Mario and Goombario arrived back in the hallway where they needed to put the three stones in the pillars first, waiting for the others to make it back. It wasn't long before Pinkie, Parakarry, and Bombette returned, having retrieved the crescent stone and were thankfully unharmed.
"You guys alright?" Goombario asked. "We ended up getting into some trouble with a Chain Chomp made out of the similar kind of stone from these ruins."
"Yeah, one nearly fell on me," Parakarry said. "But, Pinkie sort of saved me with her Pinkie Sense."
"Pinkie Sense?" the Goomba questioned, raising a brow as he stared at the grinning pony.
"Just believe it," Bombette said. "If she starts saying 'twitchy tail', look up and watch out for anything that's going to fall on you."
Mario and Goombario looked at each other skeptically, but after knowing Pinkie for a while, they're just going to leave it as Pinkie being herself. "...Well, ok...Good to know."
A moment later, Twilight and Kooper returned with the pyramid stone. "Guys, you're not going to believe what happened to us."
"You were attacked by a Chain Chomp made out of stone that was protecting the pyramid stone from being taken away," Bombette summarized.
"And it looks like your guess was right after all, Kooper," Twilight said. "So, now that we have all three stones, let's put them in the right positions and see what happens."
As Kooper, Mario, and Parakarry were the ones who carried the three stones, the three of them approached the correct pillars to place them in the indents. Kooper placed the green pyramid stone in the far left one, Parakarry placed the blue crescent stone in the far right, and Mario finally placed the pink diamond in the center. Once all three stones were in place, they heard a click, the eyes of the carved Chain Chomps shimmering brightly, followed by a sudden quake in the ruins.
Everyone began to panic as they thought they set off a trap, Pinkie the only one giggling and jittering around with the quaking. The shaking made a part of the ground sink down, creating a flight of stairs leading to a secret passage leading even further down into Dry Dry Ruins. The shaking ceased after the stairs were set, everyone cautiously looking down at the deeper floors.
"More parts of the ruins," Kooper said. "There can't be much left of the place to explore."
"Which means Tutankoopa must be down there, along with the next Star Spirit." Nowhere to go but down even further, Mario took the lead as he went down the steps.
Everyone followed the plumber, Twilight right behind him as she lit up her horn to lit up the area a bit more. The torches on the walls felt like they were getting dimmer as they trekked down the stairs, making the hidden passage of the ruins not marked on the hallway map seem more mysterious and eerie than the rest of the temple. As they entered the room, they heard Tutankoopa's eerie voice trying to scare them off again.
"This is your last warning!" Tutankoopa said. "Enough of this foolishness! Leave at once!"
"Not a chance, Tutu Cookie!" Pinkie exclaimed. "You don't belong in this place! This is Sheeky's family heritage, and you are soiling it more than us!...Even though we have permission to be here to stop you!"
"I think you're actually saying his name wrong on purpose, Pinkie," Kooper said.
They continued onward into the next room, which was pitch black aside from Twilight's lavender aura glowing around her. A sinister chuckle echoed around them as everyone looked around to see where it was coming from. The torches began to light up suddenly, brightening the room a little bit. Then, appearing in front of them in the center of the room out of thin air was a yellow, orange, purple, and blue striped pharaoh's headdress with a small Chain Chomp motif on top, a pair of eyes leering at them underneath it.
The headdress slowly rose up into the air, hovering back onto a platform on the other side of the room where a few stacks of empty Buzzy Beetle shells were placed. They watched the mysteriously floating headdress as a body began to form underneath it, revealing a Koops wearing a white robe with a blue trimming.
"So, you dared to ignore my warnings, and here you are in my lair!" Tutankoopa exclaimed. "...Come on! Don't you guys have any common sense to run away from fright!?" He looked at Twilight and Pinkie, staring at them curiously as he pulled out a piece of paper from the sleeves of his robe. He smirked as he looked at the pictures of the creatures he was tasked to find while also keeping the Star Spirit from Mario's hands. "Well, well, well. Two for the price of one. Lord Bowser will surely promote me if I capture these two." Tutankoopa winced, realizing he said that out loud. "...Uhh, pay no attention to my ramblings!"
"We already know you're working for Bowser," Goombario stated. "We're here for the Star Spirit. Either give it up quietly-"
"Or fear the power of friendship, fake ghostie!" Pinkie finished as she held the wooden hammer in her mouth.
Tutankoopa scoffed, putting away the detailed list back in his sleeves. "There is no power in making friends. You all have no idea what power I possess. I may not be as powerful as Lord Bowser, but I have magic that rivals any other Kamek who had studied spells for decades! And I even have a little pet who would love to play with you." The Koopa smirked and clapped his hands twice, a pair of torches lighting up across from the group, revealing a barred gate. The iron bars began to rise, a growling noise coming from inside the room that made the Mushroom Kingdom heroes wince and step back. "Chompy, time to play with your new toys!"
