Carter went from seeing nothing but green particles and bright sparkling light to feeling himself being launched through the air and heading rapidly towards the ground. He let out a panic-induced shout as he plummeted to the surface, flailing his arms around frantically all while spiraling uncontrollably.
Upon hitting the surface, Carter was sent tumbling a few feet, then proceeded to skid against the ground face first with his legs bent over his head and his arms extended out in front of him.
Finally he came to a long awaited halt; all his limbs came crashing down violently once his momentum had ceased. Following a pained grunt he remained in the prone position for a moment, taking a much needed pause to regain his bearings, along with his previously diminishing sanity.
The man swore under his breath, pushing himself up to his feet. Carter initially found it difficult to maintain his balance as he couldn’t help wobbling around.
An overwhelming urge to vomit arose within his gut, forcing him to place one hand over his abdomen and the other in front of his bilious-expressed mouth. He remained in that position for a time until he was able to regain full body control. Carter then straightened his back and stretched his arms out as far behind himself as he could, feeling the facet joints of his spine snap back into realignment. He let out a satisfied grunt, shaking off the rest of the odd, jittery feelings residing in him prior to eventually taking time to observe the situation and gain even a hint of understanding as to what exactly was in store for him.
Right away, Carter could tell that he was in some kind of forest, as nothing but lush greenery, undergrowth, and shrubbery was seen scattered around the nearby area, blocking enough of the sunlight to give the environment a somewhat desolate and spine-chilling aura.
Although, pushing aside all the negatives, Carter felt the forest also had some tranquility in it all, for nothing but the sound of the gentle breeze passing through the rustling leaves paired with the sweet scent that nature exuded brought a sense of peace to counter the otherwise eerie nature of the dark woodlands.
Carter lifted his head to the sky and closed his eyes, taking a moment to let everything soak in. He knelt down and placed his hand against the soil, gingerly grazing the grass with his fingers. It was a different and much more preferred environment for him to be in as opposed to the scorching wasteland he previously experienced in Hell.
Carter inhaled through his nose, smelling the complex scent of flowers, grass, and soil that floated around in the forest. For a moment he forgot he wasn’t even on Earth anymore, as everything seemed too familiar not to be the life sustaining planet he called home.
Carter looked down at his arms to find that his normal, skin-covered, clothing-clad body had returned to him, which brought him consolation. He smiled to himself, thankful that the creature he had met with in the underworld had shown him mercy. He was indebted to it, whoever it was.
While he was glad to be back in a state where he could again control the outcome of his life, Carter was quickly reminded through recent memories of the events that caused him to be where he now stood. The creature gave him a goal, and he was sure to see to it that it was completed.
Pushing himself to his feet, he mentally prepared himself for a long and unexpected journey. He was warned that it would not be easy to fulfill his goal, but that warning alone was not enough to stop him. He wouldn’t give up, he couldn’t, for he knew the consequences awaiting him should he fail his task, a fate he wished never to again endure.
Taking his first couple steps, it dawned on him that he did not know where to begin. With that question in his mind, he figured there was only one thing he could do: keep walking until he found someone.
Nothing but rows of endless trees and bushes laid before him. It made his journey seem like it would take quite some time before he would exit the forest and find some form of settlement.
Carter began going through the motions in regards to how he would introduce himself to the inhabitants of this new world. Initially he planned to just come clean and reveal everything about himself from the start, but he realized that there was no way that anyone would accept a man like him into their homes. Even he himself wouldn’t do such were he put in that position. So he then proceeded to map out how much of his past he would tell them, finding a balance between telling the truth and only telling them enough to gain their trust.
As he envisioned his plans in his head, his thoughts slowly shifted back to those of his past. The painful memories plagued his mind, and the darkness in his heart arose once more, haunting him with every step he took. It hurt his soul, like dozens of tiny blades jabbed into him, sticking in place and steadily sapping him of all hope of change. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to truly find peace knowing the burdens he carried on his shoulders, but he knew he couldn’t simply reside in past memories. Even now, he was determined to prove to himself and others that he was not truly lost, and that change was possible for him.
Stopping for a moment and kneeling down, he lowered his head and took a moment to push away the dark memories of his past. Carter knew that, in the end, no good would come from forever rethinking about his previous actions. What mattered now was getting back home, simple as that.
