//------------------------------// // Chapter 62: Toad Town // Story: Harmony of Heroes: Ultimate Multiverse Explorers // by Lucar //------------------------------// The ghostly beings, despite their number, still were easy to deal with. They simply charged at the heroes only to be punched in return, or to be hit by Mario and Luigi's hammers. The bigger one with the pyramids, however, quickly revealed to have some tricks as he seemed to mentally control them and used them as projectiles to attack while remaining out of range of physical attacks. And when Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle each managed to destroy one of the pyramids, the thing was able to materialise new ones. In the end, Sweetie Belle dealt with him simply with some beams before she focused back on the smaller ones that charged at her. While the heroes fought the waves of ghostly beings, Bowser jumped on the wreckage of his airship, which wasn't that damaged by the crash actually. With how slowly it fell, it was mostly the bottom of the ship that took the brunt of the damage, the Shy Guy at the wheel having ensured that there were no obstacles. As soon as he arrived, Bowser witnessed how the ghostly beings entered his minions' bodies and took possession of them, the possessed minions gaining black eyes like Wario. Thankfully, Bowser Jr., back in his normal form, despite being weakened by the earlier fight, was able to avoid this fate as he used his paintbrush to push his assailants back. Bowser quickly joined him and handed him the mushroom. Without a word, the child took it and ate it before the two Koopas faced the possessed minions and the ghostly beings that hadn't taken possession of anyone because of a lack of body to possess. Bowser growled as he saw that even the Koopalings who had still been on the ship were now possessed. "What are these guys?" Bowser Jr. asked. "Like I have any idea!" Bowser answered. "Whatever these freaks are, they will quickly regret their life choices! One of them DARED to kidnap Peach before my eyes! Nobody is allowed to kidnap Peach but me!" At this, he punched the closest Goomba, sending the mushroom creature flying and crashing on several other minions. This made the ghostly being possessing the Goomba come out of his body. Seeing this, Bowser quickly sent a fireball at him to destroy him before he could retake possession of the Goomba. It wasn't really useful in the end as another of the ghostly beings who hadn't taken possession of a body yet took possession of it right after. The same thing happened when Bowser Jr. bonked a Koopa on the head, knocking him out and forcing the ghost thing out of him. The child then quickly attacked the ghost to destroy him, but while he did that, another ghost took possession of the Koopa. Bowser used his fire breath to burn several minions and ghosts, and again, any minion that was freed was immediately possessed by other ghosts. "This is already starting to get very annoying!" Bowser shouted, irritated. He saw Roy, the buffed pink Koopaling, enter his shell and begin to spin. Bowser quickly prepared himself as the purple shell then suddenly charged at him, and he was able to catch it. The shell still managed to make him slide backward a few feet before he stopped. He lifted the shell, made one of the holes face his mouth, and breathed fire in it. Despite this, Roy came out and attempted to punch Bowser in the face, but the Koopa King intercepted the fist by biting it before he grabbed Roy by the head and smashed him on the floor. Seeing that it wasn't enough to knock him out, Bowser then lifted a foot and violently brought it down on the smaller Koopa's head. This time, this made the ghost come out, and Bowser quickly dealt with him, keeping Roy's body close to him to ensure that no other ghosts would be able to possess it. Meanwhile, Bowser Jr. twirled his paintbrush in front of him to shield himself from some magical beams fired by Magikoopas before he used it as a bat to knock away a Paragoomba who charged at him, sending him right on the head of one of the wizards. When several minions then jumped toward him, he entered his shell and spun, hurting all of them with the spikes on it. His father then quickly sent fireballs on the few ghosts who came out of them. It was at this moment that Bowser remarked that the enemies began to scatter, jumping or flying off the ship and going in all directions probably to cause mischief instead of losing time here. Among them were the remaining Koopalings as well as Sergeant Guy, Corporal Paraplonk, and Private Goomp, leaving only a handful of minions to fight Bowser and Bowser Jr. Mainly Goombas and some ghosts without bodies. It wasn't long before the remaining enemies were eliminated. At the same time, the heroes also