Fire and Shadow: The Rebirth of Spike and the Descent of Sombra

“... And that's what I've gathered so far,” said Radiant Hope, who huddled with her fellow conspirators in the master bedroom. They were rarely left alone, with soldiers guarding the door outside. She sat in a circle with Cerise Silhouette listening intently, Inky Rose looking skeptical, and Foal-Bearer and Wet Nurse appearing neutral.

“You suggest we pool our information,” said Foal-Bearer with pursed lips. “And watch each other's backsides.”

Wet Nurse met her sister's eyes. “Sounds like our best bet. Not like we can easily seek outside help.”

Inky, however, folded herself in her arms and wings, frowning profusely. “With my daughter being the exception, I don't feel like I can trust any of you. How do we know one of us isn't a mole for my husband?”

“There's no time to suspect foul play!” Radiant insisted before she reached beneath her cloak and unsheathed a curved knife. Cerise yelped, and Inky protectively covered her while the twins watched the shining blade, which caught the lamplight. With little warning, she turned the weapon to her open palm and sliced a line through it with gritted teeth. “We make a blood pact together, to swear on our lives we end this devil's reign!"

Foal-Bearer nodded her understanding at the sacred ritual and grabbed a goblet from a desk nearby, where she collected the warm scarlet into it. She took the knife and cut herself next, Wet Nurse wincing and doing the same, followed by Cerise, who whimpered a tad, unused to pain and feeling faint at the sight of blood. After some hesitation, Inky slashed her palm too.

Radiant mixed their blood and said, “Now we drink.” She downed her sip, and the rest ifollowed, warmth settling in their bellies.

Cerise was so shaken she could barely hold the goblet. She still remembered the messy spray when her father beheaded that poor messenger, had suffered nightmares about it ever since, unable to stop blaming herself and wishing she could have somehow intervened. Her tears tinkled on the blood.

When they finished, Radiant Hope set aside the empty goblet. "From now on, we're sisters united by blood, sacrifices to our cause; the mad tyrant's downfall. May a terrible curse befall whoever breaks our pact.”

“Okay, no need to get melodramatic,” scoffed Foal-Bearer while helping wrap her and her twin's wounded palm.

“Forgive my sister. She's always taken our job ultra seriously,” said Wet Nurse apologetically.

Foal-Bearer's eye twitched. “One should take pride in their work.”

“You've always been the strong one,” lamented Wet Nurse.

“For all the good it's done us. But let's put that behind us.” The twins embraced.

“So sweet,” said Cerise with a smile. Her bright pink eyes fell on the bloodied bandage around her palm.

“Best we keep those hidden,” said Inky. “Maybe with the right application of makeup-”

Radiant touched her horn. “A glamour will help. Better we keep it subtle, however, or else it will draw attention from that devil.” She continued to seethe every time she recalled his brutal betrayal and drew her sisters in close. “Here's my plan...”

Cerise listened and flattened her ears. To her horror, she would be at the center of it. But it's not like the others could pull it off.

They would have to wait until after the wedding, and hope they could convince Sombra to heavily drink in celebration after he wore himself out with his new brides and handmaidens.

What if Diamond Tiara and Cozy Glow were there? Could they trust them, too? Her heart hammered, and she anxiously considered the many ways it might all go awry.

*****

From all over his nation came the summoned masses to attend Sombra's wedding. Extravagant displays flooded the capital, and exotic dancers that numbered in the dozens stripped and gyrated wildly for the cheering crowds. A military presence now swarmed the streets, as he promised a small fortune to every soldier that now expanded his already vast army.

To take on the alliance, he would need all of them. His mood had only darkened when he visited the Necronomicon and learned it had been replaced by a fake. To punish the guards that had failed to stop Somnambula and Stygian's thievery, he'd imprisoned them in preparation for the next batch of helmets he'd craft. “Perhaps you'll serve me better this way,” he mused.

Bells sounded with rings when night began to fall. With a glance at the moon and stars above, he stalked down streets lit by torches, dressed in ceremonial armor and a crimson cape that swept beyond him. His brides-to-be were lined up before the crowds, their usual garments unchanged except for the jewelry and tiaras that decorated them. He smirked, drank them in with a leer.

Radiant Hope met him with a blank stare. Cerise Silhouette forced a smile. Inky Rose stood at the head, and offered rings to both women that matched her own, symbols of obedience to their husband.

“The handmaidens will do the vows, seeing as the priestess went awol.” He nodded Diamond Tiara and Cozy Glow over before looking to each of his brides, a look of dissatisfaction clear on his face. "Mmm, perhaps I have room for one more tramp to grovel at my feet. A pity she made off before I could fully inseminate her."

