> My Little Paper Mario
>  by Codex92
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The Mushroom Kingdom. A vibrant kingdom filled with fungal inhabitants in a peaceful land, ruled by the beautiful and benevolent ruler, Princess Toadstool, or preferred to be named as Princess Peach. She is not like the mushroom people she rules, known as Toads, along with having unique magical power within her. Unfortunately, peace doesn't truly reign that long as the evil King of the Koopas, Bowser, shows himself and kidnaps the fair princess, whisking her away to his castle with his many minions protecting his fortress, with soldiers ranging from small, mushroom-like creatures called Goombas to reptilian, magic-wielding wizards called Kameks.

Though his capture of the princess always works in his favor, his plans are foiled when the pair of heroic plumbers, Mario and Luigi, storm through his fortresses, stomp his minions, and beat the spiky-shelled, fire-breathing reptile to save Princess Peach. Many times he had failed, and all of his ideas were thrown down the toilet whenever The Mario Bros. jump in and trounce him. However, this time, Bowser and his advisor, an elderly Kamek by the name of Kammy Koopa, have an ingenious idea to finally be rid of Mario and his rescuing of the young woman he pines for and take control of the Mushroom Kingdom...And it might actually succeed.





Up in the stars far beyond the land down below, a city of living stars lived peacefully in what is known as Star Haven. These stars grant wishes to those in the kingdoms across the world, but only to those with good intentions in their hearts. But, the ones who are able to grant the strongest of wishes are decided by seven powerful stars: the Star Spirits. These seven stars have unique powers, far stronger than any normal star, and one of their main objectives aside from wish granting is to protect a valuable artifact called the Star Rod. The Star Rod is able to grant anyone whatever they wish, no matter how good or evil they are. It is kept under their care, to be sure the powerful want is never misused by anyone who dares to visit Star Haven and the temple in which it resides.

Inside of the grand, glorious blue and sparkling dome, a pathway leading to it between a sparkling lake of starry water, the seven Star Spirits sit in their places, taking careful watch of the Star Rod and the wishes they hear from the Mushroom Kingdom. The leader of the group was Eldstar, a male yellow star with a bushy white mustache, being the eldest of the group as his name states. Next is Mamar, a female orange star with a pink bow on her head, her behavior suitable as a mother figure. Skolar, a male purple star with bifocals with bushy brown eyebrows and a thin brown mustache, stared out into space as he overheard the many wishes with his fellow stars. Muskular, a light blue male star with a sailor's cap on his head, watched the Star Rod intensely. Misstar, a pink female star, twiddled with the orange ribbon that was wrapped around her arms, floating serenely above her in the faint shape of a heart. Klevar, a genial yellow male star with a pink bowtie on his chest, read a book he always kept on him, whether it was a dictionary, a never-ending novel, or a journal he keeps is not known, but he is fond of it. And last was Kalmar, a relaxed yellow male star with a small black mustache.

"A lot of wishes this evening," Eldstar spoke. "Many young Toads down in Toad Town always want their favorite toys."

"As usual," Muskular said, slightly bored. "I know the youth are all about believing their wishes can come true, but not every single one of them can just be granted all willy nilly."

"And we got another one from Bowser earlier today." Misstar scoffed, waving her arm in disdain at the terrible tyrant's "demands". "He's surely not getting Princess Toadstool with his greedy, selfish, and egotistical wishes, that's for sure."

"He's been a spoiled little brat since he was in diapers," Skolar said. "Even back when they were babies, Mario had found a way to trounce that tyrant and even bring peace back to the kingdoms...At least, until he has another one of his insane plans that will eventually fail. When will that fool learn?"

"Not in a million years as an orphan," Mamar said with a sad sigh. "It's no wonder he's the way he is. Barely any parental guidance and raised by his own servants."

A moment passed in nothing but silence as the Star Spirits focused on their duties. However, hiding behind the pillars, sneaking inside of their sacred temple. Sensing a presence behind him, Kalmar turned around, only to be shot by a magic spell from a wand. The other Star Spirits turned in shock as an elderly Kamek in purple robes rode in on a broomstick, cackling menacingly as she flew in. Stomping in behind her was none other than the Koopa King himself, Bowser: a tall and burly Koopa, spikes on his large shell, sharp claws and teeth, spiky bracelets around his wrists and shoulders, curved horns, and mane and eyebrows a fiery red.

"Did someone start talking about me?" Bowser questioned with a sinister, toothy grin.

"Bowser! How did you find this sacred haven!?" Eldstar exclaimed in shock.

"Well, seeing as you Star Spirts aren't granting me my wishes, I've decided to take matters in my own claws!" he explained, clenching his claws.

"We don't grant your wishes because they are incredibly selfish," Klevar explained, keeping his distance from the powerful Koopa. "Wishing for Princess Peach to love you is not allowed, therefore, the thought of changing free will is heinous. And wishing for Mario's demise and winning by kidnapping the princess is morally-"

"Oh shut up, you nerd!" Bowser shouted. "It took a while to find this place, but I'll take what's rightfully mine!"

Bowser took in a deep breath and blew out a powerful torrent of flame at the Star Rod. The magical rod was protected by a magical barrier, but the strong fire managed to break through the shield, shattering it to pieces.

"No! You can't take that!" Eldstar warned.

"That's a sacred rod!" Muskular flew in to attack the Koopa King, only to get smacked aside by his powerful claws.

Bowser grabbed the Star Rod, the star at the end shimmering brightly. The Star Spirits gasped in horror, the dreaded tyrant now holding immeasurable strength that could give him anything he desired. He laughed maniacally as he held the Star Rod above him.

"Now, all my wishes will finally come true! But, to make sure you seven stars don't interfere..." He turned to Kammy, the old witch nodding her head as she held out her wand, creating seven blank cards with Bowser's insignia on the back. "Let's see if I can collect the whole set!"

Bowser thrust the rod into the air, releasing a powerful shockwave around him. The wave struck the Star Spirits, trapping them in a ball of yellow energy as they felt themselves forcefully being sucked away from where they stood.

"Urgh! N-No!" Slowly, one by one, the Star Spirits couldn't fight back against the gravitational pull as they were sucked over toward Kammy.

Each one was flung into a card, trapping them inside as their own power on their own wasn't enough to get them free. "B-Bowser! Y-You fool!" Eldstar yelled before he was flung into his card. The Star Spirits tried to bang their way out, but it wasn't enough to save them. "You cannot misuse the power of the Star Rod! Your wishes were never granted because of your ill intentions!"

"Put a sock in it," Bowser said, laughing evilly as he looked at the magical rod in his hands. "Now, I'll finally have my wishes granted after all these years. Peach will be mine, the Mushroom Kingdom will be mine, and Mario won't be able to stop me this time!"

He laughed louder as his ride flew into the temple, a large white helicopter clown car hovering before him with orange eyes and a smiley face. Bowser leapt into his vehicle as both king and witch aide flew off to the stars to formulate his next plan. Unbeknownst to the Star Spirits and the evil thieves and kidnappers, a small star kid had watched the whole scene, hiding behind a pillar the moment he heard them talk.

"Oh no...This is bad. The Honorable Star Spirits and the Star Rod...have been stolen..." The young star flew out and panicked, having no idea what to do and too afraid to tell the other stars what happened. "What do I do!? What do I do!?"





Meanwhile, in the wonderful land of Equestria, where ponies live in peace and harmony under their benevolent alicorn rulers, something else was happening in the small town of Ponyville. Inside the large crystal tree castle, owned by Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends, the lavender alicorn was busy looking over the equations of a magical spell she had been going over. For a long while, ever since she was able to go between two different worlds of Equestria through a magical portal after a certain ex-student of her mentor's tried to take her Element of Magic, she wanted to study how dimensional travel was possible, but never had the time with her royal duties and Equestria always in some kind of distress. Even though there was a way to keep the portal open instead of waiting every thirty moons thanks to the device she made after an emergency message from Sunset Shimmer, keeping it open for too long can overheat the machine around the mirror and shut down.

"Hmmm..." Twilight looked over the numbers and runic symbols on the blackboard, finally nodding her head in approval. "Ok. I think this should work."

Entering the library where she was busy with her work, her friends walked in, guided by her student, Starlight Glimmer, having been a misunderstood villain now a student in friendship under her tutelage. "Everyone's here, Twilight."

"Excellent! And right on time!" Twilight turned to her friends, excited to tell them of her little magical experiment she feels would work. Her best friends since first meeting them when she arrived to Ponyville; Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy, and her number one assistant and surrogate brother, Spike, were curious as to what she had been busy with. "Guys, I think I finally managed to create a spell using the same magical formula from the mirror portal that will allow somepony to transport to another dimension!"

"Wow, that's a mite impressive," Applejack complimented. "But, why would ya be workin' on that?"

"Well, I can't exactly keep the portal opened forever with my device using Celestia's journal as a catalyst to connect with Sunset's in the human world," Twilight explained as she pointed at the mentioned portal nearby. It was off right now, especially after hearing what had happened earlier with the human version of the alicorn actually taking the magic from the portal when she was in the middle of a time traveling battle against Starlight to stop her revenge by preventing Rainbow's sonic rainboom she created as a filly. "Even though I would have to shut it down to prevent anypony here or humans in the other world from accidentally falling through, I don't want it to blow up if there's a malfunction with the machine.

"But I figured out the formula, and I want to test it to see if it'll work. I've looked over the numbers, and I think I can pull it off." After her explanation, her friends all looked at each other, then at her.

"So, we're here to watch?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm already excited enough as it is!" Pinkie exclaimed. "You think we can actually go there and meet our human selves!?"

"I'm not sure that's still a good idea," Twilight said. "And now that I know there's another Twilight that's there at CHS, I don't want to confuse everyone there with there being two of us in one place...Although, human me ties her hair in a pony tail and wears glasses."

"And Sunset also said that the actual Spike living there is able to talk thanks to the crazy magic human Twilight stole," Spike added. "She must have caused a lot of damage after writing everything we ended up missing when Starlight was messing around with time."

Starlight giggled nervously, never going to let that moment down after realizing just how extreme her revenge was with her problems with cutie marks. "Please don't remind me about that...I could have ended the world if I kept doing that."

"But now we know the real reason why you felt that way, and now you've made amends with Sunburst and have improved greatly on your friendship lessons since then." The others agreed with Twilight, making the pink unicorn blush.

"Well, if only I didn't think so negatively when I was a filly, I probably wouldn't have stolen other ponies' cutie marks and tried to end your friendship with the sonic rainboom," Starlight said. "...Then again, I kinda sorta realized a while after I was forgiven that you six became friends far later in your lives after that sonic rainboom. You all just got your cutie marks at the same time, and in different locations..."

"At least we didn't have to live through the timeline with Sombra still around," Fluttershy said. "That would be terrifying."

"Or the changelings taking over all of Equestria," Rarity added with a shudder.

"Thankfully, this won't be like time travel. Just warping through to another dimension. Now, let's see if this spell works." Twilight lit up her horn and concentrated on weaving the spell to do as it was meant to.

Everyone kept quiet as they watched, seeing the alicorn's pink aura glowing brighter as it sparked out of her horn. So far, it seemed to be working out pretty well as her aura began surrounding her. Suddenly, a sudden jolt in Twilight's body made her gasp, her spell suddenly going out of control as the aura began to flare wildly.

"Twilight, what's happening!?" Starlight asked.

"I-I don't know! Something happened to me!" Twilight tried to stop the spell, but she couldn't. "I can't control it! It's getting too strong!"

Her spell suddenly began to pull her friends toward her, Starlight quickly casting a shield spell around herself to keep herself from being dragged forward while Spike held onto the unicorn, safe in the protective bubble. The others tried to run away, but they were being constantly dragged, having no traction on the crystallized surface of the floor. The Mane Six began to panic as the spell began growing stronger, calling out for help when none of them had any idea how to reverse it. Twilight's horn flashed brightly, both Starlight and Spike shutting their eyes as they were blinded by the light as the spell took effect. Unable to hear them as the light faded away, they squinted their eyes, only to gasp in shock as they found no sign of the six mares.

"Oh no!" Starlight cancelled her protective spell as all she and Spike could see was a giant scorch mark where they all stood.

"W-What happened to them!?" Spike asked. "Did-Did they make it to the other world!?"

"I-I don't know...but something happened with Twilight's spell." Starlight looked over Twilight's equation, even paying attention to the spell she was weaving as she gave it a test run. "She was casting it perfectly. And she didn't end up in a magical surge that caused it to go out of control."

Thinking quickly, Spike ran up to the portal and grabbed the journal that connected them with Sunset's journal in the human world. He wrote a quick note to her, asking the former villain if Twilight or any of her friends were in their world. A moment later, he got a reply back, which made the baby dragon faint as his face turned pale. Starlight approached the unconscious baby dragon and read the message, gasping in horror.



No, I don't see your Twilight or any of her friends around CHS. None of the others saw them either. Why? Did they all come through the portal? What's going on, Spike?







In the hustle and bustle of Toad Town, several guests from across the Mushroom Kingdom had already begun arriving at the castle. Princess Peach is holding a social gathering and had invited many dignitaries from the neighboring towns and cities of her kingdom, including sending a last minute letter to Mario and his younger brother Luigi. The whole morning, the princess in her iconic pink dress had greeted many of her guests, her chefs cooking a banquet of delectable meals for all to enjoy as they conversed in her home. She excused herself from the party, keeping out of her Toadsworth's line of sight, an elderly Toad who was her caretaker when she was a baby as well as her chancellor. He had brown spots on his mushroom head, a bushy white mustache, a pair of bifocals, and walked with a cane.

Peach climbed up the stairs up to the long hallway that lead further up to the towers, letting out a sigh of relief as her footsteps were muffled by the red carpet underneath her. "Goodness. I didn't think I'd see so many people from around the kingdom today. I hope Mario comes by soon, otherwise he'll miss out on the food." She giggled at the thought of seeing her plumber hero going for the buffet, always rewarding him with a delicious cake she bakes herself and a kiss after he saves her from Bowser. "I need a break first before I go back down and-"

Suddenly, the crackle of lightning in the hall startled Peach, gasping in surprise as she saw what looked like a portal forming out of nowhere in her castle. She didn't know if this was another kidnapping attempt from Bowser, ready to call her Toad guards and flee if that were the case. After the magical portal grew big enough, she heard six female voices cry out and grunt as they hit the floor. The anomaly of magical energy then disappeared, her jaw dropping as she saw six equines tangled in a heap as they groaned.

"Ugh. Ah think Ah'm gonna be sick." The others voiced their agreements with sickly mumbling, unaware of the surprised princess staring at them.

"Everypony alright?" Twilight asked as they slowly stumbled off each other.

"Well, if I'm breathing and my wings are still intact, I'm good," Rainbow said while the others muttered they were still alive. After stopping their heads from spinning after Twilight's dimensional teleportation spell backfired, they got a look at their surroundings. "Are we in a castle?"

"That's odd," Twilight said. She looked down at herself as she and her friends were still ponies, so that meant they must have wound up somewhere else. "I don't think there were any castles anywhere around Canterlot High."

The Mane Six finally noticed Peach at the other end of the hall, both sides completely silent. The human princess was amazed to see the colorful ponies and know that they can talk. They looked like something from a storybook she had read when she was little, only imagining them as nothing but fictional creatures, especially when she stared at Twilight. The first to break the silence was Pinkie, quickly running up to Peach before stopping in front of her.

"Hi!" the pink earth pony said, making Peach yelp as she expected Pinkie to ram right into her. "I'm Pinkie Pie!"

"Pinkie!" Twilight dragged their hyperactive friend away, clearly seeing the young woman was royalty from the tiara on her head. The rest of the mares walked up to her, calmly, so they don't scare the human into calling guards. "Uhh, sorry about her. She loves making new friends, no matter who or what they are. Along with suddenly appearing your castle, your Highness."

"...I see..." Peach was speechless, and even though she wanted a break from talking with the guests downstairs, she was interested in the six ponies before her. "And...you're not dangerous at all?"

"N-No. Not really," Fluttershy said timidly.

"We promise we're not a threat," Twilight said. "You see, I tried to cast a spell to take us to a different world, but something happened and...we suddenly appeared before you...in wherever this world is." Peach nodded her head as she understood, knowing they could use magic not a surprise to the princess. "Anyway, I think we should introduce ourselves. My name is Princess Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and you've already met Pinkie Pie."

As Twilight pointed out her friends while saying their names, they bowed to her, except for Pinkie, who waved at her enthusiastically. "Oh. Well, my name is Princess Toadstool, but you can just call me Peach." Peach curtsied as she introduced herself, making her way toward the new arrivals from another world. "I don't believe any of your kind live here in the Mushroom Kingdom, but you do look like mythological creatures from stories I've read."

"'The Mushroom Kingdom'?" Rarity suddenly felt sick, unable to imagine this land was filled with fungus.

"Strange name for a kingdom," Rainbow said, looking out the window to see a clean town, gasping as she saw the mushroom-headed citizens strolling around the streets. "Wow! Those mushrooms are alive!"

"Actually, they're called Toads," Peach explained.

"Living fungal creatures with sentient thought?" Twilight asked, wishing she had brought along a quill and some paper, highly interested in this strange world. But at the thought of being in this world, she winced as she needed to bring herself and her friends back to their home. "Oh no. I think Spike and Starlight Glimmer are going to worry about us right now."

"Can't you use that spell you used to come here and return back?" Peach asked.

"I...I don't know," the alicorn said. "I'm afraid to cast it again after I felt something off right when I was in the middle of weaving the highly complex spell. I don't know if I'll end up taking us somewhere dangerous."

"So, does that mean we're stuck here until you fix that spell?" Applejack asked.

"I'm afraid so." The rest of the mares were disappointed, trapped in a new world until Twilight finally fixed her spell so it wouldn't wind up backfiring and send them elsewhere.

"I'm sorry. I wish there was some way I can help you girls," Peach said. "Magic isn't anything new in our world, but I'm not sure if there's anything around traveling through other dimensions in any spellbooks we might have in the library." She brought a hand to her chin, thinking of anything she could do for the six ponies. Even if she can't help Twilight with her spell, she can at least make them feel welcomed as honorary guests in her kingdom. "Well, until that spell of yours is fixed, you're all welcome to stay here in my castle until then."

"Really?" Rarity asked in surprise. "You'll allow us to stay after barging into your castle and your kingdom?"

"Of course! Anything to make your stay as pleasurable as possible!" Peach knelt down to their height with a bit of childish glee. "Besides, I think all of us might be a bit curious about what our worlds are like. I just hope that Toadsworth doesn't make a fuss if I'm gone from the party for too long."

"A party!?" Pinkie exclaimed. "Why didn't you say there was a party going on!? I love parties!"

"I don't think the denizens of this world would like to see new creatures crashing a royal party," Twilight reminded Pinkie, making the earth pony wilt in sadness.

"Oh, we have stranger creatures throughout the kingdom that aren't as weird as you...ummm..." Peach tried to remember what they were called from the stories. "...Horses?"

"Ponies," Twilight corrected. "In our world in Equestria, Pinkie and Applejack are earth ponies, Rarity's a unicorn, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are pegasi, and I'm an alicorn. Alicorns are...mostly the royalty back home, but I used to be a unicorn before...ascending, I guess you can say."

"I was wondering about that," Peach said, absorbing the new information.

The girls soon began to talk about each other: their homes, families, worlds, any similarities or differences between the Mushroom Kingdom and Equestria from their flora to their fauna. Peach was heavily invested in the colorful world her new guests talked about, wondering if she could one day visit Equestria if Twilight finds a way to safely teleport anyone between worlds.
> Bowser Attacks...and Wins???
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	Out in a secluded area of a small forest, not too far from Toad Town, there was a house built in the middle of the area. Above the front door was the name "Mario", which just so happens to be owned by the heroic plumber himself and his brother Luigi. Though the Mario Bros. home is secluded, there was a green warp pipe not too far on a small path that takes them to the town whenever they needed to run some errands, like saving the princess from Bowser or getting groceries. They do need some time to unwind after their heroic deeds and get away from some of their beloved fans a warp pipe away.

The sound of wings flapping down toward the cozy looking hut came from a Paratroopa, a Koopa Troopa with a pair of wings. He had an aviator's cap and goggles worn on his head and a mail bag, his shell cyan, and wore brown boots. Despite wearing shoes, he hovered over to the mailbox in front of the Mario Bros. house, pulling out a letter addressed to them from his bag and stuck it inside.

"Mail call!" he announced before flying off to deliver more letters across the kingdom.

A moment later, the front door opened, Luigi stepping out and walked down the steps to retrieve the mail. He was a tall and skinny man wearing blue overalls and a green long-sleeved shirt, a green cap with the letter "L", a black mustache, white gloves, and a pair of brown boots. Even though he's taller than his brother, it was confusing for some when they think he's the oldest because of his height. The younger Mario Bro grabbed the letter and stepped back inside the house.

There were only two rooms in the small home, but it was enough for the two of them. Upon entering the front door was the living room, a simple wooden table with a couple chairs, a wood burning stove, a vine growing out of a pot and up to the ceiling, and a cupboard with various items. The other room was their bedroom, the brothers sleep in a bunk bed: red sheets on top for Mario while Luigi had the bottom bunk with his green sheets. There was also a dresser, a small table where they store their mail, and a small window at the back of the room. There were a few floor panels in their room that were completely out of place, which happens to be Luigi's "hidden" basement where he sometimes writes about his days in a journal he keeps down there.

"Hey, Mario!" Luigi called out, his older brother coming out of their bedroom to see what he wanted. Mario dressed similarly to Luigi, though he instead wore a red cap with an "M" on the front and his shirt was red, standing a bit shorter than his brother and a slight pudge, but he's more athletic than he appears with his jumping abilities. "We got a letter from Princess Peach!" Catching the hero's interest, Luigi opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. "Let's see here..."



Dear Mario and Luigi,
I'm throwing a party at my castle today, and I would be honored if the both of you could attend. Many guests from across the Mushroom Kingdom have come to visit and hope to see you. There will be all kinds of sweets and fun entertainment for everyone! I hope to see you here soon!
Sincerely, Peach



"A party!? What are we waiting for!?" Wasting no more time standing around, Mario and Luigi headed off to Peach's castle and attend the party.

Making sure their door was locked as soon as they were out, never being too careful if anyone finds their place without using the warp pipe, they ran over to said pipe, Mario jumping in first while Luigi followed suit. Using these pipes around the kingdom is pretty handy for quickly traveling from one location to the other, some even leading to secret areas that might be filled with lost coins. They soon leapt out of the end of that pipe at the entrance of Toad Town in the northwest part of town, right outside of a library. This section of the town also had a dojo, a shop next to it, and a small pond where a warp pipe stood out on a small island on the water.

They passed by many of the Toads, many of them with different or similar colored spots on their white mushroom heads, all of them waving as they saw the Mario Bros. off on their way. The next area was a bit bigger, where a building with a spinning roof stood on the left side of the large blue door with a star that lead to the castle, below that was what looked like a store was being built, on the right of the gates were a post office and a Toad House, where weary travelers can take a snooze as they relaxed from their trek around the kingdom, and beneath that a small garden with an archway in the center, a toad girl tending to some of the flowers. Mario and Luigi headed up past the gates and made their way to the castle.

The outside was as grand, the walls white while the roofs and the towers' spires were red, a fancy water fountain outside that added more appeal to the castle. The Mario Bros. walked inside, already hearing the guests striking conversations with one another just from the first floor's foyer alone. They were both surprised to see just how many came to the party: some Toads from different towns in the kingdom, penguins from the north in Shiver City, even some friendly Koopa Troopas from the village east of the town. Inside, the castle had checkerboard floor tiles, some red carpet leading to a pair of short stairways on the sides to other rooms, and a stairway leading up to the second floor behind a brown door with a yellow star, the ones on the sides blue. The walls looked like they were still outside, depicting the sky with some clouds here and there.

"Wow. This is some party, eh, Mario?" Luigi asked. His brother responded with a nod of his head. They could smell all the different foods Princess Peach's royal chefs had made for the occasion, both of them practically drooling as their taste buds desired to try everything. "Uhh, hey, bro? How about you find the princess while I mingle? She's probably waiting for you somewhere in this big crowd."

Mario was about to ask Luigi why he should, only for his younger brother to run off and "mingle" with the crowd. The plumber sighed, knowing his brother was sort of right. Peach was expecting him to be here, and he didn't want her to be cross with him if he stuffed his face without seeing her first. He began making his way up the stairs to the second floor, finding no sign of her on the first floor. The second floor was the same as the previous floor, though the way up higher had two stairways leading up to the door, the carpet before him leading to where Peach's bedroom was, a Toad guard standing in front of it to keep guests out of her private chambers.

"Master Mario!" From the many guests, Mario spotted Toadsworth approaching him. "Good to see you yet again. I'm sure the princess had invited you on the guest list as well." The plumber nodded his head. "Well, speaking of her Highness, I seem to have lost track of her in the crowd. Knowing her, she must have snuck off somewhere in the castle to hide from me." The old Toad let out a heavy sigh in exhaustion. "Ever since she was a baby, she had always given me so much trouble, and being kidnapped by Bowser threatens to give me a heart attack. If you find her, please bring her back down so she can tell me where she's going next time so I don't worry."

Mario nodded again, sharing his worries whenever the princess winds up getting kidnapped by the fire-breathing Koopa. Toadsworth wandered around to speak with some of the elder guests while the plumber decided to check higher up in the castle for Peach. Walking up more stairs through the longer hallway beyond the next door, he stopped as he heard voices come from the next room. Pressing his ear against the door, he could hear the princess giggling a fair distance away, along with six other feminine voices. Wondering who Peach was speaking to, he opened the door, blanching in surprise when he saw six equine creatures with the princess, sitting in a circle as they talked.

"-and that's when Starlight finally realized that she can't use magic to solve everything, especially when it comes to learning about the magic of friendship," Twilight said, finishing another moment in their lives to Peach, the other mares grimacing at what had happened to them.

"Oh my. No wonder she was so nervous when making friends," Peach said. "I feel pretty bad for her after what she almost did to ruin your world." She then sighed and huffed. "Now, if only a certain Koopa can actually redeem himself instead of being such a selfish and spoiled brat."

"You mean this 'Bowser' guy?" Rainbow asked.

"Yep. The King of the Koopas. Always kidnapping me and trying to get me to fall in love with him while also terrorizing my kingdom. I get so sick of it sometimes, being a damsel in distress to the same villainous jerk who thinks he even stands half a chance of taking my hand in marriage." Peach stood back up, brushing down her dress as she turned around. She gasped when she saw Mario standing there, looking really confused and cautious as his eyes looked behind her to the Mane Six. "Oh! Mario! You're here!"

"Wait, THIS is your knight in shining armor saving you from that dreaded monster, Bowser!?" Rarity exclaimed in shock.

"Well, I didn't say he was a knight or anything, but he is my hero." She ushered the stunned plumber over, slowly making his way toward them as he scratched his head, both nervous and wondering what the six ponies were. The mares took notice of his clothing, looking more like a plumber or a gardener with the overalls he wore than a hero. "Girls, this is Mario. My savior as well as my kingdom's protector. Mario, these are my new friends from another world: Princess Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity." Mario was utterly speechless at the mention of them being from another world. He looked at the princess, demanding answers to her confusing introduction. "It's a bit of a long story. Twilight can use magic, and a spell she was using ended up backfiring, which wound her and her friends here in our world."

"Technically, all six of us have magic, though where Rarity and I can use different spells, Pegasi can control the weather, and earth ponies have a better understanding of cultivation and tending the earth. So, we're kind of stuck here until I can figure out how to bring us back home a lot safely." Mario slowly nodded his head, able to process Twilight's explanation on their magic, but it was still a bit overwhelming.

"Ooh! Neat hat!" Pinkie said, suddenly swiping Mario's cap off his head. Surprised, he pressed his hands over his head, revealing his brown hair that wasn't black like his mustache, wondering how the pink mare managed to move that fast. She put the hat on her head, most of her poofy pink mane sticking out underneath the cap, now wearing a fake mustache she somehow pulled out of nowhere. "Now I'm-a Mario! Whoo-hoo!" Mario's head already started hurting, but before he was able to question how she knew how he talked and where that mustache came from, the pink pony suddenly bounced on him. "So, how do you beat the bad guys if you don't have a super cool weapon!? What's the difference between mushrooms you can and can't eat? What kind of pasta do you like!? Ever had a cake made out of noodles? I wanna make one and try it!"

"Ok, Pinkie, don't overwhelm him," Twilight chided as she dragged Pinkie Pie off of the flustered plumber. She took Mario's hat off her, her mane somehow matching his hairstyle before popping back to its usual floofy style, levitating it back to him. "Pinkie Pie's...well, a bit harder to explain than who we are and where we came from."

"Just take our advice and don't question Pinkie Pie, sugarcube," Applejack said, the hero quickly taking it as he placed his hat back on.

"So, what exactly do you do to stop bad guys?" Rainbow asked curiously, hovering around Mario and inspected his short and average body.

"Mario actually uses plenty of different ways to stop Bowser and his minions," Peach said. "Most of the time, he jumps on them, or uses a Fire Flower to shoot fireballs from his hands."

"Magical flowers that give somepony the ability to shoot fire?" Twilight asked, desperately wishing she had something to write with and take notes.

"And he can jump pretty high, too," the princess added, Mario nodding his head with a prideful grin.

"How high?" Rainbow asked. Mario jumped, surprising the mares as he had managed to reach about halfway up to the ceiling, and in one bound. And as he landed, he still stood after falling from that height without crouching to lessen the force of the somewhat dangerous landing. "...Sweet Celestia...I can barely jump that high without taking off when I fly...That's awesome! You think you can shoot some fire for us now? Cause that'd be twenty percent more awesome!"

"...That's amazing," Twilight muttered. "He jumped five times his own height, and without breaking his legs...That's practically impossible to land without getting injured at a fall like that."

"He's fallen from higher heights, even when carrying me after rescuing me," Peach said.

"I was expecting somepony a lot more handsome to be your rescuer, Peach." Rarity's comment made Mario groan in exasperation as he slumped forward. "But, he does have a lot of courage to stand up to the brute who kidnaps you. And Mario does have a certain charm to him. The mustache is well groomed, but his clothing...I think something more noble will fit that 'hero' status nicely."

Mario just sighed, feeling like Rarity had insulted and complimented his choice of style at the same time, Peach giggling at the unicorn's critique of his outfit. "Despite his looks, I still think it suits him perfectly." The plumber chuckled and rubbed the back of his head at Peach's compliment. "Well, I think I should be getting back to the party. Maybe I can convince Toadsworth to let you stay, as long as he doesn't complain about you girls being 'dangerous', and we'll see if we can bring up some food for you."

The plumber's stomach rumbled, dying to taste some of that food downstairs as the girls laughed at his drooling expression. "Just remember we're vegetarians. Nothing with meat."

"Right. We'll remember." Peach and Mario began to head back down to the party and rustle up some food for their otherworldly pony guests. Before they even reached the door, the ground suddenly began to shake violently, making them panic at the sudden quake. "Ahh! W-What's happening!?"

"A-An earthquake!? Does your kingdom have seismic activity you didn't tell us about!?" Twilight asked, but her question wasn't answered as the ground shook more, making everyone fall over, having no choice but to wait it out while screaming in fright.





Outside the castle, some of the guests on the first floor ran out in fear as the quake hit. Luigi was one of them, helping some of them get away before the ground could collapse around them. Unfortunately, not everyone would be able to escape as they saw what was causing the earthquake. Even the denizens of Toad Town saw it as something rose up underneath Peach's castle: a giant fortress somehow got underneath the castle, rising it up into the sky, along with a piece of dead land with a lava moat separating part of it from the fortress's entrance, a Bowser head statue poking up that was as bland as the land as it leered with yellow eyes. Everyone began panicking as Bowser was attacking again, only this time stealing away the castle as it all rested on top of a giant vessel that looked like the Koopa King's clown copter, two swinging flails constantly swaying after it finally floated up from the ground.

"Oh no!" Luigi exclaimed as he and everyone else watched as Peach's castle was being sent up to the sky. The devastation around Bowser's floating fortress was horrifying, the quake destroying the fountain and leaving a massive pit where the castle once stood. "Bowser...Well, at least Mario is with the princess this time. He can keep her safe."

Both structures disappeared as they floated up higher, practically reaching the atmosphere as sunlight faded, leaving nothing but the stars in the sky and what little light there was beneath them.





After the earthquake finally stopped, Mario, Peach, and the Mane Six waited a moment before getting up, unsure if there was going to be another wave that'll come out of nowhere. The hallway was a bit darker than it was earlier as they stood up, Mario making sure the princess wasn't hurt.

"Is everyone alright?" Peach asked.

"My hoofsies are in place, my tail's still all poofy, but I think my eyes went bad," Pinkie said. "Did somepony turn out the sun? Is Nightmare Moon here!? Quick, girls! Into formation!"

"Pinkie, this isn't Equestria, and Nightmare Moon's gone," Twilight said. The alicorn lit up her horn to illuminate the area, thankfully seeing no signs of fallen objects. "That was a surprise. Do earthquakes happen in the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"No. That's the first time that's ever happened." Peach looked out the window, gasping in surprise. "Stars? Why are there stars out when it's the middle of the day?"

"The Mushroom Kingdom sunk and the planet is ruined!" Pinkie screeched, quickly grabbing Rainbow Dash and squeezing her tightly. "We're doomed!"

"Pinkie, get off!" Rainbow pushed the mare off her. "This world isn't gone. I think during that weird earthquake, I felt like we were also being lifted off the ground."

"Rainbow Dash, that is absolutely absurd," Rarity said.

"Uhh, actually, Rainbow is right," Fluttershy said, pointing down out of one of the windows. "We're...really high up..."

Everyone looked down through the large window in the center of the hallway, all eyes growing wide as they looked down at the Mushroom Kingdom far above the sky. "What!? How is this possible!? We're about halfway above the stratosphere!"

"Whoa...This place looks pretty cool from up here," Rainbow said as she looked down at the different places around the kingdom. Applejack elbowed the pegasus in the side, snapping her out of her awe and remind her of the troubling circumstance they were in. "Uhh, but yeah. This is bad."

Pinkie gasped, her tail suddenly twitching erratically. "Twitchy tail!"

"Twitchy what?" Peach asked, both she and Mario confused to see the mares running for cover as if something would fall on them.

"One of Pinkie's odd abilities that not even I could try to figure out because it's impossible!" Twilight explained. "Something's going to fall!"

"That's a bit odd." Mario spotted a glint in the peripherals of his vision from outside and looked up.

He saw something coming straight for the window, and it was going to smash through. He quickly grabbed Peach and dove away right in time, the object crashing through and shattering the window, along with something smaller behind it. Twilight and her friends quickly ran up to them to see if they were ok, felling the ground shake as something large landed on the floor from above.

"Peachy-poo, guess who's back!?" Standing before them was none other than Bowser, smirking with a sharp-toothed grin. Behind him, flying in on her broomstick was his right hand magician, Kammy Koopa, climbing off her broom and stood beside her lord. The Koopa King opened his mouth to make a remark, only to pause when he saw the six ponies staring at him in shock and fear. "...Uhhh...Since when did you get strange pets?"

"Pets!? We're ponies!" Rainbow Dash shouted, stomping her hoof to prepare giving the large, spike-shelled Koopa a beating.

Kammy's eyes widened in surprise, not by the fact that they were able to talk. It was the magical energy that she sensed coming from them, Twilight's more visible than the others' as it felt subtle.

"...What the heck are ponies?" Bowser asked. He looked down at Kammy, hoping she had an answer since he wasn't really all brains. "You know what those four-legged things are, Kammy Koopa?"

"...I-I don't have a clue, Your Grace," Kammy said. "But whatever they are, they have some kind of strange magical power not of this world..."

Peach stood up, glaring spitefully at the Koopa who had crashed into her castle. "Bowser. I should have known you had something to do with this! What did you do!?"

Looking away from the ponies, he grinned as he looked at his princess. "Why, yes, this was all me. Right now, your castle is directly under my specially designed fortress, floating high above the sky where no one can save you. Not even that pasta loving rival of mine can jump high enough to even reach the bottom!"

"Funny you should mention him." Mario leapt over the girls, putting his fists up as he leered at Bowser.

"Huh!? He's here!?" Bowser exclaimed in shock, only to grin, no longer surprised to see him already inside Peach's castle. "Well, I guess that just makes things a whole lot easier for me. Saves me the trouble of having my minions hunt you down."

"And he's got backup!" Rainbow said as Applejack, Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity stood their ground, Fluttershy cowering behind them at the scary monster's presence.

Mario held a hand out in front of them, looking back at them and shaking his head. "Don't worry, girls," Peach said. "Mario can handle Bowser on his own. And he's going to win and bring my castle back down to the ground where it belongs."

"Then we can be his sidekicks!" Pinkie exclaimed. She pulled out a pair of overalls from behind a pillar, along with a pink cap with the letter "P" on it. She put on her Mario-esque costume, placing her fake mustache on her upper lip as she stood on her hind legs, thrusting her forehooves forward while letting out fighting sounds. "Super Pinkie, ready to back Super Mario!"

The hall was silent, Bowser and Kammy staring at Pinkie, having no words to express what she was doing, why she was so strange, and how she pulled something out of nowhere behind something that clearly couldn't have hidden anything. The mare's friends all sighed at her silliness at a time like this, Mario pinching the bridge of his nose as he told himself not to question it.

"...I think I just got a headache," Kammy said.

"Well, I find that thing annoying," Bowser said. "And too pink."

"Hey! Everypony loves pink!" Pinkie argued. "Peach is wearing a pink dress, and you apparently like her!"

"...Then you're the only pink thing that I don't like." Before Pinkie could retort, Twilight began wondering how Bowser could have lifted the princess's castle with his fortress.

"Wait a minute. Your fortress was underneath Peach's castle," she stated. "Has that been there all that time? Did you dig a large tunnel and build it from the ground up? And just how is it possible for that to happen when you and your soldiers would have to be somewhere near the castle, where you could have easily gotten-"

"SHUT UP!!!!" Bowser roared, stomping his hoof down to get the alicorn to stop rambling. "Great Galloping Goombas, you're such a nerd! As if I'm even going to tell you how it worked! I'm not telling you weird animals anything!" He growled and looked back at Mario, the plumber ready to fight. "I have a score to settle with this mushroom munching plumber after all the times you foiled my plans! I won't let you stop this one, because this time, I'm not going to lose!" He flexed his claws, brandishing his dangerously sharp nails as he crouched low. "Let's go, Mario! Show me what you've got!"

Mario ran forward as Bowser stomped forward, the watching females stepping back to avoid getting attacked. The plumber was smaller and faster than the heavy Koopa King, his swipes missing the hero by mere inches. Mario landed a few punches to his soft underbelly, making Bowser wince from the blows before smacking him away. Mario flipped back on his feet and charged forward again, leaping up into the air with his impressive jumping ability, stomping down on Bowser's head.

"Go, Mario!" Peach cheered. "You can beat him!"

The mares cheered as well, amazed to see how well the shorter man was able to outclass the large beast of a Koopa with his agility and jumping power. Mario leapt off of Bowser's head, falling back down to slam his fist down on his head. Bowser grunted and staggered back, receiving a hard kick in the stomach, followed by an uppercut to the jaw. The plumber flipped back and gave Bowser a little break, saving him from being humiliated from a few colorful ponies and Peach too much.

"Whoo-hoo! Mario is super awesome!" Rainbow cheered. "He's beating the hay out of Bowser with just his hooves!"

"Actually, humans have hands, so Mario's fighting with his fists," Twilight corrected. Before she went back to joining her friends' cheers, she noticed Kammy Koopa, who was watching with them, didn't look at all concerned. In fact, she was absolutely calm, yet her ruler was getting beaten. "Wait, why isn't she worried?"

"That old witch?" Rarity asked, noticing the same calm expression on Kammy's face.

As soon as Bowser shook off the daze he was in from the uppercut, he looked at Mario, who was grinning as if he had just won the fight. "Not bad, plumber..." He soon began to chuckle, Peach and the rest of the mares ceasing their cheers as they heard him laughing. "But I'm not done yet. I said I wasn't going to lose, and I mean it this time."

He reached behind his shell and pulled something he had hidden from them. In his hand was what looked like a wand with a star shaped crystal gem on top, the handle brown with a white spiral running around it clockwise.

"A wand?" Applejack asked. "He can use magic?"

"Oh, it's not just any magic wand," Bowser said with a sinister smirk. "This is the Star Rod. Stole this baby from a place called Star Haven. And with this powerful wand, I will finally get what I've wished for after Mario trounced me time and time again! I have the power to finally beat my nemesis, and he will never rescue the princess!"

"What!?" Peach and the ponies exclaimed in shock, Mario taking a step back in surprise, but he wasn't going to back down.

"That's cheating!" Pinkie shouted.

"So what!? I don't play by the rules, and there are no rules when it comes to taking over this land and beating Mario once and for all!" Bowser thrust the wand up in the air, unleashing its magical power as the star gem began glowing a bright yellow.

Twilight gasped as she felt powerful magic being pulled into the wand, creating three spinning stars made of magical energy to sink into it. The Star Rod shined brighter for a moment, the same three magical stars rising up from the ground around Bowser. His body began to glow brighter and shift into an assortment of bright colors like an aurora borealis. The spell was complete as the evil Koopa laughed, flexing his muscles as he felt immeasurable strength coursing through his veins. Kammy grinned as they have easily won now that her king was unstoppable.

"That magic," Twilight said aloud. "...Was that...the same power I felt when I tried casting my spell?"

"Bah. He's just a glowing night light now," Rainbow scoffed. "Really scary magic. At least now we can see him better."

"Heheheheh." Bowser twirled the Star Rod in his hand, coaxing Mario to attack him as he taunted him. "Come on, linguine-breath. Hit me again. I dare you." Growling, Mario ran forward, wanting to end this fight for good. Bowser purposefully puffed out his chest as the plumber punched him, only for Mario to wince and back away, rubbing his arm as it felt like he had punched solid steel. "Oh, I'm sorry. Was that supposed to tickle?" Mario shook his sore arm and decided to jump on Bowser's head instead. He landed down hard on the Koopa's cranium, but like before, it didn't do anything to him. Mario began to grow nervous, punching, kicking, and jumping every vulnerable spot on his enemy's body, but he didn't inflict any damage. "You done? Good." Bowser grabbed the exhausted plumber in his claws and lifted him up. "My turn."

The spike-shelled tyrant reared an arm back then thrust it hard, punching Mario out of his other hand. He sent the hero tumbling across the carpeted floor, the girls gasping in horror as they watched him roll about like a rag doll. The punch had nearly knocked the plumber out, getting up on his knees as he coughed, feeling the wind knocked out of him.

"W-What the hay just happened?" Rainbow asked.

"He didn't even leave another mark on him," Applejack said. "He didn't even feel a thing."

"That's right!" Bowser said, pulling out his cheap magic artifact. "With this Star Rod, I'm even more powerful than Mario! Gwa ha ha ha ha!"

"That's not fair!" Rainbow shouted. "You can't even take Mario on in a fair fight!? You're an absolute jerk!"

"And proud to be one!" Mario stood back up, not giving up as he tried to beat Bowser up again. But his attacks were futile, not even making him flinch. Chuckling gleefully, Bowser grabbed Mario's arm as he tried to punch him again, tossing him up high and slamming him into the ceiling. The heroic man fell, getting slashed by the Koopa's sharp claws as he tumbled back across the hall. "Give it up, Mario! It's over!"

Mario didn't, slowly getting back on his feet, panting heavily as he wasn't able to last much longer. Peach was in tears, hating to see her hero in this much pain, but the mares, even Fluttershy, leered at the cheating Koopa.

"He doesn't know when to give up," Kammy said. "It's impossible for you to win, Mario. Face the facts."

The plumber shook his head, wincing as he took a knee, struggling to get back up on both legs. "Alright. I've had enough fun toying with you. Time to end this and take what should have been mine so long ago!"

Bowser took in a deep breath and unleashed a powerful blast of flames from his mouth. The fire breath headed straight for all of them and would burn all of them. Twilight quickly cast a protective barrier around her friends and Peach, but she was too late to expand the barrier to save Mario as they heard him cry out in pain.

"No!" Twilight shouted as the girls watched in horror as Mario was being burnt alive.

As soon as the flames stopped, the mares were surprised to see the plumber was still standing and only scorched, apparently far more resilient than they thought he was. Peach did say he had survived getting hurt by many things, including spikes, fire, being frozen, struck by magic, etc, but his whole body was covered in scorch marks, though his clothes were completely unscathed. Mario couldn't stand for long, the torrent of flames too much for him as he fell on his knees, then collapsed on the floor unconscious.

"Mario!" Peach cried out as her tears flowed, Twilight dispelling her barrier as the princess ran to the beaten man. She knelt beside him and turned him over, cradling his head as she tried to shake him awake. "Mario, please! You have to get up!"

"GWA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Bowser laughed triumphantly, his body still glowing a myriad of colors as he jumped and pumped his fists in the air in victory. "I did it! I defeated Mario! I win!"

"Congratulations, Lord Bowser," Kammy said. "This will surely be a memorable moment of your reign for centuries to come."

"Of course, as long as I have this Star Rod," Bowser gloated as he held the wand in his hand.

As Peach weapt and the evildoers gloated about their victory, Twilight and her friends had enough. Bowser was worse than Discord; even though the draconequus was able to control chaos and do whatever he wanted, his law breaking was a thing he always did as he bent reality to his will and he never did any physical harm to everyone in Equestria. Bowser was the pure definition of a selfish monster, using the power of a magical wand to cheat his way to beating his archenemy. They may have used the Elements of Harmony in the past to best the likes of Nightmare Moon, Discord, and even Tirek with their new Harmony powers given to them by the Tree of Harmony after opening the chest, but used them to bring peace back to Equestria, not abuse their power.

"That's it. Now it's our turn." Twilight looked back at her friends, all of them nodding their heads, ready to unleash their new forms and unleash the power of Harmony on the dancing Koopa King. "Bowser! You haven't won yet!" He turned his head to the ponies as they stepped in front of Peach and Mario. "Now you're going to deal with us!"

Bowser immediately burst into uproarious laughter, falling back onto his back as he held his sides. "Oh, that's rich! I'm going to get beaten up by a bunch of rainbow colored things! I'm so scared!"

He laughed even harder, rolling side to side, even though his spikes on his shell should have kept him from moving around on his back. Kammy shook her head as their plan to fight back for Mario was pointless, but before she could lecture them, she noticed the ponies were beginning to glow. Lights matching their coat colors began to shine, shrouding the six mares as they transformed into their harmonious rainbow form. Bowser stopped laughing and watched in confusion as he sat up, while Kammy stared in shock, feeling the overwhelming magical energy that came from them.

The bubbles of light around them popped in a flash of light, the Mane Six's bodies changed in their new forms. Their manes and tails were longer, some styled differently like Rainbow's hair being swept back, adding colorful highlights in their hair, even giving Twilight, Rainbow, and Fluttershy's wings colorful highlights on their wings. The mares began hovering in the air, Peach looking up at them in awe, even as she held Mario in her arms.

"You have no idea who you're messing with, Bowser," Twilight said. "In our world, we're known as the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, using their power to bring peace back when somepony threatens to destroy our home! These powers we have now were given to us by the Tree of Harmony, who created the Elements and gave us this gift to keep our world safe from monsters like you!" The six mares joined hooves as their magic melded together, creating a powerful aura of rainbow light between them. "Let's see if your enhanced strength can withstand the power of the magic of friendship!"

The aura grew bigger as the rainbow light inside it shined brighter. Kammy shrieked and ran away as fast as she could for her age to avoid getting blasted by the powerful magic. Bowser sat there, raising an eyebrow in confusion at Twilight calling their combined power as the magic of friendship. The harmonious light fired and struck the Koopa King, engulfing him in aurora-like rainbow beam. Peach gasped in awe, sort of afraid incredible magic like that would kill Bowser, but their use of the Elements of Harmony when they told her earlier would only purify or weaken their foes in a certain way that leaves them powerless.

After giving him what seemed to be enough to defeat the Koopa King, the Mane Six ceased their magical beam, only to gasp in shock as it had no effect on Bowser at all. He still sat there, feeling absolutely nothing, his body still shimmering with his buffed up power. He looked down at and around himself, scratching his head in confusion. Kammy looked around behind a pillar she hid behind for cover, just as surprised as the ponies to see her king still standing.

"Was that supposed to do something to me?" he asked.

"W-What...?" Rarity uttered.

"How did that not work!?" Rainbow asked. "That should have worked! He's evil!"

Bowser chuckled and stood up, looking down at the Star Rod in his grip. Twilight's jaw dropped, now realizing why it had failed; Bowser used the Star Rod to make himself invincible. That explained why Mario wasn't able to hurt him anymore, and not even magic would be able to do them any good either if their most powerful magic from their friendship didn't leave so much as a scratch.

"Well, so much for that 'magic of friendship' you praised!" Bowser mocked. "Nothing can hurt me with the Star Rod in my hands! You're just as weak as Mario now! I am completely invincible!"

"N-No...This...This can't be!" Twilight exclaimed. "We...We can't stop him..."

The old witch approached them, knowing their power was completely useless toward the invincible Koopa King with the Star Rod in his possession. "Such strange magical power," she muttered to herself. "There isn't any magic in friendship...What are these creatures?"

"Now, let's take out the trash!" Bowser lifted the Star Rod, the gem shimmering brightly for a moment.

He fired a bolt of lightning down on the unconscious Mario, shocking Peach as the bolt missed her by mere inches, gasping in horror as she watched him get knocked back out through the window Bowser crashed through. "NOOOOO! MARIOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

The mares tried to fly out and save him, only for Bowser to aim the Star Rod and shoot a beam of electricity at them, trapping them in midair as the energy continuously shocked them. "Wait, Lord Bowser!" Kammy shouted. "Do not kill them!"

The mares screamed in agony as they slowly began to fall to unconsciousness, Peach helplessly watching as she was going to lose both her hero and her new friends. Bowser chortled as he took care of the six mares who thought they could easily beat him. Just as he was about to send them flying out with Mario, he grunted in confusion as he watched their bodies begin to glow brightly. The lights, each mare glowing with the colors of their coats, blinded the sorrowful princess, the invincible tyrant, and the elder witch. They reverted into bubbles of their respective light colors, shrinking down to the size of a small orb, then shot out of the window, falling back down to the Mushroom Kingdom with Mario.

After a moment of stunned silence, Peach began to weep, her hero gone and likely plummeting to his death, while her new friends had disappeared as orbs of light, unsure if they were alive or not. Bowser was completely baffled, his jaw dropped in surprise as he stood frozen in place, aiming the Star Rod at where the Mane Six hovered. Kammy's eye twitched behind her glasses, slowly turning her head to look at the large Koopa that was her king.

"...W-What...What just happened?" Bowser asked.

"Your Nastiness, what did you just do!?" Kammy shrieked. "Why did you get rid of them, too!?"

"Hey, it wasn't my fault!" Bowser argued. "I was just shocking them and was just about to throw them out myself with Mario!" The witch facepalmed, unable to believe how the mindless, brute of a leader thought it was a good idea to throw out creatures never before seen in their world. "Well, at least they're gone and won't annoy me. Especially that purple one. Her questions gave me more of a headache than that pink one."

"...L-Lord Bowser, do you not recall you were blasted by powerful magic the likes of which neither of us has ever seen!? Without that Star Rod keeping you invincible, it could have killed you!" Bowser began to think, but he stopped processing everything after only a few seconds, not even caring since he was completely invincible. "And if you had killed them, we wouldn't be able to study how their magic differs from what I or any other Kamek and Magikoopa in the world and your forces have! We could have had more magical power in our arsenal against our enemies!"

"We don't need them," Bowser said, making Kammy gasp in bafflement. "All we need is this Star Rod. Mario's beaten, those things aren't of any concern to me, and Peach and her castle are now mine. All my wishes are granted...except for one." The Koopa King walked up to the princess, her face covered by her white gloved hands as she cried, brushing his fiery red mane back with a claw as he leaned down to her. "Your kingdom is mine, princess...and so are you. Forever."

Peach slapped Bowser hard in the face, actually hurting him as he had disabled his invincibility after the mares suddenly disappeared, the sound echoing in the long hall. Kammy's jaw had dropped, having witnessed the young woman slap her king right as she was about to call for their soldiers to escort her to her bedroom. Peach glared at the stunned Koopa, stifling her sobs as tears still streamed down her face, never forgiving him for what he did.

"You're a monster," she said, turning away from him as she sadly approached the shattered window, finding no sign of the seven fallen victims down below.

Bowser rubbed the red hand mark on his cheek, grumbling angrily. "You'll think differently in the future, Princess Peach. All of my wishes will be granted, and you will eventually see things my way."

Bowser stomped his way down to the lower floors of Peach's castle, his minions downstairs already taking hostages from the party and having them taken to his floating castle's dungeon cells. As he left, Kammy let out a shrill whistle, calling forth a couple of her king's strongest of soldiers. Two gray armored Koopa Troopas, wearing black, spiky shells and a spiked helmet, ranked as Koopatrols in Bowser's army, both loyal soldiers saluting to the witch.

"Yes, Kammy Koopa, ma'am!" they both said.

"Escort Princess Peach to her bedroom," she commanded. "By King Bowser's command, she is not to leave her chambers for anything. Guard her door to make sure she doesn't try to sneak out."

"...Uhh, permission to speak, ma'am?" one of them asked, the witch nodding her head to let him talk. "Why do we need to guard her door? Her castle's on top of Lord Bowser's, and we're up high in the sky. She doesn't have a chance of escaping."

"It's a precaution," Kammy explained. "Peach is a smart girl, and she could find her way out if she's given the chance." She walked over to one of the windows, looking down at the kingdom. She saw six glints of light through the clouds, which she figured must have been the six ponies Bowser "accidentally" tossed out, whether on purpose or not. "I just have a big feeling in my gut that's telling me Lord Bowser hasn't really won yet. The battle is won, but the war is not over."

"But, Lord Bowser defeated Mario," the other Koopatrol stated. "That means we did win...right?"

"...We'll just have to see. Now, you have your orders. Get to them." The two elite guards saluted and approached the princess.

Even though they were evil minions, the Koopatrols were gentle with the grieving princess as they guided her back down the hall to her bedroom on the second floor. Despite their victory, they weren't that cruel to do any harm to Peach when Bowser doesn't want a single hair on her head harmed when she is captured. Kammy continued looking out the window for a while before she made her way through the castle to find Bowser, a little surprised he didn't blow up on Peach for that hard smack like a kid having a temper tantrum. She began to grow worried, the magic from the Mane Six far more powerful than she expected.





Mario fell after getting knocked out of the castle by Bowser, slowly reaching the ground at the dangerous height above the clouds. There was no chance of him waking up in time and try to slow his descent, his mortal foe beating him with unimaginable power that could actually destroy the toughest Thwomp in the Mushroom Kingdom. As he fell through the clouds, the Mane Six now six bright orbs of colored light had caught up with the plumber, falling along with him as they too had been beaten, their rainbow form's magic saving them from Bowser's power enhanced by the Star Rod.

With the last of the magic used to help the mares flee, each sphere shot a small beam at Mario, concealing him in an anti-gravity bubble that slowed his descent a little. The spheres then shot off, spreading out to different parts of the Mushroom Kingdom down below, separating from each other into unknown lands they have no knowledge of, while the unconscious hero of the Mushroom Kingdom floated somewhat safely down to the ground.
> Where Our Heroes Are Now
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mario's body lowered down into a small glade, the magical bubble popping as it touched the ground. He was still breathing, but he was badly beaten, scorch marks from Bowser's fire breath still residing on his clothing and face. He could barely move, but at least he was still alive as his ears heard the faint sound of birds chirping and flittering about on the branches.

Suddenly appearing above him, the Star Spirits materialized as apparitions and circled him. One by one they arrived until all seven were present, sending themselves as astral projections with the stored power they still had while trapped in the cards Bowser trapped them in. The saw the damage he had done to the unconscious plumber, Kalmar and Mamar hovered down to get see how hurt Mario was.

"Oh no. Bowser really did a number on him," Kalmar said.

"But he survived the fall," Mamar added. "There's a...a strange magical presence around him. It's nothing we've ever felt before."

"Yes...Maybe that might explain the strange magical fluctuations the moment we were trapped in those infernal cards," Skolar noted as Kalmar and Mamar flew back in the circle.

"We cannot worry about that until we are rescued," Eldstar said. "We don't have much time, and our powers are limited. We need to heal Mario as best as we can. Everyone, together." By the elder Star Spirit's command, the seven Star Spirits put as much of their energy as they can use into Mario to revitalize him. Sparkles began shimmering around Mario in the shapes of stars, his wounds slowly mending as his burns faded away. The seven powerful stars stopped healing, saving the rest of their power for later. "There. That's all we can do for now.

"Mario, you have to get up soon. We need your help. All of the Mushroom Kingdom needs you." Unable to hold their magical projection, the Star Spirits disappeared, praying Mario will wake up soon and save them.

Time had passed in the empty glade, Mario still lying unconscious on the grassy field in the small forest he fell in. The sound of birds then had an extra singer as a little girl's voice hummed a random song with no rhythm to it whatsoever. Entering the glade was a little pink Goomba with an orange bow on her head, skipping along the path as she carried a little basket with some wildflowers.

"La la la la la, la-la la la laaaaaa!" The little Goomba's singing scared off the birds at her last off-key note. "Picking flowers! Picking flowers! Gonna pick lots and lots of-!" She yelped and tripped over Mario's leg, not even paying attention to where she was skipping. Even though she fell flat on her face, scattering the flowers she had picked from her fallen basket, she got back up on her tiny feet without needing the use of arms. "Owie! I dropped all my flowers. What did I trip on?"

She finally looked down, spotting Mario lying there. She got a closer look, noting the iconic red cap, red shirt, blue overalls, and black mustache. She saw him breathing, wondering if he was taking a nap.

"Mr. Mario? What are you doing napping by our house?" She didn't get a response. The Goomba tapped his side with her foot, not getting anything from him. She leapt up onto his back and jumped up and down to wake him up. "Mr. Mario! Wake up!" Still nothing. She began to worry, fearing he might have gotten sick or hurt himself. "Oh no! He's not waking up! What do I do!?"

She ran around Mario in a panic as she tried to think of what to do. She finally decided to run back and get help outside of the glade. Thankfully, her home wasn't too far as she ran toward a large brown hut with a single, round window on the front, and a Toad House next door. There were two gated fences, one close to the glade that was locked, the other the only way back in the direction of Toad Town. This gate was being fixed by two male Goombas, both a different shade of brown. The one using tools to fix the white gate was a slightly dark brown with a black mustache, the other holding the gate up younger, his body a light brown and wore a blue cap.

"Ok, son, keep it steady," the older Goomba said.

"I can't believe that earthquake wrecked the gate," the younger one grumbled, keeping the right half of the gate steady for his father.

"Goombario! Daddy!" the girl Goomba called out, her shrieking voice making the young male Goomba flail about hearing her scream out like she was being attacked. He fell over, along with the part of the gate, making the older male sigh at his daughter pestering them while they were busy. "I need help!"

"Goombaria, sweetheart, your brother and I are trying to fix the gate," he explained.

Goombario rolled back on his feet. "What's the deal, Goombaria!? We're too busy to play with you! Go back to picking flowers for mom and Gooma!"

"But it's an emergency!" The older brother sighed in annoyance and ignored Goombaria as he picked up the gate half again. "Mr. Mario's asleep in the forest and he isn't waking up!"

At the mention of the plumber's name, Goombario dropped the gate half while their father dropped his tools. "Mario!?...You're kidding, right? He can't be here."

"But it's really him! I think he's sick! Hurry!" Goombaria ran back to the glade, her older brother and father chasing after her before she got herself hurt.

As soon as they entered the glade, both male Goombas skid across the ground and stared in shocked awe, actually seeing Mario laying close to their home. "Prickly Piranha Plants...That's...That's really Mario!"

"Told you, dummy!" Goombario ignored his sister calling him names as he and his father looked the plumber over.

"Just what in the world is he doing here?" the father asked. "And HOW did he get here?"

"Well, however he got here, it looked like he got roughed up by something," Goombario figured, poking Mario's nose with his foot. "He's really conked out."

"Come on, son, let's get him in the Toad House." Goombario and his father lowered their heads underneath the plumber, surprisingly able to lift him up with how short Goombas were. They slowly carried Mario out of the glade, thankful to be closer to the Toad House built there in case any travelers visited their home. "Hopefully, he'll wake up soon and tell us what's going on in Toad Town."

"Yeah. And if Bowser kidnaps the princess again, who else is going to save her?" Goombario questioned.

"Doesn't Mr. Mario have a brother?" Goombaria asked.

"...Well, maybe Luigi could fill in, but Mario always did the rescuing," the siblings' father said. "He joins in at times, but going up against Bowser? Not sure if Luigi can handle facing that Koopa on his own."

They reached the Toad House, Goombaria opening the door for them as she alerted the Toad working inside to Mario's presence. They laid him down on the bed as the Toad looked him over, not seeing any injuries, but with how unconscious he seemed, it would be a while before he wakes up. All they could do now is wait, Goombario and his dad getting back to work fixing on the gate leading out of the safety of their home.





Out to the east of Toad Town from Peach's castle's front gates, a humble village of Koopa Troopas resided there. Though many Koopas join up with Bowser to fight against the Mushroom Kingdom, these Koopas would rather live in peace in the kingdom and not have to deal with the selfish king's plans to take control and kidnap the princess. The foliage was different compared to other places in the town and the road to the village, known as Pleasant Path, the leaves on the bushes and trees different sizes of quadrilateral shape. The houses are shaped like a Koopa's shell, each home on the pathway having a different colored roof.

Exiting one of the buildings, the first two upon entering are a Toad House and a store, a blue-shelled Koopa Troopa, wearing blue shoes and a red bandanna around his neck walked outside with some bags of groceries in his hands. He made his way further into town, heading back home to put away the food he bought. He said hello to his neighboring Koopa brethren as he passed by them. Entering the other end of the village, he spotted an older pink-shelled Koopa with a pink bonnet over head, watering the flowers in front of her home, her roof a brownish-yellow.

"Hey, Mrs. Kolorado!" he called out.

"Oh, hello, Kooper," the female Koopa greeted back. "If you're going to ask if my husband is back from his latest expedition again, I'm afraid the answer is no...for the fifth time this week."

"Heheh...Well, I kind of was going to ask that," Kooper admitted sheepishly. "Actually, I was going to ask if you might have had any idea of what that earthquake was about earlier."

"Ah. That was quite a fright. There haven't been any quakes in the kingdom at all." The younger Koopa nodded his head, finding the phenomenon odd. "Luckily, no one got hurt."

"True. But it's quite a mystery," Kooper said with an excited glint in his eye. "Like the mystery of the Dry Dry Ruins Mr. Kolorado is still on in the Dry Dry Desert."

"Why are you just as crazy about archaeology as Kolorado?" Mrs. Kolorado asked curiously.

"Well, just being on an adventure, traveling to new and unexplored lands, discovering ruins of a lost civilization, finding treasures or artifacts created by said civilization, learning about what cultures they had and how they survived in places that may or may not have been habitable now or back then!" The excited Koopa zoned out as he gushed over his dreams of being an explorer. Mrs. Kolorado's amused laughter snapped Kooper out of his daze, blushing in embarrassment at his ecstatic rambling. "I think it's pretty fun learning about the history of the Mushroom Kingdom, or any other countries, kingdoms, and continents around the world. I really, really, REALLY want to go on one with Kolorado Koopa, the greatest Koopa archaeologist of all time."

"Unfortunately, that 'greatest Koopa archaeologist' is in big trouble for not telling me about this expedition until the last minute." The female Koopa sighed in annoyance. "Exploring ruins can be dangerous, Kooper. And I know you can fend for yourself, but my husband...he can't even walk two steps in our home without tripping over the several piles of history books he keeps to find out where lost treasures in ancient temples and cities were that no other explorer has ever found."

"But it's the thrill of the adventure that's exciting, like with Mario and his trek to save Princess Peach whenever Bowser kidnaps her." The grin on Kooper's face suddenly turned into a frown at the mention of the Koopa King. He lowered his head and let out a grunt, both in anger and sadness. "...Bowser...If he keeps doing this, he's going to give a lot of other Koopas a bad name...Why can't he just give up and learn that he can never win?...Why did they have to-?"

"Kooper?" He looked up, seeing the concerned gaze Mrs. Kolorado gave him. "Are you ok, dear?"

"U-Uhh, yeah! I just hate how Bowser's ruining us peaceful Koopas lives by invading the Mushroom Kingdom over and over!" he said quickly with a nervous chuckle. "I better get inside and put the food away before it spoils! Nice talking with you, ma'am! I'll see you tomorrow!"

Before Kooper hurried over next door to his home, a green-shelled roof with a palm tree growing on the left side of it, he heard Mrs. Kolorado gasp as she looked up at the sky. "What is that!?"

"Huh?" He looked up, his eyes widening as he saw what looked like a sphere of lavender light float over the village. "What's that light?" They both watched as the light began to fall down, heading straight down to the back of his house. "Mrs. Kolorado, stay here. I'm going to find out what that light is."

"Be careful," she warned as he ran into his home.

Kooper dropped his bags as soon as he went inside and headed to the back door. His house had only one room, but he had all the necessities he needed: a bed, a shelf with some of his favorite books, a radio to listen to some tunes while he read, and a small fridge to store his food and drinks that needed to be chilled. He opened the door just in time as he saw the purple sphere slowly lower down to the ground right by his house. It flashed brightly, blinding the Koopa as he shielded his eyes with his hand, prepared to pop into his shell and fling himself at whatever it was if it was dangerous.

The sphere expanded, slowly fading away as Twilight appeared, back to her normal self as the harmony magic faded away. As soon as the light disappeared, Kooper squinted his eyes open to see what happened. Down in front of him was a creature he had never seen before, lying unconscious. He did see her breathing, at least believing it was female because of the long eyelashes, but the two parts of her body, her wings and horn, made him gasp. He quickly ran inside his house and went to his bookshelf, skimming through the titles of the books until he found what he was looking for: "Mythical Mysteries of the Mushroom Kingdom".

He could memorize all the history books he had owned by heart, and he knew he saw something similar to the four-legged creature outside his house. He grabbed it and ran back outside, standing a fair distance away in case she woke up and gets spooked. Kooper flipped through the pages until he managed to find the illustrations he was looking for. He found them within seconds, the book of myths opened up to show two different pictures of the same creature from old carvings found in other continent by a long forgotten race several thousand years ago. It looked almost like her, but the two equines in the book were different: one only had a horn, while the other only had a pair of wings.

"A unicorn and a pegasus in one?" Kooper asked himself, his eyes shifting between the book and unconscious mare. Aside from the shock of seeing one of these creatures of myth, finding one that was both with a horn and wings excited the Koopa Troopa. "I think I just discovered something never seen before, not even on an excavation in the ruins of a temple or tomb, and it's right here in my backyard...And it's both these equines in one form! I should come up with a name for it. Let's see...uhhh, a 'pegacorn'?...No, that sounds weird..."

While Kooper muttered different names to call this new species of what should be a creature made out of fantasy, Twilight groaned, squinting her eyes open. Her whole body ached as she tried to sit up, feeling like she got zapped by several lightning bolts from a thunderstorm. Ignoring the pain her limbs were screaming out to her, she looked up, only to find herself somewhere sunny and bright, no longer in Peach's castle fighting Bowser.

"Where...Where am I?" she asked herself, looking at the odd leaves of the trees far beyond Kooper's home.

The blue-shelled Koopa quickly looked up from his book when he heard her speak, gasping in surprise to see her awake and able to communicate. "She can talk...Even cooler!" Kooper stilled his excitement, not wanting to excite the docile alicorn, at least he hoped she was. "Uhh, hi there."

"Ahh!" Twilight quickly turned around, instinctively shooting a small beam of magic in surprise at him.

"Eep!" Kooper quickly ducked inside his shell, avoiding the sudden attack. Peeking through the hole for his head inside his shell, he noticed her horn was glowing as she had her wings flared out, a pose some birds stand in when confronting someone they don't like. "Wait, wait! Don't attack! I'm not going to hurt you!"

"You're not?" Twilight asked, not taking any chances. Kooper poked his head out and grinned nervously, looking somewhat like Bowser, except he was smaller, his shell was blue with no spikes, and didn't seem as threatening. Though she only knew very little about the Mushroom Kingdom from what Peach told her, she did mention there was a village of friendly Koopa Troopas, even though most of them worked with the fire-breathing beast. "Who are you? And where am I?"

"My name's Kooper," he introduced himself, poking his limbs back out and stood on his feet. "You're in my backyard in Koopa Village. You came down in a ball of light, and I went to see what it was when it floated down. Then you showed up in place of that light."

"A light...?" Twilight tried to remember what happened. She gasped, recalling Mario's battle with Bowser, the plumber losing, she and her friends trying to stop Bowser with their magic, which had ended up failing as well, then he zapped Mario out of the castle to his death, and the last thing she remembered was them all getting shocked until they fell unconscious. She looked around, finding no sign of her friends around her, expecting them to have appeared with her when she was this light Kooper mentioned. "Wait...Where are my friends?"

"Friends? You mean there's more of your kind?" Kooper asked with a little excitement.

"Yes, but not like me," she said. Twilight tried to flap her wings and check her surroundings, only to wince as the lightning Bowser used to shock them had seized up her wing muscles. She kept her wings folded to her sides until they were better, wanting desperately to search for her friends. "Are they here? Did they appear anywhere in your village?"

"No...I only saw one light, and that was you." Twilight's ears drooped as she sat on her haunches, fearing the others' safety in a world they barely know nothing about. What if they were in a dangerous part of the kingdom? What if they were captured by scientists as they forced them in a cage and experimented on them? So many scenarios ran through her head, tears welling up in her eyes as she blamed herself, casting that spell and sending all of them away from home. Kooper winced, not wanting to see the alicorn cry, walking up to her and petting her head gently. "Hey, it's ok. I'm sure your friends are somewhere safe even as we speak."

"How do you know that?" she asked, slowly calming down from the oddly wonderful feeling from the Koopa's hand gently scratching her head.

"Well, you appeared here in a peaceful village, right?" he responded. Twilight nodded her head, murmuring as Kooper scratched a sweet spot behind one of her ears. "Then they could have wound up in the other towns, villages, and cities around the kingdom." He moved his hand away, to the alicorn's disappointment, as he had to wonder what happened. "But, how exactly did you get here? Creatures like you are not exactly common, or rare, to see anywhere in the world."

Twilight was about to explain, only to hear her stomach growl loudly. She blushed in embarrassment, giggling sheepishly.

"Uhh...Sorry," she apologized. "I didn't really eat anything all day today after all the excitement my friends and I got into."

"You can explain everything while we eat," Kooper said as he gestured her in his home. "I just came back from the store and got some food."

"Thanks, Kooper. Oh, my name's Twilight Sparkle, by the way," Twilight said as she introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you, Twilight." They entered the small home, Twilight making herself comfortable in the one room building as Kooper grabbed the groceries he dropped and moved them to his small fridge, stocking the cold stuff away before it spoiled as he pulled out two red Mushrooms, two slits at the base that looked like it was a face. "Here. Try one of these. Your kind are herbivores, right?"

"Yes, but I-AHH!" Twilight tossed the Mushroom back at Kooper the moment she noticed the eyes. "What kind of mushroom is that!? That's disgusting!"

"What? What's wrong with it?" Kooper sniffed them, finding nothing wrong with them.

"It has a face!" she screeched.

Kooper couldn't hold his laughter back at Twilight's response for freaking out over the food's "features". "Twilight, it's just a normal Mushroom. They always look like this, and they also come in different colors and flavors too." He bit into his Mushroom, making Twilight gag, but she didn't hear the "living" fungus scream out in agony. "See? It's safe...Although, make sure not to eat any dark green ones. Those ones are Poison Mushrooms."

He handed her food back to her, Twilight staring at the odd looking fungus. She feels like it was looking at her, but when she turned it around, it was thankfully on one side of it and its eyes weren't following her. Her stomach growled, telling her to suck it up and eat it since it did smell good. Slowly, she brought it up to her muzzle in her hooves and took a tentative nibble of it, chewing on the soft morsel as the flavor hit her taste buds. She was quite surprised, actually tasting sweeter than any other edible mushrooms she had tried back in Equestria.

She took another bite, no longer upset at eating a living creature. "This is really good."

"Told you. That's the first time I've ever heard someone freak out at the sight of the Mushrooms eyes." Kooper snickered as he teased Twilight, yelping as he felt a pinch on his arm from the alicorn's magic. She leered at him from the comment, munching on her food all the while. "Heh. Sorry...Anyway, what happened to you? And where exactly do you and your friends come from?" While they ate, Twilight told Kooper everything that had happened; from her spell to transport between worlds backfiring and sending them to this world, talking about herself and her friends and what kind of ponies they were, all the way up to Bowser kidnapping Peach, again, and beating them and Mario. Kooper was utterly shocked that Mario had actually been beaten by Bowser, growing angry as he balled his fists. "...Bowser...He's a horrible Koopa and a terrible king."

"Yeah, and it wasn't fair that he used something called the Star Rod to make himself invincible to anything that could hurt him," Twilight grumbled. "Whatever happened after I lost consciousness, our magic must have helped us escape, but it split us apart...I don't even know if Mario even made it after falling from that height."

Kooper sighed in irritation. At least he had an understanding of how that earthquake suddenly appeared when the Mushroom Kingdom had no history of seismic activity. But to cheat in order to win the fight and kidnap the princess is despicable. Bowser wouldn't stop for nothing just to take Peach as his bride and take over the kingdom.

"He's a disgrace to Koopa Troopas who want to live peacefully," he said. "Not a lot of people in the kingdom blame us for his actions, but some do when they think we're up to no good just because of who we are. Time and time again, Bowser's been kidnapping the princess, and Mario beats him up and brings her back safely. What I wouldn't give to shell toss myself right into his face."

"I'm guessing peaceful negotiations will work with him, huh?" Twilight asked, Kooper shaking his head in response. She sighed, stuffing the last bit of her Mushroom in her mouth, her stomach finally sated from hunger as she swallowed it after chewing it a bit. "After only meeting him for about ten minutes, I can tell he's a self-absorbed, selfish tyrant who only cares about himself."

"That's exactly what he is," Kooper agreed. He sighed again, wanting to steer away from talking about Bowser anymore. "Anyway, since you're new to this world, I'm sure there's a lot of different things to learn about."

"I only got as much as I could from Princess Peach before Bowser kidnapped her and the entire castle...I still wonder how he got a fortress underneath the castle without nopony noticing. Then again, that Star Rod might have made that possible if he can do anything with it..." Twilight noticed Kooper's bookshelf, levitating all the books over to her. The Koopa nearly went back in his shell when she used magic, still finding it strange to know that, just like in the mythological book that had unicorns in them, used their horns to use magic and form different spells. "All of the books you have are history books on the Mushroom Kingdom...and several other places, too."

"Yeah," Kooper said. "I love history and learning about the world and its past. I plan on being an archaeologist, an explorer who seeks lost cities from a millennia ago that holds secrets no one has ever known, and seek adventure as I traverse through the ruins finding artifacts of great historical value while avoiding dangerous traps." He rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks turning pink in embarrassment. "Although, with you being a princess from your own world, I'm pretty sure exploring stuff isn't your thing."

"Are you kidding? I've been on dozens of random adventures even crazier than entering trap infested temples guarding treasures," Twilight said. "And I love learning new stuff! Especially history! I want to know everything I can about this world!" She began opening the pages of all the books, floating them around her in an orbit as she skimmed through each one, reading faster than Kooper could keep track of what her eyes were looking at. "Oooh. Interesting looking dinosaurs."

Kooper was amazed to have met someone who had such an interest on learning the history of anything, many thinking it's a boring subject to learn about the past. He'll have to eventually show Twilight around the village and assure the other Koopas that she was friendly. He watched Twilight going through his books, pointing out something interesting to her with him chiming in to explain more about whatever questions she had. All Kooper could hope for the alicorn was that his theory was right about her friends being safe, and worried about the future of the Mushroom Kingdom with Mario defeated.





Far out to the southeast of Toad Town was the arid sands of the Dry Dry Desert, a large land filled with sand as far as the eye could see. Those who wander off the path laid out before them would end up dying of thirst, or get sucked up by a Tweester that will only get one more lost as it sends them flying to another part of the endless desert. If they do follow the road, avoiding Bandits trying to steal their coins and the numerous Pokeys that will try to poke those with their sharp, pointy, spherical bodies, they will find themselves at the only town for miles along with an oasis a couple segments south from its entrance: Dry Dry Outpost.

In this town, there were many stone buildings, some palm trees to offer some shade, one of them being red for some strange reason. The Toads that live here wear turbans over their mushroom heads and scarves to cover their mouths and noses in case a sandstorm rolls by. There were also mouse creatures known as Nomadimice, mice that look like they have a mask over their eyes, and are swift and agile as they can easily trek the desert outside without getting caught by Bandits, making trips to Toad Town to get supplies the desert can't supply them with.

Standing on the roofs of the buildings on the far end of Dry Dry Outpost was a Nomadimouse, concealing his green body with a brown cloak and wore a brown keffiyeh to cover his head and ears. Only his eyes and nose could be seen under his disguise, looking out at the desert as his thin tail slowly swayed behind him. He stared out at a specific area of the desert, too far to see from the distance, but he knew it was there. The Nomadimouse pulled out a pink gem from underneath his cloak, making very weak pulses every so often.

"Bowser's men have invaded the temple," he muttered to himself. "The ruins my family for many generations had vowed to keep safe...What purpose do they have trespassing on such sacred ground?" His sensitive ears twitched along with his tail, looking over toward where the oasis laid, spotting a pink light in his peripheral vision. None of the other townspeople noticed it due to the bright, intense heat of the sun's rays and the walls surrounding the Outpost to protect them from sandstorms. The light began to drop down around the area of the oasis, the secretive mouse humming with curiosity. "What is this?...I sense...strange magic..."

Deciding to check out the strange phenomenon, he leapt across the rooftops, avoiding being seen by everyone down below as he made his way to the entrance of the Outpost. After reaching the last building closest to the archway through the wall, he slid down a ladder hidden in the back, slinking through the shadows to avoid detection. When the coast was clear, he snuck out and entered the Dry Dry Desert.

The desert air was harsh with heat, the only amount of shade anyone can get are the randomly grown trees that can provide some cooler temperature. With the Nomadimouse's clothing, he was well protected from the heat and sand as he headed south from Dry Dry Outpost, knowing the desert like the back of his paw. He swiftly ran to the oasis, making it just in time to see the pink light, which was a small sphere, began to hit the slightly fertile landscape around the small pool of water in the middle, where two trees bore lemons and limes, the only kind of fruit they can gather in the Dry Dry Desert.

The pink sphere began to grow and shine brighter than the sun, the Nomadimouse shielding his eyes with his cloak until it stopped. As it disappeared, he looked back to see Pinkie Pie laying on the sandy grass. His eyes widened in awe, never seeing a creature like her before.

"What is this? An alien creature not of this world?" He looked up at the sky, avoiding staring at the sun as if he was looking out beyond the atmosphere. "The stars did not warn me of such an event. The only signs they tell me are of the defeat of the ones who had invaded the ruins."

Pinkie groaned as she began to wake up, sitting up as she suddenly began feeling the heat of the desert she realized she was in. "Owie...So that's what Dashie feels when she gets zapped by lightning." She didn't notice the smaller mouse looking up at her. She was too busy panting, sweating profusely as her fur coat made it unbearable to stay in the sun any longer. Pinkie looked around, noting the plant life around her and the oasis. "Well, good thing I woke up near water. I'm so thirsty." She walked past the Nomadimouse and stood by the edge of the water, dunking her whole head in and began taking big gulps of the cool water. After drinking her fill, she lifted her head up and let out a sigh of relief, her mane soaking wet as it drooped over her face. "...Hey, wait a minute! How am I in a desert!?"

"You came down from a sphere of light similar in color to your fur coat," the Nomadimouse said.

"AHHHH!" Pinkie shrieked as she leapt in the air in fright. He watched her leap higher than even he could, then finally fall back down, splashing into the oasis. She poked her head up, now noticing the cloaked mouse. "...Hi!"

"...Odd greeting, but hello," he said. Pinkie climbed up out of the water, keeping herself from shaking as she let the water cool her before the hot desert sun got to her. "Is that how you greet strangers?"

"Oh, no! I usually have my wagon that plays music while I sing them a welcome song!...Oh wait, that's when ponies come to Ponyville." Pinkie giggled, tapping her noggin as she forgot she wasn't in Equestria right now. "But I always throw a party when I meet new friends!"

"Pony?" he questioned. "So, that is the kind of creature you are."

"And you're a little mousy!" she said, quickly grabbing the Nomadimouse into a hug, surprising him. "Why are you hiding your cuteness under that cloak!? Too afraid to show everypony you're adorable!?"

"Please release me," he begged, the mare quickly obeying, his cloak thankfully hiding his flustered expression. "To answer your questions, I wear this to protect myself from the sun's rays and the sand when a storm approaches. I am not, as you say, cute or adorable. And, I wear this to hide my identity from others who are not part of my secret group of honorable thieves. You may call me Sheek, for I will not give my real name to outsiders of my organization."

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie said. "I'm Pinkie Pie! I plan and throw parties, make everypony smile, and love having fun!" She leaned down and whispered to Sheek. "I also have a secret hiding place where I have information on everypony I meet to throw them the perfect parties. Tell no one."

"...Right. Now, before you suffer from heat exhaustion, let us sit underneath one of those trees." Sheek lead Pinkie to one of the trees, the earth pony bouncing behind him as his ears twitched from hearing a springing sound with each bound she took. They stood under the shade of a tree that bore plenty of fresh lemons. Pinkie sat down as she watched the Nomadimouse skitter up the trunk, grabbing several ripe lemons before dropping back down, giving Pinkie a couple of them. "Do you eat lemons?"

"Yeah! I love lemons!" She grabbed one and stuffed the entire fruit in her mouth. The moment she bit into it, her face puckered up from the sour flavor. "Wow! Thash shour!"

"Very odd, this one," Sheek mumbled to himself, taking a bite of the juicy fruit. "So, seeing as you look like you come from a different world, where exactly are you from?"

Pinkie finished her lemon, waiting for her lips to stop puckering to talk. "I'm from a place called Equestria, where me and my friends live!" She gasped loudly, realizing her friends weren't with her. "Oh my good golly goodness! My friends! Did you see them in this burning hot desert, Sheeky!?"

"You are the only one I had seen," Sheek said. "If your friends are like you, then no. I have not seen them out here."

"Oh no...This is bad!" Pinkie's mane began deflating, Sheek hearing the sound of a balloon being released of its air as he watched her slightly wet and poofy mane droop. "We got separated after Bowser beat us! Where did they go!?"

"Bowser attacked you?" the mouse asked. Pinkie began explaining to Sheek what had happened earlier in Peach's castle, even talking about the party she couldn't be a part of. He nodded his head as he got the full story, including the reason for Bowser's soldiers invading the ruins. "I knew the King of the Koopas was up to no good again. But this time, he had succeeded in defeating Mario."

"I don't know if he's ok," Pinkie whimpered. "We couldn't save him."

"Do not weep, Pinkie," Sheek assured the upset pony. "Mario has fought many a fight against Bowser, taking injuries that no one would possibly survive. He is not known as a hero of the Mushroom Kingdom for nothing."

"...Well, he lived after getting burnt by Bowser's fire breath," she said. "But he fell unconscious...And I don't know where my friends are." Sheek couldn't help but notice Pinkie's behavior as it started to take effect on his stoic behavior. When she was happier earlier, he was confused by her antics, but now that she was sad, he felt sad for her. "Where am I, Sheeky?"

He ignored the nickname she gave him and answered her question. "We are in the Dry Dry Desert, southeast of the central capital of the Mushroom Kingdom. This place can only be reached by train, stopping at the base of Mt. Rugged far to the west from where we are. This desert can easily confuse and disorient dehydrated travelers, where straying off the path leading in a straight line will only make you lose your sense of direction during daylight. The only haven from the heat and sand is Dry Dry Outpost, luckily not too far away from this oasis, just a bit yonder to the north."

"Are my friends ok, too?" she asked.

"Quite possibly," Sheek said. "Surviving and escaping from Bowser as you transformed into a sphere of magical light is quite a feat for a creature like you."

"But I passed out. I didn't do anything..." Pinkie looked at her hooves, knowing she doesn't have any magic aside from her illogical randomness. "...Maybe our rainbow harmony powers did it instead..."

"Ah. The powers you and your friends had used to stop Bowser, but failed because of the Star Rod's tremendous power it gave him." Sheek stood up, finishing up the last of his lemons as he faced Pinkie. "If you wish to find your friends, I do not think it is wise at the moment if Bowser's minions are out on the roads. Especially in the desert where you can very easily pass out from dehydration. I think it is best for you to remain in Dry Dry Outpost until it is a lot safer, or when you can handle the heat of the desert sun."

"...I guess you're right." Pinkie fanned her face with her hoof, her soaked body already dry as the heat got to her again. "Maybe my friends are safe in other places around the Mushroom Kingdom. I know Dashie would try and find us, since she's fast and can fly anywhere."

"Yes, that is true. Flight across the desert is simple for a winged pony, as you described her." The Nomadimouse leapt up onto Pinkie's head and looked down at her. "If you are going to stay in the Outpost in my abode, you will be a part of my secret organization. That means you must not tell anyone secrets about us. Only I will seek out potential members who can solve the code in the store, where my associate who works as the shopkeeper will alert me if they discover the right objects to buy in the correct order. You will not give away any attention to me, but you are free to go about the streets and interact with the people there if you wish to throw your parties. And when you are weary, you will use the hidden ways up to the roofs and leap across to my apartment, but make sure no one sees you. Understand?"

"Mhmm. I can keep them all a secret. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Pinkie said as she performed her Pinkie Promise: crossing her hoof over her chest, flapping her forelegs like wings, then poked her eye with her hoof.

Ignoring watching the mare actually poke herself in the eye, where she didn't even yelp in pain, he leapt off her head and onto the sand. "Good. Now, wait here while I get you a cloak to help protect you from the sun's rays and veil yourself when you wish to rest...Although, with how different you look, you do stand out quite easily, so you must be quick and be wary of wandering eyes."

"Okie dokie." Sheek sped off through the desert, heading north back to Dry Dry Outpost to get Pinkie a big cloak to shield her from the sun.

As Pinkie waited patiently for the helpful mouse, she wanted to do something for him for the help he was giving her, even though they had just met a moment ago. But, since he didn't want a party and have himself revealed to the others in the town, she had to think of something else to show her appreciation. Looking up in the trees, she saw the lemons hanging off the branches, never knowing they could survive in a desert climate like this. The other tree across where she sat had limes, these two being the only kinds of fruit Dry Dry Outpost is able to eat without traveling across the desert and over a mountain to get any other form of produce.

The lemons were really sour, even though they were tasty. She looked back at the lemons again, noticing Sheek actually enjoyed the sour fruit when she saw his eyes, catching that hint of enjoyment under the veil of cloth around him. She gasped, her mane inflating back to it's normal frizzy and poofy self as she had an amazing idea to repay his kindness. Pinkie stood up and bucked the lemon tree, catching the ones that fell and hid them through her usual random way of storing anything on her. A while later, Sheek came back with a big enough cloak to fit over Pinkie's body to help relieve the heat of the sun a little bit. As soon as her new garment was on, she followed the Nomadimouse up north, making sure to stay close and not stray off as they reached the Outpost.





Out in the middle of a dark and dangerous forest, really close to Toad Town from the east, was an old, abandoned mansion. The building looks to have been around for almost a century, the wooden boards were worn out as the paint it used to be coated in had faded due to time, the roof a pale purple as the building stretched to three stories tall. The forest around it was eerily creepy as the branches from the trees blocked out any sunlight, looking like it was always night no matter what hour of the day it is. But traveling through the forest itself isn't easy as it was like a maze: find the right difference among the circle of branching pathways, the mansion will be one step closer to being reached, but choose the wrong path, confusion will only be given as they will wind up back at the beginning. This forest is called the Forever Forest for a reason, pick the wrong way and adventurers will wind up lost in these woods, maybe even forever.

Suddenly, a light finally did shine through the canopy of leaves around the mansion, but it wasn't sunlight. A bright white sphere of light floated down in front of the abandoned mansion, landing on the dark, unkempt grass. The sphere expanded and shone brighter, the light shining in through the dusty windows into the mansion, though it wasn't as abandoned as it seemed, a figure's silhouette on the third floor spotting the odd light as it began to fade. Rarity laid unconscious, saved by the power of her and her friends' harmony powers from Bowser's lightning through the Star Rod he held, though the location she landed in was not exactly safe by looks.

The front doors to the mansion creaked open as several spiritual beings floated out to inspect the odd light. These spirits were Boos, spherical ghosts with sharp teeth and stubby arms. Their bark was worse than their bite as they scare their victims, getting a laugh at their fright and scared expressions instead of harming them. One of them, an elder looking Boo with a monocle over his right eye, a dish towel over one arm, sporting a white mustache and some hair, lowered down to look at the unicorn closely. Unlike the other white Boos that began to surround her, he was a bit more refined in stature than a haunting ghost should.

"Hmm...What have we here?" he asked rhetorically. "Such a strange animal, though it isn't like the ones in Forever Forest." The Boo looked up at the window where the figure stood, seeing it nod its head as it looked down at him. "Bring the creature inside and up to the third floor. The lady wishes to see it up close."

"You got it, Bootler," one of the Boos said. "But, when it wakes up, can I scare it first?"

"Do you want to get slapped by her ladyship for giving anything she desires to scare first before her?" Scared out of their minds, all the Boos shook their heads no. "Then there's your answer."

Obeying Bootler, the Boos lifted Rarity up as one unit, carrying her inside the mansion, the Boos servant following behind them. The foyer of the mansion wasn't any better on the inside than the outside: dust and cobwebs littered the place, furniture old and worn, candles lit with blue flames as they were held on sconces on the walls. More Boos floated around aimlessly in the mansion, noticing the new arrival being carried by their fellow Boos, but a stern glare from Bootler made them back away, knowing the owner of the mansion had first dibs on scaring the daylights out of the new creature. They floated up to the third floor, a stairway leading up to the second floor, but none up to the third.

Bootler opened the doors leading to the only room on the third floor, two sets that are colored a pale white unlike the other doors on the lower floors, being a faded brown. The Boos lowered the unicorn down onto the floor, then made their leave for fear of the lady they serve under.

"M'lady, the creature is here," Bootler said, floating backwards to give his lady free reign over her new victim.

Rarity started to slowly wake up, never experiencing such pain in all her life. Bootler turned invisible, watching the owner of the manor as she was also invisible, unseen by normal eyes. The unicorn sat up, rubbing her head, surprised to be alive after getting shocked to unconsciousness.

"That brute of a turtle...If he wasn't that tough, I'd buck him hard where Celestia's sun doesn't-" The moment she opened her eyes, she paused her revenge on Bowser as she took note of where she was. Instead of waking up in a cell in the Koopa King's dungeons, she was in a large room with barely anything inside. "...Where am I?" She looked around, finding no sign of her friends. "Twilight? Rainbow Dash? Girls?" She looked down at the ground, her skin crawling in fright as she saw dust and some grass on her white coat. "Ewwwwww. This place is absolutely filthy! Why am I here!?"

Appearing behind Rarity, a different colored Boo with red ribbons on its head slowly approached the unsuspecting mare, hiding its face behind its arms. The unicorn suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, feeling something paranormally unsettling about where she ended up. She slowly turned her head to look behind her, her pupils shrinking as she saw a green spherical spirit, spotting the short tail-like protrusion behind it, wearing two red ribbons on its head.

The Boo finally uncovered their face, apparently female with her long eyelashes, and pulled off a terrifying face. "BLAAAAAAAARGH!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Rarity screamed, running away from the horrifying ghost as her white coat was even paler. Her voice echoed throughout the whole manor, which made the female Boo cackle with delight. Rarity ran through the one of the sets of doors, only to quickly skid to a halt as she nearly ran off the edge, seeing she was on the third floor of the old and filthy mansion. "W-Wha-Where-What's happening!? Where am I!?" Boos suddenly appeared in front of her, all of them making creepy faces to frighten her. "AHHHHHH! No! Get away, evil spirits!"

She backed up inside the room again, tripping over her own tail and falling on her back. She saw Bootler hover over her face.

"So sorry for the 'welcome greeting', madame," he said, but Rarity only shrieked in horror and scramble back on her hooves, pressing herself against the wall, unable to escape this haunted building.

The female Boo cackled uproariously, rolling around as she hovered in place. "Oh, that was hilarious! One of the easiest scare victims ever!"

The unicorn hyperventilated, keeping far away from the two Boos. "Where am I!? What is this place!? Why is it haunted!?"

"Because this is my manor," the owner said after she calmed down, holding a teasing smirk as she hovered up to the frightened mare. "We don't really get many guests to come visit my mansion, so we usually go out into Toad Town to scare the pants off of some Toads. Especially that easy to spook guard at the station outside the Forever Forest. But, he gets boring to scare sometimes."

"Y-You-You ungrateful spirits nearly gave me a heart attack!" Rarity shouted.

"Well, that's what we do, miss," Bootler said. "We are Boos. We terrify others for enjoyment."

"...At least somepony actually has manors, unlike an uncouth brat who thought it was funny to frighten guests to their home." The female Boo's eye twitched, floating up to the mare's face.

"Who are you calling a brat!?" she questioned. "I am the lady of this manor! I have more class than you have in every single bone in your body, you quadrupedal cone head!"

Rarity scoffed, taking offense to the rude comment. "Excuse me!? I'm the one who has more class compared to a spoiled ghost spirit who's nothing but a delinquent!"

The Boo growled as both "refined" girls butted heads. Bootler quickly got between them before they wound up in a cat fight, knowing his lady would surely win being a spirit while Rarity was a living being.

"Ladies, let us not get too hostile," he ushered, trying to calm them. "M'lady, we are in the presence of someone of another species the likes of which the Mushroom Kingdom has ever heard of. She is already lost and confused of her whereabouts, and you had your fun frightening her."

They both glared at each other for a while until they both turned away with a scoff. Bootler sighed, managing to stop the physical confrontation before it began.

"Well, if you're going to keep me held prisoner as your scare dummy, you'd better not have frightened on of my friends," Rarity warned. "Fluttershy is very timid and scares easier than the rest of us."

"Friends?" The female Boo turned around to look at the unicorn in confusion. "What friends?"

"The ones your little minions out there that you brought in too," she retorted.

Both Boos looked at each other, then back to Rarity. "...Miss, are you saying there are others like you?"

"Yes..." Rarity turned her head at Bootler's question, as if he didn't even know there were five other ponies that were supposed to be with her. "...Wait...You didn't see them?"

"We saw a bright light that nearly blinded us through the windows outside the mansion," the lady said. "That light ended up turning out to be you, though I didn't expect you to talk. We thought you were a mindless animal who had fallen unconscious."

Rarity growled at being called an animal, clearly a sentient being, but ignored her and focused on talking to Bootler. "So...I'm by myself in this horribly filthy mansion?"

"Afraid so, miss," Bootler said. Rarity's ears drooped, lowering herself to the ground, no longer caring if her mane or coat got filthy. She had no idea where she was, if her other friends are safe, and concerned about Peach's well being if she was alone with Bowser high in the sky. "I think we should introduce ourselves. My name is Bootler, and this is our fair lady and owner of Boo Mansion, Lady Bow." Bow grunted, not exactly a proper greeting, but Rarity didn't care with the attitude she had. "What is your name, and what are you, if I may ask?"

"My name is Rarity, and I'm a unicorn," she said.

"Psh. You sure are a rarity," Bow commented. "Unicorns are just a myth, but somehow, you're here, and right at my doorstep after blinding all of us."

"Well, excuse me, 'Lady', but I didn't make a grand entrance like that on purpose, and even if I could, I can't turn into a light," Rarity grumbled. "If you really want to know, I was attacked by the worst excuse of a tyrannical ruler I have ever met, and now my friends are nowhere nearby."

"'Tyrannical ruler'?" Bow asked, somewhat interested on the topic. Rarity told the two Boos what she recalled happened back in Peach's castle. After retelling the events that had occurred a few hours ago, the lady groaned in irritation. "Oh great. Here we go again. Bowser ruining the day by kidnapping the princess, along with her castle. Ugh, that Koopa is a pain."

"That...explains the odd earthquake that occurred earlier," Bootler said. "And...Mario had been beaten by him?"

"Yes, unfortunately...I don't know if he survived the fall, or even the thrashing he endured against that horrid monster." Rarity sighed, worried about her friends and if they were still up there with Peach as prisoners or if they fell out and wound up turning into a sphere of light as well. "Not even our own magic was strong enough to stop him."

"Seems like we both have major problems we're unable to deal with," Bow said.

"What problems!?" Rarity exclaimed. "You're a ghost! You don't have to worry about dying or losing your friends after being shocked to unconsciousness!"

"I know you just woke up and all, cone head, but we've got a problem that worries us greatly!" Bow argued, disappearing and reappearing in front of the mare. "Before you even arrived here by strange magic even you can't explain, even before Bowser lifted Peach's castle in the sky, I'm losing my brethren out here and over at Gusty Gulch, where more Boos live in the dusty wasteland by an invincible monster that eats us!"

"Wait, Bowser eats ghosts???" Rarity asked in confusion.

"NO, you idiot!" Bow shouted, her mouth opening wider as she spoke in frustration. "It's one of his stupid minions that he made invulnerable to anything we tried to do to attack him! Already, he's eaten the ones who I sent to go after him to kick him out of our homes, and a few more just hours ago! If you think I'm a selfish brat, why do you think I care about the Boos' safety that much in the middle of this crisis!?"

"Lady Bow, please calm yourself," Bootler pleaded, pulling the angered Boo away from the unicorn. "Miss Rarity, I know Lady Bow may be a bit harsh, but despite our spiritual bodies, she does have a heart. She's greatly concerned about the rest of our brethren, and the monster, known as Tubba Blubba."

"Ugh," Rarity grimaced. "Just its name reeks of foul etiquette and monstrosity...And now there's two invincible monsters running about this world."

"Nothing is invincible, not even us Boos," Bow said. "Bowser has that Star Rod, a wand known to grant wishes to whoever wields it from the old books on different legends in the sealed off library in the first basement floor, but there's no way that overgrown Clubba is too."

"...Oh..." Rarity didn't know what to say, feeling bad for assuming Bow wasn't a responsible leader because she was a young Boo compared to the others in the mansion.

"He has to be hiding some kind of secret that made Tubba Blubba invincible, but so far, we've come up with nothing," Bootler said. "Some scouts we tried to send to his own manor up on the hill of Gusty Gulch never came back or managed to flee without any information. Is there any way you might assist us, Miss Rarity?"

"...Well, not exactly alone, even though I can fend for myself despite my lady-like complexion," she said. "I'll try to help, but...is there any way of being somewhere safer and...cleaner?"

"Let's just hope Tubba Blubba doesn't have a hankering for pony," Bow snarked. She turned back to Rarity, sighing as she approached her, though this time more calmly. "I'm just under a lot of stress, and I really want to take it out on that fatso. If Mario were here, he might help us, but with him badly beaten somewhere out in the Mushroom Kingdom, I'm not sure what to do now. And I don't want to sacrifice anymore of my Boos." She held out one of her hands to the unicorn. "Forgive and forget all the dumb things we said to each other?"

"...I can after you're going through a horrible experience as much as I am." Rarity held out her hoof and took Bow's arm, the two ladies shaking in forgiveness. "Maybe once we beat this vulgar beast and find this secret, you think you can help me find my friends?"

"I guess, if they managed to survive like you did," she said, Bootler grinning softly as the two girls began getting along, even after all their insults and the scares Rarity was given.

"I hope so." Now that the tension between the two were gone, Rarity looked at her hoof, wincing slightly as she remembered her body was covered in dust. "...Uhh, is there any chance your mansion has a bathroom? With running water?"

"Rarity, this mansion is like a century old," Bow said. "Nothing in this place, including plumbing, worked like it used to."

"Egh!" Rarity whined. "Then can't you and your Boos at least dust this place!?"

"What's the deal with you and my mansion's dust!?" Bow complained. "It's perfect the way it is! Scary mansion, creepy atmosphere, little lighting to easily scare guests? The kind of thing we Boos like are places like these!"

Bootler sighed as the girls began bickering, shaking his head, unable to figure out women, no matter what kind, after his many years of afterlife. Suddenly, the door to the room opened as a Boo flew in, ceasing Bow and Rarity's arguments.

"Lady Bow, we found something lost in the Forever Forest," he said.

"Don't tell me it's another lost ball," Bow groaned.

"No, it's not a ball, but it's something else. And it's really important." The Boo pulled out a strange looking card, showing the back of it that had what appeared to be Bowser's face.

"...A card?" Bow asked, her brow twitching in annoyance. "A stupid card is important?"

"Wait a minute." Rarity levitated the card out of the Boo's hands, surprising him as she held it up closer. "Is this Bowser's face as his insignia?"

"So the fire-breathing tortoise lost a playing card with his mug on it?" Bow questioned, not finding it interesting in the slightest.

"Actually, I am important to him, but I thought I could escape far enough away from here." Rarity, Bow, and Bootler yelped in surprise as they heard a voice out of nowhere. It wasn't one of their Boos, that was certain to Bow. "If you would kindly turn it around, you'll see me." Mentally facehooving, Rarity flipped the card over, both girls gasping as they saw a purple star wearing bifocals with a thin brown mustache and bushy eyebrows. "Well, away from the mindless goon and in the clutches of another captor...My luck is not kind to me."

Rarity just stared at the animated card in confusion, never knowing that stars were able talk, or have conscious thought, in this world. Bow took the card from the amazed unicorn mare, recognizing one of the seven fabled Star Spirits from the dusty tomes' illustrations of the legendary stars who watch over the world below to grant wishes to those with good intent.

"Hmmm...What's a Star Spirit like you doing trapped in a card?" Bow asked.

"Please, free me, ma'am," Skolar begged. "I need to find Mario and use my power to help recuperate faster from his injuries so he can meet with the rest of us on Shooting Star Summit."

"Mario's alive!?" Rarity exclaimed, grabbing the card desperately. "How did he survive!? What happened!? Do you know where my friends are!?"

"I don't exactly know how he had safely landed in a glade not far from Toad Town...but...I sense magic within you..." Skolar could sense the magical power that was around Mario inside Rarity, though hers was only a fraction of what was there with the five other unique magical energy that saved the plumber. "My fellow Star Spirits and I used what power we had left in us to heal his injuries, but he is still unconscious. But, the whereabouts of your companions, if they are the same species as you, I know not."

"T-Then can't you at least use your magic, energy, or whatever it is you have to at least find anypony closeby?" Rarity pleaded.

"I barely have much left in me after I had managed to make my escape from the beast up on that manor in Gusty Gulch." Bow's eyes widened at the mention of the Star Spirit being held captive by Tubba Blubba. She then smirked widely, flashing her teeth as an idea came to her head with the added information of Mario having survived. "I need to save the rest of my energy to explain to Mario that we need his help. But he needs to wake and reach Shooting Star Summit, the only close location where my power can communicate with him, unless you free me from this confined piece of paper, then I can appear before him and tell him our plight sooner."

"So, Mario's still alive, huh?" Bow cackled, making Rarity's spine chill at the haunting laughter. She snatched the card back and hovered up to the ceiling, where a cage hung from a chained winch cable. "Well, looks like I have myself a bargaining chip to get rid of that fat ghost eater when Mario visits the manor. If he's going to be helping you guys, then I don't think he'll mind working for a reward."

"W-What!?" Without even giving Skolar or Rarity any complaint to her cruel idea, Bow tossed the card inside and locked it tightly. "This is unjustly! You are dealing with a Star Spirit, you whelp!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Bow said, brushing off Skolar's insults. "You guys grant wishes to the living. What exactly do I want aside from wanting to get rid of Tubba Blubba? Nothing. So, until Mario comes, you're staying in there."

"Bow, what are you thinking!?" Rarity exclaimed. "It would be easier to free him so Mario can save the kingdom and Princess Peach!"

"And if he just has this one, Tubba Blubba's going to run wild and eat us Boos, Rarity," Bow said, surprisingly calm. "Besides that, the Mushroom Kingdom has a lot of dangerous minions of Bowser or wild creatures running around that could easily kill you. If you tried to leave and go through Forever Forest, you're going to be attacked by Forest Fuzzies and Piranha Plants."

"...By what?" Right on cue, Bootler reappeared beside Rarity and held a book of creatures opened to a specific page, giving her an apologetic look for his lady's plan. The unicorn squeaked in horror at what a Piranha Plant looked like, which was a living plant that can pop up out of the ground, its stems and leaves green, the head red with white polka dots, and a maw with razor sharp teeth. "...I will never look at flowers ever again after seeing something like that..."

"Then it's decided," Bow said as Bootler closer the book. "Until Mario comes, being more able to keep you safe from harm, you'll have to stay here where it's safer...Well, relatively safe, aside from the rest of the Boos in the mansion." Rarity growled at the sly smirk the female Boo gave her, but she did have a point. She might be able to fend for herself in situations like this, but against creatures unknown to her, and dangerous wild life like that in the forest outside, she had no choice but to comply. "I'll take that silence as a confirmation. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to speak to my fellow Boos to prepare Mario a few trials to reach this floor when he arrives. Bootler, make sure our pony guest has fresh food and water. We don't want her to get sick from the old stuff left in the basement that barely passes as a good meal to even a Gulpit."

"Yes, Lady Bow." Bow disappeared, making Rarity yelp in surprise as she tugged on her tail with a silent cackle, teasing her a little. "So, Miss Rarity, what exactly is your diet? We Boos do not need sustenance to survive, and I do not want to gather anything that would be distasteful to you."

"I'm a vegetarian, but I also like to partake in sweets sometimes," she said.

"Ah. Of course. I may have to take a trip to Toad Town and get some fresh fruits and vegetables." Bootler disappeared as well, heading off to get food for Rarity to eat during her stay here.

The unicorn sighed heavily and just sat down, looking up at the large cage hanging above where the Star Spirit was sulking as he was forced to wait patiently. But Bow did have a point with her reasons for keeping him instead of releasing him. She cared greatly about the Boos around her mansion and the ones in Gusty Gulch, and if Mario can find a way to stop Tubba Blubba, it would be one more minion of Bowser's to take down as he would have been beaten anyway to free Skolar. She looked back at the door, surprised to see the Boo who brought the Star Spirit in still in the room, staring at her.

"...Can I help you?" Rarity asked.

"You got pretty hair," he said. "It's so curly. And purple...and curly."

Rarity sighed and shook her head. "At least SOME of these ghosts are friendly and not a bunch of pranksters..."





"Alright, you lowly maggots! Fall in!" Hidden away in some unknown territory of what appeared to look like children's playthings, toys used as building material or just laid about in the strange realm. Standing on a small flight of stairs was the leader of a group of minions under Bowser's command known as Shy Guys. Their outfits vary in different colors with a belt around their waist and blue shoes, but what gives them that name are the white masks they wore over their faces. They don't show much expression, just three simple circles to make the eyes and an open mouth, so they can't be taken lightly, especially their commander, General Guy. Underneath his red clothing were a military commander's white jacket and hat, standing before his army of Shy Guys, many normal ones in different colored clothing, while others wore specific gear to show their mastery in certain skills. "Now, as you all know, Lord Bowser has given us the opportunity to guard one of the seven Star Spirits he has captured!"

"Oi! Get me out of this card!" General Guy turned around, staring at Muskular, the blue sailor cap wearing Star Spirit glaring at the commanding officer. "I'll show you a real fight if your king weren't a no good thief and a cheater! Release me and I'll show you a thing or two about power!"

"Quiet, P.O.W! You have no idea who you just insulted, so shut your trap!" Muskular growled, smacking into the card, but unable to break free. General Guy turned around to look at his army, all standing at attention. "Now, we don't want anyone getting this here star, otherwise we'll be getting the boot by Lord Bowser himself! And we'll need to prepare. When the time is right, we will invade Toad Town, and begin stealing all their precious possessions!"

The army cheered, speaking in a language that's hard to understand as they spoke in a sort of moan-like sound, rising and lowering depending on their actual mood. General Guy held up his arms, silencing his army so he could continue, Muskular rolling his eyes as he was forced to listen to him.

"I wish I had ears so that I could pull them off," the Star Spirit grumbled.

"So that means we all need to train! And train hard!" General Guy continued his motivational speech, stepping down as he walk before the front line. "We may be called Shy Guys, but we're not going to let them think we're timid little kids hiding behind a mask! We are an army, and we have strength in numbers! And with that plumber, Mario, gone and out of our king's fiery hair, there will be nothing that will stand in our-!" The general froze as he passed by one of his soldiers in a pink outfit, noticing him wearing a rainbow colored wig and styling it while making happy sounds. He slowly turned around, glaring through the eye holes of his mask as he stepped in front of the insubordinate Shy Guy. "...Private? What are you doing?"

The fashionable soldier stopped playing with his wig, explaining to his commander about the new fashionable wigs he managed to swipe from a hair salon a few days ago. General Guy leered at the Shy Guy, growling deeply as he snatched the wig off the soldier's head.

"Why, oh why in the name of our tyrannical king's shell are you wearing this stupid thing!?" he questioned angrily, the Shy Guy telling him it matched many of the colors the other Shy Guys wore, even considering changing into a rainbow tailored outfit for himself to stand out more among his peers. "...Private, you are pathetic! I train soldiers, not little girls wanting to play dress up! The outfits you wear are the troop you belong to, not a fashion statement! I am not raising weak soldiers, because one weak link in the ranks will be the downfall of every single squad!" General Guy threw the wig to the ground and stomped on it, making the Shy Guy upset as his favorite of the many wigs he took was being destroyed. It soon turned into nothing but torn and ripped out hair, the commander kicking it away before facing the "weak link". "You are a disgrace to this army, and all Shy Guys in this very toy box! Get out of my sight!"

The scolded Shy Guy wilted, making a sad noise as he did as he was told. As he passed by the other Shy Guys in the front line with him, he heard them snicker and make harsh comments about him and how worthless he was as a Shy Guy. He faintly heard General Guy continue his speech as he left the base, practically fired as he wandered about the secret land of toys and games. The Shy Guy arrived at where he hid his stolen wigs, grabbing one and placed it on his head. He let out a sigh, feeling so outcasted when he was forced to be a part of the Shy Guy army under Bowser's rule.

He looked up as he wondered why he was unappreciated, letting out a startled noise as he saw a blue sphere of light descend from above him. Having no idea what it was, he panicked and quickly hid behind a large letter cube. The light soon hit the ground, the Shy Guy peeking around the side, watching it glow brighter and form a larger sphere. It disappeared, leaving behind an unconscious Rainbow Dash by his box of rainbow wigs. He made a curious noise, carefully creeping up on the odd, winged quadruped he had never seen before.

He got a better look at the mare, looking over the cyan colored fur, cyan feathers on the wings at its sides, the odd looking mark of a cloud shooting out a lightning bolt colored red, yellow, and blue, and the odd limbs it uses to walk on. What really caught the pink Shy Guy's eyes under that mask were her mane and tail: a myriad of colors striped like a rainbow, just like his wigs. He let out a delighted noise, starting with touching the unconscious pegasus's messy mane. It was really soft, making him giddy as he continued rubbing the strands of natural rainbow hair.

Rainbow Dash groaned, feeling someone pestering her as she tried to sleep. "Go 'way," she mumbled, lazily swatting her hoof away from the thing touching her mane. It didn't stop, annoying her as she managed to nudge the Shy Guy away. "Cut it out..." The Shy Guy finally heard her speak, highly surprised as he walked up in front of her face. She managed to open her eyes, staring at a creepy white mask looking right at her. "Ahhh!"

The Shy Guy screamed as well in his language as Rainbow quickly got up to swat the strange minion away. She tried to fly, only to yelp as her wings locked up in pain from the electric shocks from Bowser's Star Rod she was struck by. The pegasus growled, hating not being able to fly as it was her passion as the type of pony she was. The knocked back Shy Guy sat up, rubbing his head from the tumble he had. As he got up, Rainbow pounced him and held him down with her forehooves.

"Alright, buddy! What the hay were you doing to me while I was sleeping!?" It took her brain a moment to realize she was face to face with something completely different from what she knew in Equestria. "...What the hay ARE you?" She then looked up, remembering she was in Peach's castle before Bowser knocked them out. Wherever she was, she looked like she was in some little foal's playroom, if that playroom was meant for a titan with how big the place was. "...And where exactly am I?

"Mrf. If my wings weren't screwed up from Bowser's stupid cheating Star Rod, I'd probably find a way out of this place faster." She looked down at the Shy Guy, unable to tell what he was looking at with the black eyes of his mask staring at her. She let go of him and began walking off, hoping her friends weren't being harassed by the weird mask-wearing things. The Shy Guy let out a panicked scream, watching her head off toward the Shy Guy's army base, knowing she would get in a lot of trouble if the army found her. He ran after her, his feet a blur as he ran past the pegasus and held his arms out, shaking his head no. "Get out of my way, you...whatever you are! I need to find my friends!" He shook his head more while waving his arms, trying to tell her she's going to get caught, but Rainbow couldn't understand a single word that came out of him. "...I have no idea what you're saying, but seriously, quit following me."

She brushed past him, unable to stop her as he worried greatly for the rainbow-haired creature. Rainbow Dash walked by the dozens of toys as she kept going down the path, coming up to a strange building made entirely out of blocks. She found the entrance and headed in, the inside a lot different compared to the outside. After making her way down the hall, she heard someone talking, but when she reached the end, she stifled a yelp as she saw an entire army of masked people like the one that was touching her hair, all in different variants of single colors, some wearing camouflage gear, in strange floating vessels with a heart on the front, hanging by balloons, in jester's outfits, even some that were on fire.

"So, my soldiers, you all have your objectives!" Rainbow looked further ahead to see the one who was talking, who seemed to be the leader of these things judging by the way he was dressed. And she could understand him unlike the other one. "When I give the signal, those set to invade Toad Town and begin causing a distraction, we'll take their precious belongings! Those on patrol of the Toy Box will keep an eye out for anyone who finds out secret hideout in the town!" The Shy Guys all made a single, loud noise, responding to their commander. "Good! Now, troops, let's-" He looked out to the exit of the main area of the base, spotting the pegasus watching them. "Gah! Intruder! Get that creature!"

The Shy Guys turned around and began to run after Rainbow Dash. With too many of them to take out on her own without being able to fly, the mare ran out of the base screaming. She avoided random slingshot fire coming from the ones on balloons and the camo ones, having no idea what they are, but at least she knew they must work for Bowser if they were going to attack Toad Town. She reached what appeared to be a train station, but there wasn't a train waiting for passengers to get her away from the pursuing Shy Guys.

"Oh, great! Which way's the exit out of this stupid-!?" She felt something suddenly jump on her back, pulling something over her face, though it didn't really hinder her vision that much. "Ah, hey! Get off of-!" Leaning over her head was the pink Shy Guy that she met earlier, moving his stubby arm to the mouth of his mask, warning her to keep quiet and go down. "You again!?"

He leapt down off her head and pushed her back against a nearby wall. Hearing the others coming up, she trusted the Shy Guy and lowered down on her stomach, feeling him drape something over the rest of her. Rainbow had no idea if this was supposed to be some kind of trap, or if whatever he's putting on her will actually help her. As soon as the pursuing Shy Guys reached them, they didn't attack her as they made a sound of confusion.

The pink Shy Guy stood next to Rainbow, having placed a Shy Guy mask over some cyan cloth that matched her fur to hide her mane. As she kept perfectly still, it almost looked like she was one of them, despite her red eyes showing through the holes for the mask's eyes and her hooves clearly visible. The pink Shy Guy began talking to them, telling them he saw the odd creature it fled to another one of the stations. Though they seemed to glare at them for a moment, mostly at him than Rainbow, they ran off in the direction he pointed toward, falling for the fake and quickly made disguise.

As soon as they were gone, he got in front of her, ushering her to follow him as he ran forward. Rainbow took a moment to look at the cloth he had put over her, matching the wall that hid the rest of her well with her poor Shy Guy disguise. She ran after him, only able to see forward because of the mask's poor peripheral vision it was giving her, entering what looked like a hidden bunker behind a pile of building blocks. She followed him inside, shutting the bunker door, now safe and out of harm's way.

"You...You saved me?" Rainbow asked, the Shy Guy nodding his head. She pulled off the "disguise" he put on her, surprised that this actually fooled them with how rushed it was made. "For an army that big, you guys are pretty stupid...Uhh, no offense." He shrugged his shoulders, no offense taken. "Guess it looks like not all of you are that bad. Where are we exactly?"

The Shy Guy turned on a light that illuminate the rest of the bunker, Rainbow's jaw dropping at the sight of many different things that were rainbow colored: clothing, paints and crayons ordered exactly how the rainbow does, pictures of rainbows, everything involving the prismatic colors. Either this Shy Guy managed to find her the moment she and her friends accidentally appeared in this world, or he just really likes the colors of the rainbow that much.

"Ok...This is the weirdest room I've ever been in." She flinched when she felt the Shy Guy touching her tail, brushing it with his arms. "...And now it just got even weirder." She flicked her tail away from him, making him whine in disappointment. "I appreciate you helping me and all, but no touching me. I will buck you out of this room through a wall if you keep doing that. Got it?" He nodded his head, making more of those noises as he spoke to her. "And do you have any other way to talk to me? I have no idea what you're even saying."

The Shy Guy thought for a moment until he found a way. He grabbed some paper and a pencil, using writing as a way to communicate with her. He wrote down something and showed it to her.



Will this work?



"Yeah. That's better," Rainbow said. "As much as I hate reading, it's better than just listening you say, "Wha wha wha wha," all the time." She tried not to look at all the rainbow memorabilia the Shy Guy had, but it stood out among the blank metal walls around them. "You sure do like rainbows...So, my questions in order: Who are you, what are you, where am I, how do I get out of here, and have you seen five others who are sort of like me?"

He wrote down the answers to her questions, showing her the paper after a while.



I am a Shy Guy, but I don't really have a name. You're in our home, Shy Guy's Toy Box, and it's located in Toad Town. So, yes, it actually is a toy box we're in, but there's a spring out by the blue station that takes us out to an abandoned building in Toad Town, growing us to normal size if we leave. There's also a spring outside of the toy box to shrink us back down when we return. Unfortunately, it's probably being guarded right now because you headed straight for General Guy's HQ and are considered an intruder in our secret base. But, as for other creatures that look like you, you're the only one I met, coming down where I was sitting in a ball of light after I got thrown out of the army by the General.



Rainbow groaned, her friends nowhere around this dangerous base of operations, though she was glad they weren't. "Great...Bowser ended up beating us, Peach is captured by him, and Mario and me and my friends failed to stop him. I'm sure you guys know what happened up there, huh?" The Shy Guy nodded sadly, seeing she didn't like what Bowser did. "Now, you...Shy Guys are going to invade Toad Town and steal everypony's stuff at some point, and I have no idea where my friends are." The peagasus's stomach began to growl, growling herself, not even able to sample any of the food from the party before Bowser showed up. "And I'm starving..."

The Shy Guy went over to a cupboard set in the bunker, pulling out a Mushroom. He handed it to Rainbow Dash, feeling a little skeptical of the odd face on it, but she shrugged as her stomach demanded food, no matter what it is at this point. She took a bite out of it, surprised to taste a sweetness to it unlike any other mushroom she had. While she munched on her snack, the pink ex-minion wrote Rainbow a question.



Where did you come from?



"Actually, I'm from a different world called Equestria," she answered, tossing the rest of the Mushroom into her mouth. As she chewed it, she was going to find it annoying constantly calling him "Shy Guy" over and over, especially when there were at least a thousand of them in that base alone. "Ok, if I'm going to talk to you or call out to you for something, I'm going to have to give you some kind of name so I don't confuse you with others wearing the same pink clothes as you. And, since you stand out really badly wearing that wig, I'm going to call you Wiggy." The newly named Shy Guy nodded his head, accepting the nickname around Rainbow. "And my name's Rainbow Dash."

Wiggy let out an excited noise as her name was like her hair as well. He wrote down another question and showed her.



Is your rainbow hair really like that?



She sighed, almost like she was dealing with another Scootaloo, even though she has no idea how old Wiggy is. "Yeah. It's all natural. Thank my dad for that, cause he also had rainbow hair too." After answering the question, Rainbow could swear she saw sparkles coming out of Wiggy's eyes from the mask. She was a little curious about what his face looked like and why they were called Shy Guys. "...So, uhh...why do you guys wear masks? Some sort of thing you guys always wear after a certain thing, reaching some age, or what?"

Wiggy let out an anxious noise, hesitating with his writing before showing what he would say.



I don't think you want to know.



"Aww, come on. What are you hiding under there? I can't not think about what your real face looks like." The Shy Guy groaned a little, but he pulled his mask up to sate the mare's curiosity. She immediately regretted it. "AHH! Sweet Celestia! Put it back on! Put it back!" Wiggy lowered his mask as Rainbow hyperventilated, afraid of falling asleep and having a nightmare of that image. "Ugh! No wonder you wear masks..." The pegasus shuddered, wishing Discord was around to wipe her memory of a Shy Guy's true face, Wiggy sounding like he was saying "I told you so" with the sounds he made. "I don't mean to be a jerk saying that, but...yeeeeesh!"



It doesn't bother us. But between us, I think General Guy's face is the worst. I didn't like him anyway. He hates what I like, and so do the others. Yet all of us dress up like a rainbow, but because we serve Bowser, we have to focus on taking over the Mushroom Kingdom.



"At least you quit...or, got kicked out. But that doesn't make you an enemy after you helped me out back there." Rainbow rubbed the back of her head, embarrassed by her cluelessness walking right into an enemy moral boosting seminar. "And trying to warn me as I went the wrong way." She looked down at her wings, flinching as she tried to move them, but they were still incredibly sore. She sighed and leaned back against the wall. "Well, looks like I'm going to have to wait a while until my wings can finally work again. Bowser did a really bad number on us...Mostly Mario."

With no choice but to lay low until the Shy Guys gave up trying to find her and her wings recovered from the painful jolts of electricity from the Star Rod, Rainbow began to figure out a plan to get out of here and find her friends. If she made it out, then they all should have as well, but after seeing Mario fall, she didn't think he made it after the beating and fire breath from Bowser knocking him out. While figuring out where she should fly in at sonic rainboom speeds to ram into the spiked Koopa, she felt Wiggy brushing her tail with a hairbrush, not surprisingly rainbow colored, sighing in defeat as she let him do what he wanted if it meant staying out of sight until she wasn't the enemy's number one priority.





Down to the southwest, where the docks in Toad Town are located, an island rests a few miles away from the mainland, called Lavalava Island. The jungle was thick with foliage with several different types of plants that grew there, many growing succulent fruits in the tropical island. The inhabitants that reside on the island are a village of dinosaurs called Yoshis, friendly reptiles that have long tongues to pick fruit from the branches, and if they need to defend themselves, snatch enemies with the appendage, swallow them, and turn them into eggs to use as projectile weapons against other dangerous ones. And the jungle is very dangerous, teeming with poisonous plants disguised as normal ones, Jungle Fuzzies, Shy Guy natives known as Jungle Guys, and Putrid Piranhas. What's worse is that the island also has a volcano called Mt. Lavalava, lava flowing out from deep inside that separated itself from the jungle, but thankfully it's dormant and hasn't erupted in many years.

In Yoshi Village, where the Yoshis safely live, the friendly dinosaurs went about their carefree lives, unaware of the problems going on in the mainland. The Yoshis skin are not scaly, their bodies actually quite smooth as they come in a variety of colors while their underbellies were white, the only form of accessory are shoes, and on their backs are a small red shell that's more like a saddle for anyone who would want to ride them. The adults went around the village collecting bundles of fruits, while the five young Yoshis, red, yellow, green, blue and purple the only colors the Yoshis are on the island, played in the village. The chief of the Yoshi village, a chubby green Yoshi wearing a feather on his head to show he is in command, sat on a smooth stone by a stone table around the entrance to their home, relaxing in the warm sun as he watched the waves lap up on the shore.

"Beautiful day out today," the chief said to himself. "Clear skies, calm waters, the dangerous wildlife remain in the jungle." He opened his mouth and shot his tongue out onto the table where some fruit rested for him to eat, grabbing a bunch of bananas with the bulbous end of his appendage, then quickly retracted it, munching on the whole bunch, peel, stem, and all. He swallowed and let out a sigh, patting his round belly. "And the fruit is good this year."

"Village leader!" He turned his head over to the other area of the village where their shop and Toad House is, another green Yoshi running up to the leader. "I think a star is falling from the sky!"

"A what?" the leader questioned. "It is the middle of the day. There are no stars out."

"Look up there!" The Yoshi pointed over to where Mt. Lavalava was, right above the slightly safer section of deep jungle.

The Yoshi leader looked up at the sky, his eyes growing wide as his Yoshi brother was telling the truth. A yellow light, not as bright as the sun, slowly hovered its way down to the ground.

"I will see what it is," the leader said, standing up from his seat. He may be a village leader and a little out of shape, but he was still a talented fighter. "Make sure the children stay in the village. When Sushi returns after visiting her daughter, bring yourself and one other if I don't return."

"Yes, leader!" The Yoshi chief made his way to where the star was going to land.

Knowing the children can get into a lot of trouble out of their curiosity from anything that catches their eye, he needed to make sure they wouldn't go out in the jungle or by the volcano. It's highly dangerous for them to be out there with the poisonous plants alone, along with the Jungle Guys and their spears. He reached the small patch of jungle, looking to his left when leaving the safety of the village, knowing what lies beyond the shrubbery after traversing the path many times, even as a young Yoshi. The leader arrived in time as the light fell through the leaves of the tall trees, which was actually a small sphere of yellow light than a star.

He kept his distance, keeping his eyes on the strange light as it hit the ground. It began shining brighter and grew bigger, blinding the tubby dinosaur as he rubbed his eyes. The light soon faded as Fluttershy appeared in the light's place, lying unconscious on the grass. The Yoshi leader opened his eyes, blinking the spots out of his vision when he spotted the pegasus taking the mysterious light's place. It wasn't like any of the common predators in the jungle, or anything from the inside of volcano where the Putrid Piranhas thrive in the hotter caverns.

"Hmm...What a strange creature..." The Yoshi carefully crept forward, his defensive instincts telling him to be wary if it was faking its slumber. Though, as he got a better look at the mare, she didn't seem to look hostile, noticing the three butterflies marked on her flank. Standing next to her, he leaned down and sniffed her long pink mane, smelling quite a lot of scents of other creatures on her, though they were faint. "Scents I cannot tell where they come from, but none from the jungle."

He moved down and lifted one of her forelegs, tracing his hands along her hooves, feeling no hidden claws. He then checked her wings, finding them odd on the unconscious pony, feeling the soft feathers like that of the one atop his head, though a little bigger in size and length. Fluttershy squirmed at his touch, but didn't wake, nearly startling the Yoshi when she moved. She was indeed not a threat, relaxing himself as he wondered what she was.

Seeing it was dangerous to be anywhere near this part of the jungle by the volcano, the village leader stuck out its tongue slowly, wrapping it around her barrel, and gently lifted her up onto his back. With her safely resting on the shell saddle on his back, forcing himself to bend forward to let her rest easily, he headed back into the village, getting her out of the dangers outside of their home. He found the rest of his village in front of the store with the Yoshi kids, the adults murmuring with worry about the horrible omen of the star falling on the island.

"Leader, what has happened?" a blue adult Yoshi asked.

"Is the island in danger!?" a red adult Yoshi asked in fear.

"Relax yourselves, my fellow Yoshis," the leader assured, turning his head to wrap Fluttershy's barrel with his tongue again, lifting her off his back and gently lowered her in front of his brethren. The Yoshis all gasped in awe, curious at the pegasus before them. "It was an odd magical light. And it transformed into a creature I have never seen. It is not hostile, and I believe it is sleeping."

While the adults stared at Fluttershy curiously, the five Yoshi kids stepped between their parents' legs to get a closer look. "Wow. It has wings!"

"But it's too big to have wings," the purple Yoshi kid said. "It's not a bird."

"Goombas and Koopas can have wings, and they're not birds," the red Yoshi kid said.

"It's got really long hair," the blue Yoshi kid said as he played with the mare's hair. "Oooh. It's soft." Fluttershy began to wake up, startling the young Yoshi. "Ahh! It's awake! It's gonna eat me!"

The Yoshi kids panicked as they screamed, the one playing with the mare's hair winding up tripping over his feet before scrambling back up and hiding behind his parents like his friends. These kids were also pretty bad listeners when their leader said she wasn't hostile, which is why they always give their babysitter, Sushi, a hard time. Fluttershy winced as she sat up, trying to remember what happened to her.

"Ow...Rainbow Dash, is that how it feels to get shocked by lightning?" she asked, surprising the Yoshis as she spoke. Hearing no response from her friend, she looked up, only to find a bunch of colorful dinosaurs surrounding her. She remembered she was stuck in the Mushroom Kingdom, and she was somewhere on a tropical island as she finally smelled the ocean air around her. She gasped as she looked at them, her eyes sparkling as her animal loving side took over. "Oh my gosh...You're so adorable!"

"It can speak," the leader said.

Fluttershy quickly stood up and approached one of the Yoshis and hugged one, making the others feel uncomfortable. "Oooh. No scales and you're all big, cuddly reptiles!"

"...Uhhhhh...Are you sure it isn't hostile, leader?" the hugged Yoshi asked as the pegasus began rubbing his belly. He yelped in surprise, but it began to feel really good as he began panting, his long tongue drooping out of his mouth as his legs gave out, laying on his back. "That feels niiiiiiiiiice..."

"You're such a good boy. Who's a good lizard?" Fluttershy cooed, the Yoshi's leg twitching at the attention his belly was receiving. She looked up and saw the yellow Yoshi kid watching her rubbing his dad's belly, gasping loudly and gushing at the sight of the cuter, younger dinosaur. "Oh! A baby one! Come here, little one!"

"Run away!" While Fluttershy chased the Yoshi kid to try to cuddle with him, the other Yoshis were a bit skeptical of their leader's observation of the pegasus being docile.

The adult Yoshi noticed the belly rubbing stopped, quickly sitting up with an embarrassed blush on his cheeks. "...I-It overpowered me. Caught me off guard..."

"Are you sure it is docile?" the green Yoshi who spotted the light questioned the tubby one as they watched the pegasus finally snatch the Yoshi kid up and snuggled it, squirming in her hooves to try to escape.

"Not with any physical features on it. Or rather, her," the leader responded. He approached Fluttershy, too busy cuddling with the yellow Yoshi kid as she pet his head. "Excuse me." She turned around to look at the leader, but before she could "attack" him with belly rubs or hugs, he took the startled Yoshi kid out of her hooves, letting him down as he ran back to his father. "I understand your fascination for us Yoshis, but we are not pets."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Fluttershy apologized. "I've never seen creatures like you before, and I love all kinds of animals...except dragons. They can be scary."

"...Yes. You are new to us as well," he said. "Who are you, winged one?"

"I'm Fluttershy. I'm a pegasus," she said. "And you said you are...Yoshis?"

"Correct. We are a peaceful species, and though your guess on our species is half right, we are not lizards. We are dinosaurs, but our favorite food are fruits that are grown by the trees in our village," the leader explained. "What do 'pegasus' eat for nutrition?"

"I'm a vegetarian, so I'm not dangerous, if you were worried about that." The Yoshi leader chuckled at her statement, finding it ironic that she was dangerous when excited about cuddling with his fellow Yoshis. Fluttershy looked around the quaint little village, suddenly noticing her friends weren't here too. "Umm, did you...see any other ponies who are like me? O-Only, some without wings, or having horns on their heads?"

"There are more of you?" he asked. "Where are you from?"

"W-Well...I'm not from this world," she explained. "My friend tried using a spell to take us somewhere, but it sent us to this world when it...went out of control." Realizing that her friends weren't here, the pegasus began to tear up as she also recalled what had happened back in Princess Peach's castle. "M-My friends...W-We got hurt...A-And..."

Fluttershy collapsed to the ground and began to cry, fearing she would never see any of her friends again. The Yoshis had no idea what had happened to her, but they felt bad seeing her this upset. The Yoshi leader lowered himself down, pulling the sobbing pegasus into a comforting embrace. She cried against his chest as he gently pat her back. Even though she was a different species, she was still lost in a world she knew nothing of from powerful magic the Yoshis couldn't comprehend.

After Fluttershy had calmed down a while later, she was treated as if she were a member of their tribe, making her feel comfortable after the traumatic experience she had gone through. It did help to have her fit in with the peaceful, fruit eating dinosaurs, wishing she could take care of one back in Equestria if it weren't for the fact they were able to talk. Even the Yoshi kids warmed up to her when they now realized she wasn't dangerous and can't eat them when they saw her flat teeth when she sampled their island's fruit.

When the pegasus and leader finally had some time alone at his stone table, the pudgy Yoshi asked Fluttershy what happened before she woke up in the mysterious light he investigated. Sadly, she told him everything after Bowser struck them and they all lost consciousness. The leader was incredibly shocked to hear the unfortunate news across the mainland, and disheartened by Mario's fate. He didn't believe the plumber was truly gone, knowing he had fought Bowser several times and survived many dangerous traps and roadblocks to save the princess. Thankfully, the other villagers were back to going about their business, not wanting them to worry and go into a panic.

"...So, things are not well across the seas." The Yoshis do hear word about the news over in the Mushroom Kingdom when Paratroopa mail carriers brought them letters from previous visitors or any new events, but nothing as drastic as this. "I am so sorry you had lost your friends, Fluttershy." She didn't say anything, nibbling on a slice of watermelon from the pile of fruit laid out for them. "But, if you had come from a ball of light safely from this...strange magic from your world, they must be out in the kingdom somewhere."

"Do you think so?" she asked.

"It must be true," he said. "Bowser is a dangerous creature, to others and himself. You and your friends escaped and survived. But Mario...I do not believe he is gone. When Princess Peach is ever in danger, he will stop at nothing to rescue her, even until his dying breath." The Yoshi shot his tongue out and snatched a watermelon. Fluttershy's eyes nearly popping out in surprise as she watched the very dextrous tongue wrap around the round fruit, pulled it into his mouth, then swallowed it whole. The fascinating way the friendly dinosaurs eat was really incredible, his cheeks bulging after seeing how wide their mouths can open before swallowing, and without chewing. "Times may be bad now, but Bowser will be beaten."

"Oh, I don't know," Fluttershy said. "He was invincible. Not even our magic could break through..."

"Even the mightiest of foes in the world have a weakness, no matter how invulnerable they may be," the leader said. "It is what I had learned as a hatchling by my father, the former leader, and I followed in his footsteps. Our jungle is teeming with danger, so any foe we face, we must stand and defend ourselves from threats, no matter how powerful." Fluttershy nodded, knowing many different villains back home who were powerful, but in the end, they had failed as she and her friends helped save the day. "But, since our island is quite dangerous, it is best to remain here in the village for now."

"Right...If my friends really are ok, then maybe they'll come and find me. I'm not much of a fighter, but I do what I can to help anypony...but nothing with dragons." Fluttershy finished her slice of watermelon, placing down the hard shell as she spat out the seeds. She watched the Yoshi grab another piece of fruit with his tongue, snatching some grapes and eating the whole thing, including the vine. "Umm, do you Yoshis worry about choking?"

He shook his head as he swallowed his mouthful. "We Yoshis can swallow any yummy fruit without choking. And, if we need to against predators in the jungle for more fruit to gather, we can swallow our enemies and turn them into eggs as a means to defend ourselves from further threats."

Fluttershy's jaw dropped in awe. "Wait...MALE Yoshis can lay eggs!?"

"It's not like eggs when we reproduce with a mate," the leader explained further. "The enemy is actually trapped inside the egg, but they cannot break out until we throw them, knocking out two with one shot." He puffed out his chest and sucked in his gut with pride. "In my younger days, I was quite the brave warrior with perfect accuracy."

That had peeked the animal loving pegasus's curiosity, never in all her life ever seeing a male anything lay an egg. She got her wish when a yellow ball of fuzz bounced into the village from the entrance, its eyes wide and pupils looking around with an open mouth with only a few teeth. The Jungle Fuzzy made a weird sound that got both of their attention as it lunged at the pegasus. Fluttershy gasped as it was about to land on her, but the village leader shot his tongue out, the bulbous end sticking onto the Fuzzy like glue, screaming in fear as it was pulled into the Yoshi's mouth.

Fluttershy panted, grateful for the save as she turned to look at the village leader. She watched his cheeks bulge and ripple, the Fuzzy desperate to escape while he kept his lips shut. He then swallowed the dangerous creature, then bent forward and lifted his tail, where a loud popping sound came out as he grunted, a white egg with green spots landing right behind him. He lifted the egg up and showed the stunned pegasus, her jaw practically hitting the ground in amazement, watching the egg shift around as the Jungle Fuzzy tried to break free.

"...Wow," was all she could say, now feeling like Twilight and wishing she had something to write with to learn everything and anything about Yoshis.

"Yes, it is amazing, though the process can be hard with bigger foes," the leader said, patting his belly. "It takes more force to lay out those eggs, which are quite big. With fruit, it goes right to our tummies. Against predators who wish to harm us, they pass through and get turned to eggs."

He reared his arm back, aimed the egg out of the village, and threw it far until it disappeared from sight. A moment later, Fluttershy heard a popping sound in the distance when the egg hit the ground, sounding like a firework. She turned back around the Yoshi leader dusting off his hands, then sat back down after taking care of  the threat.

"...I want to know more about Yoshis," Fluttershy uttered in fascination, wondering what else they can do.





Out in the northwestern area of the Mushroom Kingdom, far secluded from the rest of the major towns was a land that was filled with flora as far as the eye could see. Flowers, trees, ivy, vines, thorns, everything there were alive, and quite literally too with a few of their inhabitants. Some of the flowers there were able to talk and communicate, though the only mobile flora of this area, called Flower Fields, were strangely faced creatures called Bub-ulbs, different colored flowers on their heads, big noses on their faces, and can walk on a short pair of feet.

Unfortunately, as soon as Bowser had taken the Star Spirits, the land was already being taken over. Clouds covered the land, thick and heavy as they blocked away any sunlight, Flower Fields having their own personal, living sun to bring warmth to the flora below. Because of how thick the clouds were, the sun cannot breach through and bring light to the now dreary land. What's worse is that the Koopa King's subordinates are causing the cloudy sky, while also terrorizing the living flowers down below.

Out in the northeastern section from the main area of Flower Fields, Bowser's minions watched over a machine that was creating these clouds, filled with all assorted levers and buttons with several flashing lights, the exhaust on the end forming the thick clouds. Standing watch over the device, as well as perform any maintenance on it, a Magikoopa wearing a yellow robe watched as cloud-riding turtles, called Lakitu, made sure the device was working. The Lakitu were small, wearing big glasses, the shells of each one vary in color like a Koopa Troopa's natural born shell, and the white, fluffy clouds they rode had two eyes and a mouth. The clouds matched the expressions of their tiny turtle owners, having a symbiotic relationship as they also stored the Lakitu's means of attacking their victims down below: an endless supply of red spiked eggs they toss down, which can also turn into creatures called Spinies.

One of the Lakitu were different compared to the others, having longer green hair than the other three's three strands on their heads, while also wearing a pair of shades in place of glasses. "Ok, man. You can handle working for that giant ball of fluff for a bit longer. Do it for Lakilulu, bro. For your girl."

"Will you quit muttering to yourself, Lakilester?" one of the Lakitu said.

"Hey, I can talk to myself if I want to!" Lakilester shouted.

"Quit your bickering!" the Magikoopa ordered. "Unless the Puff Puff Machine is still in working order, then keep making sure it's working right!"

"It's already done," the annoyed Lakitu grumbled. "The thing was working fine yesterday when we tested it, and it's still working after we moved it."

"Well, you Lakitu are pretty poor mechanics when it comes to this thing breaking down every hour!" Lakilester growled, his cloud holding the same angry glare as he did. "Don't look at me like that, or I'll have your boss take away that little cloud of yours!"

His cloud made a look of surprise and shook in fright. Lakilester muttered under his breath, calming his mount down, hating working for his boss in the area, as well as Bowser since he works for the Koopa King. After finishing the last of the maintenance on the Puff Puff Machine, back to spurting out thick clouds once the right button and lever inputs were made.

"There we go! Back to normal!" another Lakitu said, letting out a sigh of relief. "No idea what the heck's happening to it. It's like someone's trying to bust it up when we leave it alone."

