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Twilight stepped down from the stage after her speech, greeted by her friends waving enthusiastically from the side. She flew up to join them.

“You were amazing up there, Twilight.” Fluttershy said softly.

“Thank you, Fluttershy.” Twilight replied with a warm smile.

“Oh, indeed. Everypony was moved by your inspiring words of friendship.” Rarity chimed in, her tone full of admiration.

“Thanks, Rarity. I’m glad I could express that.”

“As always, you sure know how to keep an audience riled up.” Applejack added with a grin.

“Thank you, Applejack. I try my best.” Twilight said humbly.

"Yeah, unless you were trying to bore them to sleep-" Rainbow Dash teased, then got elbowed by Applejack. "I-I mean. . . great speech, Twilight! Really knocked it out of the park."

Twilight responded in a deadpan tone, "Thanks, Rainbow Dash. I could’ve added more, but-"

Before she could finish, Starlight Glimmer joined them, levitating drinks for each of her friends. “But if you did, you’d probably have put half the ponies to sleep.” Starlight said with a mischievous grin.

“See? Starlight gets it!” Rainbow Dash laughed.

“Very funny,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes. “I’d like to see you two make a speech about your friendship lessons.”

“All right, all right, we get it,” Rainbow Dash replied, raising her hooves in surrender. “Can’t you take a joke?”

Starlight chuckled as she handed Twilight her drink. “I’m just kidding, Twilight. Honestly, you did great. And look—everycreature here seems to be getting along just fine.”

Twilight nodded, her eyes scanning the room. “Yes, just like I said. With friendship in their hearts, harmony thrives.”

“I don’t know what you two are talkin’ about,” Applejack chimed in, “but everypony here’s havin’ a mighty fine time.”

“Uh, well, not everypony. . .” Fluttershy pointed toward the dessert table, where Pinkie Pie was enthusiastically pulling her cousin Pizza Pie’s hoof. Pizza Pie seemed flustered, and Twilight’s friends exchanged concerned glances.

“Pizza Pie,” Twilight called out gently as they approached. She placed a hoof on Pizza’s shoulder. “Is everything all right?”

Pizza Pie stepped back, startled, and turned to face Twilight and the others. “Oh, uh. . . yeah, Twilight. I’m fine. It’s nothing, really. Just. . . Pinkie being pushy, you know how excited she gets.” she said with an awkward laugh.

“They know that I was just introducing her to everycreature, so she can make some friends.” Pinkie added, her voice full of energy, “but cousin here’s been acting weird all day!”

“No, I haven’t!” Pizza Pie protested. “I just. . . I just can’t find the right words yet, that’s all.”

“Pinkie Pie, you shouldn’t push your cousin into making friends.” Twilight said gently.

“But I-”

“And Pizza Pie,” Twilight continued, “we’re already your friends. If there’s anything bothering you, you can share it with us.”

“Yeah, Twilight’s right, Pizza. You can totally tell us what’s up.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Yes, darling,” Rarity added. “There’s no need to be shy.”

Pizza Pie hesitated, feeling guilty for worrying them all. She let out a deep sigh. “It’s. . . it’s about the social gathering. Other than this being my first time attending something like this, I’m just. . . overwhelmed. I mean, I’ve never met dragons, griffins, changelings, yaks, or hippogriffs before. It’s all just a bit much.”

“Was that really what you were nervous about?” Pinkie Pie asked, tilting her head. “You don't seem This nervous when you saw Discord earlier.”

“What?! That’s not true!” Pizza Pie said quickly, her voice rising. “Discord has nothing to do with this!”

“Ugh, of course, Discord,” Rainbow Dash muttered, rolling her eyes. “I should’ve known.”

“That guy’s always messing with everypony’s mind, just for his own amusement.” Applejack said, frowning.

“Oh dear, did he say something mean to you?” Fluttershy asked, her concern evident. “If he did, I’ll go talk to him and-”

“No, please don’t make this a big deal!” Pizza Pie interjected. “He didn’t say anything. I just. . . I just find him intimidating.”

