Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 13-Chaotic Meeting
Spike turned on the sink and splashed cold water on his face to remove some of the sweat, waking him up faster. He checked out his reflection in the mirror above the sink.
"Lookin' good, Spike, lookin' real…Wait a minute. When did I grow such an awesome moustache? Not that I'm complaining." The young adult dragon didn't remember having a moustache before his nap, but maybe he just hadn't noticed it. Spike grinned, stroking the area where his moustache suddenly was, but he didn't feel the smoothness of hair. "What? I don't…"
The image in the mirror suddenly changed, morphing into a creature that was made up of several other creatures, and there was no mistaking its identity. "Are you surprised to see me?" The creature asked, playfully.
Spike wasn't as surprised as he would have been in the past, with all of the weird things happening over the past year. "A little. How exactly, are you still alive, Discord? Last time I checked, you were just a pile of rocks." He replied, not really wanting to chat with the mischievous draconequs.
"Maybe so, but you changed that. According to THIS timeline, it never happened. And you know what that means, don't you? We can be best friends forever! We can tell each other our secrets, such as where you got that interesting trinket I saw you with, earlier!" Discord wrapped one arm around Spike in a friendly gesture.
Spike pushed him away, however, and crossed his arms, fixing him with a glare. "First of all, how did you know any of that?"
Discord scoffed at his remark. "Pffft! I'm the Lord of Chaos! I know EVERYTHING that goes on, around these parts. You caused quite the magic surge, when you just plopped down into this dimension. I want to know how someone like you…" He pointed a finger at Spike, "…used magic of that magnitude! I'm guessing, that it has something to do with THIS." Discord pointed to Spike again.
Spike was surprised to see the necklace he had taken off earlier, back around his neck. "Huh? How…"
"Oh my. Is that the 'Starswirl Amulet'? It always comes back to its owner, unless they are dead, of course. Even if the magic stored within it is used up, it helps the user by channeling spells through it, giving them the potential to cast much more powerful spells than they could, otherwise. Without its help, your plan would have never worked. While it IS useful, I would be careful with it if I were you. It would be dangerous in the wrong hands."
"Discord, I don't know what makes you think we're friends, but we're not. How do I know that this isn't some new evil scheme?" Spike wasn't going to trust him, without some sort of explanation.
Discord stroked his goatee in contemplation, but eventually decided that it wouldn't hurt to tell him the truth.
"To be honest, your tale interests me, as in, your quest. At first, you weren't anything special, but after slaying a dragon and yours truly, you were hailed as a hero! In the process, you gained the mare of your dreams, the lovely Fluttershy. However, she was corrupted by the darkness, and you couldn't figure out how to save her, so you took the easy way out. You used a magical artifact to change the past, believing that to save her, you couldn't be together. It's touching, really." Discord wiped a fake tear from his eye. "I want you to succeed, to be with the mare you love, because you, unlike me, deserve a happy ending. I wish to help you in any way I can, but I have one request."
Spike sighed, not liking where this was going. "What is it?"
"All I ask for, is a friend. Believe me, it gets lonely when you live forever."
Spike's eyes widened, as he could tell that Discord actually meant those words. "Fine. If that's all you want, then I can be your friend, I guess."
Discord stuck out his lion paw, and they shook hands. The draconequs clapped his hands together in happiness. "Since we are friends, I have a gift for you." Discord snapped his fingers, causing a black jacket to appear on Spike's body. "It's a little big, but you'll grow into it. I'm not sure what it does, but you'll know when the time is right. Okay, I lied. I have one more gift for you." The creature of chaos tossed a coin through the mirror window, flipping it in the air, as the dragon caught it.
It was a normal gold coin, except it had a picture of Discord smiling, and giving a thumbs up engraved onto its surface.
Spike was puzzled, but the draconequs answered, before he could ask the obvious question. "When you flip this coin, I will come to your aid. This is so you can contact me, if need be."
Spike smiled, appreciating Discord's genuine effort to be his friend. "Thanks, Discord. I don't know what to say."
He smiled. "Oh, don't mention it. I have to leave soon, but I have some friendly advice before I go."
"All right."
Discord frowned. His expression was a little sad, but mostly serious. "We both live a long time, you know. It's too late for me to fix my mistakes and regrets, but I hope that you'll heed my advice. Enjoy the time you have with the ones you love, because everything good, eventually comes to an end. Forever is a long time, to regret something that you did or didn't do. Just make the most of it, for me."
Spike nodded. "I'll do the best, I can possibly do."
Discord waved, as he disappeared from the mirror, which resumed reflecting Spike's image, but with a noticeable lack of facial hair. The assistant heard voices downstairs, realizing that Twilight had returned.
Spike felt sorry for Discord, imagining how much of a toll, immortality had taken on him. "Someday, I'll be all alone, as well…" He thought, as he pushed that thought to the back of his mind, not wanting to think about it.
He placed the necklace in his secret compartment with his fire breath, not wanting to have to explain it to anypony, then placed the coin in his jacket pocket.
"I need an awesome mustache." Spike stated, exiting the bathroom, longing for the coolness of facial hair.