//------------------------------//
// Sanity's Return 
// Story: A Nopony in Ponyville 
// by Blackchibisan 
//------------------------------//

After about 15 minutes, He found the place. He smiled, glad to not look like a complete fool. As he did, Pinkie Pie came out. He felt his urge to punch her return as she appeared. He forced a smile and said, "I was told you could use some help help."

Pinkie giggled, "Well, looks like mister grumpy is smiling!" His eye twitched as he nodded. She grabbed him and pulled him into Sugar Cube Corner, "Then help me with my baking."

He was suprised at the strength of her pull as well as the speed at which she moved. She reminded him of a 5 year old pumped full of sugar. When he got inside, he saw exactly what he was expecting. A colorful kitchen that perfectly fit this world he was in. He sighed and said, "Well, Let's get to work then. We are working on cupcakes I take it?"

Pinkie smiled and nodded, then she jolted as if in some realization. "Ooooh, Oooooh, I forgot my secret ingredient!" Turning to him with the biggest sad eyes he had ever seen she asked, "Would you help me look for it?" He rolled his eyes and with some hesitation he nodded.

She leapt up in the air with joy and screamed, "To the basement!" She darted off before he could react. A chill went up his spine. There is no way...

He shook his head. He had to be imagining it. The fear began to build in the back of his mind. He went to the stairs to the basement, realizing it was very dark. He kept imagining a phantom Pinkie watching him from the dark. He called out, "Hey, Pinkie, where are you?"

Her voice echoed back from the dark, "I'm over here!" He could still feel his body shaking in terror. What could she be planning... in the darkness that surrounded him? Was she aiming a dart gun as he thought or maybe a cloth with chloroform? His mind began to race. It was right about then that Pinkie turned on a flashlight under her face right in front of him and whispered, "Boo."

Shane Leapt back in terror, screaming, seeing a multi-colored cape on her back. He passed out.

When he came to, he saw he was in a brightly colored if not a bit cold and dank room filled with spices and herbs. Pinkie was rolling on the ground laughing. She tried to speak a few times but kept interrupting herself with more laughter.

He shot up full of anger and growled, "What was that for?"

She squeaked out, "You were scared so I thought I would prank you!"

He realized now that she was wearing a quilt on her back, clearly fabric but with many designs and a necklace of seashells vaguely shaped like unicorn horns. He then looked at her and instead of seeing someone who was just too sweet to be taken seriously he saw someone who had lost their mind in the best way possible. She wasn't an airhead because she was innocent. She had just stopped caring about being normal and wanted to have fun.

With this in mind he half glared at her, "You think scaring me to death is hilarious?"

She nodded, "You think that I don't know what people say about me?" Her smile was huge. Did she just...

He wondered so he replied, "You haven't told Rainbow Dash about it?"

Pinkie shook her head, "Dashie wouldn't help me bake if I told her. She can over react."

He then sighed, "Well, what do you expect when you walk around so innocently and brain dead? Normal people aren't like that."

She laughed and replied, "Who is more fun to be with? Someone who is always serious and angry or someone who is always happy and joyful?"

Shane realized something. Her words made sense to him. That could only mean one thing. He had always felt his healthy distance from sanity was something that helped him, made him stick out and solve problems no one else could. Had one day in this world have snapped even that? He shook his head and began to take deep breaths, before letting out a loud scream.

Pinkie looked at him concerned and he turned to her. "Excuse me... I seem to have misplaced my marbles. Could you give me a second to relocate them?"

Pinkie bounced, "I'll help you look for them! They might have rolled under the dryer! I hate it when they do that because then when I want to play with them I have to go get the broom and..." Her voice trailed off as he left the basement.

He stared at the ground as he walked, eyes distant as he tried to regain his logical thinking. He kept walking not caring where. His mind began to grab back onto what he could call reality. Shane was having another of his theories confirmed. The longer you spend in a realm like this, the more it influences you. He had been in here long enough where his insanity was starting to feel at home.

He cleared his mind and took apart what had happened so far. When he was first here, his anger at being kidnapped anchored him to reality. To be fair, he was still angry about that, but Twilight had nothing to do with it. He needed to focus. It was at this point that he bumped headfirst into Applejack.

He fell back onto his rear, shaking his head. Applejack got up and said, "Watch where you are going!" Seeing him she sighed, "Oh, it's you. Fluttershy told me about this morning. You seem pretty calm for a colt that ain't from around here."

He sighed, "Yeah, trying to figure that one out myself. I think that I have accepted that I have lost my mind. There is no other way around it."

Applejack looked at him worried and said, "Well, you want to go home, right?"

He looked up at her, still clearly lost in his own mind but nodded. She smiled, "Then we will all get together and talk to Celestia. I am sure that If you talk to Twi she would be willing to help."

He tilted his head, "Why would you guys help me?"

Applejack sighed, "Well, the way I figure it, if I was called somewhere I didn't want to be when I didn't expect it, I would have lost my mind. You talkin to bunnies makes that clear as day. Being as that is the case, you need someone who can fix it. Celestia is the pony to do it."

