Something Sweet to Bite: A New Generation

"All the more they've been snickering, hiding there for you. Hoping you would see them hiding there, become aware say 'boo'" - Roky Erickson

The moon grew dim as the night grew older and clouds rolled in over the roaring waves. The sky rumbled with distant thunder and the occasional orange or green flash of silent heat lightning. Dry grasses swayed in the breeze as the gaggle of equines below the oncoming storm ran up the path that led to the Crystal Brighthouse. They were laughing and shouting, a tiny baby dragon riding on one of the pony's backs giggling away, as a huge cloud of dust followed in their wake. However, the others didn't notice that their stallion friend was hanging a little further back, trudging slowly up the dirt road. Only little puffs of dust rose from Hitch's hoof-steps, the Autumn breeze swirled dead leaves past him as if trying to encourage him to pick up the pace.

It had been a raucous Nightmare Nigh, between the fashion-show-party at Mane Melody, the impromptu trick or treating, and the Haunted House that they went through after that. It wasn't that Hitch hadn't enjoyed himself, but for the moment he found the relative quiet and calm of the Fall evening far more to his liking. The party had been great and his costume had been a hit - Hitch knew going with the mustache had been the right call and everypony else seemed to agree - and the haunted house had been fun too, sort of. There was a truly scary moment there where he had lost track of his little buddy, but they had found Sparky unharmed and had made it out safe and sound - Although Hitch and his friends had ended up having to run screaming from the spooky attraction. Maybe that was it? Maybe the risk of losing Sparky for real had been just a little too much for him.

If Hitch was being honest with himself, he didn't much care for Nightmare Night. The socializing and other activities were fine but all the ghouls, ghosts, and other horrors were just a bit much for his nerves. Not that he was afraid or anything! No, not Brave Sheriff Hitch, protector of Maretime Bay! But it was just that Nightmare Night made Hitch feel less like the mature and respected officer of the law that he was and more like the little colt he had been not that long ago. Growing up, the world had seemed just a little bit scarier and more chaotic than he would have liked, what with all of the worry about Pegasi and Unicorn's potentially attacking his hometown. It didn't matter that those fears had proved to be unfounded, they had still shaped his young life and it had been him trying to deal with those fears that had led him to pursue a career in law enforcement to begin with. That and, of course, him doing his best to keep his friend Sunny out of trouble.

Sunny's activism wasn't something Hitch really had a problem with. He thought her civic-mindedness was great and her drive to bring ponies together regardless of race was commendable. However, Sunny's approach definitely was often a problem, as she had no problem putting herself in the middle of things and 'speaking truth to power' as she put it. Which usually just meant a lot of messes Hitch would inevitably have to clean up and a lot of headaches for those in authority. While he had done what he could to remind everyone that Sunny's heart was in the right place, smoothing things over with the rest of the town hadn't always been easy. Hitch was glad that the return of magic to Equestria had led to Sunny being less disruptive and more constructive, if for no other reason than it tended to keep her inside the bounds of the law, and out of trouble. Well, out of political trouble anyways. Since their new friends had moved to Maretime Bay it seemed like new and different kinds of trouble had a tendency to find them everyday!

Hitch didn't even bother trying to suppress the smile that spread across his face as he looked up the hill towards the lighthouse that had been rebuilt as the Crystal Brighthouse, the new home for Sunny and the rest of their friends. Seeing them all together, screaming and giggling, warmed Hitch's heart and took away a lot of the chill he felt from the night air. Things really had taken a turn for the better, for both him and his childhood friend. Even if things were a little louder and crazier now than they had been before, their friends more than made up for it.

These were the thoughts occupying Hitch's mind as he reached the Brighthouse and tripped over one of the jack-o-lantern's that was on either side of the big double front doors. The others had already gone inside, so at least they weren't around to see him tumble, but Hitch was still irritated.

"Ugh, great! Just when I was starting to feel a little better" grumbled Hitch as he righted himself and adjusted his fake mustache. "Nightmare Night just isn't for me. Reckless things like throwing noisy parties, scaring each other for treats, and purposefully going through frightening haunted houses are bad enough. But leaving something that is both a fire hazard and a tripping hazard just lying in front of a door is one step too far for me!"

