//------------------------------// // Paradise // Story: Isaac's Box // by dragenfire68 //------------------------------// Luna felt it as soon as she merged with the dream, they are linked all eleven of them are linked to this dream, however unlike a normal dream, this is specifically built for the dreamers, she didn't have long to examine the dream construct, soon she found herself in the middle of ponyville, which was surprisingly empty for a dream, instead she heard in the distance the sounds of laughing, Luna continued until she was on the crest of the hill, and below her, ran the children who looked like they were in an intense game of tag, but instead of just simply touching the shoulder, they would tackle the other to the ground before getting up and running off. "LULU, I'm glad you could make it," Celestia said, after looking up from a blanket laid with Twilight next to her, watching the children. "Celly, what happened in that chest," Luna asked, causing Twilight and Celestia to look at each other before nodding "I figured you would ask, now follow me, and stay close." Luna wondered what Celestia mean until a burning door opened in front of them, thick black smoke poured from the opening, stifling the scent of blood, Celestia walked in, gesturing for Luna to follow her, under the smell of smoke was things she didn't want to describe, Celestia walked with purpose until she came upon a room lined with gold, inside lay a pedestal, with nasty looking nails floating above it. "Ah, here we are, now we wait, they shouldn't be too long." "Where are we, this makes Tartarus look tame by comparison, even our most vile villains never had to endure this." "This is only level one, the deeper you go the messier it gets." Suddenly the sounds of explosions and growls filled the air and then they became silent, which caused Luna to charge up her horn, yet Celestia watched the door with a face filled with sorrow, soon though two children entered, Isaac and Eden, surprisingly nothing spawned, instead they stopped to take a breather and see what Eden started with. "Ipacec and sacred heart, you lucky bastard," Isaac grinned at Eden, who gave him the finger. Celestia turned to the room which Luna now noticed was lined with gold, walking in she noticed that this room too was empty except for a pedestal that had two floating thick iron nails. "Huh, eight-inch nails, I haven't picked this up yet, but I bet this is going to be painful," Isaac said as he reached for the nails, only to touch them and then watch as they flew around and rammed the sharp tips into his eyes, which caused a bone-chilling scream to echo from Isaac, holding his face as blood dripped from the nails now in his eyes, pooling around his head as he lay on the floor. Luna covered her mouth, tears in her eyes as Isaac got up shakily and feeling around, trying to find Eden, who held his hand out, she looked at Celestia as she shook her head, Luna wondered what she meant until Celestia got up and followed the children with Luna following close behind her, Dreams don't usually freak her out, but this was different, the suffocating dark, the lung-crushing smoke and the state of the children, skin stained with blood with bones that stuck through. "I can't do this, this is horrid, I've seen enough, I now understand, please get us out of here," Luna pleaded. "Alright, we'll leave, but just remember this is only the beginning, there are horrors here that would make Sombra's reign in the crystal empire look like a golden age of peace in comparison." Celestia opened a door out to the same blanket and Twilight who was staring at something down in the hill, or rather someone, he is tall and unnaturally handsome, his features sharp but it was his eyes that drew their attention, slit pupils like a cat, with glowing red veins. "didn't take too long eh kiddos, anyways you should know, the coast is clear for a while, greed has placed a curse on the portal room, though I don't know how long the curse will hold, it's clear for the next couple of months," the man said, his voice smooth as silk. "How did you guys even escape, we didn't see you down in the chest, how did you get out?" "perception filter kid, all divinity can do it and so can their followers, it makes you harder to find, I know your friends up there can also do it," the being said pointing up at the three on the hill. "Wait you said that the followers of the divine can use this filter, does this mean we can too," Isaac asked, gesturing to his friends. "well, none of you are followers of my dad or me, but what is she to you three," The being asked pointing up at Twilight. Eve, Eden and Isaac look at each other and nodded. "She is our mother, she protects us, she gave us food that wasn't a moldy chunk of toast or dog food, she came down into the chest for us, even though such horrors are alien to her, and Celestia who followed her is more or less our honorary aunt," Isaac said with the other two nodding, of course Celestia Squeed at the Aunt part. "Then I gift you this, should you ever need my help, just ask and I'll be there," The being said as he pressed his hands together and made four necklaces, three went to the kids, and one went to Twilight. "It's time for you guys to wake up, plus I have a little audience with those three," The being said as he pressed a finger to the forehead of each child, gently sending them from the dream, before walking up to the three alicorns on the hill. "I'll be, your souls are positively radiant, not a single sign of sin in yours, well at least not more than usual," the creature said, circling the trio. "who and what are you, you different from the children, but yet somewhat the same," Celestia said. "Shame you don't recognize me, after all, we've met before haven't we, down in the chest." "You're Satan aren't you, the one Isaac made a deal with," Twilight stated. "Well, you're a perceptive young one, I figured I'd visit you guys and do a bit of a favor, what you two went through down there are nightmares incarnate, so I helped you out and built this little paradise for ya, at least for a bit, you gotta return to the world of the living at some point." "Alright, but next time we meet, I got a thousand questions for you!" "I bet you do, however before you leave, there is something I must warn you about, With the chest open, and the children free, those with dark purpose are gonna try and take it from you, do not let the thing in it get them, it will twist their dark powers into things that will spark the nightmares of ponies for generations." "Then what do we do, keep the chest in canterlot near Celestia, or keep it with the children?" "I hate to task them with it, but they must now guard their ancestral prison against those who which to covet its dark knowledge, I would ask you three, but you two were only in it for an hour or two, the children spent millions of years memorizing its dark secrets, now off to the waking world, I'll see you in a few months," with that Satan pressed his finger to the heads of the alicorns, forcing them back into the world of the living, with his warnings hot in their minds, however they also noticed that the sky which had been sunset before, now was rising, the chest had taken more than they thought out of them, Twilight noticed that the necklaces that Satan had given them were with them in the waking world.