Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkamena, Fluttershy, and Rarity all watched in horror as Twilight's leg finished growing back. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were looking away, not wanting to see this a second time. When the flesh had fully grown back, the unicorn lay limp on the table, panting heavily. Kyra looked over the exhausted mare before looking at her leg. Running her hand over where she had torn the old leg off, she let out a sigh. Looking down at the infected leg on the floor, she snapped her fingers, igniting the limb on flames. It quickly disintegrated as it and the ashes vaporized and disappeared completely, leaving nothing behind.

Looking back at Twilight, she smiled lightly. "You're pretty brave... for a mortal..." she said, getting an exhausted smile back from the unicorn.

After keeping her eyes on Twilight for a couple more seconds, she disappeared in a burst of red smoke. When she was gone, the girls all looked at each other.

"Is it just me, or... is she... less of a b..." AJ started, before stopping, remembering there were fillies here.

Rarity smiled and looked over at Twilight as the unicorn sat up. "She does seem a little less rude. She even seemed genuinely angry at the Candy Mare for causing Fluttershy to break her leg."

"She did look nicer," Fluttershy spoke up with a light smile.

Letting out a sigh, Rainbow looked over at the purple unicorn, crossing her arms. "Guess you were right, Twilight... Seems Kyra isn't a lost cause..."

Smiling, Twilight slowly stood on the floor. To her surprise and relief, her leg didn't hurt. It felt as though she never lost it in the first place. "She even told me I made her care, though she seemed angry about it... Or, at least, irritated..." Walking over to Rainbow, she put a hand on her shoulder. "She still has a little ways to go... I'll need your help..." She then turned to face the others. "I'll need all your help."

"Yer really goin' to a lot of trouble for this mare we just met," AJ pointed out. "And a demon, no less..."

Twilight thought back to how Kyra looked when she called her friend. "Because everyone needs a friend," Twilight explained. "I could sense something about her. Like, she was only acting rude..."

"Kinda like a Caramel Crunch," Applebloom said, getting everyone's attention. "You know... Hard on the outside, yet soft and chewy on the inside."

Twi let out a chuckle. "Yes, Kyra is like Caramel Crunch. And, when I called her a friend just now, I saw something on her face. It was only for a second, but I could see... that... crunchy exterior turning soft... It's like she wants a friend but doesn't want to ask. So, no matter what she says and no matter how rude she is, I need you all to stick with her."

Rainbow hesitated before nodding. "Suppose it can't hurt... Plus... be cool having a demon as a friend," she said, as a smile spread across her face.

"Yeah, it would," AJ agreed.

"So, it's settled, then..." Twilight said as she looked around at the group. "Kyra's a friend."

Rainbow nodded before tilting her head. "So... where'd she go?"

Princess Luna stepped out of the shower in her bedroom and grabbed a towel. Wrapping it around herself, she walked over to the steamed-up mirror. Letting out a sigh, she placed her hand on it and wiped off some of the steam. Letting out a gasp, she saw a red figure in the reflection. Turning around, she saw Kyra standing on the other side of the room.

"Kyra..." the alicorn said, going slightly wide-eyed.

"Hey, Luna," the demon replied with a light smile.

The princess slowly approached the red mare. "It's been... so long..."

"Oh, only about 2,000 years..." Kyra said with a light smirk.

Luna stepped up to her and smiled. "It is good to see you again... How is Aura?"

Kyra gave her a nod. "She's doing well..."

"I would love to see her again, too..."

Kyra hesitated before letting out a sigh. "You know the situation..." The demon replied. "Suicide taints the soul. She isn't the same mare you remember..."

Luna nodded before crossing her arms. "I remember that..."

The demon then leaned in closely. "We do have a problem, however. A pretty big one."

Luna appeared to tense up at hearing the bad news. "What sort of problem?"

"Pumpkin is back..."

The princess' eyes widened. "Pumpkin's back? How did this happen?"

"Someone let her out..." Kyra explained. "I have my best working on finding out who did it, but right now... we need your help."

"Of course," Luna nodded. "I will do whatever I can to... Wait... Who is we?"

The Candy Mare quickly and quietly crawled towards the forest exit, leading back to town, her longer arms and legs allowing her to cover more distance quickly. Suddenly, she hit an invisible wall and bounced back. Letting out a growl, she quickly got back on all fours before reaching her right hand out. When it hit the wall, she felt it and looked around, realizing what it was. Letting out a louder growl, she banged on it with both hands.

"Oh, what's the matter?" Asked Kyra as she walked up to the candy pony, arms crossed with a smirk. "Can't get thr..." She trailed off when she noticed the mare's new body.