finished on their side, the ghost things finally stopping coming as they probably understood that it was no use to insist with them despite the arrival of several of the bigger ones with the four hands and the pyramids. Of course, by now, countless of them had spread in all directions. "Any idea what these things were?" Scootaloo asked. Apple Bloom, as well as Mario and Luigi, answered by shaking their heads. Apple Bloom then looked at the two humans. "Ah don't know why they took the Princess, but we'll save her! Don't worry! Also, it's nice ta see ya two again." "Same, Apple Bloom!" Mario said before he looked at Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. "You are not the same Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo that we encountered, right?" "Alternate universes," Sweetie Belle confirmed. The two simply nodded, accepting this. "You don't seem surprised," Scootaloo remarked, expecting to see the two to at least raise an eyebrow. "It isn't the first time. There was that time where we had to team up with an alternate paper version of Mario to fight Bowser and an alternate paper version of him. There's that whole alternate paper version of our world in that book at the castle," Luigi explained. "So you two are the heroes that Apple Bloom told us about? It's nice to meet you," Sweetie Belle said. "And you can count on us to help you save the Princess and deal with their ghost guys." "If we had at least a lead to know where to start," Scootaloo said. "They could be anywhere." Apple Bloom eyed Sweetie Belle. "Can't ya feel where the Princess was teleported ta?" Sweetie Belle shook her head. "Whatever energy these ghost things are made of is all over the place and is obscuring everything else, but I can feel huge concentrations of it in several places." "Mama mia..." Luigi said as he looked around in case more of these ghosts came. He really wasn't reassured now that he knew that the kingdom was being invaded by scary ghosts. "These concentrations must be in settlements!" Bowser suddenly shouted from the wreckage where he could be seen looking at them at the edge. "These guys can take possession of bodies! I had to fight my possessed minions! They must be taking possession of everyone else as we speak!" "Oh no!" both Mario and Luigi shouted. Sweetie Belle groaned and shuddered. "It's the Dark Matters all over again." "Toad Town isn't far," Apple Bloom said. Bowser's airship hadn't had time to go far before it crashed. "We'd go and help there." Mario nodded. "And maybe we can find out what these things are and where they may have taken Princess Peach in the library." Sweetie Belle looked up at Bowser still on the ship. "You're coming with us to find out too?" "I don't need to know what I'm fighting! I just need to know that I can punch them, and I already know that!" Bowser shouted back before he had a moment of hesitation. "And as much as I want to know where they brought Peach, I need to return to my castle which is probably attacked too." Rage and determination then appeared in his eyes. "With my army at my side, these floating white sheets will regret making me their enemy!" The Koopa King then rubbed his head as he looked behind him at the few minions that he managed to free but that were still unconscious. "I just need to wake these guys up first. Somehow." "I can help!" Sweetie Belle shouted before she flew to Bowser and lit her horn, spreading a healing field all over the ship. Once she felt that everyone was totally healed, she then flew backward to face the ship and used her powers to fully repair it. Before long, the airship was hovering above the ground as good as new. Both Luigi's and Bowser's jaws dropped while Apple Bloom, Mario, and Bowser Jr. simply looked in amazement. Scootaloo wasn't that impressed however. Bowser quickly regained control of himself and yelled, "I didn't ask for your help!" Sweetie Belle stuck her tongue at him. "My pleasure." Bowser grunted before he turned to his minions, some of which were starting to wake up with clear incomprehension on their faces. "It isn't the time to sleep you idiots! Get up! We must return to the castle pronto! It's an urgency! If I see anyone still sleeping in the next five seconds, they will have bathroom chores for the next month! All the bathrooms!" His threat worked as all the minions immediately got up and spread to move the airship without asking question. "You should tell them what is going on so they can prepare," Sweetie Belle advised. "Don't tell me how to do my job! Beside, I intend to do it on the way to the castle. We don't have time to lose." "You are right. We should hurry." At this, Sweetie Belle flew back to her friends. "I can teleport us back directly to town." Everyone agreed, and they disappeared in a flash of light