The mission begins. I must reclaim the Castle of Friendship for Equestria, that is if the Legion hasn’t already taken it for themselves. At any rate, the castle should give us the necessary means of transportation in order to travel across Equestria with ease, as Twilight had once told me that the Cutie Map had been modified to now send ponies to different locations. My only wish at the moment is that I hope I don’t have to fight any of the Legion’s members at this time. We are unprepared and lacking in troops. If they find us, we might be fighting for a lost cause.

1-9-2024, 5:06 PM

Carter and his team of animals walked through the brittle remnants of Ponyville, heading towards the Castle of Friendship: a grand structure made for the Mane 6 to travel across Equestria and solve various friendship problems. On their journey, ponies in the nearby areas looked over at the human, terrified by what they saw. Just the sight of the foreign creature walking with timberwolves by his side gave them a sense of extreme danger and discomfort. They all shook with fear where they stood, thinking that he was one of Grogar’s minions.

The man could feel every bit of fear that the nearby ponies expressed, making him feel slightly disheartened by their reactions. He knew he was fighting for their freedom and protection, but even then they looked at him like he was a monster. In an attempt to distract himself from the rise of negative emotions, he looked down at his right bracer, eyeing the gap that made way for his hidden blade. Closing his hand into a fist he watched the blade from within the gold plating quickly shoot out of its sheath and lock into position. He turned his forearm around, twisting the direction of the blade with it. He stopped all movement once he saw himself in the reflection of the blade’s steel, looking upon the image of the man he had once taught himself to hate. Carter retracted the blade, forcing it back in place and shaking away the painful memories. He looked straight ahead, pushing aside the distractions and shifting his focus back on the main goal.

“What do you suppose we do when we get there?” Hyperion inquired, trying to think of a plan before arriving at their destination. “I mean, I don’t think that trying to take control of something as big as the castle is gonna be easy.”

“He does bring up a good point, sir.” Cronus added, agreeing with the young wolf. “If we are to reclaim what was stolen from the ponies then we must think of a plan of action instead of walking in without any good ideas. For all we know we might be walking into a trap.”

“I agree with you there, you two. However, I don’t suppose you have any ideas of your own.” Carter said, shifting only his eyes towards the timberwolves as he continued leading them down the path.

“Well… no.” Hyperion said, embarrassed at himself for being so easily defeated. “I mean, do you know anything about the Castle of Friendship for yourself?” The timberwolf asked, tilting his head.

“Not much,” Carter admitted almost apologetically. “From what I understand it was passed down to Starlight Glimmer, whom I only recognize as the Head Mare of the School of Friendship. Beyond that, I assume that she is with the other survivors, locked up in the prisons under the Queen’s watchful eye.”

“Do you really think that the castle has been claimed by the Legion?” Gaea inquired, looking up at the human.

“Heh. Being as big as it is compared to the size of Ponyville, yes I think that it has been long claimed by Grogar.” Carter said, looking back at Gaea with a dumbfounded expression on his face. The timberwolf nodded, understanding where he was coming from. "Now admittedly, if they have really taken control of the castle then I have no clue what they would be using it for."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and find out." Gaea said.

"Yes, I guess we will." Carter replied.

The group was now about half way through with their journey; the castle became visible to them from far off in the distance. Yet even with their goal now in view, Carter’s attention was pulled away from the castle the second he saw a familiar golden bracelet buried underneath a pile of broken house pieces. He turned his head towards it, his eyes widening a bit upon realizing that the debris laying on the ground used to be his home. Carter walked in the direction of the bracelet, interested in seeing if any of his other valuables made it through the attack while he was away. The timberwolves saw this and quickly stopped in their tracks, looking over at Carter and sitting down along the dirt path. Gaea thought she should stop him from wandering too far, but instead she decided to keep to herself and patiently wait for the human to do what he wanted to do.

