In the flurry of snow falling down over the rear side of the Crystal Palace, Mario and his band of companions along with Twilight and her friends carefully made their way up the natural thin bridge connecting the temple with the large flat summit. Though the snow obscured their vision slightly, they were in awe as they saw the mountain region of the north, an aurora of lights dancing in the sky above. If it weren't for the fact that the palace was swarmed with Bowser's minions, this place would have been a beautiful tourist spot as long as they could handle the cold.
"Wow. It's so...pretty," Fluttershy commented.
"And the end of the road," Bombette added. "So, where's our villain for the day?"
"Who comes to my palace!?" Everyone readied themselves as the mysterious voice spoke to them.
"Speaking of, here he comes," Twilight said.
Floating in the air as he appeared through the veil of snow, they met face to face with the Crystal King. The ruler of the Crystal Palace had an invisible body, the only part of him visible was his yellow eyes peering at them as he floated down. If it weren't for the royal blue cloak with a frilly white collar, white shirt, and the crystal crown with rubies embedded at the base of the four-pronged crown, there would have been no way they could have seen him at all. The frilled collar seemed to act as his mouth since he had none that was visible on his invisible form, whether a creature or a spirit beyond anyone's knowledge.
"Ah...So, it is Mario and his fellow companions," the Crystal King said. "You have arrived. And bringing the magical creatures Lord Bowser and Kammy Koopa have asked us to capture. They should have stayed somewhere safe, not come to my domain to risk getting caught within my icy grasp."
"This place isn't your domain!" Kooper exclaimed, pointing his finger at the spirit king. "You and the rest of Bowser's followers are trespassing on a sacred temple of an ancient culture! And to keep preserving this palace, we're taking you down and taking the Star Spirit from you!"
The Crystal King chuckled, his invisible arms crossed against his chest as he looked at the Koopa. "I'm the one trespassing? What about you all when you traversed the Dry Dry Ruins, or even Mt. Lavalava? Have you ever wondered how much you all defiled the ruins of those cultures? It's like a pot calling the kettle black. Imagine how many precious pieces of history you stomped on while having your fun exploring or learning about the ancient cultures from several centuries ago. Those crystal floors throughout my palace could very much be worth millions of coins, and their value has surely dropped with all your running around."
"Says the follower of Bowser's army who invaded those ruins while hiding the Star Spirits from us," Goombario stated. "You and your minions have been watching out for us, so your tactic with putting words in our mouths won't work."
"It matters not what you think, but this is my palace, and I know you're here for this." The Crystal King pulled out the last Star Spirit from inside his robes, who was a yellow Star with a black mustache on his upper lip. "You think you can rescue the final Star Spirit, but I will not allow you to take this from me." He placed the card back under his robes, giving them a sly grin as he raised his invisible arms up. "Let's skip past the pleasantries and begin our fight."
"You've got no backup, and you're facing a lot of us, buddy!" Rainbow goaded, raising her forelegs up in a boxer's stance as she hovered in the air.
"True, but that doesn't mean I can't even the odds just a little bit." The Crystal King leaned back, then thrust his neck out, the hole in the neck firing out a thin beam of ice out from him and straight toward Rainbow Dash. Surprised, the pegasus was hit, quickly turning into a block of ice, unable to move as she fell to the ground like a statue. Before the others could react from their shock, he shot a few more beams, aiming at the surprised mares as he encased them in ice as frozen statues. With the mares frozen in place, some in odd positions, the others tried to break them out, but the Crystal King created a blizzard, blinding Mario and co., hearing him chuckle as he used his power to levitated the frozen mares toward him, setting them down in a line behind him as he slowed the blizzard down to its gently flurry. "There. Now they are safe from harm, and useless to help you."
"Twilight can bust herself and her friends out of your ice blocks!" Lakilester exclaimed.
The Crystal King glanced behind him to look at the frozen alicorn. Everyone waited for Twilight's horn to glow and melt away the ice, or even teleport away, but nothing happened. The king chuckled at the lack of an escape attempt the others expected, turning back to face his opponents.
