(General POV)
Location the Void of the Forsaken, Castle Nightscream; Throne Chamber
After spending a while with his girls, Mao, he'd asked of them to prepare for the upcoming excitement.
With Jinx, Shego, Kothoga, and if his little test proves successful, the ninth and latest Infernal Lord, from a non-canon alternative universe.
Like many, he'll admit when he was just a human crimeboss psycho, he'd enjoyed watching, reading, and learning of "what if" and NC-AUs like any other person, even if it's about a world that the most violent and gorery thing that can happen is a bruise, since it's either a kid show, or too protected by the writers to make above PG-12, even if it made no sense.
Sonic Universe is one of those world, with the crap that those characters deal with, they can't bleed from a blade slicing across them...regardless, Mao walked over to a maid drone, that held a tray of food, and other horderves, picking something with orange cream and bits of fruits.
Mao pops it, into his mouth and thanks the maid, as the drone placed the tray onto a small, tall black table that another maid drone brought.
Enjoying his snacks, Mao was loving being the Boss, as he'd returned to thinking and preparing for upcoming party, he'll need more monsters for the legion, and he started thinking it was time for some heavy hitters, like Ultralisks for the Zerg, and of course he'll choose the torrasque strain, having massive city busting aliens, that can regenerate and keep fighting, is a obvious choice.
But he'd wanted more like those giant pincer behemoths in the legions, but he can live with the Ultralisks for now, he needs something fast and ravenous, smiling as one monster came into his mind quickly, and the best part it transforms into another more powerful and brutal monster, in their later stages.
He was thinking of the Demodogs, that they are juvenile demogorgons, so by adding the demodogs to the legions, they can multiply and eventually become demogorgons with greater strength, size, and the abilities to open rifts into the New Earth and mess with electrical devices, making them a nightmare on city attack, lastly while his Void is impossible to be invaded, it doesn't hurt to have a special security system.
Having Vine Crawlers, from Stranger Things as well, his psychic abilities he can command the stranger things monsters with ease like his Zerg, with those three monsters added inti the legion, he can return to the new Infernal Lord that Mao wants to summon, and that is the Candymare, from Something Sweet to Bite MLP-Horror AU, honestly Mao he found the story on YouTube, scrolling for some horror stories to listen to, and he'd found her two stories, and got hooked on a candy made pony cannibal created by a whackjob, failed scientist turned candy-maker.
Regardless Candymare is a literal unstoppable nightmare, which supposedly Luna, sealed away until Something Sweet to Bite Too aka Candymare's origins, Starswirl was the one that came up with the plan to stop Candymare, and frame Luna as the victor of the spirit of MLP's Halloween.
Which...ended up, with Candymare believing that made-up tale, and leading a army of candy...zombie...ponies, to Luna's castle and bodying the soo called Alicorn, but what he wants is Candymare's powers.
Practical invincible, one would think that candy manipulation would be a weak power, but all the sugar shards, bone fragments, and other sweets tear apart flesh, and she can even infect beings with pieces of herself to become candy creatures, which she can command.
A perfect monster for this messed up, little family, making her more loyal, and possessing comradery with her fellow Infernal Lords, plus making her stronger and tougher, would make her the nightmare fuel she is for all the heroes of the New Earth, even if Doctor Strange, Superman, Thor, Wonder Woman, and Hulk team up against her, she'll just regenerate, and Candymare alongside Nomu King or Kothoga, now that's a real ringer of a team.
So with his mind set, he ate another horderve, and activate his Chaos System, commanding it to summon Candymare, Ultralisks, Demodogs, and Vine Crawlers to his Forsaken, with hope that the system is able to summon a non-canon villain to his side.
That's when the system prompted in front of him in a red transparent floating screen, [Candymare + Magical Power Enhancement + Candy Manipulation Augmentation + Extreme Hunger Removal + Comradery + Increased Loyalty + Higher Psychic-Mental Note + Lemon Drop Candyshop + Ultralisks + Torrasque Strain + Ultralisks Caverns + Vine Crawlers + Demodogs + Spawning Nests= 113000 CP. Do you wish to proceed?]
It seems that it works, he can select and summon non-canon monsters and villains from other AUs, so Mao, he told his system to proceed with Chaos Point deduction, as the 600755 CP has become 589455 and immediately he sensed the Void expand, and be filled with ever growing amounts of new creatures, as like many times before, Mao saw visions of his new additions to the Void.
Appearing in his mind, was the new zerg allover the Void, Mao saw through his mind, as the green color bulging mass of cavern of incredible size, fleshy tendrils sprouting around the caverns, as they started to emerged the newest zerg of the Forsaken, the biggest and most powerful of their kind.
