My Little Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

by Codex92


The Start of a Brand New Adventure

"...So, you're really a ball of electricity," Starlight pondered as she stared at Watt, the Li'l Sparky having come over to visit.

"Umm, yes I am!" Watt said.

"It's...actually quite astounding," the unicorn commented, taking notes about Watt's species from the Mushroom Kingdom. "Then again, anything in an alternate world or a world different from ours can have different kinds of creatures." She prodded Watt with her hooves, making the living sparky sphere giggle as she got very ticklish. "It's almost like touching something with static cling, though it's not dangerous unless you will it. No wonder the changelings who attacked us in the hive fell pretty quickly."

After getting a closer observation of Watt's body, Spike came in with an envelope in his claw. "Hey, Starlight. Twilight sent us a letter."

"Really?" Starlight asked curiously. "Isn't she supposed to be on her princess vacation right now?"

"Aww, you mean I missed Twilight?" Watt whined sadly. "I wanted to say hi to her, too..."

"Didn't you visit a couple weeks ago and zipped through the castle while playing tag with Flurry Heart when Shining Armor and Cadence came to visit again?" Spike asked.

"Umm...yes?" Watt answered.

"I wonder if Twilight's already bored of her vacation because of a lack of books." Starlight giggled to herself at the slight jab on her mentor and friend. "Let's see what Princess Twilight wrote."

She opened the letter and read it aloud to Spike and Watt.

Dear Starlight,
Hope you guys haven't missed me already...although, if Pinkie Pie is, she won't have to worry about us being separated for long. Peach, Toadsworth, and I have arrived at our destination, a port town named Rogueport, although it's not exactly a destination I would have thought of with how run down it is.

Aside from that, there's actually something amazing Peach and I discovered on our first day alone! There's actually a tale about a prosperous town that lies underneath Rogueport, and there were rumors of a treasure down in the ruins where it sank after a horrible disaster. And if it wasn't coincidence enough, some old lady selling different trinkets had a chest that contained a really old map, and it showed the entire region where we landed! This map is somehow connected to this legendary treasure, and with how much there is to explore, we didn't want to leave you girls out of the fun.

So, tomorrow morning, I want you all to head to Toad Town's port and get onboard a boat that'll take you to Rogueport and meet us at the docks there. Mario's going to come along with you as well, which I hope he'll accept. I know he's been a bit worried about something that startled him at the end of that party back in Peach's Castle, and we both hope that this treasure hunt will take his mind off things. Hope to see you all there soon!

Twilight Sparkle

"Whoa! A treasure hunt!?" Spike exclaimed once Starlight finished. "Can I come along!?"

"I'm not so sure, Spike," Starlight said. "The Mushroom Kingdom was already a dangerous place. And in a place that's actually named 'Rogueport', I doubt that place is much safer."

"Aww, come on," Spike pleaded. "I was worried sick about where Twilight went to, and now that I know what to expect, I can surely handle it."

"Sorry, Spike, but I'm not going to take that chance if Twilight gets mad at me for putting you in danger," Starlight sternly said. "We may know about what goes on in the Mushroom Kingdom, but anywhere else in that world? We know next to nothing."

"I bet Watt's going along," Spike grumbled.

"Umm, actually, I need to stay in the Toy Box," Watt said. "I need to keep the Shy Guys from being sneaky and taking things from everyone. Some of them who followed General Guy are still around, and they're still trying to steal things."

"Maybe the others can come with us?" Starlight suggested.

"I think they're busy, too," Watt sadly said. "Goombario's watching his sister and grandparents while his parents are on their honeymoon, Kooper's planning another expedition with Kolorado, Bombette's helping make a new railroad around Mt. Rugged to reach Dry Dry Outpost, Parakarry's always on his deliveries, Bow might, though she might be busy being the queen of the Boos in her mansion to go anywhere, Sushie's always watching the Yoshi Kids, and Lakilester and Lakilulu are on a vacation at Lavalava Island to enjoy some quality time."

"Wow. You're all going to be busy???" Starlight asked.

"Yeah, but we got these," Watt said, showing off her magical pendant. "We could probably show up in a flash if we wanted, hee hee. It's too bad we can't spend a lot of time visiting everyone with all our responsibilities."

"I guess I can understand that," Starlight uttered. "Try to visit more often. I want to see just how many volts you can release when you go all out."

"Ok! Bye, Starlight! Bye, Spike!" Watt flew out and passed through the portal back into the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Well, it's getting a bit late. I'll gather the girls tomorrow morning and see if they all want to go." Spike groaned as he slumped off, unable to go on yet another dangerous adventure. "Don't worry, Spike. We'll bring you back a souvenir when we come back. Maybe we'll run into a delicious gem that tastes better than what Equestria has."

"I guess," Spike moaned as he trudged miserably up to his room.

"Colts always want to go on a reckless adventure," Starlight said to herself with a sigh.


The next morning, in the Mario Bros. home in the Mushroom Kingdom, both brothers were tidying up their home and making sure it was spotless. Ever since Mario bested Bowser with the Star Rod months ago, the kingdom has been at peace with no sign of the Koopa King causing any trouble. There was always a calm before the storm, and he didn't know when it would end, but he was always prepared for what comes at him. During the peace, Mario had visited Equestria a few times, though most of the time was due to the strange vision he had the night after the party where Peach and Twilight announced the unification of both their kingdoms.

