//------------------------------// // Meet the Music // Story: They Call Me Insanity // by Commander Ice //------------------------------// Mad Mind slowly woke up in his familiar bed in Canterlot. He sighed. He still felt tired, despite the fact he knew he got twelve full hours of sleep. 'Good morning Mad Mind!' 'HOLY SHIT!' 'Dude, calm down. It's me Mania.' 'Oh. Hey Mania. Do you know why I'm so tired this morning?' 'Actually, I do. I suppose you can also blame me for that...' 'Mania... What did you do?' 'I just went ahead and did a little investigation in your magical capabilities. Learned a lot of things.' 'You did that... When I was asleep?' 'But of course! Do you want to know what I learned?' 'Mania... That's kinda freaky y'know? Controlling my body and making it do things.' 'Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, I'm a bad person. But just look at what I learned!' '...Look?' 'DUH! I made all these massive discoveries and you thought I wouldn't even bother to write them down? Look at the brown notebook on your desk!' Mad Mind obeyed and levitated the notebook in front of him and began looking through it. His mind was blown. Dozens and dozens of spells layer within the notebook. From incineration, to decapitation and many other ways to kill a pony that made Mad Mind grin in pleasure. And he only just started the book. As he kept reading, he saw many different categories of spells: Illusions, altering objects in the world to his whim, hell, there was even a section of the book dedicated to laser-related spells. One spell in particular caught his interest: Mind Games. Under the illusions category. He read on about it. "This spell is a relatively dangerous spell the could alter a ponies mind for good. This spell allows the caster to manipulate the targets mind into doing, seeing, believing, feeling anything the caster intends them to. This spell can backfire and cause permanent damage to the targets brain if not casted properly." He read aloud. He grinned as he imagined the possibilities. 'Heh... Nice work Mania. I guess the hours you stayed up were worth it.' 'Of course they were! Remember what Madness said: the more you learn-' 'The weaker my sanity becomes. And over time, he'll send a new henchmen to latch onto my brain.' 'Exactly! I'm just helping ya in any way I can. The sooner it's done, the better, am i right?' 'I suppose you are. Great job.' Mad Mind slowly began his morning stretch and got out of bed again and into the bathroom to get ready to tackle the day. As soon as he was done, he made his way down to the dining hall for breakfast. He noticed most of the guard's giving him nod's of approval and smiling at him as if he accomplished something. Some even came up to him and thanked him. For what? He wasn't sure, but hey, it was better than being on the guard's bad side. As he arrived into the dining hall, he saw the usual Celestia at the end of the table and, this time, saw Luna with her as well. Mad Mind cleared his throat to make his presence known. As Celestia saw him, he knew he was in trouble. She gave him the same look that she gave him when she discovered that he and Twilight were enemies. He sighed. "What am I in trouble for now Celly?" He asked, sounding as bored as possible. Celestia huffed. "Mad Mind, have a seat." Mad Mind obeyed and sat down next to the sun goddess. "Now, Mad Mind, this is about what happened at the art gallery the other day." She explained. Mad Mind sighed as the thoughts of that day came rushing back to him. "Yeah. I remember that. I beat the crap out of some stuck up jerk who wouldn't let me voice my opinion. " He said with a grin as he recalled the events of that day. He laughed. "Good times." Princess Celestia's eyes narrowed. "Mad Mind, you are aware who you beat up specifically right?" She asked. Mad Mind nodded. "Yeah, Prince Bluebitch." He said with a laugh. Celestia gridded her teeth. "Mad Mind..." She began. Mad Mind stopped laughing. "Okay! Okay. It was Prince Blueballs." He said before bursting back into a fit of laughter. Princess Celestia stared at Mad Mind until he was finished laughing. "Are you done yet?" She asked. Mad Mind shrugged. "Probably not. But, for you, I'll stop." He responded. Celestia sighed. "Good. Now Mad Mind, I want to know why you beat up a member of the royal family." "Because he was being a dick." Mad Mind said simply. Celestia and Luna stared at Mad Mind in shock. Mad Mind shrugged. "What? It's true. He wouldn't let me voice my opinion about his art, he threatened me and used a filly as a meat shield! That's three strikes, I made sure he was out." Mad Mind said with his signature grin upon his face. Princess Celestia looked