The next few weeks were the happiest times of Isaac’s life. He had a caring mother, a family that was okay with him, and he was slowly being accepted by Equestrian culture. On top of that, he had learned much from Luna’s tutoring, far more than any of the Christian Science shows he had watched had ever taught him. Who knew that all reality was composed of spherical ‘atoms’ smaller than anyone could see, which in turn were composed of ‘quarks’ – which were really just little bundles of magic to begin with? Twilight assisted in his teaching – or was it reteaching? – as well, helping him through the intricate network of grammar and spelling that consisted modern Equestrian language.
Discord had stopped by just a few days after Isaac defeated Pride, an unusually somber look on his face. Ignoring the glares from everyone else, Discord approached Isaac and handed over the Bible.
“I would like to apologize for my behavior earlier, and to explain,” Discord began, and a surprised Isaac had motioned for him to continue. “I sensed Pride in the room as soon as you shut the door – he was trying to control you. Had I not caused you to make his presence so obvious… he might well have succeeded,” Discord finished, a serious look on his face.
“That makes sense… I guess…” Isaac mumbled, taken aback.
Discord steepled his fingers together, an almost embarrassed expression now present on his long, goat-like face. “Also… I know what it’s like having fake friends. I wanted to save you from making the same mistakes I did.”
Before Isaac could react, Discord had swept a cape across himself and vanished. Isaac looked at Luna, who shrugged, and decided to just go back to his meal.
No Sins had shown up in the following weeks, either – Isaac thought perhaps they were more wary of him now that he had an Item to his name, but Luna presumed that they were merely biding their time. They often discussed which Sin might show up next, and Isaac spent a lot of time drawing out the various other Guardians he had encountered in hopes of identifying them if they ever showed up.
“So this one is… ‘The Carrion Queen’?” Luna pointed out, studying it.
“Yeah… I think she was like the zombie form of Chub, like with the Husk and the Duke of Flies,” Isaac answered.
“We have not seen anything like this yet… but we will inform the guards right away of these latest monsters,” Luna promised.
“Thanks… Princess Mommy,” Isaac answered, mumbling the last part. Luna smiled at him and gently closed the door, but not before Isaac caught the blush on her cheeks – she’d never say it out loud, but Isaac got the idea that she rather liked the nickname.
Isaac still couldn’t get over that – he had a Mom who was a Princess, who was really nice, who never yelled at him or hit him, who tucked him into bed at night, fended off the nightmares in his sleep… she was perfect, in every way. He wasn’t a very good son – he couldn’t use magic, or fly, didn’t have strength or smarts or skill, but she loved him anyway. She told him he was now a Prince, and could have anything he wanted, but Isaac was having none of it – after he had encountered Greed, he wanted no more material wealth than what was strictly necessary to survive. Instead, he spent time either with Luna, or with Twilight – both of whom were always happy to see him.
One day, Twilight asked if he would like to accompany her to Ponyville, and Isaac happily agreed. Princess Luna agreed as well, musing that the time spent outside would be good for Isaac – he had been spending much of his time inside the castle, away from prying eyes.
They boarded the train without much fanfare – that is, considering the occupants of the train were a Princess, and an adopted alien son of another Princess. There was, of course, a Royal Guard escort, but they were all quite friendly to Isaac – apparently he’d made a ‘good impression’, according to Princess Mommy. The fangs and bat wings intimidated him a little, but he stoically reminded himself that things were not necessarily as they seemed – after all, he had been a demon once. The captain of the Guard, whose name Isaac learned was Night Light, even saluted him as the doors closed, and Isaac gave an embarrassed half-salute back as Twilight giggled.
“At least it wasn’t my brother who saw that salute,” she joked as they took their seats. “He’d be making you do push-ups until the moon rose.”
Isaac giggled as well. “Mom would probably delay the moon rising, too,” Isaac added, and Twilight burst into renewed laughter.
And just like they were years-old friends, they were giggling the whole train ride back.
“Ponyville, last stop for Ponyville!” the conductor called out, and Twilight got to her hooves as Isaac hopped off the train seat.
