My Little Paper Mario

by Codex92

The Star Spirits' Plea and Renewed Hope

Mario and Goombario passed through the entrance to Toad Town, finally arriving in the biggest town of the Mushroom Kingdom. It had been a long while since the Goomba had been here since his mother's last shopping trip when he was a few years younger, and the place still amazed him. Despite the change of the castle being stolen by Bowser, many of the Toads went about their daily lives, but they were greatly worried for their princess.

"Finally," Goombario said. "Toad Town. Man, it has been far too long since I last came here." He pulled out the map from under his hat as they took a small break, checking his surroundings. "Ok, Shooting Star Summit should be northeast from here, just a bit of a ways east of where Princess Peach's castle is."

While Goombario put away his map, Mario looked over to the warp pipe that lead to his home. His brother must be worried to death over him after hearing no word of him for the last few days. As helpful as Luigi can be, he wasn't as brave as him, but he knew he would do anything for him if he was in any danger. Speaking of the younger Mario Brother, Luigi leapt up out of the pipe, probably doing some errands or shopping. He looked over at Mario, jaw dropping in shock as he spotted his older brother.

"Mario!" Luigi called out, running up to his brother and catching him in a hug. Even though his chest was getting crushed, Mario returned the brotherly hug, glad to see his little brother was ok. "I thought you were stuck up in the castle! How did you get back!? Where were you!? Everyone's going crazy and worried about the prin-!" Luigi paused, noticing Goombario watching them. He broke the hug and stared at the blue-capped Goomba. "...Uhh, hello."

"Hey," Goombario greeted back. "You must be Luigi. Name's Goombario."

The green plumber looked back at his older brother, a questioning look on his face. Mario began explaining to his little brother what happened to him up in the castle, how he ended up in Goomba Village, and now needing to meet up with the Star Spirits to save them. He didn't skimp out on what he knew of Twilight and her friends, asking Luigi if, by any chance, he caught wind of any of the six equines.

"So, you're going on another adventure on your own?" Luigi asked. Mario scratched the back of his head nervously, not exactly alone as he noted Goombario was helping him. "Can't I come along, too, Mario?" The red plumber shook his head, warning him Bowser and his men were far too dangerous than normal. Luigi tried to beg, but Mario was stern, not willing to let his little brother get in any danger that could kill him like it almost did to him earlier. "Aww...Alright. Someone has to stay and watch the house anyway...But, have you eaten too many Mushrooms, Mario? I don't think these 'ponies' seem to sound like real creatures."

"Mario doesn't seem to be lying," Goombario said. "He sounded pretty serious, and I'm a little interested to see what they look like. From the way he described them, they don't look anything like the illustrations of mythological books I've read."

"Well, I'm not saying I don't believe Mario..." Luigi seemed a little skeptical, but if his brother was being honest with him, then he won't question what he perceives as real or not. Stranger things have happened in the Mushroom Kingdom in the past. "Ok. Just make sure my brother doesn't get into too much trouble, Goombario. I thought I lost him a few days ago, and I don't want him to actually die on me again."

"Don't worry. I got his back." Goombario held a foot out to Luigi as he grabbed it with his hand, shaking each other's limb to hold his promise.

They soon parted as Luigi headed for the nearby store while Mario and Goombario continued making their way through town. The Toads were surprised to see Mario around, fearing the worst when they saw him in the castle when Bowser kidnapped the princess again. They at least had some hope that he'll save Peach and bring the castle back after stopping the dreaded Koopa tyrant. Nothing much had changed since the last time Mario had come through, heading straight to the castle's gates.

The courtyard and the ground where the castle stood was in complete shambles. The earth had shifted heavily as a large pit where Bowser's castle hid after lifting Peach's into the sky, a lone flag of the Mushroom Kingdom castle lying in the dirt. The fountain was destroyed, spurting out water from the broken statue in the center. Ignoring the debris, they continued moving on, following a path Mario had never been down before. Crossing a bridge, they could see the sky turning dark as they got closer to what was Shooting Star Summit.

Shooting stars began to fall as they followed the upper pathway, the lower one leading to a fortune house run by a seeress named Merluvlee. As the duo got closer to the summit, more shooting stars rained down upon them, though they weren't at all dangerous. It was no wonder why this place was called Shooting Star Summit with the harmless stars that fall from the night sky, even though it was still the middle of the day. Thankfully, the summit wasn't all that tall to climb as they reached the top, Eldstar hovering in the center in his astral form. Goombario was surprised to actually see the Star Spirit in person, following Mario as he approached him.

"Welcome, Mario," Eldstar greeted, hovering backwards to one of the stars engraved on a circular stone dais placed on the flat surface of the summit. "We have been waiting for you." The remaining six Star Spirits appeared around them, hovering over the six other outer engraved stars on the dais. Going clockwise from Eldstar were Mamar, Klevar, Muskular, Misstar, Skolar, and Kalmar. "We are the Star Spirits, seven powerful star beings who grant the wishes of good-natured people wishes from our home, Star Haven."

"Whoa. They really do exist," Goombario mumbled in awe.

"Listen very closely, Mario," Eldstar said. "The other day, Bowser and his henchmen invaded our home. He has stolen a very precious wand that we have watched over since the beginning of time: the Star Rod."