Carter knelt down to the ground and examined the bracelet, dusting off the dirt and wood that kept it buried within the wet soil. Once clean, he picked it up and held it between his fingers. The man leaned his head down, closely inspecting the various symbols that ran along the outside of the golden accessory. Honesty, laughter, loyalty, generosity, kindness and magic. They were the elements of harmony, and the very cutie marks that his friends had upon their flanks. He flipped the bracelet, taking a look at the inside. Just like he remembered, he saw the engraved message that ran along the gold material.

“Friends will always be there for you, never forget to do the same for them.” - T.S.

Carter smiled to himself, remembering all the times he had with the Mane 6. He began to recall all the fond moments he shared with them, good and bad alike. He remembered when he and Rainbow Dash vanquished the evil Pinkie Pie that hid within the Everfree Forest, as well as the time he screwed himself over by accidentally inviting himself to one of Fluttershy's tea parties. Just the thought of being with them one more time gave him the strength and determination he needed to fight his way to victory. The man held the bracelet with his left hand and placed it over his right. It was a bit of a struggle, as it was normally made to fit him while he was an alicorn, but somehow it managed to stay on his arm tightly and secured. Satisfied, he returned to the timberwolves, ready to continue their journey.

“What’s that?” Gaea asked.

“The present that Twilight gave me during Hearth’s Warming.” Carter replied. He looked back at the bracelet, rotating it around his arm with his other hand and seeing each element’s respective symbol. Though it was nothing to him in the grand scheme of things, there was some sentimental value that he felt every time he saw it. Conda could see that Carter was feeling rather distressed when thinking about the ponies that changed his life, as he always had a frown upon his face. Conda leaned towards him and gently pressed his forehead against the humans, showing compassion and understanding while he nuzzled up against him.

“Don’t you fret, Carter. We will free them sssoon enough and life in Equessstria will return to the way it wasss. Jussst… give it time. Thessse thingsss take time to happen, but the outcome isss more than worth the ssstrugglesss.” Conda said, boosting the human’s spirits. "Jussst think about it! Sssoon you and the poniesss will be back together, relaxing in a wide open field with the sssun in the sssky and no cloudsss to block the bright light asss you're enjoying a nice picnic, laughing and talking about what had taken place here today."

“I know, Conda.” Carter replied, shaking his head for a moment. “I just sometimes need to remember why I have to do the things I do. I love them dearly, and it is because of them I choose to fight. I guess it personally feels like me saving them will help make up for all my past mistakes.”

“Don’t worry, Carter. We are here for you every step of the way.” Theia said, walking up to his side. Carter knelt down and looked at the timberwolf. She let out a soft whimper, feeling sympathy for her master. Carter smiled at her and petted her head with the palm of his hand. She moved in and licked his cheek, thanking him for his kindness.

“I love you so much, guys. I wouldn’t be able to do this alone, and you have proved to me time and time again that you will never leave my side. I hope you know that I will do the same for you.” Carter got up on his feet and looked at each individual timberwolf, smiling at them while doing so. “Ok, I am ready to get back to work.”

“Good, we aren’t too far from the castle from here. Let’s keep it going.” Cronus said, leading the team down the path.

“So… Carter wishes to foil Lord Grogar’s plans, and in his true form at that. Interesting, I thought I was the only chaotic one in Equestria left free to run wild through the streets. He won't get far; Lord Grogar is more powerful than Carter could even fathom. But… if he is somehow able to stop him, then that would mean her death! No, I cannot allow this. I know it isn’t right for me to stop him, but I have no other choice! Her life rests in my hands. I will not fail her.”

The group had soon entered the edge of a small group of trees during their travels, the branches atop said trees protecting them from the rainstorm that devoured the skies above. Carter could see the entrance to the castle just beyond the vast vegetation of the forest, letting him know that their journey was soon over. He picked up the pace, lifting his feet off of the ground and switching to more of a slow jog.

“My my, you are in a hurry.” Theia said, catching up with the human.

“I can see the castle just up ahead!” Carter said, pointing towards the giant structure off in the distance. “We have no time to lose. Let’s hurry up and get going!” The team raced to the castle, relieved to know that they had finally made it. Carter and the gang came to the front door of the castle, looking up at all of its crystalic features. They finally made it.

“Sweet! What now?” Hyperion asked, awaiting orders from his superiors.

