The labyrinth inside the Necronomicon began to shift. This made Sombra theorize that perhaps somewhere, sealed in the bowels, the Demiurge had taken control. If this were the case, then they needed to hurry. However, that task proved difficult when a solid stone wall slammed shut before him, sealing him off from his companions. “Damn..." he hissed.

Knowing that it would take too long to destroy it with brute force magic, he attempted to dissipate into a black cloud, only for his power to fizzle out. He snorted on frustration. “I've taken flesh for so long, that avenue's been cut off from me.”

He silently cursed the limitations of his physical shape. His silver armor and crown gleamed in the gloom, and he unsheathed the black sword at his muscular hip, confident that with Somnambula present with them, Bellatrix, and Beatrix would remain guided through this everchanging maze. He shook his head, hopeful that his apprentice would manage without going in over her head.

It had been his idea to summon her, after all. They were forever tied to the black tome and its machinations.

Aware there was no way to turn back, he was forced to continue onward. His boots echoed on the stone, and he navigated the maze, his face drawn and weary. He'd promised his loving queen to bring back their daughter. And that was a task he would not fail!

For an hour, he walked alone as darkness began to swallow the light before him. He once thought that he was most comfortable in the shadows. But as he kept walking for what felt like hours, he felt a longing to see his family and friends. Another reminder of how much he had changed. That with his new life, he now had infinitely more to lose.

A chilling shiver crawled up his spine, distant giggling could be heard through the halls. It sounded... child-like? Was the Demiurge playing tricks on him? No, wait.... This felt much more ancient. Much more...sinister. Malevolent thoughts and feelings all too familiar to him coursed through his body. When did the air get so cold that his breath was visible? He could no longer see anything, except the pitch black of the abyss before him.

Something within that abyss was gazing back.

Then...something moved towards the corridor's termination. Shaking off this daze, he followed it as the light appeared again, providing a silhouette in the mouth of the entrance. "No more tricks! Show yourself," he demanded as he unsheathed his sword.

“F-Father? Is that you...?!” Into view came Cerise Silhouette, stumbling her way towards his side. Completely naked, her dark fur-coated her shapeliness, neon pink pigtails looking messy. And bright, watery eyes that complimented the sadness in her smile. "You came for me! I knew you would."

It pained Sombra to take a step back, but he was still uncertain after the tricks of the Demiurge he experienced a moment ago. “Daughter.... How do I know it is you?" He asked in a stern tone.

“Daddy, please.” She whimpered with a soft sob and padded closer. “I barely managed to get away!”

“Stay back,” he warned, wishing to believe it was true. Yet he was far too familiar with this trap. Whatever demon was using his daughter as a facade, it would force him to pierce its heart with a double-edged sword.

"Father..." Cerise said, her smile more bright and cheerful before she suddenly started to dance. Her arms were upraised, her massive breast jutted out, her body swaying in tune to exotic music that began to play around them. Her hips, buttocks, and tits jiggled, splotches of neon color swirling over her supple flesh, a soft blush on her cheeks, eyes half-lidded, full nipples erect and her tight labia moist.

And Sombra could do nothing but watch his daughter put on such an alluring display. Much like Pacific Glow before her would do. Whatever illusion was cast, it was working...

“Daddy,” she cooed. “Wouldn't it feel more comfortable if you were naked, too?”

He gulped uneasily but nodded weakly as his blade fell with a clatter. More clangs sounded when he removed his armor, piece-by-piece until he too stood denuded. He approached her with a swollen cock; his body filled with suppressed lust between them.

Subconscious and unspoken, a taboo he'd never dare even think of breaking was spinning around his head. But for every 'no' going off, a subtle 'yes' was hissing into his ear pleasantly, like a snake.

Before he realized what he was doing, Sombra was upon her, lifting her up by her thick thighs and pressing her against the cold wall. She whinnied in anticipation, and he sank his flaring genitals into her, past the medial ring, fully buried in her warm, moist, and incredibly pink tunnel which clenched in desperate need around him.

Huffing, Sombra made love to her, her arms and legs wrapped around him. Their lips met with a smack, tongues wrestling, and he peppered her neck and breasts in more kisses. His fingers and nails sunk into her buttocks, so soft and pliable.