"The Star Rod is a very powerful magical wand," Mamar continued. "It can grant any wish to whoever holds it, no matter what their desires intend to do. Bowser has made so many selfish wishes, like defeating you or making Peach fall in love with him. Since they were so despicable and heartless, we never granted them."

"But that fiend came and snatched the Star Rod from us when he found out we ignored his wishes," Skolar said. "He may be content right now with defeating you and kidnapping the princess, but if we don't get that wand out of his greedy claws, terrible things will happen."

"That's why it's our job to protect the Star Rod and use its powers for the right reasons," Muskular continued. "We need to return the Star Rod to its rightful place back in Star Haven, and we will need your help, Mario!"

"Sadly, you are not strong enough to stop him as of right now," Misstar sadly said. "With all the wishes he's made, he's grown more powerful, turning into an invincible, unstoppable villain."

"But fear not," Klevar said as Mario and Goombario felt uneasy at the news. "If you manage to retrieve the seven of us from Bowser's men, once we are reunited in Star Haven, we will give you a power that can negate the Star Rod's power. With our help, you can prevail!"

Mario, we-" As Kalmar was about to speak, the Star Spirit's power began to wane, their illusions nearly flickering out on them. "Urgh...Alas, our power has nearly faded. We may be speaking with you, but we are using all of our energy to communicate with you. We had even healed your wounds when you fell from your defeat. In order to save the Mushroom Kingdom, you must save us first, Mario!"

"Before our power is gone, there is something else I must say," Eldstar said, the Star Spirits' images slowly beginning to fade away. The elder Star Spirit held strong to continue giving his message, even as he exhausted the last of his remaining power. "We had sensed a strange magical phenomenon in the kingdom, magical power that may help us. Whatever that magic is, we sensed it around you before we found you...You must...find us...Please, Mario...You're our...only...hope..."

The Star Spirits disappeared as the last of their power was drained, leaving Mario and Goombario alone on the summit. Mario looked at himself, knowing who holds the mysterious magic they had sensed, and quite grateful to them if they helped him as he fell. That gave him even more reason to find Twilight and her friends, not only to keep them safe from the world they don't know about, but also to help stop Bowser and retrieve the Star Rod.

"Wow...This really is serious," Goombario finally said. "And, I guess those ponies you told me about are really powerful if that Star Spirit felt their magic. It must be as powerful as theirs...But what about Princess Peach?" They looked up at the sky, stars twinkling in the air as shooting stars continued to fall around the summit. "Hope she's doing ok up there with Bowser and his obnoxious behavior."

Mario hoped she was ok as well. He was very concerned for her, especially after she watched him get thrown out of the castle. Maybe word would get around Bowser's castle after Kammy discovered he was awake and knew the mares were still ok as well, scattered about the Kingdom like the Star Spirits.

---

Peach sobbed into her pillow, trapped inside her room as Bowser's men patrolled her castle outside. Of all the worst kidnappings she's had from Bowser in the past, this was the worst. She watched Mario fall to his death after getting whupped by Bowser, her new friends had been beaten as well, having no idea what happened to them or if they were even alive, and her castle was uprooted from the ground. She would have taken getting thrown in a cage in the Koopa King's castle, waiting for Mario to rescue her, but now she was a prisoner in her own bedroom, her guests thrown in the dungeon cells throughout the floating fortress under her castle, and with no hope of ever being rescued.

Her bedroom door opened as Bowser walked in, grinning suavely. His grin turned to a frown, still hearing Peach cry after the last couple days. Letting out a heavy sigh, he approached the princess's bed, ignoring the rest of her room: pink carpeting, a closet filled with similar pink dresses to what she wore now, a vanity mirror with makeup, and behind her queen-sized bed was a glass door that lead to a small balcony outside, her only source of fresh air from being trapped in her room. As much as he liked Peach in pink, there was so much pink his masculine mind could take, but he ignored it as he focused on his bride-to-be.

"Oh, princess," he called out, getting smacked in the face by one of her pillows.

"Get out of my room, Bowser!" Peach yelled. "I don't want you anywhere near me!"

The Koopa grumbled, swallowing his anger before exploding on his princess. "I thought you would be done crying by now, but it looks like you're still pouring waterfalls."

"And for a good reason. You're nothing but a monster, and don't take it as a compliment, you idiot." She turned away from him, staring out at her balcony, wishing to be freed from her own castle. "I can't believe you would be so cruel as to hurt those girls. Now, because of you, I don't even know if they're alive or not...They weren't in from this world, and you killed them, just like you did to Mario."

"Hey, I had nothing to do with them turning into light and zipping out of the castle!" Bowser argued. "They did the job for me...even if Kammy wanted to 'examine' them." Peach scoffed at his reasoning, tossing away his excuses. "Besides...they're...not dead..."

Peach turned her head, thinking she heard Bowser say something important about Twilight and her friends. "W-What?"

"I said...they're...not dead," Bowser grumbled.

"They're what?" Peach asked, now sitting up on her bed.

"They're still alive!" Bowser shouted. "Yeah, those six things are still breathing! I heard two of them were found out in the kingdom, and my men are hunting them along with Mario even as we speak!"

"Mario's alive!?" The Koopa immediately covered his mouth, his frustration accidentally leaking out to his kidnapped princess about her hero surviving the fall. Peach was dumbfounded, feeling some of her hope return, but it still seemed hopeless when Bowser had the Star Rod. "How...? How did he survive?"

