//------------------------------// // Apology Accepted? // Story: For-never Alone // by Troypony //------------------------------// Nighttime went by quickly for Discord, as he was starting to get used to the idea of "consciously sleeping". He also had started feeling more refreshed after every night, and was starting to wake up in a better mood, only to realize where he was and why. One thing that was different than all the others was the fact that there was another statue right next to him. It contained the spirit of a Draconequus with the second highest social status in the Draconequus society. And he had just insulted her. That only made him feel worse, and more determined to apologize to her. Apologize. That's something Discord didn't think he ever would have to do before, or even planned on doing in his life. Now here he was, Lord of Chaos, actually APOLOGIZING to someone for his behavior! He never had to apologize to Twilight or the others for his behavior! Then again, he was sure that freezing him again was good enough for them... Suddenly, he heard a sound nearby, to his left. It sounded almost like a yawn, but not exactly, since no sound could have actually come from the statue itself. It was probably just herself regaining consciousness, not breaking out of her statue. This would’ve been great for her, but would leave him all alone again. She wouldn't even try to help him break out himself, not after the way he treated her. No one would even dream about doing that. Still, he could change that. If he could apologize correctly to her, he might have a chance to build a friendship! That'll be something new to him since his family has been gone. It'll be nice having someone to talk to again, even if they kinda hate you. What would they even talk about, though? Anything that comes up? Hopefully there's a lot, since they have PLENTY of time to kill! Still, he could worry about that later. Right now, he had an apology to make, whether she accepts it or not. Unable to figure out a better way to get her attention, he tried making a coughing sound, which seemed to work, as she responded unexcitingly. "Well, good morning to you." Obviously, she wasn't in a good mood, but he didn't want to focus on that right now. "Uh, yeah, good morning to you too." There was an awkward silence, and Discord couldn't stand it. He had to say something, before his nerves silenced him. "Uh, listen..." There was a short response, like a huff of some sort. Discord took that as she was listening, so he began. "Look, I'm no good with apologies, but I'm sorry. Truly, I am sorry. I wasn't trying to offend you or anything, it's just that...I don't know...I have a lot on my conscious right now, and it seems to be taking over right now. Almost causing the extinction of two races weighs heavily on someone, you know? Especially when one of them was caused by accident..." "Still, I know that shouldn't be an excuse for the actions I took towards you, and I know that they were inexcusable to someone of your status especially, and for that I am deeply sorry." Discord sighed mentally, feeling as horrible as ever. "I guess what everyone says about me is right, all the things they say about me. I'm a selfish, ruthless monster whose only objective in life is to ruin the lives of other's for my own enjoyment. How low is that, anyway? Causing pain to other's to entertain myself? That's almost sickens me know, how horrible of a Draconequus that must make me. I don't even have the decency to respect a single organism that resides here anymore! Why am I even here if that's all I can do? Why don't I just disappear? Why do I have to be stuck in this statue, forced to suffer this life and all its nightmares? Why doesn't Celestia just kill me now instead of destroying the entire Draconequus race in my place!? WHY DO I HAVE TO SCREW UP EVERYONE ELSE'S LIFE BUT MY OWN!?" By this time, Discord was furious. With himself, with Celestia, with LIFE. He couldn't grasp at the situation anymore, just a shell of pure anger and hatred. Oh, the things he would do if he wasn't stuck in this Celestia-forsaken statue! He was lucky for that at least, since he was suddenly worried what he WOULD do. That's also when he realized that she was still there, listening to the whole thing, his entire outburst. Hopefully, he didn't just scare her away just as he was about to get her back! Now he felt even worse, hating himself even more for ruining his chances of ever talking to someone else ever again. Now he was REALLY ruined. Nothing to do but stand here and watch time pass as everything he once knew is destroyed forever. "I'm...so sorry..." That took Discord off-guard. She actually spoke to him again! And...SHE was the one apologizing! But...why? "E-Excuse me?" He heard a sniffling