"C-Chompy?" They soon heard a metal thumping as something bounced out from the other room, Twilight and Pinkie matching the same horrified expressions as the others, the latter dropping her hammer. Standing before them was an actual Chain Chomp, its body black and made of steel unlike the Stone Chomps, the chain a metallic silver as it dragged behind it. "T-That's a real Chain Chomp???"
"Uh huh," Kooper whimpered. "We're kind of screwed."
"Chain Chomps have very durable bodies," Goombario stated. "I don't even think Mario's new hammer could leave a dent in that thing."
"You may have taken that hammer out of the treasure room, but even with that to make it this far, your end will be swift and painful!" Tutankoopa mocked. "After I defeat you, Mario, I'll take those two creatures for Bowser and Kammy Koopa and deliver them to my king personally! Chompy, playtime!"
Chompy barked and lunged forward, Twilight and Parakarry quickly flying into the air while the others dodged out of the way. It slammed into the wall, but with its tough body, it barely flinched from the impact. It turned around, deciding which of its prey to attack. It brought its sights on Pinkie, being the only one brighter and colorful in the dim lighting, even compared to Bombette's pink body.
"Uh oh. Uhh, nice Chompy?" The Chain Chomp barked and began to chase her as Pinkie screamed and ran away. "No! Bad Chain Chomp! I'm not a tasty snack!"
"No, Chompy!" Tutankoopa ordered. "Don't hurt the creature! Start with them!" The Chain Chomp didn't listen as it kept bouncing after Pinkie Pie. The powerful wizard growled and facepalmed. "Stupid animal. You were the worst to train compared to your stone ancestors."
"Pinkie, keep distracting it!" Goombario shouted. "We'll try to stop Tutankoopa!"
"I don't think I have a choice!" Pinkie yelled out, quickly pulling her tail closer to her as Chompy nearly took a bite out of it. "Hey! Watch the tail!"
"Chompy! Start attacking Mario! I don't want you to maim those-!" Tutankoopa was interrupted as Mario leapt up onto the platform he stood on, hammer raised over him to slam down on the Koopa. Using his magic, he flung one of the many Buzzy Beetle shells forward, Mario quickly smacking it back before it hit him. "Looks like I have to do everything myself."
Tutankoopa held his hand out, stopping the deflected shell within inches of his palm. Levitating a few more from his stacks of shells, he began tossing them around, aiming them at the others not being chased around by his Chain Chomp. Mario jumped back, blocking the shell aimed at him with his hammer, Twilight and Parakarry dodged out of the way, and Goombario, Bombette, and Kooper stepped out of the way, keeping an eye on the shells as they began ricocheting around the room. The evil Koopa began chanting in a strange language, lifting his hands up in the air as he created a big illusion of a Chain Chomp above them.
Everyone was ready to get out of its way as Tutankoopa tossed it down, but he only slammed it into the ground far from them. The impact shook the whole temple, confusing the heroes, only for Pinkie's tail to twitch uncontrollably as she ran by everyone, Chompy's attention only focused on her even in its line of sight.
"Twitchy tail!" Pinkie screamed.
"Uh oh!" Twilight looked up, spotting some debris from the ceiling begin to fall down around them. She dropped to the ground and avoided getting struck by a large piece of stone, Parakarry following suit as he ran around avoiding debris with the others. "He could take the entire temple down with something like that!"
Tutankoopa was a little surprised to see them avoid the falling stones after his distracting illusion. He continued throwing more shells, levitating the ones he threw earlier that had finally stopped moving. While the others avoided getting hit by the tough shells, Pinkie began to get exhausted running around the room and away from the Chain Chomp still chasing her.
"Somepony tag me out!" she exclaimed. "I don't want to play tag with a Chain Chomp any-!" She yelped, not paying attention to one of the tossed Buzzy Beetle shells bouncing around as it tripped her hooves. Pinkie tumbled across the room, smacking into the wall, her eyes spinning in her head. When she tripped, the lemon-lime cupcakes she had baked earlier fell out in front of her, stored away in her mane in case of cupcake emergencies. "Uuuuuuuugh. Next time, be wary of wandering spinning shells thrown by an evil turtle wizard."
Shaking her head out of her daze, she looked up and saw Chompy standing in front of her, looking at the cupcakes that fell from her. Nosing up to it, even though Chain Chomp's don't have a nose, it sniffed the pastry curiously. It stuck out its tongue and licked up one of them, smacking its lips as it tasted the sweet and sour cupcake. Chompy let out a satisfied yip, its eyes turning to hearts before barking happily, lapping up the rest of the cupcakes.
While the Chain Chomp scarfed down on Pinkie's cupcakes, the others continued fighting against Tutankoopa as they continued avoiding his Buzzy Beetle shells. Parakarry dive bombed onto the Koopa, blocked by a tough Buzzy Beetle shell that flew around the magic-wielding foe as a shield. Mario tossed Goombario and Bombette up onto Tutankoopa's platform to attack him, only to get smacked away by a tossed Buzzy Beetle shell and back on the ground.
