>One versus two wasn’t very good odds.
>There had to be some way to equalize the situation, fast.
 
>You swallowed hard as you held the staff defensively against you.
>The chaotic magic swirled in a bright vortex inside the crystal container, slowly sucking in and gorging itself on the energy Cloudsdale was giving off.
 
>Slowly the Wonderbolts closed the distance, getting within twenty feet of you before stopping.
>You met their goggled gaze as the tension continued to mount.
 
>They braced themselves before pushing off the ground with amazing speed.
>Instinctively you thrust the Discorb forward, but much to your surprise they raced past you, trailing thick smoke.
 
>Making wide circles just outside your striking distance, they swiftly closed off your vision with repeated passes.
>In a matter of seconds a tall column of smoke enclosed you.
 
>Would they wait for the smoke to dissipate?
>Would they make a blind strike into it?
>Questions raced through your head as you search around futilely for any sign of their whereabouts.
>Maybe they were expecting you to move around, what if you could out-predict their prediction by not moving at all?
 
>But then that raised the troubling question of if they were expecting you to expect they would expect you to move, and that by standing still you would fall right into their trap.
>You shook your head in irritation.
>All this forward thinking was giving you a headache.
 
>The smoke cleared quickly as you looked around, opting to stay still but vigilant.
>With your focus on vision, you were able to quickly see that they were poised above you on both sides.
>They dove in to strike as soon as you spotted each other.
 
>Instinct told you to throw yourself far away from wherever you were standing.
 
>Landing hard on the cushiony cloud, you felt a strong surge of air as they rushed through your previous location.  
 
>Before you could even pick yourself up, you could already see one of them turning around for another attack.
>Odds were that the other was behind you doing the same thing.
>Luckily, since they went so fast, they had to fly quite a distance before they could make a full turn.
>As you finished getting on your feet, the one you were watching was already coming at you.
 
>You had to take decisive action.
>If you could disable this one, then it should be a relatively easy task taking out the second.
>There was no pesky magic to have to worry about.
>While they were fast, they could only hurt you by coming in close.
>The advantage went to you in the case of a one on one.
>If you could take the hit from the one behind you, then everything should work out fine.
 
>You really didn’t like the thought of eating flaming hooves of justice to your back, but with such little time to react there wasn’t much else you could do.
>It might not be the best idea, but it was all you could come up with.
>It was either protect yourself or take the opportunity to disable one.
>They could easily keep forcing you into situations like this until you tired yourself out dodging.
 
>Something useful!
>Make something useful Discorb!
 
>With a small flash of light, a finely woven straw basket appeared in your left hand.
 
>Was this some kind of sick joke?
 
>There wasn’t enough time to berate the staff, with a quick wind up and pitch, you hurled it towards your attacker as hard as you could.
>Time seemed to slow down as the adrenaline coursed through your veins.
>You watched the straw basket flip end over end through the air, zooming toward the speeding Wonderbolt.
 
>Judging from the blue mane, it was Soarin.
 
>In some stroke of luck, or perhaps, chaotic fancy, the basket aligned perfectly to cover his head when it impacted.
>Suddenly blinded by six dollars worth of straw finery, he swerved away from you out of instinct.
 
>He flew past you as your perception of time returned to normal, buffeting you with wind.
>A second rush of air hit you from above as Spitfire rocketed overhead.
 
>While you weren’t complaining about it, you found it odd that she didn’t hit you.
 
>“I thought I told you! You must be able to both attack and guard at the same time, whelp!”
 
>You know that reprimanding tone too well.
>Looking behind, you saw Nightmare Moon standing away from you, horn glowing brightly as she guarded your back.
>Well, that certainly evened the odds.
>She turned her head to stare you in the eyes before she started into her next tirade at your combat effectiveness.
 
“I thought your magic was incredibly weak when you projected?”
 
>Rebuffed by your sudden interruption, she allowed her stern frown to slip into a wicked smile.
 
>“They don’t know that.”
 
>Her ebon wings flashed out as she took to the skies.
 
