Alien vs. Ponyby ScriberChaptersPrologueOne - StatusTwo - ContactInterludeProloguePrologue (part one) The warm cocoon of air that enveloped Fluttershy was the first thing she noticed upon awakening. Her eyes stirred in their lids as she stifled a yawn with her hoof, yelping slightly when she felt something tugging at her yellow fur. The lids shot open, the dim glow of the pale green fluorescent ambient lighting casting its colour on hers. The mare shook a lock of pink mane out of her eyes as her hoof fumbled around on the console for the chamber’s release switch. When she found it, the sudden whoosh! of air as it was released into the ship’s artificial atmosphere gave her a bit of a start, but she shook her head. “Why...why am I the only one awake? Why is everypony else asleep?” she wondered aloud, her hooves working diligently to free themselves from the array of wires and tubes and less pleasant things still attached to her. As she cast her gaze over the scarcely-lit interior of the Neighstromo, a faint sound rang out in the distance - a rhythmic, wailing klaxon accompanied by hints of yellow warning lights. Oh my...what could that be? the yellow pegasus thought to herself. Stretching out her wings for the first time in who knows how long, she stepped from the pod, the clacking of her hooves against the cold, hard steel floor echoing eerily. Fluttershy surveyed the situation. Since she was the first pony awake, surely more would follow, right? She had remembered Twilight saying something to that effect when she was debriefing everypony on the process involved with magically-induced stasis. The alarm going off on the other side of the ship was her main concern; she checked on everypony still in stasis to be certain, then took off into the bowels of the ship. Dark, stretched-out shadows swirled about as the ambient lighting began to blend with the yellow flashes coming from overhead. As she galloped, she finally decided to take to the air, should the situation be serious - ever since her training for her participation of the pegasus controlled tornado that funneled water up to Canterlot, her wing-speed had been relatively quicker than it had in the past. She used it to her full advantage. Already, she could see signs of damage. Deep, ragged tears in the buckling steel walls spoke of a tremendous impact. Compelled now by a full-out panic, Fluttershy kicked it into high gear. As she rounded a random corner near the bridge, she froze - a massive swath of destruction had been wrought on the ship’s hull. Fortunately, Twilight’s protection spell seemed to have held: otherwise, there would have been a rather distinct lack of fresh oxygen to breathe. Inspecting the carnage more closely, she gasped softly as she realized what had impacted the ship; it looked like shrapnel, odd bits and pieces of what must have once been part of an ancient Equestrian Spaceship. “Oh, my! But how did this get here...?” Fluttershy decided that enough was enough. Everypony needed to be awake, now. Nodding her head in the decision, she started toward the room that housed the ship’s AI core, nicknamed “Mother.” She swept the magically-enchanted ID tag attached to the lanyard around her neck through a card reader, and the door beeped as it whooshed open. Having already spoken with the Artificial Construct, she knew the vocal keywords required to access the system. “Um, Hello, Mother.” A mid-sized, rectangular terminal flared to life, its display projected through an enchantment on an array of gems contained within. “Good afternoon, Miss Fluttershy,” the screen read. Good. That meant all systems were active. “Could I have a damage report on the ship, please? That is, if you don’t mind?” “Processing request...report ready. I am showing significant structural damage to the ship’s hull, necessitating a boost in the magic needed to power the protection spell. Crystal reserves are at 87%, decreasing at a rate of .54% per hour at current usage. Recommend consideration of secondary and tertiary systems to be discontinued to conserve power. Level III Security Clearance Required. Do you wish to continue?” The words lingered on the screen for a moment, allowing Fluttershy to catch up. Then: “Y/N?” “Oh, um...I don’t think I have that high of a Security Clearance, Mother. That’s probably Twilight Sparkle’s job. Speaking of which - if it’s not too much to ask, do you think you could bring everypony else out of stasis?” “Processing request...request processed. Initiating manual override of staggered stasis-regeneration protocol. Do you wish to continue? Y/N?” “Um, yes, please.” “Command executed.” Fluttershy let out a long, thready breath that she had not known she’d been holding in. “Thank you, Mother. That will be all for now.” With little fanfare, the screen flickered once before falling dark yet again. Feeling a wave of relief flush through her, Fluttershy turned around and started back towards the stasis pods. The alarms had stopped, but the bright, flashing yellow lights had yet to cease. She picked up the pace, hurrying along - something just didn’t feel right, and her quickened heartbeat and ruffled feathers betrayed the calm demeanor she tried to exude. As the mare made her way back to her friends, something stirred in the ship, glowing just once. ALIEN VS. PONY A MLP: FIM fanfic by scriber Obligatory Legal Disclaimer - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the property of Lauren Faust, Hasbro, Inc. and Studio B. I make no claims of ownership. This a not-for-profit fan work. Obligatory content disclaimer - This fanfic is rated T for violence, occasional harsh language and mature themes. Reader beware! Last, but certainly not least: this will not be a typical ‘cut-and-paste’ adaptation of the popular ‘Alien’ films. This will be a true crossover in that characters we are familiar with are placed into another familiar (albeit a bit more grim!) setting. Finally, ultimately, this story is run by you, the reader. If there is a concept or an idea you think would fit well into a story like this, let me know! -scriber Prologue (part two): 8 years ago Ponyville Luna couldn’t believe her eyes. Here, after all this time, ponies were actually glad to see her. To see that the taint of the Nightmare had been lifted, to see that her apotheosis was indeed real. Her regal, slender sister sat next to her on the chariot as it touched down on the firm, lush grass surrounding Ponyville. “Fear not, little sister. Our little ponies have grown more...how shall I say it?...more loving and tolerant in the thousand years that have passed. They are thrilled to see your return, none so much as I. Welcome home, Lulu.” The pale-blue alicorn giggled softly. “We have not heard that nickname in ages, Celestia. Or, shall we say...Celly?” This time, it was Celestia’s turn to chuckle. “It’s good to have you back, Lulu. It really is. Now, if you’re feeling up to it - would you like to meet the new wielders of the Elements of Harmony?” “Oh, that would be most glorious - to giveth our praise unto the ponies that-” “Erm, Luna? You may want to keep the Royal Canterlot Voice in check, for the moment - I doubt anypony has used it in Canterlot for centuries, now.” “We...oh, um...is this better, sister?” “Much, Lulu. Thank you,” Celestia replied. The two royal sisters stood in tandem, disembarking from the carriage with an air of grace that only such regal creatures could display. “Twilight, there you are!” Celestia called out, her pink eyes falling upon the purple unicorn mare. Standing with her self-proclaimed ‘number one student’ was another unicorn, two pegasi and two earth ponies. Twilight turned and saw her mentor - and idol - approach with a slightly smaller, yet still quite distinct blue alicorn in tow. “Princess! Er - princesses! It’s great to see you both again! And, Princess Luna -” Twilight bowed, pausing for effect, “-I wish to formally welcome you back to Equestria. It is an honour to make your acquaintance.” Relishing in the feelings of very real joy rushing through her, Luna extended a regalia-clad foreleg for the mare to kiss. Twilight showed a brief expression of confusion for the slightest of moments, but then recalled that it was custom to kiss the hoof of any visiting royalty during the Equestrian Renaissance. Blushing ever so slightly, Twilight obliged the night’s regent. “The pleasure is ours, Twilight Sparkle. Were it not for thee and thy friends, we would still be corrupted by the taint of the Nightmare. You have our most sincere thanks and appreciation.” “Aw, t’weren’t nothin’, Princess,” Applejack spoke up. “We was just doin’ our part as the Elements of Harmony, s’all.” “Yeah! Didja see it?” Pinkie Pie chirped. “Everything got all bright and then we got all floaty and then - whoosh! - a big rainbow comes crashing into Nightmare Moon! Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie, by the way!” The eight ponies continued to make pleasant conversation for a time, the topics shifting back and forth from any range of things. Pinkie Pie eventually suggested moving to Sugarcube Corner, where she had a few confections on display, as well as a massive punch bowl; both of the Princesses were very pleased with the flavour, apparently, as they kept their glasses filled with a flawless bit of levitation magic. After a while, a question was spoken - one that would change those eight ponies’ lives for ever, as it turns out. If only they knew. “Of course, Luna. Everything is as it was one thousand years ago.” “Do you have any plans?” A beat of silence passed. Then, “We suppose we do, yes.” “Oh, what’s this?” Celestia teased, carrying a mock look of hurt on her face. “We haven’t had the chance to tell thee, Celestia - and besides, it is convenient that our saviours are present for this conversation, for our idea - nay, our dream - is to revive the Equestrian Space Program.” “Why, that would be a wonderful thing, Luna! Really, the whole idea of travelling among the stars fell out of vogue about four hundred years ago...it would be a lovely chance for ponies to pour out their creative energies into something so large. Did you have any particular plans? An idea for a project, perhaps?” “We...we do. Dost thou remember astral body Sigma-6, sister?” “The moon orbiting around the fourth planet in our system? Of course!” “Well, before our...banishment, we had been working on plans to assemble a small colony on the surface of that very moon. The moon is rich with irons and minerals, which are vital for many of our country’s major industries; we would construct a ship that would act as a freighter, carrying mining equipment and the necessary materials to construct a sustainable artificial structure. This, of course, will be done alongside my studies into the workings of modern society...it has already been made present to us that thou no longer uses the royal ‘we,’ sister.” “Hm, yes. You’ll get used to singular pronouns over time, I think. It’s really not so bad, once you get used to it.” “We...I will have to give it a go then, won’t w- I?” Luna replied, chuckling. “If you’d like, Princess,” Twilight spoke, “I’d be more than happy to help you get caught up on what’s changed over the past millenium. I’m actually Ponyville’s resident librarian!” “The offer is much appreciated, Twilight Sparkle. I would be more than happy to be tutored by a mare like you, wise for so few years.” Twilight had to suppress a squee. “Well, count me in on the whole space thing!” Rainbow Dash said. “D’ya girls know just how fast an object needs to travel to escape the planet’s atmosphere? Like...like a bajillion miles an hour, that’s how many! It’d be radical!” “Oh...oh my...” Fluttershy mumbled. “Would it really be that fast?” “About 11.2 kilometers per second,” Twilight affirmed with a nod of her head. “Oh dear...” “Well, I’d be mighty happy t’help out in any way I can, Princess! All this here talk about space travel and what-not’s actually got me pretty excited!” “Oh, can you imagine how romantic it would be?” Rarity gushed. “To dance among the stars, and - oh! We’ll need matching suits! Suits that lots of ponies are sure to see, mind you!” “Miss Rarity is Ponyville’s premier fashion designer, if I’m not mistaken,” Celestia said. “Pinkie Pie, you are so-” “Rhubarb!” “Uh...yeah...” That very conversation was the foundation for a massive undertaking, one that would be the culmination of years of hard work. In only a year’s time, Princess Luna had assembled the funds necessary to kickstart the Equestrian Space Program, referred to as the “ESP” for short. Once the funds had been appropriated, there were disbursed among the necessary expenses and purchases in the plan for the Program’s renewal - the most expensive and large of which being the purchase of a large patch of land in the Moojave Desert. Only seven months after that purchase, the final brick was placed in a sprawling, state-of-the-art facility, complete with a rocket assembly bay and launch pad. It was at this point in the game that Luna formally requested the talents of Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie. The six were more than happy to accept the job, and nopony was complaining either about the generous amount of bits they were to be paid monthly for their involvement in the project. Then, the work began. The six went through two full years of intense physical training and simulations. By the time they were finished, each had an impressive array of knowledge on the inner workings of the ship that was still under construction, the Neighstromo. Some of the simulations had even created a zero-gravity environment, which lead to Twilight’s invention of magnetically-charged boots that would stick to the metal-rich surface of the moon Sigma-6. These and other necessary tweaks to the varied aspects of the project as a whole were a sort of specialty to Twilight, one that Princess Luna found immensely useful. Pinkie Pie was in charge of their regimen of calisthenics and specially-tailored workouts; Applejack was working with the Science department on a way to safely store large amounts of food in extreme environments. Rarity had been hard at work designing the suits, having gone through several prototypes before settling upon a form-fitting sort of fabric, magically enchanted to resist the extreme cold in space. Fluttershy had been receiving formal medical training from some of Canterlot’s best doctors and nurses, some of them making the trip out to the Moojave Desert weekly. Rainbow Dash had been training harder than she had ever trained in her life, determined to master the so-far difficult undertaking of flying steadily in an environment devoid of gravity. Over the next five years, training was set on a more relaxed schedule as Luna sought to acquire the funds necessary for a launch. The Neightstromo was completed during that time, and the mares got to work learning the inner workings of the ship almost immediately. It was during that time that Twilight constructed Mother, the ship’s Artificial Intelligence system. When the time finally came for the ship to launch, the six mares bid farewell to their friends and family, as they would be gone for a total of three months; two in transit, one upon the surface of Sigma-6. Little did they know of the horrors that awaiting them, floating like derelicts in the dead, empty space. One - StatusPart one -contact “Sweet Celestia...what is that thing?!” 