Fluttershy stood at the mouth of a large cavern. She had been hesitating for a long time, and didn't know what to expect on the inside. An unnatural chill hung in the air, warding away most animals and insects. Despite the summer heat, the temperature near the cave was downright cold. She breathed deeply of the stale air, then headed inside.
An undulating corridor twisted every which way. It would be all but impossible to navigate in the dark. The lantern around Fluttershy’s neck guided her safely. The further she went into the cave, the more she felt something. It wasn’t just cold, still air. There was something wrong here.
Fluttershy’s stomach did backflips. Her heart tried to crawl up her throat and escape. The ominous feeling only grew stronger with each step she took. It made her physically ill. The very fabric of reality had been stained by some dark perversion against nature, and even coming near it repulsed Fluttershy.
Then, Fluttershy stepped on something squishy. She looked down. Round, shiny. It took her some time to recognize what she was looking at. More so to admit to herself what she was seeing. Eyes.
A pony’s eyes laid on the floor in a puddle of blood. Flesh, muscle, and optic nerve still clung to them. They even had eyelids and eyelashes. One had been crushed under Fluttershy’s hoof. The other stared upwards, returning Fluttershy’s gaze. The golden iris shimmered in the light of Fluttershy’s lantern.
Fluttershy had the foresight to push her lantern aside before puking. She hadn’t eaten anything yet, so all that came up was a thin stream of bile. She spent a few seconds retching. Each glance at the disembodied eyeball brought on another dry heave. She closed her eyes tight and whimpered. It took every fiber of her being to resist sobbing.
Ahead, the narrow corridor opened into a cavern. Fluttershy could just barely see light in the distance. She took a deep breath, only to be reminded that the air sickened her. Steeling her reserve in a less breathy way, Fluttershy marched. Onward, into certain death.
The interior of the cave had been furnished with the opulence of a palace. Expensive rugs stretched across the floor, marble sculptures stood upon the few patches of even flooring, and badly water-damaged paintings hung from the cavern walls. Fluttershy followed the distant flicker of light deeper into the cave.
Fluttershy soon found herself in another large chamber. Golden sconces lined the walls, bearing scented candles. Dim, flickering light danced throughout the room. Other corridors snaked off into the darkness. In the center, resting upon a chaise longue, was a bony unicorn mare.
Her dark teal mane and tail stood out against a pale, beige coat. She had no eyes, but each empty socket bore a speck of unnatural luminescence. Two motes of red light, like hot coals amidst a black abyss. Blood oozed from the skin around her eye sockets.
"You really are a terrible assassin, my dear," said the lichpony. "I heard every step you took."
"Um, I'm not an assassin," said Fluttershy.
"Oh? Then why are you here? You're a bit old to be a sacrifice, but I could still kill you if that's what you're after."
"N-no, I'm happy being alive. I just want to talk, Forgotten. I-I mean, Varinia.”
"Vah-rin-ee-ah. Yes, that is my name! I haven't heard it in so long that I had forgotten what it sounds like. You have earned my respect, little pony. You may say your piece. Just watch that you don't arouse my ire."
"I want you to stop hurting foals.”
"Why would I do a silly thing like that?"
"Um…because it's wrong?"
"What was that, dear?"
"It's wrong to steal blood from foals, please stop."
Varinia laughed, then stood from her chaise longue and approached Fluttershy. "Wrong? You mortals and your ethics. If not for taking in the blood of youth, I'd be nothing but bones! Would you allow such beauty to fade for the sake of a few commoners? Their deaths are a small price to pay for my eternity."
"What if somepony took your daughter from you? How would you feel?"
"Daughter? How ludicrous. No stallion is worthy of planting his seed in me. I have my way with males, and then kill them before they finish."
"Well then, what if it happened to you? What if somepony had captured you as a filly and bled you dry for their own vanity? You've lived your life and then some, you must let everypony else live theirs."
