My Little Paper Mario

by Codex92

The Penguin Murder Mystery

Up in the northern region of the Mushroom Kingdom, the city of Shiver City sat as the central location for visitors from across the kingdom. The citizens of the populace were little penguins, most of them with blue and white feathers while others had unique colored feathers that stood them out above the others. Mario popped out of the warp pipe first, satisfied that they found the right pipe as he leapt out, letting the rest of his entourage of partners out to climb out as well. One by one, everyone entered the city, followed by the six ponies from Equestria, the mares all murmuring in awe at the snowy city.

"Golly," Applejack uttered. "Ah feel like Ah'm in Manehattan in the middle of winter. And it's supposed to be spring."

"Awww, look at the cute little penguins!" Fluttershy squealed. She ran up to one of them, which let out a confused squawk as the pegasus hugged him. "Oooh, so cute and cuddly!"

"Uhh, welcome to Shiver City?" Fluttershy yelped as the penguin talked, quickly letting go of him as he was as sentient as the Yoshis back on Lavalava Island.

"Oh my! I'm sorry," Fluttershy apologized. "I didn't know you could talk."

"Well, I didn't know you could either, so I guess we're even," he said. "It's been a while since we've had visitors come out of that pipe. I heard the sewers down there are pretty dangerous to travel through."

"We do have Mario with us," Fluttershy said as she pointed to the heroic plumber.

"I guess that's true," the penguin said. "I'm surprised to see him still standing. Our mayor said he saw him at Princess Peach's castle during that party before Bowser decided to lift it in the sky. We're all kind of relieved he left before he was taken hostage."

Rarity ran up to the greeting penguin, snatching him up in her magical aura. "Please tell me you little penguin creatures have a spa somewhere!?" she asked desperately. "I feel dirty walking through that icky sewer and getting inked by a giant squid monster! There has to be a bathhouse, at least, right!?"

"...Uhh, there is, actually," he said, pointing at one of the nearby buildings in the area. "Just because we penguins love the cold, we don't like to enjoy a dip in a hot tub every once in a-"

"THANK YOU!!!!" Rarity squealed before running off to the building facing the warp pipe into Shiver City, dropping the penguin and snatched several coins out of Twilight's saddlebags from their spoils of victory or finding them in random blocks Mario jumped under.

"...Uhh, so, should we just...let her have her spa day?" Watt asked.

"Might as well," Twilight said. "Mostly so she doesn't have to keep whining about being dirty. We can spend a little time getting to know the layout of this area and prepare ourselves to brace the colder climate."

"You mean you guys are planning on leaving?" the penguin asked.

"Duh. We're here to save the Mushroom Kingdom," Bow said.

"We need to get to Starborn Valley," Goombario said. "It's due east of Shiver City, right?"

"Well, yes, but the mayor's put a strict lockdown on the city unless they're given permission," he said. "He's worried about Bowser's minions out there, and doesn't want us to get hurt or kidnapped."

"Ok, so all we have do is get permission from the mayor," Kooper said. "Where does he live?"

"On the far west side of the city," the penguin said, pointing to a larger building in the distance. "Last building down the road. You can't miss it."

"Thank you, Mr. Penguin!" Pinkie said as the party followed the road to the west side of Shiver City.

The penguin residents noticed their new guests, happy to see Mario alive and well after hearing he was beaten by Bowser, and surprised to see the five mares accompanying him. Since Rarity was busy getting herself pampered, they decided to let the unicorn be until they spoke with the mayor to allow them to leave and make their way to Starborn Valley. They had passed by a shop back near the warp pipe, though they'll do a supply run once they're given permission to check what wares the penguins are selling. Pinkie bounced along the snow banks, leaving behind hoofprints while giggling like a filly on a snow day. Twilight was at least thankful they were in a colder climate this time instead of sweating constantly in a desert, a tropical island, or the inside of a volcano.

They arrived in front of the mayor's home, Mario knocking on the door to gain permission. "Come in!" a female voice said from inside. Opening the door, they found a female pink penguin wearing a cooking apron, standing in front of a stove as she seemed to be boiling some soup. After making sure the soup was set to a simmer, she turned around and greeted her guests. "Hello! So nice to have guests over, and getting an audience with Mario himself! What can I do for you?"

"Are you the mayor's wife?" Goombario asked.

"I am, yes," the pink penguin said. "If you're looking for my husband, he's in the next room. He's not busy at the moment, so by all means, make yourselves at home. Soup's almost done, and I'm sure you all would love to warm up to a nice, warm meal."

