Carter and Conda flew through the air, hitting speeds so fast that it was able to throw off their equilibrium. The red alicorn held tightly onto Grogar, Conda aiding him by keeping his throat closed by wrapping his body around it. While they passed by high-raised clouds, Carter delivered multiple cross punches on Grogar’s face, pulling his forehoof back behind him as he charged each punch, putting the evil ram into a daze. He continued throwing out punches, preventing Grogar from using his magic. This helped the two feel like they had a fair chance of winning.

They soon felt themselves begin to lose altitude, descending towards the surface. In the far distance, Carter identified Cloudsdale coming in the way of their trajectory. It was gonna be a rough landing. Carter placed his hind hooves against Grogar’s stomach and pushed downward, sending the ram down towards the surface beneath them. Conda let go of the ram just before Carter kicked him, slithering up to Carter's backside. Grogar shouted, flailing his hooves around as he watched the grass below get increasingly closer to him.

Above the clouds, Carter looked for a way to make his impending landing at least a bit more survivable. He surveyed the area, trying to find anything soft to land on. He took note that he was heading towards the Wonderbolts base. Knowing from Rainbow Dash that new recruits would often come to train here, there was a high likelihood of finding-.

“Carter, there is-s-s a cras-s-sh pad.” Conda said, pointing his head towards a giant trampoline of sorts.

“Already on it.” Carter replied. He turned his body towards the crash pad, aligning himself with it so that he would have a chance at landing on it upon collision. However, it didn’t take him long to realize that they were losing altitude too quickly. He had to come up with something, but nothing came to mind.

Wait a minute. My wings!

Carter looked back at his feathered appendages. It came to his realization that they were his only hope of survival. With the little knowledge he had about flying and the feeling of sheer dread rushing through him, he let his wings spread out at opposite ends of his body. He felt the intense wind hit him with much force, which screwed up his path of travel, but he quickly corrected himself before it was too late to act. He felt his fall slow a bit, giving him a sense of hope. Though he couldn't gain altitude, he made sure that he wasn't losing any.

The red alicorn kept his eyes on the target area, keeping his wings as still as possible to prevent anything catastrophic even having the smallest chance of occurring. The distance between the two and the crash pad was closing gradually, the anxiety of the entire event growing within them both.

“I don’t s-s-suppos-s-se you can jus-s-st fly us-s-s down there, can you?” Conda inquired, feeling unsure about Carter’s desired method of landing.

“I am afraid I am incapable of doing so, Conda.” Carter said, bracing himself for a painful collision point. “Get ready, we are gonna crash!”

The two creatures smashed themselves into the trampoline-like crash pad, ramming their bodies into its air inflated rubber mass. To their misfortune, the force of their impact was too strong, resulting in the crash pad blowing up and releasing all of its once encapsulated air fairly quickly. Still, the now deflated crash pad did its work, lessening the pain of their landing.

Carter was left lying on the ground, a slight grunt of pain escaping his mouth. He rolled over on his back and onto his side, moving different body parts to see if there were any serious injuries, to which there were none. He heard a hiss come from behind him. He looked over his shoulder and found Conda squished underneath the stallion.

“Oh shoot, Conda!” Carter exclaimed, jumping to his hooves and letting the anaconda slither its way out of the small crater they created upon impact. Conda was in bad shape, many bruises appeared along his scaly body. Carter knelt down and held out his hoof to aid the snake. “You feeling okay?”

“I'm quite fine, I s-s-swear.” Conda said, sprawling his body out in front of him. “That was not the kind of thing I was expecting when I joined you. Albeit, I know we had no choice.” The snake let out a bit of laughter, a couple hisses pushed out in between breaths. Carter shook his head with a smirk on his face and grabbed the anaconda. He picked him up and placed him on his back.

“We should be lucky that we landed on this crash pad. If we were to land on clouds, I am pretty sure that we’d fall right through and meet our doom.” Carter said, pointing over towards the cloudy runway near them.

