Hello, everyone. Sorry for not updating recently. I've been having sleep problems, and creativity is the first thing that goes for me when I don't get a good night's rest. Hopefully I can finish this story by Halloween.

Anyways, because I was so tired I filled some of the chapter with (hopefully) comedic banter that doesn't have too much of a point. I hope it's still enjoyable.


Rosalina had made it sound so easy. Live like the future was infinite. Give wounds the time to heal instead of forcing them shut. Perhaps those were in fact words of wisdom.

But standing in Princess Peach's room with her eyes on all sides by walls colored with an oversaturated pink, Samus didn't feel particularly sage-like. Her limbs itched out to reach out and break the fragile lamps on the tables and pink parasols hung up on the rack. Peach's soprano humming did little to help her mood, and when Samus sat down on the couch she felt her body sink into the cushions.

Wonderful.

"Are you sure that this isn't a death trap?" Samus said, feeling the plush couch engulf her arms. "Because this would be a really embarrassing way to die after surviving some of the most hostile environments in the universe."

"Oh, hush," Peach said, sniffing. "This is what culture looks like. I should have anticipated that a space bumpkin like you wouldn't be able to appreciate the suave design of the city."

"A space bumpkin?"

"Yeah. Worse than living out in a rural area, really. You mouth-breathers really don't have any style or taste. I mean, just look at your jumpsuit. It accentuates your sexiness, sure, but we have to find a better pattern than that boring blue."

"I can go back and put on one of my alt costumes if you really want."

"At least in half of those you're showing a bit more skin." Peach snorted. "There's no shame in dressing sparely. It would be a shame not to show off your massive-"

"Watch it, Peach."

"-Your massively awesome personality." Peach beamed. "I mean, what else would I say? It's the part about you that everyone knows and loves."

"I never should have taken off my Power Suit." Samus shook her head. "At least then, everyone would have thought I was a guy."

"Eh, I would still give you a lot of shit. What could the person under that suit look like? He must be so hot."

Peach pretended to swoon and fell back into a reclining chair. A pair of Toads rushed up with alarmed shouts, and Peach broke character for a moment to shoo them off. After Peach looked up to make sure they left, she pretended to swoon again and collapsed further into the reclining chair until she laid horizontal as if the chair were a bed.

"I have no idea why I thought this was a good idea," Samus said. "At this point, I'm hoping that the authorities call you in for language violations and give me some peace."

"Hey." Peach frowned, sitting up straight as her recliner shifted back into its upright position. "I'll have you know that the language restrictions for E 10+ are stupid. All the ten year olds I know curse up a fucking storm."

Samus looked over at the pink hallway where the Toads had entered and exited.

"How many of those little things do you have?" Samus said.

"Zelda was a bit taken aback as well, when we first met in here," Peach said. "I have, what? Three Toad servants? Four? Ten? I always lose count."

"I would say that you're treated like a princess, but…"

"But real princesses throughout Earth history in particular were treated like objects, married off by their brothers and fathers for political alliances. You don't have to tell me, Sammy."

Sammy?

"That… wasn't what I was going to say."

"Oh?" Peach frowned. "Well that's too bad, because it's what I wanted to say."

"Well then I'm glad you said it."

"I'm glad too."

Peach and Samus sat in silence for what must have been minutes.

"So why did you come here again?" Peach said.

Samus rolled her eyes. "Do you forget about saying that you would get some Halloween costumes for me?"

"Oh." Peach stood up. "I didn't forget, of course. I just sometimes have a hard time remembering all of my obligations."

"I'm sure you have so many."

"I do, and I'm glad that I finally found someone who understands." Peach coughed. "Even sarcastically."

"So do you have the costumes?"

"Of course, Sammy. I told you that I never forget."

Peach snapped her fingers and a pair of Toads shuffled into the room carrying a platter with a miniature Ridley head on it. The Toads walked over to Peach, and she lifted up the head to show the hollow interior where a head could fit. Samus grunted, studying the mask's gleaming white teeth and bright yellow eyes. At least it was better than all the pink, she supposed.

"Please don't tell me that's the only part of the costume," Samus said.

"You said you wanted something lowkey." Peach shrugged. "Plop this mask on, and everyone will know who you are. The masses of Smash Bros fans will applaud you, Sammy. Surely you saw the constant nagging by fans for Sakurai to hire Ridley as a fighter? They'll finally get their wish."

"You've been looking at skin modpacks again, haven't you?"

Peach smirked. "I love reskinning myself as the Shadow Queen in the arena. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but-"

"Yes, you have an edgy streak. Do you mod your holograph displays to give me Ridley's head every time I play?"

"Maybe." Peach's eyes twinkled. "I will say for sure that I do love reskinning Sonic as 'Sanic.' I don't even know what the original meme was about, but I'm all on board now. Gotta go fast!"