“Well obviously we enter the damn thing.” Theia said, shaking her head at the timberwolf’s ill conceived sentence.

“I know, I am just wondering about how we get inside.” Hyperion said, correcting himself. “I mean, this place could be booby-trapped or something. We can’t just-” Carter lifted his foot and kicked the door, forcing it open for them to enter through. “... or you know, you could just do that instead. Don’t mind me and my what-ifs.”

"Do not dwell on what could be, Hyperion. Only focus on what is." Carter said, looking around the area.

Carter drew his hidden blade free from underneath the bracer and entered the castle, checking his surroundings and searching for any potential threats. Gaea and Cronus walked by his side, putting their noses against the floor and sniffing the room for any unusual scents.

“I’m not picking up anything.” Cronus said, reporting his findings. “You?”

“Nothing. The area is secure.” Gaea said, affirming her partner. She motioned for the other two to regroup with the rest of them, flicking her paw towards the group. Theia entered the castle with a very sexy act, taunting Hyperion with long, striding steps and a swing of her hips.

“Oh no! Hyperion, help me! I was a fool and walked into the castle all by my wittle bitty self! There are booby-traps everywhere and I can’t do a thing about it!” She said, striking a pose and placing the back of her right forepaw against her forehead. Theia cried out to her companion with an innocent, light tone in her voice, driving the young wolf mad.

“Ok, I get it!!! There are no traps!” Hyperion shouted at Theia, feeling angered by her taunts.

“What? Nothing? Oh, I guess I am stronger than I look.” Theia said, returning to her normal position.

“Ergh… let’s just keep moving.” Hyperion spoke through his teeth. He walked right past the female timberwolf, not even giving her any eye contact. Theia just laughed to herself as she lightly tiptoed her way over towards the rest of the group.

While the timberwolves continued sniffing out the area, Carter and Conda took a peak at all of the many decorations that were properly placed around the castle. They were surprised with how good the place looked, especially considering the fact that the war had been going on for nearly three weeks as of now. However, seeing as the castle was still perfectly decorated triggered some much needed caution within the two of them.

“Carter, isss it jussst me, or doesss it ssseem kind of ssstrange that the cassstle isss ssstil nice and tidy?” Conda said, subconsciously looking behind himself in case anyone was sneaking up on them. His nerves made him tense up, accidentally squeezing Carter’s neck with his body. The human tapped the anaconda along his slithery body, notifying him that he was in some kind of distress. “Oh! I’m ssso sssorry, Carter.” Conda said, apologizing to the human.

“It’s ok, Conda.” Carter placed his hand over his neck and waited for the mild pain to subside. “But yes, I do think it’s kinda strange that this place looks so damn clean, at least comparing it to the rest of Ponyville.”

“Carter, I think I’m getting something!” Cronus said, sticking his nose towards a specific part of the floor.

“I’m getting it, too!” Gaea stated, placing her nose towards the same place.

“What do you smell?” Carter inquired.

“I don’t know what it is exactly, but it definitely smells like trouble, and we know what trouble smells like.” Cronus said, lifting his face towards the human. “Until we know what this thing is, just keep your guard up. I don’t believe we are the only ones here.” The group nodded in approval.

Carter led the team forward, scouting ahead with his arm blade drawn in case anyone was feeling in the mood to fight. He kept his head on a swivel, checking every direction for potential threats. They came across a purple door blocking them from continuing any further. Carter slowly approached it, withdrawing his blade and readying himself for another kick at the door.

“This is gonna be loud. Watch my back and make sure that we aren’t being followed. The last thing we need is someone calling for backup.” Carter ordered. The timberwolves nodded to their master, spinning around on their paws and keeping their eyes peeled for any hostiles. Conda hid his head behind the human’s head in case of any oncoming debris while Carter lifted his foot and kicked the door. The force of his kick was outstanding, being so strong that it sent the door off of its hinges and landing on the ground far away from their current position.

“You know, when you sssay that it’sss gonna be loud, I didn't think your goal wasss to make it asss loud asss possible!” Conda lifted his tail behind Carter’s head and slapped him on the back of his neck.

