//------------------------------// // Bob-omb Battlefield // Story: Game Quest: Super Mario 64 // by Phantom-Dragon //------------------------------// Some times earlier Flying at a great distance across Equestria, Spike beat his wings heavily in search of the “Undiscovered West”. "Phew, I should've hit the gym more often," Spike said to himself, as he felt as if his wings were about to fall off from so much flapping. After what felt like an eternity after leaving Caterlot, Spike finally arrived in the ruined city once Crystia, looking around at what little remained. "This must be the place," He panted heavily, after his long flight. "Now, if I were the Cave of Games, where would I be?" Spike looked around at the crumbled monuments that represented the once proud city. "Twilight?" Spike called out. His voice echoed across the barren land but answer there came none, “Rarity? Rainbow? Girls?" He called again. "Are you here? It’s me, Spike! Please don’t jump out from behind anything because I don’t think I can handle any surprises! Hello?” No response, not a word or a syllable. With a sigh, Spike slumped down against the base of a huge statue of an alicorn – Or at least what’s left of it. Spike huddled himself up close, watching to see the sun just about to set over the horizon. The air around him starts to grow cold, causing him to shiver. "Good thing I packed a blanket with me, just in case," Spike said to himself. Spike rolled his backpack down, pulling out a small thick blanket out, rolling himself up in the comfortable fabric. Keeping himself warm from the cold, Spike turned his attention toward one of the ruined houses. The little dragon rushed in, curling himself in the corner of the house, under the protective roof, allowing himself to be consumed by the spell of sleep and his world turned dark. It was only after the sun completely vanished over the horizon, a mist rolled in through the ruined city, Spike was fast asleep. “Are you the one called Spike?” “Huh?” Suddenly awoken by a voice, Spike slowly stirred, blinking his eyes awake. The little dragon found himself staring into the eyes of a cloudy being resembling a pony. “Whoa!” Spike exclaimed, backing against the wall. “Where did you come from?” “Are you a friend of the ones called the Elements of Harmony?” The being asked, catching Spike’s attention. “You know where they are?” Spike asked, hopefully. “If you wish to find your friends, follow me.” The pony dissolved into mist, floating across the gentle breeze, guiding the young dragon to the sacred cave he searched for. Along the outskirts of the city, the gate was still left open, allowing entry for Spike and any other creature into the cavern. Inside, Spike was further bewildered at the magic that lies within. “Whoa, this place is amazing!” Spike marveled at the cave interior. “The air’s kind of… I don’t know what to say, but I can just almost touch the ceiling without flapping my wings!” Indeed, Spike floated through the air, discovering this was due to the cave’s lack of gravity. After having some fun, Spike turned his attention back to the misty pony, who stood before a magical mirror projecting a portal within its frames. It somehow reminded Spike of the one back in Ponyville, one that lead to a world dominated by ‘humans’ where an old friend, Sunset Shimmer, resides. “Who are you?” Spike asked. “Where are my friends?” "I am the Spirit of Games," The Spirit informed the young dragon. "One week ago, I was acquainted with your friends, when they first arrived into the cave, seeking a cure for the Darkness that had infected this place for so many years. It was I who taught them how to activate one of Starswirl's old portals to begin their adventure within a game, which you see before you. But they have yet to return since that fateful day." “I figured that out from that dream I had,” Spike nodded. “You wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with that, would you Spirit?” The spirit appeared to look solemnly for a moment, before steering the subject back on topic. “Questions for another time, young dragon. Your friends are in great danger; you must not waste time. Find them before the stars are lost, or the Darkness will consumes their light, and history repeats itself again. GO!” With that said, Spike leapt into the portal, thus beginning his quest to rescue his friends and hopefully finish the game they started. “Good luck, young dragon,” The Spirt muttered. “You and your friends will need it.” Present Location: Bob-Omb Battlefield After jumping into the painting, everything was all white for Spike and Yoshi. Eventually, their visions cleared up and they find themselves landing into a new world. "Whoa!" Spike gasps, as he and Yoshi looked at their new surroundings. Spike and Yoshi looked around from where they stood, finding themselves standing beside a large black cannon, which stood perched along a stone platform. It looked as if they are in a large battlefield, with a tall mountain loomed left along the distance. A floating island hovers a short distance away before the dragon and dinosaur. “Yoshi, I don’t think we’re in the Mushroom Kingdom anymore,” Spike commented, to which Yoshi nods in agreement. “You there, sirs! Watch out!” Spike and Yoshi turn their attention toward two short little creatures resembling a typical cartoon bomb. “Wander around here and you two might get plastered by a water bomb!” In appearance, the creatures have beady round white eyes, their frames colored pink, silver-colored caps along their heads, gold legs, and a silver turn knob on their backs. The only difference with these bombs is that they had no fuse. “Did that little bomb just talk to us?” Spike asked Yoshi, who nods. Both dragon and dinosaur cautiously approached the little red bomb creature. “Excuse me, Mr. Bomb Guy?” Spike greeted. "I'm a Bob-omb," The bomb creature confirmed. "A Bob-omb Buddy to be precise." "Oh, sorry," Spike apologized. "Mr. Bob-omb Buddy. Could you maybe help us with something? We're looking for some friends of ours. Colorful ponies with cutie marks on their flanks? One's an alicorn, one's a unicorn, two pegasi, and two earth ponies? They're with a guy named Mario and his buddies. You've seen them?" The Bob-omb Buddy was silent for a moment, before he answered, "Actually, yes