Saying this Hitch bent down and, with a little puff of his cheeks and a whistle of air, blew out the candle inside of the grinning pumpkin shell. A few curls of black smoke drifted out of the now dark eye holes in the jack-o-lantern's face and dissipated on the night breeze.

A strangled sound like a growl or a moan of disgust drifted from the gloom.

"What was that? Is somepony there!?" called Hitch, suddenly on guard. "There better not be any ponies out there planning some sort of mischief, because I'm the Sheriff around here and I don't have a problem letting somepony spend the rest of their Nightmare Night behind bars!"

Hitch stood there, nervously challenging the dark of the night and the oncoming storm. When there was no answer or any other sort of a response the Earth Pony gave a little sigh of relief and trotted over to the other jack-o-lantern that sat opposite the one he had extinguished. He leaned down once again and puffed out the tiny candle light that burned inside. There was another low growl, but softer this time, so much so that Hitch didn't even notice it. All that caught his attention was the bank of fog that was slowly creeping up the hill towards him, which he dismissed almost immediately. Fog this time of year was pretty common so it wasn't exactly notable, even if it did seem to glow in the fading moonlight. Instead of investigating these phenomena more closely he blithely opened the door to the Brighthouse, his mind already on what he was going to do with the rest of his evening, and went inside.

In the dark behind him the thick fog suddenly began to sweep up the hill in earnest, a pair of glowing pink and blue swirling eyes traveling swiftly with it.

A few kernels of pony-corn bounced off of Hitch's forehead as he walked into the living room, "Hey!"

"Hey yourself Sheriff! Want some? It's freshly popped!" snickered Zipp as she hovered casually by, a hoof-full of more of the buttery snack halfway to her mouth. She scarfed down the salty sweet treat quickly, chewing as she said, "Mmm, hey, the rest of the girls decided to get a bunch of snacks together and watch horror movies upstairs until we all fall asleep. You interested in joining in?"

"I think I've had enough horror for one night," admitted Hitch wearily. "I'm just going to grab Sparky and then head back to the Sheriff Station. You seen the little scamp?"

"I'm sure he's around somewhere," answered the Pegasus Princess as she started to drift up the stairs. She smiled over her shoulder mischievously and called down, "If you can't find him on your own, you could always hire me to track him down for you!"

"No thanks detective, you go and have fun with your horror movie marathon," Hitch answered with a wink. "If he's upstairs maybe then give me a holler, otherwise downstairs is my jurisdiction."

"Right you are Sheriff!" replied Zipp with a mock salute from the top of the stairs as she flipped off the lights, plunging the living room into darkness, leaving only the moonlight shining through the windows for illumination. "Good night~ Sleep tight~ And don't let the Candy Mare bite, mwa ha ha ha ha!"

"Yeah yeah, hahaha~" replied the stallion, not really finding the joke all that funny. He muttered, “Candy Mare isn’t real, she’s just a story.”

The legend of the Candy Mare, a ghostly pony that spirited away children on Nightmare Night and punished ponies that broke the rules wasn't his idea of a fun bedtime story. It was just an old pony's tale told around campfires. The kind of legend meant to spook fillies and colts into behaving. Hitch had never needed such incentive to behave, he'd always been a good little colt.

With a heavy sigh Hitch removed his cool sunglasses, collar, and tie. He was about to take off the mustache, but at the last moment thought better of it. It wouldn't hurt to wear it for a little longer, right? A wry smile on his lips, and fake bristles above them, Hitch called out to his little buddy "Alright, Sparky, it's time we were heading for home and getting you in bed! Where are you little buddy?"

There was the sound of a baby dragons laughter and the clatter of little clawed feet scampering towards Izzy's arts and crafts corner. Sparky loved to play hide and seek there and it seemed like the little guy was in a playful mood.

