//------------------------------//
// Chapter V: Not As It Seems 
// Story: The Ultimate Test of Friendship - The Stranger From The Outside 
// by MegaCartmanX 
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“Is he gonna be okay, doctor?” asked Princess Twilight. She and Fluttershy looked over to the human, who was passed out on a medical bed with multiple intravenous lines injected into his veins, pumping him with all the necessary medicine, nutrients and other fluids in order to keep him alive during the recovery process. His body was covered in bruises, cuts, scratches and dried blood alike. Twilight felt horrible for neglecting to get him help sooner, even if it was his choice to wait.

“He’ll live, Your Majesty,” replied a scrub clad, orange, unicorn stallion. “Though his anatomy is quite different in comparison to that of us ponies, there are enough similarities to allow us to safely and confidently operate on him. He has several fractures in his ribs along with a plethora of bruises and cuts, albeit superficial at most. Luckily, they will be able to heal rather quickly and efficiently. Simply put, it shouldn’t be too long, Your Majesty.”

“Oh please, take all the time you need, doctor. All I wish is for him to come out of that room like nothing ever happened,” said Fluttershy.

“Rest assured, we will do just that. However, I must now ask that you stay out of the room while we begin the operation.”

“Understood.” Princess Twilight took a step back, allowing the doctor to close the doors to the emergency room and proceed to heal Carter back to good health. Once the doors were closed, Twilight and Fluttershy turned around and headed back toward the throne room, where the other ponies were awaiting their return.

Upon entering the throne room, the four other ponies looked to the princess and the pegasus, hoping that they would return with good news. Fluttershy looked at them and nodded with a faint smile, letting them know that, to their knowledge, Carter would be okay. Each of them let out some form of a sigh of relief.

But even with the good news said, Princess Twilight glared directly at Rainbow Dash and Applejack, glowering at them and tapping her hoof against the floor. The two mares turned away from the princess, covering their face with a hoof to hide their embarrassed expressions.

“We need to talk, girls,” said Twilight with a growl in her voice. The two ponies knew they were in for a rough time. “What in Equestria were you thinking!? Treating a stranger like that! You could’ve caused him a lot more harm! Not to mention the fact that that was one of the most embarrassing, mortifying, most humiliating things I have ever had to witness! Imagine that was you! Wouldn’t you be quite discouraged if that was the first impression you received!?” Princess Twilight had to take a moment to pause, taking note that she was losing control of the volume of her voice. Taking a deep breath, she continued. “Why in Equestria did you do that?”

“Twi’, we’re so very sorry for what we’ve done. We didn’t mean to cause him any harm,” said Applejack, imploring for the princess’ forgiveness.

“Then what were you two thinking? Coming at him like that, let alone while already injured.” Princess Twilight placed a hoof on her forehead and shook her head. “That is not something we should be doing to anypony! You two should hope he doesn’t hold a grudge against you for that!”

“Twilight, with all due respect, don’t you think that he’s even the least bit suspicious?” Rainbow Dash raised her brow at the princess.

“That doesn’t make it any bit acceptable to hurt him!” replied Twilight.

“Okay, sure, I may have screwed up in that aspect, and I’m sorry about that, truly -” Rainbow Dash shied away from the princess, clenching her teeth in humiliation “- but what if he’s lying about who he says he is?”

“What are you saying, Dashie?” Pinkie Pie inquired.

“Yeah, you seem like you're trying to prove something,” added Rarity.

“Well, don’t you think it’s kind of odd that this crazy pegasus comes in and tries to take Flurry Heart from Princess Cadance, and then suddenly this stranger from who knows where swoops in and saves the day?” stated Rainbow Dash. “It just seems way too contrived to instead be a coincidence. And on top of all that, his vague explanation of his past doesn’t help in the slightest. If you ask me, I don’t think he is who he says he is and that he is hiding something important from us.”

“But what about that would enforce a need for violence?” Twilight inquired.

“It didn’t, and that’s not what I was intending to happen!” replied Rainbow Dash. “I’m saying that this ‘hoo-man’ or whatever is quite possibly a threat, and one that needs to be stopped!”

“Yes, Twi’. Rainbow Dash is right. We didn’t mean to cause him any harm. But she does have a point.” Applejack spoke up in defense of the pegasus, who was feeling quite overwhelmed with everyone else staring at her. “That Carter fella seems to be leaving out a lot of his past, and that’s if we are to believe that what he’s saying about himself is in fact true.”

“We cannot confirm that he's lying,” said Twilight.

“But what if he’s the one behind it all!?” Rainbow Dash screamed out against the purple alicorn and nearly startled her, dashing straight towards the princess. Applejack jumped out in the nick of time and grabbed onto Rainbow Dash, tackling her to the ground. Rainbow Dash violently attempted to break free of the orange pony’s grasp, but Applejack kept a firm hold on the pegasus. “You know I’m right, Twilight!!! What if he’s the reason for the attacks!? The reason that this whole event is going on in the first place!?”

“And what if he isn’t!?” Twilight shouted from her chest, her voice echoing across the entirety of the throne room, causing each of the other ponies to freeze in place and stare at her with surprised expressions. The princess’ nervous shaking returned, causing her to vibrate uncontrollably. Princess Twilight groaned in pain and focused on her breathing in order to calm her nerves. Once the shaking stopped, she looked at Rainbow Dash with a sense of worry in her eyes. “Rainbow Dash, I… I’m not at all saying that you are wrong. In some ways, I agree with your claim. You do make a good point. H-H-However, unless we have undeniable proof that he is the one responsible for everything that has happened recently, I, as the Princess of Equestria, cannot carry out any further actions without possibly negatively affecting Equestria in the process, dare I was wrong about him.”

