• Published 25th Dec 2012
  • 6,852 Views, 552 Comments

Paper Mario: The Land of Harmony - Blade Squall



Mario & friends travel to Equestria for a vacation. Unfortunately, bad stuff happens. Now, Mario, Spike, and six new heroes have to save the Elements of Harmony... and Peach. Oh, and everything's made of paper. Have fun!

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Prologue Part 2

-MARIO-

Ponyville

Mario, Spike, and Goombella walked through the town, heading through the town square. Goombella and Spike took turns telling Mario about the town, its citizens, and its traditions. To find out that Granny Smith’s actions led to the founding of Ponyville was quite enlightening. She no doubt knew everything that was needed to know about the town, so Mario would have to come back to her, later.

Suddenly, Spike stopped, gasping in shock before letting loose a brimstone smelling burp. From the burp, a scroll with Princess Celestia’s royal seal- a sun- appeared. Mario and Goombella blinked in surprise at the display while Spike caught it.

“…So do you think that’s how Gloomtail and Hooktail wrote to each other for over a millennium?” Goombella whispered. “Because if so, gross.”

Spike grinned, “I knew Princess Celestia would respond right away!” With that, he tore open the seal, and began reading the letter aloud. But to his surprise, Spike saw that it wasn't to him... or by Celestia, for that matter.

Dear Mario,

I’m glad to hear that you are okay. Princess Celestia is writing this, and I hope you get this well. Anyways, do not worry about me, Luigi, Daisy, Yoshi, Toad, Toadsworth, or Toadette. We are safe and sound in Canterlot with Princesses Celestia and Luna.

However, you will need to know that you are not able to enter Canterlot, right now. The Colts of Nocturne have imprisoned us inside the city using dark magic. I’d love to be by your side in order to save Twilight Sparkle and her friends like we were during the incident with the Chaos Heart, but as long as we are sealed inside Canterlot, I can’t be there for you. But we’ll attempt to help you out from here.

Anyways, Princess Celestia wants me to inform you of something… it is doubtful Sirius has the Elements. It’s quite possible that whatever happened right before the town was sealed that the Elements of Harmony scattered throughout Equestria due to one of Twilight’s spells preventing him from getting the Elements. If that is the case, then you MUST get to the Elements of Harmony before the Colts of Nocturne do! It is the first step to saving Twilight and her friends, as well as Equestria before disharmony takes over the land.

We will try to figure out if Sirius left any clues of his plans, as well as finding a way to discover where he’s holding them. Again, Mario, I must stress my desire for you and Spike to be careful. The fate of Equestria rests with the two of you.

Yours truly,

Princess Peach

Spike looked up at Mario, who had a relieved look on his face. “Peach is okay,” the plumber said aloud. “She’s not kidnapped this time around, just stuck in Canterlot… that’s better than usual.”

“Well,” Spike nodded, “that’s good to know. Also, it’s good to know that the Elements aren’t with Sirius Nebula. But… where in Equestria did they land?”

Goombella blinked, getting an idea. “Now, we TOTALLY need my notes!” the Goomba archeologist voiced. As Mario and Spike turned to her, Goombella explained, “The Colts of Nocturne attacked Canterlot about two days ago, right?” Mario and Spike nodded. “That light show I mentioned? The one above Canterlot? That was about the exact same day and time of the attack! These two events weren’t mere coincidences, boys! That must have been Twilight Sparkle’s work, scattering the Elements of Harmony throughout the land! If I was right, then the Elements have landed in six particular locations! Locations I theorized as possible landing zones for the Elements and therefore spots we have to investigate in order to stop Sirius Nebula! Score one for the University of Goom graduate and now professional archeologist grad student! GOOOO GOOMBAS!” Breathing a sigh of relief, she voiced, “I hate to pull a Pinkie Pie, but I’m sure there were people who thought putting me in this game to replace both Merlon and Professor Frankly was a bad idea! Showed them!”

Spike and Mario had to applaud Goombella’s mental work. Mario especially… though he was confused by Goombella’s words, the Goomba brought up a huge point. Her little “astrology sighting” was just confirmed by Peach as the most vital piece of news to this mystery. If they found the Elements, then that would at the very least hinder Sirius’ plans. At the very most, though, it would lead them right to the Bearers.

Soon enough, a large shop came into view. It looked like a giant gingerbread house with frosting and a cupcake as an upper level, so Mario found it hard to miss.

“There it is,” Goombella commented. Turning to Mario and Spike, she explained, “Now Mario, the owners of Sugarcube Corner are an easygoing couple. Pinkie Pie, the pink pony who we talked about before? She works and lives here under Mr. and Mrs. Cake, and they treat her like she’s their oldest daughter. They also have twin foals, too, and Pinkie Pie is their babysitter. So, when we go in there, Mario, and we break the news to them… could you do so gently? Last thing anypony needs is poor Mr. Cake having an awful fainting spell and the twins bursting into complete tears.”

“Yeah,” Spike agreed. “We have to handle this with more tact…”

“AAAAAAHH!” a female voice that sounded familiar to Mario screamed. Mario, Spike, and Goombella all looked ahead to see what appeared to be a large, muscular, black furred, shaggy, canine-like creature somewhat bigger than a pony. It had huge forearms with sharp looking claws, and stood on thin hind legs. The creature had an obvious underbite, and what appeared to be a spiked tail. But the clothes it wore- a midnight blue vest with gemstones sticking out of the front pocket, and a black, diamond studded collar with a white, crescent moon shaped gem hanging from it- signaled its allegiance. Two other similar creatures, smaller than it but wearing blue and black armor with full moons painted on them, flanked its sides.

