//------------------------------// // The brute, the baker, and the troublemaker // Story: Bowser and Pinkie's Super Bizarre Saga // by Alkem //------------------------------// Bowser and Pinkie’s Super Bizarre Saga. By Alkem. Chapter 1. In a far away land known as the Mushroom Kingdom, a king was preparing his next invasion. Rising from his throne, the king made his way to the balcony. He wasn't your typical looking king; in fact he wasn't even human. His appearance was that of a giant yellow turtle with a green shell covered in spikes. Fiery red hair that matched his bushy eyebrows and set of horns that jutted out of his head, he caused to room to shake slightly with each bipedal step he took. Now on the balcony, looked out over the railing and observed as his army in the field below preparing themselves when something caught his eye. A group of his minions, a trio of bizarre brown creatures composed only of a mushroom shaped head and two feet, were playing cards. How in the world do they do that with no arms? He thought to himself. Pending his curiosity for the moment, he eloquently gave the three a royal order. “Hey you lousy Goombas! Quit playing around and get back to work! Things had better be ready when I get down there or you be in a world of hurt!” His booming voice startled the trio, causing them quickly drop their cards as they looked up. They nervously bounce, replying back to their liege. “Y-Y-Yes, Lord Bowser!” “Right away, your Nastiness!” “Aww, and I was about to win big—I mean yes sir!” The trio ran off, muttering to themselves as they left. Bowser, king of the Koopa Kingdom. Leader of the dreaded Koopa Troop and self proclaimed 'most baddest, awesomest' guy around, resumed supervising his collection of highly trained minions sprawled out before him. As he continued looking over his soldiers, someone approached from behind. “Your Gnarliness, preparations have been completed. The troops are ready and the Mega Pipe is up and running.” Bower turned to see one of his highest ranking officers. A Koopa like him, only much smaller and missing the spikes on his shell, the soldier wore a wizards robe and hat that was blue all over. The only part of it that wasn't was the white brim on the hat and on edge of his sleeves. Watching his king turn to face him, the wizard turned his head up to make eye contact and took a moment to adjust his set of thick round glasses resting on his beak. “We await your order, sire.” Bowser smiled. one of his fangs flashing as he did. “Excellent. Soon the Mushroom Kingdom will be all mine. Have the troops report inside the castle; we begin shortly.” While Bowser made his exit, his attendant went to the edge of the balcony. “Everyone listen up! Report inside to the main chamber! The plan starts soon!” Within a colossal chamber lined with marble pillars that seemed to go on forever, the various creatures that made up Bowser’s army filled the room. They were jammed tight, bickering among themselves as they waited for the large red curtain at the front to open. “Give me some space!” “Hey, move your shell!” “I can’t breathe!” “Mrph!” The lights went off, silencing the crowd and a voice began ringing throughout the chamber. “And now, give it up for the one, the only, the king of all Koopas, Bowser!” Bowser burst forth from behind the curtains, waving both claws high in celebration. The crowd went wild, with confetti and streamers falling all around. They cheered as their leader walked forwards and stopped next to a lever. “Listen up!" The cheering instantly stopped. "Today’s the day we finally take over the Mushroom Kingdom. Thanks to the Mega Warp Pipe, we’ll surprise Peach’s Castle and take over before they know what hit them. No one, not even Mario, will be fast enough to stop us this time!” His minions began jovially jumping and cheering. “Yeah!” “He’s so awesome!” “Bowser’s the greatest!” “Mrph!” With his troops riled up, Bowser proceeded to pull the lever next to him. Everyone fell silent once more as the entire room began to quake. Outside, Bowser’s castle started rising from the ground as flames shot out from a set of rockets positioned underneath it. Now airborne, the massive fortress began flying towards a gigantic green colored pipe that stuck out of the ground and landed on top with a thud. It immediately started descending into the pipe, making an odd sound as it swirled its was deeper into the pipe's dark depths. Inside the castle, things were a bit more hectic then it looked on the outside. The room was spinning; sending everyone flying helplessly as the castle was in what felt like an endless free fall. Without warning, the castle abruptly landed, sending everyone inside to the ground. Groans and moans from the troops reverberated through the chamber as everyone slowly staggered back onto their feet. Shaking the dazed feeling in his head, Bowser looked over his still recovering army. “We’ve arrived. Battle stations everyone! Our invasion of the Mushroom Kingdom starts now. The battalion made their approach on the castle city, still a little discombobulated from the jarring journey to get there. As they neared the city walls, Bowser heard the sounds of battle horns being played in the distance. The enemy was preparing to confront them. “CHARGE!” Bowser yelled out as his army proceeded into the city. Inside of the castle, a pegasus clad in gold armor hurried to the throne room to warn his princesses. