//------------------------------//
// The Return of Nightmare Moon Again 
// Story: To Start Over Again 
// by Catlovingmermaid 
//------------------------------//

Twilight glanced up at the moon, sure enough, The Mare in the Moon was still trapped. Could she pull this off a second time? Last time she had braved a wild forest to find the Elements of Harmony, but now, with the knowledge she had gathered, she knew that she and her friends didn't need the Elements at all, the true elements resided inside their hearts. Did she even need to go into the Everfree forest? It probably would be better if she didn't mess with anything, besides, it was the obstacles of the forest that bonded them together and proved themselves as the bearers of Harmony. That trip into the forest was what set her on the path to friendship, and of becoming a princess.
"We're just going to have to go into the woods tomorrow I guess," she muttered to herself, as she allowed the curtain to drop, covering the window and hiding the moon from view.
"Hey, Twilight," Spike said, appearing in her old bedroom, "Pinkie Pie is starting pin the tail on the pony, you want to play?"
Twilight frowned, the first time she had been asked that question years ago, she had snapped at Spike and called everypony in town crazy. It had been harsh, but she still thinks she hit the nail on the head as Apple Jack would say, at least when it came to Pinkie Pie, "I don't really feel like partying, we are at the brink of disaster here, and I need to figure out the best course of action. Do we need to do the whole thing the same way as before? Or can we cut out the part that I thought we needed but learned later wasn't necessary?"
"What do you mean 'Brink?'"
"Nightmare Moon is going to escape tonight and capture Princess Celestia, and my friends and I are going to have to stop her. Before we went to the ruins of the castle of the two sisters to find the elements of harmony, but I learned later, right before I took over Equestria, that the elements are just symbols, that the power lies within us."
"If you don't need them, don't go after them," Spike said, tipping his hat up so he could see.
"But if we don't go the others would never prove themselves worthy of the elements."
"Then go," Spike said, rolling his eyes, Twilight was getting worked up over nothing again, as usual, he wondered if that was what Twilighting meant.
Just then Rainbow Dash rushed into the bedroom, "Come on, are you going to watch the sunrise or not?" she demanded before racing off again.



