It was a fine spring morning in Ponyville, the kind of day that would make anyone want to be out and about. And as it just so happened, two ponies were.
Twilight and Fluttershy were on their way back from a trip to the Smokey Mountains, in which they had helped to solve a friendship problem between two feuding families of earth ponies. It had taken quite a bit of work to get The Hooffields and The McColts to stop fighting, but Twilight and Fluttershy were confident that the two families had learned their lesson, and would work together to protect the natural beauty of the valley they'd settled in.
"It sure feels nice to get out of the castle and do something," Twilight said to Fluttershy "Thanks again for helping me get my nose out of the books. I suppose some problems can't be solved by logical reasoning alone."
"It's alright, Twilight, the ideas your book suggested weren't bad," Fluttershy replied kindly "The important thing is that together we were able to find the solution, and bring peace to that valley. Hopefully, next time we visit it, it'll be as beautiful as used to be."
Twilight couldn't help but chuckle "Seems like a lot of information about remote locations in Equestria is outdated, I think I'm going to have to have a chat with Princess Celestia about this."
"Well, we can worry about that later," Fluttershy reassured Twilight "For now, I just want to get back home to my animal friends and make sure they're alright. Would you like to join us, we were holding a book club meeting."
"You have a book club?" Twilight asked, to which Fluttershy nodded "Since when?"
Fluttershy chuckled a bit "For some time now. It especially helps pass the time in winter when there's not much to do except stay indoors and cuddle up with a good book."
"Well, I might stop by later on, just to see what that club is like," Twilight told Fluttershy "But right now, I need to get some reshelfing done and see if there are any other books with outdated information. Considering Equestria and Yakyakistan are now friends, there's bound to be a book or two that contains inaccurate information about the yaks."
However, as Twilight and Fluttershy were preparing to go their seperate ways, a voice shouted "Incoming!" Twilight and Fluttershy looked up, just in time to see Rainbow Dash zoom past overhead, followed closely by the reformed spirit of chaos, Discord.
Twilight was surprised "Discord racing Rainbow Dash, and he's losing? Either he's toying with her, or something's going on."
Twilight and Fluttershy kept their eyes pealed on the race, as Discord seemed to trailing Rainbow Dash considerably and not making much of an effort to catch up.
"Now I've seen everything!" Fluttershy exclaimed, as she observed the scene unfolding above her "Even if Discord's going easy on Rainbow Dash, he should have no trouble keeping up with her. But it's like he doesn't even care if he loses."
"I know, it's just like when I kept racing Rainbow Dash to avoid having to go back to my castle," Twilight observed "But what could Discord possibly be trying to avoid? He's Discord, almost nothing phases him."
"You don't think he's still a bit upset about inviting Tree Hugger to the Gala instead of him, do you?" Fluttershy asked "I figured he and Tree Hugger patched things up after he almost sent her to that other dimension."
"I doubt it," Twilight commented "And even if he was, that doesn't explain why he seems to be trying to lose on purpose. Rainbow Dash hates when others intentionally lose to her, she loves a good challenge."
"Maybe things are different here?" Fluttershy pondered "Perhaps she was just mad at you because she went easy on you, and still won? Here, she seems to be going all out."
"This has got to be a cleverly thought out trick by Discord," Twilight assumed "He's pretending to be weak to lure Rainbow Dash into a false sense of confidence, then at the last minute he's going to stop holding back and beat her." However, seconds passed with Discord making no effort to catch up to Rainbow Dash.
"Come on, slowpoke!" Rainbow Dash taunted "Give it your A-game!"
"I'll give it my A-game when I'm darn good and ready!" Discord replied "You wait and see."
"Yeah, well you'd better hurry up," Rainbow Dash called "I can see the finish line, this race will be over in a matter of seconds," and shortly after she had said that, Rainbow Dash sped across a series of clouds stretched out to look like a rope. "Yes, I won!" she boasted.
