Mario and Goombario walked through Goomba Road, which wasn't that long compared to many other paths to and from Toad Town. Goombario alerted his new partner and friend of the Goombas that roamed the path, but they weren't nothing the heroic plumber could handle. Even with the addition of Spiked Goombas, any of Bowser's followers or troublemakers looking for a fight were easily dealt with by the duo. Mario even got a look at how strong Goombario was as his grandfather claimed, leaping up onto his foes and bonking them hard with his strong skull. Unfortunately, Mario could only deal with the Spiked Goombas, since he could easily punch them away, or use his trusty new hammer.
"So, Mario, the Toad working in the Toad House told us all what really went down," Goombario said, striking a conversation while they calmly walked. "We need to get to Shooting Star Summit so you can talk to the Star Spirits, right?" Mario nodded his head. "And you also mentioned these...ponies you met at the castle...They sound a lot like mythical creatures Goompa had read from an old storybook or something." The plumber explained to Goombario about Twilight and her friends, though only what little he did know upon meeting them. He even felt a bit worried hearing Kammy tell his enemy that their soldiers spotted two of them in different parts of the kingdom, which explained the "four-legged creatures" she talked about back at the Goomba's home. "Huh. That's a bit strange, though.
"Magical equine creatures from another world...They tried to fight Bowser, but they couldn't even stop him with the Star Rod's power. And if he didn't fling them out of the castle, then what did?" Mario didn't have an answer for that, being unconscious before waking up in Goomba Village.
Mario did wonder what kind of magic the Mane Six had if they had something powerful that was able to defeat villains. But with Bowser in possession of the Star Rod, there was no way anything could leave a mark on him. Not even if he were shot point blank by a Bullet Bill Cannon filled to the brim with dynamite inside of a Bullet Bill the size of a mountain. He was at least glad that those six mares were unharmed as they mysteriously fled, but they had no idea what dangers waited for them wherever they landed.
Goombario pulled out the map of the Mushroom Kingdom he packed inside his hat before leaving, humming in thought as he gauged how far they had been walking as they took a small break. "Let's see...I think we're about halfway there..." He then grumbled, remembering something he completely forgot to mention to Mario. "Wait. The Goomba King's Fortress is close to Toad Town. He's supposedly our 'Goomba King', but he's just a normal Goomba who thinks he's in charge of us when he works for Bowser. What's worse is that there's a bridge behind it for travelers to safely walk over the gap between the road and Toad Town's entrance, and it's been up for the last couple days.
"Mom wasn't able to go grocery shopping because of him, so all we had to go on for a while were our Goomnuts." Goombario rolled up the map and placed it back under his hat with a sigh. "I'm pretty sure those two might be there as well since they work for him." Mario looked at Goombario with concern, but the Goomba shook his head. "It's nothing. Let's keep going."
Without any questions of Goombario's behavior, the duo continued on their way. Mario had a feeling the "two" he mentioned might have been the bullies who picked on him, judging by the way he sounded. They beat more roaming Goombas ahead of them until they reached a small cliff Mario could easily jump, but there was also a spring for those without the same jumping abilities as he had.
"Hold it right there!" Mario and Goombario stopped as soon as they got close to the spring, two Goombas on the cliff appearing before them.
Goombario grimaced, recognizing the two Goombas he didn't want to meet. "Oh, perfect," he uttered. "Red and Blue Goomba."
Standing in their way were two slightly bigger Goombas, at least twice as big as Goombario was. One of them was red while the other blue, aptly named Red and Blue Goomba.
"Well, well, well, lookie here, little bro!" Red Goomba said. "Looks like Kammy was right! Mario isn't really dead yet!"
"Yeah," Blue Goomba agreed as he chuckled. "And he's hanging out with that shrimp, Goombario!"
The two brothers laughed at the smaller Goomba. Mario looked down at Goombario, his guess was right as those two were indeed his bullies from the angry glare he had toward them.
"Yeah, those two are my bullies, Red and Blue," Goombario answered Mario's unasked question. "Red's the older brother while Blue's the younger. These two picked on me when I was little, and then headbonked me over and over until I couldn't move."