But one key detail remained hidden in his memories, one which he had neglected to take into consideration up until then.
The creature had mentioned that no human had walked on this world before and that he would be the first to do so. With that in mind, Carter wondered who it was he would have to befriend. If not a human, then the possibilities were far and few between.
Carter stuck with that thought for some time until a bright light pierced through the trees in front of him. Carter stuck his hand out in front of his eyes to block the light. In doing so he could see the sun poking through an opening in the forest. He was nearing the edge of the woodlands, and it would not be much longer before he would be out from under the cover of the trees and instead somewhere completely different. Like a child running to their mother, he stood up and chased after the light, anticipating a better view of the world around him once outside of the forest.
The sunlight washed over Carter the instant he exited the forest. All he found around him were grasslands, and seen off in the distance stood tall, colossal mountains, some towering high enough to gather snow at their peaks. He stood in awe of the world before him. The lush greenery of the forest was one thing, but this was proving to be something far more captivating to him.
Almost instinctively, Carter searched for any signs of life in order to begin his mission. He looked towards the surface, expecting to find some form of village or small town inhabited by nearby life, but to his dismay he found no such thing. Still he persisted with his search, determined that would find some sort of established, man-made living environment. After all, he highly doubted that he would be placed somewhere so far from other life.
Carter searched and searched for anything of hope, but was beginning to lose that very hope after spotting nothing but grass, mountains and snow as far as he could see.
That is until one small formation caught his eye.
It didn’t seem significant at first glance due to it being somewhat hidden behind the mist that came from the snow high up in the mountains, but upon further inspection, Carter could make out what appeared to be a city of sorts built into the side of a great mountain to the east. It looked to be a mix of gold and marble architecture, a sign that it definitely was not a naturally made formation. A smile of hope came over him, and wasting no time he hurried his way to the city.
Carter started his trek up the mountain, finding no trouble climbing up via a paved path, yet another clue that civilization was indeed close by. The first half of the mountain climb wasn’t too bad, however, it was the latter portion that proved to be problematic.
The air around him grew colder, and a thin layer of frost had begun to form up along the path. Carter could physically feel the difference in temperature so fast, like they were separated simply by a defined border that kept the two climates separated.
The decline in temperature began to take a toll on Carter, enough to force his body to go into a state of shivering. Carter crossed his arms to keep them warm, although his current outfit being a blue t-shirt, cargo shorts and black running shoes proved to be unhelpful in the least to combat the harsh climate. Still, he persevered up the snow-covered knowing that he would soon be somewhere much warmer.
Carter could eventually see the city walls poking out from behind the mountain. The mere sight of the city gave him just enough mental energy to push forward toward his destination. It was so close now.
The sound of someone’s voice coming from behind his back caught Carter’s attention, causing him to perk his head up and swivel on his heels. He was so happy to hear another person’s voice after so long, and he stood there awaiting the arrival of the stranger. However, his smile immediately dropped after he once again remembered that, according to the creature from Hell, he was the only human in this world. If that were really true, then whoever was coming up the path was not human, and as such, would most likely not take too kindly to Carter’s presence.
In a hurry, Carter looked around for somewhere to hide, but there was nothing he could take cover behind in his field of view. The voice drew closer with each passing second. He looked back at the path over his shoulder and raised his brow in alarm upon seeing the silhouette of the creature approaching his position. It was true, it did not look human, and he was not about to find out what it was the hard way.
Carter turned around instantaneously and sprinted up the path, away from the approaching being. The snow had grown in thickness along the path, making it difficult for Carter to proceed forward. Nevertheless, he managed to keep moving, lifting his legs over the snow with each step.
A cave came into view to Carter’s right, deep and dark enough to act as cover from the creatures following from behind. Without hesitation, Carter dashed into the cave and pressed his body up against the rocky walls in the darkest part he could find. From there he waited, doing his best to keep quiet, although his constant teeth chattering and staggered breathing didn’t help.
Carter kept his eyes locked on the path, waiting for the moment the creature would come into view so that he could get a good look at what to expect from the image of the inhabitants of this world, along with keeping his own appearance away from view. He could hear its voice increase in volume once more, signifying the creature’s arrival. Carter waited, shaking in anticipation - and as a result of being cold. Then, with patience, the creature came into view.
