Author's Note
Author's Note:
It is recommended that you read this with a High Contrast Dark or Ultra Darkformatting setting so as to better experience the artworks and typography.
Tittle Artwork by - JetXPegasus
and Typography by JetXPegasus
Sapient
BiT-BY-BiT STUDIO PRESENTS
Special Inspiration to:
Alien: Isolation
Alien (1979)
Tape 1
Well, I’ll be darn, it still works.
…
…Well, I guess this is the part where I say something or I’ll just make this awkward…
How long has it been since I last used you?
Fifth-teen years… almost sixteen, heh, heh.
Oh, let me introduce myself: my name is Almond Purel, I’m an engineer stuck on this million-bit ship working for stars knows how long. But in all honesty, I hate this place; the bits are good, don't get me wrong, with the amount I’m paid I could go back home right now and take my family on vacation, the only issue I have is this place gives me the creeps.
On the bright side at least I’m not alone. I’m about the hundredth member of the crew. Some of the folks are nice, mostly the ponies but I can’t say the same for the minotaurs or the dragons. Just to give a small background to the dragons, they are not here to make pals, nor are they here to make a quick buck. They're here for free gems to eat. I should know since I have seen them stuffed newfound iron and gold in their bags. Bunch of greedy savages; I'm gonna put this on my record when I get back.
The dragons and the minotaurs do the heavy lifting while extracting minerals underground from new planets. I, my brother Pitch, and two other engineers’ jobs are to fix whatever instrument or power cell on this ship ever stirs up and fails to work. Anything that has to do with science division my scientific geek friend Fizzy has the final word for it; whatever we find on any new planet that piques his curiosity and interest he takes a sample of it and makes many tests on it immediately. That's the role of a science officer.
And then there is—oh, looks like my break is over. I'll come back when I have the time and hopefully, I don't get another earful from the captain. See you on the flip side.
Tape 2
Mad ain't enough of a word I'd used as to what I am feeling right now. No, I am livid. One of the members of the drake and minotaur groups bucked up the few cells at fuels engine C and B, had me and my brother not arrived sooner we would have lost both of them in total; one of the guys got drunk, and in their drunken state decided to and I quote ‘wrestle with the champion,’ end quote. That got me ticked. You wanna know why? Because of the conditions that both engines were in I have to spend another two months fixing them while those good-for-nothing troublemakers go home. I was supposed to go home before them for goodness sake!
But oh ho, that's not what got me ticked off the most. Captain Golden Sheer called for a meeting and announced that father (our ship’s auto-piloting A.I), had intercepted a transmission of unknown origin and wanted us to check it out. Some kind of acoustical beacon that repeats at intervals of 12 seconds. My brother was the first to ask if it was an SOS he answered it was unknown, the doctor’s assistant chimed if it was a pony, again unknown. Here’s my issue with this revelation. The Sapient was built for one purpose: advertising, commercial, and delivering new materials or minerals. It is not a rescue ship nor was it constructed to be one.
I’m not alone in this either. Mr. Walnut was on the same boat. We’ve only been gone from earth for forty-three days and already the stallion misses his family and honestly, I can’t blame him. But there was no point in arguing the sails were already set. I can only hope whatever we find there is well worth it.
Tape 3
Landing the big fella was a bit of a struggle but we managed to land on the planet. I’ve finished up my work around the ship so I volunteered to join them but Captain Sheer denied my offer much to my disappointment. Instead he, Fizzy, Amethyst, and Nectar step out to trot their way towards the signal. Leaving our third pilot Marble Haze as the senior officer. I don’t know her much to be honest with you but I’ve learned a few things after working with her. There's no pony in this ship that takes their job more seriously or any pony that follows the rules with absolute certainty except her. I'd be lying if I say I wasn’t intimidated by her focus, commitment, and sheer will.
I didn’t have much to do so I watched Marble punch some buttons down the gauges, lights coming to life from outside of the ship illuminating through the blizzard storm. It was at this particular time that I noticed Marble’s eyes slightly narrowing at the readouts on the screen. Though she was calm in composure I could see in her eyes she was a bit worried.
Through the time I’ve spent with her it’s very rare for her to make a face like that, and she only ever makes that face when she knew that something was wrong. I asked what was wrong and she announced to me she finally got something out of the bank. Of course, I congratulated her but she snapped at me saying that wasn’t the problem. She informed me that Father has finally deciphered part of the unknown transmission, and from what she read it didn’t look like an SOS. Rather it was… a warning.
Immediately she tried to contact them but static was our reply from the intercom. To my expectations, she was gonna go after them by hoof and I was on board to join her until we were stopped by our ship’s science officer Bulky. He explained that there was no point in running over there assuring us they’ll know it’s a warning or not and went further on by reminding us of the ship’s personnel. Furthermore, Marble is co-captain of the ship until the runner of the ship returns and I am the ship’s professional engineer, if the both of us were to go out right now the ship is stuck here until one or all of us combine comes back. But if we didn’t come back no one would know what happened here.
