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All it would take is a couple of words. Just that simple; problem solved. You could even see your family again.
“Yeah, not gonna happen, ‘Discord’.”
My offer will stand – because I know you’ll take it, eventually. You’ll finally come to realize that these little ponies never had any good intentions planned for you. Heck, most of them are outright terrified of you, anyway. Isn’t seeing your home again worth it?
“Fuck off, ya’ mashed up National Geographic reject.”
Just four, simple little words. That’s all it would take.

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“… Fuck me with a crowbar.” Ryan groaned lowly, rubbing his tired eyes. He wished he’d slept better before, instead of… something. It all got blurry after he went down in the Everfree.
“I’d rather not, but if you insist…” Fluttershy said jokingly, but the sad expression came right back afterwards. Ryan started to stand to limp over to the unicorn gazing out the window at the cloudy sky, but Fluttershy stopped him with a tap on his good hand.

“… Ryan.” She said quietly, glancing over at Twilight. “There’s… just something I – I mean, we – think you should know.”
“Whuzzat?” Ryan asked distractedly, sorely wishing he had pants. The too-small hospital gown wasn’t doing much good, and it was probably the largest they had. At least it wasn’t far too short…
“Ryan…” Fluttershy began with some difficulty, as if she couldn’t think of the right thing to say. After a few seconds, she said “The Elements of Harmony didn’t work, Ryan.”
“… Uh…” he said uncertainly. Twilight had mentioned those to him a few times… or a dozen… or a couple of dozen…

“Twilight asked us not to tell you, for some reason.”
“Yeah, so ya’ tell me anyway. Some friend you are.” He snorted coldly.
Fluttershy looked abashedly away, but turned back again fairly quickly. “… You needed to know. I don’t know why Twilight insists on you not finding out, but it can’t be anything good.”

Ryan almost shrugged her off again, but there was something in the way she spoke to him that set him on edge. Her unexpected paranoia of Twilight and subsequent warning caught him off guard, and he swallowed hard before nodding solemnly.
“… I’m gonna fix things.” He said simply, locking his sights on the gloomy Twilight.

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Twilight sat next to the window, staring up into the gray sky. The morning sunlight had faded quickly, and thin rainclouds weaved back and forth overhead. Proppy sat beside her, silently staring at the wall. Another shard of guilt wracked Ryan as he observed the changeling, and briefly wondered if Proppy really thought he was looking out of the window with Twilight.

Ryan stood next to the unicorn, looking up at the sky as well. They stayed silent for several minutes, neither one ready to speak.
“… We need to talk.”
To Ryan’s surprise, she’d stated the exact same thing at precisely the same moment. Twilight looked away sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck with one hoof.
“I, uh… I guess we’re… on the same page, at least.” Twilight chuckled weakly.

“Look, kid-“ Twilight cut him off, peering over her shoulder.
“I’d rather talk to you in… in private. I-I mean, if… if that’s, um… okay with you, I mean.”
Twilight was giving him an odd look, one that he couldn’t quite define. That, coupled with the fact that she was beginning to sound like Fluttershy on a bad day made him slightly uneasy. Well, more uneasy.

“What’s wrong with right here?” Ryan asked defiantly, brows furrowing. His eyes flickered to the changeling sitting almost directly behind her, and said “Anything you got to say ta’ me, you can say in front of Proppy.”
“That’s… not what I’m concerned about.” Twilight said uncertainly. “I-I just- ugh.” She pinched the bridge of her nose with one hoof in agitation. “We’re getting nowhere. Just… just follow me.”
With that, she promptly took off at a brisk pace out of the cafeteria, down a chalk-white linoleum hallway.

Ryan didn’t move for a few seconds.
“Perhaps you should follow, my Father.” The changeling said, a small smile appearing on his face. It boggled Ryan how anyone could manage to look completely soul crushed and positively serene simultaneously.
“… Fuck, probably.” Ryan agreed, starting after Twilight. “Hey, try’n make sure nobody follows me, ‘kay?” he asked, partially because the idea of any of the hospital’s inhabitants walking behind him in the gown he wore made him greatly uncomfortable.
“Fear not about having your privacy disturbed, Father. I shall… keep watch.” Proppy said dryly.

