In the room where Sombra had perished, the sound of drumming and banging reverberated around the tightly enclosed space of Twilight's magic as sweat beads down her forehead. Violet sparks trickle down her horn, glowing faintly against the increasing darkness around them. Rainbow, Shining, and Cadance lay motionless at her hooves, and Rarity and Flurry did everything they could with the materials around them to close the wounds on their bodies. A layer of magic surrounds them, separating the group from the pounding curses outside. Clawing and scraping away at Twilight's protection, their teeth dripping with hunger and saliva.

"Urgh..." Rainbow groaned, muzzle deep into the floor.

"Rainbow? Darling?" Rarity asked, peeking over her face from above. "Can you get up?"

"I-I'll manage..." Rainbow said, getting up. But a sharp pain to her side, when she was rising, caused her to wince and arched her back. "-Ack!"

"Don't push yourself!" Rarity warns, putting her hooves under Rainbow's body for support. "If it's too much, you should rest."

"I can't..." Rainbow murmured under her breath, "We still gotta distract that curse," Rainbow got up with Rarity's help. "We must buy more time for Yuta."

"I'm afraid that doesn't matter anymore." Twilight replied with a strained face, "The curse is gone. Most likely teleporting to Yuta's current location." She gives a hasty, tired exhale, a thin layer of glistening sweat coating her fur. "I can't keep holding onto this barrier. Rarity, Dash, get down."

Heeding Twilight's instruction, Rarity and Rainbow lowered themselves, allowing Twilight to expand the barrier with a burst of magical energy. The force of the expansion sent shockwaves through the room, instantly disintegrating the remaining curses into wisps of smoke and ash and leaving only the faint static of Twilight's shining horn and a new dripping sound reverberating across the room.

"Huff-!" Twilight gasped a ragged breath that tore from her throat.

Looking down at the source, a crimson puddle greeted the princess. It looks like she pushed it this time. Wiping her bloody nose, the alicorn turns around.

The exertion alone caused a blossoming red to bloom in her eye, a bloody tear tracing a path down her cheek. "Is everypony alright? -Ngrpmh!" She collapsed onto her knees and clasped her head with a trembling hoof, a strangled groan escaping her lips.

"Twilight!" Rarity rushes over to her side, immediately pulling out a bandage roll as she begins to wrap it around her eye. "Are you hurt!?" She inquired, worry evident in her voice. Each layer of bandage, applied with desperate haste, was saturated with crimson faster than she could warp it. That fear and concern for her friend wasn't calming down anytime soon.

"I'm fine, Rarity." Twilight replies, thinking to herself. "That impromptu Domain Expansion drained my magic reserves. I still haven't recovered from that blowback."

Pushing through the discomfort, Twilight rose to her hooves, swaying slightly before finding her balance. "How are the rest of you holding up?" she asked, her voice strained but resolute.

"Not good," Rarity shakes her head. "Princess Cadance and Shining Armor are both down for the count, but we're lucky Yuta healed the princess with his magic- oh... erm, cursed energy? Or else I fear she might not be here with us right now."

A stray sniffle and a tug at her mane caught Rarity's attention. Turning down to the source, a teary-eyed Flurry Heart looked at Rarity with the most heart-wrenching look a filly her age could muster.

"I-is Mommy going to be o-okay?"

Rarity tried her best to give an encouraging smile through her deep eyebags, squatting down to meet her at eye level.

"Your mother is a strong mare, Flurry Dear." Rarity cooed, gently running a hoof through her mane. "If any pony can survive this, it's her."

"It's my fault," Flurry admits, dipping her head down as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I should've listened to Mommy. I shouldn't have left the Throne Room!" Flurry grasps her shivering hooves onto her cheeks in the form of self-comfort, unable to stop the shaking.

However, the reassurance and warmth of a violet wing soothe her restlessness just a bit. Looking up, Twilight looked at her with a pacifying gaze.

A wave of tenderness washed over Twilight. Scooting closer to Flurry, she brushed away a stray tear on the uninjured side of her face, careful not to disturb the bandage. "Auntie?" Flurry looked up, her eyes red-rimmed but searching for comfort.

"We all make mistakes, Flurry Heart," Twilight said softly. "Even I did a lot of silly things when I was young. What matters most is how we learn from them. Luckily, most injuries can be healed with magic. For you, Flurry," Twilight leaned in, her voice a warm whisper, "I'm just glad you're safe."