"And it looks like we're gonna do it again, and even harder now that you're a 'big Goomba' now!" Red taunted, using his feet to quote the title he gave Goombario.
"You think that hanging out with Mario makes you stronger than us!?" Blue asked. "You're so pathetic, you probably can't even make a dent in the ground with your own head! Even if we pound you into it!"
While Red and Blue Goomba kept mocking Goombario, even though their insults infuirated him, the smaller Goomba kept his cool. Getting frustrated with their teasing would only entertain them further and get them to pick on him more. He could remember the beatings he took from them like they happened yesterday, motivated by his father and grandfather as they taught him self-defense, constantly training to protect himself and his family from bullies and dangerous creatures. Getting back at them was at the top of his list, but not for revenge. He was going to show those two jerks how much he's changed while they haven't.
"Then why don't you two come down here and fight me!?" Goombario goaded. Red and Blue Goomba blinked, then looked at each other, and burst out laughing. They fell on their backs and rolled around, clutching their sides if they hard arms to hold anything. Goombario looked at Mario, the plumber ready to back him up with a nod. "I'm serious, Goomba Bros.! If you think you're strong enough to take us both on, then come down here! I'll even fight you myself!"
That only made them laugh harder, not believing a word their victim said. Getting sick of them stalling them from saving the Mushroom Kingdom, Goombario ran forward, jumped onto the spring, leapt up high, and fell down, headbonking Red Goomba hard in the stomach. Hearing his brother gasping for breath, Blue sat up and leered at Goombario, bounding off the hacking Red as he landed back with Mario.
"Hey! You little twerp!" Blue shouted as he stood up, leaping down in front of the spring. "How dare you hit my brother like that!?"
"You guys did the same thing to me: attacking me out of nowhere, where I was completely defenseless and unaware," Goombario justified. "And you're in our way to stop Bowser! Either move aside, or fight us!"
Red growled and leapt down beside his brother, his brow twitching angrily as he glared at Goombario. "You're gonna regret that, shrimp! Let's get 'em, Blue!"
The Goomba Bros. yelled and charged forward, leaping into the air to headbonk them individually: Blue against Mario, Red against Goombario. Goombario leapt back while Mario jumped up, punching Blue as he sent the younger brother back into the air. Red slammed into the ground, leaving behind an imprint of his skull as he pulled out and tried to headbutt the smaller Goomba. Goombario struck back with his own head as they butted against each other. Red wound up reeling back and yelped in pain, his forehead growing a purplish bruise, the smaller Goomba's skull stronger than his.
"I'm not the same 'runt' as back then, Red," Goombario said. "Thanks to you, I learned how to fight back, and I know a few tricks Goompa had taught me that not even my dad knows! I've always wanted to be an adventurer, but knowing that there might be something dangerous that might attack me at any moment, I've only gotten stronger and stronger as I kept training until I could barely move!"
"Y-You...You're still just a runt!" Red shouted. "You can't beat me! I'll beat you into the ground until I bury you ten feet under!"
While Red began lashing out in a rage, Blue continued trying to jump on Mario and clonk him in the head with his skull. Mario just kept avoiding the younger brother, waiting for the right time to strike and tire the Goomba out. With each opening, he punched or kicked the Goomba back, making him attempt to headbonk him, dodging it, repeating the motions until it began irritating the taller blue Goomba.
"Hold still!" Blue complained. "We're not letting you through to the Goomba King's Fortress!"
Blue Goomba tried to give Mario a diving kick, but the plumber pulled out his hammer, slamming the Goomba into the ground. Red heard his brother grunt as he was struck by the wooden mallet, forgetting Goombario and ran to attack Mario's back.
"Get off my brother, you-!" Goombario ran to Red's side and kicked him away, sending the red Goomba tumbling across the grass.
"Keep your eyes on who you fight, Red," Goombario lectured. Red Goomba growled and leapt back onto his feet, roaring angrily as he charged forward. Goombario took in a deep breath, using the technique his grandfather taught him to take one of his bullies out. He strained his muscles and let out a grunt, the veins in his head bulging as he increased his skull's strength. "And don't underestimate-" He then headbutted Red, sending him falling on his back as he groaned from Goombario's even stronger skull. The powered up Goomba leapt up and fell down on Red Goomba headfirst. "-a runt like ME!"