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Canterlot is under attack!” The two pegasus unicorns jolted up from their thrones upon hearing the news. Standing a few feet away from them were their six guests, all of them gasping at the news. “Who would do such a thing?” Celestia questioned. “I do not know your majesty; they appear to be a bunch of strange looking creatures the likes of which I've never seen." Luna rose from her seat and stomped her hoof. “Quickly then, we must bolster our defenses and drive back these invaders!” Back outside, the attacking forces were making their way towards the castle. Among the ranks of the two clashing armies, the troops were asking themselves a set of similar questions. “What are these things?” “Never seen Toads like these before.” “Dear sweet Celestia, we’re being invaded by turtles?” “Why are these guys so colorful?” “Did I just see a bullet with arms and eyes?” In the thick of the battle, Bowser was making his way to the castle. As he moved forward, another squadron of pegasi knights flying overhead got in his way. Not wanting to put up with these strange annoyances, he grabbed one of his minions. “Let’s see how you Toads like a taste of a Bob-omb.” With the soldier in hand, Bowser exhaled a small bit of fire from his mouth and ignited the wick on the black orb shaped troop's head. He then tossed the ignited soldier up towards the soaring knights. The wick trickled down and the bob-omb exploded, knocking the squad out of the sky and ridding Bowser of one more obstacle. Grinning after dispatching those feeble guards, Bowser continued making his way forward while all around him the two armies continued to clash. Ponies were being hit by turtle shells, Goombas were being stomped flat under hooves, Koopa shells were sliding all across the battlefield, and the sound of Bob-ombs and Bullet Bills could be heard going off in the distance. At the castle's main gate, the only thing left standing in his way were a group of armored unicorns all holding shield about as big as them. “Hold the line ponies! We must not let this fiend breach the castle!” one solider cried out. Bowser scoffed. “Gwahaha! You think that'll stop me from getting the princess? Outta my way you freaky Toads!” He cocked back and threw his mighty fist forward, sending him sliding forwards. The knights were no match against his strength and were tossed aside like bowling pins as he smashed through the door and continued sliding further inside. Deeper, in the castles throne room, the princesses and their guests were discussing how to handle the urgent matter at hand. One of the six guest ponies stood by the window, keeping their eyes glued on the action outside. “I say we should be out there helping them fight." Another one, joined her at the glass. “I agree with Rainbow Dash," the cowboy hat wearing pony added, looking on as the war outside continued. "I just don’t feel right standin' around like this." One of the other ponies in the group, a white coated mare with a purple mane, turned to faced them. “We don't even know what these creatures are, Applejack, let alone what they are capable of.” They all continued their discussion to determine what their best course of action could be. That was until they heard a commotion just past the throne room doors. “Aaaaah!” Guards shouted as a few of them were tossed into the room. Their flung bodies smashed through the door and sprawled about the entrance. Most of them lying unconscious, one reaching his hoof towards them. “Your highnesses, I'm sorry." Barely able to utter those words, he joined he fellow soldier and blacked out as well. The girls were left wondering who could be responsible for such a scene when their answer came sliding in. Now standing at the doorway, Bowser looked back at his trail of destruction. “Bwahaha!" He made his way in, looking down at the fallen defensive line. "Told you those defenses won’t stop me." He began to look down the long corridor. "Now, where are you princess?” Down at the end of the room he spotted eight strange colorful