My Little Pony - Friendship is magic : New adventures

by Poggy

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 ;)