Fluttershy walked the halls of the ship, her wings at her sides and the hair on the back of her neck standing straight. She was alone and afraid. More afraid than she had ever been in her life. The hallway was dark and the walls seemed to creek as she kept going.
She heard a noise to her left, and it sounded like movement in the room next to her as she passed the door. She picked up her pace, light yellow hooves padding as quietly as they could on the cold, metal floor. She was the only survivor, and she had no idea what to do.
She stopped abruptly as she saw a thick fluid dripping from the vent in front of her, long, clear strands of it falling to the floor below. She froze in fear and watched the puddle on the floor get bigger and bigger until eventually it stopped, followed by a rustling in the vents above her.
At that, Shy walked slowly and carefully, keeping her hooves as quiet as she possibly could. She kept going, picking up her pace as she found a long, empty hallway to her right. There was no sound or any indication that it was there, so she bolted, using her wings to take off and fly silently through the air until she found a large, abandoned room. It was dark, with several lights flickering and hanging from the ceiling. She looked around carefully, then almost had a heart attack as she heard something thump as it landed on the floor, right behind her. She bolted to the side and looked for somewhere to hide. She looked and saw a desk with the chair laying on its side nearby, and dove underneath to escape the monster that was chasing her. She watched as the long, curved head slowly came into view, followed by the rest of the black, slippery skinned creature came through the door.
Perspective Switch
I breathe as quietly as I can, watching as it circles the room. I feel like I'm going to be sick as I remember what it had done to my friends. The monster soon walks towards my desk of safety, and I hold my breath. I can't let it find me. I need to survive and tell anyone I can about it. Most of all I need to get home to her. My one and only. I can smell the faint scent of blood on her breath after I let her drink from me, how she would wrap her deep, midnight black wings around me and hold me against her, my head in her neck as she would gently stroke my light pink mane out of my eyes and look at me like I was no other mare on the planet...
I'm snapped out of my daydream as I see the black legs pass right in front of me. The skin so dark I can almost see a little bit of her in it. But I can smell the slime that coat's its body, along with the stench of its breath. I can't stand being where I am, but I need to if I ever want to see her again.
Before long it jumps back into the vents and rustles off. I let out the breath I was holding, and give myself a few seconds to make sure it's not coming back before I climb out and resume my journey through the halls. I watch and listen for any sign of it, but find nothing. Thank Celestia.
I keep moving towards my ultimate goal of the escape pods. I need to find one and hopefully get away from this damned place. I pass by the body of one of my closest friends; Applejack. Her eyes rolled back and her face covered in blood from the hole in her forehead. I remember how Rainbow Dash reacted when she heard about it... The tears that ran down her face, the flattening of her cyan ears, the pain in her magenta eyes. It was too much to watch. Eventually, she was killed as well. So I can assume she's happy to be with her lover again. I miss them. I miss everyone I've lost in the last few hours. Rainbow, Twilight, Rarity... I miss Rarity most of all. She was my best and closest friend, and even lover once... But it doesn't matter. I could never hate her and neither could she. It was a mutual agreement when we had broken up, and we were still as close as we were before dating after the fact.
I continue on my way to the escape shuttle. I need to find it. And soon. I round the next right turn, and find myself faced with a closed airlock door, the red light flashing above it meaning it was hazardous to enter. I turn around and fly silently in the other direction, making sure to keep my guard up. I keep on moving, passing two dead crew members along the way. One with a large hole in her chest, her blood puddling around her as it oozed from where she had been impaled. The other had one in his eye, going right through his skull. I wanted to vomit, but didn't. I need to get the hell out of here.
Before long, I reach the area I'm looking for. It's a large, empty room with two airlocks on either side. Only one is open. I dart for it as fast as my wings can carry me, but freeze as soon as the large, deep blackish-brown alien steps out of it. I quickly hide behind a trashcan before it sees me, and hold my breath. It can't find me. Not now, not when I'm so close. So close to going home and seeing her again. I squint my eyes shut as I hear the footsteps coming closer and closer, and I can smell the rotten stench that occupies its presence...
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The alarm almost makes me jump, but I can hear the creature's screech as it roars in anger and runs through the door I came in and jumps into the vent above it. I let out the breath I had been holding, and silently thank whoever or whatever had set off the alarm. And then the voice comes over the intercom.
"SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE INITIATED. PLEASE EVACUATE THROUGH ESCAPE SHUTTLES. SHIP WILL DETONATE IN T MINUS TEN MINUTES."
Good thing I'm already here, I think to myself, and make a break for the shuttle.
I dive inside and look around. There's a main console, two hypersleep capsules with several wires and tubes connected to them, a crate about the size of me, likely full of food and water, and two seats. I hop into one of the seats, and type the various commands that ready the shuttle for launch, keeping an eye over my shoulder to make sure the creature doesn't enter. Before long, the shuttle is ready and I hit the switch to close the door behind me. Before it closes, I hear someone yelling behind me.
"Wait! Don't close it!"
I turn around and see the mare just before the door closes. She puts her light blue face to the window and looks at me, her dark purple eyes locking onto mine with the look of a beggar who needs food desperately. I look to the controls, and I almost let her in. Almost, because just as I move to hit the button, I see a familiar, translucent domed head behind her. I freeze, and she pounds at the door.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!" she screams, muffled by the glass of the door, but I don't move.
Instead, I look away, too ashamed of myself to watch as the monster kills her. I hear her scream, and the splatter as the blood hits the window... and then I hear the monster banging and scratching at the door as it tries to get in. I let out a soft sob as the tears run down my face, and hit the button that detaches the shuttle from the ship, and feel the soft vibrations as the engines fire and launch me away.
Before long, the bottom of the ship, which I had been travelling under, disappears, and the ship makes its way into space. I allow myself time to think, now that I'm away. Before long, I feel the ship jolt violently, and cling to the chair as I clench my teeth and ride it out. The ship must have exploded. The alien is dead, or so I would hope. If it survived the explosion, I hope it can't in a vacuum.
I plot the course for Equis, and start up an audio log.
"This is second lieutenant Fluttershy of the EMS Grendel." My voice is a little shaky, but I continue. "The crew members Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and captain Twilight are dead, along with everyone else. We encountered a hostile alien life form. It killed the crew in less than forty-eight hours. I should arrive on Equis in two weeks, if the course doesn't change. This is Fluttershy, last survivor of the Grendel, signing off."
I end the recording, and climb into the sleep capsule. The domed lid slowly closes, and I soon drift off into sleep.
Author's Note
Well, here she is. The thing that's supposed to keep Extraterrestrial alive. Hope you enjoyed!
-Devs
