Love Parasite

“Lilt, be polite and say hello to my friends.”

The shrill squeak of unoiled wheels cut the air as Lyra made her ceremonious return, rolling a cart into the room and setting it parallel to the bed. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a mess of wires and other assorted gadgets atop the cart.

Unable to talk behind my cloth gag, I narrowed my eyes at her. She patted my head gently. “There, there,” she murmured. “Don't be nervous. I'll be gentle. The last thing I want to do is hurt that body of yours. Especially those wings . . .” She caressed my face gently, bringing her hoof to my lips before whispering, “I can't wait to fly.”

I blinked at her, confused. With a moan, I pulled on my chain bindings, rocking the bed, trying to wriggle free. Watching with an odd gleam in her eye, Lyra crossed her hooves, seemingly savoring her prey's futile attempts to escape. As she admired my body in silence, I slowly accepted the possibility that this wasn't turning into a wild sexual escapade.

Lyra hummed to herself as she rifled through the pile of equipment. I craned my head to get a better look, but the chain-bound collar around my neck made it impossible to see much. She plucked a single wire from the cart, dangling it in front of my face. At its end was a metallic, bit-sized node; Lyra attached it to my chest. The flat side of the node was cold and sticky—it latched on with a sickly tak.

I squirmed in place, twisting my body away from her touch. Despite my reaction, Lyra continued her work calmly and happily, sticking nodes across my entire body.

Tak tak. “Don't be so nervous, Lilt. It's just a little magical fun. For me, at least.”

Tak tak. “Delivering packages is boring, though. I'm gonna have to find a new job for you. Stunt flyer sounds good. Maybe a new name, too.”

Tak tak. “Hmm, I guess I should put one there, too. Oh, don't be shy, now . . .”

With my body covered, Lyra stepped back, surveying her work. Satisfied, she bent down to connect the ends of each wire to a small device at the foot of the bed. “Now, bear with me. I'm new to the whole ‘unicorn’ thing.” She stood back up. “Ready to die?”

My eyes shot wide open. Confusion gave way to panic as she slowly crept closer to me. I recoiled as far back as my bindings allowed, but Lyra simply giggled. “Come on. It probably won't hurt for long. Any last words?” With a smart grin, she peeled back the gag to allow me to speak.

“Get me out of here, you crazy bitch!” I spat. “I swear if you do any—”

Replacing the gag, Lyra laughed heartily. “Such a temper. Our pegasus volunteer is ungrateful, if not feisty,” she said to no one in particular. She took several steps back, retreating to the far wall. “Nice knowing you, Lilty.”

Her horn glowed with a subtle glimmer; Lyra's eyes glossed over while she concentrated. Stray tendrils of light rippled across each wire, sending individual shocks pulsing through my body.

Her magical aura soon enveloped both our bodies. My back arched upward, an electric current locking my muscles in place. I screamed as loudly as I could behind my gag, but even at the peak of my bloodshot yell, I noticed something strange.

Lyra, too, was screaming.

She clutched her head with both forelegs, leaning against the wall. Bolts of erratic energy shot out from her horn, striking the walls, the ceiling, everything. Even with her eyes shut in agony, a piercing white glow permeated her eyelids. With one final shriek, she unleashed a thunderous, explosive blast that consumed the room—and my consciousness.

. . . hey . . .

Get . . . you stupid . . .

. . . awake already . . . up!

The grit I felt against my side told me I was collapsed on the floor. My eyelids fluttered open slowly, but there was little to see. The air was thick with smoke; I coughed several times, struggling to breathe, and realized I was still gagged. As the weight of my situation sunk in, I snapped to my senses and scrambled to my hooves.

The room was on fire. Segments of brick wall were torn asunder, fire spreading between the underlying wooden support beams. Patches of floor were alive with dancing flame.

I checked my legs. They were no longer strapped to the bed—my former bindings lay broken nearby. A few strips of chain and wire still clung onto my body, and I used a hurried hoof to brush off what I could before ripping off my gag. I was dripping in sweat, and much of my coat was covered in dirt or soot. In the middle of my self-inspection, an ethereal voice interrupted me.

Quit feeling yourself up and get outta here!

Its clarity and volume startled me. I staggered backward and bumped against the nearby bed frame. The mattress had been blasted into fragments, its stuffing spilling out, but it was thankfully not burning.

