//------------------------------// // Chapter III: One Way or Another // Story: The Ultimate Test of Friendship - The Stranger From The Outside // by MegaCartmanX //------------------------------// All hell broke loose the moment this unknown pegasus kidnapped the mare’s foal and ran away. A platoon of guards were flying high in the air, hot in pursuit of the evil pegasus. The foal was fighting back as much as it could, squirming and biting at the pegasus' hoof. Carter hid behind the cover of a chimney atop the roof from which he stood, watching the battle unfold from below. Even if he wanted to help, he could not do much with the vertical disadvantage. So, for that moment, he stood back and waited, hoping that they would manage to apprehend the pegasus and end things before they would spiral out of control. The guards soon caught up and surrounded the evil pony, pulling out spears and pointing them at him. The pegasus scoffed at the guards, finding their numbers lacking and showing no signs of surrendering anytime soon. The mother alicorn met up with them and stared at the pegasus with anger in her heart. She looked upon her foal, then back at the pony, gritting her teeth and striking a battle pose. The alicorn opened her mouth to speak and when she did, her words came out with a fire for justice. “Release the foal and no one gets hurt!” The pegasus only chuckled in response. “You really think I’d just give you your beloved foal just because you asked nicely?” The pegasus grinned maliciously. “You are such a fool!” “Now, now… let’s not choose to do something that we’d regret.” The alicorn’s voice shifted in pitch ever so slightly. Carter could tell what she was planning. She tried to be the voice of reason, but knew deep down that failure would only mean the worst for her foal. She had to act wisely, or else the little pony would pay dearly. The alicorn was sweating, shuffling through all kinds of strategies in her head as to what she should do to disarm the situation. One of the guards suddenly jabbed their spear out at the pegasus without any command of action. The alicorn mother ordered against his attack, but it was too late. The guard's reaction was a surprise to everyone, even the pegasus. But alas, the pegasus managed to evade the spear attack with a well timed dodge, which gave him enough time to counter with his own attack. He grabbed the spear and yanked it out of the guard’s hooves, wielding it on his own. He then swung it at the guard, striking it through his breastplate hard enough to break through the armor and impale him, sending him falling down to the surface. The other guards backed away due to a mix of surprise and disgust. It was then the alicorn ordered for the soldiers to strike, aiming to take down the threat by force. The guards followed their commands, rushing in on their target and attacking, all while making sure to avoid hurting the foal still held in the pegasus’ grasp. One by one they went to strike, but the pegasus was swift and agile, taking out their numbers with ease. Carter, still watching the whole event by now, couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of all the guards plummeting to the ground with each blow they received from the pegasus. He almost felt responsible for their suffering, as if his lack of action was the reason for all their pain. In the blink of an eye, all that remained in the sky was the pegasus with the foal still in his clutches, and the alicorn mother floating on the opposing end. Below them, the unicorn stallion and a few of the other ponies were tending to the guards’ wounds, helping them stay alive after taking such fatal blows. “Now then, your highness -” the pegasus raised the spear up to the alicorn and clenched his teeth, raising the foal up with his other hoof. “- you might want to think very carefully about what you do next. After all-” he rotated the spear, positioning the blade right up against the foal’s neck. “- it’s not just about you.” The foal began to cry profusely, calling out to its mother in fear. The alicorn mother couldn’t hold back anymore. Following a loud, aggressive roar, the alicorn charged magic from within her horn and shot it out at the pegasus, knocking the spear away from the foal and dazing him long enough to give her the opportunity to move in. She initiated the fight by delivering a powerful kick to his face, forcing him back a few meters. He growled in pain before striking back with a swing of his spear. The alicorn flew out of the way of the oncoming attack, gaining some distance from the attacker. The pegasus went in for another attack, this time lunging out towards her. She charged up more magic and used it to teleport behind the pegasus, giving her an advantageous element of surprise. The alicorn mother lifted both her hind hooves in front of her and bucked the pegasus in his side, audibly making harsh contact. The pain inflicted upon him was enough for him to drop the foal. When the little pony was seen falling to the ground, her mother rushed down to catch her. She swept her up in her arms and held her close, thankful to be in possession of her kin once more. The little foal yelled out for her mother and buried her face in her chest, soaking her coat in tears. “It’s okay, Flurry Heart. Mommy’s here. Everything’s going to be okay,” said the alicorn as she petted her foal’s head in an attempt to calm the blubbering pony. The foal held desperately to her mother without hesitation, feeling overwhelmingly thankful to be back in her arms. The two ponies focused too much on each other that they disregarded the pegasus, who had recovered fairly quickly from his injuries and prepared to attack, spear still in his possession. Carter’s eyes widened as he read the oncoming attack. He poked his head out from behind cover and shouted “behind you” in hopes that it would alert the alicorn in time. The alicorn did heed his warning, turning to face the pegasus and protect her foal. But it was too late. The alicorn mother screamed in pain when she felt a sharp pain pierce through her side. The pegasus had stabbed her right flank with the spear, smiling maliciously as he watched her writhe in pain. Controlling her by the shaft of the spear, he then threw her across the sky and away from him. She landed atop the very roof where Carter was taking cover, just on the other side of the chimney. She was in a lot of pain, crying out in agony and keeping still to lessen the pain. Yet even through all that, she still made sure to keep her foal close to her. Carter stared at the alicorn in horror, placing a hand over his agape jaw as he watched her softly cry, all while she defending her foal. He could see the foal push against her mother, begging her to get up so that they could escape. Guilt grew in his heart as he watched the innocent, tiny pony beg for her mother to keep moving. Carter turned his head toward the pegasus, who was approaching them swiftly. His emotions changed from fear to anger. Seeing the enemy up close brought rage in his heart. He furrowed his brow as he watched him draw closer to the mare. The pegasus landed on the roof, striking an intimidating pose upon touching the surface. He slowly moved in closer to the wounded alicorn and her foal. The alicorn tried crawling away with all her might to get her foal to safety, but the spear embedded within her proved to be too much for her to ignore, causing immense pain when she moved even the slightest. “How unfortunate…” The pegasus moved