Anthony stared up at the sky as he walked. “So what’s the plan again?”

“We’re having a picnic, as I said.” Twilight explained. “It’s the first sunny day all week, and I wanted to make the most of it.”

“We got potato salad?” Anthony asks, sighing a bit.

“Well, I don’t know what everypony else is bringing, but I have some sandwiches.”

“Oh, flowers on bread, my favorite...” Anthony groans sarcastically.

“Actually, since Spike helped put it together, he made some peanut butter and banana sandwiches for you two.” she replies, “I just wish he’d wanted to come along, but I’m glad he’s getting time to play with the Crusaders more.”

Anthony thinks that over for a bit. “You know, he’s been hanging out with them a lot. Given how much time with the opposite gender he spends, I’m expecting him to get someone special before you.”

Twilight scoffs. “And? If he’s looking, then of course he’ll find somepo- er, someone sooner than someone who isn’t.” she replies.

“I’m just saying, you taught him everything he knows, to a point at least, right? Well... I guess it’s fine, but I don’t think he’s exactly... ready yet.”

“And how would you know?” she retorts.

“Well, if he’s running off what you’ve taught him about everything, and he comes to you asking for dating advice... how prepared are you to, Idunno, explain things to him. Like, the fact that you yourself have no relationship experience.”

“I can just read the books on the subject; they’re all written by well-known and accredited specialists and researchers.”

“Who probably haven’t ever been in a relationship, either.” Anthony says. “How many of them are married stably and happily?” Twilight shoots him a withering glare instead of answering, which just draws a triumphant smirk from him.

The two round the bend in the trail, and they spot the others already setting up the rest of the picnic atop a small hill. Fluttershy and Pinkie both wave to Anthony, Applejack unloading a small delivery crate of food for them to share.

Above, the shining sun and clear skies make it perfect picnic weather indeed, and the scheduled weather says it’ll be like that for the rest of the week. There’s been no monster attacks for almost a month, and no big, nasty villains from Equestria’s past have stopped by for a quick attempt at world domination.

Hindsight would, in time, reveal these to all be dark, foul omens, but they just seemed like the setup for a perfect day at the time.

Anthony sets himself down onto the blanket that’s been laid down, Rarity passing out plates and utensils to all. Anthony looks at his spork. “Plastic this time? Are you finally figuring out that glassware and outdoors don’t mix?”

“That, and Sweetie already ‘borrowed’ my good silverware for an... experiment in jewlerymaking. I expect we’ll be able to retrieve most of the silver from the farm in time and re-cast it, but for now, plastic it is.”

Anthony puts on a thoughtful expression. “Have they tried alchemy yet? Because if they figure out how to turn silver into gold, then it would be a lot easier to get gold for more practical uses, as opposed to just Bits and jewelry.”

“Oh, Anthony, I sometimes forget you’re from a society with no magic. You can’t use alchemy to turn a Noble Metal into another Noble Metal, it has to be from one House of materials to another, not a change within the same one.” Twilight says, the majority of the terms flying over the heads of everyone present, human and pony alike.

“Well... Idunno about turning stuff to gold, but could you turn something into food?” Pinkie asks. “Like, say, metal strips into pasta? That would be interesting. What would it taste like?”

Anthony shrugs. “Not sure about the flavor, but it would certainly fix an iron deficiency.”

Twilight groans, muttering things about ‘wrong kind of iron’ and such, while it got a few chuckles from the other ponies, leaving Anthony surprised the joke hadn’t been heard by them before. He had another steel-based pun on his tongue but kept it to himself. ‘Don’t use all your puns at once, it’s all about timing after all.’ he thinks to himself.

The ponies and Anthony start handing out the food, until the ground slips to either side as Myrna slides from the earth and pulls herself up like a diver on the side of a pool. “Hey guys, sorry I’m late!” she says, pulling a backpack with more snacks out to empty for them to share.

