A pair of ponies stood in front of the Ponyville spa.
"Look, Rose! The spa is closed."
"Really?" Rose asked. "That's a surprise… usually, Aloe and Lotus are always open at this hour. Look, even all the curtains are closed. Do you think one of them is sick, Lily?"
"I don't know, but maybe one of those gentlemen standing in front of the door know something," Lily said. "Let's ask them."
"Don't you think it's a little… odd that a pair of royal guards would be standing in front of the spa?" Rose frowned.
"Ah, it's not the first time the royal guard was in Ponyville. We can always ask them, c'mon!"
They stepped up to the two royal guards that were blocking the entrance, a pegasus and a unicorn. "Excuse me, sirs?" Lily asked. "We are regular customers here at the spa… can you tell us what's going on?"
"Terribly sorry, miss," the unicorn guard said. "But entrance to the spa is currently prohibited for an indefinite time."
"But why?" Rose wondered. "Did something happen to Aloe and Lotus? Are they all right?"
"I'm afraid that information is classified," the pegasus guard said. "But I can assure you that the proprietors are well and safe."
"Well, that's good to hear," Rose sighed with relief. "If we can't use the spa, can we at least visit them and see how they are doing?"
"Sorry again, but they are currently held in home detention. At the moment, visitors are not allowed."
"Say what?" Lily gasped. "But why?"
"That information is classified."
"I don't believe this," Rose groaned. "Come on, Lily. We'll come back later if those goons don't want to let us in."
"Maybe the mayor knows what's going on," Lily suggested. "Let's ask her."
Rose nodded. "Good idea." And they ran off.
While the two soldiers continued to guard the entrance, the curtains from one of the windows was pushed aside a little. With sad eyes, Aloe looked outside.
"Do you see that?" she sighed. "They don't even let us see our friends."
"Are you really surprised about that? I'm surprised they didn't throw us into the dungeon as soon as they found out what we did," Lotus said.
"But… that's not fair," Aloe said. "It's not like we had a choice. Ghirahim would have killed us if we didn't agree to help him."
Lotus snorted. "You're still telling yourself that? Don't kid yourself, sis! After we learned of our path, we chose to follow him on our own. You can't tell me that feeling of revenge you felt within you when thinking of the Hero of Time was false."
"Yes, but… we didn't really do anything to him. Well, except for incapacitating him with gas and putting him in that cage. Him and Miss Rarity… which I still feel sorry for."
"But we wanted to kill him," Lotus said. "That's what counts. We deserve this punishment… I even think it's a really mild one, considering the crime. But who knows what they're going to do us later."
"This is Princess Celestia we're talking about," Aloe said. "Ruler of Equestria. I doubt she'd do anything drastic."
"Are you kidding?" Lotus asked. "This is the pony who sent her own sister to the moon for 1000 years, and she didn't even kill anypony. I have a very strong feeling the worst is yet to come for us."
"Do you really think so?" Aloe asked. "But in that case… what can we do?"
"Nothing, really," Lotus shrugged. "We couldn't even contact Lord Demise if we wanted… they cleared out all our magic equipment and sealed off the basement. They even took our gemstones…" She looked up at the now empty headband of her sister.
"I don't care about that anymore!" Aloe shouted. "I don't want to go back to Demise, either. I just want to live my old life here in Ponyville…"
"I don't think that's a possibility anymore, sis," Lotus said. "Even if the princess decides to give us a mild punishment, our life wouldn't be the same. You saw it, everypony here now knows we did something bad. And most importantly… you and I know."
Aloe crouched down on the floor and buried her face in her forehooves. "But… what do we do?" she sobbed.
Lotus sighed. "I don't know, sis. I really don't know."
Celestia was standing in Canterlot tower, looking at all the different stained glass windows. She saw the purification of Nightmare Moon, the reimprisonment of Discord, the defeat of the changeling army, the rescue of the Crystal Empire, the coronation of Princess Twilight Sparkle and many more.
"So many important events are displayed here," she muttered to herself. "Events that affected all of Equestria. But never before have we seen any historical event in this room that shows how other worlds outside of Equestria were affected."
She walked over to a small table where an old book was lying… a book that had both the emblem of the Elements of Harmony on its cover, as well as the emblem of the Triforce. "Our two worlds were once connected," she sighed. "But Farore and mine overcautiousness created a barrier… a barrier thicker than any dimensional barrier could be."
Suddenly, the melodic tunes of a harp filled the room. Celestia turned her head and saw a tall, elegant-looking unicorn with an aquamarine coat and a flowing, blue mane sitting in a corner of the room. The blue glow of her magic surrounded both her horn and the harp she was playing. She smiled when she saw Celestia looking at her. "You know, I don't think the barrier is as thick as you believe."