creatures by a set of thrones, but none of whom he was after. After double checking, he started scratching his head. “Where’s the Princess?” With the dangerous creature making his way towards them, Rainbow Dash decided to strike first. She charged, aiming her hoof straight at the invaders jaw. “If you want the Princess, you’re gonna have to go through me first.” The sudden attack surprised Bowser, who took Rainbow’s hoof straight to the snout. He clasped his throbbing nose, watching the light blue oddity make its way with the others and then began to take a deep breath. “Ghaaaaa!” Rainbow Dash quickly swirled upwards, dodging the flames shooting out from his mouth. Focusing his fiery breath, Bowser tilted his head back and adjusted his aim. With his flames headed straight for her, Rainbow Dash nimbly managed to dodge fiery stream headed her way. Seeing he wasn't making progress, Bowser ceased his attack and looked to the other ponies. “So, you punks are the last thing in my way? Guess I better deal with you quick before he shows up then.” Facing off against the six ponies while the princesses watched from behind, Bowser moved in to punch one of them. His scaly fist was about to connect, but Applejack hopped up and dodged it, landing on his head before jumping back with the others. Following up her friend’s attack, the purple unicorn used her magic to levitate a table and toss it at him. Spotting the hovering furniture coming at him, Bowser countered with his fist, shattering it to pieces. “Nice try Twilight,” said Rainbow Dash. “Now let see if he can do that again with something moving a lot faster.” Not missing a beat, Bowser looked at Rainbow Dash as she rose up to the ceiling and proceeded to dive-bombed him. Quickly retracting into his shell, Bowser avoided Rainbow’s powerful hoof stomp. Fed up with these nuisances, Bowser popped out of his shell and took another deep breath, this time aiming at the group in front of him. “Come on Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash called out to the other pegasus with a light yellow coat and pink hair. Catching on to what her friend had in mind, Fluttershy extended her hooves to her friends. “Twilight, Rarity, grab on tight please.” With her friends holding on to her, she flew upward. Rainbow Dash did the same with her other two friends. “Come on Pinkie Pie, AJ. Let’s go.” In a similar fashion, the two friends latched on and she rose up. Both pegasi managed to ascend just before Bowser released a powerful wave of heat from his mouth. As he continued to breathe out flames, he tilted his head upward to catch the illusive targets. He noticed that something was off. As he aimed up, his breath couldn't seem to reach them. The massive turtle took a second shot a roasting the mares and again noticed his breath didn't reach them. Even worse it seemed as though it was diminishing with each passing second. Confused, he paused and looked over to the two pegasus unicorns further back and became aware that their horns were aglow with the aura of their magic coursing through them. “It’s you two. You’re the reason my fire’s so weak,” Bowser stated as he stamped his foot on the ground. He aimed his fist straight at them, sliding across the the floor. “Princess!” The ponies in the air cried out as Bower closed in. Just inches away from the sisters, he came to a complete stop. A aura had quickly began to enveloped his body, immobilizing him. Hearing the girls up above, he looked around. “Princess? I don’t see Princess Pea—oof!" He was suddenly cut off by a group of hooves that slammed on his head as the girls dropped back down. Before he could retaliate or even speak. Luna and Celestia used their magic to toss him out of the castle. His body smashed through the wall, screaming “Nooooooo!” as he soared through the air. As he flew over the battlefield, Bowser noticed his army continued to fight against the army of pony knights outside until he came to a brief and painful stop. “Gack!” he grunted as his shell slammed into something hard. Bouncing off whatever he hit, he landed on his stomach with a hard thump. Picking himself off the ground and shaking off dizziness, he looked up to see what he had hit. To his surprise it was a statue, an odd one at that. “Stupid statue. I almost broke my shell on it,” he muttered as he observed the stone figure, checking it out from head to toe. “That is one ugly statue.” He couldn’t help but laugh at the strange sculpture. “Look at that ugly face it’s making.” Continuing to lay on the insults, Bowser started walloping it to relieve the anger he’d built up from being forcefully ejected earlier. Still assaulting the statue, cracks began to form, spreading until the stone figure broke apart. “Yeah, take that