Undeath and Rebirth

A bothered Beatrix Belladonna wandered the dark corridor, paintings of previously traveled worlds decorating the walls. Try as she might, the wayward witch couldn’t shake off Iclyn’s scathing comments. Unkind the deighdyr might be, but she spoke the truth. The violet mare didn’t have a better alternative for handling her effect on the multiverse without considering early retirement. And no matter what justification she came up with, it only made her sound more selfish.

‘If I don’t find a solution soon, I’ll only put more lives in danger,’ she acknowledged. ‘Would it be best if I stopped going on adventures? I mean, I do have Oona and Abby to worry about now…’

Her thoughts were interrupted when the painting of Shadow Scythe’s homeworld lit up with swirling magic. The reaper and her heavenly companion stepped out from the bluish-white portal within the picture with a bright flash.

“O-oh hey! You’re back,” greeted Beatrix, who hid her woes behind a friendly smile. “And it looks like Bellatrix’s experiment worked! Awesome! We won’t have to rely on my magic to travel anymore!”

‘ That’s a silver lining, at least…’ she told herself internally.

Shadow Scythe nodded. “That’s good to know, considering the energy I ‘borrowed’ from the mansion to transport myself was pretty much dried up. Where is your sister, anyhow?”

“I’m right here,” said the succubus, who strolled into the foyer. “Any luck on your trip?”

“In some ways,” admitted Zeloph, who examined the Vorpal Blade, still uncertain of his worthiness to wield such a rare artifact. “We’ll have to return again sometime. We couldn’t find her father, and I was hoping he could tell us about the supposed demi-human sighting…”

“We need to learn more,” added Shadow Scythe, who crossed her arms. “The library here has access to books from every dimension Beatrix has visited, right? I read all the tomes available when I was trapped here. But there should be tons more available now. Could you help us?”

“I’d be delighted to,” agreed Bellatrix, who smiled back. “But first, I have to send Ebony Ivory home. The huntress is giving her farewells, so make yourselves at home until then.”

With a nod, the couple seated themselves on the couch near the hearth. Aware there was little more to do but wait, Beatrix sat in a chair distant from the pair so as not to crowd them. A clock ticked in the distance, a fire crackled, and the marionette maids arrived to serve them.

Zeloph politely dismissed a maid who offered him refreshments with a hand wave. “So…” he began to cut through the awkward silence. “Shouldn’t you be with Oona?”

Shadow Scythe added, “Yeah, I’m surprised you’re not doting to her.”

Beatrix heaved a sigh. “We’re giving each other some space, especially since Iclyn’s still here stinking up the manor…”

Zeloph’s eyebrow arched. “You mean she hasn’t returned home?”

“No! She’s adamant about tormenting me!! All because I exist and, in her twisted mind, I stole her relationship with Oona!!!”

Shadow Scythe narrowed her eyes. “Uh-huh. Now try saying that again without being biased.”

The witch looked down before cupping her hands over her face. “Okay, unwarranted hostility aside, Iclyn’s clearly concerned for Oona’s safety as I am. And… she’s been making fair points. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about my problem. Is it that bad of me to want to continue my expeditions? It’s part of who I am!”

“You have to understand,” said the reaper, who took Zeloph’s hand into her own, stroking his knuckle with her thumb. “You made yourself an anomaly, like it or not. Everywhere you go will have a varying degree of consequences. We just got back from my homeworld, and, last time I checked, the ponies there weren’t anthropomorphized.”

“Oh shit, really? B-but I haven’t been there in a long time!!”

The demi joined in, theorizing, “I also have reason to believe your power might be linked to why a demi-human roams in her dimension. And if that’s the case, what’s the probability others were accidentally transported between spaces?”

The statement weighed Beatrix further down as her expression soured.

“Listen, Belladonna,” resumed Shadow Scythe. “With all due respect, tampering with the timeline just to get your child back wasn’t the greatest of ideas. For all we know, you aided in a nefarious plot crafted by this ‘Omen’ character!”

“But that’s not to say things aren’t better because of it,” reassured Zeloph, who squeezed her palm. “We wouldn’t have gotten another chance if not for you. Abadonna likely would have been erased after freeing the Burning King. Conspiring to rewrite the universe, while shady, did result in some good effects. And for what it’s worth…” he paused to carefully consider his words. “I don’t think Iclyn’s right about you retiring.”

Both unicorn mares turned to him and said, “You don’t?”

He nodded. “If anything, you’re better off out there, exploring for a way to correct your anomalous state! There’s no guarantee all that entropy you’ve generated won’t stop growing just because you stay put.”

“Y-yeah, you’re right!” Beatrix stood up, feeling a little bit more confident. “I’d be risking Oona and the baby’s safety if I remain here.”

Shadow Scythe frowned. “But if she continues her pursuit, the lives of other worlds are at stake!”

Zeloph shrugged. “All the more reason to find a solution quickly. If you can remove your abnormal properties, you restore all the spacial oddities that followed you, including Midnight’s ‘hyper-stallionism!’ I’d say it’s worth a shot.”

With her resolve renewed, the violet witch released a delighted squee and hugged the fallen angel promptly. “I really needed that, Zeloph. Thank you! Ahh, I could kiss you~!”

“Do it, and I’ll remove your lips,” threatened Shadow Scythe, who lightly pushed the witch off her boyfriend. With a teasing titter, she walked away with an extra bounce in her step.

Uttering a low grumble, the lissome unicorn gazed at her lover wryly. “Are you sure it was wise to encourage her?”

“Wisdom does not come to a wandering spirit like Beatrix,” the demi-human countered. “It must be found before it can be nurtured. I’m sure Lady Ewe picked up on that when she first took her as a student. But stay in one place for too long, and you’ll go mad. I know that from experience.”

