What Lies Within

The Reflecting Pool shimmered as the dark unicorn strode up to it, his horn obscured by a black cloud. The cloud fell slowly, passing through the surface of the water as if it did not exist. Taking a seat at the edge of the water, Deimos calmly pushed the water with his magic. The ripples that spread across the surface left behind a scene very different from the ceiling of the cave.

The castle of the Everfree lay in ruins, but tonight it was not abandoned. Deimos tilted his head in surprise at the midnight blue alicorn laughing in the center of the ruined tower. It was unmistakeable, he had seen this mare in the Pool before. The alicorn's laughter stopped, her head turning to snarl with serrated teeth down at a ridiculously purple unicorn who stood dumbstruck and staring at shards of stone that lay around the floor. Deimos felt a smile tug at his lips as rage flooded through the alicorn, swirling through her mind in torrents of madness. It was quite a familiar emotion for things that were so distant from him now.

A sudden movement at the entrance yielded five other ponies, all of mixed races, who galloped up to stand around the purple unicorn. All of them sported garishly bright hues like their companion; neon colors that almost hurt Deimos' eyes. The bright-coated ponies engaged in a brief, unexciting shouting round with the now quite amused alicorn, before the purple unicorn interjected. The shattered stones around their feet pulled upwards into rings as the unicorn continued to speak, a powerful magic running within them.

"No." Deimos breathed, his eyes widening as the blue alicorn's fear grew. He forced himself not to back up from the pool as the ponies were lifted up within the stone and light, until only the purple unicorn stood on the ground. The blue alicorn recoiled as the purple one was finally lifted up, her eyes aglow with white light.

Deimos was frozen in place, his eyes glued to the pool as streams of rainbow light surrounded the six ponies. The alicorn mare only had time to shriek in horror before the rainbow flew at her with deadly precision, taking her up in a screaming vortex of color and magic, tearing the rage and the fear to pieces and flinging them out in a violent storm.

The pool rippled, it's image fading as the rock that had been thrown sunk to the bottom of its shallow depths, fading into the water. The only thing it reflected now was the horror in Deimos' eyes, and the cave resounded with the echoes of his labored breaths.

Deimos stood there for what felt like hours, his terror slowly fading into calmer, more rational thought. Just as his breathing had settled, a wave of magical energy set his hair on end, the raw power passing straight through his body. Deimos scrambled to his hooves, but it was a different fear that drove him to action.

The dark unicorn poured all of his speed into his gallop, his eyes set in determination as he raced on through the tunnels. The walls seemed to blur as he forced himself faster, willing his magic to push him ever further. At the speed he had achieved, he only had a second to see the rock slide barring his path.

Spring Stone groaned, rubbing his eyes to try to ease his headache. Tentatively, he cracked open one eye to try to see what had happened. His eye quickly closed again when all he could see was a faded starburst of light.

"Cool Waters?" He called out, hoping his mare-friend could hear him. "Honey, are you alright?"

"I'm here, I'm okay." Spring Stone relaxed when he heard her voice, and pushed himself up onto his hooves. His muscles ached dully as he stood, but the mild pain from them was overshadowed by a more immediate concern. His horn twinged and itched, feeling as if somepony was rubbing sandpaper lightly over it. He reached up to rub it with his hoof, hoping that it wasn't damaged in any way.

"Spring Stone." His hoof froze as he noticed the fear in Cool Waters' voice. "Spring Stone, open your eyes."

Unable to prevent a twinge of fear, he obeyed, trying not to squint over the dark spots in his vision. The cave walls were stained in a grey burst pattern out from where the monster had raised its shield, as if the light released when the shield had collapsed had burned the stone as well as his eyes. His observations were cut short when he noticed movement at the center of the burn. The monster was still there.

Spring Stone was about to step towards the creature when he noticed it freeze on its hooves as if it had suddenly become a statue. It had its eyes closed, which would have been the perfect opportunity to attack it if it hadn't suddenly twitched violently. The monster convulsed, its wings shaking as if in an earthquake while its body trembled in waves of motion.

Spring Stone stepped back. "Honey, we need to get out of here." He looked around wildly, seeing that the other ponies had already backed away from the monster, leaving him the closest to the danger. "Cool Waters? Where are you?" He cried, his hooves carrying him backwards ever faster.

With a final convulsion, the monster's eyes flew open. Instead of the red irises that it had before, it's eyes were dark voids within its skull, piercing but emotionless. Spring Stone's hooves trembled as he worked to get as far back from the beast as possible, away from those terrible eyes. He could barely keep himself from whimpering when the monster's mouth twisted into a silent scream of agony, it's hooves curling up against it's body as it tumbled to the ground.

