to physically come off once in a while, usually after large amounts of time being deployed, so it could be cleaned, repaired, and stored for when she wasn't in her Zero Suit.
Samus did a once over of herself to ensure everything was in order. She grinned, satisfied as always, before turning for the last piece of her Varia Suit: her helmet. She carefully picked it up off of one of the residual mechanical arms and secured it over her head with a resounding click and hiss, equalizing the pressure inside of it with the rest of the suit. The full face visor showed green like the other points of interest on her suit, although from the inside, the view was not shrouded with green… as is the point of a 'visor.'
Samus looked over herself once more before giving a curt nod to no one in particular. With a metal clink for each step she took, she made her way to the elevator of her small ship which lead to the only exit: up top. The hatch to the outside world opened (not before ensuring the air breathable and not corrosive) and the floor rose up. She stood now on the top of her ship, drawing a few breaths of filtered, outside air and gauging the surroundings (although she was appreciating them more, as she was in space for longer than she had cared to be). Samus lazily swung her right arm (Arm Cannon) around out of habit, listening to the sounds of the forest.
A quaint area… I like it.
With her initial paranoia satisfied, Samus hunched down and with great strength, launched herself off the top of her ship and somersaulted in the air numerous times; landing perfectly on her feet and in a crouched position in front of her ship.
That never gets old; no matter how many times I do it.
She stood up on the earthly surface for the first time and took a full look around her, ensuring that she wasn't being watched by anything with malicious intent. Her second paranoia satisfied, she brought her cannon up to her chest and keyed in a few commands on it with her left hand, arming her Power Beam and establishing a cloaking device on her ship. Her visor booted up with several schematics such as current weapon layouts, different visor capabilities, energy shielding (fully charged), and other range-finding and useful tools. With final preparations complete, she did an obligatory swing of her Arm Cannon and proceeded to walk northward into the forest.
So it begins once more.