"He's too trigger happy with those Buzzy Beetle shells!" Goombario said, shaking his head as he ignored the pain. "We need to hit him faster than he can telekinetically manipulate them!"
"I have an idea!" Twilight said. "Kooper, can you do that fire spinning thing you did before against the Koopa Bros.!?"
"Yeah!" Kooper said.
"Then do it, but hold your position!" With a nod, the blue-shelled Koopa ducked in his shell and began spiraling rapidly, picking up speed as his body began to spark. "Mario, toss me your hammer!" The plumber obliged, throwing his hammer to Twilight, catching it in her aura. "Parakarry, prepare your own shell toss!"
"Uhh, ok!" Parakarry hid in his shell, hovering in place as he aimed for the Koopa pharaoh.
"Whatever you have planned will not work!" Tutankoopa began chanting again, bringing back the large illusion of a Chain Chomp and slamming it into the ground. Everyone grew wary of the ceiling again, watching out for any rubble. "You cannot stop the all powerful-!"
Not looking up with them, Tutankoopa was struck hard in the head by a piece of the ruins, sending him in a daze and dropping his shell as he stumbled about on his perch. "Well, that works as a distraction." Twilight saw flames rise from Kooper, continuously keeping his position as he spun at near mach speeds. She levitated the Koopa up to her, being mindful of the fire as she levitated the hammer behind him. She readied her aim, seeing Tutankoopa was still delirious. "Parakarry, fire!"
The Paratroopa shot off with a hard flap, hurling himself hard into Tutankoopa's face. The blow sent him flying back into the wall, scattering his shells around as they rolled off the platform. Twilight then hit Kooper with the hammer hard, sending the flaming shell hurtling into the evil Koopa wizard, striking him in the stomach as they left an imprint of his body into the wall. Kooper bounced back toward Twilight as he was hit again, sent flying back to the dazed Tutankoopa repeatedly. He managed to teleport himself away from the fifth knockback, only ending up getting in Kooper's way as he bounced back and got struck in the back of the head.
Tutankoopa was sent flying off the platform, falling straight to the ground where Goombario stood underneath him. The Goomba leapt up, headbutting him hard in the gut and sent him flying back up into the air. Parakarry dove down, kicking Tutankoopa hard in the face as he was sent crashing down to the ground. He groaned in agony, shakily pushing himself up onto his knees. Looking up, he saw Mario holding one of the Buzzy Beetle shells in his hands.
"Oh, you wouldn't," he uttered.
"Oh, he's gonna." Tutankoopa heard a fuse light up behind him, turning around to see Bombette behind him. If she had a mouth, he would see her smirking, his pupils shrinking as the fire sank into her body. "Ka-boom."
The Bob-omb blew up, sending Tutankoopa soaring toward Mario as his body was covered in scorch marks. Mario dropped the shell and kicked it hard, sending it smacking into the Koopa's head, which made him spiral out of control as he continued sailing toward the plumber. Timing it right, Mario grabbed Tutankoopa's feet and began spinning around, picking up momentum as they turned into a red, blue, and white spinning top. After reaching enough speed, Mario let go, throwing Tutankoopa back to where he was blown up, sending him tumbling across the ground until coming to a dead stop on the closed bars of Chompy's room.
As the wizard groaned, Twilight and Parakarry flew back down beside their friends, the alicorn returning the hammer back to Mario. "Guess he wasn't that tough without that Chain Chomp helping him..." Twilight gasped, completely forgetting about the Chain Chomp chasing Pinkie. "The Chain Chomp! Pinkie!"
"Here, Chompy!" Everyone looked over to where Pinkie and Chompy where, giving confused looks as they saw Pinkie somehow able to tame the dangerous Chain Chomp. She was holding out one of her lemon-lime cupcakes none of them knew she kept on her, holding it out while Chompy was panting and barking excitedly. "Sit, boy!...Are you sitting!?...I actually can't tell if you are 'cause you're a big ball, but no cheating or no cupcake!"
"Pinkie???" Out of all of them, Twilight was the least surprised at the oddity they were witnessing. Mario and his Mushroom Kingdom companions all stared in utter shock as Pinkie was treating a Chain Chomp, one of this world's many dangerous creatures, like a pet. "...What?...How?...Huh!?"
"Hey, don't worry, everypony! Chompy's not a bad doggy!" Pinkie said, tossing a cupcake in Chompy's mouth. He bounced happily and barked, giving Pinkie a friendly lick. "I think he was just hungry! And he's kinda cute when you look past the sharp teeth! Not sure if Fluttershy could easily be friends with a Chain Chomp, but maybe when we find her, we'll bring her to see Chompy!"
