Prisoners of War : A Beatrix Belladonna Tale

A campfire was set up the moment night fell. Midnight sat near the smoldering flames to help thaw himself, but outside the occasional teeth chatter, he said nothing else. Internally, he was berating himself for losing control of his actions. Not even the comforting strokes offered by Cerise and Moonlight improved the blue pegasus’s mood, the shamed warrior's emerald eyes pinned on the fire as he tried to settle his still distorted memories.

Beatrix was joining him in the sour corner, downing her third cup of tea in a vain attempt to calm her inner turmoil. If only for the sake that hopefully her lover and unborn child were alright in the hands of the vampires that overtook her home. Iclyn’s presence beside the witch made her shiver, though she was thankful the aloof doe was focused on something other than her shortcomings. That being the infamous yokai bandits sitting opposite of them.

White Shadow Penumbra loomed behind the male kitsune and his tanuki companion, ensuring any attempt to escape was futile. A heavy silence hung in the evening air. Glowing flames crackled and popped as they spat embers, their shadows left to drift around them.

Although Beatrix found that tension alleviated when Arcanum Folklore emerged from the trees, pulling up the zipper on his trousers. With a relieved sigh, the erenn detective motioned to their captives. “Right then. Just so we’re clear, you two have been marked. What that means is I can track your magical signatures from anywhere. You try and make a break for it? I’ll know. And if you’ve stolen anything off me friends, now's the time to fess up!”

The fox man looked at the small raccoon dog, who shook her head. He then mimicked the gesture. “Good,” Arcanum nodded before taking his seat beside Beatrix, folding his arms. “Out with it, then. What’s the story with you two?”

After a moment, the fox exhaled and replied, “I suppose it can’t be helped.” He removed his damaged mask to reveal a youthful, handsome face, contrasting his deep gruff voice. A tuff of fluffy carmine red hair atop his head. His aquatic green eyes held a calm gaze, a gentle grin pulling back his snout. “I am Kyube,” he introduced himself with a short, polite bow. “And this is my sister, Chisana.” The tanuki waved her paw, showing a much friendlier smile.

Wanting to defuse the tension entirely, Cerise returned the gesture and beamed. “I’m Cerise! This is my husband, Midnight, my brother, Penumbra, and my herd mate, Moonlight!”

“H-Hi,” the thestral responded nervously while the pale pegasus gave a simple nod.

The violet unicorn chimed, “My name’s Beatrix. To my sides are Iclyn and Arcanum.” They both narrowed their eyes at the witch, who shrunk down slightly.

“Ahah~! Such a lovely name befitting a beautiful mare,” the vulpine complimented, causing Beatrix to fluster.

Then, with an airy giggle, she flirted, “You’re quite the looker yourself, foxy~!” Iclyn nudged the witch with a hard elbow, earning a sharp “Yowch!”

“You’re not seriously falling for his cheap charms, are you?”

“Wha?! O-of course not!” Insisted Beatrix sheepishly. “I just like making light, friendly banter, that’s all!” The icy deer continued to scowl, unconvinced.

“Fuckin’ gullible,” Folklore muttered under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. His focus returned to the yokai bandits, asking, “So I’m right to assume there’s no blood relation?”

“That’s correct,” confirmed Kyube, who petted Chisana’s head as she settled into his lap, smiling widely. “I’m her adopted brother.”

“Aniki!”

“Huh. Given the legendary status most fox spirits have, I figured it be the other way around,” Arcanum said while stroking his stubbled jaw.

The vulpine’s smile faltered. “I'm actually an exile from my clan,” he admitted, twisting his body to show off his tattooed shoulder. A kitsune, whose tails fanned out like sun rays.

“Blimey,” Arcanum softly gasped, getting a closer look.

Beatrix tilted her head, asking, “You recognize that mark?”

