Mark of a Hero
The winds quietly blew by as they gently picked up the sand, carrying it some far off distance before depositing them. Not a soul inhabited the desolate desert that she stood in. Sweat ran down her battle worn body as she trekked through this treacherous desert. The hurt was near unbearable, and the injuries she incurred were at their limit. Despite this, she persevered as she continued on.
The final was at hand. Soon, she would face destiny in a final strike. She was stranded. Her ship had no means of escaping, and they were in great numbers she couldn’t possibly steal a ship. There was no hope, no chance for her to live. She was to die. She was to die on this unmarked world where no one would ever find her. Knowing this, she would commit everything she had to prevent them from passing this line. Beyond the hill was something that she would pledge her very life on.
Beyond was the gate to what was her precious home: the gateway to Hyrule.
Here on the planet of Zebes where she had spent 11 years of her live growing up, it would also be her final resting place.
Stumbling into her ship, she entered the medical bay and lied on bed where the computer systems began its final healing operations. Here would be her final place to contemplate, to say her final goodbyes, to see the inside of her ship. Here she could ensure that her home would be sealed. Here she would stand, and fight. Here was the line.
Hearing the familiar hum of the completion of the healing process, she rose from the bed. Exiting the ship, she turned towards one of the people who were closing the gate of Hyrule.
“Zelda,” she whispered, hugging the woman from behind.
“Samus…isn’t…there some other way?” Zelda choked out, trying to contain the tears that wanted to flow from her very eyes. “Someway you can live?”
“No…there isn’t,” Samus sighed, turning the queen around. “I’ve lived my life freely. I’m married to you. We’ve raised three beautiful daughters. I’ve lived a happy life. This is something I want to do. Not for Hyrule, not for the kingdom. What I do today…what I die for today…is for you, Virginia, Lilia, and May. You are what I will die for today.”
“But I don’t want you to…WE don’t want you to…”
“This is my choice,” Samus sighed, her eyes never breaking contact. “I want to do this…please…let me have this…let me fight…one last time…this time…for the right reason.”
“I…”
“Besides, I have the Triforce of Power,” said Samus, as the symbol glowed on the back of her right hand. “I will use its power to hold the line. I will stand study until the last. When the time comes, I can die happy; knowing that they will never sully what is our happiness, our legacy.”
“Samus…”
“Shh…” she cooed. “No more…” Gently leaning in, their lips touched. Pulling her deep, she let the emotions of what she felt flow through what would be their last act if intimacy. She was frightened. She was terribly so. Her greatest fear would be that she couldn’t last long enough before the gate was sealed, that Zelda was killed before she could escape. However, she would not allow that. She would stand. She would take the blow if she needed to. Zelda would not die. She will not die.
Tears flowed from Zelda’s eyes. Her hands gripped the rubbery material of Samus’s zero suit. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want to be forever separated from the love of her life. She couldn’t. It was not fair. What had been a wedding gift became the gateway to their destruction. She didn’t want this to happen. She wanted to be happy. She wanted to be happy with her family. She wanted to be happy with Samus. She didn’t want to be alone.
All too soon, their lips parted.
One final smile, Samus whispered the words she knew would have to be said. “Goodbye, my Zelda.”
“Samus…please…”
Her pleas went unanswered as her vision was filled with green.
“PLEASE!” she screamed as she watched the armoured warrior walk back up the crest of the hell. “SAMUS!!!!”
Hidden within, tears of absolute sadness flowed from her eyes. This was it. This was the last time she would ever see them. She had long said her goodbyes to her daughters, and now to her wife. Glancing up at the stars above, she dematerialized her helmet. Above, it was a clear night, as the moon above gleamed in its final glory, offering her the best view it could offer on the eve of her battle. It was its final memento to the Protector of Hyrule.
“Happy birthday…” she sadly sighed.
“Mother…father…grandfather…watch over me…to the end…and please…watch over my family…”
Helmet reactivated, she stared ahead. From beyond the horizon, warriors of the Space Pirates reared its ugly head as they marched onward. Like the plague, its advance ravaged whatever natural life was in their way, destroying all that stood in its way. The defences that had been set up were swept aside with no hope of stemming the tide of what would be the most deadly foe she had ever faced. There would be no turning back. This was the path she had chosen. This was the path she would see to the very end.
Taking one final glance at an image she had called up, she closed it.
“I am Samus Aran, daughter of Rod and Virginia Aran, granddaughter of Grandpa Old Bird, mother of Virginia, Lilia, and May Aran…and wife of Queen Zelda, of Hyrule. You…will not pass.”
Battle canon raised she charged.
Her vision was immediately assaulted with flashes of green as it raged forward with the full intent of striking her down. Dodging with the speed and grace of the swallow, she struck at full force. Her missiles struck home, piercing through several pirates before exploding in a violent explosion, engulfing a massive portion of their ranks. Their retaliation was relentless as countless pirates charged forward.
Ducking down into her morph ball, she activated her speed boosters and rolled between their legs as she dropped power bomb after power bomb, listening to them explode in rapid succession. Bomb after bomb, she rolled through their lines, intent on creating the largest division she could to stall their advance, until her power bombs were no more.
