A Strange Punishment

Chapter One: A Strange Punishment

Ludwig von Koopa, eldest of the Koopalings of Darkland, woke up with a pounding headache, one that could only have been achieved by a short fat plumber repeatedly jumping on it. Rubbing his forehead, he took in his surroundings. He was back in the dungeons of his father's castle, and that could only mean one thing.

He had failed to defeat the Mario Brothers again.

He was not alone in his cell; his siblings were all there as well, all but one. All of them sported bruises and black eyes, all signs that they had had similar luck against the accursed plumbers. But Bowser Jr. was nowhere to be seen, and Ludwig knew why.

It had all started when that witch possessed their father. Bowser, King of the Koopas, possessed by some crazy witch from the Bean Bean Kingdom! It was almost impossible to imagine, but it was the truth. Cackletta, Ludwig believed she was called. Under her new guise, she had invaded the Royal Castle and captured Junior, holding him hostage as she consolidated her power. She had ordered the Koopalings to stop Mario and Luigi from entering the castle or else they and Junior would all pay.

And they had failed.

Lemmy, the second oldest, and yet also the smallest, voiced what was on all their minds. "W-what's gonna happen to Junior?"

"I haven't thought of that yet," a new voice suddenly cackled. "You lot, on the other hand…"

Everyone stumbled to their feet and glared at their possessed father as he/she stood outside their cage, sneering in disappointment. "The task I gave you was simple, so very simple," Bowletta spoke, crossing her arms. "And you FAILED. Your father would be ashamed of you as well."

"You don't know a damned thing about our father!" Ludwig roared.

"I DID NOT GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO SPEAK!" Bowletta bellowed, her voice shaking the foundations of the entire castle.

The Koopalings instinctively shrunk back, causing Bowletta to smirk. "That's better. Thanks to your blundered efforts, the Mario Brothers are now making their way through my castle."

The Koopalings collectively growled at this.

"Which means I'll have to deal with your little brother later," Bowletta continued. "But I still have time to deal with all of you. Hmm…I think eternal banishment is a worthy punishment, do you not agree?"

"Oh yeah?" Roy snapped. "What makes you think anything's stoppin' us from comin' back?!"

Bowletta's toothy grin widened. "The fact that not even you fools can travel across dimensions."

"Wait, what?" Larry gaped.

"Dimensions," Iggy explained. "You know, other worlds in other planes of existence…"

"Yes, Iggy, I KNOW what she meant!" Larry snapped.

Bowletta laughed. "Yes! I shall banish you from this dimension, leaving you stranded in another from which there can be no return! You shall never see your father or your little brother ever again!"

Ludwig put himself between Bowletta and his siblings, shakily pulling his trusty wand out of his shell. "Not if I can help it," he growled, swaying on his feet from his injuries.

Bowletta rolled her eyes. "One, you can barely stand, two, my magic is far superior to yours. You can do nothing. Farewell, Koopalings!"

Ludwig waved his wand, attempting to conjure a shield around himself and the rest of the Koopalings. However, Bowletta's spell washed right over him, consuming himself and his kin in a blinding white light.

XXXXXX

Ludwig remembered falling. Falling through an endless abyss of white alongside his brothers and sister.

Is this…how it ends? Ludwig thought to himself as his vision started to darken. Father…I…I failed you. I failed everyone. I couldn't protect them. I'm sorry…

All of a sudden, the white void slowly dissolved, revealing a town of some kind directly underneath the falling Koopalings. His last thoughts before he and the others crashed painfully to the ground was how this was probably going to hurt.

It did. A lot. With that, Ludwig lost consciousness.

XXXXXX

By now, the townsfolk of Ponyville, Equestria had gotten used to weird stuff happening in the town. Even without Discord's influence, Ponyville could easily be called the Chaos Capital of Equestria.

But this was just ridiculous.

Twilight Sparkle wasn't exactly sure what had happened. All she knew was that some weird portal had opened up in the sky directly over the town square and unceremoniously dumped seven strange turtle-like creatures onto the ground. Naturally several of the townsponies had panicked and fled to their homes, while others with slightly more backbone took a number of steps back and nervously watched the scene. Twilight, however, gasped in shock when she noticed that, not only were they unconscious, they were injured too.

Taking charge of the situation, Twilight said, "Somepony, get Nurse Redheart! These creatures are wounded!"

A gray pegasus with misaligned eyes saluted before flying off towards the Ponyville Hospital. As she waited, Twilight edged closer to inspect the creatures in closer detail. One had a full head of blue hair parted down the middle, a spiked blue shell, and a sharp buck tooth. Another had pink scales and a purple shell, and its eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. Another was black-scaled with a star-shaped birthmark on his face, thick eyebrows, and three strands of black hair poking out of the top of his head. A very small one had a rainbow Mohawk with a yellow ponytail and an orange shell. Another, apparently female, wore a pink bow with white polka-dots, as well as pink high-heeled shoes, pink lipstick, two large gold bracelets, and a pink shell. One had a blue Mohawk, a blue star tattoo on each side of his forehead, and a blue shell. The last one wore large round glasses and had green hair that stood up like a stalk of broccoli and a green shell. And all of them looked like they had been in a fight recently, one they had clearly lost.

"What are you?" Twilight whispered to herself as she inspected the strange visitors.

Soon Nurse Redheart arrived alongside six nurses, each bringing along a stretcher. "Is that them?" she asked, indicating the pile of unconscious turtle-beasts.

Twilight nodded. "They just fell out of the sky like that. That's all I know."

Redheart nodded. "We'll take it from here."

The unicorn nurses slowly lifted each creature onto a stretcher and carted them off in a hurried procession towards the hospital. Meanwhile, Twilight hurried off to tell her friends and write a letter to the princesses about this odd turn of events.

XXXXXX

Ponyville Hospital, several hours later…

When next Ludwig awoke, to his surprise he found himself in a soft bed in what appeared to be a hospital room. The next thing he noticed was that all of his injuries had been bandaged up and he didn't feel a thing. But that still did not answer the question of where he was, or where his siblings were.

But before the eldest Koopaling could get out of bed to go investigate matters, something entered the room that made Ludwig stop in surprise.

"Oh good, you're awake," the equine creature, dressed in a nurse's outfit, greeted in a decidedly-female voice. "How are you feeling?"

Ludwig blinked several times in order to assure himself that was he was seeing was real. "Are you…are you a unicorn?" he managed to utter.

The unicorn in question frowned. "I am. That isn't a problem, is it?"

"You mean, other than the fact I and my brothers and sister were all brought up believing unicorns to be myths and fairytales?" Ludwig responded.

The unicorn nurse quirked an eyebrow. "I can assure you, I'm no fairytale."

Ludwig snorted. "Clearly. I can usually tell if I'm suffering hallucinations, and I doubt Mario stomped on my head hard enough to elicit them."

"Mario? Who is this 'Mario'?" the unicorn asked.

Ludwig was surprised. "You've never heard of the famous Super Mario Brothers?"

The nurse shook her head. "No, can't say I have."

Then something occurred to Ludwig. Wait…didn't that old crone say she was going to banish us to another dimension entirely? That would explain all of…this.

"Ah, before I answer that," Ludwig spoke, clearing his throat, "I need to know how my siblings are faring."

The unicorn nurse smiled. "They're doing just fine. They're recovering in separate rooms, and you're the first one to wake, that I know of. I'm sorry, this completely slipped my mind, but I haven't caught your name. Mine's Nurse Greyheart."

Ludwig nodded. "Charmed. I am Prince Ludwig von Koopa of Darkland. I am the eldest of my eight siblings, who are collectively known as the Koopalings."

Greyheart curtsied in response. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Prince Ludwig. I hope you don't mind visitors; one of our own princesses would like to meet you."

"I do not mind," Ludwig answered. "Truthfully, I like the idea of meeting with a princess outside of the Royal Monthly Kidnapping."

Greyheart blinked in surprise.

"Just an old habit of Father's," Ludwig explained. "There's this princess he always had a huge crush on. But because King Dad doesn't know the first thing about tact, he thinks that kidnapping her will somehow convince her to marry him. Naturally her saviors, the Mario Brothers, come to her rescue, singlehandedly beating the snot out of us, the armies of Darkland, and eventually Father himself in order to save her. It was fun the first time, but it lost its appeal about the third time after we got our shells kicked."

"Goodness, how awful!" Greyheart exclaimed.

"It is nothing," Ludwig replied. "We Dragon-Koopas are made of stronger stuff than one might think. Now, about your visitor…"

Greyheart immediately recollected herself. "Ah, yes, right! The Princess…um, I'll be back shortly, Prince Ludwig."

Ludwig nodded in acknowledgment before Greyheart trotted out of the room. Relaxing in his bed, Ludwig pondered this strange turn of events. So, we've been sent to another dimension that apparently is populated by creatures straight out of the kind of fairytales Wendy used to read when she was younger. I suppose it's better than being sent to some dimension where vicious demons are waiting to tear us to shreds. I do wonder what will become of Junior, though…

When his thoughts strayed towards his youngest brother, the one Koopaling that had not accompanied them to this strange land, Ludwig's heart constricted. He did not know what would happen to Junior now that he and the others were not there to protect him. Would the Mario Brothers reach Cackletta before she devised some cruel torture to inflict on the young Dragon-Koopa? He was just a child; getting his shell kicked by Mario in a fight was one thing. Cold-blooded torture was another thing entirely, and Ludwig dreaded the very idea of that little boy crying out in agony as Cackletta had her sadistic way with him.

He was shaken out of his morbid thoughts when someone else entered the room. When he saw her, his eyes widened and his jaw went slack. A tall, slender alabaster pegacorn gazed back at him with tender, motherly eyes that belied ages of wisdom. She wore a gold crown atop her head, as well as a golden collar and slippers. She was, quite frankly, magnificent to behold, and Ludwig found himself at a loss for words. She smiled warmly at the Koopaling. "Greetings, Prince Ludwig von Koopa of Darkland," she spoke. "I am Princess Celestia. Welcome to Equestria."

It took several moments for Ludwig to find his voice. Dammit, Ludwig, he cursed himself inwardly. You are a prince of Darkland, not a lovestruck simpleton!

"I…uh, greetings, Princess," Ludwig finally answered, collecting himself. "I've met several princesses in my lifetime, but they all pale in comparison to your radiance."

Celestia laughed, the sound absolutely melodious to Ludwig's ears. His fascination with her was not romantic; her aura gave the impression that, despite carrying a title equal to his, she was leagues above him. No, he was merely appreciating the pure magnificence before him. Celestia was a living, breathing work of art grander than any symphony he could ever hope to compose. "You flatter me, Ludwig," Celestia said. "I can only hope that flattery extends to your siblings."

Ludwig scoffed. "I can assure you, it does not. Morton's a chatterbox who has no filter between his brain and his mouth, Roy's a thick-headed bully who likes to act like he's cool, Wendy's a spoiled brat, Iggy is slightly unhinged and every bit the mad scientist, Larry's a selfish greedbag with an unhealthy fascination with video games, and Lemmy, despite being the second oldest, is a complete child who fantasizes about joining the circus. I'm the politest one of the group."

Celestia quirked an amused eyebrow. "I know a few ponies your siblings would get along quite well with."

Ludwig sighed. "As nice as the idea of actually making some friends for once sounds, we would like nothing more than to return to our own dimension. You see, we were sent here by a vile witch named Cackletta, and she made several threats against our youngest brother Junior before she banished us."

Celestia nodded in understanding. "And you worry for his safety."

"Of course I do! I'm his big brother. I'm supposed to be able to protect him, and…I failed."