"I am thoroughly ashamed to know you."

Peach's face lit up. "Ah, I think that makes you the eleventh person to say that to me. I need to mark that down."

Peach picked up the Ridley mask and tossed it to Samus. As Samus leaned over and caught the mask in one hand, Peach pulled out a notebook and made a tally mark in what looked like a random page.

"But seriously, Sammy," Peach said. "You're missing out on some sweet mods. Have you ever wanted to envision your Power Suit as Iron Man's suit? The mod's out there. Hook it up to the world-creators and step into the arena with a suit of full metal instead of whatever it is that you normally wear."

"I would prefer not to associate myself with someone whose main character traits are being rich and egotistical."

"And awesome." Peach shook her head. "Do you turn up your nose at anything that's remotely fun?"

Fun. Samus mulled over the word in her mind.

"Fun didn't help me survive alone on a planet with Metriods," Samus said. "Fun didn't help me survive the conditions of planet Zebes as a four year old. So yeah, maybe I do."

Samus rolled around the Ridley headwear mask in her hands before looking back up at Peach.

"Do you have any other costume ideas?" Samus said.

Peach gasped. "You mean you don't like Ridley?"

"Considering how many times I killed him, I would slate that down as a solid no."

"Wait, but that's a double negative. So you do like Ridley?"

Samus shot Peach a flat look.

"Well?" Peach said.

Samus shook her head. "Are Halloween costumes supposed to be so trite? Or is this just you being you?"

Peach put her hands on her hips. "I'll have you know that I put a lot of effort into this costume."

"I'm sure. Do you have any others?"

"You're not being very nice to someone who's just trying to help you out."

Samus dropped the Ridley helmet on the ground and stood up.

"Samus?"

"Sorry for bothering you, then," Samus said. "I'll find another way to choose a Halloween costume."

"Samus, I'm not being serious. I'm happy to help out, but me not being serious will still hold true with my assistance."

Samus rubbed her eyes, taking a moment to catch her breath as she looked into the blissful black of her own eyelids instead of the aggressive pink of the walls. She yawned and sat back down on the couch, feeling herself sink into the cushions once more.

"Let's hear what you have, then."

Peach hesitated. "I don't want you to get up and threaten to leave again, but…"

"Just spit it out."

"Well, there are a number of sexy Halloween costumes that you could wear. You know, since you have such nice features."

'Samus raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Well, if you insist, you have a rather nice-"

"The costumes, not the features I have."

Peach shrugged. "You know, like a sexy witch where you're not wearing much clothing beneath the waist. Just like what you do in half of your alts."

"Beach wear is comfortable, especially at the beach," Samus protested. "Wearing a whole costume just to be cold from the waist down sounds a little silly."

"It might be for me," Peach said with a shrug. "But you look better the more skin you're showing. If you honestly wanted to make a memorable Halloween costume, dressing up in a sexy costume would be the easiest way to do it."

"You really think I should dress up as a scantily clad witch?"

"Or a sexy cat, or a sexy popstar, or a sexy potato."

"A… what?"

"Oh, I saw it on the internet." Peach flipped her hair back. "The part that covers your torso and stomach looks like a potato, but it leaves plenty of room for the lower half of your body to show. You should look it up."

"That is possibly one of the stupidest ideas I've ever heard."

"Aw, thanks." Peach beamed. "I only wish that I had come up with the idea first."

"Listen," Samus said. "I don't want to dress up as anything 'sexy.' Showing parts of my bare body kind of takes the point out of dressing as someone else."

"I mean, you could dress up as Harley Quinn, and then it would fit."

Samus frowned.

"Listen," Peach said. "There's no reason you have to be ashamed of showing off your skin and curves."

"I'm not-"

"Women all throughout history used their bodies as a source of power. Controlling someone through sex is just like controlling someone through fear or authority. If you can get people to do what you want, does it really matter how?"

"I would say so."

"Well, then it's better to seduce or charm someone than threaten to kill them, hmm? In the political arenas of unstable empires, sex appeal was probably one of the most humane ways to exert power over other people. Why give a fuck if weak-minded men label us as sluts? They're just scared of giving us control over them."

"I don't oppose appealing to more… innate pleasures on principle," Samus said, "And I'm not embarrassed by the thought of wearing something revealing. But right now, it's not what I want."

"Then what do you want?"

"I don't…" Samus grimaced. "I don't really know."

"Ah, so that's why you're desperate enough to come to me."

Samus nodded.

"Well, you can look around for creative costume ideas on the internet, if you want. Or if this is too stressful, you can always sit out."

Samus stiffened.

"Samus." Peach frowned. "What's wrong?"

