"Congratulations, Carter! You have successfully learned about all I could teach you about friendship! Your maturity has surpassed even my expectations and your journal entries are simply amazing!" Twilight said, commemorating the red alicorn for his achievements. The Mane 6, along with the Royal Advisor, Spike, were all gathered around in a circular formation as they watched Carter formally graduate from Princess Twilight's teachings about friendship and the powers that it possesses. While the Princess of Friendship gave her big speech, Carter and the others quietly watched, hearing what their leader had to say to the stallion.

It feels good to know that I have matured and grown over the course of these last few weeks. I hope you are happy with the man I have become, Mom and Dad. Rest assured, I probably wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for your everlasting support.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate Carter and his recent achievements! Carter has done what only a few of my students have been able to accomplish so far: learning about friendship and the magic it brings to them. Carter, may your kind and loving personality grow ever brighter in the days that follow and let the magic of friendship flow through you and spread to everyone you meet."

“Thank you, your majesty.” Carter said, kneeling before the Princess of Friendship. “It brings me great joy knowing that I have grown a lot since I have started this. I cannot thank you and your friends enough for everything that you have taught me.”

“You learned mighty quickly, Carter. Makes me wonder if ya even needed help in the first place.” Applejack said.

“It wasn’t necessarily that he needed to learn about friendship, as he already knew what it was like to be a friend to others. Carter just needed somepony to remind him about the things he was missing out on.” Twilight said. Princess Twilight turned around and pulled out a wooden box from behind her desk, picking it up with her hooves and placing it beside her. “That is not actually everything I have to say to you, Carter.”

“Is there something else you wish to inform me about?” Carter inquired, intrigued by the princess’ words.

“Well, as we all know by now, Carter has done some absolutely astonishing things during his short time here in Equestria.” The mares standing beside the stallion all nodded to him in agreement. “Carter, you have done what most ponies would consider to be impossible to do by themselves, yet you have overcome these obstacles time and time again, proving yourself stronger than your adversaries.”

“I was just trying to do the right thing, your majesty.” Carter said, humbling himself.

“But that’s just it, Carter. You have done what others would never even attempt, let alone overcome. You alone saved Rainbow Dash from the evil creature that resided within the Everfree Forest and you two destroyed it, saving all of Equestria and restoring peace. Not only that, but you also stopped Grogar from possibly bringing Equestria back into a state of war and you also saved thousands of presumably dead ponies, freeing them from their prisons and giving them a second chance at living the lives they so desperately yearned for.” Princess Twilight turned to her left and opened the box. She reached in and pulled out a golden crown with a special, white gem in the shape of two sword crossing paths in front of a large shield. The mare held it out in front of her, showing the stallion all of its extravagant, lavish features. "Now without further ado, by the power invested in me, I award our new friend with the honor of becoming a new and valued member of the Council of Friendship!"

Carter was left surprised, jaw hanging agape and eyes wide with dilated pupils. He was absolutely baffled by the mare's statement. The Council of Friendship was only meant for the Mane 6, along with Spike, keeping the peace in Equestria and spreading friendship around the world. But knowing that he would now become a member of their group was something he just couldn't fathom.

"Twilight, erm… your majesty," Carter began saying, stumbling over his words as he spoke due to the information being processed in his mind. "Did you just make me a part of the Council?" The stallion inquired, making sure that he heard her words correctly.

"I did!" Twilight said, gleaming with a vibrant smile swept over her face, excitement beaming out of her. "The girls and I talked over it, but we came down to the decision that you should join us! Your determination and strength that you have displayed to us has shown us that you are more than capable and ready to join us and help spread the magic of friendship!"

"We also thought that it would be a great idea to invite you to join the Council since you are a guy." Fluttershy said, walking up to Carter and presenting herself to him. "Poor little Spike has been the only other guy in this group. It would be a shame to him knowing that it would have to stay that way."

"That isn't at all to say that your gender is the only reason we would even consider you a valid member of the Council." The purple dragon said, waving his hands in front of himself as he spoke.

