Spike arrived at the cottage at the edge of Ponyville, which despite having stood for nearly two centuries, looked almost as pristine as when it was built. It had been very well taken care of by its sole inhabitant, even if all of the various woodland creatures had abandoned it long ago.
The adolescent dragon knocked on the door, and when it opened slowly at his touch, he let himself in. Inside, he found Discord waiting on one of the couches for him. This much was expected, considering the letter that had summoned him here. The once animated spirit of chaos seemed just as dour as when Spike had seen him last.
"Discord… it's been a while. A few years since we last saw each other, right? I got your letter, so I came as quickly as I could."
At first, Discord said nothing, taking a deep breath that seemed to hang for a minute. Eventually though, he looked up at Spike with a somber expression, and sad eyes. "Thank you for coming, Spike... I didn't know who else to ask. You're perhaps my last surviving friend in this world, so I'm glad you could spare the time."
Although he considered it, Spike didn't mention Twilight. He knew she never really got along with Discord, not the way he did. "So what do you need? You made it seem pretty important in your letter."
Nodding knowingly, Discord gave a small, weak smile. "Of course, no time for pleasantries, I'm sure you're terribly busy. Let's get right to business, no need to dally."
Lifting a clawed finger and dragging it through the air, Discord cut a tear in the fabric of space-time. Reaching into the exposed void, he took out a small but ornately carved wooden box, and zipped up the hole in reality again with his other hand.
Setting the box down on the coffee table in front of him, Discord carefully undid the latch, and lifted the lid to expose the contents of the box for the first time in millenia. Sitting on the table between them was a crystal dagger about a foot in length, which gently glowed in the darkness of the cottage.
"I need you to take this knife and kill me with it, Spike." Discord's voice was even and calm, devoid of all traces of humour or sarcasm. He seemed completely earnest, and that completely took Spike by surprise.
Looking down at the dagger, Spike almost immediately recognized the crystal composing its blade: it was carved from a shard of the Tree of Harmony, and the magic that it contained was powerful indeed. He could feel its warmth even from several feet away.
Spike pursed his lips and frowned, before looking up at his old friend. "Discord… where did you get this from?"
"It was given to me by the royal sisters once they deemed me reformed," replied the draconequus, "They had made it as a last resort, had the Elements failed to subdue me during my original reign. A weapon made of pure order, my antithesis… and apparently the only thing that could ever kill me."
Spike stared down at the glimmering blade, his face still sullen. "Why do you want me to kill you? Why now?"
Sighing, Discord reached down to a small framed photograph off of the coffee table, and turned it to face Spike. It was of Fluttershy and Discord on their wedding day, with her in his arms and the two of them laughing. Spike thought back to that day, and couldn't help but feel nostalgic at the memory. That day was over a hundred years ago now, the memory rendered hazy like a distant dream.
"She's been gone for so long, Spike," muttered Discord as he stared at the photo, "I just want to see her again. Is that too much to ask?"
"Discord…" Spike searched for the right words as it dawned on him that even now, Discord grieved for Fluttershy. Spike was no stranger to the feeling of watching loved ones grow old and pass away, but he also knew that what Discord felt for Fluttershy was beyond words.
"Please, Spike," pleaded Discord, his sunken eyes having long since run dry of tears, "You don't know eternity like I do. You may live for centuries, but not forever. You're still mortal… Don't force me to live forever without her."
Spike swallowed hard as he looked down at his friend. "Why me? Why can't you do it yourself?"
Discord lowered his gaze back to the blade and sighed again. "It was carved from a branch of the Tree of Harmony. I can't hold it. I wouldn't ask you to bear the burden if I could do it myself."
Spike hesitated, but reached for the dagger, lifting it out of its case. Hefting it experimentally, he found that it was deceivingly light, but simultaneously was the heaviest thing he had ever held. Looking up from the dagger, Spike's eyes met Discord's again.
"Won't killing you disrupt the natural order? Doesn't the world need a little chaos?"
Discord shook his head, as though the question amused him. "No, no. There are others to take my place. The world will eventually right itself again once I'm gone."
Spike remained silent for a moment, before speaking again.
"This isn't what she would have wanted," he said.
Discord nodded slowly, a guilty expression crossing his face. "I know."
"She would have wanted you to live on without her. To find a new reason to live."
"I know. And I know that when I see her, she'll scold me. But she'll forgive me. She always did."
Spike furrowed his brow, as he gripped the cold blade tightly. "What am I supposed to tell her, when I see you two again someday?"
Discord gave the dragon a reassuring smile. "Tell her you were doing me a small favour, like all good friends do."
Spike half-heartedly chuckled, before returning the smile. "Yeah... Just a small favour."
