The lights of the hospital waiting room flickered only slightly as the group awaited the news of Rarity’s outcome. Cadence insisted that Twilight get checked on due to her injuries from where the Queen had hit her with its tail. Twilight said she was fine, but the sore feeling told her otherwise. In the room, Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Twilight, along with Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Spike and Nyx waited. It had been hours since they arrived and the tension slowly rose as they worried about Rarity.

“Oh...I hope she’s okay…” Pinkie Pie worriedly murmured.

“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine. She has to be.” Twilight replied hopefully, but it had been so long since the surgery even began.

“When are you getting checked, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked. Twilight Sparkle was sitting in a chair, a hard look was upon her face as she thought about the events of the past few days. Her eyes had bags underneath them from exhaustion and the mind-wrecking stress.

“I told you all that I’m fine.” Just as Cadence began to try and reason with her obviously injured sister-in-law, the doors swung open. The doctor from before walked over to them as they waited to hear what he had to say.

“How’s Rarity?” Twilight inquired.

“Well you see, when the patient was brought to us, she had…” The doctor tried to explain, but then was lifted from the floor, caught in a magenta magical grip.

“Short answer first, then details!” Twilight roared, far beyond her patience limit.

The doctor flinched as she lowered him to the ground. “O...okay…s-she’s fine!” The group sighed with relief as the good news was told. “But...there were some minor issues…”

“Go on.”

“When the patient arrived, there was...this thing...attached to her face. We didn’t know what it was or what to do with it. We tried to pull it off, but its tail and legs only clamped on tighter. We realized that we couldn’t pull it off without strangling her or tearing off her face. We did tried to carefully cut it off, but its blood...I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“It was acidic, wasn’t it?” Twilight asked grimly.

“Indeed, highly acidic.” The doctor confirmed. “Luckily, it didn’t get on the patient, but the squirt of blood from the thing ate through two floors of the hospital before it stopped, damaging a lot of equipment along the way.

“After a while, the thing fell off and died. When Princess Celestia arrived with the patient, she explained that the organism was trying to implant a parasite inside of her. Using x-rays, we were able to locate the parasite inside her chest cavity. We immediately operated and were able to remove the parasite. She’ll be alright, though. With our advanced medicine and healing magic, she’ll make a full recovery and only have a faint scar.”

The tension seemed to leave the room after hearing this news, but Princess Celestia approached the doctor. “And what of the parasite?” The normally serene and relaxed look on the white alicorn’s face was absent. Instead, a hard, steely look dominated her face as she stared down at the now sweating doctor.

“Oh, we took care of it!” The doctor quickly answered, trying to put the intimidating princess’s mind at ease. Fortunately for him, Celestia relaxed and sat back down.

The good news was very welcoming to the ponies, but for a certain alicorn, this only scratched the surface of her mood. A memory appeared as the others soon got to discussing about what they should do next. The memory was vivid, every detail fresh in her mind, and it was the worst one yet. She saw Shining, lying against the wall as the Xenomorph was trying to bust its way out from within him. I love you L.S.B.F.F.

I…I love you B.B.B.F.F. The sound of her magic being fired made her flinch as she watched his body slump up against the wall, his eyes fluttering as they closed. She could still heard him breathe his last breath before finally passing away. I...I...k-killed...m-my...own b-brother. I...killed...Shining...Armor...

Cadence noticed that Twilight was acting a little unusual, and she saw the tremor in her lips. It soon traveled throughout her body. She made a quiet sound, which grew louder until it became a loud sob and she fell to the floor. She screamed loudly and everypony took notice of the saddening sight before them. Cadence quickly went to her side and asked, “Twilight, are you alright?” However, she already knew the answer. Of course she isn’t alright.

“I...I...I…” Twilight hesitated before saying, “I...k-killed...Shining Armor...I killed my brother!” She cried harder as the fact became known to everypony else. Cadence shifted closer, tears slowly welling out of her eyes.