The fact that they were terrorizing Apple Bloom, the two fillies Mario remembered from the picture, and an Earth Pony mare, made it worse. Looking at the mare, Mario spotted that she had magenta fur, for one thing. She also had three smiling flowers on her flank, but they were a far cry from her scared mood. Her mane and tail were striped with two different shades of pink.

“Leave my students alone!” the mare bravely commented, despite her shaking.

“Sorry, lady,” the larger of the three creatures voiced in a deep, gruff tone, signaling that he was male. “I have orders. Lord Sirius fail to get hooves on Elements of Harmony. So, I sent by Commander Night Fortune to find way of getting Bearers to talk. Best way? Take foals close to them! So, I hunt foals close to them! They mention Bearers by name, so they must be close. Now, out of way!”

“Wait,” the white filly questioned. “You know where my sister is? What did you do with Rarity!? Or Twilight!? Where did you take them!?”

“If teacher mare gets out of way, I take you all to them!” the creature snapped. Goombella scowled at this, and ran over.

“Leave Miss Cheerilee, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle alone, UGLY!” the sassy Goomba snapped, jumping up and delivering a nasty Headbonk to one of the smaller creatures.

“A Goomba?” the large creature asked as she jumped away from her Headbonk victim. Mario and Spike ran over, ready to fight.

“Hey,” the orange filly commented, “isn’t that mustached guy the one we fished out when trying for that fishing Cutie Mark?”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom replied to her friend. “He saw what happened to Applejack an’ the others.”

“Wait…” the large creature interrupted. Looking at Mario and Spike, he placed one of his large hands to his chin. “Red clothes… blue overalls… awesome mustache… purple and green baby Dragon… aha!” Pointing to Mario and Spike, he said, “Second part of orders! Commander Night Fortune angry at Lord Sirius for not confirming witnesses’ games ended! Told me to bring back bodies! Well, I bring back bodies!” To his two minions, he snapped, “Dogs, deal with Goomba and teacher. I handle Mustache Man and baby Dragon!” He then howled into the air, before rushing towards Mario and Spike.

With that, the battle started as the large creature swiped at Mario while the other two went for Goombella and Cheerilee. While Goombella dodged her own attacker, she yelled over, “Mario, you and Spike both fell over a waterfall while crunched up. No doubt you’re still hurting a little. Do you need any refreshers for battles?”

“No, I’m good!” Mario replied. Turning to Spike, he asked, “Could you Tattle on him?”

“Oh, right!” Spike nodded. He quickly pulled out a scroll, wrote something down on it, rolled it up, and breathed out a flame, sending it away. Mario raised an eyebrow for it, but Spike inhaled sharply, burping out another scroll in record time. Spike caught it with a professional’s skill.

“Really?” Mario asked while Spike tore open the new scroll. “You’re going to Celestia for this?”

“Mario,” Spike explained without looking at the plumber, “there are a lot of creatures that only Princess Celestia would know. And we know where she is. Besides, I wanted this to look cool. Anyways, that thing is a Diamond Dog. Diamond Dogs are known for being the rivals of Dragons in terms of gem hoarding and treasure hunting. They’re also known for being thieves, pirates, raiders, and slavers. Diamond Dogs can rush us and scratch us with their sharp claws, but can also dig underground and attack that way, so the timing of guarding there is harder. What makes them ever a bigger threat is if we take too long, they can blow a whistle and possibly summon another Diamond Dog to their side. Still, Diamond Dogs are dumb beasts when you get down to it, otherwise they’d summon more instantly.”

“I not dumb!” the Diamond Dog growled before rushing at Spike. The baby Dragon was caught off guard and was hit with a powerful Scratch. Mario quickly got the Diamond Dog’s attention on him by performing his familiar Jump on the creature’s head. The Diamond Dog growled in pain, turning towards the plumber.

Mario managed to guard against the Diamond Dog’s next scratch attack, but he still felt some damage. The Diamond Dog was about to attack again, but Spike jumped up on his head, his tail pointed downwards, repeatedly jabbing the large beast’s head with his tail. Performing a decent Jackhammer Tail pretty well, Spike jumped off of him.

“That’s it!” the Diamond Dog growled. He then jumped up and slammed into the ground claws first before digging into the ground at speeds rivaling a Monty Mole from the Mushroom Kingdom, eventually submerging himself underground. Soon enough though, while Mario was trying to find any trace of his movements, the Diamond Dog popped up, clawing a startled Mario from below before jumping out of his hole.

While Mario was wincing in pain, Spike performed another Jackhammer Tail. Mario ran over, bringing out his Hammer, and whacked the Diamond Dog on the head. This was too much for the Diamond Dog, who collapsed in a heap.

Goombella, Apple Bloom, her friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo walked over, surprised by Mario and Spike’s work. “You still haven’t lost your touch, Mario,” Goombella smiled. “And not bad, either, Spike.”

“Goombella,” Mario asked, “what happened to the other two Diamond Dogs?”

“Oh, those guys?” Goombella asked. “Pfft… piece of cake.” Mario and Spike looked behind the group to see both of the lead Diamond Dog’s grunts dazed on the floor. “This Goomba hasn’t gotten too rusty, either, Mario.”

“Wait,” Goombella’s boss, Cheerilee, voiced, “you know this man, Goombella?”