The Candy Mare grinned, showing off her candy corn teeth. "Like it?"

"I didn't know you could do that..."

The Candy Mare got back on her feet, placing her hands on the invisible wall and leaning in until her forehead hit the shield, too. "Do you think this shield can keep me out forever?"

The red demon walked up to the shield and got in the candy pony's face. "No... Just as long as I need it to..."

"Good," the Candy Mare cooed darkly. "Because whether it takes a day, a month, a year, or a lifetime, your energy will run out... And, when it does, I will be here... and, I will kill everyone..."

Kyra glared at her. "No, you won't..." she said, before turning and walking away. "Not while I still breathe."

The candy pony let out an eerie laugh. "You haven't breathed for years... But, when I get through this barrier I will tear you limb from limb... That still hurts, doesn't it?"

Kyra stopped moving, knowing the Candy Mare was right. Despite her being an immortal demon, she still felt pain caused by another demon. Pushing it to the back of her mind, she focused on the plan at hand and continued moving.

The Candy Mare licked her lips as she watched the red demon walk away. "Soon..." she cooed, scraping her claws down the invisible shield.

The girls back at the library all sat around, waiting. Fluttershy was sitting on the couch and Twilight was pacing back and forth in front of the door. Soon, there was a frantic knock on the door. Before she could open it, Twilight turned to see the door fly open.

"Twilight?" Asked Luna, quickly walking up to the unicorn and hugging her. "I am so very sorry that you had to get caught up in all this..." The alicorn was wearing a blue bra and panties, which were covered by a blue nightgown.

The purple mare smiled and hugged back. "It's fine, princess..."

The alicorn nodded and pulled away, before looking around at everyone else. "My apology extends to the rest of you, of course... I hoped we had dealt with this horror years ago."

"Well, with your help, we'll do it again," Twilight said with a smile. "Because, this time, there's six more of us."

Luna turned to face her again and smiled lightly. "I admire your optimism, Twilight..."

"What about us?" Asked Scootaloo.

"You'll wait here," Kyra said as she entered the library, the door slamming shut behind her.

"We can't leave them alone," AJ said as she took a step towards the demon. "Not with that monster out there..."

Kyra stopped and looked at her. The demon clenched her fist as if she was trying to hold back a snarky comment. "I... I have a plan..." she said before walking towards the fillies.

Aj and Dash eyed each other before the cyan mare spoke up. "Which is what, exactly?"

Kyra stopped in front of the fillies and looked down at them, the little fillies looking up at her in return. "I can create a smaller shield to protect them..." She then slowly knelt down in front of them. "You three will be safe in there..." Sweetie Belle smiled lightly as the demon eyed the orange filly, who had a look of worry. Kyra then slowly reached out and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I promise..."

Scootaloo looked her in the eyes and nodded, the demon giving her a light smile. Applejack and Rainbow Dash both looked at each other, exchanging a happy expression mixed with surprise at how friendly Kyra seemed to be now. The demon then drew a large circle on the floor beside the fillies, big enough for all three of them. After creating small runes around it, the circle lit up.

"Alright," the demon said, looking at the fillies. "Get inside and don't... leave... the circle," she said, pointing at them. "I don't have enough energy to create another shield in addition to the one protecting Ponyville... so I made the next best thing," she said, before pointing at the circle. "Sit inside it. And don't leave it." Sweetie Belle and Applebloom both nodded and crawled into the circle. Kyra looked over at Scootaloo and let out a sigh. "You have to get inside... It's the only way you'll be safe..."

Scootaloo eyed the circle before looking at the demon again. "I-I could go with you..."

Kyra let out an internal gasp, not expecting this. The filly seemed to feel safer with her around. Despite her bitchy attitude, these ponies still seemed to trust her. "I... I can't," Kyra said, eyeing the others before looking at Scoots again. "I'll be doing something very dangerous and I can't risk you, or your friends, getting hurt. You saw firsthand what happens when you get cut... and what has to happen afterwards..."

Scootaloo hesitated before slowly reaching out, placing her hand on the demon's arm. "Well, you... grew yours back, and... grew Twilight's leg back..."

Kyra gently took the filly by the shoulders, Rainbow taking a step towards them inc case the demon did anything bad. "That is not a pain a little filly like you should have to endure... So, please... stay here with your friends. Keep each other safe inside the circle."

The orange filly looked a little nervous before looking over at Rainbow Dash. The cyan mare gave her a smile and a nod. Scootaloo then looked at Kyra again and nodded. "Okay..." she said, before joining Applebloom and Sweetie Belle in the circle.

The demon gave her a small smile and stood up, turning to face the others. Rainbow gave her a smile, telling the demon that she was happy with how she handled Scoots. The demon hesitated before giving her a light smile in return. "Alright... We have work to do..."