Mario, Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, and Parakarry slowly turned their heads to look at Twilight. "...Twilight? Do you...maybe have an answer to how...Pinkie Pie tamed a Chain Chomp?" Goombario asked. "...With just cupcakes!?"
"...I think I'm going to call this a 'Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie' moment," Twilight said after pondering for a minute. "Then again, she has a pet alligator with no teeth that she takes care of, so I guess I expected something random when it involves a creature considered dangerous to keep as a household companion."
"An alligator!?" Goombario, Bombette, Parakarry, and Kooper all exclaimed simultaneously.
Thankfully, the confusing notions of Pinkie Pie were distracted as they heard Tutankoopa groan again, getting back up on his feet. He clutched his stomach, completely bruised, a bump on his head from his failed attempt to send debris falling on his opponents when he didn't notice any fall on him. He heard Pinkie's giggling and Chompy's barking, looking at the duo in shock as his own pet was betraying him.
"Chompy!?" The Chain Chomp stopped licking Pinkie, giving the mare a poofy cowlick mane as he turned to look at its master. "What are you doing, you stupid Chain Chomp!? They are the enemy! Have I trained you for absolutely nothing!?"
"Chompy isn't stupid, Toilet Kappa!" Pinkie argued.
"It's Tutankoopa!" the Koopa shouted angrily.
"Well, you sure do act like a toilet if you call your best friend and pet stupid," Pinkie said, patting the Chain Chomp's side. "Do you even feed him? No wonder he wanted to take a bite out of me. He hasn't had anything yummy to eat in what seems like forever!"
"...Do you even hear what comes out of your mouth?" Tutankoopa questioned, baffled by Pinkie's childish behavior and randomness. He shook his head and leered angrily at them, forgetting about the mare as he focused his anger on his pet's betrayal. "Chompy is my servant, and he obeys me! He is no 'friend' of mine; he is an animal! An animal to be controlled and used by the one who commands them! But ever since he was a small ball of iron, he has been the WORST Chomp I have ever had the displeasure of raising!"
"You're saying this about a dangerous animal you trained, which is pretty difficult to do with how wild they can be?" Goombario asked.
"Silence, peasant! I know how to train Chomps, even those Stone Chomps meant to protect those stones from concealing this area of these ruins! But Chompy is the one that makes me drive me to pull my hair out of my skull if I had any!" Tutankoopa didn't notice, but Chompy began to look disheartened as his master talked down to him in hearing distance. "He didn't listen to me when I told him not to attack that pink quadruped, he doesn't even bother helping me since he has betrayed me! He is nothing but a brain-dead, deaf, PATHETIC excuse of a Chain Chomp I had ever had the displeasure of raising in all my life!"
Chompy whimpered sadly as tears welled up in his eyes, which surprised Mario and his companions as they have never once seen a Chain Chomp ever get upset in a depressed way. The large, animated iron ball had been under Tutankoopa's care for as long as he could remember, but he never once had any fun with him, or gave him any delicious food like those cupcakes. It hurt to hear his master call him worthless, his sorrow quickly turning into anger as he growled dangerously.
"I think you made him angry," Pinkie said, stepping away from the angry Chain Chomp.
"Good! He should be angry! He's lucky I'm not going to send him off to a junk heap to be forgotten as a rusted ball of metal!" Chompy snarled angrily, slowly bouncing toward Tutankoopa, having enough of his now former master's insults. "I'm going to give you one last chance, mongrel. You obey me and kill Mario and his comrades, or-" The Chain Chomp immediately chose his answer, barking and lunging forward. "AHH!"
Tutankoopa jumped out of Chompy's way as he slammed into the iron bars. Not even fazed by slamming his face against the gate, Chompy turned around and continued chasing after his "master", Tutankoopa screaming like a girl as he fled for his life, too focused on avoiding the Chain Chomp to remember he could use magic. The others stepped back against the walls as they watched the dangerous iron ball and chain attack the wizard who trained him, though after admitting he hated Chompy, he definitely deserved to have his hand bitten by what he fed, or didn't feed with how many cupcakes Pinkie gave him.
"...So, I guess this means we've beaten him, huh?" Twilight asked, everyone nodding in agreement. "Does he have the Star Spirit on him, or is he hiding it somewhere?"
"Looks like we might have to do some interrogating," Kooper said. "Think you can hang onto a Chain Chomp's chain with your magic?"
"I think so," Twilight said.
"Then let's get that Star Spirit." As Tutankoopa ran by them, Twilight lit up her horn and enveloped the end of Chompy's chain with her aura, stopping him while Kooper shot his foot out in the wizard's path. Tutankoopa tripped and landed on his face, groaning in pain. Before he stood up on his own, Mario and Kooper picked him up and held onto his arms tightly. "Alright, Tutankoopa. You're beaten. Where's the Star Spirit?"
"Let me go!" Tutankoopa demanded. "I'm not telling you anything!"
"Strike one." Twilight loosened her hold on Chompy, reminding the Koopa wizard of his impending doom as the Chain Chomp got closer, barking and thrashing about.