"Oh darn," Discord replied, sounding quite unconcerned "Well, racing was never my forte. I'm the spirit of chaos, not a Wonderbolt reserve member." then, he spotted Twilight and Fluttershy on the ground below.
Was it Twilight's imagination, or did Discord seem to suddenly freeze up upon seeing them?
Discord whispered something into Rainbow Dash's ear, and after a brief moment of concern, Rainbow Dash seemed to agree to whatever it was that Discord had just said. The two flew down in front of Twilight and Fluttershy, and said at the same time "Hello, Twilight. Hello, Fluttershy."
"Hello to you both," Fluttershy greeted "This is certainly an unexpected surprise."
"I'll say," Twilight said skeptically "Just what was that all about?"
"What was what all about?" Discord asked "I don't like playing the pronoun game, it gets too confusing too fast."
"I'm talking about the race you two just had," Twilight commented "It seemed rather one-sided to me, and not in Discord's favor."
"Oh, well... 'You win some, you lose some' as the foals always say," Discord shrugged "Besides, maybe I just didn't 'feel' like racing." Then he gasped, as if though he had not meant to say what he'd just said.
"What do you mean you didn't 'feel' like racing?" Twilight asked.
Discord quickly responded by saying "Oh, nothing. You know me, always one for a quick joke. Surely you'll find this hissterical," as Discord spoke that line he transformed into a snake "Get it, 'hiss'terical?"
Twilight and Fluttershy exchanged looks of confusion, as if though they were struggling to decide whether they were supposed to laugh.
Rainbow Dash seemed to look the same way, at least until Discord nudged her slightly. "Oh," she realized, and started laughing like crazy "I get it now! Good one, Discord!"
"I know, I amaze myself sometimes," Discord replied "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I think I'm going to go meet up with some of my other friends. Ta ta for now!" And with a snap of his talons, Discord disappeared before either Twilight or Fluttershy could say anything.
"What just happened?" Fluttershy wondered outloud "Discord seemed to be acting kind of funny. And not the 'ha ha' kind of funny."
"Oh, what do you two know?!" Rainbow Dash spoke up "Maybe you just don't get it because it's an inside joke and you had to be there."
"I got the punchline pretty easily," Twilight replied "Hardly seemed like an inside joke to me. But Discord has never been this easy to figure out, his jokes have always had some kind of deeper meaning or logic behind them. Now, it seems like he's losing his touch."
"Ah, he's just trying out a new style of comedy," Rainbow Dash told Twilight "I guess everypony's a critic these days."
"We weren't trying to be critics," Fluttershy protested "Even you seemed to think the joke wasn't funny, until Discord encouraged you otherwise."
Rainbow Dash started to break out in a nervous sweat upon being confronted with this. "Oh yeah, about that," she nervously chuckled "Well, I... uh...gotta go...water the plants. Yeah, that's it, water the plants!"
"But you don't grow any plants." Fluttershy observed.
"Well, I do now, and they'll droop if I don't water them regularly!" Rainbow Dash replied, and zoomed off importantly, producing a miniature boom.
"First Discord, and now Rainbow Dash. What has gotten into our friends?" Fluttershy wondered outloud.
"I don't know," Twilight replied "Maybe Rarity will know, she's always good at picking up on those tiny details that other ponies might not notice."
After briefly parting ways to drop their saddle bags off at home (much to Fluttershy's relief, as that meant no longer having to carry the really heavy ones loaded with books), Twilight and Fluttershy met back up to go to Carousel Boutique and talk to Rarity.
However, upon arriving at the boutique and entering, Twilight and Fluttershy were surprised to see Discord was already there, talking to Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity.
"Remember, not a word to Twilight, even if she asks," Discord said urgently, then he added "It needs to look convincing, or she'll never buy it."
"Never buy what?" Twilight asked, announcing her presence.