There was a brief silence as the others exchanged puzzled looks.

Applejack stepped forward and gave Pizza Pie a comforting pat on the back. “Sugarcube, you don’t have to worry. We’ve all felt intimidated before.”

“Applejack’s right,” Fluttershy said gently. “It’s normal to feel that way, especially when you’re surrounded by so many unfamiliar faces, all looking at you, waiting for you to say something, their eyes just-” She stopped when she noticed Pizza Pie growing more tense by the second. “Uh, I-I mean, it’s not that bad. . .”

“Smooth, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash whispered, giving Pizza Pie a reassuring grin. “Look, Pizza, don’t worry. Discord’s just messing with you, but overall, he’s. . . well, mostly cool.”

“I had the same problem, too,” Starlight said, stepping up beside Pizza Pie. “When I first came to Ponyville, I wasn’t sure about meeting other ponies either. I had Twilight’s guidance, but it still took time. Eventually, I made friends.”

Twilight smiled at her. “Starlight’s right. You don’t have to rush things. You’ve already made friends with us. When you’re ready to open up to others, it’ll happen naturally.”

Pizza Pie took a deep breath, her tense shoulders relaxing a bit. “Thanks, Twilight . . . and everypony. I’m sorry for worrying you all.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Twilight reassured her. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Everypony faces friendship challenges, even me.”

“Yup! And when Twilight faces friendship problems, she either stresses out, panics, or stresses out and panics,” Pinkie Pie added with a giggle.

Twilight gave Pinkie a forced smile. “She doesn’t need to know that, Pinkie.”

“I do,” Starlight said with a smirk. “Whenever I ask her about it, she changes the subject.”

“In that case. . .” Rainbow Dash grinned, pulling Starlight aside. “Let me fill you in on all the details, Starlight. You’ve got some catching up to do!”

“Hey! Where are you two going?” Twilight called after them, exasperated.

Rainbow Dash waved her off. “Relax, Twilight! If I told her the story, you’d deny it, just like last time.”

Twilight huffed. “You shared that with your students during your class! You were supposed to teach them about loyalty, not my panic attacks!”

“Uh, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash called back. “It Was a lesson. It’s about not panicking during friendship problems!”

“That’s not a friendship lesson!” Twilight fumed. “And don’t use me as an example!”

Before Twilight could continue her rant, Sandbar and the other students from the Friendship School approached.

“Professor Twilight!” Sandbar said, bowing slightly. “We’re really enjoying the gathering. We just wanted to ask Professor Rainbow Dash to share some of your, uh, lessons with us. We didn’t take notes on it last time.”

Rainbow Dash quickly crossed her hooves in front of her, signaling Sandbar to stop. “Uh, yeah! Sure, why not! I’ll fill you in, but let’s talk over there where nopony can interrupt us.” she said, nudging the students and Starlight away from Twilight.

Twilight narrowed her eyes at Rainbow Dash but sighed in resignation. “Hmm . . . I’ll deal with her later,” she muttered. “In the meantime, I’ll be with the pillars, cooling my head. Enjoy the rest of the night, everypony.”

"You do that, darling. Applejack and I will watch over the fillies." Rarity said.

"And I’ll. . . be just here by the punch bowl. . ." Fluttershy added quietly.

The ponies went their separate ways, leaving the Pie cousins alone. Pinkie waved at her friends before turning to her cousin, putting a hoof over Pizza's back and giving it a reassuring pat.

"Cousin, I'm sorry if I was being pushy. Maybe I was a little over-excited about you making your own friends."

"Oh no, it's okay. Don’t worry about it so much." Pizza Pie replied.

"No, it was my fault. I didn’t notice how tense you were. But don't worry! Knowing you, you’ll make friends easily. After all, we’re Pies-and we even look alike!" Pinkie beamed.

"Yeah, alike. . ." Pizza smiled faintly. "Say, why don’t we help ourselves to some cake now?"

"Way ahead of you!" Pinkie immediately slid all the slices of cake from her plate into her mouth. "Bet you can’t guess which cake these came from."