while Bowser's airship flew away. They appeared right outside of Toad Town, and already, they could see that things weren't looking good here. Many ghosts were flying around in search of bodies to possess or chasing civilians, and civilians who were already possessed were doing the same when they weren't simply spreading chaos, destroying everything they could and spreading terror. The heroes didn't lose time charging in the action, Luigi hesitating a bit before he understood that he would be alone if he didn't follow the others. And the last thing he wanted was to be alone facing a large group of these ghost things. Like Bowser, they discovered the joy of having to deal with people possessed by these ghosts. Each time that they managed to free someone, another ghost would come behind their back to take possession of their body. Because of this, the fillies quickly decided to attack in priority the ghosts who hadn't yet possessed anybody with their many long-ranged attacks to lower their number. The bigger ghosts, the ones with four hands and the two pyramids, were obviously more numerous this time, and of course, many of them had taken possession of bodies. So this meant that the heroes had to deal with Toads (small human-mushroom creatures), Goombas, Koopas, and all other kinds of creatures who not only had their original abilities, but also telekinesis, and they didn't use it just to throw these little pyramids. While their telekinesis seemed to be weak, they still could use it in various way, like self-levitating, sending debris and other stuff or even other creatures as projectiles, or use debris as weapons from a distance. When these things were met in groups, they could even combine their power to become even more threatening. They discovered by the way that these ghost things could apparently take possession of other ghosts because they had to fight possessed Boos (white round ghosts) in some dark alleys and inside some houses. Then, they suddenly heard someone shout "HELP!!!" and the Mario Bros seemed to recognise this voice as they immediately turned in the direction of its origin before they ran, quickly followed by the fillies. In a street a little further, before a mushroom house that was actually a store not far of the castle, they saw a little creature that was actually a yellow orb with two feet (with no legs, like Kirby) and a little star at the top chased by a group of ghosts and possessed Paratroopas and Paragoobas. Despite not possessing wings, the creature was somehow able to float in the air. "Starlow? What is she doing here?" Luigi wondered. Mario didn't ask any question however as he took his hammer and went to save her, Luigi quickly following him. The fillies decided that the brothers had the situation in hand and continued to fight the ghosts all over the town. Mario and Luigi jumped right between Starlow and the ghosts chasing her, stopping them. Seeing the brothers, the yellow orb was relieved, but also a bit annoyed. "Mario! Luigi! I'm glad to see you! Where were you? I have been searching everywhere for you and Princess Peach!" "Bowser," Mario simply said, explaining everything. "Oh. Of course," Starlow deadpanned. No more was said as the ghosts attacked and the bros were forced to either dodge or use their hammers to counter them. Because of the number of enemies, and the fact that most of them were flying, the bros used team attacks mostly involving Luigi using his hammer to crush Mario a bit before hitting him on the back so the elder brother was sent at one of the enemies curled up like a ball. Mario would then bounce from the enemy back at Luigi who would then hit him again, doing some kind of ping pong game where he made sure to target the ghosts not possessing bodies yet in priority. There were also a couple of times where, when the enemies were close enough, Mario used his hammer to bury Luigi in the ground before he would jump into the group of enemies. Luigi would then move in the ground before suddenly coming out of it under Mario just as he had been about to land, using himself as a spring to launch Mario in the air where he then spun with his hammer to repeatedly hit the enemies around. It wasn't long before all the ghosts were eliminated, only for a new group to come. This time, the group was composed of three dinosaur-like reptiles named Yoshis. A green one, a red one, and a blue one. The green one seemed to be possessed by one of the bigger ghosts as he had two small pyramids levitating around his head. Mario and Luigi first dealt with the other two who charged at them or used their chameleon tongue to try to eat them, all the while keeping an eye on the pyramids that the green one was sending. The Yoshis knew how to fight and could do some very high jumps, even using their