Queen Of The Netherworld [666 Follower Special]

Malice was sitting on the edge of one of the many drop-offs in the Nether, staring at the lava below. Soon, Deva walked up beside her and sat down.

"Hey, kiddo," she said with a smile.

Malice smiled back as she looked up at her. "Hey..."

Deva put her hand on the filly's shoulder and leaned in. "Your mother's doing fine. Told me to tell you that she says hi and that she'll be home as soon as they find and capture Pumpkin."

The little demon nodded. "I figured..." she said, before looking down at the lava again with a smile. "I'm sure she'll manage to bring Pumpkin back."

A brown stallion wearing a ghost outfit went to hide in an alley, pressing his back to the edge and peeking out at all the ponies having fun. Looking around, he noticed two ponies coming closer and closer. Wanting to jump out and scare them for fun, he smirked and took a step back into the shadows. When he was about to jump out, he heard a filly's laugh echo throughout the alley.

Ears perking, her turned around, looking into the alley. "Um... Hello?" He asked.

"You're silly..." the filly's voice cooed as purple eyes could be seen, glowing in the darkness. "That isn't how you scare someone..."

The stallion wasn't sure what to think. This filly was sure doing a good job at being creepy. "Um... What's your name?" He asked her.

"My name..." The voice repeated. "You can call me... Pumpkin..."

"Pumpkin, huh?" Asked the stallion with a light smile. "Fits the holiday pretty well..."

"Oh, Nightmare Night is my favorite time of year," the filly cooed before letting out an eerie giggle. "Do you know why?"

The stallion thought for a moment, before leaning against the side of the building. "Uh... The costumes?"

The eyes squinted as if the filly was giggling silently. "No... The candy, of course," she said, holding out her hand. When her hand emerged from the darkness, the stallion could see a piece of candy on her palm. "Here. From one friend to another."

The stallion hesitated before walking over to her, kneeling down and taking the candy. "Thanks, but... don't you want it?" He asked, now face-to-face with the purple eyes, still unable to see the face they belonged to.

The filly shook her head again. "No... I want you to have it."

The stallion gave her a light smile before popping the candy into his mouth. "Mmm... It tastes..."

"Sweet?" Asked Pumpkin. "Good... Now, then..." She then swiped at his arm, creating a large gash. Before he could let out a scream of pain, the filly ran at him. Pinning him against the side of the building, she pressed her hand to his mouth with more strength than a full-grown pony. "Shhh..." she cooed, the stallion's veins turning green around the gash. "Let it happen..." The stallion's eyes went wide in fright before the filly leaned in. "Mmm... You have such a tasty soul..." She then shoved her small fist through his chest and grabbed his heart, crushing it.

Kyra looked over the group of ponies, the environment back to normal and looking like a library again. "So, now comes time to split up into groups," she said as she crossed her arms. The girls all looked at each other, not entirely sure who should go with who. Letting out a groan, Kyra rubbed her forehead. "Alright," she suddenly said, taking a step towards them, pointing at them. "Twilight. Rainbow Dash. You two." Looking at Rarity, she pointed to Applejack. "You and Applejack. That leaves Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy," she said, before letting out a sigh. "Guess I'll go with them..."

Fluttershy let out a soft whimper, not wanting to go with the scary demon. Pinks also seemed unsure as she eyed the frightened pegasus.

"What about us?" Asked Scootaloo."

"You're going home," Kyra said sternly, eyes narrowing as she looked at her.

"I already said, wherever I go, she goes," Rainbow Dash reminded her.

"And you're okay with the possibility that bringing her along will get her killed?" Kyra asked, eyeing the mare.

"They would be safer with us than home alone..." Rarity said, speaking up.

The demon looked at her before looking at Sweetie Belle.

"What about Malice?" Asked Twilight, making Kyra glare at her. "Could leave her alone, knowing she might be in danger?"

"Don't... compare these fillies... to Malice," Kyra growled as she got in Twilight's face. Staring into her eyes for a second or two, she turned away and let out an annoyed sigh. "Fine... They come, too..." Turning to the group again, she looked them over in thought. "Twilight and Rainbow will take the center of town. Rarity and Applejack will check every alley. And I'll take Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy and we'll patrol the border."

"Is it just me, or is it weird that she knows our names?" AJ whispered to Rarity, making the white mare nod.