“Ow, stop that! I didn’t think I was capable of such strength!” Carter said, flailing his hand behind his head to move Conda’s tail away from him.

Carter entered the next area of the castle, the rest of the group following closely behind him. He looked forward and saw a strange table in the middle of the room surrounded by seven marble white thrones. Upon further inspection, Carter let out a shout of excitement after realizing that he had found the one thing he came here for: the so-called Cutie Map.

Bingo!

“Is that the map?” Hyperion asked. “I don’t think it looks like it works like a teleporter.”

“Yes, this is the one. Twilight told me all about it.” Carter walked around the map, running the palm of his hand along the side of the marble outline. “She said that it only works for those who the Spirit of Harmony deem worthy of its power.”

“Oh boy, more gambling with magic!” Theia said, rolling her eyes in disappointment. “You’re telling me that we walked all this way just to play a game of chance with this map of hers?”

“You are welcome to suggest something else.” Carter said, looking back at the female timberwolf with a mildly irritated expression.

“I trust him.” Gaea said, herself looking over at Theia. “He has his reasons for choosing to do such things, and there is a reason we chose him to be our leader.”

“Actually, you did! Ya know, considering the fact that you are the alpha and everything.” Hyperion said, talking smack towards his superior. Gaea swiftly turned her head in his direction and growled at the young wolf, forcing a fearful whimper out of him. He cowered at Gaea, lowering his body to the ground in submission.

“I do not expect you to always agree with my choices, Hyperion. But I am expecting you to trust me with this one.” Gaea said, closing her lips together and straightening her posture. The young wolf nodded, continuously whimpering. While all this was happening, Carter was standing over by the Cutie Map, looking for some way to activate it.

“Ha! What a baby.” Theia said, laughing at Hyperion and his childish ways.

“S-s-shut up!” Hyperion said, getting up off the ground and growling at her. They circled around each other, snarling and threatening the other with fake biting.

“Guys! Please keep your mind on the objective!” Cronus said, losing his normally patient composure and yelling at the two timberwolves.

“What are you gonna do about it, Cronus? Yell at us some more?” Theia said, throwing some banter at her companion.

“Do what he says. Now.” Gaea furrowed her brow and growled at the two timberwolves, raising her paw and gesturing an attack with her claws.

“Yes, Gaea.” Theia said, immediately following her orders and sitting her butt on the floor.

“Of course, Gaea.” Hyperion did the same thing, nearly wetting himself from fear.

"Everyone, shut the hell up!" Carter said, demanding their silence. The timberwolves all looked at him with varying expressions upon their faces, each of them surprised by the man's sudden outburst.

"Well geez! Don't act too happy that we are here to help you." Hyperion said, rolling his eyes as he mocked his master.

"Quiet!" Carter shouted once more. "Do you not sense it?"

“Sense what?” Theia inquired, oblivious to what threat Carter was feeling that she wasn’t. She looked around the area, trying to see what the human was warning them about.

“I’m getting it, too.” Cronus said, lifting his nose up and sniffing around the room. He picked up a strange scent, one that was very new to his senses. He sniffed again, this time the scent was stronger than before, so much so that the timberwolf’s nose was overwhelmed by it, forcing him to let out a hefty sneeze.

“I don’t think we have ever encountered any kind of threat like this before.” Gaea stated. She lifted her head and howled, alerting the others to come to her side. They ran to their leader and grouped up, keeping their backs to each other as they searched for the threat.

While the timberwolves formed their protective group, Carter knelt down to the ground, Conda wrapped tightly around the human. Carter found a strange aura emitting from the floor of the castle, catching his attention. He lowered his hand down to the floor and grazed his fingers across the crystalic platform, expecting some of the aura to cling to his fingertips. He lifted his hand and rubbed his fingers together, but nothing stuck to them.

“What isss it, Carter?” Conda asked, hoping that the human would have a better understanding as to what this strange aura was, and more importantly, who or what was causing it to appear. Upon further inspection, Carter gradually began to recognize the color and trail of the aura. Carter noticed that the aura had begun to accumulate around his ankles, as if ready to engulf him. He stood up and looked over at the pack of timberwolves, watching as the aura slowly surrounded them as well.

