…Maddock sat down at the small desk that adorned his room of the Castle of Friendship. He didn't know where to begin, but he knew he had to accomplish this task if he ever wanted any hope of Twilight teaching him friendship. She said that he had to let true friendship into his heart in order to win over the ponies of Ponyville, and especially Starlight Glimmer.

Truth be told, he was embarrassed beyond measure that Twilight had to call him out like that after he insulted Starlight. What a mess I'm in, he thought to himself. There was a humongous part of him that wanted to change. He wanted to stop the hatred that ruled supreme in his heart. He wanted to stop the prejudice he felt against unicorns.

But a small part of him still couldn't forgive the unicorn who had taken his parents away from him. Twilight said that they weren't all like that…but how can I be sure? He put his head down and held it with his hooves. What he didn't realize was that the answer to his own question was staring him straight in the face every time he stepped outside his room. That answer was Twilight Sparkle.

In all of his anger and frustration at the day's events, he hadn't noticed any of Twilight's kindness, compassion, or loyalty. In fact, by relinquishing one of the punishments she had originally imposed on him, she had shown him an act of complete friendship. Had he noticed this, he could have let it in, but sadly, he didn't.

Now here he sat, bewildered but determined. He wanted to get this letter to Starlight done, to prove to Twilight that he could learn how to be a true friend. Let's see…it has to sound nice. He picked up a quill with his mouth and began to write.

"Dear Starlight Glimmer,

I'm sorry for everything I said…"

Suddenly, he stopped. No, that doesn't sound right! He took a hoof and wiped away the ink and restarted.

"Dear Starlight Glimmer,

I'm sorry that I treated you the way I did this morning. My behavior was unacceptable, and I see that now. Twilight finally talked some sense into me. I see now that the way I have thought of unicorns has been…wrong. I've treated your kind of pony in the most despicable way, and I can only hope that something I do in the future will make up for it. It's not going to be an easy process, but then again, dealing with these kinds of things is never easy. I just wanted you to know that I will treat you much better in the future.

Maddock"

He finished and put down the quill. He read his letter and then reread it and then reread it again. 15 times over, he read and reread the letter, making small changes here and there as the need dictated. In a way, the letter reflected the change that was coursing its way through his very soul. The dark wall that had built itself around his heart suddenly exploded, leaving a path for true friendship to find its way in.

He found himself feeling warmer than he had ever felt. Sleeping on dark street corners, abandoned and alone, he had come to know only the cold as a constant companion. Now, being in this castle and having just come to terms with his ignorance and defeated it, the warmth welcomed him like an old friend. He felt absolutely joyous at this new sensation and he wanted to shout it to the entire world. Now, if only Starlight will accept this, he thought with a sudden shiver. He wanted to learn this friendship thing from Twilight, but if Starlight wouldn't accept his apology, then what right did he have to learn anything from the Princess of Friendship?

He exited his room and sped down the hall to Twilight's quarters. At the door, he paused and knocked respectfully. Getting no response, he opened the door and cautiously peeked in. "Hello?" He asked tentatively, "is anypony there?"

"Well, I'm not a pony, but I am here," a voice responded. It was Spike, who looked out of Twilight's bathroom to see Maddock standing there. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for Twilight"

"She's gone back to the school for the rest of the day. She's got a mountain of papers to grade."

"Oh…" Maddock said, disappointed. He was hoping to get Twilight's approval before he delivered his letter to Starlight.

"Did you need her for something?" The dragon asked

"Yeah, I just…I just wanted her to look over my letter to Starlight before I give it to her."

The dragon walked over to Maddock and smiled at him. "You know you don't need some seal of approval before you deliver an apology letter, right?"

Maddock shook his head, "no, I…I guess I didn't know that."

"It's an apology. All you have to do is deliver it. It's not like Twilight's gonna grade you on this."

Maddock realized that Spike was absolutely right. Twilight wasn't hanging over his shoulder, constantly working surveillance to make sure he did as he was told. That took more than a little bit of trust, especially in somepony who had made her friend into a bit of a punching bag. He had outstayed his welcome, and he hadn't even been there but a few days. Yet, through all of this, Twilight still didn't hang over him. But…she could just be busy with work, he said to himself as his heart sank. He really wanted to believe Twilight actually trusted him. But after the way he treated Starlight, he couldn't see it…