Equestria smoldered, swallowed up in an all-consuming blaze. Lava churned in the pits between the seas of rocks that steamed and hissed, the hellish crimson skies itself afire. At first glance, Bellatrix Primadonna assumed she was in the Badlands.

But upon searching the globe, she discovered that the entire planet was like this. And everything pointed to her as the one center in its devastation.

She sat naked on a throne made up of skulls, not unlike a Dragon Lord, the bones taken from various creatures. In response to her wishes, a full-length mirror materialized in mid-air before her, yet what stared back wasn't the radiant angel with blonde curls she'd come to expect, but the succubus she'd once been, with several alterations.

Her horns curled over her head like a ram. Black-and-white hair. Scarlet eyes. She pursed her scarlet lips in a pout, stretched the membrane of her leathery wings, twitched her spade-tipped tail, and extended her claw-like fingernails.

Ever since she'd slipped unconscious, Bellatrix has relieved this vision of fantasy and horror over and over.

"C'mon," she groaned, clawing into her head to try and wake herself. "This is just a dream; this is just a dream..."

"Stop lying to yourself, dear." A disembodied voice chuckled. Bellatrix's very shadow began to expand and rise from the ground, limbs and tendrils formed as many eyes opened all over the creature's vessel. It towered over her while continuing to remold its shape into something more humanoid.

"We both know t̶́h̸̛̀ì͟͞ś̕ is what you've always wanted. This is what your heart desires! This is what your reality could be~."

“I doubt this is anything more than an illusion you set up, Zeloph," she spat, her lips curled into a vicious smirk. “For all that goat's talk about how horrifying you are, this is some pity level villainy."

"A villain, am I?" The figure tilted his head while his eyes dilated. "And what about me is so villainous?"

"Don't play coy with me! You're a Vice Lord, your whole MO reeks with evil. You break the minds of mortals, drive your victims insane for twisted designs! You're the one keeping me hostage here! In this Illusion or dream or whatever!"

The primordial being chuckled in response. "Is a predator evil for following its instinct and killing meek prey? I thought you knew better, considering you've been following a stallion known for his atrocities and spite."

"You keep Sombra out of this! This doesn't con-"

"But it does. It a̵̶̡͠ļ̶͘ẃ͡a̢͏y͡s̵̨͘͡ has~" Zeloph countered before reaching out to grab hold of her shoulders. Bellatrix shuddered under his touch, strange waves of feelings pulsating through her body. "You misunderstand, Bellatrix. I'm not the one keeping you in the reality you crave. We both know you're too afraid to return to a world you never belonged in."

"A-augh! N-no, shut up!"

"You still consider yourself a monster. And no matter what angelic visage you took, you knew deep down, you could never change your true nature. You were born a lie~."

"Stop it!" She screamed, bitter tears streaming down her face.

"If you return, you know the ones you love will continue to domesticate you. Continue to tolerate your pitiful existence. Your aloof mask may fool your sister and master, but you can't deceive me, Bella. I̵͢ ̵̶͘s̸̵̵̕e̸̶̴̛e͟͠ ̷̀͡͝͠y̢̛ờ̕͜u͢͠ ̵̶̢̛͜f̸̸͜ó̢͘͢r҉̶͝͡ ́w̛͡҉̸̡h̶͡͏̸̢ąt̴̡̛̀͡ ͏̶y͝͏̵̕͏ơ͠҉ù̶ ̵͢͠͡͞a̕͝r̵͜é̶̸!!"

All at once, the red clouds opened up. More eldritch colored eyes peered down at the helpless succubus. The many emotions Bellatrix fought to keep down began to pour out from her like a fountain. She clutched onto the shadowy figure, who returned her embrace with a gentle stroke of his hand.

"It's not fair," she sobbed. "Why am I forsaken to such cruel fate?!"

"Shhhhh," the Vice Lord's deep voice whispered soothingly. "I agree that the circumstance of your existence is depressing. But there may be a solution."

"A solution?" She asked, rubbing the tears from her cheeks. She noticed that many of the eyes making up Zeloph's body were closing as skin, muscle, and bones began to materialize. The Vice Lord even had a mouth where his head loomed over her.