“Ah, yes... thank you.” Twilight says, avoiding eye contact, evidently fighting her phobia, staying cordial.

Anthony eyes the food being brought by Myrna. Only person in this whole town who would bring turkey salad. It’s not potato, but... She was starting to grow on Anthony. Rarity, politely declining the proffered salad, instead goes to take a sandwich instead. Pinkie, for her part, gives Myrna a cheerful ‘Hello’ and plops down next to her, Rainbow on her other side.

Fluttershy and Applejack, sitting closest to Anthony pause for a moment when a strain of music floats past their ears. The farmpony ignores it, but Fluttershy’s nervous nature brings her to perk up, trying to find where the deep, baritone rendition of ‘Twinkle Twinkle little star’ was coming from, or why the line was changed to ‘I wonder where you are’ instead of ‘what’.

Fluttershy, at least a little curious about the tune, begins humming along. Not much a fan of random singing due to past experiences, Anthony notes this, as well as the tune that’s familiar to him.

“It’s broad daylight, what’s that for?”

“Hmm? Oh, I just thought I heard somepony singing and... uhm, sorry.” she says, grinning sheepishly and blushing.

Anthony shrugs and turns to Myrna, sitting across from him. “So, what’re your plans for the day? Find a warm rock and take a nap?”

“Actually, I was thinking of going fishing - you wouldn’t believe how fast my hair can go when there’s a carp on the line.” she says, laughing slightly.

“Ah, well I was thinking-” He pauses, looking around. “The heck?” Anthony begins hearing the singing as well, and he searches for the source, but the only beings around are himself, Myrna and the ponies.

The song repeats, and Anthony can’t help but feel the voice, deep and growling, is familiar, but he can’t place it. It’s got an almost bestial undertone, like what one might expect from a speaking wyvern or a talking volcano.

He stands up to get a better look around, his friends looking equally confused, when, without further warning, a massive black-and-purple circle appears in the air with a sound like tearing canvas, a spiraling shape of the portal’s two colors endlessly cycling as a huge, orange clawed hand reaches through, pebbly hide and spiked wrist bracelet ripping furrows from the green turf all around as it snatches Anthony, before he can properly react.

The voice, no longer chanting the song, instead bellows, "I’ve got you!" and begins to draw him towards the portal. The ponies, barely waiting to find out what’s going on, all try to go to Anthony’s rescue. Rainbow Dash dive-bombs the hand, bouncing off the armored limb while Rarity attempts to pull one of the fingers loose. Twilight begins charging some sort of spell, and Pinkie pulls her party cannon, taking aim but hesitating to put Anthony in the potential danger zone. Myrna shouts in surprise, already racing forward to grab the massive limb, as Applejack and Fluttershy both attempt to grapple it, Fluttershy more because she’s trying to make sure Anthony isn’t hurt than to attack the hand.

A loud growl issues from the portal, followed by the whoosh-roar of flames, a torrent of fire blasting out and making everyone back away from the retreating limb. Only Applejack, shrugging off the fire with her earth pony toughness, and Fluttershy, who is hidden behind the immense thumb from the searing flames, manage to cling on as the hand slips back out of the world, the portal shrinking to a pinpoint and vanishing a brief moment after Twilight’s horn flares and sends a bolt of magic that dives into the portal with less than a second to spare.

All around, the picnic’s food goes forgotten as the ponies and gorgon all try to process what just happened, and why three of their friends are now gone for reasons they do not understand or can even pretend to know.

Bowser, the King Koopa, the most powerful single entity this world has upon it, mighty ruler of an empire that stretches to three separate seas, and father (by blood or adoption) of a large brood, sat fuming in his throne.

“Kamek, explain to me exactly why you haven’t finished your spell yet. I need that Star!” the massive dragon-turtle snarls, barely keeping his prodigious temper in check. Intellectually, he knows that Kamek is nearly done, and that his impatience is getting to him, but it’s hard to push that down so soon after his most recent defeat by Mario and his brother.

