Sitting upon the edge of a building which rested at the heart of Manehattan while overlooking what appeared to be a stream of darkness which surged towards the very skies, was a small black colt. He wore a bored yet patient expression, almost as if he were waiting for something. He just continued to sit there silently, watching from atop the building as the origin of the stream of black magic laid in the middle of a dark alleyway. And as he continued to sit there and wait, eventually, his wait had finally come to an end. "Hm?"

Soon touching down in the middle of the alleyway would be an alicorn, her coat as black as night itself while her mane was like that of an ever-flowing cast of stars. She slowly trotted up to the stream of black magic, as she glanced it up and down curiously, not saying a word, even touching it as what little she did make contact with, simply flowed into her as if it were a part of her. She appeared slightly confused.

The colt however, wasn't, as he soon rose to meet the alicorn. "So, you did survive! Lady of the Nightmare!"

Nightmare Moon then immediately looked to her upper right towards the top of that building, still wearing a curious look. But upon spotting the one who spoke to her, her confusion only rose before she looked to this little colt with cold eyes. "Hm, I knew this was far too unnatural to be any ordinary pony. Who're you?" She paused for a moment, "By survive, I assume you are referring to my rebirth. But I cannot say for certain. For I cannot recall that I've seen you before, but judging by your appearance, you are no ordinary being by far."

The colt disappeared in the form of dissipating black shadows, before reappearing from shadow in the alleyway itself. He'd emerged from the concrete surface as he just stared blankly at the mare. "Graaaah, you wouldn't be far from the truth." He paused, "We fought together side by side if you recall. Do you not remember the realm of darkness? We managed to escape together, despite, that unfortunate last event."

Nightmare Moon stared blankly at the colt for a minute more before her eyes widened as if coming to a realization. She then staggered back a bit, "O-Oh, OH! You! Y-You're, him!? Uh, what was his name again? The Grah King?" She began to giggle, "Oh was that amusing."

The colt didn't appear amused as he stomped a hoof. "It's King Sombra you wench! My name is King Sombra!" He flushed red momentarily as he avoided eye contact with the alicorn. The Grah King!? A-Anypony would grah with frustration during such times!

Nightmare Moon burst into laughter more. "Ahahahahahaha! Yeeees yes yes yes! I do remember you! King Sombra, oh how interesting. So you also survived the escape, I'd thought you perished as well during our final assault." She eyed him up and down with slight amusement, before having to turn away and hide her laughter. "Pfffft, well, in hindsight I guess you did perish,....IN SIZE!"

King Sombra snarled, gritting his teeth angrily at her. "Y-You! YOU find this funny!? Why aren't you like this!?"

She turned to face him again before tilting her head to the right. "More than likely due to the fact I'm an alicorn. To return from beyond the grave is no easy feat, even our own magic has its limits. For you, immeasurably so. So it is of no surprise to me that you've suffered from some after-effects of your rebirth. I say give it some time, perhaps you will return to your original self, perhaps never, who knows."

King Sombra turned away with frustration. "GRAH! How absurd! To have been reduced to such a state is beyond insulting." He closed his eyes with yet another heavy sigh. "But I digress, the situation could've been much much worse." He glanced back at her with curiosity. "I assume you have been here longer than I have, which isn't surprising to me. Have you learned more of this strange world? It seems different from the one I recall. And why're you still here in this city? Are you not going to strike at the heart and dethrone Cele-"

Nightmare Moon shook her head. "Never."

King Sombra turned to face her again with half-closed eyes. "What?"

Nightmare Moon continued, "You heard me. I don't plan to take my fight to Canterlot. I've moved past that." She then turned away from the colt, simply looking towards the full moon with a thoughtful expression, remaining silent for she knew he'd probably want to give his thoughts on this. There was a strange form of companionship between the two, almost hinting towards respect.

King Sombra growled, his nose wrinkling in absolute annoyance. "Grah! I never took you for a coward! You seemed to be willing to do anything to get out of that place, and yet you run with your tail tucked once you've escaped? How pathetic! I misjudged you!"

Nightmare Moon just glanced back at him, little surprised by his temper, before smiling softly. "It is for that exact reason why I never plan to attack Canterlot Grah King." She continued looking towards the sky. "Look to the sky, to the beautiful stars and the full moon. Feel the air which surrounds you. It is for these reasons I will survive. It is for these reasons I won't go back." She smirked back at him, "I am done with regrets, wallowing in the darkness for so long has taught me that." She scratched at the back of her mane with a tired look. "There will come a time when I must make things right with Luna, Celestia, and their mortal allies," she turned to face him ultimately with a look of intent worry, "I'm not eager for such a day." Nightmare Moon began trotting around the alleyway then, suddenly full of energy. "But," her eyes turned cold as she glared at the colt. "For the time being, I have far greater threats to worry about. Ones that exceed our magic itself."