Ludwig blinked in surprise as he felt Celestia drape one of her angelic wings over his shoulders. "Do not worry, young Ludwig. I will do my very best to help you, but it will take some time."

Ludwig's shoulders slumped. "I understand. Until then, I'll just have to hold out on the hope that the Mario Brothers get to her before she has a chance to harm Junior. I hope they'll save King Dad too; Cackletta had the audacity to possess him before invading the Royal Castle."

"I was told these Mario Brothers are adversaries of yours," Celestia spoke.

Ludwig nodded. "That's correct. To be precise, they're our father's mortal enemies, and since we are also his elite minions, we sometimes get roped into those conflicts as well. It has never worked out favorably with us; not once have we beaten them. And neither has King Dad. You'd think a short plumber with an eating disorder wouldn't have so much fight in him. Iggy has suggested poisoning him on numerous occasions, but Father always said that was cowardly and too easy."

Celestia quirked an eyebrow. "My family is…eccentric," Ludwig said with a weak grin.

"Clearly," Celestia replied. "In the event we succeed in getting you home, I'd like to have a discussion with your father about how children should be raised."

Ludwig laughed. "I wish you the best of luck with that. King Dad isn't that great a listener. It was a major bone of contention between Mum and Father before she passed."

Celestia closed her eyes and tiled her head down. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Ludwig waved a hand dismissively. "It is alright. We have accepted the loss and moved on."

Celestia nodded her head in understanding. "I'm glad of that. When you and your siblings have fully recovered, you can explore the town while lodgings are arranged. I have a few ideas in mind."

Ludwig nodded. "I appreciate that, Princess. Thank you."

Suddenly they heard one of the nurses in the next room over utter a startled gasp as a loud voice filled the air. "I'm hungry! Which one'a ya punks is gonna bring me a sandwich?!"

Ludwig sighed and shook his head. "Looks like Roy just woke up."

XXXXXX

Roy, irate from the events that had played out before he had fallen unconscious and hungry to boot, watched as the pastel-colored pony in a nurse outfit scurried nervously out of his hospital room, hopefully to get him that sandwich. Shoot! I didn't tell 'em what kinda sandwich I wanted! Roy inwardly realized. Well, it better be good or there'll be shell to pay...

Then the fact that he was alone in that room registered in his mind, and his eyes widened behind his prized pink shades. "The others..." he whispered frantically, ignoring his aching body as he stumbled out of his bed. "Where're the others?!"

"Relax, Roy. We're all safe."

Roy started as he heard a familiar voice by the door. Whipping around, he caught a good look at the intruder and let out a deep sigh of relief. "Ludwig! Thank da freakin' stars."

Ludwig chuckled. "We're Koopalings, Roy. You really think a cross-dimensional portal would do us in that easily?"

Roy shook his head. "Cross what-now?"

Ludwig smirked. "Ah, good to know you're still the same uncomprehending brute we all know."

"Ludwig, where the shell are we anyway? Oh, and screw you."

"We're in another world in another universe," Ludwig explained. "This place is called Equestria, apparently. I just had a chat with the ruling princess."

Roy frowned. "Princess, huh?"

"Don't you dare give Father any ideas when we get back to our own world."

"And what if I do?" Roy asked pompously.

Ludwig sighed. "Now is too early to be dealing with your belligerence, Roy. I'm going to check on the others. Stay here so you can recover from your injuries."

"And then what?"

Ludwig looked over his shoulder as he turned towards the door. "We're going to get acquainted with the locals."

XXXXXX

Ludwig found Lemmy next, who was still unconscious in his bed. Now that he had time to observe his younger brother, Ludwig realized just how vulnerable he looked. With his diminutive size, carefree attitude, and moderate clumsiness, it was easy to forget that Lemmy was the second oldest of Bowser's brood. As he quietly watched over Lemmy, it occurred to Ludwig that Princess Celestia raised a fine argument. Ludwig was not about to deny that he and most of his siblings, even fashion-obsessed, girly-girl Wendy, could hold their own in a fight, Lemmy on the other hand did not have that same potential. Lemmy had once confided in Ludwig that he didn't even like fighting Mario and kidnapping the princess. And he always took it the hardest when Bowser's latest plan was foiled, as despite not liking what he was ordered to do, he still tried his best because he loved his father. Every one of the Koopalings tried as hard as they could, despite being bested again and again, because they loved their father. And yet…

What kind of father sends his own children out to fight his enemy, knowing that they would inevitably fail against Mario's unnatural tenacity? Ludwig wondered bitterly to himself. Most of us can at least take as much as we can dish out, but Lemmy?

He had sworn to protect his younger siblings, and yet he let his own father put them in danger time and again out of his idiotic obsession with Princess Peach. When they did return home, and Celestia inevitably confronted Bowser on his less-than-stellar parenting methods, Ludwig decided he might put in a good word himself. Maybe he'd finally find the time he needed to seek a job as a symphony conductor outside of his father's employment.

Ludwig then moved on to Morton's room, and the big lug was fast asleep, snoring like a lumberjack. Ludwig shook his head in bemusement before continuing on, checking on each of his siblings one after the other. Though all of them were bruised and unconscious, they were fine. Assured that they were all safe and in capable hands, or hooves, as the case may be, Ludwig returned to his own bed to get some well-deserved rest.

XXXXXX

Golden Oaks Library…

"How are they, Princess?" Twilight asked, her friends gathered around and listening in earnest.

"They will all make a full recovery," Celestia answered with a smile. "The eldest one has already awakened, and from him I gathered the names and personalities of himself and his siblings. His name is Ludwig, and the rest are Lemmy, Roy, Iggy, Wendy, Morton, and Larry. They are collectively known as the Koopalings, and are the children of the king of a land in another world called Darkland."

The Mane Six and Spike gasped in surprise. "You mean they come from another world?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"The huge portal in the sky was kind of a dead giveaway, don't ya think, Dash?" Applejack replied.

Rainbow scratched her head. "Well, I guess you kinda have a point," she conceded.

"What are they doing here, Princess?" Rarity asked. "And why were they in such horrible shape?"

"They were defeated in battle, and the evil witch that possessed their father and forced them to fight, banished them to our world as punishment for their failure. They desperately wish to return, as the witch threatened the life of their youngest sibling, who is not among them, shortly before banishing them."

Fluttershy put her hoof to her mouth. "Oh my!" she whimpered. "How awful!"

"My sister and I will begin working on a way to send them back," Celestia continued. "In the meantime, they will require lodgings during their stay. When they fully recover, I will gather the townspeople, and we can decide who will room with who."

"If they can't walk on clouds, I ain't gonna be much help," Rainbow said.

"We'll figure it all out in good time," Celestia responded. "For now, we wait."

XXXXXX

Three days later…

Ludwig and his siblings all watched as Nurse Redheart gave them a clean bill of health. But before they went, she said, "You might want to head to the town square. Everypony's waiting for you there."

"Everypony?" Roy exclaimed as they walked towards the main part of town. "Who the shell says somethin' like that?!"

"Roy, keep that sort of thing to yourself," Ludwig admonished. "The last thing we need is to start off on the wrong foot with these guys. We are going to be staying here for a while, I'm sure."

"What's with their houses?" Wendy spoke up, looking at the buildings with an expression of disgust. "Thatched roofs are soooo last century."

"I think they look nice," Lemmy piped up.

"Probably cuz your eyes are too messed up to know any better," Roy sneered.

Lemmy looked hurt. Ludwig knew the subject of his misaligned eyes was a sore spot for his second-oldest brother. "Roy, that's enough!" Ludwig snapped. "Even King Dad's told you to stop making fun of Lemmy's eyes."

"King Dad ain't here though, is he?" Roy countered.

Then the gravity of what he had just said hit him as hard as it did the others. "No, he isn't," Larry said glumly.

In a rare moment of regret, Roy said, "Um, yeah, sorry I said that."

In an obvious effort to change the subject, Larry said, "I sure hope they got video games on this world."

"With houses like these, I doubt it," Morton began. "I mean, just look at 'em! They look like somethin' straight outta the Renaissance, not that I know much about that cuz I slept through half'a my history classes, but seriously, even I know that they didn't have video games in the Renaissance and…"

"SHUT UP, MORTON!" the other Koopalings all chorused at once.

But the largest Koopaling still had to get one last word in. "Oh look, we're here. Look at all dem ponies! It's like we walked into a real-life version of all dem girly-girl cartoon shows Wendy forced us to watch whenever…"

Roy shoved his fist into his brother's mouth. "Can it, will ya?! Jeez, we just got outta the hospital, and I already gotta migraine!"

The gathered ponies all watched the exchange play out with varying degrees of concern, confusion, and in some cases, amusement. Ludwig smiled weakly and stepped forward. "I apologize for my brothers. They're a bit of a wild bunch."

Celestia giggled. "It's quite alright. I know what it's like to have rambunctious siblings. Now, perhaps you'd like to introduce yourselves to the townsfolk here, in order to find which of them would be best suited for taking you in."

"Hey, Kooky," Larry spoke up. "What's she talking about?"

A vein throbbed in Ludwig's forehead. "I thought I told you not to use that Stars-forsaken name!" Catching himself, Ludwig calmed down and cleared his throat. "Anyways, my name is Ludwig von Koopa. I am the oldest of our brood. I am eighteen years of age, and I am a symphony composer and conductor. The orchestra is my life's blood, and I would rather be a famous composer than a king any day."

That immediately caught the attention of one of the mares, who stepped forward and regarded him with interest. She had a medium-grey coat, and a dark-grey mane styled with all the air of a well-known socialite. On her flank was the symbol of a musical note. "Greetings, Ludwig," she spoke with an upper-crust English accent. "My name is Octavia. I would be more than happy to accept a fellow practitioner of the musical arts into my home."

Ludwig grinned. That was remarkably easy, he thought to himself before bowing grandly. "I thank you for your generosity, dear Octavia."

Without waiting for anyone else to go first, Morton stepped forward and declared, "Hey, y'all. Name's Morton Koopa, Jr., and I like to talk as much as I like to eat! So, which one'a ya dames is ready for a dose of Morton's magic?"

"I don't think he even realizes how provocative that sounds," Larry whispered to Roy, who snickered.

"Ooh, ooh, I am!" one of the ponies abruptly declared.

Roy and Larry gaped. "Well, didn't see dat comin'," Roy remarked as a pink pony with a wild, poofy mane that looked oddly similar to cotton candy and a tattoo on her flank depicting three balloons bounced over to greet Morton.

"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! I like to talk and eat as much as you do, and I work at the local sweet shop, Sugarcube Corner!" the pink pony replied in a tone as excitably chatty as Morton's.

Morton grinned as she took him by the arm and led him towards Sugarcube Corner. "I'm all yours."

Ludwig groaned as he facepalmed. "It's my worst nightmare come to life. Those two together will drive me deaf all over again…"

Lemmy, balancing on his ball, did a few tricks as he introduced himself. "Hi, my name's Lemmy Koopa! I'm the second-oldest Koopaling!" He did his best to ignore the disbelieving stares. "I also like to do tricks on my ball! One day, I wanna join a circus!"

"Yeah, your wonky eyes'll be enough of a show," Roy joked.

Lemmy's anger and hurt caused him to lose concentration, and he suddenly tumbled off his ball and landed in the dirt. Roy, Larry, and Iggy all laughed like deranged hyenas, and didn't bother to notice that no one else joined them. However, Lemmy's plight struck a nerve with a particular member of the crowd, who flew forward and came to Lemmy's side, helping him up. "You should be ashamed of yourselves!" Lemmy's rescuer chided angrily. "Making fun of your own brother for something he can't help!"