I have! They were here a little while ago!" "Great! Where are they?" Spike asked excitedly. "They left to confront the Big Bob-omb at the top of his mountain, over there!" The Bob-omb directed both Spike and Yoshi's attentions to the mountain, as he continues, "This meadow has become a battlefield ever since the Big Bob-omb got his paws on the Power Star, from the evil Koopa King, Bowser. Just a little while ago, your friends were following a mustached man with a red cap, who I believe must be the famous Mario. They had all left for the mountain. But they haven't returned. I wonder whatever happened to them..." Both Spike and Yoshi turned to exchange looks of concerns with each other, "Sounds like our friends are in big trouble," Spike frowned, with Yoshi sharing his concern. "But if they went to the mountain, then that's where we'll go!" With that, Spike and Yoshi were about to take their leave, when they were stopped by another Bob-omb Buddy, "Danger! We're in the midst of a war between evil black Bob-ombs and us Bob-omb Buddies. Here, take a look at this map." With that, the Bob-omb Buddy whipped out a map, showing it to both Spike and Yoshi, as he explains. "When you go down the road and cross the 2 bridges, you'll be in their territory. And you see the Star on the top of the mountain?" He asked, pointing at the flashing star on the map. "That's where the king of the Bob-ombs is. He's very powerful and throws Bob-ombs from the mountaintop. Be careful if you're heading toward the mountain!" The Bob-omb Buddy then hands the map over to Spike, "No worries. We'll be careful," Spike assured. "Thank you for everything; we'll take it from here. C'mon, Yoshi! We've got friends to save!" "Yoshi!" Yoshi chirped, as the two took their leave. "Good luck!" The Bob-omb Buddies cried, bidding the duo adiue. Spike and Yoshi were heading down the road, away from their new Bob-omb buddies, when they were suddenly approached by a pair of strange looking creatures that looked like living fungi. In appearance, the creatures are colored brown, with two feet but have no arms. They have large faces that occupy most of their mushroom caps, while their stems attach their heads to their feet. A defining feature are their black bushy eyebrows that form a scowl. They also have two upward-pointing fangs that sometimes resemble braces. "Uh hello?" Spike greeted the creatures nervously. "Don't mind us, we're just passing through." The creatures turned to each other and exchanged confused glances, before one of them asks, "Who are you? What are you doing here?" "I'm here to look for some friends," Spike replied. "They're with a guy named Mario." "...MARIO?!" The way the creature asked made Spike nervous, as he nodded slowly. “The Mario?” The creature asked again, his eyes glaring. From behind Spike, Yoshi took a fighting stance as if he knew what was coming. "Then you're no friend of ours!" With that, the two creatures charged after the two heroes. “Whoa!” Spike screamed, practically frozen before the creatures’ sudden charge. Luckily, Yoshi quickly stepped in defense for his new dragon friend. The dinosaur quickly shot his long sticky tongue out, snatching one of the attacking creatures and swallowed it whole, laying a green-spotted white egg in the process. “Holy guacamole!” Spike commented. The young dragon watched as Yoshi picks up the egg and hurls it toward the other attacking creature. The egg made contact, bouncing off the creature’s face, knocking it off its feet, and in a blink of an eye the creature disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving only a single gold coin with the symbol of a star engraved on its face. “What the—” Spike watched as the egg itself lands on the ground, cracking upon impact revealing another coin, much like the other. “Are those… Bits?” Spike asked. The dragon was completely flabbergasted, as he approached to pick up the coins left behind by the enemies Yoshi defeated. “What just happened?” Coins: 2 "You two have defeated a couple of Goombas. That's what you did," A Bob-omb Buddy explained. "Goombas?" Spike questioned. “Ah, you’re not from around here, are you? I’ll make it quick and simple: The Goombas are those fungus-like monsters you’ve defeated. They used to be residents of the Mushroom Kingdom, but many of them defected over to Bowser, along with the Koopa Troopas. Now they serve Bowser, using the Power Stars to take over our worlds.” "I see," Spike nodded, holding up a coin. "But what's with these coins?" “These gold coins are the main currency of the Mushroom Kingdom,” The Bob-omb Buddy replied. “However, they are known to hold magical properties. Don’t ask how, that’s just the way it is. Bowser uses them mainly to give his minions the power to constantly replenish their life-forms. So even after you’ve defeated some of them, they’ll be certain to come back. Spike scratched his head, unsure of how to make of this strange world’s laws of reality. “Uh… Yeah, thanks for that. Anything else we should know?” “Yes, actually!” The Bob-omb Buddy explained. “According to legends, these coins are pieces of the Power Stars. When Bowser first attempted to steal the Power Stars, many of them broke up into 100 pieces and are scattered across the worlds. If you collect a total of 100 coins, then you will obtain a Power Star!” “Whoa, really?! That’s so cool!” The young dragon smiled, excited. “We better start collecting more of those coins if we want a Power Star.” “Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped in agreement. “In that case, you better take this, if you’re going to collect some coins.” The Bob-omb Buddy handed both dragon and dinosaur a large brown bag. “Anyway, you two are heading off to confront the Big Bob-omb, yes?” The two heroes exchange nods. “Then let me warn you: When you make your way up his mountain, beware of the evil Bob-ombs. You can tell because they’re dark in color and they’ll lit their fuse and chase you down when they see you. When they do, you should run, because they’ll explode if you’re not fast enough to get away. And unless you want to get hit by a hard ball of water, I advise you both to keep watching the sky. The Big Bob-omb has ordered his troops to fire them from his mountains, at anyone deemed an ally of Mario and enemies of Bowser.” "Sounds like