up to her and placed a hoof against her flank, forcing out a pitiful whimper from the alicorn. “I gave you a chance to stay out of this, but you, you had to act all proud. A shame really -” He grabbed the spear and buried it deeper into her side. The alicorn let out a blood-curdling scream, begging for someone to help her. Carter meanwhile clenched his fists, his face turned red as his body seethed with anger. “- I would hate to be your daughter. About to watch her own mother perish for her ignorance. But oh well.” The alicorn’s eyes widened in response to his words, staring deeply into his green eyes that filled her with dread, like he would be the last thing she saw. Carter snapped. He yelled out in a colossal rage, jumping out from behind the chimney and punching the pegasus across the face with a devastating right hook. The force of his blow was so great that his enemy fumbled backwards, eventually landing on his back. Carter then swiftly positioned himself in front of the injured alicorn, keeping his fists clenched and brow furrowed. The opposing pegasus got up to its hooves and growled at Carter. But upon getting a good, clear look at the human, his anger changed to confusion, feeling perplexed by the sight of Carter’s odd appearance. While the pegasus analyzed him for a moment, Carter just stood defensively in front of the alicorn, keeping his eyes locked on his enemy. The pegasus cocked his head. While the stand down took place, the alicorn stared at Carter with the same shock, pulling her foal close to her. The sight of the human was unlike anything she had seen before. With everything happening so fast, she was unable to determine if he was friend or foe. Expecting the worst, she stayed on the defensive, charging her horn and preparing to protect her daughter with her life. “What… are you?” The pegasus inquired, pulling his head back a bit. Carter didn’t reply at first, merely gritting his teeth at him. “Leave. Here. Now.” Carter said through his clenched teeth. “You really think you can stop me?” The pegasus laughed at the human in a mocking manner. His laughter echoed across the rooftop. “I am at a loss for words. No pony can stop me. The Princess of the Crystal Empire couldn’t even prevent me from completing my work, yet here you are, trying to play the part of the hero. You have no magic, no wings, no chance of stopping me and my mission. I dare say you are the most unqualified... creature to ever challenge me.” “And what would that mission be?” Carter inquired. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” said the pegasus. Carter watched his eyes dart towards the foal. The alicorn noticed it, too, placing her hoof in front of her daughter. Carter stepped in front of her, blocking her from the pegasus’ view. “You will not take the foal.” The human’s words intrigued the alicorn, along with the way he moved around her. He didn’t come across as aggressive, but rather defensive, as the way he circled around her in front of the pegasus seemed like he wanted to protect her from the enemy. However, she was not fully convinced that he was on her side, and so she remained on high alert, watching the event continue to take place. “Hmph, persistent.” The pegasus chuckled once more, shaking his head at the human in disbelief. “I must admit, I can respect your ambition, but I have no time for you.” He lowered into a stance, staring down at Carter with a readiness to fight. “Leave, or I will have no choice but to end you here and now.” “Take your shot,” said Carter. “Just what I expected,” replied the pegasus. He ground his hind hoof against the rooftop and lowered his head. Carter responded by putting his hands up in front of him, prepping for an attack. The pegasus initiated the battle, lunging in towards Carter and ramming into his stomach. The human grunted as the attack connected, but he had enough time to brace himself, resulting in the attack doing nothing more than shift him back a few paces. Carter wrapped his arms around the pegasus’ neck from above, getting a good grip on his target and putting himself at an advantage. Releasing his hold with his right hand while maintaining it with the other, Carter swung wide, smashing his fist into the pegasus’ head with enough force to daze him. He then switched hands, going in for a left hook. But the pegasus expected it, ducking under the oncoming attack and shuffling away from the human. The pegasus was quick, hopping around his opponent to get a good position to swoop in and capture the foal. But Carter was persistent, keeping up with the pegasus all while maintaining a defensive stance. No matter where he went, Carter was always in his way. The pegasus soon grew tired of their little dance of sorts and rushed in, spinning around on his front hooves while lifting his hind legs. He delivered a powerful kick towards Carter’s chest. Carter was able to block it, crossing his arms in an X formation in front of him. But the sheer force of the attack was enough to knock him off his feet and push him backwards. He tried to regain his balance, but the pegasus followed up with another attack. He stepped back, then used his wings to propel himself forward. Then, with his forehoof, he jabbed it straight into his opponent’s face. Carter was launched off the ground and crashed into the chimney. He felt his spine slam against the brick structure, which sent a multitude of pain signals throughout his body. Carter’s vision was blurry after the unfavorable landing. He held his hand up to his cheek, shaking his head slightly to rid himself of the dizziness he was experiencing. He soon recovered, but a moment too late. When he was able to see clearly once more, he saw the pegasus grabbing the foal from her mother. The alicorn tried to stop him, wrapping her hoof around his. But he retaliated, kicking her square in the jaw. Following a sharp scream, the alicorn fell limp, breaking her grasp and giving the pegasus enough time to escape. “No!” shouted Carter. The pegasus looked to him with an evil grin, holding the foal out in front of him as a sign of the human’s failure. Carter got up to his feet and rushed over to him, winding up for a punch. He swung at him, but by the time his attack came out, the pegasus was already far away. The pegasus flew into the air, floating just above Carter all while laughing from his chest. “HAHAHA!!! Such insolence! You couldn’t even put up a decent fight, let alone stop me! AHAHAHA!!!” Carter growled at him. His face turned red as a result of the amount of rage he felt towards the pegasus. “Ah well, you tried. I’ll give you that. But in the end, you still have your life and I have what I came here for. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be taking my- AH!” The pegasus stopped mid sentence after feeling a intense beam of magic collide into him from behind. Approaching him from the rear, the purple alicorn had caught up to him, releasing beams of magic from her horn at the pegasus. She took time to aim between shots so as to avoid hitting the foal. The pegasus dove down to the surface and away from her, forcing the purple alicorn to chase him. While he wasn’t too happy about his defeat, Carter now had time to tend to the mother’s wounds. Carter turned on his heels and ran to aid the pink alicorn. He knelt down right in front of her spear wound. Assessing the injury, he could tell that the weapon was embedded very deep into her flesh. With such a large amount of the spear tip stuck within her, it would be very difficult to remove it without further damage, but even then, the weight of the spear itself pulled down against her skin, tearing it even more with time. He had no choice but to remove it. The alicorn mother’s eyes fluttered open as she regained consciousness. Her body was in immense pain throughout every part of her. She groaned upon awakening, tensing in the process. She could later make out the image of the human, who was positioned by her wound. She let out a shout, pulling away from him before tensing up again due to the pain that came following her frantic movement. Carter looked to her and lifted his hands in front of him as a sign to tell her that he was on her side. “It’s okay, Ma’am. I’m here to help.” Carter spoke in a soothing and soft tone in hopes that he wouldn’t scare her anymore than she already was. The alicorn shuddered for a moment, thrown off upon hearing him speak her same tongue. But his friendly voice did work, for she lowered her guard after a brief pause to calm herself. She was still careful around him, but once he knew she no longer thought of him as a threat, Carter looked back at her wound. He shook his head nervously, biting down on his lip. He wondered what would be the best course of action to help prepare her for what was to happen. “My little Flurry Heart, where is she!?” shouted the mother. She looked around frantically for her daughter. “The pegasus took her and flew away, but don’t worry. There are others chasing him down as we speak.” said Carter, though he was not sure if the purple alicorn from before would successfully take him down. Still, it was enough hope to mention to the mother. “Please, I need to get to her!” She attempted to stand, but instead fell over, causing only more pain upon her. Carter placed his hands on her back to hold her down. “You are in no condition to fight, Ma’am.” stated Carter. “I can’t just lay here! That’s my daughter he has!!!” The mother became restless, shaking around where she laid, which only worsened her wound. While it was evident that she was in no condition to move, even to her, her motherly instincts prevented her from resting whilst knowing that her daughter was in danger. “That pegasus cannot just leave with her, I won’t allow it!!! Let go of me!!!” “Ma’am, please… you must not make the situation any worse than it already is.” Carter held out his hand in front of himself as he spoke. “Listen, I understand what’s at stake, but you took a very devastating blow, and a fatal one at that if we don’t address it right away.” He looked her right in the eyes with a worried expression. “Please, let me help you. I don’t want your daughter coming back to find you… well…” The alicorn’s eyes widened, realizing what he was hinting at. Her thoughts clashed against each other. She knew he was right, but the guilt she felt knowing that she was unable to save her daughter in her current state left an unfavorable mark in her conscience. Without much of a choice, she turned her head away from him and sighed. “Very well… do what you must.” With a nod, Carter hesitantly placed his hands around the shaft of the spear and got a good grip. He was strongly against the idea of such a painful action to cause her, but he saw no other way to deal with her injury. The alicorn looked at him, watching him prepare to pull the spear out from within her side. Her eyes widened. She began filling up with anxiety by the second. “Wait… what are you-” “Hold still.” The alicorn’s blood curdling scream filled the air. Tears poured out of her eyes. Carter, with the spear now in his possession, threw it to his side and began applying pressure to her injury. The alicorn cried softly once the pain began to subside, curling up in a ball and panting heavily. “It’s okay, Ma’am. It’s all done,” said Carter, notifying her that the worst was done with. He left her to herself, kneeling quietly while she cried. The weapon was now indeed removed, but her wound was still too severe to leave unattended. With no other options in mind, Carter took off his shirt and wrapped it around her leg like a tourniquet, tightening it as best he could. “You’re doing very well, Ma’am. Stay strong.” Carter placed a hand on her back and brushed it over her coat, softly petting her to bring her some comfort. Although her crying did not stop, his kind and compassionate actions did relieve some of the pain that she felt. But it could not take away the stress and guilt she felt for her daughter. She shook in fear, fear that the pegasus would succeed in stealing her daughter from her, fear of what he would do with her. And who was to blame for all of it but herself? Carter could see the fear in her eyes. He couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her. He wasn’t at all a parent, himself, but he still felt empathy for her. Closing his eyes and clenching his fists, he stood and faced the alicorn once more. “I’ll get you help, Ma’am. I won’t let you die, not today,” said Carter. "And don't you worry. Your daughter isn't going anywhere. I won't allow that fiend to take her, either." “Please…” said the alicorn. “Please get my daughter back. She’s all I care about right now.” Carter zoned off, staring at the floor for a moment. He was touched by the alicorn’s unyielding love and concern for her daughter. He couldn't remember the last time he felt love, and yet he still understood just what the mother was suffering through knowing that her own daughter was in harm's grasp. He leaned down and placed a hand on her hoof, looking into her eyes with an empathetic, genuine look on his face. “Don’t you worry. One way or another, I will return your daughter to you.” The alicorn simply nodded as he let go of her hoof. Carter arose and turned around. He walked to the edge of the rooftop. Staring off at the pegasus and the purple alicorn, who were still at battle off in the distance, he looked back to the mother over his shoulder. “That is a promise.” It was unclear to her why it was so, but something about his promise gave her a sense of hope strong enough to put her at a bit of ease, like she somehow knew things would work out for her and her daughter in the end. As their battle continued in the distance, Carter saw the purple alicorn land a successful blow on the pegasus, giving her enough time to take the foal away from him and fly away. He did a subtle fist pump, thankful to see that the odds were looking to be in their favor. But the pegasus wasn’t out of the fight just yet, for it took nearly no time to recover before chasing after the alicorn. The enemy was approaching her quickly. She looked over her shoulder to see him gaining on her, which surprised her quite a bit. She charged up her horn and shot a volley of magic beams at him. She was unable to aim her shots while she desperately flew away, so it worked more as a distraction than an attack. While a couple of the beams connected to their target, it was not enough to even slow him, and so he managed to close the distance between them even more. Carter grew nervous as the chase went on. With so much distance between him and the enemy, he was once again unable to aid in the fight. He was back to square one. Still, there was a glimmer of hope when he witnessed the alicorn taking a sharp turn around a nearby building. When she came out of her turn, she was heading down a road, the same one that sprawled just below the rooftop that Carter stood on. Since the pegasus was determined to catch up to her, it was clear that he