legs to float and move in the air a bit. The Yoshis used this to move above the brothers before dive-bombing them butt first with the force of a falling anvil. This attack was thankfully easy to avoid and the brothers always used the opportunity to counterattack. Once the blue Yoshi and the red Yoshi were out and the ghosts who possessed them were destroyed, the bros then fully turned their attention to the green Yoshi who was joined by a group of possessed Toads. Then, the green Yoshi ate them, trapping them into white, green-dotted eggs that he sent at the brothers one by one like cannonballs. Despite the eggs' speed, Mario and Luigi still were able to hit them with their hammers and to send them back at the Yoshi to hurt him. Each time that a egg hit the reptile, it broke, freeing the Toad in it. Once he had no eggs left, the brothers then attacked him and the freed Toads. the Yoshi fought like the two others but had the advantage of the presence of the Toads that he ate when he had the occasion to trap them in Eggs to use as projectiles. And Instead of using his leg to remain in the air for a limited time, he could self-levitate so he didn't have as much problem going above the brothers to butt-bomb them. despite this, the Yoshi and the Toads were rapidly knocked out before the ghosts that possessed them were eliminated No more ghosts came, all of them having seemingly been eliminated in the close area. "Thank you for saving me you two!" Starlow said. "You are welcome Starlow. But what are you doing here?" Mario asked. "I was sent here to talk about... well... our current problem, and help in dealing with it. But I think this can wait. There's still many Cankens around." "Cankens?" Luigi asked. "These weird ghosts." "Strange name," Luigi commented. "And if it can reassure you, they aren't really ghosts. They are... different. You will understand once I tell you about their origin." Mario and Luigi both nodded before they moved to fight the Cankens that were still in town, but it seemed that the fillies had already managed to eliminate a good majority of them. Speaking of the fillies, they were now in the castle, just finishing knocking out an old mustachioed Toad with brown dots on his mushroom hat who Apple Bloom knew as Toadsworth, Princess Peach's steward. Earlier, they also managed to save a smart-looking Toad who had a blue mushroom hat with white dots and glasses known as Toadbert from a group of possessed guards. But almost as soon as they freed the old Toad, they then found themselves facing one of the Koopalings: Morton. It wasn't really surprising. The Koopaling had been knocked off the airship pretty early, so he probably fell not far of the town where he was possessed by a ghost and joined the others in attacking it. No pyramids were visible around him, so it seemed that he was possessed by one of the smaller, weaker ghosts. But he proved them wrong when he took a big breath and, instead of sending a fireball, he sent a bolt of purple electricity at Sweetie Belle. The filly hadn't been expecting that and was literally shocked by the attack, but she resisted and immediately made the ghost pay by hitting him with a beam that knocked him back. The Koopa wasn't out yet however as he got up, took another big breath, and sent this time smaller, weaker bolts of electricity at a faster pace, three to four per second. Sweetie Belle was ready this time and used her mirrors to reflect the bolts back at the Koopa while Scootaloo teleported beside him and punched him in the gut. Apple Bloom took the occasion to join her before she bucked Morton in the teeth, knocking a few of them out, before Scootaloo gave him an uppercut that sent him flying. Sweetie Belle then intercepted him by smashing him on the back on the head, sending him crashing back on the floor. Before he could get up from this, Apple Bloom then turned him so he was on his back before the three fillies drop kicked him at the same time in the belly. Out of him came a ghost that was different from all the others encountered until now. This one only had two disembodied hands, but was still as big as the ones who had four hands and had a pyramid instead of a head, still with a single eye. The ghost immediately attacked them by sending bolts of electricity from his eye, but like before, Sweetie Belle reflected them with her mirrors. Scootaloo then materialized a spear of electricity and threw it right at the eye, piercing it. It wasn't enough to kill the thing, but he was now blinded and was left without his main weapon, leaving him totally vulnerable. He didn't last long after that. The ghosts seemed to get the message after that as the fillies saw them fly away from the town through the castle's windows. They still went to intercept any who attempted to