"That sounds awful," Fluttershy said softly, "Poor Trixie. I hope she's feeling better." The rest of the school day couldn't go quickly enough for Sunset. While it was impossible to tell what parts of the school staff knew about Trixie's illness and which didn't, it seemed for the rest of the day that teachers, hall monitors, and even janitors went out of their way to steer students away from the nurses office. The latter had even gone so far as to rope off that section of the hallway for an extended 'cleaning'. Though considering the mess the nurses office had been left in thanks to Trixie's condition, perhaps that had been an expedient consideration. Not that this was a problem for Sunset Shimmer. No, she had already seen enough pieces of the puzzle to make a rough guess at its shape.
"I doubt Trixie is going to be feeling better anytime soon," said Sunset to her friends. They had gathered around her in the library. There were many other students who had stayed after classes to study, or at least pretend to do so while making use of the schools free wi-fi. Fortunately, the girls had found a spot on the upper balcony away from their classmates so that they could talk quietly, undisturbed. "If my suspicions are correct, we may all be in serious trouble."
"What exactly do ya mean by serious trouble, Sunset?" asked Applejack. "We've faced down a whole mess of trouble before now. Ah know that sickness of Trixie's sounds right awful, but is it really that dangerous?"
"I, for one, wouldn't want to take any chances with it. Not with the Fall Formal this weekend," interjected Rarity.
"Right... Cause the tragedy in all this is ya might miss out on a school party," replied AJ rolling her eyes.
"Well duh! And this weekend is Halloween you guys! Halloween! That means FREE CANDY!" Miss Cheerilee shushed Pinkie Pie from downstairs and across the room. "Sorry!" she answered in a stage whisper, before continuing talking to her friends. "There's going to be all kinds of creepy decorations and treats. It's only going to be the best Fall Formal ever you guys, it really would be a shame to miss it, especially if you were too sick to Trick or Treat too!"
"Really darling, you still trick or treat?" asked Rarity surprised. "I thought we were too old for that."
"Too old for free candy?" asked Pinkie Pie, genuinely perplexed by the concept, before narrowing her eyes in the most serious expression any of her friends had ever seen. "Never!"
"It's not about candy or parties!" shouted Sunset, receiving her own shushing from Miss Cheerilee. She blushed, but lowered her voice as she continued, "What I'm trying to tell all of you is that I don't think Trixie is sick. Or any of the other students that may have been infected. Rather, I fear they might be cursed," she finished with a dour look on her face.
The others just stared at Sunset as her words slowly sank in. Applejack was the first to speak, "Has this got somethin' to do with Equestria again?"
"Yes... No," Sunset sighed heavily, "I don't know for sure. I told you all I've been having a hard time sleeping lately. I've been having these dreams... Nightmares really, but I just thought they were memories from my fillyhood mixing with everyday life. My most recent dream, however, was just so terrible I..." she paused as Rarity laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. It was only then that Sunset realized how badly she had been shaking, shivering even. Her nightmares had effected her far more than she had thought. In the presence of her friends, with Rarity's steady hand for support, she felt herself calm and the shaking subside. "There was one part of my dream that stuck with me throughout the day. A childish rhyme that, at the time, I thought was meaningless. 'Nightmare Night, what a fright, give us something sweet to bite'," she sang in nervous, hushed tones as she brought out the book that Princess Celestia had given her a lifetime ago. "I think I've told you all before that there are as many things that are drastically different as there are the same between this world and Equestria. While we don't share all the same holidays, for example, there are many that share similar elements. Back where I'm from, for instance, we have a holiday that is very similar to the revelries you all have around the winter solstice called Hearths Warming. We also have a holiday that is very similar to your Halloween and Day of the Dead celebrations."
"I'm not sure I like where this is going," said Fluttershy, cuddling a baby bunny she had snuck into school for comfort.
"The holiday isn't the problem. Not really," Sunset added quickly. "Just like you guys, we dress up in costumes, put up creepy decorations, and pass out treats. Everyone in Equestria thinks that we do this to ward off the evil of Nightmare Moon. It's gotten kind of silly in fact, as I understand from Twilight, Nightmare Moon doesn't exist anymore having reverted back to Princess Luna thanks to the Elements of Harmony."
"Wait, wait! Whoa. Vice Principal Luna was a bad guy!?" cried Pinkie Pie as the rest of the library shushed her in unison.
