Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School – Training Dojo – The past

“Oof!” Yuta choked out, slamming into the polished dojo floor with a pained grunt. His vision swam, blinded by the white-hot explosion of cursed energy rippling through him moments before.

“Your cursed energy control is atrocious.” Scolded a tall man adorning pitch-black shades with a loose tee and baggy cargo pants. “At this rate, you’ll leak it all out before you can exorcise curses!”

Yuta moaned, a fresh wave of nausea radiating from the stomach. Dragging his forehead across the squeaky-clean wooden floor, he tried his best to swallow back the bile built up in the back of his throat, but his efforts were in vain as the acidic mixture flowed freely out his mouth.

Taking a shaky breath, Yuta pushed himself back up to a kneeling position. Clearing his vision and wiping the excess bile off his chin, he looked up to the other Special-Grade Sorcerer in the room; his assailant tilted his head.

“You getting up or what?” Gojo mocked.

Yuta clutched his side, holding up a hand. “I need a timeout…”

Gojo raised an eyebrow, “What for? I know you still got more in the tank than you’re leading on.”

“…”

“…Yuta.” Gojo crouched down, causing the poor boy to flinch under the intensity of the Six Eyes, even through the sunglasses. “Are you afraid?” He asked, his voice surprisingly gentle.

Yuta recoiled, sputtering a denial. “What!? Afraid? No way! After releasing Rika, I can control her power better!” He stammered.
“I’m not talking about your technique,” Gojo said, lips curling. “I’m talking about your choices.”

Yuta’s breath hitched, his words resonating in the quiet dojo.

“Are you afraid of losing yourself?” Gojo continued, “That if you keep on prioritising choices that disregard your humanity, you can’t come back?”

Gojo’s hand rested on Yuta’s shoulder, a light gesture that was heavy with unspoken weight.

“Do you know what the easiest way to be the strongest is?” He said, voice dropping to a low murmur. “There’s a clear path for that. Forsaken everything. Let your attachments, your sentimental feelings, and all else that isn’t you.”

Gojo squeezed Yuta’s shoulder briefly before retracting his hand. “But,” he said, his voice tuning up a pitch. “Strength isn’t just about raw power. It’s about making the hardest decisions, even when they rip your heart out. To attain that level of strength yet able to cling to your humanity. To me, it is the greatest form of strength. Of course, to each their own. Some people are defined by their power, but others define their strength by clinging onto their humanity.”

“Tell me, which one are you?” Gojo got up, spinning his sunglasses in his hands.

『Ryōiki Tenkai.』:『Shingan Sōai』

The world around them dissolves into a blackened abyss, the land and terrain shifting into a vast rocky expanse littered with thousands of katanas as far as the eyes can see. Among them, several cross-shaped pillars are laid haphazardly, with a binding knot of love encircling the entirety of Yuta's domain as a sea of viscous black originating from where Yuta stood floods the area.

Cursed energy spiked in the arena, causing everyone caught in it to break out in cold sweats. The worst was Twilight, as she frantically looked around at the transforming landscape. To think Yuta would go this far to ensure the vow they made together was completed showed that it was something not to be taken lightly.

Yet she was so quick to accept the pact without revising it with Yuta, and now her friend's about to die because of this misstep.

But there's no use crying over spilt milk. Right now, her biggest concern is...

"Everyone! Get down!!" Twilight commanded, erupting into a shower of magic and erecting shields that surrounded and protected everyone on site. "What is it!?" Twilight thought, scrambling her mind for an answer. "His technique!?" Before that, Twilight turned back to face the draconequus, "Discord! Teleport out away from here while we buy you time!"

Discord lowered his head, his form trembling. Shame and despair clouded his mismatched eyes. "Why are you going through so much trouble to save me? You heard what he said," he mumbled, defeated. "I'm a curse."

A sudden tightening around his torso caused him to glance down at Fluttershy, seemingly revolted from the utterance and correlation of his name and curse labelled together.

"No, you're not!" Fluttershy scolded.

"I am—"

"No, you're not!"

Discord jumped slightly from the outburst. Instinctively, he brought a trembling claw to calm the furiously sobbing mare, wiping away her tears. His voice, though shaky, held a steady strength as he addressed Twilight. "I can't, Twilight, even if I wanted to," he confessed. "He erected a curtain over his domain to prevent only me from leaving the space. If I had to guess, that's probably what my horn was used for. Take Fluttershy and run."

The response was immediate and unified. "We're not leaving you!" both Twilight and Fluttershy yelled, their voices ringing in his ears.

Before Discord could get his response in, a sudden unseen force rammed into him from behind, shoving him forward onto his hands.

"Discord!" Fluttershy called out. Turning to the perpetrator, Yona stood in a ram-ready stance, the life in her eyes seemingly muted.

"Discord not going anywhere," Yona said coldly.

"What in tarnation are you doing!" AJ scolded, surprised. "Yona!?"

Opposing the entire group, Yuta released the hand seals he bore, striking two fingers in a downward motion at Twilight and her friends. "Nue."

A distorted shriek pierced through the air as a shadow from above fell on them. In an instant, the temperature soared. The air crackled with terrifying energy, electrified particles snapping and sparking around them. Even with the protective shields absorbing the brunt of the attack, a jolt of raw power surged through everyone within the barrier as the winged shikigami divebombed them with its electrifying wings.

All except Yona.

Muscles clenched, fur stood on end, and a collective gasp of pain echoed through the group. Despite the searing pain, Twilight gritted her teeth and focused her magic. She had to act fast.

With swift movements, Yuta took a lone katana next to him, ripping it from its place in a hand's breadth deep in the soft earth, and swung it forward.

"Slicing Moon." The blade hums a navy hue.

On command, a crescent moon projectile was launched forward at incredible speeds. Upon contact with the barriers erected by Twilight, the shields protecting them shatter into smithereens. Bits and pieces flew everywhere, accompanied by the intense shockwave that followed soon after. Sending everyone flying back a few meters.

"Is everyone okay!?" Rainbow projected through the dust clouds, and coughs could be heard while others tried to regain their composure.

Twilight was the first to get up, her eyes staring in the direction where Yuta was as her legs began to tremble. "That felt like..." she muttered, fear and dread beginning to consume her. "Luna's magic-!"

Twilight urgently turned to her friend and called out, "Pinkie! Can you hold Yuta off for us!?"

With a look of uncertainty on her face, Pinkie decided to place her trust in Twilight and replied, "Ookie dokie!" She chirped, rushing off towards Yuta. "I'll try my best!"

Bolting forth, Yuta took a katana from the ground and ran straight into Pinkie, swinging it horizontally at the mare. Pinkie’s tail twitched, which she quickly followed up with a slide under the attack, dodging it but giving way for Yuta to continue his dash at the group.

"Hey there, grumpy pants!" Came Pinkie's voice from above. "It's rude leaving a friend hanging!"

Tilting his head up, Yuta spots Pinkie clinging atop his head with a cheeky grin and a pie in hoof. Bringing the baked dish back slightly, the party pony smashed the pastry into Yuta's face. Yuta stumbled back, temporarily blinded by the sugary mess, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

"C'mon, Yuta..." Pinkie's voice, muffled by the pie, reached his ears. "Let's talk this out..."