>“I’ll keep this orange haired gnat occupied, handle the other.”
 
>Before you even got a chance to thank her, she flew off toward Spitfire.
>Nightmare Moon’s smile proved infectious, her bravado even when she was so weakened was quite something.
>Content to let her projection run interference, you began looking around for Soarin.
 
>It didn’t take long to find him stumbling haphazardly in the street.
>He had recovered quickly from his miss and was struggling to remove the insidious basket.
>You wagered there must have been more to it than just simple straw, for he was battering upwards at the side handles futilely trying to pry it off.
 
>“You’re pretty good, Anonymous.”
 
>Soarin must have heard your badly concealed laughter.
>It was kind of weird hearing him call you by your full name though, he had always used the shorthand version.
 
“Eh?”
 
>He suddenly stopped moving.
>The abrupt transition from frenetic movement to an almost Zen like stillness caught you off guard.
 
>Your little outburst of surprise seemed to work against you, as he instantly whirled around to face you and rushed forward!
 
>You’d think being visually impaired would make him more cautious, but he was recklessly fast as he rapidly closed distance.
>Taking yet another dive to the ground, you were barely skimmed along your shoulder as you leapt to the side.
 
>Soarin came to a stop as soon as he cleared some distance from your location, returning to his alert posture.
 
>“Losing one sense heightens the others, Anonymous. I can hear the voice of the wind as you move, feel the vibrations in the clouds below, smell the sweat on you.”
 
>What the hell happened to him?
>He was like a complete rip off of a blind swordsman!
>Was the basket causing this!?
 
>“I can hear you breathing over there, Anonymous.”
 
>Damn!
>What’s wrong with him!?
>You had barely landed on your hands and feet, supporting yourself with your left arm while the other held the staff.
>He was facing right at you, legs tensing as he prepared to charge again.
>This had to end, now.
 
>Glancing at the Discorb, you noticed the normally bright glow was heavily dimmed.
>There was only a small vortex, struggling to siphon off all the ambient energy.
>Just how much power did it put into that goddamn basket!?
 
>Lets see you dodge at the speed of light, Soarin!
>You fired off a thin blast of lightning from the staff before he could make his move.
>By all means it should have connected to your target, but before your very eyes you saw Soarin disappear.
 
>“It’s no use! I can hear the air ionize as the magic travels through it! I will never return this power to you!”
 
>He reappeared far too close for comfort, but still out of striking distance of his hooves.
>This impudent basket was getting on your nerves.
>You had a bitter scowl as you glared at the Zen Wonderbolt.
 
>Alright Mr. Sensation, let’s see you handle this.
>Gritting your teeth angrily you formed the detonator and hit it no less than five times.
>The cacophony of sound was deafening as Cloudsdale shook violently from the party assault.
 
>An evil grin took hold as you saw him stumble from his serene stance.
>It wailed in Soarin’s voice as its senses were briefly overloaded.
>A quick blast of light from your staff decided this battle, shearing the basket in two.
 
>“NO! I WILL NOT BE CAGED AGAIN! YOU CAN’T DO THIS!”
 
“Oh, but I can! And I DO!”
 
>You thrust the staff forward, intent on reclaiming what was rightfully yours.
>The separate halves of straw dissolved into prismatic light, quickly being sucked in by the vortex of the Discorb.
>Soarin groaned lightly as he swayed unsteadily, collapsing to the ground in a heap.
 
>With the healthy glow of power back in your staff, you tried to calm yourself as you checked on Soarin.
>Confirming that he still had a pulse and was breathing, you were content to let him recover from whatever had just happened.
 
>Turning your attentions above, you saw Nightmare Moon wheeling around in the air, firing off blasts of illusionary magic as she chased Spitfire.
>From how hard she was trying to dodge, she still probably had no idea that none of that magic could actually hurt her.
 
>You started sprinted toward them as you got a better look.
>While Nightmare Moon tried to hide it, you could tell she was pushing herself too much.
>It was surprising enough she could move so fast with her projection, let alone keep it up for this long.
>Calling out to her, she quickly broke off from Spitfire and dove toward you.
 
