//------------------------------// // Showdown // Story: The Last Something Sweet to Bite // by Knackerman //------------------------------// Laughter boomed like thunder as the stagnate air was suddenly whipped into a frenzy. Lightning cracked the sky in thick webs of orange and green. Sunset Shimmer could feel it now. If she had been paying closer attention she would've felt it before. In the grass, in the buildings, in the very air; the Candy Mare was here. Thinking quickly, muttering under her breath, Sunset Shimmer sacrificed her protective spells to erect a dome of energy over herself and the statue of Victory. Not a moment too soon, as thick bolts of lightning rained down on her from above. Fortunately the shield held, negating the worst of the blast and redirecting it into the earth. Even so, Sunset Shimmer didn't stop feeding the shield spell, dumping magical power into it. "What's this? Another insect?" boomed the voice again, laughter blanketing the night once again. The world around Sunset began to warp and twist. The crimson vines that had engulfed the rest of the statues began to writhe and twist like living things, serpents reaching towards the heavens. The barbed strands descended on the shield, covering it in a thick deluge that threatened to crack it open like an egg. All the while the laughter still rang out, beating down on Sunset Shimmer from all sides. That sinister laugh, she'd heard it every time one of her friends had died. No more. "QUIET!!!" roared Sunset Shimmer using, if not the Royal Canterlot Voice, then a reasonable facsimile there of. Anger burned bright in the unicorn's heart, and her magic blazed up in kind. Fire rolled off of her in a sweeping circle, melting the candy vines away and charring the ground in a wide swath around her. As the flames dissipated, silence reigned. Or it would've, if it were not for the distant sound of a swelling tide. They swarmed out of the ruined city, they rose up from the ground, and seemed to crawl out from within every shadow. The hungry army of the dead, their eyes glowing with glee. Supper was here at last! As they drew closer, one by one they burst into flames. Sunset Shimmer lashed out, unflinching, un-moving. The flames ate away both the candy and corrupted corpses that hid beneath. The impatient dead that she struck down did not rise up again and not so much as one of them so much as touched Sunset's barrier. Though single minded in their pursuit of fresh flesh, the crowd of grinning cadavers pulled back. They needn't have bothered. No place was safe from the unicorn's wrath. A wildfire roared to life in the midst of the laughing dead, sweeping left and right, rekindling long dormant fires in the crumbling timbers of the city. The fires raged as the ghouls were consumed by hungry tongues of flame, long overdue cremation silencing their laughter and their cries of hunger once and for all. Even so, the numbers of the dead did not diminish, but instead began to swell. So too did their laughter. Unfortunately, Sunset thought she could see why. What she had taken for the booming of distant thunder seemed instead to have a different source that now shook the earth. The mists parted and a pair of huge, burning blue eyes glared down from above a mouth a mile wide. Each tooth, a mountain in miniature, striped orange, yellow, and tipped with white. The dead cheered even as the Candy Mare's massive hooves crushed them. The mountainous giant that was coming for her may have been composed of countless dead bodies and assorted candies, but it was still just another vessel for the Candy Mare. "Quite the little fire bug aren't you? I like that Sunny. It makes things so much more cheerful when the fires are burning bright on Nightmare Night!" thundered the titan. "What did you do with her!?" howled Sunset against the roaring wind and the cries of the cheerful dead. "What did you do with Pumpkin Patch!?" "That stagnate soul?" asked the Candy Mare, never ceasing to grin. "What do you think I've done with her? I consumed her, just like I've been consuming her for thousands of years. Just like I've consumed this world. Just like I'm about to consume you!" "You will never devour me creature!" shouted back Sunset, her horn flaring with magic. "You can't even so much as pierce my shield!" "Oh can't I?" Jagged bones thrust up from the soil, thick candy claws that easily tore through stone and mortar. Even so, they melted away as they neared Sunset shield. The Candy Mare could see why now... the shield itself was burning hot. Candy or flesh, claw or bone, all were melted to vapor but a few inches from the shell. Indeed, the patch of ground Sunset stood upon was slowly rising as the earth beneath it melted to slag, a floating island in a magical sphere. "Clever, but you can't last forever. After all, you're only mortal. Soon you're weak little body will want for food or rest. You'll tire, and then you'll be mine." "No monster. No one will be yours anymore, or ever again!" With a twist of her head Sunset sent a fire ball smashing into the statue of Victory, the shredded flag seeming to evaporate it burned so quickly while the stone itself shattered into rubble. The rock had done a magnificent job of maintaining it's contents for these many hundreds of years. Even so, were it not for the tattered bonnet that was still tied firmly beneath her skeletal chin, it would've been impossible to tell that this was in fact Pumpkin Patch's preserved corpse. The Candy Mare's massive eyes grew all the wider, and for the first time... perhaps ever, the psychotic grin that twisted her face bent backwards into a frown. "You little bitch. What are you doing with that cast off husk?" "What do you think I'm going to do, Candy Mare? What do you think I'm going to do with the flesh of your origin? With the carcass your curse