My Little Pony - Friendship is magic : New adventures

Chapters

The siege
The spell
Surrender
Journey to another world
"Coming-out day"
Meeting, storytelling and warning
Meeting new friends
Bowser's castle
Return to Equestria
Ghost King
Day of Universal Friendship
Twilight Princess
Twilight takeover
Zant, Sixth Herald of Nothingness
Guest from Hyrule
The battle of Hyrule
Scar(r)ed
The Merchant
Lost
The attack
The hunt
Ceremony, truth, romance and party

The siege

The next day’s morning and afternoon in the library were not productive either.

"It’s useless !" Rarity complained in the exact same fashion she had done the day before. "We have searched through all of these books ! Letters are dancing before my very eyes ! I…"

The books suddenly began to shake lightly on their shelves ; had they not been so close to them, they would not have seen it : the vibrations were almost unnoticeable. Another light tremor shook the ground, another seconds after and so on ; everyone recognized the cadence of footsteps.

"It’s coming !" Pinkie Pie screamed ; she hastily and uselessly hid under the nearest desk.

"Make the preparations ! Send the guards ! Hide Flurry Heart ! Quick !" Cadance directed to Shining Armor who quickly complied. "I’ll go to the throne room to erect the shield. You’re welcome to help, she told the others".

"You can count on us", Twilight assured. "I’ll help you with the shield. I think Starlight should go with Sunburst to see if there’s a spell that could stop that thing".

"Thank you. After Flurry Heart, the most important thing is the Crystal Heart. You know what will happen if it’s destroyed…" Cadance warned as she ran to the throne room.

"I don’t want to think about it", Twilight replied as she imagined dark clouds laying an icy hell on the Empire.

"What can we do ?" Rainbow Dash interrogated.

"Can you tell us where the monster is precisely ? I know you fly fast, but beware, the sun is setting, it could see you", Cadance answered ; she readied her magic and her long horn glowed with a pink aura.

"Count on me !" The pegasus replied before flying towards the exit.

She was stopped mid-air by an aura of purple magic.

"Wait Rainbow !" Twilight warned. "I don’t want you to do something reckless ; we don’t know what this creature can do. You don’t approach that thing say… under two hundred meters in all directions. We just want to know where it is, where it’s going, its speed and nothing more. You should come back quickly in that case ; we might… no, we will need your help here. And don’t let dusk betray you, that thing’s probably coming from the East ; even with the sun in its face, it just has to look up to see you".

"Twilight, I’m a Wonderbolt. I know how to handle that : the sun’s angle, the reflections, the clouds, all of that stuff. But gotcha. I’m not gonna kick its butt, even if I surely can", the pegasus added cheekily.

"Perfect. Good luck. Come back quickly".

Twilight released her magic grasp and the blue winged pony left the building.

As soon as she was outside, Rainbow Dash flew above the castle to have a better view ; as she turned to the East, she faced a part of the Crystal Mountains ; as she prepared to turn away again, a dark spot caught up her attention : it was a tiny spot that moved very slowly across the mountains, causing avalanches that Rainbow Dash had trouble to discern.

“Twilight’s right, it’s coming from the East”, she thought. “I’ll approach from high in the sky, just above the sun ; the clouds will hide me… gotta be careful with my shadow though”.

She darted towards the dot at high speed, but even at her altitude and with her speed, it took some minutes to be above it.

“I must go down a little. Can’t see a thing. Two hundred meters, huh ? I’m at least fifty hundred meters above it, and the clouds are so dense it’s just impossible to see my shadow”.

She went a few clouds down and stopped ; she could now see the monster perfectly : the spiked turquoise shell, the horns, the tail…

“That beast’s creepy, sure. But it’s walking so… slowly… It almost reminds me of Tank… if he was standing on two legs. Well, maybe except waaay bigger too. And waaaaay creepier. But it’s just a big turtle with horns and hair ! No way I’m slower than that thing !”

She went down a few clouds again. She stopped here, as there were no clouds to hide her further. “Eep. No more clouds. I must go up or it’ll see me… But… it’s so slow, and its head’s bowed… It must only see its feet when walking… For that thing to catch me…”

As she was observing it, the beast abruptly stopped in its tracks.

“What the hay it’s…” The thought dried out. The thing had lifted its head. Even in the distance, Rainbow Dash could see and feel it was staring at her. Her blood froze.

A terrible voice echoed around her :

"I see you".

The winged pony was petrified on her cloud ; she sweated in fear : she was not going to kick that monster’s butt ; she was literally nothing before its mass, and she was only seeing it from high above.

"I see you standing on the clouds, resident of this world. I see not only your shadow as you may think, but your whole body too. Let me prove it… Blue. Rainbow-colored hair. Mark on your flank, a cloud with a lightning bolt… made mostly of the same colors as your hair. Magenta… no, cerise eyes. But it is useless to continue to describe you ; I think you believe me now. Besides that, something much more important is in my line of sight : a castle. Not far away… I suppose you come from there. I dare to suppose there is a princess inside its walls… You should move away, inhabitant of this universe".

The monster crouched : it flattened itself as hard as it could and suddenly, it jumped. Even without the warning, Rainbow Dash had seen it coming. She flew away from the trajectory not only to dodge the creature, but to avoid the powerful air displacement. And even with that maneuver, she was almost sucked in the vortex created by the mass of the thing. Where it had jumped, a large and deep crater was imprinted in the rock beneath the thick snow.

The monster had destroyed and moved many clouds with the vacuum it had created : Rainbow Dash made the way back in a minute. But it was too late : the beast had landed less than a kilometer away from the Crystal Empire ; the shockwave had already collapsed some houses.

“It’s my fault !” Dash thought as she flew back in the castle, crushed with regrets and shame.

Their friend back, Twilight and Cadance chose this moment to enact the barrier spell.

"Twilight ! It’s my fault ! I-I… That-that thing saw me in the clouds ! Wi-with or without shadow… I’m-I’m…" The pegasus’ voice abruptly broke and she fell silent.

Twilight shook her head.

"It would’ve come anyways", she replied softly.

"East… Slow… like a turtle… But it jumped…" Rainbow Dash spluttered with wet eyes.

"Rainbow, it’s not your fault", Twilight repeated.

"It-it talked ! It-it called me “resident of this world” ! And-and it’s co-coming for Cadance !"

Twilight had never seen Rainbow Dash in such a distress ; she put her hooves on her friend’s trembling shoulders.

"Stop", she ordered, staring in the magenta eyes of the pegasus.

Rainbow Dash slowly stopped shaking but retained some shivers under her blue fur.

"I’m-I’m sorry ! I-I-I was too close. On the-the closest cloud. My-my shadow was visible mi-miles away. But I-I thought it-it wouldn’t see me. I-I underestimated it. I’m such a… a…"

"Amazing flyer. Wonderful friend. Awesome Wonderbolt", Twilight complimented with a smile.

Her friend smiled back weakly.

"That thing won’t have me, because it won’t break the barrier", Cadance asserted. "Everything will be alright, don’t worry".

Shining Armor stormed in the room, sweating profusely.

"The emergency exit has collapsed because of the earthquake ! We must evacuate Flurry Heart another way !" He exclaimed, tears forming in his eyes.

"We can’t !" Cadance denied. "If Twilight and I lower the shield, it’ll take too long to reconstruct ! And there are hundreds of guards that are keeping it activated too ! Hide Flurry Heart deep in the castle ! The deepest you can !"

Her husband complied and darted away with the confused baby alicorn.

"Your friends should make an announcement", Cadance instructed Rainbow Dash. "I hear the citizens outside".

"Got it", the pegasus replied as she flew away, but not as the same speed as before.

The tremors increased in intensity as the monster approached the encased city. Pegasi soldiers were flying underneath the pink dome, waiting for the enemy to come, while unicorns were ready to fire beams of magic should the thing broke through the shield. It arrived sooner than expected ; its size dwarfed all the buildings, safe for the castle. The monster stopped in front of the gigantic magic force field. Its red eyes looked at the soldiers, then the castle. And there was no warning : the punch shattered the magic dome like it was just a thin pane of glass. None of the soldiers had seen it coming ; it was the quickest move they had ever seen, unexpected and unbelievable for a monster of this size. Unicorn soldiers fired beams of magic on the creature which, with the dome destroyed, resumed its walking, attempting to spare the buildings whenever possible. The magic hit the beast to no effect ; pegasi prepared to dive on the attacker, but the bolts of blue electricity forming on the shell dissuaded them to do so.

"Cadance, it’s coming !" Twilight shouted from the eastern balcony.

The purple beam she fired from her horn was twice the size those of the guards ; it was also well-aimed : it struck the monster in the face in an explosion.

"It didn’t work !" The young alicorn exclaimed as she saw the creature still walking at the same pace towards the castle ; her attack had left absolutely no traces on it.

Starlight hurried on the balcony with Cadance.

"I hadn’t enough time to search through the books ! Let’s try an immobilization spell !" The unicorn suggested. "With Princess Cadance’s power, it might work ! If no kinetic force can stop it, maybe freezing it in place will at least buy us some time !"

Putting their horns in contact, the two alicorns and the unicorn fired the combined beam ; with that much power, it could have frozen the entire Empire for days. The creature did nothing to dodge the rapidly traveling multicolored light which disintegrated on its torso. Nothing happened ; no glowing immobilization aura, no explosion and no change in the speed of the attacker ; it took several seconds for the ponies to recover from the shock.

As the thing was getting closer, it saw Cadance on the tiny balcony : it has found its target. Still attacked by the guards, the “turtle” began to accelerate slightly, crushing some buildings along ; fortunately, the habitants had evacuated towards the other side of the city.

"You must evacuate the Crystal Empire !" Twilight advised to Cadance. "We can’t do anything ! But now that the shield’s broken, the citizens can flee, and so can Flurry Heart !"

The three ponies retreated in the castle and Cadance made the announcement of the evacuation ; hundreds of citizens immediately began to flee towards the train station.

"It won’t stop going after you. What are you gonna do ?" Twilight interrogated her foalsitter.

"I will face this thing. You go warn Princess Celestia and Princess Luna."

"No way I let you alone !" The purple alicorn refused.

"Twilight. As a princess, my duty is to protect my kingdom and as such, face any fate that might befall me. You already know this".

"But…" Twilight began only to be cut off midway.

"As your sister-in-law, fellow princess and former foalsitter, it is my task to protect you too".

"Yes, but…" Twilight tried to interrupt again.

"Lastly, my role as a mother is to protect my child. Go to your brother and take Flurry Heart far away from here, all of you. Protect her and my husband in my place should something happen to me".

Cadance turned her head to face Twilight, her eyes full of tears.

"Please Twilight. Protect Flurry Heart at all costs".

Twilight cried too ; she tightly hugged her ex-foalsitter.

"Come back, please", she whispered before running away.

Cadance faced the monster again, closed her eyes, took off and slowly flew towards it. It was visibly closing the distance, its terrible eyes set on her and her alone. The intensity of the stare was crushing, even with the creature three hundred meters away.

Cadance looked on as her husband, her daughter, her sister-in-law and her friends escaped towards the train station. As she turned again, the monster was two hundred meters away. She reminisced about her life as she closed the distance too. Hundred meters. Fifty meters. Twenty meters. Ten meters.

"What do you want ?" Cadance asked with a powerful voice once the creature was close enough to hear her.

She waited for an answer as the creature seemed to analyze her. Suddenly, in a bright flash of light, her young foal appeared beside her ; the sight of the monster terrified the baby alicorn who cried and screamed, unleashing a beam of energy between the eyes of the thing just as it was about to answer Cadance’s question. The powerful beam that could pierce walls, however, did absolutely nothing to the creature.

"Flurry Heart ! No ! RUN !" Cadance screamed.

The monster set its eyes on the crying baby which was flying erratically around her mother, who managed to immobilize her with her magic.

"You will not have her ! I will never let you lay a claw on my child, even if it costs me my life !"

The intensity of the monster’s stare – a pure reflection of Hell – finally made Flurry Heart faint, and Cadance had to magically maintain her foal in the air. The creature spoke with its terrible voice, revealing all of its fangs as it did so :

"Neither you nor your child is the princess that I am searching for. But rest assured that I will find what I want. Now, I will go. Move if you do not want to be crushed".

"Wait ! For what purpose are you searching a princess ?" Cadance interrogated as she flew away from the beast.

"I am just tired of being alone".

The monster jumped without crouching this time ; even then, the princess had to strengthen the magic grip she was using on her baby to avoid her being swallowed the vacuum created by the jump. An earthquake shook the land a few seconds later, and a much distant one once again. The creature was gone to the West, towards Luna’s Bay.

“Or towards Vanhoover”, Cadance thought as everyone was running towards her. The sun shone its last rays on the horizon, magnificently illuminating the Crystal Empire. Almost enough to erase the destruction it had suffered.

The spell

Two days later :

"You tried everything against this creature ?" Celestia interrogated.

"Yes Princess Celestia", Twilight replied.

"And it didn’t stop, even for a second ?" Luna asked.

"I didn’t see a sign of relent", Twilight answered. "Our attacks didn’t scratch it. I can’t think of a way to stop this thing. It’s currently running havoc in the West, past the Smokey Mountains. I don’t know what lies in there".

"And neither do we. But according to the most recent testimonies, the creature is going to the South now. Applewood has been warned. Nopony lives…" Celestia began.

"My family’s rock farm !" Pinkie Pie interrupted. "It’s near the San Palomino Desert ! If that monster come to my family’s…" Her voice shattered as tears formed in her eyes and her mane deflated.

"Don’t worry", Celestia reassured. "We’ll warn them in a few minutes. Your family will be safe. Besides that, this creature is searching for a princess. I don’t think it will attack your family’s rock farm".

Pinkie Pie’s mane returned to its normal appearance, but she stayed distressed.

"Still", Starlight said, "we’ve got nothing against that thing, and I couldn’t find something useful in Sunburst’s books. I don’t know how this monster could withstand any attack aimed at it".

"Maybe…" Fluttershy squeaked. "Maybe… we could ask Discord to help us ? Maybe his chaos magic could stop that beast, if regular magic doesn’t work…"

"That is a great idea my dear !" Rarity beamed.

"Ah hope he’ll help. Sometimes he just ain’t… in the mood", Applejack mumbled.

"I’m going to write him a letter !" Fluttershy decided. "I’m sure he’ll come to help us get rid of that terrifying thing !"

"Discord’s magic is indeed very powerful. I have another idea if this one fails, but it will take time to prepare", Celestia explained. "It’s a very dangerous spell, and I will need Star Swirl's help. I’ll explain it to you in details, but we must wait for Discord’s answer first ; if he doesn’t want to come, I’ll summon him regardless".

Discord’s reply arrived two days later : he was apparently in a good mood or simply wanted to see Fluttershy, since he was coming to help.

Between the two days, the monster had had time to search throughout the South ; it was now coming towards places it had not yet visited in the middle of Equestria : Ponyville and Canterlot. It had spared Appleoosa and was walking towards the ruins of the Castle of the two sisters and the Everfree forest.

Discord, the Mane six, Starlight and Spike intercepted it before it reached the forest.

"What’s that thing ?" Discord asked when he saw the monster slowly approaching. "Wow, you said it’s making a mess of Equestria ? It’s so slow…"

"We don’t know what it is. I don’t think it comes from this world", Twilight explained briefly. "And maybe it’s slow, but it’s huge".

"Oh, and guess what : it’s totally unstoppable", Rainbow Dash added.

Discord teleported right next to the head of the monster, which paid no attention to him.

"Hey you !" The master of Chaos called out to the thing, hovering not far away from its face. "What about stopping, y’know, just for a sec ?"

The monster did not reply and Discord snapped his paw : underneath the creature, the plain changed instantly into a pool of bubble-gum. However, the substance failed to stick to the creature’s feet and it continued its walk unhindered. Discord snapped his claws and the giant turtle immediately sank in the pink substance, now bottomless.

"Problem solved", Discord triumphed.

With no warning and despite having no leverage to do so, the creature jumped out of the pool to a more stable place, shaking the ground. Not a single part of it was covered in gum, not even its hair.

"Persistent…" Discord muttered.

He snapped his claws again and shackles appeared on the creature’s hands and feet. It broke through with no effort, and the restrains immediately dissolved into a dense, heavy black smoke.

"What was that !?" Discord exclaimed in confusion.

For the second time since its arrival, the monster willingly stopped in its tracks and turned its head towards him.

"Stop. You are annoying me. You cannot know, but this kind of amusing magic is used to perform show tricks in my world… You may not have raw power like the others, but you possess a kind of magic with almost countless applications… However, you do have your limits… I can sense them… your chaotic nature binds you... you are just a mere piece of chaos… I wonder if you know it, but reality warping is so predicable… for me I must say… I see through every future action of your power, what your magic will do to space-time before you even know it".

"Hmmm. I also sense a powerful magic, your polar opposite, coming from those six over here… I feel… I sense… harmony, powerful bonds, hope, generosity, kindness, forgiveness, honesty, loyalty, laughter and the magic… the… friendship that ties all of these things together. You all hold great power… I see its vastness. But… it is utterly useless against mine. Nothing can stop me. I do not distort reality, I destroy it. I do not cause chaos, I annihilate it. When I walk, your entire world shake under my feet. When I jump, the foundations of your reality bend under my weight. When I talk, space and time break under my words. For I am Bowser, King of the Koopas !" The creature roared.

The roar repelled Discord a good distance away and violently bent the closest, unfortunate trees.

"My power and the primordial Darkness it contains will destroy anything you will try on me, chaotic being. I cannot be harmed, for I am the hardest thing in existence. I cannot be stopped, for it is the universe that moves under my feet. I cannot die, for I am the only thing that will persist through existence and beyond. Stop your useless tricks".

Undeterred, the draconequus snapped his paws again. This time, a huge, circular dimensional rift opened right under the monster, which fell into it.

"I sent it into a lovely dim…" Discord interrupted himself as the rift reopened without his accord ; however, while the portal had no color before, it was now shrouded with black smoke and flames ; it looked like space-time itself was hurt : it sickened everyone. Bowser, as he called himself, jumped out the rift which closed itself seconds after.

"It was a smart move to try to get rid of me like that ; I praise your ingenuity and your perseverance. But as I said, my Darkness will tear your pathetic magic apart. You are nothing but a pale remnant of my own power. Maybe in this world you have but a few weaknesses. However…"

The monster faced its opponent and suddenly inhaled, its breath inexorably dragging Discord towards him. The force of the suction was such that the draconequus was unable to resist, escape or even snap his claws ; he helplessly flew towards the beast under the screams of his friends ; just before he reached the terrible fangs, Bowser caught him in his giant claws ; he put them right in front of his face and opened his fingers : Discord was still in the scaly palm, crawling helplessly, visibly unable to use his magic, snapping his paws and claws in vain.

-"… I am the one that you should not underestimate. See ? My powers are negating yours, for they are, in a sense, the source of your own, far before the dawn of this universe however. Be aware that if I choose to close my hand, I will crush you, body and soul, regardless of your little tricks or your resistance. Try one more thing, and I will attack. My power will pulverize everything around you, depending on how I will use it, of course. But since you seem so insistent on attacking me… maybe you want a little demonstration of what I can do ?" The King of the Koopas asked, smiling menacingly.

While at the Crystal Empire, some electricity had formed on his shell, this time, giant electric arcs appeared in a thundering sound. The temperature abruptly dropped twenty degrees ; the insides of the terrifying mouth glowed with a threatening orange hue.

Bowser released Discord by throwing him away like a broken toy ; with his powers returned, the draconequus hovered again next to the ponies ; he was visibly shocked to no end.

"All of you, teleport at least… one kilometer and five hundred meters away. Now. Or you are going to have a bad time. Come back in one minute, and you will see what I can do by using just a tiny fraction of my power. I do not think you will be so determined to attack me after this".

The demonic glare, the freezing temperature and the deadly fiery glow inside Bowser’s mouth made everyone obey the threat ; Discord teleported himself and his friends away as the monster retracted its head and limbs in its shell before starting to spin more and more rapidly. From afar, the group watched in horror as everything was pulled towards the creature in a tornado of cataclysmic proportions ; grass, soil, trees, air, clouds, rocks... nothing was able to resist the terrifying vacuum. Waves of unbearable frost reached the ponies as everything under the safety radius literally froze solid and broke into millions of pieces. The cold apocalypse lasted more than half of a minute before everything stopped and the temperature started to rise again ; the monster exited its shell, visibly satisfied.

"Let’s get outta here !" Applejack exclaimed.

"I agree with Applejack. No way I approach that thing again", Spike approved.

Twilight stayed silent but then teleported without any warning.

"Twilight !" Starlight screamed before following her, as she knew where she was going.

The two ponies appeared in front of the monster surrounded by a frozen land ; they had difficulty to breath because of the lack of oxygen, but the beast itself was unfazed.

"Your friends do not want to come ? Your chaotic friend cannot melt this ice, can he ?" Bowser asked sarcastically.

"What… do you… want ?" Twilight panted.

"A princess".

"For what… purpose ?"

"To stop being alone. Hmmm ? This answer does not satisfy you ? I see… you want to know more".

The beast paused.

"The princess in my world gave birth recently, so I cannot disturb her… And with the power I gained, it would be… far too simple to kidnap her, or even take over the kingdom ; but I do not want that, not anymore. We are friends you see… I think you understand that more than anyone else. So I came here. By accident to tell you the truth ; portals keep opening in my world, and one leads here. Be aware that I will not relent and I will not stop… until I get my princess in my castle, in my world".

"There’s no other princess besides me and Cadance in Equestria !" Twilight lied.

"You are lying, young princess… I admire the courage… or the foolishness you have to lie in my face, but unfortunately for you, I sense two traces… Two powerful forms of magic in these ruins… And I sense I am getting closer to the original sources. I smelled traces of them at the castle of your friend, but the magic of love there had smothered them. I sensed this magic again in a region deformed, I presume, by the power of your chaotic friend. I destroyed this land, but I could not sense the traces anymore, so I followed the ocean, some of your cities, a desert, mountains inhabited by one-eyed goat creatures, a jungle… all of that to return to my point of origin. Frustrating but necessary, I suppose. From my starting point, I took another route to the North. And I was right. I sense them. Two powers of very close proximity… Like two close-related parents… But at the same time some sort of opposite. The two who possess this magic… with you, little princess and the other one, they have the highest raw power here, but I sense a minute difference between them".

The monster paused again for a few seconds and then concluded its assumption :

"I see now... They are sisters. Am I right ?"

"Even if this was true… why don’t you… take me with you ?" Twilight asked.

"Twilight, no !" Starlight panicked.

"Regardless of the connection your magic has to this world, you are still a young ruler. You are not what I am searching for, even though I will not deny that the race you belong to is beautiful, and so you are. I do not know how you call yourselves, but I have creatures that look almost like you in my world : they are domesticated, sometimes labor beasts that cannot talk, but they are well-treated, do not worry about that…" Bowser mocked.

All the time he was speaking, he never stopped walking, sparing the ruins but crushing numerous trees.

"We are ponies ! And… rest assured that… we’ll stop you !" Starlight asserted in the face of the monster.

"Starlight… we’re leaving", Twilight ordered in a calm voice before disappearing.

Her friend obeyed, but not before glaring menacingly at the monster ; it ignored her and slowly continued its path.

"Do you understand what it means ?" Celestia asked to the others.

"Yes Princess Celestia", the ponies replied in unison.

"Is he still in the Everfree Forest ?" Luna interrogated.

"Yes, and all the creatures are evacuating it. Fortunately, not in the direction of Ponyville", Starlight added.

"Zecora has evacuated too", Applejack added further.

"I don’t want anyone or anything to be caught in the spell. When not encased, its range is many, many miles long. I can’t do more without destroying half of Equestria and breaking the shield. It’s imperative for you to adjust your timing perfectly", Celestia warned.

Everyone shivered : what their princess was going to do was unheard of in the history of Equestria ; it was far beyond drastic measures.

"What if it doesn’t work ?" Spike asked.

"Then what he said is true : he truly cannot be halted. And we’ll have no other choice to try to reason with him", Luna replied.

"Why not now ?" The tiny voice was coming from Fluttershy.

"Because he said he won’t stop until he gets what he wants ! Because he wants to kidnap a princess for whatever reason ! And don’t forget he’ll take her to his world ! We’ll never see her again !" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, rapidly hovering in circles above her timid friend.

"I’ll fly over there", Celestia declared. "Everypony besides the ones who will erect the shield, stay here. The spell will deplete me of my strength and, if I come back, I want to have the ponies I care for the most inside the walls of this castle".

Discord teleported Celestia, Luna, Twilight and Starlight to the Everfree Forest.

Bowser was slowly crushing the strange trees of the huge forest ; even the Tree of Harmony was shaking under his feet ; he had considered uprooting it to draw the princess to him, but he sensed its magic was literally vital to this world, and he was not intending to destroy everything just for the sake of it. As he was walking towards Ponyville, he suddenly sensed the two magic auras ; the sisters were probably some hundreds meters away. He interrupted his step as a night-blue dome slowly formed around him ; given its thickness, depth, slow speed of formation and huge size, it was apparently not meant to truly encase him, but rather to protect the outside zone. He looked up mechanically and finally saw her : the princess, his princess, was here. Back to the sun, only her winged silhouette was visible ; but even then, her beauty was breathtaking ; it was an angel. Bowser was taken aback and dazzled for a few seconds, enough to make him stop and step back ; he then smiled.

"I finally found you… Such a beautiful princess… I truly cannot think of something that surpasses your beauty".

The white alicorn paid no attention to his words and flew above the sun that was hers. Once she was high enough, the beam came. It was a tiny, shining spot at first ; it became larger and brighter as it was approaching Equestria at the speed of light.

"Another trick ? I admit that it is shiny", the monster said.

The solar beam hit it as the dome quickly closed to contain the resulting apocalyptic explosion that shook the entire land. The ponies who had made the shield struggled to keep it in one piece, and it started to crack here and there. They pushed in their last reserves to maintain the protection for a few minutes, all the while creating tiny holes to allow the intense heat to slowly evacuate. The inferno stopped abruptly however, and they lowered the dome full of smoke after it was clear that they could not stand more. Luna, Twilight and Starlight approached Celestia : all of which had barely the strength left to hover ; they weakly flew towards Ponyville and landed at the entrance of the Everfree Forest, unable to approach the devastated zone.

The footsteps began to shake the ground again at the exact same pace they did before.

"No…" Twilight whispered, unable to believe what she was hearing. "No… that’s impossible…"

"We must return to Canterlot", Luna affirmed as she stood up ; she was the one who had the most strength left.

Twilight managed to do the same, but Starlight and Celestia just could not get up. Discord appeared over them.

"Please, take us to the castle", Celestia implored.

Discord did not reply but complied ; he snapped his paws and everyone disappeared as Bowser approached Ponyville.

"Lemme get this straight. He was hit by a five thousands degree beam and he’s still alive !?" Spike exclaimed in disbelief.

"It seems so. The heat has stopped so suddenly some minutes after the explosion", Twilight – who was slowly recovering – explained. "The shield was here to contain the backlash : we created some holes in it for the heat to evacuate. It was a very delicate task : releasing such a temperature too abruptly would’ve caused unimaginable destruction. But as I said, the heat disappeared, well, almost entirely".

"And I see only one explanation : he cooled it", Starlight whispered weakly.

"You just can’t cool a temperature like that ! It must’ve been an inferno in there ! Surely enough to fry even Discord !" Rainbow Dash objected.

"Do you remember the frost that destroyed everything when he attacked ?" Twilight asked to the pegasus.

"Yeah", her friend replied. "Can’t forget it…" “It’ll give me nightmares for weeks”, she thought.

"For an object to break like this, the temperature must’ve been considerably low, as it was frozen to its very core. As there was still some gaseous air, we’re sure that it didn’t reach near the Absolute Zero. Maybe… maybe it’s not technically frost, not in the common sense, but a suppression of energy on a subatomic level, which appears as frost…" Twilight muttered mostly for herself as the others stared at her with confused looks.

"Ah don’t get it", Applejack grumbled.

"Well, to simplify, inside the atoms, “orbiting” around the core, are electrons. The faster they spin around the core, the more energy, heat in this case, they produce. However, if these particles slow down, the production of energy will decrease. In theory, they can reach total immobility : this is called the Absolute Zero. In practice, except with magic, it’s not possible, because of quantum…"

"Ah get it now ! Ah get it !" Applejack interrupted. "Electrons fast equal heat, electrons slow equal frost".

"Yes, you can say it in that way. So, that monster has some… control over energy ; he at least can steal it, meaning he could reduce us to living statues should he desire", Twilight concluded. "However, I think magic can prevent that from happening. In a world without magic, there’d be nothing we could do. I…"

An earthquake cut her off ; the monster had probably jumped over Ponyville once he had spotted the city of Canterlot.

"On the balcony !" Twilight exclaimed.

Author's Note

Yes, I think Absolute Zero can be reached with magic :D

Surrender

"He’s climbing the mountain. What can we do ? Just what can we do !?" Twilight angrily asked to herself.

"Flee ?" Fluttershy squeaked.

"I think he’ll track down Princess Celestia’s magic wherever we go, maybe even in other dimensions", Starlight replied flatly. "And if he can’t follow us, there’s a risk that he’d probably destroy Equestria out of anger".

The ground shook violently for ten seconds.

"Rock avalanche !" Pinkie Pie screamed.

"If he goes on like this, part of Canterlot will face a rain of rocks ! And at this altitude, it’ll be almost like a meteor shower !" Twilight panicked.

"It will be worse", Celestia corrected as she tried to get up. "Canterlot may not support the weight of that thing, and the entire mountainside could collapse".

Terrorized gasps echoed through the halls of the castle.

"I’ll go tell him", Discord decided.

"Wait ! You’ll be powerless against him ! Why would you do such a thing ?" A surprised and confused Luna asked.

"I don’t wanna see this place going down after I made it float", the draconequus said, shrugging. "Besides that, I think he doesn’t wanna bury “his” princess under tons of rocks…" He added before disappearing.

He reappeared on the mountainside, floating in the sky to have a better view. He did not search long before locating the monster that was jumping from cliff to cliff with an unsuspected agility. But something was off. It was much smaller. Really much smaller. And maybe even less terrifying. The scales on the shell were not keeled anymore, and seemed to be actual, giant turtle shell scales. The spiky bone protrusions were still there, but growing in the middle of the scales ; they had also became conical. The horns had drastically reduced in size, as they did not reach the top of the hair whereas they were far longer than them previously. The padded feet were not as large as before and the body scales of the monster had taken a yellowish orange color instead of the former brown. The spikes on the collars had also decreased in size but his beige mouth was bigger. The most surprising change, however, was the eyes : the serpentine red pupils had disappeared, giving place to round ones, and the irises were now bright orange. He was slightly less terrifying this way, but he stayed nonetheless a scarier creature than dragons. Discord fell almost at ease and appeared right in front of him as he was jumping on the path leading to Canterlot.

"I see you’ve changed your appearance. You’re less creepy this way, I must say", the Master of Chaos complimented sarcastically. "I think you’ve reached the same conclusion as us : the mountain wouldn’t have supported your weight. You better go on a diet y’know…"

"A chimera with a sense of humor telling me to go on a diet… Such a funny world…"

Bowser stopped walking and crossed his bulky arms.

"I can change back whenever I want… These two forms are the same. But even like that, you can’t stop me. I still got my Darkness and strength. Back when I hadn’t my powers, it would’ve been easy – too easy – to beat me. I must say I would’ve made an alliance with you to try to get the kingdom I no longer want… because I see you’re someone who’s done some harm to this country, just like me. Now, move or I crush you under the weight you think I’d better lose", the monster threatened.

Discord noted the change in tone and hovered not far away from the creature which continued its walk.

"You know what ? I think I can stop you in this form… I think your power simply reached its limit…" The draconequus threatened as his voice changed to a deep growl and his pupils to two elongated, shining dots of anger.

Thick dark clouds and thunder suddenly encompassed the two monsters ; Discord instantly became huge, dwarfing the King of the Koopas who stopped again, sighing. The rocks that were forming the path came to life, gained in height and converged towards Bowser ; the ground shook violently to try to destabilize him to no avail ; he shook his head, visibly disappointed.

"You really wanna fight ? You’re gonna have a bad time"

"That’s my line ! You have no idea of how powerful I am !" Discord bellowed. "I am the Master of Chaos ! The Creator of Disharmony ! I can do whatever I want, whenever I want ! I can break the laws of physics should I desire ! I can rip the very fabric of reality ! I can change you into…"

He stopped his rambling : the monster was suddenly right in front of him ; below, the ground and living rocks were shattered. Discord sensed something that destabilized him ; just before realizing that it was the dark, foreign power consuming his chaos with its hungry maws, Bowser grabbed him around the neck with his arm ; the Spirit of Disharmony sensed the spiky collars painfully piercing his flesh. The heavy beast pinned him to the ground in an explosion as all the chaos magic shattered like a thin pane of ice thrown on a wall. Bowser restrained the draconequus with one of his huge hands ; Discord immediately shrunk back to his normal size and the leader of the Koopa race effortlessly lifted him by the throat with the same hand.

"You talk too much and don’t listen enough ; I warned you. Now you lost. Don’t you understand, pathetic little being, that my power is not magic ? It’s far, far away from that. Now, what will I do with you, useless trickster ? Maybe take you as a hostage… Hmm…"

Bowser raised his other hand, claws outstretched : Discord saw them coming down near his heart and he closed his eyes ; he thought of Fluttershy just before the claws touched him. What he sensed was not oblivion however ; he felt almost all of his magic suddenly fading away. He opened one of his asymmetric eyes : he was still in one piece and not injured in the slightest by the attack.

"I sealed most of your magic for one or two days ; I just let the necessary spark for you to get outta here to your… pony friends", the King of the Koopa explained, smiling with a mix of threat and mockery.

"Consider yourself lucky to not be flattened or having your magic or yourself permanently destroyed. Don’t worry, neither that nor your wounds will kill you. Go away, powerless annoying little thing, before I change my mind".

The battered and wounded Discord complied and disappeared.

"DISCORD !!" Fluttershy exclaimed once he reappeared in the castle’s throne room.

All the ponies hurried next to him ; Bowser had made good of his word : the Master of Chaos was struggling to even keep himself on all four.

"You’re wounded !" Fluttershy panicked as she saw the puncture marks on his neck from where the spikes had penetrated his flesh ; they were slightly bleeding.

"Just… a few… holes", her friend replied with difficulty ; the wounds threatened to open more and tiny droplets of blood stained the grey fur.

"Stop talking !" Luna ordered, her voice filled with worry. "I still have enough magic to heal you. Just stop talking".

The Princess of the Night applied her glowing horn on Discord’s neck : the bleeding stopped and the wounds closed themselves, although they left some tiny scars ; Discord did not get up however, but he managed to talk clearly, albeit much slower and with a bitter tone than usual.

"Thanks Luna. That’s not the first time I’m depowered, but that’s definitely the first time I’m crushed like that… I think I can now call myself the Spirit of Failure".

He paused to give his friends the important information :

"He’s far smaller than before, but well… he just jumped, put a wrestling move on me and voilà ! It was over. Duration of the fight : five seconds. I counted. Heh… I thought I was a goner when I saw his claws coming down, but no, guy’s just sealed my magic for two days. He’s right though : I’m pathetic. Behold the Master of Fail !"

"Don’t say such things", Fluttershy reprimanded as she tearfully hugged him. "You’re the Lord of Chaos ! Your powers are just amazing ! Don’t listen to him : you’re truly the best !"

Discord smiled weakly as everyone around him smiled and concurred with Fluttershy’s statement.

The ground shook and Twilight hurried outside the castle just in time to see the limbs and head of the monster coming out of its flying shell as it landed, again shaking the city ; it made its way towards the gates.

"He’s almost at the gates !" The purple alicorn exclaimed.

"Close them immediately ! Alert the guards ! Ring the alarm ! Every citizen must stay inside their locked houses !" Luna roared as loud as she could with her royal voice. "Sister, I will not let this monster capture you !"

As Discord was being put in a bedroom and treated, the entire city sprang into action : guards filled the streets while citizens emptied them. All doors were locked up and all shops, closed. Soon, the city fell silent, except for the hoof stomps of the guards. A rustling came from the sky as the Wonderbolts circled above Canterlot, ready to dive onto the intruder ; intruder who stopped a few feet away from the gates ; he could see the guards behind them and the pegasi above. He smiled. Jumping in the middle of the town was perfectly feasible, but such a jump could cause the collapsing of at least part of it, even with his current size ; he opted for another method.

"Ponies !" He roared with a wall-shaking voice. "If you don’t surrender the white princess to me in one minute precisely, I will burn the eastern district of this city in its entirety ! Your weak magic won’t stop my flames from tearing through your walls ! Now the choice is yours !"

The guards were still awaiting instructions when the time limit reached its end.

"I thought you were peace-loving and wise creatures… such a shame. I feel like you’re as disappointed as me … So… why not cheer up ourselves with some fireworks ?" He roared again.

He lifted his head, briefly inhaled and breathed a gigantic stream of fire above the eastern part of Canterlot ; the fire expanded through the sky, forming a deathly veil, but fell slowly as innumerable little flames ; the flickering tiny fires were not affected by the strong wind produced by the pegasi to extinguish them ; they touched some roofs and stayed in place without expanding or extinguishing.

"The second fire I’ll breathe will merge with this one and reduce this district to ashes in seconds. I say it one more time : surrender the princess".

The gates opened and the guards and the Wonderbolts charged. The last ones were the firsts on the monster, which was thrice their size. Surprisingly for his size and weight, Bowser managed to catch one ; Soarin was swiftly grabbed with one arm and thrown onto the charging unicorn guards who were readying their magic. The hurled pegasus knocked out twelve of them – and himself – as the monster had thrown him just between the gates, where the guards exited the city. Hundreds beams of magic vainly hit the beast as it began walking towards the gates, simply throwing aside the guards which got too close and some other Wonderbolts along the way : it ignored the others. The gates were immediately closed, but one punch of the clawed hand shattered them like they were made of paper.

"What do we do now ?!" Twilight asked to no one in particular with a tone indicating she was slowly losing her self-control.

"He’s gonna burn the city to a crisp !" Spike panicked.

"This is enough. I will surrender", Celestia affirmed in a soft but determined voice.

The white alicorn was now standing without effort.

"You can’t do this, sister !" Luna exclaimed.

"I must protect not only this city, but Equestria as a whole. He will never stop. We have seen his will and his power : with that in mind, how could he not be relentless ? Nothing can stop him ; it’s enough. Putting spell after spell will only anger him more and more and cause unjustified destruction, either because of the spells or his growing rage. Truthfully, I don’t think he will harm me. Maybe I can reason with him, even if it takes time… Sister, you take the responsibility for raising the sun in my absence. I am sure I will come back", Celestia concluded with a sad smile and tears in her eyes as she passed her powers to her sister ; she then quickly flew out of the balcony.

"I…" Twilight began as her voice broke.

She extended her wings and followed her mentor as the others failed to stop her.

"Ah ain’t stayin’ here as Princess Celestia an’ Twilight are riskin’ their lives !" Applejack affirmed.

Her friends approved and they headed towards the direction of the monster.

"I can’t", Luna sobbed as they were going to leave the room. "My sister trusted me with the safety of the kingdom. I just can’t…" She repeated before breaking in tears.

"We’ll get Princess Celestia back, no matter what it takes", Starlight assured.

"Thank you everypony", Luna thanked with a weak, crushed voice.

They hurried out of the castle and rushed through the streets of Canterlot, Rainbow Dash guiding them in the air.

"They’re here !" She exclaimed before speeding right in front of her.

Twilight and Celestia were facing Bowser, the three of them surrounded by guards. The monster looked at each of the armored unicorns before speaking :

"Don’t forget I’ll burn half of this town if these soldiers try anything. That’d be useless anyways : your magic can’t stop me. No force or magic can. Before I lose patience, and trust me, you really don’t wanna see that… will you come with me ?"

Celestia took a deep breath and answered with a firm voice.

"Yes. I’ll come with you, if you don’t harm any of my subjects and extinguish the fire. Now".

"Good. I had no intention to harm or kill anyone anyways. Do I have your word as a princess and fellow ruler ?"

"You have it".

The flames disappeared in a puff of smoke, letting no traces on the roofs.

"Perfect. Take my hand please. I’m gonna teleport us to the portal", Bowser informed, extending his clawed hand.

"No !" Twilight screamed, readying her magic.

"Twilight !" Celestia intervened. "Please, stop. I gave my word to him".

"Don’t worry… You’ll come back, I promise", the monster tried to reassure.

Celestia put her decorated white hoof in the huge scaly palm. A tiny whirlwind of black smoke enveloped the princess and the beast ; when it disappeared, they were gone.

Celestia had never seen such a magic portal : it was a large green pipe emerging from the ground, with only darkness inside.

"After you", Bowser said. "Don’t be afraid, the portal has no side-effects. Just jump in it. Don’t try to flee, I may be heavy, but I can catch you easily".

Celestia hovered above the darkness of the pipe for some seconds, closed her eyes, and plunged inside ; Bowser followed her.

Journey to another world

"We must search for her !" Twilight asserted, stomping her right hoof on the ground.

"And I agree with you Twilight, but… how do we find the portal ? It could be anywhere !" Spike countered.

"Actually, no", Starlight corrected. "The portal’s somewhere in the South".

"How do you know that, darling ?" Rarity interrogated.

"He told Twilight and I that he followed an ocean, some cities, mountains inhabited with Arimaspi, and a jungle. More importantly, he said that, just before coming here in Ponyville and Canterlot, he took a path towards North and that he was right to do so", Starlight explained.

"But the South… is vast and…" Fluttershy squeaked ; she ended her sentence in a series of inaudible words.

"If he crossed the Arismapi territory, ended in the jungle, and if we consider that he visited the Dragon Lands first, implying that he crossed the sea, all of that leaves us with only one possibility…" Starlight said.

"The Badlands…" Pinkie Pie whispered, shivering.

"Well, at least it isn’t in the jungle, as we wouldn’t had many chances to cross paths with Daring Do to help us", Twilight reassured herself.

"As I said, I can’t go with you, but I suggest that you go now", Luna advised. "Your trip will take some time, and when you’ll be there, it will be night time. Even with the creatures that dwell at night in these dangerous lands, I will do my best to protect you. I will follow you from here, and should the creatures come, the moonlight will repel them in the shadows. I wish you good luck. And I implore you… save my sister", the Princess of the Moon begged.

"We won’t come back ‘til she’s with us !" Applejack assured.

Fluttershy turned to Discord who was trying to use his magic in vain, snapping his claws and paws uselessly.

"Discord, my friend… I want you to stay here and help Princess Luna to keep Equestria safe. Can you do that for me ?" Fluttershy asked to the Spirit of Disharmony.

"I have no power", he replied.

"I’m sure you’ll regain it shortly", his friend countered. "And you don’t need it to be useful, or even to be yourself".

"Well… Okay… Anything else ?"

"Yes, actually. Can you take care of our pets ? Or rather ask somepony to do it ? And at last… warn our parents ?"

The Master of Chaos grumbled something that sounded like a “yes”.

The ponies said their goodbyes to Luna and Discord, then departed back to Ponyville to prepare the trip.

"We’ll go to Dodge City. After that, we’ll have to walk", Twilight explained to her friends as she finished preparing her backpack ; she was the first to be ready.

They nearly missed the train ; fortunately, it has been delayed by the havoc caused by Bowser.

Luna was right : when they arrived to Dodge City, it was early nighttime. Part of the path to the Badlands was an open semi-erased dusty road filled with abrasive sand-loaded gusts of wind, but when they reached and followed the woods of the Haysead Swamps, it became a plain with no trail at all. Fortunately, the Macintosh Hills were visible, even at that distance : they signalized the entry of the arid country, as they transformed into cliffs from where a “road” could be taken.

The Badlands were nothing more than a dry hole filled with sand and rocks, surrounded by cliffs and mountains. It was strongly contrasting with the lush vegetation of the jungle atop the rocky slopes. The path the ponies took was bearing no traces of the monster, and they began to despair.

"Look !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed suddenly.

Illuminated by the moon and the magic of the ponies, the nearly erased road was cut in half by a large clawed footprint. It was still visible even in the sand, as the weight of the monster had glued it. The ponies raced to the direction from where the deep traces were coming. It was not long before the footprints turned abruptly into much smaller ones, and, a few hundred meters later, they found the portal.

Shimmering in the moonlight, the intense green pipe formed a stark contrast with its dark surroundings ; it must have been much more visible in daylight, as everything around it was orange or brown ; it was two and half meters tall and three meters wide, enough for most creatures to take it.

"Do we have to… jump inside ?" Fluttershy asked worriedly.

"I suppose so", Twilight replied. "The edge isn’t wide enough for us to stand on it, so Rainbow Dash and I will have to… drop most of you inside".

"Wait !" Rarity interrupted. "How can we be sure that we can come back ? Or that we won’t fall into water, lava or worse ?"

"We can’t", Twilight answered flatly. "But the first time I went to Canterlot High, I wasn’t really sure either. This monster told Princess Celestia that she’d come back and the portal’s still here. Maybe I could go first, check if it’s okay, and come back".

"I won’t let you take that risk", Starlight denied, shaking her head.

"I agree with Starlight. We go together or we don’t", Applejack added.

"The question still remains so… who wants to go first ?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I’ll go," Starlight decided before levitating herself. "But I’ll come back to tell you if it’s safe".

Before anyone could object – as nothing was decided – the pink unicorn plunged in the hole, only to reappear seconds later.

"It’s safe ! But the portal leads into a desert… That’s quite… disappointing. Oh, and it’s daytime there", Starlight added.

"So… here we go", Rainbow Dash groaned before lifting Rarity by under her forehooves.

"Ow ! Attention ! Be careful when you lift somepony like me ! I’m not a hay bag, for Celestia’s sake !" The white unicorn complained.

Starlight crossed the portal again and Rainbow Dash dropped Rarity inside very carefully. Twilight magically lifted Applejack and Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy flew herself into the hole. Rainbow Dash did the same, as Spike and Twilight.

"Well, for a desert, it’s a desert", Applejack grumbled as she looked around.

There was only yellow and orange sand as far they could see. Once in the air, Rainbow Dash saw some pyramids in the distance, but she could not fly too high : the intense sun was blinding her, and its heat was too powerful to handle ; the blue pegasus quickly set her hooves on the burning sand again.

"I see pyramids far away and that’s all. It’s too hot and too shiny for me to go higher ; that sun’s more powerful than ours".

"We’ll head for these pyramids. At least they’ll provide us some shelter", Twilight decided before drinking a little from her gourd.

The pyramids were truly far away : it took one hour to reach them, and their water reserves had already dropped almost by half. Spike was the most comfortable of all, and he dismounted Twilight to not tire her any further.

The constructions were majestic, even though they were blurry under the scorching heat.

"Here !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "A road !"

Stopping in front of the pyramids and leading to tents that were not here anymore, was a path of clear sand.

"There were tents of some kind here", Starlight pointed out. "It’s pretty recent, judging by the traces. I wonder why they’re not here anymore".

"Maybe that monster…" Fluttershy began before being cut by Pinkie Pie.

"There’s a sign !" The pink earth pony indicated.

Along the road, a rectangular wooden sign was planted, with engraved writing in it : it was the same language as the Equestrian language ; the only difference was in the letters’ shape.

" “Dry Dry Pyramids. Open all the week, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed for summer, July to September” ", Pinkie Pie read.

"Great…" Rainbow Dash grumbled.

"We don’t know where civilization is from that point, but we know there’s one at least…" Twilight said in an almost positive tone of voice. "I’ll explain you the principle behind months again if you want while we rest".

They sat in the shadows of the pyramids for ten minutes and Twilight and Starlight explained the units of time they recalled from the world of Canterlot High before taking the path. They walked for an hour and half before starting to succumb to the heat ; the road was surrounded by dunes of all dimensions, and they took some shelter against the tallest one. As they were resting, something caught the attention of Fluttershy ; under the sun, emerging from the sand, a strange object briefly shone under the sunrays.

"Oh my ! What a lovely flower !" Fluttershy exclaimed before trotting towards the lone vegetal lost in the endless sands.

"Fluttershy, wait !" Twilight warned, panic filling her voice. "We don’t know this world !"

The cream pegasus stopped two meters away from the large pink petals, but it did not prevent the thing attached to it to arise from the sand it was buried in. Fluttershy immediately ran in the opposite direction ; the creature which has popped from the sands was an almost three meters vertical pile-up of five prickly yellow cactus balls, with the last one, from which the pink flower sprouted, as the head. The latter was comprised of two oval black eyes with a large white oval pupil and a static open smile with a tongue showing inside the mouth. The segments of the monster, covered in large and wide green spikes, began to contort. The plant slowly wiggled its way towards the ponies as dozens of its brethren sprouted from the sand.

"Run !" Twilight shouted.

The ponies joined the road and ran for five minutes before slowing down.

"Good thing… that these… cacti-monsters… are… slow", Rainbow Dash panted.

"I’m… so sorry… everypony", Fluttershy apologized, trying to catch her breath.

"You… couldn’t have known", Twilight replied. "Besides, you… stopped just in time. I don’t know what… could’ve happened if you… had been closer, and I don’t wanna think about it".

After two hours of walking, the ponies began to think they were going to desiccate under the scorching heat, as their water reserves had run dry. Fortunately, patches of a thin sedge started to appear around them. A quarter of an hour later, they were in a savannah, its baobabs scattered around the grassland, their majestic silver obese trunks reflecting the sunrays. And at least, twenty meters away from the road, they found a tiny pond filled with muddy water that drew a disgusted noise from Rarity.

"Don’t worry, Starlight and I will purify it with a spell we learned some time ago. It’s smaller than two meters and probably deep as fifty centimeters at most : it’ll be quick", Twilight said.

Enveloped with Twilight’s magic, the water rose in the air while all the mud and debris stayed in the bottom of the hole. They too soon started to levitate, and Starlight put them away in the grasses. The water regained its rightful place, now resting on pure sand.

"We have to wait a few minutes for the water to truly clear up", Twilight explained.

Once the liquid was crystal clear, the thirsty ponies drank avidly and replenished their gourds. They paused and ate some snacks before continuing their route ; the heat had greatly decreased, allowing them to go faster, but it was still no less than a hundred degrees. There were no animals in the savannah, except for a few birds that seemed perfectly normal ; they ignored Fluttershy’s questions and flew away in fear however. The road had many smaller paths which were splitting from it, but they stuck to the largest one ; it took an hour to reach denser vegetation, a river, and then a jungle. Far away to the left, a volcano of astounding size was steaming slowly ; it was apparently active but not ready to erupt, or even having recently did so, as some sparse vegetation was growing on its rocky slopes.

There was a cabin at the entrance of the tropical forest ; it was locked and a hanging sign on the door indicated “Exceptionally closed” however.

"What the hay ?! Why everything’s closed in this world !?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed with exasperation before facehoofing.

"Maybe the inhabitants of this world are on vacation. Who’d be crazy enough to visit pyramids or say, just take a walk with this heat anyways ?" Starlight replied.

"We shall end to meet somepony, or someone, along this road", Twilight asserted.

And they walked again. Although the large path through the jungle was clear and clean, the plants on each side were of such density that distinguishing one plant from another was impossible. Some rustlings in the leaves suddenly drew the attention of the ponies, which stopped their progression. An unimaginably fast, brown and blurry thing popped out the foliage to steal Applejack’s hat in a gust of wind.

"My hat ! Did ya see that ? What’s this !?" Applejack exclaimed.

The ponies stood in a tight circle as Twilight, Starlight and Rarity readied their magic.

They heard a grumpy tiny voice in the trees, accompanied by the sound of footsteps.

"Lemme go ! 'was goin’ to give it back ! 'twas just a prank !"

The foliage rustled vigorously and a huge brown gorilla jumped on the road ; it was more than twice the size of the ponies. The muscular ape had a curly spike of fur on its head and was wearing a bright red tie inscribed with “DK” in yellow. In one of its large hands, a marmoset with a disproportionate head was struggling to free itself in vain ; one of its tiny claws was grasping Applejack’s hat.

"Give it back and apologize", the gorilla ordered with a deep bass voice.

It let go of the tiny ape, which handed the hat back to its rightful owner.

"M’sorry", the marmoset grumbled.

As soon as Applejack took her hat, the little primate jumped in the foliage and disappeared.

"Sorry", the gorilla apologized, rubbing its head. "He and his pals are just mischievous, but I don’t think he was gonna keep your hat for too long ; they steal a lot from tourists before giving back, just a way to have fun. Oh, apologies, haven’t introduced myself : I’m Donkey Kong, and this jungle’s my home. Never seen you here, where are you from ?"

"Well…" Twilight began to explain.

"We’re ponies from another world and we’re here because a giant and not giant anymore invincible and unstoppable turtle monster came in our world to ponynap for who knows what one of our princess who raises the sun and she’s also our friend so we must get her back very very very quick", Pinkie Pie explained ; the whole sentence was told in less than five seconds.

"Well…" Twilight repeated.

"Hahahaha ! You’re talkin’ so fast, so funny !" Donkey Kong laughed. So, you’re from another world ? Not that surprised. 'twas almost frequent until a few months ago, the portals stopped appearin’ suddenly. So… ponies, right ? The monster that took your princess, wasn’t its name Bowser by any chance ?"

"Yep, that’s right", Spike replied.

"Surprisin’. Thought he was huh… nice and all since he gained that power. He’s almost friends with everyone now, or at least, huh… doesn’t bother us anymore. Princess Peach couldn’t have huh… handled it with her pregnancy and now her child. I think you’d better talk to her, she’ll easily convince him to give your princess back… I guess. Lemme guide you out of the jungle", the giant ape offered.

On the way out, they talked about what was called the Mushroom Kingdom over which the princess Peach Toadstool reigned, and the homeland of the ponies, Equestria. But they could not talk about everything in such a short time ; the edge of the tropical woods suddenly appeared : it was a huge chiasm cut by tremendous falls on its left side. The astounding masses of water were dropping down from at least two hundred meters ; the wooden bridge seemed utterly insignificant against them. On the other side of the precipice, there was much less trees, and what appeared to be a valley.

"Won’t guide you any further, ponies ; must stay here to protect the jungle. Remember the portals ? Not appearin’ anymore… worries me. Appeared so suddenly too, and over two years. First one led to the kingdom of Hyrule ; great people there and huh… sorry. I... I just think someone opened ‘em. And I… don’t think it’s for fun or for somethin’ good. Huh… grandpa said : “Som’thin’ not good’ll one day step outta ‘em, trus’ me son”. Grandpa’s sometimes senile but… I think he’s right on this one. I wanna be here to protect my family and my friends when it’ll happen", Donkey Kong explained.

He pointed his index in the direction of the bridge.

"So… After that bridge, you’ll be in Yoshi Valley. Huh… Don’t think you’ll see too many Yoshis there though, ‘cause they’re laying their eggs. Gettin’ lost in the valley’s easy huh… many roads y’see ? If there’s no Yoshi to help you, you’re huh… gonna go in circles. Always follow the red arrows along the roads. Each destination’s its own color. Red will take you to the Moo Moo Farm. Once here, ask for Luigi’s mansion. Huh… Luigi’s the brother of Mario, the princess’s husband. He’ll take you to her. And… that’s all I can do for you", the primate concluded.

"It’s more than enough, thank you", Twilight replied.

"Yes, thanks to you, we won’t get lost", Fluttershy added timidly.

"You’re welcome ! Was very pleased to meet you, ponies from Equestria ! Hope we’ll see each other soon !" Donkey Kong exclaimed before jumping in the trees.

The ponies crossed the bridge ; despite its fragile appearance, it perfectly supported their combined weight without flinching.

Yoshi Valley was a chiasm with a waterfall too, but not as deep and steep as the one they just crossed. At the bottom, along with the river, were some trees, grass and rocks ; rocks were also present everywhere, from small ones to gigantic structures covered in grass and bushes full of appealing berries, which Twilight forbid to eat.

Following the big red arrows along the road was easy, but the road was making so many twists and turns that, without them, anyone could indeed easily get lost. Halfway, Fluttershy spotted a big-snouted pink dinosaur wearing yellow shoes eating berries with its incredibly long tongue on a rock formation far away from the roads. The reptile saw them and happily waived its hand before jumping down the slope with an impressive leap.

"I think they’re the Yoshis Donkey Kong told us about", Starlight assumed.

"Such cute creatures", Fluttershy cooed. "And they seem so friendly. And they lay eggs. And…"

"They’re dinosaurs with shoes. That’s so funny !" Pinkie Pie interrupted.

They encountered three more Yoshis before reaching the end of the valley : one light blue, one yellow and one red ; all of them waived at the ponies with the same enthusiasm as the first one.

As they left the valley, the sun was slowly setting down ; fatigue started to take its toll on the ponies. It was the end of twilight when they reached the Moo Moo meadows and the Moo Moo farm. There were a few buildings in the vast meadows, and all of them were stables for the cows which were slowly regaining them.

"Excuse me", Fluttershy called out a cow, "could you please, if that’s not a bother, tell us the direction of Luigi’s mansion ?"

The cattle stared at the pegasus with a blank expression and turned away to lie on the ground with its peers under the stable.

"Fluttershy, I don’t think cows can talk here, they're just... animals", Twilight hesitated. "Let’s find somepony… someone who can inform us… Huh ? What’s that ? It’s strange, I sense something…"

"What ?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Never mind. This time, I’m sure it’s nothing. Nothing ominous at least, the alicorn reassured. Besides, I can’t put words on it. Maybe tomorrow."

The night has fallen when a true, huge house appeared in sight ; there was light inside and outside ; it was located in the center of a non-grazed meadow. Some nocturnal flowers sprouted here and there, attracting butterflies ; glow-worms and fireflies started to flash their cold translucent green glow as frogs and toads began their loud chant in the pond filled with water-lilies and canes.

The big house was entirely made of wood, resembling a chalet ; a lighted sign read “Moo Moo Inn”.

"Huzzah ! At least ! Something open !" Twilight celebrated.

They went inside the inn, closing the door behind them : the interior was providing a warm and cozy feeling, added by the fact that everything was made of wood, from the floor to the ceiling.

Behind the reception suddenly popped a large, green dotted cap. A clothed mushroom with eyes, mouth, shoed feet, and tiny arms appeared.

"Hello !" The creature greeted in a high pitched voice. "I’m Toad. Welcome to the Moo Moo Inn, a place very far away from the troubles of the city ! How may I help you ? Do you want to reserve some bedrooms ?"

The fact suddenly hit the ponies : they had literally no money to pay ; at least no money from this world.

"Well, we’re coming from… very, very far away", Twilight spluttered. "We… we have no currency from this w… country. We were told to go to the mansion of a certain Luigi by somep… someone named Donkey Kong… We want to meet Princess Peach, is that possible ?"

"You met DK ! He’s such a nice person, isn’t he ?" The talking mushroom said.

"Yes, but…"

"May I see your currency ?" The creature cut off.

Twilight gave a bag full of bits to the receptionist.

"Is that gold ?" He interrogated as he inspected them.

"Yes it is", Twilight replied.

"Well… Hmm… Let’s say we’re okay if I take two hundred of these coins for a dinner, a night and a breakfast for all of you".

"That’s okay", Twilight surrendered ; she was not going to bargain : she wanted to eat and sleep at all costs ; she was not certain about what she was going to eat however.

"All our bedrooms are free ! We’re open, but there aren’t many people who pass by these days. They’re all in Toadtown or not far away for the big celebration of after-tomorrow !" The receptionist explained excitedly.

"What this celebration is for ?" Rarity asked.

"DK didn’t tell you ? He’s so absent-minded sometimes ! The princess will officially present her baby to the kingdom at her castle ! It’ll be a huge feast that will last for days !"

"What a joyful event indeed", Rarity concurred.

"Tell me, where did you come from precisely ? I don’t want to sound indiscreet though…" The creature asked timidly.

"Well, we’re coming from a… portal I guess", Twilight replied finally.

"Oh, so you’re from another world ? Why didn’t you say it sooner ? Here, take back your money. It’s free for guests in the Mushroom Kingdom, or the universe I must say ! But I want you to tell me about your world in exchange. Please", the mushroom begged as he gave back Twilight’s money.

They chatted for some time before the ponies went to their bedrooms to drop their baggage. Toad then guided them into the restaurant ; the waiter, also named Toad, was strictly identical to the receptionist, albeit with red dots on his cap and a large brown mustache. He asked if they wanted an aperitif, which they declined. There was only one menu, because, as the receptionist had explained, there were literally no customers these days. Toad served them a salad with croutons for the entrée, a purée with a forest mushrooms sauce for the main course, some cheese made with the local cow milk, and finally a tarte aux pommes for dessert.

"Wow, I’m full", Rainbow Dash groaned with satisfaction.

"That tarte aux pommes was exquisite", Rarity added. "It’s almost better, I say almost better than Applejack’s apple pies. No offense".

"None taken", Applejack replied. It’s a variety of apples that I don’t know. And that’s a fancy meal. My apple pies are more… rustic".

The waiter came back to take their empty plates.

"Do you want a digestif, Mesdames, Monsieur ?"

"Well, why not ?" Starlight agreed.

Toad brought them the drinks’ menu ; Pinkie Pie let out a giggle when she read it.

"Hey, AJ ! Look at that ! They got Applejack !" She said between two fits of laughter that the others shared.

"Well, Calvados is a slightly different thing", Rarity explained. "Hmm… I think I’ll take an Amaretto. It will spare my delicate palate at least".

"I’ll take a Calvados", Applejack decided.

"What are these ?" Rainbow Dash asked to no one in particular. "Armagnac, Cognac and Absinthe".

"No idea", Twilight replied. "There's no equivalent in Equestria that I know of".

"Garçon !" Rarity called out. "As you know, we’re not from here. What are these three alcohols, I don’t think we have any equivalent in our world ?" She interrogated, pointing the unknown drinks on the menu with her white hoof.

"Armagnac is a distilled liquor of white wine and Cognac is a distilled liquor of grapes, Madame", the waiter explained. "Absinthe is a distilled drink made with grand wormwood, anise and other herbs. It is served with a sugarcube on a special spoon, but you can drink it raw if you so choose. These drinks are imported from a faraway land, as it is the only one who has the right to produce these liquors and sell them under these names. I hope you are satisfied with these explanations".

"We are. Thank you", Starlight thanked as Toad departed to let them choose.

"I’ll take a Cognac then", Rainbow Dash chose.

"Armagnac’s a pretty name", Pinkie Pie said. "I wanna taste one !"

"Be careful", Twilight warned. "Even if they’re not poisonous for us given the ingredients, they’re probably powerful liquors… Although they’re appealing… and it’s not every day that we eat in another world ! So I want to taste a Cognac too ! At least we’ll sleep well, I think".

She smiled mischievously ; the others were surprised : Twilight was not the kind of pony to casually throw away an advice she had just given.

"What ? As long as we don’t waste time to save Princess Celestia, I think we can… experience new things. Girls, we’re in another world we don’t know ! Just for once I… I just... just wanna relax a bit ; these days were so… stressful. It's... it’s time for a... tiny little break".

Everyone concurred with her statement.

"I choose a raw Absinthe", Starlight decided.

"And I’m going to take a “normal” Absinthe", Fluttershy said timidly. "I love anise. It smells so good ! I didn’t even know we could make alcohol with it !"

"Just a glass of sparkling water for me", Spike groaned. "Don’t want alcohol".

Toad took their orders and came back two minutes later with the drinks. When he served Fluttershy, the ponies observed him pouring the green liquid on the sugarcube on the flat pierced spoon ; the alcohol passed through the holes in the small glass below, dissolving the sugar in the process. The waiter departed when he was sure all the ponies were correctly served and the sugar from the Absinthe was entirely dissolved by the alcohol. Applejack was the first to sip her Calvados, which she found delicious. Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were taken by surprise with the strength of their drinks, but the most spectacular reactions came from Starlight and Fluttershy : Fluttershy bring her hooves to her throat, trying to catch her breath, while Starlight looked like she was going to spit fire.

"Are you okay ?" Twilight asked.

Fluttershy could not respond, occupied to try to remember how to breathe.

"You okay ?" Rainbow Dash asked again.

"Yes… Yes…" Starlight panted. "It’s huh… quite the shock. Try it Twilight".

Twilight fared no better once she drank the liquid.

"Garçon !" Rainbow Dash called out the waiter. "Could you add five raw Absinthes please ?" She asked cheekily.

"Tout de suite Madame", Toad replied.

The five drinks were served to Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie.

"That’s not reasonable Rainbow", Twilight reprimanded with not much conviction.

"You just said it : we’re in another world ! Why don’t we try the foods… and drinks they’ve got here ?" Rainbow Dash replied mischievously.

"Can I try ?" Spike interrogated.

"I don’t think it’s…" Twilight began, but Starlight instantly gave him her glass.

Spike drank one gulp without reacting. He drank again and gave back the glass to Starlight, almost disappointed.

"It’s strong… I guess…" He said, shrugging. "Not enough to burn my throat ; I’m a dragon after all… I kinda like the taste though".

Each of the ponies slowly finished their first served drinks, and then tried the powerful green liquid : Rarity almost spat it out but did not for the sake of convenience, Applejack swallowed it with difficulty and Rainbow Dash became fiery red, just like Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy was drinking very, very slowly, and Twilight and Starlight were now used to the strength and were drinking normally. When Rarity asked the waiter the alcohol by volume of the drink, his answer drew shocked reactions.

"This thing is eighty-nine percent of alcohol !?" Applejack exclaimed.

"Doesn’t feel like it", Spike said before taking two other sips from Rarity glass this time ; no one said anything.

When the tiny glasses were half emptied, the ponies began to articulate with difficulty.

"Ah think… Honestly… Ah… think I’m drunk", Applejack spluttered.

"Loo… Look at… at that ! A form… firm… farm pony who can’t keep… keep up… with… me…" Rainbow Dash tried to mock.

"You two aren’t any butter…" Fluttershy groaned very loudly in contrast to her normal, soft-spoken voice.

"Silly filly ! It’s… it’s bitter !" Pinkie Pie corrected wrongly.

"I don’t… know… the… answer to… this gramm… gr… question", Twilight laughed stupidly.

The glasses were emptied by the now reddish ponies ; the entire bottle followed. The Toad people were a kind, peaceful, clumsy and gentle race ; they were also very comprehensive : Toad and Toad checked if the doors of the bedrooms were not locked, but decided in the end to let them wide open, just in case.

"If they can go upstairs", the receptionist had said sarcastically before going to bed.

At the table, the conversation was following a logic that was only understandable by those who were talking.

"Ah say… Ah wanna… Ah… What… Ah… Great dinner…" Applejack stuttered.

"In… Indeed. Wunder… Wonder… full… soirée", Rarity mumbled with extreme difficulty.

"Feel… so… dizzy", Spike grumbled, leaning against Rarity who abruptly took him on her chair.

"My-My… little… Spooky-Whimsy !" Rarity stammered, hugging the little dragon like a plush doll.

"Absinthe party !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed before drinking in her empty glass. "Hey, that thing has no taste ! But… party…" She dropped unconscious on the table before finishing her sentence.

"Punkie’s out", Rainbow Dash mumbled.

The pink pony stood up immediately.

"Not… at… all ! Little… tired", she replied.

"Bed…" Starlight muttered under her breath.

"Where ? WHERE BED !?" Fluttershy shouted.

"‘stairs", Twilight replied awkwardly. "Stairs. Up. Go. Ponyevery, ‘kay ?"

They more or less agreed after ten minutes of nonsensical deliberation, but when they stood up, Rainbow Dash and Rarity fell on four hooves.

"Whowhowho firm pony… can’t keeeeeep up…" Applejack sang as she staggered heavily, to the point of bumping into a chair.

"Sorry ma’am… Wow… Lovely lady…" She whispered “discreetly” as she patted the seatback of the chair.

Spike failed to climb on Rarity the first time, and did it in reverse the second time ; no one noticed. Climbing the fifteen stairs was the hardest thing they had to do in their life. Each of the drunken ponies chose a room and vaguely closed the door behind them before collapsing right onto their beds, except Spike, who found himself in Rarity's hooves, hugged a little too tightly against the mare of his dreams ; they were not sleeping

Author's Note

Shipping (gay and straight, mostly gay though) and lots of romance/coming out begin next chapter, beware ;)

And yes, I think ponies are quite resistant to alcohol (meaning they digest it quickier than humans), so I took the strongest drink of my country to write this part (before you ask me : yes, I know how absinthe tastes) :D Oh, and all these alcohols exist of course, you can check them out ;)

"Coming-out day"

The wake-up call was not only difficult, but late. It was past 10 a.m. when Twilight opened her eyes. She was worried to not find Spike anywhere, when she heard his voice some rooms away. She lay down in her bed, absently listening to the conversation between him and Rarity.

"Rarity ! I’m-I’m sorry ! I was… I…"

"What are you apologizing for ?" Rarity asked with a surprised tone. "It’s me who has to apologize. You just shouldn’t look at me in such a… a… I cannot even give a name to whatever I am looking currently. Stay here please".

A door was heard, and then another. Rarity took a brief shower before coming back to her room.

"Much better, don’t you think ?" She asked to the little dragon.

"You’re always beautiful Rarity, but I wasn’t talking about that… You see… We… we… kind of slept together", Spike spluttered.

"Did we do something ?" His friend interrogated bluntly without realizing what she was saying.

The baby dragon almost fainted. It took all his mental strength to reply :

"I-I-I… don’t know".

"Whatever the answer is, it…" Rarity stopped as she brutally realized what they were talking about.

"It doesn’t… well… it bothers me a bit", she said bashfully.

Her cheeks flared a botchy red ; she staggered and recoiled like she was hit by a giant sledgehammer.

"Oh my… oh my… oh my…"

The unicorn collapsed on her bed and stuck the pillow on her head, almost piercing it with her horn. Spike sit next to her.

"Rarity, we’re not sure…" He whispered in a soft voice ; he could not stop blushing.

Rarity literally sank in her bed, her entire immaculate body shaking from painful spasms of shame and sadness.

"Spike… I can… I can… feel it… in my body… and… I-I-I start to… remember some sensations…" She sobbed, her uncontrollable tears drenching the pillow.

The baby dragon froze, his mind briefly escaping the world, preventing him from hearing the two very loud gasps coming from the adjacent rooms. He was dreaming : that was the only possibility. His head started to spin as he too regained small fragments of memory from the night. “I… I… with Rarity”. He began to tear up too : not only their friendship was broken forever, but no one would ever accept them as a couple ; there was nothing to do and nowhere to go.

"I’m so sorry Rarity. I’m not… not worthy of being your friend. I think I’ll return to the Dragon Lands once we’ll get back to Equestria, or rather just… leave Equestria altogether".

"What… what are you talking about ?" Rarity sobbed. "I just… I just wanted things between us to… go slowly… and… no… I’m lying… or I wouldn’t have… done that. I don’t know what I… wanted anymore, and… it doesn’t matter anyways. We did it. We did it. And…"

Suddenly, in a flash – or rather in a raging flow not unlike those of the jungle’s waterfalls – she remembered precisely all what happened. She brutally stopped her uncontrollable sobbing and her mind lighted up with a limitless joy as it got rid of any sentiment of sadness and shame ; she loved Spike and Spike loved her back ; there was nothing to be ashamed of, but, besides that, the intensity and clarity of the recollection were overwhelmingly joyful.

"And it was wonderful", she concluded as she stood up, sat and gave the dragon a genuine smile while drying her tears. "To tell you the truth, I… I wasn’t sure of what I was feeling for you before… but now, I can tell that… I love you Spike. I truly love you".

It was true : the night of love has been wonderful. She remembered each detail, each moan, Spike’s warm scales against her fur… Her friend smiled too, albeit weakly ; he put his claw on her hoof.

"I hope I’ll remember that night", he said, blushing again. "I… I love you too, Rarity".

"You’ll remember eventually, and just like me, you will never forget it. But you can just ask me, my little Spiky-Wikey", Rarity purred before kissing him on the lips.

Twilight heard everything, including the other gasp ; she was not sure where it came from : it was too muffled by the walls. She could not decide what to do ; things were done, so she had not much of a choice anyways. She wanted to blame herself, the alcohol, Rarity or even Spike, but shook her head dismissively ; they seemed happy together once over the shock. She thought she had not given so much attention to her assistant’s infatuation with the lovely fashion designer, and had convinced herself that, whatever the result, the two would always remain friends. But now they were past that : they were lovers.

“Never, ever, underestimate crushes, Twilight Sparkle… I wonder if I’d stay in Canterlot High…”, she thought before going to the bathroom. As she was showering, an unrelated thought hit her so hard she almost screamed in pain : it was like her brain was struck by lightning ; she recoiled, panting heavily. However, the pain quickly subsided and she instantly forgot the whole experience. While she was unaware of what had blossomed in her, she suddenly felt extremely relieved and relaxed ; she resumed her shower like nothing had happened.

Everyone came down almost at the same time, with Rarity and Spike together ; they drew some puzzled looks. The ponies sat at the same table as the day before ; Applejack even took the chair she had apologized to. The breakfast came quickly : there was jam, bread, butter, cereals, sugar, milk, coffee, apple, grape and orange juice.

"It was quite a night", Starlight resumed. "Did you still sleep well, everypony ?"

"Like a rock ! Maud would’ve been proud !" Pinkie Pie replied laughingly before digging in her cereals.

Rarity and Spike did not reply to Starlight’s question but simply blushed.

"Ah hope Ah didn’t say nor did somethin’ stupid. Or did some stupid things", Applejack groaned before slowly drinking her coffee.

"I think you apologized to the chair you’re sitting on", Starlight recalled.

"If that’s all, I’m cool with it", Applejack replied. "Truth to be told, that chair’s pretty comfy".

"And you flirted with it", Starlight added.

"Oh. That’s huh… much more huh…" Applejack spluttered.

"It was awesome !" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "But things are… blurry after the third glass", she added sheepishly.

They chatted in a good mood and ate profusely. Fluttershy was the only one who stayed silent, focusing on her breakfast. Although she was always a quiet pony, except when she was drunk or enraged, she was far too quiet today, even for herself : Rainbow Dash was the first to notice it.

"Hey, Fluttershy, what’s the matter ?" She interrogated. "You’re so… silent. Even for ya".

Her friend squeaked something that sounded like a faraway kitten meow.

"Huh… You can speak louder y’know", Rainbow Dash groaned.

But the timid pegasus could not say what she wanted to ; at the same time however, the pressure of the secret was crushing her ; and at least one of them knew too ; she was torn with indecision.

"Spit it out !" Pinkie Pie encouraged.

Spike and Rarity looked at each other and nodded.

"By the way…" Spike began.

"I-I-I-I h-h-he-heard y-y-yyou this mo-mo-mor-morning !" Fluttershy finally exclaimed splutteringly, pointing her hoof at Spike and Rarity.

Everyone looked at the dragon and the white unicorn with confused looks, except Fluttershy, who was still pointing her hoof at them, and Twilight, who was the other one who knew their secret.

"What’re ya talkin’ ‘bout ?" Applejack interrogated.

"They-they… I-I-I’m so-so-sorry… I-I heard everything… I-I didn’t want to… but… you-you…" The timid pegasus spluttered, blushing profusely and hiding behind her mane.

"What ?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Starlight was the first to put the pieces together : she turned a bright shade of red and put her hooves on her face. She wanted to slide under the table and would have done so if Pinkie Pie had not screamed for the whole world to hear :

"YOU SLEPT TOGETHER !?"

"More than that actually… but for the sake of politesse, I’ll spare you the details", Rarity replied calmly with assurance ; she bit her lip and her cheeks reddened however.

Everyone except Twilight and Fluttershy froze. Pinkie Pie’s jaw hit the table. Applejack spat out her coffee, fortunately on the table. Fluttershy, already almost at the table level, slumped further on her chair, finally disappearing from view. Rainbow Dash was still searching what Rarity was meaning when she finally understood.

"WHAT !?" She screamed to the point of shaking the whole inn ; she searched for a place to hide, found none, and opted to imitate Starlight : putting her hooves on her flushed face.

Twilight was enjoying her currant jelly, silently waiting for the storm to cease.

"Is… is everypony okay ?" Spike asked timidly after a full minute of crushing silence.

"I… I… just don’t know what to say", Starlight replied finally. "I mean, we… we all knew that you liked each other very much, especially you Spike, but…"

"So you two are lovers now ? You’re. The. Cutest. Couple. Ever ! We need a party ! And a wedding ceremony ! And then a wedding party !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed cheerfully as a shot of confetti popped out her nearby party cannon.

"Slow down a little darling", Rarity tempered, reddening slightly at the mention of the wedding. "We’re definitely not at this stage yet".

"Ah don’t remember love stories between ponies and dragons", Applejack pointed out as she drank twice in her mug to compensate her missing gulp of coffee.

"Dragons weren’t peaceful creatures before Princess Ember… And even now, there are some who aren’t totally reformed. I can’t think of anything that could prevent such a romance", Twilight countered.

"We feared you wouldn’t take the news in a… good stride", Rarity admitted. "I am ashamed. You are all my friends, and I shouldn’t doubt you, especially after all these years".

"It’s okay", Rainbow Dash dismissed. "To be honest, I’m not sure what I would’ve done if I was in your place. Just imagine the huh… the total chaos with me and… Princess Ember…" She trailed off before suddenly clapping her hooves on her treacherous mouth, too late however.

This time, all the eyes were on her ; confused looks were plastered on each of her friends’ faces.

"It was… was… just an example. Yes, that’s it, an example ! Not that I…" She spluttered unconvincingly.

Seeing that her friends were not buying it in the slightest, she grumbled something incomprehensible, blushed, and looked sideways.

"Can’t hear ya sugarcube", Applejack said.

"I… mares…"

"Just a little louder", Starlight encouraged.

