"So YOU'RE Shadestar!" I yelled as realization dawned on me.
"Yes. And like the fools you are, you fell into my trap." Shadestar said as he started to approach us. "After I learned from Twilight and her friends that powerful heros were coming to Equestria, I knew I'd have to trick you into getting captured. So I trapped Luna in an alternate dimension in the Dream World, figuring that you'd try to rescue her. Then all I'd have to do was transport the lot of you to the Canterlot dungeons while you were asleep." Shadestar began to smirk. "Even if your Doctor friend returns with help, it'll be too late. Because with everyone who could possibly stop me trapped here, it'll only be a matter of minutes before Equestria is mine!" Shadestar said before a sudden jolt of pain floods his brain as Mario, who had sneaked up on Shadestar as he monologued, swung his hammer, hitting Shadestar in the head.
"You'll NEVER rule Equestria! Because as long as you're in the same vicinity as Mario and Luigi, there WILL be someone to stop you!" I yelled as Mario steps back beside Luigi and resumed his battle stance.
"Very well. If I want to rule Equestria, I guess I'll have to kill you first!" Shadestar shouted as he lept towards the Marios.
"Let's-a go!" Mario shouted as he lept towards Shadestar.
"Okie Dokie!" Luigi shouted as he jumped towards his foe alongside Mario.
"After I'm finished with YOU, Equestria will be mine!" Shadestar shouted before he fired a magic spell at Mario. Mario deftly used his hammer to knock it back at Shadestar to damage him before he produced a Fire Flower and threw it in between him and Luigi. Mario and Luigi then proceeded to take turns rapidly throwing fireballs at Shadestar before twirling around and rapidly throwing them at the same time, at which point, the Fire Flower wore off. Luigi then pulled out a Mega Mushroom and ate it, turning into a giant and producing a giant hammer before Mario hopped up Luigi and onto his brother's hammer. Luigi then proceeded to run at Shadestar and, the moment he was practically on top of Shadestar, swung his hammer, sending Shadestar and Mario flying, allowing Mario to stomp Shadestar into the ground four times, grinding Shadestar into the ground the final time at which point Luigi crouched to the ground and gave a thumbs-up before shrinking back to normal size.
"You two are much stronger than I anticipated, but no one has ever been able defeat me in battle. You two won't be the first!" Shadestar said before he summoned a pitch black star and launched it at Luigi, who adroitly jumped on top of the star, destroying it. Mario then looked at Luigi before the two of them ran away to the side of Shadestar and Mario produced a giant cannonball connected to a chain that Luigi hopped onto the front of it, holding onto it with all his might, as Mario started to spin around with the cannonball before he threw it in a similar manner to an Olympic hammer toss. After he let go of the cannonball, Luigi began to direct the ball towards Shadestar with various nudges before he slammed the cannonball down on Shadestar's head. Luigi and Mario then moved back in front of Shadestar, with Luigi behind Mario, before Luigi smacked Mario with his hammer, which caused Mario to curl into a red and blue ball that Luigi launched at Shadestar with his hammer, causing Mario to bounce off Shadestar and back towards Luigi before being knocked back at Shadestar again by Luigi's hammer over and over again until Luigi accidentally dropped his hammer after the seventh consecutive time.
"You two have done well to survive this long, but this is when I stop playing nice!" Shadestar shouted as he started to charge his magic.
