Restored to my original form and given one more chance at redemption. I will find Grogar and his legion of corrupted soldiers, I will free my friends, and Equestria will belong to them once more.

1-9-2024, 1:49 PM

A sudden rush of adrenaline filled the man with sheer speed, spiking his heart beat and rate of breathing. A vision of three elder alicorns appeared in his mind, nothing but their shadows were visible to him. They were surrounding a tall sarcophagus that had just been closed, the contents within the golden coffin were unknown to him. There was a colorful image embedded on the golden exterior which resembled that of a human clad in heavy duty battle armor and a familiar red scar running down its left eye.

The oldest of the three elders looked to his soldiers and ordered them to bury the sarcophagus, hiding the contents far away from anyone’s reach. While the second pony stayed with him, the youngest of the three elder ponies turned away from the others and proceeded towards a different location entirely. He entered a small room, the inside being almost completely empty with nothing but a small box lying on the floor. The youngest pony picked up the box and held it in his possession. The elder pony let out a low sigh as he looked upon the box, a strange, sense of fear for the unknown swept over him, his expression becoming grim.

The image on this particular box was the omega: the greek symbol of war. With a cautious look on the stallion’s face barely visible through his shadowy features he used his horn to cast a special spell around it. This spell protected the contents inside from ever being opened unless the one trying to reveal its contents was worthy enough to wield such power. This was revealed once the stallion began speaking in a strange tongue, though, somehow, Carter was able to understand it while he observed the events of the vision from a third person perspective.

“Για όποιον ασκεί αυτή τη δύναμη θα φέρει όλο τον ουρανό και την κόλαση. Είθε να καθοδηγήσει το είδος μας στις απελπισμένες στιγμές μας και να φέρει φως στο σκοτάδι, ελευθερώνοντάς μας από μια κατά τα άλλα αναπόφευκτη καταστροφή.”

“For whoever exercises this power will bring all heaven and hell. May he guide our species in our desperate moments and bring light to darkness, freeing us from an otherwise inevitable catastrophe.”

The very words that were spoken by the alicorn shook the man from the inside, filling him with an intimidating sense of power and responsibility, for just the sight of the scar along the illustrated human alone made Carter realize that the one these ponies were talking about was him. It was he who was engraved into the sarcophagus, there was no doubt about it in his mind. However, the fact that the engraving portrayed him in battle armor made it seem less like him and more like his future counterpart. Was it him or his other self? But even then the reason for why they were doing the things they did was beyond his current understanding. It seemed as though the oldest of the elder ponies wanted to hide the creation, wishing for it to never be seen again. But then again, all of this was merely speculation.

Heaven and hell? Inevitable catastrophe? What does he mean by this?

Carter took a step back once he saw the youngest alicorn turn to him, facing the man as if he knew that he was standing right there. The alicorn nodded to him and just stared, his shadowy features keeping safe the very face that resided behind the darkness. The alicorn opened his mouth and spoke one last statement.

“The time to act is now. They will fear you for what you are, but you must show them the truth. Friendship will guide you down the right path and your strength and determination will push away all obstacles. Now fight, leave no evil left unvanquished.”

Carter was baffled by the alicorn's seemingly effortless shift to english. The shadowy alicorn began to slowly fade away from Carter’s sight, leaving him in a void full of darkness. The vision had ended, sending Carter’s consciousness back to reality. The vision had shown Carter glimpses of the past, a past he never knew about. The three alicorn elders were obvious to him, being the oldest known leaders of Equestria: King Cosmos, Queen Galaxia and King Terra. But the reasons for such measures being acted upon just for this strange event was beyond him. He wanted to know why his image was embedded within the golden features of the sarcophagus. Were they preparing for something? Did they know about Carter’s arrival before anyone else?

Carter awoke from his vision, groggy and dazed. He noticed that he was laying across a small table with a leather cloth wrapped around his waist. Carter found himself inside of a hut made completely from hay. He examined his surroundings, finding tribal accessories and knick knacks strewn all across the interior of the hut. He had never seen such ways of living before, which made him wonder where he was. The man felt something rubbing against his lacerated arms. Carter looked down to find that there were special leaves wrapped around the wounds on his forearms, their juices seeping into his wounds, possibly as a means of healing him..

