Two Weeks Later

"Five million nine hundred and eighty eight bottles of cider on the wall five million nine hundred and eighty eight bottles of cider, knock one down pass it around five million nine hundred and eighty seven bottles of cider on the wall, Five million nine..." Pinkie continued to sing much to the annoyance of everypony else. It's worse when you realise Pinkie started at one billion bottles of cider on the wall.

"Oh sweet Celestia please make it stop!" Rainbow Dash shouted while trying to block Pinkie Pie out.

The five mares had spent the last two and a half weeks trapped down in the dungeon beneath the Castle of The Two Sisters, Nightmare Nova had personally delivered food and other supplies for them, and surprisingly good food at that considering they were prisoners, and had even given them a few books to read; and while Rainbow Dash wouldn't admit it, she was in fact really getting into the 'Daring Do series. However, every request and angry demand for release had been shot down immediately along with a threat to take away 'book privileges'. One thing they knew for certain was, quite definitely, that Nightmare Nova was really into her books.

"Calm down sugarcube it ain't that bad..." Applejack sighed.

"If I ever hear that song again it will be too soon, I just want to get out of here more than ever!" Rainbow despaired.

"Well my little ponies I believe you are in luck," a new voice sounded from the dungeon entrance.

"Princess Celestia!" everypony shouted in unison, surprised by the Solar Princess' sudden appearance.

Celestia walked down the stone steps towards the cells, her horn lit up with its wonderful golden aura which connected with the five occupied cells and forcefully yanked the doors of their hinges.

The five mares ran out of their cells and up the tall alabaster alicorn.

"Your highness!" Rarity was the only one in this case to bow.

"There is no need for that now, I am not the Princess anymore."

"Well let's go and change that! It's about time somepony kicked those two off of their pedestals!" Rainbow Dash proclaimed with renewed determination and enthusiasm.

"Hold on there sugarcube, the six of us against two evil alicorns with an army of guards behind em', ah don't like them odds."

"AJ we have to do something!" Rainbow protested.

Celestia shook her head. "It is too dangerous for you five, I shouldn't have involved you in the first place, it's my fault you have rotted down here for as long as you have," Celestia hung her head in shame.

"Oh please don't feel bad, Princess..." Fluttershy pleaded.

"Flutters right, we all came of our own free will," Applejack said with a stamp of her hoof.

"Yeah and it was that big meanie that put us down here not you!" Pinkie supported.

"Besides aren't we meant to be those element bearer... things...?" Rarity questioned.

Celestia sighed. "The Elements of Harmony, yes you were to be the bearers..."

"Were?" Rarity questioned further.

"Twilight Sparkle was meant to be the bearer of the Element of Magic, which disappeared a thousand years ago along with her.
Unfortunately, the other elements were also all destroyed by Nightmare Moon soon after your capture."

"So... what do we do?" this time it was Rainbow asking.

"You? Nothing, go back to Ponyville, to your families. I will wait here for Nightmare Moon and Nightmare Nova. It started with me and it will end with me, tomorrow morning either the dawn will finally come or a state of twilight will ensue once more."

"How did it start with you, Princess?" Applejack asked, Nova had given them very little details, only that the sun was gone and the Princesses and other resistance had been defeated.

"They... are family. A very long time ago I was so absorbed in the limelight I received I failed to stop the destruction of the two ponies who needed me most. My sister and niece suffered and I did nothing to stop it, I just assumed it would ultimately blow over, I was blind. I made the same mistake but a few years ago with another student of mine, I do not know where she is now. Maybe one day they could forgive me, but recent events cast serious doubt on that... those two are monsters I created, and now it falls to me to stop them or die trying."

The five mares processed this new information, it was Applejack you spoke.

"At the end of the day, Princess, ah would say that you are just a pony like any other. We all make mistakes."

Celestia smiled sadly. "That we do..."

"Come on everypony," Applejack addressed her friends. "Let's go home".

"Are you sure AJ?" Rainbow Dash seemed uncomfortable leaving after everything that had happened.

"If the Princess feels she needs to do this, who are we to stop her? Ah say we respect her wishes..."

Reluctantly the other mares agreed and after bidding the princess their farewells and wishes of good luck they all left, heading through the Everfree Forest back to Ponyville, back home.

Nightmare Nova stood on a cliff edge in the Everfree Forest, from here she could see the Castle of The Two Sisters, or more specifically the Alicorn flying towards the old throne room.

Celestia.

She had been bringing some supplies to the imprisoned element bearers only to find her aunt already there. Nova used her magic to bring out a quill and some paper from her saddlebag.

Mother

I've found her, our old castle, throne room.

Twilight

Finishing her letter she consumed it in green flames which then turned into a magical smoke flying off in the direction of Canterlot. It didn't take long to get a reply.

Twilight

Do not engage, wait for me. I am coming.

Five mares walked through the Everfree Forest in silence, each going over recent events, from Nightmare Moon's return until now.

All except for Rainbow who was flying overhead watching out for any monsters who may threaten the group.

Rainbow Dash peered through the tree's looking for any danger, she wouldn't let anything harm her friends, not again. A small clearing was dead ahead, a cliff edge by the looks of it with a clear view of the castle. And somepony was standing by it.