"Come on Sparky, now is not the time for fun and games. We'll have plenty of time for that tomorrow," Hitch trotted over to the corner and peaked under Izzy's workbench, but instead of the little dragon he expected to find all that he could see were a few pieces of candy. Oh no, Sparky and sugar were a dangerously bad mix. If he had too much sugar then he might get the hiccups, and if a magical fire breathing dragon got hiccups there was no telling what kind of havoc he might wreak! On top of that, if Sparky had gotten into their impressive haul from trick-or-treating, Hitch might not be able to put the little guy down for the night until he crashed from the ensuing sugar high! This could be just the start of a very long and difficult Nightmare Night for the Sheriff."Sparky, if you want a healthy snack I can make you one before we leave, but no more candy okay? Baby dragons need their rest and too much sugar before sleeping will give you bad dreams!"

Hitch could have sworn he heard an excited 'ooh' and more claws scurrying towards the kitchen and dining area. Good. If Sparky was still hungry enough to get excited about Hitch making snacks then maybe he hadn't completely gorged himself on sugary treats. There might still be a way to salvage things after all!

But as Hitch crossed back through the living room to head to the kitchen, he felt like something was amiss. It was dark in the Brighthouse, what with everypony else upstairs, the lights were mostly off downstairs. However, it was getting harder and harder for Hitch to see for some reason, as if what illumination he had to work with was slowly dimming before his eyes. The air seemed strange, like there was a soft green haziness about everything. There was a sour sweetness to the air, and also a damp rancid stench that made him think of salt marshes and the underside of rotted logs.

Hitch looked around to see if he could figure out what might be the cause of all this but there was no readily apparent explanation. Then, at last, his eyes fell on the front door which was now standing wide open. Hadn't he closed the door behind himself when he had come in? He must not have closed it all the way or maybe the latch just hadn't caught and the chilly Autumnal air must have pushed the door the rest of the way open. Indeed, the night air even now was pouring into the house along with a low dense fog. The invading mist seemed to be the reason why visibility was dropping rapidly.

The stallion went to close the door, but took a moment to glance outside. The eerie fog had engulfed not just the hillside, turning the Brighthouse into an island in the midst of a sea of clouds, but had also taken over the entire town of Maretime Bay. It wasn't that unusual of a sight for a coastal town this time of year, but there was something unsettling about the slightly glowing mist that made the hairs on the back of Hitch's neck stand on end. It was vaguely unnatural how the thick oily coils of cold fog flowed about, swallowing the entire town like some colossal beast, snuffing out the warm glow of the distant homes and shops. Hitch shook himself, trying to dispel the image from his mind as he suppressed a shiver that ran down his spine. He pulled the door shut and made sure it latched this time before he went ahead and locked the door for good measure. He didn't know what it was he hoped to keep out, but better safe than sorry, right?

Yet as Hitch turned and made his way back towards the kitchen where he had last heard the sounds of his little friend Sparky, the fog that had drifted inside the Brighthouse held just as thick and pervasive as before. Indeed it was as if shutting the door had only concentrated the thick billowing clouds.

"Uh, guys?" he called tentatively up to the others. "There's something kind of strange going on down here! Guys!? Sunny?" The last was in response to a girlish giggle that seemed to be coming from where Sunny kept her smoothie making supplies by the kitchenette. "Did you come down to make some smoothie's for you and the girls? I'm sorry about this weird mist, I left the door open by accident. Are you... Are you there? It's hard to see anything."

The kitchen was dark and dead silent. The fog was piled up high against the windows so that they blocked most of the remaining moonlight that fought a losing battle to break through the clouds. The room was awash in a dim green glow that made it seem like Hitch was underwater rather than indoors.

Then, as if by some magic trick, the mist finally thinned enough that Hitch could see the kitchen around him. He discovered that he was indeed not alone, however the mare that stood before him was not his childhood friend Sunny, but rather some stranger he had never met before. She was much taller than he was and seemed to loom in the half-light, a predatory grin plastered across her pale face. Her eyes, which glowed disturbingly brightly in the gloom, locked with Hitch's own and she held him in thrall to her gaze, From head to hoof this uninvited guest seemed to be completely coated in swirls and whirls of candy, a chaotic sugar frosted mixture of wrapped and unwrapped sweets that sparkled and gleamed in the half-light. This close to her the stink of sugar and rotting meat hit him across his snout like a wet sock full of gravel. He physically flinched back from her scent alone.