Rainbow Dash growled under her breath, pushing Applejack off of her body and standing to her hooves. She looked at the princess with anger in her heart. Twilight stared back with the same level of emotion in return. They kept their gaze locked on each other for a moment, until Rainbow Dash began to visibly struggle to further control herself. Her furrowed brow slowly loosened and mouth went from clenched teeth to a quivering lip. A single tear rolled down her eye, which she quickly hid away from the others by shying that respective cheek away from them.

“You don’t get it, Twilight -” Rainbow Dash began to softly cry, holding a hoof in front of her face and struggling to control her huffing “- I get you’re the Princess of Friendship, which means that you have a lot of responsibility and all… but that still isn’t an excuse to not take necessary action.” Twilight, who by this point was beginning to regret the level of anger she portrayed to her friend, looked at Rainbow Dash with sympathy in her heart. “If we don’t stop this, more and more ponies will continue to be affected, even perish. And as much as I hate to admit it, they will have no one to blame for it but us… or rather, you.” Rainbow Dash turned to face the princess with teary, angry eyes. “I don’t want that for you, but I cannot control the decisions you make. If I could then maybe… maybe she’d still be alive…”

With those last words, Rainbow Dash turned away from the group and bolted out the door and exited the throne room. Applejack ran after her, but Rarity held a hoof out in front of her, stopping her from pursuing the pegasus.

Princess Twilight, filled with the shame following her outbursts, sat down on her throne and softly cried. She was at a loss for words. The mare's strong words hit her like a bullet through her heart. She knew Rainbow Dash was quite possibly correct, but again, if she were to act out based on her emotions and turn out to be wrong about Carter, not only would his punishment prove to be pointless, but the world would come to hate her.

The other mares looked to their friend, trotting over to her side and comforting her with their presence. Fluttershy hugged Twilight and allowed the princess to cry into her chest. The pegasus gently stroked Twilight’s mane with her hoof, helping her ease her consciousness. Looking up at her friends, the princess wiped away her tears and let one one final huff.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, dear,” said Rarity. “She doesn’t mean that. You know how she’s been lately. She’s just scared, that’s all. Nothing different than how the rest of us feel.”

“But what if she’s right? What if Carter…” Twilight couldn’t find it in herself to say such a vile, possibly untrue accusation about the human. “I just don’t want to *sniff* do the wrong thing.”

“And we will help ya make sure that ya don’t, Twilight,” said Applejack.

“It’s like you said, Twilight. Maybe Carter really is a nice, innocent guy. Who are we to deny that possibility?” said Pinkie Pie.

Princess Twilight, wiping away her tears, got up onto her hooves and nodded to the other mares, thanking them for their kindness. She knew they were right. As much as there was a chance that Carter could’ve been the enemy, there was also an equal possibility that he was actually innocent.

“Thank you, girls. I’m glad I have you all to depend on,” said Twilight.

“Of course, Twily. We’ve got your back one hundred percent!” replied Pinkie Pie.

“It’s what friends are for,” added Applejack.

“So what do we do?” asked Fluttershy.

“We need to know the truth about Carter,” said Twilight. “We can’t take any action right now, and I would hate to know that I placed the blame on the wrong target. So we’ll take things slow; get to know him real good and see if he truly is who he says he is and not just someone simply acting all innocent and oblivious in order to cover their tracks.” The mares all nodded at each other, agreeing to the princess’ plan of action.


~


Head pounding and chest flaring up as a result of inflammation near his ribs, Carter slowly opened his eyes upon awakening. Near the beginning of the recovery process his vision was blurred to the point where he couldn’t make out anything in his vicinity. All he had to go off of was his auditory and kinesthetic senses. Carter could hear nothing but loud beeping sounds that came at a steady rate.

Carter tried to reach up and place his hand on his forehead for support, but he felt something tug against him as if it was embedded into his flesh. He groaned in pain, lowering his hand and waiting patiently for the rest of his senses to return to him before proceeding.

When his vision returned, Carter got a better idea of what he was waking up to. He found himself alone in a recovery room labeled as G Wing, which he noticed printed on a sign near the exit off in the distance. He was just there, lying across a medical bed. There were many different intravenous lines ejected into his arms.

Looking over his shoulder, Carter realized that the beeping noises were coming from a health monitor displayed on a table beside him, projecting his heart rate along with other various data regarding his current status, which luckily all fell under normal readings.

Carter closed his eyes for a moment more, easing himself into the wake up process. His head felt sore and foggy, which he figured was due to the fact that he had been unconscious for a presumably lengthy duration. He gritted his teeth and let out a moan periodically, fighting through the pain, which by this point was slowly but surely fading away.

In time, the pain had come to a point where it was bearable, and so Carter opened his eyes again. Remembering the state of his ribs before collapsing, Carter looked down to check on them. To his luck, there was a thick cast wrapped tightly around his lower chest, locking his bones in place in order for them to properly heal with time.

Carter focused on controlling his breathing while trying to remember all that had happened within the last couple hours. As the rest of his body control returned to him, so too did his memories. He recalled the meeting with the ponies. Carter managed to remember as far as seeing Princess Twilight and Fluttershy carry him to the emergency room before losing consciousness. Whether or not he would admit it to himself, he was grateful for their help.