Pinkie bounded over to pot and sniffed at the air, the aroma making her mouth water. "Smells delicious! I can't wait!"

"We'll eat after we talk with the mayor," Twilight chided, dragging Pinkie away from the stove by her tail, the earth pony whining in hunger.

Walking through the door into the large room that was the mayor's study, it was surprisingly empty with how sparse the furniture was. They found the mayor in the back corner of the room, the grayish-blue penguin with a brown winter cap laying on the floor on his back, his limbs splayed out as he appeared to be unconscious. There was a blue present with white polka dots spotted all around the wrapping paper, tied up by an orange ribbon with a bow on top. Confused by the mayor lying on the ground, the group approached him curiously.

"Excuse us, Mr. Mayor?" Twilight called out, but he didn't respond. "...Hello?"

"Is he sleeping?" Rainbow asked.

"Kind of an uncomfortable sleep to be napping," Fluttershy said.

"Ooh! A present!" Pinkie exclaimed, but Twilight held her still with her magic before she tried to open the gift that must have belonged to the mayor.

The alicorn approached the unconscious penguin, his body completely still as he looked over him over. "Hmmm...Well, he's breathing slightly, though it doesn't look like it from a distance," she noted as she saw his chest rising and falling slightly. "I think he's just unconscious. He probably fell and hit his head, probably suffering from a concussion." Mario stood beside the alicorn to investigate as well. Noticing a slip of paper clutched in one of the mayor's flippers, he opened it up to reveal a name written on it. "'Herringway'? Who's Herringway?"

The door opened as the mayor's wife walked in. "Would anyone like some tea while the soup cools a little?" she asked. Before anyone could take the offer, the female penguin noticed her husband lying on the ground. "Huh? Honey, you're going to catch a cold if you sleep there."

She walked past everyone to get a look at her husband, but when she did, she gasped in shock to see him barely moving, barely breathing, and with Twilight and Mario hovering over him as they inspected his unconscious body. "It's alright," Twilight said. "He's just-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" the pink penguin screamed in horror before running out the door. The others winced at the ear-splitting cry for help, hearing the wife of the mayor slam her door open and ran outside. "HELP! SOMEBODY! ANYBODY! MY HUSBAND IS DEAD! HE'S BEEN MURDERED! IT'S A PENGUIN MURDER MYSTERY!!!!"

"Murder!?" everyone exclaimed in shock.

Twilight let out a groan, rolling her eyes in irritation. "He's not dead. I just said he was unconscious. If she just waited a moment to let me explain-"

"Alright, ma'am. Settle down," a male voice said from outside. "We need you to calm down and speak slowly so I can help get to the bottom of this."

Walking into the room was the mayor's wife, along with a green-feathered penguin wearing a brown winter cap, having the same gaze and expression of a serious detective. "My darling husband is dead!" the mayor's wife exclaimed with tears running down her face. "Just look at him lying there! Someone clipped his flippers!"

"Alright, alright. Stand back," the detective said, pushing past everyone as he got a closer look at the unconscious mayor's body. He barely did any investigating and just looked at him before he gave his verdict. "By puffin, you're right! The mayor's been murdered! This is like a mystery novel, except it's real! How tragic!"

"You know, I could tell if he was dead," Bow said. "I am a Boo, after all...Or are they just going to ignore us because they want to pretend to be a part of a murder novel?"

"But who on earth could have put this penguin on ice?" the detective questioned as he paced back and forth.

"Called it," Bow said. "I need to tally how many times I call out any obvious things clueless people can't point out before us."

"It was them!" the wife exclaimed, pointing her flipper at Mario and Twilight. "That man with the suspicious mustache and his purple pet!"

"What!?" Twilight exclaimed angrily. "You know who Mario is! You said his name before he introduced himself! And we didn't kill him! You're husband's knocked unconscious!"

"Lies!" the wife denied. "I told them not to come in, but they and their accomplices barged right in! My husband was alive before they showed up, so those two must be the killers!"

"Ah beg your pardon!?" Applejack exclaimed. "We knocked on your door and ya allowed us in! What in tarnation is wrong with ya for lyin' to us!?"

"Or maybe perhaps YOU are the liars!?" the detective accused. "Typical for suspects and their accomplices: lying just to get out of getting prosecuted for such a heinous crime!"

