//------------------------------// // Back Again // Story: Five Nights in Equestria // by RandomHamster33 //------------------------------// There was a flash, and everything seemed to stop. The ponies waiting on the other side froze. The animatronics froze. Even Princess Luna froze as the wave of light washed over her, shrouding the dreamscape like a thick blanket of fog. Then time seemed to move backwards. The light remained; however, the group began to walk back, all their actions in reverse. Nonetheless, the door to Foxy’s head remained open. He and Fluttershy were nowhere to be seen as time rewound. Minutes passed like seconds and—without any of them realizing it—they were back at Canterlot Castle. Then, back at the train station and heading to Ponyville. Freddy and Goldie brawling in reverse at the library. The Nightmare laughing as it was defeated, and the rainbow of justice sweeping back up to be absorbed by the Element bearers—minus one. Soon, the ponies were gone, miles away from Ponyville again. The Elements were back with the Nightmare. Princess Celestia went flying across the sky and vanished in a flash of teleportation as Golden Luna fought with the Nightmare. Time sped backwards still. Past incidents flashed by as the Nightmare transformed, but there was no one standing there at the end. Then Celestia, Luna, and Golden Freddy were randomly standing in the library, not doing anything. Then, as suddenly as it all happened, it stopped. Twilight woke with a start, hooves jerking under her starry comforter. Her head swiveled around, eyes searching. Spike’s quiet snoring from his basket was the only thing she could hear. The moon’s pale light shone in through the wi— Wait, Spike? I sent him to my parent’s house before we searched for the other animatronics. Why would he be here? Twilight sat up almost mechanically, a perplexed expression on her face. Kicking her covers off, she stood next to Spike’s basket, just watching him sleep. After noticing nothing amiss with him, she decided to explore. I shouldn't be dreaming. Why would I be? We were just rescuing Foxy. The violet unicorn trotted downstairs. Her horn lit and she went into her lab as the door opened. Upon reaching the bottom, her blood went cold. There was nothing there. “Fluttershy! Fluttershy!” Twilight yowled, pounding loudly on the cottage door. There was no answer. Steeling herself, she lit her horn and the door slowly began to creak open. “Fluttershy? You here?” Twilight whispered. She took a few steps, entering the pegasus’ living room. “She's not here, Twilight.” The violet unicorn spun around, heart pounding at the sudden scare. Princess Celestia stood in the doorway, her frame outlined by the moon in the night sky. “Princess Celestia? What do you mean she's not here?” Twilight asked with a frown on her face as she padded closer to the alicorn. “I mean Fluttershy has never existed,” Celestia said in the same nearly-monotone voice as before. Twilight tilted her head in confusion. “What are you talking about? How could Fluttersh . . .” Celestia illuminated the room with her horn. Twilight’s words faded out as she gazed about. The room was sparsely furnished, only a few broken chairs and a legless table taking up space. Cobwebs and dust covered everything. The windows were broken and the floor was mostly dirt. A rat scurried across the room with a quiet squeak. There was no sign that anypony had lived there in years. “Princess, I'm—I’m confused,” Twilight choked, turning back to the alicorn. “I'm sorry, Twilight. When you were in the dreamscape, something happened . . . the timeline reset, and everything that was not part of our world was erased.” “Our world? But Fluttershy—” “Fluttershy was in Foxy’s head when it happened.” Celestia paused. “It’s the way of the world to return to its natural state, and we’d been poking about in the chaos and clutter for far too long, with everything that had happened.” Draping a large white wing over the unicorn, the solar sovereign led her out of the cottage and into the garden. She didn't let her illumination spell die out just yet. Celestia allowed Twilight to take the scenery in as she continued speaking. “Foxy was not part of this world, this we are all clear of. None of the animatronics were. Not Mike, either,” Celestia spoke. “And when Luna brought Foxy here, I didn't foresee any of this happening. Neither did she.” Twilight found it hard to respond as she gazed about the garden. Or what was supposed to be a