We decided to stay and wait for their return. It’s been about thirty minutes now and we still haven't heard from them nor have they come back. Even though Bulky and Pitch did their best to reassure me that everything was fine I couldn’t shake up the feeling…
Tape 4
From the long hallway, I saw Pitch running calling for me to follow him to the inner hatch. Instantly a feeling progressed through me… something was wrong. Entering the lower level we were confronted by our fellow crew that finally returned from their journey. But their arrival was not what made us pause. Dear stars… I’ll never be able to erase it out of my head. There was… there was something on Nectar’s face, some kind of organism of unknown origin. The best way I can describe it is something out of a nightmare or rather the embodiment of a nightmare in the form of a hand.
Yes, a hand and quite a big one, many long bony fingers that gripped tightly around his face. A muscular tail wrapped around his neck and each attempt I had of removing the parasite caused it to tighten its grip. They took him to the infirmary, placing him on an extended medical platform beginning their examination. I, my brother, and a huge group of ponies, griffins, minotaurs, and dragons watched from a corridor behind a thick window. At this time I turned to my right seeing the Captain and Marble having a shouting war while their companions tried their best to distance the two from starting a potential fight.
She was gonna leave them out there. Twenty-four hours she was gonna leave them out there with that horrid thing on his face; and honestly, she should have, she was following the rules. Not even I could bring myself to let them in with the possibility that if we break quarantine we could all die. But that’s the whole point, right? I mean who in Tartarus knows what that thing is or where it came from? While the audience was fixated on the examination I tried getting some information from Captain Sheer away from the group.
I asked what happened and he told me the following story. They found an abandoned city that was connected to a kingdom that had been laid there for possibly centuries. At least that was Amethyst’s theory. The city had been deathly quiet during their time there. There was a moment where they had frozen, thinking they had heard the hoove steps of another pony, but quickly realizing it was their own.
The city had become a ghost town. There was no sign of life from anywhere. He firmly believed they were the only four inhabitants as they made their way out, following the path along the dried-up lake, past the statues, and quickly approaching the giant mouth of a cave.
When they entered three paths laid before them. Nectar volunteered to take the third path and promised to call them if he found something or needed assistance. Sheer didn’t like the idea of splitting up so he told the young stallion if he’s not back in five minutes they’ll never hear the end from him. Sheer took the lead followed by Amethyst, and Fizzy as they ventured straight. They didn’t make it all the way though because three of them were alarmed when they heard a slight yelp from Nectar on the intercom.
Immediately they turned back and the next thing he knew they entered a room filled with one—no, thousands of eggs minus one fully open, and Nectar was on the ground with that thing on his face. Everypony is on edge, no one knows what to do. But as Captain Sheer said, all we can do is wait and hope for the best.
Tape 5
Uh, hey. Sorry, I haven’t come back to you, I've just been busy. Just wanted to give some new updates on Nectar. Whatever it was that attacked itself to him is dead. Bulky found it on the floor by his bed; all curled up like a spider. Before long Nectar woke up and said he felt fine, but Doctor Metal insisted on putting him into hypersleep. That thing must have done something to him, but we can slow the process.
Earth is far away but it’s got ponies that can help him. As much as I don’t like the company, the technology they have could prove to be helpful for whatever is wrong with our friend. The quarantine will be a problem but the captain figured the dead specimen would be the ticket in. If it helps we’ll do whatever we have to do.
Tape 6
I don’t even know what to say. Something… came out of him. Sweet stars, I don’t know what it was but it moved fast. We were all just sitting at a table watching a movie together like we always do in our daily breaks. Nectar’s chest rose and fell much to my worry and Marbles, so I walked up to him asking if he was okay, he started coughing and his body twitched, furthermore he threw his body on the table, and he groaned and screamed in pain.
All of us tried to restrain him but he just wouldn’t hold still. I wasn't certain of what happened next. At first, there was a burst, something wet spattered my face, and Nectar’s body went limp. As he fell to the table, there was this ear-piercing screech. A small head of a creature shoots out from the spread ribs! I could see it chewing through the second layer of tissue.
Its skin was pale and translucent, it had ears like a pony and its face was adorned with a long eyeless skull. It stood upright with the support of its long muscular tail much like the other parasite that came before it. It’s gone now but where could it be I don’t know.
Tape 7
After the incident, the captain was working up a plan to find it and kill it. They're breaking it up into four teams to search and destroy whatever it was Nectar was carrying. Fizzy told them it was fast so catching it wouldn’t be easy, but they're convinced they can trap it. They've got nets, stun buttons, and a flamethrower.