Bowser's got a lot of enemies," Spike commented to Yoshi who nodded in agreement. "Well, thanks for the tip buddy. If you'll excuse us, we've got a Power Star and some friends to rescue." "Good luck you two," The Bob-omb Buddy said, watching Yoshi and Spike go their way. The pair crossed a wooden bridge, which took them up toward another part of the battlefield. As they turn left, following the path, they stop when— “ARF! ARF!” AH!!” Spike yelled, as he and Yoshi fell off their feet. Before their eyes, they stood startled by the sudden attack of a living ball-and-chain with big circular eyes, large gaping mouths, and razor-sharp teeth that repeatedly snaps its jaws at them. The creature was barking loudly, like that of an attacking guard dog. The young dragon repeatedly beat his chest to ease his rapid heartbeat. “What the hey?!” Spike gasped. After both Spike and Yoshi managed to compose themselves, they looked behind the Chain Chomping creature to see that it was guarding what appears to be a cage of some sort. Their eyes widen in startling shock, when they looked to see that behind the iron bar is a Power Star. "Look! A Power Star!" Spike pointed, with Yoshi chirping with excitement. "But how do we get it?" The two friends looked to see that the chain-chomper was bound to a wooden pole, by the end of its chain tail. They also noted the way the monster looks at them as if it was out to get them. Scratching his head, an idea forms in Spike’s head, "Hey Yoshi! I have a plan!" He beckons the dinosaur to lean his head closer for the young dragon to whisper his plan into his ear. "Yoshi?" Yoshi questioned. "Trust me, it'll work," Spike replied, muttering under his breath, "I hope." Spike walked towards the Chain Chomp, while making sure he was out of reach, "Hey! Chomper!" Spike taunted, sticking his tongue out. "Nah-nah-nah-nah~ You can't catch me~" Irked, the Chain Chomp lunged towards Spike, barking aggressively in vain, paying no attention to Yoshi who quietly snuck up from behind and walks towards the peg that was keeping it in place. Floating over the peg is a single red coin, which Yoshi took, before he went to work on the peg. Gold Coins:2 Red Coin(s): 1=2 Total Coins: 4 The dinosaur leapt up in the air, above the peg, before with a flip, he curled himself up, so that only his bottom would land first in a thunderous ground pound. Once... twice... three times, Yoshi stomped the whole wooden pole into the ground, freeing the chomping creature from its peg. Upon realizing it was no longer bound to the pole, the Chain-Chomping creature started to bounce around the area, chasing after Spike. "I guess I didn't think this through, did I?" Spike asked rhetorically, before he took off, running for his life. "HELP!" "YOSHI!" Yoshi chirped, running behind the Chain Chomp. Spike ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, running into a field where some Goombas and some evil Bob-ombs took notice of the little dragon. But they were just as scared when they saw the Chain Chomp pursuing him. All the Goombas and Bob-ombs scattered as fast as they could to get away, as the Chain Chomp chased after the little dragon. However, they weren’t so lucky to get away, as Yoshi swallowed one of the Goombas, laying it out in an egg, before throwing the egg after the Chain Chomp. Unfortunately, Yoshi missed, and the egg ricochets off the remaining Goombas and Bob-ombs, causing the fungus-like creatures to dissipate into puffs of smoke, while the walking bombs explode, each leaving behind a single star coin. Yoshi didn’t hesitate to collect them all, earning a total of ten coins he and Spike have collected so far. After he was finished, Yoshi looked up and saw another red coin, poised atop a chunk of stone. Gold Coins:10 Red Coin(s): 2=4 Total Coins: 14 The chase went on for a few minutes, until at last, the Chain Chomp had Spike cornered in front of the cage. Bouncing on its chin for a moment, the Chain Chomp launches itself toward the young dragon, who was suddenly snatched away by a long retractable tongue from the side. Yoshi pulled Spike out of harm’s way, causing the Chain Chomp to fly towards the cage, destroying the bars, and granting both Yoshi and Spike access to the Power Star. Dazed from the impact, the Chain Chomp gave up and jumped away, leaving Spike and Yoshi behind. Not wasting another second, Spike and Yoshi lunged toward the Power Star, grabbing it. The star dances around them, as both dragon and dinosaur share a quick victory dance. “Oh yeah!” Spike cheered. “We got a Power Star!” “Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped in agreement. Once the festivity was over, the two continued their way up the mountain, where the Big Bob-omb would be waiting for them, along with another Power Star. Turning to the right, the two heroes crossed a bridge that immediately started to tilt on their side due to their weight. Both Spike and Yoshi quickly beat their feet as they climbed up toward the other end, where they jumped off the edge of the tilting bridge and landing on the other side, smack dab of the evil Bob-ombs’ territory. Four soldiers patrolling the area spotted both the dragon and dinosaur. One of them lit its fuse and rush forward to attack both heroes. Reacting fast, Yoshi stuck his tongue out and caught the attacking Bob-omb and spat it back toward another, causing them both to explode into two gold coins, which Spike picked up along the way. Gold Coins:12 Red Coin(s): 2=4 Total Coins: 16 Just then, the two boys heard what sounded like a falling bomb. They looked up to see what appeared to be a large water balloon falling towards them. "LOOK OUT!" "YOSHI!" Spike and Yoshi both ran in different directions to get away from the water bomb, which bounced a couple of times after Spike, before it exploded into bubbles. "Whoa, that was close," Spike didn't have time to catch his breath, when heard another incoming attack from another water bomb. The young dragon looked up and his eyes widened, as he stood paralyzed at the incoming attack. "AH!" Reacting fast, Yoshi saw another Bob-omb, which he quickly snatched with his tongue, before spitting the living bomb at the oncoming water bomb. They both exploded on impact, saving Spike, and receiving a gold coin in the process. Gold Coins:13 Red Coin(s): 2=4 Total