“Sure do!” The scruffy stallion reached inside his trench coat to pull out a worn tome entitled ‘Myths, Legends, and Folktales: the Erenn Guide to the Supernatural.’ While flipping through the pages, he elaborated, “Studied this shite me whole life. Many entries of mystical lands beyond Equestria. I reckon the land they’re from is ruled by deities with animal-shaped disguises. Aha!” He paused on one page that contained a similar depiction of Kyube’s tattoo, tapping his finger on it. “One ruler being a fox spirit. Inari, God/Goddess of vulpines, fertility, and agriculture. Said to reward rice to their worshipers; the Cult of the Shinto.”

“God slash Goddess?” questioned Cerise.

“The name ‘Inari’ is actually a title of authority,” explained Kyube as his bushy tail split into three. “Given to the strongest kitsune who has earned all nine of their tails. Currently, that would be my mother…”

“Ooh! So then, that technically makes you a prince,” the dark dancer exclaimed. Once more, the vulpine nodded.

“But you said you were exiled,” recalled Penumbra. “Why?”

“Unlike my brothers and sisters, I never coveted the position. Not when most of our bloodline consists of power-hungry demons. My grandfather, who was God before, governed a sadistic, ruthless age of poverty. The slightest disrespect from other clans, followers, or even other kitsunes was rewarded with eviscerations, defilements, and arson. Not necessarily in that order.” Beatrix placed a hand to her throat, face contorting in disgust as Kyube continued. “Thankfully, my mother is a more benevolent goddess, but that bloodlust carries on in my siblings and relatives. And I wanted no part of that dynasty.”

"So you left the Shinto by choice,” surmised Arcanum as he lit a smoke.

"That’s right," said Kyube, who turned his smile to the tanuki nibbling on a cookie she took from the minotaur market. "Chisana Ha comes from a clan of thieves, who graciously took me in after a forest fire that spiraled out of control. We have lived like brother and sister ever since.” Chisana gave the fox man a light nuzzle. He returned it with a one-arm hug. “Then, one day, we ran into the Itachi Twins, a pair of sickle-wielding weasels. As you might imagine, my family didn’t take me becoming a pariah lightly. So they hired other yokai to hunt me down. We threw them off by hiding inside a well. But when we crawled back out-"

"-you surfaced here," finished Beatrix. "Due to part of your world being sucked into this dimension." ‘Thanks to me,’ she mentally added.

"That's about the sum of it," replied Kyube.

“But that doesn’t excuse you for raiding Moon Hammer,” Midnight spoke up, casting a stern glare on the two bandits. “Nor for the heirloom that you stole from my sister!”

Chisana drew her snout and ears down, as did Kyube. “We really didn’t mean any offense,” the fox insisted. “We only take what we need to survive the night, although Chisana Ha can be quite the kleptomaniac. Regardless, You’re right, and we’re sorry for the inconvenience.” He reached into his gi to remove the pendant. “You two look a lot alike. Twins?”

The stallion nodded, his muscles still tensed.

“Then I’m sure she’ll appreciate its return in her brother’s hands,” he concluded before handing it to the raccoon dog, who shyly walked over to the soldier.

“Gomen,” she said when handing it over.

"Thanks," replied Midnight as he placed the family heirloom on his neck. “I also want to apologize for attacking you. I see now that you’re actually good people!” He exhaled to release his tension, as his fluffed up fur and feathers settled down.

“Things have been weird for us since returning to this world,” added Moonlight, who hugged herself to Midnight’s arm. “We just learned that his sister, Lightning Spark, is still alive.”

“We’re hoping to reunite with her soon!” Cerise beamed.

Penumbra added, “We’re on our way to the Crystal Empire, where we plan to reconvene with the supreme commander and stop the changeling resurgence.”

“As well as fix the influx of space distortions caused by this hussie,” Iclyn said, pointing out Beatrix, who waved off her snide remark and smiled at the yokai bandits.

"Why don't you two come with us?” Beatrix suggested, her eyes half-lidded at the fox bandit and a sly smile on her lips. “It's plain to see you can handle yourself, Kyube, but it'll be safer to travel as one! And eventually, I should be able to take you home!"

