Author's Note

This one's shorter but that's only because there wasn't much I could do, not because I rushed through it. It was just a fun idea I had that I wanted to do and everything is in here, unlike the last one...

Candy Land

Kyra appeared in the bedroom of Silent Night's home, seeing the filly on the bed. Her sudden appearance made the filly jump and let out a squeak.

"No, it's okay," the demon cooed, leaning over the bed and placing her hand on the filly's cheek. "I'm here to help you..." She ran her finger over the stitches as they began to dissolve into nothing.

"Wh-Who are you?" Asked the filly, now able to speak.

"My name's Kyra," the demon said with a smile as she then ran her finger around the filly's lips, the holes vanishing and the blood fading away. "You must be Mango."

"H-How do you know that?"

"I know a lot of things," Kyra replied with a chuckle.

"Now, let's get you home. I'm sure your parents must be worried."

The filly sniffled and nodded. "Yes, please..."

A green filly with short pink hair approached the Candy Mare's prison door. Jumping up, she grabbed the bars and lifted herself up, wanting to see inside. Everything seemed normal. Fake trees still there and the walls were intact... but, where was the candy pony?

Suddenly, the mare in question popped up in front of her, making the filly yell in fright and let go of the bars. Hitting the floor with a grunt, she looked up at the window. Looking back at her was the face of the Candy Mare.

"Gumdrop..." the mare cooed. "I knew you'd come back to me..."

The filly stood up and stayed where she was so she could see the mare. "So, you're the one who... did this to me?"

The Candy Mare let out a giggle. "Souls are so delicious... I just happened to pick you to possess... and you played your part perfectly..."

Gumdrop hesitated in thought before looking down at the floor. "What about... my mother... and my friends?"

"You don't need either of those when you have me..." the candy-coated mare cooed eerily.

Gumdrop looked up at her again. "Didn't you ever have any friends?"

The mare let out a growl. "I don't need friends..."

The green filly tilted her head before knocking on the door. "But, don't you get bored in there all by yourself?"

The Candy Mare smiled widely and pressed her candy face to the barred window. "Very... But, perhaps you can fix that..."

Gumdrop hesitated for a moment, thinking about this before looking at the doorknob.

Kyra reappeared in the Nether in a poof of red smoke, standing near the large prison room next to Tartarus where the Candy Mare was kept. Walking closer, she noticed the door open. "What the hell?" She asked, quickly approaching the door. Opening it, she held out her hand, sensing the barrier was still active. "Still there..." she muttered to herself, before entering and closing the door. "Pumpkin?!" She called out, before feeling a slight prick on her neck.

Swatting at whatever it was, she saw a piece of candy drop to the floor. Eyes going wide, she realized what had happened. It sank into the floor as there was a loud boom, something shooting out of the floor and knocking her back into the door. Hitting the floor with a grunt, she looked up with wide eyes.

Filling the room was now a jungle made of candy. Candy trees with chocolate for the trunk and cotton candy for leaves were everywhere. Vines were made of licorice, rocks made of rock candy, the water was soda, and many plants were candy canes or peppermint candies on sticks along with lollipops or other candies.

"Oh, shit..." Kyra said, getting to her feet. "Pumpkin!" She yelled. "Who's in here with you?!"

Right after she asked, a lot of the rock candy on the ground began to gather between two nearby trees, fusing together and forming the Candy Mare's face. It was big enough to cover the two trees as she looked down at Kyra.

"Why not come to the center and find out?" The face cooed before falling into rock candy pieces.

The red demon mare took a cautious step back before slowly making her way into the jungle of candy.

Gumdrop opened her eyes, blinking a few times before getting to her feet. Looking around, she saw the candy jungle all around her. She seemed to be in a clearing of some sort. Backing up, she bumped into a large candy rock. Letting out a gasp, she turned around. Looking up, she saw the Candy Mare squatting on top. Her clawed hands were resting on the edge of the rock in front of her like a frog. Letting out another gasp, Gumdrop fell backwards on her butt.

"I thought you weren't scared of me..." the Candy Mare cooed, smiling down at her.

"I'm not," the filly said, staying on her back as she looked up at the mare. "You just startled me..."

