Visions of the black rock he saw transcribed along the walls of the castle tunnels flashed in front of him like an old film-based movie projector. Carter’s focus was pulled towards the rock and the rock alone. It was like he was looking at it after years of its absence. Just simply laying his eyes upon it filled him with the feeling of an unsettling disliking, as if he and this lifeless piece of mass had a dark history.

Let me go!

In a quick turn of events, Carter found himself in a medical bed. His mind was foggy, which he figured was probably due to the fact that he was out for God knows how long. He spotted several different tubes injected into his front legs, sending various fluids into his nerves. Along the wall behind him stood numerous monitors, each of which displayed different status checks within Carter's body.

“Are you feeling ok, sir?” A nurse appeared to his right, coming over to the heart rate monitor and writing down the status displayed on the screen, taking note of Carter’s current health levels.

“Yeah, I am ok.” Carter’s voice came out a bit grumbly, but a simple cough shot a nasty ball of phlegm, which he was forced to swallow before speaking again. “I assume that I just yelled across the room?”

“No. You simply woke up, nothing out of the ordinary occurred prior to that. Besides an occasional moan here and there, you seemed to deal with the healing process quite well.”

“That’s good to know. I was afraid I was having a seizure or something, considering the fact that I am held to this bed with the help of zip ties.” The nurse laughed to herself. She was surprised to hear such an assumption about what he did while he was unconscious, but not by his observations.

“No, not at all. We do tie patients down while they are unconscious to prevent such violent reactions while the process takes place, but you did not do anything close to that. It’s only standard procedure.” She walked over to each of his hooves and undid each of the bindings.

Carter nodded to the nurse in appreciation. She had him lay his head down and rest for a bit before any further decisions concerning his health would be made. He obeyed her without any verbal objections and laid his head against the soft pillow found at the end of the bed.

The red stallion found it rather difficult to sleep, and as time passed by, Carter just stared at each individual monitor, observing what each one recorded. Though he took many courses regarding anatomy and the science of modern medicine back on Earth, he had a very limited idea as to what each abbreviation presented on the monitors represented. It was ironic in a sense.

“That was ‘Livin’ up to It!’ Coming up next, we have ‘Celestial Complex’ by our very own DJ Pon-3!”

The speakers that were found around the hospital announced the next song in rotation. Carter had nothing better to do at the moment, so he just perked his ears up and listened for the melody to start kicking in. The sound of the tune was rather techy and bass heavy. It had a very intense beat and guitar lead. Carter couldn’t help but sway with the rhythm. He found the song to be rather enjoyable, as it sounded like it was ripped right out of one of Mick Gordan’s albums, which he would listen to in his free time during training hours back in the military.

Carter noticed the nurse talking to some other pony just out of view behind the door frame. With a naturally curious personality, he didn’t think it rude to eavesdrop on their discussion, so he focused his hearing in their general direction.

“You can go inside and see him, but he has not fully recovered. Be very slow and gentle around him, as even small amounts of pressure put upon him could create another blood clot.”

Who would want to see me at this time? Hell, who even knows that I’ve been away from Ponyville?

Carter peered around the corner of the outside area as best as he could from where he laid, but it wasn’t enough to get even a glimpse of the other pony. He gave up and just laid back against the pillow. He turned his head to the left and stared out the window. The sun was at its highest, not a single cloud in the distance.

Still evening. Does that mean I have been out for less than an hour, or about a day? Ha. All I know is that once this blows over, I am going straight to Flint Masters to get something to eat.

“Sir, you have company.” The nurse said, looking over at Carter as she waited for a response.

“Company?” Carter was quite baffled by the announcement. “Let them in, I guess.”

The nurse looked over her shoulder and nodded. Carter tried to figure out who could be trying to see him at a time like this. His first thought was that it was somepony who wanted to see him in order to get some answers about all of the events that had taken place. As Carter perked up at the door, he saw a familiar color pattern of orange and cream.