At least something exciting did happen when the changelings had almost kidnapped everyone in Equestria and captured them in pods to feed off them, but what the queen, Chrysalis, didn't expect was a group of heroes from another world to assist Discord, Trixie, Starlight, and Thorax, the new leader of the newly transformed changelings. Their magic from their pendants might not have worked, but they had skills that didn't require magic, destroying the enchanted throne that prevented magic use, rescuing the ponies they captured, and bested the queen, even though she managed to escape before she could be brought in to justice. At least she was a pretty smart villain unlike Bowser, though they could be a force to be reckoned with if they worked together; Chrysalis the brains while Bowser was the brawn.

Outside, Parakarry whistled a tune Pinkie sang one day during one of his visits to Equestria, putting a smile on his face even if he was feeling down, which was a rarity with the love of his job. He touched down in front of the Mario Bros. house, walking up the steps and to the door, giving it a knock as he waited for them to answer.

"I'll get it, bro!" Luigi called out, being closer to their front door as he put down his broom. He opened the door to see the mail carrier Paratroopa. "Hey, Parakarry."

"Hi, Luigi," Parakarry greeted. "Got a special delivery for Mario." He pulled out an envelope from his bag, always making sure that his bag was in good condition and closed before his flight so he didn't lose any letters like last time. "From the handwriting, I think it's from the princess."

"Oh boy. Hopefully not another party where someone interrupts it," Luigi pleaded, making the Paratroopa laugh. Before Parakarry left to deliver more mail, Luigi stopped him for a moment, feeling a little curious. "Say, is Equestria as great as I hear?"

"Oh, it's amazing," Parakarry said. "Ponyville's a wonderful little town, and with really friendly folks. If I was able to extend my delivery route there, I would love flying through the portal and visiting the ponies there. I even met the mail pony who works Ponyville's route. She loves her work, but she's a bit clumsy...She has some really...interesting eyes, too."

"...Ok. I'm going to have to visit there myself one day after hearing about it from just about everyone in town." With that, Parakarry waved goodbye to Luigi and flew off to continue his route. Luigi walked back inside with Mario's letter, the red plumber curious about who came over to visit. "Mario, you got a letter from Princess Peach."

Mario took the envelope and opened it up. Inside, he pulled out a letter, along with an old map. Wondering what exactly Peach gave him, he read the letter out loud as Luigi stared at the worn paper that held the map of a region in their world.

Dear Mario,
Yesterday, I had begun my little vacation with Twilight, and we discovered something quite exciting the first day in a place called Rogueport. We found a mysterious map, which turned out to be a treasure map to a treasure that's around here. We got it from an elderly merchant inside of a magically sealed chest, though she disappeared when I managed to open it and the map was what lied inside. With Twilight's curiosity about Rogueport's history, it seemed like the map was connected to the treasure, but in order to find it, we may need your help if you want to come along since it might be a bit dangerous, even with just the two of us if Toadsworth doesn't babysit us 24/7. Twilight's writing a letter to send to her friends in Equestria, so they'll be receiving theirs as well. They'll be waiting at the docks for you so you can meet us at Rogueport via boat. I also stashed the map away in the letter as well considering how Toadsworth actually got robbed of his wallet earlier, but I kept his money safe, so nothing was really lost. Hope to see you and the girls, soon!

Peach

"Wow. A treasure hunt. Lucky you," Luigi said. Mario looked over the map, having a feeling Peach was going to end up getting kidnapped while they tried to find this treasure. "So, I guess I'm going to be staying here to watch the house again?" Luigi asked, given a look from his older brother that stated the obvious. "...Fine...But, I do admit that you need something to do. You've been constantly worrying about that strange vision you had a few months back and have been on edge about it happening." Mario looked down at his Lucky Star, the magic inside it still flowing with power gained from the Mane Six after saving a Star Spirit upon finding them. "I know you worry about me, bro, but let me worry about you. Pack up some things and get on that boat."

Mario couldn't argue with Luigi about that. He did need something to get his mind off of what he saw, occasionally getting nightmares seeing Twilight being possessed by a demonic spirit and transforming into a dark alicorn with unimaginable power that even terrified him, even more so than Bowser's invincibility with the Star Rod. Mario packed a few things in a backpack, saying goodbye to his brother while making sure he doesn't do anything reckless while he was gone, then made his way out the door, down the warp pipe, and into Toad Town. Mario greeted passersby as he made his way to the docks, even finding a few ponies looking around and exploring the town out of curiosity while being lead by tour guides. Some of them he didn't recognize, though, thinking they might have come from another town or city and visited after hearing about this new world from Princess Twilight.

Once arriving on the docks, he found the princess's royal boat, a red, white, and blue vessel, stars patterned around the outer edge of the deck, and skimmed across the water using paddle wheels colored yellow with a sun in the center. After showing the captain of the ship Peach's letter about her request to have him join her and Twilight in Rogueport, he agreed to take them there once Twilight's friends showed up. Mario didn't wait long until they arrived, Pinkie the first to greet the plumber as she ran up at him at mach speeds, tackled him, them squeezed him in a deathgrip of a hug that made his eyes pop out of his head.