Goombario landed down hard on Red's stomach, making him gasp from the loss of breath, but the smaller Goomba bounded back up from the impact, and kept bonking him over and over. As Blue shook off the blow from Mario's hammer, they both turned to hear Red's wheezing grunts, the younger brother screaming as he focused on Goombario.
"Get off my big brother, you pint-sized twerp!" Blue exclaimed, ramming into Goombario as the two tumbled over each other.
"Guess it's your turn, huh, Blue Goomba!?" Goombario asked, using his feet to grab Blue's waist as they rolled, quickly pinning his bully to the ground as they stopped. "Alright, then. After all: sharing is caring!"
Mario watched Goombario as he jumped up and headbonked Blue's stomach, landing on him over and over, never missing a bounce as he used one of his bullies like a trampoline. After hitting Blue enough times, the smaller Goomba bounced off and landed in front of Mario, the veins in his head disappearing as he relaxed, panting heavily. They both waited as they watched the groaning Goomba Bros., both of them getting a taste of their own medicine from their victim's painful bonking.
"Ow..." Red slowly sat up, wincing in pain as he looked back at his brother. "B-Blue?"
"My stomach," Blue groaned, barely able to move as he too sat up.
Red growled as he looked back at Goombario, beating up both him and his younger brother, humiliated by the smaller Goomba. He stood up and ran to Blue, helping him on his feet.
"Y-You haven't...beaten us!" Red claimed, even though the two of them were badly injured.
They leapt onto the spring and ran down the road on the small cliff, fleeing in defeat. Goombario grinned, showing his bullies he wasn't the same weak Goomba kid back then. He looked back at Mario, who gave him a thumbs up, impressed by his bonking skills.
"Goompa taught me all of that," he said. "He wasn't an adventurer for nothing if he couldn't defend himself." Goombario sat down, feeling winded after the adrenaline in his system finally wore out as he panted. "Sure is exhausting making my head stronger than stone...and bouncing like that."
Mario put his hammer away and let Goombario rest for a moment before continuing on. As soon as he was up on his feet, they bounced up onto the cliff using the spring and continued heading east to Toad Town, and the Goomba King's Fortress.
Red and Blue Goomba hobbled away as they escaped, beaten and bruised by the Goomba they had picked on. "I can't believe he beat us, bro!"
"Well, he won't be able to beat the Goomba King!" Red said. "That twerp and Mario won't even be able to lay a scratch on him!"
Up ahead, they spotted the Goomba King's Fortress, sitting before a cliff side that separated Goomba Road from Toad Town. The fortress itself made of gray brick with a small tower in the center, not much of a royal building for someone who was known as a king. Gray clouds filled the sky, making the building look ominous, despite its size. The Goomba Bros. ran up to the metal door and knocked on it.
"Goomba King, we got our butts handed to us!" Blue said. "Let us in!"
The doors opened, a large figure standing before them. "You let Mario beat you two!?" the deep voice questioned. "It was two against one!"
"It wasn't Mario," Red admitted.
"It was that stupid little squirt, Goombario!" Blue added.
"...You can't be serious." Both Goombas nodded their heads as the figure groaned in annoyance. "Get in here, you dolts."
The Goomba Bros. ran inside as the doors slammed close. A while later, Mario and Goombario arrived at the fortress, the latter fully prepared for another fight after unleashing his full power. They could see the edge of Toad Town straight across the small ravine, not too far from where they needed to go.
"Well, here's the Goomba King's Fortress," Goombario said. He moved over to the edge of the cliff and peeked around the stone building, letting out a sigh as he was right. "Yup. The bridge is out. Unless one of us can grow wings, we need to put the bridge back up." The Goomba made his way back over to Mario, nearly losing his balance as they felt a sudden shake from something thumping the ground. "W-What the-?" Another thump, another shake. "Why's the ground shaking like that?"