"Not at all. You have shown us that you are one cool pony. Maybe even as cool as me!" Rainbow Dash said, throwing her head back and crossing her arms with a heroic expression.

“Ooh, wouldn’t that be something?” Carter said, laughing under his breath. “But… in all honesty, do you really think that I am worthy of filling in such a spot? I mean, I am not even a pony. I am not even from this world.”

“I do.” Twilight said, stepping down the stairs that led to her throne and approaching the stallion. “You are not from this world and I fully understand that. But because of that, you have knowledge and skills beyond our own. Together we can do amazing things!” Twilight stopped within a few inches of the red alicorn and held out his crown. “You are worthy of this title just as much as me and my friends are. You have done so much for us, let me do the same for you.”

Carter looked down at the golden crown resting upon the lavender mare’s hoof. He was hesitant with deciding whether or not he should take it and accept his new position amongst the others. He thought it was the perfect thing for him, as he always wanted to help others. But knowing that he was only placed in Equestria to learn about friendship, the spirit might come by at any point and return him to Earth. There were a lot of variables that came into play, all of which he had to look over and thoroughly evaluate.

“Carter, what do you say?” Twilight asked, noticing the silence from the silence. Carter turned his attention to the princess and smiled, nodding to her before taking the crown from her and placing it on top of his head.

“I accept this position, your majesty.” Carter said. The mares surrounding him all cheered in excitement. Pinkie Pie, who was quite literally bouncing off walls just a moment ago, pulled out her party cannon and shot a loud burst of confetti all across the throne room, coating each pony with lots of blue and pink paper particles.

“Please, Carter. I told you to just call me Twilight.” The lavender mare said, also finding herself rather excited that the stallion had accepted his new position.

“Well, Twilight, I will make sure that decision of yours does not give you any regrets.” Carter said, saluting the princess with his hoof.

“I doubt it will.” Twilight said.

“Wow… this is a lot to take in.” Carter said, noticing that his heart rate had spiked. “Can I go get some fresh air really quick?”

“Of course, Carter. Take your time, you have earned it.” Carter thanked the princess and ran outside of the castle walls.

Carter later found himself looking out over the land he had grown so accustomed to. He grew more depressed the longer he thought about having to leave these amazing creatures, but he knew that it was for the best. Humans were not ready to be a part of the ponies… and yet, even then, Carter found himself longing to stay with the ponies. He felt restless, wanting to talk with the spirit that did this to him and just tell him that he wanted to stay.

“So… you have completed your task.” Carter turned around and saw the spirit standing right behind him. His familiar cloak rested over his head, hiding his facial features. “Then it would appear that you are ready for the next step.”

“Sir, please listen to me, I just want to stay here and… did you just say ‘next step,’ sir?” Carter was confused by the spirit’s words.

“I am afraid I have hidden something far beyond your comprehension, boy. It is time I revealed the truth about myself and the dark future that awaits these creatures.”

“Sir, you are not making any sense.” Carter said, trying to understand what the spirit was trying to tell him. “My job was to learn about friendship, was it not?”

“I am afraid that is only half of it.” The spirit said, almost feeling anguish for saying such words.

“What? What do you mean?” Carter asked. The stallion began to feel betrayed by the spirit, causing him to rise in anger. He demanded answers. The spirit said nothing to him, only looking down at the ground. The spirit lifted his hands above his head and grabbed a hold of his hood. Slowly but surely, the spirit pulled the hood away from his face, revealing his true identity. Once completely off of his head and resting upon his shoulder, Carter was left with nothing but hurt and betrayal. The man standing before him was dark haired, with a big, bushy beard that hung from his chin. The man was around death, looking frail and scarred. Yet even with this limited information, Carter knew who the man truly was.

“This cannot be!” Carter said, denying his eyes with what they showed him. “You cannot be… no! I refuse to believe this!”

“Yes, boy. It is true.” The man said, standing still in his place, not a single muscle moving on his body besides his lips when he spoke. “I am you from the future.”

“But why? Why have you brought me here? What is your true intention for bringing me to this place? You said I was on the verge of death if I did not learn about friendship. That is what you told me!” Carter was furious, his body shaking with rage as he spoke.

