Unbound

Shadows clung like cobwebs to every corner of the room, hiding humble relics of a past long forgotten. The only thing driving away the dark was a pale light beyond the open door. Standing there, staring at the eerie glow, the ponies and their young companion almost preferred the darkness.

The fur on Fluttershy’s back crawled at a crackling sound which came from beyond the threshold. “What is that?” she dared to speak, her own faint whisper of a voice struggling to overcome the static. It was unlike anything she had ever heard before, unlike anything the natural world was capable of

Luna stared down the hallway, a glint of recognition behind the unease in her eyes. “Correct me if I am wrong, sister, but is that sound not from that strange device in the living room?”

“Indeed it is,” Celestia replied, not breaking her own stiff gaze. “It is called a television. That static sound is from it failing to find a signal. Harmless under normal circumstances… though I fear these are far from normal circumstances.”

“So, are we going to sit here and have a sleepover, or are we going to go see what’s going on?” Rainbow Dash turned toward the inviting bed nestled to the side. “I’m game for either. I could use a nap.”

Meanwhile, Twilight stared in the direction of the living room, her body tense. Memories of her vivid dream flashed through her head, of the frightful visage of Isaac’s mother, of the hands made of crackling snow pulling her into the television.

Looking down beside her, she found Isaac poking his head out from her hind leg. She could feel his tiny hands trembling as they gripped her fur, which only served to deepen the pit in her gut.

“I don’t think we have much of a choice,” Twilight said before turning to her friends, “but everypony be careful. I don’t trust this.”

“If that ain’t the understatement of the year,” Applejack said.

Deciding to take point, Celestia led her companions out of the dark bedroom and into the hallway. They all got light on their hooves as they crept forward, paranoid as if the slightest sound would be swallowed by the static and give them away.

Nearing the corner, the group started to hear muffled voices bleeding through the ceaseless white noise. It was difficult to tell what was being said half the time, but the bits they could make out weren’t exactly comforting.

They all shared hesitant looks as they stood there at the threshold of the living room. Finally, it was Twilight who made the first move out of the concealing shadows and into the pale light. Celestia and Luna followed close behind, with everyone else filing in after—some more reluctantly than others. Fluttershy had to take a moment to steel herself after Isaac came back and checked on her, but eventually she let him lead her in by the hoof.

The friends spread out as they entered the room. All eyes were glued to the television, the source of all the light. A shifting picture of crackling snow was all that could be seen on its screen.

Seeing no obvious threats in the vicinity, the ponies gradually crept out from behind the massive red couch and gathered on the cross-bearing carpet in front. Their forms were painted in dancing shadows on the cushions behind them.

“I must say, I’m not sure I get the appeal of this thing,” Rarity said.

Pinkie put a hoof up to shade her eyes. “What is it? Some kind of headache machine?”

“Normally, it’s supposed to show you things, kind of like a moving picture,” Twilight explained before looking ahead with troubled eyes. She could almost swear she could see strange movement in the static. “Somehow, I don’t think this is a normal television.”

Before anyone else could say anything, Isaac took a few timid steps toward the television. He looked between it and the couch behind him, staring pensively at the empty cushions. He then glanced at some of the pictures hanging on the wall, particularly at one of his mother and him alone, his shoulders slumping as he did.

Twilight frowned and walked up beside the boy. She draped a wing over him to where her feathers just barely caressed his shoulder, causing him to look up. Seeing her and the other ponies offering him comforting expressions was enough to reverse his gloom, even if only slightly.

…Krzzzt… And so I tell you…Bzzt… Krzzt—blasphemy against the spirit will not be forgiven!

A masculine voice drew their attention to the screen. They all took a step back, raising their guard at this sudden activity.

A picture drifted slowly into and out of focus on the television screen, accompanied by the sounds of a man speaking passionately. Through the static, the ponies could make out what looked to be figures huddled before a podium, where a single speaker stood with arms outstretched underneath a massive cross.

Impurity…lust…Bzzt…evil desires…

…Because of these sins…Krzzt…anger of God is coming!