"Oh, pity..." the candy pony said, sighing in disappointment as she rolled onto her back, head hanging over the edge so she could still watch the filly. "I'll have to try harder next time..."

"Why do you have to try at all?" Gumdrop asked. "Can't you just... play nice?"

Th Candy Mare hesitated before the ground beneath the filly began to rise, bringing her closer to the candy pony. The Candy Mare's head turned all the way around so she could look at the filly upright.

"Let me get one thing straight..." the candy pony hissed. "I don't do... nice. Pumpkin may be inside me but I am in control. If I had my way, I would turn everyone into my ghoul and turn the world into a candy paradise. Being imprisoned in this place is the worst fate for me. I need to be free..." She trailed off as she looked around their surroundings. "At least it's bigger than my other cell..."

"Did Kyra move you here to give you more space?"

The Candy Mare rotated her body so she was belly-down, her claws grabbing the edge of the rock. "She seems to think that this special privilege will keep me calm enough so I don't break out again..."

The filly thought for a moment before tilting her head. "But, you... didn't break out..."

The candy pony hesitated as she looked into the filly's eyes, before her grin widened slightly. "How interesting... You have some of my memories, don't you?"

Gumdrop thought for a moment before nodding. "I think so... I do have some memories that aren't mine..."

"I've never had a soul escape me before," the Candy Mare cooed, leaning in and placing her hands on the filly's cheeks. "I'm not about to let you escape now..."

The filly let out a soft gasp as her eyes went wide slightly.

Kyra made her way through the forest, eyeing all the trees and plants for any signs of movement. Letting out an annoyed sigh, she continued moving towards the center. When she heard a light shuffling noise, she stopped and looked around.

"What are you trying to do, Pumpkin?" She asked, knowing the candy pony could hear her.

She didn't get an answer as the shuffling grew louder. Suddenly, a wolf made of candy just like the Candy Mare jumped out from the cotton candy bushes.

"The hell?" Kyra asked. The wolf let out a growl before charging at her. Going wide-eyed, Kyra fired a fireball at it, making it shatter into pieces. Stepping up to it, she kicked the pieces. "Stupid candy..."

When she was about to walk away, she heard more growling. Looking all around she saw more candy wolves circling her. Letting out a sigh, she held her hands out by her side, fire engulfing her fists. Hearing a roar behind her, she dropped to the ground as a wolf leaped over her. When it was above her, she hit it with a fireball. As it fell apart, another one ran at her. Shooting it into bits, she slowly got to her feet.

"Is this seriously the best you can do?" She asked, assuming the Candy Mare could hear her.

The wolves all around her glared at her with hungry eyes before they all charged her at once. Eyes going wide slightly, she punched one and made it burst, before punching another. Ducking to avoid a swipe and a bite, she hit both wolves with fireballs.

Soon, the amount of wolves began to overwhelm her. Whenever she killed one, another one would run up to her. Soon, a couple managed to knock her onto her stomach before the rest piled on. Unable to move her hands, the red demon grunted.

She then felt the wolves clawing at her back, blood running down her sides as they seemed to be trying to dig through her. Gritting her teeth together, she tried to hold back a scream... but couldn't. Letting out a loud yell of pain, she clenched her fists and breathed heavily.

As the wolves mauled her back, cutting her skin with their sharp candy claws, Kyra tried to focus more energy into her body. Closing her eyes, she felt a tear run down her cheek before letting out an even louder yell, a burst of energy erupting from her body.

Panting heavily, she opened her eyes to see bits of candy all around her, the attack on her back over. All the wolves were gone. If these were normal wolves, she'd be able to shrug off the pain, but since they were created by a demon she felt actual pain. Taking a moment to get used to the pain in her back, she got to her knees with a groan. When she finally got to her feet, she let out a hiss of pain.

Now standing, she could feel the blood running down her back and down her legs. She couldn't see, but she knew she must look like a mess from behind. Taking a few deep breaths, she stumbled over to a tree and leaned against it. She couldn't believe such a brief attack of candy wolves could do this to her, but she knew she had to make it out alive. Not only was she the ruler of the Nether, but she also wanted to see Twilight again.

