Harmony and curse

Elsewhere

Minutes before the explosion

Everfree Forest, Zecora's house

Unlike most ponies who were sleeping and enjoying their nightly rest, Zecora's house was as lively as if it were dawn. Different flashes of light could be seen, and sounds of bubbling liquid filled the air.

"Mmm, vanilla essence," said a small pony with a list in her hooves.

"Done!" Another pony grabbed a glass jar from a nearby shelf and let the liquid fall into the bubbling pot.

The first pony squinted to focus on each ingredient on the list.

“Ebony seeds.”

“Got them,” the second pony took the seeds from a wooden basket on a table and tossed them deftly into the pot.

The first pony raised an eyebrow as she read the last ingredient, “And, uh, dark tree roots?”

"On it!" the second pony enthusiastically galloped off in search of the roots, leaving a cloud of dust behind her.

The pony, with a slight cough, shook her hoof to disperse the dust, and her gaze turned to the zebra beside her. "Uh, Zecora, are you sure this is the right list? I don’t think roots are... ideal for a perfume," said the little pony hesitantly.

All this fuss was due to two fillies who were currently adding ingredients to a small pot bubbling and glowing with magic.

“Trust me, young ones; this potion will give you what you’ve wished upon,” said Zecora in her typical rhyming manner.

Zecora, the only zebra resident in Equestria and known by many as the Everfree Forest witch, one of the wisest mares you could ever meet, was currently helping the fillies make a little gift.

Apple Bloom, who held the list in her hoof, turned completely to look at Zecora. “I trust you, Zecora. It’s just… this is really important, and…” the filly yawned, “I don’t want it to go wrong,” she said, her eyes half-closed.

"Yes! We've spent so many hours gathering all these ingredients. It has to be the best perfume ever!" Scootaloo shouted with excitement as she threw the roots into the pot.

The two fillies were none other than Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The reason they were at Zecora’s house was that they wanted to give the best perfume possible to their mutual friend, Sweetie Belle, the third member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

“Sweetie Belle’s birthday is coming up, and we want to give her the best gift—a perfume with a smell that never ends!” Scootaloo jumped, fluttering her small wings with joy.

Zecora approached the fillies with a slight laugh. “I’m glad to see you’re so dedicated,” she said, patting both fillies on the head, “but you shouldn’t tire yourselves instead. The night is now quite cold, so let’s continue tomorrow as was foretold.” With a strong breath, she blew out the flame beneath the pot.

The perfume they were working on wasn’t meant to have a permanent smell, as that would be too difficult and could also be uncomfortable in certain situations. But Zecora could help make the perfume last longer and have a more sublime, prominent fragrance.

Zecora had allowed the fillies to come to her hut to prepare their gift. Knowing this would be a time-consuming task, she let them sleep in her home. But she hadn’t expected them to have the energy to stay awake so late… Well, she had expected it, but her heart couldn’t stop them from working so hard for their friend.

Scootaloo objected a little. “B-but we still have to filter the liquid and bottle it! Besides, we’re not tired at all, right, Apple Bloom?” The filly looked at her friend for support.

ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz “No, sister, the pie’s better with jam… grape jam…”

Apple Bloom had already fallen asleep while sitting up. Zecora approached the filly and placed her on her back. Slowly, she approached the sleeping bags they had brought with them, gently lowered her into the bag, and tucked her in.

“Agh, Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo complained like a little child. “Well, I’m not tired at all!” She crossed her hooves with a pout.

"Scootaloo, you are tired; I can see it in your face, so why not rest in this warm place?".

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” she said with a big yawn, “...at all.”

Zecora raised an eyebrow and gave her a mischievous smile without saying a word.

Scootaloo let out a long sigh. “Okay, okay, maybe I am a little tired.” She rubbed her eyes with her hooves and trotted to her sleeping bag. As she lay down, she curled up with a satisfied smile, finally able to relax after hours of work.

The zebra sorceress smiled maternally and tucked the filly in. “Rest now, little filly, may your dreams be sweet and silly.”

“Thanks, Ms. Zecora… tomorrow… we’ll finish for sure,” Scootaloo finally let herself drift off into the world of dreams.

Having finally managed to get the fillies to bed, Zecora allowed herself to sigh in relief. Like the fillies, staying up so late had exhausted her quite a bit, and it was time to get some well-deserved rest as well. With a slow trot, she approached her water jug and poured herself a glass.

With a small sip, the zebra let out a sound of satisfaction, feeling her throat soothed and her body hydrated. Pleased, she contemplated the tranquility that had filled the cabin until her gaze fell on the little fillies sleeping peacefully.

