To Start Over Again

by Catlovingmermaid

The Elements of Harmony

Twilight Sparkle let out a sigh of relief as Rainbow Dash led them deeper into the forest, things were finally getting back on track, but there was still a ways to go before they get to the Castle of the Two Sisters, and who knows what new obstacles would await them. So far nothing was going the same way as it had gone the first time, but Rainbow had run into the Shadowbolts, like last time, it was just at a different time in the journey, and AppleJack had shown her honesty when she had reassured her that everything was going to be okay. But what about the others? What about Fluttershy and Pinkie and Rarity? Would they too get a chance to prove to themselves that they are the Elements of Harmony?

Up ahead came a low growl, followed by a distinct rattling in the bushes.

"Twilight," AppleJack called out, "Ya been through here afore, right?"

"What is that!" Rainbow Dash demanded, jumping in front of the bush.

"Well, everything is different this time around," Twilight announced, "But last time we did have to get past a Manticore."

"A What?" Everyone turned to look at Twilight in disbelief.

"You could have mentioned that little detail just a little bit sooner," Rarity complained, "Before I agreed to enter this disgusting forest," with that she lifted up a hoof and shook some mud off of it. as if to prove her point.

"Don't worry," Twilight said, "As long as we let Fluttershy take the lead we'll be fine."

"Me," Fluttershy squeaked at the same time Rainbow shouted, "Her."

"Yes," Twilight said, "you can understand animals can't you Fluttershy?"

"Well yes," Fluttershy squeaked, "But a Manticorn is just so big."

"Besides," Rainbow said, "according to you we were supposed to fall off some sort of cliff, but we ain't done that yet."

"Okay," Twilight confessed, "So things aren't going exactly like they did the first time around, but I know that as long as we stick together things will be fine."

The bush shook again, whatever was hidden in it was getting closer.

"I don't think it's a Manticorn Darling," Rarity said, taking a step back as a chicken head appeared over the bush.

"It's a Cockatrice," Rainbow shouted, spreading her wings as if she was about ready to take flight before meeting the cockatrice's eyes, turning instantly into stone.

"Rainbow," Twilight gasped, "Nothing like this happened last time, Fluttershy, you need to do something."

"I can't do anything about a Cockatrice," Fluttershy whimpered.

"Let me give it a try," Applejack said, raising up onto her front hooves to give the Cockatrice a kick, only for her to turn into stone as well.

"Fluttershy, you've got to use your stare," Twilight pleaded before she too turned into stone.

"Oh my, I don't think I can do that," Fluttershy whimpered, before looking at her friends as Pinkie Pie was turned into stone as well.

"Excuse me," Fluttershy said, turning to the cockatrice, "But I don't appreciate that you are turning all of my friends to stone, so if you don't mind can you pretty please turn them back."

The cockatrice turned to look at her and squawked loudly.

"Why you poor thing," she gasped, rushing over to the cockatrice, "You're stuck in that bush and can't get out can you." Fluttershy quickly reached her hoof into the bush and moved it around until the cockatrice was finally able to pull its tail free. The cockatrice hissed at Fluttershy, before turning around and disappearing once more in the undergrowth.

"What just happened." Rainbow Dashed asked, blinking as her body was freed from the stone.

"The cockatrice didn't mean to turn you all to stone," Fluttershy insisted, "it was just scared because it was stuck and couldn't free itself. All it needed was a little bit of kindness."

Twilight let out a sigh of relief, the element of Kindness, they were almost there they just needed the Element of Laughter and Generosity.

The group trotted deeper and deeper into the woods.

"My eyes need a break from all of this icky muck," Rarity complained as they entered a thicket of trees that blocked out all of the light from the night sky above, "Well, I didn't mean that literally."

Crunch "What was that?!" Rainbow's voice shrieked in panic.

Twilight smiled, this was just like the first time, okay so Rainbow didn't freak out when someone stepped on a twig but the darkness and the trees with Scary faces. Twilight burst out laughing.

"Are you laughing at me?" Rainbow asked looking around, trying to pinpoint Twilight from her laughter.

"No," Twilight insisted, "That's the solution to this problem, laughter, Pinkie, what is it that you're Granny Pie always says, 'Giggle at the Ghostly'?"

"Twilight's right," Pinkie Pie announced before bursting into song, "When I was a little filly and the sun was going down..."

"Did you know she was about to burst into song?" Rarity asked.

"The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frown..."

"Of course," Twilight answered.

