Once morning arrived, Light Touch decided to explore this strange new world. The humans were odd, the way they walked about on two legs and manipulated their surroundings with their hands, how every single one of them wore clothing. To say nothing of their technology! They had small, portable phones that seemed able to perform the functions of a dozen gadgets. Gas-powered vehicles in many sizes and designs were everywhere, on huge paved roads that seemed to go anywhere you could desire. Even the things that were familiar were different. He passed odd-smelling food stalls, saw weird pictures and headlines on the papers and magazines he glanced over. He had a feeling he had a lot to learn if he wanted to blend in.
Light was staring curiously through the window of a clothing store when Carnage snapped at him.
We don't have any time to waste. As you said, we need to learn more about this world. Let's do some research.
Light pulled back from the window. Right. Uh, I think I saw a newspaper stand. He hurried over to a metal box with newspapers stacked inside and tried to open it, only for the door to catch and not open. He tilted his head, giving it a few tugs, before realizing the papers cost money.
“Of course,” he whispered. He took his backpack off and searched it, but the few bits he had were still bits. He doubted this human machine would even accept them. He sighed and put his backpack on once more, instead just kneeling and looking at the front page.
This city seems to be named Canterlot, Carnage said. Just like the Canterlot back in Equestria.
Princess Twilight reported that there are many similarities between here and Equestria, Light replied. There are the same city names between our worlds, and every single pony in Equestria has a human counterpart here. It's very interesting and even she's not sure why that is.
In that case, we must be careful not to run into your counterpart. Then again, if we do... Carnage's hunger flared up and Light found himself licking his lips. We can take care of him easily.
Heh, I really don't want to have to eat... myself.
Hush. Carnage focused back on the paper. What's this? Local heroes protect city from- That's those ponies! The ones in your memories, the Elements of Harmony! That's them as humans, isn't it?
Huh? Light looked at the photo on the front page. It was in bright color and depicted seven young mares- women, they were called women here, if he recalled correctly. One of them looked only vaguely familiar, but the other six looked just like the Elements of Harmony that every pony in Equestria knew and he recognized them instantly. Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. They were waving to a cheering crowd. That's them alright. Weird, they look the same but so... different. I don't think I'll ever get used to these flat human faces.
According to this article, they have magic here! And most of them... are attending a local university! Well that won't do, if they're anything like their counterparts they'll try to stop us and I won't let that happen. We need to take them down first. Carnage seized control of their body and stood them up, going over to the nearest human and tapping their shoulder. “You, how do I get to Canterlot University?”
The man gave them an affronted look, but said, “Uh, it's a few miles that way,” and pointed.
“Excellent, you people are so helpful!” Carnage spun and marched in that direction.
“You're welcome!” the other called, sounding annoyed.
Light commented, Uh, I don't think we should refer to them as 'you people', we need to blend in.
Oh who cares. What's he going to do about it?
They made their way through the city, Carnage taking most of the control and occasionally stopping random pedestrians to ask for more directions, and also asking about the girls in the newspaper. He quickly learned that they were local celebrities. They were practically superheroes, who have saved the people of the city from magical oddities on multiple occasions. Yet despite their fame, the girls were humble and just trying to make regular lives for themselves after graduating high school.
Do we have to kill them? Light asked. Why not get them on our side? With their power we could be unstoppable.
I don't have the means to keep them under my control right now, Carnage snapped. But they'll serve a better purpose. Fuel. Mm, I hope they taste better than ponies... I've been dying for a proper meal.
Light wanted to shudder at the ravenous hunger that swept through him. During his brief imprisonment at the museum, he had been fed, but none of it seemed to satisfy Carnage. But when they broke free and took down a few guards along the way... that had finally sated the alien creature. He made himself ignore the discomfort, though. He was part of something far bigger than himself now. Carnage promised to give him everything he ever wanted, and he was going to serve him faithfully. Part of him was a little guilty over abandoning his loyalty to Celestia, but he just couldn't resist the glorious future Carnage had shown him. One where their races have a powerful and unstoppable symbiotic alliance that all their enemies will fall before. Light has seen Equestria threatened countless times throughout his life and knew the symbiotes were capable of preventing that from ever happening again. Sure, the way they planned to take control was not without its own violence, but it would be followed by an era of such peace and prosperity that it would be seen as necessary. Everypony will understand. It was worth betraying his old boss and destroying some lives for the good of Equestria's many future generations, he told himself.
A notion that Carnage immediately agreed with, praising his intelligence and sensibility, making him even more certain this was the right decision.
It took a while, but finally they reached the university. The campus was huge, boasting several buildings and dorms, and Light had no idea where to start.
It's Sunday here. Which means they are likely not in classes, and may be out in the city or studying somewhere on campus. If we find any one of those seven girls, we can search their memories for the rest before we eat them.
Or just ask some other students? Light suggested as they watched a few athletic-looking students run by throwing a football to each other.
Or that. Carnage headed onto the campus, waving down the athletes. “Hey, any of you seen Rainbow Dash or her friends?”
The boys glanced at each other and shrugged, but one said, “Oh yeah, I think she's out on the track doing some laps.”