garden. There were weeds and the tall grass was up to her chest, all with no clear order. “Equestria’s magic flows deep within the land—from the plants to the animals to the ponies, nothing is devoid of magic’s force. When the Elements of Harmony were not ours (though that whole story is best left for another time), they helped restore harmony from their places deep within what is now the Everfree Forest. And now that they are attached to you ponies, you are the thing that resets harmony.” For the first time, Twilight looked to the moon. “Princess Celestia, we—” Twilight found it hard to choke out—“we didn't save Luna, did we?” She gazed up at her mentor. Celestia smiled a bittersweet smile, the tears in her eyes shining faintly in the light. “No, Twilight. There was no Element of Kindness.” The two ponies looked up at the moon. It was partly shattered, a large chunk out of where the Mare in the Moon used to be. The bits of rock missing floated in a mock halo around the side. “How did we—you—stop her?” Twilight whispered. “The five Elements we did have powered up and attacked her with all they had,” Celestia explained. “They tried to launch her back into the moon. But without Kindness, they didn't restore harmony—they killed her.” Twilight stared up at the desolate night sky, the tears wanting to fall but unable to. “Did we defeat Discord?” she asked after a moment. “I knew after what happened to Luna that there'd be a chance we couldn't find a new Element of Kindness,” Celestia started hesitantly, “so I took precautions.” Dreading the answer, Twilight didn't ask what kind of precautions immediately. Then, “You killed him.” “I had to.” Twilight nodded. “I understand.” After that, the two beings stood in silence, allowing Twilight to take in all the information. “Gather the other Element Bearers, Twilight. I must tell you all together what to do,” Celestia said softly, breaking the quiet. Eyes shooting up to her mentor, Twilight gasped, “You have a plan?” Celestia dipped her head. “I have had years to think about it.” “Years?” “Yes.” Celestia blinked. “I have waited from the first rainboom to now. You five only remember what happened in the original timeline. That's why I've had to wait so long.” Twilight frowned. “I'm sorry.” “Do not be. We shall fix this.” The alicorn gestured with a wing. “Go. Get the remaining Elements.” “Alright,” Celestia began, “it will be a difficult task, but one that you cannot afford to fail.” The five Elements stood before her, eyes wide with sadness yet determination. “Just tell us what to do, Princess,” Rainbow Dash spat, scraping her hoof against the ground in agitation. Celestia couldn't help but feel sorry for the brash pegasus, as she was the one who'd lost the most—her best friend since childhood. The very one who'd helped her become Loyalty in the first place. It had been a surprise when she'd still met Twilight in Ponyville. After all, nothing had been keeping her there. “I can send you to the alternate world, where the animatronics originate from,” Celestia continued. “I cannot go, for I have the Sun and the Moon to control.” She paused. “You must find out if the animatronics remember you or not. If they do, perhaps they can tell you where Fluttershy has ended up. It's quite possible she got bounced to their dimension with them. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you whether she remembers everything like us.” “But how are we goin’ to ask them? We won't be ponies in this dimension, will we?” Applejack asked. “No, you won't; that is correct.” Celestia shook her head. “When Luna and I traveled there, we were humans, like Mike. But we still had use of our magic and flight, one just couldn't see our extra appendages. That is what it shall be like for you. And using a few trick spells, you should all be able to get in afterhours quite easily.” The princess smiled. “I can't tell you exactly what to do, but this is a crucial task. If we don't get Fluttershy back, the Elements of Harmony will be useless until a replacement for Kindness is found.” “But since you banished Princess Luna to the moon, you wielded the Elements, right?