… Am I dead yet? Ryan wondered stupidly.

His brain felt sluggish, and it was difficult to focus.

Not like you don’t deserve it…

Fuck off, brain.

Ryan exhaled heavily, his thoughts slowly drifting back to him. The painful throbbing in his temples guaranteed a headache from hell, and the pain in his back had returned. It shot violently through his diagonal scar across the tattoo of a shark’s maw occasionally, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it used to be.

No, Ryan was much more concerned with the fact that he could not move his legs.

He refused to open his eyes, however. He kept his breathing steady, letting the cool air in the room waft over him gently. Someone must have opened a window while he was unconscious, because he could hear birds chirping nearby. The scratchy cloth of the medical blanket covering him was uncomfortably warm, and with a bit of effort, he finally managed to get one of his legs to twitch. The left one was completely unresponsive, unfortunately.

Which he found a royal pain in the ass. Whereas he could not move his legs, he could most definitely feel his legs. That was both a good and bad sign; good because it meant they hadn’t been broken off or something in the fall, and bad because they itched. Horribly.

He vaguely wished he were simply home again, dreaming all of this. Of course, he could always take the easy way out Discord had handed him.

‘A few easy words, that’s all it would take’ my ass.

Ryan knew exactly why he hadn’t attempted it yet. For one, Discord was still very, very high on Ryan’s Do Not Trust list. Secondly, it was because Discord had technically slipped him an ace in the hole. Meaning it would either be very, very handy or very, very dangerous.

Attempting to remain as if he were asleep in case anyone else was in the room with him, he relaxed against the pillow and began thinking. It was an unusual occurrence for Ryan.

Thoughts of precisely how the fire had been started nagged at him guiltily as he gradually and unknowingly began drifting back to sleep. Or, as close to sleep as he could manage, anyway. Every time he tried, he was jolted back out of slumber by brief, flashing images of Princess Luna. They appeared frequently in his dreams, stepping in and out almost at random.

Eventually, he grew sick of the mental invasion.

Goddamit, I swear to god, I will do unspeakable things to you with a crowbar if you don’t fuck off.

Thou canst detect us?

… ‘The fuck?

Ryan remained in the half-asleep trance, listening intently. Vague images passed before his eyes; dark treetops, the sides of a stone tower, rippling water; nothing stayed for longer than a fraction of a second, replaced instantly with darkness once it was gone.

Who’s there? He called out with his mind, reaching out mentally. So long as he maintained his trance-like composure, he quickly discovered that when he reached out, he felt a kind of… barrier.

He touched it gently, expecting it to feel… well, something, really. Instead, his touch brushed against an invisible membrane, forcibly but gently pushing him back. No thoughts occurred to him then – only the possibility that he was still in danger. Or worse, the kid was still in danger-

The kid!

Determinedly, he pulled away from the nonexistent wall…

And mentally slammed into it with as much force as he could muster.

The effect was instantaneous.

The shadows around him exploded into a plethora of lights and colors, whirling vibrant hues of force buffeting him back and forth-

-Princess Luna gasped in pain and surprise, her mental sway quickly depleting. She had done the same thing she’d always done as she oversaw the night; reaching out with her thoughts and embracing the sleeping minds of ponies throughout Equestria, so that they might sleep peacefully.

Occasionally, her mind would come into contact with Miller’s.

It had never been a ‘pleasant’ experience.

This time had been no different than any other… and it was very rare that any could even feel her presence, even when Luna deliberately revealed herself within their dreams.

Goddamit, I swear to god, I will do unspeakable things to you with a crowbar if you don’t fuck off.

Thou canst detect us? She whispered back, a little surprised.

… ‘The fuck? Who’s there?

It had taken only a moment. One instant, she could feel Miller’s presence weakly bobbing up and down, desperately grabbing at any sign of life. The next, it had vanished completely, only to slam into her with enough force to knock her senseless before vanishing once more into the night like a black clad assassin from Saddle Arabia. The flame colored bird perched on the windowsill watched her quietly, tilting its head.

After a few moments of heavy panting to recover, Luna gently picked herself up from the pristine floor. The non-physical blow had stunned her, but not too badly. Celestia had warned her against attempting to pry into his mind, as he had used her own force against her previously. However, Luna had not let slip a single shred of energy, merely brushing up against his consciousness.

No, that particular surge of power had come entirely from the human.

This frightened her, for many reasons.

She warily eyed the flame colored bird, still sitting faithfully atop the windowsill for her orders.

“… You know what to do.”

