Ewe stood on guard in the dark corridor while Beatrix and friends remained asleep. Soft blue clouds hung above their heads, a work of her magic to keep their spirits and minds from the corrosive influence of the Necronomicon. Or something far worse than that.

It's just as the shepherd feared. She could feel Zeloph's presence all over the place. The Vice Lord could be lurking around the very corner that they resided in. Would it even be him or just an effigy to further frighten them?

It was a good thing she got to this dimension when she did, or these stubborn ponies might have unleashed something they wouldn't have the capacity of understanding. And it was her duty, no matter how wicked or malicious the variants of these alternative realities, to not allow one to fall to a Vice Lord.

The infamous sound of static in her ear caught her attention as she held her staff tightly while looking around each section of the hallway.

"I know you're here," Ewe called out. "You can hide in the shadows all you want. I still see you!"

"Oh? And what is it that you see, shepherd?" A voice asked through the signal noise, speaking directly into her mind. On the left side of the corridor, many eyes opened to look over the hardened shepherd before glaring down. "All I see is a feeble old goat, trying desperately to hang onto hope."

"As long as I stand between you and the way out of this accursed book, you will not go free! I refuse to let your mania spread to these ponies!"

All around her, laughter echoed in different tones and voices.

"Haha! Hearing you proclaim such meaningless bravado never gets old! It's just too funny how foolish you are," the entity mocked. "I can't be stopped! As long as I exist in the darkest part of their minds, I will never die. And it's only a matter of time until these mortals drive each other insane. The more time they spend here, the more freedom I have to influence them! In all honesty, I should be thanking you for giving me plenty of company~."

Ewe growled, doing her best to ignore the deranged laughter serenading her inner thoughts. "They will not be staying here long. Once they escape, I'll-"

"You'll what? Try to cleanse me away with a silly little seance? I'm not some nightmare you can blissfully ignore," the voice snickered, knowing its remark would strike the ram deeply where it hurt. "I am beyond your concepts and physical manifestations. I will be leaving the confines of this labyrinth. And deep down, you know in your heart that you can't do anything to stop it. So if I were you...I'd quit lying to yourself and accept reality. Let's see how long it'll take until one of these weak-minded ponies slips off the edge of sanity. And falls gently into my grasp~."

"Never!" Ewe bellows, bright illuminating light from her staff shining through the darkness, if only to ward off the dark entity momentarily. As the light dimmed, the eyes of Zeloph disappeared with Ewe struggling to keep herself under control.

As it turned out, her outburst of anger leads to awakening Beatrix and the others as she stretched out her limbs. "Auuuugh...Lady Ewe?" yawned the violet unicorn. "What happened. We were all safe until everything went dark..."

"Yeah," Cerise murmured as she clutched onto her father, shaking off the sleep. "The sky opened from the clouds, and a bunch of menacing-looking eyes was looking all over us. So creepy!"

"Seems your sanctuary isn't safe from the Demiurge for long," Sombra concluded while looking to the Dream Shepard with furrowed brows.

'That fiend!' Ewe said quietly to herself before she turned with an apologetic look. "The more we stay here, the less protection we have for our minds and hearts. We must find the others here and leave immediately!"

"Right," the witch nodded, shaking her face to steel her determination. "Let's get a move on, everyone!"

The blackish-purple mist sparkled and rolled around Twilight Sparkle and her companions, who continually called out to Spike and Nightmare Rarity, tapped and pressed on the invisible barrier that separated them. A cool breeze swept around them. Tempted as she was to surrender, she decided to rest, particularly since once their magic recharged they might break for it.

A thin sliver of light pierced the dark and slowly spread. Soon a warmth that tickled their skin penetrated the area, and from it walked Somnambula in her pegasus form, followed by Bellatrix Primadonna, who carried Stygian with her.

“Stygian?!” Twilight gasped. “Does that mean the Pony of Shadows-”

“Missing, for now. Something strange indeed is afoot,” answered the priestess who approached the two lovers continuing with their rutting, trapped in a shared delusion and enslaved to pleasure. Her eyes watered, and her lips trembled. “I must save him,” she murmured with eyes narrowed. “Whatever the cost. After all, I did this to him.”