The male kitsune looked at his sibling, who bounced a bit in excitement. After a moment to confer, he looked back and smiled. “I don’t see why not. If everyone isn’t bothered by our company?”

“So long as you don’t try to swindle us, we’ll get along fine,” Arcanum shrugged, puffing out a thin veil of smoke, his weary eyes heavy with dark circles.

“Same here,” concurred Penumbra, who routinely stroked his prosthetic arm.

“Not that I would oppose,” the witch purred, playfully adjusting the top of her leotard, purposefully making her breasts jiggle. Kyube couldn’t help but blush at the cleavage display while Chisana snickered. “Not much else is hiding underneath this magician’s robe~!”

The deighdyr sneered with disgust. “Ugh! So shameless..!”

“Aw, fuck me,” Arcanum cursed, patting down his attire. “Must have misplaced me bottle back at the villa! Could use a bloody drink…” A tug on his coat drew his attention to the little tanuki girl, who undid her bag and pulled out an oval-shaped green glass bottle.

Arching his brow, he accepted it, removed the cap, and took a whiff. “Gekkeikan Sake,” labeled Kyube.

The erenn unicorn took a swing, savoring the taste before shrugging his shoulders. “Not nearly as strong as the good stuff, but it’ll do!”

While everyone gathered around their new allies to learn more about their homeland, Beatrix was pulled aside by Iclyn and Arcanum, who thought it prudent to turn over their game plan. There was a lot they needed to take care of. Foremost the possible dissolution of this reality, held together by threads; but not far behind that was Midnight's limited lifespan, since Beatrix feared at this rate he only had a few years left, at most. Plus, there were problems at the mansion, which she was currently helpless to intervene in.

"Alright, lesson one," announced Arcanum after taking a few gulps of his drink. "When teaching discipline and temperance, you want to build a strong foundation. That means taking everything you think you know and flushing it down the shitter!” He withdrew a heavy tome from the folds of his coat, opened the cover, and revealed complicated runes mixed with equations. “I expect you to understand what all this means by two days tops!”

“What?!” Groans came from Beatrix. “Aw, c’mon! I hate math! It's the absolute worst!"

"Tough tits. Shortcuts are why we're in this mess," scoffed Arcanum, watching Iclyn brew some coffee into Beatrix's tea set with an approving nod. “You ain’t sleepin’ till you've memorized the introductory chapters. Oh, and no sugar in your coffee!"

"And when you manage that, I expect you to practice what you’ve learned with me," the deighdyr added, wearing an evil smirk. A cold snap surrounded the doe when her robes rustled in the misty chill that arose about her. "Is that understood?"

"I hate you two," pouted Beatrix once she nevertheless snatched the book and began reading. Not even a page in, and the wayward witch was straining to keep focus. She'd learned much from Trixie, Sombra, and Oona...yet her magic still lacked control. Her arts were more chaotic and intuitive, meaning the results could be unpredictable and backfired occasionally. Useful when she wanted to throw an opponent off balance, but risky to her allies! Nonetheless, she buckled down and applied herself the best she could.

By the time Beatrix had finished chapter five, Cerise, her herd, and the yokai bandits were already fast asleep, the fire not as bright after eating away most of the cinders. Penumbra took the first watch, continuing to rub his false arm, his face stoically drawn. When Arcanum and Iclyn checked in to test her knowledge, the violet unicorn answered their barrage of tricky questions accurately as she could, much to their visible satisfaction.

“A few things were off,” noted the scruffy unicorn sternly. “But, all in all, a moderate effort. Not bad! Keep it up and soon you'll properly earn those stars on your outfit!”

"Maybe there's hope for you yet, Belladonna,” Iclyn commented when she hovered over to the witch. She settled in and helped herself to another cup of tea from Beatrix's kit.

Arcanum yawned and removed his hat. “Alright, get some shut-eye. We’ll pick this up tomorrow morning." He doubled-checked the insides of his overcoat, surprised to learn more of his equipment continued to make its way over. "We ain’t out of the woods yet!”

