Charity sighed as he beheld his new form. It was beautiful… but so pointless. After all, he was not done with this nightmare, he knew that all too well. It was time for him to reveal himself, to stop hiding behind the mask of ‘Greed’ or ‘Charity’ or the many titles he’d gained from his millennia of adventuring.
Charity exited the Shop, using his powers to exit into the new creation Yahweh had made. His ultimate attempt to bring Isaac back… by any means necessary. But the creation was still sleeping, the golden noose around its neck taught as it silently slumbered. Carefully, Charity crawled into a small brown machine, vanishing from sight a moment later.
Isaac exited the Guardian Room to collect his two followers. “Everything alright?” he asked. They nodded cautiously. “Onward and upward, then,” he joked.
“Where are we going, anyway?” Honesty wondered.
Isaac shrugged. “All Lady Lilith told me was that I had just half an hour to get there.”
Pride adopted a strangely contrite expression, muttering “Ooh…” under his breath.
Isaac looked up, studying the Map of the current floor intently. –Caves II – Curse of the Blind!—flashed across the ceiling, followed by “12:02”. “Well, no sense wasting time. Everyone ready?” Isaac asked.
They re-entered the Guardian Room, and made their way to the trapdoor. However, it remained firmly shut. “What in Equestria?” Isaac wondered, heaving upwards with all his might. He might have infinite strength from the Body item, but it seemed to be ineffective here. “Why won’t this open?” Isaac wondered.
“Have you tried moving away from it?” Pride queried.
Isaac did so, only for the trapdoor to remain shut.
“Then that would mean…” Pride trailed off.
“That an ‘enemy’ is in your midst,” a voice whispered.
Isaac whirled around, only to find the room empty. “Who are you? Show yourself!” he demanded. The voice softly laughed, its female cadences and varying pitch resonating within Isaac’s recent memory.
“No.”
Something knocked him off his feet, and Isaac stumbled back upwards, breathing heavily. He looked deep inside himself, activating the power of the Mind… and there she was. Standing, invisible not a hair’s breadth away from him, was what appeared to be Queen Chrysalis. However, something was different. Her face was oddly splotchy and covered in lumps, and her eyes were no longer green, instead an odd fuschia. Her back plate and hair had been turned dark pink as well.
“Lust,” Isaac breathed. She flickered into visibility, a look of disappointment on her marred face.
“So it would seem. Yet, I feel… tainted, somehow. As though that awful insect managed to leave her mark on me,” Lust wondered aloud.
Isaac took a battle stance, signaling the other two to get behind him. Lust smirked. “Oh? You think you can challenge me with ‘love’? I was made to oppose you,” she snarled, before lunging forward.
Luna anxiously paced back and forth. The Night Court had been closed, not that she had anypony to speak with tonight. Instead, she had confined herself to the throne room with the Chest, sending for food and drink. A few hours in, close to midnight, Celestia came in, looking sleepy.
“Sister, are you really going to wait here? It could be an eternity before he comes back,” she yawned.
What Celestia didn’t want to mention was that, despite his power, Isaac might just not come back at all. She’d seen the demonic energy radiating off of ‘Satan’. It made Isaac’s own demonic powers look like a foal’s first spell. And Isaac’s demon form had very nearly beaten every powerful force Equestria had to offer. What chance, then, did his new ‘fused form’ stand?
“We cannot leave, ‘Tia! This is our son… we cannot just stand back and do nothing!” Luna retorted furiously.
Celestia reared back, and Luna flashed her a contrite frown.
“Apologies… but…” Luna began, but was silenced as Celestia put a wing around her.
“I know, Lulu. I know,” the elder alicorn soothed. With that, Celestia took a position beside Luna, watching the Chest intently.
Hours passed. Nothing happened. The servants arrived with the required sustenance, and the two alicorns set up a makeshift ‘picnic’ of sorts as they waited. Finally, Luna cleared her throat.
“Remember the battle of Trottingham?” she asked.
“Of course… we were camped in the forest. Star Swirl was adamant that we invade at once, but I persuaded him to stay his hoof,” Celestia recalled, smiling slightly.
“Verily,” Luna agreed with a smile. “I was just remembering the last time we had to wait like this.”
Celestia nodded in understanding. “Have you tried… opening it?” she asked, motioning to the gold-and-wood box.
Luna shook her head. “I am hesitant… for fear of what might emerge,” she answered.
Celestia nodded. “Understandable. Though, it will have to open sometime,” the solar princess mused.
And with that, the Chest creaked open. Both Princess’ heads whipped around, Luna actually managing to give herself backlash with how fast she did so. A small head of white hair peeked out, followed by two glowing white eyes. Eden, smiling slightly, placed a small scrap of paper beside the Chest, along with a strange wooden contraption with “GREED” written on the top and “0 0 0” inscribed on a set of rotating glass cylinders set into the front. With that, Eden winked at the two princesses, and closed the Chest. Luna looked at her sister, who gazed back, reflecting her confusion.