“I just hope you’re right,” she whispered, cupping his cheeks before pulling their lips together. Warmth and energy flowed through their kiss before he parted to stand up.

“Me too,” Zeloph nodded with a smile. “Now, let’s hurry to the library before my sister and Demi-Trix learn of our return~!”

Matching his smile, Shadow Scythe allowed him to pull her up and lead the way through the long hallway. Perhaps the reaper could finally have some quality alone time with her seraphic lover.

“Ah-ha! I knew it!”

Esmeralda’s heels clipped with each step she made down into the basement. Alongside her walked Camellia. As the vampiric couple decided to slip at the moment, they were certain Bellatrix would be too busy to intercept them. Whatever morals they had about trespassing soon faded when their suspicions proved correct.

Glowing eyes leered through the steel bars as the aristocratic thestrals approached Alma’s cage.

“So she was harboring another of our kind,” the petite bat mare mused, taking in the prisoner’s shape. “Except she appears to be natural, rather than a sad byproduct of an experiment.”

“And extremely beautiful, indeed,” noted Camellia, who drank in the Baobhan Sith, suspended by enchanted chains in her cell and surrounded by inky tentacles.

As her hands touched the bars, the tendrils suddenly lashed out, nearly snapping over her gloved finger.

“Careful,” purred Alma, a deadly smirk spreading her lips. “Look all ye want, ladies. But A’m afraid ye can’t touch~.”

“Is that so?” snorted Esmerelda, who noted the tendrils poised like snakes ready to strike. “Hmm… Before you alert your mistress, may we offer a boon?” She reached into her satchel and removed a wrapped up arm, little more than a slab of preserved meat, which she unveiled.

She chucked it into the cell, past Alma, and into the stone wall, which morphed into a mouth filled with razor teeth that chomped apart the flesh, marrow, and bone with a crunch.

“Yes~! Delicious, is it not?” Camellia smiled, her mask cut to show her ruby lips. “We can provide more if you keep this little encounter a secret.”

The beast responded with a low rumble before drawing its tentacles away, allowing the bat mares entry through the bent bars.

The auburn beauty studied them with half-closed eyes. “Quite th’ peculiar pair ye are. What are yer names?”

"Esmeralda and Camellia." The pair curtsied. “Heiresses from a clockwork world. And you are?”

“Alma,” she replied. “Baobhan Sith ov a lost world. What business dae ye have sneakin’ around under Primadonna’s nose?”

“We could ask the same of her about your captivity,” noted Camellia, who frowned behind her porcelain mask. “Vice Lord or not, we are of the same spectrum. Creatures like us shouldn’t be enslaved. We should be liberated!”

Her notion made Alma scoff. “Liberated… or destroyed? Don’t act like ye’re not carryin’ anti-vampiric weapons at hand! Ah know th’ foul odor ov garlic when ah smell it.” Her face scrunched up in disgust.

Esmeralda said, “And yet it seems to only be bothersome, suggesting you aren’t any normal vampire…”

The Baobhan Sith let out a sinister snicker. “This abomination could drain me ov mah juices, an’ A’d still be strong enough tae thrash you two~” she boasted. “If ye think A’ll go down quietly, ye are sorely mistaken!”

“Oh, of course not. We appreciate the challenge. After all, we are huntresses of the night,” laughed Esmeralda cheeringly. “So… what shall we do with you? Eradicate you like we did our former master?”

But Camellia shook her head. “No, I think not. It would be a shame to destroy such an exquisite creature,” she said with a subdued purr, her crimson eyes trailing up and down the caged beast. “Let indulge ourselves, shall we?”

“Mmm, yes! Let’s ~!” murmured the more miniature bat mare, who slowly undid her outfit and wiggled the fabric down her petite frame. Her cohort did the same, undoing her black gown and allowing it to pool at her feet. Camellia’s deathly pallid, pendulous breasts, wide hips, and plush buttocks were exposed, fully naked save for her teardrop-stained mask. Saucer-like pink areola was perked up in the cool air that rolled about them.

Alma drank in the sight of the two ample mares, sliding her tongue along her fangs in anticipation. “Mmm, ye’re quite delectable yerselves,” she complimented in a husky tone. “About time Ah get some real action in this dingy dungeon~!”

Gliding over to the Vice Lord, the masked mare started by tracing over her contours. Soon she was joined by Esmeralda, who giggled with excitement as she fondled and kissed the Baobhan Sith’s bountiful bust. Camellia suckled on Alma’s lips, her hand tracing between her deer-shaped legs, fingers rubbing over her soaking slit.

“You’re one of us,” mewled Esmerelda, who tugged off the green fabric concealing her breasts and attached her mouth to her nipple.

A sharp moan muffled against Camellia’s lips before she pulled away and whispered in her ear, “So, we see no alternative but to free you~!”

“Haaaah~! Music tae mah ears,” Alma groaned, arching her back to press her body further into their reach. But for that to happen, they would have to break the enchantments on the chains and persuade the eldritch abomination to their side. Given all the trauma it’s endured by its mistress’ hands, it likely wouldn’t require much convincing.

A strange sound above made the Baobhan Sith’s ear twitch. “H-huh? What was that..?”

Esmeralda, who suckled on one of Alma’s udders, momentarily withdrew her lips, connected by the saliva tethered from her scarlet lips. “Perhaps our hostess is in trouble?”

“Not our problem,” murmured Camellia, who trailed her lips down Alma’s body before pressing them deeply against her bare cunt.

“Aaahhh~! Hehehe… A’m beginnin’ tae like ye already~” mused Alma, who shuddered from the two suckling at her tits and pussy. Should Esmeralda and Camellia prove successful in freeing her and turning the manor against Bellatrix, she’d make them excellent concubines.

Maybe even without the use of hemomancy! Willing slaves made for better company, after all.

