The morning after the Grand Galloping Gala, Princess Twilight Sparkle was in her castle's throne room, sitting on her throne while reading a new book she had received in the mail. She needed to relax and unwind, after all the time spent planning the Gala (and the mess of the night itself). Spike was still in bed, having stayed up a little a too late during the festivities, leaving just Twilight in the castle at the moment. She was fine with that, feeling that she needed a little peace and quiet.
As Twilight continued reading, something odd began to happen; The words on the pages started moving and dancing around, finally rearranging themselves into three words, which spanned both pages. Those words were:
GOOD
MORNING
TWILIGHT
"What the-?" Twilight gasped.
At that moment, the two "O's" in "Good" blinked, becoming two yellow eyes with red irises. The rest of the letters melded together around them, forming an ink image of a Draconequus. There was a flash of light, and the ink Draconequus disappeared, followed by the flesh and blood version appearing before Twilight.
"Ta-daa!" Discord whooped. "How's that for literature that jumps off the page?"
"Discord." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Why can't you ever just use a door?"
"What, and stifle my natural sense of showmanship?" Discord gasped.
Another flash of light, and a golden carriage appeared in the room. The door opened, and a red carpet unfurled from within, followed by Discord (wearing a white tuxedo and sunglasses), and a flurry of confetti.
"Mwah! Mwah!" Discord blew kisses, as floating cameras took pictures of him. "I love you too!"
"Not to be blunt, but is there a reason you came here?" Twilight frowned.
The limo, cameras and tuxedo vanished.
"As a matter of fact, yes." Discord nodded, suddenly serious. "After last night's festivities, I went home for some well-deserved rest." He conjured up a hammock for himself. "But there was this nagging doubt in the back of my head. Even as I fell asleep, it seemed like I was forgetting something." The hammock vanished. "And when I woke up this morning, I finally realised what was wrong: there was still one pony I had yet to apologise to over last night's... unpleasantness."
"And who would that be?" Twilight asked.
"Why, you, of course." Discord declared. "I promised you I'd keep The Smooze out of trouble, and I didn't. So... you know, sorry, and all that."
"Apology accepted." Twilight said curtly.
"Really?" Discord frowned. "After all the mess I caused?"
"It was quite a mess." Twilight admitted. "But things didn't turn out too badly in the end, so I guess it doesn't really matter."
"Well, it matters to me." Discord declared. "After all, I owed you after you stuck up for me during that Tirek business."
"Not really." Twilight shrugged. "Thanks to you, we got the final key to the Box of Harmony, and Tirek was defeated, so I'd say that makes us even."
"Not even close." Discord frowned. "You still called me your friend, even after I betrayed all of Equestria to side with Tirek. That meant a lot to me. Not that you'd think that after what I did last night, almost ruining the Gala you put so much work into planning..." He suddenly grimaced. "Ugh, I hate this 'guilt' thing! This burny, squirmy feeling, deep inside... how do you ponies stand it?"
"We get by." Twilight shrugged.
"Goody-goody for you." Discord pouted. "I haven't felt like this all that often. It's most unpleasant." He shuddered, causing his serpentine body to undulate wildly. "If I'd known I'd end up feeling this way, perhaps I wouldn't have done what I did."
"Even you can't see the future." Twilight pointed out. "So how could you have known?"
"Good point." Discord admitted. "Still, I would have preferred not to make a fool out of myself..."
"'Fool' would be putting it lightly." Twilight smirked.
"Oh sure, kick a guy while he's down." Discord pouted. "Is this about that crack I made about your flying?"
"No, I can take a joke." Twilight retorted. "I can even get over the Smooze covering the dance floor with its slime."
"How, exactly?" Discord asked, genuinely confused. "After everything I did, how can you just 'get over' it?"
"I may not be too thrilled about what you did, but I understand why you did it." Twilight admitted. "You were just upset about Fluttershy making a new friend."
"'Upset' is an understatement." Discord declared. "Or did you forget the part where I tried to throw Tree Hugger into another dimension?"
"I wish I could." Twilight frowned. "Still, I've seen that kind of thing before. I know what jealousy can do to ponies. It's not a pretty sight."
"Jealousy, guilt..." Discord snorted. "To think that I, Discord, the master of chaos, would fall prey to such sordid emotions." He placed his paw against his forehead, and leaned back in a dramatic pose. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen."
"I wouldn't put it quite like that." Twilight told him. "It's more like... you're growing. Changing. Becoming a better Draconequus."
"I thought I was already perfect." Discord smirked.
"I wouldn't go that far." Twilight deadpanned. "Nopony's perfect."
"Sez you." Discord countered.
"As infuriating as you can be sometimes, you're still better than the old Discord." Twilight admitted. "And I hate to say it, but you do make things more interesting around here."
"Yep, that's me." Discord manifested a smoking jacket. "The most interesting Draconequus in Equestria."
"Aren't you the only Draconequus in Equestria?" Twilight asked.
"And your point is?" Discord shrugged.
"My point is that you're getting better at being a friend." Twilight declared. "You're a slow learner, that's for sure, but you're getting there."
"Well, we can't all be top of the class." Discord snapped his fingers, and a school uniform appeared on Twilight's body, a gold badge with an A+ pinned to the chest.
"True, but you're not exactly at the bottom anymore." Twilight pointed out.
"Really?" Discord frowned, removing the uniform. "I'd have thought that fiasco at the Gala would have cost me a grade or two..."