Pinkie walked up to Tutankoopa, glaring at him for everything he said about Chompy. "You better tell us, or else Chompy's going to use you as a chew toy instead, Tulip Cuccoo!"
"Why do you keep messing up my name!?" Mario and Kooper pushed the wizard forward, keeping their hold on him as they brought him closer to the mad Chain Chomp. Fearing getting gnashed by Chompy's sharp fangs, Tutankoopa panicked and gave in. "Ok! Ok! The Star Spirit's in Chompy's room! I'll open the gate!" Mario and Kooper gave him access to his arms as he clapped his hands, raising the gate to the Chain Chomp's room. "There! Take it! Just don't let me get chomped!"
"Not until you say you're sorry to Chompy!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"What more do you want from me!?" Chompy barked, making Tutankoopa scream in fright as he kept getting closer. "Alright! I'm sorry! There! Are you happy!?"
Chompy stopped his barking, leering at his former master for a moment before turning away with a grunt. "I guess that's a yes, but it doesn't look like he'll trust you anymore." Tutankoopa sighed in relief as Mario and Kooper let him go, only to be conked on the head hard by Pinkie and her hammer. "Now get out of here before I show you how to be a better friend! Pinkie Pie Style!"
The wizard fled in fright, now sporting a bump on his head. "Alright. That's two of Bowser's strongest followers down. Now for that Star Spirit."
Chompy barked and bounced back to his room. "Is Chompy getting it for us?" Goombario asked, still a little wary having a friendly Chain Chomp on their side.
He soon came back, holding a card with Bowser's symbol on the back, giving it to Pinkie. "Thanks, Chompy! You're a good boy, aren't ya!?" She pat Chompy and tossed him another cupcake, munching on the pastry happily. Pinkie picked up the card and approached Mario, showing an orange star with a pink bow on the other side. "So, how exactly do we get somepony out of a card?"
As Mario touched the card, it began glowing just like Eldstar's did back in the Koopa Bros. Fortress. The Lucky Star also began to shine as well, this time glowing pink, both lights brightening up the dim room. The second Star Spirit's card hovered out of Mario and Pinkie's grip, sparkling as they heard the spell holding its captive break and explode. The Star was freed after the blinding flash of light shone around them, stretching out its body after being held hostage.
"Thank you all for your help," she said. "I am Mamar." Mamar floated down before them, bowing her head to Mario. "It is a pleasure to meet you in person, Mario."
"Well, we're glad to help, ma'am," Kooper said. "We've already freed the first one, Eldstar."
"I can already sense his presence back in Star Haven as we speak," Mamar said. She looked at Twilight and Pinkie, sensing the strange magic she and her fellow Star Spirits felt a while back from the creatures never before seen in this world. "Oh. So, this was the source of the powerful magical energy. How interesting."
"I think Eldstar had a similar reaction," Twilight said. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and this is Pinkie Pie."
"Hello!" Pinkie greeted with a cheerful wave.
"Eldstar can give you the basic details about us, but we come from another world not from this universe," the alicorn explained. "We were with Mario when he fought Bowser and lost, and four of our other friends got separated when we tried."
"I see. I'm so sorry," Mamar said. "Do not worry, we will do all we can to help you until you find your friends, and with your help, we all might be able to stop Bowser once you find the rest of my fellow Star Spirits." She turned back to Mario. "Mario, I would like to give you some of my power if you are ever in danger." Mamar gave the plumber some of her power, showering the plumber with stars until he flashed in a bright light. "With my power, Lullaby, I can put opponents to sleep if you're ever in a bind with tougher foes.
"I must take my leave to recover, but don't worry, Twilght and Pinkie. Eldstar and I will do all we can to search for your other friends. I just hope the other Stars in Star Haven aren't in too much of a panic without the Star Rod. Good luck, everyone!" Mamar soon flew off, making her way out of Dry Dry Ruins and returning to the stars above.
After Mamar left, Mario pulled out his pendant around his neck, now seeing another change to one of the arms as one of them turned pink like Pinkie's coat. Along with freeing the second Star Spirit, he had also gained something else, but what it was is a mystery.
"Oooh! Shiny necklace!" Pinkie said as she looked at the Lucky Star. "When'd you get that?"
"Hey, one of the arms are pink," Twilight pointed out. "That means Mario really can use our magic thanks to the Lucky Star."
"So, not only does a Star Spirit help us out, so do you and your friends," Kooper said.
"That Lucky Star must absorb some kind of magic from you and Pinkie after freeing a Star Spirit," Goombario pondered. "So, if we find the rest of your friends, then Mario can get another power."
"But if he's able to use telekinesis to bring back his hammer..." Everyone slowly turned their heads to Pinkie, the mare too entranced by the bronze star with a fuchsia core and new pink arm. "...I'm afraid to see what Mario's going to get if he gains something from Pinkie."