Coins: 17 "Phew, thanks Yoshi," Spike sighed in relief. "C'mon, let's go! In there!" Spike points to an open gate just across a stone bridge, which connected the land they’re on. Just across a large gap that led the way up the mountain. Just as they entered the gateway, another water bomb fell towards them. Thinking fast, both boys look to the side and snatch two startled Bob-ombs, both lighting their fuse in response. Before the bombs could detonate, Spike and Yoshi threw them at the incoming water bomb, causing the watery projectile to explode into bubbles, and rewarding them two more gold coins. Gold Coins:15 Red Coin(s): 2=4 Total Coins: 19 Afterward, Spike and Yoshi made their way through the gate, but danger still lied ahead. Turning to the right, before them were three large rolling iron balls that rolled along one slope to the right, before rolling back down to the left. Spike was able to fly over the balls, but Yoshi had to time the rolls before he was able to get across, barely unscathed. Later, they progressed down the road, turning left at the corner, where additional iron balls rolled towards them. “YOSHI!!!” Yoshi screamed, alarmed. Both Yoshi and Spike start weaving toward the side, evading the rolling balls, as they trekked up the mountain. Along the way, they happened upon another Bob-omb standing next to a tree, and large orange brick boxes of some sort. Upon seeing the two intruders, the Bob-omb lit its fuse and chases after them. “That’s it! I’ve had enough!” Spike declared. The young dragon spat out a green fireball that explodes upon contact with the assaulting Bob-omb, causing it to explode into another gold coin. Gold Coins:16 Red Coin(s): 2=4 Total Coins: 20 Before the two could continue their climb up the mountain, Spike looked at what else was lying next to the tree, "Hey Yoshi, check this out!" Spike pointed, as he picks up a large red hat with the letter M written in the white circle. "Hmm... Who would leave their hat lying around, like this?" Yoshi chirped excitedly, making several more gestures with his hands. "Huh? What's wrong Yoshi?" "Mario!" Yoshi chirped, pointing at the hat. "Oh! This is Mario's hat?" Spike asked, to which Yoshi nods. "I guess we’re getting close to him and the others. But in the meantime, I’m sure he won’t mind if I wear it for a while." With that, Spike puts the hat on. No sooner did he put the hat on, when the young dragon experiences a sudden surge of magical power, as his whole body was coated in an aura of rainbow. "Hey! What's happening to me?" Spike asked, as Yoshi looked on with amazement. At last, once the magic show had died down, there stood Spike, as a completely different person. No longer was he a little dragon, but an Italian mustached man in a red suit, blue overall, and brown shoes. "Whoa... I feel a little... different," Spike shook his head, recovering himself from the shock of the transformation. "Yoshi? What just happened to–Uh, Yoshi?" Spike looked at Yoshi, noticing how the dinosaur was looking at him up and down with a bewildered expression. "What? What is it?" "Yoshi," Yoshi began, before he pointed at Spike. "Mario?" "Mario? No, no, no, I'm not Mario," Spike waved his hands, coated in white gloves as he insisted. "It's-a me, Sp–What?!" Spike looked at his hand, which were covered in white gloves. "Huh?" With that, Spike inspected himself, patting his hands on the side of his head to find that his frills have become human ears. The disoriented former dragon then traces his hands up to his nose to find it had been enlarged to a large round shape, which comes with a large bushy mustache. “Whoa! I’ve got a mustache!” Spike jumped in surprise, noting the impressive height. “Whoa! I can jump-a good!” With a kick of his legs, Spike performed a couple jumps, when out of impulse, on the third jump, he leapt high into the air, curling his whole body up in a roll, before he landed perfectly on his feet. “Whoa! Hey Yoshi!” Spike smiled. “Did you see what I just-a did?!” “Sure did!” Yoshi answered in perfect sentences, much to Spike’s delight. “Whoa!" Spike exclaimed. "Yoshi! You just-a talked?!” “I’ve always been talking,” Yoshi answered. “You just didn’t understand a word I said, until now.” “Oh, sorry. But-a still, why now-a did-a we start-a to communicate-a?” “I don’t know,” Yoshi shook his head. “Maybe it’s because now that you’ve turned into Mario, you can understand a word I’m saying? I think it's because Mario and Luigi have always been able to understand whatever we Yoshi say, no problem. Maybe it's because when they were babies, we Yoshis have taught them our language, or something.” “Makes-a perfect-a sense-a,” Spike-Mario nodded, before he asked, “But what’s-a with this-a silly accent-a?” “I don’t know,” Yoshi shook his head. “Mario and Luigi have always talked funny.” “You don’t-a say,” Spike, as Spike-Mario, wanting to test his strength, went up to the brick box and punched it, breaking it into rubbles and revealed three gold coins, which he and Yoshi collected, for a total of 23 coins. Gold Coins:19 Red Coin(s): 2=4 Total Coins: 23 “Whoa!” Spike-Mario exclaimed, flexing his arms. “I’m strong!” “You sure are!” Yoshi nodded. “We’re gonna need that if we’re gonna have troubles with the Big Bob-omb. C’mon, let’s go!” Yoshi and the newly Spike-Mario resume their run up the mountain, dodging to the left and right, jumping over iron balls, until they finally reach the end of the path. They ran passed a cave along the mountain walls, where the iron balls came from. When the two heroes turned left, they hopped over a large gap in their path, where they discovered another Bob-omb, manning the cannon that shot all the water bombs earlier, and at the Bob-omb Buddies. “Hey!” Spike-Mario pointed. “Looks-a-like we found our shooter!” “We better put a stop to this, now!” Yoshi said. Not wasting another second, Spike-Mario approached the unsuspecting Bob-omb, who quickly lit its fuse in alarm. But Spike-Mario manages to stuff the ‘literal’ ticking bomb into the cannon, causing them both to explode, leaving behind a gold coin, bouncing next to a row of five gold coins. After collecting the first row, the two boys walk across the wooden bridge, over the next gap, where they found another row of five gold coins, which gives them a total of eleven gold