Having found all their friends but one, the Rainbooms traversed the streets into town, looking for their final member.
Fluttershy was now riding on Rainbow Dash's back as the wolf walked with the group, the bat having her wings wrapped over Rainbow while affectionately nipping her neck.
"Certainly didn't take long to tame those two" Sunset couldn't help but comment before getting back to the matter at hand and looking down at her watch "Okay, it's 11:30. We only have thirty minutes to find Pinkie Pie, so we need to step on it".
"But how do we do it?" Twilight said as she looked around the city "She could be anywhere in town and we don't know how to search for her".
"Hey, maybe you could fly into the air and get a bird's eye view, Twilight" Spike suggested.
The suggestion caused Twilight to freeze up in hesitation. In truth, she feared that the more she used the power her Midnight Sparkle form granted her, the greater her influence would grow.
"Uh," she stuttered before saying "why don't you try smelling for her again, Spike?"
Spike shook his head. "Why do you think I suggested you flying? I've been trying to sniff her out since we left the apple grove!"
"Have to say, Twilight" Sunset spoke up "it does seem like the best idea".
"Well, why not have Fluttershy do it?" Twilight asked lamely.
In response, Sunset silently directed her thumb to said bat who was still snuggling against her wolf carrier.
Knowing she was out of excuses, Twilight inwardly sighed before reluctantly spreading her wings and flying into the air.
"That's it" the voice inside her said even louder "Embrace the power you possess. It feels good, doesn't it?"
Trying to shut out the voice, Twilight decided to focus on looking around for any sign of Pinkie. Unfortunately, she couldn't spot any overactive pink blurs no matter what direction she looked.
"Anything?" Sunset called out from the ground.
"Negative!" Twilight called back in a frustrated tone "All that I see up here is city in every direction! You'd think a pink lunatic would stick out like a sore-!"
Twilight was cut off as her ears picked up loud, shrill 'AAAAAHHH!!!', causing to whirl in the direction of the north side of town. Listening closely, Twilight could pick up other screams of fright and panic coming from the same direction.
"What is it?" Sunset called up from the ground.
"There's a bunch of screaming coming from the north end of town" Twilight explained as she landed beside the group.
"It's got to be Pinkie" Sunset surmised before turning to everyone "Come on! We've got to get her or else we'll have to get use to looking like this everyday!"
"That wouldn't be such a bad thing, would it?" the voice spoke in Twilight's head as she and the others ran down the street.
A crooked smile on its face, the figure watched as Hoops and Dumbbell, dressed as chain-gang prisoners, ran for the lives. Or rather, Hoops ran for his life, with Dumbbell along for the ride due to the chain around their ankles.
"Heheheheheh!" the figured giggled wickedly as it looked over the abandoned and fiery devastation from a rooftop "I've never felt so alive!" the figure then sighed "I just wish my victims would stop running away before I can finish them off. Oh, well," it perked up before scanning the ground below like a surveyor "Let's see if there's anyone else around to have fun with. Perhaps I'll get lucky and find an entire group to terrorize!"
The figure's wish was immediately granted as it spotted the Rainbooms dashing down the street.
"Well, well" the figure said with a sinister smirk "They should be a scream to torment".
With that the figured leaped from the roof and latched onto the side of the next building before leaping to the side of another like a monkey. Or a spider. Or a monkey-spider. It didn't really care. Looking on from its vantage point, the figure watched as Sunset and the others passed underneath without noticing it. Grinning sinisterly, the figure leaped from its perch and landed on the awning of a doorway before somersaulting and landing gracefully in an alley behind the group.
Sticking to the shadows, the figure crept up behind the unsuspecting girls.
"Wow," Twilight said in shock as she looked over the destruction around her "Pinkie Pie really did a number on this neck of town. I just hope that nobody has been seriously hurt or worse".
"Just keep your eyes out" Sunset said "We need to find Pinkie".
"But where could she possibly be?" Applejack gaped "This area is huge! Not to mention messy" she added with a shudder.
"Yeah!" Spike agreed with Applejack, desperation in his voice as he was unable to spot the pink party girl. "It might take us all night to find her!"
"Spike, don't even joke!" Twilight cried "If we don't find Pinkie soon, we'll never get back to normal!"
"Now, don't panic, Twilight" Sunset instructed calmly "Pinkie has to be around here somewhere".
"How about trying...RIGHT BEHIND YOU?!" came a fiendish voice.
Eyes wide in shock, the Rainbooms whirled around to the source of the new voice. Sure enough, there behind them was the being currently known as Pinkamena.
They only had a second to react before they saw Pinkamena's cane coming down over their heads!