The thought of the purple unicorn gave her the strength she needed as she felt her back begin to heal. Grunting at the slight pain, she closed her eyes and let the rest of her back heal before attempting to stand up again. Now able to do so without stumbling, she slowly made her way towards the center again.

Gumdrop walked around the clearing as the Candy Mare was still resting on the rock, lying down on her belly as she watched the filly. Gumdrop stopped in front of a lollipop flower and knelt down, before slowly reaching out and touching it.

"Is this... edible?" She asked.

The candy pony let out an annoyed sigh. "Unfortunately, yes..." she said. "My candy powers have no effect down here like they do in the mortal realm..."

Gumdrop's eyes went wide with joy and began licking the lollipop flower with a happy smile. "Mmm... This place is so cool," she said, standing up and rubbing the tree trunk. "Is this chocolate?!" She gasped, grabbing the trunk with both hands and taking a bite out of it. "It is!" She exclaimed with a mouthful of chocolate.

The Candy Mare showed no emotion as she lightly scratched at the rock she was lying on. She found herself somewhat enjoying the fact that someone else was enjoying her candy... and she hated it. The more she watched the filly enjoy herself, the more violent her scratching became until she eventually dug her claws into the rock. She then jumped off the rock and landed on all fours, before quickly crawling over to the filly and grabbing her by the neck. Letting out a gasp as she was pulled close to the candy pony's face, Gumdrop stared into the candy eyes.

"Did I do something wrong?" The filly asked.

"I see what you're trying to do..." the Candy Mare hissed.

"Huh?" the filly asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"You're trying to get on my good side by telling me how much you love my candy, aren't you?"

The filly hesitated before smiling. "Do you like that I like your candy?"

The Candy Mare growled and threw the filly into a tree, licorice vines wrapping around her and binding her to the tree.

"Do you like my candy now?" The candy pony asked the somewhat frightened filly as she went back to her rock. "Now, just wait there until Kyra arrives."

Kyra stepped into a small clearing, licorice vines hanging everywhere.

"What next?" She asked. "Snakes? I'll burn 'em all!"

A few of the licorice vines began to swirl together at the other end of the clearing, forming the shape of the Candy Mare. "Snakes?" The figure cooed. "I don't think I'll be using snakes..."

Kyra narrowed her eyes at the licorice mare. "Oh? And, what are you planning to d--"

She was cut off when a couple vines shot out from the trees beside her and wrapped around both her arms, pulling them out so she was in a T-pose. Letting out a grunt, she tried to pull free... but the vines were too strong.

"What the hell is this?" Kyra asked, unable to move her arms.

"A new kind of torture," the licorice mare cooed, before the licorice forming her broke apart and slithered away.

"Huh?" The demon asked, confused. "What do you--"

Before she could finish her question, a few more vines shot out from the trees and went into her throat. Her eyes going wide, Kyra coughed up a little blood as she felt the vines slithering down her throat. Closing her eyes, she could feel the vines entering her stomach.

This was nothing compared to the wolves but the pain was much worse. The worse part was she couldn't scream out this time. She just had to take it. Tears filling her eyes, she eyed the vines on her left arm and then looked over at her right arm.

Closing her eyes once more, she focused harder than before, using thoughts of Twilight once more. Doing her best to ignore the pain, she focused energy into her fists and mouth. At the same time, she let out a burst of flame from both hands and bit down on the vines in her mouth. The vines on her arm melted away as she dropped to her knees. Quickly grabbing the vines in her mouth, she began to pull. Coughing up more blood, she kept it up until she felt the licorice vines slide out of her throat and out of her mouth.

Collapsing to the ground, she breathed heavily and coughed up a little more blood. It was clear that the Candy Mare wasn't trying to kill her. It seemed more like she wanted Kyra to suffer. Letting out a groan, she slowly got to one knee, blood dripping down her chin. Her insides started to heal as she managed to get to her feet. Holding her stomach with her right hand, she stumbled towards the center once more.

The Candy Mare stood near one of her chocolate trees as she gently rubbed the trunk. As she did, Gumdrop struggled to try and get free from the licorice vines. She couldn't. Realizing this, she stopped with a sigh and looked over at the candy pony.