"Who cares? Your hero's alive, those animals are still alive, blah, blah, blah. At least she stopped blubbering." Bowser cleared his throat, snapping Peach out of her thoughts. "But, aside from that setback, to my irritation, Mario still can't reach my castle, and he still can't beat me as long as I have the Star Rod. And now that you're feeling better from the news, which is still hopeless for you to be rescued, I want to treat you to a little date."

"...Seriously?" Peach questioned, leering at the Koopa with great disdain.

"Yes. You know, get to know each other a little more, eat something delicious made by my chefs, watch the-" Bowser was smacked with another pillow, his eye twitching as he got a few feathers caught on his face.

"If you think I'm going to go out on a date with you after all you've done, you need to check how many brain cells are left in that tiny brain of yours," Peach scolded, getting off her bed and walking to her vanity. "Anything you ask me to do with you will always be no."

Bowser growled as Peach dabbed her face of her tears with a handkerchief, struggling to hold back his anger. "Princess...You do realize that there's no chance for you to ever be with Mario with what I have. Right?"

"Mario just rescues me from you, and I show him my gratitude for saving me," she explained, beginning to reapply her makeup. "We're not a couple, no matter how much the news exaggerates that statement."

"...Oh," Bowser said, completely forgetting the fact Peach still disliked him as he hoped he had a chance. "But, even then, I swore you were going to be mine, and either you fall for me and be my queen or I'll have to force you."

"You can't force anyone to love you," Peach said.

"Oh, but I can with the Star Rod." The Koopa pulled out his trump card, waving it around while Peach watched him from the reflection of the mirror. "This thing can grant any wish I want. I can even grant you your own wishes, but nothing involving you leaving, bringing Mario here, placing your castle down, or giving up the Star Rod."

"I wish you'd leave me alone for the rest of my life." Bowser grinned with a light chuckle, gently pressing a claw to her cheek and turning her head to face him properly.

"That either," he said. "So, what'll it be? Take my offer to enjoy an evening with me or be forced to love me."

"I'm still saying no," she said.

"Force it is, then." Bowser held the Star Rod over Peach. "Star Rod, grant me my wish; make Princess Peach fall in love with me." They waited for a moment, but the wand didn't activate. Confused, Bowser gave it a shake, with no results that followed. "Hello? Stupid wish granting wand!? Make the princess fall in love with me!"

Again, no response. "Oh no," Peach sarcastically gasped. "I'm starting to feel something. I'm...feeling...really irritated looking at you."

Bowser growled, shaking the Star Rod hard, thinking a bit of roughhousing would get it to work like the mindless brute he was. "What's the deal with this thing!?"

"It looks like the Star Rod follows certain rules of wishes it grants, and thank goodness it doesn't grant anything involving messing with free will." Peach was slightly relieved at the failed wish granting, worried that it would have actually granted his wish.

"This was supposed to grant ANY wish!" Bowser roared. "Those stupid Star Spirits lied...No matter. I'll get you to like me one way or another, Peach! Count on it!"

Bowser stormed out of the princess's room, slamming the door behind him. "Only in your dreams, you mutated reptile..." Peach sighed and stood up, grabbing the pillows she threw at Bowser. She placed them back on her bed and sat down again. "If only someone could help me." Suddenly, there was a tapping sound that came from her balcony doors, surprising her as she turned around. Floating by the glass doors was a small star with a face, tapping on the door to get her attention. "A Star Kid? Here?"

Peach quickly approached the balcony doors and opened them up, letting the Star Kid inside. "Hello, Princess Peach!" the young star said. "My name is Twink! Nice to meet you!"

"...Uhh, hello, Twink," Peach greeted, slightly confused. "How did you get here?"

"I came from Star Haven," Twink said. "And I'm here to grant your wishes!"

"Really? Did you come because I wished someone would help me?" she asked.

"Of course!" he said. "Whatever you need, I'll grant it!"

"That's great!" Peach exclaimed. "Then, here's my wish; I want you to take the Star Rod away from Bowser. Can you do that?"

Twink's smile turned into a grimace, twiddling his stubby arms in embarrassment. "Uhh, I can't grant that wish. I'm still just a novice...Maybe if one of the honorable Star Spirits could grant it, that might happen, but I can't. Sorry."

"Oh...Then, can you maybe get me out of here?" Peach asked. "Or maybe everyone who was captured in the dungeons?"

Twink shook his head, feeling more down. "I can't do that either," he sadly said. "To be honest, I only ascended a few days ago...when the Star Spirits were kidnapped by Bowser. I can't do any big wishes just yet."

Peach felt really bad, getting the little star's hopes up and failing to grant her her biggest wishes. "I'm sorry, Twink. Don't get upset. I wasn't expecting to get out of here that easily anyway." She began to think of something simple to give to Twink so he wouldn't feel like he was useless as a wish granter. "Oh! I know! You can deliver a message to Mario!"

"A message?...I think I can do that." Twink felt a little better, surely able to give someone a message for the princess. "Your wishing star, Twink, ready to grant your wish, princess!"

Peach giggled at his enthusiasm, pulling off a bronze, star-shaped pendant she had hidden underneath the collar of her dress. "I also want you to give Mario this along with the message."

"A Lucky Star pendant. Wow, how'd you get something like that?" Twink asked as he held onto the pendant tightly.