"Mario! It's been forever since we last saw you!" Pinkie squealed.

"Pinkie, darling, it's only been a couple weeks since he visited us," Rarity said. Applejack and Rainbow Dash helped Mario, pulling the excitable pink party pony off him so he can breathe. As soon as he recovered from nearly blacking out, Mario raised a brow as he saw the amount of luggage that they had brought, most of it being Rarity's as they had hundreds of different outfits inside. "It's not like we were going to never see him ever again if Twilight hadn't used her wish to create a link between both our worlds."

"But it still felt like forever!" Pinkie reiterated.

"Ya think everythin' feels like forever," Applejack said with a chuckle. "Great seein' ya again, sugarcube."

"So, where exactly are we going again?" Rainbow asked.

"A port town called Rogueport," Starlight said. "Not sure how far away it is from the Mushroom Kingdom, but it's probably got a lot of differences compared to this land. I haven't really gotten farther than the town, but I assume the other locations around here are pretty dangerous?"

The other girls voiced their agreements, even though most of them were in towns where they were kept safe and sound from anything beyond their borders. Without wasting any time, the group boarded onto the ship, their gear safely stored in the cargo hold, and shoved off toward the sea and made its way to Rogueport. During the long boat ride across the sea, everyone spent the time relaxing, playing a few board games Pinkie managed to bring, or lounged out on the deck. While Mario sat in a chair, he pulled out a device he had gotten a couple months ago called the Mailbox SP, a technological advancement in receiving mail from anyone digitally instead of waiting a certain amount of days for a letter to be delivered. He was a bit worried that Parakarry would lose his career, but he didn't mind it, getting one himself along with the rest of their friends and assuring Mario that there would be some people who would still appreciate receiving letters the old fashioned way.

He looked over previous messages he got, looking back on the pictures his friends had sent as well as they talked about their day they had. It was a shame that the others couldn't come along, knowing how busy their own lives were now that they no longer had to fend off Bowser and his minions for now, but they were at least able to stay in contact. Goombario shared a picture of Goombaria using his pendant again, getting into another tumble from the super speed while he stood on the side, letting out an exasperated sigh to share his annoyance with his little sister taking his things. Kooper shared a group photo with Kolorado and his two aides as they planned their next expedition, Bombette showed off the progress of the railroad across the Dry Dry Desert, Bow showed a few victims getting spooked by her fellow Boos while she laughed at their fright, Watt and her Shy Guy friends in their rainbow wigs for their Rainbow Dash fanclub, Sushie taking a picture of the Yoshis on the island, and Lakilester with Lakilulu as they shared a cute, romantic looking photograph.

"What's that thing?" Mario yelped, fumbling the Mailbox SP in his hands as Starlight startled him. After calming down, he explained what it was and showed the unicorn some of the photos he was given in the emails from his friends. "Oh. That's actually really cool. It's like delivering letters, only somehow much quicker and without there being a mess if somepony spills an ink bottle on the paper...Technology here seems way more advanced than in Equestria." Mario nodded in agreement, though he stated his opinions on how Equestrian magic seems a lot more diverse than any magic used in his world. "Yup, and complex. If a powerful unicorn loses control of their emotions and pushed to a breaking point, they can cast some really powerful spells.

"I know I've caused a bit of trouble with my frustrations of my past, or with Trixie when she constantly boasts about herself." Mario raised a brow, asking her curiously what she did back then to cause "a bit of trouble". "...Well...Before I met Twilight and the other girls, I lead a small village of ponies...who I lied to about cutie marks being evil as I make them all equal, exactly the same with no special talents or anything that makes them unique. I stole everypony's cutie marks, including the girls', and tried forcing them with my poor excuse of a philosophy. Then, to get revenge on Twilight, I found an old spell of a powerful unicorn wizard, Star Swirl the Bearded, that allowed a unicorn to travel back in time, and I modified it to make me stay longer when cast. I went back to the point where Rainbow Dash created the sonic rainboom, that same moment where they all earned their cutie marks at the same time and sparked their friendship before they met years later, and stopped her multiple times with Twilight.

"Unfortunately, I didn't realize my actions meddling with the past caused so many alternate outcomes to the future, all of them worse than the last, but Twilight and Spike were the only ones who saw them...I got so frustrated dealing with her that I showed her why I did all that in the first place..." Starlight paused, her hesitation obvious by the nervous expression on her face. She was going to tell someone like Mario why she did what she did, and she knew he was going to tell her she was being outright ridiculous and could have handled the situation differently, without any hint of anger or spite. "...I hated cutie marks...because my first friend, Sunburst, got his before mine, and after he showed his parents, they moved to Canterlot, and I never saw him again until many years later in the Crystal Empire, our friendship rekindled after an awkward reunion and revealing the truth about what happened to us while we were apart.

