The Parasite

Carnage was deeply restless. His identity has been compromised and it was only a matter of time before that princess tries to do something about it. Sunset could feel his anger and apprehension as he stalked back and forth inside the dorm room, occasionally throwing things, but mostly just growling and hissing to himself. Though it had been painful to look at Princess Twilight's face after what happened, Sunset was overjoyed to see that she had come. Her friends must have gotten into contact with her somehow and told her everything. Things would be good now. She would know how to fix this.

“That pony princess doesn't stand a chance against me,” Carnage snapped. “I now possess not only your magic but the magic of this world's Twilight. To say nothing of all the power I've gained from the many, many humans I've feasted on. I am unstoppable!”

They have the magic of friendship on their side, Sunset replied.

“Ugh, enough with that magic of friendship bullshit! It won't be able to stop me either. Why did I put off killing the rest of those magical girls, now they've called for help, this is going to make things difficult. But no matter! I'll take care of them and then nothing will stand in my way.”

Sunset felt crawling across their skin and grew alarmed. Hey, what are you doing?

“I'm going to eliminate them right now.” Carnage suited up and tore the door from its frame as he stalked out of the room, heading toward Rainbow's room. “Before they can rally up. If I pick them off one by one they'll go down as easily as Twilight did.” He tried the knob, found it locked, and ripped it from its hinges too. “Ohh Rainbow Dash!” he called.

A quick look around the room revealed no one. He growled and walked in, flinging open the bathroom door and checking in there, but Rainbow was nowhere to be found.

“Not home, huh? You'll have to return eventually.”

Sunset wanted to beg him to stop, to try and hold him back, but she was afraid of what he might do to the others once he did find one of them. She didn't want to see any of them be tortured like Twi was. But she didn't want him to give them quick deaths either! She didn't want them to die at all!

Using Sunset's memories of where the others lived, he tried Rarity's room next. Empty. Fluttershy's room. Also empty. Not even Spike was in there.

They're probably with Twilight, Sunset said.

Carnage snarled and ran for the stairs. He shoved students out of the way as he moved, jumping down the stairwell and landing heavily on the first floor. He bounded through the hall, enjoying how everyone who saw him screamed and scrambled back against the wall to get out of his way. He broke through the doors and went outside, straightening and looking around the campus, all his senses on high alert for the Elements. Sunset stayed very quiet in Carnage's mind, not wanting to give him any suggestions as to where they could be. Knowing Twilight, they were already working on a plan, but they would probably need time.

After standing there for a while, Carnage ran for the parking lot, checking to see which vehicles were here. He saw every vehicle that belonged to one of the girls who lived on campus. But he knew Pinkie had a van and Applejack had a pickup truck. If all his targets were together in one place, they were likely in that van. He began scanning the parking lot for it.

It was quickly apparent that it wasn't here. Its obnoxious pink coloring stood out like a sore thumb. He would have to search the streets.

He charged toward the nearest building and climbed it, giving himself a vantage point to scan the surrounding area. He could see many vehicles out and about, but he still couldn't find the van. He began running across rooftops, jumping and climbing onto taller and taller buildings as he headed into the city.

It's a huge place, you're never going to find them like this, Sunset thought quietly.

“Shut up!” he shouted. “I'll find them. I must find them.”

His usual carefree demeanor was slipping. Sunset could feel his agitation and even his worry. He knew that Twilight along with the others were very capable of taking down huge threats with their magic. On top of that, they had Venom with them, who has no doubt informed them of all his weaknesses.

There's something I felt when Twilight visited us. When you sensed Venom in her. What exactly is Venom to you?

“He was the most pathetic member of Riot's crew,” Carnage muttered, pausing on an especially tall building to check the streets below. “Physically, he was strong, yes. He did the work he was assigned. He was a skilled killer. But he was always... soft. Sympathetic. He always said he wished we handled things more peacefully, that we would try to live in harmony with the hosts we took. I hate his weakness.”

Is that all? He's nice so you hate him?

“You wouldn't understand. You have the same problem as him. You're kind and empathetic and care about doing good. But there is one positive I can grant to his existence.” Carnage kept traveling, leaping clear across the gap between this building and one on the other side of the street. He landed heavily and his claws scraped a good way down it before he caught himself. “I would not exist if not for him.”

What... Venom's your father?