"It was a little gift I got when I was little. I held onto it ever since," she said. "Now, my message for Mario: tell him that I'm ok, and he doesn't need to worry about me."

"Got it!" Twink hovered back to the balcony doors, turning back to the princess. "I'll be back soon, Your Highness! I'll tell Mario exactly what you said!"

The Star Kid flew off and headed down to the ground far below. Peach stood by the rail of her balcony, watching Twink disappear as he flew back down to the Mushroom Kingdom. She wondered where Mario was right now, and where Twilight and her friends ended up. Hopefully, they were somewhere safe, and the two of them who were spotted weren't in too much trouble. Before she headed back inside her room, she gasped when she saw a Kamek fly off after Twink on a broomstick, possibly spotting him and chased the Star Kid.

"Oh no," she uttered. "Twink, be careful."

---

Mario and Goombario made their way down Shooting Star Summit and began heading back into town. "Ok, so, to save the princess and the Mushroom Kingdom, we're going to have to save the Star Spirits held by Bowser's minions all across the kingdom," Goombario said, paraphrasing the seven powerful stars' request for help. "Now, the real question: where exactly should we go first?"

Right as they were about to cross the bridge, Twink yelled in a panic as he flew down too fast toward them, misjudging his descent back to the ground. The little Star Kid clonked Mario on the head, sending himself and the plumber smacking to the ground. Goombario yelped and leapt back, swearing the shooting stars around the summit weren't dangerous.

"Ow...Note to self: descend slower and NOT turn into a Shooting Star Kid." Twink shook his body, floating back up in the air. As he looked around and wondered who or what he hit, Mario stood back up, rubbing the back of his head where the Star Kid smacked into him. "Sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, and I'm in a bit of a hurry, and-" Twink paused as he immediately recognized the plumber he bumped into. "Wait, you're Mario! Thank the Stars I found you!"

"Whoa, is that really a Star Kid?" Goombario asked as the Star Kid floated around excitedly. "I thought it was rare to see a Star Spirit, but seeing one of them up close is just as rare."

"Yeah. We're born in Star Valley up north, then when we're old enough, we rise into Star Haven," Twink explained. "It is pretty rare to catch sight of one of us when we ascend. Anyway, my name's Twink!"

"Goombario," the Goomba introduced himself. "What exactly are you doing here? And why were you looking for Mario?"

"I came from Princess Peach's castle to help her," he said, surprising Mario and Goombario. "I heard her wishes and came to her aid, but unfortunately, I can't get her away from Bowser. I'm not strong enough to make stronger wishes like that just yet."

"Well, this wouldn't really be all that easy anyway," Goombario said. "We're going off to save the Star Spirits right now, but we need to figure out where they are first."

"I wish I could tell you where they are, but I'm just as clueless as you two." Twink pulled out the Lucky Star Peach gave him. "The only help I can offer is giving any information we can find through Bowser's patrolling soldiers. And Her Highness wanted me to give Mario this; the Lucky Star." He gave Mario the pendant, which the red-capped hero graciously accepted. The star hanging from the pendant shimmered slightly, none of them aware of the glimmering light that came from it as Mario put the mystical accessory around his neck. "It's a pretty amazing gift from the stars. It's said to give the wearer good luck, but for us Stars, it might have more powers."

"We're going to need all the luck we can get," Goombario said as Mario hid the pendant underneath his shirt.

"Aha! There you are!" Above them, the Kamek following Twink finally caught up with him. The blue robed magical Koopa hovered down in front of them on his broomstick, grabbing his wand underneath his robes. "I thought I found it odd one of you Stars were hovering around the castle! And you lead me straight to Mario!"

"I-I was being followed!?" Twink exclaimed in shock, quickly flying behind Mario.

"This is perfect timing," the Kamek said with glee. "If I can take Mario down, I'll surely get a raise, and Kammy Koopa will take me in as her apprentice!"

"Not if we have anything to say about that!" Goombario ran forward and jumped toward the magical minion, barely able to nick the Kamek's broomstick as he flew up to avoid the Goomba.

"Ha! Nice try, you mini-Mushroom!" While the Kamek mocked Goombario, Mario charged in, jumping higher and landed his boots right in his face. Completely caught off guard from his ego, the Kamek flailed and fell off his broom. "Augh! I am not going down that easy!"

Kamek began firing spells at the plumber and Goomba, but his magic was too slow as they managed to evade each shot. Goombario continued bonking the enemy with his head, but he wasn't all talk, teleporting away from the Goomba before he could get hit again. Mario pulled out his hammer and lunged forward, missing the Kamek right as he teleported away.

"Hold still, your warping coward!" Goombario shouted as he went for another headbonk, only for the Kamek to appear behind him and smack the Goomba with his wand.

"Out of the way, runt!" he said, turning back to Mario with his wand aimed at the plumber. "I will not miss my chance to learn even more powerful magic from the great Kammy Koopa!"

He fired another spell, his determined cry causing it to fly faster as it headed straight for the mustached hero. Mario held up his hammer in defense, the Lucky Star shining underneath his shirt glowing in response, affecting his weapon as it sparkled a little. The spell struck Mario, only for it to bounce off the wooden hammer and head straight back to the Kamek. Unable to react in time as his jaw dropped in astonishment, the Kamek was zapped by his own spell, caught in a daze as his own magic struck him instead. Goombario quickly got back up and kicked the stunned magic-wielding Koopa in the face, sending him flying back to Mario. Questioning how he was able to reflect magic until they were out of harm's way, the plumber swung his mallet hard, sending the beaten Koopa flying off until he could no longer be seen, sent far away from Toad Town.

