Being trapped in one’s own mind can be a horrifying experience, especially when that includes being forced to watch someone else hurt the ones you care about most.

For Allen Greathouse, this was the worst possible kind of hell he could imagine.

His prison was an endless, barren field covered with patches of tan grass. A cold wind blew across the landscape, and the sky was a dismal grey. Allen had seen this place once before, a few months ago in a nightmare where Sanguis had slain his friends. It appeared Sanguis wanted to bring that fear back to him, but now Allen believed this landscape fitted him, for it matched his now-dark personality and mood.

During the first few days of his imprisonment, he was certain that the crystal shell he had trapped himself in would be enough to keep Sanguis from gaining control over his powers, but Drayke and the others had shown up and freed him a few days later. At first, he begged Sanguis to spare his friends, but that only made the warlord more eager to hear their cries of pain.

Now, Allen sat in the center of the endless plain, grimly watching the display he could no longer control. He showed little emotion, except the slightest bit of anger when Sanguis would inflict pain on his friends. Other than that, however, he stayed silent.

“Come now, Allen,” Sanguis said as he walked toward the alicorn prince, an all-too-friendly smile on his face, “you aren’t making this any fun for me. How am I supposed to enjoy tormenting you if you don’t respond to it at all? Come on; scream, beg for me to spare your friends, cry out in agony, anything!”

Allen glanced up at Sanguis. “Why would I give you exactly what you want?” he asked coldly.
Sanguis looked confused. “You mean to tell me you no longer care about what happens to your friends?” he asked, sounding as if her were shaming the boy.

Allen stood up sharply and glared at the warlord. “I care for my friends more than anything in the world,” he growled, “and as soon as I get the chance, I’m going to make you pay for causing them harm.”

Sanguis smiled cruelly. “And just how are you going to do that?” he asked condescendingly, “in case you have forgotten, I am in control of your body.”
Allen smirked. “You won’t be fore long,” he replied cleverly. “Drayke is going to kick your ass out of my body, and then I’m going to kick your ass for real. And this time, you won’t be coming back.”
Sanguis narrowed his eyes. “We shall see,” he said seriously, and vanished before Allen’s eyes.

Allen’s face fell after the warlord disappeared. Although he had faith in Drayke, he was afraid there was still a chance that he would fall to Sanguis’s power. After all, he had defeated and captured his friends, Luna, Celestia, and Discord, all with hardly any effort.

If they couldn’t beat him, how could Drayke?

“I’ve just got to keep hoping,” he whispered sadly, “I’ve got to keep hoping that harmony will prevail.”

“Okay,” I said slowly, “how can we get to the Void?”

Cadence, Zecora, and I were back in Zecora’s hut. I sat on the bed I had woken up on earlier that day, Zecora was brewing one of her mysterious potions, and Cadence was pacing back and forth in front of me in her Black Heart jumpsuit, which, I have to admit, made her look insanely hot.

Wait, what?

“Well, Sanguis got there using a portal spell,” Zecora said, keeping her gaze on the cauldron before her, “could you do the same as well?”
Cadance shook her head. “Portal spells are ancient magic that only alicorns can perform, and only the most powerful could use one to travel to a place like the Void; I don’t think even Allen could perform a spell like that,” she said, sounding annoyed.

I nodded. “Okay, so that eliminates that possibility. Zecora, you wouldn’t happen to have a potion that could just ‘poof’ us there, would you?” I asked the busily stirring zebra.
Zecora sighed and looked up at me. “I’m sorry, Drayke, but I’m afraid there is nothing I can do,” she said apologetically. “While potions can be powerful, I can’t make one that does whatever you want it to!”

I sighed deeply and rubbed my fingers against my temples. “Okay, so we need a way to get into the void. What about when I was trapped in my crystal, and you kept it in that secret room beneath the Crystal Palace? There was all kinds of old books down there; maybe one has what we’re looking for!”

Cadence thought about this for a moment. “That may be our best lead,” she sighed. “Just hold still, and I’ll teleport us there.” She turned to Zecora. “Would you like to come with us?” she asked kindly.

Zecora shook her head. “Although I want to do what is right, I’m afraid this is not my fight,” she said sadly.
I took an angry step forward. “‘Not your fight’ my ass,” I growled, “if Sanguis wins, everyone in Equestria is screwed!” I was about to go on, but Cadence held a foreleg in front of me and shook her head slightly.

I sighed heavily. “Well, is there anyone we can trust enough to help us out?” I asked.
Cadence looked thoughtful for a moment. “Well, there is one individual who comes to mind,” she said slowly, and she held her head high as her horn took on a blue glow. “Hold still!” she cried, and there was a bright flash of white light.

Back at the Golden Oaks Library, Spike sat atop a ladder, grumbling as he shelved some of the many books the library was famous for providing.
“Why does Twilight get to go on so many cool and exciting adventures,” he asked aloud, “and I get stuck back here on cleanup duty?”

Just then, a loud thud sounded from the next room, and an angry voice yelped in pain.
“I told you to hold still!” the baby dragon heard a feminine say with a giggle.
“Yeah, but I didn’t think I would end up thrown into a wall!” the other voice snapped.

Spike ran into the room to see Twilight’s sister-in-law, Princess Cadence, standing over a rather angry looking, blonde-haired human. The man saw him and nodded acknowledgingly.