"Wh-who are you?" stammered Hitch, not willing to believe his eyes. There was no way she was real! She didn't exist! This had to be a trick! There was no way that this intruder was the Candy Mare! "What are you doing here?"

Horrifying as it was to find such an apparition standing in his friend's kitchen, the more frightening thing was what sat on the counter at her hoof-tips - Sunny's blender. There shouldn't have been anything terrifying about that, but what was inside of that blender made Hitch's heart stop and his bowels turn to water.

"Sparky!?" the name erupted from Hitch as a strangled yelp as his breath caught in his throat. Sure enough, the baby dragon was inside the jug, his lower lip quivering and his eyes huge and teary as his little claws scrabbled uselessly against the interior of the glass. The stranger's smile seemed to grow wider as she noticed Hitch's distress and how he reacted as her hoof came perilously close to the 'ON' button. "No! No, don't do that!" Hitch begged.

He got down on his knees and pleaded.

Every time he cried out the twisted mare would pull back her hoof, but as soon as he was quiet again her hoof would inch back to the button.

This cruel little game went back and forth like this for some time until finally with a high pitched squeal of sadistic glee the malicious mare jammed the button down and hit 'PUREE'!

The resulting noise was cacophonous, setting Hitch's teeth on edge! The stallion's anguished screams joined Sparky's squalls of pain but it was the sound of sharp blades shredding scales and ripping through meat at high speed that was loudest of all! The weird, childish laughter of the bloodthirsty stranger made for ghastly accompaniment as she held the lid of the jug down, its clear sides suddenly awash in crimson pulp.

Next the maniac moved her hoof to the 'CHOP' setting, and the whirring blades slowed for a moment before they began to bite even deeper into draconic flesh! Now the baby dragon inside was being truly dismembered, his tiny severed limbs banging around inside the jug as bones popped from their sockets or were snapped in half. This went on only for a few moments before the mad mare jammed the 'GRIND' button, followed by 'CRUSH', and finally 'LIQUEFY'!

After an eternity the 'OFF' button was finally pressed. With a wet slurp, the Candy Mare pealed back the rubber topper to reveal the red slurry within, a single deflated eye that had somehow survived the whole ordeal bobbing to the top. The methodical ghoul then put the lid back on and hit 'PULSE' a few times for good measure. After that she simply took the jug off its stand and poured the contents into an awaiting frosted glass that seemed to have been set aside just for that purpose.

In a voice that perfectly mimicked Sunny, the Candy Mare said "Drink up, it's a new flavor and I know you're absolutely going to love it!" before sliding it across the counter to where Hitch was slumped in a weeping heap. The pink silly straw and tiny orange paper umbrella sticking out of the drink may have looked festive, but they did nothing to mitigate the stallion's despair. As Hitch looked up at Sparky's murderer, he was forced to watch as she callously downed the rest of the blender's contents and licked her sugar-frosted lips with every sign of immense satisfaction.

"Why... Why!?" he wailed, "Why would you do something so cruel to someone so innocent!?"

Running her black and orange striped tongue over her candy-corn fangs, the Candy Mare smiled "Because it was funny, silly! Don't worry though," Then she smashed the heavy glass jug, still slick with Sparky's remains, across Hitch's face. The heavy glass container barely chipped on the impact, but the same could not be said of the stallion's jaw which dislocated in a spray of teeth and errant fake mustache bristles. The Earth Pony was left sprawled out across the kitchen floor. "There's plenty more where that came from!"

"Hey Hitch, are you still around?" called out Zipp, "Are you sure you don't want to come hang out? Sunny, Izzy, and Pipp are all busy screaming and giggling at every jump scare in these horror movies and I kind of want somepony to join me in ruthlessly mocking how goofy the special effects and story are. Does that sound fun? Hitch?"