"Uhh, Applejack can never lie," Pinkie sated. "She's the Element of Honesty where we're from, and she's the most honest pony we know! We can tell if she's lying because she gets all scrunchy-faced and nervous real easy!"

"You weren't able to tell that when we tried to hide the surprise party we wanted to throw for you," Fluttershy mentioned.

"...Oh...But, still, Applejack's a terrible liar, and she isn't lying right now!" Pinkie said, Applejack nodding with an irritated huff.

The detective turned to the accused suspects, ignoring the rest of the group. "Hey, you two. What do you have to say for yourselves?" Mario told him they were innocent, but he wasn't going to believe him. "Don't you play ignorant with me, buddy. I'm a professional, and there was an eye witness who saw the crime being committed!"

"Yes, that's right!" the wife exclaimed. "They did it in cold blood! I...I saw it with my own eyes!"

"You were in the other room cooking," Twilight said irritably. "You couldn't have witnessed a murder, otherwise you would have been able to hear the act being committed."

"So, you two are sticking with your story, eh?" the detective questioned.

"Yes, because the mayor is unconscious!" Twilight exclaimed. "I don't even think you're a real detective if you can't tell the difference between someone dead or knocked out cold!"

The detective looked back at the group, all of them sticking with Twilight and Mario as true eye witnesses and alibis to their innocence. "Hmm...Well, if you are telling the truth, which I doubt you are, then we're dealing with a backroom murder case. I've never trained for this sort of thing..." He began pacing around, trying to formulate a plan to solve this case. "...Alright. If you are innocent, then I'm going to give the two of you a chance. If you claim you're not the guilty party, then you'll have to find the true murderer yourselves. Bring the real culprit here, and we'll see if you're off the hook. Until this is over, we're forbidding you from leaving the city, and only you two must find the murderer."

Twilight let out a heavy sigh, giving up with trying to explain that there wasn't a murder and just went along with it. "Fine. We'll find the real 'murderer'." Mario and Twilight walked over to their friends, stepping around the mayor and ignoring the dirty looks from the two penguins in the room. "You guys think you can try straighten things out with this unfortunate situation?"

"We'll try," Lakilester said. "But if they didn't listen to you, I doubt they'll listen to us."

"Ooh! Before you go, Twilight!" Pinkie pulled out a detective's cap and a bubble-blowing pipe from out of nowhere, placing them on the alicorn's head, then pulled out another one and put it over Mario's cap. "There you go! Now you're ready to do some detectiving!"

"...Thanks, Pinkie," Twilight said, rolling with it as she blew bubbles out of her pipe. "Let's hurry and get this over with, Mario. We're wasting time."

Mario nodded, taking off the second hat and tossed it on Pinkie's head, preferring his own cap instead. They exited the building, leaving their friends to try to get the two penguins to believe them and began their investigation on the true murderer. Somehow, all of Shiver City seemed to have heard the unfortunate news, the mayor's wife shrieking loud enough to let the entire region know her husband was "killed". They didn't have a clue where to start since Twilight and Mario didn't see any physical injuries that could have killed the mayor, the alicorn already deducing that he fell and knocked himself out. But then there was the present beside him, and the small slip of paper that had the name Herringway written on it.

They started asking the residents of the city if they knew anything about Herringway, some of them refusing to speak with them while others said he was a famous novelist around here. Unfortunately, despite telling them he lived in Shiver City and where his house was located, but no one was ever home. Twilight pondered on this mystery, blowing bubbles from her pipe as she thought how it was possible for a famous writer to live in this city, but there was never any sign of him in or out of his home. And no one knew of his daily habits, so any chance of finding him in a store, restaurant, or even the spa Rarity went into earlier would lead them nowhere. Speaking of the unicorn, Twilight and Mario made their way to the spa building to check in on her.

As they walked inside, warming up a little from the cold weather outside, they found Rarity resting on a massage table as a penguin masseuse pounded her back with his flippers. "Come on, you can go a little harder. Momma likes it rough!"

Mario let out a sigh, pressing a hand to his face while shaking his head as she was completely unaware of what was happening outside. "Enjoying yourself, Rarity?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, Twilight, Mario. Didn't expect you to be back so soon," Rarity said. "So, did the mayor say we could go?"

"Well...we kind of have a bit of a situation going on," Twilight said nervously.

"...Is that why you're wearing that same detective hat and pipe from the consumed sweets mystery on the train back home?" Rarity asked.

