An egg had laid dormant in the Everfree Forest for centuries, basking in magic that it had never experienced before. Then White Lightning disturbed it, and the creature - the xenomorph - inside was awoken.
Nightmare Night draws near, and as it does, strange things begin to happen around Ponyville. Scary strangers threaten the town, and things will change for the Cutie Mark Crusaders forever.
When Starlight Glimmer discovers a locked door in Twilight's castle, she is determined to discover what it is hiding. This story was my entry for the Forbidden Knowledge writeoff.