Lemmy shook his head and looked up at his savior. She was light-grey, with a blond mane and a tattoo of bubbles adorning her flank. But it was her eyes that he noticed first.

They were misaligned, just like his.

"Holy crap, she's got his freaky eyes too!" Roy laughed.

"ROY KOOPA, THAT IS ENOUGH!" Ludwig roared, at the end of his patience.

"Yes, Mom," he mumbled a little too quietly.

The derp-eyed pegasus glared a few moments longer at Roy before she smiled warmly down at Lemmy. "My name's Derpy Hooves," she greeted. "I can take you in, if you want."

Lemmy's heart swelled with joy. "I-I'd like that very much!"

The diminutive Koopaling wrapped Derpy in a hug, which she returned with a soft, motherly laugh. The crowd let out a collective "aww". "C'mon, let's get you something to eat," she said. "I bet you're hungry."

Lemmy eagerly nodded his head. "Mmhmm!"

Lemmy waved his magic scepter, dispersing the ball into nothingness before walking off with Derpy. Ludwig smiled. Lemmy was in good hands…er, hooves. With that done, Iggy stepped up next. "I am Ignatius Koopa, or Iggy, for short," he greeted as he adjusted his glasses. "I'm a scientist and an inventor, and I seek to understand the way the world works, one experiment at a time."

This immediately caught the interest of a lavender unicorn with violet mane and tail and a pink stripe running through both and a star-like design on her rear, who stepped forward and said, "I think I've got room for you. My name's Twilight Sparkle. I'm a scientist at heart too, and I'd love to have you as a colleague!"

"Do you have a lab?" Iggy asked.

"Sure do! A pretty big one, at that!"

A glint appeared in Iggy's calculating eyes. "Well then, show me the way, new roomie."

"How much you wanna bet their house blows up by the end of the week?" Larry whispered to Roy as they watched Twilight and Iggy depart.

"No way am I dumb enough to take ya up on a bet like THAT," Roy immediately replied.

Larry huffed. "Dang it."

"'Sides, our money's probably no good here," Roy added.

The utterly mortified look on Larry's face was enough to make Roy cackle madly. Huffing at her brothers' uncouth behavior, Wendy introduced herself next. "Hi, I'm Wendy Ophelia Koopa, Princess of the Kingdom of Darkland!"

"Wow, she's still milkin' that title for all it's worth," Roy chuckled.

Wendy shot him a murderous glare before turning back to the crowd. "As you may have guessed by my fabulous appearance, I am into the fashion scene. Whatever's the latest, I want in."

"Hey, Wendy! Tell 'em about the time Larry tricked you into wearin' a lampshade cuz you thought it was the newest fashion statement!" Roy crowed in the background, Larry laughing uproariously at that particular memory.

Wendy whirled on her mouthy brother, ready to claw his smug face off, when another pony came to Wendy's side and put a hoof on the fuming Koopaling's shoulder. "Ah, dear, why don't you come with me? It wouldn't do well for that rude brother of yours to get to you in front of all these good ponies, would it?"

Wendy deflated slightly, cooling down her temper when she realized that the pony had a point. She looked to see that the pony was a marshmallow-white unicorn with an expertly-coiffed violet mane and tail. Three blue diamonds were tattooed on her flank. "Come along, Wendy, dear," the unicorn spoke tenderly. "I'll take you in. My name is Rarity, by the way."

"Um, nice to meet you, Rarity," Wendy replied.

Larry cackled as they left. "Did you get a load of that one's hair?"

"She looked like a walking, talking marshmallow to me," Roy smirked.

Ludwig was about to go over there and punch both Roy and Larry in their faces, but somepony abruptly beat him to it, a butter-yellow pegasus with a long pink mane and tail and three butterflies on her flank. She got right in Roy's face and cried, "How dare you talk about my friend like that?! You've got some nerve, going around and saying such cruel, hurtful things to these innocent ponies! What would your mother think?!"

Then, something amazing happened. Ludwig could somehow feel the force of that pegasus's stern glare all the way from where he was, despite it not being directed at him. Roy looked into those eyes, felt them pierce his very soul, and for the first time in a while, couldn't form a coherent sentence. "I…I…uh…"

"I'll be the one to take you in, Roy Koopa," the pegasus spoke with conviction, something the townsponies regarded with a great deal of surprise. "You need to learn some manners, young colt. And I'm going to teach you."

Roy shivered under the force of her Stare. "Y-yes'm."

"Come with me, we're going to my cottage."

"Y-yes, ma'am."

Roy then wordlessly followed the yellow pegasus towards a small cottage just outside town, the whole town watching them go with mouths hanging open. "How did…how did she do that?" Larry stammered.

"There is far more to dear Fluttershy than one might suspect," Celestia spoke. "Something all of us need reminding of once in a while."

"He didn't even get to introduce himself," Larry spoke.

"I'd say he's done a good enough job of that for the past ten minutes," Ludwig replied tersely. "You're next, Larry."

"Oh, poo," Larry spoke. He never did like being in the spotlight. "Um…yeah, my name's Larry Koopa. I'm into sports and video games. I'm also a game designer and three-time Darkland Tennis Champion. I also like money. A lot."

This time, an orange mare wearing a Stetson cowboy hat stepped up and said, "If it's money yer lookin' for, we can always use an extra hoof, er, hand in yer case, over at Sweet Apple Acres! We got room for ya, providin' ya earn yer keep. Mah name's Applejack."

"You got any video games?" Larry asked.

"Er, no. Ah don't even know what those are."

"Crud. There goes that option. Can you at least play tennis?"

"Ah played it with Rainbow Dash once. Ah reckon Ah can go a few rounds with ya, if y'all ever feel up for it."

"Well, at least that's two things I can live with," Larry agreed. "So, where's this ranch of yours?"

"Oh, it's a farm, not a ranch!" Applejack replied. "Right this way, Larry!"

Larry followed Applejack through the crowd towards Sweet Apple Acres. Once they were gone, Celestia smiled. "Well, that's everyone! I hope you all will find your stays fulfilling, and maybe learn a few lessons about friendship along the way!"

As Princess Celestia rode off in her chariot back towards her castle, Octavia turned to her new roommate. "Shall we go get you settled in, then?"

Ludwig offered his arm. "I'd be delighted, Miss Octavia."

Settling In

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Chapter Two: Settling In

Ludwig followed his new roommate through the town over to a house with a well-kept lawn. Octavia opened the door and walked in, ushering the Koopaling inside. "Welcome to my humble abode, Ludwig," she said. "Just so you know, you are not my only roommate here."

Ludwig quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? And who is this other roommate?"

"My cousin, Vinyl Scratch," Octavia answered. "She's a DJ."

"A…DJ?" Ludwig asked in confusion. "I'm not quite sure what that is."

"Until she moved in with me, neither did I," Octavia admitted. "It's better to let her explain tonight during the party."

"Party?" Ludwig asked. "What party?"

Octavia smiled. "Why, yours, of course."

Ludwig did a double-take. "But…it's not even any of our birthdays."

Octavia shook her head. "That wouldn't matter to somepony like Pinkie Pie. She'll find any reason whatsoever to throw a party, especially for new people that move into town. So naturally, she plans to throw one for you and your siblings tonight. Vinyl is going to DJ there. She'll be the one with the strange glasses operating the music equipment."

"Is the music loud?"

"Obnoxiously."

"I might have to pass then. I have rather sensitive ears. I used to be partially deaf, after all."

"I would advise against that. Not going to a Pinkie Party will make Miss Pie very sad, and making her sad is like punting a kitten. You just can't do it in good conscience."

Ludwig frowned as he got the uncomfortable image of himself kicking a poor Blitty across the room in his head. "Please don't make such a comparison."

Octavia shrugged. "It's the truth. Vinyl and Pinkie are also very good friends, and she might take offense to you refusing to attend Pinkie's party."

Ludwig sighed. "Well, that's something I definitely don't need."

Octavia smirked. "My solution? Earmuffs. I have a few pairs up in my room."

Ludwig's face lit up as he knelt, picked up Octavia's hoof and kissed it. "Octavia, you are a gift from the Stars!"

Octavia's face blushed a deep crimson at the gesture, causing her to fumble for words. "Ah…y-yes, well…it was no trouble."

Ludwig nodded with a smile as he stood up. "So what is it you ponies eat around here? I'd rather not be forced to munch on grass."

Octavia laughed. "Aha, we normally eat other things. Grass is more of an on-the-go food, since it's practically everywhere. Since you don't seem like the kind to eat flower sandwiches, I suggest fruits, vegetables, and the various sweets that Sweet Apple Acres and Sugarcube Corner have to offer."

Ludwig shrugged. "Better than nothing. I don't expect we'll find any meat here?"

Octavia looked slightly uncomfortable at the implications, but brushed it off and replied, "Most of the animals here are sentient, but if you can brave the Everfree Forest, there are various monsters that can be hunted. Each of them is dangerous in their own way, though. Cockatrices can turn you to stone if you look directly into their eyes, and most of the others are large enough to swallow you in one bite."

Ludwig fished his wand out of his shell and showed it to Octavia. "As long as they aren't magic-resistant, we'll be fine."

Ludwig deposited his wand back in his shell. "So…lunch?"

Octavia laughed as she realized she had forgotten the reason for the impromptu discussion on hunting. "Ah, right. I'll cook us something right away. Since Vinyl's off readying her dubstep equipment for the party, she won't be joining us. Anyways, the dining room is right down this hall."

"Thank you. Um…if it's no trouble, do you have some parchment and a pen I could use? I usually spend my free time composing new symphonies."

"Oh, certainly!" Octavia exclaimed. "There should be some in that dresser in the living room by the radio, and I believe I left a pen on the dresser too."

"Ah! Found it. Thank you."

"I'd be very interested to see what you have so far after lunch, if that doesn't bother you."

Ludwig grinned. "Are you kidding me? I've always wanted to be able to discuss my projects with another like-minded individual!"

Octavia smiled as she prepared lunch for them both. She was going to get along with this one just fine.

XXXXXX

As Lemmy followed Derpy towards her house, he took in the sights around him. This town really had a sort of rustic charm to it. "We're here!" Derpy cheerfully declared, catching Lemmy's attention.

Derpy's house looked just like the others, though the yard wasn't as well-kept as some others. A couple of toys were scattered around the yard. Noticing this, Lemmy looked up at Derpy. "Do you have kids?" he asked.

Derpy nodded. "Her name's Dinky. She's my special muffin."

Lemmy smiled. "I like kids. I can't wait to meet her!"

"She's still at school. We got another hour before I have to go pick her up, so we got time for lunch!"

Lemmy's stomach abruptly growled in anticipation, causing Derpy to laugh. Lemmy's cheeks blushed a rosy pink in embarrassment. "So, what's for lunch?" Lemmy asked.

"Daisy sandwiches and muffins!" Derpy declared.

Lemmy blinked. "Daisy sandwiches? You mean you guys eat flowers?"

"Well, yeah! Don't you too?"

"Uh…no."

"…Oh. Well at least there's muffins!"

"Yay! Muffins!"

Derpy went into the kitchen and immediately set to work on lunch, starting with mixing the ingredients for her signature muffins together. As Derpy busied herself with lunch, humming a cheerful tune to herself, Lemmy began to investigate the house. As he passed through the living room, investigating the furniture, he noticed a number of pictures hanging on the wall. Almost all of the pictures were of Derpy and a small unicorn filly with a light purple coat and a blonde mane and tail.

"That must be Dinky," Lemmy mused to himself. "She seems cute."

