My Little Paper Mario

by Codex92


Tubba Blubba's Manor

Outside of the haunted mansion, after the Boos lined up and made themselves a flight of stairs for the non-flying guests by Bow's orders, the head of the Boo Mansion guided everyone out to a path near the side of her home. As they walked through the slightly obscured pathway, they saw the outskirts of Gusty Gulch, a wasteland that was a bit brighter than the darkness of Forever Forest, a small breeze always blowing across the nearly empty land.

"Well, at least we didn't have to walk through another maze just to get here," Twilight said.

"Oh, stop whining," Bow said. "It helps to work your brain muscles. Rarity said you're the smartest of your friends, so think of going through Forever Forest as a brain teaser...with dangerous creatures running around." They reached a gate blocking off access to Gusty Gulch. "A-hem," Bow coughed, only to grow a little irritated after a few seconds. "A-heh-heh-HEM!" While the rest of the group wondered what she was doing, the bow-wearing Boo lost her cool. "Hey, pinheads! Open the gates!"

"Oh! M'lady Bow!" Two Boos appeared in front of the gate, quickly opened the metal doors for them to pass. "Sorry! We heard Tubba Blubba had just made his way into Gusty Gulch a moment ago, and we didn't want to get eaten!"

Bow sighed in annoyance, but she let their tardiness go due to the threat of the ghost-eating Clubba. The party walked past the gates as the Boo closed the gate behind them, disappearing to continue hiding from Tubba Blubba. They continued on their way, the others noticing a tall windmill at the foot of the tall hill they needed to climb.

"Oooh! Pretty windmill!" Pinkie said.

On the road, they could see green Goombas and Paratroopas roaming about, either Bowser's henchmen or Goombas wanting to cause trouble. "Those friends of yours, Goombario?"

"I highly doubt I'd want to be friends with a Hyper Goomba," the blue-capped Goomba said. "Just be careful of any off-colored green enemies. They can supercharge themselves to deal some pretty serious damage if they make contact. That's the reason they're called 'Hyper'."

While staying out of sight from the Hyper Goombas walking around, Kooper curiously checked out the windmill as he approached the door. He noticed there was a lock on it, wondering what was meant to be kept hidden inside of a building that generates power from the windy valley of Gusty Gulch.

"You Boos store anything in here, Bow?" Kooper asked.

"That windmill's been there for years," Bow said. "No idea what's in there at all. And in case you're wondering, we don't have the key for that lock. Wherever it is, it's probably long gone."

"Can't you phase through the door and check?" Rarity asked. "You are a ghost, after all."

"Yes...but there's something strange about this lock." As an example, Bow floated up to the door and tried to fly through it, only to be bounced back by a small magical force. "Can't even sneak in to see what's inside it."

"That's a pretty strong barrier spell," Twilight noted. "If this lock enchanted, then the only way to get inside is if we found the key for it."

"There's probably nothing interesting inside, anyway," Bow said. "Us Boos didn't really care about the windmill. The village is just a bit further ahead, so let's keep going."

They entered the village of Boos a short while later. The Boos here were actually a dark tan in color unlike the other white Boos in the mansion, living in dilapidated huts that had probably been around longer than the mansion in the forest. The ghosts noticed the female Boo float by with her entourage, all of them chattering to each other as they wondered what their leader was doing here. Some had approached her as the Boos followed her, but before they could attack her with questions, she floated up in the air and held her small arms out to cease their questioning.

"Wow, all the Boos adore her," Parakarry said.

"And yet she can be quite mean-spirited for caring about their safety," Bombette added. "She's a bit of a diva sometimes, but she can clearly fight back after seeing her slap Pinkie Pie silly with just one smack."

"My fellow Boos!" Bow announced. "As you all know, we have been attacked by Tubba Blubba far too many times and lost many of our brethren to his disgusting appetite!" The dark tan Boos all murmured their agreements, some of them shivering in fear of the invincible monster. "But fear not! I have requested Mario's aide to help us in our time of misery! Besides, we are the ones who are supposed to frighten others! And I shall join him along with his friends to finally put an end to that ghost-eating monster!"

All the Boos gasped in shock, fearing the safety of their leader. "L-Lady Bow! Are you serious!?" one Boo asked. "You could get eaten!"

"I know the risks, but I've had enough of this terror!" Bow continued. "I'd rather risk my own soul than have to watch anymore of you get gobbled up! Which is why we are going to figure out how to make Tubba Blubba vulnerable and finally kick his tubby behind!" The Boos all cheered, commending her bravery along with Mario and his companions. "However, since we will be sneaking through Tubba Blubba's mansion, I ask for seven volunteers who will be willing to join us on this dangerous mission!"