When was the last time she had company in her home? Of course, there was always some pony coming to her cabin seeking advice or help with some problem, and often those visitors were the Elements of Harmony. But she never had any pony spend the whole night in her home; it felt like she was in her true home.

Memories flooded back to Zecora—memories of a time that brought her both happiness and sadness, the moments she enjoyed with her family in the Zebrican kingdom. It was a fulfilling, calm life where she had everything she needed to learn and do much more than any other zebra had done in a long time. That was how she became who she was today.

"YOU HAVE JUST BETRAYED YOUR OWN KIND!"
"You don’t deserve to be a zebra, much less to live among your own."
"How could you do this to your family? To… your mother!"
"Goodbye, little one. Remember that your father will always be watching over you. Never change."

Zecora had long since overcome these memories, but that didn’t mean they weren’t still painful. The reason she had to leave her kingdom and sever ties with her own kind was not a subject she was willing to discuss with anyone.

The past is the past, and now she was very happy with where she was.

Zecora was about to take a final sip of water, but just as the glass was about to touch her lips…

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, her rest could not come due to the shockwave that spread throughout Everfree and beyond.

Zecora's eyes widened in shock, and the glass slipped from her hoof, spilling its contents on the floor and causing a terrible noise of shattering glass.

"Huh? What was that?" Both fillies woke up, looking around.

"Zecora, are you okay?" Apple Bloom rubbed her eyes and yawned. "What time is it? I feel like I haven’t slept at all."

“Me too,” Scootaloo muttered grumpily. “What’s going on?”

Fortunately, the fillies hadn’t felt the shockwave as intensely as older ponies. Being so young, their connection to magic and sensory perception of it was weaker than usual.

Zecora said nothing, staying still with her pupils reduced to pinpoints, a clear sweat falling down her face. “…”

“Zecora?” The two fillies approached the zebra, puzzled by the strange expression she had.

"Zecora," Scootaloo tapped her lightly on the hoof, but there was no reaction.

“Zecora, you’re scaring me,” Apple Bloom said with fear and worry. She pinned her ears back and moved closer to Scootaloo for comfort.

Noticing her friend’s fear, Scootaloo shouted at the zebra to wake her up, “ZECORA!”

The sorceress zebra returned to reality. “I… I…” she stammered, trying to gather her thoughts.

Zecora knew this was not a good omen; she had to think quickly about what to do. Should she take the girls to the village immediately? No, she couldn’t risk putting the fillies in danger in the Everfree Forest. She didn’t know what had caused that energy, but she knew it was negative, and it was too dark to go out with young ones—creatures would be lurking. Although her hut wasn’t deep in the forest, she still wouldn’t take the risk.

Leaving the little ones here and going for help? Not a chance! Although she could handle the creatures of the forest alone, leaving the girls waiting in the hut, unprotected for who knows how long, would be even more dangerous than her previous idea. Her only option was to wait. If that energy had been so intense, it was sure the town had felt it too, and Applejack would know about it as well. It was only a matter of time before she’d come with help, or, knowing her, gallop straight to save her little sister. With a plan in her mind, she relaxed a bit, trying to soothe the girls.

"Calm down, little ones, I’m sorry for scaring you. It’s just that something deep in Everfree is brewing anew.”

“W-what do you mean?” Scootaloo asked, trembling.

Applebloom shuddered and hugged Scootaloo, looking at Zecora with fear. “Is it something dangerous?”

“Unfortunately, yes. I said you should sleep, but now you must stay awake in case we need to leap.” Zecora knelt and hugged them protectively. “Little fillies, don’t be afraid; I’ll protect you here, so stay unfrayed.”

Despite trusting the words of the wise zebra, both fillies exchanged a glance and swallowed hard. It wasn’t common to see Zecora so worried. Sleep was no longer an issue now.

Shibuya 12:10 AM

Ten minutes before the events with the zebras and the battle between the king of curses and the special-grade curse, Jogo, we’re taken to another battlefield, far from a fight of nobodies.

Inside a construction building, hundreds of blows resounded, concrete shattered, mixed with the awful sound of flesh meeting flesh.

CLANK

In a blur of speed, a figure smashed into a pile of metal pipes on the second floor, sending them crashing to the ground with a deafening echo and a cloud of dust. Above the dust cloud, another figure jumped high, raising his leg to deliver a powerful axe kick.

This was Toji Fushiguro, the sorcerer killer. Though he had died years ago, a ritual had returned his body to the world of the living. Originally, only the body was meant to be summoned for use in the war, but they hadn’t counted on Toji’s unique trait: his heavenly restriction, which replaced all cursed energy with a divine body.

Due to his absence of cursed energy, the sorcerer killer had prevailed over the ritual domain that had summoned him, yet, being a soulless body, he’d become a killing machine governed solely by instinct.