“Well, I think I kept Dion and the Twins waiting long enough,” Ebony Ivory stated, bowing her head politely towards Bellatrix. The succubus smiled as her sister walked in to see the zebra huntress off. “Thank you for having me visit.”

“You’re welcome here anytime,” answered Beatrix. “Now, let’s get you home!”

With a nod, Ebony turned towards a portal that spiraled into the room… only this one wasn’t the familiar bluish-white oval but a ghoulish green hue that slithered across the interior.

“Umm, Beatrix? That doesn’t look right,” said Bellatrix, an eyebrow raised.

“I-It wasn’t me!” swore the witch.

The zebra huntress glared when she took cautious steps back, shifting into a battle stance and immediately pulling out her spear. The others gathered close behind her, their weapons and magic at the ready.

But faster than they could blink, another spear lunged out the spectral rift, grazing Ebony’s shoulder and lodging into the wall, causing the eldritch beast to rumble in pain.

“Aaagh!” She cried, clutching her open wound, blood staining her palm. “Who dare-”

“You’ve gotten slow, my beloved,” a booming masculine voice responded as a tall, muscular figure skulked out of the portal. He was a zebra warrior, a high collared coat over his sculpted physique. His mane styled like a lion trailed behind him, a cocky smirk spreading his muzzle.

Beatrix gasted “Natural Selection!?”

“Asili!” The zebra mare glowered. “I thought you were dead!!”

“As if I’d let mere mares be the end of me,” he chortled. “Did you miss me~?”

“Hardly!” The huntress tore part of her loincloth to bandage her arm before taking back her position. “Leave at once!”

“Nah, I don’t think I will,” the proud warrior proclaimed nonplussed, pointing a finger at the violet witch. “Not until I’ve severed that bitch’s head.”

“You’re an idiot if you think you’ll succeed,” Bellatrix scowled. “You’re outnumbered!”

Natural’s haughty smile only grew wider. “Oh, am I~?”

A shudder came from the portal and spilled forth innumerable skeletons who rattled into the foyer. Ebony moved to strike the first arrival down, only to be intercepted by Natural Selection, who caught her spear with a firm grasp. She could see her former mate’s eyes glow a sickly emerald upon a closer look. “You stink of the dark arts!” she sneered at him.

The zebra male chuckled when her speartip grazed his chest, and a trickle of cool, black blood splashed her. “Not even death could keep us apart, Upendo. Stay out of my way, and I’ll consider sparing you.”

“Like hell, I will! Never again!!”

Natural Selection sighed before roughly shoving Ebony away before rolling towards the other side, retrieving his spear. “Just as stubborn as I remember!”

Bellatrix ordered the clockwork marionettes to leap into action as the two zebras clashed with bladed poles. The servants traded blows with the skeletons, who split apart, bones left to shatter beneath their disciplined assault.

Yet while the automaton maids were clearly more powerful, the number of undead threatened to overwhelm them. Beatrix aided Bellatrix were amidst the bedlam, cutting through the invading force with precise swings and magical blasts.

“The manor hasn’t recovered fully,” reminded Bellatrix, shattering a skull with a swift swipe of her claws. “We don’t want to cause it more damage! I’m not at my best, either!”

“Gaagh! But how are we supposed to clean house if we can’t go all out?” Beatrix whined, zapping a few skeletons that attempted to climb the stairs. “half of us aren’t even fit to fight!”

“I need time to concentrate so I can alert the others,” the succubus groaned. “We need all the help we can get!”

“How right you are,” came another voice as something rushed through the legion of undead to slice at Bellatrix with a glowing katana. He was a black stallion with a silky mane to match, well-chiseled beneath his pin-striped suit. Steely gray eyes focused on the demon’s yellow orbs.

“W-what the? Who are you?!”

“We haven’t met,” the swordsman answered, glancing at the wayward witch. “But I know your friends Wispy and Kitsune well.”

“You’re from the cyberverse!?” exclaimed Beatrix, who fired off another wave of spells to repel the advancing ghouls.

The black stallion nodded. “And like Natural Selection, I too wish to fulfill a vendetta.”

“Trust me, pal, revenge isn’t going to-oouff!?” The witch was cut off mid-sentence when another intruder sailed out the eerie green portal and delivered a brutal hit to her gut, knocking the witch into the wall. Shaking her head, her eyes went wide in disbelief. “Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me..!”

“Yoo-hoo~!” A musical voice chirped from an avian female shrouded in a black dress and tiny hat, a bladed parasol in hand, and a smirk on her tiny beak. “Oh, it’s so good to see you again, Miss Beatrix! I was beginning to think we’d never settle our overdue bout~!”

“Penny Dreadful?!” Beatrix barely sidestepped the winged killer who whirled past her in a blur. “You’re a part of this too!?!”

“Of course, my dear,” she tittered deliriously, her wide eyes crazed. “Why would I ever give up the chance to have your head mounted on my wall!?”

“Hey! I called dibs on her first,” argued Natural Selection, who nearly lost an eye from how close Ebony lunged at his head.

“Oh, hush, lecher! When I’m through with her, there will be plenty of pieces to go around~!”

“Not going to happen! This incursion ends now!!” declared Bellatrix, who snapped her fingers. At her command, the shining suits of armor sprang to life with a metallic clang, heavy weapons raised, and from the rooftops sprang to life what gargoyles she had left after a battle with the Burning King, who flew down to aid their mistress. With the primary threats distracted by Beatrix and company, the she-devil telepathically called for the others to help. She hoped reinforcements arrived soon before something even worse came out from that infernal portal…

The moment chaos broke out, Iclyn froze the door over to prevent entry, after which she sealed herself and Oona safely within the room. The azure sheep, resting on her bed, narrowed her worried gaze to her former lover. “Ye need tae go out there an’ help them, Iclyn!”