The cheering spirits stopped, all of them gravely terrified after the last few failed attempts they tried to stop Tubba Blubba. Bow couldn't blame them if none of them wanted to go since they had lost so many, which meant she and Mario would only go if no one volunteered. She sighed as she was about to go on with just Mario, only for one of the dark tan Boos to hover up above the crowd.

"I'll go!" he said. "For you, Lady Bow, I will do anything you ask!"

"Me too!" another said. "Even though I barely made it out of there alive, I'll go back to finally end this!"

Soon, the other Boos began volunteering, despite the ironic terror they were feeling from the ghost gobbling Clubba that attacked them. Bow was a little surprised, unsure if it was her motivational speech that inspired them or many of them trying to impress her by acting brave, but she grinned as she decided on choosing the first seven who volunteered. Before they could begin their trek up the tall hill, they heard a Boo on the other end of the village scream as he flew toward them in a panic.

"Tubba Blubba's coming!" he exclaimed, waving his arms and sweating nervously. "Every Boo hide!"

The Boos all began panicking as they turned intangible, everyone hearing heavy footsteps stomping into the village. "Oh no! Not now! Quick, turn our guests invisible too, or they're going to end up his new meal!"

"Yes, m'lady!" The volunteered ghosts quickly latched onto the three mares, Goomba, Koopa, Paratroopa, and Bob-omb, turning them invisible along with them.

"Oooh! See through!" Pinkie said in awe as she looked at her invisible hoof.

"Shush!" Bow hissed, hovering on Mario's head and turning him invisible as well. "Keep quiet and don't move!"

"Perfect, Lady Bow! You all are perfectly hidden!" While the Boo that warned everyone complimented Bow's and the other Boos' work hiding their saviors, he was unaware of the Clubba approaching them. Everyone had to stifle a gasp as they saw Tubba Blubba himself: a massive blue Clubba with a lighter blue underbelly that was about Bowser's height, orange hair, and a small blue spiked shell on his back. There was a paler patch on his chest, almost like he had undergone surgery some time ago with the stitches still in place. "It would take a pair of x-ray glasses for anyone to find you! Or infrared goggles. Whatever can see ghosts."

"Stanley!" Bow whispered, trying to get his attention without dropping her focus on keeping Mario hidden. "Turn invisible, you idiot!"

"Huh? What did you say?" Stanley asked, Tubba Blubba now standing right behind him. The others desperately wanted to warn him to turn around or run away, but they had to stay still or else throw off the Boo's concentration on keeping them intangible. Stanley heard a growling stomach behind him, slowly turning around and looking up at the invincible Clubba. "..........Oh...I forgot..."

Before the Boo could flee, Tubba Blubba grabbed Stanley, the captured ghost squirming out of the stronger foe's grip. "Mmm. Looks yummy. I needed a snack."

"No! No, please!" Stanley cried out. "I'm not tasty! I'm terrible!" The Clubba didn't care as he opened his mouth, holding the Boo over his tongue. "NOOOOOOO!"

The hidden party watched in utter disgust as Tubba Blubba chomped down on Stanley, swallowing the ghost whole. Twilight and Pinkie had to suppress their gags, horrified as they watched a Boo get eaten, which would have been an unlikely sight to ever see. Tubba let out a belch, patting his stomach in satisfaction.

"A bit tangy, but good," he said before heading back up the hill, back to his mansion at the top.

As soon as the coast was clear, everyone reappeared, the Boos just as shocked as their saviors at what they witnessed. "...Holy Monty Moles," Kooper uttered. "That's...that's just wrong."

"I'm glad I don't have a stomach, or a mouth to release anything in a stomach now," Bombette said.

"Yes. That's exactly what has happened several times," Rarity said. "We need to help these Boos out now before they're all eaten."

"How is it even possible for someone to digest a ghost?" Twilight questioned, unable to fathom the strange logic of being able to consume ghosts. "Does he have some kind of powerful digestive tract that keeps Boos from phasing out of his stomach? Does his saliva prevent them from becoming intangible?"

"We really have no idea how it's possible," Bow said. "All I care about is finding out Tubba Blubba's secret, kick his flabby butt, and get revenge for all the Boos he's eaten." She pulled out her red fan and smacked it against her other hand, leering at the mansion up on the hill. "Let's go teach that fatso not to mess with us Boos."

