>“Damnation! Why isn’t this working!?”
 
>All around you stretched the endless white void of the World Between.
>Nightmare Moon did not want to risk anything happening to her painstakingly crafted home, so she dragged you far into the wastes to conduct the final stage of her plan.
 
>You held the crucial job of enforcing reality in a wide enough area to prevent both of you from falling endlessly into nothingness.
 
>While you couldn’t paint the stunning landscapes and intricate details she could, you had more than enough practice to shape and maintain a simple floor.
>You would have liked an extra day of rest after Cloudsdale, but Nightmare Moon could wait no longer now that you held the key to her rebirth.
 
>It was a rather simple plan, at least on paper.
>Everything began so long ago, when you had received that damning news...
 
...
 
>“Anonymous, I- I’m sorry… but we cannot allow you to stay in Equestria any more.”
 
>What!?
 
>The expression on your face spoke for you.
>Celestia could barely stand looking you in the eyes, her long experience as a monarch the only thing giving her the strength to stay.
 
>“I don’t like it either, my dear friend. It brings back painful memories of my past for me, but please don’t think of this as exile, this is for the good of Equestria.”
 
>Her words did little to ease your nausea.
>She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, preparing herself for what she was about to tell you.
 
>“Your very presence here is destroying the fundamentals of this world, Anonymous. The sun and moon are slipping out of our control, and the weather has started moving of its own accord. Every day that passes brings more and more reports of strange happenings with plant and animal life.”
 
>Impossible...
 
“H-how!? How can I be the cause of something like that!?”
 
>At this, Celestia finally looked away from you.
 
>“Because you were never meant to be here. When you had suddenly appeared in our old castle in the Everfree so long ago, that was an event that never should have happened.”
 
>There was a long pause as she forced the words out of her throat.
 
>“You do not belong in our world, Anonymous.”
 
...
 
>“Anonymous! Focus! I will not be trapped in some endless loop because you were too busy staring off into the void!”
 
>You blinked slowly, coming out of your memories.
>Stopping the edges of the floor from dissolving further inward, you stretched them back to the edge of your influence.
 
>That crumbling castle... it was sheer coincidence that both of you pieced together the reason you had arrived to Equestria in the first place.
 
>When you told Nightmare Moon your story so long ago, she seemed quite shocked, especially when you told her what room you appeared in.
 
>During her desperate attempt to save herself from the Elements of Harmony, she burned every last bit of power she had left to try and fracture the wall of reality.
>She could only make the tiniest of cracks appear, but it was enough of a breach for her to be able to slip through as she was separated from Luna.
>The rift she left behind went completely unnoticed as it slowly grew, the residual energy from the strike running its course over a period of months.
 
>When it became large enough, the area around the fissure shattered underneath the stress.
>You just happened to be in the right place at the right time to be sucked into the vortex that was created.
>Reality corrected itself moments after you passed through, sealing off the passageway and leaving you stuck in Equestria.
 
>Even though she never intended it, Nightmare Moon had brought you here, and for that you owed her.
 
>“I thought I told you to focus!”
 
“Right, sorry.”
 
>Your patron was sitting up straight as the perfected Discorb slowly orbited around her.
>Holding the empty staff, you could only watch on as magic sparked between her and the artifact.
 
>Technically, Nightmare Moon was still part of Luna.
>Her consciousness should have been erased and returned to Luna when the Elements of Harmony struck her.
>But in here, such rules didn’t apply.
>Using the magic she stole from their body as she made her escape, Nightmare Moon was able to defy reality and sustain her independent form.
 
>On that day both her and Luna became incomplete beings.
>Meant to be one, but kept separate by the walls of world.
 
>Nightmare Moon theorized that if she had the power of the completed Discorb, she would be able to hold sway over life itself.
>She would create herself a new immortal body, separating her once and for all from her other half.
>And in that moment which she held such power, she would make your degenerative effect on Equestria disappear and allow you to stay forever.
 
>But things weren’t exactly working out as planned, as evidenced by the frustration on Nightmare Moon’s face.
 
>“I don’t understand! Why will it not bend to my will!?”
 
>You had to shield your eyes as numerous arcs of magic flashed rapidly between them.
>It intensified rapidly as the arcane energies continued to cross and collide violently.
>An explosion of light and power nearly made you lose control of the enforced reality.
 
>Nightmare Moon was panting hard as prismatic energy crackled uncontrollably around her.
>The Discorb fell to the floor, sitting still and quiet, but shining just as brightly as before.
 
>“I was almost there! All I needed was little more power!”
 
>She was fuming as she caught her breath, a murderous glare in her eyes.
 
>“We shall return home to think about this.”
 
>Picking up the iridescent crystal, you fell in line at her side as she led the way back to the glade.
>It burned hotly in your hand, pulsing out light in rhythmic bursts.
 
>To be honest, you felt a little incomplete without this little baseball-sized irritant.
>There was a sense of happiness emanating from it at the reunion with you.
>Smiling softly, you affixed it back onto the staff.
 