>She was breathing hard, her simulacrum reflecting her condition in the World Between.
 
“Thanks for the save earlier, Nightmare.”
 
>There was no reply, but you could see a small smile take shape.
 
>“Shall... we finally... dispose of this... nuisance?”
 
>She needed to take deep breaths between her words, her wings drooping slightly.
>Nightmare Moon was in no condition to push herself further, but pride would not allow her to back down from this fight.
>Realizing the futility in trying to make her fall back, you nodded affirmatively.
>This relentless determination was often a source of inspiration for you.
 
>There was no wind generated as Nightmare Moon took flight, her intangible body utterly silent as it moved.
 
>“I’ll divert her attention... take care of her then...”
 
>She grimaced in pain as she forced her horn to glow brightly.
>A burning cyan laser lanced into the sky, forcing Spitfire to weave around it.
>She was burning out fast, but the best you can do now is end it quickly so she can rest.
>Running underneath their aerial battle, you focused your power into something to trap the Wonderbolt.
 
>Multicolored party streamers shot out of the crystal, stretching to incredible lengths to catch up to your quarry.
>While she was able to dip and duck between most of them, Nightmare Moon kept steering her back towards them with magical blasts.
 
>You hit pay dirt as a purple streamer wrapped around her hind leg.
>More of their kin quickly latched on, her movement further hampered with each successive streamer.
 
>Perhaps realizing she was out of options, Spitfire quickly pulled a Split S maneuver, leveling out in a direct collision course with you.
>Using the length of the streamers against you, she wouldn’t be overly hampered by them latching on as she closed the gap.
>Nightmare Moon fired off a few more illusionary blasts, but it wouldn’t matter if they hit or not.
 
>There was no place to run as she rocketed toward you, another sports dive would just cause the same scenario to repeat.
>Something clever was in order.
 
>Discorb, stop them in their tracks!
 
>Shining brightly in accordance, you felt a strong force pull your arm back high in the air.
 
>Wait, not like this!
 
>You couldn’t fight the force as it propelled your arm in a lightning fast strike.
 
>At least give her a helmet!
 
>A sharp crack thundered throughout the street as the Discorb delivered a swing that would make Babe Ruth proud.
>Putting a hand to your mouth in horror, you watched her spin out of control and slam into the ground beside you.
 
>Nightmare Moon slowly dissipated, nodding in satisfaction at your handling of the situation as she prepared to rest.
 
>To your relief, you could see she was wearing a baseball helmet.
>It was colored bright blue and emblazoned with a yellow Wonderbolts insignia.
>The helmet shattered into light and returned to the staff as soon as you touched it.
>Making sure she was still breathing, you started to panic as you realized what you just did.
 
>You just bashed Rainbow Dash’s idol in the head!
>She was going to kill you if she ever found out what happened!
 
>You wanted to be anywhere but here right now.
>With a spark of power, two bars of soap attached themselves to the underside of your shoes.
>Pushing forward on your slippery skates, you beat a hasty retreat.
 
>If you had been paying more attention, you might have noticed the trail of rainbow that had just arrived behind you.
 
>After putting a healthy amount of distance between you and the unconscious Wonderbolts, you started to calm down.
>You just needed to set the grand finale and finish detonating all the charges before you could leave.
>The weather factory would make a beautiful spot for the finish, all that liquid rainbow was just waiting to be blasted into the atmosphere.
>With another push on your lathered locomotives, you skated toward your new target.
 
>“In the name of Celestia! Stop right there, traitor!”
 
>You didn’t even have to look behind you to guess who was on your tail now.
>It was only a matter of time before some of the guards found you.
>Not even bothering to respond, you continued onward.
 
>They followed close as you slid your way to the factory.
>They might be quick, but they were no Wonderbolts.
>Your magic powered soap was more than enough to stay ahead of them.
>Smashing the detonator again, you idly checked your nails as you moved closer to your objective.
>You could hear the guards swearing behind you in that unique Equestrian manner.
 