would be right behind her. It was a gamble and a lethal one at that, but it was one Carter was willing to make. He took a few steps back, then took a running position. From there he waited for the alicorn to pass by him, which would mean the pegasus would follow suit. He faced his right, watching her zoom down the road and towards his position. Sure enough, the pegasus turned the corner just behind her and rushed in to reach her. Once in position, Carter lifted his foot and ran towards the edge of the roof, leaping off of it and aiming to land on the pegasus. He felt as though everything around him slowed once he jumped off the ground. Only his breathing and the faint sounds of their flapping wings were audible to him for that moment. The alicorn had just passed under his feet once he leapt off the roof and he could see the pegasus approaching him just a few feet away. Clenching his teeth, he reached out for the pegasus, bracing himself for an unpleasant landing. Everything sped up to normal when he felt himself collide with the pegasus. He spiraled through the air upon impact for a time, but Carter managed to grab hold of him by his hind hoof, holding tightly so as to not fall to his death. The pegasus looked around him, wondering what it was that had collided with him. He rolled his eyes in annoyance, finding the human held tightly around his hoof. “You just don’t know when to quit, don’t you!?” said the pegasus. “Very well, I’ll indulge in your little heroism.” Carter reached out to grab his other hoof but missed. The pegasus fought back, bucking him right in his nose. Carter shouted in pain, applying pressure to the extremity to try and dull the pain all while keeping a good grip on the pegasus’ hoof. “Oho! Hurts, doesn't it?” “Urgh, I will not let you win!” shouted Carter. The pegasus went in for another kick, but Carter was quicker, grabbing onto the attacking hoof and pushing it away from him. The force of the parry disrupted the pegasus’ flight, causing him to lose control for a bit of time. That single moment of weakness was all Carter needed. While his opponent tried to regain control, Carter swung himself over the pegasus and himself on his back. With the advantage of positioning, Carter began his attack with a flurry of straight jabs to his opponent’s skull, bashing his fists into the bony structure. The pegasus, although annoyed more than in pain, managed to remain in control of his flight path. But he couldn’t simply ignore Carter’s punches, as they still hurt. The pegasus wanted to rid himself of the stranger, choosing to shake him loose by performing an aileron roll. At the bottom of said roll, Carter felt himself slide off the pegasus’ back. He reached out and grabbed onto his tail, catching himself from falling to the ground below. “You're strong, I’ll give you that -” the pegasus grinned, staring straight ahead. “- but you are too late!” Carter looked to where the pegasus was staring and noticed that he was now within reach of the purple alicorn and the foal. He swore under his breath, looking back to the pegasus and formulating the best course of action. The foal let out a fearful scream when she saw the pegasus reach out to grab her. The alicorn looked back as a result of her scream. Her jaw dropped when she realized just how much closer he was. But she also saw the human, who was still hanging onto him by his tail. Her worries only increased, as she was unaware of his presence until then. The pegasus attempted to grab the foal, but missed by only a few crucial inches. The foal’s screams only amplified, as if to tell the alicorn to speed up. Carter could tell that there was not much time left before his opponent would get a hold of the foal once more. To stop him, Carter pulled himself closer to the pegasus and grabbed onto his left wing, throwing the enemy off course and forcing him spiraling towards the ground. “Let’s even the odds.” Carter grabbed onto his wing and pulled back on it, forcing a shout from the pegasus and injuring his wings. Carter smiled to himself, satisfied with his attack. Their descent in altitude meant that the alicorn could have all the time she needed to flee with the foal still in her possession, all without worrying about another attack from the pegasus, at least while she was in the skies. Except it didn’t go as planned. The pegasus knew right then what the human was planning. Because of this, he reached out for the alicorn, grabbing onto her hoof and bringing her and the foal down with him. The alicorn screamed, pulling the foal close to her chest in order to protect her. But her efforts were futile, for the pegasus pulled himself closer to her and began pulling the foal away from her, kicking her in the face every other passing second. Carter could see that the alicorn was losing her grasp on the foal and needed to help her. He grabbed the pegasus by the hairs on his back and then proceeded to wrap his arms around the pegasus’ forelegs, preventing him from further movement. The pegasus growled at the human, struggling to get out of his hold. He whipped his head back, headbutting Carter and dealing quite a lot of damage. But even then, Carter persevered through the pain, keeping his hold on the pegasus. “Hahaha! Let’s go for a ride!” shouted the pegasus. Carter raised a brow, wondering what he was getting at. That is until he spotted a light pole which they were headed right for. Carter’s eyes widened, realizing that collision could only mean trouble. With little time to react, Carter pulled the pegasus’ head to him and kneed him in the jaw, causing his opponent to lose grip of the foal and float away from their position. Carter then went over to the alicorn and wrapped his arms around her, facing his back towards the light pole. From there, all he could do was grit his teeth and brace himself for a rough collision. The alicorn was at first confused by the stranger’s actions, but once she caught eye of the light pole for herself, she too braced for impact, pulling the foal close to her chest. The sounds of snapping metal exploded in Carter’s ears. A stinging sensation in his back flared up the moment he and the ponies crashed into the light pole. But still, he held them close to him. With his back to the ground, Carter landed in the middle of an alleyway. His body tumbled over upon impact before skidding to a halt. He groaned in pain, feeling what he could only make out to be a couple of broken ribs within his chest. The human got up to his feet, wobbling at first before regaining his balance. He placed a hand over his chest, as the first few breaths hurt him dearly. His first instinct was to check up on the two ponies and ensure that they were okay. He turned to the alicorn, who was laying on her side with the foal still held close to her. He kneeled down and placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her a bit to see if she was still conscious. “Ma’am…” There was no reply. “Ma’am, please… please wake up. Ma’am.” Carter grew anxious with each passing second, worrying that his actions were not enough to protect the alicorn. “Ma’am… oh God, ma’am. Please wake up!!!” Her eyes remained closed and her body limp. Carter fumbled back from his perturbation. He didn’t even want to imagine that she was dead because of him. With her life at question, he grew in anxiety when he realized that the foal was also unaccounted for. The foal popped her head out from behind the alicorn’s hooves, bawling her eyes out and calling out for her