>She was quiet throughout the long walk back to the glade, completely consumed in thought.
>The clack of her armored hooves and the clink of your staff against the ground were the only things that echoed across the infinite expanse.
 
>Things would be coming to a head very soon.
>Would your heart waver at the last second when facing all of them?
 
>Turning an eye to your only companion, you continued to ask yourself that question.
>She had given you strength before, when you were struggling to come to grips with what you had done.
>While she was cold and ruthless, there was a deep strength to her that you have not seen anywhere else.
 
>Nightmare Moon gave up everything in a gamble to save herself from certain destruction at the hands of the Elements of Harmony.
>While it left her nothing but a crippled mass of magic in an empty dimension, her will was never broken.
>There was an air of confidence around her, a casual surety that everything would work out in the end.
 
>Would she be your pillar to lean on when it came time to fulfill your part?
>Recent events had left your feelings a mess, you weren’t sure of anything anymore.
 
>When you returned after Cloudsdale... you just couldn’t tell, was it truly genuine?
>Was she concerned about you for personal reasons?
>Or was it because of your connection to the Discorb?
>Once everything was said and done, would she really keep her promise to you?
>Doubt clouded your mind as you continued walking.
 
>Such uncertainty would certainly be your downfall if left unchecked, but there were no answers for you now.
>You would have to wait and see how events unfolded.
 
>A refreshing kiss of soft wind greeted you as you entered the glade, breaking you out of your melancholic state.
>Nightmare Moon was in no mood for sightseeing, moving at a quick pace through the serene forest.
>Passing through the tree line, the mighty hill of your home stood proudly in front of you, bathing in the light of the moon.
 
>Moving to the right of the hillside, the command table came into existence as she took her seat.
>Walking to your end of the table, you waited patiently as Nightmare Moon sat in deep thought.
 
>After a few minutes of quiet contemplation, she opened her vivid eyes.
 
>“There is one thing that can restore some of my lost power.”
 
>You arched an inquisitive eyebrow.
 
>“The broken remains of my armor must still be in Equestria somewhere. They should be deeply enchanted with my magic, enough that I can fully seize the power of the Discorb.”
 
>This was certainly news.
>You thought it was impossible for her to grow any further in strength due to her limited form.
>Seeing your confused look, she began to explain.
 
>“It’s still my, well technically our, magic. What Luna can use, I can use. Stealing her armor is certainly out of the question, but they must have what’s left of mine locked up in the artifact storage room. There is no way they wouldn’t secure it.”
 
>You groaned inwardly as you heard mention of the artifact storage room.
>The last time you were there was when you stole the Discorb as part of your defection.
>It was such a needlessly long and complex process to work around each and every single ward, charm, and shield placed on all the doors.
 
“Can’t we just portal into wherever you think they’re hiding it?”
 
>“As much as I would like it to be that simple, we must consider the fact they might have increased the security there after our previous break-in.”
 
>You let your head slump onto the table.
>Of all the places you never wanted to see again, artifact storage was at the top of that list.
>Her commanding glare was drilling into the top of your head as you lay there.
 
“Fine.”
 
>“Excellent, we shall move now.”
 
>Forcing yourself upwards, you trudged over to her side as she opened the dusky passageway.
>With a resigned sigh, you crossed over.
 
>This was... different.
 
>Nightmare Moon was right, they definitely turned it up to eleven.
 
>You were standing on a landing in the middle of a large white room.
>Countless staircases filled the interior.
>They were twisted and placed at nearly every angle, some connecting to each other but going off in completely different directions.
>All of them lead to different doors.
 
>It reminded you greatly of Escher.
 
>You tried walking on one that ran up a nearby wall.
>Gravity seemed to change, as you were now standing parallel to the floor you stood on before.
>The sudden perspective shift made your head spin as the stairs you were standing on became the new floor, the orientation of all the other stairs shifting accordingly.
 
>“What in Tartarus is this!?”
 
>At least you weren’t alone in that reaction.
 
“Archive storage.”
 
>She shot you a disapproving look.
>You shrugged it off with a wry grin.
 
“Do you have any idea where they might be keeping it? I’d really like to cut the time here short.”
 
>“Hmph, I share the sentiment. It its likely they are holding it in the central storage area, wherever that might be. It is no where near dangerous enough to warrant being put in the secure holding zone.”
 
“So where do we start looking?”
 
>“That door would make a good start.”
 
>At the top of the staircase was a plain wooden door.
>There was a marble griffon head mounted above it.
>Making your way upward, a loud voice suddenly rang out from the stone bust.
 
>“Halt! In order to pass you must answer this question.”
 
>You groaned in frustration, as if this place wasn’t bad enough.
 
>“What creature walks on all fours in the morning,”
 
>Hah! You’ve heard this one a million times.
 
>“four after noon,”
 
>Wait what?
 
>“and with four legs in the evening.”
 
>What the hell was this?
>Assuming this was based on the same riddle from Earth, then the answer would have to be…
 
“A pony?”
 
>“Correct indeed, this passageway shall be open to you.”
 
>Well, you lucked out pretty hard on that.
>You might have been stuck here for hours rattling off all the different four-legged species until you got the right one.
 