They turned to where the thumping was coming from, which happened to be the fortress. It was also making nearby trees shake their leaves loose, which did not sound good for neither plumber nor Goomba. After a bit more thumping, they saw the Goomba Brothers smirking as they poked their heads up behind the roof's guard railing. Then, leaping up between them was one of the biggest Goombas Mario and Goombario had ever seen.
"Mario!" the large Goomba exclaimed.
"Holy Hyper Goombas!" Goombario yelped at the sight of the behemoth of a Goomba. He was a light brown, his eyes derped as they crossed and looked either up or down, a white mustache, red and white striped pants, and a gold and read crown upon his head. "That can't be the Goomba King, can it!? There's no way he's that big!"
"Yeah, you better believe it, runt!" Red Goomba taunted.
"Any closer, and you're going to get squashed for once, Mario!" Blue added, both brothers feeling smug now that they have their leader with them. "Bet you're shaking in your boots, aren't ya!?"
"You two aren't getting any closer!" the Goomba King said. "I, the great and powerful Goomba King, will destroy you, Mario, and Bowser will surely see I am worthy of his presence!"
"Yeah, and Goombario, too!" Red added.
"Hehehe! Hope you said bye to mommy, twerp!" Blue taunted.
"Let's get 'em, boys!" The Goomba Bros. cheered as all three Goombas leapt down from the fortress, Mario and Goombario leaping back as they faced the king and his two lackeys.
"We've got your back, Goomba King!" Red cheered.
"We'll watch your back!" Blue added.
The Goomba King, now seeing him up close, was at least five times bigger than Goombario. Despite how big he was, the smaller Goomba wasn't going to back away, and neither would Mario. The only problem was that it was now three-on-two, with a giant of a Goomba and two already beaten minions right behind him.
"Ok, this is...kinda bad," Goombario said. Mario couldn't agree more as he pulled out his hammer. "We need to get rid of Red and Blue Goomba. They still look weak after what I did to them...But how can we with the Goomba King covering them to catch us off by surprise if we try to get him from behind?" Goombario looked around to see if there was anything they could use to their advantage. Looking up, he saw one of the biggest Goomnuts he had ever seen hanging above them, their fight right next to a Goomnut tree. It was unripened and surrounded by sharp leaves, making it a heavy and dangerous hazard for anyone under it. And just their luck, it was hovering right above the Goomba King. "Aha! I got an idea, Mario!"
Mario went with whatever Goombario had in mind as he, the Goomba King, and the Goomba Bros. watched him run straight for the tree. Goombario yelled and leapt forward, ramming his rock-hard head into the trunk, shaking the branches. Red and Blue laughed, thinking he was fleeing in fright and hit the tree by mistake.
"What an idiot!" Blue guffawed.
Their laughter died down when Goombario faced them, grinning as he pointed a foot up. The three foes looked up as they saw the large Goomnut hanging above the Goomba King, detaching from its branch and landing on the large Goomba. The king groaned in pain, but Red and Blue screamed as the heavy nut bounced off their leader and headed straight for them. They couldn't get out of the way in time as it bounced on them, knocking them out as they fell like the Goomnut.
"Who's the idiot now!?" Goombario cheered, his plan worked as he managed to knock two birds with one stone. The Goomnut didn't knock out the Goomba King, but it did hurt him pretty bad as a bump formed on his head. "Now it's a fair fight!"
"You're going to pay for that!" The Goomba King used Goombario's idea, not as dumb as he appeared to be as he jumped up and slam down on the ground.
He caused the tree to shake, sending smaller Goomnuts raining down on the two heroes. Goombario could only leap away, those unripened nuts harder than his own head, while Mario smacked them away with his hammer. As soon as there were no Goomnuts left, Mario threw his hammer, smacking the Goomba King right between the eyes as it bounced off him. The plumber ran forward, jumped and grabbed his weapon, then fell back down to slam it down on the large Goomba.
Growling, the Goomba King slammed his head hard against Mario, sending the plumber back a ways as he stomped after him. Mario flipped back on his feet, rubbing his sore face from the headbutt. Before the derpy-eyed king could kick the plumber, Goombario tackled him hard in the gut, sending the king staggering back as he coughed.
"How did you get this big, Goomba King!?" Goombario asked. "There's no way a specific diet or a ton of Mushrooms can do that!"