"I like… I like mares. I’m-I’m... I'm gay. P-Princess Ember was an example, I’m-I’m not really attracted to her, but she’s pre-pretty… for a-a dragon I-I mean. At-at first I-I wanted to say Garble and…" Rainbow Dash fell silent and her head and ears dropped.

Her friends stared at her with surprised looks and gaping jaws, except one.

"And so what ?" A confused Twilight asked. "What’s strange in that" ?

"Learning that one of your friends – a friend among your very best friends – is gay doesn’t faze you, even a bit ?" Rarity interrogated, shaking her head in confusion.

"Why should I be surprised ?" Twilight repeated before biting in her second jam toast.

"Did you know that Rainbow Dash was a lesbian ?" Rarity asked, opting for another approach.

"No, I didn’t".

"And suddenly knowing that she is a lesbian doesn’t come off as a… complete surprise to say the least ?"

"Not at all. I’m not that interested in the sexuality of my friends, it’s their intimacy after all. If they’re happy, then it’s perfect. If they aren’t, I’d help them to improve their relationships, that’s what we do actually. Besides that, the stallions - mares’ ratio is severely imbalanced in Equestria in favor of the latter. Many mares are lesbians. For example, just in Ponyville, Lyra and Bon Bon are together, as DJ Pon3 and Octavia, and maybe Aloe and Lotus Blossom. There’s no problem with that, and there will never be".

"No, of course not", Rarity nodded, "you have a point. But I thought, and I am not alone, that you, of all ponies, would be surprised".

"Is there anypony you like ?" Starlight suddenly asked to Rainbow Dash, changing subject.

Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head with a hoof, relaxing a little, seeing the positive reactions of her friends.

"Well, not… not really. I just find some mares… very beautiful".

"For example ?" Applejack pushed.

Rainbow Dash grinned as she stared intently at the farm pony.

"For example ? You, my dear AJ. I wasn’t so drunk yesterday when I said you were a firm pony…"

Applejack demeanor shifted in a split-second ; her face decomposed, her jaw dropped. She was mortified : her mug was shaking in her hoof, spilling coffee everywhere, and her cheeks and muzzle were slowly turning scarlet. Rainbow Dash burst into a long fit of laughter.

"Just kidding. Well, you’re pretty, but not my type. No offense".

"None taken", Applejack replied as she calmed down and finished her coffee, with more than half of it spilled everywhere.

Rainbow Dash kept on explaining her feelings :

"I find Spitfire attractive, but it’s not something physical… I love her strength, her status, her authority… And I always thought of Derpy as the embodiment of cuteness just as we’re the Elements of Harmony, but at the same time she’s so… clumsy. I could say Lyra and DJ Pon3 too, they’re just gorgeous. And last but not least…"

She flew behind Fluttershy and gently stroked her mane.

"I’m in love with Fluttershy’s mane !" She laughed as a red Fluttershy sank again under the table.

"Kidding Flutters’ !" Rainbow Dash giggled. "Well, almost, because your mane’s truly awesome ! Heh, I’m disappointed that he ain’t here, because I would’ve made your brother go totally crazy if he heard that !"

"You know", Twilight interrupted as she prepared a third toast, "I actually find some mares pretty attractive too. And I also liked Flash Sentry… and a few stallions to the same extant. When I seriously think of it… that technically makes me bisexual… but, as a scientist, sexuality’s just a spectrum like any other".

"That’s the coming out day", Starlight chuckled nervously.

"If anypony asked me sooner, I would’ve replied the same", Twilight affirmed before biting in her toast. "I guess…" She added.

"Anypony else wants to come out ?" Rainbow Dash asked, a ferocious smile on her face.

Applejack really wanted to say nothing. She had nothing to say by the way. But she suddenly realized it was not true ; and as it was not true, she was compelled to say the truth : she began to shift uncomfortably on her chair and at her own consternation, opened her mouth :

"Ah… I kinda feel somethin’ fer… somepony, she spluttered. “Hugh… Honesty… Can’t hide anything… and definitely can’t hide that… Here you go, Applejack”. Years ago, in the-the summer camp. But I-I was too young to understand… I think... What I-I wanna say is-is… Rara’s kinda cute… And her voice too and… huh… I… huh… just-just wait. I’m-I’m forced to say the truth, and-and that’s the truth, but how the hay I wasn’t aware of it in Equestria !? What the hay’s happenin’ to us !? Why do love and crushes stuff seem so important all of sudden !? Why the hay are we…"

"Wait a second !" Pinkie Pie interrupted suddenly : she looked at Spike and Rarity, who blinked innocently.

"Do you want a baby ?"

Instead of answering, the mare and the dragon fainted.

"Never had so much fun", Rainbow Dash laughed as they left the dining room.

"And you let your secret out", Starlight reminded her.

"Yeah, but I’m totally cool with it. And I’m not the only one ! Thanks !" Rainbow Dash replied, winking at Spike and Rarity.

"Applejack’s question stick in my mind", Twilight recalled. "Why are we letting out our love secrets, our deepest intimacy, so suddenly ? Except for Applejack, it’s not like we’re really forced to do it, and we can obviously notice it, but something compels us to say everything related to… love".

Everyone except Twilight froze in place, paralyzed ; being manipulated was one of their worst fears : they remembered how many dangerous situations and close calls had happened because of this kind of subversive magic.

"And all of these secrets are true it seems, so we’re not being influenced to lie or even act against our will. I can tell, however, that something’s growing as we go towards civilization. It’s the feeling that I had yesterday : something’s resonating with us, with our magic, but something positive and benevolent. I’ll tell you if it becomes more precise", Twilight concluded without any worry ; after the revelation of Spike and Rarity’s romance, not only she has opted to go with the flow, to stop worrying and stressing for once, but she was feeling more relaxed than she had ever been ; she decided she liked that kind of spirit and went in her room, whistling tunelessly.

They left the inn before lunch, after Toad, the receptionist, explained how to go to Luigi’s mansion. He added that the place was scary at night, so they should better hurry ; he corrected himself however, because Toads were not exactly the fastest race of the Mushroom Kingdom. Just before their departure, with their accord, he took a photo of the ponies and Spike : he would pin it in a frame at the entrance for every customer to see.

Author's Note

You've been warned before, shipping/etc. begins here ;)

And yeah, it's happening very, very fast, but there's a reason for this (other than I find long love stories boring) ;)

Meeting, storytelling and warning

The ponies reached Luigi’s mansion in the late afternoon but with their copious breakfast, they were not hungry in the slightest. The huge beige house had a green roof, thirteen green windows – with a large one in the middle – and green doors. A huge “L” of the same color above the largest window reminded who the owner of the building was. The manor was at least fifty meters long and was encircled by woods themselves surrounded by large and tall gates ; they were open however, and, after crossing the sinuous white gravel path, the ponies arrived at the porch. Twilight was about to knock on the door when a voice with a strong foreign accent interrupted her gesture.

"Hello ?"

A small but rather lean man approached them, a green hose in his left hand. He was wearing a green shirt under blue overalls, white gloves, and a green old-fashioned cap with an “L” in a white horizontal oval above the eyeshade. He sported an upwards black moustache, contrasting with his dark brown hair and blue eyes ; he was the same height as Twilight, horn included.

"Hello. I’m Twilight Sparkle. Are you Luigi ?"

"Yes, that’s me. Are you lost ?"

"We were searching for you. Some friends of you, Donkey Kong and Toad, told us to come here. We want to meet Princess Peach. We have some trouble in our world with a… huh… turtle named Bowser".

"Oh, I see, I see ! Come in, come in ! We’ll talk about it inside", the man suggested as he opened one of the doors.

Introducing themselves and explaining the situation to Luigi was done quickly. He politely waited the end of story to speak :

"I get it. So you’re coming from a portal in the Dry Dry Desert, and Bowser had taken the same way to kidnap your princess. That’s strange… really strange… he had stopped doing that years ago now. He’s almost kind now y’know, well, he doesn’t bother anyone anymore I’d say. Y’know, he’s nearly destroyed this country so many times… kidnapped Peach… attempted to get rid of my brother… and even conquered the kingdom for a time. Such a… nuisance he was. But now that he’s got the power to do all of that without anything to stop him – not even somethin’ that could even make him break a sweat – he doesn’t want it anymore. Such a curious guy, really… When he stopped all his bad stuff, his followers stopped too. Even King Boo, y’know, ghost’s got a deep grudge against me, but he just departed… somewhere else I guess. Don’t wanna know where though".

"Ghost ?" Pinkie Pie asked fearfully.

"Yeah. Don’t you have Boos over there ? Boos are a species of ghosts. I clashed again their leader King Boo many, many times. That’s funny when I think of it, because I’m not someone really courageous, y’know, I’m not like my brother ; my brother’s a hero. But now everything’s fine. I’ve got my Polterpup, can you believe it ? A ghost dog ! But he’s sleeping right now. You’ll see him tonight".

A strong gust of wind shook a window ; Luigi jumped from his armchair before calming down.

"So, you wanna meet Peach. I’ll take you with me tomorrow. I must go to the castle for the celebration, but I already know Arancia pretty well ; cute baby, always smiling. With her and Peach, the kingdom’s never been so filled with love !"

"Your princess and her daughter wield some magic related to love ?" Twilight interrogated as a theory was forming in her mind.

"Oh yes, my sister-in-law’s pretty proficient with the magic of love and some others. Well, it didn’t help her much in the past, but she’s truly powerful when it comes to that. She can use the magic of the Stars too. Ah, I must explain : Stars are magic beings that more or less rule our world ; they’re essential to it I’d say ; maybe you’ll see some of them at the celebration ; they’ll probably bless Arancia. In terms of magic, my brother and me are just amateurs with our fire", he added before snapping his fingers : a tiny green flame materialized on his index, dancing on the tip without burning him or even staining his glove. He closed his hand, crushing the flickering flame.

"That’s awesome !" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Well, it’s pretty useless against ghosts, they’re intangible, but I’m flattered you find my powers awesome", Luigi replied with a sheepish smile. "Mario and I, in our younger days, couldn’t control our fire very well… or rather not control it at all, so we were using hammers. We even beat Bowser with them".

"With hammers !? Like, real hammers !?" Spike exclaimed in disbelief.

"Big ones yes, but that was the past. Lemme explain why you failed to stop Bowser. I must tell you his story too, well, the important part of it, and his motivations. You’ll know him better, and I hope you’ll understand him… a little bit. But if you don’t wanna hear all of that stuff, that’s okay too…"

The ponies accepted to hear the story of Bowser, and Luigi made a brief pause to gather his ideas ; when he was ready, he began the story :

"There are lots and lots of dangerous things here, lots of enemies I mean, but Bowser was, is and will always be the strongest. He’s… hem… persistent, you surely saw it. And he was alone this time, when he attacked you I mean, because before, he wasn’t y’know : he had huge armies of lots and lots of different species… He still has them somewhere I think, but they’re quite useless now. What can I say about him ? I already told you that he was always kidnapping Peach… He set traps for my brother when he’d rescue her… Because, you see, even if he was a… rage-filled monster back then, he was in love with my not yet sister-in-law. I wanna say good ol’ times but… no, that wasn’t so funny, for us or for him… He’s been blown off with bombs, crushed, has fallen into lava, pits, quicksand, and everythin’ you can imagine, but he’d always come back just like nothin’ happened. But two years ago, just as these portals started to pop out everywhere, he found somethin’ inside one of them. Somethin’ – dunno what exactly – that... unlocked his true power : from what I understood, he told us that he was distantly related to some ancient beings that were here before the universes even existed. Crazy stuff, huh ? He became the strongest thing in the universe. His dark magic was already pretty powerful, but now… Dunno if I can call it dark magic, not in that sense anyways. It’s darkness stuff, but in a… how he put it… a primordial power, that’s it. Somethin’ like… nothingness, void from the beginning to give you an idea. It’s a very ancient power : it existed before everythin’ : things like universes weren’t there when it was still in charge. So now Bowser’s above the magic of love, the power of the Stars and the other universes’ technology and magic, including your own. He ain’t huh… hmm… How do you say it… y’know, that annoying word ? Omni somethin’".

"Omnipotent ?" Starlight suggested.

"Yes, that’s it ! Thank you. He ain’t omnipotent, but he’s totally immune to all kinds of magic and powers, no matter of what they do. Once he got that dark crazy thing inside him, it shook the entire universe and Hyrule, another kingdom in another world, sensed it too. Their deities panicked, and we didn’t start on good terms ; that’s really no good when deities panic. It’s over now, and you’ll see Princess Zelda and Link at the festival, they’ll be pleased to meet you. Peach will explain all that stuff better than me of course, with better words y’see".

The ponies dismissed his concern : his narrating talent was not the best they have ever heard, but it was perfectly understandable, easy to follow and kind of relaxing.

"So", Luigi continued, "he got that power, came to see us shortly after, and said he was tired with all these… little games. We couldn’t stop him, no matter how hard we tried, but it was just a demo to show us how he was different from before, not a real attack. Oh, I forgot to say that this power boosted his intelligence… but not his emotions. He can conceive scientific stuff, make blueprints I mean, but not construct it ; his anger issues make him destroy everythin’ at the slightest problem. Where was I… ah, yes… so, with everythin’ he knew and everythin’ he had now, he decided to wall himself in his castle and let his minions go huh… dunno where. Sometime later, Peach paid him a visit to his old castle without telling any of us ; he just let her inside and told her that he wasn’t hell bent on destruction or conquest anymore, that his powers and intelligence would’ve made these things too… easy ; he got everythin’ he wanted, except someone to love or someone to love him. His intelligence had helped him realize he cared for Peach’s well-being now, because apparently he wasn’t before, and he wanted her to be happy with Mario. Yes, he said that, literally. Peach told me and my brother he was totally depressed ; and he couldn’t even end his days. He’ll live forever, because that ancient power made him immortal too ; poor guy, he’ll never age and will see us go away, one by one, as he’ll stay behind... for eternity and beyond", Luigi shook his head in sadness before coming back to reality.

"Peach began to pay him visits regularly, and she even made the effort to present him some people he could've befriended ; they entertained him at least, I guess. When she married Mario, Bowser was here, and he even joined the party. What a contrast, seriously. And Peach got pregnant, so he was forced to go to her castle instead. But lately, he didn’t came as often as before. Maybe he’ll be there tomorrow, but if he kidnaped your princess, he’ll probably stay in his castle. Or not after all. If he does come, he’ll lock her somewhere. Peach will probably wait the end of the blessing to talk to him. You see, it’s a big, important event that absolutely can’t be stopped, except in case of total war I guess. But don’t worry for your princess, really. You can trust me. I knew and know Bowser very well. He’ll never hurt her in any way. I talked about cages, true, but he wouldn’t do that anymore, not as he did in the past ; he changed. Changed so much past me wouldn’t recognize him, except for the appearance of course. If he really locks away your ruler, it’ll be in one of his huge bedrooms, and she’ll be treated well… like a princess. Y’know, he never harmed Peach, not even once, not even by accident. I’m sorry he caused you trouble just to… fill his solitude. Peach will make sure he’ll pay the damages he’s done".

The ponies began to relax a bit when they heard this ; Luigi’s cool voice and soothing tone were sincere and convincing.

"I hope your princess’ patient though. Bowser will talk to her ‘til her ears fall…"

"Princess Celestia’s the kindest, patient and comprehensive pony I know", Twilight affirmed.

"Good for her. I didn’t know Bowser was into different species than humans or Koopas though. No offense, you ponies are quite the sight. And you too little dragon, Peach will find you cute", Luigi said.

"Bowser said we were a beautiful race", Starlight remembered. "And he seemed quite subjugated by Princess Celestia… her beauty stunned him I mean ; he took a step back : a solar beam couldn’t do that".

"Wow ! I don’t wanna…what’s the expression… make conjectures, but it seems that Bowser’s in love with your princess. I doubt she’ll reciprocate the feeling though. But who knows ?"

Luigi realized his error and corrected himself :

"Huh… I don’t know your princess after all. Sorry if I sounded like an idiot".

"There’s just a tiny, tiny, tinyyyyy chance that Princess Celestia’d fall in love with a monster", Rainbow Dash affirmed bluntly.

"Oh, y’know, that’s true that he ain’t your regular Koopa… Normal Koopas are cute, but he’s handsome in his own ways", Luigi laughed. "He’s… socialized I’d say ; his new… form of intelligence really helped him. Last time I saw him, we had tea : guy’s got some manners, managed to get rid of his megalomania… quite a feat when you know his past-self. That makes him… I wanna say… a nice guy, yeah, a nice guy. He’s still a bit clumsy though : he broke like a dozen of things, he ate his fork, he burned a cake to ash when he tried to warm it up with his fire and he tore off a door… and still these anger issues apparently, but not in our presence : I wouldn’t be here to talk about it otherwise. Speaking of tea, do you wanna drink some ?"

They accepted heartily ; as they savored the beverage, the ponies told Luigi more details about their world, and he explained some things about his and Hyrule, the allied kingdom from another world. When the conversation ended, the night had fallen, and Luigi went to his kitchen to make dinner after asking his guests what type of food they were eating. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie offered their help, which he gladly welcomed, as he was not much of a cook ; the only thing he was good at was pasta and pizza. They opted for three big vegetarian pizzas with mozzarella, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, arugula, carrots, onions, parmesan, olives, artichoke, oregano, asparagus, thyme and rosemary. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were impressed at Luigi’s speed and dexterity with his pizza dough that smelled delicious. As Luigi and Fluttershy were making the pizza, Pinkie Pie asked if she could make some cupcakes, a suggestion Luigi welcomed with enthusiasm : he did not eat desserts often ; he had only basic knowledge to hardly make a simple sorbet.

As the pizzas were just finished to be eaten, the oven signaled the end of cooking of the cupcakes, and Pinkie Pie brought them on the table. There were many sorts, as Luigi had literally a ton of sweet ingredients – which he used rarely – for all kinds of preparations.

"I can’t believe you don’t make desserts with such delicious and sweet things !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed before eating two cupcakes at the same time.

"Well, I remember much of the technique to bake them, so I think that I’ll make more now", Luigi decided as he bit in his pistachio cake. "They’re absolutely delicious", he added.

"Nowhere near your pizzas !" A full-mouthed Pinkie Pie replied.

"Well, Fluttershy helped me… I couldn’t have done much without her".

"Oh, no, no, it’s because of your expertise that these pizzas were delicious. It’s truly your specialty. I hope we’ll eat your pasta someday", Fluttershy complimented.

"Thanks a lot, you’re the first person to compliment my cooking skills", Luigi replied.

After all the cupcakes disappeared, Luigi proposed them some Amaretto.

"At least it’s not Absinthe", Twilight muttered.

"Oh, you’ve tried that thing ? We got stronger drinks in this world just for info. Did it turn bad for you at the Moo Moo Inn ? They’re the only ones serving that here".

"Well, the soirée took an… interesting… and mostly… blurry turn", Rarity spluttered.

Luigi laughed without mockery. As they were drinking their sweet digestif, he asked the ponies where they wanted to sleep : the mansion had twelve bedrooms, excluding Luigi’s own.

They visited the rooms at the first and second floor to decide. At the second floor, just as everything was settled, something literally passed through the walls to come rolling at Luigi’s feet. It was a dog ; more precisely, the ghost of what had probably been a dog.

"He’s Polterpup that I told you about. He’s a polterpup from Evershade Valley", the man explained.

"He’s so cute !" Fluttershy fawned as she scratched the dog’s head. "Even if he’s a… a ghost".

The phantom dog came to sniff each pony, at times passing right through them.

"I must take him out for his walk, if somebody wants to come with me ?" Luigi suggested.

Fluttershy immediately accepted, as Pinkie Pie ; Starlight joined them too. The others decided to go to bed.

The vast plains shimmering in the moonlight were offering a pure and refreshing air ; the stars were extremely shiny, which Starlight remarked.

"Probably said it before, but some of them are comin’ down for Arancia’s blessing", Luigi explained.

Starlight expressed her concerns that such titanic masses of gas were approaching the planet, but the man in green laughed without mockery when he replied :

"It’s what they’re made of, not what they are. They look like starfishes, and aren’t that big for most of them. I can almost hold one in the palm of my hand. They’re truly cute little beings. Cute but powerful. You’ll talk to them tomorrow".

"It's so nice of you to take us to an important celebration like this", Fluttershy thanked.

"Don’t mention it. It’s normal. Even though she ain’t in danger, your princess was kidnapped after all".

"It’ll be a super duper big party ! I’m so excited !" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing around them ; Polterpup joined her in her frenzy.

"Yes. It’s the biggest celebration in the kingdom, and it rarely takes place. Oh, so late already ? If it’s okay with you, we should come back if we wanna get up early", Luigi yawned.

"In fact, I feel a little tired", Starlight concurred.

They came back to the mansion and went to bed, except Luigi who had to spend some time with his ghostly dog ; it was only active during night.

They were fast asleep, except Starlight ; something was disrupting her sleep, something she had begun to feel at the inn : it was not an unpleasant feeling, on the contrary : it was creating a pleasant warmth, slowly rising up from her belly to her face, smoothly enveloping all of her body. She tried to fight against the feeling, searching spells to stop it, before, after hours of vain struggling, in a sudden explosion of desire, the image of a certain pony flashed in her mind ; Starlight was left sweating and panting in her bed. “No. That can’t be happening ! I’m under a spell, that’s the only explanation. Please. Whoever is doing this, please stop ! Stop torturing us !”.

She however soon realized that there was no one behind this, only something that was making the truth emerge, something not sentient, akin to a force ; a force she knew very well.

“Love. Love’s everywhere in this country ! It… it makes us realize what we truly feel ! But I don’t want to. I just don’t wanna love her ! But… how long my feelings would’ve stayed buried in Equestria ? Was it for the better ? I don’t know ! I don’t know what to do ! And nopony’s here to help me. Nopony at all !”

As a response, a voice faintly echoed in her mind, from far away at first, then close like it was next to her ; the soft but monotone feminine voice gave her an advice :

"Talk to her".

"Who are you !? Where are you !? You’re the one who’s driving us crazy, aren’t you !?"

"I am Princess Rosalina. I am the Lady of the Shooting Stars. I am the Spirit that protects the cosmos, and, in the vastness of space, I sensed your sorrow and your distress. I am not responsible for what is happening to you. Love is a powerful, uncontrollable force : it can bring anything to light. Why are you afraid ?"

"I’m not afraid ! I don’t wanna destroy our friendship !"

"Why would confessing shatter your friendship ? Love does not destroy. It builds. It enhances. And what could be built between you and her is wonderful. Princess Peach will be able to tell you more about feelings, for she represents love. I am only here to ease your mind. Come with me, Starlight Glimmer, I want to show you something".

Starlight did not formulate any kind of answer, but she suddenly found herself in a grassy meadow covered with strange flowers which radiated cold and soothing colors. All around her, the night sky was filled with close, bright stars, and, in front of her, floating a few centimeters above the ground, was standing a tall light blonde woman beside a wooden door. She was wearing a dress of an otherworldly light blue and a light, exactly the same that radiated from the stars and the galaxies, was emanating from her. A wand with a golden star at the tip rested in her left hand. She was only looking at Starlight with one beautiful blue eye, as the other one was hidden under the large bang that obscured almost all the right side of her delicate face.

"Come here, Starlight. Be at ease. I only want to show you what your friend is deeply dreaming".

Feeling safe and slightly compelled, Starlight approached slowly ; Rosalina opened the door : inside the wooden frame, just like if the scenery was taking place a few meters from her, Starlight saw herself embraced by that particular pony. They were so close. Their muzzles were touching ; their lips too.

"That… that-that’s her… dr-dream ?" Starlight stammered.

"It is buried deep among hundreds and hundreds of others, so she will not remember it when she will wake up. But this is what she wants, deep inside her heart".

The woman closed the door.

"I… I… can’t… I…"

"Do not worry. I may not be one of your princesses, but I think the one who rules over the night, moon, stars and dreams in your world would feel the same way as I do, and her reaction would be no different. Trust me. I am here to help you. I wish I could be at the celebration to talk to you in the physical realm, but I cannot. That is why I am here too. Listen carefully to this warning, Starlight Glimmer".

Starlight sat on the grass and fixed her attention on Rosalina as the latter issued the warning :

"Deep inside the nexus of the worlds, far beyond the end of time and space and far away beyond the edge of every world… something is coming. Something so ancient and so dark, that existed long before any universe, something long since forgotten… Nothingness… Void… It has awakened… it is coming here : I sense its dreadful and unfathomable power ripping through realities and dimensions, and I am not alone. But before this incomprehensible, destructive un-being of chaos and oblivion, my strength is nothing more than dust. Despite the emptiness and nothingness that it is made of, this presence will bring back what it should not be. Old foes, not raised by Death itself, will surely begin to rise up again in each of the worlds, including your own. Warn the others and talk to the Stars, Starlight. Warn as much people as you can. A terrible war is approaching. An apocalyptic battle of unspeakable proportions will soon begin. But do not fear yet. Do not succumb to despair. Hope, Starlight Glimmer. Never give up to nothingness. Warn, worry, but under no circumstances alter the course of events ; do not raise armies ; do not prepare for battle yet : the thing will sense it. It will try to attack sooner, causing the destruction of the very notion of fate, destiny and future. I hope I will get back to you in time to help. You can truly rest now, little pony. In spite of the sadness of my words, the remainder of your sleep will ease your mind".

Meeting new friends

Starlight awoke brutally hours later as the sun was rising.

She did as instructed by Rosalina : everyone recoiled from the shock of the news.

"I know Rosalina, she’s not the joking-type of woman. That’s an emergency", Luigi stated. "Better hurry".

"I’m worried about our world too", Rarity added. "What if old foes, like Tirek or Sombra, come back ? Equestria is defenseless !"

"Did you forget Princess Luna, the Old Pillars and Discord ? Anyways, all we have to do is bring back Princess Celestia, so we’ll be able to make preparations for this. We could return in three days if everything’s alright", Twilight said.

"Rosalina told me to not alter any events that would normally take place, because that thing would destroy… just destroy destiny. I don’t know why but… I trust her, just like I’d trust her counterpart Princess Luna", Starlight affirmed. "I don’t fear yet. I have hope. I’m positive we must do everything as planned, all the while staying on our guards".

No one replied to her statement : like she was backed up by Rosalina herself, her voice held an unbreakable conviction that suffered no objections ; for the briefest of the instants, she became the embodiment of hope.

"Is… is the castle far away ?" Applejack asked to change subject.

"Yes, a few hundred kilometers away", the man in green replied. "But we’ll take my pipe and we’ll be there in seconds".

"Your pipe ?" Spike interrogated.

"Yes, it looks like a portal, but it’s my creation. Heh, I’m a plumber after all", Luigi said with a wink. "Pipes don’t take you in another world, or very far away for that matter : five hundred kilometers’ the limit".

They walked out of the mansion and into the garden. A few steps away, hidden not too far in the woods, in the middle of a small grassy clearing, was built a large, old-looking well. The pipe was hid inside, a fact which surprised the ponies. Mario’s brother explained that it was concealed from view and kept secret for security purposes : whoever had access to this pipe could potentially break into the castle, as it led in the private garden behind it. Even with guards posted at each entry of the castle and the castle itself surrounded by tall and thick walls and wet moats, there was no such thing as too much caution ; Bowser’s past attacks had greatly tightened security. The garden even housed one Chain Chomp and some Piranha plants to protect this otherwise defenseless area.

They descended in the well, only to find themselves facing a steel door. Luigi unlocked it with a metal key and led them through a small corridor in front of a second steel door that he unlocked with another key.

The pipe was built in a circular chamber entirely carved in natural stone ; just behind it was a pool of clear water. They approached the pipe ; it was half the size of a portal. Luigi easily jumped inside, followed by the ponies ; after a split-second of obscurity, they found themselves gently ejected from another green cylinder on a soft grass : they were in a garden filled with sparse trees, facing a huge light grey stone castle with an orange-tiled roof. Its five towers pierced the sky, the one in the middle being the most prominent ; it was bearing on its rear a stained glass depicting a crowned blonde woman in a pink dress. Luigi guided them to the rear door as the Toad guards saluted them. The door was leading to a large and tall orangery filled with a variety of plants ; among them were orange and banana trees, cacti, arborescent ferns, mushrooms, mangroves in a clear sea-pond filled with brightly colored fishes, tropical flowers and, in pipes, some Piranha plants surrounded by a safety fence. Each plant was planted directly in the soil, and each has its own place where the natural conditions of their environment were emulated ; it was making the greenhouse a gigantic size.

"Wow, that’s impressive", Twilight marveled. "And it gives me an idea : if everypony’s okay, we could build a greenhouse just next to the Castle of Friendship, or on one of the terraces".

"That would be nice", Fluttershy replied.

"Yeah, why not ? All I have to do is bring some rain clouds from time to time to water the plants. That’s okay with me", Rainbow Dash approved.

They all agreed to build something similar to the orangery once their problems would be solved ; they hoped it would be quick.

The castle was of modest dimensions despite its immense rooms : they crossed one corridor and a flock of stairs to get to the dining room, which was in the same proportions as the other rooms. In front of them, two twenty meters long tables were dressed with silverware and crystal glasses, along with an immaculate white tablecloth. All around them were richly decorated walls and chairs of variable sizes. One chair was attracting attention however : it was a huge stone armchair with a fierce design ; big diamond-shaped rubies were incrusted at the top of the seatback ; the sculpted rock was taking more than two places of the table.

"Bowser will be there", Luigi declared. "That’s his chair. Well, Peach ain’t here, but everything’s in place so…"

Twilight gazed at one of the stained glass ; it could not be seen from below, but the glass had a line of non-colored spots which let the light in and allowed to see outside : a tiny village with a few houses and a huge town square, all at the base of the very small hill the castle was built on. In the distance, on the plains and hills, the alicorn could see tents, stages and stands.

"The view’s far better at night with all the illuminations", Luigi explained. "Hmm… Peach must be in the living".

Finally, after taking a door and ascending a flock of stairs, they found themselves in front of a guarded door ; the Toad guard let them pass and opened it. They entered in a circular, red-carpeted room filled with windows interspaced with low-height wooden bookshelves, and a giant pendulum which faced a flight of stairs. Combined with one of the bookshelves, each side of the stairs formed a quiet alcove which was exploited with the presence of a desk. In the middle of the symmetric room, there was a large ring-shaped red sofa on which Peach was asleep, an invisible aura of a powerful good magic irradiating from her. The ponies identified the feeling of love, and it made Starlight remember Rosalina’s advice concerning her feelings. The sound of the closing door woke up Peach ; she stood up slowly, stretched her arms clad in long, white evening gloves, and opened her large night-blue eyes.

"Luigi ?" She asked when she saw her brother-in-law. "I expected you to come later but… Oh ? Who are those kind and beautiful looking people ?"

She put her golden crown embedded with rubies and sapphires on her long flowing, spiky blond hair.

"I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle. And this is my friends : Spike, Starlight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Rarity. We’re from another world, but I fear this isn’t a visit of courtesy : a friend of yours, Bowser, came from what you call portals to ponynap one of our princesses, Princess Celestia. Donkey Kong and Luigi said you can convince him to give her back to us".

"Oh my !" Peach exclaimed, putting her delicate hands on her pink lipstick. "This is terrible ! And Bowser will be there in a few hours !"

She paused and seemed to be lost in thought for a few seconds.

"But… it reminds me of something… In the letter he sent us late yesterday, he said he was coming with a very special guest. A certain Princess… Celestia ! The invitations to the banquet needed one signature per guest, and there was another signature on Bowser’s card. Wait a minute please".

Peach opened one of the two doors and asked the guard to quickly get the letter she had received from Bowser ; the Toad came back with it less than half a minute later.

"Here", the princess said as she gave the letter to Twilight, who took it with magic.

"Oh, you use magic too ! Well, it seems you use it very easily for all kinds of tasks", Peach marveled.

"Yes", Twilight replied. "We alicorns and unicorns always use basic magic to accomplish most of the tasks".

The ponies read the letter, but the contents were mostly irrelevant, except for “I will bring a very special guest, a princess”. At the end of the document were two signatures : one with a sharp, aggressive writing read “Bowser” in black ink, the other, inside a stylized sun, indicated “Celestia”.

"That’s Princess Celestia’s signature", Twilight affirmed before giving the letter back to Peach.

"Be at ease. If your princess comes, it will be willingly. If I had read this a few years ago, I would have said that Bowser brainwashed her. But he changed. Trust me. I know emotions pretty well, not only love".

The princess made a pause before continuing in an enthusiastic tone.

"I am so enchanted to make your acquaintance ! Have a seat. Tell me about you please, I want to know everything !" She said in an excited voice.

The ponies sat on the sofa and told her about their world, but also the warning Starlight had received from Rosalina. During the conversation, Peach excused herself a few times to go upstairs. When they finished, it was past noon, which the princess remarked. She brought her guests to another dining room at the ground floor ; this dining room was of normal proportions, and, as they sat on comfortable chairs, a man almost identical to Luigi came in ; he was only slightly smaller and chubbier, had a scruffier moustache and wore a bright red shirt and a cap of the same color with a “M” instead of an “L”.

"Mario ! Long time no see bro !" Luigi welcomed.

While the meal was served, Peach explained her husband everything about her guests, the situation they were in and the message from Rosalina : Mario frowned.

"It’s bad news at a time like this… and this whole affair with Bowser… But if he brings your princess with him, there’s no problem. Kind of funny to say, but you can trust my ex-nemesis".

"There’s one more thing that we didn’t tell you about", Twilight said nervously as she ate her salad. "The magic of love resonates within us and we came across… surprising reactions and situations".

Spike and Rarity blushed, Starlight to an imperceptible degree.

"Oh my…" Peach gasped. "I am so sorry ! My love literally floods this kingdom, and I cannot do anything against it ! I am so sorry ponies, I did not want to put you in what had probably been so embarrassing situations !"

"Well, if it’s inside us, we can’t do much about it, can we ?" Rainbow Dash asked, rubbing the back of her head.

"Your true feelings are emerging. Here, in my presence, your heart is free from any restraints. Love bypasses any defense to reach deep inside of you and brings feelings and secrets to the surface. You cannot lie to yourself or your lover ; you cannot change anything ; and you definitely cannot expect it. Oh my… I am a monster for inflicting this on you !" The princess sobbed.

"It’s okay, don’t worry", Starlight reassured before biting her lips nonetheless. "And… what happens in the case of unrequited love ?"

"You would not feel it in the first place", Peach answered as she dried her tears. "Your love and the one your soulmate feels are simply responding to each other. They cannot be separated, no matter the distance or time ; even Death cannot sever this bond. It is powerful as the Magic of Friendship you told me about. I can sense it between you, it is wonderful. And I sense love too, but I do not want to bother you with this".

"You're sensing the love between me and Rarity ?" Spike interrogated.

"Yes, of course, but not only between you two. I sense strong love feelings between…" The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom put in her hands in her mouth just in time.

Almost every pony at the table was blushing, but Starlight’s face was redder than anyone else, and she quickly excused herself to go to the bathroom.

"Oh my ! I am so clumsy ! I am so sorry !" Peach apologized ; she was threatening to break in tears again.

"Everything’s fine princess Peach", Twilight replied. "It’s not your fault. Sorry for abruptly changing the subject, but, after lunch, can we meet your daughter ? Luigi said she was a very cute baby".

"Of course ! Arancia is sleeping right now, but I was planning to have a look before dessert", the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom replied.

Starlight came back a minute later in a much better shape and with a normal-colored face. They finished their meals and went to Arancia’s bedroom, which was where Peach had gone numerous times when they were in the living room. The bedroom walls were painted with stars on the northern side without windows, smiling white clouds on the western and eastern sides, and smiling suns on the southern wall. In the pink cradle, under a star-shaped mobile, Arancia was peacefully sleeping, a smile on her tiny lips. Just like her mother, a powerful love aura irradiated from her.

"She’s soooo cute", Pinkie Pie whispered.

"Such an adorable little baby", Fluttershy cooed.

Peach’s daughter opened her eyes on her mother, her father, her uncle, the ponies and Spike. She cooed adorably and fidgeted for her mother to take her in her arms, to which Peach complied. The baby girl grabbed her mother’s right breast.

"Oh, you are hungry. Here angel", Peach whispered before uncovering her breast.

Arancia drank for one minute before stopping.

"You gave birth to such a beautiful daughter", Rarity complimented.

"Thank you. Do you want to hold her ?" The mother asked as she put her dress back in place.

"Oh my… Yes, of course, thank you", Rarity agreed.

Arancia switched between the hooves and magic of each pony, which she seemed very fond of ; she then yawned loudly, and Peach put her back in her cradle.

They came down for the dessert. As they enjoyed their cake, Twilight asked Peach about the course of the ceremony.

"Well, it’s not a fixed thing…" Luigi began.

"Everyone will gather at the town square and the surroundings at midnight ; high dignitaries, foreign sovereigns, Stars and friends will then bless Arancia and give her gifts. That is all. I do not want the ceremony to put a strain on her ; in the past, newborns were exposed around the kingdom for five days, were given extremely formal blessings which lasted hours for each blessing guest, all the while manipulating such fragile infants like they were dolls… It sounds almost cruel to me", Peach concluded.

"We simplified the procedures", her husband added. "Each guest gives the blessing and gifts he wants to, and when everybody’s done, Arancia goes to bed. Simple as that. The ceremony per se lasts for less than an hour, but the celebration lasts for days. It hasn’t a fixed time limit. Sovereigns and dignitaries will probably leave rapidly though ; by the second day, there’ll be no more VIP, except our friends from Hyrule. However, considering that half of the kingdom’s coming, it’ll hardly make a difference. We installed tents and snack bars throughout the hills… You see, the town wouldn’t handle all these people. There’ll be music, fireworks, shows… Well, everything’s ready, but the artists and carnies come whenever they want".

"Oooooh, I’m so disappointed we don’t have our dresses", Rarity complained. "It would have been so fabulous to wear them on such an occasion".

"You’re kinda right", Applejack agreed.

"Do not worry, you are beautiful as you are", Peach reassured.

"By the way, I checked everything with Toadsworth ; he may be getting older and older, but he’s still a good eye to pinpoint little problems. Everything’s okay thanks to him", Mario informed.

"Where is he ?" Her wife interrogated.

"Probably checking again and again. I think he already took his meal in town to be ready to… check again I guess. I think we’ll see him verify the chairs with our guests on them when the dinner will begin", Mario replied laughingly ; his brother shared his laugh.

"Excuse me Princess", Fluttershy said timidly, "but Luigi said you could tell us more about Bowser. Can you, please, if it’s not a bother of course, explain his story to us in details ?"

Peach had not to strain her ear to hear the pegasus perfectly despite the low volume of her voice, and she replied immediately :

"We three have known Bowser since babyhood. Bowser is an orphan Koopa ; he was raised by a special kind of Koopa, a magician, a Magikoopa, Kamek, since he was destined to rule over that race. Being raised by an evil person is not a good start in life to say the least, and we ended up feeling the repercussions of his upbringing throughout our lives, until two years ago. When Donkey Kong stopped to be our enemy, Bowser took his place ; he was far tougher. Donkey Kong kidnapped Pauline, Mario’s best friend, but Bowser chose me ; it put such a strain on my parents, but their tragic accident had no relation to his evil deeds. I think Bowser has fallen in love with me the first time we met ; he was truly a ruffian back then, and he overtly threatened me and everyone I cared for while locking me in a cage. As time passed, he started to treat me a little better ; his hate towards Mario stopped increasing. It is truly strange when I think about that : Mario made him fall into lava, blasted him with Bob-Ombs, let him be crushed… and Bowser still obsessed over me, and me alone. Well, he had his anger issues and hatred towards my husband, but I think it was not his driving goal. When he locked me, he often came to see me to gloat about his victory, how I was his promise, how he would conquer the kingdom… I do not know if he grew desperate, but even before he unlocked this terrifying power, his attacks had already started to be more and more infrequent. And when he found it… Luigi probably told you about my visits. He was in a state in which I had never seen him before : he was sitting in the middle of his throne room that he destroyed ; he also had destroyed much of his old castle by this point ; I found him there, totally crushed by misery. When he saw me, something briefly sparkled in his eyes, an ember of the past, but it disappeared the second after. I told him the virtue of love and friendship, that if he kept going on this way, he would end up alone for all eternity ; that was the most terrible thing I had to say in my life, but I really had to say it. It made him stand up at least, and he asked me about feelings, that despite his new intelligence, he had trouble to discern them between anger and rage. When I explained him, he said that he did not love me anymore and, curiously, it made me quite sad. However, when he said that he wanted me to be happy, all I could do was smiling ; he even said that my smile was beautiful, and that it made him feel warm. I decided that I would pay him visits regularly, and by extension, become his first friend. He was so touched he cried, and that is the only time I saw him cry ; I thought he could not. I kept my promise and he even came to my marriage, but eventually my pregnancy prevented me from traveling much as I wanted to, so he came instead. It was so sweet, I was very touched. Finally, he became friends with my husband and his brother. Well, they were extremely suspicious at first, like at the marriage, but he won them over. He is very kind and caring inside, I sensed it when my magic began to grow. But now getting back to the day he found this power, many events happened shortly after : a portal opened in Hyrule, and the hero of this world came here to fend off what he believed was an enemy of his kingdom. With the greatest difficulty, we persuaded him and Princess Zelda that he was not a threat, not anymore at least. We kept seeing each other and we became friends, although I think they are still wary of Bowser ; I understand them : the power rippled through time and space and made their deities extremely worried, to the point of sending Link, their hero, here, and that is not all : Link possesses a powerful magic sword, the Master Sword, that can only be wielded by a balanced heart in times of need ; the sword judged it was needed, and it continues to worry us today, as it has not returned to its resting place. As for the other portals, we did not make friends with the inhabitants of these worlds to the same extent as Hyrule, and most of the portals led to planets devoid of animated life, or life at all. The one Bowser had taken has disappeared, the only one to react this way. We obstructed the portals devoid of life and the ones we found dangerous, as they are indestructible. We found such terrible worlds, filled with lava, sand, mist or dark waters ; if things are living there, I do not want to see what they look like, less let them coming here. We did not know about the portal to your world, even if we check regularly since they stopped appearing ; Bowser found it before us, and maybe it would had never been discovered, so far in the Dry Dry Desert ; Bowser was probably wandering when he found it. He probably made some preparations before coming into your world to kidnap your princess, but not too much. Knowing him, he probably came once or twice, sensed something, and came back to search for her. I am so sorry, I have not seen it coming ; he was searching love in his own ways… Do you remember his evil upbringing ? Probably Kamek taught him to get things by force because nobody would listen, or something along the lines ; and I feel obligated to precise that most of the Koopa race is not really peaceful in spite of their appearance. So… Bowser does not always know how to properly express love or other positive feelings, and… and I hope you… you will… forgive him some… someday…" Peach sobbed with teary eyes.

"If Princess Celestia isn’t hurt in any way and if he apologizes… thoroughly, I perfectly can", Twilight stated.

"I’ve already forgiven him", Starlight muttered, "I’ve done far much worse".

"Ah wanna hear Princess Celestia on the question first", Applejack affirmed.

"You will talk to him. I am sure you can make him realize the errors of his ways, maybe even more efficiently than me. When I think of it, I am quite relieved that this power did not corrupt him more than he already was. If it had been the case, well, none of us would be there to talk about it", Peach said, shivering ; everyone shared her reaction.

"I am sorry, but I am truly exhausted with all the preparations, I will rest for an hour or so, if you excuse me"… The ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom declared, suppressing a yawn.

She went to her bedroom as Mario and Luigi proposed the ponies a tour of the castle and the town.

As they were visiting the very small town composed of a few houses, two shops and one restaurant, they came across a blue-eyed blond man wearing a medieval green tunic, chainmail, sword and shield, and perfectly cleaned brown boots. The ponies noticed his pointed ears and Rarity found him rather attractive. A few feet away, a brown-haired woman was sitting on a bench ; she was dressed in a highly decorated royal gown that everyone found beautiful. Her blue eyes and delicate face were framed by two long, pointy locks of hair wrapped in bandages, and a large golden diadem with a diamond in the center was keeping the rest of her sliced back hair from falling on her forehead ; her shoulders were protected by golden armor plates incrusted with diamonds and, like Peach, she was wearing long evening gloves ; however, they were made of velvet, while the ones of the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom were sewn from silk ; her pointed ears were adorned with round sapphire earrings. She stood up, revealing her gracile silhouette.

"Hello my friend ! Long time no see !" Mario exclaimed as he shook the hand of the man. "Good afternoon princess Zelda, welcome back to the Mushroom Kingdom", he saluted, bowing his head.

"We’re so happy to see you ! We thought you’d come later though", Luigi told them without any protocol whatsoever.

"Let me introduce our new friends", Mario said as he presented the ponies to the inhabitants of Hyrule.

"You are such beautiful people", Zelda complimented. "I am so pleased to make your acquaintance".

Despite being younger, she was speaking in a very soft and low voice that was far deeper than Peach’s.

"Do you want to come to the castle ?" Mario interrogated. "Princess Twilight Sparkle will explain the situation on the way, as they didn’t come here by chance or even to meet us"…

"Aren’t you afraid of waking up Peach ?" His brother asked.

"Don’t worry. She’ll surely wake up soon anyways".

Link and Zelda agreed, and, followed from a good distance by guards clad in armor, went to the castle ; the guards stayed outside when they went inside the building.

Twilight and her friends talked about their world over a cup of tea, and Link and Zelda explained how theirs, Hyrule, was functioning in return. The two Hylians were surprised by the kidnaping of Princess Celestia, although they always had reserves about Bowser, Link more than Zelda. The princess of Hyrule had the most trusted judgement in her world ; as she showed it to the ponies, the back of her hand was marked with three equilateral golden triangles connected together by their summit, forming a large triangle with a triangular hole in the middle ; it was called the Triforce, an artifact of great power bestowed at the creation of Hyrule by three very ancient deities, the Golden Goddesses. Each triangle represented one of the three powers : courage, wisdom and power. Zelda was blessed with the Triforce of Wisdom, the lower left triangle of the complete artifact, allowing her to judge in the wisest way possible, while bestowing her powerful magical abilities. Link possessed the Triforce of Courage, the lower right triangle, giving him resistance against evil magic and an unbreakable will to defeat any enemy, regardless of his power, who would threaten the peace of the kingdom of Hyrule. The Triforce of Power was once in the possession of a powerful sorcerer, Ganondorf, until Link kills him with the Master Sword for attacking the kingdom ; it was not the first time it happened in centuries, and Zelda suspected that Ganondorf was the result of a curse placed a long time ago upon her and Link’s ascendants. Since the death of the dark mage, nobody knew where the Triforce of Power had gone.

"So", Zelda has said, "I know with exact certitude that Bowser is indeed redeemed, even though I did not know him before the portal opened : he can still be mischievous, and I sense he is hiding a secret from us ; not something evil or threatening, but an important secret nonetheless. The power he obtained sent a shockwave in Hyrule : everyone felt it. Our Light Spirits sent Link to deal with him, but after Link came back, they explained that the Three Goddesses and the Goddess Hylia, from which I descend, had contacted them, the first time in ever : they told them that it was a mistake and that such an ancient, forgotten and primordial power escaped even their comprehension, as it was there long before them, long before anything. Such revelations caused an uproar in Hyrule, and the Light Spirits envisaged sealing the portal on our side ; only perseverance and repeated contacts between the Mushroom Kingdom and Hyrule convinced them otherwise. Even today, they are still wary ; the Goddesses warned that something overwhelmingly evil, a far greater menace than our enemy Ganondorf, lurking in a void for the lack of a better word, had awakened from its eternal slumber. It would come one day, with or without the portal, and all the united gods of Hyrule would be powerless to stop it. They sensed its terrifying and tremendous power tearing apart infinities to come back in the worlds it does not know ; they did not say when it will come ; it could be tomorrow or in a millennium. All the deities in the different worlds had probably also sensed it. In Hyrule, we built a fortress around the portal ; each individual who wants to come here must be thoroughly checked before they cross over and after their return. However, we have some Hylians who had moved here definitely, and residents of this kingdom who chose to live in Hyrule ; I chose to not prohibit this despite the security measures, as it helped to strengthen the bonds between the kingdoms. However, I am not deluded : I know stone and iron will never stop a being of pure oblivion, but the population must be reassured. As the ruler of Hyrule, my role is also to prevent the onset of panic".

Starlight had jumped at the mention of the overwhelming evil, and she explained the warning she had received from Rosalina. They remained in silence for one minute before Peach came down ; she and Zelda were very fond of each other. They chatted over cups of tea and cupcakes, courtesy of Pinkie Pie, for two hours. When the town and the castle bells precisely ringed 6 p.m., an elderly Toad barged in the living room, his glasses upside-down.

"Princess ! Master Mario ! Master Luigi ! It’s time ! It’s time ! We’re late ! We must…"

Peach interrupted him, laughing softly :

"Please sit down, Toadsworth, the guests have not arrived yet, and we will certainly not have dinner at such an early hour. We are not late at all, and this is not time. We have an hour before us, even though the festivities are starting because everyone is eager to party".

"I tried to tell them it wasn’t time, but they wouldn’t listen ! So I thought it was indeed time to begin", the old mushroom replied.

"Here", Peach said before giving him a cup of tea and replacing his glasses in the right position.

Toadsworth calmed down as he drank his tea ; he sat down and put his cane beside him before caressing his large white moustache as he was speaking :

"Princess Zelda, Master Link, I am honored to meet you again in these times of celebration and joy".

"And so we are", Link and Zelda replied.

Peach presented the ponies to Toadsworth ; he seemed to just have noticed them and excused himself.

"Oh, that Bowser ! He did it again ! And it’s not the right time for Princess Peach to beat some sense into him !" He exclaimed when he learned the story of the inhabitants of Equestria.

Music started to play outside the castle, and laughs and cheers were heard.

"Among our important guests, only Princess Daisy has arrived", Toadsworth explained. "Last time I saw her, she was picking some flowers in the plains".

"That sounds so… girly", Rainbow Dash mumbled.

Everyone besides the ponies burst out laughing.

"Well, “girly” is pretty much the antithesis of Daisy", Mario explained between two fits of laughter.

"I have never met a person with such an inappropriate name", Link added.

"You’ll understand when you’ll see her", Luigi told the ponies. "Amazing… and... pretty girl, really".

"Crush detected", his brother teased.

"No… Not… Not at all ! What’re you talking about !?" Luigi spluttered blushingly, earning a giggling from Peach.

An hour later, Daisy made her entrance into the castle : she kicked out the doors open while exclaiming “Flowers are saved from celebrations and trampling ! Praise me, their savior, the Great and Powerful Daisy !” before hugging Peach, Mario, Luigi, Zelda and Link. Twilight noted that she, consciously or not, hugged Luigi longer and closer than anyone else. Daisy was younger than Peach, and she was also her polar opposite : while the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom was quiet and was speaking gracefully, Daisy was overbearing and her speech was closer to Applejack’s ; this extended to their looks as well : Daisy was wearing a bright yellow and orange dress, had orange hair that reached just under her shoulders and on her lips and arms, not the slightest trace of lipstick and no gloves were present. She was also smaller than her counterpart, but seemed more athletic in comparison.

"Stupid dress", she groaned. "Can’t move like a human ! I wanna rip it off !"

She failed to notice Luigi’s red face.

"Calm down my dearest friend", Peach said with a giggle. "Mayhaps, I have something for you to change, but it will be after Arancia’s blessing. Do we agree ?"

"Nah, it’s cool, I brought somethin’ more… like me to change after the ceremony", Daisy replied. "And I brought a lot of stuff y’know, since I wanna stay here ‘til the end of the party. Hope it’s no problem".

"Of course not ! You are always welcome here !" Peach exclaimed.

The ponies were stunned by such an original princess ; it was like a human Applejack who would have taken over the duties of one of their princesses.

"I take back my words from earlier…" Rainbow Dash whispered to Mario.

"Daisy’s magic uses the power of plants, mostly flowers in fact, that’s why she’s very fond of them", Luigi explained discreetly.

"Hey, who’re these guys ? They’re cute !" The tomboyish princess exclaimed once she noticed the ponies.

Twilight presented herself and her friends.

"Woah, talkin’ ponies from another world ! That’s so cool ! Whatcha doin’ here ?" Daisy asked.

"Well, Bowser pon…kidnapped one of our princesses…" Starlight replied.

"What !? Such a brute ! And I thought he changed ! That he was smart and all ! I’ll rip him to shreds !" The redheaded princess shouted.

"I do not think you can do this my friend", her fellow ruler from the Mushroom Kingdom tempered. "Bowser is searching for… love… He just has… his ways. Princess Celestia, the Princess of the Sun from Equestria, is coming here with him, she is his guest. They will probably be here by any minute now. Please, in the name of our friendship, do not make a scene", Peach implored.

"Okay, okay… I’ll keep it low…" Daisy grumbled.

"Everybody will talk to him after Arancia’s blessing, or before if he wants to talk about it. But I want this to take place after the dinner, not before or during. Of course, angering him is not an option ; we all know the slightest contrariety can degenerate into a fit of rage, and I want the castle to stay in one piece", Peach asserted.

"And us not being roasted or flattened", Luigi added uselessly.

They made their way out to change, and Rarity timidly proposed her help to Peach who heartily accepted ; the princess came back in a pink dress adorned with breathtaking patterns ; her hair was done in a magnificent bun and her feet wore sparkling pink crystal high heels. Mario and Luigi wore identical suits ; red for Mario and green for Luigi. Link was dressed in a simple princely green costume, along with a green and gold cape, and Zelda was wearing a far more elaborated, white version of her royal gown.

Yoshi and Birdo were the next guests to appear, followed by other VIP : mayors, ambassadors, princesses, princes, queens, kings, counts, dukes… They were of all races possible, except for the Stars. When asked why by Starlight, Peach explained that they would descend for the blessing only, as they did not eat. Fortunately for the ponies, some of the guests could not come, so there were twelve seats free. They were impressed by the King of the Bob-Ombs, who was a giant round bomb with arms and legs, and a huge white moustache. His vertical eyes were oval and totally white, and his golden crown bore four sapphires. Peach enjoined everyone to go the dining room.

"But Princess Celestia and Bowser aren’t here !" Pinkie Pie protested.

"Do not worry, I…" Peach was interrupted when the doors opened on the massive silhouette of Bowser ; he dwarfed all the guests by far.

Mario and Luigi had inquietudes regarding the fact that the dining room was on the first floor : they hoped the foundations of the castle were still strong enough to support his weight.

The guests froze when the King of the Koopas stepped inside the castle hall, surrounded by the sunset light, not only because of his imposing presence, but for the guest he had brought along him as well. All the ponies managed to contain their joy and to avoid screaming their princess’ name. The tall white alicorn, with her floating blue, green and pink mane attracted all the attention for one minute of deafening silence.

"Your princess is truly beautiful. She is… breathtaking", Zelda said, staring at the winged unicorn with surprised eyes.

"I agree. She’s a wonder", Luigi added.

"Such a royal stature", Link commented.

"Whoa ! What a beauty !" Daisy exclaimed.

"Indeed. It’s quite an outstanding ruler you’ve got there", Mario marveled.

"Oh my… I was so dazzled… I must welcome her !" Peach panicked before trotting towards Bowser and his guest.

"Welcome Bowser, she greeted once she was right in front of him ; she took one of his enormous hands in her owns. It is good to see you again, my dearest friend !"

Bowser rubbed the back of his head nervously : he was still not accustomed to public displays of affection.

"Hello Princess. It feels good to see my best friend too".

"Princess Celestia I presume ? I am truly sorry, I was so stunned by your beauty that I almost forgot to welcome Your Highness !" The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom apologized before making a reverence.

While Celestia seemed embarrassed by such words, she took an instant liking to Peach nonetheless.

"Princess Peach, I am honored to be allowed to participate in such an important event. I am truly grateful to Your Highness", she said, bowing her head.

Peach trotted again at the center of the hall and announced that the dinner would start soon ; the guests were asked to go in the dining room. Celestia noticed, with much surprise, her fellow subjects, who came to greet her. She was more surprised with the rapidity they found her than the fact they could follow her.

"Princess Celestia !" Twilight shouted.

The teacher and the student tearfully hugged each other.

"I’m so happy you’re alright !" Twilight sobbed. "Are you ?" She added fearfully.

Celestia chuckled a little.

"Of course I am, don’t worry. I'm so happy to see you all", she added, trying to hold back tears of joy.

"What happened ?" Applejack bluntly asked.

"Bowser and I will explain this after the dinner. Don’t worry. He is truly charming !" The Princess of the Sun exclaimed.

Bowser rubbed his hair again.

"Princess Celestia’s the most amazing and beautiful person I’ve ever met", he said in the lowest voice he could use. "She may be the sun of your world, but she’s truly the sun of my life".

Celestia smiled, blushing very discreetly ; the ponies noticed it nevertheless.

"Come on, Twilight, I think this evening will be wonderful !" She exclaimed before walking towards the dining room, followed by Bowser.

The ponies stood there frozen and mouth gaping.

"Did y’all see what I saw ?" Applejack asked, shaking her head to recover from the shock.

"Yes. And I-I don’t sense anything wrong with Princess Celestia. She-she seems quite… fond of him", Twilight spluttered, a bewildered expression on her face.

"Twilight, she blushed ! Blushed ! Have you ever seen Princess Celestia blushing !?" Rainbow Dash almost shouted to the Princess of Friendship.

"I… I… huh… Not that I remember", she replied.

"Do you think Princess Celestia is in love ?" Fluttershy asked, putting her hooves in her mouth.

"Let’s not jump to conclusions", Twilight tempered. "But… Well… We’ll see at the dinner".

They followed the other guests into the dining room ; they were seated next to Mario and Luigi, and like them, they faced each other. Bowser and Celestia were at the end of the table, also facing each other, smiling.

"They’re so cute !" Pinkie Pie whispered more or less discreetly.

The champagne arrived first, and the hors-d’oeuvres followed as the bottles were not yet emptied. The ponies noticed that Bowser was using glasses, plates and cutlery fitting his size, as some other guests. While they intended to focus their attention on their princess, they find themselves not paying the attention they wanted at first, as the champagne and hors-d’oeuvres were delicious.

"Oh my… This is fabulous !" Rarity exclaimed.

"I can’t help but notice some strange hors-d’oeuvres", Starlight pointed out as her eyes traveled from guests to guests. "And I don’t wanna know what’s included in their composition. Well, this bomb king seems to eat powder, this one seems to eat fish… Personally, I’ll stick to what I know…"

"If you wanna know what you’re eatin’, just ask us…" Luigi advised. "Some guests here may eat things you don’t wanna know… and sometimes, me too. We humans can eat meat, but I, my brother, Peach and Daisy don’t wanna. Link spent some of his adventures as a wolf, so he’s pretty disgusted by meat now. Zelda is too kind to harm an innocent animal. In Hyrule, meat’s fairly rare and come mostly from hunt ; they got goats, but they’re used for milk. Please don’t judge anyone, they wouldn’t kill anything if it was sentient as you and me".

Starlight did not judge ; after all, people had to eat to live and in Equestria, even pets, such as Opal and Owlowiscious, were eating meat to survive.

The entrée was served just under their nose in mushroom-shaped plates ; it was a golden tomato carpaccio arranged like a star ; the tomatoes were decorated with olive oil, parmesan chips, onions, mozzarella, fresh mint and arugula. The meal was accompanied with rosé wine.

"It’s truly a refreshing plate, really", Rarity commented.

"It’s yummy !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Too bad they forgot gems", Spike grumbled.

Mario turned towards Link and asked him something ; while the Hylian was surprised, he gave Peach’s husband a golden pouch.

"Here", Mario said, giving the pouch to Spike ; it was full of tall, hexagonal, almost flat stones.

"For me !?" The little dragon exclaimed.

"Yes. Bon appétit".

Spike took a red ruby and bit it effortlessly.

"Wow, they’re so tasty ! I’ll try each one of them !"

"Sorry, you will not find any purple, orange or silver rupees ; they are worth days of labor in Hyrule", Link apologized.

"Wait… I’m eating your currency !?" Spike exclaimed, chocking on his second blue rupee.

"Yes, but do not worry, they are fairly common. Let me explain the order of rarity : green rupees are the reference, they count as simply one rupee. Blue rupees are worth five green ones, yellow ones are worth ten, red are worth twenty, purple fifty, orange hundred and silver two hundred".

"Red ones are delicious ! Yellow ones too ! No, they’re all so good !" The little dragon exclaimed as he ate the shiny stones two by two.

"Slow down darling", Rarity advised.

"Sorry", her lover apologized. "I’ll keep some for you ; they’re so beautiful, I think you could use them on your dresses".

"You’re such a sweetheart", the white unicorn replied.

Twilight managed to get a glimpse from Celestia and Bowser. She was so shocked she almost dropped her magically lifted fork : the Koopa King and the Princess of the Sun were laughing together ; Bowser even served Celestia some wine.

"They seem to get along quite well", Mario pointed out, snapping her out of her trance.

"I really wonder what happened between them…" Fluttershy asked to herself. "I’ve never seen Princess Celestia so happy. Look, she’s even laughing !"

Twilight decided to shift her attention on the conversation between Peach and Zelda ; they were talking about love : Zelda was still single as she was young, and she intended to remain so, at least for the time being, while Peach enjoyed her new role as a mother. The Princess of Friendship suddenly recalled the revelation that hit her on the shower at the inn : she turned scarlet and excused herself.

"Huh ? What happened to Twilight ?" Rainbow Dash interrogated.

"No idea", Starlight replied. "But she was kinda… red".

"Don’t tell me it’s these silly crush-things", Applejack grumbled.

"I hope it is not", Peach murmured sadly.

Twilight sprayed her face with fresh water and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

"Mare up, Twilight ! Don’t be distracted by such thoughts !" She encouraged herself out loud.

She inspired deeply and exhaled. A certain pony flashed in her mind and she blushed again.

“It’s useless… And she’s with me at the table. Great. What do I do ?”

"I think you should talk to her", a feminine voice echoed.

Twilight jumped three feet into the air, only to see Peach behind her.

"Princess Peach ? I’m sorry I…"

"Do not apologize. It is me who has to. I cause you so much trouble. I am sincerely sorry", Peach apologized.

"You couldn’t have known", the Princess of Friendship replied.

"Yes, that is true. However, it is not an excuse. I cannot do anything but giving advice. I know who your feelings are for. Do you remember what I told you ? If this love was not reciprocated, you would not feel it in the first place. I am positive she feels the same for you, even if she does not show it. There are two of your friends who are hiding their feelings for each other too. Do not fear ; the Magic of Friendship will be stronger than it has ever been ; love never destroys. All of you will still be friends".

Twilight sensed tears forming in her eyes, but she was unsure why.

"You should talk to her after the celebration. You will have all the night to share your feelings", the human princess added.

"Even if she loves me inside, I’m afraid of her reaction ; what if she doesn’t consciously love me ?" The alicorn worriedly asked.

"Your feelings will reach inside her heart. Do not worry".

A strange, powerful magic filled with courage that was irradiating from the dining room slowly erased Twilight’s apprehension.

"I was going to see Arancia, but your friends noticed your behavior, so I took a detour. I see you are feeling much better now", Peach declared as she walked out the bathroom.

"Oh, I almost forgot… Even if they are reciprocated, telling your feelings can be really hard sometimes. I suggest you to go to talk to Link ; his Triforce will give you courage", she added.

"In fact, I think it already had. Some sort of magic filled me with such courage seconds ago… like… like if I could do anything", Twilight explained.

"See ? Everything will be alright", the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom concluded.

Twilight came back to her place and Peach seconds after.

"Did I miss something ?" Twilight asked.

"Princess Celestia and Bowser are talking so cheerfully, look", Starlight replied.

Twilight looked at the end of the table : the huge Koopa and the Princess of the Sun were talking and laughing at the same time ; the other guests paid no attention, although Bowser’s laugh was loud.

"By the way, why did you leave us ?" Pinkie Pie innocently interrogated.

"Bathroom", Twilight replied with assurance ; her friends did not push the question.

Once the entrée was finished, the Toads waiters cleared the table. Despite the cheerful conversations between everyone, Twilight stayed focused on Peach’s advice ; the plat principal snapped her out of her thoughts : it was a gratin dauphinois served in a star-shaped baking dish, accompanied with carrot purée, a ball of risotto and various chopped vegetables.

"Wow, there’ll be no room for dessert !" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Actually, cheese comes after that. Then some fruit salad and finally the dessert", Mario explained, slowly savoring his risotto.

"There’ll be some champagne too", his brother added.

"That’s always good to hear", Rainbow Dash replied with a grin.

"Don’t be drunk for the ceremony", Starlight warned.

"I don’t want you to cause a diplomatic incident", Twilight added.

Rainbow Dash’s ears dropped.

"Okay, okay… No more than two glasses, I swear", she grumbled.

"Easy on the wine too", Twilight advised.

"Okay, I got it… Alcohol’s bad…" The cyan pony groaned.

As she enjoyed her meal, Starlight could not avert her eyes from the gigantic plate of different powders the King of the Bob-Ombs was eating.

"He eats different gun powders, but I can’t tell the differences between much of them. You’ll notice that there are no flames here : the king can be a messy eater : one tiny cloud of these ultra-flammable gun powders on the smallest flame and the whole place blow up to smithereens", Mario explained.

Starlight shivered and searched someone else to observe ; Daisy was literally gobbling her plate without any manners ; she could have eaten with her fingers it would not have made any difference. Yoshi and Birdo only ate whole fruit, Yoshi by using his tongue and Birdo by vacuuming them with her trumpet-like snout. Bowser and Celestia were eating the same meal as her. “I don’t think his teeth are made to eat vegetables though…” the pink unicorn thought. She was barely hearing the conversations around her, but she caught one of them randomly.

"Say Pinkie, why were you glued to Griffonstone and… to Gilda ?" Rainbow Dash asked. "That was… weird back then when I think of it".

Pinkie Pie almost dropped her fork from the randomness of the question.

"I… uh… I-I love this place and Gilda… No ! I mean, Gilda’s our friend and I… uh…" The pink pony spluttered.

It was the first time the other ponies were seeing their party-loving friend in such an embarrassing posture.

"I love Gilda… Gilda’s scones of course ! And… uh… I… uh…" Pinkie squeaked some incomprehensible words and, for the first time, fell silent.

"Somepony has a crush on a certain griffon it seems", Rarity teased.

"Don’t be silly ! It’s just… she-she’s my friend !" Pinkie Pie replied unconvincingly.

"Why actin’ like she’s with us ? If ya love her, ya can tell us y’know…" Applejack shuddered. "We aren’t gonna tell her, like ya aren’t gonna tell Rara ‘bout me".

"I…" The cheerful pony took a deep breath before answering :

"I do like her very very very much !" Pinkie Pie admitted ; however, her sentence was said so quickly they had trouble discerning the words.

"But ! I don’t know if she feels the same, and she probably doesn't", she added sadly.

"You… You wouldn’t feel it if that wasn’t the case…" Twilight whispered, looking at Peach who winked at her.

"Is that so ? I’ll tell her when we’ll come back then", Pinkie Pie stated while shrugging ; she went back to dig in her meal.

The discussion closed with these words.

Fluttershy was eating in silence ; something was scratching at the back of her mind for a while now, and she could not ascertain what ; it was an imperceptible sensation at first, but it was growing every hour ; the plate of various cheeses snapped her out of her trance ; she had been totally silent for almost five minutes, and she hoped the others had not noticed.

"The ceremony will begin after the dessert and the champagne, right ?" She asked to Peach ; she was trying to show she had not blacked out for a couple of minutes.

"Yes. Once the glasses will be empty, everyone will go at the town square and I will bring Arancia in one of her cradles. You can choose every blessing you want, as long as it did not disturb her", the princess explained.

"That makes me think : we didn’t bring any gifts", Starlight whispered, embarrassed.

"Don’t worry !" Luigi exclaimed. "I’m sure we’ll find a ton of occasions to see each other after that ! It’ll give you plenty of time to find a gift".

"Besides that, this is not mandatory", Peach added. "Some representatives here simply do not have a present to please a baby, or even a human : take the Bob-Omb King for example : he considered bringing a rare gun powder before resigning himself to come empty-handed. Maybe he will find something in the near future that he will ship to us ; but we will not pressure him into giving something : everyone is free to give or not, and they all have very good reasons to make either choice", she explained.

"I wonder what Bowser brought…" Mario thought aloud.

"Something that will represent him, or what Arancia means to him", his wife replied. "I am sure he will love her, and that they will develop strong bonds between each other over time. I think his present will be very surprising… but kind of sweet... for him I mean, nonetheless".

The time finally came for the dessert : it was a huge star-shaped cake that the Toad waiters cut in even parts before their eyes. The ponies could not pinpoint the flavor of their slice of cake besides fruit and chocolate, but it was a totally new wonderful gustative experience that Rarity resumed in a few words :

"Oh my… I just ate a piece of dream".

Peach giggled and told them the mysterious ingredient.

"Stardust !?" Spike exclaimed.

"Yes. It is a very, very rare ingredient, as the Stars do not come down often. Sometimes, when they pass near Earth, they leave small amounts, traces of it ; they are barely noticeable, but honest people who find these traces almost always choose to give them to us out of pure generosity. Every time it happens, we are very touched, and we must insist to reward them. During the ceremony, the Stars will leave quantity of stardust for everyone to enjoy", Peach explained.

"Yeah, they’ll leave like literally a ton of it !" Luigi added.

"It’ll probably be their gift to Arancia. A kind of stardust of the highest quality, something along the lines…" Mario theorized.

"Hey, the bomb king eats stardust cake too !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Yeah, stardust’s for everyone", Luigi replied.

Champagne followed the dessert, and Rainbow Dash kept her promise : she only drank precisely two glasses and she stopped her hoof as she was reaching for a third.

Bowser's castle

The ghost did not really know how it had ended up in that place ; a moment ago it was in Hyrule, roaming into a cavern, waiting for a poor soul to come, and the second after it heard the call, it was here, in absolute darkness. The lost soul knew it was not the afterlife that was refused from it a long time ago, not after that call. Something called it here to fulfill a purpose, and it knew that every monster and undead being had received the same call, but it was it, a Poe amongst hundreds of others, that was selected the first. The ethereal remains of a dead being suddenly sensed a presence and right in front of it, the thing manifested : even for a soul, the vision was terrifying ; it was also incomprehensible : the being, if it could be called like that, kept on collapsing on itself, its shape transcending dimensions and its power ripping bits of existence from everywhere. For the first time in its existence as a ghost, the Poe felt fear : it was literally nothing before what stood in front of him, something that was above life, death, or everything : it quickly realized it had no choice but to obey its new master. The thing began to speak to him, in a language unlike any other ; it was trying to grasp the concept of ideas, and to communicate with that rudimentary, broken knowledge that was keeping on being forgotten and being learned again in an endless cycle :

"Go. World. Other. Send I you. Take. Parts. Now not. Wait. When. Gone they. Parts bring I. Mission. Understand".

"I understand what you need, Master. I will bring it to you".

The specter paused and hesitated before speaking.

"May I ask, O Master, for what purpose do you need this ?"

The thing took an infinite time to understand the question and answer, although there was no time where they were : it has been destroyed along with everything else.

"Others I bring. I. Create. Soon".

The ponies spent the following two days to learn more about the Mushroom Kingdom, to visit some places thanks to Bowser’s teleportation powers and enjoy the festivities. On Celestia’s recommendations, they also visited Bowser’s main castle in the morning before their last night in the Mushroom Kingdom.

The towering mass of black stone surrounded by a lava sea crushed the guests under its size when they teleported in front to it on the narrow stone path ; even Bowser’s other form was small beside it. Circling the lake of molten rocks, on the horizon, were abrupt slopes with a forest of twisted black trees growing at the top. The sky had taken a dark bluish tint and the moon, green like she was sick of being there, was perfectly visible ; if it was really the moon however. The heat was unbearable and the stone almost burned their hooves, but Bowser promised it was far cooler in its castle ; Celestia confirmed. As they approached the structure, Twilight asked if they were in a volcano, but Bowser replied that his castle was in fact in the center of an old, large crater, surrounded by an almost endless forest that was stopping at an unending ocean : this sea was not on the official maps of the kingdom. When interrogated as to why by Starlight, the Koopa King explained that the woods transported anyone and anything to another dimension : technically, the castle was not in the Mushroom Kingdom either, and not even in the universe ; Bowser further explained that he had found this universe just after he gained his powers, but had become aware of its properties days after his installation. The only thing manmade that was present in this dimension before Bowser’s settling was a huge, limitless wooden boardwalk leading to derelict warehouses filled with crates of all sizes and materials ; interestingly, the boardwalk and the warehouses emerging from the centimeters-level sea still had functioning lights here and there ; it was greatly appreciated, as the sky in this region was pitch black, without a single celestial body. Bowser explained that few of the crates in the warehouses were empty ; most still contained numerous traces of a mysteriously vanished, technically advanced civilization : weapons like laser guns and swords, space-time warping bombs and grenades, armors and battle suits, two nuclear warheads, combat knives, rifles and revolvers but also futuristic toys breaking the laws of physics beside common ones, wardrobes and dressers of infinite storage capacity, cellphones, human and non-human clothes, five touchpads, paper, fans of various models, cameras, freezers, CDs, tables, lamps and light fixtures, razors, cable, USB and flash drives, eleven televisions ranging from a plasma screen to totally unknown models, normal trashes beside disintegration-based ones, sofas, floor, walls and roof tiles, speakers, jewelry and accessories, beauty products written in several unknown languages, bricks, railroads, film projectors, vacuum cleaners, kitchen robots, pans of near unbreakable glass, flashlights, video cameras, video games consoles, eight computers and computers screens, magazines and books of all kinds were present in the crates, neatly arranged and presumably ready to be shipped. Twilight lit up when Bowser mentioned the last objects, as she did not know half of what he was talking about ; however, she remembered computers, televisions, touchpads and cellphones from her stay in Canterlot High ; she was not picturing what a nuclear warhead looked like, but the words “nuclear” and “warhead” put together were already too descriptive for her tastes.

"You have computers and… things like that here ?" She asked.

-"Yes, we do have these technologies in the Mushroom Kingdom", Peach replied. "They are, for the most part, confined to cities : a lot of my people are not really fond of them. However, what Bowser is talking about is on a whole other technological level ; the machines here are so advanced that I cannot even start them ; Bowser will tell you more about this".

"Most of the things I salvaged are just scrap for the most part. I destroyed some of those pieces of junk and I got rid of the nuclear warheads by detonating them in lifeless worlds. Junk seems to come from all eras and places ; I found jewelry carved from bones and flint stones just next to a touchpad. I’ll show you everything you want and what I managed to operate… or kind of. There still are crates to open : you can search if you want, I’ll lead you to the boardwalk ; as long as you’re with me, you won’t get lost. And for what happened here and what this place was…"

"A manufacturing or shipping hub", Starlight deduced.

"Yes… something along the lines. You’ll soon know how far the warehouses go ; it was a gigantic platform that probably deserved a whole planet or more, but… I have a theory. Everything here comes from past, present and future times…" Bowser explained as he opened the huge double door of his castle.

They went inside the huge place ; once Bowser closed the doors behind them, the air immediately got cooler. They found themselves in a brightly lit corridor with a carpeted floor and a glass roof through which the strange sky could be seen.

"I think this place is a nexus of sorts for all past, present and future technologies… Maybe there weren’t people here in the first place. But I can’t affirm it for sure".

The Koopa showed them three bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchens and living rooms.

"How can you have water here ?" Applejack interrogated.

"At the West side of the castle, just below that section of the lava lake, there’s a water table. It’s not deep, but just like the sea, it’s limitless. Celestia swam inside".

"Yes. And it’s a magnificent place. Can you show us ?" Celestia asked.

Bowser took them to a spiral staircase that was plunging in the dark ; he hit a switch and the lights illuminated the entire stairwell ; it was so deep they could not see the end. Seeing everyone uneasy, Bowser directly teleported them at the bottom, sparing them a long and perilous descent.

The cavern was breathtaking : above and under the clear water, sparkling with every possible color, were crystals ; they formed a limitless roof of brilliant diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, rubies, topazes and other gemstones that radiated a soothing light, dispensing the need for lightning.

Rainbow Dash flew next to the stones to observe them while Fluttershy tasted the water with her hoof.

"Oh, it’s so refreshing !" She exclaimed.

"It’s drinkable water", Bowser informed. "I tested it : there’s not a single germ inside that pool, and there’ll never be, even if you bathed covered in mud and detritus ; it stays at a constant temperature too. If any of you wanna bathe, that’s okay, but I must warn you : after one hundred and fifty meters in all directions, there’s no bottom anymore".

Fluttershy precipitately backed away from the pool, and Rainbow Dash made a quick turn to come back on the rocky ground.

"Don’t worry", Bowser reassured. "There’s nothing at all in that pool ; maybe it’s the most terrifying thing after all, as water’s a sign of life, but there’s no life in there".

"I bathed in that water", Celestia added. "I went to the limit, where the gemstones under my hooves are no more. This is really strange, but so beautiful, seeing only a white space beneath your hooves and crystals above your head. You still float even at the bottomless place of course".

"I sent thousands of kilometers of weighted cable without reaching something other than water, so in the end I just stopped", the King of the Koopas explained.

"Woohoo ! Hey girls, lifeless water’s so fun !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, swimming on her back in the middle of the pool.

"When did she get in there !?" Twilight panicked.

"I don’t wanna know", Rainbow Dash mumbled before flying to observe the crystals again.

She touched them with her hoof : in spite of the light they emitted, they were extremely cold.

"Wow, they’re like ice !"

"I analyzed them : normal crystals in regards to composition, even the ones I didn’t know of. The strange thing’s their electrons : they’re moving very slowly around the atomic core, that’s why they’re cold", Bowser explained.

"You’re a scientist !" Twilight exclaimed joyfully.

