The Parasite

Carnage wasn't stopped as he picked his way through the crowd, glancing around at people's faces, seeing mostly confusion. Apparently they didn't yet know exactly what had happened, just that it was something huge. There were whispers from people suggesting what could have happened to lead to this many cops and forensic investigators coming out. Did they bust a meth lab inside the building? Did someone get killed or hurt working on an experiment? Though there weren't as many paramedics as they would have expected if that was the case... it seemed to be a criminal matter.

Carnage smirked. They had no idea what was in store. He saw some of his host's other friends scattered in the crowd, Rarity looking sleepy but curious, and Rainbow pacing around trying to get a good view of things.

Reaching the police tape, Carnage began listening to what the officials on the other side were talking about. He could see that the broken doors from him going into the building were marked as evidence and an investigator was taking a picture.

“-working on getting the video footage copied right now,” one man was saying. “But we watched it already, it was that same monster who's been responsible for most of the massacres recently. Red.”

The cop he was talking to nodded somberly. “It was chasing a girl into there, right?”

“Right. None of the footage shows her coming out.”

There were sad murmurs and some of the other students who overheard began spreading the information around. Noticing this, the officials quickly moved further away from them to continue their talk. Carnage smiled and wandered over to the closest friend of Sunset's he could see, that being Fluttershy, who had just arrived.

“I saw flashing lights through my window and it woke me up,” Fluttershy said, yawning and rubbing her eyes. “What's going on?”

“Not sure,” Carnage replied, forcing his expression into a mildly concerned one. “I came over to see too. Sounds like it was Red, though.”

Fluttershy tensed. “Red?” she squeaked. Several others around them shot them surprised and then scared looks, before quickly talking among themselves, some moving further from the building.

“Cameras caught footage of him chasing someone in,” Carnage continued. “They didn't see the person come back out. Judging from all this, it's quite a mess in the science department. But I don't know all the details yet.”

“Oh no, how awful... I never thought he'd kill someone here...” Fluttershy shook. Carnage felt his host's desire to reach over and pat the other's back to comfort her, but he ignored it.

“So close to us. It's scary, huh? I think Twi was right, we all need to do something. See if we can find him and use our magic to defeat him.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes, this is getting out of hand. Have you seen Twi out here? She's usually up early, she should have seen all this.”

Carnage shook his head, delighting in the way Sunset wailed in his head. “Haven't seen her. Perhaps she was up too late and ended up sleeping in.”

“Maybe. I'll text her.” Fluttershy took her phone out and sent a message.

While they were standing there, Rainbow sped up next to them. “Either of you know what's going on?”

“No more than you do, I'm sure,” Carnage replied lightly. They had no idea what had happened. But there was no doubt that would change soon. All it would take was the police revealing the contents of the camera footage. Though it might take a while for that to happen through official channels. He scoured his host's brain for info on how this sort of thing usually worked out. Usually once a victim was identified, the family was the first to be notified and news outlets weren't supposed to report names until then. But he also knew from Sunset's memories of various other big news murders that journalists didn't always follow those rules. It's been especially bad since he made his appearance. News of his latest kills were fast to hit the public sphere, names and sometimes even photos included, all before the families were even told.

All it took was one person slipping up...

They were joined by Rarity. “I've been texting everyone to see if they know anything but it's mostly just rumors,” she said with a sigh. “Whatever happened was last night, they say that monster Red chased a poor student across campus and into the science department and well, it's almost certain it killed them. But who it was, and where exactly they might have died in there, is... uncertain.”

“Twilight still hasn't gotten back to me, usually she's all over any news about Red and for this to happen right here?” Fluttershy said. “I'm surprised she's not over here tearing her way through the police line.”

“Right?” Rainbow asked. “She'd be rushing right in there making sure her precious science stuff is okay.”

“Maybe one of us should go get her,” Rarity mused. “Sunset, would you-”

“Nah, I've got it,” Rainbow interrupted. “Be right back.” She ran away, speeding up as soon as she was away from the crowd. A few moments passed and then she was right back, looking bewildered. “Okay, uh. She's not in her room.”

“What?” the others demanded, turning to stare at her.

“Are you sure? Maybe she was just sleeping?” Rarity asked.

“There was no way she could sleep with the way I was banging on her door,” Rainbow replied. “Nah, I knocked, I yelled, she didn't answer. But Spike did. He said that Twilight said she had to go somewhere last night and would be back soon, but... she isn't back yet. I would have gone in there but the door was locked and he couldn't get it open for me.”

They exchanged uncomfortable looks and Fluttershy softly said, “Could you... go check the parking lot for her car?”

“Oh, good idea! Haha, you know Twilight, she probably really needed some last minute book or something and drove into town and her car broke down...” Rainbow again ran off. Carnage could feel tension in the others as they waited and he wanted to break into laughter. Seemed they were going to figure it out sooner than he thought! When Rainbow returned, she was breathing hard and her eyes were wide. “Her car's still here. I ran around the campus a bit, checking the library, the cafe, all her usual places... she's not here. Spike said she didn't tell him where she went either.”