>Finally approaching the entrance, you jumped off the soap with a spinning flourish.
 
“Handle these weaklings.”
 
>Recalling the lessons of Nightmare Moon, you made sure to give menacing sounding instructions to your underlings.
>In lieu of actual henchmen, you would have to take the two bars of soap as a substitute.
>A blast from the Discorb granted them bubbly wings as they moved in to intercept the guards behind you.
 
>Five of the Royal Guard were holding formation, their spears at the ready as they hovered in the air.
>The soap darted toward them erratically, making them brandish their weapons in response.
 
>“Hah! Soap? Is that really the best you can do?”
 
>The one in charge spoke boldly, such arrogance served only as an annoyance to you.
>Your soap was holding position near them, awaiting orders.
 
“Do it.”
 
>At your command, you watched one bar zoom forwards to the lead guard.
>Being such a small and nimble target made it very hard to hit, his spear only skewering air as the soap rammed into his eye.
 
>“AHHH! IT STINGS!”
 
>Together the twin bars went berserk on their ranks, zipping from one eyeball to the next and slamming into them relentlessly.
>Already dripping wet and covered in suds from your cloud bound journey, they hit for maximum effectiveness, even if they closed their eyes.
 
>“Fall back! We can’t fight him like this!”
 
>In a matter of moments the pegasi were forced to withdraw, crippled from the onslaught of cleanliness.
>You ordered the soap to continue in pursuit as you made your way into the factory.
 
>Secretly you were a little giddy.
>You tried to keep the power from going to your head, but it was tough at times.
 
>Nothing will stand in the way of your dream.
 
>Your intrepid claim would soon be put to the test, though.
>As you reached the rainbow pools, you were met with a familiar face.
 
>Elation drained into apprehension as the mare that shared a namesake and likeliness to the area was waiting for you.
>Rainbow Dash was silently simmering as she surveyed you.
 
>“ANONYMOUS!”
 
>She exploded in violent fury.
 
>“How dare you! You’re completely out of your stupid human mind! I can’t believe you’d actually attack my home!”
 
>Those cerise eyes smoldered with righteous fury, the indignity of your actions striking a very sensitive nerve.
>You honestly couldn’t blame her for being so pissed.
 
>“I’m gonna bash some bucking sense into your moon crazy head!”
 
>For the umpteenth time you found yourself being charged at by a pegasus.
>Was this really the most creative they could get for a first strike?
>Old memories or not, you were getting sick of this place already.
 
>A riot shield of purple clouds took shape on your left arm.
>You met her lunge with one of your own, bashing her backwards as she collided with the soft bulwark.
>Unfazed, she got back up and dashed above you in the blink of an eye.
>Descending in a steep dive, she landed behind you in perfect position to deliver a hard buck to your back.
 
>As soon as you saw her swoop down, you immediately started swinging your shield behind you like a club.
>You smashed it into her flank, just as she was rearing up for the kick.
>Recalling your training, you made sure to throw some smug comment at her prone form.
 
“Come on, don’t you know you need to gather everybody before you can defeat me?”
 
>She growled angrily as she pounded the ground with a hoof.
>This, this you could handle.
>There was no time to focus on moral quandaries when action and reaction took up the whole of your mind.
>Everything took place in the present, no errant thoughts of the past or future, only the next few minutes mattered.
 
>Quickly getting back up, Rainbow Dash hammered into your shield again, the blow being absorbed completely by the sheer magical softness.
>She seemed to be growing more frustrated with your weapon of choice.
>Every blow either of you dealt was rendered harmless by its arcane pliability, fitting perfectly with your desires.
 
>”Why won’t you hurt me!?”
 
>You would have given a response if you didn’t have to duck behind the shield as she slammed into it again.
>It was very fortunate that it could cover your entire body.
>By that virtue alone you had avoided getting hit so far.
>Her speed was difficult to handle at such close proximity, but if you could get her to keep wasting energy like this, the victory would surely be yours.  
 