coins found. Gold Coins: 19+ 11 = 30 Red Coin(s): 2=4 Total Coins: 34 The boys continued their climb up the mountain, evading more rolling iron balls until they at last reached the top of the mountain, where they confronted the Big Bob-omb himself. In appearance and up close, the Big Bob-omb was at least ten times the size of a typical Bob-omb. Much like his evil henchmen, he is dark in color, with a large white bushy mustache on his face, wearing a bejeweled crown atop his head, large white gloves resembling boxing gloves, and yellow pointy shoes, all connected by purple segments to his round explosive body. It didn’t take long for it to catch Yoshi and Spike-Mario approaching him. "I'm the Big Bob-omb, baron of all blasting matter, king of ka-booms the worldwide!" He then looked down at the two boys, before he sets his sight on Spike-Mario, "Look at my splendid mustache. It's fit for a king! Ho ho! Your mustache makes you look like the peasant you are. What a sad little thing." He mocked. Even though Spike-Mario knew the mustache he had on him isn't his, he still felt rather insulted. The Big Bob-omb then turns to Yoshi, "Incredible! You've made it this far even without a mustache. I commend your courage. The both of you." "Huh, that's really-a flattering of you to say that," Spike-Mario began. "But anyway, we didn't came all the way here just for praises, your bombship. We're here for your Power Star. And while we're at it, what have you done to my friends?" "Friends?" The Big Bob-omb stroked his mustache as he pondered, before he had an epiphany, "Oh! You mean those little colorful ponies who were with some other mustache wannabe gents?" The Big Bob-omb chuckled cruelly. "Well, seeing as how I'm going to blow you up into smithereens, I might as well tell you. Your friends were poking their noses around my land, meddling with my affairs with the almighty King Koopa, Bowser. Let's just say a few of my colleagues had them locked away somewhere." "No!" Spike-Mario gasped in alarm, snarling, "Tell me where they are!" "I'll never tell!" Big Bob-omb chortled. "Oh, and while I'm at it, I'll never give you my precious Power Star. You must defeat me in battle if you want it! You'll be quite helpless facing my Bob-omb minions. Now, put your tongue back in your mouth." He said to Yoshi. "It's quite undignified." Then, he turned to Spike-Mario, "And there's no way I'd lose to a puny mustache like yours. Let's battle!" Super Mario 64 OST: Boss Fight With that, the battle begins when the Big Bob-omb stomped his foot on the ground, nearly knocking both Spike-Mario and Yoshi off their feet. Then, as if by some sort of magic, the Big Bob-omb suddenly pulled two of his bob-omb soldiers out of thin air and started throwing them at the two heroes. Spike and Yoshi's eyes were widened in alarm to see the soldiers' fuses were already lit as they chased them across the summit of the mountain. But then, Yoshi stopped and stuck his tongue out at one of the bob-omb soldiers, swallowing it in his mouth, before spatting it back out at the other attacking soldier, and they both exploded upon impact. "Aw, no coins?" Spike-Mario moaned. Yoshi shot him a deadpanned look in return, as Spike-Mario blushed. "You're right. Not a good time." Turning their attention back to the fight, Spike-Mario and Yoshi watch as the Big Bob-omb conjures another henchman and proceeds to throw it at the boys. Reacting fast, Yoshi shot out his tongue at the lit soldier and shot him back at the tyrant bombastic monarch, just as he was about to summon another of his lit henchman in hand. BOOM! The countered bob-omb exploded upon impact with the Big Bob-omb, who immediately bounced across around the summit, several times, before he finally came to a stop. "Ouch! That's smart!" Big Bob-omb groaned, rubbing across his sore behind. A brief moment with the narrators Or is it his face? His entire body’s a face, it seems… Oh, get on with it! Fine… This has been a moment with the narrators The Big Bob-omb stared with intense anger toward the heroes, “You will pay dearly for that, dinosaur!” He huffed, toward Yoshi. The Big Bob-omb starts chuking more Bob-ombs at the heroes, thought most of his anger was channeled toward Yoshi, who didn’t hesitate to swallow more Bob-ombs with his tongue, before spitting them back toward their king. However, the Big Bob-omb anticipated this, as he quickly rolled to the side, evading the bombs thrown at him, before conjuring several more Bob-ombs to counterattack the ones redirected at him, courtesy of Yoshi. Yoshi shot another lit Bob-omb at the Big Bob-omb, who quickly anticipated the attack by throwing one of his bob-omb soldiers at the incoming living bomb, and together, they explode upon impact, creating a thick cloud of smoke in the process. "Yoshi?!" Spike-Mario coughed. "Yoshi? Where are-a you?" "I'm over here!" Yoshi called out through the smokes, when he suddenly finds himself picked up by the tail. "YOSHI?!" Yoshi turned to see he was in the grip of the Big Bob-omb. "Now I've got you!" Big Bob-omb chortled, as he proceeded to spin the dinosaur around at the speed of a tornado, before he releases his grip and hurled the screaming dinosaur across the flat top summit. "YOSHI!" Spike-Mario shouted, running as fast as he could, before with a tremendous jump, the dragon in plumber's clothing leapt into the air, grabbing his dinosaur friend by the tail before he was thrown completely off the mountaintop. "I got-a-ya!" "Thanks!" Yoshi breathed a sigh of relief. He turns his head and shouts: "LOOK OUT!" The Big Bob-omb leapt into the air and almost stomped on both heroes, if they hadn’t rolled out of the way in time. The Big Bob-omb turned his attention to Yoshi and was about to grab the dinosaur again, when he felt a punch from behind. He turns around and spots Spike-Mario shaking his fist, groaning in pain from the recoiled damage. "Oh!" Spike-Mario groaned. Suddenly, he was grabbed by the Big Bob-omb and held him up to his face. "Is that all you got?" The Big Bob-omb scoffed, hurling Spike-Mario across the summit. "AAAAHH!!! Spike-Mario screamed, as he rolled across the summit, nearly falling off the edge, had Yoshi not grabbed him by the leg with his tongue. Just as the two heroes recovered from the adrenaline, the Big Bob-omb conjured another