//------------------------------// // Chapter 15: Lamentation // Story: The Unbinding // by awesomesauce4 //------------------------------// Isaac could only stare as the figure approached. He knew not how she had gotten here, or whether she was even real, but it was really her. The absolutely hideous floral dress, the far-too-small red stilettos, the slightly glazed look in her eye… Mom had arrived. As she took a step forward, Isaac stepped back, scrambling for any place to hide from her. “I…saac…” she panted, fingers twitching erratically around the butcher’s knife they held. “W-wait…” Isaac weakly pleaded, looking around for some means of escape. "I’ve waited too long for this… finally, my sacrificial Lamb, finally you’ll be delivered to your Lord and Master…” Isaac’s Mom rambled, a delirious smile coming to her face. “N-No! Stop it, Mom!” Isaac cried. “That’s not God you’re speaking to!” But Isaac’s mother paid no heed, still making her slow way forward. “Be still, child, it will all be over soon,” Isaac’s mother whispered as she loomed over him. She raised her knife, and Isaac looked away, forgetting about his demon powers, forgetting even about his own safety. Maybe it was better this way, after all. If the world wanted him dead so badly it would send his own crazed mother to do him in, maybe it was better to simply accept his fate. And just as Isaac closed his eyes, his cheeks wet from fear and shame and a thousand other things, there was the sound of a horn lighting up. Isaac quickly opened his eyes to see the knife wrenched from Mom’s hand, clattering to the floor. Both Isaac and his mother looked over to see who had spared Isaac’s life. Princess Celestia was there, wings outstretched and looking for all the world like a fearsome angel. “This child is under my protection,” she warned. “He cannot be touched.” Isaac’s mother stumbled back, an expression of surprise and a hint of fear on her normally dazed features. “An – an angel…” she mumbled under her breath, crossing herself shakily. “Then… Isaac is not to be killed? But why… why, Lord, why…” Isaac’s Mom rambled, looking back and forth between Isaac and Celestia. Celestia was about to speak further, when a Voice interrupted her. “She is no angel,” it said, and Mom looked up ecstatically. “M-My Lord! You came back!” she jubilantly cried, before attempting to bow. “You must pay no heed to the word of the Deceiver,” God answered, the knife lifting of its own accord and slipping back into Mom’s outstretched hand. “Go forth, and end Isaac’s life, so that you may reap your eternal reward.” Isaac’s Mom stared at the ceiling, and Princess Celestia teleported in front of Isaac. “Do not listen!” she cried. “That is not your God speaking – it is the Deceiver himself!” “I am your God! You shall serve me!” the Voice cried in return. Unsure, Isaac’s mother looked back and forth between them. Finally, panting, Isaac’s Mom’s gaze settled on her ceiling. “No…” she said in a quiet voice. “Are you defying your Lord?!” the Voice immediately shouted, sounding a little panicked. When Isaac’s Mom next spoke, her voice was finally clear. She sounded exhausted, as though she’d been fighting a losing battle for centuries, millennia on end. “No mother… should ever… harm their child. And no God… would compel a mother… to do so!” Isaac’s mother cried, flinging the knife away from her and turning away from Isaac. For a moment, all was silent. Then, the voice snickered cruelly, sounding much different in nature. “So, you’ve figured it out,” it jeered. “But it is too late, for you have already sinned. Come, my faithful servant…” There was a flash of red, and when Isaac could open his eyes again, his Mom was lying in a pool of blood on the floor. “Mom!” Isaac cried, running forward, but Celestia held out a hoof to keep him back. “Isaac…” his mother said, coughing. “I’m so sorry… that Voice made me do such horrible things to you… no, I did such horrible things…” she stopped a moment to retch, blood splattering the floor. “F…Forgive me, O Lord, for I have committed the greatest sin a mother can… I have tarnished the greatest gift You have given me… please, forgive this sinner…” she pleaded weakly. Isaac gently pried away Celestia’s hoof, and approached his mother, leaning over her. “Isaac…” his mother softly whispered, breathing shakily. “Shh,” Isaac replied, putting a stubby finger to her lips. “I forgive you, Mom. May the love of Jesus be with you,” he softly mumbled. Then, slowly, uncertainly, he began to sing. “You said you’d come and share all my sorrows, You said you’d be there for all my tomorrows, I came so close to sending you away, But just like you promised, you came here to stay, All I had to do was pray…” Isaac’s Mom gave a small smile, and began to sing back, her eyes watery. “And Jesus said, come to the water, stand by my side, I know you are thirsty, you won’t be denied, I felt every