A different man’s voice came through, and the faint images shifted to a different version of a similar scene. Another crowd gathered before another speaker, all under the same symbol.

“Poor dear,” Rarity glanced at Isaac before looking back to the screen. “I can see how listening to this day after day could leave its mark on an impressionable mind.”

Pinkie tilted her head. “But I thought Isaac’s religion taught good things? Why are they saying such awful things about it?”

Celestia stared at the unintelligible mess of shapes and images, her flat mouth curling down the longer she listened to the sermon. “I’m afraid all it takes is one fanatic to spoil the intentions of anything,” she said.

Bzzt…But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light…we have fellowship…Krzzt…each other…

…blood of Jesus…Bzzt… cleanses us from all sin…If we claim we have no sin…Krzzt…not living in the truth…

Fluttershy slowly stepped forward and joined the group huddled around Isaac. The boy was staring at the screen with a frown cut sharp and deep into his cheeks. “It’s okay, Isaac. You don’t have to listen to it anymore.”

Isaac turned to look back at her, though he seemed to find it difficult. It was as if an unseen hand had clamped down on his shoulder, resisting his efforts to tear himself away from the screen.

“What now?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Do we destroy this thing or something? If nothing else, I bet the kid would get a real kick out of it.”

Applejack smirked and stepped forward. “He wouldn’t be the only one!” She turned and reared up her hind legs, aiming to put a hole right through the glass.

As the farmer prepared to buck the television into oblivion, Twilight’s mind flashed back to her getting dragged into the screen. “Applejack, wait!”

*Thunk*

Before she could process the alicorn’s warning, Applejack kicked out. Her hind hooves collided with the glass, and while they rocked the television back and made a loud noise, nothing else happened.

“Huh… thing sure is sturdy.” Applejack scratched her head at the seemingly indestructible contraption before turning to her friend. “Somethin’ wrong, Twilight?”

Twilight allowed herself to ease up. “I… I guess not. I had a really weird dream about this thing before, but I guess it was just—”

KRZZT…REPENT!

A violent crackle and a jarring increase in volume jolted the group back. The image on the screen clarified slightly, revealing a close-up of a man on a podium through the fuzzy snow.

That’s right! All you girls and boys out there must repent for your sins! No matter how good you think you are, we are all sinners bound for the fire!

The speaker shifted to look straight ahead. Isaac and the others froze. It was almost like he was looking straight at the boy.

The wicked on this earth are enjoying but a sample of the eternal torment of Hell. You must not be deceived into thinking that just because you are not yet physically in Hell, that God's wrath is not upon you!

Then, another image started to bleed through and superimpose itself onto the speaker’s face. Two bright white eyes made of the crackling static faded into view.

Rainbow Dash backed herself up against the couch, lifting her hoof and twitching her wings in preparation for anything. “Uh… AJ, I think you ticked it off.”

“How was I supposed to know it was alive?!” Applejack retorted.

The eyes grew sharper and sharper on the screen, and the scene beneath them faded away as a familiar face took up the image. It was Isaac, but something was wrong. His tears were black, and his face was distorted, like it was melting. It slowly got larger, as if it was far away and getting closer to the front of the screen.

Closer to them.

Fluttershy receded from the television. She jumped as she hit the couch behind her. “Umm… y-you guys? W-What do we do?!”

“Please tell me there’s a way to turn this thing off?!” Rarity said.

Seeing the terrifying visage on the screen, Twilight lit her horn and raced a cluster of magic to a knob on the side of the television. She flicked it to a setting labeled ‘off’, to no effect. She flicked it back and forth, growing more and more desperate the closer the face got.

Celestia rushed to the side until she could see behind the television. Her eyes widened as she spotted the power cord near the wall. It wasn't plugged in. “I’m afraid that isn’t an option!”

Stepping forward, Luna charged her horn and faced the static abomination. She let loose a bolt of magic into the bulky device. The bolt exploded, silencing the room instantly as the television flickered off.

In the dark, a drawn-out creak followed by a loud slam made everyone’s hearts skip. Twilight raced to cast a light spell, channeling it into a cone ahead of them. As her magenta flashlight fell over the television, the ponies could see that it had been knocked over, and was inert.