“Your grouchiness, I just need to test the spell for safety’s sake. It wouldn’t do your kingdom any good if the spell sends you to the Star instead of bringing it to you.” the court magician is an older koopa, and the closest thing to a father that Bowser himself ever had. He’s also a master of numerous fields of magic and study.

“And you’ve found the Star I wanted, yes?” Bowser says, mollified a little.

“One that won’t ever be missed from any night sky, of course sire!” The magician says, proud he’d even been able to find one at all, let alone one that had no guards and no powerful magic protecting it.

“Good... but are you sure I have to sing the song? It just... doesn’t feel kingly.” Bowser gripes, more to keep himself talking than to actually complain.

“Unfortunately, yes. I’ve tested a few other iterations, and all I got was star-shaped objects, and most of them were retaken by the Ninji within the hour.”

Bowser heaves a sigh, sitting back in his throne for a moment before leaning forward onto his fist again. Kamek took that as his cue to leave, and Bowser was left with only his loyal guard and an otherwise empty hall.

When the time came, he went to Kamek’s laboratory, not wanting to risk anything being damaged by moving it, and gazed warily towards the large mirror, just slightly larger than his fist. “Kamek... most of the stars I’ve seen before have been larger than me. How, and be precise, are we going to fit anything but a baby star through that?” he asks, feeling his patience thinning once more.

“Oh, I’ve found a world where the younger stars are, the more power they hold, and found one still fresh and hot, ready for the taking, sire! And I’ve already prepared the cage; any powers it uses will be instead drawn into the metal to help empower you. And, just to be certain it can’t be abused by a certain red and green pair of problems, I’ve even enchanted it to only work for you!”

Bowser liked the sound of a super-weapon that couldn’t be stolen and used against him. “Then let us begin.” he growls, a grin on his face wide enough to out-scare a fully-sized Chain Chomp. He begins to chant, “Twinkle, Twinkle, little star, how I wonder where you are? In another world so high, never seen there in the sky. Under no sun will you be seen, to shine your light only for me, you’ll give light for my power. Burning like a fire flower, twinkle twinkle little star...

I know just where you are!”

On those last words, he thrusts his arm into the mirror, feeling the sensation of disconnection from it temporarily, and he starts humming the chant again, feeling the connection settle on the world he’s reaching for.

Snatching the star, sensing its power, he begins to draw it back, only to feel resistance. Something hits his hand and, while it doesn’t hurt, does make him angry. Someone else must’ve been trying to steal his star first! How dare they?!

With a growl of fury that turns into a full roar, he unleashes the hellishly hot dragonfire that is his birthright, and pours it into the portal. Kamek squawks something about that damaging the immensely expensive mirror frame used to make the portal, but Bowser is too busy yanking his prize back to him before something else tries to steal it from him. Something hits his hand partway back, and he roars with fury once more, a gout of flame lighting up the laboratory and shaking loose something from his fist partway. He pulls his hand free of the mirror in time for the portal to collapse and the frame to simply melt, Kamek shaking in a combination of terror and horror.

“Th-that could’ve sent your hand anywhere in the world if it’d closed just a moment earlier, my liege! P-please don’t damage magical artifacts during use, your Hastiness!” he begs Bowser, who’s taking the moment to stare down at the strange star in his grip.

It doesn’t look like a star.

It doesn’t smell like a star to Bowser’s keen, predatory nose.

And when it starts shouting obscenities, he decides it also doesn’t sound like any prim and proper star he’d ever encountered before.

But the power... that he can feel, a deep and untapped well of immense power, evidently utterly unused by the strange, larger-than-expected star in his grasp. A gleeful, almost evilly smug look overtakes Bowser’s features as the star stares up at him, moments before it’s thrust into the large cage designed to hold it.

“And now, Kamek, now we have a weapon that the Mushroom Kingdom will be given no warning of.” Bowser says, before laughing triumphantly.