//------------------------------//
// Petal Meadows, The Peaceful Plains...With a Dragon!? 
// Story: My Little Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door 
// by Codex92 
//------------------------------//

Mario climbed up out of the warp pipe, their location quite a big change he and the girls would gladly appreciate after their time in Rogueport. The ponies and Goomba soon popped out from the pipe, staring in awe at the clean grass fields of Petal Meadows. Up ahead, there were a few rocks laid about in an oddly specific formation; the one in the center shaped almost like a warp pipe, two of them with a hollow carving of what looked like a sun and moon, and the rest were just normal stones. Far in the distance on a bed of hills was the castle depicted in the Magical Map, where the first Crystal Star was located.

Rarity took in a deep breath, finally able to breathe fresh, clean air, despite still feeling filthy from the ink all over her. "Finally. THIS is what I expected to see when we first arrived," she said. "I'd rather stay here than go back to Rogueport."

"This must be Petal Meadows," Goombella said. "Despite the awkward start, I'm actually kind of excited to go on this big adventure!"

"You should see the crazy adventures we went on back in Equestria, before we ended up in the Mushroom Kingdom!" Pinkie said. "We fought Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis and her changelings, Sombra, Tirek, diplomatic issues, running around in a comic book, through the Everfree Forest-"

"Ok, ok, I get it," Goombella interrupted. "You've gone on a lot of adventures...Wait, how exactly were diplomatic issues an adventure?"

Before Goombella got an answer, a roar from above startled everyone. Suddenly, an incredibly large shadow passed over them, the object blocking out the sun shocking the mares when they all looked up to see what was creating the shadow. Far above them and making their way to the castle in the distance was a massive orange dragon with a blue tail, flying up to the highest tower, where it looked big enough for the dangerous reptile to make its home in.

"W-W-Was that a d-d-d-d-dragon!?" Fluttershy squeaked fearfully, clutching onto Mario for dear life as they miraculously avoided getting spotted by the dangerous creature.

"There are dragons in this world, too!?" Starlight asked. "You girls said the only thing close to a dragon in this world was Bowser, and he's a turtle who can breathe fire!"

"This is a surprise to us, too, Starlight," Rainbow said. "I think that thing was bigger than the ones back in Equestria, too."

"Is this game SERIOUS!?" Pinkie exclaimed. "Our first main story boss is a giant dragon!? How is that supposed to be fair!? We're gonna get killed!"

Ignoring Pinkie, Mario was more concerned by the fact that their first Crystal Star might be guarded by that dragon if it was in that castle it inhabited. "So much for this land being peaceful," Goombella mumbled. "Maybe we should see if we can get some more info in the town. Shouldn't be that far away if the castle looms over it from the map's description."

"And a bath," Rarity added. "Ooh! Maybe even a spa?"

"I doubt the town would have a spa," Goombella said. "But a good cleanup does sound nice. Stupid gross Blooper ink..."

Making sure to keep an eye out for the dragon if it flew over them and avoid being its next lunch, the party made their way down the road past the stone formations. The road was just as peaceful as Pleasant Path was back in the Mushroom Kingdom for Mario, their foes in their way being the usual trio of Goomba enemies and a few Koopa Troopas. It was nothing the group couldn't handle as they had faced a whole army of Bowser's tougher minions sans Starlight and Goombella. There was a river that blocked their way across, but they were able to form a bridge with a switch that was found off on the hills in the distance and make it across safely, avoiding getting nipped by Nibblers if they weren't able to jump across.

They reached the entrance gates to the town, a peaceful little village with a few friendly Koopas and Toads going about their day. The homes were simple, light colored houses that expressed the bright and cheerful area in the calm environment it was built on, despite the fact that they lived several hundred yards away from a dangerous dragon. As the group admired the peaceful village, one of the Koopas spotted the traveling visitors and walked up to greet them.

"Greetings, travelers!" he said. "Welcome to Petalburg!"

"Quite a lot of enthusiasm for a welcoming committee," Starlight commented.

"Eh, too much?" the Koopa asked nervously. "Sorry, we don't really get many visitors...at least, we used to. But as soon as that dragon Hooktail showed up around here, it didn't really help much with tourism."

"So, you guys do know about that dragon we saw earlier," Goombella said. "And that thing's name is 'Hooktail'? Ptth. That's really intimidating."

"Yeah, try saying that when Hooktail loves to chomp down on us Koopas for lunch." The Koopa let out a shudder, turning a bit pale at the thought of being eaten by the dangerous dragon. "We never go anywhere near that castle if we don't want to turn into a pile of bones."

"Well, sadly, we kinda have to go there," Starlight said. She levitated the map from Mario's person, showing the ethereal Crystal Star hovering over the area of Petal Meadows. "We're searching for the Crystal Stars, and one of them seems to be in that castle. Do you think you can tell us a little more about them and why this one is here?"

"Hmm...The Crystal Stars, huh?" the Koopa uttered. "...Sadly, I don't know much about them aside from the fact that it's just a legend...Although, I think the elder in town might know a thing or two. He's pretty old...like really, really old, so he should know some things we don't. He lives in the pink house a bit further down the road."

"An elderly male Koopa living in a pink house?" Rarity questioned. "Egh...I think he should have his home painted a different color...Speaking of houses, do you mind if we borrow your restroom and freshen up? We are covered in Blooper ink when we went through that sewer, and I don't want this gunk to stain my coat worse than just being in Rogueport! Do you know how horrible ink stains on anything white!?"

"...Uhh, there is an inn right there," the Koopa said nervously, pointing at the nearby building while fearing what the unicorn would do to him if he didn't give her the right response. "Maybe they'll let you use their shower if you book a room?"