infuriated. "He used a young filly for self-defence?" She spat in rage. Mad Mind nodded. "Her name was Bright Light. And don't worry: I made sure she was safe." Mad Mind reassured the princess. Celestia stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I need to have a word with my nephew." She said. Again, she was doing a damn good job at hiding her anger. She left the dining hall, which left Mad Mind and Luna alone. Luna smiled. "I almost feel bad for him." She said. Mad Mind noticed something different about how she was talking until it hit him. "Hey! You're picking up on modern speech patterns!" He exclaimed. Luna smiled. "I'm being taught by my sister, and I hear the guards often talking to each other so that is also a big help." She said happily. "But, honestly, Blueblood is going to never hear the end of this. Don't thou-" Luna soon realized her little slip up. "Sorry. Don't you feel bad for him?" She asked Mad Mind. Mad Mind laughed. "Feel bad? For the biggest dick in Equestria? Who used a young child in self-defence? I would never feel bad for a stallion like that." Luna nodded. "While I do agree, I'd recommend refraining from that language around my sister. She does not look fondly upon cussing, and you'll only end up on her bad side." She explained. Mad Mind nodded. "Sometimes, I just feel as if I didn't get my point across. So, when I swear, I get people to pay attention to what I'm saying. I don't mean any disrespect, I just want to make sure I get my point across." He explained. Luna nodded in understanding as the two of them began eating their breakfast. It was quiet on the most part, so Mad Mind decided to talk with Mania. 'Hey Mania.' 'Heeeeeyy Maddy. 'Sup?' 'Remember those spells in that book that you made?' 'Of course I do! I wrote it! Well, you wrote it, but I know I wrote it!' 'Yeah, whatever. But those spells, where did you find them?' 'Half of them came from books, the other half came from me.' 'You made up your own spells?' 'Yeah! I mean, think about it! The spells in the books had to come from somewhere, so why can't we make up spells for ourselves?' '... Fair point. Did you make the Mind Games spell?' 'I thought you'd like that one! Yeah, I made that. Fun little spell if I say so myself.' 'How do you know that? You haven't even tried it.' 'Trust me: you'll love it.' "Mad Mind?" Mad Mind was brought away from his thoughts by the sound of Luna's voice. "You have barely touched your food. Is there something on your mind?" She asked, concern clear in her eyes. Mad Mind shrugged. "It isn't that big a deal Luna. I was just thinking about magic." Luna smiled. "You're loud, you know that?" She asked. "I'm loud..?" Mad Mind was about to ask then he remembered when he shouted at Twilight about him not being capable of casting spells. He sighed. "You heard that?" He asked sheepishly. Luna nodded as Mad Mind sighed. "Yeah. But it's not like that. I was thinking about something else," he said. "I was just wondering... Is it possible for a pony to create a spell of their own?" He asked. Luna pondered about this before responding. "It's not impossible, but it is hard. First you need to know what you want the spell to do, then you need to know how much energy it costs and what side effects it may cause or if it can backfire." She explained. Mad Mind nodded in understanding. "Has anypony ever made a... Mind manipulating spell?" He asked curiously. Luna thought about this for a moment before she responded. "An illusion spell? There are thousands of spells of the sort. But what did you have in mind?" She asked. "Like a spell that allows the caster to... Alter the targets mind into doing things for them. Do one of those exist?" He asked curiously. Luna put some thought into this. "... Not that I know of. The closest thing that I can think of to a spell of that sort is the Changelings' mind control spell, and nopony has ever used that kind of magic before. Manipulating a ponies mind with magic is quite dangerous and can leave the target, the caster or both with permanent damage to their minds, so nopony really bothers to even touch it." She explained. Just as she finished, the doors swung open, revealing an angry Princess Celestia and a frightened Prince Blueblood. The two walked up to Mad Mind. Mad Mind smirked as he saw the countless welts and bruises upon Blueblood, courtesy of him. Not to mention the large bandage that covered most of his stomach. Princess Celestia began speaking. "Mad Mind, Prince Blueblood has something important to say." She turned her head to her nephew as he began speaking. Mad Mind however, wasn't really listening. He was to indulged in his thoughts. 'This fucker again? I bet Celestia convinced him to say sorry.' 