"Oh, I will. I remember all the cakes we baked." Pizza nodded, following Pinkie. "Wanna race?"

"Alright, you’re on, cousin!" Pinkie cheered.

As the Pie cousins rushed to the dessert table, Discord, who had been watching from the sidelines, snapped a drink into his hand and took a sip. He glanced down at his glass just as Princess Luna approached. With a wave, Discord snapped another drink into existence and offered it to her.

"Martini, Your Highness?" he asked with a sly grin.

Luna looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and then accepted the drink. "Thank you. . . It’s been a while since we had a proper conversation."

"Oh, hasn't it? Those were the days, am I right?" Discord said, his tone playful.

"Indeed. You weren’t the easiest to stop back then unpredictable, difficult, and always beyond reason."

"Well, when you have the power to bend reality, reason starts to feel overrated." Discord chuckled.

Luna’s expression darkened. "And that mindset is exactly why you were imprisoned in the first place. You never thought about the consequences for Equestria-only about your own amusement."

Discord waved a dismissive paw. "Oh, come now, Luna. That’s all in the past. You should let it go."

Her voice grew icy. "I can never move on, not after what you did to him."

Discord paused, visibly surprised by her tone. He turned to face her fully, guilt creeping into his expression. "You . . . you know?" he asked quietly.

“I-I saw it in a vision, Discord,” Luna whispered, her voice trembling, yet steady enough to convey the weight of her words.

"Vision?" Discord tilted his head, confusion and unease flickering in his mismatched eyes.

"Y-yes, a vision," Luna said, her eyes meeting his with an intensity that betrayed her vulnerability. "That moment haunts me every time I enter the dream realm. It’s the reason the Tantabus fell out of my control. I thought I had banished that nightmare, but I was wrong."

Discord said nothing, but his usual playful demeanor evaporated.

Luna continued, her voice trembling slightly. "I had to balance that nightmare with another just to keep it contained. But it wasn’t enough. . . and it broke free."

"You should’ve fixed it sooner-" Discord began, but Luna cut him off.

"It was your fault!" Luna’s voice rose, her frustration spilling over. "If you hadn’t been so selfish, if you hadn’t sought power, none of it would have happened your imprisonment, my transformation into Nightmare Moon, my banishment-"

A few ponies nearby glanced over, sensing the tension and quickly walking away, pretending they hadn’t heard anything.

Discord, at a loss for words, snapped a handkerchief into existence and handed it to Luna.

"So, what? Are you expecting an apology from me?"

Luna wiped her face, her voice quieter but still firm. "Yes. . . and no. I don’t even know if I could ever forgive you. . ."

"Don’t be so hard on yourself."

Discord snapped his fingers, and a copy of himself appeared next to him. "The old Discord is long gone." He conjured a leaf blower and blasted the clone into a cloud of leaves. "Your sister released me from my second imprisonment because she believed I could change."

"So, did you?" Luna asked, her gaze piercing.

"Well. . . there were some bumps along the way." Discord shrugged. "And maybe I foolishly betrayed everyone a couple of times, but you know what?"

"What?" Luna raised an eyebrow.

"Tia was right. I did change. But I didn’t do it alone I had help. My friends helped me. . . especially Fluttershy."

Discord waved over to Fluttershy by the punch table. She waved back but accidentally dropped the ladle on a pony’s hoof, quickly apologizing.

"I see. . . If your friends believe in you, then perhaps I should too." Luna said thoughtfully.

"What about me? I was the one who changed!" Discord pouted.

"You still have a long way to go before you regain my full trust."

"Well, I suppose that’s better than nothing. Cheers to that?" Discord raised his glass with a smirk.

Luna gave a slight smile and clinked her glass against his. The tension between them remained, but for now, they accepted their uneasy truce. Inside, Luna’s doubts about Discord lingered, while Discord was left to ponder the meaning of her vision.

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~ To be continued

Author's Note

There's a saying a white lie never hunts anyone. But for this Pizza pony, her fear of knowing the truth. Would hurt her and more to her Pinki cousin if she found out. About her cheated promise.