“Oh yeah,” Goombella remarked. “He’s Mario! We used to travel together. Went after treasures called Crystal Stars, fought an evil army who wanted to take over the world, even did a little wrestling, too. Got a Yoshi friend out of that one.” Looking at the three Cutie Mark Crusaders, she asked, “I taught you all about Yoshis, right Sweetie Belle?”

“Yes, Miss Goombella,” the white filly, Sweetie Belle, voiced. “But I have to ask… what happened on that adventure of yours?”

“Let’s just say your student teacher isn’t an ordinary archeology grad student,” Goombella smirked. The orange filly, Scootaloo, looked at Goombella and Mario.

“Thanks, Miss Goombella,” the orange Pegasus remarked. “That was so cool! Almost like what Daring Do did in her books or Rainbow Dash doing a loopty-loop into a dive for her Sonic Rainboom!”

Mario chose not to question that, and turned to the Diamond Dog leader, who was getting up. “Alright, buddy,” Mario scowled. “Where are Twilight Sparkle and her friends? Or do you want to go a second round?”

The Diamond Dog scowled at that. “Like I tell you that, Mr. Mustache! Or fight again. But you and Dragon both will regret crossing claws with Colts of Nocturne! We meet again later, Mustache Man!” He then pulled out a blue dog whistle, inhaled, and blew into it, causing the two armored Diamond Dogs to jump up and run over to him. “Dogs! We retreat!”

“Yes, Captain Carbon!” one of the two Diamond Dogs obeyed. With that, Carbon and his two minions jumped up and dug a hole, spraying up a mound of dirt from the ground to prevent Mario and Spike from following.

“Great,” Spike groaned. “We couldn’t get anything from that guy. To see Diamond Dogs working with the Colts of Nocturne doesn’t bode well with the rest of Equestria.”

“Are you saying that because you’re a Dragon, or because it’s really bad?” Mario asked.

“I’m saying that because the last time I’ve dealt with Diamond Dogs,” Spike answered, “a gang of them kidnapped Rarity while she and I were doing some gem hunting for one of her dress orders for superstar Sapphire Shores in order to find gems for them. You see, Rarity’s talent involves the ability to sense gems and jewels with her magic, and Diamond Dogs are just as treasure happy as Dragons, so they kidnapped her to make her find gems for them. She got them to let her go, but if she didn’t… I don’t know what would have happened to her. Maybe Lord Sirius has bribed the Diamond Dogs into helping by promising them Rarity and her gem-finding spell?”

“Well, we won’t know that until we find them,” Mario remarked.

“Hold on a second,” Apple Bloom’s voice spoke up. “Spike, you an’ Mr. Mario here are gonna go rescue Applejack an’ everypony?”

“To quote your brother,” Spike answered, “Eeyup.”

“Wait,” Cheerilee voiced, “what happened to Applejack, Twilight, and everypony? What was that Diamond Dog talking about.”

Goombella sighed. “Okay, how about we all go into Sugarcube Corner, and I’ll tell you over lunch. On me.”

“Really, Miss Goombella?” Sweetie Belle asked, a smile on the filly’s face. Goombella nodded before leading the group into the shop. "You're the best student teacher we ever had!"

"She's been your only student teacher, Sweetie Belle," Cheerilee remarked.

---

Sugarcube Corner

“WHAT!?” two new voices yelled. Inside the shop, Mario, Goombella, Spike, Cheerilee, and the three fillies sat down at a booth table inside the shop, where each of them took turns breaking the news to Cheerilee, and by accident the owning couple of Sugarcube Corner.

Both of them were Earth Ponies, the first thing Mario noticed about them. The stallion was on the lanky side compared to the buff Big Macintosh, and had yellow fur a darker shade than Fluttershy’s pastel yellow with orange freckles. His orange mane stuck out from beneath his red and white hat that reminded Mario of an ice cream truck driver’s cap. His other accessories, a white apron and a red and white bow tie, symbolized his status as a baker. His mark was three slices of carrot cake, which fit with his name, Carrot Cake.

As for the mare, she was plumper than any of the Bearers, from what Mario could tell. Her fur was a very light blue, for one. Her mane and tail were a swirl of two different shades of pink. She was wearing a pair of pink pearl shaped earrings, and a yellow apron with pink frills. Her mark was a trio of cupcakes, which also was similar to her name, Cup Cake.

“Just as Mario got through explaining,” Goombella gently told them. “Some jerks ambushed the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony- Pinkie Pie included- and kidnapped them. Mario and Spike tried to stop their leader, but… well, they got beaten, and Canterlot is sealed, so nobody can get in or out. It’s pointless to head to Canterlot to stage a rescue with that dark magic barrier in the way.”

“So THAT’S why you guys were balled up and why none of the trains can get to Canterlot,” Scootaloo remarked. “Wow. Sometimes, it just really stinks being paper, huh? Not everypony could survive being balled up and thrown into the river all the way from Canterlot.”

“Good thing you guys were there, huh?” Spike smiled. Turning to Mr. and Mrs. Cake, Spike calmly said, “So, unfortunately, Pinkie Pie’s been kidnapped… but don’t worry! Mario and I will save her and everypony else!”

