The night was young, and the moon remained stationary, high in the sky.

In a penthouse located deep within the city, would be an elegantly furnished apartment room. Of course it was private, and within, yellow lights kept it alight, giving the room a warm comforting atmosphere. Even from the blackened city streets below, one could probably see it from afar. It was often assumed those who lived in such places were often of the higher class of Equestrian society. And they wouldn't be far from the truth. For this was the penthouse of two quite notable figures in the city, one whom often kept to herself, while the other was perhaps a little too outgoing. Sitting in a warm bath with her head leaned back as she had her eyes closed would be Octavia, soaking her coat as she just let off a heavy sigh before opening her eyes and peering towards the ceiling, deep in thought.

"Oi! Octaaavia!~"

Octavia glanced over towards the wooden door across the marble bathroom floor with a blank expression. "What Vinyl?"

"You going to be in there all night!? I got an event to go to! I'd sure like to take a bath before then!"

Octavia closed her eyes, obviously irritated.  "Vinyl, I had a long day at work today. Maybe you can take a bath after your event? Wouldn't that make the most sense? I mean, you're going to come back all stinky drenched in sweat anyway, so you might as well wait."

"Well,..... It's obvious that I'm not going to convince you so forget it." There was a slight pause, "Are you doing okay?"

Octavia's brows furrowed as she closed her eyes halfway. "Yea it's nothing. Just a small, inconvenience."

Vinyl, a snow white unicorn with two opposing shades of blue making up her mane, leaned on the opposing end of the door with a light smirk. She had her hooves crossed as she raised a brow, turning her head as if she were actually glancing back at Octavia despite the barrier which remained between them. She appeared slightly amused, but ultimately worried. "Inconvenience huh? I really don't like that word."

Octavia from within the bathroom just groaned, as she closed her eyes with a sigh. "It's nothing you need to worry yourself over Vinyl. I'm a big mare, I can take care of myself." She paused, "You just concentrate on your event okay? Don't go losing focus over my problems."

Vinyl frowned a bit, before baring a smile, trusting in her friend. "Alright, but if you need anything, remember I'm always-"

Octavia sighed again, heavily this time. "Goooooo to your event Vinyl!"

Vinyl called back out to her from beyond the door. "Okay okay okay! I got it haha, see you in a few Octy! I'll just head out early!"

Octavia kept her eyes closed as she remained in her bath, simply listening as she heard the sound of casual trots, before the sound of the front door creaking open, then slamming shut a few seconds later. She leaned her head back with relief. Finally, peaceful silence. She now wore a smirk as she snickered. "Heh, this is the difference between us Mare of the Moon. You're down there, and I'm up here. Maybe someday you'll actually realize the meaning of status, that it isn't some inherent birthright." She closed her eyes with a pleased smile. "At cookie kings, we're all kings and queen's. You could've joined us, instead, you chose to crumble." And as she laid there in the tub, still deep in thought, Octavia drifted back to another memory, one she often lost herself in.

Octavia was just a filly, being held back by a larger stallion. "NO! No please! Please don't take away Cookie King's!"

The older stallion kept her close, pulling her into a tight hug before closing his eyes. "D-Don't look Sweetie! Close your eyes!"

But Octavia had tears in her eyes as she constantly pushed against him, fighting back as she cried out towards a few shadowed individuals in the distance. They stood in front of a now vacant Cookie King's facility, as they turned to look at the crying filly. The workers were still loading some final goods into the remaining truck, as Octavia cried out, "PLEASE! Please don't take away Cookie King's!" She then clung onto the stallion's coat as she shook her head over and over again. "It was Daddy and I's favorite place to eat! W-Where will we go now after school!? Please! E-Everyfilly is a Queen-" She shut her eyes tight before shouting, "When we're at Cookie King's!!!!"

The shadowed stallion just peered in her direction as he then raised a hoof, in motion to one of the workers. "Retrieve the last Vanilla Triple Chocolate Supreme, and make it snappy." A light smirk crept onto the the shadowed pony's face as he sighed with pity.

Octavia's eyes widened exponentially. "No....."

The stallion holding onto the filly then picked her up as he broke off into a speedy trot! "Just look at me Sweetie! It's alright!"

The shadowed pony soon took hold of the cookie, before dropping it onto the ground. "King's and Queen's? Hah, don't make me laugh child, there is no such thing. Allow me to show you the truth of this world in all its glory." He raised his hoof over the cookie.

Octavia then reached out to him, both enraged and in grief. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Before he crushed that cookie beneath his hoof, and Octavia watched it shatter into pieces before her very eyes. "This is the eternal truth of this world. From now on, this property will be put to much better use here in Ponyville."