He reached up, a hand smeared with blue filling, and ripped the pie away. Revealing the Snake Eyes and Fang tattooed on his cheeks.

"Don't Move."

Pinkie froze. A wave of unseen energy washed over her, and her limbs stiffened, turning to lead in her panicked struggle. Stuck there, helpless on Yuta's head, she watched with wide eyes as he lunged for a nearby katana.

The blade flashed in the green light, and then a gust of wind ripped through the arena. Pinkie felt herself catapulted through the air, a scream escaping her lips. She soared upwards, the ground falling away from her as giant ghostly hands clasped the pony in its grasp.

Up in the sky, in a mist of inky black, two white hands and the face of a deceased lover caged Pinkie in tightly. Bringing her hands skyward, Rika brought them down with astonishing force. Cratering the artificial ground below with a rumble and a spiderwebbed around the point of impact, dust swirling into the air.

Just as Yuta turned back towards his original target, a blur of pink streaked across the field. Somehow free of the spectral hands, Pinkie was charging toward him, brandishing a colossal hammer that seemed to defy her small size. The hammer connected with Yuta's chest with a resounding clang, sending him reeling backwards into Rika's spectral form, the impact sending both of them sprawling.

As Pinkie landed a few feet away, panting and covered in dust, she declared with a somewhat serious yet goofy expression on her face. "Looks like we're doing this the hard way!"

Back with Twilight and the others, a commotion erupted. Yona charged forward with the force of a battering ram. Silverstream barely darted before her friend, but Yona's momentum was too strong. Silverstream was dragged along for the ride, her claws digging along the ground with a pained cry. Gallus and Smolder reacted instinctively, tackling Yona from either side. The three used all the might their bodies had to offer to subdue the yak's simmering rage.

"Yona!" Rarity shrieked, fear and concern written all over her face. "What's the meaning of this!?"

Yona remained silent, a storm brewing in her usually calm eyes. She strained against the combined grip of her friends, muscles bulging with suppressed rage as she did her best to shake them off with heavy grunts and huffs.

"Why are you doing this?" Gallus shouted, wrestling to hold her back. His voice strained, desperation creeping into his tone.

Silverstream crawled back upright, clutching her side. Tears trickled down her face as she pleaded, "Yona, answer us! We're your friends!"

"Yona help Yuta exorcise curse." With a rough, mighty shove from her shoulder. Yona shook Gallus and Silverstream off in one swift motion. Smolder was the only one who still clung on. "That's all."

Finally, Yona found her voice. It was a low rumble—unadulterated fierce determination. "Yona help Yuta exorcise curse," she declared, pushing against her friends with a powerful shove. Gallus and Silverstream were sent sprawling onto the ground. Only Smolder managed to hold on.

"That's all," Yona added gruffly, finally shaking Smolder loose. The young dragon stumbled back, bewildered by Yona's sudden outburst. With a persistent snort, Yona charged towards the Discord, surrounded by Twilight and her friends. Yet, her steps were cut short when Gallus, Silverstream, Smolder, and, this time, Ocellus all collectively jumped in to stop her pursuit—using their bodies to absorb the brunt of the blow and slow Yona down.

"Princess!" Ocellus yelled from Yona's front. "Get Discord out of here! We'll buy you some time!"

"Thank you, Ocellus—Argh!!" Twilight's gratitude was abruptly cut short when another bolt of electricity was sent throughout her system. Struggling, Twilight turns to where Yuta is. She saw Pinkie being caught up with Rika, but that's strange. Yuta was right there below them.

So why was there another Yuta right in front of the group?

"Nue." The second Yuta commanded several of the shikigamis circled overhead, diving back down at the crowd. At the same time, the base of their legs felt heavier, and the liquid shadow they were stepping in clung onto them like sentient creatures. Anchoring them to the oppressive domain.

"No!" she thought fiercely, her alicorn magic surging through her veins as she released the shields she erected. "I can't think about that now! I'll have to dispel his domain's sure-hit effect first!"

Clasping her hooves together, a well of magic concentrated at the tip of her horn. With a determined cry, she channelled her power and unleashed it. "Domain Expansion!" Twilight shouted.

A vibrant violet light erupted from the base of her hooves, spreading outward like a ripple in a still pond. It met the rough terrain of Yuta's domain head-on, pushing back against its oppressive force. The two energies clashed, sending shivers through the very ground beneath them. The air crackled with raw magic; the light was so intense it forced everyone to shield their eyes.

“Starlight!” Twilight yelled back over the din. “Barriers! Now!”

Starlight understood immediately. Jumping forth, her horn ignited with a brilliant lilac light as she focused her magic. Developing a shimmering barrier that enveloped the entirety of Twilight and her companions. Rising just in time to meet the onslaught of the electrified shikigamis.

The monstrous birds slammed into the barriers, sparks flew, and the air crackled as the protective shields pulsed with the force of the impact. Starlight remained resolute, maintaining her unwavering focus to keep the shields intact. Electricity arched across the barriers, harmlessly dancing along the surface as a wave of relief washed over the survivors.

“My guaranteed hit effect, she cancelled it with her incomplete domain!” the second Yuta thought, gaze lingering at the Twilight’s hooves. “I knew this wouldn’t be easy. In that case…” He raised his hand, curling his index and pinky fingers while slightly extending his middle and ring fingers. “Great Serpent.”

Suddenly, from where the liquid shadow beneath Twilight laid dormant gave way as several colossal serpentine shikigami burst forth. Their gaping maws threatened to consume Twilight whole. Saliva spilling everywhere.

And that would have been the case had Applejack not shoved Twilight out of the way with her shoulder. The farmgirl took the brunt of the blow, Great Serpent shoving her against the top of the dome of Starlight’s barrier and smashing through it, slithering skyward.

“Applejack!” Twilight shrieked out to her vanishing friend.

It didn’t take long for Cadance to begin firing off volleys of condensed magical projectile at the Great Serpent holding Applejack prisoner in the sky. The enormous snake writhing slightly from the heavy impacts. Shining Armor followed his wife’s lead, dashing to the serpent, and a wave of superheated flames erupted from his horn torches the base of the shadows.

But even as the others rallied, a new threat emerged. From the swirling shadows beneath Starlight, a third Yuta materialised. Without a word, he lunged for Starlight and sucker-punched her in the face, breaking her hold on the barriers. She gasped as the force of the impact connected, the shimmering domes sputtering and dissolving into the air and leaving Twilight and the rest vulnerable once more.

“Gah!” Starlight spat out, stumbling back.

Right as this version of Yuta reared back for another swing to her noggin, a flash of magic intervened. His fist slammed into not Starlight’s face but a gem-like shield spawned from Rarity’s magic. Protecting Starlight as Sunburst blasted a beam directed into Yuta’s side. Striking with a resounding boom and sending him sprawling away.

“Toad.” Came Yuta’s voice from behind them.

Rarity whipped back at the sound, but it was far too late. A long, thick, slimy tongue shot out from the shadows and wrapped around her midsection with a disgusting squelch. Its textured, muscular organ tightened mercilessly, constricting her breath as it began to pull with a mighty yank.

“Let go of me, you hooligan-Ahhh!” Rarity screamed, her voice cut off as she was snatched off the ground and dragged through the air with alarming speed and flung into the cross-shaped pillars several paces away.