Luna gave her a smile before heading for the door. "I will find a good spot," she said as she left.

Twilight walked over to the door and watched the Princess walk away. "A spot for what?"

Kyra walked up next to the unicorn and eyed her. "For the trap, of course. We need to get Pumpkin back to the Nether and she won't go willingly. So, the only option is to trap her in a small shield similar to the one protecting Ponyville. Then, Luna and I can use the banishing spell we used before."

"Well... What are waiting for?" Asked Twilight with a nervous smile. "Let's go banish a demon."

The Candy Mare scraped at the shield, glaring at the town when suddenly the shield flickered like a light about to go out. Looking around, she smiled widely, taking a step back to watch the shield about to go down.

Kyra and Twilight returned to where they found one of the Candy Mare's cursed pumpkin's.

"There it is," Kyra said as she picked it up.

"What was so important about these pumpkins again?" Twilight asked as she looked over the pumpkin.

"They're connected to Pumpkin," Kyra explained. "You destroy one, you free the soul. However, Pumpkin will get a huge power boost and know exactly where you are..." She then looked at Twilight. "We're gonna use it to lure her in."

The Candy Mare banged on the shield with a growl each time her fist hit the barrier. With each hit, the force field rippled before it suddenly faded away, causing the candy pony to fall forward. Quickly placing her claws out in front of her, she stopped herself from getting a face full of dirt. Looking around, she crawled forward a little before stopping. Confirming that the shield was down, a grin spread across her face and began heading towards town.

Kyra and Twilight joined the others with Luna in a clearing near Ponyville.

"Everything is set," Luna said when she saw Kyra. "I cast a spell on the town making everyone sleepy. They should all be indoors now."

"Good," Kyra said as she set the pumpkin down in the grass.

She then pointed at the grass and slowly turned all the way around, a circle burning into the grass large enough for the Candy Mare. Once the circle was complete, she held out her hand as runes began to burn into the ground around the circle. As she did, Luna lit up her horn and held her hand out, the red runes and circle flashing blue before glowing purple.

"There..." Kyra said, lowering her hand as she stepped out of the trap. "When it senses Pumpkin inside it... it will activate. Now..." She then pointed at the pumpkin and it exploded.

The Candy Mare stopped suddenly when she felt a power surge. Letting out a growl, she looked in the direction of Kyra. She couldn't see her from where she was but she knew where she was.

"Clever..." she hissed. "But, I'm not stupid."

Kyra and the others looked around, wondering where the candy demon was.

"She should have been here by now," Luna said, sounding worried.

The red mare crossed her arms in thought. "Well, this is bad... Where is she?"

Scootaloo was seated in the protective circle, knees to her chest and hugging herself.

"Come on, Scootaloo," Applebloom said with a smile, putting a hand on her knee. "I'm sure they've trapped that monster by now and are on they're way back here right now."

"Yeah," Sweetie Belle agreed. "That candy pony may be scary but she didn't seem too smart."

Applebloom let out a giggle. "I bet she has candy for a brain."

She and Sweetie high-fived and giggled as Scootaloo's lips formed a smile.

"Of course I have candy for a brain," an eerie voice cooed, sending shivers down the fillies' spine. They looked over to see the Candy Mare standing there, smiling down at them. All three fillies wanted to scream but just stared at her in fright, huddling together. "It just means all my ideas are... delicious..." she joked, squatting down to be closer to eye level with them. Seeing their frightened expressions, she sank lower until she was on all fours, her belly almost touching the floor as she leaned in closer to the shield. "What's the matter?" She asked. "I thought we were having fun." The fillies said nothing. Grinning, the Candy Mare placed her hand on the shield. "Interesting... If I try and sap the magic from this shield... Kyra will be alerted immediately... Seems you three are safe..." She then eyed Scootaloo, who seemed to be the most terrified. Smirking, she backed away a little. "I guess I should go... No use hanging around here..." She then started to turn to leave, before quickly lunging at the shield with a hiss.

The fillies all let out screams of terror and jumped backwards a little. Scootaloo, however, jumped the most and fell backwards, the top of her head landing outside of the shield. Grinning widely, the Candy Mare swooped over to her and gabbed her hair, pulling her from the circle. All three began screaming, Scootaloo being scared for her life and the other two pleading that the candy pony let their friend go.

"Oh, now you wanna talk to me," the Candy Mare said as she dragged Scootaloo across the floor before standing up. When she lifted the filly off the floor, Scoots grabbed the candy wrist and tried to crack it. Looking down, she noticed she was about two feet off the floor. "When I have something you want, you wanna talk."