“Ready?” Twilight asked, and Isaac held up the tiny rucksack Luna had packed for him.
“Yep,” Isaac responded, and hopped off the train, Twilight watching carefully in case he tripped over the gap between the train and the platform. Once she was assured he was safe, they began walking to her castle.
Isaac quickly became aware of the frightened stares of passersby as he and Twilight made her way through the streets of Ponyville. They shied away from his approach, and one even looked at him and screamed, running off into the distance – Twilight nervously apologized each time, and Isaac dismissed it good-naturedly.
“The residents are usually this skittish, it’s not just you,” Twilight assured him the tenth time, and Isaac gave a short chuckle.
“Even if they weren’t, the last time I was here I was a demonic monster – they have every right to scream and run.” Twilight grimaced, but made no comment.
Finally, they came to a massive crystal palace, and Twilight gestured to it proudly. “Here we are,” she cheerfully exclaimed, and Isaac looked up at the bluish crystal stretching higher above than he could make out.
“Wow…” Isaac muttered. It wasn’t as big as his mom’s palace, but it was still very cool – it was vaguely tree-shaped, and made of a single, unbroken bluish crystal substance.
They entered to find what Isaac recognized as the five other ponies who had watched him fight Pride. Twilight introduced him to each of them personally – Isaac learned their names were Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. Of all of them, the most enthusiastic to see him was by far Pinkie Pie, who upon learning his name immediately started babbling about ‘planning a party’. Twilight laughed, and put a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder.
“Save it for later, Pinks? I have to get Isaac all settled in.”
Pinkie nodded, her mane bobbing up and down almost too quick for Isaac to see, and immediately rushed out the door. Once she was gone, Twilight began carrying Isaac up the stairs, her other friends tagging along.
“So, your main weapon is crying?” Rainbow asked, a bit of a grin on her face.
“Rainbow…” Twilight groaned. “What? It was just a question,” Rainbow answered indignantly.
“Mostly it was tears. Sometimes it was blood, or… other stuff,” Isaac answered tiredly. He didn’t feel like explaning the grosser aspects of the Basement – not after he explained them the first time to Luna. She had had to duck out of the room, her face a pale green.
“Oh my… that sounds awful, crying that much,” Fluttershy quietly commented. “What were you so sad about? That is, if you don’t mind my asking.”
Isaac thought for a while – at first he had been sad about something, the first few hundred runs through the Basement, but over time his constant crying had just become a fact of life. But what had he been sad about? “…I’m not sure,” Isaac finally answered. They ascended the rest of the stairs in silence.
“Well, here’s your room,” Twilight declared as they came to the first of a series of doors.
“Are you sure I won’t be intruding in any way?” Isaac asked.
“Of course not! This castle can get so empty, we’ll be happy to have a guest,” Twilight eagerly answered.
Isaac, considering this, smiled and shrugged. With that, Twilight left, the other ponies in tow, and Isaac was alone in his temporary bedroom. He had never stayed in a hotel before, so Isaac was unsure of what to make of the room and bed that was apparently ‘his’. There was, however, a small stack of paper and a few quills on the table, so Isaac hoisted himself up with some difficulty into the chair, before taking a seat and doodling idly.
At first, the doodles were his usual fare: Monsters, Guardians, items, and the like. Then, as Isaac got bored of those, it turned to drawings of the ponies he had met and seen, Luna being prominent. One such drawing turned out so well that Isaac hung it up on the wall without hesitation, using a roll of tape he had brought along with him.
A few hours later, Twilight re-entered his room to find the wall covered in drawings. “Wow, you draw a lot…” Twilight exclaimed as soon as she caught sight of his work.
“Ehehe… yeah…” Isaac mumbled.
“They’re pretty good!” Twilight proclaimed as she examined one, and Isaac smiled. “Anyway, I thought I’d show you around – I know Pinkie has a party planned for you sometime later, and you can meet the others at their homes along the way. Oh, and before I forget – there’s a surprise for you later!” Isaac nodded amicably, putting away his drawing materials and following her down the stairs.