for hurting my back you ugly statue,” he said, taking pride in his brute strength. As the fragment from the fallen ornament settled, Bowser noticed something still standing where the stone figure formerly stood. Before him was a creature with a pony like head, a set of non-matching horns a snakes tail, two different looking wings, and an assortment of other random body parts. Just like the statue had. “You mean something that ugly actually exists?” The odd being stretched its arms out and gave a weary yawn. It looked over the Koopa and gave him a smile. “Why hey there big guy, I guess I have you to thank for my impromptu release. What’s your name?” “Bowser. King Bow—“ “Bowser? What an odd name, then again you are an odd looking... turtle?” “Like your one to talk. What are you supposed to be?” “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Discord, the spi—“ “Save it, I don't have time for weirdos. I’ve got a kingdom to take over,” Bowser said as he walked away. Discord’s eyes grew wide with intrigue. “Did you say you're taking over the kingdom?” “Yeah me and my army are gonna kidnap the princess and take over,” Bowser replied, striking his palm. “You have an army?” Discord pitch heightened as he raising a brow to the turtle before him. “Of course, I’m the Koopa King after all. An awesome king like me’s gotta have an awesome army.” Discord’s intrigue spiked again. “An army you say. What a fascinating idea.” “Yup nothing stands up to the unstoppable Koopa troop.” Bowser said, puffing his chest out. “An army, yes that would be interesting… “ Discord snapped his fingers in revelation. “Then it’s decided. I am going to borrow your army to have a little fun.” Bowser slowly nodded, “Mmhm, that sounds reasonable… Wait what?” With another snap of his fingers, Discord materialized a cage around Bowser. Not about to let himself be imprisoned, Bowser unloaded a barrage of fist onto the bars and shattered them. He then threw another fist, sliding towards Discord who vanished in a flash of light and reappearing behind him. “My you certainly are a strong one. I'll have to be sure to avoid those fists of yours.” Aggravated, Bowser unleashed his fire breath on him. “Save your breath,” Discord said as he conjured up a fire extinguisher to douse out the flames. “After being imprisoned, I don't want to spend my free time playing with an overgrown turtle. I have chaos to spread and a new army to have fun with.” Bowser ceased his attack and snarled at him. “Hah! You think my loyal soldiers are gonna side with you? You’re crazier than you look. And you looked pretty crazy to begin with pal. If anyone is taking over the Mushroom Kingdom it’s me, not some put together mishmash of a zoo.” Discord looked at Bowser, tilting his neck back. “The ‘Mushroom Kingdom’ you say?” He scratched his chin for a second, pondering what that meant. “Oh I get it now. Silly turtle, it seems you’ve traveled a long way from home.” Bowser crossed his arms, giving him a doubtful look. “Now what are you talking about?” “Oh I hate ruining surprises, but since you did just free me and give me an army of my own to play with, I guess I can tell you this. You’re not in the ‘Mushroom Kingdom’. This, my heavyset liberator, is the kingdom of Equestria.” “Equestrywha?” Bowser put his claw to his chin, tilting his head to the side as he pondered about what he just heard. “Hmm… That would explain the different castle. And why all the Toads look different. And why those six girls were there to stop me instead of Mario.” As the pieces came together his jaw dropped. "This means… my plans have gone to waste.” “Well maybe for you they have. But thanks to your screw up, I’m free again. Plus I’ve got a brand new army I get to play with as I spread all sorts of chaos.” Bowser looked at Discord with a grin across his lips. “Like I said chump, my soldiers ain’t siding with you.” Discord returned the smirk with one of his own. “Oh we’ll see about that. By the way, did you mention something about six girls?” “Yeah, those pests got in my way earlier, What about it?” Laughing maniacally, Discord vanished in a flash of light, leaving Bowser alone at the front of a giant hedge maze. Staring at the wall of plants, Bowser realized the only way back was to go through it. “Great, now I gotta figure my way outta here and back to my troops,” he grumbled as he started to make his way down the life sized puzzle. While Bowser was busy finding his way around, Discord had appeared before the massive war zone taking place outside Canterlot Castle. He hovered above, enjoying the sheer calamity being caused by the assortment of soldiers that made up the Koopa troop. Some Canterlot soldiers took notice of the villain flying overhead. “Look, it’s Discord! He’s been