“Well, I would. You would be fine, considering that you are part pegasus.” Conda corrected.

“Oh yeah, huh…” Carter said. He forgot the fact that he could walk on clouds. Thinking about it, he wondered if it would've been a softer landing if he aimed for the clouds.

They required time to catch their breath, but that moment of peace was quickly snatched from them when they saw the shadow of an ominous figure hover above them. They turned around and found Grogar floating in the air. He looked different, this time having very bright wings along his back. They were similar to the ones Twilight spoke of; wings that could be made by means of magic. Grogar looked down upon them and laughed maniacally.

“You insipid fools! You really thought that you could take me out so easily? I am not some henchmen, dear boy… I am the almighty Grogar!” Grogar stared at them with a hellish fire almost literally visible in his eyes. “Your actions have doomed Equestria. I didn’t want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice! I am going straight towards Canterlot and destroying Twilight Sparkle and her friends once and for all!”

“No! I won’t allow this, Grogar!” Carter shouted, anger filling his fighting spirit. “Come down here and face me like a real man, or you will die a coward!”

“Um, how about you come up and here and get me… oh wait, you can’t!” Grogar let out another booming laugh. “To think that you are the one that is supposed to save Equestria? Oh my gosh, go ahead and try, dear boy. I will await the time you can even manage to fly! Ahahaha!”

With that, Grogar fled the scene, heading straight towards Canterlot. Carter began to feel panic overflow inside him. Twilight would not be prepared for the likes of him, and he didn’t want anything ruining their special holiday. He ran after Grogar, knowing deep down that there was no way that he could even dream of catching up to him at the pace he was traveling. He fell to the cloudy ground beneath him, jaw left agape as he thought about the destruction and devastation that would be brought upon Equestria because he let Grogar escape.

Think, Carter, think! How the hell can I reach Twilight before he arrives…?

Carter lifted his head and turned his attention towards the Wonderbolts base. He had an idea appear in his head. He could perhaps get one of the Wonderbolts to send an emergency message to the princess before Grogar arrived. It was what he could see as his only hope.

With haste, Carter ran over towards the base, not letting a single second go to waste. He had to do something, as this was the only thing he could think of. He walked up to the front doors and tried to open it. The doors were locked. He knocked on the door with force, pleading for somepony to come outside. Carter saw a most unfortunate sign below him, hanging from a chain that was bolted onto the door.

Closed! Damnit, no! No!

Carter banged his hoof against the door in anger and swore to himself. He growled as he continued pounding against the door. The one chance he had at saving Equestria from doom was now gone. It was a horrible feeling knowing that he potentially pushed this upon the inhabitants. What he originally thought was just a simple task from the visions now proved to be something much greater than he could even comprehend.

“Carter…” Conda started. “you like adventure, right?”

“Yeah? Why do you ask me that at a time like this?” Carter inquired, shaking his head in frustration.

“There may be another way to stop this.” He pointed his head towards a large contraption out in the distance called the Dizzytron. It was a ginormous circular machine with a smaller circle within it for pegasus ponies to practice regaining balance during training. Carter smiled. There was still hope yet.

“Do you know how dangerous that idea is?” Carter asked.

“Yes-s-s… but I do believe you know it too.” Conda replied, smiling back at the giddy stallion.

“You know damn well I understand. Let’s get moving.” Carter and Conda raced over towards the Dizzytron. Once nearby, Carter climbed up into the cockpit and readied himself for what would probably be the most stressful moment of his life. Conda slithered his way over to the lever, awaiting for Carter’s signal. “You pull the lever, Conda. Once I am launched, wait here until I return.”

“Ready when you are.” Conda shouted. Carter nodded to the snake, holding tightly onto the metal bar in front of him that held his body in place. With no time to lose, Conda used his tail to pull on the lever. After a few mechanical shafts clicked into position, the machine began to spin Carter in a circle, giving him a rather dizziness right on the spot. The two of them waited as the Dizzytron slowly built up speed, maxing out at a rapid rate.

