Mario and Bowser started the final bout off, the plumber rushing forward while the giant Koopa marched to meet him, both their fists thrown as they connected in a flash of power. Bowser was by far the strongest due to his size, pushing Mario back as he backflipped away, only to rush him again as he had speed and dexterity on his side. He dodged Bowser's powerful slamming fist into the ground, leaping forward and giving him a few good punches in the gut. Barely flinching, Bowser grabbed Mario's arm, then flung him up in the air.
Before he hid in his shell to spin himself and slash Mario with the sharp spikes on his shell, Rainbow Dash charged in and slammed into Bowser's chest, temporarily knocking the wind out of him. Mario flipped around, landing on his feet as he adjusted his hat, his friends charging in to help as they had a greater advantage in numbers and teamwork. Rainbow managed to flap away from a backhanded slap from Bowser, roaring in frustration before he was suddenly zapped by a beam of magic aimed at his shoulder. Twilight and Rarity fired beams from their horns, the latter's weaker and meant to distract him while the former's had a lot more power in them, planning on paying back the separation the Koopa King had endured on the ponies.
"You're not going to win this time, Bowser!" Twilight exclaimed, ceasing her blasts and teleporting behind him. "With all of us together, you will never stop us!"
"Bah! That only proves you're a bunch of weaklings who like to team up on someone!" Bowser said, blocking his body as Kooper and Parakarry shell shot themselves at him. He turned around and unleashed huge lungful of fire in the alicorn's direction, but the alicorn flapped her wings and leapt over the flames. She fired another beam, only for Bowser to counter with one from his Star Rod, both lavender and yellow auras colliding as they struggled for dominance. "And with the Star Rod, you still won't stand a chance!"
"That's what you think, buster!" Pinkie said, bouncing toward him with her hammer, slamming it down hard on Bowser's stubby tail.
Bowser let out a yell, his concentration thrown off as Twilight's beam struck his face, sending him staggering back a little. Ignoring the alicorn, he turned to glare at Pinkie, only to be met with Bow as she held out her fan, giving him a sadistic grin as she slapped him in the face with it. After only one slap, she realized she barely made the Koopa King spin about, leaving a sizable mark on his cheek, but it only angered him.
"...A fan? Really?" Bowser asked.
"Uhh...It worked when I smacked Tubba Blubba with it," Bow stated. "...Although, that was when he wasn't invincible anymore..." The two stared at each other in silence for a moment, Bow blinking as she had no idea how much help she could be if her weak fan barely fazed him. "...So, how's the weather?"
Bowser lunged his hands out to grab the Boo, but Bow disappeared, distracting him long enough for Sushie to blast him in the face with water. Growling as he glared at the soon to be roasted Cheep Cheep, he winced as he heard a spark of electricity beside him. Turning his head, he saw Watt floating right over his shoulder.
"Umm, hello, Mr. Bowser," Watt greeted politely before looking serious. "Prepare for a shocking!"
"...Uh oh," Bowser mumbled.
Watt tapped Bowser's head, sending volts of electric energy flowing through him as his body was conducted by his soaked skin. His body jittered in every random pose he made, his skeleton showing in brief flashes as he let out a shuddering yell. After the shock finally stopped, Bowser was a charred mess, his limbs twitching on reflex from the aftershock of the Li'l Sparky's powerful jolts. Blinking a couple times, Bowser, shook off the charred blackness, then leered at Watt. He roared and spun around, breathing a powerful blast of fire around him to keep everyone away from him.
"Where's the fire ponies when we need them!?" Pinkie exclaimed as she ducked under the flames. Her tail, unfortunately, got hit, lit on fire as the smell of roasted cotton candy marshmallows hit her nostrils. "Hey, who's toasting marshmallows at a time like this?" She sniffed the air, then looked back at her tail, letting out a shriek as she realized it was her tail that was being roasted, bouncing around in a panic. "AHHH! I'm gonna be the marshmallow!"
"Pinkie, hold still, dearie!" Sushie called out, squirting water at the flailing earth pony, drenching Pinkie and dousing out the fire on her tail.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh..." Pinkie sighed. "Thanks, Sushie."
"I'm starting to get fed up with this!" Bowser growled. He pulled out the Star Rod, chuckling deviously as he unleashed its power, making himself invincible again as his body was surrounded in a rainbow of light. Pounding a fist into his palm, he cracked his knuckles with a sinister grin. "Now, how about we do this the right way? Where I kick your butts yet again!"
"Oh no," Rainbow said in a sarcastic tone, feigning shock as she hovered behind Bowser. "He's gone invincible again. And there does not seem to be any way we can do any harm to him. Not even with our magic of friendship. Again."
Kammy raised her brow at the terrible acting the pegasus made while Peach was utterly confused by Rainbow's nonchalant worries. "What is going on?" Kammy questioned.
The others regrouped behind Mario, Rainbow continuing to act like they were doomed. "We're doomed! About to get burnt to a crisp by Bowser's disgusting fire breath, or zapped by a lightning bolt from his Star Rod!"
"...Ok, why are you being so dramatic?" Bowser asked, finding the mare's whining annoying. "I expected that from the white one just by how she looks, being all snooty and such."
"Snooty!?" Rarity exclaimed. "How dare you!?"
"Ok, Rainbow, cut it out," Twilight chided with a groan. "We don't need any theatrics to lull him into a sense of security."
"...Do what now?" Bowser asked in confusion, scratching his head slightly.
"Just blast him with our secret weapon, Mario," Goombario said, the plumber nodding in agreement, ending the terrible charade.
Clasping his hands together in a prayer, Mario closed his eyes, summoning the Star Spirits power to help aid them. Stars glittered around Mario before they rose up, and within moments, the seven Star Spirits appeared above the group, somehow invisible to Bowser as he didn't see the glowing flash from their arrival.
"Alright, you reptilian abomination!" Muskular shouted, even though Bowser couldn't hear him. "Let's get rid of your so called 'invulnerability'!"
"All together, everyone!" Eldstar ordered, the seven powerful Stars spinning in an orbit as they floated above the Koopa King.
Unleashing their combined power, they summoned a beam of light down in the center of their orbit, the Star Beam clearly striking Bowser dead on. Suddenly hit with a flash of light, Bowser yelped as he suddenly felt pain, and when the light of the beam dimmed, the rainbow aura around him that showed his invincibility was now gone, the Star Rod's power dispelled by the Star Spirits. Kammy flinched, being the first to spot her leader's diminished power after the surprising beam of light that came out of nowhere.
"W-What in the heck was that!?" Bowser questioned. Looking down at himself, he grunted in shock, his invincibility and slightly enhanced strength from it now gone. "What's going on!?" Looking at the Star Rod, he tried to bring back his invincibility, but it had been drained by the Star Beam's power. "Why is this stupid thing not working!?"
"Let's see if y'all can feel this!?" Applejack sprinted forward, and as soon as she got close, she spun in place and bucked her hind legs hard into Bowser's gut.
He let out a pained grunt, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull as he lost his breath, sent skidding back several yards before coming to a complete stop, doubling over as he clutched his stomach. "Oooh. I felt that from here," Kooper groaned with a wince.
"What is happening!?" Kammy exclaimed. "The Star Rod failed!?...Unless..." The witch growled, now seeing what had just happened. "Those Star Spirits. They had some sort of contingency plan ever since the Star Rod came to existence, didn't they? They must have given Mario all of their power and used that beam to dispel Lord Bowser's invincibility..." At first, she grew worried, but smirked when she had her own backup plan should Bowser's first round fail. "My plan B might still save us yet."
Bowser coughed, gasping for air as he tried to sit up on his knees. His ears heard a hissing noise, looking up to find Bombette with her fuse lit up, ready to self-destruct in his face.
"This is for all the Bob-ombs that were forced to work for those stupid Koopa Bros.!" she yelled as she grunted, her fuse burning faster.
Before he could try to get away, Rainbow Dash dove in with a battle cry, slamming her hoof into the back of his head and smacking his face into the ground. Bombette finally blew up, hitting Bowser point blank as he was sent flying back a bit, only to be grabbed by a lavender aura and sent flying back toward the party. Lakilester unleashed a barrage of Spiny eggs into the Koopa King's body, followed by a harsh headbutt from Goombario in his buffed up state, an enhanced uppercut punch from Mario, and another swift buck from Applejack, all three of them striking Bowser in the gut again and sending him soaring up in the air, smacking him into the ceiling.
Groaning in pain, Bowser gripped his Star Rod tightly, refusing to let it go, even as he was getting his tail handed to him. Feeling its power return again, he unleashed a barrage of lightning bolts down on the party, hitting all of them except Mario, the plumber taking it while the others were stunned from the magical lightning strikes. Mario's eyes flashed pink as he saw a vision, watching Bowser plummet down from the ceiling he was just stuck on, and slammed down on top of Twilight, the only one he was close to while stunned and unable to defend herself.
As soon as his vision ended, Bowser had already peeled himself out of the ceiling and began his decent, falling rump first as he aimed for Twilight. His feet glowing blue, Mario quickly ran up to the alicorn at mach speeds, tossing her to safety while he quickly slid away as Bowser landed, narrowly missing getting crushed under the large Koopa's posterior. Dodging near his tail, Mario quickly grabbed his foe's weakness, making Bowser yelp as the plumber tugged hard, sprawling the Koopa King on his stomach.
