//------------------------------// // Off her rocker // Story: The day I lost my mind // by Aether Spark //------------------------------// Spike was careful yet struggling in carrying Twilight up the stairs to her bed due to her being bigger than him made extra difficult ever since she got wings… after laying her in bed and making sure she’s ok, he went ahead and cleaned up the downstairs to pass the time and hopefully give him a chance to put two and two together. “What happened to her? I-I came downstairs, and it looked AND sounded like it was stealing her memories… maybe something else too… I hope she’s alright.” After cleaning the mess up, Spike went upstairs to see if Twilight was ok, he found her still passed out, and he decided to sit by the bed and waited for her to hopefully wake up. “Please be ok Twilight…” Spike whispered ---Meanwhile at the boutique--- “Is everything gathered dears?” Rarity asked as she finished picking out her favorite tea time casual attire consisting of a yellow sundress and sun hat. ‘It is quite sunny after all!’ Rarity mentally sang. “Sure,” Rainbow Dash said halfheartedly gathering up the stuff for ‘possible pampering time later’ “I don’t know why you think I need to participate in ‘grooming activities’ I’m not even into getting all dolled up.” Rainbow Dash said sarcastically. “One must always come prepared darling, and you're joining whether you like or not” Rarity tittered Rainbow just rolled her eyes “did you grab the confections just in case we become hungry?” Rarity asked. “Yeah sure give me a sec.” Rainbow Dash went over to the fridge and opened it expecting to find the stuff they needed for food… instead, she saw a pink pony wearing a winter jacket sitting in the fridge holding a sign with a troll face on it. “Hi-“ Rainbow slammed the door in surprise before opening it up, and Pinkie was gone, Rainbow sighed giving a knowing expression and waited for Pinkie to pop up behind- “HI RAINBOW DASH!” Pinkie squealed from above her. “GAAH!” Rainbow Dash yelped jumping back in a defensive posture and saw Pinkie laughing on top of the fridge. “The heck? Weren’t you going to appear behind me like always?” Rainbow Dash said equally confused and annoyed, relaxing her stance. “I waaaas, but then I saw the author type that I was going to appear behind you, so I surprised you both by appearing above you!” Pinkie giggled. The author's eye twitched in frustration at the 4th wall breaking pink earth pony. “Ugh… well, anyways I assume you also somehow knew we needed food?” Dash said with a grin “Yup!” Pinkie grinned showing off the basket she just pulled out of her mane. “How’d things go with asking Applejack?” Rainbow Dash said while taking the basket and putting it on the counter. “Not good, she said she’s ‘too busy with this year’s harvest’ to join…” Pinkie pouted “That’s great…” Dash frowned “what about Fluttershy?” “Angel scraped his knee, so she’s staying behind to care for him… oh! Oh! However, I also heard that the ferrets at Fluttershy’s cottage were having babies!” Pinkie chirped. “Uh-huh, cool, well then, HEY Rarity! It seems we’re the only ones who’re gonna go to go see Twilight.” Dash said bluntly. “Oh dear… very well then we’ll make due” Rarity said as she came in with her make-up on. “Why are you all dressed up?” Dash questioned “Why? To try out a look, I have been planning,” Rarity said with a raising of her head. “Testing a new look to see how quickly it’ll make Spike pass out to gauge how effective it’ll be on getting a date for future Gala’s?” Dash guessed. “No!...yes…” Rarity conceded, and Dash chuckled. ---A half-hour later--- Spike awoke to tired groaning noises and realized he must have fallen asleep at some point, and he also realized Twilight was waking up, he shot to his feet and bolted to Twilights side. “Twilight!” Spike shouted when he saw she was waking up, as he saw her eyes crack open and found one eye staring at him already. “Twilight, are you ok? Please speak to me.” Spike pleaded, leaning in a little. “Ugh…. wha?…” Twilight weakly said. “Yeah? What is it, Twilight?” Spike said hoping to get a confirmation that she’s ok, he then noticed a faint smile appear on her face as she was raising a forelimb up to him. “Huh?” Spike said with a raised brow. ‘Does she need me to hold her hoof? A little cheesy but if it’ll make her feel better...’ Spike thought as he reached his claw out to grasp her limb. However, she suddenly brought the hoof forward and jabbed him full in the nose. “BOOP!” Twilight squeed “OW!” Spike exclaimed as he fell back from being punched in the nose. Twilight was giggling and kicking her hind legs at Spike’s reaction, Spike’s eyes were swirling, and when he sat up and checked if his nose was bleeding, he groaned in frustration when it was. ‘Man that hurts…’ Spike thought bitterly when Spike recovered he stood and glared daggers at her. “What the heck was that for Twilight!?” Spike said, upset, “you could have broken my nose!” Twilight popped up to four hoofs, seemingly brushing off her previous tiredness and looked at him with a goofy smile and Spike jumped a little when he saw she was now wall-eyed. “Twilight?” Spike said a little more unnerved than angry now; she giggled at his face. “Purple lizard funny!” she laughed sitting on her haunches’ banging her fore hoofs on the bed “make more funny faces!” she demanded. “Purple lizard?” Spike said somewhat offended but a little more perturbed by her actions and words “Twilight? What’s going on with you?!” Twilight didn’t answer and ran up to jab him in the face again earning another pained shout as Spike was sent flying against the wall. While Spike was picking himself off of the ground Twilight squealed with laughter. “Purple lizard fun! You my new friend!” Twilight laughed as she scooped him up and gave him a bone-crushing hug, and Spike realized now just what the spell had taken from her. “Oh no…” he groaned and managed to struggle out of the loopy alicorns grip after finally getting her to calm down he decided to test his thoughts “Twilight! Listen to me, ok?” Spike said as calmly yet disarmingly as he can. “Okie!” Twilight beamed, though she still vibrated with energy. “Umm.. ok, how many fingers am I holding up?” Spike said; hopefully, Twilight stared at his hand with one eye while the other looked at a wall… before she opened her mouth and bit down on his hand and drooled all over it, Spike yelped in surprise, disgust and the pinching pain of her teeth yanking his hand away. “HEY!” Spike yelled as she just giggled and ran off into the castle. “This can’t get any worse…” Spike said before hearing a knocking sound coming from the front door, “….I just HAD to open my big mouth!” Spike shouted in frustration. Spike ran down the halls as fast as his short legs could carry him, also keeping an eye out for Twilight who seems to have completely lost her mind. Spike ran downstairs and looked around for Twilight, but he didn’t see her, and the knocking came again. Calming himself, he wiped the blood off of his nose and came up to the door briefly checking behind him to make sure Twilight wasn’t there and then answered the door, and then got a face full of pink mane as the party pony got in his face. “Hi, Spike-Wikey! Are you having a fun day because I sure am we came over to see Twilight and cheer her up andwe’resohappytoseeyoutoalsowhydoyoulookstressedoutSpikey?” Pinkie babbled a mile a minute. Spike tried to process that last part the hyperactive pink pony said she was pulled back by Rarity who approached Spike. “I’m terribly sorry about that Spike, is Twilight here perhaps?” Rarity stood tall and proud, and Spike gaped going dry in the mouth when he saw her in all her regality in that yellow sundress and hat and neckless and sundress and make-up and sundress… “Um… uh… well…” Spike stuttered earning a grin from Rarity as she mentally checked off the dresses effectiveness in catching his eye ‘I wonder how effective it’ll be with other stallions, however…’ Rarity thankfully failed to say out loud, after Spike finally found his tongue he coughed into his claw. “Umm, that dress looks pretty good on you R-Rarity,” Spike said sheepishly which earned a chuckle from Rarity. “Why thank you darling” Rarity smiled “Ahem, anyways what’s up squirt?” Rainbow Dash grinned peeking around Rarity “where’s the egghead?” “Umm… Twilight… isn’t feeling herself right now… could you all come back later?” Spike said, hoping he can avoid an awkward situation. “Ah yes, her sorrows have recently grown, and so we wouldn’t wish to leave her when she needs us the most.” Rarity said with determination “Yeah! So, can we see her? Canwecanwecanwecanwe?!” Pinkie bubbled “Well...-“ before Spike could get out his next words they heard multiple crashing sounds that snapped all their attention to the door that led to the library section of the castle. “…That didn’t sound good…” Spike dreaded, the girls all glanced at each other before heading towards the sound upon entering the study area they found multiple book stacks had been overturned and several objects are scattered everywhere. “Woooow, this place is messy” Pinkie said “The heck? Did you throw a party here earlier Pinkie?” Rainbow flew up high to see the damage “Nope! I’d remember if I had a party here... recently” Pinkie chirped. “My word! What has happened here?” Rarity glanced about nervously before they the heard a noise akin to ripping paper. “Oh no…” Spike moaned in dread running towards the noise, Rarity and Dash glanced at each other before following the small dragon while Pinkie just hopped after them. After rounding an overturned table and seeing a familiar purple pony sitting in the middle of the floor and a familiar purple horn poking out over a book “Huh? She’s reading?” Spike said surprised. “Um... seriously? She’s reading? she does it all the time.” Dash gave him a look like it was the dumbest question in the world. “I know! I know! It’s just that she’s… still acting like herself?” Spike said beginning to wonder if how she was acting earlier was just tempor- *RRRIIIIIIP, chew chew… spit!