Wow, so much feedback! 8) Thank you for all the smashing reviews, and welcome back to the original storyline - soon to lead up to Arc 5.

(To Midnight Luna): No, Sabine's spine wasn't crushed. :) She was worried that Vader would severely injure her with the Force, but he retreated before she could attack him a second time.

Thank you to Superherotiger, Ichichi05, NerdwithaBook, AzulaBlue92, heartbreakerninja, Sakura425, , Rebels-lover, BuruPlays2, Begoogled, Guest Star, and Midnight Luna for leaving feedback on the last chapter, as well as those who reviewed previous chapters after the acknowledgements!

"He's going to be fine, Kanan. Barely a touch of hibernation sickness, and the clock to his head will heal quickly."

"It's not the injuries I'm worried about."

"No, you should be looking after your own." Hera folded her arms, willing her mental lecture into Fearless Leader's thick skull. "You survived a concussion blast soon after the effects of the last disastrous op, your ears were bleeding, Kanan, and if you don't lie down in the next five minutes I swear I'll have Zeb lock you in a crate!"

"Now you're trying to suffocate me?" Kanan jibed wearily.

"If it'll keep you lying down for five minutes!"

"Hera…"

She humphed and brushed past Kanan, deliberately fussing over the kid. Thank goodness the maroon dye was only temporary. She couldn't handle two teenagers with an identity crisis. Rubbing the last of the makeup from Ezra's scars, Hera sighed.

"Every time we return to Lothal, someone is waiting for you both."

"It was a mistake," Kanan said gravely. "We'll be more careful next time."

"Next time I may not get you back. First the Lothal transmission, then Raydonia – Kanan, we used to avoid traps. Our goal was to remain hidden. Now we can hardly land on a planet without someone targeting you or Ezra. What happened?"

"The dark side is growing stronger."

Nowhere in the galaxy is safe.

Disheartened, Hera sat heavily beside him. "At least rest for an hour, love. I'll tell you if Ezra wakes."

"It's been a day." Kanan's brow creased. "Whatever Vader did to him…."

"There's no internal damage. He just needs time." Hera brushed Kanan's neck, urging him towards the door. "Sleep now?"

"One hour," Kanan conceded grudgingly. His limp had returned, along with the despairing slump in his shoulder. Hera closed her eyes.

"Come back to us soon, Ezra," she murmured, filtering a hand through his hair. "Whatever Vader told you; fight it. Kanan is waiting for you."

The numbness from the carbonation had thawed swiftly. The earache and disorientation had lasted a few minutes longer.

It was the hollowness that repressed him in a taut, dormant shell. He heard Kanan's voice; ached to respond: to tell everyone he was okay.

But he wasn't.

Something was wrong inside.

Power. The Force had been pent inside of him by Vader's will, escalating until it exploded. It hurt! Even now Kanan gripped his hand and Ezra tried to scream. Raw nerves. Eyelids burning. Hera's voice was too loud.

Stop! Please, stop talking, everyone!

Was this the result of the dark side? Was this how he had assailed Vader? How ironic that his own weapon had been bottled inside of him until it ruptured his core.

Kanan, I'm sorry!

He was nothing more than a Sith. The dark side was his destiny.

The Force drifted just out of reach; a glowbug hovering in a starless galaxy. Ezra spread his fingers towards it nostalgically… and the light tapped back. Intrigued, he touched it uncertainly, like a child bopping his puddled reflection. The light whirled around him.

'Ezra? Ezra, can you hear me?'

'No… don't…' Ezra yanked away and closed his eyes. 'Kanan, don't!'

He couldn't reciprocate. He wouldn't snuff out the only light Kanan had left.

'Come on, kid. Stop running from me,' the light urged.

'I'm not running!' Ezra retorted. 'You're just getting too close!'

The light chuckled and zipped nearer, swirling over his hands; his arms; never touching and never flinching away.

'Kanan, I mean it! I – I don't want to kill you!'

The light stuttered, then clipped Ezra's ear in a snarky rebuke. 'You can't even scrub the radiators properly. If this is your definition of 'killing me', then you'll make a mopey Sith lord.'

He wanted to joke along. He wanted to scream and plead for Kanan to leave before it was too late. The light settled around Ezra's shoulders and he sat down hard in dismay.

'Why is this happening to me?'

'… It was my fault.' Kanan's voice was hesitant. 'I should have listened to the Fulcrum; kept you off the planet. The force tried to warn me, and I let Vader manipulate you … again.'

'Am I with Vader now?' Ezra shuddered, trying to pull the dark around him. The light fluttered, growing weaker. Alarmed, Ezra pushed the blackness away and was relieved when the light flickered strong once more

'You're on the Ghost – please calm down, Ezra. I can hear Hera in the other room. Whatever you're doing, it's frying you up inside.'

'Am I dying?'

'If you are I'm hunting down Vader – Zeb can affirm that.' It was a quiet threat.

Shifting uncertainly, Ezra rubbed his arms. 'Kanan, I'm scared.'

The light thrummed anxiously. 'So am I, kid.'

'I'm not afraid of dying. I just …. It's too late for me, isn't it? I'm never going to be anything more than a Sith.'

The light sank like an exasperated glower. '…. ... Kid, I lied to you earlier.'

Ezra jolted and the light snickered.

'My father isn't a Lasat…. He's a gundark.'

'Kanan!' Killing his master was justifiable if it was for a worthy cause, right?

'Ezra, stop thinking and calm down. What did I tell you about the Force?'

'That it can be used for good and evil...' Ezra droned.

'And how you utilize it will matter in the end. The Force can be a healer or a weapon. Choosing either in a moment of weakness will not make you a Sith. We just have to go back to training grounds for a while.'

Ezra sulked. 'You cut my padawan braid.'

'Hera kept the extension. We can reweave it as soon as you wake up – which it's about time, kid. You're scaring Chopper.'

'Good. Let him freak out for a while longer – he spilled hot chocolate on my bunk.'

'Ezra, what did I say about revenge?'

'…. Five more minutes?'

'Up. We need to talk about this.'

Sighing, Ezra dragged himself to the epicenter, where the light flickered strongly and Kanan's voice intensified.

'Do I have to?' Ezra wheedled.

'Are you going to leave me here to fight off Chopper alone?'

'Yes.'

'You're a lousy padawan. Get down here now – before I have Sabine dye your hair permanently.'

'I'll poison the uj cake on your next birthday.'

'That's it – purple hair for the next three years of your life.'

'It's re –" Suddenly red wasn't a color he wanted to be associated with. "… Yeah, purple. Fine. I'm jumping."

Gulping, Ezra plunged into the vortex of stars.

He woke with Chopper clanging pots above his face.

To Midnight Luna: Technically that counts as a "coma scene", right? :3