//------------------------------// // Session 18 - Waiting Up All Night For You // Story: Red Eye // by Fonypan //------------------------------// Red Eye returned to her blood-drenched hovel. The lonely, unwanted feeling was something she’d grown accustomed to. That she’d actually managed to talk to somepony this time made it all the more frustrating. Red Eye settled down on the floor, intent to forget meeting Timpani. She sat, motionlessly staring at the wall, for several hours. The sudden sound of a voice broke her trance. “Hi, Fluttershy!” Red Eye sat up and turned to see a tiny unicorn standing in her doorway. “Oh, hello Timpani! How did you get here?” “I snuck out of my room after mom went to bed! It wasn’t hard to figure out where you went. I just followed the trail of blood.” “Aren’t you going to get in trouble?” “Nope! As long as I get home before morning, I’ll be fine.” “Well, then. In that case, welcome to my home! It’s kind of a mess…” “You don’t have a bed?” “I don’t need one. I don’t sleep.” “Why not?” “I can’t. Sleep is just something that doesn’t happen for me.” “You don’t have a kitchen, either?” “I don’t need to eat, anymore. If I did need food, I’d have starved by now. I can’t eat without a lower jaw.” “That’s so sad! Isn’t there a way to fix you up?” “No. Well, yes, but it’s horrible.” “Really? What is it? What do you need? I’ll help you get the stuff together!” “Slow down. I don’t actually know how to do it. Even if I did, I wouldn’t.” “Why not?” “Because it’s evil.” “Evil?” “Yes, evil! The only other lich I know of kept herself intact by draining foal blood. Everypony is afraid of me because they think I’ll do the same.” “That is so cool!” “What?” “That’s totally wicked, I love it!” “You are a strange, strange filly.” “So, like, you could take my blood and put yourself back together?” “Well, no. I don’t actually know how. And besides, I would never—“ “How much blood?” “A lot. All of it, actually. From what I’ve heard, the process is usually fatal.” “Cool! Then I could be an awesome zombie, too!” “I don’t think it works that way.” “I’ll be your loyal minion! The first of your undead army! Then, you can get revenge on the ponies who shunned you!” “I don’t want revenge!” “Why not?” “I’m not angry, I’d just like to have my friends back.” “As zombies?” “No. This is a very painful way to live, I’d hate to see anypony else go through it. Let’s just talk about something else.” “Like what?” “Oh, um… So, you’re Sweetie Belle’s daughter?” “Yup!” “With that mane, you look a bit more like Rarity.” Timpani suddenly grew nervous and looked from side to side. An empty gesture in Red Eye’s cottage. “Aunt Rarity’s mane isn’t naturally that dark. She totally dyes it! I walked in on her touching up her roots, and now she shares her dye with me in exchange for keeping her secret!” Red Eye giggled. “Rarity dyes? How scandalous!” “My mane is naturally orange. Mom says I get it from my father. I think the purple looks better, though.” “It does look good on you. Who is your father? Anypony I know?” “I don’t know, I’ve never met him. Mom says he ran away before I was born.” “Oh, goodness. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—“ “It’s okay! I don’t even know him, so it’s not like I can miss him. Sometimes I wish I could have a dad, though.” “Sweetie Belle never got married?” “No. She says stallions are nothing but trouble, and that you can’t trust them or count on them for anything, and that she’s ‘just done’. She tells me not to talk to colts because they all just want one thing, but she won’t tell me what it is.” “Well that doesn’t seem like a very good attitude.” “Have you ever been married?” “No, I never had the chance. I was single when this happened to me, and you’re the first pony to want to come near me since.” “Ever been in love?” “Well, I wouldn’t say love, but I used to have a crush on a friend of mine. She was my best friend growing up. She stood up for me when I got bullied in flight school. I’ve always admired her, and that admiration turned into affection when I got older. She moved in with another mare before I had the courage to say anything, though. I don’t regret it. They’re so happy together. I’m glad they found each other.” “Aww, that’s a sweet story!” “How has Rarity been? Did she ever find a special somepony?” “She married a few times. Never for very long. Whoever she was with, they’d just end up arguing a lot after a while. Then, they’d break up. A couple of years ago, she just stopped dating. Pinkie Pie comes over every now and then, though. She and Rarity hang out with the door locked for a long time. If I ask what they’re doing, mom just says ‘talking’. If I ask what they’re talking about, she tells me to play outside.” “Oh, um…” A sudden rush of blood ran down the inside of Red Eye’s cheek, and spilled onto the floor. “Are you okay?” “Yes, I’m fine. That’s just how I blush.” “Why are you blushing?” “No particular reason. How is Pinkie Pie?” “Pinkie is the best! She’s always so excited and happy about everything! When she’s done talking to Rarity, we make cupcakes together! Pinkie Pie makes the best cupcakes!” “She does! Gosh, I wish I could still eat cupcakes.” “I’m sorry. Do you want me to mash one up and stuff it into your neck-hole next time I visit?” “N-no, thank you. That doesn’t sound very pleasant.” “Yeah, it sounded a lot better in my head.” “How are Apple Bloom and Scootaloo doing? Does