Back at the castle, Clockwork was in the kitchen where he was supervising the cooking staff finishing up dinner for Beast Mac and Sugar Belle
"After five years of having the staff bringing our food up to the master's chambers." said Grill Fire, the talking kitchen stove, "He's finally requested to have a nice family meal in the dining room with his new marefriend. I know nothing about this mare so I've had the staff make everything on the menu so everypony can enjoy what we have to offer."
"This will be perfect. I'll go fetch the master and our guest." said Clockwork as he hopped away.
He hopped all the upstairs to see Sweet Cream, Flamethrower, and Clean Sweep come out of Sugar Belle's room.
"Since we have company, the kitchen staff has made everything so hopefully she'll find something she can enjoy." said Clockwork.
He hopped around, shocking his friends when they discovered a wind up handle on his back.
"Um, Clockwork? There's something on your back."
"What are you talking abou- AAHH!" Clockwork turned around and saw the handle on his back. "Why is this happening to me?"
"It's because of the curse." said Sweet Cream, "Every day it makes us more less human and eventually we'll be inanimate objects."
"Ugh! It's all Pearl and Garnet's faults!" groaned Clockwork, "They're the ones who transformed the master into the pony he is today! If we had somehow prevented them for being mean to Big Mac, this curse wouldn't have happened!"
"I know you're still angry about failing to protect Big Mac from Pearl and Garnet and the fact that you're upset about this curse." said Flamethrower, "But we can only get through this if we work together to help Big Mac. Sweet Cream and I will go fetch him while you talk to Sugar Belle."
Meanwhile in his chambers, Beast Mac was standing at the enchanted apple tree alone.
Over the past five years, the little tree had been placed in an enchanted indoor plant holder where it grew and sprouted apples. But a few months earlier, the apples had started to fall from the tree, signaling that there wasn't that much time left to break the curse.
"If I had just been a better person and let Applejack in, none of this would have happened." thought Beast Mac.
"Um, monsieur Macintosh?" Flamethrower asked as he knocked on the door, "How are you feeling?"
Beast Mac opened the door, knocking the candlestick towards the other objects.
"Where's Sugar Belle? It's time for supper? Is she ready yet? IS SHE?!"
Sweet Cream tried to calm him down, "Please take it easy on the girl master. The poor mare hasn't been doing well for the past few hours, try to give her some space."
"BUT I SPECIFICALLY ASKED HER TO EAT WITH ME!! WHY ISN'T SHE HERE?!"
"Calm down!" said Flamethrower, "If you chase her away, you'd be missing out on a golden opportunity. This Sugar Belle could be the one to break the spell. Have you ever thought about that?"
"Yes, I know she could potentially break this curse. I may be a beast but I'm not stupid."
"Perfect, you two can have dinner together, you'll fall in love, get married and *BOOM* we'll be back to our old selves in no time! This is going to be perfect."
"But Flamethrower, relationships take time and patience-"
"We don't have that! Our apple tree is starting to lose apples, we have until the final apple falls to break this curse!"
Beast Mac sighed, "Forget it. Sugar Belle is so beautiful. I'm a hideous monster. She could never fall for someone as ugly as me."
"You're not ugly master." said Clockwork, "You're just... just,"
"hairy," said Flamethrower.
"Short tempered." added Sweet Cream.
"And somewhat broody." said Flamethrower, "But you can fix all of that by taking advice from us. First, you should stop being so morose all the time. Try smiling more often."
"And have a good posture. Mares love stallions with excellent posture, act like a gentlecolt."
"Stand on all fours, shower her with compliments, and most of all,"
"Keep your temper under control!" both of the objects said.
Clockwork nervously hopped over.
"Clockwork," said Beast Mac, "Is Sugar Belle coming to dinner with me or what?"
"Well she's currently getting ready for... uh, she's currently-"
"CURRENTLY WHAT?!"
"She's not coming down at all!" Clockwork spontaneously blurted out.
"SHE WHAT?!" Beast Mac ran to Sugar Belle's room while Flamethrower, Clockwork, and Sweet Cream followed him.