Carter turned to his right upon hearing the sound of quiet whistling. He spotted a black and white striped animal stirring what looked like ingredients for a potion inside a large, iron cauldron. The creature turned to Carter, knowing that he had awakened. The creature locked eyes with the human and smiled, giving him the feeling of safety.

“You have awakened, foretold hero. I knew that your determination had not hit zero.” The creature said, cautiously approaching Carter. It walked over to his arms and analyzed his wounds, making sure that the aloe from the leaves were doing their job. The creature approved, nodding its head firmly and grunting to itself.

Carter had come to understand that the creature was a female zebra, but the fact that a zebra of all things was living in Equestria, let alone not captured by the Ultimate Legion of Doom, was beyond his comprehension. Carter kept his guard up, studying the zebra with every action she made. He wondered if this was a trap set up by Grogar and his subjects.

“You must have some questions, I presume. Let me answer those before you incorrectly assume.” She said, affirming the human that he was not in trouble. The zebra reached her hooves past Carter’s head and grabbed a small wooden bowl of water. She picked it up with her hooves and moved it over to Carter’s mouth. “I understand that you may very well be thirsty. Drink this water, don’t worry, it isn’t dirty.”

Carter, keeping his stern eyes focused on the zebra with every passing second, leaned in and placed his lips over the wooden bowl. The zebra tipped the bowl back and allowed him to drink the water from within. A couple sips of the cool liquid went through his throat and into his stomach before he stopped, lifting his right hand and gesturing to her that he was done. Carter however immediately regretted his decision when he felt a twinge of pain along his arm. Forcing himself to stay still and endure through the pain, Carter laid still across the table, his fingers tensing up as the pain increased over time.

“Do not struggle, Carter. If you do then fighting through it will only get harder.” The zebra said, placing her hoof against Carter’s forehead and pushing his head back against the table. Carter complied, calming his nerves and returning to a neutral state.

“Who are you, zebra?” Carter inquired, keeping his focus on the creature at all times.

“My name is Zecora, my friend. I am here to make sure you do not meet your end.” She replied, reaching her hoof into a large jar and applying more of the healing leaves upon Carter’s arms. She rotated herself, looking back at her cauldron, taking a look at the contents.

“You called me Carter.” The man said, just now realizing that the zebra knew him. “How is it you know my name?”

“Twilight has told me all about you. She has told me about your origins and all of the things that you do.”

“How long have I been gone?” Carter inquired.

“Two weeks, give or take. A lot has happened since Grogar’s wake.” Zecora reached in and fumbled around with whatever it was in the cauldron.

“Two weeks!?” Carter shouted, astonished by the amount of time that had passed since the beginning of this war. “Twilight! Is she ok?” The man inquired to the zebra, his nerves beginning to spike once again.

“Calm down, young one. I can assure you that her majesty is far from done.” Zecora said. The zebra left the cauldron and turned herself around, facing an old chest. She opened it, reaching inside and pulling out a wooden box

“What is that?” Carter asked. Zecora looked at him and showed the human the box in full. Carter couldn’t believe his eyes when he found a familiar symbol embedded along the top of the box. The omega: the symbol of war. “Wait! That’s the box from my vision. How the hell did you get it?”

“You’ve seen this very box before? Strange, I thought nopony had seen it for sure.” Zecora said to herself. “I found this while walking around the Everfree. It has been protected by none other than me.”

“Does it somehow correlate with me?” Carter asked, wondering why his visions would've shown this box to him. The timing of such events proved to be less of a coincidence and more like a destiny of sorts. They all lead up to something, but Carter was still unsure about what it was.

“I do not know what it is for sure. I only know who it is meant for.” Zecora admitted. The zebra placed the box on the floor and walked over to the other side of the hut. Carter’s eyes followed Zecora, trying to figure out what her intentions were. She made her way to another familiar item. A golden sarcophagus with his image painted on the top. “I assume this is for you too, as the man on this coffin looks just like you.”

“That can’t be! I just saw these things in my vision not too long ago! I need to know what is in those things!” Carter insisted, struggling to get up off of the table. He used his arms to push himself off of the wooden furniture, grunting as his forearms stung with pain once more. The man hastily got to his feet and made his way over to the sarcophagus. He examined the exterior of the golden item, still completely baffled at the fact that it had his image engraved upon it. He reached out with his hand to open the coffin to find out what was inside of it, but the zebra standing beside him slapped his hand with her hoof.