Despite the noticeable gasps from Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity, Discord slowly turned around and smiled at Twilight and Fluttershy "Oh, hello again," he greeted "We seem to be bumping into each other a lot today, I hope this isn't becoming a habbit."
"Not that I would mind it." Fluttershy whispered, blushing slightly. Nopony seemed to notice, and if they did they didn't acknowledge it.
"Just what were you all talking about a moment ago?" Twilight asked Discord "It sounded rather important."
"Oh, we weren't talking about anything important," Pinkie Pie insisted "Discord was just practicing some new jokes on us."
"Yes, jokes," Rarity chuckled somewhat nervously "That is exactly what he was talking about."
"Well, let's hear them." Twilight suggested.
"Uh, now is probably not the best time, he just started doin' them not too long ago." Applejack protested.
"Yeah, he needs more time to practice," Pinkie Pie added "They're kind of a work in progress at the moment."
"Yes indeedy," Discord spoke up "So, if you two wouldn't mind leaving so I can practice in peace, that would be lovely. The jokes only really work if you know the context of them."
"You think we wouldn't understand them?" Fluttershy asked "I've always found your jokes funny, Discord. Why would I not find these jokes funny?"
"I just told you why," Discord complained "Now shoo, go write a friendship report or tend to your animal friends, or whatever it is that you do when I'm not around. I'll tell the jokes to you both when I feel I'm darn good and ready."
"Discord, are you trying to keep something from the two of us?!" Twilight asked.
"Oh, and when have I ever done that?" Discord asked in reply "Do you not think I can be trusted, princess?"
"What?! What sort of nonsense question is that? I do think you can be trusted," Twilight insisted "At least most of the time."
"Aha! So you finally admit it!" Discord said angrily "You don't like me, you don't want to be my friend! You're only pretending to be nice to me so I won't turn on you and make you look like a failure in the eyes of Princess Celestia! The truth is, you hate me and always will!"
"That's not true!" Twilight replied "Don't go putting words in my mouth! We may have had our 'differences' in the past, but I truly consider you one of my friends. I may not always understand what you do, and that may frustrate me to no end, but I don't hate you for being you."
"Then, why do you feel like I'm trying to hide something from you?" Discord asked innocently "Friends trust each other, don't they?"
"They do," Twilight said to Discord "But they also can pick up on when a friend is trying to keep something hidden, and that's what you're doing now. Just tell me what it is that's troubling you, I'm sure I'll understand."
"No you won't!" Discord hissed "But I'll tell you what, I'll tell you what's troubling me, if you agree to do something for me."
"Like what?" Twilight asked.
"Oh, I don't know, how about giving me a whole day to do whatever I feel like and you promise not to get mad?" Discord suggested "Does that sound like a fair trade to you?"
"That's ridiculous, just tell me the truth!" Twilight insisted "Something's troubling you, and I can't help you if you won't tell me what it is!"
"Won't you please tell us?" Fluttershy pleaded "We're all friends, even if we don't always act like it. Friends always tell each other when something's wrong. That's part of the magic of friendship."
"Yeah, it's a lot better than pretending to laugh at your unfunny jokes." Pinkie Pie added.
"And havin' to lie through your teeth." Applejack said angrily.
"Not to mention putting us on the spot like this, and accusing Twilight without proof." Rarity scolded.
Finding himself being pressured on all sides by his friends, Discord began to panic. He'd gone to great lengths to keep this secret from Twilight, and he really didn't want to have to tell her now. "She couldn't possibly understand how I feel. No one could hope to understand how I feel, this is not something I should be capable of feeling." Without saying a word, and while trying to hold back tears, Discord vanished with a snap of his talons, leaving Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity all confused.
"What has gotten into Discord? I've never seen him so upsest before, it's scary." Fluttershy said nervously.
"It seems like this all started yesterday, while Fluttershy and I were solving a friendship problem in the Smokey Mountains," Twilight realized "At the least, it began sometime after Nightmare Night."
