//------------------------------//
// Day Two: Discord 
// Story: Five Days 
// by Sir Hat 
//------------------------------//

	I finished with my hair, letting it wash down the drain and leave my head bare. I climbed out of the shower, cleaning off my head and neck. I did my best to not look in the mirror, but my ghastly expression caught my attention. It was happening.

My body was beginning to fade right before my eyes. And I could only stand by and watch. Little by little my body would start to fall apart until I simply drifted away.

A loud knocking came from my front door as I was pulling my shirt on. I hurried over and pulled the door open to dead air. "Nyaha- gotcha." Discord laughed, popping up behind me and spinning me around. "Oh, shaving you head, how edgy!"

"Discord...."

"I mean really, aren't you being a bit mellow dramatic."

"Discord."

"You might have had the ponies going, but not--"

"Discord!" He stopped dead at my shout. "Four days."

He slumped over and started chuckling. "Is that what you told them? Boy are their faces going to be red!"

"Discord stop."

"Oh please, shaving your head really was too far." He snapped his fingers and summoned up a wig that matched my old hair. "Put this on and stop being so--"

"Discord...." I grabbed him by his arms, shaking him one hard time. "This isn't a game."

Discord slithered out of my grips and banished the wig to the ether. "...Able...it's not fair...."

"Discord stop." I walked up to him and put my hand on his shoulder. "Discord look at me."

"I'm the one who helped you open the portal...it's my fault...."

"Stop it!"

Discord looked up at me with a determined glare. "I have to try something!" he snapped his fingers at me, causing a poof of smoke to envelope me. "Come on!" he continued to try, attempt after attempt only resulting in failure. "Ooooh come on!"

"Discord...it's over."

Discord kept snapping his finger angrily. "No, no it's not! If these things would just work!"

I grabbed his paw and pulled it down. "Discord...opening that gate cut me off from magic. We knew this would happen eventually."

Discord started going down a path of sorrow. "But...you were part of the gate...you were magic." He fell to his rear and just sat there. "It doesn't make any sense. Have your tried shutting it off!?"

I sat on the floor across from Discord. "It's over...--"

"Stop saying it's over! I brought you humans here to add some flipping variety, you're not allowed to just die all of the sudden!"

"Just stop it!" I snapped, making Discord jump upright. "We knew this would happen for a year...it just decided to hurry along. There's nothing you can do, there's nothing doctors can do, I'm dying." Discord let his hands fall to his side. He just sat there, staring at his hooves as I let out a rough cough. "They're calling it Wither. A complete separation from magic. Apparently it's the same thing that killed Star Swirled."

"But that doesn't make any sense! You're a human, do humans even have magic!?"

I shook my head. "Discord...stop."

"You're all robot happy and crazy with the machine, you can't have magic!" He jumped up and started marching up and down the room.

"Discord...just stop. Please, just stop."

Discord stopped mid stride. "Able...I don't want to stop...." He started crying ever so slightly. "This shouldn't even be happening...."

"But it is." I stood up and walked over to him. "Now you can either accept it, and keep me company till the end, or you can pretend you had something to do with it and leave."

Discord glared at me. "You think I don't know this was my fault!? I gave you everything you needed, I made sure you would be the one to open that door! If it's not my fault, who's freaking fault is it!?"

"Nobody's." I stated, slapping my arms against my side. "And blaming yourself isn't going to solve a thing."

Discord charged up to me, fronting on me and puffing his chest out. I stared at him for a few seconds, watching as his boisterous attitude crumbled. "I'm my fault...." He muttered lowly, slowly reaching his arms around me. "I thought...maybe it'd be-"

"Discord...."

"-fun to have a new species to play around with...new people to manipulate...-" He continued to babble as he pulled me against himself.

"Discord stop it."

"-I...I killed you...I never thought...I never...I--"

I threw my arms around him. "Discord...stop. It's not your fault."

"Stop saying it's not my fault!" Discord yelped, her voice growing hoarse. "It is!"

"It's not your fault...you couldn't have known."

Discord pressed his face against my bald crown. "Please don't go...please...."

I rubbed Discord's back gently. "It's not your fault."

"Don't die."

"It's not your fault."

"I won't let you!"

"It's not your fault."

Discord locked up for a moment before bellowing into my shoulder. "Able why!? Why!? It's not fair, I don't want you to die, I never wanted anypony to die! I just- I- I--"

I continued to rub his back as he lost his composure. Eventually his sobbing broke and I managed to sit him down.

"Discord, I need you to watch someone for me. I know this might be a bit much...but she's like my--"

"I know what you want...I might have read your letters before you gave them out."

I rubbed my eyes and shoved him. "Well than, you know...so...I guess this is it." I walked him to the door, pulling a letter from a table along the way. "Here. I don't think you could have read this one."

Discord took the note from my hands, carefully holding it in his paw. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

Discord took a deeply shaken breath. "But if I hadn't tore open the door...you wouldn't--"

"I wouldn't have had the best year of my life, I wouldn't have helped a filly grow up on the right path. I might be dying, but I've done more in Equestria, than I ever had on earth!"

Discord played with the letter before suddenly grabbing me and pulling me tight. "Goodbye...."

"Goodbye Discord...you've been a good friend."


)3(


Discord, you're an idiot.

I could tell you were blaming yourself for what was happening for a month. You'll realize eventually that even if it was your fault, I'd rather die like this, than live another forty years doing nothing. I made my choice, now I have to deal with it.

And you blaming yourself is only going to make it harder for me to deal with. So please, remember me fondly, and move on.

-Able Hendricks