"Nayru…" Celestia said. "You always had the habit of dropping in unannounced. Do your sisters know you're here?"
"Yes," the goddess of wisdom nodded. "Farore still frowns upon it, but I think she's slowly starting to get used to Din and mine suggestion."
"What suggestion would that be?" Celestia asked, even though she could already guess.
"The suggestion to create a bond between Hyrule and Equestria, once again," Nayru said. "That's why you invited Princess Zelda and the sages, correct? Also, I've heard that your sister already met a member of the tribe that used to worship her."
"Are you here to criticize me about that as well?" Celestia frowned.
"No. I still think it was a bad decision, though. But I can imagine Luna already chewed you out enough on that subject. I am here to help you with your own decision… and to say hello. It's been a long time, and I did miss you. As did Din and even Farore."
"She did? She has a strange way of showing that," Celestia sighed. "Why are you using that body, anyways? Farore took the body of an alicorn, and even Zelda has one."
"Princess Zelda has yet to understand the powers within her," Nayru said. "She doesn't even know that she is Hylia reincarnated. And I don't think it's time yet for her to learn about that. As for me, I've always liked to mingle with the mortals. I gave Hyrule science and the arts, you know? So I'm always eager to find out what they manage to create. I want to learn more about your ponies, too. And I think a unicorn body suits me just fine. Din would like to come for a visit as well, but she's still unsure whether she prefers a pegasus or earth pony form."
"Let's get to the point," Celestia said. "You, Din and Luna all want Hyrule and Equestria to have connections again. You do know what that entails, right? The darkness, the monsters, the evil from both worlds could use the open gateways to freely change realms."
Nayru sighed. "Celestia… do you honestly believe that dimensional barriers are enough to truly stop evil? Did you not read what your student wrote you about what happened in the desert?"
"Former student," Celestia corrected her. "And how do you know that?"
"Have you forgotten?" Nayru smirked. "The Triforce… it was made from parts from each of us. Through the Triforce of Wisdom, I've been able to see what Zelda sees, ever since she acquired it. Farore can do the same with Link, the Hero of Time."
"And… what about Din?"
Nayru's expression darkened a bit. "She… can do it as well. Even though she hates it. But it's a good way of making sure the king of evil is still trapped within his prison. But let's not change subjects here. What I meant to tell you is that another evil managed to cross worlds even before you decided to open the barrier. And I doubt they had help from fairies."
"You are talking about this demon in unicorn form Twilight told me about," Celestia said.
Nayru nodded. "Yes. And he's not even the biggest threat. He is merely a servant… a tool, a weapon used by an evil that is almost as ancient as we are. Hylia, Zelda's previous incarnation, once fought him in a long-lasting war. His name is Demise."
Celestia scoffed. "I think we can handle evil creatures. We dealt with Discord, Sombra, Chrysalis…"
"Chrysalis and Sombra may have been powerful, but they were mortal," Nayru said. "It's not really a surprise you managed to beat them. And Discord is nothing but a jester, even before he was reformed. He merely wanted to shape the world around him for fun. Demise wants to destroy anything in his path. And on the peak of his strength, he was just as powerful as Discord. The only reason Hyrule wasn't destroyed back in his days was the fact that Hylia, a goddess just as powerful as him, fought him. And even then, it took countless sacrifices."
"Very well, I shall take this threat seriously," Celestia said. "But I doubt he's this powerful now. I would have easily felt it if a being of his power had appeared in Equestria."
"He couldn't have regained his full power yet," Nayru said. "I also don't even think he is in Equestria yet. He must use some sort of dark magic to communicate with his servant."
"How do you know that?" Celestia asked.
"When Demise was defeated the last time, his remains were sealed within the Master Sword," Nayru explained. "The spirit of the sword itself took a vow to make sure they would stay sealed for all eternity. Still, I was worried when I heard of the appearance of his servant and checked the sword to make sure. And sure enough, the evil of Demise was still contained within the blade. So it is impossible for him to physically appear in Equestria, as long as the seal is intact."
"I still don't see your point," Celestia said. "If it's just Demise's minion, we can easily take care of him ourselves. We don't need the help of Hyrule's heroes."
"You are doing it again, Tia," Nayru said with a sad sigh, switching to a more informal title. "Your pride hinders you from seeing the whole issue. Isn't Equestria the kingdom of friendship and harmony? Is it not here where the Tree of Harmony is growing? And were it not those virtues that helped defeat the threats to your kingdom again and again? And yet you still shy away from forming alliances, even friendships, with other realms."