"More or less. I don’t know if someone told you, but I lack the… patience to study complex things ; anger takes over and I destroy anything that starts to annoy me… that’s just part of my nature", the Koopa replied.

Pinkie Pie touched the bottom with one of her hooves, and then dove to clearly see the crystals underwater.

"They’re cold in the water too ! "She told the others as she surfaced ; her mane took its original fluffy form back almost instantly.

"So I can’t taste one", Spike mumbled.

"I advise against it, yes", Twilight replied. "Spike, these gems are so cold you’ll literally freeze your mouth !"

"Okay, okay…" The young dragon grumbled disappointingly.

"But I can use them for my dresses !" Rarity exclaimed. "Do we sense the cold through fabric ?" She asked to Bowser.

"You’re a fashion designer, right ? I’d opt for a thick fabric if I were you, or a juxtaposition of layers ; if the gems touch your fur for too long, you’ll probably get frostbite. I can detach some of them for you, but be careful when handling them. How much do you need ?"

"For testing, twenty-two pounds. But I don’t want to bother you, I can detach them myself", Rarity replied.

"It’ll be hard. They’re not covering the roof, they are the roof ; and each of them is fused with the other, that’s why they form such a patchwork. I’ll take care of it while you enjoy the books and machines I found in that dimension. It’ll take me less than two minutes".

"You’re such a sweetheart, thank you", Rarity thanked.

Once Pinkie Pie got out of the water devoid of life, Bowser teleported everyone back into one of the living rooms ; from here they took a small corridor, opened a double door and stepped inside a room of huge proportions : while the roof was at a normal height, Twilight could not see the end of the room, hid behind countless bookshelves and furniture. The room, if it could be called like that, was filled with the things Bowser had salvaged from the crates ; the floor was covered with a thick red carpet, and the walls and the roof were painted in white ; there were numerous lights, sconces and chandeliers fixed on them, and halogen lamps were installed where the other lights could not reach. Bowser had tried to make the room feel comfortable, warm and cozy by placing the furniture at its would be place in a normal house : it was a success, although the sheer dimension of the room and the abundance of objects were taking away some of the illusion of being in a real home.

"Celestia told me you loved books", Bowser told Twilight. "Feel free to take any of them, I give them to you. Just show me what you choose just in case I need to make a copy".

"I-I… It’s-it’s too much ! I just can’t accept ! These books are precious, there are probably just a few copies of them, if any !"

"It doesn’t matter : I know you’ll take good care of them. The knowledge contained inside will profit to Equestria… if you manage to decipher some of them though", the Koopa laughed.

The ponies noticed a very thin computer screen on a table : it was turned on, showing a strange polygon-like cube projected in three dimensions ; its faces were moving in an incomprehensible way, apparently bending space-time with their movements ; everyone except Bowser and Pinkie Pie turned their eyes away from the tesseract.

"It gives me headaches", Applejack mumbled.

"Why ?" Pinkie Pie asked as she approached the projected image and turned around it.

"It’s just woooooing and woooooing and woooooing with its faces, so funny !"

She wanted to touch it, but her hoof – harmlessly deformed in the process – passed through the hologram.

"Silly me !" She exclaimed before bouncing towards another screen as Bowser turned off the projection.

The pink pony sat on a chair in front of another computer screen : this one was looking old by the standards of the Mushroom Kingdom ; however, it was not powered by anything but itself ; on the black screen were flashing an endless amount of nonsensical data made of known and unknown numbers and symbols. There was no switch to turn it off. After one second of watching data scroll, Pinkie Pie decided it was boring, and Twilight took her place ; the young alicorn managed to make a little sense of some of the green data, but it was scrolling so fast it was impossible to decipher a complete line.

"It’s part of a file regarding fifth dimensional objects", Bowser explained behind her back. "This computer’s a three-dimensional object linked to a five-dimensional universe".

"How do you know that !?" The Princess of Friendship exclaimed in disbelief. "I can barely identify anything !"

"My power allows me to sense the slightest ruptures in space-time. If you wanna know, I even managed to reach that dimension with Boo’s help, and even though there are no words to describe it, let’s say it was… bland… nothing interesting to see I mean. It’s very small too. Besides that, five-dimensional shapes just stay shapes and…"

Bowser interrupted himself ; the screen had suddenly cut to black and the machine had turned off ; the Koopa was stunned with surprise and fear.

"I… I think you just… witnessed the end of a universe…" He whispered worryingly.

"What !?" Twilight exclaimed.

Bowser took a deep breath as he rubbed his eyes ; he sensed a small surge of rage rising inside him, but managed to contain it ; destroying was not going to solve anything.

"It’s that thing… It pulverized the gateway alongside the dimension, or vice-versa. There’s no more data, because there’s no universe to collect it from anymore… I just sensed the breach closing abruptly : everything on the other side’s irremediably destroyed… Rest assured though : it was a lifeless universe… But it worries me, to say the very least, that that thing, or part of it, was there. We’re... extremely lucky it hadn’t taken the breach to get here".

No one said a word for a minute ; Bowser sighed with relief, satisfied to have avoided the worst ; his anger subsided.

"I don’t believe you", Rainbow Dash finally stated.

"I can transfer what I saw to you. I think your mind can handle that. Witness this and end your doubts", Bowser said.

Without waiting for an answer and in a swift motion, one of his claws touched Rainbow Dash’s forehead. The pegasus opened her eyes wildly, almost enough for them to fall out of their sockets. In her mind, she saw ; she witnessed. She clearly saw the white breach, exactly like a ripped cloth, from where descended innumerable strands of data ending on the computer. She could not see much of the other side of the breach, but she caught things moving nonetheless : she was unable to describe them, the way they were moving or even their color, if they had one anyways ; Bowser had talked about five-dimensional shapes, and it was the closest thing that could be said about these objects. And abruptly, the breach disappeared and with it, the strands of data powering the computer ; Rainbow Dash glimpsed what could have been a part of the thing, but she could not be sure : it was far too brief, far too incomprehensible. She shook her head : the whole flashback had taken less than one second, and everyone was still in the exact same place, atom-wise, than before. She barely sensed one tear running down her right eye. Maybe it was lifeless and small, but it was still a universe. And what about the shapes ? How to be sure they were not alive ? Maybe they were scared ? Maybe drifting aimlessly into oblivion was simply their form of life, or whatever it was called there ? And that thing had pulverized them with its mere presence. Now they were gone forever. And no one to remember them.

"Stop", Bowser ordered as he snapped his claws.

Rainbow Dash came back to reality, only to realize she was really crying and had formulated all her ideas out loud.

"Trust me, I’m really sorry to make you cry, Rainbow Dash", the Koopa apologized sincerely. "You must understand that the threat is real. I wouldn’t lie about that. Don’t worry about the shapes though. I touched them. Talked to them. I even sensed their souls ; they don’t have any. Do you know what they were ? These were five-dimensional astronomical objects seen from our three-dimensional perspective ; to put it simply, they were stars, planetoids, asteroids, black holes, galaxies… just a bunch of objects, and none of them harbored the slightest trace of life, I thoroughly checked multiple times. Tell me… do you cry when you break say… a mug ?"

The shaken pegasus weakly shook her head.

"That’s exactly the same thing. Calm down".

Rainbow Dash slowly came back to her senses under Fluttershy’s hugs and kisses.

"You should not have done that", Peach reprimanded.

"What choice did I have ? She wouldn’t believe it. It’s really important to understand : a universe has ended, just like that, in no time. You know what it took for that being to do that ?"

Bowser snapped his claws.

"Less than this".

Everyone shivered.

"I… I feel better now", Rainbow Dash assured with her usual confident voice. "It was dumb to say I didn’t believe you and… I… I huh… I’m sorry", she whispered ; Bowser smiled.

Pinkie Pie was jumping from object to object ; she stopped in front of another computer : this one was a modern laptop, showing a double sun setting on the horizon. The sky was colored with red and orange hues, as the ocean beneath it ; in the left corner of the wallpaper, an indistinct celestial body could be seen. There were just a few icons on the virtual desk : a recycle bin, a system folder, a music folder, a video game folder, a movie folder, a notepad and what seemed to be an antivirus. Pinkie Pie tried to use the touchpad, then the mouse, but gave up after three trials.

"These are made for hands", Twilight laughed before using the mouse with her magic. "But I think I can circumvent that".

She quickly opened all the files.

"You use that thing pretty well", Applejack complimented.

"My time in Canterlot High taught me some things about computers. Not everything, but enough to use one", Twilight explained. "Starlight can use it too".

"Factory settings", Bowser pointed out.

"It seems so", Peach replied. "I think I remember this one. Isn’t it the one with strange music ?"

"It is", the Koopa confirmed.

Intrigued, Twilight clicked on one of the ten songs available in the music folder ; a virtual player appeared and the music started. Except it was not really music, not as it was currently defined anyways : everyone was abruptly mentally submerged by waves of dozens of images that were forming a film, or rather a slideshow inside their mind : they suddenly found themselves under stars, then looking at the six branches of a galaxy, on a beach of white sand, at the edge of a tropical forest, in a volcano, just above the clouds, next to a waterfall and at least in a bed ; all with their respective lover beside them.

"It’s a love song", a visibly unaffected Bowser explained with a shrug. "That “music” sends low-frequency waves…"

"Don’t explain it, please…" Starlight cut him ; she was visibly shaken by the experience.

"You’re the one who’s asking that !?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

The video file Twilight played erased everything around them to replace it with a view of a futuristic white city filled with white towers from which trees sprouted, growing vertically on the surfaces ; some silent airships were hovering in the sky, under the double sun. The city was surrounded by layers of a dense tropical forest, then other buildings ; behind them, this repetitive ring-shaped sight stretched as far as their eyes could see, but in front of them, a few kilometers away, it was stopped by dunes, a beach and a sea. They were on the roof of the tallest building ; there were two emergency doors on each side of the roof ; one of them opened abruptly on a woman. They slowly detailed her physique : she was taller than Peach and was wearing a bright red evening dress along with matching stilettos ; a thin golden chain was hanging from her neck, with a light green gemstone lost between her opulent breasts. The diva turned her emerald gaze everywhere without seeing the ponies, Bowser, Mario, Luigi or Peach. Her long orange hair were flowing around her face – covered in a short soft white fur – with each movement ; her muzzle seemed to pick up a scent and her triangular dog ears a sound. Twilight found her absolutely beautiful despite the woman being an anthropomorphic female Labrador. The door on the left burst open, and what were four near identical, anthropomorphic grey wolves wearing black suits took position and pointed silenced guns at her. They moved away from the door and another character entered the scene : it was an old-looking fox almost swallowed by his three-piece golden and yellow suit and black shirt covered by a bright red tie ; the fedora and the round sunglasses he was wearing were further obscuring his traits ; he smiled, uncovering his fangs.

"You lost Sarah", he affirmed with a heavy, indistinguishable accent mixed with a growl.

"Do you really think I took that roof without planning an escape route ?" The woman replied.

"Don’t make me laugh. You can’t jump anywhere or take the door, because we’ll shoot you first ; at that distance, it’s almost point-blank range y’know, there’s no chance we’d miss. Or you wanna say you’re quicker than a bullet ? I’m thrilled to test that theory actually".

The wolves readied their weapons.

"Give it back, or I’ll take it from your lovely, but dead body".

Sarah clenched her pointed teeth, looking at the jewel between her breasts.

"You’ve got no right to even touch that stone, Henrick ! You stole it from my parents ! I just took back what belongs to me !"

"Find it, keep it, it’s what they say", Henrick replied. "I’m in a pretty good mood today, I’ll ask it one more time : give it back".

"Never !"

A white airship suddenly obscured the sky above them, and Sarah smiled.

"Jack ! At least !"

And suddenly, without any transition, everyone was back into Bowser’s castle.

"It’s the trailer, or a clip, of an action movie, with a touch of romance I suppose", Bowser explained. "There’s another trailer with the actors’ names this time. I didn’t find the whole movie, maybe it’s still in a crate".

"I see dog people", Pinkie Pie told Fluttershy in a spooky voice as she loomed over her on two legs ; the pegasus hid behind Rainbow Dash and Twilight, Rarity and Starlight chuckled.

"Do the other movies show the same race of… huh… dog humans ?" Twilight interrogated.

"Yes. There are two computers here that show multi-dimensional movies too ; I don’t want you to watch them though : they’re projected in twelve and thirty-six dimensions ; that’s enough to fry your brain. I’m not sure about you though", Bowser corrected himself, looking at Pinkie Pie.

The next things he showed them – behind a reinforced polymer – were the weapons ; their sight was highly unsettling for the ponies, as there were no such things in Equestria, and Celestia and Twilight mentally swore that there would never be. Bowser explained that the grenades were creating a miniature black hole absorbing everything in a three meters range ; the swords and guns used a powerful plasma laser ; the battle suits were biomechanical ; the knives vibrated their atoms so fast they passed through almost any matter and the revolvers and rifles were shooting powerful explosive bullets. On a table in front of the pan of glass, there were the almost exact same weapons : Bowser explained it was the safest ones ; among them was a humanoid, medieval armor made of common iron beside a quadrupedal one forged in a light blue crystal, and a switchblade next to a flint arrow tip. Other things included arrows, spears, shields and helmets, multiple kinds of swords, nets and clubs. Once they reached the end of the deadly objects and Bowser’s terrifying explanations about their purpose, the ponies felt relieved.

"So now… Toys and books. Pick anything you want", Bowser said. "The most dangerous of the toys and books aren’t here, so don’t be afraid. The books are ordered alphabetically and by theme. I’m gonna pick up some gems for you", he told Rarity before teleporting.

Twilight exploded with happiness ; she hurriedly ran to one of the numerous bookshelves and randomly picked a book about magic in a language she could understand ; she sat on a sofa and began reading. Everyone did the same, except Pinkie Pie, who decided to make origami with what seemed to be normal sheets of paper ; once she finished a crane however, the paper bird suddenly took off the ground, flying around her creator with the agility of a flesh and bone creature.

"So fun ! Another one !" Pinkie exclaimed.

When Bowser came back two minutes later with an insulated bag full of gems, there were dozens of various paper animals and objects flying, scuttling, floating, running, jumping and crawling around Pinkie Pie.

"They stop “living” after five minutes and become inert. They’ll transform back into a sheet of paper in two days, unless you paint them or make the same model twice in a row on the same paper", the Koopa explained.

Pinkie Pie frowned :

"No fun if they become normal paper again".

"I have yet to find a way to make them animate for longer. Here, for you…" Bowser presented the bag of crystals to Rarity and opened it. "This is what you wanted ?"

"It’s perfect ! Thank you !" The unicorn beamed. "And to think that I’ve found this book about dresses… it’s just wonderful !"

"You can keep it. To be honest, you can keep all the books about fashion, I’ll teleport them to Equestria with everyone. I wanted to study the dress code of other species, but these books and magazines didn’t give me any useful insight for most of them. If they inspire you, I’d be glad to offer them ; consider this a small apology for what I’ve done to your world".

"But-But I… I can’t accept !" Rarity spluttered. "First I rob you of crystals, and then of books ! I just cannot !"

"Don’t be like your friend ; these books are useless here. Put aside what you want and when we’ll leave, I’ll take care of them".

Rarity smiled and tears of joy filled her eyes ; without thinking and despite his height, she kissed Bowser on the cheek.

"Thank you", she repeated.

Bowser smiled and approached Twilight.

"It’s the book about fighting magic, I see. There’s quite the list of offensive and defensive spells inside. I know a talented princess like you can take advantage of them if they apply to your magic, but I hope you’ll never have to use them", he said. "I was thinking of another book you might enjoy", he added before going to pick a huge black book in the section dedicated to magic.

Twilight closed her book and took the other one with her magic.

"Wow, it’s so heavy !" She exclaimed, her magic briefly faltering with surprise.

"“Wielding chaos power and magic : a complete guide”. But… but this book can’t exist ! Only Discord can use that kind of powerful magic !"

"In your world maybe, but not in the world from where this book was written. You know, basically speaking, chaos magic’s just normal magic applied to the very foundations of reality ; once you learned how to do that, all you have to know is the effect you want to produce, the necessary force to apply and the place where you want it to appear ; so you can inverse causality, break the laws of thermodynamics and so on… Your imagination’s the limit", Bowser explained.

A stylized pink heart suddenly appeared next to Twilight, who looked at it with a mix of surprise and confusion. Peach snapped her fingers and the heart burst into dozens of others which sprouted tiny legs and danced in the air like they were on the floor ; another snapping of fingers and they exploded into miniature, harmless fireworks.

"Just like that", the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom said in a giggle.

"Awesome !" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "And I’m not into that kind of stuff, y’know, hearts and everythin', but that… that was just amazing coming from you !"

"You can wield that kind of magic ?" A bemused Twilight asked to Peach.

"Just a little", her fellow ruler replied. "I am very far for being proficient with it, and most objects I create are related to love".

"The power I use isn’t magic or anything close, so I can’t use that book : I can’t create anything with Darkness, not even chaos. I can still create things based on elements however, but my true power can’t take any shape other than clouds and flames of Darkness that just destroy ; the creative power given to me is just the ability to craft and think about creation ; it’s pretty disappointing since I love that book. I hope you’ll fulfill my wishes of creating some interesting and funny things", Bowser told Twilight.

"I’ll do it", Twilight promised.

"Discord will be very surprised", Celestia giggled ; she was resting on a red sofa, barely reading a book about astronomical objects.

Everyone read and played for two hours ; Bowser then asked if they wanted to see the warehouses and the crates he had yet to open : they all agreed, and he teleported everyone on the wooden boardwalk.

Spike and Rarity instinctively hugged each other once they found themselves under the pure black sky ; Fluttershy hid behind Rainbow Dash. Starlight looked at the sea, five meters under the planks ; there was little to no water above the sand : she was not even sure if the water could reach her body should she wanted to go in. There were no waves or currents, no fishes or shells and no seaweed ; not the slightest trace of life. She thought that eternally walking on this endless flat ocean was the most terrible punishment to ever exist ; she also noted the cool air despite the absence of anything that could provide any kind of warmth, except the antic-looking lanterns suspended under square wooden arks. Starlight could feel the heat that was emanating from them, but it was clearly not them that were maintaining that cool atmosphere.

"I analyzed the lifeless water and the sand, they’re… normal, except that sea isn’t that salty : its salt concentration’s sixty times less than a common sea, more than an half ; you can drink it in fact. I wouldn’t recommend to go in the water far away from the boardwalk though : I can’t be sure there’s nothing in the places where the light doesn’t reach, although I checked some of them", Bowser warned.

Everyone stayed far away from the edges of the planks. The outlines of a warehouse took shape in front of them, and they went inside the derelict grey building that was missing its doors. Besides the crates, there was nothing inside it ; it was totally bare : a perfect concrete cube. The crates of various sizes were neatly piled up in three rows of thirty-six containers ; two rows were against the two side walls and one in the middle.

"They’re arranged like a six on a dice", Twilight pointed out.

"All the crates I found were impeccably piled up, but not always in a geometric fashion like these ones", Bowser said.

"Found a box of tissues ! And a pouch full of coins ! And a paper note ! And a flute ! And… huh… what’s that ?" Pinkie Pie asked to herself as she was emptying a tiny crate.

"When did she…" Mario said before shaking his head.

The object Pinkie Pie could not identify was a laptop battery ; Bowser picked it up.

"That’s the power source for the laptop with the video and music files", he explained.

Pinkie Pie read the long note she found aloud :

"To the unlucky soul who find this place : go away. Since you found that note, it means you probably searched through the other warehouses. You probably found tons of things that are defying your imagination, depending from where you come from ; don’t let these so called wonders fool you : this place’s everything but fun. I know for sure, because I work here. Or I must say : worked here, since I’m dead with everyone else. I’m writing this as all life’s disappearing, but I’m kinda cool with it, I don’t know why, maybe because I was right all along. Maybe you’ll find this note half-finished, which means I disappeared while writing. Let me introduce myself posthumously : I’m Jerry, a thirty-six years old Galanian with no family and no relatives alive. I work for Everything Inc. and I’m in charge of Sector Z ; that means I had thousands of people under my command, ready to ship orders to Sector Z, that’s not far away : ten light years from here. But this sector’s fairly populated, so it gives me tons and tons of work, I don’t always sleep at home. Maybe you wonder how that’s possible, or maybe you don’t understand me at all : that’s fine, I don’t really expect someone to find my note. In case you’re wondering, Everything Incorporation is a company that manufactures and ships everything everywhere, that’s all. It has a… holding ? Group ? Something like that called Everything Shipping Solutions, ESS for short, and that’s where I work. I pass you the details of my life, it’s as mundane as it could be ; all you have to know is that I took a job at this company and I climbed the ladder to my current position ; that’s not very impressive, trust me : there’s so much people above me I can’t even begin to count them. That’s sad, really, because if I was one of the higher-ups (maybe I could’ve been… in a thousand years or so ?), maybe everything’d been avoided ; it’s too late now. It’s funny when you think about it : when everything started to go wrong, the ones above us said : “Keep going, everything’s fine, don’t worry”, something like that, and they believed it, while here, guys like me knew the company screwed up. Screwed up badly. The company’s motto’s “Everything for you” ; sounds silly, right ? But it was true, so true, too true. You probably can’t imagine it, but the factories were universal in scale ; I think there were six of them, so six vast universes filled with machinery alone. I got a glimpse of one of them, and I think everyone who’s seen these… things has thought the same thing : “We’re doomed”. The higher-ups didn’t know, or maybe didn’t want to know. If only they had seen… You can produce weapons, toys, books, computers and everything with any properties you want by tearing through reality with machines, because that’s how stuff’s made, but you can’t simply put them in crates stocked at the same place. But we were doing that for thousands of years, why stopping, they said ? Because pieces of reality react in unpredictable ways when in contact with other ones, causing repercussions through every world ; the factories, the manufacturing company, and the shipping hub were so disconnected in terms of communication (except for orders of course) that when the problem became apparent, it was too late. It was nothing at first : crates displaced or becoming intangible, nothing that we couldn’t handle. But it got worse : employees started to become affected by reality changes, time and space warped randomly, cases of radiation poisoning, etc. All the sectors were affected. And one day, I heard that one of the factories was… destroyed I guess. It was here at a moment, and the moment after, it was gone, replaced by void. And then another. From this point onwards, everything degenerated, despite the efforts of the company ; all life disappeared within entire sectors, and when they were quarantined, they disappeared too. One day… I… The… the dimension where the company was, physically speaking, disappeared. Just like that. My home. Vanished for eternity… Customer dimensions did the same. Everything that was tied to the production, one way or another, simply ceased to exist. I saw the rest of my employees (a few hundred at this point) breaking into panic before rushing through the bridges to try to go home : they vanished into the oblivion that was now our universe. That was one month ago. Now, the other ones still alive are disappearing as I write these lines ; I don’t know why I’m still here, or why the crates or that whole place doesn’t disappear ; maybe it will though. But I’ve got the feeling that this place isn’t normal : from what I know, the warehouses, the light and the boardwalks were here when the company installed the hub, they just used them. I looked at the water for the last time : I could’ve sworn I saw things in the water, under the boardwalk and in the dark places… I’m gonna put this note (I attached my photo to it) in a crate with my pouch and my flute. Then I’ll wait in the water until I disappear or… worse, but, let’s be honest, what could be worse ? I secretly hope that place will be left intact, and that someone will find that paper to see the folly of our actions. The actions of the people of Galania, the Factory World. I hope the better for you and your world,

Sincerely,

Jerry.

PS : If you have the power to do it, destroy that place and the junk inside, so it won’t endanger anyone else. You can keep the books though ; they’re not produced by the factories.

PPS : I found a strange crate in this warehouse, don’t know what it is. Don’t open it, probably some weapon of mass destruction."

Everyone stayed silent after the reading. Peach suddenly broke in tears, and everyone else sensed their eyes burning ; Bowser looked at the ground and shook his massive head.

"It’s…" Starlight said with a shattered voice as salty trails covered her muzzle. "I… I just can’t…"

Attached to the paper with a thumbnail was a photo : it was displaying the smiling face of an anthropomorphic black Shiba Inu ; the back of the picture was signed “Jerry” in blue ink.

"I want to keep Jerry’s possessions", Pinkie Pie suddenly stated.

The tone of her voice surprised everyone : it was filled with a seriousness that no one could have imagined coming from Pinkie Pie ; her pony friends stared at her with surprised looks.

"I want to remember Jerry", she added with the same voice. "When we’ll come back, I’ll throw a party for him".

"S… sure Pinkie", Twilight agreed.

"I think he’d be happy", Applejack approved.

It was decided to leave the crates where they were ; Bowser would open them alone another time ; however, he teleported the strange crate mentioned by Jerry : it was a smooth rectangular metallic cube with no markings or seams of any sort.

"I forgot to show you the castle’s garden", the Koopa King remembered as they were leaving the warehouse.

"You can grow plants under that sky !?" Rainbow Dash asked skeptically.

"It’s a very special garden, you’ll see", Bowser replied.

Fluttershy was not really paying attention to the conversation : she was looking at the water ; it was so calm, almost relaxing if it was not that static and uniform. The boardwalk was projecting its very opaque shadow under itself, covering the sand and water ; mechanically, Fluttershy gazed at the dark place for one second ; suddenly, her eyes glimpsed something ; a movement, a shadow on a shadow, a bit of darkness crawling ; she was not sure ; but there was clearly something under the boardwalk. Her body froze and she began to shiver uncontrollably.

"Fluttershy ?" Rainbow Dash asked. "What’s wrong ?"

"U-U-U-U-Under… Under the-the-the boardwalk… Mo-mo-moving…" Her lover spluttered.

"I’ll check it out…" Rainbow Dash decided before leaving the ground, only to be immediately restrained by Bowser’s huge hand.

The weight and force of the palm instantly calmed her down.

"You-you’re quicker than you seem", she told Bowser as she folded back her wings.

"I’m not fast, but I do have reflexes", the Koopa said, shrugging. "Don’t go. I’ll tell you if there’s something there. I doubt I can be harmed by whatever that thing is".

He jumped in the water – for the first time causing waves – and examined the dark place ; he slowly approached it, his throat glowing with a deadly fire.

The thing sensed the incoming threat and decided to move : it was a bad decision : the wave of destructive fire hit it at the first hint of a twitch. The enemy was far too strong this time : it was over before it had even begun.

Bowser looked on as the whole shadow of the boardwalks caught fire before writhing in agony, twisting itself in improbable angles and twitching with spasms of unbearable pain. He teleported everyone beside him to observe the sea illuminated by an impossibly long ribbon of inextinguishable fire ; after only two minutes, the flames had consumed the entirety of the un-being, leaving no traces of the shadow that had plagued the undamaged boardwalk since its creation.

-What in Equestria was that thing !? Applejack exclaimed once in safety in the castle.

-An ancient form of un-life from the beginning of this world. Maybe created along the boardwalks, Bowser replied.

-It was thousands of kilometers long ! It’s just impossible ! Spike exclaimed.

-Probably far much more than that, maybe light years, but it caught fire rather easily for a thing of its size. I think I scared it and it tried to flee ; thing was hungry though, it probably hadn’t eaten anything since the incident with Galania, that could be thousands of years ago or way more. Don’t worry about it, it wasn’t alive, not in that sense anyways ; things like that are just remnants of power or magic that take shape and consume everything that’s unfortunate enough to get close. It’s gone forever now. So, about the garden…

He guided his still shaken guests through the castle until they reached the exact center of the gigantic building : Twilight briefly believed that they were outside, but when she looked up, she realized she was under a huge pyramidal glass roof : it was an indoor garden.

The deformed trees that surrounded the castle were almost everywhere, but it was not them that were attracting the attention of the ponies : growing on them were mushrooms ; there was an infinity of mushrooms of all sizes and shapes, most of them glittering or even shining pale colors : white, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink, violet, black and everything in between that was constituting a marvelous, otherworldly sight.

Twilight mistook a mushroom for a tree when she approached the twisted fungi.

"How can you cultivate these mushrooms so efficiently ?" She interrogated. "Fungi require precise atmospheric conditions and soil microbiology to grow, among other factors".

"Don’t you sense the humidity in the air ? These trees, if I can call them like that, are very peculiar : they require no sunlight to grow, and can survive with little to no water. Once they get so much as a mist, they stock the water in their bark. Then, by enzymes and chemical reactions that’d be hard and long to explain, they create more and more water, until they sweat profusely ; it releases a mist around them : they absorb it and then, the entire process starts over. They probably can last thousands of years since their last watering. And that’s not all ; they also create nutriments in excess, so the mushrooms can perpetually grow on them without killing their hosts. As for the mushrooms themselves, I got them from different places in the Mushroom Kingdom and some other dimensions, because, except the trees, nothing grows here naturally. I was careful when bringing them here ; none of them can hurt you and the air’s free of spores these days, but I’d be careful to not touch most of them, I’ll tell you which".

They visited the garden, observing the luminescent mushrooms ; Pinkie Pie found one with a large soft cap, safe to touch, allowing her to bounce on it to impressive heights.

"So funny !" She exclaimed before going to search another mushroom to play with.

Bowser went to explain that, in the center of the garden, lightly buried in the ground, was a time-space bomb : if the castle was attacked, the bomb could be detonated : it would relocate the precious garden to another castle in the Mushroom Kingdom. It had taken one year and a half, plus the brightest engineers from all races, to create that bomb ; Bowser was working on another for the living room filled with objects from other dimensions.

"I wonder… what in the world is that crate…" Luigi mused aloud.

"Hmm ? Do you wanna know ?" Bowser asked. "I can open it in a highly secured room, with you behind reinforced glass ; I’ll be the first to see what’s inside, so no danger. Well, almost".

"I am worried, to say the least, at the prospect of opening this container", Peach declared.

"I must say I wanna know too", Applejack admitted.

"Me too", Rainbow Dash concurred.

"Me three !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Can you assure us that we’ll be safe ?" Mario asked to Bowser.

"Eighty-five percent, can’t say more", the Koopa said while shrugging. "Shielding from memetic hazards can’t be totally guaranteed".

"Let’s do it !" Pinkie Pie encouraged as she bounced from mushroom to mushroom.

Peach gave up ; even her fellow rulers, the Princess of Friendship and Princess Celestia, were thrilled at the thought of opening the strange metallic container.

Bowser led them through the living room to the weapons storage ; there was a door on the right, next to the shelves filled with deadly weaponry ; everyone shivered when looking at them this close : some of these things could potentially pulverize the castle and almost everyone inside it, and that was when excluding a probable chain-reaction. They entered another gigantic room ; the crate was in the middle ; there was nothing else in the white cube, except, on the left, a grey wall with a large pan of glass in the center.

"I built it for my researchers, Bowser said".

Everyone got inside the bunker comprised of two airlocks equipped with heavy, sliding metal doors, and the observation room. There were video cameras monitoring everything in the bunker, but none inside the white room ; in front of them, many consoles and screens were shut down.

"We don’t need these for now. No offense, but if I start to explain how they work, we can add some weeks before our departure to Equestria…" Bowser told them before leaving the control room.

Everyone watched him approaching the container ; he observed it carefully before touching the top : a blue interface appeared on the metallic surface. He looked up and spoke; they could hear him perfectly.

"Virtual interface. Displaying…" He stopped suddenly, visibly surprised.

"What ?" Mario asked.

"I think you better come with me. The air in the room’s filled with a powerful, harmless disinfectant : it’s germ-free here, it’ll simplify everything", Bowser mumbled. "No mental hazards or anything even remotely dangerous, don’t worry".

The puzzled ponies, Mario, Luigi and Peach left the bunker and carefully stepped in the white room; they approached the container to read the information displayed on the surface.

"That’s… !" Twilight exclaimed.

"Yes. That’s why I mentioned the disinfectant earlier", Bowser replied.

"What the hay are you talkin’ ‘bout ?" A confused Applejack asked.

"We must open it at all costs !" Starlight panicked. "We don’t know how much time…"

"Probably plenty of time given what it is. But I’m gonna open it, just give me one minute", Bowser cut her off.

His huge claws danced on the flat surface, confirming and denying options so fast that Starlight was struggling to keep up.

At least, a red message appeared on the virtual interface : “CONFIRM OPENING OF STASIS CAPSULE ? THIS ACTION IS IRREVERSIBLE YES NO”. The “YES” answer was displayed along with a warning sign.

Bowser finger hit the “YES” : “Processing the opening of stasis capsule : 0%” appeared with a progress bar on the surface. The crate hummed and vibrated as the percentage rapidly increased ; the progress bar hit hundred percent in less than a minute.

"What’s inside ?" Pinkie Pie interrogated.

"It’s opening. Just wait a second", Bowser replied.

An opening line appeared around the container, forming a five centimeters thick lid which opened slowly to the right, before falling on the floor with a metallic thud.

Everyone looked inside before recoiling in shock, but Bowser immediately plunged his hands into the container.

"Bed. In the living. Bring it here, it’ll be sterilized. Now", he ordered to one in particular.

Mario and Luigi hurried out of the white room and came back one minute later, carrying a wooden bed with white sheets ; they put it next to the container. Delicately, like it was the most fragile thing in existence, Bowser put the fluid covered, naked body of Sarah on the bed.

"Is she alright ?" Twilight asked a few minutes later ; everyone, including herself, was disoriented by such a discovery.

"She… she’s not breathing !" Starlight panicked.

The body suddenly came to life and a violent spasm contracted it ; Sarah threw up a large quantity of green liquid on the floor, the same liquid she was in moments ago. She coughed violently before gasping ; her respiration regulated itself in seconds, and she opened her green eyes on Bowser, Mario, Luigi, Peach, the ponies and Spike.

"W… Wa… Wa… ter… Water…" She whispered with a dried throat, pointing at it with her shaking hand.

Bowser teleported and reappeared the second after with a large glass of water between his thumb and index, the only way to not break it, and a full carafe in his other hand.

Sarah drank avidly without pausing, and poured herself another glass which she emptied too.

"Thank… thank you", she said clearly. "I see you’re speaking my language, or at least understand what I meant… I think… I…"

She suddenly realized she was totally naked : her bare huge furred breasts and her intimacy were exposed to everyone ; she blushed furiously under her very short white fur and quickly covered herself with the sheets.

"I didn’t want you to be restrained by the sheets", Bowser explained.

"That-that’s alright… I did appear naked in some movies so…" The female anthropomorphic Labrador replied splutteringly.

Mario and Luigi had become totally red, earning a giggling from Peach ; despite being covered with a very short fur like the ponies, Sarah’s body was perfectly human ; her hands and feet, however, were clawed and covered with black pads on the palms ; above her buttocks, a tail was gently moving from side to side.

"I am Anita. Anita Garrett. Nice to meet you".

Everyone presented themselves to Anita.

"Sorry if I sound rude, but I really want to eat something. Anything. Please. I’ll tell you about me if you’re kind enough to bring me food", she implored.

"I don’t know what you eat", Bowser replied.

"Do you have some… fish ? Like shark… eel… salmon… Or some fruit or vegetable ? Mango ? Banana ? Apple ? Carrot ? Potato ? Tomato ? Do you know rice and pasta ? Beans ? Please tell me you have condiments ! Salt ! Pepper !"

Bowser smiled.

"You’re lucky : there’s shark in the freezer and leftover rice in the fridge. Shark with rice, is it okay with you ?" He asked.

"Perfect !" Anita beamed.

Bowser teleported in the kitchen to warm up the meal. Anita tried to get up, unfazed by the ability to teleport.

"I was immobile for… probably a very long time", she stated. "I must move my legs, if a little".

Wrapping herself in the sheets, she walked a short distance, leaning on Peach, the only one tall enough to support her. She sat down after a minute of walking. As she sat, the sheets covering her fell, exposing her bust once again. Mario and Luigi seemed to burn from the inside ; they turned in the opposite direction, too slowly for Peach’s taste.

"Go help Bowser in the kitchen, you two ! There is no need for males here ! Shoo ! Shoo !" She reprimanded.

Her husband and his brother complied and left the room ; Anita did not even try to put the sheets back in place.

"I’m a male too", Spike whispered to Rarity.

"I don’t think it applies to you darling", the unicorn replied.

"I don’t mind running around naked with you girls and with you little one, but I think those two won’t last long if I don’t put some clothes on my body. Body which they seem quite fond of actually", Anita laughed.

"You are very attractive and beautiful by the standards of us humans", Peach complimented. "Of course, my husband and his brother probably would not employ these terms", she sighed.

The actress laughed again.

"I’ll get you some clothes", the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom decided.

She went into the living room to search through the innumerable objects salvaged from the crates ; she recalled a section destined to clothes.

"You’re beautiful even by our standards", Rarity told Anita.

"May I ask you if you’re a… Galanian ?" Starlight asked.

"Yes, I am. How do you know that ? Do you know us ?"

"We found a note from Jerry, one of your fellow people in a crate here", Twilight explained.

Anita was about to answer when Bowser appeared in the room ; he was apparently indifferent to the actress’ body and served her meal on a table he had brought with him. Peach went back in the room with a simple, plain black dress in one hand and white panties in the other. Anita put them on and expressed her liking of the dress. She then ate the huge plate of shark and rice in five minutes.

"I’m full", she sighed once she swallowed her last fork."That was delicious. I want to go outside this room, is that possible ? You probably don’t know it, but we Galanians have really strong antibodies… stronger than most species that I know. So… keeping me here’s pretty useless".

Bowser scanned her for a few seconds, and then nodded.

"We’ll talk in the living room. Everyone, make yourselves comfortable, I’ll be there in a minute", he said.

As he was cleaning everything, the others installed themselves on the sofas. Once Bowser came back and everyone explained to Anita what Jerry told them in his note, she began her story, her voice filled with a crushing sadness.

"I am Anita Garrett ; I was born on the planet Galania, in a universe far away from here, from John Garrett and Martha Robinson ; I am their only child and I am thirty-three years old by Galanian standards : we count years by the time our planet fully revolves around our suns, which is three hundred and sixty eight days, and we count days by the time our planet fully revolves on itself, which is twenty-six hours. I just said thirty-three years old, but that’s barring the time spent in the capsule. As I’ve seen many other worlds, I can say that Galania was a planet of massive size in comparison to our neighbors, the other ones in our galaxy, in our universe and in other dimensions. We were billions and billions on our planet, and even more on others. In our million-year evolution, we’ve learned to respect our home, and then our colonized planets, through trial and error. Before its disappearance, the universe we lived in was revered by the others as the most perfect one, and also the number one in terms of trade by far ; some dimensional travelers even stayed there. But the age of our civilization and its technological advancement made us too proud ; we thought we could handle everything : universe-size factories manufacturing all kind of products and a vast shipping hub when the objects couldn’t be bought at the source. We’ve done this for thousands of years, what could’ve gone wrong and why now ? We’re the Factory World ! The trading universe ! What just could possibly go wrong ? I heard this countless times. Everything Incorporation was founded ten thousands of years ago ; it was a company that produced in normal-sized factories at first, and then expanded to planets, galaxies and so forth. One day, we discovered how to break through dimensions and by extension, the fabric of space-time and reality ; we discovered other universes, some devoid of life, other full of life with which we forged unbreakable bonds of trust. Everything Inc. seized the opportunity ; with their vast resources, they built factories in the lifeless pocket universes ; it was a risky move on their part, but they eventually rocketed in terms of business : with countless worlds ordering more and more goods, they built six of those factories. The higher-ups, the founders and their family I mean, were nothing more than about fifty, with these devices making you basically immortal ; they were so wealthy they could own just everything ; they were the rulers of our world. With this, we finally hit a breaking point ; we couldn’t go higher without losing what was making us Galanians, so we stayed like that, thinking it was perfect and would go on forever. We were wrong of course, but the voices that rose up were quieted by Everything ; think about it : they were so old, so wise, how could anyone tell them what to do ? The factories were running smoothly, everyone was rich thanks to them, it was perfect. Don’t think of them as greedy or spoiled or anything ; they were kind but proud. Far too proud. My father was one of the voices that tried to warn them ; even as a great physician, they didn’t listen. “Even though your mind is brilliant, it is too young : wait for a thousand years and if your results are still the same, we will listen to you”, they told him. Everyone, including my father, officially gave up. But in secret, with other great minds of everywhere, he thought of a plan in case of everything’d lead to a disaster. He worked in secret not by fear of Everything, which would had let him do, but to avoid a universe-wide panic. They achieved their project just as the collapse was worsening : the reality-anchored stasis capsule. They-they thought they had time to make more but…"

Her voice broke, but she shook her head and wiped her tears before pressing on :

"I loved my parents, and they loved me. So much that when they knew we were all doomed and that the capsule couldn’t be replicated in time, they chose me to go in it ; a DNA sample of almost every Galanian was to be put with me, but it was… too late too. The other scientists that had worked on the project thought their world wouldn’t be affected, or to a lesser extent ; they were the firsts to disappear. Jerry couldn’t have known as he was in the shipping hub, but at the time, some mass evacuations were occurring through our universe, despite the reassuring words of Everything which had lost most of their factories at this point. They really tried to save all the universes, but it was too late : the degradation was too advanced, and like that ancient illness, cancer, it was progressing too fast ; they contacted my father, he told them he had the answer, but… it was too late too ; the communication had cut off as they were talking. The last thing I remember was getting in the capsule, the reassuring smile of my crying parents… they had sedated me and forced me through, then the shipping hub, and then nothing. Until you resurrected me".

She paused, but her story was not over :

"My father knew about the... strange nature of the shipping hub ; he couldn’t be totally sure about the efficiency of the capsule, so, as a complementary measure, he sent it here. I think you’re going to ask me tons and tons of questions, so let’s start here, I’m ready".

"I want to present my sincerest condolences for your parents and your world", Twilight said in tone crushed with sadness. "I cannot imagine how you’re feeling. Are… are you sure you’ll be alright ?"

"I was in a comatose state in the capsule, I had time to… mourn my world", Anita replied with hesitation.

"I have one question regarding that then. How the objects affected space-time to such an extent it destroyed everything ?" Twilight interrogated.

"My father was a scientist, I’m just an actress. I don’t know a thing about physics at that level, sorry. There’s something I can say though ; maybe it’s not useful to you, but there’s one thing Galanians never did despite our technology : travel through time. We all feared the consequences, even Everything, and no one ever attempted it ; everyone was watching, there were detectors, like the ones in the factories, everywhere… Don’t ask me how they worked… Our civilization could bend space-time, but even though we all used that kind of technology one way or another in our everyday life, only its creators knew how it worked".

"You said Everything was governed by kind people, so what about the weapons in the crates ?" Peach asked.

"It didn’t last long, two years at most. It wasn’t the higher-ups : as I said, we were in excellent terms with other dimensions, but dimensions that faced internal problems ; from some of them came new investors for Everything, which gladly accepted them. They had an ulterior motive though, and they managed to secretly take control of tiny parts of the factories ; innumerable weapons were created, leading to terrible wars in countless worlds. When Everything discovered these actions, they banished these people back to their dimension forever, seized and destroyed most of the weapons ; the ones you found in the crates were leftovers ready to be smuggled somewhere, had the universes still existed".

"There’s something that bugs me", Mario mumbled. "How much time has passed since the… incident ?"

"I don’t know. Could be some months. Could be some millions of years. The capsule doesn’t say anything ? I… I think there’s a photo of my parents inside too".

Bowser teleported and came back seconds later : in his right hand was a photo sealed in a plastic bag ; it pictured a male German Shepherd and a female of an indistinct breed of dog, both anthropomorphic. Anita opened the bag and took the photo in her hand ; she looked at her smiling parents and broke in tears ; she calmed down two minutes later, after a comforting hug from Peach. Bowser had his voice filled with bitterness and sadness when he spoke :

"The capsule indicates a two years and seven months long stasis. Everything ended some months before my arrival here. Everything ended…"

There was a full minute of a dead, crushing silence.

"What ?" Anita asked.

"I don’t know how to say that…" Bowser hesitated.

"Say what ?" The confused Galanian asked again.

"Your world. It wasn’t destroyed by the objects it created", Twilight said.

"But…" Anita spluttered.

"You’re mistaking, Twilight Sparkle : you’re confusing cause and effect. I understand everything", Bowser declared. "Listen, Anita. Your world was doomed the moment it breached space-time to access those lifeless universes. Among your culture, is there any mention of an inevitable apocalypse ? Sorry, I can clarify : do you have deities or something close ?"

"No… Not that I know ; we Galanians were a scientific race. We did respect the beliefs of the other worlds though. Why are you asking me this ?"

"Hmm. You never heard anything about this ? An eternity ago, far before the dawn of Galania and the universe it was in, something destructive, a literal incarnation of nothingness, was sealed somewhere, buried under countless spaces and times. And it has awakened… a bit less than two years ago. That’s a fact, not a belief or a hypothesis. Now…"

Bowser shook his head.

"No matter how far you dug through dimensions, you couldn’t have reached that thing. However, you were sufficiently close to it for some of its… essence to leak through. These lifeless universes were just part of the layers that were restraining it ; when you built your factories in these universes, slowly, over thousands of years, the power of that force, even greatly attenuated, corrupted the objects, or the machines that were creating them. It took time, but the more objects the factories created and shipped everywhere, the more bits of Darkness were dispersed through countless worlds. When the density reached a certain point, the thing had the pale fragments of itself… detonate, for lack of a better word, peeling away enough layers for it to break free. And now we’re here".

Everyone fell silent.

Twilight had indeed understood in reverse ; she had thought that the thing had destroyed Galania and the other worlds when it was awakened. But it was the contrary : the thing had destroyed worlds to awaken.

"What… what are you talking about ?" A confused Anita asked.

Bowser explained everything in details, and Peach took this opportunity to talk about her world, as the ponies did about theirs. The conversation lasted for hours, and they took time to eat dinner through it ; Anita managed to take the news in stride, with everyone assuring that her world could not have known what they were doing. When everything was over, Peach suddenly panicked :

"But… Our trip to Equestria ! With all these events, we must postpone it ! We are late too ! We were supposed to go tomorrow ! Maybe it is already tomorrow ! We…"

Mario gently took her arm.

"You’re worrying too much, love", he said calmly.

Peach took a deep breath and relaxed.

"I don’t wanna be a burden", Anita suddenly declared. "You said you’re going to the world of ponies... Equestria, if I remember correctly. I-I know it’s not" – she let out a small barking – "but I’d very much like to go with you. After-after all… I must find a new home. B-B-But ! Only if the inhabitants of Equestria are willing to… to let me settle among them of course ! I don’t wanna… I" – she barked again – "I-I can live in the Mushroom Kingdom too, if Princess Peach…"

"I think you are both welcome in either world", Peach giggled as she looked at Celestia who nodded.

"It would be an honor to welcome you to our world", Celestia said.

"As it would be in ours", Peach affirmed.

Anita smiled as her eyes teared up with joy.

"I think Princess Zelda would also welcome you to Hyrule", the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom said. "You can choose between three worlds, four with this one".

"I-I don’t think I can live there", Anita spluttered. "No offense", she added to Bowser who shook his head. "You said Princess who from where ?"

And the conversation about worlds resumed.

It was late in the night, or maybe early in the morning in the Mushroom Kingdom when Bowser teleported everyone and their gifts to Peach’s castle, but the celebration was still in full swing, just like the first day. Anita loved the castle and the scenery she could see from the many windows ; she was told by Peach she would be presented to everyone in the morning. Everyone besides Bowser, and at a less extent Celestia, was crushed by fatigue : they collapsed on their bed and promptly fell asleep.

Author's Note

The shipping hub's atmosphere sounds familiar to Mario Kart 64 players ?
Yup, it's inspired by the track Banshee Boardwalk ;)

I'd like to expand on the Galanians' "trial and error" , but I fear the subjects it brings along (eugenism, ethnic cleansing...) won't fit within the story's "T" rating, and/or will be treated too poorly to have a real emotional impact.

Return to Equestria

The morning came a little too quick for almost everyone, but they forced themselves out of the bed ; Link and Zelda were taking their breakfast when they met each other in the living room. Peach came down with an awake Arancia in her arms ; the baby loved Anita just like everyone else, and they presented the actress to Link and Zelda. The princess of Hyrule seemed troubled by something, but she took an instant liking to Anita nonetheless.

"I think you would find our world very… primitive in comparison to the one you hail from", Link said. "We like staying as we are".

"No world is primitive ; I think each has its own achievements regardless of technology", Anita replied.

They enjoyed their breakfast while chatting about everything ; Daisy joined them halfway through the breakfast, and they presented Anita to the princess of Sarasaland ; Daisy’s speech, miles away from a person of her status, surprised Anita :

"Woah, you’re an actress !? Heh, seems legit, you’re a beauty ! I’m dyin’ to see your movies ! Tell me they’re here ! I wanna see ya on the screen ! In which movies did ya play ?"

"Thank... Thank you. I played in very different kind of movies, but mostly adventure and action, and sometimes in dramas or romantic stuff. As for the movies, they’re…"

"Ugh ! I hate mushy and cheesy things, except quesadillas, so romantic fluff’s outta question. Huh, sorry to interrupt ya".

"No offense. The movies are probably stored in the shipping hub, I mean Bowser’s castle".

"Bowser !" Daisy told the King of the Koopas. "Can ya get these movies for me ?"

"It’s asked so nicely I’d comply right now if I wasn’t so busy to eat…" Bowser replied sarcastically before eating three whole eggs.

Daisy frowned before changing tone :

"Would ya be kind enough to retrieve Anita’s movies for me ? Please ?"

"I’ll see that after breakfast. I've got some time to search through some crates, but don’t be upset if I don’t find anything today".

"Okay. Thanks", she added after a few seconds.

They finished eating and everyone went to check their luggage before the trip ; Bowser stayed true to his word and searched Anita’s movies through the crates for Daisy ; he found three DVDs and took a laptop with them : Daisy was overjoyed and heartily thanked Bowser this time ; she put them in her bedroom and nicely asked Bowser to find the other ones when he would have the time.

The amount of luggage was simply terrifying between Twilight and Rarity’s books, Rarity’s jewels, Peach’s presents for Luna and Arancia’s baby luggage, Luigi’s polterpup that he could not let alone, everyone’s clothes, the ponies’ various rewards from the celebration and what Bowser described as a present for Celestia, concealed from view in a square metallic box : everything was piled up in the middle of the living room ; Bowser teleported the luggage first, then everyone to the Dry Dry Desert. However, the luggage was put first into the pipe. Peach was still checking if Arancia was whole from the teleportation process when Bowser asked her to go into the portal : the ponies and Spike had already jumped in the hole, and it was her turn ; she did so herself, as she could easily jump to impressive heights, with Arancia in her arms. Mario, Luigi, Daisy, Zelda, Link and Anita followed and Bowser jumped the last.

"Wow, your land’s pretty… dry", Daisy deadpanned when she found herself in the Badlands.

"We’re not at our final destination", Bowser replied as he jumped out of the green cylinder.

"The sun’s high in the sky, that’s strange ; when we crossed the portal, it was night here and day in the Mushroom Kingdom", Twilight pointed out.

"That’s right, and I can sense my sister is responsible ; the sun is late, but it is definitely moving. She was probably too worried about me to properly guide it through its natural course ; I think Equestria and the Mushroom Kingdom are now almost aligned in terms of days and nights", Celestia informed.

"We’re going to… Canterlot, right ?" Luigi asked.

"Yes, but at the gates. I don’t want to start a panic if everyone’s luggage, and then us, appear in the middle of the city or in the castle", Celestia replied.

Bowser did as instructed, and everything and everyone appeared a few meters away from the entrance of Canterlot.

"That is absolutely magnificent !" Peach exclaimed once she saw the city built on the mountain.

"Everyone follow me please", Celestia asked. "It feels so good to come home !" She exclaimed cheerfully.

"And it is wonderful to discover a new world", Peach added.

Everyone followed the Princess of the Sun, with Bowser at the end of the procession ; the unicorn guards rubbed their eyes in disbelief when they saw the strange cortege coming towards them.

"Guards, can you bring my sister here please ?" Celestia asked to the soldiers.

They took some seconds to comply and teleported to the castle ; they came back seconds later with Luna.

"Sister !" The Princess of the Night exclaimed once she saw her sibling.

They tearfully hugged each other.

"I missed you so much, big sister !" Luna sobbed.

"Me too !", Celestia replied equally.

"Twilight Sparkle, everypony ! Welcome back !" Luna exclaimed.

"We’re so happy to see you again Princess Luna", Twilight said warmly.

"Allow me to introduce our new friends", Celestia told her sister. "They are coming in our world to forge everlasting friendship bonds between our respective kingdoms. Princess Peach Toadstool, ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom and her daughter Arancia Toadstool ; her husband, Mario ; his brother, Luigi ; Princess Daisy, ruler of Sarasaland ; Princess Zelda, ruler of Hyrule and her ambassador, Link ; Anita Garrett, a great actress from Galania and... you already know Bowser. Can we get into the castle with our luggage ?" She whispered discreetly to her bewildered sister who nodded weakly ; Bowser teleported everyone and everything inside the royal castle.

"I am… quite surprised to say the least, sister", Luna spluttered as she observed the guests, insisting on Bowser.

"My… forced trip has turned into a fantastic voyage ! But I must, sister, apologize for not getting back to you sooner", Celestia said.

"Don’t worry. Everything is fine, Discord didn’t even have to help me ; he went back home".

"What about the sun ?"

"Oh no ! Sister, I failed to raise it in time ! It’s late ! I was worried about you and…"

"You synchronized the Mushroom Kingdom and Equestria, it’s perfect ! Even though you did it inadvertently", Celestia chuckled.

"If-if you say so".

Luna went back to observing the strange guests of the other worlds, before realizing what she was doing.

"I’m sorry ! It was impolite to look at you the way I did. I beg your apologies".

Peach approached Luna with Arancia in her arms.

"You do not need to apologize. To tell you the truth, we did stare at your sister with such rudeness too, because we were taken aback by her beauty, just like you I must say. I am Princess Peach and here is my daughter Arancia, we are so much pleased to meet you", Peach declared, bowing with her child.

Arancia was awake, and she stared at the Princess of the Night with her blues eyes wide open. She cooed and extended her tiny arms towards Luna, who delicately took her with magic ; Arancia seemed overjoyed to be lifted that way and she hugged the alicorn’s face ; Luna shed two droplets of water from her turquoise eyes.

"She-she is like a… a little sun of love", she said before giving the baby back to her mother who put her into her nearby cradle.

Zelda and Link bowed before Luna ; she immediately sensed their powerful wisdom, courage and righteousness.

"I am Princess Zelda, ruler of Hyrule and this is Link, my ambassador. We are pleased to officially make your acquaintance Princess Luna", Zelda declared.

The next one to present herself was Daisy : she made a quick reverence before speaking with her characteristic voice, which surprised Celestia’s sister :

"Hello, I’m Princess Daisy, but I prefer to be called Daisy, y'see, my name’s sufficient, royal stuff’s not my cup of tea even though I rule over Sarasaland. Mostly. Sometimes. When I got time to. By the way, I’m very pleased to meet ya ! You’re a beauty just like your sister, that’s just amazin’ ! And just like your sis' said, I think we’ll be great friends forever !"

Luna was stunned for a while, before Anita presented herself ; the Galanian was highly uncomfortable around royalty, not knowing how to act properly as there was no such authority in her world ; she decided in the end to be herself.

"Hello. I’m… I am Anita. Anita Garrett. I come from a... an… extinct world called Galania. Back when... my universe... still existed, I was an actress. I’m pleased to meet you and… huh… hem… I-I-I was hoping f-for this world to-to-to we-welcome me as a-a-a resident be-because… well… I’m… pretty… hem... homeless. Bu-but I-I-I must visit two… other worlds so… nothing’s decided… yet".

Anita blushed with embarrassment : she had not wanted to convey her thoughts with these words, but Luna did not mind.

"I am so much saddened and devastated to learn the disappearance of your world. I cannot imagine how you are feeling after such an unimaginable tragedy. You are of course welcome to Equestria, Anita Garrett. If your project to become part of our nation takes a concrete shape, it would be an honor, if you allow me, to visit your dreams to ease your mind, as it is my duty to guard and protect the sleep of my subjects", Luna declared ; she was impressed by the courage of the actress who had lost really everything and still had the strength to carry on living.

"I… I ve-very much… like you to-to do that. E-e-even to-tonight… if po-possible…" Anita spluttered in a whisper ; Luna nodded and smiled.

Bowser slowly approached the Princess of the Night who instinctively took a step back, but even with that, the giant turtle was still looming over her. The King of the Koopas, however, was miserable ; so much in fact that Celestia came near him.

"I… I didn’t want any of this to happen like it happened… I was… I was… lost. I was searching for… love but I didn’t know how and… to… tell you the truth… I… I observed your world for only one day before… attacking… I didn’t wanna at first but… I thought I was gonna miss my friend… Peach… and… I was… kinda back on my old ways with… everything happening… and… sorry… My explanations are pathetic… I am pathetic... I… perfectly understand that you’re afraid of me and that you despise me, and I’d understand if you never forgive me… I have yet to forgive myself", he concluded, shaking his head in sadness ; he was on the verge of crying, which surprised everyone.

Celestia put her horn on his heart, a gesture that drew a puzzled face from Luna.

"Bowser and I… are… how I could say that… We…" The Princess of the Sun spluttered.

"They’re totally in love !" Pinkie Pie shouted ; her voice echoed through the castle’s walls.

Luna’s jaw dropped and her eyes went wide ; she took some steps back like she was struck by a giant hammer.

"We… could say that… we’re in fact in a relationship", Celestia confirmed. "And… there’s so much more to tell you about this we should sit down : it’s going to be a very long story".

Celestia gave bedrooms for every guest, but she let Bowser share her own ; she also unwrapped her present : the little Chain Chomp instantly knew who is owner was and immediately stuck to her ; Luigi did the same for his polterpup which quickly hid under the bed, waiting for the night to come.

Everyone sat down in one of the many rooms of the huge castle and explained the situation to Luna, who made an effort to not interrupt them every second ; the full conversation lasted hours, and they had to eat through to reach the end. Celestia suggested officially presenting the guests to Equestria tomorrow afternoon, and Luna concurred ; concerns about the small margin of time to execute the organization of such an event were quickly brushed off : they had Spike and Bowser could teleport everyone anywhere with virtually no limit.

"Excuse me", the King of the Koopas apologized, "but I remember Princess Celestia telling me that official presentations are held on a balcony. I’m… hem… wary of balconies".

Luna gave him a confused look.

"Oh, you are speaking of your weight", Peach understood ; she turned to Luna. "Yes, this could be a problem. I do not know how this balcony is built, but I suggest the presentation to be held at a lower level for safety", she asked to the Princess of the Night.

Celestia chuckled discreetly.

"We’ll simply hold the ceremony on the ground", she decided. "Sister, you and I will prepare this one-of-a-kind celebration, we have the rest of the day and… maybe you should go to sleep ; you must be tired. And if you are really too tired, I’ll take the day and night in charge".

"I’ll take charge of the night while you will sleep sister. But you’re right : I’ll go to bed for now. But before, if you do not mind, I relinquish the Sun to your care", Luna declared.

She gave back the power to raise the sun to her sister and wished a good night to everyone ; they had not noticed it until now, but Luna was dragging her hooves to go to her bedroom, and she staggered for a split second before leaving the room.

"Spike, I’m going to need you. We must send many invitations, I hope you’re ready", Celestia kindly told Spike.

The little dragon sighed ; it was going to be a very long day.

Everyone minus Celestia, Twilight and Spike spent the day to visit Canterlot, which Peach found more and more beautiful as they walked through the streets, drawing surprised and sometimes fearful looks from the pony folk.

"I should’ve stayed in the castle…" Bowser mumbled. "I’m gonna teleport, I’m scaring everyone…"

"Wait !" Starlight intervened. "You’re with us, they’re going to stop".

Bowser dismissively shook his head but stayed ; the setting sun was projecting his shadow on the buildings, terrifying the ponies inside.

"Hey ! I know just the restaurant we’d go !" Pinkie Pie suggested.

"Oh dear, you mean…" Rarity began before being cut off.

"Yup ! Follow me everypony !" The pink pony said before bouncing towards an alley lost between the streets and buildings ; a delicious smell was coming from it.

"Welcome to the Tasty Treat !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she presented the colorful restaurant.

"Pinkie darling, I don’t think they have enough space for all of us", Rarity objected.

Pinkie Pie ignored her and went inside the building ; she came back ten seconds later.

"The restaurant’s almost empty ! They expanded too ! Thirty seats !" She cheerfully exclaimed.

"I don’t fit at the door…" Bowser grumbled. "Or the door doesn’t fit me…"

"Teleport inside, silly !" Pinkie Pie laughed.

Everyone got in the building, and Bowser followed Pinkie Pie’s advice ; the dining room was still small despite the expansion, but it became minuscule when the large body of the Koopa King appeared inside ; his horns were almost piercing the tapestries of the roof. Saffron Masala and Coriander Cumin immediately retreated into the kitchen when they saw him, but Pinkie Pie and Rarity managed to get them out ; the few other clients stormed out the building.

"They’re our new friends from other worlds !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, presenting the guests to the owners.

Luigi was hypnotized by the smell of the preparations.

"I think my brother’s hungry", Mario laughed.

Everyone sat down except Bowser who stayed up ; the wooden floor violently squeaked under his weight : he frowned and tried to move the least possible. Saffron gave them the menu.

"Is that okay ?" Rarity asked to her. "You’re going to make an awful lot of food…"

"Now that we have many clients thanks to you, it’s no problem !" The cook and also waitress replied.

"But two people here eat a lot", Rarity insisted, looking at Pinkie Pie and Bowser. "No offense but…" she added quickly.

"Don’t wanna put you out of ingredients, I’ll take a normal sized plate, don’t worry about that", Bowser interrupted.

"But darling !" Rarity exclaimed with a shocked tone. "A meal for us equals to… literally nothing for you ! I just cannot…"

"It’s fine. As long as it’s good, and it seems so, quantity doesn’t matter", the Koopa reassured Saffron.

Everyone placed their order which arrived minutes later : they chatted cheerfully as they savored their meals ; they were impressed by the quality of the food, so much that Mario and Luigi ordered a second service for themselves, earning reproachful looks from Peach and Daisy ; Anita expressed her desire to live here once she finished her meal.

"Food’s the best reason to live somewhere", she stated ; everyone laughed.

Ghost King

"Are you sure you don’t want to stay ? The Everfree Forest is less dangerous during day, even though the monster scared the others away", Zecora asked to the three fillies that were going to walk out of her hut.

"Don’t worry Zecora ! The forest’s almost empty now !" Apple Bloom replied.

"We’ll make it to Ponyville in no time", Scootaloo assured.

"And we know the path so well !" Sweetie Belle added.

"Beware little ones : the monsters are coming back one by one", the zebra warned.

"We’ll be careful as always !" The Cutie Mark Crusaders replied as they left the hut they had helped to clean up.

The sun disappeared definitely as the fillies were halfway back home.

"Da ya think the monster chased the ghosts away ?" Apple Bloom asked in a semi-serious tone.

"Ah, stop Apple Bloom ! I hate these stories about ghosts, headless ponies and scary stuff", Sweetie Belle grumbled.

"But… maybe… the monster took ghosts with him and they’re here… around us…" Scootaloo whispered.

"BOO !" She shouted as she popped in front of Sweetie Belle who fell on four hooves from the shock.

"That’s not funny Scootaloo !" The little unicorn reproached as she got up.

A branch creaked near them, and they all froze in place.

"Ghosts… don’t make noise", Apple Bloom tried to reassure her friends and herself.

Something popped out of the foliage ; it was a bird, which quickly disappeared on the other side of the trail.

"Told ya", Apple Bloom congratulated herself.

Another bird whizzed past them, then another and then, every possible animal and insect fled right in front of them, including two Timberwolves which paid no attention to them.

"What’s happenin’ !?" Apple Bloom exclaimed.

"I don’t know, and I don’t wanna know !" Scootaloo replied. "To Zecora’s hut !"

"We’re too far away ! And… look… they’re fleeing behind us too !" Sweetie Belle spluttered, trying to suppress a scream as other creatures were fleeing on the way back, cutting the path in two : they were caged between two lines of terrified animals fleeing for their life.

"We’re trapped !" Sweetie Belle finally screamed.

"In the forest !" Apple Bloom decided.

"No ! We can’t…" Scootaloo began before a shimmering on her left side caught her attention ; it was two tiny pink dots moving very slowly in a straight line across the forest, apparently not bothering to avoid the trees. The filly internally judged the color to be a “very bad kind of pink” before following Apple Bloom’s advice.

They hurried through the trees, not caring about their direction ; after one minute of running in a straight line, they encountered the trail again.

"How’s that possible !? We ran…" Apple Bloom said before looking at the pink dots, now bigger.

They ran again and after one minute of sprint, encountered the path one more time ; they screamed in terror and took the direction of Ponyville this time, running as fast as they could. They could not maintain that exhausting pace for long however, and they took a break.

"The things ! They disappeared !" Sweetie Belle panted.

"We lost ‘em ! Ah told ya ! No ghosts here but… what in Equestria’s wrong with that trail ?" Apple Bloom interrogated herself.

"A… A… Apple… Apple Bloom…" Scootaloo spluttered, her eyes suddenly widening in fear.

"What ? Chickenin’ for two pink stuff ? Lemme say : pink’s always a good color", the little beige pony asserted.

Sweetie Belle’s sudden scream deafened her along Scootaloo ; she had never heard her friend – or anyone – scream like this. She looked on the path, towards Ponyville, as she was looking behind and next to her all the time : she did not scream, as the sound immediately died out in her throat. Right in front of them, hovering a few meters above the ground, a giant ghost was slowly approaching.

The three fillies finally succeed in screaming to the point of breaking their vocal chords.

The immense ghost was almost spherical, with minuscule conical stubs for arms and a short “tail”, making him not totally round but comma-shaped ; on his head, above his glowing semi-oval pink eyes surrounded by darkness and surmounted by what seemed to be two U-shaped eyebrows with no hair on it, was a giant, fiery red ruby encased in gold. His huge open mouth, big enough to swallow a full grown stallion, was filled with only one upper row of four enormous fangs, with the two outward ones longer than the others, and a disproportionate blue tongue was sticking out of it.

The fillies turned back to flee, but there was the exact same ghost behind them, and one on each side.

A high pitched, speedy and rocky voice with mad accents resonated through the air now chilling.

"Excuse me, I’m searching for someone. Big, spiny shell, orange hair. Have you seen him ?"

The fear finally overwhelmed the fillies and they lost consciousness.

"Woah, that was just delicious ! I’m full !" Daisy exclaimed as she stepped out of the Tasty Treat with everyone.

"My race’s diet is mostly fish, but I’ve never eaten anything that good !" Anita added.

"Canterlot at night is pretty quiet unlike other cities ; do you want to visit the Castle of Friendship, and maybe a part of Ponyville ? If that’s okay with you of course…" Fluttershy asked to the guests.

"That way, we could put our prized gifts away", Rarity suggested mostly to herself. "I-I didn’t want to say that aloud actually…" She added bashfully.

"I can teleport all of you there", Bowser affirmed.

"I showed you my castle", Peach said. "I do not see a reason to not visit yours".

They all agreed and Bowser teleported them first to the castle of Canterlot ; the amount of luggage destined to the ponies was still huge with all the books, the gems and many others gifts from the Mushroom Kingdom and the shipping hub dimension.

"Spike, Twilight and I are finished with the invitations", Celestia sighed in relief when they warned her of their departure.

"May I go with them ?" Twilight asked to her mentor. "I’ll be back in no time".

"Of course Twilight. Actually, I wish you a good night ; my sister will soon take my place. Don’t exhaust yourself my faithful student ; and that goes for you too Spike. My sister can perfectly handle the rest of the preparations herself", Celestia replied. "Oh, Bowser, don’t forget you sleep in my bedroom ; don’t make too much noise when you’ll come back, if you have some time, my sister will need you".

They wished a good night to the Princess of the Sun before leaving.

"That’s one beautiful crystal castle-tree !" Daisy complimented when everyone appeared in front of the Castle of Friendship.

"Thank you", Twilight replied. "It has grown from a chest the Tree of Harmony produced. Before that, I lived in the Golden Oaks Library, here in Ponyville. It was destroyed but… there’s its stump inside the castle to remind me of the great moments we all spent within ; it feels like home".

They entered the castle as Bowser teleported the luggage inside.

"Where do I put it ?" He asked.

"We’ll see that later, don’t worry", Twilight replied.

"Bowser darling, may I ask you something ?" Rarity asked to the King of the Koopas.

"Of course".

"Can you teleport my jewels to my boutique ?"

"No, I can’t, sorry", Bowser replied, shaking his head. "I’ve never seen your boutique but… I have an idea. Think about the location while touching the bag ; your mind will guide it there as I teleport it : you’ll use me as a power source. If you wanna be sure they’re where they should be, I can teleport you too. What do you think ?"

"Can you go with me ? No offense, I trust you, but teleportation is not really my thing, even though I’m a unicorn".

"Rarity, it can wait…" Twilight sighed, slightly exasperated.

"That’s okay, it’ll take one minute. It’s easier that way", Bowser said.

He teleported himself, Rarity and her bag to her boutique ; they came back seconds later.

"You truly are a wonderful seamstress. I heard you have many boutiques ; that’s not surprising considering your talent. Well, I can’t speak for myself, I don’t wear clothes after all, but Peach’d like everything you create", Bowser complimented Rarity.

"Thank you so much darling ! I’m so glad every universe loves my creations !" The unicorn replied, earning an eye-rolling from her fellow ponies.

The tour of the Castle of Friendship lasted one hour ; Twilight seized the occasion to partly store the numerous books in the library ; she also showed the Cutie Map and its purpose.

"So, when somethin’ ‘bout friendship go wrong, that map send one or two of you to deal with it ? And when everything’s okay again, your… Cutie Marks on your flanks glow and you can come back ?" Daisy interrogated.

"Yup, totally spot on", Rainbow Dash confirmed.

"May I touch it ?" Zelda interrogated.

"Of course !" Twilight replied.

Zelda touched the Map with her delicate fingers and Peach did the same. The crystal table reacted in an unexpected way : while it was showing the map of Equestria seconds ago, the layout changed instantly to another one, unknown to the ponies ; there was mountains and hills, rivers, a large lake with a viaduct of tremendous dimensions above it, a desert, a huge plain and a forest to the extreme South. A city and its castle could be seen along with two villages ; interestingly, there was what seemed to be a derelict city in the sky, floating above the land. Above certain locations, some of the Cutie Marks of the ponies were slowly circling ; there was at least thirty highlighted places ; more strangely, some of the Marks were not Marks : rather, it was a Triforce symbol that was replacing them.

"That is Hyrule", Zelda asserted.

"There seem to be some friendship problems there", Starlight whispered.

Zelda put away her hand, and the Map showed another location.

"That’s the Mushroom Kingdom this time", Mario affirmed. "There are some problems there too", he pointed out as he examined the dozens of warnings ; just like on the map of Hyrule, some of them were not Cutie Marks, but pink hearts.

Peach broke the contact with the table, restoring the map of Equestria.

"I wonder…" She mused aloud before taking off her crown and putting it on the table.

The Mushroom Kingdom reappeared instantly ; Zelda did the same with her diadem, eliciting an equal reaction. Mario tried with one of his gloves and Link with his sword ; all prompted the map to show the two other worlds. Daisy’s crown also showed her kingdom, with daisies instead of some Cutie Marks.

"That’s just wonderful !" Twilight exclaimed with a voice filled with an excitement rarely seen in her.

She hugged the rulers of the Mushroom Kingdom, Hyrule and Sarasaland before realizing what she was doing ; she blushed in shame.

"I’m sorry… I-I got carried away…" She spluttered.

"No, really ?" Spike asked sarcastically.

"That means, when apposing an object from your respective worlds, the Map shows the friendship problems of these worlds, or kingdoms", Starlight recapitulated.

"More friendship problems to solve ! Yoohoo !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed joyfully.

"Do you think they can wait ?" Peach asked to the ponies.

"For the most part, they’re not problems for anypony besides the ones concerned", Twilight replied. "I mean, they’re rarely world-threatening problems, but as mundane as they can be, they sometimes can affect a lot of people. And from what I saw, some of these problems require you to be solved. I know you don’t have Cutie Marks, but I think the Map simply takes what you’re representing to display the warnings".

Anita touched the Map, rendering it totally bare; she quickly pulled away her clawed hand, and Equestria appeared again.

"We’re so sorry Anita", Fluttershy apologized.

"Don’t worry… That’s-that’s fine really ; I should’ve known the result", the actress replied sadly.

Bowser carefully applied the tip of his claw on the table ; the map simply showed the Mushroom Kingdom ; Bowser sighed with relief ; however, as he was going to put away his finger, the layout of the map changed abruptly : everything disappeared, and a huge Yin-Yang symbol, which was covering the entire table, manifested instead of a land ; it stayed until Bowser ceased to touch the Cutie Map, restoring Equestria once again.

"That was… interesting", Starlight said after a few seconds of silence.

"You represent the balance of what ?" Daisy asked to Bowser.

"Creation and destruction…" Twilight told herself.

"That’s right", Bowser confirmed. "But I’m reassured I didn’t break it, and that it shows my home world, at least for a moment… I think I confused your Tree of Harmony, sorry".

"The Map ain’t broken, so that’s okay I think", Applejack replied.

"Don’t worry, coming from somepony who has broken it before, everything’s fine", Starlight reassured.

A loud, insistent and fast knocking sound resonated in the castle.

"Who can it be at this hour ?" Twilight grumbled.

She opened the door on Zecora : at the hooves of the zebra were Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, all the three unconscious.

The three fillies were rushed in the castle as Zecora explained they probably passed out from shock ; she had hurried out of her hut when she had heard them screaming multiple times : she had found them unconscious halfway to the path to Ponyville, surrounded by a freezing air ; she seemed mostly undeterred by the presence of the guests from other worlds, but did stay far away from Bowser.

"No remedies for fear, and nothing to make their minds clear", the zebra explained, looking at the three fillies in the single bed.

"May I ?" Link asked to Twilight.

She nodded ; Link touched each of three young mares with his glowing left hand ; the soothing, golden aura of the Triforce slowly enveloped them.

"Lots of courage… Surely enough to free them from their mind cage", Zecora affirmed.

Indeed, the three friends awakened at the same time ; their eyes opened slowly on the reassuring faces of Zecora, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity ; the last three worried to no end for their respective sisters.

"Applejack ?" Apple Bloom whispered weakly. "Where am I ?"

"You’re at the castle sugarcube, everything’s alright", her sister sighed with relief.

"Scoots… Sweetie… You alright ?" Apple Bloom asked to her friends.

"Seems so…" Scootaloo groaned.

"We’re sorry Zecora… We should’ve listened to you", Sweetie Belle apologized to the zebra.

"I thought the forest was safe enough for you, this is my fault too", Zecora replied. "Now what did you see, to make me leave my hut in such a hurry ?"

Everyone gave room to the fillies, which instantly noticed the guests ; the terrifying form of Bowser threatened to scare them into unconsciousness again, had Applejack not blocked the view in time.

"I’ll take my leave if they’re alright", Bowser whispered to Twilight.

"Wait ! Maybe they’ll say something important about what they saw", Twilight replied. "Maybe…"

"It’s connected to that threat, is it what you’re thinking of ?"

"Yes. Just wait, they’ll accommodate to your presence".

The three fillies naturally asked who the strange beings next to their bed were.

"Guests from other worlds. We’ll explain it later", Applejack promised. "By the way, I wanna thank you", she said as she tipped her hat to Link.

"Me too", Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Zecora added.

"I just gave them the courage to face the fear", the knight replied with modesty.

"So, what did you see ?" Starlight interrogated nicely.

"We were on the way back to Ponyville", Sweetie Belle began. "Almost halfway".

"Then, birds flew out the forest ! And animals ! And Timberwolves ! Just in front of us, ya see, like they were chased or somethin’ ! We wanted to go back, but there were animals behind us too !" Apple Bloom continued.

"There were… two… two pink… eyes in the forest and we-we ran through the trees, but we-we kept on goin’ in circles ! So we ran to-to-to Po-Ponyville but… there w-w-w-was a… a… g-gh…"

"GHOST ON THE WAY !" They screamed together ; it took half a minute for them to calm down despite the efforts of everyone.

"And-and-and it was everywhere, so we-we-we were trapped and…" Sweetie Belle was talking so fast her words blurred together.

"The ghost… it-it talked !" Apple Bloom spluttered.

"Everything’s okay sugarcube, no ghost here", Applejack whispered as she approached to nuzzle her little sister.

"It… it said it was searching for someone", Scootaloo recalled. "Not somepony. Someone".

"It was searching for a big…" Sweetie Belle began before cutting off herself : while Applejack was in front of them, she was more or less blocking the view of Bowser, but now that she was hugging her sibling, the Koopa King was in plain view of Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

"YOU !" Rarity’s little sister shouted, pointing her hoof at Bowser.

The monster gave her a puzzled look.

"Sweetie, what makes you say that ?" Rarity interrogated. "I know it’s difficult to understand for you at the moment, but Bowser is one of our friends".

"Big, spiny shell !" Scootaloo said when she understood what her friend meant. "That’s you for sure !"

"Tell me… Apart from the pink eyes, was that ghost round, or almost, white, wearing a big ruby crown, with a blue tongue and four fangs ? And a kinda irritating voice ?" Bowser interrogated.

"That’s… that’s it", Scootaloo replied. "But its voice was scary. It was just so… just so mad !"

"Matter of taste I suppose. You’ve encountered my friend and associate, King Boo. And if he followed me here, he’s got bad news…" Bowser mumbled somberly. "I’ll go meet him : I must absolutely hear his report".

"I’m going with you !" Three simultaneous voices echoed.

Bowser looked at Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack, confused.

"We want apologies on behalf of our sisters", Rarity clarified.

Bowser simply shrugged before teleporting them and himself to the Everfree Forest.

