Forbidden Manor At The End Of Time : A Beatrix Belladonna Tale

Several potential paths were presented before the group of travelers. Beatrix's eyes darted over all of them, trying to guess at which ones were traps, which ones had monsters, which ones could throw them in weird time loops, and which ones were dead ends...literally. There wasn't much time to speculate, as the crazed maids would soon resume their pursuit and come collect their trophies. She shuddered over the thought of having her severed head be put on display amongst a mass perverse collection.

Though she was more worried over what would happen if the mansion succeeded in devouring her soul. Or even Shadow Scythe's soul. That, combined with its already immense power, could spell the end for numerous timelines and dimensions.

"Great! We're lost!" Shadow Scythe exclaimed, interrupting the witch's reverie. "Leave it to the 'great' Beatrix Belladonna to make an even bigger mess trying to amend her mistakes.”

“Hey! This hardly my fault alone,” she replied with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“Says the one claiming I have no sense of personal responsibility! At least I'm honest about only looking out for myself. But everyone else here?” She pointed to Sunny, Cerise, and Midnight with what remained of her detached limb. “All victims drawn into yourconflict! This damned mansion wanted to hunt you down and collected prey to draw you in! Their blood is on yourhands, you ungrateful cunt!”

“Shut up!!” She bellowed at the pale unicorn with watery eyes, stamping her heel. “Just shut up, that's not fair! It wasn't my fault! I-I never meant to...t-to..”

“Hey! Cut it out, you two,” Sunny said, stepping in between the two unicorns. “Now is not the time for this. The twins will be here to hunt us soon. And that's if they're true to their word! They could already be here any second.” She shivered and stared into the darkness that loomed ahead in each passage. "We gotta keep moving, or else we'll be sitting ducks."

Midnight stepped forward. “I'll take the lead. With magic being limited here, I might be our chance to survive the battle ahead!"

“Oh, please," the reaper sniped back, pushing him aside. "As if I'd stake my life on the backs of you fools. Just stay out of my way, and no one gets hurt...intentionally." She floated through the air, robes rustling behind her as she held her scythe, snout drawn in a snarl after she pressed onto a path ahead.

With a sigh, he followed, and the others fell in step behind Shadow Scythe. Beatrix's head hung low, unwilling to move on as Shadow's scathing words echoed through her mind. 'What if she was right? What if I am responsible for this? What if my constant interference really did make things worse?' The mere idea made her stomach churn under nausea. Crunches sounded underfoot while she trailed behind them.

“Watch your step,” warned Shadow Scythe, who lit the corridor with a flare of her horn. “I can't afford to babysit-argh!” she screamed, a hidden trap sprung and a bear trap snapping around her ankle, chewing into flesh and bone. Blood spurted out the fresh wound and painted a wall. She snarled and instinctively tried to yank free, her eyes filled with hot, bitter tears.

“Whoa! Uh, hang on there. I know a thing or two about traps,” Midnight offered, kneeling down to unlatch the tight vise.

Beatrix watched him strain over opening the trap before he removed the sharp teeth off Shadow Scythe's wounded ankle. The pale mare slumped into a huddle nearby with a low growl while the soldier quickly made do with what he could to clean the wound. After a bit of hesitation, Beatrix knelt to Shadow's side, taking out a tube from her cloak. “Here, drink this. A balm that should help mend your flesh faster.”

“Pft! Don't expect me to thank you,” Shadow Scythe rebutted, yet taking the tube anyway. “You can try to act like a decent person all you want. We both know what you are...”

“I know,” Beatrix acknowledged, her maw drawn sadly. “I'm sorry...”

"I don't blame you," Cerise reassured, squeezing her shoulder. “Don't let her get to you, Beatrix. You've done amazing things! You helped mommy and daddy during their time of need. So what if you slip up here and there? We all make mistakes. What's important is that we own up to them, right?”

“R-right.... Thanks, Cerise. That makes me feel a lot better.” She softly smiled, rubbing some tears away from her cheeks.