Ow, hey! Get a hold of yourself, guy! We need to escape!

I recognized the voice. “Lyra!” I called. “Where are you?” I scanned the room, eager to identify the source. In front of me was nothing but charred electrical equipment, plumes of smoke and ash, and encroaching fire. I turned around, and there she was. Only inches behind me lay Lyra's broken body, thrown by the explosion, unmoving. I shook her, but her body remained still.

Yet, her voice continued, reverberating through my head. Dammit, I messed up. She gave a quick sigh. There's no going back now. Just go!

A sudden rush of heat filled the room. I instinctively ducked as flames streaked across the ceiling. My legs buckled as I watched the blaze lick away at all four walls. Nearby, Lyra's prone, lifeless body caught my attention once more. “What did you do? Lyra, you're not—”

Fuck this! You're not listening! Lilt. Get. Moving. Now!

I grimaced and ran for the door. I took perhaps two or three steps when my body violently snapped backward.

“Huuuuurk!”

I collapsed to the floor in a tangle of legs as my throat was choked by my collar, its chain still attached to the bed frame. I grasped my neck, breathing in raspy heaves, while a snarky chuckle echoed through my mind. I wasn't completely free yet.

My legs shakily propped me back up. I tugged at the chain, but it was fastened securely to the frame, which in turn was bolted to the floor. “Th-The collar,” I sputtered. “Unlock it! Please!”

Idiot! There's no lock. It's an ensorcelled collar, magically affixed to your neck.

“Then break the spell!”

I can't perform magic right now. Just break it with your hooves!

I didn't have time to argue. I stepped closer to the bed frame to give myself some slack on the chain, then repeatedly stomped on it. A third strike shattered the link. A small length of chain now hung from my neck, but I was free.

I didn't wait for Lyra's chiding voice to prod me forward. I sprinted toward the door but stopped short—smoke issued forth from the bottom crack in dense billows.

“Lyra, this way's no good! Now what?” My eyes darted about the room, but nothing else seemed promising. No windows. No other doors. Even the bed was now engulfed in flame, embers having dripped from the burning ceiling.

Hm. Well, I guess it's too late. We're dead. She was suddenly measured and calm, but I tasted a hint of venom in her voice.

I scurried to the opposite wall where there was the least fire, huddling down and watching the walls and ceiling nervously. I stirred up a gust with my wings in desperation, but the blackened air did not yield. Despite the intense heat, I shivered. “L-Lyra,” I whispered, planning to follow up with a plea for help, but my pride kept me in check.

The next minute passed in a nebulous blur, a feverish moment that seemed to pass both slowly and quickly; I was losing my sense of time. I was already trapped, but as the flames edged closer, I felt my chances of survival melting away.

You want to live, don't you, Lilty?

I could still hear her clearly over the fire's roaring din. “Yes, dammit, yes! Get me out!”

I can save us both, you know. Just give me control of your body.

“What? I don't understand!”

I'm inside your body, Lilt. All you have to do is relax and surrender yourself to me. Let me take the reins, so to speak. Do that, and I'll guide us out of here.

“You just tried to kill me. You wired me up like some lab subject. You're the last pony I can trust,” I challenged.

There was a short pause, and then Lyra continued. If you die, I die. Naturally, I don't want that to happen. There's your guarantee. Besides, I'd hate for anything to happen to that sexy body of yours . . .

Flakes of charred material showered the room as the ceiling began to deteriorate. I felt my heart pounding. “It doesn't matter anyway. I don't know how.”

Oh, Lilt. That's the easy part. All you have to do is be a good boy, don't resist, and let me have my way!

As her voice shot through my mind, I felt an involuntary jolt in my hind legs, and I took a sudden step forward, nearly diving into the spreading fire. The movement felt mechanical and foreign; almost immediately I hopped back and took an aggressive stance. “N-No!” I cried out, shaking myself. “Get out of my body! Out!”

Lyra cackled loudly but said nothing.

Time was running out, and it was up to me—I needed to act. The ceiling looked ready to collapse, its scorched surface peeling away. I narrowed my eyes; this was my moment. All or nothing. Holding my breath, I flared my wings and jumped, soaring straight toward the burning ceiling.