It was good to know that he had others that he could talk with, considering just how much change he had to go through within the past day or so. Their hospitality was very helpful to him. They seemed so kind and open towards him, making him feel truly welcome in their land.

But then he remembered what happened near the end of the conversation.

Carter furrowed his brow and clenched his teeth. The way they acted so violent towards him after the kindness they showed him aggravated him greatly. It made it seem like their niceness was only a cover up, and that it wasn’t much of an introduction, but rather an interrogation. Carter huffed, feeling stupid for allowing himself to fall prey to their tactics. Sure, the lies he told them about his past were rather dreadful, but why they would act hostile toward him after all he had done beforehand was confusing to him. To Carter, the only explanation he could come up with was that, due to the vague explanation of his past, they saw him as the enemy. But even if that were the case, it felt almost like a betrayal, albeit one he fell right into.

“Oh good, you’re awake.” Carter rotated his head to his right, finding a stallion standing in front of the various monitors connected to the human’s body, taking note of the readings. His sudden appearance startled Carter, causing the heart monitor to spike for a short moment. “Hmph. You seem to be healing rather quickly. This is good. You should be back on your hooves in no time… erm, I mean… feet?” Carter nodded, confirming the doctor’s guess.

The stallion doctor walked over to Carter’s arm after equipping his hooves with glove-like coverings and carefully removed each of the intravenous lines individually. When one arm was cleared he repeated the process on the other, gathering up all the medical tubes in his hooves and placing them into a clear bag to be easily and correctly disposed of. Carter, waiting patiently, simply watched as the doctor did his job. The stallion picked up the bag and walked out of the room to dispose of the used IVs. But before he walked out the door, the doctor spun on his hooves and looked back at Carter.

“The princess told me that she wished to see you once you awoke. I will go get her right now, please wait patiently.” It didn’t seem like he had a choice, and so Carter gave the doctor a simple nod in return, still feeling a bit too nauseous to respond verbally without expelling what little nutrients he still had in his body. Receiving the acknowledgement, the doctor continued out the door, leaving Carter to himself once more.

Stuck with himself in the emergency room, Carter could do nothing but look around the vicinity, examining all the medical technology placed in different designated locations around the area. Although similar to the ones he was used to on Earth, Carter noticed that a few in particular seemed to work in pairs with magic, as it seemed some key components were missing, which would result in an inoperative machine, unless it was controlled by other outside forces, such as magic. Then again, his knowledge of said magic was indeed extremely miniscule, so perhaps he was just overthinking things.

Carter heard some faint voices coming from the other side of the emergency room. They sounded very gentle and childish, which threw Carter off. Then the sounds of rolling wheels became audible, growing louder with each passing second.

Soon following all that, the doors flew open and revealed a nurse pushing a smaller medical bed down the aisle. She was speaking to someone who was on top of the bed, though Carter couldn’t tell who it was from where he was. However, he did notice that the nurse was speaking very softly and light-toned, like a parent speaking to their child.

“It’s okay, wittle one. You’re going to be just fine,” said the nurse mare.

“Mama…” The sound of a smaller foal echoed in reply to the nurse's words. Carter gasped subtly, having a very strong idea as to who it was that the nurse was talking to.

“Yes, yes, your mama is okay, as well. She can’t wait to see your wittle face again, she just needs to finish talking with the doctor, okay?”

“Mama…”

“*sigh* Yes, I know, I know.” Carter watched as the nurse pushed the little bed beside his own, parking it right beside him and locking the wheels in place. “Here you go, Miss Flurry Heart. You can talk with this kind sir right here until your mommy arrives.” The nurse turned to face Carter as she walked out of the emergency room. “Good luck with her. She’s a real talker.” Carter exchanged nods with the nurse as she exited the room, leaving the human with whoever it was beside him.

To no surprise, Carter looked to his right to find that it was none other than the very same foal that he fought to save hours ago. The little pony had a cast around its horn which, if Carter remembered correctly, was placed in order to keep the pointed appendage from completely falling off the top of her head. The foal also had numerous bandages strewn about her body, though they seemed to cover up very superficial, insignificant wounds in comparison.

“Well, well, well.” Carter looked at the foal with a smile, hoping to get her to do the same in return. But she instead did quite the opposite, staring back at him like he was a monster. Carter turned his head and sighed. It was clear that the foal had not forgotten him, or rather the monster he revealed himself to be. Cursing under his breath, the human looked back at the foal with an apologetic look on his face. “I’m sorry you had to see that, young one. I know that must’ve scared you a whole heck of a lot.”

The foal cocked her head in response to the man’s words. She looked as though she understood every word he spoke, but was still left confused as to what he meant. To her young mind, it was as if the human she saw before her was a completely different person than the green-eyed, black veined, bloodthirsty monstrosity she witnessed him become during the fight with the pegasus. Even she could understand that they were not separate beings, and yet something about the way Carter apologized to her in a genuine manner made her second guess herself.

“You must understand, I was only trying to protect you. I just… I just sometimes lose myself,” said Carter. The foal nodded in response. He was quite surprised by the foal. Here he was, talking to the toddler equivalent of a pony like she was a full grown mare, yet she seemed to comprehend everything he said, not by words but instead by the way he displayed his emotions. It made the conversation with her seem unusually casual and effortless for one so young.

The foal tried talking in response to the human, but nothing but nigh unintelligible babbling escaped her mouth. Carter pursed his lips and shook his head, visually letting her know that he could not understand her. Whining childish, the foal threw her hooves against the bed and pouted, thinking of another means to converse with the human.