The Koopaling glanced at the other pictures on the wall and noticed that a few of the pictures had another pony in them, this one a dark pink unicorn with a mane and tail that was two shades of purple. The design on her rump was three pentagonal diamonds arranged in a triangle. "I wonder who that is," Lemmy muttered. "Maybe her sister? She looks too old to be another daughter…"

"Yep! That's my sister, Amethyst Star!"

"YAAAH!" Lemmy yelped, jumping at least a foot in the air at the unexpected voice before he turned around to see Derpy struggling not to laugh at his outburst. "S-sorry to scare you."

Lemmy put a hand on his chest to calm his pounding heart. "Jeez! Don't do that! Roy's snuck up on me like that more times than I can count!"

Derpy's smile fell at the mention of Roy. "Was that the one who…?"

Lemmy sighed. "Yeah, that's the one with the sunglasses that was making fun of me."

Derpy scrunched up her face. "He's a real bully, isn't he?"

Lemmy scoffed. "Yeah, he's always been a jerk. I just can't understand why, though. I mean, we're his siblings! Even Junior treats me better than that, and he's a spoiled brat! And everybody except Ludwig and Junior's too scared to push back because he punches you in the face if you point out that he's pink. Luddy's older, so he's not impressed, and Junior's King Dad's favorite, so you can bet he'd do something if Junior tattled. Everyone else is fair game, though."

"That doesn't sound like very good parenting," Derpy commented with a mild scowl.

Lemmy sighed again. "Yeah, he's not exactly Father of the Year. I mean, how can you be when you're also supposed to be a megalomaniacal tyrant who specializes in kidnapping princesses?"

Lemmy took one look at Derpy's utterly bewildered expression and broke into a fit of hysterical laughter. The grey pegasus blushed at this and said, "What's so funny?"

Lemmy managed to compose himself enough to say, "That look on your face was just too hysterical! I'm sorry; I wasn't laughing at you."

"But why is it so funny though?" Derpy asked again, this time with a more serious expression. "He's not acting like a daddy should! I hate it when mommies and daddies don't treat their foals right!"

Lemmy was taken aback by how upset Derpy looked. "Whoa, hey, sorry! I-I didn't mean to set you off like that!"

Derpy sighed and rubbed her forehead. "No, no, it's okay. It's just…that kind of thing's a really sore spot with me."

"Um…I'll try to remember that," Lemmy said.

Before Derpy could reply, a ding went off in the kitchen, and the pony brightened up immediately. "Oh! The muffins are ready!"

Derpy flew into the kitchen, after which a terrible crashing noise rang in Lemmy's ears. "Derpy?!" he cried, running into the kitchen.

"I'm okay!" Derpy cheerfully called out, a pot that had been hanging up by the window to dry firmly planted over her head. "Just got distracted!"

"I can see that," Lemmy chuckled as Derpy stood up and put the pot back where it was before getting the muffins out of the oven and setting them out to cool off, grinning sheepishly all the while. "It's okay; I can be pretty dang clumsy too." Then Lemmy's smile fell. "Roy keeps telling me that's why I'll never get into a circus. I'm too much of a klutz. And he's right, too; I'm the weakest out of all the Koopalings, despite me being the second oldest. So whenever Mario beats us and saves Princess Peach from King Dad, all the blame gets pinned on me, because I'm the weakest. Koopalings aren't supposed to be weak. Roy really lays it on thick, but that I can usually take. But Dad…when he bellows that in my face, that hurts…always. I know King Dad loves us, but…he just has a really short temper."

"Does…" Derpy wasn't exactly sure how to word this. "Does your dad…does he hit you?"

Lemmy blanched. "Sweet Stars, no! Yeah, he yells a lot, but he's never raised a claw against any of us!"

Derpy looked guilty. "Sorry I asked."

To her surprise, Lemmy wrapped her up in a hug, which she then returned with a warm smile. "No, it's okay. Now c'mon, we've got muffins to eat!"

Derpy's smile widened. Muffins always made her feel better.

XXXXXX

Roy was silent as the grave the entire trek to Fluttershy's cottage, the bully glancing nervously at the pegasus he was following. Those eyes…they had been burned into the back of his mind for all of eternity. Finally they reached their destination, and after taking in the sight, Roy finally broke the silence. "I just felt my masculinity die a little."

The yellow pegasus landed on her front porch and sent a nervous, apologetic glance his way, nothing like the glare she had given him earlier. It was almost like this was a different pony entirely. "Oh, I'm sorry," Fluttershy almost mumbled. "I, um…I-I didn't mean to be so rude…"

Roy nearly reeled from the whiplash. "The heck?! What happened to your…" Roy trailed off, realizing he was probably better off not bringing out this pony's less-gentle side again.

Speaking of which…

"Hey, ya never told me your name!" Roy said, folding his arms and trying to look tough. "Ya obviously know mine, so I think ya oughta show da same courtesy."

"Um…I'm Fluttershy," she said weakly, opening her door and stepping aside to let him enter.

As Roy brushed past her, he contemplated the pony he had been forced to bunk with. Maybe…maybe that whole thing of hers earlier was just a fluke, he thought to himself. Guess this is how she normally is. Heh, I can handle her easy then, as long as she don't drop the whole wallflower shtick again.

Shaking his head to clear away his thoughts, he focused on the interior of the cottage. It was quaint, well-ordered, and everything else under the sun that Roy deemed "unmanly". Fluttershy timidly came up to his side. "Um…are you hungry? Do you want anything to eat?" she quietly asked.

Roy grinned. "Yeah, make me a sandwich! Grilled cheese, cut diagonally in half, no crust!"

Fluttershy didn't move.

Roy looked at her over the rim of his sunglasses. "What's da matter, ya deaf?"

"You didn't say please."

"…what?"

"You didn't say please," Fluttershy repeated a little more firmly. "I want you to ask nicely."

Roy glared at her. "Sweet Stars, you're as bad as Kamek! Koopa Princes don't hafta say please!"

The timidness vanished in an instant, replaced by another stern look that was slowly starting to morph into…It. "Well then, Koopa Princes really need to learn how to act like real princes, because saying please is the nice and polite thing to do."

"Are you gonna make that sandwich or not?" Roy snapped, tapping his foot impatiently.

Fluttershy gaped at Roy's blunt rudeness, trying to regain her voice. Suddenly Roy noticed something from the corner of his eye and turned around to see a white rabbit regarding him with a suspicious glare. Roy grinned. "Ya know what? Nevermind. I got lunch covered."

Fluttershy's growing anger fizzled out in favor of curiosity and concern. "What do you mean?"

She then noticed her pet bunny, Angel, in time to see him bolt as smoke began billowing out of Roy's mouth as he took in a deep breath. Realizing what he was about to do, something in Fluttershy snapped. Gritting her teeth, she flew up in Roy's face, just as she had earlier. Roy's fire died in his throat as he looked into those eyes again. Before Roy could even utter a gulp, Fluttershy spoke.

Her voice was quiet and even, terrifyingly so. But there was no mistaking the fury she was trying very hard to keep bottled down. "Roy Koopa, I am going to say this once, and I am not going to say it again. All of the animals that live here are my friends. You will treat them with the same respect you will show me. They are not to be eaten. Am I clear?"

Roy whimpered as he nodded. "And furthermore," Fluttershy continued, "your bullying ways are going to stop immediately, and you're going to learn how to be a nicer…um…Koopa."

Roy didn't bother to correct her, for he was transfixed by the glare in her eyes. "And to start your lessons, you are going to ask nicely for that sandwich," Fluttershy finished.

Roy squeaked out an unintelligible response, having not yet recovered from the effects of Fluttershy's Stare.

"Goodness, Fluttershy! I think you gave him a heart attack! Who'd have thought you had it in you?"

Fluttershy jumped nearly three feet in the air at the unexpected voice from behind, breaking the spell. Fluttershy and Roy looked over to see a strange creature that looked like a haphazard conglomeration of animal body parts that had been hastily stitched together floating in the air, regarding them with an amused smirk. "So, when were you going to tell me about your newest guest, dear Fluttershy?" the creature asked.

"…What the shell are you?" Roy finally spoke in confusion.

While she had not heard that terminology before, Fluttershy was certain it was probably inappropriate. "Roy, watch your language!" she reprimanded.

Roy nervously saluted. "Eep! Y-yes, ma'am!"

"Roy Koopa, this is…"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Discord interrupted, waggling his eagle talon in Fluttershy's face. "I like to do my own introductions!"

"Discord…" Fluttershy warned.

Ignoring her, Discord grinned and spread his arms out, causing fireworks and confetti to explode behind him, though luckily none of Fluttershy's things caught fire or broke. "Greetings, Roy Koopa! Discord, Master of Chaos, Disharmony, and Chocolate Rain, at your service! Total cooperation not pertaining to chaos not guaranteed," he muttered off to the side.

Roy just stared slack-jawed at him over the rim of his sunglasses. "…what."

Discord rolled his eyes and slithered over to the Koopa Prince. "What, are you deaf?" he asked, pulling out a foghorn and blowing on it into Roy's ear, causing the sound of a duck quacking to ring in his eardrums. "Because my whole intro was tragically wasted if that's the case!"

Roy swatted the foghorn out of Discord's hand with a growl and rubbed at his ringing ear. "What the shell, man?! Blow that thing in my ear again, and I might just go deaf if I don't pound ya first!"

Discord put on his best puppy-dog look and got right in Roy's face. "How could you possibly pound this face?" he asked in a mock-whimpering tone.

Roy flatly glared at him. "I've kicked kittens before. That crap don't work on me."

To his surprise, Discord stopped grinning, glancing worriedly over at Fluttershy. Roy realized his mistake too late. "Y-you…you what?" Fluttershy spoke in a quivering voice.

Roy looked over at her, expecting that horrible Stare, but instead saw something else entirely. Fluttershy looked like she was about to burst out crying. Realizing he had already dug himself into a hole, Roy just went with it, though for some odd reason, he felt funny for doing so. "Yeah, I mean…we Koopa Princes gotta be tough as nails, ya know? We can't be weak. We gotta be able to withstand cuteness and stomp it into the dirt, otherwise…what kinda Koopas are we?"

That did it. Fluttershy burst into tears, turning tail and running out of the room. Roy stood there thunder-struck, unable to understand the slew of emotions that ran through him. Discord abruptly snapped him out of it by saying, "I'm gonna level with you, buddy. Fluttershy's the only friend I've got, and I don't really take it kindly when morons like you hurt her feelings with stupid lies you spout off to make yourself look tougher."

"H-hey!"

"Don't try to contradict me," Discord interrupted. "You're better off holding a conversation with a rock. I know you haven't actually kicked any kittens, and don't even have the guts to."

"And how do ya know that, chump?!" Roy demanded in a challenging tone.

"I read your mind, chump," Discord replied, tapping his forehead. "Now you're going to go up there and apologize to her about spouting off stupid stuff like that."

Roy puffed out his chest. "And what makes ya think I will?"

Discord glared at him. "Because you don't wanna tick off a chaos god who can turn you inside-out and split you apart atom by atom with a snap of my fingers, that's why."

Roy gulped at that. "But then again," Discord cheerfully stated, "that's not really my style!" Roy breathed a sigh of relief. "I tend to do much worse."

Roy's eyes widened in fear. "L-like w-w-what?"

Discord shrugged. "Dunno, haven't thought of it yet. I'm not much of a planning-ahead kind of guy. I like being creative on the spot."

Quickly deciding that it would be unwise to give Discord a reason to contemplate such terrifying prospects, Roy went after Fluttershy. Discord couldn't help but smirk as the Koopaling scurried away. He always loved scaring the pants off of people like that.

