The Puppeteer

Upon a throne of wafer and pickled candy canes sat Discord, Lord of Chaos, idly twistling a crumpled mass of paper round his talon. His headspace throbbed with concern and, begrudgingly, sympathy when regarding his purple friend within his mind's eye.

The now less-recent events concerning a certain alien creature had done nothing but prove to him that this plan was the correct move.

Twilight had to learn to lead, and not rely on others to solve her problems and insecurities. The carelessness with which she approached Miles's arrival was...

Discord's brow furrowed and the paper began to tear and melt. She had counted on his presence to protect herself and her friends, and thus had not so much as regarded an alien creature from an entirely different dimension as a potential threat at all.

For all she knew at the time, Miles could have been hiding vast power on par with his own chaotic might. She was supposed to be an intelligent mare...

It simply wasn't good enough; not good enough to rule.

Discord sighed and blipped his throne out of existence. He folded his arms behind his back and gazed off into the swirling purple void of his own personal dimension.

He sighed a tired, aged sigh.

The time was now - could Twilight take on her past foes in a horde, all at once? Would she crumble and fold, coming to him to fix everything for her, or would she rise like a destined ruler and smash through the onslaught with fervour?

Perhaps her blatant emotions for the creature will drive her in a favourable direction, for once.

CRUNCH

"GYAAAAH! Nh... N-NO MORE, PLEAS-!!!"

CRUNCH

Muddy's jaw rattled and her teeth chattered, her horn blazing like an iron rod sinking into her head, driven deeper through her brain cage by the tortured wails of her friend.

The basement she found herself in was grey and barren, lit by nothing but a small set of candles. The only furnishings in the room were some small wooden workbenches and a single stool.

Despite the cold clawing through her fur, her blood continued to run hot, desperately pumping her reserves into overdrive to satiate the ravenous beast feasting on her magical teat.

Said beast peered down at her with an affectionate smile as it gently bumped her searing horn with a small, magically-conductive stone. "Do you have any more for me, little Miss Mud? I would much rather not wait until tomorrow, you see."

Muddy strained, her neck growing vascular and her temples pulsing as though they housed a writhing parasite. "Nnnyuh...! I-I can't! I... I have no more to give you!"

Miles hummed and returned his attention to Match. He walked over to the workbench and took a seat on the stool. After a quick search through the various bloodied tools set up across its surface, he subtly shook his head, appearing satisfied with the tool already in hand.

Miles roughly gripped Match's mane once again and yanked her head backwards. As her drooping eyes refocused upon his own, he blew her a kiss with a throaty chuckle and brought his pliers back to her bloodied muzzle. Her eyes widened and her lip trembled.

He prized her mouth open with his free hand and felt through the darkened, sludge-like life essence for another nugget of leverage. Match's cries grew increasingly defeated and pleading as her body tensed for what she knew was coming next.

"Wait! Wait, I can! I-I can do it... I have more!" Muddy roared with frustration as she willed her horn to life. Some small magical sparks crackled from its tip, but she found her efforts to be in vain. "No..."

"Oh, come now, Mud. We both know that isn't true. It seems I will not be getting any more out of you until tomorrow," mused Miles.

"Th-Then wh... Then why? STOP!" Muddy struggled against her confines as Miles's face lit up upon successfully feeling out his prize.

"Why?" He laughed, roughly yanking Match's head around with the boisterous heaving of his chest. "For the exact same reason I explained to you earlier, Muddle." Muddy found it difficult to focus on the human's words through the frantic cries of her friend. "I could give you a lengthy explanation about your failures and lack of contribution to the world, and while it would be both profound and true - ultimately, little pony..."

He locked his grip on Match's tooth, sinking his pliers between the tooth and gums at its base with a vice-like pressure. Match's breathing doubled in speed, her pupils shrinking and her cracked hooves subconsciously grasping at any nearby surface she could find.

The bloodied blood-red mare wept, her small body writhing against the human's chest. "Peeeease... D-Duhn, duhn do hiss! Nuhn n-"

Muddy averted her eyes and squinted them closed as her friend began to squeal like a pig to the slaughter. Upon drawing breath, Match's cries turned to a bizarre gurgle followed by a hopeless, hacking mewl. A moment later, something that sounded unsettlingly like rustling branches and a few muffled crunching noises barraged Muddy's ears and churned her stomach.