"Things in Equestria are similar to things here, but they aren't the same," reminded Sunny as she fiddle nervously with her hands. "A thousand years ago Nightmare Moon rose up against Princess Celestia in an attempt to rule all of Equestria in order to bring about night time eternal. Nightmare Night, a holiday that was originally intended to honor Princess Luna slowly became a night to fear her instead. It still maintained the same sense of revelry and mischief that you would associate with your Halloween, however it would serve as a reminder of the deep scars Luna's betrayal had left on her subjects. But as I say, the holiday was originally meant to honor Princess Luna, or at least that's what it says in this book," she paused to open the tome in question. "This journal wasn't just a means of communicating with Celestia, but also a study guide, and it seems it was important to her that when I was her student I learned that her sister Luna had not always been bad." Sunset Shimmer's words came to a halt. It was still hard for her to remember the time when she was Celestia's favored student, and more so how she had thrown it all away.
"Well go on dear," coaxed Rarity giving Sunset's shoulder a squeeze, "If you think there's something in that book that can shed light on our current predicament, by all means don't hold back."
Sunset Shimmer gave her head a little shake, trying to clear away a few painful memories. She took a deep breath and continued, "The true origins of Nightmare Night go back more than a thousand years. It started with a plague, one that ripped through the ancient world and effected several settlements. It's important for you to understand that while technology in this world took time to develop, even in the ancient world that much of magic had already been mastered. It might even be safe to say that magic was more potent in ancient times as compared to how it is in Equestria now, largely tamed by unicorn kind and the Alicorn Princesses. Even so, for all the ancient ponies power, they seemingly had no way of stopping the spread of this infection. Worse, the ponies who were afflicted by this diseases didn't just die. They had a habit of lingering on, not dead, but not entirely alive either. The only thing they had in common, at first, was that they all sang the same song in a trance like state..."
"S-so they became z-z-z-zombies?" stuttered Pinkie Pie dramatically.
"Not quite... Not as you'd think of them anyways," Sunset flipped through the pages of her book and frowned. "I'm afraid there's not really that much more information from that era. It seems the Princesses didn't want later generations to know the dark times they had suffered through, at least not in any great detail. What's left seems to be scattered in old legends and fairy tales. Stuff foals *ahem* stuff children told one another around campfires. All I know is that the symptoms Trixie was showing are very similar to those described of the cursed. Whats more, there seems to be an implication of the source, though perhaps not of the cause of the curse." Here Sunset looked around the library making sure no one was in ear shot before whispering, "You have the boogieman in this world, yes? Where I'm from the stories we told of a creature that lurks in the shadows and gobbles up children was Nightmare Moon. Now that I'm older, I realize how silly that was," she paused for a few heartbeats while her friends leaned in closer to better hear her words. "But I think Nightmare Moon was just a stand in for a darker creature, one that has almost faded from Equestrian history altogether. There was a story I heard from one of the librarians in Canterlot, only once, before she was exiled from the palace. I didn't understand why at the time, after all it was just a story. But now I think it's because of this story, that I'm about to tell you, that she wasn't allowed to be near me or the Canterlot Archives ever again. Let me tell you the story... of the Candy Mare."
"Once upon a time..."
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Once upon a time, as many of the old stories go, there lived a happy little filly with her mother and father. They were earth ponies, and their lot in life was to tend the earth, even as it is today. But back in those days, before the Two Sisters ruled, it was the unicorns who were responsible for all magic in Equestria. Unlike today, there was strife instead of harmony, as the different pony tribes didn't trust one another.
The Earth ponies above all were miserable, as even though they had the most food due to their stewardship of the earth, they were compelled to hand most of it over to the pegasi and the unicorns to ensure good weather and sunshine for their crops. Our story is set in a time when that compact was broken, as harsh winter weather dominated the sky, blotting out the sun and killing the crops in the fields.
Despite the hardship and distrust, the heroine of this tale (the happy little filly) didn't have a single unkind thought in her head. She loved life, and the living of it, and wanted nothing more than to see all of life that she could. She was fascinated by the pegasi and unicorns, and longed to visit them in their high places.
One day, her father took her on just such a journey, to deliver some of their scant strawberry's to a friend in a nearby castle town. This friend was a noble unicorn, one who had promised a treat for the daughter of the farmer if he were to bring her to the unicorn's sweet shop. Our heroine was delighted by the castle town, and even more so by the unicorn's generosity. But sadly, in those days, there were ponies who would abuse the distrust and apathy that the pony tribes had towards one another. One such pony was the sweet shop owner, Lemon Drop.
Now Lemon Drop had a twisted heart and, though he had inherited his sweet shop from his grandmother, he didn't care one wit about children or sweets. He could taste only sour things in life, and as such, he had a sour disposition. But even a pony like him had to make a living, and sadly, he made his living on other ponies suffering.