King Sombra suddenly appeared peaked with interest, "Grah? So you are distracted with another battle then? How interesting." He closed his eyes, lowering his head. "I can't say that I myself am quite ready to give up on taking back my Empire. But perhaps, it is best to lay low for some time." He glanced down at one of his hooves, "Regain my strength." He then glared at her intently, in curiosity. "But these threats you speak of, that is beyond our magic itself? What could possibly hold that form of power? Such news is troubling to me."

Nightmare Moon began to trot back and forth with a heavy sigh. "I know, it was troubling to me as well for obvious reasons." She looked to him, "The world has changed Grah King, it is no longer a world where we simply solve problems by overpowering the enemy. As you know, we were both defeated by something absolutely absurd as well, a form of magic undiscovered in the old days, the magic of friendship." She paused, "At first I couldn't understand how something so petty and sentimental could actually hold power, but after my revival it was then that I finally realized, the whole world has changed much from thousands of years ago. The time of magic has changed."

King Sombra remained silently, listening intently.

Nightmare Moon continued. "No longer are problems solved by simply decimating and overpowering your enemy, no, status is the new power. And the only way to gain it is through the ordinary working life. Thankfully I have acquired some powerful and knowledgeable companions in this sense. But-" she lowered her head with a frown, "It is still not enough. The enemies we face are far more powerful, possessing the talent and natural ability to draw in customers and entertain those around them. They are King's and Queen's of the new world, of the fast food enterprise. I have done my best to learn how to stop them, but, my strategies so far have fallen short."

King Sombra turned stubbornly from the alicorn before glaring back at her. "And what exactly is it about this new form of battle which makes it worth pursuing?" He raised a brow at her, making a slightly crooked frown. "Why rise in a world such as this through such means?"

Nightmare Moon looked to him with a light smirk. "Power, invulnerability, these are the things that come with rising in the fast food enterprise. Upon achieving the highest level of status, you will have respect like no other. It is certainly a world worth pursuing Grah King, should you choose to accept it for what it is. To go against it will only result in your turmoil, and likely banishment."

King Sombra lowered his head with a sigh. "Then, do I have a choice? I can do little as I am now anyway."

Nightmare Moon smirked. "So, are you saying you'll join me in this rise to power? In this conquest of the food enterprise and beyond?"

King Sombra scratched at the back of his mane. "Grah, well if it surely means that we'll achieve victory over our enemies."

Nightmare Moon smiled brightly as she chuckled. "Good good! I am quite happy you see things my way." She paused before raising a brow at him, "But I am curious, how did you know that I would be able to find you?" She tilted her head to the right, "With this darkness?"

Sombra glanced down towards the ground. "I didn't, I only did what I felt would draw you in if you were around this general area. I had no certainty of knowing whether or not you'd actually show up. I know only a few of us are able to see the remnants of darkness which originate from that twisted realm, but I only know of one whom has the power to actually see the negativity manifest in all its forms, even fear. I simply wanted to test my theory, thankfully it worked. Being alone in this state with no allies or means of returning to power, the situation would've been quite troublesome." He raised a brow at her, "And how have you not been pursued yet? You are still the same villain as you were when you'd been vanquished supposedly, so why hasn't Celestia and Luna sent their dogs after you?"

Nightmare Moon shrugged as she lowered her head. "Perhaps it is due to the fact I have not draw much attention to myself as of yet. News of my rebirth will spread with time, but for now, I am in no rush to attract Canterlot's attention." She tilted her head to the right, "Especially those children whom were responsible for my defeat, I'd rather avoid such troublesome encounters as long as I can."

Sombra cringed, "GRAH! Those children, how could I ever forget!? What a bunch of troublesome pests!"

Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes. "I can't say I disagree, but, they're the heralds of this new world of magic. We must do our best to ensure they are unable to touch us for the time being. Should we attract their attention, I'm fairly certain we can say goodbye to our newly gained freedom. But if we are able to start anew, to show this world that we mean to play by the new rules, we will be just as invulnerable as they are." She smiled at him, "We have been reborn Grah King, and together, we can rise again, we can live happily in this new world." She raised a hoof at him in an obviously welcoming gesture, actually hoping that he'd take hold of it, to show his loyalty.

King Sombra paused for a moment, just eyeing her hoof before smirking. "Heh...." He then took hold of that hoof.

There was a brief pause between the two as they remained in that hoof clutch.

Sombra soon spoke, breaking the silence however. "So, where are you staying? Surely you've constructed a mighty fortress to call home."

Nightmare Moon's eyes widened, as she turned a bit red before scratching at the back of her mane.