"We at least began writing to each other and made sure to keep in touch when we had the chance...But I feel so silly after I let my sadness get the better of me and change me into...an equality-driven tyrant who wanted to steal everyone's cutie marks and almost destroy Equestria because of my selfish desires to get revenge for what I worked so hard to make, only to lose it all because of Twilight and her friends showing me what real friendship was about..." After regaling her story to the plumber, Mario stared at the unicorn, processing everything. Instead of hearing him tell her how crazy she was and how she could have done it better, she fell over when he asked her she was able to travel back in time. "Ahh! Seriously!? You're more curious about the time travel more than what else I said!?"

"Well, you gotta admit, time travel is pretty neat!" Pinkie exclaimed, surprising Mario and Starlight as she popped in out of nowhere behind them. "Hey, cool thingie! What's it do!?" Before Mario could explain, Pinkie swiped the Mailbox SP out of his hands and looked at the small screen. She pressed a button, making it flash on the other side in Starlight's direction, taking her picture while blinding the mare at the same time. "Ooh! It's a camera! Vacation photos galore!"

Mario quickly grabbed Pinkie's tail before she ran off to randomly take pictures with his Mailbox SP, dragging her back and taking his device back. He didn't want her breaking it after only getting it a while ago, erasing the random photo of a confused Starlight. It didn't take long for the ship to finally arrive at Rogueport, the port town able to be seen in the distance. It looked like a nice place from afar, the captain letting the party know that they were about to disembark as they went to get their luggage. When they stepped off and got a better look at the port, Rarity's jaw hit the floor at the unclean port town, though she wouldn't want to hit her chin against the filthy ground as she saw the horribly tended buildings and the trash that littered the corners of the walls and in the water.

"Oh sweet Celestia, this place is horrid!" she shrieked. "I am not stepping a single hoof on this disgusting ground! Are we even in the right place, and have these ponies ever heard of cleaning!?"

"This is the town of Rogueport, ma'am," the captain said. "The same exact place I dropped off Her Highness, her escort, and the pony princess from Equestria."

"...Ick...Where are my boots?" Rarity levitated her several bags of luggage, looking around for a pair of more worn out boots to wear so she didn't walk into anything disgusting or sharp if there were broken glass bottles strewn about. "Please tell me I have a pair in here!"

"Rarity, we walked through the sewers of Toad Town," Rainbow reminded the fussy fashionista with an annoyed huff.

"At least the sewers looked far more cleaner than the state of these horrid streets! Excuse me if I don't want to soil my hooficure I just got at the spa yesterday!" Rarity argued. She finally found a simple pair of boots, hating having to ruin them, but her bigger concern was to not step on something foul, mushy, and reeked of whatever disgusting smells lingered in the garbage lazily tossed aside. "These will have to do."

"Typical Rarity," Applejack muttered.

The group stepped off the ship with their cargo, Starlight forced to levitate Rarity's luggage with her magic as they began making their way to the center of town. "AHH! Get away from me!" a female voice shouted.

They stopped when they saw a pink female Goomba with a pith helmet, a pale tan shirt, and a red ascot around her neck run from the center of Rogueport as three strangely dressed people chased after her. It was hard to tell who they were from their outfits, the leader bigger wearing a black shirt with a white "X" on the front, purple shorts, a pair of black shoes, white gloves, a purple hat with horns jutting up from the sides, a pair of glasses where his eyes were, and a red cape connected with a pointed red collar. His followers had similar outfits sans the cape, wearing red full-body suit with a black "X" instead, white boots, and their hats and collars white with the horns and frills drooped down. The Goomba panicked, trapping herself on the port as she turned and glared at her pursuers.

"Don't play dumb with us, missy!" the bigger member exclaimed. "I saw you walking around town asking everyone about information on the Crystal Stars. Now it's my turn to do the asking, so be a good girl and tell us what you know! Right! Now!"

"I don't have anything to say to you creeps!" the Goomba said, sticking her tongue out at him defiantly.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't be right if a sassy little lass like you were met with an untimely demise," he said. "Buh! Buh! Buh huh huh! Boys, we're taking this firebrand to our fortress!"

"As you command, Lord Crump!" the two minions said, the trio getting closer while the Goomba backed away from them.

"Get back, you bunch of weirdos!" she warned them. "I'll scream if you so much as touch me!"

"We gotta help her!" Rainbow said, but Mario was already ahead of her as he raced down the docks.

Just as the leader, called Lord Crump, was about to grab the Goomba, Mario shoulder tackled him away, sending him tumbling back into his minions. The pile of villains scrambled to get up as they faced the heroic plumber from across the sea, standing in front of their victim defensively, pulling out his hammer to smack some sense into this kidnapper if he tries to nab her again.

"Whoa," the Goomba uttered in awe at her savior. She looked back when she heard several hooves running up to them, shocked to see six more creatures like the one she met yesterday who asked her for a book about Rogueport's history. Despite learning about there being more of them, she looked back at Crump and his minions, looking just as confused as she was when the six mares arrived as Mario's backup. "Thanks, whoever you guys are. I do not want to go anywhere with those creeps stalking me."

"Who the heck are you, chump!?" Crump asked Mario. "You think you can screw up my plans!?"

"What plans?" Starlight asked. "What were you going to do to her?"