“T-Twilight...it wasn’t your fault. He...he wanted it...it...it was already t-too late for him. I...I understand how you feel…” She remembered all too well of how he had tried to get her to kill him. The overwhelming feeling of regret and guilt soon took Cadence in its grasp as she began to cry just as hard as Twilight. Everypony else teared up as well, seeing the two distraught ponies before them was just too much. The group gathered around the two alicorns and all of them hugged each other as the events soon took a hold of them. Nothing but misery came from this creature and there victory over it was bittersweet.

It was just another day in the boring room as Rainbow Dash sat reading her book. She wondered if everypony was alright and hoped that nopony else was hurt. She noticed the door open as a nurse pulled another bed into the room. “You got a roommate, Rainbow Dash. She’ll be recovering for sometime, and both of you should hopefully be out soon.”

Rainbow Dash tried to get a look at her new roommate, but the nurses body was blocking her view and the pony in the bed was placed behind the curtain dividing the room. “I’ll also go and notify that your friends can see you.”

The nurse walked out, leaving Rainbow to wonder at who it was that she brought in. Well, at least now I’ll have company. She slowly got out of her bed, making sure to be careful not to hurt her stomach as she reached for curtains and slowly pulled them back. When she did, she almost screamed in horror as she saw that it was Rarity in the bed. “Rarity...oh...oh no…” How...how did this...happen?

Just as she went to move closer to her, she heard the door open and saw her friends walk in. The nurse gasped in annoyance and said, “Rainbow Dash. You need to stay settled in your bed or else your wound won’t heal properly.” The nurse walked quickly over to the pegasus and guided her back to her bed. She set her down and left the room as her friends gathered in the room.

“Hey there...e-every...pony…” Rainbow faltered as she saw the mess before her. Her friends looked utterly exhausted and she soon worried for their well-being. “What’s...what’s going on?” The blue pegasus was never informed about the turn of events, so she was left utterly in the dark to everything that had taken place.

“Rainbow...we...need to talk…” Twilight quietly murmured. The blue pegasus then saw the bloodshot eyes of Twilight and Cadence. Not too mention everypony else as they all looked terrible too. Twilight then recounted everything that happened to Rainbow Dash and watched as the pegasus’s reactions went from sadness to fear.

“So...the Xenomorph is finally dead, huh?”

“Yes...it’s gone forever now.” Just as Rainbow Dash was going to ask a question, they all heard a soft and quiet moan from the unconscious Rarity as she slowly woke up. Everypony ran up to the bed to see her awaken. What greeted her vision at first was a white light, before it cleared and in front of her was all of her friends staring at her with worry and happiness. She blinked for a moment in confusion.

“What...what happened?” Rarity asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She only remembered being smothered by something and then Sweetie Belle came to mind. In a sudden flash of memories, she recalled the disgusting chamber and then she saw Sweetie right next to her and then the facehugger flying right at her. When she was brought out of her memories, she was sweating profusely and panting very hard, causing a pain in her chest. She looked to her friends as they had worried expressions on her face.

“Rarity...do you remember what happened?” Twilight asked quietly.

Rarity hesitated before nodding. “W-what happened to Sweetie Belle?” Her voice still barely above a whisper. “What happened anyway? Why am I here and...why is my chest wrapped up?”

“Rarity, Sweetie Belle is okay. We took her to Ponyville Hospital just to be sure. Your parents are there with her. Princess Celestia then brought you here and we were able to get the Xenomorph out of you in time.”

Rarity stared at her friends, shock was expressed in her face, but she was glad to still be alive. Thank goodness that Sweetie Belle is okay. She then looked down to the white bandages covering her torso. The thought of having that, thing on her face and implanting an alien inside of her made her feel ill. She gingerly touched the bandages, confirming the reality of the situation to herself. The thought that the monster had made her carry its offspring inside of her was almost too much.

