In Starlight Glimmer's mind, at least ever since she'd been conditioned into obedience upon her capture so many years before, the Eldritch was not so different from the cult she'd run back in that nameless town. Conformity, at least in the right direction, would inevitably lead to perfection; and with her fusion into the Demiurge, she could save all her former allies!

Thousands of eyes appeared within the black slime that lurked through the chambers. She heaved her bare breasts embedded at the center, continued to light her horn and unleash beams that made Twilight sweat and groan as she strained to block them with her own lasers. Her former teacher's eyes glowed from the dark arts she called upon, determined to keep pace whatever the cost.

Sombra and Trixie rushed to her support, added their magic to her casting. He grunted, “This isn't enough!”

Around them, the warriors did their best to protect them from the coils that lanced their way, with Shining Armor, Somnambula, and Fleur de Lis forming a circle. Spike, Ember, and Smolder took to the air, whereas Octavia and Vinyl Scratch defended Wallflower whose arrows made the creature sizzle each time they struck home only to be swallowed.

“Stop resisting and give in already,” commanded Starlight with a voice of thunder that carried around the interior. “There's been far too much death already!”

“You're part of the problem,” called Twilight with her wings fully spread, and her face twisted. “You're nothing more than the Eldritch's tool! Look around you! They've destroyed Equestria, wiped out entire species, and for what?!”

“You're all fools! Once you've become part of the Demiurge, you'll understand! I promise you!” A tidal wave-like blob crashed over Somnambula, who hissed and clawed, only to vanish into Starlight's mass. The Sphinx thrashed within the Demiurge, helpless.

The dragons unleashed a combined inferno upon Starlight, which flared uselessly about the invisible barriers she erected. There was nowhere to retreat as the sole exit sealed up by an unusually thick layer of gunk, and Glimmer easily able to redirect any attempts to teleport away; not that Twilight cared too, her obsession with beating her written all over her face.

“You're the only fool here, Starlight! You've failed to realize the power is destroying you from the inside out,” warned Sombra again, yet they paid him no heed. The holy book audibly resonated with a series of chimes; its surface vibrated in his palm. However, he couldn't understand what it was trying to tell him, too focused on the battle at hand.

Trixie's legs shook while she pressed herself harder than ever before, almost fainting as she swayed. “Could use some back up right about now...” And as if on cue, a bright explosion ripped through the membrane over the exit, causing it to pool out and bubble with a hiss of steam.

From it arrived the backup team led by Sunset Shimmer; Beatrix Belladonna, Bellatrix Primadonna, Aria Blaze, Sonata Dusk, even Cadance, and Flurry Heart came to render aid despite their weakened state. The mages immediately went to pour their considerable magical talents into the spells Twilight, Sombra, and Trixie weaved, while Aria and Sonata supported the fighters.

“Hahahahaha! This is perfect,” crackled Starlight madly. “After you all fall, no one will be left to defend the pyramid.” In truth, she had been holding back all this time, toying with Twilight to exhaust her reserves; now, she redoubled her efforts and unleashed the most potent magic she'd ever dared.

Twilight shrieked, battered back under a blast that easily could have torn them all asunder had Glimmer wished it. Instead, they were thrown about, shaken under the mystic forces their nemesis unleashed.

However, some instinct of Sombra made him raise the holy book, like a shield. A brilliant light blinded them all.

*****

Inky Rose hated to leave the child alone for a moment; yet curiosity compelled her to temporarily abandon the lab. “I'll return soon,” she promised with a palm still pressed to the glass where Pacific Glow's daughter rested. Her heels echoed while she made her way to the hospital wing where Fluttershy's strained moans carried down the hallways.

“You're doing well babe,” said Tree Hugger who stood by her and gripped her hand. “Just keep pushin', okay?”

Cozy Glow nibbled on her lower lip. “Cadance and Flurry are crazy, trying to help in their condition! They'll probably get themselves killed for nothing! Thank goodness we know better, right Diamond Tiara?” She nudged her ribs.

Tiara winced a little, still sore after Chrysalis' assault. “I wish I could help them...especially Somnambula...”

“Geez, where did this heroic streak come from? I thought you were smarter than that! It's everyone for themselves!” Yet Cozy's voice didn't quite carry the conviction it once had, and she was reminded of Tirek's effect on her.

“I used to think that way, until my friends taught me something different.” She exchanged a grin with Sweetie Belle. “Thanks for reminding me of what's really important, Cozy. 'Cause you're my friend, too.” She hugged the pair of them.

“How sappy.” Cozy giggled with them and flexed her feathers.

