//------------------------------// // Chapter Five: That Darn Voice in Your Head // Story: Of Insanity and Discovery // by anonymous_brony //------------------------------// The Pony Of Discovery Ch. 4 There was a passion in the eyes of the mare in front of me. Not the passion of love or that of desire, no this is a passion of hatred. Of a burning blood lust. I looked at Scootaloo who was just moments ago weeping in my arms, to now see an anger that scared me. "Scootaloo?" I asked, inching away from the thing next to me. Praying to whoever might be out there that I would live to see another day. But as soon as the look of rage had come it was gone, and a look of joy came across her face. "Hey! Twilight! Do you want to go see Fluttershy!?" Scootaloo looked up into my now thoroughly confused and still slightly frightened face from where she had been laying. "Uh…" "Oh, you don't want to go…" Crestfallen Scootaloo started walking back toward the Everfree Forest. Her heads down and her tail dragging on the ground. Feeling like a terrible individual for no reason at all. I called out to her. "Y-you know Scootaloo, I actually want to (gulp) go to see Fluttershy." The end of my sentence drew off into a pleading high pitch tone. The hair on Scootaloo's head bounced in happiness as what I said sunk in. (Yes, bounced, I had heard stories of this happening to a certain pink pony on occasion, but I thought they were just a few isolated incidences…) "You mean it Twilight!?" She shouted. "You really want to go see her?!" "Yeah…" This won't end well. I thought. Let's go follow an insane mare into the Everfree Forest. What could go wrong? Well, so what if things go wrong? It's our best chance to find one of the elements alive! I was taken aback at the sudden voice in my head. Sure I had heard of people who had a sub-conscience, but I never really understood that. I mean if there are people talking in your head, doesn't that mean you're crazy? … Oh… No, you are not crazy. (Can head people sound like they think you're an idiot?) Now do what I say, and stop thinking like an idiot. (There's one question answered.) So head person… Why are you in my head? A logical question to ask when you're talking to a person in your head I figured. Do you even know the meaning of logic? Hey! I was talking to myself! Don't interrupt! Wow, out of hundreds of ponies who I could have been in there head I had to get a complete idiot. Don't be mean! Said another voice in my head. Pinkie Pie? I thought you died! Said the invader to my head. I'm not Pinkie Pie. Said the new comer. I'm Apt's head voice. I don't have a head voice. I announced, frustrated that my head was arguing with itself. Apt, I'm hurt, I've been your head voice for years. Yeah? Well he doesn't like you any more so just go away! The mean voice yelled at my head voice that sounds like Pinkie Pie. Well if that's how you feel… My head voice said, slowly going away in tears. (Not sure how but my head voice was crying without a body, but the inside of my head was wet with the tears.) Well now that that's settled, we can get to work. You just sent my head voice away in tears! I yelled, thought, I thought very loudly. So? We needed her out of the way. Besides now we can start to remove the magic suppressors on your horn. Nope, you're mean I won't talk to you. Oh, shut up you Idiot... And besides I'm really good with magic. (which was true, I was actually one of the strongest unicorns I have ever met, expect for Trixie. But she is the strongest ever!) I will say this again, you're an idiot, you have magic suppressors on your horn. You are the son of an Element of Harmony, don't you think that that would make you a bit more powerful with magic than others? Even "The Great and Powerful Trixie". The voice spat Trixie's title with so much sarcasm it was impossible to miss. What's your name? Achievement throw off the voice in your head accomplished. What? What is your name? I need to be able to call you something other than the 'mean voice in my head'. You don't need my name. Yes I do! You would think my head might be more compliant to my will. You don't need my name. The voice repeated. YES, I, DO! Fine! You can call me Flicker! Happy?! That's not your name. I accused trying to find out what her real name was. My name is Half-light Flicker. My parents hated me when they gave me that name… She thought to me with actual pain in her voice, thoughts, brain voice, you know what I mean! I kind of felt sorry for little Half-light. I mean, geez, ouch… Half-light Flicker… Were her parents like 'Hey, you're not bright enough to be a candle, let's call you Flicker!' And I thought my caregivers were harsh. Look, I thought to her. I'm sorry I asked. You should be. Yep all sympathy gone now. Now back to your horn. Try focusing on magic itself, how is it made? Magic is made through an emotional and intellectual combination that can only be mastered by unicorns. I thought to her, quoting from my old magic book from school. Good job! Sarcasm layering her words as they were thought. Now I will fill you with an emotion as powerful as if you didn't have something that suppressed your emotion. I waited for what seemed like an eternity for something to happen, I was not disappointed. A wave of emotion raced through me, making my insides burn. My heart race quickened and my breath came out in bursts as my mind started to fog, I couldn't think! All I could do was stand there as energy ran into me making me want to scream and hit something. Memories started coming into my mind as this thing took over me. I saw myself being hit by Trixie while I was in the Canterlot School for Archeology. I saw the drunk, Speed Wheel as he hit a ditch and crashed a jeep. A jeep that had my friend, Archeological Dig in it. I never saw the face of my fillyfriend again after that. I saw Emperor Blue Blood himself, as he came down to present me with my diploma for graduating from the aforementioned Canterlot School for Archeology, only for him to burn it in a flame he sent from his horn. He had said it was an accident, but I didn't believe it. Not able to contain myself I ran to the nearest tree and bucked it as hard as I could. "DAMN IT!