An idea popped into her infantile mind that could help her communicate to Carter in a way that he’d understand. The foal lifted one of her forehooves in front of herself, and with the other she pointed to the former. Carter stared at her hoof for a moment, oblivious as to what she was trying to convey to him. Adding to her gestures, she traced a line down her hoof. She then pointed to the human, signaling for him to do the same.

Carter, playing along with the foal, did just that, drawing a line down his arm with his finger. At first he still found himself unable to become aware of what the foal was telling him. The foal continued the gesture, putting emphasis on her movements when she came to the middle of her foreleg. Carter looked back to his arm and tried it once more, looking closely at his forearm. He couldn’t find anything of significance in his arm except for his skin and nerves.

Then, it came to him like lightning. Carter traced one more line down his arm, following the path of his nerves. He took note that they were currently normal color and that the foal was most likely referring to the color of his nerves when he underwent his corruption, so to speak. It was by that point that he realized that the foal was asking him about what happened.

“You want to know what happened, don’t you?” Carter said, looking at the foal and pointing at his nerves. She babbled in agreement. Carter looked back at his own hands and stared at them. His fingers began to shake as he recalled the events that took place when the corruption took control of him. “I wish I could tell you, but I don’t have a clue as to what it is nor what happens to me when it takes over. I don’t even know what triggers it. The only thing I do know is that, when it does overwhelm me, it seeks nothing but death and bloodshed. It fills my mind with numerous images of violence, as if encouraging me for more of it.”

The foal stared at the human with a confused look. Carter understood it as though his explanation went right over her head, which made sense to him. After all, he was talking to a foal.

“With that said, you have nothing to worry about, little one. I know it’s scary to see, and believe me, I too get scared just thinking about it. But I have lived with it for many years. As you can see, it still hasn’t taken full control of me.” The foal continued to awkwardly stare at the human. Carter chuckled, thinking himself crazy for talking to her for so long to the point where it seemed as though he was really only talking to himself. “Just… *sigh* just keep it between us, okay?” She replied with another babble, though Carter couldn’t tell if it meant anything to him.

“I see you two are getting along quite well.” Carter and the foal both rotated their heads toward the doors of the emergency room. Princess Twilight came in through the doorway, holding it open for another pony following behind her. It was the foal’s mother: the pink alicorn from before. The mother limped her way into the room, maintaining her balance with Twilight’s help. The two mares made their way over to the foal and stopped at the side of the bed she was on.

The foal looked to her mother with excitement in her eyes, stretching her hooves out and reaching out to grab onto her. The mother giggled and picked her foal up from the bed, cradling the young pony with one hoof.

While the foal reunited with her mother, Carter took note of a large cast wrapped around the pink alicorn’s flank, the very spot the spear wound was located moments ago. It seemed she recovered quite well, all things considered, which brought some bit of peace upon Carter.

The mother looked at Carter after kissing her daughter several times over, nodding to the human as an expression of her sincere gratitude.

“Thank you so much for saving my daughter’s life and allowing me to be with her once more. You may not know it, but your kind and heroic actions mean a lot to me and my family. I shall see to it that your courageous deed will not be forgotten,” said the mother alicorn. “I would offer your shirt back to you, but… unfortunately it’s stained in too much of my blood, so it might not be worth the trouble. I apologize for the inconvenience. If you’d like, I could have somepony make you another one as a small reward.”

“I thank you for the kind words, Your Majesty -” said Carter, remembering that he heard a guard address the alicorn as a princess similar to Twilight Sparkle's title “- but you need not thank me. I was just doing the right thing, nothing less.”

“I understand. But even then, I humbly offer you my sincere thanks.” 

 “Although, I think I would like a new shirt, though it’s no rush,” said Carter, looking down at his exposed chest.

“Very well then. I’ll get somepony to make you a new shirt in no time.” Following up with one more nod, the alicorn turned her attention to Princess Twilight. “I must be going. It’s been a long while since I’ve last seen Shining Armor. Knowing him, he’s probably sick just thinking about us.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” replied Twilight. “I won’t keep you from seeing him. Go see your husband.” And with that, the mother parted ways with the foal in her possession. As the alicorn left the emergency room, the foal looked back to Carter from over her mother’s shoulder. Carter saw the foal’s small eyes peering over her mother and laughed in response, waving back at her. The foal giggled before diving back behind her mother.

“Cadance could not stop asking if you were alright ever since she awoke from her recovery, asking me if you and her daughter lived,” said Twilight. “If you ask me, I think you made quite a name for yourself.”

Carter smiled at the princess, thanking her for the kind remark. But upon thinking back on how they treated him not too long ago, his smile disappeared and was replaced with a stern, somewhat irritated look. Princess Twilight stepped away from the human, feeling uneasy in response to his sudden change in demeanor.

“Ummm, are you feeling okay?” inquired Twilight.

Carter continued to glare at her, locking his eyes with her’s. The fact she dared to act like she cared about his health and well-being after witnessing the aggression her friends displayed toward him was nothing far from alerting. The way she seemed to cover up their hostility with her own kindness came across as contradicting, like she was hiding something about them from him.

“Sir, did you hear me?” The princess raised her brow, feeling uneasy in response to the human’s continued silence.

“What’s really going on?” Carter asked, maintaining his stern look.

“What? What do you mean?” Twilight looked back with genuine confusion, lacking the slightest idea as to what the human was implying.