"Master please! Do you remember any of our conversation?!"
In her room, Sugar Belle was on her bed looking at an Equestrian Enquirer magazine when Beast Mac loudly banged on the door.
"OPEN THIS DOOR!"
Sugar Belle looked up, "No! You can't make me open the door! It's my room."
"Well I'm the master of this castle and I have the right to go into any room I want to!"
"Good luck getting in, I locked the door."
Beast Mac sighed.
Flamethrower ran to the front door, "Monsieur, please don't-"
"Stay out of this!" He threw Flamethrower to the wall and kicked the door open, startling Sugar Belle and the others.
"I ASKED YOU NICELY TO JOIN ME FOR DINNER!" Beast Mac yelled in Sugar Belle's face.
"I'm not hungry!" Sugar Belle replied.
"I don't care if you're hungry or not, you're coming to dinner with me!"
"I told you I don't want to go!" Sugar Belle retorted back.
"If you don't come down with me, I'm going to-"
"MASTER STOP!" Flamethrower called, "This is an E rated story! You can't win over the girl with threats of physical violence!"
"Please try and be nice to her." said Clockwork, "Be a gentlecolt."
"But she's acting like a spoiled teenager!" complained Beast Mac.
"Well maybe that's because you aren't being very nice to me," Sugar Belle said through the door.
Beast Mac was furious, "I WANT YOU TO COME TO DINNER! I SWEAR I'M GOING TO BREAK DOWN THAT DOOR!"
He charged toward the door as the objects tried to hold him back.
"Master, for Celestia's sake stop it!" ordered Sweet Cream as she managed to calm down the angry beast pony,
"I know that you're really upset that Sugar Belle is refusing to comply with your demands, but maybe she will go with you if you say it nicely. So try again. But this time be a gentlemen."
Beast Mac went up to the door to try again, "Will you please join me for dinner?"
But Sugar Belle was still standing by her word, "I'm sorry but no thank you."
"You can't lock yourself in that room forever!"
"Yes I can, I have everything I need!"
"FINE! THEN STAY IN YOUR ROOM AND WASTE AWAY! SEE IF I CARE!" Beast Mac roared.
He stormed away and Flamethrower got into his way, "Beast Mac please-"
"SHE DOESN'T WANT TO EAT WITH ME, SHE WILL NEVER EAT AT ALL!" Beast Mac knocked Flamethrower into a wall and stormed back to his chambers and slammed the door so loudly a plant fell on Clockwork.
"Well that worked well," said Flamethrower, "NOT!"
"This is going to be very difficult," said Sweet Cream.
Clockwork sighed and hopped away, "Ill go and tell the waiting staff to clean up dinner."
Inside Sugar Belle's room, she threw herself into her bed, exhausted over her argument.
Operetta Soul leaned over to the bed, "I heard everything that must have been some argument you and the master had."
"It sure was," said Sugar Belle, "And you know what I think of Beast Mac?"
Meanwhile back at Beast Mac's room, he sighed, "I hope she didn't take it too hard."
He picked up his enchanted mirror lying on an adjacent dresser.
"Mirror, please show me Sugar Belle."
The mirror's reflection transformed into Sugar Belle in her room talking with Operetta Soul.
"You can't stay mad at the master forever sweetheart," said Operetta Soul, "He may seem rough and mean but he's very cordial once you get past his temper."
"He's so annoying! I don't want anything to do with him! I'd rather go on a date with Feather Bangs than spend the rest of my life in the castle with that abusive psychopath!"
"But-"
"I don't wanna talk anymore." Sugar Belle cut off Operetta.
Beast Mac was shocked as he heard the conversation.
He put the mirror down, "What was I thinking?" Beast Mac said to himself, "Shell never love me. To her and to everyone, I'll always be a monster."
He walked away and went over to his nightstand where a picture of Big Mac, his parents, Granny Smith, Applejack, and Applebloom was lying in a picture frame.
"Ma, pa. I wish you were still here, then I wouldn't be like this."
He began to cry and across the room, the little apple tree started to drop two little apples, signaling that there wasn't much time left.