King Sombra and Nightmare Moon, each sat in a wooden chair as they remained silent. King Sombra in particular had his hooves crossed as his brow twitched and he appeared horribly irritated, while Nightmare Moon just continued to sit there shiftily in embarrassment. King Sombra spoke with annoyance, "So you don't even have a home!? Some new world this is! Hah! Don't make me laugh."

Nightmare Moon looked to him with her lower lip puckered, still embarrassed. "I-I told you! It was an accident that I lost it!"

Looking over the two would be Lightning Dust as she just sighed heavily, placing a hoof over her face. "So let me get this straight. You ended up burning down your house because you couldn't figure out how to use a dictionary? Then afterwords, wandered off, and ended up discovering this little colt here who looks no older than my brother was still alive after you two escaped from whatever realm you came from? Then you decided it'd be smart to bring him here along with yourself because you guys have no place to stay?" She crossed her hooves, just staring blankly at Nightmare Moon in particular, then eyeing the colt with interest. Her brow twitched as there was a drawn on silence before Lightning Dust just snapped at the mare. "WHEN I EXPECTED YOU TO GET YOURSELF INTO A JAM NIGHTMARE I DIDN'T EXPECT YOU'D MAKE YOURSELF HOMELESS AND BRING SOME KID HERE AS WELL! Are you serious!?"

Sombra just eyed her blankly. "This peasant is your companion? She seems quite feisty."

Lightning Dust growled at him. "Shut it squirt! You're the homeless one! So if anypony qualifies as a peasant, it's probably you!"

Sombra gasped in disbelief. "T-This! This PEASANT insults me in such a manner!? You speak to a king you wench!"

Lightning Dust scoffed, "Hah, a King!? Of what? Your own arrogance? Shut your trap kid, you're just a brat in my book."

Sombra's pupils dilated as his face darkened and he just lowered his head and wrapped his hooves around himself in silence.

Lightning Dust frowned a bit with a sigh before looking back to Nightmare Moon. "But listen Nightmare, this is pretty serious. You can't just go around burning down your own home on mistake. Did you tell your landowner? She's probably gonna be extremely upset."

Nightmare Moon shook her head. "Hm? Landowner? What is this Landowner you speak of?"

Lightning Dust just stared at her, not surprised. "The pony who let you stay in the house."

Nightmare Moon blinked a bit before raising a brow. "Hm? I built it myself, nopony let me stay in it. It was my own castle."

Lightning Dust ran a hoof down her face, moaning in discomfort. "Ooooh! How am I gonna deal with you two?" She paused before blinking a bit, nodding to herself and smiling. "Ah, I know. Just give me a second, I'll be right back." She then turned around, only to see another colt standing atop the stairs as it looked down curiously at the two who sat at the table. "Hey, go back to your room!"

The colt gasped then hurried down the hall, running into one of the rooms and shutting the door behind him.

Nightmare Moon blinked a bit, "I didn't imagine you to be one who bared children already. This is, quite surprising."

Lightning Dust flushed red before snarling at Nightmare Moon. "He's not my kid! He's my brother! There's a difference!"

Nightmare Moon closed her eyes with a slight smile. "Well technically I have two older sisters! So I understand!"

Sombra just sighed, lowering his head. "The two worst older sisters in the world might I add."

Lightning Dust raised a brow at her, "What, you have two sisters? Why don't you just stay with them!?"

Sombra couldn't help but snicker a bit at the comment. "PFFT!"

Nightmare Moon scratched at the back of her mane. "Um, we're not on very good terms at the moment I can imagine."

Lightning Dust just rolled her eyes, still not surprised as she made way for the front door. "Whatever. Alright, you two just stay here, and DON'T go messing around upstairs, that place is off-limits. If you want to do something, just watch TV. I'm going to go grab Raindrops, she lives by herself so you two should be able to stay at her place without any issues. Just don't go doing anything stupid that you might regret, seriously, if you have to, you two just sit right there the entire time!" She then made her way out, locking the door behind her.

Sombra and Nightmare Moon just looked at one another with curiosity for a bit, before then eyeing the TV.

Nightmare Moon currently had her face touched upon the TV screen in fascination. "It is not a portal, yet it shows us images of moments gone by without actually being there! T-This is amazing! What form of magic is this? And what is this barrier that blocks our path?"

Sombra eyed it with interest as well as he just stood on his hind legs, and raised a brow. "It must be some form of advanced telepathy, mind magic which is controlled by a far more powerful source." He smirked to himself, absolutely confident in his theory. "Grah, there must certainly be a wizard of which whom broadcasts these images to all of these magic amplifying boxes to inform his subjects of his greatest concerns. Look upon the portal box and see the scenes closely, and you to will notice." Upon the TV was Photo Finish, as they were highlighting the newest models whom were showing off their new dresses and costumes that'd been accustomed to their very figures.

Nightmare Moon began rubbing her lower muzzle with interest. "Hm, perhaps you are right Grah King."