Pinkie Pie grinned "Ooh! Are you suggesting, time travel?!" she asked eagerly, having styled her mane and tail to look more bushy, while also having put on an orange jacket and a wristwatch.
"Absolutely not!" Twilight scolded "Time travel is too dangerous to be attempted for something like this! There's a reason why the only time travel spells are kept in the Starswirl The Bearded section of the Cantelort Archives."
Unknown to Twilight, somepony had overheard what she'd just said. "Yes, that's it!" the pony thought to itself "Time travel is just what I need for my scheme! Just you wait, Princess! You'll regret that you did not destroy me when you had the chance!"
"So then, how do you propose to find out what Discord is trying to keep secret?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Simple," Twilight replied, and pointed a hoof to all her friends "The three of you are going to tell me, right here and now. That's not going to be a problem, is it?"
Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity all gupled. Rarity and Pinkie Pie then quickly nudged a reluctant Applejack forward, and lightly prodded her with their hooves. "I'm sorry, Twilight," Applejack nervously spoke up "But we can't tell you that."
"Yeah, Discord made us promise not to tell. A 'Pinkie Promise' in fact," Pinkie Pie admitted "And you know a 'Pinkie Promise' is never broken."
"You're sure you couldn't even give us a hint so we could figure it out on our own?" Fluttershy asked.
Rarity shook her head, as did Pinkie Pie and Applejack. "I'm afraid not, darlings. And it wouldn't surprise me if Discord made Rainbow Dash promise something similar."
"But-" Twilight protested.
"No buts, sugarcube," Applejack said somewhat angrily "You're not gettin' anythin' out of us! Our lips are sealed!"
"But there's no way Discord's going to tell us himself what he's trying to hide," Twilight complained "He always like to keep his true intentions hidden until he thinks the time is right."
"Then you'll just have to wait until Discord decides he's darn and good ready to tell you," Applejack replied "In the meantime, you'll just have to find somethin' else to occupy your attention."
"It's nice of you both to show such concern for Discord, but as you can see it is not needed," Rarity spoke up, as she kindly but firmly escorted Twilight and Fluttershy out of the boutique "Thank you for stopping by. Please come again on some other day when Discord is not around."
As it turned out, Rarity was right. Discord had made Rainbow Dash swear to secrecy as well. Twilight and Fluttershy tried to get some answers out of her, but she refused to provide any.
"I'm not going to break my promise to Discord just because the two of you want to know what's bothering him," Rainbow Dash said firmly "You wouldn't like it if he inserted himself into your business."
"But we're only trying to help," Fluttershy protested "Pretty please? It would just be our little secret if you blabbed."
"The answer is no! Now go away!" Rainbow Dash replied, and slammed the door to her house shut.
Reluctantly, Twilight and Fluttershy decided it was best not to further intrude. But the question of what was troubling Discord still weighed heavily on their minds as they returned to Twilight's castle.
"I just don't understand it," Twilight said to Fluttershy, as the two sat in their respective seats in the throne room "We're only gone for one day on a map mission, and when we come back Discord is acting completely out of character. Or, has he been like this before?"
Fluttershy shook her head "I've never seen Discord act like that ever before, not even after The Grand Galloping Gala. Even when he came to visit me for Hearth's Warming, he was acting like his usual chaotic self."
"Well, it's obvious that something's going on that Discord doesn't want us to know about," Twilight realized "But like it or not, we've got to find out what that something is. Even if it means we have to force our friends to break their promise."
"Twilight, we really shouldn't do that," Fluttershy said nervously "Remember how mad Pinkie Pie got the last time somepony broke a 'Pinkie Promise'?"
"I don't like it either, Fluttershy," Twilight replied reluctantly "But it's our only option. That is, unless the 'Pinkie Promise' isn't really a 'Pinkie Promise' and it's actually a spell that Discord put on our friends."
Fluttershy gasped "Twilight! Discord has done some pretty rotten things in the past, but you're accusing him of being downright evil! How could you think such a thing after you said you trust him?!"