'That must've been hard.' 'I still hate this guy more then anything.' 'Hey Mania!' 'Yeah?' 'You said you haven't tried out that Mad Games spell right?' 'You thinking what I'm thinking?' 'Obviously, were in the same brain. But I want to take this opportunity to... Test out this spell.' Blueblood was looking at Mad Mind as if he was expecting an answer. However, Mad Mind had other plans. "I'm sorry I didn't quite hear that. Could you please repeat it?" He asked, a smug grin upon his face. Blueblood turned back to Celestia. "Auntie, he didn't even listen to me!" He whined. Celestia shook it off. "Blueblood, he asked nicely. It's polite to respond." She said. Mad Mind swore he could, just then and there, picture Celestia as a troll. Blueblood cleared his throat and spoke again. "I am sorry." He said simply. Mad Mind wasn't convinced. "For?" He asked. Blueblood sighed. "Do I really have to say it all again Auntie?" He complained to Celestia. "Yes." She replied simply. Blueblood sighed again. "I am sorry... You know what?" He said before he was able to finish his apology. "I don't know why I'm even bothering to apologize! He's the one who should be apologizing! It was his fault that he opened his filthy mouth and gave his awful opinion in the first place! I'm a prince! I don't have to go around apologizing to ponies for things I didn't do!" And on that, he let out a humph, stuck his nose up and turned towards the door. Mad Mind grinned. "So that's how were playing it, huh?" He said darkly. Mad Minds horn began to glow it's familiar colours of red and purple. It quickly engulfed Blueblood who glanced around in confusion. He, honestly, didn't know what he was doing: it just felt natural to him. He knew what he wanted the spell to be: he wanted to play Mind Games. He imagined Blueblood giving the most sincere apology that has ever existed; crying, sobbing, stuttering, all of it. As much as he wanted Blueblood to feel the most excruciating pain in all existence, this would do for now. It all quickly passed through his mind and soon found himself giving more and more energy until it was surprisingly low. But, in the end, it was all worth it. The magic erupted out of his horn in one stream. It rippled and shimmered as it entered into Bluebloods mind through his ear (gross). The minute the entire stream entered into him, Blueblood turned around and dove to the ground in front of Mad Mind's chair. Mad Mind grinned. It was just like he pictured it: Blueblood on his knees, sobbing, crying, and all. "I-I'm so s-sorry for what I've done!" He stammered out. "I never meant to f-fight you! I never meant any harm to you or that filly! Could you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?" Mad Mind chuckled at this seen. "You are forgiven. But if you do it one last time, you'll be beaten again. Understand?" Blueblood nodded his head with vigour. "Good. Now, get out of my sight before I change my mind." Mad Mind spat. And, in a blink of an eye, Blueblood was out of there. The two goddess' stared at Mad Mind in shock at what they had just witnessed. They have seen Blueblood apologize before, but getting upon his knees and begging for forgiveness? That was something they never saw coming. "What... What did you do?" Celestia asked in shock. Mad Mind simply chuckled at her reaction. "No harm done. Simply altered his mind into convincing him to apologize to me. That's all." He said simply. This didn't help Celestia calm down at all. "You controlled his mind!?" She asked, rage building in her voice. Mad Mind shook his head. "No, no, no, no. Altered. Not controlled. Altering his mind is a simple magic burst that allows me limited control over his emotions, feelings, all that shit. Mind control, is full dominance over the mind, allowing me full control of his actions, feelings, emotions and power. Massive difference." Mad Mind explained. This surprised Princess Celestia even more. Since when did Mad Mind become so accustomed to this? She shook off the thought as Mad Mind spoke up again. "He'll be back to normal in roughly... eight minutes. Until then, I'm outta here." He said as he got up and made his way for the door. Princess Luna glanced at him. "Where are you going?" She asked. Mad Mind turned around. "Into town. I saw a store I wanted to go into." He said. And on that, he quickly turned around, shut the doors and made his way into the city. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Mad Mind smiled as he saw the familiar architecture of Canterlot. He was, currently, right next to the train station where ponies were currently exiting said train and entering the large city of Canterlot. Mad Mind let out a sigh. The things like these reminded him of when he was human again: people rushing around and getting to their jobs, the big cities, all of it reminded him of human life. He couldn't help it: he was surrounded by it every day and things hardly seemed to have changed, with the exception of the dominant race being ponies and adding the concept of magic. The more he thought about it, the more he began to miss being a human. He actually would've preferred it if he remained human in this world, or something relatively close like Madness. But, sacrifices needed to be made for him to arrive where he is now. The total realization finally dawned upon him as he stood there: he was a god. If he was still in his world, he was still him. But here. Here it was entirely different. He had a purpose in life, a destiny that needed to be fulfilled. A- WHUMP! So much for that monologue... While Mad Mind was busy reflecting upon who he actually is, somepony accidentally bumped into him, causing him to fall on his rump. He glanced up at who bumped into him and gasped at what he saw: another alicorn. This one was, again, female and bright pink, not as tall as Celestia but easily comparible to his height. She, as well, fell due to the accidental collision. Mad Mind quickly sprang to his hooves and offered a helping hoof to the mare who graciously accepted his help. "I'm so sorry!" She apologized. "I didn't see you!" Mad Mind simply shrugged. "It's okay. I was lost in thought. Should've been paying attention to the crowd." He said with a smile. The alicorn held out her hoof. "Princess Cadence." She said with a warm smile. Mad Mind bumped it. "Mad Mind." He responded politely. (Hey, first impressions are key.) He then noticed Cadence giving him an... Interesting stare. (no not the stare you're thinking of.) Mad Mind couldn't take it any more. "Is there... Something wrong?" He asked the alicorn. She was brought back down to earth and let out an embarrassed laugh alongside a slight blush. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare. It's just... You're an alicorn?" She asked. Mad Mind raised an eyebrow. "Umm... Yeah." He responded. "And you're a stallion?" 'Okay, now I see where this is going.' "Yeah, yeah. Alicorn stallion, first one in five thousand years. Whoopty freaking doo. It's honestly not that big a deal!" He said with a sigh. Cadence had another opinion. "Not that big a deal!? You're one of the most rare ponies on the planet and you think it's not that big a deal? Well-" Mad Mind quickly cut her off. "I just hear it a lot. It get's annoying after some time." He said quickly receiving an 'Oh' from Princess Cadence. Mad Mind suddenly remembered why he was in Canterlot in the first place. "Umm... I need to go now," he said rather awkwardly. "Nice meeting you Princess. I'll see you around, hopefully." And on that, he turned around. Only to be stopped by Cadence. "Wait!" She shouted. Mad Mind turned his head back to her. "Where are you headed?" She asked. Mad Mind shrugged. "I'm heading to the music store. Gonna check out what they have." "Can I... Tag along?" She asked. Mad Mind sighed. He saw determination in her eyes, so he knew that trying to reject her offer would be harder then licking your elbow. "Sure. Why not?" He said. Mad Mind sighed as she practically bounced in the spot for joy, like Pinkie. (God I miss her...) She quickly ran up beside Mad Mind and the two made their way to the music shop. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The two trekked through the crowded city, with Cadence asking constant questions about him (Where are you from? Who are your parents? Do you have a special some pony?). Eventually, the duo arrived at the music shop where Mad Mind instantly made a mad dash inside. He grinned. The store was huge! Everywhere he looked, vinyl records covered the shelves in an assortment of different colours. He began browsing all the different sections until he stopped at one of his favourite genres: Rock. An amazing amount of records were displayed in this section. He soon found a record that caught his eye. He instantly levitated it and blinked to see wether or not his eyes were playing tricks on him. In front of him, on that label was the name that made him almost laugh: Gun's and Roseluck. 'No fucking way!' 'Poniefied Guns and Roses?' '... Do they even know what a gun is?' 'Who cares? One of the greatest bands of all time are in two worlds! All hope in this world is not lost!' Then, he saw the rest of the records: Led Airship, (Led Zeppelin) Air, (Upon further inspection, he learned it was in fact, Jet), Aerohoof, (Fuckin' Aerosmith!) and even Canterlot Park. (Pony Linkin Park. Fuckin' A). All of which made him smile more intensely until his cheeks hurt. 