… Ouch. Now he’s just rubbing it in.

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Ryan followed Twilight, all the way past the creaky steel door to the roof.
Thinking angry, sour thoughts over how much she was making him limp to walk, but he followed nonetheless.
Ryan budged the slightly rusted door open with his one good hand, and it swung shut behind him in the gentle breeze. The cool air wrapped itself around his legs, flowing upward in an unwelcome fashion.
Ryan missed his pants.

Ryan spotted Twilight standing against the brick railing surrounding the top of the hospital, watching the sky closely. A small bundle beside her levitated slowly, turning over and over as she pensively stared out at Ponyville. At least Ryan had a clear view from here; he could even spot the top of the library.
“… Looks like rain.” He said pointedly as he crossed the milky and worn tar of the roof, feeling it push jaggedly against his bare feet. He did his best to keep the hospital gown still, but it wasn’t helping much.
“… Probably.” Twilight nodded, noting that the billowing thick rainclouds had steadily grown higher and darker, pregnant with the potential of possible downpour.

“… Kid.” Ryan breathed heavily, trying unsuccessfully to properly cross his arms without hurting his left hand. “It’s kinda obvious we both got somethin’ to say. So, spit it out.”
“Here.” She responded simply, magically lifting the brown paper wrapped package and dropping it into his hands. It had weight to it, but not a lot. It didn’t feel very stiff, either. Curiously, he ripped the package open with his teeth and was a little surprised at discovering the contents.
“… These are my clothes.”
“Yes.”
“These are the clothes I showed up in.” Ryan grinned, lifting his beloved blue jeans from the paper, and letting the brown package blow away in the wind. “I thought Whitey burned these?”
“I… talked her out of it…” Twilight said, not looking him in the eye.

“Heh. Remind me ta’ thank her for patchin’ ‘em and cleanin’ ‘em up for me.” Ryan said in a better mood, the familiar feeling of cloth bringing back a few decent memories as he slipped them on.
Then again, some of his best memories of clothes had been taking them off, but that’s beside the point. He’d missed his pants.

“Rarity didn’t-“ Twilight started, but promptly closed her mouth again. Ryan had just slipped his faded black shirt back on, struggling with his bad arm as he caught her sentence.
“… You did this?” he asked, raising an eyebrow contemplatively. Granted, his old clothing still looked a little worn, but the rips and tears had mostly been sewn together well.
Twilight didn’t respond immediately, and to be honest, she looked a little uncomfortable.

“… Why were you keeping my clothes?” Ryan asked suddenly, suspicious.
“Your things are in the pockets.” She said lowly, turning from him. Indeed, a quick check of the pockets revealed his (miraculously) undestroyed photograph of his family, and the useless Nokia. He frowned as he tapped a couple of buttons on it, running his thumb over the surface. Noticing that he was toying with the phone, Twilight eyed it carefully.

“… Er… if you don’t mind my asking, um… what… is that, exactly?” she said, peering at the device.
“Fuckin’ useless.” Ryan grunted, handing it to her. “See? Broken. Can’t get the fuckin’ thing ta’ turn on.”
“How... does this work?” Twilight mumbled curiously, more to herself than anything.
“The phone? ‘Sgot a battery in th’ back.” he tapped the back cover as she held the phone in her hooves.

A brief spark lit her horn, and the phone drifted apart in two pieces – battery and phone. Twilight studied the phone for a couple of seconds, before replacing the battery and cover. She magically dropped it back into his one good hand, and said “Now try it.”
Ryan started to retort that it was broken, that it wouldn’t work; however, sure enough, the moment he turned the phone on, it sprang to life with a cheery ding!

He stared dumbfounded at the little glowing box, the pale light shining up dimly.
“… ‘the fuck.”
“It works by deriving power from an internal source, right? I think somepony put it in upside down.”