Bound as she was by rope and clasp, Muddy had no way of blocking out the noise. "...I'm doing this because I want to." Miles laughed with glee as Match howled once more.

Muddy once again felt her gaze repelled by the cruelty of the scene before her. She looked over at her amber friend in hopes that she might find comfort and distraction in tortured kinship; yet, the mare appeared lifeless, laid on her side and facing the wall to Muddy's right. A large welt swelled from the side of her head, appearing as though her brain was making a break for greener pastures.

What was left of Nougat's crooked, mangled wings sprouted from her back and pointed out into the room, their gnarled appearance reducing her from a proud pegasus to little more than a spreading mound of fungus suctioned to the damp wall of the basement.

With one final, sickening crunch, Miles jerked his hand away from Match's maw, and with it came his prize. Muddy struggled to hold in what little food he had given her.

Match screamed, collapsing forward and onto the floor as Miles finally let go of her matted mane. She crawled away from him and attempted to touch her face with her hooves, but each time she brought them close, they would instinctively jerk away.

As she gasped for air and stewed in an boiling inferno of agony, she found herself peering down into a pool of her own blood. Therein, she found a rippling reflection of herself staring right back.

Her thoughts slowed and her pain was replaced with the sort of uncanny dread that could only come from a lack of self-recognition. She forced herself to grin into the reflective pool of bodily leakage.

Once Match saw what was left of her once beaming smile, that grin shrivelled - twisted and broken. Her body grew numb and her cries dulled as her brain began to provide mercy from the pain once again.

Miles smacked his lips and looked down at the now unconscious pony with disgust. He briefly glanced at Nougat and then over to his workbench. Muddy's brow drooped and her quaking legs began to lose sensation.

"M-Miles...?" murmured Muddy. The man's eyebrows lifted in surprise at the name.

"...Yes?"

"I can fill them... I can fill them tomorrow, so please. Please, let her rest today." The clarity with which Muddy spoke appeared to give Miles pause for the briefest of moments. He stepped out of his stool and made his way over to her.

"You know," he said, "you remind me of her." He went down to one knee and cupped her muzzle with a hand.

"Wh-Who...?"

"Or at least, I thought you did. I would very much like to be certain."

His other hand reached out and gripped at the fur of her face, pinching around its frame in a circle until he landed back where he started. Muddy's quivers escalated as she locked her vision with his. With eyes half-lidded and lips set in a flat line, Miles gripped one of her cheeks and started pulling. It was a soft touch, at first, but Muddy quickly started to squirm.

She winced and attempted to pull her face away, but that only led to an increase in agony, and so her attention remained forcibly gripped by his deceptively handsome features.

"...I would love to see who's really hiding beneath that mask of yours..." The thinly pressed line of Miles's mouth jerked up into a grin, and yet not a single other muscle on his face so much as twitched. Muddy's spine began to ripple like waves pulled by nothing less than Luna's very own moon.

His grip finally subsided, sending Muddy's head rattling against the concrete wall behind her with a grunt. He chuckled and stood to his feet.

"Perhaps later, Mud. For now, I have some business to attend to with my favourite princess," said Miles as he walked over to the basement stairs and, after throwing the door open, thudded back up to the rest of his cozy home. For the briefest of moments, Muddy hoped the goliath would blunder and forget.

Seconds later, Miles's deafening footsteps descended once more, crushing her hope as quickly as it had presented itself. Upon re-entering the basement, he walked over to the middle of the room carrying a small bundle of pitch-black shards, bound together in a webbed rope.

After stepping on Match's rear leg on his way over, he lifted the bundle of shards to a small hook hanging in the centre of the ceiling and threaded it through the rope.

With the bundle now hanging out of the mares' reach, Miles gave Muddy a wink and left them to dread his next visit.

As the bolt to the basement door was slammed shut, Muddy's muscles turned to jelly and she collapsed into a pile of shattered willpower.

"Oh, h-hey, Miles. I'm so sorry, but I won't be able to go out to lunch today." Twilight paced around her study, her brow a firm crease and her features a small surprise away from a panic attack.

"Whatever is the matter, Twilight?" Miles leaned down to place a hand on Twilight's back, halting her frantic paces.