“Ugh! Enough of this sentimental crap!” The reaper tore strips from her cloak and wrapped it around her chewed-up ankle. Once she held it into place, the contents of the tube hardened into artificial skin. She stumbled to her feet and winced. “Let's move!”

“Hey, take it easy there,” warned Midnight, but she ignored him, her body already starting to properly regenerate.

“Don't touch me, I'm fine!” She shoved him away. “I don't need your pity, nor hers. All you did was ease the pain. Nothing more.” It was obvious her pride was more wounded than her foot as she stalked on with a hiss.

Her icy eyes narrowed, hoping she'd run into the murderous twins soon to slice them apart. That would make her feel better.

Yet the question remained unanswered do which path to take through the intersection. It was guaranteed the maids were on their way to continue the hunt. And despite her nature to pick one at random, Beatrix didn't want any more baggage for her group of friends. "I...I'm not sure what to do, guys. I can't decide..."

"Finally, something we can agree on," Shadow Scythe chuckled dryly. "If you ask me, we have a better chance of fighting them head-on."

"And risk getting caught up in more spooky bullshit by this house? Yeah, no thanks," Sunny scoffed.

"But there's little chance we won't encounter anything less spooky going through any of those doors," Cerise whined.

Midnight stroked his chin in thought before an idea popped up. "Hey, I know! Why don't we ask Moxxi for help?"

"Like HELL I'm asking help from that skanky fuck!" The former reaper yelled.

"Moxxi?" The young dancer Cerise asked, turning to Beatrix in confusion.

"She's an imp who also got caught up in the house," the witch explained. "Very cute and friendly, but also very mischievous. It's tough to trust her, so...I don't know. She might not even be nearby..."

"Aw, c'mon guys," Midnight insisted. "We're running out of options before the twins get here. What else do we gotta lose? Y'know, besides our lives?!"

"How about your dignity, soldier boy," Shadow rebutted. "I'd rather take my chances with those ax-wielding harlots then some short-stacked, trashy, bimbo faced-"

"Ohhh fuck, lov! Keep talkin' dirty to me~!"

The group nearly jumped as the aforementioned demoness had spontaneously appeared right next to Shadow Scythe, who immediately moved away with a disgusted look. The little imp was rubbing her thighs together while eying the group of ponies (plus the former human) with an alluring set of bedroom eyes.

"Well, look what the calvary brought in, aye?" She purred, poofing from her spot to appear right before Cerise. "Oh, B! You never told me you were friends with a belly dancer, love! Ooohhh, I'd just love to get me hand all over those hips~!" The lesser demon swished her own hips around in a small dance, much to the earth pony's delight.

"Hehehe! I-I mean, I do other forms of dances than just that, though I guess my outfit kinda gives that impression," Cerise giggled with a blush.

"Oh, I bet you do, sweetie! I bet you know a lot of dances if ya catch my drift~."

"Moxxi!" Beatrix cut in, hands on her hips. "We really don't have time for this. So either help us out or leave us be!"

“Yeesh, who shoved a spiked dildo up your fanny?” The Imp pouted but nonetheless stopped her fooling around with the younger mare. "And here I thought cold, dark, and edgy over there was the mood killer."

"Bite me," called the reaper.

"Maybe later~."

"Look, the twins are close by, and we don't know which passageway is the safest. Can you at least give us some direction?" The witch asked, her ears perking at the sound of distant hoofsteps. The others were also on edge as the imp inspected each door, humming thoughtfully.

"I mean, I'm gonna warn ya; I'm not even sure what could lay in wait behind these doors," she admitted. "But isn't that half the fun?! It's like a blind date! Goin' in expecting some hot chap only to find herself on a couch with three burly zebra's about ta teach ya the Reverse Romanian Wilkinson~."

"The wha?" Midnight asked, tilting his head.

"Don't ask," Shadow hissed.

"But I gotta say; this one's callin' to me," Moxxi continued, leaning her thick frame-up against the far left door before giving it a few knocks. The door opened as bright white light poured through the hallway. "Step right in if ya want! Can't say for certain where y'all end up, but it'll be better than stayin' here, that's for sure! Good luck, lovs~." And, with a blown kiss, the imp flew right in.