Bow lead the way as the others followed, the other Boos staying behind wishing them luck and begging them to be careful. The hill leading up to Tubba Blubba's manor was a little steep, but it wasn't much of a climb. There were the occasional Hyper Goombas in the area that tried to attack them, along with the tougher green Hyper Clefts disguised as green stones. Though the seven Boos that tagged along could hold their own against the Hyper Goombas and Clefts, everyone needed to save their energy for what lies in the manor up ahead.

They reached the top of the hill, where they saw the much larger mansion up close. It was bigger than the Boos' mansion back in the Forever Forest. It was in better shape than the older manor, though there were a few cracks along the walls as it's been around for a decent amount of time.

"Ugh. This is where he lives?" Rarity asked as she gagged at the blandly colored building. "This manor could certainly use a bit more color out in this dusty wasteland."

"Why don't you give Tubba Blubba some decorating tips while you're at it?" Bow said sarcastically. "Who cares what it looks like!? I doubt the dumb monster won't even pay attention."

"Well, it couldn't hurt to at least touch the place up," the unicorn argued.

"Ok, let's not get into an argument when we're supposed to be stealthy," Goombario reminded. "If Tubba Blubba's lurking in this massive mansion, we better not run into him."

"The little Goomba's right," one of the Boos said, Goombario leering at the ghost who called him little. "We can't even hurt him. We'll stick to your backs to hide you when we sneak around."

"And we'll need to hide a lot because of a strange...security system he has in there," another Boo said.

Curious to see what kind of security Tubba Blubba had, Mario approached the large double doors and opened them. The party walked inside, the main foyer of the mansion was one massive room with two walkways on the second and third floor that stretched all the way across. There were two doorways on the left and ride sides from the entrance, the right door locked up tightly. But the one thing that was odd in the room were the strange flying creatures floating around as they looked down at the ground.

"Uhh, what are those?" Pinkie asked.

"That's the security I mentioned," the one Boo said. "Not exactly bright if it finds an intruder and they turn invisible before they spiral down while making a noisy siren sound."

"Not to mention the Clubbas that serve as guards throughout the manor," one of the other Boos added. "Thankfully, they're smaller than Tubba Blubba, but they carry spiked maces with them to attack with."

"Oh! That's why they're called Clubbas!" Pinkie's shouting alerted one of the sentinels as they heard her, floating over to the pink mare and dropping down on her.

The Boo riding on her back made her intangible, the others following suit so they don't get caught either. It was as brainless as the Boo described them, looking around in confusion for the intruders until it gave up and went back on its patrol. Bow grumbled, rubbing her forehead in irritation.

"We're sure to get caught, and we just walked in the front door," Bow uttered. "Someone find a muzzle or magically zip her lips so we can avoid having those things chase us. Please."

"Sorry," Pinkie apologized, pressing a hoof to her lips, zipping her hoof across while somehow making a zipping noise, pretended to lock it with an invisible lock, dropped the imaginary key in a pit, then buried it, then mimed building a house over it.

While Rarity and Twilight rolled their eyes at their pink friend's seriousness in staying silent, the Boos stared at the mare in utter confusion. "...Uhhh...What was all that about?"

"I think it's her way of saying she'll keep quiet around here," Parakarry said, Pinkie nodding her head rapidly.

"...Whatever," Bow muttered. "Let's see if we can find where that Clubba's room is."

Starting moving to the left doorway in the foyer, while avoiding the sentinels by hiding through the Boos' abilities, they entered the hallway and immediately paused. Sitting in front of a nearby doorway was one of the Clubbas that patrolled the mansion, but this one was in the middle of a nap as a snot bubble from its nose grew and shrunk with each breath it took. Unlike their leader, they were green with a white underbelly, their shells were smooth like a Buzzy Beetle's, and their hair was white instead of orange. Tip-toeing quietly, Mario checked the nearby room, carefully opening the door to look inside. There was nothing much inside aside from a couple big tables meant for a giant and a spring between them.

After quietly closing the door, he regrouped with the others as they began to slowly make their way past the sleeping guard. Thankfully, they made it past the Clubba, but there were others still about and actually doing their jobs patrolling rather than take a nap. Up ahead, they saw one annoyingly walking back and forth across the second half of the hallway, spotting the group as he turned around.

"Huh? Hey! What are you doing in-!?" The Clubba didn't have a chance to try and sound an alarm as Bow appeared before him and gave him several slaps across the face, hitting him with each turn with perfect accuracy.