"Miles... A pony has gone missing! W-Well, three mares have, actually..." She brought a hoof to her forehead and rubbed at her temple. "Right here in Ponyville! Miles, ponies don't just disappear! This almost never happens. It just doesn't..."

Miles bent down to one knee and cupped Twilight's face. Her fearful expression softened at his concerned gaze. "Are you sure, Twilight? I think you need to slow down. Start with your breathing." Miles took a deep breath in and raised his eyebrows at her, prompting her to follow his lead.

The pair let out their breath together, and after a small smile of appreciation, Twilight said, "Well, ponies seem pretty sure about this. Nopony has seen them in days, and I had a letter sent to all their parents in Manehattan. They haven't seen them, either. They're probably on their way here right now..."

Twilight leaned in and pressed her forehead to Miles's shoulder, being mindful to avoid spearing him with her horn. "As the resident princess, I can't help but feel... W-What if something's happened to them, Miles? It'll be..." She took several more deep breaths into Miles's shirt. The human began stroking the side of her neck.

"It will be okay, Twilight. From what I have heard, you've faced many threats before. Now, again - you need to slow down and think." Miles gave her a quick scratch behind the ear. "What have you done already?"

Twilight picked her face up and wiped a hoof across her muzzle, taking one final deep breath as she did so. Miles smiled and stood back to his full height. "Well, besides contacting any known relatives, I've sent out some guards to search for them. While they're out searching, I've been considering how far I should escalate this."

Twilight looked pleadingly up at Miles. "Do you think I should contact Princess Celestia? I-I think this might be something I can handle myse-"

"-I think you should ask Discord for help," interrupted Miles.

Twilight blinked owlishly as silence hung over the pair for several seconds. "Uhm, I suppose I could..."

"Those ponies may well be in trouble, Twilight. Discord is not shy when it comes to boasting of his power." Miles gently gripped Twilight by the side of her neck and guided her towards the door of her study. She found herself naturally following his lead.

"You know, I think you might be right. I'm sorry... It was selfish of me to consider trying to solve this on my own, when ponies could be in danger. You know..." Twilight looked up at Miles as they began to descend the stairs of her castle. "...I'm glad I have you, Miles. Th-Thanks for keeping me grounded."

"Of course, Twilight. Now, let us find these little ponies. Together."

Twilight smiled and inclined her head towards the ground. "Yes... Together," she murmured.

"And then, once everything is set in motion, how about you and I make up for lost lunch today and go out to dinner tonight, instead?" Miles scratched behind her ear as they finally reached the grand entrance of the castle. "...Together."

With a magical push, the door was pressed open; however, Twilight's vision remained solely set upon her alien companion.

Her initial repsonse was the widening of her eyes and the brightening of her smile, but one quick slap from her brain shook her head and forced a response. "W-Well, what if we haven't found them by th..." Twilight trailed off as she noticed Miles's expression droop at her words.

Her heart throbbed and heaved in protest, its nervous connections with her brain entangling each other in a tug of war with their cranial master.

As the pair stepped through the door and descended into the town, Twilight recovered and, with a reserved smile she said, "Th-That sounds good... I-I think I'd like tha-"

"-Uh, howdy Twilight." The purple princess literally jumped in place at the sudden sound of Applejack's voice.

"Hello there, ladies," said Miles, giving a small nod. The seven mares now standing before the pair muttered a polite response to Miles while raising an eyebrow at Twilight's antics.

"P-Princess Celestia! Princess Luna!" Twilight briefly bowed in a panic before standing bolt upright.

Applejack tsked to herself and frowned at her purple friend. Princess Celestia stepped forward from the elements and her sister and regarded Twilight directly. "Good afternoon, Twilight. I hope you've been keeping well, my little pony."

Once again, Twilight found herself blinking, but this time at the politeness of her teacher's speech. Upon making a realisation, her ears flattened against her skull. "I've been okay, I guess... I assume you're here to help us search for the missing ponies." Twilight's statement was intoned more as a question.

"I am indeed," responded Celestia. "Thankfully, the elements thought it best to make sure we were made aware of the situation." Twilight winced and brought a hoof to her chest. "It isn't every day that ponies go missing, after all."

