1052 AD, February 23rd

Nightmare Moon soared through the air under the guise of an Invisibility spell as she covered the distance between Ponyville and Canterlot. A train thundered along the tracks below her, steam billowing from its chute. Birds flew alongside her, oblivious; the crystal blue sky was barren with not one cloud to be seen for miles all around. Sunlight streamed down on all the land, highlighting the foliage’s green tones and creating pixels of rainbows on her eyelashes.

Grudgingly, she had to admit it was a pretty scene. Celestia had managed to create a land of beauty during her reign.

Below, the train vanished into the network of tunnels that would lead it to Equestria’s capitol city. Nightmare Moon, having the perks of flight, merely flapped her powerful wings to gain altitude, and flew up along Canterlot Mountain’s rocky face. Spiralling around one of the twin waterfalls that cascaded over the edge of the city, Nightmare Moon flew higher and higher until she was finally up and above the city wall, gazing down on the sprawling metropolis.

‘Mm, I’ve always been one for large settlements,’ Nightmare Moon mused as she tucked in her wings and dove down, spreading open the appendages just before she struck a building, and instead glided over the rooftops. ‘The serenity of nature is welcome, but there’s so much power and influence within these walls.’

Spotting a secluded alleyway, Nightmare Moon spread out her wings to catch the air, and descended, her horn lighting up as she dispelled her invisibility and reapplied her disguise. She had corrected the teeth and toned down her size, but couldn’t help but leave a bit more mass.

She wasn’t used to not looking down on ponies when she spoke to them.

Stepping out of the alleyway, Nightmare Moon slipped into the crowd and trotted along the cobblestone path.

‘I see security has been updated since my arrival…’

Nightmare Moon smirked with no small amount of pride as she watched stallions in golden armour patrol the streets in pairs. A few conversations with Lyra and Bon-Bon confirmed that it had been roughly six days since she had been defeated. Six days and the Royal Guard looked like they were expecting her to swoop down and carry them off to her lair. It was pathetic really; she hadn’t even stayed that long in Canterlot.

Turning away from the guards, her smirk faded as she stood in the shadow of Canterlot Castle. Feelings of wrath began churning in her chest as she gazed upon the golden architecture.

The princesses were probably up there, in the highest spire – Celestia’s room if she remembered correctly – spending quality time to make up for their thousand-year long separation.

She wanted to fly up there and challenge them, but she couldn’t do it. A good night’s rest and a few plates of those incredible cookies had done wonders to build up her strength, but she was still nowhere near at her full power. This wasn’t just fatigue.

Nightmare Moon brought a hoof up to her chest.

Without Luna she literally felt incomplete; a jigsaw with one piece missing. It was a deep yawning chill that constantly throbbed. If she didn’t think too much on it, then she could easily ignore the sensation, but if she did think about or used magic, then the feeling intensified. Casting the invisibility spell alone sent unpleasant chills throughout her body and that spell was rudimentary for somepony of her strength. She knew that casting anything more complicated than that would be too distracting and she needed to be at top physical and mental condition if she was going to face the two sisters.

Healing spells wouldn’t work and her alicorn physiology was only suited to deal with physical injuries. No, this wound was of her very soul and only time would mend it.

She idly wondered if Luna was feeling the same way.

Huffing, Nightmare Moon lowered her hoof to the ground, and turned to walk back the-

She abruptly came to a stop as something collided with her. Stumbling from the force, Nightmare Moon gave a hiss of pain, and rubbed at her neck. She glared daggers at the stallion who had bumped into her, and by proxy, the mare accompanying him.

The stallion had a solid build for a unicorn and was almost as tall as Nightmare Moon. His pure white coat was immaculate, as was his dark blue mane. Like many of the unicorns here, he wore expensive clothing; a tuxedo with long coat tails. His cutie mark was a picture of three crowns.

“Oh, I do beg your pardon, ma’am.” He said, rising to his hooves with the help of the mare. His horn gave a deep orange glow as he levitated a monocle back onto his face. “You weren’t harmed, were you?”

Dusting herself off with a grimace, Nightmare Moon inhaled deeply, attempting to keep a cool head. “No. I’m fine.”