20 days, 17 hours after the launch of the Neighstromo As Twilight eyed the date on the digital display inside her pod, she was immediately annoyed. "This isn't right. We're way too early! What's going on here?" “Oh, um...hi, Twilight...” “Fluttershy? Is that you?” “Mm-hmm. We have, um...a bit of an emergency, so if youcouldhurryupandgetouthere-” she spoke, her words becoming more and more rushed and eventually blending together. Struggling for only a moment to free herself, Twilight Sparkle emerged from the stasis pod with sudden haste. “What do you mean, ‘emergency’? Oh my gosh, is everypony ok?! There wasn’t a malfunction in the life support system or anything, was there?!” “...a what?!” Temporarily forgetting her obligations, the frenzied mare started teleporting herself all over the ship, despite her now-pounding headache. It wasn’t until her fifth or sixth attempt that there it was right in front of her - the massive, ragged tear in the steel that Fluttershy had described. Stifling the urge to scream in frustration, Twilight tried to think on the bright side of things. “Well...well, at least the protection spell held. Heh.” She could do a full damage assessment with the help of Mother in a few moments; now, back to the stasis pods. With a brief pop! and a sudden flash of purple light, she was gone. Not surprisingly, Rainbow Dash was the last of them to fully awake from the magically-induced stasis. Not even attempting to cover a massive yawn, she stretched her limbs as her wings unfurled, her hooves deftly undoing the various clasps and wires attached to her various extremities. “Good, everypony is awake. How are we all feeling girls? Any nausea, lightheadedness, that sort of thing?” Twilight asked. “I must admit, I am sporting a bit of a headache,” Rarity said. Applejack and Pinkie Pie grunted in agreement. “Oh! Um, there should be medicine in the first aid kit,” Fluttershy offered. “I’ll get it,” Pinkie Pie croaked in a thready voice. “Ok. That’s just a side effect of the hibernation, and it should fade within the next twelve hours or so. But right now, while I have everypony’s attention - we have a bit of an emergency on our hooves. Something impacted the Neighstromo while we slept, causing a good bit of damage to the hull. Fortunately, the protection spell held; otherwise, I doubt we’d be able to be conversing so calmly. If everypony could please meet me on the bridge when you feel well enough, I’ll debrief you - I need to go speak with Mother.” “You got it, Twi’,” Applejack said. “We’ll meetchya there in a jiff.” “Thanks, girls.” With that, Twilight was off - on her hooves, this time, as she did not want to tax her headache any further. As she galloped as quickly as she could down the long, metal corridor that led to Mother, Twilight’s mind was already racing. Oh sweet Celestia, I hope it’s nothing too serious...what’s the protocol in the event of a strike, again? Systems analysis, then damage assessment...or is it the other way around? These are the sorts of thoughts that swirled throughout her head as she traversed the distance between the stasis bay and the AI core. “Hello, Ms. Sparkle. I have detected damage to the ship’s exterior. Would you like me to initiate a full systems analysis?” “Yes, please.” “Access granted. Scanning...” The words hung on the screen for a beat. “Systems analysis complete. Crystal reserves are at 85%, decreasing at a rate of .866% per hour. Recommend termination of secondary and tertiary systems to conserve power. Do you wish to proceed?” “Not just yet, Mother. How are communications? Can we send a message back to Equestria?” “Scanning...negative. Communications array showing non-recoverable structural damage. Recommend sending qualified technician to make repairs.” Twilight cursed softly under her breath. Perhaps things were worse than she first thought. “Mother, what were we hit with?” “Unknown at this time.” “Gee, thanks...” “You are welcome, Ms. Sparkle.” “No, I didn’t mean - ugh, nevermind. That will be all for now, Mother.” Twilight surveyed her options. The fact alone that communications were for the moment unavailable was a bit unprecedented; she, along with Princess Luna had taken every reasonable precaution to ensure the Neighstromo's preparedness in any given emergency scenario. It was somewhat distressing, Twilight admitted to herself, to be without contact; the Princess would certainly know what to do in this situation, and might even be able to give some manner of helpful insight into what, precisely, had struck the ship. Twilight pictured the wreckage in her mind's eye, and all she came up with was a sense of disbelief. What were the chances that a derelict craft, a remnant from Equestria's far-off history, could strike the Neighstromo? Two - ContactChapter Two - Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie stood, gathered around the hole in the hull. “Goll-y,” Applejack said, followed by a whistle. “That there’s quite the hole, Twilight.” “What do you think happened, huh?” Pinkie asked. “It looks like...it almost looks like some sort of space junk, or wreckage of some kind.” “But where could it have come from?” Rainbow asked. “Didn’t Princess Luna say that nopony been into space for the past four hundred years?” “That’s right, Rainbow.” Twilight affirmed. “The last mission into space was to monitor a natural satellite that only passes our planet’s orbit once every few thousand years. To my knowledge, it should be only us out here.” “But Twilight...” Fluttershy nearly whispered. “Yeah. I feel it too, Fluttershy. Something is definitely not right. According to Mother, the space junk - or whatever it is - is from an unknown origin, which can mean one of two things - either it was from a craft hailing from another country, or it’s so old that Mother’s database can’t identify it.” “How likely does that option seem, darling?” Rarity had to ask. “I thought Equestria was the only nation to travel to space?” “Not entirely, no. In the midst of the great global Renaissance, the Kingdom of Gryphonia actually bolstered a pretty advanced space program. It’s long since been abandoned, of course...but still! Where could have any of this possibly come from?” “Well, can’t we just send a message to Princess Luna and find out?” Rainbow interjected. “I mean, isn’t that kind of what she told us to do, should anything happen?” “Well...that’s going to be a problem. Apparently, when we were impacted, the communications array was taken down as well.” The group started. “D’ya mean-” Applejack began. “-that’s right, Applejack. For the moment, anyhow - we’re cut off.” The gravity of the situation began to sink in. “Well, uh...” Applejack started. “Do we have a plan?” “Well, of course we have a plan!” Twilight reassured. “You’re talking to the pony who wrote the emergency protocol, remember?” “Whew. That there’s a relief, Twi’.” “First things first - we need to activate the ship’s maintenance subroutines. That should repair the damage to the hull, as well as magically quarantine the foreign object that impacted the Neighstromo. Somepony is going to need to perform a spacetrot in order to repair the communications array.” “Ooh! Ooh!!” Rainbow Dash spoke up, flailing a cyan foreleg back and forth. “Pick me! Pick me! I still haven’t gotten to try a spacetrot in zero gravity!” “Rainbow, are you sure that you’re up to it? You did just come out of a magical hibernation...” “Yeah, I’m fine, Twilight. Really, I’m fine! I’m not dumb, ya know - I wouldn’t be volunteering if I weren’t feeling up to it.” “Hm...I suppose you’re right, Rainbow. Ok, then. I’ll boot up the maintenance subroutines from the bridge - Rainbow Dash, you suit up. Rarity, could you go with her and make sure the suit is airtight?” “I’ll get right on it, darling. Come along, now, Rainbow Dash - don’t want to be late for the suit’s maiden voyage, do we?” “Heck, no! Let’s go!” With that, the two started toward the habitation bay, where the series of suits were stored. The remaining four departed similarly - Pinkie Pie and Applejack headed off to habitation, while Twilight and Fluttershy started toward the bridge. Having had a significant amount of input poured into the final designs of the Neighstromo, Twilight allowed herself a moment to grieve the ship’s former mint condition. With any luck, the subroutines that activated the automated magical repair spells would not put too much of a drain on the reserve energy crystals. Though she was almost certain that the flashing yellow lights would cease once Twilight was on the control board on the bridge, Fluttershy allowed