“You were, boy. But it is time I came out with the truth.” The man let out a sigh before he continued. “There is a war coming, one that these creatures have never seen the likes of. If they are to fight by themselves, they will fall and they will surely perish. I had to go through the same thing as you are back when I was your age, but I failed. I refused to help them in their time of need and let them suffer because of my choices. I brought you here to hopefully change this for you and those you love.”

“But why? This is not my fight. They are not my species. I should’ve never come here!” Carter shouted.

“But you are here nonetheless aren’t you, boy?” The man shouted, he too built up in rage. “You know what it’s like to lose someone you love. I do too. I brought you here so that you may fix the things that I have done wrong and hopefully rewrite history with a different story.” The man looked down at his hands, shaking at the sight of his fingers. Carter knew that look all too well. He too would look at his hands from time to time, imagining the blood that once rested along his palms as the man he once was. “I only wanted what was best for both you and these creatures, boy. The Carter I know would never back down from a fight when it came down to protecting those he loved.”

“...” Carter could not find the words to say to his future self. He was distressed. He knew that the spirit’s intentions were only for the good of Equestria and its citizens, but to know that he was basically placed in this world as a weapon was something he could never have seen coming. “Why did you wait this long to tell me?” Carter asked.

“You would never have agreed. You would have backed away from this task, fearful of the man you’d become if you had to do so much as take one more soul.” The man looked up at Carter, furrowing his brow. “I know for a fact that even you could agree with that.” Carter could do nothing but nod in agreement.

“What happens? How can I fight this upcoming evil?” Carter inquired.

“I cannot tell you for sure, for each time this event happens the outcome is different from the last.” The man said. “My only advice is that I trust you to do the right thing.”

“But how? How can I…” Carter stopped talking, noticing that the spirit was no longer with him. Carter turned his head, trying to find the spirit, but he was no longer nearby.

Filled with an unnatural amount of rage and betrayal, Carter collapsed to the floor, slamming his hooves against the ground beneath him as he shouted out in rage. The recent events were all too much for him to comprehend so quickly, and he knew that he would just have to accept it, even if it wasn’t what he wanted. The truth of the matter stayed with him even through his emotions. He really did grow attached to these creatures, and he would absolutely risk his life to save them should the need arise.

Carter got up to his hooves and stood tall and defiant. If the spirit was telling the truth about this upcoming war, then he would need to be ready for anything. The stallion headed back to the others, wishing to warn them about the evils to come.

To think that it was never about me. I only came here to fight. Is that really what I am meant to be? Just a warrior? A man simply used to fight? Why don’t I ever get a chance. But… then again, the spirit was right. I do have a chance. I could walk away right now, or I could fight. They are my friends, and I do love them dearly. Damn… so many questions still left unanswered.

Carter opened the door and looked up, looking for the princess. He found her in the middle of the room, but something was far from normal about her. Every single one of them were encased in a green, slimy cocoon of sorts with nothing but their heads sticking out of it. Twilight’s eyes were wide beyond belief, sweat dripping from her mane and her body shaking violently. She mouthed the words, run, but by the time he could understand her, a blast of black magic surrounded him. The magical particles morphed into a long link of serrated chains, embedding themselves into Carter’s limbs. The stallion screamed in pain, trying to pull away from the painful bondage that locked him in place, only to feel his skin become even more lacerated with every pull he did.

“Hahaha! The mighty warrior falls to the hooves of yours truly.” Carter looked up and saw an unwelcoming face standing before him. The stallion gritted his teeth together and furrowed his brow.

Grogar!

“You didn’t think that you could get rid of me so easily, did you?” The ram said, pushing his nose up against Carter’s, taunting him with threats. “Haha! This young creature really thought that he alone could defeat the likes of me! It took armies to fight me the first time, and even then I gave them a bit of trouble. But you? Ha! Don’t make me laugh!”