As the enemy finally stopped spinning, he wobbled on his feet, both his cheeks bright red from the hard slaps as he groaned. "Why don't you take a little nap?" Bow suggested, blowing a puff of air at him and toppling him over on his back. "These guys should just stay lazy unless they want to get in my way."

"Wow. Bow is pretty strong," Goombario said.

"Yeah," one of the dark tan Boos said with a sigh. "She's awesome. So strong and pretty."

Bow appeared in front of the infatuated Boo and gave him a slap on the face to wake him out of his daydream. "Hey, focus! And I'm not even interested in you anyway, so don't get any ideas."

Even though he was slapped, the struck Boo had a goofy, love-struck grin on his face. "Wow...What a Boo..."

Bow rolled her eyes, but grinned as she turned he back toward him, appreciative of the attention she gets from her fellow Boos. They found another doorway to another room, Mario carefully opening the door to see if there was any sign of a key inside. He flinched when he saw another sleeping Clubba in the middle of the room, but aside from the dusty, unused furniture, there weren't any chests that might have held one of the keys. Ignoring the slumbering enemy, they moved on to the next room, taking out the patrolling Clubbas in what appeared to be a dining room.

There were two doors that were opened, checking the smaller door against the wall first. It lead them down to a basement, where more Clubbas were sleeping along the stairwell and at the bottom of the steps.

"This feels too easy," Twilight whispered as they passed one of the Clubbas. "Is Tubba Blubba this overconfident that he lets his guards nap whenever they want?"

"He's not exactly the brightest of villains from the way he talked," Rarity uttered. "And he certainly doesn't keep his home tidy. So many pieces of furniture for his size, and it's all just sitting in rooms gathering dust. A little decor could spruce up these pale gray walls and ugly green checkerboard tiling."

The party soon reached a dead end, knocking the sleeping Clubba out for good with Mario's iron hammer for good measure. There was a piece of flooring that was covered in wood, which was a perfect time for the plumber to use his ground pound and go deeper down in the mansion. He did just that, slamming his behind down through the planks, surprisingly not waking up the other guard on the stairs as he dropped into the second floor basement.

"Ahh! Who's there!?" someone called out, making Mario flinch and hold his hammer out in defense. Instead of a Clubba, it was one of the Boos that lived in Gusty Gulch. "Oh! You're not one of the Clubbas. Or Tubba Blubba. You almost made my heart start up again."

Bow floated down into the hole as she heard the Boo's voice, gasping in surprise to see another one of her brethren alive in Tubba Blubba's mansion. "Steve!? You're alive!?"

"Lady Bow!?" Steve exclaimed in just as much shock. "What are you doing here!? It's dangerous!"

"I'm here to finally put an end to Tubba Blubba," Bow said. "You're a trooper for not getting gobbled at this point. Why are you hiding in here?"

"Exactly that; hiding," Steve said. "But not only that, I've also heard of rumors among the Clubbas about Tubba Blubba's secret. Nothing really useful, unfortunately, but they said Tubba Blubba has a key that keeps wherever his secret is being kept in his room. Get that key, and we'll figure out what that secret is."

"That was the first place we were going to look for, anyway." While Bow talked with Steve, Mario noticed a chest up on the raised platform he landed on.

Twilight poked her head down into the hole on the ceiling, wondering what was going on. "Hey, was there anything down there?" Mario opened the chest and pulled out a key, the perfect size to open the lock on the door back in the foyer. He held it up for the alicorn to see. "Well, that's one step closer to reaching the next floor. We'll head back to the first floor and wait for you and Bow."

Mario gave her a thumbs up, Twilight lifting her head out of the hole and climbing back up the stairs to the dining room to wait for the plumber and female Boo. "You better get out of here, Steve. We've got this covered with Mario helping us."

"A-Are you sure?" Steve said. "Tubba Blubba is dangerous! I barely managed to escape from him and got too scared to leave this place!"

"We already have enough Boos with us to hide the rest of our companions from the security in this mansion. You need to get back to the village while you have the chance." Steve was a bit surprised that other Boos were attempting to infiltrate the mansion along with Bow, but he nodded, not wanting to aggravate the mistress of Boo's Mansion.

"Ok. Be careful, m'lady," he said before floating off, turning invisible as he fled Tubba Blubba's manor.

Mario and Boo began making their ascent up another flight of stairs nearby, being mindful of the one sentinel floating around. At the top, they exited out of the other door from in the dining room, regrouping with the rest of their friends as they headed back the other way. Back through the hall, sneaking past the sleeping Clubba by the door again, and making their way across the foyer while avoiding the sentinels, Mario unlocked the door that impeded their progress.