Getting up, Twilight staggers over to the balcony. It should have been nighttime since she last lowered the sun, yet the unmistakable overpowering light of the star illuminated dimly behind the moon high up in the peak. What's worse was the encroaching blizzard of the north swallowing nearly half of the city in a thick layer of white. With a strained effort, she focused her remaining magic. A ball of violet light erupted from her horn, soaring skyward. It reached its apex and then, with a burst of magical energy, expanded into a shimmering dome, encasing the entire Crystal Empire.

"Hah!" Twilight gasped, the exertion taking its toll. That should buy some time to figure things out. Pushing through the haze of pain, Twilight turned around. As she did, a rolled-up letter materialised above her head, suspended amidst the flickering embers of green magical fires. A spark of curiosity flickered in her tired eyes as she reached up and unfurled the parchment.

Following the lines of text with her single undamaged eye, Twilight's brow furrowed in concentration. Her expression shifted between confusion, realisation, and, finally, a flicker of relief. "Thank goodness..." she breathed under her breath, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. With a wave of her horn, the scroll vanished, transported to a secure location for safekeeping.

Turning back towards the group, Twilight addressed them with a strained voice. "There's a solar eclipse," she rasps. "The curses resembling Celestia and Luna must have mimicked their magic as well. We need to get back to the master clock in Canterlot if we want to fix the day-night cycle back to its original rotation." But even bigger problems gnawed at the edges of her consciousness. "Also, The Crystal Heart..." she began, her voice dropping to a worried whisper.

A sudden flash of light and a sizzling pop cut through the sombre mood. Starlight Glimmer materialised in the centre of the room, her mane a wild mess and her eyes wide with alarm.

"The Crystal Heart's gone!" she blurted, her voice trembling.

A collective gasp rippled through the room. Flurry Heart's eyes widened in terror, and Rarity let out a sharp cry. Rainbow Dash, wincing at the movement, echoed Starlight's distress with a gruff, "What?!"

Twilight, however, remained surprisingly calm. "I know," she admitted, her voice raspy but firm.

Starlight blinked, momentarily thrown by Twilight's seeming acceptance. "Wait, you know, Twilight?" she stammered.

"I just received a letter from Spike over in the Dragonlands. He and some armed forces were sent over on behalf of Equestria's military aid to combat to rising number of curses in their region. " Twilight explained. "Apparently, he and Dragon Lord Ember stumbled upon a group of dragons fighting a horde of curses for territory… over the Crystal Heart." A wry smile flickered across her face, a hint of amusement mixed with exhaustion. "They're doing their best to bring it back to the Empire as we speak."

"It's that UwU-so-whatever-the-freak their name was!" Rainbow stomps, "There's no other way The Crystal Heart could've teleported from the Arctic North to the South of Equestria that fast!"

"That's beside the point, Rainbow." Rarity chimes in, "What will we do about the blizzard?"

"I'll handle-"

"No, Twilight." Rarity interjects.

"But I'm the only one who can maintain the-"

"Ah, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba! No buts! You're one more magical push away from never seeing us again!"

"Rarity's right, Twilight," Starlight added, walking over. "I'll handle the barrier's formation, and I'm confident I could at least hold out til Spike comes around. You should rest."

"A-are you sure? The load is going to be heavy..." Twilight tries to convince, though to Starlight or to herself, she doesn't know. "Wait, how are you here, Starlight? Aren't you supposed to be resting?"

"Well, I would be had it not been the students gunning after your stone relics right after you used them." Starlight crossed over to Twilight's shoulder and paused just shy of her ears. Eyes facing the balcony. "Plus, I think there's an issue that you, as Princess of Friendship, should tend to down at the tower's base." With a breath, Starlight turned and walked towards the balcony "Or don't, I'm... not adept at handling situations like these. But I do think they need some form of support. You should see for yourself."

Twilight blinks before ducking her head slightly and nodding at the gesture. "...Alright, I'll take a look." Twilight gave an awkward smile, switching her attention to Rarity and Rainbow. "Sorry, girls, I must leave them in your care."

"Nonsense, Twilight!" Rarity waves off, "Honestly, this is much more therapeutic for me than brawling like some savages in the outdoors. I already have enough twigs in my mane, so Dashie and I will keep a watchful eye over them, won't we?"

Rainbow Dash, still nursing her own injuries, grumbled a begrudging agreement. "Yeah, sure. I need to rest my wings anyway. Ow," she added with a grimace, "I think I pulled a muscle."