of his henchmen and hurled the lit Bob-omb at the heroes. Then, out of impulse, Spike-Mario leapt in the air and grabbed the flying Bob-omb, mid-air, before with a flip, he tossed the Bob-omb at the Big Bob-omb, who quickly rolled to the side to dodge the fire. “You’ve got some moves, I’ll give you that,” The Big Bob-omb said. He threw more lit Bob-ombs at Spike-Mario, who ran for dear life. Just as the soldiers exploded, Spike-Mario narrowly evaded as he performs a cartwheel flip, before proceeding to do some backward somersault to escape the explosion. “Whoa! This-a-Mario-a guy really does have some-a moves!” Spike-Mario exclaimed. Pausing for a moment to catch his breath, Spike-Mario turned his head and watched the Big Bob-omb conjure another lit Bob-omb in his hand, which he prepared to throw toward the heroic dragon-turned-plumber. Thankfully, with quick timing, Yoshi snatched the Bob-omb out of the evil bomb king’s hand and spat the living bomb at his adversary. BOOM! The Big Bob-omb bounced across the summit, before he stops and rolls back up on his feet to resume the fight. The Big Bob-omb proceeds to throw more of his lit henchmen at Spike and Yoshi, but in this third round, he charged furiously at the two, intent on grabbing them both within his own gloved grip. Spike and Yoshi both jump out of the way in opposite directions, evading the Big Bob-omb, before they grab one of his own lit henchmen and tossed them back at their leader. However, the Big Bob-omb had no intent on letting himself be blown up again. In response, the Big Bob-omb rolled forward, deflecting his lit soldiers off his shiny surface, while making his way towards Spike and Yoshi. The two heroes turned to run, but the Big Bob-omb grabbed them by the tail and shirt. With our heroes in his grips, he was just about to toss them off his mountain, only he forgot about one of his minions, who was still running with a lit fuse on his head. Before the Big Bob-omb could react, the minion ran into his boss and exploded, knocking the Big Bob-omb off his feet and onto his back, while both Spike and Yoshi were tossed into the air and they landed safely back onto their feet. “Ow! That hurts!” The Big Bob-omb moaned. “How did I lose to a bald-faced reptile and a puny mustache like you?” Exhausted from the fight, the large Bob-omb tyrant finally relented and surrendered. “Let’s just keep this between you and me. I’ll give you my precious Power Star in exchange.” End of Fight Music With that, the Big Bob-omb exploded into clouds of sparkles and dusts, revealing only a single Power Star standing where he once was. Tired but triumphant from the battle, Spike and Yoshi immediately ran up towards the star, both grabbing it, and the star dances around them, as both dragon and dinosaur shared a quick victory dance together, "Yeah! We got a Power Star!" Spike cheered. "Yoshi!" Yoshi chirped in agreement. After defeating the Big Bob-omb, Yoshi and Spike headed down the mountain to tell their Bob-omb Buddies the good news. Along the way, they found a red coin, on the slope of the mountain. Gold Coins:30 Red Coin(s): 3=6 Total Coins: 36 Along the way, both Spike-Mario and Yoshi stumble upon a row of eight gold coins circling around a flower bed, in a field just outside the mountain’s gateway. Gold Coins:38 Red Coin(s): 3=6 Total Coins: 44 After collecting some coins, Yoshi and Spike made it back to their Bob-omb Buddies camp. The leader and his fellow buddies gather around the two heroes. "Hey guys! We're-a back!" Spike-Mario shouted happily. "Thank you!" The leading Bob-omb Buddy exclaimed happily. "Oh! And I see you've caught up to Mario! How are you mister? Doing alright?" "Oh, actually, I'm not-a really-a Mario," With that, Spike-Mario took his hat off, and with a glow of rainbow auras, he reverted back to the little dragon, Spike. "It's me, Spike." "Oh..." The Bob-omb Buddy sadly noted. "I take it, then you haven't had much luck finding your friends then?" "Nope..." Spike and Yoshi both shook their heads sadly. "The Big Bob-omb said that the real Mario and my friends are locked away, somewhere. But he didn't say where." "Yoshi," Yoshi chirped sadly. "Well, cheer up my friends," The lead Bob-omb Buddy said. "Thanks to you two, the Big Bob-omb is nothing but a big dud now! So that's just one more big victory on this exciting adventure you have just embarked on. And who knows? With luck, you'll be able to find and rescue your friends, save the castle, and Princess Peach!" Both Spike and Yoshi looked up in surprise at the Bob-omb Buddy, "You guys know about the princess?" Spike asked. "Of course! All of us who are against the evil Bowser and his evil powers have allied ourselves with the benevolent Princess Peach and her champion, the Mario Bros. And any friends of theirs is a friend of ours, and are willing to lend you whatever we have to achieve victory in our battle against Bowser." "Yeah! For the princess!" A Bob-omb Buddy shouted, to which he and the others soon followed, chanting, "For the princess! For the princess! For the princess!" Spike and Yoshi both turn to look at each other, feeling themselves encouraged by the chanting from their Bob-omb Buddies, as they can feel their fighting spirit relit. With a look of determination on their faces, both Yoshi and Spike exchange nods, and Spike puts Mario’s hat back on, as he once again becomes Spike-Mario. “Let’s-a do this!” Spike-Mario shouts, punching his fist into the air. “Yoshi!” Yoshi cheered. “What’s on the agenda?” Spike-Mario asked. “So far, we’ve collected two power stars. The first one we got from a chain-chomping creature—” “That’s a ‘Chain Chomp’, one of the Bob-omb buddies confirmed. “Right, the ‘Chain Chomp’,” Spike-Mario resumed. “And the second one we have was after we defeated the Big Bob-omb. So far, we’ve collected at least about 38 gold coins, along with these three red coins, but that’s hardly enough for a 100 count to put together a Power Star. Do you guys know where we should go next?” The Bob-omb Buddies all exchange looks, murmuring with each other, before one of them steps forward. “Well, one of the evil Bob-ombs did mention of a star, hidden inside a box, atop the floating island up there.” The Bob-omb Buddy directs Spike and Yoshi’s attention up to said island. “Maybe that’s where