With a cruelty unmatched by even the darkest despots, he would lure children to his shop, often murder their parents, and force feed them his various attempts at making better treats using them to taste what he couldn't. This was the fate of our heroine, who found herself in his callous clutches. The children, who were fed nothing but sweets, would often swell up fat even as they slowly died from malnutrition. Their bones would grow brittle, their teeth would rot in their skulls, and before long they would be too weak to so much as protest, let alone move. This was the filly's fate, but even in the depths of her despair, she still wanted to live. It was that will, that wish, that would prove to be Lemon Drop's undoing.
For you see, evil as Lemon Drop was, he came to an even more evil end. For the filly who's heart had been filled only with love, was twisted even more irrevocably than Lemon Drop's by his unfeeling cruelty. Her will to live long outlasted her bodies ability to do so. Yet live on she did, becoming something darker than Lemon Drop could ever imagine. Was there too much magic in the unicorns confections? Or did the earth pony have a talent far more special than anypony could guess? It's impossible to know, for both the filly and Lemon Drop disappeared, along with the entire castle town.
But I will share a secret with you, if you will lean in close and promise not to tell.
That pair of ponies did not disappear entirely without a trace. Lemon Drop was found, what was left of his body twisted like his missing twisted heart. There were other bits and pieces of ponies found, here a haunch, there a leg. The center of town seemed to have been decorated with the intestines from several ponies bowels, though what had become of those ponies no one could say, and even fewer hoped to find out. This was the first , and in some ponies eyes, the most terrible Nightmare Night. The day received it's name from those that discovered that the entire town had vanished over the course of a single evening. All had died, it was said, except perhaps for a single filly.
None were brave enough to draw near to her, but they saw her all the same. They saw her darting in and out of shadows. They heard her laughter echoing through empty homes. They could smell the sweet, rotten scent of her on the breeze.
She was grinning, (or so the story goes), grinning from the towns dark and lonely places with a candy corn smile full of life and madness. A filly made all of candy, (for are we not what we eat?), the Candy Mare.
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"What an awful story." said Fluttershy, clutching her backpack over her chest.
"Positively ghastly," agreed Rarity.
"So let me get this straight," began Applejack. "Yer thinking this 'Candy Horse', or whatever, has somehow made it to our world and is going around and cursing people to be... What? Like her?"
"Candy zombies," interrupted Pinkie Pie. "I'm not sure if I should be nervous or excited. Maybe nervous-cited?"
"Ah don't know sugercube, that seems a little hard ta swallow," finished the country girl.
"*Snort* hahaha, good one AJ!" bleated Pinkie to a another round of shushing.
"Well, if I can play devils advocate for a moment, I will say I'm not sure how familiar you are with the diseases of this world," spoke Rarity to Sunset Shimmer. "I'm afraid we have a great many terrible diseases without the benefit of 'dark magic' or 'ghouls' rising from their graves. We have Ebola, Anthrax, E. Coli, Salmonella, and I'm afraid the list goes on. Any one of those diseases could account for Trixie's condition, or perhaps none of them. It could be something we've never even heard of. I don't believe any of us here are Doctors," she looked around her circle of friends for support.
"I know, I know it's just," Sunny struggled to find the right words, to make her friends understand. "When I looked into Trixie's eyes I felt it. Though I hate to think of it now, I spent a large part of my life devoted to the study of dark Equestrian magic. I could sense it wafting off of her before I even saw her. When I looked into her eyes, it hit me with a force I've never felt before. There's just no doubt in my mind that there's some evil at work here that goes beyond the usual bounds of this world." Her eyes were haunted. Her friends could tell whatever was going on had disturbed their friend deeply.
Her friends looked at each other.
"Well, Ah reckon that's good enough fer me," said Applejack.
"But who would want to curse students at Canterlot High?" asked Fluttershy.
"Do you think it's the C-C-Candy Mare?" asked Pinkie chewing her fingernails.
"Not necessarily. I kind of did my own research, back in my fillyhood, after hearing that particular version of the story," Sunset couldn't quite hide a grin. "Of course Celestia forbade me from doing so, but I guess I was a little rebellious even back then. As the story hinted, it seems it was Lemon Drop who engineered the curse initially. Anypony with knowledge of magic from that time period might know how to reproduce the effect. Which kind of goes a long way to explaining why it was forbidden, I have to admit."
"Ya think it might be the Dazzlings out for revenge?" queried Applejack, "Ya said before that they were banished to our world a long time ago. They might not have their magic gems anymore, but that don't mean they couldn't still cook up something nasty for us with some other hocus pocus."