mother. Carter looked at her with some relief, but could feel his heart drop when he heard her cries, feeling sympathy for the little creature. How much suffering had she needed to go through, and all for what purpose? “It’s okay, little one. Your mommy’s okay. She’s looking for you right now, don’t you worry,” said Carter in an attempt to calm the foal. She continued to cry, tears pouring from her eyes. Followed by a gasp from the human, Carter noticed that the foal’s horn was damaged, as a visible crack was seen in the appendage. Not only that, but her wings were severely bruised and covered with varying cuts all around its feathery flesh. “Oh my God, I am so sorry, little one. I’m so…” Carter returned his attention to the alicorn, looking over her for any injuries. Besides a few bruises, there was nothing of much concern. With one last act of hope, Carter placed his fingers against her neck and kept them there for a few seconds. “... a pulse…” Carter sighed in relief. The alicorn was still alive, just knocked unconscious. With what little solace he could get from knowing that the alicorn had survived, Carter turned back to the innocent, weeping foal. He reached out to pick her up and comfort her, but stopped midway, thinking twice about his action. The foal seemed at first to fear him, pulling away from his hands. But as the two looked at each other, she began to grow trust in the human, sensing that the human’s intentions were good. She seemed to understand that both Carter and herself were nervous, something that Carter did not expect something so young to comprehend. With her beady eyes still locked on the human, the foal held out her forelegs wide, allowing Carter to pick her up. Carter nodded, reaching for the foal and picking her up. Once in his hands, Carter pulled her close and cradled her in his arms. Her crying slowed to a stop with only the occasional post-cry huffing coming from her little lungs. Carter did all he could to comfort her, from petting her mane to gingerly rocking her side to side. She leaned into his chest and nuzzled up against him, finding safety with him. She was so pitiful and innocent, willingly being with someone she had never seen or met with in her life, yet putting full trust in him. Carter brushed her mane away from the side of her face and gently stroked her cheeks with the back of his hand. The foal occasionally whispered for her mother, wishing to be reunited with her once more. “I know. It’s going to be okay,” said Carter. He continued to lovingly pet her. “Come on, let’s go see your momma.” “You annoying, little pest!!!” Carter’s head shot straight up when heard the voice of the pegasus erupt from behind him. His scowl returned in an instant. He turned around without hesitation, finding the pegasus standing in front of him on the other side of the alleyway. He stared at the enemy with a menacing glare, holding the foal close to him. “Why are you doing this!? What is your goal here!?” Carter shouted with his rage pouring out of him through the husky yelling from his chest. “That is none of your concern.” replied the pegasus. “It is now.” Carter looked to the alicorn behind him before pointing to her and turning back to the pegasus. “You have caused a great deal of harm to many innocent lives. There have been countless injuries by your… hooves, and you show no remorse!? I am certain that whatever your so-called mission entails is not the death and destruction of the innocent.” “What my mission entails is, like I have stated multiple times, none of your concern.” The pegasus slammed his hooves against the ground in a fiery rage. “Leave now, or else!!!” Carter looked at the foal, staring her in her eyes. Without question, Carter knelt down and placed her on the ground. She began crying once again, grabbing onto his leg and begging for him to pick her up and protect her. But he did not, instead looking at her with a stern expression on his face. “Go hide behind the alicorn, you’ll be safe,” said Carter. The foal did not obey, shaking his leg even more. “Go, now!” His volume rose, startling the foal and causing her to back away in shock. He immediately regretted yelling at her and took a second to calm himself, taking in a deep breath before continuing. “Get behind her and do not look back. This will get messy.” The foal, though hesitant, obeyed in the end, trotting over to the unconscious alicorn’s body and taking cover behind her. “That was a mistake,” said the pegasus, taking up a fighting stance. Carter slowly turned his head toward his target and exhaled. “You will not get the foal.” Carter put up a stance of his own, ready to end the fight then and there. “I won't let you take her.” “Enough!” The pegasus lunged at Carter in a blind rage, aiming to end his life as soon as possible. Carter blocked the attack and countered with an uppercut to his chin. The pegasus stepped back, then returned with a low buck. Carter backstepped and dodged it right before it could connect, grabbing him by his hoof where he then turned around and threw him over his shoulder. The pegasus slamming against the ground. Carter ran to him and mounted himself atop the pegasus’ back, grabbing him by his neck in an attempt to choke him. But the pegasus was quick, flipping around on his back and punching Carter across his face with his forehoof. Carter’s head whipped backward as a result of the blow. Another successful stomach punch was administered from the pegasus to get Carter off of him and even the fight. While Carter stumbled backward, the pegasus arose to its hooves and resumed his stance. Carter caught himself on his knees, wiping the blood from his lip. In that moment he discovered that the pegasus had inadvertently revealed one key detail to his fighting style: he was always seeking to be the one to throw the first punch, as Carter would seem to only land blows in the form of counters. With this in mind, Carter let the pegasus approach him, waiting for the moment to strike. Just as planned, the pegasus stepped forward and came at his foe with a stomp. Carter rolled away with just enough time to counter strike, following through with a jumping knee kick. The pegasus blocked it, but found himself unable to counter given his current position. So instead he stepped off to the side and gained some distance between him and the human, resetting the fight. “Perhaps this is a good time to make things a bit more interesting.” The pegasus reached into his robe and pulled out a small knife. Carter’s breath stuttered for a moment upon seeing the weapon. He was unpleased to see such a steep disadvantage placed upon him, for not only would he have to attack via counters, he would also have to perform flawlessly if he wanted to avoid any serious injuries. Following a deep breath, Carter lifted his hands in front of him and took a stance. The pegasus started off simple, leading with light stabbing motions with his knife in order to analyze how the human would react and how he would go about follow-ups. The human seemed to react in a very minimal way, simply stepping away from the knife or not moving entirely. He went in for a more lunge-like attack, jumping forward and towards the human. He missed as Carter stepped to the side, evading the attack. Quickly turning back to face each other, Carter and the pegasus stood at a deadlock. The pegasus had grown impatient by this point, irritated that Carter had not yet perished by his hooves. In an arrogant attempt to end things there, the