Immediately leaping up, her screw attack engaged as several were viciously torn asunder from the ripping force of her attack. Black bile coated her armour, but it did nothing to stem her assault. As she landed, she discharged yet another missile as it did the same as the last, killing more in its wake. Her attention away from the missile, she grabbed one and kicked, hearing the satisfying crunch of its neck snapping.
Throwing the lifeless body at its kind, she unleashed a charged plasma shot as it violently tore through their bodies as if they were nonexistent, burning those who were unfortunately caught in its wake.
No mercy would be given. They would feel her wrath. They had destroyed her home and killed her family. There would be no more of those who are precious that they would kill. There will be no more.
Her attack was relentless. She stormed through the lines like quicksilver, mercilessly destroying their battle lines. Undaunted by what would be the most exhausting battle she has ever faced, she pressed on as the adrenaline pumped more and more power. The Triforce glowed brightly, infusing her body and armour with power beyond comprehension, understanding of her plight, intent of providing her the greatest of support it could.
Stumbling back, she felt one of her massive shoulder armour pauldrons rip away from the force of a missile. Undeterred, she counter attacked with a barrage of missiles of her own, watching momentarily in absolute satisfaction of the destruction she wrought on their lines from behind.
Around, pirates of all sorts laid dead, bathing the very ground in a sea of black, as their blood soiled the ground they lay. Those close to the ditch she had dug, their blood began to fill, as a pool of black began to form.
Ripping the arm off one, she used its own weapon against it as the shot tore through its own skull. Watching it fall, she threw the arm at another one with such great force the claw impaled the skull of another one. Not caring to watch her kill, she turned around and rammed the barrel of her canon into the abdomen of another and fired, watching its back explode while its face contorted in pain before dying. Throwing the carcass at a few of them, it stopped their charge allowing a charged plasma bolt to tear through their flesh, catching others behind them while burning others in fiery plasma that would not let go.
Forming into her morph ball, she rolled on forward as her speed rapidly climbed, leaving behind her a trail of bombs as they exploded in rapid succession, taking many in their powerful wake. Climbing up a hill, she jumped and arced high in the air, far away from the range of their attack. Glancing down at the site of the gateway, she knew it was coming to completion. Soon, her world would be forever sealed off from the pirates, never to be able to cross into that dimension again. She was sure of it. Master Hand’s words were law. He would ensure that world could never be breached by those of this dimension. Never.
Unrolling, she unleashed a fury of plasma bolts, reeking havoc upon their lines as many burned under the fiery grasp of plasma. Landing, she engaged in a brief swirl of hand to hand combat as her attacks easily broke bones and necks of pirates as if she were a sword cutting through paper.
Her movement came to a sudden halt as a strange sensation hit her. It felt strangely warm along her lower body. Glancing down, she smiled sardonically when she realized she had been impaled by one of their claws.
“How careless of me,” she muttered as she blasted the offending pirates head off. Ripping the arm out of her, she felt the suit seal off the injury. But the damage had been done. Pain screamed through her body from the injury. Her movements would suffer. She knew it. This was the beginning. But she would not go down. She would not go down.
“I WILL NOT GO DOWN!” she screamed as the Triforce glowed. Energy swirled around her right arm as the power of Din coursed through her veins.
Unleashed, the energy exploded from her arm as a line of absolute power tore through the hapless pirates. Righteous fury coursed through her veins as she swept through their lines, destroying them all one by one. Her onslaught continued on as many retreated to avoid the blast. But none were spared from her mercy as they were eventually caught in the blast, disintegrating their bodies.
“FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN FROM ME,” she screamed, despite the warnings of the Chozo armour that it could not support the power being expelled, “YOU WILL TAKE NO MORE!”
In one final burst, the power expelled forth as it encompassed the battlefield, bathing everything in its holy light, destroying all that was foul and filth with its touch.
Slowly, the light died out. In its wake, the ground was charred. Nothing remained of the desert she had fought on. It was all gone, destroyed from the power of Din. None had survived her righteous power, or the almighty wrath of Samus Aran.
“I did it…” she coughed. Pooled around her feet, the remains of her suit laid. Glancing down at her right hand, the Triforce of Power glowed steadily. It was as if Din herself was with her, holding her hand, comforting her in her final moments.
Her left hand was pressed against her abdomen, struggling to keep what was left of her innards within. She knew she had little time left. Using what little time she had left; her body fell on its back and looked up at the stars. Above she could see them. Twinkling in the stars above, they smiled proudly. The souls of those whom had suffered because of her, they all smiled down at her.
“I did it…I…did it…” she weakly sighed, as her glowing hand began a weak ascent, reaching for the hands held out to her.
“Be…hap…py…Zelda…” she sighed as her final breath left her.
As consciousness left her, she felt her lips form an eternal smile as she brought one final gift from life with her.
“I love you Samus!”
[She] had lived a warrior, and died a hero. May her spirit live on, in the hearts of those whom she love; the greatest of [Hyrule.]