“Uh… Carter! What’s going on!?” Hyperion shouted, feeling the need to break from his pack and flee the scene.

What is going on? Is this some sort of security system implemented into the castle in case of any trespassers?

Carter thought about the situation, thinking of an answer. The timberwolves on the other hand slowly moved away from the growing mass of aura, but wherever they went the magic would simply follow them. Each of them tilted their heads in confusion once the aura began to bubble. The magic had begun to spawn a multitude of sentient feathers that began to float around the timberwolves. The pack moved around in a circle, growling at the floating feathers and throwing out slashes with their claws. However their methods of attacks proved to be ineffective against this unusual threat, and it only seemed to irritate them. Soon the feathers all began to vibrate intensely, grazing themselves against the timberwolves’ bodies. It was an attack… of sorts. Theia began to lightly giggle, feeling the feathers graze across and between her slender toes. The rest of the feathers went over to the other timberwolves and they began to break out into a fit of laughter as well, rolling around as the feathers did their thing. Even Gaea, their stoic leader, fell victim to the feathers' ticklish ways.

Tickling? What the hell is this?

Carter could not seem to wrap his mind around the situation. If this was an attack, then why was it merely tickling from feathers? But solving that would have to wait, as the ceiling above him and Conda soon began to light up with the same aura. Carter pulled out his swords from behind his back, expecting some sort of enemy to appear from it. But alas, the only thing that came out of the strange magic were dark storm clouds that filled in the empty space above their heads. The clouds erupted with a mighty thunderclap, only to be followed up with rain… but Carter smelled something off about the rain that the clouds released.

Lemon drops?

As the timberwolves all ran around the room in a futile attempt to escape the feathers’ wrath, Carter and Conda were left by themselves, beyond confused by the castle’s methods of attacking. The human moved his hand to his chin as he pondered the situation.

“This makes no sense. Not even Pinkie Pie herself would form something as crazy as this.” Carter looked over to the anaconda sitting on his shoulder.

“Perhapsss thisss wasss meant to ssscare away tressspasssersss.” Conda said, trying to come up with an answer of any kind.

“I don't know about that. All of this would do nothing but confuse them, the same way it is for us.” Carter said, struggling to figure it out. He wracked his brain trying to come up with an explanation, but there was nothing logical about the situation. “This is madness! The way this magic works is crazy! First feathers, then lemon drops? There is no rhyme or reason for this, it’s… it’s…” Carter stopped talking. After simply talking it over with himself, it seemed he had answered his own question. He gripped the swords in his hands and took a stance, looking around for the only one who could create such magic.

It’s chaos magic…

In the blink of an eye, Carter’s body was sent flying across the map room, forcing the human onto his back when he landed on the ground. Carter tried to get to his feet, but he felt something wrap around his bracers. He looked back and found a multitude of vines breaking through the crystal floors and entangling themselves around Carter’s forearms, preventing him from moving any further. He tried to pull himself free of the vines, but they were too much for him to overcome.

“Ha! That was easier than I thought it would be!” Carter lifted his head and turned his attention towards the mastermind behind the bizarre magic. He gritted his teeth once he came face to face with the one responsible for such chaos.

“Discord!!!”

The draconequus standing before him laughed at the human. Conda let out a hiss of anger. He was free to move about, so he launched himself at Discord in an attempt to wrap his body around his throat and choke him until he was unconscious. It didn’t work, as Discord simply grabbed the anaconda by his head and grinned. Discord lifted his hand and used his chaos magic to paralyze the snake. Conda squealed as he felt himself go limp. Discord released the snake from his grasp, watching the snake fall at his feet.

“Ha! Pathetic!” Discord gave the human a nasty look, staring at him with his villainous eyes.

“You bastard! How could you turn against your own friends!?” Carter shouted, demanding an answer from the draconequus.

“Me, turn away from my friends?” Discord scoffed at the human, offended that he would think so little of him. “Everything I have done is because of them. Why, I have done nothing but protect them.”

