Darling

by Pickleless


Friendship

Discord casually walked through a dirt wall, acting engrossed by the diary in his hand. It was Celestia's newest one, and it was far less exciting than he hoped for it to be. He glanced at the Tree of Harmony to the left of him and tossed the notebook into a nearby bush.
 
"Goodness, I didn't see you there," Discord lied, "Now what's a pretty little thing like you doing all the way out here?"
 
Darling didn't respond.
 
"Oh please, no need to act stone cold Darling, I'm not gonna bite." Discord wiggled his eyebrows. "Although I suppose you could say I did plant the seeds of doubt when I first broke free now didn't I?"
 
Discord snapped his fingers and a rim shot went off in the distance.  With a chuckle, he fell backwards into the ground and landed on one of Darling's branches.
 
"I suppose an apology is somewhat in order. I'll tell you what, I'll say sorry for stirring up a bit trouble here and there, and you apologize for turning me into stone, how's that sound?"
 
Discord sensed nothing from Darling, and frowned.
 
"This is rather unlike you, you know. I could hear you fawning over the Everfree and yours truly the whole time I stuck here. For being the tree of special feelings you sure rather down today."
 
No response.
 
"Well, if this is how it's going to be, I suppose I'll just go back and spend my evening with Fluttershy." Discord huffed.
 
Very faintly, Discord felt a tiny brush of irritation from Darling. He gave a sly grin and patted the underside of the branch he was on.
 
"Oh? What's this? I thought you were being apathetic right now. Something the matter? Perhaps you want to hear about all the fun Fluttershy and I have been having lately!"
 
Getting no response, Discord launched into all the 'fun' stories he had of Fluttershy and himself being great friends. As he went on, they became more audacious and dishonest, although he would never admit the last part. Discord would never say he was concerned, but Darling was unresponsive the whole time and that was boring.
 
He was just about to give up and head back to Fluttershy's cottage when he spotted the box it sprouted. Strange little thing, Discord could sense it was full of all that disgusting, feel good magic ponies oh so love using. Examining it closer, there was a very familiar form of magic inside it he couldn't quite recognize. The magic was similar to his own. In retaliation to the tree he took the power it infused into him after he... subdued Frost, and mutated it into something far more appealing. Thinking back on it he wasn't quite sure how he managed that, but it's not that huge of surprise considering Discord is a natural born genius, or so he would claim.
 
Still, it was frustratingly familiar how much that magic inside the box reminded Discord of himself. He swore he felt it elsewhere too, from somepony he met recently as well. Considering he's spent most of his life sealed in rock, 'somepony he met recently' could be anypony really. Where had he felt this magic before? He reached out to touch the box and the results were shocking.
 
Literally.
 
Jumping back with a yelp, the tree electrocuted him with a rainbow jolt as his hand came in contact with the box. He was about to tell off Darling for being so aggressive like his last visit, when he realized something. The unfamiliar magic moved within the box, no, rather it broadcasted something the same way Darling did when she tried to communicate. He hadn't received whatever it's message was, but he was sure he felt something.
 
Curiosity won over he desire to not be zapped. In a poof Discord was now wearing green scrubs with rubber gloves. Wiping a nervous brow, he dramatically presented an index finger and pressed it to box akin to how one would poke a dead body with a stick. Lightning coursed through him once again, and he held firm as felt something inside the box rush up to try and make contact. The harmonic energy coursing through him prevented whatever was inside it from making contact from him, and he pulled his finger away.
 
"Well aren't you just a walking mystery," Discord mused, "I suppose you're lacking the walking part, dear."
 
The box, the mysterious non-harmonious magic, and Darling's lack of response all seemed just a little too strange to Discord. As confounding as it all seemed, it was getting late in the day and he didn't want to be late for teatime with Fluttershy.
 
"This has all been a very enlightening experience, Darling, and I am deeply sorry you're feeling so blue, but I have places to be. Farewell!"
 
Discord teleported away, perhaps he would try to find out who else radiated that unusual source of magic if he got too bored.
 


 
Things were a bit hazy for Darling when she didn't have the Elements to be long distance eyes and ears for her, but having them on hoof, or rather branch, helped her to see what was going on outside her somewhat. Tirek broke out of Tartarus, and he was systematically draining the magic out ponies one town at a time. That left a pretty big trail of magic that fortunately made finding the ponies he harmed rather easy. She reached out to all the ponies who left lifeless and pushed a little of her magic in each of them, just enough to keep alive without spreading herself too thin.
 
As Twilight and Tirek fought, Darling worked to soothe the ponies of Ponyville. She stopped when she reached the five ponies and draconequus that were trapped. Most were mad at Discord and worried for Twilight, two individuals were feeling more complicated than that. Discord was feeling true guilt over betraying the others, most of all Fluttershy. Fluttershy wasn't angry at Discord's inevitable betrayal, but hurt and sincerely shocked he turned on them. Darling's heart constricted with jealously again, Discord didn't care he had hurt her, but abandoning Fluttershy did? She didn't want to comfort the both of them, not over something like this, but she knew doing nothing wasn't the right answer.
 
Darling had to give up on Discord and accept it wasn't meant to be. Maybe she didn't have to appreciate or like his relationship with Fluttershy, but she could respect it. She succeeded where Darling failed, Fluttershy didn't just get him to stop causing trouble, but befriended him and made him happy. She was Darling's Element of Kindness, who freed Luna of the Parasite and put an end to it once and for all. She accepted their relationship and began to comfort the two, pouring a little bit of her magic in each of them.
 