"Then we're going to have twenty-four hour shifts to make sure we don't have any wild creatures in this place break it!" The Lakitu groaned in annoyance at the Magikoopa's orders, being a higher rank above them with his magical prowess. Suddenly, they saw something bright up in the sky, looking up to see something orange sink through the thick clouds. "What the-!? Hey! You cloud riding louts said this was supposed to cover the entire land with dark clouds! Why is there light shining through!? Is it broken again!?"

"I don't think that's sunlight," Lakilester said, pressing his shades up closer to his eyes. "I'm wearing shades, and I can tell if that's from the sun in this place. That's something else entirely."

"Then, what is it?" one of the Lakitu asked.

"...It feels like...magic," the Magikoopa said, though even he sounded a bit unsure of his guess.

The orange sphere gently floated down in front of the five minions, all of them ready to face whatever it was that was inside of it. It hit the ground, grew bigger and shined even brighter. The shadeless Lakitu quickly shut their eyes, along with the clouds and the Magikoopa, but Lakilester continued watching thanks to his green tinted sunglasses. His jaw dropped as he saw the large sphere disappear from top to bottom, leaving behind a four legged creature never before seen in the Mushroom Kingdom.

"What the heck?" he muttered, guiding his blinded cloud forward to get closer to Applejack.

"What was that!?" the Magikoopa asked, taking off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"No idea. I think it's...some kind of animal," Lakilester said. He noticed the trio of red apples on her flank, blonde mane and tail tied into a ponytail, and saw it also had a stetson hat on her head. "It's wearing a hat and has a tattoo of some apples on its rear."

As soon as their sight returned, the others approached and surrounded the mare. One of the Lakitu picked up her hat and put it on, too big for it to stay on his head, or his cloud.

"Cool! Free hat!" he said.

"It doesn't even fit you," one of the other Lakitu said.

The Magikoopa examined Applejack, humming in thought. "Maybe we can tame this animal to watch over the Puff Puff Machine. Doesn't look like it's magical like that light...but it's got some muscle on it."

As he went to feel the earth pony's legs, Applejack was stirred awake from the poking. "Ugh...what happened?" The mage leapt back in surprise as she spoke, pulling out his wand underneath his robes to attack if it attacked them first. She sat up on her haunches, rubbing her head as she groaned from getting electrocuted, opening her eyes in shock as she didn't feel her hat. "Where's mah hat?"

"It talks!?" the five minions asked simultaneously, the Lakitu clouds mouths hung upon in shock.

Looking past the flowery landscape to see the four Lakitu and Magikoopa staring at her. "...Where am Ah?" She spotted one of the Lakitu wearing her hat, leering at the thief as she stood up. "Hey! That's mah hat!"

The Lakitu that took her hat off himself, but kept hold of it. "It's my hat now, animal."

"Oh, y'all did not just call me that." She ran forward and leapt up to the Lakitu, ramming him off his cloud and took back her hat.

"Get that thing!" the Magikoopa shouted, aiming his wand at the mare and firing a spell at her, looking like a magical aura with a blue square, a yellow circle, and a red triangle flying in one direction.

Applejack made a run for it, avoiding the attacking spell as the Lakitu chased after her. They pulled out their Spiny eggs from their clouds and threw them at the mare, missing their mark by mere inches as she zigzagged down the path. There were gaps she leapt over, which had sharp thorn bushes below that could really hurt if she didn't make it. She decided to take it safer by going through the hollow logs laid out for those who weren't able to fly, making her way into one, but stopped for a moment. One of the Lakitu thought it was a good idea to chase after her through it, only to get bucked hard, sending him and his cloud flying into the other unnamed Lakitu, knocking the both of them out. She kept on running, Lakilester groaning and rolling his eyes, chasing after the runaway mare on his own.

"Them varmints ain't that smart," Applejack chuckled at her plan. She quickly yelped as she saw a longer gap up ahead filled to the brim with sharp thorns, skidding to a halt as she stopped by the edge. "Whoa...Ah ain't makin' that jump."

She spotted platforms that were safe to walk across, though they were differently colored and were set at different heights, an odd looking bridge if she ever saw one. Just as she was about to run across, Lakilester flew down in front of her path, holding a Spiny egg in his hand.

"Not another step!" he warned. Applejack tried to buck him, but the sunglasses wearing Lakitu was smarter than his comrades, flying back and chucking his egg at her back hooves. She yelped as the sharp egg struck, a couple of the spikes hitting one of her hooves badly, making her hiss in pain as she couldn't put pressure on it. She could run, and she couldn't strike back with her powerful bucking, even though her opponent could avoid her through the air. "Look, I don't want to hurt you! Just don't run off!"

"Can't exactly do that now that ya hit mah hoof with that spiky ball!" Applejack exclaimed, limping backwards as Lakilester got closer. "Who are ya and where am Ah?"

"I can't tell you that," he said, pulling out another Spiny egg. "Just come quietly. You won't get far when I can fly. How you got here is what I want to know. You just came down from a ball of light, passing through the thick clouds from the Puff Puff Machine, and then you just appeared in its place."

"What?" As Applejack tried to figure out why she was some kind of light, she remembered Bowser attacking them when they were in their rainbow forms. Looking up at the thick clouds, finding no sign of the sun, or any sunlight for that matter, she figured the Lakitu and Magikoopa were working with Bowser, especially when she first saw the mage in yellow. "So, y'all work for that no good monster, Bowser, huh?"

"Yeah..." Lakilester looked down at his cloud, the fluffy mass looking up in confusion, unable to supply him answers. "How does something like you know about him when you don't even look like you're even from around here?"

"Because mah friends and Ah fought him after he beat Mario, zapped him out of the castle from the sky, and zapped us next until he almost killed us!" The Lakitu and his cloud's mouths dropped open, surprised to hear something like her survived getting attacked by Bowser now that he has the Star Rod. "So, if any of y'all work for him, ya ain't friendly. Now, get out of mah way. Ah need to find mah friends, then figure out how Ah'm gonna buck that no good dragon hard into the ceiling!"

"There are others like you?" Lakilester began having second thoughts about taking Applejack in. He hated following orders from Bowser, or his boss here in Flower Fields who would threaten to take his cloud from him, but when she said the Koopa King actually did beat Mario, then there was no hope for him and his girlfriend to quit working for him. And if Applejack and her other friends fought Bowser and lived, they could be in serious trouble if he put out a wanted list on them. He spotted his Lakitu allies approaching them, putting away his Spiny egg and pointed at an arch on the sides that would keep her hidden. "Quick, hide under there!"

"What?" Taking no time to waste, Lakilester flew up and shoved the mare, forgetting about her injured hoof. "Ah! What the hay-!?"

"Sorry, but just stay there until I say so!" Having no idea why the Lakitu suddenly had a change in his ways, Applejack just went along with it as she limped under the flowery roof of the arched building.

Lakilester quickly flew up, making sure she was hidden well as the other Lakitu arrived. "Lakilester! Where'd it go!?"

"I don't know," he lied. "It moved too fast. It's somewhere in Flower Fields, but I'm pretty sure it's long gone by now."

"Aww man," one of the Lakitu whined. "And I lost my cool hat to that animal, too."

"You need a better taste in headgear, dude," one of the other unnamed minions said to the upset Lakitu.

"Hey, you guys head back to the Puff Puff Machine," Lakilester suggested. "I'll keep looking for that creature."

"And my hat!" Lakilester stared blankly at his ally, his cloud making the same face to show his Lakitu's eyes hidden under his glasses.

"...Yes. And your hat." They soon left and headed back to the machine, Lakilester groaning in annoyance as he lifted his glasses and rubbed his eyes. As soon as they were out of sight, he hovered back down to the ground. "Ok, it's clear."

Applejack limped out from her hiding place, surprised to see her pursuer lied to his partners and helped her. "Why did ya help me? Y'all were supposed to take me in, weren't ya?"

"Yeah, I know...but I just can't take working for Bowser anymore," he said. "I was actually hoping Mario would trounce him and force everyone else back to his kingdom...but, when you said you, your other friends, and Mario failed, I don't think there's any hope for me and my girlfriend to quit working for that Koopa anymore."

"Then why don't y'all just quit?" Applejack asked.

Lakilester looked up at the clouds, knowing that his other boss was somewhere up in the thick clouds, hoping he wasn't watching him. His cloud buddy shook violently, terrified of the thought of being taken or destroyed. Applejack saw the cloud, feeling bad for the fluffy little thing as it was alive, the Lakitu patting the surface to ease him.

"Because my other boss up there will take my cloud away," he said. "My girl, Lakilulu, and I went to find work, and we wound up drafted in Bowser's Lakitu army...which is what I am, by the way...Sorry for the Spiny egg to the foot, too."

"...Ah'll forgive ya, but only 'cause you're sparin' me," she said, not fully trusting the Lakitu yet, but just enough to hear him out. "So, what's goin' on around here? Are there any other ponies like me around here?"

"The second question, I have no clue," Lakilester said, getting a little info on what Applejack was. "Didn't know there were others like you here too, but not in Flower Fields. Nothing but a lot of flowers that live here. And to answer the first question, we're...cutting out the sunlight and ruining the land with endless clouds for the boss ordering us around here."

"Y'all are destroyin' this place?" The Lakitu sadly nodded his head. Applejack growled and stomped a front hoof to the ground, just seeing this place being destroyed feels like she was watching her own orchard back home being run down. "Whoever your leader is here, he can't just destroy nature like this. It just ain't right!"

"I know, but right now, I don't have much of a choice for anything. I've even been trying to sabotage the Puff Puff Machine since we moved it here, but that thing's always being checked on, so my plan is clearly screwed." Lakilester floated his cloud, making it sit on the ground as he sighed and leaned his head against his arms. "And the Mushroom Kingdom's gonna be taken over with Bowser having that Star Rod. The kingdom's finally lost to him after so many tries."

"So y'all are just gonna give up like that?" Applejack questioned, limping up to the pessimistic Lakitu. "There's no way that cheatin' turtle will win. If Ah'm safe, then maybe mah friends are as well. Help me find mah friends, and we can find a way to take that Star Rod away from Bowser and save everypony!"

"I can't leave this place, either, otherwise bye-bye cloud," he argued, his cloud nodding his head in agreement with a sad face. "And if your foot heals up, you can't get out of this area on land. Flower Fields is in a secluded part of the kingdom, and there's no way in or out unless you fly from above. Even if I could take you out, I can't exactly fly high with any extra weight; just levitate over dangerous obstacles, like those thorns down there."

Applejack raised a brow at his last statement. More specifically at the fact he could carry someone else on his cloud, even though she did wonder how it held him up. From her world, only pegasi could walk on clouds unless a cloud walking spell was given to her, but this world had so many different things about it that confused her. She wanted to find her friends, but with nowhere to escape from Flower Fields and with how dangerous Bowser's soldiers were here, she had no choice but to stay put where she won't get caught and wait for help. If it will come.

"So, Ah really am stuck here now, huh?" she asked. With a sigh, she poked the cloud, getting both it and Lakilester's attention. "Ya sure this here cloud can actually hold me? Or even keep me on it?"

"Yeah. I mean, you don't look that heavy." Lakilester blanched at his words, his cloud's jaw dropping in shock as it quickly shook its head. "I-I mean, I'm not saying you're fat or anything! It's just that-I mean what I'm trying to say-!"

"Ah get what you're sayin'," Applejack said. "Don't get all panicky over makin' fun of how much Ah weigh. Compared to ya'll, Ah'm probably thirty times yours."

"Uhh...R-Right...It's just, I did end up getting Lakilulu mad one time saying something I shouldn't have, and she hailed me with Spiny eggs like a thunder storm." He shuddered at the scary moment. "I learned to never, ever tick a girl off by saying something about them, otherwise you'll end up getting a Spiny egg up your butt."

"Well, good thing ya got somepony special keepin' ya on your hooves," Applejack chuckled.

"I think you mean 'someone'," Lakilester corrected. "Anyway, just climb on up. I'll get you across the thorns and drop you off by the main area of this place. It's a lot safer there, and with your orange and yellow hair, you might be able to hide in the flower fields in the Flower Fields...Well, unless that butt tattoo of yours is sticking out."

"It's called a cutie mark," Applejack corrected as she climbed on, surprised to actually stand on it.

"'Cutie mark'? Sounds a bit too girly for my taste." He began moving as soon as Applejack was settled behind him, carefully dropping down on the large gap of thorns past the misaligned platform bridge. "I'd rather call it a tattoo, since it's more manly." After getting across, the earth pony carefully climbed off Lakilester's cloud, keeping the weight off her back hoof. "Ok. There we go. Just head down that way and you'll be safe."

"Thanks, Lakilester," Applejack thanked. "Oh. And mah name's Applejack."

"...Huh. Guess that makes sense with those tattoos." The mare rolled her eyes, ignoring what he called her cutie marks. "Well, see ya...And, if I end up running into you again with the other guys, we're enemies...At least, until I can find a way to get myself out of this mess."

"Alright, then." Lakilester waved good-bye and flew back off to "search" for her. Applejack limped off to the safer part of Flower Fields, finding a large tree close by on her right, a doorway of sorts on the front of it, and a few Bub-ulbs wandering about the few big fields of yellow flowers, which she could hide in to camouflage herself if she laid down and took off her hat. There were several other pathways leading to more of the fields, but she didn't want to go too far. Her stomach rumbled, needing to find some food to eat. "Ah wonder if there's somethin' around here that's edible and doesn't have a face."

"There is a red berry tree that lies on the eastern path from here that may sate your hunger." Applejack yelped at the mysterious voice, accidentally stepping down with her bad leg and wincing in pain. She looked around, but couldn't find who it was that spoke. "Over here, mysterious creature."

She turned her head to the tree, a pair of eyes looking at her that she didn't notice before. "...Either Ah've gone crazy, or Ah'm seein' eyes on a tree."

"No, you are quite sane," the tree said, making the mare unsure if she should scream in panic or be fascinated that a tree talked to her. "I sensed a new presence out in these fields, something that wasn't as cruel as Bowser's minions destroying this land. I am the elder tree of Flower Fields, Wise Wisterwood."

"...Uhh, Applejack," she introduced herself. "...Ah'm actually talkin' to a tree...Maybe mah brother was right. Ah need a long vacation away from the orchard for a while...Then again, Ah'm in another world, so does that even count?" Her growling stomach snapped her out of her tangent, taking the elder tree's advice and get herself some food. "Ok. Food first, then talk to the talkin' tree."

"Be wary of the paths," Wisterwood warned. "There are some dangerous creatures that may attack you, and with your injured limb, it can be hard to defend yourself."

"Right. Ah'll be careful, Wise Wisterwood." She began to head down the eastern path, only to stop and look back at the large tree. "Hey, wait. How'd ya even know Ah could fight back?"

"Being connected to Flower Fields for so long, I can sense the ground around me for many miles," he explained. "The feeling of your running from trouble caught my attention along with the light I spotted northeast of me. And no need to tell me of the details of your troubles. I heard you yelling beyond the field of thorns where those dark clouds keep appearing."

"...Ok. Guess that saves me the trouble of some explainin'." Her stomach rumbled again, demanding food immediately. "Ah'm gonna eat, then hopefully get back sooner if mah hoof heals up a little by then."

Applejack hobbled her way down to the east path to get herself some of those berries Wise Wisterwood told her about, desperate for some food. She hoped her friends made it out ok and were safe, and began thinking of what to do to help save this botanical land from being polluted by these dark clouds from the Puff Puff Machine she did see when she woke up earlier.
> Roadblocks and an Annoying Foe
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A couple days passed since Princess Peach's castle was lifted into the sky by Bowser's floating castle/super fortress. Word had begun to spread across the Mushroom Kingdom, many growing worried of what is happening to their fair princess and where Mario is right now. Some will know that the heroic plumber will save the day like he always does, but the few guests at the party who managed to escape didn't see him leave the castle. Either he was in a never-ending struggle against Bowser and his men, or he lost and was held prisoner inside his fortress.

Mario, however, was back on the ground in the kingdom, still unconscious as he rested in the Toad House placed in a friendly Goomba family's home. As he slept, Eldstar materialized before him as an apparition again, straining to use a little more power to warn Mario again, sensing he was ready to wake up soon.

"Mario? Can you hear me?" Eldstar asked. Mario managed to move a little, able to hear him, though he still slept. The Star Spirit sighed in relief as he picked the right time to appear before him. "Listen to me, Mario. I have something very important to tell you. My name is Eldstar, a Star Spirit...Unfortunately, I cannot speak with you here. You must come to Shooting Star Summit, where we Star Spirits will wait for you. It is of grave importance...for the princess...and for the kingdom..."

Eldstar's form disappeared in a flash of stars, saving the last of his strength for Mario to hear his plea. A moment later, Mario finally stirred awake, letting out a groan as he sat up and stretched his sore limbs. The Star Spirit's words still rang in his ears, confused as to whether or not that was a dream. He then realized he was nowhere in the castle, more inside of a hollowed out stump of a large tree that was turned into a room. He lifted the covers off himself and climbed out of the bed, scratching his head as he wondered to himself where he was.

The door opened as a Toad stepped in, gasping in surprise to see the plumber back on his feet. "Mario! Oh, thank the stars you're awake!" Mario turned as the Toad had opened the door, immediately being checked over to see if he was fully healed. "You've been out for the last couple days, and everyone's been starting to worry about you." Mario asked Toad where he was and how he got here. "You're in Goomba Village...Well, it's actually just a family of Goombas that live here, so why it's called a village is beyond me.

"But don't worry; these Goombas are actually pretty friendly," Toad assured before Mario decided to attack the family for no reason. Of course, the plumber himself wouldn't exactly do any harm to something he jumped on for several years in a village, especially when there were many enemies Bowser had in his army that actually wanted peace. "They found you out by a glade nearby, though how you got here out of all places baffled us. What happened?"

Mario began explaining what had happened to him, including meeting with Twilight and her friends. All he could remember before waking up in Goomba Village was getting beaten by Bowser, though he feared what had happened to the ponies if the spike-shelled Koopa didn't take them hostage like the guests that were still in the castle. He even told the mushroom retainer about hearing a Star Spirit talk to him and tell him about a place called Shooting Star Summit. The Toad looked at Mario strangely, especially around the point of meeting colorful talking ponies and the Star Spirit.

"...Uhh, Mario? Are you sure you weren't just dreaming?" The plumber shook his head, knowing that it must have been real. "...Well, ok. You did get beaten pretty bad, despite surviving...Though, I have heard of Shooting Star Summit. If a Star Spirit did talk to you, then that summit's the closest place to where they live: Star Haven. It's actually close to where Princess Peach's castle is...or, was, considering it's been taken by Bowser too..."

Mario never knew that Shooting Star Summit was that close to Peach's castle. Taking the information he needed after being asleep for a couple days, he set out to save the princess once again, first hearing out Eldstar's plea and see what else he and the other Star Spirits knew. And if Bowser had the Star Rod, which he claimed came from Star Haven, there had to be some way to dispel its power so he wouldn't become invincible and beat him again.

He stepped outside, squinting his eyes from the sunlight shining down on the land. Keeping the rim of his hat over his eyes, he stepped down and looked around the small "village". The Goomba family's home was nearby to his left, on the right was the forest glade they found him and a locked gate leading somewhere. He noticed the Goombas out front, spotting a young pink one with an orange bow, an older one working on a gate that leads out to Toad Town, and the last one wearing a blue hat, seeming a lot older than the young one. The hat-wearing Goomba saw him walk out, running up to him in surprise.

"Hey, Mario!" he said. "You're awake! Thank goodness!"

The younger Goomba heard her brother, cheering happily as she ran into Mario in a Goomba hug against his leg. "Yay! Mr. Mario's awake!"

The door to the house opened as an older pink Goomba walked out, wearing a pink bonnet on her head. "What's going on?" She looked over to the younger Goombas, being their mother from what Mario could see, letting out a gasp as she saw him awake. "Oh my goodness. He's awake. Honey! Mario's awake!"

The Goomba fixing the gate stopped his work, turning around to see the plumber was awake. "Thank the heavens! Mario, come over here for a moment! I'm a little busy at the moment!"

"Dad's fixing up the fence," the young male Goomba said. "I'm Goombario. That's my sister, Goombaria, who's in the middle of chomping your leg off."

"I'm hugging him, dummy!" Goombaria exclaimed, blowing a raspberry at her older brother.

Mario gently pulled the hugging Goomba off him, patting her head before making his way over toward their father. Goombaria followed after him, her mother going back inside the house to do some more chores.

"Ok. Almost done," the Goomba father muttered. Mario got his attention, giving him a little bit of a break. "So, feeling better already? Had us worried sick." The plumber then told the father he needed to head out right away to reach Shooting Star Summit immediately. "Oh. You need to leave right now...Well, I'm just about done with this gate, so it'll take a little while. You can just call me Goompapa if you want." Goompapa looked back at the gate and his tools, grumbling to himself, wondering if he missed something. "I'd probably get this fixed if dad wasn't so stubborn with that hammer of his. Hey, Mario, you think you can talk to my father and see if I can borrow his hammer? He should be in the back of the house, building a veranda to overlook the scenery."

Since the gate was almost done, Mario decided to waste some time and made his way inside the Goomba family's house. The inside of the house was quite homey for a family of six, also seeing Goompapa's mother and grandmother to Goombario and Goombaria. She was in the middle of a nap, but the mother was cleaning the house up, mostly her daughter's artistic drawings. Mario's stomach began growling, catching her attention.

"Hello, Mario!" she greeted, placing Goombaria's drawings on the table. "Welcome to our home. And, from the sound of your stomach, you have got to be starving after being unconscious for the last couple days." She made her way over to a cabinet and grabbed a few brown nuts, carrying them on her head to him. "Here. Have some Goomnuts. Fresh from the tree right outside our home. You can call me Goomama, and over there's my mother-in-law, Gooma."

Hearing her name, the elder Goomba mumbled something, adjusting her glasses as she sat up from her chair. "What's that? Someone call me?"

"No, mom. Go back to sleep," Goomama said. "Mario's finally awake and I'm going to give him something to snack on."

"Ehh, Mario? How lovely for him to visit us," Gooma muttered before passing out back in her chair.

Mario's stomach grumbled again, unable to say no to any food that was offered to him. He thanked the Goomba and took the Goomnuts, taking a bite out of them. They weren't exactly the fancy meals he expected to have before Bowser crashed the party, but it was something that sated his hunger. The plumber made his way to the back door, passing by the living room table, some chairs, a couple shelves with books or cooking supplies, and a stove.

Opening up the door, he heard a yelp as he startled what sounded like an older person. "My goodness! Don't do that!" Mario closed the door, finding the elder Goomba standing on a stool on the veranda with a wooden hammer in his mouth. He wore a green fez and had bushy gray eyebrows. "Oh! Mario! I heard you were awake. You startled me, though having the door open like that and threaten to knock me off the edge could do that. You can call me Goompa." After being introduced to the elder, Mario told Goompa that his son needed the hammer for the front gate. "Oh, so he's still working on that, eh? That darn earthquake caused it to break apart...Though, I'm almost done with the veranda. Just a few more touches, and I'll give it to him."

Goompa went back to work hammering the veranda as Mario headed back through the house to tell Goompapa his father was nearly done. He finished eating his Goomnuts before walking back outside, Goombaria glomping onto his leg again. He continued walking, the little Goomba giggling as she enjoyed the ride clinging onto Mario's leg with just her feet, seeing Goompapa had just finished fixing the gate.

"There. Finally done." He turned around to see Mario had come back, his daughter hugging the plumber's leg. "Well, looks like I didn't need the hammer after all. The gate's all finished and you're good to leave."

"Awwww. Mr. Mario's gotta leave?" Goombaria whined.

"Sorry, sweetheart, but the Toad from the Toad House told me Mario has to go off and rescue the princess again," Goompapa said. The little Goomba pouted, climbing down from Mario's leg. "I'm sure he'll come back and visit us when he has the time."

Mario nodded his head, patting Goombaria on the head, promising to come back when all this was over. They soon heard cackling from the air, looking up to see Bowser's Kamek assistant, Kammy Koopa, swooping in from the sky on her broomstick. She stopped and hovered above them, pulling out her wand as she leered down at the plumber.

"I knew my instincts were right," she said. "I still can't believe you managed to survive getting beaten by Lord Bowser AND live after falling from such a height! Not to mention those four-legged creatures are alive out there as well!" Mario gasped, surprised to hear Twilight and her friends had fallen and were attacked by Bowser as well. He growled and put his fists up, demanding Kammy to tell him what happened to them. "They didn't even manage to do anything with their unique magic, so they failed just as much as you had! I actually got reports from a couple of our strongest members in his army that two of them were spotted, one in different areas. Which is why, when they catch any one of them, I'll study their magic and figure out how they tick."

"Hey, who's that weird thing, daddy?" Goombaria asked, making the witch's eye twitch in irritation.

"Weird!? You little brat! How dare you!?" she screamed. "I am the most beautiful Koopa with a beautiful name: Kammy Koopa!" Mario rolled his eyes, the old hag nowhere near beautiful at her age. "I wish I had time to teach you a lesson, but I've got important matters to deal with! Whatever you plan to do, Mario, you'll only be wasting your time! Lord Bowser is far stronger than you can ever imagine!

"Now, here's a little parting gift from him to you!" Kammy lifted up her wand as she began muttering a spell, dark purple circles of aura forming above the point of her aimed wand. It began to materialize a giant yellow block, far bigger than any normal blocks Mario jumped into to break for either coins or a random item if he were lucky. The witch then tossed the block up into the air, thrusting her wand down, and sent the block slamming down to the ground. The heavy landing wound up causing a quake that made the Goombas jump and fall on their backs, along with shattering the finished gate Goompapa was working on, blocking Mario's path back to Toad Town. "Nyeah heh heh heh heh! You will all kneel before King Bowser's new kingdom! The Mushroom Kingdom will be no more!"

Kammy cackled harder as she flew off, gloating as she left Mario stranded in the village. Goombario snapped out of his stunned state, his jaw dropping as he saw the state of the fence.

"Oh, come on!" he cried out in frustration. "We just got that fence fixed!"

Goompapa just stared at the yellow block, grumbling to himself. "...All that hard work...Unbelievable. That witch just ruined three whole days worth of work!"

"And Mario needs to get back to town and save the princess now! What can we do, dad!?" the young Goomba male asked.

"Uhhh...Dad's hammer!" the older Goomba said. "Maybe that can break through the block!"

Mario nodded in agreement, knowing his fists won't be able to break something like this. He went back in the house to find Goompa and ask to borrow the hammer. Goomama and Gooma were a bit startled by the sudden quake, but they were unharmed. He barged through the back door onto the veranda, but there was no sign of the old Goomba. As a matter of fact, he expected to be standing on the veranda, but felt nothing but air. Mario gulped and slowly looked down at his feet, standing on air, the veranda below having fell off the house from the quake as it stood below in a pile of rubble. He looked up as gravity finally struck him, letting out a scream as he fell like the veranda.

Hearing his scream, Goomama opened the door, gasping in surprise to see the veranda her father-in-law built had been destroyed. "Oh no! That quake made the veranda fall!"

Goompapa, Goombario, and Goombaria ran inside as they heard the female Goomba, standing by the opened back door. They saw Mario fall, but with his jumping prowess, he landed down safely away from the ruins of the platform with a thud. He breathed out a sigh, looking up to see he had fallen quite a ways down.

"Mario! Are you alright!?" Goompapa asked. The plumber gave him a thumbs up, still in one piece. "Ok! Is dad alright!?" Mario looked around for Goompa, thankfully finding him ok not too far away, groaning in pain as he sat up. He nodded his head, relieving the Goomba family as they sighed in relief. "Alright! Try to find a way back up to the house! Make sure dad doesn't hurt himself too much and keep him safe for us!"

Mario nodded again, not even considering leaving a member of the family who helped him when he was unconscious. Goompa managed to stand on his feet, a cracking sound in his back making him yelp as he groaned in agony.

"Ugh...Curse this bad back of mine," he uttered. Mario ran up to check on him to make sure he wasn't in too much pain. "That was unexpected. Two earthquakes out of nowhere..." Goompa heard Mario ask if he was ok, turning around to face the plumber. "Oh, Mario. I think I'll live. If I'm still breathing, I'm not going down." He looked up, seeing the empty space where his handmade veranda used to be. "Eh. Gonna need to rebuild that.

"Probably a bit careless to leap before you look, huh, Mario?" The Goomba laughed at his joke, though Mario didn't find it all that funny. "Well, jokes aside, we aren't really all that far from making it back to the house. It's right over-" Goompa began to head off down the path, only to realize their way was blocked by a similar yellow block the prevented Mario from getting out of Goomba Village. "-there...Oh. This is quite a predicament...and I ended up dropping my hammer when we fell." The only way that was left from what they could see was a small field that lead to a dead end. "My hammer should be strong enough to break down that block. Let's search this way and see if we can find it."

Mario and Goompa entered the field to begin their search for the dropped hammer. It wasn't laying out in the open, which meant it had to have fallen somewhere in the bushes. There wasn't much shrubbery to look through, and in only a few minutes, Mario found the wooden mallet by a bush near the end of the field. He gave it a few test swings, finding it suits him quite well, but since it's Goompa's, the old Goomba will want it back.

"Aha! You found it!" Goompa said. "Perfect! Let's head on back home so my family knows I don't need to go to a hospital after surviving that fall." He went on ahead while Mario lagged behind, wondering if having a hammer would help him deal a bit more damage to Bowser. "You know, back in my day, I used to explore the Mushroom Kingdom with some good buddies of mine. I know just about everything in the-" Goompa suddenly stopped talking as what sounded like several punches connecting to something alerted Mario as he looked up. "YEOW!"

Goompa tumbled back toward the plumber, skidding across the grass until he stopped against Mario's feet. While the old Goomba groaned, Mario looked up to see who attacked him. Approaching the two of them was what looked like a young Koopa Troopa, though it didn't look like he had a shell and instead wore two halves of a cracked egg, the upper half as a hat and the bottom as a pair of pants.

"Hey! What are you idiots doing in my playground!?" the young Koopa yelled as he pointed a finger at them.

Goompa sat up, letting out a groan as his back cracked again. "Agh!...Oh no. Jr. Troopa." Mario helped the elder Goomba back on his feet, asking who that kid was. "Jr. Troopa's the boss of the neighborhood gang around here. He's nothing but a bully, and he always picks on us Goombas, but he's not all that tough."

"Not all that tough!?" Jr. Troopa explained. "I'll show you who's tough, and you two will be punished for entering my playground without permission!" He cracked his knuckles, leering intensely at the intruders. "I'll start with you first, old timer!"

Jr. Troopa yelled as he rushed toward them, flailing his fists while his feet were a blur. Mario quickly leapt in front of Goompa and swung the wooden hammer, smacking the Koopa hard in the face, sending him flying back to the entrance of Jr. Troopa's "playground".

"Nice shot, Mario," Goompa complimented. "You're pretty good with a hammer."

Jr. Troopa growled, getting back up on his feet. "So, you're Mario, huh!? Alright, Mario, prepare to feel the wrath of Jr. Troopa!"

The eggshell-wearing Koopa charged forward again, making Mario question the schoolyard bully's level of threat if he just runs at someone and screams like a maniac. Jr. Troopa began punching, Mario evading his fists as he swung the hammer again, slamming it down on him. Completely dazed, the plumber took the advantage and fought back, stowing away his hammer and punching the Koopa in the gut. Jr. Troopa didn't let the loss of breath stop him, grabbing Mario and headbutting him in the face, making the plumber stagger back in surprise.

The Koopa leapt up and tried to bounce on the hero's head. Mario quickly grabbed Jr. Troopa's leg, then swung him around and threw him across the field. Jr. Troopa got back up, growling angrily.

"Keep it up, Mario!" Goompa cheered. "You may have been out for a while, but you haven't gotten rusty like I have!"

"That's it!" Jr. Troopa shouted. "I'm just getting warmed up! Time to get serious! Full power!!!"

He flexed his arms and let out a roar. Mario just stared at the kid, shaking his head in pity at Koopa's pitiful attempt to defeat him. He charged forward again, but the plumber was going to end this, wasting enough time with Kammy Koopa stopping him. Pulling out the wooden hammer, he waited for Jr. Troopa to get closer. With a powerful swing, Mario struck Jr. Troopa hard in the face, stopping the Koopa in his tracks. Pulling the weapon away, seeing the dazed expression in the bully's swirling eyes, he kicked Jr. Troopa back, sending him tumbling across the ground.

"Great work, Mario!" Goompa cheered as he bounced up and down, stopping his celebrating as he felt his back acting up again. "Ow! Bad back!"

Mario dusted his gloved hands off, placing the hammer away in his pocket. Before he could lead Goompa back to his home, Jr. Troopa groaned, shaking his head and stood up. The plumber prepared to give the temperamental brat another whupping, the Koopa growling as he glared at Mario in spite.

"You..I'll remember this, Mario!" he said. "I'll be back to get my revenge!" Jr. Troopa ran off, only to come back a few seconds later. "I mean it! I'll be back!"

He ran off again, this time running off to who knows where. Mario had a strange feeling that he would end up encountering Jr. Troopa again, but if the kid was going to bother him, he won't hold back this time.

"Well, good riddance," Goompa muttered. "Let's head back home. I think I've had enough excitement for one day."

Mario couldn't agree more, both Goomba and plumber making their way down the other direction. Using the hammer, Mario smashed the yellow block to pieces, destroying the barricade keeping them trapped in Jr. Troopa's hangout. As they walked along the path, they ran into a few bad Goombas that got in their way. Mario was able to deal with them easily, just the normal Goombas he would expect from Bowser's army. However, there was something he didn't expect from the regular Goomba and Paragoomba: Spiked Goombas, Goombas that are smart enough to put a spike cap on their head to avoid getting stomped. It didn't stop Mario now that he had a hammer, easily thwarting their defensive strategy.

The back path eventually wound up leading them back to the village from behind the locked gate by the Toad House. Goompa unlocked it, holding onto the key to make sure his grandchildren didn't wind up going down that dangerous path on their own, or ever get into a fight with Jr. Troopa.

"Goompa!" Gombaria cried out as she spotted Mario and Goompa came back. The little Goomba rammed into her grandfather, knocking him over while she sobbed dramatically. "I thought you were a goner!"

"Back! Back!" Goompa yelped, bothering the elder Goomba's back pain.

Mario helped him by pulling Goombaria off of him, the rest of the Goomba family ran up to them, although Gooma was still inside the house. "Dad, you gave us quite a scare!"

"Oh, you don't need to keep worrying about me," Goompa said to his son. "I'm an old Goomba who's already lived out his youth. Besides, Mario was with me, so I was perfectly fine. Except for my back. That fall hurt."

The Goomba family hugged, the younger members happy to have their eldest back safe and sound. They all headed inside the house to help Goompa back inside, needing a long rest after the beatings he took, the fall when the veranda collapsed, and Goombaria glomping him. The old Goomba decided to keep their meeting with Jr. Troopa a secret, even though the whole family knows about the eggshell fashionable Koopa and his delinquent ways. As everyone ate some lunch, more Goomnuts from their tree outside, Goombario sat over by Mario, feeling a little antsy.

"...So, Mario, you always beat up enemies pretty easily," he said, striking a conversation. "Do you ever work out, or does fighting Bowser give you enough training as it is?" Mario brought a finger to his chin, finding his answer more on the latter since Bowser would never give him a break. "Well, I've been practicing self-defense from what I learned in books and what Goompa and dad taught me. I keep myself exercised every day, though it's mostly because I always get picked on by a pair of brothers down Goomba Road. But I have gotten stronger. I've even got some muscle on me."

While Goombario strained as he flexed, Mario having no clue what muscles a Goomba would need to work on besides their legs, Goombaria giggled as she skipped up to them. "Yeah! Goombario's head is as hard as a rock! When he headbonks anyone, it really hurts!"

"S-Shut up, Goombaria!" Goombario exclaimed with a light blush. "Even if that is true, my head's not that thick!"

"Oh, yes it is!" The older brother got flustered as Goombaria teased him.

While Mario watched the siblings banter, their parents and Goompa talked to themselves about something out of their hearing. Goomama was a little concerned, but both male Goombas had to reassure her and calm her down. Despite his back, Goompa sat up from his seat and made his way over to Mario, Goombario, and Goombaria.

"Well, Mario, I know you have a lot to do, so let's not keep you here any longer when the kingdom is in trouble," Goompa said. "You can hold onto that hammer. I probably won't be needing it since you can wield it better than I can. If I were a bit younger, I'd show those fiends a thing or two, but with my lower back killing me, I can't travel as much as I used to." He then looked at his grandson, Goombario's eyes shifting to his parents and his grandfather. "Goombario, why don't you go along with Mario and help him save the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Huh!?" Goombario was taken completely by surprise. He looked at his parents, his father nodding his head with a proud smile, his mother nodding as well, though she looked reluctant as her eyes were welling with tears. "Wait, you mean I can actually go with Mario!?"

"Of course," Goompa said. "You're a grown Goomba. You're old enough to go off on your own, and we know you can protect yourself after all the hard work you put into training. And, I'm sure with Mario's approval, he'll be needing an extra hand to take out Bowser's troops if things are as bad as they are now."

The young Goomba's jaw dropped. It's always been his dream to be an adventurer like his grandfather from hearing all the stories of his travels, towns he's visited, and friends he had made throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. Now, he was given permission from his family to go and assist Mario, help him save the kingdom, and even rescue Princess Peach. Goombario looked at Mario, the plumber thinking about the offered assistance. Considering he was dealing with far more power from Bowser than in the past, he was going to need a lot of help this time. After an agonizing few minutes, Mario nodded his head, accepting any help he can get from the young Goomba.

Goombario's slack-jawed mouth turned into a wide grin, leaping up into the air and whooping excitedly. "WHOO HOO! YES! I'm gonna go on an adventure with Mario!" He ran up to his parents and hugged them. "Thanks, mom and dad! Thanks, Goompa!" After giving his grandfather a hug, being mindful of his back, he stood before with a determined grin. "You can count on me, Mario! I won't let you down!"

Mario held Goombario to that promise as the two shook on it, now partners on this epic journey. "Hooray, Goombario!" Goombaria cheered. "Now you can finally bring back a girlfriend when you save the Mushroom Kingdom!"

Goombario blanched, his face turning red in embarrassment from his sister's teasing. "G-Goombaria!" The little Goomba giggled at his reaction. "That's it. Before I go, I'm gonna give you a hard noogie!"

"Ahhhh!" Goombario chased his sister, trying to pounce on her to leave behind his parting gift for her when he and Mario set off out of the village. "Noo! I don't want a noogie!"

He finally caught Goombaria and gave her a noogie, but it wasn't as hard as he promised it would be. Not wanting to waste anymore time, they exited the house and made their way to the front entrance, which was still barricaded by the large yellow block Kammy left for Mario. The plumber pulled out his new hammer and slammed it down, shattering the block to pieces and freeing the path to Goomba Road. After one more heartfelt goodbye from Goombario's family, his mother hugging him a bit longer than the rest of his family, the duo set off down the road to reach Shooting Star Summit and meet with the Star Spirits.

"Are you sure he'll be alright?" Goomama asked with worry.

"He'll be fine, dear," Goompapa reassured. "You know he's been dying to go out and see the Mushroom Kingdom after hearing all of dad's stories." His wife nodded her head, knowing just how much Goombario wanted to travel and see the world ever since he was little. As soon as Mario and the blue capped Goomba were out of sight, the Goomba let out a heavy sigh as he looked at the debris that was the newly built gate he had fixed moments ago. "Well, I better start fixing this gate...again..."

"I can help fix it, daddy!" Goombaria said, offering her help.

"No, Goombaria, I think I can handle it." He kicked a few pieces of the splintered gate out of the way, cleaning up the mess left behind no thanks to Kammy Koopa. "I'm starting to think this fence is cursed after it got broken twice in one week."

"Since when were you superstitious?" Goompa asked.

"When the gate was destroyed by that quake no thanks to Bowser," Goompapa replied.





Back in Equestria, Starlight read through everything in the castle's library to better figure out Twilight's dimensional traveling spell. Despite being as powerful of a magician as the alicorn, she was afraid of attempting to pull off the spell if it caused her to wind up in some other world. She also didn't want to accidentally appear in the human world, either scaring off the people there or turning into one of them and have no access to her magic. Spike wasn't faring any better as he freaked out the last couple days, barely able to concentrate on sending an emergency letter to Princess Celestia in his panicked state.

"No...No...Urgh! Nothing!" Starlight exclaimed, tossing away another book. "There's never been a dimensional traveling spell ever made until now. The only way through is by an enchanted portal, and even then, it only brought Twilight through an alternate dimension of our world!" She grabbed another book at random, skimming through the pages. "And there's nothing that can tell me where she ended up! It's like she had some kind of magic surge, but whatever it was, I can't trace it!"

She continued searching through each magic book she could find on the shelves until she eventually gave up, needing a break from the stressful three days. Starlight went to check on Spike in his room, the baby dragon lying in his bed, his eyes red and puffy from lack of sleep and crying at night. He turned his head to look at the unicorn, who tried to give him a reassuring grin, but he knew her searching was fruitless.

"You can't find anything," he stated for her, feeling devoid of life as he sounded miserable.

Starlight frowned and let out a sigh. "I'm trying, Spike. But I can't find anything on dimensional travel, and I don't want to risk using that spell by myself." Spike looked up at the ceiling as the mare sat beside his bed. "We really need the princess' help. You think you can try sending Princess Celestia a letter?"

The baby dragon sighed, but he nodded his head. Starlight wrote the emergency letter and held it over his mouth, green flames blowing out from his mouth and sending the letter away. It wasn't long before they heard Celestia and Luna teleport in Spike's room, both mares in a panic at the unfortunate news.

"Starlight, what happened?" Celestia asked. "Where did Twilight end up?"

"I don't know," Starlight said with a shrug. "She was supposed to see if her spell could take her and anypony else to the other Equestria through that mirror. But some odd magical surge came out of nowhere, and when we asked Sunset on the other side, she said she didn't see them."

"So she's in some other world, or another dimension from ours," Luna pondered. "Show us the magical algorithm she had used for the spell."

"Yes. If it's anything like the enchantment of the portal, maybe we can find it if we cast it on the mirror as long as it isn't active," Celestia theorized. "I know Twilight always checks over her work, so I doubt her spell is flawed, but not everything turns out perfectly, even from outside forces that may affect our world in mysterious ways."

Starlight lead the princesses to where Twilight's dimensional travel spell was written, leaving Spike in his room as he finally passed out after sending the letter.
> Trouncing the Goomba King
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mario and Goombario walked through Goomba Road, which wasn't that long compared to many other paths to and from Toad Town. Goombario alerted his new partner and friend of the Goombas that roamed the path, but they weren't nothing the heroic plumber could handle. Even with the addition of Spiked Goombas, any of Bowser's followers or troublemakers looking for a fight were easily dealt with by the duo. Mario even got a look at how strong Goombario was as his grandfather claimed, leaping up onto his foes and bonking them hard with his strong skull. Unfortunately, Mario could only deal with the Spiked Goombas, since he could easily punch them away, or use his trusty new hammer.

"So, Mario, the Toad working in the Toad House told us all what really went down," Goombario said, striking a conversation while they calmly walked. "We need to get to Shooting Star Summit so you can talk to the Star Spirits, right?" Mario nodded his head. "And you also mentioned these...ponies you met at the castle...They sound a lot like mythical creatures Goompa had read from an old storybook or something." The plumber explained to Goombario about Twilight and her friends, though only what little he did know upon meeting them. He even felt a bit worried hearing Kammy tell his enemy that their soldiers spotted two of them in different parts of the kingdom, which explained the "four-legged creatures" she talked about back at the Goomba's home. "Huh. That's a bit strange, though.

"Magical equine creatures from another world...They tried to fight Bowser, but they couldn't even stop him with the Star Rod's power. And if he didn't fling them out of the castle, then what did?" Mario didn't have an answer for that, being unconscious before waking up in Goomba Village.

Mario did wonder what kind of magic the Mane Six had if they had something powerful that was able to defeat villains. But with Bowser in possession of the Star Rod, there was no way anything could leave a mark on him. Not even if he were shot point blank by a Bullet Bill Cannon filled to the brim with dynamite inside of a Bullet Bill the size of a mountain. He was at least glad that those six mares were unharmed as they mysteriously fled, but they had no idea what dangers waited for them wherever they landed.

Goombario pulled out the map of the Mushroom Kingdom he packed inside his hat before leaving, humming in thought as he gauged how far they had been walking as they took a small break. "Let's see...I think we're about halfway there..." He then grumbled, remembering something he completely forgot to mention to Mario. "Wait. The Goomba King's Fortress is close to Toad Town. He's supposedly our 'Goomba King', but he's just a normal Goomba who thinks he's in charge of us when he works for Bowser. What's worse is that there's a bridge behind it for travelers to safely walk over the gap between the road and Toad Town's entrance, and it's been up for the last couple days.

"Mom wasn't able to go grocery shopping because of him, so all we had to go on for a while were our Goomnuts." Goombario rolled up the map and placed it back under his hat with a sigh. "I'm pretty sure those two might be there as well since they work for him." Mario looked at Goombario with concern, but the Goomba shook his head. "It's nothing. Let's keep going."

Without any questions of Goombario's behavior, the duo continued on their way. Mario had a feeling the "two" he mentioned might have been the bullies who picked on him, judging by the way he sounded. They beat more roaming Goombas ahead of them until they reached a small cliff Mario could easily jump, but there was also a spring for those without the same jumping abilities as he had.

"Hold it right there!" Mario and Goombario stopped as soon as they got close to the spring, two Goombas on the cliff appearing before them.

Goombario grimaced, recognizing the two Goombas he didn't want to meet. "Oh, perfect," he uttered. "Red and Blue Goomba."

Standing in their way were two slightly bigger Goombas, at least twice as big as Goombario was. One of them was red while the other blue, aptly named Red and Blue Goomba.

"Well, well, well, lookie here, little bro!" Red Goomba said. "Looks like Kammy was right! Mario isn't really dead yet!"

"Yeah," Blue Goomba agreed as he chuckled. "And he's hanging out with that shrimp, Goombario!"

The two brothers laughed at the smaller Goomba. Mario looked down at Goombario, his guess was right as those two were indeed his bullies from the angry glare he had toward them.

"Yeah, those two are my bullies, Red and Blue," Goombario answered Mario's unasked question. "Red's the older brother while Blue's the younger. These two picked on me when I was little, and then headbonked me over and over until I couldn't move."

"And it looks like we're gonna do it again, and even harder now that you're a 'big Goomba' now!" Red taunted, using his feet to quote the title he gave Goombario.

"You think that hanging out with Mario makes you stronger than us!?" Blue asked. "You're so pathetic, you probably can't even make a dent in the ground with your own head! Even if we pound you into it!"

While Red and Blue Goomba kept mocking Goombario, even though their insults infuirated him, the smaller Goomba kept his cool. Getting frustrated with their teasing would only entertain them further and get them to pick on him more. He could remember the beatings he took from them like they happened yesterday, motivated by his father and grandfather as they taught him self-defense, constantly training to protect himself and his family from bullies and dangerous creatures. Getting back at them was at the top of his list, but not for revenge. He was going to show those two jerks how much he's changed while they haven't.

"Then why don't you two come down here and fight me!?" Goombario goaded. Red and Blue Goomba blinked, then looked at each other, and burst out laughing. They fell on their backs and rolled around, clutching their sides if they hard arms to hold anything. Goombario looked at Mario, the plumber ready to back him up with a nod. "I'm serious, Goomba Bros.! If you think you're strong enough to take us both on, then come down here! I'll even fight you myself!"

That only made them laugh harder, not believing a word their victim said. Getting sick of them stalling them from saving the Mushroom Kingdom, Goombario ran forward, jumped onto the spring, leapt up high, and fell down, headbonking Red Goomba hard in the stomach. Hearing his brother gasping for breath, Blue sat up and leered at Goombario, bounding off the hacking Red as he landed back with Mario.

"Hey! You little twerp!" Blue shouted as he stood up, leaping down in front of the spring. "How dare you hit my brother like that!?"

"You guys did the same thing to me: attacking me out of nowhere, where I was completely defenseless and unaware," Goombario justified. "And you're in our way to stop Bowser! Either move aside, or fight us!"

Red growled and leapt down beside his brother, his brow twitching angrily as he glared at Goombario. "You're gonna regret that, shrimp! Let's get 'em, Blue!"

The Goomba Bros. yelled and charged forward, leaping into the air to headbonk them individually: Blue against Mario, Red against Goombario. Goombario leapt back while Mario jumped up, punching Blue as he sent the younger brother back into the air. Red slammed into the ground, leaving behind an imprint of his skull as he pulled out and tried to headbutt the smaller Goomba. Goombario struck back with his own head as they butted against each other. Red wound up reeling back and yelped in pain, his forehead growing a purplish bruise, the smaller Goomba's skull stronger than his.

"I'm not the same 'runt' as back then, Red," Goombario said. "Thanks to you, I learned how to fight back, and I know a few tricks Goompa had taught me that not even my dad knows! I've always wanted to be an adventurer, but knowing that there might be something dangerous that might attack me at any moment, I've only gotten stronger and stronger as I kept training until I could barely move!"

"Y-You...You're still just a runt!" Red shouted. "You can't beat me! I'll beat you into the ground until I bury you ten feet under!"

While Red began lashing out in a rage, Blue continued trying to jump on Mario and clonk him in the head with his skull. Mario just kept avoiding the younger brother, waiting for the right time to strike and tire the Goomba out. With each opening, he punched or kicked the Goomba back, making him attempt to headbonk him, dodging it, repeating the motions until it began irritating the taller blue Goomba.

"Hold still!" Blue complained. "We're not letting you through to the Goomba King's Fortress!"

Blue Goomba tried to give Mario a diving kick, but the plumber pulled out his hammer, slamming the Goomba into the ground. Red heard his brother grunt as he was struck by the wooden mallet, forgetting Goombario and ran to attack Mario's back.

"Get off my brother, you-!" Goombario ran to Red's side and kicked him away, sending the red Goomba tumbling across the grass.

"Keep your eyes on who you fight, Red," Goombario lectured. Red Goomba growled and leapt back onto his feet, roaring angrily as he charged forward. Goombario took in a deep breath, using the technique his grandfather taught him to take one of his bullies out. He strained his muscles and let out a grunt, the veins in his head bulging as he increased his skull's strength. "And don't underestimate-" He then headbutted Red, sending him falling on his back as he groaned from Goombario's even stronger skull. The powered up Goomba leapt up and fell down on Red Goomba headfirst. "-a runt like ME!"

Goombario landed down hard on Red's stomach, making him gasp from the loss of breath, but the smaller Goomba bounded back up from the impact, and kept bonking him over and over. As Blue shook off the blow from Mario's hammer, they both turned to hear Red's wheezing grunts, the younger brother screaming as he focused on Goombario.

"Get off my big brother, you pint-sized twerp!" Blue exclaimed, ramming into Goombario as the two tumbled over each other.

"Guess it's your turn, huh, Blue Goomba!?" Goombario asked, using his feet to grab Blue's waist as they rolled, quickly pinning his bully to the ground as they stopped. "Alright, then. After all: sharing is caring!"

Mario watched Goombario as he jumped up and headbonked Blue's stomach, landing on him over and over, never missing a bounce as he used one of his bullies like a trampoline. After hitting Blue enough times, the smaller Goomba bounced off and landed in front of Mario, the veins in his head disappearing as he relaxed, panting heavily. They both waited as they watched the groaning Goomba Bros., both of them getting a taste of their own medicine from their victim's painful bonking.

"Ow..." Red slowly sat up, wincing in pain as he looked back at his brother. "B-Blue?"

"My stomach," Blue groaned, barely able to move as he too sat up.

Red growled as he looked back at Goombario, beating up both him and his younger brother, humiliated by the smaller Goomba. He stood up and ran to Blue, helping him on his feet.

"Y-You haven't...beaten us!" Red claimed, even though the two of them were badly injured.

They leapt onto the spring and ran down the road on the small cliff, fleeing in defeat. Goombario grinned, showing his bullies he wasn't the same weak Goomba kid back then. He looked back at Mario, who gave him a thumbs up, impressed by his bonking skills.

"Goompa taught me all of that," he said. "He wasn't an adventurer for nothing if he couldn't defend himself." Goombario sat down, feeling winded after the adrenaline in his system finally wore out as he panted. "Sure is exhausting making my head stronger than stone...and bouncing like that."

Mario put his hammer away and let Goombario rest for a moment before continuing on. As soon as he was up on his feet, they bounced up onto the cliff using the spring and continued heading east to Toad Town, and the Goomba King's Fortress.





Red and Blue Goomba hobbled away as they escaped, beaten and bruised by the Goomba they had picked on. "I can't believe he beat us, bro!"

"Well, he won't be able to beat the Goomba King!" Red said. "That twerp and Mario won't even be able to lay a scratch on him!"

Up ahead, they spotted the Goomba King's Fortress, sitting before a cliff side that separated Goomba Road from Toad Town. The fortress itself made of gray brick with a small tower in the center, not much of a royal building for someone who was known as a king. Gray clouds filled the sky, making the building look ominous, despite its size. The Goomba Bros. ran up to the metal door and knocked on it.

"Goomba King, we got our butts handed to us!" Blue said. "Let us in!"

The doors opened, a large figure standing before them. "You let Mario beat you two!?" the deep voice questioned. "It was two against one!"

"It wasn't Mario," Red admitted.

"It was that stupid little squirt, Goombario!" Blue added.

"...You can't be serious." Both Goombas nodded their heads as the figure groaned in annoyance. "Get in here, you dolts."

The Goomba Bros. ran inside as the doors slammed close. A while later, Mario and Goombario arrived at the fortress, the latter fully prepared for another fight after unleashing his full power. They could see the edge of Toad Town straight across the small ravine, not too far from where they needed to go.

"Well, here's the Goomba King's Fortress," Goombario said. He moved over to the edge of  the cliff and peeked around the stone building, letting out a sigh as he was right. "Yup. The bridge is out. Unless one of us can grow wings, we need to put the bridge back up." The Goomba made his way back over to Mario, nearly losing his balance as they felt a sudden shake from something thumping the ground. "W-What the-?" Another thump, another shake. "Why's the ground shaking like that?"

They turned to where the thumping was coming from, which happened to be the fortress. It was also making nearby trees shake their leaves loose, which did not sound good for neither plumber nor Goomba. After a bit more thumping, they saw the Goomba Brothers smirking as they poked their heads up behind the roof's guard railing. Then, leaping up between them was one of the biggest Goombas Mario and Goombario had ever seen.

"Mario!" the large Goomba exclaimed.

"Holy Hyper Goombas!" Goombario yelped at the sight of the behemoth of a Goomba. He was a light brown, his eyes derped as they crossed and looked either up or down, a white mustache, red and white striped pants, and a gold and read crown upon his head. "That can't be the Goomba King, can it!? There's no way he's that big!"

"Yeah, you better believe it, runt!" Red Goomba taunted.

"Any closer, and you're going to get squashed for once, Mario!" Blue added, both brothers feeling smug now that they have their leader with them. "Bet you're shaking in your boots, aren't ya!?"

"You two aren't getting any closer!" the Goomba King said. "I, the great and powerful Goomba King, will destroy you, Mario, and Bowser will surely see I am worthy of his presence!"

"Yeah, and Goombario, too!" Red added.

"Hehehe! Hope you said bye to mommy, twerp!" Blue taunted.

"Let's get 'em, boys!" The Goomba Bros. cheered as all three Goombas leapt down from the fortress, Mario and Goombario leaping back as they faced the king and his two lackeys.

"We've got your back, Goomba King!" Red cheered.

"We'll watch your back!" Blue added.

The Goomba King, now seeing him up close, was at least five times bigger than Goombario. Despite how big he was, the smaller Goomba wasn't going to back away, and neither would Mario. The only problem was that it was now three-on-two, with a giant of a Goomba and two already beaten minions right behind him.

"Ok, this is...kinda bad," Goombario said. Mario couldn't agree more as he pulled out his hammer. "We need to get rid of Red and Blue Goomba. They still look weak after what I did to them...But how can we with the Goomba King covering them to catch us off by surprise if we try to get him from behind?" Goombario looked around to see if there was anything they could use to their advantage. Looking up, he saw one of the biggest Goomnuts he had ever seen hanging above them, their fight right next to a Goomnut tree. It was unripened and surrounded by sharp leaves, making it a heavy and dangerous hazard for anyone under it. And just their luck, it was hovering right above the Goomba King. "Aha! I got an idea, Mario!"

Mario went with whatever Goombario had in mind as he, the Goomba King, and the Goomba Bros. watched him run straight for the tree. Goombario yelled and leapt forward, ramming his rock-hard head into the trunk, shaking the branches. Red and Blue laughed, thinking he was fleeing in fright and hit the tree by mistake.

"What an idiot!" Blue guffawed.

Their laughter died down when Goombario faced them, grinning as he pointed a foot up. The three foes looked up as they saw the large Goomnut hanging above the Goomba King, detaching from its branch and landing on the large Goomba. The king groaned in pain, but Red and Blue screamed as the heavy nut bounced off their leader and headed straight for them. They couldn't get out of the way in time as it bounced on them, knocking them out as they fell like the Goomnut.

"Who's the idiot now!?" Goombario cheered, his plan worked as he managed to knock two birds with one stone. The Goomnut didn't knock out the Goomba King, but it did hurt him pretty bad as a bump formed on his head. "Now it's a fair fight!"

"You're going to pay for that!" The Goomba King used Goombario's idea, not as dumb as he appeared to be as he jumped up and slam down on the ground.

He caused the tree to shake, sending smaller Goomnuts raining down on the two heroes. Goombario could only leap away, those unripened nuts harder than his own head, while Mario smacked them away with his hammer. As soon as there were no Goomnuts left, Mario threw his hammer, smacking the Goomba King right between the eyes as it bounced off him. The plumber ran forward, jumped and grabbed his weapon, then fell back down to slam it down on the large Goomba.

Growling, the Goomba King slammed his head hard against Mario, sending the plumber back a ways as he stomped after him. Mario flipped back on his feet, rubbing his sore face from the headbutt. Before the derpy-eyed king could kick the plumber, Goombario tackled him hard in the gut, sending the king staggering back as he coughed.

"How did you get this big, Goomba King!?" Goombario asked. "There's no way a specific diet or a ton of Mushrooms can do that!"

"Grr. Bowser gifted me with this size thanks to the Star Rod!" the Goomba King answered. "With my new size, I would clearly be the king of all Goombas! And if I destroy Mario, I'll be given a better position of power than just Goomba Road!"

"Even now, you're still the dumb low-life Goomba who still thinks he can command us to do whatever he says. Well, I think it's high time we dethrone you!" Goombario charged forward, jumping up high as he avoided a low sweep from the Goomba King's foot.

He landed on the giant Goomba's head, kicking off his crown while Mario ran forward with his hammer gripped tightly in his hand. The Goomba King was too distracted by Goombario as the plumber got closer, slamming the hammer down on one of his feet. He yelped in pain and stood off his injured foot, suddenly struck in the gut by the mallet, falling backward with the wind knocked out of him. Goombario jumped up as he fell, Mario leaping up as well to join him as they both fell back down. They landed on the Goomba King hard, Mario with his feet and Gombario with his head, straight on the large Goomba's face.

The duo bounced off, hearing the king groan, his eyes spinning in his head as he was trounced. Red and Blue woke from unconsciousness, large bumps on their heads from getting struck by the falling Goomnut. When they turned to see what happened to their king, the Goomba Bros. gasped in shock.

"No way," Red uttered.

"T-They...They beat the Goomba King!?" Blue exclaimed.

"Ooooooogh..." The Goomba King sat up, shaking his head to snap out of his daze.

"Want some more, 'Your Highness'?" Goombario provoked.

The large Goomba stared at them in fear, swallowing a lump of fear as he looked around. "Uhh, actually, I think I hear my laundry calling me for dinner. Toodles!"

The beaten Goomba King stood up and ran back in his castle, forgetting his crown as he sped past Red and Blue Goomba. The two brothers followed suit and fled, slamming the door shut.

"Hey!" Goombario and Mario ran up to the metal doors, unable to barge through as it was locked up tight. "Let us through and put the bridge back up! We beat you!"

"Sorry! Nobody's home!" Red said in a high pitched voice.

"Please leave a message after the beep!" Blue said in a similar pitch. "Beeeeeep!"

Goombario grumbled and banged his head against the door. "We're right by the door! We can hear you morons!" With no answer, he groaned and leaned against the door. "Well, now what?"

"Hey, Red? You sure you hid the switch for the gate, right?" Goombario and Mario remained quiet as they heard the Goomba King whisper from the windows outside.

"Yeah," Red whispered. "I hid it outside in the bushes."

"Outside!?" the king shouted, quickly quieting his voice. "You idiot! You realize what happens if that switch gets pressed!?"

"Maybe they won't find it?" Blue wondered.

Goombario looked over by the bushes outside of the fortress, shaking his head at their carelessness. He searched through the bushed and found the switch they were talking about. It was a blue press switch with a white exclamation point inside, sitting on a small yellow pedestal.

"Of course they left something important to their fortress outside," Goombario muttered to himself. "Oh well. We need to get through."

He pushed the switch, making it disappear as it's meant to cause a change around the environment. The Goomba King poked his head up from the roof of the building, looking down at Mario nervously.

"Uhh, hey, Mario. Goombario." He began laughing sheepishly. "Good battle and all. You whooped us good. But, listen, if you see a switch out here...Do not press it. Ok?"

"Was this switch by any chance blue?" Goombario asked.

"Y-Yes...Why?" the Goomba King questioned.

"I pressed it," the blue-capped Goomba said with a grin.

"Y-You what!?" Suddenly, the ground began to quake, nearly knocking the large Goomba off the side. "Oh noooooooooo!"

As he sunk back inside the fortress, Goombario moved away and stood by Mario as they watched what was happening. The top of the tower's railings began to slid off and roll onto the ground, nearly landing on them as they ran back far enough away from the toppling building. They could hear the Goomba Bros. and the Goomba King yelling in a panic from inside. The tower soon began to collapse, the three Goombas standing at the top of the tower for some odd reason. The pillar they stood on began to spring up, sending them flying as they screamed in terror, the inner part of the tower extending out over the gap, landing on both sides to make the bridge. The Goombas' screams died out as they fell in the distance several miles away, landing on a curved hill with a small shimmer of light.

"...Well...that was something," Goombario said, Mario nodding his head in agreement. "At least the bridge is up, and we beat the Goomba King. Now we can head on into Toad Town freely."

The duo continued on their way, walking through the now empty fortress and newly formed bridge. Toad Town was in sight as they reached their first of many destinations in the future. Little did either one realize they were being watched from above. Kammy Koopa hovered on her broomstick as she watched the battle take place from the veil of the clouds. She grimaced, unable to believe Mario managed to break through and defeat the Goomba King. The witch flew up and headed back to Peach's castle up in the sky to tell Bowser the bad news.





In an empty study in Princess Peach's castle, Bowser sat by the table, scowling angrily. It was pretty empty aside from the table and chair, a couple vases between a short platform with railings, having no idea what the point of that section was doing in the room. He was having a good day today: planning his next move, preparing a possible dinner date with Peach, and was still ecstatic to have finally beaten his foe, Mario. Unfortunately, Kammy Koopa came back earlier to tell him Mario had somehow survived and was going to try and thwart his plans again. He let out a huff, pondering how his rival lived after a fall like that. The door to the room opened, Kammy Koopa making her entrance as he turned to face her.

"Your Highness, bad news," the witch said. "Mario has bested the Goomba King and is heading to Toad Town as we speak."

"Are you kidding me!?" Bowser shouted. "That whiny little Goomba begged me to make him stronger, and he gets squashed by Mario!? What a wimp!"

"Calm yourself, Lord Bowser," Kammy said. "The Goomba King was just small fry. I knew he would have failed at some point. There's no possible way he can even beat you when you have the Star Rod. Not even those creatures with their powerful magic was enough to beat you either."

Bowser looked down at the powerful magic wand, gripping it tightly. "Yeah. I guess you're right...But how did that fall not kill him!? If my beatdown didn't end him, then that should have!"

"Then I guess this bit of news should come to light." Bowser stared at his right hand Kamek in confusion. "Apparently, we now know what happened to those six sapient creatures when you tried to zap them to death. In two separate locations in the kingdom, in Shy Guy's Toy Box and Flower Fields, the troops around there spotted two of the six, while the other four are still elsewhere."

"Those animal things are still here???" Bowser asked. "Then why did they turn into colorful lights?"

"It's their magic," the witch answered. "That explains why it was so powerful. To me, at least. Whatever magic they had, not only did it help them escape from harm, but I sensed a trace of their unique magical energy around Mario down in that little village of Goombas; their magic must have saved him as well."

Bowser slowly began to put the pieces together, growling angrily as the Mane Six were now his top priority for ruining his victory against Mario. At least he wouldn't have to worry about the Star Spirits, or them, gathered at once, wanting his men to catch the ponies, tell them to bring them to Peach's castle, and deal with them personally. Kammy could see the frustration on her king's face, hoping he wouldn't plan on hurting them until she understood how their magic worked. Nothing did help her when she found a book about two of their species in a book of mythical creatures, and they barely looked like the illustrations.

The Koopa King let out a heavy sigh, tapping his claw to the chair's armrest as he formulated a plan. "...Alright. So, the first Star Spirit Mario's close to is down at...the Koopa Bros. Fortress, right?" Kammy nodded her head, which only made Bowser grumble. "I don't know if those guys can beat him."

"Fear not, oh awesome and incredible King Bowser!" Highly surprised, Bowser and Kammy turned to the doorway as it opened up. Leaping inside the room in a swift fashion were four Koopa Troopas wearing ninja eye masks matching their shell's color: red, black, yellow, and green. In perfect synchronization, the four Koopas posed with a thumbs up in front of the two confused villains. "We are the Koopa Bros.! Oh yeah!"

"...Yes...We know who you are," Kammy said, she and Bowser not impressed by the flashy entrance. "Why do they always have to enter like that?"

The red Koopa approached the skeptical Koopa King and witch. "Lord Bowser, bro, we couldn't help but overhear you griping over Mario beating the Goomba King." He scoffed and shook his head. "Total wimpola! But, we, the Koopa Bros., can take care of Mario since there's four of us and one of him."

"Be that as it may, Red Ninjakoopa, Mario actually had help from one of the Goombas in that little home west of Toad Town," Kammy stated, the news surprising Bowser.

"Pshaaw! So a little Goomba's helping him!? Big whoop!" Red Ninjakoopa pointed his thumb at the other three Koopas. "My bros and I can deal with the two of them! Would have been easier if we had our fifth, but that punk wasn't down with the gang, y'know what I'm layin' down?"

Bowser and Kammy blinked, clearly having no idea what Red said with his lingo. "...I have no idea what you even said..."

"Why did I hire these weirdos again?" Bowser asked himself.

"Anyway! We got ourselves an awesome move we perfected, and we'll show you just how OP we can be when you get a first class show!" Red flipped back to the other three Koopa Bros. as they posed. "Let's show our king what we got!"

"Yeah!" the other three cheered.

Bowser lazily watched the Koopa Bros. pulling off their special move, whirling sounds and an immediate burst of speed rang out from the Koopas' attack. His eyes widened as he saw it, highly impressed at their coordination and speed. Even Kammy was in awe, the Koopas landing before them as they struck their signature thumbs up pose.

"Well? How was that, your awesomeness?" Red asked.

Slowly, the Koopa King clapped his hands. "That...is really impressive!" The Koopa Bros. bowed to Bowser as he complimented their attack. "Mario surely can't stand up to something like that!"

"Of course not!" Red exclaimed. "He'll be flattened like a pancake, and tossed around like a leaf in a Tweester hopped up on ten cases of Super Soda!"

"...Sure...Oh, speaking of, who's watching the Star Spirit at your fortress right now?" Bowser asked.

The four Koopas' eyes widened, looking up at Bowser with both confusion and fear. "...Uhhh, what?"

"Well, you said there was a fifth member of the Koopa Bros. that I wasn't aware of," Bowser said. "Some new member you picked up or something? And you said he wasn't...'down with the gang' and was a 'punk' to you, so you gave him guard duty for the Star Spirit for acting up so you guys could show me your special move. Right?"

Kammy facepalmed as she heard Bowser try to talk like Red Ninjakoopa. The four Koopas looked at each other nervously, unsure of what to tell him without firing the Koopa King up.

"U-Uhh...W-We never had a...fifth Koopa Bro," Yellow Ninjakoopa said.

"He didn't join with us when we signed up for your army," Black Ninjakoopa said.

"It's just the four of us," Green Ninjakoopa said.

"So, he wussed out...and we're all up here..." Red Ninjakoopa finished.

"...So, you're telling me...no one's guarding the Star Spirit?" Bowser asked, eerily calmly. The Koopas swallowed the lump in their throats, nodding their heads sheepishly. Slowly, the fire-breathing Koopa stood up from his seat, Kammy stepping a few paces away, knowing the Koopa Bros. made a huge mistake as Bowser breathed in a deep breath. "You...IDIOTS!!!!!!!!" The four Ninjakoopas yelped and huddled together as their king was incredibly furious with them. "If you don't get your shells back down there and protect that Star Spirit, I AM GOING TO TAN YOUR HIDES IF MARIO GETS IT!!!!!!!!!"

Without needing to be told twice with that threat, the four Koopas fled for their lives out the door, slamming it shut behind them. Bowser panted, grumbling in irritation as he crossed his arms.

"Well, that was interesting," Kammy said as she made her way out the door. "I'll alert the rest of the troops to watch out for those magical creatures along with Mario. And I need to tell the Koopa Bros. before they leave."

"Whatever," Bowser mumbled. Kammy shut the door, leaving the Koopa King alone. He let out a heavy sigh of exasperation, scratching his head and mussing up his hair. "Why do I always have incompetent morons in my army? I regret saying their move was good when they're a bunch of bumbling idiots." Bowser looked at the Star Rod, still feeling frustrated that Mario was alive, but he had to remind himself he was invincible now. "Mario can't win against me anymore. Nothing can harm me with this wand." He put the Star Rod away in his shell before fixing his hair to look a little presentable. "Now, to woo my princess...if she's finally stopped crying."
> The Star Spirits' Plea and Renewed Hope
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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





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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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





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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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





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

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

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

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

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
> Invasion of the Fuzzies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mario and Goombario strolled down Pleasant Path, but as much as the name of the road sounds peaceful, it was anything but. The same Goombas from Goomba Road were around, under Bowser's orders to stop Mario, along with Koopa Troopas that tried to hurl themselves at them in their shells. They were a bit more difficult to deal with, but knocking them on their backs easily made them completely defenseless after bouncing on their heads. If the Koopa Bros. own soldiers working under them couldn't get themselves back up off their rounded shells, then they couldn't be just as difficult to take out. There was a point where they needed to bring up a drawbridge, but the switch was hidden in a nearby tree next to the river they had to cross.

After making it halfway down the not so Pleasant Path, the duo reached a crossroad, the path across a wooden bridge leading to the Koopa Bros. Fortress while the lower path lead to Koopa Village. "Hmm...Koopa Village. Merlon did say we might need help from a Koopa with a blue shell down here. And we'll also meet up with Twilight, right?" Mario nodded, having a good feeling they'll see the alicorn in the village of friendly Koopas. "Might as well check it out and rest a little."

Mario and Goombario went down the right from the crossroad and toward Koopa Village, passing underneath the bridge into the town entrance. Instead of expecting peaceful Koopas minding their own business, the whole village was in an uproar of panic and chaos. The two gaped in shock as they saw fuzzy black balls with eyes and a mouth bouncing around, some of them stealing the shells off of the Koopa Troopas' backs and taunting them. Outside of their shells, the Koopas wore undershirts, desperately chasing after the quicker creatures as their decency was taken by the ungrateful infestation of Fuzzies.

"Mario? Is that really THE Mario!?" One of the Koopas nearby, managing to keep his shell, ran up to the plumber. "Thank goodness you're here! As much as I'd like to welcome you to Koopa Village, we're kind of in the middle of an infestation."

"Yeah, we can see," Goombario said. "Where did all these Fuzzies come from?"

"I have no idea," the Koopa said. "We heard a scream come from Kooper's house, then, all of a sudden, dozens of these mischievous pests came out of his house and began causing all sorts of trouble!" An odd-sounding screech came from above them as a Fuzzy dropped down on them. It landed on the Koopa, popping his body out of his shell, and snatched it. The shell-less inhabitant flushed heavily in embarrassment, tears welling up in his eyes as he turned to the Fuzzy, sticking its tongue out at him. "No! My shell! Give it back!"

"Meeeeeeooooooork!" the Fuzzy cried, teasing it as the Koopa chased it to get back its shell.

"This is really out of control. Mario, let's help the other Koopas out!" Goombario took the words out of Mario's mouth as he pulled out his hammer, slamming it down on the Fuzzy who took the welcoming Koopa's shell.

While assisting the Koopas who had their shells taken, they both bounced on the Fuzzies' heads, making them flee and quit harrassing the peaceful reptiles. Some Fuzzies were so cruel enough to place shells up in high places where the Koopas couldn't reach, utterly humiliating them as their pride was snatched away and left naked to the world. Being the helpful hero he was, Mario retrieved the shells, jumping up into blocks where they were placed or shaking the trees with his hammer to knock a shell down. He didn't wish to be rewarded for helping them, knowing they got their decency back and ridding the village of the infestation was enough for him.

While Mario and Goombario dealt with the Fuzzies in the second area of the village, they could hear a feminine scream come from the middle house, the whole building looking like there was some kind of scuffle inside. "Get off! Get this weird things off of me!"

"Where did all these things come-OW!" another voice cried out inside. "Oh, come on! You sick black parasites! Give me back my shell!" The duo quickly ran toward the house and knocked on the door. "Oh for the love of-Hang on a sec!"

"Kooper, you're seriously answering the door!?" the female voice shouted, the voice sounding familiar to Mario. "Ahh! Hey! Noohohoho! Stop! That tickles! Cut it-MMPH!?"

"Hey, get off of her!" the male voice said, which must have been Kooper. With no time to waste, Mario barged into the house, watching a Fuzzy jumping on top of a shell-less Koopa with a red bandanna and blue shoes while another mocked him by holding his blue shell. What caught him off guard wasn't the blue-shelled Koopa Merlon told them about; it was the tied up alicorn mare being carried by several Fuzzies, her body, mouth, and horn covered with sticky white webbing. At the sight of the plumber, the Fuzzies retreated out the back door, carrying Twilight and Kooper's shell with the as the mare's muffled screams cried out for help. "Augh! Stupid little fuzzballs! Get back here with my shell!"

Goombario snapped out of his daze after seeing Twilight, helping Kooper up on his feet with Mario. "What happened!? You ok!?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kooper said. "Just my pride. Don't worry about me! Twilight's in trouble, and those things took my shell!"

"We'll stop them! Come on, Mario!" Mario and Goombario ran out the back door and chased after the Fuzzies while Kooper recovered from getting jumped on.

As they chased after the miscreant thieves and kidnappers, other Fuzzies from the bushes down the pathway behind Kooper's home to stop them. They latched onto the human and Goomba, trying to suck the life out of them, but they were batted away and either met with a hammer, a foot, or a headbonk as soon as they were pulled off. They kept going further and further down off the beaten path until they reached a large glade of a forest.

The Fuzzies climbed or leapt up onto the nearby trees, taking their stolen shell and alicorn up to the tops of their branches. Twilight couldn't see anything with the leaves and branches blocking her view, her vision now obscured by the strange web the Fuzzies were able to excrete from their fuzzy bodies. They then hung her upside down on one of the branches, only able to hear them making their screechy noises and the sound of footsteps running to where they stopped.

Mario and Goombario skidded to a halt as they spotted Twilight hanging upside down in a webbed cocoon, the only parts of her not covered up were her nose and ears. She could have escaped, but with the web constricting her wings to her sides and covering her horn, it was so thick that she couldn't break out on her own or even cast any spells to burn it away. One of the Fuzzies held up Kooper's shell, apparently the ringleader behind their attack as he bounced on one of the four trees lined in a row.

"Meeeeeoooooork!" he cried out. "Can't get us!"

"Give back Kooper's shell and release that pony!" Goombario said, Twilight's ears twitching as she heard a different voice.

"'Pony'?" The rest of the Fuzzies hiding poked their heads out of their hiding place and looked at the trapped mare. "...Weird animal name." Twilight's ears pressed down to her head, her growling muffled. "Well, if you want shell and odd animal back, then you must find me!"

The Fuzzies all hid back in the leaves, confusing Mario and Goombario. The leader and three other Fuzzies began bouncing around, each on one separate tree as they alternated positions. Twilight had no idea what was happening and tried to free herself, but their web was stronger than normal spider silk. After they stopped bouncing, Mario approached the second tree from the left and smacked it with his hammer. The leader fell with the shell from a string of web as he guessed right.

"Hah! Too easy!" Goombario said.

"Mee-ooh. Not bad, but that was just a warm-up!" The Fuzzy climbed back up with the shell, the four Fuzzies jumping around again, only a bit faster this time. They stopped after a while, but Mario knew where he was hiding. Picking the far right tree, he smacked it with the hammer, revealing the leader Fuzzy with Kooper's shell again. "Meeoork!? You got me twice!? You must have just gotten lucky! You won't get us this time!"

"It's not luck if we can see you bouncing around," Goombario muttered.

They began jumping again, only this time really quickly. None of them missed a beat as they tried to confused Mario, but he kept a close eye on the blue shell out of the black balls of fuzz leaping from branch to branch. The moment they stopped, he moved to the first tree on the right and struck it, guessing correctly for the third time.

"Meeeeeooooooh, nooooo!!!" the Fuzzy cried out. "I give up! Take the stupid shell and stupid winged, horned, animal thingie!" Twilight growled even louder, struggling about in her binds, wanting to lash out at the Fuzzy for saying she wasn't smart. "You're to tough for us. We'll be good. We promise...Maybe..."

The Fuzzy leader dropped the shell, he and his horde of black fuzzy creatures bouncing off into the woods. Goombario took the shell while Mario walked up to the only tree he didn't hit, where Twilight was hanging in her web cocoon. He jumped up and landed on the branch, hanging upside down on the limb with his legs as he tore the string keeping her connected to the branch. As soon as he ripped it off, he quickly grabbed her before she landed on her head, flipping right side up as he landed, laying her down on the ground. He started tearing off the web around her mouth to help her breathe and finally talk.

"Thank you for saving me," she said. "Ungrateful black arachnid-like mammals saying I'm stupid. I'll have them know that I was a scholar ever since I was a filly, and I have more brains than all of those things combined by a thousandfold!" Mario wasn't able to tear off the web around her body as it was thick with layers and layers of webbing. If only he had a Fire Flower, he could easily burn the web off, and he wasn't sure if Koopa Village had any to sell. "Look, whoever's untying me, just take off this stupid web around my horn. This web's also like some kind of dampener keeping me from using spells. And before you ask, yes, I can use magic, and I am not dangerous like those...whatever those things are."

"Those things are called Fuzzies," Goombario answered while Mario easily pulled apart the web around Twilight's horn. "Hopefully, Mario and I took care of the ones in the village and the rest really hightailed it out of here."

"Wait...Did whoever said that just say 'Mario'?" As soon as the last of the sticky web was freed from her horn, Twilight's aura immediately lit up around it. She ripped her bindings to pieces using her telekinesis, standing up and shaking herself of any strands remaining on her fur. When she got a look at her saviors, she gasped when she saw Mario standing before her with Goombario. She was shocked to see him still alive after watching him get slashed, burned, and fall from several thousand feet above the earth. "Oh my gosh...Mario. You're alive!"

"Yeah. He wound up outside my family's house a couple days ago," Goombario said.

Twilight looked down at the Goomba, finally meeting one of the sentient mushroom peoples she had read about in the books with Goomba history. "Who are you?"

"Name's Goombario," he said. "And you must be Twilight Sparkle. Mario told me about you...Well, at least what he knew before he go KO'd by Bowser." Goombario walked around the alicorn, getting a better look at her features, a huge contrast compared to the illustrations on just a unicorn or pegasus in the Mushroom Kingdom's myths. "Wow. You're nothing like what's illustrated in 'Mythical Mysteries of the Mushroom Kingdom'. A bit smaller than the estimated height, having both wings and a horn, markings on your flank in the shape of stars, and a different muzzle length."

"You've read that book?" Twilight asked.

"Several times when I was a kid," Goombario admitted. "But don't be around my little sister. She would go nuts if she saw you."

"How...interesting," she said. "And, by the way, these 'markings' on my flank is called a cutie mark. They show a pony's special talent."

"I'd like to call it a tattoo. Sounds a bit more masculine for males back in your world, right?" Twilight just shook her head, making the Goomba groan in disappointment. "Well, that's a downer for any guy born in...Equestria? Was that right, Mario?"

"Yes, that's the world I came from." She looked up at Mario, grateful to see him alive, but she had so many questions. "Mario, what happened to you? Do you know what happened to my friends?" He told Twilight what he knew and his main goal for now is before he could rescue Princess Peach. At least she knew her friends were still ok, but the fact that they were split up in different areas meant they could have ended up in dangerous territory. What did confuse her was how Mario managed to safely land by Goombario's home, the Star Spirits they were off to rescue sensing her and her friends' magic around the plumber. "Our magic saved you from the fall?"

"That's what we think," Goombario said as Mario nodded.

"But that's impossible. My friends and I blacked out after Bowser shocked us to unconsciousness, our rainbow power saving us and helped us escape." Twilight brought a hoof to her chin as theories began formulating in her head. "Could our combined magic as we were sent to different parts of the Mushroom Kingdom sensed Mario and helped him as well?"

Before she could ponder on the subject more, Kooper ran up to them, ready to fight even without his shell on. "Alright, where are those Fuzzies!? Come and take my shell and kidnap my new friend, eh!? I don't need a shell to kick your-!" The naked Koopa paused, seeing Twilight perfectly unharmed and Goombario carrying his shell on his head. "...Oh. So, you guys got them?"

"More like played an annoying game of 'Hide and Seek' that wasn't as intense as it sounded," Goombario stated. He walked up to Kooper and gave him back his shell. "They ran off after losing three times. Doesn't look like it got damaged or too messy from their webbing."

"Oh, thank goodness." Kooper put his shell back on like it was a sweater, his limbs and head poking through the holes. "Without our shells, we Koopa Troopas wouldn't be who we are. Wished I could have done a bit of damage to those Fuzzies. How'd they even get in my house in the first place?"

Twilight giggled nervously, scuffing her hoof against the ground as her eyes darted everywhere. "Well, I heard a knock come from the back door and I thought there was more of the village out there. I guess...it's my fault. Oops."

Kooper sighed, but he shrugged off Twilight's curiosity as an honest mistake. "Well, at least everyone got their shells back, including me." He looked at Mario, giving him a gratifying handshake. "Thanks for the help, Mario! It's an honor to have you here in Koopa Village! And I thought you kicked the bucket..." He looked at Twilight, thinking she had been yanking his tail when she said Mario was down and out. "Guess nothing really can bring you down, huh?"

"No doubt about it," Goombario agreed.

"Well, since you're here, do you by any chance know Professor Kolorado?" Kooper asked.

"He's that famous Koopa archaeologist, right?" Goombario guessed as Mario didn't seem to know him.

"Yeah. And, ever since I was little, I had always dreamed of going on an adventure. Explore the land, find cool stuff, and solving mysterious of the unknown." The Koopa gushed over his idle, quickly stopping himself before he embarrassed himself further. "I've lived next door to him for a while, and I was wondering...Can you let me come along with you?"

Mario thought it over, though it was obvious they had to take Kooper along. Merlon said they would run into a blue-shelled Koopa who would help them get to the Koopa Bros. Fortress, and now that Mario had found Twilight, he had to help her find the rest of her friends. After waiting enough to nearly give the Koopa a heart attack, he finally nodded his head, Kooper letting out a celebratory cheer.

"We can always use the help," Goombario said. "Welcome to the team, Kooper!"

"Thanks! I won't let you guys down!" Kooper gave Mario a mock salute, his excitement turning to shock as he saw the Fuzzies bounding back toward them. "Uh oh. The Fuzzies are coming back!"

Mario, Goombario, and Twilight turned around, the alicorn yelping as she flew up and behind the guys. "Keep those furry things away from me! I don't even know how they excrete their web, but I pray it comes from their mouths!"

"What are you Fuzzies doing coming back!?" Goombario questioned as he and Mario prepared to fight.

"We changed our minds, suckers!" the leader Fuzzy said. "Let's have a fight!"

The black furballs yelled out their unique cry as they rushed the group. Twilight wanted to do nothing more than blast these Fuzzies far away from her and Koopa Village, her horn lighting up to send them all flying out of this grove and into the next continent. Before she could use an attacking spell, saw Kooper hide in his shell, but instead of hiding in self defense like normal turtles and tortoises, he began spinning around in place, whirling faster and faster.

"Kooper? What are you-?" The blue-shelled Koopa suddenly sped off and leapt into the air, ramming straight through the pouncing Fuzzies, scattering them around the field.

He bounced off a tree and flew back to Mario, Goombario, and Twilight, coming to a stop in front of them, slowing his spinning as he stood back on his feet. "Let me handle these Fuzzies," Kooper said, cracking his neck while the Fuzzies recovered from his Power Shell shot. "I need some payback for these miscreants taking my shell after catching me off guard."

"...How did he launch himself like that?" Twilight asked.

"Koopas are able to do that," Goombario responded. "But that was a faster acceleration speed than a normal Koopa Troopa. And he mowed through the Fuzzies like nothing. Looks like we're going to see just how special Kooper is if Merlon thinks he's important."

Mario nodded in agreement, though Twilight's question still wasn't answered. "That doesn't explain how he could shoot himself like that from a stationary spot with no force to push him! And it shouldn't help if he spins around that fast! There's no way he can retain his balance spinning that quickly! And speaking of, how was he able to-!?"

The plumber gently placed his gloved hand over the alicorn's mouth, silencing her questioning until they were out of harm's way. Twilight had to remind herself that they were in a new world, and how each species does what they do isn't like how she knows what she believes is logical and illogical. It was like trying to discover how Pinkie Pie functions with her Pinkie Sense, only with less headaches and nothing heavy falling on her head and leaving her gravely injured.

The Fuzzies shook off their dazes, staring at the Kooper who's shell the leader stole earlier. "Oh! So you want to lose your shell again!?"

"I'd like to see you try now that I'm fully alert!" Kooper countered, ducking back into his shell and spun around again. "See if you can avoid this!"

He flung himself out into the group of Fuzzies, leaping up and flipping around. Now upside down, he popped out of his shell, slamming his feet into one of the fuzzy creature's faces, then bounced off and retreated in his shell, continuing his spinning as he bumped off several more. Some of them tried to jump on top of him, but Kooper moved too fast for them, not allowing them to pop him out of his shell like before. While sliding by the enemies, he occasionally poked an arm or a leg out, smacking some Fuzzies on the side of his path, causing them to spin about and get dizzy.

Flipping back onto his belly, he slid across the ground with his limbs and head out of his shell. Once he skid to a halt, the Fuzzies that were conscious or not delirious charged forward, the Koopa Troopa holding up his fists in a boxer's stance. Kooper showed he could fight with his bare fists even if he didn't have his shell on, punching down the bouncing balls of fur with faces away, smacking them aside, and throwing in a kick or two. Once the attacking Fuzzies were down, he went back in his shell and spun again, shooting off and bouncing off each one like a pinball in a pinball machine's bouncing bumpers. After connecting with the last one, he returned back to his new friends, stopping in front of them as he continued spinning. He popped back out of his shell, still spinning rapidly, until finally coming to a complete stop, standing in a triumphant pose, his back facing his fallen foes.

"Meeeeeeooooooouuuuch," the Fuzzies cried out, bouncing away into the forest in defeat.

Kooper let out a relieved sigh, flexing his muscles as he grinned at Mario, Goombario, and Twilight. "So, what do you think about my fighting skills?"

Mario's jaw hung open, unable to express any words. Goombario was just as awestruck, seeing how handy he can be, especially toward enemies he couldn't bounce on. Twilight was speechless, her eyes twitching as the scientist in her demanded answers as to how he was able to do all that without show any signs of dizziness and how he did all that in general. She approached him, sat down in front of him, and placed her hooves on his shoulders.

"...How?" she asked.

"How what?" Kooper asked back. "...How long have I been doing that? For a while. Koopa Troopas can fling themselves at foes to defend themselves, our shells being a bit tougher than rock. But, with what I can do, it took a lot of practice. Sure showed those Fuzzies not to mess with me, huh?"

"No...I mean...How?" Twilight asked again. "With the...the spinning...and the whooshing...You defy the laws of motion when you launch yourself! How are you able to do that without any opposing force smacking you with that speed!? And you should be dizzy at this point, not standing perfectly still!"

"...Well, like I said, we're able to launch ourselves at enemies," Kooper explained. "And spinning around doesn't make us dizzy. It helps get us that speed to launch ourselves, and even maneuver about if we need to change course."

Twilight blinked, processing the information. "...Ok..." She then groaned, needing to stop using her smart brain to question logic in a world that has different rules and creatures she doesn't know. "Turtles can't do that in Equestria. In this world, there's one who can breathe fire and has spikes on his shell, and Koopa Troopas can use their bodies as projectiles to smack into their enemies and conk their skulls..." She rubbed her head, already feeling a headache. "I think I've had enough excitement and learning for one day..."

"Maybe you should take a break from learning everything," Kooper suggested. "You kind of had a pretty stressful day when you appeared in my backyard, and you kind of mumble your missing friends' names when you slept the last couple days."

"But I really want to learn more about the Mushroom Kingdom: its flora, fauna, weather patterns, history, math and science, everything," Twilight said. "I always had Spike constantly remind me to stop stressing and take a breather, but he's not here...I'm glad he isn't after what happened to us. He's like a little brother to me..." She shook away those sad thoughts, turning back to Mario. "So, what should we do first?"





After heading back to Kooper's house to relax a little bit, they brought the Koopa up to speed with what Mario's mission was in order to save the Mushroom Kingdom. At first, hearing the Star Spirits needing rescuing excited him, a grand adventure across the kingdom to rescue seven powerful stars from Bowser's clutches, but when they told him where the first Star Spirit to save was, that gleam in his eyes faded and he frowned miserably.

"What's the matter, Kooper?" Goombario asked. "You were so hyped when we wanted you to come with us and save the Star Spirits, but now you look like someone told you your pet died."

"I know...but, do the Koopa Bros. really have a Star Spirit held in their fortress?" Kooper asked, needing more clarification to what he had just heard.

"Yeah. They tried to stop us back in Toad Town wearing Toad disguises." The Koopa let out a heavy sigh, staring down at his feet. "...Kooper, do you know those four Koopas?"

"...I guess you could say that." Kooper moved one of his arms into his shell, looking around for something inside. He then pulled out a blue bandanna, a bit small for his head and worn out. "They used to be good friends of mine, ever since we hatched from our eggs...But, as we got older, we had different goals in mind for our futures."

"They were your friends?" Twilight asked.

"And you were a part of the Koopa Bros.?" Goombario questioned, feeling a little bit skeptical at the sight of the bandanna.

"We called ourselves that when we were little; pretending to be ninjas and running around the village, fighting the invisible bad guys with our shell tossing teamwork." Kooper tightened his grip on the old accessory as the memories came flooding back to him. "I always wanted to be an archaeologist like Mr. Kolorado over playing our pretend games. But, the others...they wanted to work for Bowser the moment they heard he was recruiting soldiers for his army a few months ago. I didn't want to go along with them since Koopa Village was already peaceful enough as it is, but they called me a pathetic loser and went on without me.

"Ever since they built that fortress further down Pleasant Path, they've gotten so arrogant to the point where they think they can do whatever they want in this area...They're not friends of mine anymore." Kooper let out a sad laugh, running his hands over the old bandanna he used to wear with the Koopa Bros. back then. "I sometimes wonder why I ever became friends with them if all they wanted was to show off...I'm the only one who seemed to have grown up while they're stuck in imagination land."

"Define 'grown up' after watching you cheer in excitement when we allowed you to join and showing off yourself after beating the Fuzzies." Mario and Twilight chuckled at Goombario's comment. Kooper grinned sheepishly in embarrassment, his cheeks turning a light shade of red as he rubbed the back of his neck. "So, you're not in any way associated with them anymore, right?"

"For a long while when they still act like they're 'the coolest of cool' and wear those bandannas over their heads." Kooper shook his head, putting his old blue bandanna back in his shell. "They're my enemies now. I'd actually like to knock some sense into them, and even if I can't, then beating them up would help alleviate some anger against them for ditching their leader."

"Wait, YOU were the leader!?" Goombario asked in surprise, Mario just as shocked as the Goomba.

"It was my idea to pretend being ninjas, and I was the strongest out of us," the Koopa explained. "But, that was in the past. I'll help you guys out and save the Mushroom Kingdom. And help find Twilight's friends."

"Well, if Merlon was right about his vision, then we'll put all our trust in you, Kooper." The four of them stood up, ready to head out and rescue the first Star Spirit. "Let's gear up on supplies and make our way down to their fortress."

"I think the store has some helpful items we can use...but how are we going to carry them?" Kooper asked.

Mario and Goombario really didn't think much about that. If they were going to be on the road, and if they ever wound up in dangerous territory, they were going to need food, water, and any helpful items they find to combat against Bowser's patrolling soldiers. Twilight noticed an old rucksack Kooper had lying in the corner of his house, still in good condition. She levitated the backpack, though seeing how Mario, Goombario, and Kooper would be fighting quite a lot outside of safer environments like the village, one of them could damage the supplies if they get hit.

"I think this will do, but I want to make a just a little change to it." Using her magic, the alicorn shrouded the bag in her aura. Before Kooper could ask what she was doing, a small flash of light from the levitating bag shone brightly in the house. Now the backpack turned into a pair of saddlebags, suitable to wear for Twilight as she placed them on her back. "I'll hold onto any provisions for the road ahead since I can use magic to attack from a distance, providing less of a chance of them getting crushed when you three end up in a battle. Plus, with a little extra magic, it can hold a lot more than it looks for any longer trips from town to town where we'll be needing a lot of supplies. It's not as great as my saddlebags back home in Equestria, but I can make due."

"...I guess that answers that question," Goombario said after a long moment of silence. "That was some pretty cool magic."

"Magic is my talent," Twilight gloated. "I've learned many different spells when I was a filly, and some of them sometimes came in handy...or caused a few problems. My friends and I had some wild adventures back home."

"Let's just hope that luck is on our side and your magic always comes in handy," Kooper said. "Time to storm the Koopa Bros. Fortress. Let's head down to the store and get what we can."

Kooper lead the way, ready to get themselves geared up to march their way through the fortress and save the first Star Spirit. Koopa Village was peaceful again now that the Fuzzies were gone, the villagers going back to their everyday lives. When they arrived at the shop, Mario picked out which items would be helpful to fight back against their foes on the road and in the Koopa Bros. Fortress while Kooper and Goombario got plenty of food and plenty of canteens to store. It was pretty costly, but they still had plenty of coins to spare. Twilight would also keep hold of any money they earn, though she did find it odd the currency Mario finds either came from enemies he beats or in floating blocks that float around the world. She didn't bother asking about the latter and how they hovered in place above the ground, focusing her thoughts on saving her friends and this world.
> Storming the Koopa Bros. Fortress
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	After gathering their provisions, all kept tightly inside Twilight's saddlebags, the group headed off down Pleasant Path to take down the Koopa Bros. Twilight stayed close to Mario, Goombario, and Kooper in case they got ambushed, taking the time to admire the peace there was on the road. Like back in the village, the foliage was blocky, and the road was green and lush with nature. Aside from the Goombas and Koopas patrolling the road, it really lived up to its namesake.

They climbed up the road that lead to Koopa Village and made their way across the bridge, where the Koopa Bros. Fortress lies. Along the way, they began encountering Koopa Paratroopas, their aerial dives a minor nuisance, but they quickly lost their wings with Mario or Goombario bouncing on their heads, or Twilight zapping their wings with her magic, sending them falling onto their backs, completely defenseless. There was a river they had to cross over, but the switch to raise the bridge was on the other side. Luckily, Kooper shell tossed himself over to the other side, smacking the button and allowing them access to cross. Twilight could have simply flown over to press it herself, also curious how the mechanisms of a large blue button able to alter something around them without any physical connection to said mechanism, but they needed to move on and quickly save the Star Spirits and her friends.

After crossing the river, they caught sight of the fortress just up ahead. "Wow. That's a pretty big fortress."

"And if I know the Koopa Bros., they're going to stop at nothing to keep us from reaching the highest point of the fortress," Kooper said.

"It looks pretty old," Twilight noted. "It must have been built a century ago, judging by the moss and slight cracks in the stone walls."

"There might also be traps inside," Goombario mentioned. "Forts this old would have to have some still functioning even after being worn and torn by the natural elements."

As they got closer, they could see the fortress was built on a small lake. Knowing there could be a basement floor inside, they hoped some of that lower floor wasn't too badly flooded. The group stepped onto the small walkway that failed to act as a bridge for the harmless moat surrounding the old fortress. The metal doors pushed open, Black Ninjakoopa stepped out, holding a notepad in his gloved hand, not even noticing the surprised enemy standing there.

"Ok, so, I gave our troops the keys to some of the doorways...Now we just need to set up the-" He looked up from his notes, screaming out in surprise as he leapt back. "M-Mario!? Oh crud! He's already here!" Black then noticed Kooper, immediately glaring at the blue-shelled Koopa. "Blue..."

"My name is Kooper!" Kooper argued. "I haven't thrown my name away like you four!"

"So, you're siding against the Koopas, eh? We knew you were a coward, but joining with Mario, dude?" Black shook his head, ashamed to see a fellow comrade going against their ideals. "Even more lame than ever."

"Please don't tell me all of them talk like that," Twilight grumbled.

"Sadly, yes," Kooper said. "I even found it a bit annoying when they tried to act and sound 'cool'."

Black noticed Twilight behind Mario, Goombario, and Kooper. Flipping through his notepad, he reached a page where he doodled a few pictures of extra faces to look out for, his drawing skills worse than that of a newly hatched Koopa Troopa. From the short debriefing from Kammy Koopa before they ran away from Bowser's wrath, she told them to be on the lookout for six equine creatures with a sketch that looked a lot better than the Koopa's doodles. His eyes shifted between the alicorn and what he drew, which looked like a blob with stubby legs, big eyes, poorly proportionate wings, and a simple line as a horn.

"You!" Black suddenly shouted, pointing at the mare. "You're one of these creatures we're supposed to watch out for along with Mario! Ooh, you guys are gonna get it. Good luck making it past our impenetrable fortress!"

The Ninjakoopa fled back inside the fortress, slamming the doors shut behind him. "'One of these creatures?' Great," Twilight sighed. "Now I hope my friends are hidden safely somewhere. Wanted by Bowser to be captured or beaten up along with Mario. My bits are on being captured and held hostage."

"Then let's kick their shells," Kooper said, making his way over to the front door.

"Actually, you think we should find another way inside?" Twilight suggested. "He probably locked the-" Kooper pushed open the doors, making the alicorn facehoof. "He didn't lock the entrance? Seriously?"

"Yeah. They aren't that smart, even as a group," Kooper said.

"No wonder you were the leader. Good thing you didn't turn out like them," Goombario said.

With the front doors opened for them to simply waltz on through, they entered the Koopa Bros. Fortress. The first room they were in was inside of one of the twin towers, which rose up to the outer walkway on top of the old fort. The only way to reach the doorway up there was through the second level, which meant finding a way up there through the rest of the fortress. There was some water inside that came from a grate, where they saw two Koopa shells floating on the water. There was a flight of stone stairs under the water that could be moved up, connecting the walkway further up that Mario couldn't reach on his own. As much as Twilight wanted to find an easier route and fly up, she didn't want to end up by herself and risk getting caught if she were ambushed by several Koopas.

Walking around the water, unable to be accessed by the metal fence, they found a Koopa Troopa guarding a locked door. "Well, at least they managed to lock something," Twilight blandly stated.

"Pretty easy," Goombario said. "Just a normal Koopa." Mario attacked first, leaping high into the air before trouncing the guard, sending him falling on his back. Kooper tossed himself, hitting the red-shelled enemy hard, sending the Koopa soaring into the wall, smacking his head and knocking him out cold. With the guard knocked out, Goombario approached him and rummaged through his shell. "Let's see...Aha! Got the key for the lock."

The Goomba, with the key in his mouth, leapt up to the lock, pushed the key in and twisted it. The lock opened, along with the door, advancing them further inside. The next room was a bit more dangerous as they froze, spotting a few inanimate bombs with eyes and feet, a windup key always spinning on their backs.

"W-What the hay are those things?" Twilight asked.

"Bob-ombs," Kooper answered. "These things can blow up in your face if you're not careful." The alicorn gulped, keeping far enough away and noted to avoid using her magic if she accidentally ignites their fuses. "What are they doing here?"

"No idea, but let's be careful," Goombario warned. "If we don't knock them out, they'll light their fuses and blow themselves up."

"They commit suicide???" Twilight asked, both in fear and worry for the walking bombs.

"That's what they're meant to do," Kooper said. "But most Bob-ombs don't really die after they blow up. They either get knocked out from their own explosion or can keep going and blow up some more."

"Oh. Ok! That's reassuring!" Twilight's outburst alerted the Bob-ombs patrolling the room.

Following the Koopa Bros. orders, they charged forward, attacking the intruders. They were easily dealt with thanks to Kooper's shell tossing, his shell keeping him safe from the Bob-ombs' explosions when they got furious, their black bodies blinking red as their fuses lit up by themselves. Thankfully, for Twilight's sake over killing these oddly cute inanimate beings, they were only rendered unconscious after exploding.

Continuing their way through, they reached the door to the next area, stopping as they heard talking come from the other side. "Alright, lower the bars!"

"Yes, sir!" another voice said, the sound of a cell door lowering down to the ground with a loud thunk.

"Let's see if Mario and his little buddies get this key," the first voice said.

"That's Green Ninjakoopa," Kooper said. "I guess they're actually being smart and hiding their keys instead of handing them to their lackeys." He kicked the door open, surprising the green Ninjakoopa and a couple Koopa guards. "Knock knock, Greenie!"

"Blue! I didn't want to believe Black, but you really are working with Mario." Green ran off to meet up with the rest of his Bros., pointing a finger at the heroes before leaving. "If one of you guys beat them, you might be promoted to be a fifth member of the Koopa Bros.!"

Obeying one of their four bosses, the Koopas in the room threw themselves from inside their shells, all of them wanting that promotion that badly. Kooper shell tossed himself toward them as well while Mario knocked the others past the allied Koopa with his hammer. After the plumber smacked them into the wall, dazing them from the harsh impact, Goombario headbonked on their exposed bellies to knock the wind out of them. Twilight kept to the air, since none of them were Paratroopas, assisting by either blasting some of them back with a magic beam or tossing them into Mario with her telekinesis.

Once the guards were all taken care of, they relaxed a bit and looked around. They could see a few cells in the room, two of them holding a key to unlock some of the doors in the fortress. Unfortunately, there wasn't a switch or button to press to open the cells, though there did seem to be an alternative judging by the old cracks in some of the walls. In the leftmost cell, there was a crack that connected to the previous room from a higher ledge, but after taking care of the Bob-ombs in there, they weren't likely to be of any use while they were seeing stars. In the middle and rightmost cells, there was a crack just outside the cell walls, but sadly, there weren't any Bob-ombs that they fought.

"Ok, I guess they're a bit smarter than I thought," Kooper said. "We might need to hold a Bob-omb hostage to help us blow up the walls and get those keys." He then looked at Twilight, Goombario and Mario having the same thought as they too looked over at the alicorn. "Unless Twilight knows a spell that can crumble cracked walls?"

"Unfortunately, if you want me to shatter the entire cell, then we won't get the keys," Twilight said. "And I won't be able to levitate them out between the bars because it's a lot bigger than the distance between each one. Plus, I think Bowser's lightning with the Star Rod messed with my magic a little." She lit up her horn to try to teleport into the cell to grab the key, but her horn fizzed out, unable to transport inside. "Yeah. I can't teleport and get it either."

"But you managed to turn my bag into...whatever those things are now," Kooper pointed out.

"Teleportation is a more advanced spell back in Equestria," Twilight explained. "It didn't strain too much magic out of me when I turned your bag into saddlebags, being very similar, just with a slight change in its form and a little added hammerspace to carry several items inside at once."

"So we're going with plan B; grab a Bob-omb and force it to explode and break the walls." Goombario looked at the bars, unfortunate to be too big to squeeze through. "Might as well keep going and hope we don't run into anymore locked doors."

Ignoring the fortress keys for now, they entered the next room. Unfortunately, there was a locked door with a Koopa guarding it. He was quickly knocked out, but he didn't drop a key. Instead, a blue button appeared  behind the stairway that lead up, but with the railings blocking the way, they couldn't jump across to the second floor. Mario pressed the button, making the whole fortress shake as it made the stairs lower down, giving them access to the basement floor.

"Well, we got something out of that Koopa," Kooper said. "Let's take a look down in the basement for any keys they might have hidden from us."

They stepped down the flight of stairs into the basement. It wasn't as flooded as they expected, but there was water around a few inches away from the surface of the floor. Two different paths headed in opposite directions: one leading back toward the entrance while the other further onto the other side in the other tower.

"So, where should we go?" Twilight asked.

While they figured out which would be the best route, they headed voices come from the direction of the second tower. Curious, they headed toward the voices, finding themselves looking at an incredibly large cell. When they walked around to the bars, they found a few Bob-ombs inside, though they weren't black like the ones patrolling the fortress. There were a couple green ones, a blue one, a dark red one, and a unique pink one unlike the rest of them. Twilight was unable to tell if Bob-ombs had genders, but she considered the pink one a she, having a longer fuse colored yellow, and the bow of her windup key didn't have holes like the other trapped bombs.

The pink Bob-omb spotted Mario, Goombario, Kooper, and Twilight on the other side of the cell, running up to them the moment she spotted the heroic plumber of the Mushroom Kingdom. "Holy self-destruction! It's Mario!" Twilight was right, the Bob-omb's voice definitely feminine. "Thank goodness! You think you can get us out of here!"

"Can we trust them?" Twilight asked.

"We're not like the Bob-ombs patrolling this dump," the Bob-omb said. "We were thrown in this cell after trying to rebel against the Koopa Bros. Unfortunately, we can't break ourselves out of these stone walls. Too tough to blow up."

"Uhh, we'll try to figure out how these cells work and bust you out," Goombario said. "My name's Goombario. And that's Kooper, and Twilight Sparkle."

"I'm Bombette," the Bob-omb said. She eyed Kooper, feeling a little suspicious of his different colored shell compared to the usual red shells of the grunts and leader of the Koopa Bros. "The question is if that Koopa can be trusted."

"Don't worry, Bombette. I'm not part of the Koopa Bros.," Kooper assured. "Though, if you believe I used to be a part of the gang before they worked for Bowser, then trust me when I say I have no part in assisting them or the Koopa King."

"...Huh. At least you're the smartest of the bunch," Bombette said, lighting up her fuse a little in frustration with a furrowed gaze. "What I wouldn't give to blow up on those four Koopas and get back at them for throwing us in here! We worked for several works fixing up this stupid fortress for them, and they never gave so much as a thank you! I had enough, so I blew up in Red Ninjakoopa's face to show him a thing or two, then I got tossed in here."

"Can you explode multiple times without passing out?" Goombario asked.

"Pthh! Please! I'm the champion of explosive stamina!" Bombette gloated. "In fact, I never get exhausted from doing it over and over! I just love blowing up stuff!" Mario asked Bombette if they let her and her friends free, she can assist them on their journey in case there were any obstacles that they might need a Bob-omb's help with. "Hmm...Well, since you asked, sure! I've been cooped up in here for so long, I need to stretch out my legs! And a little adventure might be fun."

"Great! Just hang tight until we figure out a way to open this cell. We'll get all of you out of there soon enough." After assuring they will come back for the imprisoned Bob-ombs, the party headed back to the stairs and went in the other direction.

On the other path, they stepped into a simple room with a few Koopa Troopas and Paratroopas. As soon as they entered, the doorways somehow bounced up and froze in the air, trapping them inside with the guards.

"How the hay does THAT even work!?" Twilight questioned.

"Ask later! We've got a fight on our hands!" The enemy Koopas attacked the trapped group, the Paratroopas diving down on them from above while the grounded Koopas shell tossed at them from the ground.

Mario and Goombario leapt over the normal Koopas, Twilight flew up in the air, and Kooper shell tossed back to ram into them. The Paratroopas quickly went for the alicorn, flinging themselves like projectiles to knock her out of the air. She managed to avoid them, bucking them away or shooting them with a beam or two. Mario and Goombario worked together to jump off the Paratroopas' heads to get rid of their wings, trapping them on the ground while Kooper slid around, keeping the standing Koopas occupied. Twilight tried to mimic what Mario does, diving down and slamming all four hooves down on a defenseless Koopa that was on his back, knocking the wind out of his lungs and even popping him out from his shell.

"Huh. I should jump on these guys more often," Twilight uttered to herself. "Pinkie would have a blast bouncing on them."

Twilight was suddenly knocked in the back of the head by one of the enemy Koopas, too busy focused on how she could help to notice him. "Better pay attention next time, creature."

Before the Koopa could hit the alicorn again, Kooper spun in, kicking his opponent hard in the face, knocking him out as he was sent flying into the water. With the last of the Koopas knocked out, the friendly reptile ran up to Twilight, helping her sit up.

"You ok, Twilight?" he asked.

"Ow...Yeah. Just a really bad concussion, I think." She rubbed her hoof over the spot the Koopa struck her, wincing in pain as she felt a bad bump. "You're right. Your shells are tougher than stone...I'm just gonna stick to staying in the back from now on."

Kooper checked her head, only seeing a small bump where the Koopa rammed into her. "It's just a small bump. You're fine. But, yeah, I think your better helping us from a distance."

The doorways fell back down to the floor, the trap dismissed once the Koopas in the room were beaten. "...You know what? I'm not going to figure out how those doorways did that anymore. It's going to give me a headache." They moved on to the next room, which was a long hallway that lead to a key for the locked door back on the first floor. The only problem was that it had fire bars swinging around, threatening to burn anyone who dares to try to pass by. "...Uhhh...Is this really considered reliable security?"

"For you or Mario, I don't think so," Goombario said.

Mario asked Twilight if he wanted to go and get the key for them, but the alicorn shook her head. "I'll get it. Saves you the trouble from getting burnt by this moving fire, probably able to do this by a magical enchantment." Flapping her wings, Twilight hovered in the air, flying safely over the rotating fireballs. She grabbed the key in her mouth, not willing to use magic with her head pounding as she flew back to the others. "Aside from the random encounters, getting through this fortress is way too easy."

"Now we're able to head up further," Kooper said as they began backtracking. "I hope we'll find some kind of switch or button to open up the cell holding the friendly Bob-ombs."





Up on a platform in the second tower, high above the cell holding the imprisoned Bob-ombs, Yellow Ninjakoopa hammered away on the ground. He had placed a yellow question mark block above the center of the dangerous ledge. He chuckled maliciously as he moved around, setting up his trap like a professional.

"Aaaaaand...Done!" he said, giving himself a thumbs up for his job well done. Yellow tested the floor, feeling really sturdy as he checked to make sure the block was connected to it. "Since Mario's always a hippity-hoppity block puncher, he's sure to wonder what's inside this mysterious box. And the moment he jumps into it, my trap activates!" The Koopa heard the door down below the walkway open up, looking over the side to find Mario and his party walk through the door. "Time to see if the suckers fall for the trap."

He quickly ran into the second floor doorway to hide in the next room, peeking through the keyhole as he waited to watch them fall for his block trap. Yellow didn't have to wait long, spotting the party climbing up the sloped walkway leading to the second floor. The group noticed the floating yellow block floating above the center platform.

"That's a weird place for a question mark block to float around," Goombario noted.

"So, these are one of those odd blocks that float around or sit around randomly?" Twilight asked. "Why are these things important?"

"They can either pop out coins or items if struck," Kooper answered. "We might find something helpful against the Koopa Bros., or anything else in the future. It might also have a switch that can open up the cell far beneath this tower."

"I don't know," Twilight said, getting a closer look at how precarious a block that might hold money or an item floated over a dangerous platform high above the building. And right above the opened ceiling of the large cell the Bob-ombs were being held. Mario, Goombario, and Kooper stood out on the platform to see what was inside. "Uhh, maybe we shouldn't mess with it."

"Relax, Twilight. It's not like we're going to fall off." Twilight kept her distance, having a bad feeling something was off with a convenient block over a three story drop.

Mario jumped into the block, which disappeared, nothing coming out from the top of it. Suddenly, the floor underneath the three male members flipped down, the trio screamed as they fell down the tower and into the large cell in the basement. They hit the ground hard: Mario landing on his feet, Goombario on his head, and Kooper on his back. Their fall startled the Bob-ombs, Bombette approaching them and looked up, finding Twilight staring down at them from the trapdoor high up on the platform.

"Are you guys ok!?" Twilight asked.

The guys groaned, Mario relatively fine, though Goombario and Kooper were a bit dazed from their harsh landing. "I think they're ok! What are you guys even doing!?" Bombette asked. "I don't think bungie jumping down here without a bungie cord's gonna help us get out!"

"I knew something was off about this section," Twilight muttered to herself. "Hang on! Maybe I can fly you guys out one at a time!"

"You're not gonna help them!" Yellow kicked the doorway open, surprising Twilight as she turned around in his direction. "Time to say night night!"

The Koopa pulled out a small sheep figurine from his shell, disappearing as he flicked it in the air. Twilight was about to zap the Koopa Bro, only to have a dozen wooly sheep appear in front of him.

"W-What the-!?" The flock of sheep bleated and stampeded toward the alicorn. Before she could get away, they ran past her, suddenly feeling really sleepy as the sheep's wool brushed past her body. "W-Wha...Why am I...so...sleepy...?"

As soon as she let out a yawn, Twilight fell to the ground, passed out from the magical sheep's drowsy spell. Down below, the others saw the sheep run by, disappearing as they struck the wall and ran on thin air.

"Oh no," Bombetted groaned. "Sleepy Sheep."

Yellow poked his head over the trap door, waving to the prisoners. "How do you like my trap, suckers!?"

"Y-Yellow," Kooper groaned, climbing back to his feet, ignoring the pain in his shell. "I can't believe we fell for it."

"Have fun trying to find your way out of there!" Yellow said. "When we get a message out to King Bowser, he's sure to give us a raise!...And forgive us for leaving the fortress unattended before you even got here." He looked back at Twilight, hearing her snore, cast deeply under the Sleepy Sheep's power. "In the meantime, I'm going to be taking the purple thing behind me for safekeeping. Kammy Koopa wants to study one of these six things she told us to look out for, and lucky us, Mario brought us one! We got ourselves a rare creature, a Star Spirit, and have Mario, a pint-sized Goomba-"

"Hey!" Goombario shouted.

"-and the loser bro who gave up on the Koopa Bros.," Yellow continued. "Unless, of course, you want to reconsider joining us so you can get a 'get out of jail free' card."

"I'd rather be dunked in lava and turn into a Dry Bones than join you immature villains!" Kooper exclaimed.

"Oh well. Figured you would say no, anyway. Enjoy your stay at casa de la Koopa, suckers!" Yellow chuckled, letting out a whistle to call in a few Koopa guards. "Take this thing up to the top with the Star Spirit."

The guards obeyed, hefting the sleeping alicorn up as they headed up higher in the fortress. "Oh great. Now what?" Mario tried to jump as high as he could to reach the walkway, but it was too high for even his standard jumps. He tried triple jumping and wall kicking off the side of the cell's stone walls, failing just as well as his momentum pushed him too far from the closest railing to even touch. The plumber let out a sigh, needing another plan to get out. "Not even Mario can jump out of here. We really are stuck here."

"There's gotta be some way," Goombario said. "We can't let Twilight get taken away!" He looked at the water at the back of the cell. "Maybe there's an underwater passage or something that can get us out."

"No underwater routes," Bombette said. "Believe me, we can see the water clearly just from the ground, and there's nothing but solid walls and grates for the water that are too small for us to squeeze through. Even for a small Goomba like you."

"I'm not that small," Goombario grumbled. They looked around the room to see if there was some other way out that the Bob-ombs were unable to find. The Goomba noticed a tiny crack in one of the corners of the cell, walking up to it to get a closer look. It was pretty small, but he could also see some scorch marks on the wall and stone floor. Apparently, one of the Bob-ombs must have been desperate enough to try to blow a hole in the wall. "Hey, was someone exploding over here?"

"Yeah, that was me who did that," Bombette answered. "I got a bit mad and exploded several times to vent out my frustration. We're not supposed to explode when we're in here, but they can't stop us from doing what we were meant to do; blow stuff up!"

"It looks like you did some damage to this part of the wall," Goombario noted. "You think you can try blowing it up again? I think we can make an escape route if we can get you and your other Bob-omb friends to work together."

"Hmmm..." Bombette approached the wall and looked at it closely. "You know, I think it just might work." She turned back to the other imprisoned Bob-ombs. "Come on, guys! We're staging a breakout! Get over here and help me blast this wall to smithereens!"

"I go wherever Bombette goes!" the blue bodied Bob-omb said, immediately running up and standing alongside the pink Bob-omb.

Bombette stared at him blankly, pushing him away from her with her foot. "Bruce, you stay over there. We're supposed to be broken up, and need SPACE so you can stop obsessing over me."

"But, Bombette, I still love you!" Bruce proclaimed, tears streaming down his face.

"Will the rest of you please get over here so Bruce doesn't try to woo me when we're not in a relationship anymore!?" Bombette pleaded, avoiding the waterfall tears spouting out from the bawling Bob-omb. The others complied, mostly to get out of this cell. "Alright, everyone light your fuses on three! One! Two! Three!"

Simultaneously, the entrapped Bob-ombs lit their fuses, huddling as close to the wall as they can. Mario, Goombario, and Kooper backed away, not wanting to get caught in the powerful explosion they were going to make. As soon as the sparks from their fuses grew, the fire sunk into their bodies, creating a chain reaction of an explosion, surrounding the corner of the cell in smoke while making several loud booms. The Bob-ombs flew up in the air after exploding, all but Bombette falling to the ground slightly dazed.

Once the smoke cleared, their combined explosion had worked, creating a sizable hole in the wall, big enough for all of them to escape through. "Alright! It worked!"

"But, how come you guys didn't try to do this before?" Kooper asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"I didn't think I managed to crack that wall after blowing up so many times," Bombette admitted with a sheepish giggle. "It didn't come to mind to work together and try it again to finally leave."

"Hey! What's going on in there!?" The doors to the cell room opened and closed, a Koopa and two Bob-ombs walking up to the bars. "You Bob-ombs aren't supposed to be letting out explosions while you're in this cell!"

"Oh, we're sorry," Bombette apologized sarcastically. "You know, we Bob-ombs need to let off some steam every once in a while. You two know what I mean, right boys?"

"That doesn't mean exploding," one of the black Bob-ombs said. "How about you just hit the wall instead of lighting up your fuses?"

"Oh! What a wonderful idea! And I know just what to hit!" Seeing they were still unaware of the crumbled wall out of their view of the inside, Bombette ran to the opening. "I'm gonna hit you three bozos first!"

Before they could figure out who she was talking about, Bombette let out a battle cry as she charged headfirst into the guards. Mario, Goombario, and Kooper quickly ran out to help their new ally, Kooper tossing himself, bouncing off the walls and smacking into one of the Bob-ombs. He smacked it against his other companion, instinctively lighting his fuse and blowing up, causing a chain reaction as the second Bob-omb blew up as well, knocking each other out. They quickly went around the walls to help Bombette against the Koopa guard, but she took care of him, ramming her hard body into the enemy.

The sunglasses wearing Koopa tried to toss himself at the pink Bob-omb, but she jumped over him. Lighting her fuse, she charged forward right as he popped himself out of his shell. Ramming headfirst into his chest, she released a powerful explosion, sending her flying back from the smoke, landing perfectly on her feet. The Koopa fell over, soot covering his body, eyes spinning around in his head.

"Wow. You're really good," Kooper complimented, Mario giving Bombette a thumbs up.

"And I feel even better," she said. "Let's hurry and save Twilight from those idiot Koopa Bros. The others will wake up in a few, so they should have plenty of time to escape before these nimrods do."

"Right! Let's get them!" With Bombette now on their side, they made haste and continued their way up the fortress, needing to grab the keys they saw in the smaller cells in case they ran into anymore locked doors.
> Taking on the Koopa Bros.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Oh man, we are so screwed!" Black Ninjakoopa said, panicking at the top of their fortress by the right tower. Red and Green watched him pace around, the rest of the gang blaming him for failing to lock the front door on Mario and his companions. They had set up three black cannons, filled to the brim with hundreds of speeding bombshells named Bullet Bills, large black bullets with eyes leering forward and small arms at its sides. "Mario's gonna kick our shells for sure!"

"Black, calm down," Green said. "I locked up all the other keys in the cells down below. There's no way they're getting through those doors. And even if they do, we've got the heavy artillery. Mario can't survive avoiding Bullet Bills shot out of these Bullet Bill Cannons."

"You guys are completely forgetting about our old buddy, Blue," Red said as he checked the cannons. "Oh, wait. He went back to his old, lame name, Kooper. He's gonna give us trouble with Mario on his side." He turned back to the other two Koopa Bros., clenching his fists in anger. "He's got some skill, but there's no way he can take the four of us on at once. We'll use our super move on him, but after we try to give them a good scare."

"You seriously think that thing is going to scare Mario off?" Green asked quizzically.

"Of course not. But it'll tire him and his little friends out, giving us the edge we need to kick his butt and win back King Bowser's trust at being competent commanders." From the doors to the left tower, Yellow Ninjakoopa walked out on the roof of the fortress, proudly strutting his way toward the three Koopas. "Yellow, where the heck were you!? Mario's in our fortress and you wandered off instead of helping me set these cannons up!"

"Well, lucky for you, Red, I am a freaking genius!" Yellow waved his arm, two of their Koopa guards approaching the Koopa Bros., carrying the unconscious alicorn. Red, Green, and Black's jaws dropped as Yellow managed to capture one of the six equines they were told to look out for. "Caught one of those animals Kammy warned us about. Not only that, but Mario and his little buddies fell for my block trap, too. They're stuck in that huge cell with the Bob-ombs who defied us."

"Seriously!?" the three shocked Ninjakoopas exclaimed simultaneously, Yellow nodding his head with a thumbs up.

"Like a Fighter Fly to a bug zapper," the yellow-shelled Koopa said. "Mario fell for that block trap I set up. Hook, line, and sucker!"

"Hah! Smart thinking, Yellow!" Red complimented. He dismissed the guards who delivered the alicorn, lowering her to the ground and getting back to their posts. The Koopa Bros. surrounded the mare and looked down at her, Twilight lightly snoring, still under the effects of the Sleepy Sheep. "So, what are we gonna do if this thing wakes up? It could escape before we get a call out to Bowser's castle."

"We should tie it up," Green suggested. "If this thing has wings, it'll probably fly out and escape."

"But Kammy Koopa also warned us about magic," Black added. He examined Twilight, lifting her hooves, head, mane, and tail, looking for something. "This thing doesn't have a wand on it."

Red smacked Black upside the head. "You idiot. This thing has natural magic." The leader pointed at the horn on the pony's head. "This thing is a mix breed of a pegasus and unicorn, like that dumb mythology book Kooper always kept when were were kids. Those unicorn things are said to use magic from their horns."

"Oh." Black looked at the horn, poking it with his finger. "It's like a magic wand connected to their foreheads, right?"

"Duh," Red, Yellow, and Green said.

Suddenly, the fortress shook as they heard a loud boom come from the right tower. "What was that!?"

Red quickly ran inside the tower, running over to the side of the large platform at the top. On the other side from the doorway was a large contraption hidden under a white tarp. The Koopa Bros. leader looked down over the railing, seeing smoke billow up from a section of the cell where the defiant Bob-ombs were held captive. He heard their guards check what was going on, hearing Mario, Goombario, Kooper, and Bombette fighting the guards.

"Oh shoot!" Red ran back outside, leaping down the stairs to his comrades. "Looks like trapping Mario didn't work out that well! Those Bob-ombs blasted a hole in the cell, and Mario and his crew are on their way!"

"Crud," Green muttered. "What do we do?"

"Let's bring this thing in the tower and tie it up," Red quickly said. "Bind its legs, its wings, and we need to find something to deal with that horn before it wakes up."

The Koopa Bros. lifted Twilight and ran back inside the tower, shutting the doors behind them to bound the pony, prepare for Mario and his friends' arrival with their cannons and secret weapon.





Down on the first floor, the heroes ran through the fortress as they backtracked to the smaller cells, two of them holding keys to help them further up the higher floors. With Bombette along, she made quick work of the walls with crumbled sections, self-destructing and blowing a hole in them. The closest one was easy to grab, but the one close to the entrance of the stone building had the cracked wall in the previous room they had walked in. Mario grabbed the pink Bob-omb, leaping up to the ledge where the cracked wall was, letting her do her thing to grab the second fortress key.

With both keys in hand, the group quickly made their way to the right tower, climbing up the walkway to where their progress was halted by the trap Yellow Ninjakoopa set. "I still can't believe we fell for that trap. Twilight was right to be suspicious of it, but with how random the actual blocks can be set, it looked convincing."

"Don't beat yourself up about it, guys," Bombette said. "We've got to save Twilight before she ends up becoming a test subject!"

"Right! Let's keep moving!" They continued storming through the fortress, Mario leading the way as they entered the next room.

The guards were quickly dealt with, Paratroopas jumped on to crash to the ground by Mario and Goombario while Kooper and Bombette charged into them with their bodies. Using one of the keys, Mario took off the lock, finding themselves back in the room with the smaller cells. The only way across to the other side was walking across the roofs of the cells, two blocks between them that had a red switch. Mario could easily make it across, but it would take too much time and energy to carry Goombario, Kooper, and Bombette individually across each gap.

"Those red switches are placed there for a reason," Goombario thought aloud as he looked around the upper area of the room. The Goomba noticed parts of the wall along this floor jutted out slightly, looking at the switches as he formed a hypothesis. "Hmmm...I wonder what happens if we press those switches."

Mario had a feeling Goombario might be on to something. He looked at Kooper, seeing his shell toss was helpful getting them across the river back on Pleasant Path. After telling the Koopa to test what the switch does, he nodded his head and tossed himself across the gap. As soon as Kooper struck the switch, the misaligned walls across the way shot out, creating walls and floors to make it across the gaps. Bombette yelped as a wall behind them nearly smacked into her and knocked her off the ledge.

"Wah! That almost pushed me over!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry," Kooper apologized. "But at least this switch is helpful." The group made their way across until they stopped in front of the center wall blocking their way. "And if I hit it again..." Kooper threw himself back at the switch again, retracting the walls and floor as it was struck. Once they crossed the wall separating them from the second half of the puzzle, the blue-shelled Koopa repeated the same steps like before, getting them across the cells and unblocking their way to the door up the small flight of stairs. "Whew. That was a bit convoluted."

"But it's a smart way to confuse intruders," Goombario said. "Too bad they're not smart enough to stop us."

In the next room, they took care of more Koopas and Bob-ombs, unlocking the next door with the last key they had. They were back in the left tower, just a walkway away from reaching the top. Unfortunately, the stairs that were supposed to lead up that walkway were underneath the water. Luckily, there was a switch nearby, and it had to be connected with the stairs. Mario slammed his wooden hammer down on the button, the chains rattling as they pulled the stone and algae covered stairway up.

The two shells that were in the small pool of lake water inside rose up along with them, the Koopas popping out of their shells as they began panicking. Thinking it was some kind of drill, they ran down the stairs to get off, quickly getting knocked out by the heroes before they realized Mario and his friends were even there. Being careful not to slip on the wet stone steps, they ran up and reached the door leading out to the top of the fortress. Before they could run to the other side, they noticed the Bullet Bill Cannons set up to face them from the other tower.

The Koopa Bros. charged through the doors, Green, Yellow, and Black flipping off the steps and landing behind the cannons while Red stayed at the top. "Well, well, well! I didn't expect you guys to make it this far! But you're lucky you managed to catch us off guard!"

"Where's Twilight!?" Kooper demanded, Mario, Goombario, and Bombette readying themselves to charge forward. "What have you done to her!?"

"Twilight? Oh, you're talking about that animal thing!" Red chuckled, pointing his thumb toward the room they just exited. "It's a little tied up at the moment!"

"She's a pony, not an animal!" Goombario exclaimed. "She has more brain cells than the four of you combined to make her a sapient being like us!"

"...Uhh, that pipsqueak Goomba has a point, Red," Yellow said to Red Ninjakoopa. "That unicorn-pegasus thing was smart enough to stay away from my trap...Then again, it did have wings too."

"Who cares? Kammy wants it to study, so it's practically a test subject." The leader looked back at their foes on the other side of their fortress, crossing his arms with a smug grin. "Let's see you try to get past our strongest defenses! We promise you this, Mario, Kooper! You won't last a second against us when we get serious!" Red Ninjakoopa thrust his arm forward, pointing at them as the other three Koopa Bros. readied to light the cannons' fuses. "Open fire!"

Yellow, Green, and Black lit the cannons, shooting out Bullet Bills every so often, zooming off in a straight line across the rooftop. The Koopa Bros. retreated back into the tower to prepare for them if they make it through their cannons.

"Bullet Bills," Kooper groaned. "I can't believe Bowser gave them those artillery cannons."

"I think we should start moving! Now!" Goombario shouted as the first three Bullet Bills that were shot out headed straight for them.

They quickly leapt out of their way, the speeding bullets exploding as they hit the wall. Luckily, Bullet Bills only fired in one direction from their design, but the cannons had a mind of their own, firing randomly to throw them off their pattern. Scattering about as they rushed forward, they avoided getting too close to each other to avoid getting struck and catch anyone else within the Bullet Bill's blast radius upon contact. Mario took the lead, jumping on the living bullets, smacking them into the ground, or whacking them back at other Bullet Bills to make them explode.

"We gotta take care of those cannons!" Kooper exclaimed, quickly hiding in his shell and thrusting himself forward, avoiding a Bullet Bill that sailed over him.

"Those things are made of solid steel!" Goombario said, side-stepping a low Bullet Bill, missing him by mere inches. "I doubt any of us will even make a dent in them! And Mario's hammer is made of wood!"

"I can take care of them!" Bombette headed straight for Mario after leaping away from another of the several Bullet Bills infinitely shot out of the Bullet Bill Cannons. "Mario, throw me over toward those cannons!"

The plumber quickly turned, going along with Bombette's plan and picked her up. She lit her fuse and Mario gave her a hard throw, sending her flying through the air. She landed right by the cannons, away from the wide barrels firing Bullet Bills, grunting with exertion as the fire sunk down into her body. The pink Bob-omb moved closer to one of the cannons and exploded, immediately destroying the metal cannon with a chain reaction of the Bullet Bills blowing up inside of it.

One cannon down, and only two left. Bombette fell back down by Mario's side after getting blown back by her own explosion. Kooper bounced off the railings, tossing himself toward the Bullet Bill Cannons in a zigzag maneuver. Aiming for the second cannon, he flipped around and inserted his shell into the muzzle, wedging himself inside to block the Bullet Bills from firing out. He braced himself under the protection of his shell, feeling the impact of a blocked bullet striking his back, blowing up and destroying the cannon from the inside. The explosion sent the Koopa speeding off like a Bullet Bill, screaming frantically in his shell as he spiraled out of control.

Mario quickly got in Kooper's trajectory, holding his hands out and caught the blue shell, skidding back across the ground until they were back a quarter away from where they entered. "Uuuuugh. Thanks, Mario." Kooper popped his limbs out of his shell, his eyes spinning in his head as he stumbled a bit. "That wasn't a smart idea, but I got one of them."

That only left one more cannon barring their path. Mario ran forward, his hammer held tightly in his right hand, facing down a Bullet Bill flying toward him. He swung the hammer into the nose of the bullet, stopping it as it spiraled in midair. Aiming at the right moment, he smacked the Bullet Bill back toward the cannon, the dangerous animated bullet's eyes widening as he flew straight back into the barrel. It blew up on impact, destroying the last cannon through the internal damage made by the chain reaction of explosions from the other Bullet Bills inside.

With all three Bullet Bill Cannons now broken apart, nothing but smoking remains of shattered steel laying where they once stood. With the defensive roadblock destroyed, they rushed up the steps to the right tower, the final room where the Koopa Bros. were hiding and where they took Twilight. As soon as they charged in, they spotted Twilight surprisingly in the middle of the room. Her legs were tied together with rope, along with her wings as they were tied down firmly at her sides. There was also a tight band placed around the base of her horn, the four Koopas thinking constricting her horn would cut off her magic flow.

Mario ran up to Twilight, thankful she wasn't hurt. "Not so fast, Mario!" The plumber jumped in surprise, looking at the other end of the room to see a tall, dark silhouette. The voice sounded low and slightly muffled, but it almost sounded like Red Ninjakoopa. Wheels squeaked as the silhouette moved closer, showing itself in the light shining in through the windows. "You will not take that creature, for I, the great and mighty King Bowser, am taking it back to my castle!"

Simultaneously, Mario, Goombario, Kooper, and Bombette foot/facepalmed at the sight of "Bowser". It looked more like a terrible impersonation of the Koopa King, meant to be some sort of float for a parade as its body was made out of papier–mâché. The arms were long pieces of wood with large blocks mean to be Bowser's hands, the eyes on the head were large, sewn-in buttons, the whole structure sitting on a flat pallet with squeaky wheels to make it move around. They were sure the real Bowser would burn this parade float if he saw this abomination that was his image.

"And you were friends with these morons?" Bombette asked Kooper.

"After seeing this, I regret ever meeting them," Kooper groaned.

Twilight began to wake up, groaning slightly in discomfort as she opened her eyes. "Where...? What happened?" As she got her bearings, she saw her Mushroom Kingdom friends, along with the fake Bowser "staring" them down. "...Uhh, did I miss something?"

Mario lowered himself down to his knees, not bothering with the Koopa Bros. and their Bowser costume as he untied her bindings. "Hey! Get away from our magical creature!" The float moved forward, Mario quickly standing up to defend Twilight from being run over. It stopped in front of him, raised one of its wooden arms, and smacked it down on the plumber's head. It didn't really do much to Mario, just a light bonk from a piece of wood that he could easily break with his skull. "Gwa ha ha ha! How do you like that, Mario!? You must be terrified of my awesome power!"

The room was silent until Twilight spoke up for the heroes. "...Seriously? 'Terrifying'? Is this some kind of joke?" The alicorn stood up, the rope around her legs loosened enough before Mario stood up to stop the rolling papier–mâché Koopa King. She looked up at her forehead, just barely seeing the black band strapped around her horn. "These guys are the worst villains I've ever faced in my entire life. They didn't even dampen the magic from my horn right! They just used a black rubber band with no magical nullification spells embedded in it!"

"Uhh, we needed seals on it to keep it from using magic?" Black whispered from inside the float.

"We don't have any Kameks stationed here!" Yellow quietly shouted, hissing as he was kicked by someone. "Ow! Who hit me!?"

"Maybe we should have thrown it in a cage," Green pondered.

Twilight used her magic, snapping off the band around her horn and ripped off the rope around her sides. "Catching me off guard is one thing, but failing to keep me bound makes me wonder why Bowser hired you four idiotic reptiles."

"Who are you calling idiots!?" Red shouted, only to quickly clear his throat and try to sound like Bowser. "Uhh, I mean, how dare you escape your bindings!? You will not outsmart me, Lord Bowser! King of the Koopas!"

The float backed up, then moved forward, swerving around an irritated Mario as they stopped in front of Twilight. Raising its arm up, it tried to bonk the alicorn on the head, only for her aura to surround the limb, stopping it from hitting her.

"This is just getting ridiculous," Twilight groaned in frustration.

She snapped the arm off, levitating it around to aim it at its owner. "...That is so not cool."

Twilight swung the arm hard several times, smacking it into "Bowser", knocking the Koopa Bros. around inside as they all yelled frantically. The alicorn left several dents in the float, even crushing the head, wishing she could do that to the real Bowser for attacking her and her friends. Eventually, the arm broke after too much abuse, lazily tossing the broken limb over the edge, landing in the empty cell down below, the Bob-ombs escaping after they woke up from their escape plan.

"Alright. I've vented out my frustrations after getting knocked out and poorly tied up completely," Twilight said. "Somepony want to take a whack at this poorly crafted piñata? I know Rarity would want to destroy something like this, or Pinkie if any of us told her there was candy inside."

"Let me take out the 'candy' inside this thing!" Bombette volunteered, lighting her fuse as she walked up to the massacred Bowser float. Mario and Twilight backed up to where Goombario and Kooper were, covering their ears as they waited for the explosion. "Bomb voyage, 'Bowser'!"

Bombette leapt up and exploded, shredding the papier–mâché Bowser apart, pieces flying up and out over the sides. They spotted a picture of Princess Peach that was inside the float, the frame around it used as part of its shell. While the pieces fell down to the basement, Bombette landed back with the others while the Koopa Bros. landed on their feet surprisingly unharmed from the blast on the other side.

"Aww man," Black whined. "There goes Lord Bowser's awesome statue we were gonna give him. You losers better not have ruined my poster of Princess Peach!"

"Why does he have a poster of Princess Peach?" Twilight questioned.

"I really don't want to know," Kooper said, cringing at the possible reasons why his former friend had that poster.

"Alright. Now it's time to get serious," Red said. He pulled out a card, flipping it around in his fingers, taunting the party as he held the Star Spirit Eldstar in his hand. "You may have managed to get through our defenses, took back that animal,-"

"I'm a pony!" Twilight shouted.

"-and destroyed our special weapon we were gonna show King Bowser at some point," the Koopa continued, ignoring the irritated alicorn. "But now you're going to deal with us."

"Just give it up, Red!" Kooper said. "You guys are outmatched! Just hand us the Star Spirit!"

"Not on your life, Kooper!" The red-shelled Koopa hid the card in his shell, still acting smug even though they were dealing with Mario, a magical alicorn, a Goomba, a Bob-omb, and a former friend. "You'll regret wanting out of the group. You'd better be ready, because here come the Koopa Bros.!" The four Ninjakoopas shot out a thumbs up, perfectly in sync in their trademark pose. "Time to unleash our special attack! Koopa Bros., in formation!"

The four Koopas leapt up into the air, landing in order in a tower formation: Green on the bottom, followed by Yellow, then Black, and finally Red on top. The three bottom Koopas crouched low on all fours, Yellow and Black balancing on top of the former's shells underneath them. Red stood on both legs, holding his thumb out in their signature pose.

"A tower?" Twilight asked. "How's that going to help them? That'll only make it easier for them to topple over if hit hard enough."

While the others seemed just as skeptical as Twilight with their formation, Kooper was the only one who seemed wary. "Oh no. They couldn't have mastered that."

"Mastered what?" Bombette asked. "What are you talking about?"

"That's right, Kooper. You have every right to be scared," Red said. "It took us several months when we kicked you out, but we were able to pull off the most epic move a group of Koopa Troopas can do! Something we tried when we were kids." Kooper gasped in shock, taking a step back in surprise. "Now you'll get to see it in action, and feel the pain! The Whirling Tower Shell Toss!"

The Koopa Bros. hid in their shells, perfectly balanced on top of one another as all four of them began spinning in place, charging their tower of a shell toss. Kooper began sweating nervously, their spinning perfectly in sync as a whirlwind of red, black, yellow, and green formed around them. They sped off and headed straight for them, moving faster than a normal Koopa's shell toss.

"Move!" Kooper shouted as he dove out of their way.

Twilight flapped her wings and flew up high, staying far enough away from the attack as she hovered over the spaces left around the platform. Unfortunately, Goombario, Bombette, and Mario weren't so lucky. They were struck hard, yelling out in pain from the quadruple shell toss, Mario taking the full force of the attack as he was slammed into the back wall. They bounced off the plumber as they hit the wall with a leap, flipping back to their starting point. They stopped spinning and popped out of their shells, Red giving them a smug grin with a thumbs up, showing off as they scored a hit.

"W-What? How were they able to move so fast!?" Twilight exclaimed, greatly worried for Mario as he was nearly crushed by the powerful attack.

Goombario and Bombette got up on their feet, only getting grazed by their shells, but it still hurt. "Ow...That's quite a move. And I thought I was dangerous, being a walking, talking bomb."

"Mario, you ok?" Goombario asked. The plumber managed to stand back up, fixing his cap as he fought against the painful blow to the front of his body. "Well, at least it wasn't Bowser with the power of the Star Rod deadly, but he's still conscious."

