We have been banished to the Chaos Realm, a world lacking any and all balance, control and order. Being as Discord is the only known creature with the ability to control Chaos Magic, the very thing that put us here, we are forced to find other means of escaping this accursed place. Though the odds of our escape seem astronomically low, I do believe that hope will be the one thing that helps us get back home.

1-9-2024, 11:23 PM

The team of heroes were amazed by all of the crazy things they found within the Chaos Realm. It truly lived up to its name, being as chaotic as possible. Seemingly anything and everything anyone could think of could be found in this realm, randomly floating about in the open sky.

Gaea led her pack across a narrow, wooden bridge that connected two floating islands together. They, along with the human and the anaconda, walked across the bridge, periodically looking down at the infinite void below them. Hyperion was beginning to lose his sanity in the craziness that was the Chaos Realm. The poor timberwolf began to hyperventilate, twitch and cower in fear, imagining an infinite number of dark possibilities and fearing the worst to come. The others took notice of his insecurity and tried to ignore it, but his constant whining only grew in volume with time, so much so that the other timberwolves felt rather irritated by his reactions.

“Hyperion, quit it with your incessant whining and get a hold of yourself!” Theia bellowed, shaming the frantic timberwolf for acting so childish. "Gosh, you are being so pusillanimous."

“I-I-I am sorry, I just need to catch my breath. I mean, it’s not like there is a gigantic pit of death right under us.” The frightened timberwolf placed his paw against his chest and regained control of his breathing. “I seriously don’t understand how you guys aren’t scared right now!”

“Because we aren’t choosing to focus all of our attention on the bad things, Hyperion.” Carter said, looking back at the timberwolf. “If you focus on only the worst of circumstances then you’ll never overcome your challenges. Do us all a favor and take some time to calm down before you lose your sanity. The last thing we need is another problem for us to deal with.”

“Yeah… right. I can do that.” Hyperion said, running towards the others to regroup.

The group soon made their way across the bridge and over to the next island. Carter kept his head on a swivel, surveying the area in search of anything that could help them get out of the Chaos Realm safe and sound. None of them had the ability to use magic to escape, so their only hope was to find something else that could do it for them. Their journey had lasted hours, yet still their was nothing to be seen. Hyperion began to return to his panicked mindset, wondering what Carter had in mind. He tilted his head to the side and raised his brow.

“Carter, how do you plan to get us out of here?” Hyperion inquired. He tested his human master, wanting to know if he really did have a plan to escape the Chaos Realm. “Do you even have an idea?”

“I do not.” Carter muttered through his clenched teeth. He was fully aware that the young timberwolf wanted nothing more than to test his patience, so he made sure to keep his words to a minimum, controlling his anger as he conversed with Hyperion. He turned his head over his shoulder, giving him a smug but understanding look.

“Oh, well that’s just great.” Hyperion plopped himself on the ground and whined. “Face it, there is nothing we can do now!”

“Hyperion, you need to just take a second to calm down.” Gaea noticed that the conflict between Carter and the young timberwolf was only building up by the second. She wanted to save Hyperion from going insane before it was too late. “We are not out of the fight just yet.”

“No…? No…!?” Hyperion shouted at his leader, mocking her for proclaiming such untruthful words. “Gaea, you are so wrong, and I say this with the utmost respect, we have no chance of escaping this place! Ever since we started this journey we just thought that everything was gonna work out the way we wanted it to. But no! The first thing that happens to us is our damnation in the Chaos Realm. If this is happening to us right now, one can only imagine the horrors that await us later down the road if we choose to continue fighting!” Hyperion hung his head in defeat. “Just face it, guys, we are hopeless. If Princess Twilight couldn’t even put up a fight, then what makes us think that we will do any better?”

The other timberwolves were at a loss for words. As much as they didn’t want to admit it, the young wolf had a point. Princess Twilight was known for being one of, if not the most powerful creature in all of Equestria, and even the likes of her was easily defeated by Grogar and his subjects. What were they thinking? They were just four timberwolves, a snake, and a human from an entirely different world. They had no magic, no wings to fly around, not even a means of fighting, besides Carter’s newly found blades. There was seemingly no point to continue on their quest, as nothing was looking to be in their favor.

Carter could sense that his allies' determination was beginning to falter. He too felt ashamed for being so easily defeated by Discord, but he knew that even though the battle was lost, the war was not yet over. If there was any chance to get revenge, then he was sure to take it. Carter raised his right arm to eye level and stared at the golden bracelet around his wrist, reminding himself about the Mane 6. He knew there was still hope, it was just a matter of finding it.

“No… we are not done.” Carter stated, walking past the group of distressed timberwolves and stopping at the edge of the island cliff. He looked out across the realm with his stoic expression. They all looked up at him, intrigued by what he had to say. He carried on peering into the vast lands, placing his hands on his hips. “We did not expect things to go our way, and we should’ve expected things to be difficult. We may be at a disadvantage, but there is always a way to overcome our problems. We must keep pushing forward, for we are only defeated once we choose to give up.”

“But how can we keep going?’ Hyperion asked, looking up at the human. “We are out of options.”

“Nonsssenssse.” Conda said, flicking his tongue at the young timberwolf. “You never give up when you are looking for food everyday. You and your pack keep hunting, hoping that you will find sssomething ssso that you don’t go to sssleep hungry. Thisss isss one of thossse momentsss. We mussst not give up, even if thingsss look difficult.”