"Sorry, but I don't think she can move," the Crystal King said snidely. "Or use her otherworldly magic. Those six creatures are frozen solid; no amount of force, or even fire, can break or melt them free thanks to the magic I possess."
"What!?" everyone exclaimed, even Mario was shocked before he glared spitefully at their foe.
"The only way they'll be freed is if I'm defeated, though I doubt that will be the case," he said. "Unfortunately, my magic is limited to a certain amount of things I can permanently freeze, so, Mario, the only way I'll keep you as a statue is if I knock you unconscious. When I turn you into a living ice sculpture, I will deliver you and these six to Lord Bowser personally; a gift to show my loyalty to the almighty Koopa King."
"You sure you're not just following him because you're scared of his power using that Star Rod?" Bow questioned.
"I am not interested in taking over an entire kingdom like King Bowser. All that matters to me is that this palace belongs to me, and if it means working under him while protecting the last Star Spirit from you so he can keep his growing power, then so be it." Raising his arms again, the Crystal King summoned several shards of crystal around him, each of them shaped as cubes, diamonds, or spheres, each of them bearing the same yellow eyes he had. "But I have had enough talking to my foes. Have at you!"
Taking three of the floating crystals into the neck of his clothing, the Crystal King fired them straight toward Mario rapidly. The plumber quickly took out his hammer, smacking them away while shattering the weak crystals as they struck the ground. As the spirit king reloaded three more of the floating crystals in his "mouth", everyone split up as they went for their targets, Parakarry, Bow, Watt, and Lakilester dealing with the Crystal Bits the Crystal King summoned, while Mario, Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, and Sushie fought the Crystal King. They avoided the next volley of crystals he fired, Kooper rushing in first as he tossed himself straight into the Crystal King.
Mario grabbed Goombario and Bombette, tossing them both high in the air as they aimed for the Crystal King from above, both of them slamming down on him hard with their combined weight. As he tried to suck in more crystals, the flying group were faster than him as they easily knocked out each one that floated around them. Instead of being discouraged, the Crystal King simply summoned more of them, clearly showing a lot of magical skill than they anticipated, but instead of shooting them from his body, he flung them with his magic. Lakilester unleashed a Spiny Storm, smacking each crystal headed their way and knocking them to the floor in shattered pieces.
"How many more of these things can he summon!?" Parakarry questioned, ducking as the Crystal King summoned more and one of them nearly struck him in the head.
"Far too many!" Bow shouted, turning intangible to avoid a barrage of crystals headed her way.
Mario rushed the king and threw a punch, but his fist missed as he teleported a few inches to the side. Growling, he tapped into the magical powers bestowed upon him by the trapped Mane Six, his fists turning blue as he delivered a swift punch. This time, his blow connected as the Crystal King grunted in surprise, dumbstruck at the incredible speed compared to the instantaneous teleportation he was able to use. He was struck by several more blows before calling his crystals to dive down on Mario, backing away as the plumber smacked them all away with his fists and feet.
"Hmm...Interesting," the Crystal King uttered, noticing the glowing pendant around Mario's neck. It changed from blue to pink, the blue aura disappearing as a pink glow appeared in Mario's eyes, sensing a similar aura that came from the ponies frozen in the background. "The can inherit magic to others? What kind of creatures are these that Kammy is so interested in?" Forgetting about calling more crystals as it would drain his power, he fired a beam of ice at the plumber to try to freeze him for a short while. What he didn't expect was Mario side-stepping out of his aim, no all his next few shots as he tried to trick the plumber into getting hit by one. "How is this possible?"
A blast of water splashed the Crystal King as all his focus was on Mario, now completely drenched, though he didn't suffer from the freezing cold of the region as it was his element. Before he focused on turning Sushie into a fish stick, Watt let out a yell and zipped her way into him, shocking him with a powerful jolt that was greatly conducted by his soaked body. The Crystal King juddered from the electricity coursing through his body, the sleeves of his arms moving erratically as his invisible limbs twitched in all different directions. His body was singed as the electricity finally stopped, blinking a couple times before shaking himself out of his shock.