There’s an issue I find in this plan. The Sapient is like a maze; this thing could be living anywhere. I hope this plan works.
Tape 8
Doctor Metal is gone. His nurse was the only pony that last saw him. She explained to me and the rest of the crew that he was in his lab. Before she could step in the door closed, locking the doctor from the inside. I forgot to note that the Sapient’s ship has a history of doors malfunctioning and closing themselves and not opening until the second hour. So to both their disappointment they decided to sit and wait it out.
As she sat outside in the corridor she was alarmed by a gut-wrenching scream. Snapping her head to her left she found nothing and the doctor was gone. No trace or nothing.
Not long after this, my brother disappeared.
The last time I saw him he was heading down to the armory to refuel his thrower. I told him to be careful, but when I got back from replacing light bulbs I found his flamethrower on the floor. We only had one clue; the nurse brought up through her story that she heard noises in the vents two minutes before Doctor Metal’s disappearance.
It’s been four hours now and there’s still no sign of either of them.
Tape 9
Something weird is happening. One of the power cells shut off again, so I sent some guys to go see the problem. I sent them into the lower engine, but they never came back. I went down there to see what in Tartarus was taking them so long but I found nothing. None but their tool boxes. This situation is getting out of hoof and there’s no sign of that thing. But I can’t help but wonder could that creature be responsible for the disappearances?
Tape 10
Things are getting bad here. More ponies are disappearing each hour—and not just the ponies, the dragons, griffins, and minotaurs too. The percentage of crew members has dropped from a hundred—to fifty, fifty—to thirty, twenty, ten, and now… the only ones that are left are Marble, Captain Sheer, Bulky, Amethyst, Fizzy, myself, and two twin dragons.
I don’t know what happened to them or my brother but that creature, whatever it is, has EVERYTHING to do with it…
Tape 11
I saw it. Whatever It was, it was… huge. I-It was like a pony—but it’s big! It had its back to me — entering my room like it was the most natural thing in the world. I hid, but when I looked up it wasn't there. I think it went into the ceiling. Oh stars, what if it was looking for me? Did it know I was in here? I don’t like it, I hate being watched or followed by something I’m not aware of, and honestly? For the first time in my life, it’s making me scared. I’m gonna go find my friends, it's not safe to be left alone anymore.
Tape 12
It slaughtered them and I couldn't do anything to stop it.
First, it tore through Fizzy. Then it cut Marble in half and threw her aside like a rag doll.
Bulky whipped out his flamethrower with his magic and shot a torrent of flames at the creature. But after the third burst, the barrel puffed out smoke. Before he’d had time to refuel the creature pounced on him he just had time to scream, before the thing opened its jaws wide, and shot its inner jaw out of its mouth plunging through the base of his forehead with an almost casual plunge.
Then it cornered Amethyst. Captain Sheer threw himself at it trying to wrestle it in hand-to-hand combat. I want to note that Golden Sheer is the crew’s strongest stallion; stronger than the average strength of an earth pony, and this thing manhandled him like he was a foal, seconds before killing him. I was locked outside of the security room when this occurred.
I had to watch through a thick window as this monster tore through them like melted butter. Amethyst was calling for me— calling for help, but I couldn't move. I was too scared. The last I heard was her blood-curdling scream as the creature dragged her from the floor — to the vents above. They’re all gone… all of them, and now it’s after me…
Tape 13
To any pony that is listening to this, it means I’m dead. My name is Almond Purel. Third engineer reporting for the last time, I am the sole survivor on board the Sapient. My crew and I have encountered an alien creature, it’s big and lethal, and it has slaughtered each member of the crew. The ship was lost, my friends are dead, and I am all that remains now.
For the sake of everypony on earth, I could only come up with one plan. One that’ll sadly cost me my life. But it’s better than having that monster roaming around. The only way I can stop it is to blow up the ship. Now if things were different I would’ve taken the shuttle to make my escape while the charges were counting down, unfortunately, somepony else had taken it before I or any of my friends could. But it doesn’t matter now.
Yes, the blast will kill me but it’ll erase every trace of that monster out of existence. Please understand that I had no choice—I had to blow up the ship, I just couldn’t risk bringing that thing home with me. Nor could I allow the company to have it or they’ll just start the whole thing over again.
Whoever is listening—whoever you are. If you find this recording, find the planet and the unawakened spawns and destroy them. Wipe them from the face of the universe! To ensure that no pony ever makes any contact with them again because the moment it makes contact… it’s won.
And Please… whoever is listening to this, tell those back at Equestria that my friends fought and died bravely… don’t let our mistake be repeated. This is Almond… last survivor of Sapient. Signing off…