your mom stay in touch with them?” “Yeah! They come over once a week to hang out. Mom says they’re her best friends, but that they didn’t hang out together for a while. She never said why.” “Did either of them find a special somepony?” “Well, yeah. They’re married! They live together at Sweet Apple Acres.” “Goodness, I’ve been away for too long. Everything has changed so much. How is the rest of the Apple family?” “Good, as far as I can tell. They mostly keep to themselves. I heard Applejack hurt her back and can’t buck apples anymore, but she still does the less demanding stuff. I go to school with her son.” “Wow! Applejack has a son?” “Yeah, his name is Red Streak.” “Is he cute?” Timpani giggled. “No! He’s a dork! He wears a cowboy hat that’s much too big, and he’s always talking about apples and all the stuff you can make from them.” “I wouldn’t have expected any different. Don’t worry, he’ll grow into the hat.” “If you say so. He’s so scrawny, I’m not sure if he’ll ever grow up.” “Is Applejack still with Red Streak’s father?” “Yeah, they’re married. Red Streak says his dad is a country-western singer, but I don’t think he’s famous or anything.” “How about Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle? Do you know them?” “They hang out with Rarity sometimes, but that’s about all I see of them. They’re married, too. What have you been up to all this time? You must have some cool stories.” “I’ve done nothing.” “What? Really?” “My closest friends drove me out of town when they discovered my curse. I gathered all I could carry and fled. I built this cabin to keep me out of the wind and rain. Every now and then, I return to Ponyville, hoping everypony will have calmed down. I’m just here the rest of the time, thinking. And bleeding.” “Is that why there are drain-holes in the floor?” “Yes, those are a necessity.” “What about before you were driven from town? Tell me how this all happened!” “This all started on an otherwise normal morning. I was out feeding the animals when—“ “You had animals? Were you a farmer?” “No, I just took care of a lot of animals. Working with animals is my special talent, but most of them are afraid of me now.” “That is so cool! I mean the animals part is cool, not the afraid of you part. Mom won’t let me have a pet.” “Anyway, Spike—“ “Who’s Spike?” “He was the most adorable baby dragon. He used to live with Twilight Sparkle, as her assistant. He was a friend to us all.” “Was? What happened to him?” “I’ll get to that. Do you have any other questions?” “No, I think I’m good. For now.” “All right. So, Spike showed up and said Twilight wanted to see me at the hospital. He said Apple Bloom was there. I thought she just had her tonsils removed, or something. I assumed Twilight just wanted me to come by and wish her well.” “What happened next?” “Spike and I went to the hospital. He told me how to get to Apple Bloom’s room, but he didn’t say what happened to her. I went in and Apple Bloom had bandages down the side of her neck.” “Whoa! What happened to her?” “Twilight told me Apple Bloom was attacked by a lich, and that Princess Celestia wanted me to confront it. Twilight had a little piece of the lich, and said she could use it with a tracking spell.” “Did you find the evil lich and have an epic battle?” “Well, yes and no. We found her, but there was no battle.” “Why not?” “The princess just wanted me to go talk to the lich.” “Apple Bloom almost dies, and Princess Celestia’s solution is to talk?” “The princess had tried to kill this lich a few times already. If blowing her up didn’t work, I don’t know what a little pegasus like me is supposed to do in a fight.” “Okay, good point. So, how did talking work out?” “She wanted to kill me at first, but I called her by name and—“ “What was her name?” “Vidalia, I think. Or maybe Valencia. Something like that. It definitely started with a ‘v’ and ended with an ‘a’. Everypony just called her ‘Forgotten’, though.” “Kind of like how everypony calls you Red Eye?” “Yes, exactly like that. I don’t think she and I were really all that different. The poor thing must have just given in to temptation. But Twilight said Forgotten had been around for more than a thousand years, and I don’t know her history. For all I know, she could have been crazy and evil the entire time.” “So, um, how did the talk go? Sorry I interrupted.” “It’s okay. I called her by her real name instead of calling her Forgotten. She was impressed and said I’d earned her respect.” “That was easy!” “Well, yes, but I’m not done yet. I tried to convince her that hurting fillies to keep herself in one piece is wrong. I finally got through to her, but the revelation she had isn’t what I was going for.” “What happened?” “She said she was old and that she didn’t need to exist anymore. So, she gave me her magic box—“ “A magic box?” “Yes, it’s right over there on the shelf.” Red Eye gestured at an ornate box. Timpani gasped and walked over to it. “Pretty!” “Don’t touch it, it might be dangerous! I don’t know what kind of wicked magic is in there. I think it might have something to do with my condition.” “Fine. Hey, what’s that over there?” Timpani pointed, and Red Eye looked. “Oh, that’s just an old mirror I brought with me from Ponyville.” While Red Eye was distracted, Timpani reached for the phylactery case. In a simple act of defiance, she pressed her hoof firmly against the wooden exterior of the box. No