“Carter, you must not act with haste, or it will be nothing but death you taste.” Zecora said, warning the human.

“But why is this here? Why is my bloody face on this coffin!?”

“Carter! Please stop with this insolence!”

Carter turned around after hearing a different voice entirely. It was lighter, yet more grumbled. It was a voice he thought he would never hear again. He looked up and smiled to himself once he locked eyes with the one he searched for. Standing in front of him was a small pack of four timberwolves. The one in the front, the alpha wolf, stood proud in front of her allies, a dark bloody scar running down across her right eye.

“Gaea!” Carter shouted, happiness filling the human’s soul upon laying his eyes upon his old timberwolf pack once again. Carter knelt down and held his arms out by his side to prevent any pain from returning. The alpha wolf opened her mouth with her tongue hanging out and leapt towards the human, landing right in front of him and panting with excitement. Carter let out a hearty laugh as the alpha wolf licked his face over and over again, lapping her tongue across his soft skin. She eventually stopped to give the man some time to breathe. She backed away from him and sat with her back as straight as could be, her tail wagging ever so lively behind her.

“Carter, it has been so long since we have last seen you!” Gaea said, starting at the man as he got up off of the ground. As he got into a squatting position, Carter let a slight chuckle escape under his breath before placing his hand along the back of her head. Gaea leaned in and touched her forehead against his as a loving gesture.

The four timberwolves were once Carter's enemies, as they almost killed him and Fluttershy in their search for meat during a tea party between the two of them. After a violent battle, the timberwolves apologized for their selfish ways and joined Carter in his adventures, giving him the title of master. They walked with him wherever he went until the attack from the Ultimate Legion of Doom. Once Grogar attacked, Carter hadn't seen the timberwolves until now.

“I have missed you so much, Gaea. Not a day passed by where I did not think about you and your pack.” The two pulled away from each other, giving the other some space. “I am so sorry that I have let this happen to you all. I should’ve been stronger.”

“It’s quite alright, Carter.” Gaea said, placing her paw on Carter’s bent leg. “Nobody could have foreseen this horrific event. The good news is that we are all here and we are all ready to try again. Thanks to Zecora, we have been living here in secret. We tried to find you sooner but it appears our search has paid off all the same.” The human smiled at the alpha, scratching the bottom of her chin. Carter looked over the alpha wolf’s body and towards the rest of the pack.

“How is the rest of my favorite team?” Carter asked, pointing his finger towards the other timberwolves standing behind their leader.

“We are most excellent!” Theia said, her tongue hanging out of her mouth whilst excitement filled her soul. Theia was a beautiful, slender timberwolf with an amazing sense of hunting instincts. She was the warrior among the pack, leading them towards their prey anytime they would go hunting for food.

“It is an honor and our most sincere privilege to see you again, master.” Cronus replied, placing his fore paws out in front of him as he bowed before his human master. Cronus was a well built timberwolf, most of the time using his impressive strength and speed to catch his prey while the others searched for more. Cronus was a more quiet and self-centered timberwolf, following orders as they came along and always making sure that he only spoke with the most gracious of manners.

“That just leaves you, Hyperion.” Carter said, walking over to the farthest timberwolf. The man got on his knees and softly petted the top of the wolf’s head. The timberwolf purred with pleasure as he felt Carter’s fingers carefully caress his head. “How are you, buddy?”

“I am great, Carter. It’s amazing to think that we are still alive, even with all this craziness happening!” Hyperion was the youngest of the timberwolves by far, still living life in his youth. He was the most energetic of the pack, always letting his joyous nature rub off on his allies and give them the energy and confidence they needed.

“It’s a joy to see you too, buddy.” Carter lowered his hand but never dropped his smile. He stood up and proceeded back towards the sarcophagus. However, Carter stopped dead in his tracks once he remembered that he had forgotten someone. “Where is Conda? Has anyone seen him?”

“Right here, sssir!” Carter turned his head and saw a large anaconda slithering along Gaea’s back. The snake lifted his head and smiled at the human, his tongue flicking in and out of his mouth as he looked upon him. “You didn’t think the wolvesss would leave me to die, did you?”