sound, and then she spoke again. "I-I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...I didn't...I didn't know you were carrying such a burden! The destruction of two races...I can't even fathom it! It must be so hard to deal with such a thing..." Discord didn't want her to feel sorry for him. He wasn't worth her sympathy, or anyone else's. "Please, don't be! I'm not worth your sadness, I don't deserve it after the way I treated you!" Some more sniffling and another response. "Draconequus react how they don't want to when they're upset! Everybody does that! You just lose your sense of mind, and everything starts to just spiral out of control! I don't blame you for how you acted; you were just caught up in your emotions!" Discord didn't know what to think. At first, he thought she was just one of those Draconequus who tried rejecting the thought of abuse or something, but then he thought differently. She could actually be offering to try and HELP him! Him! The lowest of the low! THAT came as quite the shocker. Still, he wasn't one who rejected help when he could... "I want to help you, Discord. I honestly do." Again, he was taken aback, this time at the use of his name. "H-How do you know who I am?!" He could almost hear a giggle from her, a big contradiction from how she had acted just moments ago. "Discord, I'm a Scholar, remember? I know A LOT about our history and what it's involved in! You don't think the Alicorn extinction isn't important in our history?" This time, he DID hear a slight giggle. At least, he THOUGHT he heard one. He wasn't sure. Right now, he wasn't all that concentrated on that right now. "Well, I guess it was somewhat important..." "Are you kidding? That was HUGE! You left quite the mark in the fate of history, Discord! Even though it WAS the destruction of an entire people, which I shouldn't be ecstatic for at all..." Discord laughed. It wasn't a real laugh, a laugh that could make your sides sore. It was more the sound itself, and not the actual feeling of that laugh. That was what he missed most, just the enjoyment of laughter. If only there was a way out of this stone prison for just a while... "I have to admit though, Discord, it was quite impressive how you took the whole race down as a whole! Though victory didn't last long I suppose, huh?" "No, I guess it didn't, did it? It feels like such a long time ago, even for a Draconequus of my age!" Another slight giggle. "Well, it WAS at least a thousand years ago, so of course it'll feel like a long time!" "You have a point there-" Discord remembered he didn't even know her name at all, but she seemed to catch on to that pretty quickly. "Eris. My name's Eris." Eris. That was...the goddess of destruction, right? Something like that. How ironic that they both were to be named after similar concepts, but he thought little of it at the time. "Well, I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Eris! I hope you do not find that I should be thrown into a nuthouse anytime soon, with my drastic mood swings and all." She had almost burst into giggles, but had barely contained herself, based upon the stifling noises she was making. "Trust me, while you may be an 'interesting' specimen, I won't ever consider putting you in any sort of nuthouse!" "Specimen, huh? Am I some sort of lab rat now? Am I just dreaming or something?" "No no, this is very much real, Discord, and this is no test! I just have a...different vocabulary than you is all." He chuckled. "That's not a fancy way of saying I'm stupid, right?" Another giggle. "No Discord, of course not." Discord was having a great time actually talking to someone other than his reeling brain. It was much more entertaining, and, as he then realized, more time consuming too! "Jeez, is it nighttime already?" After a few seconds of silence, she responded, "Yeah, we spent the whole day away just talking!" "It sure did, didn't it...?" There were a few minutes of silence between them, He was busy watching the night sky and noticing its beauty for the first time during his imprisonment. Counting the last time too, that is. Finally, he heard her yawn. "I think I'm dozing off. Goodnight, Discord!" He yawned himself. After all, yawning is contagious! "I think...I'm dozing away too. Goodnight, Eris!" And with that, all was silent. Discord could not sleep, however. His thoughts were still roaming through his head, unable to be tamed. He thought about the situation he got himself into. He thought about Eris, Celestia, and the rest of his race... And his family. He could only hope they were safe from the disaster he had caused... Luckily, his desire for sleep pushed everything else out of the way, allowing him peace as he slowly drifted towards his unconscious state, fast-forwarding himself quickly to tomorrow.