The Survivor

by Chemtest

Chaos

Survivor raises his hand again, and snaps. Yet another book appears in his hands, one dedicated to explaining physics. Then, with another snap, he summons up a chemistry textbook. He places both books on a nearby table, “This is the basics of human understanding in our most advanced, non-violent fields. Mathematical formulas, chemical formulas, lot of very complex words. Never really memorized it all.”

Twilight raises an eyebrow, “Really? You sound quite smart, very educated. I mean, you seem to have more scientific knowledge than I do.”

He smiles, “Ah, I have a scientific mind, yes, but not of formulas. I much more prefer the science of people. Psychology, metal illness, theory on how the mind works. Not the most popular field back home.”

Twilight floats the books over to an empty shelf, “Why was it not popular?”

He looks over at her, “A lot of people would prefer not to know how their mind works. They slightly fear psychology, because they think it has the answers to the mind. In the end, and in all truthfulness, we don’t know shit. The entire field is filled with conflicting theories, ideals, and people so arrogant that they think all human minds are like their’s. The only part of the field I can believe in is the research on mental illness. I can’t really subscribe to most theories, they all assume some inner darkness.”

Twilight smiles, “Oh, maybe you can tell me some of these theories?”

He nods, “Hypotheses, really. The most popular is the theory of Freud, which relies upon splitting the mind into three. The Superego, which leads the body in the greater good. The Id, which is the more primal and selfish part. The Ego, which is the mind in control. As a basic idea, it isn’t that bad. But then the details really make it trash. Some odd shit about all females secretly wanting to be males, and other such shit.” He snaps his fingers, and another book appears, “Here, this should explain all of it. Just don’t buy into it that much.”

She levitates the book over to the shelf, “This is absolutely amazing. Your magic, that is. By all known laws of magic, it makes no sense.”

He shrugs, “I don’t know the first thing about magic, so... okay.”

She smiles, “Oh, I can explain this. See, magic all works using an energy called Mana from within us. Little particles, also called Mana, float through the air, waiting to be commanded. The Mana from within us travels out, and convinces it’s fellow Mana to work together. For example, a unicorn tells it’s own Mana to levitate something. The other Mana would all come together to do that. Well, it’s a lot more complicated than that, but you wouldn’t understand it. Convincing other Mana to help uses up our own Mana, which is why unicorns can’t do everything forever. Now, Mana also creates a type of energy known as a Thaum. A Thaum is the average Mana put out by an Earth Pony every hour. Unicorns average around fifty Thaums, which means their magic could go for fifty minutes before running out, using a levitation spell. A unicorn like myself has two hundred Thaums, which means I could technically levitate something forever and still not lose any Mana, because the counter resets every sixty minutes.”

Survivor nods, “So, if you can do something forever, why don’t you?”

She looks over at him, “Well, it would be mentally exhausting. Yeah, I may not lose any Mana, but I wouldn’t have as much as my body wants. Plus, concentrating on floating something forever just doesn’t seem that interesting. If I were to ever do a more complicated spell, as well, I might run out of Mana completely. That is very, very dangerous and I do not recommend it ever. I only ever came close to it when I battled Nightmare Moon, but I stopped myself before I went too far. Being comatose for a week isn’t that fun, especially when you’ll be in excruciating pain during it. It can even lead to death.”

He smiles, holding up his hand, “Alright, I get it, don’t run out of Mana. I wouldn’t want to worry you by doing that, Twilight.”

She shakes her head, “Well, that’s the point, you don’t have to worry about it. Firstly, you don’t seem to use Mana. What you wish to happen just happens, without Mana doing a single thing. Number two, each thread of your coat is exuding a Thaumatic reading at the level of Celestia, every second. That means that your coat, per square inch, is exuding five hundred Thaums a second, compared to Celestia at five hundred an hour! It doesn’t make sense!” She turns around, “But, it gave me an idea. What if I were to cut off a piece of your coat, and stick it in my generator? It could very well create near infinite energy!”

Survivor flicks out his knife, taking a large chunk out of his coat. It grows back immediately, and he hands Twilight the piece, “No point in not trying.”

She takes the chunk, eager smile on her face. She rushes down into her basement, Survivor following right after her.

She walks up to a machine with a open door, and places the piece within. She closes it, and pushes a few buttons on the machine. Then, with a final lever switch, the machine bursts to life.

It begins to whirr loudly, and glows a bright purple color. It begins to move quicker and quicker, until it suddenly slows down.

The purple glow fades for a bit, and a different glow appears. A purple portal, one able to be seen through. On the other side, Survivor can see nothing but destruction.

He takes a step back from the portal, looking away as quick as he can. He refuses to look down the street within. Not to where the bus would pull up... not where he should be.

Yet, just as quick as it appeared, the portal disappears. It’s purple energy flows towards Survivor, and surrounds him. It begins to pull at him.

Twilight looks over at him, “Survivor! What’s going on?!”

He tries to stumble back, only to find his boots encased in stone. He yells out at Twilight, “Twilight, please, stop this! Please, I don’t want to go!”

The stone crawls up him, encasing his chest completely. Twilight lights up her horn, only to find it encased within a foam finger. Despite all attempts, she can’t cast her magic through it. She rushes up to Survivor, and tries to break him out with her own hooves, “Survivor!”

He raises his head higher and higher, his eyes the only things Twilight can see out his mask. His eyes are filled with fear.

He shouts one final time, “Please, they can use my knowledge! Don’t do this!”

A dark laugh fills the basement, and the stone completely encases Survivor, punctuated by a snap.

Twilight paws at his statue, trying with all her might to get him free, “Survivor, I’ll get you out! Please, whoever’s doing this, stop!”

The voice laughs again, “Not so pleasant when you get a taste of your own medicine, is it?”

A second voice joins it, one a lot more scratchy, like sandpaper across granite, “A good vessel, nary anything more. Thou’s kind shalt face the wrath thine companion hath.”

———

A black void, that is all that can be seen. No, not seen. It is simply there. A feeling of nothingness, yet still numb and restricting.

There is no truer Hell than a place where one can do nothing but comprehend the nothingness presented to them.

Yet, something odd happens. Something that hasn’t happened in a thousand years.

The black void lights up with a purple star. It glows down upon it’s new prisoner, and stays that way for a minute.

Then, something new fills the space. A pony body, a unicorn mare. It’s features all are average, except for the eyes. Said eyes have been replaced with the same purple star.

It looks at Survivor, and opens it’s mouth, “You are not our prisoner. Survivor, Earth, possible future. Stand, Bearer Survivor. We have much to speak about.”