I have this question that has been bothering me ever since season's 5 finale. Ok, I can buy that whenever Twilight went back to the present, a different villain has taken over Equestria. It's alternate time lines or multiverse theory or something.

However, Nightmare Moon was the first villain to appear and the first villain that the Mane 6 defeated. But if the Mane 6 never met or became friends, how can the other villain timelines could possibly exist if Nightmare Moon was the first villain to possible take over Equestria? Queen Chrysalis wouldn't want to take over Equestria because there won't be enough love for her race to want and conquer. Would NM allow Cerberus to be away from Tartarus and allow Tirek to escape? Even if you want to show the other villain timelines, shouldn't Nightmare Moon timeline be the first one that we see?

Also, in the Chaotic timeline, Discord was torturing Celestia and Luna! How did Luna went back to normal if the Mane 6 never existed to turn her good again? If Celestia was able to turn her good again because of the elements, then could the Nightmare Moon timeline exist?

4903677

Simple. Other forces defeated other villains in the new worldlines. The villain in charge is the one who won.

For instance, in the worldline in which Nightmare Moon is Queen of Equestria, she (or others) have obviously defeated Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra and Tirek. In the worldline menaced by Chrysalis, others defeated Nightmare Moon and Discord, and she (or others) has defeated Sombra and Tirek. And so on. And in some worldlines, the change may have prevented some villains from attacking at all whether by butterfly effects or by deterrence.

Ironically, in the Changeling timeline Sombra is hailed as a hero by ponies... because he's "saving" them from Chrysalis.

In Discord's case (who other villains shouldn't probably be able to defeat) it is very easy, in all the other timelines besides his, no one happened to argue with their friend and get into a fight within six feet of his statue.

4903677 Discord probably reverted Luna for funsies.

4903677 Actually what I think it is, that the writers did, is they did it in way that was easiest way to handle it, while making all the fans happy, by giving them timelines with each villain.

In fact, my recent Fanfic version of the season finale, is 'sort of' base on an Idea that I had before the finale aired. It was how I thought somethings were going to really happen. I can't give you the link but it is called Endless Time Or, Forever End.

4903677

Well, since the only world where the EOH are mentioned is the nightmare moon one, I am going to say this. In each world there was A set of elements of Harmony that defeated Nightmare Moon, but we never saw them. Much like 4903690 said, there were other forces that did, we just never saw it. This is the problem with doing 5-10 minutes of each world, we are only given a small window to each. However, each one of these worlds is a two parter onto itself. Heck, Sombra alone could fill a 15 chapter fanfic.

Its just that in eah world, somehow or other, they were able to beat each of the elements that were in their world. The crystal empire didn't have the mane six to make the crystal ponies happy enough to weild the heart, the wedding went wrong somehow, Discord was only winning temporarily (again, only a window), and Nightmare Moon was actually the night never ended world.