*****

Somewhere deep inside the horrible visage of the evil unicorn, small fragments of his once gentle soul remain trapped. For a time, Sombra had been able to take control in brief moments, whenever he'd gone too far.

Now he was buried so wholly in the Pony of Shadows, he'd reawakened and found himself back in a familiar black abyss. “Back inside the Necronomicon.... Where I belong."

At least he could move freely here and witness what the fiend was doing with his body. He tried to peer further on, in hopes he could see what Spike's camp was up to. Sadly, he couldn't see beyond the windows of his physical vessel, helpless to watch his friends and family be tormented.

“It's hopeless,” he weakly sighed. "I don't think I could escape on my own even if I dared try." He speculated at best he would end up back where he started, only able to take command of his flesh under extreme circumstances. But there were more horrible possibilities...like a chance his soul would be ripped apart, scattered throughout oblivion.

In time, even he began to believe that Radiant Hope and the twins were right about him. It was his nature to fall into the darkness. After all, it was so easy for the Pony of Shadows to possess him, and resume his reign of tyranny.

But the most horrific thing he bore witness to was watching his wife and daughter suffer his abuse. He would have ended his own life before any harm came there way. At the very least, he found solace that both Beatrix and Bellatrix were sent to safety.

Yet he felt the darkness stir with a potent need. To see Beatrix impregnated and bare a spawn with robust genes and magic. And he feared the Pony of Shadows had left something inside her to make that possible.

For hours he wandered, again over a sea of corpses made from the denuded bodies of crystal ponies. “Try a new trick,” he muttered but wasn't sure anyone other than himself was responsible for what he saw.

For all he knew, these nightmares were drawn from his subconscious, and the realm around him simply warped to match his darkest memories and desires.

Strong evidence that no matter how much he longed for it, love and redemption may be forever out of his reach.

He lost count of how long he traveled aimlessly, but somehow he was drawn to the source itself. The air itself shuddered, and the atmosphere grew more solemn, more oppressive, screamed that he turn back. His stomach turned, threatening to empty its contents under a wave of nausea, a trickle of blood leaked from his eyes and nostrils, but he grit his teeth with a snarl and pushed on.

His ears flicked at the sound of an uneven, alien heartbeat. The Eldritch? No. But something familiar, nonetheless.

Soon enough, he finally found it. A black mass at the Necronomicon's heart, the cancerous tumor covered in inky tendrils that extended from all sides and attached to the realm, suspended, each portion of the gelatinous abomination covered in bloodied, sicklily glazed over eyes. An slimy black liquid oozed from each bloated socket.

“The Demiurge,” he hissed. “Figures you'd be behind this, you foul monstrosity."

Its eyes trailed over him, the maw of razor teeth opening and closing like it was trying to swallow more air. No matter how violently it twitched and wriggled, all it could do was slowly expand and devour whatever it crossed. “Ha," scoffed Sombra with a cruel laugh. "It appears I'm not the only one rendered helpless here. Without the Eldritch, you're nothing more than a mindless parasite. Though that leaves the question; if you're not responsible, then who?"

"Ahh," A voice suddenly answered. "T̨͏he͠r҉̷e̡̕ ̕͜y̧͜o͞u̕ a̡͡r͠͝e͢~͜!̴́"

All at once, the labyrinth grew darker as countless glowing eyes opened all around to gaze at him. Sombra stood on guard, though try as he may, his fear was hard to mask. A low chuckle slithered through his mind.

"I was wondering what became of you, though I hoped the Pony of Shadows finished consuming every last trace of your goodwill."

"You..!" Sombra growled. "I remember your voice, continually whispering calamity to me, making me believe I deserved this! That goat woman knew your name..."

"I have many names," the primordial creature mused as the eyes slowly circled him, they're unblinking gaze locked on the dark unicorn. "But among them all, Ź͠e̵̸l͜͏o͏̡͘̕͡p͟͠h̵̵͠͡ has inspired the most fear and awe~."

"And you still remain a prisoner in the Necronomicon."

"Oh no, I've long ascended from this plane. What you're speaking with is my remnants, assimulating the last bit of energy I need from the Demiurge. L͟o͡ok mor̶è ̕cl͏o̷sely~."

All at once, the eyes paused in midair before rolling towards the struggling biomass of the Demiurge. Growing out from the cancer-like tumor was a series fo stems and veins that pulsated in rhythm with the echoing heartbeat, leading up into the void of the Necronomicon.