"Thank you, darling! You're a lifesaver!" Rarity approached their welcoming committee, giving the Koopa two thankful kisses, one on each cheek, then cantered off to the inn to request a bath.

The Koopa Troopa blinked a few times, confused by the gesture and Rarity's sudden mood change. "...Uhh, does she have...cleanliness issues?"

"Rarity's a neat freak and hates getting really dirty," Applejack said. "And it doesn't help that Rogueport's...not exactly the cleanest town we've ever been to."

"She even spent about a week in a haunted mansion with friendly Boos!" Pinkie added. "Better than getting stuck in the hot desert and forced to cut my adorably floofy mane and tail to keep cool, but I still look cute with short hair."

"...Ok..." The Koopa looked at the others after Pinkie's random storytelling, though the looks on their faces didn't assuage him as they silently told him to go along with it. "...Well, I hope you all enjoy your stay in Petalburg. And try not to go to Hooktail's Castle. We don't want anymore innnocents getting eaten, especially after what happened a few years ago. Poor kid had it rough after his dad was eaten by that monster."

"Thanks for the help," Goombella said, the group making their way to the inn to wash themselves off of the Blooper ink. "Wow, someone lost their dad to Hooktail. I can't imagine losing any of my family if something that tragic happened to them."

Starlight stayed behind, curious to get some more answers from their greeter. "Hey, I have another question," she said. "Have you by any chance seen anypony who looks like me and my friends? She's got purple fur, a horn and wings, goes by the name Twilight Sparkle."

"Uhh, no. Never heard or seen anyone like that," the Koopa said. "In fact, this is the first time I or anyone else has seen creatures like you around."

"R-Really?" Starlight asked nervously. "Are you absolutely sure?" The Koopa nodded silently, now greatly concerning the unicorn as she expected to meet up with Twilight somewhere in Petal Meadows. "...Ok. Then, what about Princess Peach? Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom?"

The Koopa let out an irritated sigh, slumping his head. "Yeah, everyone knows about her," he answered, giving Starlight some relief as Peach was thankfully around. "Unfortunately, the princess hasn't made her presence here in town unless you count the amount of Princess Peach memorabilia a certain neighbor of ours has." And her hope was dashed just like that. "Posters, dolls and dollhouses of the castle, even a random autograph he managed to spend a hefty sum of coins for. Don't get me wrong, it would be an honor to have Her Highness from across the sea visit, but I wouldn't want her near her 'number one fan'. I think he has a bit of an obsession with her or something..."

"...Oh. Wonderful," Starlight muttered. "Well, thanks again..."

She then made her way to the inn, letting out a sigh as the whereabouts of both Peach and Twilight were right back at square one. After everyone had a chance to clean themselves up, they wandered around Petalburg, getting to know the sights as they searched for the mayor's house. They passed by a silver Bob-omb wearing a commander's hat, staring off into space as he silently contemplated something, but they walked past him, thinking he was too busy with his thoughts to help them. It didn't take them long to find the mayor's house, spotting the pink house miles away as it was not like the other houses in town. Next door, there was a Koopa couple that stood out among the other friendly Koopas, both of them with green shells, the girl wearing pink sleeves and pants that stuck out from her shell, white shoes with a pink underside, and a light auburn ponytail tied in a pink hairband, while the boy wore a light blue sweater hoodie with blue shorts outside of his shell, similar white shoes as his girlfriend but with a brown underside, and he seemed to sport a bandage on his snout while one of his eyes seemed half-lidded, almost like he was given a severe eye injury in his youth that never recovered.

While the party made their way inside the mayor's house after knocking on the door, they didn't notice the sweater-wearing Koopa tell his girlfriend something, watching her head inside the building next door before sneaking over to the window of the mayor's house and peeked inside. Mario and his entourage of six ponies and one Goomba got a better look inside the elderly Koopa's living room, the mayor an evergreen-skinned Koopa with bushy white eyebrows that actually covered his eyes, a long white beard, and supported himself with a walking cane. There were some pictures of him in his younger years with a female Koopa, who must be his wife, though there wasn't any sign of the missus around.

"Excuse us, sir?" Goombella called out, startling the elderly Koopa as he stuttered and looked around.

"Wha-? Who's there?" he asked. "Who's barged into my home!? Thieves! Trying to steal my things!"

"No, sir, we're not-" Fluttershy tried to say, but the mayor seemed to have problems hearing as he continued rambling.

"I know you whippersnappers and your types!" he exclaimed. "Robbing a defenseless old Koopa like me for a quick coin!" Mario tried to explain that they weren't thieves, but yet again, he didn't listen. "No, it's hopeless. Take whatever you want...Take my antique shell, my wallet, but not my photos of me and the missus. Can't do without those memories..."

"Ah got this," Applejack said, having dealt with Granny and her hard of hearing when she was being stubborn. "Sir, we ain't gonna take your things! We aren't robbers!"

"Oh. Then why didn't you knock?" the Koopa questioned.

"We did," Rainbow said. "You didn't respond, and we wanted to speak with you."

"Well, if you wanted to interview me, my life's not all that impressive," he said. "My name is Kroop, just a simple mayor who had a passion for-"

"No, no, we want to know about the Crystal Stars!" Goombella said loudly for the mayor to hear. "Can you tell us about the one located in the castle nearby!?"

"Oh, then why didn't you speak up, missy!?" Kroop exclaimed. "We're just wasting time and I ain't getting any younger!" He sat down on the nearby couch, rubbing his beard as he hummed in thought. "Now, where did I hear about them darn things again...? Ah, right! Hooktail! That dragon's got one of those Crystal Stars you're after! Big, enormous, and ornery, and eats folks up. You know of Hooktail, right?"