“No, of course not.” Carter said. He held his hand out and let the snake travel up his arm. The snake moved over to his fingers and quickly slithered up Carter’s limb. The human shouted in pain once Conda moved over Carter’s forearm.

“Oh, did I do sssomething wrong?” Conda asked, stopping his movement and curling up into a coil.

“No, no, no. It’s quite alright, Conda. I just forgot that my arms are nothing but a cluster of bloodied holes. I acted out of reflex, not your fault at all.” Carter sighed, taking a minute of their time to wait for the pain to subside. “Just travel along my leg, instead. Those work just fine, so no pain will come from that.” Conda nodded and hopped off of Carter’s arm, landing on the ground. He then moved over and slithered past Carter’s rather large legs, traveling up his body and wrapping around the human’s torso to account for his lengthy, slender body.

“There we go. Isss that better for you, Carter?” Conda asked, wrapping his tail around the rest of Carter’s hip.

“That is totally fine. Thanks for coping with me.” Carter said, petting the snake’s head.

“Of courssse!”

The green, adorable anaconda known as Conda was once a beloved snake under the care of Fluttershy. But once an unknown evil attacked his home, killing his parents in the process, he too chose to follow along with Carter, hoping to one day find his calling. Until that day comes, Conda promised to protect Carter with his life should the need arise.

“Wait, I just realized.” Carter said, looking back at the timberwolves. “I am a human. How did you know it was me? The last time we met, along with every other time we have seen each other, I was an alicorn. How were you able to easily tell it was me?”

“We knew it was you simply by your scent. You have a very distinct smell, Carter.” Gaea said, putting her paw up to her nose. Carter suddenly felt subconscious about his scent, putting his nose to his chest and inhaling through his nostrils. Nothing smelled off about him, so he thought nothing more of it. “Well, that and the fact that Zecora had already told us that you were changed. But we timberwolves are quite keen through smell, so it didn’t take long before we recognized you.”

“That makes sense.” Carter said, impressed by the alpha wolf's remarkable sense of smell. “Now, Zecora, about these items you were talking about.” Carter turned his attention back to the zebra, who was busy watching the human get caught up with his animal friends. “What are they?”

“I am sure Twilight has told you about King Terra. Well, he sensed your arrival even back in his era.”

“But how? Did he see it through a vision?” Carter inquired.

“Like you and Flint Masters, Terra was the only one of his kind who could sense a vision. Once he saw the one about you, he knew he was given a most important mission.” Zecora placed her hoof over the golden sarcophagus and held it there. “It warned him of a threat that would come to Equestria in the future, but it also told him about you: the otherworldly creature. He took action and readied for the day when it would come, but his family thought it nothing but silly and dumb. So his brother, King Cosmos, took his things and buried it. However, King Terra kept one thing safe and hid it.” Zecora motioned over to the small wooden box resting along the floor.

“So… this is for me.” Carter said, slowly beginning to understand everything that was happening. “King Terra would have visions similar to me and Flint. Interesting. But, why would it warn him about me?”

“That is true. Why would you of all creatures be the one that is foretold in King Terra’s visions?” Gaea wondered, tilting her head and furrowing her brow in confusion.

“Well there is no use in guessing, we’d be wrong. Let's just open this up and see what has been hidden for so long.” Zecora said.

As Carter slowly approached the ancient sarcophagus, the human began to feel his growing anticipation. Never had he thought that someone from a couple millenia ago would prepare for a day like this. Whatever hid within this sarcophagus would be the one thing that changes the outcome of this war. As he fumbled around with these thoughts, Carter continued prying the lid off of the ancient sarcophagus, intimidated by the thought of what could be inside.

Within a few minutes a loud crash was heard, echoing around the hut. The front of the golden coffin had opened up, its contents revealed for everyone to see. They all stood in shock, amazed by the expert craftsmanship that laid before them. Carter’s eyes shot open, wide as they could be. Within the confines of the sarcophagus was a full set of golden battle armor, embedded with various symbols from greek origin. War, peace, space, and earth.

While the others looked at the armor with mixed expressions, Carter had a different reason to be surprised. Not only was it strange that something like this would be made for him eons ago, but it was the very same armor that he found upon the image of his future self, albeit more polished and less battle-scarred.