Ryan simply stood there, staring.
It started off as a small burst of air from his lungs. Partially in disbelief.
“Heh. Heh heh.”
Twilight fretted back and forth nervously, afraid that she’d done something wrong.
“Heh. Heh heh heheheh, ha ha ha – ha ha ha! Ha ha ha, ha hehehehaha! Hahaha hahaha haha ha!” Ryan bellowed, clutching at his sides at his own unbearable stupidity. He couldn’t help it; it was just too damned funny.
Twilight even grinned a little, stealing a few curious peeks at the screen.

Ryan gasped for air, giggling hysterically. “F-f-f-fuck me,” he wheezed, wiping a joyous tear from his eye. “Aw, shit. Y’know, it’s little things like that that make me wonder if I really do have brain damage.”
“If it’s any consolation,” Twilight smiled, “I thought you were brain damaged from the moment I met you.”
“Gee, thanks a ton, fuck nut.” Ryan scowled, but the edges of his lips still twitched awkwardly. The wind had begun to pick up a little, and he leaned against the brick railing as he stared at the little phone.

His scowl deepened as he stared at the screen, and Twilight drew in a little closer.
“Is… is something wrong with it?” she asked, confused.
“… No. No, it’s workin’ great. Well, aside from no signal.” He grumbled. “… I’ve got a message.”
“Message?”

“Yeah. From Carlos.”

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He just kept staring in horror at the screen.

Twilight wished he’d move from his vexation with the device, or at least tell her what was wrong. But he merely stood there, mouth slightly agape in terror.
Carlos.

Carlos Caesar – one of, if not the only man to have ever truly driven fear into Ryan’s heart.

“Fuck me.” Ryan breathed in shock, hand trembling slightly as he looked at the phone. One voice message, that’s all there was. There was no way he could be getting signal here; maybe it was on his phone before he wound up in Equestria?
“Er… Ryan?” Twilight asked softly. “I… I know you’ve mentioned this… Carlos before. Is he… somepony important?”
“… Kid, you might wanna just… go.”
“… I’m sorry?”
“Not as sorry as you will be if you don’t go.” Ryan said roughly, not looking up from the screen. This was Carlos he was talking about; chances were high that the message was nothing nice. He just hoped that nobody was going to die in this one.

“… I’m not going anywhere until we’ve had the chance to talk, because I doubt I’ll actually get you to talk to me any other time.” Twilight said wryly.
“… I’m playin’ the message, whether you’re here or not.” Ryan whispered grimly as he tried to keep the phone still.
“I’m still not going anywhere.” Twilight reinforced herself, standing a little straighter.

He never really forgave himself for playing that message.

“Hey, Jaws. You know who it is.”
Ryan’s own jaw clenched at the rich, heavy tone of Carlos’s voice, echoing from the tiny speaker. His mildly Greek accent proclaimed loudly enough that he could hear it fifteen feet away, but he only held the phone closer.
“See, I know you think you’re really clever. I know that, right now, you’re probably thinking ‘I outsmarted Carlos. I’m just SO fucking proud of myself.’ I just wanted you to know that you’re far, far too goddamned stupid to actually get away from me.”

Ryan’s hands trembled even more violently with something he convinced himself was caused by the cool wind.
“You think you got away with that little stunt, Ryan. You really thought you could pull the wool over my eyes; hell, you even tried TAKING one of my eyes. TWICE. You’re damned headstrong, I’ll give you that.” Twilight shuddered a little as she heard a cruel chuckle in the background, and her ears leaned forward intently. It sounded like there might be more than one person.

“But I’m a reasonable man. Make no mistake, Ryan; this isn’t a warning. This isn’t some game I cooked up to prod your ego. This is just for you, because I want you to know EXACTLY what’s coming. I want you to feel FEAR, Ryan. I want you to know precisely how deep you’ve dug yourself, and I want you to know that you will NEVER get away from me. Not you, not that kid, not one of your stupid whores – I want you to taste that fear in the back of your throat, Ryan. I want you to taste despair when you find out that I’m RIGHT BEHIND YOU.”

