Nightmare Moon, Raindrops, Derpy, as well as Sombra now all remained situated at the food court from within the mall. However many of them wore hesitant and somewhat nervous expressions as they just continued to sit there at their table patiently.

Raindrops scratched at the back of her mane nervously. "Where is she? She said she'd do all the talking."

Meanwhile Lightning Dust made her way down a hall still in the other building as she came to a screeching halt before shaking her head. "NO, no no n-!" Before suddenly crashing and tumbling all over her would be a swarm of ponies as she let off a furious grunt. "ERAAAH!!!"

Nightmare Moon lowered her head as she remained silent, and appeared gravely worried.

Raindrops rose her head and continued. "Either way, I guess we'll have to go through with meeting this pony ourselves."

The rest of them looked to Raindrops in confusion then.

Raindrops continued with a sigh. "Well, Lightning Dust was supposed to be the one doing all of the talking but since she's too busy hanging out at that, um, place. I guess we'll just have to listen to what this pony were meeting has to say ourselves."

"So Lightning Dust won't be coming?"

They all then focused on the origin of that voice, as suddenly standing beside the table with a satchel would be a turquoise mare. She had a short mane with pure white streaks accompanied by darker blue ones as she didn't hesitate to take a seat and then glance around at each of them with half closed eyes and a serious expression before glancing down at her satchel and placing it flat on the table. "A shame."

Raindrops raised a brow at the mare in question. "L-Lyra!? You're the secret mare!?"

The mare revealed as Lyra Heartstrings just looked to Raindrops with those half closed eyes before glancing to her lower right with a saddened expression and giving a simple nod before looking to the rest of the group. "I am. While you all were discussing ideas about how to stop Octavia's cookie craze, I reached out to Lightning Dust sometime ago in regards to my own worries for Octavia." Lyra paused with a heavy sigh. "She hasn't been herself at that place, and she's definitely gotten worse over time. There's just no way I can continue to support her if it means just making her worse than she already is. Octavia needs to be shown that these cookies aren't the most important thing in the world." She glanced down at the table's surface solemnly. "But since my time in Manehattan is coming to an end, I wanted to give you guys any information I could about the situation. I hope you can make better use of it than I could, although it's not much."

All their eyes widened in surprise.

Raindrops blinked a bit in curiosity. "You're leaving Manehattan Lyra?"

Lyra nodded with a smile. "Yea, I'm heading back to Ponyville to live with Bon Bon again. I was only here because I needed a better location to host my Human Convention. But now that that's over and done with, I guess it's time for me to be heading back home." She closed her eyes with a chuckle before looking to them with a serious gaze. "But what's important here is that I inform you guys everything I've learned about Octavia since I came. She used to be a little more tolerant of the other businesses, but it feels like she's steadily been becoming more paranoid." Lyra fell silent for a moment. "There's only one other pony who can help you to a much greater extent." Lyra then pulled a folder out of her satchel as she slid that folder forward and her expression sunk gravely. "In this folder are the directions to Octavia's apartment room number, she lives further in the heart of the city. There she keeps her greatest weakness hidden away, the only key to defeating her."

The others gulped as they looked upon Lyra, only continuing to listen to her.

Nightmare Moon spoke with a raised brow and nervous expression. "S-So, her weakness,....is a pony?"

Lyra closed her eyes halfway as she muttered. "Heh, don't we all have that weakness?"

Nightmare Moon's gaze drifted down towards the table surface saddened.

Lyra then looked to them seriously again. "But to answer the question, yes, there is no way you guys are going to topple the Cookie King's with pure business practice alone. Octavia's status level is far too high, she has gained it over numerous years of hardwork and practice, you guys are just fillies compared to her. Even with Derpy's superb baking skills, she is out of your league." But Lyra fell silent for a moment, "Although I do know there is one secret weapon you've all been working on in order to use at a pinnacle moment." She glanced over at each of them, "Did Lightning Dust tell you of it yet?" She then looked purely at Derpy, "Or did Derpy at least tell you guys what it was?"

Derpy eyes saddened as she lowered her head and then shook it, telling Lyra her answer.