“I will never lose hope, Hyperion.” Carter knelt down and placed his hand underneath the timberwolf’s chin. Hyperion raised his head. “And neither should you. I didn’t force you to come with me on this mission, you chose to tag along on your own accord, and you chose to do so because you had hoped that things would be better if you helped. Don’t just lose that because things get hard. Suck it up and keep going. I have faith that you will not surrender this easily.” Hyperion let his emotions spill out as he jumped into the humans arms, nuzzling against his chin. Carter could tell that Hyperion was scared and concerned for his well being, but he also knew that the young timberwolf had a lot of potential within him. He just needed a bit of encouragement.

“Ok… if you don’t give up, then neither will I.” Hyperion turned and hopped off of his master, landing on the ground. “I am ready to keep going.” The young timberwolf dropped his nervous countenance and smiled at his master, hopeful that he would stick to his word and find a way home.

“Good.” Carter said, signaling for the rest of the timberwolves to stand. They did as he commanded the moment he made the order. They stood up on their paws and straightened their posture as they awaited further instructions. “Let’s find our way back home.” The timberwolves firmly nodded in agreement, following the human across the island in search of a means to return to Equestria.

After many miles of walking, the group of heroes came across an oddly shaped rock formation jutting up from the ground. It was a marble pillar, located in the middle of an open area all by itself with no other formations like it as far as the eye could see. Gaea was the first to interact with it, analyzing the strange object with her keen sense of smell. She placed her nose against it, sniffing for any signs of danger. Nothing out of the ordinary was found to be.

“This is safe, no danger.” Gaea stated, alerting the others to her position. Carter led the rest of the group towards the alpha timberwolf, inspecting the pillar for himself. Carter immediately took notice of the strange symbols that were embedded in the pillar. They were similar to the one on the box that contained his Blades of Unity.

These symbols, they are written in the same language that King Terra spoke…

Carter looked around for some sign of importance to the pillar, as he found it odd that it was left by itself in the middle of the open. He found one peculiar symbol engraved in the top of the pillar, one which he actually recognized. Unlike the others, this one was not a foreign character, but rather Twilight’s cutie mark. This alone gave him enough proof that this thing, whatever it was, was quite possibly their ticket back to Equestria.

“This thing has the Princess’ cutie mark engraved on the top of itself. Perhaps we can use it to get back to Equestria.” Carter said, examining the pillar for anything else that could help them figure out its true purpose.

“That is rather odd.” Cronus said, seeing the image for himself. “You don’t suppose the Princess herself placed this here, do you?”

“Possibly, but I don’t believe that she knows of the old king’s tongue. Heck, I don’t even suppose Celestia herself knows it by memory, and both her and Luna are old enough to be considered ancient by this point in time.” Carter replied. The human straightened his stance and looked back at the cutie mark engraving. He ran out of logical ideas, so he just went with the first thing that came to his mind.

Maybe there’s a secret button or something somewhere hidden within this thing?

Carter reached out with his hand and pressed his fingers against the cutie mark engraving, hoping that something would happen. He made contact with the pillar, feeling its grainy texture between his fingertips. Nothing seemed to be happening for the time being, so he pushed against it with more force, this time intent on trying to find a secret button of sorts. The area around the engraving was pushed into the rest of the pillar, triggering a series of mechanical machinery from underneath his feet.

"Chaos Realm Cutie Map Online! Subject ID: Carter of Earth... confirmed. Initiating reconstruction protocols.”

Well… that seemed to do something.

The ground beneath the group of heroes shook with a mighty force as the pillar began to sink into the ground, splitting the very foundation of the entire island. Conda held tightly onto Carter as he and the timberwolves slowly backed away, watching the event take place from a safe distance. Soon the pillar was fully submerged underneath the ground and replaced with a Cutie Map identical to the one back in the Castle of Friendship. The shaking eventually stopped, concluding the shift of the landscape.

“Welcome, Carter. I have been expecting you for some time, now.” The human peered at the Cutie Map as a voice began to speak to him. With every syllable it spoke, the light emitted across the entire map would pulsate. The voice in question sounded feminine, one which Carter could only describe as having a light, welcoming tone.

“Who are you?” Carter inquired, wanting to know who was responsible for such peculiar events.

“I am the Spirit of Harmony, the very same one that used to live within the Tree of Harmony back when the elements were once in physical form.” The voice stated. Carter began to understand, knowing that it was the Spirit that led Twilight and her friends throughout all their friendship problems back in Equestria.

“What are you doing in the Chaos Realm?” Carter asked.

“As the Spirit of Harmony, I am gifted with the ability to travel through time and space as I please, thus my explanation as to how you have found me here in the Chaos Realm.” The Spirit explained. “What you see before you is a replica of the Cutie Map. There is a Cutie Map within every known realm that I have traveled to, in hopes that one day my teachings will be spread across not only Equestria, but other worlds as well.”

“But why? Why would you help us now?” Carter asked.

“Hah… you don’t think you are the only one who doesn’t fully trust Discord’s decisions, do you?”

Fair point…

“I had a strong feeling that he would one day banish somepony to this cursed realm, and it would seem that that day is today.”

“How can you get us home?” Carter asked.

“Well, with my help, you can return to Equestria and finish what you started.”