Ryan was visibly shaking by this point, a shuddering quake that ran through his legs and into his back, causing his hands to quiver even more. His face had paled considerably, and Twilight could have sworn that he twitched to check behind himself.
“I want you to wallow in despair, Ryan. I want you to know that you never could have outsmarted me. Most of all, though…” the voice of Carlos, which before had been speaking as calmly as if he’d been discussing the weather, slowly gained an icy, hateful tone.
“I want you to know that I’m coming. I’m coming for you, and I’m coming for your little ‘cousins’, too.”

Ryan nearly dropped the phone.
“Surprise!” Carlos cackled on the message. “Oh, yeah, Jaws. I knew about them. I knew about them from the MOMENT you stole from me. I’m going to make you watch, Ryan. I’m going to make you watch what I do to them, and you know what?” the wicked voice quickly shifted back to a cheerful, happy tone. “I’m going to make it slow. I’m going to make it really, really slow, Ryan. First them – then you.”

It went completely silent, and at first, Twilight thought that the message was over. Ryan, however, stared intently at the quivering screen.
“… Good. Take a left here, Bruno. The rest of you? You know what to do.” Carlos’s voice rapidly became icy and hateful once more, venom practically blasting out of the speaker as his voice grew in loudness. “I want you to get Jaws. I want him. I want him, I want him NOW. I want you to get this FUCK. I want you to get this fuck where he breathes! I want you to find this soft nancy-boy Ryan Miller, I want him DEAD! I want his family – DEAD! I want his house burned to the GROUND! I wanna go there, in the middle of the night, and PISS ON HIS ASHES!”

The message abruptly cut off, ending in a long, high pitched beep.

Very, very slowly, Ryan turned off the phone and put his hands in his pockets.

And then he sat down.
Hard.

Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god.
“Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god.”

“R-Ryan?” Twilight asked cautiously. The murderous voice from the phone had unsettled her, but Ryan looked like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
“Oh god. Oh, god.” Ryan breathed, clutching his head in one hand. “I-I-shit!” he panicked, breathing growing rapid and irregular. “I led him. I led him right to them.” Ryan whimpered, rocking back and forth.

“Ryan, calm down-“ the unicorn began.
“Calm down? Calm down?” Ryan twitched, forcing himself to do just that. “Oh, god. Kid, you don’t understand-“
“No.”
“I just – what?”
“I said, no. Do not call me that.” Twilight demanded, jabbing him in the chest with one hoof. A light drizzle had begun to fall over them, but they both ignored it. “My name is Twilight Sparkle. And I am a competent young adult. Now, for once, will you just talk to me?”

Ryan closed his eyes, trying to keep his breathing in check. He pinched his eyes shut tighter, thinking. The message had to be quite old; there was a good chance that the twins had been dead for a long time now. He didn’t want to accept that possibility, but with Carlos around…

“Okay. Okay.” Ryan shuddered, thinking as he slowly opened his eyes. “You really wanna talk? You brought this on yourself, kid.”
“Twilight.”
“Whatever.” He shrugged. “Carlos must have followed me, back before I wound up here; all the way from Brooklyn, to Nebraska. That’s where my cousins are – were – stayin’. Donnie; he’s the younger one. Donald just sends me this lil’ message, says that he needs my help. Nothin’ else. I take off quick as I can ta’ Nebraska, ‘cause let’s face it – I sure as hell didn’t want to hang ‘round Brooklyn. Carlos is... he's just a very, very bad man.”

Twilight listened intently to his speech; aside from the rare comments about what kind of vehicle he’d like to run one of her close friends over with, Ryan had refused to speak at all about his world up until this point.
“So… so I ran.” Ryan continued shakily. “I finally get there, and there’s some… guy. Some guy in their house, callin’ himself a doctor. No, no. sorry. Not ‘a’ doctor, ‘the’ Doctor. Smug fucker. He just kinda… pops out of this big ass blue box, and shit just goes downhill from there.
“I thought… I just followed ‘em. They said there was something wrong with Donald, that there was some kind of, uh… what’d he call it. Thinling, I think. Somethin’ goin’ all Exorcist on Donnie, takin’ over his body. The ‘Doctor’-“ Ryan said with air quotes “- says some shit’s goin’ down, like the world is ‘bout ta’ end. And, sure ‘nough, the goddamn sky starts rippin’ right the fuck open! That’s when all that purple lighting was bein’ thrown around and shit.”