"Not again with the tail thing!" Bowser complained, only to start yelling as, with surprising strength not including the enhancement of Applejack's power from the Lucky Star, Mario swung Bowser around while spinning in place. His feet still glowing blue from Rainbow's power, he spun faster and faster, making Bowser dizzy as his limbs flailed helplessly, his eyes spiraling in dizziness. "I! Think! I'm! Gonna! Be!" Mario let go, sending Bowser sailing all the way across the long hallway. "SIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!!!!!!"
Kammy turned and watched her king tumble across the floor, his spiked shell slightly tearing up the carpet with each roll until he came to a dead stop at the other end. Seeing how their odds were already failing them, she had no choice but for them to fall back and initiate their contingency plan, hoping that it would work in their favor. Bowser stood up, his body wobbling as he could barely stand up straight after being spun around like the world's biggest top.
"Your Grace, I believe we must make a tactical retreat!" Kammy suggested. "We can still beat them if we use our backup plan!"
Bowser shook his head, his eyes finally stopped rolling in his head as he grumbled. "You're right. Plan B, Kammy." Back at the halfway point of the hall, Bowser and Kammy saw Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Parakarry trying to safely untie and carry Peach out of her bindings and back to solid ground. "Oh, no you don't!"
Using his Star Rod, he fired a beam at them, but just as Twilight was about to intercept it, it stopped in front of them and struck them with a blinding flash. Everyone yelped as they saw nothing but white, the trio trying to help the princess lowering themselves to the ground before they crashed in their blinded flight. Bowser quickly hopped into his clown copter, flying up to Peach, hovering underneath her as he cut the rope holding her in the air while still keeping her arms bound to her sides.
"No! Let me go!" Peach screamed. "Mario, help me!"
"He's got Peach!" Twilight said, blinking her eyes rapidly as everyone's vision came back to them.
"If you want her, then come after us!" Bowser mocked, he and Kammy flying out through the broken window.
"Hey! Don't run off, you coward!" Rainbow shouted. She flew after them, only for Kammy to hit the mare with her magic, sending the pegasus falling back down into the hallway, cackling as she continued following her king. Rainbow got back up, but as she tried to open her wings, they were glued to her sides, sealed by the witch's magic. "Urgh! Darn it! She did something to my wings!"
"I wish we had time to fix it, but we need to chase after them," Twilight said. "I'm sorry, Rainbow."
"I'm fine," Rainbow said. "Peach still needs our help. I'll live without flying for a while. I just hope whatever magic spell she hit me with isn't permanent."
Hurrying after them, the hero party ran across the hall and further explored more of the castle as they gave chase. Climbing up the stairs and out onto the bridge leading toward the tower, Bowser laughed at them, taunting them as he and Kammy flew up to a strange, incredibly large platform floating higher up. After a long and winding climb up the tower, the ran across the bridge that lead to said platform, where Bowser waited for them, a button sitting in the middle of the platform while Kammy stood by Peach, keeping an eye on her so she didn't try to run off. As soon as they were all across, Bowser laughed once again.
"I see you're still not going to back down, Mario," Bowser said. "Well, then, let me welcome you all to your nightmare."
"Just give up, Bowser!" Twilight said. "There's no way you can beat us with the Star Rod now! It's over! Just give it up, let go of the princess, and go back to your kingdom peacefully!"
"As if I'm going to give up to the likes of a...whatever you are! Or even the likes of Mario!" Bowser chuckled and lifted up his foot. "And since Mario's been my rival so long, I had Kammy arrange this special arena for us!" Stomping his foot down on the button, the floating platform began to shake slightly. Once it stopped, they heard the bridge they walked across fall apart, trapping everyone unable to fly to safety on the giant battle arena. "Hah! Now you're all trapped up here! No one's leaving until I win once and for all!"
"Oh no," Fluttershy uttered, trembling slightly. "How can we get everypony else out?"
"I don't know," Rainbow said. She soon felt her wings finally twitch from her sides, Kammy's spell wearing out as she can now freely spread them and flapped in the air, fighting airborne again instead of on the ground. "But if Bowser still wants a fight, then he's gonna get one!"
"You fools must not have cleaned out your ears," Kammy said as she cackled. "You fell right into our trap!"
"We heard you the first time," Bow groaned irritably.
"Did you all really think that we've just been sitting back watching you save the Star Spirits?" Kammy questioned. "Ever since I sensed that magic coming from you six otherworldly creatures, I had a feeling Mario wasn't really down for the count. And the fact that you six are just as irritating and would be more frustrating to deal with aside from Mario, I've been working on a device to increase Lord Bowser's power! And when activated, not even the Star Spirits can rival his new power when it's active!
"Unfortunately, if I had more time to study you six equine creatures and your unique magic, I could have found a way to prevent you from using your powered-up forms. But, that won't matter much, considering Lord Bowser will be even more powerful than ever before!" Kammy readied her wand, summoning her magic power into the red jewel embedded in it. "Ready, my liege!? Here we go!"
Raising her wand, Kammy unleashed her "device's" power as her wand glowed brightly. A machine began humming to life under them, the two spiked rings around the edge of the arena started to move and spin faster. Purple lightning began striking the spikes and sparking the edge of the wide, circular platform. The ground beneath them began to creating swirling shadows, the powered up machine they stood on giving everyone an ominous feeling that something terrible was about to happen.
Bowser soon grunted, a pulsing heartbeat echoing in the air as the shadows beneath them seemed to flow under his feet. His pupils dilated slightly, hunching over as he felt the arena begin to feed power into him. He soon let out a loud roar, which grow in intensity as the party stood their ground as they watched Bowser start to grow; he grew until he was at least twice his normal size, his muscles bulged in his arms and legs, nearly snapping off the spike bands he wore, and surrounding him was a faint aqua aura, practically exuding magical energy that had enhanced his strength tenfold.
"What in the name of Celestia!?" Twilight exclaimed in shock.
"It's Giga Bowser!" Pinkie screamed.
"I-I didn't think he could actually get any bigger!" Kooper said, sweat dripping down his forehead as he and the others felt dwarfed by the giant Koopa King.
Bowser chuckled, looking down at his claws as he felt the overwhelming boost in power granted to him by Kammy's intellectual planning. "Ohhhhhh yeah! I feel fantastic!" he cheered, clenching his fists and felt his second wind come back, feeling rejuvenated as well after the beating he took earlier. "Kammy Koopa, you're a genius, and I love you for it!"
"Oh, don't flatter me, Your Grace," Kammy said. "Our fallback plan isn't sure to fail now. Time to put an end to this little hero troupe and finally take over the Mushroom Kingdom!"
"With the utmost pleasure," Bowser said, cracking his knuckles again, only to make the party wince as they could practically feel them from their distance from him. "Now, let's try this for the last time, you Mushroom-munching menace. I'm going to stomp you into the ground, and make sure there's nothing left for anything to bring you back that not even a 1-Up Mushroom can help!"
As Bowser stepped forward, his one stomp caused the ground to shake, nearly knocking everyone on legs off their feet. "Oh boy. This is gonna get tough," Parakarry said.
"Well, it's like they say: the bigger they are, the harder they'll fall," Bombette said.
"I think we're gonna need a miracle to knock Bowser down while he's THIS size!" Lakilester said nervously, his cloud shaking in fear.
Mario growled, determined not to give up. If he faced several Koopas with different, powerful skills, an invincible Clubba, a Shy Guy general, a towering Piranha Plant, a deadly cloud creature, and a ghostly crystal king, then he can face an enlarged Bowser with more power than ever before. He rushed forward, leaping up toward Bowser's face as he reared his arm back for a punch. Bowser anticipated his foe's first move, ducking his head and headbutting Mario hard, sending the plumber flying in the air from the strong blow. He took in a deep breath and blew out a massive wave of fire from his mouth, aiming it straight at the others.
"Scatter!" Twilight shouted, everyone splitting up as they narrowly avoided getting burnt: all of the flying party members climbed over the fire along with Twilight and Rainbow Dash, grouped to the left after dodging were Fluttershy, Applejack, Sushie, and Bombette, and to the right were Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Goombario, and Kooper.
After separating them, Bowser looked up, spotting Mario falling back down, holding his hammer as he swung it down on him as he fell. Bowser merely blocked the plumber's tough hammer with his arm, then with the other, grabbed Mario, and slammed him down hard into the ground. Just as he was about to crush his enemy in his giant claws, Rainbow and Twilight swooped down, slamming their hooves in Bowser's face and giving Mario a chance to escape from the Koopa King's loosened grip. Roaring in irritation, Bowser tried to swat the pegasus and alicorn as they dove down at him, too busy looking up at them to see Mario vault back on his feet and got as far away from him as he could.
Bow, Parakarry, Watt, and Lakilester joined the two mares, attacking from the air while the other split up groups flanked Bowser to try to cause some kind of injury to the gargantuan beast of a Koopa, except for Fluttershy, who stayed back as support while trembling at the sight of the magically enhanced foe. Even as everyone ganged up on Bowser, they were able to cause a little bit of damage, but it was like he didn't even feel their hardest attacks. Despite being bigger, it didn't diminish his original speed in the slightest, the party backing away when he swung his sharp claws, tried to stomp on them, or even roast them alive with his fire breath. Out of everyone's blows, he could feel Mario's heavily exerted blows, Applejack's powerful bucking prowess, and Twilight's magic beams as she poured more mana into them. The others' were only able to irritate or distract him at their strongest, mostly the former.
