A couple days passed since Princess Peach's castle was lifted into the sky by Bowser's floating castle/super fortress. Word had begun to spread across the Mushroom Kingdom, many growing worried of what is happening to their fair princess and where Mario is right now. Some will know that the heroic plumber will save the day like he always does, but the few guests at the party who managed to escape didn't see him leave the castle. Either he was in a never-ending struggle against Bowser and his men, or he lost and was held prisoner inside his fortress.
Mario, however, was back on the ground in the kingdom, still unconscious as he rested in the Toad House placed in a friendly Goomba family's home. As he slept, Eldstar materialized before him as an apparition again, straining to use a little more power to warn Mario again, sensing he was ready to wake up soon.
"Mario? Can you hear me?" Eldstar asked. Mario managed to move a little, able to hear him, though he still slept. The Star Spirit sighed in relief as he picked the right time to appear before him. "Listen to me, Mario. I have something very important to tell you. My name is Eldstar, a Star Spirit...Unfortunately, I cannot speak with you here. You must come to Shooting Star Summit, where we Star Spirits will wait for you. It is of grave importance...for the princess...and for the kingdom..."
Eldstar's form disappeared in a flash of stars, saving the last of his strength for Mario to hear his plea. A moment later, Mario finally stirred awake, letting out a groan as he sat up and stretched his sore limbs. The Star Spirit's words still rang in his ears, confused as to whether or not that was a dream. He then realized he was nowhere in the castle, more inside of a hollowed out stump of a large tree that was turned into a room. He lifted the covers off himself and climbed out of the bed, scratching his head as he wondered to himself where he was.
The door opened as a Toad stepped in, gasping in surprise to see the plumber back on his feet. "Mario! Oh, thank the stars you're awake!" Mario turned as the Toad had opened the door, immediately being checked over to see if he was fully healed. "You've been out for the last couple days, and everyone's been starting to worry about you." Mario asked Toad where he was and how he got here. "You're in Goomba Village...Well, it's actually just a family of Goombas that live here, so why it's called a village is beyond me.
"But don't worry; these Goombas are actually pretty friendly," Toad assured before Mario decided to attack the family for no reason. Of course, the plumber himself wouldn't exactly do any harm to something he jumped on for several years in a village, especially when there were many enemies Bowser had in his army that actually wanted peace. "They found you out by a glade nearby, though how you got here out of all places baffled us. What happened?"
Mario began explaining what had happened to him, including meeting with Twilight and her friends. All he could remember before waking up in Goomba Village was getting beaten by Bowser, though he feared what had happened to the ponies if the spike-shelled Koopa didn't take them hostage like the guests that were still in the castle. He even told the mushroom retainer about hearing a Star Spirit talk to him and tell him about a place called Shooting Star Summit. The Toad looked at Mario strangely, especially around the point of meeting colorful talking ponies and the Star Spirit.
"...Uhh, Mario? Are you sure you weren't just dreaming?" The plumber shook his head, knowing that it must have been real. "...Well, ok. You did get beaten pretty bad, despite surviving...Though, I have heard of Shooting Star Summit. If a Star Spirit did talk to you, then that summit's the closest place to where they live: Star Haven. It's actually close to where Princess Peach's castle is...or, was, considering it's been taken by Bowser too..."
Mario never knew that Shooting Star Summit was that close to Peach's castle. Taking the information he needed after being asleep for a couple days, he set out to save the princess once again, first hearing out Eldstar's plea and see what else he and the other Star Spirits knew. And if Bowser had the Star Rod, which he claimed came from Star Haven, there had to be some way to dispel its power so he wouldn't become invincible and beat him again.
He stepped outside, squinting his eyes from the sunlight shining down on the land. Keeping the rim of his hat over his eyes, he stepped down and looked around the small "village". The Goomba family's home was nearby to his left, on the right was the forest glade they found him and a locked gate leading somewhere. He noticed the Goombas out front, spotting a young pink one with an orange bow, an older one working on a gate that leads out to Toad Town, and the last one wearing a blue hat, seeming a lot older than the young one. The hat-wearing Goomba saw him walk out, running up to him in surprise.