"How did that feel, Mario!?" Red mocked. "Hurts, doesn't it!? How about another-!?"

Twilight flew down and bucked into Yellow Ninjakoopa's face, making the tower of Koopas wobble as they tried to regain their balance. "You're not pulling that off again!"

She then blasted them with a magic beam, striking Green as it sent him flying up. The Koopa Bros. yelped as they fell over, landing hard on their backs. They struggled to get up, but since they had barely been knocked on their backs, it was harder for them than practicing their special attack.

"Nice, Twilight!" Bombette said, the Bob-omb and Goombario rushing forward. "Let's get them while they're vulnerable!"

They each went after a different Koopa, Bombette tackling Green hard in the side while Goombario headbonked Yellow. Kooper tossed himself over to Black after snapping out of his shock, Mario rushing past the others as he slid into Red, knocking him up in the air a little before getting up, giving him a one-two punch in the face, followed by a hard kick in the gut. Twilight stayed back, letting the others deal with the Koopa Bros. as she provided backup in case any of them tried something.

Red blocked a punch from Mario, getting pinned back against the wall. "That stupid four-legged freak isn't going to keep us down!" He headbutted Mario, sending the plumber staggering back as he pulled out pale brown jar with a curved red arrow labeled on the side. The Koopa quickly opened the lid and held it out, a ghostly image of Bowser covered in black mist rising up from inside. It let out a roar and lunged at the user's attackers, the power it released spooking Mario, Goombario, Kooper, and Bombette, sending them fleeing for their lives back to the other side of the room. "We're coming for you next, pegasus-unicorn freak!"

"I just told you I'm a pony!" Twilight looked back at her Mushroom Kingdom friends, confused by what that fake ghost of Bowser did to them. The effects of the jar had worn off as they weren't terrified anymore, which gave the Koopa Bros. enough time to reform their tower. "What was that? Why did you flee?"

"Fright Jar," Goombario answered. "Makes opponents run from the one who opens it. We all got hit by the enchanted magic and we couldn't help but run away."

"It probably didn't affect you since you were farther away from it," Kooper added. He cringed as they spotted the Koopa Bros. back in formation, spinning in sync as they prepared to charge into them again. "Oh no. Not again!"

The Koopa Bros. shot off again, only this time ricocheting off the railings, zigzagging toward them. They moved too quickly for the group to avoid, Twilight managing to fly up just in time to dodge the attack again. The other's wound up getting hit, unable to move in time as they were smacked around by the quadruple shell attack. When they headed for Mario after hitting the other three, the plumber held out his hammer to try to smack them back. He swung, the Lucky Star around his neck beginning to glow slightly underneath his shirt, hitting the tower of Koopas back with a powerful smack.

Even though it sent them flying back to the other side, it didn't halt their spinning as they used the new momentum to bounce back toward the plumber at an even higher speed. Unable to counter or avoid them, Mario got struck hard, making him drop his hammer as he was slammed even harder against the wall, the spinning shells only further increased their damage. Twilight gasped, quickly using her magic to try to pull them away from the pinned plumber, flinging them back across the other side of the room.

"Mario! Are you ok!?" Twilight asked with worry.

He managed to get up on his knees, grunting in pain as that last hit did a number on him. She turned back to face the Koopa Bros., all four of them smirking as they had bruises on their bodies from getting pummeled after getting knocked back. Kooper got back on his feet, having more defense than the rest of his friends, though the ricocheted Whirling Tower Shell Toss caught him by surprise.

"See, Kooper? You're fighting on the wrong side," Red said, his arms crossed against his chest as he looked down at the blue-shelled Koopa from his perch. "If you didn't disagree with us, you wouldn't be standing here, getting your butt kicked by us. I'm going to give you one last chance to come back, and if you worked for Bowser, you could probably see the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom and all those dull ruins of old places that used to exist. If you play your cards right, like us."

Kooper growled as he lowered his head. He pulled out the old blue bandanna from his shell, the only fond memories he had as a kid with the Koopas he once called friends. He clenched his fist, staring down the Koopa Bros.

"That won't happen," Kooper said. "As if I'm going to come back after you guys tossed me aside just to get attention! Not only that, but you're terrorizing others, held Bob-ombs captive as your slaves, and you tried to kidnap Twilight for Kammy and Bowser to imprison and use her like a test dummy for her magic!" He placed the bandanna around his head, tightening the ends and fastening it tightly. "I'll stop you myself if I have to. We're taking that Star Spirit back, and we're going to save the Mushroom Kingdom! And I've been working just as hard as you four so I can survive the perils of the ancient ruins and lands yet to be discovered across this kingdom!"

Kooper ducked his limbs in his shell and spun in place, picking up speed to charge headfirst into the Koopa Bros. "Let's see you try and take all four of us on by yourself, 'Blue'!"

The towering Koopas ducked back in their shells and spun as well, charging their toss as the whirlwind aura matching their shells spiraled around them. The two sides shot off and clashed, the Koopas continuing rapidly spinning as they pushed each other back to gain dominance. Twilight, Mario, Goombario, and Bombette watched, beginning to worry as they saw Kooper was being pushed back inch by inch.

"Oh man. I don't think Kooper's gonna last," Goombario said.

Kooper grunted, putting all of his energy into pushing his former friends back, but the Koopa Bros. outmatched him four-to-one as he began losing ground. "You can't keep this up forever, Kooper!" Red shouted as he, Black, Yellow, and Green laughed. "You'll lose to us just like Mario and the rest of your friends! You are, and always will be, a loser!"

"...No...I...WON'T!!!!" Kooper screamed, spinning faster and faster as he began pushing the Koopa Bros. back.

Sparks lit up around the blue-shelled Koopa's body, his shell suddenly bursting into flames from the friction of his rapid spinning. His friends watched with jaws dropped as the fire rose higher and higher, towering over the Koopa Bros. The four Koopas began panicking, the heat coming from Kooper's sudden fire making them yelp and lose control of their own spinning. Kooper shot off, slamming through them and broke the tower, sending the evil Koopas flying up in the air, flailing their limbs about as their bandanna eye masks and gloves caught on fire.

Kooper bounced off the wall, the flames on his shell dying out as he aimed straight for Red. Leaping up and popping his limbs out of his shell, he rammed into the Koopa, sending them slamming into the wall above where Mario was kneeling, knocking the wind of out of. He dug his hand in Red Ninjakoopa's shell, pulling out the card holding Eldstar before grabbing the red-shelled Koopa, flipping backward as he tossed Red back to the other Koopa Bros. He landed in front of his friends, panting heavily from the exertion pulling off his flaming shell shot, holding the card between his fingers.

"...Whoa," Goombario finally uttered. "Since when could you have done that???"

"A lot of rigorous training," Kooper replied, flicking the card back to Mario. The plumber caught it, surprised at how strong the Koopa really was and how right Merlon was with his vision. Kooper looked at Twilight, thankfully unharmed throughout the fight. "Hey, Twilight. You ever play tennis?"

"Uhh, not really," Twilight said, slightly confused by Kooper's question. "Why are you talking about sports when we're in the middle of a fight?" He pointed his thumb behind him, the alicorn looking over to see Mario's dropped hammer. What he meant finally clicked in her head, levitating the wooden mallet over to her with a concerned look. "You really want me to hit you with this?"

"With your magic, you have a quicker reaction time and swing, just like when you bashed their giant float costume," he said. "It'll hurt them more than it'll hurt me."

"...Well, ok. I hope you know what you're doing." Kooper nodded his head, quickly ducking in his shell and readied himself to be knocked around like a ball. Twilight stepped forward, holding the hammer in her lavender aura, trusting her Koopa friend as she aimed the flat head behind him to strike the Koopa Bros. "Here goes nothing!"

Twilight swung the mallet hard into Kooper, sending the Koopa Troopa flying off toward the Koopa Bros. He struck Black hard in the gut, sending him soaring across the room and straight into the wall, bouncing off and returning to Twilight. The alicorn kept the volley up, slamming the other three Koopas back or knocking them down in a daze. With one last swing, Kooper rammed into Red, popping out of his shell to shoulder charge the enemy Koopa in the chest and pinning him to the wall.

"Who's the loser now?" Kooper asked, grabbing each of the Koopa Bros. and flinging them back to the others.

Mario, Goombario, and Bombette were given enough time to recover, back on their feet and running straight toward the flung Koopas. With Twilight joining them, they each picked a Koopa Brother, headbutting, uppercutting, or bucking them hard over the railing. The Koopa Bros. screamed as they plummeted down through the tower, unable to reach out to the walkway on the first on second floors inside the tower, smacking the ground hard in the basement with the remains of their float in the large containment cell.

The Koopas groaned in agony, bruised and beaten as they struggled to get back up on their feet. "Augh. Darn it."

"They beat us..." Black looked around at the debris of their destroyed creation of Bowser, finding the Peach poster still intact from Bombette's explosion. "Hey, my poster survived. Yay!"

Red growled, smacking Black upside the head. "Forget your stupid poster!" He looked up, seeing Mario and his entourage staring down at them. "This isn't the end, Kooper! You guys just got lucky! We're not done yet!" They soon heard something being hammered nearby, turning to the strange noise. Covering the hole the imprisoned Bob-ombs were some pieces of two-by-four wood blocking the crumbled exit, two sets of Bob-omb feet seen at the bottom hammering the nails in. "W-What the heck!? Hey! What are you doing!?"

Thinking it was one of their loyal Bob-ombs, the Koopa Bros. gasped as they saw two of the imprisoned Bob-ombs appear by the cell bars, smugness apparent in their eyes. "Well, well, well, looks like the shoe's on the other foot, eh, Koopa Bros.?"

"Let's see how you guys like rotting in a jail cell after you lied to us." Both Bob-ombs laughed and gave each other a body bump in satisfaction, casually walking out of the room.

"Hey! Get back here!" Red snarled, grabbing the bars, trying to pull them apart. "Rrrraaaaaaaagh! YOU'RE ALL GONNA PAY FOR THIS!!!!!!!! WE WILL GET OUR REVENGE!!!!!"

High up in the tower, Mario, Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, and Twilight watched as Red Ninjakoopa went wild with fury, the other members of the Koopa Bros. were at a loss of what to do. Kooper let out a sigh, untying the blue mask off his head, holding it out over the railing. He dropped it, watching it float down, letting go of any ties he had with the four Koopas he grew up with.

"Are you ok, Kooper?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah. I'm good," he assured. "There wasn't any chance of them ever turning around. They're no longer my friends anymore. You guys are."

"And we're sure glad you're with us," Goombario said. "Merlon knew you were going to be reliable to Mario's journey, but seeing you catch on fire and blazing through the Koopa Bros.!? That was awesome!"

"Just make sure not to do that around me," Bombette warned. "I may light my own fuse, but we're very susceptible to fire. I don't want to prematurely explode against my will by complete accident."

"Heheh. Right. I'll keep that in mind." The group shared a small laugh together. Mario held up the car Eldstar was kept in, everyone staring at it as they pondered what to do. "So, how do we free the Star Spirit from this card?"

"Maybe I can figure it out." Twilight approached Mario and pressed her hoof against his hand and the card.

Suddenly, the card began glowing, along with the Lucky Star around Mario's neck. Twilight gasped, feeling some of her magic being sucked away, but not in a painful way and not too much. Eldstar's card began floating out of the plumber's hand, spinning slowly at first as it began to pick up speed. Unsure of what was happening, everyone watched in awe as the light from the card shone brighter. They soon heard a sparkle and light tear, the card exploding in a flash of light that blinded everyone for a brief moment. When they squinted their eyes, they all gasped as they saw Eldstar free from his imprisonment, his spinning slowing down before coming to a stop.

He opened his eyes and stretched out his limbs, looking down upon the heroes who rescued him. "Mario, I knew you could do it," the elder Star Spirit said, expressing his thanks as he floated lower to their level. "I am Eldstar, the elder and leader of the Star Spirits from Star Haven." Eldstar looked at Twilight, his eyes widening at the magical energy that came from the alicorn. "...Ah. So, the strange magical presence we sensed had come from you."

"You know about me?" Twilight asked curiously.

"No, but your power, including five others, fascinated my fellow Star Spirits and I," Eldstar explained.

The alicorn gasped in surprise. "Five others!? My friends! Eldstar, do you know where they are!?"

The Star Spirit shook his head. "I only felt their presence. Sadly, I do not know the whereabouts of your friends if they are like you." Twilight's ears drooped, but at least she was reassured that her friends were still out there, hopefully safe and out of harm's way. "Who are you, miss?"

"I'm Twilight Sparkle," the mare introduced herself. "I'm from another world called Equestria. My friends and I accidentally came to the Mushroom Kingdom after a failed teleportation spell to an alternate world of ours. I have no idea what happened, but there was an odd fluctuation of magic that affected mine, and I couldn't stop it. So, instead of ending up where we were supposed to go, we were transported into Princess Peach's castle. Then Bowser showed up, attacked Mario, and our magic given to us by objects called the Elements of Harmony separated us throughout the kingdom."

"Hmmm...That explains the powerful magical forces we felt before we revived Mario with what little power remained in us," Eldstar pondered. "I assume your own power was no match for Bowser and the power granted to him by the Star Rod." Sadly, Twilight nodded her head. "I see...It seems like the only way to stop Bowser now is to use the Star Beam."

"The Star Beam?" Goombario asked.

"It is a powerful beam of light that can dispel any effects the Star Rod may give to anyone, but it will only work when all seven of us Star Spirits are reunited," Eldstar explained. "Mario, you and your friends must save the other Star Spirits." Mario nodded his head, promising to do everything he can to save the kingdom and the other trapped Star Spirits. "And, Twilight, I will do all that I can to see if I can locate your missing friends from your world."

"Thank you, Eldstar," Twilight said.

"Now, before I go back to Star Haven and bring order back to the other worrying Stars, I shall grant you a little of my power, Mario." Eldstar raised his arms up, showering Mario with magical energy as stars sprinkled over him. With a brief flash of light, Mario was given Eldstar's power, clenching his fists as he felt some of his strength return after getting knocked back twice by the Koopa Bros. "With my ability, Refresh, you can call upon me to restore any minor injuries you may have. But do not fear; as long as an ounce of my power remains, I will come to your aid with a prayer. Already, I feel my strength regaining after being freed from my prison."

The Lucky Star around Mario's neck began glowing again, this time in a lavender light instead of a normal glow. Curious, the plumber pulled out the star pendant, gasping in surprise to see it had changed a little. In the center of the five arms of the star was a smaller fuchsia star.

"Whoa. That's new," Goombario said. "Did you grant us some other power?"

"That was not my doing," Eldstar said, just as astonished as they were. He sensed a similar kind of magic that was like Twilight's, though she seemed to have involuntarily granted Mario her power too, whatever it may be. The Star Spirit noticed how similar the star on the pendant matched the alicorn's cutie mark. "Hmmm...Very peculiar." He then moved closer to examine the Lucky Star. "...It seems like there is latent magic inside of Mario infused to him by Twilight and her friends' unique magic."

"There is?" Bombette asked. "How exactly did that happen?"

"Mario had fallen to Bowser's overwhelming strength thanks to the Star Rod, but as we Star Spirits found him, there had been a powerful magical source that we have never felt before that saved him from the fall," Eldstar answered. "Without that magic, he would have sustained far worse injuries."

"After hearing what happened, I do think that my friends' and my magic from our rainbow forms protected him with one last spell before we split apart from our unconsciousness," Twilight said.

"Wait, after Mario got the Lucky Star, there was a Kamek that attacked us before we started out on Pleasant Path," Goombario piped up. "He was able to deflect his magic spell back at him with his hammer, and that was physically impossible. Maybe Twilight and her friends' magic really did rub off on him when they saved him, which means he must have some of their power too."

"Possibly..." Twilight thought hard on this new discovery, but the only answer she could come up with was their harmonious power bleeding into Mario as their last bit of magic helped him descend safely from his fall. "...I wish I could study this more, but I really need to find my friends."

"I wish you all the best of luck on your journey," Eldstar said, beginning to float up to make his leave. "Remember; I will be watching over you. Do not be afraid to call me for help when you need it."

The Star Spirit flew out the window, leaving behind a trail of shimmering stardust as he ascended back to the sky. Only six more Star Spirits remained to be rescued and five more ponies to find out in the Mushroom Kingdom. No longer willing to stick around the fortress, the heroes began to make their way out of the building and head back to Koopa Village to get some rest. Hopefully, when they get back to Toad Town tomorrow, they'll figure out where the next Star Spirit is located and get one step closer to stopping Bowser and saving Princess Peach.
> Journal Snooping and the Return of the Annoying Pest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Up high in the sky in Peach's castle, the princess paced around her room, a little bored and still worried about the well-being of Mario and her Equestria friends. Twink watched Peach, knowing she was greatly concerned for everyone down below. Peach let out a sigh and turned to the Star Kid.

"I hope Twilight and her friends are safe," Peach said. "I know Mario can take care of himself, but they can't. Who knows what Bowser's soldiers will do to them?"

"I'm sure they must be safe somewhere," Twink assured. "And Mario can protect them when he finds them."

"...You're right, Twink." She let out an irritated grunt, looking over to her bedroom door. "I can't even leave my own room...I need to do something to help Mario. Anything!"

"It's too bad there's guards everywhere. And I can't exactly go out erratically, otherwise I'll end up getting followed again." Twink flew over to the window balcony. "And escaping from the window isn't a good idea. Bowser lifted your castle pretty high. A lot higher than where Star Haven rests, too."

Peach looked around her room, quite obvious that there was no possible way for her to escape. The door was guarded by a Koopatrol at all times, and her balcony didn't have any safe ledges underneath for her to land on if she jumped out. She then gasped as she looked by her fireplace, remembering some way that she could break out of her room.

"Wait! Maybe there is a way!" she said. "I remember Toadsworth telling me about a secret passage here in my room. And it had something to do with the fireplace." Peach approached the fireplace, the light fire burning behind the protective grates giving some warmth to her room since they were up high in the atmosphere. Twink floated closer, watching the princess poke and prod every part of the stone structure, hoping to find a secret button or switch hidden inside it. She then moved a nearby picture off the right side of the wall, seeing a small indent hidden behind it with a red button sticking out. "Hmm...Maybe this is it?"

Peach pressed the button, suddenly hearing the flames in the fireplace die out as part of the wall slid open. Both princess and Star Kid looked inside, surprised to see a hidden passage on the other side, the grates falling over in the empty pit. They looked at each other, their shock turning to glee as they found their escape route.

"That's so cool!" Twink exclaimed. "Now, let's see if we can find a way out of this castle!"

"Right." Peach took the lead and Twink followed, entering the tall fireplace and into the secret passage. It only had one corridor, candelabras already lit up in the hall to see through the slightly dim passage. On the other side was a small platform with a pair of railings around it, leaving an opening for anyone who wants to step onto it. There was a button in the middle of the wall. "Hmm...I wonder what this does?"

Peach pressed the button, making the platform shake slightly as it began to slowly spin around. She and Twink were both a little surprised by the sudden movement, wondering where it was taking them. As it rotated around, they could see the inside of another room that was in the castle, the platform finally stopping after making a complete 180 degree turn.

"Whoa. Where'd we end up?" Twink asked.

"It looks like an abandoned study in one of the castle's rooms," Peach said. "We're probably not that far from my room."

As they looked around, avoiding taking a peek outside in case a guard was patrolling close by, Twink spotted an opened book lying on the table. He floated over to it and looked through the opened pages.

"Hey, Peach. Looks like someone's diary or something lying here," he said.

Peach approached the desk and took a look at the diary. As wrong as it was to read someone else's personal thoughts, she couldn't help but feel a little curious as to what was written inside of it.



Today, I went up to Star Haven and stole the Star Rod. Now I'm invincible! Cool! I also captured those seven Star Spirits, so they won't annoy me anymore. It was a hard day's work and I'm feeling a little bushed. Dinner was nice, but a bit bland.



It was quite obvious from just the first entry they looked at, it was Bowser's diary. Peach and Twink looked at each other for a moment, already dreading reading it, but they continued on with the next entry, which just so happened to be the day after he stole the Star Rod.



Today was great, diary! I used my castle to lift Peach's up into the sky, all thanks to the powerful Star Rod! Not only that, but I also expected Mario to be there, and I actually won! Take that, you linguine munching plumber! I've finally beaten you after all these years!
Although, it was also a strange day. Along with the princess and Mario, there were these six animal things that were there. They had some weird...magic, I think Kammy told me, but they clearly weren't a match for me and the Star Rod. The purple one said something about "the magic of friendship", or something sappy like that, and what good that did them. I got a bit of a scolding from Kammy after blasting them out of the castle when they turned into those glowing lights, even though all I did was zap them.
Oh well. Whatever they are, I don't care. All that matters is that I won, Princess Peach is mine, and I'll take over the Mushroom Kingdom without Mario around to bother me ever again.



"Ugh. He even has to gloat in writing," Peach grumbled. "He's lucky they're still alive, otherwise I would have done worse than slap him across the face. Twilight and her friends are new to our world, and he doesn't even care about them."

"Hey, I think he wrote something else, and the date on this one was yesterday." Peach looked down at the latest entry Bowser made as Twink pointed to it.



Well, it looks like the Koopa Bros. were beaten. I figured those four would have won with that move of theirs, but nope! Beaten! Stupid Mario.
What's worse is that they managed to find one of those...uhh, what did Kammy say those six things were again? Eek quineys? I don't know what they're called. She said they were like those weird four-legged animal things in that dumb book she showed me. They barely look like them, with their big eyes and being far too colorful for my tastes. And the pink one was just plain annoying!...Pink is good on Peach in that lovely dress of hers, but that thing had too much pink! But, yet again, Mario saved it along with beating up the Koopa Bros.
I'm not all that worried, though. So what if he saved one of the Star Spirits? There's no way he'll find the one hidden in Dry Dry Desert. He'll need to solve the mystery of the Dry Dry Ruins, that is if he can find those ruins. And we'll also find those ekey wine things that my men have spotted soon enough. Kammy believes if we can figure out how their magic works, then we'd be even more unstoppable.



"The Dry Dry Ruins in Dry Dry Desert..." Peach let out a small laugh. "Bowser, you really aren't that smart. Twink, you have to give this information to Mario."

"Of course!" Twink said with a salute.

"Gah! I can't believe I left my diary out in the open!" Peach and Twink gasped as they heard Bowser's voice on the other side of the door. Twink quickly hid behind the chair right as Bowser barged into the room. As soon as he caught sight of Peach standing them with a nervous grin, his jaw dropped in shock. "W-What!? Peach!?"

"Uhh, hehehehe. Hello, Bowser," Peach said with a small wave.

"H-How did-!? How'd you get out of your room!?" Behind the princess, lying on the table, was Bowser's diary. He let out a shriek, running past Peach and snatching his diary away with a blush on his cheeks. "D-Did you read my dia-er, I mean my journal!?"

"Journal? What journal?" Peach asked, feigning obliviousness.

"Don't give me that, princess!" the Koopa King accused. "You read my journal! Guards! Get in here!"

Two Koopatrols barged into the room by Bowser's orders. "Lord Bowser! What seems to be-!?" The two spike-shelled Koopas yelped in surprise, seeing the princess out of her room. "W-Wha-? How did the princess escape!?"

"I don't know, you nimrods! You tell me since you all have shifts watching her door!" The guards stammered, feeling completely clueless and had no excuses to make. "Just get her back in her room! Now!"

"Y-Yes, Lord Bowser!" The guards obeyed their leader and grabbed Peach's arms, escorting her out of the study and back to her room.

"Ugh. Why do I have such incompetent guards?" Bowser asked himself, his back turned away from Twink as the Star Kid sneakily hovered away from him and out the door. "First the Goomba King, then the Koopa Bros., and now these idiots. How hard is it to watch Peach's bedroom door?" He looked down at his diary, mentally beating himself up for carelessly leaving it here. "I should put this back in my castle, so no one else looks at it...And what other private entries I made that no one else is supposed to see..."





After getting a good night's sleep back in Koopa Village, the heroes headed back out onto Pleasant Path and return back to Toad Town. Most of Bowser's minions weren't much of a problem with the addition of Bombette joining them. It was difficult getting out of town with the Bob-omb's ex, Bruce, wailing and clinging to her, begging her not to leave. After she gave him a proper scolding, and literally blowing up several times in his face to get him off of her, he finally got the message, though it was disheartening for him to realize their relationship was over.

"Fresh air," Bombette sighed as they walked along the path. "Finally happy to see some nature than the stone cold prison cell we were trapped in."

"I'm actually a little surprised the other Bob-ombs covered up the hole you guys made to trap them in that cell," Goombario said. "Man, Red Ninjakoopa sure sounded furious down there."

"Maybe some time locked up will cool their egotistical heads," Kooper pondered. "But enough about those guys. I wonder where we're going to next."

"Well, until we get a lead or if Twink comes down to give us some information, we'll just have to wait." Mario nodded in agreement with Goombario.

"Twink? Who's that?" Twilight asked.

"A Star Kid," Goombario explained. "He's kind of like Eldstar, though a lot younger and smaller. Little guy's keeping Princess Peach company and is our little messenger whenever they find something useful for us."

"I see...And I take it Twink doesn't know where my friends are either?" Sadly, Mario shook his head in response. "Right. It can't be that easy. What else could go wrong?"

"Aha! There you are!" The party stopped in the middle of the road, only several yards away from the entrance to Toad Town as they heard someone getting their attention. Jumping out of the bushes, Jr. Troopa pointed a finger at Mario, the plumber groaning in slight irritation at the eggshell-wearing Koopa's appearance. "I finally found you, Mario! Now I shall take my revenge!"

Jr. Troopa let out a battle cry and ran forward, only to trip on a rock and slide face first across the ground. Everyone watched as the little miscreant slipped over the edge and fall into the river running alongside the road with a splash.

"...Uhh, what was that?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, please don't tell me that was who I thought that was," Goombario pleaded.

Jr. Troopa grunted as he climbed back up the side, soaking wet as he finally managed to pull himself out of the calm stream. "Ugh. I meant to do that." He shook the water off of himself, then quickly got in front of their way to town. "I'm back for a fight and I'm tougher than I was last time!"

"Oh jeeze," the Goomba groaned. "It is. Jr. Troopa."

"Who is this kid?" Bombette asked.

"He's...my family's annoying bully," Goombario explained. "He constantly picks on us, and if anyone enters his 'playground', he beats them up for no reason...But how does he know you, Mario?"

"Oh, he knows full well what he did!" Jr. Troopa said. "And he's going to get what's coming to him! No one makes a fool out of Jr. Troopa! Here I come! Yaaaaaaaaah!"

The irate Koopa charged forward, heading straight for Mario. Before the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom could defend himself, Twilight used her magic to hold Jr. Troopa in place. He struggled to move, trying to break out of the alicorn's telekinetic hold, but her magic was stronger than his wild flailing.

"Ok, let me get this straight," Twilight said. "You're attacking Mario, who's known for saving this kingdom several times, and you want revenge on him?"

"Yeah, you weird purple dog! Mario and that old Goomba stepped on my playground, he beat me up, and I will not be happy until I beat him to a pulp!" Twilight ignored the rude comment by the young Koopa, sighing in irritation.

"You beat up my grandfather!?" Goombario exclaimed. "You little punk! How dare you attack Goompa!?"

Goombario tried to leap up and bonk Jr. Troopa, but Kooper held him back, holding onto him tightly. "...Do you have any idea who Mario even is?"

"No! And I don't care! Mario, tell your pet horned bird to let me go or else!" Twilight's eye twitched, already having enough of the spoiled, ignorant creature who only cared about his ego over who he's dealing with.

She slammed Jr. Troopa down hard to the ground, stunning him a bit as the wind was knocked out of him. "First of all, you little brat, I'm a pony! And I am nopony's pet! Second, you're really starting to get on my nerves thinking you're stronger than somepony who saves the world from an evil king, who we're in the middle of trying to stop before he destroys the Mushroom Kingdom! And third-"

Jr. Troopa stood up, ignoring Twilight's ranting and tackled her hard in the chest, knocking her over. "Ok, I'm gonna deal with the giant winged cat thing first for talking too much, THEN I'll deal with Mario!" Angered by the annoying little pest hitting Twilight like that, Mario rushed forward and kicked Jr. Troopa hard in the face, sending him flying off into the bushes. He held up his fists, telling Goombario, Kooper, and Bombette he'll deal with Jr. Troopa while they cover Twilight. The young Koopa growled as he poked his head out of a bush, leaping back onto the road, stomping his foot angrily. "Cheap shot, Mario! But like I said, I've gotten stronger! MORE POWER!!!!"

Jr. Troopa let out a roar as he powered up, only to quickly duck, hiding in both halves of his shell as an added means of defense. Twilight groaned as she stood up, rubbing her sore chest.

"Twilight, are you ok?" Kooper asked with concern.

"I've been in a scrape with a giant centaur back home," Twilight assured. "But that little brat's stronger than he looks."

"Hah! What do you think about this!?" Jr. Troopa asked as he hid in his shell, looking like a walking egg with his feet sticking out at the bottom. "Try penetrating my defenses with your pathetic punches!"

"He's hiding in his eggshell...That's a dumb strategy," Goombario commented dryly. "Idiot can't even see where anyone's coming."

"Well, he is a bit determined, I'll give him that," Kooper said. "But why is he in an eggshell? Did he even grow a shell?"

"Don't know. Don't care. As long as Mario beats the heck out of him, I'll be glad to know that twerp gets what's coming to him." Goombario looked up at Kooper, who was still holding onto him. "Kooper, you can let me go now. I'm not a plushie to hug."

"Oh. Sorry." Kooper let the Goomba down. "I was holding you back since Jr. Troopa was kinda defenseless in Twilight's magical hold. But, knowing how dangerous this kid can be, I think I'll let you go all out next time."

While Jr. Troopa continued gloating over how better his defenses were while hiding under in his eggshell clothing, Goombario was right about the lack of sight he had. Taking it as an advantage, Mario pulled out his trusty hammer and ran forward. With a powerful vertical swing, he struck the defensive Koopa hard in the head, making him pop out from his shell and yell out in pain.

"AUGH! H-How did that hurt me!?" Jr. Troopa asked.

"It's a hammer, you dunce!" Bombette stated. "It's gonna hurt even in that weak eggshell!"

"My defenses were impenetrable! I powered up and everything!" Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, and Twilight simultaneously sighed in exasperation.

"Some kind of power up that seemed to be," Goombario groaned.

"You only got a lucky hit. You won't get another one!" Jr. Troopa charged again, jumping up in the air and trying to land on Mario.

He blocked the pounce with his hammer, pushing the Koopa back across the road. Mario threw his hammer, but it missed as Jr. Troopa ducked under it, laughing mockingly as he avoided it. Mario growled and clenched his fist, the Lucky Star began glowing purple. Confused at the strange power, he looked down at his chest, then saw his fist was glowing the exact same light. He had no idea what was happening, but oddly enough, he was able to feel the hammer's handle in his hand, even though it was flung a few yards away from him.

"Whoa. What's up with Mario's hand?" Kooper asked.

"That's...the same color aura as my magic," Twilight uttered in surprise. "What is happening?"

"Hahahaha! Nice throw with that hammer!" Jr. Troopa continued mocking. Mario ignored him as he lifted his glowing hand up. Behind the obnoxious little Koopa, he saw his hammer rising up at his command. With his opponent distracted, Mario "grabbed" his hammer and pulled his arm back, sending it flying back toward the oblivious child. It smacked Jr. Troopa hard in the back of the head, sending him slamming face first into the dirt, the hammer flying back to him, catching it right back in his glowing hand. "OW! W-What!? What hit me!?"

"Did Mario really just use magic???" Bombette asked, her eyes twice as wide as they usually were in surprise. "CAN Mario use magic???"

"Unless you count his transformations when he uses a Fire Flower or a Cape Feather, then I don't really think so," Goombario said. "That was definitely like Twilight's levitation."

Thankfully, Jr. Troopa was too angry to pay attention to what the commentating group in the background were saying. "Alright! That's it! I'm done fooling around!"

Jr. Troopa charged again, leaping up again, but instead of just trouncing Mario, he hid inside his eggshells and dive bombed the plumber. Unfortunately, since he jumped so high, he couldn't see Mario leap out of the way. Just before hitting the ground, Mario slammed his hammer down hard on the small Koopa, smacking his head even harder to the ground. Jr. Troopa groaned in pain, popping out of his defensive stance and flopped on his stomach, his eyes spinning around in his head in defeat.

Mario let out a sigh, put away his hammer, and dusted his hands off. He looked down at his hands, the glowing finally stopped once Jr. Troopa was finally beaten. It was quite an odd power he had gained, using the same levitation powers as Twilight. Mario flexed his fingers, seeing it can come in handy if he ever missed his throw and needed his hammer back. Seeing as Jr. Troopa was down and out, groaning in his daze, Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, and Twilight approached Mario as they looked down at the unconscious Koopa.

"Serves that little brat right," Goombario said with a grunt. "He's lucky I didn't beat him up. Last time he messed with us, he swiped Goombaria's Princess Peach doll from her and ran off with it. Spoiled little runt thinks he owns everything and has no sympathetic bone in him."

"I actually feel a little bad for him," Kooper said. "He doesn't even have a shell. I think at his age, he should have had one the moment he was born."

"After attacking us like that while being clueless to the real threat going on, I don't think we should pity him at all," Bombette said. "Hopefully this beating will teach him a lesson."

They left Jr. Troopa and headed into Toad Town, continuing on their quest to save the princess, the Star Spirits, and Twilight's friends. For the alicorn, she was surprised to see just how normal a town with walking, talking mushroom-headed peoples Toad Town was. For a kingdom that was called the Mushroom Kingdom, she expected them to live in giant houses carved out of massive fungi, not wood and brick homes. And even though Peach's castle was uprooted by Bowser's days ago, the town was very lively. Since they knew Mario was still alive, they were sure to believe he would find a way to bring their princess back.

"Mario!" Everyone looked up at the sky, spotting Twink floating down toward them. This time, he remembered not to drop down too fast and ram into anyone like a shooting star. "Hey, good thing I didn't have to look far!"

"Hey, Twink," Goombario greeted. "Anything to report?"

"Well, we got some good news. I know where one of the next Honorable Star Spirits are located," the Star Kid said. "We looked through Bowser's diary and he wrote down a location to where the next Star Spirit is held captive. They're in Dry Dry Ruins in the Dry Dry Desert."

"Dry Dry Ruins!?" Kooper exclaimed. "Hey, Prof. Kolorado is on an expedition to find those ruins!" He pulled out the map that was placed in Twilight's saddlebags and opened it. He pointed at a large stretch of desert far to the south of Toad Town. "The Dry Dry Desert's a train ride south of here and a hike over Mt. Rugged! I didn't think Bowser and his men actually found those ruins first before anyone else!"

"Not only that, but Bowser was a bit miffed when he heard you guys beat the Koopa Bros.," Twink continued. "He said he wasn't worried, but I doubt that." Twink finally noticed Twilight, floating over to the alicorn as they both stared at each other curiously. "Whoa. Are you one of those ponies the princess told me about?"

"At least somepony finally guessed right about what I am," Twilight said aloud. "I'm Twilight Sparkle. You must be Twink."

"Yeah. And Twilight Sparkle...Kinda sounds like a name given to a star," Twink said.

"Well, I do like stargazing and observing the constellations back home, but I prefer learning more about magic...Oh, Twink, do you think you know where my friends might be?" Twilight asked.

"Sorry. Princess Peach and I didn't find anything about where your friends might be," Twink sadly explained. "All we know is that Bowser's soldiers did find two of them, but they left out exactly where they might be." Twilight's ears drooped as she let out a sigh. "But don't worry! We'll try to find out anymore if we can!"

"Thanks. I'm just really worried about them." With nothing else to give, Twink said his goodbyes to the party and flew back up to Peach's castle. Now that they know where to go, they began making their way to the south of town where the train station was. Earlier, they wouldn't have been able to go down to the southern sections of Toad Town due to the debris from the earthquake made by Bowser's castle a few days ago. Now that it was cleared up, they could go down, but as they made their way to the station, Twilight wondered what had happened when Mario fought Jr. Troopa. "Mario, how were you able to use magic?"

The plumber couldn't describe exactly what happened. The Lucky Star began glowing, which made his hand glow, and he explained it felt like he was still holding onto his hammer when it was thrown far away from him. He told Twilight he winged it, testing this strange ability he mysteriously gained, moving his hammer with his hand's movements to bring it back to him.

"How exactly was that possible?" Bombette asked.

"Maybe it's the Lucky Star," Goombario pondered.

Mario pulled out the star pendant from under his shirt. It was odd to see the bronze star had turned purple in the center, but it matched Twilight's big star on her cutie mark, and the power he had seemed to be levitation. So far, he was only able to manipulate his hammer, though it made him wonder if he can move anything else with it.

"Maybe it was," Twilight guessed as she got a better look at the pendant. "The magic my friends and I used to save you from your fall was able to be sensed in you by the Star Spirits. And if you could use levitation, my magic must have transferred into you when Eldstar was freed."

"So, Mario unintentionally stole some of your magic?" Kooper asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"No. If he didn't, I don't feel as drained as I should if that was the case," Twilight said. "Maybe our combined magic that floated Mario down to safety transferred some of that magic to him, but is only a part of our power was given to him after we saved Eldstar. Until we find any of my other friends, we'll see if my theory is right or not."

Mario nodded his head in agreement as he placed his pendant back under his shirt. If what Twilight guessed was true, maybe there might be some other helpful skills he could gain in the future along with the Star Spirits' power. Before they headed down to the station, Twilight noticed an odd looking pink flower in the grass nearby, the stem of it somehow bigger at the roots than any normal flower.

As she walked up to the flower and gave it a curious sniff, the plant suddenly popped out of the ground, surprising Twilight as she yelped and fell over on her back. "Well, hello there, strange creature."

"Huh!?" The "roots" of the flower talked to her, a wide body with a face and feet at the bottom of it. "Y-You can talk???"

"Why of course. I am a Bub-ulb," the flora creature introduced itself. "I come from a place called Flower Fields, a wonderful land of flowers. And I love to spread flowers all across the kingdom."

"...Uhhhh...great?" Twilight was utterly clueless, unable to fathom what this odd flower being was, and she had seen stranger things happen in the past.

"And I see you love flowers too," the Bub-ulb continued, ignoring the alicorn's shocked expression. It then pulled out a large pink seed, giving Twilight the seed. "I can trust you to take care of this seed. Make sure to plant it somewhere beautiful for everyone to see."

"...Ok then..." The Bub-ulb skipped back to where it popped up from the ground and dove back in, covering its body in dirt as it left the flower on its head sticking out of the ground. "...Well, that was random...But Pinkie easily tops everything else that's completely weird and not normal."

Deciding the just hold onto the seed for now, Twilight placed it in her bags, making sure it wouldn't get mixed up with their provisions. She quickly caught up with the group before she got lost and found themselves at the train station. Sadly, the train wasn't running, a boulder that had rolled off the side landed on the track, halting their schedule.

"Is there anything the matter, sirs?" Kooper asked the train staff.

"Yeah. We can't move this boulder out of the way," the conductor said. "It's too heavy for any of us to even budge it. Because of this roadblock, we can't exchange goods or carry passengers over to Mt. Rugged, where the Dry Dry Outpost lies on the other end of the Dry Dry Desert."

Bombette walked up to the boulder, examining it closely. "Hmmm...Pthh. This thing's a roadblock? Nothing but a little explosive power should make this thing crumble to tiny pebbles. Everyone stand back! I've got this!"

"Better do as she says," Goombario warned as he, his friends, and the conductors backed away.

The Bob-omb lit her fuse, staring at the boulder in concentration. Once the fire seeped into the top of her body, she let out a powerful explosion, shattering the rock into pieces, leaving behind nothing but small pebbles. Bombette fell after releasing her blast, landing before everyone with a perfect landing.

"Wow! It's destroyed!" the train engineer exclaimed in shock.

"Now the train is back and opened for business!" the conductor said, approaching Bombette and shaking her foot. "Thanks for your help, Miss...?"

"You can just call me Bombette," she said. "No thanks are necessary. Anything in need of blowing up, I'm the Bob-omb to do it...Although, we would like a ride to Mt. Rugged. We've got some business to do out in the desert."

"Well, the train's back in action. So, ALL ABOARD!" The engineer blew the whistle, prepping the train's engine to begin its trek across the tracks to the south once again.

The group hopped inside the train, being the only passengers for the ride to the base of Mt. Rugged several miles southeast of the kingdom. As soon as it was ready to depart, the engineer rang the bell, signalling its preparations are complete as the barrier keeping citizens safe from the railroad moved away to let the train go through. The locomotive chugged off, puffing out smoke shaped like stars, slowly taking off until it sped up to the proper travelling speed.

"Say, Twilight? Do you have trains back in Equestria, or are these new to you?" Kooper asked as the group hung around the back of the vehicle, the railings keeping them from falling off.

"Actually, we do," Twilight said. "They're one of few different means of transporting to different places around Equestria. We also have boats and airships, though there are mostly hot air balloons some ponies used to fly up to cities like Cloudsdale and airships can be pretty expensive. I even had my own balloon back in Ponyville I used from time to time when I was a unicorn."

"That's pretty interesting," Goombario said with awe. "I thought you just teleport from location to location with your magic."

"Maybe some unicorns with an advanced skill with magic, but not many can. Pegasi can freely fly to different towns with their wings alone, but earth ponies and unicorns had to walk long distances before locomotion was invented." During the ride, Twilight explained a bit more about her world and what differences there were in technology compared to what the Mushroom Kingdom has.

The train passed through the grassy plains of the Mushroom Kingdom, passing over a bridge with a river flowing into the ocean underneath. It didn't take long for the fields to soon turn into dry and craggy land, entering the vicinity of the arid land southeast of the kingdom. Twilight looked over to the side, seeing the rocky Mt. Rugged up ahead, hoping to see one of her friends somewhere in the town far to the east of the mountain range and the hot desert it was located in. The only thing she was going to dread was suffer from dehydration, the desert sun with her fur coat a terrible combination if they had to travel through Dry Dry Desert for over an hour.
> Over the Mountain...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	After a relatively short ride across the tracks, the train finally slowed to a halt as it reached its destination: Mt. Rugged. The locomotive rolled up into the station, letting out a whistle upon its arrival as Toads wandered about the platform, some impatient visitors waiting to get home while some sold wares for travelers wishing to climb past the mountain range and Dry Dry Desert on the other side.

"Mt. Rugged Station!" the conductor announced.

The group boarded off the train and stepped foot on the base of the mountains. The humid air was not as bad as the desert, but Twilight could feel it as she already began to sweat.

"Ugh. It's already too warm," Twilight groaned. "I feel like shaving off all my fur just to make this heat slightly bearable."

"Maybe you should get yourself a cloak to help protect you from the heat," Kooper suggested. "I...don't want to imagine what you would look like as a hairless pony."

"And seeing the prices of some of the traveling gear, it's actually a pretty good deal," Goombario said.

Twilight went over to the station's stand and got herself a simple brown cloak using the coins this world uses as currency. She tore a couple holes around the back for her wings, keeping them free so she could fly in the air while wearing it if she needed to. It did keep her cool a little bit, but she was sure the hot desert air would only bring the unbearable heat back as soon as they step onto the sands. Now that they were properly prepared, mostly Twilight, Mario lead the way as they began climbing up the mountain. They didn't get far before they heard someone ahead of them.

"Oh no, oh my!" a male voice said worriedly. "Where did I drop them!? Ohhhhh, I'm in so much trouble!"

Up ahead was a cyan shelled Paratroopa wearing a satchel over his shoulders and a flight cap with a pair of air-resistant goggles on his head, flying backwards as he seemed desperate to look for something. Not paying attention to where he was going, he was about to bump into Mario, but Twilight stopped him with her magic.

"Sir, are you ok?" the alicorn asked.

"Huh?" The Paratroopa turned around, gasping in surprise as he saw Mario among the group of five. "Oh my gosh! It's Mario! Pop me out of my shell, it's an honor to meet you!" He finally realized he wasn't moving as he flapped his wings, noticing the lavender aura around his body. "Uhh, how am I hovering without moving?"

"That would be me," Twilight answered, lowering the flying Koopa down to the ground. "You were about to run into us when your back was turned."

"Oh. Oops." The Paratroopa fidgeted his hands nervously. "W-Well, I'm looking around for something. My name's Parakarry, and I'm the mail carrier for the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Nice meeting you, Parakarry," Twilight greeted. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and that's Goombario, Kooper, and Bombette." The other three waved or nodded at Parakarry as they were introduced to the mail carrier. "Now, what exactly are you looking for?"

"...Uhh, this is a little embarrassing, but...I lost some letters that fell out of my bag," Parakarry said, rubbing the back of his head with a nervous blush on his cheeks. "I've been looking all over Mt. Rugged for three of them that I dropped, but I can't find them anywhere. I mean, I'm supposed to be a professional postman, and I had to go flying around with my mailbag not even fully closed." Parakarry whined, bringing his hands to his face. "I'm going to be fired for sure..."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Goombario said. "We'll help find your missing mail."

"Really!?" Parakarry asked, Mario nodding his head as he looked at the plumber. "Oh, thank you! You guys are life savers! I'll start looking around here if they fell in this area."

"Ok. We'll meet up here with you after we find the three letters you lost." The group began heading on through Mt. Rugged, leaving Parakarry near the station as he began looking around the bushes for his missing mail. Kooper pulled out the map as he looked over the mountain range. "So, if Parakarry lost his mail around Mt. Rugged, it shouldn't be too hard to find if his route for his rounds flew over the traversable sections of the mountain."

"I think our best bet is to split up into groups to find them," Goombario said, quickly jumping up onto Twilight's back. "Since Twilight can fly and I'm light enough for her to carry, we'll go together and take the skies to get a birds-eye view of the mountain."

"And we'll take the ground path," Bombette said. "Let's hope things go smoothly for us on this rugged mountain."

"Just be careful of any suspicious looking rocks," Goombario warned. "There's supposed to be Clefts that live on Mt. Rugged. Don't jump on them since they also hide spikes on their heads. And watch out for Monty Moles that pop out from the ground and walls around here, too. They love to ambush travelers."

"Got it. As if we'll let some rocks and moles stop us." They split up in their groups, Twilight flapping her wings as she flew into the air with Goombario while Mario, Kooper, and Bombette continued their way on foot to search for Parakarry's letters.

"Hopefully those letters will be easy to spot," Twilight said. "With how many levels there are on this mountain, it could be hiding underneath the side of a cliff, or stuck between any of the foliage that thrives in this range." As the alicorn slowly flew over Mt. Rugged, being careful not to let Goombario fall off since he didn't have arms or hands to hold onto, she spotted a bridge in the distance. Beyond that was Dry Dry Desert, where all she could see was sand, cacti, and a searing heat that would melt an ice cube in mere seconds. There was also a suspicious looking vulture resting on a nest, keeping a close eye on the bridge for any passersby. It was pretty big for any normal avian Twilight had ever seen with a lone feather sticking out on top of its bald head. Down by the cliff near the start of the bridge, she spotted what looked like an envelope laying on the ground. "I think I see one."

Twilight flew down and landed on the ground, unaware of one of the rocks shifting slightly as a pair of eyes spotted her. She picked up the envelope with her magic, her back turned to the stone as it slowly shuffled toward her.

"Yup. That's definitely mail issued for the post office," Goombario said. "This must be one of the missing letters Parakarry lost."

"Good, that's one down." The rock suddenly began to change, revealing a clefted face, a pair of feet, and spikes appearing on its head from its camouflaged state. "Just two more left to-" The rock creature rammed into Twilight's plot, pricking her backside as she winced and leapt up into the air in surprise and pain. "YEEEEOW!"

Goombario yelped and fell off Twilight's back, landing on his feet as he saw what startled the alicorn as she rubbed her pricked rump. "It's a Cleft! Sneaky little rock monster!"

While the Cleft laughed, its beady yellow eyes cock-eyed at the hilarious reaction he gave to Twilight, the alicorn looked down when the pain subsided. "What the...? THAT's a Cleft!?" She growled and hovered back down, leering at the prankster rock creature. "That is not funny!" Using her magic, she levitated the Cleft up in the air, ceasing its mocking laughter as it began whimpering, flailing its legs around to try to touch the ground. "That really hurt, you walking boulder!"

Twilight turned around and gave the Cleft a swift buck in its cleft chin, sending it flying across the ground and smacking hard into the wall of the nearby canyon. Its eyes spun around in its head as it slid to the ground, plopping onto its side as it saw stars floating around it. Twilight winced, a big mistake to kick something as hard as stone as soon as she put her hind legs back down. At least she aimed underneath it and not the top of its spiked head.

"Ow. That looked like it hurt," Goombario said. "Your hooves ok, Twilight?"

"Just a little sore," she said. "I'm not like Applejack or Pinkie with their overwhelming strength. I think I'll be ok." Twilight rubbed where the Cleft pricked her, wincing a little as she growled in irritation. "I better stay in the air if anymore of those things decide to sneak up on me."

"And if we land, we better keep a close eye out for any rocks that are that Cleft's size," Goombario warned. "They blend in really well with the mountain. At least we haven't run into any Monty Moles. They can pop out of the ground and throw rocks at you. Though, those probably hurt a lot less than a harsh poke to the butt."

Twilight grumbled as Goombario climbed back onto her back, gripping onto her mane with his mouth just in case she gets startled like that again. Twilight lifted off the ground again and continued her search for the other two letters from the air. She didn't get far when she spotted something down below. It wasn't a letter, but it was a small blue flower that looked just like the pink one from that Bub-ulb back in Toad Town. Taking a closer look, she hovered down to where it rested, an impossible feat to make for anyone to get over with a gap that was far too wide for someone not like Mario to jump across.

"Is this another one of those Bub-ulb things?" Twilight asked.

"Bub-ulbs? Those guys live in Flower Fields, or anyplace with fertile soil," Goombario stated. "Kinda hard to find anyplace fertile near a desert region. They aren't like cacti since they need water to survive."

Overhearing them, the flower popped up in front of Twilight and Goombario, which just so happened to be another Bub-ulb underneath. "Well, I never thought I'd find visitors around here. Kind of an odd place for me to set myself, but the little Goomba is right. And this little spot has the perfect soil to grow plants, far enough away from those dreadful Monty Moles. Always digging through the ground, even tearing out the roots of the flowers if any grew." The Bub-ulb shuddered in fright at the thought of meeting a Monty Mole's claws while buried in the ground. "We sometimes get some vermin infestations from their cousins in Flower Fields."

"I don't think Fluttershy would appreciate moles getting killed to protect the flora in your home," Twilight said.

"Flutter-who? Is that some kind of butterfly?" The alicorn was about to respond, but the Bub-ulb shook its head. "Oh well. That doesn't matter. Anyway, for seeing me, I'll give you one of my seeds." It pulled out a blue seed similar in size to the pink one Twilight received from the pink Bub-ulb back in Toad Town, handing it to her. "Make sure to plant it somewhere safe and far away from those Monty Moles."

"Right." The Bub-ulb gave a bow and hopped back into its hole, burying its body back into the dirt while leaving it's flower up above ground. "Odd creatures, Bub-ulbs. And now I have two different flower seeds."

"We can't exactly plant them right now when we're in the middle of saving the kingdom," Goombario said. "Might as well hold onto those Bub-ulb seeds. Maybe someone who loves flowers will take care of them."





Mario, Kooper, and Bombette traversed the mountain range, avoiding getting struck by stones tossed by the mischievous Monty Moles that poked their heads out of the ground. They were low enough in the ground to get whacked by Mario's hammer or tackled by Kooper and Bombette, though they always appeared in groups whenever provoked into a confrontation. Along the way, there were slide-like slopes around parts of Mt. Rugged, mostly used as a shortcut to reach certain heights of the mountain range while on land or making it back to the train station quicker.

As they made it halfway across the area, Mario spotted something up on a high ledge. Leaping up to it after knocking out a few more Monty Moles in the wide open area, he found one of the three letters Parakarry was looking for. He showed it to his two companions as he leapt back down toward them.

"Great! One down, two to go!" Kooper cheered.

"I don't know how he missed that one," Bombette said. "I bet Twilight could have seen that easily, although it may be because she's got bigger eyes. Or Parakarry needs to clean those goggles of his if they're dirty."

"I'm not sure if Twilight can see better than we can with eyes as big as hers," Kooper pondered. "I didn't want to be rude and ask her. But she does have a keen eye, so that might be the reason." They looked around to figure out where to go next. The Koopa spotted one of the slopes high above them that lead over to another section of Mt. Rugged above where they entered. "Let's check over there. Maybe one of Parakarry's letters wound up in that upper area."

"So, we're going to be sliding down that slope and hoping we fly far enough to land on that platform up there?" Bombette asked.

"Yeah. It kinda looks fun," Kooper said, the pink Bob-omb giving him a blank stare. "What?"

"Do you live for danger?" Bombette questioned. "Because after you lit yourself on fire taking on the Koopa Bros., I have a feeling you like getting into trouble where every bone in your body could get broken."

"Well, if I'm going to be an explorer, you need to take your chances on any expedition. That's what Mr. Kolorado Koopa says." Kooper began bouncing up and down excitedly. "And he's somewhere in Dry Dry Desert! I can't wait to tell him I'm teaming up with Mario to travel around the Mushroom Kingdom and help save the princess!"

"You're quite the fanboy, aren't you?" Bombette sighed and shook her head. "Granted that is dangerous, but if it's the only way to go...unless we ask Twilight to search up there."

"Nonsense!" Kooper exclaimed. "Down the slope we go!"

The Koopa ran on ahead as he climbed up a slanted slope to reach the higher point of the mountain where the slide started. Bombette and Mario hurried after him before they got ambushed by more Monty Moles or any Clefts, being wary of any strange-looking rocks on the ground. Once they reached the top, Kooper was already sliding down, letting out a whoop as he pulled himself inside his shell and flew off the curve, landing on the upper ledge down below. Mario went down next, sliding off and making a huge leap over, overestimating his landing as he landed on his feet, then flopped onto his stomach from the momentum.

"Oh boy," Bombette muttered. "I hope I make it across..."

Steeling her nerves, Bombette ran forward and began sliding down, but with her round body, she began rolling uncontrollably down the slide. She flew off the lip, screaming and flailing her legs wildly as she spun rapidly, unable to land properly as she began to get dizzy. Kooper quickly got under the Bob-omb and caught her before she hit the ground, her eyes turning into spirals as she moaned deliriously.

"You alright, Bombette?" Kooper asked.

"I think I'm gonna throw up...and I don't have a mouth. Or a stomach." Kooper let her down, finally finding solid ground as she stumbled about. "Next time, one of you guys carry me so I don't rumble and tumble like steep slopes like that again."

"Heheh. Will do." Kooper looked over at Mario, dusting himself off before giving him a thumbs up.

After Bombette got her bearings, the trio continued their search for Parakarry's lost mail. They explored the  beaten path of the trail, avoiding a nearby Cleft as they made their way over to a spring that helped them up on another higher cliff. With a higher view, they looked around the area for any sign of an envelope. Mario spotted it on a cliff where they entered this section of Mt. Rugged, and it was yet another sliding jump across. As they slid down and over, Kooper made sure Bombette was secure in his grip as they made it over, Mario grabbing their second letter.

"That's two down," Bombette said. "Let's see if Twilight found the third one."

The party soon regrouped with each other a moment later, Mario's group spotting Twilight and Goombario hovering around as they looked around. The hero of the Mushroom Kingdom let out a whistle, alerting the alicorn to their location. She flew down and landed before them.

"We found a letter over by the bridge," Goombario said. "You guys got any luck?"

"Yeah. We found the other two," Kooper said as Mario held up the two of three letters Parakarry dropped.

"Cool! We found all three!" Twilight levitated the letter she and Goombario found over to Mario.

"Hopefully this will ease his worries," Twilight said. "...And if he's a mail carrier, maybe he's seen where my friends are on his routes!"

"Hey, maybe he has," Kooper said. "If Parakarry delivered any mail across the kingdom, then he's sure to have at least seen one of your friends the past few days."

Reunited, they headed back to the station, where they found Parakarry fluttering about, still searching the area for his missing letters. He spotted them coming back, flying up to them in desperation.

"Did you find them yet?" he asked, practically begging with his hands clasped together. Mario pulled out the three envelopes, the Paratroopa immediately recognizing them as he swiped them out of the plumber's hand. "Yes! These are the ones I was missing here! Oh, thank you, guys! You're all lifesavers!"

"It was no-" Goombario paused, thinking he misheard Parakarry. "Wait, did you say 'the ones missing here'? What does that mean?"

"...Uhh..." Parakarry giggled nervously with a sheepish grin. "W-Well...I did say there were only three letters I dropped around Mt. Rugged...But I also lost other letters all around the Mushroom Kingdom, too."

Mario, Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, and Twilight comically fell over and let out a loud groan of exasperation. "Are you serious!?"

"Heheheheh. Yes, unfortunately," Parakarry said. "I didn't realize it until I felt my bag was so empty. I just don't know what went wrong."

Twilight sighed heavily, Parakarry's clumsiness reminding her of a certain pegasus mailmare back home who delivered mail to Ponyville, and was also the cause of the heavy falling objects from a delivery while she was observing Pinkie and her Pinkie sense. "Next time, before you fly, secure every! Single! Pocket! In your bags!"

"S-Sorry," the Paratroopa apologized. "I was in the middle of a panic when Her Highness Princess Peach's castle was lifted into the sky while delivering newpapers of the event. I at least gave everyone their news...T-That counts, right?"

"Dude, you need to organize yourself a little better," Goombario suggested. "That way you won't freak out about losing your job."

"R-Right. But, I at least got three of them back." Parakarry placed the envelopes in his bag, double-checking to make sure it was closed tightly and nothing was going to fall out. "I'm really sorry for making you run around and find the things I lost...I can make it up to you, if you want. Since you guys are with Mario, I'm betting you're helping him find a way to save the princess, right?"

"We are," Bombette answered. "You can fight?"

"Of course. As a mail carrier, I travel to all sorts of dangerous places to deliver mail." Parakarry ducked inside his shell, his wings keeping him hovered in the air. He then shot off almost as quickly as Kooper does, flying off in one direction at high speeds until he smacked into a nearby rock. He managed to leave a crack in it, flying back to the others. "No wind, sleet, snow, hail, or wild creatures stops me from delivering news and letters to all of the Mushroom Kingdom. And if you need a lift over far distances or gaps, I can carry you across. There is part of the broken bridge leading to Dry Dry Desert that was taken out recently, and it's a far leap...Though, probably not for Mario."

"Well, Twilight and I did find the bridge where one of those letters was located," Goombario said.

"And if I had to fly everyone over who can't jump far distances, I'll end up exhausted, even if we don't find Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy to help me." While Twilight pondered over inviting Parakarry to join them, she also remembered to ask him about her friends after nearly forgetting from his carelessness with his duties. "Oh! Parakarry, by any chance, have you seen others that are like me, though with just wings, just a horn, or none? Long story short, my friends and I are from a different world, we came here by a complete accident with a spell, and got separated when Bowser attacked us."

"Oh. I was wondering who you were, but I was so worried about finding my mail that I didn't notice..." Parakarry didn't really think long, giving Twilight a sad look. "...But, I didn't see any others that looked like you, Twilight. I was really busy, and I was looking for my letters...Sorry."

"Oh," Twilight uttered, lowering her head dejectedly. "No matter who I ask, I can never get any leads on where my friends are..."

Mario comforted the alicorn, patting her head, reassuring her that her friends must be somewhere out in the kingdom. He didn't need anymore convincing from Parakarry, allowing the Paratroopa to come along with them and help him.

"Really!? Oh, thanks, Mario!" Parakarry said gratefully. "And if we find any letters out in the kingdom, I'll deliver them to the right person if we're in the right place we travel to...At least, I hope we'll find all of them."

"Just make sure not to lose them," Kooper reminded Parakarry, the mail carrier nodding his head with a nervous chuckle.

With Parakarry joining the group, they continued on their way to the desert, reaching back to the bridge Twilight and Goombario had flown by where one of the Paratroopa's letters was found. On their way, Parakarry got to know a bit more about Twilight and who she was, along with the description of her friends that were scattered somewhere in the Mushroom Kingdom. He did feel bad he never saw any other ponies in the last few days since the castle was lifted by Bowser's floating fortress after seeing how disappointed Twilight was knowing he didn't offer any help. If only he was more observant to his surroundings during the busiest of days of his job he's ever had in his life, maybe he would feel more useful for her than being a clumsy Paratroopa who can't keep track of his missing mail he accidentally lost and relied on Mario and his other companions to find them for him.

They eventually reached the bridge, and just as Parakarry said, there was a large gap between them and the bridge. Down below, there was the Cleft that rammed into Twilight earlier, still in a daze from getting bucked in the jaw by the irritated alicorn.

"Wow," Goombario uttered. "That Cleft is still knocked for a loop after it pricked you with its spiked head, Twilight."

"That Cleft hit you?" Kooper asked.

"That thing is lucky I didn't throw it over the cliff for ramming into me," Twilight grumbled, leering angrily at the Cleft with her cheeks puffed out.

"Where exactly did it hit you?" The alicorn instinctively pressed her tail down against her rear, blushing heavily as she looked away from everyone. Just from her reaction to Parakarry's question, they could take a guess the general area where she was struck, Mario rubbing his own hindquarters with a wince as he made a few accidental mistakes trouncing spiked foes or falling into spike pits. "Oh. Never mind..."

"Let's just get to the desert before I take out my frustration on that sentient rock thing." Twilight picked up Goombario, placing him on her back as she hovered in the air and grabbed Bombette in her forehooves.

She flew her two charges over to the other side while Mario simply jumped across and Parakarry carried Kooper across, the mail carrier flapping his wings hard as they crossed the gap. The Paratroopa didn't look strong, but he was able to lift a Koopa like Kooper easily, but with someone heavier like Mario, it would exhaust him more since his wings were smaller than Twilight's and not as strong. Once they got across, they walked over the wooden bridge across the canyon, Dry Dry Desert not too far away.

Eyeing the group on a nest resting on a lone pillar of earth, the vulture pulled out a slip of paper hidden under the thick twigs and branches. On the back was Bowser's insignia, which happened to be a silhouette of his face laughing maniacally, and on the front was a detailed picture of targets the Koopa King wants taken care of and/or captured. The only one on the "kill" section was Mario's portrait, and beneath that were the pictures of the six mares requested to be captured and reported to Kammy. Though the ponies' pictures were drawn out as best as possible, the buzzard shifted its eyes from the page to the group walking across the bridge, unsure if those were the targets Bowser wanted to be dealt with.

"Hey! Hold up there!" The party stopped as they looked out to the vulture, flapping its wings out of its nest and flew up to them. Blocking their path, it examined them, mostly Mario and Twilight as it pulled out Bowser's wanted list. Upon seeing Bowser's insignia, the group let out a quiet gasp of shock, figuring the buzzard worked for Bowser. "Mhmm. Yup. Very similar lookin'. Two of y'all are on this here list for King Bowser; Mario and one of these here odd lookin' critters from some other land or somethin'." The vulture put the list away in its feathers, readying to attack them. "Now, who are y'all!?"

As they tried to figure out a plan to get out of fighting the bridge watching avian, Goombario already had an idea the moment it mentioned Mario. "Wait, you really think this guy is Mario?" the Goomba questioned.

"Well...it looks like him from the picture," the buzzard said. "Clearly that has to be Mario!"

"No it's not," Goombario said matter-of-factly. "This is obviously Mario's younger brother, Luigi." The avian raised a brow, cocking its head in confusion. Mario, Bombette, Kooper, and Parakarry quickly caught on with Goombario's plan, nodding their heads to confirm the Goomba's lie. "I know it's hard to tell, but this isn't Mario at all. Maybe it's the mustache, since they both have them."

Miraculously, the buzzard fell for the trick as it let out an understanding squawk. "He does look like Mario...Ah guess Ah can let him pass...but this creature..." It flapped down and landed in front of Twilight, the larger bird towering over the alicorn. Twilight gulped, keeping quiet as it leered at her with its beady black eyes. "This here looks like one of these six here animals Lord Bowser needs to be captured."

"What kind of animal?" Goombario asked, feeling confident in tricking the buzzard even further.

"No idea what it is. Some of them have a horn, or wings, with big eyes and lookin' like somethin' that came out of a little girl's colorin' book." The vulture pulled out the list again, taking a closer look at the six described equines for reference.

"Well, I don't know what you're talking about. You clearly haven't seen a Poochy before." The bridge sentry looked up, even more confused.

"The hay-feathers is a Poochy?" the buzzard asked.

"This is a Poochy," Goombario said, confusing everyone along with the buzzard. He leapt up on Twilight's back and pat her with his foot. "I don't know what Bowser's looking for, but if it's a Poochy, then I think you're wasting your time. And this Poochy's been a part of my family ever since I was little. She even knows a few tricks. Lay down, girl!" Having no idea what was happening, Twilight lowered herself down on the ground. Goombario hopped off of her and approached her ear. "Just play along and act like a dog. I think this lackey of Bowser's is all that bright if he can't tell the difference between Mario and his younger brother Luigi, who actually wears green." Now understanding his plan, Twilight played her part as the Goomba's pet, hoping her acting would be good enough to convince the vulture. "Alright, girl, sit up!" The alicorn sat up on her haunches, lolling her tongue out and panted like a dog. "Now speak!"

"Arf arf!" Twilight barked.

"Good girl!" Kooper, Bombette, Parakarry, and Mario tried their hardest not to laugh, amused by Twilight's acting.

The vulture brought a wing up to its beak, seemingly convinced that the alicorn wasn't one of the six creatures. "Hmmm...Well, it says here they can also talk...and it barked instead of talkin' like us...Alright, then. Y'all can pass. Sorry for the inconvenience."

It flapped its wings and flew back to its roost to continue looking out for Mario and the six ponies. Now free to pass, the group quickly made their way forward, stopping right at the entrance of Dry Dry Desert by a small wooden water tower nearby. Once they were out of the buzzard's eyesight and earshot, the others couldn't hold back their snickering at the little show Twilight performed.

"Wow, Twilight. I think you deserve a treat for that little trick with Goombario," Kooper teased, everyone except Twilight laughing, both at her acting and how easy it was to fool the guard bird.

Twilight growled in annoyance, turning into a groan as Mario scratched her head like a dog. "At least that ended up working by some miracle," she said, swatting the plumber's gloved hand away from her ear. She looked down at Goombario, who was smirking at her cheekily. "Goombario, I don't know whether to say your quick thinking was brilliant or ridiculous, so I'm going to take the middle route and say that was insanely genius."

"Well, at least saying Mario was Luigi was a smart idea," the Goomba gloated. "But pretending you were supposed to be a Poochy was a shot in the dark when that buzzard was a bit colorblind to tell the difference between red and green."

"You just went along with that!?" Twilight exclaimed. "What if it failed!? We would have had to fight our way across!"

"But it did work," Parakarry noted.

"By sheer luck," Twilight added. "And what exactly is a 'Poochy'? I've never seen anything called that in any of Kooper's books."

"It's actually more dog than pony," Goombario said. "They're pretty rare to find as they mostly live on secluded islands far from the Mushroom Kingdom. Not many people have ever seen or ever heard of one, so I figured that'd be a perfect alibi for you with any of Bowser's more incompetent men."

"But, maybe we should give the big puppy a tweat," Bombette teased. "Who's a good, wittle Poochy!? You are!"

The others began laughing again as Twilight leered at them. She let out a sigh, her lips curling into a grin, knowing they were just picking on her a little.

"Ha ha, very funny," she said. "This 'Poochy's' done acting. We've got my friends to find and a kingdom to save, remember?" After everyone's laughing fit died out, they prepared themselves to travel through Dry Dry Desert. Twilight pulled out the many canteens from her bags, making sure each of them was filled to the brim with water and filling up any that were empty or barely full with the nearby water tower. "I'm probably going to end up drinking all the water from these...Dry Dry Desert sure does live up to its name; I'm already starting to get dehydrated, and we haven't set hoof on the sand yet."

"As long as we stay straight on the brighter dirt path, we should make it all the way to Dry Dry Outpost," Kooper said. "Hopefully, the desert isn't that wide to cross."

"I just hope there are plenty of oases out there..." Twilight looked out at the burning sands, wiping several beads of sweat from her forehead. "If one of my friends wound up lost in this desert..."

"I'm sure there are some desert travelers around Dry Dry Outpost who may have found any of them," Kooper assured, patting the worried alicorn's back. "We'll find them, Twilight. If your friends can handle dangerous threats from villains in your world, I think they can handle a bit of hot air."

"Try having a fur coat and already start feeling sweat mat your hair down on you before we climbed Mt. Rugged," Twilight grumbled. She let out a sigh, knowing most of her friends could take care of themselves, though not all of them have survival skills in the desert. "I hope somepony on the other side of the desert found them if they are out there..."
> ...and Through the Desert
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Beginning their long trek through the Dry Dry Desert, the heat was already bearing down on the heroes. Sand went on for miles and miles, burning hot from the sun's rays shining down upon the dry and arid land, barely any signs of plant life as they can see. There were rocks of varying sizes, a few palm trees for some decent shade, and some cacti in the distance, but the desert was practically deserted of any chance of survival unless you ran into an oasis.

Mario was relatively fine, even though he wore a long-sleeved shirt and gloves, which would not be ideal for a climate such as this. Even without his trademark red cap on, he could take the heat as he's been around lava pools in Bowser's many fortresses and caves that were hotter than the desert sun. Getting a sunburn isn't as big a deal if he wasn't always getting attacked by flames, whether from Bowser himself or fireballs jumping out of those lakes of lava in the past. Goombario was fine as well, his blue cap shading his face enough. Bombette was used to blowing up, used to the powerful heat of her explosions for hot temperatures to bother her. Kooper and Parakarry were Koopas, both of them not even bothered by the heat, the latter used to flying through all sorts of weather conditions when making deliveries.

Twilight, unfortunately, felt the worst of it. Even with the cloak keeping her body free of the sun's rays beaming down on her, she still felt the intense heat underneath. Already, her mane under the hood of her cloak was already matted, feeling sweat dripping down every part of her body. She resisted the urge to drink already, only needing water when she's close to passing out from dehydration. Maybe she should have at least trimmed her fur coat a bit, or shave it all off, even if it meant getting a sunburn just to bear with the desert climate.

"Ugh," Twilight groaned. "Hot...desert...How far is the town again?"

Kooper pulled out the map as he made an estimated guess from the outpost to where they entered. "It's probably less than a mile walk across the desert. We just need to follow the path straight forward and not veer too far off, then we'll see the walls protecting Dry Dry Outpost from sandstorms." As the Koopa looked up, the group began approaching a set up tent not too far from the entrance to the desert from Mt. Rugged. His jaw dropped as he dropped the map, spotting three Koopas fitted with archaeological gear. One Koopa in particular stood out from the other two, his shell brown, sporting a black mustache on his upper lip, and along with the gray pith helmet on his head, he had a compass secured around his neck, and the sight of the Koopa made Kooper squeal excitedly. "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! Professor Kolorado! It's him!"

"Looks like he's setting up for another expedition," Parakarry said.

"You know him?" Twilight asked.

"I deliver letters to him from his wife," Parakarry answered, shaking his head as he let out a sigh. "He may be famous, but he always sneaks away from her to go on a reckless adventure and worry her to death."

"He doesn't even take a break from exploring and avoids telling his wife where he's going?...I have a feeling he's having a mid-life crisis," the alicorn grumbled, wiping more sweat off her forehead. "And I'm going to die of heat exhaustion and dehydration. Let's get to the outpost before I drink all the-"

"PROFESSOR KOLORADO!" Kooper shouted, running off ahead of the group, leading Twilight to sigh as the blue-shelled Koopa Troopa behaved like Rainbow Dash with her idols, the Wonderbolts.

Kolorado turned to the running Koopa as he heard his name, recognizing Kooper immediately. "Ah! Kooper, old boy! What a surprise to see you here!" Kooper skid to a halt, kicking up sand as he stood before his idol. The explorer brushed off the sand his excited fan and neighbor accidentally sprayed on him with a lighthearted chuckle, always amused by his eagerness. "Whatever are you doing here?"

"You're not going to believe this, but I'm actually joining Mario on an adventure to save Princess Peach!" Kooper excitedly said, the rest of his friends catching up to him, Twilight lagging behind as she began to take a drink of water.

"Ah, I see," Kolorado said. "That's a pretty big responsibility to hold. And a lot more dangerous than simple expeditions through hidden ruins, eh wot?"

"I know, so, if there are any future expeditions you want me to finally come with you on, that's going to have to wait until the kingdom is safe," Kooper said.

"I may consider inviting you one day, but you do have a duty to uphold, so I won't pester you or Mario on your endeavors." The archaeologist looked over at Kooper's other friends, his jaw dropping when he looked at Twilight. The alicorn sated her thirst after drinking nearly a third of one of the canteens already, her levitating the flask with her magic immediately peaking Kolorado's interest. "I say, what manner of creature is that!?"

"Oh, that's my friend Twilight," Kooper said. "She appeared around my backyard a few days ago, and she's actually from a different world. But there's also five others that are like her, and we're trying to find them along with the Star Spirits we need to rescue along with Princess Peach."

Kolorado approached the alicorn, already getting irritated from all the sweat seeping from her pores. "Goodness...such odd appendages coming from it. A horn on the forehead and wings on the side, a cross-breed between the mythological equines of old tales: unicorn and pegasus...This species shall henceforth be known as a pegacorn!"

"I'm actually called an alicorn," Twilight grumbled.

"And it talks! Spectacular!" Kolorado's excitement soon turned to full on concentration, grabbing Twilight's cheeks as he took a thorough examination of her features. "Hmm...Pretty big eyes, unlike the illustrations depicted of such a creature."

"Please stop touching my face," Twilight muttered. She soon yelped when he flicked her horn, quickly swatting his hands away. "Hey! That hurts! And I'm not a petting zoo animal! Personal space, please!"

"The horn is a bit smooth in texture, yet solid like bone," Kolorado mumbled to himself, completely ignorant of invading the alicorn's space as he studied her further. Lifting the cloak off her a little, he examined her cutie marks on her flanks. "Oddly placed tattoo markings on both sides of the rump. Obviously female from the body size."

The Koopa yelped as Twilight yanked him by the shell away from her behind with her magic, glaring angrily in irritation. "You couldn't tell I was a mare just from the sound of my voice!?"

"...Magical power depicted in use of the majestic unicorn. Intriguing. Now, let's feel the texture of the wings." Twilight growled, her face turning red in anger due to Kolorado's constant pestering, ignorance to her little bubble of privacy, and the sweltering heat raging down on her.

"Uhh, Professor Kolorado, I think you should stop," Kooper quickly said, dragging his idol away from the enraged and embarrassed alicorn. The others tried to calm Twilight down, Mario gently patting her head as she finally dropped her hold on the archaeologist's body. "Uhh, she's not an animal. She's a sentient being, and incredibly smart, so..."

"Oh. Oh! Right!" Kolorado cleared his throat, realizing his mistakes. "Forgive me. You are just a new and unknown creature that I just had to study every single part of you thoroughly." Twilight grunted, too hot to bother with the touchy Koopa and trying to limit her speaking to save what liquids were left in her system. "...I'll take that as an acceptance in my apology. But! I have an expedition to make!" He turned back to the tent where his other two assistants had already laid out the map of Dry Dry Desert on the fold-able table and began setting up their other devices. "Now, in order to explore the ruins of this desert, we're going to need to find where it is located."

The traveling party walked under the shade of the tent, Kooper and Mario looking down at the map of the area while the others rested. Parakarry helped fan Twilight by flapping his wings, helping cool her down a little more. From the look of Dry Dry Desert, there were a couple landmarks that were marked in separate sections of the seven-by-seven grid layout of sand. Far to the right in the center row on the path was Dry Dry Outpost, a square between the town was the oasis, and in a few locations were different colored marks with a description of the object that was also colored the same as their mark out in the desert.

"Have you asked anyone from Dry Dry Outpost about the ruins?" Kooper asked.

"I've gotten as much information as I could, but not much of a lead," Kolorado said. "So far, all we know of are a few landmarks to help us should we get lost, but other than that, nothing on the Dry Dry Ruins...Why are you interested in the ruins anyway?"

"That's the reason why we're here," Goombario answered, jumping up onto the table and looked down at the map. "One of the Star Spirits Bowser imprisoned has some of his minions already invading the ruins and are hiding one of the seven powerful Stars deep inside."

"Hmm...But that begs the question of how they found those ruins." Kolorado pondered how Bowser's troops managed to find Dry Dry Ruins when it was considered lost to the region for centuries. Mario, Kooper, and Goombario looked at each other, knowing exactly how with the power the Koopa King has on him. "Ah well. All we can do is find where it is, avoid the baddies, and see if there are any artifacts still left in one piece after many years of being lost to the world today. We'll start our search when night falls. Best time to ever travel across a desert, Kooper, old chap."

"But we can't wait until nightfall," Kooper said, Mario nodding his head in agreement. "We need to find the Star Spirits now."

"Well, the only oasis in this desert is the one close to Dry Dry Outpost. You can try to search all you want, but it helps not to go out there and risk suffering the effects of dehydration," Kolorado warned.

"I'm already way ahead of everypony," Twilight groaned. "I've got us fully prepared with several canteens filled with water, but sadly, I'm going to end up drinking it all because fur and walking in this oven of a desert do not mix."

"Hmm. Yes. Fur covering the body is not wise," Kolorado said.

"It looks like we're going to have to see if someone actually knows where the ruins are and find it on our own," Goombario said as he memorized the mapped out grids of Dry Dry Desert. "And, assuming you have never seen anything like Twilight before, I'm taking a guess in saying you've never seen any of her friends at Dry Dry Outpost either."

"Nope, the alicorn was the first," one of Kolorado's assistants said, overhearing their expedition leader speaking with their guests and being mindful of treating Twilight like an individual like them. "Just a few native Toads and Nomadimouses inhabiting the town."

"Although, something weird did happen while we were there to pick up supplies before setting up base," the other Koopa said. "Along with our supplies, someone actually put some pastries and candies along with our rations. No idea who it was, and it wasn't the shopkeeper in town, so someone must be sneaking sweets around to everyone."

"Well, whether or not they were part of our supplies, these lemon-lime cupcakes are exquisite!" Kolorado said, grabbing one of the many cupcakes from a container by their food storage. The icing on top was yellow with green and yellow sprinkles, though the baked batter was green. He took a bite, munching on the flaky pastry with a delighted moan. "I don't understand why anyone would want to hide such baking talents, yet give them away to random strangers for free. And quite sneakily too, might I add."

"Cupcakes?" Twilight looked over at the famous archaeologist and his team's food supply, levitating one of the three dozen cupcakes out from an open container. There were also similar ones along with the kind Kolorado ate, only for the icing and cupcake to swap colors. "...Why do I have a feeling these are the kinds of cupcakes Pinkie would make?" Seeing there was plenty of cupcakes for the trio of exploring Koopas, she took a nibble of the pastry, her taste buds catching a sweet and tangy flavor of lemons and limes. "Mmm...It is a lemon-lime cupcake. Weird combination."

The rest of the group took a cupcake, Kolorado not minding sharing the sweets they mysteriously recieved as they took a bite. "Mmm! Wow! I've never had anything this delicious!"

"I've tasted the cuisine that's made in Dry Dry Outpost when I take a breather from my routes," Parakarry said. "Though, sweets like cupcakes aren't one of its native delicacies. But it sure is tasty!"

"You all might be lucky to end up having more of these delightful goodies if you reach Dry Dry Outpost," Kolorado said after eating his snack. "They're one of a kind, and could rival that of Mushroom Kingdom's greatest chef's own baked goods, who's known as Taste T."

Twilight wasn't entirely sure if her guess was one hundred percent accurate, but if Pinkie Pie had made these cupcakes, there was a possibility that she might have ended up in Dry Dry Outpost. Taking that chance, she clung onto the hope of reuniting with her bubbly, kooky, and party-loving friend. After everyone finished a cupcake, Mario and company set off to Dry Dry Outpost, saying their goodbyes to Kolorado and his assistants as they began heading down the lighter sands that served as the central road through Dry Dry Desert.

The walk through the sands was a bit long due to Twilight lagging behind as she suffered from the heat. Most of the areas were devoid of any life on the road, aside from the Pokeys that slowly tried to shuffle their way over to the group when spotted, strange yellow cactus creatures that were made up of four spiked spheres where the top held its eyes and sharp teeth. Unfortunately, Goombario and Parakarry were unable to deal with them due to their spiky heads, though what made them a nuisance was how they're able to fling their body parts at them to hurt them. But the foes they had to be careful with were the Bandits.

The Bandits all wore pink cloaks and had mask-like faces, and they were quick on their feet like the thieves they were. They could mug anyone if they weren't careful, swiping away money or even any supplies they had. Once they grabbed anything their grubby little hands could snatch, they'd immediately flee with the items or coins held high above them as they mocked them. Luckily, Twilight flicked them away with a burst of magic, already irritated from the desert air alone and didn't need to lose anything of importance, especially their water.

Halfway across the desert, they managed to spot an odd looking cactus made out of stone. Whether it was a petrified cactus or a tower of stones made to look like a cactus was a mystery, but it was helpful sign, telling them they were getting closer to their goal. There was also a moving tornado that slowly wandered about that had a face, which surprised Twilight. Goombario warned Twilight not to get too close to the animated twister, ironically called a Tweester, which could fling anyone off the path and in some part of Dry Dry Desert if they get sucked in. She made sure to steer clear enough away from the moving unnatural disasters, which was almost as scary as walking through the Everfree Forest in the dead of night.

Twilight took another swig of water, downing the second of many canteens in her saddlebags. "And I looked up to Celestia and her sun as a filly during the Summer Sun Celebration," the alicorn groaned in heat exhausted agony. "I'm glad she's not here to hear me say this, but I'm starting to hate the sun!"

"What's a 'Summer Sun Celebration'?" Bombette asked. "Some kind of holiday in Equestria?"

"It's celebrated as the longest day of the year," Twilight answered. "Back in Equestria, instead of day and night just coming and going as time passes, she raises and lowers the sun with her magic, and her sister, Princess Luna, does the same with the moon."

"Wow," Parakarry uttered in awe. "And they're alicorns, too?" Twilight nodded her head as she wiped off more sweat drenching her face. "That's incredible. Being able to move a star and large mass of space rock that orbits the planet...Alicorns must be really powerful."

"Yup. And for a thousand years, Celestia had to perform both tasks when she banished Luna to the moon when her anger and jealousy turned her into a villainess called Nightmare Moon." The Mushroom Kingdom residents nearly tripped over their feet, or flopped to the ground in Parakarry's case, quickly turning back to Twilight in shock.

"A thousand years!?" the partners all exclaimed simultaneously.

"How old are you supposed to be!?" Kooper asked.

"I'm in my twenties," Twilight said. "I was a unicorn before I ascended, so I'm not really that old. The only naturally born alicorn in all of our history was my niece, Flurry Heart, and...she was a bit of a wild little baby when I first saw her. Far stronger than any normal infant earth pony, pegasus, or unicorn."

"...The...only one?" Goombario asked. "So, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna weren't born alicorns, and they're over a millennia old?"

"Oddly enough, they ascended as alicorns, too. And so was my sister-in-law, Cadence...At least Flurry's magic is under control now, though we had a close call when she accidentally destroyed an artifact called the Crystal Heart in a kingdom called the Crystal Empire, which protected the kingdom from the weather of the frozen north." The others' jaws dropped in utter disbelief, never knowing a baby alicorn could have caused so much damage. "Yeah. That's the same reactions we all had when she cried so loud it created a sonic wave that shattered the Crystal Heart to pieces."

"...Cute and deadly little alicorn baby...I don't know whether I want to see her or run far away from it," Bombette spoke amongst the silence. "But I'm steering toward the former...You have any pictures of your niece?"

"We didn't bring anything with us when I accidentally transported us to your world. Sorry," Twilight apologized. Her throat suddenly became dry, grumbling in irritation as she pulled out another full canteen and took a drink. "How about I tell you stories when we're in shade, or in town? I feel like I need a shower and wash my cloak. I'm sweating up a storm."

"Uhh, right. Sorry. We shouldn't be too far from Dry Dry Outpost." Looking down the road, they could already see the outer walls of the desert town in the distance.

The party walked the last bit of distance toward the outpost, the light shade from the trees planted on the path offering a little bit of relief from the burning rays of the sun. They finally arrived in Dry Dry Outpost, out of the dangerous desert, though the hot temperature still lingered, the only saving grace for Twilight was the shade given from the buildings and trees inside of the tall stone walls. There were Toads that inhabited the land, wearing turbans on their mushroom heads, a scarf to cover their faces from the sand, and loose cloaks to avoid sweating too much. There were also some Nomadimice going about their day, bearing different colored fur with black masks over their eyes, though the alicorn was unsure if these mice were possibly thieves or were a cosmetic appearance for them.

"I hope somepony around here won't mind if I borrow any of their showers," Twilight muttered, letting out a groan of disgust. "I'm drenched in sweat and I need cold water blasting me. I don't care wherever or if it's as cold as ice, I need one badly."

"Maybe someone might be kind enough to do that once we figure out where we can start our search for the Dry Dry Ruins." While the group began walking around the outpost, they didn't notice a robed figure watching them from the roof of one of the buildings, quickly escaping down the back alleys to avoid being seen.

As they looked around, they passed by the shop, where they spotted the owner poke his head out of the doorway, looking around shiftily. It was a purple-furred Nomadimouse, slowly closing his door as he exited, then sped off as fast as lightning deeper into the town. Seeing as they weren't going to get any shopping done for the time being for anything they might need, they continued walking through Dry Dry Outpost, asking anyone about the ruins and where they might be.

Unfortunately, like with Kolorado, their search for information came up empty. Many of the townspeople have heard of the ruins, though none dared risking their lives trying to find it. Some have even claimed that Dry Dry Ruins was buried under the desert sand, and the only way inside would be trying to dig a big enough pit to reach the roof of the ancient temple, which could take several months. The group headed deeper in Dry Dry Outpost to check into a Toad House to rest after their climb over Mt. Rugged and trekking Dry Dry Desert.

"Excusemepardonmecomingthrough!" The same Nomadimouse that ran out of the shop sped past them, nearly tripping Twilight over as he brushed past her.

"Ok, these guys are pretty speedy," she noted. "The hay was he in a hurry for?"

"Maybe he forgot something or delivered an order to someone," Kooper guessed.

Entering the tall building of the Toad House, the Toad working the inn heard them come in from behind the counter. "Hello! Welcome to the Toad House!"

"You got a couple rooms available?" Goombario asked.

"Sure do," the Toad said. "Been a while since we've had any travelers come to Dry Dry Outpost. The train station must be running again." He then pulled out a tray of cupcakes, similar to the ones Kolorado and his assistants had back at their tent. "Complimentary cupcake? I've been getting these out of nowhere from someone. No idea who it is, but I can't turn down anything as delicious as these."

"Those same cupcakes," Twilight noted. "...Wait, that mouse ran by us earlier...Did he drop them off?"

"I don't think it was Little Mouser," the Toad said with a shake of his head. "Though he does run off to the abandoned building that's guarded by a Nomadimouse covering his body with a brown cloak. I guess they must be business buddies or something, seeing them chat with each other for a brief moment before he ran back to his shop. He's not much of a baker, anyway." He then pulled out a slip of paper from behind the counter. "And this batch is brand new and just appeared on the counter when I left for a few minutes to use the restroom. Along with this note for someone named 'Twilight Sparkle'."

"That's me." The alicorn took the note and read it aloud, all the words in the message cut out letters from newspapers and glued onto the page, keeping the writer anonymous. "'Twilight Sparkle, meet me by the oasis south of Dry Dry Outpost. You'll be in for quite a surprise.'"

"By the oasis?" Parakarry asked.

"You think this might be a trap?" Goombario asked curiously.

"I don't think anypony else aside from you guys know my name, and we didn't give our names to Bowser..." Whoever sent Twilight this message, she was sure this had to be one of her friends, if it was. The cupcakes and mentioning a surprise for her could be a giveaway that it might be Pinkie Pie, but the only way to find out was to meet with the mysterious messenger. "Let's find the oasis. I'll bear the heat a while longer if this is who I think it must be from. And those cupcakes."





Quickly making their way back to the entrance of Dry Dry Outpost, Twilight lead the way as they stepped back out into Dry Dry Desert. She ignored the heat, to her dismay, hoping that whoever wants to see her was who she expected it to be. Thankfully, the oasis wasn't all that far away as they spotted grass and healthier palm trees up ahead. Being the only source of water here, the only kinds of fruit that were grown around here were lemon and lime trees, which must have been what those cupcakes were made of. Unfortunately, whoever wanted to meet them was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello!?" Twilight called out, seeing no signs of Bandits in the area. "Is anypony here!?"

"Just a minute!" a feminine voice called out from one of the fruit trees nearby. Twilight's ears twitched, recognizing the bubbly and hyper voice. "Just got to get a few more-WAH!"

One of the branches of the tree cracked, sending the flailing female falling to the ground on her head. Twilight gasped as she saw who was under that cloak by the poofy mane and tail sticking out from both ends. She fell on her side, her pink face revealed as she stood up, her eyes spinning like spirals. Pinkie shook her head of the daze she was in, only for the lemons she was trying to pick to fall on her head and plop to the ground.

"Pinkie Pie!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Hmm?" Pinkie gasped and leapt in the air with a wide smile on her muzzle. "Twilight!" Both mares ran toward each other, Pinkie ramming into Twilight too hard, tackling the two of them over the ground until the alicorn was on her back. "You're ok! And here!"

"Oh, Pinkie!" The two mares hugged, finally reunited, the rest of Twilight's group watching from a distance, all but Mario surprised by her sudden ability to manipulate her own gravity for a few seconds before landing and running toward her friend. "I'm so glad you're ok! I can't believe you wound up out here in this desert!" They pulled back and sat up, Twilight noticing a slight difference to Pinkie's appearance. Her mane and tail were a bit shorter and smaller, along with her fur coat being less fuzzy than usual. "Wow. You've got a...different look."

"I know! It's always hot out here in Dry Dry Desert!" Pinkie patted her shorter mane, still holding its floofy, curly style after the manecut she gave herself. "It got a little bit cooler after my coat got a trim and I cut my hair a little! Makes going out here and get these juicy lemons and limes for my special lemon-lime cupcakes a whole lot better! But I like giving them all in secret since I'm staying with somepony who likes being all sneaky and stealthy, and he found me after I ended up out here at the oasis a few days ago!"

"I figured those cupcakes had you written all over them," Twilight said. "And so was that message back at the Toad House."

"Message?" Pinkie asked, cocking her head in confusion. "What message?"

"...You delivered a tray of cupcakes to the Toad working there along with a message for me," Twilight explained.

"I didn't leave a message. I just left the cupcakes earlier today, but then I ran out of lemons for more cupcakes for everypony and came out here to pick some more." Twilight scratched her head, wondering who gave her that message. Maybe it was the friend who had helped Pinkie if she told him or her everything about her. "So, how exactly did you get here? Can't be easy walking through the desert in this crazy heat."

"No, and I'm also a sweaty mess," Twilight groaned, wiping her forehead of sweat for the umpteenth time. "I also didn't come alone."

She pointed over to her friends. Pinkie finally noticed them, but when she spotted Mario, she was surprised to see he was alive and managed to recover after getting his hide beaten by Bowser.

"MARIO!" Pinkie squealed, running straight at him like a bullet. Mario yelped, shaking his head and waving his arms back and forth, unable to stop the mare as she rammed straight into him, hugging him tightly and shaking him around. "You're alive! You're alive! I thought you were hurt, and fell to your death, but you're alive!"

As glad as Mario was to see Pinkie was ok, his spine surely didn't with the death grip her hooves had around his torso. He gave her a weak pat on the shoulder before she finally let go, the hero crumbling to the ground, his eyes spinning in his head as he tried to regain feeling in his limbs.

"Whoa. You alright, Mario?" Goombario asked, the plumber giving them a weak thumbs up as he groaned.

"Hello, everypony!" Pinkie greeted, shocking the Goomba, Koopa, Parakoopa, and Bob-omb as she suddenly appeared behind them. "I'm Pinkie Pie! Who are you guys!?"

"H-How did she do that!?" Parakarry questioned.

"She was just by Mario, and now she's behind us!" Bombette added.

"Guys, just a warning about Pinkie Pie: don't question Pinkie Pie," Twilight said with a giggle. "Trust me. Anyway, Pinkie, this is Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, and Parakarry."

"Yay! New friends! Group hug!" The partners yelled out in fear, but they were unable to escape as the earth pony grabbed them in her hooves and pulled them into a tight group hug. Kooper and Parakarry didn't struggle as much as Bombette or Goombario with their hard shells, the latter two flailing their legs as they were crushed between the Koopas. "I know we're all gonna be the bestest of best friends!"

"C-Can't breathe!" Goombario wheezed, already feeling like his body was going to be squished like a pancake between the Koopa and Paratroopa's shells.

Pinkie finally let go, the Goomba gasping for breath while the other three groaned as they fell on their behinds. After everyone who suffered from Pinkie's hugs of death recovered, they sat underneath the shade of one of the trees to get out of the sun.

"So, where's everypony else, Twilight?" Pinkie asked. "Are they in the outpost?"

"Sadly, no," Twilight said. "They must be somewhere out in different parts of the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Oh...I thought so...But, how did we get separated? And how is Mario still ok?" Mario explained what had happened to him, how he was revived, and what they all needed to do before they could try to save Princess Peach from Bowser's clutches. "Ohhhhh. That's so weird that stars in this world can actually do stuff like us. Princess Luna would love to see one of them one day. And one of the Star Spirits you guys were looking for is here?"

"Yes, but we haven't gotten any leads on where Dry Dry Ruins might be," Twilight said.

"Hmmm..." Pinkie tapped a hoof to her chin, thinking of a solution to finding the ruins. "Maybe Sheeky might know!"

"Who's 'Sheeky'?" Parakarry asked.

"He a little mousy friend who found me when I woke up out here!" Pinkie explained. "But his real name is a secret, and I can't tell you anything about him or what he does because I made a Pinkie Promise not to say anything."

"'Pinkie Promise?'" Bombette questioned with a squinted eye.

"It's something Pinkie made up, but my friends and I follow the code she made up for it," Twilight explained. "You make a Pinkie Promise when you intend on keeping a secret without blurting it out. Break it, and you'll lose the trust in the friend you made that promise, too."

"Forever!" Pinkie shouted.

"Right. Forever." Goombario, Bombette, Kooper, and Parakarry looked at each other, so many questions to ask on the silly earth pony they just met. "Anyway, Pinkie, if this 'Sheeky' can tell us where those ruins are, we can find one of the Star Spirits and be a step closer to stopping Bowser and the Star Rod he's using."

"Well, I can't exactly bring you to where he's staying to meet with him," Pinkie said. "He likes being all secretive, and only those who are able to figure out his special code showing you are worthy of meeting with him."

"So, you can't break your promise?" Twilight asked. "Not even for us?"

"Actually, I won't be breaking it!" the earth pony replied happily. "He told me if I saw any of my friends or Mario, I'm supposed to give you a hint on how to crack the code, giving you permission to meet Sheeky and find where he lives!"

"Well, don't hold out on us!" Kooper said. "How do we meet him!?"

Pinkie looked around them, keeping a careful eye out for any wandering ears out in the desert. She twirled her hoof, ushering everyone to lean closer. The group waited with bated breath as the mare looked around them again before she told them.

"The code is in the store run by a purple mousy named Little Mouser back in Dry Dry Outpost," she whispered. "Of the items he sells, buy the items with the initials D. S. and D. H., in that exact order. You'll know about Sheeky and where he lives when Little Mouser sees you buy them."

As Pinkie pulled away after giving them their hint, the others looked at each other, then back at Pinkie. "...That's it?"

"That's it," she said.

"...That's...really vague," Goombario said. "And buying certain items in a specific order in a public store? What if someone actually buys them like that and figure out the code by mistake?"

"Oh, trust me. You'll figure out what they are since they're really something nopony would be crazy enough to buy there." Pinkie's reason why didn't really help them all that much, being cryptic, but for good reason. She picked up the lemons that fell on her head earlier and stood up. "Well, I'll see you guys at Sheeky's place! I'll tell him in advance that you're coming! But only if you figure out the code...Bye!"

The pink party pony pulled her hood over her head and began bouncing off back to Dry Dry Outpost. Mario, Goombario, Bombette, Kooper, and Parakarry looked at Twilight hoping she could come up with an answer to the riddle.

"...Well, I guess we'll have to figure it out when we get to that shop," the alicorn said.

"...Is your friend really that kooky all the time?" Kooper asked with curiosity and fear.

"Yes. Yes she is. Pinkie's the Element of Laughter for a reason, and her smiling, party-throwing, and wild antics are one of the many reasons my friends and I love Pinkie for." The partners were bewildered, the only answer they'll ever get on Pinkie Pie's behavior just a vague response that only made them want to question her all the more. Twilight giggled at their expressions, Mario being the only one not to question Pinkie after first meeting her back in Peach's castle. "Just believe me when I say not to ask how she functions. She's just being herself. Now, let's get back into town and figure out what we need to buy...and a quick bath for me." Twilight stood up, her cloak nearly drenched in her sweat, even while under the shade of a lemon tree and a slightly cooler air from the oasis in the middle of the area. "Ugh. Bath first, definitely."





After returning back to Dry Dry Outpost, Twilight headed back to the Toad House and gave herself a nice, cool, relaxing shower. It was the right temperature as it cooled her down substantially, her mane no longer matted down to her neck by her perspiration and smelling a little cleaner. It was a shame there weren't any soaps or shampoos, but luxury wasn't a necessity as the Mushroom Kingdom needed to be saved, which meant no time for many breaks. She met up back with the rest of her friends outside, the sun thankfully sinking down along the horizon as the desert started to cool down a little as she left her wet cloak behind to get washed.

When they arrived at the shop, they walked inside, spotting the Nomadimouse named Little Mouser manning the counter. He acknowledged their presence with a nod, wondering what his customers were interested in buying. Looking at the wares on sale, the prices were surprisingly cheap, even though something like a Thunder Bolt should be more than just a few coins if it can instantly summon a bolt of lightning down on a foe.

"Ok, so we pick two items in the right order," Goombario muttered. "The initials D. S. and D. H. are what we need to buy..."

On the shelf, the only two items that had those initials were the Dried Shroom, which used to be a normal Mushroom before it shriveled to a disgusting, wilted piece of food, and a Dusty Hammer, a poor quality hammer that could break with just one swing. Twilight found this odd code a bit ridiculous needing to buy something not even worth selling when they're either past their expiration or ready to be scrapped with no chance of repair. Using her magic, she took a Dried Shroom, then a Dusty Hammer, bringing them to Little Mouser.

"I'd like to buy the Dried Shroom and Dusty Hammer, please," Twilight said with a bland expression and lack of emotion.

"Ah. So you must be a friend of the pink one and Moustafa," Little Mouser said.

"Moustafa?" Kooper asked. "I thought you worked for a Nomadimouse named Sheeky."

"The pink one calls him that, and Sheek is his alias," the mouse explained. "Moustafa is his true name, but you must not reveal that name to the rest of the outpost."

"Right. Secrets." Twilight pulled out the coins from her bags to purchase the useless items. "I don't understand how buying something from a shop is considered a good idea for a password to get information. Especially when it comes to something as dried out as this mushroom and a poor excuse of a hammer, both of them belonging in a trash can."

"Hmhmhmhm. Then answer this, winged and horned one; would any customer want to buy anything that looks useless or disgusting than something else that is better in quality?" Twilight was about to retort with the obvious answer, but she paused, seeing Little Mouser grin as he saw the realization in her expression. "Exactly. That is the reason why the Dried Shrooms and Dusty Hammers are on display. They may be cheap and never bought due to their quality, but that is the secret code proving your close relations to Moustafa, whether you are friends or were given a clue. Normal customers are none the wiser, but those in Moustafa's organization know the meaning behind the items than their worth by sight alone."

"...That's actually pretty smart," Kooper pointed out. "And sneaky...No wonder Nomadimouse are considered crafty."

"Sometimes, you need to think outside the box...Although, the pink one seems to do that quite literally. First day Moustafa introduced me to her, she poked her head out of a small pot, out of nowhere, and then reappeared from behind the counter in this store after sinking back in the pot." Little Mouser shuddered, already getting a headache from recalling meeting Pinkie Pie. "She is a strange one, and Moustafa seems to be taking a liking to her...

"Anywho, you are given permission to know the whereabouts of my leader," the mouse said. "To find him, far in the back of the town, you must enter the abandoned two-story building, climb up onto the rooftops, and make your way across to an apartment that can only be accessed up high. You will meet Moustafa and the pink one there."

"Thanks." Now knowing where Sheek, or Moustafa, was, the group left the shop and began heading back deeper into the town to find the abandoned building.

"Well, that was a waste of four coins," Twilight grumbled, throwing away the dried up mushroom and nearly busted hammer in a nearby trash can. "That is kind of smart going by a customer's perspective on what they prefer buying rather than just selling everything, but there is still a slim chance someone will actually want to buy something nopony in their right mind would want to have at all."

"They probably keep a close eye on everyone who has Moustafa's eye," Goombario guessed.

"And I'm sure they would have allowed us to see him because of you and Mario, regardless," Parakarry added. "You and Pinkie are...well, not exactly from our world, and seeing someone else like her wandering around with a hero like Mario, they could have a higher interest in speaking with you."

"Then why stay hidden?" Twilight asked rhetorically. "What kind of organization do they run aside from selling terrible items that are a waste of money, both to buy and sell?"

Seeing as the only way they'll figure out what Moustafa had in store for them, they finally reached the building Little Mouser informed them of. As he said, it was abandoned, the door slightly ajar and no lights on inside from the windows. Opening the door, they saw the front entrance didn't lead to a room, but more of an opening leading back out, piles of boxes stacked up to reach the roof of the building. From the angle they walked in and the fence blocking them from exploring further, it was a pretty smart way to hide a secret passage since the opening couldn't be seen, even when approaching the front door.

Twilight and Parakarry flew up to the roof while the others climbed up with the boxes. Making their way across the rooftop, the only apartment they saw was one on a building next door to the Toad House. After a small walk across the roofs between the abandoned building and inn, then a hop across the next building, the party stood before the door of the person Pinkie believed could help them on their hunt for Dry Dry Ruins. Mario knocked on the door, not wanting to barge in on the leader's abode.

"Enter," a male voice called out, granting them permission to enter. Mario opened the door, finding the leader Nomadimouse, Moustafa, sitting in a chair, along with Pinkie as she seemed to be baking more lemon-lime cupcakes she spread around Dry Dry Outpost. Hearing them come in, the pink pony turned and waved at them. "So, you have figured out my code."

"It wasn't that hard of a hint with those initials Pinkie gave us," Twilight said monotonously, still a little irritated by the odd shopping code they used.

"I am sure you were quite surprised when you made your way to the oasis to reunite with your friend, Twilight Sparkle," Moustafa said as he stood up on his seat. "Pinkie is in better spirits, though it can be hard to tell with her upbeat and cheery demeanor."

"...I-I was...but, how did-?" It then hit Twilight as she grew confused by what the green Nomadimouse said. Pinkie didn't leave a message for Twilight back in the Toad House when she had no clue about it; it was Moustafa. "Wait. You left that message for me?"

"It is not hard to see that you are a long-time friend of Pinkie Pie as the description she gave me of you and your other companions from Equestria were quite unique," Moustafa explained. "Hard to spot a four legged creature with a horn and wings walking into the outpost after trekking through the heat of the desert, either. So, I decided to leave you two a little surprise."

"And I didn't expect it!" Pinkie added, a timer dinging behind her over by the counter. "Ooh! Next batch of cupcakes are done!"

Moustafa chuckled in amusement as Pinkie pulled the next dozen cupcakes before turning back to the baffled alicorn. "So, you're Moustafa?"

"Indeed, I am." The mouse removed his cloak, revealing his green fur and face, leaving his keffiyeh on. "I am Moustafa, but out in public, I call myself Sheek." He leapt off his chair and onto a small closed box, surprisingly swift as he moved in nearly a millisecond. "I knew of Mario coming to me from a vision from the stars above one night, and I see it will come true."

"So, you knew we were coming all along?" Bombette asked.

"Correct," Moustafa said, flipping off the box and on Pinkie's head, the mare busy icing the now cooled cupcakes. "And I know why you are here long before telling Pinkie Pie of my own troubles aside from her separation from her friends. You seek the location of Dry Dry Ruins."

"You know where it is!?" Goombario asked.

"Not of the location, but I do have the key necessary to finding it out in Dry Dry Desert. You see, those ruins are sacred ground from my own ancestors, and the ground has been tainted by Bowser's minions roaming about it and making it a base for his schemes." The mouse leapt down off Pinkie's head as she quickly finished icing and sprinkling the new cupcakes. He approached the group, pulling out a pink gem underneath his protective headgear. "I do not know how they managed to raid it while it is buried under the sands, but you can enter as I put my full trust in you to get rid of them. And find the Star Spirit Pinkie mentioned as soon as she returned."

"A jewel as a key?" Twilight asked curiously.

"It is more than just a simple little gem," Moustafa explained as he held it up for them to see. "This is known as a Pulse Stone. It shows the location of where the ruins lie. The closer you approach it, the more it flashes." He then gave the Pulse Stone to Mario, placing it in the plumber's hand. "You will not see the ruins, but there is a stone out there with an indentation made to fit this inside. When you find it, insert the Pulse Stone, and the ruins will rise before you.

"Defeat those heathens from my family's ancient home and kick them out. I do not want anyone to defile the history of what my ancestors had made in this land, not even that archaeologist who was here in Dry Dry Outpost earlier to supply himself and his colleagues in finding the ruins and excavating it for treasures. All of this I have told you, and where Dry Dry Ruins lies, you must not speak a word of it to anyone. Understand?" Despite meeting with Kolorado and sort of promising to find any artifacts for him to study if they found the ruins and any ancient treasures they came across, they did understand that those ruins belong to Moustafa and his ancestors. Mario nodded his head, as well as the others, though Kooper was let down that he won't help his idol discover the mystery behind Dry Dry Ruins. "Good. I wish you all the best of luck traversing the temple ruins."

"Sorry, Mr. Kolorado," Kooper whispered to himself. "Guess I can't really help you out with your excavation..."

Moustafa turned to Pinkie, who had pulled out a present from behind the Nomadimouse's chair he didn't know existed back there. Being with her for the last week, it was no surprise for him to encounter any of her odd shenanigans.

"Well, Pinkie, it seems as though we must part ways," he said. "With Mario, you might be able to find the rest of your friends out in the Mushroom Kingdom. You will always have a place here as a part of my group, so don't be a stranger. Though you are a questionable being, you are quite amusing and entertaining as a companion."

"Aww, Sheeky." Pinkie grabbed Moustafa and pulled him into a hug, the Nomadimouse stiffening in surprise. "I'm gonna miss you and Mousy too. And maybe if Twilight can find a way to make a portal between both our worlds, I'll come and visit Dry Dry Outpost every day and throw a huge party for everypony when I come back! With more lemon-lime cupcakes!"

A little flustered by the platonic embrace as Mario, Twilight, and their companions were watching them, Moustafa awkwardly patted Pinkie's shoulder. "Er, yes. That does sound...exciting." Pinkie let the mouse go as he cleared his throat and turned back to the others. "Anyway, you still have some daylight left, and the sun should be low enough for safer travels through the ruins. The torches inside must have been lit up by Bowser's men as they invaded, which should leave some adequate lighting to see inside."

"Don't worry, Moustafa," Goombario assured. "We'll liberate the Dry Dry Ruins before you know it."

"Ooooh! This is going to be exciting!" Pinkie cheered, bouncing over Moustafa to her friends. "Let's get moving, everypony! We got an ancient temple to explore and a world to save!"

"And the rest of our friends, too," Twilight added.

"Of course! Bye, Sheeky! Hope you like your gift!" With Pinkie joining them, the party set off immediately as they left Moustafa's home, the mouse a little confused as he looked back at the gift that was meant for him.

"Gift?" He was too late to ask Pinkie what she meant as the door closed behind them, already making their way off the roof and heading out to the desert to find Dry Dry Ruins.

Curiousity took hold of the Nomadimouse, his nose twitching as he approached the simple blue and green box. He could smell a sweet fragrance come from it, along with noticing a note on top. He took the paper and read it to himself.



Thank you for taking me in, Sheeky. Hope you like what I made for you. I know you'll love it.
Your best and first ever pony friend, Pinkie Pie



Raising a brow, Moustafa lifted the top of the box off, revealing a cake inside. The frosting covering the delectable dessert was of the same lemon frosting used for the top of some of Pinkie's cupcakes, decorated with darker yellow sprinkles and lemon wedges. In the middle of the cake was an icing drawing of Pinkie Pie and Moustafa in pink and green icing, both of them celebrating in joy. Just from the scent of the wedges and lemon-scented frosting, the cake must have been made with his favorite fruit from the oasis.

The mouse grinned with a light chuckle, swiftly grabbing himself a plate, a fork, and knife, cutting out a slice and taking a bite. "...Mmm...Delicious. A lemon cake made of the sour lemons grown from the oasis." Taking his slice with him outside, he stepped out onto the roof, looking out to the entrance of town, where Pinkie and her friends were already leaving to find the ruins. "...You're welcome, Pinkie Pie. Out of all the people I have encountered in my life, you're by far the friendliest of them. Good luck finding the rest of your friends."





With the sun beginning to set on the horizon, the desert seemed a lot more bearable for Twilight now. Unfortunately, that didn't mean it would be easier to trek, seeing as the night in the desert meant a higher possibility of running into Bandits. Mario lead the way, holding the Pulse Stone out as they waited for it to blink while walking along the path. Just as Moustafa had said, it began to blink brightly for a second before the light faded, coming back a moment later as they continued onward. They headed for the central point of Dry Dry Desert, where the Pulse Stone had already begun to blink a little faster.

"Ok. If I were a temple, where would I build it out in a large desert like this?" Twilight questioned as she figured out which way to go, being mindful of the Tweester roaming around the stone cactus nearby.

Mario watched the stone carefully as he began walking south a little. The Pulse Stone's blinking began slowing down, prompting him to head back north and try going further up. It blinked just a tiny bit faster than where they stopped, which meant the ruins were somewhere up in the northern half of the desert. The others followed after him, keeping a watchful eye on any Pokeys and Bandits that want to pick a fight.

"So, Pinkie, what exactly did you give Moustafa as a present?" Bombette asked. "And where did you even hide that?"

"A little something delicious I know he can't wait to sink his whiskers into when he opens it," Pinkie answered, ignoring the second question as she bounced alongside the others. "He's probably eating it right now."

"Was it a wheel of cheese?" Parakarry asked.

"Nope!" Pinkie said, shaking her head. "Not cheese! Although, I wonder if he also liked cheese...I never asked him."

"Hey, what about my other question!?" Bombette exclaimed. "I know that gift you left Moustafa wasn't just hiding there if he was in there with you and he didn't even notice it!"

"Of course it was there, silly! I hid it behind his chair after I finished baking it the other day, and pulled it out for him to open as soon as we left!" Bombette's eye twitched, letting out a heavy sigh of defeat, stopping herself from asking anymore before she broke her fuse.

"A giant cupcake!" Parakarry guessed.

"Close, but that's not it," Pinkie singsonged.

As Parakarry continued guessing, the group began getting closer and closer to the where the ruins was located. The Pulse Stone was blinking rapidly as they continued moving north, but as they reached the upper section of Dry Dry Desert, they didn't find any rocks nearby. They headed west first, the gem flashing faster and faster, which was the right direction to go as they seemed to nearly be there. Up ahead, there was a lone stone in the middle of the next estimated grided area from Kolorado's map, no signs of any enemies in sight.

"Wow, that's flashing a lot now," Goombario said. "I think we might be on top of it."

Twilight examined the stone Moustafa told them to find, an indent on the smooth surface carved out to fit the Pulse Gem inside. "I think this is it." Mario stood next to Twilight, the gem in his hand now shining brightly instead of pulsing. "Moustafa said the ruins will appear from the sands when we place the Pulse Gem in here...I hope he's right."



Mario placed the gem in the stone, the Pulse Stone shining brighter and making the stone turn and sink into the sand, causing a powerful earthquake. Everyone yelled in surprise, feeling the sand in front of them shifting as they ran from the slowly rising temple. Dark clouds suddenly appeared and swirled around the desert region, the quake surprising everyone from Dry Dry Outpost and even Kolorado and his two assistants at their base. Moustafa was the only one who was calm as he stood on the roof of his apartment, another slice of his cake on his plate as he watched the clouds, knowing they found the ruins he and his ancestors were sworn to protect.

The temple slowly rose up from the sands, stone walls, columns, and even a platform free of sand fully revealed itself to the surprised group. Eventually, the earthquake finally stopped, the clouds in the sky blocking out the setting sun. The only source of light in the dimly lit desert was inside the temple itself, lit up torches inside of the halls. It was a sight to see the ancient ruins, surprisingly intact with some slight wear and tear to the stone from age.

"Whoa," Kooper gasped. "The Dry Dry Ruins..."

"Amazing," Twilight uttered.

The party walked along the stone floor as they admired the structural build of the ancient temple. One thing they noted were what was carved out at the top of the stone columns; spherical-shaped heads with wide eyes and an open mouth filled with sharp teeth.

"What are those things?" Pinkie asked, pointing at the strange carvings.

The Mushroom Kingdom heroes all shuddered, knowing exactly what the creature was. "Chain Chomps," Goombario answered. "Those are very dangerous."

"Living iron balls with skin tougher than the strongest steel, come in a variety of sizes from my height to gargantuan, and also has a chain behind it that's kind of like a tail," Bombette added.

"So they're giant doggies, but a giant ball?" Pinkie summarized.

"Worse," Parakarry said, trembling slightly as he swallowed a lump of fear. "I've made some deliveries where some owners actually have Chain Chomps as pets. Good thing about their chains is that they're incredibly durable and can hold them back, even reinforcing whatever they're attached to so they don't leave and run off chasing anyone."

"Their chains still stay connected to wherever they are tied to?" Twilight questioned, growing incredibly curious and a little terrified at the information on this type of guard dog in this world.

"Anything: wooden posts, fences, trees, even a single nail hammered into the ground won't even budge if it's shot out of a cannon," Parakarry continued. "So many close calls on my first few weeks as a mail carrier...They are not the friendliest, or the easiest to tame."

"I bet our friend Fluttershy could tame one!" Pinkie exclaimed. "She's tamed a big three-headed doggie named Cerberus, and that's a really, really, REALLY big guard doggie!"

Despite the shock of hearing one of Twilight and Pinkie's friends being able to tame a creature that was considered the guardian of the underworld, Kooper looked up at one of the columns curiously. "Moustafa didn't really mention much about the temple, but carvings of Chain Chomps...Did his ancestors or the inhabitants that built this place worship them? Or were they important to building the temple and once roamed around this desert?"

"I just hope there aren't any of these Chain Chomps waiting for us inside." They stood before the entrance to the temple, some worried about what lies inside, but deep in the ruins was where one of the remaining six Star Spirits were being held captive. There could be traps set up to keep thieves from stealing what treasures they held along with Bowser's minions. Twilight took in a deep breath, looking at her friends before walking inside. "Let's get moving. We've got a Star Spirit to rescue."
> Exploring the Dry Dry Ruins
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Inside the dimly lit ruins, the only source of light inside being the lit sconces hanging on the stone walls, Twilight, Pinkie, Mario, and their companions stepped inside as the sun had set through the dark clouds as they slowly disappeared. Twilight lit up her horn for a bit more light, finding the atmosphere a little creepy with what they might expect to find in an ancient temple.

"Ooooooooh," Pinkie said in awe. "Scary temple. I wonder if we'll find mummies in here."

"Ooooouuuuuuuuuuhhhh." The eerie wail rang out through the temple, startling Pinkie and Twilight as they froze in place.

"O-Or ancient haunting ghosties," Pinkie added as she trembled. "And I don't think that's the kind of ghostie I can giggle at to make it go away."

"I am the dreaded Tutankoopa, remorseless king of this desert," the voice said, the two mares quickly huddling beside Mario while the others looked around for where the sound of the voice came from. "You who dare set foot in my domain, begone from my palace! Or you will suffer my curse!"

When the voice's echo died out, Mario gently pat the mares on the head to calm them down. "A-Are there actual ghosts that exist in this world?" Twilight asked. "Some my be superstitious, but we have had spirits called Windigoes back in Equestria that fed off the anger of our ancestors while we weren't a unified species."

"There are some ghosts that do exist, though the ones that live in the Mushroom Kingdom are Boos," Goombario answered. "Those kinds of ghosts aren't that dangerous; just a bunch of mischievous spirits that love to scare anyone around them. Though, Tutankoopa is not a name that comes to mind in any ancient Dry Dry Desert lore I've read."

"Yeah, that goes double for me," Kooper agreed. "And I've read plenty of books on this temple's culture. If Moustafa said his family has been preserving this place from outsiders, and those statues of the Chain Chomps outside are any indication, only the Chain Chomps and mostly Nomadimouse lived in this temple. Not a Koopa."

"This Tutankoopa must be trying to scare us off, but we know Bowser has soldiers running around this place," Bombette pondered.

"And we can stop them...Right?" Parakarry asked.

Mario nodded, letting Twilight and Pinkie know if there were any danger, he'll keep them safe. The plumber lead the way with the alicorn, earth pony, Goomba, Koopa, Paratroopa, and Bob-omb trailing behind. Twilight and Pinkie were a bit cautious as they entered the first hallway, where they saw three yellow coffins with a face matching those of the Pokeys out in the desert leaning against the walls. As they passed by the first one, the coffin opened up, revealing a green Pokey shuffling out and lunging for them.

"AHHH!" Pinkie screamed. "Green prickly mummy monster!"

"Pokey Mummies!" Goombario warned. "Don't touch their spikes! They're poisonous!"

The other coffins opened as two more popped out, joining their friend in attacking the group. Kooper reacted fast, tossing himself in his shell as he slammed into the first one, knocking off a segment of its body as it groaned in pain. Parakarry hid in his shell, aimed straight for one of the back two Pokey Mummies' heads and shot off, knocking its head off its body as it fell in a daze. The third one took one of its three spherical parts off, knocking it in the air, then headbutted it at Twilight. Yelping in surprise, Twilight used her magic to grab the body part, stopping one of the spikes from touching her by mere inches.

"I hate how these things can just throw themselves at us like this!" Twilight exclaimed, tossing the body segment back at its owner, smacking it in the face.

Mario gripped his hammer, his glove glowing purple as he threw his hammer at the first Pokey Mummy, smacking it in the face as it fell over in defeat. Levitating his hammer back in his hand, he ran forward to take care of the last one, spinning around beside it and knocking its other body segments off, then smacking the head into the wall. The trio of Pokey Mummies were out for the count, everyone stepping carefully over the strewn out poisonous spike balls on the ground.

"Pokeys are weird," Pinkie said. "They can just keep going and going until they're only a head."

"There might be more if we head deeper. Best be careful of any coffins," Goombario warned. "And the ceiling for Swoopers since they like to live in ancient, decrepit places like these along with caves."

"What's a Swooper?" Twilight's question was answered as a purple bat with squinty eyes and a red nose swooped down at them.

They quickly ducked as it missed, swerving around to try to attack them again. "That's a Swooper!" Goombario jumped up as the Swooper came back down, headbutting it hard in the abdomen as it floated unconsciously to the floor. "I'm betting coins there's probably a group of them somewhere deeper in the temple they use as their home."

"How can something that cute be dangerous?" Pinkie asked. "Fluttershy could tame one in a heartbeat! But, I don't think she'd like to find one here in a spooky ancient temple with a ghostie who is or isn't a ghostie and works for Bowser."

Continuing down the hall, they found two stairways at the end, one leading up to a locked passageway and one down that was opened. With the only way to go being down, they entered a room that held a key standing on a small platform. There was a passageway forward, but it was elevated to the way they entered, the stone stairs leading down to the lower floor of the room.

"That's weird," Twilight noted. "Why isn't there a stairway leading up there?"

"Hey, there's a key!" Pinkie bounded over to the lone key, taking it, then stood on her hind legs as she held it up above her. "Da, da-da-da daaaaa!...Oh, wait, that's the wrong jingle."

"...Well, at least it wasn't booby trapped," Kooper noted. "There was a locked door by the other staircase. Maybe there's some kind of ladder there."

"Can't Parakarry and I just fly everypony up to the next room?" Twilight suggested.

"If we're in a dangerous place like this, I don't want to get exhausted carrying anyone up and over gaps all the time," Parakarry pointed out. "I'd rather save most of my strength for self-defense against anything else in here and this Tutankoopa."

"...I guess you're right," Twilight said. "I hope we don't end up getting lost if there are multiple passageways in these ruins."

"Knowing how crafty ancient civilizations can be, there just might be hundreds of ways to go, included with dead ends." They headed back and entered the room above after unlocking it, the doorway a moving wall that rose up and opened the way.

The room inside was a dead end that was filled with sand, the only thing worth noticing was a pressure button and a small platform on the other side. "Oooh! A button! I'ma press it!" Pinkie bounded over the sand and jumped onto the button. It slowly sank down to the ground under her weight, causing the room to shake suddenly. The sand suddenly began to sink, everyone standing on the sandy ground running back to the hall as they watched it fall through a hole that used to be blocked by something. Now the sand pit was empty as it filled up the room below them, which was enough to make them a floor to walk across to the elevated passageway. "Hey! It's like quicksand, but the sand sunk instead of us!"

"Pinkie, let's be cautious," Kooper said. "What would have happened if that switch set off some kind of trap that locks us in here?"

"Well, seeing as the way down was the only way to go, and there was a key that was needed to unlock the door to this room, and the only way forward was to push a button, it obviously wasn't a trap." After Pinkie's long-winded logic was explained, the others actually did see that she had made a good point.

"...Just don't go pushing anything shiny or out of place until we know it's safe next time. Ok?" Pinkie nodded her head, then joined back with the others as they headed back downstairs.

With the sand poured into the large gap of a room, there was indeed enough sand for them to walk on to continue onward. They soon heard the eerie groan of Tutankoopa's voice ring out in the temple.

"Fools! You have ignored my warnings!" Tutankoopa moaned. "You will soon feel the wrath of my curse and be lost to the sand for all eternity!"

"If he wanted to curse us, he would have done it the moment we entered the ruins," Goombario uttered. "Did this guy get his spooky curse speech from a horror movie or something?"

"I guess it was a little silly being frightened by a voice," Twilight said. "Although, if there are any Chain Chomps in here, then we have a reason to be scared."

As they looked around, they saw a couple flights of stairs, one leading up to a floor with a gap across the way to a wall with a crack in it while the other lead further down. There were a couple passages that were opened up, one of them unfortunately locked, which must mean it was the way to go to find the Star Spirit. There were also some Buzzy Beetles wandering about, more of Bowser's minions that had a stronger shell than a normal Koopa Troopa, though they were just as susceptible to being flipped over like one.

They took the pathway on the floor they were on, where they found a key resting on a raised platform, looking up at the ceiling to see sand leaking down onto the floor. The room above must have had a switch to drop the sand in the pit to walk across and reach the key. Since they had no time to waste, Twilight simply flew up to the platform and grabbed the key, not wanting to spend the whole night wandering around the temple. Heading back out, they made their way down the stairs, taking out the Buzzy Beetle down on the floor as they entered the opened room.

In this next room was a shrine of sorts, a green, triangular stone sitting on an altar on a higher platform. There weren't any stairs leading up to it, though they saw a large gray block that looked similar to the big yellow ones Mario smashed with his hammer, though it seemed to be made of stone. On the wall was an image of the temple and two Chain Chomps looking at it, one on each side.

"Lookie! I spy some treasure!" Pinkie said.

"A pyramid gem?" Kooper uttered. He hummed in thought as he looked around the room. "Something's fishy about this room. A colorfully-shaped gem on an empty altar like this?"

"You think it might be important?" Bombette asked.

"I can't exactly see it from down here to know if it's a priceless artifact or not." While Kooper pondered what secrets or traps awaited them in this room, Parakarry and Twilight hovered up on the ledge and examined the gem.

"Looks like a glorified stone in the shape of a pyramid," Twilight said. "But, I have heard that some ancient cities or temples have hidden passages that require specifically shaped objects to be placed in certain locations. This might be a piece to a puzzle if the Star Spirit's being held in the deepest part of Dry Dry Ruins."

"Maybe we should leave it for now, just in case," Parakarry said. "It could be one of those reverse pressure traps I've read in an adventure story, but the trap was a giant boulder that rolled down a slope that nearly crushed the explorer."

"Good idea. Moustafa also told us not to take any treasures out as well." Deciding to leave the stone where it was, Twilight and Parakarry flew back down to the others, unaware of one of the Chain Chomp's on the wall staring at them as they left the room.

With the next key, they unlocked the next door, entering another hallway with more Pokey Mummy coffins against the wall. Above them was a platform with yet another one of those stone blocks, though the red-colored stairway lead up to a different platform with another pressure button. Seeing nothing of major importance above them, not noticing an old artifact hidden behind the large block, they made their way to the other end of the hallway. The coffins didn't open up as they crept past them, which was a good thing, only to find the way forward was locked by yet another lock. The only thing nearby was a floating question mark block by the door.

"Ok, we need a locksmith if we keep running into anymore of these locked doors," Bombette grumbled.

"What's strange is that these locks are more recently made," Kooper noted. "Guess Tutankoopa wanted to make sure we didn't make it through and find that Star Spirit."

"But we haven't seen a key just lying around here," Goombario said. He looked up, wondering what was inside of the floating block. "Maybe it's in there?"

"I don't think anyone would be crazy enough to-" Twilight was interrupted as Pinkie Pie cheered and jumped into the block, smacking her head underneath it while surprisingly not getting a bump on her head. The block disappeared with no item or coins popping out of it. Suddenly, they heard the door on the other end close shut on them, along with the coffins as Pokey Mummies shuffled out of their cases, their derpy eyes looking right at them. "That was the same trap the Koopa Bros. pulled on us!"

"Oops. I thought there would be goodies inside," Pinkie said. "Curse you, fake mystery boxes! Your mystery of goodies was all a lie!"

Mario was beginning to lose his faith in trusting what lies hidden in those blocks after getting tricked by a second one. Pulling out his hammer, he knocked back a piece of one of the Pokeys' bodies they flung at them while the others prepared to fight for their lives. They kept as far away from their poisonous spikes on their bodies and dealt with them just like the group of Pokey Mummies they fought earlier. Once they were defeated, the closed door slid back open and a key dropped down by the locked door behind them.

"Ok, let that be the last of those things," Twilight said. "And the last of those stupid trap blocks."

"At least we got the next key," Parakarry said.

Mario picked up the key and unlocked the door. The next room had another stairway leading down to another floor, finding another pathway across a sizable gap. Deciding to look there first before moving further down, Mario jumped over to the other side, Pinkie following suit as she mimicked the plumber's jumping stance, while Twilight and Parakarry carried Goombario, Bombette, and Kooper across. In this room, they saw several flights of stairs, two colored red while the other two were green, more pressure switches with the same colors on the several platforms, finding a sign nearby with a picture of a treasure chest.

"Hey, wait! You're not supposed to be in there!" Tutankoopa shouted in a panic, which wasn't in the creepy voice he was making earlier. "Uhh, I mean, ooooooooooooooh! Uhh, turn back, thieves!"

"Oh, brother," Kooper groaned. "Give us a break."

"If neither of you retreat, you most definitely will suffer my curse!" The room was silent as everyone looked up at the ceiling with an unamused expression. "I mean it! I will do it!...Just don't go in there!...Please?"

"Whatever's in here must be something good for us, and Tutankoopa doesn't want us to have it." Twilight walked past the stairs, noticing the same stone block that was in the room with the pyramid stone blocking what appeared to be an entryway to the other side of the wall. Looking up, there was an opening that lead to the other side at the top of the room. She flew up and peeked over the edge, finding a large treasure chest on the other side. "I see a big chest on the other side!"

Hearing some sort of mechanism going off, Twilight looked back to see Pinkie up on the middle platform, pressing her weight down on a green pressure switch. Once it was fully pressed, the green colored stairs flipped around to climb up the other side of the upper platform.

"So that's what those switches are for," Kooper said. "I don't think those stairs are necessary to switch around when Twilight could get the chest, Pinkie."

"I know, but I want to see what's inside that chest, too!" Pinkie said, bouncing up the steps and pressing another green pressure switch to flip the stairs back in the previous position. She then leapt over to the other side, flipping the red stairs around using the red pressure switch at the top-center of the room. "Yay! Now we can all climb up and see!"

As the mare bounded up the steps to meet up with the alicorn, Mario shrugged his shoulders and jumped up the steps to join them. Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, and Parakarry stayed behind, just in case there was another trap and they needed to get them out if they got caught by something.

"You think I should go down first, Mario?" Twilight asked. "I can fly out since that's the only way out of this room...I highly doubt your hammer can break that gray block." Mario looked at his wooden hammer, not willing to try to test its durability against the stone block down below. He gave the alicorn a nod, letting her go down and check what was inside the chest. Twilight hovered over the wall and landed in front of the treasure chest. "Ok, let's see what's in here...and please let it not be booby trapped."

Twilight slowly opened the chest with her aura, keeping her distance and a small magical barrier ready in case darts flew at her or spikes shot out from the walls. Once it was fully opened, she didn't hear anything go off, which meant the treasure must have been safe. Looking inside, she wasn't expecting to find what laid inside: a hammer, though it seemed a lot stronger than Mario's as the head was made of steel instead of wood.

"What's inside, Twilight!?" Pinkie asked. "Gold!? Jewels!? An old recipe for desert cake!?"

"...It's a hammer," she said. "Why hide a hammer in a chest?" Mario jumped down to the floor, Pinkie following suit as she bounced on her tail before landing on her hooves. He took the new hammer out of Twilight's telekinetic grasp, feeling a bit more weight to it than Goompa's hammer, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle carrying. "It looks a lot stronger than your hammer."

"Let me see!" Pinkie swapped the metal hammer, giving it a few test swings as she held it in her mouth. She then exchanged the new mallet with the old, flailing it around more easily than with the other one. "Hmm...Yup! Feels stronger! Can I have this one while you use the new one?" Mario nodded, chuckling in amusement by the pony's cute face as she held the wooden hammer in her mouth. "Yay! Now I have my own weapon in case we find anymore of those evil spiky cactus monsters!"

"But that begs the question of how we get out of here," Twilight reminded, pointing at the stone block barring their way out of the room. Looking down at his new hammer, Mario decided to test its strength against the stronger block. Gripping the handle with both hands, he reared his arms back, then slammed it down hard, shattering the block to pieces. The rest of their friends were surprised when they saw the stone block suddenly break apart, finding Mario with a new hammer in his hands. Pinkie poked her head out from the side and waved to the others with the wooden hammer held in her curly mane. "...Huh. I guess that hammer was strong enough to break that block after all."

"It was no wonder Tutti Fruity didn't want us in here," Goombario said. "He had an upgraded hammer that could break those stone blocks."

"It's Tutankoopa!" the mysterious Koopa exclaimed irritably, only to stammer before getting back into his "spooky" tone. "Speak ill of the great Tutankoopa, and you shall face a fate worse than death!...Along with stealing my greatest treasure!"

"Well, he's not going to be needing it." With Mario's new, stronger hammer, everyone regrouped and headed out of the treasure room.

Dropping down to the next floor, Pinkie bouncing on top of a Buzzy Beetle that almost began shell tossing itself at one of her friends, they noticed a crack in the wall behind them. Leaving it alone for now, they continued into the next room, another hallway, but thankfully with no more Pokey Mummy coffins. There were five stone pillars lined up in a row against the wall with carved Chain Chomps on top of them. The pillars had an indentation in the center, where something can be placed in them, Twilight and Kooper guessing something like the pyramid stone could fit inside one of them. They decided on studying the pillars later and continued forward, hoping there would be something up ahead that might give them a clue.

Another set of stairs lead up and down at the end of the hall, the top doorway locked while the bottom was opened. With no choice but to go downstairs, they walked into the next room, where a large pit cut off a passage on the other end. There was a key on a ledge, the drop down not too far of a fall, where they saw yet another stone block in a corner.

"Whoo, boy," Bombette sighed. "Ancient ruins really do have so many complicated passages. How much deeper does this place even go?"

"Not sure, but we must be getting closer," Kooper said. Looking down into the pit, the Koopa could see a passage beneath him. "There's a way down there, too. Twilight, you and Parakarry check across the gap and see where that path leads."

"Ok. We'll also grab that key for that door back in the other room." Twilight and Parakarry grouped together and flew across the pit, the Paratroopa nabbing the key before they entered, the rest carefully dropping down to check what was down the other way.

Mario lead Pinkie, Goombario, Kooper, and Bombette down the long, narrow hall, where they saw a dozen Swoopers hanging on the ceiling. Spotting them, the bats screeched and swooped down to attack them. They ducked low to the ground, avoiding their body slams and sharp claws, Mario swatting a few down with his hammer. Pinkie tested out using her melee weapon, holding it in her hooves like a baseball bat, sticking out her tongue and wiggling her rump as she readied her swing. One Swooper flew down at her, only to get thwacked hard by the wooden hammer, getting sent flying across the hall as it spiraled out of control.

"Whoo hoo! Home run!" Pinkie cheered. "Now, where are the bases to run around!?" She yelped as she didn't notice another one dive bomb on her, getting tangled up in her curly, poofy mane. "AHHH! Bat in my mane! Get it out! Get it out! It's going to suck out my blood!"

"Pinkie, Swoopers don't drink blood!" Goombario exclaimed, headbonking on one as it swooped down at him, bouncing off of it and landing on the flailing mare's back. "Hold still! I'll get this thing out!"

The Goomba grabbed the Swooper, kicking the flailing and squeaking bat as it kept getting itself tangled to knock it out. After it finally stopped moving, he pulled the Swooper out, tossing it off Pinkie's back. Kooper used the walls to ricochet and bounce off of, smacking into the group of purple, squinty bats out of the air, where Bombette body slammed into them to finish them off. As soon as the last of them were out cold, the Koopa dusted his hands off.

"Took care of those flying pests," he said. As he looked around the hall, he noticed a carved map of the ruins hanging on the wall. "Hey, guys. Look at this."

The others gathered around and stared at the map. Though it was a simple kind of map that was made, it did show a definite layout of the rooms they had mostly been to, a red arrow at the bottom showing them where they were and the entrance up a few floors. What was interesting about the map were four colored points on the brown map in four different locations: one where the treasure room was that held Mario's new hammer with a purple square, and three different rooms with a green square. One of those rooms was the altar where they found the stone pyramid earlier.

"Hmmmmm," Pinkie hummed in thought as she stepped closer to the map. "If I had any bits to bet, I'd say these four rooms are veeeeeeery important."

"They must be," Kooper said, pointing to the room where the stone pyramid rests. "That room is where that pyramid rests. And these other two rooms must have something similar."

"Twilight and Parakarry are heading for that one room on the right," Goombario said. "I wonder if it's another stone pyramid."

The alicorn and Paratroopa walked into the hall after looking through the room, a little surprised seeing all the unconscious Swoopers laying on the ground. "Guys, we found another altar," Parakarry said. "But there was a blue crescent moon stone on it this time."

"The room was just like the one with the pyramid," Twilight added. She noticed the map on the wall, noting the marked rooms where they had already been in, the last altar on the same floor as them on the left. "Then that must mean this room must have a third stone. They must really be important to something after all."

"Looks like we might have to backtrack for them once we find out what's in that locked door." Parakarry pulled out the key he picked up back in the previous room. "And now that we have a layout of the ruins in here, it'll be a little easier to navigate...even though we've been through almost every single room."

"Let's just hope there's a way to back to the upper floors from here at the other end of this hall," Twilight said.

They continued onward, finding a spring that can help them make it back up to the upper floor with the five Chain Chomp pillars. There was also a bombable wall before them which lead to the third altar that held the third stone. Bombette lit her fuse and blew the wall up as she walked up to it, everyone able to see the final stone was a pink diamond. Using the spring to jump back up, Pinkie happily bouncing on it like a trampoline as they waited for Bombette to blow up the other wall leading them back out to the main halls of Dry Dry Ruins, they made their way back to the Chain Chomp pillars and unlocked the next door.

The room was filled with sand just like the other room, and seeing the switch on the other end meant that pressing it would make it sink down into the pit below for everyone else to walk across to one of the altar rooms. There were also five stone Chain Chomp carvings sticking up on pedestals buried in the sand, similar to the ones in the previous hall, but a bit smaller. Mario walked across the sand and pushed the switch down, draining the sand out of the room and fill up the pit beneath it. Now that the room was cleared away, they could see the pillars, having the same indents like the other ones, only this time, three of them had a carving of a shape in them: the far left one a pyramid, the middle one a diamond, and the far right one a crescent moon.

"So, those stones really are important after all," Kooper said. "So far, we haven't found the Star Spirit yet since we've searched in every single room down here. But, those pillars and stones must unlock a mechanism to open up a way further down."

"I think we should split up to get those stones," Goombario suggested. "It would be a lot faster to gather them and meet back up in that hall."

"Sounds like a good idea since we've dealt with all of the enemies in the ruins," Bombette said. "Nothing much standing in our way except for how late it'll be by the time we're done."

"I'll go with Twilight to get the pyramid stone," Kooper said. "Pinkie, you, Parakarry, and Bombette get the crescent stone, and Mario and Goombario can go for the diamond stone."

"Sounds good. Everypony, be careful," Twilight warned as they left the room and split up to gather the stones.





Twilight and Kooper made the longer trek back up to the altar room that held the green pyramid stone. She carried him up to the ledge, ignoring the stone block as they stepped up to the pedestal.

"So, if this might be a reverse pressure switch, what do you think will happen?" Twilight asked.

"Either trap us in the room until we put it back, or something dangerous like a slowly moving ceiling, poisonous darts, or another ambush like with that question mark block." Kooper brought a hand to his chin as he used his archaeological mind to ponder the possibilities that might happen. "We need these stones, but it's clear something bad will happen...We won't know until we take it."

The Koopa let out a heavy sigh, holding his arm out and flexed his fingers. He was a little nervous from the anticipation, but also a little thrilled to see what trap they'll set off once they take something used as a key to help them delve deeper into the ruins. Slowly, he reached out to the stone, quickly grabbing it and swiping it off the pedestal. The two of them flinched, expecting something to happen as they waited a few seconds, but thankfully, nothing did. Twilight and Kooper let out a sigh of relief, the latter holding the stone up for them to see.

"Well, I guess it was just a false trap," Twilight said. Suddenly, they heard a growling sound in the room, the two of them slowly looking at each other. "...Was that your stomach?"

"No. Yours?" The alicorn shook her head. They heard the growl again, even louder now. Kooper began to sweat nervously as his pupils shrunk to pinpricks. "...Uh oh."

"What's 'uh oh' mean for us?" Twilight questioned worriedly.

"I know what kind of creature makes that growling noise." Kooper turned around, noticing the carving that was on the wall in the room was different. One of the Chain Chomps was missing, which meant his explorer intuition was right earlier when he felt something was off about the room. "...Oh sweet, suffering Snifits."

Kooper carefully crept over to the edge to look down at the ground, only to yelp and leap back as something barked and jumped at him, barely reaching the higher platform. "W-What was that!?"

"I think it's a Chain Chomp, but it's made of stone!" Confused, Twilight approached the side, finding a living stone Chain Chomp looking up at her as it leaned against the wall.

"What the hay!?" Looking over the strange dog-like sphere of stone, it barked and tried to jump at her, unable to reach high enough on the platform they stood on. Its body was craggy, completely made of stone, including its teeth and the chain attached to it. "I thought you guys said they were made out of steel, not stone!"

"Well, this is news to me, too!" Kooper said. "Maybe Chain Chomps have evolved with metal bodies as time passed, and they were originally made of stone. They may look a bit weaker just from the cracks it has, but that doesn't mean they're not as dangerous as the ones we knew."

"At least it can't reach us and I can carry us over it." The Stone Chomp was smarter than it seemed, grunting as it looked back at the exit, then bounced over to it and blocked their only way out. It let barks as if it was laughing at them mockingly. "Or these things actually listen and is smart enough to block the way out of here. And I haven't recovered enough to teleport us on the other side of it. Curse Bowser and that Star Rod."

"Guess we have no choice but to beat it up." Kooper jumped down, prepared to fight as he stared down the stone guard dog. "Alright, you old dog...or however old you might actually be. Time to put you down."