* Spikes blood went cold at hearing that sound again; it was the sound that Twilight hated most [next to squeaky doorknob bolts] ripping paper, Spike ran over to her, like a thestral out of Tartarus, just in time to see Twilight rip another page out of the book with her teeth. She was still wall-eyed and chewing on the paper for a few seconds before spitting it out into a small pile of ruined, chewed up paper. “BLEH! This thing tastes icky!” Twilight spat before pausing and ripping another page out. “TWILIGHT! STOP THAT!” Spike knocked the book out of her hooves; he wasn’t going to let himself get chewed out by Twilight for not stopping her from causing an entirely ruined book. Twilight paused and stared at him for a second before glancing, turning and biting down on the table to her left, actively trying to slobber and nom on it on it while her friends stare shocked. “Mmmm! Tastier!” Twilight giggled licking the table like a lollipop, while the others showed varying degrees of disgust and shock Pinkie curiously came over and tasted the table only to shrink back with a grossed-out face. "Needs cream cheese!" Pinkie gagged “Uuuuhhh…..Twi? what are you doing?” Rainbow hesitantly approached the mindless alicorn, who stopped her chewing and glanced at Rainbow Dash, a nearly Psychotic grin came onto her face followed by a girly squee. “RAINBOWS!” she pounced on Rainbow Dash earning a surprised yelp as she was knocked to the ground and Twilight stuffed her face into Rainbows colorful mane. “mmm… pretty colors!” Twilight squealed as she shoved her head deeper into Rainbow Dash's mane. “H-hey! GET OFF OF ME TWILIGHT!” Rainbow shouted as she managed to roll onto her hooves, but Twilight held on burying her face into Rainbows mane, and Rainbow Dash bucked in an attempt to fling her off, but Twilight Was holding on tightly with her earth pony strength. “Wheeee! Rid’em horsey!” Twilight giggled “I am NOT a personal riding horse!” Rainbow Dash shouted again At this point Raibow Dash decided to take off circling the room quickly multiple times although making sure not too fast that she would severely injure Twilight when she got her off. “That looks fun!” Pinkie cheered while hopping in place. Finally, after what felt like 5 minutes, Rarity had enough and stepped forward. “ENOUGH! Twilight release her NOW!” Rarity demanded. “Wheeeeeeeeeeee!” was Twilights only response. “GET HER OFF ME! I think she’s trying to chew on my mane- OW!” Twilight proved this claim by chomping and pulling at Rainbow's hair. “Very well…” Rarity fired a beam of telekinesis using her precision observational skills to grab Twilight and yanked her off by her tail, this thankfully made her yelp, and she let go of Rainbow Dash and her mane while Rarity held Twilight in the air Rainbow Dash descended slowly and gradually, falling in a panting heap. “My turn! My turn!” Pinkie hopped up and down in anticipation. “Shut….up….” Rainbow Dash panted having overexerted herself in her panic. Meanwhile, Rarity approached the still floating Twilight who is flapping her wings lightly and looking joyful despite the look on her friend’s face. “I do hope you have an explanation for why you did what you did to Rainbow Dash back there Twilight.” Rarity said miffed. Twilight just rolled around in midair ignoring her. “Wheee! I’m flying!” Twilight laughed happily “Twilight that is enough playing around! I am serious! You or Rainbow could have gotten hurt!” Rarity snapped Twilight eventually stopped laughing and just stared in two different directions, drooling a bit before flaring her horn and dispelling Rarity’s magic grip with her own telekinesis. Twilight landed with a thump on her rump, but she didn’t seem bothered by it and continues to stare aimlessly and continued drooling. “Twilight?... Is something the matter with you?” Rarity said worriedly “That look reminds me of gummy!” Pinkie observed Twilight said nothing until she noticed her horn was still sparking with unused magic her left eye narrowed on it and sparkled as a goofy smile came to her face. “Oooohhh, pretty light…” Twilight tried to grab it, but the sparking magic stung her, causing her to yelp in pain and suck on her hurting hoof. “Ok, now I know there’s something wrong with you… however, just to make sure” Rarity approached and got eye level with the alicorn who was still sucking on her hoof, “what’s two + two Twilight?” Rarity asked simply. “Thirty splillion!” Twilight giggled as if it were obvious before becoming