As the group conversed, Rainbow Dash began to think to herself. I...I couldn’t do anything. I should’ve been faster than that. If I was, then none of this would have happened. Everypony would be fine...and nopony would have suffered.

The sunny sky did not match the mood that lingered over Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack, Apple Bloom, and their grandmother, Granny Smith, stood in a back field of the large farm. Nopony outside the Apple family had ever been out to this part of the property, not even Applejack’s closest friends. Before the three ponies were three headstones, two of which have been worn by the ravages of time and the third was painfully new. The dirt over this grave was still freshly laid, making a mound of earth over it. A name was etched into the stone: “Big Macintosh.”

There had been a mass memorial service for the thirty-two ponies that had died, but the Apples were holding their own for the quiet farm pony. The mass burial was held at Canterlot, being led by Princesses Twilight, Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, as they voiced their sorrow and described the horrific events that had taken place. The alicorns did their best to not cry, and it was almost too much to bear for some of the audience to watch their beloved Princesses break down in tears. They named off everypony that had died, from the guards, to the citizens of Ponyville, and then Shining Armor, Prince of the Crystal Empire.

Applejack looked at her brother’s name and her green eyes burned as tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. She held back these tears, for Apple Bloom was doing enough crying for the both of them. Besides, she had to be strong for her baby sister. Ever since their parents had died, she and Big Macintosh had to step up and run the farm. They also had to raise their baby sister, due to the fact that their mother had died in childbirth and their father not too much earlier in an accident. Though they were her elder siblings, they might as well have been Apple Bloom’s parents. Now she had to care for the little filly in her charge without Big Macintosh.

Applebloom looked over to her big sister and worriedly asked, “W-what’s goin’ to h-happen now?”

“Well, yer goin’ to have to help more around the farm, since of what happened.” She told her, trying to remain stoic.

Applebloom teared up again and cried as she rushed over to Applejack and hugged her. The orange earth pony hugged back and said, “Don’t you worry sis, Ah’m goin’ to be there by yer side from now on. Ah promise you that.”

As the two hugged, Granny Smith slowly walked over to the two and joined in on the hug. She had felt the heartbreak as badly as AJ, but with age, she was able to hold her emotions back with more ease than the other two. As the small funeral came to a close, all three ponies joined in a sad embrace as they mourned for the loss of Big Macintosh. Things would never be the same again.

Rainbow Dash was flying in the air, practicing as she smashed the clouds and made them disappear as she went from one cloud to the next in a quick succession. On the ground, not too far away, Fluttershy was watching as her friend trained herself harder than ever. She had seen Rainbow Dash take these sessions as a joke sometimes, but something was different with her this time.

After Rainbow Dash got out of the hospital, she was determined to train to her best and not let what happened last time ever come to past again. After the clouds dispersed from her actions, she slowly floated down. Sweat was quickly falling down through her hair and down all the sides of her head. She panted hard but was not satisfied. I was quicker last time. I need to pick up the pace. Just as she was about to take off, Fluttershy rushed up to her and took her hoof in her own. Rainbow looked back, confused as to why she had stopped her. “Fluttershy, what the hay are you doing?”

“You need to take a break and rest for a bit.” The soft spoken pegasus told her in a motherly tone.

“No, I can’t rest without knowing that I did better.”

“Rainbow Dash, you have to take a break. You’re going to hurt yourself if you keep this up.”

“But I can’t, Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash said as she pulled her hoof away from her friend and turned her back on her. “I have to be better. I have to be faster. If I was faster, then I would have been able to save everypony...No pony would have…” Although Fluttershy couldn’t see it, she could tell Rainbow Dash was fighting back tears. The blue pegasus quickly shook her head, trying to regain her resolve. “I have to be stronger.”

“Rainbow Dash, I understand. You’re scared. I was too…” Fluttershy began to say, but she was cut off.