“Don’t play coy with me, Your Majesty.” Princess Twilight pulled her head back, baffled by the human’s sudden aggression. “Your friends seemed like they wanted to hurt me last we met. Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“Oh, that -” Twilight looked away from Carter and rubbed her leg with the opposite hoof “- yes, well… I apologize on their behalf for that little incident. But please, refrain from any further outbursts.” Carter and Twilight stared into each others’ glare, flaring their nostrils in mild agitation. “With all due respect, you didn’t exactly come across as friendly. You looked at each pony with that stern, agitated look on your face throughout most of your interaction with them, looking as though you were insulted to meet them like it was nothing more than a waste of your time. Not only that, but your vague, undescriptive explanation of your past and how you came to this world did not help matters any more.”

“But why did they so much as approach me like that?” Carter said, demanding an answer.

“Because they thought you were the whole reason for the attacks!” Twilight froze the second the words slipped through her clenched teeth. Her eyes widened and the nervous shaking returned to her yet again. She fumbled around, catching herself just before she hit the ground.

Carter watched the trembling princess from his bed, slowly filling with remorse for how he acted. He let out a deep sigh, calming himself before speaking any longer.

“Your Majesty... I... I didn’t mean to yell at you. It’s just that -” Carter laid back in his bed and let out another, slower sigh. Everything was going downhill for him, and for the most part, there was no one to blame but himself. The princess was right; he was being a huge jerk to them. He knew he didn’t know the full story and that it wasn’t right for him to act out based on the little knowledge he did have. With nothing to gain from remaining stubborn, Carter allowed himself to briefly open up to the princess. “- a lot has happened since I’ve left Earth. One day I'm home and the next I'm far from it. Everything feels so different. I feel overwhelmed, worried… dare I say it... scared in a sense. Scared of the unknown. It’s not right for me to take my anger out on you, I know that. I just… I just want to know what’s been going on. I want answers just as much as you do.”

Princess Twilight - standing back on her hooves after suppressing the shaky feelings she felt prior - looked back at Carter and smiled in forgiveness. She appreciated the human’s apology and understood how he felt after taking the time to explain himself.

“It’s okay, Carter. I understand how you feel and agree that I owe you a bit of an explanation.” Princess Twilight sat down beside Carter and looked at him with the same smile as she began.

“Before you were sent here, during the introductions, Applejack and Rainbow Dash did not believe that you were telling the truth when you were telling us how you came to find yourself here in Equestria. Partially because of that, they both thought that you were the one who sent the pegasus to take Flurry Heart from my brother and sister-in-law, assuming that you were only playing the role of the hero to cover your tracks.”

“But why? Why would they think I sent the pegasus to attack? When I fought him it didn’t seem like he was working for anyone,” replied Carter.

“Well, I don’t know if I should tell you.” replied Twilight. She could tell that he was curious as to why she would hide something from him, and that it was apparent that she needed to explain herself. “It’s not that I don’t want you to know, it’s just that… well, I don’t want it to bother you. I know you just got here and all, and I’d hate to know that I only made your experience here even worse.”

“I can take it,” said Carter, giving the princess his permission to tell him the truth. He crossed his arms as he waited for a reply.

“Very well, then.” Princess Twilight cleared her throat before continuing. “It’s about the attack itself. The pegasus, you saw how he didn’t look normal, correct?”

“Yes, actually,” Carter answered in reply, although the thought of the pegasus’ strange corrupt-like appearance reminded him of himself more than anything. “W-What about it?”

“Well, that type of corruption. It… it wasn’t the first time that something like that has happened.” Carter’s eyes widened in response to the princess’ statement. “The first of these events took place about three months ago. It wasn’t anything significant in comparison. The only thing that happened was that a pony went crazy running around Ponyville, a nearby city, causing all kinds of trouble, but not going as far as hurting anypony. We dealt with them and attempted to apprehend them to try and determine the cause of the problem, but when some of my guards threw the cuffs on that pony, it exploded into a mess of black goo, severely burning two of the nearby guards.

“Then another instance occurred a month later. Similar scenario, no violence or anything like that, at least, not at first. When my guards went to take care of him, then the pony started fighting back, going as far as biting a guard’s hoof in defense. We tried to apprehend him, but again it exploded, causing damage to the guards and eliminating any possibility of figuring out a solution.

“As time passed, so too did the attacks. They kept coming one by one, happening more and more often with each consecutive occurrence. By now, the pegasus attack was only three days after the last one, and I fear that the next one is fast approaching.” Princess Twilight’s shaking occurred yet again. Carter, in an attempt to calm her nerves, tried to talk positively to the mare.

“If that happens again, just let me know. I’m willing to help in any way I can,” said Carter. Twilight’s shaking ceased almost immediately following Carter’s kind offer. She looked at him and giggled.

“That’s actually very sweet of you, Carter. But you don’t need to worry about it. Me and my guards are perfectly capable of handling it ourselves.” Twilight looked down at the ground, making a circle motion with her forehoof. “It’s just that something doesn’t make sense. I don’t get why they always explode when they are about to be arrested. It’s like somepony is causing it to happen intentionally, and that is why me and my friends feel as though somepony is causing ponies to become corrupted.”

“Strange…” Carter mumbled under his breath. He looked at the princess with a raised brow. “So Rainbow Dash and Applejack wanted to apprehend me, assuming that I was the one to blame for all this?”

“Yes, that is exactly the reason,” said Twilight. “Don’t worry, I’ve already talked with those two and they both told me that they were sorry… or at least, Applejack did.”

“What of Rainbow Dash?” inquired Carter.