“No,” the icy doe firmly stated. “Not while you and the baby are at risk. I won’t leave your side!”

“B-but Beatrix-”

“Can handle it with her friends,” insisted Iclyn, who glanced down to the wooden floor. “As much as I detest the little harlot, she’s a cunning sorceress,” she admitted. “And I know she wouldn’t allow anyone to reach you. But I’m not taking the chance someone does slip by…”

With a defeated huff, Oona nodded and held the covers over the rounded belly. Emotions were high already, and now an invasion was happening! It took her a lot to not let stress and panic override her actions. Tenderly rubbing her pregnant belly, she prayed for their safety. These things would surely come out alright in the end.

While Oona focused on keeping her breath steady and Iclyn guarding the door, Moxxi and Demi-Trix were already in the dimly lit hallway, anticipating the incoming wraiths that crawled up the twin sets of stairs towards them.

“Looks loike it’s our time ter shine, lil’ dove,” the imp said, her arms folded tightly into her chest.

“Not to worry! We always come out on top,” affirmed the tulpa, who struck a dramatic pose. Nodding at each other, they combined their efforts to trample the spilling undead forces. While Demi-Trix used her usual antics with fireworks, sparklers, and rockets, Moxxi dove past colored smoke into the fray, slashing with glowing claws and firing orbs of chaotic energy.

Their constant noise alerted the couple inside as Shadow Scythe slammed the door, yelling, “Is it too much to ask for some peace and quiet around here!?” Her hardened expression immediately fell when she realized this wasn’t merely another of their childish antics. She materialized her scythe into hand and called, “Zeloph, we’re in trouble!”

“What?!” the angelic demi replied, the Vorpal Blade in hand when he raced beside her. “Oh, for heaven sakes, already?! I swear, Beatrix, must have made hundreds of enemies..!”

“No time for humor,” replied the reaper, who summoned rows of sickles out of the many shadows with her Onoma, Thanatos.

Briskly, they joined the imp and tulpa, clearing the hallway of ghouls before venturing down the stairs to help. Likewise, Midnight, Cerise, and Moonlight arrived from the backdoor, determined to even the odds. The armed trio headed past rows of broken bones, smashed, overturned furniture, and a few destroyed maids, their clockwork innards on display.

“Nice of you to come,” panted Bellatrix, whose hold on the manor’s magic wavered as the stone sentinels and armored suits fell into pieces among the rubbles of bones. Beads of sweat dampened her red-skinned body while Beatrix and Ebony fended off against Penny Dreadful and Natural Selection, respectively.

“You can relax now, Bellatrix,” Midnight assured before he jumped into the chaos with his lance at hand. Moonlight smacked every bone and ghoul in her path before joining her comrade’s side.

“We’ll take it from here,” Cerise beamed, summoning her crystalline spear and launching obsidian shrapnels to penetrate the skeletal fiends. “Time to practice what I’ve learned!”

“Where did they come from,” wondered Shadow Scythe aloud, who cleanly beheaded a stray assailant. “And why the hell are they here!?”

“We came for you… Atalanta.”

The low voice made the reaper freeze when she felt the cold barrel of a gun press against the side of her skull. The moment she heard the safety click off, she ducked. Gunfire erupted where she stood, the foyer lit up by the unloaded shots.

The reaper stood up and flinched, her nostrils filled by the stink of the blast. Her eyes focused on the gunslinger, a stallion wearing a fedora and heavy coat, a thick mustache on his familiar face.

Icy eyes went wide at the cold gaze glaring back at her. “F-father..?!”

“You knew this day was comin’, kid,” was his only response when he swiftly reloaded his rifle and aimed between her frightened eyes. But before he pulled the trigger, Zeloph disarmed the old stallion with a quick tap of his blade. The two exchanged glares while the demi-human poised the tip of his sword at the stallion’s throat.

Scanning over the blade, realization washed over the elderly marksmen. “What are you doing with my Vorpal Blade..!?”

“What do you mean...” Zeloph looked between the two ponies before his turn to stare, astonished. “Wait! You’re Quicksilver Bullet?!”

The stallion scoffed. “So it wasn’t enough for you to murder your mother and me, huh? Had to steal from us, as well?”

Tears stream down Shadow Scythe’s cheeks, her entire body fidgeting out of control. “F-father, no… I-I wouldn’t ever! I-I’m not-”

“Enough of your lies!!” He bellowed with rage, knocking Zeloph aside to try and retrieve his firearm. But the demi-human intercepted the hunter before he could fire off another shot, tackling him to the floor as the pair wrestled across the debris.

“Zeloph, Wait! Don’t hurt him,” pleaded Shadow Scythe, torn by indecision.

“Get off me, you varment!!”

“Not until someone explains what’s going on!” demanded Zeloph, who only applied enough force to keep the old stallion pinned.

The interior darkened, the hearth, chandeliers, and candelabra snuffed out. All the dead paused in their destruction, frozen like statues. An unnatural cold of the grave rushed over them as a harrowing figure emerged from the sickly green rift. A skeletal equine with tattered black robes matched the old garb Shadow Scythe used to wear materialized. Ghoulish green wisps glowed from his hollowed eyes when his head turned to the terrified witch.

Beatrix gasped sharply, recalling the creature from within the Necronomicon’s labyrinth. “W-wait… I know you! Y-you’re-”

“Mortis,” confirmed the lich-like creature in a chill whisper. “But the one who calls herself ‘Shadow Scythe’ knew me by another name. Danse Macabre.” He pointed a bony finger at her.

“D-Danse? No, it can’t be...!” Shadow Scythe shuddered, paled, and stepped back.