Lost, tumbling in a whirlwind of images and light.

Ryan clung desperately to his only shard of consciousness, held aloft only by his iron will to return to some semblance of sanity.

Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!

He did no such thing, but the overwhelming dervish of information ultimately dwindled, and the familiar invisible barrier resurrected itself. He adhered to it with relief as the chaos faded into darkness, and the peaceful solitude of his own mind enveloped him. It was then that he became aware that in comparison, his own mind felt very, very small.

He relaxed somewhat giddily, his mind still a little numb from the experience.

Well. That was… fuckin’ weird.

He was determined not to try that again anytime soon, but he could still feel the barrier, even when he drew back from it. Somehow, it felt… smoother than before. Lighter, more versatile and flexible, but still durable. Curiously, he reached out for it once again. Tentatively, he pushed against it, and found that it was still firmly in place.

… Puzzle. It’s like a puzzle, he thought furiously. The last time he’d simply rammed into it, the experience had been more than a little disagreeable.

Maybe brute force isn’t always the answer, nitwit.

Hey, fuck you, brain. I can beat the ever-livin’ shit out of a Rubik’s Cube.

See, this is what happens when you talk to yourself too much. You’ve completely lost your mind.

Ryan ignored… well, himself, and softly pressed against the membrane. A single tendril of thought slipped out, eagerly investigating this new perception.

The massive, overwhelming whirlwind of information was still there, but very much subdued thanks to the barrier. With some satisfaction, Ryan quickly retracted the mental probe and allowed the darkness to snap shut over him once more.

All in all, he found the experience very draining. For a while, he merely drifted in and out of slumber, occasionally brushing against the membrane once in a while, but never breaking it. It was very strange, almost as if he’d been subjected to some form of hallucinogen. It didn’t matter; nothing mattered, so long as he could sleep for a while. He could have sworn he wanted to recover for a reason. Then again, isn’t everything done for a reason?

It was something. It nagged at him, pestering him. He wished it would just go away, let him drift in peace. Maybe the kid-

“THE KID!” Ryan yelled, sitting bolt upright. A searing pain shot through his back, and he dropped back onto the bed in agony. His eyes flew open, and darted about madly over the small hospital room.

Twilight jumped in the wooden seat next to him, having been startled by his sudden shout.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” she eased him gently back into a leaning position, the flaring burn in his back stabbing wildly. She placed a single bandage-wrapped hoof onto his chest, refusing to allow him to rise. Ryan gritted his teeth, clenching his fists. After a while, the pain subsided to a dull throb. He managed to get his right leg to move a little, and even the left one gave a small twitch.

“I’m not… I’m not completely incorporated, I think,” Ryan grumbled with a painfully dry throat, tenderly feeling the burns along his lower body.

“… I think the word you’re looking for is ‘incapacitated’.”

“Yeah, that too.”

Twilight sighed, but gave a tiny and tired smile. The dim light from the hall left her shadowed, but he could still see her fairly well, even though the room they were in was dark. Twilight had a haggard look about her, with bags under her eyes. Her mane was slightly disheveled, and the way she was rubbing her back, Ryan would have guessed that she’d been sitting in that wooden chair for a while.

“… Is the kid okay?” Ryan asked nervously, peering about as if they might be hidden somewhere. He wished his stomach would quit growling; he hadn’t realized before just how hungry he was.

‘Is the kid okay.’ You’ve gone soft.

“Yes, Apple Bloom is fine. Thankfully, they put the fire out pretty quickly, but I don’t think anypony will be using the schoolhouse for a couple of weeks.”

Ryan sighed with relief, leaning back against the pillow. One eye cracked back open, and a thought occurred to him.

“Hey. You gonna pull through, kid?” he asked, eyeing the bandage on her hoof.

She blushed, and replied “Oh, this. I’m fine, just a little burn. It was all my fault for just rushing in after you, anyway.”

“Good to know you’re okay.” He stated simply. Seeing the color rise in her cheeks, he quickly said “… Those things, the one’s that pulled a Mystique on us-“

“Huh?”

“X-Men. Shape changer.”

“Oh.”

“Those little bug fuckers,” Ryan growled, miming a choking action with his hands. “… For a minute there, I thought the fire was my fault, ‘cause I gave that lighter to Apple Bloom-“

“You gave a fire starting device to a CHILD?!”

“-but I think those morphin’ ponies started it. I mean, the one I was fighting with was pretty well protected from the fire, sort of. At the beginning, anyway.” He scratched his chin, thinking. Fortunately, his face didn’t seem to be burned very much. Ryan had a particular fondness for his face.