Rarity supported Fluttershy from the other side of the bed. “Deep breaths, dear. Remembering, you're bringing new life to Equestria; the first successful birth of a Kirin in quite some time. I've already stitched up blankets and attire for it.”

“Th-thanks,” managed Fluttershy between wheezes. Her clothes had been discarded and her bosom and belly rose-and-fell with rapidity, her skin clammy and laced in perspiration. Her face burned red and she grit her teeth, grunting and groaning, a wet mess staining the sheets before her. Thoughts went to Spike, her lover, her duty to him and the future of a dying world.

She wept and panted. Voided her bladder. Contracted her birth canal in attempt to push the baby out.

Inky murmured, “Let me help.” It was a chance to deliver a child properly, unlike the tragedy that befell Pacific.

Hugs met her intense stare. “Sure. I trust you.”

Snapping on a pair of disposable gloves, Inky inhaled deeply in preparation for the labor ahead. She couldn't stand to simply wait around and feel useless; she constantly felt a need to prove her worth. Especially to her love. In her mind she had failed him with Pacific's loss, and let her down too. This she reasoned would offer her some chance at absolution.

*****

An odd sort of clarity came over Sombra when he awakened. He recalled that they had been losing; badly, at that. One-after-another the warriors had fallen, consumed by the Demiurge, and he pondered if they were still alive. Yet now he stood within a white void before Starlight Glimmer, who resembled how she had been before her fusion with the abomination.

He waited in a circle with several others; Spike, Beatrix, Bellatrix, Twilight, and Somnambula, who had reverted back to a pegasus. Somehow, the lot of them had formed a sort of temporary psychic gestalt, with him at the focal point.

“The holy book,” he realized and stared at the tome within his hands. “We're inside it.”

“Correct,” replied Somnambula. “We're projections of our consciousnesses. You drew us inside it. The outside world is frozen in this moment.” He followed her stare, and a window to the battle was made available. They stared at the alliance, paused in the heat of the moment, most entombed within the dark messiah that awaited the chance to complete its fusion with them.

“A stalemate.” Starlight pursed her lips. “It matters not. You can't remain here indefinitely.”

“Maybe he can,” noted Bellatrix. “I used to live in a similar dimension like this when I was born in the Necronomicon. It was endless boredom. I hunted down other monsters trapped in its pages, consumed them without any higher purpose for ages!”

“It is a sacrifice I would be willing to make,” said Somnambula. “Yet the whole of Equestria is trapped in this state.”

Sombra chuckled. “Unworthy of us, it would only be a pyrrhic victory at best.”

Spike stared in horror at their companions. “But the moment the spell's broken, they'll soon die! Starlight, wake up!”

Twilight looked around them. “Why were we drawn here?”

Beatrix shrugged. “We're all key players, I suppose. You're like us now, Twilight. By dabbling with the dark arts, you're now connected to the Necronomicon! Sure, its shell might be destroyed, but the Demiurge is a remnant of its power like the Eldritch!” She nodded at Spike and Somnambula. “You're the only ones here without any connection to the dark arts.”

“Curious indeed,” mused Somnambula. “Yet it seems we are also at the center of destiny's web.”

Bellatrix curled her lip. “We could simply kill Starlight now, couldn't we?”

“You could,” replied Starlight with a shrug. “But it would be pointless. This is like a shared dream, after all.”

With a heave of her shoulders and plumage, Bellatrix said, “Thought it was worth a try. I just want to finish this.”

“All in good time. Believe it or not, I feel more lucid than I have in quite some time.” Glimmer massaged her scalp with both hands. “Maybe it's down to not having the Eldritch implants interfering here? Actually, it's like I've been dreaming quite some time, ever since they captured me. Are these...tears?” She rubbed her cheeks, her body shaking involuntarily.

“It's this holy book,” noted Sombra. “It tried to cleanse my soul, and Bellatrix, too.” He looked over the angel's radiant skin. “I worried it would alter my personality completely, but I realized all it truly did was akin to cleaning an infected wound.”

“Kind of like the Elements of Harmony!” Twilight and Spike were practically of one mind when they announced that, and exchanged a friendly grin. He continued, “Does this mean the war's over? I'd rather not kill an old friend.”

“It might not matter the moment we leave,” admitted Starlight, who turned her back. “My mind might be warped the second we're let loose. I'm so confused. Why did I ever think the Eldritch could make Equestria a better place...?” Her teary face strained.

“You're their victim, too.” Twilight laid a hand on her shoulder. “We'll figure this out. Somehow.”