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, startling Scootaloo who was trotting in front of me, supposedly leading me to Fluttershy. "Sorry." I mumbled, frustrated that couldn't handle the emotion. All right, quit it. Turn down the emotion. No. Do it now. No. The emotion that you're feeling right now is rage, now harness the emotion and use your intelligence to control it. I tried, honest I did, but the emotion had clouded my mind so much I could barely think let alone use magic. I can't! I Thought to her, hopping she would get the message and stop the emotion flood that was drowning me. Do it! I CAN'T! Fine, suit yourself. She let the rage fall. I thought she let it go too easily, but I wasn't going to complain. That's better. I thought to her. Now don't do that again. I got no response from the voice that had invaded my head, but I did get one from the mare in front of me. "Take cover!" I yelped at her scream dashing behind a tree. "Were are they!?" I shouted. "What weapons!? Is Trixie there?!" "Timberwolves!" Was the only response I got from her, but it answered all the questions that I needed answered. Timberwolves are a breed of tree canines that are especially territorial, and will rip you apart if you're close to their nest. It didn't help that we were right in the middle of mating season. I glanced at Scootaloo who had taken shelter behind the tree next to mine. She looked over at me and I could see as all sanity left her features. "Oh my God." I gasped as what she was about to do and shook my head furiously. The smile that the orange mare next to me wore just got larger as she saw my frantic look, Scootaloo winked at me with an eye that held an abnormally small pupil. And leapt out of her hiding place. I risked a look out from behind my tree as she ran toward a pack of Timberwolves, this wasn't a small pack not even an average sized group but a pack of well over forty Timberwolves. And Scootaloo thought she could take them out all on her own. She really was insane. Flicker? No response. Flicker please, I need your help. Is that so? I thought you didn't want me to help ever again? Flicker. I don't have time for this, Scootaloo is about to die because she thinks she can take on a whole pack of Timberwolves! And this is my problem, why? She ran out on her own, why should I do anything? Because I can't! So? That looks like your problem, not mine. Buck you! I thought to her as I lit up my horn. I came out of my hiding place to find that Scootaloo had already killed most of the Timberwolves, don't ask me how but that little mare had almost won a one on forty battle against the hardest things to kill in the whole wide world of Equestria. But now She ws starting to tire, I could see it in her eyes and the sluggish way she moved. If I didn't jump in when I did she would have died. I let out a small blast from my horn at the wolf closest to Scootaloo. Nothing happened. Well, I take that back something did happen. Because now I had a huge pack Timberwolves after me. All I can say I did after that was run, when there are twelve Timberwolves after you, you run like Your life depends on it, because it does. Flicker! I need some really strong magic right now! What's the magic word? Buck you! Nope. Flicker, we don't have time for this! That's not the word either. "GAH!" I screamed. The added frustration of Flicker not complying and the fear of being eaten alive made me a bit frustrated. Please, please. Just help me! There, was that so hard? I felt my horn start to glow and an emotion I had not felt before welled up in my chest. It felt like wanting without the selfishness, sadness without the pain, it felt like protectiveness, fear, courage, joy. But the emotions were not what this one was. This was an emotion that was alien to me. This is love. I was taken aback by what Flicker had just said. This isn't love. I loved, my care givers, Applejack and Pinkie Pie, I loved my dog growing up, I loved… I loved Archeological Dig. Yes that was love, but this is the love of a parent, of a mentor, of- of an older sibling... she thought that last bit quieter than the others. Now use it before you kill us both you idiot. And so I did, I harnessed the emotion that was being fed to me, and sent a wave of energy out of myself. It started at my horn and spread out as a sonic boom might, sending all the Timberwolves that had been chasing me flying. Thank you flicker. I looked up at the figure that was slowly approaching me from the woods. This mare had hair that was cut into a sharp point similar to that of Rainbow Dash's hair. Only hers was pink. Her body was covered by a dark gray cloak with a brooch shaped into the head of a roaring dragon. On her back was a fire lance, a weapon made by zebras that had an enchanted tip so as to pierce any armor. And leave a piece of the metal inside of you that would burn itself deeper until you die. A vicious weapon. Scootaloo came up and stood next to the mare as if they had known each other for a long time, which they had. "Twilight Sparkle" Scootaloo said looking at me with one of those insane smiles. "This is the new Fluttershy."