"Come on! Is that the best you've got!?" Bowser goaded, laughing in amusement at their failed attempts to try to hurt him. "I guess not." Pulling out the Star Rod, Rainbow saw an opportunity to try to swipe it from him. If someone snatched it away, then maybe they'll have an advantage and use it against him. She swooped in for the steal, but as soon as her hooves touched it while in his claws, she yelped as she felt a painful jolt of electricity shoot through her body, paralyzing her in midair. Everyone gasped in shock at what had just happened, Bowser smirking menacingly as he turned to the speedy pegasus, then snatched her out of the air with his other claw by her neck. "Nice try, rainbow head! Even before you got here, I made sure to grant myself a little wish in case someone was stupid enough to swipe the Star Rod from me! Try to take it while I'm still conscious, and you'll get zapped!"
"Ngh! I-I can...handle...a bit of electricity...you jerk," Rainbow grunted, flailing her hindlegs as she tried to break free.
Seeing her best friend in trouble, Fluttershy let out a gasp as she watched Bowser strangle Rainbow Dash. Watching any of her friends getting hurt was unacceptable to her, her anger fully expressing itself like when the mares had to get a full-grown dragon to leave his cave to stop spewing smoke out over Ponyville during his century-long nap. This time, instead of a scolding, Bowser was going to wish he got a verbal lecture. Flapping her wings, she flew right up in his face, glaring angrily at him.
"Let go of my friend right this instant, you nasty reptile!!!!" Fluttershy shouted.
"Gwahahahaha! Or wha-!?" Bowser's laughter died as he got a look at Fluttershy's eyes, letting out a confused, terrified grunt when her furious stare pierced through his soul. He was around five or six times her size, he could grab her and keep Rainbow in his hand if he wanted, but his body wasn't willing to listen. "W-W-W-What is happening?...W-Why can't I move my body?"
Rainbow chuckled, wriggling her way out of Bowser's slowly unclenching claws. "About time you used that Stare of yours, Flutters."
"'Stare'!? What is she babbling about!?" Kammy exclaimed, highly confused. "Lord Bowser, she's just leering at you! How is something that's supposed to be cute, fluffy, and adorable be menacing!?"
"Well, I've never seen it myself when Fluttershy told me about her signature Stare when they arrived," Peach said. "She uses it when her animal friends don't listen to her, and only for emergencies. She even used it on a dragon."
"Bah! How can something like THAT take on the likes of Bowser at his-?" Hearing Fluttershy let out an enraged yell, Kammy looked and gaped in pure shock as she watched the timid pegasus tackle into Bowser, making him grunt as the wind was knocked out of him. She then turned around, wrapped her forelegs around his neck, then flipped him forward with surprising strength, slamming him down on his hard, spike-shelled back. The witch's jaw dropped, taken aback by how someone that shy was able to do something to someone bigger and heavier than her by practically a ton. "...Uhhhhh...Did I take the wrong medicine today, or am I finally going senile?"
Met with silence from Peach, who was just as stunned, Fluttershy bounced off Bowser's stomach as she landed by his leg, the Koopa King scrambled to get away from the terrifyingly strong pegasus. He got to his belly, but she wrapped her hooves around one of his ankles, and in one swift movement, she flew over him, bending his back painfully as she caught him in a leg lock.
"AHHHH! I don't think I'm supposed to bend like that!" Bowser screamed, pounding his fist into the ground in surrender, but Fluttershy wasn't going to have any of it.
"Yay! Go, Fluttershy!" Pinkie cheered, all but the rest of the mares and Sushie stared, completely stunned at how easily Fluttershy pinned Bowser at his size. "Show that Koopa who's boss!"
"...Ok, maybe she's tougher than I thought after all," Bow commented. "...I hope she isn't able to find a way to 'wrestle' a Boo into submission."
"No time to gawk!" Twilight reminded everyone. "Let's get him while we have the chance!"
Everyone rushed the leg-locked Bowser, surrounding him as they prepared to knock his lights out. Bowser gripped the Star Rod in his hand, using its power to unleash a shockwave of yellow light. It struck everyone, sending them flying back as the magical wave hit them hard, Fluttershy's hold on Bowser's leg lost as she tumbled across the ground after being flung by the Star Rod's power. Grunting, standing up with a wince as he stood on his sore leg, he brushed off the nearly brutal, back-breaking lock, amazed his shell didn't break in half after being bent like that.
"Well, I guess you colorful things aren't as pathetically weak as you looked after all," Bowser grumbled. "But I'm done toying with you. Time to go invincible again!"
Raising the Star Rod, he used its power to make himself invulnerable yet again, the ethereal stars flowing around him giving him the rainbow aura of invincibility once more. As the party stood up, grunting in pain from the incredible shockwave, they saw the Koopa King back in his invincible state.
"He really doesn't learn his lesson, does he?" Twilight asked.
"Not after kidnapping Princess Peach several dozen times," Goombario said.
Mario shook his head, not surprised to see Bowser try to use the same tactic they were able to get rid of earlier. Praying again to the Star Spirits, he summoned them again as they appeared in a flash, then hovered over Bowser and unleashed the Star Beam again. He was shrouded in the dispelling beam of light, but something happened as the Star Spirits seemed to have lost their concentration, their power backfiring as they suddenly got flung in different directions with a surprised yell. Completely shocked, everyone stared in horror as Bowser remained invincible, smirking cockily with his arms crossed.
"Bah! That little attack isn't going to do anything anymore!" he mocked. "Just like that dumb friendship beam those six things tried!"
"H-How did it fail!?" Kooper exclaimed. "The Star Beam's supposed to nullify the Star Rod's power!"
Mario grew worried, fearing that he might actually lose this fight to Bowser again, and for good. "Mario, let's try combining the Star Beam with our power!" Twilight suggested. Looking over at the alicorn, he nodded his head, willing to give it a try at any cost. "Girls, form up!"
The other ponies nodded and joined Twilight. Closing their eyes, they focused on the magic of friendship, unleashing their Elements as their forms changed as spheres of light appeared and disappeared. Now in their Rainbow Power forms, the six mares hovered over Mario, focusing their magic together as the plumber began praying again, summoning the seven Star Spirits once again. Even the Star Spirits didn't back down, focusing their power once again as they flew over Bowser. The Mane Six shined brightly, releasing beams of colorful light from their being to create a rainbow, sending it spiraling over to the Star Spirits as they unleashed the Star Beam, combining both powers as they struck the Koopa King.
The beam seemed to stay for a while longer this time, but it began to waver slightly, the Star Spirits grunting to try to keep it held. Sadly, their strength waned as it backfired again, sending the powerful Stars scattering away while the rainbow of light shot straight back at the Mane Six. Gasping in shock, the mares were struck by their own power, sending them crashing down in a daze.
"You know, as amusing as it is to watch you fail, it gets boring to see these magic friendship beam things keep failing," Bowser said. "I think you need to look up the term for 'invincible', because that clearly hasn't gone through your heads yet."
Mario began to sweat nervously while the others checked on the downed ponies. They were still conscious, groaning in pain as they sat up, still retaining their Rainbow forms.
"Are you girls alright?" Lakilester asked.
"Ah guess," Applejack said. "But what's goin' on? How did that Star Beam work the first time, but it's not workin' now?"
"I don't know..." Twilight looked around at her surroundings, trying to figure out this mystery to Bowser's invincibility remaining intact even after two Star Beams, the last one combined with their magic from their Rainbow Forms. She looked at the ground where the dark, spiraling energy continued to flow into Bowser, the lightning dancing around the arena as it continuously struck the spinning rings, then back to Bowser and the Star Rod still held firmly in his hand. The realization of the situation finally clicked in, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks at the theory. "...Unless..."
"'Unless?'" Bow questioned skeptically, floating in front of the shocked alicorn. "I don't like the way you said that! What's 'unless' mean!?"
"This arena we're standing on," she started. "This is granting Bowser this power to grow him to the size he is now, right?" Slowly, most of the group nodded their heads, the answer slowly starting to be pieced together for the others. "Then...if that's true...then anything he has could be powered up, too...Which means...the Star Rod's power has surpassed even the Star Spirits' combined power to nullify it!"
"HUH!?!?!?!?!?!?" everyone shouted in shock.
"NANI!?!?!?!?!?!?" Pinkie exclaimed.
"N-No way!" Bombette said. "T-Then that means..."
"Umm, we can't beat him now!?" Watt asked nervously.
"T-This isn't fair," Rainbow uttered. "He can't win...He just can't!"
"He is...and he's going to..." Twilight felt hopeless as she slumped, already admitting defeat as their most powerful and only method of ridding Bowser of his invincibility was now useless.
Mario clenched his fists, stepping forward despite his nerves. After facing these odds, he wasn't going to give Bowser the satisfaction of winning by admitting his defeat. Twilight looked up at Mario, along with the others, surprised to see the plumber stand his ground despite the impossibility of the situation. Their morale slightly returning, the rest of the party joined Mario, standing by his side as they faced the invincible Koopa King, even the Mane Six after realizing they were going to lose. Bowser laughed at them, unsure whether or not he should commend them for their bravery or mock them for their stupidity.