damned all those many years ago? What do you think I'm going to do to Pumpkin Patch's corpse?" A bright green flame danced on the end of Sunset Shimmer's horn. The Candy Mare laughed, but it was not the same laugh as before, "Do you really think doing anything to that broken marionette will have any effect on me? I've devoured countless lives across numberless worlds. Even now, I sweep across more dimensions than you can dream, an endless wave of hunger stripping the universe to the bone." Her grin took back in it's customary place on her monstrous face. "This doesn't change anything, morsel. You'll still rot in my belly before this night is through!" "I don't think so," replied Sunset Shimmer calmly. "She may have only been the first, but she is the original conduit of your magical infection. The poisonous mixture of Lemon Drop's spells congealing together in the dark couldn't continue to exist without binding themselves to a creature of flesh and blood. You may be nothing more than a virus, a copy of a copy with countless hosts to burn through, but those lives you've devoured are useless to you without her." "You think she's so important? Hah!" The Candy Mare's grin widened all the more. "She wasn't even the first! The only thing special about her is she lived the longest, and then only barely. Her half dead body may have been perfect for me back then, but look at me now!" She reared back as lightning once again lashed across the sky. A dramatic effect perhaps, but nothing more. "You seem so eager to talk down about Pumpkin Patch, but you can't even say her name, can you? You can talk about how powerful you are, but you're still just a parasite... One that should've died a long time ago with her host," The Candy Mare answered this with uncharacteristic silence. For the first time in what seemed like days, Sunset Shimmer smiled. "I will rectify that mistake tonight. This is the last Nightmare Night." With that, the fire that danced across Sunset Shimmer's horn engulfed the tiny broken corpse. The effect was instantaneous. The army of candy ghoul's burst into blue flames from the inside out. The heat was enough to melt away the mist and burn away the storm clouds above. The candy coated city didn't stand a chance, as the thick, sticky mess ran boiling hot into the streets. Everywhere was the stench of cooking flesh and burning sugar. The world itself had become one giant bonfire. The giant amalgamation of corpses that was the Candy Mare's vessel was not spared either. Flames such a bright blue they were almost white seared the night sky. It was as if day had dawned early, bringing light to even the darkest corners of the ruined city. The Candy Mare shrieked and writhed as she, and her world, were devoured by flames. The gluttonous entity learning first hand what it felt like to be one of her victims, eaten alive. As the flesh and candy peeled away, quickly all that was left were blackened bones. Even so, the Candy Mare still moved. Still turned her massive maw towards Sunset Shimmer. "I WILL NOT DIE!" she roared, "YOU WILL SUSTAIN ME!" With that the colossal cadaver surged forwards, and her jaws closed on the sphere that contained Sunset Shimmer. -------------------------- It was like being in the heart of the sun. There was light all around, and such intense heat that Sunset's makeshift cloak caught fire and had to be thrown away. Surrounded by walls of flame likes this, there was no way that Sunset would be able to breathe for long. She may have defeated the Candy Mare once and for all, but not without losing her own life in the process. If this was to be the cost to end this nightmare, then so be it. Still, Sunset couldn't help but feel tears stinging the corners of her eyes. She had lost so much, so many friends, even if she had survived there was no real home to return to. How could she even hope to return now? With the world burning all around her. Even if there was another portal connected to the human world, chances are it would be reduced to ashes in a matter of moments. Just another thing destroyed in the wake of the Candy Mare's demise. It was already getting harder to breathe. She could feel the tips of her hair starting to singe. Her shield wouldn't be able to hold out against this kind of heat for much longer. Sunset had so many regrets. She had never had a chance to see Princess Twilight's new castle, or to finally apologize to Princess Celestia. She hadn't had the chance to thank the human Celestia and Luna for taking her in. She had never gotten to graduate with her human friends. A pang of guilt somehow sharper than the others, she'd never really apologized to Flash Sentry for trying to use him to score popularity points. Why would that bother her so much now, when she was moments from death? Surely there was no point in worrying about that now. Even if they all had still been alive, and somehow she could see them, in a few moment's Sunset wouldn't be alive to do anything about it anymore. Her tears were turning to steam on her cheeks. She could feel her magic draining away. She had wasted so much of it lashing out at the Candy Mare when she should've just immolated Pumpkin's corpse and been done with it. But she had wanted to see her. She had wanted to look into those demented eyes as they melted and turned to ash. She had wanted a first hand look at her revenge, especially after what had happened with Pumpkin Patch's spirit. Well here was her revenge now. It burned all around her, a fitting testament to the rage that had fueled the fire to begin with. In these, her final moments, Sunset wondered if it was in fact worth it. If this really started to atone for all the pain and misery she had inadvertently brought on those she had cared for. That was when she saw a flickering shadow among the flames. It was there and gone again in an