“I’m not scared!” Rainbow Dash screeched as she swiftly spun around to shout in her friend’s face, causing Fluttershy to flinch. Despite the angry look on her face, she was crying as she seethed. “I’m not! I’m Rainbow Dash, the top daredevil in all of Equestria! I’m not scared!” Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and dropped her head in shame. Her next words were barely audible. “I’m not scared...I’m not…”

Her words croaked out between sobs and she sat down on her haunches on the grass. Fluttershy slowly approached Rainbow Dash and sat down beside her. Using her front legs and her wings, she pulled her distressed friend into an embrace. Rainbow Dash was pressed up against Fluttershy’s chest, who rested her chin on top of her multicolored mane.

“I’m not scared...I’m not…” Rainbow Dash’s muffled voice sobbed as she leaned against her gentle friend. Fluttershy comfortingly shushed her as she stroked her mane.

“Rainbow Dash. Having no fear doesn’t make you strong.” The blue mare looked up to the tenderly smiling face of Fluttershy in confusion, tears still in her eyes. “It would be foolish to think that you don’t have fear. All living things have fear and they need it. Fear is one of the most basic survival instincts. How else are we to push ourselves beyond our limits? To fly faster? To work longer? To fight harder? Do you remember the Young Flyers Competition?” Rainbow Dash nodded in recollection. “How did you feel when you saw Rarity lose her wings and fall from the sky?”

“I...I was scared that I wasn’t going to be able to catch her in time.” Rainbow Dash confessed.

“But you did. You were able to do a Sonic Rainboom that you had trouble doing before and you saved her. Do you remember the Wonderbolts Academy and how you saved us after the tornado hit our balloon?”

“I thought I was going to lose all of you.”

"And...what about when the Xenomorph was going to strike me?"

"I...I was scared for you. I thought I wasn't going to make it to you...and s-save you..."

“But you didn’t. You were able to think fast and save us all. Don’t you see, Rainbow Dash? It’s good to have fear. Use it to push yourself, but don’t push yourself too hard.” Rainbow Dash thoughtfully looked down at the ground. Fluttershy then stood up. “Come on, Rainbow Dash. There’s going to be a baby shower for Princess Cadence and I was sent to come get you.”

“Yeah, maybe I should relax a bit before training some more.” Rainbow Dash conceded as she followed Fluttershy back to Ponyville.

"Sweetie Bell? Hello...is anypony here?" Rarity called out into the building. When her little sister didn’t answer, she figured she was at their parents’ house. It had been a while since she got out from the hospital, and she was glad to be home.

Well Rarity, Cadence's baby shower is taking place here soon, so you might as well get ready. We can't go without looking our best now can we?

She put her saddlebag down next to the door and slowly walked in. She silently walked up the stairs to her room and hesitantly opened up her door. Honestly Rarity, stop worrying so much. There is nothing in this establishment that shall do you any bodily harm.

The door slowly creaked open, her wary gaze scanning the room in case anything was out of place. Even after a few weeks had passed since the destruction of the Queen, she was still afraid that something had survived and sooner or later would wreak havoc. She turned on the lights and looked around her bedroom.

Everything is going to be fine. She kept telling herself this, but even reassurance was still not enough to calm her worrying thoughts. She cautiously looked about as she took tentative steps across the threshold. Nothing seemed too out of place and no signs of unwanted entry seemed to show.

With a sigh of relief, the white unicorn walked into her room. She first went to the blinds and opened each one with her magic, surrounding the small poles in her light blue aura. The sun greeted her as it quickly filled the room with more light. Ah, that is much better. Rarity then used her magic to flip the light switch off, turning the florescent lights off in her room and allowing the sun's rays to illuminate the room in natural light.

Okay Rarity, let's get to work. You have to look fabulous for the baby shower after all. She walked over to the large mirror in her room and levitated her materials towards herself. With her makeup case in front of her, she went to work, adding touches to her blush and eyeliner. After she was tidying up with her makeup, she then pondered about what dress she should wear. Well, you don't need to overdo it as always. Besides, this is a baby shower after all. But a certain thought reminded her of a problem.