What the…?
Everything that Carter had thought to expect in regards to the creature’s appearance left him in an instant. Quadrupedal, resembling that of a horse, yet smaller than any he had seen. He guessed, in comparison to his own 6’ 2” body height, that the creature stood at about 5’ 2” from the top of its head when fully upright. He decided upon a pony instead, but even then the proportions of each of it's body parts were far different than those On Earth. On top of that, it was wearing a Stetson-style hat atop its head, which threw him off even more. But above all that, the creature had an orange coat, blonde mane, and paired with the pattern of a few apples present among its flank like that of a tattoo, which was nothing like the ponies he had seen on Earth. To no surprise, Carter found its appearance to be nothing less than bewildering. The sheer fact that it was able to talk was enough for him to just stand there, jaw agape and eyes wide open.
The pony was dragging a large, wooden cart behind it. Carter squinted in order to get a better look at the contents inside said cart. He could make out a couple bins full of jars organized in a 4x4 grid. There was something inside each of the jars, but he could not determine exactly what it was. It was oddly colored, resembling that of a rainbow with each color traveling upward in a spiral. There were a few barrels near the back, held together with a few feet of rope. But that was not what caught his attention, for behind all that was something far more interesting.
While the sight of the orange pony was truly something bizarre, he realized that he had overlooked one crucial detail: why was it talking in the first place? Found in the back of the cart was a younger, smaller pony. It was more cream colored in appearance with a bright red mane, and it too had a mark upon its flank, although it was a lot more difficult for Carter to decipher, looking to him like a shield of sorts with an apple at its center. It wore a white bonnet over its head, slightly too oversized, causing it to crease near the front.
Carter was at a loss for words, although it did not really bother him considering that he was intentionally remaining silent so as to not draw their attention to him. With little options he remained pressed against the cold cave walls, listening in to their discussion.
“Why did we stop? It’s freezing up here.” The smaller pony spoke to the eldest in a whining tone.
“Ah know that, sugarcube.” The orange pony replied, all while keeping its face towards the snowy ground.
Carter could pick out a southern drawl within their accents as they spoke, which he found odd. He did not expect for them to speak in such a manner. Even the simple fact that they spoke his same language was difficult for him to accept. It seemed like the more he observed them, the more his thoughts and beliefs on the world were debunked. Still, he resumed listening to their conversations, doing his best to prevent his teeth from chattering anymore.
The way the orange pony stared at the snow-covered trail caught Carter’s attention almost immediately. It was as if it was studying the path in search of something. It would ignore everything the younger filly was saying to it, which was enough of a reason to place Carter at a state of unease. But what it could have been looking for was behind him. That is until he looked at it from its perspective.
Oh no…
Amongst all the trouble of finding a place to hide, Carter neglected to take into account his footprints that came with each step he took. The snow did not fall nearly fast enough to cover his tracks in such a short time, and when the older pony noticed the odd markings embedded in the white powder in comparison to its own hooves, it raised its guard.
The pony followed the trail of Carter’s footprints, unknowing that they belonged to him. When Carter saw it look into the cave, his heart dropped. It stared directly at him, although he couldn’t tell if it could truly see him through the cover of the darkness. He managed to remain calm, holding his breath and standing as still as possible. For a moment the pony looked around the cave from the outside, but after a while it turned its head away.
“They must’ve left by now.” Carter could hear it mutter those words under its breath. He interpreted that the voice sounded feminine, although he did not think any good would come from such a minor discovery.
“Applejack, Ah wanna go now!!! It’s getting mighty cold!” The young filly began angrily jumping around in the cart, causing the jars to shift around. The older pony rolled its eyes and grumbled.
“Ah here ya, Apple Bloom. Quit yer whining.” The orange pony picked up the cart reluctantly and continued down the path. “Ya know, it would help a lot if you’d help pull this thing.”
“Uh… Ah would, honestly, but… mah stomach doesn’t feel too good,” said the filly.
“Ugh, of course. And with such convenient timing, too!” The two ponies’ voices gradually faded as they left the scene. Even after he could no longer hear them, Carter remained in the safety of the cave walls until he began to lose feeling in his fingers, which forced him to keep moving. He pushed himself off the rock walls in a shaken manner, his teeth continued to chatter and the cold had affected him so much that he found himself subconsciously curling up. He had to get to the city as quickly as possible.