Peach watched in horror, her hope slowly dwindling as Mario was sure to perish for good this time, along with Twilight, her friends, and the ragtag group of friends they befriended on their long journey. "No...I have to do something...but what?" she asked herself. "...Someone...anyone...help us..."
"No one's going to save you anymore, Princess," Kammy said. "It's finally over. And my king, if you decide to do any physical harm, leave those equines alive so that I may study their unique magic! If we figure out where they came from, maybe we can conquer their kingdom as well!"
Peach gasped, staring at the witch in shock. "No!" Kammy cackled, imagining how much more powerful her magic will become once she mentally dissects the Mane Six's magic prowess. The two soon heard a yell from above, but Kammy wasn't able to react in time as something smacked her hard in the back of the head, sending her in a daze as she fell off her broomstick. The thing that struck her hit the ground a few meters away from Peach, letting out a groan. When she saw what it was, Peach gasped again, recognizing the Star Kid struggling to hover back up. "Twink!? Is that you!?"
"Ugh...I'm ok...I think," Twink grunted.
Peach ran up to the injured Star Kid, wishing her arms were freed so she could hug him. "Oh, I'm so glad you're ok! But, you're badly hurt. Why are you here?"
"I...wasn't going to leave you hanging," he said. "Here, let me get you out of those ropes."
Twink flew around behind the princess, undoing the knot keeping her arms held down. Once she was freed, she turned around and hugged Twink tightly.
"You shouldn't even be moving," Peach chided. "Bowser hit you pretty hard."
"I'll live," Twink reassured, wincing a little as he pretended to be strong. "You needed my help. I promised to try to grant you any of your wishes as best as possible. So, hurt or not, I'm stuck to you like glue."
Their reunion was cut short when they heard Kammy grunt, getting back up with a heavy shake of her head. "Ow. What in the world hit me?" Looking over at Peach, she spotted Twink in her unbound arms, growling irritably at the Star Kid. "You!? You're back!?" As the witch climbed back on her broom, Twink hovered protectively in front of Peach, ignoring his injuries to defend her from getting tied up again. "I thought Lord Bowser got rid of you, you little pest!"
"You can't get rid of me!" Twink said defiantly, making Kammy cackle.
"You think a young whippersnapper like you can defeat me!?" she questioned. "You got lucky knocking me out like that!"
"I'm not scared of you! Take this, you old hag!" Twink flew forward, hurling himself into the experienced Kamek.
Unfortunately, with his weakened state and his size, he barely made Kammy Koopa flinch as he bounced off her face. "Nyeah hoo hoo hoo hoo! Did I feel a breeze? Was that really the best you got?"
She smacked Twink back with her wand, quickly stopping himself as he winced while floating in front of Peach. Seeing how determined the Star Kid was, Peach prayed in Twink, believing he was strong enough to stop Kammy. Stars twinkled around the princess while she held her hands together in a prayer, those same stars glittering around Twink, who gasped as he suddenly felt rejuvenated and slightly stronger. While distracted, Kammy used her magic to summon a giant sand block, slamming it down on the Star Kid's head, making him scream out in pain.
"Twink!" Peach cried out.
"Ngh...I-I'm fine," Twink assured, shaking it off as he leered at the witch.
He tried to tackle her again, but this time, he surprised Kammy Koopa when he had actually managed to hurt her, smacking her right in her face. "OW! W-What!? T-That actually hurt!?" Growling, she tried to swat him away with her wand, but he moved too fast for her to hit him as he returned to Peach, the princess praying more for him. "So, you do have some fight in you, eh? Well, I'll have to bury you under a bunch of sand blocks, then!" She slammed another block she summoned with her magic, injuring Twink some more, but not as badly as the first time. They continued exchanging blows, with Twink's strength growing more with each silent wish Peach gave to him, and Kammy's attacks were getting weaker and barely phasing the Star Kid. "Gah! What is going on here!? Why are you getting stronger!?"
By now, Twink's body was practically shimmering, now understanding where his newfound strength was coming from. Kammy tried to attack with yet another sand block, and when it was slammed down on him, Twink barely flinched, smirking at the witch as he puffed his tiny Star body.
"Did I just feel a breeze?" Twink mocked. "Was that the best you've got, witch!?"
"W-W-W-W-What!? WHAT!? T-That's impossible!" Kammy exclaimed. "How are my attacks not doing anything!? And how's he getting stronger!?" She finally noticed Peach with her eyes closed while silently praying. Kammy gasped, backing away nervously when she realized how it was possible that she was losing to a Star Kid. "Oh no...No! Now I remember...Stars get their power from ordinary people's wishes...Peach's wishing is granting this little brat power!"
Twink let out a battle cry, sprinkles of stars trailing behind him as he rushed Kammy. She tried to escape, but with Twink's increased strength and agility, he smacked the witch in the chin, knocking her off her broom and up in the air. He followed after her, constantly flying around and ramming into her like a storm of shooting stars. He followed up with a dive, slamming down on Kammy Koopa hard, sending her crashing to the ground on her broomstick, snapping it in two from the impact while leaving the bruised and battered witch unconscious.
"Twink, you did it!" Peach congratulated, making the Star Kid beam as he hovered down back to her. "I knew you could beat her!"
"We beat her," Twink corrected. "I felt your wishes. They made me stronger. And I feel so much better now! Without your help, I probably wouldn't have won."
As much as they wanted to celebrate, their victory was only short-lived. Looking back at the real fight going on, Peach and Twink watched as Bowser relentlessly attacked Mario, Twilight, and their friends, still invincible with the Star Rod's power all while being supercharged by the arena beneath them. Not a single attack could be dealt to Bowser as they tried and failed to fight back, despite all odds, until only Mario remained standing. The plumber tried to rush in again, ramming himself into Bowser's stomach, but he barely nudged the Koopa King. Bowser chuckled, grabbing Mario, then slashed at him with his claws before tossing him back with the others. He managed to roll back onto his feet, but his legs buckled as he fell to his knees, panting heavily while in devastating pain.
"Oh no. They're still in trouble," Peach said. "I want to help...but what can I do?"
Twink thought long and hard, not planning on giving up after all they've been through. Looking down at himself, he had a perfect, insane idea, and he knew it would work.
"Princess Peach, make a wish!" he said, Peach turning to look at him in confusion. "Just like you did for me, make a wish to the Star Spirits to make them grow stronger! Think of the Mushroom Kingdom, Star Haven, Mario, Twilight and her friends, their world! Make a wish to the Stars about everything you want to see live a brighter future!"
"Are you sure it'll work?" Peach asked.
"It has to! Your wishes felt pure when you gave them to me, and if they're strong enough, it'll reach the Star Spirits and give them the strength they need to overcome the Star Rod's power," Twink said.
Seeing as it was their last hope, Peach nodded her head and began to pray. Twink flew off to help the others as the princess prayed as hard as her heart would allow it: for Mario, for her kingdom, for the Stars, and for Twilight and her friends to return safely to their home. Several stars sparkled from the princess, her strong wish reaching out to the seven powerful Stars to give them the strength they need to help Mario defeat Bowser and the powered-up Star Rod.
Bowser laughed as he stomped over to Mario, the plumber looking up with a weak glare. "What's wrong, Mario? Feeling under the weather?" Mario struggled to stand up, only to fall back on his knees, feeling utterly hopeless as, this time, he was going to lose to Bowser for good. "Now it's finally time to end this. And no more second chances."
Twink rammed into the back of Bowser's head, surprising the Koopa King as he quickly turned around to see what tried to attack him, momentarily forgetting he was immune to getting hurt by anything. He walked off to see what hit him, confusing the beaten party.
"Twilight, as appreciated as it was to try to distract Bowser, I don't think buying us time will do much," Kooper said.
"That wasn't me," the alicorn admitted.
"Hey, guys!" Twink greeted as he floated down toward them.
"Twink!?" everyone exclaimed.
The Star Spirits appeared before them, both shocked by the intense surge of power flowing from the wishes they were receiving and by Twink's presence. "Twink!? Little buddy!?" Muskular said. The blue Star Spirit flew up to the Star Kid, looking him over like an overprotective older brother. "What are you doing here!? You're supposed to be resting! Are you alright!? How many arms am I moving right now!?"
"Honorable Muskular, I'm fine!" Twink assured, happy to be noticed by a Star Spirit, but hated being coddled like a baby.
"My friends, do you feel that overwhelming power flooding through us?" Eldstar asked in awe, the other Star Spirits nodding in agreement. "I feel...Princess Peach's wishes. The wishes of the Mushroom Kingdom. They are granting us all their power!"
"I knew Peach was a special girl, but her purity is such a spectacle for a princess of her generation!" Skolar said. "Gifted with magic and a kind heart. Truly one who deserves to have her wishes granted, but never selfish to indulge in such greed."
"I think we might have enough power to match Bowser's strength now!" Mamar said.
"We must not give up hope now, everyone!" Kalmar said. "This is our chance! Let us not waste it!"
"Mario, we will grant you our power once more and enhance the Star Beam!" Eldstar said. "Gather round, everyone, so that we may heal you for the true final battle!"