“Carter!” Fluttershy flew over to the stallion as fast as she could. Once by his side, she wrapped her front hooves around him, giving him a big hug. She nuzzled against his cheek, affectionately caressing him. Though it hurt like hell, Carter kept the pain to himself, letting out nothing more than a grunt or two.

“I was so worried about you! I heard that you were attacked, and then I heard that you were being taken here, and then… oh, Carter! Never scare me like that ever again!”

“Erm… can do, Fluttershy.” Carter said, processing her words while letting out another painful grunt.

“Fluttershy, did ya not hear a single thing the nurse said?” Carter turned his head and found Applejack, shaking her head at the cream colored pegasus in shame. “Carter still needs to heal. I’m sure he appreciates your kind gesture, but hugging him at a time like this just ain’t helping at all.”

“Uh… haha.” Fluttershy pulled her hooves back and giggled, blushing to herself as she stared at the ground. “Yeah, I think you’re right, Applejack.”

“It’s fine, Fluttershy. I am very glad to see you. Both of you.” Carter said, attempting to cheer up the timid pegasus.

“Are ya ok, buttercup?” Applejack inquired, observing Carter’s various injuries.

“I am fine, thanks. Feels like I took one heck of a beating, though.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say you look completely normal.” Fluttershy said, pointing to his wounds with her hoof.

“Fluttershy is right. Ya don’t exactly look like yourself.” Applejack walked over to his side and handed him a vial of her apple tonic. “Don’t know if ya want this right now, but this could help with any pain that you're dealing with. Before ya ask, yes, the nurse said that it was fine if ya take this right now.”

“I appreciate it, Applejack. I think I will drink this.” Carter popped the lid out of place and chugged the entire mass of liquid down his throat. His eyebrow twitched, giving off a sign that he found the contents to be quite sour.

“Ya can fight off a beast, but ya can’t take a little bit of tart?” Applejack laughed at the stallion when she saw him react to the tonic. Fluttershy let out a shy giggle of her own, placing her right hoof in front of her mouth.

“I can’t be perfect, Applejack. I know that you ain’t.” Carter tried to throw banter back at the farm pony, but she took no offense to the comment and simply rolled her eyes.

"What happened, Carter? Who did this to you?" Fluttershy inquired.

"A lot of things, actually. It started with…" Carter's eyes widened. The two mares looked over at the heart rate monitor, which began beeping a lot more frequently. "Where is she!?"
Applejack knee exactly who he was talking about, running over to be with him and calm his nerves. Fluttershy did the same, holding his hoof with her own and softly shushing the stallion.

"She's ok, buttercup. Rainbow Dash is asleep in the room next to you." Applejack said.

"Please tell me that she'll live." Carter was hoping that actions were not for nothing.

"It's ok, Carter. Rainbow Dash will be fine, she just needs a bit more time than you did before she wakes up." Fluttershy leaned towards his face and grazed his cheek with her hoof. "We were able to speak with her before she went through with her treatment. She told us about what you did to save her, and she wanted us to tell you that she's so happy to have such a loyal friend such as yourself, and thanks you for everything you did to save her life."

"Thanks, girls. That's just what I needed to hear." Carter sighed, looking over at Applejack. "You know from my past that I do not enjoy failing when other's lives are on the line. As long as I know that she’s ok, then I can rest here peacefully."

"It's ok, Carter. She is alive and well. Ya played yer role the best ya could, and succeeded in doing such."

“Is this a bad time?” The three ponies looked over towards the doorway and found Rarity and Twilight Sparkle poking their heads through the frame.

“No, not at all. Come in you guys.” Fluttershy said, waving her hoof towards the others.

“Twilight? How much time do you get off?” Carter was intrigued. He was very sceptical as to how the princess of Equestria was able to have so much free time. It seemed like every time something was happening between her friends, she was always ready to just jump into the action.

