--??? – 21:32--
“Oh, good, this is happening,” Loyalty remarked sarcastically as Isaac continued to scream and roll on the ground.
“It’s okay, Isaac! It’s just a bad dream! Wake up!” Kindness commanded, slapping Isaac a few times to no effect.
“Can you turn him down…?” Sloth mumbled irritably.
“No, I just love this particular volume for his voice,” Loyalty snapped back.
Sloth chuckled, and despite herself, Loyalty cracked a smile back. There was a flash of light and a pop, and they beheld the new Sloth. He… was strangely normal. His unicorn body was simple and green, and his mane was black.
“Sup. I’m Bob now,” he introduced.
Loyalty, Kindness and Honesty stared at him.
“…And I thought mine was weird,” Honesty mumbled.
--The Shop – 16:47--
The Keeper stared at a hanging Shopkeeper. The hanging Shopkeeper stared back. A fly slowly buzzed out of one of their mouths, and into the other. The Keeper continued to stare, almost as if listening. Finally, it shambled off to the left, lurching towards the items for sale in The Shop’s Shop, a Blank Card in one hand and a Two of Diamonds in the other. It was almost ready.
--Burning Basement I – 00:02--
With all the confusion happening in the Basement, the Lost had voted nearly unanimously that a new run could be started without anything special happening to Isaac and his companions. As they hopped across to the new Basement, they had quickly found themselves saddled with The Poop and blessed with Fate, granting them flight. But something was different – somebody had left them a message! The scrap of paper was dangerously close to a fire, so they reached down and plucked it out of harm’s way.
“Dear Eden,
If you are reading this then you are on the right track. But you must hurry. Defeat the first boss in less than a minute.
XOXO,
Lilith”
Eden, upon viewing this, shrugged and began flying as fast as it could towards the nearest door. Hopefully they’d make it in time…
--The Void – 21:00--
Isaac dodged, ducked and weaved, frantically avoiding the bomb tears as the horrible white thing transformed yet again, this time into Satan. A gush of white, dripping substance spewed out towards him from the false thing’s ‘hands’, and he threw himself to the side, only to hit a stray enemy tear. He countered with a flurry of his own, panting and heaving and fighting the urge to vomit. Satan he’d understood, and after a while he’d gotten the memo about ???. But what in Heaven, Hell and God’s green Earth was this thing? It didn’t have any religious symbolism that he could remember.
The thing was strong, too, stronger even than the Hush – and this time, he didn’t have Magic to save him.
“Help…” Isaac croaked, crying both as a weapon and out of desperation.
He had been so close to saving everyone, and now… now he wasn’t sure what he was doing, fighting this thing.
“Please… help…” he pleaded, the words barely coherent.
Bright lights and colors swirled all around him. Was this death? Was he finally, truly dying? That was almost a comfort at this point. The sweet embrace of death, of pure oblivion, would have been a welcome change of pace. He felt so… soft. Like a floating feather on a soap bubble. Isaac smiled, the last smile he might ever give. He remembered his mothers, both of them. He remembered his alternate forms, and the adventures they’d had. He remembered the friends he had made. Generosity, Kindness, Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, and Magic… hang on. When had he gotten Laughter? And when had Generosity given him that necklace? And why was he remembering the seven of them laughing and playing in a garden somewhere?
As Isaac ruminated on that thought, the beast who was so desperately trying to end him let out a roaring cry, as it was penetrated by six swirling beams of colored light. If Isaac had been watching, he would have seen the beams coming from six points of color swirling around him, whispering soothing things to him. But Isaac wasn’t watching as the horrible white monstrosity screamed its last, melting to the floor before being vaporized entirely. The chaos swirling around them flickered, like the static of an old TV, the background changing arrythmically before settling on a cool, calm, utmost shade of black.
And Delirium was no more.
-----
The Chest was shaking.
Luna and Celestia watched it, while Discord stood back warily. Twilight, Rarity, and the rest of the Elements of Harmony stayed by Cadance and the others, under a protective shield spell that Shining Armor was straining to hold even as Twilight and Cadance both added their magic. “What d’ya think’s makin’ that rattle?” Applejack breathed. “Something really bad,” Fluttershy whimpered. “Whatever it is, the second it pops out, I’m gonna kick it’s butt,” Rainbow promised, smacking a hoof for emphasis.
Luna reached out and touched it. “Sister!” Celestia protested. “It’s warm…” Luna noted. Cautiously, Celestia stuck her hoof out as well. The Chest was indeed warm to the touch – warm enough that she had to jerk her hoof back after a few seconds, even through the golden metal of her shoes.
As she nursed her hoof, Celestia saw, out of the corner of her eye, the lock inside the keyhole beginning to twist. “Get back, get back!” she ordered, the others scrambling to comply as even Luna flew backwards from the Chest, which was now vibrating with an audible hum. It glowed brighter and brighter. “It’s happening again!” Applejack noted. “You think Isaac will pop out as a demon again?” Fluttershy feared. “Only one way to find out,” Twilight nervously commented, strengthening their shield spell as much as she dared.