“And callin’ out for help, bringin’ backup? What about that pega-corn one you were tangling with?”

“The word you’re looking for is alicorn, and I’m pretty certain those things were changelings.”

“That’s beside the point,” Ryan said, rubbing his temples.

He sighed, closing his eyes. “Either way, it was still a setup. And it made itself look like Apple Bloom for a reason; I mean, why do you think it did that?”

“I… don’t really know,” Twilight said admittedly, pondering the question herself. “Perhaps it thought that using a familiar face could help lure you in?”

“But that’s just it,” Ryan said, eyes snapping open once more as he arrived at a startling conclusion. “… I don’t think that ambush was meant for us.”

“… What do you mean?”

“I mean, think about it! That, uh…”

“Changeling.”

“Yeah. Bug-fucker. It changed ta’ look like Apple Bloom. How would they have even known we’d rush right in? You know who’d have a lot bigger incentive to go rushin’ in blindly to save one of the fillies?”

Twilight blinked, and said “Probably Ms. Cheerilee.”

“Bingo,” Ryan grinned. “I think they wanted their teacher out of the way.”

“But-but why would changelings target Cheerilee in the first place?” she asked worriedly. Cheerilee was one of the more favorable teachers Twilight had the pleasure of meeting, second only to Princess Celestia; she loathed the thought of any misfortune befalling her.

“Oh, come on.” Ryan said, facepalming. “You’re a smart kid; figure it out.”

She put her hoof on her chin, giving it thought. It was almost as if she didn’t really want to admit it. “You can’t mean… they wanted Cheerilee out of the way to get to the children, do you?”

“With her gone, who else would watch ‘em? ‘Sides, if they killed her, then one of ‘em took her place, they could probably lead that whole group of kids off somewhere and nobody’d be any the wiser.”

Twilight breathed heavily, horrified, sitting down in the uncomfortable wooden chair next to him. He hated seeing her so exhausted.

“… You okay, kid?” he asked softly, placing a hand on her injured hoof. She flinched, staring at him balefully.

“I-I’m just a little tired, is all.”

“Christ, was today really that hard on you?”

Twilight blanched, but didn’t shy away. Instead, she took his hand in her other hoof and asked “Ryan, do you have any idea how long you were out for?”

“… Uh…” he started, dropping his gaze. “… All day?”

“About three days.”

… Shit.

In some parts, that would explain why Twilight looked so haggard.

“… Kid?” he asked lowly.

“Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle,” she responded sadly, and when he turned back he found that she wasn’t looking at him.

“… When’s the last time you even slept?”

When she didn’t answer, he asked again.

“… Tell me.”

“About three days.”

Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand in frustration.

“Goddammit, kid.” He rumbled, glaring at her. “Why do you keep doin’ this shit?”

“I don’t know what yo-“

“Bullshit.” He cut her off promptly. “I swear to god, it’s like every time I get a bump or scrape, you freak the fuck out and go days on end without sleeping or – Christ, have you even eaten anything?” She was looking slightly thinner than the last time he’d seen her, and he berated himself for not noticing before.

“Of course I have,” she said, fidgeting with a lock of her mane.

Ryan sighed again. That seemed to be turning into a routine for him. The anger slipped away from him, leaving a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that he convinced himself was just hunger.

“… Look, kid-“

“Twilight.”

“I know, kid. I got hurt ‘cause I got soft. Just… quit worryin’ so much.” It sounded simple. Much harder to practice.

“Quit worrying?!” she shrieked, and lowered her voice afterwards, afraid that she might have woken somepony else. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Calm down, kid-“

“Calm down? Calm down?! Ryan, I’m doing everything I can to help you, and-and I just- I can’t keep – it’s always my fault!” She held back her tears, but wasn’t doing a very good job of it. Her voice cracked as she spoke, regardless of how forcefully she fought against it.

“… Name one time,” Ryan said.

“The incident with Applejack, from what I’ve heard, two bad run-ins with Fluttershy’s rabbit-“

“Hey, that little fucker is deadly…!” Ryan immediately stopped himself, realizing that he wasn’t helping the situation.

“- Getting thrown off a bucking mountain by a dragon you didn’t want anything to do with in the first place, almost getting your head torn off by Princess Celestia, and nearly dying trying to protect me for stupidly throwing myself in harm’s way after you!” she ranted, and the tears streamed freely down her face. “You’re going to wind up dead because of me!”

Tell her for me, ‘love will hurt you’. Tell her for me.