“I am not going to lie to you, Carter, being the princess and all may sound like quite an occupation, but there is really not a lot for me to do.” Princess Twilight lowered her brow and looked at the stallion. "With that said, I am only able to be here because of you and Rainbow Dash. I was stuck in the castle figuring out ways to end this, but I found no method that could work. Until you two went and did it."

Carter knew exactly why Twilight was incapable of devising a plan of action powerful enough to eliminate Pinkie Pie. They never had to kill anyone. Based on all of the stories of the equestrian past that he read about during his free time, there was never a recorded moment where the antagonist died. They were either banished or reformed; in other words, only magic eliminated the threat. It was obvious that fighting something that sought nothing but blood and pain head on for the first time would prove to be nothing but near impossible to overcome with their passive combat style.

“I assume that you killed it?” Twilight asked. She spoke like she knew the answer, and it was obvious that she was right once Carter lightly clenched his teeth. The others caught eye of this and waited for his response.

“I did.” Carter admitted. “I only did what I had to do. You saw what happened to Rainbow Dash, but if you only knew how it happened… there was no way that words would have any affect.”

“What are you talking about? What do you mean that there was no other way?” Rarity asked.

“I know that you are very new to this sort of thing, but there are creatures in this world that seek nothing but evil.” Carter looked back at the princess, furrowing his brow and staring at her with a stern look. He wanted to make sure that everypony understood the things that came out of his mouth. “This isn’t like your fights with Sombra, Chrysalis, or anything like that. These creatures want nothing more than to tear you apart, limb from limb. I know that you may have had to get your hooves dirty, but against these new threats, the only way to win is to kill. No amount of friendship can save you. I know.” He paused once he said this. Even if it was what he wanted to say, he never dared speak that way to the princess.

“Carter, why are you saying this?” Twilight was pissed. The princess took a few steps toward the stallion and lowered her head to him. “Friendship has never failed in the past. I cannot allow this.”

“Twilight… your highness, hear me out.”

“No, Carter. I will not let you do this any longer. These ponies are mine to protect and mine alone. I don’t need you to act like a superhero coming to save the day.” Carter snapped. Twilight did not seem like she would back down, and knowing Carter, neither would he.

“Twilight! I have tried to warn you. This is nothing like what you have fought back then. This is real life, and you had better wake up!” Carter attempted to refrain from speaking any further, but something took control over him like a hack.

“Carter, this is not how we live our lives! This may be how you humans settle things, but we ponies strive for friendship! We look for the goodness in others and use it to help them overcome their evil ways. I will not let you hurt another soul!”

“Damnit, your highness. I don’t indulge myself in these gruesome acts, but there are times where this must happen!” No matter how hard he fought back, Carter’s dark thoughts took over.

“Oh, and what? You defeat them by becoming the very thing that you fight against. That is not the right thing to do. You know it to be true, Carter!” Carter’s face turned bright red, and his veins pulsated through the skin along his neck.

“If it wasn’t for me, Rainbow Dash would’ve been dead! Your actions are a fucking hazard! You do not wish to protect your subjects, you only wish to keep the peace. But guess what, there is no fucking peace on a battlefield!”

The room fell quiet as the discussion stopped. Carter was returning to the angry self he tried to avoid, but he had no intention of stopping. As his chest retracted with every heavy breath he let loose, he glared at Twilight, watching her as her face drooped with a saddened expression. Carter knew deep down that what he just told her was not what he wanted to say, but his violent mind knew no other ways of dealing with this.

“Y-y-your majesty. I… I… holy shit, what have I done?” Carter was at a loss for words. After reevaluating the words that slipped from his mouth, he felt nothing but regret and embarrassment upon himself. He shivered from the adrenaline that flowed through him after calming his nerves. Though he knew that every word he spoke came from his mind, it felt like the words came out without his control. Twilight looked up at the stallion. The mild agitation on her face along with the tears in her eyes told Carter everything that he needed to know. He lost her respect.