"I'd hide under my pillow From what I thought I saw But Granny Pie said that wasn't the way To deal with fears at all..."

"Then what is?" Rainbow demanded harshly, still unsure if Twilight had been laughing at her or not.

"She said, 'Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall Learn to face your fears You'll see that they can't hurt you Just laugh to make them disappear.' Ha! Ha! Ha!" Pinkie continued, laughing at one of the scary faces, which poofed out of existence, causing the other ponies to gasp in surprise, "So, giggle at the ghostly, Guffaw at the grossly, Crackup at the creepy, Whoop it up with the weepy, Chortle at the kooky, Snortle at the spooky

"And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he's got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna... hahahaha... heh... Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuugh!"

Twilight smiled as she wiped a tear from her eye with a hoof, all they had to do was get past the river, and then they'll arrive at the Castle of the Two Sisters.

---

"We should be coming towards a river," Twilight said, she was getting tired of walking.

"You mean like that one?" Rainbow asked, moving some foliage aside with a hoof to reveal a raging river.

"How are we gonna cross this?" Pinkie asked.

"Simple, Rarity can help with this," Twilight insisted, heading downriver.

A water serpent was thrashing about sobbing, "What a world, what a world."

" Excuse me, Steven. Why are you crying?" Twilight asked politely, even though she could see the missing half of the mustache.

" Well, I don't know. I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when this tacky little cloud of purple smoke just whisked past me and tore half of my beloved mustache clean off, and now I look simply horrid," Steven sniffed, "Do I know you?" he asked suddenly.

"Twilight's from the future," Pinkie announced.

"Let me get this straight," Applejack said, "All this fuss is about a mustache?"

"Why, of course, it is. How can you be so insensitive? Oh, just look at him. Such lovely luminescent scales," Raraity said stepping towards Steven.

"I know," he sniffed.

"And your expertly coiffed mane."

"I know, I know."

"Your fabulous manicure, All ruined without your beautiful mustache," Rarity sympathized.

"It's true, I'm hideous," Steven cried out loudly and began to sob once more.

"I simply cannot let such a crime against fabulosity go uncorrected," Rarity announced, yanking off one of Steven's scales.

"Ow, what you do that for?" Steven demanded.

"Rarity knows what she's doing," Twilight insisted, as Rarity used the scale to cut her tail off and tie it to Steven's face.

"My mustache. How wonderful." Steven exclaimed.

Twilight smiled, yes, that only left the element of magic and she knew she had it, "Steven, would you mind giving us a ride across the river?"

"What, no of course not," Steven said, "climb on up."
...
"There it is," Twilight Sparkle shouted, as a large stone structure appeared in the distance.

"Come on," Applejack shouted, "let's go," as she kicked in the front door.

"Wow," Pinkie Pie said, "Someone forgot to clean up after themselves."

"What are these," Rarity asked, stepping carefully around a shard of pink glass.

"Nightmare Moon beat us here and destroyed the Elements of Harmony," Twilight gasped.

The was a burst of loud laughter as Nightmare Moon appeared upon the balcony, "What's wrong Little Pony, I ruined your plan to stop me?"

"Actually no, you haven't," Twilight announced tossing her mane proudly, "The Elements of Harmony are just symbols, their spirits reside within my friends and me."

"What?" Nightmare Moon asked.

"Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of... honesty! Fluttershy, who tamed the cockatrice with her compassion, represents the spirit of... kindness! Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of... laughter! Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift represents the spirit of... generosity! And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart's desire represents the spirit of... loyalty! The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us, just like I knew they would."

"What about the sixth element?" Nightmare Moon demanded.

Twilight faltered, she had been so worried about her friends proving themselves she forgot about her part, "You never transported me up to the tower," she gulped, "I haven't felt the spark," she shook her mane once more, and stood up straighter, "My friends are by my side," she announced, "and Friendship is Magic, making me the bearer of the Element of Magic." By now Twilight had tranced down, letting the magic she had spent so long studying to well up, enveloping the others in a strong glow.

"No, how?" Nightmare Moon screamed as she was hit once more with a rainbow laser.

A bright light filled the room and then vanished.

"Ugg," Rainbow groaned, clutching her head, "My head."

"Is Everypony Okay," Applejack called out, pulling herself up off the floor.

"oh thank goodness," Rarity exclaimed, examining her tail, "I'm never going to part from you again."

"What are these?" Rainbow Dash asked, pointing to the element of loyalty around her neck.