In the next hall, there was a stairway that lead up to the second floor, where the walkway above them lead to one of the connected bridges in the foyer. "Oh boy," Bombette groaned. "This whole mansion is nothing but a winding trail. How does Tubba Blubba not get exhausted getting around this place?"

"At least it's not as convoluted as no stairway to the third floor of the Boos' Mansion," Twilight said.

"Well excuse us for not having legs to walk around on," Bow said. "You've got wings. You could have flown up to my room if you wanted."

"You would have had your 'servants' attack me if I got too close," the alicorn argued.

"...Eh. That's true." Twilight growled at the nonchalant answer.

"I don't know how you managed to put up with her, Rarity," Parakarry said.

"Yes, she can be a bit...snarky and sarcastic, but I got used to it," the unicorn said. "I'm amazed all the Boos like her...Then again..." She looked at the seven dark tan Boos following them, especially the one who had gotten smacked by her after complimenting her. "They do like her, some in more ways than one."

While making their way to the second floor, they encountered a few more Clubbas that were easily taken out with their larger group. Crossing the bridge, they arrived in the next hall that was similar to the first floor, but with one door missing close by. More Clubba bashing and hiding from the sentinals later, they reached the other end of the corridor. Before moving on to the room above the dining hall, they decided to see if there was anything useful in the nearby room if there was a locked door further up ahead. Taking a look inside, the room was small, but there were spikes jutting up from the ground, creating a path around to a chest.

"I smell treasure!" Pinkie cheered, bouncing down the path. She didn't notice the many holes on the floor, where the whole pathway of spikes shot up, pricking the earth pony as she yelped and flew up in the air. She landed back beside the others, wincing in pain as she sat on her haunches. "Owie! That wasn't fair!"

"I expected a trap like this to be built in ruins, not a house," Kooper said. "And it doesn't look like there's any switch around to stop the spikes from popping up."

"I'll get the chest," Parakarry offered, easily flapping over the spikes and landed in front of the chest. Opening it up, he found another key and hovered back to the group. "Not the smartest trap if even a Boo could get across without a sharp poke courtesy of the ground."

"Well, Tubba Blubba's more brawn than brain, but that brawn's about to turn into putty when we find out what makes him so invulnerable." Taking the key, they unlocked the door and proceeded into the next room.

Above the dining room they were just in moment ago, avoiding dropping down the widely gaped railing meant for the larger Clubba, there was another locked door on the other side that was guarded by one of Tubba Blubba's guards. Sadly, he was awake and patrolling by the door, but a good throw of Mario's hammer to the Clubba's noggin was enough to knock him out, his own club clonking his head and sending him further into unconsciousness. Once the door was unlocked, the waltzed on by the knocked out guard and walked up the next flight of stairs to the third floor.

In another bland and long hallway, it was an easy stroll across, over the next bridge, and another step closer to Tubba Blubba's room. "Boy, those Clubbas are pretty easy to beat," Goombario said. "And sneak past."

"Bowser surely must have been confident leaving someone else in a similarly invulnerable state could easily stop Mario," Twilight said. "At least the Koopa Bros. and Tutankoopa had some security that made it more of a challenge to get to them."

"And you guys will get your next Star Spirit after we find out what Tubba Blubba's keeping in his-" Bow gasped as Tubba Blubba walked out of the doorway next to the larger doors on the other side of the hall, which was also locked like the last one. "Hide!"

The Boos quickly flew to their respective buddies, everyone immediately standing still as they became incoporeal. The party of sixteen remained quiet, barely even breathing as they watched the large blue Clubba seem to ponder.

The blue Clubba sniffed, looking around the seemingly empty hallway. "Hmm...Something smells fishy." He took another whiff, rubbing his nose in confusion. "And sweet...like perfume?"

He began walking toward them, making the hidden heroes panic as they were sure to get caught if they bumped into them. "Just stay perfectly still," Bow whispered as softly as she could so Tubba Blubba couldn't hear. "Not only are you invisible, but anything can pass through you when we hide you. Even those spikes if any of you were crazy enough to walk through that small maze earlier."

With no choice but to trust Bow, everyone remained perfectly still. Rarity stifled a whimper as Tubba Blubba walked toward her. She shut her eyes, but he passed right through her as if she were a ghost. As soon as he walked past them a fair enough distance, they quickly moved, losing their invisibility until they reached the door.

"Great. More locks," Twilight grumbled.