“This the guy we’re looking for?” he inquired.
Cadence nodded quickly. “Spike, we need you help. Twilight needs us,” she said urgently.
Spike crossed his arms. “No she doesn’t,” he mumbled sadly, “she can just ask that Allen guy for help.”

The human stood up and stared at Spike grimly. “Spike, Allen is the problem,” he said slowly.

Spike looked confused, but Cadence was already charging her spell. “No time; we’ll explain on the way!” she cried, and Spike, the human, and Cadence all vanished from the library.

~-~-~-~-~

“You really need to give more warning before you do that,” I grumbled, rising to my knees and rubbing my head, “I’m gonna get a concussion if that happens again!”

Cadence giggled lightly. “Okay, we need to find some sort of ancient spellbook; it should have what we’re looking for!” she said quickly, and she and Spike started scanning the rows of shelves that lined the room.

I sighed and turned to one of the bookshelves, lazily running my eyes over the titles emblazoned in fancy gold letters across the spines, until one of them caught my attention.
“‘Royal Courtship Rituals, Volume 2’?” I whispered incredulously, “What the hell is this?”
I flipped the book open and started skimming through the various paragraphs filled with cheesy romance tips, and gave a perverted smile when I saw the title of chapter 3. “Kinky,” I said aloud, and suddenly frowned when I realized I was staring happily what some might consider horse porn.

I may be in love with Cadence, but that doesn’t mean I had totally come to grips with my newfound attraction to female equines.

“What was that?” Cadence called from the other side of the room, and I quickly tossed the book aside.
“What? Oh, nothing,” I said quickly, glancing back to make sure she wasn’t looking. “I was just complaining about how long this could take.”

Cadence nodded. “I know this may seem hopeless, but we don’t have many other options,” she said apologetically. “Wait, here we go!” she suddenly cried, and Spike and I ran to see what the alicorn had found.
“‘Comprehensive Compendium of Forbidden Spells, First Edition’,” I read aloud. “You really think this will have the spell we need?”

Cadence shrugged. “All I know is the first edition was recalled several years ago, only a few days after its initial release on account of all the dangerous spells it contained. We made sure to keep one copy on reserve, just in case,” she explained, and opened the book to the table of contents. “Let’s see here… Mental Manipulation, Resurrection, Alchemy, oh, Portals!” she cried suddenly.

I raised an eyebrow. "With spells like these, why are there any problems in Equestria?" I asked slowly, "I mean, you can turn criminals good, bring back the dead, make gold... you could solve every problem you are faced with!"

Cadence nodded. “Yes, but in the wrong hands, these spells can have disastrous results; after the books were released, we had numerous cases of brainwashing, zombies, bank fraud, and disappearances,” she explained. "We had them discontinued, and the last copy was hidden away here in case of an emergency."
I stared blankly. “Yeah, there’s always the possibility of all that happening,” I agreed. “Well, shall we get this show on the road?”

Cadence took a few steps back. “I’m going to need some space for this, just in case something goes wrong,” she explained, and Spike and I ran to the edge of the room.
“So, is it true you tried to take over Equestria, and then you helped Allen save it?” Spike asked nonchalantly.
I sighed. “You bet your ass it is,” I said quietly. “And here I am, trying to save it again.”
Spike nodded as we watch Cadence close her eyes and float into the air as a circle of mystic runes appeared on the ground beneath her. “So even the Obsidian King has a heart,” I heard him murmur. “I guess anything is possible.”

Normally, I would have kicked the little guy for saying something like that, but I was too awestruck by the beauty of Cadence’s spellcasting. She waved her horn and spun in the air, creating a light blue trail around her as the runes began to glow brighter and brighter with each passing moment.

Suddenly, she snapped her eyes open and burst forward from her spot in the air as a beam of blue energy exploded upwards from the circle, the force knocking me and Spike off of our feet and blowing all of the books from their places on the shelves.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” she asked with a slight laugh, and Spike and I stood up and walked towards the newly opened portal.

“So, we just step into this, and we’ll be in the void?” Spike asked nervously.
“That’s right, Spike,” Cadence replied, nodding encouragingly. “It’s just like stepping into a doorway.”
I looked down and saw the Comprehensive Compendium laying on the floor, still open to that portal spell. “We should take this along, just in case,” I suggested, picking the book up and giving it to Cadence. “If the spells in here are as powerful as you say they are, then they may be a great advantage to have on our side.”

The alicorn princess nodded, using her magic to levitate the book into a black backpack she wore. “Good idea, Drayke,” she said, and turned back to the portal as her visor folded around her face. “We have no idea what’s waiting for us on the other side of this thing, so both of you need to be on your guard,” she warned us with her now-distorted voice.
I nodded, and she leaped into the blue pillar of energy and disappeared. Spike and I looked at each other uncertainly.
“After you,” the baby dragon said politely.
“No, no, I insist; after you,” I replied, taking a step back and holding out a inviting arm.
Spike sighed. “To think you and Allen are the same species,” he muttered, and sprinted into the portal before he could hesitate.

I ran over to a pile of books and, after a few moments of digging, found the Royal Courtship Rituals book. “I’m going to save you for later,” I said slyly, and realized I had nothing to keep the book in. “Just wait here for me, okay?” I asked finally, dropping the volume and diving into the portal without a second thought.