Town Hall was just the way she remembered it, decorated with ribbons and gems, and crowded with ponies. This was it after Mayor Mare finishes her speech and pulls back the curtain, everyone would notice that Celestia was gone and Nightmare moon had returned.
"Isn't this exciting?" Pinkie asked, jumping out in front of Twilight if it wasn't for the fact that Twilight was so use to her pink friend's enthusiasm, she might have jumped, but she managed to hold still as she was bombarded with a loud noise, "Are you excited, 'cause I'm excited, I've never been so excited, although if I had met you when you first got here, that would be tough to beat."
"That's nice," Twilight said before freezing, "What did you say?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Pinkie said, "It's just yesterday when I was out and about, you know doing my own thing, all for of my hooves started to tap at once and do you know what that means?"
"You're going to meet a new friend?" Twilight guessed, was it really guessing if she knew what the answer was?
"Yeah," Pinkie stated, eyeing her oddly, "How did you know that," she shrugged, not waiting for an answer, "Anyway I knew that I was supposed to meet a new friend but I didn't because you were talking to the princess and I didn't want to interrupt so we didn't meet, and I bet if we would have met that would top how excited I am right now."
"...Princess Celestia," Mayor Mare called out from the stage, causing Twilight to groan, Pinkie had prevented her from hearing the rest of Mayor Mare's speech.
Rarity pulled back the curtains on the upper balcony as Fluttershy's birds started to sing cheerfully. Twilight tensed knowing what was happening. There was a collective gasp as everypony registered the fact that Princess Celestia was not on the Balcony.
"Remain calm, everypony, there must be a reasonable explanation!"
"Ooh, ooh, I love guessing games!" Pinkie Pie shouted, not grasping the seriousness of the situation as she lifted up a table cloth to peer underneath, "Is she hiding?"
"She's gone!" Rarity's voice filled the air.
"Ooh, she's good," PInkie announced empressed, no doubt planning to ask Princess Celestia to play hide and seek with her, should she find her.
The other ponies screamed in shock and fear as blue fog filled the balcony and Nightmare Moon appeared.
"Nightmare Moon," Twilight muttered, "Just like I remembered."
" Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious little sun-loving faces." Nightmare Moon said in a voice that told a different story. 
Rainbow Dash reacted quickly, demanding to know where the Princess was, luckily Apple Jack grabbed her tail, holding her back, it wouldn't do to attack without a plan.
Nightmare Moon laughed, a cold, hollow-sounding thing, "Why? Am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?"
Pinkie perked up, forgetting for the moment that this creature had somehow captured their princess, "Ooh, ooh, more guessing games! Um, Hokey Smokes! How about... Queen Meanie! No! Black Snooty, Black Snooty," Apple Jack quickly shoved an apple into her talkative friend's mouth as she still kept Rainbow Dash from attacking the stranger by holding her tail in her mouth.
"Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years? Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?" Nightmare Moon demanded.
Twilight took a step forward, "I did, I know who you are, you are the Mare in the Moon, Nightmare Moon."
Nightmare Moon, flew down so she was face to face with Twilight, "Well well well, somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here."
Twilight fought the urge to tremble, last time she faced Nightmare Moon she had let her fear show, this time she wasn't going to cower, "You are here to bring about eternal night," she said, looking Nightmare Moon in the eyes, through them almost, reminding herself of the pony trapped underneath the dark magic.
Nightmare Moon was shocked, surprised, she was sure that everyone would cower before her, but that purple unicorn stood there, as confident as ever as if she knew something that she did not, "Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!" she called out, hoping to intimidate the purple pony in front of her.
"Not if I can stop you," Twilight found herself saying, "And return Princess Luna to the side of her sister."
"What!" Nightmare Moon exclaimed, obviously confused, how did this little unicorn know?
"I will get the elements of harmony," Twilight said, "I will use them against you, and I will release your control of Princess Luna."
Nightmare Moon didn't even know what to think about being openly challenged and lunged at the unicorn who teleported out of reach. Nightmare shot one last menacing glare, before turning into the blue fog and flying out the door, surely she couldn't possibly know where the Elements were, she was bluffing, but just to be safe, she better destroy them.



Twilight had raced out of the town hall after Nightmare Moon had left, she needed to get to the library, not only was Spike falling asleep on her back and needed a nap, but her friends would meet her there just like they did the first time.
She tucked Spike in his little bed and headed downstairs to wait for her friends to show up.
"What do you know about Nightmare Moon?" an angry voice demanded as a cyan pegasus pressed her face up against hers, "Are you a spy?"
"Shimmer down there Sally," Apple Jack called out, yanking on Rainbow's tail, again, "She ain't no spy, but she sure knows what is going on. Don't you Twilight?"
Twilight glanced at her friends, she needed to tell them everything, they would believe her, just like their counterparts believed her when Sunset stole her crown all those years ago, "Well, it's a long story," she began.
"Oh," Pinkie stated, "You're really the leader of Equestria from the future who woke up one day to discover that you've been sent back in time to the day that you discover that Nightmare Moon would escape, so you ran away to Ponyville to make friends with your old friends who helped you defeat Nightmare Moon, turning her back into Princess Luna and reuniting her with her older sister Princess Celestia."
"That can't be it," Rainbow insisted.
"Actually," Twilight said, "Pinkie's pretty much-covered everything."
"You're the leader of Equestria?" Rarity asked, shocked.
"Technically we all lead Equestria, I'm just the figurehead." Twilight said, "But I need to stop Nightmare Moon so I can find a way to get back to my own time."
"So, if you've done this before," Apple Jack said slowly, still not sure if she believed her, "Where do we need to go."
"The ruins of the castle of the Two Sisters, deep inside the Everfree Forest."
"Okay," Pinkie shouted, bouncing up, "Let's go!" 
Twilight watched in amusement as she bounced down the path to the forest.