No longer in any trouble, Mario turned to where Goombario and Twink were, both of them just as surprised as he was. "Whoa...Did Mario just block a Kamek's magical spell, and bounce it back at them?"

"...That...That magic," Twink uttered. Mario noticed his shirt was glowing, pulling the Lucky Star out. The star on the pendant shimmered like a rainbow for only a moment before fading away. Twink flew up to Mario, gasping in awe at the power that came from it before it disappeared. "I've never felt anything like it before. It's not like a Star's power..."

"So, was that Lucky Star supposed to do something like that?" Goombario asked, speaking out Mario's exact question.

"No. The Lucky Star is supposed to grant the wearer more power and defense against foes, but nothing like this," Twink said. He gasped again as he thought of what it might be. "Wait! Princess Peach did mention these six ponies who came to our world, and they had a different kind of magic compared to what's known here!"

"And the Star Spirits said that Mario was saved by their magic when he fell after Bowser beat him...You think some of that magic rubbed off on you, Mario?" Goombario theorized, only to receive a shrug from the plumber. "Maybe if we can find one of them, they might explain how it happened...or maybe not."

"The princess also told me to look out for them if I saw them, but if I was that careless like before, I don't want to risk worrying her." Twink looked up at the sky, unable to stay down much longer since Peach needed him. "I need to get back to the princess. I'll try to look for the ponies as best as I can when there aren't any other patrols around Bowser's castle. I'll see you later!" The Star Kid began floating up, only to come back down. "Oh! I forgot something else! Peach wanted me tell you something. She said, 'I'm ok, and you don't need to worry about me.'" Mario let out a sigh of relief, thankful to know Peach was still holding strong and knows he was alright. She was tough despite her looks, and she can be helpful when the time is needed. "Ok, NOW I'm gonna go. Bye!"

Twink flew up once again, his small body disappearing into the sky to return back to Princess Peach's side. "Brave little guy. He's sure got spunk, at least."

Mario and Goombario made their way back to Toad Town, the former putting the pendant back underneath his shirt as they passed through the gates. "Mario!" one of the Toads nearby said, getting their attention. "Good thing I found you. A man named Merlon was looking for you. He said he had something important to tell you. He lives in that house with the spinning roof over there."

The Toad pointed at the blue house, the roof somehow spinning around like a top. How it was doing that was beyond them. Seeing as someone knew of him and might give them a clue as to where they should go first, they walked up to the door of the star-patterned walls of the house. Mario knocked on the door, not one to barge into other's homes without their permission.

"Go away!" an elderly man called out from inside. "Merlon isn't here!"

"Hey, we need to speak to Merlon!" Goombario said. "He has important news for Mario!"

"Nobody's home!" Irritated, Mario knocked harder, the fate of the Mushroom Kingdom hanging in the balance and the stubborn old man, who had to be Merlon, was denying them entry. "How many times do I have to tell you he's not here!?" The door slammed open, smacking Mario, sending him to the ground while Goombario moved out of the way in time. Stepping out was an elder wizard draped in a blue cloak, the hood veiling his face as his yellow eyes could only be seen under the silhouette of the man. He wore red shoes, a long bushy gray mustache, and a green orb with a star inside it that kept his cloak clasped around his neck. "Hmm? Who would be sleeping outside my house at a time like this?"

"Uhh, sir? You just slammed Mario in the face with your door." The old wizard looked at Goombario, then at Mario as he shook himself awake.

"Ah! Mario!" he said, finally recognizing the plumber by his attire and black mustache. "I was expecting you! I didn't realize you were knocking on my door. Anyway, please, come in, both of you."

Mario and Goombario entered the small house, nothing much to offer as it was mostly empty. In the center of the room was a small table that held a crystal ball, mostly considered a fortune teller's room than a house.

"So, you're Merlon?" Goombario asked.

"Yes, that is my name," Merlon said.

"Then why were you so adamant on letting us in?" the Goomba questioned.

"I always get too many visitors asking about their future, and most times I don't wish to bother with everyone," he explained. "Now, I have some very important news to give to you. I was reading the stars for the last several nights, then an oracle came to me one night...But, before that, there are other things I must speak of. It is a very long story, but I'll try to shorten it as best as I can. Now, where to start?

"It was back in the old days. One of my ancestors was up on Shooting Star Summit, as usual-" Mario and Goombario looked at each other as Merlon began talking about the history of his family lineage, though they began to tune out many of the crucial points the seer made.

Mario and Goombario dozed off after some time, Merlon completely unaware that they had fallen asleep during his "shortened" long story. "-...and that is all that matters." He heard the duo snoring, finally noticing they had nodded off. "Hey, were you two listening!?"

They both snorted awake, quickly nodding their heads. "Uhh, yeah! Interesting story! Hahahaha!"

"...All right, then. So, this is the reason why I am going to help you," Merlon said, even though Mario nor Goombario had any clue as to how he would help them. "If, for any reason, you have no clue as to where it is you shall go on your journey, you can always come to me to guide you in the right direction. For a price."