As soon as it had fallen, it rose from the ground in a swirl of darkness, as if the shadows of the cave's edge were bearing it up into the air. The shadows swirled ever higher, engulfing the monster in a column of darkness. The shadows whirled in a mad frenzy, but the cave stayed in suffocating silence, as if the world simply refused to recognize the evil it held. Spring Stone chanced a look behind him, almost weeping in happiness when he saw he was almost backed up to cover within a branching tunnel. He saw Cool Waters beckoning frantically at him with her hoof, and he turned to make a mad dash for the tunnel.

And then it screamed.

The darkness let out a terrible screech, like the sound of metal grinding against metal combined with the terrified cry of a foal. It shook the cavern, sending dust falling from the ceiling high above and causing the rocks to tremble. The darkness screamed, and screamed, until Spring Stone simply collapsed in mid stride, holding his hooves over his ears and wailing in pain.

He tried to run, or even to move, but he was immobilized by pain. He could only scream, his voice drowned out by the incessant wail of the monster within the darkness. Slowly, other voices joined him, their owners falling to the stone beneath their hooves in fear and agony, their minds filled with the terrible howl of the monster.

Just as suddenly as the wail had begun, it ended, leaving only the cries of the ponies who had fallen. The darkness froze, it's strange movements halting until the column looked to be made of an unnatural, black stone. Spring Stone gasped for air, his cry of pain receding into shuddering gulps and moans. His sides heaving, he reached out his hooves to the tunnel, planting them firmly on the ground and using them to scoot himself forward. Every movement was agonizing, but safety was so close, just within his reach.

A sound like cracking stone resonated through the cavern like a canon blast, and beams of light glared outwards from behind Spring Stone.

"Don't look." He gasped aloud. "You're so close now, just don't look."

Why not? A mare's voice, as cold and calm as the underground springs, whispered from behind him.

"Come on. Just put your hooves forwards, and pull. Hooves forwards, pull. Almost there."

No, you aren't.

"Cool Waters?" Spring Stone called. He couldn't see anypony in the tunnel anymore. "I'm coming!"

I'm behind you, Spring Stone.

"Honey, I'm almost there!" Spring Stone cried, his voice cracking.

You are so far away.

The light was growing, casting dancing shadows on the back wall of the cavern as more cracks echoed behind him. Finally, he was at the mouth of the tunnel, where a blue pegasus mare stood. Spring Stone was about to cry out in relief when he noticed where she was looking. Light filled her eyes as they stared blankly behind him, her body relaxed as if under a trance.

Help me.

"Cool Waters?" He gasped, his voice as fragile as glass. "Honey, look at me. Can you hear me?"

You are both going to die.

"Shut up!" Spring Stone roared, his voice twisted with desperate anger.

Come and make me.

He whirled around, his mouth open in a defiant cry, and froze. A cold, harsh light filled the cavern, but it didn't burn his eyes. The light felt like a blanket of ice, encasing his body in numbing waves. His horn twinged even more as the light fell upon him, but he could barely feel it anymore. All he could feel was cold.

Out of the light, he heard hoofsteps coming closer. A figure moved through the harsh rays, it's eyes like cold voids among the light. Just above the eyes, a wave of red cascaded down like a mane, crossed through with what looked to be veins of blood. Those were the only features of the figure that Spring Stone could see, for it seemed to be radiating the same fierce light that shone all around. It moved without moving, the only evidence of its motion being the clack of hooves on stone and the eyes growing closer.

Little one. It purred, it's voice as piercing and cold as ice.

"You. Y-you're the monster." Spring Stone stammered, terror gripping him as the figure came ever closer. The figure flashed brighter than ever, and Spring Stone felt his fear leaving him and exhaustion replacing it. The figure's eyes remained emotionless, even as it came to a stop in front of him.

What do you fear most?

Spring Stone felt his eyes start to close, and forced them open.

"Why am I so tired." He mumbled, feeling his hooves sway dangerously beneath him. "Cool Waters, can you hear me?"

Are you afraid that she cannot hear you?

"No. She hears me. She has to hear me. I'm gonna... I'm gonna be there for her."

"Spring Stone?"

Spring Stone perked up at the voice of his mare-friend, and he looked happily up at the blue mare before him. He rushed forwards to hug her, but he fell straight through her.

"C-Cool Waters? Where did you go?" He cried, his vision spinning slightly from exhaustion. The light was all around him now, pushing in on him from every side. "Honey? Where are you?"

I'm over here.

Spring Stone whipped around to see Cool Waters behind him, but she looked different. Her eyes had darker circles under them, and her face had lines of age that hadn't been there before.

"Oh, darling. I haven't seen you in so long." She cooed, stepping forwards.

"But I've been right here." Spring Stone's brow furrowed in confusion. "You disappeared."

Cool Waters' face grew sad, her expression almost pleading. "Come here, I've been waiting for you."

He stepped forwards, but again his mare-friend disappeared into the light.