“Carter. *sniff* I just want you to know that I trusted you. I trusted you to do the right thing, but you always resort to anger. You act like you are better than all of them, but you are nothing but the scum you fight away. You, *sniff* you will never learn friendship.”

Carter was hurt by her harmful words. He knew very well that he deserved all of it, all things considered, but it was not something he thought he’d ever hear come from her mouth. He looked at the others with a shocked expression, but they all looked back at him with fear and disgust. He looked down at his hooves. His eyes widened after he found blood dripping from them.

“You cannot hide from the truth. You are not a friend, but an enemy. You only seek things for your own benefit. You will never gain their friendship, and you will never forgive yourself for what you did that day!”

“No! No no no no no…! No! Get away from me!” Carter placed his hooves over his ears and shut his eyes. He shouted at the voice, forcing it away. “I refuse! I am better! I am changed! I am a friend, I know that now! I will never become you! Go away, now!!!”

Carter shot out from his slumber, gasping for air. His mind was foggy, and his vision spiraled around for a few moments. The image of the black rock transcribed along the walls of the castle flashed in his head once more, flowing through his mind dauntingly. He looked around for the others, but none of them were anywhere to be seen.

“Are you feeling ok, sir?” A nurse appeared to his right, coming over to the heart rate monitor and writing down the status displayed on the screen, taking note of Carter’s current health levels.

“Uh… pardon?” Carter was mesmerized. All of this felt like deja vu to the stallion.

“You just woke up. Did you have a bad dream? You woke up yelling and shaking.”

“Really…? I mean, at least I am held down by these zip ties.” Carter couldn’t comprehend any of this. The bindings holding him in place were around his hooves yet again, as if the nurse never took them off prior.

“We tie our patients down while they are unconscious to prevent such violent reactions while the process takes place. It’s only standard procedure.” The nurse walked over to each of his hooves and undid each of the bindings.

As she walked out the door after telling him to lay down and get some rest, Carter laid his head against the pillow behind him and stared at the ceiling. All of this was coming to him like a movie he’d watched a thousand times over, expecting the same thing every time.

What on Earth is going on? Was all of that really just a nightmare?

“Sir, you have company.” The nurse said, looking over at Carter as she waited for a response.

“Uh, let them in.” Carter was starting to question if any of this was real. All of it was so familiar.

Let me guess, Applejack and Fluttershy come running in.

“Carter!” Fluttershy flew over to the stallion as fast as she could. Once by his side, she wrapped her front hooves around him, giving him a big hug. She nuzzled against his cheek, affectionately caressing him. Though it hurt like hell, Carter kept the pain to himself, letting out nothing more than a grunt or two.

“I was so worried about you! I heard that you were attacked, and then I heard that you were being taken here, and then… oh, Carter! Never scare me like that ever again!”

“Ok, what is going on!?” Carter shouted, feeling overwhelmed by all of the similarities occurring at a time.

“What in the hay are you talking about?” Applejack asked.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Carter. I was just wanting to check in with you. I understand if you don’t want to see us right now. I should’ve been more aware.” Fluttershy looked down at the ground with a gloomy look on her face. Her timid nature took over as she hid her face behind her mane. She held herself up along the edge of the medical bed, looking down at the confused stallion behind her pink mane.

“Ok, I am sorry. It’s just, everything seems oddly familiar.” Carter said.

“Carter, is everything ok?” Applejack inquired. She was beginning to feel very awkward around the stallion.

“You were just here, and then Twilight came, and then we… and then…” Carter stopped talking as he took his time deciphering all of the recent events. It was all deja vu, but he was beginning to feel like there was a reason behind it. Then it hit him.

It was a vision.

“It’s ok, Carter. I’ll let you be.” Fluttershy said, turning around to go walk out the door. She was stopped in her tracks as she felt somepony’s hooves wrap around her and pull her in. She looked over her shoulder to find Carter, hugging the pegasus closely to his chest, affectionately petting her mane.