"Instead of being fictional, what if the world around you was? You may recall a dimension where Sombra unfolds the Necronomicon, causing it to consume the entire planet. Through my guidance, we could do something similar. You are bound to the grimoire still. The world that rejected you would become a story, one where you are the author!"

Her eyes widened, recalling that particular dimension. She pulled away to look at herself through the mirror, touching the surface. Her reflection was different. Instead of the horned sovereign of hell, she looked like a normal, happy-looking mare, wearing complimenting clothes and a big smile.

For a moment, Bellatrix yearned towards the appearance of normality before bitterly glaring at the reflection of Zeloph. "What you're suggesting would mean the loss of many lives!"

The forming body behind her shrugged his shoulders. "Mortals die all the time. Is the value of physical life not worth the high mortality rate of people you envied and despised?"

"But, you expect me to betray Sombra and Beatrix?!”

“I expect you to s҉͢ȩ̡͘d͢͢u̕͡cè̴͠ Sombra," the Vice Lord insisted, his eyes narrowing into a piercing glare. "He has denied himself of his true nature for too long. With his reputation in shambles, you can be the one to guide him back on a nobler path."

A possibility she once craved. In her fantasies and delusions, Bellatrix wished for her master to choose her and build a life together. And if she allied with Zeloph, that reality could happen. Yet, it sounded too good to be true. "A-and my sister?"

A low chuckle left the newly formed lips of the fleshy creature. "No harm will come to Beatrix. That I can promise. I have m̷ųc͏̵h̴ planned for her~."

She scoffed. “And what is your plan? What will you get if I agree to help you?"

“Y͘͜͞͏ó̢͝ų̴͝͏'̷̛͜l̨͏̷́͜l̶̡̕̕͠ ̵͏̷̡s̶̀e̕͜͢e̴~," the eldritch entity promised as his almost complete body glowed in an ethereal light, ascending towards the skies, the many eyes swirling away into the clouds. "Consider my offer, Bellatrix. You and I are beyond mortal comprehension. I would much prefer you relish in my glory than perish."

“Heh, that's a first. Most have compared me to a rabid animal..." The succubus mused with a bitter laugh. Bellatrix eyes wandered to the volcanic mountain range, spewing blackish-gray smoke and spewing molten lava with a roar. What would have been hell to most was heaven to her.

She wouldn't have to feel shame, would no longer be restrained by pesky morals that confused and burdened her.

She raked her nails over her smooth, bulbous breasts, cooed softly, and felt her wide nipples hardened under her caresses. A warm tingle traveled down her entire body and pleasantly burned in her loins.

Her nostrils breathed in the sulfurous stench with a flare. The reek of brimstone filled the air swirling around her, threatening to burst into embers and dance around the succubus.

Crimson clouds broke with a snap of thunder, bloody rain sluiced over her, and she rubbed the red droplets dribbling down her curves into her tits. She reclined in her morbid throne and contemplated Zeloph's offer, now aware that she was free to leave this plane anytime she wished.

All he spoke struck true to her. And it was hard to compare the consequences of her choice with the reward he promised.

Racing to the aid of his companions, Spike sailed into the blizzard swathed in ancient Dragon Lord armor. Sleet whipped around him, hissed under his natural heat, the instinctive rage and lust that Trixie and Beatrix hadn't been able to sate fully, making his stomach smolder, the flurry of snowflakes and hail that struck him turning to vapors in an instant.

Blood dripped from the maws of the windigos. They sailed around the magic beams that Twilight, Sunset, and Flurry unleashed in a rapid barrage, only for one of them to be tackled by the Sphinx who growled and swiped. Its stomach split in a plume of blood and guts, the splatter sticking to her thin fur, but she immediately turned her attention on another of the monsters.

On the battlefield below were black swirls of whirling smoke, scarlet streaks in the snow and roads, bloodied chunks of unfortunate frozen crystal ponies shattered in the crossfire. A storm of demons continued to arrive in a cacophony of phantom wails.

Inhaling sharply, Spike unleashed an inferno from his belly to blast the windigo with fiery force. It shrieked, burst into a greenish pillar, blackened and twisted until the full power of his blaze consumed it.

“It's no use,” cried Twilight, firing off more lasers. “There's far too many!”

“We're going about this the wrong way,” called Sunset over the gales. “They feed on conflict, right?”

Flurry Heart nodded and channeled more magic. “But we can't just let them slaughter us! What are we supposed to do?!”