"We've heard of it, and saw it with our own eyes," Rarity mentioned.

"Well, Hooktail's been going on brutal fly-bys, snacking on us all in its sights...So, are you reckless fools - er, I mean, GALLANT heroes off on your way to rough it up?" Kroop asked hopefully.

"Wait, what?" Starlight questioned, everyone looking at each other as the mayor expected them to kill themselves to stop Hooktail. "No, we just want the-"

That DOES sound promising!" Kroop interrupted, their complaints falling on nearly deaf ears and his failing vision didn't notice the shock on the party's faces. "Why if you can rid us of Hooktail, we'll shower you with gratitude and rewards!"

"We didn't even agree to-" Rainbow tried to say, but they were interrupted once again.

"What's that? You'll accept no reward?" Mario tried to explain that all they were after was the Crystal Star, not a dangerous monster neither of them had a chance of taking on without a lot more help, but yet again, Kroop didn't seem to hear him. "What an unselfish group of heroes! Noble, brave, and willing to do anything for the good of the people."

"He's not going to listen to us, no matter if we agree with him or not," Pinkie said. "Curse you dialogue tree that fails to be a dialogue tree!"

"Now, what were your names again?" Kroop asked. Mario introduced himself and the others after letting out a sigh, going along with it and hopefully strong enough to take on Hooktail if they do have to fight the dragon for the Crystal Star. "Hmm...Murphy, Twinkle Glitter, Ponkle Pizza, Bannanasmack, Rainy Flash, Butterfly, Granary, and Koopella...Fine names indeed."	Despite the silly, random names Kroop gave them, making Pinkie and Rainbow snicker at the others, Mario calmly reiterated their actual names loud enough for him to hear. "Why yes, these are nice eyebrows. I appreciate the compliment, Murphy!"

The party sighed and hung their heads, giving up trying to get him to listen if his hearing's gone that bad. "Forget it," Goombella grumbled. "And Koopella? I look nothing like a Koopa!"

"Now, you all listen up," Kroop said. "If you intend on going to Hooktail's castle, there's a secret pipe near the village. I don't know exactly where it is, but I do know you'll need a pair of stone keys to use it. The keys are somewhere in Shhwonk Fortress, to the east of the village. Get those first."

"Ok, sounds like a plan," Goombella said. "Thanks for the help, mayor."

They soon left Kroop's home, the Koopa spying on them flinching before he quickly hid in a nearby bush before he was caught. He watched through the foliage, overhearing everything they talked about inside as he watched them make their way to the gate on the other side of town.

"So, we need to head to Shhwonk Fortress and get those keys," Rarity said. "First, I think we need to find Peach and Twilight and make sure they don't get themselves in anymore trouble."

"Well, we're not going to be that fortunate," Starlight said. "I spoke with the Koopa who greeted us about them, and there's no sign of them here."

"Are you serious!?" Rainbow exclaimed. "What do you mean they're not here!? Where else could they be!?"

"That's what I'm worried about," Starlight uttered.

"You don't think...Hooktail could have gotten them first?" Fluttershy asked. The possibility brought dread to the group, both important princesses in their own respective worlds eaten by a dangerous dragon who could have swooped down and gotten just about anyone for a snack. And the fact that the dragons in this world might be different compared to the ones in Equestria brought more fear to the mares than recently befriending the dragons thanks to Spike's friendship with Dragon Lord Ember. "...Oh dear. I hope I'm not right."

"L-Let's not jump to conclusions!" Starlight quickly said. "If the dragons in this world aren't as magic proof as the ones in Equestria, then Twilight might be able to stand a chance if Hooktail attacked them! They might have gone somewhere else instead! I mean, it's not like Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would think of going to war with the Mushroom Kingdom if something were to happen to her here under the watchful eye of Princess Peach's caretaker, right?" Realizing what she was rambling about, Starlight's nervous grin turned into a frown. "...Ok, now I REALLY hope that doesn't happen."

"You know you and Twilight kind of are alike if you two love to freak out and over-exaggerate things," Rainbow said.

Mario sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance from the worst-case scenarios the ponies were imagining. He kept them focused on finding the Crystal Star, defeating Hooktail, and assuring them that Twilight and Peach were perfectly fine. They've both been caught in dangerous situations before, and Twilight had faced dragons before, so she has some experience dealing with them if worse came to wear. Leading the way once the mares were calm, they arrived at the other end of town, where the path leading to Shhwonk Fortress was located. There was a Koopa blocked the way, who acted as a guard to keep others from exiting this way for their safety.

"Excuse us, can we pass on through?" Goombella asked. "We need to find the stone keys to make the pipe to Hooktail's castle appear, and the mayor allowed us to pass."

"Mayor Kroop has, huh?" the guard asked. "Well, you all look like a pretty strong group. I heard there's a stone creature that lives there, so be careful out there."

The guard stepped aside to let them pass. As the group was about to trek further through Petal Meadows to Shhwonk Fortress, the Koopa watching them stepped out from the bushes, then approached them nervously.

"Umm...excuse me," he called out timidly, but they didn't seem to hear him. "Uhh, pardon me..." Despite speaking a little louder, neither of the party heard him. Mario, the ponies, and Goombella were almost right out the gate, the clothed Koopa swallowing and took in a deep breath to settle his nerves. "Please, wait a moment!!!"

The party yelped and turned around at the outburst. The Koopa quickly clasped his hands to his mouth, feeling embarrassed from shouting that loud.

"What's the matter?" Starlight asked.

