The inside of the shop was in shambles, with Mrs. Cake cowering behind the counter. She pointed up the stairs wordlessly, and Twilight nodded. “We’ll get Pinkie back to her old self, Mrs. Cake. I promise.” Without much further ado, they went upstairs.
The scene that wawaited them was disturbing, to say the least. Pinkie had gone through a metamorphosis most dire. Her coat was an off-black pink and her mane and tail were tangled and pointy. Her Cutie Mark had changed, too. It was now a trio of balloons with nails jutting out of them. Pinkie held a squirming Spike against the wall, a sick grin on her muzzle. “Well, look who decided to show up.” Pinkie turned to them, a crazed look in her eyes. “How about we have a party?”
As Spike plopped on the floor with a thud, it was clear that Pinkie wasn’t all there. She had this crazed, almost empty look in her eyes that felt quite cold. However, Twilight had to try and break through to her, no matter what. "Pinkie, snap out of it! We're your friends! C’mon! Don’t you remember singing that song to drive away our fears in the Everfree?"
Pinkie let out a disturbing laugh- no, it was more accurately a cackle. “Sure do! But that really didn’t seem to matter much, seeing as none of you wanted to come to the afterparty! Some friends you turned out to be!”
Affronted, Rarity responded. “It’s not like that, Pinkie! We had our reasons, trust us!”
Pinkie’s eyes began to twitch. “Trust you? Why should I? I think I rather reciprocate the spite you obviously have for me.” She widened her stance a bit, as if getting ready to charge.
Applejack restrained Pinkie with her own strength. “Now listen here, Pinkie! We don’t hate you! Far from it, Ah’d say. If’n you’d just let us explain-”
Suddenly, Pinkie lashed out, sending Applejack against a wall. “Explain!? I think I know the reason already! There’s no need to explain!”
Things weren’t looking good, but they still had to try and reason with her. Fluttershy mustered up her courage to try and talk down Pinkie. “Pinkie, calm down. We would never intentionally hurt your feelings, especially because of what day it is. Don’t-”
Pinkie stomped violently. “Stop it! STOP IT! I won’t hear your excuses any more! You snubbed Gummy’s after-party, so-!”
Just then, Rainbow poured out a bucket of water over Pinkie’s head. With her distracted, Rainbow now could get a word in edgewise. “Today’s not just the day after Gummy’s birthday! It’s your birthday. We wanted to surprise you! Can’t we try and do something nice for your birthday?”
At that, Pinkie blinked. Conflicting thoughts swirled around in her head, trying to vy for dominance. Maestro stepped forward, hoof outstretched. “C’mon Pinks. I’ll show you what the girls prepared for you. I may not have been able to help out with it, but I can appreciate what they’ve done for you. What do you say?” Pinkie nodded, and agreed to be led to her party. It was a bit of a trek, but when she saw it her features returned to normal. The dark wisps leapt off, but Maestro caught them in his magic. “Oh, no you don’t! You’re not getting away this time.” He held the wisps firmly, and procured a jar from thin air. He placed the energy within the jar, and sealed it. “That’s twice now that nightmare magic has overcome our friends. Clearly this is no accident. I’ll have to study it to see what exactly is going on.” He warped the jar away to an unknown location, and sighed. “Too much a heavy thought, at the moment. Shall we enjoy the festivities?”
Much to Twilight’s surprise, Maestro actually seemed to enjoy himself at the party. It seemed that even he needed a break every once and awhile, to let his mane down, as it were. Seeing him like this brought some thoughts to mind that she didn’t really want to deal with at the moment. But, savvy that he was, Maestro noticed. He went over to her, and placed a hoof on her shoulder. Twilight jumped a little. “Ah! You startled me, Maestro. Don’t do that!”
He chuckled a bit, shaking his head. “No promises on that one, Sparks. Besides, you looked a bit glum, so I came to check on you. You should be enjoying the party, not worrying about which one of our friends might turn next.” He looked at her with a serious face, and probed a question. “That isn’t what troubles you most though, is it? I can tell, Sparks. Maybe if you tell me, it might help.”
At those words, Twilight looked away. “I… don’t know, Maestro. I think I should deal with this on my own.”
A bit in shock, Maestro considered the options. He put up the silence field, and shook his head. “Trust me, Sparks. I’ve been down that road. It… never ends well.” His eyes looked downcast for a moment, before he regained his composure. “Back when I first started recollection of the cycles, I thought I wouldn’t need the help of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony to achieve victory.” He scoffed. “You can see how much a folly that was. I was a stubborn fool, who didn’t know when to concede- still am, to some degree. The point is, you can’t insist on dealing with problems yourself all the time. With an issue as large as what is eating at you, it’s best to let somebody else know what you’re going through.” He smiled gently. “So c’mon, Sparks. Let that weight off your shoulders. Let me help you.”
However, Twilight was uncertain. Her heart said yes, yet her mind said no. She wanted to tell him, but she faltered. She shook her head. “It’s nothing I can’t handle, Maestro. I’ll be fine.” She left, making her way home with haste. She shut the door behind her, sweating profusely. She couldn’t tell him. Not now, not ever. He was much better off not knowing how she felt about him, or at least that’s what she tried to convince herself with as she drifted off.
Maestro stared after where Twilight had just been. He sighed. “She’s got it bad, then. If she’d tell me herself, I might give her a chance to…” Just then, he saw Trixie come over to the party. He dispelled the silence field as she strolled over. “Trix! Good to see you, my friend. What brings you here?” Maestro did have a sneaking suspicion, but he just had to know for sure.
All eyes on her, Trixie muttered something under her breath that nobody could quite make out. She took a deep breath, and took a leap. “I-i was w-wondering if you might allow me to accompany to the Grand Galloping Gala? As your… d-date?”
The girls gasped, and Maestro smirked. Jackpot. “So, you like me that much, do you?” Trixie was caught off-guard for a moment, but nodded slightly in response. Maestro thought a moment. Well now, maybe a classic bit of jealousy might get her to spill the beans… He smiled widely. “Then sure. Best get your best gown ready, Trix. I’m not easy to impress.” In response, Trixie ran off excited. Maestro sighed. It’s your move now, Sparks. Will you try? Or will you watch in silence? I didn’t think I’d be doing this, considering how I gave up the chase cycles ago… He shook his head. No matter. Sparks urged me to try again, if this is to be the last cycle. I’ve tried many… but I wonder who’ll garner my attention at last? He then left abruptly.