"I-I don't understand," Sombra spoke puzzled. "Why siphon off the Demiurge if you're so powerful?"

"Life has always fed on other life," answers Zeloph. "You should know this better than anyone! After all, your thirst for conquest never perished. Just laying in dormant waiting to be f҉͢u̵̡͠l̴̛f͘͠i̸l̡͝l̸̛ę͜d̶~!"

"N-no, you're wrong! I've become better than this!"

"Evidently not," the ominous voice cackled before all of its eyes resumed orbiting around him. "You can lie to yourself all you want. But Į̶̕͟͢ ̶̨͏s̀͠͠é̡҉e̶̡̡͡ ̶͞y̵̴̡͘̕ơ̵u̢͜. I know the darkness in your heart. And deep inside, you know it too~!"

"It...it may be too late for me. But the others will stop you!" Sombra proclaimed, desperately tried not to let despair fester. "My star pupil, Lord Spike, Radiant Hope, they'll rise up to end your madness!"

The entire labyrinth quaked with manic laughter as the many eyes of Zeloph froze in place once more. Suddenly, Sombra felt long tendrils coil around him, strangling him in its cold grasp. He struggled to free himself before gasping. At each end were mouths full of jagged teeth that opened to reveal more enormous eyes, rings of color-changing around the iris hypnotically.

"Every time you mortals declare this statement, it never stops being f̴̛͢ú͘n̛͜n͏y," the primordial being exclaimed. "But perhaps its time I show you miserable flesh bags how insignificant you truly are. À̶̧̡̕l̡̀͞ļ͢͡o̸͘w̨̨͘͏ ̧͢͠ḿ̶̕͝ę̕ ̢͜͜t̡͘o̵̡͜͜͝ ̧̨͞e͏̀͟n̵̵l̴͘͢͡͞í̧͞g̵̢͘͟h̢̕t̡̛͘͘͟ȩ̶̵͠n̴͢͡͝ ̶͏̷̕y̛͡͝o͠͡u͞~."

Try as he might, his spirit couldn't look away from the rays of color and beams flowing through him. Before he knew it, the colors died out to reveal he was now floating in the depths of space itself. Stars and small galaxies swirled around him.

"W-what, impossible!?"

"Maybe for you," Zeloph's voice lingered. "But I have long existed outside the rules and realities that bind you, what you see before you are the memories of this dimension. See that small little blue speck? That's you. T͢͢͠҉̵h̵̛á͢͏t̸̀͜͡'͟͏s̛͡ ̵̧͡a̢̡͡͏l̵͟͝l̡͢͠͞ ́̀͡ơ̴͡f̢͠ ̵̀͘y̴̧ó̴̧͏u̴̷̕͞~."

Sombra looked to see that the small looking dot among all the stars and swirls was indeed the planet they resided on, only a few spaces away from the sun.

"See how small and insignificant you all are? Just one continent size meteor could wipe you all out, and nothing could stop it."

"Hmph. And yet, you're so oddly fascinated by us 'inferior' mortals," Sombra replied.

"Oh, quite! When you've drifted eons through the cosmos and discover one tiny planet has so many different minds, animals, and consciousness? I͟͢t̛͢͠͝'̴͞͡s̵̡͘͢͠ ̵͟͠͡͏a̡̢͜l̡͡͞m̕҉͟͏͟ó́͘͘s͏ţ̷̴̢ ̡͘c̵̵̸̡͜o̴͏m̸̵̕e̶͘͜d̶i̷̶̷̕c̶̴~."

A small wormhole glitched into existence from behind the moon. And Sombra could only stare in horror at the abomination that crawled out. Its torso looked dried up, no stomach was present under its ribcage. Only teeth and dislocated limbs acting as jaws.

Yet below were large wriggling tentacles, a series of small mouths bearing underneath each arm like suckers. Its head resembled that of a cuttlefish, with its smaller tentacles unfolding like a flower to reveal its maw, baring rows upon rows of teeth.

And all over this monstrosity were a thousand eyes, all looking off different directions before settling on the planet before it.

"Quite the looker, aren't I~?" Zeloph's voice said humorously.

"You're hideous..."

The body that best depicted Zeloph contorted unnaturally and shrank down to resemble a meteorite before hurling itself to the planet.

"As you see, I came to this planet to discover all I could about these sentient beings. What made these creatures tick? What made them ḑ̷e͜͢͞s̡͟i̢͝ŕ̸̴ab̢͞l̷͟͜e͢~. And when I learned all I could, I became bored with watching. So I decided to have a little f̶̕u͜͏̷͟ǹ̶͡͞~."

