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 ;-)