The Stone Chomp growled and lunged forward, chomping its sharp, stone teeth at the Koopa. Kooper shell tossed away from it, bouncing off the wall and ramming into it as hard as he could. He did manage to slam the Chomp's side, but that only angered it as it barked madly, lunging forward with each bounce as the chomp chased the spiraling blue shell.

"This is bad," Twilight uttered as she helplessly watched her Koopa friend getting chased around by the Stone Chomp. "Even if it's made of stone, it's still tough. Ugh, if only Mario was here with his new hammer. That could easily take care of it." She looked around, trying to figure out a way to stop the Chomp or knock it out. Twilight glanced over at the stone block nearby, looking a little bit stronger than the body of the bouncing stone sphere with teeth. "That might work."

Lighting up her horn, Twilight grunted as she summoned all of her magical energy around the stone block. She had regained enough magic to lift up bigger objects, lifting up the heavy block and hovering it over the ground. It wasn't as heavy as an ursa minor back when the baby constellation bear ran through Ponyville no thanks to two colts who believed Trixie's story when she first came to town, but it still took an effort to lift it.

While the alicorn hovered the block up in the air, Kooper continued to flee, avoiding bouncing around the walls and into the maw of the Stone Chomp. It was so focused on the Koopa, it didn't pay attention to the stone block hovering above them. Kooper ended up tripping over the Chomp's stone chain as he bounced off the wall, flipping him and throwing him out of his controlled spinning. He tumbled across the ground as his limbs popped back out to manually stop himself, smacking his back into a wall.

Shaking his head and snapping out of his daze, Kooper gasped when the Stone Chomp approached him, growling menacingly. It reared itself back to lunge at the Koopa, but before it lunged for him, Twilight dropped the stone block down on it. The block smacked the top of the Chomp's head, letting out a yelp as it froze in place, the impact shattering the block to pieces. Slowly, the Stone Chomp lowered its head, its eyes turning to crosses as it let out a groan. Twilight jumped down and ran up to Kooper, helping him back up on his feet.

"Thanks," he said. "I thought it had me for a second."

"Good thing that block was there," Twilight said, rubbing her head as she felt a small headache. "It was a lot heavier than I thought it was...You still have the pyramid stone?"

Kooper pulled his arm into his shell, pulling out the stone he hid on him before fighting the Stone Chomp. "Still in one piece. Let's get out of here before Stony over there wakes back up."

"Yes. Let's." The duo made their way out of the altar and headed back to meet up with the others in the hall with the five Chain Chomp pillars. "You don't think everypony else is going to end up finding one of those stone Chain Chomps in the other rooms, will they?"

"I have a bad feeling they might," Kooper said.





Mario and Goombario jumped down the long drop to the floor that had the map of the entire ruins. They passed through the blown up wall into the altar where the pink diamond stone rests. Mario could easily jump up onto the platform, but he didn't want to leave Goombario by himself if there was a trap once they grabbed it. He saw a stone block in a corner near the raised platform, just like the one back in the first altar with the pyramid stone. Using his new hammer, he smashed the block to pieces, only to leap back in shock as a Stone Chomp was hidden inside of the block and lunged at him.

"Whoa!" The Chomp barked and lunged forward, only to be met with a hard smack in the jaws by Mario's hammer. It was sent flying into the wall, some of its teeth broken off by the harder mallet's head as it fell unconscious. "A Chain Chomp made out of stone!? By Goompa's fez, that's new. I didn't think they could be made of stone. It must have been a protector of the stone, or the ruins itself."

While Goombario pondered the odd Chomp, Mario noticed there was a stairway hidden behind where the block used to be. There was a way for others without flight or his jumping ability to reach the pedestal, it was just blocked off by those stone blocks. He climbed up and approached the stone, taking it off its altar. Luckily, there didn't seem to be a trap, the only surprise being the Stone Chomp that was guarding it. Mario and Goombario began heading back to see if the others got their stones as well, hoping they didn't run into a Stone Chomp as well.





Pinkie hummed nonchalantly as she bounced over the sand covering the pit on the way to the crescent stone with Parakarry and Bombette. "Pinkie, don't you get exhausted bouncing around all the time?"

"Nope!" Pinkie answered.

"Do you ever get exhausted?" Parkarry asked.

"Of course, silly! I need to sleep sometimes!" she said.

"I think we're going to just say Pinkie has a limited supply of unlimited energy before she eventually crashes," Bombette theorized. "...Or we should stop wondering how she works for the sake of reality."

They entered the room with the blue crescent stone, Parakarry flying up to take the stone for the five pillars. Right as the Paratroopa picked up the stone, Pinkie's tail began twitching erratically, making the pony gasp.

"Uh oh! Twitchy tail!" she warned.

"What?" Bombette questioned.

"My Pinkie Sense is going off!" Pinkie exclaimed. "And when my tail starts twitching, that means something's going to fall!"

"Umm, how exactly does that make any sense?" Parakarry asked. "Body spasms can't tell what's going to-"

Bombette gasped when she looked up, spotting a Stone Chomp moving off a ledge of the wall above where the altar lies, falling straight toward the unsuspecting Paratroopa. "Parakarry, watch out!"

"Huh?" The mail carrier looked up, yelling in surprise as he spotted the Stone Chomp falling down on him. He flew out of the way in time, the Chomp smashing and breaking the pedestal. "Holy Monty Moles! Where did that thing come from!?"

"See!? Twitchy tail!" Pinkie reminded. "A statue fell, just like I said!"

The Chomp moved, which made Parakarry back away, thinking it was some kind of statue that fell over due to wear and tear of time. "Uhh, this isn't a statue! I think this is a real Chain Chomp, but it's made out of stone!"

It barked and jumped up at Parakarry, the Koopa fluttering high in the air to avoid its jaws. "I didn't know they could be made of stone! Pinkie, throw me up there!"

"Ooh! Good idea! We'll see if the stone doggy can play fetch!" Pinkie grabbed Bombette, lifting the Bob-omb up over her head. "Here, boy! Fetch the pink explodey ball!"

Bombette lit her fuse as she was tossed up on the platform. The Stone Chomp heard Pinkie, letting out a confused growl, only to whimper as it saw the Bob-omb stand in front of it. Bombette released a powerful blast, hitting the Chomp at point-blank range. When the smoke cleared, it was covered in soot as its eyes were the size of pinpricks. It coughed out smoke from its opened maw, then fell over on its side unconscious. Parakarry let out a heavy sigh of relief, holding out the crescent stone he grabbed.

"That was close," he said. Parakarry hovered back down to Pinkie and Bombette, the Bob-omb joining them after falling back down from her explosive blast. "Wow, Pinkie. I guess you were right about your...Pinkie Sense. Thanks."

"You're welcome, Parry!" Pinkie said, pulling the Paratroopa into a hug. "And my tail's stopped twitching. No more stuff's gonna fall on us."

"I hope so," Bombette said as she looked up. After seeing just how accurate Pinkie's randomness in foresight was with her Pinkie Sense, it made her and Parakarry a but curious to what else the mare was capable of telling just from her random body spasms. "Soooo...That Pinkie Sense of yours. Does that just happen randomly?"

"Sure does! Even I don't know what to expect, but I always trust my Pinkie Sense! I even have combos!" Bombette and Parakarry looked at each other in shock, hearing Pinkie had several involuntary motions and twitches that could mean anything rather than just one to warn of something. "Just watch out for when I do an ear flop, eye flutter, and knee twitch in that order." Pinkie acted out the involuntary motions in that order to show the two what it looks like. "That means watch out for opening doors. Twilight learned that the hard way when she tried to figure it out how my Pinkie Sense worked. Sometimes, you have to believe in things, even if they can't be figured out."

"...I think with you, we'll believe anything you do or say," Parkarry said. With the crescent stone kept safe in Parakarry's mail bag, being mindful that his bag was completely closed and in a separate pocket from his letters to deliver, the trio headed back to the hall to meet up with the others. "So, Pinkie, you think you have a Pinkie Sense to warn us about weather conditions?"
> The Mighty Tutankoopa
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mario and Goombario arrived back in the hallway where they needed to put the three stones in the pillars first, waiting for the others to make it back. It wasn't long before Pinkie, Parakarry, and Bombette returned, having retrieved the crescent stone and were thankfully unharmed.

"You guys alright?" Goombario asked. "We ended up getting into some trouble with a Chain Chomp made out of the similar kind of stone from these ruins."

"Yeah, one nearly fell on me," Parakarry said. "But, Pinkie sort of saved me with her Pinkie Sense."

"Pinkie Sense?" the Goomba questioned, raising a brow as he stared at the grinning pony.

"Just believe it," Bombette said. "If she starts saying 'twitchy tail', look up and watch out for anything that's going to fall on you."

Mario and Goombario looked at each other skeptically, but after knowing Pinkie for a while, they're just going to leave it as Pinkie being herself. "...Well, ok...Good to know."

A moment later, Twilight and Kooper returned with the pyramid stone. "Guys, you're not going to believe what happened to us."

"You were attacked by a Chain Chomp made out of stone that was protecting the pyramid stone from being taken away," Bombette summarized.

"And it looks like your guess was right after all, Kooper," Twilight said. "So, now that we have all three stones, let's put them in the right positions and see what happens."

As Kooper, Mario, and Parakarry were the ones who carried the three stones, the three of them approached the correct pillars to place them in the indents. Kooper placed the green pyramid stone in the far left one, Parakarry placed the blue crescent stone in the far right, and Mario finally placed the pink diamond in the center. Once all three stones were in place, they heard a click, the eyes of the carved Chain Chomps shimmering brightly, followed by a sudden quake in the ruins.

Everyone began to panic as they thought they set off a trap, Pinkie the only one giggling and jittering around with the quaking. The shaking made a part of the ground sink down, creating a flight of stairs leading to a secret passage leading even further down into Dry Dry Ruins. The shaking ceased after the stairs were set, everyone cautiously looking down at the deeper floors.

"More parts of the ruins," Kooper said. "There can't be much left of the place to explore."

"Which means Tutankoopa must be down there, along with the next Star Spirit." Nowhere to go but down even further, Mario took the lead as he went down the steps.

Everyone followed the plumber, Twilight right behind him as she lit up her horn to lit up the area a bit more. The torches on the walls felt like they were getting dimmer as they trekked down the stairs, making the hidden passage of the ruins not marked on the hallway map seem more mysterious and eerie than the rest of the temple. As they entered the room, they heard Tutankoopa's eerie voice trying to scare them off again.

"This is your last warning!" Tutankoopa said. "Enough of this foolishness! Leave at once!"

"Not a chance, Tutu Cookie!" Pinkie exclaimed. "You don't belong in this place! This is Sheeky's family heritage, and you are soiling it more than us!...Even though we have permission to be here to stop you!"

"I think you're actually saying his name wrong on purpose, Pinkie," Kooper said.

They continued onward into the next room, which was pitch black aside from Twilight's lavender aura glowing around her. A sinister chuckle echoed around them as everyone looked around to see where it was coming from. The torches began to light up suddenly, brightening the room a little bit. Then, appearing in front of them in the center of the room out of thin air was a yellow, orange, purple, and blue striped pharaoh's headdress with a small Chain Chomp motif on top, a pair of eyes leering at them underneath it.

The headdress slowly rose up into the air, hovering back onto a platform on the other side of the room where a few stacks of empty Buzzy Beetle shells were placed. They watched the mysteriously floating headdress as a body began to form underneath it, revealing a Koops wearing a white robe with a blue trimming.

"So, you dared to ignore my warnings, and here you are in my lair!" Tutankoopa exclaimed. "...Come on! Don't you guys have any common sense to run away from fright!?" He looked at Twilight and Pinkie, staring at them curiously as he pulled out a piece of paper from the sleeves of his robe. He smirked as he looked at the pictures of the creatures he was tasked to find while also keeping the Star Spirit from Mario's hands. "Well, well, well. Two for the price of one. Lord Bowser will surely promote me if I capture these two." Tutankoopa winced, realizing he said that out loud. "...Uhh, pay no attention to my ramblings!"

"We already know you're working for Bowser," Goombario stated. "We're here for the Star Spirit. Either give it up quietly-"

"Or fear the power of friendship, fake ghostie!" Pinkie finished as she held the wooden hammer in her mouth.

Tutankoopa scoffed, putting away the detailed list back in his sleeves. "There is no power in making friends. You all have no idea what power I possess. I may not be as powerful as Lord Bowser, but I have magic that rivals any other Kamek who had studied spells for decades! And I even have a little pet who would love to play with you." The Koopa smirked and clapped his hands twice, a pair of torches lighting up across from the group, revealing a barred gate. The iron bars began to rise, a growling noise coming from inside the room that made the Mushroom Kingdom heroes wince and step back. "Chompy, time to play with your new toys!"

"C-Chompy?" They soon heard a metal thumping as something bounced out from the other room, Twilight and Pinkie matching the same horrified expressions as the others, the latter dropping her hammer. Standing before them was an actual Chain Chomp, its body black and made of steel unlike the Stone Chomps, the chain a metallic silver as it dragged behind it. "T-That's a real Chain Chomp???"

"Uh huh," Kooper whimpered. "We're kind of screwed."

"Chain Chomps have very durable bodies," Goombario stated. "I don't even think Mario's new hammer could leave a dent in that thing."

"You may have taken that hammer out of the treasure room, but even with that to make it this far, your end will be swift and painful!" Tutankoopa mocked. "After I defeat you, Mario, I'll take those two creatures for Bowser and Kammy Koopa and deliver them to my king personally! Chompy, playtime!"

Chompy barked and lunged forward, Twilight and Parakarry quickly flying into the air while the others dodged out of the way. It slammed into the wall, but with its tough body, it barely flinched from the impact. It turned around, deciding which of its prey to attack. It brought its sights on Pinkie, being the only one brighter and colorful in the dim lighting, even compared to Bombette's pink body.

"Uh oh. Uhh, nice Chompy?" The Chain Chomp barked and began to chase her as Pinkie screamed and ran away. "No! Bad Chain Chomp! I'm not a tasty snack!"

"No, Chompy!" Tutankoopa ordered. "Don't hurt the creature! Start with them!" The Chain Chomp didn't listen as it kept bouncing after Pinkie Pie. The powerful wizard growled and facepalmed. "Stupid animal. You were the worst to train compared to your stone ancestors."

"Pinkie, keep distracting it!" Goombario shouted. "We'll try to stop Tutankoopa!"

"I don't think I have a choice!" Pinkie yelled out, quickly pulling her tail closer to her as Chompy nearly took a bite out of it. "Hey! Watch the tail!"

"Chompy! Start attacking Mario! I don't want you to maim those-!" Tutankoopa was interrupted as Mario leapt up onto the platform he stood on, hammer raised over him to slam down on the Koopa. Using his magic, he flung one of the many Buzzy Beetle shells forward, Mario quickly smacking it back before it hit him. "Looks like I have to do everything myself."

Tutankoopa held his hand out, stopping the deflected shell within inches of his palm. Levitating a few more from his stacks of shells, he began tossing them around, aiming them at the others not being chased around by his Chain Chomp. Mario jumped back, blocking the shell aimed at him with his hammer, Twilight and Parakarry dodged out of the way, and Goombario, Bombette, and Kooper stepped out of the way, keeping an eye on the shells as they began ricocheting around the room. The evil Koopa began chanting in a strange language, lifting his hands up in the air as he created a big illusion of a Chain Chomp above them.

Everyone was ready to get out of its way as Tutankoopa tossed it down, but he only slammed it into the ground far from them. The impact shook the whole temple, confusing the heroes, only for Pinkie's tail to twitch uncontrollably as she ran by everyone, Chompy's attention only focused on her even in its line of sight.

"Twitchy tail!" Pinkie screamed.

"Uh oh!" Twilight looked up, spotting some debris from the ceiling begin to fall down around them. She dropped to the ground and avoided getting struck by a large piece of stone, Parakarry following suit as he ran around avoiding debris with the others. "He could take the entire temple down with something like that!"

Tutankoopa was a little surprised to see them avoid the falling stones after his distracting illusion. He continued throwing more shells, levitating the ones he threw earlier that had finally stopped moving. While the others avoided getting hit by the tough shells, Pinkie began to get exhausted running around the room and away from the Chain Chomp still chasing her.

"Somepony tag me out!" she exclaimed. "I don't want to play tag with a Chain Chomp any-!" She yelped, not paying attention to one of the tossed Buzzy Beetle shells bouncing around as it tripped her hooves. Pinkie tumbled across the room, smacking into the wall, her eyes spinning in her head. When she tripped, the lemon-lime cupcakes she had baked earlier fell out in front of her, stored away in her mane in case of cupcake emergencies. "Uuuuuuuugh. Next time, be wary of wandering spinning shells thrown by an evil turtle wizard."

Shaking her head out of her daze, she looked up and saw Chompy standing in front of her, looking at the cupcakes that fell from her. Nosing up to it, even though Chain Chomp's don't have a nose, it sniffed the pastry curiously. It stuck out its tongue and licked up one of them, smacking its lips as it tasted the sweet and sour cupcake. Chompy let out a satisfied yip, its eyes turning to hearts before barking happily, lapping up the rest of the cupcakes.

While the Chain Chomp scarfed down on Pinkie's cupcakes, the others continued fighting against Tutankoopa as they continued avoiding his Buzzy Beetle shells. Parakarry dive bombed onto the Koopa, blocked by a tough Buzzy Beetle shell that flew around the magic-wielding foe as a shield. Mario tossed Goombario and Bombette up onto Tutankoopa's platform to attack him, only to get smacked away by a tossed Buzzy Beetle shell and back on the ground.

"He's too trigger happy with those Buzzy Beetle shells!" Goombario said, shaking his head as he ignored the pain. "We need to hit him faster than he can telekinetically manipulate them!"

"I have an idea!" Twilight said. "Kooper, can you do that fire spinning thing you did before against the Koopa Bros.!?"

"Yeah!" Kooper said.

"Then do it, but hold your position!" With a nod, the blue-shelled Koopa ducked in his shell and began spiraling rapidly, picking up speed as his body began to spark. "Mario, toss me your hammer!" The plumber obliged, throwing his hammer to Twilight, catching it in her aura. "Parakarry, prepare your own shell toss!"

"Uhh, ok!" Parakarry hid in his shell, hovering in place as he aimed for the Koopa pharaoh.

"Whatever you have planned will not work!" Tutankoopa began chanting again, bringing back the large illusion of a Chain Chomp and slamming it into the ground. Everyone grew wary of the ceiling again, watching out for any rubble. "You cannot stop the all powerful-!"

Not looking up with them, Tutankoopa was struck hard in the head by a piece of the ruins, sending him in a daze and dropping his shell as he stumbled about on his perch. "Well, that works as a distraction." Twilight saw flames rise from Kooper, continuously keeping his position as he spun at near mach speeds. She levitated the Koopa up to her, being mindful of the fire as she levitated the hammer behind him. She readied her aim, seeing Tutankoopa was still delirious. "Parakarry, fire!"

The Paratroopa shot off with a hard flap, hurling himself hard into Tutankoopa's face. The blow sent him flying back into the wall, scattering his shells around as they rolled off the platform. Twilight then hit Kooper with the hammer hard, sending the flaming shell hurtling into the evil Koopa wizard, striking him in the stomach as they left an imprint of his body into the wall. Kooper bounced back toward Twilight as he was hit again, sent flying back to the dazed Tutankoopa repeatedly. He managed to teleport himself away from the fifth knockback, only ending up getting in Kooper's way as he bounced back and got struck in the back of the head.

Tutankoopa was sent flying off the platform, falling straight to the ground where Goombario stood underneath him. The Goomba leapt up, headbutting him hard in the gut and sent him flying back up into the air. Parakarry dove down, kicking Tutankoopa hard in the face as he was sent crashing down to the ground. He groaned in agony, shakily pushing himself up onto his knees. Looking up, he saw Mario holding one of the Buzzy Beetle shells in his hands.

"Oh, you wouldn't," he uttered.

"Oh, he's gonna." Tutankoopa heard a fuse light up behind him, turning around to see Bombette behind him. If she had a mouth, he would see her smirking, his pupils shrinking as the fire sank into her body. "Ka-boom."

The Bob-omb blew up, sending Tutankoopa soaring toward Mario as his body was covered in scorch marks. Mario dropped the shell and kicked it hard, sending it smacking into the Koopa's head, which made him spiral out of control as he continued sailing toward the plumber. Timing it right, Mario grabbed Tutankoopa's feet and began spinning around, picking up momentum as they turned into a red, blue, and white spinning top. After reaching enough speed, Mario let go, throwing Tutankoopa back to where he was blown up, sending him tumbling across the ground until coming to a dead stop on the closed bars of Chompy's room.

As the wizard groaned, Twilight and Parakarry flew back down beside their friends, the alicorn returning the hammer back to Mario. "Guess he wasn't that tough without that Chain Chomp helping him..." Twilight gasped, completely forgetting about the Chain Chomp chasing Pinkie. "The Chain Chomp! Pinkie!"

"Here, Chompy!" Everyone looked over to where Pinkie and Chompy where, giving confused looks as they saw Pinkie somehow able to tame the dangerous Chain Chomp. She was holding out one of her lemon-lime cupcakes none of them knew she kept on her, holding it out while Chompy was panting and barking excitedly. "Sit, boy!...Are you sitting!?...I actually can't tell if you are 'cause you're a big ball, but no cheating or no cupcake!"

"Pinkie???" Out of all of them, Twilight was the least surprised at the oddity they were witnessing. Mario and his Mushroom Kingdom companions all stared in utter shock as Pinkie was treating a Chain Chomp, one of this world's many dangerous creatures, like a pet. "...What?...How?...Huh!?"

"Hey, don't worry, everypony! Chompy's not a bad doggy!" Pinkie said, tossing a cupcake in Chompy's mouth. He bounced happily and barked, giving Pinkie a friendly lick. "I think he was just hungry! And he's kinda cute when you look past the sharp teeth! Not sure if Fluttershy could easily be friends with a Chain Chomp, but maybe when we find her, we'll bring her to see Chompy!"

Mario, Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, and Parakarry slowly turned their heads to look at Twilight. "...Twilight? Do you...maybe have an answer to how...Pinkie Pie tamed a Chain Chomp?" Goombario asked. "...With just cupcakes!?"

"...I think I'm going to call this a 'Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie' moment," Twilight said after pondering for a minute. "Then again, she has a pet alligator with no teeth that she takes care of, so I guess I expected something random when it involves a creature considered dangerous to keep as a household companion."

"An alligator!?" Goombario, Bombette, Parakarry, and Kooper all exclaimed simultaneously.

Thankfully, the confusing notions of Pinkie Pie were distracted as they heard Tutankoopa groan again, getting back up on his feet. He clutched his stomach, completely bruised, a bump on his head from his failed attempt to send debris falling on his opponents when he didn't notice any fall on him. He heard Pinkie's giggling and Chompy's barking, looking at the duo in shock as his own pet was betraying him.

"Chompy!?" The Chain Chomp stopped licking Pinkie, giving the mare a poofy cowlick mane as he turned to look at its master. "What are you doing, you stupid Chain Chomp!? They are the enemy! Have I trained you for absolutely nothing!?"

"Chompy isn't stupid, Toilet Kappa!" Pinkie argued.

"It's Tutankoopa!" the Koopa shouted angrily.

"Well, you sure do act like a toilet if you call your best friend and pet stupid," Pinkie said, patting the Chain Chomp's side. "Do you even feed him? No wonder he wanted to take a bite out of me. He hasn't had anything yummy to eat in what seems like forever!"

"...Do you even hear what comes out of your mouth?" Tutankoopa questioned, baffled by Pinkie's childish behavior and randomness. He shook his head and leered angrily at them, forgetting about the mare as he focused his anger on his pet's betrayal. "Chompy is my servant, and he obeys me! He is no 'friend' of mine; he is an animal! An animal to be controlled and used by the one who commands them! But ever since he was a small ball of iron, he has been the WORST Chomp I have ever had the displeasure of raising!"

"You're saying this about a dangerous animal you trained, which is pretty difficult to do with how wild they can be?" Goombario asked.

"Silence, peasant! I know how to train Chomps, even those Stone Chomps meant to protect those stones from concealing this area of these ruins! But Chompy is the one that makes me drive me to pull my hair out of my skull if I had any!" Tutankoopa didn't notice, but Chompy began to look disheartened as his master talked down to him in hearing distance. "He didn't listen to me when I told him not to attack that pink quadruped, he doesn't even bother helping me since he has betrayed me! He is nothing but a brain-dead, deaf, PATHETIC excuse of a Chain Chomp I had ever had the displeasure of raising in all my life!"

Chompy whimpered sadly as tears welled up in his eyes, which surprised Mario and his companions as they have never once seen a Chain Chomp ever get upset in a depressed way. The large, animated iron ball had been under Tutankoopa's care for as long as he could remember, but he never once had any fun with him, or gave him any delicious food like those cupcakes. It hurt to hear his master call him worthless, his sorrow quickly turning into anger as he growled dangerously.

"I think you made him angry," Pinkie said, stepping away from the angry Chain Chomp.

"Good! He should be angry! He's lucky I'm not going to send him off to a junk heap to be forgotten as a rusted ball of metal!" Chompy snarled angrily, slowly bouncing toward Tutankoopa, having enough of his now former master's insults. "I'm going to give you one last chance, mongrel. You obey me and kill Mario and his comrades, or-" The Chain Chomp immediately chose his answer, barking and lunging forward. "AHH!"

Tutankoopa jumped out of Chompy's way as he slammed into the iron bars. Not even fazed by slamming his face against the gate, Chompy turned around and continued chasing after his "master", Tutankoopa screaming like a girl as he fled for his life, too focused on avoiding the Chain Chomp to remember he could use magic. The others stepped back against the walls as they watched the dangerous iron ball and chain attack the wizard who trained him, though after admitting he hated Chompy, he definitely deserved to have his hand bitten by what he fed, or didn't feed with how many cupcakes Pinkie gave him.

"...So, I guess this means we've beaten him, huh?" Twilight asked, everyone nodding in agreement. "Does he have the Star Spirit on him, or is he hiding it somewhere?"

"Looks like we might have to do some interrogating," Kooper said. "Think you can hang onto a Chain Chomp's chain with your magic?"

"I think so," Twilight said.

"Then let's get that Star Spirit." As Tutankoopa ran by them, Twilight lit up her horn and enveloped the end of Chompy's chain with her aura, stopping him while Kooper shot his foot out in the wizard's path. Tutankoopa tripped and landed on his face, groaning in pain. Before he stood up on his own, Mario and Kooper picked him up and held onto his arms tightly. "Alright, Tutankoopa. You're beaten. Where's the Star Spirit?"

"Let me go!" Tutankoopa demanded. "I'm not telling you anything!"

"Strike one." Twilight loosened her hold on Chompy, reminding the Koopa wizard of his impending doom as the Chain Chomp got closer, barking and thrashing about.

Pinkie walked up to Tutankoopa, glaring at him for everything he said about Chompy. "You better tell us, or else Chompy's going to use you as a chew toy instead, Tulip Cuccoo!"

"Why do you keep messing up my name!?" Mario and Kooper pushed the wizard forward, keeping their hold on him as they brought him closer to the mad Chain Chomp. Fearing getting gnashed by Chompy's sharp fangs, Tutankoopa panicked and gave in. "Ok! Ok! The Star Spirit's in Chompy's room! I'll open the gate!" Mario and Kooper gave him access to his arms as he clapped his hands, raising the gate to the Chain Chomp's room. "There! Take it! Just don't let me get chomped!"

"Not until you say you're sorry to Chompy!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"What more do you want from me!?" Chompy barked, making Tutankoopa scream in fright as he kept getting closer. "Alright! I'm sorry! There! Are you happy!?"

Chompy stopped his barking, leering at his former master for a moment before turning away with a grunt. "I guess that's a yes, but it doesn't look like he'll trust you anymore." Tutankoopa sighed in relief as Mario and Kooper let him go, only to be conked on the head hard by Pinkie and her hammer. "Now get out of here before I show you how to be a better friend! Pinkie Pie Style!"

The wizard fled in fright, now sporting a bump on his head. "Alright. That's two of Bowser's strongest followers down. Now for that Star Spirit."

Chompy barked and bounced back to his room. "Is Chompy getting it for us?" Goombario asked, still a little wary having a friendly Chain Chomp on their side.

He soon came back, holding a card with Bowser's symbol on the back, giving it to Pinkie. "Thanks, Chompy! You're a good boy, aren't ya!?" She pat Chompy and tossed him another cupcake, munching on the pastry happily. Pinkie picked up the card and approached Mario, showing an orange star with a pink bow on the other side. "So, how exactly do we get somepony out of a card?"

As Mario touched the card, it began glowing just like Eldstar's did back in the Koopa Bros. Fortress. The Lucky Star also began to shine as well, this time glowing pink, both lights brightening up the dim room. The second Star Spirit's card hovered out of Mario and Pinkie's grip, sparkling as they heard the spell holding its captive break and explode. The Star was freed after the blinding flash of light shone around them, stretching out its body after being held hostage.

"Thank you all for your help," she said. "I am Mamar." Mamar floated down before them, bowing her head to Mario. "It is a pleasure to meet you in person, Mario."

"Well, we're glad to help, ma'am," Kooper said. "We've already freed the first one, Eldstar."

"I can already sense his presence back in Star Haven as we speak," Mamar said. She looked at Twilight and Pinkie, sensing the strange magic she and her fellow Star Spirits felt a while back from the creatures never before seen in this world. "Oh. So, this was the source of the powerful magical energy. How interesting."

"I think Eldstar had a similar reaction," Twilight said. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and this is Pinkie Pie."

"Hello!" Pinkie greeted with a cheerful wave.

"Eldstar can give you the basic details about us, but we come from another world not from this universe," the alicorn explained. "We were with Mario when he fought Bowser and lost, and four of our other friends got separated when we tried."

"I see. I'm so sorry," Mamar said. "Do not worry, we will do all we can to help you until you find your friends, and with your help, we all might be able to stop Bowser once you find the rest of my fellow Star Spirits." She turned back to Mario. "Mario, I would like to give you some of my power if you are ever in danger." Mamar gave  the plumber some of her power, showering the plumber with stars until he flashed in a bright light. "With my power, Lullaby, I can put opponents to sleep if you're ever in a bind with tougher foes.

"I must take my leave to recover, but don't worry, Twilght and Pinkie. Eldstar and I will do all we can to search for your other friends. I just hope the other Stars in Star Haven aren't in too much of a panic without the Star Rod. Good luck, everyone!" Mamar soon flew off, making her way out of Dry Dry Ruins and returning to the stars above.

After Mamar left, Mario pulled out his pendant around his neck, now seeing another change to one of the arms as one of them turned pink like Pinkie's coat. Along with freeing the second Star Spirit, he had also gained something else, but what it was is a mystery.

"Oooh! Shiny necklace!" Pinkie said as she looked at the Lucky Star. "When'd you get that?"

"Hey, one of the arms are pink," Twilight pointed out. "That means Mario really can use our magic thanks to the Lucky Star."

"So, not only does a Star Spirit help us out, so do you and your friends," Kooper said.

"That Lucky Star must absorb some kind of magic from you and Pinkie after freeing a Star Spirit," Goombario pondered. "So, if we find the rest of your friends, then Mario can get another power."

"But if he's able to use telekinesis to bring back his hammer..." Everyone slowly turned their heads to Pinkie, the mare too entranced by the bronze star with a fuchsia core and new pink arm. "...I'm afraid to see what Mario's going to get if he gains something from Pinkie."

Mario nodded his head in agreement with a worried groan. Whatever his new power was, they would have to wait and see what it is. With another Star Spirit saved, the group began making their way out of the ruins, Chompy following after them behind Pinkie now that he was a free Chain Chomp.

"So, what are we going to do about Chompy?" Twilight asked, yelping as the Chain Chomp gave her a surprise lick. "Eww! Worse than getting kisses from Applejack's dog, Winona!"

"Can't we keep him, Twilight?" Pinkie begged.

"Well, seeing as we might need to travel to different parts of the kingdom to find the other Star Spirits, I don't think we can take him with us," Goombario said.

Pinkie and Chompy both whined miserably. "...Well, sorry, Chompy. But, now you're no longer with that meanie Koopa, you're free to do whatever you want." The Chain Chomp nodded with a bark. "Hey! Maybe you can be helpful out in Dry Dry Desert and help travelers cross! You can even scare off those rude Bandits who keep taking everypony's money and protect them!"

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea, Pinkie," Twilight said. "Although, I think it'll take a lot of convincing for everyone to get used to a Chain Chomp guardian protecting them from those thieves and Pokeys in the desert."

"I'm sure Sheeky can help with that!" Pinkie pulled out a pencil and a piece of paper out of her mane, wrote a note on it as she bounced alongside everyone, then rolled it up and placed a balloon sticker on it as a seal. She then leapt up onto Chompy's head, making the Chain Chomp grunt in curiosity as she placed another balloon sticker on his forehead. "There! If you go into Dry Dry Outpost and find Sheeky, he'll know it's from me!"

"Aren't we going back there anyway to rest?" Parakarry questioned as he scratched his head. "It's the middle of the night still."

When they reached the entrance to the ruins, it was still dark out, the moon shining down on the cool desert with millions of stars dotting the sky. "...Oh...Then that sticker means he's a good Chain Chomp!"

Chompy barked happily as he bounced up and down in agreement. They soon made their way back to the outpost to rest for the night, hoping no one else would freak out that a Chain Chomp waltzed into the desert town with them.





Up in the princess's castle, Bowser had entered Peach's room, hoping her mood had finally changed. Unfortunate for him, she was still pretty peeved at him as she sat on her bed, leering at the Koopa King with the dumb grin on his face. She knew exactly what he was about to say before he could even open his mouth.

"No, Bowser," she said, turning his grin into a frustrated pout.

"Aww, come on!" he complained. "You don't even know what I was going to say!"

"You want to take me out to dinner, treat me to a stupid show put on by your soldiers, show me the scenery of my own castle," Peach listed dully as she rolled her eyes. "Please, Bowser. Every single time you kidnapped me, you ask for the same requests. I practically have a list of all the romantic gestures you try to give when you don't even deserve any kindness from me at all."

Twink stifled a giggle at Bowser's reaction as he hid behind Peach's bed. "Then how about a little smile? Would that lighten your mood a little, Ms. Grump?"

"I'll smile when you put things back to the way they were," she said. "You imprisoned my guests in your dungeon, hurt Mario and my Equestrian friends, terrorize my kingdom along with every other one you try to invade, and you really think you deserve a smile from me? Put my castle down, give yourself up, and MAYBE I'll smile."

"I'm not that desperate," Bowser grumbled. "Already, Mario has beaten that weak Goomba King, trounced the Koopa Bros., even though I did expect them to lose with that awesome move of theirs, and I'm pretty sure he's already gone and beaten Tutankoopa after hearing he made it to the desert. I may be invincible, but I'm not letting him get any closer to my fortress, your castle, and you."

"So, you're actually afraid you're going to lose this time?" Peach asked.

"As if! He won't get far when I sic Invincible Tubba Blubba on him," Bowser said with a sinister chuckle. "He may not be as invincible as me, but he's surely hard to deal any kind of damage Mario can dish out."

Suddenly, Kammy Koopa barged into the room in a panic. "Lord Bowser! We have a problem!"

"Ugh. What is it, Kammy?" Bowser asked irately. "I'm in the middle of having a chat with Princess Peach."

"More like me scolding you," Peach uttered.

"Well, Tutankoopa has been defeated, and Mario has freed the second Star Spirit," Kammy reported.

"I did call that," Bowser said. "But what else is bad news?" Kammy ushered him to bring his head closer and began whispering to him the worst news. His eyes widened as he glared at the mage. "WHAT!? The Star Spirit escaped from Tubba Blubba's Mansion!? How the heck is that even-!?"

"SHHHHH! Bowser, the princess is right there!" Kammy swiftly reminded, though it was too late as it already peaked Peach and Twink's curiosity.

Bowser growled, snorting out steam as he avoided breathing fire in the princess's room. "Fine. Let's talk elsewhere." He turned around, giving Peach his dumb grin as he chuckled nervously. "I'll come by tomorrow for another bit of talking, princess."

"Oh, joy. I can't wait," Peach said sarcastically. Bowser and Kammy made their exit to discuss the troubling news, Twink floating out from his hiding place as he hovered beside her. "Oh, dear. The 'Invincible Tubba Blubba'."

"That's not going to end well if Mario has to fight someone else who's invulnerable," Twink said. "But Bowser said he wasn't as invincible as he is, so that means there must be some kind of weakness Tubba Blubba might have."

"Let's see if we can do a little bit of snooping again," Peach said, standing up from her bed and approached the fireplace. "We need to warn Mario as quickly as possible before it's too late."

Lifting up the picture concealing the secret button, Bowser and his soldiers too blind to notice it was visible as she was brought back to her room the other day, Peach pressed it and opened the hidden passage behind the fireplace. As soon as the fire died and the grate fell down, the duo made their way through the hall and to the rotating gondola platform. Pressing the button, they ended up in the other room where Bowser had his diary opened up, only to find Bowser took his diary somewhere else.

"Aww, man," Twink groaned. "I thought Bowser would have left his diary again."

"Looks like we might need to sneak around the castle. Maybe there's a way for us to get out, too." Peach approached the door, slowly opening it a crack and peeked through. Unlike her room and the empty study they end up in through the secret passage, the rest of the castle was dark from the lack of light. Of course, being high in the sky meant very little light, the only signs of light coming from the Koopatrols on their rounds using flashlights. "Ok, Twink, stay close to me, and try not to get caught by their lights."

"Got it, Peach," Twink said with a salute, hovering right behind the princess as they silently exited the room.

They could see the Koopatrol tasked in guarding her bedroom door, standing at attention as he made sure not to let Peach leave unlike last time. Staying along the walls, the princess kept a close eye on the other patrolling, spike-shelled Koopas' lights to avoid getting caught. She didn't want to give away the hidden passage in her room and risk having that sealed off when Mario and Twilight needed their help. She was glad Twink said the alicorn was with her hero now, but so far, they have no idea where the rest of Twilight's friends might be.

Being as sneaky as they could be, they started making their way to the lower floors to see if they can find a way out of the castle's front doors. Unfortunately for Peach, Bowser was smart to have the door heading to the first floor foyer locked, where the only ones allowed in and out were the ones with the keys. The only other rooms on this floor were a small dining room on the upper right, a storage room with a mysterious chest that was told to transport items to a similar one somewhere in the Mushroom Kingdom on the bottom right, and the library on the bottom left. Deciding to just find more information on Tubba Blubba, they walked into the library to see if any of Bowser's men knew anything about the second invincible monster.

Upon entering the library filled to the brim with books of all genres, they could see and hear a few guards patrolling the area as well. Peach snuck around each guard as they wandered about, staring at the titles of books on the shelves as a distraction for her to slip by their routes. There was a second floor to the library as there were walkways above them, though the guards only walked around the first floor. Weaving through shelves and hiding behind them as Koopatrols walked around lazily, the princess and Star Kid managed to reach the other end of the room without getting caught.

Peah looked around the corner, quickly hiding behind it as she saw a Koopatrol and a Hammer Bro on their break, the latter a tough rank of Koopa for Mario as they wore a blue helmet on their heads and had an endless supply of hammers they throw. "Hey, you heard about that rumor about Master Tubba Blubba? I hear he loves to eat ghosts."

The Koopatrol shuddered at the rumor, Peach and Twink carefully peeking around to watch the two soldiers as they eavesdropped on them. "Ghosts, huh?...He lives beyond the Forever Forest, right? He's the one guarding one of the Star Spirits."

"Yeah, in a manor at the top of Gusty Gulch," the Hammer Bro said. "There's supposed to be this mansion and village nearby that's filled with Boos. He goes down there, snatches some, and then chomps them down for a snack, starting with the head!"

The Hammer Bro grabbed a doughnut from their small assortment of break time snacks, chomping on it to emphasize Tubba Blubba's ghost eating. The act made the Koopatrol groan, feeling sick to his stomach at the thought.

"That's horrifying, man," he said. "I don't think I'll be able to go to the bathroom by myself...Why did you have to tell me that!? I'm gonna have nightmares for weeks!"

"Not only that, but I also heard he's invincible," the Hammer Bro continued. "Not a single thing can hurt him. He's just as invincible as King Bowser, but maybe even stronger than him."

The Koopatrol gasped, staring at his lackadaisical comrade in shock. "Don't say that around King Bowser! He'll have our heads! And turn us into Dry Bones!" The other Koopa shrugged his shoulders, not even remotely worried knowing their king isn't one to be anywhere near a library. "But, still, Tubba Blubba could have a weakness, right? Not everything is invulnerable to everything."

"...Eh, I guess that's true." The Hammer Bro munched on the rest of his doughnut, grabbing a cup of coffee to wash down his pastry. "But, there's another rumor about him-"

"Oh, please," the Koopatrol begged. "No more scary rumors!"

"It's about a secret of his, shell-for-brains," the Hammer Bro stated in annoyance. "It's something that would ruin him as one of Bowser's strongest followers if it gets out. Some say he wasn't really as strong as he is now."

The Koopatrol shushed him, looking around worriedly. "Don't say that out loud! What if Tubba Blubba hears you!? He could eat us!"

"He's not a ghost who can materialize out of nowhere. Keep your shell on, you big baby." The Hammer Bro sipped more of his coffee as he stretched his limbs. "Besides, no one else knows what his secret is anyway."

"Don't you ever wonder what it could be?" the Koopatrol asked, only answering with a shrug as he leaned back against the shelf.

Peach and Twink looked at each other, not exactly getting as much intel as they wanted, but at least they knew Tubba Blubba wasn't entirely invincible. "Looks like Tubba Blubba does have a weak point after all."

"If only we knew what it was so Mario can be extra careful when facing him," Peach whispered.

The Koopatrol gasped as he heard the princess and Star Kid whisper. "D-Did you just hear someone talking on the other side of that shelf?"

"Oh crud! I hope someone didn't find out we were slacking off around here!" The Hammer Bro downed the rest of his coffee, gathering the evidence of their non-scheduled break and throwing their garbage in a plastic bag to throw out later. The two Koopas quickly ran from their lounging spot, only to crash into Peach, Twink quickly flying up onto the upper walkway of the library to avoid being seen. The three of them groaned, the Koopas getting up as they saw who they rammed into. "Huh!? Princess Peach!?"

"...Uhhh, hello," Peach said with a nervous giggle.

"W-What are you doing out of your room!?" the Koopatrol exclaimed.

"Ugh, don't tell me the guard left to use the bathroom while keeping watch of your door again!" the Hammer Bro said with irritation. "How hard is it to stand guard against a door!?"

"Well, I do get bored sitting in my room day in and day out, boys," Peach said as she stood up, brushing off her dress. "I don't understand why I don't have any freedom to wander around my own castle when I can't really go anywhere."

"It's King Bowser's orders, and you need to go back to your room before we get into any trouble," the Koopatrol said.

"You mean get in even more trouble with your unauthorized break?" The princess's question made the Koopas freeze in terror. "I know Bowser will believe me if I told him I saw you two lounging in my library when you're supposed to be doing your duties. He might fire you if I told him you had some incompetent guards...and by fire, I mean burnt by his fire breath."

The guards gulped nervously, the Hammer Bro failing to hid their trash behind his back. "P-Please don't tell Lord Bowser, princess..."

"I won't unless one of you can carry a few books for me to read," she bargained. "I at least have the luxury to do something to stave off boredom while I'm trapped in my own room. And I feel like reading a few novels to pass some time."

"...But how did you even get out of your room so easily? And past the guards on this floor?" the Koopatrol asked.

"I guess you do want to get in trouble with Bowser if you're questioning the princess he's pining for," Peach said as she turned around with a sneaky grin. "Maybe I should tell Bowser you helped sneak me out the first time as well, even though I slipped past without even raising any suspicion."

The Koopas flinched, looked at each other, then approached the princess and knelt down before her, begging. "Please don't tell Lord Bowser, Your Highness!"

"We'll carry whatever books you pick so you don't get bored after we take you back to your room! Promise!"

Peach had to stifle her laughter as she blackmailed her enemies quite easily. "Well, alright then. But I better expect my books sent to my room after being escorted back in a few minutes, or I'll tell Bowser how you two stuffed you faces with doughnuts and skipped out on your patrols."

"Y-Yes, Princess Peach!" The Koopatrol and Hammer Bro escorted Peach back to her room, keeping their promise to give her the books she pointed out at random just to tease them with her blackmail.

Twink shook his head as he watched the whole thing, hovering up by the ceiling as he followed them back with a cheeky grin. "Boy, the princess can really handle herself with just about anything. Too bad she can't escape from the balcony window from how high up we are."

After Peach was sent back to her room, surprising the guard to her bedroom door yet again and making him worried about how Bowser will react, the two Koopas who escorted her hurried back to the library and got her the books she wanted in record time. Twink had managed to sneak through the doorway as Peach was brought back, hiding behind her bed as the Koopatrol and Hammer Bro returned with her books.

"Well, we got caught, but at least I finally have something to do," Peach said as she picked up one of the books from the small stack. "Beats sitting around waiting for an opportunity to sneak around and find more information to give to Mario."

"Well, no use doing it right now since it's late." Twink yawned, floating down and laying on the bed. "I'll go out and tell Mario and the others about Tubba Blubba in the morning."

"Yes...It's really hard to tell what time it is without seeing the sun rise and set from up here." Peach opened up the book she picked, deciding to do a little bit of reading before going to bed. "I hope Mario can figure out what Tubba Blubba's secret is before he fights him. I don't want him to get too hurt like that again..."
> The Buzzard and the Forever Forest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the early morning sun began to peek above the flat sands of the Dry Dry Desert, the party began making their way across the desert before it got too uncomfortably hot for Twilight and Pinkie Pie to travel. They rested well, though as all but Pinkie expected, the denizens of Dry Dry Outpost didn't think having a Chain Chomp around them was safe, but with the pink earth pony's silly balloon sticker placed on Chompy's forehead and his love for her lemon-lime cupcakes, which they were now told had come from Pinkie as she secretly hid in the town, they were willing to give Chompy a chance. The Chain Chomp was sad to see Pinkie leave, but he understood he had a better life away from Tutankoopa, using his ferociousness to stave off Bandits and help protect travelers cross the sands since the heat didn't bother him. Moustafa was given Pinkie's note from his assistant, along with a recipe for her lemon-lime cupcakes and lemon cake, both for Chompy and for him, seeing as he ate his whole cake last night.

Luckily, the desert was relatively calm this morning as their trek was peaceful: no Pokeys to bother them, no Bandits roaming around in search of victims to steal from, and the land was still cool enough to travel on. They reached the entrance of the desert, passing by Prof. Kolorado's expedition tent, the Koopa explorer and his assistants not present as they were possibly out in the desert searching for Dry Dry Ruins that was now visible out in the northern part of the desert. Hopefully, they won't explore the ruins too much and irritate Moustafa if they desecrate his ancestral home.

"Thank goodness we're getting out of this desert," Twilight said with a relieved sigh. "No more sweating profusely and dying of dehydration in less than seventy-two hours."

"Yeah," Pinkie agreed. "Good thing Rarity didn't end up here! She'd hate to get all sweaty unless it was in a sauna! And she only likes getting dirty when it's in a mineral mud bath! For trying to stay pretty, it sure is dirty work."

"That's a bit of irony with how Twilight described her," Kooper said.

The group began their trek back to the train station on the other end of Mt. Rugged, only for Twilight to stop and remember the bridge they passed earlier. "Wait! We're going to be walking past that guard of Bowser's on the bridge! How are we going to get by with Pinkie traveling with us? If he finds out I'm not really a Poochy, he's going to attack us!"

"Oh yeah. Nearly forgot about that buzzard." While everyone began figuring out how they would get past the guard, Parakarry hovered up over the ridge, wincing as he saw the avian sitting on its perch, keeping a close eye on the bridge.

"He's there, and I don't think he'll budge for anything," he said as he hovered back down.

"We can maybe pass Twilight off as a Poochy again, but because I said they were rare and found in tropical islands, he's not going to believe Pinkie is one if we found her out in the desert," Goombario said.

"Never fear, everypony!" The group turned their heads to Pinkie Pie, all of them balking as the mare was dressed up in similar outfit that Mario wore, only with the shirt and hat pink with a letter "P" on the cap, black mustache included. "Behold! Mario's long lost sister who he coincidentally met that nopony knows about until now! It's a foolproof plan!"

The sounds of hands, feet, or hooves smacking into foreheads rang out around them, everyone exasperated by Pinkie's "foolproof" plan. "Yeah. Sure. That'll work. Mario having a twin brother, who he's supposed to be as his alibi, and finding out he had a sister who was conveniently found out here in the desert...and she wears a mustache..." Kooper looked at Twilight, who was just as dumbfounded as the rest of them. "Please tell me this idea of hers isn't going to work. Because if it does, I'm going to walk the rest of this mountain trail without my shell on."

"Hey! This is a children's game, mister reptile!" Pinkie chided. "No nudity allowed in this violent, filly-friendly game!"

Ignoring the randomness Pinkie had said, the others sighed, going along with the odd plan of hers and would be baffled if it worked. "Well, if that bird believed Twilight was a horned Poochy, I don't know if he'll believe Pinkie is Mario's long-lost sibling..."

Keeping their fingers crossed, for those who had fingers to cross, the group climbed up the slope and made their way to the bridge, Pinkie walking on two legs as she pretended to be human. As soon as they were in the buzzard's line of sight, the large predator flapped out of his nest and flew over to them, barring them passage across.

"Well, looks like all y'all are headin' on back across the bridge," the buzzard said. "But y'all got yourself another member of your little group. Who is this?"

Before Pinkie could speak up and give her new identity to the guard, Goombario stepped in before she could get them caught. "Just a huge fan of Mario and cosplays him every day," he explained. "We're escorting her to Toad Town so she can try to meet him."

"Hey! What about my-!?" Twilight quickly pounced Pinkie, acting out her part as a dog while keeping her friend quiet.

"Pinkie, just go along with it!" the alicorn hissed. "I highly doubt Mario even has a sister, and your idea is most likely going to make us more suspicious!"

"Oh, that explains the weird get-up like that plumber," the buzzard said. "Ah'd have thought y'all were gonna say she was Mario's long lost sister or somethin', which wouldn't make a lick of sense when she's wearin' a fake mustache." Everyone aside from Pinkie and Twilight chuckled nervously, making it seem hilarious at the crazy idea the guard came up with. "Meh. Ah've seen some Toad kids dressin' up like him durin' Halloween, but hers is pretty authentic...'cept for that "P" on the hat. It's supposed to be an "M"...Almost...like..." The buzzard squinted his eyes as he looked at Mario's cap. They then widened as he gasped in shock, feeling like an idiot as he was duped the other day. "Hey, wait a minute! Y'all ain't Luigi! And that means...!"

The avian swung his wings, shooting sharp feathers out as they slashed Twilight and Pinkie's clothing. Twilight's cloak was torn to shreds, revealing her purple wings folded at her sides, as well as both of the ponies' cutie marks. The buzzard's lower jaw fell as he let out a shocked caw, looking back at the wanted list he was given.

"...Oh, prickling Pokeys," Bombette muttered.

"Ah can't believe it! Ah've been made a fool of!" the buzzard exclaimed.

"Sir, please, we don't want to fight!" Twilight pleaded, stepping off of Pinkie as she bounced back up, tears welling in her eyes as her custom Mario outfit was ruined.

"Ah feel like such an idiot! None of y'all are gonna pass, and Ah'm startin' with you, Mario!" the buzzard shouted as he flew up in the air, beginning to swoop down low to hit them.

Right as Mario was about ready to dodge out of the way of the swooping predator, his Lucky Star began shining pink, making him gasp in surprise as his blue eyes tinted pink for a moment. For a brief moment, he saw himself avoiding the bird's sharp talons, then watched as he kept going, everyone else leaping out of his way, and headed straight for Twilight. His talons scratched the alicorn in the face as he rammed into her, knocking her unconscious, and sending her sprawling toward the edge of the cliff. The vision suddenly ended, confusing the plumber for a moment as his eyes returned to normal, but it gave him the feeling that moment was about to happen.

Hearing the buzzard's screech snapped him out of his thoughts. Acting quickly, he dodged out of the way just like he had in his vision, but he took hold of his hammer, vaulted from a one-handed somersault, and flung his hammer to where the avian was headed, sending it past his friends as they avoided the avian. Activating his telekinetic powers, his gloves surrounded by a lavender aura, he sent the spiraling metal hammer up, smacking the buzzard upside his jaw, lifting him up with a pained squawk and missing Twilight's head by a few inches.

"Yikes! That was close!" Pinkie said. "You ok, Twilight!?"

"Y-Yeah," the alicorn said, a little shaken as she had frozen like a deer in a spotlight as she saw the sharp talons nearly knocking her head off. "That was way too close."

The buzzard regained control of his hovering, shaking his head from the impact of having a hammer smacking him in the beak. "Ow! How the heck did that even hit me!?" He turned around, watching Mario return his hammer back to his hand. "Nice curve, but that was a lucky shot! Ah ain't gonna miss this-!" He was suddenly hit in the chest by Pinkie's weaker hammer, but it hurt enough to distract him. "Hey! Y'all ain't Hammer Bros.! Quit throwin' hammers at me!"

"Well, we're not going to let you stop us or take Twilight and Pinkie away!" Goombario exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Pinkie shouted as she caught her hammer in her mouth. "And you're gonna pay for ruining my outfit! I spent five whole seconds working on that the moment I first met Mario!"

"You made that in five seconds?" Kooper questioned, only to shake his head, ignoring Pinkie's random antics as he constantly reminded himself. "Anyway, we're passing through, and we can take you on, bird brain!"

"Oh, y'all are gonna get it!" The avian flew down and began flapping his wings hard, creating a dangerously powerful gust of wind that threatened to knock everyone off their feet.

Everyone braced themselves as they tried to fight back against the harsh winds. Parakarry grunted as he flapped his wings, pushing back against the strong gust, having braved dangerous weather conditions as a mail carrier. As soon as the Paratroopa got close enough, he ducked in his shell and shot himself through the air, smacking the buzzard hard in the face. The guard squawked in pain as he grabbed his face, Parakarry bounding off him from the impact, diving down onto the strong avian with a kick to his noggin, sending the buzzard crashing to the ground.

"Gonna take a lot more wind than that to stop someone like me!" Parakarry said.

"Everypony charge!" Pinkie shouted as she ran toward the stunned bird, giving it a hard whack on the head with her hammer.

"Augh! Why you little-!" Irritated, the buzzard leered at Pinkie, flapping his wings and quickly grabbing the mare in his talons.

"AHH! HELP!" Pinkie screamed, flailing her legs as she was being lifted up in the air. "I'M BEING PONYNAPPED!"

"Hang on, Pinkie!" Twilight said as she took to the air after the large bird of prey.

Parkarry assisted the alicorn, both of them attacking the buzzard to try to free Pinkie while the others could only watch from the ground. The Lucky Star began glowing pink again, giving Mario another random vision as his eyes turned pink again. This time, he saw Twilight and Parakarry successfully getting the avian to let go of Pinkie, only to have the mare fall further away from the bridge and down into the chasm, the alicorn and Paratroopa too slow to catch her in time. With the vision ending, the plumber needed to think of something quick before Pinkie fell to her death.

Using his hammer and telekinesis again, Mario swung his hammer high into the air, Kooper, Bombette, and Goombario wondering what he was doing. "Mario, what are-?"

Keeping focus on controlling his hammer, he waited for the right moment to strike while Twilight and Parakarry kept distracting the buzzard. Finding his opening, he swung the hammer hard in the avian's face, sending it spiraling out of control as his talons released Pinkie's barrel, sending her flying back over to the cliff. The mare screamed as she fell, Mario quickly running to where she was going to land and caught her before she hit the ground. She opened her eyes, caught safely in the plumber's arms.

"Yay! My hero!" Pinkie squealed, hugging Mario tightly.

"Whoa! Nice save, Mario!" Bombette complimented. "Looks like you're getting used to controlling that hammer. I'd laugh if we faced a Hammer Bro and their jaws drop when they see your hammer flying around."

With the buzzard in a daze after getting blindsided by the telekinetically controlled hammer, Parakarry and Twilight flew back down to the others. "Mario, your hammer kind of surprised us, but thank goodness Pinkie's alright."

"Well, it's not over yet," Goombario said. "That vulture's still kicking, and if we give him a chance to recover, he'll end up chasing us down the mountain."

The buzzard groaned, shaking his head as he snapped out of his daze, rubbing his sore cheek with a wing. "Where in the world did that come from?" Looking down, he growled, getting himself beaten by the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom and his partners. "Ah don't know how Mario's beatin' me, but Ah ain't gonna go down until Ah'm down and out!"

He let out a screech as he dove down, talons held out as he aimed at the plumber. He was ready this time, warning the others to get out of the way, aiming to knock this bird out for good. Making a leap right as the buzzard soared couple feet over the ground, Mario landed on his back, clutching the avian guard's feathers tightly with one hand. With the other gripping his hammer, he hung on tightly as the buzzard squawked and flew around, trying to get Mario off of him. With a powerful swing, he threw his hammer forward, keeping his foe flying straight as he brought his mallet back to him.

The metal head smacked into the buzzard's face, the force of impact practically doubled from the speed both forces came into each other. The enemy froze in flight, letting out weak caws of pain as it saw more stars than the night sky spiral around his head. Grabbing his hammer again, Mario jumped off the buzzard's back, pushing the predator down as he landed back on the cliff with the others, watching their opponent fall down into the canyon. Thankfully, his large feathers broke the fall, hitting the ground with a pained moan with only several large bumps and bruises to the head and face from the metal mallet.

"Looks like that did it," Twilight said. "Now we can pass without worrying about making up ridiculous stories to pass through. And without my cloak, I really don't want to go back through the desert."

"Those were some really close calls though with you two," Kooper said. "Thanks to Mario and his quick thinking, he saved both of you."

Mario decided to tell everyone what had actually happened during those two "quick thinking" moments. It surprised them when he explained he had some random visions appear in his eyes where something awful was about to happen to Twilight and Pinkie, and he prevented those painful outcomes from happening. He even mentioned catching a glimpse of his chest glowing pink, which came from the Lucky Star he wore.

"You can actually see the future now!?" Bombette exclaimed. "Can you see where we'll find the next Star Spirit? Or who we'll run into next?"

The plumber shook his head as he had no control over the visions, nor can he even activate it to foresee anything else at will. "I think this must be something from Pinkie, then," Twilight pondered. "Foresight into the future that happens at pure random. It's almost like her Pinkie Sense, only without random body spasms or combos to mess him up if they happen in a fight."

"Yay! You have your own Pinkie Sense now!" Pinkie cheered as she hugged Mario again. "What should we call your sense!? Plumber Sense? Mario Sense? Fighting Sense?"

"I think just calling it foresight is a bit better suited," Goombario suggested. "Your senses are a bit random, even if they can tell when something unexpected happens."

"...Eh, it's boring, but I guess that makes sense," Pinkie said. "But if anything comes up, you should give us cues when a certain something happens. If only the author gave Mario some dialogue instead of keeping him as a silent protagonist so he can tell us to watch out."

"What was that last part, Pinkie?" Parakarry asked.

"It's nothing!" she said. "Let's-a go!"





The trek across Mt. Rugged was calm as they reached the station and headed back to Toad Town. The Monty Moles were not much of a bother, though they ended up stopping when Pinkie kept playing around on the slopes used as a quicker shortcut to make it back to the base of the mountain range. Other than the pink pony's playfulness slowing them down slightly, they made it to the station in time as the train was ready to depart back to the capital of the kingdom. There were already quite a few passengers ready to make the climb over Mt. Rugged and reach Dry Dry Outpost, but boy, would they be surprised to see their future tour guide in the desert.

Seeing as no other passengers were heading back to Toad Town, the party got on board, the train conductor obliging to give them a ride for their help freeing up the road block back in town. The long ride over was a bit uneventful as everyone watched the scenery pass by, desert landscape turning to green and lush fields, the weather cooling down a bit as they moved further away from the dry, arid lands in the southeast. After arriving in Toad Town's station, they disembarked and headed into town.

"Oooh! Toad Town looks a lot nicer up close than from the castle!" Pinkie said. "That meanie, Bowser, is gonna get it one way or another!"

"Well, we can't relax for too long," Goombario said. "Let's hope Twink finds us and tells us where to go next if he and Princess Peach found anything."

"Who's Twink?" Pinkie asked. "A new friend?"

"He's a Star like Mamar, but younger," Twilight said. "He's with Peach, keeping her company and acting as a messenger for us if they find out where the next Star Spirit is located or who we might be up against."

"Oh, so that explains how you knew where to go," Pinkie said. "We got a spy on the inside."

Heading north to the main square of Toad Town where they would hopefully see Twink soon, they walked down the road and were about to pass by the bridge to cross a small river separating the town from a creepy forest. There was a small sentry outpost on the other side of the bridge, a blue spotted Toad wielding a spear nervously standing guard.

"W-Why was I stationed here?" the guard asked himself. "I really don't like being this close to the Forever Forest..." As he looked away from the forest entrance, he was unaware of an elder Boo floating toward him, sneaking up on him with a grocery list in his stubby hands. Before having a little fun scaring the fidgeting guard, he noticed Mario and his friends passing by, along with two equines that nearly made him gasp audibly in surprise. The Toad guard looked back toward the forest, gasping in horror as he saw the Boo floating there. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

Hearing the Toad scream, the party looked across the bridge as they passed, the Boo disappearing before he was noticed by Mario or his entourage. "What was that?"

"Sounded like somepony was in trouble," Twilight pondered.

Investigating the situation, they approached the small building, where the guard was shuddering heavily in fear, clutching his spear tightly. "What's going on?"

"A g-g-g-g-g-ghost!" the guard exclaimed. "I-It was just floating there! Right behind me!"

"What ghost?" Goombario asked.

Appearing behind the group, the old Boo made a terrifying face, making the guard panic. "There! Behind you!" He disappeared before the others could see him, only to reappear inside the small outpost, tapping the guard on the shoulder and giving him another fright. "AHHHHHHH! It's in there!"

The guard ducked behind Mario as everyone looked inside, finding no ghosts or anything creepy. "There's nothing in here. Just empty space."

The Boo reappeared again, having his fun as he floated toward the entrance of Forever Forest, making sure the guard saw him. "I-I-I-It went into the forest!"

Looking out to the entrance of the wildly grown forest, it began unnerving Pinkie and Twilight as it almost looked like the entrance to the Everfree Forest back in Equestria. "You sure there's a ghost, or are you just crying wolf?"

"I swear, ghosts just come up and scare the living daylights out of me!" the guard said. "I don't know why they keep picking on me! I'm scared of ghosts and I was placed out here to guard the Forever Forest!"

"Well, this forest is the home of the Boos who live in an abandoned mansion deep inside," Goombario said. He pulled out the map and looked beyond the forest. "And past that is a wasteland known as Gusty Gulch, thankfully not a desert, but the land is pretty barren."

"M-Mario, can you please find out what's going on?" the Toad pleaded. "That Boo must be the same one I always keep seeing almost every day, and I don't know why." Mario nodded his head, a little curious about what was going on, completely caught off guard when the scared soldier hugged his legs. "Thank you! I'll just...stay here...far from that forest..."

"But what about Twink?" Twilight reminded the plumber. "He could be searching for us, even as we speak."

"We'll just check the entrance and see if the Boo is there," Kooper said. "If not, we'll head back to the square and wait for Twink."

Twilight sighed, a little annoyed that someone as scared as that Toad was ever a guard, but she followed the others as they walked closer to the forest entrance. The canopy of the trees seemed to block out any light deeper in, which seemed exactly like the Everfree Forest to the two mares. They all looked around, not really expecting to see a ghost around if it it became invisible to avoid them.

"Must have gone down to that mansion," Parakarry said. "I think there were some routes I took here, but I always flew in through the canopy. I've never once gone through the Forever Forest."

"This is called the 'Forever Forest'?" Twilight asked, shuddering a little. "This place looks a lot more dangerous than the Everfree Forest back home."

Suddenly appearing before them was the elder Boo that terrorized the Toad a moment ago, surprising them, but he wasn't as scary as the guard had thought he was. "Hello, there."

"...Umm, hi?" Kooper said quizzically.

"You must be Mario," he said to the plumber as the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom nodded his head. "How do you do, sir? My name is Bootler, and I would like to send you all an invite to my master's manor deep in the forest."

"An invite!?" Pinkie exclaimed with an overly dramatic gasp. "You're throwing a party!? I've always wanted to know what a ghost party is like!"

"It is not a party," Bootler said, disappointing Pinkie as she wilted and whined sadly. "My master also would like to inform you about something in her possession. Two somethings, as it were, that are important for you and these two."

Twilight and Pinkie looked at each other as the elder Boo pointed his stubby arm at them. "For us? You know about us?"

"We do hear word of...interesting news from time to time," he said cryptically. "But, what I believe Mario is searching for is information about...the Star Spirits, correct?"

"You know something about the Star Spirits?" Goombario asked.

"If you wish to know, find the mansion, and we will give you all a warm welcome." Bootler faded away as he turned invisible. "And if you don't come...then we'll GET YOU!!!!!"

The old Boo reappeared in front of them, letting out a ghostly shriek as he made a creepy face. Bootler startled them all, Pinkie screaming louder than everyone else as she plopped on her back, frozen in fear. The Boo then disappeared again, letting out a mischievous chuckle as he headed back to the mansion.

"I hate Boos when they do that," Bombette said.

"You've been startled by one before?" Twilight asked after her heart finally stopped pounding against her chest.

"No, but I know they can be pretty annoying," the Bob-omb said.

"How is it that the Boos know about anything involving the Star Spirits?" Kooper questioned. "I doubt they're the kind of ghosts who make wishes, and the land beyond the forest is pretty barren. No one else lives out there."

"You don't think they might have one of them, do they?" Twilight asked.

"Bowser has hired Boos as part of his army, but I don't think that Boo is working for him," Goombario said. "But if they do have one...why did Bowser give one to a group of defected ghosts?"

"Maybe we should check it out," Parakarry suggested. "I kind of don't want to get haunted by Boos every day if we don't go to their mansion."

"Me neither...Might as well, even though we won't find out if Twink or Peach had found anything helpful." Twilight looked over at Pinkie, still frozen in fright on her back. "Pinkie, come on. We're going into the forest."

She finally snapped out of her shock, lifting her head up as she stared at the dark woods before them. "Is that a good idea? That place looks spookier than that fake ghostie Trala Klepto when he tried to scare us out of the ruins."

"Do you want to be haunted by ghosts with sentient thought that can find and scare us no matter where we go?" the alicorn asked blandly.

"...Point taken," Pinkie said. "As much as I was taught by my Granny Pie to giggle at the ghosties, these kinds of ghosties won't actually go away. And I do not want to be haunted by cute, yet scary, Boos."

"How are they cute?" Kooper questioned.

"They have round bodies and really tiny arms!" Pinkie explained. "And the cute things are always the ones that end up more scarier than a monster that's supposed to look scary."

Kooper pondered that thought, giving a shrug as he did think it did make some sense with some certain creatures throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. Knowing their time would be wasted without any confirmation from Twink if he found them, they entered the Forever Forest to reach the mansion hidden deep in these woods. Unlike many natural forests upon entry, the path lead them to a circular section of the forest, a stump with a long branch that acted like a toll booth seemed to act as gateways of sorts as they saw two others on the left and right on the circular path. As soon as they walked forward, the stump spun on its own, letting them pass as they walked through, spinning around and stopping back in its original position. There were large amounts of flora outside the path and in the circle they would walk around, strange looking white flowers fully bloomed on the bushes in the spherically symmetrical section, a sign in front of them indicating the exit out of the forest.

Twilight lit up her horn to brighten the area a little bit, but it didn't help brighten the creepy atmosphere. "Uhh, any idea what we could end up encountering around here?"

"From what I've heard from my Goompa and his stories of traveling around the kingdom when he was younger, I think he mentioned Fuzzies and Piranha Plants," Goombario said.

"There's Fuzzies here too?" Twilight groaned in annoyance. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"And they can divide themselves and create duplicates of themselves," the Goomba continued, to Twilight's dismay. "The Piranha Plants are more dangerous though, since they're carnivorous plants."

"So, they're bitey-chompy flowers that look like a fish?" Pinkie asked as she imagined a plant with the head of a piranha with blue petals around its face.

"No, they aren't fish." Suddenly popping up behind them, the group turned to hear a chomping noise, Twilight and Pinkie screaming in terror as they saw the red and white-spotted, meat-eating plant with a green stem and leaves. "They look like that."

"Kill it with fire!" Pinkie screamed, pulling out her wooden hammer in defense. "Or smash it with a hammer!" The Piranha Plant disappeared into the ground, only to pop up in front of Pinkie Pie and try to chomp her. "AHHH! BAD TELEPORTING PLANT!"

She gave it a hard smack in its wide maw, cracking some of its teeth as it made a dazed groaning noise. "How are you guys not surprised that these things can pop up out of the ground like that!?"

"Try not being surprised by any of them that pop up out of warp pipes throughout the kingdom," Parakarry said, Mario sighing as he nodded, having his fair share of surprise Piranha Plants poking out of the pipes he came across in the past.

The dazed plant shook itself out of its daze, but before it could bite the mare that smacked its head, Kooper shell tossed himself into the back of its head, knocking it unconscious. "Some of them can also shoot out fireballs from their mouths. Thankfully, these ones don't. Just the ones that infest warp pipes."

"Oh. Perfect," Twilight sarcastically said. "Pure irony how a plant can shoot fire...And what are warp pipes?"

"They're spread throughout the Mushroom Kingdom," Bombette explained. "Usually, they lead to a large underground sewer system, but they're actually quite helpful getting from one point to another throughout the land. Really useful when we don't want to travel long distances."

"Then why didn't we use those to get to Dry Dry Desert instead of walking up a mountain and past the hot desert air and sand?" the alicorn questioned skeptically.

"Not every single place has a warp pipe, but if they do, then they need to be activated from the Toad Town sewer system," Goombario said. "Back at home, there is a spot where a warp pipe should be, but it's been inactive. A little helpful to cross Goomba Road and avoid fighting enemy Goombas who want to pick a fight with me and my family when my mom goes grocery shopping in Toad Town, although coming out into a sewer isn't exactly sanitary."

Twilight imagined what it would be like to travel from point A to point B through a pipe, though with how cramped it would be, she pondered how travel in this fashion was entirely possible. "...I'd rather travel to wherever I want to go than travel through a pipe if I have to walk through a sewer..."

Walking past the unconscious man-eating flower, the party began wandering around the area, but with three other ways to go, they had no clue which way they should go. "I think Bootler forgot to give us a map. How are we supposed to find the mansion if all the pathways look the same?"

As they reached the opposite end of the area, everyone was startled as the nearby bushes with white flowers shook. What unnerved them was the fact that the flowers looked like they had a creepy grin, tilting left and right as they laughed creepily.

"What the hay was that?" Twilight asked.

"That...isn't natural," Goombario uttered.

"Wait...Hold on a sec." Kooper wandered over to the other bushes across the different pathways, finding it odd that out of the three other paths they could take, only one of them was out of place. As he walked back around, the flowers every stood by shook and began laughing again. "These flowers are the only ones that are doing this. The other bushes with these same flowers seem to be normal ones."

"So, what exactly does that mean?" Bombette asked.

"I think I remember reading something about the Forever Forest," the Koopa said. "It was given its name because of how lost the explorer who wandered these woods were when they trekked through to reach Gust Gulch. If I'm right, then I think the only way to reach the mansion in this forest is to find the out of place objects across each path."

"Like these weird laughing flowers?" Pinkie asked.

"Yeah. I can only hope my theory is right." Deciding to go with Kooper's instinct, his intuition spot on back in the ruins when they encountered the Stone Chomps after gathering those three stones, they crossed through the path, the stump spinning around to let them through.

They didn't make it far as they ended up in another similar circular pathway, only to have a strange leaf covered being with a gray beard jump down from the stump of the next gate, barring their path. "Not another step further."

"Ugh, not again," Goombario said. "We just took care of that giant bird earlier. We don't have time to deal with another of Bowser's guards."

"I do not work for that Koopa," the mysterious hermit said. "I am warning you because this forest is dangerous. I suggest you all turn back and return to Toad Town."

"We kind of need to go this way," Goombario said.

"None of you understand. This is the Forever Forest; you walk into these woods, you may wander this place forever trying to find your way through. Now, for your own safety, turn back and leave this forest." They weren't going to listen to the hermit's warnings, having already come this far to reach the Boos and find out what else they might know of the remaining Star Spirits' whereabouts.

"Listen, sir, we need to get by," Twilight said. "We have to meet with the Boos in this forest. They know something about the Star Spirits, and we don't have time to waste."

"...You have business with the Boos in their mansion...?" He looked behind him, staring at something that lies farther into the forest before turning back to the party. "...Well, if you were invited personally by those mischievous ghosts, then I guess I can't stop you."

The group was silent as they looked at each other, a little surprised that they were allowed to pass that easily. "...That wasn't...all that hard, I guess."

"Don't think that traveling through the Forever Forest will be a walk in the park, mysterious creature," the hermit said. "To make it to the haunted mansion, all of you will need to be wary of your surroundings. The true path will lead you to the Boos, but choose the incorrect path, and you'll end up back at the beginning of the maze of this forest. I placed that sign out there to show the exit for a reason, after all."

"I knew it!" Kooper said. "Those flowers were different compared to the others when they moved and laughed! So, we find out what's different in the other parts of the forest, then we'll find the Boos!"

"Very observant, young Koopa, but the rest of the environment will not be so easy to solve." The hermit leapt up onto the stump, waving his arm out to the area. "I will give you a hint on where to go next, but the rest will be up to your eyes and ears. In this section, pay close attention to the stumps facing each path. I wish you luck on the other paths."

He made his leave, running off in the darkness to who-knows-where in the Forever Forest. Looking across the circle of shrubbery and trees, there was a diagonally sliced tree facing the path they were on, the inside hollowed out and dark, making it hard to see what was inside.

"So, there's something about the stumps we need to look out for," Parakarry mumbled. "No wonder I flew in from the top. Otherwise, I would have been wandering around the woods aimlessly and got fired for not delivering mail to the Boos."

"They get mail?" Pinkie asked. "What kinds of ghosties get mail?"

"I actually just drop them off. I never once went inside that old mansion," the Paratroopa said. "It's...a little creepy."

"I think that's kind of the point with haunted buildings," Bombette said dully. "They're supposed to be creepy with how decrepit they are."

Passing through the gate, they wandered around the area, paying careful attention to the stumps. It was hard to look at their surroundings while avoiding the Piranha Plants and Forest Fuzzies that tried to attack them in the dark woods. Twilight blasted each Fuzzy that tried to jump on her, not wanting to be tied up into a cocoon web again or have them reproduce like single-celled organisms. Eventually, they managed to find the stump that was different from the others, red eyes glowing from inside it that helped them point out the path to take.

The next area had flowers on the bushes again, but when they passed by each bush, the white flowers let out a different kind of laugh as they spun around in a complete circle. It didn't take as long to figure it out as the first group of flowers, the obvious difference in this section being one bush that had blue flowers while the other three had the white ones. While searching, they did find a path up a slope that reached the center of the area, where they spotted the old hermit keeping a close eye out for anymore travelers who had no business passing through.

While searching around the fourth section of the cryptic forest, the trees in this part a bit hunched over as if they were learning over the path, Twilight found another slope leading to the inner circle of symmetrical trees. Planted in the middle of the grass was yet another one of those Bulb-ulb flower creatures from the look of the green flower. She approached the flower, the Bulb-ulb popping up from the ground as it heard the alicorn walk over to it.

"Hello!" the Bulb-ulb greeted. "I never thought I would meet anyone out here."

"Gee, I wonder why," the alicorn mumbled to herself with a roll of her eyes. "I know a forest is the ideal place to find all sorts of flora, but anypony would expect dangerous plants in this dangerous place."

"Oh, I don't mind it," the sentient plant said. "Those Piranha Plants can be mean, but it's peaceful and quiet out here." Twilight chuckled nervously, finding the Forever Forest nowhere near "peaceful" as the Bulb-ulb claims it is. "But, since you've come all this way to visit me, let me give you one of my seeds."

She was given a third Bulb-ulb seed, this one as green as the flower on its head. "Thanks. And don't worry, I'll plant this, and the other two I have, somewhere nice."

"Oh! You've met other Bulb-ulbs! You must like flowers a lot! Hope you'll come and visit again real soon!" The Bulb-ulb burrowed itself back into the ground, leaving it's flower poking up out of the ground.

"I'd rather not," Twilight said to herself, stashing away the third seed in her saddlebags. "I do not want to get caught by more Fuzzies."

She regrouped with the others as they found the next out of place marker that lead them to the next area, a creepy laugh coming from a red face that appeared on a tree. Through the next gate, they saw some blue and purple mushrooms growing on the ground, Pinkie's curiosity prompting her to touch them, thinking they were an edible kind. As her hoof brushed against one of them, the group they stood by began glowing and let out a hum noise before the light faded. Figuring this must be the next puzzle to make it through, they saw more mushrooms of the same colors around the path. The odd one out was a larger cluster of them, glowing and humming more frequently than the other three smaller groups, which was almost blinding as their eyes had adjusted to the dark woods with Twilight's horn lighting their way.

They passed through the gate, finding more white flowers on the bushes again, but as they approached the bush in front of them, the white flowers wilted and sank into the leaves, letting out a dying laugh. After searching the other bushes while dealing with the enemies in the area, they found one bush that just had giggling flowers that tilted left and right, which clued them onto the right path.

"Ugh. Just how deep are we in this forest?" Bombette asked. "I hate getting trapped in mazes, and it feels like we're not even going anywhere."

"Hey! I see a sign!" Pinkie cheered, zipping off to a wooden sign facing a nearby tree gate. "It says, 'Boo's Mansion, down this way'! We made it!"

"Thank goodness," the Bob-omb sighed. "If I saw another one of those stupid Piranha Plants-"

"You'll explode?" Kooper asked, finishing Bombette's sentence.

"Yup. But ten times worse than what I usually dish out," she said.

Passing through the gate, the party walked down the dirt path, staring in awe as they reached a wide open area where the mansion was built. "Whoa..."



Beyond the rusted metal fence that secured the perimeter of the mansion, they examined the decrepit, almost abandoned looking manor. Time had not been kind to the building, seeing misplaced boards, faded and chipped paint, some cracked and dusty windows, even the lawn itself was a mess. At least they were sort of out of the woods, though they had no clue how deep they were in Forever Forest as the area was still dark, even with less trees blocking out the sky.

"Well...we're here," Twilight said. "And it's just as creepy as a haunted mansion should be; built in a dark, scary forest that can get anypony lost if they don't know where they're going and haunted by ghosts."

Being cautious, everyone walked down the road and approached the rusted metal gates. They slowly creaked open by a mysterious force, the group slowly walking through before they slammed shut behind them. Pinkie and Twilight yelped in surprise, the former leaping into Mario's arms.

"Creepy, squeaky gates that open and close on their own; check," Pinkie said, pulling out a piece of paper out of her mane as she checked off something. "Good start, but there better be some unexpected scares."

"Pinkie, will you please concentrate?" Goombario pleaded. "There could be Boos around us right now."

As Mario put the mare down while they turned to the front doors of the mansion, Bootler appeared before them on the porch. "Welcome, sirs and madams. Glad to see you have made it through the Forever Forest."

"Well, you didn't exactly give us instructions to get here if we wound up getting ourselves lost back there," Kooper said, pointing a thumb back at the path they took to get here.

"Yes, but we do like our privacy from time to time," Bootler explained. "We sometimes don't want any unwanted guests wandering in the mansion if they plan to run it down or live in it. Granted, you are here now, and my master is waiting for you. Please, make your way to the third floor, and you will hear of the information we have for you." The old Boo slowly disappeared as he backed up into the front door. "We'll see you there..."

"...And no random jump scare upon disappearing and leaving to hide; 'nother check!" Pinkie said as she checked off yet another part of her list.

"I'm starting to think Pinkie really isn't afraid of anything and pretends to be scared for the fun of it," Goombario said, yelping in surprise as Pinkie grabbed him in her hooves.

"Exactly! It's like Nightmare Night, but the scares are real as well as the ghosties!" she exclaimed.

"Uhh, you mean Halloween?" the Goomba corrected.

"That, too!" Goombario sighed, being dropped back down to the ground.

As the group prepared themselves to enter the haunted mansion, they didn't notice a Boo floating by the window on the third floor, watching them as they had approached and were greeted by Bootler. The Boo let out a mischievous cackle while holding a red fan over her face.

"Let's see if they can pass my little test before being graced with my presence," Bow said to herself, the green Boo fanning herself as she grinned impishly. She turned around, looking at her guest she had for the last week. "Or, I should actually say OUR presence. Looks like Bootler was right saying there were two of your friends with Mario when he went to Toad Town today. You'll be reunited with them once they all reach this floor, Rarity."

"Please don't tell me your little tests are going to harm them," the white unicorn said.

"Relax. Just harmless little pranks," Bow assured. "I'm not that cruel. I had Bootler go to town to get you fresh food and beverages so you don't die from thirst or hunger."

"Yet you can't bother to get a working shower so I can finally get all this dirt off me." Rarity whined as she brushed off some dust that clung to her fur. "The small amount of cleaning I did do for my side of this room isn't the best I could do, and I am absolutely filthy."

"Oh, quit your whining and hide behind those curtains you renovated," the ribbon-wearing Boo said with an irritated groan. "I want to surprise your friends. And keep quiet. Your obnoxious voice can be heard through the cracks in the walls."

Rarity growled in irritation, but she kept quiet as she grumbled to herself, wanting to surprise her two friends as well as she sat behind the curtains she restored with her sewing talents since she couldn't do much in the old mansion except wait. She hoped they would make it through whatever test Bow set up for them soon, not only to be reunited with whoever was with Mario, shocked to hear he was still alive after the beating he took, but to also get a nice, hot shower after a whole week without taking one.
> Welcome to Boo's Mansion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the group walked into the main foyer of the haunted mansion, everyone got a pretty warm welcome sight with the old and worn out decor. Above them, floating around the ceiling, Twilight and Pinkie's skin crawled as they all saw hundreds of Boos aimlessly hovering around. From the ground floor, they were able to see the third floor, but there wasn't a flight of stairs leading up to it, just to the second floor.

"Well, that's just great," Twilight said. "How are we supposed to reach the third floor with no way up? I doubt Parakarry and I can fly everyone up there with all those Boos flying around."

"Yeah. They might try to send us back down," the Paratroopa said. "Best to stay grounded so they don't attack us."

"Some mansions back then had many different stairways in separate hallways and rooms," Goombario pondered. "Maybe we'll find a flight somewhere on the second floor...That is, if the blueprints when building this place made it that way."

"Might as well take a look around," Kooper said.

Starting with the second floor, they began climbing up the stairs, being wary of the Boos above them if they decided to swoop down and startle them. They didn't see a hallway on the next floor that lead to any stairs, just two doors with two picture frames on the opposite ends of the wall. The first portrait showed a gentlemanly Boo with a top hat and a mustache, though it didn't seem to look like Bootler. As they reached the other end of the floor, they reached a dead end, though this frame didn't have a picture on it at all.

"Dead end. We might have to search through the rooms." Before they went to check on the rooms on both this floor and the first one, they heard the empty frame shake.

"Oh, hello there," a voice said, startling everyone.

"AHH! Talking pictures!" Pinkie shrieked. "...But it's empty..."

"Yes, well, it looks like the master is testing you and took away my face," the frame said with a sigh. "Always toying with guests to give them a scare. Or annoy them into leaving. Depends on who interests her."

"Your master actually peeled off the portrait on this picture frame?" Twilight questioned.

"Correct," the voice said. "And if you can find it somewhere in the mansion, I'll be able to help you reach the third floor. There are no stairs that lead up to the upper level anywhere, so this is the only way to do it if you can find my face."

"Ok. So, we find your face, you can get us up there to meet with your master?" Pinkie asked. "...Sounds legit to me! Time to go face hunting! Let's see if there's a face in this room!" She hopped over to the doorway next to the empty picture frame. When she opened the door, a Boo flew out, letting out a shriek as it jumped right into her face. Pinkie screamed and fell over on her back, her heart literally pounding against her chest as she tried to breathe. After she calmed down, she pulled out her list of scary things to expect in the mansion. "Actually surprise jump scare that wasn't expected at all; check!"

The others facepalmed, proving Goombario's earlier theory with Pinkie finding this all as a game. "Pinkie, can you finish your checklist of random stuff until after we're done here?"

"But if I don't, then I'll end up forgetting about all the spooky, scary, creepy things that an actual haunted mansion should have! I wanna plan the next Nightmare Night back home, and if I want it to be super scary, I need research!" The Goomba just sighed and shook his head as Pinkie bounced back up and walked through the opened, jump scare-less door.

"It's gonna take a while to get used to Pinkie Pie after only one day of being around her," he uttered.

"It took me a couple years," Twilight said. "You get used to it from time to time."

Inside the first room Pinkie chose to look through first, it was pretty empty aside from an old bed and three cabinets, two of them red while in between them was a white one. There weren't many places to search for a portrait of a Boo in the room as they approached the three cabinets.

"So, anyone else feel like these cabinets are suspicious?" Bombette asked.

"Let's see what's inside them!" Pinkie bounced over to the left red cabinet and tried to open it. The cabinet was locked firmly in place, no matter how hard the pony struggled. "Wow! These must be locked on the inside if they-"

Suddenly, the cabinet tipped over and crushed Pinkie underneath it, the sound of Boos laughing echoing in the room as it lifted itself back up, revealing a Pinkie pancake. "Pinkie! Are you ok!?"

"...Owie," she uttered. Pinkie weakly moved her hoof, pressing it to her mouth and blew hard. Like a balloon, her body re-inflated back to normal. She sat up and shook her head, apparently unharmed even after getting crushed by a heavy piece of furniture. "Didn't expect that, but that could have hurt somepony."

"...You mean that didn't even hurt you at all?" Parakarry asked, a little surprised and also baffled.

"Nope!" she answered. "And that means the other red cabinet must mean that will fall on anypony as well...Or is it all a trick, making us think the white one is safe and the other red one is actually the safer one?" Pinkie shook her head and tsked. "Nice try, ghosties, but I'm onto your game! Which means...the other red one is safe!" She bounced over to the other red cabinet, only for it to fall on top of her again and squish her. "...Or I was wrong..."

The group sighed and shook their heads. "Pinkie, just let Mario handle any dangerous stuff. Especially in a haunted mansion."

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie waddled away from the cabinets, this time grabbed her head with her hoof and pulling her squished body back to normal.

Mario went to check on the cabinets this time, opening the middle one. The doors actually opened up, but there was nothing inside. Before the plumber closed the cabinet, several Boos flew out and began circling around the room in a clockwise formatin, surprising everyone as they all backed away from the ghosts. One Boo hovered in the middle of the circle, holding onto what looked like a record player.

"Welcome, living guests," the Boo greeted. "I take it you're all here to try to get this here record to try to get to Lady Bow, eh?"

"Actually, we're looking for a portrait," Goombario said.

"Ain't got no portrait on us, but you will be needing this music disc," the Boo said. "Lady Bow is wanting to test you guys, and we can't let you have this. Unless you're able to figure out who has it."

"Well, you have it, silly," Pinkie said.

"That doesn't count." The Boo holding the record floated up to the edge of the circling Boos and began floating in the opposite direction above them. "Guess which one of us has it, and you can keep it. Guess wrong, and you'll have to play all over again." Keeping the vinyl record hidden behind his back as all the Boos kept facing their direction, he eventually dropped it down on one of them, the new holder keeping it hidden behind him as they continued moving in a circle. "So, care to guess who has it?"

Seeing as this game was far too easy, Twilight used her magic to zap the Boo holding onto the record, making him drop it. "That was a bit too easy."

"...Oh crud. Lady Bow's gonna have a fit with us when she finds out we lost so quickly!" The Boos disappeared and faded from sight, not before letting out a shriek and giving them a creepy face.

"So, this really is some kind of test," Twilight said, levitating the record from the floor. "We don't have time for any of their games. And who knows where this is supposed to go to."

"Let's check the other rooms to see if there's a record player around," Kooper said. "Maybe playing whatever's on this thing will open a secret passage."

The party left the room and headed into the first door they passed on the second floor, no Boo showing up unexpectedly to surprise them this time when they opened the door. Luckily for them, there was an old phonograph in the corner of the room, along with a small dining table with a couple chairs, a fireplace with some singed wood still burning, and a bored Boo standing guard in front of a treasure chest.

"Ugh, finally," the Boo said with a yawn. "I finally got some company after standing here for who knows how long. But I can't let you get whatever's here in this chest. Lady Bow's orders."

"The other Boo mentioned Lady Bow as well. Is this Bow the master of this mansion?" Twilight asked, the Boo nodding his head in response. "...Is she really that mean if she punishes you for failing?"

"She's strong, and no one speaks ill of her, otherwise you'll get a furious smacking around," he said. "With her fan, too...She's got a really good arm."

"With the same stubby limbs you all have, I could believe that," Goombario said. "I've got no arms, and I can certainly do some serious damage with my skull alone."

Since the Boo guarding the chest wasn't going to budge, they decided to check on the old record player to see if it still functioned. Pinkie bounced over to the fireplace, still feeling some warmth left from the remains of the burning wood.

"Ooooh. Somepony was still using the fireplace, and it's all nice and-" Soot suddenly shot out from the pit, along with the giggling of mischievous Boos waiting for their next victim. The cloud of ash disappeared, revealing Pinkie covered head to hoof in blackness, the mare's blue eyes blinking in shock and confusion. She shook the soot off her and coughed, taking a few steps away from the fireplace. "Ok, I should just not be near anything. Today must be 'Pick on Pinkie Pie Day', because I'm getting pranked a lot!...But that was kind of funny."

"I'm a little scared to find out if this phonograph's going to come to life and try to eat us," Parakarry said.

Taking the vinyl record, Twilight lowered the large disc into position and placed the needle on its surface. "It's weird how there isn't even a label for the song it plays on it. Or it was peeled off. Wonder what kind of song it is..."

Mario was curious as well as he grabbed the crank and began winding it. The horn began playing the song recorded on the disc, the sound a little staticky, but it was still clear enough to hear. The plumber couldn't help but feel like he's heard this song before, though he wasn't sure if it was all in his head or he heard it a long while ago.

"Hey! That's actually kinda catchy!" Pinkie said as she began swaying to the tune.

While Mario kept cranking the record player, none of them noticed the Boo was listening as well as he began bouncing a little to the beat. It was the only kind of entertainment he's ever gotten since he was assigned to guard that chest, and he was so bored, he just wanted to do something. With disregard to his duties for his master, he began dancing away from the chest to hear the music a bit more.

Kooper looked around the room to see if some kind of secret entrance opened, only to stare in shock as the Boo guarding the chest was dancing beside Pinkie Pie, the mare oblivious to her new dance partner. "What in the world...?" The others looked at the Boo and Pinkie, seeing the guard away from the chest and giving them clear access to what was inside it. "Mario, keep cranking. I'll find out what's in that chest."

Mario nodded his head, keeping the phonograph going while the Koopa snuck around the dance floor Pinkie and the Boo decided to make as they began dancing together. Just watching the duo dancing made it tempting for the others to join in, but they had a mansion to go through and meet with Lady Bow to see what she knew about the Star Spirits. Kooper opened the chest, half expecting to find the Boo portrait inside, but instead, he pulled out a gray weight with a hook to hang onto something and keep it lowered.

As soon as he held up the weight for the others to see, Mario stopped cranking the phonograph as they stared at the treasure, the music slowly dying out. "Was that really what was in there?"

"Yeah; just a weight," Kooper said.

Pinkie and the Boo stopped dancing, freezing in place with their arm/foreleg pressing against the other. "Hey, who said the party had to stop?"

"Yeah, it was getting good!" the Boo whined. He soon realized where he was floating, looking at his dance partner, then the others, and back to the opened chest. He gasped in shock, trembling fearfully. "Oh no! Lady Bow gave me one job, and I screwed it up! I'm in so much trouble!" He began biting his stubby arms nervously, his nerves slowly dying as he looked at the weight. "...W-Well, at least you guys have no idea how to use that thing. Maybe I'll still be ok..."

The worried Boo disappeared and flew elsewhere. "Aww. I didn't get his name. We were good dance buddies."

"So...now we have a weight." Twilight telekinetically held the weight in her aura, judging the odd "treasure's" actual weight. "What are we supposed to do with this?"

"Well, there is another room on the first floor we haven't checked," Kooper said. "That weight felt heavy enough to put enough pressure on a switch or button."

"Seems like we're getting farther away from the third floor than we should be going," Bombette noted, Parakarry and Goombario nodding in agreement.

After leaving the music room, as Pinkie decided to name it, they headed back downstairs and entered the last door they could reach. Like the other two rooms, there wasn't a lot of furniture or any objects for decoration. There was a chair with a sheet draping the backrest, a few wooden crates, and a large vase. In the middle of the floor, there seemed to be a hole as it was covered with wooden boards, which seemed to be new compared to the rest of the old, worn out flooring of the mansion.

There didn't seem to be anything around the room that could be used with the weight, which left them with no other answers to where it goes to. Exiting the room, they looked around the foyer, no longer bothered by the massive amount of Boos floating around the ceiling.

"Ok, what can be held down with this weight?" Twilight asked rhetorically as she paced around. "There has to be something in these rooms where it can be useful."

"Otherwise it'd be 'dead weight'?" Pinkie asked with a giggle, laughing at her own pun. No one else did, not even the Boos in the foyer, her friends groaning at the terrible joke. Pinkie sighed and walked over to the old green couch, taking a seat on the oddly miscolored seat. "It's like a graveyard in-HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!!!!!!"

The couch cushion suddenly sprung up, flinging the pink pony up into the air. Everyone looked up as they heard her scream, watching her fly up to the chandelier, quickly grabbing onto the bottom of it as she swung back and forth. While hanging on for dear life, the ceiling lights creaking as it swung, before Twilight or Parakarry could carry her down, the chandelier began to lower. The clanking sounds that came from it as it was pulled down caused a green cabinet on the first floor to move aside, revealing a white door leading to more of the mansion.

"I knew there was a secret passage!" Kooper exclaimed. "...Although, I wasn't expecting it to be a tug from a chandelier hanging that high from the ground."

"That explained the oddly off-color couch cushion," Twilight said. "But that could be dangerous. What would happen if somepony didn't grab onto the chandelier if it wasn't there? They could end up getting hurt!"

"Uhh, does anypony know how long I should be holding on!?" Pinkie asked. "Can't really hang on forever, you know!"

"How about the weight?" Parakarry suggested. "Will that be able to hold the chandelier down?"

"Hopefully it's heavy enough to weigh this thing down," Twilight said.

Using her magic, the alicorn kept the chandelier held down while Pinkie let go and fell back on the ground. Taking the weight, she hooked it onto the bottom of the decorative ceiling fixture, keeping it down as well as the hidden doorway. Walking through the door, they found a stairway leading down to the basement of the mansion, though the room was empty aside from a treasure chest sitting in the middle of the room under another chandelier.

"Another chest, but no guard this time," Bombette noted. "I smell a trap."

"And you don't have a nose!" Pinkie said. Mario stepped forward to check on the mysterious chest, but as he opened it up, Pinkie's tail began twitching. "Twitchy tail!"

The plumber quickly looked up just in time, falling on his back as the chandelier dropped on him. It stopped just shy of Mario's height, though, a trap more meant to give anyone a scare than actually harm them. Mario let out a sigh of relief, thankful for Pinkie's warning as he watched the chandelier rise back up in its proper place.

"Ok, these Boos are insane!" Twilight exclaimed. "I think they really want to kill somepony with these traps! And I don't mean scaring us to death with how dangerous THAT trap is!"

"So far, they haven't yet," Goombario said. "Besides, if this Lady Bow wanted to meet with Mario, she probably wouldn't order the Boos here to harm us."

"Let's just keep moving and avoid opening anymore chests sitting out in the open," Kooper said. "We've got more mansion to explore, and I have a gut feeling that portrait is somewhere in the basement."

Ignoring the chest, seeing as there was nothing inside it but a surprising trap, they headed downstairs into the cellar. After climbing down the stairs, they noticed a few stored away objects that picked up dust for several years, one of which being a large grandfather clock that had stopped working ages ago. There was also a crack in the wall on the opposite end of the room from the stairs, though they didn't bother blowing it up with how rotted the building seemed and the Boos might not appreciate having their home getting destroyed. Finding no sign of a portrait of any kind, they walked down into the next room through the only door in the room, which was bare aside from a couple boxes and another door.

Through the next door, they saw a couple more stacked boxes, another boarded up part of the floor in the middle of the room, and a large treasure chest similar to the one back in the Dry Dry Ruins that held Mario's currently wielded hammer. "How many more rooms are there in this mansion?"

"Not sure, but we must have explored every single room...I hope." As everyone began walking toward the treasure chest, the door they walked through fell on the floor, the doorway mysteriously disappearing and trapping them inside. Slowly, all eyes turned to the fallen door, tricked by the Boos as they walked into an inescapable room. "...Ok. That's a bit creepy."

"How is that even possible!?" Twilight exclaimed. "It has to be an illusion. A trick. There's no way these Boos can just manipulate a room if they're just-" The alicorn tried to walk through where the door used to be, only to smack her face into the wall. She stared at the wall as she rubbed her nose, so many questions running through her mind as to how it happened. "...Ok. Not a trick...Why does all logic that I know not make any sense in this world???"

"It's another one of their tricks, but that doesn't mean we're actually trapped in here," Kooper said. "Maybe they stashed something in that chest that can help get us out."

"What if that chest is also booby trapped?" Goombario asked, which made Pinkie Pie laugh. "...Uhh, what's so funny?"

"You said 'Boo-bee trapped'! Because the Boos might have set up a trap in that chest!" Goombario realized what he said, pulling his hat down over his face as he groaned in exasperation.

"That was completely unintentional, Pinkie Pie," the Goomba grumbled.

"Anyway, someone's gotta open up that chest," Bombette said. "...And I vote for Mario! All those who agree, say 'aye'!"

"Aye!" Twilight, Goombario, Kooper, Parakarry, and Pinkie quickly said, not even giving Mario a say in the situation.

With a sigh, the plumber carefully approached the big chest. He opened it up, leaning far enough back as he could to avoid any surprises that would spring up to smack him unexpectedly. A moment later with nothing happening, several Boos flew out from inside, looking like the same ones that were back in the other room where they had the vinyl record. Their guess was right as the Boos began floating around in a clockwise circle again in the center of the room, the ringleader of the group of ghosts floating above them in the middle of the circle.

"Well, hello again!" the Boo said, holding up a pair of green and yellow boots that seemed to be Mario's size. "Seems like you're all trapped in here. But, there is a way out, and these here boots will help you out. Only this time, it's going to be a little bit harder to find them this time."

"Why don't you just give us the boots instead?" Twilight argued in annoyance. "You ghosts challenging us is a complete waste of time."

"We can't make it easy for you to make it through our mansion," the Boo stated. "Lady Bow would smack us to life if we failed again, so deal with it!" They began their little game, only this time, the Boo tossed the boots over to one of the ghosts in the circle. They continued tossing it back and forth to other Boos, throwing them faster and faster to confuse them, but the party was able to keep their eye on it. After one final toss, the mischievous spirits moved closer to each other, shrinking and expanding their hovering circle to make it even harder to tell who had the boots. "Try to figure out who's got the-!" Twilight once again zapped the correct Boo, making them drop the boots. "...Aww, come on!"

"Yeah. Like I said: waste of time." Twilight levitated their second prize from the Boos over to Mario, keeping her blank stare at the ghosts.

"We practiced so many times with that routine!" the Boo whined. "Let's get out of here, Boos. Maybe Lady Bow will forgive us."

"We doubt it," the others said simultaneously as they faded away, this time not making an exit with a scary face.

"Hopefully, that's the last time they try to play that stupid game with us." Now with the new shoes for Mario, the plumber took off his old pair and tried them on.

They fit him quite well, even though the green and yellow didn't fit with his attire. "If those boots are like Mario's recently obtained hammer, he could probably do a lot more damage if he jumps or kicked anyone." Kooper looked around the room, all of them still trapped inside with no way out. "How the heck are those shoes supposed to help us get out of here?"

Pinkie looked inside the chest, finding a slip of paper inside that Mario didn't notice when he opened it. Grabbing the page, she read it to herself, humming curiously at what was written on it.

"'Behold, the Super Boots; Mushroom Kingdom's latest in footwear,'" she read aloud. "'Off for a run? Trouncing Goombas? Jump as high as Mario? Then you will love what these shoes can do for you. Not only are they fitted with tougher materials to make your feet feel like they're pumping iron, but they also allow you to do the hip drop; just jump in the air, flip around, and fall on your hindquarters to create a powerful thump. Useful for breaking tough boxes a hammer won't be able to smash, and even break through wood flooring that looks suspiciously out of place in your home. Wearenotresponsibleforanyinjuriesonyourbehindsifyougetanysplintersorbruiseyourbehinds.'"

"...What is a 'hip drop'?" Twilight asked.

"It's also known as a ground pound," Goombario said. "You just jump in the air, somersault, and drop down to the ground on your butt like a rock." He walked over to Pinkie and took the instructions, reading them to himself in case she was making things up. "So much for these being the latest footwear in the kingdom. These haven't even been on shelves at all. Probably due to the ground pounding thing actually being dangerous if anyone thought it would be fun dropping on their butts."

"I wish they were in my size," Pinkie said. "I think it would be fun!"

"I'm actually curious to see how exactly a ground pound is done, though I doubt it can give one enough force to break through something as hard as wood," Twilight said. Seeing no other option to get out of this room, Mario began to test out his new shoes and their enhanced abilities it gave him. Standing over the boarded up floor, he jumped into the air, stayed in place at the peak of his jump as he flipped over, then fell back down hard, crashing through the boards with his behind and fell down into the hole it covered. He landed in a second basement, which had a lot more stored items, along with a Boo and a makeshift shop. "...Well, I guess that works."

"At least we have a way out of this room." Everyone followed after Mario, dropping down the hole and into the second basement. Unfortunately, there were no stairs to help lead them back up, still trapped beneath the ground floor of the mansion. "And back in another inescapable room."

"No, it's not really hard to escape," the Boo hovering beside the row of items on the shelves said. "Just look around. You'll find the way."

"Are you...selling items?" Parakarry asked.

"Hey, us Boos need to make a living, too," he said. "But, due to Lady Bow's orders, I'm not allowed to sell anything to you guys."

From the look of the items the Boo had for sale, they were in pretty good condition unlike the mansion. Their main concern though was finding a way out, so shopping wasn't on the list until they got out, and if Bow would allow them to buy any of their wares. Everyone looked around for some kind of switch or lever to pull down a flight of stairs, Pinkie spotting a blue exclamation point button sitting by an old bookshelf.

"Oooooh!" She bounced over to the button and looked at it curiously. "What's this button do?" Pinkie pressed the button, making it disappear as another fell down beside her. "What's this one do!?" She pressed the second one, making a much larger button fall down beside her, making the whole manor shake as it hit the ground. The others looked at the large blue button, wondering where that came from as Pinkie looked up at it. "...What does that one do?"

"Where did that button even come from?" Bombette asked.

"I think the right question to ask is how we're supposed to push that thing," Twilight said.

"I think a ground pound should do the trick," Goombario said.

Mario leapt up onto the large switch, his own weight alone not enough to even budge it down. He performed a ground pound, slamming down hard on the button and pushing it down, making the mansion quake as a flight of stairs popped down from the ceiling.

"Looks like you found the stairs," the Boo shopkeeper said, slowly clapping his hands in applause as he grinned amusingly. "Good thing Lady Bow didn't assign me to deter you guys. Have fun figuring out what to do next."

"Gee, thanks," Kooper said with irritation. They began heading back upstairs, still unable to find the missing portrait the talking picture frame needed. "Ok, so we're finally freed, but we still haven't found that portrait yet. Where else haven't we looked?"

"Wasn't there a boarded up section of the floor back in that one room with that large vase?" Parakarry asked. "There might be another room we haven't checked."

"Well, it's worth a shot." Climbing up to the first floor, the party headed back into the main foyer, ignoring the booby trapped chest seeing it had been reset by other Boos.

Back in the room with the large vase, Mario ground pounded through the boards, falling straight down into the next room. The others waited as he looked around, winding up in what seemed to be a sealed away library of sorts, landing on one of the large shelves as he crashed through. As ironic as a place where it could be, Mario was able to find the Boo portrait they needed, sitting on top of one of the shelves in this sealed off room. Twilight hovered down into the room as she dropped through the hole, gasping in awe at the sealed away library in the mansion.

"Oh my gosh! These Boos have a library in here!?" She looked through the shelves, finding several years worth of dust coating every single book the Boos had kept. "Why in the hay would they just hide all these books away!? Look at all this dust! And the pages are so rotted that there's barely any reading material left in any of them!" Before Twilight could get into a tirade and zap more Boos for ruining any educational books that they had stored in this room, Mario caught her attention as he held up the top hat-wearing Boo portrait. "...Oh. Of course they would hide it down here."

"Hey, is there any way for Mario to get out of there!?" Goombario called out through the hole.

Twilight and Mario looked around, spotting a cracked wall. "I don't think we can carry Mario back up that hole, but there is a crack in the wall over here."

"That's a job for me!" Bombette said as she jumped down. "I'll try not to blow up too hard and take out the whole wall."

The Bob-omb leapt down off the shelf and approached the wall. Lighting up her fuse, she created a minor explosion strong enough to break open the wall enough for them to walk out while not making it too strong to blow the entire wall to pieces. Ironically, the hidden library lead to the foot of the stairs that lead to the basement from the ground floor. Mario, Twilight, and Bombette quickly climbed back upstairs to meet with the others in the foyer, then made their way up to the second floor. They approached the empty frame, Mario holding up the portrait in his hands, everyone watching it disappear from the plumber's hands and reappear on the frame.

"Ahhhh. That feels a lot better," the portrait said. "Thanks for putting me back in my frame! That library was a bit too musty."

"So, how exactly are you able to get us up to the third floor?" Pinkie asked. "Is there a secret staircase behind you? A bouncy spring? A wing cap in a red box?"

"Just jump into the frame and I'll handle the rest." Twilight had a lot of questions as to how jumping into a frame mounted on the wall would help them, but after getting trapped in a room where the Boos were able to make a doorway disappear, she was willing to go through with the portrait's method. One by one, everyone jumped into the frame, disappearing through some invisible portal inside of it, reappearing up on the third floor in front of a similar looking picture frame. Looking down at the edge of the hall, they could see the foyer from a higher point than the second floor. "Say hello to Lady Bow for me when you meet her."

"...I guess that explains how that works...and why there were no stairs leading up here," Twilight uttered.

Now that they were on the floor where the master of this mansion was, they entered one of the white double doors and into Bow's room. It was pretty empty with no furniture, just a small stairway up to a section of the room with strangely refurbished curtains hanging over the columns. They didn't wait long for their host to finally show herself, the green Boo with red ribbons on her head appearing with the elder Boo, Bootler.

"Well, you all took your sweet time making it up here," Bow said. "Hopefully you got a good enough tour of my mansion while solving all those tests I made for you. Those slackers better have made it tough, otherwise I'll give them all a wallop until they wished they were alive."

"Wait. You're Lady Bow?" Goombario asked.

"Indeed. And this is Bootler, my butler." Bootler bowed his head, silently greeting them. "If he didn't spot you all in Toad Town, then you wouldn't be here."

"Yeah. Bootler did tell us you had some information about the Star Spirits and something else you had that was important to me and Pinkie," Twilight said. "Though, getting up here was annoying, and you almost got us killed a couple times. Not to mention trapping us in a room!"

"Ugh, you whine just like her," Bow said with a roll of her eyes. "Without those wings, you might as well be her sister, only dyed purple."

Her statement confused the alicorn and earth pony. "Wait, what?"

"M'lady, I don't think we should tease these two with one of the surprises we have for them," Bootler said.

"Oh, very well," Bow sighed in annoyance, looking at one of the curtains. "Come on out and show yourself to your friends."

"You know, Bow, if you're supposed to be a lady, you can at least act like one to guests." Twilight and Pinkie's ears perked up as the voice that spoke up sounded familiar.

Stepping out from behind the curtains was their unicorn friend, Rarity, the mare happy to see them as she trotted down the steps. "Rarity!" Pinkie was the first to move, tackling the fashionista and pulling her into a death grip of a hug. "This is an amazing surprise!...And you are all dusty."

"Yes, I'm glad to see you two are ok," Rarity said, ignoring the comment Pinkie made of her lack of hygiene. She pried herself out of her pink friend's hooves, only to be caught in a hug by Twilight. "The others aren't with you, are they?"

"No," Twilight said. "But they have to be somewhere out in the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser and his soldiers know where two of them are, but we don't know the exact locations."

"Oh, I hope Fluttershy isn't one of them," Rarity said worriedly. "The poor dear can't handle that brute. I can't imagine what Peach must be going through being trapped in her own castle by that monster."

"Thankfully, she isn't. We have a little Star friend who's helping both us and the princess." At the mention of Twink, Twilight winced, hoping he wasn't searching around for them in Toad Town while they were out so deep in Forever Forest. "Maybe it was a bad idea to come here just to hear what Bow knows about the Star Spirits."

"Well, funny you should say that," Bow said as she appeared between Rarity and Twilight. The alicorn yelped and leapt back, the unicorn grumbling in annoyance as she got used to the ghosts appearing and reappearing around the mansion. "That's the second little surprise I want to show you. Bootler! Lower the cage!"

"Yes, m'lady." Bootler complied and pulled a lever on the wall.

Everyone looked up as they heard clanking, watching a cage slowly drop down in front of them. The others gasped as they saw one of the Star Spirits locked away in the cage, Skolar looking bored and slightly embarrassed in his predicament.

"You have one of the Star Spirits!?" Kooper exclaimed. "You mean you actually work for Bowser!?"

"No we don't, you brainless turtle!" Bow yelled. "I'd rather go to the afterlife than be associated with the likes of that fire-breathing blowhard!"

"What Lady Bow is saying is that this Star Spirit had managed to escape from his true captor, but is in our hands now," Bootler explained.

"...Well, that's great...?" The party was a bit confused, but now that they had the third Star Spirit, they could quickly move on to finding the next one. "So, you're going to give it to us, then?"

"Hah! As if getting this is going to be as simple as baking a cake!" Bow said.

"There's cake!? Where!?" Pinkie asked, popping up in front of the female Boo, managing to grab her body with her hooves despite being a ghost and shook her. "Where's that cake!? Don't tell me the cake is a lie!"

"Get off of me!" Bow shouted, giving Pinkie a hard slap in the face that sent her spinning wildly out of control until coming to a slow, dizzying stop.

The pink mare fell over, her eyes spinning in her head with a small red mark on her cheek matching Bow's small limb. "Bow, you didn't have to slap my friend!" Rarity exclaimed. "Though, I should have warned you Pinkie Pie was a bit...random."

"She's fine. I only slapped her once. With my hand. Imagine how painful it would be if I used my fan." Bow pulled out her red fan, giving it a small wave to emphasize her point. Turning back to the others after Pinkie's head stopped spinning, she continued her reason as to why the Star Spirit was held in a cage. "As I was saying, I'm not giving you the Star Spirit so easily."

"I do have a name, you know," Skolar said, finally speaking up. "I am Skolar. We are not just average stars you see in the night sky. That is, if there were any stars to view through the thick canopy of this forest."

"Why not?" Parakarry asked. "The whole kingdom is at stake, and you're being a little selfish keeping it."

"It's not like we have any need for wishes," Bow reasoned. "Even if you passed by my manor, you probably would have been on your way to Gusty Gulch to take it anyway. Basically, it's a 'scratch my back, we scratch yours' scenario. Bootler, please give them the rundown."

"Of course, m'lady," Bootler said. "As you can see, we Boos are in a bit of trouble. We understand if you don't believe it, but it is the truth. To the east of here is Gusty Gulch, and at the top of the hill is a manor owned by the previous captor of the Star Spirit, Skolar. He is a monster named Tubba Blubba, and he occasionally comes to the village of Boos at the foot of the hill and even here to eat us Boos."

"There's something in this world that eats ghosts?" Twilight asked.

Goombario grabbed the map and looked at the area around Gusty Gulch, a mansion definitely depicted on the kingdom's map. "One of Bowser's men actually lives up there?"

"Correct, but there's a problem we had faced since Bowser's attack on the castle," Bootler continued. "After he ate a few of our fellow Boos, we've sent others to try to stop him, but each group who went, not many of them made it back. The ones who had that fought back said they didn't even leave a scratch on him. He's practically invincible."

"What!?" Twilight, Pinkie, Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, and Parakarry exclaimed in shock while Mario winced, needing to take out yet another invincible foe.

"You mean there's somepony else who invincible like Bowser!?" Twilight asked.

"Afraid so...But, there was a rumor one of our Boos had heard when they were up at Tubba Blubba's manor," Bootler said. "Some sort of secret that he's protecting might just be the key to his invincibility; a weak point hidden away somewhere."

"That's why we need your help, Mario," Bow said after Bootler explained everything. "Find this secret of that tubby fatso, beat him, and you'll get your Star Spirit."

"After all the trouble you gave us with your little test!?" Twilight exclaimed. "You nearly killed some of us with your traps!"

"We don't kill anyone unless we actually want more residents around here. And I'm not going to just sit around and watch more Boos get swallowed by that invulnerable, bloated Clubba! Either you stop him, or no Star Spirit!" Twilight growled as the selfish Boo only cared about what she wanted rather than how the rest of the kingdom was faring.

"She does have a point, Twilight," Rarity said, surprising the alicorn. "Since I was found here, there was one day where this Tubba Blubba stormed into the mansion, surprising the Boos in the foyer. I watched in horror as he just grabbed one of them and ate one whole." The unicorn shuddered at the disgusting scene, hearing the Boo cry out for help before being gobbled by the Clubba. "Just think what would happen if that horrid beast were to cause trouble in the rest of the kingdom. And if he's invincible like Bowser, nothing can stop him without finding out what that secret is."

"But-...But she's..." Twilight couldn't find the words to counter the argument. Granted, they would have had to fight Tubba Blubba for the Star Spirit anyway, but how Bow behaved, it seemed like she didn't seem to care about anything else besides herself. She and the others couldn't imagine what Tubba Blubba would do if he wasn't ordered to stay in Gusty Gulch to keep watch of Skolar. "You actually trust her? Didn't she torture you with fright for the last week?"

"Well, the moment I met her, she scared the daylights out of me, but it's relatively nice here," Rarity said. "...Aside from the dirty, musky state of this mansion, the Boos aren't really all that bad." The unicorn ignored the angry pout Bow gave at her comment on her home, but she let it slide. "I was treated like a guest here. Although, Bow could take a few lessons on courtesy from the others, like Bootler."

"Hey, at least I let you stay in here rather than out in the Forever Forest," Bow grumbled. "Be grateful for that."

"I am, and I know you've been under a lot of stress because of all this, but everypony here deserves a reason why this is important for you and your friends." The Boo leered at Rarity for a moment before her gaze softened a little as she let out a sigh. The unicorn turned back to her friends, Mario, and their new companions. "It wouldn't be right for me to just leave without at least giving something back for Bow and the Boos in return for their hospitality. And stopping that monster from terrorizing them seems like enough."

The group looked at each other, neither of them unsure of what to say. Despite the pointless game Bow played on them just to reach them, the Boos were pretty harmless. They could even see on Bow's face just how much she wanted this madness to end and cared a lot about her own kind. And if she didn't want Rarity around, she could have kicked her out of the mansion days ago.

Mario made the decision for them after much thought, agreeing to help Bow and the rest of the Boos stop Tubba Blubba in exchange for the Star Spirit. Bow's face brightened at the answer, the others a bit reluctant at first, but with how dangerous Tubba Blubba was, he did need to be stopped before Bowser ordered him to do something else.

"I knew you couldn't say no, Mario," Bow said as she fanned herself, wearing a cheeky smirk as she eyed him. "You can't help but save the damsels in distress. But I'm no damsel, and I did say I wasn't going to just sit around and watch my fellow Boos get eaten. I'm coming with you to teach Tubba Blubba a lesson as well."

Bootler was startled by Bow's claim, staring at his master in terror. "W-What!? L-Lady Bow, you're actually considering going up to Tubba Blubba's manor!? I-I forbid it! I will not allow you to go somewhere that dangerous!"

"Can it, Bootler!" Bow yelled, the elder Boo cowering at her raised voice while her joining them was a surprise to the others. "I'm sick and tired of doing nothing while watching other Boos suffer! When we find out what that secret to his invincibility is, I'm going to give Tubba Blubba such a beating that he won't see straight for weeks! And you can't tell me what I can and can't do!"

"...T-Then...then I, Bootler, will accompany you," the butler said. "I was sworn to watch over you and see no harm fall onto you."

"Ugh! I am not a little kid anymore, Bootler!" Bow argued. "I can practically take care of myself, so quit babying me all the time. Besides, someone needs to stay here and take charge while I'm gone, and you're the only Boo I can trust who isn't incompetent enough to mess up a direct order."

Sadly, Bootler wilted and gave into his master's word, letting out a sigh as he couldn't bear to imagine what would happen if Bow got eaten by Tubba Blubba. "...Y-Yes, m'lady..."

"Good." Bow hovered over to the group, Rarity joining them as they prepared to head out. "Now, let's get going. Tubba Blubba's going down!"

"And how exactly are we going to stop him?" Bombette asked.

"Figuring out that secret of his. Duh," Bow said. "When we get to Gusty Gulch, we're going to get ourselves some extra Boo power from the Boos living in the village. If we're going into Tubba Blubba's mansion, we're going to need to sneak through his security. Since I'll be giving Mario stealth, we're going to need seven more Boos to help us."

"How does that even work?" Twilight asked skeptically. "Don't ghosts only turn themselves invisible?"

"Maybe back in your world." Bow chuckled as she approached Rarity, grabbing her back with her hands. She then turned invisible along with the unicorn, debunking whatever thoughts Twilight had. "We Boos can turn anything invisible when we touch something. And even make you intangible so anything coming your way would pass through you completely." She reappeared again with Rarity, wearing a smug grin on her face. "Tubba Blubba would have to be blind to realize you were standing right in front of him before he walks off like an idiot."

"Hey, make me invisible!" Pinkie begged. "That would be perfect for playing peek-a-boo with Pumpkin and Pound Cake!"

"...Yeah, we'll find you a volunteer instead," Bow said, already annoyed by Pinkie Pie, and a little surprised to see how quickly her cheek had healed after getting slapped by the Boo. "And the important key to staying invisible is to keep quiet. So when we're sneaking, zip it. Got it?"

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie said.

As they left the room, Bootler sighed, unable to help but worry about Bow's safety. "Lady Bow, please be careful..."
> Tubba Blubba's Manor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Outside of the haunted mansion, after the Boos lined up and made themselves a flight of stairs for the non-flying guests by Bow's orders, the head of the Boo Mansion guided everyone out to a path near the side of her home. As they walked through the slightly obscured pathway, they saw the outskirts of Gusty Gulch, a wasteland that was a bit brighter than the darkness of Forever Forest, a small breeze always blowing across the nearly empty land.

"Well, at least we didn't have to walk through another maze just to get here," Twilight said.

"Oh, stop whining," Bow said. "It helps to work your brain muscles. Rarity said you're the smartest of your friends, so think of going through Forever Forest as a brain teaser...with dangerous creatures running around." They reached a gate blocking off access to Gusty Gulch. "A-hem," Bow coughed, only to grow a little irritated after a few seconds. "A-heh-heh-HEM!" While the rest of the group wondered what she was doing, the bow-wearing Boo lost her cool. "Hey, pinheads! Open the gates!"

"Oh! M'lady Bow!" Two Boos appeared in front of the gate, quickly opened the metal doors for them to pass. "Sorry! We heard Tubba Blubba had just made his way into Gusty Gulch a moment ago, and we didn't want to get eaten!"

Bow sighed in annoyance, but she let their tardiness go due to the threat of the ghost-eating Clubba. The party walked past the gates as the Boo closed the gate behind them, disappearing to continue hiding from Tubba Blubba. They continued on their way, the others noticing a tall windmill at the foot of the tall hill they needed to climb.

"Oooh! Pretty windmill!" Pinkie said.

On the road, they could see green Goombas and Paratroopas roaming about, either Bowser's henchmen or Goombas wanting to cause trouble. "Those friends of yours, Goombario?"

"I highly doubt I'd want to be friends with a Hyper Goomba," the blue-capped Goomba said. "Just be careful of any off-colored green enemies. They can supercharge themselves to deal some pretty serious damage if they make contact. That's the reason they're called 'Hyper'."

While staying out of sight from the Hyper Goombas walking around, Kooper curiously checked out the windmill as he approached the door. He noticed there was a lock on it, wondering what was meant to be kept hidden inside of a building that generates power from the windy valley of Gusty Gulch.

"You Boos store anything in here, Bow?" Kooper asked.

"That windmill's been there for years," Bow said. "No idea what's in there at all. And in case you're wondering, we don't have the key for that lock. Wherever it is, it's probably long gone."

"Can't you phase through the door and check?" Rarity asked. "You are a ghost, after all."

"Yes...but there's something strange about this lock." As an example, Bow floated up to the door and tried to fly through it, only to be bounced back by a small magical force. "Can't even sneak in to see what's inside it."

"That's a pretty strong barrier spell," Twilight noted. "If this lock enchanted, then the only way to get inside is if we found the key for it."

"There's probably nothing interesting inside, anyway," Bow said. "Us Boos didn't really care about the windmill. The village is just a bit further ahead, so let's keep going."

They entered the village of Boos a short while later. The Boos here were actually a dark tan in color unlike the other white Boos in the mansion, living in dilapidated huts that had probably been around longer than the mansion in the forest. The ghosts noticed the female Boo float by with her entourage, all of them chattering to each other as they wondered what their leader was doing here. Some had approached her as the Boos followed her, but before they could attack her with questions, she floated up in the air and held her small arms out to cease their questioning.

"Wow, all the Boos adore her," Parakarry said.

"And yet she can be quite mean-spirited for caring about their safety," Bombette added. "She's a bit of a diva sometimes, but she can clearly fight back after seeing her slap Pinkie Pie silly with just one smack."

"My fellow Boos!" Bow announced. "As you all know, we have been attacked by Tubba Blubba far too many times and lost many of our brethren to his disgusting appetite!" The dark tan Boos all murmured their agreements, some of them shivering in fear of the invincible monster. "But fear not! I have requested Mario's aide to help us in our time of misery! Besides, we are the ones who are supposed to frighten others! And I shall join him along with his friends to finally put an end to that ghost-eating monster!"

All the Boos gasped in shock, fearing the safety of their leader. "L-Lady Bow! Are you serious!?" one Boo asked. "You could get eaten!"

"I know the risks, but I've had enough of this terror!" Bow continued. "I'd rather risk my own soul than have to watch anymore of you get gobbled up! Which is why we are going to figure out how to make Tubba Blubba vulnerable and finally kick his tubby behind!" The Boos all cheered, commending her bravery along with Mario and his companions. "However, since we will be sneaking through Tubba Blubba's mansion, I ask for seven volunteers who will be willing to join us on this dangerous mission!"

The cheering spirits stopped, all of them gravely terrified after the last few failed attempts they tried to stop Tubba Blubba. Bow couldn't blame them if none of them wanted to go since they had lost so many, which meant she and Mario would only go if no one volunteered. She sighed as she was about to go on with just Mario, only for one of the dark tan Boos to hover up above the crowd.

"I'll go!" he said. "For you, Lady Bow, I will do anything you ask!"

"Me too!" another said. "Even though I barely made it out of there alive, I'll go back to finally end this!"

Soon, the other Boos began volunteering, despite the ironic terror they were feeling from the ghost gobbling Clubba that attacked them. Bow was a little surprised, unsure if it was her motivational speech that inspired them or many of them trying to impress her by acting brave, but she grinned as she decided on choosing the first seven who volunteered. Before they could begin their trek up the tall hill, they heard a Boo on the other end of the village scream as he flew toward them in a panic.

"Tubba Blubba's coming!" he exclaimed, waving his arms and sweating nervously. "Every Boo hide!"

The Boos all began panicking as they turned intangible, everyone hearing heavy footsteps stomping into the village. "Oh no! Not now! Quick, turn our guests invisible too, or they're going to end up his new meal!"

"Yes, m'lady!" The volunteered ghosts quickly latched onto the three mares, Goomba, Koopa, Paratroopa, and Bob-omb, turning them invisible along with them.

"Oooh! See through!" Pinkie said in awe as she looked at her invisible hoof.

"Shush!" Bow hissed, hovering on Mario's head and turning him invisible as well. "Keep quiet and don't move!"

"Perfect, Lady Bow! You all are perfectly hidden!" While the Boo that warned everyone complimented Bow's and the other Boos' work hiding their saviors, he was unaware of the Clubba approaching them. Everyone had to stifle a gasp as they saw Tubba Blubba himself: a massive blue Clubba with a lighter blue underbelly that was about Bowser's height, orange hair, and a small blue spiked shell on his back. There was a paler patch on his chest, almost like he had undergone surgery some time ago with the stitches still in place. "It would take a pair of x-ray glasses for anyone to find you! Or infrared goggles. Whatever can see ghosts."

"Stanley!" Bow whispered, trying to get his attention without dropping her focus on keeping Mario hidden. "Turn invisible, you idiot!"

"Huh? What did you say?" Stanley asked, Tubba Blubba now standing right behind him. The others desperately wanted to warn him to turn around or run away, but they had to stay still or else throw off the Boo's concentration on keeping them intangible. Stanley heard a growling stomach behind him, slowly turning around and looking up at the invincible Clubba. "..........Oh...I forgot..."

Before the Boo could flee, Tubba Blubba grabbed Stanley, the captured ghost squirming out of the stronger foe's grip. "Mmm. Looks yummy. I needed a snack."

"No! No, please!" Stanley cried out. "I'm not tasty! I'm terrible!" The Clubba didn't care as he opened his mouth, holding the Boo over his tongue. "NOOOOOOO!"

The hidden party watched in utter disgust as Tubba Blubba chomped down on Stanley, swallowing the ghost whole. Twilight and Pinkie had to suppress their gags, horrified as they watched a Boo get eaten, which would have been an unlikely sight to ever see. Tubba let out a belch, patting his stomach in satisfaction.

"A bit tangy, but good," he said before heading back up the hill, back to his mansion at the top.

As soon as the coast was clear, everyone reappeared, the Boos just as shocked as their saviors at what they witnessed. "...Holy Monty Moles," Kooper uttered. "That's...that's just wrong."

"I'm glad I don't have a stomach, or a mouth to release anything in a stomach now," Bombette said.

"Yes. That's exactly what has happened several times," Rarity said. "We need to help these Boos out now before they're all eaten."

"How is it even possible for someone to digest a ghost?" Twilight questioned, unable to fathom the strange logic of being able to consume ghosts. "Does he have some kind of powerful digestive tract that keeps Boos from phasing out of his stomach? Does his saliva prevent them from becoming intangible?"

"We really have no idea how it's possible," Bow said. "All I care about is finding out Tubba Blubba's secret, kick his flabby butt, and get revenge for all the Boos he's eaten." She pulled out her red fan and smacked it against her other hand, leering at the mansion up on the hill. "Let's go teach that fatso not to mess with us Boos."

Bow lead the way as the others followed, the other Boos staying behind wishing them luck and begging them to be careful. The hill leading up to Tubba Blubba's manor was a little steep, but it wasn't much of a climb. There were the occasional Hyper Goombas in the area that tried to attack them, along with the tougher green Hyper Clefts disguised as green stones. Though the seven Boos that tagged along could hold their own against the Hyper Goombas and Clefts, everyone needed to save their energy for what lies in the manor up ahead.

They reached the top of the hill, where they saw the much larger mansion up close. It was bigger than the Boos' mansion back in the Forever Forest. It was in better shape than the older manor, though there were a few cracks along the walls as it's been around for a decent amount of time.

"Ugh. This is where he lives?" Rarity asked as she gagged at the blandly colored building. "This manor could certainly use a bit more color out in this dusty wasteland."

"Why don't you give Tubba Blubba some decorating tips while you're at it?" Bow said sarcastically. "Who cares what it looks like!? I doubt the dumb monster won't even pay attention."

"Well, it couldn't hurt to at least touch the place up," the unicorn argued.

"Ok, let's not get into an argument when we're supposed to be stealthy," Goombario reminded. "If Tubba Blubba's lurking in this massive mansion, we better not run into him."

"The little Goomba's right," one of the Boos said, Goombario leering at the ghost who called him little. "We can't even hurt him. We'll stick to your backs to hide you when we sneak around."

"And we'll need to hide a lot because of a strange...security system he has in there," another Boo said.

Curious to see what kind of security Tubba Blubba had, Mario approached the large double doors and opened them. The party walked inside, the main foyer of the mansion was one massive room with two walkways on the second and third floor that stretched all the way across. There were two doorways on the left and ride sides from the entrance, the right door locked up tightly. But the one thing that was odd in the room were the strange flying creatures floating around as they looked down at the ground.

"Uhh, what are those?" Pinkie asked.

"That's the security I mentioned," the one Boo said. "Not exactly bright if it finds an intruder and they turn invisible before they spiral down while making a noisy siren sound."

"Not to mention the Clubbas that serve as guards throughout the manor," one of the other Boos added. "Thankfully, they're smaller than Tubba Blubba, but they carry spiked maces with them to attack with."

"Oh! That's why they're called Clubbas!" Pinkie's shouting alerted one of the sentinels as they heard her, floating over to the pink mare and dropping down on her.

The Boo riding on her back made her intangible, the others following suit so they don't get caught either. It was as brainless as the Boo described them, looking around in confusion for the intruders until it gave up and went back on its patrol. Bow grumbled, rubbing her forehead in irritation.

"We're sure to get caught, and we just walked in the front door," Bow uttered. "Someone find a muzzle or magically zip her lips so we can avoid having those things chase us. Please."

"Sorry," Pinkie apologized, pressing a hoof to her lips, zipping her hoof across while somehow making a zipping noise, pretended to lock it with an invisible lock, dropped the imaginary key in a pit, then buried it, then mimed building a house over it.

While Rarity and Twilight rolled their eyes at their pink friend's seriousness in staying silent, the Boos stared at the mare in utter confusion. "...Uhhh...What was all that about?"

"I think it's her way of saying she'll keep quiet around here," Parakarry said, Pinkie nodding her head rapidly.

"...Whatever," Bow muttered. "Let's see if we can find where that Clubba's room is."

Starting moving to the left doorway in the foyer, while avoiding the sentinels by hiding through the Boos' abilities, they entered the hallway and immediately paused. Sitting in front of a nearby doorway was one of the Clubbas that patrolled the mansion, but this one was in the middle of a nap as a snot bubble from its nose grew and shrunk with each breath it took. Unlike their leader, they were green with a white underbelly, their shells were smooth like a Buzzy Beetle's, and their hair was white instead of orange. Tip-toeing quietly, Mario checked the nearby room, carefully opening the door to look inside. There was nothing much inside aside from a couple big tables meant for a giant and a spring between them.

After quietly closing the door, he regrouped with the others as they began to slowly make their way past the sleeping guard. Thankfully, they made it past the Clubba, but there were others still about and actually doing their jobs patrolling rather than take a nap. Up ahead, they saw one annoyingly walking back and forth across the second half of the hallway, spotting the group as he turned around.

"Huh? Hey! What are you doing in-!?" The Clubba didn't have a chance to try and sound an alarm as Bow appeared before him and gave him several slaps across the face, hitting him with each turn with perfect accuracy.

As the enemy finally stopped spinning, he wobbled on his feet, both his cheeks bright red from the hard slaps as he groaned. "Why don't you take a little nap?" Bow suggested, blowing a puff of air at him and toppling him over on his back. "These guys should just stay lazy unless they want to get in my way."

"Wow. Bow is pretty strong," Goombario said.

"Yeah," one of the dark tan Boos said with a sigh. "She's awesome. So strong and pretty."

Bow appeared in front of the infatuated Boo and gave him a slap on the face to wake him out of his daydream. "Hey, focus! And I'm not even interested in you anyway, so don't get any ideas."

Even though he was slapped, the struck Boo had a goofy, love-struck grin on his face. "Wow...What a Boo..."

Bow rolled her eyes, but grinned as she turned he back toward him, appreciative of the attention she gets from her fellow Boos. They found another doorway to another room, Mario carefully opening the door to see if there was any sign of a key inside. He flinched when he saw another sleeping Clubba in the middle of the room, but aside from the dusty, unused furniture, there weren't any chests that might have held one of the keys. Ignoring the slumbering enemy, they moved on to the next room, taking out the patrolling Clubbas in what appeared to be a dining room.

There were two doors that were opened, checking the smaller door against the wall first. It lead them down to a basement, where more Clubbas were sleeping along the stairwell and at the bottom of the steps.

"This feels too easy," Twilight whispered as they passed one of the Clubbas. "Is Tubba Blubba this overconfident that he lets his guards nap whenever they want?"

"He's not exactly the brightest of villains from the way he talked," Rarity uttered. "And he certainly doesn't keep his home tidy. So many pieces of furniture for his size, and it's all just sitting in rooms gathering dust. A little decor could spruce up these pale gray walls and ugly green checkerboard tiling."

The party soon reached a dead end, knocking the sleeping Clubba out for good with Mario's iron hammer for good measure. There was a piece of flooring that was covered in wood, which was a perfect time for the plumber to use his ground pound and go deeper down in the mansion. He did just that, slamming his behind down through the planks, surprisingly not waking up the other guard on the stairs as he dropped into the second floor basement.

"Ahh! Who's there!?" someone called out, making Mario flinch and hold his hammer out in defense. Instead of a Clubba, it was one of the Boos that lived in Gusty Gulch. "Oh! You're not one of the Clubbas. Or Tubba Blubba. You almost made my heart start up again."

Bow floated down into the hole as she heard the Boo's voice, gasping in surprise to see another one of her brethren alive in Tubba Blubba's mansion. "Steve!? You're alive!?"

"Lady Bow!?" Steve exclaimed in just as much shock. "What are you doing here!? It's dangerous!"

"I'm here to finally put an end to Tubba Blubba," Bow said. "You're a trooper for not getting gobbled at this point. Why are you hiding in here?"

"Exactly that; hiding," Steve said. "But not only that, I've also heard of rumors among the Clubbas about Tubba Blubba's secret. Nothing really useful, unfortunately, but they said Tubba Blubba has a key that keeps wherever his secret is being kept in his room. Get that key, and we'll figure out what that secret is."

"That was the first place we were going to look for, anyway." While Bow talked with Steve, Mario noticed a chest up on the raised platform he landed on.

Twilight poked her head down into the hole on the ceiling, wondering what was going on. "Hey, was there anything down there?" Mario opened the chest and pulled out a key, the perfect size to open the lock on the door back in the foyer. He held it up for the alicorn to see. "Well, that's one step closer to reaching the next floor. We'll head back to the first floor and wait for you and Bow."

Mario gave her a thumbs up, Twilight lifting her head out of the hole and climbing back up the stairs to the dining room to wait for the plumber and female Boo. "You better get out of here, Steve. We've got this covered with Mario helping us."

"A-Are you sure?" Steve said. "Tubba Blubba is dangerous! I barely managed to escape from him and got too scared to leave this place!"

"We already have enough Boos with us to hide the rest of our companions from the security in this mansion. You need to get back to the village while you have the chance." Steve was a bit surprised that other Boos were attempting to infiltrate the mansion along with Bow, but he nodded, not wanting to aggravate the mistress of Boo's Mansion.

"Ok. Be careful, m'lady," he said before floating off, turning invisible as he fled Tubba Blubba's manor.

Mario and Boo began making their ascent up another flight of stairs nearby, being mindful of the one sentinel floating around. At the top, they exited out of the other door from in the dining room, regrouping with the rest of their friends as they headed back the other way. Back through the hall, sneaking past the sleeping Clubba by the door again, and making their way across the foyer while avoiding the sentinels, Mario unlocked the door that impeded their progress.

In the next hall, there was a stairway that lead up to the second floor, where the walkway above them lead to one of the connected bridges in the foyer. "Oh boy," Bombette groaned. "This whole mansion is nothing but a winding trail. How does Tubba Blubba not get exhausted getting around this place?"

"At least it's not as convoluted as no stairway to the third floor of the Boos' Mansion," Twilight said.

"Well excuse us for not having legs to walk around on," Bow said. "You've got wings. You could have flown up to my room if you wanted."

"You would have had your 'servants' attack me if I got too close," the alicorn argued.

"...Eh. That's true." Twilight growled at the nonchalant answer.

"I don't know how you managed to put up with her, Rarity," Parakarry said.

"Yes, she can be a bit...snarky and sarcastic, but I got used to it," the unicorn said. "I'm amazed all the Boos like her...Then again..." She looked at the seven dark tan Boos following them, especially the one who had gotten smacked by her after complimenting her. "They do like her, some in more ways than one."

While making their way to the second floor, they encountered a few more Clubbas that were easily taken out with their larger group. Crossing the bridge, they arrived in the next hall that was similar to the first floor, but with one door missing close by. More Clubba bashing and hiding from the sentinals later, they reached the other end of the corridor. Before moving on to the room above the dining hall, they decided to see if there was anything useful in the nearby room if there was a locked door further up ahead. Taking a look inside, the room was small, but there were spikes jutting up from the ground, creating a path around to a chest.

"I smell treasure!" Pinkie cheered, bouncing down the path. She didn't notice the many holes on the floor, where the whole pathway of spikes shot up, pricking the earth pony as she yelped and flew up in the air. She landed back beside the others, wincing in pain as she sat on her haunches. "Owie! That wasn't fair!"

"I expected a trap like this to be built in ruins, not a house," Kooper said. "And it doesn't look like there's any switch around to stop the spikes from popping up."

"I'll get the chest," Parakarry offered, easily flapping over the spikes and landed in front of the chest. Opening it up, he found another key and hovered back to the group. "Not the smartest trap if even a Boo could get across without a sharp poke courtesy of the ground."

"Well, Tubba Blubba's more brawn than brain, but that brawn's about to turn into putty when we find out what makes him so invulnerable." Taking the key, they unlocked the door and proceeded into the next room.

Above the dining room they were just in moment ago, avoiding dropping down the widely gaped railing meant for the larger Clubba, there was another locked door on the other side that was guarded by one of Tubba Blubba's guards. Sadly, he was awake and patrolling by the door, but a good throw of Mario's hammer to the Clubba's noggin was enough to knock him out, his own club clonking his head and sending him further into unconsciousness. Once the door was unlocked, the waltzed on by the knocked out guard and walked up the next flight of stairs to the third floor.

In another bland and long hallway, it was an easy stroll across, over the next bridge, and another step closer to Tubba Blubba's room. "Boy, those Clubbas are pretty easy to beat," Goombario said. "And sneak past."

"Bowser surely must have been confident leaving someone else in a similarly invulnerable state could easily stop Mario," Twilight said. "At least the Koopa Bros. and Tutankoopa had some security that made it more of a challenge to get to them."

"And you guys will get your next Star Spirit after we find out what Tubba Blubba's keeping in his-" Bow gasped as Tubba Blubba walked out of the doorway next to the larger doors on the other side of the hall, which was also locked like the last one. "Hide!"

The Boos quickly flew to their respective buddies, everyone immediately standing still as they became incoporeal. The party of sixteen remained quiet, barely even breathing as they watched the large blue Clubba seem to ponder.

The blue Clubba sniffed, looking around the seemingly empty hallway. "Hmm...Something smells fishy." He took another whiff, rubbing his nose in confusion. "And sweet...like perfume?"

He began walking toward them, making the hidden heroes panic as they were sure to get caught if they bumped into them. "Just stay perfectly still," Bow whispered as softly as she could so Tubba Blubba couldn't hear. "Not only are you invisible, but anything can pass through you when we hide you. Even those spikes if any of you were crazy enough to walk through that small maze earlier."

With no choice but to trust Bow, everyone remained perfectly still. Rarity stifled a whimper as Tubba Blubba walked toward her. She shut her eyes, but he passed right through her as if she were a ghost. As soon as he walked past them a fair enough distance, they quickly moved, losing their invisibility until they reached the door.

"Great. More locks," Twilight grumbled.

"The key might be in the next room," Goombario whispered, pointing his foot at the adjacent doorway. "Anyone want to volunteer going in?"

"I'll do it!" Pinkie whispered, waving her hoof wildly. "I got gypped by those mean spikes and need to make up for my key gathering quota!"