Mario nodded his head in agreement with a worried groan. Whatever his new power was, they would have to wait and see what it is. With another Star Spirit saved, the group began making their way out of the ruins, Chompy following after them behind Pinkie now that he was a free Chain Chomp.
"So, what are we going to do about Chompy?" Twilight asked, yelping as the Chain Chomp gave her a surprise lick. "Eww! Worse than getting kisses from Applejack's dog, Winona!"
"Can't we keep him, Twilight?" Pinkie begged.
"Well, seeing as we might need to travel to different parts of the kingdom to find the other Star Spirits, I don't think we can take him with us," Goombario said.
Pinkie and Chompy both whined miserably. "...Well, sorry, Chompy. But, now you're no longer with that meanie Koopa, you're free to do whatever you want." The Chain Chomp nodded with a bark. "Hey! Maybe you can be helpful out in Dry Dry Desert and help travelers cross! You can even scare off those rude Bandits who keep taking everypony's money and protect them!"
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea, Pinkie," Twilight said. "Although, I think it'll take a lot of convincing for everyone to get used to a Chain Chomp guardian protecting them from those thieves and Pokeys in the desert."
"I'm sure Sheeky can help with that!" Pinkie pulled out a pencil and a piece of paper out of her mane, wrote a note on it as she bounced alongside everyone, then rolled it up and placed a balloon sticker on it as a seal. She then leapt up onto Chompy's head, making the Chain Chomp grunt in curiosity as she placed another balloon sticker on his forehead. "There! If you go into Dry Dry Outpost and find Sheeky, he'll know it's from me!"
"Aren't we going back there anyway to rest?" Parakarry questioned as he scratched his head. "It's the middle of the night still."
When they reached the entrance to the ruins, it was still dark out, the moon shining down on the cool desert with millions of stars dotting the sky. "...Oh...Then that sticker means he's a good Chain Chomp!"
Chompy barked happily as he bounced up and down in agreement. They soon made their way back to the outpost to rest for the night, hoping no one else would freak out that a Chain Chomp waltzed into the desert town with them.
Up in the princess's castle, Bowser had entered Peach's room, hoping her mood had finally changed. Unfortunate for him, she was still pretty peeved at him as she sat on her bed, leering at the Koopa King with the dumb grin on his face. She knew exactly what he was about to say before he could even open his mouth.
"No, Bowser," she said, turning his grin into a frustrated pout.
"Aww, come on!" he complained. "You don't even know what I was going to say!"
"You want to take me out to dinner, treat me to a stupid show put on by your soldiers, show me the scenery of my own castle," Peach listed dully as she rolled her eyes. "Please, Bowser. Every single time you kidnapped me, you ask for the same requests. I practically have a list of all the romantic gestures you try to give when you don't even deserve any kindness from me at all."
Twink stifled a giggle at Bowser's reaction as he hid behind Peach's bed. "Then how about a little smile? Would that lighten your mood a little, Ms. Grump?"
"I'll smile when you put things back to the way they were," she said. "You imprisoned my guests in your dungeon, hurt Mario and my Equestrian friends, terrorize my kingdom along with every other one you try to invade, and you really think you deserve a smile from me? Put my castle down, give yourself up, and MAYBE I'll smile."
"I'm not that desperate," Bowser grumbled. "Already, Mario has beaten that weak Goomba King, trounced the Koopa Bros., even though I did expect them to lose with that awesome move of theirs, and I'm pretty sure he's already gone and beaten Tutankoopa after hearing he made it to the desert. I may be invincible, but I'm not letting him get any closer to my fortress, your castle, and you."
"So, you're actually afraid you're going to lose this time?" Peach asked.
"As if! He won't get far when I sic Invincible Tubba Blubba on him," Bowser said with a sinister chuckle. "He may not be as invincible as me, but he's surely hard to deal any kind of damage Mario can dish out."
Suddenly, Kammy Koopa barged into the room in a panic. "Lord Bowser! We have a problem!"
"Ugh. What is it, Kammy?" Bowser asked irately. "I'm in the middle of having a chat with Princess Peach."
"More like me scolding you," Peach uttered.
"Well, Tutankoopa has been defeated, and Mario has freed the second Star Spirit," Kammy reported.
"I did call that," Bowser said. "But what else is bad news?" Kammy ushered him to bring his head closer and began whispering to him the worst news. His eyes widened as he glared at the mage. "WHAT!? The Star Spirit escaped from Tubba Blubba's Mansion!? How the heck is that even-!?"
"SHHHHH! Bowser, the princess is right there!" Kammy swiftly reminded, though it was too late as it already peaked Peach and Twink's curiosity.
Bowser growled, snorting out steam as he avoided breathing fire in the princess's room. "Fine. Let's talk elsewhere." He turned around, giving Peach his dumb grin as he chuckled nervously. "I'll come by tomorrow for another bit of talking, princess."