The filly just remained there, as the stallion who held her only continued to run. Octavia's eyes were wide but her expression was dead, as she watched those shattered crumbs get pecked away at by pigeons, and it was as if her world had gone in slow motion. She only continued to focus on that broken cookie, the image of it etched into her mind as the two retreated from the scene.

Octavia soon snapped back to reality as she leaned forward in the tub and wrapped her hooves around herself and trembled, muttering, "T-That's not true. That's not the true." She soon glared ahead, stilling herself again and appearing determined. "I will show you all that you're wrong, about this world, about Cookie King's." She peered down at her reflection in the water, "Starting with you, you stubborn alicorn."

And she would never ever forget it, that final Vanilla Triple Chocolate Supreme of her childhood.

"And that is why! We must be ready whenever the threat arises! YOU, my loyal subjects must be prepared!"

And standing on the edge of a steaming pool of water, would be four squirrels with curious looks. They each looked to one another first then back at whomever was speaking to them, just blinking and appearing pretty clueless about what was exactly happening.

Nightmare Moon stood in the middle of this steaming pool and chuckled as she placed a hoof upon her chest. She was currently in what appeared to be a forest, or at least the surrounding area was that of a forest. She wore a confident smirk, a look of defiance. "Aahahahaha! You see! With defeat comes experience! I have only gained more knowledge in my attempts to rise in the Mcmuffin industry! It may take some time and patience! But you, yes, YOU ALL, will be some of the first to bare witness to the glorious rebirth of my uprising. I will do it the fair way, yes yes yes, I know my castle could use some work." Another piece of wood snapped from the roof of the wooden cottage in the background, before Nightmare Moon continued with an excited expression. "But everypony starts somewhere! AM I RIGHT!?"

The squirrels then all scurried back to the forest.

Nightmare Moon sighed heavily as she sulked, sinking deeper into the pool of steaming water as she glanced left and right. Surrounding the pool would be a ring of dark blue magic, as her magical aura dissipated from the pool before she nodded to herself. "That's a good temperature." Nightmare Moon leaned her head back as she swam around in the pool, obviously flustered and frustrated. "Why must making a living be so hard? SURELY there is an easier way to go about this. I-I mean, I'm a ruler after all! Perhaps I must consult the book of knowledge in order to become more powerful. Time is of the essence!" She soon scurried out of the pool of water and back to her cottage.

A book slammed upon the beaten wooden floorboards in her barren living room, as it was titled, DICTIONARY.

Nightmare Moon stared blankly at it as she had a raggedy towel wrapped around her neck. She soon lowered her frame, as she laid upon the floor, still staring at the book with wide eyes. She just looked down upon it, not saying a word. How do I use this artifact? Surely there must be some way in order to bring out its power. Might it just be a simple book? No, surely such a creation is not that simple. I am missing something here, an important piece of the puzzle. I must just figure it out. She flipped out the book to a random page, just staring at it.

Nothing happened, the book just remained on the floor.

Nightmare Moon frowned a bit. W-Why is it not working!? Surely it will give me some guidance! Or something,! She glanced up in deep thought, drifting back to what Lightning Dust told her about the artifact, as she attempted to find some answers in her memories.

Lightning Dust sighed, handing her the book with a tired expression. "You're an alicorn, so you could probably knock out reading all this in no time. Just remember, if there's anything you don't really understand, search it up in here. This thing has all the answers."

Nightmare Moon observed it as she flipped it upside down, right side up, left, right, in practically all directions. "How interesting! Comrade, how do I tap into its inner potential should I ever need it? It makes me glad you would entrust me with such a powerful tome."

Lightning Dust rolled her eyes as she was trotting away, before glancing back at the mare. "Just open it Nightmare, sheesh."

Nightmare Moon drifted back to the present. "I have opened it, and nothing has happened. What wicked sorcery is this? Have I been deceived?" Her nose wrinkled in annoyance as she just continued to stare at it, growing more and more annoyed with each passing second. She closed her eyes. "ARGH! NONSENSE! I will not be outplayed by some mere tome of power! I am Nightmare Moon! I am intelligent enough to figure out the means to this problem! I am from Luna herse-" but at that moment the alicorn cut herself off, before her eyes saddened and she spoke no more of that subject. "I-I mean, I am, I am my own alicorn now. I do not need Luna, she is her own alicorn as well." Nightmare Moon patted her cheeks as she shook her head and went back to focusing. "I-I can be just as smart as Luna, hah! Even smarter! I just need to concentrate! I may have not had any Equestria experience but I can learn everything just as she did, it's just gonna take some time!" Nightmare Moon then went back to peering at the book with a sense of absolute concentration.

Minutes drifted by, constantly.