"Please, don't hurt her!" Applebloom pleaded.

"Yeah, let her go!" Sweetie cried.

The candy pony placed her free hand on the shield. "Her life is in Kyra's hands," she cooed darkly, before sapping the magic away from the shield.

Kyra let out a gasp and looked back towards the library. "The fillies!" She yelled. "She's there!" Before the others could react, she disappeared in a burst of red smoke.

Twilight hesitated before looking at AJ, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. The three seemed terrified before running back towards the library.

The purple mare then looked at Luna. "We should stay here... in case Kyra is able to get Pumpkin here..."

The princess hesitated in thought for a couple seconds before nodding in agreement.

Kyra appeared in the library near the front door, seeing the Candy Mare standing by AB and Sweetie Belle and holding Scootaloo up by her neck.

"Oh, I'm so glad you came," the candy pony cooed, holding the filly in front of her. "Come for this?"

The red demon glared at the candy abomination, knowing if she made a move towards them, the filly could get cut.

"You said I'd be safe!" Scootaloo yelled through her tears. "You promised!"

Kyra let out a soft gasp. For some reason, hearing the filly say that felt as though someone had stabbed her in the heart. "I... I will keep you safe... I-I will..."

The Candy Mare giggled. "If you wanna keep her safe... you'll have to give me something."

The red mare growled through her teeth as the front door opened. AJ, Dash, and Rarity all ran in behind Kyra, skidding to a stop as they all stared in fright.

"Scootaloo!" Rainbow yelled, tears in her eyes.

Kyra eyed them before holding her arms out. "Stay there..." She then lowered her arms and looked at the Candy Mare again. "What do you want for her?"

The candy pony grinned and leaned in. "You, of course... Give me you... and I let these fillies go."

"That's ridiculous," the red mare replied. "If I give myself to you, what's to stop you from killing them anyway?"

"Kill these?" Asked Candy, holding up Scootaloo like she were nothing but a doll. "They're so cute. I was thinking of keeping them as my playthings. The terror on their faces and the fear in their hearts is like... candy... to me... But, if you refuse... I will make their death excruciatingly painful."

Kyra hesitated before taking a step forward. AJ then grabbed her arm.

"What are you doin'?" Asked AJ. "There's gotta be another way."

The red mare stopped and then turned to Applejack. "It has to be this way. If there is a slim chance to keep that filly... to keep Scootaloo... from suffering as one of her puppets... I will take it."

Rainbow Dash slowly stepped up to her and sniffled. "W-Would saying... thank you be... too inappropriate?"

Kyra let out a scoff. "After the way I've treated you?" She asked, before shaking her head. "No..."

The cyan mare then pulled the demon into a hug, to everyone's surprise. "Thank you..."

Kyra smiled and slowly hugged back. "If I fail..." she whispered. "I had fun with you girls..." She then pulled away from the pegasus and made her way towards the Candy Mare.

"If she fails?" Dash asked herself, she and AJ eyeing each other.

"Alright, you candy-coated bitch," Kyra growled, stepping up to the candy pony. "Let her go. And I won't put up a fight."

The Candy Mare hissed happily and threw the filly aside. She tumbled across the floor with a whimper.

"Scoots!" Rainbow yelled, running for the filly.

The candy pony then grabbed Kyra by the neck and lifted her up. "Time to make you my personal pet," she cooed, pulling her hand back before thrusting it through Kyra's stomach.

The red mare grunted as her eyes went wide, blood spurting from her mouth.

"Kyra!" Sweetie yelled.

"Just... let it... happen..." the candy demon cooed.

Kyra coughed up more blood before smirking. "Got you, bitch."

The Candy Mare went wide-eyed for a second before glaring at her captive. "What are you talking about?"

Kyra grabbed the candy-coated arm that had impaled her. "This!"

Then, in a burst of red smoke, they both vanished. AJ and Rarity eyed each other before running to their sisters.

Twilight, Luna, Fluttershy, and Pinkamena were standing by the trap, when there was a burst of red smoke in the trap. Quickly looking over, Twilight and Luna saw the Candy Mare and Kyra in the circle.

"What?!" The candy monstrosity growled, banging on the shield with her free hand.

Luna let out a gasp before holding her hand out towards the shield, the ground within the trap glowing blue. Twilight ran up to the shield when she noticed what was going on.

"Kyra!" She yelled. "Wh-What happened?!"

The red mare eyed her with a grunt, the shield flickering but holding, as if the demon was using all her strength to keep the shield up and to resist the candy curse. "I'm... saving all of you... What's it look like?!"

"But, you're gonna die, aren't you?!"