He repeated as some presence returned to his face, "WHY would you guys help ME?"

Applejack smiled, "You need friends at a time like this."

He rolled his eyes as he felt his normal self return, the bright colors making him even more regretful of what had transpired. "You are a pretty smart girl for an apple farmer."

Applejack tapped her hoof, "Excuse me?"

He turned and said non-chalantly, "I was just saying that you are pretty smart for someone who works with apples all day."

She glared at him and shouted, "I ought to flank you, you arrogant, ignorant Alicorn!"

He turned with eyes so cold they could freeze a glass of water, "When I compliment you, don't take offense that isn't there. Also, I don't take kindly to threats."

She bonked her head against his, matching his glare. He was unaffected until he heard Pinkie. "Hi, Applejack! Looks like you have a new boyfriend." This time, he realized he wasn't alone in wanting to harm her, but Applejack pushed Pinkie over before he could aim for her face.

Applejack said, "Pinkie, I ain't datin him. I am waiting for him to take it back."

He smiled, "Alright, you aren't smart." When he next came to, an apple was in his mouth, his ribs were sore and so was his head. He got up with a sigh, Pinkie shouting from a distance, "It's ALIVE!"

It was now that he started seeing things in his mind, and not from the insanity. He began to see the world in his own light. This world in reality was just a more girly version of the human psyche. Fluttershy being inner child, Rainbow dash being pride, Pinkie being insanity, Applejack being ... No, wait, that was just his concussion.

He stood weakly and growled, "I wish people would stop bumping into me, tackling me, scaring the crap out of me and other forms of punishment on my body. I am not sure how much more I can take."

It was then that Rarity grabbed him and started dragging him off. He began trying to fight it but before he knew it, he was in Rarity's boutique. She made him stand on a pedestal. He sighed, "I take it you want to use me as a fashion dummy."

She shook her head, "No no no no no no. I heard that you were going to meet Celestia today. I can't have you embarassing yourself by looking so plain and without a cutie mark."

He shot back, "Oh, I am sorry, were you talking? I stopped listening after you told me no half a dozen times."

She sighed, "Honestly, i try and help you and all you do is complain."

He rolled his eyes as she took his measurements, "You call what you guys have been doing as help? I call it driving me nuts. You people let me wander off in a forest and as soon as you hear that I am feeling friendly you decide to drag me in here to play dress up, not to mention your other friends."

Rarity chuckled, "If you are so bothered by this, why are you just standing there instead of trying to leave?"

He replied with some disdain, "Because I have resigned to my fate until I can talk to Celestia."

Rarity smiled, "There I have your measurements. Stay here just a tick while I get the materials." She walked out with a look of satisfaction on her face. He could tell she was going to go all out and if he wasn't put in a full blown ball gown or micheal jackson outfit he would count himself lucky.

It was then that Twilight came into the room. His face twitched as a bit of anger resurfaced, "If it isn't the kidnapper."

She seemed hurt by the comment and replied, "I thought you had forgiven me about that. I said I was sorry-"

He cut her off, "Sorry doesn't send me home, nor does it fix anything."

She looked at the ground, obviously regretting even coming over. Even if she was a pony, she still was a girl. He sighed, "I am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It wasn't your idea to bring me here. I have to talk with Celestia about it."

Twilight smiled weakly and said, "I am sorry about all of this. I didn't know it would bother you so much."

He sighed, finding himself even more agitated now that he had yelled at her. Why was he dragged here?

Twilight's smile strengthened as she said, "Maybe you can look through some of my magic books with me for a way for you to go home!"

He chuckled and hopped off the pedestal, "You are the first person legitimately trying to help me."

Rarity scoffed in offense, "I have been trying to help you as well. Do you really believe that looking fashionable in front of royalty is such a small thing?"

He turned to her, "I don't need to show off to someone who planned my kidnapping."

Twilight sighed and dropped her head, "Why are you mad at her? I am the one that did it."

He nodded, "But it was her idea from everything I have heard. I want answers and I don't care what it takes."

Rarity laughed, "Well, when you are done being moody, I'll have the outfit all prepared for you."

He rolled his eyes and made his way back to Twilight's house. He really didn't feel like dealing with this prissy brat today, hopefully ever.

When they arrived at her library, he sighed, "Where do you keep your spell books?"

She smiled, "Well, the third shelf from the left on the bottom floor and the three furthest right shelves on the second floor."

He turned to her in unentertained disbelief, "You are kidding, right?"

She looked at the ground, blushing and saying quietly, "I really like books. there is nothing wrong with that, is there?"

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Moving on, At a bare minimum, I would rather stop being an Alicorn."

She looked at him in shock. "You want to stop being an Alicorn? Why?"

He looked at the bookcase, not sure how to grab a book without hands, "Because, it's... unnatural."

Twilight lifted it down with her telekinesis and opened it up, "You can lift things with your horn you know."

He shot her an odd look and snarkily asked, "How do I do that?"

She smiled, "I'll show you. I am sure you will find it very easy... given time."