"You've changed since we first... met..." The filly said as the Candy Mare stopped her rubbing. "You seem more... calm..."

The candy pony looked over her shoulder at the filly. "Calm?" She asked.

"Yeah," Gumdrop replied. "I remember you were set on revenge and killing... Now, you're... calmer..."

The Candy Mare let out a growl before pulling away from the tree and crawled towards the filly. Once there, she grabbed the tree with both claws and pulled herself up so she was face-to-face with the filly. "Maybe that's due to the fact that I'm trapped in here and my options are limited."

"Or Pumpkin's fighting you," the filly said, making the candy pony growl again. "I heard about the curse. The legend... I don't think you're as tough as you think..."

The Candy Mare hissed and grabbed the filly by the neck, the vines slithering away before Gumdrop was thrown into the rock. Slamming into it, she fell to the ground with a grunt, whimpering softly. Due to being a demon, she was able to take the hit but she hadn't learned how to ignore the pain.

"I'm getting real sick of you real fast..." the candy demon growled as she stood, her long, lanky legs making her tower over the filly. "Maybe I'll just kill you and eliminate the trouble..."

The filly let out a grunt and looked up at her. "You won't kill me... Pumpkin won't let you..."

"Pumpkin isn't here," the candy pony cooed, lifting her foot before bringing it down hard on the filly's back, her claws digging into her. Letting out a squeal, the filly bit into her finger to try and ignore the pain. "It's just me. And, I have no problem killing or torturing you."

Gumdrop let out a cough and didn't bother moving. "I can tell you're just putting on a show... You're lonely... but, you're either too afraid to admit it... or you can't..."

The Candy Mare sighed and dug her claws in deeper, making the filly yell out again. "I don't need, or want, friends..." she hissed. "What I want is to be out of here and rid of all of you... I cannot be contained..."

"I-If you want... I'll be your friend..."

The Candy Mare let out a loud growl and pulled her claws out of the filly before grabbing her by the neck. Picking her up, she then slammed her on her back on top of the rock. "Fine... I'll just kill you now, then..."

Gumdrop let out a gasp. "No, wait!"

Just as the Candy Mare was about to slice open the filly's throat, Kyra burst into the clearing.

"Pumpkin!" She yelled, charging the candy pony.

Looking over at her, she let out a hiss before getting tackled to the ground. The candy demon tried to swipe at Kyra with her claws, but the red demon managed to grab both her wrists and pin them down.

"Dammit, Pumpkin!" She yelled. "I am doing my best to help you, but when you pull a stunt like this, it makes me question whether or not I should kill you!"

"You can't kill me," the Candy Mare cooed. "I am--"

"No!" Kyra shouted, cutting her off. "In here, I can kill you. A demon on demon. I could wipe you out of existence forever!"

"N-No..." Gumdrop gasped, quickly rolling onto her stomach and watching them.

Kyra looked over at her, her breathing returning to normal before looking down at the Candy Mare again. "I have dealt with everything you threw at me here and I already captured you twice. You know I have what it takes to kill you once and for all... But, I can't... Not until I find a way to save Pumpkin..."

"You can't..." the Candy Mare cooed. "The curse can't be broken..."

"All curses can be broken," Kyra said, leaning in closer. "You just have to know how. So, I'll keep you alive until I find a way... but, if you prove to be too dangerous, I will end you. What does your self-preservation say about that?"

The Candy Mare hesitated as she stared into Kyra's eyes. Suddenly, the red demon felt less resistance from the candy pony as it seemed easier to pin her arms down. "I can't promise anything..."

Letting out a sigh, Kyra let go of her and stood up. "I know... But, I also know you'd prefer to keep on existing... Only for that to happen is to behave..." The Candy Mare slowly sat up as Gumdrop hopped down off the rock. "Let's get you out of here," Kyra said as she looked at the filly.

Gumdrop looked at her before looking at the candy demon. "I'd actually like to stay a little longer... This place is cool."

The Candy Mare eyed her as Kyra thought about it for a moment, before sighing. "You sure you want to stay here?" She asked. "You do know who this is, don't you?"

