For Whom the Bewitching Bell Tolls p8

>You are Starlight Glimmer
>After what should have been a close but still amazing victory, a surprising intervention had occurred with the return of Anonymous the human
>And now he's holding an impromptu meeting with the Princesses while the defeated villains are guarded. Even powered down, precautions are carefully made to secure them on site until this meeting ends
>Applejack insisted on helping keep an eye on Cozy Glow to make sure no one was swayed by her silver tongue
>Fluttershy had gone with the medics to keep Discord company after securing his removed limb
>And you had moved Pinkie Pie aside to recover from the shock of the Bell's explosion
>That only left you, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash.

>The former seemed at a loss as to what to make of the situation unfolding before them
>The latter was....as you would have expected, very angry - the target of her ire being the human who had made Fluttershy terribly upset.
>Even now, the cyan pegasus was flying around the barrier, looking for any point of entry she could find to give Anon a piece of her mind
>When that failed, she tried knocking against it to get their attention - likely feeling as though her demands for answers outweighed the meeting they're having right now
>Seeing a moderately distressed Twilight doesn't help, as Anon is in the middle of grilling both Twilight and Luna at once - both have their ears folded back and a look of concern as he gestured towards Cozy Glow while cornering them during his lecture
"Rainbow Dash-"
>"Lemme in, Twilight! You're just gonna let him talk to you like that after all of this?!"
>Using your magic, you pull the bucking mare away from the shield to get her attention.
"Can you cut that out? We don't have a full understanding about what's happening in there!"

>"So what?! He just shows up out of nowhere after we narrowly beat those bozos, attacks a friend of my friend, and now he's harassing the Princesses! What more do we need to understand?!"
>Her wings are spread out as she stares you down, breathing sharply with agitation. Clearly Dash is still riled up from both what she described and almost 0 downtime after they escaped what could have been a near-death experience from the earlier showdown.
>You'll have to help her calm down before things escalate further
>Time to engage your Counselor Mode
"Rainbow, I understand how you feel...trust me, I know this looks absolutely awful. We've just barely saved Equestria and put our lives on the line like never before, and still the situation is still a very tense one."
>Rainbow Dash hasn't backed down from her aggressive stance, but she is listening.
"But look, Anon's weapon isn't drawn. The Princesses are listening to what he's saying and giving their own thoughts in kind. Princess Luna has her magic back after it was stolen by him, too."
>Dash huffs and lowers her wings slightly in response
>"He still cut off Discord's arm."
"He, uh....yeah. He did do that. Seeing somecreature bleed out like that was a pretty big shock, too....but he's getting help, and Fluttershy's with him."
>You offer a smile, but it was lacking your usual confidence as the image of that event flashed freshly in your mind
>Not once have you ever seen Discord in actual agony. You doubt you'd forget that moment easily, if ever.
"Either way, it looks like they are handling things reasonably, even if the topics they discuss are sensitive and the timing isnt the best. I know you want to be there to support your friend - I do, too...but there are some things she has to handle as a Princess. that we cant interfere with till called upon."

>You glance over to Twilight, hoping to find something reassuring to add. Maybe an inkling about how well the talks are going
>What you would find is just the opposite - Twilight seems to be staring at the ground, wide eyed and her mouth slightly agape and seeming somewhat pale - as though some awful realization had struck her deeply and she had no idea on how to process the revelation.
>Luna is biting her bottom lip and wincing slightly, and Celestia simply closes her eyes, still maintaining her composure as she considers whatever they've been sharing this whole time.