“Wait, really!?” Hyperion exclaimed in surprise. “We can go home! Yes! I never doubted you, Carter. I always believed that you would find a way back!” Carter looked over his shoulder and gave Hyperion a smug look, glaring at the young timberwolf with his furrowed eyebrows. Hyperion smiled nervously at the human, knowing that he was caught in the act.

“What’s the catch?” Carter inquired, turning his head back towards the Spirit.

“Catch?” The Spirit said, confused as to why Carter thought as such.

“Princess Twilight made it clear that the Cutie Map would only work for those who you deem worthy of your aid. What makes you think that we are worthy of such power?”

“I have been watching you for quite some time, Carter. The strength, courage and determination you present for your friends is unrivaled.” Even though he really didn’t want to, Carter smiled to himself, feeling honored to be known for such heroic acts. “Not only that, but your will to grow and adapt as a man prove to be quite considerable attributes as well when it comes to finding those who can share the true power of friendship. Equestria needs more like you if they wish to beat Grogar and protect their homeland.”

“But Discord is a being of incredible power. How can we expect to beat him this time instead of just getting sent back here?” Carter asked. “We were easily defeated the first time we encountered that madman. We weren’t even able to put up a fight.”

“That is where I can prove to be of service.” The Spirit spoke with a humble tone. The marble rim along the side of the map closest to Carter opened, revealing a blue crystal charged with special magic encapsulated within itself. The crystal was engulfed by a purple aura and sent levitating towards Carter. The human, though quite cautious, approached the crystal as it came to him. Once in reach, Carter held out his hands and the mystical object was dropped, the blue crystal losing the magical aura that carried it over to him as it fell into his palms. He lifted it to his face, getting a closer look at the supernatural object.

“What is this?” Carter questioned, rotating the object in his hands as he observed its distinct design.

“Unfortunately, this Cutie Map in particular lacks the special gem I require in order to open portals for you, so I alone won't be able to help you, not here. That crystal you're holding is one of the few crystals in all the realms that grants any creature the ability to control magic just like any other magic bearing creature. I have been saving it for somepony who needed it, but it looks like you will be needing its strength if you wish to stand a chance against Grogar and his subjects.” The gem glowed brighter the longer Carter held it in his hands. “Open your mind and allow the magic to enter your body and flow through you. Only then will the gift of magic be upon you and you can open portals.”

Fascinated by the power sealed inside the mystical crystal, Carter placed it between both his hands and held it out in front of him. He was unsure exactly how he was gonna ‘embrace’ the power of the crystal, but he did know that the ability to control magic in his human form would prove to be a great advantage against his foes. Closing his eyes and relaxing his body, Carter gripped the crystal, expecting to feel some sort of energy flow through his soul and grant him magical powers.

Carter stood there, patiently waiting for the energy to transfer from the crystal and into his body. The others on his team sat behind him, viewing the event take place from a distance. Seconds passed and nothing seemed to be working. Carter figured that it was because he wasn’t doing it right. In order to correct himself, he repositioned his feet and widened his stance. Then with a heavy breath, Carter reattempted to absorb the crystal’s magic.

“Give me your powers.” He whispered, struggling to feel any change occur within him.

“Erm… Carter, I don’t think it’s working.” Theia said, placing her paw over her mouth in order to keep herself from letting out a mocking laugh.

“Perhaps you are just not focusing enough energy into the crystal.” Cronus said, hoping to be of some help to the human.

Carter opened his eyes and dropped his head, staring at the crystal in defeat. He had no clue what he was doing wrong and it irritated him. He looked up at the Cutie Map and pursed his lips.

“What am I doing wrong?” Carter inquired, calling to the Spirit for aid.

“Nothing.” Carter, along with the rest of his group all lifted their heads in surprise, the same shocked expression coming over each of their faces.

What…?

“You are doing everything right, but it seems as though the crystal does not want to bestow you with its magical capabilities.” The Spirit spoke with a troubled tone, pondering the situation. She had clearly overlooked something about the human, but what that exactly entailed was unclear to them all. “You appear to already have that power within you.”

“You’re telling me that I already have the power to use magic?” Carter said, bewildered by the Spirit’s statement.

“Yes, you do.” The Spirit replied. “Even I am amazed by this phenomenon. It is beyond even my understanding. Nevertheless, this will simply make things easier for you and your team… in a sense.”

“Ok, so if I have the ability to use magic, then I should be able to open portals by myself, correct?” Carter inquired. The human wore a little smile on his face, feeling pretty good about knowing that he could control magic just like some of the ponies.

“Well… yes and no.” The Spirit answered. Carter perked his head up, fascinated by her statement. His smile immediately dropped. “In theory, yes, you can control magic as you please. But right now you are no more intelligent than an infant in the world of magic, thus you cannot open portals just yet.”

“How can I change that? How can I learn to control magic enough to open portals?” Carter asked.

“You must learn them for yourself, though I am afraid that a spell of that power is too much for you to learn so soon. In short, you cannot do it by yourself, not yet.” The Cutie Map began to glow with its purple aura and reached out for the crystal held within Carter’s hand. It lifted the mystical object and returned it into the map’s confines. “However, there is an alternate method of making this work.”

“What is your plan?” Carter inquired.