"...S-Sorry for yelling," he mumbled. "I-I...I kinda panicked..."

The nervous Koopa continued muttering to himself, trying to sum up the courage to talk to them. "...Uhh, did you need our help with somethin'?" Applejack asked.

"Umm...How to begin...?" He took in another deep breath, his timidness and injured face concerning the others if he was a victim of bullying. "...M-My name's Koops...I heard...you were all traveling to Hooktail's castle. So...umm...I-I...have a favor to ask..." Nerves came back to Koops, his mouth opening and closer as he tried to ask them what he wanted. The others waited patiently for his response, the guard frowning in pity, knowing the timid Koopa longer than the visitors had. After a minute of waiting, Koops let out a miserable grunt and hung his head sadly. "...Oh, forget it...Never mind. Just ignore me...G-Goodbye..."

Koops turned around and sadly walked away, baffling the others from asking them a request and leaving in failure for not speaking up. "...Ok...that was weird," Goombella commented. "Sounds like somebody's got issues."

"He seems to be like Fluttershy with how nervous he was," Starlight noted, Fluttershy nodding in agreement as she saw herself in him from his shy and timid nature to the innocent, somewhat quiet tone of his voice.

"Poor Koops," the guard said, getting everyone's attention as the Koopa watched Koops sadly walk away. "That kid hasn't been the same when his father, Koopley, disappeared after he left for Hooktail's castle a few years ago. We assumed the worst and he was gobbled up by Hooktail."

"Oh my," Rarity uttered, Goombella feeling bad for unintentionally making fun of Koops.

"Poor Koops," Pinkie said, her mane drooping a little, feeling bad for the Koopa. "I think he needs a hug. A few years' worth of hugs."

"I guess he didn't really take losing his father all that well, huh?" Starlight asked.

"He was pretty depressed, and it didn't help that he was picked on a lot when he was growing up," the guard said. "Thankfully, it stopped, and his girlfriend, Koopie Koo, supports him. He's been afraid to speak his mind, and I had a feeling he was going to ask you to help avenge Koopley and slay Hooktail for him and every other helpless victim of that dragon."

"Somepony as timid as him wants revenge?" Rainbow questioned with a raised brow. "I don't think he'd last one minute outside Petalburg."

"Koops is actually able to handle himself well out there," the guard said. "We Koopas in Petalburg are able to pull off a special kind of shell toss that only we know. Without even needing to ricochet off a wall or hard surface, we're able to hold a toss, then fling ourselves backward and hit anyone that would have been behind us. Useful little defensive skill if someone bounces on us and tries to kick us like a soccer ball. They'll be in for a shock when we come right back and trip them up, or hit them in the gut."

"Whoa...That's...actually kind of cool," Goombella said.

"I bet Kooper would want to learn how to do that!" Pinkie said. "Too bad he's not here, though. He's probably having fun on another expedition with Professor Kolorado!"

"You all know THE Professor Kolorado!?" Goombella exclaimed excitedly. "Oh my gosh, I always wanted to meet him! He's, like, the most AMAZING explorer of the Mushroom Kingdom and discovered a lot of different artifacts from ancient civilizations!"

"Yup, we sure have," Rainbow said. "But don't press your luck, Goombella. He's a bit of a klutz when it comes to exploring. And he needed our help when finding the treasure in Mt. Lavalava while we were there to save one of the Star Spirits."

"I'll believe it when I meet him, get an interview with him, and get an A+ on an assignment involving our idols." Goombella stuck her tongue out at Rainbow, the pegasus rolling her eyes in response, unable to wait to see the day she meets the clumsy oaf of a Koopa who's more famous for getting in trouble with his wife.

Continuing on after Koops's attempted request, they exited Petalburg and made their way down the road leading to Shhwonk Fortress to find the keys they needed.





Koops walked into his house, shutting the door as he let out a depressed sigh. He rubbed his head, making his way to the living room, where his girlfriend was waiting for him on the couch.

"Done with your errands, Koops?" Koopie asked. He didn't respond, plopping down beside her and held his head in his hands. "What's wrong, baby?"

"...It's nothing," he said, but the female Koopa wasn't buying it.

"Koops, I know you," she said. "You've been thinking about trying to get to Hooktail's castle and getting revenge again, aren't you?"

"N-No, I swear!" Koops exclaimed. "...A-At least, not alone. Some visitors were asking about the Crystal Stars, I heard them talking to the mayor...and..."

"And they were planning on going there to find out if the legend is true, risking their lives for a fairy tale?" Koopie finished. Koops reluctantly nodded his head, making his girlfriend groan in annoyance. "Hon, I know you miss your dad. But going there, risking getting eaten because you want to get back at Hooktail...it's not worth it."

"B-But that's not-" Koops fell silent when Koopie placed her hand against his mouth.

"Just don't, Koops," Koopie firmly insisted. Her stern gaze toward him faded, leaning closer to him and giving Koops a loving kiss on the cheek. Koopie wrapped her arms around on of Koops's, gently laying her head on his shoulder. "I don't want to lose you. Don't be stubborn like Koopley after he couldn't deal with losing more friends to that monster."

Koops leaned his head against Koopie's, feeling her grasp his hand with hers, closing his fingers and holding it gently. He had no idea how he could have found someone like Koopie to be his girlfriend when he was such a timid wreck of a Koopa Troopa since his father's demise. If only he had more confidence in himself, had more courage to be bold, tell everyone the real reason why he wanted to confront Hooktail without everyone assuming he was signing himself up for a death wish. He wanted to prove to everyone, including himself, that he wasn't a wimp; an easy target that everyone can pick on.





