Samus Aran and the Deathly Hallows

The Etechoons and Dechora were easy to get rid of. The Luminoth were happy to take them in, and Samus moved on. Except what was she going to do now? The Space Pirates were gone. The X and the Metroids were gone (well... for now. Who knew what the Federation had in storage). Granted, given the threat of the X, Samus could almost understand having a few Metroids in cold storage somewhere. But still, she wasn't sure what to do.

"So these are the hallowed halls of the Chozo, Lady?"

Samus was silent, staring out into the rain. Why here? Why did she come here?

"Trying to find something, Lady?" asked Adam.

"I think so," said Samus. With that, she left the ship, and headed for the Cipher. The long corridor, down the ramps, and out onto a platform that jutted out over a yawning chasm. Green, healthy life was already taking over the crater, slowly engulfing and rejuvenating the corrupt and broken ground below her.

So much had been corrupted and destroyed by Phazon, and now it was coming back... except...

She could hear the hisses of misery and despair. The Ghosts of the Chozo still remained, trapped, corrupted by the phazon even after it's final destruction.

"What do I need to do?" she asked.

The ghostly forms hissed, and drifted about her, and she watched as one scratched into the floor "WHERE YOU BEGAN."

She considered those words for a long moment. It still annoyed her, that the more important something was, the more vague the statement. Supposedly, it was to make her think more about what was being said.

So where did she begin? Zebes?

No, Zebes was gone, destroyed. Twice over, at this point. Which left only one place. K-2L. Where her parents were killed, where she was taken in by the Chozo.

Where she began.

Why there?

Well. She'd find out, wouldn't she?

"I'll be back, then," she said.

One leap to before her, and scratched into the wall "YOU WON'T."

She was silent as she ignored the warning, and continued onwards. She'd proved them wrong before. She'd prove them wrong now.

0x0x0x0

She landed on K-2L without incident. Whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, she was unsure. The wreckage of the colony itself was gone, replaced by forest and a few small wooden huts. She walked over to them, and opening the first one she came across, was a sight she hadn't expected.

"Grandfather," she said.

There was a clicking sound that Samus long ago learned to interpret as a Chozo sigh.

"Sit down, little bird. I remember the days when you called me Grandpa Bird."

"Those were a long time ago," replied Samus, taking off her helmet, and sitting cross-legged before the ancient Chozo.

"The ghosts of Tallon IV sent you here."

Samus waited. She learned patience from this old bird. She would use it.

"Yes, yes, yes they did. They knew I was here. They knew to send you to me."

"You knew the Phazon was coming."

"I didn't know," replied the old bird. "No. But I did watch it happen from Elysia."

"And you didn't tell anyone. Typical."

"Not my place, little bird. Not my place. I have my place in the wheels of fate, and you have yours. And yours is much more interesting than mine."

"Interesting? That's what you call my life?"

The ancient bird shook it's head, feathered covered jowls shaking and puffing out. Samus, when she was a girl, laughed at it. She hadn't been a girl in a long time.

"Humans have a curse. May you live in interesting times. And that is what we are here for. Time."

"Time?"

"I have spent much time attempting to undo the loss of my people, and all the fruits of my labor have revealed a single item lost in the history of Earth centuries ago. My only hope, the Chozo's only hope, is for you to unlose it."

"Me to unlose it."

"Yes."

Samus was silent for a long moment.

"Unlose it," she repeated, cautiously.

"Yes."

"And just how do you expect me to travel back in time to find it before it becomes lost?"

The Chozo clicked his beak with happiness.

"There comes a time in every warrior's life, that they must undergo the their greatest test. What passes them into legend."

Samus was tempted to argue she was already a legend in her own right, just from cleaning up the Chozo's messes, but held her tongue.

"It is a time, when a warrior is not know for the weapons they possess, but the strength of their own will and heart."

Oh, no, thought Samus.

"A time, when you alone can carve your own destiny, and you alone can perform great deeds of human ability."

"I'm not giving up the armor."

"You don't have a choice," said the damn bird, holding out a pendant. It was a small grey stone, with two metal bands braided together forming a necklace to wear it with. "It can only take one thing backwards or forwards through time."

"Yes, and I am one thing."

"No. You are you, and your armor and your armor. Were I to use it now, it would send your armor backwards through time, and I assure you, that would do no one any good."

At this, Samus sighed.

"And that means only the item can be sent forward," added Samus.

"Yes."

"And you expect me to throw away my life for this?"

"Little bird, I ask you this. What life? What joy do you get from this existence? What wonder is there, in throwing yourself into battle after battle, in slaughtering enemy after enemy? What hope do you have?"

"You're a dick."

"Yes. But I am a correct one."

"You're always correct. That's a given. You're still a dick."

The bird nodded sagely.

"So it's going to be just me, a pendant, and nothing else to try and save your species."

"Yes."

Samus could not honestly think of a worse situation to walk into.

"The Pendant will place you where you need to be, Samus. That much I know. From there... you will be on your own."

"And naked, apparently."

"Yes. I apologize."

Samus took hold of the pendant, examining it for a moment.

"Consider this, little bird. You will no longer be a Bounty Hunter. You will no longer be feared. You will no longer be vilified. You will no longer be seen as the woman who single-handedly genocided an entire race. Instead? You will be Samus Aran. No more, no less. You will be who you make yourself. You will be able to make your own destiny."

"Except for sending this item forward in time."

"Except for that, yes."

"An item that you haven't told me about, yet."

"There is a reason for that."

"You don't know what it is, do you?"

"No. All I know, is that you will know it when you find it."

Samus sighed.

"Alright. Fine. I'll save you another twenty minutes of convincing and just go along with it."

The ancient bird clicked his beak.

Samus stood, and felt the suit slowly disengage itself. There was something uniquely freeing in being ride of it, for one final time. She pulled off the teal under suit as well, before taking the pendant.

"Just how do I activate this thing, anyways?"

"Intent. You must have intent, little bird. Something you have in spades. Also, there is a magic word."

"It's not 'please,' is it?"

The Chozo's beak clicked in amusement.

"No, little bird. It is 'Grandpa Bird.' Something to remember me by."

"You just hate me, don't you?"

"No, little bird. I have always cared for you. And I am sorry that I must give you this task."

"But if you're to save your people, then you have to," Samus answered.

"Yes."

Samus clutched the pendant in her fist, and looked to the Ancient Bird.

"Thank you, for everything, Grandpa Bird."

And with that, she disappeared.

"Always has to get the last word in, that one."

0x0x0x0

Poppy Pomphrey was rather stocking the potions cabinet, when she heard a thump, followed by an "Ow."

She turned to see a naked eleven year old blonde girl, laying on the bed, clutching her head. One of the Hogwarts owls flew in through the door, and landed at the foot of the bed, holding a letter.

Poppy worked at a school for magic. This sort of thing was blasé. She turned back to stocking the potions cabinet.

Author's Notes: I apologize in advance for the host of spelling errors in this one. I went over it with something with a spell checker, but it was first written in vi, since I need to practice with it. If you don't know what vi is, be thankful. If you truly wish to know, check wikipedia. They have a decent article, I'm sure.

I blame the fact I've been reading Fusion of Destinies for this one. I'll probably come back to it, though. It's too strange to pass up.