While trying to find the offending Li'l Sparky whizzing through the snow, Mario smacked his hammer against Kooper and Parakarry while they hid in their shells, volleying them off the distracted Crystal King as each shell smacked him backward a couple steps, both of them popping their feet out to kick and push back toward Mario for another rebound. Growling in frustration, the Crystal King took in a deep breath and blew out a powerful gust of freezing cold wind, turning both Koopas into ice. Taking hold of them in the small ice blocks they turned into, he flung them back at Mario at blinding speed, making the plumber yelp as he used his hammer to block them, being sent flying back as both shells made impact, shattering the ice around the Koopas while the trio grunted as they tumbled across the flat summit.
"Bombs away!" Lakilester called out, flinging Bombette with her fuse lit.
The Crystal King looked up, only to get blasted with a powerful explosion point blank in the face. Greatly hurt by the explosion, the spirit growled, using the cover of the smoke as he pulled in the snow floating down around them, using some of the flurry to heal some of his injuries. He smirked as he also used it to cast another spell, one that would surely give him the edge and exhaust his opponents easily. There was a brief flash as the heroes still standing waited for the Crystal King to attack, but when the smoke cleared, they saw not one, not two, but three Crystal Kings standing in a row, all three of them phasing in and out simultaneously like illusions due to the complex duplication spell he performed.
"There's three of them!?" Goombario exclaimed. His eyes glanced at each one, but he couldn't tell which one was the real Crystal King among the two fakes. "Oh crud! Which one's the real one!?"
"Step right up and take a chance," the Crystal King and his duplicates said, all three of them laughing at their confusion.
"I know which is the real one!" Watt said as she flew down and rammed into the one on the left. "Hyaaaaaaa-huh!?" She flew right through her target, the illusion disappearing as she felt discouraged. "Uh oh..."
"Uh oh, indeed, you electrified ball of energy," the duo Crystal Kings mocked, shooting a beam of ice at the Li'l Sparky, who let out a shriek as she was sent flying back, part of her sparking body covered in ice. He renewed his spell, bringing back his third clone as he and the other remaining clone disappeared and reappeared. "Want to try your luck again?"
Mario, Kooper, and Parakarry scrambled off each other, ignoring their painful crash as they leered at the Crystal King and his two illusions. "Alright, let's hit them all at once," Kooper suggested, Mario and Parakarry nodding in agreement. "On my mark!" Kooper and Parakarry ducked in their shells, preparing themselves to shoot off into one of the Crystal Kings while Mario readied his hammer, his gloves glowing purple so he'd be ready to call it back if it missed. "Launch!"
The trio attacked at once, the heavy hammer spinning rapidly between the two Koopa shells. As they flew into the Crystal Kings, Kooper was the one who hit his target, knocking the wind out of the spirit, while Parakarry flew through one illusion and Mario's hammer went through another. Finding the real one, Mario shifted the hammer around, pulling it back to slam it into the Crystal King's back, squishing him between the red and yellow hammer and the blue-shelled Koopa Troopa.
Teleporting away, the Crystal King grunted irritably, using his power to heal himself using the snow around them, lowering the intensity of the snow as he regenerated what strength he had lost. "I think we've got him on the ropes," Goombario said.
"And he thought we'd have a problem without Twilight or the others helping us," Kooper added. Grabbing Mario's hammer, he tossed it back to the plumber, who caught it and gripped it tightly as they turned to face the Crystal King as he once again used his illusion spell again. This time, however, the Crystal King levitated himself in the air, avoiding getting hit by any of the party who weren't able to jump high enough to reach him. "Then again, he's a lot more competent than some of Bowser's other followers."
"I am not going to fall," the Crystal King said. "I will not allow this! Mario, you will not get this last Star Spirit, and if I have to use every single ounce of my frozen magic to destroy you, then I will unleash all of it!"