Mario lead the group as they walked along the path, encountering some more Goombas and Koopas that got in their way. They reached a fortress that was surprisingly closeby, the stones of the ruined structure grayish purple. Inside was an empty room with only two pedestals, both of them holding what appeared to be Clefts, only they lacked the spikes the ones Pinkie and Rarity recalled seeing back in the Mushroom Kingdom and they were gray like normal stones. The exit was unfortunately barred off, and there wasn't a switch, lever, or button anywhere to open it up.

"Well, this is a fine pickle!" Pinkie said, suddenly in blue overalls, a pink shirt, a pink hat with the letter "P" on the front, and a fake black mustache on her upper lip as she wriggled it while she stood on her hind legs and held the straps of the overalls with her forehooves.

"Where the heck did she get that!?" Goombella questioned, throwing out the rule of Pinkie being Pinkie as she pointed at the Mario-esque outfit she was wearing.

Mario chuckled and facepalmed, amused by seeing this outfit again after it was destroyed by the Buzzar on Mt. Rugged. "What? Gotta have a callback to the Mare-io girl!"

While Pinkie laughed at her pun, Starlight looked around curiously, using her magic to probe anything in the room to lift up the gate. "There's gotta be a hidden switch somewhere around here." Her aura touched the pedestals, waking up the Bald Clefts with a grunt. Looking up, Starlight yelped as the one she was near almost dropped down on her, alerting the others to the trap she accidentally set off. "Those aren't statues! They're real!"

"Bald Clefts," Goombella said. "Not so dangerous without the spikes like their brothers, but their skin is literally hard as rocks!"

"Nothing but a little hammer action should do the job!" Pinkie said, both her and Mario pulling out their hammers as they stared down the Bald Clefts.

Both rock creatures let out a grunt before charging forward, a big mistake as they were swiftly smacked by the pair of powerful hammers and sent flying across the room. They didn't go down so easily, sturdy and stubborn like the rocks they were. They charged again, but with another hard swing from Mario and Pinkie, they were flung into the wall of the fortress again, then fell unconscious in a pile with a groan. Upon their defeat, the gate leading further down the road opened up.

"Well, that seemed pretty easy," Rainbow said. "If that's all we have to do to open up a gate, I wanna take on the next group of easy grunts!"

"Careful what you wish for, darling," Rarity warned. "It may be simple at first, but something's eventually going to throw us a curve ball."

"Wait, are we playing baseball or are we on an adventure?" Pinkie asked. "Don't change genres on me! I'm in the RPG zone right now!"

"Pinkie, can you please take off those clothes and get rid of that mustache?" Goombella begged. "You look really weird, and because you're pink, you could pass as Mario's sister if you didn't have the tail, hooves, and facial hair on your lip."

"But I just got this all fixed up after it got ruined last time," Pinkie whined. Goombella leered at the pink earth pony, the pleading eyes Pinkie gave her failing as she huffed, then stripped out of her clothing. "Fine. At least Pinkie Mario made a return...But, now that there's a portal open, I can bring whatever I want, whenever I want." Tossing her outfit in her bags, she then pulled out her portable party cannon, making the Goomba's eyes bulge out, baffled by the mobile cannon able to be held in such a small pair of saddlebags. "And this time, I am not going anywhere in this world without my party cannon! This baby would have been so much helpful against Bowser."

"...I-I...I can't...I don't even..." Goombella turned around and continued ahead. "I'm moving on. I'm not going to ask questions. There is no logic to be found with Pinkie logic. Just. Gonna. Keep. MOVING!"

"She'll get used to it eventually," Starlight uttered, the others quickly catching up with her as they continued along the path to another fortress, this one a grayish red, and on the pedestals this time were odd spherical stones with empty eyes and its sharp grin missing a tooth, spikes surrounding its body except for its face. "Whoa...What the hay are these?"

Goombella pulled out a book, detailing several different species that she couldn't explain at the top of her head. "These are...Bristles. They have a lot of pointy spikes all over them, protecting themselves from anything that might try to harm it."

"Except their faces," Rainbow said. Waking them up by kicking the pedestal, the two Bristles jumped down to the ground and faced the group. "I got this guys. Can't be hard to turn these Bristles into brittle pieces!" The cyan mare sped off and aimed a dive kick into one of the Bristles' faces. Unfortunately, the spiked stone ball seemed to be a bit quicker on its defense, turning to its side as Rainbow struck it, her hoof pricking on one of its many sharp spikes. "YEOUCH!"

Rainbow flew back, rubbing her pricked hoof with a wince. "Any physical attacks won't work against them," Goombella said.

"Not unless we have a hammer!" Pinkie said, waving her trusty weapon around. "Dashie, this is why you need something with reach instead of your own hooves."

"No, Pinkie, you can't get-!" Goombella tried to warn Pinkie, but the mare lunged at one of the Bristles with her hammer poised to strike. Sadly, Pinkie's plan failed as well as it turned on its side, and right as she got close, the spikes on its side shot out, knocking the mare back and pricking her chest as she yelped in pain and staggered backward. "...I tried to warn you. Absolutely NO contact, even with something with a bit of reach like a hammer won't work."

"Why didn't you tell us they could shoot their spikes out like they're throwing a punch!?" Rainbow exclaimed while Pinkie rubbed her chest with a wince. "Aren't you supposed to be a know-it-all egghead!?"

"Hey, I study archaeology and had a lot of notes to take for finals!" Goombella argued, waving her book around. "I don't have that much of a photographic memory! What, did you assume I was that smart to know EVERYTHING about ANYTHING!?"