Kyra looked down at her stomach, seeing the curse spreading very slowly. "Eventually!" She grunted. "Now, Luna! Quickly!"

"I can not do this alone!" The princess yelled back. "Last time, I had you!"

Twilight looked back and forth between Luna and Kyra, before walking over to the princess. "You have me."

Luna eyed her and shook her head. "No... It would take too much energy."

"I don't care," Twi said, almost cutting her off. "I will do whatever it takes to get rid of that thing," she said, pointing at the Candy Mare.

The princess hesitated, biting her lip before letting out a sigh. "Alright. If you... feed me your magic to ensure mine does not run out... I should be able to perform the spell on my own."

Twilight gave her a smile and nodded, standing beside the alicorn and gently taking the princess' free hand. She then began to transfer the magic she had from herself to the princess, who began to feel a small surge of energy.

"No!" Yelled the Candy Mare, banging on the shield. "LET ME OUT!!! I WON'T GO BACK!!!"

Twilight started to feel light-headed. "How much... How much longer?"

Luna eyed her with a gasp when AJ, RD, and Rarity came running over to join them, along with the fillies. "You are running low already..." she said, feeling her power surge fading. "We are almost there, Twilight."

"I don't think I... have enough magic..." the unicorn groaned, rubbing her head. "W-We need more..."

"And, you have it," Rarity said as she approached them.

Twilight looked over at her and smiled. "Are you... sure?"

The white unicorn nodded, placing her hand on Luna's and Twilight's hands. "Most definitely."

Rarity then felt her magic slipping away as Luna smiled, feeling more magic flowing into her. Starting to feel lightheaded herself, she groaned. Kyra, meanwhile, was starting to feel weaker and weaker by the second and the shield began to flicker more.

"The shield won't hold fer much longer!" AJ pointed out. "If yer gonna do somethin'... do it fast!"

"FUCKING DAMMIT!!!" The candy demon yelled.

Luna focused harder and let out a yell as she pushed herself to finish the spell. The shield soon shattered, but not before blue tendrils shot out from the ground and wrapped around the candy pony and Kyra.

"NO!!!" The candy pony screamed, sort of sounding afraid all of a sudden. "I CAN'T GO BACK!!!"

A tendril then wrapped around her neck before pulling both her and Kyra into the glowing blue circle. When the blue glow vanished, the candy pony and the red demon were gone. Twilight and Rarity collapsed to the ground as Luna dropped to her knees, all three exhausted. AJ, Rainbow, and Fluttershy ran over to them.

"Are you okay?" AJ asked as she helped Rarity to her knees and Dash helped Twilight to her knees.

"Yeah..." Rarity said weakly. "I just feel... drained..."

"Me, too..." Twilight groaned.

Pinkamena then looked at where the shield was, slowly walking over to it. "Um... Where's Kyra?"

Rainbow looked over at her before looking at AJ, everyone seemingly worried that they would never see the red demon again.

It took Twilight a while to process what Pinks had asked. When she did, she let out a gasp and stumbled to her feet. "Kyra?" She asked, finding it hard to walk as she stumbled towards the pink mare before dropping to her knees. "Kyra?!"

Rainbow quickly ran over to make sure she didn't hurt herself. Kneeling beside her, she put her arm around her. "I'm sure we'll see her again."

Twilight looked at her as a tear fell from her eye. "Y-Yeah," she said, giving the mare a light smile. "I bet you're right..."

Luna slowly got to her feet, slowly feeling her magic return. Since she was an alicorn, her magic was returning at a much faster rate than Twilight and Rarity. When she had enough, she placed her fingertip on Rarity's horn, causing it to light up. Letting out a gasp, the white mare felt her energy return to her.

"Ooo... Thank you," she said with a smile, getting to her feet.

"No... Thank you," Luna corrected, giving the unicorn a smile before walking over to Twilight and Rainbow. "You did good, Twilight. I am proud of you."

The purple mare looked up at her and smiled. "Anything I can do to help..."

The alicorn placed her finger on Twilight's horn, the unicorn feeling her energy return. "There. Now, I suggest you all get some sleep. You earned it..." She then unfolded her wings. "You all did an amazing job tonight. Let us hope we never have to do this again."

"Never dream of it," AJ said with a wink.

Luna let out a quiet chuckle. "Well, you might," she said, before turning and flying back towards the castle.

"What?" Asked Applejack, going slightly wide-eyed. "Oh, thanks!" She called after the princess. "Thanks for that!"

Twilight chuckled as she got to her feet. "Alright, girls... Let's go home." She started moving before stopping. "Wait," she said, her smile fading as she turned to the others. "Th-That... filly..." she said, a tear falling from her eye.