Poking his head out of the darkness from the cave, Carter looked to his left to see if there were any more creatures, pony or not, who were on their way up the path as well. He found no one. He then turned to his right to see if the two ponies were out of sight. Thankfully there was no sign of them.
With no one left around but his shivering self, Carter was more than ready to continue moving up the mountain. In time, he noticed the snow growing thinner along the ground as he pressed onward. The bitter cold had started to fade once he neared the end of the path, which brought some comfort to him. He could sense the feeling in his fingers return to him and his shivering gradually ceasing.
Just around the corner, Carter could see the city in full. He found it was very regal and majestic in appearance. He was captivated by its grandiose design, looking around in awe as he kept venturing upward. Everything from the shape of the architecture to the colors used in its design gave off a welcoming sense to it all.
Voices rang in his ear once more, catching him off guard. Carter swiftly took cover behind a large rock to his right and laid against the now dry ground, looking ahead towards the direction of the voices.
Standing in front of him in the distance were two guards, both stallions, standing at each end of the gate leading into the city. Carter pursed his lips, eyes locked on the guards. He knew he had to find a way past them in order to gain any further progress. Placing his hand under his chin, he surveyed the area, searching for some way to get around them.
Off to his left, he saw a familiar cart set on the ground. It was the same one that belonged to the two ponies from before, as he saw the orange mare talking to one of the guards. He couldn’t make out what they were discussing about, but later both of the guards left their post and moved to where the two mares had left their things. He watched as one of the guards walked over to one of the barrels, mounting it on its back and carrying it into the city.
That is when Carter got an idea.
It was a long shot, and one wrong move would have meant the difference between success and failure. But despite the odds, Carter waited for a moment where all the ponies were in the city limits and out of view. While one would enter, another would exit, walking over to pick up another item. Carter gritted his teeth nervously, hoping that he would get his chance before all the mares’ items were moved into the city.
With one barrel left, Carter had no choice but to act. The last of the guards was already on its way, but he knew that the other was just about to come back.
Silently, Carter stood up and sprinted towards the barrel. He pried open the top lid and started to crawl inside, but immediately came across a big problem. The barrel was filled with liquid smelling like hard apple cider, so much so that he wouldn’t be able to fit in without spilling some of it in the process, which would leave an obvious mess. Still, he knew this was his only chance to get into the city unnoticed.
Carter went to the barrel and knocked it over on its side, spilling most of the cider out onto the slope of the mountain. The liquid flowed down the mountain, slowly but effectively. He hoped that in doing so, it would have enough time to flow far enough down so as to not catch the guards’ attention.
That looked expensive.
The sound of hooves stomping against the dirt ground echoed behind Carter, signaling the return of one of the guards. Frantically, Carter pushed the barrel back in an upright position, hopped into the wooden container and closed the lid over his head the best he could. Then he waited.
The guard came to retrieve the last of the barrels, placing its forehooves around it and mounting it on its back. Once secured, it turned around and began its walk back to where the others were waiting. It suddenly stopped in its tracks, looking down at its hind hooves after feeling itself step in some mud.
Carter tensed up inside the barrel. While he couldn’t see what was happening, he figured that an abrupt stop meant anything but good news.
Without thinking much of it, the guard simply shook its hooves free of the mud and continued forward, which brought some relief to Carter.
The guard set the barrel containing Carter down on the ground beside the rest of the barrels, wiping its forehead with its hoof. The human leaned in and listened carefully to their conversation within his cover, waiting for something that would signify a chance to escape unseen.
“Thank ya kindly, gentlecolts” - Carter couldn’t help but chuckle, finding their use of pronouns quite humorous. - “That should be it.”
The guards saluted without any words spoken, then turned around and headed back to their posts. The orange mare waved back to them before facing the younger filly.
“Alright, Ah’m gonna help Twi’ with her things for just a moment. You stay here and watch the cider and jam, got it?” said the mare.
“Ya can count on me, sis’,” replied the filly.
Carter lightly clenched his teeth after hearing talk about another pony, as it meant there could potentially be someone else in the area that would see him. He had to make his move quickly.