"Well, there was a Goomba who was with us who knew a lot about the Mushroom Kingdom," Fluttershy said. "His grandpa told a lot of stories, and he has a really good memory of different places, dangerous creatures, even if he's never seen them before."

Goombella blinked, her cheeks turning a shade of pink as she began to grow interested in this intelligent Goomba. "...What's his name?"

"His name's Goombario," Fluttershy said, Rarity noticing the blush on the Goomba's face, practically eager to meet him.

While Goombella got to know more about Goombario from Fluttershy, Mario and Starlight dealt with the nearly impervious Bristles from a safer distance, the former flinging his hammer at one while the latter blasted the other with magic, knocking them out and opening the way forward. The last fortress before them as they left was a pale grayish brown. Inside was only one pedestal this time, and sitting on it was a large blue creature made of stone, the edges around it covered with gray stone spikes. Mario recognized what it was, swallowing a lump in his throat as he dreaded to see how the mares would react to having it rise up and stomp down on them. So far, there wasn't any future visions that came to him, which meant it was safe, at least for now.

"Wow. That's a pretty big rock," Applejack said. "Rarity, ya bet there are any gems in there?"

"Very funny, Applejack," Rarity grumbled, glowering at the farm pony while Applejack chuckled from her teasing. "If there were, my horn could easily pick up a beautiful gem in it. Besides, it has a face, which means it's either just a statue or a sleeping creature. And if it's sleeping, I probably wouldn't speak too loudly if it wakes up and gets hostile."

"It looks like a Thwomp," Goombella guessed, looking through her guidebook of different creatures for reference to make sure she was right.

Before she found the right page, the structure shook, surprising everyone as the sudden quake came from the pillar with the sleeping Thwomp. As soon as it stopped, the stone creature's eyes opened, its beady black eyes looking down at the group.

"Well, well, well, how long has it been since I've had new contestants?" the Thwomp asked himself, confusing the ponies, plumber, and Goomba.

"Wait, contestants?" Starlight asked.

"If you all have come this far to Shhwonk Fortress, you must want the stone keys," he said. "And if that is the case, you'll have to compete against me. If you win, I'll let you through to get the keys, but if you lose, then you'll suffer a terrible fate...And by 'terrible', I mean awful." The Thwomp let out a chuckle, his goading for the prize already winning them over. "So, what do you say? Care to take my challenge?"

Mario wasn't sure whatever challenge the Thwomp had for them, but if it was a fight, then it would be pretty difficult considering Thwomps are one of the toughest beings in his world. He wasn't sure if he could even make a crack in the Thwomp's body with his enhanced strength. The ponies looked at each other, unable to find any other option to reach the keys unless they took on the giant stone stamper's challenge.

"Well, we don't have much of a choice," Starlight said. "If we want to reach the castle quicker and without wasting too much energy if we have to fight Hooktail, we need those stone keys."

"I think we can take him," Rainbow said. "He can't even move, so if it's a fight he wants, he won't stand a chance if we can whittle him done to pieces." Mario tried to warn the girls that Thwomps were able to move, but Rainbow responded with their answer before he had the chance to tell them about the ironically stationary stone heads. "You're on, Stony!"

"Alright! But don't say I didn't warn you!" With a grunt, the Thwomp surprisingly jumped up into a hole above where he sat, shocking the ponies while Mario facepalmed.

"...Uhh...they CAN move?" Rainbow asked. She looked at Goombella, who slowly nodded her head, then looked at Mario, he moved his hand from his face and glared at the pegasus, shaking his head while explaining Thwomps can move, drop down from the ceiling as fast as she could fly at normal speeds, and possibly squish someone underneath their two ton bodies. "...We're in trouble, aren't we?"

"Where did he even go, anyway?" Pinkie asked curiously, looking up at the hole the Thwomp disappeared through.

A click was heard as the gate behind them closed, the sunlight shining in the room suddenly gone as it went dark for a brief second, then lit up again with neon walls blinking in an outstretched diamond of yellow, white, red, and blue. Everyone looked around in surprise, a small booth rising up from the floor near Mario that was used for game show contestants appeared, followed by a microphone stand near the platform the Thwomp was on.

"Uhh, what's happening right now???" Goombella questioned.

"Where did all these lights come from?" Applejack asked, looking around at the suddenly changed scenery.

Game show music suddenly began to play as the sound of stock audio played around them, the sound of an audience clapping and cheering as the Thwomp gently floated back down to the platform, now wearing a red and white polka dot bowtie. "Hello and good afternoon, ladies and germs!" he announced. "Welcome, everybody, to the 65th Super Fun Quirk Quiz!" The audience cheering repeated, the Thwomp looking around at the invisible audience while baffling everyone except Pinkie, the pink earth pony waving to the "crowd" as if they were really on a game show. "I know it's been a really long hiatus since the last show, but have we got a show for you!

"Let's meet our mustachioed contestant and his guests! What is your name, good sir!?" Confused, Mario pointed at himself, then awkwardly introduced himself. "Alright, Mario, here's how the game goes, so perk up your ears, including your furry friends', as I ask you several questions. Get five of them right, and you win! But get three wrong, you'll suffer an unfortunate punishment."

"The challenge...is a quiz?" Starlight asked quizzically. "...That...shouldn't be that hard..."

"Hope you got your thinking caps on, because we are about to begin!" The Thwomp cleared his throat as Mario stepped inside the booth, the music suddenly getting intense as the quiz began. "Now, for the first question: What's hidden in this place?" That question was really simple, the group searching for the stone keys they needed to get to Hooktail's castle. Mario answered, the dinging sound signalling he answered correctly, making the Thwomp spin around and grumble a little. "That's correct, but that one was an easy one! It's only going to get much harder from here on! Question two: What do one Mr. Softener and a Fire Flower cost at the shop in Petalburg? Total!"