“Rarity!” Spike called out, trying to dash over to her. But was stopped by several Toads latching their tongues onto him. “Let me go, you slimy freak!”

“Swarm and overwhelm them. Nue, Toad, Great Serpent.” Another Yuta said, clasping his hands together and causing a giant shadow to rise behind him. Its bipedal werewolf form with black claws and a white fur base towered over him with a snarl. “Divine Dog: Totality.”

Back with Pinkie, she dodges another slash of Yuta’s blade, ducking beneath the attack while flipping through the cracks of Rika’s fingers, swinging her giant hammer, and smashing Rika in the side of her face.

Back with Pinkie, the chaos reigned supreme. Yuta swung his katana with a ferocity that belied his human form. Pinkie, however, dodged another slash of the blade, its edge whistling past her ear. In a move defying gravity, she ducked beneath the attack, flipping through the incorporeal fingers of Rika, who shrieked at the unexpected manoeuvre.

Capitalising on the momentary gap, Pinkie swung her oversized hammer with surprising strength. Connecting the weapon solidly with Rika's translucent form. A surprised gasp escaped the ghostly entity as she was sent reeling back, clutching at the side of her face.

Yuta also stepped back, assessing the situation and slowly circling her, mirroring Rika’s waltz around the party pony.

“Oh!” Pinkie chirped, playfulness peeking through the tension. “Is this a standoff!?”

Something was off, though. From the moment Pinkie’s hammer landed its surprising blow on Rika, Yuta could feel it, too. Yuta opened his mouth, stating. “Cursed energy.”

This caught Pinkie off guard. “What?”

Yuta continued, “And cursed energy manipulation as well as reinforcement. To top it off,” he said, brandishing his katana, edge pointed at Pinkie. “You’re negating my technique. Pinkie, I’ve been wondering this for a while ever since you showed your aptitude for handling curses back when the school was attacked. You’re a sorcerer, aren’t you?”

“I am?” Pinkie raised, her tail twitching erratically as unease shivered down her spine. “Oooh-! The shimmies!”

Yuta raised an eyebrow at this, “If my evaluation is correct,” he began, “her cursed technique is powerful. But it’s likely linked to an emotion judging from our encounter with the school. Before my forearm was badly wounded, her reaction and cursed energy output were relatively high, yet it took a nosedive the moment she laid eyes on my injuries… So, it should be,”

Outstretching a hand, the blade in his hand began to fade into smoke as a shimmering portal boomed open before Pinkie. Acting as a window to show a horrifying still image of a decapitated Rainbow sprawled on the ground. Her azure coat and rainbow tail were unmistakable. Pinkie’s eyes widened when her gaze finally registered what was shown to her, her mane drooping slightly as she inched forward.

“Dashie…?” Pinkie breathed—a universe of emotion held behind a single name.

This lapse in attention proved costly and allowed Rika to sneak up behind Pinkie, backhanding her with a violent swing of her hand. Sending the mare careening back into a cross-shaped pillar with a maniac spin and slamming with an echoing thud.

“Emanation of the phenomena through one’s self-confidence and security. In Pinkie’s case, her friends.” Yuta thought, reaching for another katana just behind his leg to replace the one he had used.

The dust settles, Pinkie’s face a mask of pain etched with a streak of blood laid amidst the rubble. It looks like Yuta’s assessment was correct.

Standing over Pinkie, Yuta stared the party mare down, casting a menacing shadow over her.

“Can you really afford to goof around while Twilight and the rest are fighting for their lives?” Yuta mentioned. Before landing a rapid swing of the blunt edge of the katana to Pinkie’s side. “Unblockable Drumming Beat.”

Pinkie’s eyes widened as the blunt katana connected with her side, saliva spilling from her lips. The force of the blow sent her rag-dolling through the air like a broken toy and slamming into a large interlocking cross-shaped structure further back. An eruption of dust clouds followed a distant boom.

“Keep her busy, Rika,” Yuta said, earning a nod from the lover shikigami as he dove into the swirling shadows of the domain.

Across the battlefield, Starlight has just crushed another Toad under her hoof. She huffed, sweat pooling on her forehead. But she didn’t have time to rest. She dodged another diving Nue with a jump to the side and blasted it to oblivion.

“Why,” Starlight pants, trying to steady herself. “Are there so many of them!? And where are the pillars!?”

“The pillars are still recovering at The Crystal Empire’s General Hospital!” Cadance yelled through the storm.

“Are you serious!?” Starlight screamed, but not before another swarm of toads swarm her legs. “Get off me!”

“Flurry, get behind me,” Cadance said in a protective tone, urging her daughter to move with a gentle push of her leg.

“Why, Mommy? Why are we protecting a curse?” Flurry asks.

This shook Cadance, turning to meet her child’s eyes filled with profound sadness. “…That’s because he’s different, Flurry, and a dear friend of your auntie.”

“But you almost died because of a curse… “ Flurry murmured, “Because of me…”

Cadance knelt beside Flurry, cradling the alicorn filly's face in her hooves. Tears streamed down Flurry's cheeks, blurring the vibrant colours of her eyes. "No, Flurry Heart," Cadance said gently, her voice laced with a love that transcended the din of battle. "It wasn't your fault."

"But it is!" Flurry wailed back, her voice trembling. Tears welled up in her large, innocent eyes, spilling over like raindrops. "If only I had just listened to you, you wouldn't have gotten hurt!"

Cadance opened her mouth to respond, to offer comfort and reassurance, but the words died on her tongue with a chilling whisper that slithered through the air from behind them.

“Sleep.”

Flurry’s head began to droop forward, her eyelids fluttering close with unnatural speed as her body succumbed to the command. Cadance gasped, reaching out to catch Flurry right before she could collide with the rippling shadow below, but even her body felt heavy and fatigued.

A wave of exhaustion washed over her. The constant battling, her injuries, and the cursed speech all conspired to steal her strength away. Yet, she clung on even as her vision swam and the ground threatened to claim her. Not allowing herself to succumb while Flurry was still in danger.

Igniting her horn, Cadance casts a flame spell on herself, sizzling her flesh and singeing her fur to keep herself awake.

“Gah!” She cried, and though painful, it did do the trick.

Yuta walked up behind them, cradling Flurry into his arms as gently as possible.

“Let her go!” Cadance bellowed, crawling on hooves and kicking against the liquid shadow to his legs, her body teetering on the edge of losing consciousness. “Why are you doing this!?”

Yuta remained silent, his expression unreadable. He simply turned, his movements fluid despite the sleeping filly cradled in his arms. With a single purposeful stride, he dipped down into the swirling shadows, leaving Cadance alone with her questions and fading strength.

“Wait! Come back! Please!” Cadance begged, her legs giving out. “Shining!! Flurry’s taken by Yuta!”

This warning pulled Shining away from the army of Toads bearing down on him. He whipped around, his eyes scanning for sights of his daughter. This lapse proved detrimental, as it distracted him long enough for Yuta to sneak up behind him in a swirling mass of shadows and backhand him in the face.

Shining stumbled back and spat off the blood that built up in his mouth. “Where’s Flurry!?”