"Yes, and don't forget you, Rainbow, and Fluttershy were the culprits who chomped the MMMM, so it wasn't a clear mystery when we found out you wear false eyelashes." The unicorn let out a gasp, whimpering slightly as she ran a hoof over her eyes, apparently still wearing fake eyelashes after all these years. Mario looked at Twilight, asking her what exactly the MMMM was. "It's a cake Pinkie's employers, Cup Cake and Carrot Cake, made for a baking contest. It's abbreviated from its real name: the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness."

"And it was quite a delicious cake, too," Rarity said with a sigh, licking her lips as she recalled the explosive flavors it had. "If Pinkie didn't describe it in such juicy detail, I wouldn't have succumbed to my sweet tooth." Mario could only imagine how it tasted if Peach ever made a cake like that for him as a reward for saving her. Rarity noticed the masseuse had stopped his work, apparently just as awed as his beak hung open, drooling slightly at tasting something that was titled to what he would do if he had a bite. "Hey, I'm not done with my massage yet!"

"Ahh! Sorry, miss!" the penguin apologized before getting back to work, flailing his flippers wildly as he pounded the mare's back as hard as he could.

"Ahhhh...Much better," Rarity said with a heavy sigh of relaxation. "Anyway, what's happening out there? I did hear a scream earlier."

Twilight and Mario looked at each other, then at the penguin masseuse. If they told Rarity what had happened to the mayor, then the penguin treating her with whatever spa treatments she ordered might kick her out if he finds out she was friends with Mario. They decided not to tell her, letting her have her spa day so she wouldn't complain about not getting one throughout the rest of their journey.

"You let us worry about it," Twilight said after a moment of silence. "Not really all that difficult, just more of a nuisance to deal with."

"Oh, alright then. But once it's over, all of you must take a soak in the hot tub they have here. It is absolutely divine." They would have to take a rain check on that suggestion once Bowser was finally defeated, Mario and Twilight exiting the spa building and continued their search for Herringway.

Heading to the east side of Shiver City, the investigative duo found the general area where Herringway lived. There was a frozen lake in front of the buildings that was used as a skating rink, though someone must have dropped a key since they could see it at the bottom. One of the doors was apparently locked, though it was only meant for storage, not living space, so whoever lost that key was probably going to be in a lot of trouble. They found the address where the famous novelist lived, knocking on the door to see if he was there, but after a moment of waiting, there was no response. Twilight moved over to a nearby window, looking inside to find what appeared to be a simple living room, but there was no penguin inside hiding from any visitors.

"Hmmm...Oddly suspicious," Twilight uttered to herself. Moving away from the window, she looked up to see that Herringway's home did have a second floor, but there were no stairs from what she saw inside that lead up to the next level. Humming curiously, she hovered up to the second floor windows, but instead of looking inside, they were boarded up, preventing her from checking if Herringway was hiding upstairs. "Well, seems like Herringway doesn't like anypony spying on him. Probably makes sense if he has fans of his work wanting to see how his daily routines were..." Looking up at the roof, she noticed a chimney, but what was even more odd was that she didn't see a fireplace on the first floor, which is normally where the fireplace is usually supposed to go in most two story homes. She landed back down to the ground to Mario, awaiting the alicorn's deduction. "I have a feeling Herringway has to be inside.

"His house is empty, the second floor windows are boarded up, the fireplace is apparently on the second floor, which there are no stairs leading to said floor from the ground floor, and I have a gut feeling our mystery penguin is still living in this city." Twilight blew bubbles from her pipe as she looked up at the chimney again. "I'm sure the penguins around here don't usually travel much, even if they can handle some warmer climates...I think the only way to check and see if he's inside is to climb down the chimney. Even though I don't condone with breaking and entering, we have more important matters to deal with than an accusation of murder keeping us trapped here."

Mario nodded in agreement, wall jumping between the buildings as he followed Twilight up to Herringway's roof. He decided to go down first to make sure the fireplace wasn't lit, slipping through easily, though he slipped and yelled as he fell, crashing down to the fireplace while covered in soot. Inside, and old penguin with pale aquamarine feathers and bushy gray eyebrows squawked, startled by the sudden intrusion. There was a shelf filled with different books, and a table in the corner filled with strewn around sheets of paper and writing materials, filled with several drafts of a book the penguin was in the middle of writing. Mario groaned as he stood up, shaking off the soot that caught on his clothes.