pegasus lunged towards Carter’s legs. Carter felt him wrap his hooves around his legs grip tightly. He tried to position himself accordingly, but the pegasus flipped him over his back before that action could be made. Hitting his back against the ground, Carter looked up to see the knife in the pegasus’ hoof coming straight at him. Carter grabbed his hoof just before the knife connected, hovering just above his chest. And above his chest it remained, for no fighter could advance the knife any further. Carter was sweating, looking at the blade of the knife with a nervous expression. The pegasus lifted his other hoof and placed it over the one which he curled to hold his knife, applying even more downward pressure. The knife was slowly drawing closer to cutting into Carter’s flesh. The human knew he couldn’t outmatch his opponent in his current position, but how he’d escape was beyond him. The knife’s blade hovered only an inch or two away from Carter’s chest and was only closing in with time. The pegasus smiled as the weapon gradually lowered towards his foe. “I don’t think I’ll need to tell you what happens next.” said the pegasus in a threatening tone. “But don’t worry, I’ll be sure to tell that foal all about how you tried to save her once she’s mine.” Carter bellowed in pain as he felt the tip of the knife pierce through his right peck. “If only you could see your face.” Carter reached out to the pegasus’ head with one hand while continuing to push back with the other. With his outstretched hand, Carter grabbed onto his face and moved his thumb in towards his opponent’s eye, pressing downward on the soft organ with all his might. The pegasus pulled his head back with the rest of his body following suit as he covered his eye. As a result, Carter was given enough time to pull the knife free from his chest and attack. He threw the weapon off to the side and kicked the pegasus straight in his chest, forcing him upward and off his body. The pegasus landed on the ground with a thud, rolling over on his side and coughing. All the while, Carter got to his feet and shook himself off. The two stared at each other for a moment. Both bloodied and beaten, it seemed the battle was still in anyone’s favor. The pegasus glared at the human, deciding on how to deal with him. But his objective changed when he saw the foal peek out from behind the alicorn’s body. He looked to her, then back to the human, grinning in a taunting fashion. Carter hesitated for a moment when he realized what he was planning, and in the moment the pegasus bounded towards the foal. Carter gave chase, running at the pegasus to catch him before he could take the foal. The foal watched in horror as the evil pegasus sprinted full speed towards her with one hoof out in front of him. She cried aloud, running away with what speed her little legs could output. But it was inevitably not enough to outrun the pegasus, and soon the evil pony grabbed hold of her, pulling her into his grasp and proceeding to sprint away from the human. The pegasus was fast, faster than Carter could deal with. The human knew fully well that he wouldn’t be able to catch up to him via brute speed alone. He would have to resort to closing the distance from a more tactical standpoint. Their chase went into the middle of the city, which was not where Carter wanted to be, for his presence would be exposed to many more of the inhabitants than he wished. But there were no other options. When they escaped the alleyway, Carter saw the heads of many more ponies look towards him, each of them with shocked expressions on their faces. Carter was able to recognize a couple of them from first glance, remembering the ones who were standing beside the purple alicorn before the whole situation took place. They were tending to the injured guards who were previously wounded by the pegasus during their aerial battle. One of them happened to be the orange mare from before. Carter rolled his eyes as he continued running. Can I catch a break from seeing her!? The pegasus headed down another alleyway in front of them, which only led left. Carter took note of that and headed left of the alleyway towards another one that would lead him to where the pegasus would be forced to go. If he was fast enough, he figured he could cut him off. Laughing in triumph, the pegasus looked over his shoulder and realized that he could no longer see the human chasing him from behind. He looked down at the foal, smiling maliciously. “You're all mine, now!” The foal bawled her eyes out. The whole ordeal was going nowhere for her and it was all just too overwhelming for her to bear anymore. Meanwhile the pegasus couldn’t have been happier, believing the rest of his mission to go smoothly from then on. *SLAM!!!* Carter rammed into the pegasus at full force, toppling the enemy over with a loud crash. The foal was launched into the air, falling right into Carter’s arms. The pegasus caught himself rather quickly and snarled, sprinting straight towards Carter. He rammed his head into the human and knocked him onto the ground. He followed up by prying Carter’s arms apart to reclaim the foal, but the human defended well, having at least one arm up to guard while the other held the foal away from the pegasus. “No, I will not let you interfere with my mission!!!” The pegasus screamed, lifting his hoof and then bringing it down on Carter, stomping on his face. The blow knocked Carter of all his bearings. His vision went blurry and his ears rang violently. Carter tried his best to keep the foal protected, but he soon felt another blow to his face… then another, and then another. He dropped the foal in the process, causing her to roll a few times across the ground before stopping. Many strikes in, Carter couldn’t feel his body. He let out distressed groans, trying to bring himself back to reality so that he could continue fighting for the foal’s safety, but each of the pegasus’ attacks kept him from doing just that. His vision lessened as the fight went on, going from blurry to straight darkness. He swore to himself, not wanting to admit defeat even though his body seemed to already claim it upon him. Carter didn’t want to give up, he couldn’t. Though he didn’t know the pegasus’ intentions, he couldn’t let him succeed in taking the foal for himself. “Kill him…” Carter felt his heart skip a bit upon hearing that dark, brooding, familiar voice ring in his head. “You know what you must do…” “No…” Carter’s head was then filled with the most violent and dreadful thoughts imaginable, plaguing his mind and slowly altering his psyche. He tried to fight it, but the feeling was overwhelming. “No, I can’t… stay out of my head!!!” “Do not deny your true self. This pony deserves to die for what he has done. Do it, and you shall claim your victory!!!” “No! No!!! AAAAAHHHHH!!!” From the outside of Carter’s mind, the pegasus thought the human to be defeated, for his closed eyes and injured face gave him the false sense of victory. With one more stomp to his foe’s face for good measure the pegasus planted his hoof in triumph. But he felt his hoof shake from under. He looked down and watched in horror as the human began to change physically. His nerves filled with a black substance which spread throughout his entire body, and when he opened his eyes, they were bright green, just like the pegasus’. The winged pony simply stared, bewildered and evermore fearful as the change went on. “Impossible!” Carter let out a violent, almost inhumane