herself a moment to become annoyed with them, as they were indeed becoming quite the nuisance. A rather large hunk of the strange, metal material that had apparently impacted the Neighstromo lay still amongst the wreckage, the eerie yellow light flashing and cascading over it in rolling, lambent waves. She thought that for the briefest moment, she spied movement amongst the carnage - as she fixed her eyes upon what she thought she had seen, though, it turned out to be a trick of the light. Or had it been? She walked in upon Twilight talking out loud to herself. “Initiating secondary and tertiary sub-processes...terminated. Re-routing power to auxillary drives...done. Launching repair subroutine...done. Estimated time for repair completion...six hours, forty-six minutes. Okay. We’re in good shape, for the moment.” A purple hoof flicked a switch on the console in front of her. “Rainbow Dash? Rarity? Can you girls hear me?” “We hear you, Twilight. Rainbow is just about finished dressing.” “Ok, good. Rainbow Dash, do you remember the procedures?” “You got it, Sparkle. Over and out.” Twilight stifled a snicker, reaching over to kill the intercom. She took a few deep breaths in an attempt to relax herself, not letting the seriousness of the incident overcome her. She breathed in through her nostrils, holding her breath for the slightest of moments, before releasing the breath through her pursed lips. She massaged her forehead with one of her hooves. Hopefully, the repair subroutine will do the trick. If it goes off without a hitch, and Rainbow is able to repair the communications array, I’ll send an urgent message back to the Princesses in Equestria. If she’s not able to get comms up and running, I’ll just...well, I’ll just have to improvise. I just need to relax, keep my head, and handle the situation as it develops. Twilight Sparkle felt Fluttershy enter the room behind her, the soft flutter of her pale yellow wings accompanying her. “Where’d you get to, Fluttershy?” “Oh! Um, it’s just...well, it’s nothing.” “Oh?” “Um...yes. It’s just that...it’s just that I thought that I might have heard something, is all.” “Ah. Did you find anything?” “No...nothing, really.” “Hm...ok.” The two stood in silence for a beat. The console in front of them beeped ever so often. Then, the words that would change the course of their lives: “I don’t know what you are, and I don’t know how you have a ship, but don’t make any sudden moves. My name is Ripley, and you are all in terrible danger.” InterludeInterlude: A different world, a different time But not so different from yours or mine... Ripley sighed, all of the anxiousness, the terror, the disbelief flooding out of her, like someone had pulled the cover of a drain. She felt her heartbeat calm down to its normal baseline rhythm, her breath becoming more steady as she started at the creature, suspended, lifeless in the void vacuum of space. When she had smashed the button that fires the shuttle’s rear engines in that final moment of fury, she practically relished in the inhuman screams and shrieks the monster had made as she burned the life out of it. Now it tumbled away, slowly but surely, its elongated head burnt to a crisp, the particularly horrific miniature set of teeth normally housed in its mouth severed and floating separate from it. Its barbed, curled tail lay coiled against its form as it spun in silence. Still somewhat in a daze, she found her fingers undoing the clasps and locks that held the air-tight suit in place. When she found herself undressed down to the tank top and briefs she had been wearing before the alien made its final stand against her, the tears came. Fully enshrouded in the deafening loneliness for the very first time, now that her life was not in mortal peril, she finally felt the full force of it. She remembered how the creature came to be, first as a horrendous crab-like monstrosity that scuttled onto her crewmate’s face, laying eggs in his chest; she remembered the hatching, how his chest simply exploded outward. She remembered the creature’s maleficent snarl as it looked at each one of them, slick with fresh, red blood that glistened under the ship’s lights. She remembered Dallas succumbing to the creature in the vents, and how the disbelief really began to settle in after that. She remembered Ash, his horrible dismantling, spraying that white, inky liquid everywhere. She remembered it all. She needed to forget. Still wracked by the occasional sob, she took deep breaths until she was able to record some sort of message for the rescue beacon. She knew that if she were to remain awake for much longer, she would only further succumb to the horrors in her life recently passed. Fortunate that the escape vehicle for the Nostromo had its own set of stasis pods. Some time later Her eyes snapped open as her muscles tensed, already flighty and anxious. Through the foggy window of her stasis pod, she could just barely make out the main window that wrapped around the control panel. What she saw, she at first refused to believe. There was the creature, hanging on for dear life, bashing its fists furiously against the fourteen inch thick glass that made up the ship’s windows. Its mouth was frozen open in a permanent snarl, thick, icy droplets of black blood beading and flying from the orifice as it thrashed its head back and forth. A bright, impossibly bright flash of light rang out, and then there was nothing. Ripley came to with a start. Her eyes snapped open as her fingers shakily undid the buckles strapping her into the pod. She knew, immediately, that something was amiss - she shouldn’t be upside-down, for starters. For another, any interruption of a stasis cycle can either mean one of two things: rescue or emergency. Trying not to take into account her recent luck, Ripley prayed for the former. Her ears were filled with the sound of a rumbling, interspersed with a spastic sort of flailing, sharp retorts on hollow hull. As she finally freed herself from the pod, she dropped to the floor, only to be thrown aside by a massive impact. She gritted her teeth instinctively as the ship’s hull scraped on what could only be a very hard surface, hard enough to tear flakes of her ship’s exterior away with very little effort. She scrambled on her hands and knees as quickly as she could to the suit she had neglected to hang up, tearing the straps loose as she wriggled desperately into its protection. She made a mad leap for the helmet as it tumbled to and fro along the ship’s floor, her fingers just barely finding a grip on the visor. With an animalistic sense of survival driving her motions, she secured the helmet to the suit, sliding the tabs into place, allowing herself a brief moment of victory as the tell-tale hiss! of pressurization sounded off. Now that there was no danger of suffocating to death, time to survive the crash. Her fingers wrapped around the rungs on the metal flooring as she winced and cried out with every rumbling impact that sent shockwaves throughout her bones. Without warning, she found herself suddenly jettisoned forward, the ship’s artificial gravity finally giving way. She flew toward a ragged tear in the ship’s hull, towards a strange, almost off-purple light that shimmered on the other side. Her limbs flailed about wildly as she managed to find a clean pass-through of the ragged hole, silently thanking fate that one of the sharp edges didn’t tear a hole in her suit. She landed with a sharp cry of pain as she went tumbling end-over-end on some sort of artificial flooring, her visor clanking on the surface with every roll. Her equilibrium completely thrown off for the moment, she allowed herself to come to rest in a supine position, her dizzy eyes struggling to find focus in her new environment. Cursing out loud, her hands struggled to find purchase on the floor, but she managed to come into in sitting position. She appeared to be in... “...the Nostromo?!” she said aloud, her eyes growing wide in disbelief. Behind Ripley and to her left, something moved.
