Discord paced around the library while he read his book.
Relating with your filly is easier said than done. With culture constantly changing around us, you may find yourself behind the times while your filly stays up to date on the-
He threw the book over his shoulder. "So much for that approach."
"I see you're taking the reading seriously."
An about face revealed Twilight standing there, the book hovering in her purple aura.
Discord rolled his eyes. "It wasn't very helpful."
"Really? How far did you get?"
He shrugged. "One...two sentences."
She groaned. "Well of course it wasn't helpful! You have to read more!"
Read more? Discord shook his head. "That book is duller than my sensitive side!"
The alicorn replaced the book on its shelf. "Something that you're going to see a lot more of as you get to know your daughter."
Discord felt something strain in his chest. He wanted to clutch at his heart, but refused to let Twilight know that he felt hurt. He hated to admit it, but he did indeed have to get in touch with his sensitive side if he planned to reunite with Derpy. He blamed Fluttershy. She was the one that made him realize the truth about friendship. But this was....deeper. He had to make a connection with his own child! He couldn't even begin to comprehend how to do that!
"Ahem!"
Discord blinked and looked down at Twilight. She had obviously said something and was waiting for a response. Discord sighed. "What?"
She sat down. "I asked you what you think we should do."
What to do? There were several things... "Hula contest?"
Twilight frowned. Discord tried to hold his smile, but found it slipping away the longer he looked at the princess. He groaned. "Fine! Why don't we invite Derpy over and introduce me?"
"Now that's a decent idea! I'll get Pinkie to go and find her. Pinkie!"
Pinkie came through the kitchen door, a grass skirt covering her flank. "I heard someone say 'hula contest'!"
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Discord sat waiting. He twiddled his thumbs, much to Twilight's annoyance. She was sitting next to him trying not to organize the library for the third time. Pinkie had been gone for nearly an hour. Where was she?
As if the silent question had cued her, Pinkie opened the door. "And this is the library!" She stepped aside to allow Derpy to walk in.
Derpy looked around at the shelves. "Cool!" Her eyes fell on Twilight and Discord. "Woah! You're Princess Twilight! And you're....a mixed-up.....dragon...thing..." Her eyes crossed in confusion.
Twilight smiled. "It's so nice to officially meet you Derpy. Rainbow Dash has told me so much about you."
Derpy's eyes uncrossed and actually focused on Twilight. She smiled. "Really?"
Twilight nodded and motioned to Discord. "This is my friend Discord. He's a draconequus. I wanted to introduce him to you."
Derpy trotted up to Him. "Cool! You're funny looking.... I like you!"
Discord smiled. "Thanks. You're not so bad yourself." He looked at her flank. "That's an interesting cutie mark. What's your talent?"
Derpy looked at her cutie mark. "Uhh....I don't know." She pouted. " I keep trying to find out, but everything I do is wrong."
She sat down causing one of the floorboards to squeak. This squeak meant the floorboard was shifting, unbalancing the table in the center of the library, which tipped it slightly, allowing a ball to fall off and bounce into one of the bookshelves. One of the books was shifted enough for it to fall off the shelf, causing a domino effect. When the entire shelf was empty, the whole bookcase fell forward.
Twilight jumped forward and froze the shelf in place. She carefully placed everything back where it belonged, sighing when she was done.
Derpy looked down at the floor. "Was that my fault? Sorry."
Twilight shook her head. "No it wasn't you. I have a great idea! Would you like to come to dinner tonight?"
The mare went from sad to happy instantly. "Yes please!"
Twilight smiled. "Why don't you come back a little later? We'll have a nice meal all ready to enjoy."
Derpy jumped in place. "Ooo! Will there be blueberry muffins?"
Twilight chuckled. "I'll make sure of it."
Derpy flapped her wings and flew into the door. She backed up and smiled, her eyes crossed again. "The door's closed." She opened the door and flew off.
Twilight looked at Discord. "Was that whole fiasco really her fault? I've never seen such an accident prone pony!"
Discord shook his head. "Accident prone means breaking a couple items in the room, not making everything collapse from sitting down. What you saw my dear Twilight was unorganized chaos. She causes it without realizing. It's something she'll have to learn to control."
The princess slowly nodded. "I'll leave that teaching to you." She giggled. "She was so funny about dinner. I've never quite understood that pony's love for muffins."
Discord smiled. "She obviously gets it from me. I love muffins above any other food!" He snapped his fingers and a muffin popped into existence. He grabbed it and took a bite. "Mmmm!"
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Discord admired his handiwork. He had conjured a table set for three with a floating, blue-flamed candle as the centerpiece. He snapped his fingers again and three plush chairs appeared around the table. He smiled. "Perfect."
Twilight entered from the kitchen with several trays floating behind her. "I think I've got a good variety for the main course. I'm sorry, but I wasn't entirely sure what you liked to eat."
He looked over the platters; small sandwiches, fruit, vegetables, muffins, and some various cheeses. He nodded. "It'll do. I'll tell you about my usual diet another time."
She set the trays down on the table and smiled. "It looks wonderful!"
'Knock Knock Knock'
Discord flew over to the door and reached for the handle. He paused and took a deep breath.
Twilight smiled. "You're going to be fine. Why don't you let her in?"
He nodded his thanks, grabbed the handle, and opened the door.
Derpy jumped as the door opened. "Oh! I'm in the right place! This is the right place, right?"
Discord smiled. "Yes. Come on in."
She trotted in. "It smells good in here. Are you cooking something?"
Discord held his tongue. He would have made a critical remark thick with sarcasm, but he didn't want to make her sad or embarrassed. Had she really forgotten they were having dinner? The accident must have done more harm than Celestia knew about. All of this raced through his mind in a split second. He smiled and responded to Derpy's question. "The food just came out of the kitchen. Have a seat."
She skipped over to a chair and sat down. "Ooo! Muffins!"
Twilight sat down and Discord joined them at the table. They began to eat, Derpy taking several muffins for herself. It was a few minutes before anything was said.
Derpy looked up at Discord. "Sorry about your nose yesterday."
He nearly choked on his sandwich. "What? How did you know that was me?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. Is it feeling better?"
He responded by rubbing his nose. "Yes. A lot better."
Derpy smiled and went back to her muffins. Discord looked at Twilight. She seemed just as surprised by the exchange. Discord nodded towards Derpy, hinting he wanted to tell her something. Twilight shook her head and mouthed 'not yet'.
He was about to obey, but changed his mind at the last second. "So Derpy, do you have any family in Ponyville?" Twilight glared at him, but he ignored her.
Derpy tipped her head to the side. "I don't think so. I think I have a mother somewhere..."
She remembered Startail! Discord felt his heart breaking at the thought of eventually revealing that her mother had passed on centuries ago.
The gray pony frowned. "But I don't think so. I don't know where they are."
Twilight smiled sympathetically. "That's too bad. How about friends? You must have tons of friends."
Derpy shook her head. "Nope." She went back to eating.
Discord looked at Twilight. He could see the tears welling up in her eyes.
When the last of the muffins on her plate was gone, Derpy stood and smiled. "Thanks for the muffins! I guess I should go now."
Discord shook his head. "No! You can stay as long as you want!"
Derpy tipped her head to the side again. "Really?"
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They spent the next few hours joking and laughing. Discord kept trying to think of a way to tell Derpy about her parentage, but couldn't find the right words or moment. He eventually resigned himself to enjoying the evening. And it was fun. True fun with good friends. He knew that he would hold this evening close to his heart for the rest of his existence.