"Yeah, yeah," murmured Beatrix, who rapidly blinked her hazy eyes, her cape used as bed rest once she reclined on her side. Her head was swamped with the equations and graphs she'd memorized, far more complicated than the alchemy formulas she was used to.

While she intensely loathed the methods of her education, the witch couldn't deny the results. The erenn and the deighdyr were helping her refine her arts. And for that, she was grateful.

Yet after she closed her eyes, she stirred uneasily, unable to shut out the darker possibilities at the mansion. Would they be able to hold out? She would have to trust Omen.

*****

It felt like hours had passed since Lightning Spark waited in Equinox's bunk. She wondered what was taking so long with the report Shining Armor wanted. Granted, the marauder probably knew much more about the world than she did. But until Equinox was done, all Lightning could do was wait around and twiddle her thumbs. Though she was thankful that Web Spinner decided to keep her company while she settled in. She looked at the fatigued scientist, half expecting him to pass out right next to her on the bunk bed.

Maybe some idle conversation would help calm her nerves? “So…” she began, scuffling a tad closer. “Are you always cooped up down here? Seems kind of lonely.”

The earth-brown unicorn stared at her skeptically before shrugging. “Yeah, I pretty much live here," Web Spinner admitted. "Fiery Kickstart spearheaded the operation where foals are conscripted at the first opportunity. Many officers and commanders were against the idea, but the votes were split down the middle. Ultimately, it came to a compromise. Those not fit to become soldiers were assigned other tasks to help serve the war efforts."

"Like you," she said sympathetically, her hand resting atop his. Spinner flinched at the contact, their blue eyes mirroring each other. Lightning's cheeks colored. She couldn’t explain what it was about the disheveled stallion that drew her closer.

He wasn't exactly her type, but among this kingdom of war veterans and sadistic scavengers, he seemed to be the only one genuinely interested in her plight. The changeling pheromones he mentioned on his unicorn wand earlier might be why she was acting up. Unbeknownst to her, the pegasus mare continued to inhale the nigh undetectable smells he emitted, her heart racing as she leaned closer to Web Spinner’s snout, her eyes half-lidded.

He blushed, realizing where this was going, and quickly pulled away. “I-I should get going…” he said, almost reluctantly. "There's a lot of work I need to catch up on. Sorry."

"W-wha-wait!” Lightning rose after he did, determined to make him stay for reasons she couldn't understand. Unaware of the pheromones he radiated, and that the drones had prepared her like many of the captured mares, pumped up by stingers when she slept to ready her body for when she was to be mated. It was a subtle process, since estrus slowly took hold of the female, her womb made more fertile to receive fresh seed.

Just then, Equinox finally came into the room, fully dressed but with a few bits of perspiration still soaked in her fur. "Hey, sorry I'm late! Got into a scrap, then flew here to make up for lost-ohh!” Upon spotting the pair, she smirked knowingly, perky nipples visible as they poked into the youthful mare's thin top. "Well, don’t stop on my account~!”

"I-it’s nothing like that," assured Web Spinner, adjusting his glasses. "The fault's mine. I should've realized captive mares would be injected with enzymes to help them into early estrus. I've...experimented with pheromones recently, in hopes I could disrupt the scents drones use to communicate. I didn't consider the possibility it would attract mares to me."

"Pha! I bet you did that intentionally,” the marauder teased, eyes adrift over the younger mare's pert nipples, the camel toe and wet spot on her thin shorts. “Pretty much a love potion, isn't it? Only way a lanky bastard like you could ever hope to get laid~!”

"Hey," cried Lightning Spark defensively. "Don't talk about him that way!" Perhaps what they said was true, but she couldn't deny her odd attraction to him.

"Sheesh! If that’s the case, I wonder why it hasn’t worked on me yet." Equinox shrugged the idea away, figuring that since she had Shining Armor to routinely tend to her needs, the effect would prove minimal on her. Not that she wouldn’t mind crushing the skinny wuss beneath her muscled curves. She’d probably be the best lay he’ll ever get!