"Scatter!" Sunset shouted to the group.
In an instant, the Rainbooms leaped in all directions as Pinkamena struck the ground, sending asphalt flying in all directions.
"Good grief!" Rarity cried as she hid behind an abandoned car "Wha's gotten intah Pinkie?"
"She's not herself right now!" Sunset called back "We have to restrain her somehow!"
"Well, Ah'm open tah suggestions!" Rarity retaliated.
"How about this?!" Pinkamena cried as grabbed up the car Rarity was hiding behind with ease before looking down on her with a wicked smile "Peek-a-boo!"
"Gah!" Rarity cried before running off.
Turning around, Pinkamena saw Rainbow Dash, with Fluttershy still on her back, wings spread, charging at her.
Smirking like the maniac she was, Pinkamena held the car by its bumper. "Batter up!" she cried before swinging the car, striking the werewolf and vampire head on and sending them flying backwards "Fore!"
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy slammed into the window of a store before sliding down the glass and hitting the ground. Seeing Fluttershy moaning, Rainbow looked over her mate with concern if she was okay. Getting a weak but affirmative cry, Rainbow turned back to her pink opponent, baring her fangs angrily...only to stop and look up with shock as the car came flying at her and Fluttershy!
Grabbing Fluttershy by the neck in her teeth, Rainbow scurried out of the way just as the car smashed through the glass of the window and exploded with a 'BBBLLLAAAMMM!!!'.
"Ahahahahaha!" Pinkamena cried with sick delight to the heavens "NOW THIS IS WHAT I CALL A PARTY!"
"Twilight!" Sunset called out "Try and bind her!"
Gulping hesitantly, Twilight cried out "Okay, I'll try!"
In a flash, her hands were enveloped in a purple glow, which she directed down to a pair of downed wires. The cords glowed purple for a second before they sprang to life, and on Twilight's orders, they shot forward and wrapped around Pinkamena's wrists.
"Ooh, this looks like fun!" the pink psycho said happily "Let me try!" Tugging forward, she pulled the cords out of Twilight's magic before whipping them forward and grabbing a hold of Sunset by her waist... and her beard!
"Ow!" the wizardly bacon haired girl moaned before being violently swung around by Pinkamena.
"Ooh, nice job" Midnight Sparkle's voice said within Twilight "Make it look like it was an accident. Well done, there."
Twilight was having just about enough of that voice, however, she was torn about what to focus more concern on: the voice, or the sight of one of her friends being bound and thrown at the feet of another friend.
"Tag," Pinkamena said as she raised her cane over Sunset to deliver the final blow "You're it!"
Time seemed to stand still. Nobody seemed to be able to get to Sunset fast enough to stop Pinkamena. However, just before Pinkamena's strike could connect, she stopped short and began to twitch and shutter.
"No! NO!" she shrieked as it looked like she was losing control of herself "NOT NOW!"
Stumbling backward, Pinkamena let out a gruesome "AAAHH!" before being enveloped in a purple glow, similar to the one that caused her transformation.
When the glow subsided, the pink-haired girl collapsed to the ground.
Cautiously, everyone looked to the fallen figure.
"Everybody stay back" Sunset instructed before slowing approaching the downed girl.
Upon seeing the girl move, Sunset stopped and looked on nervously as she got back to her feet.
Staring upward to look Sunset in the eye, the girl displayed a confused expression...along with a head of poofy hair.
"Oh" she moaned "That wasn't a bit of fun".
"P-Pinkie!" Sunset cried in relief "You're back!"
"I just went on a rampage and all you can think about is my back?!" Pinkie Pie asked incredulously.
Sunset just shook her head. That was regular Pinkie Pie, alright.
"Thank heavens" Applejack said as she and Rarity crawled out from behind a trashcan "I'm certainly glad that's over with".
"Amen" Rarity agreed.
"But how did that happen?" Spike asked in bewilderment "The spell hasn't been reversed yet".
Sunset took a moment to pause and consider the question. The dog raised a good point. How was it that Pinkie Pie was back to her normal, goofy self?
She then happened to glance over Pinkie's costume, and realization hit her.
"Of course!" she cried "Pinkie is dressed as Mr. Hyde, but Edward wasn't always in control. He kept swapping back with Dr. Jekyll!"
"So, since Pinkie Pie is dressed as the character..." Twilight went on.
Sunset nodded. "She changed into a Hyde-like persona, but is capable of switching back to regular Pinkie Pie!"
'Whew" Spike said with a sigh of relief "Thank heavens for Pinkie's bizarre taste in costumes!"