"Bah...It's always something," Crump said to himself with a shake of his head. "Looks like I'm going to have to give you a little taste of the old CRUMP-A-BUMP!"

"Uhh, do you even know who you're talking to?" Pinkie asked, but Crump didn't listen as he let out a battle cry and charged toward Mario. "Maybe not."

Crump leapt up and tried to drop kick Mario, but Mario merely dodged out of the way, then spin-kicked Crump hard in the face as soon as he landed, sending him stumbling backward while clutching his face. "Don't worry, Lord Crump!" one of the minions said. "We'll handle the others!"

The two minions ran past Mario and tried to attack the girls, their targets Applejack and Rainbow first, though it was a big mistake dealing with the two toughest of the ponies by physical standards. Both mares bucked them hard, sending them flying back to the other side of the port and smacking them into the wall. Crump recovered from the kick and charged Mario again, this time throwing his fists at the plumber. Being more experienced in combat from dealing with Bowser and his army in the past, Mario easily blocked and dodged each punch, frustrating the leader greatly. Mario grabbed Crump's fist from his last punch, giving one of his own and hitting Crump hard in the stomach, knocking the air out of him while giving him another directly in the face.

Crump grunted and stumbled back, letting out a grunt, clearly outmatched by the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. "You got in a few good shots, I'll give you that," he said. His two minions managed to recover, surprisingly resilient from getting kicked by a pair of powerful bucks from two tough mares either due to their toughness or their clothing absorbing the blows as they both limped over to their boss. "But you haven't beaten us yet!"

"Yeah, right!" Rainbow goaded. "You and what army!? Those tiny freaks!?"

"Buh! Buh! Buh huh huh!" Crump chuckled. "I'll show you an army!"

He let out a whistle, a stampede of hundreds of red and white dressed minions suddenly surrounding the group. "...Oh," Rainbow said.

"You just had to say it, didn't you, Rainbow Dash?" Starlight groaned.

"GET THEM!" Crump ordered, his army of minions yelling as they all leapt up and dogpiled Mario, the female Goomba they were after, and the six mares.

Dozens upon dozens of minions continued bouncing around, creating a mess of a pileup on top of the group that got in the way of whatever plans they had. Unfortunately, they weren't the brightest of the bunch as they didn't really so much as jump on them, but more like created a living dust cloud. The group managed to sneak through the attacking bunch without a scratch, sneaking away as they looked back and watched them trying to attack something that wasn't even cornered.

"...Wow. What a bunch of idiots," the Goomba said. "Quick, this way before they figure out they're just beating up the air."

"Good idea," Starlight said, the pink Goomba leading the way as the others followed her to the center of town.

After a moment of constant leaping, flailing, and screaming, Crump was the first to notice something was off. "Stop! STOP! STOP ATTACKING!" he shouted, his minions stopping as they circled their leader, neither of them spotting any sign of the ponies, Goomba, and plumber. "Huh!? Where did they go!? Johnson, did you see them? Anyone?" The minions muttered incoherently, clear as day that none have them have seen them slip by. "...Crud. They bolted..."


Once they were far enough away from Crump and his army of smaller troops, the group stood by the gallows. "Thanks for saving me back there," the Goomba said. "Especially you, mister. I have GOT to give you a reward for coming to my rescue."

She leapt up and gave Mario a kiss on the cheek, surprising the plumber as he looked away bashfully, making the mares giggle at his reaction to his reward. "Mario, darling, you sure do have your way with the ladies, don't you? First Peach, myself, and now...Oh, sorry. I don't think we got your name."

"My name's Goombella," the Goomba said, then let out a frustrated grunt as she looked back at the walkway to the docks. "I really hate this place. There's freaks and weirdos EVERYWHERE! I mean, I know this place is called 'Rogueport', and I should have expected it, but yeesh! I wouldn't have come here if there weren't a legendary treasure here."

At the mention of a legendary treasure in Rogueport, the group were surprised to hear someone else was looking for it as well. "You're looking for the treasure around here as well?" Starlight asked.

"Yeah...Wait, 'as well'?" Goombella questioned. "Was that why you were interested in learning about the history of the region?"

"Uhh, I'm sorry?" Starlight asked, confused by Goombella's assumption that they had met before.

"Yesterday, you came up to me and asked to borrow a book," she said. "...Hey, wait, what happened to your wings? I thought you had a pair."

"But I never had any-" It took a moment for Starlight to realize what the Goomba was talking about. She stifled an irritated grunt as she was mistaken to be Twilight, though it was a surprise to know Goombella had actually met Twilight the other day. "Oh! No, no, Goombella! This is the first time we've ever met each other! I'm Starlight Glimmer. I think the pony you met yesterday was our friend, Twilight Sparkle."

"Huh?" Goombella walked up to Starlight and got a better look at the unicorn. "...Oh. Whoops. Sorry. You two look really alike...aside from the lack of wings and weird tattoos on your rear ends."

"My fur is brighter and looks more pink, and our hairstyles are completely different," Starlight muttered under her breath. "How exactly are we even remotely the same?"

"And I'm Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie said, grabbing Goombella as she introduced herself and the others while swinging her around to get a really closer look at them. "And that's Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Super Mario Mario of the famous Mario Bros.!"