"In any case, I’ll take my leave," Web Spinner muttered low, walking past Equinox before giving Lightning a glance. The door closed behind him. Lightning snarled, frustrated that the thestral scared the object of her fixations away. Worse, she couldn't exactly tend to her worked up needs, now that she had company in her bunk! Her face and loins burned.

Equinox climbed to the upper bunk and threw herself down with a bounce. Her good eye fell on the angry pegasus and grunted, “What’s with you, Sparky?” She stripped off her clothes, down to her scanty underwear, and tossed the sweat-soaked articles aside.

"Why'd you have to act like that? It's not like we planned to...t-to… y’know, h-have… s-se-"

“Sex! Fuck, just spit it out! You were going to have sex!!” Equinox finished for her, slapping her forehead. “Geez! No need to sugarcoat it, honey. Besides, I was doing you a favor!”

She hissed back, “Favor?!”

The bat mare grinned. “Well, it’s obvious you’re still a virgin. Do you really want your first time to be with that weirdo nerd? If I had come twenty seconds later, you’d be spreading your legs widen open for some dickwad you just met!” She laughed, only to be cut off when the mare below seized a plush pillow and slammed it into her face. "Ohh, you asked for it!" She scooped up a thick pillow of her own and hopped down with an evil cackle.

The mares traded blows throughout the fortunately otherwise empty bunk; the marauder offered a primarily empty section at her request from the blackmailed supreme commander. Feathers exploded from the battered pillows and floated across the air while the perspiration-saturated pair continued to playfully war about the dark room.

"You're not bad for an untrained wench. With more meat on your bones and some hands-on training, you’d be a real knockout ~!” The marauder quickly noticed the tiny static blinking off Lightning’s mane while she panted. Like that dork, she too was curious about this supposed electrical ability. “Y’know, you might come in handy when it’s my turn for the night shift!”

Lightning tilted her head with perplexity. “W-what’s that?”

“Guard duty,” she explained. “Rumor has it that a rogue changeling has been terrorizing the streets at night! The supreme commander had to enforce a new curfew law. And even then, that hasn’t stopped folks from disappearing! Crazy, huh?”

“I’ve never heard of a rogue changeling before,” confessed Lightning, their clothes now soaked while they huffed. “A drone can’t survive without its hive!”

“Well, this isn't a drone if sightings are to be believed. In fact, one report claims it might be bigger than a queen!” They tossed their pillows aside, the bunker reduced to a mess of feathers, as Equinox's hands attempted to outline the shape she saw in a report.

“No way!”

“Way,” insisted Equinox. “Look, even if it isn’t a changeling, something is out prowling the empty streets looking for stragglers to snack on." She stalked closer to the youthful mare. "And hey! It could be a one-of-a-kind chance to prove yourself, don't you think?”

"A-ahhh… I-I don’t know." Lightning Spark was still an outsider here. Did she dare rock the boat, especially when Fiery Kickstart was set to raise an army to rescue her mother at dawn?

"C’mon! It’ll just be the two of us," said Equinox, who seized her wrist and pulled the mare after her. She took her all the way to the shower stalls, which were empty at this time. Their footsteps echoed on their entry. She immediately started to remove Spark's clothes.

"W-wait a minute-" The bright blue mare protests were ignored, her 'borrowed' outfit practically torn from her and chucked aside. She hid behind her plume and blushed fiercely, her loins actively a furnace, her sensual parts inflamed and exposed to cool air.

"I already saw you naked before, remember? Plus, we're both mares!" Equinox slapped Spark's ass with a loud thwack, met by a squeak as the mare dashed into the stall. ”Haha! Damn, those bastards really got you riled up~!" The one-eyed thestral leered at the mare's erect nipples and puffy, subtly moist crotch. "You need some real relief, and fast!"

"I-I can't help it," she muttered, shame-faced.

"Nah, I understand! All mares experience estrus! There's no reason to be ashamed!" Equinox smirked, undid her top, and tossed it aside before stepping out of her chainmail bottoms. She sidled up her nakedness to the mare and turned on the knob, hit by heated water.