And the Chest popped open.
--Basement I – 00:58--
As Eden defeated Monstro with a bare two seconds to spare, they turned around to behold the Item Pedestal, wondering what the reward would be for following Lilith’s odd instructions. To their shock, however, they heard footsteps above them, thumping hurriedly away in the rough direction of the starting room.
“Isaac!” they heard Mom call as the footsteps left.
Wait. Mom? None of the Lost understood what was going on. They picked up the Meat! Absentmindedly, Eden’s white eyes narrowing as they landed on another slip of paper.
“Step 2:
Go to spawn room, use bomb. Then go to Boss Rush.
P.S. Run.
XOXO
Lilith”
The Lost, reading this, were still further confused, but at least they had a clear direction. It wasn’t much of a vote at this point, really – no Lost in their right mind was voting against whatever strange plan Lilith was carrying out.
--The Garden--
She was in the kitchen. She was always in the kitchen these days, even though she only ever cooked for herself. She examined her flabby chest, searching for a wound that had never been there. When…? The next thing she knew, she was hurrying outside, eyes alight with that desperate, crazed fury that she’d become all too accustomed to ever since he left. Where was it, where was it?! There! She snatched up the shovel from where she’d thrown it away so long ago.
“It’s today,” she laughed, a delirious sound of glee. “It’s today!”
A crow squawked beside her, following her curiously. She let it be, clutching the shovel like it was her Savior and running as fast as her thick legs could carry her towards the bed of flowers she’d so painstakingly planted over the Place. Hurriedly, too hurriedly, she began digging – she’d have him back. He’d come out, all smiling and laughing and alive… As she thrust the spade into the dirt, it hit something hard, unexpectedly hard. Surprised, she stumbled back, the spade bending over the edge of the hole she’d made… before snapping in two. She stared at the two pieces, laying amongst the fragments of bone and skull, shock turning to horror.
“No… no, please, no, you promised, you promised, YOU PROMISED!” she thundered, wailing and sobbing.
She held her ample dress up to her eyes, wiping them clean – he had cried enough. She wouldn’t cry for him anymore. But the dress wasn’t coming off of her eyes. The crow squawked beside her again, and she felt like she was falling, the hole seemingly widening to swallow her up just as she had cast her son into it to swallow him. Screaming, Mom fell through the hole in the world, wondering if this, at last, was her punishment.
Oh, yes, my dear, a voice whispered in her ear. And this is just the beginning.
--??? – 22:22--
“Well, he’s stopped screaming. That’s good… I think?” Honesty noted as Isaac finally lay back, his shaking and seizing body having somehow calmed itself.
“Now if he would just wake up, that would be even better,” Loyalty snarked, idly examining a hoof.
“Hh…” Isaac breathed, eyes fluttering.
“He’s waking up!” Kindness announced joyously.
“Kindness…?” Isaac mumbled, pushing himself into a sitting position and looking around with slightly dazed eyes. Loyalty, Honesty, and a new green pony stared back, with flabbergasted expressions, before a familiar gray unicorn pushed his way into Isaac’s lap, nuzzling his chin with all his might.
“I knew it! I knew you’d be okay!” Kindness exclaimed.
“Shut up, no you didn’t,” Loyalty rebutted.
“Nice to see you too…” Isaac muttered, rubbing Kindness’ back comfortingly.
He looked around again – the faces in the wall had all disappeared, and the door he’d walked through into that nightmare was a seamless patch of the wall, as though it’d never been there.
“Is it… dead?” he wondered.
“Yeah… Magic killed Hush, remember? You were there,” Honesty reminded him.
“…Yeah…” Isaac replied. He got to his feet, gently setting Kindness on the ground. “Okay. New plan… I’m sorry, who are you?” he asked, looking warily at the green pony.
“Laughter. Or Bob. Whichever, I guess,” Bob shrugged, having regained his usual lazy expression.
“…Okay then. Welcome to the family… I think,” Isaac muttered, before straightening up. “Anyway… new plan. Magic’s heading up, and I think Lilith’s heading down. We’re heading up too so we can confront YHWH. Any questions?” he asked.
“No time, let’s go!” Loyalty cheered, already racing towards the portal to the Cathedral and hopping into it.
“Do you have the Polaroid?” Honesty asked.
“Right here,” Isaac affirmed, pulling it out.
“Uh… you sure that’s the right one?” Honesty wondered, squinting at the shadowy figure and Luna behind Isaac’s smiling, human face.
“Yeah… it changed to this. Don’t worry, it’ll still work,” Isaac dismissed.
“If you say so, boss…” Honesty acquiesced.
