//------------------------------//
// Punishment 
// Story: Punishment 
// by KhaosBlade 
//------------------------------//

Spike felt his stomach turn as he was transported to a cottage floating in a sea of raw chaos. Discord's home.

He swallowed his anxiety. Shifting his backpack, and opening the door, he found himself entrapped within a bear hug at once. The one responsible was Discord, who put a dizzy Spike down after spinning him around a few times with a grin.

"Spike! I haven't seen you in forever! I've missed you, you scaly runt! Where have you been?!"

"Oh. Um, I've been busy helping Twilight and the others repair the towns after the damaged caused by the villains you— you were dealing with. But yes, I haven't you around. At all." 

Spike tried his best to keep the edge out of his voice, but a sliver of it crept through.

Discord snorted, apparently oblivious to it ('tone deaf as usual'), "Oh, I've been keeping out of everyone's manes—or scales!" He flicked Spike's fin. "Best to anyway. Wouldn't want to get caught up in any of that, would I? After the trouble I caused."

Spike felt his claws tighten against his palm. "Of course not."

'Focus, Spike. You're here to do one thing. Get him distracted and do it.'

Spike took a deep breath, and set his backpack down on the floor. (Spike was thankful that Discord has turned on the gravity for his visit.) He turned to a painting he noticed on the far wall. It depicted Discord—quite dramatically—hovering Fluttershy to his side with his magic. Both were laughing

Spike's heart sank as he forced himself to speak.

"Hey Discord, I don't think I've ever seen that painting before. What is it about? Who made it?"

Discord beamed at his young friend, "Ah, this wonderful thing? Well, I made it myself, with Fluttershy's help of course! See, when she and I were at her little animal shelter—you know how much she loves that— she was tryi ng to put up..."

Spike had stopped listening. He knew Discord would continue on this train of thought for long enough (And if he was honest with himself, he couldn't bring himself to listen, it would hurt too much).

Spike slowly opened his bag and brought out what he needed. 

The item felt unnaturally cold in his claws, but that was no surprise to him. He had held it for long enough when he was practicing for this moment, he had grown used to it, along with the feeling of nausea that came with staring at the runes etched into the hardened clay. 

'I hate this.

He looked one last time Discord, closed his eyes, and spoke the incantation in his mind.

'Goodbye, friend.'

He didn't need to look to know the bell had worked. He heard its chime, and a sound like air being sucked out of some-pony's lungs. He heard Discord strangled cry, more surprise than fear, then stop as he crumpled to the floor.

Spike opened his eyes to watch as the last trail of Discord's magic was absorbed by Grogar's bell, which glowed a faint yellow. 

He looked to Discord, now prone and slightly quivering. Discord shakely moved his head to look back at Spike.

"What? Why? I-I don't-"

"I-"

'I what? I'm Sorry? No, I'm not sorry. This had to be done. This was necessary.'

"I had to do this," Spike said to himself Discord. You left me no choice."

"W-what are you talking about?!"

Spike ground his teeth. "Three times. Three times Twilight nearly died because of you. Three times you directly used your magic to endanger my sister for a laugh." 

Discord stuttered, "I-I—"

"And the other times! I had to figure out on my own why you didn't do anything about the Storm Army, but the vines attacking, Cozy glow? When you could have fixed the problem, could have made certain that we wouldn't die with a snap of your fingers, yet where were you? Celestia freed you because she thought you could help us, but you've spent your time doing nothing!"

Discord had begun to rise to his knees as his physical strength returned. His expression became more angry with each sentence.

"Now—"

"I tried to excuse your behavior. I tried to be brave when you hurt me and Big Mac. I tried to tell myself you wouldn't betray us again, but you went and did it again with three villain!"

Discord sputtered. "I didn't betray you, I was teaching  you all—"

"BULLSHIT!!!"

Discord was stunned into silence, allowing Spike to go into a full on screaming rant.

"You can lie to yourself and say it was meant to only be a test, but you can't fucking lie to me! You did this to get some chaos out of the whole damn country and ruin Twilight's coronation for her!"

Discord's face then grew into one of his worst snarls and launched himself at Spike and the bell that held his magic. "GIVE ME BACK MY MAGIC!"

Spike—fully expecting this—pulled his second item from his pack and swiftly stabbed downward at his opponent.

Discord screamed as he threw himself backwards into the wall, and stared at the wound on his shoulder blade. It wasn't as deep as he initially thought, but it did both bleed and hurt alot. He willed his cut to morph closed like he had done so many times before hand. His panic only grew as nothing happened.

"Look at me."

Spike was holding a strange knife between him and Discord. It was a long, double-edged blade, made of some jet-black metal.

Discord connected the dots. "That's—"

"Black iron, yeah. The same antimagic stuff the Storm Army used. I figured that was why you didn't even show up to taunt us when they were around, so I messaged Tempest and had her send this over for today."

Discord's face went paler then Spike had ever seen it. The Lord of Chaos gave out a terrified bark of laughter. "Y-you're going to kill me?!"

"No. I'm going to leave you without your magic. Permanently."

"What?! That's..."

"The most fitting punishment I could think of. And to be honest, the worst I could think of. Because when you really get down to it, Discord..."

"What are you without your magic? Without something to hold your gargantuan ego upon? Without the power to lord over everyone else?"

Discord was silent.

Spike continued. "I'm going to go. Get Twilight to teleport me out of here, back home, and I'm gonna figure out what to do with this magic. Maybe I'll give it to Pinkie. Maybe I'll take it. Won't be able to use it at all, but it'll be out of the bell and therefore, out of your reach. Then I'll turn the bell to ash and send someone out to get you. Bring you back to Fluttershy or something. Then you can tell them what I've done. It won't matter at that point."

Discord voice came out like a croak. "They don't know about this?"

"I never could have tried this if they did. You're a friend. They could never bring themselves to do it."

"You did."

"I'm loyal to Twilight above all else. Always have been. Always will be."

"Of course."

They both remained, standing silent. Neither had anything else to say to the other, but both feared to move, as if to move would break their mask and to show more weakness than they already had. 

Until finally, the dragon spoke to the fallen king, one final time.

"I do hope, that without your magic to use as a crutch, you can become something more than just the Lord of Chaos."

There was no response.

"Goodbye, Discord."

Nothing.

The dragon left the cottage, and sent a letter to Twilight, telling her Discord was feeling a bit under the weather, and asked to be teleported back home. He was, and once both dragon and draconequus were alone, did they both permit themselves to cry.

The End.