Lightning Spark shivered under the steamy water, the first real bath she'd taken in quite some time. She'd also worked herself into a sweat after her pillow fight, her mind left to drift back to Web Spinner, ambivalent about whether she should have pressed and propositioned him for sex. She bit her lower lip in the cramped stall, and felt her lower holes clench hard.

"Estrus can be harmful if left unchecked," warned Equinox, who nodded at the mare's pussy, unable to held but wink and spew a dollop of her nectar each time she daydreamed.

"B-but you told me not to sleep with him!" She whined, almost seethed at the thestral.

"That's because you're not thinking clearly with dick on the mind. Trust me. An innocent little thing like you will have nothing but regrets once she sacrifices her virginity to the first stallion she's bending over for! But you will have to scratch that itch eventually! Until then..." Equinox pressed closer and traced the mare's curved hip experimentally.

"W...wha-? I..." Conflicted, she didn't stop the thestral when she caressed her tit.

"While it may be true a mare needs a stallion to truly sate her needs, I'd argue that another mare knows better how to treat her lady right," purred Equinox once she lathered up her palms with a bar of soap and started to rub the mare's ample tits in slow circles. "Don't worry," she leaned in to hotly whisper and nipped her ear. “Sex with me doesn’t count~.”

A second later, Lightning nodded her consent and swallowed hard once she felt digits probe at her unused snatch. She'd rarely so much as masturbated before, afraid it would attract more drones to mate with her. Yet now she moaned shamelessly, her hot, moist interior invaded, left to wink around the intruders that spread her birth canal wide open.

Soft breasts squished to Lightning’s back, one of her own tits rolled and squeezed, a nipple pinched when she was kneaded, while the other hand continued to explore her pussy. Wet squelches filled the air, and her swollen clit peeked out and rubbed under Equinox's thumb.

For a moment, she forgot the thestral was there. Instead, her thoughts vividly drifted back to Web Spinner. His hands tore off her clothes, before clutching her mane to bob her head along his rigid staff. Then, once her mouth had properly polished him, he’d hoist her up despite his lankiness and claim her as his mare. Her cunt seized around Equinox while she invaded her.

Lightning closed her eyes to keep the fantasy going. The scene shifted to Spinner holding her into a mating press, the pegasus unable to do anything but watch her unicorn wantonly pummel her pussy with bludgeoning thrusts. Fulfilling her innate desire to be bred with his future foals, once he flooded her love tunnel with a thick load to fertilize her eggs…

With a quiet cry, Lightning came. Hard. A messy cascade erupted from her twat and piled into the drain, spat out each time her pussy lips rapidly winked around her invader.

"Whoa, shit! You're really pent up," murmured Equinox in her ear as the youthful mare heaved her soaked tits. "First-timers are always so much fun! Anytime you need some stress relief, I'm down. But let's keep it a secret, okay?" She lazily licked her inner ear.

Lightning shuddered pleasantly. Her loins were still moist and ached for stallion meat, but not as severely. Especially since she still felt the mare entombed deep inside her winky pussy. "Th-thanks," she whispered, her cheeks still on fire. "But what about you? Maybe I-"

"Nah, don’t worry about it. I'm fine. Besides, you're still an amateur. I doubt you could make me squeal," she teased, then removed her slick intrusions from the mare's cunt, and pushed them into Spark's lips. The mare's eyes widened momentarily, then softened as she suckled and tasted herself on her. "That's a good girl~," she cooed once her free hand squeezed the mare's pert ass, the flesh kneaded in her palm. "Just let Equinox show you the way."

She surrendered to the older thestral's firm touch, who continued to soap her down and claim handfuls of her slick, wet body while they bathed. All the while, she told her more about their target, and how she believed this ‘rogue changeling’ was somehow linked to the mysterious infections that mutated the deep, dank hive she'd been imprisoned in.

The mare nodded dumbly, barely able to understand the world she'd been torn away from for what seemed a lifetime. Everywhere she looked, it appeared ready to crumble around her. However, her trip here ultimately left her with the faintest trace of hope!