Yuta swung a katana at him, choosing to ignore his question entirely. Upon contact, a burst of flora and tree roots entangled the stallion. The wooden barks twisting around his torso in a death grip.

As Shining prepares to ignite the tip of his horn in a burst of flames, Yuta cuts him off.

“I’ve seen it before, your magic,” Yuta said, bringing both his hands forward atop one another. “Max Elephant.”

As Shining Armor unleashed a torrent of fire, the world around him seemed to distort. The ground beneath his hooves cracked and rumbled, and from the swirling shadows emerged a colossal creature unlike anything he had ever witnessed. It was a giant elephant, its form sculpted from vibrant pink. Its massive trunk dwarfed Shining’s size, swaying like a deadly pendulum.

Then, with a terrifying roar that shook the very foundations of the domain, the elephant inflated its cheeks. A moment later, a torrent of high-pressurised water erupted from its trunk, a geyser aimed directly at the ball of tree and roots that now encased Shining. Sending the ball of bark, along with Shining, flying back in a tidal assault.

Yuta shot up two fingers to his front. “Divine Dog”

Spawning another Divine Dog, the werewolf shikigami intercepted the flying ball of green and destroyed it in a fell swoop. Its paws acted like a club, separating the tree entangling around Shining and knocking him down onto the ground.

Yuta wasn’t finished yet, as the two fingers he had up were quickly brought down in a decisive motion.

“Nue.”

A dark form descended from the inky blackness from above; Nue, charged with electric energy, divebombed the stallion drenched in water. Its feathery body cackled with power as it released a loud screech.

Drenched from the water attack, Shining convulsed on the ground as the electricity surged through him. His muscles spasmed, a strangled cry escaping his lips. The pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced, a searing agony that threatened to consume him whole. He tried to fight back, to summon his magic once more, but the overwhelming power of the Nue rendered him helpless.

Releasing the shikigami off the stallion, Shining lay motionless on the floor, a pungent odour fuming from his fur.

From Yuta’s blind spot, a beam of brilliant, concentrated azure magic tore through the air at blinding speeds aimed directly at Yuta’s side. Piercing Yuta through the stomach and leaving a gaping hole in his abdomen.

However, the injury wouldn’t last as his body morphs into liquid shadow and splashes into the lake of shadows that served as the domain’s floor.

Starlight clicked her tongue in frustration. "Tsk,"

Suddenly, Starlight felt a chilling sensation wrap around her legs, a cold grip that threatened to pull her under. To which she countered quickly with a quick teleportation spell, reappearing airborne several feet in the air.

However, a familiar screech from because ripped away any sort of relief she had going for her. Immediately, she cast her teleportation once more. Narrowly escaping the electrifying wings of Nue. This time, she found herself back on the surface of the churning shadows, her heart hammering against her ribs.

“Don’t move,” Yuta commanded. In the split second that Starlight was paralysed, he tip pointed a katana's tip directly at her. He spoke again, each word carrying the weight of a death sentence. "Crepuscular Ray.”

Starlight's heart plummeted into her stomach. From the katana's tip, a blinding beam of golden light erupted, aimed directly at her.

Seeing no other way out, Starlight retaliated in kind with a concentrated blast of her own within milliseconds of Yuta firing off his shot.

A beam of concentrated azure energy erupted from her horn. The two beams collided in a spectacular explosion, a loud roar that shook the very foundations of the domain. The force of the impact sent both Starlight and Yuta flying backwards. Yuta, with a pained grunt, was snatched mid-air by the Nue's massive claws, the creature cradling him protectively while its electrifying wings shielded him from further attacks. Starlight, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky.

She skidded across the rippling shadows with a sickening scrape, the dark liquid stinging her wounds. Her vision swam momentarily, the taste of metallic blood filling her mouth. Just as she started to push herself up, a horrifying sight met her eyes.

A monstrous tidal wave of inky shadows, taller than any building in Ponyville, loomed over her. Its churning mass pulsed with unnatural energy. Shadows weaved together in lumps to generate a large, dwarfing mass. Starlight's breath hitched in her throat.

Within the torrent of swirling darkness, grotesque shapes writhed – shikigamis of the Ten Shadows, their eyes unanimously locked onto Starlight. Some Toads even extended their long, grotesque tongues from the wave, their intent clear.

"Oh no..." Starlight muttered before the black tsunami came crashing down on her.

“Let her go!!” Yelled Spike, finally freed from the Toads binding him, diving at Yuta from behind.

Yuta didn’t bother looking at the young dragon. Instead, a Great Serpent came blitzing in from the side to carry Spike off elsewhere. The speed from the shikigami sent gushing winds to blow past Yuta, his hair swaying in the wind.

Yuta sighed, picking up another katana nearby, and walked over to Sunburst, who was busy with two of his clones.

Despair coiled around Twilight Sparkle's throat like a venomous snake. Constricting it and leaving her breathless. She watched, helpless, as the horrifying scene unfolded before her. This was the horrific reality unfolding before her, yet she was powerless to stop it. She’d known the moment she broke the hoof seals that Yuta would strike even harder.

How can this one person manage to fight all of them alone and still be winning? It was the thought running through Twilight’s head.

“He’s a monster,” Twilight murmured.

That said, a wave of self-recrimination washed over her. Every fallen friend, every horrifying shikigami unleashed – it was all piling onto her like the consequence of her actions. Her vision blurred with a well of unshed tears, threatening to spill over.

Her gaze darted towards the remainder of the ones left standing, searching for a glimmer of hope. That's when she spotted Rainbow, an unsettling sight amidst the chaos. Unlike the others, Dash stood beside Twilight, seemingly unfazed by the carnage unfolding around them. But upon closer inspection, Twilight's heart plummeted.

Rainbow's eyes were glazed over, a film of stupor clouding them. Her movements were sluggish, and the vibrant blues and yellows of her coat seemed dulled.

Was she zoned out?

Panic surged through Twilight. Rainbow, one of, if not the fastest, flier in Equestria, stood on the sidelines, seemingly oblivious to the desperate struggle playing out around her.

“Rainbow!!” Twilight's voice cracked, the desperation raw and undeniable. “What are you doing!?”

The pegasus flinched at the sound of her name, her head turning with an unnatural slowness. But even the action seemed to take an immense effort. Rainbow's lips parted, but instead of an answer, a slurred mumble escaped her.

“Help them!” Twilight urged. “We need you!”

But is this what she really wanted? Dash bit her lip, the vestiges of her parents standing beside her.

“Mom, Dad. What do I do?” Rainbow thought, the question whispered in the recesses of her clouded mind. Her wings shivering from the thought. “I want to help Fluttershy, and I-I know I promised to exorcise all the curses in Equestria. But now that Discord’s a curse… I don’t know who to choose.”

Even Twilight’s pleas for help were beginning to get drowned out in the static her mind was producing. Dash clutched the sides of her temple, shutting her eyes and taking a breath. Despite all her worries, troubles, and convictions. It all crumbles before her. Undeciding if she should stand up and fly.

“Yo, Fluttershy!” Dash called out, zipping down to meet with the residential animal caretaker. “It’s been awhile.”
Fluttershy chuckled. “Hey, Rainbow. It has, hasn’t it?” The prismatic Pegasus lands beside her friend, walking in pace with her as a gentle breeze dances around them. “How are you? I hadn’t seen you much around Ponyville after taking over the Wonderbolts.”