“Y-Yes! Ahh~! Give it to me, Daddy! M-make love to me! Make a foal with me~,” she pleaded in a sensual whisper with heated cheeks and smoldering eyes.

Grunting, he wrapped his teeth around a nipple, pulled and distended a tit, and she whined with her head tossed back. Her pussy clamped around him, milking him for his royal juices. He slammed into her faster, more forcefully, pounded her ass into the stonework, her ass slapping on it, her twat shooting spatters of her juices and running down his groin, desperate to take his seed into her womb.

He was similarly compelled to plant it there, groaning in desperation for release, “Oh daddy,” she repeated over-and-over with a flutter of her lashes between moans. She clamped her twat down on him, shrieking and squirting over his crotch.

“C-Cerise~!” His cock flared, locked within her cervix to properly seed her, and he unloaded directly into her slippery womb, painted her walls in repeated shots of his hot, sticky essence. He huffed, unable to stop himself even if he wished to.

The tainted deed was done. Sombra held his daughter to his broad chest, unable to think clearly as the pair were still intertwined. “Oh, thank you, Daddy. I love you so much,” she murmured. Still locked in her cum-packed uterus, he gripped her tight, never wanting to leave her warm confines.

What had possessed him? He'd mocked Shining Armor and Beatrix Belladonna for a similar dalliance they'd had in another world. Still, they'd been compelled by the Demiurge inside her to break the taboo, to create a vessel for the dark messiah of the Eldritch.

Holding her to him with a pained smile, he pondered how he would ever explain this to everyone. Let alone his own queen.

Just as he kept pondering what he would do, a flash of dark pink caught the corner of his eye. Something hopped back into the darkness of the labyrinth.

Beatrix Belladonna swiveled her head about. “Teacher? Sister? Sommy?” Her words reverberated back at her. It had happened in seconds, the walls had slammed down, the party separated. She considered one of the tubes hidden in the sleeves of her inner cloak, an alchemical concoction that could blow the stones away, but worried she'd be caught in the blast. “That would be a rather embarrassing end...plus, if this place is constantly shifting its dimensions, they could be miles apart by now!”

With a shake of her head, the witch wandered on. Her heels skipped on the stones, and her wide-brimmed cone hat bounced on her head, while her platinum hair and cloak swirled past her. She came to a junction. “Hmm, which way to go? They all look the same to me.” She scratched her chin, pulled a coin from seemingly nowhere, and after a flip where it called tails, she shrugged and moved to the right.

Shivering, she felt a pair of eyes upon her, and darted her gaze back, but they closed before she could see them. Her shadows trailed on the corridors, brought out by the torches that crackled on the sconces. It felt like anything could happen here.

Her ears flicked when she heard a soft moan coming from the distance. It was followed by an unmistakable male growl. “Wait, is that...?”

Peeking around the corner, her eyes and mouth went wide, and heat rose into her cheeks upon her discovery. It was Sombra, though he appeared much younger than she remembered, atop a lovely unicorn and gently pushing into her flanks. They were locked in a tender embrace while they made love. Her proportions were average but well-shaped, her coat a soft lavender, her mane azure. “Sombra.... My love,” she murmured tenderly and caressed his cheek.

“O-Oh Radiant Hope...I'm close...!” He stroked her locks mid-coitus. “Please...become my Queen, and let's rule the Crystal Empire; together!” His hand slid between her supple breasts, rested over her heart, and he listened to its gentle beat.

“All I want is to be with you,” she cooed each time he slid in-and-out of her silky wet slit.

The two shared a beautiful climax with each other. Never had Beatrix seen her teacher looked so serene, not even with Inky Rose or herself! A twig of jealousy struck her heart, but not enough to distract her from the scene. As the two lovers caught their breath and shared another kiss, Sombra rose up with an all too familiar smile. "Oh, Hope.... My ambitions will be much more than this. I've...done a lot of studying in some...powerful magic."

"W-what kind of magic, my love?" She asked with a confused look.