"Hey, Mario!" he said. "You're awake! Thank goodness!"
The younger Goomba heard her brother, cheering happily as she ran into Mario in a Goomba hug against his leg. "Yay! Mr. Mario's awake!"
The door to the house opened as an older pink Goomba walked out, wearing a pink bonnet on her head. "What's going on?" She looked over to the younger Goombas, being their mother from what Mario could see, letting out a gasp as she saw him awake. "Oh my goodness. He's awake. Honey! Mario's awake!"
The Goomba fixing the gate stopped his work, turning around to see the plumber was awake. "Thank the heavens! Mario, come over here for a moment! I'm a little busy at the moment!"
"Dad's fixing up the fence," the young male Goomba said. "I'm Goombario. That's my sister, Goombaria, who's in the middle of chomping your leg off."
"I'm hugging him, dummy!" Goombaria exclaimed, blowing a raspberry at her older brother.
Mario gently pulled the hugging Goomba off him, patting her head before making his way over toward their father. Goombaria followed after him, her mother going back inside the house to do some more chores.
"Ok. Almost done," the Goomba father muttered. Mario got his attention, giving him a little bit of a break. "So, feeling better already? Had us worried sick." The plumber then told the father he needed to head out right away to reach Shooting Star Summit immediately. "Oh. You need to leave right now...Well, I'm just about done with this gate, so it'll take a little while. You can just call me Goompapa if you want." Goompapa looked back at the gate and his tools, grumbling to himself, wondering if he missed something. "I'd probably get this fixed if dad wasn't so stubborn with that hammer of his. Hey, Mario, you think you can talk to my father and see if I can borrow his hammer? He should be in the back of the house, building a veranda to overlook the scenery."
Since the gate was almost done, Mario decided to waste some time and made his way inside the Goomba family's house. The inside of the house was quite homey for a family of six, also seeing Goompapa's mother and grandmother to Goombario and Goombaria. She was in the middle of a nap, but the mother was cleaning the house up, mostly her daughter's artistic drawings. Mario's stomach began growling, catching her attention.
"Hello, Mario!" she greeted, placing Goombaria's drawings on the table. "Welcome to our home. And, from the sound of your stomach, you have got to be starving after being unconscious for the last couple days." She made her way over to a cabinet and grabbed a few brown nuts, carrying them on her head to him. "Here. Have some Goomnuts. Fresh from the tree right outside our home. You can call me Goomama, and over there's my mother-in-law, Gooma."
Hearing her name, the elder Goomba mumbled something, adjusting her glasses as she sat up from her chair. "What's that? Someone call me?"
"No, mom. Go back to sleep," Goomama said. "Mario's finally awake and I'm going to give him something to snack on."
"Ehh, Mario? How lovely for him to visit us," Gooma muttered before passing out back in her chair.
Mario's stomach grumbled again, unable to say no to any food that was offered to him. He thanked the Goomba and took the Goomnuts, taking a bite out of them. They weren't exactly the fancy meals he expected to have before Bowser crashed the party, but it was something that sated his hunger. The plumber made his way to the back door, passing by the living room table, some chairs, a couple shelves with books or cooking supplies, and a stove.
Opening up the door, he heard a yelp as he startled what sounded like an older person. "My goodness! Don't do that!" Mario closed the door, finding the elder Goomba standing on a stool on the veranda with a wooden hammer in his mouth. He wore a green fez and had bushy gray eyebrows. "Oh! Mario! I heard you were awake. You startled me, though having the door open like that and threaten to knock me off the edge could do that. You can call me Goompa." After being introduced to the elder, Mario told Goompa that his son needed the hammer for the front gate. "Oh, so he's still working on that, eh? That darn earthquake caused it to break apart...Though, I'm almost done with the veranda. Just a few more touches, and I'll give it to him."