tear drop, when in darkness you cried, And I strove to remind you, It’s for those tears I died…” She gave one last rattling sigh, and was still. Isaac straightened up, tearfully looking at Celestia, who stared back uncertainly. “Isaac…?” she queried. “She was a hero, okay? Even if she made some bad choices, she chose love in the end…” he sniffled, before bursting into sobs. Celestia slowly extended her wings, engulfing him in a hug as tears dripped from her own muzzle. They stayed like that for an unknown amount of time – hours? Days? Weeks, even? But eventually, Isaac removed himself from Celestia’s embrace. “We need to bury her,” he mumbled. Celestia gave him a small smile. “I have a better idea.” She summoned two guards to the throne room, explaining that the body needed to be treated with utmost respect and prepared for entombment, before taking Isaac out into the palace gardens. A few short paces later, and Isaac was staring at a row of statues, mostly of ponies – a few were griffons, and one was even a minotaur. “Who are they?” Isaac asked curiously, examining the plaque of the nearest one. “This is the Garden of Heroes,” Celestia sadly proclaimed. “It is a place reserved for those who sacrificed their lives for others, who chose to walk the path of light – even if they only did so in the end.” Isaac nodded, looking around – Celestia was gazing at the statues with an expression of deep sadness on her face. Isaac remembered that Celestia was a few thousand years old – she’d probably been there when most of these ponies died. She’d probably even spoken at their funerals. “Does it ever get easier?” Isaac asked, and Celestia looked at him in surprise. “Oh, Isaac,” she sighed. “I’ve lived such a long life… and it never gets any easier. The pain I feel, every time I visit this place… it is the remnant, the imprint of the love I felt and still feel for these, my most faithful little ponies.” They spent some time in silence, gazing around at the hedge-walled garden. Isaac traipsed into his room some time later, barely looking up at the rest of the Basement Children as he got into bed. “Dude, it’s like, noon. I get you’re still down about your demonhood, but don’t you have… stuff to be doing?” Eve asked. “N-No, Princess C-Celestia told me to rest,” Isaac hiccupped. Cain looked over. “Celestia’s out? Alright, glad to hear it. How’s she doing?” the Wanderer asked. “She’s busy… burying…” Isaac couldn’t continue, bursting into a fresh round of sobs. He’d thought he was all cried out after spending the entire day lamenting his fall to demonhood, and then again when he and Celestia had had their own moment, but it seemed Isaac simply could not run out of tears. “Oh, jeez,” Maggy said, walking over and hugging Isaac while she adjusted the covers. “There, there. Tell us when you’re ready, and not a moment sooner,” Maggy cajoled. Finally, Isaac was ready to speak. “Mom showed up today. She… she tried to kill me, but Celestia saved me. Then that Voice spoke again, telling her to kill me after all, and she defied it… It killed her.” Nobody spoke. “As she was dying, she was finally sane enough to apologize to me. She told me… that I was her most precious gift…” Isaac trailed off, lip quivering. “Oh, Christ…” Samson growled softly from the corner. Isaac looked over at him angrily, only to see that Samson too was crying, damp spots appearing on the ground. A few hours later, Princess Luna walked into their room, looking disheveled. Without so much as a word, she immediately laid down on Isaac’s bed, and wrapped her hooves around him. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “It’s not your fault,” Isaac whispered back. “It doesn’t have to be. I’m still your mother, and I wasn’t there to protect you from that horrible voice…” she whimpered. “Shh,” Isaac shushed, hugging Luna around the neck. “I know you’ve been really stressed lately,” Isaac said, and Luna looked away guiltily. “But that does not excuse-“ she began, but Isaac silenced her. “Take a rest, Mommy,” he ordered. “You’ve earned it.” Luna looked as though she wanted to protest some more, but eventually gave him a small smile. “If it makes you happy, Isaac, then of course I shall,” she answered, moving under the covers with him. They lay there for a moment, then Luna looked up to find Lazarus gently tugging on her tail. “Can I join?” he asked, and Luna nodded. “Of course, Lazarus. Does anyone else wish to join us?” she asked. The Basement Children looked at her, and then each other, before scrambling into the bed. Luna giggled as she lit her horn, Isaac’s bed expanding to accommodate all the children. Princess Celestia peeked in some hours later to find Luna gently snoring, every Child curled up around, beside and even on top of her. Giving a small chuckle, she gently closed the door and let them be. The next few days were a peaceful break in pace, though by no means a happy