“Pull the lever, Conda!” Carter shouted, hearing nothing but wind blast through his eardrums. Conda pulled back on the second lever and waited to see Carter fly into the skies above. Nothing of the like happened. Instead, the Dizzytron built up more speed. Conda panicked and looked at the monitor. The speedometer went up from tortoise to skulls. “Wrong lever, Conda!” Carter shouted, feeling his sickness grow within him.

“Ah! S-s-sorry!” Conda shouted, switching positions and pulling back on the last lever. In a flash, Carter’s entire being was sent flying out into the night sky, speeding past the clouds at an astonishing rate. Carter was long past Conda’s field of view within a few seconds. Conda began hyperventilating, collapsing to the ground almost instantly, yet still making sure that he wouldn’t fall through the clouds next to him. “Oh my gos-s-sh… what have I jus-s-st done to him!?” He said, breathing in and out rapidly.

Carter immediately regretted his decision. At the speeds he was traveling, he was sure that he’d be dead by the time he first hit the ground. Tears filled the outlines of his squinted eyes as the intensity of the winter winds pressed themselves against his face. He couldn’t find any signs of Grogar, which only made him more concerned. At least on Earth, Carter was never one to truly express his emotions, as he felt as though there were rarely times meant for that. But right now, he was not afraid to, as he shouted in panic as he continued zipping through the sky.

A familiar blue color scheme caught his attention. Carter turned his head towards it and focused his vision upon the splotch of color. It was Grogar. He furrowed his brow and grinned. Carter had the ram right where he wanted him, now it was just a matter of not missing his target. Even as his hope grew, he realized that he did not think this of his through. He saw Grogar, sure, but what exactly was he planning on doing was beyond his current understanding. He felt foolish, regretting his choices all the more.

I have no choice. Damnit, Carter… next time get a brain.

With Grogar right in front of him, Carter, shooting through the air like a bullet, aligned himself with the blue ram, forelegs out in front of him. The moment came and Carter grabbed onto Grogar from behind. Grogar looked back and scoffed at the stallion who piggy-backed on him.

“Fool! You just don’t know when to quit, do you?” Grogar shouted.

“It’s funny, really. You have been alive for quite a few centuries, and yet you dare ask me that question!?” Carter shouted. Carter lifted his hoof in the air to deliver a quick jab. Before it could connect, Grogar used his magic to push Carter off of himself, but the stallion stayed on, wrapping himself tightly around the blue ram’s body.

“You will wish you were dead by the time I am done with you!” Grogar exclaimed, feeling rather annoyed by Carter’s persistence.

“Better me than them!” Carter quickly took this time to get up and do something probably regretful, not unlike everything else he had done up to this point. He reached out and grabbed a hold of Grogar’s magical wings.

“Boy, what are you doing!?” Grogar shouted, realizing Carter’s intentions.

“Catch you on the rebound.” With that, Carter pulled Grogar’s wings right off of his body. They detached in an instant, resolving into nothing but magic particles that melted away in the air. The two soon found themselves beginning the fall towards the surface, just was Carter wanted.

“Incompetant fool. You think you have won? I can just make more wings with my-” Carter jumped off and roundhouse kicked the evil ram right under his chin, forcing Grogar towards the surface much faster. Now a few meters from each other, Carter narrowed his body to speed up to the ram. Freefalling their way downward, Carter kept eyes on his target the entire way down.

Nearing the snow beneath them with every passing second, Carter reached out to grab Grogar, but the blue ram used his magic to push him far away from him. Carter spun out of control, unable to recover due to his lack of flight knowledge. He saw nothing but the blurs of snow and grass appear beneath him, growing in size as he fell.

A loud puff of snow erupted from where Carter landed. To his surprise, nothing about him was off. He found himself at the bottom of a large mound of snow, unharmed, uninjured, and still alive. He exhaled a sigh of relief, pushing himself out of the snow and up to the surface.