"Grr. Bowser gifted me with this size thanks to the Star Rod!" the Goomba King answered. "With my new size, I would clearly be the king of all Goombas! And if I destroy Mario, I'll be given a better position of power than just Goomba Road!"
"Even now, you're still the dumb low-life Goomba who still thinks he can command us to do whatever he says. Well, I think it's high time we dethrone you!" Goombario charged forward, jumping up high as he avoided a low sweep from the Goomba King's foot.
He landed on the giant Goomba's head, kicking off his crown while Mario ran forward with his hammer gripped tightly in his hand. The Goomba King was too distracted by Goombario as the plumber got closer, slamming the hammer down on one of his feet. He yelped in pain and stood off his injured foot, suddenly struck in the gut by the mallet, falling backward with the wind knocked out of him. Goombario jumped up as he fell, Mario leaping up as well to join him as they both fell back down. They landed on the Goomba King hard, Mario with his feet and Gombario with his head, straight on the large Goomba's face.
The duo bounced off, hearing the king groan, his eyes spinning in his head as he was trounced. Red and Blue woke from unconsciousness, large bumps on their heads from getting struck by the falling Goomnut. When they turned to see what happened to their king, the Goomba Bros. gasped in shock.
"No way," Red uttered.
"T-They...They beat the Goomba King!?" Blue exclaimed.
"Ooooooogh..." The Goomba King sat up, shaking his head to snap out of his daze.
"Want some more, 'Your Highness'?" Goombario provoked.
The large Goomba stared at them in fear, swallowing a lump of fear as he looked around. "Uhh, actually, I think I hear my laundry calling me for dinner. Toodles!"
The beaten Goomba King stood up and ran back in his castle, forgetting his crown as he sped past Red and Blue Goomba. The two brothers followed suit and fled, slamming the door shut.
"Hey!" Goombario and Mario ran up to the metal doors, unable to barge through as it was locked up tight. "Let us through and put the bridge back up! We beat you!"
"Sorry! Nobody's home!" Red said in a high pitched voice.
"Please leave a message after the beep!" Blue said in a similar pitch. "Beeeeeep!"
Goombario grumbled and banged his head against the door. "We're right by the door! We can hear you morons!" With no answer, he groaned and leaned against the door. "Well, now what?"
"Hey, Red? You sure you hid the switch for the gate, right?" Goombario and Mario remained quiet as they heard the Goomba King whisper from the windows outside.
"Yeah," Red whispered. "I hid it outside in the bushes."
"Outside!?" the king shouted, quickly quieting his voice. "You idiot! You realize what happens if that switch gets pressed!?"
"Maybe they won't find it?" Blue wondered.
Goombario looked over by the bushes outside of the fortress, shaking his head at their carelessness. He searched through the bushed and found the switch they were talking about. It was a blue press switch with a white exclamation point inside, sitting on a small yellow pedestal.
"Of course they left something important to their fortress outside," Goombario muttered to himself. "Oh well. We need to get through."
He pushed the switch, making it disappear as it's meant to cause a change around the environment. The Goomba King poked his head up from the roof of the building, looking down at Mario nervously.
"Uhh, hey, Mario. Goombario." He began laughing sheepishly. "Good battle and all. You whooped us good. But, listen, if you see a switch out here...Do not press it. Ok?"
"Was this switch by any chance blue?" Goombario asked.
"Y-Yes...Why?" the Goomba King questioned.
"I pressed it," the blue-capped Goomba said with a grin.
"Y-You what!?" Suddenly, the ground began to quake, nearly knocking the large Goomba off the side. "Oh noooooooooo!"
As he sunk back inside the fortress, Goombario moved away and stood by Mario as they watched what was happening. The top of the tower's railings began to slid off and roll onto the ground, nearly landing on them as they ran back far enough away from the toppling building. They could hear the Goomba Bros. and the Goomba King yelling in a panic from inside. The tower soon began to collapse, the three Goombas standing at the top of the tower for some odd reason. The pillar they stood on began to spring up, sending them flying as they screamed in terror, the inner part of the tower extending out over the gap, landing on both sides to make the bridge. The Goombas' screams died out as they fell in the distance several miles away, landing on a curved hill with a small shimmer of light.