Goombella blinked as she tried to memorize their names, then tilted her head curiously at Mario's name. "'Mario Mario'? Wait, how many Marios are there?"

"Three!" Pinkie said, dropping Goombella as she counted out the number of Marios on her hooves. "There's Mario Mario, and Luigi Mario! Luigi's Mario's younger brother, who isn't here right now because he's going to have his own story plot by complete random to add hilarity to his own misadventures in this story!"

Goombella suddenly went cross-eyed, her head already hurting from Pinkie's "simplified" explanation. "...Ow...My brain...I don't get it."

"Sugarcube, just trust us when we say not to ask how Pinkie Pie does her thing," Applejack said.

"Duly noted..." Goombella shook her head, making sure not to take Pinkie too seriously, though that would be difficult to tell if she actually is being serious. When she could see straight again, she noticed something sticking out of Mario's pack, growing curious about the worn out piece of paper that hung out in the open. "Whoa. What's that?" Mario noticed her pointing at the map, pulling it out and showing it to her. "Is that a treasure map!? Where'd you get that!?"

"Princess Peach delivered it to Mario when she and Twilight told us about it in their letters," Fluttershy said.

"...Princess Peach?" Goombella questioned.

Before they could answer, Toadsworth spotted the group from the east side of Rogueport and approached them. "Master Mario! An odd coincidence seeing you here!" he said.

As they spoke, some of the mares noticed something going on in the alleyway between the inn and the shop. Two strange looking yellow creatures with palm tree heads and grass hula skirts snuck out, wearing black tuxedos and black-tinted sunglasses. They waited for someone to come around, where two avian-like guards approached them, then after some talking about business, the palm tree brutes roughed them up, then left after one of them fell over after getting pummeled.

"Uhh, should somepony have helped them?" Rainbow asked, but seeing how the one that fell was fine, though slightly dazed, the pair of guards walked back to their post.

"I've been in a spot of bother, Master Mario," Toadsworth said, having ignored the strange fight in the background. "But, tell me, what brings you here?" Mario explained to Toadsworth about Peach's letter, the map that came with it, and the reason why Twilight's friends were here with them as well. "Ah, so both princesses told you and these mares to come along and meet them here in Rogueport? And with a treasure map of all things? How peculiar."

"Where are Peach and Twilight?" Applejack asked. "Weren't they with you?"

"Well, last night before I went to bed early in that horrible, run-down inn," Toadsworth said, rubbing his back after having the worst experience of a good night's sleep in his life. "The next morning, I didn't find hide nor hair of them. It's like they up and vanished."

"What!?" the mares exclaimed in shock, including Mario.

"They assured me they wouldn't go far when they left me this note." The elder Toad pulled out a piece of paper, which was the note the princesses left for him. "Apparently, I cannot trust the promise of two young princesses who love the taste of adventure. And I know it's certainly not Princess Peach's handwriting, so I figured Princess Twilight wrote it."

Starlight took the note and looked at the writing, but this wasn't Twilight's carefully crafted calligraphy writing. "Twilight didn't write this letter," she said. "Someone must have, but if they've been gone long before we arrived..."

"...Oh no. Not again," Toadsworth groaned. "How many times must the princess be kidnapped in my old life? And not I fear Princess Twilight has been taken as well if she's associated with her!"

"I'm sure Twilight can beat up whoever tries to nab her," Rainbow said confidently. "If we can kick Bowser's spiky shell, even with that Star Rod to cheat his way to winning, she can take care of herself and save Peach on her own!"

"I sure hope so," Toadsworth said, still having that feeling in his gut that they were both helplessly captured. "There isn't much I can do except try to search in Rogueport some more. If you find them, please bring them back safely. I don't want to spark a way with the other princesses in Equestria because of their co-rulers was taken hostage by some heathen."

Mario reassured the Toad he'll bring the princesses back safely and unharmed. Toadsworth soon made his leave, heading back to the inn to rest and calm his nerves with some tea. As soon as he left, Goombella was in shock when she realized who she was talking to and who had sent them that map.

"...No way...Princess Peach from the Mushroom Kingdom sent you that map!?" she asked. "So...that means you're the Mario who saves her from getting nabbed by Bowser!" Mario nodded his head in response. "...Wait, so why did she have that map?"

"It was pretty odd from the sound of both letters," Starlight said. "They both met some peddler out here yesterday and Peach opened a small chest that had that map inside."

"Really?" Goombella pondered. "You think they both got a bit bored waiting and went off to find the treasure instead?"

"I hope so," Fluttershy said nervously. "I just hope that Bowser isn't involved again. He was pretty mean when we first met him."

"Hmmm...Aha! I know!" Goombella said. "Follow me, guys! One of my professors is here in town and researching this treasure! We'll show him the map, then we can start looking for the treasure, and maybe catch up to the princesses!"

"Sounds like a plan," Starlight agreed, the rest of the group nodding in approval. "Lead the way, Goombella."

Goombella lead the group to the east side of town, which was more run down, a pipe across a pair of nearby houses blocked by a wooden fence with the gate locked up, an archway blocked by one of the same shady avian guards that got beat up earlier where the rest of the section rested. As they passed the archway, a Bandit ran right past them, brushing past Mario and making him spin around like a top.

