"Seize the infiltrators!" ordered Starlight Glimmer, magically shooting at Twilight. The Princess of Friendship didn't have time to react; the beam struck her. The alicorn froze in the air, wincing in pain as the cutie mark detached from her side. The separated cutie mark of Twilight a flew away, replaced by the equality mark. Meanwhile, the villagers attacked the rest of the friends, quickly knocking them down and tying them up. Only Rainbow Dash managed to take flight, but Starlight hit her with her magic, depriving her of her talent.
When the entire group of friends was securely tied and stripped of their cutie marks, the ponies stepped aside, making way for their leader.
"So, heroes of Equestria, bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Welcome to Our Town! Sorry for the cold welcome, but that's how we greet spies. Confess: did Princess Celestia send you? How much does she know about us?" Starlight began the interrogation.
"I won't tell you anything! Slander, rebellion against Celestia, the abduction of cutie marks, our capture, turning all ponies into alicorns without prior permission — you've crossed all boundaries!" Twilight responded hostily. "Be sure: if I don't contact Celestia today, she'll come for us with a large army! If you don't want trouble, untie us and return our cutie marks!" demanded the princess.
"Thou art not in a position to give orders! Furthermore, thou art likely bluffing. Issuing a warning about reinforcements so that we may depart the village is folly. You've likely stumbled upon our village during another mission. And now thou desirest to escape and inform Celestia about us, correct?" Inquired Starlight menacingly. Looking at the frightened princess, Starlight was convinced that she was right.
"That's what I thought! We've taken all precautions so that the princesses didn’t find out about us ahead of time. While your appearance in the village today is very suspicious, it's nice to know we don't have to run. So, what's your mission? We also possess the power of the elements and can help you!" Starlight offered.
Twilight sighed and decided to tell the whole truth:
"Actually, we were indeed sent to you. But not by Princess Celestia; it was the map of the Friendship Castle that guided us. We didn't know what awaited us, and until this day, we hadn't heard anything about your movement. Only upon arrival did I realize that the Tree of Harmony sent us to reason with you!" the princess replied.
"To reason? No, you will soon understand that you serve a tyrant!" promised the leader of the revolution.
"But I don't understand: how could you use the Harmony elemental magic to turn everyone into alicorns?! You are not connected to the Tree of Harmony to possess such power! How didst thou even manage to infiltrate the secret section of Canterlot Castle's library, pilfer and enhance Star Swirl's spell to bring forth a novel species?" Twilight, forgetting her fear, began to ask.
"Thou thyself ascended to the status of an alicorn, rectifying the spell of Star Swirl. From those same sealed archives, I discovered that the Tree of Harmony was planted by the Pillars of Harmony.While you used the amulet-conductors to use the magic of the ancient defenders of Equestria to fight threats, I developed a spell to unleash our inner power. Together with my friends, I discovered the magic of the Elements within ourselves. That's how we exposed the greatest deception of Princess Celestia, making both you and the entire country believe that only you can use the powers of the Elements of Harmony, and only with the trinkets to save the country from villains." Starlight declared.
"But Celestia probably just doesn't know about this!" suggested the faithful apprentice.
Starlight looked at Twilight as if she had said something foolish.
"Seriously? After the Elements of Harmony banished Celestia's sister to the moon, do you think your mentor, in a thousand years, hasn't studied them? And doesn't it seem strange to you that a day before Nightmare Moon's return, she entrusted you with organizing the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville, where all responsible positions were taken by your future friends? And when Nightmare Moon appeared, all ponies, even the timid Fluttershy, went with you to search for the mythical Elements of Harmony in the Everfree Forest without the company of scientists, guides, or guards. To go against the Mistress of Eternal Night, as if only you can save Equestria? What were you thinking?" Starlight addressed the entire group.
"About adventures!" confessed Pinkie.
"The Wonderbolts must protect Equestria at any cost. Even back then, before I even entered the academy, I was brave enough to challenge the villain!" replied Rainbow Dash.
"I was thinking about family; I needed to get Celestia back and raise the sun as soon as possible so that our harvest wouldn't be lost," recounted Applejack.
"Yes, I was scared! But eternal night threatened my animals. And, to my surprise, I decided to join my friends," Fluttershy revealed.
"I'll be honest, back then, I had the silliest motive: I wanted to confront Nightmare Moon because I was afraid no one would ever see my outfits in the dark again," Rarity confessed.
"I primarily thought about saving Celestia. Although now I admit that my plan was... less than ideal," Princess Twilight admitted.
"Less than ideal?! It was just idiocy! To venture into the dangerous forest with six ponies for mythical artifacts, challenging Nightmare Moon herself. You were lucky she was under Celestia's hypnosis!
"What?!" the friends exclaimed.
"Though I have no proof, everything looks logical: why did Nightmare Moon, instead of directly attacking you, set obstacles, during which you demonstrated your qualities? And supposedly shattering the Elements of Harmony, she didn't kill Twilight immediately, as if deliberately giving time to comprehend everything?" Starlight asked.