With a chant in a long-dead language, a flash cocooned her, and she transformed into the Sphinx, sacred guardian of her beloved homeland. “Lend me your power,” she called to them. “Declare your love for them, so we may reach their hearts!”

They nodded and focused on the lovers, yelled to them, and Somnambula felt the barrier start to weaken under her claws, which she sank into the invisible shield and attempted to pry apart. It glowed and sparkled, her muscles straining with a groan, not caring if she snapped her bones in the process, aware she'd driven him to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Stygian stirred with a muted blink of his eyes. “Please,” he murmured. “Allow me.” He, too, added to their chants.

Somnambula gritted her razor teeth, and her paws shook under strain. “Quickly, Twilight-!”

Twilight managed to blink into the hole, past the magic barricade which was now no match for her power and arrived before Spike and Nightmarity, the latter straddled atop while she rode him into blissful submission. She blushed and cleared her throat. “Spike, Rarity, can you hear me? Please, it's time we returned home!” She touched his firm shoulder.

Color returned to Spike's glazed eyes. “T-Twilight...?”

Nightmarity bristled mid-coitus, her cold gaze biting into the intruder. “Jealous, are we darling? Unable to accept some part of him will always see you more like a mother, that your beauty does not remotely compare to mine?”

She slipped off him and stalked to meet her. Twilight looked over her shoulder, only to realize the barrier had closed back and trapped her. “My is that all?” Nightmarity looked her up-and-down with disdain. “So skinny. Barely a morsel.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes with a scrunch of her snout. “Hey! My proportions are perfectly average!”

“Oh, really now? Let's test.” And with a flare of light from her horn, Nightmarity wrapped her aura about Twilight's clothes and shredded them right away, exposing her modest breasts and slightly curved hips for all to see.

Instinctively, Twilight covered her breasts and crotch with her hands, face burning, aware most of them had seen her naked many times but flustered by the unexpected assault. “How dare you! Release Rarity now, you monster!”

“Not a chance,” she answered with a slow lick of her lips. “Spike clearly prefers me this way-”

“Wrong.” Spike rose and grabbed her arm as he came to his senses. “Thanks for helping me see clearly, 'Rarity.'”

“Spikey-Wikey,” she drawled sensuously with a flutter of thick lashes. “Wouldn't you like-”

“No,” he stated firmly and brushed aside her attempt to stroke his crotch. “I love the realRarity. Not this monster that wants to exploit us like we're dolls!” Spike clasped her hands, leaned in, and affectionately met her lips.

She melted into his passion, exotic dark skin and fur regaining its pristine natural radiance by the second, and she slowly shrank back to her natural state, arms wrapping around his neck with soft sobs as her consciousness returned. Reluctantly she withdrew from his maw and met his stare with a faint whisper of, “Is it finally over?”

“For now. We still need to find an escape,” noted Somnambula, who strolled forward through the dissipating mist into the blank white void which replaced the fog. “And locate our allies, of course. Thankfully I have no doubt they will be fine.”

Spike rubbed his head. “What happened to me? It's like voices were screaming in my head...”

“Sounds like the Eldritch,” muttered Bellatrix with a curl of her lip. “But they're all dead, aren't they?”

“Their cursed spirits may yet roam these dimensions,” explained Somnambula. “But I sense something else at work. The Demiurge is akin to a cancer, but it is like that power is being manipulated, compelled by an intrusive force. Whatever the case may be, they have the advantage here, and we must make haste to bring everyone back home before we end up trapped.”

“Better stay on guard,” said Flurry Heart, who patted her satchel. “I brought a lot of potions I mixed up, just in case!”

“Follow my lead,” said Somnambula. “The spirits shall guide us to our destination.” They stalked the white void, which seemingly stretched forever until ghostly apparitions began to billow up like vapors. Their warped, mutilated faces trapped in silent screams. “Creepy,” muttered Trixie with a shudder. “They look so familiar. Wait, are those-?!”

“Phantoms of the Eldritch,” sneered Bellatrix. “Think they messed with Spike's head?”