“Spectacular to hear – I’d hate to start my day off by injuring some innocent mare in my haste,” He chuckled briefly. “Rush here, rush there – you know how it is in Canterlot.”

Nightmare Moon nodded. “Yes, I’ve been getting that feeling since I arrived.”

“Oh? So you’re not from here?”

“No.”

“Well, how has your experience with the city been so far?” The stallion’s companion questioned.

The mare at his side was also a unicorn and had a slender build; she was actually quite skinny, and her ribs were noticeable if one looked hard enough. Her coat was a pristine white and her mane was a light pink. Her cutie mark was of a fleur-de-lis. She didn’t wear clothes, which separated her from everypony else Nightmare Moon had seen so far.

“Different – there aren’t many buildings of such stature and design where I’m from,” Nightmare Moon lied smoothly. “The technology is also far more advanced judging by the stores with radios and television sets. Devices adapted from Foresight Resonance’s theory on how magic interacts with crystals, no doubt.”

The stallion’s jaw dropped. “You… you know the Crystal Resonance Theory?”

Foresight Resonance had been one of Luna’s closest advisors long ago and often spouted long lectures on how certain crystals could store one’s memories and display them in full, coloured images through the careful application of magic. Nightmare Moon had actually predicted the manufacturing of a device that utilized the same principle, but on a larger scale. The television wasn’t exactly the idea she had in mind, but it was very close, and a lot more sophisticated if she understood its usage correctly.

“I’ve studied up on it,” Nightmare Moon replied with a nonchalant shrug. “Is it so surprising I know it?”

“Yes, especially since most texts involving the Crystal Resonance Theory were destroyed by Foresight Resonance’s rival – Aurora Shimmer. The most intact text I know of is in the Royal Archives.”

‘Ah, and so my banishment and lack of knowledge catches up to me. How infuriating…’

Nightmare Moon opened her mouth to stall for time and think up a reason as to how she knew that when the stallion interrupted her.

“You know, you actually bear a striking resemblance to Foresight Resonance, at least in the common depictions of her,” He rubbed at his chin with one hoof. “Wherever you’re from… it wouldn’t happen to be in the east, would it? Perhaps near one of castles of the old Unicorn Kingdom?”

Capitalizing on the stallion’s unintended break, Nightmare Moon replied, “I do hail from the east, but I’m not sure if there’s anything like that nearby. My grandmother had some old books; I learned it from them.”

“Ah, but is rare to find one who knows the Crystal Resonance Theory, much less the true theory and the true pony who first discovered it,” The stallion extended his right foreleg. “I am Fancypants and the lovely mare at my side is Fleur De Lis – a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Nightmare Moon growled in her throat; she shouldn’t have wasted time talking with them, now they wanted to introduce themselves. She considered walking away then and there with some half-assed excuse, but… then again, they could prove useful for something or another in the future. Might as well make an attempt to be friendly…

“… Star Secret…” Nightmare Moon returned the hoofshake.

Apparently oblivious to her lack of enthusiasm, Fancypants’ horn glowed as he straightened his monocle again. “If you know about the Crystal Resonance theory, then would it be too much to presume that you have a decisive opinion on the Teleportation vs Translocation argument?”

“That’s hardly an argument,” Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes. “Teleportation, obviously.”

Fancypants laughed. “I know of many in my social circle that would disagree. Speaking of which, we just so happen to be having a little gathering at the local theatre a week from now. Would you consider joining me as my plus one? I’m afraid my fiancé is rather busy with a modelling show the same day.”

“That and most of their talk goes over my head.” Fleur admitted with a sheepish chuckle.

“Oh, we’re just stuffy old ponies with a fixation on history,” Fancypants reassured her. “I know for a fact that none of us know fashion the way you do, my dear.”

Fancypants must have been desperate for somepony to talk to if he was inviting some random mare of the street. Granted, Nightmare Moon was anything but a random mare, but he wasn’t aware of that. Unfortunately, she had no desire for social gatherings, not when she had much larger goals in mind.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline; I have… business to attend to.”

“Ah, that’s a shame,” Fancypants said with a forlorn look. “Ever since one of my colleagues reconsidered running for a position on the Royal Court, she’s been spending more-”

Nightmare Moon’s ears perked up. “Royal Court?”