"Where are you?" He called, spinning about to try and catch a glimpse of her through the light. "Come back!"

Why do you keep leaving me?

Cool Waters was old, he could see. Her wings were frail and her hooves shaky, but her expression was still as vibrant as it always had been. Her emerald green eyes were filled to the brim with tears, and she reached out a hoof to him.

"I've been so lonely without you."

"I never left you!" Spring Stone cried desperately, running unsteadily forwards. "I would never leave you!"

But you did.

Cool Waters' skin wrinkled further, her eyes growing duller with every stride that he took towards her. He ran faster, but she fell forwards, her body crumbling into ash, until all that was left was a pile of dust in his hooves.

I've been so lonely.

"No."

It's so cold here.

"No no NO!"

I'm scared. I thought you would never leave me.

"I didn't... I didn't... I never left you!"

The light wrapped around him, those dark, emotionless eyes boring into his own. It's mane curled over him, encircling him in what felt like a blanket of pure chill, pulling him closer to the figure he could not see. His eyelids felt like lead weights, and his body was as tired as if he had run a day of marathons. The cold was just so empty, so easy to slide into. He felt a twitching sensation, and the light was suddenly passing through him, leaving behind nothing. All of the fear, all of the pain, all of the sadness, it was absorbed from him as the light engulfed him.

Rest, little one. You will never be afraid again.

"Uh, who are you?" Rainbow Dash was the first to speak as the strange pony kept on clapping.

"Who, me?" The pony suddenly whirled around, seeming to chase it's own tail in a circle before sitting down again. "Well, you certainly aren't talking to Timothy, so that must mean you are talking to me."

"Timothy?" Rainbow asked, her voice flat.

"I believe we are speaking on the subject of names, yes." The stallion responded, looking quite pleased with his response.

"So, uh, Timothy's yer name?" Applejack tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Oh, no no no!" The stallion shook his head so violently that it seemed he would shake it right off.

"But you just said that you were Timothy." Rainbow said, giving the stallion a sideways look.

"No, I didn't, I said Timothy was a name." The stallion insisted, before bowing low to the ground and sweeping a hoof in front of him. "Ladies and gentlecolts, foals of all ages, I am Mad!"

"Yeah, we guessed." Rainbow snorted. "What's your name."

"Mad. That is my name, my name is that. Mad." Mad stamped a hoof in finality as he finished his statement.

"Your name is Mad?" Rarity asked, her face scrunching up into a look of distaste. "Surely that is your nickname? What is your real name?"

"It's Mad. Mad is it." Mad said bouncing happily up and down in place before abruptly coming to a stop, his disheveled mane falling over his eyes. "What, don't you like my name, Rarity?"

Rarity's eyes widened. "How... How do you know my name! I demand an answer!"

"Oh, I heard it from the sarcastic blue pegasus." Mad waved his hoof as if what he said was unimportant. "I've been sitting here since you ran at my tree, listening to you guys freak out. I know all of your names now, I just don't like Rainbow that much." Mad flipped his mane back out of his eyes, and a giddy smile crossed his muzzle. "She's crazy!"

The six mares staring at Mad sat dumbfounded at the idea that he could call somepony else crazy.

"Why did you ladies come running at my tree anyways?" Mad asked, his head tilted so far to the side that it seemed he would fall over. "It's a nice tree, but not that nice."

Mad seemed oblivious to the looks of sadness that returned to the other ponies, his smile still wide when Twilight spoke.

"We... We were chased here by a monster." She said, her ears flat against her head. "A monster that I attracted to us."

"While I don't deny that you all are attractive, how exactly did you get a monster to come to you, and why did you run away if you were attracting it?" Mad asked bluntly.

Twilight blinked in momentary confusion. "No no, not like that. I think it sensed all the magic I was using and came after us."

"Ah, you got some magical monster mishap madness?" Mad said, his look now sympathetic. "Where's the monster menace now?"

"We were traveling with a group of Royal Guards, and they stayed behind to hold it off." Twilight looked as if she was about to break down, with tears forming at the edges of her eyes.

Something changed in Mad's look at those words, and the spark of energy in his eyes lessened. He brought himself upright again, and nodded his head respectfully.

"They sounded like brave ponies." He said, his voice soft with sympathy. "I'm sure that you will use their sacrifice well."

"What... What do you mean?" Rarity asked, sniffling slightly as she pulled herself out of the memory of what had happened with the guardponies.

"They gave all they had to protect you six, as was their job." Mad smiled slightly, warmth and caring in the expression. "I would advise you hasten to your destination. They presented to you the priceless gift of time, and it's not something so easily gathered again once expended. Use it wisely."

Twilight nodded gratefully, albeit still confusedly, at the kind words from the possibly insane pony.

"You're right, we just have one problem." She sighed, irritation evident in her expression. "We have no idea were we are going."