scream, grabbing onto the pegasus’ head and pulling it down to headbutt him. The pegasus was knocked back, taken by surprise due to the sudden increase in the human’s strength. Carter followed up once he stood to his feet, delivering three powerful hooks to his opponent before grabbing him by his legs and throwing him into a brick wall in front of him. When he heard the sound of the pegasus crash into the ceramic structure, he tilted his head toward the sky and bellowed in a fit of rage, filled with the strange substance coursing within him. “Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!” The voices continued to flood his mind almost like a chant, encouraging him for more violence. Unable to choose otherwise, he appeased the voices in his head, marching toward the pegasus in order to end his life once and for all. He stopped just in front of the pegasus, staring down at him with an evil grin beaming from cheek to cheek, and his bright green eyes which stared deep into his enemy's soul which filled the pegasus with utmost fear. The deed would soon be done, all that was left was to kill the pegasus. Carter aimed to finish what he started. But he couldn’t. No matter what he did, no matter how much the voices demanded him to kill the pegasus, something was preventing him from moving. Something in his mind stopped him from going through with the pegasus’ murder. Skipping over a breath, Carter heard the familiar sound of the foal’s crying from behind him. Slowly he turned to her, looking at her as she was curled in a ball, wailing in fear. It wasn’t her crying alone that halted him in completing what the voices demanded of him, but rather why the foal was crying. Her tears were not because of the pegasus, but because of him. The monster he had become and the demon she had come to realize was what she at first thought to be her hero drove her to tears. Carter felt his heart sink deeply within him. He was appalled by what happened. How could he let himself be controlled so easily? “What are you doing??? Kill your enemy, now!” Carter grabbed his head, fighting against the voices that plagued his mind. He began having the same nightmares of his past appear to him, further torturing him mentally. He screamed aloud, pushing the voices out and away from his consciousness. “Leave me!!!” The voices rang in his head for seconds longer, further driving him closer to insanity. But as time passed they soon faded, remaining as nothing but distant echoes. He soon regained control of his thoughts and with that his other bodily senses. The blackness in his veins slowly faded away and his eyes returned to their normal blue tint. He shook his head and looked back upon the foal, who was still sobbing by herself. He stepped forward to apologize. “I-I-I’m sorry, little one. I-I didn’t mean to…” The foal only cowered in fear the closer he approached her. His guilt grew exponentially with every passing second. He only wanted to protect the foal, but it seemed that in doing so he revealed his darkest secret to her. “I… I was…” “Halt!!!” Carter looked ahead of the foal to find five guards approaching the scene, spears pointed straight at him. Carter held his arms above his head as a sign of surrender, hoping that they’d show some mercy upon him. The pony in the middle caught Carter’s attention, as it looked different than the rest. It was a bigger stallion clad in white and blue steel armor, wielding a much larger halberd-type weapon. “Do not move anywhere near the foal!!! Get on the ground or we will use force!!!” Carter lowered himself to the ground, complying with the guard’s orders. Carter heard the laughter from the pegasus, followed by gargled coughing. He turned his eyes toward him. “*cough* Haha… you really are a fool.” Carter raised his brow in response to the pegasus’ statement. Even after everything he had gone through, the winged pony still had the audacity to throw out threats to him. “You have just revealed a truth about yourself that you will never recover from. You think you will find safety here? You won’t. You’re not safe here… you’ll never be safe. And now… neither are they… *cough* *cough*” And with that, the pegasus’ eyes slowly shut, signifying his death. Carter sighed feeling a mix of relief and regret in regards to what he had done to the pegasus. Even if he was evil, he did not know if he could truly consider himself the good guy after what he had done. “Sir, we have him apprehended!” said a guard. “Good.” The middlemost guard lowered his weapon to the ground and took off his helmet. Carter’s eyes widened and his jaw hung agape when he realized the identity of that specific guard. It was the father of the foal, the white stallion from before. The foal reached out for him, begging, pleading for him to come and rescue her. He looked at Carter with anger in his eyes. Carter gulped nervously, wondering if he was angered due to also seeing the recent events that had taken effect within him. The father picked his weapon up and approached Carter, rounding off towards his daughter. The sound of a high frequency charge caught everyone’s attention. Turning toward the source, they all saw the pegasus beginning to light up, almost like his body was about to explode. Everyone’s eyes widened and they all took cover following the dramatic revelation. The father ran for her foal, but Carter came to realize that he wouldn’t be able to get to her in time. Though it was a bad idea, he himself ran for the foal. As the pegasus’ body exploded, Carter managed to grab hold of the foal and pulled her close before he felt his body fly off the ground. The crowd of ponies gathered in the middle of the city gasped as they watched Carter and the others shoot across the sky, landing in the fountain located in the center of it all. They rushed over to aid their wounded soldiers, but when they came across Carter they backed away in fear. Carter broke through the water’s surface, gasping for air as he brought the foal above the water. While coughing up some of the water that slipped through his esophagus, he placed the foal down on the ground. The foal ran away from him the second she was freed, running over to her father. But as she made haste, something stirred inside her. She turned her head back to look at the stranger for a moment more, staring at him with an inquisitive look in her eyes. She saw him standing in front of her once again, but he did not look anything like the monster she saw before. This perplexed even her small, immature mind. She wondered childishly to herself, imagining the possibilities of what could be happening to the stranger behind the scenes. With her mind lost in thought, she turned around and trotted over to her father. Carter climbed out of the fountain and crawled out onto the floor, laying down all sprawled-like across the stone path beneath him. He took a moment to bask in the sunlight, feeling his sweat drip down his face and onto the ground. Were it not for the guards whom he knew would apprehend him, he figured the worst was over. His theory was soon proved correct, for the guards quickly came out from the fountain waters and, per the father’s orders, pointed their spears toward Carter once more. Carter merely lifted his arms and got to his knees, exhausted and in pain as a result of all that had happened. “You are under arrest!” shouted a guard. So much for thank you… Without wanting to worsen the situation, Carter chose to comply with the guards. He expected to be thrown into a dungeon