The three mares and the Koopa appeared in the middle of the crater left by Celestia’s spell against Bowser’s gigantic form ; small shrubs were already starting to take over the ruined zone, albeit with difficulty and a much slower rate of growth than what was common for the Everfree Forest.

"BOO !" Bowser shouted so loud the woods seemed to shake.

There were roughly thirty seconds of waiting before a white shape rapidly approached them from the North ; the mares instantly thought their sisters had all the excuses of the world for fainting before the ghost ; they sensed their resolution to demand an apology shattering as they tried to look at the huge monstrous almost ball-shaped dead being.

"You’re heeeere ! Phew ! I was totally going to search the entire world to find you ! There are traces of your power everywhere ! Everywheeeere ! So confusing ! Hey ! Who are they ? There seems to be only these creatures here, it’s a cute little world !" He laughed maniacally, further scaring the ponies.

"You’re frightening my friends. So, about the report ? I guess something’s going really bad for you to rejoin me here ?" Bowser interrogated.

"Yeah, yeah ! Pretty much ! You know the ghosts of Hyrule… how do they call them ? … Poes ! Yeah, Poes ! Poes ! And most of the dead things that stayed in the living world too, they’re missing ! They disappeared ! Disappeared ! Poof ! The Darkness took them away ! Away !" King Boo exclaimed while waving his arms.

"To build its army probably… and precisely… to transform them into the perfect spies. That’s bad news indeed…" Bowser mumbled.

"Bad news ? BAD NEWS !? IT’S APOCALYPTIC NEWS !" The ghost screamed in panic, flying erratically.

Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Applejack hid behind Bowser ; even though they were far away from being cowards, the ghost and its behavior were too much for them to handle.

"You’re frightening my friends… again", the King of the Koopas said with a deadpan expression. "Follow us to the crystal castle-tree, you owe an apology".

Bowser reappeared in the room where everyone was waiting, still accompanied by Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack, the three mares shaken by the encounter. After a few seconds, the air suddenly became colder : King Boo materialized near the roof. Everyone shivered and Luigi seemed to literally shrink ; the fillies, however, screamed for ten seconds, deafening everyone, before hiding under the blanket.

"King Boo’s here to apologize to you", Bowser told the young mares.

"Yeah, yeah ! I apologize ! I didn’t want to trap you into an illusion ! I was asking for directions, I’m sorry, sorry, sorry !" The ghost apologized with its speedy, mad voice as he hovered above them.

"You could’ve morphed into someone more… pleasant for them", Bowser pointed out.

"Like what ? Like who ? Hey, I don’t know this world ! Sorry !" The dead being repeated.

The three young mares slowly popped their heads out of the blanket ; the ghostly monster was not far away from them ; they were violently shaking.

"Ya… Ya aren’t… aren’t gonna eat… eat us ?" Apple Bloom squeaked with a barely audible voice.

"Ghosts don’t eat living things, at least in my world", King Boo replied as he rolled in the air. "You seem pretty lively to me, so I won’t eat you".

"You’re… too scary", Sweetie Belle spluttered before hiding back under the sheet.

King Boo interrupted himself mid-roll ; he was upside-down when he replied, slightly confused :

"What ? That’s a strange thing to say. Maybe a compliment ? Hey, I’m a Boo, King Boo ; if I wasn’t scaring anyone, I wouldn’t be the king of my kind, or even a Boo for that matter. That’s my nature to be scary ! But I’m sorry, really ! But hey ! I can change into one of your race if you want to !"

Seeing the ghost comically upside-down calmed the fillies, and they finally replied it was okay ; he was scary but seemed nice.

"I wonder if Princess Celestia’s gonna present him to Equestria", Luigi whispered to Twilight.

King Boo perked up his voice and quickly dove to be just above him.

"Hey, isn’t it my old pal Luigi ? How are you doing, old friend ? Back on track to chase my kind with that ridiculous vacuum cleaner ? The ruler of the Boos laughed. Bad news for you, I’m truly invincible now ! I won’t be sucked in that thing ever again ! Hey, you’re lucky I’m redeemed ! Or you would be hanging in my living room, if I had one, in a beautiful aquarelle !"

Luigi cowered in fear.

"Just kidding ! Kidding ! No grudge again you now !" The ghost laughed again. "So, what is that place ? Tell me ! Tell me !" He exclaimed, flying erratically around the room and passing through everyone except Bowser ; except him, all were at least uneasy, if not downright scared, in his presence.

"We’ll explain it to you, yes", the King of the Koopas acquiesced, "if you stop fooling around for just a second. Before that, I think the ones for whom we all owe an explanation are the three here", he added, looking at the three fillies.

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo got out of the bed and everyone went to a more spacious room to discuss.

"Y’all really come from other worlds ?" Apple Bloom asked once everything was explained. "That’s somethin’ Ponyville, no, Equestria must know !"

"Tomorrow afternoon, Princess Celestia will present us to Equestria", Peach informed her.

"You haven’t got the invitations because you were at Zecora’s", Applejack realized. "Don’t worry though, you’re invited".

"You’re so beautiful miss, my sis’ really should make a dress for you !" Sweetie Belle complimented Anita.

"Thank you", the actress replied with joy. "You know, I think I want to live here. As you heard it, my home’s… no more".

"That’s so… so tragic ! But… but I think you’d be happy in Ponyville", Sweetie Belle replied.

"Really ? But I don’t think I can easily get a job here, and my old job isn’t really needed in this world as far as I can see", Anita objected.

"We’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders ! We can help everypo… everyone to figure out their special talent !" Apple Bloom affirmed.

"We helped a lot of people, even non-pony ones, to discover their destiny, because that’s our own destiny !" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"We’ll help you with everything if you move here, I promise !" Sweetie Belle swore.

Anita crouched to be at their level ; she had tears in her green eyes when she embraced the three fillies.

"Thank you… thank you so much. I’m really touched. I can’t express how grateful I am to you, she said. The-there… are some things left from my world… I-I really want to give you something as a sign of gratitude. Tell me, what do you like, or like to do ?"

"Scooting !" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"Dancing… I’m trying to improve though…" Apple Bloom groaned.

"Crocheting or singing, I’m not sure… I think I prefer singing… when nopony’s around…" Sweetie Belle mused aloud.

"But you don’t have to give us somethin’ in return ! We’re doing it for free", Apple Bloom pointed out.

"I must insist", Anita said with a smile. "I think I have the perfect gifts for you. I’ll ask Bowser to teleport me to his dimension so I can get them".

"Whenever you want", Bowser shuddered.

"Hey ! Hey ! Hey ! I saw a table with a map on it ! Can I see it ?" King Boo suddenly asked.

Twilight showed the Cutie Map to the ghost, which hovered around it before putting his “arm” on the table that took some seconds to react ; it slowly displayed a land covered in dark, twisted trees, furrowed by rivers of blackness and punctuated by sharp, razor-like summits ; there was no Cutie Mark symbol above the place, and it seemed the Map could not encompass it in its entirety, having glitches here and there. The whole land gave Twilight chills, and she called everyone to see the phenomenon.

"What’s that place ?" Rainbow Dash interrogated. "So… gloomy".

"It is ! It is !" King Boo exclaimed cheerfully. "For it is the Land of the Dead !"

Almost everyone jumped away from the Map ; it seemed everything was suddenly tainted by the freezing aura coming from the crystal table struggling to keep the land displayed.

"I go there sometimes", King Boo explained. "I like this place, I’m very well-known there, you see, kind of a VIP. Some kinds of souls don’t really like me though, don’t know why. Hey, that map doesn’t show everything ! But when I think of it, the Land of the Dead is limitless, so it is pretty normal in the end…"

"The-there are no friend-friendship problems there at-at least", an unsettled Starlight quickly spluttered.

"Needless to say I would never go there, not for anything in the worlds", Rarity asserted.

"That’s just sad !" King Boo pouted. "There’s so much to do ! Pranking souls ! Play cards and hide-and-seek with Death ! Party with friends !"

"You’ve got parties there !?" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "That’s amazing… and weird too".

"Yes, of course we have parties ! We celebrate the day living beings ceased to be living ! Even though there’s no time there, we keep track ! We celebrate important newcomers ! And the Day of the Dead of course ! We’ll do that for eternity, so we’ll never get bored ! I heard some souls go back to the Land of the Living though, all cleaned up, fresh and new ! But we Boos have no soul, because we’re not really dead beings but we’re not alive either, so we’ll never reincarnate, but that’s fine ! We’re happy as we are !" He exclaimed laughingly.

"That’s just… plain creepy…" Spike murmured, shivering.

"I can write an entire book with what you’ve just told us !" Twilight exclaimed almost cheerfully, which unsettled everyone. "I hope you’ll tell me more when we’ll have time".

"No problem miss !" The ghost replied before breaking contact with the table, removing the terrible land from view.

"Do… do all the… souls go there ?" Applejack interrogated.

"Yes, yes, every soul that isn’t staying in the living world as a spirit of course. There are many places in the Land of the Dead ; it’s dimensions in dimensions in dimensions in dimensions and so forth, like an infinite onion. What you saw is the dimension the closest to the core. The center is Death’s headquarters. Maybe I can show them to you if I concentrate…" King Boo mused as he approached the Cutie Map again.

"NO, THANKS !" Almost everyone shouted.

"Too bad then…" The ghost king frowned. "You were searching for someone ?" He asked to Applejack.

"Yeah… Kind of… Two ponies…" She vaguely replied.

"Do you want me to find them ? They’re in the part of the Land of the Dead connected to this world, so I have access to it, since I’m here too ! I can’t jump between parts of the Land of the Dead, except to the Headquarters because I got a free pass, but I can go to the part corresponding to the world I am currently in".

"What can you do about these souls ?" Applejack interrogated, more and more interested.

"I can’t bring them back if it’s what you’re thinking of, nor bring you with me, Death would be really mad, beyond mad, but I can pass oral or written messages without problems", King Boo replied. "I may even pass objects if they’re not too big".

"That’s... That’d be perfect. Can ya find my parents and tell ‘em somethin’ ?" Applejack asked, shocking everyone, but particularly Apple Bloom.

"Yes ! Yes ! I can find them in no time and come back in no time too !" The ghost answered enthusiastically. "What are their names and what do you want to say to them ?"

"Bright Mac and Pear Butter. For the rest, can I tell you privately ?" Applejack asked in return.

"Wait Applejack !" Her sister interrupted. "I… I wanna… say somethin’ to mom and dad too !"

Applejack was about to refuse, but once she looked at the tear-eyed filly full of hope and determination, she simply gave up.

King Boo and the two sisters, eyes filled with tears, left the room.

"What about immortal beings, like our princesses, Discord, you and King Boo I suppose ?" Starlight asked to Bowser.

"Death told me a year ago that there are beings not meant to reside in its kingdom", the Koopa King replied. "As you said, King Boo who took a shard of Darkness, I, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and that Discord… all of us can’t go there naturally, except Boo, but only me and him are “true” immortals, in the sense we can’t be killed by anything, be it Darkness or magic ; we’re invincible if you prefer. If I’m sent to the Land of the Dead physically, I can just simply go back ; my body and soul are one and the same now. As for the princesses and Discord, I think Death, in one of Its forms, would finally welcome them after the destruction of the universe, at least. For Boo and I, I think we’ll survive the end of Death itself, just as that being… thing of oblivion and its brother. I know what I’m about to tell you ain’t gonna raise your spirits but… Death fears Darkness. It’s the good brother who created Death to bring order and sense to life ; now that creative being’s sealed away, Death more or less counts on me and Boo to save not only the living, but the dead too ; the destructive force’s still far away from Its kingdom, but as I said before, it’ll come anyways, and if Death’s destroyed, trust me, we’ll get a terrible problem, that’s an euphemism, in our hands or hooves… and Death’s not optimistic about my – our – chances to win…"

"King Boo said the dead creatures of Hyrule had disappeared", Zelda recalled.

"The dead beings that stayed in your world, not the ones in the Land of the Dead. Otherwise, we’d be flooded with ghosts everywhere by now. The ghosts will serve as spies, probably ; they’re perfect for the task", the King of the Koopas replied.

"What can we do about it ?" Twilight asked.

"Concerning the ghosts, King Boo, his subjects and I can stop them rather easily if they come. As for that thing however, I’m afraid to say nothing ; I’ve got no idea on how to stop it, except fighting it and losing", Bowser answered.

"You said it’s a being, no, a thing from before the beginning of everything. I was thinking, correct me if I’m wrong, but worlds have greatly evolved since it was sealed…" Twilight mused to herself.

"You’re thinking it’s outdated ; it certainly is, but its power stays the same, and coupled with the part it stole from its brother… However, your assumptions are correct ; I’m impressed by you, Princess Twilight Sparkle. You also considered…" The Koopa began.

"That if it hasn’t attacked by itself yet, it must be struggling to adapt ! Everything’s probably new for it ! Universes, life, death, matter… It’s searching to comprehend it ! Once it’s done, it destroys !" Twilight exclaimed.

"I see", Starlight understood, "but why not expanding the idea to other things, like… concepts, personality or even ideas and thinking ! That thing probably doesn’t know how to even think !"

"Well, that doesn’t make any sense…" Rainbow Dash dismissed. "Just how can you NOT think !?"

"Because the concept of thinking’s too recent for that old thing ; besides that, it’s just a mass of destructive chaos, just a pile of Darkness without real sentience ! But now, it’s probably learning very fast…" Starlight replied.

"I don’t think so", Twilight countered. "I think it’s struggling to learn, because even the concept of learning’s new to it. But you have a point ; Rainbow, that thing is not sentient, not in the sense we understand it".

"I’m amazed by your intelligence, you two", Bowser complimented. "Deducing that out of bits of information, it doesn’t do justice to just call that impressive".

"Thank you", the two mares replied proudly.

"I hope you’re right then", the Koopa King wished. "King Boo and I will continue our research ; we’ll give you the results in real time".

King Boo, Applejack and her sister came back in the room ; everyone noticed Applejack’s brand new hat and Apple Bloom new ribbon ; the two objects were glowing with an otherworldly aura.

"I can’t say thank you, that’d just be too ridiculous of a thankin’," Applejack said to King Boo ; she and her sister had their eyes full of tears.

"Don’t worry, talking to the dead is free ! I hope you enjoyed the conversation and the gifts ! I don’t know what it is to talk to parents, I’ve got no parents !" He laughed. "But hey ! I think, if I insist long enough, Death would make an exception and let me take you with me for a short time ! It seems I can be annoying sometimes, but nobody has ever given me proof ! And I need proof ! Proof !"

"I think it’d be… just… amazin’…You’re-you’re so scary but so nice", Apple Bloom complimented. "You’re… you’re my favorite ghost ! Thank you !" She exclaimed.

"That’s the nicest thing said to me since I exist ! And I’ve existed for quite some time !" King Boo replied. "Thank you ! Thank you !" He exclaimed, flying around the room.

"Uh… I think we are… late…" Rarity suddenly remarked. "I think we won’t have much sleep…"

Bowser groaned when he heard this.

"I promised Celestia to not wake her when I’d come back…" He sighed with exasperation.

"You just have to teleport to her bedroom darling", Rarity pointed out.

"Problem is each of my steps would wake up the whole castle… I’ll just stay still once teleported", the Koopa decided. "Ridiculous but effective…"

"I must admit miss Rarity is right ; not only we are awake so late in the night, but, I speak for myself, we are quite tired too", Peach said, repressing a yawn.

"It’s our fault", Sweetie Belle whispered.

"No, it’s mine !" King Boo defended her. "I don’t sleep, so I report at any hour ! And I don’t really like sunlight, so it’s often at night !"

"We will take our leave if you do not mind", Zelda told the ponies.

"Of course not ! We in fact must apologize for making you stay awake…" Fluttershy replied.

"Can I teleport everyone back to Canterlot castle ?" Bowser asked.

They nodded and wished each other a good night before the ruler of the Koopa race teleported them away.

"I think you should stay here Zecora", Twilight told the zebra.

"If you don’t mind, I really wish sleep here I could find", Zecora replied.

"I forgot to ask Bowser to teleport me !" Rarity suddenly exclaimed.

"I would’ve loved to be teleported too", Fluttershy added.

"Me too", Applejack muttered under her breath.

"Me three !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Guess I’ll sleep here too", Rainbow Dash mumbled. "I wanted to see if Tank’s doing alright", she whispered discreetly to herself.

"And we three will have a sleepover at the castle !" The Cutie Mark Crusaders cheerfully exclaimed.

"No ya won’t", Applejack denied. "Tomorrow’s big day so everypony should sleep".

"Hey ! Hey ! Heeeey !" King Boo exclaimed. "There’s not only Bowser who can teleport people ! I can teleport you too ! Or I can fly you anywhere !"

"Can ya teleport me and my sis’ to Sweet Apple Acres, our farm ?" Applejack interrogated.

"Yes ! Yes ! Just think about it !"

"Good night everypony then", Applejack and Apple Bloom wished.

King Boo and the two mares disappeared instantly in a cloud of white smoke ; the ghost reappeared seconds later.

"They’re at home ! I promise ! I can show you if you want !"

"We trust you, at least for me", Fluttershy affirmed.

King Boo teleported her, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Zecora to their respective houses ; when he looked at Rainbow Dash, she shook her head.

"Can you fly with me to my house ? Y’know, since Bowser’s attack and that thing coming, I don’t know if everything’s still really safe at night, even in the sky".

Twilight, Starlight and Spike opened their mouths in surprise.

"That’s not like you Rainbow Dash", Starlight noticed. "Is everything alright ?"

"Yeah, no problem. It’s just that, in a few days, I’ve got a special somepony, discovered new worlds, lots of new people and new things, saw the death of a universe, and learned that something’s slowly coming to destroy everything… It… puts things into perspective, y’see ? But the most important thing’s Fluttershy and I… huh…" Rainbow Dash spluttered.

"I think I understand how you feel", Twilight smiled as she looked lovingly at Starlight.

"Why not teleporting ?" King Boo asked to Rainbow Dash.

"Because even though I did say those things seconds ago, I still love flying !" She exclaimed. "What about a race ? The first to my house’s the winner !"

"I like races ! Like them !" The ghost said excitedly. "I often race against Death, but I think you’re a worthy opponent too ! You seem fast ! But I don’t know where you live".

"I’ll show you outside ! Good night everypony !" Rainbow Dash wished to everyone before flying outside the castle, followed by King Boo who said he would just probably discreetly hang around ; Twilight took the initiative to invite him to the ceremony, to which he was grateful.

"We should go to bed too", Twilight told to Starlight.

"Hmm… You’re right… But I’ll only go to one bed : yours", the unicorn purred.

Spike hurried out of the room and wished them a good night from far away.

The two mares laughed ; Starlight embraced Twilight who chuckled.

"I really wanna go to bed", Starlight implored with a smoky voice.

Twilight blushed ; she loved the tone of voice her lover was using.

"But you don’t wanna sleep, do you ?" She asked with the same voice.

"Hmmmm… You’re right. I was thinking of something much more interesting", she said as she nibbled the ear of the Princess of Friendship. "Do you have any lessons for me ?" She whispered.

"I may find one… or two…"

The two mares left the burning room to go to Twilight’s bedroom.

When Bowser appeared in Celestia’s bedroom, the white alicorn was not sleeping either.

"I was waiting for you", she said.

"You didn’t have to", the Koopa replied.

"Actually, I had no intention to sleep… from the very start", Celestia winked with a blush.

Anita struggled to fall asleep and when she did, she was scared. She was back in her world, shooting an action movie ; all of her crew was here : Jack, who shared his real name with his character, a black and white border-collie ; Henrick, whose real name was Travis ; the cameramen siblings, three coyotes ; the director of screenplay, Donald, a nice Basset hound with an impressive deep voice ; the scenarist, Jim, a dingo who was always trying to improve something whereas everything was already perfect ; the wolf-bodyguards which did not had much of screen time but were perfectly fine with it, and everyone else : they were not only people she worked with, but also her friends. As she was shooting the scene, everyone suddenly disappeared one by one before her eyes, until she was alone ; the set crumbled around her, revealing an infinite and total blackness ; she screamed in terror before something slowly materialized in the void ; the form of Luna took shape and she approached Anita ; the set reappeared, as the crew ; they were all frozen in place however.

"I dream of them since I woke up from my stasis", Anita sobbed. "And also…"

The scenery shifted abruptly to a white dome-shaped living room ; there was a huge television screen embedded in the western wall with an oval red and white sofa in front of it, a polymer bookshelf filled with neatly organized holographic books leaning on the opposite wall also equipped with an arch-shaped doorway overlooking a dining room on the left ; facing South, two panes of glass which formed a semi-circle, like a bay window, were letting the sun shine in ; they were also drawing attention to a swimming pool, home to what seemed to be scattered water-lilies ; on the northern side was a large open kitchen ; a blue ray was ready to be chopped off on a wooden kitchen countertop ; the crystal fish knife was put beside it, along with various vegetables unknown to Luna.

Anita went towards the window bay which opened automatically, the two panes of glass sliding into the wall. She stood next to the oval swimming pool with Luna.

Around the dome-shaped house, the garden was mostly comprised of grass, with lone but huge strange trees and some bushes circled with flowers scattered everywhere except the south-facing side. Another installation, again in the shape of a dome but much smaller than the house, was sprouting from the grass hundred meters away from the home. Luna looked at the pool and its scattered water-lilies blooming with light blue flowers and sprouting clover-like leaves ; the waves produced by the swimmer made them gently undulating. Anita’s mother was swimming gracefully, her naked body easily fusing through the water. After one more length, she got out of the pool without drying or covering herself and went towards the dome-shaped installation in the garden ; Anita and Luna followed her. Before stepping inside the building with no door, she shook her head to get some water out of her flowing blond hair. She put her hand on the wall ; after two seconds, the surface opened in an arch-shaped doorway ; she went inside, still followed by Anita and Luna ; the doorway disappeared behind them. They found themselves under the sunlight, surrounded by the garden ; Luna, who was already surprised by most of the things she had seen, was totally confused.

"This was my father’s workshop, or rather laboratory. The transparent walls are just a kind of everyday technology reinforced by my father’s scientific genius", Anita explained.

Inside the workshop – full of shelves, real books and machinery – was a German Shepherd asleep on a huge yellow polymer desk ; he was wearing a plastic armor and a pair of goggles ; Martha approached him.

"Wake up John. Come in the pool with me", she whispered to his ear.

The scientist suddenly woke up ; his face was literally twisted with fatigue.

"I can’t…" He grumbled vaguely.

"You can’t do much more for today indeed. Stop. This is an order, John", Martha growled.

John Garrett surrendered and stripped his armor and glasses, revealing a white lab coat underneath. As he left the building, Anita and Luna approached the desk : projected on its yellow surface was a red scheme of some kind of container ; there were so much parts, equations, numbers, drawings, graphics and schemes that it almost gave Luna a headache ; she could not make any sense of them, even the most simple.

"It was a tiny part of the plan for my stasis capsule ; he wasn’t alone to work on it, but this was the final stage of completion ; everything was almost ready, he could do the rest of the work himself. There was also a plan to implement a sample of Galanian DNA with it, but it was too late", Anita explained.

"He was working on that capsule to exhaustion", Luna pointed out.

"Yes, there was no time left".

They rejoined Anita’s parents ; they were both in the swimming pool.

"It’s almost ready, Martha ! Almost ready !" John exclaimed with a determined voice, albeit filled with fatigue.

"There’s still time, John. I’m sure you’ll finish it before the end. I’m sure you’ll save everyone", Martha replied.

"I hope to Martha. I really hope to. You know, if there was only one person who should use it, it’d be our daughter".

"I agree with you of course, but your invention, once duplicated, will save everyone, not just Anita. And with that DNA sample, there’s no way Galania could disappear".

Martha paused and hugged John.

"If the universe had to disappear tomorrow, trust me, I’d put our daughter in your capsule on the second".

"I don’t understand how you can be so… relaxed with everything. Martha, our world is dying ! No, worse, it’s doomed ! We could disappear any minute !"

"You know why I’m so cool, John ? Because of us. Because of Anita. We fulfilled our lives ; I got all that I ever wanted : a family. I have faith in you John, I know you’ll save, maybe not us, but at least our daughter ; that’s the more important thing to me. I believe in you, John ; do you believe in yourself ?"

John stayed silent for a minute.

"You’re right Martha. You’re right in every way", he finally agreed.

The two Galanians kissed, and the dream stopped here.

"My father has shared this memory before he… It’s not really a dream, but…" Anita spluttered ; she was crying uncontrollably.

"Your parents were the most courageous people I encountered", Luna affirmed sadly. "You really take from them, as your courage impresses me too. You said you mourned your world in that capsule, but I don’t think it is truly the case. Everyone you cared for, everything you knew… all disappeared without a trace ; that loss will never be replaced, and nothing can change this. However…"

The memory shattered, suddenly replaced by the image of Anita laughing because of Mario and Luigi’s reaction to her nakedness, then her laughing with everyone in Peach’s castle and the Tasty Treat ; she also saw herself amazed by the Castle of Friendship and its Cutie Map, and finally the Cutie Mark Crusaders swearing to help her.

"…you already began to make happy new memories, Luna said. They are just a few for now, but as time passes, you’ll make more and more. Your parents offered you a unique chance to start anew ; you don’t have to forget about Galania, and everything will be done to ensure no one will ever forget about it, but don’t let the loss of your world define who you are : you can be anyone you want in your new life, and I am positive your parents would say the same".

Anita was stunned for a few seconds before approaching and tightly hugging Luna.

"Thank you… Thank you princess ! Thank you !" The actress repeated, in tears.

"I must repeat that I am impressed by you", the Princess of the night complimented. "You are filled with limitless courage and strength ; you stand in the face of a tragedy no one can even conceive of. Don’t worry : Equestria is perfectly eager to welcome you. I am personally eager to welcome you ; I hope our world filled with friendship and love will heal your wounds, if a little".

Anita could not stop crying from sadness, happiness, sorrow and joy.

"The remainder of your sleep will be filled with happy memories from every world you have visited", Luna declared as she slowly dissolved in Anita’s embrace.

In the royal castle, Celestia’s sister discreetly peeked through the door of Anita’s bedroom ; the actress was peacefully sleeping, with a smile illuminating her beautiful face. Luna smiled too and went on to prepare the ceremony.

Author's Note

Yes, Boos are not dead people in this story (not even "real" ghosts), unlike in some Mario games where it's implied they were living creatures before becoming Boos.

Day of Universal Friendship

"Day ! Day ! Sunlight ! It’s daytime ! It’s daaaaaay !" King Boo exclaimed ; he was lost high in the clouds – far above any pegasus construction – observing the sun timidly poking some of its rays ; Celestia was seemingly late and not very motivated to raise it.

Luna was speeding through the halls of her castle, worried that her sister was having trouble to manipulate the bright, warm star. She finally reached the place where her sister accomplished her duty ; Celestia was here, like every day since the construction of the royal castle. However, she was not alone ; Luna rubbed her eyes in disbelief ; on the balcony, visibly reinforced by magic, Bowser was nuzzling and kissing her sister as she was trying to concentrate to raise the sun under her giggles ; Bowser finally relented and Celestia succeeded.

"You shouldn’t do this when I am doing my duty", the Princess of Sun falsely reprimanded the Koopa King.

"Didn’t you have enough last night ?" She added in another giggle.

"Maybe not", he replied as he managed to catch her ; they retreated to the bedroom.

Luna judged she had seen enough, or that she was dreaming, or rather having immersed herself into a kind of twisted fantasy. As she was going back to her bedroom to sleep some more before the celebration, she suddenly found herself almost face-to-face with a giant blue tongue, four fangs, two pink dots, a ruby crown and a round white body.

"You’re Princess Luna ? I think Bowser told you about me ! I’m King Boo ! King Boo ! Nice to meet you !"

Luna finally decided she really had plunged herself into the most bizarre fantasy dream she had ever conceived.

Twilight and Starlight woke up as the sun had already started its course hours ago.

"Twilight ? I hope you’re alo…" Spike greeted as he walked inside her bedroom ; his eyes fell on the two entwined mares on the bed.

"Nope you’re not !" He exclaimed before quickly closing the door.

"Wait Spike !" Twilight exclaimed. "Can you… can you cook us some breakfast ? We’ll be there in a few minutes. Thanks !"

When the two lovers came down in the dining room, Spike had already installed everything on the table ; silverware, plates, pancakes, coffee and juice.

"Thanks Spike", they said.

The little dragon removed his apron and ate with them.

"I think we’re late", he pointed out before biting in a pancake.

"Bowser will come to teleport us before lunch, don’t worry. Our dresses are ready, at least mine and Starlight’s, and I think our friends have taken great care of them ; Rarity was so happy to make them after all", Twilight replied.

"You’re not like yourself these days ; I thought you were gonna… I dunno… freak out", her assistant shuddered.

"I must say that after all these crazy adventures… I put things into perspective like Rainbow Dash said", Twilight quoted. "Besides that, finding love pretty much… calms you down".

"I don’t know what you’re talking about", Spike replied, shrugging.

Rainbow Dash suddenly entered the room, her dress carefully put in a bag.

"Hello everypony ! Did you sleep well ?" She asked before landing on a chair.

"We… huh… Yes…" A blushing Starlight spluttered.

Rainbow Dash looked at Starlight and Twilight, both red ; she chuckled.

"Don’t bother me with the details, I don’t wanna know", she laughed.

"What… what about the race with King Boo ? Did you win ?" Twilight asked, changing subject.

The pegasus suddenly frowned.

"I lost", she grumbled.

"What !?" The other three exclaimed in disbelief.

"But you’re the fastest flyer in Equestria !" Starlight countered.

"How can somepo… someone beat you at flying !? I’d understand if you were running, but you flew, right ? Did King Boo teleport to automatically win ?" Twilight interrogated.

"No. I lost in a fair race", Rainbow Dash replied with an intensified frown.

"How fast is that ghost ?" Spike interrogated himself.

"Faster than anypony… no, anything I know", Rainbow Dash answered. "Faster than sound, faster than a lightning bolt, faster than light, I just don’t know ! He’s so fast he lost me right at the start ! It was like he disappeared ; he even left an afterimage !"

"I said it was fair, but when I caught up to him in front of my house, he said he was automatically cheating because he’s a ghost. Y’know, weightless and passing through things... Still, I lost, even though he said I was truly fast. But against someone who beats Death, what chance I had ?"

"What !?" Twilight exclaimed, almost spitting out her coffee.

"King Boo told me he was beating Death at racing, and there was no one faster than him in the Land of the Dead. Oh, and that outrunning Death for me would mean I’d be immortal…" Rainbow Dash explained. "He also said that in an obstacle course, without his intangibility, he would’ve lost, because he’s bigger than me. He wants to try someday".

"And what did you say ?" Spike asked.

"Challenge accepted ! I’ll beat him in an obstacle course", Rainbow Dash asserted, full of confidence once again.

"I must write a book about ghosts, death and afterlife !" Twilight morbidly decided with a cheerful voice ; everyone rolled their eyes.

Fluttershy was the next to arrive, then Applejack, then Pinkie Pie and then Rarity ; they all came with their dresses, and Twilight and Starlight went on to get their own.

Bowser appeared slightly later than expected, half an hour before lunch time.

"Is everyone ready ?" He asked. "By the way, we invited Princess Cadance, her husband, her daughter, that insectoid pony ruler of a kingdom and his brother, the dragon princess, the old ones, some yaks and your wizard friend early this morning", he added, looking at Starlight as he named the last one.

"When will they come ?" Twilight asked excitedly.

"I’ll bring them to the castle just after you ; after that, I’ll go to the Mushroom Kingdom, or rather the other lifeless universes where I colonized some planets, to bring some Koopas and Paratroopas to help repair the damage I caused. Less than fifty ; don’t worry, I warned everyone", Bowser answered.

"But you’ll never have the time, darling !" Rarity argued.

"Five minutes", the King of the Koopas shrugged.

"Forget what I just said", the fashion designer replied.

"We’re ready !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

Bowser teleported them to the castle ; he then teleported again to reappear with the residents of the Crystal Empire, the Pillars of Old Equestria, Thorax and Pharynx, Princess Ember and Prince Rutherford along some changelings, dragons and yaks. He then teleported again to bring some of his troops to help with the rebuilding. The ponies greeted everyone and Twilight asked Celestia and Luna about the progress of the preparations of the celebration ; everyone was actually still worried about the very short time to plan such an event and they envisaged to move it up to a few days despite everyone being here, but Bowser’s limitless teleportation powers and inexhaustible stamina had speeded up everything by a factor of hundred ; he had helped Luna through the second half of the night. Celestia and Luna reassured Twilight ; everything was ready : the invitations for the closest guests were sent, Luna and Bowser had personally invited the others, which the Koopa had already teleported to Canterlot, the decorations were set, the meals ready and everyone dressed.

"There are not so much inhabitants in Equestria in comparison to the Mushroom Kingdom, that’s why we can plan an event of this importance so quickly", Celestia explained to her guests.

"In our world, it would’ve taken months, like the celebration…" Mario groaned.

"In ours too", Zelda added, "even though Hyrule is smaller than the Mushroom Kingdom".

The residents of the Crystal Empire, the Pillars, Thorax, Ember and Rutherford approached the guests ; sensing their similar powers, Cadance and Peach instantly liked each other, as their respective daughters ; everyone smiled when they saw the two babies perfectly getting along : their love was flooding the castle.

When Bowser reappeared minutes later, dozens of creatures materialized with him. Fluttershy instantly found them cute : they were yellow bipedal turtles that looked like Bowser, except with a big round snout ending in a beak pointing downwards, huge kind eyes, no hair, no horns and no spikes on their bright green shell ; they were also wearing shoes matching the color of their shell ; the ponies noticed red-shelled turtles, with red shoes and white wings, not unlike those of the pegasi, sprouting from their shell. All were the size of Mario.

"Here are some of my troops and subjects, the Koopas and Paratroopas : they’ll help rebuild the destruction I caused ; they’re the most fitted for that task", Bowser explained.

"The most fitted ?" Twilight interrogated.

"Yes. I have thousands and thousands of other troops, but they’re not really useful to repair ; warfare’s their specialty. And some just don’t have arms".

Bowser turned to his troops.

"I’ll teleport you to the gates and you’ll repair them as fast as you can with the magic powder Kamek gave you. Understood ?"

The turtles saluted their commander and he teleported them away.

"So, you’re their king too ?" Starlight interrogated.

"Yes, I was born within them and became their king under Kamek’s tutelage ; many of them aren’t part of my army though : they live peaceful lives in the Mushroom Kingdom or somewhere else. I’m also the leader of other races, like Goombas, Boos, Maskasses, Chomps, Piranha plants, Thwomps and Whomps and countless more. I’ve got enough armies to bring down entire planets and without taking into account weaponry, but against what’s coming, I don’t believe it’ll be sufficient…"

"And when you were evil… with these armies, you didn’t take control of the Mushroom Kingdom !?" Twilight exclaimed.

"We were far less, far less powerful and far less organized at the time", Bowser replied. "Besides, the Mushroom Kingdom has its own army. Toads may seem pretty weak, but they actually have a lot of strength and their caps can exude dangerous spores. There are also other troops to make up for their clumsiness and a national guard… Peach can tell you more about it".

An hour later, after Celestia had summoned an uneasy Discord to speed up things even more, the celebration started : the guests and the princesses gathered at the royal garden filled with ponies. When the inhabitants from other worlds appeared, the residents of Equestria stared at them in disbelief ; a crushing silence fell on the crowd.

"Residents of Equestria ! Today is a day our world will eternally remember ! We, rulers of Equestria, are immensely proud to present you our new friends, residents and royalty of three other worlds ! Let me introduce you Princess Peach Toadstool, ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario, her husband, Arancia, her daughter and Luigi, her step-brother".

The four residents of the Mushroom stepped up, with Arancia in her mother’s arms ; the latter spoke :

"I am enchanted and honored to meet the people of Equestria, the kindest and most beautiful world I have ever seen ; I feel obligated to say the same about its residents, the most peaceful beings in every universe. I am looking forward to forge eternal bonds of trust, love and friendship between our respective worlds, and from now on, as the first foundation of these bonds, with the approbation of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, I shall declare the officialization of the free-trade treaty between Equestria and the Mushroom Kingdom ! Every citizen from Equestria is free to go or move to the Mushroom Kingdom, once the pathway will be made safe in both worlds. Reciprocally, citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom can go and move in Equestria. We hope this first step will also encourage cultural exchanges of great magnitude between our civilizations, all the while without losing our differences".

"I’d like to point out again that the paths to reach the portals between our worlds are still dangerous, so it’s best to wait a few weeks before taking them", Mario added.

"Our kingdoms have so much to share, I am really thrilled to work hoof in hand with you !" Peach concluded as Arancia cooed with pleasure from seeing so many ponies.

"I now present you Princess Daisy, ruler of Sarasaland !" Celestia announced.

Daisy step up and looked at the ponies.

"I’m so much pleased to discover your world ! Really, it’s an eye-candy ! As Peach said, you’re the kindest folks I’ve ever known ! Y’all are of course welcome in my kingdom, it’s not far away from the Mushroom Kingdom… well, maybe a little. I don’t know if my subjects will come often, but I’ll personally visit ya every month or more ! I mean, you’re just so sweet and cute ! For the political stuff, I’ll leave that to my counselors and other lazy officials. Hope we’ll be great friends and… that’s all. Peach pretty much told everythin’. Thanks for your attention by the way !"

The crowd stared at the tomboyish princess with puzzled looks before she came back to her place.

"That’s one Applejack-ish princess", Sweetie Belle told Scootaloo.

"I was gonna say Rainbow-ish", her friend replied.

"Look, it’s the folks with wisdom and courage !" Apple Bloom exclaimed excitedly as Zelda and Link were making their entrance.

"Sweetie Belle, are you… blushing ?" Scootaloo asked to Rarity’s sister.

"No-Not at all ! It’s just… the… the heat !" Her friend spluttered, in spite of the weather being perfectly bearable.

"Somepony has a crush it seems", Apple Bloom teased. "Is it Link ? Or Princess Zelda ?"

"Not Princess Zelda ! I’m not-I-I-I don’t… swing that way… I-I-I think. And it’s not… Li-Link either ! It-it’s the heat !" The filly insisted ; she blushed harder when she mentioned the Hylian knight.

"C’mon Sweetie Belle ! You can’t even say his name without getting all sappy…" Scootaloo sighed.

Sweetie Belle mumbled something incomprehensible.

"What did you say ?" Apple Bloom asked.

"He’s cute, okay !?" Rarity’s sister admitted angrily. "I FIND HIM CUTE !"

While the guests were too far away to hear her, except for Anita, Bowser and King Boo who had an excellent hearing, the nearby crowd stared at her with a general confused stare. Sweetie Belle immediately turned red with embarrassment and covered herself with her hooves.

"You-you didn’t have to scream it", Scootaloo whispered, embarrassed.

Her friend simply stayed hidden behind her hooves while Zelda finished her speech, explaining that all the ponies were welcome to Hyrule, and Hylians to Equestria, but that her world had tighter security measures than the Mushroom Kingdom because of devastating past actions from many foes.

When Anita spoke after being announced, Luna came beside her and Link touched her with his hand to give her courage ; the crowd was still shocked by the sadness she irradiated.

"I-I’m… I wasn’t an important person back in my late universe, and I don’t intend to change that in Equestria that I chose as my new home. I-I… sincerely hope to not disturb anyone by moving here and if that’s the case, then I sincerely apologize. I fell in love with your world at first sight, and, while it’s very different from Galania, it… it really feels like home", she spluttered before letting two tears fall from her eyes.

"I was an actress back there and, while I don’t know if I can be one here, three ponies, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, promised to help me find a way to discover my destiny, here in Equestria. I… I would like to thank them again for their kindness and generosity".

The crowd once again turned to the fillies, this time with proud looks and smiles.

"I’d also like to express my sincerest thanks to Princess Luna, who helped me to fight my sorrow. I think, from the bottom of my heart, that your world filled with friendship, love and beauty, and the kindness that emanates from each one of you will heal the wounds caused by that tragedy".

Most of the ponies were shedding tears from hearing the demise of Anita’s world ; even the Cutie Mark Crusaders which already knew the story.

Finally, when Bowser and King Boo stepped up, the residents of Equestria almost fled the scene ; however, Celestia’s words slightly calmed them down ; they looked at the two monsters with terrified eyes.

"I… huh… I’m not really good at this kind of stuff despite being a king too, so I’ll start by apologizing to all of you, to all of Equestria. There are no words to express my regrets from attacking your world. Years ago, I was on the… bad side of the fence and with what I’ve done, I can’t do anything to prove that I changed, that I’m not evil anymore. I just wanted you to know that it’s perfectly fine if you never forgive me. I have no right to even beg your pardon from the despicable act I committed, but on the other side, I feel obligated to do it", Bowser said before kneeling in front of the crowd.

Celestia came near him and he stood up.

"I caused destruction and fear and I’ll pay for it. If your house was damaged even in the slightest, my troops will come to repair it and I’ll personally repay you with anything you want. If it was destroyed, my soldiers will build you a new one with any specifications you might ask for. I was thinking of something to repay the land as a whole, but Princess Celestia refused. If you consider it necessary however, I’d comply without hesitation".

"Don’t worry about this", Celestia reassured ; she then addressed the crowd :

"I shall take this occasion to officially announce our relationship. During my… ponynaping, Bowser and I fell in love. I cannot hide it from you my subjects, as it is the point where privacy overlaps politics, and I don’t want this new to be leaked somewhere without my consent. This relationship will surely lead to marriage in the years or even months to come".

While the crowd did not faint, it was on the verge to ; a deafening silence fell on the assembly.

As they were still petrified in silence, an uncontrollable shivering broke the immobility of the ponies : the air had become suddenly far colder in spite of the absence of clouds and a perfect weather designed by the pegasi ; King Boo’s high-pitched voice resonated in the garden.

"Hello, living part of Equestria ! I’m reallyyyyyyy glad to meet you ! I love your cute little world, and its dead counterpart is just as cute ! I hope you’ll welcome my Boo buddies, they’ll come soon ! Soon ! Very soon ! Don’t worry, they won’t prank you… most of the time !"

"Just kidding ! If we Boos can help you to communicate with the dead, we’d be glad to do so ! Just ask us, don’t be afraid ! If you have troublesome ghosts or other creatures you want to get rid of, we can also help you ! I hope we’ll be friends for eternity, here and in the Land of the Dead, when all of you will become souls !"

His speech was received by a dead silence, but almost everyone heard Apple Bloom shouting :

"He’s my favorite ghost ever !"

Twilight finally made the final announcement :

"As the Princess of Friendship, I am deeply honored and amazed to have made such wonderful new friends, proving once again that the Magic of Friendship knows no limits of space, time, cultures and species. As for conclusion, I’d like to add that our guests are open to all questions ; everypony is free to rejoin us in the castle where we’ll have lunch. A celebration will also be held tonight ; we’re counting on your presence to make this ceremony unforgettable !"

"Lastly, starting from now, this day will be regarded as the Day of Universal Friendship. A similar ceremony will be held next year and so forth. Have a nice Day of Universal Friendship everypony !" Celestia concluded as the crowd cheered.

The evening ceremony had already started an hour ago ; everyone was talking or dancing, often picking hors-d’oeuvres from the tables. All the ponies had accepted the guests and most of them were discussing with Peach, Zelda, Daisy, Anita, Link, Mario, Luigi and even Bowser.

Apple Bloom was absently chewing a slice of roasted apple, more or less inadvertently hidden behind the table cloth when King Boo materialized next to the table, startling her.

"Hey, you ! You seem down ! Down ! Everyone’s happy and all, but you’re like a lost soul ; and I know a lot about lost souls ! Is something upsetting you ?" The Boo interrogated with a quieter voice than usual.

"Ah… Ah don’t know. I was so excited ‘bout all this party, and I was so happy all day, but now… I’m all gloomy…" Apple Bloom replied sadly.

"Are you missing your parents again ?" The ghost asked bluntly.

"No, because you helped my sis’ and I so much with ‘em, and now I’m so happy when I think of ‘em. I… just don’t know what’s happenin’. Scoots and Sweetie are talkin’ with Bowser and I’m here alone… Nopony notices me, and that’s good actually…"

"Tell me, tell me ! You’re thinking of someone, don’t you ? Hey, I’m not Peach, but I can sense souls and their emotions ! So I can sense your soul’s indecision and… hey, what’s that ? It’s… It’s loooove ! Since I frequent Peach and other beings full of love, I can’t mistake it ! You’re in love, that’s so cuuuuuute !"

"What !? No ! That’s impossible ! I was thinkin’ of nopony ! I’m just sad, that’s all !"

"Maybe, maybe. I’m not an expert, I don’t feel love myself, but as I said, I know every fluctuation in the souls, and that’s clearly love ; I see your soul pulsating with it, that color doesn’t lie ! Doesn’t lie ! Talk to Peach or your other princess what’s-her-name, one of them will help you for sure ! For sure ! You trusted me when I said you would talk to your parents, you can trust me here too !"

After half a minute of pondering, Apple Bloom took her decision ; she thanked King Boo and headed towards Peach who was slowly drinking a flute of champagne ; she had just finished talking to Mistmane.

"Excuse me Princess Peach, I wanna talk to ya ‘bout somethin’. King Boo said I should talk to ya, because ya know lots of things ‘bout love".

Peach crouched to be at the filly’s level.

"Mayhaps you want to talk about this in a more quiet place ?" The princess replied.

Apple Bloom nodded and they left the room to go in the garden ; surprisingly, there was no one outside ; the two girls sit on a bench half-hidden behind a bush.

"What is the matter, my young friend ?" Peach interrogated.

"I’m so gloomy since an hour… Everythin’ was fine today, I swear, but Ah don’t know, I felt down all of sudden. I talked to King Boo and he said he sensed love in my soul ! But I don’t love anypony !"

"King Boo is right. His ability to see and sense souls is much more potent than mine or Princess Zelda’s ; sometimes, rarely of course, I really envy him. But he is not quite as good as me to determine who you love".

"Ya know who it is !? Please tell me !"

"I want you to know that I am responsible for this first, and I deeply regret it. I apologize to you, Apple Bloom. Without my presence, your feelings would have stayed low".

"But… look at what you’ve done ! Everypony’s happier than ever thanks to ya ! Twilight, Starlight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Spike, Princess Celestia, Bowser ! My sis’ even told me she had a crush on Countess Coloratura and Pinkie Pie on Gilda !"

"Let me tell you something ; sometimes I doubt it is for the better for everyone to express their true love… But I am immediately reminded that love never destroys. Of course you can and will argue with your lover, sometimes Mario just makes me crazy, but all these little fights serve a purpose ; even if we are soulmates, we are still different souls, so we cannot agree on everything. Some say we are flawed, but I do not think it is the case : we sometimes must evacuate tensions ; can a sea truly be called a sea without any waves ? Oh ! I am so sorry, I digressed so much ! I will tell you for who your feelings are for, of course !"

"Ah don’t mind Princess Peach. I’ve just learned a few things !"

"I sense your feelings divided equally between two ponies ; it is a very rare situation. One of them, someone close to you but not a friend, is not here, but I sense a faint echo coming from the East. As for the other one, I sense your love resonating with hers here ; she just realized, unconsciously, what she was feeling about you : your souls are responding to each other. She is coming here ; do not worry, everything will be fine", Peach reassured before standing up.

Before she went back into the castle, she winked at Apple Bloom.

"Do not be afraid, the situation is not as complex as it seems. You can count on me to help you. For the moment however, I will not let anyone disturb you", she added before going to talk with Bowser and Sweetie Belle.

Apple Bloom did not turn around when Scootaloo sat beside her.

"What’s the matter Apple Bloom ? You dodged everypony and stayed alone since Princess Luna raised the moon. Sweetie Belle and I wanted to talk to you, but you seemed so… I don’t know… out. And you disappeared until I saw you with Princess Peach. What did you talk about ?"

"Say Scootaloo… Do-do you have a very special somepony ? I mean, do you love somepony ?"

Scootaloo was taken aback by the question, and she stayed confused and silent for some seconds.

"No-No. I… don’t think so. Why ? Is it what you talked about with Princess Peach ?"

"More or less". “Sweet Celestia, why in Equestria I realize she’s so cute just now ?”

"Apple Bloom, you-you’re in love !?"

"I-I dunno. King Boo sensed it and Princess Peach confirmed it. I-I’m not sure of what to do with that actually". “I’m afraid to tell you. I shouldn’t be, you feel the same for me, even if you don’t know it yet”.

"And who do you love ? Please tell me ! I won’t repeat it to anypony, I promise !"

"I-I… can’t say it ‘cause…" “It’s way harder than expected !”

"Because ?"

"‘cause it’s privacy !" “Even my sis’ would’ve told a better lie…”

"Not buying it."

“Find something Apple Bloom ! Peach told you… you also loved… Oh no…” "I… huh… I…" “You’re in a pinch Apple Bloom. Relax. Told her something or she’ll see you’re panicking about everything ! Ponyfeathers, why me !?” "I love huh…"

"Yes ? Lemme guess ! Tender Taps ? Pip Squeak ? Don’t tell me it’s Snips or Snails !"

"No ! It’s just… It’s-it’s not a-a colt. Or a stallion. Or anyone male".

"Oh. I-I-I didn’t know you… you-you huh… swung that way…" Scootaloo spluttered blushingly.

"I didn’t either…" “I must say something before she asks me if it’s her ! She’s gonna guess for sure ! But telling her that I love… Ugh ! What will she… no, what will everypony think !? They’re gonna think I’m sick and twisted and… WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE ME !? ME WITH HER ! AND ME WITH SCOOTALOO ! JUST WHY !?”

"Apple Bloom !? Hey, Apple Bloom ! You’re crying !"

Apple Bloom had not realized it ; big salty tears were running down her muzzle before leaving her face and crashing on the ground.

Without thinking, Scootaloo embraced her.

"What’s wrong !? Please tell me ! I-I can’t stand to see you cry ! I-I-I didn’t wanna… I…"

Apple Bloom cut her off :

"I-I… just… can’t. That ain’t… ain’t your fault. And… you-you just can’t understand ! It’s- it’s just so… just so wrong and so… just so… so sick !"

"I promised I won’t tell anypony. Apple Bloom, I’ve never… I’ve never broken a promise ! Tell me… you-you’ll feel better".

"You won’t… You’ll think… you’ll think of me as… as… as the… worst pony to… to ever exist if I tell you ! Peach told me it-it-it would be alright, but… it AIN’T alright !"

Scootaloo plunged her eyes into her friend’s.

"Apple Bloom. We’re best friends. I’d never think of you like you said I would. Never".

"B-But…"

"Tell me".

Apple Bloom surrendered ; she was literally shaking from sadness and shame in her friend’s hooves.

"Scoots… I’m in love with… I’m in love…"

She paused, looked into her friend’s reassuring violet eyes ; Scootaloo appeared in a blur because of her tears.

"I love… I-I-I love… I… love… Babs Seed ! I-I-I love my cousin ! My cousin !"

"Apple…"

"And I love her the-the wrong way ! I… I should love her as-as family ! But I’m so… so twisted I love her as a special somepony ! What’s wrong with me Scoots !?"

Scootaloo took time to answer ; not that she was thinking that her friend indeed had a problem, but she was struggling to find the right words.

"Nothing’s wrong with you Apple Bloom. I mean, I’m not an expert, but… you’re just in love. You’re not a monster for that, and you’ll never be. Babs Seed’s your cousin, sure, but your family’s so vast and…" She paused for some seconds.

"To be honest, I don’t think you can change anything. No matter who you love, I’ll always be your friend, just like Sweetie Belle and everypony else. Nopony’ll look down on you for that".

Apple Bloom noticed the bittersweet tone Scootaloo was using ; it seemed to accentuate on the word “friend”.

"Scoots… you’re just so… you’re just so… !"

Applejack’s sister tearfully hugged her friend.

"I know I’m awesome", Scootaloo joked.

"I-I must… tell you somethin’ else… I-I not only love Babs Seed". “Go Apple Bloom !” "I… huh… Oh, ponyfeathers ! I love ya too Scoots !" “No turning back now”.

Scootaloo froze, her friends still in her arms.

"I’m in love… with you two ! I’m-I’m so sorry ! Please, please forgive me Scootaloo ! Please, say we’ll still be friends ! Say we…"

Apple Bloom broke in tears, wetting Scootaloo’s fur ; the orange pegasus snapped back to reality when she sensed her small wings getting wet ; Applejack’s sister was crying so much she was drenching her whole back with salty trails of sadness. Scootaloo did not know what she was going to say, or even if she had to say something ; she was lost as Apple Bloom, conflicting feelings arising in her. She loved Apple Bloom as a friend until minutes ago : something has stung her heart while she was talking with Sweetie Belle and Bowser ; instinctively, she had come here, in the garden, next to Apple Bloom, like she was gently but firmly drawn by an overwhelming force. She could not dislike what was blossoming in her, but it was scaring her nonetheless. “Even if I love Apple Bloom, I’m not in love with Babs ! Although she’s pretty cute… Sweet Celestia… What can I do !?”

"A-Apple Bloom… I’m… I huh… I… really… really wanna give us a chance but… I’m afraid… What if it… works with you but not Babs ? What if…"

Apple Bloom kissed her mid-sentence ; she did not want to hear the rest of the hypothesis. She just wanted to be with Scootaloo and Babs Seed, no matter what. She loved those two fillies, and she was not going to give up ; she had no choice anyways. She sensed a powerful wave of courage emanating from the castle, filling her with determination.

"I-I just don’t care ! It’ll work because… because it has to ! Be-because we love each other, whether we like it or not ! It’s just that way… and that’s all. Scoots, Ah know Ah can be happy with ya and Babs as my special someponies. And, even if what I say is dumb and selfish, Ah know for sure you’ll be happy too".

Scootaloo stayed silent, still stunned by Apple Bloom’s kiss. “I-I liked it ! If somepony’d told me I’d love Apple Bloom‘s kiss minutes ago, I would’ve called them… something not nice”.

"Apple Bloom you… you sure about that ?"

"I love ya Scoots, I couldn’t be so…"

It was her friend’s turn to interrupt her with a kiss.

"Hey, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom ! I was… WHAT !?" Sweetie Belle screamed when she saw her two friends kissing behind the bush.

The two fillies quickly separated from each other, almost falling off the bench.

"Sweetie Belle ya… huh… ya were searchin’ for us ?" Apple Bloom spluttered.

Rarity’s sister stared at them without seeing them, like she was disconnected from reality. Scootaloo offered her a shy smile.

"Sweetie Belle ? Hey, Sweetie Belle ?"

Author's Note

Last ship. Probably :D

Twilight Princess

She ran away from her palace. From the statues. From the Darkness. Everything was starting all over again ; it had to be a nightmare. Her golden tears fell into the abysmal orange sky that was making most of her world.

Even though her people had told her to escape, she had nowhere to go ; she herself had destroyed the portal to the other world years ago. She guided the transparent blue square platform to a rocky island, one of countless suspended in the endless sky. She did not know that place : it was too far away from her now fallen kingdom ; beyond that point, there were no more floating rocks. As she set her feet on the rocky surface, the entire small island rotated like it was hiding her from view. She felt on her knees as she checked her wound ; her hip was bleeding, but it seemed superficial ; it was unbearably painful however.

“At least that cursed sword had missed me… Hugh… Should I consider myself lucky to have been attacked by a blind idiot ? What are these things anyway !? They look like them… As soon as I’ll get better I’ll…”

The pain snapped her from her thoughts ; she could not do anything, wounded or not : the things were far too many and far too powerful against magic, and she even had not seen their commander, if they had one.

“I’m doomed. Hugh… Who could’ve thought it would end like this ? Me, dying on a stupid rock ! I…”

She interrupted her train of thought herself this time : right before her red eyes, there was a cavern ; it was making an angle just after the entrance and, by a strange light and shadow effect, was appearing as an almost flat depression when looked from anywhere but her standing point. Seeing no reason to not hide further, she went into the hole. The cavern was indeed making a 90° turn to the left ; she followed the path, making another turn to the right. She walked some meters before taking again another turn to the right. In her wounded state, she was leaning on the wall ; as soon as she turned at the corner, she slipped both on the ground and the wall : the rocky path was suddenly morphing into an impossibly slippery obsidian-like steep surface. She screamed from the pain caused by her fall, then from terror when she saw the end of the slide getting inexorably closer : it was a round black hole with bright green edges. She estimated its diameter as three meters, far too large to try to catch the other side by jumping ; she was not controlling her position anyways, and the substance was far too slippery. She closed her eyes and resigned herself to her fate.

“Killed by slipping into a hole. What a funny end for a ruler” she thought before being swallowed by the void.

The Poe had accomplished its mission : the last bits were in its possession, sealed inside its precious lantern ; the ones from its world were easy to find, and it already had given them to its master ; suddenly it sensed the call and disappeared from the universe it was in.

The Master was suddenly right in front of it in all its glorious incomprehensible form.

"O Master, I did as you asked. How may I serve you again ?"

"Return… world of yours. You… assist I for… attack. Not now. I… will… call… you".

The Poe found itself back into its cavern, its lantern now empty, waiting impatiently for the day its master would call it to destroy Hyrule. And everything else.

She was definitely not dead. She was definitely not in her world however. Lying face down, she looked around : a recently burned plain, strange trees and plants, world of light… “Maybe I’m back in… Ow !” : the pain prevented her from getting up, but she managed to at least lie on her back. She looked around her and her eyes widened in fear : there was nothing beside her. No hole. No portal. Nothing. She was stuck here.

After half an hour of total immobility, she forced her body to stand up, trying to make abstraction of the tearing pain. “I hope I’m not infected or poisoned !”. Now that she was standing, she could make more sense of her surroundings : she was indeed in a vast, burned clearing surrounded by a forest ; a dark and silent forest. Her fears were confirmed : there was nothing around her that could have served as a portal. Undeterred, she shook her head and walked slowly in a random direction, towards the woods.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders had done a great job at cleaning her hut ; Zecora had never seen her house so neatly ordered : everything was in its right place, from her masks to her potions ; the floor was so shiny she could eat on it. Three days after the Day of Universal Friendship, and four days since the cleaning, everything was still perfect.

As Zecora was going to prepare her supper, a weak knocking on her door drew her attention.

Finding that small hollowed house in a tree in that forest devoid of animal life was providential. She could not take more ; she had walked one hour in her state ; all of her left side, from hip to foot, was covered in dried blood. She barely had the strength left to knock at the door. She was expecting to see a tiny human given the size of the house, or at least a humanoid form, but she almost collapsed on the small female zebra when she opened the door.

"Who… Whoever… you are… If… If you… understand… me… Can… can you… help… me ?"

Zecora helped the woman to lie down on her bed ; it was too small to accommodate the very tall frame of the female human, but it was comfortable enough for her to relax a bit. The herbalist quickly put a pillow on the bed frame to ease the tension on the long legs that were largely protruding.

Zecora quickly cleaned the wound with fresh water and bandaged it without any medicine ; she feared the foreign body of her unexpected guest would react in unknown and potentially harmful ways with the plants and remedies of her world.

"Thank you… I… Where am I ?" The woman asked.

"Otherworldly guest, you are in Equestria, inside my hut, and I am Zecora".

"I am Midna, Princess of the Twilight Realm".

"This stay in your world was absolutely wonderful ! If only I could stay longer…" Peach lamented as she was drinking her tea.

"Are you sure you want to leave tomorrow ?" Twilight asked.

"I do not want to, but I am obligated. Toadsworth cannot handle everything".

"And our world is waiting for its ruler and its hero to come back", Zelda added.

"I am sure we will come back soon", Link affirmed.

"I’m staying here for the time being", Bowser declared. "As I can teleport whenever I want, I can jump back and forth between the Mushroom Kingdom, my castles, my training grounds in other worlds and Equestria. You’ll have to let me know when you’ll come again though", he told his fellow guests.

"Speaking of staying, did you find a house ?" Luna asked to Anita.

"With the help of nearly everyone in Ponyville, I’ve indeed found my new home ! Just next to the school where… where I hope to teach soon", Anita replied, tears of joy forming in her eyes ; she wiped them and continued.

"Sorry. It’s just that… I’m so happy. In the following days, I’ll take a sped up training with Miss Cheerilee. I’ve always liked puppies… cubs… children… no, foals I should say now… and since Galania was a scientific world, I retained some useful knowledge… Not enough to make me a scientist, but enough I think to teach in most scientific disciplines, like math, physics, chemistry. I’d like to say astronomy and biology, but that’s when the largest differences between Equestria and Galania begin. And that’s why I must do a training too".

"I am so happy for you Anita", Luna congratulated. "You integrated so quickly in our world and already found your place. I am not only happy, but proud ; I have never met such a wonderful person as you".

"Thank-thank you very much", the Galanian replied, blushing with embarrassment.

"I…" Celestia began before the doors of the living room burst open on Rainbow Dash.

"Emergency ! Zecora has found a wounded stranger in the Everfree forest !" She exclaimed.

Fluttershy slowly materialized behind her lover ; she was panting and sweating heavily, and on the verge to fall on the ground ; she however landed gently on the carpeted floor to rest.

"She… says… she’s a princess. A… blue… human… She’s called… Midna…" She panted.

"What !?" Link exclaimed.

"Can you take us there ?" Zelda asked to Bowser, her voice filled with worry.

Everyone vanished from the room to reappear in front of Zecora’s hut ; they hurried inside, except for Bowser, too large for the hollow tree ; he stayed at the entrance and looked inside.

Midna, as she called herself, was now sitting on the bed ; as soon as she saw Link and Zelda, her bluish face and brilliant red irises lit up with hope and joy.

She was unlike every human the ponies had seen so far : she was taller than everyone, her long neck and limbs allowing her to top Anita by a few centimeters. Her skin was a mix of a pale gray blue and black, with patches of the second color unevenly covering her hips and most of her breasts in a shape reminiscent of a tightly closed vest. Her left hip was totally black, the color extending down to her leg ; the pale blue tone covered the right hip – under the bandages – her other leg and all of her belly. Her loose, half shredded dark cloak shining with a vivid blue interior was cut short at the seams, leaving her dark forearms covered with translucent blue tribal patterns visible, but included a hood which was removed along with a elaborated headdress ending on the bridge of her nose. Her hair was bright orange, and, while two spiky locks of hair on her cheeks framed her eyes, the rest of it was condensed into two tresses that were rejoining between her breasts and linked together by a large stone barrette. She had luscious purple lips, and, on her right thigh not covered by her long loincloth, another blue tribal marking ; her feet were bare. The ponies were stunned by the mix of extreme delicateness and mystery radiating from her face, and Rarity internally swore she was the most beautiful being she had ever seen.

"Link ! Zelda !" Midna exclaimed. "What are you doing here !?"

"It is a long story," Zelda replied.

"Maybe it would be easier for us to talk about this in one of the castles ?" Link suggested. "I do not mean to offend you, miss Zecora, but this hut, as comfortable as it is, is… of modest dimensions… for all of us".

Zecora nodded and Peach turned to Bowser, still outside ; the Koopa King teleported everyone, including Zecora, back into the castle of Canterlot.

Once Midna was rushed into a larger bed, Link and Zelda explained everything that happened since her departure from Hyrule she had helped to save ; from the discovery of the Mushroom Kingdom two years ago to that day, mentioning the destructive force that was slowly approaching every world. They also explained to the ponies who was the Princess of Twilight : a long time ago, in Hyrule, during a terrible civil war, a mysterious tribe of sorcerers, only known in history as the Interlopers, attempted to conquer the Sacred Realm, the resting place of the Triforce and a mythical blessed golden land of harmony ; to that end, they used their powerful dark magic in the form of an artifact, the Fused Shadow. They were however stopped in their machinations and the Golden Goddesses banished them to another dimension, the Twilight Realm, as a punishment. They split the evil artifact into four pieces which they gave to the Light Spirits to seal. Under the effect of this beautiful world of shadows, the Interlopers slowly evolved into a new race, the Twili ; while their hate and desire for revenge never disappeared, their descendants gradually lost them ; the Twili became a peaceful race with its own magic and traditions. However, five years ago, a demented Twili, Zant, also a servant of the royal family, depressed to not be elected king and wanting to conquer the Light World out of revenge, forcefully took the throne from his rival, Midna. He was helped and manipulated in this task by Ganondorf, who was posing as a god, sent to the Twilight Realm as a last-resort punishment for its attempt to conquer Hyrule. Zant transformed his fellow Twili into monsters and Midna into an imp ; the princess had wanted to use the Fused Shadow to retake the throne, and she had managed to get to Hyrule ; she already had one piece of the evil artifact, but needed someone to get the other three : seeing Hyrule attacked by Zant and Link being transformed into a wolf instead of becoming a lost soul in the Twilight covering the land, she had seized the occasion to strike a deal with him : he would help her to retrieve the pieces of the Fused Shadow, and she would help him to save his friends captured by the monsters running havoc. Over the course of the journey however, Midna, at the beginning only wanting to retake her throne regardless of the fate of Hyrule, had begun to see Link as a friend and to care more and more about the Light World. By the time they had finally defeated Zant, Ganondorf had already came back to Hyrule. In an act of bravery she could not had conceived before her adventure with Link, Midna had almost sacrificed herself to stop the dark sorcerer ; even though her efforts were proven fruitless before the might of the Triforce of Power in Ganondorf's possession, she had survived the confrontation and the resulting destruction of the Fused Shadow. Her true form restored, she had simply departed from Hyrule, willingly shattering the gateway between the two worlds forever in the process.

Since this incident, neither Link nor Zelda had had any contact with her.

"Three days ago, it was Zant’s usurpation all over again ! Except I didn’t see who was behind the attack... only his soldiers. These things appeared out of nowhere and started to destroy everything without any reason ! They were like… like you in fact !" Midna exclaimed, looking at Link and Zelda.

"They were gross copies of you, made of… purple crystal. Just a pile of rocks mimicking your silhouette and movements… They didn’t say anything about their motivations – I don’t think they can talk by the way – and I think they’re not really... alive… These cursed polygon-things… magic had no effect, but pure physical force can damage them… but they were too many… And these clouds of darkness in the sky…"

"Oh, by the way, I abandoned my kingdom once again… My people… they told me to flee ! I shouldn’t have listened… I should’ve… fought… even if I would’ve lost. I… again showed that… I’m a… failure of a princess…

Two golden tears, the same that had shattered the gateway between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm years ago, flowed from her bright red eyes ; Link and Zelda approached her and each one took one of her hands ; the wisdom and courage emanating from them calmed down Midna ; she finished her story :

"I fled so far away… until the edge of my kingdom… And there was this rock… It was like the last one floating in the Twilight sky… so peculiar. I land on it, find a cavern ; I want to hide inside, I slip, fall into a hole and suddenly I’m here, with no way to come back".

"You will, first and foremost, come to Hyrule", Zelda decided. "Once there, we will try to find a way to send you back in the Twilight Realm, and Link will help you get back your throne".

"Excuse me Princess Zelda, but if you indeed find a way to send your friend back, I wanna be part of the expedition to seize the throne again ; I’ve never found a way to apologize to the trouble I caused in Hyrule… I think it’s a good occasion to do it", Bowser suggested.

"Your motivations are pure, driven by justice and a need for forgiveness. I will allow it", the Princess of Hyrule approved.

"Don’t !" Midna exclaimed. "You’ll become a lost soul in the Twilight Realm !"

"I won’t. Darkness can’t become a shadow. Besides that, if the Triforce offers a protection against the properties of the Twilight, my power will do so, with probably a more potent effect. At least, as I already said it, my soul and my indestructible body are one and the same. And I think…"

"You think I can come too ! I have no soul, so that thing won’t affect me !" King Boo interrupted, suddenly passing through the floor, scaring Midna.

"Since you are… the way you are… soulless… I cannot sense your feelings and your intentions…" Zelda said with a voice tainted with uncertainty.

"I just want to be a hero !" The king of ghosts exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"Despite the appearances, King Boo is the perfect spy. We’ll stay together, so you won’t have to worry about anything", Bowser explained to Zelda. "That said if you find a way back to that dimension. Maybe I can help you with that too, with the books from my library. I’m gonna find some now".

"This is a good idea", Zelda finally approved. "We must report our departure nonetheless ; we will go back to Hyrule in two days".

The next day, Bowser did not find anything useful in the dozens of books he had brought, but Midna could perfectly stand without wincing ; she took this occasion to discover more of Equestria by visiting Canterlot ; she found it beautiful, but a different kind of beauty than Hyrule or her world ; Equestria was also shining with the brightest colors she had ever seen.

As the sun was setting, she decided to visit the Castle of Friendship, visible from Canterlot ; once right in front of the towering crystal building, she was stunned by its beauty and its architecture.

"There are absolutely no equivalent colors in my world", she told the ponies.

As she visited the interior, she stumbled across the Cutie Map, and Twilight explained its purpose.

"If you touch it, you’ll probably see your world but… I’m afraid it won’t tell us anything about its current status or show its inhabitants", the Princess of Friendship explained.

Midna touched the table with her delicate gray-blue fingers and her world indeed appeared : it was represented as thousands of floating chunks of rock ; the palace, from which Midna had fled, was clearly visible near the center. Millions of small black squares emanated from the Map, all going upwards before disappearing at what was the edge of the projection.

"These… black things floating everywhere are normal ?" Starlight asked to Midna.

"Yes, along with the abyss, they are the very essence of the Twilight", Midna replied.

"Your world’s still there at least", Anita whispered with relief and a hint of sadness.

"Yes, it seems so… But I can’t see my subjects on this map. I hope they’re simply detained…" The Princess of Twilight wished sadly.

"Do not worry. We will free them", Zelda assured.

"You gave me many books", Twilight told Bowser. "Maybe there’s something in these to help Princess Midna get back home ? I remember picking up a few books about dimensional portals".

"It’s worth giving a shot", the Koopa King agreed.

Twilight, Starlight and Bowser headed to the library ; the others proposed Midna a quick tour of Ponyville.

"Nothing ! I now know how to close and shape a portal with the right materials, but I can’t find anything on how to create it !" Twilight complained as she put the last book back in place.

"Nothing here either…" Starlight grumbled.

"I’ll search again in my dimension tonight, in the crates this time", Bowser decided. "It’ll take some time though, and that princess will soon go to Hyrule… I’ll call King Boo to come with me to help".

"I hope you’ll be luckier. Do you need our help ?" Starlight asked.

"It won’t be necessary", the Koopa declined. "I don’t wanna put you in danger… Who knows what some of these crates still contains… I’ll try to come back as soon as possible, even if it’s just to update you".

"Maybe you can try to find something on the things that attacked the Twilight Realm ?" Starlight suggested.

"I don’t think I’ll find something, because they’re probably just products of that thing of oblivion, so brand new things, but I’ll check it out just in case", Bowser replied.

The others came back ten minutes later, and Twilight informed them of the fruitlessness of their search and Bowser’s intention to go back to his dimension with King Boo to help him search through the shipping hub.

"That’s disappointing", Midna sighed.

"But not really surprising", Zelda added. "I hope you will have more luck in your dimension. If not, we will be forced to search through Hyrule or try spells until one of them works. I also recall that, back when he was alive, Ganondorf, as well as Zant, could travel back and forth between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm. Although it is not a spell, with sufficient power, I think we can copy the effects of this magic".

"Without the power of the Fused Shadow, it’ll be difficult, if not impossible", the Twilight Princess countered.

"We can use the power of the Triforce", Link suggested.

"Or my power. I was thinking, if the situation’s really hopeless, maybe King Boo can appeal the case to Death which has the power to breach any dimension, but… it’d be a truly desperate measure, and the chances that Death would care about this are too much close to zero for me", Bowser added.

"Hey, Death is cool !" King Boo objected as he materialized under the ceiling. "Maybe these portals and displacements and all this mess are annoying It, as It loves order ; I mean, all of us guests are not where we are supposed to be ; for the ones who can die, if they die in a foreign world, it causes trouble for the Accountants and Charon, you know, paperwork and boring administrative stuff. If Death can spare Itself and its employees from the slightest bureaucratic mess, It would do almost anything !"

"You MUST take me there with Spike to take notes. A LOT of notes. Bookshelves of notes…" Twilight muttered excitedly under her breath.

"Not a chance", Spike whispered to her.

"Twilight’s… dusk’s here", Midna noted suddenly. "It’s kind of amusing, since I think it’s how your world would look like if it were in the Twilight Realm ; it’s beautiful as it is in daylight. It’s reminding me that I am tired however… We Twili don’t have a night and day cycle, so coming into light worlds is a bit disorienting ; even more so here, since the Sun and the Moon are raised magically".

"If anyone wants to go to Canterlot Castle, they can come with me and King Boo, we’ll leave soon. There’ll be no one to teleport you there after our departure until our return", Bowser warned.

"You said you’d come back to update us", Starlight reminded him.

"Yes, but it won’t be after at least half a day", the Koopa King replied. "When do you wanna come back to Hyrule ?" He asked to Zelda.

"We will let you search for three days ; after that, we will truly be forced to return to Hyrule, otherwise the Kingdom may really begin to worry", the Princess of Hyrule answered.

"And the Mushroom Kingdom too", Peach added.

"I am only slightly tired", Midna said with a smile. "I want to stay here a little longer, learn more about Equestria, if that’s okay with everyone".

"You can stay here for the night", Twilight suggested. "We have plenty of bedrooms".

Midna accepted the offer ; besides Bowser, everyone stayed at the castle ; the Cutie Mark Crusaders came between the discussions.

Three hours later however, everyone had left save for Midna ; she was still conversing with Twilight and Starlight about Equestria and the Twilight Realm, with the former taking copious notes, as Spike was already sleeping. Eventually, the three started to tire too, and Twilight showed Midna her bedroom.

"Are you sure you have nothing to do in Canterlot until tomorrow afternoon ?" The Princess of Friendship asked to her fellow ruler.

"Absolutely. Well, maybe except taking the train, it must be so comfortable !"

The princesses exchanged a laugh before wishing each other good night.

Twilight takeover

It happened soundlessly and instantaneously. No one sensed it, even more so in their sleep. Only Luna saw it taking over, just as she was leaving Anita’s dream. She suddenly saw Equestria taking on an orange hue, far away from the serene semi-obscurity of her night. Outside, trillions of tiny black squares erupted from the ground before getting lost in the fiery sky, harmlessly passing through everything.

The Princess of the Night immediately woke up Anita, allowed her to dress up, and they hurried through the corridors. As they were approaching Celestia’s bedroom, a shadow materialized at the last corner before their destination. When it took form, Luna and Anita immediately recognized it ; Midna was right in describing them : they were crudely shaped humans modeled after Link or Zelda, carved from a sharp, purple crystal. The polygon Link instantly spotted them in the middle of the corridor and ran towards the pony princess and Anita ; it seemed faster than its flesh counterpart. It jumped in the air, its triangular spike fused with its hand drawn on Anita, ready to impale her ; instead, it hit the air and pierced the ground. The creature had not begun to remove the spear stuck in the floor that a powerful kick to the side of its head smashed it into the adjacent wall, and another the following second snapped its blade in two. Anita paused, ready to kick again. Luna’s horn glowed with a blue aura, but the point-blank range magic beam ricocheted against the crystalline surface and broke a window before getting lost into the Twilight. Undeterred, the Princess of the Night quickly shattered the humanoid’s entire right side with a single bucking motion. The thing fell on the floor, breaking in half on impact and scattering crystal shards everywhere. Celestia appeared into the corridor and looked at the half-pulverized thing with a puzzled look.

"We’re under attack sister ! We must wake up everyone, ring the alarm and declare a state of emergency !" Luna exclaimed.

"We’ll alert the Guard once our friends are woken up", Celestia decided as they ran through the empty corridors. "By the way, did you really destroy that thing ?"

"Yes, but Anita did most of the job, I just finished it off !" Her sister replied. "My magic bounced off it, we must destroy these things with pure physical force ! Our hooves can shatter them !"

"You are definitely full of surprises Anita", Celestia complimented. "How do you know to fight so well ?"

"At the beginning of my career, I worked on an action film involving many fighting scenes, so I trained briefly in martial arts at the suggestion of the director. I wasn’t expecting to like them so much and to continue practicing despite my job taking much of my free time. I never reached top level, and there were so many martial arts in Galania, not counting the ones from others worlds, I can’t even begin to list them. There’s also one important thing : despite being a scientific race, Galanians were, for most of them at least, natural fighters since birth", Anita answered as the three finally stopped in front of Peach, Mario and Arancia’s bedroom. Another humanoid, this time shaped like Zelda, appeared in the corridor, and, like the other one, charged at them with its thin crystal rapier ; Celestia teleported right in front of it and bucked the moving pile of crystals with her hind legs right in its “face” ; the force of the blow instantly shattered the head of the creature ; it fell on its knees before collapsing, motionless.

The two princesses and Anita woke up Mario, his wife and his daughter ; they quickly acknowledged the situation, put their clothes on and everyone ran outside the bedroom to find Link, Zelda, Daisy and Luigi, with Peach with Arancia in her arms at the end of the procession.

They found Link and Zelda, already dressed, in the middle of a corridor, inside a circle of purple shards.

"The Twilight is taking over. But these creatures are not from the Twilight Realm", Zelda affirmed. "I am surprised, but absolutely relieved to find you in physical form. As you heard Midna say, every being without magic or divine protection is reduced to a lost soul in the Twilight. Maybe the magic of Equestria is disrupting the Twilight, one way or another…"

As they were searching for Luigi, Zelda theorized that their alicorn magic had prevented Celestia and Luna to become lost souls, and that the close proximity of Luna had helped Anita to resist it too ; she was not sure for Anita, as it could simply be a particularity of her race. Peach and Arancia’s love magic was a perfectly believable shield.

In a corridor, slowly moving back and forth, they encountered a tiny blue flame : Link explained it was probably the soul of a guard.