"By flaying their minds for your own amusement?"

"As if you're one to talk," the voice of Zeloph countered. "You're all ants to me! Just puny insects with filthy little minds just waiting to be v̵͞i̢o͞la̡͜͞te̸d̀ and t̷̛̕o͏̴̧͜͜r͟͝͞n҉̴̧́͏ ̶͏̴̧͘a͏͜p̕҉͝á̛͘͢҉r̶̴̨͜t̷̡̕͞~! And when I ran out of things to play with, I kept searching for more, crossing over dimensions to partake in the differences between people."

"Is this your whole game?" Sombra asked. "Use whatever species with intelligence as puppets?"

"For ̕th̕e ͢mos̸t̸ ̸p̴a̵r͢t̕~," the primordial creature admitted. "But then Ewe came into the picture and managed to seal me within this accursed book. She'll get what's coming to her once I claim a more suitable vessel. One who is also a strange anomaly in the space-time continuum~."

The implicants were not lost to him as Sombra felt his blood run cold.

"Beatrix..!"

"Or her sister. I'm not incredibly picky~!" Zeloph mused before ending the vivid hallucination, Sombra finding himself back before the heart of the Necronomicon. The veins snapped off the withering Demiurge before disappearing into the darkness. "Well, there's nothing left for me here! It's been fun chatting, Sombra. If you do manage to get out with your sanity still intact, I hope we can converse again~."

"You wretched fiend!" Sombra shouted. "You stay away from Beatrix, you hear me!?"

"Oh, ho~!" Crowed the disembodied voice. "I'd love to see you try. You're the one who doomed Beatrix and her friends the moment you let darkness back into your heart. T̸͘h̨͢͞i̸͜͢s̀͏ ì͞s͠ ̡͡a̧͢l͡l͘ ̨̨͜b͘͢e͢c͘á̧u͘͢sé̴ ҉̷͏o͟͠f y̷o̵u̴͜,͘ ̢̀S̶͢͟o̵m͏br͠a̡͢! A͏̷̧l͘͠L̨̡͢͟͢!̧̢͢ ̢̡Ý͘͠͡o͢͜U̡̕͝r̶̨!̸͞҉ ̶̧͘F͏̶̛͡Ą̕͡u̵̸͠͠Ļ̀t̛́̕͞~̀͠!̵̢͟"

Zeloph's deranged laughter disappeared along with his many eyes closing. The primordial abomination had vanished entirely from the Labyrinth.

In his fury, he unsheathed his blade and flung himself at the monster, bellowing out his anguish while repeatedly slashing the Demiurge. It was a pointless endeavor.

It would take forever to dismember the alien, and even when its shell was destroyed, the Demiurge would gradually rebuild itself, unable to truly die even on dismemberment.

Sombra felt his spiritual body sink onto the ground as his raw emotions settled. He watched a window reopen to show him what his physical self was up to, and tears were finally allowed to stream down his cheeks.

"Inky...Cerise...I've failed you both."

*****

The moment of truth was nearly at hand for Cerise Silhouette, who tried to stifle her trembling, aware everyone depended on her to enact their plan. Sombra slowly licked his chops, his brides and their handmaidens taken to his private chambers. He dimmed the lamp to an eerie soft glow, the room suffused with thick shadows, where he'd always felt most at home.

The tyrant stripped his ceremonial armor, uncertain where to begin. His jagged horn radiated, and he began to experiment with a number of spells. First, he made the tattoos of their sex organs materialized on all their bellies, making them tingle and moan from unwanted stimulation when their loins started to heat up, satisfied they were nice and fertile with estrus-like arousal.

Next he worked another trick. “Crystal ponies always were a curious breed,” he whispered and with a click of his fingers made Foal-Bearer and Wet Nurse sparkle and glitter when they went transparent.

“How? That shouldn't be possible without the Crystal Heart,” cried Radiant Hope.

“Through the dark arts, nothing is impossible!” He reminded and pushed Foal-Bearer onto the bed, shredding her scanty costume and driving himself into her. She yelped, forced to take him womb-deep on the first thrust, his buried cock visible in her uterus between her glassy form and the spell cast on her. He watched in fascination as he pushed in-and-out of her depths.

Wet Nurse whimpered, aware how powerless she was to stop him. “It-it hurts...”

Foal-Bearer tried to keep a straight face, flushed and wet while he had his way with her, her sister forced to experience each impalement which left small lacerations along her walls. “S-stay strong,” she mumbled to her twin.