Thinking it over, Spike attempted to cool his anger with another deep breath. He noticed Somnambula, who was usually one of the more level-headed allies, had almost lost herself entirely to her animal instincts.

Her eyes became slits, she hissed and bared her teeth, and he heard her cackle when she shredded another demon to chunks
of meat between her bloodied nails.

With each one felled, a couple more replaced them. Not to mention the windigos that remained swelled from the conflict around them, fed off it. No doubt, they were the reason this version of the Crystal Empire fell into a mockery of its former self.

He continued to fight alongside them on the defensive, unable to think up a way to deal with these creatures.

Sombra had remained with Bellatrix's slumbering form, stroking her face in hopes some form of contact would awaken her. And sure enough, her eyes fluttered open before she shot up with a gasp.

"Ahh, you're awake!" Sombra exclaimed with a smile.

“And in a timely fashion," Ewe sighed in relief before holding up the stylish mask, fully woven and complete.

The angelic beauty shot up and stretched her limbs. "I feel like I haven't moved in centuries! Was I heavily sleeping?"

"Sadly, no. If you were, I would have been able to access your dream. You were in a trance similar to the one Sunset fell under."

“You were out for a couple of days at most," Sombra noted.

Bellatrix, still fresh off the feelings and images from her trance, gave the nod in response before looking around the wagon. "What has my sister been up to?"

“Oh, she's outside with Trixie. I believe they planned to put on a show while we wait for Spike and his allies,” Sombra explained before fetching her a cup of tea. Inhaling the warm fragrance, she took a sip and let the liquid melt her woes away. “Ah~.”

Suddenly, the door thudded open. “Ah, speak of the devil! How's the rehearsal going?" He asked as the busty blue unicorn rushed passed him to grab a bottle of water.

“Not important," she retorted. "Beatrix's ill."

"Ill? What do you mean?" Oona questioned.

"I-I'm not so sure. It looked like Beatrix was having cramps and trying to hold in vomit. It appeared like she had morning sickness!"

Bellatrix's eyes widened at this assumption. “W-wait, you're not trying to say that... No, that's impossible! She's-”

“I know, it sounds crazy, but I can't ignore that possibility given the weirdness of this place,” Trixie insisted.

“Well, hold on,” Lady Ewe said, standing up and taking her staff to follow the magician out. “I can prepare a balm to ease her pains. It will only take a moment.”

“Whatever may help.” Trixie tapped a heeled boot, eager to ease her daughter's troubles however she could. “Say that Beatrix did end up knocked up somehow. And say you were the father to her child, Sombra. Would you take responsibility or abandon her?”

His face flustered a bit. His mind raced back to the last time they slept together, his body slowly being consumed by the Pony of Shadows while claiming Beatrix for himself. That ominous voice was demanding he breed her. Perhaps it did something during that moment to make her fertile?

"If it's true, and I am to blame, I will be there during her time of need. I would never abandon her," Sombra declared, though uneasily.

“I'll hold you to that,” warned Trixie with narrowed eyes.

The click of heels sounded from the doorway. “I'm...thankful you're all so ready to make plans without me.” Beatrix leaned on the door when she stumbled in, another hand on her tummy. “But rest assured, I'm not pregnant. My stomach's just been bothering me. But I'm all better now!"

“You're pale and sickly,” said Trixie, who offered her a drink and doted on her with a pained smile.

Beatrix took a small sip. “I just need rest is all. Though I did see something,” she said hazily.

"Something? What was it?" Sombra asked with concern.

She plopped onto a stool. "I-I'll tell you about it once we're out of here. Ahh, thanks,” she said with gratitude to Lady Ewe, who mixed in the balm into her tea. As Beatrix drank, the heat settled in her belly. She turned her attention to Bellatrix with a happy smile. “Nice to see you're awake, sister! I was anxious if you would ever come back. How are you feeling?”

“Yeah, I'm fine," Bellatrix lied. She looked distraught, yet unable to converse with her family and friends about her encounter with Zeloph. His words were still ringing in her ear. Beatrix noted something was off with a quirked brow, but choose to not push her for it. She would tell her when she was ready.

“Great! Because Spike ran off to help Twilight and friends. How about we crash the party?” Beatrix suggested, looking to her two mentors. “I mean, have you seen the storms lately? They probably need our help, and we can't stay here on our butts forever!”