'I need to hear one of these. Now!' He instantly plucked the record Gun's and Roseluck: Taste of Destruction (very nice) and dashed up to the front where a unicorn with an electric blue mane and white coat stood (He stopped caring about the colour white for the moment) and slammed the record directly in front of her. "Can I listen to this please!?" Mad Mind asked, slightly out of breath. The unicorn took a small step back in fear and brought a record player up to the counter. She quickly placed the record upon the player. "Okay! Now did you have a song in mind..?" She was cut off as Mad Mind spoke again. "Sweet foal of Mine!" He exclaimed. The unicorn used a bit of magic until the song came on. Mad Mind grinned. 'Here it comes! The most epic guitar riff in all pony/mankind!' 'Wait for it...' But it never came. All there was, was bass, and drums. No guitar. Then the singing started. He swore the singing sounded exactly the same. It was all the same, but without guitar! This really started to piss him off. "Can you play the next track please?" He asked. The white unicorn obeyed. Her horn lit up quickly and the next track came on. (Comforting City/Paradise City. Very nice) The same thing happened again. No guitar. Just bass, drums and singer. Something was off. Mad Mind quickly ran back to the rock section and pulled out Air: Shack Rock. (Shacka Rock. This'll do.) He asked the mare to play it and she obliged. The song 'She's a Genius' came on. Mad Mind knew how this song was back on earth: start with bass then guitar. It did just that except there was no guitar! Again, Mad Mind was pissed off beyond belief as the song continued. No guitar whatsoever. He even got pissed enough to ask. "Where is it!?" He spat to the white unicorn. "W-where is what?" She asked, fear in her eyes. "The guitar! Where's the damnable guitar!?" He spat. She looked at Mad Mind in confusion. "Gui-tar? What the hay is that?" Mad Mind felt time stop as these words escaped her lip's. 'She's a music store owner... And she doesn't know what a fucking guitar is?!' 'That makes no sense! How can she own a music store, with rock albums and not know what a guitar is!?' 'Then maybe... Is there no such thing as guitar in this world?!' 'NO! IT'S NOT TRUE! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!' 'Let's just ask Celestia! She'll know!' 'Hopefully...' Mad Mind made another mad dash to the door, Princess Cadence trying to keep up but to no avail. He ran and he didn't stop until he was in the throne room of Canterlot castle where Princess Celestia sat upon her throne. She looked at the stallion in question as he barged in and began gasping for breath. "What... The... Hell..." Mad Mind said between pants. Princess Celestia looked even more confused. "What's wrong Mad Mind? It looks like you ran all the way from the music store!" That last part was supposed to be a joke. Little did she know, that was, in fact, what actually happened. "I... Did," he panted out. "I... Need to... Ask you something." Celestia nodded. "Okay. What is it?" "Why... Is there... No guitars... In the rock albums?" He asked, still slightly out of breath. Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Mad Mind, there have been no guitar players or guitars in over... one thousand years." She explained to Mad Mind. His eye's went wide in shock. "WHAT!?" He shouted in fury. Princess Celestia nodded. "The guitar was an exceptional instrument during it's period of time, but it sort of... Died out over time. As did most of rock. As far as I know, there are no guitars in Equestria and not a creature that know's how to play one. We've just learned to go on without it." Mad Mind jumped up and began shaking the princess. "HOW DID YOU LEARN TO GO ON WITHOUT IT!? THAT'S LIKE SAYING POTATOES OR APPLES DIED OUT! IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO FORGET!" He bellowed. He was forcefully pushed off by the princess who sighed. "Mad Mind, I know how you feel. I myself enjoyed the sound of the guitar during it's time and to hear it again and played properly would be a gift from Faust. But it's just not possible. There are no more left in existence and not a creature knows how to use one." Mad Mind pointed to her horn. "Then use magic to bring it back! Then rock can be brought back to life!" He mused, but Celestia shook her head. "Mad Mind, it's not that simple. I can remember the sound of the guitar, but not it's shape or how many strings it has. In order for a spell like that to work, I have to have a picture of a guitar in my mind. And I don't recall how one looks." Mad Mind hung his head in shame. Celestia wrapped a wing around him