//------------------------------// // Ruin // Story: The Survivor // by Chemtest //------------------------------// The six Elements stand in the middle of chaos, Elements around their necks. They stand off against Discord, as he laughs away on his throne of chaos. He looks down at them, and at their colorful gems, “Ah, you Six again? You’re in the way of the show!” Twilight glares at him, “What did you do to Survivor?!” He shakes his head, “The human? He was simply a pawn, a conduit of Chaos. I decided it would be funny if he were to go through the same fate as I.” Twilight snorts, “We’ll send you back to that stone and free him!” Discord laughs, “Oh, do you truly believe that, my dear? You really believe your Elements could work together? They have to agree to work, and Kindness is one of them. And I know, from personal experience, the demon in that purple gem lacks any and all Kindness! Tell me, how could you Bearers possibly hope to use artifacts that don’t even agree with each other? Do you think Harmony is a power to be bent to your will, like Mana? Feh, no reason to even try and tell you this.” He leans back, and smiles, “Fire when ready, they won’t work!” The six all begin to levitate, their Elements connecting in a rainbow beam. Then, after all unite in the Element of Magic, sending the beam towards Discord. He looks at the beam again, only for his face to fall as he realizes it is still working. The Elements paralyze him in place, and he turns his head away, “No, no, please! I don’t want to go back!” The beam approaches closer, and his eyes contract in fear. His screams and yells are plainly heard, yet the beam approaches all the same. Then, something jumps in front of Discord, and the beam impacts against it. Discord suddenly can move, and he flees behind his throne in terror of the Elements. The rainbow beam surrounds the figure, hiding him away behind the multitude of colors. Yet, his tall form still makes it obvious of who he is. Twilight squints her eyes against the bright glow, “Survivor? That’s the enemy, what are you doing!?” Discord looks at Survivor from behind his throne, “She has a point. I didn’t tell you to do that, I didn’t even know you were free. Did someone else mind control you?” Survivor looks at the rainbow arcing around his body, and looks up at Twilight, “Twilight, you have no idea what he’s been through. He doesn’t deserve that, I will not allow him to go back there! He is right when he says your Element lacks any and all Kindness. It is a monster in gem form. It takes something truly heartless to do what it did to him.” Discord leans out a bit more, “Wait, you... are mad at the Element? But, I’m the one who trapped you there!” He looks back at Discord, “Yes, I am mad at the Element. I saw what it did to you, how could I not be mad?!” He snaps back towards Twilight, “Your Element has been torturing Discord for a millennia! It doomed the human race to death by not treating him with decency!” Twilight takes a step back, “What?” Discord pulls himself all the way back into the throne, “I echo her!” Survivor looks between the two, “The Element told me itself, if it treated you with kindness, you would have saved the entire human race instead of just me. It... tortured you because you would have saved humanity!” Discord looks down, “I would? I...” Twilight speaks up as he processes the information, “Your... people? But... it wouldn’t? It... oh Celestia.” He nods, “Yes, Twilight. It willingly killed eight billion people just so it could continue it’s torture of Discord. But, that is the past. I will not look into the past, but into the future! If Discord could have once saved all of humanity, than he can still do similarly heroic actions.” Twilight looks down, “Eight billion... and Discord could have saved them all.” Survivor looks down, observing the rainbow still surrounding him. He shakes his head, and looks towards Discord, “I know you are lashing out, Discord. Your pain, you want these ponies to feel it. But these ponies are not to blame.” He looks at Survivor, and shakes his head, “Not to blame?! They are the ones who locked me up!” Survivor looks right back, “That was the past, Discord. These ponies have done nothing to you. We need to stop looking back. All that anger you feel? I’m feeling it, and it’s burning my soul into ash. You lost one thousand years to boredom, because of those ponies. Well, I lost my entire race to the same thing! A race of people that could have been saved! My friends, my parents, everyone I have ever known all killed because of a heartless bastard! So, I know what you are feeling, Discord.” He offers forth a hand, “We need to move on from that rage. We need Compassion.” The rainbow around him all concentrates around his face, until it begins to merge in. Discord stares in awe as the magic absorbs itself into his mask. The mask changes, glowing a calming blue, and with a symbol on the forehead. A symbol of an extended hand. Discord looks at the Element, and reaches out. His eagle talons grasp his hand, and he feels like a weight has been lifted off him. Discord smiles, “We... can be friends. You are the only creature to do this in two thousand years, I hope you know. Sir Survivor, Element of Compassion.”