“We don't care for terms like that. But from your perspective, yes, I suppose I would call him my parent. He is my progenitor.”

Strange how someone as kind as him could make someone like you.

“It is strange, is it not? But I see it as further proof he is just defective. Those who came before him were like me, and I also behave as a true Klyntar should. Venom should have been removed from the team as soon as I came into being, but Riot still needed his strength, thus he stayed. And look where that led. Riot dead, our squad disbanded, my old comrades living pathetic, domestic lives within hosts who are no doubt forcing them to ignore their true calling. Once I deal with your friends here, I'm going to return to Equestria. I'm going to liberate my old squad members. Once they see my power, they will join my side. And if any of them don't, well.” He chuckled and snapped his jaws a few times. “More fuel in the tank.”

Carnage spent nearly an hour exploring the city trying to track down Sunset's friends. He even swung by Pinkie's place but saw neither the van nor any of the Elements. He was growing frustrated with the search and Sunset was glad to feel him so upset. It was about time something didn't go his way.

Then there was a buzz, as under Carnage's skin, Sunset's phone vibrated and its text alert rang out.

“Oh? Perhaps one of your friends is feeling chatty.” Carnage moved some of his skin aside and pulled the phone out to check it.

It was an old group text that Carnage recognized as one that Sunset used to talk in that included all six of the other Elements. It clearly hasn't been touched since before Twi's death, but now there was a message from Pinkie saying, Don't you think he'd check AJ's place tho?

After several moments, during which a few texting icons showed up from the other members and then disappeared, Pinkie added, Oops wrong chat. No one else said anything and she didn't either.

Pinkie! Sunset cried.

“Hm. Interesting,” Carnage said. “Though it could be a trap...” He went through Sunset's memories and saw repeated instances of Pinkie including the wrong people on group messages and generally being clumsy with her texting. “Or perhaps the pink one has just made a fatal mistake.”

No, oh she's definitely trying to lure you into a trap at Applejack's place, please don't go there, Sunset pleaded.

“This city is so large that I hadn't even thought about the farm. But of course. Plenty of places to hide there... or set up a trap. I will not allow them to get that far.”

They've probably already put one together for you, you're walking into your own death if you go there.

“Hah! It's hardly been an hour since the princess and my useless progenitor came here. There's nothing her and her friends could have put together in that time that's any threat to me.”

This is Twilight Sparkle we're talking about. She's brilliant. And like you said, she knows your weaknesses because she has Venom. They've got something ready.

He was still for a bit as he considered. If he kept waiting and tried to ambush them later, they could really have something prepared for him. But today, they may have just revealed their location while unprepared, and he could destroy them right now. Finally, he said, “I will scope out the farm. I will avoid any traps they may have laid. If those wretched girls are all together, I will scatter them and deal with them one by one. I know they are strong together. Alone, they will not stand a chance.”

With that, he raced across the city, using roof tops until he was out of the dense urban area and the buildings spread further apart, the city becoming a suburban sprawl. He leaped down to the ground and kept going, following a road that led out to the countryside. Everyone he passed was too scared to pursue. At his top speed, it wasn't long before even the neighborhoods were left behind and he was passing fields of cows and various farms. Locating where Applejack lived was easy; Sweet Apple Acres had a big sign right next to the road that led to it, advertising that they sold apples during the harvest season and buyers could pick right from the trees if they wanted. Carnage headed down that road.

To herself, Sunset whispered that she hoped Twilight and the others did have something ready. She had to believe that the magic of friendship would prevail and save her from this nightmare. It has saved her before and she knew it could save her again.

With some thought, she could feel the magic from Twi's geode within her, as Carnage kept it embedded in a deep part of his biomass to draw energy from it. It was painful to think about how that geode got there but every time she wanted to cry, it was like she could feel a warm comfort coming from that stone. Even now, it seemed the magic was trying to protect her as it has done so many times before. But it couldn't do anything more than comfort her right now.

The farm soon came into view, with its acres of trees stretching off into the distance, a large farmhouse, and an even larger barn next to a grain silo. A pen of pigs oinked noisily and there were some scattered chickens milling about.

Carnage quickly honed in on Pinkie's van, parked between Applejack and Big Mac's trucks. He approached it and looked in through the windows only to find it empty. The doors on the back leading into its cargo area were open and he looked inside but saw nothing of interest. He growled and slammed them shut before looking around the farm. He didn't see any member of the Apple family outside but there were lights on in the house. He headed that way.