you could find another Power Star?” “It’s worth a shot,” Spike frowned. “Though, it looks a little high up.” “You’re a Dragon, aren’t you?” Yoshi asked. “Couldn’t you just fly up?” “I guess I could,” Spike replied nervously. “Though, honestly, I usually let Rainbow Dash do all the flying work. I’ve been behind on my wing exercises, so I can’t exactly say I can fly ‘that’ high.” “Well, if you need help getting to high places, you’re more than welcome to use our cannons,” One of the Bob-omb Buddies offered. “Your cannons?” Spike-Mario asked. “Of course! We’re peace-loving Bob-ombs, so we don’t use cannons. But if you’d like to blast off, we don’t mind. Help yourself. We’ll prepare all the cannons in this course for you to use.” With that, there was a mechanical hum as Spike and Yoshi turned toward the platform, where the Bob-omb Buddies’ cannon once stood, as the lid slid open, granting the heroes passage to the cannon. “Ready for blastoff!” The Bob-omb Buddy declared. “Come on, hop into the cannon! You can reach the floating island by cannons. Bon voyage!” Yoshi and Spike turned to look at each other, exchanging worried looks. “Well, wish me luck, Yoshi!” Spike shrugged. Spike-Mario took off the red cap as he reverts back to being Spike, as he jumped into the cannon, which hummed as it rises up from its slow, turning a 90 degree angle, before the barrel slowly tilts down, as the Bob-omb Buddies went to work adjusting its angle, to ensure it was aiming for the island. “Sweet Celestia, and Twilight, please don’t make me regret this!” Spike plead, practically crying his eyes out. The cannon soon adjusts, setting its target toward the floating island. “Fire in the hole!” One Bob-omb Buddy shouts. “WAIT!” Spike screamed. But it’s too late as the Bob-omb buddy fires the cannon, launching the dragon out with a fierce… KA-BOOM! “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!” Spike flew towards the floating island, his wings beating and flapping futilely against the rushing wind, as the island drew closer and closer. At the peak of his height, Spike closed his eyes, as he beat his wings, stopping himself in mid-air, preventing him from falling to the ground. “Am I dead?” Spike whimpered. Slowly blinking his eyes open, the dragon found himself floating in the air, just an inch away from the island. Spike quickly beats his wings toward the edge, as he slumps against a lone tree on the island catching his breath. “Phew, I made it.” Spike panted heavily, before he lets the adrenaline catch up to him and he hollered, "Whoa, that was...AWESOME! Whew! I should shoot myself out of a cannon more often! Hmm… Better not let Twilight know about this." After taking a moment to regain his focus, Spike turns his head and discovers a question block floating over where another cannon is located on the island. Spike flies up to the box for a close examination, reaching his claws out to touch it. In a blink of an eye, the box suddenly explodes into confetti, revealing another Power Star. “Oh yeah!” Spike cheered. The dragon flies toward the Power Star, collects it, and it dances around him. “I’ve got a Power Star!” After the festivity died down for a moment, Spike turns his attention and spots another red coin, floating above the tree. Spike proceeds to add it to his coin collection. Gold Coins:38 Red Coin(s): 4=8 Total Coins: 46 Spike soon noticed a series of coin rings, floating in the sky, just in front of the island. “Whoa!” Spike marveled, seeing so many coins. Just then, a shimmer of sparkles drew his attention towards a signpost on the island, as if beckoning for him to read what it has to say. The sign reads: If you pass through a coin ring or find a secret point in a course, sometimes a red number will appear. If you trigger five red numbers, a Secret Star will show up. Spike looked up at the coin rings before him, seeing they formed five rings. Each ring is made up of nine gold coins, with the ninth being the center of each ring. With fierce determination, Spike did a few stretches with his arms, legs, and his wings as he readied himself. “Okay, just five rings,” Spike said, to himself. “A dragon’s gotta do what a dragon’s gotta do!” With a kick of his legs, Spike sets himself in a running start, until at the last second, he kicks off, leaps into the air, flapping his wings and became airborne. He flew through the center of the first ring, causing a red number 1 to magically appear in thin air. Next, he flew downward to pierce through the center of the second ring, before he pulls up and flies through the center of the third ring. Though he narrowly misses the center of the fourth ring, he managed to fly up and touch the center of the fifth ring. Afterwards, Spike made a sharp turn and clips through the center of the fourth ring he missed earlier, earning himself a magical red number 5. A bright light soon pierces through the air, catching Spike’s eyes to the ground as a Power Star appears in a field not too far away. “Awesome! I struck Power Star!” Spike hollered, in delight. Spike proceeds to collect the rest of the remaining floating gold coins, for a total of 45 coins. Gold Coins:38 + 45 = 83 Red Coin(s): 4=8 Total Coins: 83 + 8 = 91! With his task complete, Spike flew down to the field to collect his prize, along with the fourth Power Star, where he also happened to find Yoshi, who surprisingly collected another Power Star – the fifth – which just appeared moments before Spike’s arrival. “Yoshi!” Spike exclaimed, happily. “Whoa, what just happened? How did you find that Power Star?” Yoshi went on chirping excitedly, to which Spike didn’t understand. “Whoa, whoa, wait. Hold that thought.” Spike pulls out Mario’s hat, which he puts on, transforming himself into Spike-Mario. “Okay, start-a from the beginning. If you’ll-a please.” “Oh, you would not believe what I’ve been through, shortly after you left,” Yoshi began. Moments earlier After Spike left for the island, Yoshi was left alone to look around, finding some more coins, when he was approached by a Bob-omb Buddy. “Excuse me, Yoshi?” The Bob-omb Buddy began. “I couldn’t help but notice you and your friend have been collecting a lot of coins.” Yoshi nods in confirmation. “Might I suggest you keep a sharp eye out for red coins? When you collect up to 8 of them, a star will