"Ok, but be careful, darling," Rarity whispered.

Pinkie and her Boo companion snuck into the door as the others went invisible, Tubba Blubba still randomly pacing around the hallway. Inside the room, however, Pinkie's pupils turned to pinpricks, a large group of Clubbas inside were all taking a group nap. On the other side was a key, resting on a small platform, and the sleeping guards were all scattered about the room.

"Wow. That's a lot of them," the Boo said. "Think you can get by them?"

"Uhh...I think so," Pinkie said, swallowing audibly, surprisingly not waking up the Clubbas. "I just hope they're heavy sleepers..."

Pinkie began tip-toeing past the Clubbas, her ears twitching as she heard each of them snoring. One of them fell over, startling the mare as she looked over at the one that fell, thankfully still asleep as he cuddled with his mace. Quietly continuing forward, she finally reached the key, grabbing it in her mouth, then made her way back to the door. As she got halfway there, her nose twitched as she felt some dust get in her nostrils, gasping rapidly as she tried desperately not to sneeze. Her Boo companion quickly floated up to her face, pressing one of his tiny arms up against her muzzle, stopping her sneeze from coming out. She sighed in relief as it finally went away.

"Phew," Pinkie said with a sigh. "That was a close- AHH-CHOOOO!" The Clubbas awoke with a start, their sleeping snot bubbles popping as they sat up, searching for where the noise came from. All eyes were on the pony and dark tan Boo, gripping their maces tightly as they stood up. "...Uhhhh...You're all still dreaming?"

"Hey, they have one of the keys!" a Clubba said. "And one of them are those colorful doggy things we were asked to find!"

"Actually, I am a po-" The Clubbas charged forward with their weapons ready to swing, Pinkie and the Boo screaming as they clung onto each other as they were attacked.

Outside of the room, the others remained invisible as they heard the conflict from the door, afraid the random sounds would be loud enough for Tubba Blubba to hear. Luckily, he's still on the other end of the hall trying to find the odd smells his nostrils were hit with.

"What the heck are they doing in there!?" Bow hissed. "Are they throwing a party for finding the key in a maze meant for mice!?"

"With Pinkie, she'll throw a party for anything," Rarity said. "Even in a dangerous situation, she'll throw one for any occassion."

The commotion finally died down, everyone waiting quietly as they saw the door open up. Walking out in shock, Pinkie and her Boo companion stepped out unharmed, both of them blinking simultaneously.

"...Well, that was something," the Boo said.

"And we got the key," Pinkie said, holding up the key she nabbed.

Twilight quickly snatched the key away and unlocked the door, Mario and Kooper grabbing the stunned earth pony and pulling her and the dark tan Boo with them into the next room to avoid getting caught by Tubba Blubba. "What happened in there!?"

"Well, there were some Clubbas that were sleeping inside the hall," Pinkie explained. "So I tip-hoofed along as quietly as I could and got the key. But then I sneezed and woke them all up, so they attacked us, but my Boo buddy made us invisible and they ended up beating each other up with their own spiky clubs trying to get us. Now they're sleeping again, but now they have big lumps on their heads."

The rest of the group blinked as they stared at Pinkie, trying to process what she told them. The Boos looked at the one who accompanied Pinkie to clarify what really happened.

"Yup. That's exactly what happened," he said, shrugging his arms. "I kind of panicked and turned invisible along with her...It was actually kind of funny, especially at the end when the last two Clubbas knocked each other out at once."

"...Ok. That was an odd stroke of luck," Goombario said. "Let's keep going. We don't seem to have much mansion left to explore, and Tubba Blubba's room should be across the next bridge."

Hurrying across the third floor bridge, they entered Tubba Blubba's bedroom. There was a dining table with a couple chairs, some discarded books that everyone doubted he even glanced at, a large bed meant for the large Clubba, and a cupboard on the other end of the room beside the bed's headboard. Aside from some of the furniture, there didn't seem to be anything secretive for the invincible foe to hide, not even under the bed, unless the counted the plethora of dust bunnies gathered underneath.

"Ick," Rarity groaned in disgust. "I think I'd rather stay in Bow's manor than here. Tubba Blubba is such a slob."

"You complain about dirt too much," Bow muttered.

"That's because it's filthy!" Rarity complained. "And I just gave your abode a compliment!"

"Less arguing, more searching!" Kooper shouted. "Tubba Blubba could be here at any moment, and if we have to fight him, we might as well be dead."

"But there's nowhere we can search," Parakarry said. "It's practically empty."

"Wait, I see a chest!" Twilight called out as she approached the bed. Right behind it, in front of the cupboard, there was a chest laying on the floor, holding what could possibly be the secret to Tubba Blubba's invulnerability. "This might be it!"

Suddenly, they heard thumping approaching the door, everyone beginning to panic as Tubba Blubba was stomping along the bridge to his room. "Oh no! He's coming!"

"Quick, behind the bed!" Bow said, everyone scrambling to the back of the headboard of the Clubba's bed.

Tubba Blubba walked in, scratching his head in confusion. "I think I'm in trouble," he said. "First I lost the Star Spirit, and now someone's in my mansion. Maybe more of those delicious Boos trying to attack me again. Ohhh, I hope King Bowser doesn't get mad at me." The hiding party remained perfectly still as they heard him walk up to the bed. No one dared try to peek around the side and risking getting caught. Tubba Blubba let out a yawn, his concerns for his job and invincibility quickly shifting to tiredness. "Time to get a little beauty rest."

The mattress squeaked noisily as he leapt up onto his bed, making the others wince as they kept quiet. Tubba Blubba laid his head back, closed his eyes, and began snoring. After what felt like an eternity, the party finally began moving, the Boos peeking up on the bed to see the Clubba fast asleep, a snot bubble growing and shrinking out of his nose.

"Yeah, that's it, tubby. You just sleep," Bow said, moving away from the bed and approached the chest. "And we'll discover just what you have that makes you seem like an impenetrable wall of iron."

She opened up the chest as the others crowded behind her. Inside, an animated key jumped up onto the edge of the opened chest, the red ribbon around the bow used as a pair of legs to stand on.

"Hello!" greeted the key. "I'm Yakkey, faithful followed of Master Tubba Blubba and keeper of his stored belongings!"

Everyone winced as Yakkey spoke, but thankfully, the Clubba on the bed was still sound asleep. "Keep your voice down, you stupid talking key!"

"Well, that's not very nice," Yakkey said. "But...why are you here? Master Tubba Blubba doesn't allow visitors in his room."

"So...this is his secret?" Twilight whispered. "A magical, talking key?"

"Some secret this turned out to be," Parakarry groaned.

"Wait, you guys aren't planning to steal me?" Yakkey asked. "The key to unlock the door to the windmill at the foot of Gusty Gulch where Master Tubba Blubba's secret to his invincibility is hidden away?"

All jaws dropped at the magical key's information on his design. It had made so much sense now: the Boos didn't have a key to unlock the door to the windmill and disregarded it as being unable to explore because of the magical barrier preventing anything in, even by phasing through the windmill itself as an apparition. And all this time, Tubba Blubba's secret was right under the Boos' noses, and all they needed was Yakkey. Bow's shocked expression turned to a wicked grin, cackling silently as she flashed her sharp teeth at the talking key.

"Well, ain't that a little coincidence?" she said. "We didn't know about that little tidbit, but thanks to that big mouth of yours, now we have all the reason to steal and use you."

"...Oh...I see..." Yakkey remained quiet for a moment, the others thinking he was going to come quietly. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for them. "HEEEEEEEEEELP! Master Tubba Blubba! A thief is trying to steal me!"

Panicking, Mario quickly grabbed Yakkey, holding his mouth tightly around his hand while his ribbon feet flailed about to try to escape. It was too late to keep him quiet now as Tubba Blubba shot up from his bed, still in a tired daze as he grumbled.

"I don't wanna get up," he mumbled. "Five more minutes, mommy."

"Curse that stupid loudmouth of a key!" Bow said. "Let's get out of here!"

"No need to tell us twice!" Pinkie exclaimed as Mario stuffed the squirming key in Twilight's saddlebags, the group rushing away from the bed and heading for the door.

The bubble blowing from the Clubba's nose popped, snapped wide awake as he saw the thieves Yakkey warned him of. "Hey! You give me back my key!" Tubba Blubba hopped out of bed, making the party scream in fright as they were chased by the invincible monster. They made it out the door and ran halfway across the bridge before the Clubba left his room. "Stop, you thieves!"

He leapt up in the air and slammed his behind down on the bridge, making the whole mansion shake with his massive weight. The non-hovering members of the group stumbled from the shake, the bridge suddenly giving out on them as it broke from the heavy tension on the suspended platform. Twilight, Parakarry, and the Boos managed to hover and fly away, but the others were unlucky as they landed on the second floor bridge, which was about to be destroyed by the crumbling bridge above it.

"Twitchy tail! Twitchy tail!" Pinkie cried out, the grounded party quickly running back to the stairway connecting the first and second floors of the mansion.

Twilight used her magic, keeping the bridge held together as they ran for the door, but Tubba Blubba was hot on their heels as he jumped down to their level. "Guys, run!" the alicorn called out, grunting in exertion from the Clubba's weight increasing her strain. "Urgh! H-How heavy is this guy!?"

"Give back Yakkey!" Tubba Blubba shouted, glaring angrily at the thieves.

"Everypony run for your lives!" Rarity screamed, using her magic to slam the doors open as they fled from the Clubba. She slammed the door on him, but it didn't cause any pain as he barged right through. "I really thought that would stun him!"

"Just keep running!" Bombette said. "I mean, with how big he is, there's no way he can possibly catch up to us!"

Kooper took a chance to look back as they ran down the stairs, but the Bob-omb was clearly wrong. "Nope! He's definitely catching up to us! He's really mad and determined to kill us for taking that key!"

"Stop tempting fate, guys!" Goombario shouted. "Less talking, more running!"

Out in the foyer, as soon as they all left, Twilight released her hold on the collapsing bridges with a heavy sigh, letting the pieces fall to the ground floor. The flying party hovered down to the ground, ignoring the crushed sentinels under the rubble. A moment later, the door opened as the rest of their friends regrouped, Tubba Blubba hot on their tails.

"Come on!" Parakarry said, slamming through the front doors.

Once everyone was outside, Mario and Kooper slammed the doors shut and tried to block the door, nearly pushed back as Tubba Blubba tried to barge through. "Hey! Who's holding the door!? Open up!"

"What are we gonna do!?" Rarity asked. "We can't get to the windmill in time if he can catch up to us!"

The Boos of Gusty Gulch all looked at each other, all of them simultaneously nodding their heads in silent agreement. Executing their plan that all of them thought at once, the seven dark tan Boos flew toward the door and helped bar it for Mario and Kooper.

"Quick! You guys head for the windmill!" one of them said. "Lady Bow, you need to get going!"

"What!?" Bow exclaimed in shock. "Are you guys stupid!? You can't hold that door forever!"

"That's why we're buying you time!" another said, struggling to push the doors closed as Tubba Blubba tried ramming through from the other side. "I...don't know...how long we can hold it back!"

"No! I'm not letting another one of us get eaten by him again!" Bow argued, shaking her head rapidly.

"Better us than you, m'lady!" the smitten Boo said. "For you, we'll give up our existence if it means we know that you're safe!"

"You guys sure you can hold him back long enough!?" Kooper asked as he and Mario slowly moved away.

"We'll manage! Just get going!" the first Boo said.

"Hey, I smell delicious ghosts!" Tubba Blubba exclaimed, banging even harder on the door. "Let me out of my house!"

Bow grunted in confliction, torn between ending Tubba Blubba's invincible tyranny and the welfare of the seven Boos who willingly came along with her to stop the Clubba. She knew the needs of the many were more important than those of the few, but after seeing Stanley get eaten earlier, she didn't want to see them get eaten or never see them if they had when she left.

"Bow!" She looked at Rarity, unable to make such a difficult decision. "Those Boos are giving us a chance. If they get eaten, we won't let their sacrifice be in vain. If you want this monster's reign to end, take their chance to give us more time until we reach the windmill and stop him for good!"

Bow looked back at her fellow Boos, still holding the door to the best of their abilities, but at some point, Tubba Blubba was going to break through. Growling in frustration, she had no choice, biting her bottom lip as she tried not to shed any tears.

"You dunderheads better not get eaten, and if you do, then I'll pummel you with my fan until all of you turn red when we find a way to get you out!" Bow shouted.

"Yes, m'lady!" the Boos said simultaneously, holding back the door for their leader's safety over their own.

The group ran from the manor and began making their way down the hill with Yakkey firmly stowed away in Twilight's saddlebags. Bow hated doing this to her seven volunteers, but once they find out what Tubba Blubba's secret is and after making him vulnerable again, she vowed to give the Clubba a pounding he deserves.

"Are you alright, Bow?" Twilight asked, noticing the pained expression of anger on her face.

"I will be when we get to that windmill," she said with a growl.
> The Heart of the Problem
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Running down the long hill of Gusty Gulch, far away from the enraged Tubba Blubba chasing after them after taking away the key to the secret that made him invincible, Yakkey, the three mares, Goomba, Paratroopa, Koopa, Boo, and heroic plumber headed for the windmill at the foot of the hill. None of them dared to look back to see if the large and dangerous Clubba had managed to breach through the other seven tan Boos that held him off back in his manor. Bow didn't want to think about her brethren getting eaten just so they could finally discover what made Tubba Blubba so indestructible, but finally putting an end to the ghost-eating monster was her first priority now that they realized where it was hidden all this time.

"Running running running running running running!" Pinkie chanted as she passed by a few of her friends.

"Oh, I hope those Boos will be alright," Rarity said. "So brave and loyal, even for creatures that live to terrify others."

"Well, I'm definitely not going to give them a kiss like the princess when Mario saves her on a daily basis!" Bow said. "I'm gonna give them a good wallop if I heard any of them say they were eaten!"

As they reached the village, the other Boos wandering about wondering where their leader was going when they were headed up the manor, Yakkey poked his head out of Twilight's saddlebags as he tried to escape. He managed to jump out, only to be grabbed by Mario before he hit the ground.

"Ah! Hey!" Yakkey shouted. "Let go of me!"

"You're not getting out of this that easily!" Bow exclaimed, floating alongside Mario as she yelled at the magical talking key. "If you just cooperated with us, maybe we wouldn't have had to snatch you!"

"Cooperate with a ghost!? Heck no!" They finally reached the other end of the village and approached the windmill. Yakkey gasped in shock, trying to squirm out of the heroic plumber's hand, but to no avail. "O-Ok, I'll cooperate! But you will not like what you'll find in there!"

"So what's inside the windmill that's making Tubba Blubba invulnerable to everything that tries to hurt him!?" Goombario asked.

"...I-I can't say! But it's not going to be pretty!" Mario approached the door, holding Yakkey tightly. "M-Maybe you should just keep it closed! After all, some secrets are supposed to be left unknown if it's bad, right?"

"Just stick him in the lock so we can finally get some peace and quiet from this blabbermouth," Bow said.

Yakkey squirmed harder, but his face went straight into the lock, his cries muffled as he was turned, unlocking the door into the windmill. With the magical lock now gone, the barrier preventing any Boos through had disappeared as well. Mario dropped the talking key as he fled to safety.

"You didn't have to be rough with me!" he shouted before hiding behind a withered out tree.

"Next time, don't get us caught!" Bow yelled back.

"Ok, enough arguing with an animated key," Twilight chided. "Let's find out what made Tubba Blubba invincible before he reaches the windmill."

Mario took the lead as he grabbed the handle of the door. Opening it up, all they found inside of the structure was an old well that was boarded up.

"A well, huh?" Kooper pondered. "Must have been used back then when there might have actually been some sustainable life in Gusty Gulch."

"Ok, archaeology nerd. We don't need a theorized lecture on everything before we Boos took over this area," Boo said as she floated inside.

"I'm not a nerd," Kooper muttered to himself with a pout.

"Well, you kind of are," Bombette said.

Ignoring the sighing, slumped over Koopa, the others looked around, but the only thing of importance in the windmill was the sealed well. "So, this is it? An old well?" Rarity asked. "Is this what he's been keeping a secret?"

"I think there's more to it," Twilight said, examining the well. "Maybe the secret's hidden inside the well. It has to be dried up after who knows how long it was built."

"Good idea," Goombario said. "Mario, break through those boards."

With a nod, Mario leapt up onto the well and ground pounded through, falling into the well as he bounced off a spring laying right below. Seeing the coast as clear as the well lead through a dug out passageway, the others jumped or floated down inside.

"Whee!" Pinkie cheered as she bounced off the spring. "Boy, these springs are really fun! Who put them in strangely specific places?"

"Probably for those who can't jump as high as Mario or fly out," Parakarry said. "I've seen several others in different parts of the kingdom."

"That secret of his has got to be through those doors," Bow pointed out. "Ok, you bloated ghost-muncher. Let's see what you've been hiding from us all this time.

Entering through the door, they wound up in a corridor leading to yet another door. There was a sign that told them to keep out, but they ignored it and continued through into another corridor. Another sign had insistently urged them to not go any further, passing reading what the message had to say as they entered a third corridor, with yet another sign that gave them a final warning not to go through.

"Sheesh. Tubba Blubba is not that clever trying to keep others out," Kooper said. "But that means whatever the secret is, it has to be behind this door."

"Hey, wait," Twilight said, her ears perking up as she heard what sounded like a pulse echoing beside the door. "Does...anypony else hear a heart beating?"

Rarity and Pinkie's ears perked up as they approached the door, hearing the same beating heart sounds coming from the next room. "Oh my...Just what is making that?"

"A giant heart?" Pinkie asked, only to suddenly gasp as a thought came to her. "What if the secret is another monster that gave Tubba Blubba invincibility powers, and we entered its mouth!? The well was its mouth, and it's going to devour us with its heart!"

Everyone smacked their foreheads at Pinkie's ridiculous guess. "Pinkie, I seriously doubt this windmill is a living, breathing, magical monster."

"It's just a stupid building," Bow said. She approached the door, placing her hand on the handle. "And whatever's in here, we're going to destroy Tubba Blubba's key to his invulnerability."

Slowly opening the door, they all got a look at what waited them inside. They had reached the end of the dried up waterway for the well in a large room, a makeshift stone pedestal sitting at the far end where something red and pulsing sat upon it. Hearing the door open, the strange object turned around, a pair eyes with beady yellow irises looked at them.

"Huh!? Who's there!?" the pulsating creature said. "What!? Mario!?"

"What the heck is that thing?" Parakarry asked. "And...did it just sound like Tubba Blubba?"

From the shape of the creature, Twilight's face suddenly turned pale as it just dawned on her what it was, from its heart-like shape to the rhythmic pulsations of a heart beat every couple seconds. "Oh dear sweet Celestia! That's a heart! An actual organ! That can talk!"

"Oh my," Rarity uttered in disgust, everyone nearly gagging at the talking organ.

"Awww, man! That's just disgusting!" Goombario exclaimed. "Maybe Pinkie was right about the monster thing hiding in here! He keeps a living heart down here!"

"Not just any living heart," Bow said, the only one out of everyone not as turned down to see a disturbing sight such as this. "That's Tubba Blubba's heart."

"Good guess, little Boo," the heart said. "Seems like you got it figured out. Or some idiot up in the manor leaked out some information about me? That the Clubba out there is just a shell while I control his every move?"

"Actually, you just told us your purpose," Bow corrected, Tubba's Heart wincing as he blurted out his functions for Tubba Blubba. "All we knew was that the secret to Tubba Blubba's invulnerability was here, and now it's starting to make sense."

"But how?" Twilight asked, trying not to lose her lunch as she stared at the animated heart. "How is it that an organ used to pump blood through one's circulatory system can make someone invincible?"

"Uhh, Twilight?" The alicorn looked back at Kooper. "You do realize Bowser might have used the Star Rod on him to pull out his heart to make his body completely invincible, right?"

"...Oh. Right. That..." Looking back at the heart, she also noticed the strange patch that was on Tubba Blubba's chest, which looked like he had surgery done on him. "So, that explains that poorly stitched patch job on him."

"Without a heart, he has no feeling," Bow said. "But, that doesn't mean you're not safe from us. That's why you're hidden down here while you control that fatso, eating us Boos and terrorizing us!"

"And now that you know about my secret, I can't let any of you live!" Tubba's Heart proclaimed, letting out a gleeful cackle as he eyed Bow. "I'll start with you first, you tasty little morsel!"

The heart bounced off his pedestal, making the mares screech in horrified shock as he bounded toward Bow. He tried ramming into her with his body, but the Boo floated out of his way and gave him several hard slaps. After spinning around for several seconds, Tubba's Heart groaned as it got dizzy.

"You think I'm scared of you like this!?" Bow asked with a scoff. "I've got a vendetta against you for eating my friends! And how can you eat me when you don't even have a mouth as a beating heart!?"

Tubba's Heart shook itself from the dizzying spin, leering at the female Boo. "Oh, I will eat you soon." He then laughed as he seemed to be grinning by the look in his eyes. "My body has actually just rammed his way out of that blockade your little Boo friends tried to set up. And I've eaten all seven of them before they could even say my name in fear!"

Bow growled, pulling out her fan as she glowered at the heart. "Oh, that is it! I am sick and tired of your fat, tubby butt eating my brethren! Hope you enjoyed them, because those are the last Boos you're going to eat!"

Before she could charge into the heart and smack him around with her fan, Mario threw his hammer, smacking Tubba's Heart into his perch. Confused and snapped out of her rage, she watched the hammer fly back into the plumber's hand in a lavender aura as he stepped up beside her.

"You're not alone in this fight," Goombario said as he and the others joined them. "We're all going to fight this thing together. Just don't let him get to you."

"Kind of too late for that," Bow uttered, gripping her fan tightly. "Can't help it if I have to hear anymore Boos get gobbled by this thing's body."

Tubba's Heart groaned, shaking off the heavy blow from the tough mallet. "Urgh. That hurt. But I'm no ordinary, squishy little organ!" Letting out a long, exerted grunt, the evil heart began glowing, fully charging itself for his next attack. "There we go! Now, let's see who's gonna get it first."

"Oh great," Goombario groaned. "He's able to charge his strength just like the Hyper Goombas. This is probably gonna hurt."

Mario's eyes widened and glowed pink along with his Lucky Star, his random clairvoyant powers activated and gave him a vision. He foresaw the outcome of the charged attack Tubba's Heart, but instead of it being aimed at him or even Bow as his sights were more set on her, it headed for Rarity. His charged up attack involved a massive swarm of tiny versions of himself clinging onto the unicorn, practically squeezing the life out of her as she screamed in pain. The vision ended as he quickly warned Bow of the incoming danger to Rarity.

"What? You want me to turn Rarity invisible?" As they began hearing the pulsating heartbeat grow louder as Tubba's Heart was about to unleash his attack, Bow didn't question any further and flew toward Rarity.

Turning the both of them intangible just in time as hundreds of small hearts began flying into them as they appeared around the unicorn. The others dodged out of the way to avoid getting stuck by the miniature hearts, but as they passed right through Rarity and Bow, they disappeared in a puff of smoke. Tubba's Heart was flabbergasted that his attack missed, his subtle aiming at one of the three ponies somehow failing thanks to Bow's abilities as a Boo.

"Thank you, Bow," Rarity said as they returned to normal, the Boo slightly surprised that Mario's warning had been spot on. "How did you know that monster of a heart was going to attack me?"

"Ask Mario, because I have no clue how he knew," Bow said.

"Hooray for foresight!" Pinkie cheered. "Hey, wait a minute! He tried to attack one of us!"

"Well, I did have to be on the lookout for you three, but that dumb body of mine forgot where he put the stupid wanted poster!" he exclaimed.

"So, does that also make you Tubba Blubba's brain and his heart at the same time?" Pinkie questioned.

"Questions later! Fight now!" Kooper said as he tucked into his shell, firing himself right toward Tubba's Heart.

The heart leapt over Kooper, bounding around and charging headfirst into Mario. The plumber ducked as Tubba's Heart headed straight toward Goombario, ramming into him with a headbonk that knocked him over to Twilight. The alicorn blasted the heart with a beam of magic, sending it crashing into the wall, but he was resilient as he remained conscious.

"Wow, that is one tough heart," Twilight said.

"Why else do you think I'm responsible for keeping that body of mine from getting injured!?" Tubba's Heart bounced and tried to tackle the alicorn, but Bow intercepted him, giving the heart a powerful smack with her fan.

"Then let's make you a broken heart!" Bow shouted as she gave the heart another few hard slaps with her fan.

Tubba's Heart cried out as it spun even harder than just with Bow's hand, twirling around with his eyes spinning as he stumbled toward the others. Bombette body slammed into him, smacking him right into Parakarry's dive kick straight to the ground. As he recovered from his dizziness, he began charging for another swarm attack, this time staring straight at Mario. Mario was ready for it, clutching his hammer tightly as the swarm began. He began spinning around like a top, smacking away the tiny hearts in a little tornado with his hammer held out in front of him.

"Oh, come on!" the heart complained. "You guys just don't give up!"

"Nope," Bow said, appearing behind Tubba's Heart and began slapping him around again.

"Bow, smack him over here!" Rarity called out.

"With pleasure!" With one hard smack, Tubba's Heart was sent flying toward the white unicorn.

Rarity turned around and gave him a hard buck in the face toward Pinkie, not as strong of a kick as Rainbow's or Applejack's, but she was more than just a damsel in distress and can fight back. Pinkie reared herself up with her wooden mallet held in her mouth, uppercutting the heart up and sending him crashing into the ceiling. Using her magic, Twilight grabbed Kooper and Parakarry and spun them around her, picking up more speed as the Koopas' shells spun wildly. She gave them a toss, sending them flying straight into Tubba's Heart's stomach if the organ had organs of its own.

With a defeated wheeze, he fell to the ground, Kooper and Parakarry popping out of their shells as everyone was ready to give the heart another beating. Tubba's Heart groaned as it stood up, staring at his foes while unable to do much else to any of them. If he was beaten, then Tubba Blubba might fall unconscious too.

"Y-You guys are tough," Tubba's Heart said. "But, would you look at the time! I gotta go! YOINK!"

He bounced away from the group, running straight out the door. "Hey, get back here you coward!"

Bow lead the way as the others followed, not willing to let the villain get away so easily. Tubba's Heart was surprisingly fast as he escaped down the corridors, the heroes hot on his heels in the dried up reservoir that once held water for the well. Bouncing up out of the spring, the beaten heart ran outside, spotting Tubba Blubba waiting for him, knowing he had made his way down the hill of Gusty Gulch in the nick of time.

"It's time for us to reunite!" he said, bouncing over toward his shell and bouncing up high.

Tubba Blubba opened his mouth, catching his heart and swallowing it whole, returning his magically removed organ back into place. Mario, Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, Parakarry, Bow, Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity exited the windmill, spotting the invincible Tubba Blubba waiting for them as he flexed his muscles.

"Aww, yeah!" Tubba Blubba cheered. "Finally back to my old self! Now that my heart and body are reunited again, there's no way any of you can stop me!"

The Mushroom Kingdom residents and Equestrians looked at each other with blank stairs, no longer terrified of facing Tubba Blubba now that he isn't as powerful as he used to be. "...Yeah. We're so terrified."

"After we beat up your heart, I seriously doubt you have that much strength in you anymore," Goombario said. "And you're not invincible anymore if you're heart's back in your body."

"You don't know that!" Tubba Blubba said, practically asking to get punched. Bow did just that, only giving the large Clubba a hard smack in the face. She sent him spinning as he yelped in pain, no longer invincible now with the stupid move his heart made. "Ow! W-What!? That hurt!?"

"Of course it hurt," Bow said, wielding her trusty fan and tapped it in her other hand, grinning deviously at him. "And so is this! For all my Boo brothers you ate, you giant lump of lard!"

Everyone winced as Bow smacked Tubba Blubba hard with all her might, sending him spinning around like an out of control top as he stood in place. All of them thought her fan was made out of metal after smacking him around and it never got dented even once. They let her take care of the "invincible" Clubba to get her revenge as she let out steam. After what appeared to have been the hundredth slap, she finally stopped, Tubba Blubba slowing to a halt with several bumps and red marks in the shape of her fan on his face, falling over in a daze as he was defeated.

"...Well...aside from his heart, Tubba Blubba was not all that powerful," Twilight noted. "I really can't believe we were that afraid of getting into a confrontation with him."

Bow floated back to the others with a smug grin on her face, satisfied and getting her vengeance. "Well, so much for all that talk of being impossible to take down now." Before she could gloat any further, they heard the Clubba groan as he sat up. Growling in annoyance, the female Boo turned around to give him another round of slaps across the face. "Not done yet, huh!? You want some more!?"

Instead of expecting him to stand back up with a second wind, Tubba Blubba's lips quivered and began bawling. This caught everyone by surprise, not expecting the large Clubba to break down after getting beaten up now that he was no longer invincible.

"He's...crying?" Bombette questioned.

"Y-You didn't have to hit me so hard!" Tubba Blubba wailed.

"...That was kind of the point!" Twilight exclaimed, utterly flabbergasted at how one of Bowser's strongest minions is acting like a little kid that tripped and scraped his knee. "You're our enemy!"

"I'm just a sensitive guy trapped in this big body!" he reasoned. "I won't do anything bad anymore! I'll even give back all the Boos I ate!"

Lifting his head up, the Clubba opened his mouth wide. He released the Boos held in his gut, all of them cheering as they were freed from the confined prison they were trapped in. Twilight had expected Tubba Blubba to have at least digested some of them, though he did eat ghosts, so it would have been physically impossible for one's intestinal juices to break down incorporeal spirits. Once the last of the Boos were released and returned back to their homes, Tubba Blubba closed his mouth, only for his cheeks to bulge as he spat out one last Boo, which happened to be Stanley.

"Gah!" Stanley shouted with a shudder. "Why was I the last one out!? Not cool!"

"...That went easier than I thought it would," Twilight said. "Guess Tubba Blubba really wasn't that strong after all."

"His heart was a nuisance, though," Kooper said.

"With my heart and body reunited, I'm not invincible anymore," the Clubba uttered. "I don't want to be invincible if I have to fight anyone the likes of you!"

Tubba Blubba ran back to his mansion in tears, his ghost eating finally coming to an end and vowing to himself to stay far away from the Boos in the village and mansion. Bow let out a cackle as she watched him run away.

"That's right! Know never to mess with us Boos!" Bow called out. "Well, that ought to show him he can't get back at us by being turned into an invincible beast."

"Wait, what did you just say?" Rarity asked. "'Get you back'? You knew of him before I ended up by your mansion?"

"Of course!" Bow answered proudly. "All of us Boos have! We've scared the living daylights out of him for years since he was really a big coward and an easy target." The others all groaned in exasperation and fell over. "Oh, don't be like that. We're not sorry for it, anyway."

"Maybe next time, don't tease your victims, otherwise they'll find a way to get back at you," Twilight lectured.

"And maybe you could have been more friendly toward somepony that sensitive," Pinkie added. "He ran away crying."

"Hey, he was eating us!" Bow argued. "All we did was scare him, and he goes around trying to kill us while Bowser made him invincible! We're the bigger victims here, not old lard butt!"

"...I guess that makes sense," Parakarry said. "At least he's no longer a problem anymore."

"That also means you owe us a Star Spirit," Twilight mentioned.

"Yes, yes, as we agreed," Bow said. "But, I think I'd like to stick around with you guys and travel with you."

"Really?" Bombette asked.

"I've been pretty bored in the mansion, and just sticking around the Forever Forest and Gusty Gulch is dreadfully agonizing," Bow said. "Granted, I enjoyed sneaking around the manor and finally unleashing a bit of my pent up rage. And who knows? You all might need a Boo on your side to help you sneak into Bowser's castle after getting the other Star Spirits. Not a bad idea, right?"

The others looked at each other, unable to help but agree that they'll need someone who can help them avoid detection from any guards in Bowser's castle or anywhere else as they search for the Star Spirits. Twilight was a little bit unsure with Bow's behavior, but seeing she did at least have a heart in her incorporeal form, she was pretty reliable after saving Rarity from Tubba's Heart's swarm attack.

"Well, I guess we may need someone who can help us with stealth," Twilight said. "At least until my magic has gotten back to its former strength where I can help turn us invisible. But, it's up to Mario."

The plumber immediately nodded his head, already on board with Bow's assistance with her heavy hitting and abilities. "Perfect! Now, for your reward."

Before Bow could yell at the top of her lungs for her butler, Bootler floated up to them with Skolar in his hands. "Lady Bow, I had just heard the good news from the freed Boos from the mansion who were eaten by Tubba Blubba. I was so worried about your safety, but you've all done it. Thank you so much for all you help, Mario. Here is the Star Spirit, as promised for your heroics."

"I'll take that for you, Bootler," Rarity said, using her magic to levitate Skolar's card over to her. She brought it over to Mario, placing the Star Spirit in her hoof and handed it to him. "Here you are, darling. Now, how exactly do we-?"

As soon as Mario touched it, Rarity gasped as the card began glowing. Mario's Lucky Star also shimmered a bright white light through his shirt as her magic was infused with Twilight's and Pinkie's, making one of the arms as white as the unicorn's coat. Skolar's card then hovered out of Rarity's hoof and Mario's hand, spinning rapidly as it flashed a blinding light. The Star Spirit's prison tore apart as he was freed, his spinning slowing to a halt as he stretched out his limbs.

"Uuuuurgh! Thank goodness I am finally out of there," Skolar said with a relieved sigh. "Never thought I would be exhausted trying to escape while trapped in a card and do nothing for the last few days." After stretching out the kinks to his body, Skolar readjusted his glasses as he faced Mario. "Even though my freedom could have been resulted much differently, either way, the outcome would be the same. Mario, rescuing me, I shall bestow upon you some of my power in case you ever get into trouble." Raising his small arms up, Skolar gave Mario some of his power, sprinkling the heroic plumber in a flurry of glowing stars as he gained a new ability granted by the Star Spirits. "My power is called Star Storm."

"PK Star Storm?" Pinkie asked, standing on her hind legs with her forelegs raised in the air as she wore a red baseball cap sideways, a horizontally striped blue and yellow shirt, baggy jean shorts, and a pair of red shoes.

"...What on earth does the 'PK' stand for?" Skolar questioned. "And how did you even-?"

"Don't ask," everyone responded instinctively when it came to asking anything involving Pinkie Pie.

"...Ok, then...In any case, my ability can rain shooting stars down on large groups of foes," Skolar continued, ignoring how Pinkie was now no longer wearing that strange, childish outfit in the blink of an eye. "Could be very handy taking care of annoying ambushes, though it will require a bit more power to activate, so use it only when you're in a jam." He turned to face Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity, the latter of the trio still quite surprised as to what that light was. "Once I have gained enough strength upon returning to Star Haven, I will see if I can assist in finding the rest of your friends."

"At the rate we're reuniting with each other after getting separated, we'll all probably be back together again around Chapter 6!" Pinkie said.

"Chapter 6 of what?" Skolar questioned, already getting a migraine just from Pinkie's rambling. "You know what? Never mind." Ignoring whatever Pinkie does or says, he faced the others again, sensing some grave news from the powerful magic upon his freedom. "I am afraid there is some bad news involving Bowser. His life force is growing stronger, but I do not know if he realizes it or not."

"So he's getting stronger and stronger thanks to holding onto the Star Rod," Goombario emphasized. "That means the longer it takes for us to find the other four Star Spirits and Twilight's other three missing friends, Bowser will probably end up becoming powerful enough to take over the entire world if he wanted to."

"And we don't have any time to waste," Kooper said. "If we can't stop him in time, he'll be too powerful for Mario to stop him, even with all of us helping."

"But if he uses the Star Rod's power on himself, we can still nullify its effects when all seven of us are together again," Skolar said. "I must return and recover, but I believe all of you just might be able to reach us in time. Maybe with the help of these six ponies and their unique magic, there is a chance our powers combined will be able to stop Bowser. Good luck, everyone!"

With that, Skolar flew back up into the sky and returned to Star Haven to regain his strength. Once the Star Spirit took his leave, Bow turned to Bootler, the elder ghost knowing just what she was going to request.

"Lady Bow, you wish to continue traveling with Mario, yes?" Bootler asked.

"What are you, psychic as well as overprotective?" Bow questioned.

"No, but I know that look in your eye," he said. "I always worried about your safety, make sure you never do anything too rash that'll get you hurt. But, you've done enough to prove to me you aren't the helpless little Boo I had looked after all these years. If you wish to go around and travel the kingdom to help Mario, I won't stop you. Just promise to come back home safely...For all our sakes."

Bow rolled her eyes in annoyance, but she understood how every one of her Boo brethren, including Bootler, were always concerned for her safety. "Hey, if I was able to smack around Tubba Blubba and his freakish heart without so much as a scratch, I can take on Bowser with my bows off. I'll be fine. You just makes sure everyone stays in line while I'm gone, Bootler." The older Boo nodded his head, promising to look after the mansion in her absence. "Alright, everyone. Let's get moving. We got a Koopa King to take down."

"Right. Let's hope we find Twink and figure out where to look next," Twilight said as the group began making their way into the Forever Forest and make their way back to Toad Town.





As they reentered the Forever Forest, the group passed through the gates outside of the mansion and headed into the twisting maze. "Not too much of a distance from the town," Bow said. "We just gotta take a random direction, go back, and we're there in less than a minute."

"And maybe I'll finally get a bath if anypony is kind enough to let us use their bathroom," Rarity said. "I hope they have something fragrant enough to wash out the musty stench of an abandoned manor with decades of dust piled up everywhere."

"Wah, wah, wah," Bow mocked. "Stop complaining."

"Rarity, we can't stop for any luxurious baths," Twilight reminded. "You can take a quick shower if someone in town is kind enough to do so, but we can't stop for too long. Bowser's getting stronger with every day that passes, and we need to find Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy along with the other four-"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" a voice cried out. "AHH! Bugs! So many bugs!"

"What in the world was that?" Parakarry asked. "Is there someone who got lost in here?"

"I hate this stupid forest!" the voice called out again, which was beginning to sound familiar to Mario, Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, and Twilight. "EEK! Something touched my leg! WAHHH!" Running out of the bushes, they saw who the voice came from to some of their disbelief; Jr. Troopa. The eggshell-wearing Koopa had his eyes closed as he blindly ran straight toward them. He rammed into Rarity's leg, falling over on his back as he screamed out in a panic, covering his face with his hands. "NO! Don't eat me! I'm too young to be tasty!"

"Oh no," Goombario groaned. "Not him again."

"He's really persistent in getting revenge for you, Mario," Twilight said. "I wonder if he even managed to figure out how to get through this forest and its puzzling pathways."

Jr. Troopa moved his hands away as he looked up at Rarity. Staring at the beautiful, yet still dusty unicorn, the little Koopa's heart skipped a beat as his eyes turned into hearts, immediately infatuated by her curly hair and blue eyes, even if she was a pony like Twilight. Quickly standing up and putting on a braver facade, despite being terrified out of his mind just by wandering into the Forever Forest, he cleared his throat as he began trying to impress Rarity.

"Uhh, I mean, I'm not scared of this forest!" Jr. Troopa said as he flexed his arms. "Hah. Made it through without so much as a scratch. Pretty great for someone like me."

"...What is he doing?" Kooper asked.

"Oh, I know that look," Rarity said with a giggle. "I shouldn't even be surprised by the look on his face."

Twilight groaned and facehooved. "He's just like Spike with his crush on Rarity..."

"A crush?" Goombario questioned. "Seriously? And he called Twilight a dog last time we saw him...What is wrong with this twerp?"

Jr. Troopa ignored the others as his sights were set on Rarity, strutting up to her, to the unicorn's amusement. "Never you fear, miss. I, Jr. Troopa, will keep you safe from the dark, scary woods."

"Oh, thank you, but I'm perfectly capable of fending for myself, darling," Rarity said, humoring the Koopa.

"Nonsense!" Jr. Troopa interjected, taking Rarity's hoof, feeling his hand tremble through his false bravado. "I'm pretty strong and can beat anyone who comes at me with just one look! Much stronger than that dumb, mustached idiot, Mario." Mario sighed in exasperation as he shook his head, clearly forgetting his two losses against Mushroom Kingdom's resident hero. "A creature as pretty as you deserves a brave hero like me."

"Define 'brave'," Bombette said dryly.

"Well, I do appreciate your bravery, darling, but I don't think your assistance will be necessary," Rarity said to Jr. Troopa.

"Yeah, buzz off," Goombario said disdainfully. "We're in the middle of something important, and you're getting in our way."

"Can it, you sunburnt mushroom!" Jr. Troopa exclaimed. "I am trying to woo my future wife."

"Ok, this kid is messed up in the head far worse than Pinkie," Bow said. "Let's just beat the snot out of him and get moving."

"No one's getting between me and my beloved!" Stepping between Rarity and the rest of the group, he glared at them as a pair of bat wings sprouted out from his back, surprising them as he floated up in the air. "I still have a score to settle with you Mario, and I shall take whisk this woman away as mine!"

"...Oh dear, you're actually serious about this," Rarity uttered. "I don't believe you understand the concept of love, darling. Besides, you're a bit too young for me."

"Then beating Mario and his stupid friends shall be enough to proclaim my love for you!" Everyone smacked their foreheads as Jr. Troopa missed the point of Rarity letting him down gently. "This time, I'm sure to win now that I'm up in the air!"

"Yeah, you've got a couple of us who can actually fly," Bow said. "Not really smart, and you're already getting on my nerves."

"Boss fight time!" Pinkie cheered, pulling out her wooden hammer and leapt up to the flying Koopa.

Jr. Troopa dove out of the way, heading straight for Mario. The plumber dodged out of the way, only to get headbonked in the gut by Goombario.

"Just quit getting in our way!" Goombario shouted. "We have more important matters to deal with than your stupid grudge against us!"

"Not until I win!" Jr. Troopa argued.

Before he could fly back up, Twilight grabbed the annoying pest with her magic, keeping him grounded. "I swear, everything we say goes in one ear and out the other!"

"Allow me to jumpstart his underdeveloped brain cells!" Bow said, pulling out her fan and floated over to the grounded Koopa, giving him a few harsh smacks across the face.

"Ow! Who hits someone with a fan!?" Jr. Troopa exclaimed, his eyes rolling around in his head after he stopped spinning.

"Then how about an explosion at point blank range!?" Bombette lit her fuse and ran up to the dazed Koopa, blowing up and sending him flying across the forest.

Skidding to a halt, Jr. Troopa flew back up and hid in the foliage. He planned on catching them by surprise in the darkness, using Twilight's glowing horn as a beacon to tell where they were while he struggled not to freak out from the leaves and branches brushing against him. As everyone looked around to see where the annoying little Koopa was hiding, the Lucky Star Mario wore began glowing white. Curious to know what ability he would get from Rarity, his vision began flashing white, along with his eyes, as he began seeing through the dark forest as if it were daytime. Aside from seeing past the foliage and spotting Jr. Troopa flapping silently in between the trees, he also saw past the false pathways that lead them back to the entrance of Forever Forest.

Watching the bat-winged Koopa move closer to them, Mario readied his hammer. As soon as Jr. Troopa leapt out to attack them by surprise, he swung his arm, sending his hammer sailing straight into the Koopa's face, causing him to flip around as he crashed to the ground face first. Everyone else was caught by surprise, even Bow, and she was able to see better in the dark compared to the others.

"Whoa. Nice aim, Mario," Kooper complimented. "How did you see him coming?"

Mario pulled out his Lucky Star as he explained how he was able to see beyond the darkness in the forest and through the thick foliage to find Jr. Troopa. "So, Mario gained the power of perception from Rarity."

"He has?" Rarity asked in confusion. "Well, I guess that is true about me. I do have a keen eye, but only for fashion and gems...How exactly does that work?"

"We're not sure, but after saving a Star Spirit, Mario ends up receiving another power from us," Twilight explained. "Telekinesis with his hammer from me, and foresight from Pinkie and her Pinkie Sense."

"Huh. No wonder he asked me to help Rarity when Tubba's Heart attacked her with that mini-swarm he unleashed," Bow pondered. "Would have been nice to know the reason why beforehand, but you can't really expect to yell out strategies in a fight."

Jr. Troopa groaned, lifting his head as his face ached. He had no idea how Mario saw him through the thick, dark, and creepy woods, but he didn't want to stay in this forest any longer. Putting away his wings, he turned to his foes and continued acting brave for Rarity.

"D-Don't think you've won just yet!" he said. "This is just a draw! I don't want to overwhelm my white beauty with all of my awesome moves!"

Jr. Troopa fled, hoping not to get lost and finally find the exit after his defeat. The others let out a sigh of relief as he left.

"So, you guys have met the little guy before?" Parakarry asked. "I can see why he's a bit of a nuisance. But...infatuated with Rarity?"

Everyone looked at the unicorn, now no longer amused by Jr. Troopa's awkward romantic interest in her. "I really thought he was just being really nice, but he sounded like he was serious...At least Spike was a little bit more subtle, and it's adorable when he helps me, but that little boy was...obnoxious."

"And he called me a dog," Twilight said. "...Hey, wait a minute! Goombario, back at Mt. Rugged, did you come up with that Poochy idea because of that rude comment he made about me!?"

"...Uhh...kinda?" Goombario giggled nervously as Twilight groaned.

"Let's just get going," she grumbled as they continued on their way back to Toad Town, hopefully without running into Jr. Troopa again.





Up in the sky where Princess Peach's castle still rests on top of Bowser's floating fortress, Peach sat on her bed reading one of the many books the duo of guards she caught taking early breaks got for her. As she finished up a chapter, she placed a bookmark on the page and took a little break, sighing in boredom as she stood up. When Twink had come back after trying to find Mario, Twilight, and their friends, she was worried they might have already found out where the next Star Spirit might be found.

"Oh, I hope everyone makes it out ok," Peach said to herself.

"Sorry I couldn't find them, Peach," Twink apologized. "But I'm sure they might have found a way to beat Tubba Blubba. In the meantime, let's see if we can get anymore juicy gossip from the guards on anything that can help them."

"Good idea, Twink. I just hope none of them notice the secret passage." Peach approached the painting concealing the button and pressed it, opening the secret passage once again. "Maybe it's a good thing Bowser's so thick-headed that he doesn't realize I escaped without even alerting the guard at my bedroom door."

"Yeah," the little Star Kid agreed. "You'd think that'd make things suspicious after the second time that's happened."





"What!?" Bowser exclaimed, he and Kammy in the private room he had accidentally left his diary out from Peach's first attempt at escaping her room. "Are you kidding me!?"

"No, your grace," the elderly witch said. "Tubba Blubba was...beaten by Mario."

"...Ok. But, uhh, you told me using the Star Rod on him was...oh, I don't know, SUPPOSED TO MAKE HIM INVINCIBLE!?" Bowser shouted, nearly knocking Kammy over from his voice alone. "I just can't believe it! Mario somehow found out his secret and managed to beat him! Gah! I hate Mario with a passion!" As he stamped his foot angrily, neither Koopa noticed or heard the platform slowly spin around as Peach and Twink used the secret passage. The two did notice, silently gasping as they froze in place, surprised to not be noticed with how loud the platform was. "I am getting sick of him ruining my plans!"

"W-Well, we'll have to think of something quickly," Kammy suggested. "He's bound to be on his way to Shy Guy's Toy Box next."

Peach and Twink looked at each other, already getting a bead on where Mario can find the next Star Spirit. The duo slowly began to creep their way behind Bowser, hoping he and Kammy wouldn't spot them as Peach slowly approached the door.

"You're right," Bowser agreed. "We need to prepare something for his arrival. We need to find his own weakness and finally put an end to that pasta-devouring plumber." While Bowser pondered on what Mario would be weak against, he turned around and noticed Peach in the room. "Oh, hello, princess." Peach froze as she was caught, Bowser turning around a moment, giving Twink enough time to float up high to the ceiling just as he turned back around in shock. "P-Princess!? W-Wha-!? How the-!?"

"Not again!" Kammy complained. "For goodness sake! How did you even get out of your room!?"

Peach slowly turned around, giggling nervously as she waved at Bowser and Kammy. "H-Hello."

"I am going to fire those stupid-!" Bowser paused as he finally got an idea. Looking back at Peach, he grinned, chuckling ominously as he rubbed his hands together. "Actually, I think you can help me with something, princess."

"Uhh...help with what?" Peach asked, not liking the creepy look Bowser wore.

"I don't know how much you heard, but that doesn't really matter," he said. "However, you know Mario a lot better than we do, which means you must know about his weaknesses. Am I right?"

"Lord Bowser, are you seriously going to be asking her about Mario's weaknesses?" Kammy asked skeptically. "I don't think she's trustworthy enough to even give us any hints on stopping him."

"Oh, what can she even do from way up here?" Bowser asked. He then pulled out a sheet of paper from his shell with a list of different things to be placed in certain locations in Shy Guy's Toy Box. "It's not like she can give any information to Mario to stop us." Peach and Twink refrained themselves from smirking, the Koopa King having no idea just how much information they were giving to Mario just from his and his minions' loud mouths with them. "Now, princess, I just want you to check off one of these in each section. And make sure they are something Mario really despises."

He handed Peach the paper and gave her a pen, but as she read through the list, she gave a blank stare at the odd list of roadblocks for Mario.



Shy Guy's Toy Box Guards
Treasure Chest #1:
Goomba
Clubba
Mushroom

Treasure Chest #2:
Fuzzy
Hammer Bros.
Thunder Rage

Treasure Chest #3:
Pokey
Kooopatrol
Super Soda



Looking up at Bowser, she could see the smug grin on his face, clearly a "genius" by letting her pick who Mario would fight in the next area. "...Oh, gee," she said sarcastically. "This is really tough. I do not know what I should pick." Peach quickly checked the Mushroom, Thunder Rage, and Super Soda, making getting the next Star Spirit for Mario easy to get. "Here you go."

She handed the list back to Bowser, who didn't even bother reading it as he handed it to Kammy Koopa. "Thank you, Princess Peach. I knew you'd come around and finally help me with something. But, sadly, you're going to have to go back to your room."

Calling the guards, two Koopatrols walked into the room, surprised to see the princess was out yet again. At least they weren't scolded by Bowser this time as they escorted her back to her room, Twink following behind when the tyrant turned his back to the door. As Kammy looked over the list, she glowered at the decisions Peach had made, then gave her king a blank stare.

"...Seriously?" she asked. "You want to go with what she chose?"

"Of course!" Bowser said confidently, though it wavered as he grew nervous at what she picked. "...Uhh, she chose the tougher answers, right?" Turning the page around, he saw what Peach chose, to his disappointment. "...Oh."

"Yeah. A Mushroom, Thunder Rage, and a Super Soda. Guarding important chests laid out in Shy Guy's Toy Box. To stop Mario," Kammy constantly emphasized.

Bowser scratched his head, his idea turning out not to be the best one he's had involving Peach's decisions. "...I thought she would have been helpful to me after being stranded in the sky for about a week."

"Which is why I didn't want to trust her with something that was so simple for even you to make the right choices." Kammy let out a sigh, crossing out Peach's answers and making her own. "I'll set up the RIGHT guards to do the job, not a bunch of useless items sitting in the open for Mario to get like a free gift on Christmas."

The elderly Magikoopa exited the room and set off to Shy Guy's Toy Box to set the enemies up for Mario's arrival, leaving Bowser to his thoughts. "...Did I mix up my minion list with my grocery list while making that?" he asked himself. "I really thought Peach would be useful and finally be on my side, but I guess not." Pulling out the Star Rod, he leered at it as he couldn't use it to make Peach his. "For granting wishes, you're pretty lousy with the ones I really want, like Peach falling in love with me. I can't even hypnotize or brainwash her with you, either, huh?" Bowser sighed, tossing the rod in his hand a few times. "At least you can grant me the power to beat Mario, but how long will that last if that blasted plumber keeps finding the rest of those Star Spirits?"
> Shy Guy Takeover
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After one "wrong" turn in a direction of the Forever Forest by Boo's Mansion, Mario and his big entourage with Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity arrived at the entrance to said forest that lead back to Toad Town. They spotted Jr. Troopa outside of the dark, forest maze's perimeter, cheering wildly as he was no longer inside it.

"Whoo hoo!" he said, falling to his knees and kissed the ground repeatedly. "Sweet, sweet, not-scary ground! I feel so alive!"

The little Koopa ran off whooping loudly, disappearing to who knows where. "Ok, that kid is weird," Bow said. "Why did he want to pick a fight with Mario, anyway?"

The plumber sighed, telling his take on how the eggshell-wearing Koopa Troopa picked a fight with him after he beat up Goombario's grandfather, vowing to get revenge against him and stopping him with Twilight, Goombario, Kooper, and Bombette after returning from defeating the Koopa Bros. in their fortress.

"Goodness," Rarity said. "Doesn't he realize just how much trouble the Mushroom Kingdom is even in?"

"Apparently not," Bow uttered.

"And he's been a menace to my family for a long while," Goombario added. "Not as long as Red and Blue Goomba, but he's gotten a lot worse. I didn't even know he had wings."

"So, does that make him a Paratroopa like Parakarry?" Twilight asked.

"I don't know of any other Paratroopa who has bat wings," the mail carrier stated. "Does he even have a family?"

"No idea, but I hope we don't see him again," Goombario muttered. "...Then again, my gut's telling me he isn't going to stop anytime soon."

"Well, let's hope he doesn't get himself hurt if he's all on his lonesome," Rarity said, feeling a bit worried about the young Koopa's safety despite causing their group's setback from saving the kingdom. "Right now, I need a quick shower, then we can continue finding the rest of our friends and the other Star Spirits."

Rarity continued onward toward the town, the others following her so she wouldn't end up getting lost. They passed the security outpost with the timid guard, quickly hiding upon seeing Bow with Mario's party, and crossed the bridge across the river. Things weren't as peaceful as they seemed as they could hear some panicked noises all over Toad Town.

"AHHHHH! What are you doing!?" They stopped as they heard a voice come from inside the nearby house, which happened to be the home of one of the greatest Toad chefs in the kingdom: Tayce T. "No! That's my favorite frying pan!"

"What is going on?" Kooper wondered.

The door opened up, revealing a small red robed creature with a mask covering its face. In its hands was the frying pan that it stole from the chef.

"What in Equestria is that!?" Pinkie asked, her shouting alerted the thief as it fled off in the direction of the pier. "Hey! That's stealing! Give back that frying pan!"

"Shy Guys!?" Goombario exclaimed. "What are they doing in Toad Town!?"

"'Shy Guys'?" Twilight questioned. "...Are they called that because of those masks?"

"Yeah, but they're mischievous and love taking things that don't belong to them," Goombario explained.

The door to the house opened again as a female, yellow-spotted Toad with curly white hair, looking distressed as she panted heavily. "Oh no. I can't believe that Shy Guy stole my frying pan," she said in despair. She looked over at the surprised group, running up to Mario upon seeing him. "Mario! Thank goodness you're here!"

"We saw what happened, miss," Parakarry said. "Are Shy Guys really invading the town?"

"They must be if one of them barged into my home," she said. "But without my frying pan, I just can't cook anything anymore."

"Don't worry, Miss Tasty!" Pinkie said. "We'll find the Shy Guy thief and get back your frying pan! For the sake of delicious food!"

"I think it's best if we split up and find more of them and keep them from stealing anyone else's stuff," Goombario said.

"Good idea," Twilight agreed. "We'll split up in groups of three. I'll go with Kooper and Mario to the west side of town. Pinkie, you're with Parakarry and Bombette to the train station south of here. Rarity, Bow, and Goombario, check the northern end. We'll meet up in the center of town before the door to where Peach's castle used to be when we've dealt with any of them we can find and catch."

"Can't I get cleaned up first?" Rarity whined.

"You can take a spa day when the town isn't in peril!" Bow exclaimed. "Quit acting like a baby, live with it, and move your tail!"

"Ugh. Fine," Rarity grumbled, the Toads in town in more trouble than her personal hygiene as everyone split up in their groups and headed off to take out the invading Shy Guys.





Heading down to the station, Pinkie bounded alongside Bombette and Parakarry as they searched around for more Shy Guys. "So, where oh where can we find these Shy Guys?" Pinkie asked. "What do they like taking besides cooking utensils?"

"I think they go for anything they can carry," Parakarry said. "I don't really deliver mail to any Shy Guys. Kind of afraid they'll take my whole bag of mail if I turn my back for one second."

"And they also wear different colored clothes," Bombette said. "Not just red." Just as they spotted the railroad tracks and the station, they could see a couple Shy Guys messing around with the conductor while also running around on the tracks. "Speaking of, there's some blocking the railroad from here to Mt. Rugged!"

The trio ran toward the tracks, Pinkie Pie letting out a ridiculous battle cry while holding her hammer in her mouth, alerting the pesky Shy Guys and the Toad conductors. Before the masked nuisances could react, they were tackled by the pink pony, smacked around by the wooden mallet as a cloud of dust formed around them. The conductors heard Pinkie grunting, heavy smacks of a hammer hitting the ground or one of the two Shy Guys, and the pained cries and panicked gibberish coming from the invading humanoids as limbs stuck out from the dust cloud and got sucked back in.

One of the Shy Guys tried to crawl away, but a pink tail wrapped around its foot and began dragging him back in. "Oh no you don't! Get over here!"

It let out a yelp as it was dragged back inside, desperately struggling to pull itself away with its short arms as they slid along the tracks. Parakarry and Bombette stood beside the other Toads as they all watched the dust cloud.

"So, you guys got your train blocked again," Bombette said. "Only this time, not by rocks."

"Are you and him going to jump in?" the conductor asked.

He got his answer as both Shy Guys were smacked out of the cloud of dust, the dust fading away as Pinkie stood on her hind legs, her hammer held over her head ready to strike as she darted her eyes back and forth between the beaten invaders. Bruised and defeated, the Shy Guys got back on their feet and fled back up to the path back to town.

"Yeah, you better run!" Pinkie shouted. "Tell your friends you got owned by a pink pony with a hamma!"

"...Nah. I think she's got it under control," Parakarry said, answering the Toad's question. "Have you seen any other Shy Guys around here?"

"No, just those two blocking the train," the conductor said. "We can finally get back on schedule...again."

"Well, since there weren't any others down in this end of town, let's head back and see if the others need help." After saying goodbye to the conductors, the trio headed back into town to help deal with the other Shy Guys with the rest of their friends.





Up at the northern end of Toad Town, Rarity, Bow, and Goombario could already see a few Shy Guys running amok in the area. Two of them were dancing and trampling the flowerbed around the wooden arch in the center, distressing a female toad with pink spots, braided brown pigtails, and wore an apron with a sprout on the front and gardening gloves.

"No! Don't step on my flowers!" the Toadette exclaimed. "Please stop!"

"Hey, get back here you little thief!" On the other side of the path across from the arch, a Shy Guy ran quickly past the trio as it stole a calculator of all things. The victim was a strange canine-like humanoid with a large round snout, shaking its fist in frustration. "Dang it! Now how am I supposed to keep a tally on my sales without my calculator!?"

"Sorry, dad!" a younger male voice said as the canine's son walked up to him. "I thought I had that Shy Guy."

"Wow, it's gotten pretty crazy already," Goombario said. He approached the frustrated dog, Rarity following after him while Bow floated off to slap the Shy Guys pestering the Toadette's flower garden. "Excuse us, Mr. Doogan!"

"A 'Doogan'?" Rarity questioned at the name of what the two dogs were known as. "At least they aren't as bad as the diamond dogs by appearance."

"Name's Rowf, kid," Rowf said as he introduced himself. "And this is my son, Rhuff."

"Hi!" Rhuff said, waving to the Goomba and unicorn.

"Those Shy Guys really caught us off guard," Rowf said. "Without my calculator, I can't keep my business open."

"What kind of business do you run?" Rarity asked curiously.

"We sell badges!" Rhuff answered. "And they're pretty special ones, too! Very expensive!"

"Yes, but we won't be able to make a profit without that calculator," Rowf said.

"We'll get it back for you, sir," Goombario said. "And everything else they're stealing."

"Hey! Get back here!" Hearing the shouting come from the nearby post office, a Shy Guy bolting out the door and running past Rowf's store with a large sack of mail.

"...Also including mail," the Goomba grumbled. "What compels them to take something like a bunch of mail?"

They heard the Shy Guys trampling the Toadette's flowers let out a cry as a loud slap echoed in this area of town, slapped onto the road by Bow's powerful smacks. They soon fled down south, running out of sight.

"I doubt they're going to pay for everyone's utility bills," Bow said, dusting off her stubby hands. "Those guys are heading back down south where we just came from. They're either going to run into Mario's or Pinkie's group and get even more of a beatdown."

"Let's see if we can find anymore Shy Guys pestering the other Toads before we meet back with the others." Goombario, Bow, and Rarity continued searching around the northern side of town to kick out anymore Shy Guys.

They kicked one of them out of the Toad House nearby, giving the Toad working their back his job as the Shy Guy was sent running for the hills. Another one took over the northern store as it drove the owner out, but one bonk on the head from Goombario sent him running, giving back the shop owner's store. Another stole a dictionary from the nearby library, leaving the librarian a bit miffed as it was a very special type of dictionary. With no other Shy Guys around, they headed back to the square where they'd meet up with the others, wondering if they ran into the ones that swiftly ran by them or were beat up into leaving.





Mario, Kooper, and Twilight began making their way to the western side of Toad Town, heading off in the direction of the docks. There was another shop nearby, but as they passed through the door, they spotted one of the Shy Guys run off with a key. It began heading for the pier, but it ran up to an abandoned house not too far away, which might possibly be their hideout among the chaos they were creating. The group of three hurried after it as it ran inside.

"Looks like we found out where these guys have been hiding on us," Kooper said. "Now we can get the jump on anymore that might be in there."

"Let's knock them out and take back what they stole." With Mario taking the lead, he pulled out his hammer and barged through the door, Twilight and Kooper running in after him as they prepared to fight. "Alright, don't move, you-!" Twilight paused, the three of them seeing no sign of the runaway Shy Guy as they entered an empty house. There wasn't even any furniture, just an empty, abandoned house with a few crates placed in a corner, not even a busted window that showed the thieving, mask-wearing humanoid could have jumped out of to elude them. "...What?"

"Where'd it go?" Kooper questioned, scratching his head in confusion. "This was the house it ran in, right?"

They looked around, exploring what little there was to see in the unoccupied house. Twilight approached the crates, but they had nothing inside as they were clearly empty. While the trio wondered what was going on, the door opened up as a pink Shy Guy walked in, letting out a surprised noise as it spotted its enemies. Hearing it, the Shy Guy quickly slammed the door and fled.

"Hey! Get over here!" Twilight called out as they ran outside, but they didn't see any sign of the Shy Guy around the area, or anyone else that was outside. "Darn it. They're so fast."

"This is just puzzling," Kooper muttered. "One of them ran in this exact house, but there's no sign of it, any other Shy Guys, or the stuff they're taking. And that pink one walked in there, too, but ran off when we were inside..." Looking back at the house, the Koopa's mind raced with how suspicious it seemed for just being empty in a bustling town like this. Seeing there was more to the house than the small space they walked into, there weren't any windows on the back half to see inside. "With a house being this big, there had to be at least another room or two...So, where exactly is the door for it?"

"...That is a good point," Twilight agreed. "Is there some sort of secret passage we aren't seeing?"

As they pondered how they could get into the second half of the house, Kooper had an idea after their experience back when they snuck through Tubba Blubba's manor. "Hey, Twi? You think you can use your magic to make us invisible?"

"I could, but I'm not sure if my magic has recovered enough." Deciding to test if some of her power had come back, Twilight lit up her horn and tried to cast an invisibility spell. It appeared to have worked as the alicorn disappeared between the plumber and Koopa Troopa. "Ok, it actually worked. Seems like I have recovered just enough, but I think only for myself."

"Better than nothing," Kooper said.

He moved his hand out to try to touch Twilight, hearing her yelp as he poked her ear. "Hey!" she exclaimed, smacking away his arm with an invisible wing. "I didn't turn myself intangible like Bow does!"

"Sorry," he apologized. "At least you won't get caught. We'll hide out here for any Shy Guys that pass by, and while you're hidden on the inside, you can find out if there was any secret inside that gives others access to more of that house. It might even be their hideout where they're hoarding all the stuff they're taking."

"Ok. I'll be right back." While still invisible, Twilight walked back inside the house, making it look like a ghost had opened and shut the door to anyone else.

The alicorn sat patiently in one of the corners of the room and kept silent as she waited for any of the Shy Guys to enter. It didn't take long for the same pink Shy Guy that tried to walk in earlier. Seeing no one inside, Mario and Kooper keeping their distance outside so they didn't alert it, it hummed a tune in its odd language as it walked in the empty house. Twilight watched the Shy Guy walk over to the back wall, double checking to make sure no one else was here before looking back at the wall. Pushing one section of the wall, Twilight stifled a gasp as she saw a rotating doorway that blended in perfectly with the wall.

As soon as the doorway stopped spinning, back to matching with the back wall of the house, she dispelled her invisibility spell and approached the same section of the wall. Pressing her hoof against it, it opened up to reveal the other section of the "abandoned" house. On the other end, there was a large gift box patterned with balloons on the yellow and orange checkered wrapping, a red spring sitting beside it, along with some decorations as if it was meant to be a party room. But aside from the discovery of this new room, there wasn't any sign of the Shy Guy that just walked in.

"Where did it disappear to?" she asked herself. Curiosity taking hold of her, she wondered what was inside the mysterious present. Using her magic to lift the top off, she looked inside, only to find nothing. "Ok...This raises a lot more questions...I should probably tell Mario and Kooper about this."

Making her way back outside, she regrouped with Mario and Kooper, telling them about the secret door to the back room and what was inside. "A large present with a spring...And you said there was nothing inside?"

"Clearly. I didn't even see where the Shy Guy went. I mean, it's not like it jumped into the present and ended up in a completely different world that's actually their hideout." Mario and Kooper didn't say anything, the former not exactly surprised knowing there were hidden locations his enemies knew of in safe towns or cities. Twilight's ears drooped as she leered at Mario with a blank stare. "...You can't be serious. They have a hideout in one of this kingdom's towns, and one happens to be that close to where Peach's castle used to be where they could have invaded at any point in time!?"

"Bowser could have teleported the hideout in that house with the power of the Star Rod," Kooper guessed. "Although, seeing how easily Koopa Village was invaded by the Fuzzies that day, I don't think it's a surprise to know anyplace can be overrun if there are annoying pests close by."

Twilight groaned in annoyance. "Great. Now Toad Town's going to have a bunch of thieves run around on a daily basis."

"Not unless we invade their hideout and show them a thing or two. Let's hurry and meet up with the others before we storm them right back." Not going back inside until they gather the rest of their friends, Mario, Kooper, and Twilight headed back to regroup with the others at the square.





Hidden inside of the secret bunker of the wig-wearing Shy Guy she nicknamed Wiggy, Rainbow Dash grumbled in boredom. It felt like forever since she did anything useful, sitting around in a cramped space feeling claustrophobic while the fate of her friends out in the Mushroom Kingdom could be at stake. She had an itch to go out in this secret base of the Shy Guys, fly around now that her wings had recovered enough, and try to do something to stop whatever plans they had. It would mean running the risk of getting caught, but she could easily escape her pursuers in a blur of rainbow streaks whizzing by them, several times around them for the fun of it. And there was that lame costume Wiggy came up with that helped hide her, though she doubted it would work for long on General Guy, the leader of the Shy Guys.

As she nibbled on a Mushroom, her wings twitching in agitation from being cooped up in this bunker, she heard the door open and quickly stood up, ready to defend herself. "Better stay away from here!" she warned. "I can kick your flank, even with an army behind you!" Instead of expecting an ambush, her pink Shy Guy friend, Wiggy, walked in, closing the door behind him. "Oh. It's just you, Wiggy. I thought we had a password planned out before you come barging in."

Wiggy rushed up to the pegasus, making a lot of Shy Guy gibberish that Rainbow still couldn't understand, even after trying to be taught the most confusing language ever to learn. Having no clue what he was saying, Wiggy remembered he could write what he wanted to tell her. Quickly running over to his piles of blank paper and pens, he grabbed one of each and began writing excitedly, though it was hard to tell behind the mask he always wore.



You have no idea what I just saw while I was outside of the toy box getting more Mushrooms for you to eat! But I was more worried at the fact that Mario was right in front of where this place is hidden from Toad Town!



"You saw Mario!?" Rainbow exclaimed in surprise. "So he is alive, and he's on his way here?" Wiggy shook his head, making her groan. "You know, I'm sure if you told him you were a friend of mine, you wouldn't have-...Oh, right. He probably can't understand you, either." She sighed and sat down, picking up her Mushroom she dropped and bit into it. "I'm not sure if Twilight can understand your language within a few minutes if she was there."

Wiggy let out a questionable sound and tilted his head. During Rainbow's stay in his secret bunker, she told him of her other friends, even drawing a picture of them to get a better understanding of how their appearances were compared to Rainbow Dash's. He approached his box of rainbow wigs and looked around for a specific one. Though they all had the same color scheme, each of them looked different by design. He even styled some of them to match the mane descriptions of Rainbow's friends, including a small stetson hat he found to match Applejack's look. He finally found the right one and put it on, matching the alicorn's hairstyle, bangs and all aside from color. He picked up his communicating tools and wrote down what else he wanted to say, pointing at his wig when he was done.



I also caught a glimpse of one of your friends, but when I saw Mario, I bolted out of there before he attacked me. I think it was the one you like calling "Egg Head", the purple one with wings, like you, but also had a horn on her head.



Rainbow nearly choked on her food at the mention of Twilight being there. "Twilight was with him!?" Wiggy nodded his head. "What about my other friends!? Were there there, too!?" Sadly, the Shy Guy shook his head. Even though only one of her friends appeared to be ok, she was determined to find out if she can help find the others. "The others have to be ok, too. I'm going out there and finding my friends."

As she stood up, Wiggy panicked and grabbed one of her legs. He shook his head swiftly, warning her in his language for her not to go out there. He quickly wrote down his warning and showed her.



You can't go out there! General Guy has already issued the invasion on Toad Town, and all the other Shy Guys under his command are already taking away everyone's belongings! If they know Mario is coming already, then they'll be all over the toy box to make sure he doesn't get any closer to headquarters for the Star Spirit held captive there! That means they'll try to catch you, too!



"Well, I'm getting sick and tired of sitting around doing nothing!" Rainbow said in response. "And if your other friends are stealing stuff, then we need to get it back from them!" The Shy Guy groaned as the stubborn pegasus refused to stay put, but he knew that what his other former comrades were doing wasn't right, including holding one of the seven Star Spirits hostage. Despite how much danger Rainbow was in just by hiding here in his secret bunker, he knew how much she wanted to help stop General Guy and find her friends. "So, are you gonna join me, or keep hiding while playing with all your wigs?"

Wiggy lowered his head as he was lost in thought. The General's words to him, saying he was a weak link to his whole army made him feel like he was worthless among his peers. He even felt worthless as he was outcasted by the others as well, not even wanting to be a part of the army in the first place. He could have left Rainbow Dash by herself and get captured by General Guy, overhearing some of the Shy Guys say they were on the lookout for her on Bowser's orders, but he helped her not just because of her rainbow hair, but to also save her from being caught the moment she headed toward their base. If he was different from his fellow Shy Guys, then he was no longer going to side with Bowser, or the General.

He looked back up at Rainbow and nodded his head, quickly running back to his box of wigs to grab the hairpiece matching the pegasus's manestyle. "I'll take that as you saying, 'I'm coming with you,' then." Wiggy nodded his head in response. "Alright. Then let's get going."

Grabbing a small pack, unsurprisingly colored rainbow like everything else in the Shy Guy's bunker, Wiggy packed some writing supplies to communicate with Rainbow Dash, along with some food in case they got hungry. Opening the door, the both of them peeked around to see if there were any Shy Guys around, slipping out while hiding the hidden bunker door as they snuck over to the train station. Even though there wasn't a train that ran from what Wiggy told her, she could easily fly around to the other stations in the large area that was known as a simple toy box.

Once they reached the Red Station, the area she wound up in, Wiggy informed her to head down the tracks from the right side to Blue Station, where the exit and entrance of Shy Guy's Toy Box was located. Rainbow crouched down for the pink, rainbow-loving Shy Guy to climb on her back, and after he was settled, she flapped her wings and flew off over the tracks toward the station. Wiggy had to hold onto her mane tightly while keeping his wig placed firmly on his head with his other hand, never flying so fast in his life. They reached Blue Station in about ten seconds, not much changing in the environment with toys and building blocks around, but there were two different pathways instead of just one.

"So, how was it to fly at speeds like that?" Rainbow asked Wiggy, the Shy Guy letting out an exhaustive sigh as he fell over on his side, leg twitching in the air as his adrenaline from the dangerously fast flight wore out. "Yeah, I thought so. I am pretty awesome, huh?" Before she could walk over to the red spring in the middle of the  area, she heard something like a teleportation spell closeby. Looking over to where it came from, she gasped and hid behind the station, grabbing the semi-conscious Shy Guy as she spotted Kammy Koopa hovering in the toy box on her broom. "Oh no. It's that old hag that was with Bowser."

Wiggy shook his head of the cobwebs as he peeked over the station steps with Rainbow, getting the mare's attention after writing down his thoughts.



That's Bowser's right hand Kamek, Kammy Koopa. She's technically the brains to his brawn, though she's kind of getting on in years. I don't know why she's here either.



"Then let's tail her and see what she's got up her sleeve," Rainbow whispered, Wiggy nodding his head in agreement.

They both followed after the old witch, hiding behind giant toy blocks to avoid getting spotted by other patrolling Shy Guys. Wiggy also warned her about the other potential Shy Guys that were around that could be more dangerous than the typical ones: Groove Guys, Medi Guys, Sky Guys, Spy Guys, and Pyro Guys. Their names seem to say what their best at, though the last one was baffling as there were Shy Guys that were literally on fire as they wandered around, not even burning anything they come in contact with while on patrols.

They soon reached the end of the pathway, hiding inside one of the toy houses with open spaces in the windows as they spied on Kammy. She hovered down to a treasure chest, one of the Shy Guys under General Guy's command placing a key it took inside it, closing it up for the witch.

"You're free to go about your patrols," Kammy said to the Shy Guy, letting out a salute as it zipped off to another part of the toy box. As soon as it left, the old Kamek let out an irritated sigh. "I cannot believe His Highness was actually crazy enough to believe Peach could be helpful in stopping Mario. Putting simple grocery items down as guards was not a smart move. If we're going to stop Mario, we'll need to pull out all the stops before he gets the Star Spirit here."

"I think you mentioned a Star Spirit earlier," Rainbow whispered to Wiggy. "What is that, anyway?"



It's one of the seven powerful Stars Bowser captured from Star Haven, where he took the Star Rod.
General Guy's holding one of them hostage here back at HQ, but with Mario on the way, he's going to be guarding it.



"Ok, that explains things. So Mario's rescuing them, but what can they do to stop Bowser if he uses that Star Rod?" Wiggy shrugged his shoulders, having no clue himself as he was only told they were preparing to protect the Star Spirit.

"Now, let's leave behind an actual guard to watch over this thing." Kammy raised her wand up, teleporting a Clubba in front of the chest. "You keep watch over this chest. Mario will be on his way, and I'll need you to do everything you can to stop him."

"Yes, ma'am," the Clubba said with a salute.

"Good. Now, onto the next two chests." The witch turned around and flew off, Rainbow and Wiggy quickly hiding as she flew past them.

As soon as she left, they poked their heads out to see her fly off. Rainbow looked back at the Clubba protecting the chest, an odd creature in her opinion, but if it was one of the few strongest of foes she'll have set up for the next two places she'll put them, then Mario was going to be in for a rough time, along with Twilight.

"We need to get out of here, find Mario and Twilight, and warn them about these strong guards," Rainbow said. "Come on, Wiggy." Grabbing onto her mane, the pegasus and pink Shy Guy flew back to the station, avoiding the other Shy Guys below them. As she stopped in front of the spring, she was a little unsure if a simple spring trampoline would help them escape the endless ceiling of Shy Guy's Toy Box, but growing up knowing of magic coming from unicorns or any other magical creature, she'll believe anything Wiggy told her about this spring as the exit. "Ok, so we just jump on this and it'll take us out of here, right?" The Shy Guy nodded his head, leading the way as he leapt off Rainbow's back and onto the spring, bouncing high until he couldn't be seen in the air. "Right. Let's do this."

Jumping onto the spring, Rainbow yelped as it sent her flying through the air, letting it carry her and keeping her wings from stopping herself midair.





After meeting back with the others, each group reported what damage the Shy Guys have caused and what they took. Mario, Twilight, and Kooper lead their friends over to where they saw the Shy Guys running toward with their "valuable" goods they stole or ran off after getting beaten from their annoying acts. They were surprised to know that their secret hideout was hiding in the middle of Toad Town when they passed through the revolving door hidden in the wall and found the large present on the other side.

"Hey, the Shy Guys love parties!" Pinkie said as she noticed the decorations hanging on the ceiling. "Maybe all they need is a party, then they can stop taking things!"

"Yeah, I don't think that's going to work, Pinkie," Goombario said. "And to think that such a safe place like Toad Town could have invading forces hiding in an empty house in the middle of town. If this means what I think it does, then this might be a place where Bowser hid one of the Star Spirits."

"Hidden in plain sight," Parakarry uttered. "Pretty smart and bold move. But now we found their hideout, so now it's not so smart anymore."

"So, how exactly are we supposed to get in there?" Rarity asked. "It's just a large box."

She got her answer as the top opened up by itself, Wiggy jumped out as he went from being tiny to growing to his normal size, bouncing off the spring upon landing. He yelped when he was caught, surrounded by Mario, his partners, Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie.

"Wait a minute, isn't that the same Shy Guy we saw walk into the house while we were inside?" Kooper asked Mario and Twilight.

"I think...? And it's wearing a wig," Twilight said. "...Why?"

A second later, the box opened up again as they heard someone yell as they came out. Growing to normal size, Rainbow Dash flailed as she was spat out of the toy box, landing belly first off the spring and bouncing toward the group, crashing into Mario and Twilight as the unexpected victims. As they groaned, Rarity and Pinkie gasped in surprise, recognizing the cyan coat and rainbow mane and tail.

"Dashie!" Pinkie cried out, picking up the pegasus and pulling her into a deadly hug, her eyes bulging out as her cheeks turned a darker shade of blue from the lack of air in her lungs.

"P-Pinkie!?" Rainbow wheezed, slightly surprised as she also noticed Rarity with her and Twilight. Pinkie let her go before she blacked out, coughing a few times as the oxygen returned to her lungs. "Y-You two are here, too?"

"What in Equestria were you doing in there, darling!?" Rarity asked, hugging the pegasus as she was glad to see her safe.

"I ended up in there some time ago after we got our plots handed to us," she said. Hearing Wiggy cry out in a panic as Kooper grabbed the Shy Guy, Rainbow broke away from Rarity as she approached the blue-shelled Koopa. "Whoa whoa, hey! Easy on Wiggy! He's a friend of mine!"

"'Wiggy'?" Kooper questioned, looking down at the pink Shy Guy. "Wait, you're friends with a Shy Guy?"

"Yeah. He saved my life after I randomly walked into their main base and got caught by the thousands of them in there," she said. "He even helped me hide in a secret bunker for the past week...He also has a thing for rainbows."

Everyone stared at Wiggy, mostly at his rainbow wig that matched similarly to Rainbow's hairstyle. "...I thought that looked a bit strange on a Shy Guy."

Mario and Twilight got back up after Rainbow rammed them, the alicorn glad to see her brash pegasus friend was ok. Kooper let Wiggy go, trusting one of Twilight's friends to the Shy Guy's relief. Now with Rainbow Dash back, Twilight informed her on their situation, the unknown whereabouts of Fluttershy and Applejack in the Mushroom Kingdom, and the reason they're collecting the Star Spirits.

"Well, I guess there's a good thing those Shy Guys have one of those Star Spirits after all," Rainbow said. "So, this means we're going to ransack the toy box, beat up the leader, and start saving everyone, right?"

"Yes, but can we trust...'Wiggy'?" Twilight asked, pointing her hoof at the Shy Guy. "What if it leads us into a trap and is actually tricking you?"

"I just said he helped me," Rainbow argued. "And he's treated unfairly by every other Shy Guy in there. Besides, he knows that place better than I do, and I couldn't do much in there with my wings getting messed up thanks to Bowser." Wiggy nodded his head, pulling out his pen and papers, miming out writing on it to tell them he could communicate with them this way. "Not to mention he's probably onto you guys after getting three of those Star Spirits. That old hag of a witch is in there as we speak, setting up some tough guards for Mario to fight while they protect important chests. I only saw one of them before trying to find you guys, and that one's hiding a key with some weird green, big-lipped thing with a spiked mace guarding it."

"A Clubba guarding a key?" Bow asked.

"Wait, when we passed by the store next door, one of the Shy Guys swiped a key from the owner," Kooper said. "If Bowser's bringing in guards to protect some of those items, then they must be important in getting closer to the Shy Guy leader."

"Yeah, sure. Useless everyday materials are important to breaching an enemy's stronghold," Bow said sarcastically. "How about we deliver them a pizza and a giant cake, too? Maybe that might be helpful in getting us closer to being best friends with the Shy Guys."

Wiggy tilted his head in confusion at Bow's sarcasm while Rainbow looked at the others in bafflement. "Just don't mind her," Twilight said. "Bow is actually pretty helpful despite her...behavior." The alicorn looked at the friendly Shy Guy as Rainbow got to know the rest of the gang a bit more, who was writing up anything the others may have questions about his former leader, who they would be up against while inside the toy box, and warnings of any traps they don't know about. "Ok, Wiggy, if you're on our side, then you better not be throwing us into a trap."



Don't worry. I'm definitely on your side. General Guy kicked me out of the army because of my rainbow wigs and wanting to stand out among the other Shy Guys. I don't actually know what he's planning,
but I do know Shy Guy's Toy Box like the back of my mask and can guide you around...except we're going to need to find a toy train in order to get around the four different stations inside for those who can't fly.



"...Well, ok. But I'm going to keep an eye on you," Twilight warned. As soon as everyone was ready, Wiggy lead the way, jumping back into the toy box via the spring as he shrunk inside with the top opening for him. "Let's hopefully get this done fast. Bowser will only keep getting stronger and I'm sure it's not going to get any easier if we're dealing with an army."

"Alright!" Rainbow cheered. "Time to stop hiding and actually kick some tail!"

She jumped onto the spring first, diving inside as her body shrunk, the others following single file inside to infiltrate Shy Guy's Toy Box, gathering all of the stolen items the Shy Guys took along with defeating General Guy and rescuing the fourth Star Spirit.
> Shy Guy's Toy Box (Part One)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kammy Koopa hovered around Shy Guy's Toy Box, placing the remaining guards at the other two chests in the separate station areas. She rendezvoused with the Shy Guys that held a specific item needed to be kept watch. The one chest with a frying pan placed inside was guarded by a Hammer Bros., and the chest with a dictionary that can help translate the Shy Guy language was protected by a Koopatrol.

"There. The much better choices in stopping Mario in his tracks," the old witch said to herself. "The princess is getting a little too bold for being a captive, almost as if she knows she'll be saved in no time...And how in the world is Mario even knowing where the other Star Spirits are located? Unless our troops are blabbing about everything, then something really strange is going on..."

Shrugging the thought aside for now, Kammy finished placed Bowser's strongest of minions at their posts in the toy box, teleporting outside and returning back to the castle. The Koopatrol had overheard her as he stood before the chest, letting out a sigh.

"I guess I'm gonna get it with all those early breaks on our shifts in the library," he mumbled. "Fighting Mario now and getting the beating over with rather than later if he makes it to the castle...But how can he reach Lord Bowser's fortress in the sky without any means of getting there from the ground?"





Down at the entrance of the toy box in front of Blue Station, Wiggy landed on the spring and bounced safely to the ground. He moved away as Rainbow came next, this time managing to land on her hooves after bouncing off the spring now that she knew how far she would fall from her exit out of the Shy Guy hideout.

"Ha! Nailed it!" Rainbow cheered, too busy gloating to hear Wiggy warn him about the others. The rest of the group fell in, Mario bouncing off and leaping over the pegasus while the others screamed in panic, not expecting the drop to be so high upon entering. Rainbow noticed too late as one by one, everyone dogpiled on top of her except for Bow and Parakarry, the both of them hovering in the air after hitting the spring. The pile groaned, Pinkie the only one giggling at the fun drop, the pinned pegasus poking her head out from underneath Kooper's. "Urgh...I need to stop acting cocky."

"Wow. Rainbow Dash saying she needs to stop showing off. That's the first time I've heard her admit it," Twilight groaned from somewhere in the pile.

Wiggy let out a sigh and shook his head as he did warn Rainbow Dash about the expected pileup. They eventually got themselves untangled and got a better look at the enemy's base.

"Whoa. This place is like every little kid's dream," Kooper said. "Everything's a giant toy in here."

"Well, this place is called Shy Guy's Toy Box," Rainbow said. "Everything except for the Shy Guys are made of toys."

"So, where exactly is the leader's base?" Goombario asked Wiggy.



General Guy's base is located in Red Station to the left on the tracks. Unfortunately, the tracks for the railroad connecting the four stations are flipped over, and the toy train that was here is hidden away in the shop close to the house where the toy box is hidden.



Wiggy pointed at the train tracks nearby, where everyone noticed how one section of the tracks was blocked by broken tracks going left. And there wasn't a train parked in front of the station, which mean traveling from station to station on foot would take too long, even if they ran.

"Ok, so, we're basically going to have to go around on this train to get to each station," Twilight figured. She then noticed a switch for the tracks right across from them before examining the map of the stations. From the bottom going counter-clockwise, the stations went from blue, to pink, to green, and then red. "Say, can that switch over there change the tracks so we don't have to go around in a huge circle to get to Red Station?"

Wiggy nodded his head, but as he wrote something down, Rainbow hovered in the air with a scoff. "Then this'll be way too easy! I'll be right back!" She flew off and reached the switch, Wiggy looking up in shock mid-sentence. The pegasus rubbed her forehooves together with a smirk and grabbed the lever for the switch. Unfortunately, as she tried to move it, the lever seemed to be jammed. "What the...?" Rainbow grunted as she pushed and pulled harder, but it didn't budge. Gripping onto it tightly, she flapped her wings as hard as she could as she strained to pull it down. Wiggy let out another sigh, muttering something in his Shy Guy language as he continued writing. Rainbow flew back as she gave up, landing in front of the pink Shy Guy wearing the rainbow wig in her mane style. "Hey, what gives!? The thing isn't even budging!"

He looked up at the pegasus, giving her a blank stare through his mask as he showed them his words.



Yes, but it's locked by a mechanism where Well, if you let me finish writing, I was going to tell you all that that lever is locked by a mechanism. Until we can fix the tracks for Pink and Green Station, that switch won't activate until we set the train specifically at that platform. There's a pressure system under that section of the tracks to unlock it, so until we get the train, we'll have to go around regardless.



"Don't give me any sass, Wiggy," Rainbow said, knowing the Shy Guy well enough that he was leering at her with a blank look behind his mask. "Next time, say something before I do something embarrassing."

"He's writing because none of us can understand him at all, Rainbow Dash," Twilight reminded the pegasus. "But at least we know where the train is located. And the key's not too far away from here, right?"

"Yeah. It's down this path," Rainbow said, pointing a wing down the right path. "I don't know what's down the other way. Maybe some more random stuff the Shy Guys stole."

"Then we should probably split up into groups if there are different paths," Goombario suggested. "We don't know just where exactly they could be hiding everyone's belongings back in town, and we don't know if they took anything else when they invaded."

"I volunteer to join with Dashie!" Pinkie quickly said as she raised her hoof in the air. She pulled out her hammer and stood beside Rainbow, placing a blue cap with the letter "R" on the front on her head while Pinkie wore her pink one from her matching outfit of Mario's. "The Super Pony Sisters will help save the day!"

"...Pinkie, we're not sisters," Rainbow said, flipping the hat off her head.

"But we can work together as a team! You take out the aerial enemies, while I smasha baddies with mah hamma! And hooves, too!"

"Ok, guess that's settled for us ponies," Twilight said. "Mario, you, Bombette, and Parakarry go with Rainbow and Pinkie to get the key. Kooper, Bow, and Goombario will come with me and Rarity to see what's down the other way."

"What about Wiggy?" Parakarry asked, the alicorn completely forgetting about the friendly Shy Guy accompanying them.

"He's coming with my group," Twilight said. "He knows this place a lot more than we do, and Rainbow knows the path where the store's key is located. If there's an ambush he knows about, then we'll have an advantage getting back at them." Wiggy let out a confused sound, shrugging his shoulders. "Wait, you mean you don't know of any ambushes?" He responded with a shake of his head. "...Weren't you a part of this army?"

"He was kicked out because of his enjoyment of wigs," Rainbow answered for the pink Shy Guy. "That General Guy is pretty strict from what he's told me. Or, written, actually."

"And leading an army of Shy Guys means he might actually be pretty smart leading his forces," Goombario said. "At least he'd be a lot smarter than the Koopa Bros., Tutankoopa, and Tubba Blubba along with any brute force he throws at us. Best be on our toes."

The two groups set off down their separate paths to gather the shop's stolen key and discover where else the Shy Guys took everyone else's belongings.





Rainbow lead her group down the path toward the guarded key, though where she easily flew over the walls, the rest of her friends who were bound to the ground unlike her and Parakarry had to use the jack-in-the-boxes nearby to bounce up and over the first two high walls. They couldn't avoid the patrolling Shy Guys that well, especially the Fly Guys floating around with balloons tied to their waist as they fired rocks from their slingshots at them. There were also the Medi Guys that were also a nuisance whenever around other allies, healing their companions if they get hit too hard with something they keep in their hovering vehicles.

"Sheesh. Those flying Shy Guys are annoying," Bombette said. "If I could jump high enough, I'd blow up on them and pop those balloons of theirs."

"As much as I don't want to pop balloons, even for a party, I want to pop them too," Pinkie said. "But how do they get their rocks if this place is filled with giant toys?"

"Maybe they stockpile them when they go outside?" Parakarry asked in thought.

"Ask questions later," Rainbow said as they approached the toy houses. She poked her head up over the wall barring their way, the only way across was by climbing up the stairs of one of the toy buildings and jumping over the toy block wall. The pegasus spotted the Clubba standing guard, looking bored and almost ready to fall asleep. "There. The chest is just over that wall."

"Good thing there's these conveniently placed stairs for us to climb to the tippy top!" Pinkie said, bounding up each step until she reached the roof.

With the others following after her, the flightless party leapt over to the next building and over the wall. The Clubba noticed them, trembling slightly at the sight of Mario being there with him. He was outnumbered five to one, and he stood no chance against the Koopa trouncing plumber, even if he fought him on his own.

"Oh no! Why did he have to be here now!?" the Clubba exclaimed in fright. "U-Uhh, y-you'd better stay back! I'm tougher than I look!" The two ponies, plumber, Paratroopa, and Bob-omb surrounded the guard, the latter three and Pinkie having experience dealing with the club wielding minion. "...Meep."

"Heads up, weirdo!" Rainbow dashed off and rammed into the Clubba hard, knocking the wind out of him. He dropped his mace as he doubled over in pain, gasping for breath. The pegasus grabbed the handle of the heavy weapon with her mouth and lifted it up. "You guys get the key. I'll take on fish lips."

"Uhh, you sure you're able to-?" Bombette was interrupted as the brash pegasus let out a battle cry, speeding off as she carried the heavy mace with her. With a hard swing, she bashed the Clubba hard in the face, sending him flying into a wall, knocking him unconscious before hitting the floor with a thud. "...Ok. Nevermind."

Rainbow dropped the blunt weapon and whooped, flipping around in the air before punching her forehooves forward. "Man, that felt good to finally do something! Who's next!? Maybe more of those Fly Guys? Another of Bowser's cronies who want to mess with the Dash!?"

"Aww! I didn't get a turn to whack anything with my hammer!" Pinkie complained. "I call next baddie I smash like a whack-a-mole!"

"I guess Rainbow Dash can hold her own in a fight," Parakarry said, scratching the back of his neck after witnessing how tough, and cocky, Rainbow can be. "Let's just hope her ego doesn't get in the way of things."

"After being cooped up in a small room for a few days, I would lose it after day two," Bombette said. "And I was locked in a prison cell by those four annoying Koopas for weeks."

While Rainbow cheered, Pinkie pouted, and Bombette and Parakarry talked to each other, Mario approached the treasure chest. He opened it up and pulled out the key to the store a Shy Guy took earlier. He had to pulled Rainbow's tail to get her attention, reminding her they needed to return this and find the train they were searching for to access the next station. The group made their way back to regroup with the others, or if they weren't back yet, return the key to the owner and get the train.





On the other side of Blue Station, the other group walked down the wider hall, Wiggy leading the way as he knew the toy box well like the back of his hand. There were Groove Guys that got in their way along with normal Shy Guys, which became a problem when just watching them spin around began making them dizzy and left them open to getting attacked by the other enemies. They were able to deal with them after trouncing the Groove Guys and continued on without too much damage.

Along the way, the pink Shy Guy let out a startled yelp as he noticed a certain Shy Guy up ahead that wore all black, even his mask was pretty menacing. Noticing the group, it walked in front of a treasure chest, keeping his eye on them as he blocked it. Sweat beaded down the wig-wearing Shy Guy's masked face as he froze in fear.

"Hey, what's with that Shy Guy?" Kooper asked.

Wiggy was paralyzed in fear to even write a response. He knew the Shy Guy was staring at him, his legs finally moving as he hid behind Twilight. "What's wrong, Wiggy? Is this Shy Guy dangerous?" He nodded his head rapidly, keeping eye contact away from him. "He looks like any normal Shy Guy. Just in black."

"Well, looks can be deceiving," Goombario stated. "Case in point: Jr. Troopa with wings."

The group continued moving forward, Wiggy huddling close to Twilight's back legs like a timid child clinging to their mother. While walking past the chest, the Shy Guy made sure to block them from touching it as if there was a priceless treasure of his that he didn't want anyone to steal. They were finally out of the hall with the awkwardly creepy Shy Guy, who surprisingly didn't try to attack them when he spotted them, entering a large room with Shy Guys hoarding a plethora of random items that they stole on their invasion or random outings in the past.

"That is quite a lot of stuff they stole," Rarity said. "The nerve of these thieves taking things that don't belong to them."

"Speaking of thieves, there's the one who took Rowf's calculator!" Goombario pointed out.

Wandering around with the calculator in its hands, a red Shy Guy was messing around with the keypad as he put in random math problems with no ending result, rarely clearing it when the solutions came up as an error. Looking up from the screen, the Shy Guy let out a scream of surprise and ran away from them.

"Oh, no you don't!" Bow floated over to it faster than it could run, hovering in his path and gave him a hard slap in the face. The force of her small, incredibly strong arms sent the Shy Guy spiraling through the air, even knocking his mask off his face. She grabbed the calculator, thankfully unharmed as she smirked. "These Shy Guys aren't even all that tough."

The Shy Guy stood up in a daze, revealing what lies under their mask it got knocked off. Twilight, Rarity, Goombario, and Kooper gawked in utter horror at what they saw, unable to look away while stunned by their true faces.

"Oh sweet Celestia! What in Equestria is that!?" Twilight exclaimed.

"It's hideous!" Rarity shrieked.

"My eyes!" Goombario screamed, grabbing his hat and pulling it down over his eyes to avoid looking at the maskless Shy Guy. "Agh! I can't unsee that!"

"I need brain bleach and eye surgery after seeing what they look like now!" Kooper exclaimed, hiding in his shell to stop staring at the Shy Guy, though it didn't help with the hole in the neck of his shell aimed at him.

"What? What's so ugly about their face?" Bow asked curiously. She hovered over to the Shy Guy, now snapped out of his daze before grabbing its face, letting out a surprised yelp as his mask was gone. The Boo grimaced, blinking a couple times at what she saw. "...Oh...wow...I don't think I can even replicate a face like that...Would be good to scare others with it, though."

The Shy Guy ran away, grabbing his mask as he fled in embarrassment. The others looked down at Wiggy, wondering if he had the same face they saw on the enemy Shy Guy. He simple nodded, answering their thoughts while making sure his own mask was secured tightly around his head.

"Ugh," Rarity shuddered. "I think I was close to vomiting. That face made Bow's manor look enticing to live in for a year."

"Oh, gee, thanks for the compliment!" Bow said sarcastically, floating back to the group. "It's nothing but a dead end over here, but at least we got that calculator that Doogan salesman needed back."

"Might as well return back," Twilight said. "...And avoid knocking off Shy Guy masks."

The others voiced their opinion at the second option, dreading to see that face from any of the other Shy Guys as they walked back, avoiding the black Shy Guy eyeing them while protecting his treasure.





Both groups met back in front of the train station with what spoils they did manage to find. Having both the store key and Rowf's calculator, they needed to stop General Guy and his army first before returning everyone's belongings. Mario decided to head back to return the key back to the shop owner on his own, seeing as Blue Station was pretty safe. Jumping out of the toy box, he left the "abandoned" house and jogged over to the store nearby. Inside, he saw a few of the items the Toad working here sold that could be pretty useful, but shopping would have to come later when Toad Town was on the verge of being invaded by a bigger force of Shy Guys.

The clerk noticed the plumber, slightly surprised despite his discouragement. "Mario! Fancy seeing you here. If you're looking for something, I'm afraid I can't sell you anything. One of those darn Shy Guys barged into my store and swiped the storeroom key off me." As a hero always saving anyone, whether the problem was big or small, he pulled out the key and handed it to the Toad. "W-Whoa! The key! Mario, you're a life saver and a half!"

"Please, take whatever you need in the storeroom as your reward!" Mario was about to protest, not needing anything for bringing back a simple key, but the Toad unlocked the back room upon taking his key back.

Shrugging his shoulders, Mario went to the back and went inside the storeroom. He found a few items laying around that could be of use, but his eye was on the toy train sitting in the corner. Wiggy mentioned there was supposed to be a train that was a part of Shy Guy's Toy Box, and if it was anything like the inside, it would obviously be a toy train. Taking his "reward", he left the store and returned back to the gift box in the "abandoned" house.

Seeing how they shrunk when they jumped in, the toy train could shrink with him if he brought it inside the moment he jumped on the spring. Mario opened the lid of the present, dropping the train inside, hoping it would land on the tracks.





Inside the toy box, the others waiting by the station for Mario to return, the toy train dropped onto the tracks with a heavy thud. The impact caused the entire area to quake, knocking everyone with legs off of them as they yelped in surprise. Mario jumped down a moment later as they stared at the train, a windup key on the mushroom shaped roof, two levers on the sides meant to pump in and out alternatively to move the train, and it was big enough for all of them to fit inside.

"Wow! That's the train!?" Pinkie exclaimed excitedly.

"You know, there was a possibility that train could have crushed us or missed the tracks, Mario." Mario balked, chuckling nervously as he didn't think ahead on that.

"Well, it's there. So let's get on board and continue onward," Kooper said.

Everyone boarded the train, controls to activate the train ironically inside the empty space despite it being a toy. Wiggy took charge, pulling a few levers as a toy whistle rang out around them. The pumps outside the train began squeaking as they moved, making the train move right as they made their way to Pink Station. The railroads between each station were a lot bigger than they expected, stretching out to maybe a couple miles of railroad as it slowly curved. Eventually, they reached Pink Station, Wiggy slowing the train down at the station as the rails were blocked by a broken set in front of them.

"End of the line!" Pinkie announced, somehow wearing a train conductor's uniform as she held out a pocket watch. "Next stop: Green Station!"

"We need to switch the tracks around first, Pinkie," Twilight reminded, looking around and spotting a pink lever on the other side of the tracks by the left path. "And that must be our ticket to get farther."

"Is there some random mechanism thing for that one as well?" Rainbow asked Wiggy. The Shy Guy shrugged his shoulders, honestly having no clue if there was. "Then I'm not going to make myself look like an idiot trying to pull it this time."

Seeing two different paths just like in Blue Station, they figured they should split up into groups again. Wiggy interjected with the idea as he wrote something to tell everyone.



I don't think we can even get over to the switch on foot. If you didn't notice as we passed a crossroads there, aside from other Shy Guys, there's one in particular who's quite...unique? His name is Gourmet Guy; not much of a fighter, but he is pretty...food crazy, if that's the nicest way to say it.



"'Gourmet Guy'?" Rainbow asked. "Don't remember you mentioning him, Wiggy. So, is he some kind of food critic?"

The wig-wearing Shy Guy shrugged, the pegasus's guess neither right or wrong. He didn't really know much about him aside the fact he enjoyed food and no other Shy Guy talked about Gourmet Guy. Not even General Guy had much to say about him before Wiggy was kicked out of his army.

"Wait...Is this Gourmet Guy actually really fat and he's blocking the way to reach the other end of the tracks to get that lever pulled?" Goombario asked. Wiggy reluctantly nodded his head in response. "Ugh...What is his purpose being a part Bowser's army? Eat all the Mushrooms so Mario doesn't get any?"



I don't even know myself, and I'm the one who got kicked out.



"I guess we're just going to have to head down the other path to see if we can find another one of the items they stole from Toad Town," Twilight said with a sigh.

"Ooh! Can I go see Mr. Gourmet Guy!?" Pinkie asked. "If he likes food, then maybe he can give us some juicy information if he likes what anypony makes him!"

"By yourself?" Rarity asked. "Pinkie, we're in enemy territory."

"I got a hammer," Pinkie reasoned, pulling her mallet out from inside her mane.

"That's not what I mean, darling. What if you run into a Shy Guy ambush over there?" Rarity asked. "The four of us just got back together, and we still need to find Fluttershy and Applejack."

"Rarity's right, Pinkie," Twilight said, agreeing with the unicorn. "We know you can handle yourself in your own way, but it's not safe for any of us to go out on our own in this world."

"I could," Rainbow said, earning a glare from Twilight and Rarity. "What?"

Wiggy approached Pinkie and stood beside her, saying something in his language before tapping his hand against his chest. "Looks like Wiggy's volunteering to go with Pinkie," Kooper said. "But if you run into too much trouble, run back here to Pink Station and wait for us."

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie said with a salute before bounding off down the path leading to the pink switch on the other side of the tracks.

Wiggy hurried after her before he was left behind while the others went in the opposite direction to see what laid in wait for them.





Down the path leading to the switch to flip the railroad tracks on the other side of the station, Pinkie bounded over the blocks in the middle of the narrow road, Wiggy hot on her tail as she avoided getting caught by a Spy Guy. Despite them wearing camouflage gear, they stick out like a sore thumb in the colorful toy box world that was their base. She could see them carrying a slingshot and a hammer, well-versed in long range and close quarters combat. Taking a big leap with a battle cry, she caught the Spy Guy's attention right as she landed down on him hard with her hooves, knocking him unconscious with her heavier weight on top of him. Knocked unconscious, Pinkie continued bounding on her way to the crossroad while Wiggy slowed down to look at the downed Shy Guy, his mask lopsided as he heard him groan.

"Not very good for being a spy," Pinkie said to Wiggy as he caught up with her. "I can be a much better spy than that. Although, I did get compromised back in the Crystal Empire when trying to get intel on the kingdom. Oh, and don't put on night vision during the day! All I saw was blinding light!"

Reaching the crossroad, they saw a really big Shy Guy blocking the way, his large gut looking like it could snap the belt around his weight. Along with the usual red outfit Shy Guys wear, he also had some napkins tucked in the collar of his cloak that would prevent any food from spilling onto his chest, along with a fork in one hand and a knife in the other. He noticed them as Pinkie stared up at the overweight Shy Guy curiously, Wiggy staring back at him though with less curiosity and more confusion.

"Hello," he said.

"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie greeted.

"I'm Gourmet Guy...or, that's what everyone else calls me," Gourmet Guy said. "Don't know why. I'm just a food-loving Shy Guy." His stomach suddenly began to rumble, which could have ended up being heard all the way from the station. "Ugh. I'm really hungry."

"Well, Mr. Gourmet Guy, can you please move so we can get across?" Pinkie asked. "We got a kingdom to save, and I need to flip a switch so we can get the train tracks back to normal and we can get to the next station."

"I'm so hungry, I don't think I can move at all," Gourmet Guy complained, his stomach growling again. "I'm famished! I need a sweet, sweet cake! With frosting...and cookie crumbles..."

The fat Shy Guy began drooling as he thought about the delicious cake he wants so badly. Even Pinkie began salivating, just imagining how it would look and taste. Wiggy let out a groan and shook his head, never able to understand Gourmet Guy and his odd eating habits. Pinkie's ears shot up as she had an idea.

"Ooh! I think I can make a cake like that!" she said. "Gimmie just a few minutes! Brb!" Pinkie suddenly sped off, jumping over the guard rails and onto the train tracks as she ran all the way back to Blue Station within a minute. Wiggy and Gourmet Guy looked at each other, the former shrugging his shoulders. They didn't wait long before Pinkie returned, carrying a few baking ingredients before setting them on the ground. "Now I just need to build a makeshift oven and find a heat source! And I saw a Shy Guy running around on fire!"

She zipped off again, jumping over the rails and on the other side. Wiggy really didn't know if there was a lock on Pink Station's rail switcher, only knowing about the one for Blue Station. He wondered why Pinkie didn't just go over to the lever right now while she was over there instead of baking this cake for Gourmet Guy.

"Because, Wiggy,-" Wiggy and Gourmet Guy yelped as Pinkie returned faster than they blinked.  "-if I just jumped over and tried to pull the lever to keep us going, then we would be skipping over the roadblock that's highly important to the plot of the story in this chapter! That explains why Mario can't just jump over the rails, because if he could just jump over everything, it would be too easy to make it through each new place with high walls or chasms filled with lava and end the chapter all too soon!"

Beside her was the makeshift oven she made, already mixed the ingredients in a bowl as she poured it in a cake pan and put it in the opened oven door. Beside it in a glass box was a Pyro Guy, highly confused as to how he managed to get caught while he was on fire, his flames used to bake the cake in the other box beside it. Wiggy's eyes nearly bulged out of his mask when Pinkie answered the questions he was thinking of, rubbing his head as he thought too hard on how she managed to do that, getting a migraine in the process.

"...Uhh, what?" Gourmet Guy said aloud, already lost.

"Don't worry about it, Gourmet Guy!" Pinkie assured. "But once this cake is done, you're gonna love it! And so will we!" A moment later, a timer went off with a ding. Pinkie grabbed the tin with a pair of oven mitts she pulled out of nowhere, setting the finished on top of the oven for it to cool. "Thanks for the fire, somehow-on-fire-yet-not-burning-alive Shy Guy!" Grabbing the glass box connected to the temporary oven of the pink earth pony's, she opened it up to let the Pyro Guy out. "Be free, little fire creature! Be free!"

Weirded out by the pink pony and her antics, the Pyro Guy ran away, fearing what else Pinkie could end up using him for. Once the cake cooled down, Pinkie hovered over the cake as she frosted it, adding a few decorations and toppings to make it super delicious. Gourmet Guy and Wiggy looked at each other after seeing their fiery brother flee, then back at the pink baker as she unveiled her masterpiece. It was an average sized cake with white frosting, some strawberries planted on top with plenty of whipped cream in the center, a few frosting flowers patterned around the strawberries, and some cookie crumbs sprinkled on top for a bit of crunch and taste.

"Whoa...That looks amazing," Gourmet Guy commented. Pinkie sliced up the cake for her, Wiggy, and the food-loving Shy Guy, handing the latter two their slices.

"Let's dig in!" Pinkie cheered, stuffing her slice whole into her mouth while chewing noisily.

Wiggy took a bite of his slice next, letting out enjoyed sounds in his language as he savored everything that hit his taste buds. Gourmet Guy followed Pinkie's example and took the whole slice in his mouth. He stopped chewing, dropping his fork and knife in utter shock.

"Oh," he moaned. "Ohhhh, mmmm...OHHHH!!!!! DELICIOUUUUUUUS! THIS IS LIP-SMACKING GOOD!!!!!!!!"



Surprised at the exclaimed praise, Pinkie and Wiggy watched as Gourmet Guy suddenly began running around, cheering ecstatically for the cake the earth pony made. He stopped back where he was blocking the crossroad, letting out a loud whoop as he jumped high into the air, an incredible feat for someone of his weight. Dropping in front of them, the food-loving Shy Guy dropped what appeared to be a cookbook of sorts, whether by accident or a reward was up to them.

"Wowie zowie," Pinkie said. "I didn't think it was that good...Was it?" Wiggy took another bite after recovering from the odd occurrence, nodding his head as the taste was still incredible. "He really must love cake, then. Oh well! Onto the switch!"

Grabbing the cake after putting it away in a box she pulled out from her random hammerspace, Pinkie walked across the tracks and continued on the other side's path toward the lever. Wiggy stayed behind as he enjoyed his snack, hearing the tracks back at the station flipping back over a while later. Pinkie returned as soon as the wig-wearing Shy Guy was done with his slice of cake, the duo returning back to Pink Station to meet up with everyone else.





Mario lead the rest of his companions down the other end of Pink Station, Rainbow Dash constantly trying to fly ahead and take down the next guardian of the stolen goods from Toad Town. He can see she's an adventurous mare with the speed and strength necessary for survival, but her reckless nature can lead her to getting captured or caught off guard. Luckily, Twilight and Rarity always remind the pegasus to not let her victories over the grunts get the better of her.

Rainbow dive-kicked a Fly Guy out of the strings of his balloons, sending him soaring straight to the ground with a painful crash. "Take that! Nopony can handle the fastest pegasus in all of Equestria! I guess that also makes me the fastest pegasus in all of the Mushroom Kingdom, too!"

"Rainbow Dash, chill out!" Twilight scolded, grabbing the pegasus's tail with her magic, sending her plopping down to the ground. "If you gloated like that if we were in a stronghold where we're supposed to be sneaking around, you'd alert the entire fortress and get us all killed!"

"Hey, I deserve to blow off some steam after sitting around in a small room for over a week!" Rainbow argued. "Because of Bowser and that Star Rod, my wings were messed up and I couldn't fly! It was like what happened when I sprained my wing in that accident while practicing my stunts!"

"Be that as it may, if we rescue the rest of the Star Spirits and find a way to infiltrate Bowser's fortress, all of us need to stick together and not split up," Twilight reasoned. "After what happened to all of us, I am not risking that happening again when we're reunited with Applejack and Fluttershy."

Even though Rainbow Dash wanted to argue about the matter, just looking at the worried looks on Twilight and Rarity's faces made her remember just how worried she was about them. It was scary enough to know they were in another world, but split apart from one another after Bowser attacked them was like a nightmare. She lowered her head with a sigh, scuffing her hoof against the ground.

"...I get it, Twilight," she said. "How do you think I felt wondering where the hay you all were? I mean, I know we've faced worse, but being in a new world we don't know next to nothing about? The one I'm worried about more is Fluttershy. Who knows where she ended up!? She may have gotten braver, but not when it comes to being stuck in someplace dangerous! There could be giant reptiles that could swallow her whole, or plants that could strangle her!" Rainbow began to panic, worrying greatly over her best friend's safety. "She might be tortured by two-legged dinosaurs before they sink their sharp, jagged teeth into her, limb by limb!"





"Ok, little Yoshis," Fluttershy said, watching over the Yoshi kids for the adults while they gathered fruit. "What do you want to do today?"

"Let's explore the jungle!" Red Yoshi Kid suggested, the other four cheering in agreement.

"Oh, no. Your parents said the forest is too dangerous," the yellow pegasus said. The Yoshis all let out disappointed groans, stuck inside the boring village to play another boring game again. "How about something else? Something much safer."

"But it's boring," Yellow Yoshi Kid uttered. "You're just as strict as Mrs. Sushie when she babysits us, but you're more nicer."

"Who is Sushie?" Fluttershy asked.

"That would be me." Turning around, the pegasus spotted the owner of the older, feminine voice, though who it came from shocked her. It was a large fish, somehow able to breath on land, a purple body with a white underbelly, an orange dorsal fin and tail with white pectoral fins. She did have eyes, though they seemed closed as she stared at the pegasus before her. "Goodness, dear. I've never seen anything like you before."

"...Are...you a fish?" Fluttershy asked, both curious and awestruck. "And you're...breathing on land???"

"Well, I am a Cheep Cheep," the aquatic creature said. "Though, seeing as you're a new species I haven't seen outside of a storybook, I'm not surprised." She looked at the Yoshi kids, all five boys wincing at the look she gave them. "You boys better not have been giving her a hard time while I was on vacation with my daughter. Have you?"

"No, Mrs. Sushie," the boys said simultaneously.

"Good," Sushie said. "Now, go and play around in the water by the shore. And don't drift any further out beyond those rocks." The boys obeyed and walked out to the beach, beginning a splash war with each other when one of them started the water fight. The Cheep Cheep sighed and shook her head. "Those boys can be quite troublesome at times."

"They weren't all that bad," Fluttershy said. "They always want to go out into the jungle, but the Yoshi Chief said it was dangerous to go out there."

"And for good reason, but boys always want to do something reckless at that age." Sushie flopped around to look back at Fluttershy. "Now, where are my manners? I'm Sushie."

"My name's Fluttershy," the mare said. "I hope you don't think I'm taking over your job foalsitting those boys."

"Nonsense. I thought the Yoshis here would find a substitute sitter while I was away, but now I've got another set of eyes to help me watch those little troublemakers." Both Cheep Cheep and pegasus giggled, already well acquainted with each other as Yoshi Village's babysitters for the Yoshi kids. "So, Fluttershy, what are you? And where are you from?"

"Well, it's quite a long story..." While the young Yoshis were busy wrestling around in the water, Fluttershy took the time to tell Sushie about herself and where she came from, not leaving out any details on what happened to her and her friends as well.





"She's doomed!" Rainbow cried out. "Doooooomed!"

"Rainbow, snap out of it!" Twilight shouted, slapping the cyan pegasus in the face. "I'm sure wherever Fluttershy is, she could have ended up somewhere safe like we had."

"Twilight, Pinkie ended up in a desert, I was in the middle of a dark forest in a haunted mansion, and Rainbow ended up in here," Rarity said. "Out of all of us, so far you're the only one who ended up in a safer place than us."

"Oh, my mansion wasn't safe enough for you? Gee, thanks, Rarity," Bow said sarcastically. "That's the thanks I get for letting you into my home?"

Ignoring the female Boo's sarcasm, Rarity approached Rainbow, now calmed after Twilight's wake-up slap. "Fluttershy might have a better chance out there if she can befriend just about any animal in the wilderness. And Applejack tough enough to handle whatever comes her way." She then looked at Twilight, acting as the more sensible pony between the overly worried alicorn and pegasus. "All we can do right now is believe they are ok, that they really are safe somewhere just like we were. All of us were worried about each other, but we'll be together once again. For now, let us focus on dealing with these thieving Shy Guys and help everypony in Toad Town with this crisis."

"Rarity's right," Kooper said. "The four of you were found by someone who helped you when you woke up: me bringing Twilight in my house, Moustafa saving Pinkie out in Dry Dry Desert, Bow and the other Boos letting Rarity into the mansion, and that Shy Guy, Wiggy, protecting Rainbow Dash from the other Shy Guys. Applejack and Fluttershy could have been found by someone who helped them."

"If destiny lead the six of you into being friends and heroes to your own world, then I wouldn't be surprised if the six of you wound up safe and sound after Bowser nearly killed you," Goombario said.

Twilight and Rainbow looked at each other, both of them still worried, though they were assured enough to believe Applejack and Fluttershy are still ok. Eased from their thoughts slightly, the group continued onward, Rainbow keeping her ego in check as they ran into Shy Guys. After making their way through the hall, passing over a wall by using the jack-in-the-boxes to bounce into the background and back on the path and making their way through a revolving wall where Shy Guys seemed to run through to try to stop them while failing miserably as they passed them, they reached the end of the path where one of the stolen goods was held.

"Not so fast!" Standing before the chest with his hand held out was something most of the group ended up fearing encountering: a Hammer Bro. Unlike the Clubba, this hammer-toting Koopa was far braver, being one of Bowser's more elite guards. "I'm not letting any of you get what's in this chest by Kammy Koopa's orders!"

"What kind of Koopa is that?" Twilight asked Kooper.

"A Hammer Bro.," the blue-shelled Koopa Troopa uttered. "One of the toughest types of Koopas we'll eventually have to fight in Bowser's stronghold if we get there..."

"Why is he called a 'Hammer Bro.'?" Rainbow asked.

"Take a wild guess," Parakarry uttered.

"Mario, if you think fighting me with such a big entourage is enough to scare me, then you better think again," the Hammer Bro. goaded. Reaching behind his shell, he puled out two wooden hammers, twirling them around in his hands with a cocky grin on his face. "I bet you can't take me head on by yourself. If you manage to do that, maybe I'll look the other way and give you this chest."

Mario grimaced, having his fair share running into these types of Koopa Troopas in the past. One of the more annoying members of Bowser's army with their infinite supply of hammers, tossing them in arcs that could land on his head, only for them to be a distraction as he ended up either getting hit by one anyway or running straight into the Hammer Bro. Even if they outnumbered the Hammer Bro., Mario took the challenge, pulling out his own hammer as he stepped forward.

"You sure you can handle him by yourself, Mario?" Bombette asked, the plumber responding with a nod as he crouched into a fighting stance.

"If he can take on Bowser, he can clearly handle a talking turtle with hammers and needs to wear a helmet," Rainbow said.

"The helmet's actually part of a Hammer Bro.'s outfit," Goombario corrected. "You'll see just how dangerous they can be."

"A wise warning to give to these four-legged animals," the Hammer Bro. said, pointing one of his hammers at the Goomba. "After I beat Mario and knock all of you out, I'm going to take those three back to Bowser's fortress with me. He's sure to promote me to a general in no time at all! Although, being chosen as a king is out of the question, considering his six nephews and niece, though I don't recall him ever having siblings..." He juggled both of his hammers in one hand, bringing the other to his chin as he thought more about his king. "Where did those seven Koopalings even go to, anyway? Didn't see them in the kingdom before Bowser teleported his fortress. Are they in school, or what?"

"And he's broken off into a tangent," Twilight groaned. "He has Rainbow Dash's ego, but the fleeting attention span of Pinkie Pie."

"Hey, at least I finally decided to stop after that talk we had earlier!" Rainbow complained.

"Oh well, that's not important, anyway." The Hammer Bro. snapped out of his thoughts, catching both his hammers as he widened his stance. "I'll show you who the master of hammers really is!"

Throwing one of the wooden mallets at Mario, the plumber knocked it away with his own as the Hammer Bro. rushed him. Both hammers slammed together, the hammer-wielding Koopa's holding up against Mario's stronger hammer despite it being wooden. The two struggled for dominance, pushing each other back before rushing toward each other and swinging their hammers to hit their opponent.

"Come on, Mario!" Rainbow cheered. "Beat this guy in ten seconds flat!"

"I think ten seconds had already passed by now," Parakarry said.

"...Then beat him in under a minute!" the pegasus said.

"That's gonna be quite a problem," the Hammer Bro. said, pulling out another hammer from behind him. Now dual-wielding his hammers, he began swinging them around, catching Mario off guard as he went from offense to defense. Seeing another hammer surprised the three mares, the other one Mario blocked laying far from the battle in front of them. "Must not be as strong as you used to be after Lord Bowser knocked the pasta out of you, huh!?"

"Where did that other hammer come from!?" Twilight asked.

"Hammer Bros. have an infinite supply of hammers at their disposal," Kooper answered. "You could say they have enchanted hammers that come back to them by their will, but with how many they can throw at one time, I'd believe that just by them being called 'Hammer Bros.'"

"They're also one of Bowser's elite soldiers, just like Kameks and Magikoopas," Goombario added. "And Mario's dealt with Hammer Bros. many times in the past. Even he has some trouble with them."

Mario quickly backflipped away from a double hammer slam, throwing his hammer at the Hammer Bro.'s face. He ducked just in time to avoid it, but the plumber levitated his mallet back to him, his gloves glowing purple as he pulled his arm back. The returning hammer struck the Hammer Bro. in the back of the head, his helmet cushioning the impact, though it did make him stagger forward in surprise.

"Oh, so you have some tricks with a hammer, huh?" he asked after recovering, cracking his neck while righting his helmet back in place. "How about a little hammer storm!?"

Flailing his arms around, the elite Koopa soldier began flinging dozens of hammers up high into the air. Everyone screamed in panic as all the falling hammers began raining down on them, all of them scattering to avoid getting a concussion from the dangerous tools.

"Take cover!" Kooper shouted.

"Someone cover me!" Goombario shouted. "I'm all head! I don't want to get squished!"

"Hey, you said it was supposed to be one-on-one!" Bow exclaimed angrily, not worrying about the hammers as she easily phased through them.

"You're talking to a minion of the greatest overlord in all the Mushroom Kingdom!" the Hammer Bro. said, still throwing hammers as his arms continued windmilling around. "I lied! We don't play fair when it comes to winning!"

"Then let's make it fair!" Rainbow easily avoided the raining hammers with her speed, already having enough of the dangerous storm of infinitely spawning hammers. As she charged forward, she rammed her shoulder right in the Hammer Bro.'s gut, knocking the wind out of him while slamming him into the wall. Now that the volley of hammers stopped, the others took a breather, Mario running forward to join the pegasus to take out one of the worst of Bowser's minions. "Let's double team this jerk!"

Quickly turning around, Rainbow leapt up and bucked her hind legs in the Hammer Bro.'s chest, pushing off him as he wheezed in pain. She shot off toward Mario, quickly shooting up into the air at a ninety degree angle. The plumber jumped after her, grabbing onto her hind legs as the pegasus began flying around in circles, flying faster and faster until there was nothing but a rainbow and red and blue blur spiraling in midair.

"Ugh," the Hammer Bro. groaned, clutching his sore abdomen after peeling himself off the wall. "Didn't see that coming." Looking up, he saw the duo flying around at mach speeds. Growling, he began flinging hammers at Rainbow and Mario, but the pegasus shot the hero of the kingdom down as he somersaulted rapidly, his hammer smacking away each hammer flung at him. "Oh no..."

The Hammer Bro. was too slow to dodge, Mario's hammer smacking down on top of his head hard as he came to a sudden stop. The impact sent the Koopa's head slamming into the ground, his helmet shattering from the force of the swing with the added momentum the plumber had. The Hammer Bro. was down and out within seconds, stars floating around his head while his eyes spun around in his head.

"That takes care of that," Rainbow said, hovering down and landing beside Mario. "We make a pretty awesome team, Mario. Hoof bump!" She raised her hoof up to the plumber, bumping it with his fist, unable to deny they did make a pretty impressive team with that maneuver. "Now, let's get what's in that chest."

Without waiting for the others, Rainbow Dash flew up to the chest and opened it. She pulled out the frying pan that belonged to the popular Toad chef, Tayce T. Stowing the cooking utensil away in Twilight's bag, they made their way back to the train station to join up with Pinkie and Wiggy if they were successful with getting anything from Gourmet Guy, like if the switcher for Pink Station had a locking mechanism on it.

Upon returning, they were surprised to see the lever was pulled and the tracks leading to Green Station were normal now. Pinkie and Wiggy sat on the steps of the toy block station, the former waving her hoof wildly at them.

"Pinkie? What happened?" Twilight asked.

"Well, I made Gourmet Guy this really delicious cake, which we saved enough for all of us," Pinkie said, pulling out the contained cake she just made. "He loved it, said it was delicious, ran around crazy going all-" She began squealing excitedly while running around like Gourmet Guy did earlier. She ran back and forth, diagonal and upside down in midair for some odd reason, then stopped in between everyone as they watcher her, letting out a loud whoop and jumped up high in the air. She dropped the cookbook Gourmet Guy left for her, not leaving out any details of her encounter with the fat Shy Guy. She dropped back down, picking up the book as she continued her story. "-then he left and dropped a cookbook! I managed to pull the lever and switch the tracks, so we can keep going!"

"...Did he say anything else about the toy box? Or anything else we should watch out for?" Bombette asked.

"...Oh. I forgot to ask." The others let out a loud groan and fell over in exasperation. Wiggy let out a sigh and shrugged, forgetting to ask as well mostly because he didn't think getting to know anything about Gourmet Guy would lead to anything he didn't know. "At least I made cake. Anypony want some?"

"...After we stop the Shy Guys," Twilight said. "Let's just move on to the next station."

Everyone boarded the toy train as Wiggy fiddled with the controls, sending them off to Green Station and continue taking back the stolen items, defeat General Guy and his army, and free the next Star Spirit the leader's holding captive.
> Shy Guy's Toy Box (Part Two)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once they arrived in Green Station, they stepped off the platform to get a look at their surroundings in this section of Shy Guy's Toy Box. There was only pathway from the station, so thankfully none of the group had to split up, though the rails to reach Red Station were gone, not even a flippable switch seeing the big, empty gap between the tracks. Part of the wall had a green, yellow, red, and blue panel with a large diamond on it, and in front of them were boxes of the same color in that very same order.

"Ok, where's the switch?" Rainbow asked. "How are we supposed to get through now?"

"I see a lot of pretty presents!" Pinkie squealed as she ran up to them. Wiggy screamed in panic and tugged the earth pony's tail, stopping her from touching them. "Hey! I wanna see what's inside!"

"If Wiggy thinks that those presents are dangerous, we should listen to him," Goombario said, the pink Shy Guy nodding as he quickly wrote his response.



They are incredibly sensitive! I heard that these boxes, when hit in the right order, are able to lower the rails for us to reach Red Station. Unfortunately, I don't know the correct code. Only a few of us know of it,
and they have it written down in case they forget.



"So, what happens if we use trail and error?" Twilight asked. The Shy Guy held up his arms in a fighting stance and bounced around a little before pointing at the boxes. "We'll get in a fight if we guess wrong...Weird security measure."

"So, who has the code?" Kooper asked, but Wiggy shrugged his shoulders, unsure of who of his brethren had the code.

"Looks like we're beating up more Shy Guys to get it," Bow said. "I'm all in for it."

Making their way down the only path right of the station, the first area of the hallway had many conveyor belts moving the floor in different directions with a couple fences placed in different angles. It was easy to navigate over one of them blocking the entire width of the hall, or through for Bow's case as she phased through it while Twilight, Rainbow, and Parakarry helped the others over, Mario easily jumping over without much trouble. They spotted one Shy Guy wandering around, a piece of paper clung to its belt around its waist. Wiggy spotted some of the words written on it, alerting the others as he pointed out the code being on that particular Shy Guy's person.

"What!? What is it, boy!?" Pinkie asked. "Little filly fall down a well!? Fire!? A party in need of throwing!?"

Pinkie's random guessing made the Shy Guy slap his forehead in frustration. "Wait, he's holding a piece of paper," Rainbow noted. Wiggy nodded his head, then pointed back in the direction they came from as he formed a square shape with his arms. "He's holding onto the code we need to make those tracks, right?" He nodded again. "Perfect! Hey, you!"

The Shy Guy with the codes turned, only to be met by a rainbow blur that slammed into him, the pair tumbling across the ground for a moment before they stopped. Rainbow stood over the dazed Shy Guy, taking the paper from its belt as her prize. She returned to the others and showed them the note, but the odd gibberish written on it was nothing the likes of any of them have seen.

"Uhh, what exactly is this?" Twilight asked. "I can't make heads or tails of what these...symbols are."

"I think that's the Shy Guy language," Goombario said. "Unfortunately, I don't know how to speak or read it."

"Luckily we have a Shy Guy who can translate for us." Rainbow gave Wiggy the note, reading it over as he translated it for everyone through his pen and paper.



The right order to hit the presents to bring the rails back is yellow, green, red, then blue.



"Sounds simple enough," Rarity said. "Let's turn back and beat this General Guy so I can finally find a spa and freshen up."

"There's more down this way, though!" Pinkie whined. "Lookie! They've got a giant slot machine!"

Pinkie pointed at what appeared to be a large slot machine, three blocks hovering in front of three separate screens while a fourth seemed to activate it like a lever normally would. There was a lot more beyond it with blocky platforms moving up and down randomly.

"Pinkie actually is right. At least about what else is beyond this area," Twilight said. "There might even be something of somepony's at the end that we'll need to bring back."

"Oh, right," Rarity muttered. "Well, let us be quick, regardless."

"You know, with all the random adventures you've all been on, I didn't think you'd be so picky about being clean when you end up getting dirty anyway," Bow said.

"Well, being refined amongst my circle of friends, somepony needs to keep appearances for themselves in the public eye," the unicorn said, making the Boo roll her eyes.

Continuing on, ignoring the slot machine Pinkie desperately wanted to play with, they made their way to the moving platforms as they leapt up onto the upper platform. They spotted another chest containing another piece of stolen property, but this time it was guarded by a Koopa none of them had encountered until now. The ponies stared at the gray Koopatrol, bearing spikes on his shell and wore a spiked helmet on his head, as if he were made to conteract Mario's jumping prowess and prevent getting knocked onto his back.

"Oh no," Kooper groaned. "Another of Bowser's Koopa elites: a Koopatrol."

"Yeah, I know," the Koopatrol said, sounding a bit unsure of himself unlike the Hammer Bro. protecting Tayce T.'s frying pan in Pink Station. "Kammy had given me a new position to guard something in this chest from Mario, but here he is with a big group of allies and four of the animals she wants us to capture...I think this really is a punishment for me slacking off during my post." He sighed and readied himself in a fighting stance. "Oh well. Better to fight Mario sooner rather than wait until he reaches the fortress and owns all of us on his way up to rescue Princess Peach."

"You don't sound like you're going to win," Twilight noted.

"Because I know, in some way, I'm going to lose," the spike-shelled Koopa said. "I'm outnumbered, despite being a member of Bowser's stronger forces, and I'd rather face you than deal with his wrath if I fail him. So, let's just getting the beating over with."

Getting the fight started, the Koopatrol ducked in his shell and shot himself forward into the group. They all scattered, the ground-bound members of the party avoiding landing on the Koopa's spiked back. He made his way back to charge into Mario, but Kooper intercepted the Koopatrol, gray and blue shells clashing into each other as they tried to push each other back. Kooper ended up losing out against the tougher soldier, getting knocked back and tumbled over onto his back.

"That hurt," Kooper groaned, only to let out a wheeze from the Koopatrol bouncing up and slamming a foot down on his abdomen.

"I can't take all of you out at once, but at least I know I've tried to take out a few of you," he said.

"Get off of him!" Twilight shouted, using her magic and grabbing hold of the Koopatrol.

He yelped in surprise as he was suddenly flung off the ground and into the air. Rainbow flew up and charged forward into him, grabbing him by the front to avoid getting pricked by the sharp spikes on his back. The Koopatrol instinctively hid in his shell as they dove down, landing on the ground with his back first, but his resilient and spiked shell helped cushion the blow. He kicked the pegasus away from him, flipping back on his feet and shell shot himself toward the group again.

Aiming for Mario again, the plumber pulled out his hammer and swung the oncoming gray shell of spikes. Unfortunately, his hammer wasn't strong enough to smack the Koopa away, using all his strength to push back as his feet skid across the ground. Even though he seemed to not be hopeful in winning this fight, he sure showed he was as tough as his rank was meant to be.

"Pinkie to the rescue!" Pinkie tried to assist Mario by whacking the Koopatrol with her wooden mallet, but as soon as she hit him, her whole body shuddered, the tougher shell stronger than the weaker hammer. She jittered backward, her teeth chattering as her hooves couldn't let go of the vibrating hammer making her act like a jackhammer. "A-A-A-A-A-A-H-H-H-H-H-H!!!!! T-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o s-t-r-o-o-o-o-o-o-n-g!"

The Koopatrol spun hard, making Mario stagger back as he parried his hammer, then popped out of his shell and delivered a spin kick to the plumber's head. "Tough as steel, but not as heavy," he said, patting his shell. "A wooden hammer won't even so much as hurt me."

"What about an explosion!?" Bombette asked, lighting her fuse as she stood behind the enemy Koopa.

"...Depends." Right as Bombette self-destructed, the Koopatrol had quickly popped into his shell, unharmed by the explosion as he was sent flying off toward Parakarry. The mail carrier tried to counter with his own shell toss, but he was sent flying back and dropped to the ground. Flipping back on his feet, the Koopatrol turned to face Bow, holding her fan out as she tapped it against her other hand. "...You think a paper fan's going to hurt me?"

"Oh, you have no idea how tough of a Boo I am, buddy." Bow swung her fan back and gave the Koopatrol a hard slap in the face.

Surprisingly, she managed to actually hurt him as he spun around, getting caught in a daze as she landed a few more hits on him for good measure. As soon as he stopped spinning, Goombario and Bombette charged together and headbutted the Koopa hard in the gut, knocking him on his back while bouncing off his belly and landing down hard. He coughed as the air was knocked out of his lungs, but his predicted loss came as Rainbow let out a yell, dive-bombing him at blinding speeds right into his weaker underbelly. The impact created a small rainbow dust cloud that formed a mushroom shape, Wiggy letting out a sound in awe at the miniature nuclear slam the pegasus made.

Once the dust settled, the Koopa groaned in agony as Rainbow stood over him. "Finally. Now we know just what we'll be up against when we get to Bowser's castle." Walking past the defeated minion, the pegasus opened the chest and pulled out what was inside, which happened to be the stolen dictionary Rarity, Bow, and Goombario saw from one of the Shy Guys in Toad Town. "A book? The hay is so important about a book?"

"Book!?" Twilight shrieked, knocking her friend out of the way as she grabbed the tossed up book with her levitation. She flipped through the pages, eager to know what knowledge awaited in its pages. "Oh! This is actually a Translation guide on the language of the Shy Guys! Maybe I can try to communicate with Wiggy through his own dialect." Looking over the words and odd symbols that was the Shy Guy language, she then brought her attention to the pink Shy Guy to test out one phrase to see if she could get it on the first try. "Whoob uwhah oohb ahpwhuaw."

Slowly, Wiggy turned his head to look at the others, then back to Twilight as he wrote his response.



You told me, "I'm banana kumquat welcome."



"What? No, I was trying to say, 'Hello, nice to meet you,'" Twilight corrected. She looked down at the book, wondering what she did wrong. "I think that's the right way to say this sentence..."

Wiggy showed everyone what Twilight told him, Rainbow and Pinkie being the first to break out in laughter at the alicorn's first attempt at speaking Shy Guy. "Nice first attempt," Bow teased. "Try saying that to the other Shy Guys and make it sound like an insult."

"I can learn it if I had enough time!" Twilight exclaimed. "You try learning something that's all about gibberish and strange symbols as a language!"

"Ever try speaking Boo? Same basic principle, except we speak in shrieks and scary noises. Like this." Bow suddenly disappeared, then reappeared in front of the alicorn, letting out a frightening shriek that startled the mare and made her fall over. "That's 'hello' in Boo."

"No, you scared me on purpose!" Twilight said.

"...You're right. I did." Bow chuckled teasingly.

Growling, Twilight sat up, closing the book before being humiliated by saying something else stupid in Shy Guy. Looking at Rainbow and Pinkie, who were still guffawing at her sentence in Shy Guy, she snatched the wooden mallet and gave the two of them a bonk on the head, not hard enough to cause any pain, but enough to shut them up.

"Let's just keep moving," Twilight grumbled. "I swear, I did exactly as the book instructed, even enunciating parts of the weird sounds I made correctly..."

The alicorn lead the way back while the others followed, Pinkie and Rainbow stifling their giggles all the way to the train station. As soon as they got back, Mario hit the boxes in the right order, all four of them blinking and making a dinging sound as they lit up before exploding in a burst of confetti. The colored walls in the back soon fell over, creating a colorful railway covering the large gap impeding their progress. Climbing aboard the toy train, they headed off to the last station, where General Guy waits for them.

They finally arrived at Red Station, the party stepping off as they got a look at their surroundings. Rainbow recognized the path she took when she arrived here, the right one leading down to the Shy Guy army HQ where she blindly stumbled upon, though on the other path, she had no idea what lies beyond that direction.

"Ok, so General Guy's base is here," Goombario said. "Which way is it?"

"It's down that way," Rainbow said, pointing in the direction of General Guy's HQ. "There anything else we can remember the Shy Guys all took before we face the big boss?"

"There was the mail bag at the post office we've yet to retrieve," Bow reminded, shocking Parakarry at the last stolen item.

"A mail bag!?" the Paratroopa exclaimed. "You mean all the mail in Toad Town was stolen!? We need to get that back! Think of all the backlog in taxes everyone doesn't know they have to pay, or bills piling up before their utilities are shut down because they didn't know about their payments! And letters for pen pals, lovers from across the seas, and family members won't be picked up to be delivered either!"

"Boy, he's really dedicated to his work even after he made a blunder with the letters he did have on him." Parakarry drooped and let out a depressed sigh at the reminder of his mistake for not checking his bags before flying off.

"Maybe the mail bag is over in the other direction," Kooper suggested. "I don't think General Guy would be that interested in mail unless he just wants to take it for no reason."

"No splitting up, though," Twilight said. "If we're this deep in enemy territory, we'll probably be facing a lot more Shy Guys."

Deciding to check the other direction first, they made their way to the path left from the station. Many highly stacked blocks walled off the path, but it could be crossed by going over using the lifts and small platform ferris wheels along the walls. They had to take out a few Pyro Guys wandering around, but it wasn't a problem as long as they didn't physically touch them and their burning bodies. They soon arrived at a surprisingly normal building, but as they walked inside, it was pitch black and hard to see even a single inch in front of their noses.

"Ooooooh. Scary, dark house," Pinkie said.

"I can see perfectly fine," Bow said.

"Because you're a Boo and you're used to darker environments," Goombario stated.

"Hang on, Rarity and I will try to light up the room a bit." Twilight and Rarity lit up their horns, illuminating the building a little bit. They could only see a small part of the room, some scattered blocks around, but it was mostly empty from what they could see. "You don't think there are ghost Shy Guys in here, are there?"

"Boo Guys," Bow scoffed. "They're not real Boos, yet they think they can act like us. I could tell if there were any in here."

While everyone looked around in the small amount of light around the unicorn and alicorn's horns, Mario spotted a dim light glowing from the other side of the room. His new perception ability kicked in as his eyes began glowing white, spotting what appeared to be a figure covered in a beige sheet with creepy eyes and a smile painted on the front holding onto a lanturn, an "X" mark made of bandages on its forehead. It almost seemed like a Shy Guy hiding under the sheet like it was pretending to be a ghost. It approached them and the light the two mares were giving off, quickly pulling out his hammer in defense as he warned the others about the threat approaching them.

"Someone...has come..." The creepy voice that came from the Shy Guy brought chills down the mares' spines. It appeared in their light, making Wiggy panic as he remembered who lived here. "If it isn't Mario! Whee hee heeeeeee!"

"A Lantern Ghost!" Goombario said. "Shy Guys who love to live in the dark! And he's a big one, too!"

"None of you are going anywhere," the Big Lantern Ghost said eerily. "I'll defeat you, then go back to my darkness."

Shaking the lantern he held, he unleashed a bright light in the room. The sudden brightness threw everyone off guard, including Bow, all of them blinded as they covered their eyes. As soon as they recovered, Twilight immediately lit her horn back up, only to regret it as the dim light of her lavender aura somehow stung just as bad as the bright flash.

"Ah! My eyes!" she exclaimed, cancelling her illumination spell.

"I think I've gone blind!" Pinkie said as she stumbled around until she rammed into Rainbow Dash. "Aha! There you are, Lantern Ghostie-Goo!"

She swung her hammer, hearing the pegasus yell out in pain. "Ow! Pinkie, that's me!"

"Oh. Oopsie! Friendly fire!" Pinkie said.

Wiggy was the only one who managed to keep his eyes concealed from the Big Lantern Ghost's light. Though he could see just fine, the dark room was still a struggle to navigate around. At least he could see where the darkness-loving Shy Guy's dim lantern was as he snuck around to get one of them from their blind spots. Until their vision was fixed, it was up to him to try to stop the Big Lantern Ghost and keep the others safe.

Following the light, the wig-wearing Shy Guy ran toward the big Shy Guy. He managed to smack the lantern as he tried to swipe it, making the light around it grow more to better see the area around it.

"Ahh! Noo! Not the light!" the Big Lantern Ghost shrieked. Now able to see his forehead, Wiggy leapt up and gave his foe a harsh kick in the weak spot, making him stagger back in pain. "Ow! Why are you against me!? We are brethren!" Wiggy didn't respond and leapt up onto the Big Lantern Ghost's head again, flipping off from his dismount and landing perfectly on his feet. "Fine, then I'll defeat you as well!"