The first home they decided to stop at was Rarity’s, which Isaac learned was called the ‘Carousel Boutique’ and, according to Twilight, was ‘the best place in Ponyville for clothes’. It was a rather fancifully decorated house, and Isaac rather liked the design. They entered, and Twilight took a seat on a nearby couch, Isaac following suit after a moment’s hesitation. “Be with you in a minute, darling!” Rarity called out as the door bell rang. Isaac crossed and uncrossed his legs as they waited, idly staring at the many dresses which were positioned around the room.
Finally, Rarity trotted in, smiling when she spotted Isaac. “Hello, Twilight! And hello to you too, Isaac,” Rarity cheerfully greeted.
“Hi, Rarity. How’s business today?” Twilight asked.
“Oh, simply dreadful, darling,” Rarity exclaimed, bringing a hoof to her forehead as she swayed dramatically onto a nearby couch. “Not a single customer! I’ve been working on some new designs all morning, and haven’t even been interrupted once! Why, it seems everypony already has their costumes ready-” Twilight gave her a warning look, and Rarity trailed off.
“Well, I thought Isaac here could use some new clothes – winter’s coming up soon, and I don’t think he’ll be able to deal with the cold…” Twilight replied, acting as though the earlier exchange hadn’t happened.
Isaac looked at her in surprise – it seemed like the height of summer outside. How fast did winter come in Equestria? He knew from Luna’s tutoring that winter was artificially created every year, but she had not said when or how quickly. A measuring tape held aloft by Rarity’s magic floated over, and began circling itself around Isaac, taking his measurements. Isaac decidedly ignored this, choosing instead to continue his musings. Also… did he want clothes, after all this time? Clothes were sinful, evil, awful things that Adam and Eve had… no. No, clothes were not sinful, Isaac decided. They were merely garments, to warm or cool oneself as needed. Luna had taught him that there was no need to be ashamed of his body, as everypony else went naked almost all the time – and while he would certainly receive some stares, these were unrelated to whether he went clothed or not. Isaac resumed paying attention to the conversation.
“…sounds wonderful, darling. Isaac, do you have any requests for the color of your clothing?” Rarity asked.
“Um…” Isaac thought out loud. “Dark blue?” he finally replied.
Rarity stared at him for a moment, before nodding to herself. “Yes, yes… I can most certainly make that work…” she trailed off, lost in thought, and Twilight giggled and got up.
“She’ll be like that for a while – we’ll come back tomorrow, Rarity. Thanks again!” Twilight called out as they exited.
“Thank you,” Isaac remembered to call out just as he went through the door.
Isaac blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight again, and he looked up at Twilight. “Where to, next?” he asked. Twilight smiled. “Well, we’ve got a few hours before Celestia lowers the sun… How about we visit Fluttershy’s?” Isaac nodded agreeably, and they set off.
Fluttershy’s cottage was quite a ways away, and it was night by the time they arrived. “Fluttershy? You in there?” Twilight asked, gently knocking a hoof on the door.
“Oh, yes, just getting ready,” Fluttershy replied, her voice almost inaudible over the background noise. Finally, Fluttershy opened the door to reveal just a glimpse of her eye and pink mane. “Oh, my. Hello, Isaac,” Fluttershy greeted. Isaac cheerfully waved.
Twilight, to Isaac’s surprise, blocked his view as she opened the door and stepped inside, closing it to just a crack behind her. “Sorry, Isaac, we need some privacy for a quick moment,” Twilight apologized before closing the door completely. Curious, Isaac waited obediently outside the door. He heard giggling inside, and was unsure whether to anticipate or dread whatever was coming next.
Finally, Twilight came back outside, dressed in what Isaac assumed was some sort of old-fashioned, Victorian-era getup. Fluttershy also exited, revealing that she had dressed up in what appeared to be a dragon costume. “What’s with the dresses?” Isaac asked curiously.