They found Luigi in his green pajamas crawling against a wall, a pile of crystal dust and burned walls behind him ; Polterpup was his scout, but also his savior : already being a soul, the ghost dog was totally immune to the effects of the Twilight and so had woken up its master : it was patrolling the corridors to alert Luigi of the presence of the polygon clones, but one of them had almost taken him by surprise ; the scared plumber had literally discharged a tornado of green fire against his attacker to little effect, but a defensive explosive punch had reduced it to smithereens.

"Daisy wasn’t with me when Polterpup got me up ! I don’t know where she is !" Luigi panicked.

They hurried again through the corridors before hearing Daisy’s voice. They ran into a hallway covered with wines, petals, flowers, Venus fly-traps and polygon dust ; crystal limbs were protruding from some of the carnivorous flowers ; the plants were still growing and ensnaring the attackers when Daisy, in the middle of the corridor in her translucent orange night gown, saw them. The vegetal stopped their growth as their creator kicked the last remaining intruder in the head, reducing it into shards and flower petals.

"They can’t talk, or they don’t wanna", Daisy said as she rejoined the group. "Y’all okay, guys ?"

"Everything is fine. It seems all of us have some degree of fighting prowess", Celestia observed.

"That’s good ! Because we’ll definitely find the guy who’s behind that and kick his butt, like, very hard. Oh, by the way, Luigi, I’m a sleep-walker, that’s why I wasn’t with ya ; I was in that corridor before these things snapped me out. Sorry for makin’ ya worry", the ruler of the Samsara Kingdom apologized.

"We must go to the Castle of Friendship immediately", Celestia decided. "We don’t know how our friends are dealing with these creatures".

"Worse, I think the enemy’s forces will be concentrated there : they are probably searching for Midna, but I cannot ascertain my theory", Zelda added.

"How do we get there ?" Luigi asked.

"We’ll take the tr…" Luna interrupted herself. "Has everypony, besides us alicorns, turned into a lost soul which we can’t interact with ?" She interrogated.

"This is most likely the case. I do not know the fate of our friends, except Twilight Sparkle who, as an alicorn, is also probably immune to the Twilight", the Princess of Hyrule replied.

"So we’ll walk", Luna sighed. "It will take a very long time… too much time in fact..."

"You can do this much better than me, but I can fly too", Peach pointed out, showing her umbrella. "I can fly down all the way to Ponyville".

"Me and my brother can follow you on land", Mario added. "We’ll jump down the mountain".

"Huh… I can use a dandelion, but three of us can’t fly or jump that high", Daisy grumbled, looking at herself, Anita, Zelda and Link. "Or… I’m being dumb and just can lend y’all a dandelion…"

"Maybe it would be prudent to get rid of the intruders in the castle ? We’re not sure everypony is transformed, but at the same time…" Celestia thought aloud.

"It could attract attention", her sister finished. "We'll see how many of these things are on the way, and destroy as much as possible. Do everyone agree ?"

"The lost souls cannot be harmed, but they nonetheless can be scared. It is the most reasonable course of action", Zelda affirmed.

"I’ll make dandelions outside. Let me get dressed, and we’ll be in Ponyville in no time", Daisy said.

There were only three polygon statues remaining in the castle, but lots of souls ; Zelda theorized that, whoever was behind this, he was not aware of the properties of some of the magic of Equestria and had not bothered to send many troops.

Once outside, the view of Canterlot smothered in Twilight made them stop : the once colorful world was now only orange, black, brown, grey and everything in between : the contrast was striking, but not devoid of a certain beauty. In the main streets of the Equestrian city, some humanoids were patrolling, although the ponies were probably sleeping, blissfully unaware of their situation, or hiding from the silent angular things.

The group discreetly walked until the edge of the cliff, where Daisy made six dandelions sprout from the ground by simply touching it : they were almost twice as tall as Anita. The beautiful yellow flower heads quickly withered until their last stage before death, their seeds still firmly hooked on the calyculi. The lightweight stems were cut and Daisy explained that since there was no wind to force her to use more magic, they just had to follow her. They had to firmly grip their stem ; she also advised the princesses of Equestria to not fly too close to the dandelions, because the wind created by their wings could accidentally blow away some of the seeds, thus reducing the effectiveness of the dried flowers.

Daisy jumped first, and she perfectly floated towards their destination ; the others followed her, with Peach making sure to secure her child before jumping of the cliff with her open umbrella held in one hand. None of the intruders noticed the strange floating procession slowly heading towards Ponyville.

As a Twili, Midna sensed the Twilight taking over, even in her sleep ; she brutally woke up, jumped out of her bed and ran towards Twilight’s bedroom. Twilight and Starlight were peacefully sleeping ; when Midna woke them up, they were so tired they failed to notice the Twilight around them.

"Everything’s fine, Princess Midna… We’re in the middle of the night, it’s perfectly normal that the sky’s orange…" Twilight grumbled. "Wait, WHAT !?" She suddenly exclaimed.

"Not so loud Twi…" Her lover whispered.

"Starlight, wake up ! Twilight’s taking over Equestria !" The Princess of Friendship shouted, shaking the half asleep unicorn.

"What…" Starlight opened her eyes on the window ; once she saw the black squares rising in the orange sky, she jumped out of the bed.

"What’s happening !?"

"The Twilight is invading your country !" Midna replied. "I don’t know how you’re still physical and not reduced to lost souls, but we must hurry and find everyone !"

Spike was the most difficult to wake up, and Twilight briefly envisaged letting him sleep ; once he understood the situation however, he panicked :

"Rarity ! We must find Rarity !"

"We’ll search for Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rainbow Dash in that order", Twilight decided. "We’ll go to Canterlot together".

As they went to get out of the castle, a lone polygon clone blocked their way, standing in front of the exit door ; the crystal Link wasted no time at charging at them, and they barely escaped its spike.

"It’s them !" Midna screamed. "The ones that took over my kingdom !"

Twilight and Starlight’s magic bounced off the crystal creature which attacked Midna.

"Back in there, I destroyed some of them with brute force !" The Twilight Princess exclaimed as she managed to avoid the strike and kick the monster away, accidentally towards Starlight.

The unicorn thought fast : she turned around, closed her eyes and bucked the legs of the thing as hard as she could ; the crystals cracked and the humanoid lost its balance ; it stammered towards Twilight : the Princess of Friendship bucked it in the torso, sending him flying and crashing in the middle of the hall ; the broken parts still moved for some seconds before finally collapsing.

The streets of Ponyville were almost empty, save for the patrolling humanoids : Twilight saw most of them converging towards her castle. Even with the invisibility spell, the group was moving slowly and under cover ; they reached Sugarcube Corner and quickly went inside the bakery : they rapidly found Pinkie Pie, but the whole Cake family and Gummy were reduced to wisps.

"They’re lost souls now, it’s akin to being a shadow ; you can’t interact with them or see them ; once the Twilight will be dispelled, they’ll be physical again. Don’t worry, they can’t be harmed… but their life has become a lie…" Midna explained sadly.

Pinkie Pie cried over the little flames : judging by their position, they were still peacefully sleeping.

"We’ll free them", the Princess of the Twilight Realm promised.

"It’ll be quick", Pinkie Pie told the souls, even though they could not hear her ; Gummy’s soul however, seemed to react and moved closer to its owner ; Twilight internally swore she could almost see the toothless baby alligator sitting patiently, eyes lost in the distance as ever, waiting for them to solve the disaster.

There was a lone polygon patrolling not far away the Carousel Boutique, but everyone avoided it easily rather than engaging a fight : they did not know if the thing could ring a sort of alarm and if it could, they would be easily overwhelmed by a swarm of cold crystalline statues. Twilight picked up the lock and they broke into the building ; they climbed the stairs and found Rarity asleep on the table of her workshop, a half finished dress sewn with the gems from the crystal cave of Bowser’s castle beside her. In Sweetie Belle’s bedroom, the intact filly was also sleeping in her bed. They woke up Rarity slowly : the unicorn was disoriented and it took several minutes and the sight of the crystal clone of Zelda from her window to make her understand the situation. Her sister was much more reactive however, and she was the first to ask :

"Now what ? With all these creepy things outside, there’s not much we can do !"

"We must find everyone and go to Canterlot without being seen", Starlight explained. "Our closest friend’s Fluttershy ; we must go to her cottage".

"I still wonder why none of you are affected by the Twilight", Midna mused aloud.

"I have a theory", Twilight affirmed. "The Magic of Friendship is protecting us from the grasp of that power. Also, even though we’re relinquished them to the Tree of Harmony, we’re still, in a sense, the Elements of Harmony. I’m not sure how these powers are interacting with each other, but I do know that the Magic of Friendship is responsible for our protection".

Twilight’s theory convinced everyone, and they discreetly left Rarity’s boutique under the cover of the invisibility spell ; however, the alicorn informed everyone that she probably could not maintain the spell for so much people when they would find the rest of their friends.

Fluttershy’s cottage was surrounded by little flames ; Starlight explained it was probably the souls of the numerous animals living next to or inside the house. No humanoid was here and Twilight and Starlight deactivated the invisibility spell before gently knocking at the door as Midna monitored the surroundings. The insistent knocking made Fluttershy open the door ; she was panicked and her muzzle was wet with tears : inside her house, all of her animals were reduced to wisps ; Midna was surprised to see so many souls inside the cottage.

"What’s happening !? The animals… they’re…"

"They’re still there Fluttershy, you just can’t interact with them ! See these flames ? It’s their soul ! Fluttershy, the Twilight has taken over Equestria ! We must go to find Applejack and Rainbow Dash before any of them encounter a bunch of polygon things !" Twilight exclaimed.

"What are you…"

Fluttershy’s words died out in her throat : behind her friends, a crystal clone, in the form of Link, was approaching. The terrified expression of her pegasus friend made Twilight turn around ; the crystal statue initiated its jump ; it had not left the ground that a rope wrapped itself around its neck, preventing it from attacking ; it kneeled and planted its shield in the dirt, keeping it from being dragged by Applejack. It approached its sword to cut the rope ; Twilight appeared in front of the polygon and shattered its head with her rear hooves. Applejack was here with her sister, their hooves covered in crystal dust.

"Applejack ! Apple Bloom ! You’re safe !" Twilight exclaimed as she embraced her friends. "Where are Big Mac and Granny Smith ?"

The two siblings did not answer ; they began to cry.

"They’re fine", Starlight reassured. "Were there two blue flames in your farm, where Granny Smith and Big Mac should’ve been ?"

"Yes… There was… that-that blue fire thing… in their beds. Why ?" Applejack spluttered.

"Look around us ! These are the souls of the ones under the Twilight’s effects ! All these flames are the souls of Fluttershy’s animals, so the ones in your farm are definitively your granny and your brother !" Starlight explained.

"But we can’t… They can’t see us… They can’t touch us…" Apple Bloom said as she was trying to dry her tears.

"No, but they’re safe in a sense. Once the Twilight will be dispelled, they will become physical again. I don’t know how the Light of your world has been sealed however. Remember what we’ve talked about : in Hyrule, the Light Spirits were the guardians of that Light ; it was shattered into Tears of Light and put into… insect-things that Link had to destroy ; the Spirits gave us a vessel to stock the tears before giving them back to them. You obviously don’t have Light Spirits here, so we must find the source of the Twilight before destroying it", Midna explained.

"We find Rainbow Dash and go to Canterlot first", Twilight objected.

"Yes, of course. As we are now, we stand no chance against the enemy", her fellow princess concurred.

The invisibility spell was too much with Fluttershy, Applejack and Apple Bloom added ; the group instead got around Ponyville to go to Rainbow Dash’s house ; it took much more time, but they evaded every polygon statue inside the village.

The Cloudominium had also lost its colors ; the rainbow-colored waterfalls and streams were now just shades of pale orange and yellow, grey and black ; the clouds themselves were black and lacked much of their substance : they were slowly withering away, threatening to make the house collapse ; despite this, the building was managing to keep its integrity, given the very slow rate of the disintegration.

Twilight and Fluttershy flew towards their friend’s house and vehemently knocked at the door ; hearing no response and seeing their hooves sinking a few millimeters in the Twilight clouds, they flew in front of the window of their friend’s bedroom before crashing inside.

The noise almost failed to wake up Rainbow Dash, deeply asleep in her slowly sinking bed.

"Rainbow, wake up !" Fluttershy shouted ; it was not really a shout given her voice, but it made the blue pegasus open her eyes nonetheless.

"If… ya… wanted to… sleep with… me… You could’ve… said so", the half-asleep Rainbow Dash replied vaguely with a blush and a giggle.

Fluttershy blushed, but she firmly shook her lover :

"Open your eyes ! Rainbow, we’re in the Twilight ! Look around ! Open your eyes !"

The magenta eyes left the lovely sight of Fluttershy to look at Twilight, then at her bedroom. Once she registered the orange sky, the black clouds and the squares of pure blackness rising from the ground, she froze in place.

"What… what the hay’s happening !?" She spluttered, rubbing her eyes.

"The Twilight, the essence of Midna’s realm, is invading Equestria ! Rainbow, we must get out of here ! Your house, it’s sinking !" Twilight exclaimed, pointing the bed with her hoof.

Rainbow Dash panicked ; she jumped out of her bed, went through the smashed window and flew around her house ; it was too late : she could not do anything but witness the inevitable : her house would eventually pass through the clouds and crash to the ground ; she rejoined Twilight and Fluttershy.

"I take Tank, my books and my photos. Can you help me ?" She asked with a monotone voice before breaking down in tears.

Fluttershy tightly hugged her as Twilight put the books and photos into a bag ; the alicorn suddenly realized something and bit her lip.

"About Tank…" She began as she looked at the blue flame in a corner of Rainbow Dash’s bedroom.

"Tank… TANK !?" The cyan pegasus screamed as she frantically searched her room.

"WHERE IS HE !?"

"He’s here…" Fluttershy whispered, pointing at the wisp with her hoof ; she tried to take it into her hooves, but she passed through it ; fortunately, moving the basket of the turtle along the flame that it had become was effective, and they left the sinking house.

The three flying ponies, after explaining the situation to the rest of group, took the time to drop off Tank and Rainbow Dash’s possessions at Fluttershy’s cottage : the sky was empty and thus safe, but they spotted flying things near the Castle of Friendship, and so made the way back to their friends much quicker ; the sky would not be safe for too long. Rainbow Dash was not willing to see her home crashing to the ground ; even if it was not really high, the damage would be irreversible ; she squeezed her eyes shut as everyone walked away from the doomed house.

Higher in the sky, the clouds were keeping their solidity ; the ponies had an intense moment of panic when they thought about Cloudsdale, the cloud factory and everything else above their heads. Rainbow Dash had volunteered to check, and, although the clouds were dark and smoky and the sky city totally empty, it was obviously not sinking in the slightest.

"But why ?" Applejack interrogated.

"The clouds, the higher ones, aren’t disintegrating", Rainbow Dash replied as the thought of her house crossed her mind ; she shook her head in sadness.

"The effect on the clouds doesn’t seem to reach past a certain point… That doesn’t mean it won’t. I think there are two explanations for this, given that the Twilight has a lone power source, that of which we can’t be sure : Rainbow Dash’s house is closer to the source, or the source is grounded, limiting the corruption to the ground and part of the sky. As I said, we can’t be sure the area of effect won’t expand though", Twilight theorized.

"Do you have any idea what this source could be ?" Rarity interrogated.

"No, I don’t. But finding it and destroying it is the key to free Equestria", Twilight replied.

"Maybe someone’s the source ? Is this possible ?" Starlight asked to Midna.

"Back in Hyrule, Zant was capable of instantly reinstating Twilight even after Light was restored, so I would say yes. If this is the case, slaying the instigator might be effective", the Twilight Princess replied.

"Huh… Maybe… hem… just stopping him first would be sufficient ?" Spike suggested.

"Maybe. Let’s say killing would be our last resort", Midna decided.

"Hey, guys, I don’t think I’ll go in the sky again. There is huh… some kind of… huge black… huh… birds up there. I’d kick the butt of most of them of course, but they’re like hundreds and they’re everywhere !"

"They’re probably the monsters of my realm brought here", Midna replied. "Someone is trying to install Twilight here, permanently…" She growled, clenching her teeth.

As they were getting around Ponyville, they took a small bushy hill overlooking the village, allowing them to see without being seen. From there, they spotted the birds on some roofs of the village ; Fluttershy almost screamed and Rarity turned away in disgust : they were only called “birds” because of their two frayed, thin wings full of holes ; they had no feathers ; their head consisted only of a trumpet-like horn, with the insides glowing with a red pattern not unlike those on Midna’s body ; their dark body was emaciated and all of their bones were visible under their papery skin ; their long tail looked broken at many points at its tip ; their muscular legs were supported by clawless talons.

"Stay away from them", Midna warned. "If one spots us, it’ll shout and they’ll all come after us, and probably the… Polygons too".

"We continue to get around to Ponyville and… oh no !" Twilight exclaimed as she glimpsed a tiny shadow sneaking between the houses, tables and bushes ; she was lucky to spot it, but as nothing else was moving beside the polygon statues, it was easy to focus on it.

"Who’s that !?" Rarity asked with horror.

"It’s… It’s Scootaloo ! She’s going to the castle !" The Princess of Friendship panicked.

"I’ll go !" Rainbow Dash decided before unfurling her wings.

"No ! Even with your speed, you’ll be spotted ! These things, they have no eyes, but they’re birds of prey, they have a very good view, trust me !" Midna protested.

Twilight activated an invisibility spell, disappearing from view.

"I’ll go alone to rescue her ; it’ll be easier", she stated before taking off and flying towards Ponyville without listening to the protestations of her friends.

She flew slowly, silently and far away from any birds, careful to not raise any dust from the ground. Scootaloo appeared in her field of view just as her head popped out of a bush. It happened too fast : as soon as the low croak mixed with a trumpet sound reached Twilight’s ears, she understood one of the monsters had spotted the filly ; she saw the only one which could have seen Scootaloo, perched on the edge of a roof of a house facing the bush ; it seemed unsure of what it had seen, as the Cutie Mark Crusader had precipitately put her head back into the foliage. However, it stayed fixed on the spot, preventing the filly from moving. Suddenly, it went stiff, stammered while letting out a small cry and fell from its perch, an arrow deeply embedded in its heart ; it exploded into a myriad of small Twilight particles once it touched the ground. The death of one of their brethren precipitated the other birds into frenzy ; they shouted a powerful horn sound, left their perches and started to patrol in the sky and the streets, searching for the culprit ; alerted, the Polygons began their hunt too, two by street, one searching inside the houses and the other outside. Another bird fell, caught in mid-air by another arrow ; five followed before a small explosion at the outskirts of Ponyville was heard : all the monsters blindly followed the source of the noise and emptied the streets and homes. Scootaloo popped her head again before leaving the bush ; Twilight went after her.

"Stop !" She whispered once she managed to catch up to the filly.

"Stop !" Another female voice said right in front of them.

Peach and Arancia, Celestia, Luna, Daisy, Mario, Luigi, Anita, Link and Zelda appeared as the two princesses of Equestria lifted the invisibility spell ; Twilight did the same.

"What were you thinking !?" Anita reprimanded.

"I-I was going to the castle…" Scootaloo replied, a hint of guilt in her voice. "Everypony’s… everypony’s gone…" She cried.

"Do not worry ; they are lost souls now, those blue flames you probably saw everywhere. You cannot do anything for them, but you should have stayed hidden", Zelda said. "We must move, the diversion will not last".

"Come with me, everyone’s on that hill", Twilight indicated, showing the location with her hoof.

They followed her and reunited with the others.

"I suppose there is not only alicorn’s magic that can protect you", Zelda observed as she looked at the ponies.

"The Magic of Friendship’s probably the source of our protection", Starlight explained.

"That is why I have not turned into a wolf this time", Link mused aloud.

Suddenly, as she was lost in deep thought, Midna exclaimed :

"We must not only find the source of the Twilight, but also the portal from where the creatures are coming ! It’ll be my chance to go back home, free my people and get back my throne ! When I appeared here, there was no portal around me, but now, we’re sure there is one somewhere, surely not far away from my point of origin".

"Which was the Everfree Forest", Rarity recalled with a shiver.

"Going to the Everfree under the effects of the Twilight won’t be easy at all", Luna warned. "We don’t know how the forest reacted to this magic, or if it’s not filled with these crystal things or monsters".

"If only someone could sense the source", Midna sighed.

"Oh, there’s definitely someone who can", a familiar voice resonated above them.

"Discord !" Fluttershy beamed before flying towards him to give him a hug.

"I’m so glad to see you unharmed, dear Fluttershy", the Spirit of Disharmony said. "Oh, and you too of course", he added quickly to everyone.

"You can track the magic like you did with Tirek ?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, even if that magic’s radically different from anything I know. Of course, having me with you is almost cheating against our enemy, but I can’t be sure how my magic will react with the other one if I try to stop it", Discord replied.

"At least you can stop these polygon things and these horrible birds", Fluttershy assured.

"I can certainly do something about that, yes", the draconequus confirmed. "As for the source of that magic, it’s indeed in the Everfree Forest. I’ll guide you".

Everyone followed Discord, all the while explaining to him what was happening ; after fifteen minutes, they found themselves at the edge of the forest. Under the Twilight, the trees were even more twisted than usual : their foliage was forming a giant mass of pure blackness ; it seemed like the woods had become a single, disproportionate, monstrous tree.

"That’s not really enticing…" Starlight observed.

Suddenly, two large bright red arrows signs illuminated with light bulbs materialized on each side of the path to the forest, along with a brightly lighted archway that was reading “Welcome to the Everfree Forest, creepier than ever”.

"And now ?" Discord asked.

The signs slowly blackened however, blending with the surroundings ; the corruption then abruptly stopped and everything made of chaos disintegrated into thin Twilight particles.

Discord looked at the black squares – that seconds ago were his creations – going upwards and frowned :

"That’s well… unexpected. At least my magic works… almost".

"I don’t suppose it’s safe to teleport us directly to the source then…" Twilight sighed.

"We… you’ll have to walk, yes", Discord replied.

They had not make one step into the forest that, popping out of the foliage, the head of a moving, monstrous dark plant clapped its jaws on Discord’s body ; the fluorescent pink lips closed on thin air however, and the two halves of the draconequus fused back together ; the Spirit of Disharmony snapped his paws and the head disappeared out of existence. However, less than one second later, another reappeared at the same spot ; Link cut it immediately and the Twilight vegetal died for good.

"Even your powerful magic is disrupted", Zelda told Discord.

"Only a form of Light can truly cut the Twilight", Link added.

"I hope our magic will work against it…" Luna wished.

"I do not know. However, I think we will soon find out", Zelda said.

Zelda’s intuition was right : another plant popped out of the foliage after a few steps ; Celestia immediately blasted the monster with her magic ; it did not recover.

"It’s gonna be long…" Applejack sighed.

"If not endless…" Daisy added. "I’m sorry guys, I have no power over these huh… plants".

"If we knew when Bowser would come back, it could spare us this hazardous expedition", Peach said, looking at her daughter sleeping in her arms.

"You should’ve stayed somewhere safe with Arancia", Mario told her.

"I do not want to be a burden, however, I also doubt “somewhere safe” exists anymore", she replied ; Mario silently agreed.

They managed to progress – albeit very slowly – in the forest, the unicorn and alicorn’s magic blasting any plant in the way.

"We’re getting closer", Discord affirmed after one kilometer.

"I don’t like the direction the source is coming from… it’s up to no good if my theory’s right", Twilight said worryingly.

"What are you thinking of ?" Starlight interrogated.

"That direction is in the vicinity of…" Twilight replied before being interrupted by a growl.

Right in front of them, blocking the path, was a small, strangely shaped hill. When looked closer however, it was not a hill at all : it was a giant, sleeping Timberwolf ; the ponies almost failed to recognize it : it was highly disfigured by the Twilight and concealed by the surrounding darkness. The beast – four times as tall as Discord – was still made of wood and leaves ; however, they were black and sharp, dripping with a viscous fluid and covered in the strange maze-like red patterns found on other Twilight creatures. Its face was transformed : it was now made of grey stone and deprived of eyes ; hanging under the jaw, viscous tendrils were moving on their own ; they were also growing on the neck, forming a dense mane almost covering the spiky protrusions of wood on the back. Although the beast had no eyes, its position and regular growl indicated that it was fortunately sleeping.

The group took a few steps back away from the wolf-shaped, towering mass of black wood.

"Now what ?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"We could get around it", Rarity suggested.

"Or jumping or flying over it", Luigi proposed.

As everyone was thinking about the possibilities, a loud cry made their blood freeze ; Arancia was awake and visibly scared by her surroundings. Peach immediately sedated her with magic, too late : they heard an annoyed growl behind them, and the beast slowly woke up. It stood up, further gaining in height, and looked at the group with its non-existent eyes.

"Great…" Discord grumbled ; he snapped his claws and the monster found itself with its jaws tightly muzzled with iron ; a rope around its neck was tied to a giant pole firmly stuck in the ground. However, after a few seconds, Discord’s creations turned into Twilight and faded away.

"Bad doggie…" The Spirit of Disharmony frowned.

The Timberwolf lunged at the group which dodged it ; orange and green fireballs immediately hit in the face and it stepped back, slightly burned. It tried to swipe at Celestia and Luna, only for them to fly over the paw and fire magic at it ; while it ricocheted off the stone face, it destroyed chunks of the huge body. Twilight, Starlight, Rarity and even Sweetie Belle joined the princesses, severely injuring the monster’s torso. As it was recoiling, Link almost cut its right front leg, nearly making it fall. The monster quickly thought on how to gain the upper hand ; getting rid of the weakest would probably help ; it recovered and focused its attention on Peach and her child, far behind the group of attackers. It took its decision and jumped over the group in an impressive leap, its jaws ready to swallow the princess and the baby whole ; instead of closing its mouth on them, it crashed on a giant, pink glass-like heart-shaped surface, stunning him long enough for Peach to rejoin the group and give her child to Mario.

"I can’t say I approve of what you’re going to do", he said as he took his daughter in his arms. "We can fight it, our attacks are working and it’s wounded…"

"This creature has attacked my child, our child", her wife replied with a cold anger as the monster turned towards the group. "I thoroughly despise anyone or anything that preys on the weakest".

"Yes, I know that, but…" Mario began, but Peach interrupted him.

"Stand back Mario. Stand back everyone. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Twilight, Miss Glimmer, can you make a shield big enough to protect everyone ?" She asked.

"Yes, we can, but…" Twilight object before being cut off.

"One hundred meters from here will be sufficient", Peach affirmed.

"Guys, better listen to her. She’s really too scary when she’s like that", Daisy warned. "It’s gonna be a mess".

Everyone reluctantly obeyed and they observed the princess facing off with the monster.

"This is crazy ! We should be helping her !" Twilight exclaimed as she formed the shield with the princesses and Starlight.

"I wouldn’t do that if I were you", Luigi replied. "Trust me, you wouldn't wanna be outside of that shield when it’ll happen".

"What ? What will happen ?" A confused Rainbow Dash asked.

"How to say it…" Luigi mused aloud.

"The Timberwolf ! It’s regenerating !" Applejack exclaimed as the monster slowly generated new, identic parts to replace the damaged ones.

The now fully healed beast leaped towards Peach and tried to crush her in its paws. Twilight was stunned by the speed of Peach’s jump, blurry to her eyes ; she saw her fellow princess floating right in front of the face of the monster. Peach suddenly threw her rear and hips at the stone mask : the explosion of hearts and fire that occurred instantly vaporized the nearby trees and made the shield tremble.

Everyone except for Mario, Luigi, Daisy, Link and Zelda stayed mouth agape.

"What I told ya ?" Luigi told Twilight as the fire engulfed everything around them, putting pressure on the shield.

"That’s why I never, ever anger her", Mario whispered.

"She-she-she’s so scary…" A frightened Spike spluttered.

"Ain’t she ? Even though she looks weaker than me, and I hate to say it, it’s actually the contrary", Daisy said.

The flames subsided and Peach emerged from the explosion totally unscathed ; behind her, the fire was cooling down : the monster and the trees were reduced to little piles of ash and bits of burnt wood ; the ponies lowered the shield.

"It will probably attract attention, so we should attain our destination as soon as possible", the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom suggested as she dusted off her gown.

The ponies, Anita, Midna and Discord shook their head in disbelief. The latter took the lead again, and everyone followed him.

"You’re just awesome !" Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo exclaimed simultaneously.

"Thank you", Peach replied as she took back her child. "But I simply have some... trump cards in my sleeve for dire situations", she added with a wink.

Author's Note

Like in Smash Bros. 64, Polygons are weak, but I think ponies possess tremendous strength in their legs :D

Maybe we'll get back at Gummy and his reaction to the Twilight later ;)

And of course Peach's really powerful (far more than in the video games, it's not that difficult though...) ;)

Zant, Sixth Herald of Nothingness

Fifteen minutes and dozens of destroyed plants later, they finally arrived at their destination.

"I was right all along…" Twilight was not congratulating herself ; she was extremely worried.

They looked at the chiasm with stairs carved within, and the cavern below, facing it.

"The source’s there", Discord affirmed, pointing at the opening in the opposite cliff. "But you’re not surprised, aren’t you ?" He said to Twilight.

"No, I fear I’m not, indeed. This is bad. Really bad".

"What’s inside ?" Midna interrogated.

"Just the most important magical artefact of Equestria", Discord replied. "My opposite, something I failed to seal a long time ago…"

"The Tree of Harmony is the source of the Twilight…" Twilight murmured.

As they were descending the stairs, Twilight elaborated her thoughts for the others :

"The Tree of Harmony as the source of the Twilight makes perfect sense ; it’s grounded, meaning that its effects can't affect the sky. That’s also why there are so many plants in the forest ; we’re lucky the Everfree hasn’t taken over Equestria… yet. At least, what better source of Twilight than the most powerful magical object in Equestria ? And I don’t know how the Elements of Harmony on it are interacting with that foreign magic…"

They entered the cavern and the Tree of Harmony quickly appeared in their field of view in spite of the surrounding darkness. The ponies let out a horrified gasp ; this was not the Tree of Harmony they knew anymore : while its shape was still roughly the same, its crystalline structure was replaced by an obsidian-like material from where sprouted numerous spikes ; it was also covered with the glowing reddish lines of the Twilight. Fleshy grey tendrils supporting orange bulbs of fluid had replaced the gracefully hanging garland. The Elements of Harmony were nowhere to be found.

"This… this is an… an abomination…" A shocked Luna stammered.

"Stand back !" Link suddenly warned.

"What ?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"See these appendages on the trunk ?"

They examined the tree ; it was almost unnoticeable in the darkness and on the black surface, but some roots, growing from behind the tree, were penetrating it.

"They’re haustoria !" Twilight exclaimed.

"What the hay…" Applejack began, but her friend cut her off.

"A haustorium is a part of a fungus, it forms the mycelium in that case, but in botanic, it’s also the vital element shared by all parasitic plants !"

"Wait… Do you mean…" Rainbow Dash thought aloud.

"Yes ! The Tree of Harmony is parasitized !" Twilight confirmed.

"And I have an idea by what… These roots are familiar… too familiar. Watch out…" Link whispered as he cautiously approached the Tree of Harmony.

When the group approached within five meters of the vegetal, a shadow moved behind it : they all jumped back ; the head of a monstrous carnivorous plant appeared above the Tree of Harmony.

"I was right, this is Diababa ! Or rather, its seedling !" Link exclaimed.

"We encountered its parent when the Twilight took over Hyrule", Midna explained. "If it’s a seedling, it must definitely have the same weakness !"

"Which is ?" Rainbow Dash asked.

The gigantic black plant bellowed at its opponents, opening its three jaws and spitting a purple, noxious semi-liquid gas at them ; it retracted its massive neck and fired a ball of goo that everyone managed to dodge.

"There’s no eye in its mouth !" Midna pointed out. "We must destroy it another way !"

"Watch out !" Link yelled before the plant slammed its head into its own poison, spilling it everywhere and covering itself.

"Make the head fall !" Midna advised.

The ponies fired their magic, making the monster recoil ; Link’s arrow, packed with a bomb, exploded in its face : the vegetal fell down, but not before materializing moving vines that Discord snapped out of existence.

"It’s dead ?" Applejack interrogated.

"Just knocked out. It will not last", Link replied.

As the plant began to recover, a green fireball exploded right in its open mouth : the mortally wounded monster screamed, spilling poison everywhere as it trashed around in agony. It soon stopped however, and simply dried out before crumbling into black dust. The tendrils surrounding the Tree of Harmony vanished, but the tree itself stayed corrupted.

"What !? How is this possible !?" Twilight exclaimed.

Sensing a presence, Anita swiftly turned around.

"We have a problem", she said as she pointed the exit of the cave with her index : it was sealed with a magical barrier : its moving reddish maze-like pattern was preventing any exit.

"Why… Why do we have to meet again ?" A voice suddenly echoed in the cavern.

They turned around again : on the Tree of Harmony, perched atop one of its branches and caressing one of the bulbs of orange fluid, was a man.

"Zant !" Midna exclaimed, horrified.

The man, a Twili just like her, was taller than everyone. His pale-blue face was surrounded by a balaclava in its entirety, only showing a few red hair above his forehead on which a Twilight symbol was engraved. He was wearing a long, plain black cloak not dissimilar to Midna’s one, with long sleeves hiding its hands ; his feet were also covered by the garment. His orange eyes and yellow irises with no pupils looked at Link with condescendence.

"Even here, in this insufferable world of light and colors that I made mine. It may seem that history is repeating itself, but do not think I am the same as before".

"You are still visibly crawling at the feet of another so-called “god”, throwing your liberty and free-will away but keeping your foolishness, so I would not say you have changed ; in other words, you are still undoubtedly pathetic", Link replied sarcastically.

Zant suddenly appeared behind him in a screeching noise, ready to cut him in half with a scimitar : his right hand hit the hylian shield however, and Link deflected the blow. Anita kicked Zant in the head from behind, but he disappeared as soon as the foot made contact ; he reappeared in the Tree of Harmony in a seated position.

"Surrendering before the inconceivable might of the Master is not an option", Zant said. "I may admit that I was foolish to bow before Ganondorf…"

He disappeared again, this time teleporting right in front of Rainbow Dash, a blade in each hand that he waived simultaneously downwards : he barely missed the pegasus who quickly jumped backwards ; Rainbow Dash hovered out of reach, and Zant teleported and sat back on the tree again.

"…but now, I have found a Master far beyond him, a Master far above all the gods. I now…"

Zelda blocked his blades with her rapier as he materialized in front of her, before he regained his makeshift seat.

"…serve Nothingness. What a glorious being, spreading Its…"

He almost cut Discord in half, had the Master of Chaos not separated his body in the nick of time.

"…incomprehensibility before my very eyes ! O, what a…"

It was Peach’s turn to dodge the scimitars ; her kick hit the air as Zant dematerialized.

"…blessing ! All my life, until now, spent writhing in…"

Mario easily jumped away from the blades.

"…mediocrity and resentment… I, for once…"

He teleported to dodge the magic beams of the alicorns and unicorns before targeting Scootaloo, only for Anita’s kick to stop his arm mid-air ; he disappeared as Twilight quickly erected a shield around Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle ; the latter took control of the protection.

"…see everything ! The Master showed me…"

His strike nearly beheaded Celestia, and the defensive magic beam missed him.

"…my future ! What shall happen ! No more…"

Daisy failed to entrap him in vines as he tried to impale her.

"…pathetic wish granting ! My servitude is…"

Luigi swiftly dodged the twin blades with a backflip.

"…freedom ! I can now…"

Starlight’s magic shield blocked the swords millimeters from her face.

"…do as I please ! I am…"

Applejack ducked under the scimitars.

"…Zant, Sixth Herald of Nothingness !"

He appeared in front of the Tree of Harmony, hovering in mid-air. The scimitars disappeared from his hands, which began to glow with a dark, purple aura under the sleeves of his clothes. In a split second, he launched a volley of magic bolts : everyone managed to dodge or deflect them, and Zant prepared for another round.

"Servitude is freedom ? What nonsense is this !?" Midna exclaimed before throwing a spear-like weapon of blue energy in Zant’s direction.

The Twili caught the harpoon and used it to destroy the fireballs bouncing towards him ; the diversion allowed Link to jump above his head ; the Master Sword shattered the spear and deeply cut into Zant’s right shoulder ; the Hylian jumped back to avoid a strike of scimitar.

As the man was recovering from the pain, Celestia’s beam of light injured and blinded him while Mario and Luigi’s fireballs burned him ; he recoiled and put a knee on the ground. As Link was going to finish him off, the Master Sword ricocheted off a pink crystal in the shape of a butterfly.

Zant stood up, surrounded by the Elements of Harmony.

"These artefacts are not as useless as they appear to be…" He whispered in a mocking tone.

"The Elements of Harmony !" Twilight exclaimed. "That’s why destroying that parasite wasn’t effective in dispelling the Twilight ! You stole the Elements from the Tree of Harmony to weaken it and made that plant feed on it to weaken it further, allowing you to transform it in that monstrosity that keeps on creating Twilight !"

"That is right. Once you will be wiped out, I will destroy them ; with this, your land shall stay in Twilight for eternity ; as for now however, they offer a valuable protection", Zant replied before looking at Midna.

"I may not know how you came here without a gate, but I sure do know you will die here and now ! This world shall serve as your tombstone !"

He attacked again at a far faster pace, teleporting everywhere, throwing bolts of magic and wildly flailing his scimitars in random directions : with every strike, it was harder to dodge the blades and the bolts ; coupled with Zant’s instantaneous teleportation powers that were requiring all of their concentration, the group began to weaken under the constant speed of light assaults. The former usurper king tried to slice Anita in two, however, she blocked the scimitar with her hands and kicked her opponent away, keeping the weapon for herself. She quickly assaulted him and they engaged in a duel : while Zant was advantaged with his powers – he was teleporting for nearly every attack – and the Elements of Harmony, Anita was keeping up with her sharp senses and acute reactivity, making the duel evenly matched ; no one interfered for fear of putting Anita in danger with friendly fire.

As everyone was helplessly watching Anita fight, Rainbow Dash split up from the group to lean against the wall of the cavern, hovering silently ; she carefully observed Zant’s moves and put her rear hooves against the rock : she flattened as hard as she could against it, her legs crushed by the pressure she was inflicting on them. She continued to decrypt and try to anticipate Zant’s attacks and the movement of the Elements of Harmony “I wouldn’t call that an opening, but I got no choice ! Anita can’t dodge forever !”. Her trained eye managed to distinctly catch the whole process of Zant’s teleportation and the future position of the Elements hovering next to him, and she suddenly saw the scene in slow-motion “Now !”. Her hooves left an imprint in the stone when she pushed on her legs to bounce off the wall : her spring-like detent propelled her so fast she appeared as a rainbow-colored bolt : Zant materialized before her eyes ; he hardly saw a shimmering to his right as two blue hooves pulverized his ribs and arm : Rainbow Dash perfectly sensed the bones shattering in a sickening crush, disgusting her. The Twili’s feet left the ground and he flew across the cave like a disembodied puppet before painfully hitting the opposite wall, spilling the Elements of Harmony everywhere and breaking his left arm : Twilight immediately seized the precious magical crystals. Zant’s broken arm and hand let go of the remaining scimitar which fell on the ground ; Discord snapped his paws and stole the weapon for himself. Zant, albeit almost knocked-out by the attack, teleported next to the Tree of Harmony once again, panting, with each breath made laborious by the broken ribs, his now useless arms dangling helplessly.

"Huh… Ow… You are… more powerful than you seem to be, beasts", he told the ponies.

"Give up Zant. You cannot win anymore", Zelda affirmed.

"I… certainly not expected you to be able to… best me. Though… this is not… the end… I shall…" Zant replied, smiling despite the pain, before being cut off.

The Twilight smothering Equestria suddenly faltered : the black squares vanished, as the orange sky ; the Tree of Harmony shook off the dark magic that was encapsulating it : the black casing began to crack before promptly shattering along the bulbs of fluid, further harming Zant in the process. As he was standing up, Applejack’s rope caught him around his broken body and the orange pony tried to pull him towards her ; the grievously injured Twili disappeared for good however as Light finally reclaimed Equestria.

"You were just… just awesome !" Scootaloo praised everyone, but particularly Rainbow Dash and Anita once Discord teleported everyone back into the Castle of Friendship.

"You still had doubts about that ?" Her “sister” replied. "But without Anita, I couldn’t have done a thing. And huh… I don’t wanna do it again… ever… it’s… it’s just… just so… gross… sensing the bones… Ugh !" She shook her head to dismiss the thought under the worried eyes of her friends.

"I was going to lose over time, and I prevented anyone, except you, from attacking. You’re the one who deserves the praise. You’re the fastest person I ever met ; I’ll never race again you", Anita joked to light up the mood.

"Zant was definitely more powerful today than he was in the past", Link pointed out. "We are lucky that all of us are strong fighters. I am still stunned by your physical performance, I definitely would not like to have you as an enemy", he added to Anita ; she rubbed the back of her head and smiled sheepishly.

"Hey, didn’t that guy said he was the sixth something… ?" Sweetie Belle suddenly recalled.

"Sixth Herald of Nothingness. Given this title is underlying an order of superiority and given Zant’s power, I think the hardships we will certainly encounter in the times to come will be increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to overcome", Zelda theorized.

"You mean there’s gonna be foes so far stronger than that guy we won’t be able to kick their butt ?" Daisy asked.

"Yes", the princess of Hyrule answered. "But I fear I cannot be sure about this theory".

Luna and Celestia excused themselves before going to accomplish their duty : once it rose up, the sun warmed the land that was minutes ago ensnared in the cold clutches of the Twilight ; everyone exposed their face to the sunrays, happy and relieved to be able to sense them once more.

The Polygons and the monsters were gone and the lost souls were no more : they had once again become flesh and blood ponies or animals, unaware of what had happened as they were slowly waking up from their deep slumber ; Pinkie Pie immediately asked Discord to teleport her to Sugarcube Corner where she checked on the Cake family and Gummy : they were all fine, although Gummy seemed to have been awake since hours ago, as he had moved next to the window, just like if he had watched Twilight, Starlight, Pinkie Pie and Midna going to Rarity’s house, even though, being a lost soul, he could not have seen them. She barely saluted the tiny, toothless alligator before crawling into her bed and promptly falling asleep ; her pet smiled. Everyone, save for Celestia, did the same as Pinkie Pie : a few hours of sleep were welcomed after that eventful night.

Author's Note

Zant is fun to write ; that's why we'll see him again sooner or later :raritywink:
By the way, I think that a flying, faster than sound pony crashing on your ribs would make a LOT more damage than some broken bones, but don't forget that Zant is quite flexible in LOZ : Twilight Princess :D

Guest from Hyrule

Rainbow Dash’s house was not entirely destroyed despite hitting the ground ; it was not beyond repair, although the repairs were going to be at least tremendous. Rather than being totally collapsed, it was dislocated the same way a puzzle would be : it slightly reassured Rainbow Dash who began an assessment of what to do and how to proceed ; everyone offered their help and Fluttershy suggested her marefriend to sleep at the cottage for the time being.

Bowser and King Boo came back just after lunch : when they learned what had happened, Bowser nearly crushed the book he was handling in his hands and King Boo frowned.

"Death hasn’t told me about souls leaving Its realm without Its accord, that’s strange…" The ghost pointed out.

"Twilight, huh ? If that Zant guy has teleported back into Midna’s dimension, I’ll follow and make him pay, because I’ve found a way to get there", Bowser said.

"Really !?" Midna exclaimed with hope and joy.

"Yes, and that’s pretty simple actually, with a piece of tech I already had in my castle. It’s a mix between magic and technology, not too hard to understand. I think that, together, it’ll take half a day to build", Bowser replied.

"Hey ! Hey ! I’m going to check on Death if everything’s alright !" King Boo suddenly exclaimed just as a dimensional portal opened next to him. Inside the tear-like opening, although blurry, a modern office was visible, along with a paper-filled black desk and an office chair. Sitting on it, an indistinct form could be seen, its head apparently turned towards the rift : the scenery, or maybe the invisible stare of the seated form, was highly unsettling. Once the dimensional portal closed, everyone discussed about what they had seen, having conflicting memories regarding the silhouette : all the ponies were agreeing to say it was a black, smoky alicorn, or at least an equine silhouette with an indistinct number of vaporous wings, while the humans were swearing it was a member of their race and Anita was explaining she had seen nothing at all but a desk and an empty chair. Seeing it was getting nowhere, Bowser interrupted the discussion :

"It’s Death : its true form’s not under your grasp : each culture will see It differently depending on their beliefs or appearance".

"That… makes sense", Starlight admitted after seconds of silence.

"And you ? How do you see it ?" Mario asked to his ex-arch-nemesis.

"I see Its true form… I cannot express it with words… I can reply something along the lines of : “Death is Death-shaped and Death-colored” ; best I can do. I may telepathically transfer what I saw to you, but you won’t have better words, and you won’t be able to even draw it", the Koopa answered, shrugging.

Twilight gladly volunteered for the experience, and Bowser touched her forehead with the tip of his claws.

"Whoa ! So that’s how it is… Eww. That form isn’t… pleasant. There’s something huh… unsettling about it", the Princess of Friendship said after a few seconds.

"It’s Death, not something you see every day, unless you’re King Boo or work under It, so it’s pretty normal to feel that way ; it’ll pass eventually", the King of the Koopa explained.

"I wanna see too ! I wanna see too !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

Bowser complied and gave the vision to the pink pony.

"Huh !? Hey, I get it ! It’s funny-shaped ! The color’s funny too ! Death’s so funny !" She laughed as everyone looked at her with extremely confused looks.

King Boo suddenly reappeared by the same passageway and Pinkie Pie took the chance to waive at the silhouette still sitting on its chair ; the portal to Death’s Headquarters closed abruptly however, making impossible to know if Death had waived back.

"Death has verified ! There are no missing souls, except for that Zant guy ! The Boss is pretty mad, the Accountants are going to have a bad time ! Nothingness has managed to snatch a soul under their nose ! Now Death is angry AND worried ! If that thing can enter the Realm, we are done for ! Death will take measures and check again for missing souls, but as I said to It, Nothingness had probably used sealed or ghost beings to make its army ! It’s bad ! Really bad !"

"We can stop ghosts", Bowser said calmly. "I think it’s time for some of your buddies to come here, in the Mushroom Kingdom, Sarasaland and Hyrule before it’s too late".

"Give me two minutes ! Two !" The ghost exclaimed before disappearing.

"He’s gonna call his… buddies ?" Spike asked with a worried tone.

Bowser sighed.

"Got no choice. But King Boo and I will keep them under control. Mostly. They’re an army of deranged ghosts after all…"

King Boo reappeared a minute later ; he was not alone : hundreds and hundreds of Boos materialized inside the castle, covering everything in white. They all looked alike, but were different from their leader : they were smaller – slightly bigger than the size of a stallion – with black eyes, a normal-colored tongue and no crown on their head ; they were all smiling, revealing their four fangs and long tongue.

Everyone began to sweat ; half of this number of Boos could potentially bring down an entire kingdom just by causing panic.

"Hey buddies ! I, your king, order you to patrol that cute little world ! Your task is to check if everything is okay ! You report any problem to me ! Or Bowser ! Or Princess Twilight Sparkle here ! Or Princess Celestia here ! Or Princess Luna here !"

"Half of them would’ve been sufficient, Bowser pointed out. Listen, Boos ! Half of you will go to Hyrule. Put down any ghosts you’ll find there and report to me, King Boo or Princess Zelda. Understood ?"

Half of the Boos instantly disappeared, reducing their number to a few hundred.

"Big Boo’s still in the Mushroom Kingdom ?" Bowser asked to King Boo.

"Yes, why ? You want me to bring him here ?"

"No. Relay the order to the Boos there. Every world must stay on its guard".

King Boo disappeared.

"They’re gonna cause a mess here !" Applejack panicked.

"Why ?" A Boo interrogated.

"Aren’t we cute ?" Another asked.

"We’re cute for sure !" One of them answered.

"Listen", Bowser groaned. "Equestria's inhabitants aren't accustomed to you, or any other type of ghosts. You’ll patrol invisibly ; no one must see you. We’ll probably make a declaration to inform Equestria of your presence later. For now however, you keep it low".

"Understood, boss !" They said in unison before leaving the castle by passing through its walls.

"They got everything covered in the Mushroom Kingdom !" King Boo exclaimed as he materialized in the room.

"Perfect. Now, for that gate…" The King of the Koopas said as he opened his book.

The gate took the rest of the day to build, even with everyone’s help ; while Twilight and Starlight had quickly figured out almost everything, it was far harder for the rest of the group. Nonetheless, the gate, a smooth triangular metallic structure large enough for Bower to pass through, was successfully activated as Celestia was lowering the sun.

"The portal works. Now, we need a plan", Midna said.

"We cross first", Bowser denied. "The gate leads to a quiet place ; we’ll stay there as King Boo will scout the area ; we’ll progress according to his reports. It’ll be faster that way, your people might be in danger".

"He is right", Zelda told Midna before she could counter.

"I’d like to come with you", Twilight confessed. "I wanna see your world so much !"

"Me too", Starlight admitted.

"This isn’t your fight", Midna replied. "You already helped me so much. You saved my life. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everyone for their help. I don’t intend this to be parting words : I won’t make the same mistake again : that portal will from now on connect the Twilight Realm and Equestria".

"Put your head through, quick", Bowser told Twilight and Starlight as he put his arm through the portal, preventing it from closing abruptly.

The mares smiled and poked their head through the triangular opening ; they pulled back half a minute later, dazzled.

"It’s… beautiful…" Twilight said after a while. "A different kind of beauty than Equestria or the Mushroom Kingdom of course. Something more huh… mysterious… more mystic".

"And more serene", her lover added.

"We are going now", Zelda declared.

"Keep the portal open ‘til we come back", Bowser advised. "Well, except if some monster pass through, cut the power ; it’ll also cut it in half. Chances are low though, given the location. Furthermore, King Boo will make the gate invisible from the other side. Wish us good luck", he concluded as he turned around to go through the breach with King Boo, Zelda, Link and Midna.

"Wait !" Celestia exclaimed.

"What ?" The King of the Koopas interrogated.

"Take this with you", the Princess of the Sun whispered before kissing him.

Everyone looked away, blushing, and Bowser rubbed the back of his head.

"Th-thanks", he spluttered before passing through the portal.

Minutes after his passage, King Boo reappeared in the castle.

"We will take some buddies with us, just in case !" He exclaimed before disappearing ; he reappeared ten seconds later, followed by a hundred of Boos.

"Here we go !"

The Boos followed their leader through the opening.

"I hope it’ll be quick", Applejack wished.

Up until that point, they had not been spotted : King Boo and his minions were excellent scouts, but they had not encountered anything on the way to the palace, which soon appeared in their field of view.

"That’s strange…" Midna pointed out.

"Looks like a trap. Boo, take some of your buddies to check inside the whole castle", Bowser ordered King Boo who complied, as another ghost came near them.

"All clear ! The portal’s still there, guarded", it said before speeding away.

A minute later, all the Boos and their king came back.

"Nothing in the palace, except thirty prisoners in cells ! We’ve freed them ! Freed them !" King Boo exclaimed.

The group teleported right in front of the palace of Twilight, on the town square ; from inside the three floating, titanic grey buildings connected by the plaza emerged the prisoners : Midna’s subjects were similar to Zant, except smaller and mostly naked ; only what were apparently guards were wearing a black armor covered in blue patterns ; Bowser noted the likeness with a printed circuit board, but said nothing. Once in front of their princess, the subjects kneeled ; Midna shook her head and gestured them to get up.

"They have no obligation to kneel in front of a coward", she whispered to her friends.

Her subjects began to speak in their language, a long series of moans of variable intensity.

"They’re thanking us and… they say that there are other prisoners not in the palace", Midna translated as she showed some structures floating nearby.

Five minutes later, the town square was crowded with residents of the Twilight moaning in their language, forming a beautiful and mystic choir.

"They… they say that… that I did what needed to be done… That I listened to them… even if it was meaning to flee…" Midna spluttered, swallowing a sob.

"I brought back saviors…"

Suddenly, all the citizens felt silent, and only a guard spoke, with his ruler translating along :

"All the monsters are gone. They disappeared along with Zant some time ago. Zant said before leaving : “I will not come back. This is your penance. The penance of our miserable world. Stay locked here and suffer until your death or the coming of the Master”".

"He’ll use that army of Polygons to attack another dimension !" She exclaimed.

"Yes. But maybe he was talking about Equestria. Or… he left Equestria with the army to attack somewhere else", Bowser muttered.

"Hyrule is a high probability ; given his previous defeat there, he is probably eager to conquer it once more", Zelda theorized. "We must return in our dimension as soon as possible ; appropriate measures must be taken. We are sorry, Midna. We must leave".

"Don’t worry. We’ll see each other once everything will be over. In the meantime, my subjects will move the portal to Equestria closer to the palace. I would like to come with you to repay my debt, but…" Midna said.

"What debt are you talking about ? You do not have to repay anything", Link replied.

Midna smiled for an answer.

"See you later, Link", she said before Bowser teleported everyone to the portal.

Before passing through, King Boo ordered some of his troops to stay in the Twilight Realm ; fifty Boos vanished to patrol inside the peaceful dimension while the others followed their leader.

"You took photos of the Twilight Realm ?" Bowser asked to Twilight with a confused voice.

"Couldn’t help myself", Twilight replied with a sheepish smile. "But I didn’t go through the portal, I just put the lens on the breach. Once everything’s over, I plan to write a book about dimensions and their properties".

"I will help you with Death’s Realm, I promise !" King Boo exclaimed. "I can get pictures of it and Death anytime !"

"Hyrule is probably in peril", Zelda declared suddenly while changing subject. "We will depart now ; time is of the essence".

Suddenly, a lone Boo appeared in the room, visibly panicked :

"We can’t take the portal to Hyrule ! We can’t ! Because there’s no more portal !"

Running as fast as she could ; that was all she could do, even though she was going nowhere. She has to run to the portal to warn him before it was too late, before the ghosts could catch up to her. She had never crossed a portal before, but this was an emergency ; the guards would probably let her go inside if she insisted enough.

She jumped over a fence, exiting the woods, and hurried inside the vast field ; as soon as she saw the fortress from afar, she stopped right in her tracks, almost falling from doing so : the fortress was down. It was totally pulverized, having morphed from a sturdy construction to a pile of rubble of stone, iron and wood. There were no guards in sight. Worse, there was no portal.

She ran away in distress, not knowing what to do or where to go ; he was always there to guide her steps, to tell her where and when to travel ; now she was on her own. As the first water droplets began to fall, she suddenly recalled a place where she would be in safety, where he would go with her, far away from everything to relax in that forgotten place.

Under a pouring rain, she took a large detour to avoid the village on her way and finally arrived at the entrance of the cavern ; she quickly went inside and after some meters, found the place ; she wasted no time in taking shelter in one of the derelict wooden houses ; the hole-filled roof was barely protecting her, but she managed to find the driest place to lay down.

After an hour of sleep, she got up and cautiously peeked outside : there was no one around ; she stepped out of the house and walked while thinking about what to do ; she had no way to warn him of the disaster, no way to fight against the enemy and no water and no food. As she was searching for the latter behind a crippled barn, something caught her attention : hidden between empty crates and barrels, there was a pipe. Overjoyed, she did not think long before running, and, in an impressive leap, jumping inside ; just as she plunged into the darkness, she realized that portal could send her absolutely anywhere.

"Definitely no portal", Bowser groaned as he reappeared in the room. "Not a trace".

Zelda and Link stayed perfectly calm ; Celestia and Luna admired their composure.

"Is there a way to construct another portal ?" Zelda asked to Bowser.

"Without demolishing the one to the Twilight Realm, and that’s not guaranteed given the fragility of that piece of tech, no. Unless we build another space-time anchor ; I estimate it’d take half a year or so, from finding the materials and using it", Bowser replied.

"This is not option", Link said.

"You said something about appealing the case to Death if I remember correctly", Luna told King Boo.

"Yes, yes ! I can do that !" King Boo exclaimed. "But Death doesn’t care much about the living world !"

"Wouldn’t It create a portal to spare Itself a bureaucratic mess ?" Starlight asked.

"I don’t know ! I will ask It now ! But don’t be disappointed if It refuses !" The ghost exclaimed as he breached space-time to go into Death’s realm.

This time, the rift stayed open ; they all witnessed King Boo speaking with Death ; while the ghost could not stay in place while talking, Death, regardless of the perception of Its form, was perfectly immobile ; the dialogue lasted one minute and the crowned Boo closed the rift as soon as he passed through.

"Death said there’s no need for a portal ! No need ! There’s one here that leads to Hyrule ! We just have to find it ! Find it !"

"Did It say where it was ?" Rarity interrogated.

"Huh… It said we have to find it, that it’s here, in Equestria ! That someone you Hylians know would show us the way, because he or she took it ! It said that Hyrule was in trouble too ! It welcomed an unusual amount of souls from there recently, mostly soldiers !" King Boo panicked.

Link and Zelda observed a minute of respectful silence for the fallen knights.

"Your deities are protecting your people, but they’re outnumbered ! Outnumbered ! And just you two won’t make any difference ! We must find that portal quickly ! Quickly ! Hey, buddies ! You and I will find the portal ! We’ll search in every nook and crannies ! Here we go !" The ghostly king and his minions disappeared to begin their search.

"We better search too", Applejack suggested.

"We won’t have to search long if a human manifests here in Canterlot, or elsewhere", Rarity pointed out.

"You’re right", Starlight concurred. "But I think we still should look for that portal ; why not starting in Ponyville ?"

"Searching in the night will be difficult", Luna said. "All of us should sleep before beginning any kind of search".

"You are right", Zelda approved. "We will begin our search tomorrow, if the Boos do not find anything. May I talk to you Princess Luna ? I shall bring your attention on a personal matter".

"Of course", Celestia’s sister replied.

Luna and Zelda went into another room.

"Is something troubling you ?" Luna asked Zelda once she closed the door.

"Yes. I do not want to be a disturbance in your duty, but I fear my sleep will not bring any sort of peace upon me. My kingdom which I cannot reach is falling as we speak. I cannot show weakness nor succumb to sadness, but I shall be honest : this turn of events is affecting my emotional balance ; my mind not clear as it should be, a disruption in my powers is to be predicted as long as this imbalance persists. I solemnly request you, Princess Luna, ruler of the night and dreams of Equestria, to visit my dreams to appease my worries".

Zelda bowed gracefully as soon as she finished her request.

"Princess Zelda, it would be an honor for me to help you regain serenity", Luna answered. "Worry no more, I will visit your dreams as soon as you fall asleep".

"I give you my sincerest thanks", Zelda said.

She was thrown out of the pipe more brutally as she expected to be ; she smoothly passed through a cotton-like substance before landing painfully on the dirt. She recovered from the ordeal, got up and shook her head. Even in the obscurity of the night, she immediately sensed something off with her body : she was far smaller than before, and her legs and face were different ; her vision suddenly seemed far better, and her thoughts, much clearer. She checked her physical integrity and slowly went towards the lights of a village that were turning off one by one.

“Is this the Mushroom Kingdom ?” she thought as she walked down the path ; it took ten minutes for her to attain the town ; only a few lights were remaining. “These houses are small, just like my current size. Oh ? Is that a castle ? Maybe it’s Princess Peach’s castle ? Oh, I hope he’s here !”. She finally found herself at the double door, but she hesitated before knocking. “That’s strange. The Mushroom Kingdom should’ve been celebrating Arancia’s birth. Why is it so quiet ? Are the festivities already over ?”. She knocked quietly at the door, but even she had trouble hearing the weak sound she had produced. “They won’t hear me if I knock like this. Oooh, I’m sure I’m going to disturb them. But I have to !”. She managed to produce an audible sound, and a light turned on at one of the windows. She heard slow, unwilling footsteps coming towards the door before it opened.

"Hi…" A half-asleep Twilight croaked ; she shook her head to look at her unexpected visitor. "What do you want… in the middle of the night…" She almost fell asleep in front of her guest, but she managed to stay, if barely, awake.

"I… I… “What !? I can talk !? Loudly !? In that language !? Is this my voice !? And who’s that girl !?” Wh… where are we ? I… I mean… am I… am I in the Mushroom Kingdom ?"

"No, you’re in Equestria. Good night", Twilight wished as she abruptly closed the door, only to reopen it a millisecond after.

"Wait, what did you say !?"

"I… I’m… not in the-the… Mushroom Kingdom ?"

"You are in Ponyville, still in Equestria. The Mushroom Kingdom is accessible through another portal. Come in, don’t be afraid. I’m sorry, I’m not particularly… bright when I…" Twilight cut her sentence with a yawn.

"I knew I… I was going to… to disturb someone. But… but this is of… of utmost importance, an-an emergency".

"I must say I’m confused", Twilight explained as she guided her guest through the castle. "Why are you searching for the Mushroom Kingdom ?"

"I-I-I must warn some-somebody".

"“Somebody !?” Tell me, what’s your name and where are you from ?"

"I-I… I am… I am Epona. I’m coming from the kingdom of Hyrule".

Twilight literally jumped in the air.

"Starlight ! Wake up, for Celestia’s sake !" Twilight shouted at her lover.

"What… what is… it ? You… were just… next to me… so… so warm and soft and…" Starlight giggled with a blush.

"Starlight, somepony from Hyrule is here ! The portal isn’t far away !"

The unicorn finally got up when she heard this.

"Where’s our… stranger ? And who is she ?" She interrogated when she saw the cutie-markless brown earth pony with a white mane next to her marefriend.

"Epona is a pony from Hyrule", Twilight answered. "I can’t believe Princess Zelda didn’t tell us that Hyrule had ponies !"

"I… I… wasn’t really a… a po-pony back in Hyrule", Epona pointed out timidly. "Do… do you know Princess Zelda ? Do… do you know… Link ?"

"Yes, of course, they’re in Canterlot right now. It’s not quite next to here", the Princess of Friendship replied.

"Twilight, we can’t contact them ! Bowser’s at Canterlot and King Boo and his army are somewhere in Equestria !" Starlight suddenly recalled.

"You’re right. We’ll have to wait for the moon to set", Twilight sighed. "We’re sorry Epona, we can’t contact your friends yet. Just a… few hours of… good… sleep…" She stammered as her fatigue came back in full force.

"I… I will wait. Do… do you have… a place for me to sleep ?" Epona asked shyly.

"I’ll show you", Twilight answered.

Epona followed Twilight a few doors away from Starlight’s room.

"Here you are", the princess said as she showed the neat and tidy bedroom.

"Thank… thank you… Princess Twilight Sparkle, is that it ?"

"Call me Twilight. I’m sure you have a lot to talk about, but we’ll see this… in… some… hours…" Twilight almost again fell asleep. "The toilets are… two doors to… your left… and you… have some… water… on your… nightstand. Rejoin us… downstairs… when you’ll… wake up. Have… have a good night", she wished as she dragged her hooves towards Starlight’s bedroom.

"Thanks. You… you too…" Epona replied.

She closed the door and looked around her room.

“Such a strange, beautiful world ! And Link is here with Princess Zelda ? What are they doing here ? The inhabitants are so nice though ! And I’ve taken on their appearance ! That’s really strange but so… so amazing !” She thought as she looked at her reflection in a mirror ; she poured herself two glasses of water before realizing what she had done. “How did I did that !? With my hooves !? It seemed just so natural !”. She slowly slipped under the sheets “That’s the first time I sleep in a bed ! It’s so comfortable, so warm, so soft, so wonderful ! I’m already accustomed, I hope I’ll have one in Hyrule someday !”. Rocked by her new sensations and that new experience, she rapidly fell asleep.

She slowly woke up as the sun was already high in the sky ; she went downstairs and immediately found the living ; Starlight, Twilight and Spike were already eating their breakfast.

"Hello, Epona ! Did you sleep well ?" Twilight asked.

"Hi ! It’s the first time I sleep in a bed, so it was my best sleep ever !" Epona replied joyfully.

"Spike, this is Epona, a pony from Hyrule", Starlight told Spike.

"A pony from Hyrule ? There are ponies in Hyrule ?" The little dragon asked, confused.

Epona sat at the table and ate some pancakes ; this new food filled her with joy and she found herself eating a dozen of them.

"So, can you tell us more about you ? And what’s happening in Hyrule ?" Twilight interrogated.

"Hyrule is… Hyrule is… is under attack by the.. the… the dead ! I… I mean… Poes are everywhere, stealing… bits of-of people’s souls and-and causing chaos ! Stal-Stalhounds are rampaging in-in the plains ! Stalfosses are… Stalfosses are… they’re… they’re trying to-to besiege the-the castle town ! Redeads are… they… oh, such… such… such abominations ! They’re… they’re… -end-endlessly… ri-rising up from-from the ground ! Everything… every… dead being is… is being… brought back !"

"It seems… pretty bad…" Spike spluttered. "Even though I don’t know what you’re talking about".

"“That presence will bring back what it should not be”", Starlight recalled the warning from Rosalina. "Spike, you must send a letter to Princess Celestia ! We just can’t wait for Bowser to come !"

Twilight was brief in her letter ; one minute after Spike sent it, Bowser appeared in the room, scaring Epona.

"Hello. It seems you found the traveler from Hyrule, well done. Epona, Link and Princess Zelda are waiting for you. Your friends are already there too", the Koopa King told Twilight, Starlight and Spike.

When Epona reappeared into the dining room of the Castle of Canterlot, she immediately spotted Link and ran towards him.

"Link ! This is terrible !" She cried as she literally jumped on him, only to make them fall.

"E… Epona ?" Link asked, confused.

"Yes Link ! It’s me ! I’m so glad you’re here ! You’re going to save our kingdom and Illia, right ? Just like you did the last time ! I… I don’t know how I can help you in this form, but I’ll do my best, I promise ! We’ll do it together !"

Link and Epona got up and the Hylian knight looked at the new pony ; even with this appearance, she was undoubtedly her loyal friend.

"How… how did you find yourself here ?" He interrogated.

"Oh, I… I was running from the ghosts to the portal of the Mushroom Kingdom, but the fortress was destroyed and the portal had disappeared ! So I hid in our special place and I found another portal there ! I thought it was leading to the Mushroom Kingdom but it leads here. And now that I took it, I’m a pony ! I became like this !"

"This… this is wonderful, Link ! I already experienced so much ! Using my hooves to drink ! Sleeping in a bed ! Eating those things… pancakes ! I’m so happy to be here ! But at the same time, I’m so worried about Hyrule ! Link, Illia, our village and Kakariko are alright ! But… but it won’t last ! We must stop the dead before the Light Spirits are overwhelmed !"

"What… what were you… back in Hyrule ?" Starlight interrogated, puzzled at Epona’s words.

"She was my steed", Link replied. "She was a horse".

"Yes ! I was a horse ! An… an animal ! Don’t… don’t be angry at me, Link, but… but I’m scared of turning back when I’ll come back in Hyrule !" Epona exclaimed, distressed.

"You probably won’t turn back ever… Equestrian magic’s altered your body and your DNA forever, I can see and sense it", Bowser explained. "Mutating you back would only tear you apart. But I don’t think ponies from this world will turn into animals if they travel to Hyrule… I can’t be sure though…"

"Link, I’m so sorry ! But I-I-I feel… relieved. I know it’s… so selfish but… I don’t… I don’t want to… I don’t want to turn back into a horse ! I won’t help you by transporting you anymore, but I’m sure I’ll be useful ! I’ll still protect you and Illia, I’m still the Epona you know ! Our bond hasn’t changed ! I’ll stay in Hyrule with you and Illia, and we’ll all live together !"

Link smiled at his transformed horse ; he would not have imagined Epona to be so talkative, even though he had already talked to her when he was a wolf ; he crouched to be at her level :

"This event allows us to be more connected than we have ever been. This is a benediction from this world to our bonds. I am honored to meet you, Epona".

The young mare tightly hugged Link, tears of joy in her eyes ; Link kissed her on the forehead.

"Now, can you tell us where the portal is located ?" He asked to her.

"Yes ! I’ll show you immediately ! It’s not far away from Princess Twilight’s castle ! If you teleport me in front of the castle, I’ll retrace my way back from there !"

Everyone was teleported in front of the double door, and Epona immediately darted in the streets of Ponyville.

"Follow me ! Even though it’s very different under daylight, I have a good memory !"

After she toned down her surprising speed, everyone followed her as she gave them details on her sensations, feelings and new body.

"I passed through something when I was thrown out the portal. It didn’t hurt, it was like… a ball of wool", Epona explained.

"You probably passed through a cloud", Fluttershy hypothesized. "But on the ground, that’s unusual…"

"Ugh ! You’re going towards my home… Well, the pieces of my home", Rainbow Dash groaned.

"And that explains everything about the clouds on the ground !" Starlight suddenly realized.

The Cloudominium appeared in their field of view, a puzzle of what had been a house.

They cleared most of the debris before finding the pipe : buried under the rubble as it was, Epona had been lucky to not hit a hard surface ; the impact would have grievously harmed her, or worse.

"We’ll help you", Twilight told Zelda, Link and Epona.

Just as Zelda was about to answer, King Boo appeared above them.

"They must help you !" The ghost exclaimed as he hovered in front of Zelda. "Even with you, Bowser, my buddies and I, there’s too much cleaning to do ! You’ll be overwhelmed and we won’t be able to protect you all !"

"We… we must help the Light Spirits first", Epona whispered. "And… and the-the-the castle town…"

"We will split", Link decided as he saw Zelda confused about what to do. "If everyone agrees : Epona and our pony friends, I, Bowser and some Boos will help the Spirits. Princess Zelda, if you so choose, perhaps you can go with Mario, Luigi, King Boo and his army to defend the castle town ? Princess Peach, it would be best for you to stay here with Arancia ; we all know you are among the strongest and I cannot do anything to prevent you from going with us, but…"

"I will stay out of the fight this time, there is no need for arguments", Peach cut him off.

"But I, I won’t stay out !" Daisy affirmed. "I’ll kick that Zant guy’s butt so hard he’ll find a new master ! Don’t worry Link, I’ll back up Zelda with my powers ; I’d just be useless with you".

Link was not going to argue with Daisy ; he simply nodded.

"I… I want to help you too", Anita decided.

"I apologize for everything, and I shall remind you : you have no obligations towards Hyrule", Zelda declared.

"We’re friends", Twilight said. "As your friends, we’ll always help you, regardless of the problem".

"Please receive my deepest thanks", her fellow ruler thanked, bowing gracefully.

"We will be teleported in a forgotten village", Link explained. "The last resident moved some years ago ; there are plans to reestablish a town there, but it will probably not happen soon. Anyways, we will split from there : I think some Boos can go wherever they want, as long as they put down any ghost on sight ; if they can communicate with them, ask for their precise motivations".

"The vital part of the battle that will soon unfold is Hyrule castle town : it must not fall", Zelda added.

"You should return to Canterlot", Bowser suggested to Celestia, Luna and Peach. "Some Boos will come to report at least every hour".

The princesses nodded and Bowser teleported them away.

"I wanna be sure you won’t turn into animals", the Koopa told the ponies and Spike. "Who wants to go first with me ?"

Twilight and Spike volunteered with uncertainty ; Bowser jumped into the hole and they followed him ; they reappeared seconds after, unchanged in the slightest.

"No problem ; no magical or physiological conflict", Bowser said.

Reassured, they all plunged inside the pipe, followed by some Boos and their King ; two ghosts stayed in place to report in Canterlot.

The battle of Hyrule

Epona sighed with relief ; she was still a pony, able to speak and think clearly ; with her now higher thoughts, she recalled her time as a horse as fuzzy, blurry, strange memories distorted and diluted by her then-different perception.

The forgotten village was not found by the monsters ; Bowser had crushed a barn along some crates when jumping out of the pipe : the ruckus had not attracted any attention.

"Dusk ! Dusk ! Ghosts will attack soon !" King Boo exclaimed.

"Teleport us inside the castle please", Zelda told him. "I can only hope there are some troops left. Mighty Boos, apart from stopping the raised, may I ask you to assume the role of messengers between our respective fronts ?"

"She said we're mighty ! She’s so modest !" A Boo exclaimed.

"Okay, we’ll do that ! We’ll keep both sides informed !" Another complied.

"Stay invisible, Hylians may mistake you for the enemy", Bowser specified.

"No problem Boss !" The Boos replied before immediately flying in random directions.

"I must warn everyone about Redeads", Link said. "These... walking mummified corpses are able to shriek and paralyze you. If you are too close, they will strike you down with their swords. Be of the utmost caution with them, and stay at a good distance".

"And be aware of Poes. They are specters, invisible to the naked eye, except for their floating lantern : destroy them with Light or let the Boos take care of them", Zelda advised.

King Boo disappeared along Zelda, Daisy, Mario and Luigi.

"Where do you want to go ?" Bowser asked Link.

"To Ordon Village. How is the situation there ?" Link interrogated Epona.

"The ghosts chased me as soon as I left the Spirit Spring ; they weren’t in the village, and they all went after me ! Only half a day had passed, it was almost dawn when I took the portal, so if they all followed me, they still haven’t found the village ! But they’ll find it sooner or later !" Epona replied.

Bowser wasted no time and teleported everyone to the village.

The very small village comprised of less than ten houses was totally quiet ; the doors were already closed and the windows shut.

Link went towards the largest house and knocked at the door ; after insisting enough, it finally opened on a stocky, bald man with a dent at the back of his head ; his large upper lip sported a large upward grey moustache divided in two by a large gap. His small round grey eyes opened with surprise when he saw Link, then wider when he looked at the ponies, Anita and Bowser.

"Mayor Bo. I am relieved to find you safe", Link greeted him.

"Li… Link !? S-Still with the princess’ speech I see… You’re spendin’ too much time with diplomats, lad", Bo said. "Hope you’re not tradin’ manners for strength !"

Link rubbed the back of his head.

"No need for these here ! I don’t want a stuck-up son-in-law !" Bo added.

"You aren’t always speakin’ like Princess Zelda an’ Princess Peach ?" Applejack asked to Link.

"Of course not !" Bo replied in his place. "Before becomin’ this young knight you see, he was a wrangler ! And a good one at that ! Not a single goat escapin’ when he was here, and all of ‘em milked to the last drop !"

"Hee-haw ! You were just like me ! Now that’s a news !" Applejack exclaimed joyfully.

"Sorry to interrupt, but is Illia here ? And is everything alright ?" Link asked.

"No ghosts yet, a few appear past midnight, but they don’t go inside houses. Illia ! Link’s here with friends !" Bo shouted to someone inside his house.

Link’s girlfriend appeared at the doorstep ; her emerald eyes widened from surprise, then fear when they went from the ponies and Anita to Bowser ; Illia was of petite stature, with short, ash blonde hair.

"Illia ! Thanks the Goddess you’re safe !" Epona exclaimed before jumping on her the same way she had done with Link.

Illia was not successful in trying to support the weight of her former horse, and she collapsed under the overjoyed pony.

"I’m so sorry Illia !" Epona apologized while getting up. "I’m just so happy to see you again ! And I’m sorry I went to the spring by myself !"

"Epona ? Is that you ?" A puzzled Illia asked before shaking her head. "Yes, of course it’s you. I’ll always recognize you whatever your form".

"I think you should come in", Bo said with a disbelieving tone of voice. "You probably have some… things to explain".

They went inside the house, barring Bowser who stayed outside ; he listened to the conversation at the open window.

After telling the whole story and presenting the ponies and Anita to Bo and Illia, the night has fallen, unsettling them.

"You’ll stay as a pony ? Forever ?" Illia asked to Epona who had her head on her lap.

"I’m sorry Illia ! But… but at the same time it feels so good ! Now, I can talk to you, I can tell you how I feel instead of just showing you, I can express how much I love you and Link with words, I can tell you my desires, my fears, everything ! You’re not angry at me, aren’t you, Illia ? Ooh, I hope you’re not angry because I’m so selfish !"

"How could I be angry at you, Epona ? And you’re not selfish ; I think none of us want you to turn back into a horse", Illia replied kindly.

"I love you so much Illia ! You and Link… I… I truly love you !" Epona exclaimed, tears of joy in her golden eyes.

Most of those present, including Illia and Link, manifested signs of embarrassment with that last statement.

"Huh ? What’s wrong ?" Epona asked when she noticed their behavior.

"You love Link and Illia ?" Rarity asked to her.

"Yes, of course !" Epona replied.

"I mean, like… you’re in love with them ?" Rarity clarified.

"Yes I am ! Just like you and mister Spike and just like Princess Twilight and miss Starlight !"

"So… so much honesty…" Applejack pointed out splutteringly.

"As a former animal, Epona’s not restricted by most social norms", Bowser explained. "She’ll always be honest with her desires and feelings. Kinda like you", he added to Applejack.

"I shouldn’t say that I love somebody ? Is it rude ? But… but that’s how I feel ! I want to be with you forever, to hug and kiss you, to…" Epona was cut off by a hawk’s cry.

Bowser looked at the sky, rapidly pinpointing the loud circling bird above Ordon Village.

"It’s an alarm cry ! “Beware !” “Things approaching the village !”" Fluttershy translated. "Something’s happening !"

"They’re here…" Bowser whispered as he glimpsed five blue lights gliding through the forest, approaching the village with a sinister rattling sound.

Not far away, on the hills, the goats bleated in alarm ; thanks to their powerful hearing, Bowser and Anita caught the sound of the earth crackling and the characteristic noise of patches of dirt and damp grass falling on the ground.

"Stay here", Link told Bo and Illia. "Do you have a sword or two ? Or some daggers ?" He asked to Bo.

"Of course. And I’ll fight with you !" Bo exclaimed.

"No, not this time. Please, protect Illia inside the house ; I know she can defend herself, but I don’t want her to fight. Can you lend a sword or a dagger to Anita though ?"