The Crystal King and his copies split up and spiraled around the group, everyone standing back to back as they watched out for the real one. Taking in a huge breath, the spirit of crystal unleashed a powerful blizzard breath, catching the party in a tornado of frozen air. As they braced themselves, their bodies started to stiffen and turn into ice, but Mario tapped into one Fluttershy's bestowed powers, the yellow aura flowing into his blocked hands as it formed a small shield, protecting him from the sheer cold. Once the Crystal King stopped, he grinned as he managed to freeze the Mushroom Kingdom allies temporarily, their bodies shifting as they tried to break free, but Mario was still standing, barely an inch of frost on him.
Growling, he fired an ice beam at the plumber, three beams zigzagging from all three Crystal Kings. Mario leapt in the air, avoiding the beams as he spun around, his eyes and Lucky Star now glowing white as he observed each Crystal King. Despite how perfectly alike he made his illusion clones, his keen eyes thanks to Rarity helped him see a key difference in the original from the clones; the copies of the Crystal King were intangible, but the real one had an icy-blue glow around him as he channeled his illusions. As he continued spinning as he landed, Mario pulled out his hammer and gave it a hard toss at the real spirit, flinging it too fast for the Crystal King to react as it smacked him hard in the face.
"AGH! W-What!? HOW!?" the Crystal King exclaimed, his illusions disappearing as he was struck, his concentration thrown off from the blow.
Mario rushed the Crystal King, his hands and feet glowing a mixture of blue and orange, keeping him from teleporting away and continue casting more illusions to keep tricking them. While Mario caught the Crystal King in a flurry of fast and powerful blows, his friends had managed to break free from their ice prisons, shivering slightly as they recovered from being frozen solid.
"Man, he's tough," Lakilester said.
"Not tough enough to handle Mario," Bow said, pointing at the dueling pair as Mario was clearly winning.
After several punches in the Crystal King's gut, Mario grappled the spirit and flipped backward, kicking the Crystal King hard to where his hammer laid after throwing it. A purple aura merged with the blue and orange, controlling his hammer and swiftly brought it toward him, sending the Crystal King sailing back toward him with a hard smack. Mario volleyed the Crystal King back and forth with his fists and hammer, barely giving his foe a chance to retaliate so he can defeat him, save the Star Spirit, and free the ponies from their permanent frozen states. One more harsh punch in the face back to his hammer, Mario slammed the Crystal King down hard into the ground face first, his body barely moving as the floating hammer came back to Mario's hand.
The Crystal King let out a pained grunt, slowly getting back on his invisible feet, his crown slowly cracking as a look of shock was expressed in his eyes. "N-No," he uttered, spotting pieces of his crown breaking as he felt his body was on the verge of death. He tried to heal himself with the small sprinkle of snow falling around them, but it started to lighten up. "T-This can't be..." His shaky eyes stared at Mario, noting the glow around his chest fading along with the aura in his limbs, then looked back at the frozen mares behind him, their blocks of ice beginning to crack as his magic and life was fading. "T-That...magic...So...powerful...King Bowser...forgive me..."
The overwhelming pain suddenly washed over the Crystal King, letting out a painful yell as his body spiraled in place and began glowing. In a flash, his body exploded into snow and ice. With him beaten, Twilight and her friends were freed as the ice around them shattered to pieces, all six mares gasping while also shuddering from being frozen for what felt like hours.
"H-H-Hol-ly g-g-guaca-m-m-m-m-loe!" Pinkie exclaimed, her teeth chattering while her limbs wrapped around herself several times to try to warm herself up.
"T-T-T-Twilight, d-d-d-d-did y-y-you pack w-warm b-b-b-blankets?" Rarity asked.
Always prepared for any exploration, whether in the Mushroom Kingdom or back in Equestria, Twilight levitated several blankets from her never-ending inventory space of her enchanted saddlebags. The ponies quickly bundled themselves up, miraculously having stayed nice and warm even after the alicorn was frozen solid with all their belongings.
"Ok, didn't expect that guy to freeze us," Rainbow said. "I thought he'd be like Sombra and go crazy about crystals, using them against us."
"You girls alright!?" Kooper called out as he, Goombario, Parakarry, Watt, and Sushie ran up to check on them.
"Ah think so," Applejack said, shivering slightly as she tightened her blanket around herself. "Never been frozen like that and still lived. Worse than that winter that one year in Ponyville."