"I really don't want to believe he'd put our friends under a spell, Fluttershy," Twilight said glumly "I really don't. But after what happened with Tirek, I don't really know what to believe anymore. I thought he had changed, and maybe he did. But he betrayed us and very nearly allowed Tirek to destroy all of Equestria. The fact that he was willing to send Tree Hugger to another dimension just because he was jealous, is proof that he doesn't always think things through and sometimes that makes him look like he's slidding back into his old ways. If he did place our friends under a spell, I doubt it was purely out of malicious intent. But there's only one way we'll know for sure."
"What are we going to do?" Fluttershy asked "We can't just make our friends break their promise, and if they are under a spell there's no way we can just tell them to snap out of it."
"There's only one thing I can think of that will even come close to working." Twilight told Fluttershy, and she whispered something into Fluttershy's ear.
"You really think that will work?" Fluttershy asked Twilight.
"With Discord, nothing is ever a gurantee one way or the other. But I'm ninenty-nine percent certain this will work," Twilight replied "Now, I just need to obtain the necessary potion from Zecora."
The next day, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity were all surprised when Twilight invited them over to the castle. Suspecting nothing, they had all agreed, and were soon seated in their respective seats. Fluttershy had joined them at Twilight's insistance.
"Wonder why Twilight wanted to meet with us all so soon after returning from the Smokey Mountains?" Rainbow Dash wondered outloud.
"Another map adventure, perhaps?" Rarity proposed "This time involving all six of us?"
Pinkie Pie quickly zoomed around the throne room, checking the rumps of each of her friends and finding nothing. "Nope, no glowing tushies here." she replied innocently.
"Well, it'd better be important," Applejack snorted "I've got important things I need to tend to back on the farm, it's my turn to check the trees to see how the apple crop is comin' along."
All eyes quickly fell on Fluttershy, who tried her best to ignore the intense stares coming from her friends. "Um, I know you're all probably eager to go do other things, but Twilight just needs your co-operation for a little bit longer." she said nervously.
A few seconds later, Twilight entered the throne room carrying a rather large vial containing an unknown liquid. "Good, you're all here!" she said eagerly, and passed out a series of five plastic cups.
"What's this all about, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Oh, it's nothing important," Twilight insisted, smiling wide "I just need you all to drink this potion so I can see whether or not Discord put a spell on you."
Applejack glared angrily at the cup placed in front of her, as it was filled up with the blue liquid from the vial. Then she angrily pushed it away and asked "What kind of fertilizer do you have your nose in, Twilight?!"
"I beg your pardon?!" Twilight replied.
"You honestly believe Discord would place us under a spell, and that we wouldn't know he was up to no good?" Rainbow Dash said to Twilight "You know, maybe Discord was right about you. Maybe you really don't trust him!"
"But I do trust him! I just needed to rule out the possibility of you being under some sort of spell to protect him," Twilight insisted "This was the only way I could break the spell if there was one."
"So then, why was I going to recieve a sample of the potion as well?" Fluttershy asked.
"You and Discord are really close, closer than any of us to knowing him on a personal level," Twilight explained "It was possible Discord might have subtletly influenced you without you knowing about it. Just drink the potion, and we'll see what happens."
Reluctantly, the five friends did so, and Twilight (alongside Spike) waited anxiously to see what sort of effect the potion might have. Seconds ticked by, then minutes, but nothing at all happened.
"So, does that answer your question now, Twilight?!" Applejack asked angrily "There was never any sort of spell!"
"Then the promise is legit," Twilight realized "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you all to break that promise, now."
Pinkie Pie gasped "Twilight, you can't possibly be serious!"
"Oh, I'm serious all right!" Twilight replied "Discord is already on his way here, and if you won't tell me I'll have no choice but to ask him directly whether he likes it or not!"