"I figured there was going to be a catch," Goombario grumbled.

"Right now, Mario, your main goal is to rescue Princess Peach. But, in order to get there, your first path leads you down to the fortress of the Koopa Bros." Mario and Goombario looked at each other, their first place to look for any of the Star Spirits thankfully given by the fortune teller. "In order to reach their fortress, you will need to take Pleasant Path, which lies just east of here."

"Great! We got our first clue!" Goombario cheered. "Thanks for the help, Merlon!"

"No problem. Now, go forth, and bring peace back to the kingdom." With their first lead on saving the Star Spirits and Peach, the duo headed out and began making their way down the road.

Unfortunately, as they got closer to where Pleasant Path was, they spotted four odd-looking Toads blocking the way. Unlike the other Toads, these ones dressed in darker colors and their mushroom heads were black, each of them having different colored spots: red, black, yellow, and green. They tried to pass through, but the four Toads blocked their way.

"Whoa, hey! Don't come this way!" the red-spotted Toad said.

"This way leads to the Koopa Bros. Fortress!" the black-spotted Toad said. "Really dangerous beyond here!"

"Yeah, definitely dangerous!" the yellow-spotted Toad said with a nod.

"And don't even bother thinking about asking for Merlon's help!" the green-spotted Toad added, the other three looking back at him with wide eyes. "That would be really bad news for u-" One of the Toad's punched him hard in the arm, making him stammer as he corrected himself. "Er, I mean for you! That's what I was going to say!"

Mario and Goombario gave each other blank stares, clearly not buying whatever these four Toads were trying to warn them about. "Yeah. Look, this is Mario you're talking to. He can handle anything dangerous."

"Well, tough luck, Goomba," the red Toad said. "No one's going through here, and that's final!"

Seeing the mysterious looking Toads weren't going to budge, Mario and Goombario headed back to Merlon's house. As soon as they walked inside, they surprised the seer.

"Back so soon?" Merlon asked. "Or was there something else you wished to talk about?"

"Merlon, we have a problem," Goombario said. "Some Toads are blocking the way to Pleasant Path and are refusing to move."

"Hmm...That is strange." Merlon paced around as he began to think. "I don't think there is ever any reason some Toads would block a passageway into or out of Toad Town...Let me see these Toads."

The duo lead the fortune teller out of his home to Pleasant Path, where the four darkly dressed Toads blocked their path yet again. "Hey, we told you to get lost!"

"Yeah, beat it!" Merlon leered at them as he stepped forward, making the mysterious Toads nervous.

"...You four are not Toads," he said.

"W-What are you talking about?" the green-spotted Toad asked.

"Yeah! We're just cute little Toads, doing absolutely nothing but hanging out!" The old man didn't believe their words the moment he laid eyes on them.

Putting his hands together, Merlon uttered a few words with his eyes closed, then opened them. "Reveal yourselves, you charlatans!"

Thrusting his arms forward, Merlon shot down four lightning bolts down on the Toads. Their bodies shattered as their real identities were revealed; the Koopa Bros. After recovering from the shocking magic spell, they winced as their covers were blown.

"The Koopa Bros.!?" Goombario exclaimed. "Of course they would try to stop us like this!"

"Way to go, Green," Red grumbled as he, Black, and Yellow glowered at the Green Ninjakoopa for giving Mario the idea of asking for Merlon's help.

"I thought I smelt something fishy when I saw you four," Merlon said. "You hooligans won't stand a chance against Mario. Give yourselves in, or you will face a terrible beating."

"Fat chance, old timer!" Red said. "Let's retreat, bros! But don't think we're going to be easy to take out, Mario! You come into our turf, we're gonna bring you the smackdown!"

The Koopa Bros. fled off down Pleasant Path back to their fortress, the road now free from their blockade. "Those guys already annoy me, and we didn't even fight them yet."

"Nothing but a bunch of miscreants with authority they disrespectfully abuse," Merlon said. He turned back to Mario and Goombario. "They won't be much of a threat if they cannot face you outside of their base. I'm confident you shall succeed quite easily with that bunch. Anyway, farewell, again." He began heading back to his house, only to stop for a moment and turn around. "Oh yes. I forgot to reveal this part of your fortune. In order to get to the Koopa Bros. Fortress, you will need the assistance of a blue-shelled Koopa Troopa in Koopa Village.

"And, you will also meet with another who is important in your quest," Merlon added, making Mario tilt his head in confusion. "An odd creature never seen in this world. Equine in form, horn upon their head, and wings on their back. An odd mix between unicorn and pegasus from mythological folklore." The plumber gasped, the details of the odd creature the wizard foresaw sounding a lot like Twilight. "I must return home now. Good luck, Mario."

Merlon continued heading back home, leaving Mario in a state of shock as he turned his head down to Pleasant Path. "Hey, wait. Doesn't that sound like that Twilight pony you mentioned, Mario?" Goombario asked. When he turned to look at him, the red-capped plumber was already running onto the road, leaving the Goomba behind. "Ahh! Mario, wait for me! Does that mean yes!?"

---

Twilight sat in Kooper's house, reading through one book this time unlike her usual multitasking method going through the blue-shelled Koopa's small shelf of history books. She looked through the mythological book he had, staring at the illustrations of the unicorn and pegasus theorists of the Mushroom Kingdom saw them as. She grumbled, eyeing each detail about them, more specifically at their muzzles, eyes, leg length, and lack of a cutie mark on their flanks.