"Watch where you're running, jerk!" Rainbow called out. "What's that guy's problem?"

"I know! Bandits are the worst, especially in Dry Dry Desert," Pinkie agreed. Her face suddenly scrunched up in shock when she mentioned what that blue-clothed, mask-wearing person was. "...A Bandit...They steal money. Mario, I think you just got robbed!"

Concerned, Mario checked his wallet. He yelped when he realized he had lost half his coins he brought with him on this trip, looking back angrily as the thief seemed to have gotten away. Activating his speed enhancement with the power of his Lucky Star, Mario sped off after the Bandit, surprising Goombella at the mach speeds he ran, then came back a few seconds later after dealing with the Bandit and got his money back.

"W-What the heck was that!?" Goombella asked. "I didn't know you moved THAT fast!"

"It's a pretty long story," Rainbow said.

"And you can see that story here!" Pinkie said, confusing Goombella as she looked out at the sea instead of her or her friends. "And if you're reading the sequel before you even read the prequel, you are going to be very, very, very confused with what happened. So read the first book first before the second! That's why the first book is called 'first'."

"W-What is she-?" Goombella paused, slowly turning around as she reminded herself not to question Pinkie Pie. "Never mind...My professor's place isn't too far."

Goombella lead the others over to the second house, the first being a fortune teller's shop, marked by a symbol of a sun with a pair of eyes, almost like it was some kind of Star, and to the left of that building was an alleyway leading behind it. Goombella walked inside the second house, the room filled with dozens of history books, scrolls and papers from several centuries ago to notes made by the professor, and some relics found in the region around Rogueport. The professor in question was in a corner behind the desk, rummaging for something as he muttered to himself.

"Wow...I bet Twilight had a field day in here," Starlight commented.

"Yeah...she did," Goombella said, remembering how much Twilight geeked out when she saw all the literature she wanted to nab, which made it a chore to put everything back where it was so her professor's work wouldn't get ruined. "Professor Frankly, I'm back!"

"Huh!? Whuzzat!?" The elderly Goomba turned and stepped around the desk. He was a lighter tan Goomba with white curled hair on the sides while the rest of his head was bald, thick white eyebrows, and a pair of swirly glasses that hid his eyes. "Who's calling me?"

"Professor, it's me," Goombella said.

"Ah, yes. You," Professor Frankly said. "Uhh...You're uhh..." Goombella was about to remind Frankly who she was, but he pressed his foot to her lips. "No, no! Don't tell me! I'll get it right! Umm...It's not Goombriel...Is it Elizagoom?" After another moment of thinking, the professor finally remembered, moving his foot away from Goombella's lips. "Ah! Yes! Goombella! I remember you in my archaeology class last year!"

"Yup. Now I'm a junior at U Goom. Gooo Goombas!" Goombella cheered. "And now I'm helping you out with your thesis and discovering the treasure beneath Rogueport. Remember?"

"Of course I know that," Frankly said, though he wasn't convincing their guests. "You got stuck in my mind because you were such an exceptional student." He then looked behind his former student, now assistant, at the plumber and six mares. "...And these are...?"

"Oh, right! This is Mario!" Goombella introduced, Mario tipping his hat in greeting to the professor.

"What!? THE Mario!?" Frankly asked in shock.

"The one and only from the Mushroom Kingdom," Rarity said. "Rescuer of damsels and defender of the Mushroom Kingdom himself."

"...And who are they?" Frankly asked curiously. "I could swear I've read something about the six of them..." He walked over to a small desk where some older newspapers were kept, ruffling through them until he found what he was looking for. "...Ah, I see. The Equestrians from that new portal that was unveiled a few months back! Well, I guess it has been good long while for some of them to explore the rest of our world."

"You knew about them?" Goombella asked, a little shocked when she looked at the article Frankly grabbed.

"Of course! You younguns don't like reading the news all that much, and the newspaper has some very useful historical information to recall past events. Take note of that." Goombella nodded, taking the note to heart as she read through the article silently. "I may be a bookworm and not know what's 'hip' with the younger generation of this age, but I certainly recognize the six ponies in the picture who saved the Mushroom Kingdom from Bowser's latest escapades."

"Uhh, I wasn't one of those ponies," Starlight said. "That was Twilight. I'm merely her student."

"...Ah. I see...Are you her twin?" Frankly asked curiously. Starlight shook her head, though she didn't expect a question like that from someone mistaking her for Twilight. "No? You look so much alike."

Starlight merely sighed and hung her head in exasperation. "Wow. I never knew they arrived here months ago," Goombella said in awe. "So, I met one of the ponies yesterday, and I never bothered to ask her name. I hope she didn't ruin that book I let her borrow."

"What book?" Frankly asked.

"I left a note on your desk about a book I loaned to someone who was curious about Rogueport's history, and your place was the only one I know that isn't shifty that had a good copy," she said.