"Or running through the blizzard when the Crystal Empire returned," Fluttershy added.
Knowing they were ok, Mario walked over to where the Crystal King fell. Digging his hands through the snow, he found the final Star Spirit he dropped as he faded away from existence. Without Twilight or her friends needed to release the last Star Spirit, the card began glowing and float out of his hand. Spinning rapidly in the air, the card burst open and freed the trapped Star. The last Star Spirit slowed his spiraling and hovered down before Mario.
"Mario, you have done well making it this far," the Star Spirit said. "I am Kalmar. Now that we have all been freed, we can finally put an end to Bowser's misuse of the Star Rod, save Princess Peach, and return peace back to the Mushroom Kingdom. There is no time to waste, so I shall grant you my power." Kalmar lifted his arms, sprinkling Mario with stars as he granted the heroic plumber his special ability. "My power, Up and Away, will drag those who get in your way in a fight. Though it might not work most of the time, it can be helpful if you're ever in a bind with tougher foes."
"So all that's left now is to reach Bowser's castle," Twilight said. Looking up at the sky, it was hard to tell exactly how far up he managed to lift Peach's castle after getting caught in his dastardly scheme. "How exactly are we supposed to get there? I doubt Rainbow, Fluttershy, or I could even fly up there by ourselves if he's made it past the stratosphere."
"We will find you a way," Kalmar said. "For now, you must all make your way to Shooting Star Summit. We will prepare you a route to reach Star Way and reach Star Haven. My only wish is for you all to save this precious world." He then looked at the Mane Six, humming in thought. "Hopefully, we can figure out how to help you six return to your home. Best of luck to you all."
Without any time to spare, Kalmar floated up into the sky to return to Star Haven. Once the Mane Six had warmed up slightly, the party left the summit and backtracked through the Crystal Palace, Kooper hoping the Crystal King's defeat will discourage any of his minions from trespassing in these ancient ruins any longer. They were one step closer to reaching their final battle against Bowser. Not only that, but everyone was curious to know what Star Haven would be like, which only spurred on their haste to reach Shooting Star Summit.
Peach stood out on her balcony with Twink hovering by her side, both looking down at the kingdom below. As much of a sight as it was to see part of the world from this high up, it was still painful for the princess to know that everyone down on earth was worried about her safety. Even though she's been in such dire situations while kidnapped by Bowser, she knew things would turn out fine when Mario comes to her rescue. Everyone should really be worried about the ponies from another world, who were not only attacked by Bowser when they tried to stop him as well, but had been split up and were lost in different parts of the Mushroom Kingdom and had no experience with anything involving their world and its dangers outside of any safer towns and cities.
"You alright, Peach?" Twink asked, noticing the look of concern on her face.
"I'm just really worried about Twilight and her friends," she said. "I'm sure they're reunited and safe with Mario by now, but I can't help myself. They're visitors from another world, albeit by complete accident, and their first welcoming committee was by Bowser barging in and painfully zapping them with the Star Rod."
"They seem to be doing ok when I last saw Twilight, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Rarity," Twink said. "I kinda wished I was able to relay some good news to them." The Star Kid floated over the railing, looking up at the massive floating platform by the top of the castle. "Speaking of news, and the bad kind, what's Kammy Koopa got planned?"
"I don't know, but something tells me it's not going to be good." Peach looked down at her kingdom again, hoping all her sneaking and snooping was helpful to Mario and they rescued all seven Star Spirits. "Let's head back inside. I wonder if we can figure out what that platform is and see if we can warn Mario if it's some kind of last resort if Bowser starts to lose."
"Good idea," Twink agreed, the duo heading back in Peach's room. "Too bad the Sneaky Parasol broke no thanks to-"
The door suddenly opened as Bowser barged in unannounced, making Peach groan as she saw his flirty grin on his fanged maw. Twink quickly hid above the princess's canopy of her bed, staying out of sight as the Koopa King approached.
"Honey, I'm home!" Bowser greeted.
"We're not married, you idiot," Peach uttered. "And don't call me 'Honey'."