“You fucking demon. I will-”

“What? You will do what? Oh, that’s right, nothing!” Grogar laughed aloud, his voice echoing around the throne room. Carter noticed a familiar bell hanging from Grogar’s neck. His eyes widened when he saw it. “Oh, this little thing? Yeah, you destroyed my decoy bell. But this one is the real deal, and let me make it very clear that it is exponentially more powerful than the one I fought you with last time we met.”

“But how?” Fluttershy asked, struggling in her bonds. “Discord was the one who hid the bell! Unless… I my gosh.” The cream colored mare fell to nothing but tears, thinking that her friend had perished by the hooves of Grogar.

“No, silly pony. Your friend Discord actually gave me the bell.” Grogar said, wiggling the bell out in front of himself.

“You liar! Discord would never even think of helping the likes of you!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

“Ha! You are all a bunch of idiots!” Grogar’s laugh grew to a new octave. “Think about it, he has his reasons for everything. All I had to do was give him one to hand over the bell.”

“What did you do to him?” Fluttershy inquired. The innocent, timid pegasus became restless within her bondage, vigorously shaking around in a futile attempt to escape.

“I will show you.” Grogar said menacingly. He slowly approached the pegasus and stopped right in front of her. Fluttershy looked up at the ram with the epitome of fear growing inside of her soul. He lifted his hoof and violently punched Fluttershy across the face. The wound that was inflicted upon her cheek left a streak of blood that spilled out of her and onto the floor. Fluttershy cried softly as the pain began to kick in. The others shouted at the ram, yelling at him for what he had just done, to which he replied with nothing but a roaring laughter. Carter stood still in his chains, growling under his breath.

“You monster! Leave the poor thing alone!” Rarity shouted.

“When I get mah hooves on ya, yer gonna be sorry for cross’n paths with us.” Applejack growled, she too trying to escape from the bondage she found herself in.

A sudden blast of light emerged from the southside of the throne room, revealing a familiar draconequus emerging from a portal. Fluttershy’s eyes widened with happiness, a spark of hope growing within her.

“Grogar! You said that you would leave Fluttershy alone!” Discord said, running over to Fluttershy’s aid. He however stopped dead in his tracks once Grogar’s bell began to glow with a yellow aura. The color of the magic quickly shifted over to Fluttershy, surrounding her head and staying stagnant for a moment.

“Now now, Discord. My deal was that I wouldn’t kill her. If you dare break that deal then I will be more than fine with pulling her head right off of her body!” Grogar said, shouting at the draconequus. “Now, kneel before your master, or else this poor mare gets what she deserves!”

Fluttershy was in tears, screaming in fear as she felt the magic slowly pull on her head. Discord was panicking, trying to think of something to do, but nothing he thought of had even the smallest chance of working out in his favor. With nothing else to lose, Discord knelt down before Grogar, surrendering himself to the ram.

“That’s what I thought.” Grogar said, releasing Fluttershy from the magic’s grasp and walking away from the pegasus and towards Carter. Fluttershy got control of herself and looked over at Discord, who was looking towards the ground with sadness in his soul.

“Is it true? Did you give Grogar the bell?” Rarity asked.

“It is true.” Discord admitted.

“But… why?” Fluttershy said, feeling betrayed by the draconequus decision.

“Grogar told me that Fluttershy would be the first to die in his battle for conquest… unless I was to give him back what was once rightfully his. I couldn’t bear the thought of her dying because of my selfish actions, so I did what had to be done.”

“But… Discord! Why would you do that?” Fluttershy said. “You didn’t have to do that!”

“Forgive me, Fluttershy, but I simply can’t even imagine the thought of your death. It would be too much for me to deal with.” Discord hung his head in shame, feeling disgraced by all the mares in the room.

“Now, for your turn.” Grogar said as he approached Carter. The ram looked down upon the weakened stallion with a vile smile, placing his hoof against his chest and pushing him backwards. The pressure pushed the serrated chains further into his skin, resulting in more blood being spilled from his limbs and onto the floor beneath him. Carter shouted in pain, never losing sight of the ram.

“You will never get away with this!” Carter muttered.

“Oh, but I already have!” Grogar pulled his hoof away from Carter and placed it back on the floor. “World domination is within my reach. Soon I will conquer Equestria and claim the throne for myself!”