Twilight descended the flight of stairs, her steps heavy with exhaustion and a growing sense of dread. Pushing open the double doors, she wasn't met with the expected chatter or even the quiet murmur of recovery. Instead, the first sounds to hit her ears were a heart-wrenching mix of quiet whimpers and the clatter of her hoof regalia against the dusty crystal floor.

Stepping down, the cries didn't subside. Nor did any pony notice her presence, not that it mattered. Scanning the room, a gaping hole in the wall at the side exposed the refugees to the raging blizzard outside. The ground, walls, and even ceilings bore deep slash marks of various sizes, and the air hung heavily from moist and cursed energy residuals.

Did Yuta do all of this?

Even more unsettling were the bodies scattered across the ravaged space. Most were guards, their once shiny uniforms torn and stained crimson, and there would occasionally be one or two cilivan ponies among them.

In the middle, Mistmane stood on guard, her horn lit and her eyes lasered trained. A bubble of protection surrounded several ponies behind her. Housing the unconscious pillars, along with Pinkie, Applejack, and Fluttershy.

"Mistmane," Twilight called, walking over to the unicorn.

"Princess..." Mistmane bowed,

"No need for that." Twilight dismissed, "I've come down to deliver some bittersweet news... Okay, maybe a little more on the sweeter side. For starters, Sombra's been dealt with. Nopony died. And we discovered why the curses have been targeting specified areas across Equestria."

"Ah, I see. That's indeed great news!" Mistmane smiled, clopping her hooves together. "We saw the events being projected live above us from the other side of the portal. Good to know Sombra's no longer a concern. What's the bad news?"
"Shining Armor is unconscious," Twilight began, her voice dropping slightly. "Cadance still suffered horrific injuries but is alive. Almost all our forces are gone. Their attack, in a way, succeeded. And that portal curse Usowamoto is still on the loose."

Mistmane winced at the grim details. "Oh, that's… not ideal."

"No, it's not," Twilight agreed. "But we did have a plan. We entrusted Yuta to disrupt their main objective."

"Yuta… the human?" Mistmane questioned, a hint of concern creeping into her voice. "Um, Princess, is it wise to have placed such faith in an outsider?"

"Yes, it is," Twilight asserted, her voice firm despite the doubt flickering in Mistmane's eyes. "We have a pact."

"…A pact?" Mistmane echoed, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Uh…" Twilight faltered, realising she might have revealed more than intended. She shook her head, forcing a smile. "Never mind that for now. Starlight mentioned an issue that needs my attention. Do you have any idea what she might have meant?"

Mistmane leaned in close, her voice barely a whisper above the whimpers of the wounded. "Take a look to your right."

Following the unicorn's direction, Twilight's gaze shifted toward the edge of the shimmering barrier, her heart sinking with each step. Huddled together, seeking solace in their shared misery, were Smolder, Gallus, Silverstream, Ocellus, and Yona. Their bodies were battle-worn, and their spirits lost to the hurdling winds. They looked like living-yet-not-living gargoyles, eyes completely devoid of life with no energies in their movements, and they all sat together in a circle facing one another.

"What are they doing here-?!" Twilight's voice cracked,

"Sandbar passed, Princess."

"...I'm sorry?" The world seemed to tilt on its axis. Twilight craned her neck to face Mistmane. Her pupil shrunk to pinpricks.

"Sandbar perished, fighting to buy time for the refugees to make it to the safe zone unharmed," Mistmane said, looking down at the floor, unable to face Twilight's gaze.

"...I..." she stammered, a strangled sob catching in her throat. The metallic tang of bile rose in her throat, a physical retaliation of the grief tearing her from the inside. "I have to go talk to them," Twilight finally managed. Making her way over to the bunch, guilt gnawed at the back of her self-consciousness.

How could she have so carelessly left the relics unattended?

Why couldn't she have just kept the teleportation a low profile?

Why did she have to add fuel to the fire!?

All these interlocking thoughts clouded her sight, so much that she didn't notice a tear in reality, shimmering like a mirage in the hot desert, had ripped open in front of her. Before she could even register the anomaly, a familiar draconequus came barreling through the opening. The air whooshed out of Twilight's lungs in a strangled gasp. Dazed and coughing, she struggled to regain her bearings. Through blurry vision, she saw her friend sprawled on the ground a few hooves away, its monstrous form twitching erratically.

"Gak!" Twilight rasped, clutching her side where the impact had landed. "D-Discord!?" Her voice croaked in disbelief.