appear.” “Yoshi! (Really?)” Yoshi chirped. “So how many red coins have you collected so far?” Yoshi answers by holding three of his fingers, saying he and Spike have found three red coins. “Well, you’re in luck!” The Bob-omb Buddy confirmed. “We Bob-omb buddies aren’t just colored red for no reason. We have the power to detect the locations of red coins, everywhere! Here, show me the map.” Yoshi held out the map to the Bob-omb Buddy, who worked his magic, making small red dots appear on the map. “Here are some of the red coins that you and your dragon friend have yet to collect. There’s one right next to where we are.” The Bob-bomb buddy directs Yoshi’s gaze to some rotating platforms, acting as elevators of some sort, with a single red coin floating above them. Yoshi and the Buddy then turn their attention back to the map, seeing one of them had disappeared, just above the floating isle. “It looks like your dragon friend already got one. Which leaves only four more here in this course. It’s all up to you now, Yoshi.” “Yoshi! (Thanks for everything!)” Yoshi chirped. Soon, Yoshi was on his way with the next red coin not hard to find. As a matter of fact, it was just where the Chain Chomp once was. Gold Coins: 83 Red Coin(s): 5 = 10 Total Coins: 93 Yoshi then jumps across the tilting bridge, back into the field where he and Spike battled the evil Bob-omb soldiers, where he finds another red coin under the bridge, guarded by a Bob-omb guard. Yoshi made quick work off the Bob-omb, swallowing the living bomb, before spitting it back out toward a wall, causing it to explode into a gold coin, which Yoshi collected along with the red coin. Gold Coins: 84 Red Coin(s): 6 = 12 Total Coins: 96 Later, Yoshi studied the map noting the last two red coins are located along the next field, surrounded by barb wire. Yoshi made his way back to the surface, heading towards the designated location. Upon arriving, Yoshi was surprised to find a shadowy star in the center. Turning to the nearest signpost, Yoshi reads: The shadowy star you see before you are the ‘Star Marker’. When you collect all 8 red coins, a Power Star will appear here. Yoshi didn’t hesitate to collect the final two red coins, thus triggering the appearance of the Power Star from the Star Marker, as the sign promised. Gold Coins: 84 Red Coin(s): 8 = 16 Total Coins: 100! Yoshi didn’t hesitate to collect his Power Star, just as Spike arrived to collect his own, which appeared not long after Yoshi. Present “And here we are!” Yoshi concluded. “Wow!” Spike-Mario said, amazed. “Boy, we’ve been-a busy! Points for teamwork! Nice-a job, Yoshi!” “Yeah!” Yoshi cheered. Spike and Yoshi share a high five, before realizing that their shared achievements have been tripled, when the coins they had collected all floated out of their bag, merging into one big Power Star, making their total Power Stars to six. “YEAH! We’ve got a Power Star!” Spike-Mario and Yoshi said, in unison. After collecting their sixth Power Star, Spike and Yoshi return to the campsite of their friends, the Bob-omb Buddies, who were all cheering excitedly for their new friends’ success. “Well done, my friends!” The lead Buddy congratulated. “You have collected six Power Stars. The both of you have grown stronger, receiving more power from the castle. But the battle has only just begun. Other enemies have the rest of the Power Stars. Recover the stars to open doors to new worlds and save your friends! My Bob-omb Buddies are waiting for you in other worlds. Be sure to talk to them and they’ll set up cannons for you.” “Will do, thanks!” Spike said. Just then, a rectangular shaped doorway appeared out of thin air, revealing the room in the castle both Spike and Yoshi came from. “Looks like this is our way home, Yoshi,” Spike declared. As he and Yoshi took their leave, the dragon suddenly remembered something. “Hey, wait! Do you guys want-a your map-a back?” “It is yours to keep now,” The Bob-omb leader declared. “I have a very good feeling you will need it if you are going to find the rest of the Power Stars, and rescue all of your friends.” “We are forever in your debt,” The Bob-omb Buddies said. “Take the stars and be on your way. May the Princess’s light guide you on your path to victory!” “Will do!” Spike-Mario nodded, smiling. “Again, thank you guys for-a everything! He turns to Yoshi, who could hardly contain himself, shaking himself eagerly and excited for their next adventure. “Alright-a, Yoshi! Let’s-a go!” “Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped. Yoshi and Spike raced toward the portal, returning them back to the castle. Location: Prince Peach’s Castle The portrait of the Bob-omb Battlefield rippled as Spike and Yoshi appeared from the enchanted painting, landing back along the checkered platform of the room. The Toad, who guided them to jump into the portrait earlier, was surprised and joyful to see them. “Oh! You’re back!” Toad exclaimed, happily. Toad ran up to meet with both Spike and Yoshi. “Wow!” Spike panted. “What a rush!” Spike eventually noticed he was no longer human, but his true dragon self. “Huh? I’m me again?” He looks at himself, then to Yoshi, and eventually back to the portrait as a theory pops in his head. “Guess I can’t be Spike-Mario when outside the painting, huh?” He pondered, shaking his head. “Too bad. I was having fun being Spike-Mario. But what matters now is we’ve got the Power Stars!” Yoshi nods his head in agreement. “Now question is: Where to next?” “How about you take the stairs up to the princess’s room?” Toad suggested. “And while you’re at it, you can use the stars to unlock all of the sealed doors in the main lobby. That would be a good start.” “Will do!” Spike nodded. Soon Spike and Yoshi left the room toward the main lobby. Once there, the two heroes quickly head up the stairs toward the second floor and ran straight towards the door framed by white structures along the far right, with a star symbol and the number 1 imprinted on it. Spike and Yoshi approach the door, when one of the Power Stars they collected materialized in front of them and the door. The pair watch the star spin several times, bathing the door in a shower of sparkling light, before it disappears. Reacting to the Power Star, the door slowly opens, granting safe passage for the two heroes.