Goompa went back to work hammering the veranda as Mario headed back through the house to tell Goompapa his father was nearly done. He finished eating his Goomnuts before walking back outside, Goombaria glomping onto his leg again. He continued walking, the little Goomba giggling as she enjoyed the ride clinging onto Mario's leg with just her feet, seeing Goompapa had just finished fixing the gate.
"There. Finally done." He turned around to see Mario had come back, his daughter hugging the plumber's leg. "Well, looks like I didn't need the hammer after all. The gate's all finished and you're good to leave."
"Awwww. Mr. Mario's gotta leave?" Goombaria whined.
"Sorry, sweetheart, but the Toad from the Toad House told me Mario has to go off and rescue the princess again," Goompapa said. The little Goomba pouted, climbing down from Mario's leg. "I'm sure he'll come back and visit us when he has the time."
Mario nodded his head, patting Goombaria on the head, promising to come back when all this was over. They soon heard cackling from the air, looking up to see Bowser's Kamek assistant, Kammy Koopa, swooping in from the sky on her broomstick. She stopped and hovered above them, pulling out her wand as she leered down at the plumber.
"I knew my instincts were right," she said. "I still can't believe you managed to survive getting beaten by Lord Bowser AND live after falling from such a height! Not to mention those four-legged creatures are alive out there as well!" Mario gasped, surprised to hear Twilight and her friends had fallen and were attacked by Bowser as well. He growled and put his fists up, demanding Kammy to tell him what happened to them. "They didn't even manage to do anything with their unique magic, so they failed just as much as you had! I actually got reports from a couple of our strongest members in his army that two of them were spotted, one in different areas. Which is why, when they catch any one of them, I'll study their magic and figure out how they tick."
"Hey, who's that weird thing, daddy?" Goombaria asked, making the witch's eye twitch in irritation.
"Weird!? You little brat! How dare you!?" she screamed. "I am the most beautiful Koopa with a beautiful name: Kammy Koopa!" Mario rolled his eyes, the old hag nowhere near beautiful at her age. "I wish I had time to teach you a lesson, but I've got important matters to deal with! Whatever you plan to do, Mario, you'll only be wasting your time! Lord Bowser is far stronger than you can ever imagine!
"Now, here's a little parting gift from him to you!" Kammy lifted up her wand as she began muttering a spell, dark purple circles of aura forming above the point of her aimed wand. It began to materialize a giant yellow block, far bigger than any normal blocks Mario jumped into to break for either coins or a random item if he were lucky. The witch then tossed the block up into the air, thrusting her wand down, and sent the block slamming down to the ground. The heavy landing wound up causing a quake that made the Goombas jump and fall on their backs, along with shattering the finished gate Goompapa was working on, blocking Mario's path back to Toad Town. "Nyeah heh heh heh heh! You will all kneel before King Bowser's new kingdom! The Mushroom Kingdom will be no more!"
Kammy cackled harder as she flew off, gloating as she left Mario stranded in the village. Goombario snapped out of his stunned state, his jaw dropping as he saw the state of the fence.
"Oh, come on!" he cried out in frustration. "We just got that fence fixed!"
Goompapa just stared at the yellow block, grumbling to himself. "...All that hard work...Unbelievable. That witch just ruined three whole days worth of work!"
"And Mario needs to get back to town and save the princess now! What can we do, dad!?" the young Goomba male asked.
"Uhhh...Dad's hammer!" the older Goomba said. "Maybe that can break through the block!"
Mario nodded in agreement, knowing his fists won't be able to break something like this. He went back in the house to find Goompa and ask to borrow the hammer. Goomama and Gooma were a bit startled by the sudden quake, but they were unharmed. He barged through the back door onto the veranda, but there was no sign of the old Goomba. As a matter of fact, he expected to be standing on the veranda, but felt nothing but air. Mario gulped and slowly looked down at his feet, standing on air, the veranda below having fell off the house from the quake as it stood below in a pile of rubble. He looked up as gravity finally struck him, letting out a scream as he fell like the veranda.
Hearing his scream, Goomama opened the door, gasping in surprise to see the veranda her father-in-law built had been destroyed. "Oh no! That quake made the veranda fall!"