“Thank you so much.” Chuckling at how easy that was, Carnage looked around, wondering where the track was.
The student pointed, and he smiled and jogged that way.
Too easy. These humans are just as trusting as ponies are. It will be their downfall.
I hope you don't plan on murdering a famous person in plain sight. We don't want to attract attention to ourselves.
Oh please, I can handle anything this world can throw at me. You've seen what we can do.
Yeah, but I still think we should keep a low profile for now.
Think whatever you like. I'm going to do what I want to do.
Light would have frowned if he was the one in control of their body. Sometimes he wondered how much of a partnership this really was. But he said nothing. It would be okay. Carnage was just very straightforward, he was used to it by now.
When they reached the track, they saw that it was fairly busy. Especially as it surrounded a football field, where a team was currently practicing. They couldn't see the rainbow-haired woman anywhere, and Carnage groaned. Must have just missed her. Gah! Their stomach rumbled and he clutched it. We must feed. I don't care on who.
Okay, how about this, we uh... find one of those vending machine things, and you use one of your tendrils to sneak a snack out of it when no one's looking?
Ugh. I suppose that will do for now. And then we'll resume our search for one of those magical girls. Carnage stalked down the sidewalk, fingers clenching angrily until he came across a vending machine. He stepped up to it, made sure no one was looking, and slid a hand inside. He let his tendrils emerge from the ends of his fingers, snagging several bags from their racks and yanking them down. He retrieved them and hurried away, finding a tree to sit under as he examined his loot.
So many carbs, Light said distastefully. Most of it was chips and crackers.
Fuel is fuel. Carnage tore the bags open and shoveled the food into his mouth. He ate so fast it was a miracle he didn't choke, and Light nervously made them glance up every so often, but no one seemed to spare them a glance.
The one human who did pass close enough to see their frenzied eating merely muttered, “Man, that's a mood,” and kept walking.
Stop being paranoid, we're fine! Carnage growled. He examined a thin stick of what looked to be red flesh. Hm, beef jerky? Is this meat?
I... think so? Ugh, it looks so gross.
Carnage considered that. Then grinned and ripped the plastic off, biting into the beef jerky. His eyes widened at the savory flavor. It IS meat! Finally!
It was with a sinking sensation that Light remembered what beef was. Of course as an Equestrian he had no reason to use the word, as those it referred to were every bit as sapient as he was and found the term highly offensive. But he knew it nonetheless. Beef came from cows.
He would have puked if not for Carnage having his motor control on lockdown. Carnage sensed his nausea anyway and scoffed, I doubt the creatures are sapient here! Though if they are... perhaps these humans are more brutal than I thought. Either way, this is a fine treat, despite how dead and processed it is! He quickly finished off the meat, licked his fingers clean, and stood, kicking the wrappers carelessly aside. Now then, back to our hunt.
Light could feel that the other had more energy now, but he found that it hadn't done much for his own strength. Was Carnage taking all the nutrition for himself?
Of course I am, the other responded dismissively to that thought. I'll take care of you later, but right now I need all the strength I can get. That isn't a problem, is it?
Light felt the other's confidence wash over him, visions of everything they'll accomplish together flowing through his mind, and he agreeably replied, Not at all, my friend. He really did need to stop doubting Carnage.
That's right. I said I'd unlock your full potential, and I will. Silently, Carnage checked on his host's vitals. They were even weaker than they were yesterday. Not surprising. Light wasn't a very good match for him and his immune system was trying to fight off Carnage's cells. It wasn't succeeding, but the energy it was using was already affecting the equine's health. Carnage didn't care. He would deal with that in time. He metabolized a tiny bit more of the other's liver and brain, using his connection with Light's nerves to prevent him from feeling any discomfort from it, and headed for the nearest dormitory.
He asked around, and while nearly everyone knew who he was talking about, none could give him specific directions. Rainbow had apparently left just a few minutes ago with her friends to go somewhere. Carnage was able to obtain descriptions of their vehicles, but upon searching the parking lots, couldn't find them. They must have left the campus altogether.
Frustrated, he decided to come back in a few hours. He left the campus and wandered aimlessly about the city, learning its layout and already planning how he was going to devastate the planet. He especially liked imagining how those soft-looking humans were going to taste. And one day he would spawn more Klyntar, and they would have endless prey to feast on, and could hunt for the perfect bodies among these fragile primates... and then they would go and liberate their kind from the ponies and resume their mission.
Once a couple hours had passed, Carnage returned to the university. He was hearing very little from his host now. But that was normal. They always seemed to go quiet after spending long enough with him, seeing his fantasies and listening to his raves and rants. He had more than enough imagination to keep them occupied. Or perhaps they were simply in awe of his brilliance. Either way, he was glad for the silence.
Carnage kept his thoughts concealed from Light as he considered what he was going to do once he found one of the Elements. Of course he was going to eat most of them, but he also wanted to take one of them as a host. He had pushed Light's body to its breaking point escaping the museum, not that he was letting the other know that. But several body systems were shutting down and he had eaten away most of his organs. It was coming time for him to jump to a healthier body.