*****

The next time Beatrix woke up, the first hints of dawn started to creep in. She yawned wide, rose, and stumbled closer to the river, then followed by the bank, searching for the broadest portion to bathe.

Her ears perked at the tell-tale sounds of combat. Peeking around the tree, she found her friends sparring with Penumbra. They repeatedly thrust and parried, while Cerise and Moonlight watched from the sidelines, albeit also with weapons in hand.

Kyube was also observing from atop a branch, his wooden staff nested in his lap. "Remember what Zeloph said about using that expansive plume," reminded Penumbra amidst a riposte. "It could make the difference you need!"

"Like this?" Midnight beat his wings, which swept the tree limbs, hair, and clothes of those around him, until the sheer force of the wind he loosed bowled his trainer over.

Penumbra unfurled his own plumage and swirled to hand on his feet after he was flipped over. "Yes! Like that," replied the swordsman. "You're a swift learner, sharp as ever...at least in combat."

"We've trained since we were kids," reminded Moonlight.

"Good. Because you can't expect a fair fight. Speaking of which..." His prosthetic hand swiveled his sword about. "I want all of you to attack me at once." He turned to the fox yokai and motioned for him as well. With a tilted head, the bandit lept off his roost and joined the perplexed group.

Cerise frowned. "Say what? B-but-"

"I can handle it," he assured her. "Question is, can all of you?" His eyes narrowed with focus as they readied their weapons and began to circle him. He watched them from the corner of his eyes and whirled to block the steel claws strapped onto Moonlight's arm when she made the first strike. Sparks scraped across his prosthetic when he elbowed the wind from her stomach.

"Damn," she cried and crumpled.

"Don't hold back," he warned his sister, who trembled as she held her spear.

"But these are real weapons! We could-" Cerise's words were cut off when he dove in, past her clumsy strike, and tossed her to the earth, his blade tip poised at her breast.

Midnight swooped his wings and let loose another whirlwind that threatened to knock Penumbra off-balance. He shifted his stance and slid across the dirt on his boots to recover, only for his eyes to widen as darkness surrounded Cerise, her open palm raised.

Crystal shards laced in darkness burst from the ripped-up earth and encased his feet. Trapped in place, he was forced to deflect the repeated stabs of Midnight's spear, his chest lacerated in minor cuts that bled in red splotches across his white cape. "Well done! But-"

His praise was cut short when Kyube swept his staff into Penumbra's legs, forcing him to buckle down. Seizing the opportunity, Moonlight unfurled her own bat wing prosthetics, which launched a series of darts from between them. Penumbra's slashes struck down several, only to be stuck in the chest by a lone dart. "Gotcha," she called and stumbled to her feet as the swordsman yielded.

"Nice teamwork there!" commented Cerise, earning a smile and head bow from the fox man. She mentally willed the shards that bound him to vanish; gems wrapped in shadow crumbled to sparkly dust. "Are you okay, Penny?"

"Merely a few scratches," assured Penumbra as he pulled the dart out, studying it. "Erm... are these-"

"I left out the sedatives this time," reassured Moonlight, who frowned. "Otherwise, you'd be out in moments! Or worse, if I decided to tip them with poisons! That was a risky, stupid idea!"

Cerise couldn't help but nod. "Brother, you don't need to prove yourself! We know you're skilled!" She removed his cape and took a moment to examine his cuts.

"I'm fine," replied Penumbra and winced, his tunic undone and tossed aside. Nonetheless, Cerise continued to patch his wounds the best she could with what was on hand.

Midnight continued to flap and flex his pinions, satisfied he could manipulate the winds to a certain extent. "This should be useful the next time we're in trouble! What a nice chance to bond! And hey! From what I've heard, Arcanum likes chess, too! Maybe we could play together sometime!"

"Sounds fun," said Cerise. "Oh! We're all sweaty now! Maybe we should-" The princess yelped when she and her friends were enveloped in a familiar aura.