Cup Cake and Carrot Cake looked at each other, eyes watering. Mario could tell they wanted so desperately to not believe him. To think this was some kind of joke Pinkie Pie was pulling and she would kick open the door to Sugarcube Corner with her best friends at her heels, say, "gotcha", and then throw a party for the sake of thowing a party. At least, that's the impression Mario got from Pinkie during his brief time in Canterlot. However, seeing that Pinkie Pie has been gone without warning for over forty-eight hours and none of her friends with the exception of Spike was able to refute that claim, the two had to assume the worst. That Spike and some mustached, red-capped human plumber was telling the truth. Pinkie Pie was nowhere to be found.

However, Spike's optimism and promise of Pinkie's rescue relieved them a bit.

"I hope so, dearie,” Cup Cake voiced. “Pinkie’s been like a daughter to us before Pumpkin and Pound Cake came along… and she’s their favorite pony besides us.” She turned to her husband, who nervously rubbed his hoof on the ground.

“I hope we can be gentle breaking it to the two,” Carrot Cake voiced. “Those two will be devastated to see the pony who is practically their older sister gone. And Pinkie's been working at the bakery and acting like a daughter for so many years, now... I can't imagine life without her around.” Looking at Mario, he asked, “There has to be something we can do to help you, Mr. Mario….”

“Uh, thanks,” Mario answered. “But you guys don’t have to do anything for me… I’m used to running around doing adventures like this.”

“Oh, I insist, dearie,” Cup Cake responded, her eyes watering. “Give us time to think of something, please.” Turning back to her husband, she said, “I hope Pinkie Pie and her friends are okay. They go on adventures almost all of the time, but never once did the possibility of them being kidnapped come up. There has to be some way to find them.”

“Yeah, speaking of that,” Goombella interjected. Turning to Cheerilee, she requested, “I know we were supposed to meet here to talk lesson plans, but... you see, that light show we saw over Canterlot the other day wasn’t a light show, Cheerilee. It was the scattering of the Elements of Harmony. Princess Celestia said so herself. I kind of need the notes of those possible crash sites if I’m going to help Mario get to the Elements before the Colts of Nocturne do and perform whatever they need Twilight and her friends for.”

“Oh, those?” Cheerilee recalled. She pulled a set of documents out from her person, and gave them to Goombella. “If you’re sure, Goombella…” Goombella started scanning the document, eager to find something. Perhaps even the locations of one of the Elements of Harmony, if they were lucky.

“Aha!” the Goomba said after a few moments of reading. Looking at Mario, she requested, “Do you have a Map of Equestria?” Mario pulled out his map that Peach had given him on the ride over, and handed it to Goombella. “Now, Mario, know that these locations are based off of what I saw that night and are only in theory. That’s one thing. The other, though, is that if my calculations are right, then the closest Element of Harmony to our known location is in the San Palomino Desert, which is near the desert town of Appleloosa to the south of here. I’ll mark it on your map.”

Mario looked at the map, glad that it was labeled. He saw right away that Ponyville and Canterlot were two of the most central parts of Equestria. He looked towards the south, spotting a quaint little western town labeled “Appleloosa” and the San Palomino Desert being to the west of that, circled in red. Mario sighed.

“Well, it’s no grasslands, but at least we’re not starting with an ice world,” Mario commented. “Spike, Goombella, we better get ready to go.”

“Um, Mario…” Goombella interjected. “Under normal circumstances, I’d be HONORED to go traveling with you again. However… I have to stay here and work with Miss Cheerilee, as well as work on my notes in case I miscalculated.”

“Are you saying that because you mean it,” Mario raised an eyebrow, “or are you saying that to get out of going traveling?”

“Mostly because I mean it,” Goombella confessed. “However, the part where last time we worked together ultimately cumulated in us facing an evil, thousand-year-old demon soul that possessed Princess Peach’s body and the treasure we were looking for turned out to be a Dried Shroom DOES come to mind when you bring it up.”

At this, Cheerilee, Carrot Cake, and Cup Cake all looked at each other, and back at the Goomba. Cup Cake spoke for them all when she said, “What.”

“It’s a long story,” Mario commented. Turning back to his old friend, Mario sighed, “It’s not going to be the same without you around, Goombella. You were always the smartest of the group when Ms. Mouz wasn’t around.”

“Hey,” the Goomba smirked. “Just because I’m not going out into the field anymore doesn’t mean I’m not helping you out. I’m just helping out from here. Anyways, I’d say the fastest way to Appleloosa would be by train, so let's get you boys train tickets.”

“Ah hate to be the bearer o’ bad news, Miss Goombella,” Apple Bloom announced, “but the mail pony delivered Granny Smith a letter from mah cousin Braeburn, who lives in Appleloosa. He told us the train station in Appleloosa needs repairs, an’ no trains are goin’ to an’ from Appleloosa fer a while. Mario an’ Spike can’t get to Appleloosa that way….”

“Ugh, great,” Goombella groaned. “Why is it that when we need to get someplace, something ALWAYS comes up forcing us to improvise? Well, does anybody have a Plan B?”

Spike and Mario began thinking, but neither came up with anything for a few moments. How could they get to Appleloosa? No doubt the Colts of Nocturne already had a head start on the hunt, even though according to that Diamond Dog Carbon, they had nothing. That was a good sign in their favor as Mario’s group had the biggest lead while the Colts of Nocturne were lost.

“If I may present a solution, then perhaps it might end your confusion,” a female voice spoke up in rhyme. Mario looked up from his table and saw what had to be the strangest looking citizen of Ponyville yet. For starters, it probably was because of the fact that she wasn’t a pony, but a pony-sized ZEBRA. Almost everywhere on the Zebra was either black or white. The only parts that weren’t were the golden jewelry that she wore around her ears, neck, and front left leg. She two had a mark on her flank: a black sun that was in a swirl pattern with triangles.