"Oh, joy. I can't wait," Peach said sarcastically. Bowser and Kammy made their exit to discuss the troubling news, Twink floating out from his hiding place as he hovered beside her. "Oh, dear. The 'Invincible Tubba Blubba'."
"That's not going to end well if Mario has to fight someone else who's invulnerable," Twink said. "But Bowser said he wasn't as invincible as he is, so that means there must be some kind of weakness Tubba Blubba might have."
"Let's see if we can do a little bit of snooping again," Peach said, standing up from her bed and approached the fireplace. "We need to warn Mario as quickly as possible before it's too late."
Lifting up the picture concealing the secret button, Bowser and his soldiers too blind to notice it was visible as she was brought back to her room the other day, Peach pressed it and opened the hidden passage behind the fireplace. As soon as the fire died and the grate fell down, the duo made their way through the hall and to the rotating gondola platform. Pressing the button, they ended up in the other room where Bowser had his diary opened up, only to find Bowser took his diary somewhere else.
"Aww, man," Twink groaned. "I thought Bowser would have left his diary again."
"Looks like we might need to sneak around the castle. Maybe there's a way for us to get out, too." Peach approached the door, slowly opening it a crack and peeked through. Unlike her room and the empty study they end up in through the secret passage, the rest of the castle was dark from the lack of light. Of course, being high in the sky meant very little light, the only signs of light coming from the Koopatrols on their rounds using flashlights. "Ok, Twink, stay close to me, and try not to get caught by their lights."
"Got it, Peach," Twink said with a salute, hovering right behind the princess as they silently exited the room.
They could see the Koopatrol tasked in guarding her bedroom door, standing at attention as he made sure not to let Peach leave unlike last time. Staying along the walls, the princess kept a close eye on the other patrolling, spike-shelled Koopas' lights to avoid getting caught. She didn't want to give away the hidden passage in her room and risk having that sealed off when Mario and Twilight needed their help. She was glad Twink said the alicorn was with her hero now, but so far, they have no idea where the rest of Twilight's friends might be.
Being as sneaky as they could be, they started making their way to the lower floors to see if they can find a way out of the castle's front doors. Unfortunately for Peach, Bowser was smart to have the door heading to the first floor foyer locked, where the only ones allowed in and out were the ones with the keys. The only other rooms on this floor were a small dining room on the upper right, a storage room with a mysterious chest that was told to transport items to a similar one somewhere in the Mushroom Kingdom on the bottom right, and the library on the bottom left. Deciding to just find more information on Tubba Blubba, they walked into the library to see if any of Bowser's men knew anything about the second invincible monster.
Upon entering the library filled to the brim with books of all genres, they could see and hear a few guards patrolling the area as well. Peach snuck around each guard as they wandered about, staring at the titles of books on the shelves as a distraction for her to slip by their routes. There was a second floor to the library as there were walkways above them, though the guards only walked around the first floor. Weaving through shelves and hiding behind them as Koopatrols walked around lazily, the princess and Star Kid managed to reach the other end of the room without getting caught.
Peah looked around the corner, quickly hiding behind it as she saw a Koopatrol and a Hammer Bro on their break, the latter a tough rank of Koopa for Mario as they wore a blue helmet on their heads and had an endless supply of hammers they throw. "Hey, you heard about that rumor about Master Tubba Blubba? I hear he loves to eat ghosts."
The Koopatrol shuddered at the rumor, Peach and Twink carefully peeking around to watch the two soldiers as they eavesdropped on them. "Ghosts, huh?...He lives beyond the Forever Forest, right? He's the one guarding one of the Star Spirits."
"Yeah, in a manor at the top of Gusty Gulch," the Hammer Bro said. "There's supposed to be this mansion and village nearby that's filled with Boos. He goes down there, snatches some, and then chomps them down for a snack, starting with the head!"
The Hammer Bro grabbed a doughnut from their small assortment of break time snacks, chomping on it to emphasize Tubba Blubba's ghost eating. The act made the Koopatrol groan, feeling sick to his stomach at the thought.
"That's horrifying, man," he said. "I don't think I'll be able to go to the bathroom by myself...Why did you have to tell me that!? I'm gonna have nightmares for weeks!"
"Not only that, but I also heard he's invincible," the Hammer Bro continued. "Not a single thing can hurt him. He's just as invincible as King Bowser, but maybe even stronger than him."
The Koopatrol gasped, staring at his lackadaisical comrade in shock. "Don't say that around King Bowser! He'll have our heads! And turn us into Dry Bones!" The other Koopa shrugged his shoulders, not even remotely worried knowing their king isn't one to be anywhere near a library. "But, still, Tubba Blubba could have a weakness, right? Not everything is invulnerable to everything."
"...Eh, I guess that's true." The Hammer Bro munched on the rest of his doughnut, grabbing a cup of coffee to wash down his pastry. "But, there's another rumor about him-"
"Oh, please," the Koopatrol begged. "No more scary rumors!"