Beatrix snickered, stepping out from behind a tree trunk, and declared, "Bathtime~!"

"Whu-wait! B-Bea-!" The princess squeaked as a telekinetic storm wrapped up the clothes that adorned them and casually stripped them naked, the articles tossed aside into a pile. While Kyube had avoided the removal of his garbs, his eyes immediately scanned for Chisana.

"Don't worry," assured Beatrix with a wink. "The little one's fast asleep~!" Under a casual hand wave, her costume sparkled and vanished from her voluptuous form, after which she swayed her hips and waded into the river. "Come on in, we all need to blow off some steam!"

Cerise rolled her eyes with a smile and followed her. She stopped behind the witch, then threaded her fingers through her tresses. "You're troubled," she observed as her herd and brother made their way into the pristine waters. "Understandable, after all that's happened."

"...yeah. This place is my worst screw-up," mumbled Beatrix while her platinum mane was washed and brushed. "I trusted Esmeralda and Camellia, invited them to the manor! Plus...you know..."

"...uh-huh." Cerise looked to her husband, his lifespan surely waning. "Maybe Arcanum has something that could help save him? I don't know. But I don't want you to beat yourself up over it anymore. I wouldn't be around without you, remember? Wouldn't have met Middy and Moonie, either!"

"Thanks," replied Beatrix as she watched the others swim and bathe.

Cerise spun the witch to face her and booped her snout. "Just don't try and sleep with my brother, okay? I see that twinkle in your eyes," she teased. "Sure, I know Lily told him to unleash his wild side here, but he isn't into cheap thrills! He wants some real intimacy!"

A shameful blush crept on Beatrix's face before she retorted, "I may be promiscuous, but I know when someone's off limits. Doesn't help that my lover and usual lays are elsewhere. Iclyn and Arcanum would probably mangle me before they even consider sleeping with me." The witch sighed. "What's a girl to do..?"

Cerise tittered lightly before nudging her friend to look at the male kitsune, who had yet to remove his clothes. He seemed fixated with the reflection in the running water, staring intently. "He did call you beautiful," the dancer reminded.

"Yeah, but I bet he was only saying that to butter me up so he could rob me... or did he? Hmm," Beatrix pondered, stroking her chin. Her options for intimate fun were severely limited, so it couldn't hurt to test the waters with the swiftfoot scoundrel. Plus, she was awfully curious about what sort of equipment Kyube had beneath those baggy pants. "Mama's gonna go find out~!"

"Have fun," Cerise snickered, lightly pushing her friend towards her next romp. "And you owe me a visit from Eclipsed Heart! I still want to meet my counterpart from that 'cyberverse'!" From what Beatrix had said, her wish to see Cerise in that world had led the Prima Materia to warp reality and 'birth' a counterpart of her that had become a pop star!

"Don't worry, you'll meet her," swore Beatrix, her heart warmed when she'd met the princess of pop and her rival bands. While her existence was the result of another dumb mistake she'd made, the wayward witch was happy Eclipsed had become her own person.

She quickly scanned the forest to see if her teachers were up and ready for her next lesson, though it seemed that wasn't the case yet. 'One quick round and I'm back to my studies,' she mentally promised herself before diving into the river and swimming towards the vulpine bandit.

Splashes sounded once Midnight used his expansive wings to wash down Moonlight, soon joined by Cerise after she waded over to her herd, where he bathed her too. Penumbra continued to obsess over his false arm, his mind far away by his pensive expression when he studied the prosthetic.

Unbeknownst to Beatrix, Arcanum was already wide awake, observing from the other side. His first thought was to scold the violet unicorn for skipping her lesson to feed her sexual appetite. But he then figured with that particular distraction out of the way, she'd have an easier time focusing. So he'll let it slide, for now.

The scruffy stallion had no real issues with Beatrix's hedonistic nature, unlike Iclyn, who was still snoozing. But Arcanum could sense the Necronomicon's influence on this world. And with enough time spent with Beatrix, he was optimistic she could lead him towards the forbidden tome...so that he could claim it for himself.