“It’s a long shot, but I can transfer myself into your body and use your magical capabilities to open a portal back to Equestria, similar to the Cutie Map. All you have to do is place your hands along the edge of the map and I will be able to open portals for you.” The Spirit said, offering another method of aiding the human in his quest. “But I must inform you that this method of helping you could mean the end of us both. Whilst inside your body, I will be dependent on you and you alone to sustain life. To put it simply, if you die, I die too, and that would impact all of Equestria for the worse.”

“Why is that?” Carter queried. “I don’t know much about spirits and such, but why would you perish if I die?”

“I am connected to this world through the earth that forms it. If I am transferred to you, I have no way to return, for unless you choose to put me back in the map, I am stuck within you. With that said, it is understandable that your death will kill me in the process, as I will have nothing to live off of. You can place me back in the Castle of Friendship’s Cutie Map once we get there, but until that point, I will be fully relying on you to stay alive.”

Carter began to understand the severity of the circumstances. He gritted his teeth as he thought about the situation further, fumbling around with other possible options. The human didn’t even want to chance the possibility of killing the Spirit of Harmony, the very thing that gifted balance to all of Equestria, but from what he could gather, this was the only option they had. He turned to the Cutie Map, placing one hand over the other to crack his knuckles.

“You don’t suppose there is any other way, do you?” Carter asked.

“Not that I see, no.” The Spirit admitted. “But I understand just how serious this threat is. I am more than willing to transfer my powers to you, as I fear that it might be the only way for you to get where you need to be.”

Carter moved his eyes down to the Cutie Map and approached the large structure. The human leaned down and rested his hands out across the edge of the map, readying himself for an expectantly unpleasant feeling to overcome him.

“What do you need me to do?” Carter asked.

“Just keep your hands out on the map like that, leave the rest of the work to me.” The Spirit’s bright and vibrant colors that came from the Cutie Map faded from its origins and began to head towards Carter’s arms. The magic from within the map pierced through the marble exterior and flooded Carter’s soul, filling him with the mystical powers of the Spirit of Harmony. While in effect, Carter strained his neck and grunted as the magic from within the Spirit transferred from the map to his body, the intense colors emitting from his skin and making the human glow with a prismatic color scheme. Carter did not experience pain as much as he thought, but the feeling of the intense magic flowing through his body all at once still proved to be an overwhelming experience.

The timberwolves standing behind him pulled their heads away from the human, wondering if they should help him. Though anxious, the alpha timberwolf ordered the others to stand down and simply let the event play out, knowing that Carter could endure the shift of magic.

All of the strange colors that lit up the human’s body slowly faded away once the shift of magical powers ended. The Cutie Map was drained of all previous activity, standing in the middle of the ground grey, dormant and lifeless. The human pulled his hands away from the Cutie Map and knelt to the ground, clenching his fists and fighting through the overwhelming feeling. Carter still felt the surge of magic from the Spirit of Harmony flow through him, but as time went on he began to become accustomed to the feeling. He lifted his shaking hands to eye level and stared at his palms, watching as his nerves would change in color every so often.

“Hold on just one second, Carter. Your anatomy is unlike anything I've ever studied before. The process will take a bit longer than I’d like to admit, but not too much longer.”

Carter heard the Spirit’s voice echo in his head, surprising him at first. He looked at the timberwolves and asked if they heard the voice, lifting his finger and pointing to his head. They shook their heads, oblivious as to what the human was trying to ask of them.

“They cannot hear me, Carter. I am like a simple thought in your head; I am all but physical.”

“Can you read my thoughts?” Carter asked, lifting his eyes to his forehead and furrowing his brow. “Cause if so, we might need to rethink this plan of yours.”

“No, I cannot read minds. Even if I could, I don’t believe I would enjoy some of the random thoughts that appear in your head.”

“Good.”

“... There, I got it figured out. You can now use my powers to create portals of your own for now. Just lift up your hand and imagine the place you want to be. Leave the rest to me.”

Carter lowered his fists and beckoned to the timberwolves. They all stood in unison and regrouped with the human, Gaea leading them as they approached their master. Once together, Carter gave a quiet nod to the pack, silently making sure that they were ready for departure. They nodded in return, affirming the human. With the team ready for action, Carter lifted his right hand and held it out in front of him, fighting against the kickback from the magic’s power with his left hand over his right arm. An image of the Castle of Friendship appeared in his mind as he focused the Spirit’s energy into his palm. Sparks of purple magic sputtered out of his hand, spawning a ball of energy out in the air in front of him. The small orb of mass grew bigger with the more energy it was receiving. The portal was ready, waiting for the heroes to step inside and take them back to Equestria.

“The portal is open and ready when you are, though I must advise caution. Discord will know of your return, and he will not hesitate in stopping you and your team. This time, you must put an end to his selfish plans and stop him here and now, for this may be the last chance you have to make things right.”

“Let’s get this son of a bitch.” Carter led the group into the portal, ready to fight the draconequus that stood on the other side.

~

1-10-2024, 5:59 AM

“I hope that she understands why I do the things I do. She can’t hate me for protecting her… right?” Discord was found near the Cutie Map found inside the Castle of Friendship. The draconequus sat in the crystal throne with the symbol of kindness engraved upon it. He leaned back and placed his chin against his knuckles. He kicked his feet up and rested them on the map as he talked to himself. “Bah, if only she could see things my way. I am only doing these things for her own good. If she wants to think otherwise, then so be it! She can come crawling back to me once this whole thing blows over.”

