//------------------------------//
// Insanity 
// Story: A Dragon's Detour 
// by Nrdygrl 
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                                                                            Chapter Three
“Insanity”



Thick black ink oozed from the quill pen onto the parchment. It penned the words for the third report smoothly and neatly. Twilight’s horn glowed a soft magenta, and her dark purple eyes moved left to right as she continued to write. She tried to keep herself preoccupied, burying herself in her work…the way she solved everything that bugged her. This was more than just bugging her though. It was like a parasite eating her alive from the inside. Spike was leaving her…for most likely forever and he didn’t even care! 
That’s definitely what it seems like…she thought. Still…he was talking to Rarity and could have just been dazed and hadn’t really considered what he was saying. It could be…Her thoughts were interrupted by the fact that she had started to write what she was thinking into her report.  
“Darn it!” she shouted crumpling the paper up and tossing it into the waste basket. “That certainly had nothing to do with numerology.” She smiled a little and chuckled at herself briefly. “I can’t write a report like this…” she said aloud. “Not now…” Still, something in her was craving to write…write down all she was feeling. Sighing, she sat at her desk again and laid out a fresh scroll. She wrote slowly, feeling as if she was pouring her heart out to someone though she was all alone. 
I wish there were no secrets. I wish I could be honest. Spike has to leave me, but it almost seems as if he’s so excited about making new young dragon friends, that he has forgotten me. I told him I’m happy for him. I told him he could leave and it wouldn’t faze me whatsoever. I lied. I lied for him. It tears my heart in two. I yearn for everything to take a step backward…to rewind back to the way things should have been. This is my wish. If only I could have it. I regret to say it is impossible. Spike…I’ll miss you more than you know, and there’s nothing I’d rather have than you by my side forever.  
After reading it over…she felt dumb for writing it. Why would she write something like that?!
“This is so stupid!” she shouted. She crumpled it up and tossed it across the floor. It missed the waste basket entirely and bounced into the corner. Not long after this, when she was making a second attempt at her numerology report, Twilight heard the door creak open and close. She didn’t bother to turn around, for she knew who it was. She lowered her eyelids in an attempt to focus on her report. In the background, Spike let out a contented sigh and flopped onto the floor. 
“Rarity kissed me!” He squeaked. 
“WHATttt….?!” said Twilight raising an eyebrow in disbelief. 
“Yeah!” said Spike dancing around the room with hearts surrounding him. “She was talking about how she was going to miss me and…and….she kept calling me darling…and…and leaned down and kissed me on my forehead!” He pointed to the lipstick smooch mark on his forehead. Twilight rolled her eyes and shook her head. She dropped her quill pen and walked over to him. 
“Come with me…” she pushed him toward the kitchen. 
“H-hey! What gives?!” said Spike. Twilight’s horn glowed and picked up a wet washcloth from the sink. The washcloth levitated over to Spike and flopped onto his face, scrubbing the lipstick off. It then lifted up and returned to its original spot, leaving Spike squeaky clean…and annoyed. “Hey! Come on…I wanted to wear it forever!” 
“Well…you can’t…” said Twilight stiffly walking back into the library. 
“Yo, Twi!” said Spike running after her. “What’s eating you?! You’ve been acting strange!” 
“Strange?” said Twilight innocently. “Me…? Now, Spike…I’m perfectly fine. I’ve just been very busy and under lots of stress…that’s all.” She lied. 
“You didn’t want me telling the other ponies about me going to dragon school,” said Spike running in front of her and stopping her. “Do you really not want me to go?” 
“What does it matter?!” said Twilight getting frustrated. “You want to go…that’s the whole point. Whatever I think doesn’t matter…and for the record…I am fine with you going. I simply wanted you to keep quiet about it….for confirmation reasons. I mean…a big decision like this does need some thinking over, doesn’t it?”
“Oh…well you didn’t need to do that…” said Spike shrugging. “I had already made up my mind. I didn’t need to think about anything!” He scurried over to the fridge and pulled out a small gem and sucked on it. He then proceeded into the library. 
“I bit of a quick decision…wouldn’t you say?” said Twilight pinning her ears back. “That’s what I can’t understand…why would you just rush into something like this without thinking about the consequences?” 
“What do you mean?” asked Spike, absolutely oblivious to what she was referring to. He pulled the gem out of his mouth and gazed at her innocently. Twilight’s face turned red. She approached him, stomping her hooves as she walked.   
“OH….I don’t know….maybe….losing a really good friend that you’re extremely close to!” 
“Oh…yeah…well it’s true I’ll miss Rarity…but you know…maybe those girl dragons will be drooling all over me. I mean…nobody can resist this!” Spike attempted to flex the muscles he didn’t have. Twilight smacked herself in the face with her hoof. She was about to murder him! 
“I wasn’t talking about her! Think…. of somepony else you’re really close to….that you’ll miss….A LOT!” 
“Geez…no need to shout!” said Spike crossing his arms. “Umm….mmmm….mmmm…….uh…” he snapped his fingers. “Pinkie Pie!” Twilight’s jaw dropped. Somewhere inside her head a teakettle went off and a couple screws went loose. Instead of just bursting into flames like she usually did…she just went completely insane.  
“Oh…really now? Is that it…?” she said in a low tone. Her eye twitched as she talked, and she grinned from ear to ear. “Pinkie….Rarity….yes…I see….I understand Spike. Maybe it’s gotten to you already…you’re forgetfulness is setting in….something I didn’t expect from my best friend. Now…now…you’ve proven my theory. My hypothesis was correct this whole time….EUREKA I say! Let all of Equestria hear of this development!” 
“Twi…..light….?” asked Spike, very much afraid. “Can you stop talking like that? It’s kind of creeping me out….” He gazed up at her with wide dewy eyes. 
“AAHAHAHAHA!” Twilight yelled pointing a hoof in his face. “You’re cute little dragon eyes have no effect on me…neither do your dragon-mind-tricks! You are caught! You have lost to my POWER! MWHAAHAHAHA!” Spike stared at her. 
“Twilight…have you lost it?” 
“I am a genius! A remarkable genius that I have conquered this! I KNEW…I KNOW ALL!” Twilight began prancing around the room, her eyes small and googolly.   
“Well…maybe she hasn’t  completely lost it….” Spike attempted to reassure himself…..until a book hit him in the face. 
“GET BACK! I will not be persuaded any other way! Your hatred towards me is clear! You will leave me in this desolate place. AH! The voices are talking, Spike….they don’t like you….” She whispered. She threw more books at him. 
“Yup…she’s lost it,” he sighed and walked slowly upstairs, dodging books. He shut and locked the door that muffled Twilight’s sinister cackles. Twilight rushed to the fridge in the kitchen and guzzled down a bottle of hot sauce before she passed out on the library floor. 