The Star Spirits flew into formation above everyone, but Muskular took Twink, letting him join them. "That includes you, squirt! Ready to help us with that impressive strength of yours?"
Twink was at a loss for words, but it showed in his expression as he grinned widely, nodding his head in excitement. The eight Stars focused their power, surrounding everyone in a shower of sparkles as their wounds were healing and their energy restored. Something else happened as the magic from the Mane Six merged with the Star Spirits', releasing a small rainbow light around them, making everyone gasp as they felt even more stronger than they had before. Even the ponies were surprised as their magic reached out to them, the light touching their friends and began forming rainbow star pendants around their necks, or bodies if they lacked one, similar to the Lucky Star pendant that was around Mario's.
"Whoa," Goombario uttered, he and the others taking a look at the new accessories that magically appeared on them.
"Incredible," Kooper said. "It's just like Mario's Lucky Star."
"That is quite peculiar," Klevar said. "It appears as though both our power and the ponies' magic has mixed together to create these mysterious charms. And we can sense similar magics in them like that of Mario's."
"Umm, does this mean we can hurt more, move faster, see things, and all that other stuff?" Watt asked curiously.
"I'm not sure...but, I believe we can actually do this," Parakarry said. "Together, we can do anything, right?"
"Yeah! Together!" Pinkie cheered. "The power of friendship can beat anything!"
"Amen to that!" Lakilester said, his cloud nodding rapidly in agreement.
Mario looked down at his hands, feeling the enhanced power of the Star Beam as if he could control it himself. He looked up, spotting Peach staring at him, her hands held together as she gave him a confident gaze, believing in him that he will come to her rescue like he always does. He gave her a grin, promising her that she will be saved, then looked at Twilight, giving the alicorn a nod as she gave him one in return.
"Hey, what's going on here?" Bowser asked, shocking everyone as they momentarily forgot about him. They snapped back into fighting position, the Star Spirits and Twink disappearing until they were called to unleash the enhanced Star Beam, which they all dubbed the Peach Beam through Mario's thoughts. Grunting in confusion, Bowser noticed everyone was no longer exhausted or injured, and the Mushroom Kingdom allies in Mario's entourage now wore rainbow star pendants that shined brightly on them. "Hey, what's going on here!? I thought I had all of you beaten to a pulp!"
"...Super healing factor?" Pinkie answered.
"Maybe y'all might have that, Pinkie Pie," Applejack said. "Ya bounce back after anythin'. Most of the time."
"...Whatever. It doesn't even matter," Bowser said. "I'm still invincible, and you STILL can't stop me! Whatever healing magic you did, it won't do much to save you from the inevitable!"
"Well, you're wrong, Bowser!" Twilight said. "You can't beat the magic of friendship, and this time, we're finishing this!"
The Koopa King scoffed. "Alright, you want to lose again so badly? Fine then. Use that 'friendship' magic of yours again. And if it works this time, I'll eat my shell!" He waited for the beam to strike him, but this time, the heroes were confident that it will work this time. Mario clasped his hands together, everyone else joining him as they silently prayed and granted the Star Spirits' and Twink power through their wishes. The eight Stars appeared above them, the Star Spirits floating in orbit while the Star Kid hovered over them, then floated above Bowser, unleashing the Peach Beam, the white light now changed to a pinkish hue. Bowser let out a yell, feeling pain as his invincibility was taken away from him again while angrily leering in confusion. "W-What!? Not again! But I'm all souped up! It shouldn't have worked!"
"You can thank the princess for backing us up!" Bombette said.
"Huh?" Looking back at Peach, the princess was busy wishing her heart out, granting the Star Spirits the strength needed to dispel the Star Rod's power while enhanced by the arena's energy flowing into Bowser. "...She's not doing anything. And why's she not tied up!?"
Distracted and flabbergasted by Peach's escape and Kammy unconscious further away, the party took the initiative and rushed the Koopa King before he had a chance to defend himself. The Mane Six flew together, using their combined magic to send Bowser flying across the arena. He yelled in shock, tumbling across the ground before skidding to a halt, growling as he aimed the Star Rod at the six mares. They fired their beam of friendship as he shot a beam himself, but with the Star Rod weakened from the Peach Beam, it was completely overwhelmed, breaking through and hitting Bowser. He roared, swatting away the orbiting rainbow light hurting him before releasing a blast of fire, splitting the mares up before they got behind him, slamming into him together and back toward Mario and the rest of their companions.
Goombario was first up, pumping himself up to increase the strength of his tough skull. His pendant began glowing orange, enhancing his strength as the veins bulging around his head grew bigger, turning his soft, brown head into a silverish metal. Surprised as he felt a bit heavier, he ignored it and charged forward, running normally despite his heavier weight as he lunged into Bowser headfirst, slamming him right in the gut and knocking the air out of him. Bowser doubled over with a gasp as Goombario continued, jumping up high, then falling back down like a two ton anvil, smacking his skull into the Koopa King's. Bowser's body shuddered, completely frozen with his jaw dropped and his eyes glazed over in pain.
"Whoa," Kooper said in awe as Goombario flipped off Bowser's head, a sizable Goomba bump growing on the giant Koopa's head. He finally looked himself over, noticing his temporary metal body before it faded, his pumped up energy fading away. Kooper had a crazy idea, one that will surely hurt Bowser a lot while also feeling like showing off, he turned to his Koopa companion, Parakarry. "Hey, Parakarry, wanna pull off a super double team?"
"Uhh, with me?" Parakarry asked nervously. "What...What do you have in mind?" Kooper approached the Paratroopa mail courier, whispering his plan in his ear. Parakarry's eyes widened, a little nervous, but Kooper could see a glint of excitement in his eyes. "R-Really? Are you sure that'll even work with the two of us?"
"If these little charms are just like Mario's Lucky Star-" Kooper pointed at the rainbow star around his neck, making Parakarry look down at his. "-then we can use the same powers he's got from Twilight and the girls. Goombario turned into a metal Goomba using his supercharged headbutt, so maybe it'll enhance our greatest moves."
"...Well...Ok. If you're sure this will work," Parakarry said.
"Alright! Everyone, stand back!" Kooper warned.
Not sure what the blue-shelled Koopa was planning, everyone backed away, giving the Koopa Troopas some space. Kooper crouched down on all fours, Parakarry climbing on top of him, performing the same tower maneuver the Koopa Bros. had used before. They both hid in their shells and began spinning in sync, their shells glowing blue as their speed increased. Kooper's shell began to spark with flames while wind began picking up around Parakarry, their faster spinning shocking everyone as their combined attack created a massive vortex of fire. Bowser finally reacted to the painful skull bash, shaking out of his daze while rubbing his head, only to grunt when he felt himself getting pulled in by a strong tornado. When he noticed where it was coming from, he gasped, then screamed as he couldn't brace himself in time, getting sucked into the flaming twister, flailing out of control while the fire barely did much to him since he could handle a dip or several in lava before.
The two Koopas creating the fiery vortex launched up, spiraling through the wind as they smacked into Bowser like solid pieces of debris carried off by the powerful winds. Parakarry was a bit surprised to see himself catching fire, but just like Kooper, it barely affected him and only hurt Bowser as they slammed into him several times. With one last combined slam, both smaller shells struck Bowser on both sides, making him grunt in pain, the tornado ebbing away while the Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa landed side by side, the latter a little dizzy, but unable to keep his grin from shrinking after such an exhilarating rush.
"Wow...That was...awesome!" Parakarry cheered.
"Yeah, it was," Kooper agreed. "The Koopa Bros. could never come up with moves like that on the fly."
Bowser managed to stand up, holding his injured sides. As soon as his head stopped spinning, he growled and glared at the group after watching the awe-inspiring move Kooper and Parakarry pulled off. Sushie noticed him take in a deep breath, quickly flopping in front of her friends and took in a breath herself. The both exhaled, Bowser releasing more fire while Sushie shot out a massive hydro pump thanks to the powerful enhancements of her new charm, steam filling the air as both streams struck and fought for dominance as they pushed each other back. Eventually, Sushie's water began dousing Bowser's fire, making him splutter as it hit his face. The water around and on him began forming into a giant sphere held together by a purple aura, trapping the surprised Koopa King as he held his breath in confusion.
"Oh my. Am I doing that?" Sushie asked. She willed the water to move around with her thoughts, and it obeyed her mental directions. "So, this must be what Mario feels when he calls back his hammer. How exciting."
"My turn!" Watt cheered, letting out a loud grunt as her body sparked dangerously. Her yellow body flashed white, her vision seeing several glowing spots on Bowser's body while held in place by Sushie's levitating ball of water. "Ooooooh! I think I see weak points! Zappy time!"
Zipping off at the speed of light, her body struck Bowser as she dove into the sphere. Bowser let out bubbled screams of pain as the electric shocks conducted with the water he was trapped in, each sensitive point Watt bumped into actually paralyzing his limbs, if only temporarily. Seeing he's had enough, Watt appeared next to her friends, shaking off the droplets of water, followed by Sushie dropping her hold on her water, dropping Bowser as he gasped for breath.
Bombette was next, lighting up her fuse as she charged into Bowser. Her rainbow star pendant glowed brightly, increasing her size until she was just as big as he was. Unable to escape the giant pink Bob-omb, he let out a scream as Bombette exploded, sending him flying high in the air as she went off like a nuclear bomb, creating a large mushroom cloud of smoke in her wake. She landed first, her size back to normal as she let out a cheer, exhilarated by the most powerful explosion she's ever made.