Sunset then helped her pink friend up.
"How are you feeling, Pinkie?" she asked.
"Oh, except for sore hands and feet and scrapped knees, I feel fine" Pinkie replied with a shrug "Sorry I was being a meany to all of you".
Twilight's eyes widened. "You remember everything you did when you were going bananas?"
"Ah, don't mention food" Pinkie Pie moaned "I haven't eaten anything since I got transformed. And to answer your question: Unfortunately! Do you know how many people I've made unhappy tonight? I'll be making 'I'm Sorry' cakes for weeks! Better polish off my frowny stamp".
Sunset's eyes widened in amazement "So you retain the memories of everything that happened, huh?" she looked towards a certain quartet of a cowgirl, a debutante, a vampire, and a werewolf "Things are going to be interesting after this".
"Well, right now, the important thing is that we're finally all together again!" Twilight said in delight "That means we can finally reverse the spell!"
Sunset nodded as she looked down at her watch "It's 11:45. We have fifteen minutes to get back to that street and cast the reversal spell! Come on!"
With that, the group fled back down the street they came...or at least all of them except two.
In annoyance, Sunset walked back to the werewolf and vampire who were in the midst of cuddling.
"I knew we should've separated you two" she groaned while grabbing a hold of Rainbow Dash by the fur and hauling the wolf alongside her, Fluttershy right behind.
It wasn't long before the group was back at the street corner where this whole mess had started.
"Well, here we are" Spike said while gasping for breath from running the whole way. "Now what?"
"Okay" Sunset said as she looked at her watch "It's five minutes to Midnight. All we need to do is cast the counter spell and this whole mess will be done with".
"Ah still don't see why Applejack and Ah need tah be here" Rarity shook her head in confusion "Yah are tha ones tha have been changed. Applejack and Ah are still tha same".
Sunset shook her head as she chose to ignore the cowgirl before turning to the group's bookworm "Alright, Twilight. In order to reverse the spell, you must put yourself in the same mindset you had when you originally cast the spell, only this time, you focus on all of us being back to regular selves, got it?"
"R-Right" Twilight nodded enthusiastically "Got it!"
"Good" Sunset said "Now, hurry. We only have a few minutes left!"
Bracing herself, Twilight held out her hands in front of herself and began to concentrate. Within a few seconds, an orb of purple energy began to form.
"That's it" Sunset said eagerly "That's it. Just a little bit more".
"This is it" Twilight said to herself "My worries are almost over!"
Suddenly, before the spell could reach full power, Twilight stopped and dropped her hands.
"Twilight?" Sunset gaped while Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie looked on in confusion "What are you doing? Why did you stop?!"
"That's what I'd like to know" Twilight thought to herself.
"Oh, come now" came a certain voice that caused Twilight's eyes to widen in shock "You didn't really think I'd let this just happen without trying to stop it, did you? Guess again. So why don't we just sit tight and let that spell become permanent, okay?".
"Twilight, you need to get back to casting the spell!" Sunset was yelling "It's only a few minutes to Midnight! If you don't, we'll all be stuck this way forever!"
"And what would be wrong with that?" Midnight Sparkle's voice said "After all, look at all you can do this way! You don't really want to throw it all away to go back to being a measly human, do you?"
Finding herself torn, Twilight grabbed her head yelling before falling to her knees.
"Twilight?" Sunset asked in confusion "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry!" Twilight cried out "But I can't do it! She won't let me!"
"Who won't let you?" Sunset asked with a raised brow.
"Midnight Sparkle!"
"Huh?" was the collected reaction from the others.
Gasping, Twilight explained "I know I haven't done anything atrocious, but I can just feel her there! She's been growing stronger all night. And now, she's preventing me from casting the reversal spell and wait until Midnight!"
"Hmm, I thought that you seemed to have something on your mind all night" Spike said with realization.
"Twilight" Sunset said slowly "I realize that you think that Midnight is controlling you, but you've got to resist it! We need you to cast that spell!"
"You don't need to resist me" Midnight's voice said inside Twilight "And you don't need to cast that spell. Just a few more moments, and I'll be here to stay for good!"
"Twilight, remember, you're not the same person you are when you succumbed to your darker side before!" Sunset said.
"She's right" Midnight agreed "You're even better now".
"Remember, you decided to wear that costume to prove to yourself that she had no more influence over you!"
"Which turned out to be wrong".
"Twilight we need you!"
"But you don't need them".
"Uh, excuse me?" Pinkie called out in a panic "Sorry to interrupt Twilight's internal struggle, but I'm in the middle of my own here!"