set free again! We must warn the princesses immediately!” With a sinister grin smacked across his face, Discord began to enact his plan. Back in the hedge maze. What Bowser thought would be a simple puzzle he would solve in a second had become a daunting challenge that was taking him hours. “Grrrrr! What’s with this stupid maze! I’ve been here forever and no sign of an exit yet. Oh forget this.” Giving up on finding the exit the traditional way, he went for his reliable method. His fist went flying through the wall of flowers, body following right behind it. Sliding to a stop in another part of the maze, a sudden stinging sensation engulfed his body. “Ouch!” He cried as his body started to turn red with scratches he received from pushing through the wall of flowers. “Dumb plants! Let’s see how you like some of this.” Exhaling flames, Bowser set the hedge wall ablaze. “Ha! That what you get for *Chough* scratching up my *garf* handsome scales *Hack*.” The fire started to spread quickly. Surrounded by intense flames, he realized too late that setting a hedge maze on fire while you’re still in it may not have been the best idea. “Uh oh.” While a certain Koopa discovered a new way to motivate himself through a maze, Discord had already gone well underway with his plans. Canterlot was completely ravaged, the castle guards lay everywhere, overwhelmed by Discord’s surprise attack. Dozens of soldiers belonging to the Koopa kingdom were standing outside, mindlessly chanting. “Go Discord, he’s our man! If he can’t do it, that's probably because he didn't want to do it to begin with! Yay Discord!” “Isn’t it great to work for such an awesome draconequus like him? Man I love chaos!” The crowd’s cheering was rudely interrupted by the cries of a creature being roasted. They all turned towards the green wall, to see what was causing the racket. “Aaaaaaaah!” Bowser yelled as he ran through the final hedge wall, falling over before the crowd who stood there, silently looking down at his smoldering, twitching body. Getting up, Bowser brushed off the leaves and ash that covered him and looked to his soldiers. “What are you all doing just standing around? Don’t you see your King needs help?” They all gave him the same look, furrowing their brows as the edge of their lips crook down. Bowser could hear the murmurs among his troops. “Who’s this weirdo?” “What’s he talking about being our ‘King’?” “How dare he try to compare himself to lord Discord!” The crowd quickly turned sour, they picked up random object littered about the battlefield, and began tossing them.. “You’re no King!” a Koopa cried out, throwing an apple core. “Lord Discord is our leader!” A Goomba chanted as he tossed a discarded piece of armor. Bowser lifted his arm up, protecting his face from the crowd's siege of garbage. “This is treason! You’ll all pay for this!” “Oh now this guy’s trying to bully us, let’s get him!” The enraged crowd rushed him, ready to defend the honor of their lord. Bowser clenched his fists and prepared to fend them off. “You guys think you can take me? I’ll show you why I’m the king.” Meanwhile, inside of Canterlot Castle, Pinkie Pie was frantically running down the hallway as she dashed for the exit. She dared not look back, for Discord’s shadow could be seen following her. Making it outside, she witnessed the aftermath of the battle before her. Hundreds of pony knights along with the invading soldiers were strewn all over the place, weary from battle. Over by the ash pile, of what was once the royal hedge maze, more of the strange invaders lay unconscious atop a pile. Seeing nopony that could help her, she ran towards the statue garden where she ran into a group of strange creatures. “Hey! Why don’t you watch where you’re going?” the lead Koopa said, looking over the pony. “Hey you, Pinky. Have you seen a big ugly guy around? Kind of looked like me only taller, fatter, with red hair and a spiky shell.” A second strange creature in a red hooded robe wearing a white mask strapped to its face, rushed up to her. “That jerk insulted master Discord and beat a bunch of us up.” “We got him on the run but he gave us the slip. We gotta find him.” A Goomba in the back of the crowd yelled out. Pinkie, looking at the group, realized they had no clue who she was. She cleared her throat. “He went that way.” She said, pointing a hoof off to the distance. “Thanks!” They said, running off. After her run in, she continued her escape, encountering a large collection of bushes she could hide in. She leaped inside to take a short respite. Pinkie Pie had suddenly jumped into Bowser’s hiding spot. Normally he’d kicked her out, but considering the circumstances, this wasn’t the time to make a scene. Plus he saw how she misled the