//------------------------------// // Part 4 // Story: Future // by Rated Ponystar //------------------------------// The moment the call ended, Rebecca and I rushed as fast as we could to the Sparkle Memorial Hospital. The last time I was in here was when Fluttershy’s last son passed away. I hated hospitals, mainly because every time I came to these, someone I knew was going to die. I knew that Discord was going to pass away soon, but even after living all these years, and going through so many deaths, I still wasn’t prepared for it. Discord wasn’t just a close friend, he was the last of the friends I had from my life before we came to Earth. We were the last of those who remembered our old world before Celestia’s insane plan of converting humanity. A long time ago, I didn’t even stand him for his attitude and behavior. Now I was scared of losing him like I was about to lose myself. As far as I knew, the whole thing was hushed up at the moment via Discord’s request. It was Christmas, he didn’t want others to know he was going to die soon which was understandable. Every human loved Discord, and grew up with him as their hero. Only Lyra received such attention, and when she died all of Earth mourned her. It would be the same thing all over again when news of this finally spread throughout the world. So there I was at the hospital, listening to the pony doctor talk about something that I wasn’t paying attention too. All that mattered was heading to the door where Discord awaited me. Rebecca offered to come, but I told her to stay in the waiting room. This was something I had to do alone. Soon, we arrived at the door where Discord was resting: a golden planted door with two golems guarding it dressed in tutu's while a sign above said “Abandon All Yoke Ye Who Enter Here” in neon purple. I rolled my eyes. Even when he was dying, Discord was still Discord. I opened the door, nodding to the pony doctor for privacy before entering he room. It was filled with flowers and pictures of those we knew long ago. Most of them featured Discord with Fluttershy, but I could see myself, Twilight, and the others as well. Discord himself was on a big fluffy bed with an IV and nose breather inside of him, although for some reason the IV was in his skull and the nose breather was in his left ankle. Again, Discord. With his aging face, he turned to me and smiled. “Ah, Spike. I was hoping you’d arrive before I kicked the bucket.” While saying this he snapped his fingers as a bucket appeared followed by a boot. The boot knocked the bucket into sending a bunch of flowers into Discord's hands. “We’re all ready for my big going away moment.” He snapped his fingers again as his bed turned into a casket and now wore a with a pink flower on it. The room had now decorated candles, wreaths, and a banner that had “RIP” on it. “So, for the funeral do you think you can have some jive music playing? God knows I hate organ playing.” “... how can you be so calm about this?” I wondered as I looked down at him in his casket. “You’re dying.” “Really? I hadn’t noticed,” replied Discord with a smirk. “Oh, come on now, Spike. Everything dies eventually. Even back in Equestria, at my full power, I could still die. It would have been harder, mind you, but still.” “Well, I’m glad you’re happy about it because I sure as hay ain’t!” I shouted, knocking down one of the wreaths as tears threatened to fall. “Once you’re gone... I’m alone again...” “... Spike, what have I told you... you aren’t alone,” replied Discord, his joyful expression now turned serious. “Am I?” I asked with a weary voice. “Twilight’s gone. The girls are gone. The CMC are gone. Ponyville’s residents are all gone. Even the Princesses are gone. And... you’ll be gone too.” I closed my eyes and felt a tear fall down. “Why did I have to be born a dragon?” “Don’t go acting like you want to knock yourself off,” replied Discord, glaring. “You promised me you’d live life to the fullest." “Well, I have!” I shouted, glaring down at him. “I’ve spent the last hundred or so years teaching over and over again the mistakes made during the war like you said I should. I think everyone, and their fucking nephew, knows about how Equestria screwed themselves over by thinking they could take a race that perfected war, and ended up ruining their lives to the point where Equestria is nothing more then a mere memory. I’ve lived my life! I’m done with it! I just... There was a silence because I didn’t want to say it. I didn’t want to say that I wanted to die despite a part of me wanted it so badly. I didn’t care if there was a heaven or reincarnation or nothing. I just wanted to stop feeling such pain in my heart. Such loneliness. Ever since I lost Rarity and Pinkie Pie, it’s been there and growing with each loss. Twilight’s was the hardest, but I still had Fluttershy. Then she passed on and so did her kids. Only Discord was left and now he was going to be gone. I was going to be alone. I hated being alone. I’d rather die than be alone. “You really are an idiot,” replied Discord, putting a dunce cap on my head. “You were never alone.’ “What are you talking about...” I muttered. “Rebecca. Your friends at school. Your students who still look up to you even after graduation. All the people and ponies you’ve met in your life ever since the peace... you mean to tell me that none of them mattered and were nothing to you?” asked Discord. “N-no I-” “Spike, you aren’t afraid of being alone. You’ve been making friends for a long time and you still do,” replied Discord, shaking his head. “No, what you’re afraid of is not being alive or dead or even being alone.” He stared into my eyes. “You’re afraid of being happy.” I froze upon hearing that. For some reason, just hearing that made my entire body turn to ice. It echoed in my head. “W-what?” “Spike, you’re afraid to be happy,” replied Discord again, looking at me. “Out of everyone we knew, the only ones who ever died with true happiness was Fluttershy. Everyone else from Rainbow Dash to Twilight died with regrets or lived a life of misery before dying. Even I have regrets.” He snapped his fingers and everything turned to normal as he rested on his pillow. “Spike, you have a long life ahead of you. One that can be filled with much joy if you let it, but deep down you come up with excuse after excuse of not wanting to do it. I've heard it so many times from you that I could make a play out of it. I’m not saying you won’t experience pain in life, that's unavoidable, but you cannot let yourself suffer because you’re afraid of following your true desires.” “... what are my desires?” I asked. “You want love,” replied Discord, smiling at me. “You love Rebecca, and I know she loves you. She wants you to make the first step, but you’re afraid.” “Of course I am!” I shouted. “I’m a dragon, she’s a human. I’ll outlive her. I can’t give her children. I could hurt her. There are a million things that can go wrong! I'm better off just being her friend.” “... but you will regret it,” replied Discord, sighing. “You will regret it for the rest of your life... just like I did with Fluttershy.” He snorted upon seeing my mouth drop. “Oh, come on. Did nopony notice it? I fell in love with her the moment she forgave me for my betrayal. Why do you think I really sided with her during the war? I loved her, Spike. I love her even now.” “But... why didn’t you say anything?” I asked. “I kept thinking it wouldn’t work out... I was of a different race, I was going to outlive her, I wouldn’t be able to give her children, even with my powers.” He then smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Does that sound familiar to you.” I didn’t answer, but I knew what he meant. It was the same amount of excuses I kept giving myself as to why I couldn’t fall in love again. I looked into those eyes full of regret below me and I wondered if I was looking at my future self. Dying in some bed, alone, with regrets all around me. Never once knowing what it was like to be in love or have a family. I just looked down and muttered, “Do I deserve it?” “Deserve what?” “To be happy?” I asked, weakly. “How can I be happy knowing that everyone else... suffered so much.” “... because they would want you to be,” replied Discord, reaching out and grabbing my claw. “You don’t need to feel guilty that you lived and they died. You have a right to be happy and they would want you to be happy. You may be teaching others the mistakes of the past, but have you been really using them on yourself?” He smirked before coughing. “Tell her, Spike. And if you fall in love again, tell that one too. Keep telling them, adopt kids, live life to the fullest and die happy. Die without regrets like I did.” “Discord...” I whispered, tears in my eyes. “I’m just...” Discord gave one last smile at me as his eyes closed. “Better to have loved and lost than to never loved at all.” And just like that his eyes fully closed and he stopped breathing. I stood there. Silent and not moving. He was gone. The last of my old friends as gone. His words echoed in me as I just stared there, wondering if he was happy now. I looked around the photos of all my friends and saw their smiling faces. Was he right? Was I really afraid of being happy? Did I really feel guilty of trying to have some joy in my life while my friends suffered until their end? Was I- “BOO!” shouted Discord making me scream like a girl and forcing me to jump. “Sorry... just one... last... joke...” he muttered before he slowly started to fade away. I watched in awe as the Spirit of Chaos slowly became ethereal and then was gone in a small flash of light. A part of me wanted to bring him back from the dead and pound him for that... but I just chuckled and shook my head. Even in death... he was Discord.