Rainbow groans at this, rolling her eyes. “Loads. Of. Paperwork.”

“I’ll take it as it's not as fun as it sounds,” Fluttershy commented.

“Yeah, it’s the worst,” Rainbow adds, staring off into the grassy fields they were passing by. “There’s a wave of new recruits coming in this year, much more talent we have seen in the past few years.”

“Is it now? That’s great news!”

“Yeah, but some of them were… disappointed?”

“Who would be disappointed with joining the Wonderbolts?” Fluttershy asks with a tilt of her head.

"Not that," Rainbow sighed, a pang of disappointment shooting through her. "They were disappointed that they hadn't gotten a chance to see me in action, you know, flying up close and personal. Like the Rainbow Dash, they heard stories about, not some leader buried in paperwork."

Fluttershy's brow furrowed with concern. "Rainbow Dash, you're so much more than what they see in stories or flashy flying manoeuvres.” She paused for a moment, her gaze fixed on a distant cloud formation. “And even if you’d retire as you are now. Many creatures will still remember you as the Greatest Flyer: Rainbow Dash.”

The shy mare took up a jogging pace, taking several strides forward and overtaking Rainbow before spinning around to face her. “As for me,” Fluttershy said with a serene smile, the wind playfully swaying her loose, flamingo mane. “You’re still be remembered as my greatest friend,”

Dash smirked back. “And why are you talking like I’d kick the bucket?”

“I see not even Wonderbolt’s fastest flyer knows when to take it slow.” Fluttershy sighed, smiling.

“Did you pick that up from Discord?” Rainbow inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Fluttershy dare not look at Rainbow in the eyes, instead choosing to avert her gaze elsewhere with a sheepish smile.

“I knew it!” Rainbow declared, galloping up to her.

Rainbow was eerily still, not a single feather or fur on her body moving an inch, her eyes blocked by her colourful mane. Suddenly, her wings began to unfurl, spanning out to fully showcase her large wingspan.

With one mighty flap, Rainbow took to the skies, leaving a trail of rainbow tailing her as her body was a blur of blue against the darkness of Yuta’s domain. She soared higher and higher, the wind whistling through her mane, the ground shrinking into a patchwork quilt of shadows and light.

At the peak of her ascent, she pulled back on the reins, allowing gravity to take hold. Her body plummeted towards the battlefield back first. The wind howled past her ears, time seeming to slow down as she accelerated her speed to the maximum. With a final, explosive burst of speed, the air around her contorts, bending out of the way for a…

Boom!

An explosion of a myriad of colours painted the sky, illuminating the domain with a symphony of light outward in every direction.

Rainbow rocketed through several Nues, disintegrating them in an instant, and zipped through a Great Serpent holding Applejack captive. Piercing through its jaws and carrying AJ down the disappearing body of shikigami. Dropping the saliva-covered earth pony down beside Twilight as she continued her flight, ploughing through several more shikigamis in her path.

Somewhere along the domain, Spike found himself in a losing power struggle. He clawed and bit at the Divine Dog, his body being dwarfed against the monstrous size of the Shikigami. Undeterred, Divine Dog lunged forward, its jaws getting dangerously close to his face.

“Get off me!” Spike yelled.

As though answering his plea, Rainbow collided with Divine Dog. Ramming through the shikigami and freeing Spike from under its claws. Divine Dog’s body splatters into a harmless shadow all over him.

Curling up to the sky and diving down straight into the shadowy waters below, Rainbow emerged moments later with Starlight clutched in her hooves. The saved unicorn coughing up water from her mouth as she gasped for air.

Setting Starlight aside, Rainbow proceeds to tear through most Yuta’s clones surrounding Sunburst with her lingering speed before drifting to a stop beside Spike, Starlight, and Sunburst in a battle-ready stance.

“I’m sorry, Mom, Dad.” Rainbow thought, the clouds in her mind finally dispersing. “I was about to remember you from curses that strike you down. Not the awesome parents that you were. If you were still here with me, you’d both probably grilled me alive on why I’m not helping my friends.” She exhaled, eyes focusing on the remaining Yuta with a katana in hand. “I’m sorry. I won’t ever stain your memory ever again.”

Yuta began to march towards the four, his eyes unreadable. Then, from the heel of his right shoe connecting with the shadowy depths beneath him, a wave rippled outward across the entirety of his domain. The semi-solid ground below everyone in his domain gave way to a liquid mass.

Instantly, those trapped in his domain began to sink below the ground, thrashing within the endless depths of Yuta’s shadow.

Sunburst and Starlight began to drop below ground level, but the quick thinking of Spike and Rainbow catching them before they sank fully saved them from their fate.

“Slicing Sun,” Yuta muttered, swinging the katana forward.

In the next second, a wave of solar magical energy was right in the faces of Spike and Rainbow. Right before contact, Sunburst and Starlight managed to erect protective shields in the nick of time. However, the blowback was still intense, sending the four spiraling backward.

Spike landed on top of Starlight with a hard thud, the impact jarring him to his core. The shadowy liquid beneath them engulfed them both, the cold, viscous substance seeping into their scales, fur, and skin. Already weakened from the previous attacks, Starlight struggled to break free from the suffocating grip of the darkness.

Meanwhile, Sunburst skittered across the shadow’s surface, smoke fuming from his coat while he used magic to encase himself and keep him afloat. To his genuine surprise, his gamble worked somewhat. The shadow beneath his hooves felt much more solid than earlier as his magic kept him upright and above water. He glanced back at his friends, hoping to see them clung on, but their silhouettes faded into the inky blackness causing panic to quickly set in.

“Everyone!” Sunburst announced, “Those that can use magic, focus them to your footing! It’ll keep you afloat!!”

His eagerness was met with immediate action. With swiftness that betrayed the stillness of water, Sunburst felt several hands on his midsection gripping with an intensity to kill. Looking down, multiple Yuta’s peeked through the liquid shadows, some holding onto katanas while other shikigamis were behind them.

The Vice Principal couldn’t even get a scream in as he was dragged below the depths against his will. The only thing remaining were the bubbles floating to the top of where he once stood.

Rainbow came barrelling in, her back leg extended into a sharp focus, and pointed aim squarely at the lone Yuta standing amidst the carnage.

Clap!

The sound of a distinguished clap echoed through the air, and in the next instance, Rainbow found herself right above the ground. The speed that she was traveling betrayed her as she impacted the ground hard. Her body skipped across the shadowy surface like a stone skimming through a lake.

Rainbow expanded her wings, trying to leverage off the waters and the air to better stabilise herself. But the sudden sound of a booming portal from behind her caught her off guard.

Whipping back, Rainbow’s eyes could only register the cold-hard steel directly in front of her face before said steel combusts into a torrent of flames. The fires singed her fur and blacked her mane and coat, the intense heat even blistering her skin as she was sent careening back once more.

Yuta picked up another katana next to him, but he stopped himself. Looking at the blade, he stretched out his hand and dropped it into the inky abyss below him, tip first. As the blade sank below the waters, Yuta summoned Nues, Divine Dogs, Great Serpents, and more clones of himself to surround the beaten-down Rainbow.