"Stop!" Rainbow hissed through the trees.

The group stopped dead.

"What do you see?" Rarity inquired.

"It's her, Nightmare Nova, she's just standing by the cliff edge, staring at the castle."

"She mus' know about the Princess," Applejack noted.

"Well she isn't harming her on my watch!" Rainbow suddenly blurted out.

"Rainbow, don't!" Applejack shouted up to her friend, too late.

A Rainbow streak tore though the sky towards the dark alicorn.

...

As Nova stood looking at the castle she heard sudden raised voices, before feeling an object hurtling into her at ridiculous speeds.

Nova was knocked off of her hooves and fell to the floor with an almighty crash, her saddlebags came off and tumbled over the edge of the cliff.

Looking up, she saw an angry Rainbow Dash standing over her, and behind her four other mares ran forward all looking rather panicked. Their panic, in hindsight, was for good reason.

Summoning a surge of magic Nova blasted Rainbow into a nearby tree. The others were now committed due to Rainbow's actions and they attempted to charge Nova before she could recover.

They were too slow.

Nova jumped back to her hooves and with a snarl unleashed a barrage of magic that slammed into Rarity and Pinkie Pie sending them flying backwards. A terrified Fluttershy hid behind the nearest rock while Applejack reached Nova and attempted to give her the hardest buck she could muster, only to be met with a magical shield blocking it.

Nova levitated Applejack into the air, another Rainbow streak flew across and grabbed Applejack placing her safely a few metres away. Rainbow Dash then turned and charged towards the dark alicorn, only to be met with a hoof batting her away. A disoriented Rainbow Dash collided with the recovering Rarity and Pinkie Pie.

Applejack and Fluttershy ran to help their battered friends, with the five now gathered Nova discharged a spell in their direction.

The five jumped out of the way just in time, the spell trailed after Pinkie Pie before dissipating.

Then Nova heard a rumbling sound.

Before she could react rocks began to fall all around Nova, her last spell having caused a rock slide to begin.

The five ponies scrambled out of the way of the incoming rocks and away from the distracted Nova.

Nova herself went to teleport to safety but before she could a massive boulder hit her dead on at high speeds, there was a almighty crack as pain soured through Nova's body.

The dark alicorn was sent flying, she landed on the ground but momentum carried her over the edge of the cliff. With one hoof Nightmare Nova only just managed to grab onto a stray vine lining the cliff side.

She now dangled dangerously on the side of a very large cliff, this was not a place she particularly wanted to be.

Looking back Nova could see one of her wings bent horribly out of shape, it was broken. She tried to use her magic to teleport but pain was the only result, the impact had severely damaged her horn, neither could get her out of this mess. And to make matters worse the cliff had nowhere she could get a grip of to climb back up, the surface was too smooth.

It was a long way down, now she had the choice of either hold on or suffer a long drop with a sudden stop. Without any magic to help soften the fall the drop would almost certainly kill her, if it didn't then one of the forest's many hungry predators would be more than happy to finish the job.

It would appear the five ponies had gotten lucky, and that luck would cause the death of the younger Nightmare.

"I'm sorry mother..." she muttered as a tear rolled down Nova's cheek, the alicorn having resigned herself to her fate.

Then, to Nova's complete shock, two winged ponies appeared either side of her and grabbed onto a foreleg each. Struggling they lifted her a few meters where three hooves dangled from the cliff edge waiting to help.

With all five helping they managed to bring Nova back from over the edge and set her down on the hard rocky ground.

The Element Bearers had saved her!

"Wow... you are really heavy..." Rainbow Dash wheezed in exhaustion.

"That was a close one sugarcube, one more minute and you would of been more messed up than a rodent under a wagon wheel!" Applejack laughed.

Nova didn't see what was funny, they had saved her, she had imprisoned them and conquered Equestria but yet they still saved her!

"Why? Why did you save me? After everything I did..."

"Because sugarcube, that's jus' who we are, that and I'm willin' to bet from what I've heard that your a good pony at heart and deserve a second chance..."

"A second chance? But I betrayed you!"

"Yup, and you'd have to work pretty hard to earn our complete trust, but ah think that's jus' what the magic of friendship is about, second chances."

The other four all nodded in agreement, even Rainbow Dash.

"Friendship...?" Twilight muttered

And they were right, they had always been right. And Twilight now knew she had been so, so wrong. In her heart she had known this for a while, this was just confirmation.

The screaming in her head finally stopped.

Above them Nightmare Moon flew overhead towards the castle, ready to end this, and so was Twilight.

"This ends tonight, and I'm going to put things right!"

She meant every word, this grudge, this hatred had gone on long enough. She would make her mother see and reunite their family at long last, even if it killed her.

With that Twilight got to her hooves and ran as fast as she could towards the Castle of the Two Sister, shortly followed by the five mares who, if Twilight worked really hard might one day call her friends.

Author's Notes:

The next chapter will be the finale! It is indeed time to end this...

"About time after that U-turn!"
Pinkie! Get out of the authors notes!
"But then how would I walk to you silly?"
Pinkie I'm warning you!