“Oh howdy, Zecora!” Apple Bloom spoke up. “What brings ya’ll here from the Everfree Forest?”

“I come seeking Twilight Sparkle to discuss a vision I had over tea,” Zecora explained. “However, she is gone, I see. And if my ears to your tale ring true, Spike and Mario here are planning a rescue?”

“So, you heard all of that?” Mario voiced. “And you know Twilight Sparkle and her friends?”

“But of course I know the six,” Zecora answered. “They have saved Ponyville from many a fix. But even heroes will at times need aid. It’s time for heroic deeds to be paid.” Turning towards the door, Zecora instructed, “If you need to head south to begin your quest, then a trip to the Everfree Forest would be best.”

With that, Zecora walked out, leaving the group to silence. Mr. and Mrs. Cake left the group alone, not even bothering to leave a bill due to their worry over Pinkie Pie and her friends. Mario and the others looked at each other, confused for a moment… until Spike remembered something.

“I’m an IDIOT,” the baby Dragon voiced aloud, placing his claw to his head. “Apple Bloom, didn’t Pinkie Pie and Applejack say there was a Green Pipe that took them from the Everfree Forest to near Appleloosa?”

The yellow filly seemed to recall this right away. “Oh, yeah! That there Pipe they were talking about just popped up from nowhere in the Forest! But then again, the Everfree Forest was always weird, so it could’ve always been there.”

“That Green Pipe you guys are talking about wouldn’t happen to be a Warp Pipe, would it?” Mario interjected. When the group looked at him, the plumber explained, “Back in the Mushroom Kingdom, Warp Pipes are used for travel all of the time. I’ve used them a lot during my adventures.”

“You really sound experienced, Mr. Mario,” Cheerilee complimented. “But then again, you and Goombella have been traveling before. Now, even with experience in adventuring, I wouldn’t recommend anypony willingly going into the Everfree Forest. However, seeing as Appleloosa’s train station is down, I’m afraid you don’t have much of a choice and going there. I just wish you and Spike the best.”

“Great,” Spike groaned, his confidence drooping. “In order to start our adventure, we have to go into the spooky Everfree Forest where the plants grow, the weather moves, and the animals take care of themselves.”

“That actually sounds normal to the Mushroom Kingdom,” Mario voiced with a smile. “I’m pretty sure we’ll be fine-”

“And its monster filled, too. I’ve heard a rumor that a rough gang of Goombas moved into the Everfree Forest, Headbonking everything that moves and stealing ponies’ money. And if we go deeper in, we’ll no doubt run into worse things… Parasprites, Manticores, Timberwolves, Ursa Minors… Hydras.” Mario’s smile turned into a frown. He didn’t know what Parasprites, Timberwolves, or Ursa Minors were, but he’d rather not find out if he didn’t have to.

“Well,” Mario shrugged, “like it or not, we need to find that Warp Pipe. Which way is the Everfree Forest?”

“The closet entrance should be south of the town square near Fluttershy’s cottage,” Spike voiced in a bitter tone. “With all of the animals Fluttershy has living there, it’s impossible to miss. No doubt those critters she has are in a fuss.”

“We’ll feed them,” Scootaloo volunteered. “We’ll even show you the way.”

“Thank you, girls,” Mario nodded, appreciative. “Well, let’s head out, Spike.”

“Hold on, Mario,” Goombella interrupted. “I have something from my travels that will help you out a lot more than it will me.” With that, she pulled out a silver, spiked, Hammer-looking Badge- Power Smash. “I thought of you when I found this, which was why I wrote that letter in the first place. You can have it.”

“Thanks, Goombella,” Mario nodded, taking the Badge. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle looked at the Badge, curious.

“What is that thing?” Apple Bloom asked, looking at the Badge. “Some type of removable Cutie Mark?”

“Well,” Goombella explained in the tone of a teacher, “what I’ve given Mario is called a ‘Badge’. Badges where we’re from are equipable items that can grant their wearers amazing power. Some boost certain stats like your Attack Power or Heart Points (HP), while others grant you abilities like new moves. The Badge I just gave Mario, Power Smash, gives him a stronger Hammer attack. But one can’t simply use every single Badge they pick up, no. Most Badges require a certain amount of Badge Points, or BP, to wear.”

“Wow,” Sweetie Belle commented. “Badges sound so amazing.” Turning to her fellow Crusaders, she announced, “I have a new idea for us to try. We’re going to have to go to Rarity’s place for it to work… and maybe we can repay Mario and Spike! But first, Fluttershy’s cottage. Come on, Mario!” With that, Mario and Spike headed out after the Cutie Mark Crusaders, leaving Goombella and Cheerilee.

“Hey Goombella,” Cheerilee asked aloud. “Do you think Mario and Spike can save Twilight Sparkle and her friends?”

“If anyone can,” Goombella smiled, knowing Mario and his greatness, “it’s Mario. He’s saved the world on many occasions. It wouldn’t be above him to save even fellow heroes.”

---

Ponyville

The Cutie Mark Crusaders led Mario towards a quaint looking cottage, where several animals of various kinds- from bunny rabbits, particularly a white rabbit that eyed Mario carefully) to beavers to bats to falcons to eagles to even a giant bear, Fluttershy had it in her garden. Mario was impressed that such a timid pony could have all of these animals.