Lady Ewe nodded. “Yes. With my task complete and Bellatrix awakened, we should get moving.” The goat woman turned to approach Sombra, placing the mask to his chest. “The moment we leave the Necronomicon, this mask will harbor your soul. This is the best option I could give to you, I'm afraid.”

He took the mask into his hands, staring long and hard at it. With a weary sigh, he nodded before looking back into the honey-colored orbs of Oona. “I appreciate the effort; you have my thanks. Though I'm puzzled, how were Radiant Heart, Foal-Bearer, and Wet Nurse able to take flesh?”

“No doubt due to outside interference,” replied Lady Ewe as she strolled around the interior. “Zeloph's power isn't limited to resurrecting the dead for his malicious intents. Alternatively, the Crystal Heart might have done the same thing, albeit for a benevolent motive. I believe it would reawaken should it sense the safety of its people was threatened. And a third option-”

“My connection to the Necronomicon,” he finished. “What should have remained ghosts were more like revenants offered a second chance when I drew on its power. Poor victims who couldn't accept they were truly dead. Or it could be a combination of all three. The tome toyed with my anxieties, to which the Crystal Heart and Zeloph played off in accordance to their motives.”

Regardless of the truth, he owed them so much. Like his wife and daughter, they suffered under the Pony of Shadows who'd taken his flesh. Inky Rose was one of the few he'd shared all his past crimes with, the nightmares that still haunted him on occasion, confident that no matter how terrible his sins, she unconditionally loved him. He'd wept in her arms, consumed by self-loathing, able to show her his weakness.

The sooner they escaped, the better the chance he could rescue them. He stroked the sword at his hip in anticipation. Lulamoon complained that she couldn't put on the performance they intended, but they readied themselves for battle.

With renewed vigor, the group rushed to aid their allies in the fury of the storm.

On a throne sat the Sombra subsumed by darkness. White blank eyes stared ahead, blinded by the Crystal Heart, which had almost driven the Pony of Shadows from the flesh he invaded. By his orders, Diamond Tiara and Cozy Glow attended to him, stripped his armor, and rubbed down his tired muscles. Neither dared speak in his presence while he seethed.

Rough hands wandered over their bodies. They were nothing more than vessels to sate Sombra's craving for flesh. Breasts, hips, and buttocks kneaded between his palms and nails, while the tyrant dwelt on his setbacks. For the moment, his dark tome, seated atop a stand not far from them, was sealed. He'd dismissed his guards and pondered what to do with his brides and their handmaidens.

No doubt, he'd crack the barrier around the book given time. By brute force if necessary. The dark arts multiplied one's innate powers, and the Pony of Shadows was the master of darkness, now embedded in a perfect vessel.

Despite the risks, he decided to move forward with the invasion. He would crush the alliance to the last.

A yelp rose from Cozy Glow, who he pulled onto his lap. Grunting, he impaled her, and she whimpered with a titter. She trembled under his touch with a blush, trapped between dread and arousal, her plumage erect under his strokes.

Taking a tit into his maw, he nipped at a nipple, pulled on the soft flesh, the breast distended far as he could manage. He released it then slapped Cozy's tit back in place, still connected to his mouth by a line of saliva. He bit at her other breast, clasped a buttock and slipped a finger up her asshole, groaned and hammered up into her, his thoughts far away.

Discontented, he yanked Diamond Tiara closer to them, slipped his fingers up between her inner thighs, and inside her with a wet schlick. She squirmed under his jabs, spatters of her juices washing over his hand each time he took her past the knuckle.

Cozy rested her palms on his chest and huffed. His horn lit, and he wrapped his aura around her clitoris, tweaked her love button until she mewled and writhed in desperate need. With a whinny and flush, she came first all over his lap in a messy spray.

Teeth clenched, he held back his release, determined to conquer Tiara first too. He fingered her faster, hand upturned so that he attacked her g-spot directly, and with a childish whine that matched Cozy's own, she squirted over his arm and clenched.

Satisfied, his flare, locked in Cozy's uterus, erupted. Repeated thick blasts battered her warm and wet confines.

The two spent mares went slack upon him. Their stud finished fulfilling their needs with nothing else on their mind but to continue pleasing him. He was a conqueror. He should be out there to lead his vast army.