"W-where am I!?" Discord screeched with a cracked fang and a bloody nose, blue fires burning on the tips of his ash beard and his body littered with scuff and lacerations. "A-are you my Twilight!?!" He asked, lunging his hands towards Twilight's sides as he began to shake violently. "TELL ME!!!"

"S-stop shak-ing m-me!" Twilight rasped, the words tumbling out between ragged breaths. Discord, his frantic energy momentarily subdued, stared at her with wide, flickering eyes. A heavy sigh escaped him, a sound that seemed to carry the weight of worlds.

"*Sigh* Discord," Twilight pressed, her voice laced with a hint of her former authority despite the tremor in her hoof as she pointed an accusatory feather at his snout. "Where have you been!? If Yuta hadn't been here to help, things could have gone much worse.".

Discord's ears perked up at the mention of the human's name. "Did you say Yuta?"

Twilight tilts her head at this. "Um, yes?"

"Phew!" Discord wiped the imaginary sweat from his brow, indirectly freshening up his entire body in one sweep. The dust and scratches clinging onto his coat, flinging off in one swift motion. "I'm back home."

"What were you so afraid of? And you were off somewhere?" Twilight questions before pushing a hoof into him. "And can you please get off me?"

Popping off and reappearing beside Twilight, the princess caught up from the floor and tried to regain her regal posture.

"I got sent off to an alternate universe," Discord explained, un-straightening his scales.

"Usowamoto, I presume?"

He nods with a point, "Spot on! I was afraid I'd never find a way back. More so, I was too far along the future,"

Twilight furrows her brows at this. "Why would you be afraid of something like that?"

Discord's rubbery features contorted as he mimicked the worried expression on Twilight's face. He stretched his jaw ridiculously low, creating a fleshy valley between his snout and chin, before snapping it shut with a loud clap.

"Time doesn't flow the same for all universes, Twilight," he explained, his voice stretched and distorted by the contortion. Releasing his jaw, it snapped back with a wet smacking sound. "Think of it like streams of water, my little princess. When an occupant from one universe travels to another, the differing flows of time will clash like turbulent and unpredictable streams. But fear not," he continued, his voice returning to its usual playful lilt, "like good things, it will eventually smooth out. The poor, misplaced soul will eventually adjust to the rate of time in the new world. Though," he added with a wink, "it might take a few hours to a few days of temporal whiplash!"

Discord swept a dramatic hoof across his chest, indicating himself. "That's what I was so afraid of, Twilight! Imagine the horror! Stepping back through that dimensional tear only to find a desolate Equestria, a wasteland ruled by some monstrous conqueror… or worse, ruled by Pinkie Pie with unlimited access to sugar!" He shuddered dramatically, sending a ripple through his mismatched coat.

Leaning close to Twilight, his remaining eye gleaming with amusement, he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "But I guess those worries were for nought, eh Princess?" Discord rambles, beginning to walk, his eyes still resting on Twilight. "But enough of that, where's Fluttershy?"

"Discord!" She warns, "Watch where you're stepping!"

Mid-sentence, the draconequus continued his carefree stroll, oblivious to the danger. A sickening squelch echoed in the air, followed by a surprised yelp from Discord as his hoof sank into something soft.

The momentum from his unbalanced step sent him sprawling forward in a graceless tumble. He landed with a resounding thud, his backside making a sickening squelch against a furry body. A cold, metallic liquid splashed against his legs, staining his mismatched coat, and sending a tremor through his entire being.

"Ow!" He yelps, taking a soiled hand to his bum; he rubs it to soothe the pain. "What did..." He looks down, seeing the body of a pony. "...I just..." Their lifeless eyes stared back at him, colour fading from their pupils. Bringing a hand up, Discord stares into his palm, blood soaking the creases of his folds, dripping around and down the side of it. "slip..."

Discord spun around, his single eye taking in the full scope of the devastation. Bodies of fallen guards lay crumpled and still on the cold floor. Further back, he noticed the huddle of surviving ponies, their forms trembling under the protective bubble of shimmering energy. But even from a distance, he could see the shift in their eyes – a flicker of recognition morphing into raw, unadulterated terror.

He could smell it. Fear hung heavy.

A deep, guttural growl rose from Discord's throat, a sound that seemed to come from a place far deeper than his usual theatrics. He covered his mouth with a clawed hand, muffling the sound as he squeezed his eyes shut. A manic grin stretched across his face.