Roy eventually found a room with its door hanging ajar, and crying coming from inside. Roy leaned in and listened in for a moment before heaving his shoulders in a sigh. "Ah, jeez," he muttered to himself. "What the heck am I doing?"

Roy then hesitantly pushed the door open and gingerly stepped inside. He looked over to see Fluttershy crying on her bed, cuddling a pair of kittens close to her. Roy just stood there for a few moments, unsure of what to say as he twiddled his thumbs. Finally the Koopaling hesitantly cleared his throat. "Um…Fluttershy?" he said.

Fluttershy gasped and looked up at his voice. When she saw who was speaking to her, she gasped again and held the kittens against her chest as though she were afraid he would try to rip them right out of her arms. As he saw this, Roy finally recognized that strange feeling roiling inside his chest.

Guilt.

He felt guilty about making her cry, and he hated it. He hated it just as much as he hated seeing that fearful, heartbroken face. The kittens mewled in her arms, looking up at him with large, innocent eyes. Roy stood there silently for almost a minute, having difficulty spitting out something he had sworn to his father he would never do.

"I'm sorry," Roy finally spluttered.

For a moment, the terrified look in Fluttershy's eyes melted away into a look of surprise, but she didn't yet look like she believed it. Roy decided to continue, fumbling over his words as he did so. "Um…Listen, what I said…I've never actually kicked a kitten before. I don't…I'm not that mean, really. I just said dat to sound cool, and I'm sorry."

Fluttershy looked up at him, as if weighing his words in her mind. The kittens struggled out of her arms and padded across the bed, meowing at Roy. Roy sighed as he approached the bed. The last mewl did it. Roy reached out with one claw and began scratching under the kitten's chin, which immediately began rubbing its face all over his hand as cats tend to do. The other kitten looked up at him imploringly, which Roy began petting with his other hand. Fluttershy watched him the whole time, a smile slowly creeping up her face as Roy totally fell in love with the two kittens.

Roy looked up at her and smiled awkwardly. "Ya mind just keepin' dis between us? If my brothers and sister ever found out, I'd never hear da end of it, and I'd hafta knock a few heads around, and I'd rather not cause a scene."

Fluttershy nodded her head in understanding, her smile widening further.

XXXXXX

Rarity opened the door to Carousel Boutique, allowing entry for her guest. "Welcome to my humble abode," Rarity said, gesturing grandly around the interior. "Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique!"

Wendy looked around and let out a whistle. "Wow, I'm digging this place already! You live where you work?"

Rarity nodded cheerfully, stepping inside and shutting the door. "I do indeed, dear! Cuts down on needless commuting."

Wendy giddily clapped her hands. "Oh, man, I can't believe I get to live in a fashion store!"

Rarity chuckled. "Well, it is only a temporary arrangement until you find a way to return home, but I hope you'll feel comfortable during your stay."

Wendy whipped around and grinned at her. "Are you kidding?! I've always wanted to work at a fashion store, working on dresses and other stuff! Daddy hates it, though; keeps saying that royal Koopas don't do "frilly frou-frou crap"."

Rarity chuckled awkwardly. "You have an…interesting father."

Wendy rolled her eyes. "Interesting? More like a total weirdo. Seriously, the guy has an obsession with kidnapping princesses and defeating a short fat plumber with an eating disorder who can jump higher than other people. Not to mention he's totally obsessed with being the epitome of manliness and 'bad-dude-edness'." Rarity raised an eyebrow at that. "Dad refused to get an education," Wendy finished explaining.

Rarity huffed. "My word, what a brute!"

Wendy laughed. "I know, right?! Still, we all love him to bits, and he loves us too, though he tries not to show it to keep up his bad guy image."

Rarity shook her head in disbelief. "The dynamics of your family leave much to be desired."

Wendy shrugged in reply. "Yeah, but being a princess means you pretty much got more gold coins than you'll ever need, so I get by."

Rarity chuckled before looking over at her clock. "I've got some time to kill before I pick up my sister from school. So tell me, dear. What kind of fashions are the norm in your world?"

"Well, actually, not a lot of people in Darkland wear clothes," Wendy replied. "I mean, we Koopas already have our shells, Goombas are just basically, like, mushrooms with feet…" She struggled not to laugh at Rarity's disgusted reaction, and failed miserably. "Anyways, so Goombas don't wear anything except the occasional hat or helmet, Boos are ghosts, so they don't wear much either, and there's no point in Bob-ombs wearing clothes, since they're living bombs that explode and reform themselves often. Honestly, dresses and stuff are just a special thing for, like, dances and stuff. Usually we just go with hats and bows and stuff. Y'know, accessories."

"That's…interesting," Rarity managed to say after a while. "You live in a very interesting world."

Wendy quirked an eyebrow. "The fact that most of us don't wear clothes doesn't, like, bug you or anything?"

Rarity smirked. "Honey, do you see me wearing any clothes right now?"

"Oh…good point."

"Nevertheless, it would be lovely to have a little extra help around here," Rarity said. "Spike is such a darling, but he can't be here all the time, since Twilight usually needs him to keep the library tidy while she studies."

"Who's Spike?" Wendy asked, a smirk adorning her features. "Your boyfriend?"

Rarity laughed nervously as she blushed slightly. "Ahaha, no, just a young dragon that likes to help out here every so often. It's no secret that he's completely infatuated with me, though."

Wendy giggled conspiratorially as she winked. "Oooh, schoolboy crush, huh?"

Rarity's blush deepened slightly as she shook her head. "Not necessarily. He may be considered a baby for his species, but he's just a few years younger than Twilight, and almost as mature."

"Soooo…when's the wedding?" Wendy teased.

Rarity gasped. "Wendy, d-don't talk such nonsense! Spike and I are only friends!"

Wendy giggled and winked again. "Your blushing's telling me a whole 'nother story, babe."

Rarity scrunched her face indignantly. "You are most certainly imagining things! I am not blushing!"

Wendy reached into her shell, took out out a little black box, and opened it as she held it up to Rarity, revealing a mirror that showed that Rarity was clearly blushing. Rarity narrowed her eyes at her guest. "You are terrible," she whispered.

"Honey, I'm a Koopaling," Wendy replied with a knowing smirk. "Being terrible's kinda what we do. But you might wanna keep an eye on him."

"Whatever for?" Rarity asked as she began fanning herself to rid herself of the blush.

"You said he's a dragon, right?"

"Yes, I did…"

"And that he lives in the library with that Twilight chick, right?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because he's now sharing his living space with a mad scientist who may or may not try to experiment on him."

The resulting images born from that statement made Rarity fall over into a dead faint.

XXXXXX

"Aaand, here we have my lab!" Twilight Sparkle said, allowing Iggy entry into her basement.

The tall, lanky Koopaling took in his surroundings with a scrutinizing eye, studying all the various equipment, test tubes, chemicals, and other things that could be find in a well-stocked laboratory. It wasn't quite as big or as well-stocked as Iggy's lab back in Darkland Castle, but it was more than enough to continue working on his experiments.

"What do you think?" Twilight asked.

Iggy looked at her and grinned, a mad scientist look in his eye. "Not quite as good as my old lab, but it'll do." He looked over the place one more time. "Yes, it'll do just fine."

Then he felt his stomach rumbling and sighed. "Ah, but it seems this will all have to wait for the time being. I require sustenance."

Twilight laughed as they returned to the first floor of the library. "I think that makes two of us. Let's go get something to eat."

"Fair warning, though," Iggy pointed out. "We Koopalings are not vegetarians, nor do we eat grass."

Twilight chuckled nervously. "Yeah, your unusually large teeth kind of give it away. And we're technically omnivores too, since we can and do eat eggs and use them for baking. In fact, grass is something we rarely eat nowadays except when we're on the road and we want to make our provisions last. We just don't eat meat, since most animals in this world are sentient beings like us."

Iggy adjusted his glasses as he frowned. "Hmm…that could complicate matters. For the sake of my experiments, I have occasionally put aside my moral compass, but to eat beings that are confirmed to be just as sentient as I is a rather unhappy thought. But we require meat to survive, as it contains necessary proteins that cannot be found in vegetation. Hmm, how to rectify this…"

Iggy began pacing, and Twilight could almost hear the gears whirling in the Koopa scientist's head as he contemplated possible solutions to this problem, pacing about the room while scratching his chin. Twilight respected an analytical thinker like her, and decided to help out by adding in her native knowledge. "Well, the Griffons who live in the kingdom northeast of Equestria raise some lesser sentient creatures for their meat, such as parasprites and pigs. Perhaps Princess Celestia could negotiate with them and commission one of their butchers to provide you with their products."

Iggy whirled around and spread his arms out. "Wonderful! You're a diamond, my dear!"

Twilight blushed slightly and giggled. "Always happy to help out a fellow scientist."

"Hey, Twilight, who's down there?" came a voice from above.

"Oh!" Twilight exclaimed. "Come on down, Spike! There's someone I want you to meet!"

"Okay, be down in a minute!"

Twilight thumped her forehead. "I can't believe I forgot to introduce you to Spike!"

Iggy said nothing and simply waited for this "Spike" to appear. Finally a purple-scaled, bipedal lizard with green spinal ridges and emerald eyes came down the stairs. Upon seeing him, Iggy broke out into a manic grin as he realized he was looking at a dragon. Oh, the experiments I could run on this one, Iggy thought excitedly to himself.

Spike saw who Twilight's guest and instinctively shivered. "Um, Twilight? Whoever that is, I don't like the way he's looking at me…"

"Huh?" Twilight said, looking over to see Iggy's grin and realizing what was running through his mind. She roughly nudged Iggy out of his reverie. "Don't even think about running any kind of experiments on Spike, mister!"

Iggy looked over at her in disappointment. "I suppose I can refrain from dissecting him."

"WHOA! Dissecting?!" Spike yelped, clutching his stomach in dread.

Twilight glared at the Koopa mad scientist. "Great going, now you've got him all worked up."

"I apologize," Iggy answered. "It is not every day a scientist like me sees a live dragon. Such specimens are extremely hard to come by in my world, and I've wanted to study them for a very long time. Forgive my behavior; I simply got a little over-excited."

Spike uncertainly glanced over at him. "Um…I-it's okay. I understand."

Iggy nodded. "My name is Ignatius Koopa. You can just call me Iggy, though. I will be staying here at the library for the duration of our stay here."

Spike suddenly blinked in realization. "Wait a minute. Twilight, is this one of the guys that came from another world? The, uh…uh…what did you guys call yourselves again?"

"Koopalings," Iggy answered. "It would seem you've heard about us already."

Spike nodded. "Yeah, something about a witch. I only caught little snippets of the story, since I was busy cleaning up the library, as usual."

Iggy glanced over at Twilight. "So he is an assistant of yours?"

"Yep! My Number One Assistant!" Twilight replied, beaming.

Spike smiled in reply, but Iggy could tell it was a little forced. Obviously he wasn't completely satisfied with his lot in life.

"Now, you said you've been wanting to study dragons for a while?" Twilight suddenly asked.

"That's correct," Iggy answered.

"Well, if it helps, I have conducted some research on them, mostly through Spike, since I came to live here. I can give you my notes, if you want."

Iggy grinned. "That would be excellent, thank you. It's certainly better than nothing."

"So, what other things have you experimented with?" Twilight questioned, eager to see if she could learn something from this otherworldly fellow genius.

Before Iggy even began to reply, Spike knew this conversation was going to go completely over his head, just as Twilight's lectures normally did. "I take my leave," he grunted, heading back up the stairs. "You guys can go geek out without me."

Naturally they ignored him, already deep into conversation.

