//------------------------------// // Chapter 14: Acclimitization // Story: The Unbinding // by awesomesauce4 //------------------------------// It had taken the better part of three hours to calm Isaac down, and even then, he wouldn’t stop shaking. Princess Luna had stayed by his side the entire time, whispering soothing words and holding him as securely as she could. Azazel was there as well, offering words of encouragement to his new fellow demon. “It’s okay,” they all kept saying. But to Isaac, it was not okay. He could never go back to Ponyville – they’d attack him instantly. In fact, the second he was seen outside his quarters, he’d be deported, if not murdered outright. Part of him whispered that he was perfectly capable of defending himself now – just an hour ago, he’d started feeling queasy and opened his mouth to say so, only to find that he’d fired a beam of Brimstone instead. Thankfully, he’d been looking down at the ground in shame – if he’d looked at Luna, she would most likely be dead. Luna hadn’t blamed him for the incident, but he could tell she was just as rattled as he was. Maybe he was better off alone… Samson traipsed through the Chest, carrying the coil of steel in one arm and the D6 in another. The coil had proven to be a very effective weapon, rather akin to Mom’s Knife but without the particular curse of that weapon. He entered yet another room, and smirked as three Pins came at him, the rather neutral expressions on their faces contrasting with their attacking body language. Samson simply swung the steel coil forward, catching all three in its loop like it was a pair of bolas. With a flick of his wrist, the chain squeezed tighter, and all three Pins exploded into a shower of guts. That done, Samson peeked out from under the Cloak of Night. A small golden chest had dropped in front of him. Taking out a single silver key, Samson opened it. Spirit of the Night. Not what he wanted, or even remotely an advantage at this point. Samson raised the fist-sized D6, holding it above his head. The item rerolled… and a delighted grin came to Samson’s face. He raised the white-and-red triquetra above his body, and his arms expanded. On the ceiling, three more red heart containers had been added to his total. Samson’s grin grew wider – all he had to do now was escape to the surface. An easy job, considering he’d already tested by going back up to the Basement from the Womb. It had wasted time, true, but Samson hadn’t wanted to wait and find his means of escape was unusable. Confidently, Samson turned around… and almost dropped the D6. The Blue Baby was standing there, its crossed-out eyes seemingly staring at him. For a moment, Samson actually panicked. Then he realized he still had the upper hand – despite being outside of his Room, ??? was still a boss, and had to abide by those rules. “See ya, sucker!” Samson laughed, and ran for the exit. He was very surprised, therefore, when the doors closed, and Samson mentally smacked himself in the forehead as he remembered one of the other rules of the Basement: A room can’t be exited until it has been cleared. He couldn’t bomb his way out, either – such was the rule of the Chest. A rattling shudder made him turn around, to find ??? had crossed the distance between them – silently, invisibly. You have something I want, it declared, and Samson paled. The Blue Baby raised a hand, and Samson looked on in shock as his arms shrank back to normal, the Body reappearing in his hands. “That’s impossible…” Samson whispered in shock and horror. No one could remove an item in the middle of a run… right? A rictus of a grin came to ???’s cyanotic face. Give it to me, Samson. I command you… it whispered. Samson was about to laugh in its face, defiant to the end, when his arm began to move of its own accord. Yes… YHWH hissed gleefully as Samson slowly held out the all-powerful triquetra to him. NO! Samson screamed mentally – he had come so close! Finally, revenge is mine… the Fallen One shall pay. But first… the Son… is finally mine once more… ??? said, as a single wrinkled blue finger touched the Body… And was promptly yanked away by a much healthier-looking black one. Samson looked on in shock as a female Child picked up the Blue Baby and threw him against the wall, chucking a familiar blue remote over to him. A small familiar orbiting her quickly flew after the cyanotic god, doing battle seemingly of its own accord. Samson went back to looking at the Child. They rather reminded him of Eve in her Whore of Babylon form, but with bloodred hair and a blindfold over their bloodied eyes. “I shall need that D6. Now away, Sir Samson. I shall keep him under control,” the new Child promised. “Holy shit… who are you?” Samson asked, too shocked to even be rude about it. Instead of responding, the Child pointed a commanding finger at the remote, and Samson obediently tossed the D6 over and pressed the button. Body and length of steel chain in hand, he teleported away, but not before he heard one, last anguished scream from the Blue Baby. LILITH!! I shall make you PAY for this, you insufferable creation of mine! And then all was black. Samson touched down in a room of the Chest he’d already cleared, and hurried back to the starting room. He made a quick check – the Body was still there, clutched in his super-strong fist. He still had the chain. Samson briefly considered tossing Teleport!, as it was now useless to him, but he supposed he could carry it. If nothing else, it might come in handy on the other side. Hurriedly, he tossed the steel coil up out of the Chest, hearing it land with a satisfying