Once above the thick layer of snow, Carter surveyed his surroundings, looking for Grogar. While he couldn’t find the ram, he did spot rocks put into large piles. He spotted a lot of rock piles. There were rocks as far as the eye could see.

A rock farm? What the hell?

Carter heard some noises coming from behind him. He turned around with haste, expecting to find Grogar coming out of the snow. He was instead met with a large beam of blue magic that was shot right towards him. The pain he felt was immeasurable, the feeling was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Dealing with magic was not something he ever thought he would fight, yet here he was, lying on the ground, seething with rage as he was forced to the dirt beneath him by an intense beam of magic.

“You cannot win this! I have told you for the last time.” Grogar said, pushing the beam upon Carter with even more force. The stallion shouted in pain as it filled his entire body. “You have proved to me that if I don’t take care of you now then you will just annoy me throughout my entire journey. Quite frankly, I can’t have that.”

The magic beam shot from Grogar’s bell shaped necklace slowly began to enfuse itself into Carter’ being, as if he was subconsciously absorbing it by choice. Grogar saw this happening, expecting nothing more. He laughed aloud as he continued torturing the stallion.

“They were right about you. It appears that you do indeed carry the Darth Spawn.” Grogar said. The more Grogar’s magic was infused into Carter’s body, the more Carter was being corrupted by the black rock within him. His eyes returned to a state of green and his voice dropped. “Funny, the very thing they tried to fight so long ago now finds its way back to Equestria through you. What kind of friend would do that?”

“Ahhhh!” Carter found it difficult to deal with the immense pain inflicted upon him at every given moment. He felt himself grow in anger and hatred as the magic took control of him. The malicious voice took over his conscience, delivering sinful and dishonorable thoughts into himself.

“Accept it, boy! Your time to join the cause is at hand. It will not be long from now when you will finally understand your place in the magical world you so call home.”

“Shut up! Shut up!” Carter’s color slowly began changing from red to a dark black. The Darth Spawn seemed to corrupt him faster than the last time, just as Star Swirl had said. Carter continued fighting the dark entity, but Grogar’s magic was making the process much more difficult. It felt pointless. Last time he underwent corruption, it took the entirety of the ponies to help him recover, but to do it by himself with the Darth Spawn itself along with Grogar’s magic doing this seemed damn near impossible.

“Well now,” Grogar started, a dark smile spreading across his face. “the mighty ‘hero’ falls. Such a shame, too. I was expecting so much more.” He spoke softly, as if he wasn’t even giving it his all. “Soon, Equestria will fall, and you will have no one to blame for it but yourself. Ironic, isn't it? You just wanted to protect them, but you've instead doomed them all.”

“No, no it won’t!” Carter shouted.

“Yep, and they will have no one to blame but yourself.”

“I will not fail them! I can’t!”

“Oh, but you already have. You feel it happening. The Darth Spawn’s powers are not to be misjudged. It will take control of you, or kill you if it can’t. Whichever one happens, I don’t care.” Grogar laughed, peeking his magic to its maximum. “What a shame… what a shame. What would the others think when they see Twilight Sparkle’s head on a platter."

“RRAAGGHH!!!” Carter shouted in anger with the most violent tone ever heard. Grogar stumbled back, keeping the magical beam shooting out at the stallion, yet still feeling rather startled by the alicorn's sudden outburst. Carter's black body now changed to white, shining across the landscape with a bright glow. Carter pushed himself off of the ground, yelling at the blue ram with extreme anger. Grogar was feeling nervous; Carter seemed to not only fight the Darth Spawn, but also use its powers to fight against Grogar's magic.

"What have you done!?" Grogar shouted, stepping away from the agitated alicorn at a faster speed while Carter continued closing in on him. Carter roared with a growl in his voice. In time, Carter, still shaking from the powers of the beam, lifted his front hoof and sent it straight out towards Grogar. The impact of this particular punch sent Grogar flying across the rock farm, smashing his body into a giant silo.

