My Little Pony - Friendship is magic : New adventures

by Poggy

Meeting new friends

Starlight awoke brutally hours later as the sun was rising.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Your pipe ?" Spike interrogated.

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

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

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

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

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

"That would be nice", Fluttershy replied.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spike and Rarity blushed, Starlight to an imperceptible degree.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Such an adorable little baby", Fluttershy cooed.

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

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

Arancia drank for one minute before stopping.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"You’re kinda right", Applejack agreed.

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

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

"Where is he ?" Her wife interrogated.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peach interrupted him, laughing softly :

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everyone besides the ponies burst out laughing.

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

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

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

"Crush detected", his brother teased.

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

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

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

She failed to notice Luigi’s red face.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Twilight presented herself and her friends.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Such a royal stature", Link commented.

"Whoa ! What a beauty !" Daisy exclaimed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Princess Celestia !" Twilight shouted.

The teacher and the student tearfully hugged each other.

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

Celestia chuckled a little.

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

"What happened ?" Applejack bluntly asked.

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

Bowser rubbed his hair again.

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

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

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

The ponies stood there frozen and mouth gaping.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"It’s yummy !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Too bad they forgot gems", Spike grumbled.

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

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

"For me !?" The little dragon exclaimed.

"Yes. Bon appétit".

Spike took a red ruby and bit it effortlessly.

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

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

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

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

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

"Slow down darling", Rarity advised.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Princess Peach ? I’m sorry I…"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Twilight came back to her place and Peach seconds after.

"Did I miss something ?" Twilight asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rainbow Dash’s ears dropped.

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

"Easy on the wine too", Twilight advised.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"You… You wouldn’t feel it if that wasn’t the case…" Twilight whispered, looking at Peach who winked at her.

"Is that so ? I’ll tell her when we’ll come back then", Pinkie Pie stated while shrugging ; she went back to dig in her meal.

The discussion closed with these words.

Fluttershy was eating in silence ; something was scratching at the back of her mind for a while now, and she could not ascertain what ; it was an imperceptible sensation at first, but it was growing every hour ; the plate of various cheeses snapped her out of her trance ; she had been totally silent for almost five minutes, and she hoped the others had not noticed.

"The ceremony will begin after the dessert and the champagne, right ?" She asked to Peach ; she was trying to show she had not blacked out for a couple of minutes.

"Yes. Once the glasses will be empty, everyone will go at the town square and I will bring Arancia in one of her cradles. You can choose every blessing you want, as long as it did not disturb her", the princess explained.

"That makes me think : we didn’t bring any gifts", Starlight whispered, embarrassed.

"Don’t worry !" Luigi exclaimed. "I’m sure we’ll find a ton of occasions to see each other after that ! It’ll give you plenty of time to find a gift".

"Besides that, this is not mandatory", Peach added. "Some representatives here simply do not have a present to please a baby, or even a human : take the Bob-Omb King for example : he considered bringing a rare gun powder before resigning himself to come empty-handed. Maybe he will find something in the near future that he will ship to us ; but we will not pressure him into giving something : everyone is free to give or not, and they all have very good reasons to make either choice", she explained.

"I wonder what Bowser brought…" Mario thought aloud.

"Something that will represent him, or what Arancia means to him", his wife replied. "I am sure he will love her, and that they will develop strong bonds between each other over time. I think his present will be very surprising… but kind of sweet... for him I mean, nonetheless".

The time finally came for the dessert : it was a huge star-shaped cake that the Toad waiters cut in even parts before their eyes. The ponies could not pinpoint the flavor of their slice of cake besides fruit and chocolate, but it was a totally new wonderful gustative experience that Rarity resumed in a few words :

"Oh my… I just ate a piece of dream".

Peach giggled and told them the mysterious ingredient.

"Stardust !?" Spike exclaimed.

"Yes. It is a very, very rare ingredient, as the Stars do not come down often. Sometimes, when they pass near Earth, they leave small amounts, traces of it ; they are barely noticeable, but honest people who find these traces almost always choose to give them to us out of pure generosity. Every time it happens, we are very touched, and we must insist to reward them. During the ceremony, the Stars will leave quantity of stardust for everyone to enjoy", Peach explained.

"Yeah, they’ll leave like literally a ton of it !" Luigi added.

"It’ll probably be their gift to Arancia. A kind of stardust of the highest quality, something along the lines…" Mario theorized.

"Hey, the bomb king eats stardust cake too !" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Yeah, stardust’s for everyone", Luigi replied.

Champagne followed the dessert, and Rainbow Dash kept her promise : she only drank precisely two glasses and she stopped her hoof as she was reaching for a third.