As he walked, there was a yelp and he saw a small dog emerge from under a parked tractor, scampering across the field with its tail tucked between his legs. He paused for a moment before recognizing its purple fur. Spike. Twi's pet!

Carnage licked his lips and gave chase. “Good doggy, lead me right to them!” He followed Spike over to the barn. Spike disappeared inside and the doors were slammed shut. He heard the dragging of wood as it was apparently locked. He laughed loudly. “You think that will stop me?” One kick and the doors flew open, the wood splintering. On the other side of the barn, huddling in front of stacks of hay bales, were Twilight and her friends. Looking terrified with no defenses in sight. Well then, perhaps he could just deal with them all at once. He grinned widely. “Hello, girls.”

Twilight stretched her arms out, gathering the others close. “Come here, stay close to me. You all know what we need to do.”

“What if it doesn't work?” Rainbow asked.

“It will work,” Twilight said. A magenta glow was beginning to surround her and the geodes of the others all began lighting up too.

Carnage snarled and moved further into the barn, tendrils rising from his back as he prepared to lash them out and rip those ridiculous magical artifacts right from their bodies...

And the world exploded into pain. He screamed as sound waves blasted him, so loud and high in frequency that it felt like razors being driven into his every cell. He could hear his host scream in pain too as her weak eardrums were assaulted even through his skin. His vision blanked out as he struggled to get away from the noise, but it seemed to come from everywhere, making his body quiver and begin losing its coherency as the agony overwhelmed him.

But even through the torturous sound waves, he could hear Twilight's voice loud and confident. “Now!”

He managed to regain his vision just in time to see a rainbow of light overtake the six women standing in front of him. It flowed across their joined hands, lifting them from the floor, and he saw pony ears sprout up from their heads, some of them growing wings out from their backs, and he heard Sunset cry out with elation. There was a hot feeling burning inside him and he could feel her magic going haywire, fighting to emerge from their body and join the rest.

He struggled against it, but the horrible noise took up so much of his attention that he was no longer able to keep Sunset under his control. She jerked her body, trying to pull it from his, and he tightened his hold. No, he wasn't letting them win! He set his sights on the others, gathering up all his concentration as he planned to attack them. If he could take out just one, the magic would be broken. Just had to strike...

Then the magic exploded out from the other six, intense stripes of color crossing the distance between them in an instant and consuming him. It seemed to saturate his every cell, wrapping around him, immobilizing him even more completely than the noise had. Everything grew quiet and he realized the noise had stopped, but as that pain faded, it was replaced by the searing pain of the energy that had seized him, holding him rigid while ripping at his molecules.

Under his skin, Sunset was laughing. Tears were streaming down her face, it was hurting her too, but she was laughing with glee, pride sweeping through her, and he felt her magic combine with the magic of Twi's geode, joining the rest and causing their body to slowly lift from the floor too.

“No! You will not- you will not win!” he screamed, trying to writhe, to get some control, any control of what was happening, but it was hopeless. He could feel his power being sapped away.

Through hazy vision, he saw Twilight approach from out of the rest, her wings flapping serenely, and Venom emerged from her, covering her body. As one, the two approached and set their claws on his head, digging them in.

Carnage didn't even speak, so furious he just screamed at them, promising them with every fiber of his being that he would destroy them painfully.

“Shut up,” they growled in response, before tearing him right out of his host like a scab from a wound. The last thing Sunset heard from him was an anguished, enraged scream before his mind was gone from hers.

The rainbow magic flowing around her set her down and faded away. Her knees immediately buckled and she collapsed to the dusty floor.

“Sunset!” the others called, footsteps rushing toward her.

She was shaking as she tried to push herself up, her limbs slow to respond to her; it was strange suddenly having control given back to her. But then Pinkie was kneeling down right next to her and gathering her close, pulling her head up onto her lap and stroking her hair.

“Don't rush to get up, it's okay, just breathe,” Pinkie said. Sunset gulped and nodded, eyes watering as a deep relief and happiness swept through her. They did this for her.

Looking past Pinkie, she saw the others gather around too, their magic a bright aura around them, and she felt her magic linking to them. And then her eyes were drawn toward a purple strand that broke off from them and went to Carnage and Twilight. It was unsettling seeing Twilight with Venom covering her, but she could see that the two were working in harmony as they used their magic to manipulate Carnage's sinewy red body, gathering it up into a ball as purple light glowed from within him.