"E-Excuse me?"

Nightmare Moon and Sombra's eyes widened as they immediately glanced back and at the top of the staircase. As standing there would be a tiny little colt as he just eyed them curiously, while appearing somewhat afraid as he hid behind a corner.

Nightmare Moon gasped, "L-Little Master!"

Sombra glanced over at Nightmare Moon with hesitance. "Didn't our leader tell him to stay in his chambers?"

Nightmare Moon nodded to him, "Yes, so this must be of utter importance." She looked to him. "What troubles you Little Master?"

The colt shook his head. "I-I just want to know what you two are doing with the TV."

Nightmare Moon and Sombra glanced back at the TV with raised brows.

Nightmare Moon then looked back to him, "TV? Ah yes, that's what it was called wasn't it. Do you know a lot of this Little Master?"

The colt nodded. "Mhm, Big Sis puts on lots of shows for me."

Nightmare Moon growled, lowering her head. "Blast, what is a show? If only I still had the tome."

Sombra looked to her with a raised brow. "Tome? What tome?"

Nightmare Moon looked to Sombra with a hint of sorrow. "It was a powerful tome I once possessed, but in my rage of being unable to unlock its power, it perished in the fires of my home. I believe if I had more patience, I could've unlocked the key to infinite knowledge."

Sombra nodded as he began rubbing his muzzle. "I see, I was familiar with tomes such as this. It was how I originally managed to acquire my dark magic long ago, so, it is of no surprise to me there'd be one that'd allow us to gain much needed knowledge in this world." He looked to her with a serious and inquisitive expression, raising a brow. "What was this tome called, might I ask?"

Nightmare Moon nodded to him. "It was known as, Dictionary. I believe the name is that of a powerful lord."

Sombra nodded. "Yes, a powerful lord, that does sound accurate. We must look further into this."

The front door slowly creaked open, and the colt in reaction, hurried back to his room.

Lightning Dust entered the house with a tired expression, as accompanying her would be Raindrops in a gray hoody. Lightning Dust raised a brow at the two, looking a bit skeptical about what they had going on. "Um, what're you two doing?" She then placed a hoof over her forehead before just groaning, "Actually you know what, no, I don't even want to know." She placed both hooves upon her sides while fluttering, "Raindrops is here to pick you guys up. So you two will be staying with her for the time being." She then crossed her hooves.

Raindrops waved at them with a smile. "Hi Nightmare! And nice to meet you new little pony. I'll be taking care of you guys now!"

Nightmare smiled brightly, "C-Comrade! It is good to see you!" Raindrops was one of her favorites, seeing as she always seemed to gain her approval. She glanced down at Sombra, "This is another one of our comrades, she is extremely resilient and helpful."

Sombra nodded to her, "Grah, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am known as King Sombra, a once mighty ruler."

Nightmare Moon smiled at Sombra with earnesty. As she then looked ahead with determination as Sombra made his way over to Raindrops and Lightning Dust. She smirked a bit. This is good, it seems that my new world is fortifying itself nicely. Just you wait Cello Pony, soon enough we will have enough force to defeat you. She looked down at her hoof with a grateful smile. We only need to have patience.

Meanwhile, sitting in a dark room with all lights focused on her would be Octavia. She just peered up at a shadowed figure, whom sat in a mighty throne higher up, in a room of indeterminable size. Octavia raised a brow, "What do you want? I was in the middle of enjoying my days off. You know I don't have time to keep you amused little girl." She spoke with  an obvious hint of discern.

The figure then turned its throne, revealing that it was an extremely small pony, more than likely a filly. It was shadowed as it rested its cheek on one hoof while tapping her throne's armrest with the other. "What is this I'm hearing about an alicorn working at Mcmuffin's?"

Octavia sighed heavily as she lowered her head and glared up at the shadowed individual. "I told you, I took care of it."

The tiny figure then just tossed a newspaper down at the mare as it slid across the floor with Nightmare Moon being on the front page. The publisher was titled, The Manehattan Matters. This figure then snapped, her voice obviously female. "YOU BETTER HAVE! Papa is gone for the next few weeks! And he trusted me to take care of things down here to prove myself! S-So, you better keep it together!"

Octavia growled a bit beneath her breath with an intense glare. This little brat.

The tiny figure then turned in her throne as she faced the opposing direction. "Now, you're dismissed! I don't want to hear anymore about this alicorn!" She paused before stating in an angered tone. "Don't make me go down there myself lady!"

Octavia bowed her head again as she turned with a heavy sigh. Just you wait you little brat, I'll bring down Mcmuffin's.

There was a slight tremble seen in the figure upon the throne, and Octavia couldn't determine if she was trembling out of anger or fear.

But it caused the mare to smirk, as she turned away, exiting the room upon doing so. And your whole world as well.