Isaac looked up from his position cowering with Fluttershy. He deflated and wiped the sweat from his brow.

Celestia rested a hoof to her racing heart. “Nicely done, sister.”

“Thank you…” Luna said, still coming down from her own alarm. “Honestly, I did not expect that to work.”

“Me either… but I’m really glad it did,” Twilight breathed a sigh of relief.

Applejack gave the dormant television a wary look. “I don’t mean to push us around or anything, but do you think we oughta leave?”

“I second that…” Fluttershy muttered.

Seeing as they had already explored everywhere, Celestia made her way toward the hallway leading to Isaac’s bedroom. “I’m not quite sure where else we could go, but I do agree that hanging around here would be ill-adv—”

*SLAM*

The door shut violently in the alicorn’s face, nearly flattening her royal muzzle. Looking back, the group noticed the other door closing as well. Celestia blinked before sighing. “I was afraid that might happen…”

Then, pale light split the air once more as the fallen television flicked on. Twilight and the others gathered nearby all distanced themselves.

“Uh oh…” Rainbow Dash muttered.

“I suppose it did seem too easy,” Luna stated, keeping her horn at the ready as she stood in front of the ponies. Isaac, Twilight, and Celestia quickly joined her, with the others readying themselves as best they could.

In the shadow created by the white glow, all the color slowly drained from the floorboards as a monochromatic wave rippled outward from the television. A loud creaking and groaning sound came as the wooden floor, walls, and ceiling cracked and splintered.

Everyone flinched as the wave of decay passed underneath them and spread to the rest of the room. The once humble living room now resembled a washed-out, black and white nightmare full of holes.

“I don’t think I want a television anymore,” Pinkie said, lifting her hoof and examining the floor. She and her friends were the only source of color in the room now.

Seeing movement on the screen, Twilight tensed her hooves and lowered herself. “Look!”

Casting their eyes forward, the group watched as a shape pulsed out of the glass screen, hovering out of the television like it was merely a thin film of water.

Its rounded form was dripping and melted around the edges, but it was made of the same static filling the screen. A long, spindly cord attached it to the television, allowing it to rise up before it flopped to the floor. A puddle of crackling snow was left underneath it.

“Do we panic now?” Rarity asked, barely moving a muscle as she stared at the shape now rising into the air. Her revulsion only worsened as two glowing white eyes opened up on its head. With the cord connecting it to the television, it resembled a fetus made of static, a comparison which only furthered as a mouth opened and let out a piercing wail.

“I’m gonna say yes!” Rainbow Dash stated.

Before anyone could react further, the static creature fired several orb-shaped projectiles at them. They were like Isaac’s tears, only made of the same crackling material as the rest of the abomination before them.

“Scatter!” Applejack shouted, to which nobody needed confirmation. They all flew, ran, or dove out of the way as the static-y bullets sailed toward them.

Rolling out of the way of two streams of projectiles, Twilight was the first to return fire. She grit her teeth and discharged a bolt of magenta energy from her horn, cutting through the colorless world they now found themselves in.

The bolt flew up at the creature, aiming true for its head. However, a white sphere flashed around its form just before impact, similar to the robed creatures from the mausoleum. This time, the shimmering line feeding the shield led to the television itself.

Twilight blinked, fazed by the effortless parry of her attack. She was quick to recover, however, and shifted her eyes to the device and its glowing screen. “Aim for the television!” she exclaimed before rushing out of the way of another barrage of sizzling white orbs.

Running and ducking under projectiles passing by, Isaac strafed around the side of the beast and let loose his tears at the television. Each shot thudded into its side and seemed to cause a flicker in the static on the screen.

The being floating in front of the device glanced back, a sharp noise like nails in a blender erupting from its throat at the sight of its shield under attack.

A buzzing noise came as the creature shook. With a sickening crack its jaw opened and unhinged, and a geyser of crackling light fired out just ahead of Isaac. He fell backwards in shock at the beam mere inches away.