"Look at mine," Pinkie shouted.

" Gee, Twilight! I guess you really are from the future, how else could ya have known about the whole element thingy," Applejack drawled.

"I just wish I knew how I ended up here," Twilight confessed, "And as much as I love being back in Ponyville, I need to get back to Canterlot in my own time."

"I am sure that we can figure out what is going on together," a new voice called out as Princess Celestia flew through a broken window.

"Princess Celestia," Twilight said, bowing respectfully, "I know that you will want some privacy with Princess Luna, so we'll see ourselves out."

Princess Luna blinked, as the other ponies nodded their heads, and started to leave, however, Twilight stopped, turning to her former teacher, "I know that I've already finished my studies, but one thing I learned is that there is always something new to learn about friendship, and I know that I taught others just as much as they taught me. I think, if it's okay with you, that I want to stay here in Ponyville, at least until we figure out how to send me back to my time."

Comments

[Comickook]

Again, really good job on the latest chapter. It took a while, but it was well worth the wait. I give Nightmare Moon points for trying to use a cockatrice instead of the Manticore, even if she unknowingly played into Twilight's hooves by still using something she had past experience with. And, yeah, I can understand still using the fear trees and Steven because, unless I miss my guess, Nightmare Moon was just trying to distract them while she (apparently) destroyed the elements. Unfortunately, Twi's past experience STILL made the realization. And, now, the first adventure is done (though maybe she could go back to Canterlot JUST long enough to pack some prized belongings for the move, explain things in pony to her parents and big brother, check up on Moondancer and (most of) the rest of her old study group (in other words, "Amending Fences" happening more than a year sooner than in canon) and talk to Celestia about - some things to prepare for based on (for HER) past experience (sending a team of diplomats to Griffonstone to help out THERE, locating and locking away who knows how many lost magical artifacts BEFORE they fall into the wrong hooves/claws, having a team of guards capturing Chrysalis while another team of diplomats helps show the other Changelings a better way, having guards checking on Tartarus semi-regular to reduce the ease of Tirek's escape (as well as find out about it MUCH sooner if it DOES happen), sending a team to Mount Aris to help out Queen Novo and the hippogriffs against the Storm King and his forces, etc.).

Of course, the mystery of how Twilight's future self ended up in the past is still there and, as I said before, there are no shortage of suspects.

Of course, we still have to go through who knows how much (fortunately, the next BIG adventure isn't going to be until the "sleeping dragon" incident, so there will still be time to prepare for THAT).

But, at any rate, definitely looking forward to more of this.

[toshibafox]

10657510
when in doubt, blame discord.

unless its reasoned out by the author himself or herself as not being possible for him to do.

[Zhafran]

I'm obviously overthinking it, but I don't know how this will end well with the whole sending Twilight back to the future business.

Here is what I think.

This case is different from Starlight's time travel where Starlight, Twilight, and Spike went back in time with their physical body (they still in adult form when they travel back to the past and Twilight still an alicorn despite the change in the timeline). But here, it's about Twilight went back to the past, and she took control of her past self instead.

I don't know which part of future Twilight that went back to the past and with that, there are two things in my mind. Only her knowledge of the future or her entire soul.

This cause some issues that need to be addressed.

What happened to present day Twilight?

If only her future knowledge went back to the past, I assume she is still present day Twilight and thus sending her to the future can cause a problem (conscious only or conscious + body) to the future Twilight and actually can be "fix" with morally questionable memory alteration and that's no good.

If this is future Twilight's soul, will her past self merge into one, or she is tapped in there with no control whatsoever or worse, dead. If they merge the method above can fix it which may kill future Twilight or if not, cause more problem down the line with amnesiac soul alongside present day Twilight in the same body and if she is trapped will she be the same Twilight after what she has been through? Things definitely not the same and may alter the future but if she is dead...

Paradox happened.

If she was dead then her future self didn't exist and if she didn't exist, then her past self is alive and if....

You get the idea.

I still don't know how you will handle the time travel thingy where some authors use multiverse theory (changing timeline = creating new continuity and the original still exist), or it's only a single timeline.

Sorry I'm rambling on here, It's just something in my mind after reading.

Good story btw.

[Comickook]

10657638
Yeah. That's naturally a definite possibility, if maybe a bit too predictable. We'll have to wait and see though.

10658150
Yeah, that is actually a pretty well thought out observation. Good catch on all that. Again, though, we will have to wait and see.

[Eversong]

She be speed running