Radiant maneuvered over to Diamond Tiara and Cozy Glow, unable to simply watch. “Perhaps you should fetch more wine?”

“Hmmm.” Tiara watched him empty the contents of a bottle over Foal-Bearer's tits and lick it up. “Yeah, he'll probably need it.” She tried to hide her disgust at his behavior, afraid to openly defy him and eager for an excuse to slip away.

“We'll empty the wine cellar before the night's over,” chirped Cozy Glow who winced at the brutal display.

The handmaidens hurried out, much to Radiant's relief, who sealed the door behind them. She couldn't be certain whether they would side with them or the tyrant.

Thankfully he took little notice of their absence, wrapped up in the moment, already starting to drink himself into a stupor. He was a slave to his vices, unable to be satisfied, even when he grunted and emptied his balls, wine soaked on his chin.

Foal-Bearer gasped, watched his repeated, viscous bursts spray against her womb walls, and her belly swelled a tad. He patted her stomach, the first of them to be seeded, but knew his work had just begun. “Now, who to take next? Your milky sister, maybe?”

“H-how about me, daddy?” Cerise bowed. “W-would you like me to dance for you?”

He took another drink from the goblet offered by Radiant, swished the contents, and said, “Why not?” Cerise dimmed the lamp to the point it was nearly snuffed out, let the gloom envelope her, and raised her arms when she started to sway. Shimmying out of her sheer slip, neon splotches appeared on her curves, and glowed when they shifted about in contrast to her dark fur.

Watching her weave, eyes drawn to the jiggle of his daughter's squishy flesh, the spots rolling over her suppleness, he continued to down the goblet which Radiant refilled each time, unable to suppress his need to indulge.

He started to sway unsteadily, eyes glazing over, falling into a trance when she started to draw upon the mysterious power she was blessed with, helped by his half-drunkeness.

Radiant fondled a knife she'd hidden under the mattress, ready to bury it in his black heart and be done with it. She didn't care what happened to her next. She would gladly sacrifice her life to make certain this devil was brought to justice.

Inky looked to the twins, realized they were too sore and worn out to act. It was up to her. She waited with bared breath for the right moment, when he was at his weakest, and tried to hide her tears, aware there was little choice to save her daughter.

Spreading her plumage, she hurled at him in a dark blur, twisting his arms behind him. “Now,” she yelled.

“You dare?!” He wrestled with her, weakened and slowed from his drunken state, not to mention the trance Cerise had him spellbound under. Still the willful sorcerer resisted with a snarl, yanking from her grasp the moment Radiant shrieked and charged at him, both hands tight around the hilt of a knife that slammed towards his black heart.

Inky was hurled back by him, and slammed into the wall with a crunch, screaming when the bones of her wing cracked, bent at an awkward angle. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, and she flashed back to past moments, a similar wound she'd received to a wing during an Eldritch attack, the horrific moment when Chrysalis had stabbed an impregnated Pacific Glow.

Sombra barely twisted in time, the blade buried to the hilt in a gush of hot blood, struck below the heart and the knife snapping against a rib. He backhanded Radiant, split her lip, and sent her spinning, ripping the weapon out in a spatter of crimson and tossing it aside with a clatter.

“Wanton sluts,” he wheezed, growing more demonic in appearance, surrounded by inky tendrils that thrashed and his eyes turned to a hellish scarlet, glowing in ethereal wisps. “I'll have you all crucified for your insolence!"

Advancing on Cerise, she was shaking too hard to dance anymore, sobbing, barely aware of the warm urine trickling down her legs, certain he would choke the life out of her. “D-daddy...I-I love you...please!”

His horn shined and his aura called his saber into hand. “You must be properly punished,” he stated, mouth drawn back in a low snarl.

Spinning, he brought down his swing, and severed Inky's still good wing with a single stroke. Bone shattered, muscle tore, and blood splattered, but the worst part was the ear-piercing howl she emitted, going into shock from the sheer agony.

“Mom~!” Cerise howled, clasped her hands to her head, and swooned onto the bed with a thump, unable to take anymore.

Sombra shook his head. “The next time any one of you shows disobedience, your punishment will be more severe. You're now responsible for your companions' actions. I'll remind you all of this later, when you're in a better state.” His eyes trailed to Inky's dismembered plume in blood and feathers.

Diamond Tiara and Cozy Glow quickly cleaned up the mess upon their return. He sat on the bed's edge, saturnine, determined to father more heirs on them to further run his expansive empire. Dreams of conquest consumed his every reverie.

None of them were aware that the Crystal Heart continued to swell inside Radiant Hope's bosom, a small trace at a time.