“Hm? Oh…” He gestured towards the castle with one hoof. “Like any other settlement, Canterlot has a board of ponies that run the city’s businesses. Infrastructure, security, agriculture, trading, et cetera.”

Nightmare Moon knew there were authority figures in charge of running the settlements outside of Canterlot, but she didn’t expect the same here.

“If that’s the case, then what does Celestia do?” She asked.

“She’s still our ruler, but she handles issues on a more…” Fancypants paused and hummed thoughtfully, as if searching for the right words. “Grander scale. She still puts aside time to hear Canterlot’s woes and help where she can, but she’s a busy princess you must understand.”

Nightmare Moon’s mind was already ticking at this revelation.

‘The Royal Court…’

She imagined being on a seat next to Celestia as a trusted official.

‘Close to her…’

Slowly, she formed a toothy grin, her eyes flashing.

‘With her guard completely down…’

“Hm, but I apologize; I appear to have taken a bit of time out of your day.” Fancypants continued, oblivious to her inattention. “It was certainly a delight meeting one who shares such deep knowledge-”

“I’ll do it.”

“-concerning the…” He paused and blinked a few times. “I beg your pardon?”

“I’ve changed my mind, Fancypants.” She realized that it looked suspicious changing her mind so suddenly, but she was confident in her ability as a smooth talker to make it seem as if she had no ulterior motives. “I just remembered that my schedule isn’t set in stone; I can shift some activities around to make time. If you’ll still have me, that is.”

“Oh, but that is a pleasant surprise,” Fancypants smiled, none the wiser, and neither was his companion, judging by her pleased expression. “Here – allow me to write down the name of the theatre and the time. Star Secret, was it? A catchy name.”

Nightmare Moon was amazed at her own good fortune. What were the chances she would bump into the stallion that would inadvertently give her the head-start she needed to take this city? She would not squander this opportunity.

“There we are,” Fancypants tucked a pencil back into his pocket and levitated over a small slip of rectangular paper. “I believe the theatre’s showing the romantic classic ‘Hearts over the Mountain’, so be sure to bring a box of tissues.”

“Right…” Nightmare Moon internally scoffed at the notion as she took the paper with her own magic. The day she cried would be the day the world was coming to an end. Maybe.

“I look forward to meeting you again, Star Secret; I’ve been itching to have a good debate with somepony that isn’t-”

“Fancypants!”

Nightmare Moon swivelled her head about towards the shout. Marching towards them was a unicorn stallion dressed in a white tuxedo. His coat was an uninspiring white – she was beginning to think there were simply no colours left in the noble gene pool; spectacular inbreeding skills, really – and his styled mane was a sandy blonde.

She despised him instantly.

“Oh, Celestia help me…” Fancypants muttered, his face turning dark for the first time since she met him. However, just as quick, it turned jovial once more. “Prince Blueblood! Good to see you, old chap. How are you this fine day?”

“Fancypants…” Blueblood brushed past Nightmare Moon like she wasn’t even there. “What are you wearing?”

Fancypants blinked, glanced at Fleur, and then back at Blueblood. “A… tuxedo? Do you want the name of the-”

“A tuxedo, correct. And a tuxedo has breast pockets, am I right?”

“Indeed you are, though I’m not-”

“What do you have in your pockets?”

Fancypants blinked a few more times before levitating the contents of his pockets out. “Some papers… Ah, I was looking for these bits… A pocket watch… some-”

“A pocket watch, you say?” Blueblood nodded, looking pleased. “Excellent. Would you please tell me the time?”

“Uh… Why, it’s 4:35 pm.”

“Good. Now tell me what the time we agreed on for our little meeting was.”

“4-”

“4:25 pm exactly!” Blueblood slammed his right hoof down on the cobblestone. Fleur jumped and Nightmare Moon cringed at the noise.

Fancypants just looked thoughtful. “Oh…”

“‘Oh?’ That’s all you have to say? ‘Oh’?!” Blueblood looked ready to explode. “This is the third meeting you’ve missed because of your incessant procrastination! We’ll never get things done at this rate!”