Twilight’s eyes grew wider by the moment, but Ryan didn’t stop.
“The Doc guy, he says that it needs ‘Miller DNA’, or some shit like that. So Dannie… little Danielle. She acts like she’s gonna save everybody by chuckin’ herself into that big ol’ whirlwind ripping reality up.”

Ryan grew silent, clutching his knees as the rain pattered around them. Twilight drew closer, thinking.
“… That’s what happened.” She finished for him slowly. “You… tried sacrificing yourself for them.”
“Right out the fuckin’ window.” Ryan grinned, scratching the back of his wet and greasy head. “But, I didn’t come straight here. That’s the thing – I was goin’ somewhere else. Somethin’- something big, and I mean real fuckin’ big, was tearin’ that place ta’ shreds. Lookin’ for something. And I was going straight for it – and that’s where Discord came in.”
“Discord?” Twilight muttered. “But… I thought…” she noticed Ryan watching her, and she cleared her throat. “Sorry. Continue.”

Ryan nodded, thinking. “… When Discord was bouncin’ round in my head, he said that he just ‘redirected the course a little’. Got all offended that somebody was tryin’ ta sneak somethin’ like me past him.”
“How is that even possible?” Twilight asked suddenly. “You can’t just go around breaking interdimensional barriers all willy nilly!”
“Hey, don’t look at me.” Ryan shrugged. “Anyways, you know th’ rest. I landed here in psycho-land. Coulda sworn I was gonna die, too.”

Ryan did not like the uncomfortable look Twilight was giving him.
“… What?”
“Nothing, nothing.” She shook her head quickly, looking away from him.
“… I know you know something, kid.” Ryan growled. “I know you do, and so does your lard ass princess.”
“Princess Celestia is not-!” Twilight objected, but Ryan stopped her.
“Luna doesn’t.”

Twilight looked at him with a tilt, confused. “… Er… sorry?”
“Luna. Lard ass’s sister? Yeah, she’s got no clue. I know, ‘cause she keeps lookin’ for one.” Ryan tapped the side of his wet head, water dribbling down his arm. “She knows some kinda magic head-mojo, too. Keeps showin’ up in my head when I’m sleeping.”
The unicorn’s head started up sharply. “Are you sure?” she said quickly.
“No shit, Sherlock.” Ryan deadpanned. “Ain’t like a normal dream, or nothin’ – I can, uh… I can feel her.”

Twilight merely gaped at him.
“… What.”
Ryan shrugged again. “I dunno. I’m as confused as you. I kinda thought you’d know more about the whole ‘magic’ thing than I do. Y’know, speaking of which…” he said, glowering at her. “What the fuck is it with you guys and horns? Shit, back there in the Hive, I tried snaggin’ one guy’s horn ta’ show him how the whole ‘mind-trick’ works, and he tries taking my damn face off!”

She stared hard at him, a mixture of horror and apprehension on her equine features.
“… Ryan, you… you can’t ... do that to anypony.”
“What?” he asked, bewildered. “Grabbin’ their horns? Hell, that’s how I kicked that big bug fucker’s ass. Punched her in the face, and the brain. That’s some badass shit. That’s how I fixed…” Ryan trailed off, thought going back to the blind changeling. Or, rather, the changeling that he’d involuntary given blindness to.

“That’s… you can’t do that!” Twilight said, flustered.
“Bullshit, I did it already!” Ryan protested. “That ‘Blade’ guy got all freaked out ‘bout it, too! Started goin’ on ‘bout judgment, and shit – an’ for what, pokin’ their brain? I mean, I can see how it might get dangerous; fuck, so long as ya’ know it’s comin’, mind mojo works fine! Here…!“ he reached out for Twilight’s small violet horn with his injured left hand, simultaneously extending an inward reach for the familiar spark. She backpedalled from him immediately.
“You can’t just force yourself on somepony like that!”