Hail, Dawnbreaker.

Seeing Twilight so obviously distraught brought him more than discomfort.

Ryan hated seeing people cry. Or ponies, whatever.

And it might be macho and stupid, but he felt that making a girl cry was worse. It hurt him to the core to see her blaming herself, to see her falling apart.

It hurt even worse when he finally pieced it together.

… Ryan, you’re a goddamned fool.

Hey, I’ve been tellin’ you that from the beginning.

Fuck off, brain.

He didn’t want to. He didn’t want to wind up hurting her even more than she already was, but it felt like his only option. The situation had to be dealt with, now. He briefly contemplated telling her exactly what he’d seen in his horrible vision of the future, the mad winged Twilight in a burning apocalypse.

And from that moment forward, he never truly forgave himself for what he did next.

“Maybe I should be dead.”

The words struck her like a blow, and she staggered from it. He pushed on anyway. “I know you think I like bein’ here. I know you think that I care about you brats, and maybe, in some ways, I do.”

She stared at him, never leaving his cold gaze.

“But get it through your thick – fuckin’ – head. People like me – I know exactly what kind of person I am. And there ain’t no amount of worryin’ or friend-makin’ you can ever do that’ll fix that. People like me don’t deserve to live.”

Ryan hadn’t expected the backhand (backhoof?) slap from her, especially not so quickly and with enough force to daze him. He could have sworn he heard his neck snap. The tears hadn’t stopped, but she spoke with a rough, even voice.

“… Don’t you ever say that again.” she said firmly, holding his chin in her unburned hoof and forcing him to look her in the eyes.

He was tempted to make a comparison between Twilight and Fluttershy, but remained silent. It was, perhaps, one of the wiser things he’d done.

He wanted to look away, to turn his head. Instead, she forced him to meet her gaze.

She looked… hurt.

“Kid, maybe you and your friends would be better off with me gone.”

“Maybe I don’t want you to go,” she said softly, and Ryan could hear her voice cracking again.

Oh.

… Oh.

… Ohhhh.

… Fuck.

“… Kid.”

“Twilight.”

“I know, kid.” He said, but his tone was gentle. He sadly reached into one of his pockets with a bit of trouble, getting past the useless Nokia and grappling the slip of paper Fluttershy had given back to him. Miraculously, it had survived the fire. He pulled it out and slowly unfolded it, showing it to Twilight.

“… It’s the picture of your family.”

“What’s left of it, yeah.” Ryan said. “My ohana, my family. I gotta get back to ‘em, so I can protect ‘em. I thought you said I was your friend?”

“Of course you are!” she stated quickly, albeit a little nervously.

“Well, what kind of friend would keep somebody from their family?”

Twilight was silent for a moment, drying the tears off of her face with her hoof.

“… I know you’ve got a way for me to get back. So does your Princess.”

“How-?”

“I saw it,” he said, tapping his head with his forefinger. “When lard-ass was poking around in my head. But nobody wants me near it, and they won’t tell me what it is or why. To me, that’s as good as outright sayin’ Fuck you, Ryan.”

“… You know I would never keep anything from you unless I thought it was for your own good.”

“Yeah, and maybe pushin’ me off a cliff was for my own good, too.”

Ooh, is someone still a little bitter?

Fuck you, brain.

Twilight’s eyebrow raised, and she eyed him warily. “… What cliff?”

I really, REALLY don’t think this is a good idea.

Ryan exhaled, thinking. “… When I was in the Eight-Bits-“

“The what now?”

“Some place nobody remembers after they leave it ‘cept for me, apparently. Anyways, I… saw something.” He said with some difficulty.

“… What do you mean?”

“I dunno. Some weird-ass vision of the future, I think.”

“How do you know it was the future?”

“You had wings, and all your friends were dead.”

Twilight flinched, but her eyes widened. “… Wings? Are you certain?”

“Yeah. Wearin’ some ripped up dress, talkin’ all ‘Armageddon-y’, then you did some teleporting magic and showed me Canterlot. And Brooklyn. In the same place. And they were on fire.”

She looked horrified at the information, but he pressed on. It had to be done.

“Then, right before you shoved me off a cliff, you said somethin’ to me. You said ‘tell her love will hurt’, and then tried ta’ kill me.”

Ryan had expected something different out of Twilight. Instead, all he could see from her shadowed frame was stillness, before she began pacing back and forth. Her hooves clopped lightly over the hospital’s linoleum flooring.

“… Love will hurt.”