Kyra eyed them before heading for the door. "Come on, you two," she said, looking over at Pinks and Flutters.

Fluttershy let out a soft whimper of fear before Pinkie put an arm around her. "I got you," she said with a light smile.

Eyeing her, the pegasus smiled back before following the demon. When they left, Rarity and Applejack looked at each other before leaving, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom following. Rainbow Dash then looked at Twilight, who looked back at her.

"Come on, Rainbow," Twilight said before heading out the door.

The cyan pegasus let out an annoyed sigh. "You've got to be kitten me..." she said as she followed Twilight, getting a little chuckle from Scootaloo.

Deva and Amanté were walking through a town of sorts. There were rocky buildings like huts made for those demons that earned their place in the Nether but weren't at the level where they could live at the new hotel. As they walked, they saw a few demons hanging out, some sitting on a semi-comfortable bed in their hut that looked like a prison bed.

"So, what could we do to find out who's responsible?" Asked Amanté.

Deva shook her head. "I don't know. But, it's up to us to find out. We can't tell anyone..."

Just then, Viper stepped out of one of the nearby huts. "Hey, girls," she said with a kind smile. "What's up? What can't you tell anyone?"

"Oh... nothing..." Deva said with a light chuckle. "Just, uh... A-A job for... Kyra..."

"Yes, we... can't say what..." Amanté added.

Viper hesitated before letting out a chuckle. "You two are so cute," she said, before letting out another chuckle. "I'm Kyra's sister, remember? I know what's going on."

Deva tilted her head. "How'd you find out?"

"Well, when a demon escapes, it's hard not to find out," Viper explained. "Also, I asked Malice just to be sure."

"Oh..." Amanté said, hearing their poor attempt to hide their mission was a complete failure and utterly pointless.

"Need me to do anything?" Asked the other black mare. "Ask around?"

"No, that's okay, Viper," Deva replied with a smile. "We got this. Besides, Kyra asked us so it's our responsibility."

Viper gave them both a smile and nodded. "Your loyalty to my sister is commendable. Now, go on and find out who's setting demons loose."

Deva nodded and started walking away. "Catch ya later, V!" She called as Amanté followed her.

The long silver-haired demon smiled and waved back.

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo headed into Ponyville, moving through the crowds of ponies celebrating Nightmare Night.

"So, how did you find this mare?" Asked the cyan mare.

"Kyra?" Twilight asked in response. "I saw her sort of... appear in a burst of fire in an alley. I tried to run but she caught me."

Rainbow eyed her. "Did she... hurt you?"

Hesitating, Twilight rubbed the back of her neck. "Um... Not... really..." she muttered. "She thought I was the Candy Mare at first. But then she mentioned that she didn't want to have to deal with angels..."

"Angels?" Asked the pegasus, not sure if she heard her friend right. "So, angels and demons really exist, huh?"

Twilight let out a sigh. "It would appear so..."

"So..." Rainbow started. "What do you... think of her?" She asked as Scootaloo looked up at the unicorn.

Twilight looked at Rainbow, then the filly, and then the mare again. "I mean, she's... a little... you know..."

"Rude?" Asked Rainbow. "Mean. Irritating. Untrustworthy..."

"Untrustworthy?"

"She's a demon, Twilight," Rainbow said, not believing that her smart friend would befriend such a mare. "How could you ally yourself with her?"

"Because there's a greater threat out there," Twi explained, eyeing her friend. "And every mare, stallion, and filly in town is in danger. Terrible danger..."

Rainbow thought for a moment before looking down at Scootaloo, who looked up at her. She then sighed, annoyed with having to team up with Kyra. "I suppose... I'm just glad she'll be gone once this is all over."

Kyra, Pinks, and Fluttershy were circling the edge of town, the red mare in the lead. All three were quiet as the pink and yellow mare were too nervous to speak. The red mare wasn't exactly on good terms with them and didn't seem to be up for a discussion. She also seemed like she didn't want to be here, yet she was forced to be here. That couldn't feel good for her.

Noticing the silence, Kyra turned her head slightly and eyed them. "See anything?" Fluttershy jumped a little, startled by the sudden voice. Pinks put an arm around her and shook her head. Looking ahead again, Kyra crossed her arms. "You don't need to be afraid of Pumpkin. Not while I'm with you."