ProloguePrologue (part one) The warm cocoon of air that enveloped Fluttershy was the first thing she noticed upon awakening. Her eyes stirred in their lids as she stifled a yawn with her hoof, yelping slightly when she felt something tugging at her yellow fur. The lids shot open, the dim glow of the pale green fluorescent ambient lighting casting its colour on hers. The mare shook a lock of pink mane out of her eyes as her hoof fumbled around on the console for the chamber’s release switch. When she found it, the sudden whoosh! of air as it was released into the ship’s artificial atmosphere gave her a bit of a start, but she shook her head. “Why...why am I the only one awake? Why is everypony else asleep?” she wondered aloud, her hooves working diligently to free themselves from the array of wires and tubes and less pleasant things still attached to her. As she cast her gaze over the scarcely-lit interior of the Neighstromo, a faint sound rang out in the distance - a rhythmic, wailing klaxon accompanied by hints of yellow warning lights. Oh my...what could that be? the yellow pegasus thought to herself. Stretching out her wings for the first time in who knows how long, she stepped from the pod, the clacking of her hooves against the cold, hard steel floor echoing eerily. Fluttershy surveyed the situation. Since she was the first pony awake, surely more would follow, right? She had remembered Twilight saying something to that effect when she was debriefing everypony on the process involved with magically-induced stasis. The alarm going off on the other side of the ship was her main concern; she checked on everypony still in stasis to be certain, then took off into the bowels of the ship. Dark, stretched-out shadows swirled about as the ambient lighting began to blend with the yellow flashes coming from overhead. As she galloped, she finally decided to take to the air, should the situation be serious - ever since her training for her participation of the pegasus controlled tornado that funneled water up to Canterlot, her wing-speed had been relatively quicker than it had in the past. She used it to her full advantage. Already, she could see signs of damage. Deep, ragged tears in the buckling steel walls spoke of a tremendous impact. Compelled now by a full-out panic, Fluttershy kicked it into high gear. As she rounded a random corner near the bridge, she froze - a massive swath of destruction had been wrought on the ship’s hull. Fortunately, Twilight’s protection spell seemed to have held: otherwise, there would have been a rather distinct lack of fresh oxygen to breathe. Inspecting the carnage more closely, she gasped softly as she realized what had impacted the ship; it looked like shrapnel, odd bits and pieces of what must have once been part of an ancient Equestrian Spaceship. “Oh, my! But how did this get here...?” Fluttershy decided that enough was enough. Everypony needed to be awake, now. Nodding her head in the decision, she started toward the room that housed the ship’s AI core, nicknamed “Mother.” She swept the magically-enchanted ID tag attached to the lanyard around her neck through a card reader, and the door beeped as it whooshed open. Having already spoken with the Artificial Construct, she knew the vocal keywords required to access the system. “Um, Hello, Mother.” A mid-sized, rectangular terminal flared to life, its display projected through an enchantment on an array of gems contained within. “Good afternoon, Miss Fluttershy,” the screen read. Good. That meant all systems were active. “Could I have a damage report on the ship, please? That is, if you don’t mind?” “Processing request...report ready. I am showing significant structural damage to the ship’s hull, necessitating a boost in the magic needed to power the protection spell. Crystal reserves are at 87%, decreasing at a rate of .54% per hour at current usage. Recommend consideration of secondary and tertiary systems to be discontinued to conserve power. Level III Security Clearance Required. Do you wish to continue?” The words lingered on the screen for a moment, allowing Fluttershy to catch up. Then: “Y/N?” “Oh, um...I don’t think I have that high of a Security Clearance, Mother. That’s probably Twilight Sparkle’s job. Speaking of which - if it’s not too much to ask, do you think you could bring everypony else out of stasis?” “Processing request...request processed. Initiating manual override of staggered stasis-regeneration protocol. Do you wish to continue? Y/N?” “Um, yes, please.” “Command executed.” Fluttershy let out a long, thready breath that she had not known she’d been holding in. “Thank you, Mother. That will be all for now.” With little fanfare, the screen flickered once before falling dark yet again. Feeling a wave of relief flush through her, Fluttershy turned around and started back towards the stasis pods. The alarms had stopped, but the bright, flashing yellow lights had yet to cease. She picked up the pace, hurrying along - something just didn’t feel right, and her quickened heartbeat and ruffled feathers betrayed the calm demeanor she tried to exude. As the mare made her way back to her friends, something stirred in the ship, glowing just once. ALIEN VS. PONY A MLP: FIM fanfic by scriber Obligatory Legal Disclaimer - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the property of Lauren Faust, Hasbro, Inc. and Studio B. I make no claims of ownership. This a not-for-profit fan work. Obligatory content disclaimer - This fanfic is rated T for violence, occasional harsh language and mature themes. Reader beware! Last, but certainly not least: this will not be a typical ‘cut-and-paste’ adaptation of the popular ‘Alien’ films. This will be a true crossover in that characters we are familiar with are placed into another familiar (albeit a bit more grim!) setting. Finally, ultimately, this story is run by you, the reader. If there is a concept or an idea you think would fit well into a story like this, let me know! -scriber Prologue (part two): 8 years ago Ponyville Luna couldn’t believe her eyes. Here, after all this time, ponies were actually glad to see her. To see that the taint of the Nightmare had been lifted, to see that her apotheosis was indeed real. Her regal, slender sister sat next to her on the chariot as it touched down on the firm, lush grass surrounding Ponyville. “Fear not, little sister. Our little ponies have grown more...how shall I say it?...more loving and tolerant in the thousand years that have passed. They are thrilled to see your return, none so much as I. Welcome home, Lulu.” The pale-blue alicorn giggled softly. “We have not heard that nickname in ages, Celestia. Or, shall we say...Celly?” This time, it was Celestia’s turn to chuckle. “It’s good to have you back, Lulu. It really is. Now, if you’re feeling up to it - would you like to meet the new wielders of the Elements of Harmony?” “Oh, that would be most glorious - to giveth our praise unto the ponies that-” “Erm, Luna? You may want to keep the Royal Canterlot Voice in check, for the moment - I doubt anypony has used it in Canterlot for centuries, now.” “We...oh, um...is this better, sister?” “Much, Lulu. Thank you,” Celestia replied. The two royal sisters stood in tandem, disembarking from the carriage with an air of grace that only such regal creatures could display. “Twilight, there you are!” Celestia called out, her pink eyes falling upon the purple unicorn mare. Standing with her self-proclaimed ‘number one student’ was another unicorn, two pegasi and two earth ponies. Twilight turned and saw her mentor - and idol - approach with a slightly smaller, yet still quite distinct blue alicorn in tow. “Princess! Er - princesses! It’s great to see you both again! And, Princess Luna -” Twilight bowed, pausing for effect, “-I wish to formally welcome you back to Equestria. It is an honour to make your acquaintance.” Relishing in the feelings of very real joy rushing through her, Luna extended a regalia-clad foreleg for the mare to kiss. Twilight showed a brief expression of confusion for the slightest of moments, but then recalled that it was custom to kiss the hoof of any visiting royalty during the Equestrian Renaissance. Blushing ever so slightly, Twilight obliged the night’s regent. “The pleasure is ours, Twilight Sparkle. Were it not for thee and thy friends, we would still be corrupted by the taint of the Nightmare. You have our most sincere thanks and appreciation.” “Aw, t’weren’t nothin’, Princess,” Applejack spoke up. “We was just doin’ our part as the Elements of Harmony, s’all.” “Yeah! Didja see it?” Pinkie Pie chirped. “Everything got all bright and then we got all floaty and then - whoosh! - a big rainbow comes crashing into Nightmare Moon! Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie, by the way!” The eight ponies continued to make pleasant conversation for a time, the topics shifting back and forth from any range of things. Pinkie Pie eventually suggested moving to Sugarcube Corner, where she had a few confections on display, as well as a massive punch bowl; both of the Princesses were very pleased with the flavour, apparently, as they kept their glasses filled with a flawless bit of levitation magic. After a while, a question was spoken - one that would change those eight ponies’ lives for ever, as it turns out. If only they knew. “Of course, Luna. Everything is as it was one thousand years ago.” “Do you have any plans?” A beat of silence passed. Then, “We suppose we do, yes.” “Oh, what’s this?” Celestia teased, carrying a mock look of hurt on her face. “We haven’t had the chance to tell thee, Celestia - and besides, it is convenient that our saviours are present for this conversation, for our idea - nay, our dream - is to revive the Equestrian Space Program.” “Why, that would be a wonderful thing, Luna! Really, the whole idea of travelling among the stars fell out of vogue about four hundred years ago...it would be a lovely chance for ponies to pour out their creative energies into something so large. Did you have any particular plans? An idea for a project, perhaps?” “We...we do. Dost thou remember astral body Sigma-6, sister?” “The moon orbiting around the fourth planet in our system? Of course!” “Well, before our...banishment, we had been working on plans to assemble a small colony on the surface of that very moon. The moon is rich with irons and minerals, which are vital for many of our country’s major industries; we would construct a ship that would act as a freighter, carrying mining equipment and the necessary materials to construct a sustainable artificial structure. This, of course, will be done alongside my studies into the workings of modern society...it has already been made present to us that thou no longer uses the royal ‘we,’ sister.” “Hm, yes. You’ll get used to singular pronouns over time, I think. It’s really not so bad, once you get used to it.” “We...I will have to give it a go then, won’t w- I?” Luna replied, chuckling. “If you’d like, Princess,” Twilight spoke, “I’d be more than happy to help you get caught up on what’s changed over the past millenium. I’m actually Ponyville’s resident librarian!” “The offer is much appreciated, Twilight Sparkle. I would be more than happy to be tutored by a mare like you, wise for so few years.” Twilight had to suppress a squee. “Well, count me in on the whole space thing!” Rainbow Dash said. “D’ya girls know just how fast an object needs to travel to escape the planet’s atmosphere? Like...like a bajillion miles an hour, that’s how many! It’d be radical!” “Oh...oh my...” Fluttershy mumbled. “Would it really be that fast?” “About 11.2 kilometers per second,” Twilight affirmed with a nod of her head. “Oh dear...” “Well, I’d be mighty happy t’help out in any way I can, Princess! All this here talk about space travel and what-not’s actually got me pretty excited!” “Oh, can you imagine how romantic it would be?” Rarity gushed. “To dance among the stars, and - oh! We’ll need matching suits! Suits that lots of ponies are sure to see, mind you!” “Miss Rarity is Ponyville’s premier fashion designer, if I’m not mistaken,” Celestia said. “Pinkie Pie, you are so-” “Rhubarb!” “Uh...yeah...” That very conversation was the foundation for a massive undertaking, one that would be the culmination of years of hard work. In only a year’s time, Princess Luna had assembled the funds necessary to kickstart the Equestrian Space Program, referred to as the “ESP” for short. Once the funds had been appropriated, there were disbursed among the necessary expenses and purchases in the plan for the Program’s renewal - the most expensive and large of which being the purchase of a large patch of land in the Moojave Desert. Only seven months after that purchase, the final brick was placed in a sprawling, state-of-the-art facility, complete with a rocket assembly bay and launch pad. It was at this point in the game that Luna formally requested the talents of Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie. The six were more than happy to accept the job, and nopony was complaining either about the generous amount of bits they were to be paid monthly for their involvement in the project. Then, the work began. The six went through two full years of intense physical training and simulations. By the time they were finished, each had an impressive array of knowledge on the inner workings of the ship that was still under construction, the Neighstromo. Some of the simulations had even created a zero-gravity environment, which lead to Twilight’s invention of magnetically-charged boots that would stick to the metal-rich surface of the moon Sigma-6. These and other necessary tweaks to the varied aspects of the project as a whole were a sort of specialty to Twilight, one that Princess Luna found immensely useful. Pinkie Pie was in charge of their regimen of calisthenics and specially-tailored workouts; Applejack was working with the Science department on a way to safely store large amounts of food in extreme environments. Rarity had been hard at work designing the suits, having gone through several prototypes before settling upon a form-fitting sort of fabric, magically enchanted to resist the extreme cold in space. Fluttershy had been receiving formal medical training from some of Canterlot’s best doctors and nurses, some of them making the trip out to the Moojave Desert weekly. Rainbow Dash had been training harder than she had ever trained in her life, determined to master the so-far difficult undertaking of flying steadily in an environment devoid of gravity. Over the next five years, training was set on a more relaxed schedule as Luna sought to acquire the funds necessary for a launch. The Neightstromo was completed during that time, and the mares got to work learning the inner workings of the ship almost immediately. It was during that time that Twilight constructed Mother, the ship’s Artificial Intelligence system. When the time finally came for the ship to launch, the six mares bid farewell to their friends and family, as they would be gone for a total of three months; two in transit, one upon the surface of Sigma-6. Little did they know of the horrors that awaiting them, floating like derelicts in the dead, empty space.
