//------------------------------//
// Peril by Bekdontraz 
// Story: Magic of Love: A Twidance Prompt Collab 
// by ArguingPizza 
//------------------------------//


by Bekdontraz
~~~


15 Hours after initial incident

Twilight was curled tightly into her hiding space as she listened to Wrench’s screams over her comm. She was the only one left now, the thing had gotten the rest of them now. She was alone in an empty ship with an alien creature that seemed intent on hunting them all down. She slipped the crumpled picture of herself and Cadence from her jumpsuit and smiled sadly. She’d never see her Princess again it seemed. She should have never taken a job studying deep space anomalies. She closed her eyes and cried softly. Without realizing it she drifted to sleep

She’d been woken by it scratching around outside of the box she’d curled up in. The sharp almost metallic sound of his chitin on the deck plating. The soft sniffling and clicking as it searched for her. She’d had to bite her lip so hard it bled to keep quiet. Now it had been gone for a few minutes. She slowly slipped the lid off her crate poking her head out and looking around. The cargo hold was empty. She clambered out of the crate and quickly darted towards the door to the upper decks. The thing could be on her in a moment and she needed to get help, warn Equus that something like this existed. She almost managed to relax when she got to the command deck. The simple monitors and stations oddly comforting in their silence. She quickly booted up the comms station. The machine whirred to life. The camera turning taking a moment to focus on her.

“This is Twilight Sparkle, first officer of the Science Ship Nostromo to any ships in broadcast range. We have encountered an alien lifeform. It was brought aboard against my objections after infecting a member of the crew. This crewmember died after the thing used it as a host to incubate. It has since slaughtered the crew and I’m the only one left. Please you must Quarantine LV 426. I recommend a full bombardment from orbit. Please! This organism represents an extreme danger!” Her voice was cracking forcing her to swallow hard stifling her tears. “Cadence I love you, please take care of our daughters. I’m so sorry babe. You were right I was wrong to leave you all. Please someone get this message” She began to sob. Her crying meant she only belatedly heard the clicking noise. She quickly cut the channel spinning around to face her attacker.

The thing was vaguely equine in shape. Its body covered in wet looking black chitin. Its limbs ending in claws. Its lips slipped back barring all of its fangs as it circled close to her. A dark malevolence in its green eyes. A set of insect like wings buzzed faintly on its back. The clicking growing to a fever pitch before fading. It tilted its head and looked at Twilight.

“Hello Sparkle” It used Wrench’s voice before lunging forward. Twilight barely had time to scream.
_____

The Colonial Guard Ship Sulaco sailed smoothly into orbit around the planet. The lights flickering on as the main team was woken from their sleep pods. One by one the Guards stumbled to their feet. The odd pony out, a pink alicorn was hunched over in a corner vomiting.

“You get used to it after a few trips” A griffin Guard said handing her a washcloth with a sly grin.

“Listen up you Nag’s Daughters!” The Sergeant demanded attention with his very presence as he stepped up onto the bench for height “Get sorted and get ready. The Nostromo is in orbit around this rock, and its our job to find out why! Now get to it boys and girls!” He barked hopping off the bench and sauntering off to get dressed himself.

Cadence watched them all with weary eyes. It had been over a year since Twilight had vanished with that damned ship. No word, no wreckage, nothing but ghosts and pain. Now the ship's ansible beacon had been tripped. Cadence hoped Twilight had a damn good reason for all this time.