“I… don’t know if I would be in the right to tell you, myself. But to keep it brief, she’s been heavily affected by the results of the attacks. She’s lost so much because of them, and so she’s very quick to act, hoping, wishing that she could do anything to stop these attacks here and now.” Carter nodded in reply, comprehending enough of what the princess explained to him in order to understand the full picture.

“I see. In some ways I can understand her pain. I imagine that I'd act the same way if I lost something important. Tell Rainbow Dash she has my best wishes,” said Carter. “Though, assuming she still dislikes me, I doubt that’ll have any positive effects.”

“Awe, don’t worry about it. I’m sure she’d like that very much,” replied Twilight. “I’ll be sure to tell her when I see her again, although it might be better if you told her, yourself.”

“Alright then…”

A brief moment of silence fell over the pony and the human. They each stared out in front of themselves, thinking of something else to talk about. Twilight perked her head up when she thought of an idea to converse about with Carter.

“Carter… I know I’ve already asked you this, so you don’t have to say anymore if you don’t want to -” Princess Twilight brushed her mane away from her face and looked down at Carter with an innocent, inquisitive look in her eyes “- but if it’s alright with you, I just want to make sure that you are telling the truth about who you say you are and about your past. I believe that you are not the enemy, but I just want to make you sure you feel like you can trust me.”

Carter stared blankly at the wall in front of him, recalling all the things that had happened before coming to this strange new world. Many of the visions of his past hurt him deeply, leaving permanent imprints in his mind like scars. He was still not willing to reveal everything to her, as he feared that revealing the truth about who he was and what he had done in the past would mark him as a target and that he would possibly be seen as their enemy because of it. But at the same time, he did come up with a rather piss-poor excuse for an explanation regarding his past, and Princess Twilight began to prove to him that she was worthy of some form of truth.

Carter turned his head toward the princess and looked her directly in the eyes. Following a deep exhale, the human allowed himself to reveal enough of the truth to gain her trust, feeling that she had already earned his to some degree.

“During our first meeting, when Pinkie Pie talked about my friends and family back on Earth… I…” Carter couldn’t find it in himself to continue. Doing so much as mentioning them brought a flood of emotions to him. He pursed his lips together and squinted, finding himself suddenly needing to hold back oncoming tears.

Princess Twilight could tell that the human was feeling emotional about something regarding his home and those he spent his time with. She felt pity for the human, even though she didn’t yet know the reason behind his sadness.

“I’m sorry if Pinkie Pie crossed the line after mentioning them. I swear she didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or offend you in any way if that’s what happened,” said Twilight.

“No, no. It’s completely fine, Your Majesty. I’m not mad at her at all.” Carter said, clarifying himself. “No, it’s something else.” Twilight scooted herself closer to the human, interested in hearing what he had to say. “You see… back on Earth, I don’t have friends or a family. Not anymore.”

“What?” Twilight said, more so as a question. Carter looked down at his lap and nodded shamefully in reply to the princess. It was by that point that Twilight knew that he was serious and that something regarding his past took a serious toll on him. “Please tell me why…” She didn’t expect Carter to continue, but to her surprise he pushed himself up so that he sat tall against the back of his medical bed and went on with his explanation.

“I’d rather not get into the details. It’s not something I wish to talk about, at least not right now, Your Majesty.” Carter turned his head away from Princess Twilight, swiftly wiping away a tear while trying his best to maintain his stone-cold demeanor.

Princess Twilight could tell from his actions alone that, whatever had happened before he arrived in Equestria, something about his past haunted him greatly and impacted him so much. It was nothing but a guess to her, but even then she couldn't help but feel some pity for the human just after witnessing his reaction to recalling his past.

“But, put simply, I have made a lot of mistakes in my life. I lost a lot of good people over past years. People that left me, and people that I pushed away, myself. I was broken mentally around the beginning of my adult years due to... various circumstances that seriously impacted me. I hurt a lot of good people in my life and broke a lot of bonds with those I once called my friends.

“When I realized the pain and suffering I was causing others, I couldn't bring myself to accept my past and learn from my mistakes in order to be better. So I pushed away the idea of friendship, thinking that living a life of solitude would be the best thing for me and those who I walked among. After all, what further damage could I do if I never interacted with anyone ever again? However, I soon came to realize that my foolish actions once again only caused further damage, but before I could stop myself, I had become so broken and so mentally destroyed that I felt as though nothing could help me.

“At that point I was truly broken. I lost all hope of things getting better. I had become a monster, a being that I swore to my parents that I would never become, and yet, here I am now, unable to even allow myself to look in the mirror and feel anything other than pain and regret. It got so bad that I was... banished from my homeland. Never to return.”

“What!?” Twilight gasped in surprise. “Banished? What do you mean by banished?”

“I don't know exactly why... but something about my disregard for friendship is the reason I am here now. While I can't remember much, I do remember that I was banished from Earth because of what I had done to myself and was sent here with one task: to learn about friendship. I didn't tell you because I didn't think you should care, but now I know I should've told you from the beginning. For that, I am sorry.”

Carter lifted his hands in front of him.

“I know I'm not a likeable person by any means. I am not one to simply open up to others, easily. I feel like I can trust no one, anymore, that anyone I open up to will instantly take advantage the moment they can. But even with that said... I want to become a friend to others once again, I really do. But as I look at myself everyday, I fear as though I am incapable of change and that the things I did in my past will forever represent who I am and who I will remain as. I fear others will never see me as a friend. Am I really capable of change? Or am I stuck pushing away everyone I meet and finding it impossible to trust anyone?”