But how could he, in his current condition?

Yet he needed to make a public appearance with his brides. His thoughts drifted to Somnambula, the hated traitor, and the priestesses she'd been forced to leave behind. He needed to punish someone, a scapegoat for his current condition, and either of her students would surely do.

He studied the pair and pondered; which of the two were of lesser value to him?

Crunches sounded in the snowfall when Sombra and the rest of the party arrived near the Crystal Palace. With glowing horns and hands, he added his own power to the blast, trying to push forward. “Ugh, it's no use,” Oona called out to the others while holding out her dreamcatcher staff. “You'll never win through sheer force!”

Sunset nodded to Twilight and Flurry Heart, who touched down to aid the barrier they cast in concert. Spike swooped next to the Sphinx, and with a reluctant nod that went against her bestial instincts, she followed him down to the rest of the group.

“I see,” said Sunset, watching the windigos swirled above. “We wait for them to weaken.”

“We must remain untied," Oona reminded, taking hands to those closest to her.

“Very well.” After a moment, Somnambula chanted, and in a flash, retook her pegasus shape. She winced at a pain in her ribs but ignored the sharp stab. “I...forgive me, Sombra. It is wrong to blame you for this. Nor is it helpful.” Thuds sounded overhead, and the abominations repeatedly battered the invisible dome, their horrifying visages appearing briefly with each strike.

“It doesn't matter,” he replied. “Whoever is to blame, I must help put it right.” He shared a small smile with his apprentice and her sister. A certain warmth filled them all, soothed the bitterness that often ate at his heart, who he'd usually relied on Inky and Cerise to aid him. He'd come to depend on his family, who filled a hole he once tried to close in pursuit of power.

After what seemed like hours, the blizzard finally died away. The windigos withdrew, their eerie howls died out, and a clear blue sky opened up above them. Silence settled over the ghostly remains of the Crystal Empire, preserved in its abandoned state.

“There,” said Lady Ewe, who pointed at a nexus back to Equestria that swirled above.

Sombra drew his lips into a line. “Did you know this was here the whole time? Well, no matter.” Those who couldn't fly were carried by Spike and Somnambula, who retook the Sphinx form and lifted them onto her lean back, then hurtled up with him.

The rift shimmered and hummed. One-by-one, each resistance member phased through, where Stygian waited on the other side to make sure the Necronomicon remained open for them.

As the last member stepped out, the unicorn forced the book closed, and the portal dispatched. Everyone sighed in relief.

"We made it back!" Twilight exclaimed, hugging Sunset close to her who had rejoined her flesh in the glass coffin and rose. Neither cared that she was nude.

"Where's Sombra?" Spike asked, looking around. Ewe beamed before holding up the mask, a dark aura pulsating around it. "He's here. It'll be a while until he awakens, but he's safe," the Shepard insisted.

"Oh, thank goodness you're all here," Stygian said with a worried expression. "I don't know how long until the Pony of Shadow's sends Sombra's most immense armies to assail us. Fleur de Lis has been doing her best, keeping our location secret."

"Good on her then. Now that everyone's here, we'll need to form a new plan of attack. Fighting with Sombra's forces is inevitable." Spike sighed. "Wait a second.... Someone's missing."

Everyone looked up at each other in alarm before figuring out who was absent from the group. Bellatrix's eyes grew wide in fear.

"What happened to my sister?!"

Beatrix found herself flung out from the portal; her body brushed into the sand. Spitting, she rose to discover that this wasn't the oasis. And that she came here alone.

"Mom? Sis?! Teacher? Ewe!?" She called out. Yet none of them were within sight—just innumerable dunes of sand and dusky wind. "What happened? How did I get separated?"

"Call it divine intervention," a sultry voice answered. Immediately, the witch whipped her head back to see the slender mare assassin wielding her halbert. Her skin-tight bodysuit looked ripped in places, expose her soft flesh and voluptuous form.

"Fleur!" Beatrix exclaimed before rushing towards her. "Where are we? How did I get here? What did you mean by-"

"We're not far off from the Oasis, don't worry. But there is something I must show you. Viens avec moi~!" The taller unicorn insisted, taking her hand and leading her down a sandy slope in the desert.