“I thought I lost you as a friend.” Carter said, continuing his loving gesture. "Just gimme a moment, Fluttershy. I need this."

“What? Carter, I will never leave you. You are my best friend, and nothing could ever split us apart.” Fluttershy leaned down and nuzzled her cheek against his. “We are always here for you, no matter what happens.”

“Carter, ya have a lot of explaining to do.” Applejack said, looking over at the emotional mess that was the stallion.

“I am glad to see you, too. I appreciate you taking time out of your life to come see me, Applejack.” Carter let go of Fluttershy and allowed her to meet up with Applejack. "I believe I just had a bad dream. It made it seem like I did something horrible, and I watched you girls leave me. I couldn't forgive myself. Thankfully I don't think any of that actually happened."

"Boy, ain't that one devilish nightmare. Sorry to hear that you had to go through that, sugarcube." Applejack lightened her senses after understanding why Carter was in such a crazy mood. She sat down along with Fluttershy as they conversed some more.

"Is Rainbow Dash ok?" Carter asked, knowing the answer before he questioned the two mares.

"She is doing fine, she is just asleep in the other room. We were able to speak with her before she went through with her treatment. She told us about what you did to save her, and she wanted us to tell you that she's so happy to have such a loyal friend such as yourself, and thanks you for everything you did to save her life."

“How much did she tell you?” Carter inquired, wondering if they already knew about Pinkie Pie. He was expecting to see some mixed emotions, but nothing like that appeared.

"She told us about most of it, but she seemed very scared to tell us who exactly was the one responsible for killing all of those ponies." Fluttershy said. “I can’t blame her. I probably wouldn’t be able to deal with even half the stuff she did.”

"I can't blame her either. When I told her that Spitfire found Gilda without her head, Rainbow Dash lost it. I could only imagine what kind of cruel creature would do such a thing." Applejack added, scowling at the thought.

“So… that wasn’t just a prop.” Carter shuddered when he understood the severity of it all. Though he experienced it first hand, it was still somewhat unreal to imagine that this level of violence would just randomly occur in their peaceful-based society. “I was hoping that that wasn’t the case.”

“You saw her skull!?” Applejack shouted. Carter nodded in return. Fluttershy was starting to lose control, shaking where she stood.

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! W-w-why in Equestria would somepony do that!? I am so scared! I don’t want to be next!” Fluttershy was lost in a state of panic. The orange farm pony rushed over to her side and tried to calm the scared pegasus, whispering words of encouragement to her.

“Fluttershy.” Carter said with a stern look on his face. Fluttershy bolted her eyes up at him and stopped shaking. “There is no way we’d let something like that happen to you. Twilight would be ready to send in soldiers at the blink of an eye, and your friends and I are also here to make sure that nothing like that ever happens. Besides, it’s over now.”

“R-r-right. That’s right.” Fluttershy sat down on the ground and rested her front hooves behind her back.

“Carter, you are ok!” Twilight said, walking into the room with Rarity by her side, right on time.

“Your majesty.” Carter said, nodding her head to her since he couldn’t bow.

“It’s very nice to see you. How are you feeling?” The lavender mare inquired. She examined his wounds as he started talking.

“I am feeling fine, thank you.” Carter laid back in the bed and let out a small chuckle. “It’s been one crazy ride. I assume you know what has happened?”

“No, I do not. I have sent a scouting party to record information based on what they find in the castle, but they have yet to tell me anything.” Twilight informed.

“Carter,” Rarity began. “who did this to you?” All the other mares looked at him, waiting for the truth to finally be revealed to them. He was hesitant about telling them, worrying that they would not take the identity of the killer too kindly. It ultimately didn’t matter in the long run, and they needed to know who it was.