escape the town while in possession of a body. Once all the ghosts were gone, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom used their powers to heal everyone (once he woke up and was told what happened to Peach, poor Toadsworth fainted and he had to be brought to the infirmary), including Morton who was missing half of his teeth. Since they now seemed to have some kind of... alliance with Bowser, it was only natural to help his minion. When Morton woke up, he was obviously ready for a fight. "Little equines pay for attacking us!" he shouted, beginning to do circles with his arms. "Hold on! We're now helpin' yer Lord," Apple Bloom said. This calmed Morton down, looking at the fillies in wonder. "Really?" Apple Bloom then explained the situation in simple terms. "Bad ghost things kidnapped Princess Peach. Bowser wants to punch them. We want to punch them. We work together to punch them. Mario and Luigi with us too." Morton tilted his head, then seemingly understood. "Oh! Like against crazy green ugly witch! Plumbers were with Lord Bowser!" Morton tilted his head to the other side. "And Lord Bowser became weird, crazy, ugly, and ordered to fight plumbers." "Not fighting plumbers this time. Plumbers helping Bowser. Bowser back to fortress to save army against ghosts." Morton bounced as he was filled with determination, not hearing a scream getting louder and louder. "Then Morton must join Lord Bowser to help!" But before he could run away, something smashed through a window and rammed him before they both crashed on the wall. The thing quickly revealed to be a Poltergust - the vacuum cleaner that Apple Bloom and her friends used to capture ghosts - excepted that this one was bigger and had a reactor that was actually sputtering smoke. With it came a small old man, almost bald, only possessing a tuft of white hair at the top of his head. His weird glasses and his white jacket seemed to depict him as the scientist type. The poor old man recovered from the crash, sitting beside the unconscious Morton, rubbing his head as he said "Crimini..." "Professor E. Gadd?" Apple Bloom exclaimed in surprise. Before more could be said, a group of ghosts, including one with a pyramid for head, then came from the window. The fillies immediately charged to get themselves between the ghosts and the old man to protect him. Hearing the fight that followed, Mario and Luigi, as well as Starlow and some of the Toads who had already been healed came to see what was going on. Seeing the ghosts, Mario and Luigi jumped to help the fillies, and the fight was quickly over. Apple Bloom then went toward the professor who was still a bit out of it after his crash and healed him with her ghost powers. "What happened, prof?" the filly asked once she felt that the old man was fully back to his senses. "Ugh..." The prof shook his head and looked at Apple Bloom. "My lab was invaded by these things, and I had to escape with my Super Poltergust 3001. As you saw, they chased me, and the one with the pyramid managed to fry the Poltergust's systems with his electricity. Did I crash on anyone?" Apple Bloom pointed at the still unconscious Morton. "Oh. Just him? Good." Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. "Any other time, I would have agreed, but not today. We're kinda allies." For the first time, E. Gadd remarked the presence of Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Before he could ask about why they looked different from the Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo he knew, Apple Bloom said, "Alternate universes." This picked the prof's interest. "Oh, really now?" Starlow suddenly flew between E. Gadd and the fillies. "It's not the time to go geek mode," she reproached to the old man before she looked at the fillies. "I heard about you. Well, about Apple Bloom and your counterparts. My name is Starlow, and I'm a Star Sprite. Nice to meet you. And thank you for the help against the Cankens." "Is that how these ghost things are named?" Scootaloo asked. "Yes. And if you want to know, the little ones are known as Kennies, the bigger ones with the telekinetic power are Telekens, and the ones with the pyramids for of heads that can shout electricity are Eleckens." "Nice original names," Scootaloo said with sarcasm. "You can thank Cankentriops, their leader, for that. Apparently, he didn't want to wrack his brain over names. At least, it makes them easy to remember." "So ya know who're these... Cankens?" Apple Bloom asked. "That's why I'm here. I was sent to inform about them." "Uh. Then let me heal Morton, again, before we start," Sweetie Belle said. "Bowser will need to know about the Cankens, and Morton could relay what you will say to him." "I think that I read about them a long time ago," Prof E. Gadd said. "As you