"Discord," Twilight asks, walking over to him. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I'll manage." Discord's brows fluttered sporadically, trying to rid the smile off his face. Getting up, his eyes landed on the shimmering shield in the middle of the sanctuary where the Crystal Heart was supposed to be held. Fluttershy lay unconscious, sprawled on the floor next to a heavily bandaged Applejack and a snoring Pinkie Pie. "Fluttershy!"

Popping next to the barrier, Discord reached out but stopped mid-air. The hand that so desperately wanted to caress Fluttershy was still soaked in crimson blood. Discord curled his digits inward before drawing his hand back into his chest with a gulp.

"I can't, not now. What if it affects her?" Discord thought before shaking his head and spinning to Twilight, hand still clutched to his chest. "Is there anything I can help with in the meantime?"

"No, not really." Twilight admits, "I would say find the Crystal Heart, though Spike's already on his way delivering it-"

"Consider it done." With a snap of his fingers, Spike and the Crystal Heart in his claws popped into existence beside him, his swings spread out and his body horizontal, presumably from flying.

"W-wha-!?" Spike blurted out, his voice a squeak as he landed with a resounding "Oof!" on the cold crystal floor. The Crystal Heart clattered harmlessly beside him. The clattering of an ancient prized artefact of a nation would naturally draw curious eyes over to the source, even more so when it's in the claw of its national hero. A collective gasp rippled through the huddled groups. Confused murmurs erupted, quickly escalating into a clamour of questions and exclamations.

"Is that... Spike!?" A crystal pony, trembling with disbelief, pointed a shaky hoof towards the bewildered dragon.

"And he has the Crystal Heart!" Another shrieked, her voice filled with a desperate hope that had been absent moments ago.

"Spike!" A third crystal pony yelled, his voice tinged with awe. "Our hero is here! He's come to save us!"

The tide of despair that had threatened to engulf the refugees seemed to recede for a moment, replaced by a wave of ecstatic hope.

"U-um hello everypony!" Spike began, holding the Crystal Heart close to him. "If you guys could just let me through so I can safely deliver this, it'd be great!" His last pleads fell on deaf ears as the ponies crowd around him, drowning out his explanation with their excitement.

"And that's my cue to leave!" Discord declared with a flourish, bowing dramatically despite the complete lack of an audience. Sweat, a rare occurrence on his mismatched form, beaded on his brow and trickled down his temple. Before he could execute a flamboyant exit worthy of the self-proclaimed Lord of Chaos, Twilight's horn flickered with magic, and her tail lashed out, wrapping around his twitching appendage.

"Discord," Twilight called out, her voice cutting through the rising tide of excited chatter. "Are you alright? I haven't seen you sweat that hard in a long time."

Discord squirmed uncomfortably under her scrutiny. He waved a dismissive hand, the appendage not currently held captive. "I'm fine, Twilight. Honestly, it's just this… fanfare's getting to me, that's all! All this hero worship, it's enough to make a draconequus crave a little… quiet chaos." He explained, his voice a touch higher pitched than usual, his eyes avoiding hers. The blatant lie did little to ease the suspicion furrowing Twilight's brow.

"It's been a long day for me as well, Twilight," he continued, attempting to deflect further questioning. "Just… want a change of pace, you know? Breathe some fresh, apocalyptic air."

Twilight studied him for a long moment, the silence stretching between them as taut as a harp string. "If you say so, Discord," she finally said, her voice laced with a hint of doubt. Turning around, Twilight looks over her shoulder at him one last time. "If there's anything on your mind, I'm always here." Finished, she walked off towards the crowd of ponies to save her dragon from the evergrowing crowd.

He shot out of the shattered opening in the wall, the chaotic blizzard whipping at his face a welcome change from the suffocating atmosphere within. As soon as he was out of sight, the act crumbled. The playful grin vanished, replaced by a grimace of discomfort. His hand throbbed with a dull ache.

He couldn't tell her. He couldn't confess that the artefact meant to save The Crystal Empire felt like a searing ember against his skin.

Discord grabbed his trembling hand with a paw, trying to steady himself with a chuckle. "...My time is up, isn't it?"

Shattering glass rang through the entire office space, some of the debris breaking in as Yuta dragged Usowamoto's face down the side of the Skyscraper in the early afternoon sun. The excess cursed residual musical notes that flowed out of his body and the beat of the music accompanying him slowed down to a drag the longer he fell.

"YOU'RE EVEN GOING TO FOLLOW ME HERE!?" Usowamoto bellowed through the glass."YOU GODDAMN SORCERER!?!"

Apologies for the long wait. I fell ill the previous week. 🙇