>Rainbow Dash wasn’t thinking creatively on how to deal with you, she fell into a predictable pattern when she got mad.
>All you would have to do is keep stoking the flames until she burns out.
>Backing away quickly, you created some much-needed space between the two of you.
 
“How about this? Every time you fail to hit me, I’ll make another building explode. Think you can stop me before the last ten go off?”
 
>Holding your shield hand out in the shape of the detonator, you pressed down your thumb.
>Doing it like this left you exposed for a little bit, but surely she couldn’t close that much distance before you could react.
 
>A bike horn could faintly be heard in the distance, a product of the blast.
 
“Let’s make that nine left.”
 
>Flashing her a cheeky grin really set her off, as she charged at you once more with renewed vigor.
 
>You twirled around like a seasoned matador, making a progressively larger show of each detonator press as you foiled attack after attack.
 
“Eight!”
 
“Seven!”
 
>Rainbow Dash would not accept defeat.
>She had justice on her side and the spirit to back it up.
 
>But everybody has limits.
>You could start to see her slow down involuntarily as you forced her to run herself ragged.
>Fancy footwork aside, the Discorb kept you one step ahead, zapping you from platform to platform and putting an extra bounce to your stride.
 
>And so the countdown progressed, dropping down finally to the last one.
>By the time you hit number two, she had stopped trying and simply opted to give you a malefic glare as she breathed hard.
 
>At this point it seemed like the time to divulge into a monologue.
>Nightmare Moon had drilled their importance into you by forcing you to write transcript after transcript of evil sounding speech.
>You just weren’t a villain if you couldn’t belt out every last detail of how superior you were.
 
“Do you see now?”
 
>You threw your arms open wide, your back to the open skies as you launched into your self-congratulatory jabbering.
 
“I outpace every single one of you individually! There is naught even a spark of hope that you could ever prevail against me!”
 
>Pacing back and forth, you made sure to include over exaggerated hand gestures.
 
“Your attempts at combat are feeble! Your courage false!”
 
>That’s right, just ham it up and pretend like you’re talking to the mirror instead of your old comrade.
 
“This is it! Rise up, aqueous rainbows!”
 
>Holding your staff high, the multicolored pools of liquid started to bubble and froth violently.
>You pushed your head back in malevolent laughter as you set off the final charge.
 
“Zero!”
 
>Something felt wrong as your plan finally came to fruition.
>Were there music in the background, now would be the point it abruptly cuts into the hero’s theme.
>Looking back downwards you immediately realized why.
 
>All your parading about and wide sweeping hand gestures had left you utterly exposed.
 
>That must have been why Rainbow Dash had seemingly given up.
>She was conserving her strength, waiting for this moment!  
 
>There was a rainbow blur, faster than anything you had ever seen.
>The Wonderbolts were nothing compared to this.
>Before your heart could pump another beat, you felt a supremely strong force slam into your chest.
>The wind was knocked out of your lungs as you were carried out of the weather factory at breakneck speeds.
 
>With a mighty roar, Rainbow Dash blasted into the sky with you in tow.
 
>You got a good look at what you did to Cloudsdale.
>Fruit the size of buildings, buildings the size of fruit.
>Glitter and paint was strewn everywhere.
>Some buildings had reached the size of skyscrapers, packed so tightly with candy that it was bursting from every window.
>There were at least three buildings that were slowly spinning in place.
>It was nothing short of a complete and utter mess.
 
>A fixable mess, you told yourself reassuringly.
 
>You were getting kind of dizzy as you were hauled further and further up.
>The fate of the guards and sentient soap briefly crossed your mind.
>Hopefully Spitfire would recover soon, for your sake.
 
>You wondered if it was your turn or not to will forth dinner, as you switched on and off with Nightmare Moon to help keep the palate fresh.
>She wanted to try all the strange human food you could think of.
>In return, you got a taste of Equestrian cuisine from a thousand years in the past.
 