Older me really was telling the truth. I am destined to fight in this war. That explains his choice of attire.

“It would appear that you have been gifted a freak’n battle armor, Carter!” Hyperion said, rubbing his paw against the side of his face as he stood there, comprehending the golden armor in front of him. “How cool is that?”

“I… I…” Carter could not speak clearly due to the massive amounts of information filling his mind, mixing in with his already ever-changing emotions. He could not believe that it really was his destiny to fight for the ponies.

“This armor was made for you no doubt, but I don’t get why King Terra would choose this route.” Zecora said to herself, wondering why the ancient leader would choose to craft such a piece of work.

“It all makes sense to me, now.” Carter muttered under his breath. The man looked down at his hands, his fingers twitching in intervals. He imagined a similar image of blood running down his hands, but not just any blood… the blood of the innocent. He shook at the sight that reminded him of his past, the man he once was. He shook the feeling of fear off of his consciousness, remembering what his future counterpart had told him about letting fear take over.

“What? What does?” Gaea inquired.

“When my future self freed me from my death, he warned me about how I was the one thing separating these creatures from life and death. I am their only hope of winning this war. I thought it stupid to believe such nonsense, but it would seem as though King Terra probably saw the same thing in me, so he made me this battle armor to keep me safe from harm; ready myself for the battles to come.”

“Perhaps. But it is still strange to think that this is made for you.” Cronus said. “Not to say that I don’t believe you.”

“I know, it’s a lot for me to take in, too!” Carter said, rubbing his hand against his forehead, clearing the sweat from his brow. “But I feel like this is my destiny. I feel like I am supposed to fight. I am supposed to protect these creatures.” Carter turned to the little box on the floor. “That there, it was also for me, correct?”

“Yes, it is.” Zecora said.

Carter walked over and knelt down to the ground. He placed his fingers on the top of the box and ran them along the engraved omega symbol. He was less fearful with opening this box compared to the first one, so it didn’t take long for him to unhinge the lock and reveal the items hidden within the wooden box. Upon further inspection, Carter found that there were two swords inside, their blades resting atop each other in a crossed pattern. Carter picked them up and held the swords in his hands.

The human lifted the weapons towards his face, looking closely at each one. They were identical, each one with greek writing on it spelling out Blades of Unity, which was again surprising to Carter with how he was able to understand the foreign text. The blades themselves were strange, not straight edged like the toy swords he was used to while growing up. No, these were a lot more jagged, looking more like they were used to cut through flesh with ease and cling onto the bones of its victims. In simple terms, it looked like a weapon that killed with no mercy.

Carter shook at the sight of these weapons, their hidden potential coming to his understanding just by merely looking upon them. He knew his mission was to free the ponies, but once he held the swords in his hands he knew that the battles to come were not going to be blood free. It would be like any war, a time of violence, death and spilled blood. It was at this moment Carter understood what the pony had said in his visions, what King Terra had said to himself in preparation for this very day. He understood the intentions of such words and the power that would be bestowed upon him during this most horrific time.

Carter placed the swords back in the box and stood up, pacing a few steps backwards. The pressure that was placed on this young man was more than anything he could’ve imagined, but he was determined to go through with it all the same. The human looked over to Zecora, the zebra looking back in return. They looked to each other and nodded, Carter understanding everything at stake.

My will and determination to fight comes to me in hopes that my actions will free these creatures from their prisons and restore the peace that they so desperately long for. Protect me from harm and protect my mind from the evil thoughts that come with war, for I fear the things to come in the days that follow. Protect me, my friends, and those I love, for it is because of them I choose to fight. With the strength I have in me, I will fight for good, truth and justice, never indulgence, anger or fear. That is my word, and my word stands true.

~

The outside forest stayed quiet, nothing but the sound of distant rain hitting against the leaves on the trees above were heard for miles, creating a damp humidity in the air. The alpha timberwolf exited the hut, looking for her master. She saw the man off in the distance, keeping to himself.

Gaea approached Carter with her pack following closely behind her. The human was kneeling beneath a large oak tree, praying to his god before he would have to go to battle. It was what he had always done before battle, as it had given him a sense of hope that the things he did were for the good of everyone. The alpha timberwolf walked right up to Carter’s side and sat down beside him, staying quiet as to not intrude on his time of peace and recollection. The rest of the pack lined up behind Gaea, sitting just as their leader was. Conda rested upon Carter’s shoulder, patiently waiting for him to finish before any more words were spoken. Carter, now clad in the golden battle armor, readied himself for what would be the most intense battle of his young life.