A second later, the blade that Yuta previously dropped shot up next to Twilight, its tip pointing skyward. Twilight’s eyes followed the raising katana, stunned at the sudden appearance of the weapon. Her confusion was quickly answered when Yuta rose out of the shadows, grabbed the handle from the air, and swung at ferociously Twilight, the cold steel radiating an evil heat.

The attack would have connected had Applejack not dropkicked Yuta in the side, causing him to misfire a flaming slash at Twilight’s side, the heat singing her cheek and melting the ground, igniting embers glowing in the crevice of the slash.

“AJ!” Twilight worriedly called out to her.

“Don’t mind me!” Applejack huffed, covered in bruises and cuts. Despite that, she gave a reassuring smirk, spitting out the blood accumulated in her mouth. “Just focus on yer magic!”

The brawl had only just begun, but Fluttershy couldn’t bring herself to watch her friends fighting amongst one another. Or rather, she wouldn’t. Instead, her entire focus was on…

“Discord…” Fluttershy whimpered, “Why didn’t you tell me you were a curse? Was all of this a lie?”

“…No.” Discord coldly replied, slow and deliberate.

“Then what is real?!” Fluttershy demanded, her voice raising a pitch. “Was all the time we shared meaningless!? Were the promises you made to me all fake!? Was all this just so you could cause more chaos!? Why won’t you confide in me!?! Am I —” Fluttershy choked a sob, tears streaking down her face and staining her cheeks. “Am I just some other plaything to you?”

“No, Fluttershy!” Discord scolded, “You’re not!”
“Then what am I to you!?” Fluttershy yelled back, her anger reaching a boiling point. “Why won’t you trust me?! Answer me!!”

“I—” Discord stumbled, trying to find the words to properly convey what he wants to say. What he wished to say. But it’s all for nought, as the words died in his throat. He sighed, deciding to lead with his emotions. The bottled-up feelings of nearly 1000 years finally spilling out. “I was afraid. Fluttershy.” He admitted.

“When I was first born a cursed womb, I first gained consciousness. I was by my lonesome. I was afraid. It was in my nature to cause mass amounts of chaos wherever I went, but repeating the same actions infinitely also gets to the psyche. I tried to find peace, to understand why I existed, but the answers were elusive. That’s when a creeping realisation dawned on me.”

“I realised I was truly alone,” Discord said, his voice empty. “I tried to mask this feeling by causing more chaos across Equestria. It worked, for a time. And I thought that would be the case ‘til the end of my days.” Discord turned his gaze to match Fluttershy’s, their eyes interlocking. “That’s when I met you.”

“I was adamant about the change you showed me, but with your patience, the walls around my soul began to crack. I fell for you. And I fell hard.”

“You showed me love. You showed me that despite being a curse, somepony still could love something like me. ” Discord smiled, “You saved me, Fluttershy.”

“Then… why?” Fluttershy asked. “You could’ve opened up to me.”

“I was afraid,” Discord answered. “I was afraid of cursing you, Fluttershy. I knew that my origins as a curse would catch up to me eventually ever since the appearances of curses around Equestria in recent months.” Discord turns to face the sorcerer battling the princess, his body slumped in defeat. “Then came Yuta.”

“I thought if I could disappear quietly,” Discord continued, the back of his throat carrying a lead weight. “you could have lived the rest of your life in peace. Undisturbed. Because I knew, had I cursed you back then, I wouldn’t be able to love you anymore.”

Discord turns away, closing his eyes as a tear streaks down his face. “I’m sorry for hiding this away from you. I’m a coward.”

“…Discord,” Fluttershy spoke, a gentle tone Discord was all too familiar with. With a hoof, she brought Discord’s face to look at her. Slowly, Discord opened his eyes, meeting the gentle gaze of the mare he loved. “I can’t love you any more… than I do now. So, curse me. Curse me as much as you’d like.”

The draconequus hitched a breath, his warm tears flowing freely as he gripped onto Fluttershy tightly.
“I-I love you, Fluttershy!” Discord admitted, his form trembling as his words ties a curse to cull her. “I don’t want to disappear! I-I want to stay with you ‘til the end of your days! I don’t want to leave you! I want to spend every Tuesday drinking tea like we have always been! I want to bring you to various places, forge memories, and laugh together! I want to share my life with you! ”

“Me too,” Fluttershy smiled, feeling a weight lifting from her heart. “I want to grow old with you, spend my time with you, and love you. Let’s go home, Discord.”

Their intimate moment would soon end, as Yona came charging in from the side. Fluttershy’s eyes widen, Discord pulling her in close and preparing to snap his fingers at Yona. But a brilliant blue crystal shield manifested in front of the two, protecting them from Yona’s charging body.

From her peripheral vision, Fluttershy caught glimpses of Smolder, Ocellus, Gallus, and Sliverstream busy with a swarm of shikigamis all around them, some even dragging Silverstream and Ocellus underwater.

“That’s quite enough, Yona.” Came a voice from behind.

Whipping her head back, Rarity stood with a limp, her body littered with bruises. Despite that, her horn shined brightly, conjuring the shield that had protected the two from Yona.

“Get away, Rarity,” Yona growled, her voice seething.

“No, can’t do, darling.” Rarity replied with a brighter shine of her horn.

The shield reacted to the fluctuation, the protective wall pushing the yak back slightly. Yona dug her hooves deeper into the ground, leaning her entire weight on the shield and forcing herself to advance.

“Yona!” Fluttershy’s voice pierced the tension as she leaned forward through Discord’s embrace. “Stop this! We can talk this out!”

“Shut up!” The yak roared, pushing against the shield. “Curse! Exorcise!”

“Is this because of Sandbar?”
The mention of Sandbar’s name seemed to have strike a cord within Yona, the force she was outputting suddenly spiking. She managed three steps forward, her eyes turning white.

“Don’t say his name!”

“I sympathise with you, but you can’t exorcise Discord for this! It isn’t his fault!”
“It is!!” Yona bellowed, taking a step forward. The shield cracks under the pressure. Discord brought his claws up, but Fluttershy held onto his arm.

“I understand how you feel, Discord is my everything. Losing him—”

“Sandbar was my everything!! Until curses like him took Sandbar away from me! Why can ponies like Sandbar die but curses like Discord live!?”

That seemed to shut Fluttershy up, unable to give a proper answer to Yona. Luckily for her, she didn’t have to, as in that moment of vulnerability, a wave of thunder surged through the domain. Flowing through every one of them. All except Yona.

This break in concentration caused Rarity’s shield to weaken to the point where Yona pierced through the shield with relative ease. Continuing her charge at Discord. With a saddened look in his eyes, Discord snapped his fingers through the surge of electricity coursing through his body, teleporting Yona out of Yuta’s domain.

Through the intense pain, Fluttershy looked over to where Yuta was. To her horror, Twilight was grovelled on the floor, purple electric currents running through her and frying her alive as she had broken her hoof seals. A trickle of blood ran down her nostrils, her eyes drooping slightly.

She was well past her limit.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Twilight gritted her teeth, pressing her face agonizingly close to the nebulous shadow, her inner scream tearing through her mindscape. "I can’t let it end like this!"