"What the hay is a 'Mr. Softener'?" Applejack asked. "Ah've never heard of somethin' like that."

"Mr. Softeners are items that look like a pink worm with a face, weakening enemies defenses if it succeeds," Goombella explained. "Agh! I didn't think we'd need to head into the store when we got to Petalburg! I have no idea how much that or a Fire Flower costs around here!"

Mario sweat nervously, wishing they took the time to look in Petalburg's shop and see what other new items this region might have had. He had to take a wild guess as different towns sell similar items at a different cost, even in the Mushroom Kingdom. He guessed fourteen coins, only for a buzzer to ring out, his guess wrong as the stock-audience let out a disappointed groan and the Thwomp chuckling as he got one strike.

"Ooh! So close!" he said. "The correct answer is sixteen coins! Moving on to question three: What is the name of the mayor of Petalburg?" Thankfully, Mario guessed Kroop since they had luckily met with the old mayor to get some answers for their Crystal Star search. "Urgh...Correct. Onto question four: Where is the Crystal Star?"

"Are you sure these are supposed to be harder?" Pinkie asked, scratching her head curiously. "I don't think you're even trying. At least Peach's time on a quiz show while she was trapped had some questions that actually got her stumped."

Mario answered Hooktail's castle, guessing right from the ringing bell, even though they've known before entering Petal Meadows where their first Crystal Star was located. "Agh! Correct! Question five: How can one get from Petal Meadows to Rogueport?" Again, the answer was easy as the "contestant" answered the warp pipe, frustrating the Thwomp as they've gotten four questions right and needed one more, and with only one wrong guess. "Right again! That's four questions already!? That's it. I'm making the last two impossible! Question six: Which of these following creatures have...hands?"

Appearing down on the small console in Mario's booth, there were pictures of four creatures: a Koopa Troopa, a Goomba, a Cleft, and a Fuzzy. Even Starlight could see the obvious answer, and she had less experience with what species exist in this world. Mario answered the Koopa Troopa, and with one final successful ring for the correct guess, the "audience" cheered as confetti rained down on them, and it didn't come from Pinkie's party cannon. The Thwomp let out a yell in defeat, spinning around in frustration.

"So much for that being a difficult quiz," Starlight muttered. "I think any of us could have played and won."

"I can't believe you answered five questions correctly!" the Thwomp exclaimed. "I don't believe this! And I had a good final question before you got struck out!"

"What was the last question going to be?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

The Thwomp blinked a few times, stammering a little as he didn't expect them to even make it up to the last two questions. "...Uhh...T-The last question was...what number question it was." The party all let out a groan of exasperation, Mario falling out of the booth from how lazy the last question was. The Thwomp grumbled, then leapt up through the hole in the ceiling, the lights disappearing as a click echoed, turning the old fortress ruins back to normal while opening up the entrance and sinking the booth and microphone stand. He returned a moment later, slamming down on the pedestal. "I guess rules are rules. You can enter the deeper part of Shhwonk Fortress and find your keys."

The Thwomp spun around, his movement moving his pillar back, revealing a small panel where a warp pipe rose up from after his perch slid into the back wall. With a grunt, he shut his eyes and went back to sleep, waiting for another future victim to torment if they stumble across the fortress.

"...Well, we beat him," Rainbow said, earning a punch in the shoulder from an irritated Applejack. "Ow! What!?"

"Maybe instead of assumin' somethin' in this world is easy if they offer a challenge, we should be askin' the ones who know more about them than jumpin' the stable," Applejack said.

"Applejack's right," Rarity agreed. "After witnessing something that large and heavy able to practically fly up to the ceiling, it could have easily crushed all of us without a single thought! Are you going to do the same thing if we run into that awful dragon when finding that Crystal Star?"

"Heheh...Sorry," Rainbow apologized. "No more picking fights against anything from this world without getting advice from the experts on them."

Mario leapt up onto the pipe, leading the way first while giving Rainbow a warning glance as he slid down. The girls then followed down after him, standing in shallow water beneath the Shhwonk Fortress where two different paths split up from where the pipe lead them.

"Oh, please tell me this isn't another sewer," Rarity begged, keeping her fabulously curly and recently cleaned tail out of the shallow water.

"I think this is part of the fortress," Goombella said. "Probably an underground water channel from the rivers around here. Being a fortress and possibly having soldiers, they would have needed fresh water to drink."

"And they're tainted by my filthy boots after walking around Rogueport," Rarity added as she continued holding her tail slightly up.

"Let's see," Starlight muttered in thought. "There's two pathways, which must mean one of the keys has to be at the end of these channels. We can split up in teams of four, search a path, and come back with a key."

"Sounds like a good plan to me!" Pinkie said.

They split up in two groups of four and began trudging their way across the water down each path: Mario, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack to the left, and Goombella, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Starlight to the right. They had expected to find no signs of life in these abandoned channels, but that wasn't the case as they encountered a couple groups of Fuzzies on their passages, the round, furry black creatures bouncing around trying to jump on everyone and suck away their energy with their "kiss of death" as Pinkie called it. Mario was kind of relieved Twilight wasn't here, otherwise they would have tied her up in their webbing and hang them on a tree. They were quick to deal with as they easily knocked them out, and at the end of each path were the key stones they needed, Starlight's group finding the key in the shape of the sun with a red center and yellow rays and Mario's finding the key in the shape of a yellow moon. They were ambushed by a group of Fuzzies waiting for them, but like their brethren back in the previous rooms in the channel, they were easily dealt with.