Lakilester pulled out several Spiny eggs, tapping into his new pendant's magic power, making the spikes sharper and could pierce through any hard surface. He threw them out onto the arena, everyone looking up as Bowser fell back down, landing directly on the bed of deadly Spiny eggs. His eyes bulged out for a second with a grimace, then he jumped up and let out a roar of excruciating pain, the eggs sticking to him as he comically bounced around, trying to pull them off of him while trying not to prick himself further.
Bowser tried to stand still, not moving actually helping as it lessened the pain he was feeling, making him look like a mutated cactus from the Dry Dry Desert. Bow was the last one to do something to him, but she paused when she saw a small vision, though unlike Mario's involving something bad happening to the Mane Six, it was something sinister and mischievous. Giving a Boo's signature toothy grin, she chuckled, disappearing and reappearing in front of Bowser, holding her fan in her hand.
"Well, now. Trying to stay as still as a statue, Bowser?" Bow asked sadistically. An orange aura shimmered around her fan as she gently smacked it against her other hand. "Let me fix that for you!"
Winding up her arm, she smacked Bowser hard in the face, actually managing to cause him pain unlike last time, sending him spinning around while knocking off some of the Spiny eggs attached to his skin. She continued smacking him around with her fan, getting rid of all the eggs on him while making him dizzy and leaving big red marks on his face. After several hard slaps, Bow was satisfied and stopped, letting the Koopa King spin wildly out of control until he came to a complete stop. Bowser's eyes spun in his head as he stumbled, but to make matters worse, he stepped on the shaken Spiny eggs that littered the ground around him, yelping every time he walked on one as they constantly pricked him. Everyone laughed while Bow floated away with a smug grin, fanning herself with her paper "weapon".
"Oh man! That's hilarious!" Goombario said.
"I knew that would get a good laugh," Bow said. "I could get used to this foresight thing if I can see some good, scary pranks in the future."
Bowser finally came to his senses, his eye twitching as he let out a roar, spreading fire all over the ground to burn away the Spiny eggs. "That's it! I'm done with these games!" Using his Star Rod, he unleashed a storm of lightning strikes all over the arena, snapping everyone out of their laughter as they were all struck by the powerful magical bolts, stunning them for a moment, though thankfully protected by a yellow glow to prevent them from being completely paralyzed. Bowser used the Star Rod's power to make him invincible once again, letting out a roar as he released a much bigger wave of fire from his breath, engulfing the entire party as it burned them, the yellow aura keeping them from being turned to ashes, though it injured them greatly. "After so many years getting pounced on, knocked into lava and falling down pits, and being flung around by my tail into bombs, I am NOT letting this victory slip away from me again!"
Mario couldn't agree more, and this time, he wasn't going to let Bowser succeed again. He had a plan to finally beat him, and he was going to finish the fight himself. Helping Twilight back on her hooves, she whispered his idea to her, surprising the alicorn when he finished.
"Are you sure that'll beat him?" she asked. Mario nodded his head in response. Trusting him, Twilight gathered her friends, they and the rest of their companions groaning after getting blasted by Bowser's desperate overpowered fire breath. "Girls, Mario's going to use the powered Star Beam again on Bowser...Only this time, he wants to use it and our friendship magic on him."
"Seriously?" Rarity asked. "He wants us to use it on him?"
"Ooh! He's gonna use his super gloves like he did with Jr. Troopa and his super magic!" Pinkie guessed. "Let's do it!"
"Well, if he's sure," Fluttershy uttered.
"I say go for it!" Rainbow exclaimed confidently, Applejack nodding in agreement with the pegasus.
Given the ok with her friends, Twilight nodded her head as well. "Ok. Let's do it."
Joining together, the Mane Six prepared to unleash their combined might of the Elements of Harmony. Mario prayed to the Star Spirits to use the Peach Beam, only this time he commanded them to use it on him. The Stars appeared, along with Twink, unsure of what Mario had planned, but they went along with it as they charged their power. Mario raised his hands up in the air, his Lucky Star flashing an aurora of colors, making his gloves glow similarly. The Star Spirits and Twink fired the beam down on Mario, confusing Bowser as the mysterious pink beam struck his opponent instead of him, followed by the Mane Six releasing their rainbow light of friendship on Mario as well. Mario's gloves absorbed both attacks, feeling their power flowing through him as they unleashed every single ounce of power they had.
"What are you doing?" Bowser questioned skeptically. Mario answered with a clench of his fists, his hands glowing brightly as he widened his stance, then brought his hands down to his sides. Bowser raised a brow, then his eyes widened when he saw a sphere of rainbow light form between his palms, growing larger and larger until his hands were engulfed in the glowing orb of combined magical energy. "What is that!? T-That can't hurt me while I'm invincible, right!? RIGHT!?"
Mario didn't answer, only giving Bowser a smirk as he was sure to find out right now. After building up all of the collected magic, he let out a yell and thrust his hands forward, and released a massive, swirling vortex of rainbow and pink energy. Bowser yelled in shock, unable to escape the spiraling energy heading straight for him, regretting to be bigger thanks to the arena fueling his strength. He took the hit, hoping it wouldn't affect him since he was invincible, but his hopes were dashed when just a sliver of it touched him, immediately dispelling his invincibility as it quickly surrounded him and caused him a great deal of pain. He yelled, trying to get away from the swirling magic draining him of his power, causing him to shrink back to normal size, the energy from the arena no longer fueling the Koopa King's body with incredible power.
Panting heavily in exhaustion and pain, the vortex finally subsided and leaving him dazed. With what absorbed energy was left in his hands, Mario ran toward Bowser, then uppercut him in the chin, sending him staggering back as an explosion of light burst from the contact. Mario threw more punches, hitting Bowser's chest and stomach, each one making him grunt with more blasts of Star and Equestrian magic released with each blow. Pulling out his hammer for the final blow, he charged the rest of the magic in him into his hammer, making a great leap in the air, then fell back down, slamming his weapon down hard on Bowser's head, a powerful explosion sending Mario flying back, the plumber flipping through the air before landing on his feet.
The Koopa King was stock still after that hit, his eyes glazed over as he let out a defeated groan. His eyes rolled back in his head as he fell over unconscious, the claw holding the Star Rod failing as it clattered across the arena as he hit the ground. It slid toward Mario, the hero picking up the mystical wand, now finally out of Bowser's possession and in safer hands. He turned to his friends and held up the wand, everyone cheering in celebration at their victorious triumph over the Koopa King.
"Aww yeah!" Rainbow cheered. "That was awesome!"
"We saved the world!" Pinkie cheered as well. "This calls for a PARTY!!!!...If only I had brought my party cannon before we got stuck here."
"Mario!" Peach called out. Mario turned to see her run up to him, who quickly embraced him to his surprise, but he was glad to see her safe and sound. "My hero."
Peach shocked Mario by giving him a kiss on the nose, suddenly making him bashful as he grinned nervously while rubbing the back of his head. The other girls giggled at the hero's reward from the princess getting him flustered.
"Just go out with each other already!" Lakilester teased. "Lakilulu would ship it, knowing how much of a romantic she is!"
Mario winced, shaking his head rapidly while waving his hands at the Lakitu. Peach giggled, finding it funny how many people still thought she and Mario should be an item when their relationship is merely platonic, a princess being saved by her heroic knight with no need to be rewarded for his efforts. The Mane Six reverted back to normal, finally able to relax now that it was all over. Unfortunately, something went horribly wrong as the whirring of the arena started to go haywire, shaking slightly as explosions began to rock the floating platform. Bowser woke up from the explosions, sitting up in confusion.
"I'm up, mommy!" he randomly shouted. Realizing where he was and lacking his ultimate weapon that was now in Mario's hands. Quickly getting up and trying to sneak away from the group, he ran toward Kammy Koopa, grabbing the dazed witch and shaking her awake. "Kammy, wake up! This ain't no time for you to be napping right now!"
"Ahhhh! Lord Bowser, stop shaking me!" Kammy pleaded.
"Then tell me what's going on!?" Bowser yelled. "What's with the explosions!?"
"Uhh...W-Well, after seems as though your fight was so intense that my device is starting to malfunction," Kammy said, their foes able to hear them over the sound of the explosions. "It's all screwed up after trying to feed you more power that it's heading back to your castle."
"My castle? Why?" Bowser asked nervously.
"Where else was there supposed to be to power this arena?" Kammy answered with her own question. "And...that also means that both the castle and this exact spot are going to explode."
"Explode!?" Twilight exclaimed. "If that's the case, then...Peach's castle is also going to be destroyed, along with the rest of us and whoever's left in the castle!"
"Oh no! The prisoners!" Peach exclaimed in horror.
"They managed to escape!" Kooper assured the worried princess. "But we're screwed!"
Bowser gulped nervously as the explosions began to grow in intensity and more frequently. "...That's...not good. Let's get out of here right-"
Suddenly, right from under their feet, a massive explosion blew up where they stood, sending both the Koopa King and his right-hand Kamek flying off through the air. They both screamed as they flailed, disappearing in the distance as they were falling toward who knows where in the kingdom. The others trapped on the platform yelled as the shaking got worse, hearing explosions coming from Bowser's castle far below them.