"We shouldn't follow her," Shadow Scythe insisted. "It could easily be a trap. Or something worse."

"Oh, c'mon," Cerise rolled her eyes, swaying her way through the group as she took a step closer into the light of the room before them. "She seems harmless enough. I bet if we think positively, it'll change the atmosphere and effects inside. Let's go~!" The dancer stepped through.

And as the looming threat of the twins came closer, their choice was made up. Everyone stepped through the illuminating light, the door closing shut behind just as Wet Nurse and Foal-Bearer checked around a corridor.

*****

“Mmmnnug.... Where am I?” Midnight questioned, trying to orientate himself. It appeared he was splayed in his bunk, back in the base where he trained to become a soldier since the tender age of twelve years old. If he hadn't impressed Shining Armor to help him rise through the ranks, the pegasus might not have lived to discover the world around him. This place sure did hold a lot of fond memories.

As he rose up from his bed in the dimly lit room, it dawned on him that he was in nothing but black boxer shorts. “Hello? Is anyone else here? Shadow Scythe? Beatrix?”

“Well well well,” the witch's coy voice came as she stood from behind one bunk. "Look who decided to wake up~?"

A giggle caught his attention before Cerise wrapped her arms from behind him, rubbing her face into his neck. “You've been out for a while, soldier boy!”

“It's about time,” called Shadow Scythe, leaning up against the wall with her arms folded under her cloak. "We thought you might not get up, even after tending to you."

“Not that we minded,” added Sunny, who wandered to his side with a crooked smile. Midnight grew more nervous as he felt his arms and back being rubbed and held onto before Moxxi popped between his legs, fluttering her eyes up at him. “But I think you need a Lil' more ta settle down there, lov~” She purred, hooking the band of his shorts before tugging them down in one swoop. The pegasus yelp and blushed hard as his hardening penis flopped free, nearly smacking the imp across the face. “Oh, whoa, ladies! Look's like we have quite the shower on our hands! Let's see if he's a grower~!"

“H-h-hey wait! What are you-a--aaaahah!?” A soft moan escaped him as the imp began stroking his length with her tiny claws. Sunny joined in with a firm handjob until his stallionhood became fully erected. Midnight only became more flustered upon seeing each female participant remove her clothes. Beatrix struck a pose to better flaunt her large chest, while Shadow Scythe cooly took to his other side, and the dancer continued to rub her own voluptuous body against his bareback.

He couldn't remember the last time he even tried masturbating! And yet, here were his friends, who caressed him all over, worshiped his taut masculine form like they were his personal harem, much to his oblivious amusement. “L-ladies, please! What are you doing?!”

“N'awwww,” Cerise pouted playfully, jiggling her succulent tits against him. "The poor guy doesn't understand~!"

“Foolish boy,” Shadow Scythe added in. “We'll just have to teach you."

"Question is, who gets the honors of being his first~?" Sunny pondered.

"Pft, you gal's wouldn't know how to handle a stud this size," Moxxi spat, licking her plume colored lips. "Let Moxxi get a fix of him. And if he's still hard, maybe I'll--waaaAAAAH!"

The imp was magically pulled away before Beatrix lunged at the soldier, knocking Cerise to the side while gyrating her hips into his hard cock. "I call dibs on him, obviously~" Beatrix murmured, pressing her mounds into his chiseled chest. "I've wanted to pop his cherry ever since meeting him back on the paradise world. C'mon, stud. Let me show you how I work a rod~!"

Normally, most stallions would have easily surrendered to such a scenario, becoming the prime stud to such beautiful and needy herd of mares in estrus. Yet the feelings of desire and want were lost to him, far too overwhelmed by the situation.

Something was not right. Except for Moxxi and Beatrix, none of his friends had shown such lecherous intent towards him, especially Shadow Scythe. “N-no.... Stop! This isn't real! None of you are real!"