“Blueblood, do calm down. Don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill.”

Blueblood turned red in the face. “What?! Don’t make a-?!”

“The arrangements for putting up purple drapes in the Royal Court can wait. Quite frankly, I’m more concerned with the matter regarding the civil war in the Griffon King-”

Blueblood rolled his eyes. “There is a gathering to be held in the Royal Court room in two days, Fancypants! The matter being addressed involves selecting the candidates for the new Captain of the Royal Guard. Do you really expect an important decision like that be made in a room with orange drapes?!”

“I’m not sure I see the problem with orange drapes.” Fleur said.

“And that’s why Canterlot is lucky these types of decisions lay on my shoulders and not yours.”

The amount of condescension in his tone and the smugness of his face made Nightmare Moon want to cave it in. “It’s a miracle the city’s still in one piece if that’s the case.” She scoffed.

Blueblood finally looked over at her and grimaced like she was gum on his hoof. Gum that could beat him within an inch of his life, maybe, but gum nonetheless.

“Is this the pony you’ve chosen to waste my valuable time on? You already have a trophy wife, for Celestia’s sake.”

Nightmare Moon growled. “Why you-”

“Now see here, Blueblood,” Fancypants stepped forward, brow scrunched in anger. “You may choose to insult me, but I draw the line when you start insulting my associates and my fiancé. I apologize for missing our appointment, but that gives you no reason to lash out at those around you.”

Gaining hold on her temper again, Nightmare Moon grudgingly admitted to being impressed. It seemed when push came to shove, Fancypants shoved back, and in a calm and collected manner. She could appreciate a backbone, in the metaphorical sense.

Blueblood puffed himself up, but she was certain his bark was worse than his bite. “Well, I wouldn’t feel the need to lash out at everyone if you just came to the…” He paused, inhaled, and exhaled. “No. I am not going to let this ruin my day.” He breathed in and out once more before abruptly turning and trotting away. “Forget the drapes, Fancypants. I’ll figure it out on my own, as usual. You go on with your day doing… whatever it is you do.”

Nightmare Moon watched him retreat, unsurprised by his cowardice. It was still pathetic, but it wasn’t as if she could overestimate somepony like that.

“What an ass.” Fleur huffed, flipping her mane back.

“My dear, that is an insult to asses everywhere.” Fancypants straightened his monocle and cleared his throat, turning back to Nightmare Moon. “I apologize for exposing you to that. Prince Blueblood tends to bring out the worst in me.”

“More like everyone he meets.” Fleur muttered.

Nightmare Moon glared after him. “How is there not a line of assassins fighting over which one of them gets the reward?”

“Our princess has a soft spot for her nephew and he does behave himself around her… most of the time.”

“What?” She turned back, brow furrowed in confusion. “Nephew? Luna has no children.”

“Well, it’s more of a title of endearment.” Fancypants shrugged. “The same way an adopted foal will call their parents ‘mother’ and ‘father.’ Blueblood’s family and Celestia go back quite a while. I believe his forefather was in her Royal Guard, but I’m not entirely sure.”

“Speaking of Princess Luna…” Fleur nodded towards the castle’s highest spire. “Did you hear about her return?”

Nightmare Moon kept a straight face. “I did. She’s back living in the castle, right?”

“Indeed.” Fancypants said. “I feel for the poor filly; taken over by some nightmarish brute and banished to the moon for a thousand years. Luna deserves our sympathy and understanding. Unfortunately, not many ponies are so… open-minded. They’re convinced that Luna will someday revert back to her Nightmare Goon persona and-”

“Moon. Nightmare Moon.” Fleur corrected.

“Ah, right. They’re convinced that she may revert to her Nightmare Moon persona and attempt a coup again. There are even rumours of banishing her again.”

Nightmare Moon had been banished to the moon for a thousand years, but the experience had merely been boring for her instead of soul-crushingly depressive as she imagined anypony else would have found. She felt some sympathy for her former host; taken down by backroom politics instead of falling in some glorious battle was not an ideal way to go down in history.

“Rumours are rumours,” She replied. “Likely nothing will come of it; I doubt Celestia will let her only remaining family be taken away from her.”