They regrouped back to the junction of the channel, they were suddenly ambushed as a Gold Fuzzy landed on Mario's head, knocking him down and bouncing off him as the gold-colored Fuzzy landed between the groups. "MEEEEEOOOOOOORK! Hey, what are you suspicious types doing here!? This is our place! And you're stealing our things!"

"There's no way you Fuzzies 'own' these keys!" Goombella said. "We need them to get to Hooktail's castle, so beat it, you pest!"

"Oh, a pest, am I?" the Gold Fuzzy asked. "I'll show you! MEEEEOOOOORK!"

The Gold Fuzzy bounced toward Goombella, latching onto her ponytail as she tried to avoid him. "AHH! Get this thing off me!" she screamed.

"Hang on, Goombella! I got it!" Pinkie said, pulling out her hammer and tried to slam it on the Fuzzy. She missed as Goombella ran and shook her head, trying to shake him off her hair. "Hey! Hold still! I wanna smash it!"

Mario got back up, his front half completely soaked from crashing in the water from the Gold Fuzzy as he shook himself dry. He and the others watched Pinkie chasing after Goombella, all while the Goomba ran and jumped around, trying to make the Gold Fuzzy lose his grip, but it was holding on tightly. As she ran past him, Mario quickly grabbed the Fuzzy, squeezing him hard and making it gasp and let go of Goombella without painfully tugging her hair. He tossed the Fuzzy in the air, then roundhouse kicked him hard, sending him skipping of the water and into the wall. The Gold Fuzzy wasn't as weak as the black ones, shaking off the hit as it leered at the group now surrounding it.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Rainbow asked with a smirk, rearing to fight what she and the others know as a weak enemy. "There's one of you and eight of us!"

"Oh, you really think it's just me?" the Gold Fuzzy asked, letting out a chuckle. "I'm not all alone here! Alright, everyone! GET THEM!!!!"

There was a sudden cry of Fuzzies screeching from all corners of the channel, and as the group turned around to see where it was coming from, they were suddenly swarmed by hundreds of black Fuzzies. Mario, the mares, and Goombella were completely overwhelmed, forced to the ground as dozens of them jumped on them, Rarity screeching as she didn't want to get dirty again.

"I just got cleaned!" Rarity whined. "I don't even know what else is in this water with you jumping round balls of itchy fuzz infecting it!"

Rainbow broke free and tried to fly over the Fuzzies, only for a large group to climb over each other and make a tower, then crash down on her. "AHH! I can't even fly away!"

Starlight managed to focus enough and create a bubble around herself, preventing the Fuzzies on her to pummel her. "Just how many of these things are there?" Looking around while keeping her shield up, she spotted the Gold Fuzzy laughing as he watched her friends getting swarmed by his army. Growling, she marched over to him, forcefully pushing Fuzzies or bowling over them, grabbing the leader and snatching the different-colored Fuzzy in her barrier, squishing him under her hooves. "Call off your friends or you're going to get it, you fuzzy parasite!"

"MEEEOOOORK! Get offa me, you...whatever you are!" the Gold Fuzzy exclaimed, his struggles finally stopping when Starlight aimed her glowing horn in his face. "W-Whoa, whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa! What's with the glowing pointy thing on your head!? Not in my face!"

"I'm giving you to the count of three to tell those Fuzzies to stop hurting my friends, or I'm going to blast you through the wall and into the earth!" Starlight warned.

"Ok! Ok! I'll get them to stop!" the Gold Fuzzy quickly said. "Guys, lay off or else I'm gonna get blasted to bits by this mutated Magikoopa!"

"A mutated what?" Starlight questioned in irritation, her eye twitching at the rude description of her species. The Fuzzies stopped, suddenly growing worried for their leader as they backed away from the group. The others got up, Rarity smacking some of them away with her tail for getting her soaking wet. "Now, you are going to let us leave with these keys. We won't do more harm to you and get out of your territory. Is that a good enough deal?"

"Y-Yeah, sure! Whatever!" the Fuzzy quickly agreed. Starlight let the Fuzzy go and dropped her shield, who immediately bounced away from her. "Let them go! I'd rather not turn to ashes from whatever weird magic that thing has!"

The Gold Fuzzy yelped as Starlight shot a magic beam right where it stood. "We're ponies! Not 'things', or mutated anythings in this world!"

The other Fuzzies muttered quizzically at the odd term for the mares, but the hum of Starlight's horn ready to fire another warning beam got them to agree and call them ponies. They bounced away peacefully through the channel, the cramped room now more free as the hundreds of Fuzzies left.

"Well, that could have gone better," Goombella grumbled. "At least we got the keys."

"Where exactly do we put them?" Rainbow asked.

"Ah think there were places in them stones back where we first came out when we got to Petal Meadows," Applejack said. "Maybe that's where that pipe is that reaches Hooktail's castle."

"Can we please stop in town and get another shower?" Rarity begged.

"Rarity, you're fine," Starlight said. "Let's just get out of here before those Fuzzies decide to-" She paused when she looked at Fluttershy, who was surprisingly unharmed during the swarm as she held onto a small group of Fuzzies. "...Fluttershy...Why are you holding them?"

"Well, they're actually kind of cute," Fluttershy reasoned. "We did invade in their territory, and they did have a right to defend it...Can we-?"

"We're not keeping any of them," Starlight said blankly, disappointing the yellow pegasus as she let the confused Fuzzies go.

They let out their squeaky noises and bounced back to their brethren. With both the sun and moon keys in their possession, they made their way to the warp pipe and rose back up to the surface, heading back to Petalburg and return to the rock formation they saw near the entrance to the area.