Princess Twilight lifted a hoof in front of her mouth, quietly gasping in response to Carter’s final words. Eyes wide open and jaw slightly agape, she couldn’t have imagined such an explanation from the human. She knew he was telling the truth based on the way he acted upon finishing his final sentence. She felt absolute pity for the human, though she was glad that he had begun to open up to her.

“I want to change. Truly I do. I just fear that by this point it is impossible.” A single tear rolled down Carter's cheek.

The alicorn stepped closer to the human, who was leaning against his pillow with a shameful expression upon his face. Twilight could tell that simply thinking about his past hurt him greatly. Whatever it was that he did before coming here was clearly something he never wanted to relive. She lifted a hoof and rested it atop his shoulder, softly rubbing it back and forth to offer him some comfort. Carter opened his eyes and looked up at the princess, moved by her kindness.

“Carter, I cannot thank you enough for telling me that.” Twilight stepped back from the human, all while keeping eye contact with him. “I understand how hard it can be. Believe me, I have met many, many others just like you in my lifetime. Those who have hurt themselves and/or others in their past because of the things they've done and believe that no amount of forgiveness could ever be enough to separate themselves from who they were. But that’s just simply not true.”

“How can you be so sure?” asked Carter.

“Because I have helped them before,” replied Twilight. “I believe that friendship is a powerful, necessary thing that everypony needs to have in their lives, you included. As the Princess of Friendship, it is my duty to help spread the magic of friendship to all those I meet, showing them just how important it is to have others around you that you can count on. Carter, I’m sorry about what happened some time ago, but perhaps you were sent here for a reason. Maybe there really is a chance that you can undo the deeds of your past and become someone you can be content with.”

“But how?” Carter inquired, looking at Twilight with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“The way I see it, I can help you learn about friendship and help mend that piece of you that has been broken for so long.” Princess Twilight looked into his eyes with a sparkle in her own beady pupils. “I promise when I say that nopony is beyond saving. If you will let me, I can help you learn about friendship and rebuild that lack of trust that you’ve held in for so long. And maybe in doing so, I can also help you get back home.”

“I… I would like that very much, Your Majesty,” said Carter. “I do not want to keep hurting those I meet. I want to change, truly.”

“Very well,” Twilight said with a gentle nod. “I will teach you about everything you need to know about friendship in order to help you change your fate and hopefully return you to your home, as well. Also... please, just call me Twilight.”

“Thank you, Twilight.” Carter said, nodding back to her as a sign of his gratitude. “I promise to do my best to learn all you teach me, as well as return the favor to you and your friends in anyway I can.”

“Thank you, Carter. But you don’t have to do that. My only wish is to help you,” said Twilight. “Now then, it’s getting rather late and unfortunately I have a couple guests arriving tomorrow, so I need to finish the necessary preparations before it gets too dark.” The princess looked to a clock far across the room reading 9:14. She looked back at Carter once more. “Is there anything else I can do for you before I leave?”

“No, Your Majesty, erm... Twilight.” Carter said, not wanting to interrupt anymore of her time. “You have already done more than enough for me.”

“Very well. Get some sleep, Carter. You’ve earned it.” With that, Twilight spun around on her hind hooves and proceeded to exit the emergency room. Carter watched as the princess left him alone to get some sleep, thinking back on what had just happened. In what seemed like a sudden panic, Carter shouted her name, getting her attention and causing her to turn around to face him, her smile still present on her face.

“Why? Why are you doing this for me?” Carter inquired. Twilight cocked her head in confusion. “You don’t know who I am, what I’ve done, who I’ve become, the things I have done to others, the reason I have been banished from Earth… I am nothing more than a stranger to you, and yet... yet all you’ve shown me is kindness, compassion and respect. Why?” Twilight smiled at the human, tilting her head a bit and beaming from cheek to cheek.

“It’s like I said, Carter. I believe that friendship should be for everypony to enjoy. You are no exception. And besides, from what little I’ve seen in you and the things you've done, you have a good heart and a level of bravery that I can only commend. Say what you will about your past and the man you've become, but the way I see you, you are a good human. You display a strong desire to do the right thing, which lets me know that not all hope is lost for you.” She spun around on her hooves and exited through the door. “We'll talk more in the morning. Good night, Carter. Sweet dreams.”

The lights in the emergency room shut off following the princess’ leave, leaving Carter all to himself.

Leaning into his pillow, Carter couldn’t help but think of Twilight's friendly demeanor. He understood what she meant when she said that she wanted everyone to experience friendship, but still, the way she acted around him even after everything he told her about his past was, while not necessarily suspicious, still very unusual. Such a level of kindness was not something he had felt in a long time, and it felt good, too good. He wondered if it was acceptable for him to feel such a way in response to the princess’ tender-hearted actions. He was left to wonder if he was even deserving of such kindness.

Why does she act so nice to me...? Is there something she expects to get in return, or will she really help me? I... I don't understand. She seemed genuine enough. Perhaps she really does plan on helping me. Maybe she can show me how to remember what it's like to accept friendship. I mean, it is why I'm stuck here. Maybe... maybe... no!

Carter suddenly twitched violently, shaking his head, furrowing his brow and clenching his teeth. He grunted forcefully, dispelling the thoughts from his mind. It was unclear to him, but something about opening up to the ponies felt like a betrayal to himself and a sign of weakness.