clank in the Cathedral. Samson began climbing the rope, glad his strength was not proportional to his body mass. He came out into the ‘Isaac’ Guardian Room, still devoid of activity. Strangely, it had been empty from the start – he’d simply advanced into the Chest, with no fight whatsoever. Samson had taken a moment to consider this – Guardians never, ever left their posts, after all. But a part of him had been too exultant at the unexpected victory to really care. But now he wondered – where was Angelic Isaac? A few hours later, and he was back in the Basement, gazing up at the hole to the Outside World. “Fucking finally,” Samson grumbled, throwing off the Cloak of Night and tossing the rope up. It once again landed outside the Chest, the sheer weight of the pile of steel acting as a counterbalance, and Samson smiled as he began to climb up. To his shock, he was pulled away from the rope, and a knife was pressed to his throat – the Sacrificial Dagger. Samson looked up, expecting Greed or worse, ??? – but was surprised to see only Judas. “Thank Celestia, it’s only you-“ Samson began, but got no farther before Judas clamped a hand over his mouth. “Who are you working for?” Judas hissed, glaring down at him. “That steel chain had to come from somewhere, and like hell it came from here. And that Cloak…” Judas wondered out loud. “I’m working for us, you dipshit,” Samson growled back. “We’ve finally got things underway to take out both God and Satan, and be free of this hellhole!” Judas paused for a moment, considering this. “Alright… say I believe that. What’ll I have to pay you to get a ride out of here?” he asked, and Samson glared at him. “Nothing. It’s free. Get the fuck out,” Samson demanded, and Judas pressed the knife harder into his throat. “Wrong answer, Hero. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. I got a Dollar on me, and I’m not afraid to spend it. What’ll it be?” Judas asked again. Samson would have rolled his eyes – he’d forgotten just how greedy and conniving Judas could be. The Traitor certainly lived up to his Biblical counterpart, at any rate – anything that was ‘free’, Judas heard as ‘fake’. “Fine. Fifty coins, take it or leave it,” Samson bartered. “Twenty,” Judas countered. “Forty,” Samson haggled. Judas thought a while, then sighed. “Thirty, that’s my final offer.” Samson pretended to think about it. “Deal… you swindler,” he fake-grumbled. Judas grinned, pleased at his 'victory', and handed over the requisite thirty coins. Samson took them, nonplussed, and Judas took the knife away from his throat. “Alright, let’s do it,” Judas said, sounding oddly relieved. Samson grabbed the rope again, and gestured for Judas to grab on. “Hold this,” Samson instructed, handing over Teleport! Judas obediently grabbed the remote, and Samson held the Body in his teeth as he climbed out. Finally, they came to the opening of the Chest, and Samson made his way over to the steel door, making sure to shut the latch to the Basement. “Samson and Judas, let us out!” he called. “That’s not gonna work, you have to bribe them,” Judas whispered. “Thirty Coins if you do!” Judas added, and Samson slapped a hand to his forehead. How could he put this in terms Judas would understand. “First off, these guys aren’t human. They’re ponies, or some shit – unicorns, pegasi, regular ones, and alicorns – which are like all three. They’re also… suckers,” Samson grumbled. He didn’t particularly feel like referring to the civilians as ‘suckers’, but it was a term Judas would know well. “Wait… you mean they’ll do stuff for free?” Judas asked, a disbelieving look coming to his face. “They kind of have to. It’s in their culture,” Samson answered, unsure he liked where the conversation was going. Judas stared at him for a moment longer, then grinned evilly. “Oh, I’m going to have such fun with this place…” he announced under his breath. “Yeah… Um… WHAT THE HELL IS TAKING SO LONG!?” Samson yelled, eager to change the subject. There was the sound of a pony jerking awake, and he hurriedly checked the list. “Samson and company, right, right. Princess Luna is currently with Isaac, there’s been a bit of an ‘incident’. He’ll be glad to see you back,” the guard added. “Damn skippy he will. Come on, Judas, I’ll fill you in on the way,” Samson announced. They entered the throne room, and Samson caught his breath in his throat. Isaac had fallen to demonhood once more, but it looked like he wasn’t attacking anything – in fact, he seemed to be quite docile. “Shit, already?” Samson queried under his breath. “What’s going on? Is that Isaac?” Judas whispered back, and Samson stiffened – he’d been so surprised by Isaac’s appearance he’d quite forgotten the Traitor was still there. “Maggy will know more about this, I bet – come on,” Samson ordered. “Hi, Princess Luna!” he called out as he left, and Luna looked over. “Samson!” she called, beaming. “Good to see you – did you have a good time?” she asked, giving him a pointed glare that he assumed meant Did you get the item?. “Uh, yeah, rock climbing went fantastically. I’m gonna go… talk about it with the other kids,” Samson lied, and Luna nodded after a moment. “Rock climbing? Really?” Judas snarked, chuckling. “Shut the fuck up, Judas, before I throw you out a window,” Samson grumbled in return. “I’M BACK, BITCHES!” Samson announced, kicking open the door to their collective Bedroom, which had been magically expanded in his absence. The other Children stared at him, and even Eden was giving him a dazed look of concern. “Just in time,” Eve said dryly. “As I’m sure you’ve noticed, we have a bit of a