"Twilight, Discord made us promise not to tell you! What part of that do you not understand?!" Applejack complained "What kind of friends do you think we'd be if we went back on our word now?!"
But at that moment, a familiar voice spoke up "Applejack, I appreciate your honesty, really I do. But you don't have to lie for me, I made no such agreement." In a flash of light, Discord appeared.
"Ah, Discord, nice of you to show up when expected for a change." Twilight commented.
"Well, you are quite persistant I'll give you that," Discord complained "If I had it my way, you wouldn't know at all. You'd be kept guessing until I decided to tell you."
"Discord, Twilight's sorry for being so pushy, but she's just trying to show her concern for your well being," Fluttershy spoke up "And I'm worried too, and so are the rest of our friends. Did you really think you could keep such a thing secret from just one or two of us and think we wouldn't find out?"
Discord sighed "I'm really losing my touch, you read me like an open book, Fluttershy. But I suppose that shouldn't surprise me after how long I've spent with you ponies."
"So, mind telling us what this is all about?" Spike asked "Sounds to me like someone's got something they've been trying to keep to themselves."
"Please, if you would be so kind," Fluttershy pleaded "We all promise not to judge you. No one's perfect, and we all make mistakes."
Discord looked all around, and saw the looks of genuine concern reflected on the faces of his friends. Admitting defeat, he reluctantly sighed and said "Oh, I hate it when you get like this. Now if I turn tail and run off, I'll feel guilty. Very well, I'll tell you but it's not gonna be pretty."
Discord had managed to make a giant couch appear just outside the throne room, and was currently laying on it while gazing absent-mindedly at the ceiling. Thanks to his magic, Twilight was dressed up like a traditional shrink, complete with the glases and the clipboard.
"Is this role playing really necessary?" Twilight asked "I'm not interested in playing mind games."
"Who said anything about mind games?" Discord replied "This just feels more natural, now go ahead and ask me. I'll tell you what you want to know, but you won't like it."
"I'll be the judge of that," Twilight declared, before she cleared her throat "So, when did this 'problem' first occur? And how long has it been going on?"
Discord sighed, and shrugged "Oh, perhaps for the better half of two months now I suppose. Then again, maybe it was even longer. Time flows differently when you're capable of visiting alternative dimensions and universes, before long you start to lose track of who's what and where's when."
"Stop trying to skirt around the issue, I want answers!" Twilight demanded "I can't help you if you won't tell me what's wrong."
"Patience, Princess, I'm just getting to the good part," Discord replied "Now, as I was saying, this has been going for the better half of two months. But I think the source of it stems back to when we defeated Lord Tirek."
"You mean Mr. Tall, Dark, and Ugly?" Spike commented "I'm glad he's back in Tartarus, it's where scum like him belongs! Good riddance, that's what I say!"
"Is this about the fact that you sided with Tirek until he stole your magic?" Fluttershy asked "It's been almost a year since that happened, and we've all forgiven you. In a way, sidding with Tirek ultimately worked out for the better, because it gave us the final key we needed to open that chest. And without the Rainbow Power, we never would've been able to defeat him."
"Besides," Spike added "We guys have our own special way of picking on things, I know that you doubt yourself sometimes."
Spike's comment caused a hint of anger to appear in Discord's eyes, glaring at Spike he hissed "Spike, I will only say this once. I have lived for millions of years, far longer than any pony or dragon. I've seen things that no ordinary eyes have seen, things that would drive lesser beings to madness. I've seen civilizations rise and fall in the blink of an eye. I've done terrible things, some of which I regret, and some of which I don't. So, do not presume to know me, because you don't!"
"So, why is it that you've only now started to feel guilty about betraying us to Tirek?" Twilight asked.
"Well, if you must know, it's because I got a letter," Discord said glumly "A letter from my mother to be precise."
"You never mentioned anything about family before," Fluttershy spoke up "When you came to visit me for Hearth's Warming, you said you had no family."