"What? Can't we just have a nice, friendly conversation?" Bowser asked. "...Without you finding a way out of your room?"
"You know, I do get bored sitting around my room every day, right?" Peach questioned, her arms crossing over her chest while giving the fire-breathing Koopa a disdainful glare.
"And that's the big problem, princess," Bowser accused. "Are you bribing my troops ordered to guard your bedroom door with coins? Let them allow you to do whatever you want when you flash them some money?"
"I don't stoop that low with the treasury!" Peach exclaimed. "I'm above petty, filthy methods of winning over my subjects, or even my enemies!"
Bowser gave peach a deadpanned stare. "You're not exactly innocent when you find a way to escape your room, like a rebel." He then grinned, giving the princess a wink. "Actually, I think I kinda like that. Be more of a naughty princess. Just not when you're trying to escape."
Peach let out a disgusted noise, sticking her tongue out at Bowser apparently having a thing for her being a rebellious princess, even if there were some regal things she wanted to slip away from when Toadsworth requests them without her consent. Even Twink silenced his retching, feeling sorry for the princess being hounded by someone as weird as Bowser.
"You're a pig," Peach said. "Mario's going to be coming any moment to rescue me, so I wouldn't get too cozy trying to get me to warm up to you."
"Uhh, have you forgotten something, princess?" Bowser pulled out the Star Rod, waving it around to let it jog Peach's memory, even though she already knew about his invincibility while wielding it. "Mario can't even touch me. Not even those weird, colorful animal things that tried."
"They are called ponies, not animals!" Peach shouted. "That's insulting to sentient creatures when you just call them animals! How would you like it if I called you a mutated turtle crossbred from a dragon and a Koopa!?"
Bowser blinked a couple times, tapping the Star Rod against his chin. "...A compliment?" he asked, making Peach facepalm as he didn't understand what the difference was between a compliment and an insult. Bowser scratched his head as he grew more deep in thought. "Actually...I don't even know who my parents were...I was raised by a Kamek, that much I know, but I have no idea where he went when I grew into a teenager."
At the mention of Bowser unable to recall the last time he ever saw his parents, Peach almost felt sympathetic for the Koopa King. She would feel bad for him if he actually had any remorse for his actions and wasn't so arrogant, though growing up without any parental guidance might leave a child growing up to be a delinquent, even if he had a nanny or guardian who actually tolerated his spoiled attitude. The door opened up again, this time Kammy Koopa barging in with a look of panic.
"Your Raunchiness, we have an emergency!" Kammy exclaimed.
"This had better be important," Bowser grumbled as he turned to face his right-hand witch.
"Uhh...Mario has rescued all the Star Spirits," Kammy announced, shocking Bowser while Peach and Twink silently cheered. "Not only that, but we've also heard that those six equines I've been demanding your soldiers to capture are together, and are traveling with Mario as we speak. And with all seven Star Spirits, it might be possible that he may use their power, so we need to be prepared for him and those six mythical creatures' with their powerful magic."
Bowser growled, gripping the Star Rod tightly. "Of course. That pesky plumber just can't give up, can he? Alright, then. Kammy, send everyone to their posts! We'll ambush them the moment they enter my castle!" Kammy nodded, but the Koopa King stopped her before he turned to Peach giving her a toothy grin. "Why don't you come with me and watch, Princess Peach? You'll get a front-row seat to watch as I crush Mario again. And this time, for good."
"I'd rather be stuck here in my room than watch something as horrendous as that again," Peach said.
"That wasn't a request." Bowser snapped his fingers, calling forth two Koopatrols, one of them carrying a rope in his hands. "You two, tie up the princess! I'm not letting her escape again and cause anymore stress than she's already caused."
"W-What!?" The soldiers rushed the princess, the one lacking the rope holding Peach so she didn't try to run off while the other began tying her arms down at her sides. "No! Let me go!"
Having enough of Bowser's cruelty, Twink revealed himself to the Koopas. "Hey, you jerks leave her alone!"