There was something that sounded like a reply, but it was kind of muffled. The Pegasus glided down the stairs towards the sound.

As Zipp, still holding her empty pony-corn bowl, reached the bottom floor she was surprised to find a thick layer of fog had taken over the lower levels of the Crystal Brighthouse. Had somepony left a window open or something? Her hoof went to the light switch, but as she flipped it up and down a few times she realized the lights weren't coming on. She'd have to grab a flash light and check the breaker box once she found Hitch.

"Hey, you still down here Hitch buddy? Seems like we might have blown a fuse or something. Did you go to check?" Zipp called out louder, realizing the strange mist seemed to be muffling her words, "Or are you still looking for Sparky? I know I was teasing about you hiring me to find the little guy earlier, but I'd be happy to help - free of charge! After all, what are friends for?"

It was only as the Pegasi's wings took her closer to the dining area that she noticed a low but insistent, whirring noise. The lights might be out down here but the power still seemed to be on. That was strange. What was stranger was how the clouds of fog seemed to glow, granting a fitful illumination that deepened the shadows and seemed to distort everything around her.

As Zipp pricked up her ears and followed the sound, she found herself drawn to the dining room. As she drew closer the fog seemed to part, as if to give her a better view of what lay on the table. What she saw spread before her made the bowl fall from her hooves and hit the floor with a clatter as her hooves shot up to cover her mouth in shock.

It was Hitch!

Her friend and one of the nicest colts she had ever known lay stretched out, spread-eagle, his fur all matted and crusted with blood! Or perhaps it would have been more accurate to say that he was pinned to the dining surface as it appeared that every piece of cutlery that they owned - every knife, fork, and yes even all of the little spoons - were stuck through every last inch of his body! He was stuck to the table like a butterfly pinned to a cork board, two huge chef knives jammed into his empty eye sockets! An uncountable number of other knives of all shapes and sizes had been jammed into his mouth and tongue until the orifice was completely filled with gleaming serrated metal!

But the truly sick thing was the source of the 'whirring' sound that had drawn Zipp's attention in the first place. Sitting in a hollow dug into the very center of Hitch's gut was the remains of Sunny's blender. The whirring metal blades of the motorized appliance stuck up through the stallion's innards, the spinning blades rotating and spinning his intestines around them like a fork-full of spaghetti. The gleaming white innards writhed like a nest of maggots amid bloody froth, in constant motion thanks to the gore soaked contraption. Worse, there were bite marks all over Hitch's body and places where pieces of him had clearly been eaten. The wounds had started to scab over, which seemed to indicate that he had still been alive as something had partially eaten him. There were clear signs that Hitch had struggled and fought whomever had done this, but the stallion had been overwhelmed. Zipp marveled at what had been done to her friend despite herself, as it seemed that his torment had gone on for some time, the responsible party painstakingly taking their time to draw out the most pain possible while the stallion had still lived.

How had they not heard any of this? Surely Hitch would have screamed, or at least made some sort of pained noises given the awful agony he had clearly been put through. Why hadn't he called for help? Was he trying to protect his friends upstairs by foolishly facing this torture alone? Or had his tormentor found a way to silence him so that they would not have to worry about being disturbed as they had done their grizzly work?

Zipp's detective mind switched into overdrive. The muffling effect that she had noticed the fog had on her own voice! Had it silenced Hitch's shouts and screams as well? Was it some kind of magic that distorted sound? Then maybe Hitch's attacker had relied on that to prevent anypony from coming to his aid! Which meant that since the fog was still present... Then maybe the killer was too!

That last thought occurred to Zipp just as a viscera veiled visage loomed out of the fog beside her, all blood-stained fangs and insane swirling eyes.

"Want some?" asked the Candy Mare in an exact copy of Zipp's voice, holding up her fallen ponycorn bowl. It now contained what appeared to be Hitch's half chewed brain, the eyes still attached by the optic nerves dangling over the rim of the bowl, "It's freshly popped!"