instant, like shimmering heat haze. She was certain her eyes were playing tricks on her. Her brain was probably starting to boil inside her skull. Heat like this could easily make one hallucinate before they died. The only thing that Sunset had to look forward to was that the actual pain should be brief enough. Once all her nerve endings had burned she would be numb to any pain, save the pain she felt in her heart. With luck, that too would fade away once she passed through the flames into deaths cold embrace. Even as these terrible thoughts danced through her mind, she saw the flickering shape again. This time she could just make it out. Pumpkin Patch stood before her, beckoning, though she was quickly fading. Sunset looked down at the tiny body that had once belonged to both her and the entity known as the Candy Mare. It was not but bones now, and those were swiftly turning to ash under the glow of Sunset's verdant flames. Though her anchor to this world was almost gone, it seemed Pumpkin Patch was using her last moments of existence to guide Sunset Shimmer to safety. It was hard to see her, hard to see anything really, but when she touched Sunset's outstretched hoof she could feel her like pins and needles sleeting across her skin. Taking a deep breath, Sunset focused the last of her magic around herself, collapsing the shield spell into a skin tight suit. It wouldn't last any longer, but it would be easier to move. Holding hooves, she walked with the dead filly through the fire and flames. ------------------------- The cool darkness of the Forbidden Archives was so wonderful that Sunset thought she would collapse from sheer pleasure. She gulped down cool breaths of air, thankful for the powerful spell that sealed this place from all possible breaches, including those of the mindless flames. As they had walked through the pyre that had become Canterlot, Pumpkin's ghost had slowly faded more and more. As it was now, she was just a faint outline, a darker shadow against the other shadows. Even so, Sunset Shimmer could see that she was smiling. "Thank you. Thank you ever so much. I can feel her fading away... As I am fading away," said the wraith somewhat sadly. "I wish we could've met in another place, in another life. I wish that we could've been friends." Sunset stamped her hoof, "Nonsense! We are friends! No matter what else you've done, no matter what is and isn't your fault, you saved my life! I wouldn't be breathing right now if it weren't for you Pumpkin. We will always be friends. Somewhere, somehow, we will meet again." The ghost sobbed, fading faster, "You don't have to lie to me miss, I know better. But it's okay. Thank you for caring enough to lie to me. It means more to me than you could know." The unicorn shook her head so vigorously, her fiery mane resembled the blaze outside. "No! I'm not lying. You are my friend, whether you believe it or not, and friends always find each other in the end." "You promise?" Pumpkin asked, sounding very much like the child she had been in life. As she had been before the cruelty of an uncaring world had left her at the mercy of a demented unicorn and his twisted magic. "I promise," replied Sunset confidently. The smile on Pumpkin Patch's face was heart wrenching, all the more so since it was the last part of her to fade completely from existence. Sunset Shimmer didn't weep over her passing, though she did cry. She shed tears only over the fact that it had taken so long to come, and had been so terribly hard for the filly. Sunset could hear the fire roaring outside. A blaze that size wouldn't be able to sustain itself for long. She thought about it, how it was sweeping across not just this world, but any other world that the Candy Mare had ever set hoof, or foot, upon. A cleansing fire that would wipe away the ghoul's corruption, to make way for something bright and new. Sunset thought of her own life, of how she too had fallen to corruption and had to burn away her old self in hopes of being reborn anew. A part of her wanted to believe that the same thing applied to death. That it was just a brief, transient moment. A casting off of an old life to make way for a new one. If there was such a thing as justice, in this or any other world, Pumpkin Patch would have a happier life waiting for her. One that was long overdue. The archives shook. No, the palace itself shook, down to it's foundation as if it had been struck by a sudden earthquake. At first Sunset thought it was the castle falling to pieces, perhaps it's old crumbling in the heat, but it was built sturdier than that. The stones might have melted, and the wood burned, but it sounded like the entire edifice was crumbling to its foundation! That's when she heard it. A wordless howling, a senseless jabbering that was mixed in with the roar of the fire. Without the many lives she had eaten, the Candy Mare had lost even a voice to speak with. But it seemed she still had enough of herself to seek revenge... to try and destroy the one whom had destroyed her. The floor tilted under Sunset Shimmer's hooves. The books and scrolls that were not chained to their shelves fell with a thunderous clatter and scattered on the floor. A nearby bookcase nearly crushed Sunset, she only had time enough to dodge it before the entire palace shook again. This time the quaking didn't stop, but shuddered on. With the last of her strength, the Candy Mare was trying to push the palace itself off the side of the mountain on which it was perched! It didn't matter that Sunset was in a space protected from all evil intent if the palace itself was buried under a mountain of rubble! There was one last quake before a sickening sense of weightlessness let Sunset know that the castle had shaken free! After everything that had happened, would she be joining her friends in death after all?