Sunset's eyes widened "You mean...?"
"Yep" Pinkie nodded nervously as she clutched her stomach "Bad Me is about to come back!"
Sunset immediately whirled back to Twilight "Twi, you need to cast that spell now, otherwise we're going to be dealing with a psycho that'll be here to stay!"
"Two psychos, actually".
Twilight tried her best, but she just couldn't get herself to do the stance, let alone concentrate.
"That's it" Midnight Sparkle said wickedly "Just one more minute to go"
"Come on, Twi!"
Twilight looked up to see that Rarity had called out to her.
"Ah don't really know what's goin' on, but Ah'm not gonna let mah friend believe she can' do it!"
"She's right, Twilight, Dear!" Applejack agreed "You can do this!"
"Go for it, Twi!" Pinkie added.
Looking down, Twilight saw that even Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, the two in their usual riding manner, were looking at her with belief in their eyes.
"Twilight" Sunset finished "You overcame her before, and you can do it again!"
Twilight's eyes widened in realization as she took in all the words she had heard.
"They're right" she thought to herself "They are absolutely right!"
With that, she raised her hands and began to concentrate, the purple ball materializing in front of her.
"No!" Midnight's voice shrieked in her mind "What are you doing?!"
"Showing you that you have no power over me anymore!" Twilight sent a retaliating thought as the sphere of magic grew brighter.
"No!" Midnight cried in panic and fear "You can't do this to me! You can't! You CAN'T!"
"As Rainbow Dash would probably say" Twilight said inside her head as the spell reached full power "Make like eggs...and beat it!"
In a sudden flash, the purple orb burst forward and engulfed the Rainbooms.
"NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!" Midnight Sparkle's voice screamed as it faded from Twilight's mind before completely vanishing.
The moment the spell subsided, Twilight collapsed to her feet.
"Whoo" she said in exhaustion "That took a lot out of me".
It was then that she caught sight of Spike looking at her, his eyes wide in amazement. Looking down at herself, Twilight saw that she was still wearing her Midnight Sparkle costume, but her skin was now back to its regular color. Feeling her face, she realized it was exactly the way it was supposed to be.
"It worked!" she cried happily "It worked! I'm myself again!"
At the same time, Sunset was looking over herself. Her robes didn't look as sparkly as they did a moment ago. Grabbing her beard, she tugged on it...and was greatly relieved to find it was removable.
"You did it, Twi!" she cheered, her voice back to normal "You did it!"
Pinkie, meanwhile, had braced herself for her bad side's return. After not feeling anything for three minutes, she relaxed her posture as she looked through herself, unable to find a malicious thought in her body.
"No Bad Me here anymore" she said with relief.
Applejack and Rarity, meanwhile, were getting their bearings.
"Oh, tha was a doozy" Applejack commented, her accent back to normal "Ah knew dressin' as a high-class girl was somethin' Ah'd regret".
"Oh, my head" Rarity moaned, her mannerisms restored "I actually have the urge to work at Sweet Apple Acres!"
Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, was on all fours, Fluttershy still on her back.
"Uh, Fluttershy?" Dash asked nervously.
"Oh!" Fluttershy said with realization as she got off Rainbow's back "Sorry".
"Eh, let's talk about what happened tomorrow, shall we?" Rainbow commented sheepishly.
"Okay" Fluttershy nodded.
"Whew" Sunset wiped her brow "Thank goodness that's all over with" she looked over to Twilight "Way to go, Twi".
"I don't see why you should be thanking me" Twilight said guiltily "I was the cause of that whole mess anyway".
"Maybe" Rainbow said "But you did have good intentions".
"Yeah" Pinkie Pie added "You were trying to make us happy, and we can't fault you for that".
"And nobody got seriously hurt" Rarity said soothingly "So it's not a total disaster".
"Naught tah mention tha it was a real eye-opening experience fer some of us" Applejack admitted reluctantly.
"We know you didn't meant to cause what happened, Twilight" Fluttershy imputed.
"None of us blame you, so you shouldn't really blame yourself" Spike came in.
"Cause what kind of friends would we be if we didn't let magical hi-jinks slide?" Sunset finished with a smile.
Twilight felt the weight of her guilt wash off her as she looked up to her friends with a grateful smile "Thanks, everyone".
"Alright, enough of this mushy stuff" Rainbow Dash cut in "It may be Midnight, but we're still in Halloween costumes and never got to celebrate!"
Twilight smirked. "Who's up for a party at Sugarcube Corner...with our costumes perfect as they are now?"
"Yeah!" came the unanimous agreement before the group went off to Sugarcube Corner to party until the sun came up.