“You and what army!?” Carter shouted, violently shaking around in chains, resulting in more blood spilling from his wounds.

“Uh oh… haven’t they taught you never to say that?” Grogar said, turning back towards the stallion.” Alright, guys. I think it’s about time we showed these fools who they're dealing with.”

In an instant, multiple creatures of all kinds appeared around the throne room, surrounding Grogar like he was their king. They all entered through different means of transportation and knelt before the ram. With a simple command, they arose, eyeing Carter. The stallion had no clue who most of them were. There was a giant red centaur, a small pink alicorn, a tall blue satyr, a black unicorn, and of course Grogar. However, there was one creature that Carter recognized immediately after his first glance. It was the very creature that haunted his visions near the beginning of his time in Equestria. A creature of pure black, insect-like features. The one he so sarcastically called, Swiss Cheese Goddess.

“Well well well, if it isn’t the one and only male alicorn that everypony is talking about. Such an honor to finally be able to meet you in person.” Standing in front of the captured stallion was a pure black creature who somewhat resembled a pony but was covered in holes near the base of each limb and the tip of her horn. She had wings, but they looked green and transparent. The beady eyes that looked upon him were all too familiar.

“Chrysalis!?” Twilight shouted, surprised to see the changeling queen once more. “How did you get out of your stone prisons?”

“Ah, yes. Grogar broke us out of that most barbaric imprisonment. Why, I would say that he freed us from something we could’ve never hoped to free ourselves from.” Chrysalis said, laughing with an evil tone in the back of her throat. “You have trapped us away for over a year now, but we have come to exact our revenge!"

"Do you know how hard it is to live like that!?" The centaur shouted angrily, grabbing Princess Twilight by her throat. "We have to stay there everyday, unable to move, unable to breathe, on the very edge of lifelessness! We are forced to watch time fly by as we rot like fruits left in a tree!" The small pink alicorn pushed herself in front of the centaur.

“You are always talking about friendship and how it is supposed to help everypony, yet you left us there like we were nothing! You never showed us friendship, you never showed us anything but rejection. Our lives as we knew it were stripped away from us, and you dare call that friendship!? You took everything away from us!!!”

“You all tried to destroy Equestria! You knew what would come upon you if you failed!” Carter shouted, struggling in his chains. Grogar looked back and smacked Carter across the face with his hoof. Carter merely grunted at the attack, not wanting to piss off the ram anymore than need be.

“You may talk when I give you permission, boy!” Grogar shouted, spitting on the stallion’s face.

“Leave him alone!” Twilight shouted, desperately trying to claw her way out of the green bondage surrounding her to save her friends. Grogar used his magic once more, this time surrounding the yellow aura around Carter.

“Alright, princess. You have two choices. You can continue to be an annoyance and this stallion gets beheaded, or you can surrender to us and this so-called friend of yours lives to breathe another day.” Grogar chuckled under his breath, staring down the distressed alicorn princess with a most frightening look in his eyes. “I don’t mind what you choose. I am just interested to see what you choose to do, considering the fact that you are the Princess of Friendship and all!”

“Yes, princess. Do help this poor soul!” The satyr prowled around the Princess of Friendship, taunting her with his vile words of negativity.

“Go ahead, Twilight. Give milord what he deserves.” The black unicorn said, his eyes turning green as he stared at the alicorn with a menacing expression.

“I… I won’t let you hurt him!” Twilight said, her voice cracking as her words tumbled out of her upon speaking. “Free him and I will surrender to you.”

“No! Damnit, Twilight. Don’t let them win!” Carter shouted, his voice growling in the back of his throat. “You must persevere! Think of what you will lose if you fail!”

“Ah, but the princess has already made her choice. Besides, I think I remember telling you that you may speak only when I give you permission.” Grogar looked over to the centaur. “Tirek, show this fool who’s in charge around here.”

“With pleasure, milord.” The centaur walked up to the stallion with loud, booming steps echoing from his hooves. Once up close and personal, the centaur pulled his gargantuan arm back and pushed forward with force. A fist of evil red color swung towards Carter’s face at blazing speeds, giving the stallion a vivid picture of what to expect before it even connected.