The larger foe blew out the light from his lantern, making the area darker again as he fled. Mario recovered from the binding light, rubbing the spots out of his eyes as he focused on searching for the Big Lantern Ghost. Luckily, his perception didn't permanently blind him with the sudden flash of light from the lantern as he can see the odd Shy Guy being chased around by Wiggy. Mario ran forward, meeting the Big Lantern Ghost halfway and slid under him, tripping him over as he fell flat on his face, dropping his lantern as well as it bounced and rolled away.

Just as the bigger Shy Guy stood up, Mario threw a swift punch hard into the Lantern Ghost's forehead. He yelped in pain, but the onslaught didn't stop as his face was struck by hammer strikes, more punches, and several kicks, making him stagger back, completely defenseless without his lantern to blind the plumber. Wiggy ran over to the dropped lantern, giving it a few smacks to light the room up, only to hear something inside yell out.

"Umm, excuse me, but can you please stop hitting the lantern?" the voice asked, sounding quite young and feminine. Confused, the Shy Guy looked down at the lantern, tilting his head as he failed to see what was inside. "Can you let me out, please? I'm kind of, umm, trapped in here."

Looking around, Wiggy spotted Pinkie blindly flailing around with her hammer, trying to hit the Big Lantern Ghost despite being on the other side of the room. "Where are you, evil ghost thing!?"

"Pinkie, stop trying to fight!" Rarity said before yelping, almost getting hit by the mare's hammer. "We can't see, and neither can you! And you almost hit me!"

"How do you know it was me and not anypony else!?" Pinkie asked.

"You're the only one moving around!" Goombario said as he fell on the ground, getting kicked by one of the earth pony's hooves in her wild attacking spree. "And you kicked me in the face!"

Wiggy ran over to Pinkie and snatched away her hammer. "Hey! Who stole my hammer!?"

Ignoring the pony, he ran back to the lantern and gave it a good whack, cracking the top hard enough to break it. Shooting up from the broken lantern, a bright, electrical light zigzagged around the room and flew up to Mario and the Big Lantern Ghost. It stopped between the two of them, revealing a Lil' Sparky, a blue pacifier where it's mouth would be if they ever had mouths.

"Take this, you meanie!" The little living electro ball grunted as electricity built up around her body, but she gave the Big Lantern Ghost a small tap, shocking the larger Shy Guy with a powerful jolt.

His body singed and now lacking his lantern, the Big Lantern Ghost ran away in defeat. Eventually, the others' sight came back after the blinding flash, now seeing Mario looking at the Lil' Sparky glowing in the dark room.

"What in Equestria is that thing?" Twilight asked as the others approached the plumber and electric creature.

"Forget wondering what the sparky ball is! Where's my hammer!?" Pinkie asked. Wiggy poked her leg and held out her wooden mallet. "Oh! There it is! Thanks, Wiggy! If you found out who took my hammer from me, you let me know, and I'll give them a good wallop."

"That's a Sparky," Goombario said. "But, it looks like a pretty young Sparky. Where'd you come from?"

"I was trapped inside the lantern," the Lil' Sparky said. "I'm Watt! Thanks for saving me!"

"Well, that's a fitting name," Twilight said.

"And adorable!" Pinkie squealed. She bounced up to Watt, grabbing her and showing her everyone as she gave a roll call, the electricity flowing from her making Pinkie's mane and tail frizz up. "I'm Pinkie, and that's Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, Parakarry, Bow, Mario, Wiggy, Pinkie-Oh, wait, I already introduced myself."

"Hello, everyone!" Watt said. "Umm, if it's alright with all of you, can I come along?"

"Why?" Kooper asked.

"Well, while I was captured by the Shy Guys, umm, I heard them talking about Princess Peach and Mario trying to rescue her." Watt floated out of Pinkie's grasp and floated around everyone. "I kind of want to help! I can be very useful lighting up dark places much better than these two!" she said as she hovered over Twilight and Rarity. "I like dark places, but sometimes, I kinda need to be held onto to light up places, like this room!"

"And you also want to get back at the Shy Guys for trapping you in that lantern, right?" Rainbow asked with a pound of her hooves.

"...Umm, I guess so, but that one's not bad," Watt said as she looked at Wiggy. "He saved me, and I can be helpful in fights! Even though I'm a Sparky, my electricity doesn't hurt friends! I just give a little, umm, ticklish feeling, but my enemies get a nasty zap! So, can I come? Pretty please?...If you don't mind?"

The group put a lot of thought into bringing Watt to join them. She was really young, far younger than Goombario, but she was able to shock the Big Lantern Ghost really badly. And her ability to illuminate dark places in a wider radius than Rarity and Twilight's spell can be helpful if their group grows any larger.

"Well, electricity can actually pierce through defenses of any foe," Goombario pondered aloud. "Not to mention all the elites in Bowser's floating castle that could have higher defenses that would seem impossible for us, even as a group taking just one of them down."

"Right," Kooper agreed. "If we're going to storm the castle once we free the rest of the Star Spirits, we're going to need our own army."

"Umm, does that mean yes?" Watt asked curiously.

The party looked at each other and nodded. "Sure. Welcome aboard, Watt."

"Yay!" the Lil' Sparky cheered, releasing bursts of harmless electricity in excitement. "Let's save the world! Umm, after we beat that meanie General Guy, of course."

"Why does Watt remind me of Fluttershy and Pinkie at the same time?" Rainbow asked herself as her personality was that of Pinkie's excitement, but having some timidness when she speaks her mind like Fluttershy.

Now with the Lil' Sparky in tow, the group followed Watt out of the dark room and made their way back to the station, but not before noticing a treasure chest hiding on the other end of the room, where they managed to recover the stolen mailbag from the post office. Along the way, Watt got to know a bit more about the four mares new to the Mushroom Kingdom, hanging around Rainbow more after learning she was used to electricity while astounded how pegasi from their world could manipulate clouds and make thunderclouds shoot out lightning with a single kick. She was even brought up to speed on how many of the Star Spirits they already rescued and the remaining two mares missing out in the world.

Once they reached the train station, they began their siege on General Guy's base. He must have known they were taking back all the stolen valuables and making a ruckus in their toy box, setting up a roadblock made of colorful building blocks toward his HQ. Unfortunate for him, one of his Shy Guys must not have noticed one of them pay attention to a crack in one of the larger blocks. Bombette made short work of the wall, blowing up on the cracked block and sending the structure crumbling down to individual pieces.

Some of the Shy Guys stationed to guard the wall panicked and fled, all of them squealing in fright as they ran back to the base. One of them ended up tripping over his feet, falling flat on his face with his leg twitching in the air. He quickly stood up, looked back at the invading party, and hurried after his comrades.

"Not much of a defensive force, are they?" Bow asked. "Just makes this all the more easier for us."

"Let's charge forward!" Rainbow said, leading the force as the others followed after her.

Wiggy was a bit reluctant to go back, not wanting to be yelled at by General Guy again for actually turning his back on his kind. He followed his new friends, regardless, no longer a member of his troop since he was kicked out and decided to help them recover the Star Spirit his former commander has held captive. The group entered the base, and using Bombette, they blast the doors opened to the large command center, making an entrance as the dust settled. Standing on the other end of the room with a large group of Shy Guys lined up in front of him was General Guy himself.

"Well, well, well," General Guy said. "If it isn't Mario and his little squadron. I had a feeling you were behind all the chaos in our toy box. Trespassing on our turf and stealing the treasures meant only for us Shy Guys! How did you even manage to find the location of our realm, anyway!?"

"We got a bit of inside help!" Rainbow said, hovering above her friends.

"...You. You're the creature that walked into my base a week ago!" General Guy noticed the other three mares among the group, four of the six ponies Kammy instructed on them to find and capture. "How did you elude us and survive in the toy box for that long!?"

"Why don't you ask one of your soldiers?" Rainbow swooped down and picked up Wiggy, the pink Shy Guy yelping and squirming to escape and revealing his hiding spot among the group. "You kicked him out because he was a weak link in your army!? Well, he broke that chain by helping me and showing my friends the location of Shy Guy's Toy Box! So, either way, you lost!"

Though the others couldn't see it, Wiggy could tell General Guy was glaring at him in utter rage. "...Of course. I should have sentenced you to exile than just kick you out of my army. You embarrass us by wearing that stupid wig, which you seem to have more of stashed away somewhere in here, and now you brought the enemy here! You are a traitor to Shy Guys and Bowser's forces! You will suffer the same fate as Mario and his comrades!"

"You kicked him out because he's being himself!? What kind of general are you if you bring somepony like Wiggy that low!?" Twilight asked.

"A general who can do whatever he pleases as I have the Star Spirit he entrusted on me!" General Guy responded. "We're going to take over Toad Town after beating the lot of you, and making sure to lock you four up in cages like the animals you are!" Wiggy finally spoke up and spoke to General Guy in his language, angry at how he was going to put Rainbow and her pony friends in a cage when they're as sentient as they were. He wasn't going to allow them to lock them up, especially the pegasus holding him. "I'll deal with you personally, traitor! Shy Guy battalion, charge!!!!"

The group of Shy Guys let out a battle cry and charged forward, surrounding the heroes as they began the fight. While they were busy dealing with the squadron, General Guy quickly ran over to a part of his base, not to run away, but to acquire something to help give him an edge. Though outnumbered, they managed to hold their own with hammers, fists, hooves, feet, magic, or bodies, knocking out more and more of the first wave. It didn't take long until the squad was beaten, all the Shy Guys scattered around them knocked unconscious.

"So much for that," Rainbow taunted, but when they turned to face the general, they didn't find any trace of him. "Hey! Where'd that coward go!?"

"I never run from battle, animal!" Hearing General Guy, they saw one of his troops run up, holding flags in his hands. He turned around and waved the flags a specific fashion, where he guided a toy tank over to the middle of the room. The machine moved a bit too fast, hitting the Shy Guy and knocking him over on his back, recovering quickly as he stood up and ran away. The tank looked more like a stroller of sorts with a hatch on the front and a light bulb resting on a pillar behind it. General Guy popped out from the hatch, looking smug under his mask. "You may have beaten my infantry, but this war has just begun! Time for the next wave: Stilt Guys, attack!"

"'Stilt Guys'?" Twilight's question was answered as two Shy Guys fell down in between the tank and party, only they were walking on metal stilts. She raised a brow, wondering what was so special about these two walking on stilts when they're still normal red Shy Guys. "...Was there supposed to be something menacing about them?"

"Shy Guys can do a lot of weird things," Goombario responded. "Walking on stilts just makes them that harder to hit on the ground, but mess with their balance and they'll fall over."

The Stilt Guys may have had an advantage with height, but that's also a big downfall as they had to move carefully. Not only that, but a hard enough ram through their stilts can teeter them off balance and send them falling to the ground. Mario and Pinkie teamed up, taking a Stilt Guy each as they jumped up and bounced on top of their heads. The added weight from them stomping on them sent them falling down to the ground off their stilts, only to have their heads smashed in by their hammers, knocking them out quicker than they were able to walk away.

"Yeah. Enemies on stilts are really not the best choice as a wave," Parakarry said. "I thought we were dealing with one of Bowser's toughest commanders."

"Hey, shut up!" General Guy yelled. "I became general of the Shy Guys for a reason! I am a tactician, and we managed to hide our toy box in the middle of Toad Town, and no one was the wiser!"

"And yet said toy box is every five-year-old's dream come true," Bow said. "Your tactical skills are just as bad as one, too."

"Then let's see if you'll laugh at my special battalion!" Blowing a whistle, Shy Guys began appearing, four of them fall from the ceiling as they stacked on top of each other while three came from the side and stacked up as well. General Guy looked around in confusion for the fourth member of the second stack, nearly falling out of his tank as the last one was hiding inside his machine. "Hey! None of you have permission to be inside my tank! When we defeat them, I want a hundred push-ups from all of you! Now, attack!"

"And this is even better than your Stilt Guys?" Twilight questioned.

"Uhh, are we dealing with Bowser's army or a bunch of clowns?" Rainbow asked Wiggy, who shrugged his shoulders after seeing how nonsensical General Guy's special squads can be.

"Well, the Koopa Bros. were tough, but acted like teenagers living a dumb fantasy while working for Bowser," Kooper stated.

"Tutankoopa was cruel to his Chain Chomps and wasn't all that terrifying," Parakarry added.

"Tubba Blubba wasn't all that bad, but his heart was the true monster," Rarity said as well.

"And General Guy is nothing but a bully!" Watt exclaimed. "He even put me in that lantern...and, umm, I don't like tight spaces."

"Hey, idiots, while they're busy talking and insulting me, attack them!" General Guy yelled at his troops, the eight Shy Guys snapping out of their thoughts as they pulled out slingshots.

They began firing pebbles at them, how the ones holding the stack up could aim well with the other Shy Guys' weight on them was an incredible feat. Unfortunately, their aim wasn't good enough as the group was a lot more mobile. While avoiding their shots, Watt zipped forward and began shocking the bottom Shy Guys, their jittering nearly causing their groups to topple over and leaving them vulnerable to attack. Wiggy and Rainbow Dash teamed up on one stack while Twilight tossed Kooper and Parakarry to the other, sending the Koopas flying through the air with a hard toss with her magic. The blue and cyan shells bowled the first group over, Kooper skidding to a halt and sending himself sliding back toward the falling Shy Guys, bouncing off them and knocking them unconscious before regrouping with the others.

Rainbow flew into the second stack, giving the group a hard buck that sent them tottering, struggling to keep themselves upright as they flailed their arms. Wiggy made their efforts all in vain, tackling between the two Shy Guys in the middle and sent them falling over. Watt flew in and finished them off with a powerful jolt, the light tap electrocuting them before they passed out.

General Guy was silent, but he was clearly seething as his body slowly began shaking until he was shuddering madly out of anger. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! Fine, then! I'll just have to beat you all myself!" He hid inside his tank and messed with a few of the controls, making the light bulb hum to life as it lit up. They heard him cackle madly as electricity surged around the glass bulb. "And I'm gonna start with that pansy, wig-wearing delinquent who brought you here!"

Pressing a button, the tank fired a swift bolt of lightning from the bulb, aimed straight for the pink Shy Guy. The bolt moved faster than they could blink as it struck Wiggy, electrocuting him with a very painful shock as it sent him sailing back to the other side of the base. He slammed into the wall hard, his body singed as he fell to the ground, knocked unconscious with his limbs twitching from the electricity coursing through his body.

"Wiggy!" Rainbow flew over to the Shy Guy, hearing him breathe, but the tank's electrical jolt was far more dangerous with how much power it had. Looking back at the tank, General Guy popped up, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked in satisfaction at the unconscious ex-soldier of his. Rainbow leered at the cruel leader, snorting angrily. "Alright. That's it! I'm gonna blow up that stupid tank of yours! Nopony hurts my friends!"

"Good luck trying to leave a dent in this baby, or even trying to avoid the lightning bolts it can fire!" General Guy dove back down in his tank and began to fire another bolt, this time aiming for the pegasus.

Rainbow flew over to Watt and grabbed her. "Watt, I'm gonna need your help."

"Yay! Time for a super charge!" Watt cheered, then began grunting as she sparked wildly in the pegasus's hooves.

General Guy fired a lightning bolt once his machine was done charging, headed straight for Rainbow and Watt. It struck them both, but Watt gained a massive boost from the bolt as it focused on her. Her body sparked out of control, sending electrical currents flowing through Rainbow that actually helped enhance her strength instead of shock her. Sparking with electricity, she flew off, keeping Watt held tightly to her chest as she took off at her usual incredible speed, flipping around and bucking the light bulb hard.

The impact and the electricity coursing through her from Watt made the light bulb blow up, overloading the tank's special attack and releasing powerful shocks through the machine. General Guy yelped from inside, never knowing that the electrical current could affect his tank. He dared to peek out from the hatch once the electricity subsided, only to meet face to face with the angered pegasus and Lil' Sparky.

"...Uh oh," General Guy uttered.

"Uh oh is right, jerk!" Holding Watt tightly in her forehooves, Rainbow subbed the Lil' Sparky's body rapidly, making her giggle as the rough friction charged more electricity in her. General Guy was shocked to see the pegasus was unaffected by Watt's electrical body and the ever growing static she was building up in her. "Time for you to know how it feels to get zapped back!"

"W-Wait! Don't electrocute my tank!" the Shy Guy pleaded, but Rainbow wasn't going to show any mercy.

Slamming Watt down on him, her electrical current flowed into General Guy and the tank he sat in, his body jittering wildly while the tank shook heavily. Electric sparks shot out from both Shy Guy and machine until Watt finally ran out of energy. Rainbow moved away, the general's tank slowly coming apart while he stood in the hatch, singed all over as his limbs twitched. The tank soon exploded from the overloaded electrical current flowing into it, sending General Guy flying out of his mobile weapon and back down into the pile of destroyed toy parts.

Recovering from his daze, General Guy groaned and looked up. With his tank destroyed and many of his troops beaten, there was no possible way for him to win this war. All the stolen items were in their possession and he was bested Mario, his entourage, and the Shy Guy who he let off that guided them through the toy box that lead to his downfall, no matter what decision he made a week ago.

"So, anything you want to say?" Rainbow asked as she hovered in front of the beaten commander.

"...Just one...RETREAT!!!!!!" General Guy ran off, the rest of his troop fleeing with him as they all screamed in terror once they had woken up for unconsciousness.

Passing by the party, one of them ended up tripping over his feet and landed on his face, his leg twitching randomly. It must have been the same one from earlier as he stood up, looked back, and then ran away with the rest of his troop.

"And good riddance!" Rainbow yelled out to the fleeing general.

"That was fun!" Watt cheered. "Umm, can we do that again sometime? That tickled."

The Lil' Sparky's question went unanswered when they heard Wiggy groan, waking up from unconsciousness from the near deadly shock from General Guy's tank. Everyone quickly ran up to the Shy Guy as he got up on his knees. He shook his head, surprised to still be alive, though he saw the damage done to his now singed wig.

"Wiggy, are you alright?" Rainbow asked, answering with a nod. "Nothing broken? Body not paralyzed? Not really sure how durable you Shy Guys can be, but that bolt of lightning from that tank was pretty powerful."

"It was," Watt said. "But, umm, I didn't think it was that bad for someone like me."

Wiggy got up on his feet, wobbling a little as he almost lost his balance, but he was relatively fine. "General Guy wasn't really all that tough," Goombario said. "He ended up resorting to hiding in a tank like a coward. But, thankfully, he didn't use that lightning strike that much thanks to Rainbow and Watt breaking that light bulb."

"Well, now that we've beaten General Guy, where'd he hide the Star Spirit?" Rarity asked.

Wiggy pointed over to the toy gazebo on the other end of the room, unable to write what he wants to say with his paper all burnt from the attack. Rainbow flew over to it and found the card with the fourth Star Spirit inside it. She flew back to the others with the card in her mouth.

"So, how are we supposed to get them out?" the pegasus asked.

"Just give it to Mario," Twilight said. "He's going to get something from you as well."

Rainbow shrugged her shoulders and went along with Twilight's explanation, giving the Star Spirit to Mario. As soon as the heroic plumber grabbed it, the card began glowing brightly as it hovered out of their grip and spun around. Mario also pulled out his Lucky Star, watching it glow blue as one of the arms shifted to the same light shining around it. In the blinding light from the card, tearing to shreds as the Star Spirit was freed from his prison.

"Ahhh! Finally out of there!" he said, fixing his sailor's hat upon his head. "I got a bit annoyed hearing General Guy talking to himself like he's more important than anything else. Thanks for the save! Name's Muskular!" Muskular stretched out his limbs as he looked around the base. "But you think we can talk outside of this massive toy box? I feel claustrophobic just being in this room alone and being trapped in that blasted card for a week didn't help matters while I had my ears chewed off by that Shy Guy."

"Sure. We need to return a lot of things back to Toad Town, anyway," Kooper said.

Muskular noticed Wiggy, eyeing him warily. "What's with that one?...Is that that one Shy Guy that got kicked out a while back?"

"His name's Wiggy, and he's a friend," Rainbow said. "He helped me when I accidentally barged in here and hid me from General Guy's army. You got a problem with that?"

"Rainbow, you're talking to a Star Spirit!" Twilight scolded. "Do you realize how much power he has over you!?"

"Relax," Muskular assured. "I've got no beef with allies of yours. Plus, even if I could do anything, I'm still pretty drained while trapped in that card. Now, let's get out of this place meant for little kids."

The group made their leave of the base and made their way back to Blue Station to escape, making sure to pull the lever to open the tracks for the train to go to any of the stations in any direction.





Back in Peach's Castle, the princess sat around in her room, bored as usual being "trapped" in her room. She sat on her bed and looked out her balcony while Twink made silly poses in the mirror, just as bored as the princess. Sighing, Twink gave up trying to look cool and floated over to Peach. The two looked at each other and had the same exact thought.

"Sneaking around time?" Twink asked.

"I believe so," Peach said in agreement. "Let's just hope I get to at least do something exciting other than doing a dumb survey for Bowser."

"They really aren't going to put in random items as guards for Shy Guy's Toy Box, are they?" Twink asked skeptically.

"Bowser would, but Kammy probably changed them as soon as we left." Peach stood up from her bed and approached the fireplace, Twink floating behind her. "Oh well. I know Mario can defeat whatever comes his way. He's faced Bowser so many times, nothing else can handle him."

"Except now that he has the Star Rod," Twink muttered, feeling a little helpless that he can't take it away from the Koopa King.

"It's alright, Twink," Peach assured. "You're doing all you can for being a Star Kid. And we're helping Mario and the others, playing our part to give them some information they need."

"...I guess you're right." Peach moved the portrait and pressed the hidden button, opening the way for the secret passage yet again.

Going through the passage and spinning the moving platform around into the study Bowser once used to hide his diary and encountered him and Kammy earlier, they exited the room into the second floor foyer. Avoiding the Koopatrol guards and their flashlights, Peach and Twink snuck around to the dining room on the other end. Walking inside, they were surprised to see a large Shy Guy sitting at the other end of the table, a food lover judging by his fork and knife and how chubby his body seemed. He noticed Peach as Twink hid behind her to stay hidden from any of Bowser's soldiers.

"Oh. It's Princess Peach," he said, not even remotely surprised to see the princess had escaped her bedroom. "Nice meeting you in person. I'm Gourmet Guy, at least that's what everyone else calls me." Peach approached the friendly Shy Guy, half expecting him to call any guards to send her back to her room. "So, you're out of your room again? Don't know how you do it."

"You're not even going to alert the guards?" Peach asked curiously.

"Well, I'm supposed to..." Gourmet Guy's stomach began rumbling. "But I'm really, really hungry...I'll tell you what. If you make me something delicious, I can keep this a secret."

"You're saying if I can make you something to eat, you won't tell anyone I got out of my room again?" she asked. "But I don't have any utensils or ingredients to make you anything."

"There is the kitchen down on the first floor. And knowing you've been served from that kitchen in the past, it's definitely worth a five-star rating!" Gourmet Guy pulled out a key from one of his pockets and gave it to the princess. "Here's the key you need to unlock the door to reach the first floor. Be careful going down there as well."

"More guards, huh? Ok. Just sit tight and I'll be right back with whatever I come up with." Gourmet Guy nodded his head and waited patiently as Peach walked out of the dining room.

Peach and Twink couldn't believe that they managed to get a key from one of Bowser's minions to finally move a bit more around the castle. Being careful of the guards on the second floor, Peach made her way to the door to the first floor foyer and unlocked it. While passing through, she could see a couple more guards wandering around, though they would be easy to avoid just like the Koopatrols on the other floor. As the princess made her way down the stairs, she saw one of the doors on the outer pathways in the foyer open and close slightly. Twink noticed it too, both of them giving each other a look as they both silently agreed to check out that room. The kitchen was nearby, so it wasn't too far of a walk to make something for Gourmet Guy, keeping her promise to him so she wouldn't get caught again.

Sneaking around to the room, Peach slowly opened the door. Inside it was meant to be a guest bedroom, thankfully unchanged by Bowser or any of his followers: a comfortable bed, a cabinet for clothes, bookshelves, and a nightstand beside the bed. There weren't any windows, so the door couldn't have possibly opened by any wind. Before Peach tried to call out and ask if there was anyone hiding, she noticed the cabinet shake slightly. Silently walking over to the door, she opened it up, only to leap back in surprise as a Toad fell out and screamed, flailing his arms around.

"Ahh! Don't come near me!" he shouted. "I know kung fu! I'll beat all of you Koopas in one punch!"

"A Toad? How long was he hiding in there?" Twink asked.

The Toad managed to squint his eyes open, stopping his flailing as he saw Princess Peach and Twink staring at him awkwardly. "Your Highness!? Oh, thank goodness."

"How did you get here?" Peach asked. "I thought all the guests from the party and everyone else who got caught were thrown in Bowser's dungeons."

"Well, as soon as the ground started shaking, I fled into this room and hid," the Toad explained. "I've been hiding in here ever since. But, when I get hungry, I manage to sneak out and find myself something to snack on."

"You must be pretty lucky not getting caught, unlike Peach," Twink said.

"At least Bowser will let you off easy because he pines for you." The Toad shook his head and sighed. "Looks like he's won, though, huh?"

"Not yet," Peach said. "Mario will come rescue us. I'm sure of it."

"...If you say so. I'm just going to hide back in here until it's really safe to come out." The Toad jumped back into the cabinet. "Be really careful out there, Princess Peach."

He closed the doors and continued hiding. Peach and Twink left the room and made their way to the kitchen, avoiding the guards all the while. The kitchen was surprisingly kept clean during the time it has been on top of Bowser's floating fortress. It's stocked with ingredients, various cooking and baking utensils, a sink to wash dishes, a stove and oven of the best quality, and a bookshelf filled with dozens of cookbooks with tasty dishes to make.

"Ok, so what shall we make?" Peach asked, checking some of the ingredients while Twink flew over to the bookshelf.

The Star Kid grabbed one of the books, holding a lot of different desserts that looked scrumptious. "Oooooh. How about this 'Special Strawberry Cake'?"

He floated down and showed a two-layered cake covered in vanilla frosting, decorated with juicy strawberries and whipped cream. Peach and Twink's mouths practically watered, feeling their stomachs rumbling as they hungered for some dessert.

"That does look delicious," Peach said. "I think Gourmet Guy will like this."

"Not as much as we will when we get a slice." The duo giggled, deciding on the Special Strawberry Cake as Twink placed the book down on the counter, keeping the pages opened to the steps necessary to bake it.

Peach wasn't a stranger to baking, having made a few cakes for Mario as a reward for saving her from Bowser, so making this cake wouldn't be much of a challenge. Tying an apron around her waist to keep her dress from getting dirty, she got to work as she gathered some eggs, flour, sugar, butter, and cake mix, placing them in a bowl to mix them up as per the instructions given to her. Twink helped mix the batter around, flying around fast as he held the wooden spoon to make sure they were properly mixed while making a few spills.

Once the ingredients were mixed up, Peach poured the batter into a couple pans for the two layers and brought them over to the oven. Twink had preset the temperature for the cake to bake while the princess placed the pans on the racks. While waiting for the batter to rise, they began making the frosting and readied the strawberries and whipped cream to decorate. The timer dinged after a while, reminding Peach that the cake was finished as she put on oven mitts and took the pans out.

After they cooled down, they coated the two layers with frosting, Twink unable to handle himself as he licked whatever was left over of the frosting. Then they placed the strawberries on top exactly how the cake looked in the picture, topping the center between the circle of berries with a big dollop of whipped cream and placing one last, big strawberry in the middle.

"That looks sooooo good," Twink mumbled, licking his lips in anticipation.

"I know, but we better clean up before heading back to Gourmet Guy," Peach reminded the Star Kid, dragging him away from the cake.

It didn't take long for them to clean up the kitchen, Peach carrying the cake on a tray as she carefully left the room while avoiding the guards. She hoped their noses didn't catch the scent of frosting, but luckily, they were too busy with their patrols. She finally made it back to the dining room, setting the cake down on the table in front of Gourmet Guy.

"Oh, thank goodness! I've waited so long, I thought I was going to waste away!" Gourmet Guy said. "Looks delicious!"

"Then let's dig in and see how well it tastes." Peach sliced the cake for them, giving Twink's his under the table so Gourmet Guy didn't see him.

They dug in, the Shy Guy stuffing his slice in his mouth and chewed, only to pause as his taste buds exploded. "Ohh...Ohhhhhhh! OHHHHHHHHHH!" Peach and Twink were startled by Gourmet Guy's overreaction, even though their first bite they thought it was delicious. "THIS IS WAY TOO DELICIOOOOUUUUUS!!!!!" He then whooped and ran around the room wildly, Peach and Twink watching him awkwardly as he made a stop by where he sat at the table. "Whooooo...That was really good."

"...R-Really?" Peach questioned.

"Yeah. Well, it's maybe as good as that one cake that talking pink animal made for me back in the toy box." The princess had a feeling that Gourmet Guy was talking about Pinkie Pie, feeling slightly worried about her and the rest of the ponies, but with Mario keeping them safe, she was relieved by that fact. "Anyway, to show you my gratitude for the delicious cake, I guess I can tell you a little something about one of the Star Spirits."

Twink nearly choked on a piece of his slice and stifled his coughs while Peach stared at the Shy Guy in surprise. "Why tell me?"

"I just thought maybe you'd like a little news. It's not like you have some way of telling Mario from all the way up here." The Star Kid hiding under the table had to stifle his giggles, Peach giggling nervously as if Gourmet Guy was joking despite how wrong he was. "One of the Star Spirits is located in a volcano on an island south of the kingdom: Mt. Lavalava on Lavalava Island. But if Mario were to go there, then he'd better watch out for the nasty Lava Piranha that lives down there. I sure hope that nice animal doesn't go there either. It could eat her up for dessert...I could too if she were actually made of cotton candy. Her hair looks like it though..."

"...Ok. Good to know," Peach said, taking a bite of her cake as her worries began to grow again.

"Well, I better get going," Gourmet Guy said. "I'm pretty sure Mario's going to rescue you soon at this rate. Take care, Your Highness."

The Shy Guy made his leave, Twink coming out of his hiding spot with his cheeks stuffed full, finishing the rest of his cake with a gulp. "Oh boy. If Twilight and any of her found friends end up there, they're sure to be Piranha food."

"But Mario needs to know about this. He needs to save the Star Spirits." As dangerous as Mt. Lavalava is with the Lava Piranha guarding the next Star Spirit, Peach and Twink both knew this information needs to get to Mario, and soon. "Twink?"

"I'll tell them," he said, flying over to the window and opening it up. "I'll be back soon, Peach!"

Twink flew outside and closed the window, heading back down to the earth to find Mario. Peach looked down at her slice, wondering if any of Twilight's friends wound up on that dangerous island. She didn't have much time to ponder when the door opened up, Kammy Koopa walking in with irritation on her wrinkled face.

"What's with all that racket!? Keep it down!" The old witch walked around the table and spotted Princess Peach. "Ah, princess! So it was you making all that noise! You're a prisoner, and you shouldn't-!" Kammy did a double-take, realizing just who it was she was looking at. "W-What!? What are you even doing out of your room, anyway!? How did you get out!?"

"...Umm, I was hungry, and made myself a cake?" Peach said, her excuse working as Kammy still tried to figure out how she managed to escape her room for the fourth time.

"Guards, get in here right now!" Kammy bellowed, two Koopatrols walking in and were just as shocked as the Magikoopa to see Peach.

"Wha-? How is she out of her room again!?" one of them dared to ask.

"That's what I'd like to know! Who wasn't at their post!?" Before any of them could respond, Kammy whacked both Koopas hard in the head with her wand. "I don't want to hear anymore excuses! I'm sick of hearing you all say, 'But I was in front of the door! I didn't see her!' Get your lazy tails in gear and send her back in her room immediately!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" both Koopatrols said, obeying the irate witch's orders and ran up to Peach.

They escorted her back to her room, leaving Kammy to fume in thought. "Just how does she even get past one single guard standing at her door? And why was she eating something in here when she could have just asked for dinner." She looked at the cake, noticing the large chunk of the sliced cake being far more than how much she guessed the princess would actually eat. Her eyes trailed down to the ruffled cloth draped over the table, moving it over to reveal a plate with cake crumbs left underneath. "...Was there someone else here who snuck a slice with her? Unless it's that annoying Gourmet Guy, he wouldn't have been able to fit his fat behind under there...Something strange is going on here, and I have a bad feeling about this..."

Ignoring the plates and half-cut cake to the guards to clean up, Kammy Koopa slowly exited the room as she began formulating a backup plan. Knowing Mario must have already gotten the fourth Star Spirit by now, it was only a matter of time before he arrived to defeat Bowser and take back the Star Rod. She didn't have much time and needed those who were on break to help her if they had any chance in beating Mario for good this time.
> A Whale of a Tail To a Tropical Island
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Muskular took a big whiff of fresh air as soon as the group made their way out of Shy Guy's Toy Box and back to Toad Town. "Ahhhhhhhh. Thank goodness! Bowser was lucky he trapped is in those cards, otherwise I wouldn't hesitate to give him a walloping myself. As much as I appreciate the rescue, you guys still have a lot to go before stopping Bowser. Even though I'm just freed, I can still feel his power growing more and more the longer he holds that Star Rod."

"And we really don't have much time to dawdle," Twilight added. "But, Fluttershy and Applejack...Where could they be?"

"We'll find them, and still have enough time to stop Bowser before it's too late," Goombario said.

"Before we keep going, we'll need to give back everyone's stuff the Shy Guys took," Kooper reminded as he held a sack filled with all the stolen belongings after taking them out of Twilight's saddlebags.

"Pfft. I got this," Rainbow said, snatching the bag and zooming off with Wiggy on her back, the Shy Guy assisting in delivering the right items to the right owners. It didn't take long for the pegasus to fly around and come back, dropping an empty sac in front of everyone. "Ten. Seconds. Flat."

"I counted twelve," Bow retorted with a smirk, getting the reaction she expected from Rainbow as she leered at her.

"Well, I should probably head back to Star Haven and help the others try and get things under control with three of us still trapped," Muskular said. "But before I go, I'll give you some of my power to help you when you need it." The Star Spirit granted Mario his power as stars sprinkled over the heroic plumber. "When you use my ability, Chill Out, you can weaken opponents so they don't do so much damage to you. Pretty useful against tough foes that could knock you out."

"Mario!" Flying down from the sky, Twink dove straight down toward them, making sure to slow down before he accidentally rammed into someone. He didn't even notice Muskular floating before them, too focused on getting the next bit of information to them. "Guys, you won't believe where the next Star Spirit is located! It's down in-!" The Star Kid paused, slowly turning to face the recently rescued Star Spirit. Twink gasped, his body shaking in excitement as he was meeting one of the seven Star Spirits every Star looked up to. "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh..."

Muskular laughed in amusement, never tired of seeing a new Star Kid who rose up to the skies meeting any of the Star Spirits with the same expression they always wore. "Well, nice to see you too...Twink, right?"

Twink gasped in surprise as a Star Spirit knew his name. "Wait, you know him?" Twilight asked.

"I'm a Star Spirit. I'm supposed to know every name of every young star that will one day rise along with the others," Muskular said. "And I knew this little guy had recently ascended from Starborn Valley a while ago, right before Bowser decided to rain on everyone's parade by imprisoning us and stealing the Star Rod."

"Starborn Valley?" Rarity asked. "Where is that?"

"I think it's up north in the Mushroom Kingdom," Parakarry said. "I deliver mail up in colder climates, too. And I've seen some young Star Kids in Starborn Valley. They're raised in the village until they're old enough to ascend to the skies."

"So, where do Star Kid babies come from?" Pinkie asked. "Star dust? Shooting stars? Thin air? A mommy and daddy star?"

"Actually, I don't think I want to know," Rainbow said. "That last one seems a bit...weird for stars to do."

"Yeah. Change the topic, please," Twilight said in agreement. "As much as I want to learn how stars in this world are made, I don't want that answer to be a reproductive process..."

"Ok, time for me to really get going," Muskular said, he too wanting to steer away from the birth of stars, especially with Twink around. He turned to face the awestruck Star Kid. "So, you're helping out everyone, huh, squirt?" Twink slowly nodded his head, unable to speak after learning Muskular and the other Star Spirits knew he would have arrived. The blue Star Spirit grinned, patting the Star Kid on the head. "Keep it up, kid. You might be an honorary Star Spirit like me one day."

Muskular gave everyone a salute as he flew back up into Star Haven with the other rescued Star Spirits. As soon as he disappeared, Twink jittered with excitement, squealing happily while flailing his arms.

"This is so amazing! I met AND talked with Muskular, one of the seven honorable Star Spirits!" Twink laughed cheerfully and flew around in the air, amusing the others, especially Rainbow Dash as Twink reminded her of Scootaloo and how much she freaks out about her as her number one fan. Her amusement turned to worry as she wondered how worried everyone else was back in Equestria. All their other friends and family could be worried sick about them. Twink finally stopped fanboying, remembering why he was in Toad Town in the first place. "Oh, right. I have important news from the castle I need to tell you guys. Peach and I found out one of the Star Spirits is hidden in Mt. Lavalava at Lavalava Island."

"Please don't tell me it's actually an island filled with lava," Twilight begged. "I've had enough heat strokes just from being in Dry Dry Desert."

"It's just a normal island, but there is a volcano that has does erupt from time to time. Thankfully, the lava flows nowhere near the mainland when it does." Kooper said. "In some of my archaeology books, there was once an ancient civilization that thrived inside the volcano itself, but the only inhabitants that live there are a village of Yoshis and some dangerous wildlife in the jungles."

"What in the hay is a 'Yoshi'?" Rainbow asked.

"We'll leave that as a surprise," Parakarry said. "And don't worry, they aren't dangerous. They're actually quite friendly."

"Yay! We're going to see the Yoshis!" Watt cheered, releasing sparks from her body in her excitement. "Umm, if we have time to see them."

"I have always wanted to go to a tropical island for a vacation, but at a resort, not with a volcano looming over the beach," Rarity grumbled. "I'm not going to have time to take a bath, am I?"

"Nope!" Pinkie said. "When we get to Lavalavalavalava Island, beach party with the Yoshis!...Whatever they look like."

"I'm going to head back to the castle," Twink said. "I hope Princess Peach saved me some of that delicious cake."

He flew back up to the sky to rejoin Peach, confusing the others at the mention of a cake. "Bowser let Peach have some cake???"

"Well, that giant numbskull has a soft spot for her and will do anything for her," Bow said. "Except free her, stop terrorizing the kingdom, give up after getting beaten, read a book-"

"I think we get the picture, Bow," Goombario interrupted, the Boo shrugging her shoulders as she made her point. "Luckily, we're by Toad Town Harbor. There might be a boat that can take us to Lavalava Island."

Now with their next destination given, Mario lead the way further west down the road. They could soon smell the salty sea air as they arrived at the harbor, though the docks seemed a bit barren of any boats. There was a building nearby that was a bar called "Club 64" in neon lights, faint music from inside able to be heard through the closed windows. A lot of crates filled with what could possibly be traded goods to and from other kingdoms were stacked on the far end of the docks. There were a few Toads wandering around, along with a strange-looking fisherman over by the edge waiting for something to catch on his fishing line. Over by the docks, however, Kooper recognized a familiar Koopa Troopa looking around for someone, and that was none other than his neighbor and idol, Kolorado.

"Hey, it's Professor Kolorado!" Kooper pointed out, running over to the explorer while the others followed after him. "Professor! What are you doing here!?"

"Hmm?" Kolorado spotted the blue-shelled Koopa as he halted his search for assistance. "Ah! Kooper, old boy! Been a while, hasn't it? Well, my findings in Dry Dry Ruins came up a little short. Couldn't find any ancient relics or artifacts of the sort in there. The only thing we discovered from the hieroglyphs were the Chain Chomps were quite popular in the area and were guards of the ruins."

"Oh...Well, that's a shame," Kooper said, mentally relieved that nothing was taken as they had promised Moustafa. "So, what are you doing in Toad Town?"

"Well, I've read up on an ancient civilization that once lived in Lavalava Island way back when, and I plan on finding me any traces of treasure they may have crafted in those days," he explained. "Problem is, I have yet to find a ferry to the island, and none of the Toads here seem to be savvy with commandeering a ship to take me."

"So, you're going on another expedition?" Kooper asked, giving his idol a dull gaze at his decision. "And you didn't tell your wife?...Again?"

Kolorado's eyes widened as sweat began beading down his forehead, his stunned silence turning into a reassuring chuckle. "Ah, no need to worry. I'm sure she'll understand when I come back after this expedition."

Kooper sighed heavily, hanging his head low at his idol's forgetfulness to warn his family on the dangerous expeditions he goes on. "You know she's going to kill you, right?"

"Oh, pish-posh! She knows I always come back without a single scratch," Kolorado said. "Now, to the matter of finding a ferry across the ocean to reach the island I tend to explore."

"You'd expect a harbor to actually have at least one boat floating around the decks," Bow said. "If it weren't for the club over there, this place would feel like a ship graveyard...Actually, I've always wanted to go to one. Wonder what kinds of Boos haunt sunk or wrecked ships."

While trying to figure out how they were going to get across the sea to reach the island, Pinkie spotted something odd at the end of one of the docks. Curiosity getting the better of her, she bounced over to the end, finding a strange blue mound of something. She crouched low by the edge like a curious cat, poking the object, which felt slick, smooth, and slightly rubbery.

"What is this?" she asked herself. Pinkie stepped onto the miniature blue "island", its rubbery texture almost feeling like a trampoline. She bounced on it a little, giggling as she jumped up and down, getting the others' attention. "Whee! I don't know what this is, but it sure is fun to bounce on!"

"Pinkie, what are you doing?" Twilight asked.

"I think the question is what she's jumping on over the water," Bombette corrected.

After Pinkie gave one hard bounce, the fleshy mound wobbled and let out a pained groan. "Ooogh! Who's jumping on me!?"

The pony yelped and stumbled back onto the docks in surprise. Rising up from the water, the strange thing Pinkie was bouncing on was actually a large blue whale with a white underside. The whale let out another groan as he opened his eyes.

"My word, it appears to be a giant tuna!" Kolorado exclaimed.

"That's a whale," Twilight corrected. "Tuna are practically five times smaller than this whale."

"Ooooogh, my belly!" the whale groaned again. "First my stomach's killing me, and now I've got a headache from something jumping on my head. Can today get any worse for me?" He winced and clutched his flippers around his gut. "Ow! Ow ow ow ow ow! What did I eat that's jumping around my insides!?"

"Wowie. That must be a bad tummy ache if somepony's jumping around in there," Pinkie said, wincing herself as she rubbed her own belly out of instinct. "I can eat a lot of yummy sweets, but too much and my tummy would be hurting for a long while."

"We should probably help the poor tuna out," Kolorado suggested, again mistaking the aquatic mammal for a fish.

"I'm a whale! I'm not even a fish!" The whale groaned again, unable to bear the pain in his stomach. "Look, is there any way one of you can look inside my belly and find out what's causing me so much pain?"

"Walk in your mouth and into your stomach!?" Rarity questioned in disgust. "We'll end up getting digested and eaten as well with whatever is in there!"

Seeing the amount of distress the whale was in, Mario decided to volunteer and take a look for him. He asked for Watt to join him, needing a little bit of light from the young Sparky to see what's causing the whale so much pain.

"Be careful in there, you two," Twilight said, the whale opening his mouth wide to let the plumber inside. "Is Mario going to be able to find out what's ailing this whale?"

"Well, I think Mario was also a doctor at one point," Kooper said, scratching his head in thought. "No idea how long it lasted, though."

"So can Mario do just about anything?" Rainbow asked. "Because if he can, he must be pretty good at everything."

"I think so," Goombario said. "He's good at sports, kart racing, party games, just to name a few."

"A jack of all trades, it seems." Everyone watched as Mario began his trek inside the whale's mouth, stepping carefully on the mammal's tongue as he delved deeper down in his esophagus.

With Watt held in his hands, her body illuminated the dark insides of the whale, stepping across his tongue and passing under his uvula. It didn't take the plumber long to reach the stomach, seeing what the large aquatic mammal had eaten in the past. Aside from a few crates, a small boat, and some empty bottles, one thing that was surely the cause of the whale's discomfort was a strange, fuzzy black caterpillar about as tall as him.

"Wah! Where'd that light come from!?" the caterpillar exclaimed, bouncing around and causing the whale to groan in pain as he leapt around.

"Oh, this must be what's making Mr. Whale all hurty," Watt said. "Umm, can you please stop jumping around?"

"Hey, no one tells Fuzzipede what to do!" he shouted, jumping around on the whale's sensitive insides and rib cage. Mario began chasing after Fuzzipede, but the black caterpillar-thing was too fast for him as he kept jumping around. The Lucky Star began glowing, only this time shining a bright blue, a blue aura appearing around his hands and feet. As he ran, Mario's speed increased substantially, though a bit too fast as he yelped and rammed into Fuzzipede, sending them both crashing into the whale's side, which brought him more pain than they didn't mean to intend. "Ow! Why ya gosh darned jerk!? Ya wanna have a go!? I'm ornery as all get out!"

Fuzzipede headbutted Mario, sending the plumber staggering as he let go of Watt. "Hey, it was an accident, you meany!"

"Like I give a Fuzzy's behind!" Fuzzipede reared back for another lunging headbutt, but Mario was ready for him this time.

With his hands and feet still glowing, he reared back his fist, but as he threw his punch, his arm moved faster than any of them could blink, slamming Fuzzipede back into the side of the whale. Mario finally noticed the aura glowing around his gloved hands, assuming this must have been the part of Rainbow's power bestowed on him: enhanced speed.

"Wow, Mario, that was amazing!" Watt complimented with a few light sparks. "But, umm, what was that?"

Growling, Fuzzipede hopped back up, only this time bouncing over to one of the whale's ribs, latching himself onto the tough bone and hung upside down out of his reach. "Hah! Let's see if you can try to hit me from here!"

"I can!" Watt said, floating up as she charged up electrical energy in her body.

"Oh...Right. Floatin' Sparky things," Fuzzipede muttered before Watt gave him a light tap, his body seizing as electricity surged painfully through his body. Unable to keep himself attached to the roof of the whale's body, he fell down toward Mario. The plumber decided to see what else his enhanced speed can do for him aside from running several times faster and attacking quicker. As soon as the caterpillar landed, Mario unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks that were only seen as red and white and blue and brown blurs. After what felt like a million blows striking him within a minute, Mario backed away as he watched the dazed caterpillar fall over in defeat. "Urrrrrgh...Why me?"

Mario relaxed his stance, his glowing limbs fading back to normal as Watt floated back down beside him to light up the cavernous stomach of the whale. "Wowie. You moved as fast as Rainbow Dash with those punches and kicks. I hope she doesn't get too jealous."

Fuzzipede sat up and groaned, shaking his head as he grumbled aloud. "Oh, this is just great. First I think I got away from that stupid fisherman who tried to use me as bait for his rod, then I get swallowed by a huge fish, and now I got my behind handed to me by a twinkling ball of lightning and some guy with a mustache. I've jumping out of frying pans and into fires ever since I was a grub. My life just can't get any better, can it?"

"Hey, Mario, it's me, the whale!" As the whale spoke, his voice echoed from inside his stomach. "I think my stomachache is finally gone! I feel great!"

Suddenly, the water inside the whale's stomach began rising, making the plumber, Li'l Sparky, and fuzzy caterpillar panic as they were about to drown. Before the water fully submerged them, the whale shot out water from his blowhole along with the trio that was inside of him, sending them flying back to the docks.

"Awww! No fair!" Pinkie whined. "I wanted to get shot out of the blowhole! I should have gone inside!"

"And cause more pain to the whale?" Twilight questioned.

Fuzzipede finally got his bearings as he stared at the culprit who ate him. "Hey, you're the giant fish who swallowed me whole! I thought I was a goner in there!"

"Oh, that was you jumping around in me?" the whale asked. "Sorry. I was just taking a nap with my mouth open. I don't really know what goes in me while I sleep."

"...Well, I suppose I'll forgive you since I'm still kicking, but you watch your sleep eating next time," Fuzzipede said. He then looked back at Mario. "And...I guess I should thank you for helping me. Even though we tried to beat the heck out of each other. I'm gonna head off and NOT get eaten by something else again. Hopefully, no giant birds. They're my worst fear."

Fuzzipede bounced off, staying far away from the fisherman who used his as bait as he went over to the piles of crates stacked up in the harbor. No longer needing to worry about the odd caterpillar that was the cause of the whale's pain, everyone turned to look at the aquatic mammal.

"Well, I feel a whole lot better now," the whale said with a grateful sigh. "They should call you Dr. Mario! How can I express my gratitude for your help?"

Seeing as there weren't any boats around, all of them hoped the whale would be willing to give them all a lift across the ocean, provided he can carry everyone. "We kind of need a bit of a ride to Lavalava Island. You think you can manage the trip with all of us?"

"Why, sure! As long as none of you start jumping on my head again," he said, staring at Pinkie, who gave him a nervous, apologetic grin. "What business do you have there? Lavalava Island is a great place to relax, at least on the beaches, but the volcano is probably on the verge of erupting. Pretty dangerous."

"Well, Mr. Whale, we need to get to the island to rescue one of the Star Spirits trapped there," Twilight explained. "I'm not sure if you've heard about what happened to the castle in town, but Bowser's caused a lot of trouble and he needs to be stopped before he gets too powerful."

"And we're looking for two of our other friends," Rarity added. "We all got separated a while back, and we're not from this world. You wouldn't have happened to see somepony like Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash, would you?"

The whale looked at the earth pony and pegasus, never seeing anything like the ponies in all his life. "No. I haven't seen anything like them around. But, if you're sure you want to go to Lavalava Island, I'll take you there."

"That's very much appreciated," Goombario said.

The whale lowered himself down in the water for the group to climb on his head, but Rainbow Dash decided to stay flying. "If it's alright with you, I'd rather stay in the air. I need to stretch out my wings after being trapped down in that toy box." Remembering the extra addition to their group, Rainbow didn't see Wiggy climb on board. The pink Shy Guy stood on the docks, not going any further. "You're not coming, Wiggy?" He shook his head, pointing over to the path back into town, hinting that he'll need to go back to Shy Guy's Toy Box. "Oh. Well, I guess your buddies need someone to help keep them in line and not steal from Toad Town again. See ya later, Wiggy."

Wiggy waved and ran back into town to return home, keeping order within the toy box. "Hopefully, we'll get to see him again before we find a way back home," Pinkie said. "Maybe the other Shy Guys will be nicer and we can all throw a big party when they become allies for Toad Town!"

"Maybe. I just hope he doesn't get the other Shy Guys to wear those wigs he kept in that bunker of his," Rainbow said. "He might like them, but I doubt the others would."

"Make some room, everyone!" Kolorado said as he hopped aboard the whale. "Hopefully you don't mind me accompanying you all. Adventure awaits for me, and I can smell the treasure from this distance!"

"Ok, hang on, everyone!" the whale announced as he rose up and began swimming out of the harbor. "The sea is calling us!"

"This is quite a peculiar day," Kolorado said. "And we're riding on a tuna of all animals." The whale stopped for a moment, groaning in irritation as the Koopa called him a tuna yet again.

"He's a whale!" everyone exclaimed, the archaeologist shrugging his shoulders before the whale continued swimming out to sea.





The sky was clear as the sun shined down upon the ocean, the light reflecting off the surface of salt water. It was smooth sailing as the group relaxed on top of the whale's head, some of them sunbathing while the others looked out for the island they needed to be at. On the ride over, Twilight introduced herself and her friends to the whale and told them of their predicament and where they came from in more detail. Rainbow hovered over the whale as she was the lookout, strange, round-bodied seagulls called Goonies flying around the pegasus as they looked at her curiously.

"Hey, buzz off, you weird seagulls," Rainbow said as she swatted her hoof at them, but they were too interested in her rainbow mane and tail. One of them tried to nip at her tail hairs, making her yelp and kick it. "Hey! Don't bite my tail!"

She didn't have to fend off the Goonies for long as the island could be seen in the distance. "There it is, everyone!" the whale said, getting their attentions as they looked forward. Aside from the volcano looming over the island in the back, they could see a thick jungle beyond the peaceful looking shores. "Lavalava Island. Peaceful tropical paradise, if you want to ignore the active volcano in the background. Are you all sure one of the Star Spirits is really inside Mt. Lavalava?"

"That's what we've heard from someone on the inside up in Peach's Castle," Goombario said. "This might be one of the most dangerous areas we've been in."

"And danger is my middle name!" Kolorado stated. The whale soon docked over by a peninsula where the water was deep enough for him to approach the island, which was close to the jungle with the grass growing around the area, some strange plants with curled stems, some coconut trees, bushes, and a weird looking flower with spread out petals that spun around on its stem. The Koopa explorer jumped off first, touching down on the island as his expedition of Lavalava Island began. "And we have arrived! Time to begin our quest to find the ancient treasures of the lost civilization from this island!"

"Professor, wait for us!" Kooper called out, but the archaeologist ran on ahead. "This place might be crawling with Bowser's troops!"

"Too late. He's off," Bow said blandly. "He's gonna get himself killed."

"Uhh, well, he's been in dangerous ruins before," Kooper said nervously in defense for his idol. "I'm sure he can fend for himself."

"AHHHHHH! Help! Someone help me!" Kolorado shouted from down on the shore up ahead.

The group disembarked from the whale and ran toward the Koopa. When they found him, he was being harassed by a group of Fuzzies, which made Twilight panic at the sight of the yellow fuzzballs.

"Not more Fuzzies!" the alicorn exclaimed in protest.

"They're Jungle Fuzzies," Goombario said. "They're far worse than normal Fuzzies or those in the Forever Forest."

"How bad?" Twilight asked.

"They're far more clingy and can continuously suck the life out of you if you don't shake them off of you." Luckily for Kolorado, they were all jumping on the defenseless Koopa as he helplessly flailed about on his back. "Looks like they don't find Koopas all that tasty."

"Yeah, just fun to tease and steal our shells," Kooper grumbled in annoyance.

"I'm just gonna stay back here," Twilight said. "If they excrete webbing like any other Fuzzy, I'm not going to be turned into a silk cocoon again."

"Ok, I need to hear how that happened later," Rainbow said with an amused smirk. "For now, incoming, you yellow fuzzballs!"

Rainbow charged headfirst into the attacking Fuzzies, bowling them over and away from Kolorado. Kooper tossed himself over, leaping up and drop kicking one of the Jungle Fuzzies through the thick foliage. He helped his idol up on his feet while Bow and Watt took care of the other Fuzzies, slapping and shocking them respectively until they fled back into the jungle where they belong.

"Professor, are you alright?" Kooper asked.

"Phew. Thank you all for saving me," Kolorado said. "But enough dawdling. Let us pull ourselves together and keep on moving, shall we?"

Before he could move on ahead, Twilight held the Koopa explorer in place with her magic. "How about you stick with us so you don't get yourself in trouble again?"

"Well, I noticed you backing away instead of helping me," the Koopa argued.

"I had a weird experience with Fuzzies when they invaded Koopa Village, and I did NOT want to relive that again if they focused on me!" she said.

"Yeah, I think it's better if you stick by us from now on," Bombette said. "There's a lot of dangerous creatures in jungles like this, and if one of the Star Spirits is inside the volcano, then Bowser's soldiers might be anywhere around here."

"Be that as it may, no danger is too great for the great archaeological explorer, Kolorado Koopa! Tally ho!" Kolorado tried to continue running off down the shore, forgetting Twilight was still holding him in her telekinetic aura. The group continued on, together, the Koopa groaning in disappointment as he slumped over in midair. "I don't think I'm ever going to find the treasure at this rate."

Walking down the long stretch of shoreline, they passed by some more exotic plants, like bell flowers that actually rang like bells when touched. Thankfully, there weren't anymore Jungle Fuzzies that got in their way as they reached a wooden archway with the words "Yoshi's Village" written on it, which must have been the place where the four ponies would see what the Yoshis looked like. Inside the village, they found a few inlets connected by wooden bridges not too far from the shore of the mainland, the one in the center holding a statue of a strange-looking bird the mares have never seen before. Though the layout of the entrance to the village didn't compare to the dinosaur-like creatures that were walking about, all of them varying in colors while wearing brown shoes and small shell-like saddles on their backs.

A red one spotted the newcomers and walked up to greet them. "Welcome to Yoshi Village! What brings you to-?" He paused when he saw Twilight, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Rarity. They were just as surprised to see them, let alone hear them actually talk. "...Uhhh..."

"Oh my gosh," Twilight uttered, all four mares looking over to their Mushroom Kingdom friends. "Are those...Yoshis???"

"Yup. These are Yoshis," Parakarry said in confirmation.

"So. Stinking. CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!" Pinkie squealed, making the red Yoshi flinch and back away. "I wanna hug you! Come here!"

The Red Yoshi let out a surprised squeak as he tried to run away, only to be grabbed by a pair of pink forelegs that stretched out and pulled him toward Pinkie. He flailed his arms and legs as he was squeezed in a tight hug.

"Oh, that sound he made was adorable!" Rarity squealed. "I take back what I said! Ignore the volcano and pay attention to the cute...er, what exactly are Yoshis?"

"I...think they're some kind of reptile," Twilight guessed.

"Well, he's not scaly like Gummy!" Pinkie confirmed as she began rubbing the Yoshi's belly. "Soft and smooth skin, but he looks like a big red alligator!"

"No, not the belly rubbing!" the Yoshi protested, feeling his leg twitch from the pleasant sensation.

He let out a strained groan and fluttered his feet wildly, surprising the mares as the Yoshi began hovering in the air, bringing Pinkie with him before she let go in shock. He hovered a small distance away from the group before landing, then ran deeper into the village to avoid getting grabbed again.

"They can fly!?" Twilight asked, her inner scholar demanding to know everything about the Yoshis.

"That was more like hovering," Goombario said. "Yoshis can get some pretty good airtime, depending on how strong their legs are when they flutter jump."

"So, what do they eat?" Rainbow asked. "Twilight said they're reptiles, so do they eat meat? Or bugs?"

"They eat fruit," Kooper said, pointing over to a yellow Yoshi and a tubby green Yoshi with a feather on his head, too busy chatting to notice the visitors.

All four ponies watched as one of them opened their mouth, stuck out their long, elastic-like tongues, touching a bunch of bananas with the bulbous end of their organs before pulling it into their mouths, swallowing the whole bunch, peel, stem, and all. "Eww. They eat the entire fruit?"

"It's not that surprising," Rainbow said. "Pinkie can scarf down an entire buffet table of sweets in one gulp."

Pinkie shrugged her shoulders, not as surprised as Rarity was. Kolorado wandered off further into the village, which prompted the others to chase after him so he doesn't end up getting hurt again. They soon reached what appeared to be the main center of the village: there was a Toad House for traveling guests to rest in, a big hut that's set as a store, and there was a tree across from the shop that had living birds that looked like the statue back near the entrance.

"So, where do we go from here?" Kolorado asked himself as he looked over in the direction of Mt. Lavalava.

The others spotted the Red Yoshi they met earlier over by a group of younger Yoshis and, to the ponies' surprise, a purple and white fish actually able to live on land. The Yoshi seemed to be talking to someone, standing in front of their view to who he was talking to. When he turned around and pointed at them, he moved aside and, to Twilight, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Rarity's shock, sitting around the Yoshi kids was Fluttershy. She was surprised to see them as well, relieved to know they were ok as she ran up to meet the other four mares halfway into a group hug.

"Fluttershy, you're ok!" Twilight said.

"We were all so worried!" Rarity added.

"I'm so glad you're all ok, too." When the mares broke apart, Fluttershy looked around, finding no sign of Applejack with them. "Where's Applejack?"

"She's not with you, as I figured," Twilight said. "We don't know where she is, but we can only hope she's somewhere safe out there."

"What about you?" Rainbow Dash asked, showing more concern as Fluttershy was her best friend since they were fillies. "Did these Yoshis do anything to you? 'Cause if they did-"

"Rainbow, the Yoshis are harmless," Fluttershy assured. "They helped me when I arrived here. Even the Yoshi leader found me and welcomed me as a part of their tribe. Well, after I mistook them for non-sentient animals and treated them like pets." The pegasus gave a shy grin as she looked down at the Yoshi kids and the adult Red Yoshi. "I couldn't help wanting to give all of them belly rubs."

Pinkie looked down at the Cheep Cheep listening in on their conversation. "Did that fishy enjoy the belly rubs, too?"

"Oh, no. This is Sushie," Fluttershy introduced. "And she's a Cheep Cheep, not just any kind of fish."

"And this old fish isn't all that fond of belly rubs, anyway," Sushie said. "Nice meeting you all. Fluttershy's told me about you, but it's a shame one of your friends are still out in the Mushroom Kingdom." The Cheep Cheep turned to the Yoshi kids who stared at the other four mares in awe. "Kids, why don't you show some manners and say hello to Fluttershy's friends." The five little Yoshis all mumbled their greetings, Sushie shaking her head in disappointment at their rude behavior. "Ugh. Little boys. They love getting into trouble and never learn their lesson."

"We like Miss Fluttershy better," one of them silently grumbled. "She's nicer than you."

"What was that?" Sushie questioned, the five troublemakers wincing at the Cheep Cheep's gaze as they pretended they didn't say anything.

Soon, Fluttershy was introduced to the rest of the group, happy to see Mario was ok after watching him get beaten by Bowser. She was even informed of their reason for being here on the island to stop Bowser and take away his powers with the Star Rod. Despite how terrifying this adventure might be, Fluttershy was willing to brave going into an active volcano to rescue one of the Star Spirits to defeat the Koopa King, doing it for the Yoshis who helped her when she needed it. Unfortunately, while Fluttershy got to know the other members of the party, the didn't pay attention to Kolorado as he began searching for a route from the village to Mt. Lavalava.

"...and that's how we got here on Lavalava Island!" Pinkie said, finishing her summarized story of their journey up to now to Fluttershy. "You should have met Chompy and the other Boos and a friendly Shy Guy who wears rainbow wigs!"

"...So, Shy Guys are those little guys with those masks?" Fluttershy asked. "Oh my. I think they're here on the island, too, but only in the jungle."

"I think those kinds of Shy Guys are called Spear Guys," Goombario said. "Not sure if they like stealing, but they can be aggressive if they thrive in a jungle."

Mario looked around as the mares told Fluttershy of their misadventures throughout the Mushroom Kingdom so far, but there was one head missing, and it was a certain explorer who had a knack for getting into trouble. He alerted the others about Kolorado, all of them finding no sign of him.

"Oh no," Kooper groaned. "He wandered off on his own again! Where'd he go!?"

"YAAAAAARGH!" Kolorado cried out from outside the village. Everyone turned to face the direction his yell came from, which lead to a bit of thick vegetation that headed toward the volcano that wasn't too far from the village. "Heeeeelp! Help me!"

"Not again. Come on!" Everyone ran off to save the Koopa Troopa, again, Fluttershy lagging behind as she stopped and looked back to Sushie and the Yoshi kids.

"Sushie, I'm sorry to run off, but now that I'm with my friends, I need to stay with them," Fluttershy said. "Are you able to watch the Yoshi children?"

"I've been watching these little scamps for a long while," Sushie assured. "I can handle them. You stick with your friends, and I wish you all luck on rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser...Again."

Fluttershy nodded and continued chasing after her friends. They soon arrived in a thick part of the jungle, which didn't seem all that dangerous aside from the grassy trail leading to Mt. Lavalava. Getting smacked repeatedly by a spear were a couple of the Spear Guys Goombario described, the two Shy Guys wearing a leaf skirt and two red vertical lines across both cheeks out of face paint as a sort of tribal sign signifying their status as warriors.

Mario flung his hammer at one of them, smacking it hard in the back of the head before levitating it back to him. Fluttershy was a little surprised to know the plumber was able to use magic, even though she was told after rescuing a Star Spirit, Mario gains a little bit of power from them as well. He even mentioned his enhanced speed in combat thanks to Rainbow Dash's gifts as he showed everyone, shoes and gloves turning blue as he zipped forward in a blur and roundhouse kicked the dazed Spear Guy, sending it sprawling down on the ground.

The other one let out a surprised yelp and thrust its spear at Mario, but with his magically enhanced speed, he was able to avoid the long and pointed weapon with ease. He then pulled the spear out of the Spear Guy's hands and threw a barrage of punches in the foe's abdomen, then sent it flying back with a swift uppercut into the bushes. The first one got up after snapping out of his daze, knowing it was outmatched and outnumbered as it took the smarter route and retreated, searching for its buddy in the deep foliage.

"Whoa! So that's what you were talking about earlier," Rainbow said. "I guess we make Mario even more awesome than he already is!"

Kolorado stood up, shaking his head as he brushed off the attack as if he was just picked on by a schoolyard bully. "Well, that was quite a close one, yet again. You saved me once more!"

"How about you stay put with us next time so that doesn't happen again?" Twilight reminded the Koopa irately. "Or you're going to ignore our warning yet again and focus more on the volcano, aren't you?"

"There it is! Mt. Lavalava!" Kolorado said, making the alicorn groan in irritation, the others agreeing with her as he was dead set on finding that treasure. Even Kooper began having some doubts, but he knew Kolorado was famous for a reason, though he's not as young as he used to be in his heyday. They walked up to the volcano until they stopped at the edge of a small ravine blocking their way, only instead of water, there was a flow of lava at the bottom. They could see the entrance inside the dangerous mountain, though how deep it goes was beyond them with how unbearable the heat was just from being close to the lava ravine. "And there's the entrance.

"Somewhere inside that volcano is a treasure from an ancient civilization that begs to be nabbed!...But, there doesn't seem to be any safe way of crossing." Kolorado turned to face the group, looking at the alicorn, two pegasi, and Parakoopa among them. "Hmm...Maybe if we fly across with a lift from our fellow flyers."

"Yeah, over a pit of lava, I don't think that's a smart idea," Rainbow said. "And Fluttershy's not exactly the strongest of us when it comes to lifting anything that doesn't weigh as much as a puppy."

"Y-Yes...I'm not that strong," Fluttershy admitted, rubbing her hooves nervously.

"And if we're going to be dealing with Bowser's minions inside that volcano while suffering from the unbearable heat, we all need to save our strength for what lies in there," Twilight added. "Besides, that lava is releasing hot air, which can unfortunately rise us up higher and miss that ledge if it gets under our wings. We need a safer way across."

"Maybe the Yoshis know a way!" Pinkie suggested. "They have that cool fluttery-kicky jump thing!"

"The Yoshis don't want to go near the volcano," Fluttershy said. "I asked them about it once, and it's so dangerous because of the eruptions...and...and the living plants that live in there..."

"What was that?" Bombette asked, everyone barely able to hear the last statement the shy pegasus said.

"It's silly. Forget it," Fluttershy said.

"Well, with how strange this world is compared to ours, darling, I'm sure it isn't all that weird," Rarity said, coaxing the pegasus to tell them why the Yoshis feared going near the volcano.

Fluttershy sighed and took in a deep breath. "...There are dangerous, sharp-teeth plants that live inside Mt. Lavalava and Jade Jungle." Despite the surprising news, the only ones who weren't shocked were the Mushroom Kingdom residents. Mario knew some Piranha Plants were able to shoot fireballs from their mouths, so knowing some of them were able to survive in heated environments around lava wasn't any surprise with the ones that popped out in pipes around lava pits in Bowser's numerous fortresses. Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow, and Pinkie stared at their friend with jaws agape in bafflement. "I told you it was silly."

"...Ok, I know flora can't survive anywhere in lava back home...but I'm not going to question it when it involves living, meat-eating plants in this world," Twilight finally said. "What next? They also live in freezing climates?"

"Well, actually..." Goombario paused, the alicorn taking that as the answer to her question.

"I guess the only thing to do now is find a way into Mt. Lavalava, maybe get something out of the Yoshis in the village. Onward, everyone!" Kolorado said as he made his way back to Yoshi's Village ahead of the group. "AGGGH! Nooooooo! Stop! Stop hitting me!"

"Not again!" everyone said as they ran into the distressed Koopa, only to pause when they saw Kolorado was completely fine, laughing at the prank he pulled.

"Oh ho ho ho ho! You all thought I was attacked again, didn't you?" Kolorado thought it was funny, but the others weren't amused as he basically cried wolf. "Explorers need to have a sense of humor, don't you know."

"...That's it. I'm slapping some sense into him," Bow said, flying toward the explorer and repeatedly smacked him around. "Stop! Being! Such! An! Idiot! You! Old! Dunce!"

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!" Kolorado screamed as he spun around in different directions with each slap the Boo gave him. She was finally pulled away by Twilight and Rarity's aura, the others accepting the slaps as the Koopa's punishment for running off and getting into trouble, or pulling a prank making them think he was in trouble. Kolorado fell to the ground, his cheeks bright red with small Boo hand marks with his eyes spinning around in his head and groaned in agony. "...I guess...I deserve that..."
> Rescuing the Fearsome Five
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The group walked back to Yoshi's Village to see if there was any other way inside the active volcano. Kolorado lagged behind them, his cheeks swollen and red from the smacking he received for the practical joke he pulled earlier after needing to get rescued twice. Kooper was a little bit embarrassed, his idol carelessly getting into trouble, even if he thought he deserved to get slapped by Bow for messing around when there's a serious matter at hand.

"So, you worship that idiot?" Bow asked the blue-shelled Koopa, Kooper loosening his bandanna around his neck nervously as he let out a small, equally nervous laugh.

"W-Well, he didn't become a famous explorer for nothing," he reasoned. "His archaeological knowledge is outstanding, he's discovered plenty of artifacts from lost civilizations in the past. Prof. Kolorado is my idol, and I want to be an explorer like him."

"Except where you're more competent and can defend yourself, he isn't and is a trouble magnet." As much as Kooper wanted to defend his idol, he couldn't deny that Kolorado was going to hinder their progress through Mt. Lavalava when their goal was to rescue the Star Spirit deep inside the volcano. "For goodness sake, he's careless to forget mentioning his future escapades to his own wife, getting himself in even more trouble outside of his adventures. He should just stay in the village while we find this stupid treasure of his."

"I'm dead set on finding that treasure, Miss Boo!" Kolorado exclaimed, his bravado quickly disappearing when Bow quickly turned around and leered at him. "B-But I'll be more careful..."

"I doubt that," Bow muttered.

They arrived back in the village, hoping some of the Yoshis are willing to help them. Oddly enough, the peaceful village wasn't all that peaceful as the colorful dinosaurs were all in a panic. All of them were running around wildly, searching desperately for something, some of them in tears as they seemed to be calling out to something or someone in their native tongue.

"What is going on here?" Rainbow asked. "Wasn't this place just calm a few minutes ago?"

"All the Yoshis are in distress," Fluttershy said. She spotted the Yoshi chief trying to calm down the rest of his tribe and approached him. "What's happening?"

"Oh, this is just terrible!" the chief said. "We can't find the children anywhere! They're missing!"

"What!?" Fluttershy looked around, flying up in the air to see if the Yoshi kids were hiding somewhere, but she couldn't find any sign of them in the village. "Oh no! What about Sushie!? Wasn't she watching them!?"

"She was, but I don't know where she went to, either!" the leader said. "I hope those troublesome boys didn't run off into the jungle. They know it's dangerous in there!"

"Fluttershy, what's going on?" Twilight asked as the rest of the group ran up to her.

"I think the Yoshi kids might be out in the jungle," she said. "We need to find them before they get hurt!"

"So this means we'll find information after we find the kids and bring them back safely," Goombario summarized. "Figured there'd be some kind of roadblock."

"Be careful out there," the Yoshi chief warned. "It's rare for any of us Yoshis to travel through Jade Jungle, but it is very dangerous. Be wary of the plants out there, as they can be just as deadly as any other wild animal out there. Some may catch you off guard by being harmless and can easily fool you."

"Dangerous plants in a jungle. No biggie," Rainbow gloated. "We can totally handle this."

"Yes, quite," Kolorado said. "Children are the future, after all. Now, let us venture forth into the jungles and-"

"You're staying here," Twilight interrupted. "As much as we appreciate the extra help, Kolorado, after getting ambushed by both Jungle Fuzzies and Spear Guys, you're better off staying in the village so we don't waste too much of our time and energy saving your life again."

The rest of the group nodded in agreement, Kooper hesitating slightly before he solemnly agreed with his friends. Seeing the vote was unanimous, Kolorado sighed in defeat.

"Alright, then," he said. "Though, perhaps staying here would be a benefit. If any of the rascals make their way back here, I shall watch over them and make sure they do not endanger themselves again."

"Good plan!" Pinkie said. "Now, let's find some dino babies!"

The Yoshi chief lead the rescue party over to the entrance to Jade Jungle, staying behind to calm his panicked Yoshi brethren while they went out to look for them. In the jungle, it's what they all expected: exotic flora, dense foliage, the land split apart in small islands a large mass of lake water that can only be passed by makeshift bridges out of old trees and logs that connected some of them. They could hear snoring from across the water, already spotting one of the missing Yoshi kids sleeping in the branches of a tree, which was the dark blue Yoshi kid.

"Well, we found one of them," Rarity said. "What is he doing sleeping in a tree?"

Fluttershy flew over the water and hovered up to the branch, apparently enjoying the nap he decided to have. The pegasus cleared her throat loud enough for the young dinosaur to hear her. He woke up and yawned, stretching his arms, opening his eyes and yelping in surprise.

"M-Miss Fluttershy!" the dark blue Yoshi kid said, giggling nervously as he tapped his fingers together. "Uhh, hi?"

"What were you and the other boys doing out here in this jungle?" Fluttershy asked, leering at the Yoshi like a disappointed mother. "You all knew how dangerous it is to be out here, and the five of you went in anyway."

"W-Well, we wanted to play hide-and-seek," he explained. "It was boring playing in the village, and there aren't many hiding places there. So...we thought we could play here. I got tired while playing and decided to take a nap while I hid."

"So you don't know where the others are?" Fluttershy asked, the Yoshi shook his head in response. "What about Sushie? Where is she? Is she out there trying to find you?"

"...Uhhh..." He stammered, looking away from the pegasus's gaze as he tried to come up with an excuse. One thing none of them ever wanted to do was make Fluttershy mad or disobey her, given what she called "The Stare" that paralyzed them into obedience. She was clearly giving him "The Stare", left with no choice but to be honest with her. "...We put Miss Sushie up in a tree to the eastern part of this area...She was gonna ruin our fun."

"We're both making sure you don't get yourselves hurt, and when we find her and the other Yoshi kids, you're going to apologize to everypony in the village. Understand?" The dark blue Yoshi kid nodded his head in shame, promising to apologize to everyone with his friends for running off. Fluttershy picked him up and carried him back over to the others, putting him down and gently pushing him in the direction of the village. "Now, you stay in the village and wait for us to come back."

"Ok, Miss Fluttershy," he said before walking back in the safe perimeter of the village.

"So, what were they doing out here, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked.

"They thought it was a good idea to play hide-and-seek out here, and because they ran off to try to have fun, they put Sushie up in a tree east of here so she wouldn't ruin it," Fluttershy said.

"Oooooooh, those boys are all in big trouble," Pinkie said.

"Don't these Yoshis discipline their kids if the do something dangerous?" Rarity asked. "Honestly, if my little sister, Sweetie Belle, wandered into the Everfree Forest for some crazy adventure, I'd be furious and keep her locked in her room while she's grounded!"

In order to find the other four missing Yoshi kids and Sushie, Mario suggested everyone split up into different groups. Those who were able to fly, or bound from island to island for Pinkie's case, began scouring the jungle in search of the Yoshis, separating in different directions with a partner or two: Pinkie leaping over to the far west end with Goombario and Bombette on her back, Mario, Kooper, and Rarity to the east to look for Sushie, Twilight and Watt heading north-northwest, Rainbow and Bow flying farther northwest, and Fluttershy and Parakarry searching around the northeast.





"Help! Someone get me down from here!" Sushie cried out, unable to flop out of the branches after struggling for the past few minutes. "Ooooogh! Those boys are in so much trouble! I'll make sure their parents keep them in the village until they reach adulthood!" As the Cheep Cheep fumed with anger while also worrying for the Yoshi kids' safety, she spotted Mario, Rarity, and Kooper walk across the tree bridge toward the tree she was stuck in. "H-Hey! Hello!? Mario! Up here!"

The trio looked up, finding Sushie helplessly stuck up the tree like a cat. "Sushie! There you are!" Rarity said as they ran up to the tree. "Are you alright, darling!?"

"I'm not hurt if that's what you mean," Sushie said. "I can defend myself quite well, seeing how traveling across the ocean to see my daughter can be dangerous, but I'm not that useful on land!...Or in a tree. Can you get me down from here!?"

"Just hang in there, Sushie!" Kooper said. "Rarity, you think you can lower Sushie down with your magic?"

"I may be a unicorn, but my magic isn't as strong as Twilight's," the unicorn said. "I've only used my magic for finding gems, grabbing fabric and sewing supplies in my boutique while working on my designs, not really a lot of heavy lifting."

"I don't think Cheep Cheeps are that heavy," Kooper said.

While Rarity and Kooper discussed how they can get Sushie down, Mario decided to try an idea of his own. Using his hammer, he pulled his arms back and swung hard, making the tree shake and send the Cheep Cheep tumbling down the branches a little bit.

"Oof!" Sushie yelled out. "Ok, that nearly did it! Try again!" Mario gave the tree another couple whacks, finally freeing Sushie as she stumbled down the trunk and rolled across the ground. She shook her head, thankfully free and unharmed from the fall. "Thank you so much. I'll make sure those boys are properly grounded after I find them."

"We're finding them as we speak," Kooper said. "The others split up to find them a lot quicker."

"You all know it's dangerous out here, right?" Sushie asked.

"We've been in far worse dangerous situations before we arrived here, Sushie," Rarity said. "There's always  some kind of disaster that happens back home, so nothing really truly bothers us after facing Nightmare Moon, Discord, changelings, Sombra, Tirek, and dangerous creatures from the Everfree Forest."

"...Wow. I don't even know which world is teeming with the worst danger..." Sushie quickly shook her head, putting aside her thoughts on what Equestria was like as she focused on the current matter. "Ah! We can talk later! We need to find those kids!"

"We did find one of them already, so we've got four more of them left to find," Kooper said.

"Hang on, boys! Sushie's coming!" The Cheep Cheep flopped across the ground faster than Rarity would have expected her to move, jumping into the water and swam ahead.

"I'm still surprised to know that she's able to breathe on land as well as water," the unicorn noted. "Does she even have gills?"

"We'll discuss that after we know those kids are safe," Kooper said, running off across the bridge to catch up with her, Mario and Rarity following suit. "Hey, wait for us!"





Pinkie hummed along to a song that only she could hear playing in the background, Goombario and Bombette holding on for dear life as the mare bounded over the water to the small islands in the jungle. They had no idea what song Pinkie was singing, but it was fitting for the environment they were in and was kind of catchy.

"Man, this jungle is pretty big," Goombario noted. "And so much water. You'd think there was enough surrounding Lavalava Island already."

"Well, it is a jungle, after all," Bombette said. "But if we're going in the volcano after rescuing the Yoshi kids, I'd better keep my fuse away from the liquid hot lava. I really like blowing up, but I don't want to end up accidentally knocking anyone else into a pit of it."

While searching around for one of the Yoshi kids, Pinkie paused in midair, her ears perking up to the sound of crying somewhere in the mass of bushes on the far west end of the jungle she bounced toward. Unfortunately, she stopped over the water, all three of them yelping as she suddenly fell with a splash. Pinkie swam up to the edge of land where the crying came from, pulling herself and her smaller companions up after getting them soaked.

"Pinkie!" Goombario exclaimed with a cough. "Why did you stop like that!?"

"Well, maybe getting my fuse wet can be a good thing once we find a way inside Mt. Lavalava," Bombette pondered to herself.

"I heard crying!" Pinkie said, shaking herself dry while also making the Goomba and Bob-omb yell as she jostled them as well. Once she was dry, her wet mane and tail poofed back to its curly self as she pointed at the dense foliage. "You hear the squeaky, cute Yoshi crying over there?"

"I hear it now," Goombario said after shaking out the water that got in his ears. "Question is, where is the little tyke?"

"Here, little Yoshi!" Pinkie called out, Goombario and Bombette jumping off the pony's back as they began searching through the bushes. "Auntie Pinkie Pie's here to rescue you!"

"I'm over here!" they heard, coming from a bush farther down.

They pushed through some of the thick bushes, getting closer to the upset Yoshi kid. However, one bush that got in their way shook on its own. It suddenly stood up, red eyes glowing from underneath the leaves as it bared its sharp teeth to them, lunging at the trio to bite them.

"Look out! An M. Bush!" Goombario called out, all of them quickly dodging out of the way. "Those things are poisonous! No wonder the chief warned us to watch out for the plants!"

"What kind of a name is 'M. Bush' for an monster anyway!?" Pinkie asked. "He just jumped us in plain sight and ambushed us!...Ohhhhhh! I get it! M. Bush, ambush! It's a pun!" She yelped as the living ambushing bush lunged at her, quickly pulling out her hammer, blocking its poisonous fangs with hilt to avoid getting bitten. "Hey, I wanna laugh at your punny name!" She then spun around, swinging the M. Bush around and tossed him over to Goombario. "Heads up!"

Goombario jumped up and headbutted the living bush, making sure to avoid its chompers as he sent it flying higher in the air. It fell down toward Bombette, unable to light her fuse since she got wet, so she tackled it instead, sending it flying into the water. Defeated, it flailed in the water as it swam toward land, running off to find a new hiding place for weaker victims to surprise.

"Ok. Good to know we can't trust the plants here," Bombette said, steering clear of the other bushes where one of the Yoshi kids were in. "Now, where's the Yoshi?"

"Over here." Stepping out from a normal bush was the red Yoshi kid, thinking it was safe after hearing the M. Bush splash into the water. "Am I safe?"

"You are now, kid," Goombario said.

"Ok," he uttered. "Miss Sushie was right. We shouldn't have disobeyed her...and tricked her into getting stuck in that tree. She's gonna be really mad at us."

"Well, you've learned an important lesson, so maybe she'll let it slide knowing you're safe," Bombette said. "Now, where'd the rest of your friends go off to?"

"I don't know. We all split up to find a hiding spot, so I guess the others could be anywhere," the Yoshi kid said.

"Well, let's get you back to the village where your precious little head can stay safe!" Pinkie said, patting the little Yoshi on the head, then picked him up and put him on her back. Goombario and Bombette jumped up on Pinkie's back as well, holding on tightly as Pinkie took a running start, leaping over each island that didn't have a bridge as she made her way back to the village. Nearly halfway there, she spotted Sushie swimming like mad in their direction, leaving a trail of water waves behind her with each harsh swish of her tail fin. "Hi, Sushie! Looks like Mario found you!"

"Huh?" Sushie skid to a halt and turned around, now noticing Pinkie, Goombario, and Bombette with one of the Yoshi kids. She swam toward them and leapt out of the water, bouncing up onto Pinkie's head and nearly knocking the rescued Yoshi off her back. "Oh, thank goodness! So, that's two of your little rascals rescued! You three keep him safe! I need to find the other boys!"

Before they could tell Sushie the others have split up to find them, Sushie bounced off Pinkie's head and dove back in the water, swimming off to search for the rest of the Yoshi kids. On an island close to where the entrance to Yoshi's Village was, Mario, Kooper, and Rarity stood by the edge, unable to catch up to the Cheep Cheep in her natural element.

"Hey, Pinkie!" Kooper called out. "You found one of them!"

"Yup! Move aside, everypony!" Pinkie ran forward and leapt across the water, landing on the other side with the plumber, Koopa Troopa, and unicorn. "Now we have three more left to find!"

"And Sushie's determined to find them," Rarity said. "She's way too fast for us to catch up."

"I think the others can handle finding the rest of them," Goombario said. "They can easily fly over the trees and come back safely. Thank goodness there aren't any baddies that can fly around here."

"But what about Fluttershy?" Bombette asked. "She didn't exactly seem like a fighter compared to the rest of you girls. She probably wouldn't even harm a Fighter Fly."

Pinkie and Rarity looked at each other, then back to their Mushroom Kingdom companions. "Well, she has gotten a bit braver since all six of us were best friends, but if there's a cute little critter that's being threatened, she can get pretty aggressive."

"How aggressive?" Kooper asked curiously.

"There was this one time we all got sucked into a comic book and we got super powers," Pinkie said. "She once turned into a wild, crazy, and really really mad bulking hulk pony when the villain called The Maneiac smacked a firefly and hurt it with the powers she had, and she destroyed a dangerous machine, turning it into crumpled metal bits."

"And there's also something she has called 'The Stare'," Rarity added. "One look in her gaze, you'd be paralyzed with fear...although, she only does it on any animals that don't listen to her."

The red Yoshi Kid whimpered at the mention of Fluttershy's 'Stare', never again crossing her over that line as he and his friends learned that lesson the hard way when they didn't listen to her.





"Little dinosaur dudes! Where are you!?" Rainbow called out as she flew over the water with Bow floating behind her. They didn't have to risk getting attacked by Jungle Fuzzies or Spear Guys down below, though trying to find the Yoshi kids would be difficult if they were hiding in the bushes or underneath the trees. "Hey, can Yoshis swim?"

"They can, and can hold their breaths underwater for quite a long time," Bow said. "At least, that's what I've heard. But in the rivers around here, I doubt no sane Yoshi would want to risk taking a dip in the jungle."

The duo flew over to a couple islands out in the direction they headed in. There were a couple trees and some bushes on the farthest one, and down below they saw one of the Yoshi kids, a light blue one.

"Found one!" Rainbow called out, zipping down into a dive, unfurling her wings mere inches away from the ground to stop her descent before crashing. Bow rolled her eyes as the pegasus showed off, slowly hovering down to join her. The Yoshi was crying, but not out of being in danger, more like helplessly lost. "Easy, kid, we're here."

"Huh?" He looked up to see the cyan pegasus searching for him. "...You're one of Miss Fluttershy's friends, right?"

"Yeah. Rainbow Dash," she introduced herself. "Now, how about you start explaining why you and your buddies thought it was fun to go somewhere dangerous to play a game? I mean, I can handle it if I were your age, and beat down every baddie that gets in my way-"

Bow smacked Rainbow upside the head, stopping her gloating before she left an impression on the young Yoshi. "We're supposed to be keeping them from doing something reckless, not inspiring him to keep doing dangerous stunts like this."

"Ow. You really do hurt with those stubby hands." Bow growled at the insulting compliment, resisting the urge to smack the pegasus around and keep her mouth shut permanently.

"Anyway, we're taking you back to the village, no ifs, ands, or buts. Got it, runt?" Instead of whining like the Boo expected, the Yoshi kid was actually relieved to be going back home.

"Ok," he said with a shrug. "I was 'it' anyway, and I couldn't find the others. Miss Sushie was right; this jungle is actually kinda scary, and I didn't know where I was going. Can one of you be 'it' instead?"

Bow and Rainbow looked at each other in surprise, both of them expecting at least a little resistance from the Yoshi kid. "...I think all of us are sort of 'it', since the others are out looking for your other three friends."

"Three? But there's five of us," the light blue Yoshi kid corrected.

"We found your darker counterpart napping in a tree," Bow said. "He told us what you five did to Sushie as well." The Yoshi gulped nervously, now starting to get worried about going back home. They soon heard something splashing down the river, where they found the Cheep Cheep being mentioned swimming toward the island. "Speaking of, here's the Cheep Cheep now."

"Ahh! Hide me!" the Yoshi kid said in a panic, hiding behind Rainbow Dash and tried to camouflage himself with her tail.

Sushie leapt out of the water and bounced over to Rainbow and Bow. "Have you two found any of the-?" She paused when she saw the cowering Yoshi kid behind the pegasus. Their similar fur/skin color could have made him blend in with the mare easily, but hiding under her tail with his back turned, showing off his red shell-like saddle revealed himself. He waited for the inevitable scolding, but Sushie let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness. Ok, that's two more left to find. Make sure he gets back to his parents safely! I hope the others found the other two!"

Without another word, the Cheep Cheep leapt back in the water and swam off, splashing the trio with a wave of water. Bow had managed to turn intangible to avoid getting wet, snickering at the soaked pegasus and her wet mane as she spat out some water that got in her mouth. The light blue Yoshi kid peeked around the pegasus, slightly confused.

"She didn't...yell at me?" he asked.

"She probably will when all of you are safe," Bow said, only making the Yoshi panic more.

Rainbow leered at the Boo. "Nice choice of words, Bow." She shook herself dry, getting Bow wet as she shrieked in surprise, growling while giving the pegasus an icy glare. "Come on. Let's head back to the village and wait for the others."

Rainbow picked up the Yoshi kid and flew up into the air, Bow trailing after her while she wrung out her bows with an annoyed grumble.





Twilight and Watt flew around, searching through the underbrush in the area of the Jade Jungle they headed for. Twilight used her magic to check each of the bushes for any dangerous plant-life they were warned of, noting how the M. Bushes hard sharper-looking leaves and were a brighter pale green than the darker bushes around them. She easily dealt with the ambushing plant-monsters by tossing them into the water, watching them swim away to find a new hiding place.

"Find any of them yet, Watt?" Twilight called out, the Li'l Sparky floating up to her as she looked around the other side of the water where there was a small cliff rising several feet higher from the ground on the island.

"Umm, no," Watt said. "I don't see any Yoshis. But there was a fun little whirly flower that actually lifted me up to that cliff."

"A 'whirly' flower?" Twilight looked over to where Watt flew off to, showing her what she was talking about. She hovered over the water, seeing this kind of flower before back when they first arrived on Lavalava Island. She inspected the flower's petals as it slowly spun around from its stem. "This is a weird flower."

"Climb on! It's fun!" Watt said.

"We're in the middle of finding the Yoshi kids. We don't have time for any fun anyway." As much as she wanted to avoid this strange flora, her curiosity over how it was able to make Watt fly up easily winning her over. "...Or, maybe I could do one small experiment." She jumped up onto the flower, the petals spinning a bit faster as the alicorn began to slowly spin around against her will. "Whoa! Ok, this flower must have some strange wind currents it releases to make anything landing on it float and-" She suddenly yelped as the flower spun faster, making her spin around like a top with a scream as she hovered up in the air. "AHH! Help! I can't control myself!"

Watt watched curiously as the alicorn flew higher than she did, though it might be because she was a ball of electricity and the wind current didn't really affect her that much. Twilight screamed, getting dizzy as she moved over the cliff and toward a group of thick bushes. When she finally stopped and fell, breaking a few branches from the foliage as she landed.

"Umm, Twilight? Are you ok?" Watt asked, floating up to where she landed.

"Ugggggh. I need to practice flying more aerodynamically..." The alicorn shook her head once her eyes stopped spinning around. As she stood up, she noticed something that was hidden behind the group of bushes; a green pipe sticking up out of the ground, which happened to be one of those warp pipes she was told of in this world. "Well, that's an interesting place to hide one of these."

"Somebody help!" a young voice from inside the warp pipe called out, along with the sound of sobbing. "I'm scared! It's really dark!"

"Someone's in there?" Twilight stood up and poked her head over the hole. "Hello!?"

"Help me!" the voice said. "I don't know where I am! I want to go back home!"

"Maybe it's one of the Yoshi kids we're looking for," Watt said.

"From the sound of that crying, I think it sounds like one," Twilight said. "Hang on! We're coming!" She jumped up and dove into the pipe, hearing a strange noise around her as she entered it. She had no idea where it lead, or why her velocity slowed down as she went with whatever direction it took her, Watt following behind her as she whooped in excitement. The pipe soon shifted to a ninety-degree angle, the same warping sound effect came again when she exited the pipe, now in a dark cavern. "Wow. That was actually...kind of fun...And I just realized it's pitch black in here."

Twilight lit up her horn to illuminate the cave, Watt floating out behind her as with the warp pipe sound effect as she exited. On the small hill of piled up rocks, the green Yoshi Kid crawled over toward the edge when he saw the light that suddenly brightened up the cave a little bit.

"There he is!" Watt said, floating up to Twilight's horn. The contact with her glowing appendage caused the Li'l Sparky to shine brighter than normally when someone holds her like a flashlight. Twilight and the Yoshi kid yelped and shut their eyes as the room became blindingly bright. "Oopsie. Too bright."

She flew off the alicorn's horn, dimming the room back to the lavender glow of the mare's aura. "Ok, Watt, better stay away from me and Rarity if our magic can react to your electrical body on contact with our horns," Twilight warned, rubbing her eyes as they readjusted from the sudden brightness. "We're here to get you out of here, little Yoshi."

"Thank you," he said, blinking the spots out of his eyes. "I thought it would be fun to play with this spinning flower I got on, but it sent me spinning around and around and flying in the air, and I suddenly fell down and ended up here. It was so dark and scary, I thought I would never find the way out."

"Well, we've got you," Twilight assured, levitating the green Yoshi kid down onto her back. "Let's get you back home."

"What about my other friends?" the Yoshi asked.

"Our other friends are looking for them right now," Twilight said. "They'll find them and bring them back before you know it."

Making sure the Yoshi was holding onto her tightly, Twilight walked through the pipe, yelping as it sucked her back up, Watt floating through after them. Once she reached the top of the entrance pipe, she leapt off the edge, wishing she could study how these warp pipes worked if it weren't for the important threat of tyranny from an evil Koopa King whose power is growing more and more with each day the longer he holds the Star Rod. As the trio began to make their way back to the village, they spotted Sushie swimming fast through the water, who managed to see the purple alicorn and floating ball of electricity up on the cliff with the fourth Yoshi kid found and rescued.

Sushie dove into the water, quickly turning toward them and leapt up high out of the water, breaching over the height of the cliff and flopped beside them. "That's four of them! Now, only one more. You all are a big help after all."

"Have you been swimming around the jungle trying to find the other Yoshi children?" Twilight asked. "Aren't you exhausted?"

"The ocean's a lot more dangerous than a jungle. I can handle myself in a fight if I need to," Sushie said. "Now, all that's missing is the yellow Yoshi kid. Where could he be?"





"Little Yoshis," Fluttershy called out as she searched around the bushes by a stone statue of a bird matching the one that was in the village. There were two pillars set symmetrically before the statue, although one of them appears to have crumbled to separate blocks, possibly due to nature weathering the stone to fall apart. She and Parakarry searched high and low around the thick foliage of the forest they scouted, the Paratroopa mail carrier hovering over to one of the strange, curly plants as he looked in another bush. Fluttershy gasped when she looked at him, spotting one of the exotic plants moving as they formed into a mouth with green saliva dripping down from it. "Behind you!"

"Huh?" He looked behind him, yelping and flapping his wings to avoid the snapping jaws of the carnivorous plant. "Whoa! What the heck!? That was a normal plant!"

Fluttershy flew over to Parakarry, making sure he wasn't harmed by the dangerous plant. "I think the Yoshis called those Hurt Plants. They look similar to Heart Plants, which are harmless and sometimes drop these little hearts, but these ones are poisonous."

"I'm kinda thankful Yoshi's Village is nowhere farther in the jungle if there are dangerous, 'innocent' plants like these." Staying far away from those plants, even if there were some that were harmless, they continued searching for any of the Yoshi kids.

"HEEEEEEEEEEELP!!!!!!" Both pegasus and Paratroopa turned their heads to the east, hearing a young boy's cry down into a section of the jungle.

"Oh no! That's one of the Yoshi kids!" Fluttershy exclaimed. They both flew off to help the poor Yoshi in distress, but when they found the yellow Yoshi kid, he was surrounded by a couple Piranha Plants that were twice as big as the ones back in Forever Forest. Despite how terrifying the living, sharp-teethed plants were, if anything was going to harm an innocent, cute, and cuddly animal, they were not going to have a good day with the animal-loving pegasus in her line of sight. "Hey! You leave that little Yoshi alone!"

The Piranhas turned to face the pegasus and Paratroopa, ignoring the scared Yoshi kid as they spotted bigger prey to fill their stomachs. As they shuffled toward them on their leaves, the yellow Yoshi ran into the bushes and hid for safety, peeking through the leaves to see what will happen.

"Ok, I think I can take on these two Piranha Plants while you distract-" As Parakarry tried to explain his plan, Fluttershy let out a battle cry and charged forward, fueled by anger at the carnivorous plants as they tried to eat one of the young Yoshis she looked after. She slammed her hooves into one of them, giving it whiplash as its head sent flying back and managed to hit the ground, letting out a dazed groan. The other one lunged its head at her to bite her, but the mare bucked its chin and chomped nothing but air. The Paratroopa's jaw dropped in surprise as the timid pegasus wasn't quite as timid as Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity, or Rainbow Dash made her out to be. "...Uhhhhhhh..."

Fluttershy tackled the stunned plant she just kicked, wrapping her hooves around its stem-like neck and squeezed it tightly in a choke hold, making its head flail about as it gasped for air. It tried to move its mouth down to the pegasus, releasing a foul gas from its mouth to poison her, but she kept far away from its poisonous breath while keeping a firm hold on its neck.

"You two aren't going to harm that little Yoshi if it's the last thing I do!" Fluttershy said, letting out a grunt as she lifted the Piranha Plant up and suplexed its head hard into the ground, using her "massage" sessions with her bear friend, Harry, to her advantage.

While Parakarry just watched in utter dumbfoundedness, Sushie flopped over to where she heard the cry for help as fast as her aquatic nature allowed her to. "What's happening!? I heard one of the children, and-!" She paused when she saw Fluttershy wrestling with one if Lavalava Island's most dangerous of creatures to encounter. "Oh my word...She's fighting a Putrid Piranha? By herself!?"

Parakarry snapped out of his awed daze and looked down at the Cheep Cheep at the mention of what that kind of living plant was called. "'Putrid' Piranha?"

"They have a poisonous breath, and if anyone gets a whiff of it, they're sure to be their next meal." The one Putrid Piranha Fluttershy knocked out earlier snapped out of its daze, growling while baring its teeth at the pegasus pummeling its Piranha Plant partner. Sushie gasped as she watched it sneak up on her, opening its mouth to release its noxious breath, but she wasn't going to let that happen. "Oh, no you don't, you bulbous brute!"

The Cheep Cheep flopped forward and bounced up high, letting out a yell as she belly flopped hard on the sneaking Putrid Piranha's head. Bouncing off the plant's head, it looked up in confusion and spotted Sushie, the purple and white-scaled fish bloating herself up and squirted out a burst of water out of her mouth. The pressure from the shot out water slammed the Putrid Piranha into the ground, flattened even more by another belly flop.

Fluttershy gave the Putrid Piranha she was in the middle of tussling with another hard kick in the jaw, sending it flying off and piling on top of its friend. Confused, she looked up and saw Sushie land beside her, glaring angrily at the defeated Piranha Plants.

"Sushie? When did you get here?" Fluttershy asked.

"Just in time to save you from the other Putrid Piranha coming for you," she said.

The two plants weakly stood up and faced their opponents, though they didn't stand a chance against them after the pegasus appeared to seem meek and helpless. The yellow Yoshi kid ran out from his hiding place and into the safety of his two caretakers, hiding behind them and staying far away from the carnivorous Putrid Piranha Plants.

"You two better leave, and I hope you learned your lesson not to hurt these little Yoshis around us ever again. Understand?" Fluttershy's warning went unheard as the Putrid Piranhas growled. "I said do you understand!?"

The pegasus opened her eyes and kept them wide open, glaring at them as she used "The Stare" on them. Their intimidation failed in comparison to Fluttershy's piercing gaze, frozen in fear and shuddering in terror. They didn't know why they were terrified of her, even if they did get beaten up by her and Sushie, but those eyes paralyzed them as if they were staring into their very souls. Eventually, they obeyed the pegasus and fled, pulling themselves into the ground and escaping before her powerful stare turned them into living stone statues.

As soon as they left, Fluttershy relaxed with a sigh, glad that it was over. "That 'Stare' of yours sure does work wonders," Sushie complimented. "Kinda hard to tell where their eyes are to know where to leer into."

"I only use my Stare only when necessary, and it was so those Piranha Plants don't get themselves even more hurt," Fluttershy said.

"I don't think that would be an issue when they're a lot more dangerous than a Fuzzy." Sushie and Fluttershy turned and looked at the yellow Yoshi kid. "And as for you, young dinosaur..." The Yoshi winced, clenching his eyes as he prepared for a scolding from the Cheep Cheep. Instead of being told how crazy he and his friends were, Sushie bounced over to him and hugged him, surprising the Yoshi with a squeak. "You have no idea how much you five worried me. Worried everyone back in the village. We warned you the jungle was dangerous for a reason, and hopefully, you all learned your lesson after this experience, right?" Without a word, he nodded his head, promising never to wander off in Jade Jungle again after nearly getting eaten by Putrid Piranhas. "Good. Now, let's head back home and assure all your parents that all five of you are safe and sound."

The Yoshi kid was a little surprised to hear such concern from Sushie, usually pretty strict with them in a firm tone of voice as if commanding them to stop their recklessness. Despite how harsh she was, all she did was look out for them, knowing more about the dangerous monsters that could hurt them and keep them safe. Fluttershy snapped him out of his thoughts, holding the Yoshi in her forelegs while Sushie leapt onto her back as they flew off back to Yoshi's Village.

Parakarry tried to wrack his brain over what he had just seen, or what the others would think when he told them what he had witnessed. "...Fluttershy's stronger than she looks...And what the heck did she do to make them run away?"





Everyone regrouped back at the entrance to Jade Jungle once all of the Yoshi kids were found. They headed back in the village, where all the Yoshis waited anxiously for the return of the children. Once they were spotted, their parents ran up to them and hugged them tightly. The young Yoshis swore not to go into the jungle anymore, especially after hearing how close of a call the yellow Yoshi kid had with those Putrid Piranhas.

"Thank you all so much for your help," the Yoshi leader praised as he approached the heroic party. "I am sorry for the young ones causing such trouble during your stay."

"Eh, think nothing of it," Rainbow said. "Just happy to help out."

"Well, now that the children are safe, we have a little question to ask you," Twilight said. "You see, we all need to find a way inside Mt. Lavalava. As dangerous as it is, we need to find one of the seven Star Spirits held captive deep inside, and we need to find a safer way to get across and make our way inside. Do you by any chance have any way of getting there?"

The Yoshi leader was silent as he pondered his answer. Even though Mt. Lavalava was far more dangerous to traverse than Jade Jungle, Mario and his large group with Fluttershy and her friends were able to deal with the foes that wander about the area. There was also the fact that Bowser was causing trouble again, even going so far as to nearly kill Mario and steal Princess Peach's Castle from the ground and lifting it into the sky. He soon let out a sigh, knowing they would find a way sooner or later.

"Ok. I think I might know a way," he said. "Follow me."

The leader lead the way as the others followed, even Sushie as she grew curious as to why everyone was crazy enough to want to go inside of an active volcano ready to blow at any moment. Kolorado let out a groan, unable to do anything as that itch for adventure was nagging him to explore the volcano before he blows up.

"Oh, blast," he muttered to himself. "Seems like I wasn't needed to help watch the children when they brought them back  all at once." He tapped his foot impatiently, but before they could explore the volcano, he needed to wait until they found some way to get across the small chasm of flowing lava. "...Wish there were some books or tomes of this island I can look through." He then looked out toward the jungle, the party he traveled with heading out to where they had entered Yoshi's Village. "...Or maybe just a little stroll through the jungle just to get a little fun out without them noticing."

Kolorado slowly made his way out of the village and out into the jungle, only traveling not too far away from the safe haven of village. Even if there was no treasure out in the area, he could always bring back a souvenir if his hunt for the treasure in Mt. Lavalava was a bust.
> Raphael the Raven
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The party followed the Yoshi chief back toward the entrance of the village was, leading them to the small island that held the odd bird statue they saw earlier. The elder walked up to the statue and searched around for something around it, muttering to himself as he tried to remember where he hid whatever was there.

"Ah. Here it is," he said as he stood back up. In his hand, he held a small jade statue, shaped just like the stone one behind him. "This is the Jade Raven."

"Ok, so how's a piece of jewelry going to help us get across that lava moat?" Rainbow asked. "Does it turn into a giant...bird thing and fly us across?"

"It is actually a piece to a similar statue such as this," the Yoshi explained, pointing back at the weird bird statue. "Placing it in a slot will open a path deeper in the jungle to the master of this island's home: Raphael the Raven."

The ponies looked at the strange bird statue, finding it odd that a raven in the Mushroom Kingdom looked like this. "...So, this bird is able to talk?"

"Yes, although I have not seen Raphael since I was a young Yoshi," the chief said. "It is actually quite difficult to reach his nest as the shrubbery and trees in the jungle are really thick along the path. He will surely help you get across and into Mt. Lavalava's entrance. We are meant to seek his aid when our lives are in peril, and considering how much trouble the mainland is right now with the princess captured, I am sure he will not say no."

The Yoshi chief gave Mario to Jade Raven, who gratefully took it in his hand. Rarity peeked over the plumber's shoulder to get a better look at the gem.

"Oh my, is it really made of jade?" she asked. "Or is it aquamarine?"

"Fluttershy, have you met this Raphael?" Twilight asked.

"No, it's the first I've heard of him," Fluttershy said. "But I have seen those Ravens in the village. They have a little home up in a nearby tree. I tried talking to them once, but I couldn't understand them."

"At least we got our ticket getting in that volcano," Goombario said.

"Now hold on just a minute!" Sushie shouted, flopping about angrily. "You all are planning to go inside of Mt. Lavalava!? Do any of you know just how dangerous wandering around in an active volcano is!? If I went in there, I'd be a fried filet if I touch the lava!"

"But we have to," Kooper said. "One of the seven Star Spirits are being held hostage down there, and if we don't rescue all of them in time, Bowser will grow more and more powerful as long as he holds the Star Rod."

"Plus, he's got Peach held captive in her own castle!" Pinkie added. "She might be helping us, but she's also probably worried about all of us!"

"I know how severe the situation is. Fluttershy told me about what happened to her, but I don't approve of this!" Sushie argued. "Especially when the five of you girls are involved! You're still new to our world, and if there's any possibility of you getting hurt, I wouldn't allow any of you outside of this village just like the Yoshi kids!" The Cheep Cheep let out a sigh, as if she was already defeated. "Then again, you're all fully grown adults, and from what adventures Fluttershy has told me, you can defend yourselves quite well...So, if you're all still willing to go through with this...then I'm coming along with you all on your quest."

"...Uhh, what?" Pinkie asked, speaking everyone's thoughts aloud as they were all confused by her statement.

"You're...coming with us?" Twilight questioned. "...Why?"

"Well, with a group like yours, it's like you're recruiting a small army to storm Bowser's castle and thwart his plans," Sushie said. "I may not agree with how dangerous outside a home, town, village, or city can be for young ones, but I was a troublesome youth in my days, and I don't want that to happen to the children of this generation. That also includes suffering from Bowser's tyranny when he invades the kingdom, scared out of their minds over what diabolical scheme he has to kidnap the princess while causing collateral damage and terrifying the land.

"Besides me having a soft spot for a hero rescuing his damsel in distress-" Sushie gave Mario a wink, or as close to a wink as the others could see from her squinted eyes. "-you'll all need me to help guide you through the jungle. I'm also interested in seeing Raphael as well after seeing his statue on a near daily basis since I first flopped on this island many years ago."

The group looked at each other, silently contemplating whether or not they want to bring Sushie along. With how difficult some of these hideouts of Bowser's best lieutenants were, they were going to need all the help they can get, especially when they confront the Koopa King and his ever-growing power.

"If you want to come with us, how well can you handle defending yourself?" Bow asked.

"Oh, she's pretty good," Parakarry said. "I witnessed her take down those Putrid Piranhas with Fluttershy that almost ate one of the Yoshi kids as a meal."

"I guess that-...Wait, Fluttershy?" The Boo looked at the meek pegasus, finding it hard to believe that a pony like her was able to fight off a Piranha Plant. "...I don't see her as the fighting type."

"Oh, trust us," Rainbow said. "Fluttershy can be fierce when she wants to. She just needs the right...'motivation', if that makes sense."

"No. It doesn't," Bow muttered.

"I watched her suplex a Piranha, kick it in the chin, and wrestle it into the ground," Parakarry recalled, shuddering a little at the ferocity the mare had when it came to defending the Yoshi. "If that doesn't convince you, it sure did convince me."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Bow then turned to face the newly joined party member. "Just don't slow us down and ask for water every five minutes."

"I'm still in my prime, and watch your mouth," Sushie warned. "That snarkiness of yours is going to leave you by your lonesome."

"All the other Boos adore me, no matter what I say, so get used to how I speak to you," Bow argued, turning away from the Cheep Cheep with a huff.

Sushie sighed and shook her head, letting Bow's behavior slide. With the Jade Raven in hand, the Yoshi chief wished them luck as they made their way back into Jade Jungle. Since Sushie knew more about the jungle than the others, even Fluttershy despite living on the island for the past week, she lead the way, making sure to steer everyone away from the dangerous flora they passed. Just heading north from the entrance of the jungle from the village, they arrived at the statue of Raphael the Raven, Fluttershy and Parakarry remembering seeing this while searching for the Yoshi kids.

"So the hidden path was behind this statue, huh?" Parakarry said.

Mario approached the effigy, finding an indent at the base of the stone platform that seemed to be shaped just like the Raven. He placed the Jade Raven in the slot, hearing a thunk as the statue slid to the side, revealing a path that lead further into the jungle. With the path now opened, they headed deeper inside the jungle, the foliage really thick compared to the many waterways stretched out in the open area behind them.

"Ok, so we're deeper in the jungle," Twilight said. "Now, how to find out where exactly Raphael lives."

As they searched around for a way to go, Kooper was the first to notice a strange pink bulb flower by a row of bushes. He recalled seeing a similar looking plant out at the entrance from the statue. He put in his logical thinking cap and theorized something in significance about the flowers.

"Hmm...Really strange flowers," the Koopa Troopa noted aloud. "Hey, Sushie, have you seen flowers like these anywhere else in the jungle?"

Sushie looked at where Kooper was pointing. "Hmm...No. I've only seen that plant out by the statue we just moved. It's not exactly harmful, if you're worried it'll spew sleeping spores if you touch it."

"Actually, I have a hunch that these flowers are planted specifically for a reason. I wonder..." Kooper approached the flower and touched it, letting out a strange humming sound. Looking around, he decided to check the bushes first to test his theory. Pulling the shrubbery aside, he grinned when he spotted a path leading further in the jungle, revealing it to the others. "Aha! These flowers must be markers, placed in a specific spot for others to find hidden passages in the jungle! That explains why there aren't others like it anywhere else on the island, which means they'll lead us to Raphael the Raven!"

"That's just a coincidence," Bow said. Regardless, they continued onward, where they saw a few movable blocks, some holes in the ground with one of them shooting up a small geyser, and another one of those bulb flowers. Kooper gave her a smug grin, waving his hand over to where the bulb was planted by a giant boulder that blocked their way forward. "That's still just a coincidence."

"Don't be jealous that Kooper figured it out before you did," Sushie said with a chuckle, Bow grunting in annoyance as she floated away from the Cheep Cheep.

"Now the question is how we get by this rock," Goombario pondered aloud, approaching it while tapping it with his foot. "Feels a lot tougher than Mario's hammer, though. And probably a bit too heavy to move, even with all of us working together."

"Not even with Twilight using her magic to lift it alone?" Parakarry asked.

Twilight attempted to try to lift the boulder, enshrouding the rock with her lavender aura. She grunted and tried to pull it up, having gained back her magical energy after losing it from Bowser's attack with the Star Rod, but not enough to fully lift the rock.

"Ugh. It's bigger than it looks," the alicorn said. "We have to find another way to move it."

"Like what? A crane?" Bow asked. "Good luck trying to bring something like that on an island out in the middle of the ocean."

"You enjoy being a snarky, sarcastic Boo, don't you?" Sushie asked skeptically. Bow ignored her, already disliking having the Cheep Cheep join them if she was going to be the overbearing mother of the group. Sushie flopped over to the geyser, noting all the different holes in the ground. "Hmm...These holes must be where other geysers spout out of, but only one of them is active."

She looked up when she heard Pinkie giggling, sitting on top of the geyser as she slowly bounced up and down as if it were a ride. While looking around, some of them noticed all the blocks randomly strewn about the area. They weren't something one would find on a tropical island jungle unless they were brought here.

"Maybe we can try covering the holes with those blocks?" Rainbow suggested. "You think there might be one under that rock if we build up enough pressure to send it flying?"

"Might as well give it a try." Going with Rainbow's plan, they split up and approached the many blocks in the area.

One by one, they began pushing nearby blocks over to the holes where the geyser was shooting up from. After blocking the first one, Pinkie plopping on top of the block with her fun ride over, one of the other holes shot water up in a stronger geyser. They repeatedly moved blocks over to the geyser to block its escape route, and when they stopped the last one, they felt the ground shake slightly. The boulder blocking their path began shuddering, getting everyone's attention as they backed away from it. The geyser from the built up pressure underground managed to lift the boulder up and send it flying, watching it disappear through the trees and heard it land hard with a thud far from them, and thankfully Yoshi's Village. Now that the boulder was gone, the path was revealed, the party continuing onward.

"Sheesh, where exactly is this bird?" Rainbow asked. "I'd rather fly around to search for him than walk through the jungle."

"But where's the fun in the adventure, Dashie!?" Pinkie asked. "Dangerous plants, pony-eating plants, lava, treasure! Daring Do wouldn't fly over all this, would she?"

"...I guess not." Rainbow wondered how Daring Do would react exploring the Mushroom Kingdom, although with how dangerous this world's inhabitants were outside of safe environments, she wouldn't want to risk too much for a small trinket. "Meh. Unless there's some mystical artifact that could doom the world, I don't think she'd right a book about it...but that would be so awesome!"

"Can't you make up your mind about whatever this 'Daring Do' would do?" Bombette asked.

"Ironically, Daring Do is the only book Rainbow ever reads," Twilight said. "She got into it after injuring her wing during a stunt, got sent to the hospital to rest for about a day, and got so bored that she finally picked it up and got hooked on the stories. If only I can get her interested in other adventure novels that are just as interesting."

"Nopony's more awesome than Daring Do!" Rainbow exclaimed. She then hovered down beside Bombette and whispered to her. "And what's even better is that the author, A.K. Yearling, is actually Daring Do, so it's fiction to everyone else, but it's all totally real adventures."

"...Wow. That's...just confusing," the Bob-omb uttered, pondering how a non-fictional tale from a pony's life could be made as a fictional novel while the author was able to both go on expeditions and write her novels without anyone spotting Daring Do out in the open.

The next area had a few trees with some vines hanging off their branches, but unfortunately for Kooper's theory, there wasn't a pink bulb flower showing them the next general area where they need to keep moving. "Oh no...There's no flower around here..."

"Well, umm, now what?" Watt asked as she floated around the trees.

"So, Kooper's little guess turned out to be a farce," Bow said. "For wanting to be an explorer, you sure do jump the gun with your theories."

"But I was sure that was it," Kooper mumbled.

They searched around for another path, going without one of those flower bulbs around to help guide them toward Raphael the Raven. They must be getting close with how far they've gotten. While looking around, Pinkie thought it would be fun to swing on some of the vines hanging around, either dropping some random items hidden in the branches or an ambush by some Jungle Fuzzies. The Fuzzies were quickly beaten up and they were left alone again, but Pinkie continued swinging from vine to vine, one of them in particular moved a pair of bushes aside and opened a path.

"Hey, I found a way!" Pinkie called out, letting out a yelp as she slipped off the vine she hung on that opened up the hidden pathway. "Very convenient trees around here."

"How does that even work?" Twilight asked, scratching her head at the possibility of a tree's vine acting as a mechanism to move a bunch of bushes away that were covering a path.

"There have been weirder ways to open doors, passages, etc. in Bowser's fortresses," Goombario said.

Ignoring the confusing mechanics of the tree and bushes, the group kept moving onward. Thankfully, there weren't anymore hidden paths to find anymore when they saw a pink flower bulb, only to quickly hide in the bushes when they saw a roadblock of enemies beside it. There was a Magikoopa and three Putrid Piranhas, keeping a lookout for Mario as if they knew he would try to find a way to reach this part of Jade Jungle. The mage wore a white robe, letting out an irritated sigh as he wrung out the sleeves of his sweat-coated robes.

"I can't believe I was sent down here to keep watch in this jungle," the Magikoopa muttered to himself. "It's always so humid, and the water in this place is probably teeming with bacteria. And this is the fifth time I'm going to have to clean this robe with my darn sweat in this tropical heat today. At least I'm not INSIDE the volcano, thank goodness." He then looked at the Putrid Piranhas he was grouped up with as they idly stood in front of him like stoic guards. "How do you Piranha Plants stand this heat inside and out of Mt. Lavalava?" They didn't respond, making the Magikoopa sigh. "You know, you fanged flowers aren't good at striking conversations. You make standing around here all the more boring."

"It's a Magikoopa with those Putrid Piranhas," Goombario said. "And if that Koopa's wearing a white robe, I have a bad feeling he's got some healing magic up his sleeves."

"Well, I think that was obvious: white robed wizard equals white mage," Pinkie explained. "Simple RPG logic everypony should know. Never underestimate the white mage." She then pulled out her hammer, tapping the head against her hoof while leering at the Magikoopa. "Let's take him down first."

"Sounds like a good plan to me!" Rainbow was about to charge forward with a flap of her wings, only for a lavender aura to keep her held in place before zipping off out of their hiding place.

"Rainbow Dash, there are also those three Piranha Plants we have to deal with," Twilight reminded. "And they're called...'Putrid Piranhas'?"

"They have a poisonous breath that can really get you sick and leave you vulnerable to be chomped," Sushie explained. "Granted, if you have Tasty Tonics on hand, one drink will cure it. These things can be dangerous out here in Jade Jungle, which is why I warned those boys to steer clear of the jungle in the first place."

"We do outnumber them thirteen to four, so we have an advantage, along with the element of surprise," Parakarry said. "Kooper and I can catch them off guard as incoming projectiles, then while they're distracted, you guys can charge in and ambush them."

"Great idea, Parakarry," Kooper said.

Both Koopas hid in their shells as they approached Mario and Pinkie, both plumber and pony readying their hammers to give them a hard whack toward the enemies blocking their way. They both swung their mallets hard into the blue and cyan shells, shooting them off through the bushes and slamming them into two of the Putrid Piranhas heads.

"W-What in the world!?" the Magikoopa exclaimed in surprise.

"CHARGE!" Rainbow shouted, Watt held firmly in her hooves as the Li'l Sparky assisted in giving the pegasus's body an electric jolt, Bow flying behind her while invisible as Rainbow rammed into the third Putrid Piranha.

"Agh! An ambush, eh!? Well, it won't work when I can-!" Bow suddenly appeared in the white Magikoopa's face, shocking him as he screamed like a girl at the sight of her.

"Heal this!" she said, slapping him repeatedly in the face and sending him spinning in place.

With the healer distracted, the Piranha Plants hissed and retaliated once they came to their senses, although one of them was paralyzed from the electrified pegasus. The others jumped out from the foliage as they snuck closer, all except for Fluttershy, ambushing them yet again. Making sure to stay clear of the Putrid Piranha's mouths and their noxious breath, they circled the defenseless animated flora and wailed on them: body slamming, pouncing on their heads, tackling them, explosions, water spouts, and electricity shooting out from the large dust cloud of fighting sounds while limbs or heads poked out every so often. Bow dove in once the Magikoopa was dizzy enough, her hard slaps smacking the Piranha Plants out and in front of the magician in a pile.

"Uuuuuugh," the Magikoopa groaned, shaking his head once the ground beneath him stopped shifting. Looking down, he let out a startled yelp as his "bodyguards" were already defeated, all by himself as he looked up at the large group staring him down. His grip shaking as he held his wand, he gulped nervously with an equally nervous chuckle. "...Y-You guys wouldn't hit a Magikoopa wearing glasses, would you?" He flinched when a blue aura appeared in his face, then levitated his spiral glasses off his face, Rarity taking them off for him. "...Mommy..."

Kooper shell tossed himself past the Magikoopa, making a quick U-turn and slamming into his back, sending him flying toward the others with a terrified scream. Heading straight toward Mario, the plumber crouched, then leapt up and spun around, giving the Magikoopa a hard roundhouse kick that sent him spiraling in the air, landing on top of the beaten Putrid Piranhas with a groan.

Now that the roadblock was taken care of, Rarity inspected the odd, swirly glasses the Koopa wore. "How are glasses like these capable of enhancing vision with how garish they appear to be as an accessory?"

"Lemme see!" Pinkie said, snatching the glasses and putting them on her face. After about a minute, she took them off, her eyes spinning around in her head. "Ahhh! How does he see through these!? I couldn't tell where up was, and I think I saw my tail doing the hula!"

"Yeah, Magikoopa and Kamek glasses are meant to be like that," Kooper explained, taking the glasses away from Pinkie before her eyes literally rolled out of her head. "Not sure why they're made like this. Probably to enhance their focus with their magic or something." He tossed them over his shoulder, surprisingly landing right back on the unconscious Magikoopa's face with perfect accuracy. "Well, let's go see what's ahead."

Walking past the unconscious foes, they seemed to have finally arrived at their destination, everyone looking up with a gasp of awe. Before them was a large tree that seemed about as tall as Mt. Lavalava, maybe even bigger. Its roots were massive, curled out around the base and way to big to make in a single bound, unless you were Mario, which wouldn't be much of an obstacle.

"Wow. That is a really big tree," Rainbow said, stating the obvious for everyone. "How did we not see this thing out on the ocean?"

"Probably due to the canopy of the thick part of the jungle masking the leaves at the top of it," Twilight pondered. She noticed the bulb flowers leading toward the base of the tree, where there was a hollow entrance with a carved out staircase on the inside. "Hopefully this Raphael is still there and hasn't flown the coop yet."

"It's a pretty big place to live in for a Raven," Fluttershy said. "The other ones in the village seemed content with the smaller trees."

"Maybe it's considered a castle to Raphael, and he's the king of all birds," Goombario said.

"Well, we got quite a climb," Sushie said, letting out a sigh as they walked inside and saw just how high the flight of stairs goes. "I'm gonna get quite the workout today..."

Without delaying the inevitable, the group began climbing up the wooden steps to reach Raphael the Raven, if the Raven was up there waiting for them. All the while, Pinkie was humming along to some song she could hear, bouncing in time to its beat. The stairs up the couple stories they made ended to a doorway back outside, where they climbed a long, winding, thick, and really big branch that looped up and around the tree to another passage inside, where they climbed up several more stairs. Eventually, they reached the top as they walked out onto a thick branch, nearly taken aback when they first spotted the big nest which had a huge Raven sitting in it that was possibly ten times bigger than an average one.

"Well, well, well," the Raven said. "Seems like I have visitors. Been quite a long while since I've had guests visit me, although I expected them to be Yoshis. I am Raphael the Raven! Welcome to my home!"

"You're Raphael!?" Twilight exclaimed. "...You mean, you're the master of Lavalava Island!?"

"Affirmative," Raphael said. "I look a lot different than my statues down below, huh?" The others could see the difference, a pretty big one considering the statues were smaller compared to him. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes, Mr. Raphael, sir," Fluttershy said, being the first to snap out of the surprise everyone experienced. "We need to find some way into the volcano. You see, Mario needs to go in there and help save a Star Spirit trapped down there."

The raven looked at Mario, recognizing him and knowing of his exploits in the mainland. "Hmm, yes. I recognize him with the hat. But, never fear, for I knew that question would be asked."

"Umm, you did?" Watt asked.

"I had received a message from the stars and knew I would receive visitors today," he said. "I will be glad to assist you all in getting into the volcano and across that dangerous moat." Raphael cleared his throat before he ended up turning red and looked enraged. "Caw CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!!!!" Everyone winced and covered their ears at the screeching call Raphael made. They soon heard more caws coming from the sky a moment later, finding a few smaller Ravens flying over to the tree, somehow able to fly without any wings as they only had a body and feet. They landed on the branch and stood in front of Raphael in a straight line as if they were military soldiers. "Excellent response time, Ravens. Now, we've got work to do, and I'm only going to say this once, so I want your full attention!"

Raphael began speaking to the other Ravens in their language, though whatever it was that involved them getting over the moat of lava into Mt. Lavalava was a mystery to them. "So, any idea how they're getting us into that volcano?"

"Fluttershy, you know what they're saying?" Rainbow asked.

"I don't know," Fluttershy said. "I haven't had time to understand Raven. Or ever bothered learning since they seemed intent minding their business in the tree."

"...and it must be done as soon as possible, got it?" Raphael asked his troop of Ravens, the smaller avians all cawing in agreement simultaneously. "I should hope so! Let's move, Ravens!" He leapt out of his nest, looking toward the confused group. "Follow my lead, everyone!" Raphael walked over to the edge of the branches and leapt off the side. "GERONIMOOOOOoooooo...!"

The Ravens followed their giant leader with a caw, diving down after him. As soon as the last one disappeared through the canopy, the others looked down over the side of the branch, grateful for some parts of it having a fence to keep others from sliding off by accident aside from the big gap they jumped off from.

"...So, are we supposed to follow them?" Bombette asked nervously. "It's a pretty big drop."

Mario grabbed the rim of his hat and straightened it, deciding to take that risk as he ran forward, performed a triple-jump, and dove down after the Ravens. "...Welp, guess that means Mario trusts them," Goombario said after a moment of awkward silence. Steeling himself, he let out a breath to calm his nerves as he got a running start. "Here goes nothing!"

The Goomba ran forward and jumped off, falling through the canopy with a scream. "Well, come on!" Rainbow said. "I'm not going to climb back down the tree! I'm taking the easy way!"

"Last one down's a rotten egg!" Pinkie said with a hop, skip, and a jump off the branch, cheering gleefully as Rainbow dove down after her.

The others soon followed, some a bit more reluctantly as they jumped off, though the ones who were able to fly just hovered or dove down, easily able to slow their descent. Down below, Raphael and his Raven troop reached the bottom, safely bouncing off a small tree that bounced them safely to the ground. They looked up and watched Mario and his companions follow after them, the plumber landed on the tree and vaulted off, backflipping a couple times before landing perfectly on his feet. The rest of the group landed as well, although where Rainbow, Fluttershy, Twilight, Parakarry, Bow, and Watt simply hovered to safety, Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, Sushie, Pinkie, and Rarity weren't as lucky as they ended up in a dogpile, not realizing how much of a time gap they all needed before they fell on top of each other.

"Ok, probably should have waited a few seconds longer before we all jumped off," Goombario groaned as he ended up at the bottom of the pile.

"That was fun!" Pinkie said excitedly. "Can we do that again!?"

"Never again!" Rarity shrieked. "Next time, I'll take the long way back than jump off the top of a mile high tree and hope for a safe landing!"

"I don't think the tree is actually that high," Twilight said. "It's about as tall as the volcano, so it would probably be a couple thousand feet tall."

"I was exaggerating!" Rarity complained. "It felt that high! Not all of us have wings!...I wish I still had those beautiful butterfly wings when we first went to Cloudsdale..."

"Magic wings?" Kooper asked Twilight, the alicorn nodding her head in response.

Once the party stuck in the pile stood back up, Raphael continued onward as he approached a nearby root. He jumped up, turning red again and slammed his body hard into the ground, causing the root to spring up and make an archway.

"This way," he said, marching forward with his Ravens following in line behind him.

"Doesn't seem like Raphael's tree was that far from the volcano," Parakarry said after he took note of the geography of the island from the top of the tree. "In fact, we didn't seem that far away from it or Yoshi's Village." The party followed the Ravens until they finally reached their destination. Pushing aside a few bushes, Raphael lead them back to the same area of the jungle where they could see Mt. Lavalava from Yoshi's Village. "Huh. Well, what do you know? Raphael's tree wasn't really all that far after all."

"Aye aye, everyone ready?" Raphael said to the Ravens, all five of them squawking with a nod. "Alright, Ravens! Get to work!"

The Ravens all cawed as they leapt up onto a nearby tree not too far from the lava moat surrounding the volcano. One of them, however, ended up smacking its head into a low branch, falling back down with a thud and a small bump on its head. Fluttershy helped him up, the avian barely wincing as it shook its head and climbed up the tree to join its friends. They soon began to work, the sound of tools hammering and screwing parts into place, which was odd yet fascinating all at once to the others watching them.

"Ok, how exactly are they building all that, and where did they get all that stuff?" Bow asked skeptically.

"This won't take long at all," Raphael said.

"You're ignoring my question!" Bow exclaimed.

"I'd say just go with it," Sushie said. "Ravens are a mystery even to me, but they seem to know what they're doing."

While they waited, Kolorado arrived on the scene after hearing the racket going on from the village. "I say, what is with all the noise?"

"Raphael the Raven is helping us find a way into Mt. Lavalava," Kooper said.

"Really?" Kolorado looked up just in time to see the Ravens had finished their work, which happened to be a lift rising up to the top of the tree, along with a zip line that lead down to the entrance of the volcano on the other side, another one set up to bring any of them back to the safety of the jungle if needed. The explorer grinned, now that they had access to Mt. Lavalava whenever they pleased. "By Jove."

One of the Ravens flew down and cawed something to Raphael, who responded in kind with pride at the hard work they did. "Roger that! You all can reach the volcano now."

"Top notch!" Kolorado said. "Now that the way inside Mt. Lavalava is available, we shan't delay the expedition any longer! Onward, to ancient treasures!"

The Koopa explorer ran forward, testing out the Raven's newly constructed elevator and zip line for the others as he rose up in the bowl-like lift, then zipped down on the wire with a whoop, landing safely on the other side. "Wait, Prof. Kolorado!" Kooper called out, but his words fell on deaf ears as Kolorado already began making his way inside. "Oh, man. We need to hurry after him before he ends up hurting himself in there."

"Well, that Koopa is bold, I'll give him that," Raphael said. "...Bold and certifiably nuts charging headfirst into an active volcano." He then looked back at the others. "Well, at least he tested things out for you in the end. Safe enough to travel without those of you with wings to get blown up by the updraft of heat rising from the lava. I wish you all the best of luck! And when you get the chance, tell the chief of the Yoshis to come visit my tree again."

"We'll try," Fluttershy promised. "And thank you for helping us."

"It was no trouble at all!" Raphael was about to head back to his tree home while the other Ravens "flew" back to their tree in the village, the big Raven stopping and turning back to Fluttershy. "Oh! By the way, I saw you earlier in the week when you appeared in that yellow light and treated the Yoshis like pets for a moment. Quite hilarious to see them pant like Poochies when giving them a belly rub," Raphael said with a laugh. "And, seeing you were a bit curious about the language of a species not like your own..." He let out a caw, calling one of the Ravens who had stayed behind and told him something before the smaller Raven nodded and climbed back up the nearby tree. "I will have that Raven make you a little translation book and learn a little bit about how we speak."

"Oh, that would be lovely, Mr. Raphael!" Fluttershy said. "Thank you very much!"

Raphael finally left, heading back into the deepest parts of the jungle to return home. Fluttershy was already giddy, learning more about another species from a new world, and there were still plenty more non-threatening creatures she wanted to see and befriend. Now that they had their way to get across the river of lava, it was actually going to take some time for all of them to use the lift, for those who weren't able to fly, hover, or jump high, and use the zip line one at a time. Luckily, the handle on the pulley system automatically retracted back to the top, surprising everyone with how ingenuitive the Ravens seemed to be.

Bow and Watt were able to get across no problem as they floated to the other side. Rainbow, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Parakarry used the zip line first since they easily flapped up to the branch it hung over. Mario easily jumped over the pit, carrying Bombette and Sushie with him since they would have a harder time holding onto the rope handle. Finally, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Goombario, and Kooper held onto the zip line, Pinkie wanting to swing off it again for fun, but there was no time for too much fun when there's a Star Spirit needing to be saved and an eager Koopa explorer carelessly venturing off into a dangerous volcano that also served as a base for one of Bowser's men. If most of the group from this world thought Fluttershy's meek and timid nature would be a liability for them, then Kolorado's eagerness for adventure could lead to recklessness, rivaling his liability with the pegasus's as they explored Mt. Lavalava for the first time.
> Heating Up in Mt. Lavalava
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The party made their way down the sloped hallway of Mt. Lavalava after finding their way across the moat of lava, already feeling the intense heat permeating the active volcano. Kolorado blindly ran ahead of them, concerning Kooper with his idol's safety in such a dangerous place that once held an ancient civilization.

"Ugh," Twilight groaned as she already felt her body sweat from the heat radiating from the lava inside. "This is worse than Dry Dry Desert's dry climate."

"Now I really need a shower before we go anywhere after this," Rarity complained. "I hate being all sweaty."

"Well, I'm feeling fine," Parakarry said.

"You're a walking, talking turtle to us ponies," Rainbow said. "You guys clearly love the heat, even if it gets you sleepy."

"We're not that kind of reptile," Kooper corrected. "And how do you know much about reptiles? Isn't Fluttershy a better expert with animals?"

"I have a pet tortoise named Tank back home. Hope the little guy's doing alright. If he doesn't get read any Daring Do stories before bed, he can get pretty cranky." Kooper and Parakarry stopped and looked at each other, both Koopas surprised to hear a pegasus that loved being fast has a pet tortoise of all animals she chose to take care of.

"It's a long story," Fluttershy said, noticing the odd looks they had. "Rainbow Dash wanted a pet that was cool like her and could fly as fast as her, but after a life-threatening race through a place called Ghastly Gorge, Tank saved Rainbow Dash after her wing got caught under a boulder. I knew letting her give him a chance would come through in the end, and they've been inseparable."

"Yeah, you should have seen what happened when Tank had to go into hibernation one winter," Pinkie added. "That was a really messy start of the season, and she tried to stop winter from coming. And she was really scary when she was mad just mentioning that word."

"Hey, I'm over it now!" Rainbow exclaimed, only to be shushed by the others.

"Rainbow Dash, be quiet," Goombario warned. "We might run into any of Bowser's minions in here. And with most of them possibly being Piranha Plants, they could pop up out of nowhere."

The Goomba ended up jinxing their luck as a Putrid Piranha popped up out of the ground from a far enough distance. "IDENTIFIED AS...MARIO!" it said in a robotic voice, surprising everyone.

"They can talk!?" Twilight exclaimed in both fascination and confusion.

"No, they're not supposed to," Sushie said.

"IDENTIFIED AS...FIVE OF SIX UNKNOWN CREATURES INFORMED BY BOWSER!" the Putrid Piranha said. "ALERT! REPORT TO BOSS! ALERT! ALERT!"

It soon fled back underground, apparently the leader of whoever was in charge of protecting the Star Spirit. "Uh oh. Umm, looks like they know about our pony friends, too," Watt said.

"Well, they're not going to catch us if we can fight back," Rainbow said. "Let's show those monster flowers we're not so helpless."

"Wait, what about Prof. Kolorado!?" Kooper exclaimed. He ran on ahead, quickly skidding to a halt once he left the long hall and into a room filled with lava with a few solid platforms spaced out, some of them even moving left and right conveniently to father spaced out safe spots. Standing by the edge near the entrance was Kolorado, making the blue-shelled Koopa Troopa breathe a sigh of relief as the others caught up to him. "Professor, thank goodness you stopped."

"Of course!" Kolorado said. "I was just trying to figure out how to get across this sea of lava safely. And the only way is by these stone platforms." They looked out to the platforms, some of them shifting slightly in the lava as if they were bobbing up and down, some of them remaining stationary. "Hmm...I sense quite a lot of danger within this volcano, but that's the point of an adventure! Danger around every corner, and only the bravest of explorers venture forward in search of ancient treasures."

Most of the group facepalmed/facehooved, clearly obvious that a volcano with lava flowing about was a dangerous for an adventure. "Gee. What was your first clue?" Bow asked, questioning Kolorado's expertise in his field.

"Let us tally forth!" Kolorado said, leaping onto the first platform. He succeeded in jumping across, puffing out his chest at his feat, only to look down as the platform began to sink. As soon as his feet touched the lava, he let out a shriek and immediately leapt out and back onto safer ground. "What is wrong with that rock!? It sank into the lava!"

The ponies were a bit surprised that Kolorado didn't burst into flames when he touched the lava. Either lava for those in the Mushroom Kingdom only burns them and sends them bouncing off to safety like a painful trampoline, or he was lucky and barely got burnt and jumped back toward them.

"Ok, someone's going to have to carry me across," Sushie pleaded, quickly jumping up on Rainbow's back. "I'm not going to be turned into a cooked filet if those rocks are going to sink with any weight on them."

"Alright. So, everypony jump across one at a time until we get all the way through the ones floating about," Twilight said, letting out a loud gulp as she looked down at the floor of lava a few inches away from safer ground.

Slowly, one by one, everyone jumped across the bobbing rock platforms toward the ones that were thankfully stable. They were caught off guard when floating balls of fire called Lava Bubbles, or Podoboos as Goombario also called them, jumped out of the fire and tried to ambush them. Since they were made of fire, touching them was a bad idea, so the only way to hurt them was with a weapon or Kooper and Parakarry flinging themselves at them while in their shells. Sushie easily disposed of them, squirting a painful burst of water she kept stored in her, dousing them and defeating them pretty quickly. After finally making it through the room, they were now in a much bigger section of the volcano, leading further down as if it was carved out to be a dungeon many years ago. There were even some similar zip lines on the higher cliffs to get to some sections that weren't accessible on foot.

"Alright. Now where do we go?" Rainbow asked.

"I'm guessing where the Star Spirit is located would be down in the deepest part of the volcano," Twilight pondered.

"Wait for me!" Kolorado yelled out after he finally made his way through the previous room. He panted as soon as he caught up to them, barely making it across with the sinking platforms. "I...don't know how you all do it."

"Maybe if you pay attention, then you wouldn't end up getting burnt," Bow chided.

She then looked at Kooper, wondering why he ever idolized someone who she sees as a dimwit, the Koopa giggling nervously as he approached Kolorado. "Uhh, listen, Professor, you think maybe you should stick with us? Through the whole volcano?"

"Nonsense! I'm perfectly capable of adventuring on my own! You know of my greater explorations in my younger years!" Before Kolorado could jump onto the zip line, Kooper quickly grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Prof. Kolorado, I'm dead serious," he said. "I know you want to find the treasure and all, but please, for all of our sakes, including Twilight and her friends' safety, can you not jump the gun and run ahead of us?"

The explorer looked at the alicorn and her friends, eventually letting out a sigh despite his itch for adventure telling him to keep moving forward. "Well, alright then. I'll try to keep my composure."

"Thank you," Kooper said.

They continued on, carefully making their way down further into Mt. Lavalava. They came across some Putrid Piranhas patrolling the area, along with a new kind of Buzzy Beetle that thrived in the area. Instead of blue shells, they wore red ones, and they had a sharp spike on their backs, Goombario recalling them being called Spike Tops. It was impossible to jump on them or whack them with how thick their shells were, but they were able to trip them up and whack them hard on their soft underbellies when they tried to attack them.

When they walked down a flight of stone steps, they saw a pathway that was blocked by a red and yellow block that wasn't anything like the yellow or stone ones. "Oh boy. More giant blocks blocking our way."

Mario approached the block with his hammer out, giving it a hard whack. Instead of breaking, his mallet stopped stone cold, his arms shaking slightly from the impact. The block was made out of solid steel, and the hammer he found in Dry Dry Ruins wasn't strong enough, so that meant there had to be a stronger one somewhere in the volcano.

"Seems like we're going to have to find another way," Twilight suggested. She looked down, finding more of the area to explore, along with some more lava and more enemies roaming around. "There's two pathways we can take. Should we split up?"

"I'd rather not while we're inside a volcano that could erupt at any moment," Sushie said. "We all scatter and end up at a dead end, hello seventh degree burns."

"I say we go down the road beneath where we came from!" Pinkie suggested. "My gut tells me there's something very useful down that way that can get us farther!"

"You mean your Pinkie Sense is acting up again?" Fluttershy asked, suddenly whimpering as she and the other ponies quickly looked up. "Y-You're tail's not twitching, is it?"

"Nope, thank goodness," Pinkie said. "But my Pinkie Sense isn't going off. I just have a gut feeling about that way."

"Might as well go along with it if there's something down there that can help us in the future," Kooper said. He then looked over to Kolorado, who was also eager to see what lied down the left pathway down below. "Professor, you stay up here by this block."

"What!?" Kolorado exclaimed. "You mean all of you are going on ahead while I stay up here to watch this giant block!? And you're letting the rare creatures from another world go down there with all the dangerous traps and threats before me!?"

"One; they can take care of themselves," Bow said, giving the Koopa a blank stare. "And two; you got burnt within stepping inside of Mt. Lavalava. Who's going to be more of a liability here?"

Kolorado let out a dissatisfied grunt, crossing his arms over his chest and sulked like a five-year-old who wasn't allowed to get what he wanted. "This is turning out to be a less fun adventure if I'm going to be constantly scolded."

"Because you're not even listening to us!" Bow yelled, appearing in the spooked Koopa's face. "Clean out your ears and read my lips: Stay! Put! Or else I'm going to slap you again!"