With delicate hooves, she reached down to her chest and parted the fur away, revealing the scar of her surgery. It was faint and easily hidden by her white coat. Nopony would ever notice it, but for Rarity, it was a constant reminder of what had happened and what could've been. Without my friends’ assistance... I wouldn't...well, be even alive if they never found me. Rarity could feel her emotions welling up inside, but held them back. You don't need to go and ruin your makeup now. However, the thought remained. She knew what was the fate of those who were infected by the Xenomorphs. She could vividly recall the awful feeling of the facehugger forcing its ovipositor down her throat while clutching onto her face. They had told her that they had to remove the infant Xenomorph that was gestating within her body. Rarity shuddered from the thought. She felt violated. That...thing, I...I never want to experience anything like that ever again. The faint taste of it soon came back and Rarity gagged badly. She felt her chest convulse and the pain came back once more.

Nopony...should ever have to go through such a horrifying moment. That was just awful. She shook her head quickly and dismissed anymore thoughts of the terrifying creature and walked out her bedroom door. She then went downstairs and thought, I don’t really need to wear anything at all. I mean it’s not like the scar is visible anyway. She opened the door and locked it with her keys. Putting them in the saddlebag she took with her, she walked off to the train station and headed towards the Crystal Empire.

As the day went by, the sun was high in the sky. Twilight and her friends arrived to give Cadence a baby shower to congratulate her. As the group entered the room, they saw that the pink alicorn was sitting in a chair, waiting patiently for them to arrive. When she heard the sound of hoofsteps, she looked towards the door and smiled as she saw everypony come in. “Hey everypony. I’m glad you all could make it.”

“Of course, we wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Twilight replied.

“Where’s Celestia and Luna?” As Cadence asked this, the two royal princesses flew in through the window. “Oh, there you two are.”

“Did you think we would miss our niece’s first ever baby shower?” Celestia teasingly stated.

The pink alicorn giggled slightly. Soon the party commenced, but with less enthusiasm than anticipated. Everypony was silent most of the time, having to force smiles since one pony was missing from the group. Tension was felt in the air as the party continued. The one thing that showed was that Cadence’s belly was a bit more rounded than before.

Everypony was glad, but this brought back unwanted memories. Shining...he should be here to see this… The mood dampened more as Cadence unwrapped her presents from not just her friends, but some from the citizens of the crystal empire as well. They reminded her of the life that could’ve been but was sadly taken away by the monster of nightmares. The group of ponies stared at the floor as a minute went by. Soon, the party came to a standstill as everypony stood silent.

There was a loud sound that caused everypony to jump in their seats and turn to see that Pinkie Pie had just set off the party cannon, sending multicolored confetti into the air. “Hey everypony! Its time to shake your groove thang!”

“Pinkie, what are you-” As Twilight tried to ask her pink friend, streamers shot out from the cannon again as Pinkie set it off once more.

“Come on everypony! Let’s get this party started! Pinkie Pie style!” The pink earth pony began rushing around, throwing all sorts of party favors that only seemed to confuse the others even more. Just as Applejack was going to say something to Pinkie, she rushed up to them all and said, “Come everypony! Let’s get our dance craze on!”

The group were then forced to dance as Pinkie blasted the volume on the phonograph, amplifying the sound and causing some of the ponies to cover their ears, hoping to help protect their eardrums from the deafening sound of the loud music. Soon Twilight had enough and yelled, “Pinkiiiieeeeee!”

The music stopped abruptly and Pinkie stopped in mid air before slowly coming back down to the ground. Cadence sadly smiled and approached Pinkie. “Pinkie Pie. I know that you’re trying to cheer us up...but what are you doing?”

“I’m trying to get this party started, duhhh.”

“Pinkie, I don’t think this is the proper time-” Cadence started to say.