Then, the beam began to curve toward him. Isaac crawled away, his eyes wide as he realized he couldn’t escape it. He flinched and shielded his face. However, instead of being annihilated, he suddenly heard fast approaching hooves before a set of teeth clamped down onto his arm and tossed him onto the back of an orange mare.

“Got’cha!” Applejack ran as fast as she could away from the beam. She was able to outpace it with ease and ran around toward the couch.

Pinkie, who was already hiding by the couch along with Fluttershy, whistled in applause. “Woo! Go, Applejack!”

Fluttershy smiled in relief at the boy's safety, but her smile vanished as a sharp buzz caught her attention.

The beam of static was now curving toward them, having teleported to the other side of the couch to intercept the fleeing pony. While it was targeting Applejack, it didn’t care what, or who else got in its way.

“AHH!” Both Pinkie and Fluttershy screamed and bolted ahead. The beam followed them, disintegrating the couch mere inches behind them as they ran.

Applejack skidded to a halt. She started to change her direction to match the pair fleeing toward her, but she could tell that the beam was too fast for any of them. Letting out a cry of denial, she shut her eyes and waited for the end.

The end never came. What came instead, was a golden barrier of magic appearing around all four of them just before the beam could reach them.

Uncovering her head, Fluttershy looked up and flinched at the sight of the static laser spreading out and washing over the barrier. She turned to find Celestia hovering up near the ceiling in the far back corner of the room, just before the spreading wave cut off their view of the outside. “Princess?”

*Crack*

Hairline fractures spiderwebbed across the surface of the shield. Celestia winced and channeled more energy to her spell, but the beam was steadily overpowering her.

The ponies and their young companion inside the bubble huddled together and watched tensely as their magical sanctuary grew brittle and cracked further. Fluttershy and Pinkie hugged each other and whined, while Isaac buried his head into Applejack’s neck as she herself hid her eyes with her hat.

Fighting with all her magical might, Celestia strained herself to keep her barrier up. Just before she thought she might falter, the beam of static died down, allowing her to drop her shield. She immediately dipped in the air as her body deflated with exhaustion.

“Twilight, Luna! Don’t take its attacks lightly! It is stronger than anything we’ve faced here!” Celestia shouted.

Down on the ground, Twilight cringed as she shielded Rainbow Dash from another barrage of projectiles. Even the smaller orbs of static packed enough punch to cause her considerable strain.

“I noticed!” she retorted, joining Luna, Celestia, and even Rarity in firing magical potshots whenever she got the chance.

The static baby wailed at them and floated forward. Liquid dripped to the floor beneath it, spreading a creeping puddle of crackling snow everywhere it went.

Seeing the creature approaching, Applejack traded Isaac off to Pinkie’s back before they all ran in different directions. While her meeker friends fled for safety, Applejack ran around the side until she was behind the television.

While the monster’s attention was fixed on the others, Applejack used the lull between attacks to land a few strikes herself. She reared up and kicked the housing of the bulky device multiple times, grunting and putting all her worth into each kick.

“If nothin’ else, I gotta respect the craftsponyship. Whoever… ngh…. put this thing together, did a right fine job!” Applejack crouched down, focused and held a deep breath, and channeled the full force of her buck straight into the television’s wooden paneling. Entire orchards of apple trees would quake at a kick half that powerful, yet the strange machine showed no signs of damage.

Although, perhaps that wasn't true. Upon closer inspection, a crack began to form at the top of the screen.

As she was backing away and facing down the looming monstrosity, Twilight barely noticed this crack. Enlivened by a visual sign of progress, she glanced to the battle at large before deciding that she had enough of a window to direct her magic to the television.

“Hrk…!” Twilight heaved as her aura wrapped around the device. It was heavier than anything its size should have been, as if it was actively fighting her attempts at lifting it. However, it soon yielded to her magical might.

Applejack stepped back as the television floated up into the air. The rest of the group spared a glance at the otherwise novel sight.

Then, with a yell of exertion, Twilight slammed the television down into the ground with a clamor, cracking not only the screen but also the surrounding floorboards.

“Go, Twilight! Show this freak who’s boss!” Rainbow Dash cheered as she zipped around the creature, causing it to fire a few shots at her in retaliation.