Time drew on and on, and Nightmare Moon still focused on that one page, while nothing still happened. Her expression steadily sunk to one of annoyance, shame, and complete embarrassment before she flushed red at the realization she STILL wasn't getting it. She growled before tossing the book away and roaring at it. "ERAAAH!!!! NONSENSE!!! YOU THINK YOU CAN MAKE A FOOL OUT OF ME!?!"

The book just remained there, in the barren corner.

Nightmare Moon placed a hoof upon her chest. "I am NIGHTMARE MOON! You will show some respect!"

The book said nothing, only remaining there in the corner.

Nightmare Moon bared a look of defeat and shame once again as her face darkened and she appeared to have snapped. "IRK! Y-YOU, YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS YOU BLASTED TOME! BY THAT I SWEAR!" Her horn then started to glow as black fire began to surround her very being, she glared angrily at the book as soon, a speck of her fire touched the wooden floorboards and soon began spreading throughout the rest of her cottage. Nightmare Moon growled, "NOW IS WHERE YOUR- huh?" She raised a brow, glancing about as she noticed her cottage was slowly being consumed by flames. She gasped, "O-Oh no! MY, MY CASTLE!" She poofed out of her home almost immediately, looking on in despair from the air as her wooden home slowly crumbled into ashes before she could do anything. Soon enough the mare touched upon the ground with a saddened expression as she lowered her head in disappointment and more shame. "Ugh..." She drifted back to another memory, as she thought about something else Lightning Dust had told her in particular.

Lightning Dust had her hooves crossed, giving Nightmare a blank stare. "You shouldn't use any of your dangerous magic."

Nightmare Moon raised a brow. "W-Why!? It is the most efficient way of solving problems in the realm of darkness!"

Lightning Dust shook her head. "Not in this world. You said you want to rebuild your life right? Well if you go around doing mean things to everypony who annoys you, that's just another way of announcing you want to get locked up. So don't do anything stupid okay?"

Nightmare Moon shook her head in worry, "And should my inner desires to destroy all forms of life surrounding me consume me, what is my backup option to ensure my status does not crumble to the ground in this world!? Everything would be for a waste!"

Lightning Dust placed a hoof over her forehead with a heavy sigh, before looking to her and placing both hooves at her sides. "Alright! Listen, whenever you find yourself in a heavy jam, I want you to remember these exact instructions, so listen carefully."

Nightmare Moon took in a deep breath as stood on the border of Manehattan, some ways outside the city as she closed her eyes and then used telekinetic magic to pour the water of her natural pool, onto the remaining flames. She then lowered her frame as she stood upon the grass while she concentrated. She spread her wings as encircling her would be a ring of pure wind, escalating in acceleration and becoming increasingly visible, as the more pressure she applied the easier it was to see. And in an instant, the alicorn shot for the skies, high enough to the point where she could look over the entirety of the city. She glanced around momentarily with a worried expression as she remained elevated, where the stars laid in the background with coursing midnight clouds drifting on by accompanied only by the wind.

Look to the city lights, then look for the area with the least amount of them in the city. There should be a stream of houses, buildings, I'm sure you've seen at least a few of those in your lifetime right? Well I live down there in that neighborhood, just keep looking through the houses till you see the mailbox with my name on it. I'm not sure where you live, but remember one thing because I know this might be a bit tough for you. But I need you to listen to me really carefully here alright? Please, please please please please please-

Nightmare Moon's eyes widened as she looked over the city from above, and something she saw in particular caught her interest. In the heart of the city, she caught sight of an origin of exuding darkness. It was like a beam which shot for the stars, and she'd never seen anything like it. The thoughts slowly drifted from her mind as she just focused on it with wide curious eyes of her own.

Lightning Dust stomped a hoof at the time she'd stated this important instruction. "DON'T GET DISTRACTED ALONG THE WAY!"

And Nightmare Moon shot straight for that source of darkness which protruded from the heart of Manehattan. Utterly distracted.

Meanwhile, sitting on a couch in her home would be Lightning Dust. Her house was fair sized, as she sighed heavily while turning the channel upon the TV. As she flipped through the channels, all she was seeing were commercials aimed at the well known Photo Finish, which she could care less about. She had a bored look upon her face as she rested one hoof upon her cheek. "Nothing huh..."

"BIG SIS! BIG SIS! I'M HUUUUUUNGRY!"

Lightning Dust's eyes widened as she glanced back behind the couch, to see having entered the kitchen would be a tinier colt. She suddenly bared a slight smile as she fluttered up and over it. "Yea yea I'm coming alright? Give me a second." But as she fluttered she blinked a bit as she felt a sudden sense of unease in the air, then her brow twitched. She stood there silently as she just sighed and lowered her head.

The little colt tilted his head to the right in curiosity. "What's wrong Big Sis?"

Lightning Dust just stated simply. "I just had the strangest feeling, that somepony is doing something quite stupid right now."