The familiar sound of interdimensional travel reverberated off the castle walls and into the map room, alerting Discord and warning him that someone was inside. He peered over his shoulder with a vile scowl and snapped his fingers, teleporting him to the front door of the castle. He held his hands out and used his magic to open the doors so he could get a good look of the outside. Standing just a few feet in front of him were the four timberwolves, each of them lined up against one another, snarling and barking at Discord with the desire for revenge burning inside them. There was a portal swirling around behind them, and soon the human stepped out of it and into Discord's view. Carter's golden armor glistened in the light of the portal before it closed, all the while Conda let out an angry hiss at Discord, flicking his tongue out at him. Carter stared at the draconequus with a most furious expression on his face, his eyes engulfed by the flames of vengeance. Discord returned the look, staring down upon the group of heroes.

"Ready for round two, Discord!?" Carter shouted, putting himself in a battle stance. The timberwolves stood by their master, ready to attack on his command.

"How did you get out of the Chaos Realm?" Discord asked, intimidated by the human's sudden growth in power. Never had he expected them to leave the Chaos Realm so quickly, let alone escape it in general.

"It would seem I still have allies in Equestria." Carter reached behind his back and pulled out the Blades of Unity. He tightly grabbed each of the swords' handles and held the weapons out in front of him towards Discord. "Me and my team have come for our revenge. For the sake of all Equestria, as well as your beloved Fluttershy, your reign of chaos ends now!"

"Hmmm… then it is as I feared." Discord closed his eyes and shook his head, disappointed with the human's choices. "You prove to be a threat to Lord Grogar's plans, and because of this, I am afraid that I have no choice but to dispose of you right here."

"Of all the lives to worry about, Discord, mine is not one of them." Carter said, flaring his nostrils and gritting his teeth as the rage from within his soul seeped through him.

"We will see about that!" Discord's eyes illuminated with a bright, yellow tone as his body began to levitate off the ground. Carter and his team all watched as the draconequus prepared for battle. As the storm clouds hovered over the land, the rain continued to pour down on the nearby area and the thunderous sounds of lightning echoed through the sky. Though the outcome of this fight was still to be determined, they both knew that the battle had officially begun. “Forgive me Fluttershy, for I must protect you at all costs.

The two sides began to circle each other in their fighting stances, daring the other to make the first shot. Discord stared grimly at the human and his pathetic excuse for a team while Carter kept his stoic composure, keeping his eyes locked on his target whilst sticking with the timberwolves. Discord broke the silence and shot a burst of chaos magic from his hands, aiming the magical beam straight towards Carter. The armor-clad warrior ordered the timberwolves to break off in different directions and away from the shot while he himself rolled backwards along his back, narrowly dodging the attack. The human got to his feet and thrusted his right hand out in front of him, sending the blade in that respective hand to go flying towards his adversary. The deadly weapon barreled towards the draconequus who, with a surprising display of reaction time, easily teleported away from the attack and appeared behind Carter.

Carter was unaware of Discord's current location so he spun around on his heels in hopes that he would be able to spot his enemy before he could attack. He found Discord standing on the ground, placing his hands together and charging up another blast of chaos magic. He was about to shoot it at the human, but Hyperion jumped into the air and towards Discord in order to give Carter some time to get situated. Upon landing, Hyperion leaned down and bit Discord's dragon-like leg, sinking his teeth into the scaly flesh. Discord writhed in pain once the timberwolf's sharp teeth embedded themselves into his leg. The draconequus looked down in anger and slapped the timberwolf across his face, forcing Hyperion high into the air and away from him.

While this took effect, Carter ran at Discord with his left sword in hand, reaching back with his right hand to recall his other means of fighting. His right blade levitated off the ground and flew straight to him, the hilt of the sword landing in Carter's palm. He grasped the weapon with a firm grip and leapt at Discord with both swords lifted above his head. Discord simply snickered at the human's ill conceived method of attacking him and summoned a block of metal to appear to his right. With a flick of his wrist, the metal block was sent flying to Carter as a means to intercept his attack. Knowing that the human was already fully committed on his part, Conda slithered off of Carter's shoulders and jumped at the metal block coming towards him. As a result of a brave yet stupid act, Conda took the blow, colliding with the block of metal and stopping it in mid air with his own body before it could come in contact with Carter's.

With nothing else preventing him from following through, Carter lowered his blades and swung them out in front of him. Discord could not do anything but dodge the attack, but it all happened too fast. The draconequus did manage to evade most of Carter's sword attack once the human landed, but he found himself subconsciously grunting after feeling blood leak from a fresh wound located on his chest. The blades had pierced Discord's flesh enough to where a deep cut could be seen, splitting the flesh.

"How dare you hurt me, mortal!!!" Discord aimed his hand forward and began to return fire. Carter rolled forward and dodged the chaos beams, avoiding any potential injuries. He rolled forward once more and bounded upwards on his recovery in an attempt to close the distance between him and Discord. The draconequus snapped his fingers and spawned a sword in his left hand. He stepped backwards a bit and took a probing swing with his sword once the human landed. Carter parried the blow with his left bracer and threw out a straight jab to Discord's face, which connected to his jaw. Discord whipped his head back once the jab connected, pacing a few steps away from the armored warrior in order to give himself enough time to recover.