"Yes, that's right! But how do you know all the details?" Princess of Friendship wondered.
"Working on Star Swirl's spells opens up many possibilities!" Glimmer evasively replied. "So, let's continue! Didn't Princess Celestia know that her sister would return soon? Why was she sure the villain wouldn't kill you? How did it happen that the ponies responsible for organizing the celebration became not only your friends but also fearless heroes of Equestria representing the Elements of Harmony? Why did you rush into the forest alone?" Starlight continued.
The questions from the communist made Twilight ponder. She remembered how Celestia entrusted her to find friends, said she foresaw Nightmare Moon's return, and knew that her student would defeat her with the help of friends.
"Are you saying our victory over Nightmare Moon was staged?" trembling, Twilight suggested.
"Exactly! Celestia needed you to activate the power of the Elements of Harmony to save her sister. I'm sure the princess not only arranged your meeting but also used hypnosis to make you venture into the Everfree Forest to save Equestria, while Nightmare Moon would unconsciously hinder you instead of a direct attack. This way, Celestia saved her sister and found heroes. Why do you need to know that not only you can wield the Elements, that they can be used not only against villains? You're doing great with her assignments, defenders of Equestria. And Harmony magic experiments like ours aren't needed for Celestia when the entire country has lived in the grip of lies, stagnation, and darkness for a thousand years!" Starlight declared.
"That's not true! Even if Princess Celestia orchestrated our friendship, even if we became heroes, and I became a princess only thanks to her help, even if she hides some knowledge from us: I trust my mentor. She cares about us and will never cause harm without reason!" Twilight stated.
"Really?! Sorry, Comrade Glimmer, for interrupting, but can we talk to the former friend?" four ponies emerged from the crowd. Twilight gasped; she met her old friends from Canterlot. "I don't even remember their names!" she suddenly realized.
"Of course!" Starlight gave way to the alicorn with red-maned glasses and a violet stripe, with a cutie mark in the form of a crescent moon and three stars.
"Do you remember me? I'm Moon Dancer, your desk neighbor. I considered you my best friend! But not only did you not come to my party, you also betrayed me. Became a hero, moved to another city, and forgot about me. I was waiting for your letter of apology, but it never came. I read in the newspapers about your exploits and cried. I isolated myself from the outside world and focused entirely on my studies. But one day, Starlight found me and interviewed me. And after its completion, she led me to the only true conclusion: that in one night, finding friends, saving Equestria, and radically changing your life, forgetting friends from Canterlot, you could only do under hypnosis.
"No! That's not true! Celestia couldn't do that! She just didn't know that I had friends. It's my fault; I forgot about you!" Twilight scolded herself.
"Your only fault is that you didn't come to my party three years ago. But don't take the blame for amnesia! Think for yourself: why did Celestia not just allow you to stay in Ponyville but ordered you to study friendship and send her reports, even though she could have simply asked you to keep a diary? She controlled every step you took, and you never even thought about it! For the sake of a timely report, you even artificially created a friendship problem."
Twilight listened in silence to Moon Dancer's arguments. More and more questions about her mentor were accumulating in her mind.
"Now remember how you became a princess! You fixed Star Swirl's spell that Celestia sent you. But you forgot that your friends followed a false cutie mark all day while you blamed yourself. Fluttershy almost left Ponyville. Regardless of anyone, Celestia did everything to make you a princess. And I'll never forgive her for that!" with this promise, Moon Dancer stepped aside, giving way to Starlight again.
"Don't be so sad, Princess. The story of Sunset Shimmer is much more tragic. You already know her story. Join us, Twilight, and help your teacher see the mistakes!" the leader of the revolution suggested.
"You won't turn us against Celestia: we will always be loyal to her! Right, Twilight?" Rainbow looked at her friend, but she remained silent, lowering her head, only occasionally glancing at her friends.
"And give back our cutie marks!" demanded Applejack.
"If I return them, I'll have to leave you tied up. We can't allow your escape.
"Villains, let us go: you won't be able to keep us prisoner forever!" protested Rainbow.
Starlight sighed.
"I know you don't approve of our methods. But if you're determined to fight for Celestia, we can't let you go. Besides, there's a faint hope that the princesses will compromise: agree to limit their power, let us form a new government, and start extensive reforms. Then the revolution will be peaceful, and only the wallets of the rich ponies will suffer. But it's unlikely that we can negotiate with Celestia without your help. Therefore, we hope that you will think carefully about everything and make the right choice, our future comrades!" Starlight, unexpectedly for everyone, cast a spell and freed the main six.
"I’m sorry that for our safety we had to tie you up. Now you are free within the city. And don't try to escape: without cutie marks, with a spell to track you, you have no chance. But don’t be upset, but rather join the celebration! May the celebrations in honor of the fifth anniversary of Our City continue!" Starlight proclaimed.