"Those two daggers will be perfect", Anita said when Bo opened the chest containing his weapons ; she took the two long iron knives in her hands.

"I am sorry to make you fight", Link apologized to her.

"I said I wanted to help you. So I’ll help you, regardless of the way", Anita replied.

The lights surrounding the village suddenly disappeared and a dozen of Boos exited the woods in their place.

"Poes neutralized ! Light Spirits okay but exhausted, so useless for now !" One of them reported to Bowser.

"The castle town’s preparing for the siege ! Too much things are rising from the ground ! But the King’s ready to put them back in !" Another said.

"Half of you, return help everyone there", Bowser ordered. "The others, stay here and protect the people ; don’t let anything enter a single house !"

The ponies, Link and Anita stepped out of Bo’s house and stood in circle in front of it ;

"From the ground !" Bowser and Anita yelled.

The nasal-horned skeletons popped from the ground sword and shield in hand, along with dog-like, quadrupedal creatures entirely made of bones and relict patches of decayed fur ; all the undead monsters charged towards the ponies ; most of them were blasted to bits by magic and the remaining were pulverized with brute force or Link’s sword and Anita’s daggers ; others soon took their place however, and another kind of monster emerged from the ground : bat-winged, flying beast skulls began to harass the group, trying to bite them ; Rainbow Dash dispatched the flying heads while her friends dealt with the grounded monsters.

Bowser spotted them just as they were coming down the path leading to the ranch : the Redeads were literal zombies, mummified broken corpses dragging huge bandaged swords behind them with one hand, smelling of a death long since forgotten. He teleported right in front of the six zombies ; the abominable scream they released froze everyone’s blood ; it resonated in their soul even as they were fighting the undead army. Bowser, however, was totally unfazed : he cut the monstrosities in pieces without letting them even raising their swords.

The Boos were bumping into the monsters or passing through them, reducing them to ash ; none of them approached the houses.

Suddenly, the undead creatures stopped rising from the ground ; Bowser came back near his friends.

"I sense… mightier things… Be careful", he warned.

The ground shook when the creatures appeared ; Link tightened his grip on his sword and shield.

"These are Darknuts. Don’t let them approach you and don’t try to cut through their armor or shield, it would be a waste of time, it’s far too sturdy. Aim for the joints and neck, it’ll strip them off their protection. But when it’s naked, a Darknut becomes of tremendous agility, you’ll have to rely on your reflexes alone. Be of the utmost caution, they are, by far, the strongest enemy troops that I faced in my journey years ago"… Link explained.

Darknuts were perfectly humanoid in shape ; however, they were, from head to feet, clad in a heavy, ornate armor, masking their true appearance ; they were wielding huge round shields and enormous, one-edged thick swords of elaborate design.

The ten knights – nearly two heads taller than Anita – cautiously approached the group, their shield and sword raised ; it was useless however, as the nearest one felt victim to Bowser ; the claws teared through the tough shield, armor, chain mail, skin and bones like they were butter ; the first knight collapsed on the ground, cut in four. Another one followed, shield, armor and body pulverized by a punch.

The remaining Darknuts let go of their enormous weapons and their armor instantly fell in pieces at their feet ; they drew a longsword all the while evading Bowser’s attacks ; they were now more human than ever, although still wearing an ornate chain mail, very light armor and with a helmet obscuring their faces ; only two small, pale, lifeless dots could be seen in the obscurity of the helmet’s visor.

They lunged at Link, Anita and the ponies with an unsuspected speed for their size ; the ponies dodged the expertly executed sword cuts, while Link parried them with his shield ; Anita blocked the strikes with her daggers, and before the creature could jump back, inflicted a deep cut on its torso ; the humanoid retreated with a leap.

"Ugh ! Those things got some reflexes ! I was aiming for its throat", she said as she lunged towards her assailant to attack.

While Anita and Link dueled, the ponies tried to battle the raised knights ; each beam of magic was dodged or parried, and each hoof impact was absorbed by the chainmail or deflected by the sword ; the monsters slowly encircled the ponies ; in a burst of magic however, Twilight and Starlight managed to immobilize them and they immediately stepped out of the deadly formation ; Bowser took this opportunity to crush two Darknuts, but the spell wore off as he tried to cut a third, and the monster evaded him.

"The swords and shields they left behind ! Use them with your magic !" Bowser yelled to the ponies as his fire breath failed to incinerate the quick foes.

The Boos came to help the group, putting down a knight, but the others evaded them.

"They’re so fast !" One of the Boos exclaimed as a sword harmlessly passed through him.

Twilight, Starlight and Rarity picked up the abandoned weapons ; however, their friends failed to even lift them.

"They’re too heavy !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

Bowser appeared in front of them ; inside his palms, slowly forged from a minuscule blizzard, five flat, sharp and pointy knives with a rocky handle materialized ; for him, they could have served as toothpicks, but for the ponies, they were swords at their size.

"That’s all I can do for now ! If I get enough time, I’ll forge something with their swords, but it means I won’t be able to protect you !" Bowser said.

Each pony reluctantly took a blade in their mouth ; Twilight, Starlight and Rarity were having trouble attacking the Darknuts with the heavy swords, but the magically hovering shield was offering an instantaneous protection against them ; Link and Anita, having eliminated their opponent, rapidly came to their aid, as the Boos : the four remaining undead knights finally succumbed to the combined, overwhelming assault.

"More to come", Bowser murmured as picked up the huge swords ; his fire instantly melted them and he quickly modeled the burning metal with his bare hands before cooling it with some ice ; when he finished his work, he presented the result to the ponies : the double-edged, pony-sized swords were forged of one piece and totally devoid of ornaments ; they looked more like oversized daggers ; no one doubted their sharpness however ; the ponies cautiously took them in their mouth just as creatures emerged from the ground on the nearby hills.

Link, Anita and the ponies stood motionless, stunned, and Bowser roared with rage : tumbling down the steep slopes, battalions of undead monsters encircled the village in a grotesque cacophony of broken bones and soft, rotten corpses crashing on the ground.

"They’re too many for you. Tell me, how long can you handle them without me ?" Bowser asked to everyone.

"Less than a minute", Link answered. "If we’re lucky".

"Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer, Rarity, is forming a shield around you and the house possible ? One that can last two minutes ?" The Koopa King interrogated.

"I can’t guarantee…" Twilight replied.

"I’m gonna teleport some of my armies here, I’ll do as fast as I can. I can’t transform here, I’d destroy the village", Bowser explained. "I must be sure you can survive until they’re here. If you can’t do it, I stay with you".

"We’ll survive !" Starlight exclaimed. "Go and bring them back here !"

"Wait Boss ! What do we do ?" A Boo asked.

"Just as I said before : don’t let them enter the houses, and help our friends here. And bring more Boos !"

Bowser disappeared and Twilight waited until the last moment to erect the shield with Starlight and Rarity ; the undead army blindly crashed on it ; the shield still shook under their disorganized assault. Hundreds of Boos suddenly appeared in the sky and plunged into the horde of monsters, dispatching some of them ; they were effective on the Redeads, but passing through the skeletons had little effect : they had to brutally charge into them to reduce the Stalfosses to broken fragments of bones, although most of them were reconstructing themselves in a matter of seconds.

"Hey buddies ! I think it’s time to show them our true power ! The true power of the Boos !" One of the Boos exclaimed.

Immediately, a hundred of Boos flew towards a single, invisible point, concentrating into a dense cloud of white smoke that took form in seconds : the gigantic Boo with yellow, glowing eyes fell on the floor, crushing numerous brought back creatures ; it was as tall as the mutated Timberwolf everyone have encountered in the Everfree Forest.

"We are Boolossus !" The monstrous Boo bellowed with its many voices.

It began to squish the monsters under its weight ; however the space to do so was lacking, and the undead creatures more or less took refuge not far away to the houses, diverting their attention from the ponies but giving them new potential targets ; the remaining Boos warded them off the homes.

In the middle of the confusion, Bowser’s forces suddenly materialized : hundreds of strange species filled almost all the remaining space available and, above the revived abominations, dozens and dozens of white-masked, bright red creatures appeared, a propeller affixed to their backs.

Bowser appeared inside the ponies’ waning shield.

"Good job ! I’m late, sorry, I wasn’t sure about what troops to bring… Now…"

He addressed to his troops as they attacked the monsters :

"Shy Guys, burn those things to ash ! Mattermouths, eat them into oblivion ! Koopas, Goombas, shatter them ! Reduce them to nothing !"

The little masked creatures immediately discharged a torrent of fire and bullets on their enemies while skeletal grounded half Koopa skulls literally ate through the revived horde, disintegrating its members ; all Bowser’s troops quickly turned the tide of the battle, and everyone joined them to get rid of the isolated monsters. When a Boo put down the last Redead and Applejack bucked the last Stalfos, Illia and Bo poked their head through the door : although all the houses were intact, Ordon Village’s streets were transfigured into a giant, formless and sickening pile up of corpses.

"The magic filling the ground has dried out", Bowser informed. "I think it’s time for some clean up though".

"How do you plan…" Applejack asked before Bowser cut her off.

"Mattermouths ! I want this village cleaner than ever !" He ordered to the incomplete Koopa skulls.

The creatures immediately complied and indistinctly ate through the corpses of enemies and allies alike.

"That’s so gross !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she turned green from disgust.

"Nauseating indeed", Rarity added while turning away.

"No, not really : Mattermouths, as their name imply, eat matter ; they break it down to subatomic levels, so no traces remain : it’s the best method to clean. As for their dead comrades… if I gave a grave to each of my loyal subjects dying on duty, I’d fill whole planets with tombstones… It may seem harsh, but each one of them knows their live will be short. They’re not pawns and they’re not disposable however : they died bravely while following my orders, while protecting you ; I’m proud of them".

The Mattermouths destroyed all traces of the battle in minutes ; Twilight thought that if she had just arrived here, she would have laughed at the idea of a battle being fought minutes ago where she was standing.

A Boo appeared next to Bowser, panicked.

"Boss, there are too much ghosts at the town ! Battalions of monsters ! The King can’t fight and protect everyone without hurting them, and they’re like, exhausted ! Too exhausted !"

"Let’s go help them !" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"I’ll be back soon", Link told Bo and Illia.

"Do your best Link", Illia wished before kissing him.

Bowser teleported everyone and his army to Hyrule castle town.

The sight was the allegory of despair : the town was in flames, half-destroyed and overran by innumerable dead creatures searching to kill every living thing on sight. Few were still fighting them ; they were all at their limit, except King Boo and his minions who were trying their best to save the remaining citizens. Zelda had had a brief spark of hope when the grotesque ogre-like, green form of King Bulbin on his boar steed and their army had teared through the monstrosities. The dead creatures, however, had kept on rising and had smothered the army of horned, green humanoids ; only a handful of soldiers, mostly archers, mounts and the king and his steed were still standing.

"I hate to say it but… I’m at my limit..." Daisy panted.

They were all standing at the castle’s gates ; King Boo appeared above them.

"Living citizens in safety !" He exclaimed.

"Perfect… Thank you…" Zelda thanked the ghost.

"I can’t release my full power here, can I ?" King Boo asked.

"You’d destroy the town !" Mario replied.

"Huh… It already looks pretty much destroyed to me", King Boo shrugged.

"Use your power… at the outskirts of the city… On the toughest battlefront", Zelda advised.

"You’ll be defenseless if I go… Hey, buddies ! Protect them !" The ghostly king ordered to his troops ; a barrage of Boos materialized in front of them, while others were still dispatching the enemies ; for one fallen however, three were taking its place.

"We can’t die, but if we run out of power, we’ll disappear for some time ! For too much time !" A Boo explained to the group.

King Boo appeared above the unending battalions of undead monsters, his crown glowing with a purple aura.

"Pathetic creatures ! Witness the power of the King of the true dead ! WITNESS THE POWER OF KING BOO !"

King Boo slammed his body on the ground : the shockwave of energy coming from his crown instantly disabled the army just as Bowser, Anita, Link and the ponies were appearing inside the castle town, just behind the barricade of Boos, next to their friends ; Bowser’s troops materialized on the Eastern and Western fronts. More monsters rose up under the corpses and King Boo frowned.

"I’m gonna do something dangerous with King Boo on the principal front. Can you take care of the monsters inside the town or concentrate your efforts on the other fronts with my armies’ help ?" Bowser asked to the ponies, Link and Anita.

Twilight nodded before biting her lips in worry.

"Something dangerous ?" She asked.

"I can’t fight in tight spaces so… I’ll be more useful in the middle of the battlefield".

Bowser jumped all the way next to King Boo as the ponies began to clean the streets with Anita and Link.

"Siphon the power in the ground", he advised to the ghost.

"And you, what are you going to do ?" King Boo replied.

"I’m gonna destroy those things : drain the magic as soon as you can and they won’t rise anymore".

Bowser began to grow bigger ; his shell changed : his green scales became sharp, overlapped and took on a turquoise hue while giant razor-like bone spikes emerged from between them ; his horns increased in high ; his feet enlarged and his whole body changed color ; when he opened his eyes, the demonic red eyes looked at the minuscule ants crawling at his feet.

The wave of intense fire instantly carbonized half of the army ; the other half was frozen solid. Bowser continued to crush, disintegrate and freeze the endlessly rising monsters as his army battled the far less numerous monsters on the West and East.
Since Bowser’s request, King Boo’s crown had been pulsating with a dark halo : as minutes passed on the frozen, burnt and electrified battleflied, it glowed more and more intensely ; once the pulsating rhythm stopped abruptly, King Boo once more slammed his body on the ground : this time, instead of a wave of energy, a myriad of root-like filaments of dark green magic slowly covered the whole region, forming an immense network concentrating on a single point : King Boo’s open mouth. The ghost stayed in the middle of the battlefield, firmly planted in the ground, ignoring the monsters passing through his body.

"There’s no true source of magic ! Just scattered pockets !" He told Bowser despite his open mouth.

"I sense they’re draining, it’s almost done", Bowser replied.

The mycelium-like network finally ran out, and King Boo closed his mouth once the last filament was swallowed.

"Not even full !" He exclaimed before dispatching the monsters ; with him and Bowser, the battlefield was cleared in one minute ; the other battlefronts had managed to finally get the upper hand thanks to the monsters stopping rising.

The dead creatures were however still rampaging through the town despite the combined efforts of everyone ; Darknuts were advantaged in the narrow streets, their armor and shield protecting them from frontal attacks and the houses from the sides.

Twilight and Starlight were facing one, the walking armor slowly approaching them, its shield raised in anticipation of an attack.

"Do you remember Link’s advice ?" Starlight asked to Twilight. "Aiming for the joints, neck…"

"I don’t know how to do that !" Twilight replied. "Our magic’s bouncing off those things !"

"I wanna try something", Starlight said.

She disappeared and reappeared just behind the armored humanoid ; her magic beam hit it just at the base of its helmet ; the Darknut let out a small yelp and automatically lowered his shield, allowing Twilight to fire another beam right in the visor ; the knight let go of his sword which Twilight picked up with magic. Starlight immobilized the monster with a spell and Twilight closed her eyes as she imprinted a vertical cutting motion into the magically lifted sword. Starlight turned away when the blade split open the head of the Darknut through its helmet.

Everyone finally began to get the best of the undead army, its number dwindling away without fresh troops the replace the fallen. The now useless barricade of Boos protecting Zelda, Mario, Luigi and Daisy dissolved and the ghosts went to help destroying the remaining monsters hidden inside the houses. Rainbow Dash and Applejack finally pulverized the last group of Stalhounds rampaging in an alley when Bowser and King Boo rejoined everyone at the central square.

"West all clear !" A Boo reported to them.

"East all clear !" Another said.

"South all clear !" Then another exclaimed.

"Town all clear !" They concluded in unison.

"Thank you for your help", Zelda told King Bulbin.

The ogre-like monster groaned for answer, and he and his remaining troops quickly left the town.

Bowser’s army gathered in the streets : since its arrival, a third had been lost.

"One Mattermouth per street. Shy Guys, burn the corpses outside the city", Bowser ordered.

"As for the rest, clear up the rubble please", Zelda added. "We will bring back the citizens once the city will be ridden of corpses".

"The sewers !" Link suddenly exclaimed.

"Check them out !" King Boo ordered to his minions.

The Boos passed through the ground and reappeared two minutes later.

"Sewers all clear !" One said.

"But not all clean !" Another added.

His companions burst out laughing and they disappeared.

"Hey, you, please !" Epona called out a Boo.

"Yes miss ?"

"Can you go to the East, to Kakariko’s village, and tell us if something has happened there, please ?" Epona asked.

The Boo rocketed in the sky and flew towards the given direction before coming back a minute later.

"All clear ! Citizens sleeping, all lights out, streets empty, graveyard normal. Buddies still patrolling everywhere just in case, they’ll report to you if they find something !" He said.

Epona sighed with relief.

"Can we help ?" Twilight asked Zelda.

"You already helped so much. I think it is time for you to go back to your world. Know that Hyrule is forever indebted to you all", Zelda said to everyone before bowing in gratefulness.

"There’s no debt between friends", Twilight replied with a smile that Zelda shared.

"Once the situation will be normal again, you are welcome to come back anytime", Link declared.

"I’m staying here to supervise the troops", Bowser informed. "It’s up to you to take back our friends to Equestria. Do as you want : stay there or come back here", he told King Boo.

"Are you sure you’ll be alright with all the mess ?" Applejack asked Zelda.

"Do not worry. We will not hesitate to ask for help", Zelda answered. "The castle town will certainly need builders and materials before the city flourish anew", she added with a smile.

"I’m staying here !" Epona exclaimed. "No offense, I love Equestria, but I belong to Hyrule, and I must stay with Link and Illia. I’ll come to see you very often though !"

The ponies, Anita, Mario, Luigi and Daisy said their goodbyes to the Hylians and King Boo teleported them to the portal, still guarded by Boos.

"Everything’s normal on the other side !" One of them reported.

They all jumped inside ; the pipe threw them out brutally, but the clouds of Rainbow Dash’s house cushioned their rough landing. It was the middle of the night in Equestria.

King Boo then teleported them again in Canterlot’s castle : Peach, Celestia and Luna sighed with relief when they all appeared in the dining room.

"Is Hyrule safe ? Is everyone alright ?" Peach asked as she hugged her husband.

"Yes. Those… zombie-things have been destroyed", Twilight replied.

"We wanna help the castle town with the rebuilding though", Starlight added.

"When Bowser’s back, I’ll get some acquaintances in construction, they’ll be happy to help", Applejack said.

"Hey ! Hey ! If you want to talk to Princess Zelda, ask me !" King Boo exclaimed.

"Rulers should help each other", Luna said. "Take us there".

"Wait ! Can you bring us back to Ponyville ?" Pinkie Pie asked.

King Boo complied and teleported the ponies and Anita to Ponyville before coming back and doing the same for Celestia, Luna and Peach.

"Don’t wanna ruin the mood or anythin’, but I’m exhausted", Applejack declared.

"We just... fought zombies, that’s a good excuse for being tired", Twilight replied.

"And it’s the middle of night", Anita observed ; she suddenly realized that the daggers were still in her possession, tucked inside her trousers.

"Err… I think I must give them back…" She spluttered. "I’ll tell King Boo later. I… I kept that Zant’s scimitars to be honest. Just… just in case. They’re… they’re hidden in my house".

"Under normal circumstances, I'd tell you to get rid of them, but… we’re still in danger. I’m not Princess Zelda, but I think it’s better for you to have them under your hoo… hand", Twilight said ; she turned to Pinkie Pie.

"Pinkie, I know it sounds… strange, but I wanna check something with Gummy tomorrow, is that okay with you ?"

"Yes, no problem ! But why ? Do... do you think Gummy’s sick ?" Pinkie Pie asked, confused.

"Not at all. Just want to… ask him one or two questions with Fluttershy’s help". Twilight turned to Fluttershy. "You don’t mind, Fluttershy ?"

"No, of course not. But Gummy is… speci… stran… not quite norm… expansive", Fluttershy replied splutteringly.

"It’s okay if it doesn’t work, it’s just something crossing my mind", Twilight smiled.

Wishing each other good night, each pony departed to their respective home.

Author's Note

I'll push the relationship between Link, Illia and Epona later ;)

Scar(r)ed

Sleep forced itself on Rainbow Dash ; she had tried to fight it, not wanting to plunge into the world of dreams ; she closed her eyelids for the briefest of instants before realizing it was too late : she was already sleeping.

She abruptly found herself flying at high speed towards Zant, her body out of control : her hooves crushed his ribs against his lung in an atrocious noise resonating endlessly in the void. The scene repeated over and over, the sound echoing further and further until being deafening. At the edge of her virtual perception, Rainbow Dash glimpsed the five-dimensional objects ; they were being pulverized in an unending cycle of suffering ; over the sound of the bones shattering, she heard their cries of agony, repeated again and again : she screamed in terror, her voice transformed in an animalistic sound.

"Rainbow ! Rainbow !" The soft voice of Fluttershy broke the cycle and Rainbow Dash woke up brutally ; her face was covered with tears.

Fluttershy was next to her, her eyes reflecting the most intense worrying she had ever seen.

"Rainbow, what’s wrong !?"

Fluttershy tightly hugged her marefriend against her and finally, Rainbow Dash burst into uncontrollable sobs.

"Shhhh. Rainbow, I’m here…" Fluttershy whispered, pulling her lover closer.

"Just… just… a-a-a night-nightmare…" Rainbow Dash spluttered between her tears.

"Is… is that… what you did against Zant ?"

Sensing her lover shivering against her and her sobbing coming back, Fluttershy did not need an answer.

"Rainbow…"

"It’s… the-the-the same… Over a-a-and o-o-over a-and over… The-the sound… I-I-I-I hear it… e-e-every night…"

"You did what you needed to do. Anita wouldn’t be here without you. And maybe none of us would".

"I-I-I know…"

"That was the only solution. Zant would’ve… killed us all without you. Rainbow, you saved us. And… and maybe… in the near future you… we… we’ll have to do something like this to… to save our friends. I hate thinking about this Rainbow, I really do. But know that I’ll do what you did, a thousand times if I have to, to protect you. I’ll protect you, even if… even if it means trading my life for yours".

Rainbow Dash’s eyes opened wildly, and she looked at Fluttershy with astonishment ; she felt better, but another shadow covered her regained confidence, and she wept again.

"But… the-the-the shapes… I-I-I…"

"They were not alive, Rainbow. I may not have seen them, but I trust Bowser on this one. Listen, I… I… I hate to say it and I… I don’t want to say it. I don’t even want to think about it but… that thing destroyed Anita’s world. And so much more. It’s… it’s probably destroying… universes full of life as we speak".

Fluttershy repressed a sob and continued.

"Rainbow, we… we can’t do anything for now… We can’t find that thing and stop it like we always do… Until we find a way to stop it, we… we have to… bear the weight of those destroyed worlds. It’s… it’s heavy but… we’re here for each other and… we have our friends to share that burden. All of our friends. We must stand strong against nothingness, it mustn’t shatter our bonds or else… everything will be over. We’ll win, Rainbow. We’ll win, because we’re all connected by friendship and love, and Darkness has nothing. No, Darkness is nothing".

Rainbow Dash slowly came back to her senses, Fluttershy’s words smothering her misery in a warm embrace ; she reciprocated the hug that was given to her ; she had not noticed it until now, but Fluttershy was almost crushing her with an unsuspected strength ; she finally realized that her lover’s hold would never break, not even under Darkness, and she smiled.

"You know", Fluttershy whispered, "I’m not Twilight or Starlight or Bowser, but I… I think I understand what Darkness… represents, just after nothingness : it’s absence. Absence of creation. Absence of love. Absence of friendship. Absence of… self. Absence of absence itself. We… we can’t fight what’s not really there. We can’t destroy what doesn’t exist. We can’t battle against a… against a hole. But we can fill it. Maybe… maybe we can fill it with good things, like friendship or love… I’m… I’m not sure about all of this but… I do know we’ll win, one way or another. And I do know that I’m here for you, because I love you…"

Fluttershy sensed Rainbow Dash warming up against her, her strong body regaining its toughness.

"Let them go Rainbow… Let the shapes and sounds go. For everyone. For me".

"I… I love you Fluttershy. You’re just… you’re just…" Rainbow Dash failed to find a word ; she instead kissed Fluttershy with the warmest kiss she was capable of ; they finally fell asleep, their lips still touching.

In the heart of the night, Rainbow Dash let the shapes dissolve into Fluttershy’s lovely silhouette and the sound being quieted by her sweet-scented breath ; this was her best sleep since she was born.

For the second time, Twilight looked at her reflection in the mirror : she was still a mess : a sad and terrified mess. Her mane was disheveled, her fur drenched in cold sweat and her body was shivering. She sprayed her face with water and went back in her bed ; as she was lying down, Starlight’s voice, barely above the whisper, caressed her ear along with a warm breath.

"Twilight… Are you okay ? No, you’re not okay. You’re drenched, you’re cold, and you’re… scared ?"

Starlight hugged Twilight, and her lover turned around to be face to face with her ; she was in tears.

"What’s wrong ? Tell me…" Starlight tenderly wiped the tears away.

"We… we are… I-I-I mean… Most of our race… Ponies… Ponies aren’t warmongers. Ponies aren’t warriors. Ponies don’t kill. Ponies don’t fight Darkness… We… we are not like that. It’s not our nature. Of-of course we know how to defend ourselves but…"

"Twilight, those things were zombies ! They weren’t alive !"

"I-I-I know but… but even with that… we… we destroyed things, Starlight ! We pulverized them ! How are we different from Darkness if we do just like it !? We… we… I… I… that sword… on that knight… I… its head…"

"And what if we hadn’t ? Link, Zelda and Epona would be dead ! We fight to protect our friends, Twilight ! You fight to protect me, and I fight to protect you ! I’d take on entire universes to shield you from harm ! I’m ready to tear apart anything or anyone that’d put you in danger… I… I’ll be your shield, Twilight. But… but we won’t get through this if we don’t fight together, us, but all of our friends too ! If we're not united against Darkness we… we’ll lose for sure. Maybe we’ll lose anyways, and we’ll all disappear forever. But I’d rather try to fight with you and everyone else and lose than lose alone. We’ll probably have to kill in the future… maybe kill living things this time, but things that want to erase existence itself. We must not falter, Twilight. We’ll have to bear with it. It’s gonna be heavy. It’s gonna be painful. But we have love. We have friendship. We won’t kill under these, but we’ll fight to protect them. It’s true, we’re not a war-driven race like the Koopas, but we can’t let ourselves be slaughtered ! Will fighting against whatever this thing’s throwing at us stain Equestria’s name ? Maybe. But if we don’t fight and just resign to our fate, there won’t be any Equestria at all anymore".

Twilight put her forehead against Starlight’s ; their horns gently bumped ; she cuddled against her lover.

"I love you Twilight. Shhh. Let me be your dreams", Starlight whispered as she sensed her marefriend warming up ; they kissed tenderly.

"You’re the teacher now", Twilight chuckled once they separated. "You just taught me… hope. That’s what you are Starlight, even more so than Somnambula : hope. I wasn’t sure at the inn in the Mushroom Kingdom, but now I can see it. You are hope. My hope…"

Twilight let a hoof wandering on Starlight's body ; it shivered at the contact, and Starlight let out a moan of pleasure ; her belly filled up with an almost unbearable heat, prompting Twilight to kiss her on that spot. She went lower and Starlight’s mind finally drew a blank.

Just as Starlight was sinking into a blissful, ecstatic sleep, she heard Twilight’s voice uttering a few soft-spoken words :

"I love you Starlight".

"You sure Gummy’s alright ?" Pinkie Pie asked to Twilight while looking at Gummy, static on the counter of the bakery. "He’s not been very lively or chatty lately…"

Twilight bit her tongue to prevent a comment regarding Gummy’s usual behavior ; it was early in the morning, and she was at Sugarcube Corner with Spike, Starlight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

"Don’t worry, he’s fine", Twilight replied, waving her hoof in dismissal. "Is he ?" She whispered discreetly to Fluttershy.

"As usual. Catching his attention is hard. I think he’s out most of the time", Fluttershy answered just as discreetly.

"When Twilight was covering Equestria, I swear I could see him approach you and watching us", Twilight explained to Pinkie Pie. "That’s why I want to ask him if he remembers it. Sorry for the trouble, but you know me, when something’s in my head…"

"No problem ! But you could’ve just asked me ! I can talk to Gummy ! He’s slow to answer, but he answers eventually", Pinkie Pie replied.

"Of-of course. I just wanna huh… hear his… you know, his way of saying it. His… exact words with his exact tone", Twilight splutteringly justified. "Fluttershy, can you… ?"

Fluttershy approached Gummy, waving her hoof before his eyes : Gummy showed no reaction, but Fluttershy did not give up. Finally, the small alligator blinked and Fluttershy took it as a sign of acknowledgement.

"Gummy, do you remember, a few days ago ? When the night was suddenly replaced by Twilight ? Orange sky, black squares everywhere, and polygon-things and monsters in the streets. Pinkie had to leave you alone to save everyone. Do you remember ?"

“Please, talk ! Please, please, please ! Just a word, anything !” Fluttershy internally prayed.

Gummy blinked, but Fluttershy was not sure of the meaning, if it had any.

“I could… lie. Oh no ! No, no, no ! Never !”, she thought.

"Hey ! Hey ! Just to say that Bowser’s back ! Back !"

King Boo sudden appearance almost made the ponies scream in surprise, but Gummy did not react.

"Huh ? What’s that lizard-thing ?" The ghost interrogated when he saw the alligator lying motionless on the counter.

"Hey ! Don’t insult him ! He’s Gummy ! He’s my pet !" Pinkie Pie protested.

"Sorry ! But you’re weird. Having a dead animal for pet", King Boo shrugged.

"He’s ALIVE !" Pinkie Pie shouted, loudly enough for her friends to cover their ears.

"Is that so ? He seems pretty dead to me…" The ghostly king shuddered as he approached Gummy, who blinked.

"My bad. He is alive. Almost".

"Can… can you help us ?" Fluttershy timidly asked to the ghost. "I can talk to animals, but Gummy’s a… special case".

"Yes ! Yes ! I can help you ! I can pass his thoughts onto you, and you’ll translate along ! His thoughts will be heard in the room with his voice ! But I must touch him and you must touch me !" King Boo replied.

"That’s nice ! So let’s go Gummy. King Boo will touch you, it won’t be long, okay ?" Fluttershy kindly told the alligator : it simply blinked as an answer, and Fluttershy found herself uneasy under its vacant stare.

King Boo touched Gummy with his arm and Fluttershy put her hoof on the ghost : a rocky, laid-back voice immediately echoed in Sugarcube Corner :

"…forever lost, adrift in a timeless space ? And what is the meaning of time ? Is it just another construct, a mere chimera, the result of the fear of our demise, or a tangible proof of the inevitability of the latter ? Is it our way to have power over life ? Is time life ? Or is life time ? Are timeless things not alive ? And is death the end of time, or yet another step towards it, a way to become part of a phantasm about to lose its grip on reality ? What if the concept of time is but of higher knowledge, unreachable but only a few steps away, standing just beyond the limit of our minds ? And what of our minds, immaterial allegories of the struggle of our souls to apprehend the world, destined to slowly wither away under the passage of time, walking on the cold embers of uncertainty towards an unknown destination ? What is the nature of life ? Is it the sum of our experiences and memories, or an illusion, a fabrication of reality twisted by primordial, unknowable tantrums of long since forgotten forces, without purpose ? And what is reality ? Is it a feeble attempt…"

Everyone was visibly disturbed, but Fluttershy managed to interrupt the rambling :

"Gummy ! Gummy ! Sorry to interrupt your… thoughts but… I just want to ask you something. You… you remember that night with the Twilight, right ? Did you see something ?"

The voice resonated again :

"The paroxysm of the never-ending struggle between creation and destruction, shards of creativity thrown away amidst a pool of oblivion, senseless, tasteless forms born from nothingness, a wasted, pathetic try at creation. And beings of shadows, cloaked under their frayed, torn and miserable wings, grotesque birds from where a place light not knows".

"You sure Gummy ? You sure it was…"

Gummy cut Fluttershy off :

"…as the cover of shadows was spreading its smothering, formless wings, colorless parody of reality destined to dumb, blissful souls endlessly, unconsciously drowning in an unending misery, shapeless masses of cold, forgotten flames, among them a poor gator contemplating, almost at the edge of its perceptions, the tiniest spark of hope, the six..."

"We get it !" Starlight yelled to spare everyone another rambling.

Someone violently knocked at the door, and Rainbow Dash opened the wooden frame on Bowser.

"Hello. Sorry to disturb", the Koopa apologized.

"Hey ! Hey ! We have a case here ! I want you to do something !" King Boo exclaimed for him.

"Hmm ? You’re reading that reptile’s thoughts ? But it’s dead…"

"NO IT’S NOT !" Pinkie Pie screamed to the point of shaking the whole bakery.

"You told me that the breach in your castle, the one tied to a computer, closed. And you saw it. Can show it to that lizard ?" The ghost asked to Bowser.

"He’s an alligator", Rainbow Dash quickly corrected to avoid another fit of exasperation from Pinkie Pie.

"Whatever. Show it to that thing ! Show it !" King Boo insisted.

Bowser shrugged and brushed Gummy with his claws.

Twilight took the initiative to interrogate the tiny reptile :

"Say Gummy, you… you seem pretty smart. Do… do you know something about… Darkness ? Bowser gave you a vision of what he saw. You see shapes, right ? And what else do you see ? Err… I can’t believe I’m asking this to you…"

Gummy did not answer immediately, but after a minute, he spoke :

"Part, fragment of an empty infinity, unrecognizable, unknowable, incomprehensible but at the same time simple, familiar and plain blankness, a destroyer unlike anything else, bound and free by its non-existent nature, an absence of everything, a shallow void of nothing. And shards of creation, fusing, adapting, writhing, twisting and intertwining in a mass of nothingness, present sparks inside an absence, bits of creativity whirling endlessly in the vortex of a hole dug from oblivion itself, parts of imagination ripped, harnessed from and given by yet another forgotten one, opposite of emptiness but part of it, wanting for them to merge, fuse and become one but never did out of fear, fear from losing itself and becoming a remnant of what it is, an unfathomable force, the primordial power of creation who was cowering at the mere sight of his own end, end that was a beginning on its own, a start that could have birthed an infinity of limitless spaces and times at the expense of no one".

"Thank… thank you ve-very much Gummy ! We… we’ll let you think in peace now", Twilight spluttered.

For the first time for almost everyone, Gummy smiled ; King Boo ceased to touch him, and Fluttershy broke contact with King Boo.

"That was… unexpected", Starlight stammered.

Bowser teleported everyone to Canterlot’s castle before teleporting back to Ponyville to take Rarity, Anita and Applejack with him.

"We got some news about Darkness", Bowser declared to everyone ; he turned to Twilight who cleared her throat :

"Apparently, Darkness isn’t only void, nothingness, emptiness or absence : it’s also something more. It took away parts of creation from its sibling but… it seems that some of those bits were given willingly and that this sibling wanted to merge with its other part before, we don't know why".

"But it never did because it was scared. And that it missed to create something greater", Starlight concluded.

"Who… who told you all of this ?" Luna interrogated.

"Err… Princess Luna… Would you believe it if it was… huh… an animal ? A pet ?" Fluttershy asked shyly.

"That alligator-lizard thing, Gummy, was it ? He seems to be a deeply disturbed reptile", King Boo said.

The looks plastered on the face of Celestia, Luna, Applejack, Rarity, Anita, Peach, Mario, Luigi and Daisy made Bowser laugh.

"We’re telling the truth", he affirmed after calming down. "Who would've thought that some answers on a primordial force would’ve come from a pet alligator in Equestria ?"

"At least we know our foe a little bit better", Peach said. "I still do not know how this information will help us to stop that thing however".

"We’ll think about it in the days to come… Maybe detonating the shards of creation…" Bowser mumbled.

"We will inform Star Swirl and everyone working on that case of these new developments", Luna said.

"Hey, Peach, are you going to stay here ?" King Boo asked to the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom.

"We will leave just after lunch", Peach replied. "If you or Bowser wants to teleport us…"

"No problem ! I’ll come back after lunch then !" King Boo exclaimed before disappearing.

"You should record all your information and theories about that thing on a journal, my faithful student", Celestia told Twilight.

"That’s a great idea, Princess Celestia, thank you ! With all these adventures and those new books in my library, I didn’t think of it", Twilight replied. "Better begin now".

"And we must go back to Ponyville too", Rarity added. "Some patterns are still not finished…"

"And Ah was buckin’ some apples at the farm", Applejack said.

"You should return to Ponyville, everypony", Luna advised. "If something noteworthy happens, send us a letter".

"We’ll come back to say goodbye to everyone, don’t worry", Twilight reassured the guests from the Mushroom Kingdom.

Bowser teleported everyone back to Ponyville.

Author's Note

It's 4:20am here... Saying "I'm tired" would be such a sweet euphemism...

Regarding the story, I just wanted to make Gummy (very) useful with his funny (hidden) personnality. Who but him could apprehend the sight of Darkness ? :D
As for implied sex, I think I can't go further with it without redefining my story as "mature".
Next chapter will introduce a new (original) character ;)

The Merchant

One week passed without incident. Anita began working as a teacher at Ponyville’s school, to the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ joy ; when Luna came to visit her in class, she found the whole class attentive to her advanced teachings in physics. Anita managed to contain her emotion in front of her students when Luna complimented her. She offered the Cutie Mark Crusaders their promised gifts : a hover board for Scootaloo, dancing lessons and dance music in holographic form for Apple Bloom and karaoke with a near-infinite list of songs, once again as holograms, for Sweetie Belle.

Rarity finished her collection of dresses with Bowser’s gems and Link’s rupees, with a warning sign regarding the former ; she had managed to attenuate the freezing aura from the gems on the inside, but not on the outside ; she designed them to be summer dresses, as the cold was still reaching the fur even with the thickest fabric.

Rainbow Dash won her obstacle course against King Boo, the gigantic ghost crashing right in the first barrier.

Twilight and Starlight learned the rudimentary of chaos magic, their rigorous and scientific minds slowing down their progress until an advice from Fluttershy given by Discord in a letter : “don’t think”.

Pinkie Pie gathered everyone for Jerry’s party, with the photo of the late Galanian at the end of the table ; her friends described the party as “awesome, just as if Jerry was with us”, bringing her to tears.

Applejack asked her contacts in construction to help with Hyrule castle town’s rebuilding, a demand they gladly accepted, thrilled to discover a new world. Zelda offered her a chest full of red rupees along with a bottle full of Ordon pumpkin’s seeds to sow at Sweet Apple Acres as a thanking.

Twilight nearly convinced herself that everything would go on that way, that Darkness or its minions would never reach Equestria, the Mushroom Kingdom or Hyrule, that she and all of her pony friends would soon think about marriage and nothing else, when just after that perfect week, trouble again showed its teeth in Ponyville.

Going for a morning walk alone in Ponyville was not something Twilight was normally doing ; she had gotten up as the sun had not yet poked its first rays at the horizon ; she was extremely careful to not wake up Starlight, wanting to have a few hours just for herself.

She wandered aimlessly in the empty streets filled with a delicate mist under a not yet pink and orange sky : it was going to be a sunny day without clouds, but it was so early the pegasi were still sleeping, giving the hazy city a lukewarm temperature. She whistled tunelessly, happier than ever : it was the first time she was witnessing Ponyville, or even Equestria, softly smothered in that kind of weather, which was filling her with a joyful melancholia. She looked at the houses and her castle, their silhouettes gently blurred by the fog ; she inhaled the soft, sweet dew filling the air. “Best morning ever…” she thought, a wide smile on her face. And then she remembered something : she was in Equestria : the weather was designed, not natural – except in a few places – and that weather was not forecasted ; it could not have been : it was too unusual, too filled with happiness and melancholia, too out of place. She noticed that the sun was rising too much slowly, maybe not at all, like it was stuck in place ; the sky was harboring vivid, mixing orange, yellow and pink hues. She checked her magic was still functional under that strange atmosphere, and that she was not dreaming. Instead of panicking, she took a deep breath and went towards the house of her nearest friend, her hooves maintaining a gentle pace all along. “I can’t… no, I don’t wanna run. Nothing’s ominous about this, it’s so relaxing but… it’s not normal”. Conscious that she was going to wake up her friend, she almost stopped her hoof from knocking at the door : a low, slow, soft, gentle knock.

Rarity finally opened the door after five minutes, but Twilight waited. “I’d have given up after two minutes under normal circumstances, but… time's not gonna flee”.

Rarity was ready : she was wearing her usual make-up and her mane and tail were done. She looked at Twilight with confusion, but not the slightest trace of anger or even irritation ; Twilight noted that the inside of the Carousel Boutique was also filled with the almost invisible mist.

"Twilight ? What are you doing here ? It’s so early…" She interrogated slowly, her voice not fatigued as it should be.

"We have a problem, Rarity. Look around you. Don’t you find something strange ?"

"Why, not at all darling".

"For example the mist, the sky’s colors, the sun not moving, that dew, that… atmosphere. It’s… surreal".

"What are you…" Rarity shook her head, and she fully recovered from her trance-like state.

"Sweet Celestia… Just when did I put on make-up and comb my mane ? Oh, that’s unimportant…"

"That’s important. Rarity, we must shake that feeling off… We’re drowning in that atmosphere… Something’s not right. Please, Rarity, we must do something…"

Twilight’s horn glowed and she produced a magic blast, hoping to dissolve part of the enchantment : it failed, and the mist did not even quiver.

"It’s not something evil, I can sense it, but we must stop it…" Twilight said.

"Maybe we should try to find the source ?" Rarity suggested.

"Good idea. Let’s go. Oh, by the way, we can’t run under… whatever it is".

Twilight and Rarity talked as they searched through Ponyville, even though they had no idea of what to search.

"I get it Rarity. Except the mist and the atmosphere, someone or something’s playing with time in a… weird way. Look. The sun hasn’t moved since I got you up".

"That’s why we’re so… I hate to picture myself like this but so… sluggish…"

"Yes, probably. I wonder where's King Boo… He can’t be affected by this, so he should help us…"

"Twilight, look. The mist’s thicker in that direction", Rarity pointed out as she pointed her hoof towards tents and stands engulfed in the fog.

"That’s the marketplace", Twilight said.

The two mares cautiously walked in the denser mist, but even with its thickness, they could still perfectly see through. After two minutes of silence, Twilight discreetly showed something with her hoof to Rarity : it was a tent. A tent slightly bigger than the others, with a different design, bright red in color, decorated with ornate, golden patterns.

They approached it as silently as possible and peeked inside : the view was confusing at best : put on wooden shelves were thousands and thousands of different objects, so many that they could not possibly fit in the tent. There was everything : clothes, toys, food, books, drinks and potions, appliance, weapons… Twilight and Rarity briefly thought of Bowser’s castle.

"Hmm ? Customers are not allowed before the opening. Please wait while I finish my installation", a slow, androgynous voice resonated in the tent.

Twilight glimpsed a shadow moving between the numerous – or few – racks and she stepped in the tent with Rarity ; she took on the most authoritative voice she was capable of when she spoke :

"I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. Please decline your identity".

In a fraction of a second, someone materialized before them ; or rather, it seemed the shelves – or themselves – had moved in an instant to the end of the tent. Rarity immediately felt nauseous, and Twilight shook her head to recover.

"It seems you’re not quite adapted to space-time jumps. Noted. I won’t use them on you, dear customers. I know who you are, Princess Twilight Sparkle. As for me, I am the Merchant".

Twilight and Rarity looked at the pony behind a wooden counter before it moved in front of it. The mare, or the stallion, was cloaked in a brown garment, totally obscuring them from head to hoof. Looking closer at it, Twilight was suddenly certain of something : there was nothing under the robes. Nothing at all. Just a floating cloak in the shape of a pony.

"It’s my first time here, I hope business’ gonna be fruitful", the silhouette said.

"Who… who are you really ? And are you responsible for this ? I mean, the mist, the atmosphere…" Twilight interrogated, her horn slightly glowing.

Suddenly, everything went back to normal : the sun shot up in the now blue sky as its would be place at this hour, the mist disappeared and the time dilatation ended.

"Hmm ? Who stopped my installation process ? That’s not very nice…" The “pony” groaned.

The inside of the tent abruptly became of normal dimensions, most of the shelves disappearing along the way.

Twilight and Rarity shook off their trance-like state as the air became freezing.

"Hey, there are things here that hate cold !" The silhouette protested.

King Boo materialized in the tent.

"Hey, hey, heeeeey ! Look at who’s there ! The Merchant ! What are you doing here ? Last time I saw you, you were selling some stuff in Death’s Realm ! You have some regulars there !"

"What I am doing here ? I could ask you the same. Well, I’m doing what I always do : selling and trading. And you ?"

"I’m friend with ponies, and Bowser is too ! And guess what ? Bowser’s with Princess Celestia ! They’re in love !"

"You’re kidding".

"No ! Not this time ! It’s true ! True ! I swear it on huh… on our friend Death !"

"And here I thought nothing could surprise me anymore…"

"Sorry to interrupt you, but who’s that pony ?" Twilight interrogated King Boo.

"The Merchant, a pony ? That’s hilarious !" King Boo replied before bursting out laughing.

"Sorry, sorry. They took on your appearance, kind of", he explained once calming down.

"You’re not a pony ?" Rarity asked to the cloaked form. "And… what was happening with everything moments ago ?"

"I must adapt to my customers. As for your other question, I just slow down time a little bit to install everything. My presence may cause some discomfort to your reality. I’ll be more careful next time", the Merchant promised.

"For the third time, who are you ?" Twilight interrogated.

"Just someone selling and trading everything and anything since quite some time. And also a traveler perpetually seeking profit. There may be one or two things from your world I’d like to trade by the way…"

"Hey ! You didn’t introduce yourself to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna ! That’s not cute of you !" King Boo exclaimed. "I’m going to bring them here !"

He disappeared before any protestations could be made.

"I was going to do it before opening…" The Merchant sighed.

"You’re something more than just someone selling stuff", Twilight said to the cloaked form, suspicion in her voice.

"It’s true than I’m a very old someone. At the beginning, I was a mere concept ; not that it was that bad not really existing, but it was… tiresome. So They gave me substance, and I became what you see now. To give you an idea, Death is younger than me, I was already here when it came into existence, so yeah, I’m pretty old".

Twilight and Rarity stayed silent ; King Boo reappeared in the room with Celestia and Luna.

"Here’s the Merchant ! They’re in Equestria to sell and trade stuff !" The ghost presented the silhouette to the princesses of Equestria.

Celestia and Luna looked around them, then at the cloaked form.

"Selling ?" Celestia asked, confused.

"Trading ?" Luna interrogated with the same bewildered expression.

"Yes ! Yes ! They’re an interdimensional merchant ! They’ve been doing this for… pheew, the beginning of everything ! Hey, buddy, you better put back the weapons, you’re in a peaceful world here ! A peaceful world ! And all the technological stuff too !" King Boo advised the Merchant.

"I heard you’ve been attacked not so long ago, so… But as you wish", the Merchant complied.

All the weapons, computers and televisions, touchpads and other advanced technology vanished from the racks, replaced by books, toys, potions and food.

"You didn’t bring other dangerous stuff, did you ? Those potions and those books, they’re safe for ponies, right ?" The ghostly king asked.

"Yes, of course, they’re innocuous. Books are stories, physics, cooking, gardening… Potions are healing stuff or bath products", the silhouette answered.

"Healing ? Bath ? You’re turning into an interdimensional apothecary ?" King Boo laughed.

"They don’t need potions for turning into biological weapons, do they ?"

"You have a point ! You should talk with the princesses about what you’re selling, I’m not in the position to judge after all !"

"I did my research before coming here, all the info are in the registry. It’s incomplete, so, if Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are willing to help me finish it…"

"Just wait", Luna intervened. "For what purpose are you doing this ?"

"That’s what I am. I sell and trade everything. I am the Merchant".

"You’re prejudiced against interdimensional travelers and embodiments of concepts ?" King Boo asked to Luna with a confused voice.

"What ? No, no I’m not. I cannot be, for this is the first one. But you cannot appear in Equestria and begin selling everything to everypony", Luna replied. "Rules are to be set. You are lucky King Boo knows and trusts you, because not a single pony would have".

"My sister is right", Celestia concurred. "We are perfectly willing to let you sell, trade and buy in Equestria as long as your presence isn’t disturbing or bringing harm to anypony. As my sister said, rules are to be set, even if we now understand that you are what you do. King Boo is right about weapons and some sorts of technology, but there may be other things not safe for our race. Can we have a look at that registry ?"

The Merchant levitated a huge, black notebook from under the counter.

“It proves that it’s not a pony… Its magic has no aura… I don’t even think it’s magic. I can't believe this... entity's the embodiment of trade”, Twilight thought.

"Just before you begin, the Merchant didn’t tell you that they’re neutral ! Neutral !" King Boo exclaimed suddenly.

"Neutral ?" Rarity repeated.

"Yes, I’m neutral. I follow neither good nor evil. I sell to the one with the most interesting price, regardless of their principles. I sold weapons to tyrants and their opposition alike, I sold power to future kings, I sold poverty, then wealth to their subjects to overthrow them ; I’m responsible for wars of universal scale. There’s only one limit : no customer loss".

"For… example ?" A disgusted Twilight interrogated.

"Say we have two opposite factions that want to destroy each other : if the two buy me weapons more or less equally, I won’t let one of them take the upper… hoof in their war, because I’d lose the other as customers. Often, the situation resolves itself naturally : they stop waging wars due to their resources running low or they destroy each other, but I’m the loser in that case, so most of the time I just move on".

"That’s just…" A shocked Rarity gasped.

"I’ve done this since the beginning of everything. I’m responsible for unimaginable and countless destructions and deaths. But I’m not a war bringer. I make a point of not starting anything, that’s not in my interest ; the war has to be there for me to sell weapons. There has to be a root cause for me to come in case of conflicts ; I am what people need : oh, that’s war-profiteering of course, but as I said, I don’t approve or disapprove, I have a business to keep afloat and that's what I am. As for peaceful worlds such as this one, it’s just me wandering. For these worlds, I check them out before coming, and then I ask to their rulers, if they have any, if it’s okay for me to sell and what to sell. For today, I was going to ask you princesses once my installation would have been complete. You see, I’m putting everything on the shelves, it takes some time ; if I ask you and you accept before or during this, I must put time back on track, and customers would come in the midst of my installation, that’s not very professional, don’t you agree ? In case of refusal, all that I got to do is going somewhere else, it’s instantaneous. Do you understand ?"

"Yes", Luna replied. "However, as Equestria is indeed a peaceful world, we are a bit… worried with what you’ve told us about going to the most profitable side".

"Your worries are understandable, but you’re the rulers of Equestria, and you have only a tiny, almost non-existent opposition : you’re the most profitable side, and always will be. Going against you would be a grave mistake for my business. I’d lose all Equestrians as customers ; business’ also trust", the silhouette replied as it opened the notebook.

"You can trust them ! You can ! I promise ! Death trusts them too !" King Boo reassured Luna.

The registry was a simple, plain black notebook ; however, its size was shifting constantly ; it was also regularly phasing in and out reality and was appearing in a blur ; when the Merchant found the page, the notebook stabilized.

Noticing Twilight’s puzzled look at the registry, the Merchant addressed her :

"It’s in more than three-dimensions ; it contains all customer worlds and races, that makes quite the pages… And some of them sometimes die, so they disappear from the registry".

"You should slow time down or stop it altogether", King Boo advised to the silhouette. "Because customers are going to come ! To come ! And you’re going to spend some time on this !"

"You’re right", the Merchant concurred.

The sun instantly stopped moving and everything fell silent.

"I… I’m not needed here as far I can see", Rarity declared. "Maybe I should go home…"

"I’ll teleport you !" King Boo suggested.

"Thanks darling".

The ghost and Rarity disappeared, and King Boo came back in the tent seconds later.

Him, the Merchant, Twilight, Celestia and Luna spent hours on the registry ; once the shapeshifting quill – if it was really a quill – left the paper – if it was really paper – time resumed its course.

"I’m so tired", Luna yawned.

"Before you go, don’t you want to buy something ? Or just hear what I’m searching for here ?" The Merchant interrogated.

"It would be too long to search through your products, but I am willing to hear you out", Luna replied.

"First, rest assured that what I’m asking for won’t be weaponized in any manner nor sold to warring entities".

"That’s… reassuring…" Luna spluttered.

"So, for the things I’m looking for… A dragon’s scale, a sample of your magic and of chaos magic, a zap apple, zap and normal apple seeds, a barrel of cider from Sweet Apple Acres, a bottle of rainbow, a shard of a dream’s essence and a copy of the Friendship journal. If you can find me these, I’d be very grateful, and I’m willing to trade them for anything you want. Customers coming here can also trade anything they want".

"Samples of magic ?" Twilight interrogated.

"Yes, just a tiny vial. You just have to light up your horn and I’ll take a sample, it’s painless and of no consequence", the Merchant explained.

Twilight’s horn gently glowed with a pink aura, and a tiny vial immediately popped in existence next to it to capture the essence ; the silhouette put on a cork on the vial and examined it.

"Perfect", it said, satisfied ; the bottle disappeared.

"How do you plan to find a shard of a dream’s essence ?" Luna asked. "Dreams are not accessible for you, and their essence cannot be taken".

"Oh, trust me, I can go wherever I want. Tonight, when you’ll accomplish your duty, I’ll be in the dreamscape to look out for a dream to cut part of its essence ; all you have to do is to check the procedure’s going well and seal the breach after I’m done ; it’ll take seconds and won’t disturb you".

"Your request is granted. I’ll be prepared for your visit", Luna agreed. "Now, I must sleep at all costs".

"I’m going with you sister", Celestia said. "But before I go…" She turned to Twilight. "My faithful student, can you stay with them for this day ? Our subjects aren’t… accustomed to… those sorts of travelers. No offense", she added to the Merchant ; they shook their head.

"As you wish, Princess Celestia. I’ll introduce you to customers, they trust me", Twilight told the silhouette.

"I don’t mind. It’s not every day I have a princess to promote my business" ; the Merchant let out a laugh.

"We wish you good sales then", Celestia concluded.

She vanished along her sister and King Boo.

"We didn’t ask you how long you’re planning to stay", Twilight told the cloaked form.

"No more than three days except in case of high frequentation", it replied.

King Boo reappeared in the tent and looked at the objects.

"You’re searching for something ?" The Merchant interrogated.

"Just having a look ! Hey, what would I want ? I don’t really have desires", the ghost replied.

"Touché", the silhouette said.

"You told us you’d trade anything for the things you’re searching for, and I gave you some of my magic", Twilight recalled.

"That’s true. What do you want in return ?"

"Information on Darkness or a way to stop it".

"Strange request. I can’t do anything for the latter, but I can tell you what I know. Deal ?"

"Deal".

"You wanna take notes ?" King Boo asked to Twilight.

"Yes, if I had something to write and something to write on", Twilight replied.

"I’m going to…" King Boo cut himself off ; the Merchant had materialized a quill and a small notebook in front of Twilight’s eyes ; she took them and opened the notebook.

"Be aware that I’m going to tell you this story in a way you can understand, and that it’s simplified : no words can be put on that scale of events".

"It’s okay, I understand", Twilight replied.

"So let’s begin… When I came into existence, or rather when I ceased to be a concept, Existence and Non-existence, or Creation and Darkness if you prefer, were still both here. Creation was creating and Its sibling watched and sometimes destroyed. After some time, both of them began to be... bored with that endless cycle leading to nowhere ; they were stagnant. So, Darkness suggested exchanging part of themselves in hope of making something greater, and Creation accepted : it boosted their powers, and together, they created Death, life and the soul to bring order and sense to the things Creation imagined. And they created what Bowser and King Boo found : a mix of their nature that they put away. That period lasted for quite some time, but they eventually regressed to a state of stagnation. Seeing they were getting nowhere, Darkness persuaded Its sibling to take it to the next level : they’d fuse together but cease to exist : however, it’d create something else. Something beyond. At first, Creation agreed. But even with shards of Darkness, it was still Its inherent nature to create : fusing with Its sibling would destroy It, even at the expense of creating. So It changed its mind and decided that there was only one way to end the cycle of stagnation : only one of them would watch over everything. It attacked Its sibling, removed some of creation in It before sealing It. I saw them fight, and I saw Creation prevailing : Darkness didn’t even really try to put a fight. As It was drowning in the seal, It looked at me : It implored me to reason Its sibling… but I did nothing. Nothing at all. Because I was afraid. Afraid of stepping between them. I just fled away, like a coward… I regret that decision. That’s my sole regret since I exist, and I exist since… longer than your brain can process".

The Merchant fell silent before continuing :

"After sealing Its sibling, Creation went on with Its nature : It created countless universes, dimensions, planets, species… But some species became powerful. Powerful enough not to break the seal, but to bypass some of its layers, and Darkness seized the occasion : It bled through the things created in the seal, scattering Its parts everywhere ; Its sibling saw nothing. When a sufficient number of Its shards were dispersed everywhere, It released them, and it peeled away the seal. I sensed the seal’s breaking and Darkness’ rage : It exerted retribution on Its sibling, ripped off some parts of It, and put It in Its place. And now It’s destroying everything Its sibling has created out of revenge. Everything will soon end, Twilight Sparkle ; and you know, maybe it’s better this way. I have no intention of running away from Darkness ; I know It’ll find me sooner or later, and then I’ll face my end. But at least I’ll atone for what I did, and Darkness knows it… I’m ready to face oblivion".

Twilight was left speechless for a minute.

"You… You’re saying that… that Darkness is destroying everything for revenge !?"

"True implications are much higher than just that, but you can say it that way, yes", the Merchant replied. "I wouldn’t really worry if I were you… Darkness may not come here before eons. It sends Heralds, but they’re just pawns destined to be thrown away when everything will end. I must say there’s a chance that Darkness will stop. A very slim chance. A probability with an infinite number of zeros, but it’s worth mentioning".

"Why would It stop ?"

"Getting bored. But It’s so angry It’ll probably stop only when nothing will be left".

"And… and the portals ?"

"The famous portals… Creation's last resort before Its sealing. A desperate measure to stop Its sibling. It continues to have its effect, hence the portals keeping appearing, but it’ll stop soon. And Darkness has sent a counter-measure too, that’s why the portal leading to the combined sibling’s power and the one between the Mushroom Kingdom and Hyrule had vanished".

"One last question… I must process everything you just told me once we’re done… You know about Galanians, we have the last one here… Anita Garrett. How did she survive in her capsule in the shipping hub, and why was that dimension not destroyed along everything else ?"

"The capsule’s mostly irrelevant ; it must’ve been carved from the strongest metal in creation – no wonder I wasn’t able to find it – and packed with many space-time anchors. If a fragment of Darkness would’ve been released near it, it’d have been destroyed. No, the thing that made that capsule escape from the onslaught is the shipping hub. That’s a peculiar dimension, you should’ve noticed it, and it has others, pocket dimensions inside it. To say it comprehensibly, it’s far away from every other dimension : it’s a corner, or a nook. There are five of these, I can tell you their names if you want, that’s hidden knowledge, not forbidden knowledge".

Twilight nodded.

"The Shipping Hub, Death’s realm, the House at the End of Time, the Library of Nowhere and where I have a house : the Forgotten Swamps".

The Merchant let Twilight write out the names and went on with their explanation :

"They are, but at the same time are not, the farthest points you can reach : when you exit one, you stumble into another. They’re connected, and they’re present in every dimensional plane, physical or mystical. As I told you, they’re remote locations, meaning that pieces of Darkness were out of range to be released. But the fragments moved closer, hence why universes not connected in any way to Galania were destroyed too. Oh, rest assured though : these places will be destroyed sooner or later".

"That… that’s a lot of info…" Twilight spluttered. "I… Thank you. Thank you so much".

"That was our deal", the Merchant shuddered.

"And why you didn’t tell me about all of this ? Why ? Why ?" King Boo interrogated with a frown.

"You didn’t ask".

The ghost was left speechless.

"I’m going to tell all of this to Bowser !" He finally decided.

"There are chances he’ll get mad", the Merchant observed.

"Pretty much ! I’ll tell him in a place where nothing can be destroyed ! Thanks for the info !"

King Boo disappeared for good.

"May I ask for what do you want the Friendship journal ? We got some… problems when it was published", Twilight said as she reminisced about the book’s fans.

"Price of success I suppose… It won’t have any repercussion on your life or your friends’, even if I intended to sell it : it’s not like my customers can come to harass you, can they ? Don’t worry, your journal’s a gift for a friend of mine".

Twilight sighed with relief and she decided to look at the objects on the racks. Just as she was doing so, the first customer entered the tent.

"Hello ? Anypony here ?" A familiar voice resonated.

The Merchant instantly materialized before the customer, startling it.

"Hello, dear customer. Sorry to startle you. Are you searching for something ?" The unsettling cloaked form interrogated.

"Do… do you sell some magic props ?" The customer asked.

"Of course", the Merchant replied ; Twilight and the customer saw the shelves instantly shifting to display a wide array of magic props : top hats, play cards, wands, costumes, boxes, spotlights…

"Wow… You’re… you’re a magician or what ?" The puzzled customer asked.

"Just an interdimensional merchant", the silhouette answered.

Twilight intervened to prevent the customer from escaping.

"Hello Trixie !" She saluted her friend.

"Twilight ? What are you doing here ? And what’s that place ? I mean…" Trixie was cut off.

"Trixie, here’s the Merchant : they’re an interdimensional merchant coming in Equestria to make some… business. You’re inside their tent, it may… change depending on what you need. And... the Merchant themselves are taking on this appearance to adapt to our race. You can trust them, Trixie, don’t worry".

"O-Okay", Trixie spluttered.

"Any magic props in particular ?" The Merchant asked her.

"Well, I’m certainly searching for something different", she replied as she checked out the objects.

"Different ? May I suppose you’re tired of old tricks, dear customer ?"

"Exactly ! The Great and Powerful Trixie can’t keep on rehash the same tricks forever !"

"Are you searching for ideas ? I have some books about stage magic if you desire".

"Why not ? It’s a good start".

The Merchant guided her towards a shelf full of books which Twilight and Trixie were sure it was not there a moment ago.

Trixie picked up a book and rapidly flipped through it.

"Hmm. Hmm. Not bad. Interesting. Yes, I could do this…" She murmured to herself.

She checked all the books and finally settled on three, including her first choice.

"Are you finished with books, dear customer ?" The Merchant asked.

"Yes, thank you".

The book section immediately morphed back into its former shape, with all its heteroclite objects destined to stage magicians ; the silhouette took an object from it and held it in front of Trixie’s eyes : it was a smooth, flat, black equilateral triangle small enough to be held in a hoof.

"May I suggest you this fake reality-remodeling device ? It is a tiny, harmless device that you can wear as an amulet for example. Your performance involves stars ? Find yourself with your public inside the cosmos ! Do you want an ocean ? Just a little poke on this and you’re thousands hooves under the sea ! You can travel without moving ! You just have to think carefully about what kind of setting you desire, and the fake reality-remodeling device will do the rest !"

Trixie nudged the triangle with her hoof, and the tent immediately disappeared, replaced with the inside of Ponyville’s spa, still full of shelves ; she and Twilight almost freaked out.

"Don’t let intrusive thoughts disturb you, dear customer ! The device won’t make the difference between what you want and what is crossing your mind", the Merchant explained as they looked at the triangle : the tent returned to its normal layout.

"As I said, it is totally harmless : it is called “fake” for a reason. A real reality-remodeling device is reserved to… other purposes. None of the things you’re picturing in your mind and that appear as a result can harm you or your public, because they’re not real, they’re just an illusion ; and it goes for memetic things too ! An unconceivable evil entity driving mad anypony who sees it ? Here’s a safe way to materialize it !"

Trixie processed the information and then smiled wildly :

"I take it !"

"It’s guaranteed and it’ll last as long as you use it regularly ; it’ll self-destruct if not used at least twenty times on a five-years span".

"With this and the books, I got new tricks for my entire career ! As soon as my tour across Equestria is done, I’ll produce myself in the Mushroom Kingdom and Hyrule ! What else do you have ?"

"Are you interested in fake fire, all colors available ?"

"Deal. Anything else ?"

"Moving origami paper ?"

"Deal !"

"I know this paper", Twilight told Trixie. "You fold it and it moves like the animal you make".

"Amazing ! More, please !"

"What do you think about light-bending spotlights ? Any part of you caught in the light will disappear at the eyes of the spectators, or become mimetic with your decor or of another color".

"I take six of them !"

"Dimensional hat, size and shape you desire. Everything put inside will be stored into a safe, air-filled pocket dimension until you retrieve it with your hoof".

"I absolutely need this one !"

"Dimensionally-connected boxes ?"

"Of course !"

"Huh, Trixie… You sure you have the money ?" Twilight interrupted her.

Trixie suddenly recoiled in shock.

"I… huh… I…" She spluttered, sweating.

"You can pay me with money – I accept any currency by the way – sure, but I accept other forms of payments : food, drinks, blood, sacrifices, unwanted possessions, magic, books, feelings, ego, part of your body like strands of your mane… Let’s say I accept everything", the Merchant synthetized.

"And… how much for what I took in bits, gems, food, drinks, magic and… some of my mane ?" Trixie asked with uncertainty.

"Let’s see… Seventy-seven bits, two gems, two bottles of apple juice, a box full of peanut butter crackers, three vials of your magic and eleven strands of your mane", the interdimensional seller replied.

"That’s… that’s okay", Trixie agreed.

"Since I’m grateful to you for some of your magic which I’m really searching for, and as my first customer here, I want to give you an exceptional gift. You said you wanted to travel to Hyrule and the Mushroom Kingdom, didn't you ? Why not farther ?"

The Merchant materialized something on their counter : it was a levitating pyramid solid, no bigger than the head of a pony ; the object was pure white, except its top, totally black.

"Why not becoming an interdimensional magician ? With this, you’ll be able to reach a limitless public. Let me explain : it’s a portable interdimensional portal. You won’t be able to travel anywhere you want, because you’re restricted by what you are, but I think it’s more than enough for you : that still makes thousands and thousands of worlds to explore. This device will analyze your physiology, biology and some of your mind along what you’re bringing in to determine a destination in a random safe world. For example, it won’t send you in a place without air, or in a war-zone, or in a universe falling prey to Darkness, or on a planet where they don’t speak your language. But that’s not all : it won’t send you in a world incompatible with your values or where its inhabitants could cause you harm or flee from you : you won’t go to a planet where they’re eating ponies or where they kill or mutilate each other as a part of a ritual. And you won’t be transported in a world where wood is forbidden, preventing your wagon from being a target. What else can I say about it… Once it has analyzed you, it’ll only respond to you, and you alone, but it can analyze samples of other worlds, and you’ll be able to visit them. When you’ll cross, it’ll cross with you, and you can’t lose it : you’ll always find it next to you. At least, it’ll be invisible to everyone but you. Am I clear ?" The Merchant interrogated.

"Yes, I got it ! But… but as a gift !? You sure !? That’s just… just so… My career… everything I’m gonna be able to…" Trixie spluttered, tears of joy in her eyes.

"As I said, first Equestrian customer", the silhouette said. "I already took a photo of you, hope it’s no problem".

"Are you kidding !? You can take millions of photos of me if you want to ! I can’t even find words to express my gratitude… Know that the Great and Powerful Trixie will speak of you in every world she’ll visit !"

Trixie immediately paid the Merchant and managed to cram everything in her wagon.

"I’m just so happy ! Again, thank you ! I just can’t believe I…"

It was the first time Twilight was bearing witness to Trixie in such a joyful state, and she immediately thought to tell Starlight about it ; her lover was going to be happy about the news of her best friend becoming an interdimensional magician.

After another round of “thank you” and overflowing happiness, Trixie finally left.

Over the course of the day, Twilight saw hundreds of customers coming inside the ever-changing tent, among them Applejack giving the Merchant the sought-after seeds of zap and normal apple, the zap apple and the barrel of cider. The Pillars of Old Equestria also paid a visit to the traveler. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash came last, told by Applejack about the new seller.

"I’m honored heroes of Equestria and Elements of Harmony are coming inside my modest shop twice in the same day", the Merchant greeted them. "What are you searching for ?"

"We heard about you from Applejack", Rainbow Dash answered instead.

"We’re not here for something in particular… We just wanted to see what your shop looks like. No offense", Fluttershy replied.

"I don’t mind. But since you’re here, you probably can help me. I’m searching for something you can get very easily : a bottle of rainbow. I’m willing to trade it for anything you want", the Merchant said.

"Anything ?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Be careful of what you ask, Rainbow", Twilight warned.

"I don’t suppose you can get me another house ? Or something to repair it ?" Rainbow Dash laughed with a bitter tone.

"I can", the silhouette said.

"Yes, yes, whatever… WHAT !?"

"Repair or change ?" The Merchant interrogated.

"I… huh… I…"

"Rainbow, we can ask Discord", Fluttershy reminded her lover.

"Since you’re mentioning him… I’m looking for a piece of chaos magic", the cloaked form told her.

"Why… why do you want this ?" Fluttershy asked ; she was the less trusting of her friends with the interdimensional being.

"Someone somewhere is willing to exchange it for… something else", the Merchant replied.

"I wanna repair my house. For a bottle of rainbow, right ?" Rainbow Dash asked them.

"Yes, for a bottle of rainbow, I’ll give you a can of repairing nanites ; it has only one use, but it’ll be enough".

"A bottle of repairing what ?" A confused Rainbow Dash asked.

"Nanites. They’re miniature robots. These ones are designed to rebuild : the can will analyze the remains of your house and find its original shape, then release a swarm of nanites to repair it from the rubble, ; it can also reconstruct missing parts to some extent. Once it’s done, the swarm will go back inside the capsule and the whole object will disintegrate. What do you think ? Tomorrow, for a bottle of rainbow".

"Trade ya", Rainbow Dash finally agreed after a minute of internal deliberation.

"Perfect".

The Merchant turned to Fluttershy :

"I’m going to Discord’s dimension in less than an hour. I don’t suppose you have the means to warn him".

"I can’t send him a letter, it’d only depart tomorrow", Fluttershy replied.

"It’ll be a surprise for him then", the silhouette concluded.

"How can you go there ?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I do business in Death’s Realm and I live at one of the edges of all dimensions… A trickster’s realm is not that hard to reach…" The Merchant shrugged.

"You should take me with you, I’ll introduce you to Discord", Twilight suggested to them.

"No problem. But you won’t be able to come with me when I’ll go into the dreamscape to get my dream’s essence".

"I’ll be sleeping. And Princess Luna’s there. I… I suppose you don’t really sleep, do you ?" Twilight asked.

"I won’t be in Equestria tonight, and the shop will be closed anyways. I’m going to… somewhere else trade what I found here and some other things. So yes, I don’t need to sleep, but I do sleep sometimes, when at home. Dear customers, the shop will close soon : are you finished ?"

"I don’t suppose you have veterinary supplies, so yes, we’re finished", Fluttershy replied.

"I have some in stock".

"Really !? Do you have some healing treatment for animals, anything ?"

"I do. What kind of animals are you treating, and for what ?"

"A bunny, a bear, a chicken and three mice, all sick from a pollen of the Everfree Forest", Fluttershy answered.

The shelves shifted, confusing Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

"Quite unusual… What symptoms ?" The Merchant interrogated as they searched through their products.

"Skin rashes, benign respiratory problems, a light cough and headaches. I give them some herbs to ease their breathing and some cream for the rashes, but I just can’t treat every symptom at once".

"Hmm. Have you considered a desensitization ?"

"Yes, but on animals, it’s pretty hard to do, and the species concerned are very different from each other".

The Merchant picked up a tiny, oddly-shaped bottle filled with a green fluid.

"This entire bottle in three liters of their drinking water. Odorless and sweet-tasting. You can drink it too, it’s made for pretty much any species".

Fluttershy analyzed the bottle levitating in front of her eyes.

"Where does it come from and what is it made of, if I may ask ?"

"From a planet populated by giant, sentient ants ; their land is covered with vegetation of all kind that is perpetually evolving in the span of a day. What you have in that bottle is the honeydew of a highly adaptive aphid species that the ants harvest : it serves as a food there.
As the aphids are sucking an ever-evolving sap, they produce that honeydew which can desensitize any pollen allergy or cure any vegetal disease, caused by carbon-based plants of course. I already tested it on all carbon-based species : it’s a hundred percent success on each, even on the ones with different organs : that means that everyone’s physiology is able to synthetize it".

"How long for the effects to take place ?"

"It depends on the species’ digestion process. As soon as it goes in the blood stream towards the heart and then the brain, it’s done and the animal, or you, are desensitized. I can explain the process in details, but you need to have some knowledge of the inner workings of the brain and of high-level chemistry".

"That’s not my field of expertise, so I don’t need an explanation, but thanks for asking. I take that treatment. How much, please ?"

"Two bits and two of your feathers".

"Two of my… feathers ?"

"Yes. Some things here can’t be given a price in money-speaking terms. So I must adjust their value with other objects. Besides, there are customers in some worlds searching for pegasi, or simply unusual feathers. There’s always someone somewhere searching for something".

Fluttershy agreed with the price and the Merchant gave her a bag to put her purchase.

"Thank you. As I said, I suggest you to test it in front of your animals to prove them it’s harmless", the silhouette reminded her. "If you give it immediately, their symptoms should be cured tomorrow".

"I’ll come back tomorrow to tell you. Thank you so much !" Fluttershy exclaimed.

"See ya tomorrow for that can of things and a bottle of rainbow", Rainbow Dash waived as she walked out of the tent with her marefriend.

"The shop’s now closed", the Merchant informed Twilight.

Twilight failed to witness the racks disappearing ; they were here a moment ago, and the following second they were not anymore.

"I’m going to Discord’s realm : are you ready ?" The cloaked form asked her ; she nodded.

Less than two seconds passed before the Merchant addressed her again :

"We’re at our destination".

"What !?"

She stepped out of the tent : in a dark bluish void, the bizarre, sometimes upside-down “islands” populated with ridiculous plants and rocks were gently floating ; on her right, Discord’s house was connected to the island she was on with a wooden bridge. She noted that the land mass she was standing on was created along the tent, as there was nothing next to Discord’s home. When she looked inside the tent again, the racks were back, sometimes on the roof : on them were piled up an assortment of random things, from tea bags to jetpacks. She heard a door opening outside, and Discord came in the tent seconds later.

"Twilight ? What are you…" He began, before noticing his friend showing him something with her hoof.

The Merchant materialized next to her, and Discord narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Discord, let me present you the Merchant. They’re an interdimensional merchant... and... the... incarnation... of trade... selling and trading everything. They want something from you", Twilight said.

Discord approached the cloaked form cautiously.

"And what do you want from me, strange… pony… form ? Bah, you’re not even a pony, are you ?"

"Of course not. Just as your friend said, I am the embodiment of trade. As for what I want… just a vial of your magic, from you or from your dimension".

Discord blinked.

"And for what… purpose do you need a piece of my magic ?"

"Another trickster from somewhere is willing to trade it against a sample of their essence. I wouldn’t be here had Bowser not destroyed the place where you fought against Princess Celestia and Princess Luna".

"What do I gain from this… trade ?"

"Anything you want".

Discord laughed.

"I can do whatever I want, but you obviously cannot, since you’re asking me something. So you can’t get me anything I want, incarnation of trade or not".

"I can. Look around you".

Discord turned around and his face decomposed : everywhere around him were shelves ; they were millions of millions, filling his entire view : some upside-down, some twisted in improbable angles, some floating.

"I heard you’re friends with miss Fluttershy. By the way, she bought me something a moment ago. May I suggest you something for your tea parties ? Or something to decorate your house ?"

"I can will into reality anything that I’m thinking of. But you can give me ideas…"

"You can’t make an exact replica of the objects presented here with your powers".

"And why ?"

Discord approached a shelf and picked up a book : it instantly morphed into a flying, bright red banana peel, using two of its peeled off layers as makeshift wings ; the fruit skin hovered next to Discord’s head.

"Because they’re shifting. You can keep your new pet, it’s a gift".

"Well, thank you. You know dear Fluttershy likes my place because it’s like me, don’t you ? So why bother with those objects ? I make boring things amusing, I don’t buy... prepared stuff".

The objects on the racks changed, but not the shelves themselves.

"Some exotic tea ? I have some unusual flavors for this world. There are also teas with special effects, like making you glow, or shrink, or transform…"

"Not quite as boring as normal tea, but still…"

"Hmm. What about interdimensional tea ?"

"What ?"

"A tea transporting you into other dimensions, safe for ponies and you of course".

"Now that’s unusual. What kind of dimensions ?"

"It depends on the tea bag ; the destinations are stated on the box. Some of them take you to a beach, the cold ones to mountains, some to forests or jungles, some into the sea, but it grows gills and fins on your body to help you survive, some in sky cities or empty skies, and everything you can imagine. As I told you, it’s harmless. Miss Fluttershy would probably be very surprised with that kind of tea, even more so if you make it float, sing, or whatever. But I strongly warn you against changing their ingredients, even in the slightest : it would be hazardous at best. Space-time sometimes reacts in unexpected, often bad ways when its laws are modified. As for your coming back in your home world, it’ll be done automatically once the tea is digested".

"Let’s say I take that tea : all I have to do is giving you a fragment of my magic ? Is that all you want ?"

"Yes".

"Okay then, I take this".

The Merchant materialized a vial in front of Discord before addressing him :

"The essence of your dimension would be perfect ; if you want to teleport, go outside first, you can’t do anything here ; sorry, it’s just that way", the silhouette apologized.

Discord went outside, and Twilight followed him : she saw him cut a part of the void with his claws morphed into scissors before putting the fragment inside the tiny bottle. The draconequus reappeared at the entrance of the tent, went inside, and gave the vial to the Merchant, who analyzed it.