“Perhaps,” said Somnambula, who swatted with a paw and dispersed a few into the ether. “Yet in this state, there's no way these evil spirits acted on their own. It must be true. Some creature has infiltrated the Necronomicon and seized control. I do not think it likely the Pony of Shadows could do this on its own, however. Whoever this mastermind is, their power rivals the Demiurge.”

Aware there was nothing to be done here, the group moved on past a sea of disembodied Eldritch, who numbered in the thousands. Sometimes, they could hear the faintest whisper of alien babble, thankfully too weak to penetrate their thoughts.

Rarity pressed close to Spike, who shot her a reassuring smile, hopeful they would finally overcome this nightmare.

A search between the parties came to an end as they came face to face with each other at opposing ends of a four-way crossing. Flurry ran up to hug her half-sister. "Thank goodness you're safe! ...uhm, who is this?" She asked upon looking at the shepherd, who gave a slight smile.

"She's a friend! I'll explain once we get out of here," Beatrix offered while returning the embrace.

“We have what we've come for,” Sombra proclaimed as his daughter continued to hug his arm. His gaze narrowed back to the dragon taking the front of their group. “Ahh, good! Glad to see you and Rarity have made a recovery. Now, if we can just find an exit...”

"Don't wanna stop this touching reunion, but we better get a move on! Look!" Spike exclaimed, pointing below them. Everyone gasped as a white tornado started to swirl from the void's center, stretching so high they couldn't see its top. The whirlwinds themselves were made up of countless Eldritch specters that swirled about.

Their distant, uneven screams echoed throughout the labyrinth, causing many to clutch at their ears to withstand the horrible noise. It looked like the aliens were driven to madness, like a swarm of ants scattering all over the place after losing their queen. In mass numbers, they had been highly intelligent. Alone they were eventually reduced to crippled, almost mindless abominations, which might have invoked pity if not for all the memories they stirred from damage inflicted on their world.

“Through the east corridor,” insisted Lady Ewe, pointing her dreamcatcher staff towards the mouth of the other hallway. “I believe there may be an exit that way.”

Somnambula padded up by her with a nod. All at once, the group followed their lead. “There is a vast amount of spiritual energy here, at least. I believe the Eldritch is drawing towards it to escape as well. We must endeavor not to let that happen, lest they retake flesh.”

Cerise shivered and clutched at her father's side. “Daddy won't let that happen! Will you?”

He shook his head and stroked one of her neon pink pigtails. “Certainly not. Though we must take caution. If the exit is at the tornado's apex-”

“Someone will have to fly up there,” said Spike, who pursed his snout with a nod. “Allow me.” He spread his leather wings and shifted his muscles, prepared to shoot skyward. Twilight and Rarity touched his broad shoulders, and he toothily grinned.

“Show off,” said Beatrix with a light chuckle. “Can't blame a slice of beefcake like him, though!”

He flexed his scaled muscles, showing off his naked, chiseled musculature to the ladies. Trixie rolled her eyes, yet couldn't help but sneak a look, too. Stretching, Spike hurled himself upwards, staying outside the tornado's range but following it to the top. He was joined by Flurry Heart, who without a second thought rose to aid him, inclined by a kindness instilled by her parents.

“Aren't those wings still experimental,” yelled Spike over the eerie howl that washed over them.

Flurry Heart furiously beat her plumage to keep pace, faced steeled in determination. “I'll be fine, promise!”

They pushed against the gales and sailed higher and higher. Within minutes they spotted a dimensional tear, radiating with energy that they hoped could transport them out of the dark tome. “Guess we'll have to carry them one at a time...”

“Maybe not,” called Flurry, who dug into her satchel and procured a vial. Using a formula Beatrix had told her about, one created by one of Flurry's counterparts based on an alchemy creation by a version of Sunburst, she popped the cork and shook the bubbly liquid. When it poured out, the substance turned into thick vines that crawled below.

More vines grew from below, Beatrix using her own potions so that the growths met in the middle and intertwined into a dense, gnarled trunk with a crackle. “It's like the fairy tales mother used to read me,” said Flurry with a giggle.