Shaking fearfully at the thought of being slapped again, he nodded his head rapidly, promising to stay in place. "You do need to work on your people skills, Bow," Sushie commented.

"You're all thinking the same thing, right!?" she asked. Everyone seemed to mumble their agreements, to Kolorado's disappointment. "Would have been better for us to go in without him and find his stupid treasure for him while we find the Star Spirit."

"But it wouldn't be fun!" Kolorado complained, only to get a terrifying glare from Bow as she gripped her fan tightly in her hand. He instinctively hid in his shell in fright, peeking his eye through the neck of his protective body. "I'll shut up now."

"Can we get a move on!?" Rainbow asked. "We've got a world to save, and we don't have time to waste, right!? So let's go!"

Rainbow ran ahead, taking the zip line down to the bottom level or the area. Seeing Kolorado had complied with Bow's warning, the others hurried after the cyan pegasus before she ended up getting herself hurt. Passing through another similar hallway back near the entrance, their progress was halted by a river of lava flowing in the middle of the room. It was too wide for any of them to barely make it across safely, unless they were Mario. There was an upper pathway where the source of the lava was flowing out of, along with some conveniently placed blocks on the other side that were big enough to block the red river of burning hot magma. Mario jumped ahead and pushed those blocks, blocking the lava flow and shortening the deadly river enough for everyone to make it across.

In the next room, there was a big chest similar to the ones from Dry Dry Ruins and in Boo's Haunted Mansion, but it was blocked off by one of those tough red blocks they couldn't break earlier. The only way to get to it was across another river of lava, past a few Lava Bubbles floating around like guards, and jumping up the steps to access it on the other side. There were only two of the pushable blocks in the area, which wasn't enough to even try to block the lava river, and everyone wasn't that crazy enough to jump across while using them as a short makeshift bridge.

"Well, there definitely is some treasure here," Bombette said. "I wonder what's in that chest."

"Probably a new hammer," Pinkie guessed. "Which means I take Mario's old new hammer, then we both get an upgrade!"

"Are you sure it's a hammer in there, Pinkie?" Rarity asked. "That would be too much of a coincidence if that were the case."

"We did find Mario's current hammer in the Dry Dry Ruins that helped destroy those stone blocks," Goombario mentioned. "And his new shoes back in Bow's mansion when she was testing us to get through those boarded up holes in the floors. So, maybe it is a coincidence, or dumb luck that we find something to help us get farther along."

"Either way, stronger gear means easier times taking out baddies!" Pinkie concluded. She then pushed Mario forward, not too far to push him into the lava and give him a burnt behind. "Go get it, Mario! More power awaits you! And give me your other hammer when you get back!"

Once Pinkie stopped pushing him, Mario looked back at her innocent grin and let out a sigh, straightening his hat and readied himself for a running jump. He ran forward and long jumped across the lava with ease, even without the two extra blocks he could have used to make his jump simpler. After snuffing out the Lava Bubbles that spotted him with a hard whack from his hammer, the plumber jumped over the rock-like steps and reached the chest. Mario opened it up, and as Pinkie had called it, inside it was another hammer. He picked it up, which was a bit heavier than his current stone hammer, but it wasn't difficult for him to wield, colored similarly to the block not too far from him, the ends of the head yellow with the base being red.

"It really was a hammer," Twilight uttered with a groan. "It's definitely a coincidence at this point."

With there being a new block nearby, Mario decided to test just how strong the bright red and yellow mallet was. Held tightly in his hands, he approached the block, raised the hammer up, and slammed it down hard. The block instantly shattered, the heavy impact causing a small quake a couple yards around him as pieces of the metal block scattered around him. The others were just as surprised as he was, practically feeling the amount of power put into that new hammer.

"Ok, that's sure to knock some skulls in really well," Rainbow said.

"Aww! Now I want a hammer like that!" Pinkie whined. Mario rejoined the group, giving Pinkie his other hammer. "Oh well. A bit more oomph for me than with this weak hammer. Anypony want a weak hammer!?"

"That's my Goompa's hammer," Goombario said. "I'd take it back, but because I do better bonking enemies with my head, I'd like that kept safe."

"Okie dokie!" Pinkie then placed the wooden hammer in Twilight's saddlebags for safekeeping, testing out her new hammer's weight with a few swings. "Now maybe I can at least do some decent damage."

With a new hammer to help them further along, everyone began heading back to regroup with Kolorado. As soon as they arrived at the wide open area with the several cliffs and zip lines, they used a bounce spring to send them back up to the same level where they encountered the tougher red and yellow blocks. Kolorado was a bit curious to know what was down there, but if they had come back, then that meant there was no treasure down that way. Mario then smashed the block impeding their progress, opening the way further into the volcano.

"Ah! Excellent!" Kolorado said. "Let us not wait any longer! Onward to glory!" Walking through the passage, they entered another open area, where they stood on a cliff with a zip line in place to carry them to the other side of the wide gap. Down below was nothing but a dead end with more foes wandering about, and it was at least five stories below where they stood, which would leave someone with a pretty bad back if anyone walked off the edge. "Hmm...I smell treasure! Make way! I'm going on ahead!"

Kolorado ran forward, forgetting about the cliff side. "Wait! Professor!" Kooper called out.

Before he ended up running off the edge, Twilight used her magic to pull the explorer back on solid ground, planting him on his behind. "Did you forget that there's no ground in front of you and you could have fallen?"

"Hmm?" Confused, Kolorado looked down and finally noticed there was no solid ground ahead of him. "...Oh...Hehehehe. Yes. I...didn't see where I was going?"

Everyone faceplamed/hooved, even Kooper as he began losing all hope for his idol. "Professor, you really can't be aware of your surroundings before moving on?"

"Clearly not if he's too blinded by searching for ancient treasures to notice a pitfall right under his nose," Bow uttered.

After Kolorado had gained some sense of how gravity worked again, he followed the others as they all used the zip line to get across to the other side. Moving onward, they headed down yet another slightly sloped passage, some of them wondering just how deep Mt. Lavalava really was compared to how it seemed on the outside.

"Great, another boring hallway," Rainbow said with a bored sigh. "Is there anything exciting that can happen to us besides beating up bad guys?"

As if tempting fate, a heavy thud shook the ground behind them as they turned around, spotting a large, spiky stone with a face on it. With its rounded shape, it began to roll toward them. Everyone screamed in panic and quickly ran down, the faced boulder slowly gaining speed to try and catch up with them and turn them into Swiss cheese. Thankfully, it was too big to fit through the passageway, the group making it out safely as it crashed in the entrance. After they caught their breath, everyone leered at the pegasus for jinxing them, even Kolorado with his own stupid decisions earlier that only pertained to injuring himself.

"You know, it's a curse when you ask for anything to happen, or even that certain phrase none of us are ever going to say?" Pinkie said, chiding the pegasus as she looked at something the others couldn't see. "You all know that magic phrase out there! Nopony say it, even if you're reading this, otherwise bad things will happen to you, or me, or anypony else!"

Kolorado stared at Pinkie in confusion, scratching his head as looked at the wall she was staring at. "Did she stumble on her head? Who was she talking to?"

"It's Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie," the other ponies said simultaneously.

Kolorado decided to follow the mares' explanation for Pinkie's weird antics, to his curiousity and confusion. Once they gathered their bearings, they ended up in another lava-filled hallway with more stone platforms that moved back and forth, the center platform a long stretch of rock with a few fireball sticks spinning around and some Lava Bubbles. At least none of them sank into the lava, otherwise Kolorado would have had another hot footing moment. Thankfully, they made it across without getting burnt, although Pinkie and Rainbow made a game out of jumping over the sticks of fireballs, which kept going faster and faster with each jump until they imploded and turned into coins.

The next room was another spacious one, with yet more Putrid Piranhas, several more of those red and yellow metal blocks on a ledge beside them that kept another one of those rolling spike balls held in place at the top of the stairway.

"What is that thing?" Rarity asked curiously.

"I think that's some kind of Thwomp," Goombario said. "Most of them are actually rectangular, but they can also be round. Some are flat or have spikes, but one thing they love doing is waiting for victims, mostly Mario, to walk underneath them, then slam down and squish them like a pancake."

"So they're held up on the ceiling and drop down like the heavy stones they are?" Twilight asked. "And are they sentient?"

"Well, they can talk, but being held up on the ceilings is an understatement," Goombario said. "They can actually float back up once they hit the ground, only until they hit the ceiling. Thwomps can be pretty deadly if you're not careful."

"Heavy blocks of stone that can manipulate their own gravity to crush their victims...That's...terrifying to come across." Twilight could only imagine one of Bowser's fortresses having a long hallway filled with Thwomps, every single inch of the room filled with tons of solid weight threatening to squish unsuspecting intruders. She shuddered at the thought of anyone running for their lives to avoid getting squished, eventually getting crushed before they reached the end and to safety. "I kind of want to know what kind of magic they have that allowed the block ones to float up, but I'm afraid of getting crushed as their answer..."

Continuing on, Mario whacking the Putrid Piranhas with his new hammer and dealing an insane amount of damage to them while the others finished them off, they ended up reaching a dead end. There weren't any cracks in the wall, so Bombette couldn't blow up beside it to create a pathway.

"So, where do we go now?" Fluttershy asked. "I don't see another way."

"My intuition tells me it must be beyond this wall!" Kolorado said. He then approached the wall, pressing his hands against it to feel a hidden pressure switch to move it, even though they're inside a volcano and not an ancient ruin. "It should be around here somewhere..."

While everyone figured out what to do to get beyond this dead end, Mario looked back at the stairway of metal blocks and the stationary rolling Thwomp at the top. Bringing a hand to his chin, he had an idea that can help them continue forward. He then informed Twilight about his crazy plan, getting a second opinion from the intelligent alicorn.

"Hmm...That might work." She followed Mario back to the blocks, getting a lift up onto the ledge as she got a better look at the Thwomp and the angle of the stairs if the blocks were destroyed. Using her knowledge of mathematics in her head, judging the weight of the Thwomp to the slope of the stairway, getting an estimate of its maximum speed and the force of impact against the wall, she was sure that it can break through after rechecking her mental equations. "Oh, yeah. This is definitely going to work. I'm going to tell everypony to get out of its way first, and when I give you the ok, you break the blocks."

Mario gave Twilight a thumbs up and waited patiently while the alicorn trotted back to the group. Kolorado was still trying to figure out how to "open" the wall while Twilight relayed to everyone about unblocking their way.

"But what about Mario?" Fluttershy asked in concern. "Won't he get run over?"

"Not with my super speed he can use with that pendant thing he has around his neck," Rainbow said. "He can outrun it in ten seconds flat...but he's not faster than me."

"We get it, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said with a roll of her eyes. Everyone stepped out of the rolling Thwomp's path, all except Kolorado, who was still infatuated with the wall to hear them. "Kolorado? I don't believe there is any secret switch on the interior wall of a volcano. And I have a keen eye, so I can tell if there is such a switch on there."

"Wait, I think I've just about found it," Kolorado insisted, only to yelp as Twilight, yet again, enveloped her aura around him and dragged him toward them. "Hey! I was on the right track!"

"We're not going to let you get run over by a spiked, sentient rock as it crashes through the wall," Twilight said, aiming her horn up and shooting a small burst of light above them, giving Mario the signal.

With the go ahead, Mario twirled his metal hammer in his hand and began smashing through the blocks in rapid succession. As soon as he broke the last one, the Thwomp began to roll, quickly running back down the steps. It began picking up speed, slowly catching up to Mario, but he kept on running regardless of the oncoming danger of getting crushed. The ponies were a bit worried he wasn't going to make it, quickly turning to shock as he ran past them with the heavy living spiked boulder on his tail. He made a leap toward the wall, then kicked off it, leaping backwards over it, his back barely grazing the spikes as it rolled under him. The wall was broken through as Mario backflipped a couple times before landing on his feet, the plumber adjusting his hat before giving his audience a grin, followed by a thumbs up.

"...Show off," Bow commented.

The mares were speechless before Rainbow spoke up. "That...was...awesome!"

"And scary!" Pinkie Pie added. "Do it again! I wanna learn how to do wall jumps!"

Ignoring the shocked Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight, the former two nearly fainting after expecting Mario to get crushed, Kolorado ran on ahead. "We're getting close! The treasure must be this way!"

"Professor! What did I say about-!?" Kooper's words fell on deaf ears as his mentor went ahead of them yet again. He let out an annoyed sigh, now getting frustrated with his eagerness. "Ok, looking past his previous explorations that made him famous, he's really starting to get on my nerves running on ahead."

"Now you see how annoying he is!" Bow said. "If you want to be an explorer, don't be as dimwitted as him."

"I think Kooper's smart enough to know when to be careful and when to act like a little kid on Christmas about ready to open his presents," Bombette said in the Koopa's defense.

They chased after Kolorado, hoping he didn't end up getting into trouble or try to cry wolf again. Thankfully, he didn't wander off too far, coming back from a pathway where the rolling Thwomp kept going, where they saw it embedded into a wall on the other end as it eventually came to a stop.

"Well, it's a real dead end down that way," Kolorado said. "I could have sworn the treasure had to be close. Maybe it's further deeper in the volcano."

"Any further and we're bound to run into the Star Spirit too, as well was whatever's guarding it," Sushie said. She wiped her brow, the heat inside the volcano getting hotter and hotter the further they got. "Phew. I'm going to turn into a steamed Cheep Cheep at this rate."

"And it's only going to get hotter," Twilight said, pointing at a staircase leading down to another level. "I hope we're prepared for what's protecting the fifth Star Spirit."

"Come on, Twilight. We're going to trounce Bowser and his cronies easily with all of us," Rainbow said confidently. "It'll be a piece of cake when we save the Star Spirits, find Applejack, and show that giant dragon turtle monster not to cheat his way into taking over a kingdom!"

"Umm, he's actually a Koopa," Fluttershy mumbled.

"Even if we can outnumber him, he can really do a number on us with that Star Rod," Rarity said, reminding everyone of the powerful wand the Koopa King has. "And if he gave Tubba Blubba the power of invincibility, albeit by separating his heart from his body, who knows how much power he could have given to any of his lieutenants that are charged with guarding the other remaining Star Spirits."

"We can do this!" Watt cheered. "Umm, right?"

"Yeah. We can do this," Goombario said. "The fate of the kingdom is at stake. And if Twilight feels confident with her spell to bring her and their friends back home, so is their world without them being there."

"Or the possibility of Kammy Koopa finding a way to their world," Kooper added nervously. "If she managed to study enough of their unique magic and create some kind of portal or transportation spell to Equestria, Bowser might try to take over their kingdom if he still has the Star Rod."

"Then we have no time to lose!" Pinkie said. "Onward to the Star Spirit! Down into the depths of the volcano!"

Desperate to keep going and stop Bowser from getting any stronger, the party made their way down the stairs to continue their search for the Star Spirit. Kolorado stayed behind, taking another look around to see if there was anything he may have missed, along with not getting scolded and/or slapped in the face for running off and causing trouble again.

"Hmmm...I was able to see the lower area around here from that path," Kolorado said to himself. "Maybe I can provide a lookout just in case there's an ambush they aren't aware of. And when it's clear, I continue my search for that treasure."
> The Dangerous Lava Piranha
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Deeper down the group went down in Mt. Lavalava, and it only kept getting hotter and hotter. There couldn't have been much more volcano left to explore, the lair of Bowser's trusted soldiers must be getting close. They steered clear of any gaps filled with lava as they continued onward, the ponies sweating up a storm from the unbearable heat.

"I hope we find the Star Spirit before we encounter whoever's guarding it," Twilight hoped. "After all this, when I find us a way back to Equestria, I'm going to spend a month's vacation up in the Crystal Empire and roll around in the snow outside the barrier."

"And I'm in desperate need of an hour long bath!" Rarity complained, letting out a disgusted whine as her sweat-covered mane lost its curls and draped over her face and neck.

"Anypony have any water?" Rainbow asked. "I feel like I'm gonna pass out." She soon sputtered as Sushie squirted water at the pegasus, cooling her down a little, but the lava's heat quickly evaporated what moisture was on her fur. "Not what I had in mind, but thanks."

"How do you have so much water in you, Sushie?" Fluttershy asked curiously. "Don't you need it?"

"I've been around underwater volcanos in the ocean several times. It's like boiling water down there, but I'll live as long as I don't jump in the lava like a lunatic," Sushie said. "I'm a special kind of Cheep Cheep, so water's not really any trouble for me, and we don't really need to be in the water all the time."

"I'm guessing you don't have enough water in you to make Mt. Lavalava a dormant volcano, huh?" She shook her head, confirming Kooper's thoughts. "Yeah. It probably would take thousands of gallons of water to actually turn all this lava into obsidian."

"My sister Maud would love to mine obsidian!" Pinkie said randomly. "You think we can get some Mushroom Kingdom obsidian so she can compare it with Equestrian obsidian?"

"Isn't it the same kind of rock regardless?" Bombette questioned.

"Pinkie will find a difference in some way," Twilight said. "...Then again, Maud might actually spot a difference."

As they got closer, the same Putrid Piranha scout back when they entered popped up in their path.  "MARIO AND CO. STILL APPROACHING! IDENTIFIED AS SEARCHING FOR STAR SPIRIT! CODE RED! REPORT TO BOSS! ALERT! ALERT!"

It sunk back into the ground to warn its boss, which means they're just about close to encountering the leader. "I'm going to take a guess that the boss here is going to be a giant Piranha Plant made of lava," Pinkie said. They continued on until they arrived at a circle of lava on the solid stone path. They didn't see anything out of the ordinary, no sign of the Piranha leader. Suddenly, the ground began to shake, everyone panicking as they thought the volcano was about to erupt. It stopped as something began rising out of the little pool before them, three long, sharp vines slithering out of the lava, the captor of the Star Spirit inside the volcano revealing itself: the left and right vines had a Piranha Plant bulb head on the ends,but the one in the middle was a fully grown head, looking down at them with invisible eyes and a menacing grin. "Hah! I was half right!"

"BLECK HYUCK HYUCK YUCK!" the Lava Piranha laughed robotically, shaking its head back and forth intimidatingly. "YOU HAVE ARRIVED, MARIO! AND YOU BROUGHT THE CREATURES NOT OF THIS WORLD TO ME!
BUT YOU ARE HERE TO STEAL STAR SPIRIT! WE WILL NOT LET THAT HAPPEN!"

"Too bad, ugly!" Rainbow goaded. "We're gonna prune you right out of that little lava pit of yours!"

"We're not as helpless as we may appear!" Twilight said, lighting up her horn as she and the rest of her companions prepared for a fight. Fluttershy, however, hid behind everyone, terrified of the lava-dwelling plant. "Just hand us the Star Spirit, and maybe we'll consider letting you off! You and the rest Bowser's troops are going to be outnumbered!"

"BLECK HYUCK HYUCK YUCK! HILARIOUS!" Lava Piranha said. "BUT THIS VOLCANO IS OURS! WE DO WHATEVER WE WANT! GOOD DEAL FOR KEEPING STAR SPIRIT TRAPPED! YOU WANT, WE MAKE IT HOT! WE BEAT YOU, MARIO, THEN CAPTURE CREATURES FOR BOWSER!"

The Lava Bulbs reared back, then lunged forward as they spat out fireballs from their mouths. Everyone scattered as best as they could with the limited amount of ground they could stand on without slipping into the lava. The fireballs were aimed more at Mario, the Lava Piranha smart enough to know who was the bigger threat out of all his compatriots and Equestrian allies. The plumber pulled out his hammer, the Lucky Star glowing as it made his hammer glow like it had when the Kamek attacked them after meeting Twink back in the kingdom's capital. He blocked the first one, then slammed the second one back, but the fireball didn't do much to the fire-spitting plants.

"Wait, when was Mario able to do that with his hammer!?" Kooper asked.

"It happened once when a Kamek attacked us by near Shooting Star Summit!" Goombario said. "He fired magic at him, but the Lucky Star seemed to have activated and helped him deflect it! He must also be able to knock back other projectiles that aren't physical to strike, too!"

The Goomba's theory was put to the test as the Lava Piranha reared back and took a deep breath. Lunging forward, he breathed out a large ball of swirling flames unlike the fireballs its buds spat out. Mario held his hammer out before him, thinking it would bounce off as well, but the moment the larger flames reached his hammer, he yelped as he was engulfed in the explosion of flames. The ponies were relieved to see him still standing, slightly scorched, but thankfully not as bad as Bowser's powered up fire breath.

"Ok, maybe not everything," Bow said, stating the obvious. "Hey, big mouth! How about going after someone else!?" She flew up to the Lava Piranha and gave it several hard smacks in the face. Its head was too big while connected to the incredibly thick, spiky green vine it was attached to, unable to spin it around in a dizzy state. It grinned, barely feeling anything as it flashed Bow its sharp teeth. "...And by someone else, I meant not me?"

She yelped as it snapped its jaws down on her, but as a Boo, she turned intangible and flew back to the others. "Wow, that's a tough plant," Kooper commented. "I better not try using my fire shell move since that won't work on that thing."

"Then let's try some normal shells!" Twilight said. Using her magic, she grabbed both Kooper and Parakarry, both Koopas ducking into their shells to be prepared to be flung. The alicorn sent them spiraling around her, then gave them a hard toss at the Piranha Plant. She aimed for the bulbs, hitting them both at once, making them wilt as their vines seemed to scrunch up painfully. Levitating both Koopas back toward her, she grinned as she easily took care of the Lava Piranha's sidekicks, whether they were a part of his body or not. "There. That should make things easier for us."

The Lava Piranha continued spitting out more fire at them, barely phased that the Lava Bulbs assisting it were knocked out. The party scattered, making it difficult for any of them to get closer to strike back. What was worse was that those who were able to attack from the ground like Bombette weren't able to get a lift from someone who could toss them up, especially with how tall the Lava Piranha was. While split up, the Piranha Plant spotted Fluttershy all by herself, shooting out a plume of flames at the defenseless pegasus.

"Fluttershy!" Sushie called out, quickly breathing in and shooting out a stream of water out from her mouth. Fluttershy cowered as the fire came toward her, but the water made it to the pegasus first, shifting into a protective block that surrounded the mare, yet didn't drown her all at once. The flames struck the water block, saving her as the defensive barrier turned into steam. "Are you alright, dear!?"

"T-Thank you, Sushie," Fluttershy said.

"I didn't know you could do that!" Rainbow said, everyone staring at the Cheep Cheep in awe.

"Oh, I have plenty of tricks up my fins," Sushie said, leering at the Lava Piranha. "I knew my Water Block would come in handy for any nasty, fire-spitting monsters, or an extra wall of defense from a heavy blow. You're not harming a single patch of fur on any of these ponies' bodies, you giant brute!"

Rainbow was really mad after watching the Lava Piranha try to burn her best friend, snorting angrily as she charged forward with a yell. "Hey! Aim for me, not Fluttershy!"

She leapt up high with a flap of her wings, landing on the Piranha's head and stomping down on it repeatedly. She hung on when it tried to shake her off, refusing to let go until it was beaten to a pulp. Before Twilight could berate the pegasus on how crazy she was riding on the Lava Piranha, she noticed the Lava Bulbs beginning to twitch. Their vines returned to normal and began moving, focusing on Rainbow Dash as they noticed its boss being attacked.

"Rainbow, watch out!" Twilight warned. "The bulbs are awake!"

"Huh?" Rainbow looked up, spotting the moving Lava Bulbs as they began to lunge at her.

Watt came zipping in, electrifying herself and shocking one of the bulbs. It made the other bulb and the major Piranha jolt, all three of them seemingly connected to one vine deep in the lava. With the distraction, Rainbow gave the other Lava Bulb a buck in the face, keeping it away from her as she leapt back down to safer ground, struggling to keep her wings to her sides to avoid being lifted too high by the heat coming from the lava mere inches below them.

"I don't understand," Rarity said. "Twilight, didn't you just knock out those smaller ones with Kooper and Parakarry?"

"It seems like they're connected to the same stalk," Goombario pondered. "We need to take out the big guy if we're going to get rid of all three of them."

"Easier said than done if they weren't in the middle of a pool of lava!" Bombette exclaimed, yelping as she dove away from a fireball shot by one of the Lava Bulbs. "Not the fuse! I don't wanna prematurely explode!"

"Can't you stop yourself from blowing up if it gets lit!?" Rainbow asked."

"Not if someone else lights it!" Instead of questioning how the Bob-ombs explosions work, the pegasus was too busy avoiding more fireballs, Bow and Watt trying to focus their aerial attacks on the Lava Piranha since they can hover without being lifted by the heat in the room while Mario and Goombario tried bouncing off the plants since they were more agile and could attack foes above ground level.

Up above where the battle was taking place, Kolorado watched them from the upper pathway. "Oh my. This doesn't seem like things will go well with that Piranha Plant." As much as he wanted to search for the treasure of Mt. Lavalava, he wasn't going to have any luck with the danger present if it was down there. "Should I help them? Or would I just get in the way and be scolded by Bow and Twilight?"

Mario bounded up onto the Lava Piranha and pounced off its head. It opened its mouth as he fell back down for another stomp, but he feinted the plant and used his hammer, slamming it down hard on its head. Parakarry dove down on one of the bulbs about ready to shoot a fireball at Mario's back, kicking it hard and knocking it out. At least the Lava Bulbs didn't have any sharp teeth, but the constant barrage of fireballs they shot were more of a nuisance, especially when they just keep waking up after getting knocked out a while later. And the Lava Piranha was smarter than it seemed, keeping itself over the lava it rose from to make any of his foes drop down into the fiery pit if they missed, never lunging out to chomp on any of them if they were on solid ground.

It breathed out another swirling fireball down on them, Pinkie and Rarity screaming and diving out of the way. "I hate this evil plant monster!" Pinkie exclaimed. "There's enough fire here in the volcano! We don't need anymore!"

"It can't keep going forever!" Goombario said, tensing his muscles as he charged himself up to increase his strength. "Mario, give me a boost!"

While avoiding the fireballs, Mario ran over to Goombario and lifted him up. He tossed the Goomba high into the air, then threw his hammer up after him. Goombario flipped over until he was upside down, readying himself for a headbonk, Mario using his levitation powers to grasp his hammer. As soon as Goombario's feet pressed against the head of his hammer, he swung his arms down hard and fast, propelling the Goomba down to the ground like a ten ton weight. His powered up skull slammed into the Lava Piranha's, making its vine stiffen from the impact, as well as stunning the Lava Bulbs as they practically felt the powerful blow.

Goombario leapt back and landed on the ground, falling over on his behind as he panted heavily in exertion. The Lava Piranha let out a pained groan as it and its bulbs flailed a little before sinking into the lava. The ponies cheered at the Lava Piranha's defeat, the conflict ending quicker than they thought.

"Take that, you giant weed!" Rainbow taunted. "I wonder if Applejack could have done a better job plucking that thing out from there."

"In a pool of lava?" Rarity reminded the pegasus, earning a nervous giggle from the pegasus as she completely forgot about where the Piranha Plant's roots were.

"At least it's over," Fluttershy said with relief.

"We need to find the Star Spirit before the volcano decides to eru-" Twilight was cut off as the entire volcano began to quake, startling everyone as they panicked.

Mario had a feeling that fighting against a Piranha Plant who loves the lava was truly defeated just yet. Preparing himself while standing his ground from the quake, the Lava Piranha and his two Lava Bulbs shot up from the lava again, this time breaking through some of the stone ground near its little pool. The others gasped in surprise as it had revived itself, the bulbs and large head now covered in flames, the Lava Piranha hanging its tongue out like a dog. It chomped its teeth, trying to say something to them, but it seemed to have lost its robotic voice after that debilitating blow to the noggin from Goombario.

"I-It's still alive!?" Rainbow exclaimed in shock. "I thought it was dead!"

"Tch. Of course," Goombario grumbled, struggling to get back on his feet. "It's a Lava Piranha. That thing lives in extreme temperatures like this. It faked its defeat to rejuvenate itself for a second round."

"I knew it!" Pinkie shouted with a pointed hoof. "I knew it was going to be on fire at some point! Kill it with fire!...Wait, no! That's a bad idea! Don't use fire!"

"Oh, perfect!" Bow said sarcastically. "Now there's barely any way all of us can hit that thing without getting burnt! As if we aren't limited to who's able to hit it before! Can things get any worse!?"

To answer the Boo's tempting of fate, the Lava Bulbs reared back as if ready to attack. Instead of shooting fireballs, however, they spat out seedlings with a small flame burning the tops of their stems. Most of the group looked back at Bow, who let out an irritated groan as she ended up jinxing them. The Lava Piranha took in a big breath, getting everyone's attention again, then blew out a more powerful fireball from its mouth.

"Look out!" Twilight warned, quickly using her magic to create a barrier around them all. The flames exploded around them, making the alicorn wince as the blast managed to break her spell, but it at least protected them from harm. She let out a groan and looked up at the Lava Piranha, its panting face almost looking like it was laughing at her. "It's gotten stronger. I don't know if I can protect us all from something like that again."

Up above, Kolorado panicked as his companions were in trouble, and all he was doing was watching. "Oh dear. This is far worse than I imagined...I need to do something..." The Koopa then got a crazy idea as he looked down. He was directly above the Lava Piranha, and it was distracted by the group invading his lair. The Bulbs seemed to shoot out a couple more Piranha seedlings, the ones already spat out diving down in a kamikaze attack on them, exploding like little bombs. Thankfully, Mario, using the enhanced speed from the Lucky Star's blue glow, rescued the exhausted alicorn, and Pinkie zipped in to save Goombario by smacking a seedling away with her new hammer, but sending it at the Lava Piranha didn't do much with the veil of flames on its head. "Well, I haven't done something this crazy as a young Koopa, but as long as I stay in my shell, I'll keep from getting burned again.

"Here goes nothing!" Kolorado got a running start and leapt over the edge, quickly hiding in his shell and dropping down over the Lava Piranha. He let out a battle cry as he dive-bombed the Piranha Plant, but he brought attention to himself as the enemies looked up at the falling brown shell. "Take this you fiend!" Kolorado shouted as he got closer. The Lava Piranha shifted its head and neck to the side, easily avoiding the Koopa. "Oh no!"

Kolorado popped out of his shell and flailed in a panic as he missed, landing in the pool of lava. He let out a painful yell and flew up from the molten rock, landing beside the others as he patted his behind to keep it from catching fire.

"Professor, are you alright!?" Kooper asked worriedly.

"Yes, I am quite fine," Kolorado assured, despite the steam coming from his tail. "A second time my buns were toasted, but I've been hurt worse. I thought I could help out."

"...Well, at least it was an attempt," Bow said. "Albeit, a very stupid one."

The explorer wilted, almost receiving a compliment from the Boo, but he'll take that over all the berating she gave him today. "Oh, well. I at least made a distraction and gave you all an opportunity to think of a plan to stop that Piranha Plant, right?"

"No, we haven't," Twilight said. "The only ones who can hurt it now are Mario with his hammer, Parakarry and Kooper if I toss them like projectiles, or Sushie if she can manage to squirt water at the plants and the seeds those bulbs constantly spit out."

"Actually, I think I can take them all in one shot," Sushie said. The Cheep Cheep flopped forward, ignoring the hungry gaze of the Lava Piranha as it licked its lips with its panting tongue. "Everyone, stand back. I don't want to  get any of you swept up in what I'm about to do. It's been a long while since I was able to do this, but I'm giving it a go!"

"Sushie, what are you doing?" Fluttershy asked, but Sushie was going to show them as her response.

The Cheep Cheep sucked in a deep breath and held it, puffing up her belly with her mouth tightly pursed. Seconds passed as nothing happened yet, the Lava Piranha, Lava Bulbs, and seedlings tilting their heads as they looked at Sushie in confusion. They soon began hearing water swelling up inside her, her body shuddering as she tried to contain it all inside her long enough to let it out. Heeding Sushie's earlier warning, the ponies and Mushroom Kingdom inhabitants backed far enough away before she finally unleashed the built up torrent of water filling her gut.

"She's gonna blow!" Pinkie exclaimed, ducking and covering behind Mario.

Sushie finally struck, spitting out water and shooting off like a rocket as she bounced all around the room. Instead of propelling herself to be used as a projectile from her attack, the water she released built up where she bounded about, creating a massive tidal wave that rose above the Piranha boss, his bulbs, and seedlings. The plants all let out a startled yelp, unable to get away as the giant wave of water crashed over them. Loud hissing came from them as the flames were doused from them, killing the seeds as they fell to ash while making the bulbs and Lava Piranha wilt and scrunch up in a daze.

Sushie came to a stop above the Lava Piranha as she sputtered out the last of the water she built up, letting out heavy sigh of exhaustion as she fell. Mario quickly ran forward, leaping up and bouncing off the Lava Piranha, catching the Cheep Cheep before landing back down to safety.

"Whoa! What was that!?" Rainbow exclaimed excitedly. "That was awesome!"

"A...little tidal wave," Sushie said, panting heavily. "I used to be a troublemaker myself as a young Cheep Cheep. Whew...Took a lot more out of me than I thought."

"Then let's keep attacking!" Goombario said, reminding everyone of the situation they were in. "No idea how long that Lava Piranha's going to stay stunned, but now's our chance before it wakes up and tries to set itself on fire again!"

Wasting no time with the opportunity Sushie gave them, the group charged forward and attacked, Fluttershy staying behind with Sushie and Kolorado as the Cheep Cheep rested. Twilight flung Parakarry and Kooper again as they ducked in their shells, focusing on taking out the big boss and not the Lava Bulbs. Rarity helped give Goombario and Bombette a lift up, the Goomba headbonking the unconscious Piranha Plant normally while the Bob-omb blew up in its face as soon as Goombario leapt away. Mario then gave Pinkie and Rainbow a boost up before backflip jumping after them, Watt attaching herself to the pegasus to give the mare an added electric jolt to her stomp, Pinkie cheering as she flipped rapidly, then slammed her hammer down hard on the plant's mouth, hearing its teeth shatter from its closed jaws. Mario added even more pain with his stronger hammer after Pinkie, then bounced up to let Bow smack the Lava Piranha with her fan several times.

At the peak of his bounce, Mario noticed the Lava Piranha twitch, sparks lighting up around him as he was about to re-ignite himself with fire. The others who physically attacked it got away, but Mario decided to end this now before it caught on fire again. He flung his hammer down hard, sending it spiraling down and striking it just as its head began burning again. The impact knocked it unconscious and doused the flames, apparently weakened in defense when in this state in exchange for more firepower, and literal fire power. The Lava Bulbs had woken up, but they looked up too late as Mario dove down and slammed both his fists down hard on the Lava Piranha.

The dangerous plant let out a pained groan as it flailed about wildly, the Lava Bulbs doing the same as their fire had been snuffed out as a sign of the Lava Piranha's defeat. Mario leapt back to the ground with everyone as they all watched it, waiting for any surprise attacks it might be hiding. Thankfully, that was the end of the Lava Piranha as it fell limp, all three vines slamming down on the ground in front of them. It didn't move, neither did the party as they eyed it carefully.

"...Is it over?" Twilight asked. "Did we win?"

"I think so," Kooper said. "At least I hope so..."

The Lava Piranha and its Lava Bulbs slowly slid back into the lava, still unconscious. Before its large head slipped over the edge of the broken pool of lava, something bulging from its vine began crawling up, as if it was going to vomit. It then spat up a card, along with a few broken teeth, and finally disappeared back down in the molten rock.

"Eww," Rarity uttered in disgust, the others holding a similar expression as the unicorn. "Please don't tell me that thing actually ate the Star Spirit."

"Well, at least that monster has been vanquished," Kolorado said. "Now, let's continue hunting for that treasure! Onward!"

"Wait!" Kooper called out, but yet again, Kolorado ran on ahead, moving further into the volcano through the pathway that was behind the Lava Piranha's lava pool. He let out a sigh and shook his head. "Why do I bother sometimes?"

As the others relaxed, Fluttershy was the first to approach the edge of the pool, ignoring the broken Piranha Plant teeth and looked at the trapped Star Spirit inside the card. Grabbing it with her wing, trying her best to wipe off the saliva coating the paper prison.

"At least it's one good hiding place in a volcano," Fluttershy said, not bothered by the slobber as she's been around other creatures that secreted slime, mucus, or even drool, some letting out more than normal animals. "It would have burnt up in the lava, and it would have hurt her or freed her."

"I doubt it would free a Star Spirit if the card got burnt if she's trapped in there," Bow said.

"And as disgusting as it was, I'm actually grateful I wasn't threatened that way," the Star Spirit said. "Now, can you please get me out of here? I feel really dirty after living in that monster flower's digestive tract."

"Oh. Ok," Fluttershy said. "But, how do we do that?"

"Just give Mario the card, Fluttershy," Twilight said.

"And give him another super power from us!" Pinkie added. "I wonder what Fluttershy's is gonna be? Healing? No, that's the Star Spirit's power we're gonna get now. Flight? No no no no, that would have been with Rainbow Dash..."

While Pinkie went off on a tangent over what kind of abilities Fluttershy's magic would bestow on the Lucky Star, the yellow pegasus approached Mario and held him the card. He was thankful he always wore gloves, the card still a little slimy after the saliva was wiped off. As soon as he grabbed it, the card began glowing, making Fluttershy squeak in surprise and back away, but it was long enough for the Lucky Star to glow as well, a pale yellow light shimmering from underneath his shirt. The imprisoning card floated out of Mario's hand and began spinning around, the blinding light tearing away the card and freeing the Star Spirit. The pink star slowed her rapid spinning, her orange ribbon floating elegantly above her as she held it in her hands.

"Thank you all," she said, letting out a shudder in disgust, relieved to be out of the enchanted card and the Lava Piranha's insides. "I thought for sure I was going to get digested alive. Anyway, my name is Misstar."

"Nice to meet you," Twilight said. "Now that's five Star Spirits down, only two left."

"We're on a roll!" Rainbow cheered. "Bowser's going to think twice before he messes with-" She was interrupted as the ground began to shake, the volcano suddenly hit by an earthquake. "W-Whoa! What's going on!? Is that plant thing still alive!?"

The ground behind them began to crumble as they looked back, their way out destroyed as the lava slowly began to rise. "Oh no! The volcano's about to erupt!"

"We need to get out of here!" Misstar said. "Quick, this way everyone!"

Everyone followed after Misstar and fled into the next hall where Kolorado ran toward. The explorer was too busy searching around for the treasure to pay attention to Mt. Lavalava shaking around him. As soon as he turned around as everyone got up to higher ground, but there was no way out. They were trapped, though the wall at their dead end had a few cracks in it.

"Aha! Treasure!" Kolorado exclaimed. But when he got a better look at Misstar, he was a bit disappointed. "...Oh...A starfish? That's not what I was looking for."

"Excuse me?" Misstar questioned, upset at the rude remark. "I am a Star Spirit, Kolorado!"

"And it knows my name?" the explorer asked in awe.

"We know of your insane archaeological adventures in your youth, and how much trouble you get into with your own wife," the Star Spirit said.

Kolorado blinked, slightly shocked and decided to finally shut his mouth and not aggravate the Star Spirit. The ground began shaking violently now, all of them now panicking for dear life as they had barely any time to escape.

"W-What is going on!?" Kolorado asked, nearly falling off his feet. "Kids playing with fireworks out there!?"

"Kolorado, the volcano's going to blow!" Twilight yelled. "What makes you think fireworks can make the ground shake this violently!?"

"And Yoshi kids playing with fireworks!?" Sushie questioned. "What kind of crazy idea do you have insinuating their responsibility with playing with dangerous things like that!?"

He ignored them, far too worried about the treasure. "Hmm...Maybe that Piranha Plant was hiding the treasure. I'm going back to look for it!"

"Wait, no!" everyone called out, a bit too late to warn him as Kolorado yelled, burning himself again as he touched the rising lava.

"OWWWW! Not again!" He fell back onto safe ground, looking down as the deadly molten rock was slowly rising. "Ok, the lava is rising! We need to flee!"

"Gee. We didn't notice," Bow uttered sarcastically. "Use your eyes, genius!"

"We're trapped!" Pinkie screamed. "We're gonna burn alive! I never even completed my will! Gummy will never get my party cannon if I die!"

"Pinkie, snap out of it!" Twilight said, smacking the mare's face with her wings to keep her from losing it. "We can find a way out!"

"There's no openings in the ceiling!" Rainbow said, pointing up at the expansive mountain walls. "The only way out would be the mouth, but it was nowhere in any other part of the volcano!"

Misstar noticed something amiss when she felt something beyond the cracked wall. Floating closer, she could feel a slight breeze come from the other side.

"Wait, I think there's a way out this way!" she said. "We need to break this wall down!"

"I've got this!" Bombette said, quickly lighting up her fuse and running over to the wall. She blew up the wall, revealing another room where they could see sunlight shining down further ahead, where the mouth of Mt. Lavalava was located. "I just hope my explosion didn't make the reaction worse!"

Looking back, the lava was rising higher, their window of escape turning slim the longer they wait. Wasting no time, they made a run for it, practically tasting fresh air as they got closer. Unfortunately, waiting for them at the top of a stone pillar was a treasure chest, which caught Kolorado's attention.

"Yes! That's it!" he exclaimed, running toward the pillar and jumping repeatedly to try to grasp the chest. "This must have the treasure! I'm so close I can practically taste it! By the stars, I'll risk my life for that treasure!"

"I think you've done enough of that in your lifetime!" Misstar said.

"Professor, forget the treasure!" Kooper said after getting on Twilight's back, everyone pairing up with a flying buddy to carry them out.

"We can take it with us!" Kolorado reasoned. "Twilight, Rarity, one of you grab it with your horn magic and take it with you!"

"There's no time!" Twilight said.

The alicorn flapped her wings and flew up and out of the volcano with the others following after her. Rainbow carried Mario on her back, Fluttershy carried Sushie in her hooves with Goombario on her back, Parakarry carried Bombette in his arms, and Misstar volunteering to carry Pinkie and Rarity as both mares clung onto the Star Spirit. Misstar grabbed Kolorado, despite his struggles as he hung upside down in the Star Spirit's surprisingly powerful grip.

"NOOOOO!" the explorer cried in distress, reaching desperately for the chest as they flew up. The lava began to catch up to them, Mt. Lavalava about ready to erupt and spew the molten rock out. "My treasure! It's gone!"

"It's catching up to us!" Rarity cried out, tugging her tail up to keep it from getting burnt.

"We're almost there!" Misstar said.

The Star Spirit made it out of the volcano just in time as the lava pooled out from the top and down its side, thankfully flowing down into the ocean and away from the island. As she regrouped with the others, avoiding any spewing rocks shooting out from the volcano, none of them noticed the chest Kolorado was trying to find flew out as well, miraculously unscathed by the lava. It fell straight into the Jade Jungle, landing with a heavy thud as it now sat in the middle of one of the islands around the river.





Starlight groaned, her eyes skimming over the thousandth or so book in the castle's library, many of those books either piled up or laid scattered all over the room. Celestia was also in the library with her, both alicorn and unicorn struggling to figure out how to find Twilight and her friends and bring them back home. Starlight gave up, slamming the book she looked at closed, surprising the alicorn ruler.

"How can we not find anything in all this!?" she exclaimed. "The portal between Equestria and the world Sunset's living in is still a mystery, and if we could figure out how to change the enchantment's formula to search through other worlds, we could save them by now! But we've been at this for over a week, and we don't even know who made this mirror in the first place!"

"I know," Celestia said with an exhausted sigh. "I thought maybe Star Swirl had created it since this was the same world where he banished the Sirens, but he didn't. He knew the dimensional spell, not keeping it contained in a mirror to freely travel to and from both worlds after a certain time." She rubbed her tired eyes, closing her book as she looked over the mess they made. "It's still too dangerous to try to cast Twilight's dimensional spell without knowing where we'll end up. But even if it really works, there's an infinite amount of worlds that could exist, and it would take an eternity to rescue them."

"And it doesn't help that Spike's upset that Twilight's disappeared in some other world they could get killed in." Needing a break, Starlight stood up and used her magic to clean up her side of the mess. "I hope their families don't get too worried and figure out what happened to them. I don't know how to tell them they're lost in some other dimension by complete accident."

"I took care of that for you," Celestia said, stretching out her sore limbs and neck as she neatly stacked her books in order. "Granted, they are worried, but they knew how much danger they've faced in the past as the Elements of Harmony."

While they began cleaning up the books, calling it a day while making sure to mark which ones they've already gone through, the mirror portal shimmered as Sunset Shimmer walked through. She was standing on her hind legs, having spent so long in the human world that it was practical instinct for her, only to flail as she began losing her balance and landed on all fours.

"Ok, kind of hard to get used to this going back and forth all the time," Sunset said to herself. She then noticed the slight mess being cleared away by Celestia and Starlight. She volunteered to help after hearing what happened to Twilight, spending some time in Equestria to help go through spells and any magical feats of the past when she wasn't busy being a human teenager. "So, no luck yet, huh?"

"Still nothing," Starlight grumbled. "And one thing I can't figure out was that strange magical surge she suddenly had. When she cast that spell, she was doing fine and it looked like it was working, but some strange force struck her and made her magic go haywire."

"No one startled her when she was casting?" Sunset asked.

"No." Starlight thought back to the moment Twilight had suddenly lost control. Even though she wasn't using any magic, she felt some kind of magical energy whip around them. "There was some kind of magical disturbance, but it was so faint that I barely noticed it until Twilight felt something."

"Well, that can cause a strange reaction when two different magical forces cross each other," Sunset theorized. "One thing I've learned is never to cross streams with anything, otherwise it could cause some catastrophic results."

"...Have you actually done that with another unicorn?" Starlight asked with concern and worry.

"No, I saw it in a ghost catching movie the girls dragged me along to see," Sunset said. "But it is scientifically possible to cause a dangerous outcome when mixing certain chemicals, objects, or even people with different beliefs. The same can apply to magic if two magical beams connect, depending on the spell."

As Starlight pondered over what the movie Sunset saw was about, curious to see it herself if she ever wanted to visit the human world, Spike walked in the library with a tray of sandwiches and cups of tea for Celestia and Starlight. He didn't notice Sunset had arrived, wearing a depressed frown as he seemed to not have gotten any sleep since the incident.

"Hey, Spike," Starlight greeted. "You doing ok?" The baby dragon mumbled something as he placed the tray down on the table, turning back around as his body was on auto-pilot. "I'll take that as a no..."

"He's still upset about what happened, huh?" Sunset asked.

"I'm afraid so," Celestia responded. Looking down at the tray Spike made for them, she picked up one of the sandwiches to sate her hunger from all the hours of reading she had done today. Before she took a bite, she noticed there was a letter under the small plates holding the cups and food. Curiosity getting the better of her, she levitated the envelope up, which was addressed to Twilight, opening it up and reading who it belonged to. Her eyes widened in shock as she read who wrote the letter. "What!? Shining Armor and Cadence are coming over with Flurry Heart!?"

"What are you talking about, Princess Celestia?" Starlight took the letter as Celestia seemed to be in a panic. "Didn't you send letters to their families telling them they're not around at the moment?"

"I did, even to Cadence and Shining Armor!" the alicorn said. "They must have been too busy to read it or Flurry Heart distracted them from noticing!"

"Well, send them another letter before they leave!" Sunset suggested.

"Too late," Starlight said. "They're already on their way." They soon heard knocking come from the front doors of the castle, dread building in all three mares' as Starlight gulped, noticing the date from when the letter was written. "And I think they're already here..."

Spike was already on his way to the door to "greet" their guests. He opened the doors, suddenly tackled by a little alicorn filly squealing happily before he could say hello to the Crystal Empire's royal couple.

"Hey, Spike!" Shining Armor greeted. "Surprised to see us?"

Snapped out of his slump for a moment with Flurry on his stomach, he sat up while holding his pony niece, who hugged her dragon uncle tightly. "Yeah. Kind of. I didn't know you three would be coming."

"Well, we did send a letter in advance," Cadence said. "Twilight must have been excited to know we would stop by for a visit." Mentioning Twilight quickly brought Spike back to his depressed mood, worrying the pink alicorn and white unicorn stallion. "Spike, is everything alright?"

"Where's Twilight?" Shining asked. "Is she busy studying that she completely forgot?" While not getting any answers from the purple dragon, Flurry squirming in his arms to try to play with him, Celestia, Sunset, and Starlight approached the doorway, catching the couple off guard at the princess's presence. "Princess Celestia? What are you doing here?"

The three mares looked at each other, neither of them unsure how to explain the situation to them, or if they should lie to them. Judging by how they saw Spike's reaction in mentioning Twilight, they knew there wasn't any point hiding it from them. Celestia sighed, volunteering to be the first to bring the bad news.

"Did you two not receive a letter I sent to you a week ago?" she asked.

"I didn't know you sent us anything," Cadence said. "Shining and I had so many things to plan in the Crystal Empire, and Flurry was a bit of a hoofful for Sunburst to handle, so we didn't have time to look through any personal mail." Flurry let out a giggle as she climbed on Spike's back, ignorant of his sadness when she wanted to play. Shining and Cadence looked at each other, then back to Celestia. "...What happened?"

Starlight, Sunset, and Celestia guided Shining Armor and Cadence to the library, Flurry Heart being carried by Spike as he slowly followed them. They then informed the royal couple about what had happened after they sat down, both ponies understandably shocked at the unfortunate news.

"My sister and her friends are somewhere in another world, and you haven't found anything yet!?" Shining asked. "Where did they even go!?"

"Not in the human world, at least to what we know," Sunset explained.

"We really don't know where they are, and we can't exactly find them when there's millions of different worlds beyond just what we know of," Starlight added. "We've been looking through everything for the past week or so, and we haven't found any answers at all. As much as we want to test Twilight's new spell that would allow dimensional travel to the world Sunset lives in, we don't know if it would actually work or send one of us into some dangerous world."

"So she cast a spell she made up without knowing the consequences?" Shining questioned. "That does not sound like her at all."

"Well, she might have been a bit too eager, but she was sure it would work," Starlight quickly said. "Something unfortunately messed with her magic as she cast the spell, and it almost sucked me and Spike in with them if I didn't protect us. Some unknown magical disturbance must have interfered and created a magical surge."

"We all understand your concerns for your sister, Shining Armor, but even if Twilight and her friends are lost somewhere in another world, they can handle anything as long as they are together," Celestia assured. "They didn't become the Elements of Harmony for nothing, after all."

"I just hope they're not hurt, wherever they are," Cadence uttered nervously. She took Flurry Heart out of Spike's arms, feeling sorry for the baby dragon, her foal looking at her uncle in confusion as she now noticed he was upset. "What about the others' families? Do they know?"

"All that I've written to them was a half-truth; they are away on a royal errand I asked Twilight to undertake with her friends as envoys," Celestia said. "It's not supposed to take long, but if we can't rescue them in another couple weeks, they'll be suspicious and begin worrying where they really went."

"I actually have an idea to fix that problem if we can't find a solution in time," Sunset said. "It is the middle of summer vacation at CHS, and the girls do have some free time aside from their part time jobs, myself included."

"Uhh, where are you going with this, Sunset?" Starlight asked, both out of curiosity and fear.

"Let's just say it would be like nothing went wrong." The orange unicorn approached the mirror portal and stuck her hoof through for a moment before pulling it back.

Sunset backed away from the mirror and waited. A moment later, the portal rippled and shined, several bodies coming through all at once as six female voices yelped and crashed into a heap on the ground. Celestia, Shining Armor, and Cadence gawked in shock at the six ponies lying in a pile, all of them groaning as they tried to untangle themselves. Another surprise guest came through the portal, which happened to be a purple and green dragon looking exactly like Spike, only letting out a canine-like yelp as he landed on top of the pony pile and wearing a spiked collar. Sunset facehooved and let out a groan of her own after watching the embarrassing display.

"Ok, maybe next time, we all go through one at a time to avoid this," a voice sounding similar to Twilight's said aloud.

"W-What...?" Shining uttered.

Sunset helped the ponies up, which happened to be their human counterparts from the other world now turned into ponies. The only difference to tell them apart from the actual ponies were the colored scarves they wore: Pinkie's was blue, Rarity's a dark purple, Applejack's red, Rainbow's green, Fluttershy's pink, and Twilight's white. The human Twilight also had her hair tied in a bun and glasses, the mare fixing them on her muzzle with her hoof, thankful it didn't fall off her face and didn't break.

"This is a little weird," Rainbow said, looking down at the pony body she was in. "I got used to the wings when we pony up, but actually turning into one is...just odd."

"You girls will get used to the changes," Sunset said. She then looked at the shocked looks on Celestia, Starlight, Shining, and Cadence's faces. "Everyone, meet Twilight, Rainbow, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, and Fluttershy from the human world. They agreed to help 'pretend' to be the actual ponies so their families won't fret about them being missing. Great idea, right?"

Neither pony answered as Spike the dog-turned-dragon walked up to Twilight on all fours, sitting like a dog as he looked at their expressions. "I'm not sure if they think it's a good idea."

Dragon Spike snapped out of his depression as he heard his voice from someone else and looked over to the new arrivals. "W-What in the hay!?"

"Is that supposed to be Spike?" Rarity asked, now noticing the transformation with both Spikes after looking over herself. "Oh my. You really are a dragon. I thought you were exaggerating."

Spike looked at Sunset, the unicorn grinning nervously as her plan was beginning to seem like a terrible idea after all. He then looked over at the human Twilight, feeling even more hurt that the alicorn he's staring at wasn't the Twilight he knew.

"Really, Sunset? You think this is going to make me feel better!?" Spike exclaimed. "Replacing the girls, replacing Twilight, with their counterparts from the human world!?"

"No, Spike, that's not what I-" The baby dragon ran off with a frustrated yell, tears streaming down his face as he fled to his room. Now it became a terrible idea with Spike truly believing his friends and surrogate sister were really gone forever. Sunset sighed, mentally kicking herself. "Darn it...I didn't think he'd believe I'd do that."

"You think one of us should try to talk to him?" Applejack asked.

"Maybe he'll cheer up with a party!" Pinkie suggested. "Just don't let me near any sprinkles. I might accidentally make them explode."

"...What?" Cadence asked.

Flurry Heart squealed excitedly, slipping out of her confused mother's hooves and flew over to Twilight, mistaking the glasses-wearing alicorn for her aunt. Twilight was a little surprised as the filly hugged her neck and nuzzled her, but relaxed as she held the adorable baby alicorn. The other girls gushed over Flurry, Fluttershy especially at her fondness for animals.

"...Ok, maybe it can work...?" Starlight muttered. "Then again, Flurry's a baby, so she doesn't know any better. You guys think it'll work until we save them?"

"...Perhaps," Celestia finally said. "Although, we'll have a talk with Spike after he calms down from this. He's understandably upset and misinterpreted Sunset's idea, losing his hope that our Twilight and her friends are still ok and we can bring them back." The alicorn looked down at Shining and Cadence, both of them still processing this insane idea of having the human girls act as the ponies that were missing until they came back. "Shining Armor, Cadence, do you think this is ok?"

Cadence looked at her aunt for a moment, then back to the girls as they entertained Flurry, even canine Spike as he licked the filly's face. "Well, as long as Flurry gets to see her aunt, I think I can accept it, even if I find it hard to believe." She then looked at Shining, waiting for his response. "...Shining?"

"...Is that what my sister would look like with glasses?" he asked out of curiosity, making his wife and his sister's pupil facehoof in exasperation.
> Kaaaaa-Wiz Time!...And the Return of Jr. Troopa
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peach sat on her bed in boredom, tired of reading as she waited for something to happen. She hated how she could have free reign of her castle while trapped up in the sky, but Bowser doesn't want her leaving her room. With all his dumb attempts to try to win her over, he didn't have to be too cautious. Even though Mario and his friends are rescuing the Star Spirits one by one, he could have at least granted her more room to do stuff instead of having guards monitor her castle 24/7. At least they didn't find out she had been finding information to give to Mario when Twink ends up finding him, and she gets great news in return when she hears Twilight has been finding her friends and that they were safe.

Twink was just as bored, itching to do something besides doing nothing while hiding from Bowser or any of his soldiers to check up on her. "Ugh. I'm so bored..."

"Me too," Peach said in agreement, both princess and Star Kid letting out heavy sighs. A few more seconds of silence later, the princess had an idea. "How about we try sneaking out again?"

"Better than sitting around with nothing else to do." Peach sat up and Twink followed, opening up the secret passage, making their way around to the study where the rotating platform took them, and snuck out the door.

Creeping their way down to the first floor, they tried to make a break for the front door again, but it was still tightly locked up. Their attempt at escape still impossible, they decided to explore more around the castle to see what else the Koopas have set up without her permission. There was one doorway they haven't checked in the foyer, but Peach knew it was just a hallway that was being renovated before the party. Quickly and quietly walking inside, she was surprised to see the renovations were not quite what she expected.

The entire hall was set up to look like a game show, three different colored pedestals in purple, yellow, and blue neon lights blinked rapidly, the backs a stack of ten sectioned off rectangles that seemed to be a point indicator, and there was a mic stand for where the host would stand. Unfortunately for her, there were a couple Koopatrols and a Hammer Bro. in the hall as well, all three of them spotting her while she was too focused on the stage for the game show. Twink quickly hid behind a nearby vase before he got caught as one of the Koopatrols approached her.

"Oh no, not again!" the gray Koopa exclaimed in shock. "How does the princess keep getting out!? I'm sorry, Your Highness, but we need to take you back to your room before King Bowser flips his wig, or even worse, Kammy Koopa."

"Now, wait a second," the Hammer Bro. said. "Keep your shell on. There's no need to panic. Princess Peach is stuck in the sky with nowhere to go. I kind of don't understand why His Nastiness gets mad when she's not kept in her room when there's no possible way she can escape."

"...I guess you're right, but it sucks when we get punished when we have no idea how she manages to get out of her room," the Koopatrol said.

"But this is perfect. Peach can participate and be our third player, and we can finally begin the game." The spiked Koopa Troopa thought it over, then nodded his head, eager to start playing. "Alright, so let's do this!"

"Umm, what kind of game are you talking about?" Peach asked, both curious and a little concerned.

"Just come this way, princess," the Hammer Bro. said, taking Peach's hand and guiding her over to the stage. "We won't tell King Bowser you got out again if you help us play our little game. I'm pretty sure you get bored staying in your room all day anyway, right?"

"I guess, but I'm not so sure about this..." As the Koopas got the princess situated, Twink panicked and flew up to the ceiling, worried about what would happen in this strange game they were about to play.

The Koopatrols and Peach sat underneath the colored podiums, the princess in the middle booth while the other Koopas took the remaining two. In front of her was was a simple buzzer, giving it a small press to test and see if it works. Her podium lit up as a small star popped up from a slot on one side, working pretty well as it sank back into the podium. The Hammer Bro. grabbed the microphone and skid in front of the three contestants, showing off as if there was a crowd to entertain them.



"Koopa Corps. presents The 64th Trivia Quiz-Off! I'm your host, Mr. Hammer!" An audience suddenly cheered around them, confusing Peach as she looked around to find where it was coming from. Mr. Hammer walked back over to the mic stand, waving to the invisible audience. Once he set the microphone back, he pulled out some cards from inside his shell, which held the questions for the two Koopatrols and princess. "Ok, the aim of the game is simple. The one who gets the most right answers out of ten will win a fabulous prize! But don't worry if you don't, for every one of our contestants will receive a consolation prize just for participating! If you know the answer, just be the first to buzz in and say the answer!

"Now, without any further delay, let's begin!" The Koopatrols readied their hands to press the buzzer as Mr. Hammer held up the first card. Peach did the same, curious to know what the prize is if she won. "Question 1: What is the name of the boss inside the volcano on Lavalava Island?" Peach immediately knew the answer after just learning about it not too long ago, quickly pressing her hand down on her buzzer. "Alright! Princess Peach!"

"The Lava Piranha," she said, bells ringing as she got the right answer.

"That's correct!" Mr. Hammer said. "Onto the next question, folks. Question 2: Where did Master Huff N. Puff imprison the Star Spirit?" That question caught the princess off guard. Glancing up at Twink, who was just as surprised as she was, they were actually going to get more information for Mario on the wherabouts of the next Star Spirit. A buzzer snapped Peach out of her thoughts as the Koopatrol in the pink section was quick on the draw. "Spiky Tom?"

"In Flower Fields," the Koopatrol answered, getting it correct as he earned a point while the invisible crowd cheered for him.

"Correct! Next question!" the Hammer Bro. said, switching over to the next question. "Question 3: What is the name of the scary round monster that lives in Dry Dry Ruins?" Peach was going to buzz in, but was beaten by the other Koopatrol in the blue podium. "Spiky John!"

"Uhh...Bob-ombs?" Spiky John answered, a sharp buzzer sound blared as he got it wrong.

"I'm sorry, that's incorrect," Mr. Hammer said, then turned his attention to Peach as she buzzed in. "Princess Peach?"

"Chomps," she said, getting it right as she earned another point.

"Correct! Don't worry, John, you have a chance to catch up." The Hammer Bro. flipped over to the next question while Spiky John worried he wasn't going to even get one point in this game. "Question 4: How would you get to Flower Fields?" Peach was stumped on this question as well, having no idea how to get to Flower Fields aside from the air. There was no known route to there, and Mario could use this helpful hint to get there and save the Star Spirit. Spiky Tom buzzed in, knowing the answer with a grin. "Tom, what's your answer?"

"By passing Flower Gate," he said, earning himself a point as the audience cheered.

"That's correct!" Mr. Hammer said. "It's still anyone's game. Now, onto question 5: What is the name of the person who King Bowser really loves?" As soon as he was finished reading the question, Peach immediately slapped her hand down on her buzzer, letting out an annoyed sigh. "Princess!"

"...Me. Princess Peach," she uttered, getting herself a point at the easy answer with the invisible audience cheering for her.

"That was an obvious one from the get-go," Mr. Hammer said, now a laugh track played in response to the quirky comment he made.

"Where in the world is all this stuff coming from?" Twink questioned silently, keeping himself hidden while looking around to find whatever was making the strange audience reactions.

"We're halfway through, and Peach is currently in the lead with three points!" Mr. Hammer continued as the invisible audience cheered. "Spiky Tom's following up with one point below the princess, and Spiky John doesn't have any yet. Don't worry, Johnny boy, you still have a chance. Moving onto question 6: What thing is most deeply related to Flower Fields?"

Spiky John quickly buzzed in. "Flowers!"

"Correct!" Mr. Hammer exclaimed. "Spiky John's finally on the board, but it's not over yet. Question 7: What's the name of the most admirable, invincible, most downright cool guy around?"

Peach scoffed, not sure if they really believe Bowser was really the best around, but she didn't buzz in on time as Tom pressed his buzzer first. "His Royal Nastiness, King Bowser!"

"That is obviously correct! Spiky Tom and Peach are tied at three, and we're getting down to the wire," Mr. Hammer commented before moving on to the next question. "Question 8: What's the name of the ghosts who live in and around Forever Forest?" Peach quickly buzzed in, not giving Spiky Tom a chance to outdo her. "Princess Peach!"

"Boos," she answered, earning another point and staying in the lead.

"That is correct! Question 9: What's the name of the area just south of the post office in Toad Town?" Spiky Tom beat Peach and Spiky John as he buzzed in first. "Tom?"

"The Flower Garden," he answered, tying the score at four with Peach.

"That is correct!" Mr. Hammer said, flipping to the last question. "Ok, last question. The score is tied at four with Spiky Tom and Peach. This can decide the game, folks. Now, question 10: Where is Peach's castle now?" All three contestants quickly slapped their hands down on their buzzers, but the one who managed to hit it first was Peach. "Princess Peach!"

"On top of Bowser's castle!" she said, earning a chime and another point as the "audience" applauded.

"Correct!" Mr. Hammer said. He then walked away from his position, taking the microphone with him as he stood before the three contestants. "And that's the end of the Quiz-Off, folks! And our winner is our surprise guest, Princess Peach!" The invisible audience cheered again as the Hammer Bro. approached the princess, pulling out the prize, which was what appeared to be a jar of jelly. "Congratulations, Princess Peach, here is your prize: a jar of delicious Jammin' Jelly! The tastiest of jams that's good on everything: eggs, toast, Mushrooms, and a whole lot more!"

"Umm...Thank you," Peach said, accepting the jar as her reward despite how odd of a prize it was.



"Thank you all for coming everyone!" Mr. Hammer said to the "audience". "We'll see you all later in the next Trivia Quiz-Off! This is Mr. Hammer, signing out! Good evening, everyone!" With the game now being over, the Koopatrols left their spots, Spiky John walking away dejectedly, even though he managed to get one question right, while Spiky Tom was a little disappointed he was beaten, but he had some fun challenging the princess in something. Peach walked away from her podium and was about to walk out, but Mr. Hammer stopped her. "Oh, wait! Before you go, Princess Peach, here's you participation prize."

He held out a blue parasol, which was an odd prize when it didn't seem to rain from where the castle was now and she would get another one after already winning the "best" prize. "An umbrella?"

"It's actually more than just an umbrella. It's called the Sneaky Parasol," he explained. "Just hold it out at someone, open it up, and you'll transform into the person next to you...Just don't use it to sneak out, otherwise we'll all get in a heap of trouble."

"...And you're giving me this...why?" Peach asked, confused and a little suspicious.

"It's just a participation prize. Besides, there's no way you can escape from here, so it's a pretty useless prize unless you plan on sneaking around, since you somehow manage to escape your room." Twink had to suppress a groan at how dimwitted Bowser's troops were. Peach gave the umbrella a blank stare, surprised that she's managed to escape from her room several times already, and none of them bothered to search her room for the secret exit. "But, we'll keep our promise not to rat you out. Now hurry back to your room before-"

The door to the room opened up, and from the heavy footsteps coming in, Peach quickly hid between the yellow and pink quiz stations as Bowser walked inside. "Hey, what's going on in here?" the Koopa King asked curiously. "Are you playing something? I want to join in!"

Bowser cheerfully walked up to Mr. Hammer and Spiky Tom, both soldiers sweating nervously as they tried not to avert their eyes at the princess hiding from their king. As soon as he walked past Peach, she snuck away from him and quietly made her way to the door to avoid getting spotted.

"Uhh, King Bowser! What a surprise!" Mr. Hammer said. "As much as we'd love for you to join...I'm sorry to say it ended."

"What!? Aww man!" Bowser pouted and crossed his arms across his chest. "Of all the rotten luck. I was hoping to do something fun today." Unfortunately for Peach, he turned around too soon to walk out in a huff, letting out a surprised grunt that made her freeze in place, clutching the items she had to her chest so Bowser didn't see her prizes. "W-What!? Peach!? Again!?"

"Heeheeheehee," Peach giggled nervously, turning her head toward him. "H-Hello, Bowser..."

"Ok, seriously!? How do you keep sneaking out of your room!?" Bowser asked angrily, quickly turning to the Hammer Bro. and Koopatrol immediately standing at attention. "You two take her back to her room right now! And I'll be having a chat with the guard who's supposed to be guarding her door...Later."

"Y-Yes, Your Highness!" both soldiers said, quickly running up to the princess and grabbing her shoulders gently.

"Sorry, princess," Mr. Hammer apologized.

"Don't worry," she assured. "I had a feeling I was going to get caught anyway."

The Koopatrol and Hammer Bro. escorted Peach out of the room, Twink following after them as soon as Bowser turned away from the door. Aside from winning a few prizes, they did learn about the next location of the Star Spirit in Flower Fields, though how exactly Mario and the others would get through this Flower Gate to make it there eluded them.





After escaping the volcano by mere seconds before it erupted, the group landed safely in the jungle by the ravine of lava. Thankfully, they saw the lava from the eruption flow down into the ocean, leaving the rest of Lavalava Island free from being burnt to cinders. The ponies all breathed a sigh of relief as soon as they touched the soft, safe grass, not as durable as anyone from the Mushroom Kingdom with lava when they just leap up out of it like they stepped in scalding hot water. Misstar dropped Kolorado, plopping on his back, staring at the sky in depression.

"My treasure...it's gone," he uttered.

"Let it go, Kolorado!" Misstar scolded, making the explorer wince. She lifted him up on his feet, keeping her stern gaze on him as she lectured him. "Your life is more precious than any worthless bauble made out of a rare mineral to sell for coins! For goodness sake, you always leave without telling your own wife you're going on a dangerous quest for ancient relics or gold items from a lost civilization, and you don't seem to care about how she feels when she's worrying about your safety! Learn to think about what's really important in your life than the thrill of adventure and almost getting yourself killed, like getting burned alive in lava."

"B-But..." Kolorado paused, then let out a sigh, hanging his head in shame as he was scolded like a little hatchling.

Letting him mull over her words, the Star Spirit turned to the others. "And to think that this island was put in peril because of Bowser's men meddling with everyone and everything around them. The eruption would soon subside, and Lavalava Island would return to normal."

"Will the Yoshis be bothered by the lava?" Fluttershy asked out of concern.

"I don't think the Yoshis are that bothered by the volcano erupting," Sushie assured. "If they were, they would have fled this island centuries ago. They're more worried about the children than a little lava flowing this way."

"Oh. Ok," Fluttershy said.

"Mario, you have rescued five of us Star Spirits," Misstar said. "Only two more remain. Now, let me bestow upon you my power." Concentrating her power, stars sprinkled down on Mario as she granted him her power, adding up to the other four abilities the others gave him. "My power is Smooch. If you ever get too badly hurt, just call me and I'll help rejuvenate you in a pinch." Misstar then winked at the plumber as he responded with a nervous chuckle while scratching his head. He had always received a kiss from Princess Peach after rescuing her, and maybe even a cake, but being kissed by a Star Spirit to heal him was far more nerve-wracking considering he had no idea how it'll feel. "I must return to Star Haven. I have faith in you all. You will see your princess soon enough."

"And you'll help us find our last friend, Applejack, right?" Twilight asked.

"Of course. But I need to recover a little more first. We'll let you know if we find your friend." Misstar waved them goodbye and flew back up to Star Haven.

As they watched Misstar return home, Kolorado sighed heavily. "Great...I lose the treasure, and then I get yelled at by a blooming great starfish."

"Star Spirit," everyone corrected.

"Whatever..." The Koopa slowly trudged away with his head hung low, making his way back to Yoshi's Village.

"Oh great. Now he's moping," Bow grumbled. "Should I just phase through the lava and find him that stupid treasure so he can quit being miserable?"

"I'm not sure if the treasure managed to survive in the molten lava from the eruption," Kooper said. "Even if it did, I'd be surprised if the lost civilization managed to create lava-proof chests."

"Well, as curious as it is to know about that, can I please get a shower or a bath?" Rarity asked. "I smell absolutely terrible and look absolutely horrid!"

"Yeah, I think we all need one," Twilight agreed, feeling just as disgusting as when she sweat up a storm walking through Dry Dry Desert. "But I don't think the Yoshis have bathrooms with bathtubs or showers to clean themselves up."

"There might be no bathrooms, but there is a little hot spring behind the Toad House," Sushie said. "Not exactly a decent bathtub for town or city standards, but it's always refreshing to take a dip."

Rarity let out a small whine, not exactly fond of soaking in a hot spring where others have used it as a bath, but it was the closest thing she was going to get as she let out a sigh. "Alright...Better than not taking a bath for several days in a dusty, filthy mansion."

Bow grumbled at Rarity's complaints, keeping quiet as she rolled her eyes. They made their way back into the village to rest a little after surviving a heated encounter with the Lava Piranha and escaping Mt. Lavalava's eruption. The Toad House nearby didn't really leave much to go by as it was just a big space protected by shrubbery to act as a perimeter wall with some trees covering the area for shade. But just as Sushie said, there was a hot spring in the back, thankfully not too close to the jungle as it stayed just in the safe environment of the village.

"Alright! Time for a dip!" Rainbow said, flying ahead and stepping into the hot spring first.

"Hot spring party!" Pinkie cheered, bouncing high and aimed for the spring, surprisingly making a small splash as she landed instead of a larger one.

"Girls first!" Bow and Bombette exclaimed as they ran/floated toward the water, joining the two mares for a soak.

"What!? That's not fair!" Goombario complained.

"Sorry, but ladies, indeed, first," Rarity said. "And I need to clean my fur, mane, and tail off all this dust, soot, dirt, everything that I made contact with for nearly a week without any warm water!"

The unicorn ran toward the spring and splashed right in, letting out a heavy sigh of relief as she got what was close enough to a bath she was ever going to get for a while. Unfortunately, with how small the hot spring was, it was only able to fit a few people, depending on their size or species, so the others would have to wait.

"I don't mind waiting for everypony else to go first," Fluttershy offered.

"Well, if we're going to wait, I'm going to take a little stroll in the jungle," Twilight said. "I'd rather cool off first before stepping hoof back in something hot again."

"Be careful, Twilight," Kooper warned. "I know you've got some powerful magic, but don't get ambushed by anything in the jungle."

With a nod, Twilight wandered off and made her way into Jade Jungle. She thought of maybe taking a little dip in the river water, but decided not to if there were any dangerous aquatic creatures that might attack her. With her bags still worn on her back, she pulled out the three seeds she got from the Bub-ulbs in Toad Town, on Mt. Rugged, and in the Forever Forest. It puzzled her with how important these special seeds seemed to be to those living plant creatures, holding some importance they didn't explain to her.

"Hmm...I wonder if those Bub-ulbs have some sort of magic we don't know about," Twilight pondered aloud. "Maybe these seeds can grow into unique flowers that give somepony a temporary boost in strength. Or what if it can-?" While lost in her thoughts, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going as she smacked her hoof against a chest in the middle of one of the islands. "Ow! Who in the hay leaves a treasure chest in the middle of nowhere!?" She rubbed her sore hoof, only to pull a double-take when she looked down at the slightly charred treasure chest. "...Wait a minute...Is this...?"

She inspected the mysterious chest, noting the slightly burnt sections while the bottom side seemed a bit charred. Twilight didn't notice a yellow flower poke up from the ground behind her, popping up more to reveal a Bub-ulb underneath it.

"That chest came falling from the sky just a moment ago," he said, startling the alicorn as she turned around and engulfed the hybrid plant in her aura. "Whoa, hey! I'm not poisonous or dangerous!"

Twilight let out a sigh, letting go of the Bub-ulb. "Don't scare me like that," she said. "I got startled by one of you before knowing what you were."

"Sorry," the Bub-ulb apologized. "But if it's fair, I got startled by the volcano erupting. The soil here is amazing after an eruption from what I heard. The lava after it's cooled to rock is a great fertilizer to make plants grow stronger."

"Yes, that is true..." Twilight looked back at the chest, then back at the Bub-ulb. "You said this came 'from the sky'...Did this get shot out of the volcano? It looked like the one Kolorado was trying to grab before we escaped." Curious and surprised to get the chance to see an ancient artifact from Mt. Lavalava, Twilight opened the chest and pulled out what lied inside. It was an old vase made of clay, painted yellow and handcrafted many years ago. "A vase...Interesting. Whatever once lived her several centuries ago, they were really skilled with pottery. And it's still in perfect condition."

"I bet you could put a lot of beautiful flowers in there," the Bub-ulb commented.

"Maybe they did grow flowers," Twilight said. "...Speaking of flowers, I met other Bub-ulbs throughout the kingdom. They also gave me these seeds." She showed the flower creature the pink, blue, and green seeds she had been given as gifts from the other Bub-ulbs. "And I'm guessing you have a seed you'd like to give to somepony who noticed you?"

The Bub-ulb was quiet for a moment, looking down at the ground and scuffing his foot along the grass. "...Uhh, actually, I did have a seed...but I gave it to someone else."

"Y-You did???" Twilight asked in surprise. "Who?"

"A Koopa Troopa with a pith helmet and a black mustache walked by and noticed my flower, so I gave it to him." The description matched Kolorado to a T, the alicorn facehoofing with a groan at the unfortunate news.

"Did he really go in the jungle while we went to find Raphael the Raven when we told him to stay put?" she mumbled to herself. She let out a heavy sigh and looked at the Bub-ulb. "...You don't by any chance have another seed on you by any chance, do you?"

"No, sorry," the Bub-ulb apologized. "If you want another, it'll take quite a long while."

"...Alright. Never mind, then," Twilight said. "We don't really have time to squander, even if we're resting for a while..." She lifted up the "treasure" Kolorado was searching for earlier, humming in thought as she examined it a little more. "Actually, maybe I don't have to. I'd be Kolorado would like to trade this for that seed...Uhh, are the seeds important in any way?" she asked the Bub-ulb. "Aside from spreading flowers over the land."

"They are. With those three and my seed, plant them in a circular garden surrounding an empty archway, and you can create a door that leads to my home in Flower Fields," the Bub-ulb said. "I haven't been there in a while, but it's a beautiful place. And with other talking flowers, too."

"That sounds like a lovely place to visit, but maybe after we stop Bowser and save the Mushroom Kingdom." After bidding farewell to the Bub-ulb, Twilight placed the seeds back in her bag and headed back to the village with the volcano vase on her back. Once back inside Yoshi's Village, she spotted the explorer sitting by the edge of the shore, still moping as he watched the waves lap across the sand. She walked past the Yoshis, watching out for the Yoshi kids as they ran around playing a game. She sat down beside him, keeping the vase out of Kolorado's view, but he didn't pay her any mind as he stared at the ocean. "So, Misstar's scolding finally got to your head yet?"

"I'm not a hatchling," Kolorado uttered. "I can't help myself if I have that unbearable itch to go out and explore ancient ruins and get into danger. I don't always leave without telling my wife, but I hate being cooped up in one place for too long. I seek adventure, traveling to different parts of the world, finding ancient relics of the past, and I know of the trouble I can get into. If she knew where I was going, she'd try to tag along with me and risk getting hurt...Better me than her with Bowser causing a lot of trouble."

"I'm pretty sure she'll understand if you tell her instead of making her worry half to death," Twilight said. "No wonder you need somepony to smack some sense into you." Kolorado simply shrugged in response. "Well, since you're feeling down, I found you a little something I think will lift your spirits up."

Twilight levitated the vase out in front of the Koopa, surprising him as his jaw dropped in awe. "W-What? A vase?...A vase made by the ancient civilization that once thrived in Mt. Lavalava!" He quickly grasped the vase, observing the artifact from all angles. "Where did you find this!? There wasn't anything while we went through the volcano!"

"Well, it turns out that chest you were crazy about earlier actually came out with us," Twilight said, shocking Kolorado as he looked at her. "It landed in the jungle not too far from the village. Talk about a stroke of luck, huh?"

"Indeed..." Gently placing the vase down on the ground beside him, Kolorado reached into his shell, pulling out a yellow seed similar to the other three Twilight had. "I suppose a trade for the vase sounds fair after dealing with my insanity, eh? All I have is this seed I got from a Bub-ulb in the very same jungle, but I don't have a use for it."

"Sounds fair to me," Twilight said, accepting the seed and putting it in her bags. "And you didn't listen to us and stay put in the village when we went off to jungle while we were gone."

"I got bored and didn't assist you in rescuing the Yoshi kids. I could handle myself." The alicorn stared at him with a raised brow, knowing he wasn't able to after he was attacked by Jungle Fuzzies and Spear Guys earlier. Kolorado realized his contradiction, along with stupidly stepping on lava a couple times, not counting his attempt to help the others against the Lava Piranha as it moved out of the way...when he heard him release a battle cry. "...Ok, not that well, but enough."

"Uh huh," Twilight mumbled.

"Well, I believe I can call this adventure a success," Kolorado continued. "Chock up another expedition that will be forever recorded in the history of archaeology. I wonder what other ancient secrets await me."

"How about you relax with your wife when you get back home for a while before going back on another wild adventure?" Twilight suggested.

Kolorado chuckled nervously while scratching the back of his neck. "Eh, right. She's probably already mad at me already..." He looked out at the sea, noting the sun beginning to set as the sky began to turn orange. "But we should head back tomorrow. We've had quite an expedition and need some rest."

"No kidding," Twilight said with a yawn. "We went through three separate areas and fought Bowser's strongest troops all in one day. I'm ready for a good night's sleep...right after I soak in the hot spring if everyone else has already had their turn."

"Hot spring? Well, sign me up!" Kolorado stood up, picked up his vase, and ran off toward the Toad House. "I haven't taken a dip in one in ages!"

"H-Hey! At least let me go before you do!" Twilight called out, chasing after him and hoping her four legs could outrun his two and reach the spring before Kolorado did.





The next morning, after a good night's rest in the Toad House, everyone gathered by the entrance of Yoshi's Village. Despite using the hot spring as a bath, Rarity considered herself clean enough even without using soap, glad to finally be rid of the dust that caked her fur. The Yoshis all gathered around them to see them off, the kids huddled around Fluttershy as they hugged her legs with pleading eyes for her not to leave.

"Do you really have to go, Miss Fluttershy?" the red Yoshi kid asked.

"I have to. My friends need my help," she said, letting go of the five young Yoshis. "We also need to find Applejack, the last of my friends who's still out there somewhere."

"Can you come back and visit us when you beat Bowser with your Stare?" the green Yoshi kid asked.

"Maybe, but I don't know how long that'll be," Fluttershy said. "I don't think my Stare would work on him, though..."

"We hope to see you all again," the Yoshi chief said. "Stay safe out there, and bring peace back to the Mushroom Kingdom once again."

After saying their goodbyes, the party exited the village and made their way back to the whale, who had patiently waited for them. "There you all are!" he said as they approached him. "Looks like you managed to steer clear of the eruption. Were you successful in finding what you needed?"

"We sure have," Kolorado said, holding up the volcanic vase.

"And we rescued the Star Spirit, too," Twilight added. "We're ready to head back into town."

"Of course." The whale spotted Fluttershy and Sushie among them. "And with new members of your entourage, I presume?"

"We found a lost friend of ours and a new partner who has overpower water powers!" Pinkie said. "You should see the tidal wave she can make! She can probably make a bigger splash than you, Mr. Whale."

"I don't doubt something else can splash more than me. Especially a Cheep Cheep like Sushie." No one had mentioned Sushie's name, the whale surprising everyone as he seemed to have known her.

"We occasionally crossed paths with each other while swimming through the sea," Sushie explained, bouncing up on the whale's back before the others. "He always sleeps with his mouth open. And he snores. Very loudly."

"I do not!" the whale whined. "And I need to stop sleeping with my mouth open or else get a terrible stomachache from whatever live thing gets sucked into my mouth."

"What did you eat by accident this time?" Sushie asked teasingly, making the others wonder if these two were friends.

"...A big, fuzzy centipede used as bait by a fisherman to catch fish," he uttered.

Sushie began laughing at the embarrassed tone the whale gave as he described his woes. After the Cheep Cheep and whale regained their composure, everyone else boarded on the whale's back to ride back to Toad Town Port.

"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOA!!!!!!!!" a voice cried out from the ocean.

"What the hay was that?" Rainbow asked.

Looking out at the ocean, everyone except for Sushie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Watt, Kolorado and the whale knew who was swimming toward them. "Oh no," Goombario groaned. "Not again!"

Sprinting through the water was none other than Jr. Troopa, finding Mario and his group yet again in his never-ending quest to get revenge on the plumber. The ones who had met him before were confused as to why he swam instead of flew across, able to sprout wings at will back in Forever Forest. Arriving on dry land, the Koopa with a vendetta leapt up onto the island, panting and wheezing in exhaustion as he tried to catch his breath.

"Yes!" Jr. Troopa cheered, coughing as he breathed heavily. "I-I...swam...all the way! Whew! Oh, my lungs..."

"Umm, who is that?" Watt asked curiously.

"Is that a little Koopa?" Fluttershy asked. "Oh dear. Why did he swim across the ocean? I think he needs our help."

"No!" Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity, Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, Parakarry, and Bow quickly exclaimed.

"But why-?" Before Fluttershy could why they couldn't help the tired, eggshell-wearing Koopa, Mario held the yellow pegasus down on the whale's back.

"Quick, Mr. Whale! Flip your tail fin off to town A.S.A.N.!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"'A.S.A.N.?" the whale questioned in confusion.

"As soon as NOW!" the mare abbreviated. "That annoying cliche where an enemy we keep seeing over and over that's stronger than last time is gonna happen again, and it gets really old in this game - I mean story - I mean...JUST FLOOR IT!"

Unsure what the worried ponies and Mushroom Kingdom heroes were fussing about with the young Koopa, the whale swam off, to Watt, Sushie, Kolorado, Rainbow, and Fluttershy's confusion. Jr. Troopa finally caught his breath, puffing out his chest and turning around to face his foes.

"Alright, Mario! You and your friends - not including my beloved white angel - are gonna-!" Jr. Troopa noticed his enemies leave him behind, already far away from Lavalava Island. His jaw dropped, letting out strangled noises as his blood began boiling. "Hey! Get back here you coward!" The Koopa dove back in the water and swam back after them. "SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!!!"





"What is wrong with all of you!?" Sushie exclaimed, scolding the members of the group who decided to abandon Jr. Troopa after seeing him swim several miles across the ocean. "We're just going to leave that poor boy alone when he could collapse from exhaustion!?"

"Sushie, we can explain," Twilight said. "That 'boy' is Jr. Troopa, and trust us when we say he doesn't need our help."

"He's just a little Koopa kid," Rainbow said. "What could he have possibly done that makes you guys so worried about him?"

"Did you not hear me, Dashie!?" Pinkie exclaimed, grabbing her friend's shoulders and shaking her. "He keeps popping up like a random encounter in tall grass and doesn't go away until he's knocked unconscious! And he's going to keep stopping us from saving the world because he wants revenge on Mario!"

Rainbow grabbed Pinkie's hooves, pushing her back so her eyes could readjust themselves back to normal from the shakedown. "What are you talking about!?"

"Let me explain," Goombario said. "Jr. Troopa has been a menace to my family in Goomba Village, thinking that everything there belongs to him. Mario met him after saving Goompa when the veranda he built got busted by Kammy's roadblock slamming on our front gate, right after that little punk beat up my Goompa because they were trespassing on his 'playground'. He got beaten and swore vengeance, and ever since we came back to Toad Town after dealing with the Koopa Bros. and saving Eldstar, he blocked our path and picked a fight with us."

"We also met him in Forever Forest, and even though he's a bit of a dumb brat, he's no laughing matter," Bow added. "He's a little nuisance, and the sooner we avoid him, the better. We're on a big time crunch saving the kingdom and all that."

Watt and Rainbow looked at each other, still lost, but Sushie was not swayed. Neither was Fluttershy, worried about Jr. Troopa's health and how much toll on his body was for swimming such a long distance in dangerous waters.

"He's still just a little boy!" Sushie exclaimed. "And you all beat him up how many times!?"

"We know you're upset about this, Sushie, but believe us," Kooper quickly said, raising his hands up in defense in case the angry Cheep Cheep began to belly flop them. "He may be a kid, but that little Koopa is incredibly tough."

"Where exactly is his shell?" Kolorado asked curiously. "I figured a Koopa his age would be wearing the shell he was born in, not dressed in his own eggshell."

"I really have no idea what happened to his actual shell," Goombario answered. "He wore that eggshell when I first met him. Probably lost it and didn't bother trying to find it."

The rest of the ride was left in silence. Sushie was incredibly upset that they believed Jr. Troopa was more of a menace than Bowser, Fluttershy didn't believe them either, despite trusting her friends with what they've gone through, and Rainbow Dash and Watt were indifferent to this information. They finally arrived at the port, everyone disembarking from the whale's back. Kolorado stretched his legs, keeping his treasure held in his arms.

"And we are back," the archaeologist said. "Tuna-ferrying is one thing I'm going to cross off my list of odd modes of transportation."

"I am a whale!" the whale exclaimed in offense. "I'm a mammal! I don't have gills!" He then sighed, giving up on the issue as he no longer had to deal with being called a tuna by Kolorado anytime soon. "Why do I even bother?"

"Anyway, I must head back to Koopa Village," Kolorado continued. "I'm probably going to be given an earful or two from my wife, but it'll be worth it after I take a little break after this adventure. Farewell, everyone! May our paths cross once again, Kooper!"

"Same here, professor!" Kooper said as Kolorado made his way back home.

As soon as he disappeared into town, before they could continue on, they turned out toward the sea as they heard an all familiar yell. "WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!"

Swimming up to the docks was Jr. Troopa, surprising everyone as he swam after them, despite his earlier exhaustion back on Lavalava Island. "Oh you have got to be kidding me," Goombario grumbled, smacking himself in the forehead with his foot.

"He is way too persistent," Twilight muttered.

Jr. Troopa grabbed the edge of the pier, pulling himself up and wheezed, taking in big lungfuls of air with each breath. "I...am never...EVER...gonna swim...again...for the rest of my life!" He walked down the pier, hunching over and panting some more once he was away from the water. "H-hang on. G-Gimmie a sec..."

"He really swam across the ocean?...Twice?" Parakarry questioned aloud. "He has wings. If I were him, I'd be less exhausted flying over the water."

"Ok, that does it. I'm helping this poor child!" Sushie exclaimed, ignoring the others' warnings and flopped over to the panting Koopa. "Dearie, are you alright? What in the world were you thinking swimming across the ocean all by your lonesome?"

"None of your business, you old hag!" Jr. Troopa said.

Sushie's jaw dropped in shock. "...Now, that's not very nice! I'm trying to help you, and you're going to call me names? Apologize at-!"

"Get out of my way!" Jr. Troopa grabbed Sushie and flung her behind him, sending the Cheep Cheep in the water. Sushie surfaced, no longer feeling sorry for the surprisingly tough Koopa child.

"Oh my goodness, they were right. What an ungrateful little Koopa you are!" She leapt out of the water and flopped over to him. "You're in the mood for a spanking if you keep that up!"

"Go eat seaweed! Mario is who I'm after, not a fat, old fish!" Sushie growled at the insult, but Jr. Troopa ignored her and walked toward Mario. "I'm not going down so easily this time, Mario! I've gotten a lot stronger since last time!"

"How dare you!?" Fluttershy exclaimed, marching up to the rude little Koopa. "We only wanted to help you since you looked so tired, and you're being rude to us! If you don't behave right this instant, I'm going to give you...The Stare!"

"...The what?" Jr. Troopa asked. "And you're one of those weird bird-animal things like that horned one." Looking over to the side, he spotted Rainbow Dash. "...How many of you things are there!? That rainbow one looks dumb with that colorful hair."

"Hey, don't talk smack about my mane, you little twerp!" Rainbow said, almost about to ram into Jr. Troopa with a speedy tackle if Twilight wasn't holding her back.

"It's dumb! It's like you dyed it to make it look that way!" Jr. Troopa said. Ignoring the scowl on Rainbow's face, he then noticed Rarity, hearts floating around him as he looked at his crush. "Unlike milady's beautiful, purple, natural curls."

Rainbow balked and looked at Rarity. "Wait...that kid has a thing for you?"

"Apparently so," Rarity said. "I thought it was adorable at first, but if he's actually this seriously in love with me, it's just awkward."

"Spike has a crush on you," Rainbow reminded Rarity, giving the unicorn a blank stare. "A baby dragon having a crush on you isn't more awkward than a little turtle?"

"At least I know Spike and he's not as dangerous as those other dragons," Rarity reasoned. "Jr. Troopa...he's a lot more dangerous. And very rude if he's attacking everypony else."

"Fear not, my angel!" Jr. Troopa pronounced dramatically. "I shall sweep you off your four feet and show these losers never to mess with Jr. Troopa!"

"You apologize to Sushie for throwing her like that," Fluttershy demanded.

"Make me!" The pegasus opened her eyes wide, giving the Koopa her petrifying Stare. Instead of freezing him in fear, Jr. Troopa tilted his head in confusion, wondering why she was looking at him like that. "...Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?" Failing to scare him to stop, Fluttershy stared harder, but it didn't seem to be affecting him. "Ok, if you're just going to do nothing but look at me, then you're wasting my time. Out of the way, you four-legged, yellow bird!"

Jr. Troopa headbutted Fluttershy in the chest, making her gasp in pain as she was sent flying back toward the others, Mario quickly catching the timid mare. Rainbow had enough, more irate than ever after watching the Koopa hurt her best friend after her Stare failed to paralyze him.

"Hey! Nopony hurts Fluttershy!" she exclaimed. "You're gonna pay for that, you little runt!" Not needing any permission, Twilight let go of Rainbow Dash, allowing her to attack the dangerous child. Jr. Troopa let out a yell and sprouted his wings again, but he also somehow managed to crate a spike on the top of his eggshell hat. Rainbow was too fast to stop herself when she noticed too late, her hoof pricked hard as he lowered his head in defense. "OW!" she screamed, flapping back while holding her injured hoof. "W-What the hay!? When did he grow a spike on his head!?"

Jr. Troopa laughed at the pegasus mockingly as he hovered in the air. "I told you I got stronger! Now I can fly and have the perfect defense from getting trounced on the head! Try getting past that, Mario!" The hero of the Mushroom Kingdom growled, sitting Fluttershy up after making sure she was ok. As he stepped forward, the Lucky Star began glowing yellow, Fluttershy's inherited magical power absorbed into the charm unleashing itself. "I'm gonna ram my spike straight through you and get my revenge!"

Jr. Troopa flew forward, dive-bombing down on Mario headfirst, aiming the sharp spike on him. His hands and feet glowed a yellow aura similar to the glow of the Lucky Star, no time to figure out what it does as he held his arms up to stop the flying, spike-topped Koopa. His hands blocked his head, one hand gripping onto the sharp spike tightly as he pushed back, but to Mario's surprise, the spike didn't prick his hand. He didn't feel any pain, poking his thumb against the sharp point while Jr. Troopa struggled to flap into him.

"Fluttershy's power," Twilight uttered in awe, everyone astonished as they watched the struggle. Mario spun around, flinging Jr. Troopa away from him. The young Koopa recovered, rubbing his head with a growl and kept to the air. Looking down at his feet, Mario decided to test if the same ability applied to his powerful legs as well, running toward Jr. Troopa and leaping up into the air. Jr. Troopa only smirked, watching Mario give himself a hole in his foot for jumping on his head, but as the plumber landed on him, the spike was practically nonexistent as he bounced on his head hard. Completely stunned while receiving a powerful headache, Mario leapt up and ground pounded Jr. Troopa's head, his hindquarters also protected from the spike as his weight slammed the Koopa back to the ground with a thud. "Is it some kind of immunity to any physical defenses opponents have?"

"It's like the Spike Shield badge, if only badges were used as part of this story, but it's not!" Pinkie said. "Maybe Fluttershy's power comes from her protectiveness toward critters who were helpless in defending themselves, just like the Yoshi kids when she beat up those evil Piranha Plants!" Her theory was immediately forgotten as she bounced over to Fluttershy, who was rubbing her sore chest. "Are you ok, Fluttershy? Do you need a medic? Should Mario call Misstar to Smooch you some health back? Or would you like to eat a Mushroom instead?"

"I-I'm ok," Fluttershy assured, wincing a little as she breathed in too deeply. "I thought my stare would have worked on him, but it didn't."

"He's probably too stubborn to be stopped by anything unless it's a beating," Goombario said.

Jr. Troopa groaned and got up on his knees, rubbing his sore head in bafflement. "H-How? How were you able to jump on my head!? You were supposed to get pricked by my spike!? You're cheating!" He looked up, only to receive a powerful blow to the noggin as Mario fell back down and slammed his hammer on him. Seeing stars, Jr. Troopa groaned, staggering on his feet for a moment before falling over. His wings and spike disappeared, beaten far too quickly due to exhausting himself from swimming to and from Lavalava Island. Before falling unconscious, he had a realization as his voice was slurred. "Ya know...I had wings...I should have just flown across the water...I could have beaten Mario if I did that instead..."

Succumbing to his injuries and exhaustion, Jr. Troopa let out a groan as he passed out, his foot twitching randomly. Everyone stared at him, slightly surprised their encounter with him ended swiftly.

"...Well, that wasn't as bad as it was in Forever Forest," Twilight said.

All eyes soon fell on Sushie and Fluttershy as both Cheep Cheep and pegasus were the ones who actually wanted to help Jr. Troopa. "...Ok, I see what you all mean," Sushie said. "As young as he is, he acts like he can take care of himself...Good thing I didn't try belly flopping him if I knew he could grow a spike that quickly."

"So, NOW you want to help him up?" Bow asked.

"I want to...but I don't think there's any point trying to get him to change with that attitude of his," she responded. Sushie flopped over to Fluttershy, concerned about the growing bruise on her chest from Jr. Troopa's skull. "Are you sure you're alright, dear?"

"I'm ok to keep going," Fluttershy said. "I don't want to slow us all down."

"We actually have no idea where to go next, so we can take our time and gather some information," Goombario said.

"Here, Fluttershy, eat a healing Mushroom! That should help make the ouchies disappear!" Pinkie said, not giving the pegasus a chance to respond as she shoved one of their Mushrooms in her mouth.

This being her first Mushroom she's ever seen, thankfully not noticing the eyes or else she'd think it was a sentient fungus, it was surprisingly sweet as she chewed the big mouthful forced in her. The painful headbutt also dulled a little, which made her make a not to get herself some to bring with her for her animal friends who enjoy eating mushrooms. Rainbow took one of the Mushrooms as well, the pain lessening in her hoof, but she winced as she tried to walk on it. She preferred flying around anyway, hovering along with everyone as they headed to the center of Toad Town.

Along the way, Goombario saw a couple of familiar Goombas who were shopping in Toad Town: his mother and little sister. Goombaria was the first to spot him, running from Goomama and tackled him in a Goomba-style hug.

"Big brother!" the little Goomba said cheerfully. "I missed you!"

"Hey, Goombaria," Goombario greeted, patting his excited sister on the head.

"There's my little Goomba!" Goomama approached them after noticing him, hugging her son and kissing his cheek, embarrassing him in front of the rest of his friends. "I hope you're not getting into too much trouble traveling with Mario, Goombario."

"Well, that depends on what you mean by 'trouble'," Goombario said.

"Which means quite a lot in my book," she said. "Mario, I hope my son hasn't been too much of a bother for you." Mario shook his head, not even troubled in the slightest. Goomama then noticed the large group he and Goombario were with, mostly taking interest in the five ponies she had never seen before. "...Honey, what are those creatures with you and your friends."

"They're ponies, mom," Goombario corrected. "They came from another world called Equestria, and they're kind of stuck here until Twilight, the purple one with the wings and horn, can bring them back home. But they're missing one more friend, and they're helping us defeat Bowser."

"I like the pink one!" Goombaria said. "Her hair's all poofy! And she's got balloons on her butt!"

"It's called a cutie mark!" Pinkie said, suddenly appearing between the two female Goombas the moment they blinked. Startled, they yelped and leapt back in surprise. "I'm Pinkie Pie! And that's Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight Sparkle!"

"...How did she even-?" Goomama tried to ask, but Goombario shook his head as he placed his foot over hers.

"Mom, one rule about Pinkie Pie we learned the hard way: Don't ask questions about Pinkie Pie," he explained.

"But she just...teleported behind us," the mother said, already feeling a headache coming on.

"Again, don't question her," Goombario paraphrased. "Anyway, guys, this is my mom and my little sister, Goombaria. What are you two doing here?"

"Oh...Well, we were doing a bit of grocery shopping, and Goombaria wanted to see if she wanted any new bows to wear," Goomama said. "Thankfully, Goomba Road was safe enough to travel now. Seems like that ridiculous Goomba King finally left."

"Mario and I took care of him," Goombario said. As he explained what had happened on Goomba Road a while back, Goombaria was riding on Pinkie's back, giggling and cheering as the mare gave her a bouncy ride. "It was kind of a close call when we confronted Red and Blue Goomba, but I finally beat those bullies...with a little help from Mario."

"Oh, I'm so proud of you!" Goomama said, hugging Goombario again. "I know those two bullies kept picking on you, but you stood up to them and won. You've gotten so big and strong, you're not the same little Goomba I raised as a baby."

Goombario giggled sheepishly, ignoring the teasing grins some of his friends had while they watched him. "Uhh, as much as I'd love to tell you everything else, mom, we kind of need to find out where to go next. We have two more Star Spirits to rescue, but we don't have any leads on where to go next."

"Ok. Don't exert yourself too much, especially with that technique your Goompa taught you," Goomama warned. "And have you been bathing regularly? Washing all over? Are you eating right? You're not getting into any fights with your friends, are you?"

"Mom!" Goombario complained, blushing heavily as his mother still treated him like a little Goomba. "I'm taking care of myself just fine!"

"I'm just wondering. You know I worry about you, sometimes." Despite being embarrassed, Goombario gave his mother a grin, sharing similar feelings with how his family fared without him around. They heard Goombaria's giggling as she rode on Pinkie's back. "Goombaria, let's keep shopping! Your brother and his friends need to get going!"

"Aww, but mommy, I wanna play with Pinkie some more!" Goombaria whined.

"Don't worry, Goombaria! After we beat up that meanie Bowser, I'll come by your house and we can play some more! Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Pinkie said, performing her Pinkie Promise to assure the little Goomba.

Goombaria pouted, but she believed Pinkie would keep her promise to her. She climbed off the earth pony and walked back to her mother, both Goombas waving them good-bye as they continued their way through town. Once they reached the center of town, they pondered where to go next as Goombario checked the map to any other places they haven't been to. While going over the map, Twilight noticed a nearby flower garden that surrounded a wooden archway. It sounded similar to the description the Bub-ulb back on Lavalava Island explained to her.

Curious, she pulled out the four colorful seeds she got from them, wondering if the gate to Flower Fields was here in this part of Toad Town. Twilight walked over to the circular flowerbed, which was mostly empty aside from two little patches of white flowers on the sides where the arch was set. While looking over the seeds, one of the Toadettes approached her, her mushroom head with pink spots, brown braided pigtails, wearing gardening gloves on her hands and an apron with a sprout on the front.

"Hello," she greeted. "You here to look at my flower garden?"

"This is your garden?" Twilight asked curiously. "...Kind of barren to be a garden."

"Yeah, but I'm waiting until I find special flower seeds that can create a magical door to a place called Flower Fields!" she said. "I've heard its filled with flora of all kinds, and I always want to go there!...Oh, my name his Minh T., by the way."

"Twilight Sparkle," the alicorn introduced herself. She held up the four seeds the Bub-ulbs gave her to Minh T. "Are these the seeds you needed?"

The Toadette gasped as her eyes were glued on the four big seeds. "Those are seeds from Bub-ulbs, aren't they!?" She squealed excitedly, jumping up and down in joy. "Those are exactly what I need to make the door to Flower Fields appear! Can I have them!? Please!? Pretty, pretty please!?"

"I guess I won't have any use for them anywhere else, so sure." Twilight gave the seeds to Minh T., who quickly began planting them immediately as she ran toward the flowerbed.

She placed each of the seeds in the soil, pink in the bottom left, blue in the top left, green in the top right, and yellow in the bottom right. As soon as they were planted, the seeds immediately sprouted into a bunch of flowers, the Bub-ulb's seeds surprising the alicorn as they were definitely not like other ordinary flower seeds. After they fully bloomed, Twilight and Minh T. saw a strange light come from the arch in the center of the flowers.



The light grew intense and almost blinding as it pulsed out, both of them shielding their eyes as something happened. Flowers began sprouting out from around the arch and floated up to the sky, a wooden doorway suddenly appearing as it spun around the arch rapidly before coming to a complete stop. As soon as the light faded, Twilight and Minh T. opened their eyes as they now saw a doorway in place of the empty arch. The Toadette cheered as it seemed to have worked.

"It worked! The Flower Gate is open! I can finally go to Flower Fields!" she exclaimed.

The rest of Twilight's friends came over to the flower garden after noticing the strange light show, surprised to see the doorway as well. "What the heck just happened over here?" Kooper asked.

"Umm, did Twilight use magic and make a door?" Watt asked.

"I...didn't do anything," the alicorn said. "Those strange seeds I got that Minh T. planted made it appear...It leads to a place called Flower Fields."

"Flower Fields?" Parakarry questioned. "But that place is hard to reach normally unless you can fly like me. I didn't know there was a magical gateway that connected to it."

"And it's one of the few places we've yet to have been in," Goombario added as he pointed at the general location of Flower Fields. "If most of the Mushroom Kingdom has been attacked by Bowser and his army, they might have also attacked there. And where there's Bowser's troops, there might be a Star Spirit there."

"Looks that way," Twilight said as everyone agreed to check out the area since they had no other leads. She turned to the excited Toadette, where she was sure she would be put in danger with whatever lies in wait for them. "Minh T., I think you'll have to wait a while before going into Flower Fields. Bowser's soldiers might be there, and it could be a bit too dangerous to explore on your own."

Minh T. frowned, but she sighed, understanding that Bowser was causing trouble in the kingdom once again. "Ok. But hurry back. I want to see Flower Fields soon."

"We'll be sure to let you know." Twilight approached the door, looking around the arch curiously. "So, I guess we just open the door and walk through, right?"

Using her magic on the door handle, the alicorn opened it up. There was nothing but a white light on the other side, almost like a tunnel. With their only way into Flower Fields on foot, the group made their way inside and followed the path, the door closing behind them and spun around as the magical door transported them.
> Welcome to Sunny(?) Flower Fields
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reaching the end of the magical corridor, the group finally exited and arrived at Flower Fields. Instead of expecting the land to be sunny like they expected, the skies were filled with gray clouds, every single inch of it covering the land in the dreary weather. There were plenty of flowers as far as the eye could see, and some Bub-ulbs were wandering about, seeming nervous about the state of their land.

"Oh my," Fluttershy uttered. "This is Flower Fields?"

"Wasn't it supposed to always be sunny around here?" Goombario asked Parakarry.

"Yeah, but this is the heaviest amount of cloud coverage I've ever seen," the Paratroopa said, just as surprised as the rest of his companions.

"I don't like those clouds," Rainbow said. "Those don't even look natural to me. And I should know since I was on the weather team for a long while."

"You are right," a voice behind them said, startling everyone as they turned around, only to see the door they came out of, which was part of a large tree. "Flower Fields is in grave danger, and we need help."

"Who's there!?" Pinkie questioned, holding her hammer high as she prepared to slam it down on anything. "I've got a hammer, and I'm not afraid to use it!"

"Up here, young ones." They all looked up and saw a pair of eyes on the tree, watching it blink a couple times as it looked down at them.

"I-Is that...a talking tree?" Twilight asked. "I mean, I know the flora in this world can be sentient, but...did we also just come out from this tree as well???"

"Yes, I happen to be the gateway to Flower Fields from the gate in Toad Town," it said. "I am called the Wise Wisterwood, and I'm so glad to see you have come to aid us, Mario."

"What happened here?" Kooper asked. "What's with all the clouds?"

"It all started about a week ago," the Wise Wisterwood began. "A wicked creature called Huff N. Puff invaded our land with his followers. They brought these dreary clouds to our skies, and it's been dark and cloudy ever since. The sun doesn't rise in the sky anymore, and we're all growing weak and fading."

"Oh my, how terrible," Rarity said.

"Wait, you mean there's a sun refusing to rise?" Sushie questioned. "There's a sun who rises and sets to give all the flowers in this land the light they need? And I thought the sun and moon being moved around in Equestria by magic was the strangest thing I've ever heard."

"I do remember a rumor going around from all the Lakitu flying around causing trouble for us," the wise tree said. "They talked about Huff N. Puff holding someone captive."

"Is it somepony who looks like us?" Twilight asked.

Looking down at Twilight and the other mares, he was surprised to see the familiar creatures. "Ah. So, you must be the friends Applejack had mentioned."

"Applejack's here!?" the ponies exclaimed simultaneously.

"Why, yes. She's been trying to help us while also keeping low in the flower patches to hide from Huff N. Puff's army," he assured. "She was caught by them, too, but she managed to escape. She got injured by a Lakitu's Spiny egg and rested for a little until it healed."

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, surprised to know not all of them had been completely captured by Bowser's army since their separation. "Do you know where she went to?"

"I believe she headed east to gather some berries to eat," the tree said. "She should be back by now, but it's been a while since she left."

"Applejack can take care of herself no problem," Rainbow said. "So, how can we help you get rid of this Huff N. Puff guy?"

"Well, it's impossible to reach where he is at the moment," Wise Wisterwood said as he looked up at the dreary sky. "He's residing on a land of clouds called the Cloudy Climb, but these gray clouds are probably too thick for you to even break through."

"Pth! Please! I can bust clouds that shoot lightning! These'll be a breeze to bust up!" Rainbow shot up into the air and flew into the gray clouds, everyone looking up as they watched her. She let out a yell and punched a gray cloud, only for it to bounce her back with a yelp as she tumbled down a little. Righting herself up, she stared at the clouds in confusion before flying back and kicking them again. Over and over, buck after buck, even trying to bite into the gray clouds, she couldn't destroy any of them. They were too thick, and it only seemed like more just keep coming every minute. Defeated, Rainbow hovered down to the ground, pouting angrily as she plopped down on her plot. "...They're way too thick. I can't bust them..."

"Ok, so, how do we get up to Cloudy Climb, then?" Twilight asked.

Wise Wisterwood hummed in thought as he recalled how to reach Cloudy Climb, even though his roots were permanently connected to the ground. "I do believe you can reach Cloudy Climb if you plant a Magical Bean that can grow high...Actually, I think there is a flower that has such a bean. Her name is Petunia, and...she lives east of here. That's the same direction Applejack went to as well."

"So, all we have to do is plant a 'magic bean', and it'll grow into a giant beanstalk for us to climb?" Bow asked. "Why does it feel like this idea was stolen from a children's storybook?"

"At least we have a plan to get up there," Twilight said. "And I'm pretty sure Huff N. Puff is holding one of the two remaining Star Spirits hostage up there with him. So let's find Petunia, and Applejack, and get us that seed."

"Be careful on the paths," Wise Wisterwood warned. "Aside from Huff N. Puff's followers, there are some dangerous flowers and animals that won't hesitate to harm anyone."

"Yeah!" said a voice closeby. Everyone turned to a strange looking flower with a dopey, suspicious grin. "Them Crazee Dayzees won't try to put you to sleep with their singing, and them Bzzaps'! stings won't hurt like the dickens one bit, hyuck yuck!"

The Wise Wisterwood let out a sigh of annoyance, rolling his eyes. "Ignore him. Anything he says is the opposite, so just be careful."

"Duly noted, considering not every place around the Mushroom Kingdom isn't safe." Heeding the wise tree's advice and ignoring the odd flower, the group began making their way east.

Along the way, they did encounter the strange bee-like creatures called Bzzaps! and the bipedal flowers called Crazee Dayzees, along with the brown cloud enemies joining them called Ruff Puffs. The Bzzaps had really powerful stingers, despite being quite frail when pummeled, and the Crazee Dayzees songs did end up knocking a few of them out with their singing, mostly Mario and the ponies since they seemed to be targeted occasionally. The Ruff Puffs weren't much of a hassle, Rainbow easily bucking the living clouds into next week, though they were quite solid for being made of cloud.

They began getting closer to an open field where Petunia lived, but there seemed to be a problem as they got closer to where the big, sentient petunia was settled. "Ow! Cut it out you stupid-AH!" a feminine voice screamed out. "Do something about these pests, Applejack!"

"Ah'm tryin'!" The mares gasped as they heard that familiar southern drawl, quickly running out to the field to see what was happening. When they reached the field, they found Applejack running around, trying to stomp her hooves down on a group of green-furred Monty Moles constantly popping up from the ground. They dove back in their holes each time Applejack tried to stomp on them, making the living flower yelp and squirm in pain and discomfort as they seemed to dig their way across her roots. "Quit runnin' away, ya no good varmints!"

"Applejack!" Twilight called out.

The farm mare skid to a halt as she heard her name, looking in the group's direction as she found her friends. "Girls!" She was about to run over to them, only for one of the Monty Moles to pop up in front of her and throw a rock at her face. "Augh! Why you little-!" She leapt up tried to pounce the mole, but it blew a raspberry at her and ducked in its hole, quickly covering it up so she couldn't chase it. "Consarned critters! We gotta catch up later!"

"What is going on out here!?" Bombette asked, the moles now throwing rocks at the group as they avoided their surprise throws.

"Well, Ah was tryin' to get some berries to eat, but then these varmints started showin' up and nibblin' on Petunia's roots!" Applejack explained.

"And they hurt!" Petunia shouted, waving her leaves angrily before yelping again. "STOP IT! Ugh! I hate being stuck out here! Ever since the sun didn't rise, I've been droopy and miserable!" She then pointed out the the Monty Moles as they popped up and made fun of her. "And this guy, this, jerk, that troublemaker, that wicked creature, and that-!" She then pointed at the berry tree, where a Crazee Dayzee was just minding his business, not doing anything aside from watching. "...Oh. Well, ignore him. He's not harmful."

"Tell that to the ones who kept putting us to sleep back on the path here," Rainbow muttered.

"Not only are these stupid moles eating at my roots, but I'm afraid they're going to eat my seed collection!" Petunia added. "Please help me, because Applejack's trying, and they're too fast for her! OW! I SAID QUIT IT!"

"Oh, maybe I can convince them to stop," Fluttershy suggested. She calmly walked up to one of the Monty Moles, staring at her with a rock in his claws. "Hello, Mr. Mole. I know you're hungry, but I don't think it's right to eat someflower's roots if it's hurting them. Would you like something else to eat instead?" It cocked its head in confusion, but after a moment of thinking, it let out a grunt of disinterest and dove back in its hole, going for Petunia's roots as she yelped again. "Ok, that didn't work."

"Then a flank whooping's all it's gonna take to get them to stop!" Rainbow said. "Split up and cover every inch of the ground, guys!"

Everyone split up and spread out, watching out for any holes being dug up and any heads poking up from said holes. Rainbow, Watt, Parakarry, and Bow took to the air, catching the Monty Moles by surprise if they could feel the ground thumping from everyone's steps, and dive down on any of them that popped up to mock them or throw rocks.

"Found one!" Pinkie shouted, leaping up and slamming her hammer down on a mole that popped up near her.

It was too slow to react, getting whacked in the head and began seeing stars. Kooper added some more pain to the dazed mole, ramming into its face with his shell toss, sending it flying out of its hole. Twilight spotted another, using her magic to drag the Monty Mole out, tossing it up in the air for it to get zapped by Watt, slapped repeatedly by Bow, and as it fell, getting blasted by a powerful gush of water from Sushie. Parakarry and Rainbow spotted the third one far from the others, the pegasus grabbing the paratroopa as he ducked in his shell, then dove down and used the withdrawn Koopa as a weapon, smashing the Monty Mole hard in the head and knocking it unconscious. The last one popped up beside Mario, the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom quickly swinging his hammer down into the ground, creating a small quake that pushed the Monty Mole out of its hole. It panicked and tried to dive back down, but Rarity snatched it with her magic, holding it out for Goombario and Bombette for them to tackle it, sending it tumbling toward Applejack, who bucked it hard toward its other unconscious friends in a pile.

With the Monty Moles dealt with, Petunia breathed a sigh of relief, no longer feeling sharp teeth chomping on her roots. "Wow. I can't thank you all enough. I feel so much better now."

"No problem, Petunia," Applejack said.

She turned to face her friends, only to be tackled by a pink blur. "Applejack! I missed you so much!" Pinkie cried, crushing the poor earth pony mare with her constricting hug.

"Y-Yeah, Ah missed y'all, too," Applejack wheezed. Pinkie finally let go as the rest of the Mane Six got together in a group hug, reunited after being apart for so long in this new world. After a moment, the Mushroom Kingdom inhabitants watching as they let them be, the ponies finally broke up the hug. "Ah'm so glad to see y'all again. Ah expected the worst."

"You have no idea how worried we all were for each other," Twilight said. "But now we're back together again."

"And all that's left is to find a way back home after kicking Bowser's spiky butt back to his kingdom and save Peach!" Rainbow said, slamming her forehooves together.

While the mares caught Applejack up on what she had missed, Mario approached Petunia. "Thanks again for helping me from those dumb Monty Moles. I want to give you something." She then grabbed a green bean seed from her stash of seeds she stored beside her, handing it to Mario. "This is a Magical Bean, one of my greatest seeds to keep. But don't plant it."

"Uhh, why not?" Goombario asked, Mario cocking his head in confusion in response to Petunia's plea.

"Why not? Because as a seed, it has so much freedom!" she explained. "After it's planted, it sprouts and won't move ever again! Don't you think that's sad?"

Overhearing Petunia, Applejack approached the flower. "Petunia, we need that seed in order to save your home," she said, getting caught up on why everyone was here now. "Ah've been a farmer for all mah life, and Ah've tended and grown hundreds upon hundreds of apple trees in mah orchard back home. Y'all can trust me to take care of the beanstalk when it grows."

Petunia whimpered, knowing she could trust Applejack as she was the only one who ever came by to visit her after she arrived in Flower Fields, but she didn't want any of her seeds to be planted and remain stuck in a terrible place like she was. But, if it meant finally being able to see the sun again and no longer see any clouds blocking their skies, then she had no choice but to let them plant and grow the Magical Bean.

"...Oh, alright," she finally said with a sigh. "I guess if you must. If you want to make it grow and reach where those jerk clouds are, you'll need Fertile Soil to plant it in and Miracle Water. Posie and Lily should have what you need."

"Thanks, Petunia," Applejack said. "Now that Ah'm reunited with mah friends, Ah promise we'll save Flower Fields and the whole kingdom from Bowser."

Petunia saw them off with a wave as they began to head back, Applejack quickly stopping by the berry tree and bucking down several red berries, feeling incredibly hungry after chasing those Monty Moles. After eating her fill, saving some for later as Twilight put the remaining berries in her bags, they made it safely to the field with the Wise Wisterwood.

"Ok, so in order to reach Cloudy Climb, we'll need that Fertile Soil and Miracle Water, but for it to grow, we're going to need the sun," Kooper said. "The sun's going to be a problem if these clouds are so thick that not even Rainbow Dash couldn't bust through."

"Well, Ah think Ah have some idea," Applejack said. "When Ah woke up here, Ah ended up somewhere in the northwestern part of Flower Fields. And right in front of some of Bowser's followers if Ah saw one of them magical turtles like the one in the purple robe in Peach's castle. They had this strange machine, but Ah didn't spend much time knowin' what it does when Ah ran from them...after one of them thought mah hat belonged to him."

"A machine?" Twilight asked. "Did you see what it did?"

"No, but one of them Lakitu fellers who ended up sparin' me told me it was called the Puff Puff Machine," Applejack said.

"What the hay is a Lakitu?" Rainbow asked.

"They're like miniature Koopas, only they're their own species and ride on fluffy clouds that have a face," Goombario explained.

The mares found it hard to imagine something like that, but as they turned to Applejack, she nodded her head. "Eyup. And the clouds actually express themselves, too."

"I want a little fluffy cloud pet!" Pinkie squealed. "Where can I buy one!?"

"Ah don't think they can. It's like a part of them, even though Ah knocked one of them off a cloud before." Applejack looked up at the cloudy sky. "Ah sure hope that Lakilester's finally quit and ran off."

"'Lakilester'?" Rarity questioned. "What an odd name. Was he the one who helped you?"

"Sure was," Applejack said. "Haven't seen him since he helped me, but any Lakitu that flew by, Ah hid in the flowers to avoid getting caught. No idea why they were so interested in me, but if they were gonna make me do hard work for them, Ah wasn't gonna let them turn me into a slave."

"It's a good thing you didn't get caught, then," Parakarry said. "And hiding in the flowers is pretty smart. If I were flying in the air and looking down, I wouldn't be able to see you with the yellow flower patches matching your fur and hair."

"I have no idea why Bowser wants to capture us after zapped us with the Star Rod, but now that we're back together, we'll have to stay together until we face him," Twilight said, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Pinkie nodding their heads in agreement. "Now, onto saving Flower Fields and getting the next Star Spirit. We need to find Fertile Soil, Miracle Water, get rid of these clouds, and make the sun, which is different from the actual sun that rises and sets throughout the rest of the world and is possibly as alive as the flora in Flower Fields, rise in the sky for the Magical Bean to grow. But where do we go first?"

"Ah've been around most of Flower Fields while Ah was here, mostly just explorin' and figurin' out how to get back to the kingdom," Applejack said. "The only place Ah haven't been is to the path northwest of here. There's a pit of thorns that are too far for me to jump, so gettin' across is gonna be a problem...Although, there was a strange flower that blew bubbles, but it didn't seem to have a face like Petunia, Posie, or Lily, so Ah didn't bother checkin' if it could talk or not."

"A bubble blowing flower!?" Pinkie asked excitedly. "Applejack, you must take me to this bubble flower! I must see the bubbles and pop them!"

"Pinkie! We can't be playing games right now!" Twilight chided. "Or pop bubbles! We're on a serious time limit to stop Bowser, and if we can't stop him in time, he'll destroy the Mushroom Kingdom!"

"Aww," Pinkie whined, plopping on her belly as she pouted.

"Anyway, Posie's to the southwest and Lily's to the southeast," Applejack continued. "It was a little bothersome gettin' to them 'cause of these flowers protectin' a gate that lead to them. Luckily, these berries grown around here are their favorite food to eat, and since they know me, they'll let me pass to meet them."

"Flowers...that eat berries," Twilight uttered, not surprised seeing how there were plants that like to take a bite out of anything that moves in the Mushroom Kingdom. "At least they're not like Piranha Plants."

"Uhh, Piranha whats?" Applejack asked in concern.

"As long as there aren't any of those terrible things here, we're fine," Rarity said, relieved by Applejack's confusion.

"Well, now that we've got someone who can guide us around who isn't rooted to the ground, let's find our gardening supplies and grow us a beanstalk!" Bombette said.

They made their way down the southwest path first, starting out meeting with Posie and getting the Fertile Soil first. Along the way, Applejack got to know the rest of their Mushroom Kingdom companions joining them and Mario in fighting back against Bowser. Aside from Bow being snide, Applejack let it slide as she reminded her of Rarity in a way, the others were a delight to be around: Goombario was pretty knowledgeable and acted as a walking encyclopedia, Kooper was a critical thinker and an adventurer, Bombette was pleasant despite being a walking sphere of explosive power, Parakarry was a bit klutzy, but determined to his job like a certain mailmare Applejack knows all too well, Watt was pretty young, but really mature and excitable for her age, and Sushie was wise and caring, though pretty strict being the oldest out of the group. It was an oddball of a retaliating group of heroes, but each of them had their unique abilities and strengths that were sure to aid Mario and the Mane Six in defeating Bowser.

After walking through the path, passing the red flower Applejack mentioned who allowed them to pass, a few enemies in their way, and a yellow berry tree, they arrived at Posie's little corner of Flower Fields. It was a peaceful little area with a small waterfall streaming water into a small lake, the path bridging over the water to where the animated yellow lily rested under a beautiful tree made out of crystal, easily catching the girls' attention with the shimmering berries in its branches. The stigma that served as Posie's nose was pretty big for a normal flower. The ground beneath her and the tree behind her looked very rich and fertile, Posie practically living in the Fertile Soil they need for the Magical Bean.

Spotting them, Posie waved at them as she saw Applejack with her companions. "Applejack! So good to see you again!" Posie greeted with a giggle. "Who are your new friends!? Visitors from outside Flower Fields!?"

"Howdy, Posie," Applejack greeted. "These are friends of mine, and they're here to help clear the skies for all of y'all." Applejack then pointed to her pony friends. "And these are mah best friends from mah world: Princess Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie."

"Oooooh! You're all like a rainbow!" Posie complimented. "If only I could see one if it weren't for the clouds covering the sky."

The others couldn't help but stare at Posie's elongated stigma as she talked. "What is with her mouth?" Bombette whispered.

Posie overheard the Bob-omb, giggling at what everyone was looking at on her. "Oh, this isn't my mouth! This is my nose!"

"Your nose?" Watt asked. "Umm, that's your nose?"

"Why, yes! Because of the rich and fertile soil I'm in, my nose has grown pretty long," Posie explained.

"She's right about the soil," Applejack said. "It's even grown this crystal tree behind her. And yes, those berries up there are made of real crystal."

Rarity gasped as she looked at the berries, some of them shimmering even without any sunlight shining through them. "Those berries are actual crystals!? I must have one for my pieces back home!"

"Would you like one?" Posie offered. "There's plenty of them, and ripe for the picking."

"Yes!" Rarity quickly said, wincing a little at her unladylike response and cleared her throat. "I mean, if you're sure you can part with one."

"It's not a problem! I wanted to give Applejack one for visiting me every so often, but she says she doesn't like pretty things, so I guess it's me giving it to her for you!" Applejack let out a nervous laugh, wishing she wasn't given a crystal berry as she knew Rarity would gush over the unique crystal not of their world. "Just give me one moment." Posie took in a deep breath and began grunting. The ground began to shake a little as the flower exerted more force, doing something that began worrying everyone, the crystal tree shaking more and more as she grunted louder. After one final, heavy grunt, a crystal berry finally plopped down beside her. "Phew...Oh, I guess that was a bit unladylike," Posie said with a timid giggle.

"...What the heck was that?" Bow asked aloud.

"And how did she shake the tree?" Sushie asked curiously.

"My roots are connected to the crystal tree," Posie explained. "It's not so bad most of the time, but don't go smacking the tree with anything hard. I can feel it, and it hurts if the tree gets hit."

Their question answered, Applejack decided to move on to why they really came to meet Posie. "Posie, ya mind if we might borrow some of your soil? We need it to make the Magical Bean grow so we can find this Huff N. Puff creature and kick him outta your home."

"Oh, but of course!" Posie said. "This soil will make everything grow big and strong! Hopefully not as big as my beautiful nose." Most of the group sighed in exasperation, unable to believe a long nose on a flower would make them pretty. Posie scooped up a good amount of Fertile Soil with her leaves, holding it out to the apple farming mare. "This should be enough. I got plenty to spare."

"Thanks, Posie," Applejack thanked. Twilight levitated the soil, keeping it in the air so it didn't get her saddlebags dirty with all their supplies she kept. She also took the crystal berry, Rarity quickly snatching it as she looked it over with a gleeful giggle. "We'll bring the sun back up and get rid of all these clouds for y'all."

"Good luck, everyone!" Posie said as she waved goodbye, the group heading back down the path and returned to the central area of the land.

"Ok, I don't want to carry around a small mound of dirt while we travel around. Where can I plant the bean?" Twilight pondered. She looked around the area, finding a bare circle of dirt nearby. "Hmm. That looks like a good enough spot for the beansprout." Placing the Magical Bean down on the ground, the alicorn covered it with the Fertile Soil. "There. Now we just need the Miracle Water and some sunlight, and it should grow."

Applejack lead the way once again, taking the group down the southwest path. They passed by another guard flower, this one yellow, who let them pass knowing the earth pony on her usual visits to meet Lily. This road was a bit treacherous as Applejack's warning about seeing pits filled with sharp thorns. In the middle of the slightly broken, and very thin, platforms were several red vines with thorns jutting out from them. The jumps were simple to get over, although Bombette needed some flight assistance since she barely made it over to one of the platforms. After slowly, but carefully leaping their way across, ignoring the Crazee Dayzees frolicking in the flowers and passing another berry tree, where the berries were colored blue in this tree, they arrived at what seemed to be an empty pond, a tree with strange berries shaped like a bubble on an island in the middle.

"Wait, somethin's not right," Applejack said. "Where's the water?"

"There's supposed to be water here?" Goombario asked.

As everyone got a better look, they saw some grates that connected to a side of the empty pond, which acted as a water channel to water the flowers further down. "This looks like there should be a pond here. But how could the water have dried up without the heat of the sun if it can't show itself?"

Applejack gasped, looking further ahead. "Oh no. Lily!" Worrying for the flower living in this side of Flower Fields, Applejack ran ahead, jumping into the empty pond, climbing up the ledges on the other side as they shaped a makeshift staircase, the others quickly giving chase. On the other side, there was another pond, though it was just as empty as the smaller one behind them. Inside was a large water lily looking incredibly worried and frightened. Applejack leapt inside and ran up to the water flower. "Lily! What happened to the water!?"

"Oh, Applejack! It's horrible!" Lily exclaimed. The others caught up and joined Applejack, wondering what had happened to Lily. "Those things riding on those clouds took my precious Water Stone!"

"What!?" Applejack exclaimed. "Them Lakitu stole the Water Stone!?"

"Uhh, mind giving us some context as to what this 'Water Stone' is and why it's important?" Bow questioned.

"The Water Stone's what makes the water flow out through Flower Fields, and it's the Miracle Water we need for the Magical Bean," Applejack said. She growled, hoping one of those Lakitu wasn't who she wanted it to be. "He better not have changed his mind."

"Without that Water Stone, I'll wilt away and die," Lily said. "I'll be crushed by my own weight. It's bad enough that the sun can't rise because of these clouds, but I need to float on the water or else I'll die."

"We'll get the Water Stone back," Kooper promised, Mario nodding his head in agreement. "Do you know where the Lakitu flew off with it?"

"I think they went west from here, but that's all I know," Lily said. "Please bring it back soon. I think I'm already wilting."

"Just hang on, sugarcube," Applejack assured. "We'll be back soon. Come on, y'all! Let's hunt down them cloud-ridin' thieves!"

The group headed back, climbing up the stairs connected to Lily's pond and hurried back to the central hub of Flower Fields. Applejack wondered why the Lakitu needed the Water Stone in the first place, but she better not see the one who helped her escape from the others when she arrived here.

"Applejack, do you think it's possible to Lakitu who saved you...might be the thief?" Twilight asked in concern as she noticed the farm mare's conflicted expression.

"Ah sure hope it ain't," she said. "He ain't no thief, and he doesn't want to be involved in all this, but he has no choice." Looking at the two other paths they haven't gone yet, Applejack guided the others to the western path, the northwestern one unable to be explored because of that pit of thorns. Along the west road, passing by another guard flower with blue petals, they ran into Spinies, quickly dealt with by a hammer crashing down on them, sending them rolling away with a bit of magic, or, for Mario, using the magic gained from Fluttershy to bounce on them, flipping them on their backs, and making them easy targets for the others. "Phew. Ah hate them spiky critters. Ah had to avoid them while reachin' this confusin' hedge maze up ahead. Wasn't able to explore much since there didn't seem to be an end to it."

"Those are Spinies, and those come from Lakitu," Goombario said. "They have Spiny eggs stored in their clouds, and they're both a projectile and a ground trooper they can toss. Their shells are pretty tough along with those spikes on their shell."

Continuing on, they reached the entrance of the hedge maze Applejack talked about earlier. Before Rainbow could hover above the top of the hedges to see if there was an end, a pair of Lakitu began flying around. They seemed to be searching from something from the air, too focused on that to pay attention to the large group of heroes below them.

"Aww man!" one of them said. "Where'd it go!? We're in so much trouble!"

"'We'!? You're the one who was holding onto that stone!" the other one said. "If I lose my cloud because of you, I'll wring your neck out!"

"This week just sucks!" the first one whined. "First I lose my cool hat to that weird creature, who we're now ordered to catch, and now we lost the Water Stone!" The second Lakitu facepalmed in irritation, but Applejack recognized the hat enthusiast as one of the few Lakitu who tried to chase after her before. "What next!?"

"Seriously, get over that stupid hat," the second Lakitu grumbled. He then looked down, doing a double-take along with his cloud when they spotted the mare with the stetson hat they met a week ago. What was worse was that Mario was with them, along with a ragtag group of characters part of their world and the five other ponies Kammy ordered them to search for. "O-Oh crap! It's that thing!"

"Huh?" The first one looked down and gasped. "Hey! My hat! And that animal who stole it from me!"

"Ah'm a pony, ya cloud-brained turtles!" Applejack exclaimed in annoyance. "And this is mah hat!"

"Forget her stupid hat! Let's get them and catch those creatures!" Both enemies swooped down, picking up Spiny eggs from inside their clouds and tossed them down, creating Spinies as they hit the ground.

"Yeah, you don't stand a chance," Rainbow said, zooming off and ramming into the Lakitu, snatching them off their clouds and holding them out in her hooves.

"Ahh! There's flying ones!?" one of them screamed as he flailed in panic.

"You're not really observant with the detailed descriptions on them, are you?" the other asked in annoyance. "Please drop me so I don't have to work with him anymore."

Down below, the others made quick work of the Spinies as they were outnumbered. Once they were beaten, Rainbow lowered the defenseless Lakitu to the ground. Their clouds grew nervous, stuck in the air without their tiny Koopa mounts flying them around, but Fluttershy took them, feeling bad for the animated clouds.

"These things are supposed to be dangerous?" Rarity asked. "I think their little pets are more threatening than they are."

"These two are more annoyin' than anythin'," Applejack said. She approached them, both cloudless Koopas slowly backing away from the earth pony, only to bump into Rainbow's forelegs. "Alright, you two. Talk. Why did ya steal the Water Stone from Lily?"

"Why do you want to know!? It's confidential!" the Lakitu thinking Applejack's hat belonged to him said, only to get smacked upside the head by his partner.

"We're not going to win, you dunce," the other Lakitu said. "If Mario's with them, we've already lost."

"Don't tell them any-!" The defiant enemy was silenced as his annoyed partner shoved his hand against his mouth.

"We were going to try to use that Water Stone to power the Puff Puff Machine and make more clouds," the Lakitu said. "But butterfingers over here dropped it somewhere around here, and we can't find it. So, if you think you can find it, be my guest."

Applejack stomped her hoof, startling the small Koopas. "Ya better hope we find it before Lily withers away, otherwise the both of ya are gonna be meetin' Bucky McGillicuddy and Kicks McGee personally," Applejack warned, bucking the air hard to emphasize who she was talking about.

Both Lakitu gulped, fearing getting kicked by the mare's powerful hind legs at full force. "So, what are we gonna do with these two? Keep them hostage?"

"Can we!?" Pinkie asked. Everyone turned to look at her, the pink mare sitting on one of the clouds as she began floating around in a circle. "This thing is really fun! And soft."

"Hey, that's my cloud!" the first Lakitu exclaimed angrily.

"Now ya know how Ah felt when ya took mah hat from me," Applejack reminded the Lakitu. "Now, Ah got one more question: Where's Lakilester?"

"Lakilester? Why are you interested in him?" the second Lakitu asked. His eyes widened after a moment pondering why Applejack was wondering about someone who was supposed to be her enemy. "...Oh...He did not help you get away from us, did he?"

"He did what!? No wonder why we couldn't find her!" the first Lakitu exclaimed in shock. "Oh, he is so getting his cloud taken!"

"Y'all ain't gonna tell anypony! Now tell me where he's at now!?" Applejack demanded.

"I don't know!" the second foe answered. "He was called by Huff N. Puff for something, but that's all we know!"

Getting her answer, seeing they were being honest, Applejack let out an irritated huff. "Fine, then...Pinkie, get off the cloud."

"Aww, are we letting them go?" Pinkie whined.

"You can't be serious," Bow grumbled.

"They ain't gonna do anythin'," Applejack said. "If they can't do a simple job right, there's no way this Huff N. Puff will believe them. They even lost the Water Stone, so their credibility wouldn't be that high."

After a moment of consideration, Mario decided to let the Lakitu go. Even if they were to get backup, they wouldn't stand a chance with their group teaming up against them. As soon as they were freed, Pinkie jumped off the cloud she was sitting on, letting the tiny Koopas back on their mounts and fly away.

"I hope you're right about them failing to bring reinforcements, Applejack," Twilight said.

"They aren't the brightest bunch out of the others when they chased me," Applejack reassured. "Now let's get to findin' that Water Stone. And fast." The group entered the maze, the ones able to fly hovering over to help guide the others through the thick maze of foliage. "Ah hate goin' through here. Ah feel like Ah'm goin' in circles, and there's these weird pipes stickin' out of the ground."

"Did you try going in them?" Goombario asked, jumping up onto a nearby one as they stood by the top right one of the maze.

"No...Why?" Applejack questioned skeptically.

"Well, Applejack, a strange thing about this world and these big pipes," Twilight explained. "They actually transport anyone who go down them to another pipe. Maybe these can lead us to the other side."

Testing the pipe, Goombario jumped down, the warping sound echoing as he disappeared before he reappeared elsewhere. Spotting the Goomba from the air, Rainbow saw him pop up in the southern-most part of the maze.

"I don't think that's the one!" Rainbow said. "I see a red pipe on the other end, and there's three others: one in the middle of the maze, one close to where you guys, and the other to the top left!"

It took a bit of time navigating the maze to reach the other pipes. While getting around, they found no sign of the Water Stone hiding in the foliage, and managed to reach the center pipe, which lead them to the other side of the maze. Once all of the grounded party exited the pipe, they found what lied at the end. Resting under a gazebo in the private garden was a large rose, too busy admiring her leaves and smoothing her petals. As the party approached her, she finally noticed her guests.

"Oh, hello," the rose greeted. "It has felt like ages since anyone has ever visited me. I am Rosie. All of you admire my beauty. Just no touching."

"Uhh, right," Applejack mumbled.

"Is it me, or does this flower remind anypony else about Rarity?" Rainbow whispered under her breath.

"Am I not the most beautiful flower in all the land?" Rosie asked, though it was rhetorical as she continued. "I am quite breathtaking, far prettier than any other flower in Flower Fields." She looked at Mario, ignoring the ponies and Mushroom Kingdom allies. "What do you say? Aren't I just incredible?" The plumber had no idea what to answer, so he just nodded his head, unable to deny that Rosie was pretty for a flower. "I knew it. Honest and charming, and I bet underneath that bushy mustache, you're quite the handsome fellow."

"Yup. Definitely a lot like Rarity," Rainbow uttered, Rarity scoffing as she overheard her pegasus friend.

"Please, I do not sound like that," Rarity said in offense.

"Actually, she almost seems to have the same voice as you, Rarity," Fluttershy said.

"Really?" Rosie and Rarity asked simultaneously.

They pondered it for a moment, but the rose and unicorn shook their heads in disagreement. "I don't hear it, darling."

"Me neither," Rosie said. "Anyway, moving past how I sound, I do appreciate all of you admiring me, so I'll show you something special." Reaching behind her with a thorned vine connected to her, holding out a blue stone that seemed to gleam like the surface of the water gently moving. Applejack gasped, recognizing the stone as she's seen it before in the center of Lily's pond when it did have water. "Isn't this stone just divine? Those cloud creatures dropped it earlier today, and I couldn't resist its shimmering reflection, so I decided to make it mine."

"Rosie, that ain't no ordinary stone!" Applejack said. "That's the Water Stone!"

Pinkie bounded closer to the flower and looked at the stone, watching the rippling waves from inside it. "Oooooh. It really is pretty."

"Rosie, we need that stone," Applejack said. "Lily's pond is all dried up without it, and if she ain't in water, she'll die."

The farm mare tried to reach out for it, but Rosie selfishly pulled her vine back. "Sorry, but it can't be helped. This stone is mine now."

"WHAT!?" everyone exclaimed.

"How can ya just say that!?" Applejack questioned. "Don't ya even care about one of your fellow flowers dyin'!?"

"Look, as hard as it is to believe, Lily thinks she's always a delicate little flower," Rosie reasoned. "And she thinks she's prettier than I am." She then hummed in thought. "Then again, if Lily were to wither up, there'll be no other flowers to set off my beauty...Ok, I guess I can part with this stone if you bring me something more beautiful than this. If you do, I'll trade for it."

"Ok, we are clearly not alike at all," Rarity said in disdain to Rainbow's earlier statement. She pulled out her crystal berry and looked at her reflection, fussing with her curls. "I would have given up something special to me in exchange for a friend's life without hesitation, unlike a selfish rose who's more vain than I am." Everyone slowly looked at Rarity, eyeing the crystal fruit she held in her magical aura. She looked up from her reflection, noticing the looks they gave her before looking down at her recently gifted berry. It was a lot prettier than the Water Stone, and if the sun were out, it would have shimmered a lot more. Rarity let out a sigh, hating herself for her poor word choice and unable to deny the Element of Harmony she lived by. "Oh, fine." She approached Rosie and held out her crystal berry. "Would you trade this for the Water Stone?"

"Ohhh. How gorgeous!" Rosie exclaimed. "This is far prettier than this ugly stone!" They made the trade, Rosie already staring at herself in the berry's reflection while Rarity gave the Water Stone to Mario to hold. "Make sure to bring that back to Lily, and be sure to tell her her life was saved because of me."

"Sure. We'll be sure to tell her," Rarity uttered sarcastically, the group leaving Rosie's garden and leaving the rose to admire herself. "I hope you all are happy I gave that crystal berry up for that selfish flower."

"We can ask Posie for another one if we see her again," Sushie said. "I'd like one myself."

"Rainbow, can ya give this stone back to Lily?" Applejack asked.

"No problem," Rainbow said, taking the Water Stone from Mario and hovered over the maze. "I'll meet you guys back by the Wisterwood tree guy!"

"And don't forget about the Miracle Water we need for the Magical Bean!" Twilight reminded, Rainbow nodding her head as she flew off to Lily's pond, the others making their way through the maze and back to the central area of Flower Fields.