Lyra just nodded plainly at Derpy. "I understand Derpy." She looked to the others again. "The time will come when you all must release the ultimate weapon against Octavia, but obviously that day is not today. First you all need to acquire the one key to defeating her, without this key piece of the puzzle, you all won't stand a chance against her. So remember, this is your utmost priority in toppling Cookie King's."

Nightmare Moon then burst out, unable to take the suspense any longer. "T-Then tell us already!"

Lyra closed her eyes and just nodded as she slowly unveiled the key to defeating Octavia as a bright light came from the folder and nearly blinded all of them from the sheer magnificence of it, while Sombra just sat there and then looked up for a moment and stated. "Surely they can tone down those bright bulbs of power, they're quite bright." Before looking back towards the folder contents blankly.

Having been unveiled would be a picture of a pony hugging onto a grumpy Octavia at the coast of Manehattan.

That pony was none other than Vinyl Scratch.

Lyra looked to all of them with a cold gaze. "Vinyl Scratch is the one pony you guys need to find. Once you inform her of the situation then I have no doubt she will do whatever she must to make sure Octavia lets go of this cookie craze for the better." Lyra sighed, "Sadly I do not have the means or time of contacting Vinyl myself, she is a famous mare busy with a lot of events. But not many know of Octavia's close relationship with Vinyl, most only assume they're acquaintances but it's much more than that. If you guys can get Vinyl to help you with this situation, and also release the secret weapon, I'm sure Octavia will acknowledge that this chaos needs to stop."

Raindrops nodded. "S-So we need to find Vinyl Scratch first? Is that it?"

Lyra appeared hesitant for a moment before just closing her eyes and smiling and just standing and removing herself from her seat and then nodding to Raindrops. "Yea Raindrops, that's all you guys need to worry about for now. Send a letter to me telling me how everything goes once this whole Cookie King business is over and done with alright?" She turned around swiftly then as she just trotted away from the group before glancing back at them. "Octavia makes sure to keep Vinyl some distance away from this sort of business so it might not be easy getting to her, Octavia knows just as well as the rest of us that that mare is her biggest weakness. So tread lightly you all." She then tossed them a wave as she just continued to trot away towards the exit of the mall, not saying anything more, questioningly.

Raindrops called out to Lyra again reaching a hoof out towards her. "L-Lyra wait!" But as the mare only continued to trot away, Raindrops just lowered herself into her seat with a heavy frown and crossed her hooves. "Sheesh, there's gotta be more to this."

"NIGHTMARE!!!!!!"

Their eyes widened yet again as they all looked in the direction of that familiar voice.

Trotting towards them with a torn shirt and a bruised eye would be none other than Lightning Dust as she appeared as if she were tossed through a tornado. She wore a furious expression, trembling with rage as she stomped over to the table and immediately seized Nightmare Moon by her hoody and then raised a hoof at her angrily as she just continued to tremble with rage. "Y-YOU!!!! YOOOOOOU!!!!!-....."

Nightmare Moon just looked up at Lightning Dust with wide confused eyes.

Raindrops almost immediately lunged across the table to grab hold of the mare. "L-Lightning! Stop! What're you doing!?"

Even Derpy appeared somewhat frightened of the mare as she just looked at Lightning Dust in confusion.

Lightning Dust had tears swelled in her eyes as she just puckered her lower lip before stomping off and away from Nightmare.

Raindrops called out to the mare then. "L-Lightning!? Wait!"

But before Raindrops could even rise from her seat, Nightmare Moon followed after Lightning Dust out of the mall.

The other three just watched as they looked to one another in confusion.

Sombra just groaned heavily and rolled his eyes and just pouted. "WHAT IS GOING ON!?"

As Lightning Dust stomped out of the mall and just continued to trot away, she was soon stopped as appearing in front of her would be Nightmare Moon who wore a blank expression as she looked over the mare. Lightning Dust almost immediately turned around before being forcibly turned around and stopped by Nightmare Moon who then continued to stare at her blankly and silently.

Lightning Dust bit her lower lip in irritation as she snarled at Nightmare Moon. "What do you want!? Leave me alone Nightmare!"

Nightmare Moon stated blatantly. "You are angry with me, knowing this upsets me just as much."