The Elements of Harmony began to glow, and Darling mentally gasped as her mind cleared up somewhat. She went mad and let the plunderseeds take over, her jealousy of Fluttershy almost got her and many others killed! The guilt of her actions felt heavy, but the gentle buzz of the elements lifted that weight. She found it was easier to think of things in a positive light all of a sudden. Darling was weak without the elements back then and had tried her best to help. It was true she had let her jealousy consume her, but just now she had made a conscious effort to let go of it, and it felt like a breath of fresh air. For the first time in good long while Darling felt empowered and sure of herself.
 
She was pondering on how Discord betrayed everyone, when her Element Bearers and her littl—  Discord himself approached her. Twilight held up a necklace of a golden triangle to the box sticking out of her (she always felt embarrassed about that box, although she wasn't sure why.) The necklace transformed into a key and entered the slot in front of it.
 
"Together! I think we have to do this together!" Twilight announced.
 
Darling mentally blinked, she wasn't really sure what was going on. After Discord was reformed everything after that was hard to remember. She could somewhat recall Tirek breaking out due to it being recent, but even that was hard for her. Her attention snapped to the six ponies before her as they all turned a key on the box. Something in Darling's mind screamed.
 
A force she was completely unaware of inside the box thrashed about, writhing in pain. Its screams grew louder, bouncing around in her mind as she felt all her power inside that box smiting it, burning it smaller until she could no longer detect or hear it anymore. Hazy memories came to Darling's mind as she identified the strange, and now very dead thing as the Para- oh. Oh.
 
Oh.
 
Suddenly a lot of things made much more sense in hindsight to Darling. This would definitely explain her lack of energy recently, and her foul mood, and the sudden gathering of her power in one spot to transfer to an outside force, just like her mother, and... Darling was feeling very foolish at the moment.
 
A magical ray shot out of the box and into Darling, returning her lost power to her. Harmonious energy coursed through her branches, overflowing her with a tremendous amount of stored up, concentrated strength. She channeled her gathered power into the Elements of Harmony and struck the Element Bearers with her magic. An idea came to mind, one formed upon seeing Fluttershy's success with Discord.
 
Before, I insisted the Elements I created would be a tool to keep trouble at bay, now I see I am not needed to save the day. You ponies have come so far on your own without me, and even stopped a horrid evil to set me free. I no longer will insist on being a part of your business. Darling transported the six inside her box, and began to infuse their very beings with her harmony. You will no longer need the Elements of harmony or my Power, you yourselves will be the elements, and that very power will always be forever yours to use. I trust you, my little ponies.
 
Darling watched as the six Bearers of Harmony flew to Tirek and sealed him away effortlessly, without using the Elements. They returned before her, and Darling lifted the box up. She realized this box was the same as her mother’s fruit, and it was time for it to be planted. She sent her child to Ponyville, not to be a tree, but to be a castle. She didn't want her child to be something ponies looked to for answers or left sanctioned in a forest, she wanted it to be something ponies actively visited and worked together with to try and build a better future.
 
Darling teleported them off to her child, and once more, she was alone. Nobody had any reason to visit her anymore. This was fine, she had accepted this. She felt a little lonely, but she still had the Everfree forest to watch over. Another part of her was still coping over how intense the day had been. She felt like she was on fire, no, made of fire-
 
Something screamed inside her once more.
 
"Well, you sure have had a productive day, haven't you?" Discord faded into view. "You know, I happened to have a very interesting talk with Luna earlier. I asked her what that delightful magical presence inside her was and turns out it was fragments of dark magic from that awkward Nightmare Moon rebellious phase she had!”
 
Discord pulled a couple dots off of a polka dot hat he wearing. With a wink, he mashed together the dots in his hand. “After connecting a few dots, I realized I had the same magic before being turned to stone, she obtained that magic before taking a vacation on the moon, and now you have that very same magic while going through your awkward rebellious emo phase!”
 
He pushed the connected dots inside Darling tree trunk. The little voice inside inside her stopped screaming, and slowly flickered away. "Take a few connected dots three times a day and that shouldn't be coming back anymore! Lollipop?" Discord pulled out a sweet and waved it in front of Darling.
 
There was so much Darling wanted to say to him. She wanted nothing more for him to sit next to her and talk to her like he used to, but she knew better, and she wanted better for him. She chose to radiate gratitude instead, and bathed the area around in a warm, gentle glow.
 
“This sort of thing isn’t really my specialty, so I think I’ll take a page out of Celestia’s book.”
 
Discord’s hand disappeared through a portal that opened up next to Celestia’s head. He stuck his hand inside her ear a ripped out a piece of paper, much to the Alicorn’s horror. He closed the portal before Celestia could complain and cleared his throat.
 
“Darling, you and I were meant to rule together- oh wait, hold on here…” Discord crossed out a line on the paper and scribbled something new. “Darling, I know our relationship had a rocky start, but would you put that aside and accept my friendship?”
 
Y-you too! I mean I do! No! I mean yes!! Darling communicated.
 
Discord chuckled, and laid a hand on her truck. "Hello, Darling, it’s good to talk to you again."
 
Darling wept.