Even though he had put on a brave front in the face of Twilight's rejection, Maddock found slumber to be impossible that night. So he got up and attempted to tire himself by walking around his room. As he walked, he looked outside and noticed the clarity of the night that had befallen them. What cruel irony, he thought, to have such a beautiful night outside, yet to be facing such a raging hell on the inside. It seemed as though Princess Luna had conspired with all the pegasi of Cloudsdale to deliver such a perfect night for him to confess his romantic feelings to Twilight, only to have her turn him down.
Suddenly, a voice within him spoke. This was a voice he knew all too well, and he thought he had put it to bed forever. But one can never truly let go of something once one has had it for so long. His old habit was returning. You don't need Twilight, the voice taunted, after all, she was a unicorn. Maybe unicorns just aren't capable of love.
Maddock seethed at the voice and tried all manner of ways to make it go away. He tried shaking his head violently, he tried to think of something else, he even tried blasting some music right in his face from the phonograph player in the room. But it was not to be. The voice lambasted him with all kinds of mockery, and it tried to make him feel weak because he trusted Twilight so much.
Suddenly, he yelled out loud. "NO! I will NEVER fall under your spell ever again! I am a different pony. I am a changed pony. I WILL NOT LET YOU HAVE CONTROL!" With that cry, he fell onto his bed, exhausted from struggling with his inner demon. His breath was labored and he began weeping some. "Oh, Twilight," he said softly, "I'm not worthy…"
Then the door flew open and Twilight raced in. She looked around frantically and spotted Maddock, curled up in something of a ball. She slowly moved over to him. "Maddock?" She asked cautiously, fearful that he would be angry with her for rejecting him, "I heard you scream." He turned up and gave her a sad look. She thought she had never seen a pony look so down before, even Fluttershy. So she sat on the bed beside him.
They both looked at each other for a couple of seconds before Maddock broke the silence. "Twilight…I…I'm not worthy to be your friend," he said softly. Twilight gave him a stunned look. "Whatever do you mean by that?" she asked incredulously. "It came back tonight," he said, "that prejudiced voice."
Her look softened and she put a friendly hoof around his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Maddock," she said. "And after all I've done to get rid of it," he said, "Twilight, I don't think I should teach at your school, nor do I believe I'm worthy of being your friend," he repeated. She grabbed his face and looked deep into his eyes. "Maddock, it's not a matter of being 'worthy.' Friendship doesn't work that way. You should know that."
He immediately felt comforted by her presence. Even though she didn't reciprocate his romantic feelings, something about him felt a complete warmth when she was near him. No matter what, she was his friend and he would never ever forget it. He was ashamed that he had even thought himself unworthy of being friends with the princess. He should have known that she would never terminate a friendship. Come hell or high water, they would always have a bond stronger than steel.