"What the...? Why are you in my fireplace?" the old penguin asked. "You've found my secret room...through the chimney..." He hummed curiously, grabbing a pen and paper as he jotted down a note from the breaking and entering. "Interesting...."

Twilight slid down the chimney next, using her magic to avoid getting her coat dirty, having a more easier landing than Mario had as she stepped out of the fireplace. "Aha! I knew you were here, Herringway!"

"Ugh," the old novelist groaned. "Of course. Fans. You know, if you want to read my next novel, you're going to have to wait until it's officially done, published, and several copies are made to be released."

"Actually, Mr. Herringway, we're not interested in your novels," Twilight said. "...Although, being a scholar and love reading a good story, I would like to read your stories, but now's not the time."

"Then why are you here?" Herringway asked. "And why drop down the chimney like Santa Claus?"

Curious about who this Santa Claus was, Twilight pushed that thought aside and focused on the real topic at hoof. "We have a situation down at the mayor's house. Apparently, the detective and his wife thinks that he was murdered, and they're framing us as the suspects in this murder mystery case."

"W-What!?" Herringway exclaimed in shock. "He's been murdered!?"

"He's not dead!" Twilight exclaimed. "He's unconscious, but neither of them are even calm enough to listen to me and thoroughly examine him!" The alicorn let out an irritated huff, puffing bubbles angrily from her pipe. Mario helped calm the mare down, scratching behind her ears and making her relax a little, her leg twitching slightly at the sensation. "Oooh, why does that feel nice?"

"So, why come to me?" the penguin questioned. Mario approached Herringway, showing him the slip of paper with his name on it while explaining it was in the mayor's flipper. "Hmmm...You don't think I actually knocked the mayor upside the head and fled the scene, do you?"

"I wasn't insinuating such a thing, seeing how there was no evidence of a struggle, or even a blunt weapon to cause any serious trauma," Twilight said. "I think he fell and hit his head, but we won't know unless we get an actual investigator to find out what happened to him if he's still unconscious."

"Alright. Let's head over there and get this mess sorted out, then." Herringway walked over to a section of the wall by the fireplace, gesturing the alicorn and plumber to step back. Clearing his throat, he moved a small picture aside, revealing a strange mechanism behind it. "Engage stairs!"

The house shook a little as the floor beside Herringway moved down, turning into a flight of stairs. Twilight found it pretty clever to hide the staircase in such a way, wondering if the mystery novel writer had his own share of mysteries that inspired his work. Climbing down the stairs, the trio exited the writer's house and made their way back to the mayor's house. They ignored the surprised looks from the residents as they saw the famous novelist walking down the road, intent on solving this case and assuring the mayor's wife and detective that there was no murder. Upon arriving and entering the mayor's study, Twilight and Mario could hear their friends' arguments, clearly not getting anywhere with how stubborn both penguins were.

"You really think Mario would hurt any innocents!?" Sushie exclaimed. "He's saved the Mushroom Kingdom several times! How is he a killer!?"

"We got a dead mayor in the room, and it's proof enough that he and one of his five four-legged animal companions were near the body, trying to hide it so they could take over the city for themselves." Rainbow Dash had to facehoof, growling irritably at the assumption.

"This is getting ridiculous!" she shouted. "We're trying to stop Bowser, and we're being stopped by a stupid murder mystery when we had nothing to do with this mess!"

"Don't worry, everypony!" Twilight announced, everyone turning their attention to her, Mario, and Herringway. "And we brought somepony who can help us sort this whole thing out!"

Herringway stepped forward, shocking the detective and wife. "H-Herringway!? The novelist!?"

"Mario found his name written on a piece of paper the mayor was holding. While he was unconscious," Twilight emphasized with her last statement, Mario showing the detective the piece of paper he picked up.

"He was holding that?" the detective asked. "So, the victim wrote a dying message before his end; a message revealing the killer! And you brought him to us!"

"This is absolutely ridiculous," Herringway said aloud.

The green penguin approached the novelist, turning his accusations on him. "So, Herringway, it all makes sense, doesn't it? You live out your own plots from your novels! A clever scheme to write interesting stories while also committing such atrocious crimes!"

"Are you insane!?" Herringway exclaimed. "The mayor is my best friend! Why would I do anything to hurt him!?"

"Maybe it was the fact you were good friends, but that would be the perfect cover, wouldn't it!?" the detective exclaimed, pointing his flipper at the novelist. "No one would even suspect you, but you got caught cold -flippered!"