"Magic so ancient and so vast, not even the former Queen could control it. But I have discovered that I am a much suitable vessel. I just need a bit more time...a bit more power... Before...ugh! Before I can claim what is rightfully mine~!"

His eyes radiated with a wispy glow. Radiant Hope gasped, and his maw opened, fangs exposed, his horn twisting into a jagged mess. Black smoke arose from his muscles. He gripped her harder before resuming to thrust into her again and again, hammering into her body with relentless aggression. Clawing so hard into a breast and asscheeks, he left small cuts and bruises on them, he nipped a tit until it bled from small marks.

Radiant Hope paled, horrified. She tried to resist and pushed him to stop, whimpering in pain. “S-Sombra, slow down! S-stop, you're hurting me...” Yet he ignored her. He was a stallion possessed, his hand wrapped around her throat, as if to strangle her very life while impaling her cervix.

She sobbed when the flare buried there and he howled. His muscles clenched and he dumped his seed into her womb to claim his Queen. Yet the darkness of the Necronomicon had infected him, and he lost control in a bestial rage. She screamed.

“Stop!!” Cried Beatrix with wide eyes and wrapped her aura around him to try and fling him off. Yet her magic levitated nothing. It was like she wasn't really grasping anything. She kept trying before her magic depleted as the scene continued on, leaving her to watch with little choice of stopping it.

Radiant Hope closed her eyes with a muted whine when her body betrayed her, and she came on him. In the throes of his orgasm, he sunk a claw into her breast and tore out her still-beating heart, presenting it to her wide eyes. The very last image this poor mare would see is her lover with a manic grin, and glowing red eyes devour her own love for him, blood sliding down his chin.

Beatrix shook like a leaf. Even though this was an illusion, the smell of blood hung heavily in the air. As the monster imitating her teacher left, she slowly crawled towards Radiant Hope's body remained. “W-Why...?” Was her only response. Not to why this happened, she knew better.

It was a vision of the past, the stallion he'd once been, when the darkness of the Necronomicon infected him. But why show her this gruesome scene? She didn't really know this unicorn, and yet she felt strangely connected. She kneeled down by her side, covered her face with both hands, and softly sobbed for her anyhow, still in disbelief.

She told herself he wasn't a monster anymore, that he'd changed, and she'd been instrumental in that. She'd seen and known the terrible deeds he'd been capable of, but it was a stark reminder, and she couldn't help but feel guilty, that she too was culpable for every sin he'd committed if she loved him. Yet his apprentice couldn't deny she still felt strongly about him.

As she mourned for this false lover, she failed to notice two tiny glowing eyes peering over her. A low, rumbling chuckle emanated from the vails of darkness around her as if the Necronomicon was laughing at her.

Spike circled around the pyramid. Scales gleamed under the baking sun. He stared down at the arrivals, a legion of guards that flanked the Queen, Inky Rose, armed with crossbows and spears. “Stand down,” she ordered with a wave. “We couldn't halt him anyhow.” Her sheer, transparent black gown whipped about her ample form while she studied him with a frown.

They were forced to scatter when he descended with claws outstretched and smashed into the lower portion. Masonry crumbled and stones were tossed into the dunes. He took care not to harm anyone but proceeded to dig into the tombs, where he sensed the Necronomicon was buried, an alien scream pulsing in his head, drawing him to it in his quest for answers.

With the guardian of the sacred tombs, the Sphinx currently absent, Spike tirelessly clawed his way into the depths and unearthed the treasury. Under normal circumstances, dragon greed might have driven him to procure the vast treasures, but he ignored them and plucked up the black book, the mummified and stitched faces of the Eldritch drawn taut across its covers.

Inky pushed past her guards and came between him and the grimoire. Her heart raced, but she stood at her full height with her plume unfurled, her bare feet upon the piles of gold, and staring up into his eyes in grim determination. “Spike, can you hear me?” He tilted his head and paused. “Please... You'll make a grave mistake if you continue down this path. Control yourself!"

Spike raised a claw, ready to swat her aside, but not wishing to harm her. Still, the Necronomicon called to him, and another psychic headache threatened to split his skull. He howled, and beat his wings, whipping about a sand storm.