may or may not know, I specialise in the study of paranormal, especially ghosts. I know that they aren't really ghosts, but they are close enough that I managed to capture one of them with my Super Poltergust 3001," he informed as he tapped the vacuum cleaner slash vehicle. "I can study him to try to find a way to deal with them like we dealt with the Shroobs. While I doubt that baby tears will work against them, there must be something. But I will need a laboratory where I will be sure that the Cankens won't attack me." "Ya can use Smart Spirit's laboratory back home," Apple Bloom said. "And instead of using the portal in Luigi's mansion's basement, I can open a rift directly to Apple Bloom's mansion," Sweetie Belle informed. "And I even have communication devices that can let us talk to each others despite being in different universes. I can give you one." "Really? That's great news!" The group was gathered around a table in the castle's library, joined by Toadbert and Toadsworth, the old Toad having particularly insisted to be here to hear what the Cankens may have planned for his Princess. Toadbert had a paper and a pen, ready to write down what Starlow was about to reveal for Bowser. "So, where do I start..." Starlow began. "Thousands of years ago, there was that powerful cult that formed, led by a certain Cankentriops, a terrible wizard. They had somehow entered in contact with a being from another dimension powerful beyond our imagination known as Crakkthulx that they venerated like a god. Crakkthulx gave them power, and in return, they worked to bring him to our world. The power of Crakkthulx turned the members of this cult into these ghostly beings that you fought today, not really alive, but not really dead either. Thankfully, the Elder Star Sprites of the time were able to seal the Cankens in their own pyramid before they could spread all over the world to cause chaos and search for what they needed to bring Crakkthulx to our world, and turned their own golems that they had built into guardians to protect the seal. The emplacement of the pyramid was then lost to time. Even we, the Star Sprites, forgot where it was. Or at least, that's what we thought... Seems like someone somehow found the pyramid and unleashed the Cankens to the world." "Wario..." both Mario and Luigi said with annoyed looks. "Who?" Starlow asked. "One of the greediest and most selfish person that I know," Mario said. "He hunts treasures all over the world. When he has his sight on a treasure, it's almost impossible to make him stop going after it, and he has no qualms in using morally reproachable methods to get it." "I heard that, when he is low on money, he makes games," Luigi informed. "Haven't tested them, but I don't expect great quality coming from him." "Also, he is the one who kidnapped the Princess before our eyes. He was possessed," Mario finished. "I'm ready to bet all my gold coins that it's him who freed the Cankens thinking that he would find a treasure." "AND IF HE TOUCHES A SINGLE HAIR FROM HER THEN I SWEAR THAT I WILL MAKE HIM EAT HIS MUSTACHE!" Toadsworth yelled. "It's not really Wario who has the Princess, it's the Canken possessing him and that Cankentriops guy," Toadbert reminded. "IT'S STILL HIS FAULT FOR BEING A GREEDY IDIOT!" "Ahem! Anyway..." Starlow brought everyone's attention back to her. "Now that the Cankens are freed, they're certainly working to do their ritual to summon Crakkthulx to our world. Princess Peach, being pure-hearted, is one of the "pieces" needed for this ritual. So she must be in their pyramid, wherever it is..." "What are the other pieces?" Sweetie Belle asked before Toadsworth could start another rant. "Five special gems known as the Elemenstars. Star-shaped gems containing the power of the elements: fire, water, earth, wind, and aether. I would like to tell you where to find them, but I have no idea of where they are. They could be anywhere. This is why the Cankens are spreading all over the world; they are searching for them. There is only one gem that I know where to find: the Wind Star. The Star Sprites found it and kept it safe in Starven, our city in the sky." "Uh... If you have this star, then why haven't you taken it to give it to us so we can keep it safe?" Scootaloo asked. "It would have been too risky. You saw how I was attacked. It would have been easy for the Cankens to take it from me. You will have to come to Starven, and we should hurry because this is only a matter of time before Starven is attacked too." Toadbert suddenly jumped as he realised something. "Wait, by Boogity! I think that I know where we can find another of these stars! A few months ago, I went to Sarasaland to visit a newly opened museum in Chai Kingdom, and guess what I saw here? An Elemenstar! The earth