“I entrusted you with avenging our guild of reapers,” reminded Mortis. “And you have failed spectacularly. So as punishment, I gather all those who have sworn vengeance upon you and prepared this onslaught at your weakest moment. We will annihilate everyone here should you fail to honor our accord.”

Beatrix planted hands on her hips. “What are you talking about? I never agreed to anything!”

“Maybe not then… but you can now.” He offered his bony hand forward. “Hand her over to me, Beatrix, and we will spare you the bloodshed. I have no qualms with you or your friends. I only wish to enact suitable justice on this murderous traitor.”

Penny Dreadful and Natural Selection were about to protest, only for his hand to close, their voice silenced while they thrashed impotently.

“You’ve got one thing right, Mortis,” Bellatrix stepped forward. “No one’s dying in my house!”

She was suddenly sent flying into the staircase by an invisible wave, a few skeletons reanimating to secure the wounded she-devil’s arms and legs.

“I did not ask you,” the revenant said sternly before returning his lifeless gaze to the witch. “Well, Beatrix Belladonna? What shall it be?”

Beatrix swallowed. “And should I refuse?”

“Then your soul will be forfeit,” he declared his whispery voice void of any emotion. “And I can promise you this. Death will not be the end of your torment...”

“But why?” Cerise questioned, her soulful pink eyes wide. “Shadow Scythe’s no longer the vile mare she used to be! She’s changed!!”

“Vengeance is all that remains for me,” answered Mortis. “And I will not rest until she is executed for her misdeeds.”

Zeloph rose up to take a stance, his wings fanned out to guard Shadow Scythe behind him. His blue eyes glowed a hot vermillion when he gently stated, “go anywhere near her, and I’ll extinguish what little life you have left, revenant!”

An airy chuckle passed Mortis’ rictus maw. “Alas, poor Zeloph. A lost prince who foolishly gave away his heart.” He reached for something inside his cloak, pulling out an all too familiar fleshy tome and flipping the tattered pages. “Perhaps a hundred more years of imprisonment will help you understand your mistake.”

Midnight gasped. “That’s the Necronomicon!!”

“But I thought Somnambula and Stygian were guarding it?!” added Cerise, who sucked in a strained breath. “D-don’t tell me they’re…”

Arcane magic flared from Beatrix’s horn once she proclaimed, “No one is taking any of my friends! That includes Shadow Scythe! You have exactly thirty seconds to relinquish that damn book and leave before I send you back to whatever tomb you crawled out from!”

A grave sigh sounded from the lich unicorn as he replied, “An unwise decision. But very well. So be it!” He read an incantation from the book that caused the portal to open wider, ghastly energy seeping out the spiral. Beatrix dared not conjure one of her own, knowing that the two could connect in a Klein bottle shape and potentially cause the collapse of every universe. From the void hurled masses of black amidst the buzzes.

Moonlight’s eyes became pinpoints, recognizing that horrible sound that made her phantom plume ache. “Oh no. No, no, no, NO! NOT THEM!!”

Her screams were drowned out by the swarm of the arriving Changelings droves, chittering when they hovered and crawled all over the manor interiors. They stared at their prey with compound eyes, black exoskeleton armor gleaming in the darkness. Yet they too appeared to be twisted by the dark arts, plant-like growths, and fungi sprouting from places.

Midnight gazed in horror at the insectoid creatures before clasping his head, yelling in pain. His herd was quick to help him stand when he almost crumpled. Cerise asked, “Middy?!”

Moonlight, too, was frozen in shock. “How are there so many!?” Her own thoughts were filled by the war on her homeland, where ponies were all but driven to extinction by these creatures.

Groans thundered from Midnight, whose muscles visibly expanded, the veins that bulged on his musculature threatening to erupt. His eyes turned hellish red while his pupils glowed yellow, and drool dripped from his clenched teeth. Clothes tore, and his plume unfurled to fullness.

He bowled into the swarm. Fists slammed, shrieks escaped, and exoskeletons cracked. Colorless odors, blood oozed from the broken insects as his herd rushed to help support him.

Yet the hyper-stallion took no notice, consumed by his repressed memories. He recalled the death of his family and friends. The monumental losses were caused by Queen Chrysalis and her horde.

The swarm started to cocoon the manor’s interiors despite their efforts, much to the eldritch creature’s audible dismay. Overrun by sheer numbers, Ebony, Zeloph, Cerise, Moonlight, Midnight, Bellatrix, and Beatrix were tangled up in the changeling’s webbing while Shadow Scythe was held at gunpoint by her father, who stood like a statue at her side.

Beatrix squirmed as she demanded, “Where did you find these changelings?!”

“You are familiar with their quadrant of the universe, yes?” answered Mortis, pointing a bony finger to Midnight and Moonlight, who squirmed unyielding in their silky confines. “Their largest hive lays dormant beneath the earth, awaiting their chance at vengeance against ponykind.”

Muffles caught the lich unicorn’s attention, his underlings staring across at him. With a simple gesture, he removed the hex that kept them quiet. “You may speak…”

“Gugh! And what about our revenge?” berated Natural Selection.

“Yeah! At least give me the joy of ripping apart Belladonna’s friends in front of her eyes,” squawked Penny Dreadful.

“Not until the betrayer has been properly punished,” warned Mortis, who still hovered above.

With a huff, the zebra hunter ascended the staircase, stating with a sick smile, “In that case, I will scan the area upstairs for her beloved Lady Ewe. I could use a good game of hide and seek.”

His threat provoked an irate response from Beatrix. “NO!! STOP! YOU LAY A HAND ON HER, I WILL SCATTER YOUR ATOMS ACROSS THE-MMUPH!!” A changeling spat more silk over her muzzle to muffle her.

“Hmm. I might have been wrong before,” mused Mortis. “The thought of you watching all that you love wither and die. Helpless to stop the destruction and decay before you. I sense a spark of joy within these hallowed bones. Perhaps if I had lips… they would be smiling.”