"Oh, please! I wouldn't be that predictable!" the writer argued. "Besides, I'm completely innocent regardless of what happened to him! I was in my house working on my novel for the last few weeks. I barely had the time to go to the store to buy food with my inspirations, let alone visit the mayor to knock him out cold or kill him."

"...I still think the mustached man and the purple...animal did it," the wife said.

"YOU KNOW HIS NAME!!!!" the heroes exclaimed, though Fluttershy's was a bit softer as she apologized quietly for being too assertive to the cute and fluffy penguin.

"This case is just getting more confusing and interesting the longer it goes on," the detective pondered.

Over where the mayor was, his limbs began to twitch as he let out a groan. Everyone quickly turned to the noise, watching the penguin move a little. He then sat up, grunting in pain as he stood up, rubbing his sore back.

"Ooogh," the mayor groaned. "My aching...Not a smart idea..."

"AHHH!" the wife screamed. "My husband's returned as a ghost!"

"Hmm?" Looking up, the mayor noticed everyone in his study, new faces along with the ones he knew staring at him, his wife and the detective in shock while Twilight had a smug grin on her face as she looked at the green penguin detective. "Oh, hello everyone. What's going on here? Is there a party I'm not aware of?"

"M-Mayor Penguin!?" the detective exclaimed. "We thought you were dead! Our backroom murder mystery case is a wash! Doh, what a plot twist!"

"Dead? Why in the world would you all think I was dead?" the mayor asked. He scratched his head, wincing as he felt a slight bump as he recalled what he did. "I remember going to my shelf to get a souvenir I got for Herringway...Oh! That's right! I reached up for it, slipped, then whacked my head on the floor!"

"Aha! I knew it!" Twilight said triumphantly, blowing on her pipe in satisfaction. "I told you he knocked himself unconscious. Case solved."

The detective and Mayor Penguin's wife felt embarrassed for causing such a scene, mostly the female penguin in the room for worrying about her husband. The mayor looked around and found the present he was trying to reach for, grabbing it in his flippers and approached Herringway.

"Here you go, Herringway," he said. "This was what I was reaching for. "Toad Town was quite a sight to see, except for hearing about Princess Peach's castle getting lifted away by Bowser's castle. Once all this hubbub dies down, I'll tell you every single detail about it."

"Oh...Well, thank you, my friend. How thoughtful." Herringway took the present, wondering what the mayor got for him.

"Mayor, this whole time we thought you were murdered! The whole city was in an uproar!" The detective let out a sigh and made his way out of the house. "Next time, be more careful."

"Ah...yes," Mayor Penguin said with an embarrassed chuckle. "Terribly sorry."

"I actually thought it was a bit entertaining," Herringway assured. "The good thing is that everything is fine now, and you're still kicking, you old coot." Both penguins laughed as the two friends poked fun at each other. "Not only that, but this had just given me an idea for sequel to my next novel."

After saying goodbye, Herringway left with his present in tow. The mayor addressed his guests, feeling guilty for causing so much trouble, along with his wife as she stared at the floor in embarrassment for accusing them.

"Well, I think that's enough excitement for one day, huh?" the mayor said. "I always end up causing a ruckus sometimes."

"Oh, trust us. We've sometimes caused way worse back where we're from," Rainbow said.

"Uhh, I apologize for my...outburst," the female penguin said. "I got so scared and felt like someone should take the blame, and it was wrong of me to do that. How about that soup I promised everyone?"

"Yes, please!" Pinkie answered for everyone. "And make it a double serving for everypony! Especially Mario and Twilight!"

The mayor's wife nodded her head and made her way back to the kitchen, returning a moment later with several bowls of hot soup for everyone. She even brought out some tea for them, giving their guests any refills to make up for acting harshly toward them, especially forgetting Mario's popular status out of her shock and panic.

"So, Mario, you have quite the interesting entourage accompanying you," Mayor Penguin said. "It's like the whole Mushroom Kingdom has joined you. And...what of the other five? I've never seen creatures like them."

"We're ponies," Twilight said. "We actually come from another world after a dimensional teleportation spell of mine caught some interference, sending us here to the Mushroom Kingdom instead of where I intended on taking us. There's also a sixth pony who's with us, but she's currently down at the spa, feeling unclean after we trudged through the sewers to reach the pipe to Shiver City."