“…What just happened?” Luna wondered.
She walked up and examined the scrap of paper. In neat, cursive script that she didn’t recognize as any of the Basement Children’s, much less Isaac’s, was a note. “PLZ 61V3 MUNS 4 S4LV4T10N” was written on the note, and Luna read it, perplexed.
“Canst thou make this out?” she asked, passing the note to Celestia.
“It’s a style of writing rather recently adopted by adolescent foals. How did Eden know that…?” Celestia wondered. “Anyway, it says ‘please give money for salvation.’”
Luna looked at the machine in consternation. A small slot was present just in front of the glass cylinders, looking as though it were made to fit a coin. Luna recalled Isaac’s description of the ‘Donation Machine,’ noting that this looked similar.
“How many bits dost thou have in thy purse?” she asked her sister.
Celestia smirked. “Economically, the better question would be ‘how many bits don’t I have in my purse,” she joked. Luna giggled.
They spent an hour inserting coins into the slot. Each time they did, the glass numbers went up by one. As Luna approached to give it another, thus increasing the total count to 111, the numbers suddenly whirled around, jumbling to an undefined amount.
“Did it… break?” Celestia wondered.
“Isaac mentioned the Donation Machine would do so if too much were placed in at one time. But how are we to donate now?” Luna wondered sadly.
What if Isaac’s life depended on this money somehow? It wasn’t much of a lead to go on, but if it was the only way to save her child, she would take it. Celestia walked up to the machine, inspecting it curiously. As soon as she got closer than Luna, the numbers rearranged themselves into “1 1 0”.
“Ah, a puzzle,” Celestia exclaimed in relief. “It seems more than one pony must donate in order to appease the machine.”
Luna snorted. “’Appease the machine’ – honestly, sister, thou must stop reading the ‘science fiction’. Tis’ an unhealthy obsession with the future,” she teased.
“Only if you promise to stop reading the romance novels Cadance keeps throwing away,” Celestia returned.
Luna blushed crimson, and fell silent. “H-how…?” she shakily inquired.
“I have my sources,” Celestia haughtily answered. “Such as under your bed. That is an excellent source.” Unable to contain it any longer, she burst out laughing. Luna glared at her sister for a moment, but she too was unable to hold it in any longer, joining her sister on the floor.
A few minutes later, Celestia attempted to input her next bit into the machine, only to find that it had jammed once again. “Drat. Mayhap we can enlist the Guards?” Luna wondered.
“I don’t think we can convince them of the necessity of such a thing, Lulu,” Celestia carefully answered.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
“We are not to be disturbed!” Luna immediately thundered.
“Not even for charity?” Discord wondered, his voice muffled by the door.
Confused, Luna opened the door to find that Discord, Princess Cadance, Prince Shining Armor, Princess Twilight, Rarity, and Queen Chrysalis were all waiting there, looking awkwardly at one another as they stood in the doorway.
“Hi, Princess Luna!” Twilight greeted.
“Hello,” Luna returned by reflex. “What… is the purpose of this gathering?” she asked, still very confused.
Discord stroked his chin in thought. “We were hoping you could tell us. All we got was a letter each saying that Isaac was in danger, and that money of all things would save him.”
Luna and Celestia looked at one another.
“Come on in,” Celestia invited.
With that, the process of donation began again. First Discord, who conjured infinite coins from his own chaotic powers, then Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor, who once again donated from the overflowing coffers of royalty. Next up was Twilight, who had surprisingly little money compared to the rest, and Rarity, who had even less. Discord, to the surprise of everyone, promised to reimburse them after all this was over.
“Why are you being so friendly?” Chrysalis wondered.
Discord shrugged. “It seems the purpose of this machine is to measure our generosity. I’m simply making sure I’m the most generous.”
Chrysalis looked at him suspiciously, but seemed to accept this answer. She stepped forward, depositing her sack of bits over her shoulder onto the ground, and began feeding them into the machine.
“Wait… where’d you get Equestrian bits?” Cadance suspiciously wondered.
Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “You would not believe the amount of ponies who have attempted to pay us to ‘not eat them.’ Something about these little golden circles seems to make them think they can exchange such for our starvation. Of course, we politely declined… but I kept the bits. I’ve always wondered what they were used for in Equestria…” Chrysalis mused.
Begrudgingly accepting this, Cadance looked away, but Luna was still anxiously staring at the machine. ‘9 0 2’… so close.
Meanwhile in the Basement, the battle was becoming increasingly hectic. Isaac’s blasts of love energy didn’t seem to affect Lust, who merely absorbed them and grew stronger herself. So, a new plan was needed.
“Fool!” Lust cried as he stopped blasting her. “I am already strong enough to defeat you, and when I do, my lust will infect the very world!”