Suddenly, the portal behind them rippled and crackled. The fiendish hue of green turned into the familiar heroic blue.

“What? How!?”

“Ta da~!” Demi-Trix flew down from the rafters, having avoided capture. “Look, who’s in control now?” She beamed, triumphantly pumping her fist in the air, her tiny horn lit up.

Before anyone could comprehend what was going on, another pair of silhouettes rushed out from the swirling oval. Beatrix felt dread, expecting more opponents, until familiar balls of plasma were launched, knocking Penny and the mysterious pin-striped suited swordsman away.

The first figure landed in a cat-like crouch, a feline-shaped woman with a mane styled in twin buns. Wearing a haughty grin, she readied another sphere and said in a sassy tone, “Gotcha~!”

“Heh,” the black stallion chuckled as he brushed the dust off his suit. “So they’ve arrived here as well!”

The Abyssinian tigress, Wispy Willow, called up more orbs to melt the webs. Smoke rose when those trapped were dropped loose; the drones left to hiss and buzz away.

She whistled while sauntering in her crimson catsuit studded in spikes, the nekomata’s striped twin tails left to swish behind her. “Looks like we dropped in the nick of in time! Ready, sis?”

“Always, Imoto,” came the mature voice of the vixen beside her. Kitsune, the Nine-Tailed Fox and cyber kunoichi, readied her plasma blade, which flared to life. Taking a combatant stance, she narrowed her eyes to warn, “Retreat or perish!”

The revenant wordlessly directed the changeling swarm towards the new challengers, mandibles dripping with glowing saliva. But the unique pair danced through, slicing and melting every insectoid creature that dared attack them.

Beatrix removed the webbing off her muzzle and let out a triumphant cry as everyone resumed the fight. But the witch made a beeline for the staircase, aware that Oona’s safety was in jeopardy. Yet Penny flocked down to block her path, swiping with her parasol umbrella.

“Grrrgh! Get out of my way!!”

“Not until you’re sliced into ribbons!” the griffoness cackled madly, evading every spell cast her way. But luckily for the witch, she witnessed Ebony quietly ascend the railing before pursuing the corridor Natural Selection disappeared to. With troubled breath, the violet unicorn focused her energy on defeating her opponent, doing her best not to carelessly fling spells that would further harm the manor’s battered interior.

Likewise, the others focused on martially handling the skeleton and changeling forces. Moxxi and Demi-Trix fought together to keep the legion from escalating to other levels of the house. Shadow Scythe and Zeloph worked in unison to apprehend Quicksilver Bullet, who fired off rounds to maintain distance. Moonlight and Midnight were sorely focused on eradicating the changelings, while Cerise attempted to keep her husband from causing too much damage.

This left Bellatrix to try and fight Mortis, but the latter simply avoided battle by making himself incorporeal to all attacks aimed at him. He wasn’t even bothering with spells while the succubus felt her strength waning, aware that she would be on the brink of death thanks to Alma.

The copper-maned vixen didn’t need to move from her spot while slicing through each monster that dared attack her. Yet Kitsune’s eyes widened when her blade crossed the black stallion’s katana. “W-what? Impossible!!”

The former politician smiled thinly back at her. “I didn’t believe it at first, either. In life, I was another failed experiment like you two, forsaken by my creators. But in death…” he offered a brief glance at Mortis. “I have the chance to become something more! When I return to the cyberverse, they will fear the name Triad.”

Wispy hissed. “Doesn’t matter what your name is! You’re not going back unless it’s in a body bag!”

The two sisters fought the swordsman, who was agile enough to block and dodge their blows. The battle raged one while the mansion let out painful moans, becoming increasingly discomforted by the seemingly endless fighting.

Natural Selection stalked the halls, sniffing out Beatrix’s lover before finding a room with a frozen door. He smiled, aware it would not impede him for long. But before he could break in, Ebony Ivory caught up behind and cried, “Face me, you bastard! I’m the one you want!”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” the zebra stallion snorted. “You didn’t take all that mattered to me. Once Beatrix has suffered as I have, then you and I will settle the score.”

“Asili, you can’t!” pleaded the huntress. “Lady Ewe is with child!”

“Then she can bear the sins of her mothers,” he spat, using the butt of his spear to crack at the icy barrier. Ebony lunged at her former flame with clenched teeth, which anticipated her attack and punched her hard in the gut. With the wind knocked out of her, Natural Selection grabbed her neck to slam her hard through the damaged floor; the huntress’s body landed on the dining room table, which shattered to break her fall.

“For your sake, don’t get up,” beseeched the hunter before slamming his full weight through the door.

Ice chunks exploded as the warrior barreled in. Iclyn instantly raised a hand to hurl a small flurry of hail in his direction, but the proud zebra simply rushed at the doe and bashed her aside.

Oona watched in horror as her friend and former lover fell unconscious, her hand and legs twitching. But her wide honey-brown eyes found Natural Selection’s, the bloodlust clear. She scrambled to fetch her staff, only for the zebra’s hand to squeeze her wrist, threatening to break it.

“P-please,” begged the azure sheep, tears running down her painted cheeks. “Ye can’t do this!”

There was a brief moment of uncertainty before the hunter pushed her back on the bed, his thumb and fingers squishing her cheeks. With heated breaths, he muttered, “Forgive me, sweet shaman. But to redeem my life, I must take yours…”

A frightened gasp escaped her lips as Natural Selection leaned closer. He realized she was not looking directly at him but behind him. Then, he noticed the room had become murkier, the only illumination coming from the candles adorning the hallway. A horrible chill ran through his body, causing him to involuntarily shiver. Disembodied voices whispered incoherently as a black, tar-like substance stretched over the wall behind them.