No, she does not concern you. Friendship is wrong, and you will suffer once more if you allow someone like her, a pony no less, to alter your mind and make you weak. You're really about to lower your guard just because someone shows you the kindness and compassion you've wanted for so long? Fool! She does not truly care about you, no one does. The only one who's important to you in life is yourself, no doubt about it. The princess means nothing to you. She is only here to help you get back home. Once you fulfill your mission and return to Earth, you will forget about her, along with everyone else in this world, and live life once again without ever thinking back on this cursed place. She... Twilight means nothing to you. No one does. No one... no one... no one...

His mind fought back and forth between thoughts. He couldn't seem to make a choice. Carter wanted friendship in his life; it was something he yearned for so long. And with the Princess telling him that she'd help him with friendship, he wanted to take the chance without question.

However, something about it just didn't seem right for him. It wasn't necessarily the ponies that stopped him from jumping the gun and allowing himself to be a friendly guy, but rather himself... more specifically, his past. With everything he had done, even if they could accept him for what he had become, he pondered if he could ever be a true friend.

As all the thought fumbled around in his head, Carter slowly drifted off into a slumber, nodding his head every so often until finally his eyes shut and his body went limp. Besides a few snores, the entirety of the emergency room was completely void of sound, leaving the human to sleep in silence and allowing his body to finish healing come the break of dawn.


~


Far away from the city of Canterlot, a small town the locals named Seaward Shoals perched beside a large lake. Located within the center of the town was a particular house, grandiose and regal in design. Living within said house were two older alicorn mares. Both mares were packing for an upcoming trip to Canterlot, expecting to meet with Princess Twilight not much after sunrise.

“I can’t believe it’s been a year since our dear Twilight has become Princess of Equestria,” said the older mare. She was white in appearance with a chromatic colored, transparent mane. She had the emblem of the sun upon her flank.

“Yes, well, she definitely had a big role to fill, and I’d say she’s done just that.” replied the younger, albeit still elder pony. She was a stark opposite of the other mare in color, instead having a darker, blackish-blue color scheme to her coat, with her mane looking similar, although sharing similar attributes to the other mare’s like the transparent appearance. She had the image of the moon with a few dark clouds protruding it upon her flank. “She’s definitely done well as the nation’s newest leader.”

“Yes she has, dear sister. I’d say she has done a good job, indeed.” said the white mare.

“Where would you like your clothes, Celestia?” The older mare looked over her shoulder to find a small, purple dragon with green spikes along his back and tail. He was carrying a tower of her clothes, struggling to keep it from toppling over due to his comparatively small height.

“Just put it with the rest of my stuff, dear. I’ll sort through it, myself.” replied the white mare.

“Okay, I can do that.” The small dragon took a few steps forward, nearly tripping over his own feet and spilling the clothes in the process. Luckily he caught himself before that happened and set the pile of clothes down on the ground before he took any more chances.

“Do be careful, Spike,” said the darker mare.

“Can do, Luna,” replied the dragon, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He sat down on the floor to recover for a second before continuing to help the two mares pack. However, a strange feeling began to bubble up from within his gut. He placed his hands on his stomach, feeling his cheeks begging to puff up. Celestia and Luna looked to him in curiosity, wondering what was becoming of the small dragon.

In the blink of an eye, Spike burped aloud, his belch echoing across the whole house. Following the rather embarrassing event, his fiery breath formed a rolled up, sealed letter, which appeared right in front of his face before falling to the ground, landing in his lap. The purple dragon picked it up after clearing his throat and opened the letter, reading the contents written on the inside.

“Hey, it’s from Twilight,” said Spike.

“Oh? Do read it for us, dear boy,” said Celestia.

“Yes, please do. We would like to hear how she’s doing,” added Luna.

“Okay… hmmm. Hey, how’s it going, blah blah blah. Princess stuff, friendship stuff, girly stuff, more blah blah blah… huh. That’s interesting.” Spike placed a hand on his chin, puzzled by a strange note within the princess’ letter.

“What is it, Spike?” inquired Celestia.

“Well, it says here that Twilight has managed to meet yet another new species outside of Equestria,” replied Spike.

“Oh really?” said Luna with excitement in her voice. “Who are they?”

“Well, it’s hard to pronounce. But if I’m reading this right, it seems to spell out… ‘hoo-man?’”

Both Celestia and Luna looked at each other with surprised looks on their faces.

“Ummm, could you repeat that for us, dear,” said Luna, looking back at the dragon, believing that she and her sister misheard him.

“Oh, maybe it’s ‘human,’” said Spike. “Twilight says she has recently met with a human.”

Luna looked back at her sister with the same shocked expression. The name of the species sounded so foreign, yet so recognizable. It was something they never imagined to hear within their lifetime. And yet here it was, apparently with the newly appointed princess.

Spike took notice of the mares’ strange reaction to the mention of the stranger, perplexed as to why that name seemed to trouble them.

“Uh, you two okay?” he asked.

“Oh, uh… yes, Spike. Quite alright.” Celestia snapped back into reality, along with her sister. They looked back at their clothes, resuming their packing all while staring blankly in front of themselves. “It’s just… ah, nevermind.”

Spike, while still unable to determine the reasoning behind the sisters’ strange response, simply brushed away the thought and continued to help them pack.

While they were able to calmly resume their work, the two mares couldn't help but keep their minds fixated on the idea of the human. It was something they hadn't heard mentioned in a long, long time. If one was really with Twilight, it could mean so many different things for all of Equestria.

"A human..." thought Celestia. "What in Equestria is one doing here with the princess?"