"The key might be in the next room," Goombario whispered, pointing his foot at the adjacent doorway. "Anyone want to volunteer going in?"

"I'll do it!" Pinkie whispered, waving her hoof wildly. "I got gypped by those mean spikes and need to make up for my key gathering quota!"

"Ok, but be careful, darling," Rarity whispered.

Pinkie and her Boo companion snuck into the door as the others went invisible, Tubba Blubba still randomly pacing around the hallway. Inside the room, however, Pinkie's pupils turned to pinpricks, a large group of Clubbas inside were all taking a group nap. On the other side was a key, resting on a small platform, and the sleeping guards were all scattered about the room.

"Wow. That's a lot of them," the Boo said. "Think you can get by them?"

"Uhh...I think so," Pinkie said, swallowing audibly, surprisingly not waking up the Clubbas. "I just hope they're heavy sleepers..."

Pinkie began tip-toeing past the Clubbas, her ears twitching as she heard each of them snoring. One of them fell over, startling the mare as she looked over at the one that fell, thankfully still asleep as he cuddled with his mace. Quietly continuing forward, she finally reached the key, grabbing it in her mouth, then made her way back to the door. As she got halfway there, her nose twitched as she felt some dust get in her nostrils, gasping rapidly as she tried desperately not to sneeze. Her Boo companion quickly floated up to her face, pressing one of his tiny arms up against her muzzle, stopping her sneeze from coming out. She sighed in relief as it finally went away.

"Phew," Pinkie said with a sigh. "That was a close- AHH-CHOOOO!" The Clubbas awoke with a start, their sleeping snot bubbles popping as they sat up, searching for where the noise came from. All eyes were on the pony and dark tan Boo, gripping their maces tightly as they stood up. "...Uhhhh...You're all still dreaming?"

"Hey, they have one of the keys!" a Clubba said. "And one of them are those colorful doggy things we were asked to find!"

"Actually, I am a po-" The Clubbas charged forward with their weapons ready to swing, Pinkie and the Boo screaming as they clung onto each other as they were attacked.

Outside of the room, the others remained invisible as they heard the conflict from the door, afraid the random sounds would be loud enough for Tubba Blubba to hear. Luckily, he's still on the other end of the hall trying to find the odd smells his nostrils were hit with.

"What the heck are they doing in there!?" Bow hissed. "Are they throwing a party for finding the key in a maze meant for mice!?"

"With Pinkie, she'll throw a party for anything," Rarity said. "Even in a dangerous situation, she'll throw one for any occassion."

The commotion finally died down, everyone waiting quietly as they saw the door open up. Walking out in shock, Pinkie and her Boo companion stepped out unharmed, both of them blinking simultaneously.

"...Well, that was something," the Boo said.

"And we got the key," Pinkie said, holding up the key she nabbed.

Twilight quickly snatched the key away and unlocked the door, Mario and Kooper grabbing the stunned earth pony and pulling her and the dark tan Boo with them into the next room to avoid getting caught by Tubba Blubba. "What happened in there!?"

"Well, there were some Clubbas that were sleeping inside the hall," Pinkie explained. "So I tip-hoofed along as quietly as I could and got the key. But then I sneezed and woke them all up, so they attacked us, but my Boo buddy made us invisible and they ended up beating each other up with their own spiky clubs trying to get us. Now they're sleeping again, but now they have big lumps on their heads."

The rest of the group blinked as they stared at Pinkie, trying to process what she told them. The Boos looked at the one who accompanied Pinkie to clarify what really happened.

"Yup. That's exactly what happened," he said, shrugging his arms. "I kind of panicked and turned invisible along with her...It was actually kind of funny, especially at the end when the last two Clubbas knocked each other out at once."

"...Ok. That was an odd stroke of luck," Goombario said. "Let's keep going. We don't seem to have much mansion left to explore, and Tubba Blubba's room should be across the next bridge."

Hurrying across the third floor bridge, they entered Tubba Blubba's bedroom. There was a dining table with a couple chairs, some discarded books that everyone doubted he even glanced at, a large bed meant for the large Clubba, and a cupboard on the other end of the room beside the bed's headboard. Aside from some of the furniture, there didn't seem to be anything secretive for the invincible foe to hide, not even under the bed, unless the counted the plethora of dust bunnies gathered underneath.

"Ick," Rarity groaned in disgust. "I think I'd rather stay in Bow's manor than here. Tubba Blubba is such a slob."

"You complain about dirt too much," Bow muttered.