Then his skin convulsed and out clattered the geode he had taken from Twi, which fell to the floor.

Sunset gasped and pulled away from Pinkie, trying to get to her feet but tripping and hitting the floor instead. Groaning, she crawled over to the geode instead, pulling it to her chest and cradling it as she began to cry.

“Come on, Sugarcube, stay back from that monster,” Applejack said quickly, helping her move away. She and the others sank to sit in a circle around Sunset, all holding her while Twilight and Venom stayed standing. The magic had mostly faded from everyone but they stayed ponied up. Sunset could feel that her own pony ears had sprouted too, her geode thrumming as she held Twi's close to it.

Twilight and Venom had formed a tight sphere of purple and magenta magic around Carnage. Though he thrashed and lashed sharp tendrils against it, he couldn't break it.

“What's she...” Sunset's mouth was dry and she stumbled over her words, getting used to speaking again. “What're they doing with him?”

“I'm not sure, darling,” Rarity said.

Sunset slowly looked around, curious about where that noise had come from that had incapacitated Carnage, and saw two large speakers hidden back against the walls on either side of them. Spike sat next to one of them holding a remote in his teeth. “The speakers. That... that was brilliant.”

“It was Pinkie's idea,” Applejack explained. “We borrowed them from Vinyl. Figured we'd hit ya with those, get that red beast distracted, and then use the Elements.”

“Sorry about having to hit you with the Elements again,” Rainbow apologized. “It can't be fun but it was the only way.”

“No, I'm glad you did. Thank you. When you used them, I could feel the magic within me answer. It gave me strength. It told me that everything would be okay now.” Sunset looked down at the purple necklace in her hand, heart aching. “Or as okay as it can be.” She sniffed and covered her face. “I'm so, so sorry... I never should have let Carnage bond to me, but when we met I didn't think he was that bad, I just wanted to help him, he needed a better host than the one he had so I let him bond to me and he just... he took advantage of me. I started out wanting to better the world, and it was my choice to kill those people at first, but he... he pushed me further and further, and during Spring Break, he just snapped. He took over completely, made me a prisoner in my body, I couldn't fight back... and then Twi got in the way. And he... he...” She broke into sobs.

The others comforted her, telling her it was all over now.

“I want to die, I can't believe I let him use me like that, and nothing I say can ever bring back all those people we killed. They're all gone. And Twi... sweet Twi, I loved her and... ugh, I should be dead too!”

“She would have wanted you to go on living,” Fluttershy said gently, brushing some of Sunset's tears away. “I know how hard it is living without her. Let yourself be sad. But then, you just have to move on.”

“I don't think I can move on, I did this, I'm as much a monster as Carnage is.” Sunset stared at the parasite through teary vision. Carnage looked so unassuming in that form. Gooey, limbless, small even. But she had spent months experiencing the depths of his blood lust and cruelty and knew what he was capable of when bonded to someone. She couldn't blame him for everything, though. It was her who had let him get to that point.

The others just held her, not knowing what to say. She leaned back against them, comforted by their warmth but still miserable. The only thing she was taking pleasure in right now was seeing Carnage's motions slow, the rippling of his skin stopping.

Twilight and Venom approached them, holding the ball of magic aloft. They explained, “Without being able to kill him with fire, we decided a slow death by suffocation in Earth's air was what he deserved. He can't escape this cage. But we can allow it to fill with oxygen. It will only be a few more minutes and it will be excruciating.”

The others nodded in understanding and Sunset brushed her eyes off and leaned up, wanting to watch more closely. She moved her face close to the magic, whispering, “You deserve this. You deserve this slow, painful demise. You leech. You disgusting parasite.”

Carnage didn't answer. Apparently he couldn't answer in that form, though he did slap a few tentacles against the magic in what seemed to be a burst of energy, before stilling again. It looked like his body was falling apart.

Nobody spoke as they watched the alien deteriorate, skin pooling at the bottom of the ball like congealing blood. They weren't sure how to tell if he was dead yet, but they knew when Venom suddenly declared, “It's over.” He pulled back from Twilight's body, uncovering her but keeping his head out along with a strand of skin connecting to her back.