Trembling, the zebra warrior turned around to find something stirring within the darkness, the wall rippling like water as massive antlers slowly emerged. Beads, feathers, and charms decorated the branches, scraping along with the ceiling. And out opposed an ivory cervine skull, malicious red eyes glowing from the sockets. With feral grunts, the animal abomination tugged to pull his arms free. Long elongated fingers gripped the floorboard to pull the rest of his body.

Natural Selection was utterly petrified at the sight of the moose-shaped monstrosity, his body far too massive to fit within the room, thus forcing him to hunch over. Red markings covered his arms, chest, and face, similar to Oona.

With a trembling voice, she called his name. “Omen?!”

The zebra forced his body to move, raising his spear to take aim. But the Nightmare Stag swung his trunk-like arm to thrash Natural into the wall. The hunter yelled as he was dragged closer to the monstrous deer, who leered down.

“ꇙꁝꏂ ꒐ꇙ ꋊꄲ꓄ ꌦꄲ꒤ꋪꇙ ꊰꄲꋪ ꓄ꁝꏂ ꓄ꋬꀘ꒐ꋊꍌ, ꁝ꒤ꋊ꓄ꏂꋪ,” gurgled Omen, whose head and antlers rattled with dark arcane magic. Ripples of sangria energy flowed around Natural Selection before the world around him went black. But he soon found himself lying in agony, jungle trees stretching all around him. His entrails exposed, attracting a pack of lionesses that prowled towards him, salivation dripping down their hungry maws.

“N-no! NOOO!!” wailed Natural, thrashing about as the memories of his death overwhelmed his senses. He was trapped in a loop of his final moments before Mortis took him in. Omen inhaled his ghastly scent before reeling back with disgust.

“꒯ꏂꋬ꒯ ꂵꏂꋬ꓄…” he muttered before flinging the writhing warrior out of the room. The impact snapped him out of the nightmare, the faces of lions crawling towards him still impairing his vision. Fixated on the zebra’s horrified expression, the Nightmare Stag offered a word of advice.

“...ꋪ꒤ꋊ!”

With a loud scream, Natural Selection hurled to his feet and ran down the corridor.

With his opponent on the move, Omen glanced back at Oona, who cowered under the covers with shaken breaths. “ꇙꁝꁝꁝ. ꒐꓄‘ꇙ ꄲꀘꋬꌦ,” he whispered gently, stroking her cheek with a finger. “꒐ ꅐꄲꋊ’꓄ ꒒ꏂ꓄ ꋬꋊꌦ꓄ꁝ꒐ꋊꍌ ꉔꄲꂵꏂ ꓄ꄲ ꁝꋬꋪꂵ ꌦꄲ꒤ ꄲꋪ ꄲ꒤ꋪ ꉔꁝ꒐꒒꒯.”

The azure sheep felt calm under his soothing touch despite the horrific appearance. Finding her voice again, she asked, “B-but... How are you here? Y-you’re-”

“ꊰꋪꏂꏂ,” acknowledged Omen gleefully. “ꅐ꒐꓄ꁝ ꓄ꁝꏂ ꂵꋬꍌ꒐ꉔ, ꒐ ꊰꏂ꒯ ꄲꊰꊰ ꓄ꋬ꓄ꌦꋬꋊꋬ; ꒐ ꋪꏂꇙ꓄ꄲꋪꏂ꒯ ꂵꌦ ꃳꄲ꒯ꌦ ꒐ꋊ ꓄ꁝꏂ ꅐꋬꀘ꒐ꋊꍌ ꅐꄲꋪ꒒꒯. ꒐’꒒꒒ ꏂꉧꉣ꒒ꋬ꒐ꋊ ꒒ꋬ꓄ꏂꋪ. ꃳ꒤꓄ ꊰꄲꋪ ꋊꄲꅐ, ꅐꏂ ꂵ꒤ꇙ꓄ ꇙ꓄ꋬꌦ ꁝꏂꋪꏂ ꒤ꋊ꓄꒐꒒ ꒐꓄ ꒐ꇙ ꇙꋬꊰꏂ.”

After stroking Oona’s wooly head, the lumbering creature began leaning towards the doorway before his ear flicked at the sound of groaning. Iclyn steadily pulled herself up as the doe’s eyes dilated upon seeing the Nightmare Stag, who glared back, undeterred by her loathsome expression.

“ꌦꄲ꒤ ꇙꁝꄲ꒤꒒꒯ꋊ’꓄ ꁝꋬ꒦ꏂ ꉔꄲꂵꏂ ꁝꏂꋪꏂ…” he scowled, creeping towards the fidgeting deighdyr. Her hands flowed with winter magic, defensively warding the cryptid-shaped deer from getting any closer. Iclyn glanced at the pregnant sheep, who could only watch from the bedside as her nefarious counterpart loomed over her former flame with parted jaws…

Fueled by panic and adrenaline, Natural Selection came tumbling down the stairway. Clutching his head, his vision cleared to see the conflict still escalating. Broken bones, twitching changeling corpses littered the floor while Beatrix and her friends warded off Mortis and his minions.

Before the hunter could even react, he felt a spear plunged through his back, the tip opening his chest. Blackened blood oozed down his mouth as he turned to see his former mate glaring deathly at him. Despite suffering many fractures, she stood defiantly on shaky limbs.

“I told you,” Ebony wheezed, blood leaking down her muzzle. “Never again!”

Growling in agony, he called to his allies with a strained voice. “W-we have to retreat!! There’s a-”

“What are you on about?” dejected Penny, whose torso was damaged. Rotating gears and blue liquid seeped out her exposed chest. “We’ve merely started!”

“We are not leaving until Shadow Scythe’s soul is mine,” affirmed Mortis.