"Um..." Pinks started, eyeing Fluttershy before looking at Kyra again. "Actually, it's... you..."

The demon scoffed and looked over her shoulder at them. "Me?" She asked, sounding like she was shocked. "You're afraid of me? When the Candy Mare is out here?"

"You aren't exactly easy to talk to..." Pinkamena pointed out.

This made Kyra laugh. "Oh, come on. You must stupid to worry about me as well as the Candy Mare. When it comes down to it, no matter what, you're gonna have to trust me. Can't do that if you're afraid of me."

"Exactly," Pinks pointed out. "We can't trust you if we're afraid of you..."

Kyra eyed them once more before looking ahead again, not saying a word.

Rarity and Applejack continued their search through the alleyways, hoping they didn't find anything.

"So, lemme get this straight," Apple Bloom spoke up. "There's a crazy demon on the loose and we're... lookin' for her?"

"That's about right," Applejack confirmed as they kept looking behind and in between the houses.

"Don't be scared," Rarity said with a smile as she looked at the fillies. "That Kyra will be able to sense when we're in trouble, remember? We'll be fine."

"Says you..." AJ muttered through her teeth. "Ah still don't trust her."

"I honestly don't think she's up to anything sinister," the white unicorn said as she peeked into an alley. "Though her attitude could use an adjustment."

"She's scary, but... I trust her," Sweetie said before Rarity let out a scream.

AJ and the two fillies looked over at her to see her staring into an alley, her hand over her mouth.

"What is it?" Asked the orange mare, running up to her, before looking in the alley. Eyes going wide, she held out a hand to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. "Stay there. Don't look."

Sweetie and AB eyed each other and did as they were told. Applejack then made her way into the alley. Covering her mouth, she slowly approached the corpse of a brown stallion, his veins green and a hole where his heart should be.

"Ah don't... believe it..." she gasped, before looking away. "The Candy Mare's been here."

Kyra stopped moving suddenly, Pinks and Flutters almost walking into her but managed to stop, too. The red mare then turned around to face them. "Rarity and Applejack have found something..."

"Found something?" Asked the pink mare. "Like what?"

"A body," Kyra said like it was nothing, making both mares go wide-eyed. "I'll be right back," she said, before vanishing in a burst of flame.

Fluttershy let out a whimper as Pinkamena gently took her hand.

"I won't let anything bad happen to you," she said reassuringly, getting a light smile from the pegasus.

Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom all let out a startled gasp as Kyra suddenly appeared right in front of them.

"Found something, did you?" She asked, before entering the alley with Applejack.

The orange mare looked up at her and nodded, taking her hand away from her mouth. "Y-Yeah... His heart's missin', I think..."

"That's nothing special," Kyra commented before looking at the end of the alley towards the center of town. Walking out of the alley, she looked looked at the ground to the left and saw a pumpkin. "Now, this is significant," she said, kneeling in front of the pumpkin. There was an engraving that looked like the dead stallion's face, frozen in a state of horror.

AJ left the alley to join her, looking around at the ponies having fun. "A pumpkin?" She asked, looking down at the demon. "Like the legend?"

"Yes, Applejack," Kyra said with a nod. "The trapped soul of the stallion she killed... The only way to free the souls of her victims is to destroy her host." She then stood up and looked at Applejack. "Having just escaped Tartarus, she'll need a host until she acquires enough souls to regain her power."

"That doesn't sound too hard," Applejack said, sounding confident.

"Its not that easy, you idiot," Kyra said as her eyes narrowed, getting a glare from the earth pony. "Pumpkin will most likely acquire a body that will make you think twice before killing her. She's a demon. As much as I dislike her, I can say she's smarter than you mortals."

"Do ya have to be so rude?" AJ asked, crossing her arms.

"I don't... like... mortals..." Kyra said with narrowed eyes. "You all die so easily..."

Fluttershy and Pinkamena looked around the area where Kyra left them before they heard a voice.

"Hey..." an eerie little filly's voice came, sounding distant. Like whoever was saying it wasn't saying it to them. "What's your name?"

Pinkamena and Fluttershy eyed each other before looking towards the source of the voice. Seemed to be coming from an alley they had recently passed.

"Could that... be..." Fluttershy began. "A-And, is she..."