"Quick, everypony, gather around me!" Twilight called out. "I'm going to try to protect us all!"
"But what about Peach's Castle!?" Parakarry asked worriedly.
"It can be rebuilt!" Peach assured. "I don't care what happens as long as we're all safe!"
Everyone huddled close around Twilight as best as possible, the alicorn's horn shining brightly as she encased them all inside a large, protective bubble. She grunted as she felt the explosive forces hit her barrier, but she focused on keeping her shield up and feeding more of her mana into it to keep them all from getting blown to smithereens. Everyone braced themselves, shutting their eyes and waited for the inevitable as more and more explosions could be heard around and below them, only for them to suddenly stop as Bowser's floating fortress began to light up, being destroyed by one last powerful blast as it lit up the sky, blinding any down below in the kingdom who witnessed it.
They waited for a long while, the malfunctioning platform no longer under their feet, though they seemed to be floating down instead of plummeting to their doom. Twilight squinted her eyes open, surprised to see them surrounded by a white bubble that had protected them and gently floated them down in the air. Dropping her lavender barrier, the others opened their eyes, just as awestruck as the alicorn.
"Whoa. Nice work, Twilight," Rainbow complimented.
"I'm not doing this," Twilight uttered.
"That would be us!" Looking up, they saw the Star Spirits and Twink floating above them, the Star Kid waving down to them as he hovered above the orbiting Stars who created the magic bubble protecting them.
"Twink!" Peach said cheerfully.
"And that's not all we rescued! Look over there!" Twink pointed out in one direction, everyone looking over and surprised at what they saw.
In another similar magic bubble they were in was Princess Peach's Castle, kept safe and sound from Bowser's exploding fortress as it floated gently back down to the ground where it belonged. The Star Spirits carried everyone toward the castle, letting them safely land on the solid ground in front of the castle's stolen yard.
"Well done, everyone!" Eldstar congratulated. "Mario, once again, you have once again brought peace back to the Mushroom Kingdom, and the world. Now the Star Rod is back in good hands, and we can grant wishes to the world once more."
The other Star Spirits thanked Mario and his companions as well, praising them for their hard work, their bravery, and that their names will go down in Star Haven's history as their saviors. Mario was about to give Eldstar the Star Rod back, but he paused when he looked back at Twilight and her friends. He knows how badly they wanted to go home, but knowing how they wound up here in the first place, he wasn't sure if Twilight could find a way to safely locate Equestria with her magic spell if they end up somewhere else, getting them lost in a sea of endless dimensions and no tethering line to bring them back in their world safely.
"Mario, what's wrong?" Peach asked, noticing his concerns. He explained his hesitation, bringing up the topic of the six mares wanting to return to their world and what other dangers they could face if Twilight's dimension hopping spell lead them to a different world. Shocked, but completely understandable, the princess, their friends, and the Stars knew that they couldn't bear to know these ponies, who got caught up in their world's mess of problems, would get hurt somewhere else. "Oh my. I almost forgot."
"Yes, that is quite a concern," Eldstar said. "And, we do owe you all for your heroic efforts." Looking back for confirmation from the rest of his fellow Star Spirits, they didn't need to voice their opinion as they all simultaneously nodded their heads. "...Very well. Twilight, if you like, we will allow you to make one wish using the power of the Star Rod."
"Really?" Twilight asked. "Can it send us back home?"
"It should," Eldstar theorized. "I believe that how you arrived in our world was the result of Bowser using its power while you tried to perform your magic spell weeks ago. With how powerful it is, it might have been able to sense your magic energy, which may have caused your jump to wherever you wished to go and brought you here, sensing it would be misused and requested help from another group of heroes."
"...Maybe...And, given what happened, I'm not confident enough to test my dimensional transportation spell again to try to return home." Twilight looked at her friends, having worried about them constantly after Bowser separated them. As exciting as it was to visit new worlds beyond theirs, she had no idea where her new spell might lead them, whether it's somewhere peaceful or dangerous. She didn't want to take that chance again, but she also didn't want to just leave the Mushroom Kingdom behind forever. After thinking over what she wanted to wish for, she took the Star Rod as Mario offered it to her when she was ready. "...Star Rod...please, grant my wish..."
Gripping the mystical, wish-granting wand in her telekinetic aura, she felt the power of the Star Rod through her magic, the star on it shining brightly as she raised it up to the sky. She then aimed it forward, away from everyone, a beam of magic flowing out from the wand and began to create something in the light. As soon as the light dimmed, it revealed a mirror that the alicorn created, but it was no ordinary-looking mirror as they all saw the designed frame around it: pegasi and clouds adorning the top, unicorns with magical auras and stars around the middle edges, and earth ponies with flora and fauna at the bottom. While the Mushroom Kingdom inhabitants were confused by Twilight wishing for a mirror, her pony friends gasped as they had a feeling they knew it was more than just a reflective surface with a beautiful frame.
"No way," Applejack uttered. "...Twilight...did ya wish for...?"
"A portal from our world to the Mushroom Kingdom," Twilight finished. She approached the mirror, hoping her wish came true as she leaned her head closer, her head phasing through the "glass" as it rippled at her touch. As Twilight looked inside, she gasped when she saw the main foyer of her castle, their home, and through a mirror portal that had magically appeared that connected their worlds together: this mirror's frame bearing Peach's Castle at the top, several Stars, Mushrooms, and Fire Flowers decorating the edges, and at the top of the spire of the golden castle was a hat with the letter "M" on it. Pulling her head back, she showed everyone her joyous, tear-stricken face. "It's my castle...We can finally return home!"
"No fooling!?" Rainbow asked.
"Oh, I've missed my animal friends so much!" Fluttershy said. "I hope they're doing ok without me!"
"Ah miss mah family," Applejack said. "Ah really hope Apple Bloom's been behavin' while Ah've been gone."
"And Sweetie Belle," Rarity added. "Ohh, I miss her so much! And my boutique!"
"And we can come back whenever we want!?" Pinkie asked, Twilight nodding her head in response. "YAY! BEST WISH EVER!!!!!!"
Twilight approached Eldstar, wiping away her happy tears as she gave the Star Spirit the Star Rod, returning it back to its original caretakers. "Thank you for giving us this wish, Eldstar."
"You're quite welcome, Twilight," Eldstar said. "You and your friends didn't have to help Mario, but it does go to show that with friendship, anything is possible." Twilight nodded in agreement, considering being the Princess of Friendship is her royal title. The elder Star Spirit turned to Twink, who nervously floated around while in the presence of the seven honorable Star Spirits. "And Twink, your actions are to be commended as well."
"Aww, shucks," Twink said bashfully. "I didn't really do much."
"You actually have, squirt," Muskular said. "If you weren't there for the princess, Mario probably wouldn't have gotten anywhere without you helping her. And just from how strong you've gotten, you really proved yourself to be a fully grown Star." The other Stars nodded, making Twink grin, shuffling his arms together in embarrassment at the praise. "Speaking of 'fully grown'..." The blue Star Spirit looked at his leader, Eldstar not needing to give his permission as he nodded to Muskular, knowing how much potential Twink had. Grinning, Muskular looked back at Twink, taking off his sailor's cap and placing it on Twink's head, though it was a bit bigger than the Star Kid as it mostly covered his entire body. "How would you like the idea of being a future Star Spirit when you get older?"
They couldn't see it, but Twink's jaw dropped as his face was concealed by Muskular's hat. Twink took the hat off, staring with wide eyes at his idols at the incredible news.
"...R-R-R-R-R-Really??????" Twink asked, finally finding his voice after being rendered speechless.
"You got the makings of one, but there can only be seven at a time," Muskular explained casually. "Eldstar will eventually step down, and Kalmar will take over when the time comes. So, you could be an official candidate to be the next Star Spirit...What do you say, squirt?"
Struck silent again, Twink's jaw seemed to drop further than it had before. Slowly, his shock turned into a grin, growing wider as his body shuddered with excitement until he could no longer contain himself.
"YEEEEEESSSSS!!!!" he shouted, flying around while everyone watched in amusement at the excited Star Kid. "YesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesYEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Twilight had a little flashback to something similar she did when she was a filly after watching Twink fly around while cheering at the top of his lungs. It reminded her of when she got her cutie mark after her entrance exam into Celestia's school, looking up to the alicorn ever since she first saw her raise the sun with her magic. And when she showed her potential to her future mentor and earned her mark all at once, she couldn't contain her excitement and cheered until she couldn't anymore. And reminding her of that made her miss home, even though the way back was right there now thanks to this opportunity the Star Spirits gave her and her friends for saving them from Bowser and his forces.
After Twink settled down, still giddy and shaking from the great news, Muskular picked up his hat the Star Kid accidentally dropped as the Stars faced their saviors. "I believe it is time we return to Star Haven, and put the Star Rod back where it belongs," Eldstar said. "It is time for us to say goodbye for now, everyone. May the stars forever shine brightly upon you!"
Everyone said goodbye as the Star Spirits floated up in the sky one by one, sparkles trailing behind them as they made their way back to Star Haven. Twink was about to leave after them, eager to begin learning how to be a Star Spirit in training, but he stopped and looked back at the others.