Carter, filled with rage, lifted his head up towards the sky, shouting as loud as he could into the night sky. Grogar, far across the other side of the area, got up to his hooves, shaking off all of the debris that fell on him after smashing into the metal silo behind him. He charged up a ball of energy and shot it out at Carter. With an ultimate fury residing within him, Carter yelled at the top of his lungs, releasing an unknown blast of magic surrounded by a red aura from his horn. The two forces collided, resulting in a concussive wave of magic exploding outwards, knocking the two off their hooves and away from each other.

Laying across the ground, Carter lifted his head, placing his hoof over his eye once he felt a sharp pain arise. He looked across the rock farm, finding Grogar in a state of shock and panic. Grogar was fumbling around in the dirt, going through what looked like pieces of metal. It took a few moments before Carter understood what was happening, but he let out a small laugh while he got up when it all made sense to him.

“How!? No pony could ever have the powers to do this!” Grogar shouted. The bell that gave him magical powers was now nothing but shards of the past, layered atop the dirt beneath them. “Unless… you are not a pony! Oh, Gods! What are you? What the heck are you!?”

“I don’t know what I am, but I will destroy you! I will have vengeance for what you have done to all of those ponies so long ago! You will not see the light of day ever again!” Carter shouted, his eyes changing from green to white.

“You cannot win, I will triumph. It is my destiny!” Grogar shouted.

“I don’t believe in what others have predicted, only what is fact.” Carter placed his hooves on the dirt floor, pushing them against the earth. “Your reign of terror ends here, Grogar! No pony, nor any creature, will fall to your hooves anymore!”

Grogar ran at the stallion, driven by fear to act without thinking. Carter, rage still felt within his soul, rolled under him as the ram attempted a jumping kick. With haste, Carter looked back and bucked him in the side, forcing him to the ground. Carter jumped on top of him and threw out a flurry of punches to his abdomen and face, blood spilling from the wounds that followed.

Grogar grabbed Carter by the neck and lifted him off the ground, spinning him around in a circle before throwing him away from his current position. Carter landed on his hooves, picking up a rock and throwing it straight at the blue ram with a mighty throw. It smacked him in the jaw, a loud crack echoing around the vicinity. Grogar let out a cry of pain, shaking it off and holding a stance.

Carter took this chance to get Grogar in a disadvantage. He leapt out at the ram and tackled him to the ground again, this time taking a nearby rock and smashing it against Grogar’s left foreleg. The impact forced his leg into the ground, keeping him immobile for the time being. Carter punched him across the face with two consecutive jabs before retreating. The rage infused alicorn headed towards the giant rock silo. Once there, he placed his hooves underneath the lip of the silo and lifted upward with his backegs.

Grogar watched as the silo slowly fell towards him. He struggled where he layed, shaking in place, trying desperately to get his leg out of the dirt. He pulled back with all his might, wanting to get away from the falling monstrosity. Carter, with a loud grunt, threw his hooves over his head and watched the silo fall to the ground.

The impact of the fallen silo created a loud boom across the area, sending dust and dirt flying all around it. Carter held his hooves up to his eyes, blocking the debris from hitting his face. He leaned into the direction of the silo, getting sent back a bit as the impact created a moderate shockwave. Once it died down, Carter looked around at his surroundings. He found no signs of Grogar. It would seem that the battle was over in his favor. He had won. He had beaten the likes of Grogar. Content with his victory, Carter turned back, heading towards Tartarus to free the encapsulated ponies.

“This is the last straw!!!” Carter turned around instantly, watching Grogar blast through the interior of the metal silo with ease. He rushed the stallion, holding his front hooves out in front of him. Carter reacted with the same thing, stopping the attack and pushing Grogar’s hooves with his own. The two met face to face, pushing against each other with extreme force. “I have allowed this insolence to last for too long!” Their combined forces began to split the land around them in two, leaving a crack in the earth where they stood.