Starlight shook her head, tried to withdraw from her touch. “I've hurt far too many. Limestone, Autumn Blaze, the Sphinx-”

“Not you're fault.” Spike also gripped her shoulder from behind and squeezed. “I know some might not be so forgiving, but we'll think of something. You're our friend, too. Plus, Trixie wants to see you again, I'm sure! Come on.”

Starlight spun so fast they backed away, and they almost instinctively took up battle stances; yet she remained serene and subdued in her mannerisms. With a wave of her arm, she opened up several windows in other dimensions; a rich tapestry of possibilities. “You recognize some of these, don't you, Beatrix? This dimension is like a convergence of familiar events.”

“Yeah...” Beatrix nodded. “I've seen similar scenarios play out in different realms.” Different threads tethered a variety of worlds. They were all moved to tears, watching them unfold.

Another world where Sombra was lovers with Inky Rose and Pacific Glow, only to betray them in his quest for more power. One where a pair of Spikes, one from Equestria and his counterpart from the human world, sacrificed themselves to stop a Starlight Glimmer corrupted by the Necronomicon.

Bellatrix watched her succubus self move through the dimensional void within the cursed tome where she'd been born.

“You can undo all this tragedy, Beatrix,” reminded Starlight. “I can work a spell to travel through time-”

“No. That magic's far too dangerous,” said Twilight, who narrowed her eyes.

“Plus, it'll undo all we've accomplished!” Spike furrowed his snout. “Sure, I'd love to have everyone back, but what about those who aren't even born yet? That doesn't seem fair! Besides, what if we make things even worse! What then?”

“This is a choice only Beatrix may make,” said Somnambula, who added, “I trust you will do what is prudent.”

Beatrix fidgeted with the Prima Materia that clasped her cloak. “But what is right?! Do I just play the numbers game? Say you do send me back to where I started. If I prevent Sombra from destroying the Necronomicon and unleashing the Eldritch, that will create a paradox, and who knows what the results will be? It could unravel entire dimensions! On the other hand...”

Sombra seized his apprentice. “I know that look. You're think of doing something foolish, aren't you?” He gazed upon her despondent features, felt her slacken under his hold. “Not unlike when my other self martyred himself to destroy the Necronomicon. I can read it on your face. You're thinking of going back, eliminating yourself from existence like you never were in hopes of preventing all this.”

Bellatrix crossed her arms and quirked a brow. “Is that true, sister?”

Beatrix chewed on her lower lip. “I won't deny it. I...I don't want to do it. But if I can save millions of lives...” She sniffled.

“No! I refuse to allow it!” Sombra wasn't certain if it was more concern for her, or a selfish compulsion, a fear that without these events he never would have changed, never have met Inky Rose and come to care for all of them; however whatever the reason Sombra knew he couldn't bear to watch her undo all this. He focused on the holy book, shattered the link between them all.

*****

Instantly the group was back in the heat of battle with Starlight Glimmer. Her attention was still on the holy book, and she shot out a series of tendrils which lanced around it. Sombra realized he was still one of the few who hadn't been sucked into the Demiurge; yet his muscles ached and he strained to keep conscious, continuously battered under her psychic assault.

“Damn.” He cursed when the tome was ripped from him.

“At last.” Starlight met his eyes. “Now, to set it all right.”

Spike tried to hold onto Ember, who like Smolder was violently ripped away from him and sank into the mass. “Starlight, don't forget who you are! Remember that conversation we just had in the void?”

“I...I do.” Without the Eldritch around to reinforce their feedback loop, and with the connection she'd momentarily made with them in that shared subconscious realm, she strained to resist her compulsion to obey the enemy's will. Using a combination of sheer physical strength and her aura, she yanked at the implants embedded in her skull. “Gah...!”

“Starlight!” Spike called to her, reached to her, the tendrils wrapping around his lower half to drag him down.

Blood dribbled from her tear ducts, ears, nostrils, and mouth. Yet with an anguished cry she tore the machinery loose. Her head buzzed liked it was ready to explode, her brain rattled, and she swayed with a grumble.

She held the holy book aloft. Sombra chanted an incantation that came unbidden to him. An illumination so bright the witnesses would have believed Celestia had somehow returned swept over them.

The black ooze congealed, hardened, then turned brittle and crumble to dust. From its mass toppled its multitude of prey, who managed weak breaths, barely conscious but otherwise unharmed.

Somnambula tumbled loose to, stricken with tears. “Those are the prayers of my ancestors. A prayer of hope.”

Starlight yanked free of the Demiurge, landed on her feet, and swayed. It shrank away from her, unable to take the light. Suddenly the tome was back in Sombra's grasp, a reminder that it was now an extension of him, yet he continued to repeat the prayer as if in a trance. Those around him found themselves enraptured, unable to move nor speak.