The others all eyed each other as Applejack stepped forward. "We should... bring her to the mayor... Tell her what happened..."

"We can't tell her about demons," Pinkamena said with a sigh. "She wouldn't believe that... and, it would make us seem suspicious..."

Twilight nodded. "Then, we tell her we found her like that and we're not sure what happened..."

Rarity shook her head disapprovingly. "This isn't right," she said, crossing her arms. "Her parents have the right to know."

"Look, I would love to tell her, too," Rainbow said as she stepped up to the white unicorn. "But, there was a reason both Kyra and Luna kept the existence of the Candy Mare secret from everyone in Ponyville."

"They probably didn't want to scare anyone," Fluttershy said with a light smile. "Otherwise, Kyra would've probably just gone after her directly."

Rarity nodded and looked at Pinkamena again. "But..."

"We'll tell her," AJ said with a smile. "When the times is right. But, not now."

The white mare hesitated before letting out a sigh. "Okay..."

Twilight knelt down by the body of the filly, her lips trembling as she pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry..." she sniffled, before scooping her limp body up in her arms.

Her friends all had sad expressions as Twilight carried the filly's body to the mayor's house. Her friends followed, each with a sad expression on her face. When they arrived, Rainbow stepped up to knock on the door, since Twilight couldn't. After a few seconds, the lights inside came on before the door opened.

"Twilight," the mayor said, wearing a white nightgown. "What are you..." She trailed off when she saw the filly's body. "Is... Is she asleep?"

Twilight sniffled and shook her head. "No..." she whimpered, tears falling from her eyes.

"Oh, no," the mayor said, stepping up to her to get a better look at the filly. "Wh... H-How did this happen?"

"We don't know," the purple mare replied. "W-We found her like this..."

The mayor reached out and placed her hand on the filly's cheek. "In all my years... I have never seen anything so tragic..." She then looked at the others. "Tomorrow, we will have a funeral for her..."

"What about the parents?" Asked Rarity.

"Mother," Mayor Mare said a she looked at her. "I know who this is... I will go tell her now. For now, leave her on the couch until I return. I'm sure her mother would like to say her good-byes."

Twilight nodded and began to head inside. As she did, the mayor put a hand on her shoulder before heading off back to her room to get dressed. The unicorn made her way over to the couch in the living room and laid the filly down. She then got to her knees and gently took the filly's hand in her own.

"I hope you're in a good place now..." she sniffled. After taking a few more seconds, she stood up and went back to her friends. "Alright... Let's go home..."

The others nodded before they all started to head back to their own homes.

The Next Day...

Twilight went downstairs and headed for the fridge in the kitchen. Taking out an orange, Spike walked in, rubbing his eyes.

"What happened to you last night?" He asked with a yawn.

"N... Nothing..." Twi answered with a light smile. "Just hung out with my friends..."

Nodding, Spike let out another yawn. "Well, I'm gonna get cleaned up and go for a walk. Unless you need me for anything."

Twi shook her head with a smile. "No, you're good. Enjoy your walk."

Spike nodded and ran off for the stairs, heading up to the bathroom to take a shower. As he did, the front door opened as Twilight's friends walked in.

"Twilight?" Asked Rainbow, followed by AJ, Rarity, Pinkamena, and Fluttershy. "You up?"

The unicorn stepped out of the kitchen and gave them a smile. "Hey..."

"How you holding up?" Asked Rarity.

Twilight slowly walked over to them and sighed. "I'm better... You?"

The others all nodded as AJ took a step forward. "Any word on Kyra yet?"

The unicorn shook her head. "No. Nothing."

"She did say she'd leave as soon as the Candy Mare was taken care of," Fluttershy pointed out.

Twilight let out a sigh and went to sit on the couch. "I know... I just thought that... after what we went through... she'd stick around..."

"If she survived," the pink mare said as she looked at the others. "We all saw how she left. The Candy Mare impaled her. Remember what happens when you get cut from that candy demon?"

Twilight rubbed her leg and nodded. "I hope she's okay..."

Before anyone else had time to think, the front door opened and in walked Kyra.

"Alright, so the mission was a success and Pumpkin is back where she belongs," she announced, as if everything was normal. Looking around at the girls, she noticed their shocked expressions. "What?"

Twilight got up from the couch and slowly walked over to her. "Kyra?" She asked, eyes wide with both hope and shock.

The red demon raised an eyebrow. "Um... Yes?" The unicorn stood in front of her and hesitated before wrapping her arms around her. "Oh..." Kyra said with a light chuckle, loosely hugging back. "Okay... Why?"

Twilight pulled back from the hug and gave her a smile as a tear fell from her eye. "We were... worried that you had... died..."