The energy immediately popped back into Mad's eyes, a giddy smile on his face as he leaned against the large tree. "Oh, cool! I could be your guide then!"

"We just said we have no idea where we are going." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Are you going to lead us to nowhere?"

"Well, at least I'll be going somewhere, if I'm leading you to nowhere. It's better than standing here, or going everywhere." Mad explained.

Applejack blinked, her face expressionless. "Anypony else not know what the buck he just said?" She asked. ""Cause I'm lost."

"Well of course you're lost!" Mad said, sounding like he was explaining something to a foal. "You just said you don't know where you're going. That's lost."

"That makes so much sense!" Pinkie said, smiling back at Mad. "Could you help us get un-lost by getting us where we need to go?"

"Pinkie, we don't know where we are going!" Twilight groaned. "I thought I just explained this."

"Oh, but we do know where we are going." Pinkie pointed to Twilight's horn. "We were following a spell that was leading us to a magic thingy, but the spell kept on pointing us in different directions, so now everypony assumes we're lost."

Mad snorted. "That's not lost," He said, walking up to Twilight. "Just slightly misguided. What kind of spell were you using?"

"Just a basic modification to a search spell that Rarity uses to locate gems." Twilight said, her irritation at being called misguided obvious in her tone. "It should have worked, but it just keeps pointing in different directions."

"Well, there's your problem." Mad said. "If the spell is based off of a basic gem detecting spell, then it senses the miniscule magic of the gems to find and signal out their location. Since it sounds as if you modified this to instead signal out a specific magical signature, then the spell in theory would seek out only the magic you were looking for, but in actuality it would still seek out other sources of the same magical signature. This means that every time you cast the spell it would seek out one of the magical signatures and point to it, whether or not it was the same source as the one found before.

"In short, your compass doesn't work because there is more than one north in this scenario."

There was a short pause, before Applejack shook her head. "Now ah'm really lost."

"So you're saying that this specific magical signature, which you happen to not know the nature of, isn't working because there is more than one of it?"  Twilight scoffed. "You don't even know the magical signature we are looking for, and while the theory could be sound, the very nature of the spell was changed to a specific signature, thus rendering your explanation invalid."

"Ah," Mad smirked, "but what if it was the same source of magic, simply being sent out to different locations? Then the spell wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the locations, since they were all stemming from the same source. Oh, and I think I do know what magic you are searching for, if it is the same magical source that causes headaches and mood changes in creatures with magic intrinsic in their bodies. There are really no known sources of magic this far into the Everfree that would warrant a search by ponies with not only guards but powerful magic artifacts."

Mad shook a hoof at the Elements of Harmony, then inspected it casually. "So to solve your problem, just keep going in the direction of the spell when it is cast, and try to keep it cast as long as possible so you don't have to start over."

Twilight's mouth opened and closed a couple times, as if she was attempting to formulate an argument, before finally grunting in irritation. "Who are you?" She asked, perplexed at this insane, yet knowledgeable, pony.

"Me?" Mad's face lit up with joy. "Well, I'm Mad!"

Twilight simply slapped her muzzle with her hoof.

"You know, shouldn't we be moving by now?" Rainbow asked impatiently. "That... Oh, what did you say it was called, Fluttershy?"

"Dire Wolf." Fluttershy whispered, looking around as if simply saying its name would cause it to appear.

"Yeah, that. I don't want to meet that ugly again." Rainbow snorted, her eyes widening quickly after. "Not that I was scared or anything, I'm never scared."

Mad rolled his eyes, but they stopped halfway up his vision. "Wait." He said, his hooves shaking slightly and his eyes still rolled up. "Did you say dire wolf?"

"That was the ferocious beast that chased us." Rarity explained, nervously patting her mane with a hoof.

"Oh, we best be runnin'!" Mad yelped, before running behind Twilight and pushing her forwards. "Get that spell fired up and get us a direction to gallop in!"

"Why are dire wolves worse than any of them other monsters? It sure was a nasty feller, but ah'm sure a manticore or somethin' would've attacked the same way." Applejack asked, using a hoof to pry Mad off of Twilight.

"You released a whole metric buck-ton of magic with that big rainbow thing." Mad's eyes twitched wildly around in his head as he spoke. "Dire wolves are always after magic, they eat it you know, and that thing's probably still comin' after yah!"

"They... Eat magic?" Twilight questioned doubtfully.

"Why the hay are we still standing here?" Mad growled. "Lets go go go!"

Twilight concentrated, once again casting the spell across the disturbance in her magic, and the familiar yet infuriating light appeared pointing in the direction she was facing.

"Alright girls." She said, her tone nervous. "Lets find this magic and get home!"

A low growl from the bushes behind was all that was needed to get the group running, but Mad groaned inwardly.

"Damnit, Timothy!" He cursed, galloping after the panicking mares.