"Hmm...Ponies, eh?" the penguin uttered curiously. "Well, magic is no stranger to the Mushroom Kingdom, so anything could surprise us. Like Bowser's kidnapping fiasco yet again."

"We're gonna put a stop to him, and kick his spiky-shelled flank out of here!" Rainbow proclaimed.

"Allow me to introduce ourselves," Twilight said. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship in our world, Equestria. And this is Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Applejack. The other pony busy getting pampered is Rarity."

"Ya think one of us should get her so she can meet the mayor?" Applejack asked.

"And try some of this yummy soup!?" Pinkie added, slurping from her bowl loudly and with lack of any etiquette. "If she's not hungry, I'll take her share!"

"Well, Your Highness, I hope you find a way back home soon," the mayor said. "And despite Bowser's meddling, we hope you're enjoying what our world has to offer." He took a sip of his tea, his beloved joining him after setting the pot back on the stove to brew some more. "Anyways, I'm sure none of you here are exactly here in our city for relaxation."

"You got that right," Lakilester said.

"We're here in the region to reach Starborn Valley," Goombario said. "A Ninji visited Merlon back in Toad Town and told us his son, Merle, had some news to share with us. And we heard that you've kept the city under lockdown to keep others from coming in or out of the city."

"Yes, that is true," the mayor said. "After Bowser kidnapped the princess, I was almost caught before the castle was lifted from the ground. Thankfully I left before that happened, and with Bowser and his minions running loose around the region, I did not want to risk letting any of my fellow penguins get hurt out there. But, if you all need to leave to save the kingdom, then I'll let the gatekeeper allow you to come and go whenever you please."

"Thank you, Mr. Mayor," Twilight said. "And no hard feelings for the accusations, ma'am, but if you had just listened to me and made sure to CHECK on your husband, we wouldn't have had to waste time solving a pointless mystery that could have been resolved if EVERYPONY paid attention to the 'crime scene'."

"R-Right," the wife said nervously, letting out an embarrassed giggle. "Sorry again."

After getting permission, and a thermos of soup to save for Rarity to try, the party left the mayor's house and went to pick up the fashionista enjoying her spa day. As soon as they arrived, they found Rarity exiting the building, feeling much more relaxed as her coat seemed to shine.

"Ahhh. I feel much better now," she said to herself. She spotted the others and waved to them. "Hello, everypony! So, how did it go? Did you and Mario solve that problem, Twilight?"

"You really don't want to know," the alicorn said. She took off the detective's hat and pipe, placing them in her bag for safekeeping, knowing Pinkie will take them back and hide them where she puts her belongings. "But, now we can finally leave the city and head off to Starborn Valley."

"And we got some soup for you since you were too busy getting all cleaned up from all the inkiness, lack of cleaning, and being in the sewers!" Pinkie added, holding the thermos in her curly mane. "But, wouldn't it be pointless to have a spa day when we'll have to go back through the sewers again after we finish what we need to do up here? Then you'd have to get cleaned again after getting dirty again, and since we'll be fighting, we'll get all dirty and probably get ouchies when we fight baddies, bosses, and get caught in traps that'll surprise us and hurt us."

"I know, but I want to be completely clean after spending far too long away without any proper bathing," Rarity reasoned, making Bow roll her eyes in annoyance. "But, I am quite famished."

Rarity grabbed thermos from Pinkie with her telekinetic aura, opening the cap and took a few dainty sips, licking her lips at the delicious flavor. Once she had her fill, she closed the cap, saving the rest for later as they continued on their way. As they reached the exit to the city, a penguin in charge of keeping watch let them through, already getting word from the mayor to allow them to pass. Hopefully, all they would have to deal with at this point was the cold weather as they left Shiver City and made their way down the road to Starborn Valley.

Comments

[the koopanater]

coming soon, Jr. makes another appearance, unfortunately.

[GamePlayer64]

Taking all bets!!! I'm giving 90 to 10 that Twilight will freak out by Jr. Troopa who learns magic! The egg-wearing bully! The youngest stubborn Koopa! Come on baby!

[Xanatos Speed Chess]

"Come on, you can go a little harder. Momma likes it rough!"

[JediAlexColbent]

"Uhh, I apologize for my...outburst," the female penguin said. "I got so scared and felt like someone should take the blame, and it was wrong of me to do that. How about that soup I promised everyone?"

You need medication.

[JediAlexColbent]

8743703
Oh, I’m gonna miss George when his time comes. Shatner, not so much.