Ryan’s blood froze in his veins.
Ryan stayed in that position for what felt like forever, the cold rain pouring over them more heavily now. Neither of them moved, and Twilight’s words slammed into him repeatedly like a ton of bricks.
You can’t just force yourself on somepony like that.
Can’t just force yourself on somepony like that.
Force yourself on somepony like that.
Force yourself on somepony.
… Oh, my god.

A pale green tinge crept into Ryan’s cheeks. “W-w-what?” he whispered, and the rest of the color drained from his face. Twilight looked grief stricken, but equally concerned about his confusion.
“… You… you didn’t know…” she said softly, a lilac hoof gently sliding onto his arm.
“N-no – no, no, no!” Ryan brushed her off, clinging to himself even tighter. The horrible weight of the situation crashed into him in full, and his stomach tightened up in horrible knots. What he’d attempted on Blade Ripper in the Hive. What he’d done to the changeling queen, in order to protect the others.
Even worse was the horrible, horrible realization of just how badly he’d injured Proppy. The taste of bile started to scratch at him, the creeping horror and disgust steadily rising.

And Proppy only thanked him for it, again and again. Always talking about how he’d been gifted, about how now he saw the light. Always praising his name, looking at him like he was a god.
Ryan hadn’t just hurt Proppy.
Ryan hadn’t just caused the changeling to go blind.
Ryan had mind-raped the poor changeling into pious insanity.

Thankful that the brick railing was sturdy even in the rain, Ryan promptly leaned over the edge and retched.

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Ryan gratefully wiped the vomit from his face with the now-sopping wet hospital gown Twilight kindly levitated to him, and he dropped it over the edge.
“… Finally got what I wanted.” Ryan said shakily, a pressure headache beginning to pulse against his eyes.
Twilight remained silent, helping him limp back to the roof door in the pouring rain.
“… Finally got exactly what I said I was gonna. Heh, you know…” Ryan mumbled weakly. “… I always looked up to Carlos. Right from when he gave me a place in the Sharks – I was right there with ‘im, at the beginning. I always looked up to Carlos, like he was some kinda hero; I wanted to be just like him. An’ now?”

They finally reached the door, and Twilight swung it open wordlessly as the rain beat heavily against the roof overhead.
“Guess it was bound to happen. Now I’m a goddamn monster. Just like Carlos. Just like I wanted.” He breathed miserably, leaning against the wall for support.
“… You’re not a monster, Ryan.” Twilight comforted him gently. “You didn’t know.”
“Doesn’t make it right.” Ryan pointed out, limping down the long and poorly lit hallway. The water dripped off of them and collected in puddles in the floor behind them as they walked. He’d be glad to have his shoes back, too.

For a long while, neither of them spoke. Ryan simply walked in quiet, listening to the rain above them and the clop of Twilight’s hooves against the linoleum. Instead of going back to the cafeteria, however, she gradually led him back to the same room he’d awoken in.
Ryan hated hospitals.

The hospital room, whereas small, was still inviting enough. Ryan sat heavily on the small bed, clutching his head in his one good hand. Thoughts and emotions blurred violently, running rampantly through his head.
“… I hurt him.” He finally said quietly, and when he looked up, Twilight saw that his eyes were blotchy and red.
“Ryan-“
“I hurt him.” He repeated more loudly, scowling. “All because I thought I was bein’ smart. God, I’m so fucking stupid.” Ryan moaned, burying his face in his hands again.

“I can’t say I don’t know how you feel…” Twilight said sympathetically, clambering atop the bed next to him and watching the rain fall through the window.
“Fuck you, kid.” Ryan growled. “You don’t know jack ‘bout how stupid I feel.”
“Ryan, we ran into the Everfree Forest.” Twilight looked up at him, almost pleadingly. “No planning, no forethought of any danger, no preparation or backup-“
“Yeah, we almost died.” Ryan added unhelpfully.
“Because of me.” she said sorrowfully, her head bowing in shame. “Again. I-I don’t know what’s wrong with me…!” Twilight’s voice caught in her chest, shaking a little. “I just… I keep making mistakes; stupid, stupid mistakes, and my friends just keep suffering because of me!”