Discord kicked his leg upward, leaning into his momentum, but Carter narrowly dodged it with enough time to counter strike. He grabbed Discord by his ankle and threw him over his shoulder, forcing the enemy onto the ground face first. Whilst dazed, Carter took the opportunity to hop on top of Discord and throw out a mighty hook toward the back of his skull. However, Carter instead connected his fist with the dirt beneath him, as his attack was promptly dodged by Discord's incredible display of agility. The draconequus bucked his hips upward and pushed Carter's body up towards his chest. Once in position, Discord grabbed Carter by his hair and went in for a headbutt, but Carter swiftly countered by putting his right bracer in front of his face. Discord's nose came in contact with the golden plating, forcing the draconequus to retreat backward as a sharp pain filled his nostrils. With no other plans to act upon, Discord snapped his fingers and teleported away from Carter, positioning himself away from the human in order to regain control of himself.

In order to take advantage of this time, Carter ran over to the metal block that landed on Conda. Bending over, Carter grabbed a hold of the block of metal and pulled it off of the poor anaconda, making sure to lift with his legs. Once successfully off of Conda, Carter threw the metal block to his side and knelt down to examine the anaconda. Conda had many bruises and appeared to be unfit to continue fighting. Carter gingerly placed his hands underneath Conda's body and lifted him off of the ground. The human beckoned for Cronus, who arrived shortly after.

"Conda is wounded. Take him with you and do not let Discord near you or him. Is that clear?" Carter stated.

"Yes, Carter." Cronus replied. "I shall see to it that this snake is protected at all costs."

"Good, now off with you!" Carter gestured away from himself, ordering for the timberwolf to escape with Conda in his possession. Once cleared, Carter turned around, ready to continue the fight. He was too late, as Discord proved to be three steps ahead of him. He shot a burst of chaos magic straight at Carter which made contact with his armor. The golden plating was enough to prevent any major injuries from being inflicted upon him, but the force of the attack was enough to send Carter stumbling backward. With a quick recovery, Carter grabbed a hold of his swords and attempted a left swing at his opponent, but Discord boosted backwards, breaking off the engagement temporarily. Carter immediately returned to his fighting stance, holding the Blades of Unity close to his chest.

"You cannot win, Carter. I will come out on top, and I will ensure Fluttershy's safety." Discord shouted, throwing taunts at Carter.

"Oh, for… damnit, Discord, we want to make sure they are all safe! Why can't you just accept our help!?" Carter replied, dropping his hands to his sides.

Filled with hatred for the human, Discord aimed his hand outwards but Carter, with a hasty slash of his right sword, struck the draconequus’ dominant hand charging the magic beam, forcing a pained shout from him as he retreated. Carter capitalized on this advantage and took a step back, leaning in on his rear foot and throwing his left sword out in front of him. He let go of the weapon in the middle of his attack and used his ability to recall the sword just enough to keep the blade in mid air and sweep the area in front of him, giving Carter a bit of a ranged attack to work with. The blade neared Discord, forcing a reaction out of him. The draconequus held his hand up and used his chaos magic to summon a wall of stone to block the oncoming projectile from striking him. The sword collided against the stone barrier, embedding itself inside of the defensive wall.

Carter recalled the blade to his hand and prepared for another attack. Discord briefly rushed at the armored warrior before snapping his fingers and teleporting behind him. Carter quickly spun around and closed in with a heavy roundhouse kick. The human parried the oncoming blow and counterattacked with a strong haymaker to the enemy’s gut, forcing Discord to go into a vulnerable position once he felt the punch knock the wind out of him. Carter followed up with a rising uppercut with his sword in hand. The blade’s hook-like edge caught a hold of the flesh underneath Discord’s chin and sliced through with ease, spilling even more blood onto the metal weapon.

“Urgh! Enough!!!” Discord exclaimed, stepping backward before dashing forward towards the human and instigating brutal melee combat. He wrapped his arms around Carter and forced him onto the ground, forcefully pushing his palms into the warrior’s neck. Carter grabbed a hold of Discord’s wrists and pushed against them, attempting to give himself some room to breathe. However, the draconequus’ strength proved to be quite intimidating, as he found himself struggling to fight against him.

Carter lifted his right leg and hooked his ankle around Discord’s neck. He pulled down against his body and forced Discord onto the ground, granting him the advantage. Carter threw his swords to the side of him and mounted himself on top of the draconequus, pinning his arms underneath the warrior’s legs and preventing him from attacking. Carter lifted one arm at a time above his head and sent powerful cross jabs across Discord’s face, the blood from each blow spilling out and splattering across the warrior’s fists. Discord knew he was in a very bad position and snapped his fingers once more in order to teleport away from the human.

Discord reappeared behind Carter and pinned him to the ground with his foot, burying his clawed toes into his neck. Carter grabbed a hold of Discord’s ankle and applied enough resistance to keep his claws from puncturing his flesh. Gaea and Theia knew that this was their chance to help their master, and so they both ran to his aid, biting down on Discord’s forearms and tearing away at the skin. Discord lifted his arms, forcing both timberwolves off the ground. He then snapped his fingers and forced two sets of vines to shoot out of the ground and wrap themselves around the timberwolves, immobilizing them in its bondage. Discord then looked back at Carter and lifted his other foot, kicking the warrior across the face. He repeated the attack several more times, forcing Carter to lift his free hand towards the side of his head in order to block the oncoming blows. Realizing that kicks would no longer suffice, Discord pointed his hand out at Carter. The ground surrounding him split and more vines emerged, wrapping themselves around Carter’s arms. Unable to move, Discord moved his claws and pushed against Carter’s neck, slowly cutting into the skin. Carter let out a pained grunt after feeling the sharp appendages bury themselves into his flesh. Discord looked at the human and laughed, knowing that victory was near.