An alien shriek arose from the Demiurge which was draw into the open pages of the book. Sealed within the ancient texts, the abomination was imprisoned, and upon its cover appeared the faces of the Eldritch, forever frozen mid-scream.

In that moment a new Necronomicon was birthed; one that sealed the most malevolent cosmic horror Equestria had ever faced.

The light was blotted out by darkness. “It is done,” stated Sombra who closed the grimoire with finality.

Beatrix swiveled her head from side-to-side. “Everyone okay?!”

Sweat dribbled down Starlight's bloodied face. She wept and whispered, “I did it. Thanks to all of you.”

Spike struggled to one knee. “Is it...over...?” He saw Glimmer crumple and called, “Starlight!” Despite his sore muscles he spread his leathery wings and raced over to her, held her in his arms. “Hey, come on! We'll make it through this!”

She shook her head with a weak smile. “Too late...for me. Tried to do something like this when I faced the Eldritch but it backfired. I really screwed up, huh?” Her laugh was almost inaudible when she looked between him, Twilight, and Trixie.

Beatrix crawled over. “You shouldn't have.... I could have-”

Starlight shook her head. “It wasn't fair to try and put all that on you. Or anyone, for that matter. I had to take matters into my own hands. And I'd do it again a thousand times over.” She smiled up at Trixie, blood caked in her hair and between her eyes as it dribbled down her snout. “Don't cry, okay? The voices are all gone. I'll finally be able to rest. In part thanks to you.”

“It's not fair! You save Equestria, finally break free of the Eldritch's hold, and now you have to die?!” Trixie blubbered and failed to keep her composure. “Don't leave us! You can help rebuild the world, travel around with me again! It will be like old times!"

With a chuckled Starlight mumbled, “That sounds...nice...” She slumped over, into Trixie's arms, a smile frozen on her.

For a moment none dared break the melancholy that settled over the group, tempered by Trixie's soft sobs. “You did good Starlight,” said Twilight who could only watch helpless as another old friend died.

“Yeah. We couldn't have done it without her.” Spike sighed and lowered his head, caught somewhere between pride and regret. They had lost far less than he feared; and yet the survivors would carry these scars for the rest of their lives.

Sombra studied the Necronomicon. “Now, what to do with this?”

“It cannot be destroyed,” reminded Somnambula who padded up beside him. “At least not without terrible consequences.”

Spike hefted up Starlight's body and pressed her to his armored chest. “We'll decide what to do about it later. Let's head home. Everyone else is probably safe, but I'm still worried about them.” He surveyed his allies with a pained smile. “You all did great. Thanks. We'll celebrate later.” In truth he couldn't wait to put this place and all this business behind them.

Yet they all knew this was merely the start of another journey. Equestria would have to be rebuilt from the ashes. Perhaps it could never truly be the same. Nevertheless between all of them he carried a hope that it would thrive once more.

Before they left Flurry Heart produced a series of tubes filled with radiant substances; not unlike what Chrysalis had forced her to produce in attempt to annihilate the alliance.

After a short discussion with Spike, it was decided she would rig them up to explode, taking down the ocean base and with it the last known trace of the Eldritch's strongholds.

“Burn it to the ground and salt the earth so to speak,” decided Spike with finality.

“Only wish we could nuke it ourselves,” grumbled Smolder.

Ember rapped her knuckles on a rusty wall. “This should set the souls of everyone the Eldritch trapped free, at least. Just like you freed my father....Torch.” She shuddered to recall what they had turned him into, defiling his corpse.

“He passed on some time ago.” Spike took their claws. “But I know he'd be proud of you two.”

Cadance helped Flurry and Beatrix set the tubes. “That should do it,” announced Flurry who like her mother still wobbled on her feet. “Let's go, okay? I don't know about you all, but I can hardly stand to look at this place!”

The heroes blinked away in a flash. Moment later the chemicals ignited in a chain reaction, a deafening explosion rippled with a boom under the waves, and a tsunami crashed from the ocean onto the beach and slapped over the scorched desert.

A hiss sounded in the aftermath and rain trickled around fishes which flopped under the baking sun.

*****

By the time the alliance arrived back at the pyramid, a gasp arose from Fluttershy. She was pallid and sweaty, with Tree Hugger and Rarity still at her sides while she continued to push. Gloved hands reached into her, and Inky Rose removed the first baby; a Kirin that cried, covered in a thin layer of slime, still attached by an umbilical cord. It would be the first of many to arrive.