"Y-Yes, and we've been doing everything we can here to make sure they're found. So, don't worry, princess! You can count on me." Celestia visibly swallowed and cast her gaze to the grand entrance of Twilight's castle. Twilight did everything in her power to avoid cringing into herself.

"If I may, Princess Celestia?" Miles cut in once he noticed Twilight flailing. Celestia's neutral gaze snapped up to his face, the afternoon breeze eerily silent as several pregnant moments passed. "Twilight and I were putting our heads together, you see..."

"Sure... Heads," whispered Applejack, but as far as all those present were concerned, she may as well have been bleating all the way down to Tartarus. Rainbow Dash snickered, earning her a stern glare from Rarity.

"... And we ultimately decided that asking Discord for assistance may well be the most appropriate course of action."

"Wow, what brought ya to that conclu- Oof!" Rainbow Dash's sarcastic remark was cut short by a solid elbow to the side from her orange friend. If looks could kill, Applejack would have perished on the spot.

Celestia's eyes widened, her face remaining otherwise neutral. She took a step closer to Miles and sniffed at the air. She then turned to her sister and lightly shook her head. Satisfied, Celestia faced Miles once more and asked, "What makes you say that, Miles?"

Miles raised an eyebrow, looking down at the diarch with incredulity. "Well, he is the most powerful of you all, correct?" Celestia's brow furrowed at his choice of wording. After a moment, she nodded. "So, why not simply ask him to scan for the trio of missing mares?"

"Well, well..." A large paw rested upon Miles's shoulder. The human did not so much as flinch at the sudden appearance of the God of Chaos. "So the alien does have a soft spot for me, after all," chided Discord with a teasing chuckle.

Miles smiled as the draconequus slipped round him and into his field of view with a rubbery twang. "Oh, you know me," said Miles, jovially. "I'm soft on just about everyone... Unless they threaten my friends, of course." Miles reached over and ruffled Twilight's mane, and yet his gaze remained firmly fixed upon Discord.

Discord's eyes half-lidded and he reclined on a floating 'bag-bean', as he kept calling it. None besides him were able to make out what it looked like, as it always seemed to disappear once out of one's peripheral.

"Quite," stated Discord, flatly.

Princess Luna now stepped forward and nuzzled her sister. "We already called for the spir- ahem, Discord's aid before we arrived." She looked over at Miles. "Mayhaps great minds tend to think alike, Miles."

Miles chuckled and straightened out his already-straight collar. "Oh I am sure your mind is far beyond the scope of my own, Princess Luna... Even despite your obvious youth." He jokingly flicked his eyebrows at the deep blue mare, earning him an honest giggle.

Twilight frowned and twitched her muzzle, her expression so transparent that Fluttershy audibly sighed. "Hey, M-Miles?" Twilight eagerly pulled on his pant leg. When he faced her, she continued, "Princess Luna is actually quite-"

"-Twilight," Miles said with a rising tone. "I think it should be about time that Discord search for the missing mares."

The earnesty in Miles's voice relaxed Twilight's shoulders, but before she could respond, Discord leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "A little eager, aren't we?" growled Discord. Celestia's shoulders sagged as she let go of a breath.

"I am unsure of what you mean, Discord. Why would we wait? Just go ahead and do it, my good chap," replied Miles.

Discord scowled and mimicked Miles's words with an axaggeratedly robotic tone, his body becoming polygonal as he did so. "'I am unsure of what you mean', oh please." Miles fought with all his might to restrain a grin. "And just what makes you think I take orders from you, human? I'm well aware of the need to search."

"Well, then you should have no problem doing it... Once you have finished untwisting your knickers, of course."

Discord did not respond to the man, and a silence hung over the group as the two males stared each other down. Only once Celestia noticed the sky pulsating and turning a manacing shade of shimmering purple did she realise it was time to intervene.

"Discord, please calm down... We're all friends here." Celestia's tone was motherly and soothing; however, Discord swivelled on her with a light snarl upon his face.

Before he could speak, he felt a tap on the side of his neck, and turned to find Fluttershy by his side, flapping her pillowy wings. "Discord, it's okay. I understand that you're frustrated, but I think Miles is right." Discord flinched and leered at the floor, but Fluttershy gently pushed his face back to regard her own once more. "Every second we waste is a second they could be... Uhm, I-I think you should search for them, too."