group chasing after him. “Thanks,” he whispered. Pinkie looked behind her and noticed the large Koopa sitting behind her. She was about to scream but caught herself, placing her hooves to her mouth. She examined at her new bush mate and leaned back, quietly gasping. “It’s you," she whispered. "Bowser.” He stared back at her. “Hmm? Who are you?” “My name is Pinkie Pie.” she said extending a hoof to him. He swatted her friendly gesture away. “Well it was nice meeting yah Pinkie, but I gotta get going. Now that I’ve rested up a bit, I gotta go settle a score with that freak.” A little frown lingered on Pinkie’s face, saddened by the missed opportunity to make a friend, but now wasn’t the time for that. “Oh. Okay.” she sighed. Poking his head out to check if the coast was clear, Bowser popped out from the brush and started making his way to the castle. Pinkie Pie, now alone, thought about what to do next. Earlier, when she was still with her friends, they were preparing to face off against Discord. Each of them carried their Element of Harmony and were about to fight. But that was when they came in. Barging through the doors, windows, and any other possible entrance the Koopa Troop surged the throne room. Overwhelmed and caught off guard, the 6 of them didn't stand a chance. Pinkie and her friends fought as best as they could, but the army’s numbers were seemingly endless. They carried her friends and the princesses away. She managed to slip away, hearing the mad laughter of Discord behind her as she ran. Back in the bush, Pinkie slapped her cheeks to psych herself up. “It’s up to me now, I have to go and save my friends.” “Do you think you can?” a familiar sinister voice asked. Pinkie turned around, gasping at who was behind her. Discord yanked the pony out from her hiding spot, holding her tightly in his paw with only her head sticking out. “Ah Pinkie Pie, I found you. You know, I was always really good at hide and seek. And now the game is over. I’ve already caught your friends. Now it’s your turn to join them.” He pulled her close and gave her a strange hypnotic stare. She wriggled frantically, looking away from his eyes. But Discord gently clasped his talons on her head, forcing her to peer into his gaze. “No.” she uttered, trying to free herself. “Aww Pinkie, where’s that smile? I thought you loved to smile smile smi—ack!” Pinkie was dropped to the ground as Discord’s body was sent back. She moved her hooves away from her face to see what had happened. just in front of her she saw the familiar spiky green shell of the fellow from before. “That's for taking my minions!” Bowser hollered to the decked draconequus in the distance. Discord flapped his wings, raising himself onto his feet. “Well-well-well. What a surprise to see you here. I thought you’d still be stuck in the maze… “ He looked over to the big pile of ash. “Oh. Well I should have expected as much. But anyway, what do you think? Not too shabby work for using an army for the first time, wouldn't you say?” “I gotta admit it’s not that bad. That is if it was your army to begin with. Now give me back my troops or I’m gonna have to beat each soldier outta you!” he growled, hammering his foot into the dirt as he made a fist over to him. Discord sighed, swaying his head back and forth. “Resulting to such brutish tactics. Are you sure you know how to use an army?” With a snap of his fingers, Discord summoned a group of Bowser’s former soldiers. “You see Bowser you’ve gotta use your minions more.” He pointed over to the two of them. “Boys, you see those two over. I want you to capture the pink one and bring her to me. As for the fat ugly one, you can beat him to a pulp for all I care.” Cackling like mad, he vanished in a flash of light. Pinkie and Bowser now stood against the approaching swarm of soldiers. Bowser was ready to rumble, but beside him, Pinkie, unfamiliar with this sort of thing, timidly stood there. Realizing he was on his own, Bowser charged in, landing blow after blow, knocking away his former minions one after another. The attacking swarm managed to land a few good licks of their own against the big turtle. Bowser breathed in, preparing to unleash his signature fire breath on the crowd. As he got ready, a group of Goombas kicked the shells of the Koopas in front of them, launching them forward. As he exhaled, the shell passed through the fires unscathed. “Gaaah” Bowser groaned. The direct hit stopped his attack and caused him fell to his knees in exhaustion. Pinkie Pie, who had been watching the entire time, felt helpless watching Bowser fight a losing battle. That was when inspiration struck her. She rushed over to the kneeling Koopa and whispered into his ear. To worn out to question, he simply nodded his