These giant brown and purple carapace aliens, started to emerge from the caverns, four legged bug like aliens, with a massive head-piece like a crown or frail like carapace with spikes, and horns, along with the extra spikes, and cracks of purple.
A large almost reptilian head, with a single, thick, short and sharp horn on the front of their heads, with razor sharp teeth and fangs, as well as three larger, and thicker fangs on the lower jaw's front, plus a set of "small" sharp pincers on the side of their mouths.
Around the backs are four massive bone-like scythes which protrude forwards, capable of slashing and pincing their prey, these scythes are known as "kaiser blades".
They'd roared in fury, making zerglings, banelings, mutalisks, and other zerg roar in union with the Ultralisks, as Mao vision changed to another part of the Void.
Within the Void, mass open areas of his realm, came rushing out the dark, in masses, four-legged monsters that were intermingling with the maulers and zerglings, in the nearby areas.
These are the demodogs, they resemble large dogs with dark, slimy skin and gaping, fanged mouths that open like flowers, the intermediate state to reach the big monsters of Stranger Things, the demogorgon.
But those weren't the end, then vines of pure black color, started spreading through the more "nature" like areas of the Void, these are more simple creatures, but it was good to have another horror for the off chance, that the heroes or villains ever manage to enter his realm, by using some protagonist or one-off crap to enter the Void.
As one last vision entered Mao's mind, in a dark massive facility with baths of candy and gore scattered all around the ruined, and defiled shop.
Even the bones of some horse, covered in pink and blue harden sugar, no light, and then he spotted her, just like the story describes her.
Candymare is a large pony made of various candy-related items and sweetened treats, her most notable features seem to be red and liquorice mane, and tail, her eyes being blue and pink swirls like some hard candy, waffle-cone ears, sharp candy-corn teeth, and a deep red taffy tongue.
Her head is a half exposed pony skull, her mouth torn wide, exposing her candy corn teeth, Candymare's "flesh" is like pink bubblegum and marshmallow, some red and white peppermint legs, one being chocolate, a waffle-cone back with oozing red syrup, and potential icing from cakes with miniature decorations on her body and flank, and her hooves being red sweets.
She trotted over at the very, very old bones of her first victim, the source of her hatred over unicorns...Lemon Drop, Candymare, she looked around with a creepy candy corn smile.
As Mao's vision ended, he was back on his throne chamber, with brown, green, and red minions scattering around the chambers, with some of the messing around with the maid drones.
One even got skewered, caused that brown slapped that drone's butt, this made Mao laugh, as this was usual minion behavior.
Mao sent a telepathic message to Candymare to come over to Castle Nightscream, cause she along with Jinx, Kothoga, Shego are gonna raise some hell!!
This made Mao, very happy and excited as he'd walked over to his throne, with the tray still on his hand, as he waited for his ninth Infernal Lord to appear.
After a bit he sensed someone enter and quickly climb up his castle, Candymare was there.
A few moments later, instead opening or busting the massive set of dark toned doors open, like others did, a mass of various candies, bones, and gore started squeezing through the lower crack of the doors.
Like something out of Stranger Things, and Mao really appreciate it, as the mass crawled its way, further into the throne chamber it started to convulse, twist, crack and shape into a pony made from candy, with swirling blue and pink eyes, peeking out her long red and black licorice mane.
She smiled...or made equivalent of a smile for her, as she'd started to sing, in a crazy, girlish voice, "Nightmare Night... What a fright... Gimme something sweet, to bite..." and ending her song with a insane sounding giggle turn laughter.
Mao he was greatly pleased, as he'd commanded the Chaos System to show him Candymare's stats, and appearing, floating around her chest height was the red screen with pinkish-white wording, displaying her stat info.
Name: Pumpkin Patch Codename: Candymare. Race: Nightmare (Candy). Gender: Female. Title: None. Rank: General. Powers/Abilities 1.Candy & Flesh Physiology. 2.Enhanced Candy Manipulation. 3.Infectious Candy. 4.Enhance Psychic Control of Candy-Infected. 5.Magically Enhanced Physical Strengths. 6.Psedo-Immortality. 7.Healing Factor: Partical Level. 8.Magically Adjust Digestive System. 9.Extreme Hunger Removal.
All was well in order, Mao got up his throne, walked calmly over to his candy made nightmare, that tilted her head, sweetly and creepily of her side, with her candy corn smile still showing.
Once Mao, reached Candymare, he reached out his right clawed-gauntlet wearing hand, and started petting Candymare, making her giggle happily, and closed her eyes, embracing the affection...affection, something she'd long lost, after that unicorn killer her daddy, and her mommy died.