XXXXXX

"This is the biggest farm I've ever seen," Larry commented as he followed Applejack over to Sweet Apple Acres. "Then again, it's the only farm I've ever seen, so I guess that isn't really saying much."

"Our farm's pretty decent," Applejack explained. "Some'a our folks have bigger farms, but our farm's got the best apples in all of Equestria!"

"Best apples, huh?" Larry said, looking up at one of the apple trees. "I'll be the judge of that."

"Go right ahead, pardner," Applejack replied, holding out an apple towards the Koopaling. Larry eyed it suspiciously before taking it out of her hooves and eating the whole thing in one bite. "A 'yer welcome' woulda been nice," Applejack muttered.

Larry couldn't hear her over the crunching of the apple, savoring and judging the taste. Finally he swallowed and said, "Okay, that was good. Right balance of flavor, moisture, and firmness. You guys are good at what you do."

Applejack beamed. "Glad ya agree. Now, let's git'cha settled in so you can meet the family. This here's our house." Applejack gestured at the building they were about to enter. "Over there's the barn where we store all our goods 'n supplies, that there's our water tower, and over there's where our cows live."

Larry raised an eyebrow. "You herd cows?"

"No, they actually live here 'n pay rent," Applejack replied, shaking her head.

She chuckled at Larry's flabbergasted look. "Wow, haha, you almost had me there," Larry laughed.

Applejack looked at him strangely, never breaking eye contact. Larry stopped laughing and held her gaze for a moment. "You're…not kidding, are you?"

"Nope," Applejack replied. "In fact, their rent's due tomorrow. You'll be helpin' me with that."

Larry grinned at the idea of handling money again, immediately thinking of how he could manage to con some extra for himself. This did not go unnoticed by Applejack, who smirked in reply. She decided not to mention that their form of payment didn't involve money. No, he would find that out for himself in the morning. Still, the realization made her worry a little. There was definitely a dishonest glint in that one's eye. She would have to be extra careful to not leave any of the family's money alone with him.

But that was only if she couldn't knock that silliness out of his head first, which she was certain she would succeed at. After all, she was the Element of Honesty, darn near a living lie detector. No point in lying if the one you're lying to can always tell when you are, right?

Still, she hoped a little hard work would get force that out of his system and make him a productive member of society. "Alright, pardner," she spoke up, opening the door. "Let's go inside 'n show ya where you're gonna stay for the time bein'."

As they walked into the living room, they noticed an elderly mare with a faded green coat and grey-white mane and tail tied up in buns fast asleep in a rocking chair, snoring away. "That's mah Granny Smith," Applejack whispered. "She's a firecracker, that one. Ah'll wake her up in a while when we start workin' on dinner so ya can meet everypony else."

"And, ah…how many family members do you have?" Larry asked.

Applejack smiled. "Hundreds. But just mah sister Applebloom and mah big brother Big Macintosh live here with us."

Larry blinked in surprise. "Wow…and I thought my family was huge."

"Y'all have no idea. The Apple family pretty much has a monopoly on the whole farmin' business. Ain't no town or city in Equestria where there ain't no Apple farmer. Now follow me up here, Ah'll show ya yer room."

Larry trudged up the stairs after his host, who showed him a room at the far end of the hall that had a spare bed in it. "This here's our guest bedroom. You'll be sleepin' here."

"Cool," Larry offhandedly replied. "So, uh…when do I meet the rest of your family?"

"Applebloom's still at school, but Ah'll be bringin' her home in about an hour, and Big Mac's still out in the fields right now. He'll be back 'round dinnertime."

"Okay…so, uh…what am I gonna do in the meantime?" Larry asked awkwardly, hoping that he wasn't already going to be put to work.

Applejack headed back down the stairs. "Why don't ya join me in the kitchen 'n tell me all about your family?"

Larry rolled his eyes as he followed her into the kitchen and pulled up a chair as Applejack did the same. "I don't think there's much to tell, really," he said. "I mean, Ludwig's a ponce, Lemmy's a dunce, Iggy's a nerd, Junior's a brat, Wendy's a diva, Morton's a motor-mouth, and Roy's a thug. Not much to them. Oh, and King Dad, well…he's…Dad."

Applejack frowned. "Those really ain't nice things to say 'bout your family."

"We're a family of bad guys," Larry flatly replied. "Y'know, villains? Princess-kidnapping hooligans? Dad's done his best to make sure we ain't a nice family."

An astonished look creased Applejack's features. "What're ya talkin' about? Y'all been kidnapping princesses?!"

Larry held up his hands defensively. "Hey! For what it's worth, Dad's been doing that since before any of us were born! We all just kinda got roped into it! I mean, yeah, it was fun at first, turning kings into animals and stealing Yoshi eggs, but after we kept getting our butts kicked by that Mario jerk, it stopped being fun. But Dad kept us going. Kept saying we'd get him next time, while we were all sitting in the hospital wing, licking our wounds and recovering from concussions for the umpteenth time. We'd get him next time. Next time, he'd roast him good! That got old…but we didn't get a say in it, did we? No, we kept having to go back out there with our troops, hoping beyond hope that our newest gimmicks would be enough to put a stop to that damn plumber! But he got past them! Always. Got. Past. Them. No matter how we tried, we always ended up disappointing King Dad, even though he never did any better! Did he never consider that, maybe, just maybe, we wanted to be something other than Daddy's little villains?! Did he ever consider how badly I wanted to become a professional game designer and tennis player instead of royal thug number seven?! No; he was too busy thinking about what was under Princess Peach's dress and how we were gonna help him finally score with her! So yeah, there ain't much to my family at all!"

Larry's eyes widened when he finished, realizing that he had unwittingly went into a rant in front of a total stranger. The Koopaling buried his face in his hands in embarrassment. He didn't want to see the look on her face; he must have looked like a complete idiot there.

Applejack just gaped at him in shock. The idea of such a dysfunctional family was just mind-boggling to her. How could someone treat their own children like minions in a stereotypical fantasy tale? The thought made her sick. She realized how such a family situation could breed something like a dishonest streak in this kid; his parents hadn't taught him about common decency, and had seemingly even encouraged the exact opposite. She had her work cut out for her here, but nevertheless, she decided then and there that she would be the parental figure this kid never had.

"Ah'm mighty sorry t'hear that, sugarcube," Applejack said softly.

Larry looked up at her. "I don't want your pity!" he snapped. "Pity's for weaklings, Dad always said! I just…I just wish he'd understand…"

Applejack smiled warmly, her motherly instincts taking over. "Ah'm sure one day he will, Larry. One day he will."

XXXXXX

"Ho, man, I've never planned a whole party before!" Morton exclaimed as he helped put up decorations in the library for the party. "I mean, we always had servants for that, and they always did a crummy job, you know? The streamers were always hung up weird and the food always tasted like crap. I should do this more often!"

"You totally should!" Pinkie Pie cried excitedly from the other side of the room, firing her party cannon at the wall and covering it with decorations. "I've never had somepony help me decorate for a party before! I always did it myself with my trusty party cannon, but it's really fun to have somepony help out sometimes!"

"Yeah! 'Specially when they're somebody who's just like you and can relate with! I mean, I never had anybody like that back at home! They're always like, 'Morton, shut up'! 'Morton, your commentary's not necessary'! 'Morton, go talk someone else's ears off'! Morton, your shell goes on your back, not your front'!"

"What was that last one?" Pinkie asked.

"I forget!" Morton immediately replied.

"Okay!"

And all the while, Iggy and Twilight talked about the nature of science and magic, totally oblivious to everything around them like the huge nerds they were.

Trouble In Paradise

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Chapter Three: Trouble In Paradise

Everfree Forest, Castle Ruins…

The forest was silent, save for the call of a lone raven. Suddenly, the bird was spooked by the sound of hooves tromping on the ground below it. The raven flew from its perch, cawing as it vanished over the treetops of the early evening. The moonlight was repelled by the unknown traveller's cloak, which covered their entire body. They walked slowly, as though weighted by great age, and this was not wrong. The figure was ancient indeed, and very dangerous.

The cloaked figure entered the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters, unconcerned by the idea of the many traps that lay concealed in this ancient fortress. They walked through the eerily silent corridors until they reached the broken stones of the throne room. They stopped in the middle of the room, and they waited.

After several tense minutes, a shadow shifted into the room, oppressing the atmosphere with its sinister aura. A shadow darker than any that pervaded Equestria's light. It had no form, no physical substance. But it had a mind; it had a will. A will as terrible and ancient as the gods of old.

The cloaked figure slowly knelt before the dark presence, which seemed to regard him with a critical, unseen eye. Surprisingly, while the figure was hooved, they also possessed an extra pair of thin, withered red arms that spread out to accentuate the humbleness of their bow.

"I have returned, oh great one," the figure spoke in a thin, elderly voice.

It was a while before the darkness spoke, and its voice commanded terrible authority. It was unmistakably the voice of a female, but the malice behind it was inequine and otherworldly, nothing borne of Equestria's world of light.

"Lord Tirek," it…she spoke. "What news have you of the world beyond this crumbling ruin?"

Lord Tirek rose to his hooves and pulled back the hood covering his face, revealing a vaguely bull-like face with some slight monkey-like features, two blunt stubs on his head that looked like horns, and a scraggly white beard. "The accursed princesses are still, as of yet, unaware of our presence. We can still gather power under their noses, and dispose of them at the right moment."

The darkness seemed to encompass the whole room now, signifying annoyance at Tirek's reply. "The princess known as Celestia shall be mine alone. I require her body and power to be fully reborn in this wretched world. The fragments of that forgotten spirit I consumed upon my arrival to these hallowed ruins could only do so much for my power. You will do nothing more than bring her to me. The other princesses are meaningless to me; you are free to do with them as you wish. But the Princess of the Sun is mine. Have I made myself clear?"

Tirek bowed again. "Of course, my queen," he replied humbly. "By your will." He then rose once more. "That is, however, not all I have to report."

The dark force seemed to ease up the pressure in the room slightly as she took in Tirek's words. "Continue," she spoke.

Tirek smirked. "It seems our world has gained a few more otherworldly visitors lately. Creatures unlike any I've seen before."

The darkness shifted to another corner of the room, swallowing the moonlight like a black hole. "I have felt their presence. The boundaries between my world and this one have not fully reasserted themselves. The weakened boundary allowed them to pass to this plane of existence. This shall make my ultimate return to my home world far easier than I imagined."

Tirek quirked an eyebrow, filing this information away in his mind for later. "So they originally hail from your own realm?"

"Do not concern yourself with them for the time being," the shadow being commanded. "Your job is to regain enough of your strength to mount a surprise attack on the princesses and bring the Sun Goddess to me. I will keep an eye on them for now. If they prove to be trouble later, I will deal with them myself."

"But of course, my queen," Tirek answered, bowing yet again. "I live to serve you."

The darkness shifted to the opposite side of the room, washing over Tirek in the process and chilling the old centaur to his bones. "Save your flattery for a time when you have proved your usefulness to me."

Tirek involuntarily shuddered as the shadow's presence brushed by him, eyeing it warily. "Remember the shackles you wear, for they are a reminder of your service to me. Do not forget where your loyalties lie, or the consequences shall be severe."

Tirek frowned bitterly and glanced at the dark purple rings of enchanted metal clinging to his arms, a dampener on his power that enslaved him to this eldritch being. He had merely traded one pair of shackles for another, and he secretly longed to exact terrible vengeance upon this thing that sought to make him her pawn. But he was certain that day would come. He would gather power like she asked. He would even help her regain her body and full strength through possession of Celestia's body. But by then, he would be strong enough to break the shackles she had forced upon him after consuming the magic of Princess Luna and that newcomer Princess Cadance and destroy this fool and her vessel for her impudence. And then, with no one left to oppose him, he would become the absolute master of Equestria. But for now, he would play his part dutifully. "I will not forget, my queen," he replied. "I shall do as you ask, and together, we shall rule Equestria, and all the lands beyond it. Side by side, king and queen over all for eternity."