Goompapa, Goombario, and Goombaria ran inside as they heard the female Goomba, standing by the opened back door. They saw Mario fall, but with his jumping prowess, he landed down safely away from the ruins of the platform with a thud. He breathed out a sigh, looking up to see he had fallen quite a ways down.
"Mario! Are you alright!?" Goompapa asked. The plumber gave him a thumbs up, still in one piece. "Ok! Is dad alright!?" Mario looked around for Goompa, thankfully finding him ok not too far away, groaning in pain as he sat up. He nodded his head, relieving the Goomba family as they sighed in relief. "Alright! Try to find a way back up to the house! Make sure dad doesn't hurt himself too much and keep him safe for us!"
Mario nodded again, not even considering leaving a member of the family who helped him when he was unconscious. Goompa managed to stand on his feet, a cracking sound in his back making him yelp as he groaned in agony.
"Ugh...Curse this bad back of mine," he uttered. Mario ran up to check on him to make sure he wasn't in too much pain. "That was unexpected. Two earthquakes out of nowhere..." Goompa heard Mario ask if he was ok, turning around to face the plumber. "Oh, Mario. I think I'll live. If I'm still breathing, I'm not going down." He looked up, seeing the empty space where his handmade veranda used to be. "Eh. Gonna need to rebuild that.
"Probably a bit careless to leap before you look, huh, Mario?" The Goomba laughed at his joke, though Mario didn't find it all that funny. "Well, jokes aside, we aren't really all that far from making it back to the house. It's right over-" Goompa began to head off down the path, only to realize their way was blocked by a similar yellow block the prevented Mario from getting out of Goomba Village. "-there...Oh. This is quite a predicament...and I ended up dropping my hammer when we fell." The only way that was left from what they could see was a small field that lead to a dead end. "My hammer should be strong enough to break down that block. Let's search this way and see if we can find it."
Mario and Goompa entered the field to begin their search for the dropped hammer. It wasn't laying out in the open, which meant it had to have fallen somewhere in the bushes. There wasn't much shrubbery to look through, and in only a few minutes, Mario found the wooden mallet by a bush near the end of the field. He gave it a few test swings, finding it suits him quite well, but since it's Goompa's, the old Goomba will want it back.
"Aha! You found it!" Goompa said. "Perfect! Let's head on back home so my family knows I don't need to go to a hospital after surviving that fall." He went on ahead while Mario lagged behind, wondering if having a hammer would help him deal a bit more damage to Bowser. "You know, back in my day, I used to explore the Mushroom Kingdom with some good buddies of mine. I know just about everything in the-" Goompa suddenly stopped talking as what sounded like several punches connecting to something alerted Mario as he looked up. "YEOW!"
Goompa tumbled back toward the plumber, skidding across the grass until he stopped against Mario's feet. While the old Goomba groaned, Mario looked up to see who attacked him. Approaching the two of them was what looked like a young Koopa Troopa, though it didn't look like he had a shell and instead wore two halves of a cracked egg, the upper half as a hat and the bottom as a pair of pants.
"Hey! What are you idiots doing in my playground!?" the young Koopa yelled as he pointed a finger at them.
Goompa sat up, letting out a groan as his back cracked again. "Agh!...Oh no. Jr. Troopa." Mario helped the elder Goomba back on his feet, asking who that kid was. "Jr. Troopa's the boss of the neighborhood gang around here. He's nothing but a bully, and he always picks on us Goombas, but he's not all that tough."
"Not all that tough!?" Jr. Troopa explained. "I'll show you who's tough, and you two will be punished for entering my playground without permission!" He cracked his knuckles, leering intensely at the intruders. "I'll start with you first, old timer!"
Jr. Troopa yelled as he rushed toward them, flailing his fists while his feet were a blur. Mario quickly leapt in front of Goompa and swung the wooden hammer, smacking the Koopa hard in the face, sending him flying back to the entrance of Jr. Troopa's "playground".
"Nice shot, Mario," Goompa complimented. "You're pretty good with a hammer."