Pinks eyed her before taking a few steps towards the voice. "If it is then we should tell Kyra..."

"Green Tea?" Asked the voice. "Nice name. Would the little filly like a piece of... candy?"

Pinks' eyes went wide before she took off. "Oh, shit!" She gasped, before taking off towards the voice. When she reached the alley, she found a little green filly looking around, confused. On the ground was a piece of candy.

"What happened?" Asked the filly, looking at the pink mare. "Th-There was a filly here just a moment ago... Where'd she go?"

Pinkamena slowly placed her foot on the candy and shrugged, forcing out a chuckle. "I have no idea. I didn't see anyone."

"Huh..." Green Tea muttered before leaving the alley, still really confused as to where her new friend went to.

When she was gone, Pinkie reached down and picked up the candy. Looking it over, she saw some green speckles on it. Turning around to return to Fluttershy, she let out a gasp of surprise when she bumped into Kyra.

"What happened?" Asked the red mare. "You didn't run after her..."

"She was about to kill a filly," Pinks said, showing her the candy. "She was about to give her this."

Kyra looked at it before making it disappear from the mare's hand. "If you wanna get yourself killed, that's fine. But don't give Pumpkin any more ammo to use against us. She already has one." She then turned and started walking away when the pink mare spoke up.

"One what?" Pinkie asked as the demon stopped.

"When someone eats her cursed candy they are cursed and become a candy pony. Pumpkin's servant. Mind slave. So, let's keep her victims to a minimum, shall we?"

Fluttershy looked around, waiting for her friends to return. About to go after them, she heard a crying from a nearby alley. Letting out a gasp, she looked over at where it was coming from.

"H-Hello?" She asked, holding a fist over her mouth as she inched towards the alley. "Wh-Who's there?"

She took a few more steps before Kyra slipped in front of her, making her let out a loud shriek.

"Do you ponies have a death wish?" Asked Kyra, looking annoyed. "Stay together... and don't wander off..."

"I-I'm sorry, I... I just heard someone in... trouble..." Fluttershy whimpered. "I wanted to help."

"You can help by sticking together. You separate, you die," the demon said as Pinkamena rejoined them. "I can't have you dying on me. That would make me look bad."

"You already look bad," Pinkie said as she crossed her arms. "Now, how about lightening up and quit trying to act so tough?"

"I am tough," the demon snapped back, looking at the earth pony. "And, how, pray tell, would I lighten up when Pumpkin's out there?"

"Fine," Pinks retorted. "Then, after all this, we're gonna hang out."

Kyra scoffed at that. "Uh... What?"

"You and me," Pinkamena said with a smirk. "We're gonna get to know each other. Spend a day in the park. Something like that."

Kyra made a disgusted face. "A walk in the park? With you? No way would I ever hang out with you ponies."

"It's a wonder you have no friends," the pink mare cooed teasingly.

"Oh, I have many friends..."

"Name one," Pinkie said with a knowing smirk. "And Malice and that demon from earlier don't count."

Kyra hesitated in thought before crossing her arms. "I don't need... friends..."

"Everyone needs friends, Kyra," the Pink mare said in a more friendly tone.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash continued to investigate the town, finding nothing of interest.

"It's probably a good sign that we've found nothing, right?" Asked Rainbow Dash as she interlocked her fingers behind her head. "Maybe the demon isn't here, after all..."

"Either that..." Twilight started as she looked around. "Or this Candy Mare is really good at hiding."

"Yeah, that could be the case..." the pegasus replied with a sigh. "I just hope this is all for nothing and that the demon isn't here..."

"Regardless of whether or not she's her, Kyra is," Twilight pointed out. "I don't think she'd be here if the Candy Mare wasn't."

Letting out an annoyed sigh, the cyan mare let her arms hang at her sides. "You still think she's all that?"

"I wouldn't say that exactly," Twi replied. "I just think she knows what she's doing. I mean, she clearly hates being here with us and yet here she is. The only reason she'd be here would have to be that the Candy Mare is here."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Rainbow replied with a sigh of defeat. "I just hope, when this is all over, we never see her again..."

Twilight thought for a moment before letting a small smile creep across her lips. "Or..."

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened before she looked at her friend. "No... No, Twilight, you can't be serious. You don't really wanna make... friends with her?"