"Yes, well what I say then was true. From a certain point of view anyway," Discord admitted "My mother stopped speaking to me after I befriended you ponies, she said friendship was a sign of weakness and that I was betraying my entire race and true nature. I told her she was full of it, and from then on we stopped staying in touch. But then, just after the dawning of the new year, I got a letter from her. She said that she'd heard about how I sided with Tirek, and she couldn't be more proud of me for finally going back to my old ways. I was ready to shrug it all off and tell her the truth, until I read what she put down at the very end."
"What did she say exactly?" Twilight reluctantly asked.
Discord frowned "She said, she was looking forward to visting me, and that she knew it was only a matter of time before my natural chaotic nature led me to betray all of my friends. It happened with her, and it happened with my father. And it led me to wonder 'What if she's right?'. If I was a true friend, I never would've betrayed you all to Tirek, I would've sent him back to Tartarus right when we first met, and I'd have been the big hero. I know I should be better than that, but I betrayed our friendship simply for the sake of wanting to have power. So that's why I made our friends swear to secrecy and act like we were all buddy buddy, because the truth is we're not. I don't deserve friends like you, you're too good for me."
"Oh come now, wipe that frown off your face," Pinkie Pie encouraged kindly "Nopony's saying that."
"But it's true!" Discord protested "Even after I acted up at The Gala and almost sent an innocent pony to another dimension, you all forgave me and had a good laugh about the situation, when you should've turned me back to stone. What if Fluttershy hadn't talked sense into me? What if I had sent Tree Hugger away for good and been unable to bring her back? Would you still have forgiven me?"
"That's a big if, and one that we'd rather not dwell on," Rarity said nervously "What matters is that it didn't happen, and it was all's well that ends well."
"See, you're all too kind!" Discord said sadly, tears streaming down his face "What kind of friend I am to repay such kindness by throwing it all back in your faces and make it seem like it was all for naught?"
"Discord, you don't have to beat yourself about what happened with Tirek," Twilight spoke up "Tirek always prided himself on that silver tonuge of his. It is very much possible that, even if you had refused his offer, he would've found another way to get to you."
"But I betrayed our friendship, and my orders from Princess Celestia. I became a traitor!" Discord insisted.
"And yet it was by siding with Tirek that you were ultimately able to obtain the key to his defeat," Twilight reassured him "Plus, whatever her intentions were, Princess Celestia shouldn't have sent you off on your own to face Tirek. The important thing is, that he was defeated, and we all forgave you for what you did. If you were truly still as evil as you think you are, you wouldn't be feeling the way you are now. A monster like Tirek would think he'd done nothing wrong, the very fact that you feel regret for siding with him, proves that you are not like him."
"And whatever your problems with your mother are, as your friends we'll be more than willing to help. If you'll let us." Fluttershy added.
"Really? You'd all be willing to face my mother and tell her how wrong she is about me?" Discord asked "My mother is a creature that you really don't want to mess with. And I know what I'm talking about."
"What part of 'We're friends' don't you get?" Rainbow Dash replied.
"This is just the sort of thing that true friends do for each other." Applejack chimed in with a nod.
"But. But." Discord stutered, trying to think of a good counter-arguement.
"But nothing, silly!" Pinkie Pie grinned "We're here for you now, and we love you for who you are."
"You're not perfect, but then neither is anyone else." Fluttershy said with a smile.
"So, what do you say 'friend'?" Twilight asked "Are you going to let us in and help you out, or are you going to push us away?"
Discord was silent for a couple of moments, as he pondered everything he'd just been told. But then, at last, with a massive smile on his face he said "You truly ARE the best friends anyone could ever ask for. I can't believe it's taken me this long to realize that." And with that, Discord enveloped all of his friends in a massive group hug.
"I take it this means the next time we meet you, you'll be back to your usual chaotic self?" Twilight asked.
"Count on it!" Discord replied "You can try, but you'll never truly take the Discord out of Discord."