Beatrix felt exceptionally on edge. Despite knowing her for a while, Fleur never reached out to her in a friendly matter. Mostly due to her relationship with Sombra. So to have her now approach her about something boggled the witch. She looked too happy to see her.

'And is it me or do I hear a strange muttering?' She thought, hearing a small voice whispering from the busty mare. A strange smell of smoke hung in the air, causing her to cough.

"Ahh~ Here we are!" Fleur said, stepping away to show Beatrix her finding. But the younger unicorn only gazed with horror at the sight of so many charred corpses toppled over one another. And on each side of the pile were torches. Her astonished gaze wandered over the ground, only now noticing the blood stained in the sand.

"F-Fleur, what did you DO!?" She demanded, yanking her hand away.

"What I had to," she responded calmly, the smile she wore remaining. "Sombra's been sending spies around this area, looking for the group. I had no other choice but to dispose of them."

"But by burning them?! Don't you realize that they, too, are victims in all this?! This isn't Sombra's doing, it's the-"

"Open your eyes, Beatrix! He is the enemy! He will always be our enemy. The moment you let go of your feelings for him, you will see! He used me! Raped me! Took my beloved away from me! I longed for the day Fancy Pants would return to me."

"Fleur, look I--w-wait, what? What do you mean by that. Fancy is..."

A hollow of laughter erupted from Fleur's voice as her eyes leered down at the younger unicorn. "Fancy is here, Beatrix. Here, look~!" With a swift turn, the graceful unicorn flipped her mane up. And what Beatrix saw next caused her to scream.

Fancy Pant's face was embedded onto the side of Fleur de Les's neck, smiling as charismatically as he once did. Magenta energy glowed out from his eye sockets and mouth. "Charmed to see you again, Beatrix," his high pitched voice greeted. "It's been so long since we last talked."

"W-WHAT IS THIS!?" She screamed, stumbling down to her legs, unable to tear her eyes away from the grotesque sight.

"This is the gift bestowed upon us by the great Zeloph," the face distorted, making Fancy's grin wider. "He brought me back to my dear wife! Now, we are finally one once again."

"And forever~!" She giggled along with her husband.

"N-no! No, this isn't real! This can't be! You can't be doing this, Fleur! This is insane!"

"Relax, Beatrix! The time is upon us now," the unicorn noted as dark clouds began to form over the once sunny day. "The ritual must be complete. And soon, he will set us all free!" Fleur swayed her way to pick up both torches.

"NO! FLEUR, STOP!" Beatrix yelled, rising to put an end to this growing madness. But she found magic enveloping around her form to sit her back down. Fancy's horn glowed with his familiar aura and helped restrain her.

"Sorry my dear! But we can't have you getting in the way of all our hard work. Do try to relax~" He suggested before Fleur crossed over the torches and spoke an incantation, her eyes glowing that ominous ethereal glow.

She chucked the torches onto the pier of burnt victims, setting them all on fire. Beatrix stared helplessly before the sound of screaming filled the air.

They were all still alive. Just incapacitated to the pier and unable to do anything but burn for the dark ritual. The fire erupted from the bodies before taking on the familiar magenta shade associated with Zeloph. The lick of flames also transformed, swirling around the smoke like leaves. The ashes and pieces joined the flurry as the light took form.

The wind blew over Beatrix, finally managing to break Fancy's hold on her, but continued to stare aimlessly into the light as a body took a step forth from the disintegrating ashes and bodies. The light dissolved, all the remnants of the slaughtered lost to the wind as the tall figure stumbled out from the empty pyre.

At once, Fleur knelt down before the enigmatic being. "The ritual is complete. You are free...Emperor Zeloph."

The form of a stallion stood tall, long midnight hair waving in the wind while wrapped around his beautiful lean body. The ends of each strand curled to resemble an octopus' tentacle. Feather wings unfurled from behind his back. The Vice Lord took a deep breath of the atmosphere around him before looking down at each hand. Eyes disappeared into his flesh. His gaze shifted to the treacherous unicorn, and a gentle smile spread his features.

"You've done well, lovers~" He praised before turning his attention to the speechless witch that gazed up to him. Confused and frightened, violet eyes were stuck staring into the magenta orbs of Zeloph, smiling down at the mare.

"Beatrix... S̴o͠ nic͞e ͝to f̵i͢nálly m͟ee͞t you͢~!"