“My sentiments exactly,” Fancypants nodded in agreement. “But we were saying farewell before we were so rudely interrupted, weren’t we? If there’s nothing else…?”

Nightmare Moon shook her head. “No. I will most likely see you at the theatre, Fancypants. Until then…” She dipped her head. “Goodbye. You too, Fleur.”

“Goodbye.”

“Farewell, my dear.”

As she departed, Nightmare Moon took one final look at the paper in her grasp, and chuckled, low and sinister, under her breath.

‘My thanks, Fancypants; you’ve played a huge part in my plans already…’

It occurred to her a little while later that she needed to get some bits for the ticket to the theatre.

That meant she had to find a job.

A place to rest wasn’t as important. Clouds were plentiful and pleasant to the touch. Bathing was as simple as diving through a rain cloud. Food was also not a problem as it literally grew on the ground, not that she actually needed it to live, but the option that it was there should she need it was comforting.

She planned to work up enough bits for the ticket and then work towards purchasing an apartment for her base of operations.

‘This will be rather wearisome, but I’m not afraid to get my hooves dirty to achieve my goals. Now surely there’s an open spot in dire need of filling.’

Unfortunately, it seemed as though the upper class section of the city wasn’t in mood for hiring. She had trotted throughout the streets and looked in every business, but had yet to see a ‘Help Wanted’ sign. She suspected her lack of clothing was putting ponies off; they probably thought she was a vagrant or something of the like.

Grumbling under her breath, Nightmare Moon was about to teleport to the middle-class section of the city when her hoof landed on something slippery. Shifting forwards and only just barely regaining her balance, she scowled poisonously at the brightly coloured paper on the ground, and prepared to cast a spell to burn it to ash. However, the colourful block letters and bright background caught her attention, and she levitated it to eye level.

Muttering the words as she read, Nightmare Moon hummed thoughtfully once she was finished. The business was unfamiliar to her, but the hours were at night, the job occupation was intriguing, and one would hardly think to look for someone like her in a place like that.

Scrunching the paper into a ball and tossing it into a nearby bin, Nightmare Moon set towards her destination.

By the time she arrived in the downtown district, the sun was starting to set, and stars appeared in the twilight sky.

Examining her surroundings, she noted how different it was from the sparkling ‘utopia’ of the upper class districts. The buildings were far from rundown, but they also weren’t as up-to-date, and could do with a good renovation, if only to get rid of the dirt, grime, and graffiti. The streets were much of the same, but there was an abundance of trash nopony seemed keen on picking up, and there was hardly a street cleaner in sight. Finally, she noticed the population, and how the ratio of unicorns to pegasi and earth ponies had dropped dramatically.

‘Hm, so there is a darker side to Canterlot…’

She couldn’t say she was ecstatic about the trash, but she took comfort in the knowledge that she could at least get into a fight without drawing too much suspicion. Half of these ponies looked like they had gotten into a fight first thing in the morning.

Trotting down the sidewalk, Nightmare Moon approached a pegasus mare closing up shop. “Excuse me, where can I find DJ Pon-3’s club?”

“Down this street, take a left. Keep going down until you reach an intersection. The club’s on the right side, you can see it from there. You hit a deli, you’ve gone too far.”

Nightmare Moon nodded and followed the mare’s directions. “Th-thanks…”

“Be careful,” The pegasus called after her. “It gets pretty bad here at night.”

“Yes, I know,” Nightmare Moon replied with a small chuckle. “It seems all the most dangerous individuals come out when it’s night.”

The pegasus mare raised one eyebrow at her before bringing down the shop’s shutter with a rattle. She then shook her head and spread her wings to fly back home.

“Unicorns…”

Public activity seemed to increase in direct response to the dwindling sunlight, as by the time Nightmare Moon arrived at her destination, several businesses were open and displaying their bright, neon signs.

It was strange seeing how much times had changed. Long ago, ponies went to bed as soon as the sun started setting, and woke up early to tend to their business. Nightmare Moon figured that the advancements in technology allowed more efficient labour and later bedtimes. The fact that there seemed to be more to do at night might have also played a part.