"Excellent. Thank you. Here’s your tea", they said.

Discord took the box under his arm.

"It was a pleasure", the Merchant added. "I’ll come back soon. Now, that essence of dream… I think Princess Luna’s already begun her duty".

"See you soon", they bid farewell to Discord.

"Goodbye Discord", Twilight said.

"Oh, by the way Twilight, are you and Starlight progressing in learning chaos magic ?" Discord interrogated.

A white teacup with blue frog legs popped next to his hooves in a flash of pink magic.

"We've taken your advice at heart : we don’t think", Twilight replied with a proud smile.

"As expected from you and your special somepony… I guess. I’m going to keep that teacup, if you don’t mind".

"I’m proud of it actually. See you later Discord".

The tent abruptly vanished from Discord’s realm ; the landmass it was on disappeared as soon as the draconequus stepped out of the bridge.

The shop reappeared in an empty Ponyville ; it was night, and the lights of the houses were going off one by one.

"You should go to sleep", the Merchant advised Twilight. "After visiting the dreamscape, I’m going to a world where ponies are the main food source".

Twilight gasped and went pale ; the Merchant let out a laugh.

"I’m joking. But you still can’t follow me there, there’s no oxygen on this planet".

"I couldn’t even if I wanted or was able to : I’m pretty tired… Not that I did much today…"

"Space-time jumps are taking their toll on your organism. A good night of sleep and it’ll be over".

"Is… is that so ? Thanks for the explanation. Good luck with Princess Luna and good sales in that airless world then", Twilight wished as she dragged her hooves towards the exit. "I’ll bring one of Spike’s scales and a copy of the Friendship Journal tomorrow".

"Thank you. Good night, Princess Twilight".

As soon as she disappeared from view, the Merchant vanished too.

Luna was ready to go inside the dreams and nightmares of her subjects ; she quickly and blushingly pushed aside the fantasies of lovers – among them the ones of her friends – to concentrate on the relevant dreams ; just as she was going to enter a dream she was partaking in, something materialized in the void, shaking it with its presence : the Merchant was here.

Luna looked at them with utter confusion, not sure of what she was witnessing : a certain shape with a certain color. Or maybe not.

"Sorry for the trouble Princess Luna, it’ll be quick", the androgynous voice resonated in the dreamscape.

The “shape” approached a dream and materialized one of its vials.

"I don’t want the dream to leak in here", it told Luna. "Ready to seal the breach ?"

Luna nodded ; a part of the Merchant incised the dream in a lightning-fast move : the vial quickly contained the separated fragment before disappearing. Luna immediately enveloped the wounded dream with her magic and stitched it up.

"All done", the Merchant concluded. "What do you want in exchange ? Maybe a dream ?"

"A dream !?"

"Yes. I sell dreams, or dream settings, Princess Luna. Before you ask, I can’t cut a part of those dreams ; they would bleed and disappear. That’s why I needed you here, to help me to not destroy a dream, or a consciousness. And because this is Equestria".

"What kind of dream would I want ? I am the one in charge of them".

"It’s funny, Discord told me the same thing about his desires… But I still found something for him. Let me see if I can find an interesting setting to project here".

The void of the dreamscape suddenly morphed into a beautiful, fantastic sunset offering every possible iteration of the orange color ; far from scaring Luna, the setting instantly relaxed her.

"If you take it, you’ll be able to modify it to your will", the Merchant said. "Interested ?"

Luna shook her head to come back to her senses ; the familiar void of the dreamscape replaced the sunset.

"This, for the essence you just took ?" She asked to be sure.

"Yes".

"Then we have a deal".

A bubble popped in next to the Merchant and levitated towards Luna ; inside, the relaxing view of the orange sky could be seen.

"Don’t hesitate to share it. I must take my leave now, Princess Luna. Good luck with your duties", the Merchant wished before abruptly vanishing.

Luna contemplated the given bubble and smiled ; she was going to enjoy the sunset during the day.

Despite their claims and despite finding all the objects they were looking for, the Merchant stayed almost a week in Equestria, their shop overran by ponies every day.
Fluttershy had her animals cured in a day and Rainbow Dash her house instantly repaired : they thoroughly promoted the interdimensional shop.

On their last day, just after the closure, they said their goodbyes to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, before teleporting in front of the Castle of Friendship and knocking at its door.

When Twilight opened it, she was briefly taken aback by the surprise of seeing the formless being outside its shop.

"Hi. Come in", she invited the silhouette.

"I guess you’re leaving", she supposed as she guided the Merchant in the main room.

"Yes. I already said my goodbyes to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and that’s why I’m here too".

"So, is the land of Equestria a profitable marketplace ? Are Equestrians good consumers ?"

"Rarely a land of that size has given me so many customers. And it’s all thanks to you, Princess Twilight Sparkle".

"Nah, it was nothing", Twilight dismissed with her hoof. "A drink before you leave ? Coffee ? Tea ? Cocoa ?"

"Why not a tea ? Thank you. I don’t really need sustenance, but I like to eat and drink sometimes".

While Twilight was preparing the tea, Starlight came down and saw the Merchant ; it was the second time she was encountering them, having met them three days prior.

"You’re leaving ?" She asked to them.

"Yes, I’m here to say goodbye and thank you for everything. I give my thanks to Equestria as a whole of course, and I’ll be back soon".

Twilight came back with the tea ; when she saw Starlight, she went back in the kitchen to bring another cup ; they all sat around the table.

"So, when are you planning to come back ?" Twilight interrogated.

"As soon as possible, and when customers from other worlds will search for Equestrian products. Could be weeks. Could be months", the Merchant replied before sipping their tea.

"And in what kind of world are you selling next ?" Starlight asked.

"I’m taking a few… days off. Well, it wouldn’t make sense for you if I say the real duration, given the relativity of time. After my leave, I’m going to a desert dimension and next I’ll go to Death’s Realm".

"A… desert dimension ?" Starlight repeated.

"A universe filled with sand and wind, lifeless safe for lost travelers. In most universes, maybe even here, there are little, very precise but moving spots where you can fall through, and some lead there. It’s very rare and there’s probably none in Equestria, but if you fall through, you’re often done for, because you can fall absolutely anywhere ; travelers seeking them exist, but they tend to not live long. Most of the time, the holes lead to the Library of Nowhere, and it’s easy to come back once the Librarian spots you. More rarely, they lead to my home, the Forgotten Swamps. I never heard of someone ending up in Death’s Realm, the Shipping Hub or the House at the End of Time by accident ; there are no holes in them, except the stable one to the Shipping Hub. But that situation is changing…"

The Merchant slowly took another sip of their tea and continued :

"When Darkness destroys dimensions, the space between them... let’s call it the mesh, becomes porous. The more dimensions disappear, the more holes we get : it means that even before the destruction of everything, all dimensions will already look like gruyere…"

Twilight and Starlight almost spat out their tea before going pale.

"But let’s not borrow problems from the future, shan’t we ? In some thousands years, you won’t think about it anymore. And as I said, the corners are pretty secure".

"B-By the way, we wanted to thank you again for the info you gave us on Darkness", Starlight thanked. "A-and this o-of course".

"That was the deal", the Merchant shrugged, finishing their cup. As for this kind of information, I don’t see a reason to withhold it from you ; you can ask me anything you want. However, it’ll be for another time : I must take my leave now. See you soon".

The Merchant abruptly vanished, leaving Twilight and Starlight alone in the room.

Author's Note

The atmosphere caused by the Merchant's appearance is pretty much a vanilla sky ;)

Finding what Discord would buy was a challenge :pinkiecrazy:

Lost

Peach, Luigi and Bowser came back in Equestria two days after the departure of the Merchant, with bad news ; everyone gathered at Canterlot Castle.

"Mario disappeared !?" Twilight exclaimed.

"Yes", Peach replied, holding back her tears.

"How it happened ?" Celestia interrogated.

"He… He… w-w-was h-h-ere… J-just next t-t-to m-me. A-a-and w-w-when I-I-I look at h-h-h-him, h-he is n-n-not here a-a-any-m-more…" Peach spluttered, before breaking in tears and covering her face with her hands ; Bowser and Luigi put their respective hand, or claw, on her shoulders.

"King Boo’s checking Death’s Realm every hour : he’s not there", Bowser informed.

The fact suddenly hit Twilight and Starlight :

"He’s fallen into a hole !"

"That… being, the Merchant, told us there are holes in space-time in certain places. And they’re at precise places, but also constantly moving", Starlight explained.

"The more Darkness destroys, the more of these breaches are created", Twilight added.

"And that means he can be absolutely anywhere !" Starlight exclaimed, biting her lips.

King Boo appeared in the room.

"Death’s mad at me for asking so much ! But It said Mario could’ve been transported to a dimension where It doesn’t exist or isn’t needed, that’s why It can’t locate him !"

Everyone gasped ; someone knocked at the door ; as soon as Celestia opened it, Thorax barged in the room, his crystalline wings messed up and his face covered in sweat. He immediately ran towards Spike, ignoring all others.

"Spike ! Emb… Princess Ember ! She disappeared !" He panicked, shaking Spike with his hooves.

He then realized he was not alone in the room with Spike and let go of the stunned baby dragon.

"How… how do you know Princess Ember’s missing ?" Twilight interrogated, confused.

Thorax blushed and looked at the ground.

"We were kinda… together when it happened…" He replied whisperingly. "But that’s not the point ! She was next to me and in the blink of an eye, she wasn’t anymore ! I searched everywhere with everyone, but I can’t find her ! Please, help me !"

"No Equestrian in Death’s Realm these days ! Are you reassured ?" King Boo asked to the changeling leader.

"Yes ! No ! Yes ! I don’t know ! But we must rescue her, wherever she is !" Thorax affirmed.

Before anyone could respond, Link, Zelda and Illia materialized at the entrance of the room with a lone Boo visibly exhausted by the act of teleporting them.

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Leader Thorax, Princess Peach, Bowser, King Boo, Luigi, everyone", Zelda lengthily saluted. "We are here for a matter of utmost importance : yesterday, in the middle of afternoon, a citizen of Hyrule has vanished without a trace".

"Epona’s gone !" Illia exclaimed in tears, before Link comforted her with a hug.

"We three were talking about our newfound bonds, and as Epona was getting up to… drink at Ordon Spring where we were, she just vanished. In the blink of an eye, she was not here anymore. With the Boos’ help, we searched through all Hyrule and beyond : there is no trace of her. We are here because we hope Equestria can offer support and assistance, and partly because Epona is one of your kind now", Link explained.

"I traveled as far as I could with Death’s help, there’s nothing in the dimensions I checked ! Nothing ! But I can’t go everywhere ! I can’t ! I’m not Death !" King Boo exclaimed.

"Can’t you… huh… pressure Death into helping more ?" Starlight interrogated.

"No one can coerce Death", Bowser replied. "It doesn’t care about the living, and with Darkness coming, It cares even less…"

"J-Just what can we do !?" Illia cried.

Everyone stayed silent.

"Maybe we can try to send a message across dimensions ?" Celestia suggested ; she turned to Bowser :

"Is that possible ?"

"In theory, yes… But it’s not gonna really help them. Besides, it’d attract attention on Equestria, and some worlds and planets aren’t gonna take that signal as an act of peace".

"It mustn’t be a threatening signal…" Twilight thought aloud.

"Something signaling our position to our friends…" Starlight mused to herself.

"Like a beacon ?" Applejack asked.

"Yes ! Exactly !" Twilight and Starlight exclaimed.

"And how are they gonna respond to us ?" Rainbow Dash interrogated.

"They won’t have to", Bowser replied. "The signal will localize them, but we’re gonna spend time to design this. The frequency must only respond to Equestrian, Hylian and the Mushroom Kingdom’s magic, or the frequency of their universes, or their chemical makeup. As for putting enough power in the beacon and retrieving them, I can surely help…"

"Why building something to track them? Hey, can’t your table-map do it ?" King Boo interrogated.

"It doesn’t work that way", Starlight replied.

"Something’s about crossing to other worlds seems familiar…" Twilight mumbled under her breath. "Crossing… travel… opening portals…" She sighed with exasperation and clenched her teeth.

"Twilight ?" Rainbow Dash asked, confused.

Twilight let out a frustrated growl :

"It’s on the tip of my tongue !"

"Say the words and the thoughts that are crossing your mind out loud", Peach advised.

"Violet, hat, portal, pyramid, powerful, fireworks, magic, ego, blue, crossing, bits, great", Twilight blurted out.

"That hardly makes sense", Bowser groaned, scratching his head.

"Not to you. But to me, some words echoes to my best friend", Starlight said. "Violet, hat, blue, magic, ego, great, powerful. Do you mean Trixie ?"

"Yes ! At last ! Thank you ! Phew !" Twilight sighed with relief. "The Merchant gave an interdimensional portal to Trixie as a gift ! They said it can analyze sample of other worlds and bring us there, but it only responds to Trixie, and it’s invisible for all others".

"We do not possess any samples of the worlds in which our friends had disappeared", Zelda countered.

"That’s… right", Twilight agreed with a down voice.

"We can find samples", Bowser affirmed. "There are chances that these moving holes left some traces of their passage, and King Boo and I can find them. Here’s what I suggest : we begin in Equestria, then Hyrule, then the Mushroom Kingdom, or we can search two worlds at once. Once we find the samples, we’ll bring that Trixie and her interdimensional portal here, and we’ll go on a rescue mission".

"I agree with that plan", Twilight concurred.

"And so I am", Zelda added.

"Me as well", Peach said.

King Boo approached Thorax, who instinctively took a step back.

"Princess Ember, is she that tough dragon girl ?" The ghost asked.

"Yes", Thorax replied.

"Hey, I sense you love her, I’m not color-blind, and the soul’s colors never lie. But that’s not important. Not important ! Well, maybe a little. I need you to think about you were the last time you saw her", King Boo explained.

Thorax blushed under the evidence and the surprised looks of his friends and fellow rulers.

"You’re picturing the place ?" King Boo asked to him.

"Y-Y-Yes".

"Here we go !" The ghost exclaimed before vanishing along Thorax.

"King Boo just sent me a signal, shall we go ?" Bowser asked after a moment.

"Is it absolutely necessary for everyone to come ?" Luna asked.

"No. You can’t detect out-of-place matter. I just want someone who can collect samples without destroying them accidentally", Bowser replied. "I’ll try to find a way for you to see space-time breaches and stuff like that later".

"Starlight and I will use your books and whip up something, don’t worry", Twilight said. "I already have some ideas about goggles…" She shook her head and came back to the subject :

"I think taking me and Starlight will be sufficient", she told Bowser.

The Koopa King nodded and teleported himself, along with the two mares, towards the signal.

Talking to Peach and without any transition ending up here was unbelievable ; he was still conversing even as he was not in the castle anymore, like nothing happened. Mario was totally ignorant as to the place he had landed ; he was roaming since a day and half, even though there was no night in that world ; the only things present were an endless, flat white surface covered with a few centimeters of water and immeasurable, scattered beige limestone pillars, three meters in diameter, that were piercing the blue sky. Mario had quickly found out that the white substance under his feet was salt, but the water was not seawater, and, after a boiling inside his cupped hands, was perfectly drinkable. He doubted there were germs in that strange dimension, but he was staying cautious, the incident at the Shipping Hub still fresh in his memory. He sighed : climbing the pillars was totally unfeasible given their impossible height, and there was nothing to do but walking in that surreal décor that he surmised was boundless. He imagined his family and friends in his situation : what would they do ? Peach would fly to search an exit, Luigi would do the same thing as him, Daisy would grow plants, Princess Twilight Sparkle would find that dimension extremely interesting, Link or Zelda would stay perfectly calm, Bowser would explode with rage and destroy everything…

The last fact hit Mario : there was nothing to destroy but the pillars ; he pondered the benefits and potential setbacks of this measure. At worst, it would destroy a part of that dimension or wake up something. At best, it could open an exit or simply do nothing at all.

He finally took a decision after a quick internal deliberation : his hand packed with an explosive fire shattered the base of the nearest pillar.

She was lost. She was so close to kiss him ; it was going to be her first kiss. But instead, she was transported here, in that empty, silent, grey and totally lifeless modern city under a perpetual orange sky. The tall skyscrapers were in perfect condition, and everything inside it was virtually untouched : the working offices had their computers turned on, their papers ready to be read and their chairs untouched ; the shops were open and their articles undisturbed. She noted however the complete absence of food of any sort in the shelves, worrying her.

She wandered in the streets and finally found a town square with a fountain in the center ; she ran towards it and found a few centimeters of clear water left inside : she drank avidly almost all the liquid before realizing it could not have been water, or a poisonous one ; she immediately wanted to throw up, but it was too late. She went pale and lay down for a few minutes before her anxiety subsided. She roamed the maze-like streets again, until spotting a library of sorts ; she went inside the building and searched through the shelves : all the books were written in a series of undecipherable symbols that she quickly gave up on trying to understand ; she however picked up one with a solar system on the cover, and another depicting fauna and flora : she put them into a synthetic bag she had found behind a counter and left the place ; the books might probably interest Princess Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer and Bowser. She searched through the colossal city for another hour before seemingly reaching its heart : a small translucent dome of glass with only a meter wide, two meters tall and ten centimeters thick rectangular, shiny black monolith in the middle ; the dome had fifteen semi-spherical, regularly spaced holes at its base, allowing entry at any point. She cautiously approached the glass, then the rectangular surface firmly sealed in the ground.

"What is this ?" She thought out loud, her voice echoing endlessly through the city.

She prudently brushed the monolith which immediately gently hummed, surprising her ; she took a step back as Hylian language was displayed on the obsidian-like surface in a vivid blue color :

Neural analysis complete. Language deconstructing complete. Biological analysis complete. Living entity confirmed. Sentience confirmed. Sapience confirmed. Awaiting inquiries.

Path and walls of yellow stone gaining in height as she was trying to see above ; night sky with unknown stars, no moon : that was all she could see.

The path she was following was making ninety degrees angles in random directions at random intervals : she was in a labyrinth.

She walked hours between the two walls before finally taking a break, leaning on the yellow stone ; she looked at the sky : there was no sign of the night beginning to light up with the rising of the sun. The stars were all shimmering of cold, distant colors ; none of them were moving, and there were no shooting stars. The air she was breathing was cold, odorless and old.

After ten minutes of pause, she again tried unsuccessfully to see above the walls ; they were constantly rising at she was jumping. With no other choice, she walked again.

At a corner, she stumbled upon a worrying discovery : a half-crushed skeleton, three times her size, with a bronze helmet on its skull ; the creature, as far as she could deduce, was some kind of dog or wolf. She passed by the remains and after following the maze a hundred meters further, she discovered the dried body parts of a gigantic insect. From that point onwards, she kept on stumbling upon various remains of all sizes, but always – if slightly – bigger than her, sometimes clad in armor and with varying weapons, all crushed in some way or another : a bird with four wings, a cockroach, a serpent, an armadillo, a cat, a ram, a vaguely human shape with six arms, a deer and countless more, mixing with each other, along with scraps of metal, glass, wood and plastic, and some gears of gold and copper ; she even encountered what could have been a former crystal form of life, totally shattered.

“Something’s killed those things a long time ago… So by now, it’s probably dead” she reassured herself.

She was cautious to not step on any bone however, and she proceeded prudently. The skeletons were far less in number as she was progressing, and she felt better, accelerating her pace. She turned the umpteenth corner, only to find herself face to face with the beast.

The bipedal monster was five times her size ; it was heavily clad in a golden armor from head and muzzle to hooves, its helmet only allowing its horns and snout to pass through. In its left hoof, a metallic double axe peppered with dark green spots was slung over its shoulder ; in its right hoof, covering its entire forearm, there was a round, copper shield emblazoned with two very detailed bull’s horns. Strapped on its back, the handle of a sword could be seen, and a wrapped spiky leather whip was hanging on its right side. The red eyes, perfectly visible under the helmet, looked at the intruder.

The minotaur let out a long, terrifying bellowing that resonated through the endless maze, before giving chase.

It took two minutes for the impossibly tall pillar to fall in a titanic crash : the whole pan of salt violently shook, throwing Mario off balance. Two minutes later, another fell in the distance, and then a third and a fourth : ten columns crashed on the ground before the dimension fell silent again.

Mario sighed ; it had not changed anything ; as he was going to continue searching for an exit, the whole place began to vibrate before undergoing a long, violent earthquake. Still lying on the ground because of the quake, Mario saw the crushed and intact pillars quickly approaching him ; the columns suddenly shattered, and he managed to roll out of the way of the crumbling limestone that was sending a meteor shower towards the ground. He understood that the dimension was shrinking : he was going to be crushed. The shrinking stopped abruptly, but his own size shifted much more brutally : he closed his eyes and formed what he believed was his last thought : his family. He pulverized the place in its entirety.

He opened his eyes after a minute : he was outside the dimension, or rather outside of what he was inside. Mario looked under his shoes and crouched : in the reddish sand, there was half of an oyster shell, totally crushed by his weight ; he checked his cap to find the remnants of the other part of the shell on it ; he dusted his headwear and looked around.

The land was not welcoming : under an orange-yellow sun – between the skies that were the brightest and the sea that was reminiscent of a puddle of black ink – everything was shades of red.

Mario stayed away from the unmoving dark waters while walking on the barren beach : there was no life, no shells or algae, not even rocks. Finally, in the distance, Mario spotted something, a silhouette standing out the setting sun and the otherwise flat landscape ; it took twenty minutes to attain it.

The galleon was in pristine condition : however, it was washed ashore portside, half-buried in the sand, sufficiently away from the sea for the water to not reach it ; its white sails were furled. Mario jumped on board ; the deck was totally clean and polished, to the point of being slippery. He went towards the cabin – precisely the captain’s quarters – and opened the door : everything inside was left untouched, from the bottle of wine to the fruit on the table. The cabin was luxurious : portside, there was a black desk with a bottle of ink, a quill, and a book ; it was separated from the berth half-hidden by open red curtains by two crossed cutlasses attached to the walls. Starboard, some navigational instruments were resting on a shelf, waiting to be used ; just next to them was a chest the size of Mario. In the middle, not far away from the windows showing the black sea, a wooden table covered with a white silk tablecloth and surrounded by seven velvet chairs was ending the room, along with a dresser and sideboard showing an immaculate dishware through its glass doors.

Mario approached the chest and tried to open it to no avail ; applying his burning hand on it, he finally melted the metallic lock and opened the wooden box : it was full of rubies. Red, bloody rubies, the same color as the sky ; as a result, they were not beautiful, their sickening low glow under the red sky making them repulsive even to watch. Mario, however, took five of them ; Bowser or Twilight Sparkle would be glad to analyze them. He went towards the desk and took the black, featureless book put on it before opening it. On the first page, there was a series of glyphs which quickly took the form of recognizable letters ; the sharp, black writing finally became decipherable : Log of captain Annah Steel, officer of the Order of the Travelers of Her Majesty.

Mario flipped the page and began to read :

Captain Annah Steel, day 1 since arrival.

We’re at our destination, or at least I think so ; my crew and I were sent by Her Majesty aboard the ship The Wanderer to discover new seas, as per our traditions, and to add them on the Map of the Oceans. Including myself, my crew is comprised of seven experimented sailors, five women and two men, all of them having sailed countless waters of countless worlds and captains of their respective ships : captain James Briggs, captain Francis Wood, captain Martine Smith, captain Paula Flescher, captain Ella Connelly, captain Charlotte Rez. On that vessel however, they’re all under my command : Her Majesty trusts me to lead them, even though I’m younger than them. One day though, I may end up serving under one of them on different conditions. I am the leader for one reason : this sea is totally unknown. Each of the captains has her or his specialty : Charlotte knows how to sail in foggy conditions, James can operate a ship underwater, Ella is able to pass through any kind of storm, Paula had fought so many monsters she’s able to decrypt patterns and species at first glance and Martine is a geographer. Of course, we all know those fields well too, but these officers are the best in their domain. As for me, besides being a good coordinator, I am… adaptable : as soon as I go somewhere else, I become aware of that world’s sea rules : I know its weather patterns, what kind of beasts lurks in the abyss, and what sort of currents I can encounter : this is a gift from my mothers, passed on through generations since eons. Back to our arrival :

First (unpleasant) sensation and impression : my powers and our instruments don’t work here. That machine, the Sender, finally settled on that sea ; it took days and days of research ; that was unusual, as it usually choose in hours ; we even thought it was broken. Her Majesty was concerned about this place, but she decided, after hours of deliberations, to send the best among her navy to conquer and map it. Now we’re here, under that red sky : the crew seems unnerved by it and by these black waters, can’t blame them ; they make me feel uneasy too. Most of us had sailed through seas of literal madness and chaos, but this is different, and we’re not sure to what extent. No wind, no waves, no life. We took samples of water and sent them back to home via a portal : results inconclusive. It means we don’t know why it’s black as ink and we don’t even know if it’s really water. At least it’s not toxic on contact, but nobody wants to try to drink it.

We unfurled the sails and used a wind spell to move the ship ; otherwise, we would stay in place ; we put a beacon at our starting point. First time I saw ripples on the water with the ship. On a side note, the day doesn’t seem to end ; we’re lucky to keep time from our world.

Captain Annah Steel, day 2 since arrival.

We’re traveling fast thanks to the spell, but the sea is large, and as we’re moving towards the sun, it doesn’t move from its place ; I’m sure it’s immobile now. Instruments still not working, no one was able to fish out something from the sea by any means.

Captain Annah Steel, day 5 since arrival.

Nothing new, still sailing aimlessly towards the sun. I think this place is frozen in time ; the crew agrees.

Captain Annah Steel, day 10 since arrival.

The engineers from our world sent us a device to stabilize or in that case, restart the flow of time. We tried it and it did nothing. Our home sent us some food, but we barely ate something since we’re here ; we’re not hungry. Nothing apart the ship and the crew are moving : it’s driving me crazy. We won’t spend months in that place, Her Majesty said, any of us are free to come back home whenever we want. I didn’t show it to the crew, but I’m relieved.

Captain Annah Steel, day 14 since arrival.

It’s been two weeks since our arrival, but it’s like two months. We finally fished out something today with the net : rubies. We’re sure the net never reached a bottom, and the gems sink… how did they get inside ? We sent some for analysis… Maybe they’re alive and were swimming before being caught ? The results will be sent tomorrow. At least something happened.

Captain Annah Steel, day 15 since arrival.

Results inconclusive. Are they kidding me !? I (nicely) asked for an explanation : the scientists told me they were unable to extract any information from the rubies, just like the water. They tested them, broke some of them, put them through their best analyzers, and they got nothing. The only five things they can say is that : they exist, they’re solid, oval with facets (meaning manufactured ?), has the same hardiness as normal rubies and that they’re red. Great. Let’s be honest : my eyes couldn’t have told me that… To summarize, all other information from the rubies is “unknowable”. When they look at them under microscope, they just see the smooth surface, not any atoms. When broken, they’re just… broken like normal rubies. When tested extensively through chemical reactions, etc., nothing happens. I’m mad at this place, but I will understand it.

Captain Annah Steel, day 27 since arrival.

James and Paula went back home, saying there’s nothing to get from that place. Maybe they’re right. But I won’t give up.

Captain Annah Steel, day 30 since arrival.

A month in that place seems like ten years or just a second, I don’t really know. I doubt there are landmasses here, and our instruments are useless to find them. Martine can’t draw a map or even find a landmark here. Engineers sent us sonars : nothing around us. What did we expect ?

Captain Annah Steel, day 47 since arrival.

We saw a landmass just as Ella was opening the portal to go back home. She stepped back into the ship and we anchored the ship on the beach. The sand is red, why am I not surprised ? We’re making the preparations to explore the land, and we’ll go tomorrow.

Captain Annah Steel, day 54 since arrival

This land has nothing to offer. It’s just plain blankness. We searched it for a week : there’s nothing but dry red dirt ; it’s a literal definition of barren, and it’s as flat as a land can be. We took samples of the soil, but we already know the results. I’m starting to feel really tired, and I sometimes forget the names of my remaining crewmates ; I don’t want to stay any longer, but I feel compelled to do so.

Captain Annah Steel, day 60 since arrival

Everybody’s gone but me. I don’t want to stay here, and my crewmates (what were their names again ?) wanted to force me through a portal. I sent a letter to Her Highness Majesty to explain my reasons : I must stay here and discover something, anything ; didn’t get a reply. I’ll go back into the land tomorrow.

Captain Annah Steel, day 80 (?) since arrival

I walked for two weeks in the land. TWO weeks. Didn’t find anything. On a side note, not hungry. Will go again and again ‘til I find something. Tasted the water : no taste, no temperature, nothing. Not sick or anything.

Captain Annah Steel, day ?? since arrival

Found something today ! Just kidding. Feeling weird, memories seem to fade. Don’t remember having a crew, barely remember home. Something’s wrong.

Annah Steel, day ?? since arrival (?)

I don’t remember being a captain or a sailor. I’m coming from here somewhere, but definitely not where a “Majesty” exists. I have a mother father parents, but can’t picture their faces. It’ll probably pass soon. A question remains though : how did I get here ?

Annah Steel, day ?? since arrival first entry

I don’t know who I am anymore, but I’m not scared. Am I Annah Steel ? That’s the last thing I remember, my name. I’m sensing home this world through my head. I am the sea. I am the sun. I am the sand. I am the sky. Am I home ? Am I at home ?

Annah Steel (name found somewhere else), day ?? since waking up

I am not Annah Steel. I am everything but not Annah Steel. I am this log, I am this ship, I am the sea, I am the world. Crying (?)

How I came to be is irrelevant. I wasn’t, and then I was. The sun, the sand, the sea. But I am not alone. There are other worlds around me, but they’re not like me. They’re not what I am. They’re just… bubbles floating amongst other countless bubbles. I can’t reach them. I can’t talk to them. But I can see what’s inside : there’s life. There’s death. There’s everything that I can’t be. Everything that I can’t create. But I watch. I learn. I did this for an eternity, but can’t really tell, can’t create time in me.

I am alone. Alone. ALONE. But sometimes I create something. Something that doesn’t really exist (?). A story. Characters. Objects. All inspired by other worlds. But it’ll never be real. Never real like me. I create… illusions to play with, and I create a character to enjoy what I am : a universe. But this is false, everything’s chimeras and I can never be anything other than the sun, the sky, the sand and the sea.

A hole passed through me today. It hurt (?) Parts of me are gone, but I snatched something from that moving… wound (?) It’s an oyster shell… or two oyster shells, still together but empty. There’s something new in me, and I don’t know what to do.

I stole a ship from another hole. Is something happening in everywhere that’s not me ? I’m going to create a story with this ship : the story of Annah Steel and her crew. Seems like a good idea.

Story finished. Ship’s still in me, with everything onboard. Found a log. Maybe writing to read me ?

Tired of being me. Want to be something else. Oyster shell’s interesting.

Found idea. Will put myself in the oyster shell and… sleep ? Cease to be (please) ? Die (?) ?

Hope someone gets into me with a hole and destroy me. Can’t stand what I am.

Managed to be the shell, almost complete. Holes will now pass through new me, little oyster shell. Breaking it equals ending me, fixing me the world in… reality (?) and anchoring my husk… the sun, the sea, the sand, the sky, the ship in time. Nothing but this will be left of me. A broken shell. Finally

End

Mario closed the log, took the quill, put them both into his pocket and jumped from the ship ; he ran back to his starting point ; the pieces of the oyster shell were still lying in the sand. He crouched and dug a hole in the beach ; delicately, he picked up the remains of the shell and buried them ; he made a small mound of sand and planted the quill at the top. Finally, Mario stood in silence, facing the burial site. After some minutes, he addressed the silence :
"I hope you’re now really free to be what you want to be".

She stood motionless in front of the monolith and its displayed text on its smooth surface ; the text finally disappeared to be replaced with another one :

Awaiting inquiries

"Can… can you hear me ? Understand me ?" She asked.

The text shifted again :

Accurate affirmation

"Who… what… a-a-are you ?"

Unit 666-201-850EOW-K

"Are y-y-you… alive ?"

Inaccurate affirmation

"You are a… machine ?"

Accurate affirmation

"Oh… I… I understand. Where are we ?"

Clarification requested : scale

She was puzzled for some long seconds before understanding.

"What is this city and what is this planet ?"

City of Agorath - Planet Rehas

"What happened here ? It’s totally empty, but the… machines are still functioning".

Cause of cessation of life unknown

"What !? You mean everyone just disappeared into thin air !?"

Affirmation of 99% accuracy

"Who… what did this ?"

Cause of cessation of life unknown

"That’s terrible !" She exclaimed, fighting the wave of sadness rising inside her.

"But… there… there must be a reason ! What… what do you think could have happened ?"

List of events causing cessation of life sorted by ascending order of probability :

-Conflict : 0%

-Pandemic : 0.5%

-Physics experiment failure : 0.5%

-Unexplained dimensional/temporal shift : 4%

-Other anomalous event : 5%

Unknown : 90%

"I don’t understand what you mean by “event unknown”. What does “unknown” means ?"

Cause of cessation of life unknown – Probability of cause of cessation of life being unknown = 90%

She changed her approach :

"Did you see what happened to the people of this city ?"

Invalid formulation – accurate affirmation Now displaying recovered video footage – T-1min before incident – location : central plaza

The text on the monolith was replaced by a high-quality video encompassing the whole surface of the computer, showing the square where she was standing, including the machine under its dome.

Agorath was full of life under the radiant sun and the blue sky ; the plaza was filled with people, all outwardly indistinguishable from humans ; there were women, men and children, all enjoying walking, cycling, reading and playing. “They seem–seemed so happy”, she thought. Suddenly, the sky brutally turned orange ; the inhabitants of Agorath looked up to see the strange phenomenon before abruptly vanishing ; everything in their possession suffered the same fate, from books to bicycles. The video changed to other locations, rewinding each time to depict the same unexplainable event ; there was no sound, no sign of panic and no remains.

"Except me, is there any remaining life on this planet ?"

Probability of life remaining on planet Rehas : 0%

"When did this happen ?"

323025 days, 13 hours, 41 minutes, 8 seconds ago

She concentrated and managed to estimate a more approximate duration, or rather one that was making more sense to her :

"Almost nine hundred years ago ! And everything’s untouched !? And you’re still functioning !?"

Cause of preservation of planet unknown. Remaining time before shutting down : 2 hours, 1 minute, 24 seconds

"Can I keep you functioning for longer ?"

Distance of nearest generator from starting point : 1,11km. Location : building of Agorath Electricity Corporation, -1 floor. Unlocking access to restricted area complete. Translation from Rehasian to Hylian of all virtual interfaces complete. Now displaying map and location of building of Agorath Electricity corporation.

When she looked at the map, she was relieved : Agorath was so full of narrow streets, avenues, dead ends and buildings of all sizes it was impossible to navigate without a map. However, the building she was searching for was in a straight line from where she was standing, with only a short right turn at the end of the route.

Now displaying activation procedures for Unit 666-201-850EOW-K

The monolith suddenly displayed another plan, totally different, but so complex it was mesmerizing ; the circuit board was extremely detailed, and its vastness was making most of its components barely visible.

"Do… do you have a… an easier way to show me what to do ?"

Now displaying footage of activation of Unit 666-201-850EOW-K

The video proved to be far more understandable : it was showing a human – an Agorathian blue-haired woman – briefly interacting with a lime green virtual control panel before leaving the scene. She quickly memorized the hand motions, but remembered that the machine had apparently already translated everything on the control panel.

"I’ll be quick", she said to the computer.

Estimated time for full completion of task at normal pacing based on physiology, behavior, intelligence, memory and hazards : 38 minutes

"Just as I said", she replied before going towards her destination.

She flew in the labyrinth at an astonishing speed, making sharp turns and knocking over the desiccated remains of the creatures in an attempt to slow down the beast ; despite this and its immense size, it was getting inexorably closer, its hooves crushing the skeletons in a sickening, atrocious melody. She finally stopped ; she was not a coward ; she was not defenseless ; her strength was even renowned amongst her peers. The minotaur appeared at a turn : they looked into each other’s red eyes. The stream of pink fire hit the shield violently, but the creature stood its ground ; it slowly walked towards her, its armor and shield perfectly withstanding the heat. Ember saw its hand raising the axe and she flew out of harm’s way as the bovine beast slammed it onto the ground. She saw the opening and spat out a fireball two times her size ; it crashed against the armor to no effect ; she took off and hovered out of reach, the walls still growing in height in such a way that she was never able to see above.

“Going close combat with that thing’s not the best of ideas… Some of those skeletons were almost my father’s size, and there’s not a single scratch on that minotaur-thing. How to beat it ? Think, Ember !”. She suddenly remembered something ; she flew above the minotaur, going back towards the remains of the victims of the beast ; the monster followed her.

Ember failed to find her way back ; however, she stumbled upon a gruesome scenery in one of the hallways : by thousands, piled up so as to form a river between the walls, were skeletons ; the peak height of the mass of bones, armors and weapons was three times the size of Ember.

“Disgusting. But these armors and weapons are just my size… Just have to hide to put them on… in that…”.

Hearing the beast near, she closed her eyes and quickly buried herself in the bones, using her strength and fire to pass through ; she had just found an armor at her size and an intact sword that the entire pile of bones shook ; the minotaur was swinging its axe from side to side, efficiently and quickly clearing the bone ocean. Ember buried herself deeper in the remains, until she was at the end ; she grabbed a dented shield and waited just around the corner following the river of long-dead soldiers. The beast approached, its axe sending fragments of bones, armors and weapons right in front of her ; the opening was going to be small.

As soon as the minotaur crossed the corner with its axe centimeters from her, she jumped on it and used it as a leverage to propel herself, sword drawn, towards the surprised bovine face. The monster moved its head just in time to avoid losing its eyes ; however, the sword deeply cut into its muzzle : it bellowed in pain and rage, swinging its axe defensively at Ember, who dodged it in the nick of time. “That thing got some reflexes !” she thought as the creature strapped its axe back on its back before drawing its sword : a pitch black scimitar engraved with a glowing blue, maze-like pattern. Just as it was doing this however, the height of the walls ceased to change, and Ember finally saw the labyrinth from above : it was endless, or at least was spreading as far as her eyes could see ; she focused her attention on the sole landmark lost in the twists and turns of the walls : a temple. Unlike the yellow labyrinth, it was entirely white and built on an elevated base forming an array of steps from all sides despite the building having apparently only one entrance. Ember immediately flew towards it, only briefly looking back to see her opponent ; it had disappeared.

She was at the entrance of the temple in five minutes, despite flying fast and high. The building was imposing, its entrance tall enough to allow two minotaurs to pass through. Its massive roof was supported by fourteen columns ; on the gable roof were engraved two golden horns. Ember looked back at the entrance ; two closed giant copper doors were blocking her path ; however, she glimpsed a slight opening and she approached ; just at the base of the slightly opened door, there were dust and minuscule degraded pieces of bones, along some flakes of rust. “At least someone or something got there. A long, long time ago”.

She managed to slip inside the opening between the doors.

She was prepared for anything inside the temple but definitely not this ; she dropped her weapon and shield in surprise. She had never seen anything like this : floating above a basin of blue water, there was a machine entirely made of gold, copper and silver gears, all rotating silently ; even for Ember, the vision was magnificent. The shape of the structure was familiar to her, and she approached it cautiously to be sure ; there were glass pipes going into the pool and the walls, with three larger than the others, and an even bigger from where sprouted three small tubes. Ember was not a doctor, but she was still able to recognize a heart.

Walking through the ghost city was unnerving ; Epona hurried up to her destination. In comparison to the other buildings, the siege of Agorath Electricity Corporation was not really tall ; it was an unremarkable glass skyscraper with a logo – a circuit board in the shape of a lightning bolt – at the top.

The thick glass doors opened automatically when she approached them ; once inside the building, her senses tingled ; something was off with the office, but she shrugged it off. The building was unsurprisingly empty ; at her immediate left, there was a reception and in front of her, a large circular red sofa and a round table covered with magazines in the middle. She looked around ; at both ends of the room, there was a white cabin ; she went towards the right one and stepped inside. Immediately, on her left above her head, the white surface of the wall displayed a list of lime green numbers ranging from -555 to 555 ; they could not have possibly fit on the panel without being written no bigger than a millimeter in size, but they were all perfectly visible, their place and order all constantly shifting. Epona looked at the numbers with a puzzled face. “It’s an elevator but… what’s wrong with the floors and numbers ?”. She then looked up and immediately regretted of doing so : above her, seen through the glass floors and doors, were desks, chairs, sofas, tables, all repeated over and over until it was sickening ; Epona put a hoof on her mouth. “Don’t look up again. I’ll ask to that machine what is that… magic ? Technology ? Whatever. So, floor -1”. Her hoof pressed the virtual lime green -1 ; two panes of glass immediately closed the cabin. When she looked through the glass, the office instantly disappeared, causing her to feel nauseous again ; she was now looking at a white wall, and the doors opened. She stepped outside the elevator and found herself in a long white corridor ; she panicked. “Where are the doors !? I was supposed to take the fifth one on the right from the elevator !”. Another lime green interface on the wall next to her head caught her attention : “Control room Unit 522-878-444-TMU-L”. A few steps away, there was another virtual text : “Control room Unit 032-000-213-BOA-E”. And so on until the unseen end of the corridor. Epona stayed focused and observed the one she was searching for : “Control room Unit 666-201-850-EOW-K”. Tentatively, her hoof brushed the interface, prompting a portion of the adjacent wall to change into a rectangular opening in which she penetrated.

The control room was bare : a simple white cube. However, as soon as she crossed the threshold, the virtual control panel she had seen in the video provided by the computer appeared in the air, just at her height ; she approached the long hologram and looked at it ; even though the text was translated in Hylian, it was barely understandable : there were so many technical terms or otherwise wholly unknown words that she doubted she could find the activation button. She searched the control panel for the word “generator”, but eventually gave up and remembered the hand motions of the Agorathian. While doing so, she finally found an “activation” button, and pressed it. The remainder of the procedure was unlocking various failsafe and determining for how long the generator would run. As soon as she accomplished the last step, a text appeared above the control panel “Activation of generator for Unit 666-201-850-EOW-K successful”. Epona was not sure as what to do next ; she backed away from the hologram which finally disappeared ; she left the room and went back to the elevator ; her hoof was going to hit the ground floor button when she stopped it. “I wonder what the lowest and highest floors look like. But I must return to the machine… but…”. Her curiosity finally got the best of her and she pressed the button of the lowest floor ; the numbers disappeared and writing appeared in their place : “Access denied”. Epona sighed with disappointment. Suddenly, the words changed : “Administrator privileges revoked by Unit 666-201-850-EOW-K Access authorized”. The elevator gently shook and, after a few seconds, its glass doors opened on something unexpected : a small rectangular cave, two meters in height and width, carved from a smooth, dark olive rock. She went in the corridor and followed it along its few turns, before reaching the end from where a white light was emanating. She stopped breathing when she saw the circular chamber ; or rather what was inside, hovering in the middle.

Ember approached the heart ; inside what was its pulmonary veins and aorta, barely visible, small grains of yellow sand were circulating ; through the pulmonary artery and superior and inferior cava however, it was water.

"What’s the meaning of this ?" She asked to herself, cautiously flying around the object ; she was careful to not let any part of her body touch the gears, fearing she would be pulled inside.

It was barely noticeable because of the ambient lightning – akin to daytime – but, under the mass of gears, weakly radiating, was a blue light.

“I wanna destroy that thing to see what’s inside, but… I don’t. I wanna know its purpose first”.

She took her dented shield, looked at where it was the most damaged, and managed to break off a tiny part of metal from that spot that she threw onto the moving gears : the piece was immediately soundlessly crushed and disappeared inside the structure ; it did not reappeared.

Ember examined the basin and slowly dipped one of her claws in it ; it really seemed to be water. She reached the bottom of the pool as her arm was halfway through it, the water stopping in the middle of her elbow ; the tube in the basin, however, was only a few centimeters deep inside, weakly pumping water.

“It’s impossible to pump that much water from that tiny pool”.

The other tubes were abruptly ending in the walls and the roof, the sand and water apparently passing through them ; she went back to observe where the sand was coming ; the tubes were neatly plunging into the mass of moving gears, making it impossible to see from where the grains originated.

"It doesn’t make any sense !" Ember finally growled in frustration.

A faint sound – easily audible in the silent room – caught her attention ; one of the doors opened, letting the minotaur in ; the beast easily and silently closed the door behind it, trapping the dragon princess in the room. The monster approached the heart, Ember hovering just above of it, in plain sight. The minotaur, however, paid no attention to her and simply kneeled down before the heart, its head bowed respectfully, for a full minute of total silence. It then got up and looked at Ember, who readied her shield and sword ; the beast shook its head, turned away and left the temple, once again closing the door behind it ; she stood motionless, confused. The dragoness then imitated the minotaur ; she kneeled in front of the heart : nothing happened ; she finally lashed out at it :

"What are you, big dumb silent piece of scrap !?"

Fed up, she flew next to a tube representing a pulmonary vein ; she closed her eyes, hoped what she was going to do would not backfire to catastrophic proportions, and punched the glass, shattering it. Not far away, she heard the minotaur bellowing in rage.

Ten seconds later, a first strike dented the gigantic doors ; the second teared them apart just as Ember destroyed the last remaining tube connecting the heart to the walls ; the severed pipes spewed out water and sand on the gears and the floor ; despite this, the mechanical organ stayed in the air, its gears still running silently.

Ember sensed the whole dimension literally shrieking ; the ground shook violently, forcing the minotaur to crouch. “Bad idea Ember” she thought.

Seeing its opponent confused, the beast seized the occasion ; it unsheathed its sword and swung it towards the dragon princess, launching a beam of blue energy and compressed air. Ember dodged in the nick of time, the razor-like projectile barely missing the spikes on her head. It struck the heart however, deeply cutting down the gears. The dimension shook so violently the stone of the temple cracked ; Ember dodged the falling debris and immediately flew towards a hole in the roof as another attack from the minotaur missed her ; the structure collapsed on the monster and the heart just as she was flying outside.

The five meters tall crystal lozenge immediately pulsated when she stepped in the room ; Epona was mesmerized by its beauty, along with the many rectangular openings in the wall all leading to a bright red void ; she approached the object and noticed the beams of light coming from it, plunging into the doorways. The white light was relaxing and warm, and Epona went closer. “So beautiful… so warm… Is this light from the Goddesses themselves ?”. She touched the structure ; in spite of the warmth it was radiating, it was extremely cold. As soon as her hoof made contact with the thing, she instantly knew what it was, myriads of information passing through her brain in a split-second : the diamond was a power source, an incommensurable nexus supporting multiple universes ; the secret of planet Rheas ; the secret of Agorath. Epona also understood something both terrifying and ineluctable : the power of the great radiant lozenge was waning. Slowly but inevitably. One day, it would cease to glow, and every universe tied to it – including the one she was in – would collapse. There was nothing that could be done to stop the deterioration process : here and behind the doors, all the dimensions were doomed.

She jumped away from the diamond, as if she was hurt ; she let some tears fall from her eyes and briefly thought of warning the people inside the other worlds. She sobbed when she realized it was impossible, and stood motionless, frozen in sadness, for a couple of minutes. She finally left the room – not without glancing one last time at the diamond – and went back to the elevator ; she pressed the last floor, the five hundred and fifty fifth ; it could not be worse than what she had just seen.

The elevator took five seconds to reach the last floor ; Epona closed her eyes, fearful of what she was going to see ; however, the doors opened on a simple boardroom with a large oval glass table in the middle and fifteen white, hovering egg chairs around it. There were no walls, but a bay-window on all sides, letting the sunlight flowing in the room, giving it an orange tint. Epona stepped in the room and looked outside : nothing but clouds : she was literally in the sky. She reflexively jumped away from the view ; she was not yet comfortable with such heights. As an Equestrian pony, her animal instincts were going to mostly disappear, but for now, they were still intact. She noticed glass stairs going through an opening in the ceiling ; she gulped and approached them. “Do it, Epona, or you’re going to miss something important !”. She slowly and shakily climbed the fifteen steps ; an automatic hatch opened when she was halfway through her ascent, and, closing her eyes, she stepped outside, on the roof.

She cautiously opened one of her eyes on the orange sky ; there were no more clouds above, just the orange, cool sun. All of the clouds were beneath her, surrounding the roof in a beautiful woolly endless sea. The top of the building was bare, except for a two meters tall, thin pane of glass in the middle ; Epona approached it and brushed the surface ; nothing happened. After concluding there was nothing here, she went back to the stairs.

"Leaving already ? I thought you were going to stay a little longer", a female voice echoed behind her.

Epona almost died from fright, and she turned around : there was nobody behind her, but her ears were powerful enough to pinpoint the location of the voice ; she went back to the pane of glass.

"Sorry, I was analyzing your neural schemes and your physiology. Deconstructing your language took me ten seconds, I’m so rusty… So, you’re… Epona, right ? Pleased to meet you. I’m the consciousness of an Agorathian, Linda. Linda Demay. I was uploaded in there some thousands of years ago".

The voice paused, then spoke again :

"Now that we more or less know each other, can I ask you how did you get there ?"

"I… I… B-by accident. I was in Hyrule and then, I was here. Please, please, can you help get back home ?" Epona implored.

"Can’t do that, sorry. I’m just a consciousness. But since you’re stuck here with me, maybe we can talk a little ? It’s been nine hundred years since my last conversation…" The voice replied.

"You… you’ve been alone all this time !?"

"Yes. Oh, don’t worry, I was kind of… sleeping".

"You look like that machine… Unit 666-201-850-EOW-K. It sent me here to... get its energy source back".

"Some units were still functioning ? You’re lucky".

"It was going to… shut down soon".

"Yes, of course. It had to draw energy from other sources to maintain its running".

"Please, can you tell me what happened here ? The machine showed me but… I don’t understand, and neither does it… it just says “cause unknown”".

"You saw what happened. The sky turned orange and all organic life disappeared. Poof. Just like that. I don’t understand what happened either, but if you want my opinion, it’s just that life simply ceased to exist. To be precise, I think there’s nothing behind this ; no enemy, no angry dimensional thing, no space-time displacement… Just life that disappeared. All Units and me have access to data from different parts of this universe ; no more organic life in this entire dimension. All universal constants are normal. The Sun is normal. The planet is normal. Time is normal, you’re proof of this. We can’t detect any major anomalies in our reality. Everything is totally fine from a time, space and matter point of view".

"But there’s nobody here anymore ! Just machines, you and me !"

"Correct".

"So, there must be something wrong ! Something that caused life to disappear !"

"I don’t think so. I had some time to think about all of this when I was sleeping you know, and I think there’s just no answer. Life ceased to be. Period".

Epona stayed silent.

"Of course it’s frustrating. But, you know, this universe will soon disappear, so we don’t have to worry about that".

"I know. The… thing showed me".

Epona silently cried as she remembered the waning power source.

"All these worlds and this one… T-t-t-hey… they… will…"

"Collapse, yes. Nothing can be done to save them, and they’re already starting to fade away ; this one will follow. The Nexus is its own power source, and the moment it boomed into existence was just the beginning of a slow countdown towards its end. Maybe it’s sad it’s going to disappear, and everything with it".

"What… what if… What if it had a relation with what happened here ?"

"No, no link between the events. As I said, this reality’s still solid. Besides, the Nexus can only watch, it has no grip on the dimensions it’s the power source of".

"A-aren’t you sad ?"

"How could I not be ? I am sad, resigned, scared. Even after almost nine hundred years…"

"When… when will they… disappear ?"

"Can be anywhere from now to one year for total vanishing".

"Wait… D-d-do you me-me-mean we-we-we could di-di-disappear t-to !?"

"No, this dimension will last a few years more. Unless something happens. The Nexus’ not predicable. As for you, since you’re not from here, maybe you’ll be spared".

"I-I have friends that are probably searching for me. Is… is there anything I can do to help them find me ?"

"No. And they’re powerless to find you. But since we’re here until you or I die or we both disappear, I have a request : it probably didn’t vanish since it’s not here, so… can you find my body ? As with all non-artificial Units, my fellow colleagues put it away in stasis in case I’d want to go back in. That’s why I’m asking this : I want to go back inside my body and feel something physical, anything, before everything ends, and have the chance to end my life before it happens. Listen. All you have to do is finding a touchpad, or a tablet if you prefer, bringing it here for me to upload myself in it and we’ll go to find my body. It’s stored inside another dimension. Epona, can you grant me this ? My last wish ?"

"I-I…" Epona spluttered. "I-I agree but… you have to be positive in return, or just stop being so… depressing".

"Is that all you want ?"

"Yes".

"Okay then. We’ll get through this together, and your friends will come to save us".

"Perfect ! Now, what is a tablet and where can I find it ?"

Ember hovered above the rubble ; the heart was in the center, its gears dripping off it in large patches, slowly uncovering what was inside ; the remaining pieces of metal suddenly all collapsed at once into an inert puddle, letting only the object hovering above them.

Ember approached it ; it was a gem. An oval, clear blue stone, the size of her iris. Cautiously, she touched it with the tip of her sword : nothing happened. Just as she was going to take it in her hands, the minotaur emerged from the rubble, unscathed, bellowing in anger. All around them, the labyrinth was losing tangibility, matter fading away under the absence of the forces keeping it together. The sky turned pure white, and the temperature sharply dropped.

Seeing its home breaking down, the beast charged Ember, its eyes glowing with a boundless rage ; it swung its sword horizontally, careful to not destroy the stone, and forced the dragon princess back away from it. This time, Ember struggled to dodge the fast swings of the sword, and even more so to retaliate ; she had nowhere to hide anymore ; most of the walls were now translucent and vaporous, and even the rubble of the temple was fading away ; only the ground was maintaining its solidity. One of the energy waves cut her shield in half, almost reaching her scales. She was going to lose ; the monster was not showing any sign of tiring or relent ; worse, it was quickening its pace. Ember managed to put some distance between them ; she advised a still solid rock – almost twice her size – from the rubble, dropped her sword and lifted the boulder above her head before launching it at the minotaur : the beast charged the projectile and head-butted it, its horns shattering the stone. Ember barely managed to pick up her sword and jump away as the giant scimitar pulverized the spot she was at milliseconds ago. The tough shield blocked her stream of fire, and her opponent retaliated with the blue beams of its sword, slicing hers in half. “Not good at all”, she thought as she pulled manoeuver after manoeuver to dodge the beams. “Sorry Thorax. I don’t think I’m gonna make it. But I can still go with a bang !”. She accelerated, circling around the minotaur at high speed ; the beast was, however, perfectly able to follow her movement. “That thing’s just made to fight and destroy anyone who comes here. Ugh ! I hate to say it but… there’s no way I can win against it. But if I can cripple it enough, at least I’ll do much more than anyone before !”.

"Hey, beast ! Prepare yourself ! It’s gonna be my last trick !" She shouted, her words echoing through the vortex she was creating.

She let out a stream of pink flames, still inside her tornado, instantly igniting the rotating air mass and hiding her from view. Her wings slowly began to hurt, and she suddenly made the sharpest turn she was capable of : she fused towards the anticipating minotaur which raised its shield ; at the last moment, she used her painful wings to brake ; she still impacted the circular copper protection brutally, nearly breaking her bones ; her claws gripped the edge and she popped her head above the shield, just under the confused bovine face.

"Eat this !" She exclaimed before unleashing a torrent of fire from her mouth right into the face of the monster.

Although it reacted quickly by putting the shield away from its face and dropping it, the minotaur nonetheless sustained damage ; its fur burned in an atrocious sizzling noise and its snout was seared by the intense heat ; the intense, foul odor of burnt meat and fur disgusted Ember, lying on her belly on the shield, totally drained of her strength. The beast screamed for a full minute before coming back to its senses and looking at Ember ; it was only slightly disfigured : its snout was totally burnt however, showing a russet color ; part of its fur on its muzzle was missing, replaced by white blisters, and most of the remaining hair was now pure black ; its eyes were intact, and Ember sighed in frustration : she had hoped to blind it.

The minotaur cautiously approached its motionless opponent and pointed its sword at her ; she lost ; it was the winner.

The beast slowly raised its sword. “At least it has some sense of honor. It’s gonna be painless. Sorry Thorax. I really would’ve liked to spend much more time with you. Heh… we were gonna build something, but it’s too late now. Thorax, father, everyone… I’m gone”. She closed her eyelids, surrendering, and waited for the scimitar to end her life ; she sensed a crushing presence and a gentle gust of wind, and she opened her eyes : just above her, an arm was blocking the sword and its energy waves ; a burly, scaly orange arm decorated with spiky bracelets.

"Who…" Ember began before being seized by a huge clawed hand and tossed away right into the conical stubs of a ghostly ball.

"Gotcha princess !" King Boo exclaimed. "Hey, hey, I think that’s not how you treat friends ! She’s going to be mad at you ! Mad at you !" He yelled to Bowser still gripping the sword.

"She’ll thank me later", the Koopa replied.

Ember finally registered what was happening around her, just as Thorax, Twilight and Starlight came into her field of view.

"Ember ! You’re safe !" Thorax exclaimed, tears filling his eyes.

"Yeah, almost. Just… overdid it… can’t feel my wings anymore. They’re still in place ?" She asked, wincing.

King Boo let her down and the changeling king immediately hugged her, ignoring her protestations of pain and embarrassment. He let her go and she leaned on him to stand up.

"Thanks guys. I… She took a deep breath. Lost against that thing".

"No", Starlight replied as she watched Bowser shattering the minotaur’s sword with his grip. "You survived it, and you injured it. Almost no one here could’ve done that, I’m sure of that".

Ember smiled.

"You ponies are such optimists…"

Thorax slowly escorted her towards a triangle-shaped portal from which her friends could be seen inside ; Spike immediately crossed it to come near her.

"Ember ! Are you hurt !?" He panicked as he took her claw inside his.

"It’s okay Spike, I just need some rest. But… I wanna see that monster goin’ down…"

Thorax and Spike advised Twilight and Starlight ; they bit their lips, but King Boo replied in their place.

"Okay, but I’ll make everyone invisible, and you two too !" He said to Twilight and Starlight. "Besides, the dimension’s going to fall apart much more quickly with my and Bowser’s presence !"

They all stayed close to the portal and disappeared at the eyes of the minotaur, which was reaching for its axe. Bowser jumped on it, but the beast dodged, managing to reclaim its shield in the process. The fire the Koopa breathed was much more potent than Ember’s, and the monster once again resorted to dodge.

"Foolish beast. You think you can win against me ? Go ahead and try", Bowser mocked.

The minotaur swung its axe horizontally, using both of its hands, to Bowser’s side ; the Koopa King did not even flinch, and the weapon shattered on his body.

"You gotta try harder".

Bowser jumped faster this time, but the beast raised its shield ; the claws teared through the copper-like material with ease, almost cutting the minotaur’s arm. The beast subsequently fluidly dodged the fireballs and the punch coming from above with agile backflips and somersaults.

"You can even dodge my teleportation. You’re fast for a beast of your size… Maybe too fast for me. Allow me to even the odds a bit".

Bowser form changed almost immediately, not letting any opening for his opponent to exploit.

"There’s going to be steak for supper !" King Boo exclaimed, much to the disgust of everyone.

"The stone !" Ember suddenly exclaimed. "The stone’s important ! Someone go take it !"

"That tiny thing in the middle of the battlefield ?"

"Yes !"

King Boo teleported next to the hovering gem and touched it.

"That’s just the former power source of another power source, that puddle of metal. Not important, but whatever".

The lost stone between the two monsters suddenly disappeared ; King Boo came back near the portal and gave it to Ember.

"Here’s your souvenir miss !" He said. "It’s totally useless now, but hey, it’s shiny ! Shiny !"

The monstrous form of Bowser dwarfed the minotaur ; however, the bovine beast suddenly grew taller, enough for it to rival its opponent size again.

"Look at that… A shapeshifting minotaur… lost and lone guardian of a purposeless relic far past its usefulness… I imagine lots and lots of knights and thieves went here to steal your worthless treasure, am I correct ?"

The minotaur drew its whip in a lightning fast move and in the same motion, wrapped it around Bowser neck before pulling to bring him down ; it did nothing, and Bowser not even moved a millimeter ; he swung his head to the side and his opponent let go of its whip ; the rope immediately froze and fell apart to pieces ; the frost extended past Bowser’s body, and its clutches caught the bovine monster too fast for it to escape ; Bowser slowly walked towards it, his shell covered in electric arcs.

"You will not suffer", he declared.

"I erected a shield around us and the portal", King Boo told his friends.

"Why ?" Twilight asked.

"Because it’s going to be brutal", the ghost replied.

"What…" Spike began before being cut by the ghost king showing him something with his arm.

Bowser was now some meters away from his frozen opponent.

"Farewell, beast".

He leaned back and seemed frozen for some seconds before violently thrusting his upper body towards the minotaur in a titanic head-butt.

The minotaur had not always been here, watching over the heart ; it was born somewhere else, from cosmic and mystic forces long since faded away. From as long as it could remember, its duty – or its nature – was to guard something inside its labyrinth ; be it a treasure, a living being or a mechanical heart. Once its duty was accomplished, or when the world ended, it was moving to another world with the stone : the source of the maze. Something has changed when it arrived here however : the labyrinth was occupying the entire, empty dimension, and the heart of gears, the lone thing here, was helping maintaining it, with, inside it, the stone. The minotaur did not know what the heart was, why it had absorbed the stone, and why it had drawn it here ; the mechanical organ was, however, sought after by many, which was the reason of the guardian’s invocation in that strange world. The minotaur had defended it for eons, not knowing why, the stone and it adapting to better match the intruders, and not a single time they had failed to their task. Until now. The stone was depleted of its energy, sucked by the heart ; now it was just a useless rock, just as the heart was now a simple puddle of metal. Without them, the minotaur had no power over the dimension or the maze. But now it was unimportant : the dark power – oblivion – was consuming everything, and the monster with which it was merged had won. It was the end.

The explosion, if it could still be called an explosion, achieved to destroy the dimension and the maze. Twilight, Starlight, Thorax, Ember and Spike, and, to a lesser extent, everyone behind the portal, only saw a giant mass of fire before a blinding light forced them to close their eyes. There was no sound, although it could have been because of King Boo’s shield, but the earthquake following the fire made them bounce in the air, and the ghost was forced to keep them floating to avoid them being thrashed around in the shield.

The light and quake finally subsided, only letting a boundless, empty white space where the maze, the temple and the minotaur were before ; Bowser, shrunken back to his normal size, appeared in front of the shield which deactivated. Far away but drawing close, a rumble drew Twilight and Starlight’s attention.

"The mesh’s going to squish that empty space", Bowser explained. "Let’s go".

"I don’t understand", Thorax said.

"I think Twilight and I can explain", Starlight replied as they were leaving the former dimension and were coming back into Canterlot castle ; the breach abruptly closed when Trixie touched her portable interdimensional portal.

Starlight used her horn to form a shapeless blob of magic, hovering in the air ; Twilight did the same, splitting it in two halves that she pressed against both sides of Starlight’s construction.

"Starlight’s magic’s the dimension, and mine’s the mesh, surrounding all of the worlds without being one itself. Now, look what happens when a dimension disappear", Twilight explained as Starlight popped her bubble of magic.

Twilight’s two blobs, with nothing between them but thin air, immediately rejoined to form one mass once again ; the alicorn then dispelled it.

"You can’t be more clear, thanks", Thorax said.

"We didn’t know about the mesh before the Merchant", Starlight replied.

"Now", Bowser declared, "how about saving my ex-rival ?"

Epona finally found a tablet in an employee’s desk ; she took it in her mouth, careful to not damage the very thin glass-like material with her teeth. “What a strange machine”, she thought as she took the elevator back to the last floor and the roof ; the voice greeted her as soon as she stepped outside.

"You found one ! Perfect ! Can you put it on me ? I mean, put it anywhere on my physical storage unit ; I’m going to transfer myself in it".

"Will you fit in this ? I mean, I don’t know anything about machines, but you’re huge and that thing is small", Epona asked when she approached.

"The storage’s endless on those tablets, they’re made to contain basically everything, even entire neural architectures. From your point of view and beliefs, you can say it’s akin to my soul being put into something. The thing I’m currently in is technically a brain ; it absorbed everything I was before. That means my body can’t be reanimated because, even if my former brain’s still inside it, there’s nothing written on it. And even if the soul wasn’t a myth, it’s just like my flesh and blood brain : a blank page".

Epona shivered. She pressed the tablet on the cold surface of the glass monolith with her hoof.

"It’s going to take some seconds", Linda informed.

Epona waited for twenty seconds before the voice resonated again, coming from the tablet :

"All done ! Thank you so much Epona ! Now, let’s go find my body ; I’ll guide you".

Epona took the tablet in her mouth and she followed Linda’s instructions ; she ended back at the lowest floor.

"You’re going to face the Nexus again ; my body’s behind one of the doors. Listen carefully, Epona. You already approached it, but it’s going to draw you towards it again ; it doesn’t know that it’s doing this. You will close your eyes when I’ll tell you, and concentrate on my voice only ; forget the warmth and everything, just focus on my voice, okay ? You’ll open your eyes when you’ll be behind the door. Do you trust me ?"

"Yes Linda, I trust you".

"Okay. Here we go".

When Epona approached the last turn of the corridor before the Nexus, Linda told her to close her eyes ; she guided her steps, avoided getting her too close to the diamond, before making her stop.

"Now stomp one of your hooves five times, and a platform’s going to appear to take you to a door. Don’t panic, I’m here with you".

Epona obeyed ; as soon as the last stomp resonated in the room, a lime green, square platform with a safety fence formed under her ; it gently took off before stopping in front of a door, forty meters above the ground.

"You’re going to step inside the door ; you can walk and open your eyes in two seconds".

Epona did as instructed ; when she opened her eyes, she was in small orange cubical room, totally devoid of anything, except two things : in the middle, lying down on the ground, there was a human body with a pile of neatly folded clothes next to it. She approached it : it was a young, naked white woman with short, platinum blonde hair ; she was about the same size as Illia, but her figure was much stockier, with her hips wider than her bust ; on her forehead, there was a small, translucent green pentagon solid.

"That’s my body. Hello, old pal", Linda saluted the body.

"Now Epona, put the tablet on the device on my head. Be careful and don’t under any circumstances break contact between them until my consciousness’ totally transferred, okay ? Don’t worry if I don’t wake up immediately, it’s normal. You’ll know it’s over when the device will fall off my head ; it should take about three minutes".

Epona gently apposed the tablet against the gem-like green object and waited, slightly blushing when looking at the naked body. When three minutes and a half passed, the pentagon solid suddenly broke off from the forehead of Linda’s body, fell on the ground, and turned to dust. Linda’s pale blue eyes slowly opened a minute later ; she sat down and stayed silent, touching and checking her body ; she then cried and hugged a surprised Epona.

"It’s… so… good… to… feel… again", she said very slowly, clumsily drying her tears.

"Is everything okay ?"

"Yes… Just… relearning… how… to… speak. Going… to… pass".

She stood up with an infinite slowness and caution, using Epona as a support ; the latter was slightly blushing, earning a giggle from Linda as she was trying to walk.

"Do you… find me… attractive, Epona ?"

"Yes, of course… and not just because you remind me of somebody I love dearly".

"That’s… nice and frank, thanks", Linda said as she crouched in front of Epona, caressing her cheek while looking in her golden eyes ; she gently deposed a kiss on her lips.

"You’re cute too. Let me know if you want more once we’re off that empty world".

"You really think we’ll be able to leave ?"

"We have an agreement, haven’t we ?"

"That’s right. And Linda ?"

"Yes ?"

"I think I’m going to want more".

Linda put on her clothes – black jeans, white shirt and green sneakers – took the tablet, and they got out of the now totally empty room, running in the Nexus ; Epona and Linda approached and then touched it.

"Sorry. We have to leave", Epona sadly whispered to the diamond.

"It doesn’t understand you. The only thing it understands is that it’s going to disappear, and everything along with it. As I told you, I think it’s making it sad, but we’ll never know".

They parted away with the Nexus, and Epona looked one last time at the hovering lozenge ; its light blinked multiple times.

"“Sorry”. “Farewell”", Epona said as she was taking the elevator with Linda.

"What ?"

"The Nexus… it said “sorry” and “farewell”".

"We can’t save it, I’m sorry".

"I know".

Once outside the building, Linda stayed frozen in the middle of the street.

"Sorry", she apologized after a moment. "It’s just… shocking… seeing everything like this".

They got back to Unit 666-201-850-EOW-K under its dome ; as soon as Linda approached within two meters of the black monolith, a wall of text appeared on its surface :

Rehasian detected. Analysis… Welcome back, Linda Demay.

Awaiting inquiries.

"Hello, long time no see. Here’s my request : try to detect any dimensional anomalies in Agorath and expand your search on a planet-wide scale if you don’t find any".

Operation in progress, please wait.

One minute later, the text changed :

5555 anomalies detected. Now displaying map of locations.

The map of Agorath that appeared on the machine was peppered with red dots ; Linda gulped.

"What’s this ?" Epona interrogated.

"Each of these dots represents a dimensional anomaly here, in Agorath", Linda explained. "I wanted to find the anomaly from where you came from. But now, we’ve got another problem in our hands".

"I don’t understand, what’s happening ?"

"Dimensional anomalies of this amplitude are exceptional here. Look at this map. It’s not normal. Usually, there’s not any dot on it, or there should be only one caused by the breach you came from".

"But there are so many dots ! We’re… surrounded by anomalies ?"

"Yes. And that can only mean one thing : this world is collapsing".

With nothing to do in the empty dimension, Mario searched the entire ship in hope of finding something ; there was nothing else aboard the vessel other than what was in the captain’s quarters, and he went back to his starting point, the oyster’s grave. He sat down next to it and addressed the silence :

"Nothing’s gonna happen, right ? Time passes now and that’s all… Maybe you hoped for things to suddenly get in motion inside your husk once you’d be gone. But it won’t happen. I’m sorry. At least you escaped your prison : yourself".

Mario closed his eyes and lay down ; he was slowly falling asleep when a deafening, thundering cracking sound shaking the whole world made his heart skip a beat ; he immediately got up and braced himself for another terrific noise. The second bang literally teared up the sky ; a white gash slowly ripped off a portion of the red atmosphere, and a third one a part of the sea. Soon, the dimension was covered in bright wounds, all appearing in an apocalyptic sound and a violent earthquake. Mario briefly thought of going back to the ship, the only thing not coming from the shriveling husk, when a tear opened in the direction of the boat ; seeing he could not turn around the blank gash, he deduced the fate of the ship ; it was erased with everything else by the hungry void. With this came a horrifying realization : he was not immune to the effect of the dimension’s collapse. All around him, the white color was now dominating the red of the sky and the black of the sea, and, at each bang, the latter two were receding further and further. There was nothing he could do to stop it and he sat down, resigned to his fate. Just as he felt something strange inside his belly however, he jumped back, avoiding bisection from another tear ; he jumped around, avoiding the cracks of light as the ground enabling him to do so was slowly reduced to patches of sand.

"Mario !" A familiar voice resonated in the thundering noises caused by the wounds.

Inside a triangular opening cutting both the gashes and the remaining parts of the dimension, Peach was calling out to him ; King Boo went in the gnawing void and Mario jumped towards him on the ever-reducing ground ; just as he was going to jump on a tiny spot of sand, his support vanished under his feet, and he fell into the void under Peach’s screams of terror. King Boo immediately caught him and he rocketed towards the portal, crossing it just as the mesh claimed the last bit of the husk.

"No… no… y-y-you’re k-k-kidding, r-right ?" Epona spluttered fearfully.

"I’m afraid I’m not", Linda replied. "Unit 666-201-850-EOW-K, determine the nature of the anomalies and their threat level".

Processing data, please wait…

WARNING.

Nature of anomalies : WARNING. DC level.

Level of hazard : WARNING. Maximum.

Additional information : WARNING. Reality failure scenario in progress. Total failure imminent. Cause : WARNING. Nexus instability. WARNING. Evacuation recommended.

Linda stood perfectly calm as Epona panicked, the words on the monolith perfectly clear.

"Check the anomalies again. Are they all DC Level ?"

Analyzing anomalies… Accurate affirmation. WARNING. All anomalies DC Level.

"Wh-what “DC level” means ?" Epona asked, scared of the answer.

"“DC” stands for “dimensional collapse”".

Epona paled and her trembling legs gave away under the fear.

"Epona ! Are you alright !?"

Linda helped Epona getting up and kissed her on the forehead.

"We’ll get through this. I’m waiting for another kind of anomaly to appear, a portal-type ; that way, we’ll be able to jump inside to escape", she explained to the terrified pony.

WARNING. Chances of survival inside dimension undergoing total reality failure : 0%

55555 anomalies detected. WARNING. All anomalies DC Level. WARNING. Partial reality failure in progress. WARNING. Total reality failure imminent. WARNING. Chances of scenario aborting : 0%

WARNING. Total reality failure detected in all dimensions.

"All of the other dimensions…" Linda whispered, tears in her eyes.

"T-t-t-this… t-t-this a-a-a n-n-ni-nightmare", Epona wishfully stammered.

"Unit 666-201-850-EOW-K, anomaly report please ! Type of anomalies !" The blonde woman ordered to the monolith-computer.

555555 anomalies detected. WARNING. All anomalies DC Level. WARNING. Total reality failure imminent. WARNING. Evacuation recommended.

Under Epona and Linda’s eyes, some buildings in Agorath suddenly appeared in a blur, along with some parts of the orange sky.

"Please, Goddess Hylia, please, Goddess of Time, please, Golden Goddesses, hear my prayer ! I implore you to make this world last a little longer ! Please, put it on hold, even just for a few minutes ! Give our friends some time to find us !" Epona prayed.

"They can’t…" Linda cut herself as Unit 666-201-850-EOW-K displayed text on its surface :

Reality failure scenario interrupted. Cause : unknown. WARNING. Estimated duration of interruption : 1 minute 55 seconds.

"Thank you. May you watch over Hyrule forever", Epona thanked.

"Your gods are too far away to support this world for longer, but every time we get is of the essence. Unit, how are the anomalies ?"

5555555555 anomalies detected. WARNING. All anomalies DC Level. WARNING. Estimated duration of interruption of reality failure scenario : 1 minute 22 seconds.

"We can’t do anything but wait", Linda said sadly as she leaned on the monolith.

"Even if we can escape in a breach, what if it’s far away from here ?" Epona interrogated.

"It can teleport us at the coordinates", the Agorathian replied, showing Unit 666-201-850-EOW-K behind her with her thumb.

The two girls waited for a minute before noting that the buildings appearing in a blur were fading away further, and Linda checked the computer.

WARNING. Interruption of reality failure interrupted. WARNING. Total reality failure imminent.

"THE ANOMALIES !" Linda roared at the machine.

The now almost invisible skyscrapers totally disappeared, and others began to phase in and out of reality.

5555555555555555555 anomalies detected. WARNING. 1 DP anomaly detected. Now displaying location of DP anomaly. WARNING. Unit 666-201-850-EOW-K now disconnected from all generators and power sources.

The map displayed a location Epona immediately recognized : it was her starting point, from which she had appeared in Agorath.

Almost all the buildings had vanished, and Linda once again yelled to the monolith :

"Teleport us there now !"

WARNING. Operation impossible. Cause : DC level anomalies preventing time-space manipulation.

"YOU’RE KIDDING ME !?" Linda screamed in panic and rage as she punched the cold surface of the computer.

"We…" Epona spluttered as all of her hopes shattered.

Both girls cried in despair, and they tightly hugged each other.

"They’re here !" A voice resonated through the silently collapsing city.

Epona and Linda opened their eyes : King Boo was flying towards them, accompanied by three Boos.

"Who are they !?" The Agorathian panicked.

"They’re my friends", Epona replied, drying her tears.

The king and his minions stopped next to them.

"This world’s going to poof any second ! Any second ! Let’s go !" King Boo exclaimed.

"Wait ! Can your subjects take that machine ?" Epona asked, looking at Unit 666-201-850-EOW-K.

"It’s just a computer, but whatever. Take that thing buddies, and don’t waste time here !"

Everyone, including the computer, disappeared as the dome and everything around it abruptly winked out.

The Boos holding the monolith and King Boo holding Epona and Anita popped next to the portal, immediately hurrying inside. The breach closed on the mesh.

Everyone – barring Bowser and King Boo – collapsed on sofas, still trembling. Even though the survivors were obviously having the hardest time, the others had helplessly witnessed the close calls as Bowser, King Boo, Twilight and Starlight had banned everyone from going inside the portals, except Ember’s one.

"I’ll get you some water", a unicorn guard declared to everyone.

He came back with two fellow soldiers, each holding an impressive plate of glasses and carafes of water that they gave to the stressed friends before leaving the room.

Unit 666-201-850-EOW-K suddenly hummed and slowly displayed its characteristic text :

Foreign dimension detected. Recalibration in progress… Analysis in progress… Please wait.

Dimension analysis complete.

Space-time analysis complete.

Physical laws analysis complete.

Chemical laws analysis complete.

Laws of thermodynamic analysis complete.

Planet analysis complete.

Fauna analysis complete.

Flora analysis complete.

Neural schemes analysis in progress… Please wait.

Sentience confirmed.

Sapience confirmed.

Civilization analysis complete.

Language analysis complete.

Society analysis complete.

Economy analysis complete.

Power sources [electricity] detected.

Unknown variables detected. Analysis impossible. Cause : unknown.

Anomalies detected. Analysis… Please wait. Error : anomalies uncategorized. Level of hazard : unknown.

Unknown energy fluxes detected. Analysis… Please wait. Error : energy fluxes uncategorized. Level of hazard : unknown.

Analysis of “Equestria” complete.

Awaiting inquiries.

"Standby", Linda commanded.

The text disappeared and the machine stopped humming.

"Is everyone okay ?" Twilight asked.

"I… think so", Ember replied.

"What happened to you ?" Luna interrogated.

Each unwilling traveler told their story, beginning with Mario and finishing with Epona.