And why not choose one of those humans with magical abilities? He could infiltrate their friend group, get each of the others alone and dispose of them, and then he'll have no competition. Now to just get Light on board with the plan.
Listen up, he said to his host. Once he had the other's attention, he continued, You and I both know your body isn't a suitable host for me. So I'm going to need to transfer into one of the Elements. You will continue serving me, but your body will be your own again.
Okay, got it.
You will assist me in convincing one of the creatures to accept me. It's easier when they don't fight back.
I'll do what I can.
Yes, you will.
Carnage once again decided to lurk near the dorms, and this time, he was lucky. He saw one of the girls from the newspaper approaching. She wasn't one of the Equestrian Elements, but she nonetheless had magic here and was as formidable as the rest of her friends.
Light paid close attention to her fiery red and yellow hair, and said, I swear, I know who she is. Where have I...
Carnage immediately dove into Light's memories, searching far back to when he first started working for Celestia, and saw a pony with a very similar mane style and the same piercing green eyes. She was a student of Celestia, wasn't she?
Light gasped out loud, “Sunset Shimmer!”
The girl froze, staring at him. “Uh, yeah? Can I help you?”
Light grinned, moving toward her. It was all coming back to him now. Sunset had been Celestia's student, and then she grew resentful when it became clear that Celestia didn't see her as worthy of becoming an alicorn, and then she ran away through the crystal mirror. This wasn't the human world's Sunset... this was the same pony one, she had to be! “Sunset, it's me, Light Touch! Remember, Celestia caught me breaking into the restricted section of the royal archives and was impressed, so she hired me to be a spy for her?”
Sunset's eyes widened with recognition. “Oh! Oh wow, Light Touch, yeah! I thought you looked familiar!” She took his hand, shaking it. “So good to see you, what are you doing here?”
“Haha, well it's a long story... why don't we go inside?”
“Yeah, absolutely.”
Carnage sat back and let Light handle things. He just watched through his eyes as they went inside, up the stairs and into one of the rooms. Sunset invited Light to sit on the couch, and he made up a story about just wanting to visit this human world he's heard so much about from Twilight.
“It really is a weird place compared to Equestria, but you'll get used to it,” Sunset said. “Personally, I'm so used to the Internet I don't know what I would do without it. If I went back to Equestria I'd have to bring it with me, haha.”
“Internet, yeah I've seen some of it already, it's fascinating what these humans have come up with!”
Carnage gave Light a small nudge, making a suggestion to him on what to say and reminding him of the plan.
“Oh, uh...” Light rubbed his neck, clearing his throat. “Sunset, listen. I haven't been entirely truthful. I... actually came here because I was escaping the Life Aura Center.”
“Life Aura Center? The one that was experimenting on ponies with those aliens?”
That got Carnage's attention, and he was in sync with Light as they demanded, “How do you know about that?”
“Well, Twilight, the pony Twilight, she visited me just yesterday and told me about it. It's crazy that you managed to escape that place, but I'm glad you did, it sounds awful.”
“So then, you know about the aliens,” Light said slowly. Sunset nodded, and he said, “Okay, good! That's good, because you see, heh...” He found himself laughing. “I have one of them!” He gestured at his chest. “I have one, and he's actually not compatible with my body, and so... he needs a better host.”
“Oh.” Sunset was taken aback. “I mean, I'd offer but this is all so new to me, I might need some time to think about it if you can hold off for a bit-”
“No!” Light shouted, spurned on by Carnage's outrage. He cleared his throat, and said in a more pleading tone, “Sunset, please, he's getting weaker the longer he stays with me.”
Sunset nervously messed with her hair as she thought about it. She didn't know Light Touch very well, but she could see the desperation on his face and there was no way he'd lie about this sort of thing. If Celestia trusted him, she trusted him. “Well, Twilight is also hosting one of the symbiotes, I know they can't survive in our world without a compatible host, so... Okay. If he really can't stay in you, he can share my body.”
Carnage could hardly believe his luck. Not only would this human likely have some new information about the rest of the Klyntar for him, she was willing to receive him! He immediately began stretching out of Light, speaking for himself now. “Don't mind if I do!”
Sunset flinched at the sight of him. He looked much more vicious than Venom did, especially with that blood red shade of flesh. “Whoa, wasn't expecting you to come out so fast, hi!” She relaxed, reaching out her hand. “Nice to meet you, I'm sure you know if you were in his head, but I'm Sunset Shimmer.”
“Hello, Sunset Shimmer. I am Carnage.” Carnage connected to Sunset without any prompting, and as he moved over toward her, he used his last links to Light to soak all the energy he could out of him. He felt the other waver, and smugly told him to be happy he died for a grand purpose. He spent a few moments reveling in the other's betrayal and horror, then he fully disconnected, surging into Sunset's body.
“Ow!” She scrambled back, eyes squeezing shut as what felt like razor blades dragged along her skin and sank deep underneath. Her breath quickened and her heart beat harder, blood rushing in her ears, and a sudden dizziness overcame her.
The last thing she was aware of was loud laughter in her head, and then everything swirled and she blacked out.