"You… you don't understand," Celestia muttered. "There are evils that must be kept out of Equestria… look what happened to Luna! I don't want a repeat of that…"
"Didn't we just clarify that dimensional barriers won't be enough to stop evil?" Nayru asked softly. "On the contrary, with the barriers down, we can help each other defeating the threats to our worlds. Our heroes and champions can assist each other. What is it you're really afraid of, Celestia?"
If it were any other person or pony, Celestia would have not admitted that she was afraid. Not even to Twilight or Cadance. To Luna… maybe. But this was Nayru, another goddess who knew her as long as she lived. So she took a deep breath and said: "You, Din and Luna… you wouldn't know. Farore and I are the eldest… we were there when it happened. When mother and father were assaulted by that… that thing!"
"That… thing?" Nayru asked in confusion. "What thing? We are goddesses, Celestia. Even creatures as ancient as Discord and Demise are at best equal to our powers."
"Some gods are more powerful than others," Celestia muttered. "Ask Farore if you want to hear the whole story. But that evil that claimed my father is the reason why I'm afraid to open the barriers around Equestria."
To say the goddess of wisdom was shocked was an understatement. "Farore… she never wanted to speak about what happened on that day."
"Then ask mother," Celestia turned around. "I cannot talk about it… not now. Please, sister… leave me for now. There are things I need to ponder. And I need to talk to Luna."
With these words, Celestia left the room.
Celestia was deep in thought on her way back to her quarters, when a pink pony popped out of nowhere, forcefully startling her out of her thoughts.
"Heya, princess!" Pinkie shouted.
Celestia nearly dropped her crown in shock. "P… Pinkie Pie?" she stuttered. She took a moment to regain her composure. "What are you still doing here?"
"Oh, I've been showing my new pal Darunia around town. We then met my older sister Maud and the two of them have gone off somewhere and I couldn't find them, so I searched around town. But I still couldn't find them, so I tried finding my other friends. But then I noticed they weren't there anymore and Joe told me they went back to Ponyville, so that meant I was the only one still in Canterlot. Well, the only one except for Rauru, who's still in the castle library, reading so many books. I think he would go along great with Twilight. Anyway, it was getting late and I wondered if I had to go home in the dark, but then Princess Cadance offered me to stay in one of the guest rooms that was empty, now that all of the guest have gone to Ponyville. At least most of them. So I stayed here in the castle, but I couldn't sleep. So I walked around the castle… actually, I bounced, but you get the idea. And then I remembered that super-duper-awesome ball room where we had the Grand Galloping Gala and where we celebrated Twilight's birthday, so I immediately felt the super-powerful urge to throw another party in there. And then I realized: This is the perfect chance for a great party! After all, we have many, many new friends in Equestria now, and you wanted to hold a meeting with them anyways, and then there are Applejack's mom and her friend who also came to Equestria, so we can make this a welcome party for them as well! And it will be the single greatest party of the year, since we're celebrating the first time friends from two different worlds are having a party together! Yaaaay!" Pinkie threw a handful of confetti into the air and blew into a noisemaker. "What do you say, princess?"
Celestia thought about it. She had been so absorbed in her fears and worries about the negatives and risks that came with an open connection between Hyrule and Equestria that she didn't even consider the positives. And here she had one of the most carefree, friendly ponies she had ever met in her life, and that's saying something. And Nayru was right, wasn't she? This was the kingdom of friendship and harmony. So could she, with a clear conscience, send the delegates from Hyrule back home without making them feel welcome?
She smiled down at her pink subject. "Pinkie Pie… I'd be honored if you'd organize a party for our guests from Hyrule."
"YAHOOOOOOO!" Pinkie cheered as she jumped up into the air, nearly hitting the ceiling. "You're the best princess EVER! Oh, don't tell Twilight I said that."
Celestia chuckled. "My lips are sealed."
At the same time, near the outskirts of Trottingham…
"Whooooo, what a doozy! Did you feel that too, Boneless 2?"
The rubber chicken on the brown-maned stallion's back did not respond.
"Yessiree, my cheesey sense just told me that there's one heck of a party about to go down on Canterlot in the near future. And it will be held by none other than…" His eyes widened. "Pinkie Pie?"
The pony named Cheese Sandwich jumped up into the air with joy, nearly hitting the ceiling that would have been there if he wasn't outside at the moment. "Time to pack our bags, Boneless 2! We're on a mission! A mission to help the best pink pony in the world throw a party!"