Isaac glared at her, desperately searching for a way to end this. “You will never hurt my family!” he shouted back, ducking down as she lunged forward. Kicking a foot up, he used the Body’s strength to launch her into the ceiling.
“What do you know about family?!” Lust hissed, flipping around and landing on the floor without a scratch. “You’ve changed my brother Sins, turned them into… I don’t even know what you did to them! But I won’t let you do it to the rest of us!” she declared.
Isaac stopped cold. “I didn’t hurt them,” he explained, turning to Honesty and Kindness. “Don’t you remember her?” he asked.
Kindness remained silent, but Honesty immediately spoke up. “Of course!” he cried. “Remember in the Womb, where we occasionally could visit each other? Or the Chest, where we got to hang out for so long? There was that one time Lazarus stumbled across us when he was nearly dying – what a flawless combo that was! And the time Samson died to you in the most laughable of ways, and you traipsed all the way across the Basement just to tell me about it… we used to be inseparable, Lust! And… it doesn’t have to end. Come with us! We’re going to put an end to all this misery, we’re going to finally be free!” Honesty beseeched.
Lust looked at him coldly. “And if I refuse?” she asked.
Honesty looked downward… “Then… I guess this is goodbye. I won’t blame you… but I will miss you,” he bluntly answered.
Lust appeared conflicted. “But… what if we fail? I don’t… I don’t want to lose you…” she admitted.
Isaac stepped forward, smiling. “I’m glad you’re so loyal to your brothers,” he complimented. “But don’t you want them to be happy with you?”
Lust looked between Honesty and Isaac, uncertainty etched into her gaze, then slowly lowered her neck, pointing her horn at Isaac. “Fine,” Lust sighed. “Change me. Just… promise me… that you’ll keep your word. That my brother Sins will make it out of this,” she pleaded.
Isaac nodded solemnly, placing his palm on her forehead. There was a bright glow, and as it faded, Isaac stepped back, wrapping his wings around himself to form his ‘cloak.’
“Welcome to my family, Loyalty,” he softly greeted.
Loyalty looked much the same as Lust had before: A pockmarked, altered version of Chrysalis. But where once her fangs and eyes might have suggested the intellect of a deadly predator, now they twinkled with a softer light as well. She stood there, with the body of a fierce warrior, ready to lead her brothers to their final battle.
“Lead on, my Lord,” she proclaimed, and Isaac nodded before jumping down to the next floor.
Luna was watching the Greed Machine like a hawk, her eyes glued to the rotating numbers. 993. 994. 995. 996. 997…
“Gaah!” Chrysalis cried, stepping back as the machine jammed once more.
Luna, awoken from her stupor, looked around in surprise. “We… we need one more donor!” she cried aloud. “Who has not gone yet?!”
Discord shook his head. “That’s everyone, Moony. We’ll have to call over a Guard, or someone.”
Luna immediately made towards the door, but was stopped as it slammed open of its own accord, a dark Child framed in the moonlight.
“Perhaps I may be of assistance?” Lilith offered.
“Just in time! Time is just!” the Incubus behind her squawked.
“But… wait… how art thou… separated?” Luna wondered, as Lilith’s small form accompanied her back to the Greed Machine.
Lilith sighed. “I… I do not feel like telling this story, Lady Luna. Just allow me to finish what Lord Eden has set in motion, so that I may right my wrongs,” she sadly proclaimed.
The Incubus grabbed a coin from a small sack floating behind her, flying over to the Greed Machine and placing it in. The machine clicked up to 998.
“Just three coins… I wonder. Were it not for that Secret Room on the way here, I would not have three coins,” Lilith pondered.
She inserted another coin. 999.
Luna swallowed nervously, and Celestia put a hoof on her withers comfortingly.
The rest crowded around the coin machine to see what would happen.
Lilith inserted another coin.
Immediately, the machine broke, a fountain of various types of money scattering everywhere as the pieces of the machine fell apart. Luna was the first to recover after stumbling back from the force of the explosion, but jumped back with a cry as she spotted what was inside.
“What is it, Luna?!” Celestia queried, rushing forward, only to stifle a gasp as she too beheld what was inside.
It was Isaac, or rather… it had been Isaac. His skin was gray and wrinkled from decay and rot, and the imprint of a noose was tied around his neck. Maggots squirmed around in the corpse’s skin, and flies would occasionally crawl around its eyeballs.
“Oh… oh my Faust…” Luna sobbed. Isaac had failed. He’d confronted Yahweh, or Satan, or some other faceless horror, and died for it.
“Luna?” she could hear Celestia query. She paid no attention.
“Luna…” Celestia tried again, now a warning tone.
Something tapped her on her lowered forehead, and she reluctantly looked up.
The corpse had stood, and was smiling at her. “I am Keeper,” it softly whispered, its voice like the scratching and whispering of dry autumn leaves. “I am the Body.”
“I will Keep you safe.”