“Princess Cadence, it is the perfect time for a party.” Pinkie Pie told her, suddenly becoming serious. The others noted this sudden change in her tone and listened with curiosity and confusion. “I know what everypony is feeling right now. I feel it too; we all miss Shining Armor.” At the mention of the deceased stallion’s name, the group lowered their heads and gazed gloomily at the floor. “But we musn’t forget why we’re here today. We’re here to celebrate you and your baby.”

“But I don’t know if I’m in the mood for a party.” Cadence told her, her spirits lowering even further. “It’s just a reminder that he isn’t here. A reminder...that the foal will never know their father…” Cadence began to cry, prompting Twilight to wrap a comforting hoof around her shoulders. “I...I just don’t know how I’ll go on now without him…”

“You have to. If not for your sake, for your foal’s sake then.” Pinkie was being firm with her, but not to be mean. Rather, she was trying to keep her pressing forward and to prevent her from giving into despair. “Cadence, I’m not saying you should forget Shining Armor. I would never ask that of you. I’m asking you to be strong for your baby. I’m asking you to look forward to the future and have hope. I’m asking you…” She paused and stepped closer to the saddened expectant mother to place a friendly hoof on hers. Cadence looked up to see Pinkie’s serious look had become one of sympathy. “...to smile.”

Cadence stared at the pink mare with such kindness as more tears slowly rolled out. Everypony else soon had tears come down from hearing the very kind and heartfelt speech that Pinkie had given. The group of ponies cried for sometime before tears were finally wiped away. They silently agreed to put any negative thoughts aside and to enjoy the moment they were sharing. As the baby shower continued with a much happier tone, Twilight looked over to Spike. She noticed that he seemed to distance himself from the rest of the group, standing out over the balcony outside.

Worried for his well-being, she walked over to where he stood and saw that he seemed so detached. He didn’t seem to smile and what she also noticed was the physical changes as well. His height was increased slightly. He was a little leaner as she noticed his baby fat shrunk down a tiny fraction. His fangs were poking more out of his mouth, his claws were slightly elongated and his spines were sharper looking than usual.

“Hey Spike, why don’t you play pin the tail on the pony with Nyx and the others?” Twilight suggested hopefully, motioning over to where her daughter was playing with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle.

“Sure...whatever.” Spike replied half-heartedly, slowly walking over to the group. She watched him in confusion, and was a little worried. She opened her mouth to say something to him, but he had already walked away. She followed him back into the room and saw that everypony was happier than before.

After sometime, it was evening and everypony was beginning to leave. Twilight walked up to Cadence’s side and said, “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to stay here with you for tonight.”

“Why’s that Twilight?”

“Well, it’s just... I wanted to keep you company. Since after all that happened, I wanted to help you out for the next few days.”

“You mean…”

“Yes...I was hoping that I...maybe…”

Cadence moved her hoof to Twilight’s mouth and said, “Twilight...I understand.” A few tears fell down their cheeks. “It’s alright. I think we both need this visit. You, Nyx, and Spike can stay here for a few days. You’re always welcomed here.” The two alicorns hugged each other. Tears rolling down both their cheeks as they embraced.

As night rolled around, Twilight was unpacking in her guest bedroom. Nyx was in the other room while Spike was going to share her room in his own bed. As Twilight finished unpacking, she looked towards Spike again and noticed that he still had a somber expression.

“So Spike, did you enjoy the party?” Twilight awkwardly asked, trying to break the ice.

“Yeah, I guess…” He responded in a hollow tone. Twilight watched him unpack, sluggish in his movements. She once again noticed his claws and how much sharper they appeared.

“I noticed your claws have grown.” She pointed out. He looked down at his hands, but then just shrugged and went back to unpacking. “Your spines too, they’ve gotten...well, more developed as well.” Again, Spike gave a nonchalant grunt. Seeing that the young dragon wasn’t going for the small talk, she sighed and went over to Spike. She placed a hoof on his shoulder and turned him around to face her. “Spike, we need to talk.”

