AN: Please, please don't ask me where this came from. I'm not even sure myself …
Consider it an experiment of sorts. I'd like to revive Samus's muse, and this … thing I call a "fic" might help me out a bit.
Samus and all characters related to Metroid are copyrighted by Nintendo. No profit is made here.
I really hope mentions of classical music/Vivaldi are allowed … if not, let me know. "The Four Seasons" is owned by that dude, by the way.
Please throw logic out the window and enjoy!
Listening to music during a mission was considered downright ridiculous. It interfered with hearing noises that enemy soldiers might leave, it distracts the soldier, and in general, it was just a very bad idea. Other commanders had drilled this into Samus's head when she was humming a concerto from Beethoven during a training session, or a hymn taught to her by the Chozo. No wonder she was so put off by music for the past ten years.
It was hardly the time to be even thinking about music, however. After the incident with the X, she had been searching and hunting for Ridley, who was causing trouble on the other end of the galaxy.
It took many months of searching and a small loss of sanity, but she had finally found him defiling ancient Chozo Ruins in search of an apparently very powerful artifact to help power his mindless troops.
She had thought the dragon bastard was dead. Apparently, the pirates had cloned him again … so it was yet another battle to the death.
It was all the same. Roaring, the missiles, rolling to dodge the tail … the lava below even remained constant, bubbling and rising, reaching for something to burn. There was one thing different, however. Something she hadn't been expecting.
For once, it wasn't looking like it'd end in her favor. She had her moments fighting Mother Brain, how all hope was lost … but there was no baby Metroid to save her this time.
Samus was slouched in a corner in the square-shaped room, her armored foot barely keeping her steady on the platform, away from the lava. The rock was chipping, and Ridley was nowhere to be found in her line of vision. He probably flew upwards, watching and waiting for her to move out of the one safe spot in the room. He was circling like a hawk, right where she couldn't reach, and while being in agonizing pain was bad enough, the fact that she was put in a corner with no way out insulted her, as well.
Was this how she would meet her end? Losing to her long-time rival?
There was a spark in her helmet. A noise, almost like a telephone ringing. Her first reflex was to tap the side of her helmet to activate this unknown function; she did so. What she heard surprised her.
"Lady. Are you having trouble?"
"Adam?!" She boggled for a moment, her eyes narrowing after a few seconds. "What is this?"
"I installed a communication system in your armor while you slept," the computerized voice explained calmly. "That way, we could speak to one another even if you were away from a main computer. Apparently, considering your predicament, it was a good idea." Samus's cheeks turned a bright red, but she didn't protest.
In an embarrassed and somewhat frightened tone, she explained what was going on. She mentioned her low energy. She mentioned her being stuck in a corner, with Ridley just waiting to strike. There was silence on the other end for many moments, and for a while, Samus thought that the two had been disconnected. Fear clenched at her heart, and she was about ready to panic.
"You remember training, Samus?"
Now she was most definitely confused, but she remained silent as her commander continued speaking. "You always were muttering something to yourself, but you worked as hard as ever. What I'm considering is a morale boost."
"A morale boost?" Her confusion must have been evident in her voice.
"If computers could chuckle …" Samus let out a small, nervous laugh, but then let him finish. "What you need to do, Samus, is not think about the fight from a negative term. It will ruin you. … Samus. Do you remember Vivaldi?" The huntress was dumbstruck silent, but she managed to choke out a 'no' for the computer to hear.
There was another silence, and she was getting nervous again. This thing apparently wasn't reliable at all, this new … system. What was Adam thinking when he installed it? Why did he ask if she knew whoever Vivaldi was?
"Never mind, Lady. Just listen to what I am about to play."
A sudden tune started to blare through the speakers, and an outcry from Samus persuaded Adam to turn it down almost immediately. When the initial shock wore off, she recognized a bright and cheerful tune, the quick and repetitive notes filling her brain. In fact, it almost sounded like …
"Spring."
"Exactly. Now finish your job, and stay alive. Any objections, Lady?"
Samus immediately understood what Adam wanted her to do. "No." The communication between them stopped, but the music kept playing. Ridley let out a monstrous roar, but Samus wasn't feeling fear, and was instead beginning to analyze the fight from a musical standpoint.
As the song continued to stream through, the main melody provided a slight beat for her to go by. When the high notes rung through her ears, she leaped away from her hiding spot, narrowly avoiding Ridley's crushing tail coming from above.
She aimed her arm cannon, and began the stream of missiles again.
The 'communication' between the three birds began, the trills making her think. It was a continuous back and forth motion between the two, herself attacking, Ridley being hit, then him attempting to attack her, with her rolling out of the way. As the birds sang in their trio, the hawk fired at the dragon, the way the prey would make a last stand against its predator.
The entire orchestra came in, and the sudden volume made her jerk to awareness as Ridley spewed a fireball in her direction. She managed to duck out of the way just in time, saving her last bit of energy in the process. She ignored the pain in her shoulder from the sudden lunge, and continued to analyze.
The next notable rhythm began playing. It was a stream of eighth notes, all bundled close together, resembling a running river. The music moved swiftly… and she had to mimic it. Samus had to become a river for a split moment. As her mortal enemy attempted to hit the huntress with another deadly blow from the tail, Samus mimicked that brook from the song and moved quickly to the side, firing a single Super Missile as retaliation. Ridley's scream of pain never seemed so satisfying.
The bird's communication began again, but it was much shorter than last time. The back and forth behavior of the fight only lasted for seven measures' worth of time before the storm began.
Samus could hear her own rage against Ridley in this 'storm.' The strong, harsh notes represented the tension of the battle. It made her want to move faster, strike harder, make Ridley beg for mercy. The missiles continued hitting the scales at a rapid pace, but Samus could tell that Ridley was almost done for.
When the entire ensemble began playing the cheerful melody again, Ridley was screaming in agony. He was writhing, his body crumbling in a slow process. The mighty dragon's wings stopped flapping, and he fell to the ground with a large thud, making the ground shake violently.
The cheerful melody continued to play as Samus gathered extra energy. Already, she was feeling better. The last note played, and she paused.
"Adam?"
Even with a monotone computer voice, Samus could tell that Adam was pleased. "Yes, Lady?"
"Sometimes I wonder what wavelength you're on." The huntress laughed, and began to walk to the next room.