“Right. You helping Grogar achieve world domination is helping your friends.” Carter gave another tug at the vines, feeling an overwhelming urge to punch Discord right in his face. “Your betrayal has led to nothing but death and destruction for them. Not just that, but your carelessness has made everypony in Equestria come to hate you for what you’ve become. You aren’t helping in the least.”

“I stand by what I said, Carter. I am doing this for them.” Discord lowered his brow and clenched his fists. He was beginning to lose his normally careless composure and become rather pissed off at the human. “If only you could see things through Lord Grogar’s eyes. He seeks only the best for Equestria, nothing less.”

“Oh, right. You seek pony genocide, ok.” Carter leaned in closer to the draconequus and clenched his teeth together. “I am sure that Fluttershy is just so proud of you for everything you have done for her.” The man spoke through his teeth. Discord snapped, running at him and grabbing Carter by his throat with a firm, violent grip.

“Do not bring her up, you hear me?” Discord’s expression portrayed just how angered he was at the human. A fire from within his soul was felt burning inside him. “I promised her that no harm would come to her. If I fail Grogar, then she dies. So unless I need to kill you, I suggest you watch your mouth.” Carter could feel the pain and anguish Discord felt for what he did to the ponies and to Fluttershy. Carter grinned, looking at him dead in his eyes.

“Then do it.” Carter said, pressuring Discord with his taunts. “Kill me, right here, right now. Strike me down and watch as the blood from my body spills across the floor while you smile with content at what you’ve done. You can show Fluttershy who you really are!”

Discord erupted into a fit of rage. He lifted his fist and punched Carter straight in his gut. The human was released from the vines and sent flying towards the back of the map room, his body crashing against the wall behind him. He fell to the floor, groaning in pain. The timberwolves noticed that the magic from the feathers had dissipated, each of them falling to the floor. They all looked over at their master who had just been attacked and ran to his aid. Discord approached the human with heavy steps, snarling at him for what he said about Fluttershy. He went to deliver another punch to Carter’s face, but the timberwolves stepped in front of him, guarding Carter from anymore attacks.

“Enough! I grow tired of your incompetence!” Discord lifted his hand and summoned a portal to spawn just behind him. He snapped his fingers and the portal began to suck the others into its void. One by one the timberwolves began to get sucked into the portal until there were none left. Conda had been engulfed by the void as well, leaving only Carter and Discord left in the castle. Discord leaned down and grabbed Carter by his wrist. “I won’t hurt you anymore, but I cannot let you risk her life just for their safety. She means more to me than anypony else, and I will not let you take her from me!” Discord threw Carter into the portal, closing it once the human was fully engulfed in the void. “Don’t worry Fluttershy. I won’t let them hurt you.”

~

Carter awoke from unconsciousness, dazed and groggy. He pushed himself off of the ground and back on his feet. He looked around for the timberwolves and Conda, finding all of them stacked on top of each other in a pile. They too were just waking up, pushing each other off of themselves.

“On your feet. We need to get back to the castle and fight Discord.” Carter ordered. The timberwolves got back on their paws and shook off the pain they were feeling from the impact. Carter knelt down and picked up Conda, reaching back and placing him over his shoulder. The paralysis effect had begun to fade, returning full control of the snake’s body to himself. Carter looked around at the world around him, trying to figure out where they were teleported. They appeared to be in a strange, unknown place. Floating islands and simply indescribable things of all kinds hovered around the world. The skies above were green and yellow in color, looking nothing like Equestria.

“Where are we?” Gaea inquired.

“Just as I feared.” Carter said, cursing to himself under his breath. “Discord put us in the Chaos Realm.”

“How do we get out of here?” Hyperion asked.

“I don’t know.” Carter admitted. “But we cannot stay here. We must keep moving.”

Author's Note

Trapped within the Chaos Realm, Carter and his team must find a way back to Equestria in order to stop Discord from spreading anymore chaos. If only Fluttershy were still around.

Another chapter down! Hope you enjoyed!

Peace,

-MCX