>Dash seems to have shifted from annoyed to a bit worried as she notices their expressions.
>"What could he be telling them to make them look like that?", she wonders openly
"I'm not sure....speaking of Anonymous, Pinkie had brought up something to me sometime back, not long after he left."
>This catches Dash's attention as she faces you again
"She went looking in his house for him to make sure he hadn't hid away to mind his business. Of course, she didn't find him there, but she did find a book of his that explained his feelings about some recent developments at the time."
>"Pinkie found it? What did she tell you? Did it explain why he ran away or any of this craziness?"
>In a way, it bothered you a little that you would be breaking your trust with Pinkie to bring this matter up with somepony else, but if there was anypony who might need to know his side of things, it would be the ponies who helped fuel his decision to leave....right?
>Truth be told, there wasn't much you could do to ease her concern as you didnt know Anon too well, nor what he would be capable of. You wished that there was something you could have done
>Also you were overworked with visitors from the student body, so even if you wanted to, your time to do so was unfortunately incredibly limited.

"Well, you see, it all began when he had a dream that nopony gave any credence to..."

---

>You are Fluttershy
>And your sobbing wont stop, even after making it to the ER with your friend
>Fortunately in his depowered state, the amnestics and immediate first aid they offered worked pretty well for his induction into the hospital
>But it wasnt long before news came from one of the attending nurses about their preliminary findings
>Discord's arm, as well preserved as it were by the unicorns who aided you by freezing it, was effectively dead.
>Perhaps it was because he was the physical manifestation of a magical spectrum, but whatever Anon's weapon did, it rendered the arm unable to be reconnected or healed with magic
>And without his magic, not only could he not restore that missing limb, but he couldnt heal the wound either.

>You just couldnt understand what went wrong.
>Was it something you or the others did or said? You knew he and Discord never got along all that well, but you never imagined things would come to a head like this
>What could have made Anon do something like this?
>And what could you do or say now that would make him give back Discord's magic?
>Rubbing your eyes and quieting your sobbing, you resolve yourself to try....you have to try asking him to help your friend; to show some mercy, whatever disagreement they could have had to lead to this

---

>Once more, you're Anonymous the Intercessor
>And you've made your case to your peers
>Twilight looks like she's been spooked out of her mortal shell, now that she realized how she had failed as both a Princess of Friendship and the head of her own Friendship-themed institution, to correct and aid someone who fell through her system instead allowing her to be sent to pony hell
>Especially after Starlight had to beat the idea of redemption being possible for even the worst of cases into her skull not too long ago

>You told them that you didnt expect or even desire them to just forgive or forget how these three managed to almost turn pony society on its head
>No, most importantly, you wanted them to understand the root of the issue that led to this catastrophe so that instead of imprisoning them again for who knows how long, they can mend things and avoid another incident like this in the future
>And most importantly, you wanted the horses to see the wool Discord had pulled over them all throughout, especially with this situation.
>He hadn't changed; he couldn't and shouldn't be trusted.
>All he desired was to create chaos, writing off the aversion of disastrous results as a valuable lesson learned by his "friends"
>Even if it came to the expense of the lives or trauma of others
>Being the spirit of Chaos is no excuse to allow harm to come to their own

>"Today, we had almost cemented the grave mistakes of the past, but now we have an opportunity to change things", Luna states with a solemn nod
>"Perhaps it is not yet time for us to retire, sister. Clearly there is still much we must do. There is a chance that we can track down Tirek's brother and arrange a meeting while he's in our custody."

"Get Thorax to do something about his mother for once," you add. "Its not just a pony problem, but a Changeling one. Help him however you can, because he probably wont get far on his own"

>The ponies nod in agreement as things come to a close
"Oh, and....If you all agree to help them turn a new leaf, do let them meet each other from time to time with careful supervision. They may deny it up and down, but they've got a bond unique to them. It shouldn't be wasted, and hey, it might even help them change for the better"
>"Those three did show an uncanny capability to coordinate themselves in our confrontation earlier," Celestia murmurs
"There's nothing uncanny about it. Its just friendship of a different kind. Now, I'll return your magic if you promise me that you'll make an honest effort on their behalf, regardless of what punishment you drop on them."
>"We will do our best, Anonymous, we swear to thee" Luna pledges
>"It wont be easy, but I promise to do what I am able", Celestia responds in kind
>It takes Twilight a moment to compose herself before delivering her own answer
>"The magic of friendship.....is something that I wanted to be shared to everycreature across the land. Its hypocritical to not even think of extending a hoof to even the worst of us, especially if they're acting out of hurt or misunderstandings. I don't know if its not too late to turn things around, but we'll never know if we never try. I promise to do...to be better in these endeavors from now on."