"So, what if I do?" Asked the unicorn. "Everyone deserves a friend and Kyra is no exception. And, having a friend would probably make her less of a, uh... Um..."

"A bi--" Dash began before being interrupted.

"Yeah, that," Twilight said quickly, eyeing Scootaloo. "I just think we could really help her loosen up."

Rainbow rolled her eyes before looking down at the ground. A pumpkin caught her eye. It had a carving of a mare with a sad look on her face. "What the..." she began, kneeling beside it. "That's an eerie pumpkin..."

Fluttershy turned away from Pinkie and Kyra, seeing a shadow moving in the alley she heard the voice come from. "Um... K-Kyra?" She asked. "There's movement in that alley," she said, pointing.

Kyra looked away from the pink mare and at the alley. "Hmm..." was all she said, before disappearing. Reappearing in the alley, she let out an angry sigh. Before her was the body of a mare, a pumpkin beside her. "Dammit..." She then felt a tingle when Twilight and Rainbow Dash found a pumpkin. "That makes three... Shit..."

Hearing the other two run over to join her, she turned and walked away. Upon seeing the body, Fluttershy covered her mouth and shrieked, eyes watering as Pinks pulled her to the side so she couldn't see the body. She then comforted the mare as Kyra looked at them.

"She's killed three ponies already..." the demon said. "Combine that with her rage... she should be about ready to manifest in her true form. When that happens, you mortals are so fucked."

"Then... what do we do?" Asked Pinkamena.

"Same thing we've been doing," Kyra replied as she started moving again. "Keep looking for the host."

Twilight and Rainbow left the pumpkin behind as they headed towards the other end of the town, heading towards the candy offering pile in the forest.

"I wonder how the other groups are doing..." Rainbow thought aloud. "Think they found anything?"

Twilight shrugged. "I have no idea what the other groups are doing. I just hope Kyra isn't being mean to them..."

The cyan mare let out a low growl. "She better not be mean to Fluttershy."

"She has Pinkie," the unicorn pointed out. "She won't let Fluttershy get hurt. And, definitely not let Kyra be mean to her.

"I guess you're right..." Rainbow agreed. "So... Where haven't we looked yet?" She asked.

Twi looked around in thought. "Well... Kyra, Pinks, and Flutters are watching the border... Rarity and Applejack are looking in alleys and behind buildings... and you and I are scanning the town... That leaves..."

"The forest!" Rainbow gasped. "The candy offering!"

Twilight's eyes went wide and looked at her friend. "Of course! The Candy Mare! Candy pile!"

Just then, Kyra appeared before them, making them both scream and jump in fright.

"Candy offering?" Asked Kyra. "You actually do that?"

Twilight and Dash eyed each other once their breathing returned to normal.

"Yeah?" Rainbow said questioningly. "Of course. It's tradition."

"It's stupid," Kyra growled. "All that candy in one place. Three ponies already dead. This perfect for the C--"

"What?" Twilight asked, her heart rate speeding up. "Th... Three dead?"

"Yes, three dead," Kyra repeated as if it were nothing. "But, I won't be seeing them anytime soon unless we kill the host."

"Do you think she's at the candy offering?" Rainbow asked.

"At this point?" Kyra said with a sigh. "I'm sure of it. She has everything she needs to come back."

"Then, what are waiting for?" Asked the cyan pegasus, sounding determined despite the situation. "Let's go kill this demon."

"No..." Kyra said, chuckling softly. "Stupid pony... We'll all regroup at the entrance to the forest and then we'll go."

Rainbow Dash glared at her before crossing her arms. Twilight then took a step forward and nodded.

"Alright. Go let them know," the unicorn said, getting a single nod from the demon before she disappeared. Twilight then looked at the pegasus. "Cant let her get to you. She's a tough demon and sees us as weak ponies. We need to show her we're tough, too... and that we can take care of ourselves."

"I know, but..." Rainbow grumbled. "I just don't like her..."

"We can figure out whether or not she's likable or not later. Right now, we need to regroup with the others. If the Candy Mare is at the candy offering, then we'll all need to be there."

Dashie gave her a hesitant nod. "Alright... Let's go," she said before they both started running towards the forest.

As they ran away, a cloaked filly with purple eyes watched them with a small smirk. "See you soon, ponies..." she cooed, before popping a piece of candy in her mouth.

To Be Continued...