Unsatisfied at simply damaging the device, Twilight strained to levitate it again. She slammed it down a second time, causing even larger cracks to reach all the way to the frame.

The creature jolted abruptly. Its snowy skin flickered momentarily as it jerked in the air with a pained cry. It then cast its glowing gaze onto the alicorn and the television wrapped in her magenta cluster of magic.

Stopping in the air, the being’s head shifted. It flowed upward, creating two branching parts that almost resembled a flame. As it flowed, more orbs of static flew out from its form, being flung far and wide. Each orb that impacted a wall or the floor made a sharp noise and vanished, being replaced by a translucent fluctuating line of static.

Twilight darted her head around and observed these lines criss-crossing the room. She flinched as one intersected her, but she didn’t feel anything.

The others all stared at these lines and the rain of projectiles still creating them. However, before anyone could think further on what they were for—

“GAH!”

A low buzz sounded out as one of the lines crossing Twilight’s foreleg lit up, creating a burning ray of static light. Blood trickled through her fur. It was like someone ran a white-hot razor across her skin.

More of the lines started intensifying, and an array of buzzing pings filled the room. Then came the yells.

“AGH!” Luna yelped and clutched her side as she failed to get out of the way in time.

“Get down!” Rarity tackled Fluttershy to the floor just in time to avoid two lasers burning through the pegasus’ barrel.

Pinkie squealed fearfully and dove for safety. Much to her horror, she heard a cry of pain from the boy atop her back as a laser narrowly raked across his side. “Isaac!”

Up in the air, Rainbow Dash’s face paled at the chaos below her. Her worried eyes darted between each of her friends. They then settled beneath her, her pupils shrinking as she noticed a see-through line of static painting her chest and coming out the other side, just in time for it to start lighting up. She flinched.

Another buzz sounded out, and a beam of light split the air.

Rainbow Dash’s form jolted. She dipped in the air, but managed to flap her wings again and stabilize herself.

Opening her eyes and bringing a hoof to her chest, Rainbow was surprised to find no blood. There was no hole burned through her body, and as she looked ahead, she soon found why.

A magenta shield floated around her, cracked but unbroken. Down on the ground, Twilight cringed and clutched her bleeding foreleg to her chest, but still managed to keep her horn lit as she looked up to her friend.

After sharing a wordless thanks with the alicorn, Rainbow’s features hardened as she shifted her attention to their enemy. The television was still hissing and crackling at them, screaming out through unending static. It was, however, heavily damaged by this point.

Zipping to the very back of the room, Rainbow Dash flapped her wings as hard as she could and picked up speed. She bolted through the air like a cyan bullet before arcing down and aiming right for the screen.

The creature turned and screeched at her, but she was too fast. A grin split her face as she flipped around mid-dive, bringing her hind hoof down with all the force of a battering ram.

“Lights out, creep!” she exclaimed.

The shattering of glass rang out through the room as Rainbow’s hoof shot clean through the center of the screen. Already weakened by the onslaught of punishment it had taken, the frame of the bulky device split as well, leaving the television to collapse into a heap of debris.

As the static of the screen vanished, the umbilical cord connecting it to the floating creature melted into the floor. A droning wail came from the monster’s mouth, its form shaking and trembling in the air.

Howling all the while, it fell and vanished into its own pool of crackling fluid on the ground.

Silence washed over the room. The ponies stared in shock for a moment before Pinkie gave the first cheer. “Go, Dashie!”

“Well done, Rainbow Dash!” Celestia smiled.

Even Isaac walked up to the group huddling around the broken television and clapped excitedly while the pegasus did a few stage bows.

“Thank you, thank you. I knew that thing couldn’t handle my awesomeness the moment it flopped out of this stupid box.” Rainbow gave the ruined television a kick without even looking back.

However, while the ponies were celebrating, Isaac paused as he noticed something. His expression went blank as he looked down at the puddle of static on the floor. Its surface was wriggling underneath the constant crackling snow, as if something was moving within.

The boy reached up beside him and tugged on Twilight’s hind leg. “What is it, Isaac?” She started to crane her head around to him, and froze as she spotted the cause of his alarm.