>Your idle thoughts were shattered as you remembered what was happening to you.
>Having hit the peak of her climb, Rainbow Dash went into a straight drop towards Cloudsdale.  
 
>Was she seriously about to piledrive you from this height!?
 
>There was an explosion of sound as a massive rainbow ring erupted in the air behind her.
>Things were looking incredibly dire.
>You weren’t going to be walking away from this one if you couldn’t think of something fast.
 
>She was far too consumed by fury to be talked out of this.
>But if there was one thing you learned after spending time with her, it was her absolute loyalty to the other five.
>You could turn this against her, all you needed was just a split second of hesitation to break out of this death grip she had you in.
 
>Pinkie usually got into trouble somehow.
>It wouldn’t be too far fetched to make Rainbow Dash believe she had gotten herself into some tricky situation all the way up here.
>Desperately squeezing the staff, you envisioned the voice of that cotton candy mare and sent it through the Discorb.
 
>“DASHIEEE HELP!! I’M FALLING!!!”
 
>“Pinkie!?”
 
>It worked!
>Rainbow Dash slowed down as she started frantically looking around for the voice of her friend.
>Feeling her grip loosen, you smashed the edge of your cloud shield into the side of her head.
 
>Free from her grip, you went into a free fall, praying that Nightmare Moon would open a portal underneath you soon.
>You could see Dash’s shocked expression as you fell away.
>The Discorb greedily absorbed your trusty shield, it having fulfilled its purpose.
 
>Day suddenly transitioned to night as you roughly landed on something very soft and bouncy.
 
>Blessed moonlight showered over you as the melodious sounds of a waterfall rang softly in the distance.
>The branches of a familiar tree hung over you, diffusing the lucent glow as the leaves swayed gently in the breeze.
 
>Bright cyan eyes and glossy purple eye shadow soon filled your vision.
>There was a distinct lack of a helmet, allowing her ethereal mane to freely brush against her onyx face.
 
>“Anonymous! Are you alright!?”  
 
>Such a wondrous voice, she almost sounded concerned about you.
 
“I think the staff is fully charged now.”
 
>You were still kind of lightheaded from your perilous climb and drop.
>Nightmare Moon leaned back as you raised the artifact upwards.
>The normally dim Discorb shone radiantly with prismatic energy, flooding the area with multicolored light.
 
>“I didn’t ask about that blasted staff!”
 
>She looked upset as she smacked it out of your hand.
>It rolled slightly as it landed in the grass with a muted thud, unraveling some of the rope around your bracer.
 
>Taking a better look around, you found yourself lying on the bed you had so painstakingly stolen from Canterlot and dragged up here.
 
>Testing the mattress with a free hand, you discovered it was even softer than the clouds.
>Both it and the pillows shaped perfectly to your body, retaining just the right amount of firmness.
>The deep sapphire sheets felt like cool water as you ran your fingers over them.
 
>No wonder she wanted this thing.
 
>She was staring at you worriedly, fore hooves on the bed as she leaned over your side.
>This was starting to make you uncomfortable, despite how luxurious your current accommodations were.
>The way she was acting was completely foreign to her usual mannerism.
>You were completely flatfooted.
 
“I- I guess I’m fine?”
 
>Nightmare Moon let out a relieved sigh as she gave you some space.
>Sitting up, you started pulling your staff back to you via the rope.
>It was then that you really noticed it.
 
>After living in the exact same environment day in and day out, seeing a major change to it was quite jarring.
 
>A shallow creek gently wound around the base of the hill, reflecting the moon in its slow currents.
>A tall waterfall to the west fed it, the terrain there had changed to a more mountainous style, a tall shelf of rock and earth granting the waterfall its height.
>It blended into the distance with the trees, eventually fading away into the unseen white canvas that lay beyond the boundaries of this bubble of color.
 
>While you weren’t there long, you still remembered this sight.
>A broad smile soon took shape on your face.
>You turned to look at her, but she was avoiding eye contact with you, her face once again a stoic mask.
>Still, you smiled on, this new development spreading soft warmth within you.