“Fluttershy is really good with animals,” Apple Bloom complimented the Pegasus despite her presence being who knows where. “She cares fer almost type o’ critter ya can imagine. Ah still don’t know why a timid pony would live this close to the Everfree Forest, though.”

Mario, upon the mentioning of the forest, could hear Spike gulping in slight fear, and turned towards the obvious entrance to the forest. Now, Mario had seen his fair share of freaky in his life. Heck, he successfully navigated the twisted tree lines of the Forever Forest near Toad Town, and that place went out of its way to get you lost. However, there was something… strange about the forest. It left a weird, indescribable taste in his mouth just by staring at it. He silently prayed that their walk was short and there wasn’t anything worse than Goombas between him and the Pipe to Appleloosa.

“Anyways,” Sweetie Belle announced while spreading some animal feed for the hungry animals, which they comically tore into, “this is as far as Mom and Dad will allow me to go without adult supervision.”

“Ah sure wish we o’ the Cutie Mark Crusaders could help more,” Apple Bloom said in a slightly depressed tone. “But… Ah guess Granny Smith an’ Big Macintosh wouldn’t want me running around an’ causin’ trouble. Spike, Ah’m countin’ on ya.”

“Spike,” Sweetie Belle questioned, “can you and Mr. Mario promise me that you’ll bring Rarity and everypony back safe and sound?”

“Of course,” Mario nodded.

“Cross my heart and hope to fly,” Spike declared with his arms going through a series of motions, “stick a cupcake in my eye.” The three fillies seemed to appreciate the two’s honesty of their intentions, as the smiles on their faces implied.

“Good to hear,” Scootaloo claimed. “Now, I think Zecora’s Hut is where you two should go towards. It’s not that deep in, Mario, and there’s no doubt Zecora has already seen the Pipe you guys mentioned before.”

“Take care, ya’ll!” Apple Bloom smiled.

“We’ll be ready for you guys when you come back!” Sweetie Belle called as she two walked into the Everfree Forest. As soon as the two were out of sight, Sweetie Belle sighed. “Oh Princess Celestia… please make sure Rarity comes home okay… and Spike brings her home.”

“They will, Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo assured her. “Now, what’s this idea that requires Carousel Boutique?”

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Everfree Forest

“I still can’t believe you can stomp on Spiked Goombas without getting hurt, Spike,” Mario voiced after Spike had taken out another Spiked Goomba that chose to attack them. They had not gotten far into the forests when a group of Goombas, thinking the two were pushovers, rushed them. The results of their attack were predictable- Mario and Spike took them down, easy. He hadn’t asked Spike to Tattle on the Goomba family tree, having fought them many times and in many forms before. It was a waste of perfectly good parchment to have him go over them. “I require a Badge for that.”

“Dragons have ridiculously thick scales,” Spike announced, proud of his species. “I’ve been Rarity’s pin cushion a few times, and I still didn’t feel a thing. By the way, is it odd that we can simply talk about this kind of stuff while in battles?”

“You have no idea how often my old teammates and I traded quips while fighting enemies,” Mario remarked, walking away from the KO’d Goombas who gave up a few coins and a Fire Flower. “It kind of made things interesting during the adventuring part.” Looking ahead, Mario spotted another tree that had been converted into a home. Jars and pots hung from the branches of the tree with the help of vines. Both a door and a couple windows were carved into the tree. Two ceremonial masks were also used as exterior decorations.

Standing in front of it, of course, was Zecora.

“It’s about time you arrive,” Zecora greeted them. “We must hurry if we wish to save our mutual friends’ lives.”

“Right,” Mario nodded. “So, uh, Zecora… I take it you know of a strange Green Pipe that leads to Appleloosa?”

“I know of the Pipe that you seek,” Zecora answered. “To get to it, one must not be meek. You must head from here left to a rainbow tree by which foul roars fill the wind. With a press of down, that is where your journey shall begin.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Spike interjected. “Roars plus foul which means stinky equal Timberwolves…”

“Did you forget my young friend, that you are quite the firebrand?” Zecora pointed out. “Timberwolves, need I remind you, are made of wood. By tapping the Timberwolves on the GamePad’s Touch Screen while not in battle, you’ll stun them quite good. You can also burn certain things like plants in your way and it may brighten your day.” Spike and Mario looked at each other, and then at her.

“…What?” Mario asked.

“It must be something Pinkie Pie mentioned to her once,” Spike whispered. “I’ll never for the rest of my life get where Pinkie Pie gets the idea of things like GamePads, Touch Screens, or Y Buttons… next thing you’ll know, you’ll get special Paper Powers for dungeon crawling that you’ll be able to cycle through on some sort of Right Analog Stick or something… but that’s ridiculous. What are we, in a video game? And if we were, who’d want to play as us?”

“I’d rather not think about it,” Mario reasoned. Turning to Zecora, he commented, “Thank you, Zecora. We’ll get out of your mane.”

“Before you go, I have a request,” the Zebra spoke. “I need some help putting a dream to rest.” Zecora pulled out a crude sketch of the strangest looking plant Mario had ever seen. Much of the plant was a bright green with the exception of the pink and red flower on top of it. Mario would have ignored that if the rest of the body wasn’t so weird. The way that the leaves grew off of it resembled a necklace, a skirt, and even a pair of arm. The two roots Mario could see even looked like legs.

“What is that?” Spike asked.