More of the group turned and noticed the puddle wriggling more aggressively. They all started to slowly back away from it. Then, an amorphous blob of similar size to the static baby came rising out of the pit.

“Uh… what happened to it not being able to handle your awesomeness, Dash?” Applejack asked.

Rainbow Dash didn’t even turn to face her amidst her stunned shock. “No comment…” she muttered as she took another few steps back.

The blob started shaking in the air. Its outermost sections pulled inward, roiling and shifting like a caterpillar within a cocoon shaping itself into something else.

Rarity scoffed and raised a hoof in disbelief. “How is that thing even flying?! It doesn’t have any w-”

With a flash of light and a choir of heavenly voices ringing out at once, the orb of static unfurled four feathery appendages. Each wing flapped in unison, keeping it afloat. It held an otherworldly quality to it unlike anything they had seen before. A great, terrible, divine being rendered in static and twisted to embody all the corruption spewed by the television.

“Okay… I’m just going to stop talking now,” Rarity noted, taking a few increasingly panicked steps back before breaking out in a full-on gallop as the thing started to move toward them.

Springing into action once more, Isaac joined the magic users in battle. His tears met their bolts of energy in colliding with the creature, chipping away at its stamina. The others backed away to what they thought would be a safe distance. They thought wrong.

With a casual flick of its massive wings, the angelic being propelled a wave of feathers at gale-force speed. Each feather crackled with the same static energy coursing through its form as they surged toward the ponies and their young companion.

Rainbow Dash took to the air again, but even with her deft reflexes, she couldn’t get clear in time to prevent one of the feathers from clipping her hind leg. Blood sprayed out in a thin film as her fur, flesh, and underlying muscle failed to slow the feather down even slightly. “Agh!”

Isaac managed to weave himself in between each of the projectiles, putting to work his endless hours spent dodging similar attacks from other monstrosities in the basement.

Near the back of the room, Fluttershy flinched and dove to the floor, narrowly avoiding the projectiles. A few magical barriers popped up around her, shielding her other friends who weren’t so fast to evade.

After letting her barrier around Pinkie and Rarity fade, Twilight’s eyes burned with determination as she faced their foe. Racing energy to her horn, she focused and conjured a set of glowing magenta chains around each of the angel’s four wings. The chains shot out and wrapped themselves around the wings and the creature’s spherical body, soon rendering it trapped in midair.

“I’ve got it! Focus your fire on it!” Twilight instructed.

Before anyone could capitalize on the opportunity she granted, Twilight felt her magic begin to buckle. The chains flexed and creaked as the creature’s body shook. She tried to pour more energy into the bonds, but she was helpless to prevent them shattering as the angel’s form suddenly shifted.

“Ngh!” Twilight cringed and held her horn. Pushing aside the pain, she looked up and gasped as she saw what the creature did to break her chains.

With a whir, the ball of static spun and spun until its body pulled outward into a winged ring. It then zipped off, heading straight for Twilight and anyone behind her. The alicorn tried to run, but couldn’t get away before the creature plowed into her, knocking her off her hooves and into the nearby wall.

Celestia’s eyes snapped to her student being flung into a wall, and a gasp escaped her. “Twilight!” she exclaimed. Distracted, and with the creature flying harmlessly off to the side of her, she barely noticed as another noise signaled a radial spray of feathers launching off the winged wheel. Barely noticed, until she felt something slice through her back. “Ahh!”

“Princess!” Fluttershy cried out. However, her wide eyes soon focused on the creature as it whipped back across the room, heading straight for her. Her body tensed, and a timid squeak escaped her as she realized she couldn’t evade in time.

Something crashed into her, but it wasn't the creature. Fluttershy tried to look up, only to have a blue hoof firmly hold her head down just in time for the winged wheel to pass over. She finally turned to find Princess Luna on top of her.

“Keep your wits about you, young Shy!” Luna stated before casting her gaze toward the creature zipping around and sending a shot from her horn where she thought it would be. The attack missed, but she couldn’t focus on that for long before she was forced to cast a shield around Twilight from another burst of feathers.