>“That was almost impressive, Anonymous. How did you know the answer so fast?”
 
“Uh... call it intuition.”
 
>Passing through the doorway lead to you the exact same room you had left.
>Looking behind you, there was no marble bust above the door.
>Either there was some portal in the door that teleported you to somewhere else in the same room, or there was a whole bunch of these rooms interconnected.
 
>Such a thought made you shudder.
 
...
 
>“A train leaves Canterlot station and travels north at a speed of 75 mph. Two hours later, a second train leaves on a parallel track and travels north at 125 mph. How far from the station will they meet?”
 
>Oh come on, this was just getting ludicrous.
 
>You’ve been stuck for the better part of an hour running up, down, upside-down and sideways across various staircases being asked ridiculous questions at every turn.
>Nightmare Moon was able to help somewhat, but the sheer volume of questions you had to answer slowed your progress down greatly.
 
...
 
>“It is the time of the Great Celestia and Luna Rift. Somehow, you find yourself in a position where you can effortlessly steal Nightmare Moon’s bit pouch. This theft will not affect her rise to power, the nature of the conflict between the princesses, or her banishment. There is nothing important in the pouch, but the act will cost Nightmare Moon forty bits and completely ruin her evening. You do not need the money. The odds that you will be caught committing this crime are less than 2 percent. Are you ethically obliged to steal Nightmare Moon’s bit pouch?”
 
>Before you could even open your mouth the griffon bust was blown to pieces by a bolt of magic.
 
>“I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PLACE!”
 
>You winced as the dust slowly descended, looks like she could definitely make her magic hurt if properly motivated.
>A portal tore itself open in front of you with little ceremony.
 
>“ITS SECRETS MUST BE HIDDEN SOMEWHERE, WHEN WE FIND THEM WE SHALL RETURN HERE.”
 
>Another portal was already waiting for you when you returned to the glade.
>Not wanting to tempt her wrath by asking questions, you simply went through it.
 
>Now this was unexpected, it leads straight to Celestia’s bedroom.
 
>Nightmare Moon projected herself in as soon as you entered and started tearing drawers out of every desk she could find.
>Doing your best to replace whatever she tossed around, it was only a few minutes of her stampeding around before she stopped suddenly.
 
>“Here it is!”
 
>A thick stack of papers hovered in front of her.
 
>“I knew she would keep some sheet of answers to that abomination of a security system! There is no way she would ever be able to memorize all of that garbage! Luna probably could, but that sun headed floozy just doesn’t have the brains for it!”
 
>Her judgment seemed a little biased, but there was no way you were going to say that out loud.
>Nightmare Moon was rapidly going through the papers, in search of something.
 
>“THAT WHORSE! THE ANSWER WAS YES!”
 
>You cringed at the outburst of sound, wasn’t this supposed to be a stealth operation?
 
>Two portal hops later, you were back inside artifact storage.
>Progress was much quicker this time, Nightmare Moon reading off whatever the papers listed as the answer.
 
>According to the information, there was only one room to this puzzle box.
>Getting to the different storage areas required you to go through a specific series of doors.
>Messing up the sequence would have you reappear at a random entryway, at which point you would have to start from the beginning again.
 
>Crossing through the final gate in the order, you entered an endlessly long hallway lined with doors on both sides.
>At least you finally entered a place that looked normal.
>The plain stone flooring echoed your footsteps as you marched down the lengthy corridor.
 
>Nightmare Moon floated beside you, eyes closed as she tried to feel out which door held her armor.
>Mercifully it only took a few minutes of traveling before she signaled you to stop.
 
>“This one.”
 
>There was a brass nameplate next to the door that listed the unit number, but such details mattered little to you.
>Your mind was focused on one thing, getting out of this hellhole.
 
>As the door swung open, you nearly had a heart attack.
 
“P-princess Luna!?”
 
>Your eyes went as wide as saucers as you hastily brandished your staff.
>The Princess of Night stood unafraid as she stared both of you down.
 
>Nightmare Moon made the first strike, firing off a weak bolt of magic.
>When it completely phased through Luna, something seemed off.
 
>“We seest thou managed to work thy way around our security system.”
 
>Boldly, you held your staff out as far as it could go and prodded her with the Discorb.
>It simply passed through her like she didn’t exist, confirming your suspicions.
 
>“An illusion!”
 
>Nightmare Moon pointed out the obvious as you took some calming breaths.
>You were almost worried for a moment there.
>Uninterested in what Luna had to say, you walked straight through her as you approached a thick marble pedestal.
>Lying on a red velvet pillow was the collected scraps of Nightmare Moon’s bright royal blue armor.
 
“Are these all the pieces Nightmare?”
 
>“We didst not give thou permission to ignore us!”
 
>“Yes, it looks about right. Collect them Anonymous, and let us depart this unsightly place.”
 
>Neither of you paid heed to the furious princess raving in the background as you idly conversed, Nightmare Moon opening the way back home.
>With a casual wave, you bid farewell to Luna as you walked through the portal with your prize.