“This, my friends, is known as ‘Florie’s Root’,” Zecora explained. “A powerful weed, and stubborn, to boot.” Zecora then flipped the page, showing a giant version of the Florie’s Root towering over many a Toad and Pony. “My dream showed them growing big and strong… only to grow into giant monsters before long.” As if to prove her point, Zecora’s next picture showed the Florie’s Root now had a sinister expression on its face, hunched over a bunch of scared looking Toads and ponies. The Florie’s Root was also standing in the center of what could only be described as a dead garden. “They root in fertile land, acting supposedly pretty and kind. But they drain the nutrients out of the soil, paying starving plants no mind. Soon they grow into full Flories, eating the land. Then leave nothing but dried plants and sand.”

“I can already imagine the horror the Apple Family would have if they had to deal with these Flories,” Spike voiced.

“Already other places report them spreading across Equestria at an alarming rate. They’ll no doubt take over or destroy the kingdom if we are too late.”

“So,” Mario asked, “what do you want us to do about these giant plant monsters?”

“They are not yet quite large,” Zecora corrected. “But we must act while we are still in charge. Find these weeds, and uproot at least three. Then I request you bring them to me. Florie’s Root is stubborn, but the plant’s skull is not too thick. Fire from Spike or a whack from your Hammer will do the trick.”

“Understood, Zecora,” Spike nodded. “We’ll make sure those Florie’s Roots don’t get to do anything big.” Zecora smiled at the duo before handing Spike the picture of the Florie’s Root.

“Alas, I’ve taken up enough of your time today,” the Zebra apologized. “May good fortune travel your way.” With that, Zecora entered her hut, leaving Mario and Spike alone.

“Well,” Mario commented, “I never thought we’d be recruited to do a bit of gardening to save the world.”

“I’d doubt Zecora about this, too, if I didn’t know her skill with magical herbs, potions, plants, and the works,” Spike voiced. “Zecora’s able to live in the Everfree Forest quite comfortably because she knows it better than anypony else. She knows strange magic and illusions as well. I’ll take her word that these Florie’s Roots are bad news. Things are more than what they appear, here in Equestria.”

“I didn’t doubt her,” Mario reasoned. “I mean, I’ve dealt with plant creatures, before. Piranha Plants, mainly. Sometimes, the rare Amazee Dayzee. I’m just SURPRISED that we now have to add doing a lot of uprooting weeds that look pretty but can GROW in giant monsters if left to their own devices. Anyways, if we see these Florie’s Roots, let’s just take care of them. But right now, we need to get to Appleloosa.”

“Oh right,” Spike commented. “Warp Pipe, left of here, a foul-smelling roar in the wind, near a rainbow tree. Here we go!”

With that, Spike and Mario continued down the path to the left, dealing with more Goombas as they walked. Eventually, though, the two heard a sudden roar, followed by the stench of some of the foulest breath Mario could ever have smelled. While this meant that they were on the right trail, it also meant that they were in Timberwolf territory.

“Spike,” Mario voiced in mild disgust at the creatures’ breath, “did that Item Shop we forgot to stop in sell Tasty Tonics? Because if that’s what a Timberwolf’s roar smells like, I think it might be poisonous.”

“Timberwolves are made of wood,” Spike recalled. “Magically enchanted wood from the Everfree Forest, but wood nonetheless. Their breath just stinks worse than mine. They can’t poison anypony. At least, as far as I know….”

“Okay,” Mario commented. “But when we stop in Appleloosa, we’re stocking up on items. One of them better by Tasty Tonics. Better safe than sorry.” Soon enough, Mario and Spike came across a thick looking set of bushes in the direct path.

“Okay, that’s weird,” Spike remarked. “No way we’re getting through this…” Mario gave Spike a look, causing the Dragon to blush. “Oh, right… my Dragon Fire. Hope Princess Celestia doesn’t get this….” With that, Spike inhaled, and let loose a small plume of fire, which reduced the plants to ashes in an instant. “Well, that was easy.”

The two, after a bit more walking, stood in a simple clearing. They noticed a leafless tree with what appeared to be bat-like creatures hanging off of its branches, fast asleep. Mario would have written them off as Swoopers from the Mushroom Kingdom, but the bats looked… weird. One thing that was off about them was the various colors of the rainbow the bats were. Also, part of their bodies resembled some sort of fruit that was related to each color- a strawberry, an orange, a lemon, a lime, a blueberry, and a grape. It certainly made the tree look like a rainbow.

“Those are Fruit Bats,” Spike said, clearly using his Tattle. “They’re adorable and normally wouldn’t try to attack you, but don’t come near them with a fruit item on your person. They can sense fruit, and go crazy trying to take it. Not to mention where they are, we can’t reach them, anyways. Besides, we’re not here for them.” Pointing to the green Warp Pipe sticking out of the ground next to the tree, Spike continued, “We’re here for that.”

“Yes, we are,” the plumber agreed. Tiptoeing so not to disturb the Fruit Bats, the two slowly approached the Warp Pipe. Once Mario was in jumping distance, he crouched, ready to jump-

“ROOOOOOOAAAARRRR!”

The Fruit Bats immediately woke up, and began frantically flying around before heading towards the air, scattering away. Mario and Spike looked at each other, surprised by the turn of events… before a foul stench hit their noses.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Spike groaned. Soon enough, three wolf-like creatures jumped out of the bushes. Mario noticed right away that the three wolves looked entirely to be made of wood and leaves, even the sharp claws and fangs.