BOOM

The kick landed, fracturing the floor and shaking the entire area.

Before the kick reached its target, the other figure dodged, jumping through unsealed gaps in the concrete, escaping the building. This person was battered, breathing heavily. "Damn it… how do I get out of—?" The sorcerer killer appeared behind him, having smashed through a wall. In his hand was a sharpened red metal bar, just a hair’s breadth from piercing the person’s throat. “Nue!” Clasping his hands in a wing-like shape, a giant owl-like creature with a mask emerged from his shadow.

With its claws, it swiftly grabbed the sorcerer’s clothes and flew away from his opponent.

"Argh, I don’t know how much longer I can hold out…”

The sorcerer thought he could finally catch his breath in the air, if only for a second. But that hope faded as he sensed an intense cursed energy surge in the subway area. It was a familiar energy.

"Was that…a Sukuna finger?!” He remembered the path his friend and companion had taken to reach Gojo; it was in the same direction. “Itadori…he must be in trouble! Did they capture him? Has Sukuna taken control?” The sorcerer growled in frustration. “WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING IN SHIBUYA?”

His distraction proved fatal when a car flew straight at him.

Nue skillfully released the sorcerer just in time, so the car only struck the bird. But with no further cushioning, he crashed into a lamppost before hitting the ground.

“Get up, Megumi!” the sorcerer groaned in pain, struggling to rise.

This second person was none other than Megumi Fushiguro, the first-grade shadow sorcerer and son of Toji Fushiguro. However, the sorcerer killer couldn’t recognize his own son, driven entirely by his hunting instinct. Likewise, Megumi had never known his father, so he didn’t recognize him either; it was a true tragedy.

The shadow sorcerer was in a critical state, his cursed energy draining quickly; he could only manage a few more summons at most.

Megumi kneeled, blood trickling down his forehead. His hair stood on end as he sensed a breeze coming from in front of him. Instinctively, he formed a new hand sign resembling a toad, which materialized in front of him, just in time to cushion a powerful punch aimed at his stomach by Toji, who closed the distance with explosive speed.

“Ugh!” The sorcerer swallowed the bile rising in his throat as his body was sent flying back into an alley. Unfortunately, the giant toad hadn’t been enough to completely absorb the blow.

"I need to distract him." For the second time in the fight, he formed a rabbit-like hand sign, conjuring a large cloud of rabbits to cushion his fall. Once on the ground, the swarm of rabbits surrounded the killer.

Just like the first time he used them, the swarm lasted only a second before Toji dispersed them with a powerful stomp, creating a shockwave that destroyed all the rabbits.

Again, he charged at the sorcerer. Time slowed down as the metal bar neared Megumi’s head. The sorcerer's pupils shrank as the metallic edge approached. I’ll have to use it. I have no choice. If I don’t, I’ll die in vain! Panic overtook him as he slowly raised his fists, releasing a massive amount of cursed energy.

"Swing and vibr—"

THUD

Like an angel descending from the sky, a new person arrived to his rescue, delivering a powerful, well-aimed kick to the enemy’s face from the left. Although he blocked with his forearm, it was enough to send him flying several meters, crashing into a building.

After delivering the blow, she landed skillfully on the ground. As the figure stood firmly in front of him, he recognized the dark green hair and distinctive sorcerer uniform.

"Zenin-senpai!” exclaimed the shadow sorcerer, gratefully surprised.

Maki Zenin, a second-year sorcerer unfairly ranked as fourth-grade due to her limited cursed energy. Like Toji, she had a heavenly restriction that enhanced her physical abilities, though hers was incomplete, nowhere near the monstrous capabilities of the sorcerer killer.

The sorcerer breathed heavily, struggling but determined. "I guess I got here just in time," she said with a frown of pain and determination.

Megumi approached her for a closer look, and his eyes widened in shock. “Z-Zenin-senpai, what happened to you?” he asked, deeply concerned.

His worry was more than justified. The upper half of the sorcerer's body was largely burned, her shirt scorched and fused with her skin. Her neck was severely burned with second and third-degree burns, her face in a similar condition. Luckily, her eyes were unharmed, but her long hair had been cut short and singed.

“What happened up there after I left?!” Megumi asked hastily, wiping the blood from his mouth with his sleeve.

“That—” Maki couldn’t respond before she had to dodge a punch aimed at her stomach, moving with lightning speed. That speed was beastly; she’d wager it was even faster than the old leader of the Zenin clan.

Megumi clasped his hands together once more, summoning the horde of rabbits to distract Toji for a few seconds to plan his next move, now that he had help.