Inky stood her ground until she was forced to instinctively cower before his primal display of dominance, a reminder that to him, she was mere prey. His nail hooked into the cleft of her garment between her breasts, and shredded off her clothes, clasping the pegasus in his claws, his jaws slavering and dripping hot drool all over her writhing, naked form.

“S-Spike! Don't do this,” she whispered before shuddering in disgust as he dragged his tongue over her flesh.

He opened his mouth, baring his rows of razor teeth. Arrows and magic bounced uselessly off his hide, spears snapped on his armored scales, the Queen's loyal followers determined to lay down their lives if necessary to save her.

A blink sounded. “Spike!” He turned to the familiar voice, some awareness returning. “Stop it! You're not a monster!”

He managed to find his voice. “T-Twilight...?” He shook his head, trying to blot out the psychic reverberations, and gently set down Inky, shamefaced. “I...I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me.”

“I-It's alright, you're forgiven,” said Inky, who tried to wipe off the saliva coating her pale gray body. "Just...try to regain control sooner next time..."

Twilight Sparkle said, “It will be okay. I promise. We received your message, Inky Rose. I went around and gathered several allies to help.” Behind her stood a number who'd answered the King's and Queen's summons; Rarity who'd come for Spike, Sunset Shimmer who by studying Beatrix's powers the had been able to travel back over through an experimental machine which had broken down after one use, Fleur de Lis who claimed she had 'unfinished business,' and Trixie Lulamoon and Flurry Heart, who came in support of Beatrix. “I put together a team to rescue everyone from the Necronomicon!”

“Well done,” said Inky. “Please, save my husband and daughter. I'll be eternally in your debt.” She clutched the ankh hung by a chain that dangled between her bare breasts, which made her wonder if her destiny was always tied to this exotic land.

Twilight nodded. “Let's not waste any time, then.” She stared at the book deep into the unearthed pit, settled atop a column. Carefully she approached the tome, which made her shudder with its mere, eerie presence, cold to the touch.

Rarity sidled up to the dragon and pressed her white dress clad curves to him. “My Spikey-Wikey,” she purred. “We were so concerned, dear. Especially poor Fluttershy. I promised to make you see sense and bring you back home.”

Spike nuzzled her back, ignoring the buzz in his head. “Thanks.” He grinned at the other arrivals.

Sunset approached and laid hands on him, dressed in her old costume. Her eyes went white when she peered into him in search of answers. “Huh.” Answers flashed by her thoughts in rapid succession. “It's...it's the Demiurge all right. And the...Eldritch? No, that's impossible, we must have destroyed them all! A-ah!” She suddenly screamed, overwhelmed by rapid visions.

She collapsed and quivered, still howling, going into seizures when the psychic howl threatened to shred her psyche.

“No!” Twilight sank to her side, tears in her eyes. With help from her companions, she held her down and stuffed a cloth into her mouth so she wouldn't bite off her tongue. “We have to sedate her until we can fix this!”

“Leave it to me,” said Flurry Heart with pursed lips. She wore a simple dress with a cloak over it, reached into her satchel, and opened a tube. The bubbly contents were poured down Sunset's mouth, dripping down the side of her lips. Within moments Sunset settled into a deep slumber. “She'll be okay. Physically, at least. But her mind...”

“I'll save her. I swear it.” Twilight grit her teeth and balled up her fists. “It's all my fault. I shouldn't have brought her-”

Rarity held her. “You couldn't have known. It seems the scars left by the Eldritch shall never leave us.”

Fleur de Lis was dressed in form-fitted white attire enchanted to serve as armor. Her stylized halberd, its blade shaped like her namesake, was leveled at the cursed book. “I shall proceed into the Necronomicon and slaughter any Eldritch that remain!”

“We had better return home, darling,” said Rarity to her love. “Your family misses you dearly, as do I...”

Spike nodded. “Yeah, I...agh~!” His mind threatened to split again as another psychic shock wave pulsed through him.

The Necronomicon shot into the air, hovered, and opened up to admit them in. “Guards,” shouted Inky as black tendrils shot from its interior. One wrapped around Rarity's midsection, and she squealed, dragged towards the tattered pages.