Quietly and carefully, Carter unscrewed the lid of the barrel and peaked his head out. He surveyed the area in front of him. To his luck, there was a dark alleyway between two buildings, perfect for him to take shelter while he came up with his next plan of action. Just to be safe, he turned around and made sure the coast was clear from behind. Carter suddenly caught himself having to hold back from shouting in surprise. The filly was standing right in front of him with her back turned to him.
Remaining behind the barrel’s cover, Carter had no choice but to wait until the filly moved far enough away so that he could escape without being noticed. And so he waited, keeping a low profile all while focusing on the filly. Moments passed without any progress; Carter began to wonder if he’d have enough time to get out before the mare returned.
“Apple Bloom!”
Just what he needed. Two fillies off in the distance called to the one by the barrels. The filly seemed to know the other young ponies and trotted over to meet with them, drawing her away from Carter’s position. He waited for a few seconds after they began conversing with one another, waiting for the moment where all three of them would have their backs turned to him.
That moment soon came and Carter wasted no time, jumping out of the barrel and sprinting into the alleyway, making sure to place the lid back on the barrel to cover his tracks.
Carter turned a corner and found a ladder located on the side of a building up ahead, leading to the rooftops. Without hesitation, he grabbed onto the iron bars and climbed upward, away from the surface and from any other unsuspecting eyes.
The feeling of relief swept over him once he had made his way to the roof, where after he made a brief search for any nearby threats, he sat down to catch his breath. Carter placed his hand over his chest, thankful that luck was on his side, even if it was only up until then.
Once he had fully calmed down, Carter walked over to the edge of the rooftops and peered out over the city, getting a much better view of it all from above. The city was so different from what he was used to seeing compared to Earth, aside from the inhabitants being ponies instead of humans. Everyone seemed so happy and carefree, as if they were all living in paradise. And the very view of the city itself seemed so bright and jovial.
Within the city’s population, Carter found there to be more than just ponies. He noticed pegasi and unicorns were also walking amongst each other, creatures which he had only known through myth and legend. Never before did he think their existence to be true. Yet another surprise among the many that left Carter with many questions. But since he was now out of harm's way for the time being, he was able to enjoy the newfound discovery as opposed to running from it.
Carter let out a cheerful sigh, taking in all the wonders that the city revealed to him.
Looking down at the streets, he could see a group of ponies. They were gathered around two other ponies that seemed to be of importance to them. One was a stallion unicorn of white with a blue mane, the other being a pink-coated mare clad in a similar colored dress and golden boot-like horseshoes, holding a young foal close to her, striking a color scheme that mixed the two elder ponies’ coats. The mare, along with the foal, seemed to share the physical attributes to that of both unicorns and pegasi, to which Carter remembered the term Alicorn. They appeared to be a family, but why they captured the attention of everyone else around them was still undetermined.
While thinking of Alicorns, Carter also noticed another one standing beside them. It was a purple mare with an odd mane consisting of dark purple and one pink, medial stripe. She was clad in a similar uniform, though her dress was golden, matching her footwear. Carter could not understand why, but he found her to stick out to him amongst the crowd.
There also seemed to be a handful of other ponies of varying species beside her, one of which being the orange mare from before. Carter rolled his eyes, wondering to himself if he’d get even a few minutes without seeing her around. While taking the time to analyze the crowd, he couldn’t help but notice yet another pony that caught his eye.
One pony amongst the crowd intrigued Carter. A brown pegasus wearing a green robe, seen twitching violently, placed the familiar sense of unease within him. No one seemed to notice what was happening to him, but Carter saw from above. Though hard to make out, Carter also realized that the pegasus’ eyes were turning green, glowing brightly. The man stepped back in horror, having a bad feeling about what was to come.
Impossible…
Then, without warning, the pegasus launched into the scene and stole the foal, spreading its wings out once it had acquired its prey and flew off into the sky. The mother alicorn cried out for her foal, flying up in pursuit of the thief. The stallion stayed on ground, though not by choice, ordering the nearby guards to go after them.
Carter could do nothing but watch in horror, not knowing if they would be able to stop the villainous pegasus. He wondered if he should help, were that decision possible for him to make. But in doing so, he would risk revealing himself to those down below. Carter clenched his fists and furrowed his brow. For the time being, he simply took cover and watched the events unfold from afar, hating every second he spent hiding rather than fighting.