Kyra looked away briefly before eyeing the purple mare. "You know I... am dead, right?"

"Well..." Twi said as she wiped tears from her eye. "We thought the... Candy Mare's venom got you..."

The demon let out an internal gasp, hearing actually worry in the mare's voice. "Oh..." She then looked around at the others, who also seemed incredibly relieved to see the demon alive and well. "You all were... concerned that I was... gone?"

"Of course," Rarity said with a smile, taking a step towards her. "You're our friend."

"And, you saved Scootaloo," Rainbow pointed out. "I owe you for that."

"Anyone who risks their life to save others is alright by me," AJ said with a smile.

Kyra looked at the farm girl. "It was... my job to get Pumpkin back..." she said, trying to sound tough while making it clear that there was a different reason. She then looked at Rainbow. "And, if I let that filly die... I'd have to explain to Sera why I let two fillies die." The mention of the dead filly suddenly killed the happy vibe everyone was feeling at seeing the red demon alive. Clearly noticing the change in atmosphere, Kyra knew she fucked up. "Speaking of... that filly... I do have some good news..."

"What is it?" Asked Fluttershy.

"Well..." Kyra began, looking around at the mares. "Since her soul was taken by Pumpkin... she sort of went with her to the Nether... But since Pumpkin has no power there, the soul was split from her..."

Twilight thought for a moment before letting out a gasp. "Wait... So... you're saying that she's... with you?"

The others all let out gasps of their own as they stared at the demon. Kyra eyed them all and nodded.

"Yes," the demon replied. "In fact, I... spoke with her mother earlier... After she found out from the mayor..."

"You did?" Asked the purple unicorn. "What happened?"

Kyra eyed her. "Well..."

Earlier...

A gray mare with short black hair slowly entered her home, tears in her eyes as she slowly closed the door behind her. Sniffling and trembling, she stumbled into the living room, leaning against the door frame.

"Peppermint?" Came a voice in the darkness.

Looking up, the mare saw a red mare sitting on the couch. "Wh-Who are y-you?" She asked, lips trembling as tears streamed her face.

The red mare hesitated before standing up. "My name is Kyra... and I have information about your... daughter..."

"Minty?" The mare asked, wiping her eyes. "Wh-What do you know a-about... h-her?"

Kyra took a moment, picking her words carefully. "Well... I... I've never been good with... words..." the demon said with a light smile as she took a step towards the mare. "But... I suppose the easiest thing for me to tell you is... that... I'm a... demon..."

The mare hesitated before scoffing. "You think this is funny?" She asked, sounding angry. "You think it's funny to play a prank like this on a grieving mother?"

Kyra shook her head. "No, I... I'm serious..."

"And I think you need to leave," the mare said with a demanding tone in her voice.

The demon let out a sigh. "Fine... I guess I have to prove it..." Closing her eyes, she tilted her head to the side.

Meanwhile, the crying mare just watched her. Suddenly, Kyra's eyes shot open, glowing red as the edge of her mouth grew closer to her cheek, revealing sharp teeth. She then opened her mouth as a foot-long tongue rolled out. Letting out a gasp, the mare turned to run, only to bump into the red mare, who looked normal. When she was about to scream, the demon covered her mouth.

"Shh..." Kyra cooed. "I'm not here to hurt you... You see, your daughter was possessed by another demon who escaped from me. When she left her body and manifested with her own... your daughter did not survive..." She then lowered her hand and gently held the mare by the arms, who just stared at her. She seemed to be listening. "I captured the demon and, with her, went your daughter's soul. So... to summarize... your daughter is with... me..."

The mare let out a gasp and gently placed her hands on the base of Kyra's neck. "She's with you?" She asked, hope in her voice. "S-So you can bring her back?"

Kyra gave her a sad expression and shook her head. "No... I'm sorry... She's gone..." The mare then burst out crying again at hearing the bad news. Kyra slowly pulled her into an embrace, gently rubbing her back. "The most I can do is... see if I can purify her soul so she can become an angel... Then you two will be reunited when your time comes..."

The mare pulled back from the embrace and wiped her eyes. "Y-You can do that?"

Kyra gave her a smile and nodded. "I, myself, have a daughter. She shouldn't be a demon, either, but we connected, and... I sort of adopted her. Your daughter will be safe with me until I can fix all this. Our daughters are actually getting along quite well," she added with a smile.

The mare smiled back and sniffled. "Thank you... for telling me this..."

Kyra smiled back and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Oh..." she said suddenly, holding out her hand as a small, red rock formed on her palm.

Peppermint eyed it before looking at Kyra. "What's that? A rock?"