“Uh… yeah,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I think-“

“Love will hurt.”

“Look, kid, I-“

“No, Ryan, Love will hurt! I think she – I mean, I – the future me – was trying to alter the past!”

Ryan watched her pacing more and more frantically back and forth, breathing rapidly.

“Uh… how so?”

“Ryan, changelings feed on emotions, at least from what I’ve read. The last time we went up against changelings, we nearly got killed. But we just tried taking them head-on; I’ll bet that the schoolchildren have something to do with that particular future!”

The memory of the young grey Pegasus screaming as it ran away from him flittered into his mind. Ryan shifted uncomfortably at the thought; if the changelings caused that future to happen, why was the filly so terrified of him? He supposed it was possible… it was difficult to focus, and the aching pull of sleep called to him.

“I guess… but… ‘love will hurt’? I thought you said they feed on emotions?”

“They do!” she said excitedly. “Both negative and positive. I’m willing to bet my last bit that by overloading their systems with enough of emotion, you could outright flatten them, bypassing the need for physical confrontation!”

“How the fuck are we supposed to do that?” Ryan asked wearily, confused.

“Simple!” Twilight said tiredly, clambering clumsily up onto the hospital bed next to him. “Changelings usually have some kind of small nest or breeding grounds; we find that area, and permeate it with enough charged emotion.” She yawned, dropping with an exhausted fwump. Ryan was too tired to protest properly.

“And if that doesn’t work, there’s always the Elements of Harmony. First thing in the morning…”

“The who where what now?” Ryan asked blearily, trying to stay awake.

“I swear to Celestia, if you don’t pay attention more often-“

“What, you’ll hurt me more?” he groused wryly, but eased off once he saw the hurt expression rising on her face again. “Take it easy, ya’ little shit. I’m fuckin’ Superman.”

“… Superman.” She replied with a half-deadpan, eyelids drooping as she fought off sleep unsuccessfully.

“Yeah,” he yawned, slowly falling asleep himself. “Superman. I can’t go protectin’ anybody if you’re trying to save my ass.”

“Actually, I didn’t save either of us. You should probably thank Rainbow Dash, by the way.” And with that, Twilight Sparkle finally drifted into sweet unconsciousness, Ryan following close behind her. He fell asleep with one hand clenched tightly over the photograph of his family, the other being held by the lightly snoring Twilight Sparkle.

“… Just you wait ‘till I figure out how ta’ fly.”

“See anything interesting?”

Princess Luna started, a little surprised at her sister’s appearance. For somepony who usually stood out like a sore hoof, Celestia certainly could be quiet when she wanted to.

“Merely tending to my nightly duties, sister,” Luna said simply, gazing back out the tower window wistfully.

“So, you’re implying that you didn’t try to peek into Miller’s mind while he was sleeping again.”

“How did you-?”

Celestia chortled, relaxing regally next to her sibling. “A little birdy told me.”

Luna exhaled deeply through her nostrils, eyes never leaving the sky. “And you told me off for not keeping proper sleeping hours. Is that a new perfume your servants have showered you with, or are you simply pungent with the stench of hypocrisy?” she glowered.

Celestia blinked, and Luna seemed to catch on to what she’d just said.

“I-I… We are most apologetic, sister.” Luna whispered, her head dropping shamefully. “… Perhaps brushing against the Foul One’s mind once too often has left a rather unpleasant taint on us.”

“… ‘The Foul One’?” Celestia asked with a quiet snicker, placing a comforting wing over her sister’s shoulder.

Princess Luna snorted, saying “Better fitting than ‘Miller’, were thee to ask us.”

When Celestia remained silent, Luna continued. “Thou hast been keeping a great many secrets from us, Tia. Dost thou truly not trust us?”

“Lulu, of course I trust you,” Celestia said softly. “I haven’t been keeping secrets from you; I’ve been preoccupied attempting to discover the truth for myself.”

“What do you mean?” Luna asked curiously, looking up at her.

“Perhaps you should start with what happened with ‘The Foul One’ tonight,” Celestia said, using her hooves for air-quotes and trying keep a serious face. “And I’ll fill in the blanks.”

Luna sighed resignedly, and said “Thou warned us against allowing any strength to slip into Miller’s hooves-“

“Hands,” Celestia interjected helpfully.

“… Hands. Forgive us.” Luna said with a deadpan. “Lest he should use our own power against us, as he did you.”

“Correct.” Celestia said simply. “And you did so anyway?”