one. Just two days after her death, Isaac was called upon to attend his mother’s funeral. Both Princesses were there, as well as every Basement Child and even Discord. A number of nobles attended as well, whether out of sympathy or because Isaac was Princess Luna’s son, he did not know. As they gathered near the garden, Princess Celestia cleared her throat. “I did not see much of Isaac’s mother. The only time we met, she had been driven insane by a dark power, forced to attempt the murder of her own child. At the time, I concluded she had the blackest of hearts,” Princess Celestia began carefully. Isaac looked down in sorrow. “But lest we forget, her hand was not her own. Her actions were those of a puppet on strings… and as many can guess, escaping these strings is nigh impossible.” Here, Celestia adopted a different tone of voice. “Which is why she is here today. Mustering the strength inside her, her love for this child-“ here Celestia stopped to point to Isaac, who raised his head in surprise – “she broke her bonds, becoming sane once more, and refused to carry out the foul deed.” Princess Celestia paused for a moment. “She was murdered for it.” There were shocked gasps from the crowd. “And though she led a dark life, though evil touched her every step, remember this: In the end, she chose to love rather than hate. Remember the part of her that chose not to harm her son. Remember Isaac’s mother.” Surprisingly, Discord took the podium next. “I have witnessed many forms of madness,” the draconequus carefully began. “And I will admit… I’ve caused most of them.” This earned him many glares from the audience. “My reign was a dark time for ponies everywhere. But this… even I would have never dreamed of something like this. To drive a parent to kill her own child… and worse, give her the tool to do so… it’s chaos of a kind I would never, ever touch. And believe me when I say this: To come back from that insanity? To return to love, and happiness, and joy when all has been taken from you? It is not something I would have the strength to do. So remember Isaac’s mother for the strength of her love for her child.” Finally, it was Isaac’s turn to walk to the podium. He did so nervously, aware that everypony was watching him. Gazing out into the crowd, he found Luna’s face, and she gave him an encouraging nod. “Mom was… mean. There is no other way to say it. She beat me raw and bloody, fed me many things that a child should never have to eat, gave me to doctors for experimental injections, and a t-thousand other things,” Isaac said, hating himself for stuttering in front of an audience. “Yet… she laughed. We played together. There were good times, along with the bad. And when I think of her, I choose to remember those good times. They serve as a reminder that even in the darkest of places, you can find just a little light.” With nothing else to say, Isaac slowly returned to his seat, amazed that he’d managed to get through that. Princess Celestia once again stood before the crowd of ponies, Children, and Discord. “It is for those reasons that I have decided that Isaac’s mother is to be entombed along with these other fallen heroes. Is there any here who would object?” she asked, scanning the crowd. There was utter silence, and Princess Celestia smiled before lighting her horn. “Then follow me, as I add her statue to the Garden of Heroes.” She walked solemnly into the garden, followed by the assorted ponies and Children. Mom was sitting there, on a small pedestal of her own. She was sitting in a meditative expression, eyes closed and a soft smile on her face – she might as well have been asleep. Her dress had somehow been repaired and cleaned, and had been arranged to be as straight and smooth as though she were formally attending her own funeral. Silently, Princess Celestia aimed her horn, and casted a single spell at the body of Isaac’s Mom. There was a bright flash, and when everyone could see again, Isaac’s Mom was another stone statue, sitting there as though she had done so for centuries. An inscription was present on the base of her pedestal: “Here lies a sinner, who chose to rewrite the end of her story so another could begin.” Princess Celestia turned to the ponies who had gathered in the Garden, most of whom were openly weeping. “It has been my pleasure to preside over this gathering, and I wish you all joy in your lives. May the stars watch over you,” she concluded. Luna was comforting the rest of the Basement Children, who were all crying at once – she had casted a spell to redirect the tears safely, so that they could weep without interruption. “Isaac?” Luna asked, as she began to lead the rest of the Children back inside. Isaac was staring at the statue of his mother quietly. “It’s not a traditional burial… But I think she’d like it,” Isaac softly remarked. Without another word, he followed Celestia and Luna inside the castle.