"Yeah..." Kyra said, rubbing the back of her neck. "We don't really have... stores where I'm from, but... your daughter wanted me to give this to you... To let you know she's safe."

Peppermint's eyes filled with tears again and smiled, slowly taking the Nether rock. Looking it over in her hand, she slowly held it in her fist and sniffled. "Thank you..."

Kyra smiled and patted her shoulder. "I have to go..."

The mare sniffled and nodded. "Of course. I have to prepare for the funeral, anyways..."

Kyra started to turn towards the door as a tear fell from her eye. Sniffling, she eyed the mare again. "It's my fault... I'm so sorry... I-I wasn't watching that demon close enough... If I had, maybe I could've stopped whoever let her out..." She then stopped and put her hand over her eyes, feeling embarrassed as she didn't like to show weakness.

Peppermint hesitated before stepping up to her, gently placing her hand on the demon's wrist and making her lower her hand. Looking into the demon's tear-filled eyes, she smiled. "I don't blame you..."

Kyra sniffled and nodded, hugging the mare once more before turning and walking back towards the door. Without saying anything else, Peppermint watch the demon open the door and leave like a normal pony.

Later...

Kyra smiled at Twilight. "It went well..." She then hesitated and quickly wiped her eyes as if to hide a tear. "But, I do have some good news... sort of... For you, anyways..."

"Huh?" Asked Twilight. "What?"

The red demon let out a brief chuckle. "Well, it seems Pumpkin wasn't the only demon that was released. The cells were emptier than they should be... so, it looks like you'll be seeing more of me..."

"What?!" Applejack exclaimed.

Kyra then let out a chuckle. "Don't worry... The others aren't as bad as Pumpkin, but... they're bad... But, you have me," Kyra said with a smile. "Good news is I came up with a spell to cast on this town so if any demons show up I'll know."

Twilight smiled and crossed her arms. "That's great... Though, it would be even better if a demon threat wasn't the only way we got to see you..."

The demon hesitated before looking at her. "You mean, you... wanna... hang out?"

"Of course," Rainbow said with a smile. "You're starting to grow on us."

Kyra didn't know what to do or say. She just stood there as the room was filled with a silence. The demon then snapped back to reality and took a deep breath. "Um... I..."

Twilight smiled and stepped up to her, gently taking her hand. "Come on... Hang out with us."

Kyra looked her in the eyes before looking down at their hands. Letting out a sigh, she closed her eyes. "Fine... I've treated you all like shit since I got here..." she said, before lifting her head to look at everyone. "If you still wanna hang out with me after all that, then... I guess you can't be that bad..."

"Great!" Twilight shouted, wrapping her arm around the socially awkward demon. "Let's go do something."

"I still have things to do back home," Kyra said with a blush as she tried not to look at Twilight. "Plus, I have to call for a meeting with a certain Angel... about that filly... But, afterwards..."

Twilight nodded. "Sounds good."

"Great," Kyra said with a light smile, going into silence again for a few seconds before speaking again. "Um... Bye, then." She then disappeared in a burst of red smoke.

"Well, she seems to be opening up," Rarity said, getting a chuckle from Applejack.

"Yeah," the farm mare agreed. "Did you see that blush."

Twilight smiled and let out a happy sigh. "Well... Let's get the day started, shall we? Lots to do and not really sure when Kyra will be back."

Pinkamena nodded and began to head to the front door. "I have things to bake... I'll see you girls later," she said, opening the door and leaving.

Rarity was next to leave. "And, I have my clothes."

AJ headed out with Fluttershy as Rainbow walked over to Twilight.

"Well, that went well..." Rainbow said with a smile.

Twilight nodded. "Yeah... I can't wait until she comes back. Things just seem more interesting when she's around."

"Are you sure you aren't excited for her to come back for... another reason?"

The unicorn blushed heavily. "Um... What?"

"I saw you hold her hand..." Rainbow teased, bumping her playfully.

Twilight blushed more before looking away. "She's nice... Sort of..."

The cyan pegasus let out a chuckle and patted her back. "I'm just teasing. Just be sure you know what you're doing..." she said, before leaving.

When everyone had left, Twilight walked over to the doorway and looked out. Everything seemed to be peaceful in town, aside from the upcoming funeral. Tough times seemed to be ahead but Twilight knew they had a fighting chance with Kyra on their side. Additionally, she felt happy whenever the demon was around and she wasn't entirely sure why. Perhaps she'd work all that out later but, for now, she just enjoyed the fresh air and the sun, unaware of the experiences to come...

To Be Continued in Season 2

Author's Note

For future Seasons, I will only release Episode 1 when the ENTIRE thing is complete, or at least HALF is complete so you won't have to wait more than a week between each Episode.