“What? Of course not!” Luna stamped a hoof angrily. “The Foul One splintered the barrier between himself and the magical conduit betwixt Chaos and Harmony itself, and nearly killed us in the process!”

Celestia seemed to slump slightly, torn between mild surprise and despair.

“… So. It was as I feared.”

“Aye – the beast retains power of his own.”

Celestia nodded, helping to keep a watchful eye on the clear night sky. “… At first,” she began thoughtfully, “I believed that – or perhaps hoped – that all were the machinations of Discord. However, regarding the fact that Miller has exhibited power beyond what any of his species should be capable of, I have come to a startling conclusion.”

“… Well?” Luna asked impatiently. She hated it when her sister decidedly became melodramatic. It didn’t happen very often, but it was still annoying.

“… Discord has not been involved since his imprisonment.”

It was Luna’s turn to be surprised, this time. “W-what?” she stuttered. “But… but ‘tis impossible! We have felt the blemish of chaos upon The Foul One more than once; I care not if it be a single or a hundred millennia that Discord were banished, we shall never forget his taint upon the world!”

“Yes, I know.” Celestia said a little sadly. “The power felt within Miller and Discord were – are – one in the same. However…” she placed a golden-clad hoof on her chin, thinking. “I have scoured Discord’s ‘statue’ repeatedly; he remains securely within. There is no way for him, physically or magically, for him to have escaped his imprisonment.”

“Then explain, dear sister,” Luna said agitatedly, blowing a tuft of starry mane out of her face. “How dost one explain how The Foul One-“

“Miller.”

“Whatever! How dost one explain how Miller came to possess any form of link between himself and the raw torrents of chaotic energy?”

“There is another Discord.”

Luna’s mouth opened and closed several times, but nothing came out. A slow, creeping look of horror gradually grew on her equine features, and a bit of color drained from her face.

“… Another?” she whispered in terror, unwilling to believe it. “But-but… how?”

“Whereas both you and my student believed me to be unwilling to return Miller to his home,” Celestia stated, “such has not been the case. I have the potential to do so, or at least I believe I do.”

Luna’s eye twitched in anger, and she drew herself to her full height. “Thou couldst have returned Miller the entire time?!”

“Let me finish,” Celestia said without moving. “I could have. However, the only possible way to do so would be to convince Twilight Sparkle and her friends to use the Elements of Harmony to open a small gateway, following the trail of energy back to his own world.”

“Then why not do so?” Luna asked, ruffling her wings.

“Because doing so would completely obliterate him.”

Luna remained silent, and sat back down. “… I… see.”

“I did not delve into his mind, although I occasionally wish I had,” Celestia said. “I learned that Discord did indeed leave a marking of his passage, although perhaps unintentionally. This may be what led to Miller’s discovery of the magical conduits. I originally believed that this… ‘taint’ was his ball and chain to this world, preventing me from assisting in his return. However…”

She drew herself up, beginning to leave Luna to her duties. “I may have been wrong. Perhaps… if Miller can indeed cleanse himself of the corruption of chaos, then my student may be the right one for the job. Perhaps the only one for the job. Then, and only then, will his salvation be in reach.”

“But-but- Tia!” Luna started after her. “What of this secondary Discord? Should we not at least attempt to find him?”

“This Discord is not like the one we have faced before…” Celestia said without turning as she walked away. “Cunning, powerful, watchful – and most importantly, manipulative.”

Discord watched invisibly from above, reclining into the air and stretching with glee.

Princess Celestia certainly was right to be wary; especially when it concerned this particular Discord. Everything was falling perfectly into place. Just a little nudge here, and a little push there – all it took to fix everything was a little bit of thought and careful effort.

And to think, he might never have been able to do it without the help of Time Turner.

Discord vanished into the night, leaning silently against the cold statue of himself that the princess kept in the garden like some kind of demented trophy. He patted its stone cheek lovingly, caressing it carefully with his claw.

“Soon, old boy.”

Luna had already begun the transition. Signs were appearing even in the way she spoke, regardless of how she fought against them. The seeds of doubt had already been planted, and soon they would blossom beautifully. The changelings were in position, and the events that would alter the future of a hundred different worlds all snapped perfectly into place. Miller did indeed possess a single spark, one that balanced on the decisive line between harmony and chaos.

Such a shame that all it takes is a single spark to burn down an entire forest.

With a toothy grin, he vanished once again.

Hail, Dawnbreaker.

Time to go fan the flames.

Author's Notes:

I would have loved to have uploaded sooner, but between getting a second job and working on the books I'm going to have published, I've had a slightly hectic schedule.