one I think, it was brown." "That's excellent news Toadbert!" exclaimed Starlow. "We must immediately go and retrieve it! But, we also need to go to Starven to get the Wind Star. If we go get the Wind Star, then the Earth Star may be taken, but if we go get the Earth Star first, then it will be the Wind Star that may be stolen by the time we are done. I fear that we will have to make a choice." "No need. We can simply spread out," Scootaloo said. "Sweetie Belle, Apple bloom, and I go to retrieve one of the stars, and Mario and Luigi go to retrieve the other." "That's a good idea, young one," Toadsworth said, more calm. "Now, who wants to go where?" "Sarasaland!" Luigi shouted, surprising everyone. "We will go to Sarasaland!" Mario opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it as he gave instead a knowing look at his brother. Nobody else understood however. "Master Luigi, why are you so dead set on going to Sarasaland?" Toadsworth asked. "N-no reason! I just want to go there because... The Earth Star and... Because!" Behind his brother, Mario formed a heart with his fingers and winked. Everyone understood, although not everyone knew who was the lucky girl. "In that case, we will go to Starven," Sweetie Belle said. Starlow nodded. "Once we have the Wind Star and the Earth Star, we will decide what to do next. With some luck, we will find out where are the other three stars." "Well, before you go, I have someone for you, Mario and Luigi," prof E. Gadd then said before he put a hand in a pocket and retrieved what seemed to be a miniature suitcase. "Stuffwell. Activation." The suitcase suddenly jumped from his hand and grew, becoming bigger until it was about the size of the fillies, two legs and a face appearing. The walking suitcase, Stuffwell, then looked around before he began to talk. "It's nice to see you again, Mario and Luigi. And I see some new faces. Greetings! I'm Stuffwell." He turned to face the professor. "I take it that my assistance is needed to face a new threat?" "That's exact. You will accompany Mario and Luigi and do like you did back against the Shroobs." "Very well," Stuffwell replied before he turned to face the brothers. "It's with joy that I join you to be your assistant again! I don't think that I need to give you the basic instructionals again, but do you still want me to give them?" "Hey, wait a minute!" Starlow interrupted before she flew to Stuffwell. "I'm their assistant! You are not needed! Also, 'instructionals' isn't a word!" "You are working as their assistant too?" the suitcase asked. "Yes! I'm their number one assistant! I helped them in no less than three of their adventures! I'm the perfect one for the job!" "In that case, shouldn't it be time for me to get some screen time? And I don't see how you can be a good assistant. You don't have all the splendiferous technology that I have." "'Splendiferous' isn't a word either! And I have magic!" "But I am the first assistant they ever had, so I'm certainly more emblematic than you. And what would be more logical than a suitcase to travel?" "I can help in a fight! Whenever the enemy is about to send an attack that can't be avoided, I'm here to get them out of the way! What can you do beside stocking items?" "As I said, I have a lot of technology in me allowing me to be useful in all kinds of situations." Everyone else was sweating at the exchange. Eventually, Sweetie Belle decided to intervene. "Mh... Starlow. How about you come with us instead? We will need you to guide us to Starven, because we don't know where it is." Starlow looked back at the filly, becoming silent. "....... You have a point." She looked back at Stuffwell. "Very well. You go with Mario and Luigi while I go with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo." "Glad that we reached an agreement." "Nothing to add?" Toadbert then asked to Starlow. "No, nothing." "All right. Then..." The blue Toad took the paper where he wrote all the important information and went toward Morton who was sleeping against a wall near the entrance of the library. "Here's the letter for Bowser," he said, but Morton didn't wake up. "Heho." Still not waking up. "Morton!" Still not waking up. "WAKE UP!!! BY BOOGITY!!!" This worked, Morton jumping awake. "Wha-whe-who-whu-what?" "Letter for Bowser. Make sure it reaches him. It's important." Morton looked at the letter that Toadbert was giving him and took it. "Morton will give letter to Lord Bowser. Now, Morton go?" "Yes, Morton go. Hurry up." And without warning, Morton ran to the closest window and jumped through it. This enraged Toadsworth who ran to the broken window and yelled, "BARBARIAN!!! THERE'S A DOOR!!!" "Window faster!" "YOU COULD HAVE AT LEAST OPENED IT!!!" "Breaking faster!" The others simply stared silently, sweating.