Spike gripped it and said, “We'll keep it steady while they climb!”

Battered by the winds, a precarious climb began. Flurry, lighting her horn, cast her aura to help them keep hold. Cerise was pushed up first by her father, followed by Stygian, who struggled in his weakened state to maintain his grip.

“I'll go last,” said Sombra, who coolly met Radiant Hope's empty stare.

“How noble,” replied Radiant, who strained to pull herself up, helped by a still exhausted Bellatrix.

One-by-one, the weaker members of their party made the trip and vanished into the rift. “Oh no,” Somnambula, in her Sphinx form, hurled up to the dimensional tear and yelled, “It has started to close! Hurry, we may have minutes at most!”

Lady Ewe clung to the Sphinx's back tightly, all too aware at who was interfering. "Zeloph...”

“You go ahead,” said Spike.

Flurry Heart pursed her lips. “But-”

He shook his head. “No way am I letting anyone die for me! I've lost too many friends already!”

Reluctantly, Flurry turned and vanished into the rift, Somnambula carrying in Lady Ewe too. Beatrix shot her mentor a worried frown, but he pushed her upwards with a pat on the bottom. Pretty soon, she scurried up with help from his aura to speed the process until he and Spike were the only ones still trapped within the collapsed dimensions.

The two leaders locked gazes. Spike asked, “Want me to carry you?”

“I can manage on my own,” replied Sombra, who realized like Twilight had predicted if he tried to teleport upwards he might be pushed off and like her decided the risk was too high. “Save yourself, hero.”

“As I said, I won't abandon anyone. Not even you,” noted Spike, the tension between them still thick.

“How...touching.” Sombra realized he still didn't fully trust him, and honestly couldn't blame him, not after what he'd done, especially with the reappearance of Radiant Heart who'd reopened the wounds of his past sins. In truth, his faith in himself had been shaken.

Had the Necronomicon compelled him from the start? Stirred to drive him to it in hopes he would liberate it? He climbed onward.

He was nearly at the apex when Spike suddenly seized his head within his claws and howled. The Eldritch tornado stirred faster, whirling into a frenzy, and unleashed another psychic scream that sliced through the dragon's psyche.

His eyes went white, jaws snapping and drooling, and overwhelmed by primal rage, he lashed out blindly with wild swipes.

“Damn,” cried Sombra as nails sliced through the vines. They snapped amidst a crunch, and he tumbled with a yelp.

Spike clutched at his skull, which throbbed under pressure, and on instinct zipped into the rift moments before it closed.

A desperate teleport enabled Sombra to catch himself, but still, he landed with a thud. He hissed under a snap of ribs below his silver armor. His head swam, and his vision blurred. He trembled and struggled to rise, shaking and staring at the stirred up Eldritch ghosts. He growled and bared his teeth, seething with bitter resentment, unaware of the darkness that festered in him.

He was alone. At the mercy of whatever lurked in the book. Forced to seek another exit by his lonesome.

Resigned to this fact, he adjusted the sword sheathed at his hip and marched on. He swore faint voices whispering to him, directed him to an exit. “What is this...” He questioned. Was it the shepherd still reaching for him?

No, it couldn't be. These voices didn't sound like her. Still, he had few options to turn to and chose to follow the voices calling to him.

Yet the more time he spent alone, the more the Pony of Shadows could infest his spirit and warp his mind, bringing forth all the malice and evil he spent years trying to hide.

The mastermind behind these events had intentionally driven the Eldritch to psychically assault Spike, forced him to attack Sombra, and then make his escape. Within the Necronomicon, separated from his loved ones, it would be much easier for the darkness to take root, especially with a renewed belief that the alliance would never truly accept he'd changed.

Not after the infidelity he committed with his daughter, nor the state of Radiant Hope...

The pain that bit into his fractured ribs made it harder to think clearly, to blot out the disembodied whisper inside him. Some would always think him a monster, no matter how he strove to prove otherwise.

He snarled and clenched his blade's hilt, narrowed eyes aglow, fantasized about sinking it into the dragon's heart...