Upon Carter’s body rested a hardened chestplate with chainmail interior that ran down to his stomach. Two giant pauldrons clung to the sides of the chestplate, one protecting each of his shoulders. With his upper arms left bare, Carter’s forearms were covered in a protective layer of gold colored steel thanks to bracers. The one on his left arm was small, acting as a simple means of protection. On his right arm the bracer was much thicker, holding a hidden blade inside of the steel which would shoot out into view upon releasing a mechanical hatch from within with his fist. Within each of the bracers were thin linen strips that were wrapped around his injured forearms to prevent any further irritation. Hanging from his waist was a greek styled war skirt made with leather strips and studded with iron studs for maximum protection value. Down by his feet were sandal-like shoes with steel armor protecting his legs from his ankles all the way to the top of his knee, which were topped with spiked kneecaps. Finally, resting upon the man’s back were the Blades of Unity: special swords with a unique spell that would keep themselves bound to the user as if attached to him by means of chains, keeping the weaponry close to the one who wields them.

With one final word of thanks, Carter got up from the dirt beneath him and opened his eyes. He turned towards a break in the trees where he could see the desolate wasteland that he once called home: Ponyville. Most if not all of the buildings now laid in ruins, no doubt because of the Ultimate Legion of Doom. With a slight feeling of rage building within his soul, Carter lifted his right arm and turned his hand so that the backside of the bracer faced him. He closed his hand into a fist and the sound of scraping metal pierced the air, releasing the hidden blade within the golden accessory. Carter took his left hand and grazed the edge of the blade. He flinched, pulling his hand back once he felt a shot of pain run up his fingers. Carter looked at his wound, watching as the blood from his fingertips slowly trickled down his palm. The man smiled to himself, approving the weapon. He was pleased with the outcome of the blade, as simply grazing his fingers across the blade was enough to cut through his flesh.

Carter opened his fist so that the hidden blade would return to its former position. He looked at his timberwolf pack and nodded to the alpha wolf. Gaea, standing tall and defiant as a representative of her loyal pack, nodded back to her master, understanding that it was time to take action. Something caught the alpha’s eye. A single tear running down Carter’s cheek.

“What is troubling you, Carter?” Gaea asked, letting out a slight whimper behind her breath. She hated seeing her master in a distressed state as she had a sympathetic soul.

“I am just nervous. I have never enjoyed taking a man’s life, let alone the life of another creature. I have never enjoyed war. I wish these things never had to happen.” Carter quickly used his hand to wipe the tear from his face, drying his hand off against his side. “But I know that the outcome of this war will affect everything from here on out, and I would be better off knowing that I took hundreds of lives to save millions instead of standing on the sidelines while I watch the innocent die because of my lack of aid.”

“You have a good heart, Carter. I do not doubt that you will do nothing but good for these ponies.” Hyperion said.

“We are with you every step of the way.” Cronus added.

Carter nodded to his team, glad to have such loyal companions by his side during this difficult time. His mission would start simple. Carter and his team would have to first go to the Castle of Friendship and take control of it. Inside he would find the Cutie Map, a powerful utility that would be able to open portals for him to travel through and back in order to fight the Ultimate Legion of Doom, as each member was in a different part of Equestria, and because he was no longer an alicorn he wouldn’t be able to use magic by himself. From there he would free the Mane 6 and take down each of the Legion’s members until only Grogar was left.

Carter reached back and fiddled his fingers against the handles of his swords, checking one final time to make sure they were secure in their respected holders. No movement was felt, giving him the assurance he needed. He stood strong in his position, his timberwolf pack beside him, ready to serve their master. Conda, coiled around the human, stared down at the destroyed city along with Carter, never forgetting the bad things they had done to him and his allies.

You will not win this war, Grogar. I will defeat your minions, I will return to you with vengeance and you will fall. Never again will you harm my friends. That is my promise to you! I am Carter, human of Earth. I am what King Terra foretold… I am the stranger from the outside.

Author's Note

The fight begins.