Grogar lifted his hoof and punched Carter square in his horn. A most devastating pain shot through him, forcing him to falter backwards. Grogar led up with a mighty buck, sending his back hooves out towards his adversary. Carter dodged with ease, grabbing onto his hindlegs, flipping him over his head and onto the ground. Carter followed with a kick of his own, this one making contact with his intended target. The ram quickly got to his hooves and rammed the stallion with his horns. Carter fell onto the ground, Grogar stood over him in defiance.

“Give up, boy. That weak body of yours will give out, and I will-” Grogar shouted in pain as Carter placed a rock in his hoof and threw it out at him. “Errgh! Darn rocks!” Carter jumped up and kicked the villainous ram right under his chin, whipping his head back and sending him backward. The red alicorn swung his leg underneath Grogar, kicking him off of his hooves. Grogar quickly recovered before Carter could act, sending the two back to equal positions.

“You won’t get away with this.” Carter said, smiling to himself.

“How could you possibly hope to defeat me!?” Grogar shouted, feeling fatigued.

“I am not here to defeat you, just keep you in place.”

“What?” Carter kicked backwards, shifting himself away from Grogar’s current position. “What are you doing?” Grogar was feeling rather unsure about Carter’s choices, wondering if this was some sort of retreat. He soon felt something bite down on his shoulder. He cried in pain, flailing around in a futile attempt to rid himself of whatever it was that was biting him. He felt the jaws of the attacker release. Grogar turned around and found a group of timberwolves, along with an anaconda, standing right in front of him, snarling at him with their frothy teeth showing. "How did they get here?"

"Flint gave us special medallions. They used them in case we ever got split up."

"Ergh!"

"I know it sounds like a toon of bullshit, but there is a reason that friendship is so powerful. For example, we as a group will whoop your solo ass!" Carter taunted.

"Cute, but it will take more than this to defeat me!" Grogar exclaimed.

"You talk too much!"

Carter and Conda devised a well planned attack. Carter threw out a jab that didn't come nearly close enough to hit Grogar, but that part was planned. Conda took the chance to slither across Carter's foreleg and stretch out towards the ram. Conda's head rammed against Grogar's, forcing the ram back a bit.

The timberwolves followed up with many slashes from their clawed paws, Gaea leading the pack as they rained down a flurry of scratches upon him. Grogar, unable to use magic, felt overpowered by the advantages number of creatures around him. He tried to fight back, but his attempts proved futile.

Sensing a weakness rise within him, the timberwolves leapt into the air and violently bit down on each of Grogar's limbs. They tugged against them, stretching him outward. Conda slithered over to the ram and wrapped his body around him, constricting Grogar with his snake-like abilities. Carter, keeping his head low, slowly approached Grogar.

"You think this is over!?" Grogar shouted.

"What do you seek, Grogar?" Carter inquired. "Power? It will not satisfy you. If you win, you will never find true happiness; you will walk among Equestria, searching for a purpose to your madness, but there will be nothing left for you to live for. Stop this insolence and come clean. It is not too late."

"I will never give in." Grogar scowled. "Kill me if you must, but know that I will keep coming back. They always think I am gone, but I show up again every time!"

"I will not kill you, Gorgar. That is not my choice to make." Finishing the fight, Carter punched Groger square in his jaw, sending him straight into the ground, creating a small crater where the ram laid. A small dust cloud puffed im front of the creatures, keeping the suspense of the event high. Once cleared out, nothing but an unconscious ram laid quietly along the dirt. The fight was over, at least for now.

"What do we do now?" Gaea asked, staring down upon the unconscious ram. They all took a few seconds to catch their breath, checking each other for any serious wounds. Carter looked down at his body, finding the white markings along his fur. They slowly faded away, returning to its natural red color. He took note of this, reminding himself to talk to Twilight about this. Carter looked across the way, staring at the gates of Tartarus that glowed in the distance. He smirked to himself.