“I… regretfully have to inform you all that… the killer was none other than…” Before another word could slip from his mouth, he saw the familiar pink mare in the distance, jumping into the room with a smile on her face.

“Hiya, Carter! I didn’t know if you wanted anything, so I just got these cupcakes!” Pinkie Pie was now present, unscathed and lively as ever. Carter’s rage shot through him like lightning through the sky. He found himself forcing his body to not instinctually jump out at her.

How the hell is she still alive!?

While the others watched him react to the sight of the pink mare quite questionably, Carter tried to process any kind of possible explanation on her return. Nothing made sense… nothing, except the black goop. He paused for a moment, remembering that the Pinkie Pie that he and Rainbow Dash fought turned into some form of black matter once she was defeated. If that meant anything to him, it was that this was possibly (and he meant ever so possibly) the real Pinkie Pie, and that the one they destroyed in the castle was something else disguising itself as the pink party pony. It was the only reasonable explanation, and the only one he could go off of.

“Forgive me. I fear that it was something else.” Carter said, looking back at Pinkie Pie, this time revealing a more approachable, light-hearted expression on his face. “Thank you for the cupcakes, Pinkie Pie. However, I don’t think that I want any of those. Not right now.” Carter was feeling slightly nauseous, thinking back to pony flesh being the main ingredient in the last batch of cupcakes that he saw.

“No cupcakes? Are you sure?” Pinkie Pie held the tray of delicacies closer to the stallion, but it only increased his urge to vomit.

“Quite sure, Pinkie Pie.” Carter said, urging the mare to remove the cupcakes from his sight.

“Ok, then. I will go and see if Rainbow Dash wants any.” Pinkie Pie turned around as quick as she could and proceeded towards the room where Rainbow Dash was healing, jumping just like her usual means of getting around.

“Oh no! Pinkie Pie, please do not do that! Pinkie, please!” Carter panicked, rolling over his hospital bed. He fell to the floor, overestimating his current strength. The others tried to stop him from moving any more, but Carter was determined to stop her before it was too late. He got up on his hooves and limped over towards Pinkie Pie, hoping that he’d beat her to it.

“Hello, Dashie! I brought cupcakes!”

Oh shit.

A loud scream erupted throughout the hospital, the voice belonging to none other than Rainbow Dash. Carter had to act fast. He proceeded towards the pegasus at a faster rate, trying to get to her so that he could calm her down and inform her about the current findings. The other mares all rushed out to meet with Rainbow Dash as well, Fluttershy and Applejack sticking with Carter, each one of them holding him up so that he could walk faster. He turned the corner and saw the familiar face of the sky blue mare, who was scared out of her mind.

“Pinkie Pie, get back! I will destroy you yet again, I mean it!” Rainbow Dash threw the hurtful words from her mouth, forcing the mare to back up. Pinkie Pie had a very sorrowful look on her face, her eyes puffing up like she was about to cry. Carter finally made his way to Rainbow Dash’s side and pulled her closely to his chest. He petted her mane and frantically spoke with a soft tone in an attempt to calm the pegasus.

“Rainbow Dash, it is ok. That is not the evil Pinkie Pie that we fought. That is the real one, your friend.” Carter spoke to her with a mix of soft, light tones, and a more informative style. The confused pegasus shuddered in fear, grabbing onto Carter and looking into his eyes. Her sanity returned to her after she recognized the stallion.

“Carter?”

“Yes, it’s me. We are ok, you are ok.”

“Wait, did you just say ‘evil Pinkie Pie?’” Twilight shouted.

“What are ya exactly saying, Carter?” Applejack asked.

Carter turned and looked over at the other mares, who were all returning with looks of shock and denial. He knew that there was no easy way to tell them, but at least he knew that they’d believe him after watching how Rainbow Dash reacted.

“This is gonna sound like a ton of crap, but it’s the truth.”

Author's Note

Was Pinkie Pie really the one in charge, or was it something else? Something much... worse?