"Mario! Luigi!" Starlow shouted as she emerged from Mario. "You know the drill!" She said before floating in a circle over Mario and Luigi's head. Shortly after the first revolution, Mario jumped and grabbed a hold of Starlow's feet, with Luigi grabbing Mario's legs the next time she and Mario passed over him. As soon as Luigi grabbed a hold of Mario, Starlow floated up to the ceiling as Shadestar unleashed a massive conic shaped blast of magic where Mario and Luigi had previously been standing. Shadestar snorted in rage as Mario let go of Starlow's feet and he and his brother landed on their feet in front of him and Starlow inhabited Mario once again. Mario then proceeded to pull out a red and clear capsule with a Chain Chomp in it and tossed it in front of him, which let the Chain Chomp free before he and Luigi ran away from it with before they turned back around and ran towards Shadestar, taking turns as to which of them was running away from the Chain Chomp as they ran back and forth, jumping off of Shadestar's back each time they passed by him, until Luigi eventually got bitten by the Chomp. After getting re-situated, Mario and Luigi ran to the wall of the dungeon the furthest away from Shadestar, where Luigi produced a small mechanical star, which immediately expanded into a larger one while a series of stars appeared in between the Bros and Shadestar as they hopped onto the giant star and rode it towards Shadestar as they collected the stars along the way before the star flew into the air and and they leaped off of the giant star, Mario going first, then Luigi, surrounded by a ring of stars as they landed on Shadestar, jumping off of him before the stars they had collected flew in to strike Shadestar as well.
"You've done well to dodge my attacks!" Shadestar shouted before he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. After the smoke disappeared a perfect replica of Mario stood in his place. "Now let's-a see how well you can dodge-a your own!" The newly transformed Shadestar yelled before he ran forward and grabbed Mario by the legs before he rapidly spun around and threw him away from him.
"MAMA MIA!" Luigi shouted before he quickly ran after Mario and dived, catching Mario before he hit the ground. After the two returned to stand in front of Shadestar, Mario stood in front of Luigi and reached his arm back as Luigi produced his hammer. Mario then quickly charged up flames before he threw a fireball at Luigi, who knocked it back with his hammer. Mario then proceeded to jump and knock the fireball into the air as it passed by before he threw another fireball. After ten fireballs had been hit into the air, which caused them to combine into one gigantic fireball, Mario jumped onto and off of Luigi before he flung the giant fireball at Shadestar, which exploded on contact. Luigi then produced to pull out a mushroom shaped window with blue shutters that he tossed to the side and jumped through alongside Mario before the window shrank out of existence only to reappear above Shadestar where Mario and Luigi leaped out of it and jumped off of Shadestar before they disappeared and reappeared with the window where Mario jumped out and jumped off of Shadestar. This happened for a while, where either Mario, Luigi, or both brothers jumped on Shadestar from the window, until Mario eventually failed to jump off of his doppelganger.
"How? How could I have-a lost to the two of you?" Shadestar asked before he collapsed to the ground and returned to his original form. "One day, I swear I'll have my revenge!" he shouted before he faded to unconsciousness and became engulfed in an explosion of stars as he faded from existence.
"Oh yeah! Mario number one!" Mario shouted as he spun around before he took his hat off and put most of his weight on one leg with the other foot tilted upwards.
"Yay for me! LUIGI!" Luigi shouted as he struck a pose while pointing upward with his index finger before he ran over with Mario to free the captive ponies.
----Later at Twilight's Castle----
"Mario and Luigi. For defeating Shadestar and saving Equestria, we would like to present you with these badges in honor of your bravery and integrity." Princess Celestia said as she and Luna levitated two badges over and clipped them onto Mario and Luigi's shirts. "With them, you not only receive our eternal gratitude, but the right to visit our fair country whenever you like." Celestia said as she and Luna retreated to allow the Mario Brothers center stage. "To our new heros!" Celesia shouted as the crowd of ponies gathered began to cheer, which caused Luigi to blush with pride.
The celebration lasted for half an hour, and only ended when the yellow-orange unicorn with fiery hair emerged from the mirror that Dr. Mario stood beside.
"I heard that Twilight and Celestia had been captured, and that a Doctor would fill me in on the details when . . . I . . . got . . . here." Sunset said, her voice dropping off after she noticed the two previously mentioned Alicorns and the rest of the party guests in the castle. "What happened while I was on my way here?" Sunset asked Twilight as she lead her to a table to discuss what happened.