"I want to thank you all, too," Twink said. "It was great meeting you guys and helping you all, even if I didn't feel like I did much."
"You were just as important as all of us, Twink," Goombario said. "Without giving us any hints on where to go next, we could have spent months trying to find the Star Spirits."
"Yeah, that is true," Twink said. He then looked at Peach, hovering down before her. "And it was an honor to help you, Peach...Do you think...maybe we can see each other again?"
"Of course, Twink," Peach assured. "You've helped me out so much. You're quite a...stellar friend to me."
Peach giggled at her pun, so did the others as Twink grinned. The Star Kid's grin faltered a bit, tears welling up in his eyes as he choked up a little, sad to have to leave the princess's side after all they had been through. He flew closer to Peach and hugged her, who hugged him back as they shared one last goodbye. After managing to pry himself away, Twink wiped away his tears as he backed away.
"Just you wait and see, everyone!" he announced. "I'm going to be a respectable Star and make lots of wishes come true!"
"I know you will," Peach said. "You've made mine come true, even when you said you couldn't before when we first met."
Twink was a bit surprised at first as he recalled the first two wishes Peach tried to ask him to grant. He wasn't able to at that moment, but he had not only helped her escape from Bowser's clutches, but also helped take the Star Rod away from him as well. Smiling sadly, he nodded his head, said his farewells, then floated off to chase after his mentors, sparkles from Peach's wishes trailing behind him as he zoomed off while hearing everyone say their goodbyes to him. After flying off a fair distance, watching the seven Star Spirits flying on ahead, Twink turned around, watching Peach's Castle gently float down as it began to make its light descent toward the clouds.
"Goodbye, Peach," Twink said to himself. "Goodbye, everyone. I'll always remember you all..."
He turned around and continued flying back to Star Haven, a few tears trailing behind him along with the sparkles of stars in his wake. Back at the castle, everyone looked up at the sky as they watched the Stars disappear, heading back home to settle their fellow Stars of their worries. Now, it was another sad farewell as the ponies longed to head back home after a long, perilous journey in a new, fascinating world.
"So, I guess this is goodbye, then?" Parakarry asked.
"Not forever," Twilight said. "Just until next time."
"And we can always come back and visit," Rarity added.
"Or, you can come to Equestria and see what our world is like!" Pinkie suggested. "I'm gonna need to plan the biggest of biggest parties I've ever had to plan to welcome all of you to Ponyville!"
"I think we'll take you up on that offer," Kooper said. Looking down, he realized that he and the other members of the Mushroom Kingdom had the rainbow star pendants after defeating Bowser. "I guess these little trinkets are going to be mementos of traveling around with you girls, and are here to stay."
"Looks like it," Sushie said. "Now, none of you abuse what powers these can give us. We're supposed to be the heroes, so don't misuse them, Bow."
"What? And miss out on the hilarious outcomes from scaring new 'guests' at my mansion?" Bow asked. Sushie gave the Boo a glare with her squinted eyes, making Bow sighed in annoyance. "...Alright, fine...I won't use that foresight thing...most of the time."
"And you girls don't have to worry about the portal on this side," Peach assured Twilight. "I'll make sure no one like Bowser finds it and tries to sneak into your world to cause trouble."
"Thanks, Peach," Twilight said. "I think it's time for us to head back home."
"Not without a group hug!" Pinkie said, tearing up as she waved her hooves to everyone. "Come on! Everypony bring it in!"
Everyone couldn't agree more and gathered around, getting into a massive group hug before parting. After everyone separated, some of the party were in tears, sad to see their pony friends leave, but know that they will see them again. After one last wave goodbye, the Mane Six walked through the portal, finally back home as the Mushroom Kingdom heroes and princess watched. Now with peace finally brought back to the kingdom, Mario and co. waited as the castle floated past the clouds, returning back to solid ground where the damage done to the courtyard was fixed upon landing.
In the dining room in the Castle of Friendship, Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer, and the Canterlot High gang as ponies and a baby dragon sat silently at the table, Flurry Heart and Canine Spike the only one making noise as the former babbled while being spoon fed some mashed peas and the latter for munching away at his bowl on the floor. While the girls pretending to be the Mane Six took a big break from acting as their pony counterparts, they could tell the princesses, Sunset, Starlight, and Shining Armor were getting really worried about them. Spike had also managed to crawl out of his room to have dinner, though he prodded at his plate, a miserable wreck as he sighed depressingly.
"Spike, are you ok?" Sunset asked.
"I'm good," Canine Spike answered, letting out a belch and accidentally breathing out fire. "Oops. That's hard to get used to."
"I meant baby dragon, Spike," Sunset corrected. Spike didn't give much of an answer as he stared at his plate. "Look, I'm really sorry you thought I was trying to replace the girls with Twilight and the rest of the gang from Canterlot High. I know how important they are for everyone in Equestria, and if they wound up missing, they could have panicked."
"...I understand," Spike sadly said, sighing again. "...I just miss Twilight...I'm scared to know what happened to them, and...I got mad at you for the wrong reasons...I wish they were back safe and sound..."
"We know, Spike," Cadence said. "We all do."
"If they're as tough as us, then I'm sure they'll make it through wherever they wound up," Rainbow assured calmly.
"Didn't ya get zapped by a lightning bolt when ya tried to buck that cloud over mah pony self's orchard to try to make it rain?" Applejack asked with a smirk.
"Hey, I don't even know which clouds were safe enough to kick!" Rainbow argued. "It's like algebra and calculus! I can't tell the difference!"
"Technically, calculus does have algebraic equations, but there's a lot of involvement in understanding the much more harder solutions to some of the lessons on-" Sci-Twi's lecture was interrupted as Flurry Heart managed to magically snatch the spoon from Cadence, then flung the spoonful of mushy peas at the purple alicorn's face. The infant giggled playfully as she hit the mare, making a mess of her glasses as she took them off, using a napkin to clean them while letting out a groan. "I guess even my counterpart's niece wants to tell me to quit explaining everything no one else without an IQ similar to mine would ever understand."
"No, she just likes flinging her food," Shining stated. "Mashed peas are her favorite."
"More like her favorite to fling at ponies," Cadence corrected, taking the spoon away from her daughter and continued feeding her. "She does love eating them...when she wants to."
"So, what other worlds will we end up trying to search through next?" Starlight asked. "We've found a futuristic space racing world, some peaceful-looking world where I swore I saw a blue-quilled hedgehog that ran just as fast as Rainbow Dash could fly, strange-looking animals that have weird powers that humans are able to command, and several more that either scared us, confused us, or almost got us killed. It'll take forever to just try to find one of them in the infinite dimensions we could come across!"
The doors to the dining room opened up as the Mane Six stepped inside. They froze when they saw their doubles from the human world with the princesses, Starlight, Sunset, Shining, and Spike. Celestia and Luna looked up, able to see the door from where they sat, their jaws dropping in shock as they spotted the six mares they've been trying to search for.
"...Or, they could be standing right there," Luna said.
Confused, everyone at the table looked over at the doorway, bearing the same shocked expressions Celestia and Luna had. Spike bolted out of his seat, running to Twilight with tears running down his face.
"Twilight!" he cried out. He ran into Twilight, her hooves open as they embraced each other. "You're ok! You're all ok!"
"We sure are," Twilight said. The rest of the group at the table got up and surrounded the Mane Six, Twilight's brother and sister-in-law happy to see her alive and surprisingly well. "Shining Armor, Cadence, what are you two doing here?" She looked at the table, where Flurry Heart sat in her high chair, tilting her head as she seemed to have two Auntie Twilies. Then to the Canterlot High girls, turned into ponies thanks to the magic of the portal between their worlds. "And why are you girls here?"
"Well, we wanted to come over and visit, but when we got there, we kinda got the bad news," Cadence said. "We've stayed to try to help Aunt Celestia, Aunt Luna, Starlight, and Sunset bring you girls back, though...we had a few mishaps trying to use your new spell."
"We ended up seeing different worlds, but none where we could find you," Starlight said.
"I somehow end up finding the terrifying ones," Sunset said, shuddering as she reminded herself of the first place she explored. "Never again will I walk anywhere in a cemetery or crypt."
"And we're here to fill in for you so your families didn't worry," Sci-Twi said. "Kind of too late with me, and even though it took us a while to figure out how to walk on all fours, the others managed to fool everyone in town."
"Define 'fool' when Ah looked awkward tryin' to pick the apples one by one on the farm instead of simply kickin' them to knock them down," C.H. Applejack said irritably. "Never in mah life have Ah ever felt humiliated by the pony version of mah sister for buckin' an apple tree the wrong way."
Pony Applejack chuckled, imagining herself trying to climb up each apple tree on her orchard and painstakingly pick each apple by hoof. "Didn't Starlight instruct ya on how to be like me?"
"...Maybe," C.H. Applejack muttered.
"Where did you girls go to?" Celestia asked. She also noticed the saddlebags Twilight was carrying, Starlight never mentioning her bringing anything with her before they disappeared. "And where did you get those bags?"
"It's...quite a long story," Twilight said. She took off her bags and pulled out a few Mushrooms, shocking everyone when they saw the eyes at the base of the red edible fungus with white spots. "And I seemed to have brought some souvenirs as well."
"...Does that mushroom have a face?" C.H. Rarity questioned.