"That's because it's filthy!" Rarity complained. "And I just gave your abode a compliment!"

"Less arguing, more searching!" Kooper shouted. "Tubba Blubba could be here at any moment, and if we have to fight him, we might as well be dead."

"But there's nowhere we can search," Parakarry said. "It's practically empty."

"Wait, I see a chest!" Twilight called out as she approached the bed. Right behind it, in front of the cupboard, there was a chest laying on the floor, holding what could possibly be the secret to Tubba Blubba's invulnerability. "This might be it!"

Suddenly, they heard thumping approaching the door, everyone beginning to panic as Tubba Blubba was stomping along the bridge to his room. "Oh no! He's coming!"

"Quick, behind the bed!" Bow said, everyone scrambling to the back of the headboard of the Clubba's bed.

Tubba Blubba walked in, scratching his head in confusion. "I think I'm in trouble," he said. "First I lost the Star Spirit, and now someone's in my mansion. Maybe more of those delicious Boos trying to attack me again. Ohhh, I hope King Bowser doesn't get mad at me." The hiding party remained perfectly still as they heard him walk up to the bed. No one dared try to peek around the side and risking getting caught. Tubba Blubba let out a yawn, his concerns for his job and invincibility quickly shifting to tiredness. "Time to get a little beauty rest."

The mattress squeaked noisily as he leapt up onto his bed, making the others wince as they kept quiet. Tubba Blubba laid his head back, closed his eyes, and began snoring. After what felt like an eternity, the party finally began moving, the Boos peeking up on the bed to see the Clubba fast asleep, a snot bubble growing and shrinking out of his nose.

"Yeah, that's it, tubby. You just sleep," Bow said, moving away from the bed and approached the chest. "And we'll discover just what you have that makes you seem like an impenetrable wall of iron."

She opened up the chest as the others crowded behind her. Inside, an animated key jumped up onto the edge of the opened chest, the red ribbon around the bow used as a pair of legs to stand on.

"Hello!" greeted the key. "I'm Yakkey, faithful followed of Master Tubba Blubba and keeper of his stored belongings!"

Everyone winced as Yakkey spoke, but thankfully, the Clubba on the bed was still sound asleep. "Keep your voice down, you stupid talking key!"

"Well, that's not very nice," Yakkey said. "But...why are you here? Master Tubba Blubba doesn't allow visitors in his room."

"So...this is his secret?" Twilight whispered. "A magical, talking key?"

"Some secret this turned out to be," Parakarry groaned.

"Wait, you guys aren't planning to steal me?" Yakkey asked. "The key to unlock the door to the windmill at the foot of Gusty Gulch where Master Tubba Blubba's secret to his invincibility is hidden away?"

All jaws dropped at the magical key's information on his design. It had made so much sense now: the Boos didn't have a key to unlock the door to the windmill and disregarded it as being unable to explore because of the magical barrier preventing anything in, even by phasing through the windmill itself as an apparition. And all this time, Tubba Blubba's secret was right under the Boos' noses, and all they needed was Yakkey. Bow's shocked expression turned to a wicked grin, cackling silently as she flashed her sharp teeth at the talking key.

"Well, ain't that a little coincidence?" she said. "We didn't know about that little tidbit, but thanks to that big mouth of yours, now we have all the reason to steal and use you."

"...Oh...I see..." Yakkey remained quiet for a moment, the others thinking he was going to come quietly. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for them. "HEEEEEEEEEELP! Master Tubba Blubba! A thief is trying to steal me!"

Panicking, Mario quickly grabbed Yakkey, holding his mouth tightly around his hand while his ribbon feet flailed about to try to escape. It was too late to keep him quiet now as Tubba Blubba shot up from his bed, still in a tired daze as he grumbled.

"I don't wanna get up," he mumbled. "Five more minutes, mommy."

"Curse that stupid loudmouth of a key!" Bow said. "Let's get out of here!"

"No need to tell us twice!" Pinkie exclaimed as Mario stuffed the squirming key in Twilight's saddlebags, the group rushing away from the bed and heading for the door.

The bubble blowing from the Clubba's nose popped, snapped wide awake as he saw the thieves Yakkey warned him of. "Hey! You give me back my key!" Tubba Blubba hopped out of bed, making the party scream in fright as they were chased by the invincible monster. They made it out the door and ran halfway across the bridge before the Clubba left his room. "Stop, you thieves!"