“Well, tonight is Nightmare Night, which is like your “Halloween”, Twilight answered, and Isaac nodded in understanding – while he’d never actually experienced Halloween, due to his mother thinking it was a sinful holiday, he’d heard enough about it.
“Is this my surprise?” he asked, recalling Rarity’s earlier mention of ‘costumes’.
Twilight nodded slightly. “Eh, kind of, but this isn’t the whole thing – I’ll save the details for later.” Isaac shrugged, and the three set off back toward town.
As he entered, Isaac could see why Twilight had taken him to Fluttershy’s, so far out of the way – the town was buzzing with so much activity he couldn’t have possibly missed it had he been around. Everypony was dressed up in some costume or another, and chatting amongst themselves, seemingly waiting for something. Twilight checked a fancy watch that seemed to be part of her costume.
“Any minute now,” she told Isaac, watching the skies. Isaac looked up as well, seeing nothing but the usual starry night. Then, he spotted it: A flash of black, obscuring just a few of the stars, was slowly growing bigger and getting closer to them.
Storm clouds gathered around it, obscuring the dark blot from view before it burst through and revealed itself to be a carriage. The carriage careened towards the ground, the occupant hidden from view by the angle, and pulled up at the last second, barely missing the ground as it skidded to a stop. The chariot rider, dusting themselves off as calmly as though they hadn’t just nearly died, trotted forward to where the Mayor had been waiting on a stage. Everypony had fallen silent, waiting with bated breath for the unknown pony to say something.
With a dramatic flair, Princess Luna swept back her hood, and Isaac couldn’t hold back a delighted gasp. Luna paused a moment to wink at him before turning back to the stage. “Fillies and gentlecolts… let this year’s Nightmare Night Celebration BEGIN!” she announced, placing enough Canterlot Royal emphasis on the last word that Isaac was sure Canterlot itself had heard. There was the sound of raucous applause, and as soon as Luna stepped down from the stage, Isaac ran over.
“I didn’t know you were gonna be here!” he excitedly exclaimed as Luna swept him into a hug.
“I didn’t want to spoil the surprise,” Luna answered while giggling.
With that, they began what Isaac remembered was common Halloween tradition – collecting candy. Luna, of course, quickly amassed a massive pile – Twilight informed him that Nightmare Night tradition used to consist of offering candy to a statue of Luna’s alter-ego Nightmare Moon to appease her, and now that Luna had returned the practice had shifted to her instead. Luna, for her part, was quite nice about it, accepting the little fillies’ and colts’ piles of candy with a gracious smile and a “happy Nightmare Night”. Isaac soon amassed his own, smaller pile of candy, which to him was more sweets than he’d ever seen in one place, and he couldn’t help but delightedly look on as it grew steadily bigger. “Don’t eat too much at once – you’ll get sick,” Luna advised him, and Isaac nodded.
He couldn’t help but notice, however, that her pile was bigger – and it looked like everyone else’s was too. Isaac, over the course of the night, began to feel a little left out: Why wasn’t he getting as much as everyone else? They were all walking around with smiles on their faces, without a care in the world as they flaunted their larger sacks of candy in his face. Isaac, however, restrained himself: Princess Mommy would be upset if he tried to make this holiday about himself instead of having a good time. He wasn’t about to repeat the sin of pride, he’d learned his lesson. But this feeling of others having more than he did… it bugged him. It wouldn’t go away.
Isaac, lost in thought, completely failed to notice that everyone else had stopped moving and fell silent until he bumped into Princess Luna. An apology made its way to the front of his mouth, but stopped short just behind his teeth as he figured out what everypony was staring at. A taller alicorn had arrived on the scene, her catlike eyes sweeping the area as her midnight black coat somehow stood out against the darkness. Finally, her eyes met Isaac’s, and she grinned, her fangs glinting in the moonlight. Isaac gulped: He knew those eyes, changed though they were. The malice radiating from them was unmistakable. “We meet again… Isaac,” she hissed.
"Nightmare Moon," Princess Luna whispered, at the same time as Isaac whispered ”Envy...”