Celestia then addressed Linda :

"We’re all pleased to meet you, Linda. If you’re willing to, can you tell us more about you ?"

"Yes, of course. Hi everybody, I’m Linda Demay, a former dimensional department engineer of Agorath Electricity Corp.".

Linda made a pause, gathering her words and ideas, before resuming :

"For you to understand better, you must know that we Rehasians are… were an engineer civilization created by what we called the Nexus some millions years ago ; most of our job was to make sure space-time and the Nexus didn’t go crazy, in our world and in the others ; we were the caretakers of reality if you prefer. About a thousand of years ago, I was asked : “do you want to be uploaded in a Unit ?”, and I said yes. You know, uploading’s just a benign procedure, and you’re free to go back in your body whenever you want. So, my consciousness was transferred into a machine, kind of like that one", she explained as she nodded towards Unit 666-201-850-EOW-K.

"My body was put inside a stasis dimension, a timeless pocket space. Uploading’s just… awesome. You get access to literally everything about every dimension connected to the Nexus, meaning you learn everything that can be learned, and trust me, that sensation’s the… quintessence of life for every being. The only drawback : your emotions are… dulled, you become part machine and you’re fueled by rationality and logic. Of course, when you’re put back in your body, everything returns to normal, but you lose most of the data – I mean information – which you once possessed. Rehasians’ brain can’t cope with that much information, so most of it is erased. I’m back to square one, with basically only my engineering skills as a flesh and blood Agorathian from a thousand years ago remaining. Before you ask, yes, I had a life before my uploading ; I had family, friends and girlfriend, a house, a job, interests, etc. I was…"

Linda let out a sob.

"Sorry… just emotions and feelings coming back… when I was a machine, everything was… different".

"Please take your time", Luna said kindly.

"I was close to my… family, close to my girlfriend… she was called Tara… and close to my friends. Rehasian’s way of life is… wasn’t divided between free time and work like in some other societies ; we only worked to solve problems or of our own will. However, problems are… were frequent in other dimensions, so we had to work most of the time. You must understand that Rehas is… was managing dimensions other than itself, and while everything was held in place by the Nexus, it was me… my people… who were… keeping the worlds afloat. When all the members of our civilization vanished, everything went wrong in the dimensions ; they didn’t disappeared, but most societies and tiny fragments of their reality… broke. And then I discovered that the Nexus was waning… That great thing, the creator of everything, was going to end. If I could’ve killed myself back then, I’d have done it without hesitation. But instead I coped with the fact, just like I endured the pain of losing everyone, and I went to sleep. And nine hundred years later, cute Epona comes out of the blue and reactivates me. That’s my whole story. My years before working for Agorath Electricity Corp. aren’t worth listening… Mundane as it can be : flirting, discovering my knack for dimensional stuff by reading and escaping to other spaces-times, making my parents and siblings mad ‘cause of this…"

Linda cried without noticing.

"And one day, I get caught by an employee of my future company making dimensional-hopping through the multidimensional rooms. He takes me to the boss, and the boss’ impressed by the “feat”, whereas it was nothing but just adjusting some… never mind. She hired me so I could continue messing around with a purpose, and it lasted nearly two-hundred years. Two-hundred years of annoying the whole company all the while doing my job. Before my proposition of uploading. You know the rest".

Linda finally noticed that she was crying, and she hastily dried her tears. Anita approached her :

"I am Anita, a Galanian. And I am just like you : homeless".

"Y-Yes, I know. Every Rehasian knows… knew about your dimension and its achievements. But we didn’t buy anything from you… Your factories were… scaring us, but we were on good terms. Some of your people even came to see the Nexus, and some of us went to Galania. I… I don’t understand… did something happen to your dimension ?"

"Galania, its factories and its customer dimensions were entirely destroyed two years ago", Anita replied, fighting back her tears.

Linda gasped from the shock.

"I am the last Galanian remaining, just as you are the last Rehasian so… I understand what you’re going through".

"Wh-what h-happened t-to your w-world !? Y-y-you were so p-powerful !"

"It was our fault for the most part. Everyone here can tell you more about it".

"Is that okay ?" Applejack asked to the assembly. "I mean, that’s an awful lot of info to swallow, and not the happy kind of info… With everythin’ she went through, maybe now’s not the best time to talk ‘bout that".

"I’m ready to hear whatever you have to say, even bad news… It can’t be worse, right ?" Linda replied.

Everyone bit their lips, and Twilight took on the task to tell Linda about Darkness.

Once she heard the whole story, Linda staggered ; she drank her glass of water to recover, almost spitting it out :

"Sorry, Rehasians don’t… didn’t normally drink or eat, even if we could. The Nexus was our energy… From now on, I must eat to survive…"

She coughed and continued :

"So, you’re saying oblivion – literally speaking – is coming, and two of you here have some… fragments of it inside them ?"

"Yes", Starlight replied.

Linda paused briefly before speaking again :

"That’s right… I mean, when I focus, I can… kind of sense something’s coming from you two", she said, looking at Bowser and King Boo. "Something ancient. Something dark. Something powerful. Powerful enough to shatter worlds like glass. Much more powerful and ancient than the Nexus".

She shook her head and slowly absorbed the information.

"I believe you", she finally said. "So… that’s why the Unit’s confused on certain aspects of this world… but not only you. It’s really dull, but I sense energy fluxes filling this world and between everyone here, including me. It’s just a remnant of my uploading though, and soon, I won’t be able to sense them anymore".

"Equestria and its inhabitants are filled with magic", Starlight explained, using her horn to levitate her glass.

"What you’re sensing too are probably the Magic of Friendship and the Magic of Love. And maybe some others", Twilight added.

"Is that so ? Interesting world, I can’t wait to discover it", Linda replied, joy in her voice for the first time.

Her belly suddenly growled.

"Oh ? It seems I’m going to rediscover how to eat sooner than I thought", she laughed, rubbing the back of her head.

Everyone laughed with her.

Author's Note

Got some SCP Foundation vibes ?
Yeah, me too :D

And why so much "5" on Rehas ? Out of universe : see above. In universe : because of the Nexus, it created the dimensions with the number five as a base ; it's engraved in nearly every aspect of reality.

The attack

From afar, they faced the thing that was slowly but surely approaching them. It was not that tall ; an adult and monstrous Spike was only two heads smaller. But it was so heavy. Ridiculously heavy. Even from far away, each of its steps seemed to literally shake the entire castle of Canterlot and, by extension, the mountain itself. They were eleven against it, but the creature wanted only one of them ; it was getting closer and closer. At the same time, it seemed so distant, just next to Ponyville which was spared ; however, the deadly footsteps had made some buildings collapse ; the Castle of Friendship was intact, but the monster was not after destruction anyways.

Even with the distance between them, Twilight Sparkle could almost sense the demonic red eyes set after that particular pony. The thing suddenly made an incredible leap for its size, significantly tightening the distance and causing an earthquake. It stopped at the base of the mountain, the castle just above it ; it could surely jump, but it could not grip any edge and its weight when falling on the ground would have made the city or even the whole mountain collapse. Undeterred, the beast began to make its way towards the eastern side of the mountains.

"Great ! We have some time to think about what to do !" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed in a tone she wanted enthusiastic.

"Hate to break it to you Twilight, but. We. Tried. EVERYTHING. Magic. Raw power. Heat. Not even Discord can stop it ! So, yeah, what do we do ?"

Twilight would have loved to answer Rainbow Dash’s question, but this time, she had nothing to say. But she had seen it coming : precisely one week before the attack, she was in a paranoid mood : panicking over the smallest of things, from a misplaced book to a falling fork ; she did not know where this feeling was coming from at the time, and, when the monster came, she regretted not talking to Princess Celestia or Princess Luna, or Princess Cadance, or anyone else. Twilight perfectly knew she had a tendency to stress over trivial things ; she had considered that it was not worth bothering any of her friends with the sentiment of impending doom that was submerging her ; after all, anything could have been the cause : a missed invitation, a spell she had trouble practicing correctly, an unsent letter, or simply nothing at all. Of course, her friends had noticed, but she had simply brushed off the matter with all the assurance she still had at the time ; it was a terrible miscalculation : she knew she could count on them, that they always listened to her. But it was too late now. She remembered how, right from the get go, the situation was already out of control, and deep inside, she wondered if talking would have changed anything.

Seven days ago :

"Twilight ! We have a problem !"

The young winged unicorn tore off her purple eyes from the book she was reading ; Spike was literally flying towards her, his small feet barely touching the ground. He sweated so much he seemed to have taken a shower or been under pouring rain ; his green eyes transpired a worry she had rarely seen.

"Sp…"

"It’s from princess Ember ! The Dragon Lands are in trouble !" The little dragon panicked.

"What happened !?"

"They were attacked yesterday ! By a monster !"

"What ?!" Twilight exclaimed in disbelief.

She bit her lower lip.

"Is Princess Ember alright ?"

"Yeah, luckily. She said in the letter she didn’t fight. Twilight, the dragons… they were… huh… powerless against that thing. And… and we-we know firsthoof what dragons can do", Spike said with a hint of fear in his voice.

He gave the letter to Twilight.

"We’re going to see Princess Ember. Immediately."

"Do we tell the others ?"

"Yes Spike. But…"

Before she could finish, a second letter emerged from Spike’s mouth in a puff of green fire.

Twilight rapidly read the paper, her face twisting in a more and more worried expression as she progressed in her reading. She was right all along ; she was struck by a sudden urge to go back in time.

"That’s a second letter from Princess Ember. The monster’s going in the direction of Griffonstone ! This is bad, Spike. Griffonstone has healed thanks to the Magic of Friendship. It must not be attacked ! We must stop that creature before it wreaks havoc there !"

Twilight flipped the paper and noticed two drawings of the same thing on the other side ; what it depicted was not good news ; at the first glance it was a dragon. A titanic bipedal dragon with a body reminiscent of a turtle, with a hunchbacked shell covered with fearsome long, thin bone spines and large, thick, keeled overlapping scales oriented downwards ; they were so long that the pointed ends were protruding, giving it an almost hedgehog-like appearance. The torso was covered in bone plates, not unlike those of regular dragons ; the monster was standing on its bent hind legs supported by two enormous feet, which ended in three thick and tall claws. A tail of medium size, from where four spikes were sprouting at the tip, was the only thing in the back not covered by the shell ; however, the scaly armor was still almost touching the ground around the tail. Spiked iron rings encircled the middle of the arms and forearms, and a similar collar was wrapped around the beast’s neck. For Twilight however, the most terrifying thing about the monster was probably its head and face ; two bull’s horns framed a mohawk-like mass of spiky bright orange hair ; beneath it, on the dark green scales of the face, under two bushy orange eyebrows, were the eyes : fiery red, with oval, slightly elongated pupils. Twilight had never seen such a monstrous look, even on her worst enemies. And last was the mouth : its shape was nothing exceptional, albeit almost short for most of the dragons, but the teeth were not ; calling these things teeth or fangs was out of question for Twilight ; it was something much more dangerous, something that lacked a word to describe it ; they were a few, eleven on the lower jaw and eight on the upper ; they also were, in a regular fashion on each jaw, not of the same size ; four of the fangs protruded from the upper jaw and all had a slight backwards implantation, as if they were made to rip off prey. But what shocked Twilight was the sharpness of the fangs : even on a drawing, they seemed to cut by simply watching them. She judged the monster to be tall, but not as much she had thought it to be in the first place, as its head was low-placed with its hunchback ; however, the sheer mass of the creature, compared to a normal dragon and Torch, the largest dragon she had ever seen, which were drawn beside it, made her head spin.

"If it’s a dragon, why did he attack his own land and peers ? Are the Dragon Lands under a revolt of some kind ?" Twilight interrogated herself.

"Sorry Twilight, but it doesn’t look like a… true dragon to me, Spike corrected. I know there's so many different dragons, but still... It’s more like a mix of – (he pointed the corresponding parts) – bull, turtle, dragon, lizard, dinosaur. But maybe I just don’t want this thing to be of my kind. And Twilight ?"

"Yes, Spike ?"

"That thing really scares me. Of course I’ll come with you, but… I just wanted you to know."

"It’s no problem, Spike. Frankly, this monster scares me too. It'd scare pretty much anypony or anything by the way. Come on, we need to warn the others and embark as soon as possible !"

The situation was not long to explain to the six other ponies. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were the firsts to be ready ; they were worried to no end for their friend Gilda.

An hour after Twilight’s announcement, the seven ponies and the little dragon were on the train ; on the way, Twilight decided to split the group in two : one who would go to Griffonstone and one who would go to the Dragon Lands to assess the damage. They agreed to meet again in Griffonstone in three days, then scoot around the city for one day or slightly more, and then leave if nothing happened.

It took hours before they finally arrived at the Griffonstone station, and two more for one of the group to arrive at the actual city ; it was well past noon when the habitations finally appeared in sight. The village was in a much better state since the visit from Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie : the houses were repaired and the streets were clean ; the griffons were even polite to the ponies ; the mighty city was slowly regaining its former glory.

When Gilda saw her friends, she hugged, albeit rapidly, each one of them. After some discussions on the future of Griffonstone, which looked brighter than ever, Rainbow Dash updated Gilda on the situation.

"Nothin’ here, the griffon replied. No rampaging monster or everythin’ else by the way."

"Maybe it hasn’t arrived yet", Fluttershy squeaked.

"Wanna go in the sky to patrol ?" Gilda asked to Rainbow Dash.

"Sure", the pegasus replied before taking off with her friend.

An hour later, while Pinkie, Fluttershy and Starlight were enjoying some scones at the new restaurant, Gilda and Rainbow Dash came back.

"Nothing", the blue pegasus groaned. "Nothing at all".

"It hasn’t arrived yet", Fluttershy repeated with a barely audible voice.

"Still, a creature this big will be seen, and especially heard, from miles away", Starlight affirmed.

"And we can kick its butt when we’ll see it !" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"I think driving it off will be sufficient", Starlight tempered.

"That’s just the same !" The cyan winged pony retorted.

"Schwose schcones are effen ‘etter fan che lacht time !" Pinkie Pie tried to say with her mouth full of scones.

"You bet they are !" Gilda concurred.

"I hope Twilight’s luckier than us" Rainbow Dash muttered.

"If by “luckier” you mean find this dra… monster, I hope she’s having bad luck", Starlight corrected.

"Maybe it’s gone. Far away in the mountains… and it’ll never come back", Fluttershy whispered.

"Could be true. We griffons don’t go into the mountains of the East, there’s just nothin’ interesting to see, except if you like rocks", Gilda explained.

Suddenly, in the distance, something seemed to explode, producing a terrible thundering sound. It was very far away, but it was of such magnitude it sent little tremors to the city.

"What was that !?" Pinkie Pie panicked.

"Something has blown up many kilometers from here. Judging by the vibrations, it must be a mountain far away, maybe an eruption. Is it frequent here ?" Starlight asked to Gilda.

"Never happened once. Not sure if there are volcanoes there actually", the griffon replied.

"It’s… the thing…" Fluttershy spluttered, but it was so low that no one heard it.

"We must have a look, even if it’s miles away", Starlight decided.

"But why ? I bet it’s not even in Equestria !" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

-We must be sure. We can’t know what this thing will do. Do you want to take the risk to let this monster go West, towards us ? Maybe it’ll continue in the bugbear territory and cross the sea towards the unknown. But maybe it’ll turn before, if it hasn’t already did, and is actually really coming towards us or the Griffonstone train station ? And what if it crosses the sea to Fillydelphia, Manehattan ? Starlight asked in return.

"You’re so optimistic", Gilda deadpanned.

"I won’t be able to face any of you if something disastrous happen because of me again. It already had in another timelines. Six times", Starlight sobbed.

"It won’t happen, Fluttershy reassured as she hugged Starlight. We are your friends. We trust you. You saved Equestria. And we’ve already long forgiven you for what you’ve done".

"Okay, okay", Rainbow Dash surrendered. "Let’s go".

It was long hours of long march before they reached their destination ; the end of the afternoon was drawing near. The ponies were considering turning back when they saw it. They froze in place : it was terrifying. The trail of destruction was unlike any other they had seen so far : anything that had dared to cross the path of the creature was literally flattened under its tremendous weight. Worse, they quickly found out the cause for the tremors they had felt earlier : all color drained from their cheeks.

"That’s impossible !" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Nothing can do THAT !"

"I-I’m afraid it is", Starlight spluttered. "At least, we-we have an indication of the power of that… that thing".

"I remember that place... that mountain was huge. Hope no one’ll meet that thing. Ever", Gilda added with a sinister expression.

In front of them, scattered kilometers and kilometers around, the mountain was pulverized.

"We came to see if everything’s alright", Twilight told Ember. "Our other friends are in Griffonstone. We’ll meet in two days there".

"Everything’s okay, thank you Princess Twilight", Ember thanked. "Well… almost everything…" The blue dragoness hesitated.

"Is somep… dragon hurt ?" Spike asked.

"Yes, in a sense. My father tried to stop that… that… that monster !" Ember sobbed with a broken voice.

"Is it serious ? Is he hurt ?" Applejack interrogated.

"No, he’s not hurt… He’s just exhausted… but his pride and convictions are completely... shaken because… that beast didn’t EVEN try to put up a fight ! It just walked and walked… at the same pace all along ! My father tried to push it back with everything he had ! I called all the dragons to back him up, but it made no difference ! Even when they all breathed fire in the face of that creature ! They all exahausted themselves in in the end. It-It’s not something normal, Princess. It-it just kept walking slowly. There was no change in its pace. Not the slightest change, I can assure you. I don’t know if some kind of magic's involved, but as I see it, this thing's totally unstoppable".

The jaws of the ponies dropped : hundreds of dragons, plus one of considerable size, not being able to even alter the walking pace of the monster ; it was far beyond bad news.

"It’s worse than all I could’ve imagined, Twilight declared after a pause. We must return to Griffonstone and follow that thing. Maybe Griffonstone isn’t on its path. Maybe it will go to the sea, and disappear. But maybe it will follow civilization. I won’t take the risk. We’ll find it and stop it. If we can’t, we’ll call the princesses for help. But we, at least, must see it. What it can and can’t do, and maybe see if we can talk to it".

"It can talk. It said just a word", Ember recalled.

"A word ?" Applejack interrogated.

"“Princess” When I asked what it meant, it didn’t respond and simply went away".

"Oh my…" Rarity choked.

"That thing’s after a princess !?" Spike panicked.

"Well, it isn’t you Princess Ember, so… we’ve got four other possibilities, five if we count Flurry Heart…" Applejack counted.

"And I’m one of them", Twilight concluded. "But maybe I’m not ; anyways, it’s a very good reason to call Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Cadance. They must be warned at all costs. May I have a letter ?" She asked to Ember.

"Of course", the young dragon princess complied.

Twilight wasted no time as she dictated the words to Spike ; he was scribbling so fast his writing was nearly indecipherable ; when he finished the last letter and sent it, his arm was numb.

Twilight had written the letters in a way that, while she was uncertain of the monster’s actions and intentions, there was a high probability that they were all in peril ; she also sent the drawings to add to the emergency of the situation. The young alicorn had learned to trust her intuitions, even more so with the recent event, and the princesses too. “They’ll take the appropriate measures. But I hope it’ll be sufficient” she thought.

The two synchronized replies to the letters arrived some minutes later : Cadance’s letter explained that, if the monster was coming to the Crystal Empire, it would be greeted with an impenetrable shield of magic and hundreds of unicorns and pegasi guards. She also added that she would send Flurry Heart at a safe place should the monster approached the Crystal Empire boundaries.

Celestia and Luna’s reply was a rendezvous : regardless if they had met the thing or not, they were summoned to Canterlot in five days to discuss the problem.

"You should come back to your friends", Ember advised. "Everything will be alright here".

"You sure ?" Spike asked.

"Yes. We’ll simply let it walk if it comes back", the dragoness replied with a sad smile.

"Hey, don’t say that !" Spike protested. "We’ll stop it !"

"Thank you Spike. I’ll stay in touch", Ember assured.

"I’m relieved we came for nothing too serious", Rarity sighed before gasping. "Not that I…"

"No offense", the dragoness cut her off with a genuine smile this time.

"If you want some help to rebuild or something…" Twilight suggested.

"Don’t worry. Nothing was destroyed, just… rocks I guess. At least, we found tons of crushed gems in the footsteps of that thing, gems we couldn’t have found. We have food for almost a year. We're kinda lucky, aren't we ?" The blue dragoness asked tentatively.

"Well… If you say so… maybe", Twilight replied with uncertainty.

"One more thing before you go", Ember added. "I don’t know if it helps but… that thing came from the Southwest : from the sea, or from the weird forests beyond".

Twilight spent the voyage to think about the last piece of information given by the princess. She shared some of her ideas with her friends, but they were too worried to answer meaningfully. One of her theories, though, seemed more plausible than the others : the creature was coming from the sea ; it was a species of turtle or dragon that lived mostly in water and had never set a foot in Equestria.

"Maybe it’s like Equestrian dragons : that monster awoke from a hundred years slumber and is totally disoriented. If it sleeps in water, the sea currents could’ve brought it to Equestria, far away from its land ! It’s just lost ! And that’s why it’s searching for a princess of its kind !"

Spike was the only one who doubted that hypothesis.

"Twilight, that thing is terr… terri… walks on earth. Except the shell, I don’t see anything that is sea-related".

"Maybe it’s terrestrial. But it has been swoop by a wave or something", Twilight had replied absent-mindedly as she continued to make countless hypotheses.

"I don’t think it can float", Spike had mumbled between his teeth.

The group of Griffonstone was very surprised to see its friends again so soon. Both of the situations were explained to each group : Twilight was on the verge of panic once she heard the story of the pulverized mountain ; she began to hyperventilate.

"From what we’ve seen, the rocks were partially melted in addition to being scattered miles away in all directions", Starlight said. "Most were missing though : we’re lucky we didn’t find ourselves, or most of Equestria, under a meteor shower ; the flying rocks must've sunk in the ocean".

Twilight drew in her last reserves of calmness ; she took a very deep breath to reply without screaming in panic.

"We have two options for tomorrow : we follow that monster while being at least uncertain that we could stop it. Or we go to meet Princess Celestia and Princess Luna immediately, but we’ll have only very vague assumptions and hypotheses. What do you think, everypony ?"

Fluttershy squeaked something incomprehensible as the others pondered the possibilities.

"Ah think we should see it", Applejack decided finally.

"And if it attacks us ? What do we do ?" Rarity asked sarcastically.

"We’ll stay out of its view first", Starlight replied. "We just have to see its silhouette in the distance, or hide from it if it comes towards us".

Rarity gave up ; she could see that, besides her and Fluttershy, everyone wanted to see the monster with their own eyes.

"So… How ‘bout following an invincible angry, probably highly adaptive and regenerative super-duper lizard ?" Pinkie Pie asked with an excited voice ; her friends simply rolled their eyes.
The group stayed in Griffonstone for the night : following the thing at night was out of question ; they would track it slowly but surely under the daylight.

Author's Note

First story on MLP, first story in English, first story that I'll force myself to finish.

Important : I used the map of Equestria from the wiki for this story ; check it out ;)

SCP Foundation reference in the chapter ;)

The hunt

The following day, it took all the willpower of Pinkie Pie to walk out of the griffons’ city, and even more so to say goodbye to Gilda to whom she was deeply attached ; once she managed to get over it, the ponies began their hunt.

Finding the path and following it was easy ; however, they had or a very long delay compared to the creature or had severely underestimated its speed ; they seemed to make no progression at all, as the trail was not getting warmer.

After three hours, they finally saw a tiny spot – the size of a grain of salt – in the distance and felt tremors that were keeping gaining in intensity. Half an hour later, the spot was growing – it was now the size of a marble – and fresh footprints could be seen in the snow : their size and depths were so deep it was ridiculous.

"Oh my…" Rarity gasped once she saw them. "Do we have a weight measurement unit that we could apply here ?"

"I-I don’t think so", Twilight replied, worryingly biting her lips.

A growl interrupted their progress. They stopped right in their tracks : not far away from the trail, there was a bugbear seated in the snow.

"We… we’re in bug-bug-bugbear territory…" Fluttershy panicked ; she was on the verge of fainting.

The monstrous panda-bee hybrid did nothing to the ponies however ; it was keeping on growling, but not in an aggressive voice ; it was a low groan, and the monster was looking at his paws without seeing them. Water droplets briefly escaped its red eyes.

"He’s… he’s crying !" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

The bugbear finally noticed them and, after a few seconds of immobility, simply departed towards the few scattered pines that were miraculously still standing.

They continued their route for half an hour again, not hindered by the snow which was crushed or by the temperature which was almost warm. Their target had disappeared, putting further strain on them. They quickly found out the reason however : the trail was making an almost ninety degree turn to the West. Twilight theorized that the creature, seeing it was getting nowhere, had changed direction. The ponies really began to tire after following the trail for fifteen minutes. Rarity complained about her aching hooves and Pinkie Pie about her loudly growling stomach ; they were abruptly interrupted in their progression by a powerful earthquake that made Pinkie Pie, Spike, Rarity and Fluttershy lose their balance and fall.

"What was that !? Another mountain !?" Applejack exclaimed.

"Let’s go !" Twilight immediately darted in the direction of the tremors.

They galloped for five minutes before stopping : the trail was gone, replaced by a crater big enough to be filled with thousands of ponies.

"What… what in the world…" Applejack spluttered.

Twilight and Starlight stayed silent for thirty seconds, the time during which they were lost in deep thought ; they reached the same conclusion at the same time :

"It jumped".

"What !?" The others exclaimed.

They were interrupted once again : hundreds of bugbears obscured the sky above them, and disappeared to the East so fast they had no time to be afraid.

"They’re fleeing the thing…" Starlight muttered.

"That’s not good", Twilight whispered to herself. "Not good at all. It was pretty bad already, but now… Let’s go home. I’m sorry : we did all of this for nothing".

"I’m glad we didn't encounter that monster", Fluttershy sighed in a relieved breath.

"Maybe you’re right", the Princess of Friendship said. "We’ll move up the meeting with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to the day after tomorrow. Maybe they’ll have answers, but I doubt it ; they would’ve told me in the letter. Let’s take a break at the Crystal Empire. Apart from resting, we must warn Cadance too".

The way back was deadly calm : they walked in a deafening silence ; not a single bugbear was spotted. Even the small forest part before the Griffonstone station was devoid of animated life.

Once in the train, they almost bought all the food on their way to the Crystal Empire, as they had not eaten in hours ; the night was falling and they nearly missed the train station when they all fell asleep after the supper.

There was no magic force field around the majestic city yet. The group was greeted by Twilight’s brother and a few guards once they stepped in the city.

"How my niece’s doing ?" Twilight asked.

"Fine as always Twili. We hope we’ll bring her back to your castle soon", Shining Armor answered. "But you aren’t here for that apparently ; Cadance showed me the letter. Is that thing coming here ?"

"I don’t know. If only I knew…" Twilight replied, sadly shaking her head ; she was not only sad, but also tired, all of which was taking its toll on her mental.

Her brother put a hoof on her shoulder.

"Always taking the blame. Why, in the wide wide world of Equestria, are you feeling responsible for this ?" He interrogated as they trotted towards the castle and the throne room with the others.

"I saw it coming. These days I was… paranoid, really. And… I said to myself it was nothing, just stressing out for no reason like always, and I didn’t talk to my friends. I’m ashamed I…"

She was cut off by her brother : he was staring at her with a seriousness that was almost harsh.

"Repeat after me : it’s not my fault".

Twilight grumbled something incomprehensible.

"Louder", Shining Armor ordered.

"It’s not my fault", his sister murmured weakly.

"Again".

"It’s not my fault", Twilight repeated with enough conviction this time.

Her brother smiled.

"It would’ve probably come anyways, you know… Sometimes destiny put things on our paths that we just can’t avoid", he added.

They finally arrived in the throne room : it was empty.

"Where’s Cadance ?" Twilight interrogated.

"Oh, sorry sis’, Cadance’s at your favorite place : the library. She’s searching about the creature that you showed us. Creepy monster, never seen something like that."

The library was still this huge place that Twilight revered. Cadance was at a desk, rapidly flipping through the pages of a thick book ; at least thirty of them were piled up beside her. The princess noticed her friends and immediately dropped her book to greet them warmly.

"Oh Twilight, I’m so sorry that almost each time you come, it’s because of a disaster", she complained.

"It doesn’t keep us to spend time together", Twilight replied. "And… maybe that disaster isn’t coming after all. Did you find something in these books ?"

"Nothing at all. But I searched in only thirty of them".

"We’ll help", Twilight decided with a barely contained excitation despite her tiredness.

"Great", Rainbow Dash rejoiced sarcastically. "Twilight, you’re the only one who loves searching something through thousands of books…"

"So what ?" Twilight replied before happily trotting towards a shelf.

"Nothing"… Her friend grumbled before doing the same, with much less enthusiasm.

Everyone took a shelf. It was two hours of vain research, and Twilight fell asleep in the process. Even when Sunburst came to help – which woke up Twilight – they found nothing ; not even the slightest mention of such a creature.

"It’s helpless", Rarity complained. "My eyes are so strained that I just cannot properly see anymore", she yawned, rubbing her eyelids. "And I’m so tired…"

"Same here", Applejack concurred.

"I can’t believe that there isn’t a single word about this thing", Twilight groaned in frustration as she rubbed her eyes surrounded by impressive dark circles.

She was disappointed ; the library was so huge and filled with so many books about everything ; she slightly lowered her opinion of the place.

"Maybe… maybe it doesn’t come from here…" Fluttershy mused quietly.

"These books try to cover the unknown lands beyond Equestria, at least in part, and you already got there", Starlight objected.

"I didn’t mean that. Maybe it doesn’t come from this world at all", the timid pegasus clarified.

"Why didn’t I think of that !?" Twilight self-reprimanded ; she facehoofed.

"It would explain a lot of things", Starlight concurred.

"We must see it", Twilight decided. "After all, it hasn’t really attacked anypony. I don’t see why it would attack us. It… just keeps walking, searching for a princess : that’s the delicate part. Who knows… who knows for what it… it wants a princess, or who’s that princess. If… it’s me, I think I… can talk to it… and… convince it to stop", she said, searching her words and interrupting them with yawns.

"Twilight dear, I don’t think it is the best…" Rarity began before yawning loudly in an uncivilized manner. "I’m sorry, I…"

"I think it’s time for all of us to go to bed", Cadance declared. "Sleep will clear our minds".

Everyone wished each other good night, went to their respective bedrooms and, tired as they were, promptly fell asleep.

Ceremony, truth, romance and party

Ten minutes later, Peach asked everyone to gather at the town square while she made her way out of the room to wake up Arancia. All the guests left the castle to proceed towards the village.

They sat on chairs disposed to form a huge semi-circle at the center of the small town. The surrounding hills were filled with people who waited for the ceremony to begin. Peach arrived two minutes later with Arancia in a baby carriage ; Mario and Luigi followed, carrying a wooden cradle which they put in the center of the circle formed by the guests. Peach delicately put her daughter in the cradle. Five guards stayed not far away, as Toadsworth.

"So… Who wants to be the first to bless Arancia Toadstool, future princess and ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom ?" Peach asked in a jovial tone.

The Bob-Omb king approached first ; it was frightening to see the huge, round bomb with mittens-shaped hands and pointed shoes coming near the cradle. He looked at Arancia ; the baby was babbling and looking back at the astounding black mass above her with no fear ; she smiled and cooed. The king seemed to smile too under his gigantic moustache ; he whispered some incomprehensible words before rejoining the circle.

Yoshi and Birdo were the next to give their blessings, and each gave Arancia a big, shaking egg : white with green dots from Yoshi and an almost identical one with pink spots from Birdo. They stated that the Yoshi and the Birdo that would soon hatch would be her friends forever ; Arancia seemed to understand, as she briefly hugged each egg that was deposed in her cradle.

Most of the ambassadors and rulers gave Arancia toys, paintings and drawings, clothes and jewelry.

Daisy gave her a black seed the size of a billiard ball ; she explained that when Arancia would be old enough to plant it, the immortal flowers of the blue lily would remain open as long as she was happy and healthy ; one of its petals could also cure any disease, but the flowers of the plant regenerated extremely slowly.

Link wished for the three Goddesses and Hylia to protect the baby before putting a small glass bottle that contained a light purple liquid near the cradle. He explained that the Fairy Tears would never spoil, and that, for her current size, one drop would be sufficient to cure her should she fell ill. He added that it would give her the strength of ten men and the courage of hundred.

Zelda gave the same blessing as Link but her gift was different : it was a necklace from which a sparkling crystal was hanging ; while the jewel had the same shape as a rupee, it was slightly smaller ; the light it produced had a soothing effect and seemed to obliterate any shadows in its vicinity. The princess of Hyrule had given Arancia crystallized light, made by herself with a difficult and long crafting magic spell. “The darkness will never come near you”, she whispered to the baby girl.

Celestia was going to step forward with Bowser, when, suddenly, seven shooting stars tore the night sky with their light before gently coming down just above Arancia’s cradle : the Stars were here. Luigi was right : they had almost the shape and size of a starfish, but that was all. They were of different bright shades of gold, silver, blue, pink, green, orange, red and yellow. Their innocent, tiny oval black eyes and the powerful, relaxing light they radiated filled everyone with an intense joy.

"This is too much", Rarity sobbed with wet eyes. "I just cannot handle this happiness… And they’re so beautiful…" She closely hugged Spike against her.

"They’re Star Spirits, not regular Stars", Mario whispered to the ponies.

Arancia was laughing loudly when the shiny beings shed their dust on her : the stardust and the crystal of light reacted when they touched each other and for a moment, Arancia outshone the Stars. It was their purest dust that they had sprayed on her : they would leave plenty of dust around them before their departure, albeit from slightly less quality. Most of their voices were high-pitched and endearing, and they sung a wordless melody which made everyone, save for Bowser and the Bob-Omb king, tear up.

"We’ll always watch over you", a pink Star with a golden ribbon on her head declared.

"From now on, you are under our protection", an old Spirit with a white moustache added.

A final, enormous true Star came down ; she was nearly as big as Bowser and her brightness was blinding ; only a few of its stardust particles hit Arancia, but she shone so brightly almost everyone had to close their eyes ; once they opened them again, the huge Star was gone.

The Star Spirits moved away from the cradle to let Bowser, Celestia and the ponies give the final blessings.

The monstrous form of Bowser did not frighten Arancia, although she fell silent when the huge Koopa loomed over the cradle and stared at her. Three small glass orbs slowly formed in his right hand : one contained a bright flickering flame, the other was filled with a tiny blizzard and the last had lightning bolts endlessly caressing its translucent surface. Bowser aligned them beside Arancia, who looked through each one of the orbs before delicately putting them back in the exact same place.

"I created these elemental orbs to protect you in time of need. But I hope you’ll never use them. I hereby bless you with not only my love, but also with the primordial power of Darkness, progenitor and destroyer of everything that existed, exist and will exist".

The Koopa’s clawed finger lightly touched the baby’s forehead ; Arancia opened her eyes wildly before calming down ; she smiled at Bowser and her eyes sparkled with joy ; the king smiled too.

"Now Arancia, we’re connected. If you’re in danger, I’ll always come to save you. You may not realize it now, but this bond will never break. I will always protect you", Bowser whispered.

Arancia shed two tears of joy and smiled ; the light crystal shone brightly in response. Bowser returned in the circle and his guest approached.

Celestia had tears in her eyes when she loomed over the cradle. Peach’s daughter fidgeted her tiny arms towards her. The alicorn turned her smooth gaze to her parents, which nodded. Lightly, like she was the most fragile thing in existence, Celestia lifted her with magic so the baby was just in front of her. Arancia tenderly hugged the face of the Princess of the Sun who frankly teared up ; she put the baby down in her cradle and gently touched her forehead with her horn.

"In the name of Equestria, I, Princess Celestia, and my sister, Princess Luna whom I represent, bless you with not only magic, but the eternal friendship of our world".

Celestia whispered some last words before returning to her place :

"I know a baby alicorn with whom you would really get along".

At least, all the seven ponies and the baby dragon surrounded the cradle, and Arancia seemed overjoyed.

"We don’t have any gift, we’re sorry sugarcube…" Applejack apologized.

"But when you’ll come in our world, we’ll make sure you’ll have plenty !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed cheerfully.

"We, and the Elements of Harmony, bless you with the magic of Friendship", Twilight declared with a smile.

"And we bless you with our friendship and love", Spike and Starlight added.

The ponies felt the magic of Friendship resonating with Arancia and her love, with them.

"We will always be your friends !" They promised in unison.

The baby girl laughed and smiled, tears of joy running on her tiny cheeks ; she gently felt asleep seconds later, and the ponies rejoined the circle.

"That was the final blessing", Peach declared. "Arancia will now have a very long and good night of sleep. Please stay here while I carry her to her bed".

She delicately put her daughter back into the baby carriage without waking her ; the Toad guards took the cradle ; the princess went back with them to her castle and came back two minutes later.

"I want to thank all of you", she said with a voice filled with emotion. "Your gifts are magnificent, and I have never seen my daughter so happy. I truly… thank you all", she sobbed as she dried some tears of joy.

A roar of happiness shook the entire hills, and the guests burst out with joy too ; fireworks lighted the sky for five minutes, with a star-shaped one for the final. All kinds of music started to play around the town, with cheers and sounds of festivities everywhere. Most of the VIP and the Stars left to attend the attractions and music shows, but Link, Zelda, Daisy, Bowser and Celestia stayed on the town square, along with Peach, Toadsworth, Mario, Luigi and the ponies ; Celestia came near them with Bowser.

"Shall we explain what happened ?" The King of the Koopas asked awkwardly.

"Yeah, that’d be great !" Daisy replied sarcastically.

Everyone moved some chairs and sat, barring Bowser who had no chair of his size ; he sat down on the ground.

"Where to begin…" Bowser wondered.

"From the start, huh !" Daisy pushed ; Peach sent her a reprimanding gaze.

"What happened just after you came here ?" Twilight asked nicely.

"Bowser directly teleported us to his castle", Celestia explained. "I asked him what he was going to do with me, if he was going to lock me somewhere or worse, but he replied that I was free to visit the castle… or even to leave if I wanted to. He just made the request, that, before I take my decision, to share a meal with him : I accepted… with reluctance, as I didn’t know what we were going to eat ; I was surprised : I ate the most wonderful vegetables I have ever eaten ! I was still wary after that, so Bowser took this occasion to explain to me that he was not truly carnivorous, his appearance was just… this way. While we ate, we talked about our respective worlds ; I was really tense at the start, but everything went really smoothly after that, and he apologized so much ! After the dessert, I wanted to learn more not only about this world, but about him as well ; and he explained everything to me in details. It was a very, very long story, but it was worth the listening. What I saw… Well, what I saw is a fractured heart beneath these otherwise indestructible scales. Thanks to Princess Peach, an unbreakable friendship is already here however, and I think it helped him so much… am I right ?" She asked to Bowser.

"Yes. Besides love, I think it’s the form the magic of Friendship takes here", he replied. "Without Peach, I would’ve probably destroyed a good chunk of this world out of misery. Or exiled myself forever to one of these dead universes…"

"When we finished our conversation, so much time has passed, and he proposed me to take me back to Equestria or to Princess Peach’s castle ; he had what he wanted. I must have surprised him, because I said I wanted to stay a little longer in his castle, at least for the celebration. I apologize for not coming back in Equestria, and for making you worry. It was such a selfish decision", Celestia apologized to her fellow ponies.

"We-we… Don’t worry Princess Celestia… As long as you were… happy to stay", Twilight replied splutteringly.

"I was so happy indeed ! So happy to discover this world ! I visited Bowser’s entire castle : it’s huge, a bit gloomy, sometimes scary, filled with lava and surrounded by a dark forest, but I’d say… it has its charm. I even bathed in a lake filled with crystals ! The only one thing that was oppressing me was the solitude. There is no one there ; this castle is so lively in comparison ! I think it’s one of the reasons that made me stay. I didn’t sleep much that day, and I wandered in the castle ; I ran into Bowser and we talked about… everything, from home world to personal life. I may also have told him about your friendship and your acts of bravery that saved Equestria so many times".

"By the way, I’m sorry for the damage…" Bowser apologized sincerely. "I’ll repay you, and I’ll send some Koopas to repair the buildings, they’re fast builders. I truly regret attacking your world".

"I can sense you are sincere", Zelda affirmed.

"And me too", Peach added.

Twilight sighed before taking her decision.

"I forgive you. I don’t know if Cadance, my brother, Princess Luna and Discord will though. Most of the residents of Equestria probably see you as a walking disaster and an enemy, even though you hadn’t attacked anypony except Discord", she added.

"I’ve already forgiven you", Starlight affirmed. "Believe me or not, I’ve done far worse than attacking a land and ponynaping a princess…"

"So, ya kidnaped this pretty lady for nothin’ !?" Daisy exclaimed aggressively.

"It wasn’t in vain", Celestia tempered with a smile. "We met each other and I wouldn’t have met such wonderful people as you all. I think Bowser unwittingly laid the foundation of what will be an everlasting friendship between all of us".

Peach and Zelda smiled.

"I shall invite everyone in Equestria to officially seal our friendship. Would you agree to come in my home world once the festivities will be over, if you have the time to do so, of course ?" Celestia asked to everyone.

"That would be great !" Peach replied. "And the celebrations give us some time to prepare everything ! We may leave a bit earlier than the end of the celebrations too ! It is wonderful, I am so excited !" She exclaimed cheerfully.

"Well, I’m stayin’ here, so why not…" Daisy shuddered.

"We planned to stay only for the duration of the celebration", Zelda explained. "However, I will notify a messenger to inform the temporary governing body of the extended duration of our stay. I am equally thrilled to visit your world".

"Ah don’t wanna interrupt somethin’ important, but… what did you do before comin’ here, Princess Celestia ?" Applejack interrogated.

"After breakfast, Bowser showed me the most magnificent landscapes I have ever seen. It was so far away from his castle, but teleporting is far easier for him than us. We spent the morning visiting such beautiful locations ! I’m still amazed that such places exist", the Princess of the Sun explained.

"Hey ! I get it now ! It was totally a date !" Pinkie Pie suddenly exclaimed.

This time, the white alicorn visibly blushed ; the deep shade of crimson slowly spread from her muzzle to her cheeks. Bowser could not blush, or it was invisible, but he uncomfortably shifted in place and looked vaguely at the sky to avoid any eyes. Celestia and Bowser’s reactions draw confused looks from everyone, but the ponies were shocked to no end.

-And… after lunch we… visited some more… places before coming here… Celestia concluded awkwardly after long seconds of silence.

Twilight and her friends were too stunned to pay attention to the vague conclusion of the day of their princess.

“This can’t be happening !” Twilight exclaimed in her mind. “Princess Celestia can’t possibly be in love with him !”. She hardly refrained herself to ask her mentor about her feelings.

“A tiny, tiny, tinyyyyy chance huh… I don’t know how small it was, but I think it’d make Twilight go totally crazy” Rainbow Dash thought.

Peach smiled, looking at Bowser and Celestia.

"So, now that everything’s cool, can I change clothes ? One more minute and I tear that dress apart !" Daisy interrupted as she gripped her gown, ready to shred it to pieces.

Luigi turned away blushingly : Daisy misinterpreted his gesture.

"Hey, Luigi ! Don’t try to run away ! Come with me ! I can’t remove that thing alone ! Ya must help !" The tomboyish princess ordered.

Without waiting for an answer, she firmly took a scarlet Luigi by the arm and headed to the castle, dragging him behind her with an unsuspected strength ; everyone laughed.

"So… can we talk to the Stars Spirits ?" Starlight asked.

"Yes, of course, they aren’t far away ; I saw them going…" Mario said before being cut by Pinkie Pie.

"Here !" She exclaimed, pointing her hoof to a lone Star Spirit wandering aimlessly, covering everything with stardust : it was the pink Star with the yellow ribbon on her head.

"Excuse me, Misstar, may we borrow some of your time ?" Peach asked from afar to the Star.

The shiny being immediately came to greet them.

"Those inhabitants of the world of Equestria, ponies, would like to ask you a few questions", the princess explained.

"I’m honored to meet you, ponies ! What do you want to ask me ?" The Star Spirit interrogated with her tiny voice.

"Well… Someone, Rosalina, warned me about something disastrous in the near future. Some ancient evil’s coming…" Starlight said awkwardly.

Misstar did not immediately reply, but three seconds later, all the Star Spirits appeared beside her.

"Rosalina’s right, we feel it too ! It’s so scary !" The pink star exclaimed.

"We are all struck with horror as we sense this “being” of unfathomable power destroying everything in its path and coming closer and closer from the universes", the yellow, old looking star with a white moustache explained.

"All of our brethren is terrified", a blue star with a marine hat added.

"Panic is probably gaining every being tied to the cosmos in other worlds too", a yellow star with a pink bowtie stated.

"I have trouble keeping myself calm", a Star Spirit with a boomerang-shaped moustache said.

"I’m here to sooth my peers, but the dreadful, dark power is so vast I just can’t calm everyone !" The last female star, with a bowtie on her head, exclaimed.

"We want to prevent the onset of panic between the residents of the vast cosmos. We are starting to prepare, but our forces equal to nothing before the power of this ancient force. Rosalina is trying to gather much Power Stars and Lumas as possible, but I think it is in vain. The eldest Stars are hurt by the waves of oblivion this thing is sending across the universes. From what they remember from the times before, there was something sealed and something watching over it ; the old Stars were born, created with these vague memories from an infinite time before the debut of their existence. Now, it appears that the sealed one has broken free, and its guardian lies buried in its place. That is all we Stars know", the eldest Star concluded.

"Rosalina told me to not interfere, that this thing would sense it, attack and literally destroy destiny", Starlight recalled.

"That’s right ! That’s also why we’re so powerless against it ! But even with the largest possible armies, we can’t do anything ! But we’re still searching a way ! We still have hope !" Misstar exclaimed.

Bowser suddenly sighed, shaking his massive head with disappointment and sadness ; he stood up, unsettled, and spoke with a voice barely above the whisper and filled with uncertainty.

"I… I think it’s time to… to tell you the truth… I know everything. About this I mean. I didn’t wanna tell you, but I’ve got no choice it seems… It’s been almost two years now… Shortly after gaining it, I sensed something… resonating with my power… I spent one year and a half… hiding armies in some of those worlds that the pipes gave us access to. Yes. That’s why my armies are no more ; they’re far away, training ‘til the day comes… I didn’t wanna… tell even my… closest friend about it… I… I didn’t wanna see the kingdom preparing for… a war that’s probably already lost, and watching all my friends… the only ones I have… plunging into… worry… fear… despair…"

Peach came and stood in front of him ; without warning, she jumped in the air to slap him in the face ; even though it did not faze him physically, he still looked hurt ; Peach too : tears were forming in her blue eyes. When she spoke, her delicate voice was filled with sadness and anger.

"That is your excuse !? What were you thinking !? Protecting your own feelings !? Have you already forgotten everything I told you about bonds, feelings and love !? Sharing sadness, burdens and fears ! Talking to each other freely ! Always telling the truth ! That is what friends are for, the very reason they are friends ! Do you realize you could have broken our friendship forever !? Do you even realize the chance you have to have me as a friend !? Yes, mister, because any other friend would have never forgiven you so easily ! Why… why did you do this if not for hurting me !?"

Peach sobbed uncontrollably on the scaly body ; Bowser got on his knees and hugged her with his huge arms.

"I didn’t wanna hurt you. I’m sorry. I was really scared for you and everyone ; I’m even more scared now that everyone knows, and I sincerely apologize to you all. I… didn’t know what to do, I… wanted to protect my own feelings as you said… at your expense…"

"You know, telling the truth to my friends is one of the first friendship lessons that I learned", Twilight said. "The longer you wait, the harder it’ll be for your friends to forgive you. But I can at least understand why you did this, I was no better some years ago, because well… I didn’t have any friends at all. I would’ve probably tried to take on that thing alone too".

Peach managed to calm herself and detached from Bowser ; Misstar covered her with stardust, and she felt better. The Koopa King went on with his explanation :

"That primordial thing seems to travel slowly, but, in fact, it’s ripping through countless universes at once ; it’s still very, very far away from any world however, and probably, it won’t come in your lifetime, that’s part of why I didn’t tell you… You won’t see it, but, sooner or later, it’ll eventually reach Death’s realm too. You must know that it was sealed so deep, in an unreachable place, buried under an infinity of spaces and times, restrained by means we can’t understand and faithfully watched by its brother, that it’ll take it a very long time to come ; Rosalina and you Stars feel it near because of the vastness of its power. In fact, it broke free from its restraints less than two years ago, putting its brother in its place and starting to travel. The brother is a benevolent and creative one but the other… it’s the opposite, like the two faces of the same coin. That’s pretty simple actually : that thing’s an embodiment of destruction ; it’s not even evil, not like we know it. It rips apart, pulverizes and annihilates everything in its path because it’s just what it is. It’s… just nothingness".

"Rosalina used the same word to describe it", Starlight recalled.

"But your power…" Mario objected.

"Do you remember when I said I was a descendant from primordial beings ? Well, it’s them, the two brothers. My power resonated with that thing because I descend from it and its brother : I’m the mix between their powers, but I don’t know how or why such a thing happened, and, to be totally honest, I fear it was me who has awakened that monster when I found the Darkness. The only difference between it and I is that I can use my power to create, like the gift I gave to Arancia. But even with both powers, the force that’s coming’s overwhelming : it surely can’t kill me, as I’m a part of it and its twin, but I don’t wanna give its brother some company and spend eternity sealed under whatever it can bury me".

"Great… So, you’re saying that there’s an unstoppable disaster that’s coming and you chose to fight it alone ? Brightest idea of all time…" Rainbow Dash congratulated sarcastically.

"I… Yes… That was…"

"Stupid. Dumb. Idiotic. And I could say much more, but ya get the idea", Applejack reprimanded.

Celestia approached Bowser.

"No matter how much power you can gain, it will never dispense you from having friends and them to help you. You will always be stronger with friends at your side", she stated.

She gently touched his heart with her glowing horn, and Misstar sprayed some dust on him ; it slowly appeased him. The ponies were again shocked by such an act from their princess.

"The last thing I have to say is that I sent King Boo to investigate some of the worlds to see how fast the thing’s getting closer, or if it takes action : everything’s fine, don’t worry ; I’m not lying ; the last report I got was from one week ago, and King Boo encountered and sensed nothing, no matter how far he traveled, and he traveled very far. I’m going now… I have just… no right to stay here with you…"

"No. You stay here and you enjoy the festivities. You of course will go to Equestria with us", Peach ordered. "You said that thing is still very far away, that we may not see it arrive here in our lifetime ; we will discuss and make plans after our visit to Equestria. I do not intend to stop everything and put the kingdom in a state of emergency now for such a distant and vague threat, because I trust you. Yes, despite what you have done and despite your lies, I still trust you".

"I… I don’t deserve such kindness… The only thing I deserve is to be shunned by everyone for not telling the truth", Bowser replied sadly ; he was on the verge of crying.

"Everybody makes mistakes, everybody lies, that’s what we are", Mario stated simply. "Well, I’m lying too when I say that…"

"So that is what you were hiding", Zelda understood.

"You sensed it from the very first day, don’t you ?" Bowser asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course. But that was not something evil, so I trusted you. And I still do", the princess of Hyrule added.

"Thank you, Princess Zelda. I can’t fully realize the chance I have… The-the chance to have such wonderful friends…" The King of the Koopas admitted. "I’m still pretty new to these kinds of things and emotions…"

"Count on us to tell you more about it, don’t be afraid or ashamed to ask us", Celestia advised.

"I… Thank you. Thank you all", Bowser replied.

"About the trip to Equestria…" Mario wondered, changing subject. "When do you want to go ?" He asked to his wife.

"As soon as possible !" She replied enthusiastically. "We will leave the kingdom in the trusted hands of Toadsworth".

"Well, considering that most of the guests will probably be gone in two days, and tomorrow for the VIP…" Her husband began.

"And considering that our presence is not mandatory, the exceptional circumstances, the need for Princess Celestia and our pony friends to return home and, to a far lesser extent, day and night in Equestria not being in phase with the Mushroom Kingdom…" Peach added.

"We can leave for Equestria in two days, if that’s okay with you", Mario told the ponies.

"That would be perfect", Celestia agreed. "But I don’t want you to feel obligated. Please take your time".

"Do not worry", Peach reassured. "My subjects will not notice my absence, or rather will not worry about it. So, what do you want to do now ?"

"May I go to the castle to see the illuminations from above ?" Twilight asked. "Luigi told me it was beautiful".

"Of course", Mario replied. "Enjoy the view !"

Twilight detached herself from the group and trotted towards the castle ; she climbed up the stairs to the now empty dining room ; everything was already neatly cleaned by the Toads. She approached the window and looked through the glass : the town and the hills were indeed beautiful, illuminated by all sorts of lights. She saw that special pony splitting from the group and coming towards the castle ; she panicked. “Relax, Twilight. Think of… fleeing ? No ! Think of what Peach said, think of the courage that artifact from Hyrule gave you, inhale, exhale”.

After a few minutes, Twilight started considering going to lock herself in the toilet, but one of the double doors opened slowly ; the purple alicorn immediately fixed her gaze on a non-existent point on the hills.

"Twilight ? How’s the view ?" The mare asked before sitting next to her.

"Beautiful “but not as you”, see for yourself", Twilight replied.

"It reminds me of Ponyville seen from the Castle of Friendship", the other pony said after looking at the scenery.

"Kinda. But Ponyville is less… shiny. I wonder what we’d see if not for the illuminations though ; there are only a few houses…" “But I don’t even care about that ! I just want to look at you !”

"I’m sure we’ll come back here in the future, so…"

The two mares fell silent for a couple of minutes, contemplating the lights and the stars above ; despite the illuminations, they were perfectly visible. The moment Twilight feared arrived :

"Say Twilight…" Her friend whispered. "When Peach said “feelings of love between each of you”, who do you think she was talking about ?"

The question still took the alicorn off-guard, but she managed to reply coherently.

"“You and I of course !”. I-I don’t know. Spike, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie are already out, that’s left us with four possibilities… including… us".

"Yes… That’s right. And… about you ? Do you… hem… feel… something… for one of us ?"

The mare paused then apologized a split second later :

"I’m… I’m sorry Twilight ! I didn’t wanna…"

Twilight was blushing ; the dim light was not sufficient to hide the bright shade of red that was slowly covering her muzzle and cheeks.

"“Yes ! I love you ! But why can’t I say it ?! What’s stopping me ?!” I… huh… I… For… one of… my friends, huh… I… huh…" She spluttered.

"It’s alright Twilight, it was a dumb question given the circumstances. I’m sorry", the mare apologized, gazing at her with what seemed to be a bit of disappointment.

"“She’s… !?” No… it’s just… that I… huh “Peach said she loves you too ! TELL HER YOU IDIOT !” I…"

"Don’t push yourself Twilight, that’s okay", her friend sighed before looking back at the hills.

Twilight wanted to scream she loved her, to take her in her hooves and kiss her until she could not breathe, but she simply sat beside her friend and, even though she already knew the answer, asked awkwardly, with a barely audible voice :

"And… you… Do you… are you… in love ?"

"I… Yes, I am. I do feel something for one of our friends but… I’m afraid. I’m afraid that…"

Her voice broke but she pressed on.

"We’d lose our friendship forever because… because of love !" The mare sobbed, tears forming in her eyes.

“I can’t stand to see her cry ! Mare up Twilight ! If you can’t say anything, do something !”.

The alicorn extended one of her wings to slowly envelop her friend, who let out a surprised squeak, but leaned against Twilight after a few seconds.

"Peach told me love… doesn’t destroy", Twilight said after a long silence ; an unbearable heat was burning her whole body and her face was so red she could have easily disguised herself as Applejack’s brother ; she hoped her friend had not noticed and she managed to whisper something :

"I… huh… don’t wanna… pressure you… into telling me… who she is but…" “Liar ! You know perfectly for who her feelings are for !”.

"If I tell you, will you tell me ?" Her friend asked in return, looking deep in Twilight eyes.

"I… huh…" “Go now”. "Deal".

"I love… huh… I love…"

The mare cleared her throat before speaking clearly.

"I know it sounds cliché, sappy and everything but… the mare I love is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me. She’s the bravest, talented and beautiful pony I ever met. She showed me the wonders of friendship like no one could’ve done, she taught me so many things, she… she’s just perfection. And when I think of that, I’m reminded that a pony like me has no right to be with her whatsoever because she’s just… What… what I wanna say is… That mare is huh… the most important pony of my life and…"

She suddenly broke in tears ; she could not handle it, much less bring herself to say it ; Twilight realized that it was far harder for her than for herself ; the alicorn enveloped her with both wings and hooves and put her head on her shoulder. Her friend could not stop crying : each tear running on her cheeks was like a dagger slowly plunging in Twilight’s heart, and there were a lot of tears. Twilight simply shed two droplets of water from her violet eyes before whispering into her friend’s ear :

"I love you".

She sensed the shaking body of her friend stiffening against her. Behind the tears, the beautiful eyes wiped out the sorrow that was covering them.

"You… you… what… I…" The surprised pony spluttered.

"I love you. It was… It-it hit me at-at the inn… It was so… so intense… I remember screaming but I… forgot it until… a few hours ago. I-I denied my feelings for a day… buried them…"

Twilight took a deep breath :

"Listen. I love you. I want to be with you, forever, no matter what is coming. I want you… I want you to be so much more than my friend !"

The mare faced Twilight, looking into the deep violet eyes that were sparkling with emotion.

"Twilight, I…"

"Shhhh…" The alicorn whispered as she leaned forwards.

The two mares kissed tenderly ; Twilight wrapped her forelegs around the head and back of her friend, and she sensed delicate hooves caressing her face and stretched wings.

The door opened slowly and silently : Fluttershy timidly poked her head through the opening.

"Twilight ? Have you seen… Oh my… !"

It was too late to close the door on the two intertwined mares who failed, or rather not wanted to separate themselves.

"I… huh… I… just wan-wanted to see if… S-S-S-Starlight was al-alright… She was go-gone for… a-a-a while and I-I… huh… She-she-she’s okay ! I… Sorry… I-I-I’ll let you alone !" Fluttershy squeaked.

She quickly closed the door and galloped downstairs.

Starlight and Twilight laughed softly before spying on their timid friend who was rejoining the group. They could not avert their eyes from each other for too long however, and they soon kissed again under the stained glass.

"Huh ? What’s the matter Fluttershy ?" Rainbow Dash asked when she saw her timid friend running towards them, her face flushed.

"No-Nothing at all ! Starlight’s al-al-alright with Twi… S-Starlight’s okay", Fluttershy replied.

"Don’t tell me…" Applejack groaned with a mild exasperation.

"Well… They’re okay but I… huh…" The yellow pegasus paused for some seconds.

"I wonder… wh-why it has to-to be me a-again ? Did I… Did I do something wrong ? That is the second time I catch my friends in… embarrassing situations…" She tried to accentuate her point by stomping her hoof on the ground, but instead lightly brushed the pavement.

"I hope the whole “feelings between us” is finished now", Applejack mumbled.

"Oh no ! I want more !" Rainbow Dash chuckled, an evil grin on her face.

Peach looked mysteriously at the pegasus, who noticed it.

"What ? Got something on my face ?" The confused pony asked.

"Not at all. I wanted to say that you will have more indeed. But not quite from where you are expecting it…" The princess giggled softly.

Rainbow Dash was confused for a few seconds, then she apparently understood : she turned her face just in time to cover her blush.

"Gotta go. Gonna huh… party", she vaguely murmured before speeding away.

"Serves her right", Applejack concluded. "Huh… Wait a minute… Were you serious about it ?"

Peach smiled mischievously.

"Who knows ?" She teased. "I am going to enjoy the festivities and I suggest you to do the same. Do not worry about your sleeping place : the castle has plenty of bedrooms".

The ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom and her husband walked away towards a small circus installed at the top of a hill ; Link and Zelda did the same.

"What do you wanna do ?" Applejack asked to her fellow ponies.

"Bowser and I will go to enjoy some music", Celestia replied. "I don’t know where I am going to sleep however".

"Do as you want, but you aren’t disturbing me at the castle, you can stay there", Bowser said as they walked away.

"That is so nice, thank you !" The Princess of the Sun replied.

"And now ? Do we stick together or… ?" Spike asked.

"Gonna see if they sell cotton candy !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed before darting into a random direction.

"Gonna follow her, don’t want a... cotton candy accident", Applejack grumbled before slowly trotting in the direction her friend had gone.

"Fluttershy darling, what are you going to do ?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, I don’t know. I’ll probably go with Applejack and Pinkie Pie, because I want to let you two have your time as very special someponies. Maybe I’ll check on Rainbow Dash, I’m worried they’re serving alcohol…" She replied quietly.

"You aren’t bothering us y’know", Spike said with a shrug. "Hope you’ll have fun", he wished before walking away on Rarity.

"Don’t hesitate to come with us if you want to !" The unicorn added.

Fluttershy stood alone for a couple of minutes before heading in a random direction.

“It’s strange… Something is bothering me…” she thought as she wandered through the numerous stands, shops and attractions present on the hills. “That festival is huge ! It must be as big as Ponyville !”.She spotted Bowser and Celestia out of the corner of her eye ; the huge Koopa had bought her princess a stuffed toy in the form of a ball and chain with eyes and pointed teeth that Fluttershy was not sure if it was cute or creepy.

"If you want a real Chain Chomp puppy, I got a litter of pups some weeks ago in one of my castles…" Fluttershy heard Bowser telling Celestia.

She did not hear her princess’ answer and went on ; she saw Applejack sharing a cotton candy the size of herself with Pinkie Pie ; Rarity, Spike, Mario and Peach dancing to an upbeat music some minutes later and Link and Zelda hitting all the points at an archery attraction – much the owner’s dismay – as she finished her tour of the festival. “That feeling’s still present… it keeps… scratching at the back of my head… Ooooh, it’s so… so annoying ! I wonder… huh ? I didn’t see Rainbow Dash… That’s strange… maybe I missed her ?” the pegasus thought before turning back ; she retraced all of her way back to the town square without encountering her friend ; her friends did not have seen her either. She took the same path as the blue pegasus, but even after taking every possible direction, she found herself back at her starting point. “Where did she go ? Oh, I have a bad feeling about this…” Fluttershy mechanically gazed at the castle and its magnificent glasses ; she blushed when she thought about Twilight and Starlight probably kissing behind the largest one. She looked up, on the roof of the tallest tower, barely visible. “Huh ? What is that tiny spot… ? Oh my !”. She took off slowly towards the immense tower, trying to make abstraction of the vertiginous height. As she approached it, the spot became clearer : Rainbow Dash was standing there, sitting on the steep, orange tiles. The Element of Loyalty only noticed Fluttershy when the latter landed near her, careful to not slip on the roof.

"Rainbow Dash… I don’t want to be intrusive, you perfectly have the right to sit on that roof alone but… what are you doing here ?" The timid pony asked.

Her rainbow-maned friend was lost in the contemplation of the festival and the stars ; it took half a minute for her to respond.

"Sorry Fluttershy… I was kinda… lost in thought. It’s pretty quiet here, but the view’s awesome".

It was the first time Fluttershy was seeing her mischievous, energetic and speedy friend like this ; she seemed so peaceful and so calm, kind of sad however ; seeing her in that posture strung a melancholic chord in the yellow pegasus which appeased her strange feeling ; Rainbow Dash was right however : the view was breathtaking.

"What were you thinking about ?" She interrogated.

"Nothing in particular… Just remembering things…"

Fluttershy sat next to her friend.

"This isn’t like you, Rainbow Dash…"

"Really ? I… huh… I thought nopony’d find me here so… you weren’t supposed to see me like that… It’s the first time I feel like this y’know… It’s huh… kinda strange. I’m not happy but I’m not sad either. It’s like a mix of both…"

"You’re melancholic, Rainbow… That’s not an unpleasant feeling ; but I wonder why you’re feeling it at the moment. I mean, everypony’s partying and you’d normally be the first to go with them. Did… did Princess Peach upset you ?"

"I… I dunno. I know she said that to tease me but… maybe there’s some truth in it…"

"How did you understand it ?"

"Like I was the next one to fall in love with one of our friends… I’m… I’m… oh, ponyfeathers, I’m scared ! Look how Spike and Rarity, and now Twilight and Starlight have fallen in love ! It’s-it’s just plain creepy !"

"Did you… did you just admit you were afraid !? You-you’re afraid of love ?" A confused Fluttershy asked.

"It’s just too fast ! It’s not natural !"

"Of course it is. What do you expect from love, except what you’d call… “cheesy stuff” ? The Magic of Love is a wonderful magic, don’t you agree ? As powerful as the Magic of Friendship. We’re all being honest with our deepest feelings, and we skip straight to our true desires, what we really want, without anything in the way ! It’s just like… just like a candy you don’t have to unwrap ! Don’t worry, I think we’ll be happier than ever now that some of our friends are in love with each other !" The yellow pony replied almost excitedly.

"Sounds so cheesy indeed…" Rainbow Dash groaned.

Some minutes passed before Fluttershy began to shift in place uncomfortably, and she finally asked :

"Tell me Rainbow Dash… I don’t want to… I… Are you… Do… somepony… linger in your mind longer than anypony else ?"

"I… huh… Don’t draw conclusions but huh… yes. You. I was remembering our times together before you found me here. That’s why I’m… what did you say… melancholic".

It hit Fluttershy harder than expected ; the timid mare sensed her breathing accelerating, her face reddening and her body shaking ; Rainbow Dash noticed it.

"Wow girl, take it easy ! I was just remembering our friendship ! You’re one of my oldest, if not the oldest friend that I have !"

"I-I… sorry… I…"

The timid mare managed to calm down ; the two pegasi again fell silent for some minutes, before Fluttershy again broke the silence with a whisper.

"Say Rainbow… It may sound really, really stupid at-at the moment but… I really want to know… You-you told me… at the inn… that you… huh… you loved my mane… Is that true ?"

The yellow mare was hiding behind her large bang, trying to avoid the cerise gaze of her friend, who rubbed the back of her head and looked at the tiles.

"I huh… Woah, tricky question… I may admit that… Oh, the hay with it ! Yes, I do love your mane, it’s so soft and smooth and huh… I-I huh… I-I kinda like the… rest of your body too… I-I always thought, since we were fillies… I… you… you-you’re kinda cute y’know. I mean, I’m not hitting on you but… I-I do find you cute".

Fluttershy let out a surprised squeak before covering herself with her hooves ; the feeling that had stopped to scratch at the back of her head came back in full force ; the tsunami overrode every protection her mind had erected and she blacked out for one full minute ; this time Rainbow Dash did not notice ; when Fluttershy came back to her senses, she gazed at her friend : she was turning red ; it was almost imperceptible in the night, but the timid mare knew each detail of the face of her long-time friend. The magenta eyes were shut, but Fluttershy noticed a shiny, watery line that was slowly leaking out of the corner of the closed eyelids.

"Rainbow Dash… What’s going on !? You’re crying !" Fluttershy panicked : she put her hooves on her friend’s shoulders.

Rainbow Dash eyes were filled with tears when she opened them to look at her friend.

"I’m not crying… Just… something… in my eyes…" She spluttered ; she immediately burst in tears on her friend’s shoulder.

"Shhh… Tell me…" Fluttershy whispered ; her heart was shattering into a million pieces from seeing Rainbow Dash in such an emotional turmoil.

"I told you… I’m… I’m scared ! I’m scared Fluttershy ! I’m the Element of Loyalty, for Celestia’s sake ! What kind of loyalty I am if I let my friends down for what… something as dumb as love !? That’s… that’s just not fair !"

Fluttershy was confused for a minute.

"You…You think loving somepony would make you forfeit your friends ?"

"That’s what love is ! Love destroys friendships to turn them… into… into love ! I don’t know how I could say it another way ! It’s just that… I’d just stay with the mare I love while everypony else wouldn’t matter anymore ! It’d be just she and I and nothing else ! I’d just let down everypony else !"

Again, Fluttershy took some time to reply.

"Rainbow Dash, you silly…" She giggled softly. "Do you know Spike and Rarity proposed me to go with them ? Do you really think that Twilight will only have eyes for Starlight once they’ll come down from the dining room ? Do you think Princess Celestia will abandon Equestria and simply throw us away if she really loves Bowser and starts a relationship with him ? Do you think Pinkie would move to Griffonstone to be with Gilda while letting us dealing with friendship problems and dangers ?"

"I… I guess not…" Rainbow Dash sobbed, calming down a little.

"Of course you spend most of your time with your special somepony, but that doesn’t prevent you from enjoying the company of your friends, with or without her. You don’t have to do everything together to prove you love her : she already knows it very well. What… what I want to say is that… you don’t have to give up friendship for love, or the other way around".

The blue pegasus fell silent for one minute, thinking about her friend’s reasoning.

"You… I… You’re-you’re right Fluttershy. I… sorry… I was an idiot, thinking like that", Rainbow Dash admitted as she wiped her tears.

"You were afraid. There’s nothing wrong with that. To be honest, there’s something that was bothering me since the supper, like something running in circles through the back of my head… and now, I know what it was…"

"Huh ? And what was it ?"

"This", Fluttershy replied before suddenly leaning forwards.

Rainbow Dash’s wings shoot straight up when the lips of her friend met her own ; her eyes opened wildly and all of her body shook from a maelstrom of emotions she had never experienced. Fluttershy’s softness and delicious scent overwhelmed her and she melted in her friend’s hooves ; she sensed one of them caressing her mane and another her back, before slowly going down to reach her flank ; Fluttershy parted lips with her, but her hooves stayed where they were. Suddenly, her timid friend came back again ; the yellow pegasus blushed furiously and spluttered nonsensical words ; Rainbow Dash looked at the hoof which was still on her flank and threatened, or rather implicitly implored, to go lower. She touched the place where her friend kissed her and realized she already missed the sensation. Without listening to Fluttershy’s blurry words, she jumped on her and ferociously locked their lips again.

Peach smiled while looking at the roof of the tower ; she could not see them of course, but she could sense their feelings irradiating the area with the power of thousands of invisible suns ; just below, Twilight and Starlight were in their way back to the festival ; the dining room in which they were was smothered with love.

"Is something the matter ?" Her husband asked.

"Just rapidly blossoming relationships between our pony friends", she replied.

"The effects of your passive magic are spectacular".

"The magic of Friendship also have an influence on me. I would not have forgiven Bowser so easily had it not been here. Besides, I think it helps to confess, it mixes with love to form… something new. I will ask Princess Twilight Sparkle her impressions on the subject. I sincerely hope I will not disrupt their world with my magic, or inversely. I put our friends in such situations just by my mere presence…"

"Don’t worry about that, everything’s fine for them it seems. Think about our new friendships. You saw how Arancia’s fond of our friends, it was truly beautiful to witness. And think about how Equestria will probably love you. Speaking of Arancia… do we take her with us ? I mean, I think Bowser will teleport us directly to the Dry Dry Desert, so…"

"I am not sure. Arancia is so young, and apparently, we will not arrive in the safest place in Equestria, even if Bowser teleports us again to that place… Canterlot, I do not know what to think, as we do not know well how babies react to teleportation, and Arancia is not a test subject ; we will think about this in the following days".

"Okay. And what do you think about Bowser and Princess Celestia ? Do they love each other ?"

"I have never seen Bowser so happy. As for your other question… I think you already know the answer", Peach replied.

Rarity and Spike approached them.

"Excuse me Princess Peach, have you seen Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash ?" Rarity asked.

"They are on the roof of the castle together, and I think they will not come down soon", the princess answered.

"Why that ?" Spike interrogated.

"They are currently letting their feelings for each other express", the woman replied.

"Oh my ! Oh, that is… that is okay, thank you Princess Peach", Rarity spluttered before walking away with Spike on her back.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer just came down however", Peach added.

Rarity and Spike encountered them on a bumper cars attraction, with Applejack and Pinkie Pie eating a new oversized cotton candy.

"SO. MUCH. FUN !" Pinkie Pie was shouting while driving her bumper car ; Applejack was frantically laughing too.

Twilight and Starlight were also having fun, but they were far less expert in the driving of their car, failing to bump into their friends.

"Hey, it looks fun !" Spike exclaimed.

"I don’t think this attraction would spare my delicate back or is even good for ponies but… here we go…" Rarity sighed.

Much to her surprise, the bumper car was really fun to drive ; hers was heavier than most of the others, allowing to bump more efficiently into them, but at the cost of speed ; this was not deterring Rarity though, and she was expertly charging into her friends, sending them flying away.

"You’re pretty good !" Spike exclaimed.

"I didn’t know it was so amusing !" The unicorn replied cheerfully.

They enjoyed ten turns before going to buy some candies.

"Rainbow Dash will absolutely love these bumping cars !" Rarity exclaimed.

"Speaking of the devil… where is she ?" Twilight interrogated.

"She’s with Fluttershy… on that roof", Spike replied, pointing the tallest tower with his claw.

"What the hay are they doin’ there ?" A confused Applejack asked.

"They are huh… enjoying some… private time", Rarity spluttered.

"Why did I even ask !?" Applejack facehoofed.

"They’ve known each other for some time though… It’s not that surprising", Twilight shuddered.

"Hey, Twilight !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she bounced around.

"Yes, Pinkie ?"

"Will you marry Starlight ? Say yes please, please, please, pleeeeease ! We’re gonna have so much parties if everypony’s gettin’ married ! Look ! We’ve got you and Starlight, Applejack and Coloratura, Spike and Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, Bowser and Princess Celestia and Gilda and I ! That makes six parties ! We could even make a SUPER-DUPER-GIANT wedding party for everypony who’s gettin’ married !" The pink pony exclaimed, waiving her hooves erratically.

Twilight and Starlight did not respond but blushed.

"Can… can we just talk ‘bout that like… far, far later !?" Applejack groaned with an exasperated voice.

"Okie-dokie-lokie", Pinkie Pie replied before bouncing towards a candy shop.

After an hour and half, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had finally came down ; their friends found them enjoying an old, antique-looking carousel ; they were sitting on wooden horses slowly moving up and down while the carousel turned anti-clockwise. In his cabin, the carny, an old squid slightly smaller than Mario, with its eyes invisible under his wrinkles and its eight short frail tentacles operating the merry-go-round, was waving the prize, a giant caterpillar stuffed toy, above everyone’s head ; near the end of the turn, Fluttershy managed to catch it ; she offered the giant caterpillar to Rainbow Dash under the squid’s congratulations.

"Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy !" Twilight shouted when they walked away without noticing them.

The two ponies rejoined their friends, with the caterpillar wrapped around Rainbow Dash ; Spike laughed at her.

"Sorry Rainbow Dash, but… you… with that around you… it’s-it’s just so funny !" He exclaimed between two fits of laughter.

Everyone joined him, but Rainbow Dash frowned.

Two hours later, they decided it was time to go to bed : they could not feel their hooves anymore. When they asked Peach where to go in the castle, she replied she would show them, as she was tired and going to sleep too.

"Do you know where Princess Celestia’s sleeping ?" Twilight interrogated.

"I asked her about this : she wanted to sleep with Bowser in his castle, but I managed to convince them to sleep here. Their bedroom is at ground floor because of…"

She searched for her words.

"…concerns about the castle’s structure under the weight of my imposing best friend".

Spike, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rainbow Dash chuckled.

"Their bedroom is there, at the end of the corridor, not far away from the orangery. I can show it to you, they are not in there, I saw them minutes ago enjoying the festivities", Peach declared.

Peach approached the door, but sensed something wrong too late and, her arm and hand imprinted with the motion, opened it nonetheless ; the bedroom was huge, almost fitted for Bowser ; there was a normal sized bed next to gigantic velvet pillows roughly disposed to form one. At the opposite side, two big windows facing west were probably letting the sunshine in in the morning when the heavy curtains were not closed ; they were flanked each side by two bookshelves filled with all kinds of books and magazines. At the center of the room, a wooden star-shaped table was half-covered by other books, magazines, pens, pencils and paper. The other furniture included one wardrobe, two dressers and two nightstands each side of the bed. The most surprising elements, however, were Bowser and Princess Celestia ; it was too late for them to unlock their lips and move away from each other, as they were literally glued together in a sleeping position, Celestia nested deep between Bowser’s limbs.

No one said anything for what could have been an eternity, but was in fact two minutes. The crimson ponies were staring at their princess mouth agape ; Peach was less red than them, but she was covering her face with her delicate hands, crushed by embarrassment.

"I-I thought… you were at the celebration… I-I saw you moments ago", the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom spluttered.

Celestia was visibly finding the pillows extremely interesting and Bowser looked intently at a bookshelf.

"We… teleported…" He replied quietly.

"I see… We… I-I am sorry", Peach apologized. "It is my fault. I sensed the love in the room too late".

"I think…" Celestia began almost inaudibly. "I think that is… fine…"

She paused, still blushing heavily ; she was redder than the sun when she commanded it to set.

"I-I also think it was… quite obvious since the beginning…" She added.

The ponies still had their jaws on the floor, but Twilight finally managed to speak.

"I… We… It’s-It’s alright… Princess Celestia. We-We found love between… ourselves too, but… we’re a bit… surprised to say the least. We weren’t totally sure about your… love for Bowser".

Celestia observed her fellow subjects : there was Spike on Rarity, Fluttershy next to Rainbow Dash and Twilight a bit too close to Starlight : she internally judged they were even in terms of unexpected romances.

"We will not disturb you any further", Peach declared. "Allow me to sincerely apologize a second time. Have a good night", she concluded.

The ponies did the same and Peach showed them their bedrooms : like at the inn, they each had their own, however, the couples stayed together, and Pinkie Pie and Applejack too. After slipping under the sheets, they all quickly fell asleep.

Author's Note

Of course the caterpillar is a Wiggler ;-)