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I'm not saying I don't want to find Flutters, but . . .” She trailed off, eyes saddening. “Just in case, you know.” She scuffed a hoof against the floor. “Yes, I did wield them at one point,” Celestia answered. “When Luna and I first defeated Discord, I was the Bearer of Magic, Kindness, and Generosity. My sister had Loyalty, Honesty, and Laughter.” The alicorn smiled. “But I no longer have the connections to the Elements. As soon as Twilight became Magic and named you all as the others, my power over them was severed. I cannot wield Kindness without the other two, and Luna by my side with the last three.” Twilight cocked her head. “Alright, so back to the mission: how do we get back to Equestria? Won't bringing them back cause the same thing to happen?” Celestia paused. “We aren't bringing them all back, Twilight. Just Fluttershy—if you manage to locate her. We can't take the risk.” She saw the look on her student’s face and spoke again, “But if we do manage to restore the original timeline, then it's possible they'll be back. I am not sure at what point in time, however. “And getting back to Equestria will be easy. Here, take this.” Celestia lit her horn and deposited a small pouch at Twilight’s hooves. Upon receiving a provoking nod from her mentor, she opened it, revealing a collection of gems in all sorts of different colors. They all had the same shape, however. “Ooh, what are those?” Rarity purred, eyes widening at their beauty. “They are spell gems, imbued with the spell to bring you back to Equestria—hence the name spell gem,” Celestia explained brightly. “I’ve powered them just for this purpose. It's much easier than me waiting for a signal.” “Okay, how do we use ‘em?” Dash asked with a flick of her tail and a raised eyebrow as she inspected a silver one. “When you want to leave, return to the place you arrived. That is the weakest point to enter the world—the closest, at least. Arrange the gems in a circle and stand inside. If any one of you is outside it, you won't be transported, so use caution. When you are all ready, activate them with magic—you'll be transported back to Equestria to land in the Everfree Forest; our weakest point.” “We’ve got it, Princess!” Pinkie Pie cheered. Twilight and the rest nodded, their faces determined. Celestia smiled. “Then go with haste! I wish you luck!” The group of five were enveloped in a bubble of gold—Celestia’s magic. “Fluttershy is waiting, of that I am sure!” “Whoa! This is so weird!” Rainbow’s voice was the first to be heard as they materialized in the foreign land. She had her hands out in front of her, inspecting her fingers. Her rainbow hair was cut short and she was sporting a pair of jeans and a T-shirt under a cropped overcoat, with a pair of athletic sneakers on. “Tell me about it,” Applejack murmured, a hand reaching up to make sure her hat was there. She had on a checkered shirt with jeans and cowboy boots. “Wow! I feel so tall!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily, picking up her feet that were covered in large boots. The rest of her outfit was composed of a short sleeved shirt and a pair of capris. “A girl could get used to this,” Rarity purred. She had a cute dress with a bow in the back, and on her feet were a pair of small high heels. “Maybe not all of us,” Twilight mumbled, pulling her jacket closer to her body. She had a pair of jeans and Converse shoes on also. Looking up, she saw from the position of the sun it was about five in the afternoon. “Come on, girls. We have to find the pizzeria.” She waved her hand in a gesture of ‘follow me’ and the group scurried out of the alley. There were a few stumbles along the way, but they managed to get to the end of the street. “There it is,” Pinkie Pie breathed in awe. The five stood on the other side of the street, gazing at the slightly rundown building of Freddy Fazbear’s pizzeria. “I can't say I didn't imagine it differently,” Rarity commented, voice slightly disappointed. “Who cares what it looks like? Let's go in!” Rainbow Dash shouted, on the verge of punching someone if she didn't find Fluttershy soon. Luckily, Applejack grabbed her before she could run across the street. “Hold up,” Twilight warned. “We can't just stroll in. It'd look odd, wouldn't it, if a group of adults came in alone. It's a children’s place, right?” “What? Are you saying you should turn one of us to kids? Do you even know any aging spells?” Dash retorted. “Well—no, I’m not saying I turn one of us into kids. That's really unnecessary.” Twilight gave her a slightly sheepish look. “Let's wait ‘til nightfall and sneak in then.” The five girls were pressed against the side of the pizzeria, the one facing away from the street. Twilight poked her head out to make sure no one was watching and then waved her hand in a