//------------------------------// // The Parasites // Story: Invasion of Equestria // by Yamazaki //------------------------------// All Twilight Sparkle could see was green. Everywhere she twisted her head to look, there was only a single-shaded, shadowless green. Her hooves felt as though they were not touching the ground, and she became frightened at the sudden realization she didn't know which way was up and which way was down. Right before she was about to start panicking, Twilight Sparkle felt a falling sensation for less than a second, before all four hooves were touching the ground. As she looked around, the green was all gone, and replaced by the familiar town centre of Ponyville. What has happened? I was just in Canterlot a moment ago, trying to get to the train station to get to Ponyville, then that green appeared and now I'm in Ponyville. What is going on?! “Twilight!” Applejack, with Apple Bloom at her side, came galloping over to her, “Twilight, something is happening in Canterlot!” A large crowd of ponies had gathered, all their eyes fixed on Canterlot in the distance, flinching at the sound of distant explosions, and curiously watching as strange creatures poured out of the sky. “A-and Cloudsdale, Cloudsdale is gone!” Continued Applejack. Twilight Sparkle noticed Rarity and Sweetie Belle watching with all the other ponies, along with Scootaloo who had just noticed the presence of Twilight Sparkle. Looking down to the ground, Scootaloo walked to Twilight Sparkle, before looking up at Twilight Sparkle, tears forming in her eyes, “Rainbow Dash was in Cloudsdale. Do you think she's okay?” “I-I don't know,” Twilight Sparkle said firmly. Her memory took her back to the sight of thousands of innocent pegasi being slaughtered, but decided it was best not to tell Scootaloo that the chances of Rainbow Dash being alive were virtually zero. Just then, Twilight Sparkle only just realized that she had (most likely) lost a dear friend and witnessed the deaths of thousands of ponies who had done nothing wrong. She felt weak, loosing balance, and vomiting. After the last amount of half-digested food bathed in stomach acid was successfully regurgitated, Twilight Sparkle looked back to a sympathetic-looking Applejack. “Twilight!” Rarity, who was now standing beside Applejack, looked awfully flustered. “Twilight! You look terrible!” She exclaimed. “Hey, weren't you just in Canterlot?” Asked Applejack. But Twilight Sparkle felt too ill to answer, so Applejack continued speaking, “It's a good thing you got outta there! How did you get back here so fast?” That was a good question, but Twilight Sparkle was not sure how to answer it. “Erm, somethin's comin' at us,” said Apple Bloom, sounding almost as scared as Scootaloo had. Everypony turned their heads and saw as many as ten capsule-like objects streaking across the sky. They turned downwards, and fell straight towards Ponyville at an alarmingly high speed. Ponies backed away from where they were falling, as each of they smashed into the ground, crumpling and breaking apart. Twilight Sparkle quickly realized that these things, whatever they were, had something to do with what was happening in Canterlot. Forgetting about her feeling of sickness, she shouted, “Everyone! Get away from those things now! They could be...” Small, cold-blooded looking organisms emerged from the capsules. Some jumped, while others walked. They were mostly beige, while their four pointy legs were red, they also had menacing-looking teeth on the front of them. Ponies screamed and ran. “Wadda ya' suppose these things are?” Asked a puzzled Applebloom. “I'm not sure, but we'd better...” Before Applejack could finish her sentence, one of them leapt into the air, and latched itself onto Apple Bloom's head. Applejack desperately tried to pull it off her little sister's face while Apple Bloom began to scream, but her screams became more and more muffled as it settled more onto her head. “Gerrr irrr offff mrrrr!” She wailed, “I carrrrn't breeafffe!” “Somebody, help me!” Pleaded Applejack, “Twilight?!” Twilight Sparkle rushed forward to help as Applejack pulled, activating her horn to use a telekinesis spell to pull it off. Rarity followed, using her own horn. “It's no good, we'll tear her face off!” Twilight Sparkle shouted. Each of them looked back at Apple Bloom, who was still screaming, with the thing latched tightly onto her head. Without any warning, she hit Applejack in the face. “What in tarnation?” Shouted Applejack, wiping her cheek. Each of them looked down at Apple Bloom's hooves and gasped. Her skin had been stripped back, exposing the flesh and bone underneath. Parts of the bone were missing while others weren't, making her hooves resemble claws. Apple Bloom, still wailing and screaming, began to stumble forward, hitting Applejack again, but with more force, resulting in her to begin bleeding. “I-I think that thing has got control of her brain,” Twilight Sparkle said gravely. “What does that mean?” Cried Applejack. “It means she's been turned into a sort-of zombie!” Each of them gasped as Apple Bloom stumbled forwards, blood trickling down her neck. “Will she be okay?” Asked Sweetie Belle. “Sweetie Belle! Just get outta here!” Said Rarity, who was beginning to panic. Both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo turned around to run, but found themselves to be surrounded by ponies that had been turned into zombies by the creatures that latch onto heads. They each stumbled forward, as though fighting for control of where they walked, while screaming things like, “Help me! Somepony help me!” And general, muffled, noises of pain. “Now what do we do?” Said Rarity as she backed away from Apple Bloom. “We clear them away!” Said Twilight Sparkle aggressively. Kinetic energy streamed out of her horn, pummelling the zombies aside and clearing a path. Puddles of blood spread across the ground by where the ponies lay. Some were twitching, while some were perfectly