“Rarity!” Spike growled and dived past them after her, only for the pair to vanish amidst a brilliant light, sucked into it.

“Inky, please look after Sunset. Let's go.” Twilight nodded to Flurry, Fleur, and Trixie, who followed after her.

“My little Beatrix,” said Trixie in her dramatic fashion. “We'll be there soon, I swear it! Nothing will keep me from you!”

They too shrank and were sucked into the brightness. Twilight couldn't help but think the tendrils looked familiar somehow. The black cloud Sombra had once been? The Pony of Shadows? The darkness that once transformed Luna into Nightmare Moon?

Somehow she sensed they were all connected, perhaps a byproduct across dimensions, an infectious evil that warped one into a monster. The Eldritch were merely another tool of this malevolent force of nature. She swore to put an end to it.

Somnambula carved her way through solid stone with her claws, but it was far too late. “At least I managed to locate you,” the Sphinx said to Bellatrix Primadonna. Her slit eyes surveyed the decrepit gray and lime-colored stone maze, which could be infinite in its dimensions. “Be wary. Anything may occur within the accursed Necronomicon.”

“I know. I was born here, in a sense.” Bellatrix crossed her arms and sighed. “I wonder, was I a demon drawn here, like so many others? Or was I merely a fictional character that Sombra breathed life into when he liberated me?” She'd been a typical succubus once, and with Somnambula's holy book, he'd eventually altered her into her current seraphic state.

“I feel partially responsible. For all this. I released Spike's full potential and sacrificed his life...” Soft sobs escaped Somnambula. “I have always done whatever it took to preserve Equestria, and yet my sins are heavier than most.”

Bellatrix shrugged. “So what? You're not a bad person now, are you? Without your knowledge or guidance, we'd likely all be dead.”

“Curt like always. Yet you may have a point. Wisdom from unexpected sources,” she mused with a soft titter. She paused and sniffed the air as a scent wafted their way. “You smell it too, do you not? The reek of blood...” She padded towards it, and spreading her plumage Bellatrix sailed next to her, her white radiance shimmering off the cracked tunnels.

“S-Somnambula...” Stygian tried to focus and leaned on a wall for support, bruised, and bloodied.

“Stygian?!” She bounded over to him, stricken. “Please, hang on!” He sank to the floor with a thud.

“The-the Pony of Shadows...has returned,” he managed before he slipped unconscious.

Somnambula chanted a prayer, and in a flash of light, temporarily abandoned her Sphinx form to retake her pegasus shape. She sat in her silk gown beside him and placed his head in her lap while she stroked his forehead. “Poor Stygian. We Pillars made a terrible mistake when we underestimated him. Was he delusional, or has the Pony of Shadows truly returned, independent of him?” She closed her teary eyes, eaten away by guilt and hopeful she could still save him.

“I may be able to heal him,” said Bellatrix who placed her palms on him. She concentrated and filled him with her holy warmth. Gradually his cuts and bruises receded, and his bones knitted, but he remained unconscious. “There, that should... ugh...” Her form suddenly felt heavy as she collapsed onto her knees.

“I am thankful for your help, but that act has left you terribly weak,” observed Somnambula pensively.

Bellatrix wavered in place, struggling to stay conscious. “I...I'll be fine. I just need to rest.”

“We may not have the time. This place is infinitely more dangerous than Tartarus. We have seen only the outer edges.”

“Again, I used to live here... not really that surprised,” Bellatrix sighed with a prissy huff. “I mean, the constant shifting plains is new to me, but everything isn't unrecognizable...” She struggled to her feet and carried Stygian the best she was able. “Still, we're going to need your protection if we're to get out alive.”

Somnambula nodded and, with another chant, return to her Sphinx form. “Leave it to me.” She led the way ever more profound with her transformation, her faith placed in the spirits to guide her. All her life she'd been committed to her sacred duties above all.

The possibility that they might never escape frightened her. Yet she steeled herself, knew she couldn't let doubts creep in, and crush her spirit. Without her, Bellatrix, Stygian, and perhaps the rest of their distributed team would be doomed to an eternity of suffering.

They needed to find them and fast!