One - StatusPart one -contact “Sweet Celestia...what is that thing?!” 20 days, 17 hours after the launch of the Neighstromo As Twilight eyed the date on the digital display inside her pod, she was immediately annoyed. "This isn't right. We're way too early! What's going on here?" “Oh, um...hi, Twilight...” “Fluttershy? Is that you?” “Mm-hmm. We have, um...a bit of an emergency, so if youcouldhurryupandgetouthere-” she spoke, her words becoming more and more rushed and eventually blending together. Struggling for only a moment to free herself, Twilight Sparkle emerged from the stasis pod with sudden haste. “What do you mean, ‘emergency’? Oh my gosh, is everypony ok?! There wasn’t a malfunction in the life support system or anything, was there?!” “...a what?!” Temporarily forgetting her obligations, the frenzied mare started teleporting herself all over the ship, despite her now-pounding headache. It wasn’t until her fifth or sixth attempt that there it was right in front of her - the massive, ragged tear in the steel that Fluttershy had described. Stifling the urge to scream in frustration, Twilight tried to think on the bright side of things. “Well...well, at least the protection spell held. Heh.” She could do a full damage assessment with the help of Mother in a few moments; now, back to the stasis pods. With a brief pop! and a sudden flash of purple light, she was gone. Not surprisingly, Rainbow Dash was the last of them to fully awake from the magically-induced stasis. Not even attempting to cover a massive yawn, she stretched her limbs as her wings unfurled, her hooves deftly undoing the various clasps and wires attached to her various extremities. “Good, everypony is awake. How are we all feeling girls? Any nausea, lightheadedness, that sort of thing?” Twilight asked. “I must admit, I am sporting a bit of a headache,” Rarity said. Applejack and Pinkie Pie grunted in agreement. “Oh! Um, there should be medicine in the first aid kit,” Fluttershy offered. “I’ll get it,” Pinkie Pie croaked in a thready voice. “Ok. That’s just a side effect of the hibernation, and it should fade within the next twelve hours or so. But right now, while I have everypony’s attention - we have a bit of an emergency on our hooves. Something impacted the Neighstromo while we slept, causing a good bit of damage to the hull. Fortunately, the protection spell held; otherwise, I doubt we’d be able to be conversing so calmly. If everypony could please meet me on the bridge when you feel well enough, I’ll debrief you - I need to go speak with Mother.” “You got it, Twi’,” Applejack said. “We’ll meetchya there in a jiff.” “Thanks, girls.” With that, Twilight was off - on her hooves, this time, as she did not want to tax her headache any further. As she galloped as quickly as she could down the long, metal corridor that led to Mother, Twilight’s mind was already racing. Oh sweet Celestia, I hope it’s nothing too serious...what’s the protocol in the event of a strike, again? Systems analysis, then damage assessment...or is it the other way around? These are the sorts of thoughts that swirled throughout her head as she traversed the distance between the stasis bay and the AI core. “Hello, Ms. Sparkle. I have detected damage to the ship’s exterior. Would you like me to initiate a full systems analysis?” “Yes, please.” “Access granted. Scanning...” The words hung on the screen for a beat. “Systems analysis complete. Crystal reserves are at 85%, decreasing at a rate of .866% per hour. Recommend termination of secondary and tertiary systems to conserve power. Do you wish to proceed?” “Not just yet, Mother. How are communications? Can we send a message back to Equestria?” “Scanning...negative. Communications array showing non-recoverable structural damage. Recommend sending qualified technician to make repairs.” Twilight cursed softly under her breath. Perhaps things were worse than she first thought. “Mother, what were we hit with?” “Unknown at this time.” “Gee, thanks...” “You are welcome, Ms. Sparkle.” “No, I didn’t mean - ugh, nevermind. That will be all for now, Mother.” Twilight surveyed her options. The fact alone that communications were for the moment unavailable was a bit unprecedented; she, along with Princess Luna had taken every reasonable precaution to ensure the Neighstromo's preparedness in any given emergency scenario. It was somewhat distressing, Twilight admitted to herself, to be without contact; the Princess would certainly know what to do in this situation, and might even be able to give some manner of helpful insight into what, precisely, had struck the ship. Twilight pictured the wreckage in her mind's eye, and all she came up with was a sense of disbelief. What were the chances that a derelict craft, a remnant from Equestria's far-off history, could strike the Neighstromo?
Two - ContactChapter Two - Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie stood, gathered around the hole in the hull. “Goll-y,” Applejack said, followed by a whistle. “That there’s quite the hole, Twilight.” “What do you think happened, huh?” Pinkie asked. “It looks like...it almost looks like some sort of space junk, or wreckage of some kind.” “But where could it have come from?” Rainbow asked. “Didn’t Princess Luna say that nopony been into space for the past four hundred years?” “That’s right, Rainbow.” Twilight affirmed. “The last mission into space was to monitor a natural satellite that only passes our planet’s orbit once every few thousand years. To my knowledge, it should be only us out here.” “But Twilight...” Fluttershy nearly whispered. “Yeah. I feel it too, Fluttershy. Something is definitely not right. According to Mother, the space junk - or whatever it is - is from an unknown origin, which can mean one of two things - either it was from a craft hailing from another country, or it’s so old that Mother’s database can’t identify it.” “How likely does that option seem, darling?” Rarity had to ask. “I thought Equestria was the only nation to travel to space?” “Not entirely, no. In the midst of the great global Renaissance, the Kingdom of Gryphonia actually bolstered a pretty advanced space program. It’s long since been abandoned, of course...but still! Where could have any of this possibly come from?” “Well, can’t we just send a message to Princess Luna and find out?” Rainbow interjected. “I mean, isn’t that kind of what she told us to do, should anything happen?” “Well...that’s going to be a problem. Apparently, when we were impacted, the communications array was taken down as well.” The group started. “D’ya mean-” Applejack began. “-that’s right, Applejack. For the moment, anyhow - we’re cut off.” The gravity of the situation began to sink in. “Well, uh...” Applejack started. “Do we have a plan?” “Well, of course we have a plan!” Twilight reassured. “You’re talking to the pony who wrote the emergency protocol, remember?” “Whew. That there’s a relief, Twi’.” “First things first - we need to activate the ship’s maintenance subroutines. That should repair the damage to the hull, as well as magically quarantine the foreign object that impacted the Neighstromo. Somepony is going to need to perform a spacetrot in order to repair the communications array.” “Ooh! Ooh!!” Rainbow Dash spoke up, flailing a cyan foreleg back and forth. “Pick me! Pick me! I still haven’t gotten to try a spacetrot in zero gravity!” “Rainbow, are you sure that you’re up to it? You did just come out of a magical hibernation...” “Yeah, I’m fine, Twilight. Really, I’m fine! I’m not dumb, ya know - I wouldn’t be volunteering if I weren’t feeling up to it.” “Hm...I suppose you’re right, Rainbow. Ok, then. I’ll boot up the maintenance subroutines from the bridge - Rainbow Dash, you suit up. Rarity, could you go with her and make sure the suit is airtight?” “I’ll get right on it, darling. Come along, now, Rainbow Dash - don’t want to be late for the suit’s maiden voyage, do we?” “Heck, no! Let’s go!” With that, the two started toward the habitation bay, where the series of suits were stored. The remaining four departed similarly - Pinkie Pie and Applejack headed off to habitation, while Twilight and Fluttershy started toward the bridge. Having had a significant amount of input poured into the final designs of the Neighstromo, Twilight allowed herself a moment to grieve the ship’s former mint condition. With any luck, the subroutines that activated the automated magical repair spells would not put too much of a drain on the reserve energy crystals. Though she was almost certain that the flashing yellow lights would cease once Twilight was on the control board on the bridge, Fluttershy allowed herself a moment to become annoyed with