“So,” Mario asked aloud, despite it being a rhetorical question, “are those the-”

“Timberwolves?” Spike interrupted, having already used his Tattle. “Yes. As their name implies, they’re wolves made entirely of wood. Yet ponies naturally fear wolves, and Timberwolves are known to be deadly. They can rush us with either a fierce bite or pounce. What makes them really worse is they can rebuild themselves after a while if they fall in battle, so you have to take them all down at once or destroy the wood permanently. It makes sense since they can be taken down easily due to their low stamina.”

“Oh boy,” Mario groaned. He didn’t know what to do. But then he remembered something. He still had the Fire Flower from earlier. “Hey, Spike… wanna see how a Fire Flower works?”

“Um, not sure how that will help us, but okay…”

Mario dug a hole in the ground, and planted the aforementioned plant. The Fire Flower seemed to spring to life, and spewed out flames, hitting all three Timberwolves, reducing their bodies to piles of singed wood, green mist floating up from their remains. Spike stood in awe while Mario wiped his forehead free of sweat caused by the tension of the Timberwolf attack.

“Well, that was rather anti-climatic,” Mario voiced. “It's a good thing those Goombas dropped a Fire Flower earlier.”

“That was amazing, Mario!” Spike cheered. “The Mushroom Kingdom must have some awesome stuff! One day, I’ve got to visit it!”

“We’ll see if we can arrange that AFTER we’re done with rescuing your friends,” Mario replied. “For now, we better get down the Warp Pipe before more Timberwolves or something worse show up. Follow me, Spike.” With that, Mario jumped down the Warp Pipe, Spike following him down it.

While the two began their adventure, the wooden parts of the Timberwolves that still remained began to twitch, a green magical aura surrounding them....

Author's Note:

And thus, the end of the Prologue! Right before the end of 2012!

Anyways, time for talking about stuff.

1) Introducing Goombella's boss, Miss Cheerilee! Cheerilee seems to be among the smartest character in Ponyville and one of the most care-taking of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She'll be helping Goombella with her research into the Elements, their locations, and all sorts of things Mario and Spike (as well as their future party members) will need in their quest.

Also introducing our first enemy Mario has to face- Carbon, a Diamond Dog. You see, Diamond Dogs are pretty cool foes, if one thinks so, and Carbon's the field captain of many of the Colts of Nocturne. He's honestly the second-to-last elite member of Sirius' inner circle I came up with in the planning stages of this story... heck, anybody who's a villain came after Arctic. With the exception of Sirius (and maybe Arctic), he's greatly underappreciated by many of his non Diamond Dog cultists. I almost feel bad for him.

Next, Carrot and Cup Cake! These two are really too nice for what happened to Pinkie Pie, who is way too nice of a pony to have been kidnapped. Somepony give these two a hug. Me being a massive jerk to these two, aside, I just want to show some genuine reactions to what has occurred. Of course, I'm assuming Apple Bloom has already told the other two Crusaders about the development, and they've already gotten their tears out so they could go rescue the Mane Six... only they can't. Anyways, the Cakes, in the game, will also be a similar help to Mario like a certain pair of Toads and a Flipside cook were...

Zecora. Well, we had to go to the Everfree Forest sometime in this story. I mean, I've practically all but said, "Appleloosa is going to be Chapter 1 and we have to go to the Pipe that started it all". I hope I have Zecora's rhyming thing right. Her dialogue is fun to listen to, hard to write for. Anyways, Zecora will serve a familiar role to those who played older Paper Mario games, especially with her sidequest she sends Mario on.

2) Ah, the Everfree Forest. Another popular site within the show. And a downright creepy place given the show's nature. It's only natural that we go here for the reason I've just mentioned in the previous paragraph.

3) So, our all-new Tattle ability? Spike gets Princess Celestia to help him out. A bit impractical, yes, but it's cool. And yeah, Spike's Tattles will get snarky when they count.

So, you're probably wondering: Why Appleloosa first? Well, to be honest, I wanted a bit of a change-up from the traditional first level style. Rather than another grass level, we have a western. Western with some desert exploration. I always had an appreciation of westerns and pirates. Also, Appleloosa is a somewhat closer location to Ponyville that Mario can reach and is more familiar. So, I'll give you a chance to guess who the first partner's species is. Here's a hint: "Though you may let it go, it will always come back to you."

So, the Florie's Root sidequest? Please refer yourself to G1 episode "Fugitive Flowers", and you'll understand just WHY Zecora is requesting Mario and Spike uproot these plants and calls them weeds. Listen to the witch doctor whose actions have saved many a life, guys! Also, Zecora's first appearance on this show came with a similar lesson the Flories episode in G1- the "don't judge a book by it's cover" lesson. Flories look nice, but are pure evil. Anyways, I wanted to reference G1 somehow, and since Tirek, the main antagonist of G1 is playing "Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Story", I figured I'd reference another group of villains that I'm a bit more familar with. That being said, the Flories will be the only G1 Villains that I intentionally reference.

Finally, the anti-climax against the Timberwolves? Did the recent episode "Spike at Your Service" not just show how big glass cannons the Timberwolves are? Seriously, when it comes to taking hits, Goombas are better than them! Gameplay wise, Timberwolves would only have 1 HP, but make up for it by being multiple wolves a group, can reconstruct themselves, and have 3 Attack. In short, they're MUCH weaker Dry Bones. They look touch, but are easy with Items. A Fire Flower or a Pow Block tears them apart. Don't worry. Mario will be using his Power Smash Badge, soon.

So, have a Happy New Year!