• Member Since 10th Jan, 2013
  • offline last seen Yesterday

DualSoul1423


I am an Eldritch Horror that likes gay horses.

T

To my dear friend, Spike

I know it has been a while, but I have something I need your help with.

I'll be at the cottage, as always, so please drop by whenever you have the time to help.

I'll be waiting patiently for your arrival.

Your old friend, Discord.


A Drama submission for the A Thousand Words Contest.

Edit: Featured on June 4th and 5th. Thank you all for reading.

Chapters (1)
Comments ( 21 )

A concise and beautifully done bitter story. Wonderful work!

11600976 11601006
Thank you both. I'm not used to writing such short pieces, but I enjoyed the challenge of doing so. I'm glad you two enjoyed it as well.

Someone woke up and chose to be ultra angsty.

11601283
More like I decided to channel my clinical depression into something productive for once.

11601289
Oh…

Now I feel like a prick. Hope you get better.

noooo that almost made me cry that was so good

11601299
Well, I'm glad to hear that this short little thing moved you so deeply. Thank you for reading!

A rare but powerful example of "A story doesn't need to be long to be good."

I appreciate that Spike only marginally tries to talk him out of it. Simple questions, not judgments, made in an attempt to understand, and when he does, he's sure, and he acts(Or appears to being that is open ended) with his friend's interest in mind.

11602244
Thank you very much for your kind words. I'm always happy to hear when people enjoy my stories. It is, after all, why I write.

So he did it. hmm...not sure what to think/say. It's well written no argument there...but a mere 1000 words is hard to cover such a deep topic, not impossible, just very difficult.

11602281
I think it would be no easier with ten thousand words. At that point, I'd likely have padded it with unnecessary flourish and drama. Sometimes less is more, and I think all that needed to be said was said here. Sometimes life is just too hard, and sometimes you just need the help of a friend who understands that.
Still. Thank you for reading, I appreciate it.

11602301
fair, there is definitely a fine balance where emotional content is concerned. There was another story similar to yours that focused on PTSD, and the idea that unlike in the show, there are some things that can't be fixed up nice and tidy with a mere hug and song.

Perhaps a tiny epilogue that looks into Spike's mind after the fact, or perhaps Twilight orating his funeral, just some off the cuff ideas I just had like 3 seconds ago.

I like the idea of exploring the concept of discord's eternal life, and also interesting how he choose spike for that. but i felt a lack of emotional description from spike side, i feel like spike had similar feelings to discord at this moment, as both of them live very long, spike also lost a lot of friends. spike seems to ask mostly questions that doesn't relate to morals, but just questions that if had answers that were good enough, would make discord death more acceptable.

something like: "Discord, are you really sure about this? if so.. i'll do that",
and not something like "That's not the way! i won't do it."

I think spike choose the fist option because he also felt something like discord, but wanted to make sure discord was okay with this step with no way back.
(The story probably wasn't meant to be that way, but i am happy that i could make a simple theory of it) 👍

11605779
No, you're right. My intention was to have Spike empathize with Discord. By this point, Spike would have lost most of his friends and family to time, so he knows how painful it is to have to watch a loved one fade away like that, and what it's like to miss them. It wasn't about whether killing his friend was right or wrong, it was whether or not it was what Discord really wanted. This was difficult to write, having only a thousand words at my disposal, but I'm glad that you picked up on my intention here. Thank you for reading.

11601283
as everyone should!

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."

Five of the Mane 6 are dead, obviously. I'd assume Twilight is still alive. But she and Discord were never friends, quite honestly. Even then, Twilight would never do what Discord's asking.

But that's just me.

Wonderful storytelling with limited space. Absolutely phenomenal!

11634438
Oh! Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Although he considered it, Spike didn't mention Twilight.

aww, glad Spike is able to pick up on subtext after all these centuries!

"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."

ooh, do love the idea of the Princesses having a contingency plan for Discord

"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.

and yeah, this was clearly coming, given sad Discord living alone in a Fluttershy-less cottage

"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."

aww! there is something neat about this being so fitting for the FlutterCord dynamic at its end

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."

being so sure of being reunited with loved ones in an afterlife makes both of them accepting this much more understandable. actually more like the “a small favour” that is being used as a euphemism here

Ah, the cost of seeing those around you as more than toys. I can’t help but wonder if the diarchs planned this as a sort of ultimate revenge for Discord’s unreign of terror.

In any case, this is a better performance of the immortality blues than most I’ve seen, though it does still come off as a bit maudlin. Some of that is personal preference; I’ve never really enjoyed this kind of story. From an objective perspective, it’s well put-together, but there’s nothing to really make it pop (which, to be fair, is not easily achieved in just a thousand words.) To your credit, it is an entire plot arc that feels neither padded nor compressed. Thank you for it.

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