"We give him hell."

~

Carter threw Grogar into the closest cell, slamming the door shut behind him. A magical lock surrounded the bars, sealing the evil ram within its confines. Grogar shook the bars with vigor, demanding release.

"I demand that you release me at once!" Grogar shouted, pounding his hooves against the cell. Carter turned around and eyed him with his stoic look. He approached the cell with forceful steps, keeping his eyes locked on his adversary's.

"You listen to me, you son of a bitch. If I catch you doing so much as taking one step out of line, I will take my hooves and beat you until you are nothing but a bloody puddle, void of any and all life that you have once clung on to." Carter snarled before turning away.

"Ha! To think that Twilight and her friends actually considers you one of them. You don't seek friendship, you seek blood. You seek the destruction of your enemies for your own selfish gain. You don't really care about them, you only care for yourself. I know that you aren't a pony, but you are no better than them."

"I seek justice. It may not be done the same way they see it fit, but I go by their laws all the same. I didn't kill you, even though part of me wants to. Why not? Because I have friends, friends who keep me from doing something that I would regret. Friends that keep me accountable. But… being honest, killing you would be the least of my concerns. I'm not perfect, and I know that I make mistakes, but unlike you, at least I do things for the betterment of the ponies."

Carter walked back towards the secret area of Tartarus, the timberwolves and Conda following closely behind. Grogar knew he was defeated. He hung his head down in shame, getting accustomed to his new living space.

Heading back to free the tortured ponies, Grogar’s words stuck in Carter’s mind. He wondered if he could really say that he did the right thing. Would the others think of him as a hero, or just another killer seeking a made up justice?

“We did the right thing… correct?” Carter asked quietly, speaking to the timberwolves without giving them eye contact.

“What do you mean by that, Carter?” Gaea inquired. “Are you saying we did something wrong?”

“No… not exactly.” Carter turned his focus towards them, continuing his path down the dark hallway. “What I am asking is did we really do the right things in order to take down Grogar?”

“Ah… naive pony.” Gaea said, shaking her head. Carter perked his head up, intrigued by what she had to say to him. “You are so influenced by the ponies’ way of living that you think of it as the only way to live. You believe that their method of ‘friendship’ is the only way to find peace. It isn’t.”

“What do you mean?” Carter asked.

“Us timberwolves are very primal hunters, yet we still function well. We do what we must to survive. If there is a threat upon us, we kill it. We do so through closing our heart to them. We should not feel for them, as they would not feel for us. There is always more than one way to deal with problems. If you think it best to rid the enemy by taking their life, that’s fine. If you find a more passive approach better, then be our guest. The point of their teachings is to tell you to find the best way to deal with problems in life, not just act out of fear and lose control. It’s true, sometimes violence is the best answer, but not the only one. We did what we had to do; whether it was the best way to handle it or not is no one’s choice. There will always be those who see both halves of the story.”

“So you believe we did the right thing?” Carter inquired.

“I believe we did what was right, yes. But the right way to handle it? That's up to the majority to figure out.” Carter nodded. He understood the words that came from her mouth. She was right, the ‘right thing’ is subjective, and there will always be those who see a different side. Nothing can ever be truly done ‘right.’ As long as he did what he thought was best for everyone then he was content with his decisions. It was a difficult balance to handle, but one he was beginning to understand. It was ultimately decided based on if he could look back upon his choices without regret. But, what Gaea said. Fear. That would stick in his mind for the nights to come.

The group made their way across the bridge yet again, returning to the giant mass of cages. Carter walked up to where the machine stood, eyeing a lever. The freedom for the captured ponies was nigh. He grabbed hold of the lever and pulled downward. Mechanical sounds of varying volumes echoed throughout the volcanic land, Carter smiling to himself, knowing victory was imminent.