“I thought you were supposed ta’ be the smart one?” Ryan asked, trying to keep her from wallowing in self-pity as much as he was.
Instead, once again, he only made it worse.

“… This has something to do with whatever you did to me, doesn’t it.” A statement, not a question.

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, and closed it again.
“… Christ, kid. I know you did something, I just don’t know how. I did magic, for cryin’ out loud!” he belted, ripping the bandages off his left hand. A foul, sickly stench rose into the air as he did so, revealing a blackened scar on his hand.

The scar itself looked remarkably akin to a small black sun, and the green tinge around it almost looked similar to the flame of solar flares.

“Oh, ew.” Twilight grimaced, cringing away from his wound.
Ryan stared at the scar, partially in disgust and fascination.
Reaching within for the familiar spark, he pulled it to the surface; surprisingly, much easier than it had been before.
First all the chaos shit, then the shield-y bubble thing, then the mind-tricks, then magic sparks? ‘The fuck is happening to me?

Focusing on the spark, Ryan poured as much of his concentration into it as he could.
At first, nothing happened; Ryan merely sat there staring dumbly at his wounded hand, feeling silly.
After an instant, he felt the strange spark ripple through his arm and into the wound on his palm. The black center of it darkened momentarily, while the green infection around it rippled with a queer emerald light. As quickly as it had come, it was gone.

Ryan breathed heavily, not noticing before that he’d been holding his breath. Just the tiny display left him feeling drained, even weaker than before; and he’d been trying for the peculiar flaming sabre he’d somehow pulled out of the air, only to be disappointed.

“… What the buck.” Twilight stared in shock at his hand as the darkness of the room reclaimed them, the only light coming from the hallway and the dim flashes of the steadily growing storm.
“Now, care ta’ tell me how in the hell I did that?” Ryan asked wearily, suddenly woozy from the effort.
“You… I don’t think… could I have…!”
“Spit it out.” He slurred tiredly, desperately trying to keep his eyes open.

“It’s… it’s not important.” Twilight said quietly.
“I kinda doubt that, but whatever.” Ryan shrugged.

They simply sat for a while, watching the rain.
Ryan wasn’t sure at what point he’d drifted off – he only knew that at some point, he’d been somewhere near unconsciousness when he snapped back awake. The rain had finally stopped, and the window was open. Twilight was still directly beside him, however, staring contemplatively out it.
“Correct me if I happen to be erroneously judgmental, but you would appear to be extensively introspective.”

“What?” Twilight asked suddenly, head snapping toward him. Much to Ryan’s surprise, it had been he who said it.
“…Uh…” Ryan’s eyebrows furrowed in thought. “… I… don’t know. Whassup?”
“No, why did you say that?” she looked disturbed at his sudden and unexplained vernacular advancement, which had vanished as quickly as it had come.
He shrugged, scratching his head. “Sorry,” he muttered. “Must’a been half asleep. Wasn’t payin’ attention to what I was sayin’.”

She looked at him queerly, before standing.
“… The Grand Galloping Gala is in a week’s time.” Twilight stated. “I should be receiving a letter soon on her findings.”
“On…” Ryan questioned, relatively uninterested.
“A way to send you home.”
Now she had his attention.

Author's Notes:

Staying true to that 'Dark' tag after all, aren't I?

This was definitely one of the harder chapters to write, and not just because it gets a bit dark.
Heheheh. If you thought this was dark, then you'd better hold on to your frilly pink socks, because we're going a HELL of a lot darker than this.

Aside from that, the serious nature of the mental scarring Ryan caused Proppy really can't just be swept under the table so easily; it's simply not a case where the protagonist instantly gains some incredible, awesome power with absolutely no repercussions whatsoever.

I'll try to have another chapter up before too long, and maybe some updates for the other stories. No guarantees, though.

ALSO: I'm working on eventually getting this story onto T.V Tropes, and would gladly appreciate any assistance anyone could offer in doing so.