"Ah... what a beautiful fractal day," Donut Joe chimed to himself as he glided forward, ramping from platform to platform as he navigated fine crimson fissures in the Grid's glossy surface. "I wonder what's next?" His eyes darted left and right, and soon the chubby stallion was smiling with red cheeks. "Maybe I should see what Olivia Whinny is up to—"
Swoooosh! CLANK! Another cycle came in out of nowhere and rammed into him.
"Gah!" His hooves slipped at the controls. Amidst a shower of sparks, he wildly flailed, finally pulling the cycle upright and spinning to a stop. "What gives?!" He glared.
"Uhhhh..." Stu Leaves rested his cycle dead-square in the middle of a platform surrounded by glowing red fissures. Blips and bloops of electronic light intermittently flickered across the valley in between them. "I give... apparently..."
"I thought I was being nice and graceful to you up there on the plateau!" Donut growled through his helmet. He tugged at the controls, causing his cycle to flash with deep cyan light. "How'd you like to be de-rezzed permanently?"
"Er... is th-that a bad thing?"
"It means your digital matrix is washed away for all eternity!" Donut grinned.
Stu leaves gulped. "Well... that would certainly ruin a Friday... eheh..."
"How about it, bucko?"
"I... r-really can't let you ride off any longer." Stu nervously squirmed atop his cycle. His eyes darted towards the far end of the valley. "Uhm... I have... er... space business with you."
"Hah! The Grid has nothing to do with Outer Space, you silly program!"
"... ... ...deep sea business?" Stu winced. "For real, though, where in the heck are we?!"
"I am climbing up the leader board of video game warriors!" Donut Joe's nostrils flared, condensing against the front edge of his visor. "You, on the other hoof, are nothing but loose data code!" And he revved at the glowing engine. "Have at you, null unit!"
"Uhhhhh..."
Vrmmmmmmmm! Donut Joe glided violently ahead, ramping over the fissures and leaving a sporadic trail of light in his wake. The nose of his cycle reflected Stu Leaves' dormant figure.
"Uhhh..." Stu's teeth clattered as he tilted his helmet aside. "Now would be a good time—"
Fwisssssssssh! A rainbow-glowing disc flew in from out of nowhere.
"Huh?" Donut glanced aside—only to get a muzzle-ful of light. CLANK! "OOFA!" He flew clear off his bike.
Cl-Clackka! The cycle toppled over, spun, and skidded to a stop right before Stu's trembling figure. The stallion slumped on his vehicle, exhaling.
"Gnnghhh..." Donut Joe stood up, rubbing his cracked helmet. "What in the buck...?!"
Fw-Fwiiiish! The rainbow disc flew back, landing in the raised hoof of a squatting pegasus several meters away. "Wow, Joe!" She smirked, standing up on a dark platform surrounded by redness. "For a guy who dishes out so may donuts, you sure don't know how to take them." She winked. "The glowy ones, that is."
"You again!" Donut growled, kipping up to his hooves. "What's it going to take to make you leave me alone?!"
"You gotta wake up, pal!" Rainbow frowned. "As snazzy as this place is, it's no place at all. So, snap out of it. We've got places to go and ponies to safe."
Epcot flitted around the mare's head. "YES YES."
"Right." Rainbow gestured at the sphere. "What I said."
"Finally..." Donut licked his lips while pulling a bright blue disc from the back of his suit. "...a decent challenge. It's been countless millicycles..."
"Uhhh... Rainbow?" Stu grimaced, staring across the way at her. "I'm not sure you wanna go hoof-to-hoof with him in this place. The stallion seems to know what he's doing."
"Oh please..." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "How good at this thing could he possibly be—?"
"Rrrrrrrghh—" Donut Joe galloped forward, spun, and swung the disc with all his might. "HAAAAAUGH!" The object spiraled across the ground like a buzz-saw, ripping up rock and gravel and glass as it carved its way violently towards Rainbow.
SCRKKKKK!
"Sonuva—" Rainbow squeaked and raised her disc in front of her like a dinky shield.
CLANKKK!
The blow sent her flying backwards, flailing. "Aaaaaaaaaaaugh!" She landed on a plane of transulcent glass bordering the red platforms. "Ooof!" The floor cracked from her impact while Donut Joe's disc retracted.
"Rainbow!" Stu called out from where he stood. "Are you okay?!"
"Nnnngh..."
Stu grimaced. "For real, Dash! He just owned you!"
Epcot flew past him. "YES."
Rainbow wheezed. "He didn't ask you!" she sputtered.
"FINISH THE GAME!" Donut Joe leapt and sailed down at her, disc first.
Rainbow looked up, bug-eyed. "Dude—come onnn!" She raised her rainbow disc and met him at the end of his jump. CLANNNG! The valley reverberated with geometric rings of explosive energy.