"You assume a great deal, Tirek, but I shall…consider your proposal. Now, begone from my presence. My patience is vast, but not limitless. Do not waste time with the insufferable incompetence of my previous minions, or I will visit upon you a punishment so terrible, you will desperately wish you were back in the pits of Tartarus."

Tirek bowed one last time. "Thy will be done, my Shadow Queen," he said, and he turned around with a dramatic flourish of his cloak, and left the castle.

Now alone, the Shadow Queen allowed herself a dark chuckle. "That fool thinks he can oppose me once he gains enough strength. How adorable that he does not comprehend that my far greater age has made me wise to such petty trickery. I will have no more need of him long before that time. Death will come to him. Death will come to all…and when I return to the Mushroom World with my new body and power, I will at last have my revenge."

And with that final oath, the Shadow Queen retreated into the darkness to await the time in which she would return to her former glory and take this pitiful world for her own.

Ain't No Party Like A Koopa Party

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Chapter Four: Ain't No Party Like A Koopa Party

That evening, all the Koopalings and their respective hosts sans Morton and Pinkie Pie gathered outside the Golden Oaks Library. The lights inside the library were out, and all was quiet.

"So…what're we all doing here anyways?" Larry inquired suspiciously, glancing around.

The ponies didn't appear inclined to respond, only sharing a knowing smile among each other.

Ludwig rubbed his forehead. "You're all dumb as a box of rocks," he said. "This is obviously meant to be a surprise party."

The ponies' jaws all dropped at his response. "H-how did you know?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

Octavia smiled sheepishly. "Ehrm…I may have told him there was going to be a party."

Everypony glared accusingly at Octavia, while the other Koopalings glared at their eldest. "What? I assumed you were all told in turn," Ludwig said. "Octavia never mentioned the nature of the festivities, only that we were having them."

"It came as no surprise to me," Iggy stated, adjusting his glasses. "I saw the decorations being put up long before Morton and that pink one kicked us out."

"Well I, for one, ain't gonna look a gift Yoshi in da mouth," Roy spoke up, walking up to the door. "I say we get dis party started right!"

Roy opened the door and was immediately greeted by the sounds of party horns and a chorus of "SURPRISE!"

The guests of honor all stepped inside the library and beheld what appeared to be the entire town all crammed into the bottom floor. Streamers, balloons, and various other decorations were displayed everywhere, with a large banner that read "WELCOME TO PONYVILLE" hanging up in the very middle of the ceiling.

"Welcome to Ponyville! I'm Pinkie Pie and I threw this party just for you!" Pinkie Pie cried from the front.

"Were you surprised, guys?" Morton cried beside her. "It's the first party I had a hand in planning and I wanted everything to be perfect, so what do you guys think? Were you surprised, were ya? Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"Sorry, big guy," Wendy apologized. "Luddy spoiled it just before we got here."

Morton gave Ludwig a nonplussed look, while Pinkie pouted with a puppy-dog stare. "Why would you do that, man?" Morton whined. "We wanted to see the looks on your faces…"

"Dude, who even cares?!" Roy spoke up. "A party's a party, man! Ooh, is that pie?!"

Roy immediately sauntered over to the food and drink tables and immediately took a plate and began piling it high with various pies and cakes. This prompted the others to immerse themselves in the festivities in various ways. Iggy and Twilight went over to the buffet tables and helped themselves to some food, with Twilight taking a more generous serving, as Iggy was more conscious of his health. "So…let's talk technology," Iggy started.

Twilight eagerly nodded. "Okay," she replied. "What would you like to know?"

"Well," Iggy said, once more adjusting his glasses. "I realize I failed to mention this before, but I am also an inventor, Miss Twilight."

Twilight giggled. "No no, Twilight will do just fine. Miss Twilight makes me feel old."

Iggy chuckled. "Of course."

"Now, what was this about you being an inventor?" Twilight asked.

"The reason I'm saying this now is because, before the…well, the incident, shall we say, I was working on a battlemech, of sorts."

Twilight's eyes widened. "A battlemech? As in, like a robo-suit from all those science fiction books?"

Iggy nodded and grinned. "I was only just beginning the preliminary stages of building the thing when Cackletta attacked the castle. Thus, I was unable to get very far before I was put to work on stopping the Mario Brothers."

"And why are you telling me this?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Firstly, what's the most advanced piece of technology in your world?"

"Well, I can tell you the purely-technological construct you're talking about building is something beyond our level so far," Twilight explained.

Iggy looked slightly crestfallen at that. "I'd have to build every single component from scratch then. Too much time, too much time…"

"Hey, not all hope is lost, though," Twilight interrupted. "While these aren't very common, there's always golems, though I'm not sure if one could make a decent substitute for an outright battlemech. It's why they're only in fiction for now."

Iggy tapped his chin. "I see. Hmm…do you have any books concerning golems?"

"I certainly do!" Twilight replied, then blinked as Iggy stared at her. "Wait, you want to read it now? During a party?"

Iggy looked around and scoffed. "Never really been one for parties or major social interaction."

"Well, let's at least finish eating first. I hate the idea of food getting on any of my books."

"Understandable."

Meanwhile, Roy busily went about stuffing his face while Fluttershy wasn't looking. Larry was trying to ignore an increasingly inquisitive Applebloom, who had been bothering the Koopaling since she had met him, bombarding him with incessant questions about what he was and all sorts of other things he was too irritated to answer. Wendy was getting to know Sweetie Belle so that the poor filly would stop thinking that Wendy was going to eat her and Rarity in their sleep. Lemmy was showing Dinky and several other fillies, including Scootaloo, all of his various ball tricks, with even a few adults looking on. Ludwig and Octavia were sitting together at a table, chatting away amicably.

"How are you enjoying the party so far?" Octavia asked, the earmuffs she and Ludwig were wearing enchanted so that they could clearly hear one another over the music.

"With these earmuffs you provided, I can't complain," Ludwig commended, tipping his cup towards her before sipping on it. "The food is good, the company is sublime…"

He raised his glass as Octavia giggled, trying to suppress a blush. "Oh, stop that, you."

"I speak only the truth," Ludwig replied. "It was so very kind of you to invite me graciously into your home, despite the fact that I am but a stranger to you and your world. I never did thank you properly."

Octavia waved her hoof dismissively. "Oh no, it wasn't any trouble at all. You all intrigued me, and discovering that one of you was a fellow practitioner of the musical arts…well, who could pass up an opportunity like that?"

Ludwig sighed. "Anyone who knew of our reputation back home."

Octavia gave him a concerned look, to which Ludwig glanced aside. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

Ludwig shook his head. "No, it's something I'd rather not discuss in pleasant company."

Octavia nodded. "I understand."

Ludwig smiled. "Now, if I remember correctly, you said you were a professional cellist?"

Octavia returned his smile. "Mmhmm, for the Royal Canterlot Symphony. They're normally stationed in Canterlot, but I prefer to live in Ponyville, where it's quieter. Plus, this house was my childhood home; living anywhere else just seemed…unthinkable."

Ludwig quirked an eyebrow. "Childhood home, you say? Normally parents remain in such homes, yet your only roommate besides myself is your cousin. If it isn't too much to ask, what became of your parents?"

A saddened look creased Octavia's features, and Ludwig immediately understood what it implied. "My parents…my father was a famous cellist by the name of Keystroke Philharmonica. He died when I was young, complications from heart failure. My mother cared for me until I was old enough to strike out on my own. I moved to Canterlot to go to college and become an official musician, eventually achieving my dream of joining the Royal Symphony. Unfortunately, my pursuits led me to…fall out of contact with my mother. I wrote her less and less as my life became busier." Ludwig noticed with worry that tears were starting to run down Octavia's grey-coated cheeks. "The…*sniff*…the last letter I received from her…she had developed cancer, a-and had only a few weeks to live."

She sniffed again as she fished a kerchief out of her dress and began dabbing her eyes with it. Ludwig, despite himself, gently wrapped his hand around Octavia's hoof to comfort her. She started slightly at the sudden contact, but somehow, the act seemed to soothe her enough to continue her tale. "I hadn't talked to her in s-so long, and I-I felt guilty…*sniff*…I immediately returned to Ponyville to see her…t-to apologize. By the time I got there, she w-was already confined to her bed."

Octavia paused and looked down, mustering the willpower to say her next words. Finally she looked up at Ludwig once more, her voice cracked, but not wavering. "But she still remembered me…she wanted t-to tell me how proud she was that I finally began to follow in my father's footsteps. I spent the next few days telling her about everything I'd done…what I had accomplished in my life…everything. And then…one day…she asked me to play our favorite song for her again. That was the first song my father had taught me, when had tutored me personally in the cello…I hadn't played it in years, but I remembered it by heart. W-when I was finished, I looked over at her…and she was gone. She had a smile on her face…"

Octavia choked back a sob, trying hard not to draw attention to herself in order to not ruin the cheerful mood around them. "A-after the funeral…I-I decided to move back to Ponyville, s-so I could stay close to her memories. *sniff* That was three years ago."

Ludwig quietly waited for her to calm down, smiling at her sympathetically. "I am sorry for your loss. I understand the pain of losing a parent."

Octavia looked up at him curiously as she dabbed her eyes relatively dry. "My own mother died after she gave birth to Junior. After having eight of us, one after the other each year, her body just couldn't take it anymore."

"I'm sorry," Octavia answered.

Before Ludwig could voice a response to that, he felt a scaly hand clap him on the shoulder, while Octavia felt a hoof on her shoulder. "C'mon, guys!" Pinkie Pie cried, coaxing Octavia eagerly out of her seat. "Turn those frowns upside-down!"

"Come on, Luddy!" Morton exclaimed as he did the same with a protesting Ludwig, with him and Octavia being dragged towards the dance floor. "We're puttin' out a special number for everyone!"

Ludwig glared irritably at him. "What number?"

Morton grinned. "You know the one."

Ludwig's eyes widened before he groaned in realization. "Oh, sweet Stars, not THAT song."

Octavia gave him a look. "This song brings back unpleasant memories," Ludwig flatly explained.

As he and Octavia found themselves on the dance floor with a number of other ponies, he looked up to see Wendy, Iggy, and Lemmy up near the speakers where Vinyl Scratch was situated, putting a disc provided to her by the ever-ready Morton onto her device. They were joined by Morton as they each grabbed a microphone. "So, is this a party or is this a party?!" Wendy cried into her microphone, the crowd of ponies cheering in response. "But now we think it's time to spice things up a little! Tonight, we're gonna party like Koopas were made to party!"

The crowd cheered and stomped their hooves as Morton looked over his shoulder and said, "Hit it, Scratch!"

Vinyl grinned and started playing the disc. A tune that was terribly familiar to Ludwig boomed from the speakers, as his crazy siblings began to sing. As they sang, Ludwig and Octavia began to awkwardly dance, thinking they might as well do so to rid themselves of the melancholy mood from earlier. As it got further along, the two of them began to put more energy into their movements, until they were cutting a rug with gusto.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juGDXD5nj2k

"Do the Koopa

Rip the hoopa

Do a loop de loopa

Or you'll be a party poopa!" they all chorused.

"Everybody do the Koopa!

Everybody shout and pout!" Morton sang.

"Everybody do the Koopa!

Everybody shake your snout!" Wendy sang.