The cages flew open, revealing the ponies to the world. They all cheered in unison, rejoicing in their newly found freedom. They stepped outside of their cages and smiled, stretching out their exhausted bodies and basking in the light of the sun that pierced through the hole where Carter and Grogar were shot from.

Carter was happy. He was filled with joy knowing that he and his team were the ones who saved these creatures from possibly an eternal torment. He was happy knowing that they could live their lives in peace now that they were freed from their prisons. It was a good feeling, yet something still stuck in his mind. Why was it the apple/pear tree that showed him the visions? Why did he still feel like it linked up with what was shown in front of him?

“You there, young alicorn.” A frail, gold stallion with a blue mane said. “Are you the one who freed us?”

“Not just me.” Carter said, humbling himself. “If it weren’t for my timberwolf allies, I doubt you would see the light of day.”

“Is Grogar really stopped? Are we able to live in peace?” A mare asked.

“He is imprisoned in this very place. You will not have to fear living in the shadows of Tartarus any longer.” Carter jumped atop a large boulder, standing tall and defiant for all to see. Something impowering took hold of him, and he felt it necessary to share his words with the other ponies. The timberwolves stood next to him, circling around him like they would for the alpha of a wolf pack. They sensed his speech and stood beside him, feeling proud to have fought for such a great stallion. “For fifteen years you all have suffered by the hooves of Grogar. For over thousands of years he has proven to be more powerful than any of us could fathom. But no more! From this day forth, we will not hide in the shadows of fear, no, we will come out from our hiding and fight for what we live for. As the elder leaders have said before us, we are not divided, we are one! Earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns alike need to live in harmony, and likewise, fight alongside each other for the betterment of ponykind. Never again shall evil triumph over us and never again will any of us fall to them!”

The crowd cheered and applauded Carter for his speech, feeling proud knowing that they were all part of such a great species. They gathered around him, asking him all kinds of questions and comments. Carter, basking in the limelight, made sure to stay humble as to not make himself look like a fool. He tried his best to reply to each of them, yet still stay under control with all the attention he was getting. He felt like a hero, and it was an amazing feeling.

Carter smiled to everyone, feeling nothing but purpose and happiness. He loved every second of it, wanting it to last forever. It was such a great feeling to him knowing that his doings were finally recongnized and better yet accepted by the public. He was proud to have fought for them, but even more so, he felt as though he made his family proud, wherever they were. He enjoyed the attention he was receiving. That is, until two particular ponies caught his eye. One, a cream colored earth pony mare with a bright orange mane, and the other, a yellow earth pony stallion with a red mane. His jaw dropped, feeling as though he was dreaming. He pushed the others away, running over to them.

The two ponies saw his arrival, feeling rather timid with what he had to say. Carter came up to them and stared at them, jaw left agape and eyes as wide as they could be. There was a moment of silence, everypony in the area wondering, waiting for something to happen. Carter was at a loss for words, letting out nothing but sporadic breathing patterns. He mustered enough courage to finally talk to the two ponies.

“Are you…” Carter started, fumbling over his words while he stared at the two ponies. “Are y-y-you… Pear Butter and Bright Mac?”

“Why, yes we are.” The mare said, nodding her head towards Carter as a greeting. “Are you feeling ok, child?”

“Why do you look at us like that?” The stallion inquired, placing his hoof over his mate.

“Oh my gosh. They thought they’d lost you.” Carter said, a few tears running from his eyes.

“They? Who are they?” Pear Butter asked. A confused look swept over them both, but deep down, part of them knew the answer. The want for answers showed through their eyes, yearning for the one thing they wanted to hear.

“You all have serious catching up to do when we return.” Carter held his hoof out. The mare, hesitant at first, reached out and held it. “She will be happy to see you again…”

Author's Note

WTF. Pear Butter and Bright Mac? Where have we heard of those names?

You guys must have a lot of questions, don't worry, all will be answered in due time. And if not, well, comment or PM me telling my stupid ass that I have some explaining to do. Either works. LMAO.