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// Rthö Vaifüf- Night At The Gala: Part One~ Jealousy And Ire 
// Story: CYCLED 
// by The REAL Mister Pkmn 
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Tonight was the night of the Gala. Summer’s final night was to be set off with a hurrah, 	and tomorrow Fall would begin. Twilight remembered how things had gone last time, and was glad things would likely turn out different thanks to Maestro’s suggestion. She looked over to the stallion in question, and sighed. At his side was not only his adoptive daughter Prism, but also Trixie. Twilight had known beforehoof that Trixie was likely to have asked to accompany Maestro to the Gala. And much to Twilight’s chagrin, Maestro had accepted. Twilight was still uncertain as to exactly why she was feeling this way, but she just had to ignore it. It wasn’t easy, surely, but it was her only recourse. She pushed her thoughts aside, and went into the changing room.



After the girls went into the changing rooms to get ready, and Maestro waited with Spike outside. He turned to the boy, sly grin on his face. “So, you gonna make a move on my daughter tonight?” Spike looked away, blushing. This caused Maestro to chuckle lightly. “It’s alright, Spike, I get it. You’re nervous. I was like that too, when I first asked out a girl.” He sighed deeply. “Ah, memories.” He shook himself out of reminiscence, and turned to Spike. “Listen, Spike. You’ll never get anywhere by just hemming and hawing. You’ve got to act. Go for it! After all, Prism likes you too. Might as well, right?”

Spike considered it for a while, before finally nodding. “Y-you’re right! I-i’ll ask her to dance! Th-that shouldn’t be too hard…”

Maestro gave Spike a hearty slap on the back. “That’s the spirit! Take life by the reigns and make it yours! Maybe there’s hope for you yet…” Maestro noticed that somebody else was listening. Instead of calling them out, he grinned. “After all, if you sit around waiting, life will just pass you by. If you see an opportunity, take it! If you don’t, you might not get another chance to do so.” Maestro knew that Spike wasn’t the only one struck by the words- question was, would the eavesdropper act on it?



Twilight stepped back from the curtain. The way Maestro had said that… did he know that she’d been listening? He was rather perceptive, so it wasn’t hard to say that he did. Regardless if that was the case or not, she couldn’t deny that his words struck a chord with her. Yet, she felt she had already missed her shot- after all, Trixie had already made her move on Maestro. At the thought, she started to see red, but she took a deep breath to calm herself. Thinking on it would do her no good; she would just have to strive to enjoy the Gala to the fullest. She and the others came out with their dresses, seeing that Maestro and Spike were already ready. Before Twilight pulled the same trick with the carriage as last time, she couldn’t help but notice Trixie’s dress. She looked stunning in it, to be sure. It was a lighter lavender when compared to her iconic cape and hat, and it had small stars spread throughout. There were also small blue wisps flowing and rumbling through it so as to appear it had ambient magic running through it. Twilight also noticed how Maestro reacted to the sight of Trixie’s dress. His reaction was that of sleight surprise, possibly because he might have never seen her in a dress before. Though, Twilight couldn’t really glean much else from his reaction other than that.

Shaking her head, Twilight got to the business at hoof. She turned an apple into a carriage big enough for all of them to fit inside. However, it wasn’t her that provided the solution to the movement issue. Maestro cleared his throat, and lit his horn. Twilight’s eyes grew wide as his magic seeped into the carriage. This was the first time she’d seen his enchantments in action, and it was quite breathtaking. His magic had a rhythm like nothing else she’d heard before, truly and clearly unique. As his magic melded with the former apple, It changed. Small etchings were carved into it all over, glowing turquoise like his magic. He covered the front, the wheels, and the back. Once he finished, he ushered everypony inside, as well as Spike and Prism. Twilight asked the question hanging in the air. “Maestro, what exactly did that do?”

Maestro smirked, and clapped his hooves. The etchings glowed more lively. He cleared his throat, and spoke clearly. “To Canterlot Castle, and make it snappy.” At that, the wheels turned on their own as the carriage lumbered forward on the path. Maestro sat back in his seat as the carriage picked up the pace to be slightly faster than if they were being pulled by fellow ponies. He looked over to the girls. “Impressed? Don’t be. This is a rather simple automation enchantment with basic guidance parameters.” He brushed off his suit coat, even though it had no dust on it. “Simple, for a master enchanter like me.”

That was rather impressive to be sure, for a talent in enchanting was rather rare. However, Twilight couldn’t help getting slightly angry when Trixie cozied up against him. “Wow, that’s quite impressive! Could you…?”

At the implied question, Maestro chuckled. “No, I can’t teach you. You’re an illusionist, so the kind of spell I used would use far more of your mana than it would for me if you were to try it. It’s best to stick to what you excel at, Trix.”

Trixie had a dejected look for a split second, but the moment passed quickly. “Well, even if I can’t gain that sort of power, I can still be powerful in my own way. I just have to work a little harder!” Her smug demeanor had returned, irking Twilight.

The emotions running through Twilight were causing a lot of stress on her part. Trixie was her friend, so she should be happy for her. Yet, her own feelings for Maestro screamed at her, causing a few dark thoughts to run through her mind. She shook her head. She shouldn’t dwell on it too much, but she couldn’t really help herself. Why was she feeling this way towards Maestro? In the previous cycle, she’d largely ignored him, much like the others had. Even when she started getting to know him in this cycle, she hadn’t seen him as much more than just a friend. Yet, when she saw him in the moonlight that night in his suit… something changed.

She stole a look at Maestro and Trixie, and her gut twisted at the sight of Trixie chatting up Maestro. They looked so good together. Maestro even seemed to slightly enjoy himself. This caused the knot to twist tighter. She looked away, and tried to analyze why she felt this way. What was it that she seemed to like him for? His looks? Sure, there was her new awareness of that since that night, but there was more than just that. She’d looked back to her first interactions with him since he brought her into the awareness of the cycles. He’s determined, stubborn, and a bit prideful.
Yet he’s more than that. He knew when to admit he’s wrong. He’s honest with his opinion, he’s loyal to his vision. He was kind when you got past the rougher exterior, he was generous even if he sometimes made you feel inferior. He knew when to be laid back or serious, he even had a few jokes in him if he was in the right set of mind. And most important… He knew when to listen. He’s a bit of a mess, sure. He had difficulty opening up to others, but Twilight thought she’d gotten some decent progress there. Twilight sighed. There wasn’t really an aspect of him that she didn’t like. She looked over to the pair of them again, and the familiar knot came back, but this time she understood. She really did like him, perhaps even love him. That’s why she felt so conflicted when she saw him with Trixie. She didn’t know how deep Trixie’s feelings were for Maestro, but one thing was for certain: She was connecting with him.
Sure, what Trixie knew about Maestro at this point was things Twilight already knew. But to hear him retell his Cutie Mark story for her was a red flag. He was connecting faster with Trixie than he had with her and the girls, and that was concerning. Twilight looked away. She didn’t know what to do at this point. Her options were few, and each emotion demanded her take a different course of action. The turmoil in her heart caused her to zone out to try and figure out what to do. No answer came as they drew closer to the Gala…


To Be Continued In Part Two...