The duo dashed out of the alley they were hiding in, trying to put as much distance as possible between themselves and their pursuer. Just talking was a feat for Maki, but her immense strength and the adrenaline coursing through her veins kept her fighting. Taking advantage of the moment, Zenin updated the shadow sorcerer on everything that happened after Toji took him away.

"That damn volcano-headed curse caught me off guard, right after that lunatic threw you out the window," she said, her voice clearly angry and frustrated. "But he underestimated me. He attacked me with weaker fire than he used on the others. Ha! That bastard thought he could kill me with that little."

Maki was fuming; in this stupid war, she was being underestimated continuously, as if she were some weakling, and that made her blood boil. The pain she felt now was nothing in comparison.

For Megumi, this had already turned into a bad joke. He couldn’t take any more cursed surprises; everything kept going from bad to worse. If it weren’t for Maki’s arrival…wait! If Maki was the only one who came here, that meant—

"What happened to the others?! Is Nanami…?!"

Maki, understanding what Megumi wanted to ask, stopped him before he could panic. "Calm down. Unlike the old man, I’m sure Nanami is still alive. When I woke up, all I saw was Naobito’s charred body, so I guess he got up before me."

In the distance, they heard buildings being destroyed by Toji. After finishing off the horde of rabbits, he started chasing them, tearing through everything in his path at an absurd speed.

Realizing the assassin was hot on their heels, the duo changed direction and ducked into an alley again.

“He’s probably somewhere else, but I don’t know how much longer he can last without someone healing his burns,” Maki said, looking down, defeated. “...he got it much worse than me,” she added, remembering how the volcano curse incinerated the entire right side of the sorcerer’s body.

Megumi bit his lip in frustration and fear. "Damn it! We need to find him before another curse does."

Maki let out a dry chuckle. “Easy to say. I don’t think we’re exactly in shape to help anyone right now.”

The echo of objects breaking and the assassin’s footsteps grew louder down the alley.

“We should worry more about how the hell we’re getting out of here alive from that psycho. I hope you have a good plan because all I’ve got are my fists.”

Megumi frowned. "I've been trying to come up with one since this fight started," he growled, angry. He hadn’t had a single moment to think of something; this run was the closest thing he’d get to a break, so he wracked his brain as hard as he could.

“...he acts more on instinct than on any clear motive or ideal. I think he’s just looking to fight the strongest being he can find. That’s why he attacked the octopus curse before, and that’s why he’s after me.”

Maki narrowed her eyes at Megumi, skeptical. “You’re giving yourself a lot of credit. I don’t want to bring you down, but I think the strongest among us was Nanami,” she said mockingly. Even in her condition, teasing others was essential to her life.

A vein pulsed on Megumi’s forehead. "I know it sounds egotistical, but believe me, my technique has something very dangerous…only I can’t use it. At least, not right now." Maki’s slight mockery allowed Megumi to release some of his stress over the situation.

“Something dangerous? What are you talking about, Fushigu—” Maki shook her head. “You know what? Never mind! We don’t have time to keep talking! He’s right on our heels!”

Exiting the alley, they continued through the streets until they passed a restaurant. Megumi looked at the building intently and abruptly stopped. Maki stopped soon after, looking at the sorcerer, confused. The sorcerer’s mind raced, and he finally came up with a plan.

“Fushiguro! What are you doing?! Do you want a last meal before you die, you idiot?!” she shouted, distressed by Megumi’s sudden stop.

"It’s not that, Zenin-senpai," he grunted, annoyed. "I think I have a plan. How strong are your legs?"

“Is this serious? Why do you want to know that? Now’s not the time to share your weird fetishes. I think you got hit way too hard in the head, Fushiguro.”

Megumi said nothing, simply looking at the sorceress with a serious expression. He was dead serious.

Maki sighed and put a finger on her forehead. “I’m not sure, but I think I could put a car on my back and do squats with it without much difficulty. Around 1,000 kg, I guess.” She looked at the building ahead with blank eyes, then back at Megumi. “I hope your brilliant plan isn’t to throw cup noodles at him until he gets tired.”

Maki couldn’t understand what this restaurant could do to help in this fight. She was an expert in combat, but strategy wasn’t exactly her strength.

"Trust me, Zenin-sen—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Maki lightly smacked him on the head. "And for the fiftieth time, stop calling me Zenin. Just call me Maki," she said in a bored tone.

Megumi rubbed his head and clicked his tongue in annoyance. "What a pain," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "We don’t have much time. Come on, follow me."

Both sorcerers entered, breaking down the locked door and vanishing into the darkness.

And so, the shadow sorcerer’s plan began, though all they could do was pray it would be enough to defeat that man.