He leapt up in the air and slammed his behind down on the bridge, making the whole mansion shake with his massive weight. The non-hovering members of the group stumbled from the shake, the bridge suddenly giving out on them as it broke from the heavy tension on the suspended platform. Twilight, Parakarry, and the Boos managed to hover and fly away, but the others were unlucky as they landed on the second floor bridge, which was about to be destroyed by the crumbling bridge above it.

"Twitchy tail! Twitchy tail!" Pinkie cried out, the grounded party quickly running back to the stairway connecting the first and second floors of the mansion.

Twilight used her magic, keeping the bridge held together as they ran for the door, but Tubba Blubba was hot on their heels as he jumped down to their level. "Guys, run!" the alicorn called out, grunting in exertion from the Clubba's weight increasing her strain. "Urgh! H-How heavy is this guy!?"

"Give back Yakkey!" Tubba Blubba shouted, glaring angrily at the thieves.

"Everypony run for your lives!" Rarity screamed, using her magic to slam the doors open as they fled from the Clubba. She slammed the door on him, but it didn't cause any pain as he barged right through. "I really thought that would stun him!"

"Just keep running!" Bombette said. "I mean, with how big he is, there's no way he can possibly catch up to us!"

Kooper took a chance to look back as they ran down the stairs, but the Bob-omb was clearly wrong. "Nope! He's definitely catching up to us! He's really mad and determined to kill us for taking that key!"

"Stop tempting fate, guys!" Goombario shouted. "Less talking, more running!"

Out in the foyer, as soon as they all left, Twilight released her hold on the collapsing bridges with a heavy sigh, letting the pieces fall to the ground floor. The flying party hovered down to the ground, ignoring the crushed sentinels under the rubble. A moment later, the door opened as the rest of their friends regrouped, Tubba Blubba hot on their tails.

"Come on!" Parakarry said, slamming through the front doors.

Once everyone was outside, Mario and Kooper slammed the doors shut and tried to block the door, nearly pushed back as Tubba Blubba tried to barge through. "Hey! Who's holding the door!? Open up!"

"What are we gonna do!?" Rarity asked. "We can't get to the windmill in time if he can catch up to us!"

The Boos of Gusty Gulch all looked at each other, all of them simultaneously nodding their heads in silent agreement. Executing their plan that all of them thought at once, the seven dark tan Boos flew toward the door and helped bar it for Mario and Kooper.

"Quick! You guys head for the windmill!" one of them said. "Lady Bow, you need to get going!"

"What!?" Bow exclaimed in shock. "Are you guys stupid!? You can't hold that door forever!"

"That's why we're buying you time!" another said, struggling to push the doors closed as Tubba Blubba tried ramming through from the other side. "I...don't know...how long we can hold it back!"

"No! I'm not letting another one of us get eaten by him again!" Bow argued, shaking her head rapidly.

"Better us than you, m'lady!" the smitten Boo said. "For you, we'll give up our existence if it means we know that you're safe!"

"You guys sure you can hold him back long enough!?" Kooper asked as he and Mario slowly moved away.

"We'll manage! Just get going!" the first Boo said.

"Hey, I smell delicious ghosts!" Tubba Blubba exclaimed, banging even harder on the door. "Let me out of my house!"

Bow grunted in confliction, torn between ending Tubba Blubba's invincible tyranny and the welfare of the seven Boos who willingly came along with her to stop the Clubba. She knew the needs of the many were more important than those of the few, but after seeing Stanley get eaten earlier, she didn't want to see them get eaten or never see them if they had when she left.

"Bow!" She looked at Rarity, unable to make such a difficult decision. "Those Boos are giving us a chance. If they get eaten, we won't let their sacrifice be in vain. If you want this monster's reign to end, take their chance to give us more time until we reach the windmill and stop him for good!"

Bow looked back at her fellow Boos, still holding the door to the best of their abilities, but at some point, Tubba Blubba was going to break through. Growling in frustration, she had no choice, biting her bottom lip as she tried not to shed any tears.

"You dunderheads better not get eaten, and if you do, then I'll pummel you with my fan until all of you turn red when we find a way to get you out!" Bow shouted.

"Yes, m'lady!" the Boos said simultaneously, holding back the door for their leader's safety over their own.

The group ran from the manor and began making their way down the hill with Yakkey firmly stowed away in Twilight's saddlebags. Bow hated doing this to her seven volunteers, but once they find out what Tubba Blubba's secret is and after making him vulnerable again, she vowed to give the Clubba a pounding he deserves.

"Are you alright, Bow?" Twilight asked, noticing the pained expression of anger on her face.

"I will be when we get to that windmill," she said with a growl.