sooner or later, though for what specific reason was still beyond him. Then again, he figured that showing his face to them during such an eventful situation was probably not the wisest of decisions. Perhaps detainment was what was best for him. That is until he heard a soft, feminine voice speak out on his behalf. “Wait, do not arrest him. He is not the enemy!” Carter did not recognize the voice, but he dared not look to see who it was should such a small gesture aggravate the guards. All he was left to analyze was the sound of hooves trotting along the stone path toward his position. When the steps stopped just behind him, Carter shuddered for a moment, wondering what was taking place behind his back. Then the voice was heard again. “It’s okay... sir… you're fine.” Hesitantly, Carter lowered his hands to his side and turned to face whoever it was who was talking to him. To his surprise, it was the same purple alicorn from before. Although she was visibly battered from head to hoof, Carter felt some comfort knowing that she was indeed alive after what had happened to her previously. When she was able to look upon his face, she was taken aback for a split second, surprised by his odd appearance just as any of the other ponies reacted. But that soon changed as she further studied the odd creature, smiling at him in a friendly way. Carter raised his brow in response, not expecting such a strange reaction to his presence. The alicorn looked to the foal, who was reunited with her father. The stallion covered her face in kisses, nuzzling her cheek and whispering “I love you” into her ear multiple times almost apologetically. Carter was happy to see that the foal was now safe and out of harm’s way. But upon seeing the foal and her father happily together once again, the image of the mother appeared in his head, remembering her state of health last they spoke. “Oh, the pink alicorn! The mother, she is-” “It’s quite alright, sir! Don’t worry, we found her and took her to get help.” stated the purple alicorn, speaking in a way that calmed Carter almost immediately. “One of my friends found her on a rooftop and let me know of her condition. Cadance, the mother, was actually the one who told me about you when I was able to find her. I hadn’t the fondest idea of what had happened after I was knocked unconscious, but what she did tell me was that a strange creature came to help her retrieve her daughter.” The alicorn looked back at the foal and smiled. “I think she’ll be happy to know that you did just that.” The father perked up at the alicorn, then towards Carter, gasping after hearing the full story. “Brother, I speak the truth. He is not our enemy.” Brother? “Oh my… guards, lower your weapons! He is not who I thought him to be!” said the father. Carter tilted his head in surprise, amazed when he put two and two together to reveal that the father had some leadership role in relation to the guards. Not only that, but he was also put at peace, as it seemed that they in fact did not witness the horrible corruption that he had gone through near the climax of the battle. “I am so very sorry for the confusion, I did not know you were only here to help.” said the stallion. “It’s… quite alright.” replied Carter. “Oh wow -” The purple alicorn studied Carter further, looking closely at his wounds. “- that pegasus really did a number on you, didn’t he?” she inquired. “Ma’am, with all do respe-” “Ma’am!?” One of the guards shouted angrily at Carter in response. “You will refer to the Princess of Equestria as ‘Your Majesty’ and nothing less!!!” “Sir, calm yourself this instant!” The alicorn stomped her hoof as she finished speaking. The guard stepped back in embarrassment, refraining himself from speaking any further. The alicorn rolled her eyes before giving Carter a nod, letting him know that he was allowed to continue speaking. Carter was taken aback by the alicorn's reaction. Her response alone did not raise any suspicion, nor the way she spoke, but rather the way her body shook near the end of her sentence. She was notably shaky, as if she was nervous. Carter didn't think much of it, but kept that seemingly insignificant detail in the back of his head. “Forgive me… Your Majesty. I had no clue you were of such high importance here in this land.” Carter said in an attempt to make his apology sound as mature as possible considering that he now knew that he was talking to such high royalty. “It’s quite alright, sir.” she said with a giggle. Carter was thrown off by the alicorn’s odd demeanor, noticing another sudden shake near her hindlegs. She was so open and kind to him, something he did not expect from her, especially given the events of the past half hour or so. But then it hit him. After all that had happened, perhaps it was just her nerves that got the best of her, resulting in the quick yet infrequent shivering. “Who are you?” she inquired, wishing to learn more about the mysterious creature standing before her. Carter opened his mouth to speak, but stopped just before any words could come out. He remembered why he was sent to this world and why revealing the truth to the wrong crowd would do him no good. And so, silent he remained, keeping to himself unless the princess insisted on an answer. A few awkward seconds passed by, and by that point the alicorn raised her brow at the human, wondering why he suddenly went silently. Carter did not think it wise to continue his silence lest he wanted trouble, so he kept the discussion to a minimum, speaking very discreetly. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, I am not one to simply put trust in those I have just met.” The alicorn at first stared at him with an expression mixed with confusion and mild aggravation, but upon going through the thoughts in her head it only seemed fair that he must have had reason for being so defensive when around strangers. “Okay then…” Out of nowhere, a blue pegasus with a strange prismatic color-schemed mane appeared in front of the alicorn, floating just a few feet off the ground. The alicorn then turned to her. “Twilight, there are no other enemies within the area. The coast is clear.” “Thank you, Dash. I’ll see to it that I increase the number of guards, tonight.” said the alicorn. The pegasus then flew high into the sky. From there, the alicorn returned her attention to Carter. “It’s not polite to talk here. Please, come with me to my castle. We can talk there and I can get you help if you so wish.” The wounds on his body caught her attention mid-sentence. She stared at his wounds, second guessing her offer. "On second thought... are you able to walk?" Gritting through the pain and holding a hand along his side, Carter simply nodded in reply. His pride got the best of him, preventing him from admitting that he was in serious pain. The alicorn couldn't seem to respond with anything other than shrugging her shoulders, accepting things as they were before proceeding. She motioned for the human to follow behind her, leading him towards a far off castle which Carter noticed in the distance. The guards followed suit, along with the white stallion and his daughter close behind. Carter felt uneasy about the whole situation. One minute he was trying to avoid being seen and the next he was seen by everyone around him. There was no saying what would happen once he arrived at this aforementioned castle, but Carter knew that if he wanted to even come close to properly fulfill his mission, he would have to start there.