*****

“What the...?” Sombra's attention was drawn to a slim glimmer of light that pierced the gloom, and caused the Demiurge to try and shrink away from it. He wiped his bloodied nostrils on the back of his fist, thankful he had an excuse to leave this oppressive area, and followed after the shimmer which danced about as if it wished him to chase it.

It slowed to let him catch up, like it wanted him to follow. Somehow the warmth it emitted was so familiar. “Can it be?” He couldn't believe it. Somehow, the Crystal Heart he once coveted had returned! Albeit it was incredibly weak compared to its prime.

Realizing it was merely a projection of its power, that the object itself must be elsewhere, he saw little option but to pursue.

He ended up back in the corpse ocean. “Wait,” he called and reached out when the tiny speck of light flitted ahead.

A rumble sounded below, weak at first, then building in intensity. The carcasses below began to writhe, twisting and rising, and he drew his blade at the dead before him. “Zombies? Please. You'll have to do better than that,” he yelled at his tormentor.

He chopped into the clammy flesh, removed heads and limbs of those that stumbled his way, glassy-eyed with maws that hung open. Rather than blood, maggots and pus spilled from their open wounds, and he mercilessly dispatched them again, unwilling to shoulder blame for what he'd done when touched by the darkness. “I'll pay my debts by living on!”

They clawed at him, spilled from all directions, lethargic, drawn to their executioner. Through sheer numbers the mass attempted to overwhelm him, and he carved through dozens, snarling with a rush of adrenaline.

And when he started to believe there was no end another quake rippled throughout.

A small mountain of cadavers arose. Gradually the crystal pony remains took shape, formed into a titan that loomed into a bleak sky, and the area shook with its first tentative steps. He pondered who was capable of such sorcery. Perhaps Tirek or Discord, but they were surely dead.

His speculation was cut short when it grasped with surprising swiftness and he jumped out of the way, slashing into its hand which spilled more bloated maggots. He charged his horn, certain that his most powerful spells were his only hope.

A blast of lasers rippled from his tip, striking the hulk's chest and burning a sizzling hole into it. A devastating blow if it weren't for more corpses crawling up to mend the damage. “Gugh, damn it! I'm just not strong enough. How will I-”

"What the heck is that thing!?" A chirpy voice called.

“Who cares,” answered another prissy voice he knew. “Ready a spell, sister, and let's tear this freak apart!”

A calmer woman said, “We must cast it as one. Anything less and it will simply regenerate.”

“Good thing you brought the Great and Powerful Trixie,” added the fourth arrival.

A sigh of relief washed over him as he watched them launch the magic together. With what little strength he possessed, he added his own force into the swirling whirlwind of destruction.

They loosed it upon the titan, a combination of energy and the summoned elements, exactly like he'd taught them. The storm ripped into the giant, burnt, froze, and zapped it all at once with deafening noises.

With a thunderous boom carcasses and portions of them scattered in all directions, some blazing and blackening, come twitching and cooking, some flash frozen and shattering. The ground around it iced over with a crackle surrounded by vapors.

“Whew.” Beatrix wiped her brow before her eyes widened at the weakened unicorn before them “Teacher!” Her voice called out in delight before her tone dripped into sorrow. “Is...is it really you?"

Lady Ewe walked over to Sombra, her staff raised as if about to hit him. He winched, preparing the blow. But it never came. Instead, she waved it over him as the jewel embedded glowed faintly. "It's him," the goat woman nodded.

“I think it was rather obvious.” He scoffed and turned to his pupil as Bellatrix and Trixie walked with her. “Why are you here?”

“A mysterious light summoned us to the Necromicon,” explained Bellatrix with a dismissive wave. “Stygian is watching over the grimoire. We were supposed to come along with Spike and his lackeys, but I much prefer it this way. Less drama to deal with."

“Be nice sister,” gently chided Beatrix. “But yeah, we couldn't wait around! What's gotten into you?” She tapped her heart, clearly hurt.

Convinced the danger was momentarily over, Sombra returned his blade into its sheathe. “Thanks to that abomination known as Zeloph, the Pony of Shadows hijacked my body and militarized my nation. Worse, my wife and daughter are at risk! We must inform the alliance at once.”

“Yeah, they're unhappy with you or whoever was in control,” mused Trixie who tapped her chin. "For now, we better find the exit."

“That is much easier to arrange this time," Ewe said with a smile. "By drawing on Stygian's spirit, we only need to keep close and follow my lead."