entranced by her horn sparking again which resulted in her touching it and stinging herself again and with a yelp she continued sucking on her throbbing hoof. “That’s not even an actual measurement…” Rarity sighed “Soooo what’s up with the egghead?” Dash said trotting over after recovering from Twilights assault on her. “I’m not sure… she’s in no condition to answer us. However, Spike is.” Rarity said, turning to the dragon. Spike felt three pairs of eyes staring at him with questioning looks that made him feel uncomfortable, with all eyes on him the dragon felt a lot like Fluttershy at the moment. “Ok! Ok! I'll tell, just stop staring at me like that!” Spike gave in, after giving a long-winded explanation to all the sitting ponies everypony hopped up from where they were sitting on the floor. “Twilight messed up on a spell, and now she’s lost her mind?!” Rainbow dash said “And you know not how to help her?” Rarity added “And worst yet! I left the sink on at home!” Pinkie finished, this resulted in everypony shooting her an unamused glare and Pinkie shrunk back. “Too soon?” she chuckled nervously. “How exactly did this happen, Spike? What caused this?” Rarity asked “Well… Twilight's been pretty stressed lately as you know.” Spike said “Yes/Yeah/YUP” were the responses. “She was reading one of the rarest spell books Imaginable, but it turns out it’s one of the hardest to master as well, and Twilight was heartbroken when she couldn’t do it. So she found a spellbook, heck if I know what the spell was supposed to do but it failed, and now she’s like this.” Spike glumly said gesturing to Twilight who’s sitting on a carpet nearby, giggling as she knocks a hoofstool over and stands it back up repeatedly. “Sooo…. Egghead’s sprung a leak, and all her brain yolk has drained out? Huh…. I… I gotta write that down that was genius, Pinkie! Note that down!” Dash said with a grin and Pinkie saluted and pulled a note pad and pencil from her mane and wrote it down. “You two stop joking around! This is serious!” Rarity scolded. “Sheesh ok, ok, so what do we do?” Dash said with an eye roll. “We should try to find out how we can help Twilight.” Rarity said before turning to Spike “is there any remnants of the previous spell we could use as a hint or do you have any information?” “Well, for info the most she was able to give before she lost it was that the way to fix this is a book she found downstairs in the hidden archives-” Spike said. “Hidden archives?” Dashes wings raised slightly at the adventurous sounding prospect. “-of books.” Spike finished “Oh…figures…” Dash groaned at the prospect of reading something that isn’t Daring Do, only to receive an elbowing from Rarity. “Go on.” Rarity said. “She also told me that the book is at least medium… although she was losing memories too, so that much is inaccurate… Oh! And she mentioned that the page was a hundred and something so that might help narrow it down.” Spike said “Yeah, from 100 to 999… OMF!” Rainbow Dash received another elbowing from Rarity this one knocking the wind out of her. “I suppose if that’s all she could give, we can work with it.” Rarity said with a nod. Spike pondered for a moment before a lightbulb went off in his head. “OH YEAH! I almost forgot the crystal she was using turned purple after it was done absorbing her mind.” Spike added quickly. “A crystal?” Rarity asked “Yeah Twilight used one in her spell, I was curious about it, so I kept it around,” Spike answered. “Where is it?” Rarity asked “I left it where I found it, follow me” Spike walked away, and Rarity and Pinkie followed, but Rarity paused and stopped Rainbow Dash before she could follow. “You… should probably stay here.” Rarity said carefully. “What? Why-“ Dash began but was cut off when an explosion occurred behind them, and they glanced back and saw the burnt spot where the stool once was, and a laughing, clapping Twilight. “Chair go BOOM! Hahaha!” Twilight cheered and skipped away to look for something else to do. “I believe that’s why” Rarity deadpanned “Ok… point taken, But… wait! You mean I’m stuck with alicorn sitting?!” Dash whined. “Because we need you to, your capable” Rarity reasoned. “SHE. TRIED. TO. EAT. MY. MANE!” Dash snapped “Relax Dash, while me and the others are trying to fix this little fiasco, you and Twilight can…play?” Rarity said almost reassuringly “How am I going to keep a mindless alicorn from causing trouble? She’s already starting to relearn how to use her magic!” Dash said panicking a little as another explosion resounded this time a lamp fell prey to the alicorn. “I’m sure you’ll think of something, dear, Twilight is our friend. I’m sure you can help her.” With that Rarity went out of the library room and Dash gulped. “M-maybe everything will be o-“ another explosion occurred, and it knocked Dash onto her side . “This is gonna be hard….” she groaned.