The fear that swept through the group was palpable. “Where is she?” Rarity cried.

“She couldn't be...” Fluttershy turned to stare at the building, eyes wide.

Carnage supposed he should play along. “I'm sure she's okay!”

“She's been trying for months now to figure out who and what Red is,” Rarity pointed out. “Do you think she... do you think she finally tracked him down? And he...” She swallowed, face paling; she couldn't even suggest it.

They saw the dean of the university moving toward the police line now, accompanied by a few officials. They ducked under the tape and went to talk with some of the others. At around the same time, a few firefighters came out too and seemed to declare the building safe, because more people went inside. The dean went too.

There were murmurs about what the firefighters might have been doing. Was there a fire inside? They hadn't seen any smoke. A chemical spill, perhaps? It wasn't out of the question.

Carnage wondered if that burner he had left on did any damage overnight. Though the mess from him mixing the ammonia and bleach definitely would have required some cleanup. His sharp vision was able to make out the HazMat label on some of the equipment the firefighters had with them. Yep, they took care of it.

Behind him, he heard Rarity start sobbing. “Twilight, please, answer your phone!” she pleaded.

“I'm going over there,” Rainbow declared, beginning to move through the crowd. They parted for her and Carnage followed, along with Fluttershy and Rarity. As soon as Rainbow got to the tape, she called, “Hey! Is Red behind this?”

She got some vague shrugs and someone carefully said, “We're still investigating the cause-”

“I know you know already! There's cameras all over the place! What happened? Was another student killed? Tell us!”

Emboldened by Rainbow's demands, the other students began chanting, “Tell us!” along with her.

A few cops came over to try and calm things down, asking people to step back, they couldn't reveal anything until they knew for sure. And if there was a death, they said, the next of kin would be notified first.

“But you'll tell us if someone died, right?” Rainbow insisted.

After some conversation, someone who looked like a member of the FBI came over to talk to everyone, getting out a megaphone. “I know you're all very upset, but please relax and let us finish our investigation. What I can tell you is that yes, the serial killer known as Red was here. We confirmed while reviewing security footage that it pursued a female individual into this building. We also identified who it was chasing, but at the moment we cannot say, as we are still contacting her family.”

“Was it a student?” several people demanded.

The agent hesitated, looking over at his supervisor, who nodded. He looked back at the crowd and said, “Yes. But please, no further questions at this time.”

That didn't do much to settle the crowd. Even without knowing who it was, several people burst into tears, beginning to ask who it could have been, frightened to have lost someone who might have sat right next to them, who has talked to them, knowing it could have been any of them instead.

Rainbow's hands shook as she gripped the tape. “It can't be... it can't have been Twilight.”

Hearing that, a few other people began passing the name around, asking each other when they last saw her, knowing the woman was brilliant and helpful, already well known at the university, and so many professors had good things to say about her... and she was well known for her love of science. Could she have been the one to run in there, possibly seeking refuge, only to meet her end?

Rarity was crying now and backed away from the tape. “No, no please, not her...”

Carnage was quite pleased with how quickly and easily he had caused so much distress and fear among the college population. Now they all feared for their lives. But most of them wouldn't have to worry. They were young, many were healthy, he could use them later. No, the only ones who should be afraid were the three Elements standing near him.

He waited around there with the others to see if they were given any more information. After a few minutes, the dean returned, looking shaken. He seemed to struggle to speak a few times, then said, “I'm going to... schedule an assembly. To inform everyone of what happened here.” He refused to answer any questions directed toward him from the students, instead speaking only to the other officials and the emergency responders.

An email was soon sent out to everyone in the university asking them to attend the assembly in the largest conference hall at 9 AM, well after many classes would have began, but every class scheduled for that time was canceled for the day. The room was quickly filled to capacity by everyone wanting to know what had happened and the local press was standing by for more information too. The rumors of who had been killed were heavily circulating by now but they wanted to know for sure.

All of Twi's friends were in hysterics by then. There was still no sign of her and though they still clung to hope, they knew, deep down, she was dead. They just refused to let it sink in completely until they were told. Pinkie and Applejack were informed and also came to the university to sit in on the assembly.

Carnage only went because it would have been suspicious if he hadn't. He kept a blank look on his face as he sat near the other Elements, making himself look distraught if anyone glanced his way, but otherwise he stared off into space lost in his own thoughts.

After what felt like forever, the dean finally took the stage. His expression was somber and it looked like he had just finished crying. But his voice was steady enough when he spoke into the mic. “Thank you all for coming. I'm sure you've all been wondering what happened this morning over in the science department. It is grave news, I am afraid. Last night, the monster-like serial killer who has been committing countless murders across the country came here in its search for blood. We do not know what its specific motives might have been, if it even had any beyond a simple desire to kill. Nonetheless, it was caught on camera chasing one of the students here across campus and into the department. Cameras in the hall recorded it chasing her up to the second floor, where she seemed to attempt to escape into a supply room. Upon checking the supply room cameras, we saw it attack her. The assault seemed to take place entirely within that room and the adjacent lab. I will spare you the details but the woman did not survive.”