Stop! Are you insane—

Lyra's voice broke away as my body slammed against the top of the room. The impact rattled me, but I managed to tear a hole between floors; my head now poked out through the wooden floorboards of a new room filled with furniture. It looked like somepony else's home. I hastily wriggled upward, exhaling sharply as I tumbled out of the newly torn gap.

My hind legs were a bit singed by the ceiling's fire, but I was otherwise intact. My vision was slightly blurry, shaken by a sudden headache. Although the fire had already crept into most of this room, it was noticeably easier to breathe.

Fuck, that hurts! What part of you thought broiling and mangling us was a good idea?

“Don't act like you're a part of me,” I muttered, cradling my throbbing head with both hooves.

Look, whether you like it or—

“Shut up!” I yelled, but I immediately regretted the force with which I screamed; my entire body ached.

Whether due to my command or the pain that we apparently shared, Lyra fell silent. I slowly stood up straight and noticed a single window in the corner. My legs battered by my reckless stunt, I hovered a short distance off the floor and glided toward it. The chain hanging off my collar dragged along the wooden boards, but I paid it no mind.

I expected a smart remark but heard nothing as I carefully climbed through the window and escaped into the early-morning sky. Canterlot's clock tower seemed to announce my freedom with five strikes of the bell. After a few seconds of fresh-air flight, I looked back down.

“Oh, Celestia,” I whispered, wide-eyed.

Fire lanced out from the roof of the building. The cancerous blaze had already blackened or consumed several areas. Whatever fiery explosion Lyra triggered had cut a large swath of destruction that threatened to spread further.

Well, that's a shame.

Her flippant attitude jarred me, but as I thought of my retort, my mind instead wandered back to that first room. The image of Lyra's lifeless body had burned itself into my memory. The way she spoke to me . . .

Something was not right with that pony. She seemed to know what was going on; in fact, she seemed strangely comfortable with it.

I closed my eyes for a moment and asked, “Just what were you doing to me?”

Playing doctor. Did you have fun?

“Don't dodge the question. Tell me what you were doing!”

Oh, don't be sour, Lilty. You're still alive! I am too, more or less.

I trembled in anger and swung a hoof into the air, a swipe aimed at nothing. “Answer me, dammit!”

Lyra let out a gleeful laugh. What's the matter? Frustrated 'cause you can't see or touch me? I bet there are a lot of things you'd like to do to me right now. Too bad you can't!

I grit my teeth. “I can. If I hurt myself, it hurts you too.”

It sure does. Why don't you bang your head against the pavement down there? I'd really hate that. She giggled once more.

I gave up. The fact that Lyra was untouchable inside my body made her insufferable. Her presence felt like an infection, as if she was some parasite. Just thinking about it made me nauseous. I flew up high, as far as the skies would allow a pegasus, and landed on a distant cloud to recover my wits. To my relief, Lyra remained quiet.

Several minutes passed while I lay on my back, unmoving, my exhausted mind blank as my eyes glazed over. My body was spent—it yearned for rest—but sleep would not come. I mentally urged myself to move, to fly away from this place, to find somepony who could help, anything . . . but my willpower had run out. Instead, I stared at the stars, mindlessly tracing constellations. After what felt like ages, feverish thoughts spun throughout my half-awake consciousness. In my delirious state, I couldn't discern whose thoughts they truly were.

What was happening to me?

Sirens in the distance broke my stupor. I flipped around and leaned over the cloud's edge, gazing at the building far below.

Acrid smoke poured out from its windows. Dozens of ponies had assembled outside, watching it—and their homes within—burn. A team of firefighters had arrived to battle the blaze, some shooting water from hoses on the ground, others dousing flames with rain clouds from above.

I, for my part, took care to remain out of their line of sight. Although I had been helpless, I felt a strange guilt, despite having been a victim myself.

Technically, a part of me was actually guilty, after all. And she was being surprisingly taciturn while I watched the commotion down below, my eyes saddened and grim. Until . . .

Oh, lighten up. You should be grateful. That fire solved a lot of problems for us . . .

As her voice trailed off, I watched a few pegasi jet across the skies in search of more clouds. “You're sick. Deranged. How can you twist this disaster into an advantage?”

