The fighting occurred close enough to Ponyville for its residents to witness the light show in the sky. The rainbow-colored flare that concluded the battle was quickly understood by some hopeful townsfolk as a positive sign, but it was only after the storm cleared up and the warmth of the sun returned that ponies came out of hiding. The first ones stepped outside slowly, unsure whether it was really over, but soon enough doors and windows were swung open and ponies young and old entered the town's unpaved streets to greet friends and relatives and to make cheer. The atmosphere became saturated with chatter and with music, because they knew the world was saved and everyone was alive and well. One could hardly imagine a more untimely moment for a giant centaur to come storming in.
Like a beehive that received a firm kick, the party instantly turned into a mass panic. A cacophony of screams replaced the festive music as ponies ran through the streets in search for cover, entering houses or hiding in the bushes. Some of the faint-hearted residents passed out on the spot and had to be dragged inside. Twilight didn't think about what sort of reaction Tirek's presence in Ponyville would evoke until she saw the horrified faces for herself. She ignored them and kept running until they arrived at the hospital. They put Cozy in the hooves of the doctors, who were among the few who stayed composed; they committed themselves to their patients even in the face of apparent danger.
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief and could now think about how she would calm the populace. She would need the help of Spike. He was probably at the Castle, so that would be her next stop. The two took a small detour through the outskirts of town so as to attract as little attention as possible. Arriving at the Castle a few minutes later, Twilight opened the gates and saw Spike panting in the foyer; he had arrived here shortly before them. "Spike, good that you're here," the dragon heard from behind him.
"Twilight?" He turned around and saw his caretaker at the doorstep. He ran up to her to embrace her; he had missed her since they parted when the villains first showed up. "I'm so glad you're here! Did you see Tirek? He suddenly rampaged through Ponyville—"
"Don't be afraid", Twilight said with a calm and comforting voice, "Tirek is with me. He's standing outside right now. We sent the town into a panic on accident and now we have to set that right. Grab a quill and paper and follow me to the town square, I will explain everything there." Spike understood and went to the study to grab the supplies.
"Tirek," Twilight turned to the centaur, "I know that this is a very strange situation to be in, but please stay in the Castle for now. If I take you with me I won't be able to get the ponies to listen. I have a plan for how I can at least have them accept you for some time, until Cozy has recovered. You want that, right?"
"Is there no way to hide my presence?" Tirek proposed, "You can say that I left Ponyville."
"My saying that you escaped won't do any good, because that would mean you still pose a threat. Besides, you did help defeat Grogar, so we don't have to lie. I will tell them the truth."
Twilight knew Tirek didn't have much of a choice in this, but he looked nonetheless hesitant. Maybe she was going too fast trying to redeem him. "Trust me just this once. I'm not asking you to stay here forever, or to become friends. I'm here to help you and Cozy Glow out."
"Are you saying that I will be free when this is over?"
Spike just returned to the entrance of the Castle with a quill in his one claw and a scroll in the other.
"Yes, I promise I let you go when Cozy leaves the hospital."
"Very well then, I will stay in your castle."
And so Twilight and Spike went to the town square while Tirek stayed in the Castle. The streets were completely abandoned except for them. Silencing his voice by holding his claw by his mouth, Spike whispered, "Twilight? Did I really just hear you say that you promised to let Tirek go? Are you sure that was a good idea?"
Twilight whispered back, "I know, it's a big gamble. Perhaps it's the most risky promise I have ever made. I really believe that I can redeem him, but I'm not sure about the other two. Cozy is impossible to read and she doesn't seem to possess an ounce of empathy, and I don't think Chrysalis has gotten over the loss of her hive. I hope the girls can talk to her, but to be fair I don't think it will work. Tirek and Cozy Glow are the only ones who are close to her so if anypony can reach her, it's them. Tirek will stay here as long as Cozy is here, and we must make sure that he understands friendship in the meantime."
They arrived at the town square. It was dead silent like everywhere else in Ponyville, but there were many ponies within earshot hiding in their homes. Twilight loudly scraped her throat and spoke, "Dear ponies of Ponyville. It's me, Twilight Sparkle. Please listen: my friends and I have defeated Grogar! We are safe, so come outside and hear what happened."
"Everypony come listen to Twilight!" Spike added for emphasis. They paused for a minute and then saw doors being opened. Good thing Twilight had an excellent reputation in Ponyville. After all, she had lived in Ponyville for many years now and she contributed to the community in many ways since she first defeated Nightmare Moon. And furthermore, it was she who defeated Grogar, so why should they doubt her? Ponies slowly gathered on the square.
Twilight continued her speech. "I understand that you are all still afraid, because you just saw Tirek running into town. He was coming with me, everything is under control. You see…" Twilight recounted how the villains betrayed Grogar, how Twilight freed them from the curse of the Bewitching Bell, and how they together with her and her friends defeated the evil wizard. She told them the whole story and described in detail how the villains helped each other and how this weakened the chilling powers of the Windigos; how Tirek protected her from a blast as she concentrated on casting a spell. She explained that Cozy Glow was unconscious and in need of urgent medical attention—they could check that for themselves. She even revealed that Tirek was at the Castle right now; this was met with some murmuring from the crowd.
"…I hope you now understand that happened, and that there really is no reason for fear, but rather reason for celebration," Twilight added on a cheerful note. "I want to celebrate our victory with a party, and I will invite the Princesses too. Spike, take a note!" She began to dictate:
"Dear Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,
As you may already have noticed, me and my friends have defeated the evil wizard Grogar. We would like you to come over for an official visitation next week, here in Ponyville to celebrate. Though harmony has returned to Equestria, there is still one issue that needs to be resolved, and I would like to discuss this in person.
Your faithful student forever,
Twilight Sparkle"
"Aaand signed!" Spike rolled up the scroll, held it high in the air and blew a bright green flame at it. The paper caught fire and as the cloud of magical sparkles drifted off in the direction of Canterlot, the ponies cheered and stomped their hooves. This gesture had fully brought back the spirit of the townsfolk. Twilight's speech was now finished and ponies dispersed through the town to pass along the good news and to begin setting up the festivities. There was still a slight tinge of uneasiness in the atmosphere because of the presence of the villains, but Twilight had succeeded in soothing it for the most part.
While Twilight was conversing with a small group of ponies that had some specific questions, Spike suddenly burped up a flame which materialized into a scroll. Apparently the Princesses had anticipated mail and responded swiftly. "What does it say?" Twilight asked eagerly. Spike read aloud:
"Dear Twilight Sparkle,
We would like to congratulate you on restoring harmony to Equestria. You have proven once more to be invaluable to our nation. As a sign of our gratitude, we graciously accept your invitation, and we look forward to visiting Ponyville.
Yours sincerely,
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna"
"Spike that's excellent news!" Twilight clopped her hooves together in joy. "We should get to organizing the party right away." Organizing the party, that reminded her. "The girls! We still haven't heard anything of them yet. Come Spike, the party can wait." She let Spike climb her back and galloped away, leaving her company behind.
She dashed through the streets with haste and was determined run all the way back to where she last saw her friends, but that journey was quickly cut short. As she rounded the corner of the road that led out of town, she noticed a band of ponies coming in. It were her friends. They walked slowly, side by side. Rarity was still helping Fluttershy walk. Twilight came up to them and asked, "Girls, you're back! What happened?" She took a closer look at their faces, they looked defeated. Starlight Glimmer looked especially morose.
"We're very sorry, Twilight," Applejack replied after a deep sigh, "we couldn't get Chrysalis to listen to us. She escaped."