situation.” Samson nodded. “Also, here’s Judas,” he introduced, and Judas peeked his head around the door. “Whoa, didn’t know this many of us had escaped,” the Traitor said. “Yeah, yeah. Do we have to do the introduction?” Eve asked, looking at Maggy. Maggy nodded. “Short version: Princess Luna is our new Mom, she’s super-nice, and if you hurt her in any way Judas so help me Celestia I will rip off your fez and beat you to death with it,” Maggy explained in one breath. Judas held up his hands in surrender, Teleport! clattering to the floor. “Okay, okay. Jesus, what is with you guys? You all seem to think I’m out to get you!” Samson glared at him. “You held a knife. To my throat,” the Hero clarified, and every other Child glared at Judas. “Oh come on, that was – I wasn’t – Cain, back me up here!” Judas demanded, only to find the Wanderer gazing at him coldly. “Times change, Judas. New law of the land? Be nice,” Cain announced. “That means no Deals, no gambling, no greed. This place is far kinder than Earth ever was, and we want to keep it that way. We’ve all been adjusting too, so no exceptions,” Maggy added. Judas looked from one to the other, a half-smile on his face. “This is… a joke, right? Some kind of joke. An entire culture can’t… it’s not…” Judas spluttered. “Oh, yes they can. Stick around for a few days, you’ll get it,” Azazel rebutted from the corner. Finally, Judas’ shoulders slumped. “But greed is my thing… what am I supposed to do…?” he forlornly asked, looking at each of them in turn as though hoping to find the answer. “You’re also our manipulativeness, our cunning, our Traitor. You’re around for reasons other than just greed, Judas,” Maggy kindly said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Judas looked down at the hand, before brushing it off and sitting down – it wasn’t much of an apology, but it was all they were likely to get. “Okay. First things first. What’s this I hear about killing God and Satan?” Judas asked. Maggy quickly explained, and Judas listened intently. “Okay, sounds good,” he replied. “So why didn’t anyone tell me?” At this, every other Child except Cain tugged at the collars of their shirts nervously. “Well…” Maggy trailed off, but Judas held up a hand. “You thought I’d sabotage it,” he bluntly stated, and Cain nodded. “I mean, that is my thing, but nah. What’s in that for me?” Judas rhetorically asked. Cain shrugged. “Man, half the time nobody knows what the hell you’re doing.” Judas rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Anyway, it looks like one part of your plan backfired – Isaac’s already reached his demon form, way ahead of schedule.” Eve nodded. “Hopefully he can figure out the other end before long, but I still think this is going to be a benefit in the long run. After all, weren’t we just talking about how looks don’t matter, actions do?” she asked, and Azazel nodded. “So, did you get the Body?” Lazarus asked, and Samson nodded, holding up the triquetra. “He can’t use the Trinity quite yet,” Samson reminded them, tossing the Body off by the wall covered in Isaac’s drawings. “Yeah, we have to wait… still, at least everything went smoothly,” Cain said, smiling. “Not… not exactly,” Samson muttered. Everyone looked at him. “Alright, what happened?” Lazarus asked. “I got caught by… uh… God,” Samson muttered, looking distinctly at Azazel. Eve’s eyes widened. “How’d you escape?” she asked, and Samson rubbed the back of his neck. “I got a little help from someone called ‘Lilith’. Apparently, she’s another Child,” Samson explained. Eve leaned forward and gripped the edge of her bed, staring at Samson intently. “This ‘Lilith’… she looked a bit like me, but with red hair, right?” Eve asked, and Samson stared back at the Lover. “You know her?” he asked, and Eve nodded. “We’ve… we’ve talked. She said she didn’t want anyone else to know she was here, but if she revealed herself to you, then…” Samson shrugged. “If she hadn’t, God would have gotten the Body and it would all have been over. So it’s a good thing she did… even if she’s suffering the consequences down there,” Samson muttered, glancing in the general direction of the Chest. Eve stared at the ground – she, too, was fully aware of what Lilith was likely experiencing down there. “So… now what?” Judas asked the group. “Wait for the last two Sins to show their ugly faces… and after that, I guess the Guardians will start coming out?” Lazarus wondered. “I hope you idiots have been training to fight them,” Samson grumbled, to which every other Child but Judas and Cain looked away guiltily. “Eheh… maybe we could get to that tomorrow?” Maggy tried. Samson glared at her. “Fine… whatever…” he groaned, climbing into his own bed. Maggy looked at him, surprised. "Huh, I guess you have been listening to Luna," she quietly said. "Whatever," Samson repeated, already snug in his covers. “Do I get a bed?” Judas asked. “You can use mine,” Azazel offered, and Judas shrugged and climbed in. “Don’t get any ideas, I’m not paying you for this,” Judas demanded, and Azazel nodded knowingly. “You better not, a lot of things are free here. Ponies might start getting the wrong idea if you tried paying them,” Azazel informed him. Judas stared at him for a moment, before falling back on the bed with a thump. “This place is weird…” Judas mumbled under his breath, and Azazel laughed. Isaac tearfully glanced around – Luna had left him for a moment to attend to Princessly duties, and he was all alone in the throne room. So why did he feel like he was being watched? Then the voice spoke, the Voice that had haunted all his nightmares. “IIIIISAAAAACC!!”