"What note? I didn't see a note." The professor looked around his desk, moving papers around until he found a small note in Goombella's handwriting. "...Oh...I am so scatterbrained, I must have moved some of my research notes around and covered it by mistake." Goombella sighed and shook her head, placing the newspaper back neatly on her old mentor's pile. "Anyway, knowing she's the kind of pony who can handle books with great care, what brings you all here?"

"We're hoping you can tell us a bit more about the treasure below Rogueport," Goombella said.

"Well, that's one of the reasons why I came here; to learn more about the subject," Frankly said, adjusting his spiral glasses. "Now, granted, this treasure is supposed to be considered a fairy tale, but, what do I tell my students when they pursue careers such as archaeology, Goombella?"

"Archaeologists and historians have to search for the truth in those fairy tales!" Goombella said with pride. "And I believe this legendary treasure exists, and I REALLY want to find it!"

"Excellent!" Frankly said with a chuckle. "Now, this treasure has many mysteries about it. Some say that it's a treasure trove full of gold coins and valuable riches. Others say it's a magical item made by a mysterious force. Some books say that it's a monster, while others claim it's an empty chest. So many rumors, so many questions remained unanswered with so many theories that boggle the mind..." As he paused, Frankly looked over at one of his shelves, finding what he needed and pulled out a book. "But, they all agree on one point: to find the treasure, one must have the Crystal Stars!"

Opening the pages, he stopped at an image where seven stars carved out of crystal, and showed it to the group. "Oh my," Rarity said in awe, even though the illustration was drawn out from the old tome, making it hard to distinguish what kind of gems these Crystal Stars were made of.

"'To find the treasure of yore, take the seven Crystal Stars to the Thousand-Year Door,'" Goombella quoted. "That's what all the elders around Rogueport have told me when I asked around about the treasure. Those same Crystal Stars are involved with the treasure?"

"The very same," Frankly confirmed. "As the saying goes, if you want to find the legendary treasure, you must first collect the seven Crystal Stars."

"Gee, sounds kind of similar to how we had to help rescue the Star Spirits a few months ago," Fluttershy said.

"Except instead of them helping us defeat Bowser, we're finding these stars to find an awesome treasure!" Rainbow said. "I'm dying to see what's inside!"

"'Hold the Magical Map aloft before the entrance to the Thousand-Year Door. Then the stars will light the way that leads to the stones of yesterday,'" Goombella continued to quote. "In other words, if we show this map to the Thousand-Year Door, it'll show us the locations of where the Crystal Stars are!"

"Yes, but sadly, the Magical Map is the missing piece of this puzzle," Frankly said. "The Thousand-Year Door is supposedly here, deep beneath this town, but without it, our start is left at a standstill...If only we had that map!"

"But I think we do have it!" Starlight said. "Mario has it on him! Show him."

Mario pulled out the old map and showed it to Professor Frankly. "Hmm?" Looking closer at it, his jaw dropped in shock. "Hummina hubbity hubbida hippity hoobida hammala huffala hoofala...T-This is it! This is the Magical Map! The one and only genuine piece of parchment!" The professor whooped and leapt onto Mario, surprising him with a Goomba-style hug as he laughed joyously. "You, son, are my HERO! Fantastic! Wonderful!"

"Wondertastic, even?" Pinkie added.

"Yes! Even that!" Frankly agreed. He let go of Mario with a flip, dancing excitedly as he approached his assistant. "With this map, we can find the Crystal Stars just by holding it aloft to the legendary door!"

"He sure seems as spry as Granny Smith for an old Goomba," Applejack said to the others. "And Ah think Granny's older than him by a few decades."

Ignoring the giggles coming from the mares, Frankly was too excited to sit still as he made his way to the door. "Well, what are we all doing standing around here twiddling our thumbs!? If any of us have any thumbs, that is!" he said. "Come on, everyone! Off we go, this instant! Time's a wasting and I'm not getting any younger!"

Frankly ran out the door, the others hurrying after him as they ran across the road and toward the gated fence. The older Goomba didn't bother with the lock on it and kicked the gate down, which was barely attached to the posts on each end.

"...Uhh, is this considered breaking and entering?" Starlight asked, greatly concerned.

"With how run down Rogueport is and the lack of actual authorities around here, I doubt we can get in trouble for littering," Goombella said.

"Well, this place is in definite need of a good cleaning from top to bottom," Rarity said, letting out a whine as she looked down at her boots. "It's a crime to have even something as plain as these boots get soiled by all this garbage and unclean streets."

"Oh give it a rest, Rarity," Rainbow groaned.

Frankly leapt up onto the warp pipe and went down, Goombella and Mario following after him so he doesn't wind up getting himself hurt. "Uhh, are these things really safe?" Starlight asked.

"Of course, Starlight!" Pinkie said. "And they're fun to go down!"

Pinkie bounced over the warp pipe and dove in, letting out a squeal as the pipe let out a warping sound effect when someone went in or out. The rest of the mares followed suit, Rarity hesitating a little because they would end up going underground beneath Rogueport, praying that it wasn't even worse down there than it was up here. Starlight shrugged and climbed up, looking down in the pipe before jumping in, the party on their way to find the legendary Thousand-Year Door and begin uncovering the mysterious treasure deep inside, along with finding where Peach and Twilight have gone.