Jr. Troopa growled, getting back up on his feet. "So, you're Mario, huh!? Alright, Mario, prepare to feel the wrath of Jr. Troopa!"
The eggshell-wearing Koopa charged forward again, making Mario question the schoolyard bully's level of threat if he just runs at someone and screams like a maniac. Jr. Troopa began punching, Mario evading his fists as he swung the hammer again, slamming it down on him. Completely dazed, the plumber took the advantage and fought back, stowing away his hammer and punching the Koopa in the gut. Jr. Troopa didn't let the loss of breath stop him, grabbing Mario and headbutting him in the face, making the plumber stagger back in surprise.
The Koopa leapt up and tried to bounce on the hero's head. Mario quickly grabbed Jr. Troopa's leg, then swung him around and threw him across the field. Jr. Troopa got back up, growling angrily.
"Keep it up, Mario!" Goompa cheered. "You may have been out for a while, but you haven't gotten rusty like I have!"
"That's it!" Jr. Troopa shouted. "I'm just getting warmed up! Time to get serious! Full power!!!"
He flexed his arms and let out a roar. Mario just stared at the kid, shaking his head in pity at Koopa's pitiful attempt to defeat him. He charged forward again, but the plumber was going to end this, wasting enough time with Kammy Koopa stopping him. Pulling out the wooden hammer, he waited for Jr. Troopa to get closer. With a powerful swing, Mario struck Jr. Troopa hard in the face, stopping the Koopa in his tracks. Pulling the weapon away, seeing the dazed expression in the bully's swirling eyes, he kicked Jr. Troopa back, sending him tumbling across the ground.
"Great work, Mario!" Goompa cheered as he bounced up and down, stopping his celebrating as he felt his back acting up again. "Ow! Bad back!"
Mario dusted his gloved hands off, placing the hammer away in his pocket. Before he could lead Goompa back to his home, Jr. Troopa groaned, shaking his head and stood up. The plumber prepared to give the temperamental brat another whupping, the Koopa growling as he glared at Mario in spite.
"You..I'll remember this, Mario!" he said. "I'll be back to get my revenge!" Jr. Troopa ran off, only to come back a few seconds later. "I mean it! I'll be back!"
He ran off again, this time running off to who knows where. Mario had a strange feeling that he would end up encountering Jr. Troopa again, but if the kid was going to bother him, he won't hold back this time.
"Well, good riddance," Goompa muttered. "Let's head back home. I think I've had enough excitement for one day."
Mario couldn't agree more, both Goomba and plumber making their way down the other direction. Using the hammer, Mario smashed the yellow block to pieces, destroying the barricade keeping them trapped in Jr. Troopa's hangout. As they walked along the path, they ran into a few bad Goombas that got in their way. Mario was able to deal with them easily, just the normal Goombas he would expect from Bowser's army. However, there was something he didn't expect from the regular Goomba and Paragoomba: Spiked Goombas, Goombas that are smart enough to put a spike cap on their head to avoid getting stomped. It didn't stop Mario now that he had a hammer, easily thwarting their defensive strategy.
The back path eventually wound up leading them back to the village from behind the locked gate by the Toad House. Goompa unlocked it, holding onto the key to make sure his grandchildren didn't wind up going down that dangerous path on their own, or ever get into a fight with Jr. Troopa.
"Goompa!" Gombaria cried out as she spotted Mario and Goompa came back. The little Goomba rammed into her grandfather, knocking him over while she sobbed dramatically. "I thought you were a goner!"
"Back! Back!" Goompa yelped, bothering the elder Goomba's back pain.
Mario helped him by pulling Goombaria off of him, the rest of the Goomba family ran up to them, although Gooma was still inside the house. "Dad, you gave us quite a scare!"
"Oh, you don't need to keep worrying about me," Goompa said to his son. "I'm an old Goomba who's already lived out his youth. Besides, Mario was with me, so I was perfectly fine. Except for my back. That fall hurt."