With desperation pounding in her chest, Twilight scanned her surroundings with fervour, every fibre of her being straining to latch onto any fragment of information, any sliver of hope. Her mind whirled chaotically, a relentless storm of thoughts until... a spark. A daring, razor-edge plan crystallised before her. "This is it," she realised with a surge of adrenaline. "It's do or die!"

Surging what remaining magic she had left, Twilight channelled it into a massive explosion. The blinding white light engulfed the entire domain, pushing back Yuta’s shadows for a second while blasting Yuta and sending him flying back.

Slamming against a cross pillar, Yuta steadied himself, reaching for a nearby katana, but an explosion of confetti and party streamers through the pillar sent him barrelling forward.

“You meanie!” Pinkie shouted at Yuta; a hoof wrapped around her party canon. “Why would you try to trick me like that!?”

Twisting mid-air, Yuta scanned his surroundings, trying his best to find Rika. But a blur of blue ramming straight into his side caused him to reconsider his priorities. Landing with a hard thud on the floor, the sorcerer tried to reposition himself by fading into the shadows. But a hard, bright light shining from above dissipated the flowing darkness swirling below.

“This cursed energy…” Yuta thought, turning to the perpetrator. Discord looked at him with a serious gaze, his eyes still red with tears as sweat dripped down his chin. “You.”

Yuta didn’t have time to think as AJ came in with a left roundhouse kick to his side. Yuta checked it with his knee, as he swiftly ducked under to dodge Rainbow’s own roundhouse kick from above.

Kicking AJ and Dash off himself, Yuta lunged for a nearby katana.

“Nu-uh!!” Pinkie cuts, smashing a cake into Yuta from above and shutting down his efforts. “I don’t think so!”

Right as Rainbow and AJ dashed in to deliver their own blows, Rika intervened with two slams of her mighty fists. Cratering the ground and sending fissures all around them. Pulling her arm back, she tried to throw a fist at Rainbow, but a torrent of blue flames pushed her back.

Shining took a step forward, his horn glowing in tandem with Sunburst as they worked together to restrain the hulking shikigami. Smolder and Spike flew through the fire, landing cheeky blows at Rika’s head before disappearing back into the flames. As that was happening, Gallus back-kicked, and Silverstream drove her leg into Rika’s rear. Not giving her a second to breathe, Sunburst flared his magic to bind Rika to the ground. Giving access to the others to jump in and land their attacks, combining their efforts to distract Rika while Rainbow, Pinkie, and AJ take care of Yuta.

“How are they suddenly this coordinated?” Yuta thought, wiping the cream off his face.

From below, a Great Serpent shot up and chomped down hard on the sorcerer. The serpent slithered skyward, its body twisting in the air before spinning back to the ground and plummeting at full speed.

“What?” This caught Yuta off guard for a second, before he realised who it was. “Ocellus!”

But it was too late, as they impacted the ground, Ocellus’s death grip on Yuta never wavering.

“Now!” Twilight yelled the signal.

In the next instance, Cadance flared her magic, teleporting AJ, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Rarity towards Twilight.

Fluttershy stepped forward, standing tall enough to cast a shadow over Discord. She turned over to Discord, remembering that he mentioned how she had saved him from his loneliness.

“Don’t worry, Discord.” Fluttershy reassured, “I’ll do it again, again and again. As many times as it takes.” She said as Cadance’s magic wisped her away.

Popping up next to Twilight, they exchanged looks and nods. Focusing on their magic, they began to float into the air, their hearts, emotions, and souls intertwining. This buildup of intense magic didn’t escape Yuta's attention.

Turning to the group, their bodies began to glow brighter and brighter and so did their magic. Yuta didn’t know what was going on, but he wasn’t willing to wait around and find out. Lifting up his hands into a seal, he commanded the sure hit of his domain to activate on the group.

But it never came.

That’s when he felt it, through the intense magic buildup in front of him, there was the feeling of another spike of magic to the side of his domain. Turning to the source, Yuta’s eyes widened in shock as Starlight grinned at him, the base of her hooves emitting a brilliant azure glow as her horn crackled with power.

“I’m still not quite good at this. But this is how you did it, right Twilight?” Starlight smirk grew wider at Yuta’s dismay. Clasping her forehooves together, Starlight’s nose began to bleed. “Domain Expansion!”

Yuta grits his teeth in frustration. “Was that explosion of magic both an attack and a means of transmitting information to the rest of the group telepathically!?”

His domain’s effects were basically rendered useless by Discord’s intervention, Rika was still held up by Shining and the rest of the group, his domain’s sure hit was being preoccupied by Starlight, and there were no katanas near him that he could grab in time before Twilight and her friends fired off this concentrated magic beam at him.

He never thought he’d get backed into a corner like this.

Yuta tried to dash over to Starlight, but it was too late.

The buildup of magic between Twilight and the rest was at an all-time high, their eyes glowing with power. With a final push, they released their combined magic at Yuta, the power erupting from their bodies. A rainbow light tore through where he stood, the ground evaporating from the power as the temperature in the air skyrocketed.

The attack shook the entirety of the domain, rumbling the earth and tearing a small hole in the outside world with it. It was devastating; every shikigami of the Ten Shadows got obliterated by the blinding light in an instant, and even the liquid shadows that had imprisoned them evaporated, leaving behind a barren wasteland and blowing Shining, Gallus, Silverstream, and the rest of the group away, sending all of them flying.

…

After releasing all they had left, they were exhausted but triumphant. They descended to the ground, their bodies trembling with exertion.

“Did we get him?” Rainbow asked, unable to lift her head.

“Ah… t-think so,” AJ replied.

“My legs, ow!" Pinkie chirped, the pain shooting through her body. "Hurts…”

“My entire body hurts!!” Rarity added body slumped across the floor.

“Twilight, you okay?” Fluttershy asked, turning over to the princess. Twilight didn’t reply, rather, she stared wide-eyed at the smoking clouds in the distance. “Twilight?”

Her lips began to tremble, this wasn’t good. Fluttershy turned to the same direction Twilight was looking, trying to discern what she was so terrified of. Deep down, she knew in the crevices of her mind what she was looking at, but Fluttershy dared not entertain that thought.

Establishing that, it’s still impossible to deny what was in front of her. A silhouette of a man began to solidify among the dust clouds, walking calmly out of the debris-filled smoke and into the open, in his hand, a dissipating katana.

Twilight couldn't believe Yuta walked out unscathed, not even a single scratch on his somewhat pristine jacket. Upon closer inspection, the smoke around him seemed to move out of the path he was taking. Almost outlining an invisible dome around him that made him untouchable. Or rather, unreachable.

“You’re kidding me…” Rainbow said, forcing herself up, only to collapse back onto the ground jaw first. "Ack-!"

“H-how?” Twilight asked, “I made sure to corner you to an area of your domain where there were few swords lying around.”

“…Back then, when I attacked you.” Yuta continued his walk over to the group, pulling a stray katana lying near him free from the ground. “I swapped out the katana I dropped earlier with another and stored it within my shadow. Just in case there was a situation I couldn’t get myself out of.”

Twilight, AJ, and Fluttershy tried to push themselves off the ground, but their legs trembled before giving out underneath their weight.

"I can't move!" Rarity cried, her body too fatigued to carry out any further action.