Over on the other side of the room, Isaac struggled to keep up with the sheer speed of the creature. He was barely hitting any of his shots, and he found it increasingly hard to predict the wheel’s path soon enough to dodge it.

He dove to the floor, narrowly avoiding a potential decapitation. However, his eyes widened as he turned to find a barrage of feathers heading toward him.

Just before impact, Isaac found himself getting snatched into the air by his hands. Looking up, he found a familiar cyan pegasus carrying him aloft with her hooves.

Rainbow Dash smirked down at her passenger before steeling her gaze on the wheel whipping around the room. “You focus on shooting! I’ll handle the rest!”

Isaac gave a solemn nod. Rainbow cruised down closer to the creature and matched its hairpin turn with one of her own, keeping just behind it. While the boy in her grasp started firing tears at it, she dipped and weaved around another burst of feathers so her companion could stay on target.

Numerous tears and magical blasts of varying color impacted the winged wheel. Each strike seemed to disrupt the pattern of static on its form, but still it kept going. Then, it gradually slowed to a stop and returned to its former shape.

Rainbow Dash came to a stop and hovered off to the side, giving Isaac a clear shot. Twilight and the other magic users wasted no time in joining the boy, hitting the creature with everything they had.

The static beast shook and its wings furled inwards. For a moment, the ponies felt a sense of relief, thinking they had won.

The relief was short-lived, as the creature began to emit a high-pitched whine and summon a shining ball of light above itself. The ball began to morph, spilling out in numerous brilliant, scintillating arms, each stretching out and shifting around until they suddenly stopped.

Twilight’s eyes widened as the rays of light started to intensify. The creature had made a similar attack before with the beams of static, so she knew they were in trouble. “Get down!” she shouted to her friends before rushing up to Rarity and casting a shield around them.

All at once, each of the rays of light grew brighter and flashed across the room, snapping floorboards, scorching walls, and reducing Twilight’s shield to a fine purple mist.

Rarity gasped as a ray of death came mere inches between her and Twilight. The alicorn yelped, but not from being struck—her strongest barrier had proven about as effective as an illusion spell.

“Aren’t we a little underpowered for this?!” Pinkie shouted amidst the fray, holding her hooves over her head and cowering under one of the radiant beams.

Up in the air, Rainbow Dash screamed as her shoulder erupted into agony, one of the blinding rays piercing clean through. She dipped in the air and nearly dropped Isaac before catching him and holding him close to her chest with one foreleg.

Isaac looked up to the bleeding hole in the pony’s shoulder aghast. Still, Rainbow held her flight pattern and kept her grip on him even through gritted teeth.

“Ngh… hold on, Isaac!” She undertook evasive maneuvers as another set of light rays formed from the ball above the creature’s non-existent head.

Chaos ensued as everyone raced to get out of the way of any forming beams of light. It was hard to judge where the rays would go, as they didn’t stretch all the way out at first, and they kept moving. Those on the ground jumped, tucked, and dove every which way, and those few in the air zipped to any safe spot they could find.

Finally, the angel threw the ball of light as it started forming one last barrage, freeing it up to fly away while the group fled for safety.

“Gah!” Applejack tumbled to the ground as a finger of light poked clean through her thigh, sizzling as it went.

“Applejack!” Pinkie rushed to the fallen mare’s side and helped her stand back up. Both of them tensely turned and watched the creature for whatever would be sent their way next, though with how slow they were now, they wondered if they could dodge.

Seeing the others growing more injured and exhausted by the minute, Celestia’s expression tensed. She pushed through her own draining stamina and fired out her own laser of burning sunlight at the creature. “We must finish this quickly, before it finishes us!”

“Everyone focus fire on it!” Twilight suggested, adding her own barrage of blasts to her mentor’s concentrated beam.

Luna began firing bolts of magic as well, even as she was forced to roll out of the way of another volley of static feathers. “It must reach its limit eventually!”

The creature trembled and faltered in the air from the onslaught against it. It loosed another shrill whine as it gathered energy into a second ball of light above it.

Up above, Isaac widened his eyes. He wasn't sure if his friends could take another attack.