The Goomba family hugged, the younger members happy to have their eldest back safe and sound. They all headed inside the house to help Goompa back inside, needing a long rest after the beatings he took, the fall when the veranda collapsed, and Goombaria glomping him. The old Goomba decided to keep their meeting with Jr. Troopa a secret, even though the whole family knows about the eggshell fashionable Koopa and his delinquent ways. As everyone ate some lunch, more Goomnuts from their tree outside, Goombario sat over by Mario, feeling a little antsy.
"...So, Mario, you always beat up enemies pretty easily," he said, striking a conversation. "Do you ever work out, or does fighting Bowser give you enough training as it is?" Mario brought a finger to his chin, finding his answer more on the latter since Bowser would never give him a break. "Well, I've been practicing self-defense from what I learned in books and what Goompa and dad taught me. I keep myself exercised every day, though it's mostly because I always get picked on by a pair of brothers down Goomba Road. But I have gotten stronger. I've even got some muscle on me."
While Goombario strained as he flexed, Mario having no clue what muscles a Goomba would need to work on besides their legs, Goombaria giggled as she skipped up to them. "Yeah! Goombario's head is as hard as a rock! When he headbonks anyone, it really hurts!"
"S-Shut up, Goombaria!" Goombario exclaimed with a light blush. "Even if that is true, my head's not that thick!"
"Oh, yes it is!" The older brother got flustered as Goombaria teased him.
While Mario watched the siblings banter, their parents and Goompa talked to themselves about something out of their hearing. Goomama was a little concerned, but both male Goombas had to reassure her and calm her down. Despite his back, Goompa sat up from his seat and made his way over to Mario, Goombario, and Goombaria.
"Well, Mario, I know you have a lot to do, so let's not keep you here any longer when the kingdom is in trouble," Goompa said. "You can hold onto that hammer. I probably won't be needing it since you can wield it better than I can. If I were a bit younger, I'd show those fiends a thing or two, but with my lower back killing me, I can't travel as much as I used to." He then looked at his grandson, Goombario's eyes shifting to his parents and his grandfather. "Goombario, why don't you go along with Mario and help him save the Mushroom Kingdom?"
"Huh!?" Goombario was taken completely by surprise. He looked at his parents, his father nodding his head with a proud smile, his mother nodding as well, though she looked reluctant as her eyes were welling with tears. "Wait, you mean I can actually go with Mario!?"
"Of course," Goompa said. "You're a grown Goomba. You're old enough to go off on your own, and we know you can protect yourself after all the hard work you put into training. And, I'm sure with Mario's approval, he'll be needing an extra hand to take out Bowser's troops if things are as bad as they are now."
The young Goomba's jaw dropped. It's always been his dream to be an adventurer like his grandfather from hearing all the stories of his travels, towns he's visited, and friends he had made throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. Now, he was given permission from his family to go and assist Mario, help him save the kingdom, and even rescue Princess Peach. Goombario looked at Mario, the plumber thinking about the offered assistance. Considering he was dealing with far more power from Bowser than in the past, he was going to need a lot of help this time. After an agonizing few minutes, Mario nodded his head, accepting any help he can get from the young Goomba.
Goombario's slack-jawed mouth turned into a wide grin, leaping up into the air and whooping excitedly. "WHOO HOO! YES! I'm gonna go on an adventure with Mario!" He ran up to his parents and hugged them. "Thanks, mom and dad! Thanks, Goompa!" After giving his grandfather a hug, being mindful of his back, he stood before with a determined grin. "You can count on me, Mario! I won't let you down!"
Mario held Goombario to that promise as the two shook on it, now partners on this epic journey. "Hooray, Goombario!" Goombaria cheered. "Now you can finally bring back a girlfriend when you save the Mushroom Kingdom!"
Goombario blanched, his face turning red in embarrassment from his sister's teasing. "G-Goombaria!" The little Goomba giggled at his reaction. "That's it. Before I go, I'm gonna give you a hard noogie!"
"Ahhhh!" Goombario chased his sister, trying to pounce on her to leave behind his parting gift for her when he and Mario set off out of the village. "Noo! I don't want a noogie!"