gesture of ‘come on’ before sneaking forward. The four others crept after her as they approached the door. Using her magic, she unlocked it and, one after another, the group entered the building. It was nearly eleven, so the restaurant was closed, but the animatronics weren't in roaming mode yet, thankfully enough. The three of them stood on stage. “Freddy?” Twilight called uncertainly. With a sudden movement, the leading animatronic’s head jerked up, eyes glowing. He looked in their direction. “Ponies?” he questioned, blinking. “Well, once-ponies, anyways.” He leaped off stage and made his way towards them. He looked as he did before they’d ended up in Equestria—not scruffy and wild: “What are you doing here?” He poked Twilight in the forehead, causing her to grunt in pain and stumble backwards. But apparently just as angry. “Hey! What was that for?” she growled, rubbing at the spot he’d touched her. “What do you think?” His blue eyes glared daggers at them. “You sent us back here and abandoned her!” He took a menacing step forward, making the girls flinch back. “For your information, we didn't send you back!” Twilight retorted. “There was something happening with the timeline and we came to fix it!” “Then why did you wait so long?!” Twilight’s heart skipped a beat. “Wha-what?” Without holding back, Freddy grabbed Twilight’s head in his large hand and dragged her to the side, where a calendar was tacked upon the wall. He ferociously planted a finger on the day it was. “Do you see that?!” Freddy snarled angrily, getting louder every time he spoke. “What do you see?!” Twilight recalled the day Foxy told her how old he was: “Hey, speaking of boys, how old are you, Foxy?” “Hmm . . . what year is it here?” “Well, it’s 7334, but I’m sure it’s different in your world.” Foxy thought for a moment. “Aye, that is diff’rent. I know what year it was when I was introduced . . .” “Introduced?” “Aye, I worked at a rest’rant. I was built in 1986, and the . . .” Foxy stopped, grimacing. “And a few years progressed . . . aye, I remember the calendar in the workroom said 1993. So I’m . . . seven.” He seemed satisfied with that answer. “S-seven?” Twilight stammered. This calendar read September 19, 1996. “Oh my Celestia,” Twilight choked. Freddy released her from his tight grip and she fell against the wall, where Pinkie Pie and Applejack quickly helped her up. “Hey! That was mean!” Pinkie spat. “Do—do you know-?” Twilight stammered, looking up at Freddy, who was lighting a cigarette. He glanced down at her with contempt. “Of course I do,” he answered, taking a long drag from his cigarette, which sat in its usual holder. "Where is she?” Rainbow Dash quickly asked, flying to get her face right in Freddy’s. He snorted a bit of smoke out his nose. It enveloped her face and she ducked away, coughing. “Dude! I can't believe you actually smoke those things!” “Do you mean to tell me you have cigarettes in Equestria?” Freddy asked. “For goodness sakes! I could have relieved so much stress!” Pausing, he inspected the girls. “Well, it's nearly eleven thirty. You know what that means.” He finished his cigarette and flicked it off to the side where it landed in a trash can. “That's a real fire hazard,” Rarity pointed out, raising an eyebrow at him. Freddy stowed the holder behind the front desk. “So what?” “Does Mike work here still?” Twilight asked suddenly. Freddy paused, then started to laugh. “What! Why would he work here? I'm sure he remembers everything, too! That's why he's never worked here!” “Wait, never?” Applejack asked. “Ya mean he never worked here?” “Of course he didn't!” “Wait, how long ago did you come back?” Twilight whispered, dreading the answer. Freddy arched one of his dark eyebrows. “Dear, we've been back since 1987.” He watched the complete shock on all of their faces. He pointed right at Twilight. “Do you have any idea how much that hurt them?” He leant up close to her before regaining their spacing. “Of course, I don't care. It's just, you know, Foxy and Fluttershy—even Chica and Bonnie, though not as much—were upset because of this. You can imagine Foxy and Fluttershy’s complete and utter devastation.” He paused. “And you know who really got ruined?” Trying to think, Twilight only managed a few stutters. Freddy smirked. “You know what; I think I'll let you figure that one out on your own.” He walked towards the stage. “It's gonna be midnight soon. I recommend you prepare yourselves.” The room was silent for a few moments. “Girls?”