The room was briefly filled with quiet chatter and exclamations of shock, but everyone fell silent as soon as the dean started talking again.

“We have already told her family what happened and they allowed us to pass the news on to all of you, stating that she would have wanted you to know her fate.” He lifted a remote and clicked it, a photo appearing on the large screen behind him. “I am deeply sorry to inform you all that we have lost a valued student and a dear friend today... Ms. Twilight Sparkle.”

It took everything Carnage had not to grin at the resulting screams and cries from Twilight's friends and from the others in the room. It had been one thing to guess it, but hearing it confirmed seemed to make everyone lose it. There was sobbing, shouting about how the rest of them could stay safe, demands that something be done to finally catch that horrible monster.

Carnage reveled in all the chaos, so caught up in enjoying it that he didn't notice when Pinkie, who was sitting right next to him, turned and caught the look on his face.

“Sunset?” she asked, wiping her eyes off, though she kept sniffing. “A-are you smiling?”

“What? Oh, no, no I just...” Carnage fixed his expression into an upset one, glancing to see if any of the others had noticed, but most of them were still crying and holding each other, not paying attention to him. “I-I just can't believe this happened!” He tapped into Sunset's misery and allowed himself to cry just like she would, and Pinkie wrapped him into a hug. He grunted, Sunset's unconscious empathy magic letting him feel how upset the other was, and the sadness was almost unbearable. It was annoying enough feeling that from one person. He blocked off the magic and then pulled back from the hug before Sunset got any ideas.

“H-hey, where are you going?” Pinkie asked as Carnage got up.

“I can't be here right now,” he replied. He saw the other Elements looking at him curiously now, so he covered his face and pretended to sob as he ran the other way. “I just can't!” He had to admit, it was pretty easy making himself sound hysterical. No one stopped him, only offering him sympathetic looks as he fled the building.

Once away from everyone, he slowed and began laughing, looking up at the sky while he wiped tears out of his eyes.

“Gullible fools. They have no idea what awaits all of them,” he said smugly.

He was beginning to consider going back to the dorm when all of Sunset's friends came outside too, quickly seeing him and jogging over.

“Hey, we're here for you,” Rainbow said, wrapping an arm around him. He instinctively tensed but she didn't let go, holding him closer. He hated the feeling of her tears as she leaned against him.

“W-we all need to be here for each other,” Rarity said, hiccuping and occasionally blowing her nose between sobs. Her makeup was beginning to run down her cheeks. She reached out a hand too, patting Carnage's shoulder.

He groaned as they all began offering him words of comfort, holding his hands or hugging him, and he hissed a warning to Sunset to not try her earlier trick with the memories again. She assured him she wouldn't. She didn't want to make the others suffer like Twi had.

“I just can't believe that awful monster got her,” Pinkie said, gulping as she struggled to get her words out. “She was so sweet, a-and strong, she didn't deserve to die... no one deserves to die to a beast like that, n-not even bad people...”

“It's... it's a lot to take in,” Applejack said, choking up too. “Yesterday, she was with us. Now she's... she's gone.” She sighed and sank onto the ground, covering her face. “God, why, poor Twilight didn't deserve to be taken from us so soon...”

Carnage was disgusted with how weak they were all being. He could just snap them all up right now if he wanted to. Their attachment to their friend had rendered them powerless in the face of her demise. He watched as the others moved to sit with Applejack on the ground, holding each other as they shared in their sorrow.

He turned to leave, not wanting to be around this pitiful display any longer.

“Where are you going?” Rainbow asked.

Carnage glanced over his shoulder and saw that despite their misery, they were also casting him unsure, worried looks. He didn't really care to keep acting sad about this, so he just shortly said, “I need to be alone. I'll talk to you all later.”

“I know it's hard but please don't isolate yourself,” Rarity said, getting up and running over to grip his shoulder. “We can all get through this together, so please-”

Losing his temper, Carnage tossed her hand off and yelled, “I don't want to deal with any of you right now!” He snorted at their shocked expressions and ran back toward the dorm. None of them followed. Good.

Oh you really screwed up, Sunset said once Carnage was back in the room and locking the door.

What do you mean? he replied.

Me yelling at them and running away after something like that? When I would usually be sitting there crying along with the rest of them? You definitely made them suspicious.

Who cares? Your best friend died, any odd behavior can be excused as you just being in grief and lashing out. And that's what I'll tell them if they pry. It's all just you being emotional and needing space while dealing with the loss of the woman you loved. Sunset's phone buzzed and Carnage yanked it out, sure it would be one of those friends he just left behind.

Sure enough, it was Pinkie. Take your time, she had written. We're all here for you if you need us.

Though Carnage scoffed, seeing that warmed Sunset's heart. They cared about her so much. She had to escape Carnage's grasp for their sake. She couldn't stand the thought of losing them too. But there was no way he would allow her to try that empathy magic trick again. She had to think of something else, and fast. As much as she wanted to just sink into despair and accept what has happened to her, she refused to give up hope. It wasn't what Twi would want her to do. Or any of them. They all would expect her to work to save them.

She just hoped she could.