Fluttershy continued to expound the moral ramifications of cannibalizing foals for eternal youth. Varinia appeared to lose interest in the sermon, and allowed her gaze to wander. Undaunted by the lack of attention, Fluttershy continued to lecture the undead horror before her. Suddenly, Varinia’s expression softened.
“You’re right,” said Varinia. “I can’t keep doing this. Blood magic or not, I’m old. Old, and scorned, and alone. To think I used to take it as a challenge when ponies told me I’d never defeat Celestia.”
“But that’s not what I—“
“Your words have moved me. I see now that I’m irrelevant and powerless. Why, I haven’t even been able to raise a proper army in over eight hundred years. What hope do I have of taking back what is rightfully mine? You’re absolutely right. I should just give up.”
“But I didn’t s—“
“Thank you for talking to me like another pony, and not some supernatural monster.”
“Oh, um. You’re welcome. I think?”
The air wavered, and an ornate wooden box appeared beneath the chaise longue. Lacquered mahogany, with finely polished gold accents. Varinia lifted the box via telekinesis and placed it in front of Fluttershy, then opened it. The velvet-lined interior held a glass ball, about three inches across. A dense, colorless fog danced just beneath the surface of the glass. Varinia removed the orb from the box and placed it on the floor of the cave. The lid of the box fell of its own weight.
"This case was made to house my phylactery," said Varinia. "Custom designed, and built of the finest materials and workmanship that money can buy. There is truly nothing else like it. It would mean a lot to me if you, the mare who showed me the error of my ways, were to keep it.”
"This is beautiful, but don't you need it?"
Varinia rest her hoof atop the fog-filled glass sphere. "No. Not anymore."
No sooner than she'd finished speaking, Varinia crushed the glass globe underhoof. The colorless fog inside escaped and quickly dissipated into the air. Varinia emitted an ear-splitting howl of agony. Her eyes went dark and great fissures appeared in her skin.
Blood flowed freely from her sudden wounds, and flesh fell from her bones. The lichpony hung her head low and allowed a rush of blood and organ fragments to flood out of her mouth, then collapsed into her own crimson mess.
The foul magic holding Varinia's cursed body together had been dispelled, and she was reduced to a blood-drenched pile of flesh and bone in seconds. The wrongness in the air faded almost instantly. Fluttershy stared at the remains in abject horror. Varinia's death was by far the most stunning and grotesque display of suffering Fluttershy had ever seen, and it had been motivated by her words. She couldn't help but feel a sharp pang of guilt, in spite of Varinia's actions.
When the shock wore off, Fluttershy turned her attention to the phylactery case. The yellow pegasus hesitantly reached for the box. The instant she touched it, a spark of electricity stung her hoof. Fluttershy drew back in surprise, then picked up the box and cautiously placed it on her back.
An instant later, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity rushed into the cave. The two unicorns stopped in their tracks at the sight of the bloody mess in front of Fluttershy. They stared for a long time before either spoke.
"Good heavens, Fluttershy!" said Rarity. "What did you do?"
"I didn't do it," said Fluttershy. "She, um, killed herself."
"Suicide! How uncouth!" said Rarity.
"Are you sure, Fluttershy?" said Twilight. "She's been 'killed' before and has survived to butcher more fillies."
"She smashed some kind of glass ball. She called it a phylactery,” said Fluttershy.
“A phylactery?” said Twilight. “My book says that’s where a lich keeps its soul. They need to keep it safe to remain immortal.”
“It was awful,” said Fluttershy. “She screamed, and then fell apart. Like her body tore itself to pieces from the inside. S-so much blood…”
"You poor thing, that must have been a traumatic sight,” said Rarity. "Come, let's get out of this icky place. I'm treating you to the spa, immediately!"
"I'm not entirely convinced this isn't some kind of trick,” said Twilight. "Stay alert, you two. I'm going to check on Apple Bloom. Hopefully Applejack has calmed down since this morning…”