Twilight nodded and released the magic. The ball disappeared and the body fell out, splatting pathetically onto the floor. It remained motionless and Sunset let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Just like that, it really was over.

“So... are you gonna eat the remains?” Twilight casually asked Venom. “Might be useful to get your fire resistance back.”

He made a disgusted face. “For once, I've found something even I don't want to eat. No. I'm not allowing him to become part of me again, his beneficial traits are not worth it to me. Bury him. Bury him right in the ground and forget him.”

Twilight nodded and used her magic to lift the body carefully back up, making sure she had gathered every bit of it. Then she said, “Sunset?”

Sunset cleared her throat and looked at her. It was strange to think that powerful creature was now shriveled and dead in front of her like this. “Yeah?”

“Where do you think we should bury him?”

“Doesn't matter, I agree with Venom. I want wherever we put him to be forgotten. Even if I'll never be able to forget what he did to me... I at least don't want to ever think about where he ended up. So take him somewhere.”

Applejack stood. “I know a place. C'mon Twilight, I'll grab us a shovel and we'll take care of this.” She led the way out and Spike jogged along at their heels. Everyone else stayed with Sunset.

She sighed, slumping against her nearest friend, which happened to be Pinkie. She could feel that the magic of their geodes had receded from all of them, their pony ears and wings disappearing, hair returning to normal. She felt drained. “So it's done.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie replied.

Sunset slowly turned Twi's geode over in her fingers. “What should we do with this?”

The others exchanged glances and Rainbow said, “I think she'd want you to decide that.”

“Hm.” Sunset looked at it for a while longer, then came to a decision, slipping the necklace on. The geode rested right along hers and she felt a pleasant sensation sweep through her, so tender and comforting it felt like she was being hugged. “I like to think that part of her is still right here, within this magic... and I think she wants to stay with me.”

The others smiled and hugged her. After a few moments, they got to their feet, helping Sunset stand. She was unsteady but she was getting the hang of things again. The silence in her mind now that Carnage was gone was almost deafening, but she was glad to be rid of him. She felt weak too without his power, but firmly told herself that wasn't the kind of power worth having. Everything she ever needed has been within her the whole time.

Her friends went to take down the speakers and carry them back to Pinkie's van. Sunset slowly walked out of the barn behind them, rubbing her arms and feeling uncomfortable, wondering if they were going to reveal her as the one behind the long string of murders that have been happening. She almost wanted to go to prison for all of it. She didn't deserve to walk free.

But as she saw Twilight, Applejack, and Spike walking back from somewhere behind the house, a dirty shovel across Applejack's shoulders, Sunset realized that they had no way to really prove it to the authorities. Carnage was buried and her face had never shown up in any of the captured footage. As far as anyone else would know, the murders just stopped. The killer vanished off the face of the planet. Perhaps it was an alien all along and had simply left. The only reminder of its presence were all the ones who had died at its hands. All the broken families that would never be the same. Her actions hadn't made the world better. They had made it worse.

Sunset stood a good distance from Pinkie's van as she watched the others load the equipment. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do now. Just going back to college and continuing her life seemed unthinkable after everything that had happened.

A hand touched her back and she flinched, but it was just Twilight, giving her a somber smile. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Sunset said. Oh, it hurt just how much Twilight looked like her human counterpart. They were two different individuals, she knew that, but she still wanted to reach out and touch her face, draw her in, kiss her and tell her how sorry she was...

“Is there anything I can do to help you?” Twilight asked.

Sunset sighed and brushed some of her hair back, looking away. “I'm not sure. Everything feels... wrong. It's hard to explain, I mean I'm glad Carnage is gone, but I feel... I feel cold now. Empty. I feel like I should be getting punished right now.”

Twilight gave her a concerned look. “I think you've already punished yourself enough. I know how tempting it can be to just beat yourself up over the mistakes you made in your past, but ask yourself. Will beating yourself up change any of it? Will it fix anything?”

“No,” Sunset admitted.

“Right. So take a deep breath. Tell yourself that it's time to move forward. And let's move forward.” Twilight offered her hand. Sunset breathed in and out as directed and then took her hand.

“Okay.” What else could Sunset do? She walked with Twilight to Pinkie's van, feeling warmth begin to glow in her chest. She knew it would be a long time before she felt right again, if she ever did. But she was going to try and recover. She owed that to them.