As the group set off, Sombra drew his apprentice aside. “Beatrix,” he began with his head bowed. “I hope you can forgive me for how I treated you. I won't make excuses. I failed to resist the Pony of Shadow's influence over me. It amplifies the darkness in those it possesses, and this proves mine is far darker than Stygian's. Should I do terrible harm or worse to my family-”

She clasped his shaking hand. “It's okay! We'll put an end to its destruction. It and Zeloph!”

"Yes, a bit of his essence still remained here, sapping the Demiurge nearly dry. We made contact, though, briefly just to remind me of my failures. Dare I say it, he's a formidable foe. And he's after you and Bellatrix."

"Oh, but of course he is!" Bellatrix grumbled with a pout. "Always gotta be about sister or me, doesn't it?! Can't we find one universe where we're not priority number one?"

Beatrix asked, "B-but, why us?"

“He's after your ability to travel through dimensions," Lady Ewe suspected. "Once he's mangled all free spirits in this universe, he'll likely want to go to the next. If what Sombra said is true, there are limits to his influence! Meaning my sealing spell must have weakened him! Oh, what luck!"

"So we can defeat him?" Beatrix asked, hopeful.

"Possibly," Ewe turned to Sombra. "It matters not how briefly he spoke with you, any information you provide will be appreciated."

"I'll relay what I can," Sombra agreed. Once more, they looked for the way out of the Necronomicon.

Crossing the sea of the dead, it eventually gave way to a decrepit catacomb. He instantly recognized it from his own time, an area hidden below the Crystal Palace, where at first, he honored the dead until his experimentation with the dark arts turned it into his personal laboratory. He'd started on the recently deceased, he recalled, and brushed his nails over a stylized coffin.

The stonework had started to crumble, the iron bars were rusted, the area decorated with wormy skulls. A thick layer of dust and cobwebs covered what appeared more akin to a dungeon, which it pretty much was once he moved to testing on live specimens.

“Creepy,” mumbled Beatrix who shuddered and wrapped up in her cloak amidst a draft when a hairy spider crawled by.

“Seems kind of trite to me,” mused Bellatrix with a dismissive shrug. “I presumed you'd be more creative, at least?”

He snorted. “No love for the classics. For me, this place carries many dark memories.” He snatched a torch from a sconce and the shadows twisted under the flicker of embers. A musty, stale odor filled their nostrils, mixed with formaldehyde and the reek of sulfur.

Beatrix's lower lip trembled, reminded of his past crimes. "H-how many have you killed?”

“Oh, I lost count along the way. You saw a number of my victims back there,” he answered honestly and turned to face her, his expression neutral. “Still, it baffles me how you can still hold me close to your heart, even after you witnessed my atrocities."

Beatrix swallowed and answered so softly it was almost inaudible. “N-no matter what, I'll always love you. I can't help it."

He placed a hand on her shoulder and lifted her chin with the other. “Thank you.” Cautiously he kissed her eyes closed, and she cooed, shivered at his touch, content to be close to him. Oona looked back with disappointment in her eyes, feeling a little hurt that she'd fall for him so easily.

He said, “Once we escape this place-”

Gates slammed down with a thud that echoed and blocked the stairs upwards. The party looked around them, watched the iron bars fall, in attempt to seal them in.

Bellatrix curled her lip. “Do they think we're amateurs?” The angel readied a spell, her fist aglow, reflecting off the white lingerie she wore on her radiant curves. “All we have to do is burn through this nonsense, and-”

“Wait,” warned Oona who raised her staff, but Bellatrix had already fired off the shimmery sphere.

“Ah,” cried Bellatrix when it struck the gates, coated in an invisible barrier, and deflected, smashing into her chest. She was thrown backwards, smacked into a coffin that rolled from its compartment, and clutched at the bloodied wound with a pained hiss.

“Sister~!” Beatrix sobbed and dashed over, kneeling at her side.

“D-damn it,” hissed Bellatrix, eyes half closed and wincing. “M-my healing powers don't work on me! Can't even shapeshift anymore now that I'm no longer a succubus. Tell me I'm not about to die in such a stupid way?!”

“No! I already lost you once!” Beatrix shrieked out her rage, her fists balled up.

“Hold still,” said Lady Ewe, who also crouched down. “We'll get you out of this. I'll tend to you while you rest up."

“I'm not real anyhow,” lamented Beatrix amidst bitter tears. “Maybe I'm better off this way. Just another cliche piece of fiction...”

“Don't say that!” Beatrix wept and desperately fished in her cloak for potions. “Yeah, maybe this'll do! I'll seal up the wound, no problem!” Her hands quivered when she withdrew a tube and shook its contents.