still. Twilight Sparkle, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Rarity began to run while Applejack stayed perfectly still. “What are you doing?! Get outta here!” Cried Twilight Sparkle. “I'm not leaving my little sister. Y'all go without me,” said Applejack. “We can't save her. And if you stay, you'll end up like her, too!” But Applejack didn't move, instead she turned away from Twilight Sparkle, and turned back at what was left of her little sister. By now, some of the creatures that latch onto heads were detaching themselves from the ponies Twilight had pummelled aside, and some, who could still move, were picking themselves up, limping at Twilight Sparkle and Applejack. “What are you waiting for, Twilight? Just get outta here! I'll be fine!” Twilight Sparkle felt tears swell up behind her eyes; Applejack had just told her first conscience lie to her. She sadly nodded, and quickly left, abandoning her friend who was surrounded by zombies. As she caught up with the others, Twilight Sparkle said, “we have to find Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. We can use the Elements of Harmony to stop them.” “Twilight, do you know just what is going on?” Asked Rarity. “Someone's trying to take over Equestria. Someone from, well, another dimension. It started in Canterlot, and now they're coming to Ponyville!” Explained Twilight Sparkle. “What are they called?” Asked Sweetie Belle. Twilight Sparkle's memory took her back to what the pony had said back in Canterlot Castle, “a, erm, The Combine,” she said. After she did, she looked over at Scootaloo, who was looking straight at the ground with a sad expression on her face. “Okay,” said Rarity, “Pinkie Pie lives just down here. Will the elements still work if Applejack and Rainbow Dash are...missing?” Before Twilight Sparkle could answer, the sound of moaning and screaming from behind caused all of them to turn around. A large crowd of zombies, with the, well, whatever they were called, still attached to their heads. Both Twilight Sparkle and Rarity's horns began to glow as they prepared to remove them. Then they heard the sound of hooves hitting skin and flesh, as zombies fell to the ground. An unmistakably-curly pink mane came into view as the zombies turned to face their opponent, soon to be knocked-out by Pinkie Pie as she dodged and darted away from them as they tried to kill her. As she reached the dumbfounded Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, Pinkie Pie twisted the neck of a pony zombie until an ominous click could be heard, the creature detached itself from the pony's head. But before it could go anywhere, it was stomped on by the brutal hoof of Pinkie Pie. Green blood oozed from within. “Hey, girls!” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. “Wh-whaa?” Was all Twilight Sparkle could say. “Where did you learn to fight like that!” Exclaimed Rarity. “That was so cool!” Said Scootaloo as she jumped up and down, flapping her wings. “Oh, just some training I received back when I was a filly. My Pinkie Sense told me something bad would happen today,” Pinkie Pie explained, “now come on! We should get outta here before they send more shells over.” Both Twilight Sparkle and Rarity looked at each other, and nodded, “we have to find Fluttershy. She's the only other Element of Harmony we can find,” said Twilight Sparkle as she tried to remain as calm as possible, while trying to avoid telling Pinkie Pie about what had happened to Rainbow Dash and Applejack. “Wait, can't we find spike?” Pleaded Rarity. Twilight Sparkle thought of whether or not that would be a good idea. In all the chaos, she had forgotten about her baby dragon friend. As she did, smoke began to rise from the rooftops, and distant deep voices could be heard. “Crap,” whispered Twilight Sparkle, “I think they're here.” “Erm, just who's here?” Asked Pinkie Pie. “It's, well, I think it's humans.” “Humans?!” They all said in synchronism. “I know it seems crazy, but what else walks like that, and holds objects the way humans do?” Said Twilight Sparkle. “But I thought humans, well, if they exist, were kind,” reasoned Rarity. “I know, but, maybe they're being controlled by someone, or perhaps they're somehow made to do all these terrible things,” explained Twilight Sparkle. “Erm, I think we should talk about this later. We really need to get outta here!” Said Sweetie Belle, sounding scared. “She's right, but I'm not leaving without Spike!” Protested Rarity, “we have to find him. He could be hurt!” “No,” said Twilight Sparkle resolutely, “you can stay and look for him all you want, but if you stay in Ponyville, you will be killed. I'm going to look for Fluttershy. Is anyone else coming with me?” “Don't you care about him?” Rarity was clearly getting desperate. “I do, but, for all we know, he could already be dead or be turned into one of those zombie-things. And if we go looking for him, we'd just get killed! Our survival is most important, not his!” Twilight Sparkle said seriously, “we need to find Fluttershy. She lives out of town, so they might not find her for a while.” “I'm still have to find Spike,” Rarity said sadly as she turned away from Twilight Sparkle and the others, “is anyone going with me?” “I will,” Sweetie Belle stepped forward, “I'm not leaving without my sister.” Rarity smiled upon hearing that. “Anypony else?” Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie said nothing. Scootaloo looked away. Sweetie Belle looked rather surprised that Scootaloo was not coming with her. “We'll see you later, I guess.” “Yeah, we'll see you later, goodbye,” Twilight Sparkle thought that she, in fact, would not be seeing them later. “Goodbye.” “Bye.” Pinkie Pie turned her head quickly from Rarity and Sweetie Belle to Twilight Sparkle and Scootaloo. She looked torn apart and confused. “I don't know who to go with!” She screamed, as Rarity and Scootaloo disappeared into the smoke. “Stay with us if you want to live,” said Twilight Sparkle coldly.