--Depths II – 10:04--
Eden tiredly dodged to the left as another of Mom’s thick, severed legs came crashing down. This new challenge was exhausting – if they stayed still even for a second, they were bound to get stomped, and the legs never stopped unless they used this strange new Active Item. Now they had to do the Boss Rush? They stepped into the appropriate room, and breathed a sigh of relief as the music slowed down – the Broken Stopwatch was, for once, doing its job. It didn’t really matter which Item they took… but that Gnawed Leaf looked attractive enough. As they picked it up, the other three Items disappeared in the usual fashion. They couldn’t use the Broken Shovel again just yet, but in two more waves, they would. Eden dodged, this time forward. At this point, even they didn’t know what was going on, and they generally did.
--Ultra Greed – 20:04--
Keeper entered the room, watching the brown Donation Machine vanish, something gray wriggling inside it as it squirmed to make itself hidden. Keeper knew that its time was almost up. One last fight, before it could rest. Its coins were at maximum. It held Midas’ Touch, Piggy Bank, Holy Mantle, Pyromaniac and Pyro, Swallowed Penny, Car Battery, and its customary Wooden Nickel.
It wouldn’t lose.
The hanging golden noose around the massive behemoth’s neck snapped. It crashed to the floor, awake and furious. The Keeper shambled forward, smiling.
The fight was the same, and as Ultra Greed went down, the Keeper almost wondered if it was done already. Ultra Greed turned to gold, clawing at its face in horror as it solidified… but something was different. There was a thump from the inside of the statue, and it shook before slamming a fist down in front of it, having somehow regained movement despite still being solid gold.
In that instant, the Keeper might’ve felt fear.
--Dark Room – 37:06--
Lilith took a seat by the patch of dirt.
“Picnic?! This quick?!” the Incubus squawked indignantly, ruffling its wings as it glared at her with its beady red eyes.
“Hush, little one. We are waiting,” Lilith clarified.
“Sa-tan?” Incubus wondered.
“No, he is dead,” Lilith answered.
“God?” Incubus asked, cocking its head.
“No, He is finished too,” Lilith answered, smiling at her little helper’s frustrated curiosity.
“…Isaac! Isaac is coming back!” Incubus decided.
“Not yet, that’s later,” she chided.
“…I give up,” the Incubus grumbled.
Lilith chuckled. “For once, it seems I know more than you,” she teased.
“Unfair! I wasn’t up there!” Incubus angrily replied.
“No… neither was I, really,” Lilith murmured. She gazed upwards at the nonexistent ceiling, her blindfold keeping her from seeing anything more than blackness. “Maybe someday, though…”
--The Cathedral – 23:07--
Magic was waiting for them in the Guardian Room, a snarl on her face. “What took you so long?!” she castigated as soon as she caught sight of Isaac.
“Um… I dunno. I fell into some kind of… coma…?” he answered, looking at the others for clarification.
“He started hallucinating and then had a seizure. He’s got the Polaroid,” Loyalty spoke up.
Magic nodded smartly. “Onward, then. And Isaac?” she snapped after a moment.
“…Yeah?” Isaac answered warily, a little taken aback.
“I’m… proud of you. You’ve come far,” she muttered.
Isaac looked at her for a moment, and then smiled. “I’m proud of you too,” he whispered, and flipped open the Chest, sucked inside instantly.
--The Chest – 24:00--
As they landed in this, the final floor, Isaac was greeted with a familiar grinning face.
“Long time no see!” Charity greeted.
“Charity!” Isaac remembered, smiling.
“So ye’ve made it! Good thing, too – with what He’s been throwin’ at’cha, I was scared,” Charity noted.
“Greed? You’re out of the Shop!” Honesty noted in shock.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Neva’ happens. You ever think I was hidin’ in there from the big guys? Honestly, the way you lot tease me sometimes. Anyway, guess we’d better head for the biggest guy – I just finished takin’ care of one of his… minions, I guess,” Charity shrugged.
“How come you get to be a human-thing instead of a pony?” Kindness wondered, sounding a little hurt.
“Ah, right, that. Gimme a sec,” Charity chuckled, his form beginning to glow white. A second later, they beheld Charity as a pony. He had a coat of silver, his mane a bright, shimmering gold while his eyes were a deep copper. His Cutie Mark – to which Isaac noticed he had one, unlike Kindness, Honesty and Laughter – was a simple cent. “So, whadd’ya think? Pretty good, right?” he wondered.
“You can transform?” Loyalty wondered, her gossamer wings buzzing indignantly.
“Eh… sorta. Not into anything, mind you, but I can change appearance, yeah,” Charity explained. Loyalty grumbled something inaudible.
“Well… that’s all six, then. We’re all here,” Isaac realized.
“Indeed. Now what, Lord?” Magic regally wondered.
“Uh… well… we confront Him. And then… I guess we’ll figure it out if we achieve that,” Isaac decided, grinning.
His hands glowed pink as his third eye pointed him forward. The others began to glow, losing form before joining him as six swirling lights that seemed so strangely familiar. Isaac, worried for a moment, was quickly soothed when he heard their voices. They were still there. They would protect him, just like he had promised to protect them in turn. They were his Friends, and he theirs.