“I want you to live, too.” Sombra met the angel's tired eyes. “After all, you also helped redeem me.”

Bellatrix laughed dryly. “Heh. There was a time I would have literally killed to hear such praise from you...”

“Pl-please,” whispered Beatrix when her sister closed her eyes, and she uncorked the tube, applying the glue-like substance within to Bellatrix's bosom where the mass sealed over. “I based it on the Smooze. I still miss him really bad. He was one of my first pals.”

“Good times,” wheezed out Bellatrix who slumped, hanging by a thread to her life.

“Hate to break this up,” butted in Trixie. “But we're hardly alone here! Look!” She pointed theatrically with a swish of her cape.

Caskets started to pop open, and skeletons rose from inside with a rattle. They crawled out from all sides, and Sombra took up a battle stance alongside Trixie, aware it was up to them to defend their allies while they tended to their downed member.

*****

Horns sounded throughout the pleasure gardens. At the Dragon Lord's request, Ember and Smolder summoned his followers, and Spike fitted back into his ceremonial armor, his muscles rippling underneath when he inhaled deeply. He couldn't put this off any longer. It was time he told them the truth, despite how it would spoil their reunion, for the alliance's sake.

He cast them a toothy smile from a hilltop, flanked by his entourage. “Welcome, everyone! It's nice to be back, and to see you're all well!” He'd politely dismissed the speech Twilight had written for him, knowing that while he was hardly an orator, he figured it was better to speak from the heart. “Unfortunately, troubled times are headed our way again.”

Murmurs rippled through the mob. He continued. “Sombra has decided to split his nation from the alliance. I'm not sure what he plans, but there's a chance he'll invade the Badlands. We have to make preparations, just in case!”

He'd contemplated Twilight's proposal. “I'm sure the key to saving Sunset is in the Necronomicon,” she'd said.

But he wondered if she was being used, too? After all, she'd dabbled briefly in the dark arts herself to combat Starlight Glimmer, who'd been perverted by the Eldritch into their greatest tool. Did the tome hope to corrupt her to seek a fresh host?

It didn't matter. He'd take the risk to save Sunset. Already a team was being prepared.

He considered calling on his allies for help, aware he was lacking in proper warriors. No doubt Ocellus and her changeling swarm would come to their aid! But no. Their numbers were still low and another war could drive them back towards extinction. The same applied to Crystal Empire, which still struggled to thrive. Somehow, his country would handle this on their own.

After his speech finished the crowds started to disperse and he turned to his entourage who bowed and awaited his command.

“I'll keep a lookout for Sombra's forces while you're inside the book. I won't let you down!” swore Fleur with a clipped salute.

“Good! Ember, Smolder, continue to watch over the Badlands while I'm away.” He turned to Twilight and Somnambula who'd already agreed to venture back into the dark tome. Flurry Heart came too, and they followed him to Stygian's study in a cave, where he watched over the Necronomicon. “Hey there. Looks like we have no choice but to go exploring some more.”

“About that.” Flurry stared at her feet which she shifted like a child. “My half-sister and her friends, uh, kind of went ahead...”

“Sorry about that,” said Stygian with a humble bow. “But Beatrix thought it prudent when a light appeared before them.”

Twilight furrowed her brow. “A light? What else did she say?”

“Not much. Simply that it reminded her of the Crystal Heart,” the scholar finished.

“The Crystal Heart?! Could it really be?!” Twilight raised a hand to her breast, hyperventilating. “If that's true, do you have any idea what this means? Equestria might be trying to rebuild itself! Maybe the Elements of Harmony will come back!”

“We must not get ahead of ourselves,” reminded Somnambula. “But I, too, wish to believe we can have our old world return.”

“One way to find out,” noted Spike who glanced over his shoulder at the glass coffin stored here, where the scholar watched over Sunset Shimmer and searched for some way to save her. “Watch over us too, will you?”

Stygian nodded. “Consider it done. If only I were stronger...” His hands trembled when he opened the mummified tome.

Twilight asked, “Will this team be enough?”

“Have to work with what we've got,” said Spike with a heave of his broad shoulders. He smiled at his team, his faith in them absolute. They'd overcome the Eldritch, after all, despite the odds. Whatever awaited them, he'd be ready to tackle it head on!

With a flutter of tattered pages the Necronomicon opened. Stygian kept his distance, and whispered, “Good luck,” as they shrank and were sucked into the dry pages, their likenesses written into the margins.

The grimoire crackled with scarlet electrical sparks, and the scholar shivered, watching the images of his allies shift about within...