"Or perhaps some new threat we're not aware of yet?" chimed in Rarity, thoughtfully. "It does rather seem that Canterlot High has become a revolving door for Equestrian threats. No offense Sunset."
With a heavy sigh Sunny responded "None taken," before closing the book on her lap.
"So what's the plan then?" asked Applejack, "Are ya gonna write ta Princess Twilight and see if she can lend a hand?"
"I already have actually, but she hasn't responded yet," Sunset replied, "I know Princess Celestia's royal duties often left her away from her castle for extended periods of time. I think we may have to assume the same will apply to Twilight. For the time being, until we hear back from her, I'm afraid we're on our own," Sunset looked around at her friends worried faces. "That doesn't mean that we're helpless though. There's still plenty we can do. Why don't you girls go out and see what you can find out? If the Dazzlings are still around town there's bound to have been someone who's seen them."
"True, I suppose we could ask around the local shops," mused Rarity, "We might even have a little time to get in some shopping ourselves," she added quietly to herself with a smile.
"Ooh, ooh, and I know everybody, like absolutely everybody!" cried Pinkie Pie to another, louder, round of shushing noises, "I can ask around. I'll even go door to door if I have to! Dazzlings or no Dazzlings, nobody suspicious will get by Pinkie Pie!"
"That's sounds like a great idea y'all. In the meantime, Ah think me and Fluttershy ought to track down Rainbow Dash," added Applejack.
"Where is she anyways? Didn't you have last period with her Fluttershy?" asked Sunset, concern knitting her brow.
"Well, yes, but she left early before I had a chance to tell her we were meeting up. She was called to Vice Principal Luna's office towards the end of class," replied Fluttershy meekly. "It seemed like it might have something to do with getting ready for the Fall Formal. I guess she's doing well in the polls."
"Or it might be because she was the last one seen with Trixie, since she was the one who dropped her off at the nurses office." Sunset Shimmer bit one of her thumbnails nervously. "I'm worried about her guys. Whoever, or whatever, got to Trixie might have gotten to Rainbow Dash too. Even if it is just a disease, and nothing more sinister is going on, the school might detain her to keep her from telling other students about the outbreak. If you guys find her, let me know as soon as you do."
Applejack nodded stoically, "You can count on us sugarcube. We'll wrangle that gal, don't you fret."
"Meanwhile I guess I'll stay here and compare what information I have on the curse to some of the diseases you mentioned Rarity. I admit, I hadn't considered this could just be a coincidence. If I can identify Trixie's symptoms as being related to a natural disease, I'll be sure to let you all know so we can take the necessary precautions." Sunset brushed a curl of her fiery hair out of her eyes, "You guys be safe and text me often, okay?"
The rest of the girls replied loudly in the affirmative before being roundly and savagely shushed by the other students and formally escorted from the library by Miss Cheerilee. Out in the hallway, Sunny waved goodbye to them with a lopsided smile. They really were good friends and she hated to think of them going into harms way on their own, but the fact of the matter was they collectively didn't have much of a clue what was really going on.
Though Sunset had agreed to look into Rarity's concerns that Trixie's condition could be caused by a mere disease, she didn't have any faith that would prove to be the case. Instead of researching as she said she would, Sunset walked a ways away from the library once her friends were out of sight, and found a private corner to open her journal and begin frantically writing. She was trying, once more, to contact Princess Twilight. Truth be told she was still rattled by the dreams she had been having, and she could still hear that sing-song voice as well as Trixie's monotone 'Nightmare Night, what a Fright', in her minds ear. She didn't think that was any kind of coincidence either. If such a dark creature as the Candy Mare was moving against Canterlot High, or even someone who was merely borrowing her curse, then she doubted this school would be able to handle the dire ramifications. Not just the school, but this entire town might be forfeit.
That's why she was distracted when someone tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. "Um, pardon me."
Sunset Shimmer scrambled to hide what she had been writing, "Oh, um, am I in your way? I was so busy with my...book report. Yes! My book report! I didn't notice you..." she trailed off as she looked up into the eyes of the person leaning over her. In a small, confused voice she said, "Twilight?"
"I'm really very sorry about this." Sunny felt every muscle in her body seize up as Twilight jammed a taser into her ribs. The setting must have been fairly high, because Sunset's vision began to fade to black almost instantly. It was more bewilderment than a sense of betrayal that filled Sunset's scrambled thoughts. But as she felt herself drifting into unconsciousness even that melted away. Her thoughts were replaced with nothing... nothing except the distant half-dreamed sound of childish laughter.