"...Well...that was something," Goombario said, Mario nodding his head in agreement. "At least the bridge is up, and we beat the Goomba King. Now we can head on into Toad Town freely."
The duo continued on their way, walking through the now empty fortress and newly formed bridge. Toad Town was in sight as they reached their first of many destinations in the future. Little did either one realize they were being watched from above. Kammy Koopa hovered on her broomstick as she watched the battle take place from the veil of the clouds. She grimaced, unable to believe Mario managed to break through and defeat the Goomba King. The witch flew up and headed back to Peach's castle up in the sky to tell Bowser the bad news.
In an empty study in Princess Peach's castle, Bowser sat by the table, scowling angrily. It was pretty empty aside from the table and chair, a couple vases between a short platform with railings, having no idea what the point of that section was doing in the room. He was having a good day today: planning his next move, preparing a possible dinner date with Peach, and was still ecstatic to have finally beaten his foe, Mario. Unfortunately, Kammy Koopa came back earlier to tell him Mario had somehow survived and was going to try and thwart his plans again. He let out a huff, pondering how his rival lived after a fall like that. The door to the room opened, Kammy Koopa making her entrance as he turned to face her.
"Your Highness, bad news," the witch said. "Mario has bested the Goomba King and is heading to Toad Town as we speak."
"Are you kidding me!?" Bowser shouted. "That whiny little Goomba begged me to make him stronger, and he gets squashed by Mario!? What a wimp!"
"Calm yourself, Lord Bowser," Kammy said. "The Goomba King was just small fry. I knew he would have failed at some point. There's no possible way he can even beat you when you have the Star Rod. Not even those creatures with their powerful magic was enough to beat you either."
Bowser looked down at the powerful magic wand, gripping it tightly. "Yeah. I guess you're right...But how did that fall not kill him!? If my beatdown didn't end him, then that should have!"
"Then I guess this bit of news should come to light." Bowser stared at his right hand Kamek in confusion. "Apparently, we now know what happened to those six sapient creatures when you tried to zap them to death. In two separate locations in the kingdom, in Shy Guy's Toy Box and Flower Fields, the troops around there spotted two of the six, while the other four are still elsewhere."
"Those animal things are still here???" Bowser asked. "Then why did they turn into colorful lights?"
"It's their magic," the witch answered. "That explains why it was so powerful. To me, at least. Whatever magic they had, not only did it help them escape from harm, but I sensed a trace of their unique magical energy around Mario down in that little village of Goombas; their magic must have saved him as well."
Bowser slowly began to put the pieces together, growling angrily as the Mane Six were now his top priority for ruining his victory against Mario. At least he wouldn't have to worry about the Star Spirits, or them, gathered at once, wanting his men to catch the ponies, tell them to bring them to Peach's castle, and deal with them personally. Kammy could see the frustration on her king's face, hoping he wouldn't plan on hurting them until she understood how their magic worked. Nothing did help her when she found a book about two of their species in a book of mythical creatures, and they barely looked like the illustrations.
The Koopa King let out a heavy sigh, tapping his claw to the chair's armrest as he formulated a plan. "...Alright. So, the first Star Spirit Mario's close to is down at...the Koopa Bros. Fortress, right?" Kammy nodded her head, which only made Bowser grumble. "I don't know if those guys can beat him."
"Fear not, oh awesome and incredible King Bowser!" Highly surprised, Bowser and Kammy turned to the doorway as it opened up. Leaping inside the room in a swift fashion were four Koopa Troopas wearing ninja eye masks matching their shell's color: red, black, yellow, and green. In perfect synchronization, the four Koopas posed with a thumbs up in front of the two confused villains. "We are the Koopa Bros.! Oh yeah!"
"...Yes...We know who you are," Kammy said, she and Bowser not impressed by the flashy entrance. "Why do they always have to enter like that?"
The red Koopa approached the skeptical Koopa King and witch. "Lord Bowser, bro, we couldn't help but overhear you griping over Mario beating the Goomba King." He scoffed and shook his head. "Total wimpola! But, we, the Koopa Bros., can take care of Mario since there's four of us and one of him."
