Red Eye

by Fonypan

Session 02 - Everything Evil

Apple Bloom lay all but motionless on her hospital bed. If not for her shallow breathing and the occasional twitch, she could be mistaken for a corpse. A series of thick bandages trailed across her neck, and disappeared beneath a green hospital gown. Twilight Sparkle sat nearby, speed-reading her way through a stack of books.

Opposite the bed from Twilight, Applejack paced. Her expression was lost somewhere between anger and worry. Spike sat next to Twilight, watching Applejack and twiddling his claws. None of them said a word. Only background noise filled in the otherwise absolute silence.

Suddenly, Spike belched. A scroll popped out of his mouth, along with a puff of green flame. Twilight snagged the scroll with her magic the instant it appeared. She unfurled the letter, allowing an enclosed triangular shard to fall to the floor. Temporarily ignoring the shrapnel, Twilight read the letter aloud.

Dear Twilight,

Though I am loath to admit it, I fear the attack on Apple Bloom can only mean one thing. Forgotten has resurfaced. I have done battle with this being in the past. On different occasions I have turned her to stone, thrown her into space, and even destroyed her body with a magical explosion. All to no avail. No matter how thorough my methods, Forgotten always finds a way to return. I can, at best, buy a few decades of peace.

I am happy to hear that Apple Bloom is alive. Most of Forgotten's victims do not survive. Forgotten is not a true immortal, but a lich. While she cannot die, she must use the blood of young ponies to restore and preserve her body. This obviously cannot be tolerated, but I have come to accept that violence is not the answer.

As fighting Forgotten has never once worked as more than a short-term solution, I have thought up an alternative. She was, at one time, a pony. If any of her former self remains, it may be possible to reason with her.

This requires a gentle touch. I suggest that Fluttershy speak to Forgotten. If Fluttershy can convince Forgotten to coexist peacefully, she will have saved countless foals. Please do not send her to do this alone. Forgotten has proven herself to be very dangerous. Should things go awry, do not attempt to fight her. Get yourselves to safety, and let me handle the rest.

I wish you luck in peacefully resolving this situation. Please write again as soon as you have an update. I am enclosing a fragment of Forgotten's skull, which you may use to track her with your magic.

Yours,
Princess Celestia

Twilight put the scroll aside, and telekinetically lifted the skull fragment from the floor. She eyed the bone piece with a grimace. "Eww. This was part of somepony's skull?"

Applejack fumed. "That thing tried to kill Apple Bloom, and the princess wants us to talk to it? No! I ain't havin' that! I say we track that critter down, march right up to it, and kick its head clean off!"

"Applejack, you need to calm down," said Twilight. "Princess Celestia said violence isn't the answer. If blowing Forgotten up didn't keep her away, I don't think kicking her head off is going to work any better."

"We don't know that! Maybe she's like a cat, and her nine lives ain't run out yet?"

"I think we should follow the princess on this one. She knows what we're dealing with a lot better than we do."

"But—“

"Applejack, just breathe. You look like you're about to blow a fuse. I know you're upset about what happened to Apple Bloom, but anger isn't helping anything. If we go at this carelessly, we might just make everything worse. Go for a trot and cool down for a while. Get some fresh air."

"Well, all right. Can't say I won't be just as angry when I get back, though."

Applejack left the hospital room. Twilight turned her attention to Spike. "Run and fetch Fluttershy. I remember seeing the word 'lich' in one of these books. I'm going to learn all I can about what we're dealing with before she gets here."

"Right now? She's probably still asleep."

"Yes, right now! This is important! Apple Bloom almost died!"

"O-okay! I'll be back in two shakes of a dragon's tail!"

Spike scampered out of the room, leaving Twilight alone with Apple Bloom. Twi flipped through her books until she found mention of liches. She studied intensely, pushing herself to read as fast as possible.

----------

A short while later, Fluttershy stepped into the room. Spike lounged lazily on her back. The yellow pegasus pony's concerned expression turned into one of dread when she saw the bandages on Apple Bloom's neck.

"What happened to Apple Bloom? Was she in an accident?" said Fluttershy.

"This was no accident. Apple Bloom was attacked." said Twilight.

"Goodness! Does Applejack know?"

"Applejack found her like this. She isn't taking it well. I convinced her to go for a trot to calm down just before I sent for you."

"Why would somepony do this to Apple Bloom?"

"The creature responsible isn't a pony. At least, not anymore. What we're dealing with is a lich."

"A what?"

"An undying monster. A dead pony who still walks! She calls herself Forgotten, but I did some research. Forgotten's name first appears right around the time stories about a lich named Varinia drop off. I think they're the same creature! If that's true, she's been around for over a thousand years! In life, Varinia was—“

"Um, I don't mean to cut you off Twilight, but why would a lich attack Apple Bloom?"

"To steal her blood. Princess Celestia says she has a history of attacking fillies this way. Apple Bloom is lucky Applejack found her in time. Most of Forgotten’s victims don't make it."

"Why would she take Apple Bloom's blood? That's awful!"

“Forgotten uses filly blood as a catalyst in rejuvenation spells to preserve her body. You see, liches live forever and are immune to illness, but their bodies fall apart over time. Their cells die at an unnaturally slow rate, but new cells are never made. This book on the undead has a fascinating section all about liches!"

"Can't Princess Celestia do something to stop her?"

"She's tried, a lot. Forgotten will stay gone for a while, but she always finds a way to come back within a few decades. Princess Celestia can't kill Forgotten permanently, for no lack of trying. She wants us to take a different approach."

"What do you mean?"

"Fluttershy, you can find the good in anypony. It's your specialty. Fighting Forgotten gets us nowhere. The princess sent me a letter asking that you use your talents to fix this mess without violence."

"I'm flattered, but what can I do?"

"Just go talk to her. Try to appeal to any good that might still exist in her. Try to make her see that what she's doing is wrong."

"What if she attacks me?"

"Don't worry, I'll be waiting nearby. If things go sour, just scream. I'll defend you with my magic."

"B-but—“

"The princess wouldn't ask you to do this if she wasn't confident in you. I won't let that monster hurt you, I promise. If she comes at you, I'll protect you."

"Where am I even supposed to find Forgotten?”

"That part will be simple. The princess sent me a skull fragment so that I can track her. I can take you right to her hiding place. After that, it's up to you."

Comments

[Limedog]

Good luck, Fluttershy. All of Ponyville... nay, all of Equestria is riding on you here.

[therealguy_]

Wow Forgotten. What a name.