“Over my dead body!” Zeloph yelled, disarming Quicksilver Bullet before rushing at the revenant with righteous fury. With her father unarmed, Shadow Scythe sized his limbs with shadowy tendrils, careful not to dig her sickles into his flesh.

Triad shoved Kitsune and Wispy back to intercept the fallen angel, their blades emanating a loud ring upon clashing. The needle-like Vorpal Blade shimmered with prismatic light as the two stared down. The runes etched along the handle shone in his hand. Both swordsmen gasped before the black stallion was riposted, sliding behind the tattered cloak of his master.

Everyone gazed in astonishment as the feather blade’s brilliance illuminated the dark interior. Zeloph was the most bewildered as he hadn’t tried channeling Apollo’s magic through the Vorpal Blade yet. His hand shook before the blade directed him towards the zebras.

“W-wait! No! S-Stop!!” demanded the demi, who struggled to withdraw the sword with both hands. But the ancient weapon had a will of its own before launching a thin wave that phased through Ebony and Natural Selection.

A slice of reality opened behind the zebra hunters, who were instantaneously assimilated with an alarmed yell. The rift vanished as quickly as it appeared as the Vorpal Blade’s power died down, leaving the heroes and villains stunned by the splendor.

“What have you done!?” Kitsune barked, quickly leaping towards the confused angel, who deflected her strike. Wispy was quick to come to her sister’s aid, swiping with her claws.

“Hey! W-what are you doing!?” yelled Zeloph.

“Kit! Wispy! Stop!! He’s on our side,” added Beatrix, who formed an invisible wall to separate them.

“Beatrix, he just disintegrated Ebony!” berated the vixen.

The nekomata added, “You saw it with your own eyes! How could you trust this demi-human!?”

This statement made Zeloph further perplexed. “What are you talking about..?”

Before either could elaborate, Moxxi launched an orb of neo chaotic energy at the kunoichi, knocking her off her feet. Wispy turned her attention to the imp, her eyes slit and throat vibrating with growls.

“’a dare ya strike at me brother, ya furry cunts!” the imp spat, her claws extending slightly as her aura darkened.

“Moxxi, stand down!” ordered Bellatrix, who stamped a clawed foot. “That was not called for!”

Demi-Trix tugged at her tail to keep her from lashing out, reminding her, “Yeah, cool it! The real threat is right in front of us!”

“Let go of me tail!!!”

But the growing discord proved too much for the mansion to handle, the damaged walls vibrating as the whole place shook violently. Suddenly a flood of gastric fluid swallowed everyone as the beast split open the entrance wide to vomit its stomach contents out.

One after one after one-after-another, the defenders and invaders were washed out onto the front yard, stained in vile and putrid slime. Beatrix slowly rose while flinging some gunk out of her hair. “Blugh! Gross…”

The others helped each other out of the puke, Cerise nearly slipping before she clung to her husband’s arm. Penny Dreadful bellowed in dismay, looking all over her ruined dress. “Huuurgh! It’ll take weeks before I can cleanse the rancid stench off my garments!”

“Gagh! Forget you’re tacky, get up!” grumbled Quicksilver, who managed to retrieve his hunting rifle while spotting his daughter and her angelic lover. “I want to know why my Vorpal Blade answered his call! After so many years of failing to awaken its secrets, why now!? And why him!?”

“Questions we will discover the answers to another time,” noted Mortis, who detected a foreboding presence near the manor’s top. A fiendish red glow lit up a bedroom window. Along with the revelation of Zeloph’s dimensional sword and their missing associate, Natural Selection’s call for retreat sounded more appropriate.

Once the two hunters and Triad gathered close, Mortis muttered another chant from the Necronomicon that spirited them away, leaving behind the piles of bones and lifeless drones.

Bellatrix looked around at the dreary setting. The once lush landscape and open skies were now gloomy with gray clouds. She could pick up the eldritch beast’s anguished sounds, aware most of its wounds were reopened. Guilt washed over the succubus like the slime that covered her voluptuous body.

Heaving a long sigh, she called to her allies, “Is everyone alright?”

“Physically,” noted Zeloph, trying his best to clean off Shadow Scythe, who remained shell shocked from the whole ordeal. She flinched back to life once he cradled her.

“I don’t understand… father… why…?” she uttered softly, lost in contemplation.

Midnight clung to his aching head while his herd mates helped him up. “I-I don’t believe it…” he muttered in melancholy. “Changelings still infest our world!?”

“I thought we wiped them out,” Moonlight added grimly. “That Shining Armor was just being paranoid!”

“W-we’ll figure it out, guys,” promised Cerise, hugging her herd mates closely. “There’s gotta be an explanation to all this.”

Beatrix couldn’t help overhearing this and instantly blamed herself for this surprise attack. Had she not travelled to all these places and made so many enemies, this wouldn’t have happened.

The wayward witch was already anticipating Iclyn to further ridicule her for- “Oh FUCK! OONA!!”

Beatrix rushed back into the manor, ignoring the concerned cries of her sister as she ran up the stairwell with frantic pants. Whatever dismay she felt paled the prickling fear of something happening to her lover and child. She nearly slid past their room; the door broke off its hinges with chunks of ice. Her violet eyes became pinpoints at what she saw.

Iclyn, the stoic, cold-hearted bitch, was in a fetal position on the floor. Her aurora green eyes stared off into space, her body shivering. Oona was still in bed, trepidation, and agitation clear on her face when her eyes found Beatrix’s.

“Ceann oga…” she whimpered gently.

Standing by the foot of the bed was a charcoal gray buck with ashen tufts along his neck fur. Adorning his tall physique was a blood-red robe with sleeves and a collar made of wolf fur. Wrapped around the robe was a sash designed to look like red teeth. And when he turned to look at the frightened witch, his maroon eyes glimmered.

“Omen…”

A smile spread his muzzle.

“Hello, my dear~.”