Discord blinked and rolled his neck as his breathing grew ragged. "And I will; it was never in doubt." he said, as Fluttershy nuzzled his face. He then pointed his paw at Miles. "All I'm saying is that he seems awfully eager in leading this search effort, especially when it's for ponies he barely even knows..."

Twilight stepped in front of Miles, causing the human's eyes to widen and his mask to nearly fracture. "A-And just what are you trying to say, Discord?" Twilight's legs trembled; she had previously stood before the Lord of Chaos in defiance, but not once when he was angered. "Why don't you just go ahead and say it?" Twilight's voice cracked, ruining the intended effect of her challenge.

Discord growled, stepping closer to the brave alicorn; each step crumbled the earth and threatened to swallow the party whole.

Fluttershy frantically hugged Discord's neck and pulled at his beard with a hoof. He allowed his head to face hers, and once he saw the concern and affection pooling in the corners of her beautiful baby-blue eyes, his expression softened, bringing his rancorous approach to a halt. "Discord. Search for those poor mares," stated Fluttershy, with finality.

Discord looked over his company and soaked in their varying expressions, though he could not bring himself to face the alien. While most appeared disapproving, a few of the younger mares appeared... Fearful.

He looked back to Fluttershy and swallowed, his brow drooping in an expression of remorse. "Yes, of course... I'm sorry, dearest."

Fluttershy smiled and cupped his face with a hoof. "It's okay..." she whispered back.

Suddenly, Discord's neck extended upwards into the air and his eyeballs swivelled in their sockets at lightning speed, causing Fluttershy to reel back and gasp. After no time at all, it was done, and his head snapped back down to its usual length.

After a few moments of silence, Discord spoke. "I... Don't understand," Miles's lip twitched.

"What's wrong, Discord?" asked Celestia, her brow furrowed.

"I don't see them. I saw every single other living creature on the planet, but I didn't see them... Are you sure you showed me the correct ponies to search for?" Celestia nodded gravely.

"Then that's that. I don't see them." Every pony present appeared to grow restless at this announcement, the implications appearing to knock their sense of balance and light coals beneath their resting hooves.

Celestia's gaze glazed with a titanium lens. "Then it may well be that Equestria faces its next threat," she said. "The last time ponies went missing, Chrysalis had returned. It could be any one of the many villains from our past, so we must-"

"-It wasn't any of them," muttered Discord. Celestia's neck flinched so minutely that none besides her sister noticed.

"H-How would you know that...?" asked Twilight.

Discord stomped his cloven hoof in frustration and huffed through his nose. Fluttershy placed a hoof to her lip and gently bit down. "I just do. It isn't any of your past villains, Twilight." He turned to face her and sighed, his features softening. "So... What will you do to solve this, my dear?"

Twilight audibly gulped. "I'll think of something... If you can't see them, then I'll have to think of something else besides aimlessly searching. I'll just need time." Miles stepped up to Twilight and rested his fingertips on her withers. He rubbed her gently, and her breathing slowed in kind.

Discord watched Twilight for several long, tense seconds. Appearing satisfied, he turned to Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, would you come and stay with me for a while, dear? I don't want you out of my sight with... Whatever it is that's going on."

"Uhm, I think that sounds lovely, but we should probably st-"

"-Next time, I think you should just help..." Twilight interjected, nervously rubbing one hoof with the other. She then turned and hurried her way back into the castle, her colourful mane bouncing all the way. The rest of their company appeared reluctant to look Discord in the eye, yet offered neither support nor condemnation.

Discord bit the inside of his cheek and finally stole a look at Twilight's pet project. His eyes were met with something that made his blood simmer and his crooked heart writhe its way around his stomach.

Miles stuffed the tip of his tongue between his rear molars and stared directly back into Discord's wellspring, an otherwise blank look on his face. Despite this absence of anything, Discord felt the presence of something reaching out to him from behind those emerald windows.

Discord held his talons up in stasis, prepared to snap. Although his digits tensed and itched to make their move, he couldn't find the strength to snap, remaining arrested by the influence of a supposedly powerless being.

His eyes widened, and after finally breaking eye contact and glaring directly ahead of himself, he completed the snap.