Lightning Dust swiped a hoof at the alicorn angrily. "Of course I'm angry with you! A-Are you a moron!? I don't get you!"

Nightmare Moon then then pulled the pegasus close before embracing her in a tight hug and just tilting her head up towards her with a hoof. "What's happened to you? You've been harmed. Who would do this to you?" Her brows furrowed a bit angrily.

Lightning Dust then shoved her away before taking a few trots bat angrily. "O-Of course! You left me alone in there Nightmare! I told you to leave but I didn't mean without me you jerk! I wanted you to take me with you!" Her eyes swelled with tears further as she just yelled at the alicorn, letting her emotions flow out. "I could've been hurt Nightmare! Those ponies are dangerous, that's why I went in there for you! Yet you just left me like I didn't mean anything!" She lowered her head as she began to sob, as if unable to hold in her feelings but wanting to hide them still, feeling ashamed she was crying like a child. "You just left me in there, like it was so easy to do. I-I get it, you're new to this world, you don't really get how things work but, but still, you've got so much. You're an alicorn, you have two sisters who can help you. I don't get why you're here, why you're wasting all your potential. You can have so much yet you waste it playing games with us lesser ponies." She glared at Nightmare Moon before stomping a hoof. "Some of us don't have as much as you! Some of us aren't as great and amazing as you are! We're just normal ponies! Ponies who don't have anything! Why is it I'm the one taking care of you!? Y-You,...you're just..." And Lightning Dust lowered her hind legs, raising a hoof to her face as she just continued to sob and cry, sniffling and covering her face.

Nightmare Moon then made her way over to the pegasus with a heavy frown as she just looked down at her as she then embraced her in a hug. Lightning Dust however just continued to sob as she soon didn't hesitate to embrace the alicorn tightly, as if seeking some form of comfort even from the mare she was angry at. But Nightmare Moon was far more upset by something else, as she held onto the pegasus she paid attention to the now torn white shirt, and the sudden wounds and bruises covering her. Her brows furrowed as she placed a hoof atop Lightning Dust's head and then questioned her in a soft tone, as if desperately wanting answers while also realizing that she was also in the heat of a bad position at the moment. "I-I apologize, if I'd known they were going to go this far, I would've done something far more severe." She chuckled somewhat. "But I had no idea, I knew not of what those ponies were capable of. I apologize for this."

Lightning Dust just kept close to the alicorn as she cried, unable to hold herself back as she kept Nightmare Moon close in her embrace.

Nightmare Moon looked down at her with half-closed and a blank expression. "But you've yet to confirm who the assailants were...."

Lightning Dust sniffled as she muttered angrily. "W-Who do you think? You're so clueless!"

Nightmare Moon ran a hoof atop the mare's head before continuing. "And did they do anything else questionable?"

Lightning Dust just began to breath heavily as she shook her head, still with her face practically glued to the mare's chest feeling a sense of comfort in her hold. "No, no they didn't. Stop worrying about me. I'm, I'm fine." Lightning Dust then pulled back a little as she looked down towards the pavement and stared at the concrete with a dead expression. "Let's just go back inside, and thank you Nightmare...."

Nightmare's eyes widened exponentially in reaction to that expression as she soon almost immediately appeared frustrated by it, disappointed, and extremely upset by how barren it was. Lightning Dust simply trotted away from her however.

Raindrops and the others stood near the entrance as Raindrops had a hoof raised to her chest in worry for her co-worker and friend as she muttered to Lightning Dust. "Lightning? Are you okay? What happened between you two? Do you need to go home?"

Lightning Dust just wiped her eyes with a hoof before giving a cheeky grin. "I'm fine alright! You guys just tell me what Lyra had to say!" Lightning Dust then looked down at Sombra in surprise as she raised a brow at him. "And what's with your outfit kid?"

Sombra blinked a bit at her as he gave her a crooked frown. "What, shut your mouth! Do not speak to me with such insolence!"

And Lightning Dust rubbed the top of the colt's head as she chuckled.

But Nightmare Moon peered ahead, absolutely annoyed as she just glared particularly at Lightning Dust. Her harmed body, somepony had touched her dear friend's head. Somepony had harmed her and hurt her in a manner that she could've prevented.

She wouldn't forgive these transgressions whatsoever.