“I am sorry that this had to happen, Carter, I truly am. However, just like you do, I too have my reasons to fight. I never sought your death, boy, but you leave me no choice.” Discord commanded the vines to pull against Carter’s arms, slowly pulling them out of socket. Carter's voice violently escalated from a grunt to a shout of pain as he felt his body gradually rip apart. “It pains me to see you like this, but I know that this is what must be done.”

“You don’t know shit about what needs to be done, Discord. You’re not doing this for Fluttershy, you are doing this for yourself.”

“Maybe… but I would rather see her alive than dead.” Carter could feel his limbs hang on the brink of tearing apart, the vines continuing to pull away at the human’s body. “If only Princess Twilight was wiser with her choices, she could’ve picked a better, more suitable hero to save the day. But no, she had to choose you. Foolish.”

You want to see what “better” really is!?

Carter erupted with a roar of anger, his body fuming with the hatred and intensity of a creature filled with nothing but pure rage. His scar glowed red and his eyes began to change colors, shifting from the normal green to an intense white. With one mighty pull of his arms, Carter broke free from the vines’ bondage and swung his fist towards Discord’s kneecaps, connecting with the bony appendage and breaking it, hearing the sound of bones snap as the attack made contact. The draconequus shouted in pain, his leg collapsing against the weight of his body. Carter stood up and freed his other arm, turning his attention back towards Discord. The armored warrior grabbed his adversary by the scruff of his neck and delivered a hefty gut punch to Discord’s abdomen, sending him flying across the way and smacking into a nearby oak tree. Carter let out another roar of pure rage as he ran towards the enemy, fists clenched by his sides.

Discord got up and limped a few steps away from the tree, but felt a pair of hands grab him by the back of his head and force his face into the oak tree. Carter kept one hand against the draconequus’ head and used his other to deliver a straight punch directly towards him, making contact with the back of Discord’s cranium and further pushing his face into the tree’s bark. Discord lost all feeling in his body for a short time after the punch connected, resulting with his entire body falling to the ground, nearly unconscious.

Carter looked at the tree and noticed that about half of its trunk was broken off. He looked back at Discord and snarled, thinking of an idea. He withdrew his hidden blade and cut away at the tree trunk with one swift swing of the blade. The tree, now split in half from where he cut at the wood, slowly descended down towards Discord. The tree fell to the ground, colliding with the dirt beneath and crushing the draconequus underneath its heavy, wooden structure.

Carter could not see Discord moving underneath the tree, notifying him that the battle was over. He looked down at his hands, watching as they shook around while the rage within him gradually faded away. He gingerly clenched his fists together and closed his eyes. He let out a small breath to regain his composure, feeling the rest of him return to normal. Carter opened his eyes and proceeded towards the rest of his team. He reached out with his hands and retrieved his blades once they flew back to him.

The human found Gaea and Theia still trapped in their viney bonds. Carter leaned down and cut away at the vines in order to free them. Once done, the alpha timberwolf thanked her master for his help and beckoned for the rest of her pack to regroup with her. Cronus and Hyperion noticed her signal and rushed to her side, the former carefully carrying the wounded anaconda on his back.

“Is it…” Hyperion spoke through panted breaths, “... is it over? Did we win?”

“Yes, Hyperion. We have won.” Carter said, smiling at the young timberwolf and reaching behind his head with his hand, scratching the wooden creature behind his ears. Hyperion let his tongue hang from the side of his mouth, his foot thumping in pleasure as he stood there, enjoying the feeling that came from the human’s loving gesture.

“What now?” Gaea inquired.

“Now we continue our mission. Discord is but one of the many threats we must eliminate in order to save Equestria. I fear our work is not nearly done.” Carter answered, wiping the blood from his neck wounds.

“Damn, that was tough.” Theia said, shaking her head in amazement. “To know that this isn’t it. We still have so much more to do.”

“We do, but we will get through it.” Carter said, standing to his feet. The team turned and faced the Castle of Friendship, ready to continue with their mission. The snap of a nearby branch echoed through the area, alerting the team that someone was nearby. Carter was the first to find the one responsible for the noise, but he stopped all movement after finding Discord with his right hand pointed at him, fully charged with chaos magic.

“You will never get away with this! Do you hear me!?” Discord exclaimed, tears filling his eyes as he shouted angrily at the human. “Why can’t you just accept change? I have seen the greatness Lord Grogar has to offer, and I will make you understand, one way or another.”

“Now now, Discord. Let’s not do something we might regret.” Carter said, trying to ease the tension felt within the draconequus.

“No!!! Fluttershy will survive, and I will not let you take her away from me!!!” A flash of light erupted from Discord’s hand, releasing the power of the magic beam straight towards Carter. The human, with little time to react, held his hands in front of him, expecting some sort of intense pain to overcome him. However, as time went on, he felt no such pain. He carefully lowered his arms and looked upon a most horrible sight.