"...Good. That's what I want to hear."
>Raising the Bewitching Bell, you focus your intent on returning the magic it held, and it responds in kind. The other Princesses are reinvigorated, though the Bell itself doesnt relinquish -all- of their reserves. Just most of it, as Twilight remarks after the fact
>Its not a problem, though, as what isn't there will return to them naturally over time.
>The barrier is lowered and Twilight's two friends rush into the space as soon as the chance comes.

---

>You are Starlight Glimmer
>Their talks seem to have come to a close as the shield dissipates. Rainbow and Rarity are the first to approach her, but you're not too far behind.
"Twilight, darling! Is everything alright? You had us all anxious that something grave had come- err.....not that sir Anonymous' arrival in itself was grave, but...you know what I'm getting at."
>Dash puts herself between Twilight and the passive human as though to threaten, but he completely ignores her as he walks on by
>"Hey! Just where are you going?!"
>Anon pauses to regard the cyan pegasus curiously
>"Nowhere out of the way. I'm just gonna watch the cleanup."
>"You're not even gonna explain yourself after all of that?!

>Anon is about to answer, but Twilight pulls her aside
>"We'll talk about everything, Dash, I promise. I have some things to answer for regarding this mess....."
"You? Answering for this? How could you be responsible for -any- of this?" you inquire
>Twilight's gaze turns to you
>"Remember when you helped me see that Stygian could have still had some good in him, despite becoming a complete monster by being overtaken by his own darkness? How do we know that something similar inst the case for Cozy Glow as well?"
"Well, she isnt exactly possessed with a malevolent magic-", you start with an eyebrow raised before being cut off
>"No, no its not evil magic. I think that something has happened to her in the past to make her this way. She's just a filly, but her experiences and her talent has taken her down a very dark path."
>A flash of your own past as a foal pulls itself to your attention from the recesses of your mind and you unconsciously take a step back
"Are you suggesting that she could be like me?"
>"Its possible, but as Headmaster of the School of Friendship, I failed at entertaining that possibility; even when I acknowledged it when we became friends ourselves. None of this occurred to me when she revealed her plans."

>You take a seat as you consider Twilight's words
>The more you actually think, the more questions arise about the overall situation
>Just who IS Cozy Glow? Despite her interactions with the students and staff, little was actually known about where she came from or what really made her to be what she is.
>There wast even an investigation into how she came to get on agreeable terms with Tirek of all creatures!
>Oh Celestia, how did everypony just let this sit as an open and shut case with no investigation!? So much of this could have been avoided if you all had just-
>Twilight's hoof snaps you out of your mental spiral as she rests it on your shoulder
>"Its okay, Starlight. It doesn't excuse what she did fully, but we have a responsibility as both ponies and the Counselor and Headmare who took her in."
"We....we do, Twilight. I'll do everything I can to help."
>Dash seems to be catching on to the implications Twilight spoke of earlier, but still huffs in annoyance. It wasnt easy for her to just let something like this fly, but seeing the two of you decide on something is enough to get her to stand down for now.

>The Princesses and the Pillars are escorting Tirek and Chrysalis to Canterlot's dungeons with magical suppressors equipped, and Twilight and the Students are taking Cozy Glow away to hold her somewhere in her own castle for now.
>Anonymous moved to a different spot, of the field to lower the odds of Dash badgering him, though he then had to deal with a recovered Pinkie jumping him for a hug at his return.
>Their reunion is interrupted shortly after Anonymous manages to pry Pinkie off of him with the return of Fluttershy, who appears to ask to see Anonymous alone for a bit.
>He obliges, setting Pinkie down after what looked like an explanation of their decision before leaving with the worried pegasus
>You only had an inkling as to what they would discuss, but hoped that things wouldn't get any crazier than they already had today.