Kammy gasped as she saw the Star Kid, recognizing him from the small glimpse of him back when Peach snuck out and disguised as the recently fired Clubba who constantly napped on the job. "I knew it! I knew there was someone helping Peach break out of her own room!"
"I said get off of her!" Twink shouted, ignoring Kammy as he tried to kick the Koopatrols in the head, barely making them flinch as they looked up at him.
"What is this whiny little piece of confetti?" Bowser asked.
"The name's Twink, and you're gonna get it, you nasty Koopa! Take this!" Twink began attacking Bowser, flying around his head while smacking into him.
Bowser let out an irritated grumble, feeling like he was being annoyed by a fly who wouldn't stop buzzing around his face. He then grabbed the Star Kid, making him yelp as he was being squeezed in his powerful claw.
"No! Bowser, don't you dare hurt Twink!" Peach shouted, trying and failing to struggle out of her bindings as the Koopatrols continued tying her up.
"Lord Bowser, we need to get rid of this Star Kid!" Kammy said. "I knew something was fishy when I noticed a third plate of cake under the table in the dining room a few days ago. And I saw him floating away like a little sneak when I caught Peach pretending to look like that Clubba using the Sneaky Parasol she had on her!"
"So, this twerp's been trying to help the princess escape?" Bowser questioned, lifting the captured Star Kid up to his eye level.
"Y-You wish," Twink grunted, unable to move in the Koopa King's grip. "I...have been helping Peach. But it wasn't...mostly about escaping." Bowser raised a brow in confusion while Twink smirked. "You ever...wondered how Mario was able...to find the next Star Spirit? Or gave him info on what he'd be facing?" As it began to click, Bowser's eyes widened in shock, then turned into a glare as he growled. "Heheh...Looks like your plan's been duped and you'll still lose. What a suck-AHHHHHHH!!!"
Bowser began squeezing Twink harder, almost crushing him as the Star Kid screamed in pain. "NO! Stop it, Bowser!" Peach cried out.
"You little pest," Bowser growled. "You think it's funny, thinking you really helped Mario beat me? I'm still powerful AND invincible, so even if he found those Star Spirits, I'm not in the least bit scared of losing to that plumber. I'm never going to lose with the Star Rod, and not even a runt like you can stop me, either." He stopped squeezing Twink, the little Star panting and groaning in pain as his limbs ached. "Now, how about you make like a Bzzap!, and BUZZ OFF!"
Bowser reared his free hand back, balling it into a tight fist. He let go of Twink as he swung his arm, punching the Star Kid hard and sent him flying out of Peach's room, straight out the balcony window and down to the earth far below.
"TWINK! NOOOOOO!" Peach cried, struggling to break away from the Koopatrols' hold on her.
"Take the princess! Now!" Bowser ordered, his soldiers nodding as they lifted Peach above them instead of gently escorting her like before. They left the room with the princess to await Mario's inevitable arrival while Bowser and Kammy slowly followed after them. "Hmph. All this time, where Mario figured out where to go, it was no thanks to a little Star. Took care of that runt for good."
"Lord Bowser, there's still the matter of those equines," Kammy mentioned.
"So what?" Bowser asked. "You've been raving about how important they were. They're just rainbow-colored creatures who are weird."
"It's about their magic they tried to use on you," Kammy explained. "If only I had a chance to study just one of them, I could figure out exactly what they are, and what that rainbow power they tried to shoot at you could do. You were lucky the Star Rod made you invincible, otherwise it could have killed you."
"Pth. Rainbow's can't kill," Bowser scoffed cockily. "Probably would have made me want to frolic through a field of flowers while giggling like a little girl. Invincible or not, it wouldn't do anything to me anyway."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Your Rancidness," Kammy uttered. "Their magic combined rivals my own. But with the Star Spirits freed, they're sure to have something up their sleeve to try to negate your invulnerability. Luckily, if push comes to shove, there's my secret weapon we can fall back on if you're about to lose."
"What exactly does this 'secret weapon' of yours do, Kammy Koopa?" Bowser asked curiously.
"You'll have to wait and see," she said vaguely. "I haven't had a chance to test it out, but I'm positive it'll be a guaranteed success."