They'll do a lovely investigation. Someone will find my body and assume the fire caused my death. They might think I was into some kinky shit when they see what's left of the bedroom . . . but, hey, we'll be in the clear.

I restrained myself from questioning her bogus logic, instead taking a deep breath to compose myself. “All right, sure.” I said calmly. “At least tell me how we can get back to normal.”

Lyra hummed to herself. Eh, no can do, Lilty. My body's in ashes. We're life partners now. She paused for a moment. Wanna get hitched?

I couldn't understand how she could be so nonchalant about this. “Why don't you care about what's happening? Why aren't you scared?”

Aw, that's easy. I've done this before.

“What?!” My wings suddenly fluttered, and I tumbled a short distance off the cloud before righting myself. “That sickening experiment . . . entering my body . . . this was your intention from the start?”

Well, if you figured that out, I suppose I don't need to explain further. She gave a fake, overt yawn. Night, Lilty.

“Hey!” I threw my hooves in the air. “Don't pretend to go to sleep! I'm not stupid!”

But she didn't respond. I sighed and looked down toward the city. Thankfully, the fire seemed under control. I wasn't able to tell if anypony was hurt, but I couldn't afford to fly down and help in my state.

Waiting for Lyra would accomplish nothing. I had to clean myself up and find help.

Several hours later, shortly before noon, I found myself embroiled in an argument.

“What do you mean you can't get it off?” I complained.

The dispassionate unicorn over the counter replied, “Just that. It ain't coming off. Not by me, at least.”

I rubbed my temples and groaned. My freshly-washed coat and mane made me look somewhat presentable, but the shackle and chain around my neck certainly drew attention. Unfortunately, every locksmith and artificer in Canterlot seemed unable to remove it. The shop I was in seemed to be my last chance.

Despite the wide array of enchanted goods and magical artifacts he had on display, the artificer proved useless. His horn sparked erratically when he attempted to manipulate the collar.

“Please. I've been all over the city. What are you proposing, I just leave this thing hanging from my neck?”

The artificer shrugged. “Look, friend, there's no lock, no hinge . . . and the material is too tough for my tools to break. Besides that, it's got a pretty complex charm on it that I can't dispel.”

I held up the end of the chain. “Then at least cut the rest of this off. I already broke part of it with my hooves.”

He shook his head, tutting, then pointed to the last few links. “I can see that. The links are nothing special. But the charm on the shackle affects the chain too. You must have broken it just outside the spell's range of influence.”

For a lyre-playing pony, Lyra was apparently quite proficient in magic. “All right, all right.” I began hovering back and forth, holding the end of the chain in my hooves as I impatiently paced across the artificer's shop. “Then what should I do?”

“Something as tough as this . . . you've gotta find the unicorn who put it on you.”

I stopped moving. “And what if that's not an option?”

He shrugged once more. “Beats me. Leave it on.” His mouth curled halfway into a smirk. “I hear some mares are into this kind of thing.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Whatever. Thanks for nothing.” He waved a dismissive hoof as I left his store.

Only seconds after I took to the air, Lyra's singsong voice cut in. Well, I, for one, think it looks hot.

I had enough. I ignored her and soared higher, making my way over the Canterlot spire and toward the ocean. It would be a long, annoying trip, but my mind was set.

Hey, hey! Where the hell are you going?

Her voice took on a jittery, nervous quality. I planned to take full advantage. “Leaving Equestria. Going back home. What's it to you?” I picked up speed.

W-Wait, hold it! We can't leave the city. I've got—

This time, it was my turn to laugh. I offered a short chuckle and continued flight, ignoring her pleas.

C'mon, Lilt! This time I'm serious.

No, really, I'm not joking around anymore. We've gotta go back.

Okay, fine! I'll explain, just stop moving for a minute!

I couldn't hide my sudden grin. A strange sense of satisfaction washed over me; for once, I felt I had an advantage. Slowing down, I landed on a nearby cloud, reclining with my hind legs crossed. “All right. Go on, then.”

Lyra took a deep breath. Look, I know I've been kinda mean. That's just how I am. I'm sorry.

“If you're trying to get me to sympathize, don't bother. That ship has sailed.”

No, it's fine. The truth is, there is a way I can leave your body.

I leaned forward. She hesitated.

We have maybe sixteen hours left . . . for you to find another victim.