“What’s there to talk about?” He asked coldly.

“Spike, I can tell there’s something wrong. Please...tell me. Talk to me.” The small dragon remained silent. Twilight then said, “It’s about me and Nyx...isn’t it?”

He nodded silently as Twilight continued to talk. “You’re disappointed in yourself that you couldn’t save us, that when Nyx was taken away, you felt like you let her down...is that why you’re so...distant?”

“I should’ve been able to save her!” Spike began, but there was no sadness in voice, only anger. “If I was quicker, if I was stronger, than she would never have been hurt.”

“But Spike, she’s fine.”

“And I also felt weak, because of that monster.”

“The Xenomorph?”

“No! That evil pony, Kettlepot!”

“Spike, Kettlepot wasn’t in his right mind. I’m sure he would never harm anypony on purpose.”

“But you didn’t see what he was about to do to you!” Spike shouted, his body trembling in rage. The mention of what Kettlepot had intended on doing to her while she was unconscious made her flinch. “I...I saw him standing over you, holding you...He was about to...to…” Spike spun around and yelled as he punched a wardrobe with fisted claw, shattering the door. Twilight jumped at his sudden violent outburst.

“Spike, calm down!” She tried to soothe the upset dragon, but he still seethed with self-loathing.

“He could’ve...and I wouldn’t been able to stop it…” He muttered, his rage simmering down to depression. He didn’t notice Twilight walking up to him. She wrapped her hooves around him and pulled him in to her chest. He tried to squirm away out of her hug, but offered little resistance once she started to soothingly shush him and nuzzle him.

“Ssshhhh...Everything will be okay, Spike. We’re all fine now.”

Spike nodded, but didn’t really believe what she said. Without another word, Twilight let him go and both beings finally went to their beds. Twilight turned off the lights and snuggled into her covers, while Spike slept in his, still thinking about what she said. He didn’t know that Twilight thought about what he had said too. She dismissed the thought and let sleep finally take her.

Twilight Sparkle screamed in agony. This was a pain unlike she had ever experienced before. Sweat profusely ran down her brow and her teeth were clenched so tight that they could probably crush diamonds. She panted rapidly and then threw back her head and screamed again.

“That’s it, Your Highness. Push!” A doctor urged her. Twilight was lying on a hospital bed, her hind legs in stirrups, and her belly was swollen. Tears of pain leaked from her eyes that were squeezed shut. It had been sometime since the incident with the Xenomorph, but the young mare’s trials were far from over. Despite what she and everypony else believed, Spike had been too late and Kettlepot did indeed have his way with her. When she discovered she was pregnant with the insane unicorn’s child, she had actually screamed, then fainted. When she recovered, she was shell shocked and was essentially mute for two weeks. Her friends were, of course, concerned for her well being and Spike blamed himself for her condition. When she finally came to terms with her situation, she decided to keep the child. Right now, she was having second thoughts.

“Breathe, Your Highness.” Nurse Redheart encouraged her. At Twilight’s side was Applejack, who was holding her hoof, and the rest of their friends were waiting in the waiting room. Though they all wanted to be in the delivery room with her, the doctors said that only one of them could be there at a time.

“Your almost there. One more push.” The doctor said to her. Twilight breathed in and out deeply and then strained as she pushed. She then arched her back and screamed as an infant Xenomorph ripped out of her chest and shrieked at the shocked doctors and nurses.

Twilight awoke with a start. She bolted right up in her bed, panting rapidly. She looked around and saw she was still in the Crystal Empire. It was the middle of the night and everything was quiet. Her hoof went to her chest; no xenomorph. She pulled back the covers of her bed and looked at her belly; no foal. Of course there was no foal. Back at the hospital after Rarity had awakened from her surgery, her friends had finally convinced her to let the doctors tend to her wounds that she had sustained during her battle with the Queen Xenomorph. While they were treating her, she had discreetly asked them to check if Kettlepot had or had not in fact had his way with her. Much to her relief, there was no evidence whatsoever that he had. Even though she knew for a fact that she wasn’t pregnant, the nightmare she just had forced her to look down at her stomach with paranoia. It took her a few moments, but her rational mind eventually conquered her irrational fears.