Standing before him was Discord, but to Carter’s surprise, the draconequus was encased in stone, forever prohibited from life. Carter was in shock, wondering how this could have happened. However, to Carter’s disappointment, he got his answer shortly following the discovery of the stone-encased Discord. To his right, Carter saw Hyperion with his jaw clamped down against Discord’s fist. The young timberwolf was engulfed by the stone as well, the two creatures forming one big statue of sorts. Carter couldn’t begin to accept it.

He sacrificed himself for us…

“Hyperion!” Theia shouted, running over to the stone- encapsulated timberwolf. She stood up on her hind legs and pressed her forepaws against the stone, looking for a way to free him. “This can’t be, I refuse it!”

“Theia, there is no way we can free him.” Cronus said, hanging his head in shame.

“There has to be!” Theia looked over at Carter, desperate for aid. “Can’t you just use the Spirit of Harmony to help us?”

“I wish I could, truly I do. However, I am afraid that freeing someone from stone is beyond my level of expertise.”

“She cannot help us.” Carter replied.

Theia looked back at the stone timberwolf, softly crying as she came to her senses. Knowing that there was nothing they could do to free him, Theia pressed her forehead against his and let her emotions spill out. Carter walked up to the distressed timberwolf and placed his hand over her shoulder. She looked up at the human, her eyes big and beady with the feeling of sadness overwhelming her.

“We must keep going, Theia. If we hurry, we may find somepony that can help us free him.” Carter said, comforting the saddened timberwolf. “He did a very brave thing, you should feel proud for him.”

“I know… I just…” Theia could not find it in herself to talk. She hung her head down, contemplating the thought in her head in silence.

“Come, let’s keep moving.” Carter beckoned for the pack, who followed beside him as he entered the Castle of Friendship, ready to find the next threat to eliminate. Theia looked back at her stone-encased companion and gave off a sad smile, as she knew deep down that what he had done for them had saved their lives. Carter turned his head as well, looking back at Discord. "Don't you worry. Fluttershy will be safe now, that is my promise."

2 hours later…

“I have reestablished connection to the castle’s Cutie Map. I am now able to transport you to and from any destination in Equestria from here.”

The Castle of Friendship’s Cutie Map lit up with a plethora of colors and shapes as the Spirit of Harmony reinserted herself into the map and used her magic to return power. Carter stood at the end of it with his hands resting along the marble outlining, looking around for any signs of Grogar and the Legion.

"Spirit, how should I go about this?" Carter asked, wondering how he should plan his attacks.

"Grogar is protected by six special barriers, each one powered by one of the Legion's members. Having defeated Discord, one of the barriers have been eliminated, thus moving you one step closer to defeating the Legion. In order to fight Grogar you must eliminate the remaining five members."

Carter surveyed the area on the map, looking for his next target. He spotted a large black dot located near the south side of Equestria. The shape of it seemed familiar to him, catching his attention the moment he first saw it.

“Spirit, what is that place right there?” Carter inquired, pointing his finger in the direction of the black dot. The map zoomed in and enhanced the image of the location, giving Carter a more clear visual of the location.

“This is the home of the Changelings. Once belonging to the reformed variants, Queen Chrysalis has taken control and brought forth the destruction of their homeland, making it her own personal kingdom to rule as she pleases. Currently, Queen Chrysalis is keeping not only the reformed changelings, but also all of the pony slaves within the kingdom’s walls, as Lord Grogar has requested that she take charge of the pony prisoners while he expands the Canterlot prisons. If we hurry, we may be able to destroy Queen Chrysalis and save the ponies, as well as the Changelings.”

“Then that is where we will start. Spirit, open the portal to the Changeling Kingdom.” Carter stated.

“Can do. Give me just a moment while I acquire the coordinates.”

While the Spirit did her thing, Carter turned around and faced the rest of his team. He saw the three timberwolves all lined up behind him, along with the anaconda who laid beside them.

"Alright, remember to stay here and protect the castle while I am gone." He said, speaking to the timberwolf pack. Carter turned his attention back to Conda. "I understand you just healed, but if you would like to accompany me on this mission then you are free to do so."

"I think I am ok, Carter. I will come with you." Conda replied, slithering over to the human and crawling up his back. The anaconda perched on Carter's shoulders and stayed there until further instructions were given.

"The portal is open and ready when you are. Good luck."

"That's our cue, Conda. You ready?" Carter said.

"Alwaysss ready."

"Good luck out there, Carter." Gaea said. "We will do our best to make sure that no evil enters this place until you return."

"Good. Be back soon." Carter shifted direction and walked towards the portal. He stopped in front of it, preparing for another crazy ride to the Changeling Kingdom. The image of the Mane 6 appeared in his mind, remembering all the fond memories he had with them. He smiled, looking forward and entering the portal. The timberwolves sat beside one another, watching Carter step through the portal until it closed behind him once he was successfully through.

Don't worry, girls, I am on my way.

Author's Note

The first of the Ultimate Legion of Doom has been eliminated, encapsulated in stone. With one down, five still remain. Next stop, The Hive.

Bit of a longer chapter, I know, but I just couldn't let Discord go away without a proper fight scene. Hope everypony enjoyed this one! As always, comments are always encouraged!

Peace,

-MCX