sooner than she’d made contact with it, a spark of static electricity stung her hoof. Timpani jerked her hoof away from the box. The shock had startled her, but she managed not to make a sound. She put her hoof back on the floor and put on her best innocent act before Red Eye’s attention turned back to her. “So, what happened next?” “Forgotten killed herself.” “For real? How? You said she couldn’t be killed!” “Not by conventional means, no. She smashed her own phylactery.” “What’s that?” “It’s a glass ball that has something to do with keeping a lich alive. I don’t know the details. Twilight Sparkle has a book about undead creatures, but I doubt she’d let me read it.” “Do you have one of those filtery things?” “Phylactery. And yes, it’s in the box. Let me show it to you.” Red Eye walked over to her shelf and lifted the lid of the phylactery case. Inside rest a glass sphere, cradled within a velvet liner. Dense, colorless fog swirled just beneath the surface of the glass. In the dim light, Red Eye’s phylactery put off a soft glow. Timpani immediately reached for it, but Red Eye intercepted her hoof. “Please, don’t touch that. I have no idea what will happen if you do.” “Sorry. So, what happened when Forgotten smashed her filly-ackery?” “She—“ Red Eye took on a haunted expression. “She fell apart. It was terrible! I don’t think I’ll ever forget the sound of her screaming. Her skin just split open, and she collapsed. So much blood…” “Whoa. So, what happened then?” “I took the box and went home. Apple Bloom recovered from the attack, and she got to go home from the hospital. I had nightmares for a while, and I’m sure Apple Bloom did, too. Other than bad dreams, everything pretty much went back to normal.” “So then how did you die?” “That was a few weeks later. There was a forest fire—“ “Awesome!” “No, it really wasn’t. I went into Everfree Forest to try and rescue the animals, but they had already fled. I ended up trapped. Spike came to save me, but I was too scared to move.” “What did you do?” “Nothing. I wanted to wait until the fire went out. Spike tried to drag me out of the woods, but I wouldn’t budge. Then, a tree fell. It crushed Spike, and trapped my leg and wing. I was stuck there, screaming, until everything went dark.” “Wow. That is terrible.” “Yes. I didn’t know it at the time, but I’m pretty sure that’s what killed me.” “You didn’t know you were dead?” “Nopony did. I woke up later, still pinned by the tree. The fire had been extinguished by then. My friends found me and helped me get to a hospital. I thought I was going to be okay, after my cuts and burns and broken wing healed. But none of it ever healed.” “How did you find out you’re a lich?” “After a couple of months, I went blind. Twilight Sparkle invited me to move in with her and Rainbow Dash. They took care of me and helped me get around without my eyesight. One day, Twilight took me to visit Applejack. A crow attacked me, and tore out my eye. I could see again, but Applejack and Twilight turned on me.” “Wait, you could see after you lost an eye?” Red Eye gestured at her left eye socket, and the namesake within. “My real eye had stopped working, and was blocking whatever this is.” “So you could see better if you lost the other eye, too?” “Well, yes.” “Cool! Want me to pop it out for you? I’ll go get my scissors! I can trim off some of that hanging skin, too. You know, even out your face.” “Please don’t.” “Why not?” “Well, for one, it would really hurt.” “Oh yeah…” “Also, I want to keep what I have left of myself. I used to be so pretty, and I took my looks for granted. I know I’ll never be pretty again, I’m a monster! But I still have most of my body and a chunk of my face. I’m still a little pretty, not just a spooky, talking skeleton.” “I think you’d be a pretty skeleton!” “Thank you, Timpani.” “So, you really just sit here and stare at the wall and think?” “Yes. There isn’t much more for a pony like me to do. Sometimes, when it’s storming, I like to stand outside on the cliffs. The wind blowing through my feathers makes me feel like I’m flying. It makes me feel alive again. For a little while, at least.” “You need a hobby. Want me to bring you some puzzles and books and stuff?” “That would be lovely, but you don’t have to. Just having somepony to talk to is wonderful.” “How about I bring a board game and we can play together?” “I’d really like that. Just please don’t get yourself in trouble for me, okay? I’m already dead, so don’t ever put me before anypony living.” “But —“ “The most important thing I’ve learned from all of this is that you have to hold onto what you have, before it’s gone. Cherish every moment with your friends and family. Most importantly, cherish yourself. Life can lead to some unexpected and dark places. It’s important to enjoy the light for as long as you can, because you never know how long you’ll get.” “O-okay, I’ll keep that in mind. I’m getting sleepy, so I’m going to go home. I’ll see you next time!” “Goodbye, Timpani, and good night! Thank you for hanging out with me. Sleep well.” “You t— I mean, bye bye!” Timpani trotted off, leaving Red Eye to her own devices. Red Eye looked around her home. Empty, save for a few old pictures, a mirror, and her phylactery case. What Timpani had said about needing a hobby suddenly felt spot on. Red Eye resigned herself to lying on the floor, staring at the wall, and waiting for her friend to return.