Silence fell over the throne room after the sound of breaking bones reverberated off the castle walls. The ponies looked over at the stallion’s position, which was blocked by the centaur’s massive body. As the monstrous creature stepped back, every single mare screamed in fear as they looked upon the image of their beloved friend with a now mutilated face from one single punch. Blood flowed out of him like a leaky faucet, spilling from his eyes, nose and mouth. Carter was unconscious, unable to aid the ponies.

“No!!! Carter!!!” Twilight screamed, tears erupting from her eyes. “Why are you doing this!? We did what had to be done to protect Equestria, nothing personal! Please, let us go!”

“No, you will get what’s coming to you!!!” The small alicorn shouted, furiously grabbing Twilight’s face with her hooves and shaking her back and forth.

“Now then, your majesty. I will ask you once more.” The pink alicorn stepped back as Grogar walked over to the Princess of Friendship and pressed his forehead against Twilight’s. “Will you submit?”

“I… I… you bastard!” The ram simply laughed at the princess’ reply, surprised that she actually swore at him.

“I want you to take one good look at me, Twilight. This will be the last time you see me as some subject of yours. From here on out, I am your superior. I will make the rules around here. Anyone who denies us will perish, and it will be because of you and your friends that Equestria trembles before me.”

“You will never win!” Twilight shouted.

“Oh… but I already have…”

~

Two weeks after the first appearance of the Ultimate Legion of Doom, the entirety of Equestria had fallen to the hands of these evil creatures. Every major city had been conquered, and every citizen within Equestria’s borders were either enslaved or dead. Banished within the confines of Canterlot's dungeons, many ponies of all kinds were bound to the very shackles that had once detained evil, now used to imprison those who fought for their homeland. Over half of the captured quadrupeds had already died off, whether it was because of malnourishment, death by torture, or even suicide. Those who were unfortunate enough to live through the pain were mostly insane, driven mad and unaware of their actions. Some would go as far as kill their own kind just to live another day. Of the limited numbers of ponies who were still somewhat sane, they kept themselves busy, thinking about their families or simply counting the days as they passed by.

Of all those who had wound up in the dungeon, a lone alicorn male of red and black hung in the air, chained by a most painful bondage. His life force barely resided inside of him, his head hanging down and the blood from his many wounds spilling off of his body and dripping onto the floor. His entire being, lacerated and tortured beyond belief, hung above the cold stone floor, quiet and still as could be. His limbs were held in place by a most cruel and vicious method, the ancient Chains of Tartarus: an old spell banned from usage due to the intense pain that it inflicts upon its victims, wrapping around one’s limbs and embedding itself into their flesh with its serrated thorns.

The alicorn said nothing, letting out nothing but staggered groans due to the pain that lingered within his body. He closed his eyes, trying to stay as still as he could so that the thorns that ran along the black chains holding him in place did not cut away at his flesh anymore than it needed to.

I have paid the ultimate price for what I have become. I have banished myself to a hell that I can never escape. I have damned myself to a torment far beyond anyone’s comprehension. I have punished myself with loneliness: a life without living. I… I have failed them. They looked up to me… they sought my help in their time of need, only to be betrayed by the one they considered a friend. I have brought nothing but havoc and destruction upon these innocent creatures. I… I have failed them. I have failed… her.

“Your mission is not yet done, for you are the only one. Your friends still need you, and you know what to do. The time to act is now, regain your strength and furrow your brow. Take your chance and avenge, for this is your chance for revenge!”
-To be continued...

Author's Note

And so the story of The Ultimate Friendship comes to a halt. With Equestria conquered by the newly found Ultimate Legion of Doom the ponies seem to be on the brink of extinction. And yet through all the losses, all the pain, all the failures, hope is still found.

Residing within Carter and all of the ponies sparks a flame of hope, a hope that will fight back against the evils that threaten the very existence of Equestria.

With this hope still with them, the ponies will rise again, evil will crumble, and Carter will have his revenge!