"Be that as it may, Red Ninjakoopa, Mario actually had help from one of the Goombas in that little home west of Toad Town," Kammy stated, the news surprising Bowser.
"Pshaaw! So a little Goomba's helping him!? Big whoop!" Red Ninjakoopa pointed his thumb at the other three Koopas. "My bros and I can deal with the two of them! Would have been easier if we had our fifth, but that punk wasn't down with the gang, y'know what I'm layin' down?"
Bowser and Kammy blinked, clearly having no idea what Red said with his lingo. "...I have no idea what you even said..."
"Why did I hire these weirdos again?" Bowser asked himself.
"Anyway! We got ourselves an awesome move we perfected, and we'll show you just how OP we can be when you get a first class show!" Red flipped back to the other three Koopa Bros. as they posed. "Let's show our king what we got!"
"Yeah!" the other three cheered.
Bowser lazily watched the Koopa Bros. pulling off their special move, whirling sounds and an immediate burst of speed rang out from the Koopas' attack. His eyes widened as he saw it, highly impressed at their coordination and speed. Even Kammy was in awe, the Koopas landing before them as they struck their signature thumbs up pose.
"Well? How was that, your awesomeness?" Red asked.
Slowly, the Koopa King clapped his hands. "That...is really impressive!" The Koopa Bros. bowed to Bowser as he complimented their attack. "Mario surely can't stand up to something like that!"
"Of course not!" Red exclaimed. "He'll be flattened like a pancake, and tossed around like a leaf in a Tweester hopped up on ten cases of Super Soda!"
"...Sure...Oh, speaking of, who's watching the Star Spirit at your fortress right now?" Bowser asked.
The four Koopas' eyes widened, looking up at Bowser with both confusion and fear. "...Uhhh, what?"
"Well, you said there was a fifth member of the Koopa Bros. that I wasn't aware of," Bowser said. "Some new member you picked up or something? And you said he wasn't...'down with the gang' and was a 'punk' to you, so you gave him guard duty for the Star Spirit for acting up so you guys could show me your special move. Right?"
Kammy facepalmed as she heard Bowser try to talk like Red Ninjakoopa. The four Koopas looked at each other nervously, unsure of what to tell him without firing the Koopa King up.
"U-Uhh...W-We never had a...fifth Koopa Bro," Yellow Ninjakoopa said.
"He didn't join with us when we signed up for your army," Black Ninjakoopa said.
"It's just the four of us," Green Ninjakoopa said.
"So, he wussed out...and we're all up here..." Red Ninjakoopa finished.
"...So, you're telling me...no one's guarding the Star Spirit?" Bowser asked, eerily calmly. The Koopas swallowed the lump in their throats, nodding their heads sheepishly. Slowly, the fire-breathing Koopa stood up from his seat, Kammy stepping a few paces away, knowing the Koopa Bros. made a huge mistake as Bowser breathed in a deep breath. "You...IDIOTS!!!!!!!!" The four Ninjakoopas yelped and huddled together as their king was incredibly furious with them. "If you don't get your shells back down there and protect that Star Spirit, I AM GOING TO TAN YOUR HIDES IF MARIO GETS IT!!!!!!!!!"
Without needing to be told twice with that threat, the four Koopas fled for their lives out the door, slamming it shut behind them. Bowser panted, grumbling in irritation as he crossed his arms.
"Well, that was interesting," Kammy said as she made her way out the door. "I'll alert the rest of the troops to watch out for those magical creatures along with Mario. And I need to tell the Koopa Bros. before they leave."
"Whatever," Bowser mumbled. Kammy shut the door, leaving the Koopa King alone. He let out a heavy sigh of exasperation, scratching his head and mussing up his hair. "Why do I always have incompetent morons in my army? I regret saying their move was good when they're a bunch of bumbling idiots." Bowser looked at the Star Rod, still feeling frustrated that Mario was alive, but he had to remind himself he was invincible now. "Mario can't win against me anymore. Nothing can harm me with this wand." He put the Star Rod away in his shell before fixing his hair to look a little presentable. "Now, to woo my princess...if she's finally stopped crying."