"This is part of my culture, Peach," Samus said. "My ancestors probably practiced this exact celebration with people like Ness. I can see them in my mind, dressed up as superheroes and characters from popular shows, knocking door to door and asking for candy. It wasn't something anyone from Earth told me about, and now it's something that I'm failing."

"In their defense, as well as yours," Peach said, "Halloween is for kids like Ness. I asked him, and he admitted that most adults don't really care about the holiday until they have kids of their own. I don't think anyone will blame you if you skip the celebration or go without dressing up."

"I don't have to worry about them blaming me when I can still blame myself."

Peach sighed. "See, this is your problem. You, Zelda, and my good daughter Rosalina…"

"You've been looking at too many fan theories."

"Shush. You all put so much goddamn pressure on yourselves. Why do you need to push yourself to be perfect or even just good when there are plenty of incompetent people out there who are perfectly happy? Go to the Halloween celebration if you want, and how you want. If you're having fun, why should it matter how well you're doing?"

"You know, that actually sounds similar to what Rosalina told me."

"Huh." Peach cocked her head. "Like mother like daughter, I guess."

"Still not a good fan theory."

"Well, I like it." Peach huffed and crossed her arms. "And really, what else matters? But what did my daughter tell you?"

Samus looked up at the pink ceiling, trying to remember the imagery Rosalina used to describe her philosophical concepts. She thought of children laughing and chasing each other through a meadow of green grass, but she couldn't say for sure that Rosalina had mentioned any of that.

"Rosalina told me that if I pretended like I had an eternity to accomplish my goals, I wouldn't put so much pressure on myself and would learn to enjoy the moment."

"Huh." Peach frowned. "Sounds like something an immortal goddess would say, I guess."

"Yeah, I told her that as well. I think." Samus paused. "Have you seen her recently? I didn't think she would have any costume ideas, but maybe I should just talk to her about some of the stuff on my mind."

"Oh, she didn't tell you?" Peach raised an eyebrow. "Every one hundred years, she goes to check on her home planet. She'll be gone for a while."

"Every… one hundred years?"

"Time passes a little differently here," Peach said. "And I also don't know how she has a concept of a year with those tiny little planets that don't always orbit stars. But yeah, she left a message in the Smash Bros chatroom and I just assumed that she told you in person."

"Guess I'm not that close to her, then."

"I don't think that's how she intended it," Peach said.

"Well, maybe she just doesn't know how to act around friends," Samus said. "I should go out and look for more costumes, since we clearly don't have the same taste."

Peach nodded. "See you around, then. Sorry I couldn't be any more help."

"No, I think it was good for me to at least realize what I don't want in a costume. If I'm going to spend all of the effort to dress up, I don't want to be a cheap joke or a sex object."

"A shame. Those are basically the two things I am, so I really would have been able to help you if you wanted to imitate one."

"Hey, I at least tally you in as an expensive joke rather than a cheap one." Samus let herself smile. "I'll see you around, though."

Peach groaned. "Sammy, you should stick to being all glum and serious. I think my ears will bleed if I hear another one of those jokes."

"Well, that would be a bloody shame, now wouldn't it?"

"You're the absolute worst."

"And you deserve a taste of your own medicine." Samus blew Peach a kiss. "You're welcome, princess."

"I guess I can't argue with that one." Peach flashed an impish smile. "But at least now I don't have to feel bad about messing with you again."

"Like you ever did." Samus snorted and stood up, walking towards the door. "See you, Peach."

"Yeah, catch you later."

Samus stepped up to the pink door and turned the pink doorknob, breathing a sigh of relief as the door thrust open to reveal the blessedly dull grey hallway. Samus walked out and closed the door behind her. After the door clicked shut, Samus stretched her arms up to the ceiling.

"Oh, hello."

After a jolt of surprise, Samus whirled around to see Zelda walking towards her down the hallway. She wore a purple and white dress, made of simple cloth. But even if she had been wearing rags, her straight posture and confident steps would demand the attention of everyone nearby.

"Sorry to surprise you," Zelda said. "Did you just come from Peach's room?"

"She tried to get me to dress up as a sexy potato."

"Hmm." Zelda's expression remained neutral. "I wish that she would save her antics for me. If you decided to run from her and never make eye contact with her again, you wouldn't be the first."

"I'm not really the type to run away."

"So I've heard." Zelda walked up to Samus and smiled. "But nobody can face everything in the universe. Sometimes, I forget that even those who seem strongest can hide scars behind their armor."

Did Zelda try to hold her chin up high whenever she talked, or was it just a reflex beaten in by years of attending Hylian high court parties? Samus raised her own chin and met Zelda's gaze.

"Did you come to the realization that someone specific has scars that they're not showing?"