"Actually, that was the whole reason you were invited." Twilight revealed. "Celestia thought you'd liven things up. Boy, was she right..."
"She did, did she?" Discord chuckled. "Well, well. Who knew she had it in her? Guess it wasn't such a disaster after all."
"Not compared to last year's Gala." Twilight said darkly. "My friends caused an even bigger mess."
"You don't say?" Discord smirked. He enlarged one of his ears, cupping his talon against it. "I thought I heard some commotion that night, even from way over in the statue garden. Figured I was missing out on some kind of wonderful chaos..."
"Considering what happened then, I have no right to stay mad at you about this year's Gala." Twilight admitted.
"So you forgive me?" Discord asked. "Just like that?"
"That's what friends do." Twilight shrugged. "Just like what happened with Tirek, you made some mistakes last night. But you've learned from them, and that's what counts."
"...Thank you, Twilight." Discord said earnestly. "You know, you were actually my first choice when I was looking for a pony to go the Gala with."
"I was?" Twilight asked.
"Oh, yes." Discord nodded. "But your little Dragon friend told me you were planning things this year, so I decided to look elsewhere. At that point, I wasn't so..." He turned green. "...overly green with envy that I didn't notice you had enough on your plate. But as we both know, that didn't last."
"No, it didn't." Twilight agreed. "But everything worked out in the end, right?"
"Right." Discord nodded, returning to his normal coloration. "It's good to know I can at least call you and Fluttershy friends. I know the others are still having a hard time accepting me. Applejack, especially. Boy, that mare can really hold a grudge. I mean, really! What did I ever do to her?"
Twilight glared at Discord, giving him her best "You're joking, right?" face.
"I mean, besides turning her into a liar, and flooding Sweet Apple Acres." Discord corrected himself.
"Some ponies' forgiveness is harder to gain than others." Twilight told him.
"Especially if some are as stubborn as a mule." Discord turned into an exaggerated version of a mule, with large buck teeth and long ears.
"Give them time, they'll all come around." Twilight assured him. "You just have to keep working at it."
"Who knew being a friend was such hard work?" Discord shrugged. "You make it look so easy..."
"I've had a lot of practice." Twilight smiled. "It's like I told you, way back when: Friendship isn't easy, but it's worth fighting for."
"Funny, that sounds slightly less..." Discord turned into a wooden version of himself, twin streams of sap pouring down his nose. "...Sappy than I remember."
Discord plucked one of his leafy ears and blew his nose on it, spraying sap all over. Twilight nonchalantly conjured up a magic bubble to protect her from the shower.
"I'm sure it does." Twilight said flatly, as the sap trickled down the bubble.
"Well, I'm glad we've got all that straightened out." Discord declared, as he returned to normal. "It felt quite cathartic, getting everything out in the open like that. Like a full-on therapy session!"
In a flash of light, Discord was lying on a therapy couch. Twilight was sat on a chair beside him, her mane in a bun, glasses over her eyes, and a notepad in her hoof.
"I hope I can count on doctor-patient confidentiality." Discord frowned. "I'd hate for all my little self-doubts and incriminations to go public. I do have a reputation to keep, you know."
"Your secret's safe with me." Twilight smiled. "Just another thing friends do. I could Pinkie Promise, if you like."
"I'll pass." Discord grimaced. "No offense, but that pony really weirds me out sometimes."
"Me, too." Twilight admitted. "But that's just who Pinkie is. And this..." She gestured to the chairs. "...Is who you are. And friends accept each other for who they are... even if who a friend is drives them crazy sometimes."
"What can I say?" Discord grinned cockily. "Its a talent."
After zapping away the chairs and therapist apparel, Discord looked up at the throne room's ceiling, at the roots of the old Golden Oak Library tree, from which the magical crystals bearing images of Twilight and her friends hung.
"Fluttershy told me about this little memorial, you know." He noted. "Lovely craftsmanship, I must say. Shame about the old Library, though. I always felt it had a kind of rustic charm to it... until Tirek decided to use it for target practice. Must have been hard for you, losing your home like that."
"It was a rough experience, all right." Twilight sighed. "But at least I have this to remind me of all the good times me and the others had there."
"Speaking of which, would you mind if I... added a little something?" Discord asked.
"Sure." Twilight nodded. "Just don't go overboard."
"Overboard, moi?" Discord grinned mischievously. "Perish the thought!"
Discord snapped his fingers, and a multi-coloured crystal joined the others. The image within was of Discord sharing a hug with Twilight and the others following Tirek's defeat.
"I know it doesn't really follow the theme of the others." Discord shrugged. "But we never had any warm and fuzzy moments together in the old Library, so I had to make do. Do you like it?"
"I do." Twilight smiled. "Even if it didn't happen in the Library, it's still a wonderful memory. And I'll treasure it just as much as the others."
"Excellent." Discord grinned, manifesting a pair of paint-splattered overalls and a cap. "Hey, maybe I should make a career out of interior decorating! What do you think?"
"Don't quit your day job." Twilight chuckled.
"Why would I?" Discord smirked. Suddenly, his tail turned into a clock. "Ooh, look at the time! I promised Fluttershy I'd go on a picnic with her at noon. See you around, Twilight!"
Discord vanished. Twilight picked up her book and returned to her throne. As she started reading again, she glanced back up at the crystal Discord made.
"See you around." She smiled, still thinking of her most unconventional friend.
The End.