them, as they were indeed becoming quite the nuisance. A rather large hunk of the strange, metal material that had apparently impacted the Neighstromo lay still amongst the wreckage, the eerie yellow light flashing and cascading over it in rolling, lambent waves. She thought that for the briefest moment, she spied movement amongst the carnage - as she fixed her eyes upon what she thought she had seen, though, it turned out to be a trick of the light. Or had it been? She walked in upon Twilight talking out loud to herself. “Initiating secondary and tertiary sub-processes...terminated. Re-routing power to auxillary drives...done. Launching repair subroutine...done. Estimated time for repair completion...six hours, forty-six minutes. Okay. We’re in good shape, for the moment.” A purple hoof flicked a switch on the console in front of her. “Rainbow Dash? Rarity? Can you girls hear me?” “We hear you, Twilight. Rainbow is just about finished dressing.” “Ok, good. Rainbow Dash, do you remember the procedures?” “You got it, Sparkle. Over and out.” Twilight stifled a snicker, reaching over to kill the intercom. She took a few deep breaths in an attempt to relax herself, not letting the seriousness of the incident overcome her. She breathed in through her nostrils, holding her breath for the slightest of moments, before releasing the breath through her pursed lips. She massaged her forehead with one of her hooves. Hopefully, the repair subroutine will do the trick. If it goes off without a hitch, and Rainbow is able to repair the communications array, I’ll send an urgent message back to the Princesses in Equestria. If she’s not able to get comms up and running, I’ll just...well, I’ll just have to improvise. I just need to relax, keep my head, and handle the situation as it develops. Twilight Sparkle felt Fluttershy enter the room behind her, the soft flutter of her pale yellow wings accompanying her. “Where’d you get to, Fluttershy?” “Oh! Um, it’s just...well, it’s nothing.” “Oh?” “Um...yes. It’s just that...it’s just that I thought that I might have heard something, is all.” “Ah. Did you find anything?” “No...nothing, really.” “Hm...ok.” The two stood in silence for a beat. The console in front of them beeped ever so often. Then, the words that would change the course of their lives: “I don’t know what you are, and I don’t know how you have a ship, but don’t make any sudden moves. My name is Ripley, and you are all in terrible danger.”
InterludeInterlude: A different world, a different time But not so different from yours or mine... Ripley sighed, all of the anxiousness, the terror, the disbelief flooding out of her, like someone had pulled the cover of a drain. She felt her heartbeat calm down to its normal baseline rhythm, her breath becoming more steady as she started at the creature, suspended, lifeless in the void vacuum of space. When she had smashed the button that fires the shuttle’s rear engines in that final moment of fury, she practically relished in the inhuman screams and shrieks the monster had made as she burned the life out of it. Now it tumbled away, slowly but surely, its elongated head burnt to a crisp, the particularly horrific miniature set of teeth normally housed in its mouth severed and floating separate from it. Its barbed, curled tail lay coiled against its form as it spun in silence. Still somewhat in a daze, she found her fingers undoing the clasps and locks that held the air-tight suit in place. When she found herself undressed down to the tank top and briefs she had been wearing before the alien made its final stand against her, the tears came. Fully enshrouded in the deafening loneliness for the very first time, now that her life was not in mortal peril, she finally felt the full force of it. She remembered how the creature came to be, first as a horrendous crab-like monstrosity that scuttled onto her crewmate’s face, laying eggs in his chest; she remembered the hatching, how his chest simply exploded outward. She remembered the creature’s maleficent snarl as it looked at each one of them, slick with fresh, red blood that glistened under the ship’s lights. She remembered Dallas succumbing to the creature in the vents, and how the disbelief really began to settle in after that. She remembered Ash, his horrible dismantling, spraying that white, inky liquid everywhere. She remembered it all. She needed to forget. Still wracked by the occasional sob, she took deep breaths until she was able to record some sort of message for the rescue beacon. She knew that if she were to remain awake for much longer, she would only further succumb to the horrors in her life recently passed. Fortunate that the escape vehicle for the Nostromo had its own set of stasis pods. Some time later Her eyes snapped open as her muscles tensed, already flighty and anxious. Through the foggy window of her stasis pod, she could just barely make out the main window that wrapped around the control panel. What she saw, she at first refused to believe. There was the creature, hanging on for dear life, bashing its fists furiously against the fourteen inch thick glass that made up the ship’s windows. Its mouth was frozen open in a permanent snarl, thick, icy droplets of black blood beading and flying from the orifice as it thrashed its head back and forth. A bright, impossibly bright flash of light rang out, and then there was nothing. Ripley came to with a start. Her eyes snapped open as her fingers shakily undid the buckles strapping her into the pod. She knew, immediately, that something was amiss - she shouldn’t be upside-down, for starters. For another, any interruption of a stasis cycle can either mean one of two things: rescue or emergency. Trying not to take into account her recent luck, Ripley prayed for the former. Her ears were filled with the sound of a rumbling, interspersed with a spastic sort of flailing, sharp retorts on hollow hull. As she finally freed herself from the pod, she dropped to the floor, only to be thrown aside by a massive impact. She gritted her teeth instinctively as the ship’s hull scraped on what could only be a very hard surface, hard enough to tear flakes of her ship’s exterior away with very little effort. She scrambled on her hands and knees as quickly as she could to the suit she had neglected to hang up, tearing the straps loose as she wriggled desperately into its protection. She made a mad leap for the helmet as it tumbled to and fro along the ship’s floor, her fingers just barely finding a grip on the visor. With an animalistic sense of survival driving her motions, she secured the helmet to the suit, sliding the tabs into place, allowing herself a brief moment of victory as the tell-tale hiss! of pressurization sounded off. Now that there was no danger of suffocating to death, time to survive the crash. Her fingers wrapped around the rungs on the metal flooring as she winced and cried out with every rumbling impact that sent shockwaves throughout her bones. Without warning, she found herself suddenly jettisoned forward, the ship’s artificial gravity finally giving way. She flew toward a ragged tear in the ship’s hull, towards a strange, almost off-purple light that shimmered on the other side. Her limbs flailed about wildly as she managed to find a clean pass-through of the ragged hole, silently thanking fate that one of the sharp edges didn’t tear a hole in her suit. She landed with a sharp cry of pain as she went tumbling end-over-end on some sort of artificial flooring, her visor clanking on the surface with every roll. Her equilibrium completely thrown off for the moment, she allowed herself to come to rest in a supine position, her dizzy eyes struggling to find focus in her new environment. Cursing out loud, her hands struggled to find purchase on the floor, but she managed to come into in sitting position. She appeared to be in... “...the Nostromo?!” she said aloud, her eyes growing wide in disbelief. Behind Ripley and to her left, something moved.