Also because of them, Mao, could feel Candymare's shift in emotions, and spoke, "Don't worry Candy. Here. You're normal, amongst the monsters. You're part of family, that will kill and laugh together." these words, made Candymare very happy.
Mao knew her story well, despite being a utter psychotic cannibal monster, she was still a girl underneath all that candy, bloodlust, and madness.
A girl craving some affection, as Something Sweet to Bite Too, showed that in her own twisted way, Candymare, she still loved her family, and still clang to it even after her father's murder and Lemon Drop's magical experiments, as well as psychological torment, turned her into the Candymare.
He stopped petting the candy pony monster, and snapped his clawed fingers, calling in some of the maid drones, who swooped in.
Kneeling beside him and Candymare, as he ordered them to bring Candymare all she wants to eat, making the pony happy and excited, turning his attention on the latest summoned Infernal Lord, Mao smiled at her, and told her to enjoy her meal.
Because soon she'll be in for a real treat, which further excited Candymare, as she'd trotted behind the two maid drones, which had their bladed wings out, leading her away to give her food.
Leaving Mao with the minions, and a couple of maid drones, now with everything in place it was time to send a little...signal to the mayor heroes and villains, one where this hunt begins...
Location the New Earth, Earth's Orbit/Outer Space; The Justice League, Watchtower: Board Room
As the entire League was gathered in their space station, sitting around the advance, and sleek board table, discussing on what to do next, as in just a couple days, have passed since the whole Flash Thompson aka the Marker, along with over hundreds of known heroes and villains, that have some connection with the elements of nature.
Mera, Livewire, Poison Ivy, Terra, along with Cyclone, Fire, Ice, Killer Frost, and even Swamp Thing, from what John has told them, has been affected by this surge of environmental energy.
It was now obvious to the League, that this Core, the Nature's Heart, it commands nature in all it's aspects...fire, water, ice, wind, earth, plants, and more hence why those with deeper connections to these elements were affected by the awakening of this core.
Aquaman, he even suggested that because he is a hybrid, and not 100% Atlantean, he wasn't affected, while Mera, that Arthur has stated countless times being stronger and deeper connected to the Ocean, that he is at times, was affected.
Batman agreed, this explain Ivy, Livewire, then Terra's sudden episode, from several hundreds, maybe thousands of meta-humams, mutants, aliens, and more, these women including the latest cases of Cyclone, Fire, Ice, and Killer Frost, they were the most intuned with their respected elements, Vixen then asked Bruce of Swamp Thing's case.
Batman, closed his eyes and sighed, as he spoke, "While true, Swamp Thing is the Guardian Avatar of the Green. Ivy, was more connected in a spiritual and psychological manner, than Olsen. Olsen, he has always clamored more for his former life, while Ivy..." Flash finished Bruce's thought process, "...she'd always wanted, plant life over humanity. A unshaken resolve." making Batman nod to Barry's assessment.
While Swamp Thing has in scale a higher link to nature than Poison Ivy, spiritually Ivy has a deeper bound with it than Olsen, and that is what scared Batman, as he'd spoke again, "This means that this Core is a way, a literal heart of nature. Not only physical, or symbolically, but spiritually as well." as he tap the surface of the board table, bringing up the holo-keyboard in front of him, and started typing away.
Playing the first half of the Nature's Heart's message, "I AM NATURE'S HEART. FIRST OF THE CORES OF REALITY. I'VE BEEN AWAKEN BY THE PAIN OF THIS WORLD. POLLUTION. GLOBAL WARMING. DEFORESTATION. OTHER ATROCITIES DONE. THAT I CAN'T IGNORE. THE PAIN...PLEASE STOP. FIND ME. BECOME THE RULER, SOLE GUARDIAN AND MASTER OF NATURE. AIR. WATER. LIGHTNING. FLORA. FIRE. EARTH. ICE. LIFE." ending it there.
As he spoke again, "While sentience in expression. These Core act as tools, submissive to some else's command and desires. Which makes them more dangerous." which all the League agreed, all of them from Superman, Vixen, Lantern, and Wonder Woman, have dealt with something slightly akin to these Cores, objects of cosmic power, but no freewill in the mix.
Any of their greater enemies, get there hands on one of these Cores, it could spell untold disaster, before they could plan for their next move, a alert sounded.
A massive eruption was about to happen, in a once dormant volcano at the island of Hawaii, Mauna Loa, this would be a easy job for Superman, Flash, and Green Lantern to deal with, when reading of the same unknown energy of Chicago started to amass on the area as well.
Green Arrow spoke, "Guys. I think we've found the first part of this treasure hunt." as his teammate and friends, silently agreed with Emerald Archer.