"Don't worry, babe. We can make it real~!" Beatrix cooed, pressing her lips all over his cheek and neck to try and goad him into responding to her advances.

"I-I said, no! Now, get off!" He ordered, shoving the illusion off him as the world around him evaporated into white. He stood back up, his armor suddenly on, and his weapon in hand. Midnight panted heavily before rubbing sweat from his brows, looking over the pale void.

He was thankful that he managed to free himself from this trap, thanks to his innocent demeanor. But he feared the others wouldn't have the same resistance to temptations.

He spread his wings to fly out and find his friends, hoping he wouldn't be too late...

*****

“This is how it should have been,” hissed Shadow Scythe, sneering down at her prey. Her cloak was drenched in the blood of Beatrix's slaughtered friends, some still dripping off her raised sickle. She floated before her captive, arms locked behind Beatrix's head while her costume was nearly ripped to shreds. With each one butchered, she'd taken a fresh soul and become more powerful as a result.

“H-how could you,” whined Beatrix, who sniffled, her nose runny. One after another, the party had fallen until only she remained. Less because of any real skill on Belladonna's part and more because the reaper repeatedly let her escape, so she would be forced to watch the rest of them die at her hands. “How could you murder them all?!”

“The weak deserve to die. That's the law of nature, you idiot.” They were back in the library, shelves overturned, and books scattered after a recent battle. A crimson and viscera trail followed the reaper, which floated before her last and easily most hated target. “They all died following your cause, believing that you would be the one to 'redeem me'! But it is you who should have changed her tune, Belladonna! Not I!"

“N-no,” whimpered the witch, her hat and cape lost in the scuffle, down to her ripped up leotard. Sparks popped on her horn after she tried to work a simple spell. “There's still time! Turn back and---ah~!” The blade flashed, cut her outfit down the middle, and it slipped off her. Her nipples stiffened in the cool air. “W-what do you plan to do? I didn't think you had any interest in me like that-!”

“I don't. But I do want to humiliate and punish you,” admitted the reaper, the cold steel of the sickle's flat side pressed to bare flesh. Beatrix wheezed, and Shadow Scythe's eyes lit up, pain and power one of the few things that still excited her. She traced over the witch's erect nipples, threatened to shear them off, watched her squirm and wet herself under the unspoken threat.

She traced the weapon's edge between her captive's breasts, over her belly, between her thighs, the curved portion level with her cleft. “I could slit you open in one swing; from the crotch to the sternum,” taunted the reaper. “Watch your intestines spill out!”

A muffled whimper met Shadow Scythe, who raised her weapon high. Beatrix closed her eyes tight and trembled.

The blade swooped down, the dismembered head rolled from its body that still kicked and shook, and the executioner moaned, bathed in fresh blood that spewed over her. The beheaded, nude corpse continued to swing back-and-forth as its soul escaped.

The glowing sphere flowed into the eager reaper. “Yes,” she cried out with a cackle. “The universe is mine to travel. And through every dimension, I'll absorb all the souls I want! Then nothing will stand in my way!” She licked the red spatters off her dripping sickle.

She took a moment to meet Belladonna's lifeless stare, landed amidst her cloak, and spitefully kicked her head aside.

After she made her exit from the mansion, the reaper slashed her scythe through the air, using her newfound power to cut into reality. And yet...nothing happened. Blinking, the pale mare attempted a second swing. Then a third. Then a fourth.

Grumbling in annoyance, she kept swinging her blade endlessly until her limbs grew sore and heavy. In a fury, she yelled before swinging her scythe with all her might and power to tear into the fabrics of time and space. But she was met with no wormhole or dimensional rift—just the desolate landscape of this accursed rock planet.

Her shoulders slumped. The scythe fell from her grasp. Triumph turned to emptiness and dread.

Ultimately, she was still alone, her enemies fallen to leave her abandoned on a barren planet. For reasons she couldn't understand, she couldn't open a rift and would forever remain condemned, trapped in a dead world. Bitter tears escaped down her cheeks before she crumpled to her knees in defeat.

It was just as she said; nothing stood in her way.