in comfort. "I'm sorry Mad Mind, but it's just not possible to bring it back." She said in that motherly tone of her's. Mad Mind felt horrible. If this world had no guitar, then it was probably worse then earth. If there was only a way to bring a guitar from earth to Equestria... Mad Mind's eyes lit up as an idea entered his brain. Nopony else in Equestria knew what a guitar looked like, but he did! He recalled seeing dozens of guitars back on earth and all he needed was a spell to summon one, and then, bam! The first guitar in one thousand years. Mad Mind chuckled at this thought: a pony that hasn't existed in over five thousand years bringing back an instrument not seen in one thousand years. Mad Mind left the comfort of the princess and grinned. "Princess, I have an idea." He said, and on that, he rushed to his room. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Mad Mind reached his room rather quickly and locked the door behind him. He racked his brain for memories on guitars until he saw one that tickled his fancy. Like when he casted the Mind Games spell, this all felt natural to him. He knew he didn't need to lock on: it was summoning. There was no need to lock on to anything. Next, he held the picture of the guitar firmly in his mind. Then, energy. He felt his energy slowly deplete. He felt it go lower and lower until it was dangerously low. It was never good when his energy was at that level, but he knew the results would be worth it. The energy left his horn in a powerful beam of light that stopped a few feet in front of him. He watched as the light at the end of the beam altered in shape and form, slowly moulding into the shape Mad Mind envisioned it to be. Then, it slowly began to build, the smooth brown wood, the metal for all of the pieces and details upon it and finally, the strings slowly slid across the fret board, to the body of the guitar and stopped at the end at the bridge. It was an acoustic, so it had to be slightly bigger in the body and the trademark hole in it's centre. As soon as it finished, it fell to the floor with a 'tock!' sound. Mad Mind began to feel the effects of the magic take it's tole as he slumped to the ground and began panting. The massive lack of energy was a horrible feeling to him, but on this occasion, it was all worth it. He slowly pulled himself up and stumbled forward as he picked up the guitar with magic. He was surprised he was still capable of casting any magic at all, but it helped. He used his magic to strum the strings, allowing them to let out the wonderful sound that they do. He felt himself relax to the sound. 'Ooh! Ooh! Can I try it?' 'Heheh... Sure Mania. Why not?' He felt the controls of his mind quickly slip away as Mania took control. Mania grinned as he saw the acoustic sitting there, begging to be played. He brought it up to him and gently stroked the strings with a hoof, causing the familiar sound to emit. He began to feel the need to play a song, but what? Then, he knew what he wanted to hear: Gun's and Roses. The way it was supposed to sound. He knew he would need an electric guitar to get the best noise, but he would have to settle for what he had. (Hey, it's better then this hell with no guitar) and slowly began to play 'Sweet foal of mine'. The way it was supposed to sound Mad Mind enjoyed every minute of it. He knew Mania was playing the guitar, but Mad Mind knew it was himself singing. It felt... Natural. A good feeling, like he and Mania were bonding in a sense. As the song slowly drew to a close, he sighed a breath of relief. He stretched out and turned towards his door to see Princess Celestia and a few guards standing next to her. The guards themselves shocked at the scene of what they had just witnessed and Princess Celestia... Was that relief? No doubt about it, it was full relief as if the moon had been lifted from her shoulders. She sighed, looked at Mad Mind and smiled. "That, is how I remember it." She said happily. Mad Mind smiled back and nodded. Celestia turned around. "I'll ask tomorrow. Good night Mad Mind." She said as she exited the room. Mad Mind looked at her in confusion then glanced out his window. Sure enough, out in the sky, was the moon. Shining as bright as can be. Mad Mind shrugged. The spell wore him out. He was tired anyway. He quickly finished up his stretch and jumped into bed, fully aware the guards outside were still gawking at him. Mad Mind glanced at the guards. "'Chu lookin' at?" He asked with a grin. The guards quickly shook themselves out of their trances and moved on with their patrol. Mad Mind shrugged as he drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow was gonna be a hoof full. He just knew it.