Zelda put a hand up to her mouth and looked away. "The strongest of them all. Someone who has been alone on worlds where every life form wants them dead but managed to survive and escape. I suppose I thought that if someone could take on an entire planet, they could do anything. But standing alone against a world isn't the same as standing alone against the entire universe. How long do you think someone can live their life alone and hunted?"

"A few years, if they're lucky," Samus said.

Zelda looked back at Samus. "Then you must be lucky indeed."

Samus nodded. Anything more would doubtless surrender additional secrets to Zelda's sharp blue eyes.

"I'm glad that you at least have Rosalina," Zelda said. "Good friends are hard to find, and I think she needs you as much as you need her."

"And now she's not here."

Zelda smiled. "She always tries to be here in spirit. I hope you won't blame her for telling me about your experiences with the baby Metriod. It's all in public records, of course, but hearing even secondhand about how it felt seemed rather intrusive."

"It's fine," Samus said. "I shouldn't be so worried anyways. Compared to fighting off Metroids and Space Pirates, having a secret spilled shouldn't be able to hurt me."

Zelda looked down at her gloved hands. "There are more ways to hurt someone than breaking their body, you know. I was lucky. When I broke after seeing Ganondorf behead my parents, I had my guardian Impa to put the pieces back together."

"I'm glad."

"I know that not everyone is so lucky. Maybe I don't know what you felt, Samus. Maybe nobody really knows what it's like to be so alone and stranded on a deadly planet. But I look at you and I don't see someone who's broken. Cracked, maybe, but not shattered."

"Those cracks are growing wider."

Zelda placed a gloved hand on Samus' shoulder. "I wish that Rosalina were here so that she would be able to talk with you. She seemed to think that selecting a costume could be a way for you to discover something about yourself. I confess that I don't know precisely what she meant."

Samus grunted. At least Zelda would take her insecurities seriously, right?

"Well, I just learned that I want to dress up as something serious," Samus said. "Even if my ancestors treated Halloween as a way to stuff their faces with candy, I want to connect with them. This is one of the first celebrations from Earth culture that I've heard of."

"Halloween is only present within a subset of Earth culture," Zelda said. "So your heritage may not involve the pumpkin and costuming traditions. I believe Ness said that the holiday is only practiced within parts of the Christian world."

"But it's still a part of Earth culture," Samus said, "And it's all I have."

Zelda nodded without missing a beat. "Indeed. Heritage is no laughing matter, which is something that I'm not sure Peach understands."

Well, nothing was a laughing matter with Zelda, and Peach didn't understand boundaries in general. Why hadn't Samus seen all of this coming beforehand?

"You were raised by the Chozo, correct?" Zelda said. "You could dress up as something from Chozo culture. Celebrate Earth tradition by bringing in something from outside."

"I guess I could dress up as a Chozo itself," Samus said. "But then I would feel bad about disrespecting a holiday that's supposed to be Earth-centered. And even if I didn't, I feel like I have a duty to carry the culture of K-2L with me as well."

"Ah…" Zelda frowned. "I keep forgetting all of the layers to your past. It must be difficult to keep that all with you. The lone survivor of K-2L and the only human who really knew the Chozo."

"How do I encompass that in all costume, while respecting the traditions of Earth?" Samus rubbed her temples. "It's impossible."

"It might be. But unfortunately, I think that this area of multicultural heritage is out of my depth. I've always been…" the corner of Zelda's lips twitched upwards, "Part of demographics that do just fine spreading their influence across my world. Ganondorf couldn't destroy Hylian court politics even when he dismantled the monarchy."

"Yeah, but I also don't know if I even have the authority to represent the Chozo or K-2L if I wanted to, since I'm not a part of the former and I'm too young to remember the latter."

Zelda's smile widened. "I know I've been talking too long when you turn to my pedantic language. Maybe you should talk to Lucas. I think he's struggling with finding a costume that would respect his Earth heritage as well. He might be able to understand better than I do."

"I can do that, yeah."

Zelda nodded, and her expression relaxed. "It's good to see you, Samus. If you ever want to train, just let me know. And I don't know why you would, but you can feel free to talk to me about any of the messy Halloween and identity problems you're grappling with."

Samus laughed. "I might hit you up sometime, yeah. See you around."

Samus Aran looked down the grey hallway and continued walking. Even after the sound of Zelda's footsteps faded, Samus couldn't stop picturing herself dressing up as a Chozo. She could probably find a bird-faced mask like the Ridley head Peach had found, and she could put in processing orders for the armor pieces, adjusted to Samus' own anatomy.

And then whenever someone came up and asked. Samus could explain that these were the bird-people who raised her, who had gifted her the technology to survive planets with crushing gravity, intense heat, and toxic gases. Surely, some people would be impressed, and those who weren't would find worse costumes to pick on.

It was a genuinely good idea from Zelda, but something was still missing.