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An hour had passed. Spike found the courage to emerge from the upstairs bedroom. He walked down the steps and saw the crazed purple unicorn lying in a fetal position on the library floor. It was unlike her to go insane (even though it happened to everypony sooner or later.) At last she sat up and groaned. Her eyes were still watering from the hot sauce she had consumed an hour prior to her faint. She looked over at Spike with no emotion of any kind. Spike stared back at her with a scared look that asked the question “are you all right?!” Twilight took a deep breath and stood up. She walked over to her unfinished report and continued writing like nothing had ever happened. Spike, very much confused and worried about his friend’s sanity approached her. 
“Twilight…you have some explaining to do! What in Equestria was THAT all about?!” 
“I apologize, Spike,” she replied calmly. “I don’t know what happened to me…” 
“You flipped your lid…THAT’s what happened to you!” said Spike tossing his hands in the air. “Might I ask why?! What did I ever do to you?!” 
“Nothing…” replied Twilight seriously. “Nothing at all, Spike. You see it isn’t your fault. I was a fool to think this would last. I know how you really feel now. You hate it here don’t you. You hate me…” 
“WHAT are you talking about?!” Spike was about ready to pull his spikes out of his head!  
“You’re perfectly fine with leaving me and I understand that now!” said Twilight a little gruffly. “It just hurts to know my best friend is leaving and won’t take the time to consider losing his best friend…me!” Her eyes were dewy and wet. She looked at him with those eyes. It was her “that’s not the Spike I know and love” look….the same look she gave him after he had tried to frame Owlowiscious. He hated that look. His stomach dropped when he saw her face like that. He had no idea… 
“Twilight!” he said quietly. “Why would you think something like that?! You know I’ll miss you. That’s why you’ve been acting weird? Man…you jump to conclusions too easily. I’m sad that I’m leaving you…but as you said before: sometimes friends have to go their separate ways. It doesn’t mean I’m not going to come visit you and stuff. You’re my best friend…and I wouldn’t leave you that easily.” Twilight turned around and her frown turned into a smile. 
“Really?!” she said happily. Spike smiled and nodded. “I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions like that. That wasn’t very smart of me. I should’ve just asked about that first.” So, Spike really did care about her. That was good to know. However, it didn’t change the fact that she didn’t want him to go. However, deep down she knew that friendship sometimes means letting others go. She couldn’t be selfish…she couldn’t be. It was all so bittersweet. But nothing could have prepared her for what was to come. 

TO BE CONTINUED…