“It’s over,” Yuta sighed, “Starlight and the rest are at their limit.” Right as Yuta mentioned them, Rika floated over to him from behind, a content smile plastered on her face as her behemoth size cast a menacing shadow over the six. “There’s no one left to stand up against me.”

There were no lies in Yuta’s words; Starlight lay crumpled on the ground, her nose bleeding excessively. Seemingly blacked out. Shining, Cadance, the students, Spike, and Sunburst lay scattered across Yuta’s domain in cratered earth, all battered with bruises and blood stains.

“Please... Y-Yuta,” Fluttershy begged, her voice cracking as she crawled to Yuta’s shoes; it was brutally slow, her body dragging against the dirt as tears swelled up once again in her eyes. Through the trudging motion, Fluttershy's pitiful form seemed to shrink the more she dragged herself over to Yuta.

"Fluttershy-!" AJ called out, craning her neck over to her. "Get back!"

"Don't go!" Pinkie joined in.

Fluttershy ignored the cries of her friends, eventually making it to Yuta's shoes, hugging her forelegs around his ankles. “E-enter a pact with me..." She proposed, "Cancelled the pact you had with Twilight...In exchange for my body…" Fluttershy tightens her grip. "Please.”

…

Fluttershy’s sobs were silenced the moment she felt a paw patting her head. Familiar, was what ran through her mind. Looking up, Discord smiled at her like it was any other day; she could have sworn it felt like the sun's warmth was kissing her.

“It’s alright,” Discord reassures calmly, petting her head. “This time, my dear. I’ll save you.”

“D-Discord?” Fluttershy perked, but before she could question what he meant by that, she saw the shadow of his hand hovering over her, its index and thumb pressed together in a tight squeeze. "W-wait!"

Snap!

In a blink, the entire group that was trapped in Yuta’s domain was teleported out into Ponyville. The lively feel, though negative, was abruptly shut off. There was no one occupying the space, except for Yuta and Discord. The draconequus got back onto his feet, dusting himself off, a content smile on his face in spite of the tears swelling in his eyes. The vastness of Yuta's domain began to sink in, cursed energy surging as the shadows beneath his feet flooded outward.

“So, you did fight back in the end,” Yuta noted, standing peacefully next to Discord. “Did they manage to convince you that you had a chance against me?”

“Nah,” Discord denied, waving him off with a hand. “I just wanted to spend more time with Fluttershy before I leave.”

“That’s quite selfish of you,” Yuta added, gazing off into the distance. Switching to meet Rika's sight. "Not that I could judge."

“Well, I am a curse, after all,” Discord remarked.

…

“I’ll make this quick," Yuta rolled his shoulder, walked up to him, and rested a hand on the bridge of his snout. "Any last words?”

Discord won’t deny it, after all the fighting, this final, gentle act of kindness for a curse feels foreign to him. Not that he isn’t okay with it. He smiles, closing his eyes. Imagining the fondness of his wife's touch on his cheek.

“Nope,” He chirped. “I said my fair deal of curses.”

Yuta nodded, pumping Positive Energy into Discord’s face. His head began to disintegrate, his upper half imploding within seconds of Yuta delivering it to his noggin as his body collapsed lifelessly onto the ground, his limbs beginning to ash away. And yet, in the midst of his demise, he felt a sense of tranquillity and peace wash over him.

Yuta pulled back his hand and placed it on his chest. He stood there for a moment, staring at Discord’s fading body and ensuring that it was fully gone before reaching a hand into his jacket, fishing out a scale similar to that on Discord’s body and placing it on the ground.

“I’m sorry,” Yuta murmured.

Turning around, he reached out a hand a boomed a portal open, walking through it with an unreadable look on his face as Rika followed close behind. With a final look back at the scale, Yuta and Rika disappeared into the portal. His domain's barrier collapsed and interior crumbled, allowing a daunting beacon of moonlight from the real world to shine down on Discord’s scale through the holes in the cloud and against the sweeping fields of grass. The winds crying out into the night, the curse of love and chaos vanishing from this world.

Several weeks after – Kenya – Earth.

“No way!” Gojo laughed, “So what happened to the kid princess pony you kidnapped?”

“I think Discord teleported her away from my shadows along with everyone else. I couldn’t feel her weight anymore after his snap.” Yuta replied, the both of them walking through a shady street.

“And what about the scale you left on the ground?” Gojo asked.

“It was a replica I made using Zenin-san’s construction cursed technique. As much as they probably hate me, I wanted to give them something to remember him by, since he was well-loved by all of them… Gojo-sensei, was what I did right?”

“Well,” Gojo placed his arms into his pockets. “They messed up by not being able to distinguish curses from normal creatures in their world. And to answer your question, there isn’t right or wrong in our line of work, Yuta.” Gojo explained, “If I was in your position, I would’ve done the same.”

Gojo crossed his arms, pulling his lips back in annoyance. “Honestly, you should’ve copied Discord’s and the pink pony’s cursed technique. What a waste!”

“Her name is Pinkie Pie.” Yuta corrected.

“Yeah, yeah. The flamingo one.” Gojo pointed with a finger gun, “Speaking of this pony-talk, did I mention several years back, I had to go over to America to exorcise a similar Pony Curse from this world you mentioned? Can you believe it was a Special Grade!? I was busting my ass laughing at the Higher-ups when they came to me about this!”

“… You’re not even trying, are you, Gojo-sensei?” Choosing to steer this conversation somewhere else, Yuta dug out the two Sukuna fingers and presented them to white hair sorcerer. “By the way, here are the Sukuna fingers.”

“Ah, thank you, Yuta.” Gojo thanked, taking just one of the two fingers.

“Why did you only take one?”

“I think you should keep one, just in case.”

“Just in case?” Yuta inquired, tucking the finger back into his jacket.

“I’ve got a bad feeling.” Gojo’s expression suddenly turned cold. “If anything happens to me, I need you to take care of the current first- and second-year students, Yuta… Hakari should be fine.”

“If anything happens?” Yuta repeated, “Like you getting a girlfriend?”

“You’re a comedian now, huh?” Yuta couldn’t see it, but Gojo was side-eyeing him through his blindfold.

“Well, I can’t imagine what would happen to you.”

“I’m especially concerned about the first-year Itadori Yuji. Just like you, he was up for secret execution. If you could keep an eye out, I’d appreciate it. Oh, and where’s Miguel?”

Yuta clutched the strap of his sling-on, smiling. “He doesn’t want to see you.”

“…Well, whatever.” Gojo shrugged. “How about bringing me around for some sightseeing?” He suggested, leading the way. “I gotta bring back some souvenirs for the Tokyo and Kyoto first-years for this year’s Kyoto Goodwill Event!”

“Um… sure,” Yuta said, looking up to the skies, finding himself lost in thought.

“Yuta?” Gojo called back, snapping him out of his stupor. “You coming?”

“Y-yes!” Yuta hurried along, walking next to Gojo at a steady pace.

~END~

Author's Note

Thank you for reading and sticking through all the way! I hope you enjoyed Yuta wandering around in Equestria. I'm eternally grateful for all the love and support you've given me!!

If you have any questions you wanna ask me regarding this story or anything else please feel free to ask, I’ll do my best to reply!