"Whoever saw us like this must have been focused on what the Saddle Arabians look like back home." Twilight had gone through each book several times, growing a little bored and wishing there were some other bits of knowledge of the Mushroom Kingdom in the current time. The alicorn levitated a cup of tea made with an odd leaf grown around the village called a Koopa Leaf, taking a sip of the tea. It was an odd taste, but it was different compared to the many blends she had tried from Zecora's many different tea leaves she kept for her potions. "Mmm. Not bad."

After closing the book of myths, Twilight levitated the book back on the shelf. She soon heard a knocking sound come from the back door, which was a bit odd since Kooper went out into the village to get some extra groceries for them. The knocking continued, peaking the mare's curiosity, wondering who actually lived beyond her host's home out back. She opened the door, her eyes widening at the sight of dozens of odd black and furry balls with eyes staring at her.

"Meeeeeeoooooooork!" they all said before lunging in and invading the house.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Comments

[Codex92]

7902967 True, their rainbow powers that holds the Elements of Harmony's magical might could have cancelled it, but the Star Rod has been around the Mushroom Kingdom since the dawn of time. It's power might be similar in strength to the six powerful gems in Equestria, but the Star Rod is also a powerful wand that was used by the Star Spirits to grant good wishes. The Mane Six's power using harmony and the magic of friendship wouldn't have affected something's power that is also harmonious, regardless of whoever holds it to gain invulnerability from the wand. Plus, since Bowser was still invincible, the Star Spirits' combined power would be the only way the Star Rod's powers can be dispelled as their combined powers equal that to the wand they protect.

[Xanatos Speed Chess]

7903004

Codex92: 1.

Anti-Villain: 0.

[Codex92]

7904661 Well, hopefully it shouldn't. There are other stories on here that have ponies interacting with the story from the series they're in that's crossed over, and those are still up. I can't novelize, which means making the characters ponies while keeping the plot, dialogue, setting, etc. of the show/movie/game the same. I did fine with a Final Fantasy X story, but as soon as a couple chapters from the sequel I was starting out got revoked because of that rule, the first one got hit as well and got revoked with the sequel. I do better with crossovers, but I can't copy the story of a game and make the MLP cast the characters fighting the monsters. It's only allowed if they interact in their world or the crossed over characters end up in Equestria.

Also, please do not say that! I felt like I almost had a heart attack after reading that first sentence! I do not want to lose another story that's a whole lot better than my first original MLP only story and crosses with another of my favorite games I played.

[Odeinoichus]

A few thoughts spring to mind as I continue to read this tale, first of all, how might you decide to handle the 1-up mushroom? After all it is a very real element, sure lives may be limited to video games in a sense, but I've always believed that everything has a place when switching over to prose and seeing Twilight and the girls reacting to the effects of one of them would be hilarious.

I've always wondered if this Star Rod is the same Star Rod from Kirby's world, then again Nintendo is notorious for re-using names and settings. Star Haven was seen in the original Super Mario RPG by Square and this game altered it completely in location and denizens. Though not function.

I'm also curious to know why Rainbow wound up in Shy Guy's Toybox, that place isn't exactly easy to get into and falling out of the sky I'd imagine being dumped into a house in Toad Town would be something that some Adventurous Toad might question and choose to discover the truth about the mysterious light that fell from the sky.

The battles are nice I suppose, the complete and utter lack of Star Points is a necessity I suppose, since even if this is based on an RPG conventional RPG elements shouldn't exist, despite this already being a world populated by living mushrooms and other creatures.

And finally, Mario's constant lack of speech is, an interesting dilemma. It isn't exactly irritating me as of yet, but I reserve the right to grow tired of it, especially if we get as far into the chapters as your Kingdom Hearts cross has gotten. There's only so many times someone can read, Mario explained this or that without any actual words being used in proper dialogue before the novelty starts to wear off. Perhaps as time goes on we could see at least a few whoo hoos and yippees as he's battling his foes, I mean he does it all the time when he jumps in Super Mario 64, Sunshine, Galaxy and the like, it isn't without precedence then. Not saying you should scrap what you're doing, just pointing out the problems of silent protagonists. Or near silent in the case of Mario, as Charles Martinet has done a lot of voice work for him. Just not pages and pages of it.

[Codex92]

7910455 In response to your comments paragraphs:
1. 1-up Mushrooms are known as Life Shrooms in the Paper Mario universe, so there might be one incident where Mario, or anyone else, gets knocked out, or "killed", and gets revived immediately by the Mushroom.

2. The Star Rod's power is used depending on what kind of game features it. For Kirby, it's a wand that keeps the darkness out of Dream Land and used as a weapon that shot stars when swung. In Paper Mario, it grants wishes to anyone who holds it. It's a magic wand with a lot of power, and was probably in the game as an homage to Kirby, since Star Haven kind of looks like the same place where the Star Rod in Kirby's world looked like

3. Well, I couldn't put Rainbow or anyone else in Shiver City or Starborn Valley. The second to last chapter where all the Mane Six are reunited didn't seem right to me, but maybe it could be better since Shy Guy's Toy Box isn't relatively safe. Meh. I'm putting in a friendly Shy Guy who is not Gourmet Guy. You give him cake just to move out of the way or get information from him. He's more of a roadblock than a friend.