*****

Sunny had always coveted the life of her counterpart. What she called the 'real' Sunset Shimmer had swooped in from Equestria, knocked her out, stripped the clothes off her back, and stolen her life. It had taken years and a lot of help to build it back up. Now that she and Sunset were friends, she still couldn't help but feel at times she simply lived in her shadow.

Somehow, their fortunes had reversed. She had been Celestia's prized student. She had made friends with the humanized equivalents of the Elements of Harmony and saved the world several times. It was all she'd ever wanted...or so she thought.

“But it can't be real,” she reminded herself, tears on her face. She and Sunset had faced a similar dream world, caused by her own hands, only for the spell to end up broken. Another victory the 'real' Sunset had claimed, while she was forced to vicariously savor her triumphs. The utopian dream was swiftly dispelled, and she found herself back in the white void of this empty space.

"Whoa...where the hell am I?"

“Sunny! Hey, wait up,” called Midnight, fluttering down from above. “Is it really you..?”

“Yeah, of course, it's me,” assured Sunny, smiling lazily. “Figured someone as adorable as you wouldn't become so gullible to get tricked inside this room. Any luck finding the others?”

“No, the only ones I've met were imposters,” They looked around an unfamiliar portion of the area. “Hope they can make it out on their own! I'm not sure we can interfere. Ugh...I feel like it's my fault. I was the one who asked Moxxi for help. And now, we're intentionally stuck here!"

“Hey, none of that. It already sucks seeing Beatrix doubt herself so damn much,” Sunny insisted, rubbing at his pauldron shoulder. “We'll find them. And when we find that imp, I'm kicking her fat ass to next Tuesday!”

Their ears flicked at a sudden noise. It sounded like a door was being opened. Instantly, the two took up battle stances, worried that the twins had finally located and cornered them. Sure, they could round around here in this infinite space, but who knows where else this place might send them too.

"Don't worry, Sunny! I'll protect you," Midnight proclaimed, spear held firmly.

“Hey, I'm not useless, okay! I can handle myself...” Her horn lit up, readying a powerful spell before it was snuffed down to a small glow. The mansion continued to interfere and suppressed most of her raw power. “...or I was able to handle myself. Damn it!”

Their observers stalked closer by the moment, axes at the ready. Despite the imp's intervention, it had seemingly made it even easier on the denuded huntresses.

Foal-Bearer and Wet Nurse shared a nod, their shimmering nude curves resplendent in the bleakness that smothered the oppressive area. Both stepped forth, letting loose a united war cry, and attacked in tandem.

“Look out!” Stray feathers erupted around Midnight, who dodged a wild swing, forced into the air.

Sunny loosed a stray beam that connected with Foal-Bearer's chest. She yelped and hissed with her sister, flesh and fur singed, and an acrid stench filled the air, but it barely slowed her crazed advance.

In desperation, Sunny barely raised a defensive barrier in time, almost knocked from her feet under the impact as a blow connected with her invisible shield.

“It hurts,” complained Wet Nurse, who clutched her bosom. Yet her face twisted in a masochistic grimace.

“We've endured worse,” cried Foal-Bearer, who repeatedly battered at the shield, sparks erupting under each blow.

“I reallydon't wanna kill you,” warned Midnight, dodging around and parried the attacks aimed his way. Usually, he'd respect a fellow soldier, but these two were unlike any he'd encountered. He didn't understand why they hunted naked or what motivated them other than sheer bloodlust. “C'mon, can't we talk this out? Surely these two aren't beyond saving...”

“Maybe not. If I could touch them,” mumbled Sunny, who thanks to her counterpart, had increased her own empathic abilities. All it would take was physical contact, and she could attempt to burn the evil out of them.

Yet she dared not lower her barrier under the crazed assault. She sweated and strained, forced back. Midnight, too, struggled to keep the pace under their supernaturally enhanced reflexes.

Nor could he deny the visceral thrill of battle, the beauty of the crystalline maids, as the fantasy awakened a suppressed part of him.

The foursome danced on, wild and free, lost in their latest skirmish.