Even though Discord had sort of freaked me out, it didn't change the fact that I was a teen in need of freedom. I continued to become Sunny, transforming and slipping into the woods where I hid from the odd pace of the draconequus. I didn't need to have a worshiper, just a little peace and quiet now and then.
The woods were finally doing me some good, at least the good I meant it to do. In fact, I even started to like my time spent out of the castle.
Until he found me again. Well, I guess I found him this time.
I started using the time to practice my magic, making daisy chains and fairy houses using only my mind. It was kind of fun, doing little girl things where nopony could see.
It was quiet work, being on my own. Sometimes I'd find myself singing little ditties to myself, but stopped them as quickly as I could. I couldn't risk anypony or anything else finding me.
Anyway, that day I had just finished a daisy crown, and was using my reflection in a small puddle to position it properly on my head when I heard him.
This time, it wasn't his noisy movement that caught my ear, but his little voice belting a song. The only reason I don't call it singing is because... well, it definitely wasn't singing.
I pass all my hours in a shady old grove,
But I love not the day when I see not my love:
I survey ev'ry walk now my Sunny is gone,
And sigh when I think we were there all alone
My cheeks instantly caught fire. He put my name in a love song? How crazy was this guy?
I dropped the crown, following the sound to a grassy clearing. I snuck up a tree, inching out on a bough near him to spy on his activities. I mean, come on, if he could do it, so could I.
There he was: the gangling creature who had somehow fallen in love with me. He had made himself rather comfortable on a checkered scrap of fabric, sitting upright and happily munching on a sandwich.
I stifled a chuckle. This was just pathetic. He was all alone, in the middle of the woods, eating a lunch that stunk to high heaven.
And just as I was realizing how sad that was, I heard a deep creaking coming from behind me.
"Oh, no..." The branch snapped. I fell. I fell right onto Discord's head, his gross sandwich soaking my hair in god-knows-what.
This was gonna be tough to explain.
"Hey! Sunny, it's you!" Discord immediately embraced me in a suffocating hug.
"Yup... m-me again..." I choked out, pawing at his arms to let me go.
"I brought some lunch! You wanna eat lunch with me?" He snapped his claws and a picnic basket appeared next to him. "Didja see that?" he asked excitedly.
"Uh-huh... well, my mom's expecting me back home, so--"
"Aw..." Discord hung his head. "Well, at least take a snack!" He reached into the basket, rooting around for a bit before whipping out a small brown bag.
"Um... what's in it?" I asked, reaching out hesitantly to take the gift.
"Hay fries! I-I heard ponies really liked 'em, so..." he trailed off, then smiled brightly. "Do you like them?"
I chuckled. "Yeah. Thanks, Discord."
His smile grew. "Oh! Almost forgot: lemme fix your mane!" He reached over, putting both front appendages on my head. He closed his eyes, then opened them suddenly. The smell disappeared, my hair regained its volume.
I looked at him funny, a smile threatening to cross my face. "Huh."
"Do you really have to go?" he asked.
"Mm..." I looked at him, then back the way I came. "I... I guess not."
"Really? You wanna eat with me? I can make some tea, or-or anything you want!" He was so eager to please me. "I'll do anything, if you'll just be my friend... I don't have any other friends..."
For the first time, I could see what I did to his little heart when I left him last time. "That's what everypony does, isn't it?"
"Huh?"
"Everypony does the same thing when they meet you. They act all nice, then leave. And they don't come back."
He hung his head, his ears drooping. "Why?"
" 'Why' what?"
"Why do they do that? Do you know?" His eyes were so pleading.
"I think... I think they're scared."
He shrunk away, his eyes growing even larger. "S-scared? But... why?"
"It's... your powers. I think they scare ponies. We can't do that stuff, not even with magic."
I sniffed. "I didn't know that."
"It's okay. It's not your fault," I said, still not approaching him.
He sniffed again. "I didn't know."
"I know."
"I just... I just tried to be myself."
"I know."
"But then there was you... you like me, don't you? You came back. You were right, nopony's ever come back before. Why did you come back?"
I shrugged. "I'm not sure..." I lied.
"Is it 'cause you liked me?"
I thought about that. "I think so..."
His ears lifted again. "Yeah?"
I smiled. "Yeah."
"You'll be my friend?" He jumped up, hovering a few inches above the blanket.
"I'll be your friend."
He grinned, scooping me up in a huge hug. This time, I hugged him back.
Because I wasn't lying, not even a little. I really did like Discord. He may have been weird and a bit of a mystery to me, but right now he was the only stable thing in my life. I could always count on him being there in the woods, doing his own little thing. I just wish I could tell him the truth...