"It's about a secret of his, shell-for-brains," the Hammer Bro stated in annoyance. "It's something that would ruin him as one of Bowser's strongest followers if it gets out. Some say he wasn't really as strong as he is now."
The Koopatrol shushed him, looking around worriedly. "Don't say that out loud! What if Tubba Blubba hears you!? He could eat us!"
"He's not a ghost who can materialize out of nowhere. Keep your shell on, you big baby." The Hammer Bro sipped more of his coffee as he stretched his limbs. "Besides, no one else knows what his secret is anyway."
"Don't you ever wonder what it could be?" the Koopatrol asked, only answering with a shrug as he leaned back against the shelf.
Peach and Twink looked at each other, not exactly getting as much intel as they wanted, but at least they knew Tubba Blubba wasn't entirely invincible. "Looks like Tubba Blubba does have a weak point after all."
"If only we knew what it was so Mario can be extra careful when facing him," Peach whispered.
The Koopatrol gasped as he heard the princess and Star Kid whisper. "D-Did you just hear someone talking on the other side of that shelf?"
"Oh crud! I hope someone didn't find out we were slacking off around here!" The Hammer Bro downed the rest of his coffee, gathering the evidence of their non-scheduled break and throwing their garbage in a plastic bag to throw out later. The two Koopas quickly ran from their lounging spot, only to crash into Peach, Twink quickly flying up onto the upper walkway of the library to avoid being seen. The three of them groaned, the Koopas getting up as they saw who they rammed into. "Huh!? Princess Peach!?"
"...Uhhh, hello," Peach said with a nervous giggle.
"W-What are you doing out of your room!?" the Koopatrol exclaimed.
"Ugh, don't tell me the guard left to use the bathroom while keeping watch of your door again!" the Hammer Bro said with irritation. "How hard is it to stand guard against a door!?"
"Well, I do get bored sitting in my room day in and day out, boys," Peach said as she stood up, brushing off her dress. "I don't understand why I don't have any freedom to wander around my own castle when I can't really go anywhere."
"It's King Bowser's orders, and you need to go back to your room before we get into any trouble," the Koopatrol said.
"You mean get in even more trouble with your unauthorized break?" The princess's question made the Koopas freeze in terror. "I know Bowser will believe me if I told him I saw you two lounging in my library when you're supposed to be doing your duties. He might fire you if I told him you had some incompetent guards...and by fire, I mean burnt by his fire breath."
The guards gulped nervously, the Hammer Bro failing to hid their trash behind his back. "P-Please don't tell Lord Bowser, princess..."
"I won't unless one of you can carry a few books for me to read," she bargained. "I at least have the luxury to do something to stave off boredom while I'm trapped in my own room. And I feel like reading a few novels to pass some time."
"...But how did you even get out of your room so easily? And past the guards on this floor?" the Koopatrol asked.
"I guess you do want to get in trouble with Bowser if you're questioning the princess he's pining for," Peach said as she turned around with a sneaky grin. "Maybe I should tell Bowser you helped sneak me out the first time as well, even though I slipped past without even raising any suspicion."
The Koopas flinched, looked at each other, then approached the princess and knelt down before her, begging. "Please don't tell Lord Bowser, Your Highness!"
"We'll carry whatever books you pick so you don't get bored after we take you back to your room! Promise!"
Peach had to stifle her laughter as she blackmailed her enemies quite easily. "Well, alright then. But I better expect my books sent to my room after being escorted back in a few minutes, or I'll tell Bowser how you two stuffed you faces with doughnuts and skipped out on your patrols."
"Y-Yes, Princess Peach!" The Koopatrol and Hammer Bro escorted Peach back to her room, keeping their promise to give her the books she pointed out at random just to tease them with her blackmail.
Twink shook his head as he watched the whole thing, hovering up by the ceiling as he followed them back with a cheeky grin. "Boy, the princess can really handle herself with just about anything. Too bad she can't escape from the balcony window from how high up we are."
After Peach was sent back to her room, surprising the guard to her bedroom door yet again and making him worried about how Bowser will react, the two Koopas who escorted her hurried back to the library and got her the books she wanted in record time. Twink had managed to sneak through the doorway as Peach was brought back, hiding behind her bed as the Koopatrol and Hammer Bro returned with her books.
"Well, we got caught, but at least I finally have something to do," Peach said as she picked up one of the books from the small stack. "Beats sitting around waiting for an opportunity to sneak around and find more information to give to Mario."
"Well, no use doing it right now since it's late." Twink yawned, floating down and laying on the bed. "I'll go out and tell Mario and the others about Tubba Blubba in the morning."
"Yes...It's really hard to tell what time it is without seeing the sun rise and set from up here." Peach opened up the book she picked, deciding to do a little bit of reading before going to bed. "I hope Mario can figure out what Tubba Blubba's secret is before he fights him. I don't want him to get too hurt like that again..."