Looking back up, she saw Spike sleeping soundly in his bed. She got out of her own bed and went to the adjacent room. She cracked opened the door and saw that her daughter, Nyx, was also sleeping peacefully. Sighing with relief, she got back into her bed. However, she couldn’t go back to sleep. Her mind was racing. Thoughts of the Xenomorph still haunted her mind. They had saved Equestria...no, the entire world from the threat of that nightmare fiend from beyond the stars, but they had lost so much. So many lives, so many friends, her dear brother. Twilight covered her face with her hooves and silently wept into the night.

A few weeks earlier

As the doctor left Princess Twilight and the others to have their moment together after Rarity’s surgery, he realized that there was one last thing to do. He went to the room where he met the pony from earlier and had a little something along with him. When he arrived, the pony was sitting right there. “Ah...I see you got it.”

“Yeah, here’s the thing you wanted.” He passed the covered tube into the hooves of one of the gruff looking stallions next to the pony. “Now...how about my reward?”

“Of course.” He nodded to the pony on his right and the grunt passed the doctor a silver suitcase. When the doctor opened it, a yellow light appeared as he saw all the bits inside. He closed it and packed it on his side.

“It was a pleasure doing business with you, Dr. Caballeron.”

“The same as with you, my very wise friend.” He looked at the hidden tube and laughed. “My associate shall be very pleased with your assistance.”

With that, Caballeron walked away with his two grunts, leaving the doctor to pack the suitcase away and take it back to his home. Caballeron took off the black cloth and smiled. “Neighland will pay a fortune for you.” He said to the flesh colored larva within the tube. The creature was frozen by magic and it had a small crest growing on the back of its head.

In the vast emptiness of space, a ship flew amongst the stars. The ship’s monitors detected an explosion and altered its course to investigate. As time passed, the ship came upon the planet Erebus. They scanned the surface to see if anything was there, but radioactive energy was all they could sense. Whatever happened here, they were too late.

The ship picked up another signal and a picture soon appeared on the monitor. A ship had crashed somewhere. It picked up the ship’s trail and followed it to a distant planet. When the mysterious vessel approached the unknown planet, the monitors scanned the wreckage of the downed spacecraft. On the bridge, a hologram projector displayed an image. Four beings surrounded the hologram as they looked at the data presented. It was unmistakable; the serpents had made it to this new world they had discovered. The hunt was on.

Author's Notes:

And kablam! I see you all are very excited for our little teaser at the ending here. To put all doubts away, yes. We are making a sequel! As you can tell who we shall use next time, be prepared...the hunt has been initiated.

Now that this has been covered, I'd like to say thank you all for reading my story. I thank you all so much for sticking with me and staying till the very end. I should also thank DiabloGuapo for everything he's done. He has helped me so much and has really given me the hand I needed for getting this story finished and accomplished. So, since everypony here will probably have questions...I'll ask that you send me via PM's and I'll put them on a blog later on. Hope you all enjoyed this thrilling story that me and Diablo made and I shall see you all next time!

Till then...prepare for the battle ahead, a new player has taken his place on the battlefield, and things will definitely get...messy.

P.S. Again, thanks to everypony for you're time and I shall say thank you again. Everything you have done has been nothing but amazing. Till then, I'm XxEpsilonxX and I bid you a good morning, afternoon, evening, night or whatever and shall hopefully see you all very soon. (Oh and on another thing, if anyone could create a coverart for the next sequel...me and Diablo will give you the details, I would highly appreciate it it anypony helped out).