Thinking fast, he looked up to the pegasus still clutching him tightly and patted her foreleg.

Rainbow Dash darted her gaze between the forming attack and the boy in her grasp. "What?! I'm a little busy!"

In response, Isaac reached into his inventory and pulled out a small object— a bomb. He pointed to the creature, and then to the explosive in his hand.

"I see…" Rainbow muttered as she looked ahead. With the forming rays of light, it would be dangerous to get close enough to the creature for the boy to throw his bomb. Of course, danger was no problem for her. "You got it, kid! Just get ready to throw!"

Zooming ahead, Rainbow tossed Isaac up and caught him on her back. He lowered down, keeping one hand around her neck and one hand poised with the bomb at the ready. The menacing hum of the tendrils of light snaking back and forth grew in pitch as they slowed, preparing to burn through anything in their way.

Their friends down below tensed themselves and struggled to decide if they should dodge, guard, or continue fighting in an effort to destroy the creature before it could destroy them. Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack all huddled loosely at the back of the room while the alicorns ahead stood their ground. Twilight darted her eyes back to the others, and then at the pair flying above. With her nerves and taxed magical stamina, could she even hold a shield against the unforgiving might this foe wielded?

Rainbow grit her teeth and zipped straight by the creature. She didn’t even attempt to dodge, just to get there fast enough. Time seemed to slow to a halt as Isaac lit the fuse on his bomb and tossed it at the base of the floating monstrosity.

Seconds ticked by. The rays of light stopped moving, their trajectories locked in place. Two of them were lined up with Fluttershy and Pinkie, while one ran straight through Twilight’s chest. Another trained itself dead-center on Rainbow Dash’s torso as she flew, and she felt the hairs on her tail bristle as she stared at the death ray starting to fire.

The fuse on the bomb got shorter. The lights got brighter…

Brighter…

Shorter…

Until—

*BOOM*

A fiery explosion rocked the room. The winged creature was completely engulfed. All the ponies flinched, both from the shockwave, and from the imminent attack. Rainbow Dash yelped as she was pushed away by the force. It wasn't enough to injure her, but it was enough to send Isaac falling from her back as she sailed into the nearby wall.

Twilight forced herself to look up. Even with her heavy breathing, she was caught between beats of her frantic heart and gasps of air. Her horn sparked and fitted, but she struggled to channel energy toward a shield.

However, as the smoke cleared, she and the others noticed that the ball of light over the creature’s head was gone. In fact, the creature itself wasn't moving. Or, it wasn't flapping its wings at least.

The static making up its form flickered and shifted as the whole thing shook. Then, with a high-pitched cry that filled their ears and distorted, the ponies’ vision filled with light that swiftly blinked out, just like a television shutting down, leaving behind nothing but darkness.

“W-Where is everypony?!” Fluttershy whined.

“Worry not,” Luna’s voice chimed in from somewhere off in the dark, “we are still here.”

“Ngh… does somepony want to turn on a light?” Rainbow suggested as she picked herself off the ground.

Almost the instant she said that, light returned to them, though it wasn't from any of the magic users.

All eyes shifted ahead to a pale glow. Isaac was still on the floor where he fell. Ahead of him, a puddle of liquid crackling with static sat on the ground where the creature was.

Isaac squinted his eyes open and lifted his head. He looked around to see his pony friends slowly approaching. However, before they could gather around him, they all froze as a shape rose out of the static pool.

It wasn't the creature, or any other form of it. It was a massive cross.

The crackling shape loomed over the boy, holding his stunned gaze as a flame to a moth. It represented everything to him. Everything he had been taught, everything he knew to be just, everything he feared. Even now it eclipsed him as it stood there, still as a statue.

Still, that is, until it fell forward. Isaac barely had time to flinch before it filled his vision.

A series of gasps rang out as the ponies watched the cross fall over their young friend.

Fluttershy reached a hoof out. “Isa—”

The name scarcely left her mouth before the impact sent a shockwave of air throughout the room. In an instant, all of them, even the royal sisters themselves, were sent flying from their hooves. Their consciousness blinked out all at once.