head. The advancing soldiers stopped in their tracks. Bowser unexpectedly tucked himself into a ball, with his shell covering the exterior. Unsure of what to make of it, the unit resumed their charge. “Alright Bowsie, are you ready?” said Pinkie Pie. “Just hurry up! And no nicknames!” He replied. She sprang up top of the spiked ball, and began to trot. The ball began moving under her, heading over to the crowd. The charging squad, seeing what was coming their way turned tail and ran as the Bowser ball rolled after them. With Pinkie Pie now galloping at full speed, they flattened the troops caught in their path. She hopped off the rolling ball, stomping her hooves on one of the fleeing Goombas, leaving it a pancake on the ground and bounced off. She then landed on another one, and again bounced onto another one. She squished seven more of them, hearing a strange little jingle before jumping back onto Bowser’s rolling body to dispatch the final foe. With the squad now dispatched, Bowser un-tucked himself back to normal and Pinkie Pie jumped off his back standing beside him. “We make a pretty good team, huh Bowsie?” she said, looking up to him. He turned away, hiding his face. “Whatever.” Discord reappeared, cutting into their little celebratory moment. He looked over what remained of the troops and smiled. “You two actually managed to win. and you did it together. You’re both more capable than I’d thought, plus a lot more fun to watch. I have an Idea.” He ported behind them, leaning his head in between theirs. “Since you two seem to make an amusing team, how about we play a little game.” Bowser reached for his scrawny neck. “I don't like games, especially with someone who goes and takes my army!” Discord leaned his neck back, avoiding the swipe. “Oh now Bowser honestly. Nopony likes a spoilsport.” “I ain’t no pony.” “Well if you ever wish to get your army, your castle, as well as a way back to your home, you’d best play along.” “Come on Bowsie, It could be fun.” Pinkie added. "Plus together we can save my friend's too." Discord joined Pinkie’s side and both of them gave him a gleeful smile. “See, even Pinkie is game. So what do you say?” “Fine…” he sighed, not seeing much of an option. “Excellent! Now, let me explain the rules. Pinkie Pie, I’ve scattered your friends about Equestria. In order to save them you’ll need to head to where they’re located. And Bowser, they’re each being accompanied by one of your former generals, so it would be in your interest to tag along with her.” Bowser raised an eyebrow at his odd instruction. “What are you up to? You’re giving us a chance. I don’t get it.” “Silly turtle, haven't you heard the saying ‘Letting the good times roll’?” he said while spinning a noise rattler. He points a talon to Pinkie Pie. “So then, you need to go and save your friends.” He then points a claw to Bowser. “And you need to recover your generals and pretty much the rest of your army. So how about you both work together. It’s going to be hysterical seeing you two try to get along.” The pair stare at each other with Pinkie Pie smiling while Bowser sighed. “Might I suggest heading into the Everfree Forest first.” Discord said, pointing off to the collection of trees where Bowser's castle stood far in the distance. “Good luck you two. I’m hoping you like the surprises I have in store.” Laughing to himself, Discord vanished in a flash, leaving the two of them standing there. After the exhausting run in, Bowser looked over to the woods where his castle stood and started heading towards it. Pinkie started walking beside him. “So let’s start heading over to save our friends.” He looked over to her. “Go yourself; I’m heading for my castle.” he snorted. Pinkie stopped in her tracks. “Huh? But we’ve got to save our friends.” Bowser just kept walking. “No. You have to save your friends; I just have to get back to my world. I don’t need to do anything for those deserters.” “But. Wait. Bowser, wait up!” Pinkie Pie followed behind him as they both made the long travel to the forest. Bowser stopped and faced her. “I don’t need some pink colored pony following me around. So scram!” “What are you gonna do when Discord shows up again, huh?” She asked. “Hit him right in his ugly mug.” “What about over in the castle. If I didn’t help, you’d have been in trouble.” He kept silent. “Whatever. You can tag along, at least up to my castle, but once we're there we split ways. Got it?” Pinkie Pie grinned. She felt as though she had started getting him to warm up, if only very slightly. She knew this was going to be a challenge, but if anypony was going to get someone like him to open up and be friendly, it would be her. “Alright then, let’s head over to your castle, Bowsie.” “Stop calling me that!”