He finally caught Goombaria and gave her a noogie, but it wasn't as hard as he promised it would be. Not wanting to waste anymore time, they exited the house and made their way to the front entrance, which was still barricaded by the large yellow block Kammy left for Mario. The plumber pulled out his new hammer and slammed it down, shattering the block to pieces and freeing the path to Goomba Road. After one more heartfelt goodbye from Goombario's family, his mother hugging him a bit longer than the rest of his family, the duo set off down the road to reach Shooting Star Summit and meet with the Star Spirits.
"Are you sure he'll be alright?" Goomama asked with worry.
"He'll be fine, dear," Goompapa reassured. "You know he's been dying to go out and see the Mushroom Kingdom after hearing all of dad's stories." His wife nodded her head, knowing just how much Goombario wanted to travel and see the world ever since he was little. As soon as Mario and the blue capped Goomba were out of sight, the Goomba let out a heavy sigh as he looked at the debris that was the newly built gate he had fixed moments ago. "Well, I better start fixing this gate...again..."
"I can help fix it, daddy!" Goombaria said, offering her help.
"No, Goombaria, I think I can handle it." He kicked a few pieces of the splintered gate out of the way, cleaning up the mess left behind no thanks to Kammy Koopa. "I'm starting to think this fence is cursed after it got broken twice in one week."
"Since when were you superstitious?" Goompa asked.
"When the gate was destroyed by that quake no thanks to Bowser," Goompapa replied.
Back in Equestria, Starlight read through everything in the castle's library to better figure out Twilight's dimensional traveling spell. Despite being as powerful of a magician as the alicorn, she was afraid of attempting to pull off the spell if it caused her to wind up in some other world. She also didn't want to accidentally appear in the human world, either scaring off the people there or turning into one of them and have no access to her magic. Spike wasn't faring any better as he freaked out the last couple days, barely able to concentrate on sending an emergency letter to Princess Celestia in his panicked state.
"No...No...Urgh! Nothing!" Starlight exclaimed, tossing away another book. "There's never been a dimensional traveling spell ever made until now. The only way through is by an enchanted portal, and even then, it only brought Twilight through an alternate dimension of our world!" She grabbed another book at random, skimming through the pages. "And there's nothing that can tell me where she ended up! It's like she had some kind of magic surge, but whatever it was, I can't trace it!"
She continued searching through each magic book she could find on the shelves until she eventually gave up, needing a break from the stressful three days. Starlight went to check on Spike in his room, the baby dragon lying in his bed, his eyes red and puffy from lack of sleep and crying at night. He turned his head to look at the unicorn, who tried to give him a reassuring grin, but he knew her searching was fruitless.
"You can't find anything," he stated for her, feeling devoid of life as he sounded miserable.
Starlight frowned and let out a sigh. "I'm trying, Spike. But I can't find anything on dimensional travel, and I don't want to risk using that spell by myself." Spike looked up at the ceiling as the mare sat beside his bed. "We really need the princess' help. You think you can try sending Princess Celestia a letter?"
The baby dragon sighed, but he nodded his head. Starlight wrote the emergency letter and held it over his mouth, green flames blowing out from his mouth and sending the letter away. It wasn't long before they heard Celestia and Luna teleport in Spike's room, both mares in a panic at the unfortunate news.
"Starlight, what happened?" Celestia asked. "Where did Twilight end up?"
"I don't know," Starlight said with a shrug. "She was supposed to see if her spell could take her and anypony else to the other Equestria through that mirror. But some odd magical surge came out of nowhere, and when we asked Sunset on the other side, she said she didn't see them."
"So she's in some other world, or another dimension from ours," Luna pondered. "Show us the magical algorithm she had used for the spell."
"Yes. If it's anything like the enchantment of the portal, maybe we can find it if we cast it on the mirror as long as it isn't active," Celestia theorized. "I know Twilight always checks over her work, so I doubt her spell is flawed, but not everything turns out perfectly, even from outside forces that may affect our world in mysterious ways."
Starlight lead the princesses to where Twilight's dimensional travel spell was written, leaving Spike in his room as he finally passed out after sending the letter.