Diamond Tiara, Cozy Glow, and Sweetie Belle rushed to help with the clean up, their eyes starry with delight.

“I'll cut the cord,” said Inky who eyed the knife she'd inherited from Fleur de Lis.

Spike rushed into the hospital. “Is Fluttershy okay?!”

“Shhh.” Inky turned back to face him. “And yes. She'll be fine.” She cleaned the child and showed it to him. “It's a boy.”

He smirked and accepted the bundled up child. Gathered around him were a number of others, including Ember, Smolder, and Twilight. “I wish Autumn could've seen this. I'm sure she'd be real happy, too. There'll be a lot more Kirin soon.”

“He's adorable.” admitted Smolder with a smirk. “Looks a bit like you, too!”

Ember chuckled with her. “I'm sure he'll grow up big and strong, just like his father!”

Spike turned to his mate who nursed another Kirin. Fluttershy had birthed five of them, and Tree Hugger would likely deliver a similar batch quite soon. His eyes were moist and his heart swelled with pride alongside something he rarely felt anymore; hope. Between them all perhaps Equestria would team with new life and a vast civilization they could tend to.

He shared a look with Twilight, who kept Starlight's body wrapped up. With a solemn nod she blinked away. It reminded him that, while there was indeed much to celebrate, there was also that which needed to be mourned.

“You'll make this world a brighter place, won't you?” He tickled the baby's belly who giggled. “You and the rest of them.” Already the Kirin were being passed around between Shy's attendees; Smolder in particular seemed taken with them.

After such a bleak state of affairs the alliance had earned this. He strolled over to Shy, traded a kiss with her, and passed the boy to Hugs before he took another one. Ember undid and removed his armor, which allowed him to press the baby against his chiseled chest, feel its heat radiate with his own.

For the moment, all his worries bled away like they'd never even existed.

*****

In the tombs, Twilight laid the corpse to rest. She'd asked Somnambula for permission who'd instantly granted it. “I believe the pharaohs would be pleased,” she noted, seated on her haunches. “Today, we are all heroes who have brought hope back to Equestria. Perhaps it was always our fate to end up like this, so long as we tirelessly pursued Equestria's salvation.”

Twilight stared at the wrapped up body placed on a slab. “It could have ended up differently.”

“Indeed. You could have lost yourself to the darkness. Like I once had,” reminded Sombra, eyes focused on the Necronomicon held in his hands. “I'd like to think I have a better understanding now. A version of this accursed tome must exist at all times-”

“-or else the different dimensions could be thrown completely off-balance!” Beatrix sat upon a treasure chest next to Bellatrix, who similarly reclined within the pile of riches, casting a gold sheen over them. “It's like a curse that will always follow us around-”

“But it can be contained.” Bellatrix flicked a gold coin. “This version is much weaker. It doesn't appear to have the same compulsive effects, at least not yet. However, the Demiurge might be growing inside it, warping its interior even now.”

“It's still bound to you,” said Somnambula with a nod at Sombra. “You must keep vigil indefinitely. Never fear. As the new Sphinx, I shall help watch over it.” She smiled at Inky Rose. “And I suspect you will want to formalize your union soon, as well.”

Inky nodded. “I would love to be his Queen. I've already started to fashion an appropriate dress. One I'm certain he'll approve of.”

Twilight pursed her lips and stared down at the body. “About my punishment-”

“Think nothing of it.” Sombra waved a hand dismissively. “I've grown tired of all this death and destruction. Furthermore, I somehow doubt anyone truly wishes to bring retribution. Besides, if you wish to rectify this mistake, it would be preferable if you make certain Pacific's daughter grows and lives a peaceful life.” She nodded once as he came behind Inky, his hands tightening around her shoulders to undo the knots in her muscles. “We've all made grievous mistakes.”

“Yes.” Twilight turned away from Starlight's shroud and closed her eyes. “Don't worry. I'll do everything I can for her.”

Were the host body the Demiurge had taken to be destroyed, it would simply possess another puppet. Perhaps it would return to Beatrix, or choose another touched by the dark arts to embody it.

So long as their was sentient life, some might be contaminated by its influence. At best, the survivors could keep it sealed and guard the Necronomicon through the ages, so that this tragedy never repeated.

Author's Note

Thank you to everyone who's read this far! However, don't go away yet! I have an extensive epilogue planned with more revelations, plus a small cameo of someone believed lost in the war with the Eldritch before the story started!

Also, you'll see what everyone's up to in the aftermath, the consequences of Spike unleashing his full potential, the fate of Sombra's and Pacific Glow's daughter, and lots more!

Hope to see you when I'm able to post the last portion!