Like the club she was standing before, a medium-sized rectangular building with considerably more neon fixtures than most other buildings. The club’s name ‘DJ Pon-3’ was displayed clearly on the front of the establishment, though the ‘3’ flickered randomly; in need of maintenance, most likely.

Nightmare Moon trotted towards the double doors and pushed them open with a flare of magic. The interior of the building was designed so differently from what she was used to that she had to stop and take it all in. The centre was a large area of open space with numerous alcoves in the walls occupied by tables and chairs. On one side of the club was a bar; large quantities of alcohol lined the shelves. On the wall opposite the bar was a mess of electronic equipment and large stereos, all fixed on an elevated platform, allowing anypony standing there to see all over the club. The only light came from dimly lit bulbs located on the ceiling, almost hidden by the dozens of larger spotlights.

‘What is this?’

The two ponies at the bar were just as perplexing in appearance. The mare was a unicorn with a pearly white coat and a two-tone electric blue mane. Opaque purple glasses rested on her face, concealing her eyes. Her cutie mark was a pair of eighth notes.

The stallion was an earth pony and possessed a light blue coat with a dark grey mane. He wore a dark grey shirt with a white tie. His cutie mark was of three five-pointed stars. Like the mare, he wore dark glasses which concealed his eyes.

The two were chatting amiably as they cradled beverages. Nightmare Moon loudly cleared her throat to get their attention.

“Oh, sorry we’re not open yet,” The mare said in a rather masculine voice; it reminded her of Rainbow Dash. “Come back in a few hours.”

“Actually, I’m here to apply for the job opening. You placed posters all around Canterlot, correct?”

The mare turned to her companion. “Job…? Oh right, we wanted someone for the security, huh?”

The stallion turned to Nightmare Moon. “Um, you do realize the opening is for a bouncer, right? As in, somepony who has to sometimes physically escort ponies who cause too much trouble out of the club?”

Nightmare Moon nodded. “Yes, I’m aware of that.”

“Oh… well…”

“What’s the problem, Neon?” The mare asked. “She’s a unicorn, so she can just use magic to throw ponies out, and she’s even bigger than the other bouncer. And he’s an earth pony.”

“I don’t have a problem! It’s just… you know…”

“She’s a mare?”

“No! Nothing like that.”

The mare looked away, muttering, “Sure sounds like it, ya sexist bastard…”

“Come on, Vinyl, you know I’m not like that.” Neon put down his beverage and held up his hooves in a placating gesture. “It’s just we’re going to open soon, we need to do an interview if she wants to apply, we need to-”

“Oh, come on, we just need to ask the important questions; I’ve been telling you that all the friggin’ time,” Vinyl turned to Nightmare Moon and gave a broad grin. “Hey, tall, dark and sexy – you got any issues with throwing ponies out on their asses?”

Ignoring the mare’s crude way of speaking and the strange comment on her figure, Nightmare Moon shook her head. “I’d be more conflicted on throwing out spoiled milk.”

“How does two hundred bits a week sound?”

“Acceptable.”

“You okay with working into the wee hours of the morning?”

“I do nothing during the day anyway.”

“Alright, we got a new bouncer!”

“You know, Vinyl,” Neon began uneasily. “I’m not sure I’m very comfortable with that thing about the spoiled milk.”

“Ah, you’re not comfortable with anything. Welcome to the club, uh… help me out here, huh?”

“Star Secret.”

“Ooh, sweet name,” The mare laughed as she trotted to Nightmare Moon and threw a foreleg over her shoulders. “Yeah, we’re gonna get along just fine.”

Nightmare Moon cringed at the contact. “I’m positively ecstatic.”

“Come on,” Vinyl fell back on her hooves and strolled further into the club. “I’ll show you what to do. Neon, start putting some lights on, will ya?”

As Nightmare Moon strolled past the stallion, she gave a cold grin. “I look forward to working with you.”

Neon smiled back uneasily, letting out a sigh of relief as she passed. Pushing his glasses further up his muzzle, he walked off to set the club up for the ponies that will arrive.

“And that’s why I don’t go after mares…”

Author's Notes:

Note 1: AD stands for 'After Discord', so it has been 1052 years since Discord was first sealed in his stone prison.