"Everybody do the Koopa!

Everybody shake your scales!" Iggy sang.

"Everybody do the Koopa!

Everybody wag your tails!" Lemmy sang.

"Do the Koopa

Rip the hoopa

Do a loop de loopa

Or you'll be a party poopa!" they all chorused again.

"Everybody do the Koopa!" Morton sang.

"Once you start you can't stop!" Lemmy sang.

"Everybody do the Koopa!" Wendy sang.

"Bop, hop, flop and slop," Iggy sang.

"And rock, rock, rock until you drop, drop, drop!

Do the Koopa!

Rip the hoopa!

Do the Koopa!" they all finished together.

Once the song was done, everypony began stomping the ground in applause, while the Koopalings that had not joined in clapped for their more expressive siblings. Ludwig and Octavia, panting and having worked up a sweat from the dancing, smiled at each other. Noticing this, Vinyl took a break and stepped away from her equipment and sauntered up to them. "So, you're the dude that's gonna bunk with us, right?" she inquired, eyeing Ludwig up and down.

Octavia rolled her eyes. "Ludwig, meet my cousin, Vinyl Scratch."

"I am," Ludwig replied, bowing grandly. "The name's Ludwig von Koopa, the oldest Koopaling. I thank you for allowing me into your humble home."

Vinyl tipped her glasses down her muzzle and looked at him over the rim. "Wow, you mean I'm gonna be puttin' up with another Octavia? Jeez, I can't catch a break!"

Octavia scrunched her nose indignantly. Ludwig noticed and suppressed an undignified giggle. She really does look cute when she makes that face, he thought, then blushed at the realization of what had gone through his head.

"I'm not that bad!" Octavia cried. "And neither is he!"

Vinyl gave her a knowing look before glancing at Ludwig. "Uh huh," she said. "So, defending a guy, are ya?"

Octavia blushed. "I-it's not what you think!"

Vinyl smirked and adjusted her glasses. "Sure it ain't. I'm goin' out for a smoke. Be back in a few."

Octavia rolled her eyes again, irritated that she hadn't been able to convince Vinyl to kick that dreadful habit of hers. Taking her leave, Vinyl weaved her way through the crowd of partying ponies and went out the door. Once she was outside, she slunk over to the side of the large tree-house and fished out a pack of cigarettes she kept in her hair with her magic. She magically ignited the stick of nicotine and tar and put it in her mouth, enjoying the flavor. She was so busy enjoying the cool night air and her cigarette that she did not notice the cloaked figure approaching her silently from behind. As Vinyl blew out a ring of smoke, she suddenly heard a withered voice speak. "Pardon me, miss…but you have something I need."

Vinyl turned around in surprise. "Huh? Who're you?"

The hooded figure chuckled menacingly. "Is he friend or is he foe, the pony wonders…I can assure you, I am no friend."

Before Vinyl could react, the figure opened its mouth, and Vinyl's body was consumed by pain. Through her agony, she could feel a sort of draining effect, barely aware that the figure was literally sucking the magic out of her body. After a moment of surprised gasping, Vinyl let out a strangled scream. But it was too late; she fell on her side, drained of all her magic, as the now-slightly larger figure quickly vanished into the shadows, leaving no sign that he had ever been there.

XXXXXX

All noise stopped abruptly as they heard a single scream coming from outside. One pony in particular recognized that voice immediately. "VINYL!" Octavia cried in horror, bolting out the door and looking around in a panic.

Ludwig quickly followed her out, followed by the other Koopalings, the Mane Six, and a few other curious, concerned ponies. "VINYL! VINYL, WHERE ARE YOU?!" Octavia screamed, looking around.

"Oh my gods!" Ludwig cried, spotting a white, pony-shaped form lying motionless on the ground over beside the library. "Octavia, I found her!"

Octavia gasped in horror as she too saw the body of her beloved cousin. "VINYL!" she screeched, galloping over as a crowd began to gather.

Octavia and Ludwig knelt by her, Octavia shaking Vinyl desperately. "Vinyl?! Vinyl! Talk to me!" she cried hysterically.

Ludwig put his fingers on Vinyl's neck, and sighed in relief as he felt a faint pulse. "Thank the Stars, she's alive," he spoke before addressing the surrounding ponies. "Is anyone here a doctor?!"

"Everypony make way, NOW!" a voice cried as a pony pushed through the crowd. Ludwig then recognized Nurse Greyheart from the hospital.

Greyheart immediately stepped out of the crowd and said, "Move aside, let me take a look at her."

Ludwig nodded and gently took Octavia by the shoulder, pulling the distraught musician away from her cousin as Greyheart cast a diagnostic scanning spell over the unicorn DJ's body. "I'm not detecting any physical injuries," Greyheart spoke out loud. "But I still feel that something's off…" After a few more moments, she discovered why and released a horrified gasp. "Sweet mother of Celestia…h-her magic…it's gone!"

Twilight's jaw dropped. "H-how?!" she exclaimed. "Magic doesn't just disappear like that!"

Using her magic, Greyheart slung Vinyl's limp body over her back like a sack of grain. "I need to get her to the hospital. Without her magic, she's trapped in a state of catatonia. We'll do what we can for her."

Twilight nodded. "I'll write to the Princesses and let them know about this. I'll search through the library for anything else that could help in the meantime."

"We'll help you look!" Rainbow Dash cried.

"No, Rainbow," Twilight answered. "I suggest you organize a search party to see if anything is out of the ordinary. If Vinyl was attacked, then whoever, or whatever, did this may still be in the area."

"I can help with that," Ludwig spoke up. "Roy, Morton, Lemmy, since none of you are really into books, you'll join the search party. Larry, Iggy, Wendy, you'll join me in the library to help look for anything that might give us a clue as to what happened here."

The Koopalings all saluted in reply, even Roy, who, despite his propensity for bullying, was perfectly serious when the situation called for it. "Alright, who else is up for helpin' me search the town?" Rainbow called out.

"Ah'll go!" Applejack spoke up.

"So will I!" a mint-green unicorn named Lyra Heartstrings said. "Whatever did that to Vinyl is gonna get a righteous flank-whooping when I see it!"

"I'll go with you guys!" Derpy added. "I know the whole town like the back of my hoof!"

"I'll lend a hoof as well," a brown earth pony by the name of Doctor Whooves said.

Octavia stood up and managed to regain her composure enough to say, "I want to help too."

"Alright, we've got work to do!" Rainbow cried out, taking charge of the search party. "Let's go, everyone!"

"Party's over, everypony," Twilight proclaimed. "Go home where it's safe and stay there! We'll handle whatever's going on!"

With that, the crowd slowly dispersed as everyone either went home, went on the search party, or returned to the library. "Twilight, what's going on? What happened?" Spike asked as she returned, joined by Iggy, Ludwig, Wendy, Larry, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy.

"Spike, take a letter," Twilight sternly ordered.

Spike nodded and retrieved a quill and parchment. "Dear Princess Celestia," Twilight began, pacing anxiously. "Something terrible happened during the party we were holding for the Koopalings. A unicorn by the name of Vinyl Scratch was found outside the library completely drained of her magic. We have no idea how it happened, and were hoping you had some idea. Was she attacked by something? If so, what kind of creature is capable of this and how can we get Vinyl's magic back? Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle."

"Got it!" Spike said as he finished writing and rolled up the parchment.

He then ignited it in green flames, the ashes flying out the window. "What in the world did you do that for?!" Iggy demanded, confused as to why someone would burn a letter they had just written.

"Spike has the ability to send letters directly to Celestia by engulfing them in magical flames," Twilight explained. "They reappear perfectly intact when she receives them, don't worry."

"Wow, that's pretty nifty!" Larry said. "We've gotta learn how to do that!"

"Later," Ludwig ordered. "For now, we each search a section of this library and see if we can find anything pertaining to magic-draining spells or magic-eating monsters."

XXXXXX

Celestia had been feeling uneasy the entire day. For some reason, she felt that something was amiss in Equestria. Yet she had received no visions of any sort; nothing more than just a general bad feeling lurking within her chest. She had initially dismissed it as little more than lingering paranoia pertaining to Discord's freedom, but somehow, the feeling didn't go away no matter how she rationalized her decision to set him free.

Just as she was finally about to head to bed and let her sister take control of the night, a letter suddenly appeared to her. She let out a light gasp of surprise before unrolling it and reading the contents. As she did so, the dread in her heart rose to new volumes. Magic-draining? That wasn't Discord's MO at all. There were only a few things she knew of that had the ability to drain ponies of their magic. There were fuaths, which only lived in bodies of water and never came to shore, so that ruled them out. The only other possibility she knew of was…

No…no, please let it not be him, she thought to herself, trying to hold back a feeling of panic as she summoned a quill and parchment of her own and penned a hurried reply.

"My Dearest Twilight, I am aware of only two creatures that possess the power to drain ponies of their magic. One is the fuath, which lives exclusively in water. The other is a villain from Equestria's past who was truly a force to be reckoned with. That is all I can explain at the moment, but I strongly suggest you keep the Elements of Harmony handy, for your own safety. Though, if I know this being well enough, he will not return to Ponyville for now. I will explain more personally tomorrow. Sincerely, Princess Celestia."

Celestia sent the scroll away with her magic and went to go find Luna. If Tirek has escaped from Tartarus, then we are all in danger.

XXXXXX

Meanwhile, Tirek hurried along the road, having left Ponyville far behind already. As he traveled, he glanced at the dark purple metal cuffs clamped to his arms. As much as he hated them, he was glad of one side-effect they provided. The Shadow Queen's power allowed them to mask his presence, preventing the Princesses from sensing him in their prophetic dreams. Even if they did manage to figure out who he was through his methods of draining magic, they still could not magically pinpoint his location. Even the mighty Discord would have trouble finding him.

Tirek silently cursed that unicorn for screaming. That had alerted the town to his presence, meaning he couldn't drain any more magic before he had to leave to avoid capture. Still, it was good to have some magic flowing through his veins again. He couldn't wait to gain more, though; with every little bit of magic gained, the closer he came to revenge against the Shadow Queen and the Princesses, as well as dominance over the entire world.

"Perhaps Manehattan will provide more worthwhile prospects," he muttered to himself as he went on his way.

XXXXXX

Everfree Castle Ruins…

With little to do with herself other than plot and scheme, the crushing blackness that formed the essence of the Shadow Queen decided to do something you would not expect from an eons-old demon; read. The old castle's library was miraculously still intact after a thousand years. The Shadow Queen could sense even in her weakened state that the books all had a preservation spell set into their pages.

"Hmm…perhaps this place can help broaden my knowledge of this infernal world," the Shadow Queen mused to herself.

Ethereal fingers emerged out of the pitch-black miasma, trailing along the spines of the books, scrutinizing the title of each tome. Many were simply outdated history books and spellbooks, neither of which she cared much about, since she was content in her own power and cared nothing for history that did not pertain to her. Suddenly, however, one particular title caught the Shadow Queen's interest.

"History of the Elements of Harmony," the Shadow Queen read out loud, plucking the book out of its place on the old shelf and releasing a layer of dust.

The Shadow Queen opened the ancient tome and began to read. As she did so, unseen lips curled upwards into a dark smile. "Such power…the greatest ever seen in this world, so they say. If I were to obtain these 'Elements of Harmony,' they could offer me volumes of power even the Crystal Stars cannot hope to provide. I will find them, and their power shall be mine. Muh huh huh huh huh huh…"

My Little Koopalings: Friendship is Obnoxious

by LordSiravant

A Strange Punishment

Settling In

Trouble In Paradise

Ain't No Party Like A Koopa Party