4. Whether it's an RPG or not, it's fictional. Anything can be a character if it has a face and a personality. It can be a tree, or a piece of grass, or even the air. And I don't implement RPG terms and statistics in a story since the numbers don't matter; the action does.

5. I can see what you mean about silent protagonists, especially in writing. I was thinking of giving Mario dialogue, but since he was mute in Paper Mario, until Thousand Year Door where we hear his whooping and jumping or hammering grunts, he is unfortunately going to remain silent and "explain" or "speak" to the others about a certain topic. Believe me, it bothers me not to have someone who's a silent protagonist be given lines of dialogue to speak, but I'm doing it this way because I'm insane. Bear with the random non-words Mario will say as this story continues, though because I'm usually working on either this one or my KH crossover, updates are going to be random due to that and life stuff. But, you like the story, and that's good enough for me.

[Odeinoichus]

7913497

All very good points, and fair enough. It could be worse I suppose, it could be The Legend of Zelda, I don't know about you, but if I had a choice between Yahhh! Ahhhh!, UMPH! Link and Excuse me Princess Link I'd stick to silence as the mainstay as well.

I do find this one and the Kingdom Hearts one quite enjoyable for different reasons. It's rare to see anybody writing competent crossover fiction with video games that aren't stupid FNAF crosses or the like. The lighthearted stuff is my go too gaming choices, I can enjoy the occasional Mortal Kombat or Resident Evil, but I draw the line at some of the more outlandish ideas coming out of developers these days. Arkham is a decent enough game series though and I'm glad I picked up the first two titles in the series.

[Codex92]

7914379 That actually would get annoying. Better to just describe what a silent protagonist says or does when they yell or grunt in pain from a hit instead of making it their dialogue and repeating it over and over, as if you need to constantly copy-paste that same line.

I seem to have more likes when I'm making video game crossovers rather than anything original I make. I'm not sure if you can find it on here since it and a sequel for it were revoked because I novelized them, but if you see Pony Fantasy X, that was a good one for a while. The first one was fine, and it's completed, but Pony Fantasy X-2, as soon as the second chapter was up, a moderator revoked both of them because of that copyright rule. Can't exactly resubmit it, or else I'll end up getting a strike...I think it was a warning...I am unsure. If you do see it, either on my user page or somewhere in the search bar with the title, give that a read if you want. Sucks they got shot down when I was getting into making the sequel, but I've seen a few crossover stories where they pretty much followed the same thing I did; the main characters as MLP characters while keeping the world and story of the crossover they're in, making some changes or adding something to make them entertaining or interesting.

Rules! Hate them, even though they are needed!

[JediAlexColbent]

"It looks like the Star Rod follows certain rules of wishes it grants, and thank goodness it doesn't grant anything involving messing with free will." Peach was slightly relieved at the failed wish granting, worried that it would have actually granted his wish.

Ah, it seems like the same rules of wishes granted by genies also applies to the Star Rod. For those in need of a refresher course, here's one explained by one of the greatest comedians of the modern era. Start at 0:14

[StarzGecko]

It's very rare to find a cross over story that really balances between the MLP and the world that they are in. I loved the Paper Mario games but I never got to play the first one, which I'll be sure to get soon, I loved how even though the M6 are in the story they don't change the original that much but add more and improve, I might say, it.

Your writing of characters is spot on and from the other crossovers I read, which very few I actually like, this has to be in Quality like the Godzilla story: The Bridge

Which that guy did amazing job of not over lapping characters and had great developments of the characters and the balance between the crossover.

I'm really enjoying this, and I hope that game elements from Paper Mario are more present in the story since in most crossovers the writers either forget them or over look them that they become forgotten sometimes...

Only problem I have is that I keep forgetting this is Paper Mario, and when reading this story... it doesn't seem like Paper Mario. Be sure to keep an eye on your writing to be sure that this is Paper Mario and not a normal 3D mario game.

[LucarioFan2066]

"A Lucky Star pendant. Wow, how'd you get something like that?" Twink asked as he held onto the pendant tightly.

"It was a little gift I got when I was little. I held onto it ever since," she said

And yet it's never mentioned in The Thousand-Year Door, despite Action Commands also existing in that game.

Or Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, but that game was made after Paper Mario started becoming hugely underwhelming (which, of course, started with Sticker Star, not Super; I love Super Paper Mario. My favourite of the lot, it is - fantastic story, only a very small usage of Peach (including only one, very short, Peach-only segment), the best worlds I've ever encountered in a Mario game, wonderful characters (ah...Count Bleck...you have such a tragic past, and I love how it's expanded upon throughout the game; Dimentio and O'Chunks are also great fun), and combat is so much easier now that it's (mostly) a 2D platformer), and thus doesn't really count - heck, where's Kammy Koopa? Or references to Paper Mario's old partners? Sure, Kammy vanished into the ether between TTYD and Super (a generic Magikoopa's at Bowser's side in the intro cutscene), but there were cards depicting Koops, General Bobbery, Yoshi Kid, Lakilester, Parakarry, etc.

[SammyLawrence]

Fun fact: I made the goomba bros sound like Hyp and Nod from Land Before Time and the goomba king sound like mr. Potato head