Gumdrop nodded. "But, I've never seen a candy forest before. I wanna go exploring!" She exclaimed cheerfully.

Kyra smiled lightly and nodded. "Alright... Be careful, though," she said, before looking at the candy pony, her expression becoming more serious. "If anything happens to her... that's it."

"Nothing will happen," Gumdrop said as she placed her hand on the candy demon's shoulder, making her snap her head to look at her.

The Candy Mare then swatted her hand away before crawling back on top of the rock and lying down. Kyra watched her before looking at Gumdrop. Giving her a light pat on the shoulder, she turned and began making her way back towards the entrance.

Twilight was reading a book in her bed. She was sitting up with her bottom half under the covers, the only light on was the one beside her bed. She was so into her book that when Kyra suddenly appeared beside her on the bed, she let out a startled gasp and look over at her.

"O-Oh... Kyra..." Twilight said, exhaling deeply. "I was getting used to you using the door..."

"My apologies," the demon cooed, before letting out a sigh and resting her head on the mare's shoulder.

This took Twilight by surprise as she put the bookmark on the page she was at before closing the book and setting it aside. "Something wrong?"

Kyra let out a deep sigh. "Just... a rough day at work, I guess... Though, I think I finally got through to Pumpkin..."

Twilight hesitated as she thought for a moment. "The... Candy Mare? You got through to her?"

Nodding, the demon closed her eyes. "Used her self-preservation against her... I don't think she'll be causing much trouble anymore."

"Oh, really?" Twi asked, a small smile appearing on her face. "Well, um... I would like to meet her sometime."

Kyra went wide-eyed and lifted her head. "Sorry, what?"

Chuckling, Twilight took Kyra's right hand in her left hand. "She sounds interesting. I know she caused trouble before but ever since I heard she was real I've been wanting to know more about her. Plus, while I'm there, I can say hi to that filly she possessed... Oh!" She exclaimed, leaning in. "And, I can meet your daughter."

"Uh..." Kyra said, rubbing the back of her head. "I guess I could take you there sometime... Though, you may see some things you won't be able to un-see..."

"I'll risk it," Twilight cooed, nuzzling Kyra's neck.

The red mare smiled lightly and let go of the mare's hand to put her arm around her. "If you insist..."

"I do..." Twi said softly, before looking Kyra in the eyes. "Could you... stay the night? I'm still a little on edge from today's events..."

Kyra nodded and slid her legs under the covers, the purple unicorn scooting up to her before they both slid more under the covers. Turning to face each other, the two embraced each other as they looked into each other's eyes. Biting her lip, Twilight seemed like she wanted to say something.

"Yes, Twilight?" Kyra asked.

The mare blushed hard, averting her eyes. "Um... It's just... I know we just started going out... and our date was cut short, but... I'm liking this..."

Kyra listened before smiling. "I'm liking this, too... Truthfully, I... Well... When I was facing Pumpkin... and her tricks... the thing that got me through it was... you... I didn't want to leave you..."

Twilight felt a tear leave her eye before she quickly leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Gasping, she quickly pulled away. "Sorry, I--"

She was cut off as Kyra leaned in and kissed her on the lips, holding it. Eyelids fluttering before closing, Twilight melted into the kiss. Before she could get too into it, Kyra pulled away and nuzzled her neck.

"So, I guess it's official..." Kyra cooed.

"Heh-eh-eh..." Twi muttered, before clearing her throat, looking embarrassed by her reaction. "Um..."

Kyra let out a chuckle and pulled back to look her in the eyes. "Not too fast?"

Twilight blushed harder and smiled nervously. "Nnnnnnnno?"

Letting out a louder chuckle, Kyra pulled her close and hugged her. "Good..."

Twilight smiled, too, hugging back.

Gumdrop opened her eyes and let out a yawn. After the eventful day, she decided to take a nap under a chocolate tree. Blinking a few times, she started to get up when she noticed a pile of candy in front of her, seemingly placed there on purpose. Gumdrop looked all around, but didn't see any signs of the Candy Mare. Looking back at the pile of candy, she smiled.

"Thanks, Pumpkin..."

Next Episode: Saturday, June 23