Rainbow flew over the fields, making her way southeast to Lily, clutching the Water Stone tightly in her forehooves. She was cautious of any Lakitu, or any Ruff Puffs that floated around, but luckily, they were busy searching the ground. To the north of where she was going, she could see the clouds being created by the Puff Puff Machine rising up into the sky. They'll eventually get to destroying that machine, but right now, they needed to save Lily, get the Miracle Water, find the living sun in this land, and figure out how to reach the Puff Puff Machine and then destroy it.

She hovered down into the empty pond beside Lily as soon as she arrived. "Lily, we found your Water Stone!"

"Oh, thank goodness!" Lily exclaimed in relief. "Quick, place it in here!"

She pointed at a hole that was in the center of the pond, the Water Stone able to fit perfectly inside it. "Ok. So, like this?" Rainbow asked as she put the stone inside the hole. The Water Stone shined for a brief moment before water began shooting up like a geyser, catching the pegasus off guard as she was lifted up by the spout of water. "Whoa! What the hay!?" The pond began to fill up with water, the geyser spraying mist out to the flowers around them and refilling the channels as water now flowed freely throughout the area. Rainbow leapt off the spout and landed on the ground, shaking off the water that had soaked her before looking at the now filled pond, Lily floating happily as her water had returned. "Whoa. Did all that water really come from that stone?"

"Yes, and I feel so much better now," Lily said. She floated over to the other side of the pond, grabbing a watering can, and filled it up as she made her way to Rainbow Dash. "Here's a pail of Miracle Water for you as thanks for saving me."

"So, this water is all the Miracle Water we need for the bean?" Rainbow asked curiously. "This water must be everywhere around here."

"It is, and it'll help grow any plant watered with it in an instant," Lily said, only to frown as she looked up at the sky. "But, without the sun, I don't think that'll happen."

"We'll get the sun to rise, and clear away these dumb clouds, too," Rainbow assured, only to pause as she realized what she said. "We're going to raise a sun...If only Princess Celestia got sucked in with us, she would have made this job a lot easier." Shaking away the possibilities of having Celestia around, Rainbow grabbed the pail and hovered in the air. "Thanks for the water, Lily!"

"You're welcome!" The pegasus flew off to reunite with the others, being careful not to fly too fast and spill all the water for the Magical Bean.

Spotting her friends down by the Wise Wisterwood, Rainbow landed beside them, placing the pail down in front of her. "One bucket of Miracle Water checked off!"

"Now all that's left is to find the sun, and find a way to shut down this Puff Puff Machine," Twilight said. She then looked to the living tree. "Wise Wisterwood, do you know where the sun is?"

"I do know where he resides," Wise Wisterwood said. "He usually rests at the top of a tower to the northwest, although getting there is dangerous unless you can fly over the thorn pit. But, there is a Bubble Plant who can help you cross if you give him a bubble berry."

"Umm, what's a bubble berry?" Watt asked.

"Is this a bubble berry?" Pinkie asked, pulling out some of the berries that came from the tree close to Lily's now refilled spring.

"Yes, that is a bubble berry," the elder tree confirmed.

"When did she get that?" Bow asked.

"Well, when Applejack ran on ahead to check on Lily and the rest of you followed, I took a moment to gather me some of these yummy looking berries!" Pinkie explained. "And since we got a crystal berry early on so we didn't have to backtrack,-" Pinkie then looked out to something the others couldn't see. "-and we know how annoying backtracking can be in places like these,-" She then addressed the others as she continued. "-I thought they might have been important."

"Wait, so that flower that blew bubbles is alive, too?" Applejack asked. "Huh. Ah guess Ah didn't bother checkin' every plant."

"All of us flowers are not alive, Hyuck yuck!" the dopey flower said. "In fact, we can't even talk, or have eyes!"

Ignoring the lying flower, they turned their attention toward the northwest path, where the sun was sitting on his tower, unable to rise because of the gray clouds above them. "Well, let's see if this Bubble Plant's bubbles are strong enough to hold us across the thorn pit."

Making sure the pail of Miracle Water was safe beside the Wise Wisterwood, the group headed off to meet the sun and tell him they'll get rid of these clouds very soon.





Up high in the clouds, Lakilester paced nervously on his cloud, which only worried his mount more as it shuddered in fear. "It's alright, buddy," he said, calming his cloud with a light pat. "Huff N. Puff doesn't know. Our 'search' for Applejack is throwing them off, but at least she's fine."

"Lakilester!" a booming voice rang out from the clouds beneath him, startling the Lakitu as he gulped nervously. "You still haven't found the creature Lord Bowser requested us to search for?"

"N-No, Master Huff N. Puff, dude, sir!" Lakilester said. "I-It's a slippery little thing! Its body camouflages with most of the yellow flowers down on the surface, but I'll find it!"

"Master Huff N. Puff!" Flying up through the clouds, the two Lakitu that escaped from the heroes stopped beside Lakilester as they looked down at the group of clouds where their leader was inside. "We have some good news and bad news!"

"Well, spill it," Huff N. Puff demanded.

"Ok, so the good news is that we found that animal thing who took my hat!" the first one said, the second one facepalming before taking over, none of them noticing Lakilester's shock, his sunglasses thankfully masking his eyes.

"He means we found the creature His Highness is looking for, and the other five that we were supposed to be on the lookout for." Lakilester began to sweat, his cloud shivering more in fear as their lies were about to be discovered.

He could feel Huff N. Puff's suspicious gaze staring right at him through the thick clouds he was in. "So, you two found them, and Lakilester had failed in his searches for the past week..."

"But here's the bad news," the second Lakitu continued. "They're with Mario and a group of people fighting alongside him, and they outnumbered us and caught us off guard." He then looked at Lakilester suspiciously. "And the orange one we found and tried to chase when she appeared in that ball of light said your name, Lakilester. It was almost as if she was looking for you."

"W-What!? D-Don't be crazy, man!" Lakilester stuttered. "M-Maybe she heard my name while she was hiding!"

"Lakilester!" Huff N. Puff said, making the Lakitu wince as he slowly looked down. "You seem to be treading on very thin ice. Were you helping that creature escape and unable to find it on purpose to keep it hidden from me?" Lakilester gulped, shaking his head, but the fear on his cloud said otherwise. "...I am going to give you one last chance, Lakilester. Find those creatures, take out Mario, and bring those creatures to me. If you fail to do so, I will not only take your cloud away, but also your precious Lakilulu's cloud as well."

Lakilester gasped in shock. "No, wait! Not Lakilulu! Don't hurt her, please!"

"Then go! And don't come back until the deed is done!" The Lakitu grunted, unable to disobey as his girlfriend's cloud was on the line, floating off through the clouds to search for them, for real this time.

Lakilester panicked, having no idea what to do, or how he was going to face Applejack if he attacked her and her missing friends. And with Mario around to protect them, he was sure to lose no matter what decision he made. Even though he had no other choice, all he cared about was protecting Lakilulu and getting her out of this mess they got into.

"Applejack...I'm sorry," he apologized, lowering himself down beneath the thick clouds as he hovered down into Flower Fields. "I have to do this...for Lakilulu..."
> Lakilester the Great
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Up along the northwestern path from the Wise Wisterwood, the group had found themselves standing by the edge of a wide pit filled with spikes, just like Applejack had said. And facing that pit was the blue flower blowing bubbles that she mentioned earlier as well, its petals opening and closing as it released some small bubbles. There was an upper pathway up top, but with how dangerous Flower Fields was at this point, everyone needed to conserve their energy for Huff N. Puff and his minions, so having the only four flyers able to carry someone would just exhaust them if they were to meet with the big boss up on Cloudy Climb.

"That's a lot of thorns," Fluttershy noted. "Where are they coming from?"

"No idea, but I'm not willing to take a dive in there if my life depended on it," Goombario said.

Looking over to the bubble-blowing flower, Applejack approached it. "Uhh, hello?"

"Hi!" the flower greeted, despite having no facial features like Petunia, Rosie, Posie, Lily, or Wise Wisterwood. "I saw you before, but I guess you didn't notice me."

"Oh, so ya are alive," Applejack said. "Ah'm sorry. Ya weren't like the others around here."

"I get that sometimes. I'm Bubble Plant, and I like blowing bubbles," it said, blowing out several bubbles from its "mouth".

"Bubbles!" Pinkie squealed, jumping up and grabbing them while giggling like a filly. "I love bubbles! I wish I brought some bubble soap to make bubbles too!"

"Well, I can make some really big bubbles if you give me a bubble berry," the Bubble Plant said.

"Pinkie actually managed to get a few of those berries," Twilight said.

"Oh boy!" the flower cheered. Pinkie stopped her playing and gave the Bubble Plant the bubble berries. "Ok, now watch this." Opening its petals wide, the Bubble Plant let out a few exerted grunts as the bubble it blew was several times bigger than the smaller ones it occasionally released. Once it reached its maximum size, the bubble flew out and hovered above them. "Phew. How about that for a bubble?"

"That's...impressive?" Bombette said with uncertainty.

"And what's the point of this big bubble?" Bow questioned.

Pinkie gave everyone the answer as she touched the bubble, which sucked her in as she yelped in surprise. The wind picked up and carried the earth pony over the pit of thorns, stopping at the other side to safety before it popped, plopping her to the ground.

"Hey! I made it!" Pinkie said. "That was kinda fun! I wanna do it again!"

"No, Pinkie!" Twilight quickly exclaimed. "Just stay right there!"

Pinkie whined and sat still with a sad pout. The Bubble Plant blew a few more bubbles for the bigger members of the group with what berries Pinkie managed to grab for those who weren't able to fly. Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, Sushie, Rarity, Applejack, and Mario jumped into their bubbles and were carried off to the other side by the wind while Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Parakarry, Bow, and Watt flew over to join them. There were some Lakitu patrolling the path, but they were quickly taken care of, along with their Spinies that hatched from their eggs.

Further down the path, they could see the stone tower where the sun of Flower Fields resided, the land around the structure dry and cracked from the intense heat it gave out. Thankfully, it wasn't unbearable as they stepped into the plantless area, spotting a few of the same vines in the pits growing behind the stone walls around the tower. The group ascended up the spiral stairway, where at the top was the sun they were looking for. The sun seemed miserable, floating on the tower's roof as it looked out to the land where all the flowers relied on its light and warmth to keep them alive. Unlike the actual sun, it was a varying shade of bright and dark orange, the rays around its head slowly spiraling around him.

"Whoa," Kooper uttered in awe. "Flower Field's sun."

Hearing them, the sun turned to the group. "Oh. Hey," the sun greeted, a masculine voice coming from the living sphere of heat and light. "I never get visitors. Mostly because no one ever wants to visit me." He let out a sigh and looked out beyond the tower. "But who'd want to visit a sun who can't rise through these dumb clouds? Ever since that Puff Puff machine was built, I've been constantly pushed back down by those thick, fluffy abominations darkening my sky...I'm a miserable failure as a sun. Flower Fields is suffering, and I can't save them."

"Now, don't ya worry none," Applejack assured. "We're gonna destroy that Puff Puff Machine and stop them clouds."

"And we'll also get rid of Huff N. Puff, too," Goombario added. "You can't give up hope just yet. You've got us to help you get back in the sky."

Looking at the six ponies, heroic plumber, and the mishmash of allies from the Mushroom Kingdom, the sun wasn't so sure they would be able to succeed. Then again, by their numbers alone, they all might stand a chance against Huff N. Puff, bringing a slight glimmer of hope to the moody sun.

"...I sure hope you guys can do it," the sun said. "But getting to where that machine was built is a bit of a difficult climb."

"Never fear, Mr. Sun!" Pinkie said. "You got Super Mario here to help solve your puzzles, fix your plumbing, feed you pills to kill those evil viruses, and pound things in the ground with a hammer! If Mario can't do it, then maybe Twilight can 'cause she's really smart!"

Mario scratched his head, wondering how Pinkie knew about the odd side job he had once as a doctor, but realized not to question it before he could try to ask how. The sun let out a small laugh, Pinkie's bubbly and hyper personality turning his frown upside down.

"I'll take your word for it," he said. "Just be careful getting there. And let the flowers know I'll rise again soon."

Once they had reassured the sun, the group waved him good-bye and made their way back down the tower. Making their way back to finally deal with the Puff Puff Machine, Pinkie suddenly froze as her tail began twitching.

"Uh oh! Twitchy tail!" Pinkie warned.

Their progress was halted as dozens of Spiny eggs rained down in front of their path, everyone thankful for Pinkie's warning as they stepped back from where the eggs landed. They didn't hatch, thankfully, but the Lakitu who threw them hovered down in front of them surprised Applejack as she recognized the sunglasses he wore.

"Not another step," Lakilester said.

"Lakilester?" Applejack said. "What in tarnation are ya doin' attackin' us!?"

He hesitated, gritting his teeth as he pulled out another Spiny egg from his cloud. "...I'm sorry, Applejack, but I have orders from Master Huff N. Puff," he said. "I have to beat Mario and take you in." Lakilester noticed the other mares among the group, clenching the fist holding the egg tightly as the earth pony he saved was reunited with her friends. "...That includes your friends, too."

"But why are ya doin' this?" Applejack asked. "Ya could just let us by."

"Two of the Lakitu came and reported seeing you and your friends with Mario when they confronted you," Lakilester said. Applejack winced, now realizing the mistake she made letting the two Lakitu go when they were defenseless. "I don't have any other choice. Like I said...I'm sorry."

Lakilester threw the Spiny egg at Applejack, the mare flinching as she shut her eyes and awaited the inevitable spiky projectile. Mario quickly jumped in front of her, smacking the egg back at the Lakitu with his hammer. Being more competent than the other Lakitu, Lakilester floated away from the deflected egg, pulling out more and throwing them down at the plumber. Mario ran forward, keeping himself away from the mares so they didn't get hit by the Spiny eggs, avoiding Lakilester's throws as he tried to get closer.

"Why is he doin' this?" Applejack questioned. "He said he didn't want to be a part of Bowser's army."

"And he's the one who helped you?" Twilight asked.

"Some friend he turned out to be, huh?" Rainbow said. "I'm gonna knock this turtle's block off!"

Rainbow joined Mario in the fight, speeding off toward Lakilester. While the Lakitu focused on Mario, his cloud turned around and blew out a long, powerful gust of wind. The pegasus was a bit surprised, flapping her wings hard to fight back against the hurricane-like winds coming from such a tiny cloud. Lakilester turned to face her, then threw a barrage of Spiny eggs toward her, propelled dangerously fast thanks to his cloud's gust. Through her squinted eyes, Rainbow yelped and tried to evade, but the slightest movement made her lose her balance and sent her flying back. Luckily, Parakarry tossed himself forward, using his shell to block an egg that was coming right toward her, then flew back to try to help her back on the ground.

"I didn't know Lakitu clouds could do that!" Goombario exclaimed in shock. "I knew they had expressions, but I never read anything about them actually creating wind currents that powerful!"

"So, in other words, Parakarry, Watt, Rainbow, and I are completely useless," Bow paraphrased.

"Can't you phase through anything, including air?" Twilight questioned.

"I have to be tangible to hit him!" the Boo corrected in annoyance. "And as soon as I reappear, that cloud might react faster than he does! It's like he has two heads!"

Parakarry lowered Rainbow down to the ground, hovering in the air as he watched Mario jumping around while smacking Lakilester's eggs back at him. "I can probably take him. I have gotten caught in a hurricane once, and no weather stops a mail carrier Paratroopa like me."

Parakarry flew off, assisting Mario as he ascended higher above Lakilester, then dived down to aim his kick down on his head. Lakilester dodged at the last moment, his cloud watching his back and warning him of the back attack. He then threw a barrage of Spiny eggs down on the plumber and mail carrier in a hailstorm of red-balled spikes. Mario's Lucky Star shimmered blue around his neck, using his super speed to grab Parakarry and get the both of them out of range from the raining Spiny eggs.

"He's really good at fighting," Twilight noted. "He works so well with that cloud, he can see what comes at him from his blind spots."

"You guys should just give up while you have the chance!" Lakilester shouted. "Make this easy on all of us!...Please, just give yourselves in..."

Applejack noticed his hesitation, even from the miserable expression on his cloud telling how Lakilester was feeling as well. She had a feeling he was forced to attack them, and if it involved his girlfriend, then she understood why he couldn't lose or give up. He didn't want to fight them, but he was being blackmailed, and he cared a lot about his lover more than anything.

"I think I know how we can knock him off his cloud," Goombario said as low as he could so Lakilester didn't hear them. "Twilight, if you can fire magic beams at Lakilester to keep him distracted, Mario can use his hammer, throw it, 'miss' on purpose, and while he and his cloud are distracted, he'll pull it back with his magic and knock him off."

"I think that might work," Twilight agreed.

The alicorn and hero nodded their heads and executed their plan. Twilight lit up her horn, firing weak beams of magic at Lakilester with perfect precision, making him fly around to avoid getting struck. She also shot back Spiny eggs he threw at them to keep them away from her. Mario flung his hammer hard, Lakilester avoiding it, but with him busy attacking and his cloud focused on watching out for the beams, they didn't notice Mario's hands glow purple along with his hovering hammer. Pulling his arms back, Mario sent his hammer sailing down, smacking Lakilester's head hard enough to knock him off his cloud.

His cloud panicked as the Lakitu yelled as he fell, unable to fly down to catch him without someone controlling it, only to be grabbed and held hostage by Rainbow Dash. Before he fell, Watt flew toward Lakilester and shocked him, sending him flying back and tumble across the ground, smacking to a halt into a stone structure that rested near the path. Lakilester groaned, his glasses askew as his body slightly twitched from the powerful jolt of electricity Watt unleashed on him.

"...Dang it," Lakilester grunted. The others surrounded him, Rainbow keeping his cloud held in her forelegs as he tried to prop himself against the wall, trying to stand up. "I knew I wasn't gonna win...Go on, Mario, do your worst. Do whatever you want to the guys you beat...A Fire Flower in the eye...A POW Block up the-"

"Wait! Stop!" a feminine voice shouted from above. Flying down through the clouds was a female Lakitu, her orange hair in a ponytail, and rode on a pink cloud unlike the other Lakitu they saw. She landed in front of Lakilester, holding her arms out to defend him, the beaten Lakitu cringing as she came to his rescue. "Please, don't hurt my poor, sweet Lakilester! Have mercy!"

"Lakilulu," Lakilester groaned. "Why are you here?"

"He didn't mean to hurt any of you!" Lakilulu continued, ignoring her boyfriend. "We were forced to follow Bowser's orders. We didn't want any part of being in his army, and Lakilester wouldn't even hurt a Fighter Fly."

"So, you're Lakilulu," Applejack said. "You're Lakilester's beau?"

"I am, yes," Lakilulu said with a nod. "And you're Applejack, the pony my Lakilester rescued. He's told me about you when we both had our breaks together."

"Lakilulu, why are you embarrassing me?" Lakilester whined. "Stop trying to defend me. I lost fair and square, and I need to take my beating."

Growling, Lakilulu turned around and slapped Lakilester in the face, nearly knocking his shades off. "You're such an idiot! I know you're only trying to protect me, but I can handle myself fine! Getting yourself killed just to keep me from losing my cloud doesn't help me at all! I can deal with being cloudless, but I'm not going to lose you!" Lakilester rubbed his cheek, the slap making everyone cringe as they saw a big red mark on his face. "And to make you worry less about me...I decided to quit being in Bowser's army and I'm on the run."

"What!?" Lakilester exclaimed. "Why would you do that!? Huff N. Puff-!"

"Forget that giant blowhard!" the female Lakitu said, making Lakilester and his cloud's jaws drop. "He's too busy with his head literally in the clouds to even pay any attention to me." She then turned around to the others. "Can't you all please forgive him? He's only doing this for me, and if he knows he doesn't have to keep worrying about me, he can quit working for Bowser and help you."

Everyone looked at each other, pondering if they should forgive Lakilester for attacking them. Applejack made the decision for everyone, taking Lakilester's cloud from Rainbow Dash's hooves and pushed it over to the couple.

"Ah sure am willin' to forgive him," the farm mare said. "He's told me he always worried about ya, and Ah know he didn't mean to hurt us on purpose. In fact, to make up for attackin' us, he should help us take care of that Puff Puff Machine he's been tryin' to sabotage before."

"Oh! Thank you, Applejack!" Lakilulu cheered, flying into Applejack and catching the mare off guard with a hug. She looked hopefully at the rest of her friends, the other mares willing to forgive and forget, and Mario was able to as well after seeing how skilled he was in a fight. "Thank you all!"

Lakilester groaned, feeling his masculinity dropping as his girlfriend ended up saving him from an honorable defeat. "Here ya go, sugarcube," Applejack said, pushing his cloud closer to him. "Can't get around much without this little fella."

Sighing in defeat, Lakilester climbed back up on his mount, then looked up at Lakilulu. "You drive me crazy, Lulu," he said, floating closer to her so their clouds could nuzzle each other. "And yet it makes me like you a whole lot more."

Lakilulu giggled, then leaned over and gave Lakilester a light kiss on the lips, perking his mood a bit. "What will you do without me, you silly Lakitu?"

"Probably get killed anyway?" he guessed, making Lakilulu roll her eyes. After she straightened his glasses for him, Lakilester turned to the others. "So, I guess I'm ready to redeem myself and finally do what I wanted to do since we brought that stupid machine here. Let's break that Puff Puff Machine."

"Glad to finally have ya on the right side," Applejack said.

Before leaving with a new member of their team, Lakilulu gave Lakilester one last kiss. "Come back to me in one piece, Lakilester. If you don't, I'm going to shove a Spiny egg right up your-"

"Ok, ok! I get it!" Lakilester said, laughing nervously as he slowly floated away from Lakilulu's menacing gaze behind her glasses. "I've already gotten beaten up enough. I'll be back when this is all over."

"Good," Lakilulu said. "I'll be waiting for you, 'Lesty'."

Lakilulu and her cloud gave Lakilester a wink, then flew off to the center of Flower Fields to hide from Huff N. Puff. The Lakitu blushed as he heard some of the girls giggling at his nickname Lakilulu gave him.

"You two are just adorable, 'Lesty'," Rarity teased.

Lakilester grumbled, crossing his arms against his chest as he pouted. "I should have changed my name to something better...like Spike."

"That name's already taken by somepony back home!" Pinkie chimed in, suddenly in front of Lakilester as he leapt off his cloud in surprise. "Or I should say 'somedragon', but you get the point! Your name stays Lakilester from this point on, no matter what other names you try to give yourself, Lesty!"

Letting out a frustrated groan, Lakilester hopped back on his cloud and hovered onward. "Let's just get this over with."

Making their way back down the path to the Wise Wisterwood, taking the upper walkway to bypass the wide pit of thorns they had to float across earlier, they began making their way northeast toward the Puff Puff Machine's location. There was another thorn pit, and the way up to the cliff where the cloud-making machine lies was only made possible by a row of platforms, each of them at a different height and colored red, green, red, green, purple, green, and purple in that order. It was impossible for all of them to even get across this odd bridge.

"How are we supposed to get through this?" Kooper asked.

Mario examined the first red block, then looked up at the higher one, noticing the arrow pointing up. Curious, he jumped on it, which didn't give with his weight, then he tried a ground pound. As soon as his butt slammed down on it, the red blocks began to rise up a section, and once it stopped, the arrow flipped around and pointed down.

"Well, that looks like a pain in the flank," Rainbow said. She flew around and got a better look at the bridge, finding the odd mechanics of the colored blocks to seem highly impossible for any of them without wings to make it across. "I think this weird block bridge is impossible for anypony without wings to even make it across."

"Mario could make those jumps easy, though," Bombette said. "I think those of us who aren't able to fly across should stay here. There should be plenty of us to take care of the Puff Puff Machine and whoever might be guarding it."

"If my cloud was bigger, I could probably carry each of you one by one up there, but the extra weight would keep us grounded," Lakilester said.

"Aww! Does that mean I don't get to beat things up with my hammer?" Pinkie asked with a whine, holding her mallet in her hooves. "I wanna smash the Puff Puff Machine, too."

Splitting up seemed to be the better option with this strange bridge obstacle, so the flyers, including Mario as he easily bounded over the blocks, made it across to deal with the Puff Puff Machine. Lakilester lead the way as Mario, Parakarry, Bow, Watt, Twilight, Rainbow, and Fluttershy following him as they continued down the simple path, attacking the Lakitu patrolling the area. They soon reached the location where the cause of the cloudy skies in Flower Fields. Spotting a group of Lakitu and a Magikoopa in a yellow robe guarding the machine, they ducked behind the wall to avoid getting spotted.

"Oh, crud," Lakilester groaned. "I forgot about him. That Magikoopa's some sort of higher up who was sent to monitor what we did and keep the clouds pumping out of that thing."

"Umm, how are we gonna break the Puff Puff Machine if they're watching it?" Watt asked.

"We're probably just going to beat them up," Bow said. "I like that plan along with breaking that machine."

"Same here," Lakilester agreed, pulling out a Spiny egg from his cloud. "I want to kick that Koopa's butt for ordering me around all the time."

"Hang on," Twilight interjected before the impatient members of their split up group got too hasty. "If we're going to have an easier time, we need to knock those other Lakitu from their clouds and deal with that Magikoopa's magic. Rainbow, first, you'll-"

"Already on it!" Rainbow said, speeding off and ramming straight into the Lakitu, sending them flying off their clouds and toward the ground with a thud.

"Huh!? What is going-!?" The Magikoopa yelped as Rainbow skid to a halt in front of him, blowing a raspberry and wagging her tongue around to taunt him. "O-One of those creatures! You little-!"

"Hey, nerd!" Lakilester called out, throwing a Spiny egg at the Magikoopa. He turned his head, only to get smacked in the face by the sharp egg and sent falling on his back. "That's for all the crap you keep giving us Lakitu!"

The Magikoopa groaned, shaking his head, then dropping his jaw as he saw who hit him. "L-Lakilester!? What are you doing!?" The rest of the group came out of their hiding spot, Twilight leering at Rainbow as she executed their plan before any of them were even ready. Upon seeing Mario, the yellow-robed wizard glared at the Lakitu, who was tossing a Spiny egg up and down in his palm. "You're betraying us? Huff N. Puff will take that cloud away from you faster than you can say 'Spiny'!"

"You know, I'm kinda sick of being afraid of losing my cloud," Lakilester said. He caught the egg, using his other hand to gesture the others to stay back. The other three Lakitu that were knocked off scrambled to get back on their clouds, but they couldn't jump high enough to reach them. "I'm done taking orders, and I'm finally going to get rid of this stupid machine I've been trying to break a week ago!"

"Wait, you were the one who was sabotaging the Puff Puff Machine!?" the Magikoopa exclaimed in shock.

"Oh yeah. That was me." He then dug his other hand into his cloud, grabbing some more Spiny eggs. "Today's forecast is gonna shift from cloudy to rainy, followed by clear, sunny skies. And it's not water that's going to be pouring down."

Lakilester spun his arms rapidly, sending hundreds of Spiny eggs raining down on his former allies. The four Koopas were repeatedly struck by the hail of red spikeballs, yelping in pain as some of them ended up sticking to their bodies. Stopping his onslaught after a few minutes, the Lakitu and Magikoopa could barely move without the sticky Spiny eggs pricking their skin, but they moved regardless, unable to handle Lakilester and outnumbered by the others with Mario among them.

"Let's get out of here!" the Magikoopa said, grabbing his broom, pushing the clouds down to the Lakitu, and leading them as they fled.

Lakilester cracked his knuckles, flexing his fingers after unleashing the hailstorm of Spiny eggs on his foes. "I feel so much better now." He then turned to his friends, all of them surprised by how many eggs he was able to throw after his earlier fight when he fought them. "...What?"

"...You...are...scary powerful," Rainbow said first.

"Is there even a limit to how many of those eggs you can throw?" Twilight questioned.

"Do the little Spinies even hatch when you throw them?" Fluttershy asked worriedly.

"...Uhh, in order: I'm tougher than I look, Lakitu clouds carry an infinite supply of Spiny eggs, and I can make the eggs hatch or keep them as spiky projectiles," Lakilester said.

"Ok, enough talk," Bow interjected. "Let's break this machine and clear up the skies."

Focusing their attention on the massive machine, they all approached it and began destroying it: Mario whacked it repeatedly with his hammer, Parakarry and Bow began ripping apart some of the levers and knobs, Watt zapped the Puff Puff Machine and made it sputter and short-circuit the electrical parts, Rainbow bucked one side of the machine, and Twilight began disassembling the other end, Fluttershy watching from a distance as she watched them destroy the machine. The outer shell of the machine began falling apart, along with the torn out pieces, the exhaust chute releasing the clouds finally sputtering to a halt as it powered down, unable to take the abuse as it exploded. Luckily, everyone backed away when they saw the sparks shooting out before it blew up.





With no more clouds filling the sky from the Puff Puff Machine, the gray clouds began to disperse, clearing the air and bringing the blue sky back upon the land. The sun from his tower looked up in awe, amazed that the saviors of the land had actually done it.

"They're gone!" the sun exclaimed excitedly. "Now it's time to bring back some sunshine in this land!"

He flew up into the sky, shining his rays down on Flower Fields as he brought warmth back to the floral denizens.





"Oh, precious sunlight!" the Wise Wisterwood praised, along with the Bub-ulbs as the walking sprouts cheered for the sun's return. "They did it! Mario and his friends have saved Flower Fields!"





Light shimmered down on Posie through the crystal berries hanging in the tree she was connected to, the long-nosed flower rejoicing as the sun returned. "Hooray! The sun's back! Yippee!" After flailing her leaves wildly in excitement, she paused and giggled to herself. "Oops. That's so unlike me, losing control like that..."





Lily stared in awe as the fountain of water spraying out from the Water Stone gleamed from the light of the sun, a rainbow forming in the mist of the small geyser as she watched the clouds disappear and the sun rise high in the sky. "They did it," she said to herself. "Now I can once again gaze at the sparkles of light reflecting off the water."





"Oh, the sun," Rosie said. "It's about time! Flower Fields has been saved! And, of course, the sun can only add to my beauty," the rose murmured to herself, gazing at her reflection in the crystal berry as the sun's light reflected off its crystalline surface.





"It's the sun!" Petunia cheered. "Oh, that heat feels so good!" While basking in the light of the sun, she looked around at the empty plain she grew in. "You know, maybe it's not so bad being stuck in one place after all. I feel so full of life again!"





The rest of the group waiting for Mario and the flying party to return looked up as the sky cleared and the sun shined down on Flower Fields. The land was saved, but that didn't mean it was over for now as they now had to deal with Huff N. Puff up in the brighter clouds floating above Flower Fields. They didn't wait long for the others to make it back, Mario leaping across the bridge as the others hovered down to the other side of the vine pit.

"Hooray! The sun's back!" Pinkie cheered. "Praise the sun, everypony! Even you out there reading this! Praise it as your lord and savior!"

"...What is she-?" Lakilester began to ask, only for everyone to shake their heads at him.

"Don't ask," they all said simultaneously, except for Pinkie who was busy bowing randomly to the sky.

"...Ok, then," the Lakitu muttered. "Well, that was a big weight that got off my chest. I'm finally glad to get rid of that stupid machine." Lakilester then looked up, finding the bright clouds floating above Flower Fields where he knew his former boss was hiding. Despite being terrified, he swallowed his fear and smacked his cheeks with his hands, he and his cloud wearing a determined expression. "Now it's time to deal with Huff N. Puff. But how are you guys going to get up there?"

"With a green hoof," Applejack said.

"You mean 'green thumb', right?" Lakilester corrected, only to realize a moment too late that Applejack didn't have digits on her hooves. "...Never mind. But, don't plants take a long while to grow?"

"Not if we already have Fertile Soil, a Magical Bean, and some Mystical Water," Twilight said. "Come on, everypony. Let's grow that beanstalk."

Returning back to the Wise Wisterwood, they could tell everything was already brightening up for the floral residents of Flower Fields. The wise tree thanked them, but their job wasn't done yet as they still had to deal with Huff N. Puff and rescue the Star Spirit he has held captive. Mario grabbed the watering can filled with Mystical Water where Rainbow hid it, carrying it over to the patch of soil where they buried the bean.

Pouring the water all over the soil, getting it nice and moist, Mario stepped back as everyone waited anxiously. In a matter of minutes, the bean suddenly began to sprout out of the ground, leaves growing out as the stalk began rising up from the ground. The tall stalk spiraled in two strands, the first one only rising a few inches higher than the second as they formed a helix-like structure. Everyone craned their heads up and watched the beanstalk grow several stories high until it breached the cloud surface of Cloudy Climb. After if finished growing record breaking heights for a beanstalk, a large leaf grew out from the helix-spiraled stalk, wide enough to fit several people on without anyone at risk of slipping off the edge.

"...Wow. That's some really good water," Lakilester said in awe.

"Mystical Water!" Pinkie said, holding the watering can and presenting it as if she were endorsing it as a product. "It's the quenchiest! Nothing's quenchier! It's Mystical Water! Buy some now!"

Lakilester scratched his head, his cloud blinking in similar confusion to his owner. "...Why...?"

"Just to make it easier on ya, sugarcube, don't question Pinkie Pie," Applejack said.

Deciding to take the mare's word for it, Lakilester shrugged his shoulders and let it slide. "Whatever."

"So, that's it?" Rarity questioned. "Do we have to climb this thing!? It's so high up!"

"Maybe we have to ride on the leaf," Goombario pondered, prodding the large leaf with his foot. "It was a Magical Bean, after all, so it should be like an elevator."

"I think it's worth a try," Kooper said. "All aboard, everyone."

Everyone without the ability to fly gathered around on the leaf, sitting down and waited for something to happen. The leaf suddenly shifted, startling the riding group as it began to move and rise up, spiraling similarly to how the stalk had. Some of them had clung on for dear life while Pinkie Pie cheered and waved her hooves up, thinking it was some kind of roller coaster. Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Parakarry, Bow, Watt, and Lakilester followed them, making sure to catch anyone if they did accidentally slip off the leaf as the group got closer to Cloudy Climb. Lakilester stared at the clouds as he floated higher, clenching his fists as he prepared to face his former boss.
> Huff N. Puff and Sneaky Disguises
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a few minutes and spiraling up the stalk, the leaf finally breached through the clouds as the party reached Cloudy Climb. All the clouds were bright and orange, almost like they were a field of flowers grouped together in a fluffy bunch that floated high in the sky. The ponies were in awe at how beautiful it looked compared to any cloud cities or structures back in Equestria, even putting Rainbow's artistically designed home to shame.

"It's so pretty up here," Fluttershy said.

"Ah kinda don't want to return to the ground after seein' this," Applejack said.

"Well, we don't have much time to sightsee," Twilight said. "Just let me focus on the cloud walking spell for all of us and-" Before Twilight was able to begin casting her spell, Mario walked off the leaf, and to the mares' surprise, walked on the cloud as if it was a physical platform. "Mario, h-how are you walking on these clouds!?"

Mario looked back at them, then down at his feet before shrugging his shoulders at the alicorn. "Lakitu clouds aren't the only clouds you can physically touch," Lakilester explained, the rest of the land bound Mushroom Kingdom allies leaping off the leaf and landing safely on the clouds. "They have some sort of physical property to them, kind of like the ones created by the Puff Puff Machine, only those ones bounce you back."

"But still, to actually walk on clouds is really cool for the first time!" Kooper said, suddenly gasping as an idea came to mind. "What if there's an ancient civilization that created a kingdom in the clouds!? Oh, the possibilities of what they could create out of the clouds around them! And imagine the complex structure of a castle or ruins created by this condensed water vapor, where they could created anything they ever desired and they functioned like-!"

"Ok, nerd, we get it," Bow interrupted, Kooper's cheeks turning red in embarrassment as he went off on a ruin-excavating tangent. "Don't turn into Kolorado and become incompetent while in the middle of a fight."

Knowing the clouds were safe to walk on without a cloud walking spell, the ponies stepped in the cloudy surface with trepidation, slowly getting used to walking on the clouds without an enchantment. "Oooh. Soft and cushy," Pinkie commented, bouncing on the clouds a little. "I could take a nap on these clouds any day."

"So, where's the villain in charge of ruinin' this land?" Applejack asked Lakilester. "Ah'm gonna show him not to mess with nature on mah watch."

"Huff N. Puff's down that way," the Lakitu said, pointing to a stairway of clouds leading further down the climb. He let out a nervous grunt, swallowing his fears as he lead the others toward his former leader's resting spot. "Man, he's not gonna be happy when he sees me...but I'm done cowering before that blowhard of a cloud."

"What is Huff N. Puff exactly?" Goombario asked. "Judging by his name, he sounds like a massive Ruff Puff."

"You don't know the half of it," Lakilester muttered.

Climbing higher to the highest point of Cloudy Climb, they spotted a strange mound of brown clouds buried in the colorful cloud platform. Lakilester took in a deep breath, recognizing the oddly contrasting piece of cloud as they approached it.

"What is that?" Rarity asked. "This brown does not compliment the beautiful, flowery colors of these clouds."

"Umm, is it a nasty growth?" Watt asked.

"I wanna touch it!" Pinkie said, bouncing over to the brown cloud, only to yelp as it wiggled, quickly zipping back behind the others. "Ok, maybe not!"

"Mario!" a booming voice said, coming from the brown cloud. "You and your little friends had destroyed my Puff Puff Machine and get rid of my clouds! You all ruined my plans...And Lakilester, you decide to betray me?"

"Y-Yeah, that's right!" Lakilester said. "I'm not gonna be bossed around by you again, Huff N. Puff!"

"Your precious Lakilulu will lose her cloud. You realize this, yes?" Huff N. Puff asked.

"You're not taking either of our clouds!" Lakilester exclaimed a bit more confidently. "You'll have to pry mine from my cold, dead body if you want it that badly!"

"...You are a fool to try to challenge me, Lakilester," Huff N. Puff said. "Even if I weren't ordered by Bowser to destroy Mario, I would have done so regardless!"

"Well, you're outmatched!" Rainbow said. "There's only one of you and fifteen of us!"

"Don't underestimate my power," Huff N. Puff warned. He then rose up from clouds, revealing his puffy face with his red eyes, a nose, and mouth, along with having a pair of arms unlike the Ruff Puffs. "Once I destroy Mario, I'll take those six creatures and turn them over to Lord Bowser. Prepare for the worst storm of your life, because you will never take this Star Spirit from my hands!"

Huff N. Puff lunged forward, falling down onto the group to try to body slam them into the cloud. Everyone scattered, avoiding the giant Ruff Puff and surrounded him. "Try hitting us when you're as slow as molasses!" Rainbow taunted before rushing forward, bucking Huff N. Puff hard. It did hurt him, but the blow popped a few Puffs out from his body, hovering around the large evil cloud creature as they eyed the pegasus. "What in Equestria!?"

"Uhh, did I forget to mention how Huff N. Puff is that big in the first place?" Lakilester said, laughing nervously as he cautiously watched the smaller Puffs. "He has Tuff Puffs inside him as backup. So, Rainbow, when you say we outnumber him...he actually outnumbers us if we hit him too many times."

"Master Huff N. Puff, we wish to pummel these guys, too!" one of the Tuff Puffs said. "Permission to attack the traitor!?"

"By all means, get rid of Lakilester, and take his cloud away from him!" Huff N. Puff said.

The small Puffs flew off toward Lakilester, the Lakitu quickly flying away as he was chased. As he avoided the Tuff Puffs, tossing Spiny eggs at them, Twilight had noticed Huff N. Puff had shrunk a little from his original massive size when he was hit. There was only one thing to do against this cloud: attack like crazy and get rid of the Tuff Puffs inside him to actually defeat him.

"Everypony rush him!" she shouted. "Avoid the Tuff Puffs when they come out, but keep hitting him!"

"Good! More things for me to slap around!" Bow said, zipping forward as she turned intangible, then reappeared in front of Huff N. Puff and slapped him several times. Tuff Puffs popped out from him, then engaged in chasing after the Boo. "Come on! You little balls of fluff want me? Then chase me!"

"Bow, watch out!" Lakilester called out.

Bow turned around, only to be caught off guard as the ones chasing the Lakitu suddenly intercepted her, knocking her to the ground as all the Tuff Puffs began crushing the undead life out of her in a massive clump. "Hang on, Bow!" Bombette called out, lighting her fuse and rushing the dogpile of clouds. Leaping on top of the pile, she self-destructed, turning the Tuff Puff's into puffs of smoke as they were killed. Bombette landed beside Bow, the Boo groaning as she shook her head. "You alright?"

"I think so," Bow uttered.

"Be careful!" Lakilester warned, flying over Huff N. Puff and distracting him by throwing Spinies at him, knocking more Tuff Puffs out of his body and shrinking him more. "The Tuff Puffs are connected to him! They can communicate with each other with their thoughts alone!"

"Then we need to watch each other's backs!" Kooper suggested. Just as everyone ran or flew forward to attack Huff N. Puff, the cloud took in a deep breath and blew out a heavy gust of wind. Those caught in his direction struggled to cling onto the cloudy ground as they were nearly blown off their feet, Kooper being one of them. "Agh! It's like he's blowing out a tornado!"

"He's messing up my hair!" Rarity whined as she too was caught in the hurricane winds. "Somepony stop him!"

Watt flew in with a battle cry and zapped Huff N. Puff, but the electrical zaps upon contact did nothing as he absorbed her electricity. "Uh oh...Umm, I don't think I can fight the evil cloud thing."

"A little Watt doesn't frighten me. Now buzz off, you floating lightbulb!" Huff N. Puff said, slapping Watt away, making her fly off and hit the ground in a daze.

Mario ran forward, hammer in hand as he leapt up and bounced on Huff N. Puff. Jumping higher in the air, he flung his hammer up high, then flipped himself around to dive back down on the cloud. He hands glowing purple, he sent his hammer sailing down after him, slamming it into his feet to boost himself down. They then began glowing blue, his fists thrusting rapidly at a blinding speed, punching Huff N. Puff while knocking several Tuff Puffs out of him. His body was now shrunk to a smaller size before Mario stopped, leaping away from him as he skid to a halt on the clouds, adjusting his hat as he stared down the large cluster of Tuff Puffs he created.

"Great job, Mario!" Goombario commented. "Looks like Huff N. Puff's on the ropes!"

"Oh, really?" Huff N. Puff questioned with a smirk.

He then sucked in a deep breath, the Tuff Puffs flying in front of him as they purposefully got sucked inside him. Everyone stared in shock as he regained the same size he was before Mario knocked them all out of him, healing himself of any damage that was just inflicted on him.

"Oh come on!" Pinkie exclaimed in annoyance. "I hate bosses that heal themselves! As if we don't have a hard enough time staying alive while fighting them, they pull this stupid tactic on us!"

"How do we stop him from suckin' those Tuff Puffs back inside him!?" Applejack asked. "Ah don't think we can keep up with him or any of them clouds if they come after us in a group!"

Lakilester remembered what had just recently happened with Bow when she was attacked by a cluster of Tuff Puffs. Bombette blew up on them, and they disappeared after they were hit.

"I got it!" he said. "You guys attack him, and when there's enough of them, I'll handle them!"

"None of you will stand a chance!" Huff N. Puff said.

He suddenly turned red and glared angrily as he strained, creating an electrical current in his body. With electricity coursing through him, there was no way anyone was able to physically deal any damage to him as he began charging up for a dangerous attack. Sushie didn't want to risk squirting water at Huff N. Puff if the jolts coming from him would conduct and shock her, so the only ones able to hit him without getting hurt were Mario using his hammer, Twilight's magic, Lakilester's Spiny eggs, or Kooper and Parakarry hiding in their shells as they were used as projectiles.

Mario's eyes flashed pink, getting another vision seeing the outcome of what Huff N. Puff was going to do after charging up. He unleashed a bolt of lightning down on them, which hit Applejack as it electrocuted her and sent her flying across the cloud, tumbling to a halt as she was knocked unconscious with her body singed with a terrible burn mark on her back where she was struck. The vision ended, the plumber quickly looking over at the farm mare as she avoided the Tuff Puffs the only ones who could hit Huff N. Puff came out of. Hearing the large cloud let out an exerted growl, Mario ran toward Applejack, the Tuff Puffs bucked away by the mare and leaving her free from the mini clouds. Huff N. Puff unleashed his lightning bolt, aiming right at the mare, but Mario dove toward her, saving her just in the nick of time as the bolt barely missed them as they slid across the cloud.

Applejack felt the cloud rumble from the lightning strike that almost hit her, letting out a sigh of relief as she and Mario stood back up. "Wow. Thanks, sugarcube," she said. "Ah didn't think that would go straight for me."

"Mario's 'Mario Sense' strikes again!" Pinkie cheered before letting out a crazy battle cry as she ran at Huff N. Puff with her hammer, who was no longer conducting electricity after unleashing it all.

Lakilester was a bit worried when he saw his former boss using such a deadly attack, and it almost hit Applejack out of all of them. He was thankful Mario somehow knew who it was going to hit, unwilling to see the pony who trusted him almost get killed. The Lakitu readied his eggs, watching the others knock more Tuff Puffs out of Huff N. Puff. As soon as he saw enough of them to take out, he unleashed a hailstorm of Spiny eggs down on them, clonking them in the head and destroying them before Huff N. Puff tried to suck them back in.

"Suck on my Spinies!" Lakilester taunted.

Huff N. Puff turned to the Lakitu, flying after him, his smaller form making him move faster as he managed to grab him in his hands. "You made a big mistake betraying me," he growled, squeezing Lakilester in his grasp, forcing him off his cloud as it watched in horror. "I had a feeling something was up with you the moment we arrived in this happy-go-lucky land below us. Even while you were on guard watching the Puff Puff Machine, it always ends up breaking down, but as soon as I commanded you to search for that creature, the malfunctions stopped." Lakilester's eyes widened, his plans to sabotage Huff N. Puff already known to the menacing cloud crushing him in his hands, and yet he allowed the Lakitu to continue out of suspicion. "And you were the strongest of the Lakitu hired to work for me. You'll pay for your betrayal!"

Huff N. Puff threw Lakilester hard, sending him bouncing across the clouds and slid across until he nearly fell over the edge, clinging onto the cloud for dear life as he struggled to pull his tiny body up. "Lakilester! Hang on, sugarcube!" Applejack called out, running toward him while the others backed her up. Huff N. Puff grabbed Lakilester's cloud and was about to stuff it in his mouth, only for Rainbow Dash to dive into the evil brown cloud, sending a few Tuff Puffs popping out of him on impact. Applejack leapt onto the grateful cloud, quickly figuring out how to control it as she rode over to Lakilester. Lakilester grunted, despising how tiny his kind was as he can't lift his legs up to get some leverage to climb back up, his small arms slowly beginning to give out as he began to slip. He yelped as he lost his grip, but Applejack dove off his cloud and slid forward, snatching his arm in her mouth. "Gotcha!"

Applejack quickly pulled Lakilester back up to solid cloud, easy enough for even Fluttershy to carry with how light Lakitu are, which explains how they're able to easily fly on their clouds. "Thanks, Applejack," Lakilester said. "...I guess this means we're even?"

"Ah'd say we are," Applejack said. They turned back to Huff N. Puff and their friends fighting him, getting smaller and smaller to the point where he was only a few times the size of the Tuff Puffs floating around to try to gang up on one of them and squeeze the life out of them. "Looks like he won't last much longer."

"Yeah, he's just about done," Lakilester said. Reuniting with his cloud, he cracked his knuckles and pulled out a few Spiny eggs. "Let's end this!"

Lakilester flew off toward Huff N. Puff, Applejack following after him on foot as they rejoined the fight. Mario was getting squeezed by the Tuff Puffs, struggling to break free of them clustering him and crushing him with their puffy bodies. Sushie, Kooper, and Goombario struck them to break them off him, freeing him while also killing off the little puffballs that could regenerate him if he sucked them back inside. Realizing he was losing, Huff N. Puff grew desperate as he charged himself with electricity again, floating up higher and out of the grounded party's reach.

"No! You can't beat me!" he yelled. "I don't care if I singe those creatures Lord Bowser wants! I'll zap every single one of you off my clouds!"

Lakilester gasped when he saw the erratic amount of electricity building up in his former boss, quickly floating down to the clouds everyone stood on. "Everyone, get by me! Quick!"

"What's he gonna do!?" Rainbow asked.

"Just get close to my cloud!" Lakilester commanded. None of them knew what he was planning to do, but everyone surrounded him, limbs of all kinds touching the Lakitu's cloud. He dropped the eggs he carried, placing his hands on his cloud as he closed his eyes in concentration. "Alright, buddy, this might exhaust you, but we know what Huff N. Puff's gonna do. Think you can handle it?" Feeling the cloud shift slightly as it nodded with a determined glare, Lakilester needed no further confirmation. "Alright."

"Uhh, Lakilester?" Applejack asked worriedly. "What are ya doin'?"

Without giving a response, the others looked up as they heard electricity crackle dangerously from Huff N. Puff. The cloud let out a roar as he dove down, his red face sparking with a dangerous voltage of electricity swirling around his body as he was ready to slam down on everyone. Before they could all try to scatter, Lakilester let out a yell and slapped his hands down on his cloud, causing it disperse around everyone and create a small, temporary Lakitu cloud that surrounded their bodies like a protective suit with a popping sound. Confused by the clouds they wore, Huff N. Puff's shadow getting bigger as he fell faster broke their attention as he slammed himself down on the ground, creating a powerful shockwave of electricity and causing a devastating earthquake, which was impossible to do on a soft, cloudy surface they all stood on.

Everyone had flinched as soon as he landed, but miraculously, no harm came to them. When Huff N. Puff looked up, panting heavily as he exerted so much of his rage into his last desperation attack, his jaw dropped when he saw all of them standing, protected by Lakilester's special skill.

"N-No," Huff N. Puff uttered in fear, the Lakitu staring him down as his cloud seemed to pant heavily. "Y-You didn't...You used-"

"Cloud Nine," Lakilester finished, pulling out a dozen Spiny eggs from his cloud. "You're not hurting anyone else today, Huff N. Puff: not the flowers in Flower Fields, not Lakilulu, and not my friends!"

With several hard throws, Lakilester flung his Spiny eggs faster than the dark cloud could reacting, not only smacking Huff N. Puff repeatedly, but the ones that bounced off also fell and landed on the Tuff Puffs that remained inside him. With one last hard throw, smacking Huff N. Puff in the face, the small brown cloud let out a pained groan as his body suddenly puffed up, followed by exploding as several Tuff Puffs screamed as they flew off several miles away from the powerful explosion. Falling out from inside of what used to be Huff N. Puff was the next captured Star Spirit, the enchanted card floating gently down to the cloudy platform.

Looking down at the Lakitu clouds covering their torsos, everyone was surprised that they managed to survive such a devastating attack. Lakilester's cloud landed on the surface of the platform of Cloudy Climb, having passed out after using a lot of its energy to protect everyone.

"What is this?" Twilight asked in awe, poking the Lakitu cloud around her body curiously.

"Cloud Nine," Lakilester said again. "Something I've learned how to do while training. It helps boost evasion from certain attacks, like Huff N. Puff's last ditch move, though using so much energy from my cloud exhausted the poor guy." He pet his cloud, letting him rest as he continued explaining. "With maybe just one given these temporary clouds, it'll still be awake, but with everyone caught in his attack, I wasn't going to risk getting the rest of you guys hurt."

"Oooh. It's really soft," Rarity commented, wishing she could mold her cloud "outfit" into a dress.

"And fluffy!" Pinkie added. Unfortunately, the clouds effects didn't last forever, all the clouds poofing out of existence. "Awww. They're gone."

"At least we beat Huff N. Puff," Goombario said. "Let's get the Star Spirit."

"Ah think it fell over here," Applejack said. She approached the general area where it landed, fumbling around the orange, fluffy surface of Cloudy Climb's cloud until she felt the card. "Found it." She grabbed it with her hooves and looked at it, a yellow Star with a pink bowtie and held a book in one of his arms. The farm mare headed back to the others, wondering how they were going to get the Star Spirit out of there. "So, Twilight, ya know any spells to break this Star Spirit free?"

"Just give it to Mario," the alicorn said vaguely, hers and the rest of her pony friends all giving her grins as they knew what would happen.

"Uhh, Ah don't think Mario has any magic aside from borrowin' yours with that star pendant thing ya told me about before..." Receiving silence as everyone anticipated what was about to happen, she looked at Mario, who simply held his hand out to take the card with a similar grin everyone else except Lakilester had. "...Well, alright then. Here goes nothin'."

Applejack gave Mario the Star Spirit, and the moment he touched it, the card began to shine brightly as it floated out of both of their grips. Mario pulled out his Lucky Star pendant, noticing it flash orange as the last arm of the star turned orange, now complete with the Mane Six's colors and their unique abilities they granted him. The card began spinning faster and faster in the air, surprising Applejack and Lakilester as the magic sealing the Star Spirit was about to break. The card shattered, freeing the trapped Star as he spun around, slowing to a stop as he suddenly felt dizzy after the spell broke.

"Oooh. Goodness me," he said. "I should work out with Muskular when I get the chance." Looking down once his vision wasn't spinning, he straightened his bow tie and floated down to them. "Greetings, all, and thank you for rescuing me. I am Klevar."

"I get it!" Pinkie said. "Because his name sounds like 'clever', and he has a book, which makes him look smart!"

"...Erm, I am actually highly intellectual, and this book is just a novel I had on me before I was captured," Klevar said. "I started getting bored after I read through it all the first day we Star Spirits were imprisoned, and I couldn't help but reread it and pray Mario would come to my rescue." The Star Spirit cleared his throat, getting back on topic. "Anywho, there is only one Star Spirit left to save. I shall bestow upon you my power: Time Out." Klevar raised his free arm up, sending sparkles down on Mario as he granted him his unique power. "With this, I will freeze your foes in time, giving you a chance for a few sneaky low blows. Or flee, whichever preferred method brings more success.

"Well, I'd best be getting to Star Haven now." Klevar brought his attention to Twilight and her friends, floating closer to examine the ponies. "Hmm...You six must have been that magical anomaly we all felt before Bowser invaded our temple and took the Star Rod from us."

"Yes, we are," Twilight said. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends; Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack. I think Eldstar can give you a brief summary of what I told him. And you can tell the other Star Spirits that they don't have to worry about finding everypony, now that we're back together."

"I shall relay this message posthaste to my fellow Star Spirits upon my return. Farewell, everyone! We await for you once you save Kalmar!" Klevar took his leave, soaring up high into the sky and returned to Star Haven to regain his strength.

"We're almost there, everypony!" Rainbow cheered. "One more to save until we kick Bowser's butt!"

"So, what was with that light show around Mario?" Lakilester asked. "Is that thing how Mario was able to do that magic thing with his hammer?"

"That and among other things," Twilight said. "Whenever one of us gave Mario a captured Star Spirit, our magic gets infused with his Lucky Star, which was why we suggested Applejack gave it to Mario so he could get something from her."

"That would explain the strange tinglin' feelin' that happened when that card began glowin'," Applejack said.

"And now Mario has something from all of us!" Rainbow said. "Levitating his hammer from Twilight, seeing the future from Pinkie, better vision from Rarity, super speed from me, and protection from Fluttershy!"

"I wonder what Applejack gave you, darling," Rarity wondered, though judging by how strong Applejack was, the party native to the Mushroom Kingdom looked at each other as they had a feeling they knew what it was.

"Super strength," they all said, Mario nodding his head in agreement.

"...It does seem a bit obvious when you think about it," Fluttershy said softly.

"Or maybe Mario can tell if anypony is lying." Pinkie rubbed her chin in thought, then bounced toward Mario. "I have a black mane, orange eyes, and I have a pair of wings!" Mario blankly stared at Pinkie before slowly shaking his head. "See!? He knew I was lying!"

"I don't think that's it at all," Twilight said. "The Lucky Star didn't glow and there's no colorful aura around a part of Mario."

"Well, whatever it is, we'll just have to wait and see when Mario fights," Goombario said. "For now, let's head back to solid ground and recuperate a little bit. Lakilester and his cloud are pretty beat."

"No kidding," Lakilester said. "Anyone mind giving me a push? I don't think my cloud'll be up for a while."

With everyone agreeing on the short break before moving on to find the final Star Spirit, they all made their way back to the beanstalk to head back down to Flower Fields, Applejack helping Lakilester as she pushed his cloud along.





Peach stared at the magical umbrella leaning against the wall, her consolation prize for the quiz show she won earlier. She studied it as she recalled what the Sneaky Parasol does from what Mr. Hammer had explained to her. Humming in thought, she wondered if it was possible for her to actually turn into someone else by using this strange parasol and attempt to escape using this. Just pretend to be one of the guards in the castle, find a way out, and make Bowser angrier than he ever has been in his life when he realizes she's missing.

"Hey, Twink?" Peach asked, but she didn't need to ask the Star Kid as he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Oh yeah," he said mischievously, rubbing his arms together with a wicked grin. "Let's see if this umbrella can really turn you into someone else."

"But what if it's a fake and Mr. Hammer only said that to make me think it has the power to turn me into someone else?" Peach questioned.

Twink's grin faltered as he hummed in thought. "Oh...I didn't think about that..." He soon had an idea, flying over to the umbrella and handed it to Peach. "Use it on me to test it out!"

"Ok." Holding the Sneaky Parasol out at Twink, Peach tried to figure out how to make it work since there was no clear instructions on how to activate it.

It looked like a simple umbrella, no special button or switch attached to it that makes the transformation possible. Keeping it aimed at Twink, she opened the parasol, even though she was told by Toadsworth to never open one indoors at all times. Light sparkles shot out from the end of the parasol, surprising the two of them as they struck Twink, but instead of hurting him, Twink felt nothing as the sparkles merged and created an outline of the Star Kid. Those same sparkles suddenly came out from the underside, surrounding Peach as she yelped in surprise, her body transforming underneath the lights. Once they faded, the princess was now a perfect replica of Twink, holding onto the parasol with one arm while the original stared at the double in awe.

"Whoa! Princess, it worked!" Twink said. He floated around Peach as she got a look at herself. "Wow, this is incredible! Now that you're like me, we can just fly out of here! Those guards aren't all that smart after all giving us this thing!"

"Umm, Twink, I didn't really turn into you completely," Peach said as she noticed something odd. Even though she was disguised as the Star Kid, she could exactly float around like him. She may seem to be hovering in the air, but she still felt grounded as she stood on her bedroom floor. She hopped up and down, moving up a little bit, but her appearance as Twink kept her "floating" a few feet off the ground. "I can't fly around like you can. I guess this parasol only makes someone look like someone else, not give them their full abilities."

"Oh...I guess they are smart," Twink said dejectedly as his idea blew up in smoke.

"But, maybe we can sneak out as one of the guards," Peach said, already coming up with a plan B. "Now how do I turn myself back?" She fumbled with the umbrella until she found a small button at the bottom of the umbrella's hilt that wasn't there before. She pressed it, the sparkles flowing out from her and returned into the Sneaky Parasol, reverting her back to her normal self. "Huh. So this button only pops up while I'm in disguise in case I need to turn back. Oddly creative."

Once she got used to how the Sneaky Parasol worked, Peach and Twink used the secret exit from her room to sneak out into the study on the other side of the spinning platform. Carefully opening the door, they both poked their heads out, though they were surprised to see not many patrolling guards wandering around the second floor. There was one of the guards standing in front of her bedroom door, and two of them seemed to be in the middle of a conversation, all of them without flashlights. With the cover of darkness in the building, Peach used this to her advantage and snuck up to the two Koopatrols talking.

"So, what exactly does Kammy want with those creatures?" one of them asked curiously. "Bowser doesn't really want anything to do with them after he blasted them out of the castle with Mario."

"I think she said something about 'strange magical energy' that came from them," the other Koopatrol said. "She wants them captured to study them and figure out where they came from. She says they're not from this world since they're like mythical creatures in folklore."

"I kinda don't see the big deal," the first one said, neither of them noticing Peach creep up on them with her Sneaky Parasol ready. "We already have Magikoopas and Kameks able to cast spells, and Bowser has the Star Rod. How much more magic does Kammy need?"

"I don't know, but with Mario rescuing the Star Spirits, she's been getting desperate to ensure Lord Bowser doesn't lose again with her secret weapon." As soon as she got close enough, Peach silently opened the parasol, shooting out the sparkles as they surrounded the first Koopatrol. Luckily, neither of them seemed to notice the sparkling lights, nor the ones around Peach as she transformed into one of them. Disguised as a Koopatrol, she froze as she waited for their reactions, but they didn't seem to notice her as they were too deep in their discussion. "I've only seen a glimpse of it while I worked on it a little, but Kammy Koopa says that Mario is sure to lose again with what it can do."

Peach snuck away, letting out a quiet sigh as soon as she was far enough away. Hearing this new information made her worry. As much as she needed to know what Kammy was planning, she didn't want to lose this opportunity to escape from her castle and Bowser's fortress beneath it.

"So, what is Kammy planning on doing?" Twink asked as they made their way to the first floor's foyer.

"I don't know, but I'm a bit concerned with what she's been working on," Peach whispered. While passing by some guards on patrol, the Koopatrols greeting their fellow patrolman when they saw her in their lights, startling her for a moment before returning the greeting, lowering her voice to sound masculine as best as she could. When they reached the front doors, Peach completely forgot there was a lock placed on it. "Oh no. One of the guards must have a key to this lock, but which ones?"

"Try asking around?" Twink suggested, even though they both knew it was a stupid idea and would likely get her caught with her fake male voice.

She didn't have much of a choice, meeting with the patrolling guards and asking them if they had the key to unlock the front doors. They eyed her suspiciously, questioning them where her key was, which she answered she left them in her other shell. They bought it, but they unfortunately didn't have the key for that door. She went back up to the second floor, ignoring the chatty guards and the lone Koopatrol standing bored at his post in front of her room and tried to upper floors. She wasn't able to explore anywhere above the second floor since there was always a guard standing in front of the doors, but now that Peach was a Koopatrol, maybe she could get by.

"Uhh, excuse me," Peach said with a deep voice. "I'd like to pass?"

"On patrol, huh?" the guard asked, Peach nodding her head in response. "Alright. Head on through."

The Koopatrol stepped aside and let pass. It felt like forever since Peach had wandered any of these halls, walking up the steps and passing by another patrolling Koopatrol walking back and forth in the hall. On the other end was yet another guard blocking the door, though he seemed a bit agitated and exhausted.

"Where the heck is my relief!?" he complained, letting out a frustrated groan. "My shift has been over for the past hour, and I want to just go to my bunk and sleep! I bet that slacker's snoozing...again!"

"Uhh, are you alright?" Peach asked.

"Of course I'm not alright!" the Koopatrol exclaimed. "That lazy Clubba's supposed to be my relief shift, and he always does this! I don't get paid enough overtime for his laziness! I swear, if he doesn't show up in the next five minutes, I'm going to write a report to Lord Bowser about his constant no-shows!" He reached into his shell and pulled out a key, giving it to Peach with a harsh shove. "Here, use this key to unlock the front doors of the castle. I bet he's right outside taking a twenty-four hour nap. Get him up here right now before I impale him with my spiky shell!"

"Ok, ok, I'm going!" Peach said, quickly running back downstairs until she was out of the angry Koopatrol's sight. Ignoring the guard down by the door as she ran out, she calmly made her way back down to the first floor, clutching the key as she seemed terrified of that irate Koopa. "My goodness. If he's that angry, I don't want to be that Clubba."

Twink nodded in agreement. They were back down in the foyer, the disguised princess approached the front door and unlocked it, tossing the lock aside. She was home free, and all she had to do was figure out how to navigate through Bowser's floating fortress and find something that can help her escape. She froze when she saw a Clubba sleeping in the middle of her castle's front yard, which must have been the same Clubba that one Koopatrol exclaimed about. Tiptoeing past him as she and Twink heard him snoring, the duo reached a doorway that was connected to the fortress.

"Almost there," Twink whispered, not willing to risk waking the Clubba up even while Peach was in disguise.

She pressed her hands against the door, but it wouldn't budge. She pushed harder, even using her shoulder to put more force into it, but the door wasn't opening. That could only mean one thing: there was a lock on the other side, and the only way to open it was from that locked side. Her plan to escape wasn't going smoothly, and there were no other ideas with getting out using her Sneaky Parasol.

"Of course things wouldn't be so simple," Peach grumbled quietly. Even though her escape attempts were now fruitless knowing there were locked doors, she could still give Mario some warning about what Kammy Koopa was planning to do for him and Twilight and her friends. But that meant changing her disguise to look like the sleeping Clubba, which meant she was going to get yelled at by the irate Koopatrol. "Well...it'll be worth being chewed out just to see what Kammy's doing...Please don't wake up."

Pressing the button on the parasol, she changed back to normal, then snuck up on the slumbering Clubba. She opened it up and transformed into him, the sparkling lights around him and Peach making him snort awake as he opened his eyes. Peach stood completely still as the transformation was complete, the Clubba squinting his bleary eyes as he saw himself standing in front of him.

"Oh...it's me...Hello me," the Clubba said sleepily before falling back asleep.

After nearly a minute of silence aside from the Clubba's snoring, Peach let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding while Twink slowly floated shakily to the ground, just as relieved as she was. "That was way too close," Twink uttered.

"Yeah, but now I know how he talks," Peach whispered. "I can try to pass off as him and help 'relieve' that Koopatrol from his post."

Peach carefully took the sleeping Clubba's mace, looking the part in her disguise, then made her way back to the third floor. She got a few looks from the other guards, all of them obviously knowing this Clubba and how lazy and late he was for his shifts. As soon as he reached the door the disgruntled Koopatrol was standing, he let out a heavy, irritated, and relieved sigh.

"Finally! For goodness sake, I should tape an alarm clock to your head so it rings straight in your ears!" he exclaimed.

"Uhh, sorry?" Peach said, mimicking the Clubba's voice as best as she could.

"'Sorry' isn't going to cut it if you keep slacking off! Read the shift schedule and keep a copy of when you're on duty and when you're off!" The Koopatrol let out another sigh, too tired to continue arguing. "I'm going to let it slide, but you better watch yourself." He then took his leave as Peach moved to take his place, only to turn around and leer at her. "And don't goof off, either! You're on really thin ice right now!"

He turned back around and headed off, leaving the disguised princess alone to watch the door, but only for a moment until he was gone from the hallway. Keeping her Clubba disguise just in case there were more guards, Peach and Twink walked down the long hall, passing by the glass window Bowser smashed through after lifting up her castle under his fortress.

"Wow," Twink said in awe as he looked at the broken window. "So, this is where Bowser came in and beat Mario, along with zapping Twilight and her friends?"

"Yeah," Peach said as that painful moment resurfaced in her mind. "I know they're all ok now, but it still frightens me to see Bowser with so much power. This is why incompetent rulers like him don't deserve anything more than they can handle."

"Mario can beat him, though," Twink assured. Continuing on, they walked further down the hall until they reached a flight of stairs in the next room. "So, it doesn't seem like the other guards even paid attention to the Sneaky Parasol you've been holding on to. Either they had noticed and didn't think anything of it or they were too busy watching out for suspicious intruders...Although that last one would be dumb since there's no way someone can sneak into a floating fortress that's several thousand stories high in the sky."

"Weren't you one of those intruders?" Peach asked, making the Star Kid stammer at her logic.

"W-Well...That's different!" Twink argued. "I'm not intruding! I'm...casually letting myself in without anyone knowing."

"That's pretty close to what being an intruder is," Peach reasoned with a grin.

Twink grumbled, but he smiled, staying hidden after the numerous times he and Peach explored her castle while avoiding getting caught by Bowser, Kammy, or any of their soldiers. After reaching the top of the stairs, they headed out to an outer walkway that lead to the tallest tower of the castle. There were two Koopatrols who appeared to be guarding the entrance, but what really caught the duo's eyes was a large platform floating a fair distance from the tower, a creepy clown face painted on it with propellers underneath to keep it afloat, two spiked rings around the rim that looked like they could spin around. Whatever Kammy Koopa was building, it was either a pointless backup plan or a smart one should Mario reach the castle.

She didn't get the chance to ask what was going on when Kammy Koopa appeared from the opened double doors of the tower, walking out with a confident grin. "Ok. Everything is finally ready," Kammy said. "Even if Mario shows up with all seven Star Spirits freed, we've got a plan B to fall on. It's a shame I didn't have any time to study those six otherworldly creatures and their magic, but if he brings them here, then I just might have a chance to figure out exactly where they came from." She walked past the Koopatrols, the two of them saluting to her as they kept to their post. She then made her way to the disguised princess, who stood stock still nervously as she pretended to be one of their guards. "You there!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Peach quickly said as Kammy addressed her, beads of sweat rolling down her head.

"...You're doing a fine job," Kammy complimented and continued on her way. "And keep up the good-" The powerful Kamek paused and came to a stop, her nose twitching as she smelled something off about the Clubba. Turning her attention back to Peach, she slowly approached the "guard", sniffing more as what she should have expected a Clubba to smell like was iffy. "...What is that???...Smells like...a faint hint of perfume..."

Peach gulped, knowing she didn't apply any sweet-smelling fragrances she kept at her vanity, but being in her room for a long while with those scents must have lingered to her as her bedroom door was always closed and she rarely opened her balcony doors. "U-Uhh...I thought it was...disgusting, raunchy cologne from my locker, but someone pranked me?"

Kammy wasn't buying it as she recognized that scent. Her wand held tightly in her hand, the gem began glowing as she swiftly waved it, striking Peach with it. The princess yelped as her disguise was shattered, breaking the Sneaky Parasol she held as the pieces clattered on the bridge. The Koopatrols watching were just as surprised as Kammy, but the Kamek growled in annoyance as Peach had once again escaped from her room. The princess giggled nervously, still holding the Clubba's mace before dropping it.

"Again!? AGAIN!? How in the world are you escaping from your room!?" Kammy exclaimed, clutching a hand to her chest as she controlled her breathing. "Your escape attempts keep leaving my blood pressure boiling, and at this rate, you're going to give me a heart attack out of pure rage! What are you doing with the guard at your bedroom door!? Are you bribing them with something!?"

"I don't even know what to give them, unless they like one of my many dresses I always wear," Peach answered.

"I'm getting tired of this," Kammy groaned before looking over to the Koopatrols watching, holding her wand out at Peach so she wouldn't escape. "Guards, take the princess back to her room right now!"

"Yes, ma'am!" they both said, quickly running up to Peach and grabbing her arms.

"And I don't care if you have to be forceful dragging her back to her room," Kammy added. "Just make sure she doesn't try to escape again!" The guards nodded and escorted Peach back down to her room, disregarding Kammy's orders to be forceful seeing as the princess wasn't putting up a struggle. While the witch fumed angrily, Twink snuck around the castle to follow Peach, Kammy catching sight of something yellow slinking off along the edge of the bridge before it disappeared from her peripherals. "What the...?" She barely caught the Star Kid, but she hummed suspiciously. Ignoring it, she looked down at the broken pieces of the Sneaky Parasol, recognizing the magical enchantment that still lingered on the busted up umbrella. "...Who gave her a Sneaky Parasol?"





After making their way back down from Cloudy Climb, the heroic party relaxed in the fields after their fight against Huff N. Puff. Now that the evil cloud is no longer around, most of his followers had fled, and the flowers and plants rejoiced as the clouds were finally gone and the sun had returned to the sky. Lakilulu joined them when she saw they had returned and heard the news about their former boss, both of them finally freed from Huff N. Puff's threat. She was worried when Lakilester's cloud had exhausted itself, but it woke up a moment later, fully energized and ready for some more flying and fighting.

"Thank you all for all you've done," Wise Wisterwood said. "Flower Fields is back, and Huff N. Puff is gone. If you ever wish to return to Flower Fields, we will assuredly await your arrival."

"It would be nice to have a little vacation here," Fluttershy said. "But, we're not sure if Twilight will find us a way back home before then."

"Can't we stay in the Mushroom Kingdom longer even after we fight Bowser and you fix your spell to bring us back to Equestria?" Pinkie pleaded with a pout to the alicorn.

"I...If I can perfect my dimensional traveling spell and no hiccups occur like the last time, maybe I'll consider bringing us back for a visit every once in a while," Twilight promised, though she couldn't guarantee her spell would work again when she mostly planned it out as another way of reaching Canterlot High without the portal.

Pinkie cheered and hugged Twilight tightly as thanks, but aside from the half-empty promise, all Twilight cared about was that all six of them were safe. Once they were ready to leave and said their goodbyes to the wise tree, Lakilulu giving Lakilester a farewell kiss as their clouds nuzzled each other in the same fashion, the group made their way through the door that was part of the Wise Wisterwood and arrived back in Toad Town through the magical gateway. After passing through the arch doorway, Mihn T. ran up to Twilight when she saw them come out.

"So, is Flower Fields ok!?" the Toadette asked. "Are all the flowers ok!?"

"It's safe, Minh T.," Twilight assured. "You can go through the gate now."

"Yaaaaaay!" Minh T. ran toward the door and ran inside, the door glowing and flipping around as the excited gardener reached Flower Fields.

"...Well, she sounds like she'll enjoy Flower Fields a whole lot," Applejack said.

"Hey, Mario!" one of the Toads called out as he spotted the plumber out of the mishmash of party members and ponies. He ran up to him, looking like he had something important to say to the kingdom's hero. "Merlon's been looking for you. He's got some news to tell you guys."

Mario nodded, figuring he was going to meet with the old fortune teller at some point to see if he can give them a hint on where to find the last Star Spirit. Leading the way, they arrived at the hut with the spinning roof, Mario being cautious with the door as he knocked on it in case Merlon slammed it in his face again.

"Come in!" Merlon called out, no longer saying he wasn't home. Mario breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door, everyone cramming inside to meet with the old man, and beside him was a guest who was talking to him, a mysterious black-suited creature, a rectangular space for its eyes with red buttons by its cheeks to make it almost seem like it was blushing. "Mario, what perfect timing! And with so many companions and the rescued ponies all together again."

"You told him about us?" Twilight asked Mario, but the plumber shook his head, along with Goombario.

"I have had visions of Mario's journey to rescue the princess, and in some of them I have seen you six in my crystal ball," Merlon explained. He noticed Pinkie too busy staring at the crystal ball he mentioned, quickly swiping it as he avoided the pink mare. "I see too much of you doing unspeakable things, and I swear you always seem to be looking directly at me in some of my visions."

"I was looking at you!" Pinkie said. "I wish I had a mustache as bushy as yours, but somepony doesn't want me to wear one."

"Because you don't need one," Twilight said with annoyance.

"Can we move on with what you have to tell us, Merlon," Goombario insisted, steering Pinkie's random topic away to the matter at hand. "And why is there a Ninji here?"

"I came from Starborn Valley up in the Shiver region up north," the Ninji explained. "Merle, who lives up there, had something important to say to Mario."

"Merle is my son," Merlon said. "If he's looking for you, there's no doubt what he has to tell you is of utmost importance."

"And please hurry!" the Ninji added. "I'll hurry along and prepare everyone for your presence."

The little creature ran on ahead, baffling the Mane Six as to what a Ninji was. "What was that thing?" Rainbow asked.

"I thought it was cute," Fluttershy said.

"Ninjis are kinda mysterious," Goombario explained. "No idea what they are. They may look menacing, but there are some like in Starborn Valley that are actually friendly."

Grabbing the map, Twilight opened it and located where Starborn Valley was located. "Hmm...It's far to the northeast from here. And there doesn't seem to be any roads leading there."

"I believe the only way to reach Starborn Valley is by making your way to Shiver City via warp pipe," Merlon said, placing his crystal ball back in place when he was sure Pinkie wasn't going to take it.

"Well, that'll make traveling all the more faster," Rarity said. "Where is this pipe at?"

The old magician hesitated slightly, knowing the unicorn wasn't going to like where the warp pipe to Shiver City was located. "...It is located somewhere in the Toad Town Sewers."

Rarity stared at Merlon, her eye twitching as her muttered babbling showed her anxiety, her hooves clutching at her curly mane and tail protectively. "Uh oh. That's not a good sign," Rainbow said.

"IT'S IN THE SEWERS!?" Rarity screamed. "EWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEW! Why in the name of Celestia would somepony put a mode of transportation to a far away land in a sewer!?"

"The only other way is flight, but Shiver City is pretty far away and could take you days if the ones able to fly carried everyone back and forth," Merlon explained.

Rarity whimpered, then whined as she was going to end up having her body covered in disgusting sewage waste. "This is going to be worse than having no running water in an abandoned mansion filled with Boos."

"Yeah, that would be worse," Bow said, agreeing with Rarity. "Good thing I won't get filthy."

"At least we know where the entrance to the sewers are," Twilight said. "And since we're heading into a city, we can probably find a place where we can get ourselves cleaned up."

"There had better be a spa in this Shiver City, because I need one really really badly," Rarity grumbled.

The group soon took their leave, saying their goodbyes to Merlon as they seemed to have their next destination set. Heading down south, they arrived at the entrance to the sewers, just a simple green warp pipe leading down beneath Toad Town. One by one, everyone climbed onto the pipe and sank down, Mario taking the lead as the others followed. Rarity was hesitant to go down there, but she followed after them so she didn't have to stay behind and be separated from her friends again.
> Navigating the Sewers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Down in the underground sewers of Toad Town, the party slowly emerged from the entrance pipe one by one as the warp pipe's exiting sounds echoed throughout the underground maze. Pinkie somehow managed to shoot herself out of the pipe instead of slowly walking out like the Mushroom Kingdom denizens or her friends, giggling as she slid to a halt as she almost fell over the edge leading to a lower floor.

"That was fun!" Pinkie said. "Let's ride the pipe again!"

Rarity was the last to walk out, cringing and whining as her hooves walked along the stone ground. "Ew ew ew ew ew. Why did we have to walk through a sewer? Why couldn't one of those pipe things just be somewhere outside?"

"Warp pipes are similar to plumbing pipes, connected by a linked system where they all go to one central location," Goombario explained. "Since Toad Town's the central city of the Mushroom Kingdom, it would make perfect sense for this place to house the pipes connecting to each and every town we visited."

"And it had to be in a sewer of all places?" Rarity whined.

"It's not that filthy in here," Applejack said. "Looks quite clean considerin' it's a sewer."

Rarity heard a squish as her hoof stepped on something, making her fur stand up on end and she squealed in disgust. "EWWW! Ok, Lakilester, I'm riding on your cloud!" She jumped up and sat on the Lakitu's cloud, shaking her hoof that stepped on whatever it was she squished. "This place is disgusting! Please tell me I didn't step on anything...foul!"

Twilight found what Rarity stepped on, which happened to be a dried up Mushroom. "Just a dry Mushroom, though probably moist from the water running through this place." Rarity whined again, keeping any and all parts of her on Lakilester's cloud, especially her curly tail. "So...where exactly do we go to find the pipe leading to Shiver City?"

"Since Mario's a plumber, doesn't he have a map of these sewers?" Rainbow asked. Mario scratched his head as he remembered a few sections of the Toad Town Sewers, but he shook his head, having no recollection of there being a map made for this underground system. "Well, so much for that. Looks like we'll have to do some exploring."

"But where to start though?" Kooper questioned. "If the sewers expand throughout the entire town, how are we going to find Shiver City's warp pipe if we have to go through a maze of stone, metal, and water?"

"Find the coldest part of the sewers?" Bow suggested. "Shouldn't be that hard to find if the temperature suddenly drops...Not that I would know since I'm a Boo."

"Thank you, Bow," Twilight uttered with a deadpanned tone.

There were only two directions they could go, either to the right where a sand block stood in their way, or to the left. There was also a wooden panel in the ground Mario could ground pound on and bust through, leading down to the lower level beneath the gap and warp pipe bridge. Sticking together was a must, otherwise they'll end up getting lost if they split up, deciding on the right path first. Mario easily busted up the yellow block and gave them access to the next hallway. Roaming around the section were gray Goombas known as Gloombas, similar to their other walking mushroom relatives that either flew or wore spiked hats to avoid getting jumped on, though they weren't as powerful as their Hyper brethren back in Gusty Gulch. They were quickly taken care of as they had faced far tougher foes in the last couple areas and continued on.

The next room was a dead end, the only thing lying at the end was a treasure chest beyond another wider gap with another warp pipe bridge. "I smell treasure goodies!" Pinkie said. "I'm gonna see what's inside!"

Pinkie bounded her way across the bridge, her eyes on the prize that might hold something valuable. "BLOOOOOPER!"

Leaping up from the bottom of the gap was a giant white squid-like creature, floating right above Pinkie and latched its tentacles on her. "AHHH! Help! It's the Kraken! It's gonna eat me!"

"What in Equestria is that!?" Twilight exclaimed.

"It's a Blooper!" Sushie said. "How did one that big wind up getting stuck in this sewer!?"

"Hang on, Pinkie!" Parakarry said, flying forward and dive kicking the cephalopod off the flailing pony.

It lost its hold on Pinkie, smacking into the wall, letting out a pained gurgling sound. Shaking itself, it growled and flicked its tentacles, floating up in the air as if it was swimming underwater.

"They can fly!?" Rainbow asked in shock and awe.

"Yeah, Bloopers can fly. At least some can," Goombario said. "They're a lot worse in the water since they can be more mobile than in the air."

"Ooh! I can take care of it!" Watt charged herself up and zipped through the air, smacking into the Blooper and releasing a powerful shock.

The Blooper shuddered and twitched, electricity pulsing through its squishy body until it turned into a charred black color. With X's in its eyes, it floated down to the ground like a feather, falling over as it landed by the pit and fell down into the water below with a splash.

"...Well, that was easy," Lakilester said. "It'll be a cinch getting through here without too much trouble."

With the fairly weak Blooper beaten, Pinkie bounced off to the chest to claim the treasure inside. Opening it up, she pulled out a pink badge in the shape of a boot with a crystal in the center of the same color and shape.

"A badge?" she questioned. "All that's here is a Shrink Stomp Badge? What a waste." She blew a raspberry and tossed the badge away. "This story doesn't use badges anyway. They just take up too much space, and Mario doesn't need to wear them to do stuff he could normally do in his other games." Bounding back to her friends, she moved on ahead toward the opposite path back where they entered. "Oh well! Onward to more sewer tunnels!"

The others looked down, watching the badge float away as the current carried it through a drain, forever lost in the sewers as it made its way out somewhere in the ocean. Finding no use for a boot-shaped badge regardless, they hurried after Pinkie and continued down the other path to search for Shiver City's warp pipe, Mario smashing the stone block barring them from venturing further. The room from the left of the entrance pipe had three rectangular spots on the ground with an empty circle in the between them, the pathway blocked by yet another stone block.

"BLOOOOOOPER!!!!" Another Blooper shot up from the water flowing down along the side, this one slightly bigger than the last one.

"AHHH! Another one!" Pinkie screamed, grabbing Mario and holding him up over her head. "Mario, get caught in its slimy tentacles for me!"

"Are you sure these things don't live in sewers!?" Rarity exclaimed.

None of them had any clue why there were Bloopers in Toad Town's sewer system, but Mario decided to deal with it after getting out of Pinkie's firm grasp. It dove down on him, trying to jump on him with its weight, but the plumber smacked it away with his hammer. After shoving it away, he leapt at it and reared his hand back to punch it, only to suddenly get shocked as the Blooper released an electric jolt around its body, letting out a shuddering yell of pain before falling to the ground.

"Uh oh," Sushie said. "That's no ordinary Blooper with a growth spurt. That's an Electro-Blooper!"

"Umm, I don't think I can be of any help," Watt mumbled, slowly floating down as her electric tackles would barely do anything to it.

"I can take a little shock!" Rainbow said, flapping her wings and tackled the Electro-Blooper. She felt the painful shocks that protected its body, but she toughed it out as she slammed it into the wall, then bucked it hard as she flew back. Unfortunately, she had to land as her limbs twitched. "Agh! Horseapples, that's stronger than I thought."

"Ok, so long-ranged attacks will deal with this thing safely," Twilight suggested, lighting up her horn as she lifted Bombette with her magic. "Ready to blow it up, Bombette?"

"Ready as ever!" the pink Bob-omb said, lighting up her fuse and waited to explode.

The Electro-Blooper floated closer, and just as Twilight was about to fling the lit up bomb, it turned its undercarriage over to them and sprayed a heavy blast of ink at them. They were all caught off guard as they spluttered, their bodies coated in ink, even dousing Bombette's lit fuse.

"EEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWW!!!!!" Rarity screamed. "THAT IS DISGUSTING! IT INKED US! BLACK DOES NOT WORK WITH MY WHITE FUR!"

Bow was the only one who didn't get inked, chuckling impishly as she managed to turn intangible right as the Electro-Blooper sprayed its ink at them. Mario quickly shook off the ink, leering up at the Blooper, its body shuddering as if it was laughing at them for inking them. He pounded his fists together, his Lucky Star lighting up orange and yellow while coating his hands in the same mix of aura. Spotting the aura around his hands, he knew his protective ability was active to keep him from getting shocked, but he was really curious to see what kind of power Applejack gave him, even if it would obviously be more strength. Jumping up toward the Blooper, he brought his fist back and punched it hard, its electrified body no longer phasing him, but the blow immediately sent the cephalopod flying across the room and slamming into the wall at mach speeds, leaving behind an imprint of its body.

Everyone gaped in awe, including Mario as he landed and looked down at his hands. He was sure to beat up Bowser quite easily with this much power, but despite the two of them being enemies, he didn't want to kill the Koopa King. Luckily, his powerful blow didn't kill the Electro-Blooper, hearing it gurgle in pain as it slipped out of the mark left behind, falling to the ground, then crawled its way back into the water in defeat. As soon as it disappeared in the sewer water, a blue switch fell down from the ceiling, landing in front of them with a thud.

"...Wow...Mario just got OP," Lakilester commented.

"Yes, fascinating," Rarity said. "But does anypony have any CLEAN water and a towel, or something!? I don't want to be covered in squid ink! It's so disgusting!"

"Well, cephalopods like Bloopers must protect themselves by squirting ink on predators," Fluttershy said. "It must have thought we were invading its territory."

"Or it made fun of us," Rainbow said. "I swore I heard that thing laughing."

The pegasus tried to shake the ink off herself, making Rarity squeal in disgust as she splashed some on her. "Rainbow Dash, stop that!"

"Anyway, distractions aside," Twilight said, using her magic to wring out the ink out of everyone, forming it into a massive blob of blackness before dropping it into the water. "What's this switch do?" Before asking for a volunteer, Pinkie jumped on it with a cheerful grin, squishing it down and activating it. Popping up from the three rectangular spots grew out three blue warp pipes, though where they went to left another question in the alicorn's mind. "Ok. Warp pipes...Where do these ones go?"

"Maybe one of them leads to Shiver City?" Goombario decided to check on the right warp pipe and jumped inside it. After a moment, the Goomba came back up. "Hey, this one leads to my house!"

"Really?" Kooper asked. He went up to the second pipe and jumped inside, reappearing a moment later with the same excited expression as Goombario. "This one goes to Koopa Village! And I think I overheard Kolorado getting scolded by his wife over there."

"Ooh! Ooh! I wanna jump in the next one!" Pinkie begged, not needing permission as she cannonballed in. It took a bit longer for Pinkie to come back, but as she did, her poofy mane was slicked back as her body was covered in saliva. "Dry Dry Outpost! And I saw Chompy again! Too bad he's too big to fit in the warp pipe."

"So, now we have shortcuts to reach the places we've been through," Twilight pondered. "This sewer system really is a central point for the warp pipes connected to each location in the kingdom."

"Did any of those places have a spa?" Rarity asked. "I still feel dirty and sticky from all that ink."

Bow grumbled and rolled her eyes. "Quit whining. You've lived a week in my 'dusty, filthy mansion'. You can survive a few hours after getting inked by a Blooper."

Rarity scrunched her muzzle and leered at Bow. They continued onward down the path after Mario smashed through the block. Unfortunately, there really wasn't much down the other way as they reached a few dead ends, only finding a chest with yet another badge Pinkie tossed out, still considering them pointless to use. There weren't any other warp pipes aside from one they jumped in to reach this level of the sewers, forced to backtrack to the entrance from Toad Town and go through the boarded up hole. Mario ground pounded down on it, busting through and landing down into a lower level from where they started. The others jumped down after him, Rarity still riding with Lakilester on his cloud while Applejack and Pinkie were carried down by Rainbow and Twilight.

This level was where the water was flowing down, possibly flowing out to the ocean, a pathway on the other side of the water to their right while there was another passage close by on their left. Choosing dry land over going across the sewer water, they proceeded to the left path. Inside the room, they spotted a few purple-shelled Koopa Troopas roaming about. Entering the room was a bad thing, the doors on either end being barred shut by iron poles dropping down from the archways. The Koopas smirked when they faced the trapped group.

"Well, well, well, lookie here, boys," one of them said. "We got ourselves some intruders messin' around in our turf. And it's Mario and his little group of sissies."

"Uh oh. Dark Koopas," Kooper said. "Careful with these kinds of Koopas. They can leave you pretty dizzy if they get too close."

"Not a problem if we outnumber them five-to-one," Lakilester said. He looked over at Fluttershy and Rarity, the timid pegasus not much of a fighter unless a cute animal is in danger while the latter was afraid to get her hooves dirty by walking on the stone floor of the sewers, sitting on his cloud all the while. "...Well, sort of."

"We'd like to see youse guys try and stop us!" another one goaded as the trio of Koopas chuckled. "None of yas are gettin' outta here unless ya beat us, or we knock your blocks off. Don't matter if there's more of yas."

"We don't have time for this," Twilight said, lighting up her horn and casting a spell to get rid of the annoying roadblocks. The Dark Koopas shot forward, surprising her at how fast they moved as one of them approached her. Before she could retaliate, he brushed past her, his shell spinning rapidly and managed to cause the alicorn to spin around like a top, screaming wildly as she went out of control. The other two tried to hit Mario and Kooper, but they managed to get out of the way of their dizzying spins. As soon as Twilight finally slowed to a halt, her eyes were rolling in her head while her hooves staggered to find her balance. "Uuuuugh. W-Where is rightside up anymore???"

"Twilight!" Kooper called out, running to help her, only to be blocked by the Dark Koopa that almost hit him. "Out of my way!"

"So, you must be Kooper, huh?" he asked. "An old buddy of the Koopa Bros.?"

"They're not my friends anymore," Kooper growled. "Those idiots are trapped in their own dungeon in their fortress."

"That's what you think." Kooper cringed at the Dark Koopa's words, catching him off guard when he suddenly got sucker punched by the one who hit Twilight.

Kooper was sent falling over, quickly ducking into his shell and zipping off away from the double-teaming Koopas. Before they could attack Twilight in her defenseless state, Parakarry and Rainbow dove in and kicked their faces, sending them sailing toward Kooper as he bounded off the wall. He popped out of his shell, holding out both his arms as he clotheslined both Dark Koopas, sending their heads smacking into the ground and dazing them. Mario was busy with the one that almost hit him, blocking his return bounce with his hammer before slamming it down hard on his shell. The powerful impact caused the reptile to pop out of his shell, leaving him in his white boxers.

"Aww, come on, man!" the last conscious Dark Koopa whined, trying to cover himself with his arms helplessly. "That's seriously not cool!"

Kooper grabbed him, tossing the shell-less Koopa toward the nearest wall and pinned him against it. The others dealt with the unconscious Dark Koopas, Pinkie bouncing on both their backs to pop them out of their shells, Applejack and Rainbow pinning them to the ground, and Fluttershy and the others went to Twilight to keep her from staggering around until she could see clearly again. With their shells kept away from them, Kooper began to question the conscious Koopa Troopa.

"What did you buddy mean when I told him the Koopa Bros. were trapped?" he asked.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, man," the Koopa said nervously, only to get a swift punch in the gut.

"Tell me right now!" Kooper demanded.

Letting out a wheezing gasp, he coughed and held his hands up in surrender. "Ok, ok! I'll talk! Some of the soldiers from Bowser's castle went to check on them a couple days ago! They got them out of that cell and brought them up there, but that's all I know! I swear!"

"They're free?" Kooper asked.

He growled, their situation now worse as his former friends were no longer caged up, Red Ninjakoopa swearing vengeance on him and Mario after the beating they got. And with them now in Bowser's fortress high in the sky, they'll no doubt be an obstacle in their way to rescue the princess along with the Koopa King's elite troops guarding the castle. The Dark Koopa tried to take advantage of Kooper's distracted gaze, but his punch was held back by a lavender aura, Twilight's dizziness finally subsiding as she made him punch himself unconscious.

Now with all three Dark Koopa's knocked out, the bars moved away, another blue switch dropping from the ceiling, which was immediately pressed to reveal another blue warp pipe. After gathering the Koopas and tying them up, they tossed them in the warp pipe with Mario following after them, the plumber returning a moment later with a smirk on his face, informing them that it lead to Boo's Mansion where the Boos "greeted" their new arrivals as soon as they woke up. Making sure to take note of which pipes lead where, Twilight approached Kooper, the blue-shelled Koopa leaning against the wall as he processed the unfortunate news.

"You really don't want to see them again, huh?" she asked.

"No...I thought I was done dealing with those four idiots..." Kooper sighed, dreading the day they'll encounter the four Ninjakoopas again. "Who knows how strong they'll have gotten?"

"Well, you're not going to fight them alone," Twilight said. "You have all of us to help fight alongside you. And this time, my magic's regained its full strength unlike last time. We've all made it this far as a team, and we're much better coordinated than that quartet of wannabe villains."

Kooper looked at Twilight and grinned. "...I guess you're right. It won't end like last time with me taking them on by myself." Feeling reassured that their encounter with the Koopa Bros. will be much easier the next time, he recovered from his slight slump and rejoined the others with Twilight. "Let's keep going. We've got a pipe to Shiver City to find."

Continuing on, they had to turn back when they entered the next room since it was a dead end with nothing important. The only way left was across the water, which everyone wasn't too keen on doing with the floating bottles and cans floating on the surface, along with whatever contagions might lurk in the surprisingly clear waters. If the Bloopers were able to survive living in these waters, then it was a risk they were willing to take, at least for some of them. The smallest members of the group hitched a ride with Twilight, Rainbow, or Fluttershy, Kooper clung onto Parakarry's hands as the Paratroopa carried him across, Sushie swam across the water, Watt, Bow, and Lakilester hovered over, the latter carrying Rarity as she whined while keeping her tail from touching the water, and Applejack and Pinkie were levitated over by Twilight's magic.

"BLOOOOOOOOOOOOPER!!!!!!!" The others let out a groan in annoyance as yet another Blooper showed itself to try to stop them after they all got across.

"Just how many of these things are there!?" Bombette exclaimed.

The Blooper popped out of the water, all jaws dropping as they saw one of the biggest ones they had ever faced, roughly three times bigger than the Electro-Blooper. "Oh for Celestia's sake!" Rarity cried out.

"What had that thing eaten to make itself that big!?" Applejack questioned.

"I don't know, but it looks like it's going to eat us for dinner!" Goombario exclaimed, nearly avoiding a tentacle as it tried to snatch him.

It floated up in the air and began to dive down on the group, Pinkie Pie screaming again and using Mario as a shield once more to avoid getting caught again. Luckily, using his new super strength as his hands glowed orange, he grasped the heavier Blooper's tentacles and pushed it back. Before he could send it across the room, it strained itself, then let out a grunt, releasing two Blooper Babies out from underneath it, latching onto the plumbers face and squeezing him with their tentacles. Mario tried to pry the babies off his head, forgetting about the mother while the others gaped in shock.

"Baby Bloopers!?" Fluttershy exclaimed, a little mortified at first, but after seeing how they looked as newborns, she squealed excited. "They're cute!"

"And dangerous!" Rainbow added. "They're suffocating Mario!"

"I'll save him!" Watt said, rushing up to the Blooper Babies and zapping them off the plumber.

Once they let go, Lakilester finished them off by throwing Spiny eggs at them, sending them falling into the water with a splash. The Blooper mother was enraged, growling as its body began to turn red, its muscles bulging and a vein popping out from the side of its head. Sushie gasped, recognizing what kind of Blooper they were face.

"Oh dear...That's a Super Blooper!" the Cheep Cheep warned. "It just supercharged itself, and it just got a whole lot dangerous!"

The Super Blooper let out an infuriated gurgle, diving down on the group and slammed down on Mario, Kooper, Parakarry, and the ponies sans Rarity, Lakilester moving out of the way in time as the bigger victims were crushed underneath its tentacles. The others quickly attacked it before it pressed down on them harder, Goombario headbonking the Super Blooper, Bombette tackling it, Sushie belly flopping on its head, Bow repeatedly smacking it hard with her fan, Watt shocking the tentacles to get them off the trapped members, and Lakilester raining a storm of Spiny eggs at its face. Unable to take much abuse, it floated away, and as soon as Mario was freed, he got back up on his feet, jumped up high above it, and with his hammer combined with his enhanced strength, he slammed it down on the Blooper's head, sending it diving down into the water, leaving behind a hole in the water for a brief moment before it came rushing back up in geyser of a splash.

"Whoa," Goombario uttered in awe. "That immense amount of strength combined with the strongest hammer Mario has...That could do a serious number on Bowser...You guys think that might be strong enough to actually break Bowser's invulnerability if he uses the Star Rod?"

"I don't think it would work," Twilight said once she got back up. "Not even our magic of friendship was able to break that barrier."

Another switch fell beside them, creating another warp pipe nearby as it was pressed down. Mario went down the pipe and returned later, finding a shortcut to Yoshi's Island if the whale wasn't around the pier to give them a lift to Lavalava Island. Moving further down the long, winding maze of a sewer system, the next room was a long hallway with two separate paths; one side had a bed of spikes that lead to a green warp pipe, while the other was a flat stone path leading further along to wherever it lead.

"Sheesh. How long have we been wandering these sewers for?" Rainbow whined. "I'm starting to feel like the walls are closing in on us."

"Well, let's hope you don't get a case of claustrophobia when we go through those warp pipes," Bombette said. "Where exactly do we go now?"

"How about the flyers check out what's down that pipe and wait for them to come back?" Twilight suggested. "There shouldn't be much more of this place to go to find the way to Shiver City...At least I hope there isn't."

"Oh, no!" Rarity exclaimed. "If Lakilester's going to go, I'm staying right here! I'm not getting off this cloud!"

"Uhh, I'm cool with staying here," Lakilester said. "Even though my cloud can be useful for carrying someone over those spikes."

Going along with the plan, Rainbow went on ahead with Parakarry, Bow, and Watt down into the warp pipe. More lower floors of the sewers laid beneath where they exited, the pathway not even needing to be bothered using as the small search group flew over to the next path, ignoring the Spinies wandering around. There were more Dark Koopas in the next room, but again, they flew over them since they couldn't jump high enough to reach or attack them. The last room was met with yet another dead end, but looking over the raised wall revealed a big treasure chest, just like the ones in Dry Dry Ruins, Boo's Mansion, and Mt. Lavalava.

"Oooooh. Secret treasures," Watt said in awe.

"I have a feeling it's some kind of upgrade for Mario," Bow said. Parakarry hovered over and opened the chest, pulling out a pair of red and yellow boots made for the heroic plumber. The Paratroopa hovered up and showed them the shoes, looking brand new and unused despite being placed in that chest who knows when. "Ha. Called it. New boots."

"And they're definitely Mario's size," Parakarry added. "They look a lot more sturdier than the Super Boots he's wearing. Could be handy to add a bit more kick when pouncing enemies."

Taking the boots with them, they flew out and back toward the pipe, regrouping with the others and showed Mario the new shoes. Figuring they would come in handy, Mario took off the Super Boots and put on what Bow had dubbed Ultra Boots, since it had the same shades of color like his hammer. They were indeed a perfect fit for his feet, almost as if they were made for him. Placing the Super Boots in Twilight's bags, they continued onward, Mario testing out his new boots on the Dark Koopas wandering about in the room, easily trouncing them and making them wheeze as he bounced on their soft abdomens.

Once in the next room, they began to feel a slight chill in the air as they spotted a blue door across a wide gap that seemed impossible to jump across, a green pipe leading even further down to another section of the sewers. "Hey, is it me, or did it get colder in here?" Applejack asked.

"Feels like we're getting closer," Goombario said. "My best bet is checking that door over there."

As they pondered how they could get across, the Lucky Star shined again, making Mario's eyes glow white as the power of perception helped him see something the others couldn't. Spaced out across the gap were invisible question mark blocks, no stranger to randomly bonking his head on any of these during his previous adventures that nearly made him drop down a pit or two. Jumping down to the lower floor, he looked up at the invisible blocks, then leapt up and hit the underside. The thumping sound along with a coin jumping out surprised the rest of the group as they watched Mario reveal the blocks they couldn't see. After hitting the last one, Mario leapt up onto the other side, turning to the others as they saw the white aura in his eyes fade away.

"Invisible blocks?" Twilight questioned. "So these blocks can be intangible as well?"

"Hey, how come Bow didn't tell us about the ghostie blocks!?" Pinkie asked. "Did you want us to think of crazy ways to get up to the other side, like getting a giant trampoline!?"

"I didn't even know they were floating there," Bow said. "Us Boos can't see invisible blocks. They're a lot different from how we turn intangible...I don't actually know how they're made invisible to begin with."

"Can we please move on and get out of these sewers?" Rarity pleaded. "I still feel icky from that disgusting Blooper spraying its ink on me, and I need a bath. I do hope there's a spa in Shiver City."

With their bridge now created thanks to Mario's enhanced vision through the Lucky Star, the party traveling on foot hopped across the blocks while those able to fly hovered across, Lakilester having to skim over the block bridges as he was forced to stay low near the ground with Rarity along for the ride. Once they made it to the other side, they entered the doorway, feeling a blast of cold air as if they had stumbled into a walk-in freezer. All that was in the small room was a green warp pipe on a small platform, where they could practically feel the source of the frigid air pouring out into a faint mist. Everyone braced themselves as they dove in, exiting the other end in a frozen section of the sewers, the pipes the used to flow water out frozen solid along with the water along the sides.

"Brrrr," Sushie shuddered. "I think I'd rather stay in Mt. Lavalava with this cold. I'm going to turn into a fishcicle."

"We must be in the right place, then," Kooper said.

The party climbed up the stairs leading to another pipe, where it must lead to Shiver City. One by one, they all climbed through, awaiting seeing what Shiver City looked like and maybe take a breather from fighting three different Bloopers and the wandering enemies in the sewers.
> The Penguin Murder Mystery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Up in the northern region of the Mushroom Kingdom, the city of Shiver City sat as the central location for visitors from across the kingdom. The citizens of the populace were little penguins, most of them with blue and white feathers while others had unique colored feathers that stood them out above the others. Mario popped out of the warp pipe first, satisfied that they found the right pipe as he leapt out, letting the rest of his entourage of partners out to climb out as well. One by one, everyone entered the city, followed by the six ponies from Equestria, the mares all murmuring in awe at the snowy city.

"Golly," Applejack uttered. "Ah feel like Ah'm in Manehattan in the middle of winter. And it's supposed to be spring."

"Awww, look at the cute little penguins!" Fluttershy squealed. She ran up to one of them, which let out a confused squawk as the pegasus hugged him. "Oooh, so cute and cuddly!"

"Uhh, welcome to Shiver City?" Fluttershy yelped as the penguin talked, quickly letting go of him as he was as sentient as the Yoshis back on Lavalava Island.

"Oh my! I'm sorry," Fluttershy apologized. "I didn't know you could talk."

"Well, I didn't know you could either, so I guess we're even," he said. "It's been a while since we've had visitors come out of that pipe. I heard the sewers down there are pretty dangerous to travel through."

"We do have Mario with us," Fluttershy said as she pointed to the heroic plumber.

"I guess that's true," the penguin said. "I'm surprised to see him still standing. Our mayor said he saw him at Princess Peach's castle during that party before Bowser decided to lift it in the sky. We're all kind of relieved he left before he was taken hostage."

Rarity ran up to the greeting penguin, snatching him up in her magical aura. "Please tell me you little penguin creatures have a spa somewhere!?" she asked desperately. "I feel dirty walking through that icky sewer and getting inked by a giant squid monster! There has to be a bathhouse, at least, right!?"

"...Uhh, there is, actually," he said, pointing at one of the nearby buildings in the area. "Just because we penguins love the cold, we don't like to enjoy a dip in a hot tub every once in a-"

"THANK YOU!!!!" Rarity squealed before running off to the building facing the warp pipe into Shiver City, dropping the penguin and snatched several coins out of Twilight's saddlebags from their spoils of victory or finding them in random blocks Mario jumped under.

"...Uhh, so, should we just...let her have her spa day?" Watt asked.

"Might as well," Twilight said. "Mostly so she doesn't have to keep whining about being dirty. We can spend a little time getting to know the layout of this area and prepare ourselves to brace the colder climate."

"You mean you guys are planning on leaving?" the penguin asked.

"Duh. We're here to save the Mushroom Kingdom," Bow said.

"We need to get to Starborn Valley," Goombario said. "It's due east of Shiver City, right?"

"Well, yes, but the mayor's put a strict lockdown on the city unless they're given permission," he said. "He's worried about Bowser's minions out there, and doesn't want us to get hurt or kidnapped."

"Ok, so all we have do is get permission from the mayor," Kooper said. "Where does he live?"

"On the far west side of the city," the penguin said, pointing to a larger building in the distance. "Last building down the road. You can't miss it."

"Thank you, Mr. Penguin!" Pinkie said as the party followed the road to the west side of Shiver City.

The penguin residents noticed their new guests, happy to see Mario alive and well after hearing he was beaten by Bowser, and surprised to see the five mares accompanying him. Since Rarity was busy getting herself pampered, they decided to let the unicorn be until they spoke with the mayor to allow them to leave and make their way to Starborn Valley. They had passed by a shop back near the warp pipe, though they'll do a supply run once they're given permission to check what wares the penguins are selling. Pinkie bounced along the snow banks, leaving behind hoofprints while giggling like a filly on a snow day. Twilight was at least thankful they were in a colder climate this time instead of sweating constantly in a desert, a tropical island, or the inside of a volcano.

They arrived in front of the mayor's home, Mario knocking on the door to gain permission. "Come in!" a female voice said from inside. Opening the door, they found a female pink penguin wearing a cooking apron, standing in front of a stove as she seemed to be boiling some soup. After making sure the soup was set to a simmer, she turned around and greeted her guests. "Hello! So nice to have guests over, and getting an audience with Mario himself! What can I do for you?"

"Are you the mayor's wife?" Goombario asked.

"I am, yes," the pink penguin said. "If you're looking for my husband, he's in the next room. He's not busy at the moment, so by all means, make yourselves at home. Soup's almost done, and I'm sure you all would love to warm up to a nice, warm meal."

Pinkie bounded over to pot and sniffed at the air, the aroma making her mouth water. "Smells delicious! I can't wait!"

"We'll eat after we talk with the mayor," Twilight chided, dragging Pinkie away from the stove by her tail, the earth pony whining in hunger.

Walking through the door into the large room that was the mayor's study, it was surprisingly empty with how sparse the furniture was. They found the mayor in the back corner of the room, the grayish-blue penguin with a brown winter cap laying on the floor on his back, his limbs splayed out as he appeared to be unconscious. There was a blue present with white polka dots spotted all around the wrapping paper, tied up by an orange ribbon with a bow on top. Confused by the mayor lying on the ground, the group approached him curiously.

"Excuse us, Mr. Mayor?" Twilight called out, but he didn't respond. "...Hello?"

"Is he sleeping?" Rainbow asked.

"Kind of an uncomfortable sleep to be napping," Fluttershy said.

"Ooh! A present!" Pinkie exclaimed, but Twilight held her still with her magic before she tried to open the gift that must have belonged to the mayor.

The alicorn approached the unconscious penguin, his body completely still as he looked over him over. "Hmmm...Well, he's breathing slightly, though it doesn't look like it from a distance," she noted as she saw his chest rising and falling slightly. "I think he's just unconscious. He probably fell and hit his head, probably suffering from a concussion." Mario stood beside the alicorn to investigate as well. Noticing a slip of paper clutched in one of the mayor's flippers, he opened it up to reveal a name written on it. "'Herringway'? Who's Herringway?"

The door opened as the mayor's wife walked in. "Would anyone like some tea while the soup cools a little?" she asked. Before anyone could take the offer, the female penguin noticed her husband lying on the ground. "Huh? Honey, you're going to catch a cold if you sleep there."

She walked past everyone to get a look at her husband, but when she did, she gasped in shock to see him barely moving, barely breathing, and with Twilight and Mario hovering over him as they inspected his unconscious body. "It's alright," Twilight said. "He's just-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" the pink penguin screamed in horror before running out the door. The others winced at the ear-splitting cry for help, hearing the wife of the mayor slam her door open and ran outside. "HELP! SOMEBODY! ANYBODY! MY HUSBAND IS DEAD! HE'S BEEN MURDERED! IT'S A PENGUIN MURDER MYSTERY!!!!"

"Murder!?" everyone exclaimed in shock.

Twilight let out a groan, rolling her eyes in irritation. "He's not dead. I just said he was unconscious. If she just waited a moment to let me explain-"

"Alright, ma'am. Settle down," a male voice said from outside. "We need you to calm down and speak slowly so I can help get to the bottom of this."

Walking into the room was the mayor's wife, along with a green-feathered penguin wearing a brown winter cap, having the same gaze and expression of a serious detective. "My darling husband is dead!" the mayor's wife exclaimed with tears running down her face. "Just look at him lying there! Someone clipped his flippers!"

"Alright, alright. Stand back," the detective said, pushing past everyone as he got a closer look at the unconscious mayor's body. He barely did any investigating and just looked at him before he gave his verdict. "By puffin, you're right! The mayor's been murdered! This is like a mystery novel, except it's real! How tragic!"

"You know, I could tell if he was dead," Bow said. "I am a Boo, after all...Or are they just going to ignore us because they want to pretend to be a part of a murder novel?"

"But who on earth could have put this penguin on ice?" the detective questioned as he paced back and forth.

"Called it," Bow said. "I need to tally how many times I call out any obvious things clueless people can't point out before us."

"It was them!" the wife exclaimed, pointing her flipper at Mario and Twilight. "That man with the suspicious mustache and his purple pet!"

"What!?" Twilight exclaimed angrily. "You know who Mario is! You said his name before he introduced himself! And we didn't kill him! You're husband's knocked unconscious!"

"Lies!" the wife denied. "I told them not to come in, but they and their accomplices barged right in! My husband was alive before they showed up, so those two must be the killers!"

"Ah beg your pardon!?" Applejack exclaimed. "We knocked on your door and ya allowed us in! What in tarnation is wrong with ya for lyin' to us!?"

"Or maybe perhaps YOU are the liars!?" the detective accused. "Typical for suspects and their accomplices: lying just to get out of getting prosecuted for such a heinous crime!"

"Uhh, Applejack can never lie," Pinkie sated. "She's the Element of Honesty where we're from, and she's the most honest pony we know! We can tell if she's lying because she gets all scrunchy-faced and nervous real easy!"

"You weren't able to tell that when we tried to hide the surprise party we wanted to throw for you," Fluttershy mentioned.

"...Oh...But, still, Applejack's a terrible liar, and she isn't lying right now!" Pinkie said, Applejack nodding with an irritated huff.

The detective turned to the accused suspects, ignoring the rest of the group. "Hey, you two. What do you have to say for yourselves?" Mario told him they were innocent, but he wasn't going to believe him. "Don't you play ignorant with me, buddy. I'm a professional, and there was an eye witness who saw the crime being committed!"

"Yes, that's right!" the wife exclaimed. "They did it in cold blood! I...I saw it with my own eyes!"

"You were in the other room cooking," Twilight said irritably. "You couldn't have witnessed a murder, otherwise you would have been able to hear the act being committed."

"So, you two are sticking with your story, eh?" the detective questioned.

"Yes, because the mayor is unconscious!" Twilight exclaimed. "I don't even think you're a real detective if you can't tell the difference between someone dead or knocked out cold!"

The detective looked back at the group, all of them sticking with Twilight and Mario as true eye witnesses and alibis to their innocence. "Hmm...Well, if you are telling the truth, which I doubt you are, then we're dealing with a backroom murder case. I've never trained for this sort of thing..." He began pacing around, trying to formulate a plan to solve this case. "...Alright. If you are innocent, then I'm going to give the two of you a chance. If you claim you're not the guilty party, then you'll have to find the true murderer yourselves. Bring the real culprit here, and we'll see if you're off the hook. Until this is over, we're forbidding you from leaving the city, and only you two must find the murderer."

Twilight let out a heavy sigh, giving up with trying to explain that there wasn't a murder and just went along with it. "Fine. We'll find the real 'murderer'." Mario and Twilight walked over to their friends, stepping around the mayor and ignoring the dirty looks from the two penguins in the room. "You guys think you can try straighten things out with this unfortunate situation?"

"We'll try," Lakilester said. "But if they didn't listen to you, I doubt they'll listen to us."

"Ooh! Before you go, Twilight!" Pinkie pulled out a detective's cap and a bubble-blowing pipe from out of nowhere, placing them on the alicorn's head, then pulled out another one and put it over Mario's cap. "There you go! Now you're ready to do some detectiving!"

"...Thanks, Pinkie," Twilight said, rolling with it as she blew bubbles out of her pipe. "Let's hurry and get this over with, Mario. We're wasting time."

Mario nodded, taking off the second hat and tossed it on Pinkie's head, preferring his own cap instead. They exited the building, leaving their friends to try to get the two penguins to believe them and began their investigation on the true murderer. Somehow, all of Shiver City seemed to have heard the unfortunate news, the mayor's wife shrieking loud enough to let the entire region know her husband was "killed". They didn't have a clue where to start since Twilight and Mario didn't see any physical injuries that could have killed the mayor, the alicorn already deducing that he fell and knocked himself out. But then there was the present beside him, and the small slip of paper that had the name Herringway written on it.

They started asking the residents of the city if they knew anything about Herringway, some of them refusing to speak with them while others said he was a famous novelist around here. Unfortunately, despite telling them he lived in Shiver City and where his house was located, but no one was ever home. Twilight pondered on this mystery, blowing bubbles from her pipe as she thought how it was possible for a famous writer to live in this city, but there was never any sign of him in or out of his home. And no one knew of his daily habits, so any chance of finding him in a store, restaurant, or even the spa Rarity went into earlier would lead them nowhere. Speaking of the unicorn, Twilight and Mario made their way to the spa building to check in on her.

As they walked inside, warming up a little from the cold weather outside, they found Rarity resting on a massage table as a penguin masseuse pounded her back with his flippers. "Come on, you can go a little harder. Momma likes it rough!"

Mario let out a sigh, pressing a hand to his face while shaking his head as she was completely unaware of what was happening outside. "Enjoying yourself, Rarity?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, Twilight, Mario. Didn't expect you to be back so soon," Rarity said. "So, did the mayor say we could go?"

"Well...we kind of have a bit of a situation going on," Twilight said nervously.

"...Is that why you're wearing that same detective hat and pipe from the consumed sweets mystery on the train back home?" Rarity asked.

"Yes, and don't forget you, Rainbow, and Fluttershy were the culprits who chomped the MMMM, so it wasn't a clear mystery when we found out you wear false eyelashes." The unicorn let out a gasp, whimpering slightly as she ran a hoof over her eyes, apparently still wearing fake eyelashes after all these years. Mario looked at Twilight, asking her what exactly the MMMM was. "It's a cake Pinkie's employers, Cup Cake and Carrot Cake, made for a baking contest. It's abbreviated from its real name: the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness."

"And it was quite a delicious cake, too," Rarity said with a sigh, licking her lips as she recalled the explosive flavors it had. "If Pinkie didn't describe it in such juicy detail, I wouldn't have succumbed to my sweet tooth." Mario could only imagine how it tasted if Peach ever made a cake like that for him as a reward for saving her. Rarity noticed the masseuse had stopped his work, apparently just as awed as his beak hung open, drooling slightly at tasting something that was titled to what he would do if he had a bite. "Hey, I'm not done with my massage yet!"

"Ahh! Sorry, miss!" the penguin apologized before getting back to work, flailing his flippers wildly as he pounded the mare's back as hard as he could.

"Ahhhh...Much better," Rarity said with a heavy sigh of relaxation. "Anyway, what's happening out there? I did hear a scream earlier."

Twilight and Mario looked at each other, then at the penguin masseuse. If they told Rarity what had happened to the mayor, then the penguin treating her with whatever spa treatments she ordered might kick her out if he finds out she was friends with Mario. They decided not to tell her, letting her have her spa day so she wouldn't complain about not getting one throughout the rest of their journey.

"You let us worry about it," Twilight said after a moment of silence. "Not really all that difficult, just more of a nuisance to deal with."

"Oh, alright then. But once it's over, all of you must take a soak in the hot tub they have here. It is absolutely divine." They would have to take a rain check on that suggestion once Bowser was finally defeated, Mario and Twilight exiting the spa building and continued their search for Herringway.

Heading to the east side of Shiver City, the investigative duo found the general area where Herringway lived. There was a frozen lake in front of the buildings that was used as a skating rink, though someone must have dropped a key since they could see it at the bottom. One of the doors was apparently locked, though it was only meant for storage, not living space, so whoever lost that key was probably going to be in a lot of trouble. They found the address where the famous novelist lived, knocking on the door to see if he was there, but after a moment of waiting, there was no response. Twilight moved over to a nearby window, looking inside to find what appeared to be a simple living room, but there was no penguin inside hiding from any visitors.

"Hmmm...Oddly suspicious," Twilight uttered to herself. Moving away from the window, she looked up to see that Herringway's home did have a second floor, but there were no stairs from what she saw inside that lead up to the next level. Humming curiously, she hovered up to the second floor windows, but instead of looking inside, they were boarded up, preventing her from checking if Herringway was hiding upstairs. "Well, seems like Herringway doesn't like anypony spying on him. Probably makes sense if he has fans of his work wanting to see how his daily routines were..." Looking up at the roof, she noticed a chimney, but what was even more odd was that she didn't see a fireplace on the first floor, which is normally where the fireplace is usually supposed to go in most two story homes. She landed back down to the ground to Mario, awaiting the alicorn's deduction. "I have a feeling Herringway has to be inside.

"His house is empty, the second floor windows are boarded up, the fireplace is apparently on the second floor, which there are no stairs leading to said floor from the ground floor, and I have a gut feeling our mystery penguin is still living in this city." Twilight blew bubbles from her pipe as she looked up at the chimney again. "I'm sure the penguins around here don't usually travel much, even if they can handle some warmer climates...I think the only way to check and see if he's inside is to climb down the chimney. Even though I don't condone with breaking and entering, we have more important matters to deal with than an accusation of murder keeping us trapped here."

Mario nodded in agreement, wall jumping between the buildings as he followed Twilight up to Herringway's roof. He decided to go down first to make sure the fireplace wasn't lit, slipping through easily, though he slipped and yelled as he fell, crashing down to the fireplace while covered in soot. Inside, and old penguin with pale aquamarine feathers and bushy gray eyebrows squawked, startled by the sudden intrusion. There was a shelf filled with different books, and a table in the corner filled with strewn around sheets of paper and writing materials, filled with several drafts of a book the penguin was in the middle of writing. Mario groaned as he stood up, shaking off the soot that caught on his clothes.

"What the...? Why are you in my fireplace?" the old penguin asked. "You've found my secret room...through the chimney..." He hummed curiously, grabbing a pen and paper as he jotted down a note from the breaking and entering. "Interesting...."

Twilight slid down the chimney next, using her magic to avoid getting her coat dirty, having a more easier landing than Mario had as she stepped out of the fireplace. "Aha! I knew you were here, Herringway!"

"Ugh," the old novelist groaned. "Of course. Fans. You know, if you want to read my next novel, you're going to have to wait until it's officially done, published, and several copies are made to be released."

"Actually, Mr. Herringway, we're not interested in your novels," Twilight said. "...Although, being a scholar and love reading a good story, I would like to read your stories, but now's not the time."

"Then why are you here?" Herringway asked. "And why drop down the chimney like Santa Claus?"

Curious about who this Santa Claus was, Twilight pushed that thought aside and focused on the real topic at hoof. "We have a situation down at the mayor's house. Apparently, the detective and his wife thinks that he was murdered, and they're framing us as the suspects in this murder mystery case."

"W-What!?" Herringway exclaimed in shock. "He's been murdered!?"

"He's not dead!" Twilight exclaimed. "He's unconscious, but neither of them are even calm enough to listen to me and thoroughly examine him!" The alicorn let out an irritated huff, puffing bubbles angrily from her pipe. Mario helped calm the mare down, scratching behind her ears and making her relax a little, her leg twitching slightly at the sensation. "Oooh, why does that feel nice?"

"So, why come to me?" the penguin questioned. Mario approached Herringway, showing him the slip of paper with his name on it while explaining it was in the mayor's flipper. "Hmmm...You don't think I actually knocked the mayor upside the head and fled the scene, do you?"

"I wasn't insinuating such a thing, seeing how there was no evidence of a struggle, or even a blunt weapon to cause any serious trauma," Twilight said. "I think he fell and hit his head, but we won't know unless we get an actual investigator to find out what happened to him if he's still unconscious."

"Alright. Let's head over there and get this mess sorted out, then." Herringway walked over to a section of the wall by the fireplace, gesturing the alicorn and plumber to step back. Clearing his throat, he moved a small picture aside, revealing a strange mechanism behind it. "Engage stairs!"

The house shook a little as the floor beside Herringway moved down, turning into a flight of stairs. Twilight found it pretty clever to hide the staircase in such a way, wondering if the mystery novel writer had his own share of mysteries that inspired his work. Climbing down the stairs, the trio exited the writer's house and made their way back to the mayor's house. They ignored the surprised looks from the residents as they saw the famous novelist walking down the road, intent on solving this case and assuring the mayor's wife and detective that there was no murder. Upon arriving and entering the mayor's study, Twilight and Mario could hear their friends' arguments, clearly not getting anywhere with how stubborn both penguins were.

"You really think Mario would hurt any innocents!?" Sushie exclaimed. "He's saved the Mushroom Kingdom several times! How is he a killer!?"

"We got a dead mayor in the room, and it's proof enough that he and one of his five four-legged animal companions were near the body, trying to hide it so they could take over the city for themselves." Rainbow Dash had to facehoof, growling irritably at the assumption.

"This is getting ridiculous!" she shouted. "We're trying to stop Bowser, and we're being stopped by a stupid murder mystery when we had nothing to do with this mess!"

"Don't worry, everypony!" Twilight announced, everyone turning their attention to her, Mario, and Herringway. "And we brought somepony who can help us sort this whole thing out!"

Herringway stepped forward, shocking the detective and wife. "H-Herringway!? The novelist!?"

"Mario found his name written on a piece of paper the mayor was holding. While he was unconscious," Twilight emphasized with her last statement, Mario showing the detective the piece of paper he picked up.

"He was holding that?" the detective asked. "So, the victim wrote a dying message before his end; a message revealing the killer! And you brought him to us!"

"This is absolutely ridiculous," Herringway said aloud.

The green penguin approached the novelist, turning his accusations on him. "So, Herringway, it all makes sense, doesn't it? You live out your own plots from your novels! A clever scheme to write interesting stories while also committing such atrocious crimes!"

"Are you insane!?" Herringway exclaimed. "The mayor is my best friend! Why would I do anything to hurt him!?"

"Maybe it was the fact you were good friends, but that would be the perfect cover, wouldn't it!?" the detective exclaimed, pointing his flipper at the novelist. "No one would even suspect you, but you got caught cold -flippered!"

"Oh, please! I wouldn't be that predictable!" the writer argued. "Besides, I'm completely innocent regardless of what happened to him! I was in my house working on my novel for the last few weeks. I barely had the time to go to the store to buy food with my inspirations, let alone visit the mayor to knock him out cold or kill him."

"...I still think the mustached man and the purple...animal did it," the wife said.

"YOU KNOW HIS NAME!!!!" the heroes exclaimed, though Fluttershy's was a bit softer as she apologized quietly for being too assertive to the cute and fluffy penguin.

"This case is just getting more confusing and interesting the longer it goes on," the detective pondered.

Over where the mayor was, his limbs began to twitch as he let out a groan. Everyone quickly turned to the noise, watching the penguin move a little. He then sat up, grunting in pain as he stood up, rubbing his sore back.

"Ooogh," the mayor groaned. "My aching...Not a smart idea..."

"AHHH!" the wife screamed. "My husband's returned as a ghost!"

"Hmm?" Looking up, the mayor noticed everyone in his study, new faces along with the ones he knew staring at him, his wife and the detective in shock while Twilight had a smug grin on her face as she looked at the green penguin detective. "Oh, hello everyone. What's going on here? Is there a party I'm not aware of?"

"M-Mayor Penguin!?" the detective exclaimed. "We thought you were dead! Our backroom murder mystery case is a wash! Doh, what a plot twist!"

"Dead? Why in the world would you all think I was dead?" the mayor asked. He scratched his head, wincing as he felt a slight bump as he recalled what he did. "I remember going to my shelf to get a souvenir I got for Herringway...Oh! That's right! I reached up for it, slipped, then whacked my head on the floor!"

"Aha! I knew it!" Twilight said triumphantly, blowing on her pipe in satisfaction. "I told you he knocked himself unconscious. Case solved."

The detective and Mayor Penguin's wife felt embarrassed for causing such a scene, mostly the female penguin in the room for worrying about her husband. The mayor looked around and found the present he was trying to reach for, grabbing it in his flippers and approached Herringway.

"Here you go, Herringway," he said. "This was what I was reaching for. "Toad Town was quite a sight to see, except for hearing about Princess Peach's castle getting lifted away by Bowser's castle. Once all this hubbub dies down, I'll tell you every single detail about it."

"Oh...Well, thank you, my friend. How thoughtful." Herringway took the present, wondering what the mayor got for him.

"Mayor, this whole time we thought you were murdered! The whole city was in an uproar!" The detective let out a sigh and made his way out of the house. "Next time, be more careful."

"Ah...yes," Mayor Penguin said with an embarrassed chuckle. "Terribly sorry."

"I actually thought it was a bit entertaining," Herringway assured. "The good thing is that everything is fine now, and you're still kicking, you old coot." Both penguins laughed as the two friends poked fun at each other. "Not only that, but this had just given me an idea for sequel to my next novel."

After saying goodbye, Herringway left with his present in tow. The mayor addressed his guests, feeling guilty for causing so much trouble, along with his wife as she stared at the floor in embarrassment for accusing them.

"Well, I think that's enough excitement for one day, huh?" the mayor said. "I always end up causing a ruckus sometimes."

"Oh, trust us. We've sometimes caused way worse back where we're from," Rainbow said.

"Uhh, I apologize for my...outburst," the female penguin said. "I got so scared and felt like someone should take the blame, and it was wrong of me to do that. How about that soup I promised everyone?"

"Yes, please!" Pinkie answered for everyone. "And make it a double serving for everypony! Especially Mario and Twilight!"

The mayor's wife nodded her head and made her way back to the kitchen, returning a moment later with several bowls of hot soup for everyone. She even brought out some tea for them, giving their guests any refills to make up for acting harshly toward them, especially forgetting Mario's popular status out of her shock and panic.

"So, Mario, you have quite the interesting entourage accompanying you," Mayor Penguin said. "It's like the whole Mushroom Kingdom has joined you. And...what of the other five? I've never seen creatures like them."

"We're ponies," Twilight said. "We actually come from another world after a dimensional teleportation spell of mine caught some interference, sending us here to the Mushroom Kingdom instead of where I intended on taking us. There's also a sixth pony who's with us, but she's currently down at the spa, feeling unclean after we trudged through the sewers to reach the pipe to Shiver City."

"Hmm...Ponies, eh?" the penguin uttered curiously. "Well, magic is no stranger to the Mushroom Kingdom, so anything could surprise us. Like Bowser's kidnapping fiasco yet again."

"We're gonna put a stop to him, and kick his spiky-shelled flank out of here!" Rainbow proclaimed.

"Allow me to introduce ourselves," Twilight said. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship in our world, Equestria. And this is Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Applejack. The other pony busy getting pampered is Rarity."

"Ya think one of us should get her so she can meet the mayor?" Applejack asked.

"And try some of this yummy soup!?" Pinkie added, slurping from her bowl loudly and with lack of any etiquette. "If she's not hungry, I'll take her share!"

"Well, Your Highness, I hope you find a way back home soon," the mayor said. "And despite Bowser's meddling, we hope you're enjoying what our world has to offer." He took a sip of his tea, his beloved joining him after setting the pot back on the stove to brew some more. "Anyways, I'm sure none of you here are exactly here in our city for relaxation."

"You got that right," Lakilester said.

"We're here in the region to reach Starborn Valley," Goombario said. "A Ninji visited Merlon back in Toad Town and told us his son, Merle, had some news to share with us. And we heard that you've kept the city under lockdown to keep others from coming in or out of the city."

"Yes, that is true," the mayor said. "After Bowser kidnapped the princess, I was almost caught before the castle was lifted from the ground. Thankfully I left before that happened, and with Bowser and his minions running loose around the region, I did not want to risk letting any of my fellow penguins get hurt out there. But, if you all need to leave to save the kingdom, then I'll let the gatekeeper allow you to come and go whenever you please."

"Thank you, Mr. Mayor," Twilight said. "And no hard feelings for the accusations, ma'am, but if you had just listened to me and made sure to CHECK on your husband, we wouldn't have had to waste time solving a pointless mystery that could have been resolved if EVERYPONY paid attention to the 'crime scene'."

"R-Right," the wife said nervously, letting out an embarrassed giggle. "Sorry again."

After getting permission, and a thermos of soup to save for Rarity to try, the party left the mayor's house and went to pick up the fashionista enjoying her spa day. As soon as they arrived, they found Rarity exiting the building, feeling much more relaxed as her coat seemed to shine.

"Ahhh. I feel much better now," she said to herself. She spotted the others and waved to them. "Hello, everypony! So, how did it go? Did you and Mario solve that problem, Twilight?"

"You really don't want to know," the alicorn said. She took off the detective's hat and pipe, placing them in her bag for safekeeping, knowing Pinkie will take them back and hide them where she puts her belongings. "But, now we can finally leave the city and head off to Starborn Valley."

"And we got some soup for you since you were too busy getting all cleaned up from all the inkiness, lack of cleaning, and being in the sewers!" Pinkie added, holding the thermos in her curly mane. "But, wouldn't it be pointless to have a spa day when we'll have to go back through the sewers again after we finish what we need to do up here? Then you'd have to get cleaned again after getting dirty again, and since we'll be fighting, we'll get all dirty and probably get ouchies when we fight baddies, bosses, and get caught in traps that'll surprise us and hurt us."

"I know, but I want to be completely clean after spending far too long away without any proper bathing," Rarity reasoned, making Bow roll her eyes in annoyance. "But, I am quite famished."

Rarity grabbed thermos from Pinkie with her telekinetic aura, opening the cap and took a few dainty sips, licking her lips at the delicious flavor. Once she had her fill, she closed the cap, saving the rest for later as they continued on their way. As they reached the exit to the city, a penguin in charge of keeping watch let them through, already getting word from the mayor to allow them to pass. Hopefully, all they would have to deal with at this point was the cold weather as they left Shiver City and made their way down the road to Starborn Valley.
> Starborn Valley...And He's Back Again, Isn't He?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The path along the northern region of the Mushroom Kingdom was surprisingly peaceful as the party walked down the road. It was odd, considering they usually encountered some roadblocks of enemies impeding their progress to get from one location to the other, but there wasn't a single enemy in sight.

"Huh. This feels way to good to be true," Kooper commented. "The road is...empty."

"Maybe we're finally catching a break," Twilight figured, taking the opportunity to enjoy the peace while it lasted.

"Hey hey hey hey!" a voice called out from behind the trees on the outside of the path.

Most of the group let out an exasperated groan, knowing the owner of the voice while Twilight let out a groan as she jinxed their good fortune. "So much for that." Jumping out from behind the trees and blocking their way forward was none other than Jr. Troopa, once again seeking revenge after his last failed attempts. "Jr. Troopa. What a surprise."

"I've been waiting for you!" the eggshell-wearing Koopa said, taking a moment to shudder as he moved in place trying to warm himself up. "Brrrr! I'm freezing. I was starting to get desperate, but I knew I would meet you all here!" He noticed a couple more members were added to their group. "...Ok, seriously, how many more of you are there? Is Mario building some kind of army to stop me! This stupid, freezing cold place is already irritating enough!"

"Uhh, who's this little feller?" Applejack asked.

"Jr. Troopa, and he's becoming a big nuisance," Twilight answered. "Apparently, he wants revenge against Mario for entering his playground, and he isn't going to stop until he tries to beat him."

"And he's supposed to appear at the end of every odd numbered chapter, not before we really started!" Pinkie exclaimed. She then pulled out a script, flipping past several pages as she skimmed over everything. "He's breaking the flow of the rival who randomly shows up to annoy and/or stop us from progressing while also testing the player's skills so far in the game!"

"Umm, what game?" Watt asked curiously, floating over to Pinkie to look at what she was reading, but the pink party pony threw it away with a scowl, the pages disappearing in the snow. "Aww..."

"So, what you guys are saying is that you've fought him several times already, and he isn't gonna quit until he finally does win," Lakilester paraphrased, Mario and Goombario nodding their heads as they both know more about Jr. Troopa than the others. "Well, that's probably not going to end. And we even outnumber him."

"It doesn't matter if there are a hundred of you! Or even a thousand!" Jr. Troopa exclaimed. He shuddered again, wincing at the freezing cold after waiting for hours until they crossed paths. "Ok, I'm too cold to make any insults! I'm just going to start fighting, beat Mario in record time, then find someplace warm!"

"Good. The sooner we start, the faster we can get to Starborn Valley," Bow said, pulling out her fan and tapped it in her other hand. "I'm starting to get annoyed by this little twerp anyway."

"Does he even realize how dire everythin' is with the Mushroom Kingdom?" Applejack questioned.

"Apparently not," Rainbow said. "Twilight's probably tried explaining it to him over and over, but he's too stubborn to listen and just gets in the way."

"And Fluttershy couldn't even try to reason with him?" Applejack asked.

"No," Fluttershy answered. "Not even Rarity, and he seems to like her."

"'Like' how?" As Applejack looked at the young Koopa, she began piecing together what Fluttershy meant as Jr Troopa seemed to glance at Rarity every so often. "...Oh...Ah see. He's like Spike with his crush on her."

"And unlike our little Spikey-wikey, this little turtle is actually bothersome and tries to hurt everypony," Rarity added. "As cute as it was at first, with him stopping us every chance we meet, it has become annoying."

"This time's gonna end differently!" Jr. Troopa proclaimed. "I've learned some really cool techniques after that blunder of mine back at the docks, but I'm not gonna fly this time." Reaching behind him, the Koopa pulled out a wooden staff. "Check this out! I've been learning a little magic on the side, so now any of those crazy magic stunts you pull on me, I'll counter them back with my own!"

"Since when did you learn how to do magic in less than a day!?" Twilight exclaimed. "You don't even have the intelligence to wield any if you can't learn to quit while you're ahead!"

"Oh shut your big trap!" Jr. Troopa waved his wand, then swung it down and aimed it at Twilight. Suddenly, the alicorn's lips were magically zipped shut, letting out a surprised yelp as she fumbled around her muzzle, unable to remove the magical zipper with her hooves. "Ha ha! How do ya like that!?"

Growling, Twilight lit up her horn, removing the spell from herself and was now able to speak again. "It's like I'm dealing with another Trixie. Mario, give me your hammer." Before the plumber could ask why, Twilight snatched it off him and stomped forward. "I'm going to show this little brat not to mess with somepony like me. Especially when it comes to magic."

"Hey, my beef is with Mario! Not an overgrown dog with wings and a stupid horn!" Jr. Troopa said.

"I AM A PONY, YOU IGNORANT REPTILE!" Twilight shouted, using the Royal Canterlot Voice as the trees bent back from the power of her voice, even making Jr. Troopa stumble backward a little.

Twilight fired a blast of magic at the stunned Koopa, sending him tumbling back across the road until he skid to a halt on his butt. Jr. Troopa stood up and ran back, swinging his wand and firing geometrical spells similar to what Kameks and Magikoopas used to injure their foes, both sides magic connecting and cancelling each other out. The others stepped back as they watched the magical duel, the Mushroom Kingdom inhabitants incredibly shocked by Twilight's booming voice.

"What was that???" Kooper asked, both slightly out of fear and mostly out of curiosity.

"Something that the alicorn princesses have called the 'Royal Canterlot Voice'," Rarity explained. "It was used over a millennia ago back in Equestria as a way to address their subjects, though that only a couple centuries after Princess Luna was banished."

"She used it a lot when she got back, and it was painful for the ears," Rainbow added, rubbing a hoof into an ear as she heard a faint ringing from Twilight's royal shout. "Not sure how they do it, but it's either magic or their own will."

"They never explained how it happens?" Parakarry questioned.

"Well, we never asked," Rainbow reasoned. "Not everypony wants to question Princess Celestia and wind up offending her to be banished for asking."

"Wow. Either she's really that powerful, or you ponies hold her that high on a pedestal and fear her like she's a goddess or something," Bow said.

"She can move the sun, so...I guess we have thought of that for a reeeeeeeeeally long time," Pinkie said.

A stray blast of magic nearly shot over their heads, everyone yelping in shock as they ducked and backed away further from the magical duel taking place. Seeing how Twilight's deciding to handle this alone, they'll provide backup as soon as both alicorn and Koopa run out of mana to unleash. Twilight even teleported close to Jr. Troopa to bash him on the head with Mario's powerful hammer, managing to get a couple hits in on occasion before he shoved her back with a burst of magic from his staff.

Their magic spells seemed to be evenly matched, surprising the party by just how tough Jr. Troopa was in both physical and magical based combat. Whatever kind of Koopa he was meant to be, all of them hoped he wouldn't take up an offer from Bowser to join his army, otherwise it would end up in disaster if they ran into him over and over again. It didn't help at times that Jr. Troopa knew spells that could regenerate his health, further irritating Twilight with his amateurish magic casting on par with a powerful wizard's magical strength like her own. Luckily, he only had enough magic to pull those off only a few times, and Twilight's magic was far superior to his.

Twilight continued teleporting or flying out of each magic spell flung her way, retaliating with her own while also distracting Jr. Troopa by flinging piles of snow at him from the sides. She was really back at full strength now if it was any indication compared to how weak she was no thanks to Bowser and the Star Rod. But that was also due to the cold weather, where Jr. Troopa had stood out in the freezing air for hours waiting for them to ambush, and his exhaustion was showing along with the weather slowing him down more.

"Just! Hold! Still!" Jr. Troopa shouted, flinging more spells with each word he emphasized.

Twilight simply blocked the magic with a barrier around herself, deflecting them back at the Koopa as they struck him, making him stagger backward. "Why don't you just give up!?" Twilight exclaimed, teleporting in front of him, smacking his staff out of his hand, then gave him a hard whack on the head with the hammer. Jr. Troopa still stood, stuck in a daze as the impact made his body shudder from his head to his feet. As soon as he began wobbling, Twilight turned around and bucked the young Koopa hard, sending him flying across the road, smacking hard into a nearby tree while shaking the snow out of its branches, and slowly sliding down the trunk until he fell on his stomach with a thud. Panting heavily, she tossed Mario's hammer back at him, who quickly caught it as she walked up to the semi-conscious Koopa. "We're trying to save the Mushroom Kingdom, and you keep getting in our way. Just go home and stop pursuing us if you know what's good for you."

Jr. Troopa let out a groan, too dazed to pay attention as a massive bump on his head formed from Twilight's last smack with the metal-crushing hammer. Twilight began moving forward, the others soon following with Applejack and Lakilester lagging behind slightly as they looked at the eggshell-wearing Koopa.

"Uhh, ya think we should at least help him?" Applejack suggested. "If he's left here, he's gonna freeze to death."

"He's survived getting blown up by Bombette, zapped by Watt, swam several miles across the sea and back from Toad Town Port to Lavalava Island, and he's managed to survive standing still waiting for us in the cold," Goombario listed. "I doubt turning into a block of ice won't even hurt him. Besides, he's been messing with my family ever since he showed up, so if we can get rid of him and prevent him from impeding us from what we're supposed to be doing, then good riddance."

"We may be nice, but Jr. Troopa's gotten on my last nerves," Twilight said. "The longer he keeps distracting us, the stronger Bowser gets. We can't afford to waste more time."

Seeing Twilight's and Goombario's points, Applejack looked back at the unconscious Koopa before turning away, hoping the poor kid will finally stop and give up chasing them. Continuing onward, they reached the end of the pathway and found themselves in an open space, where they saw six snowmen standing in a row against an ice wall. They wore orange and yellow-striped scarves around their necks and a blue bucket on their heads as a hat, although two of them were missing an article to make them all even: the third from the left missing the scarf, while the farthest on the right was missing the bucket. The snowmen didn't seem all that important for the time being, so the party continued onward to the east, where Starborn Valley resided.

On the slightly hilly road ahead, they finally encountered some unsightly foes, able to see the small village not too far away in the distance. There were Frost Piranhas that acted similarly to the Putrid Piranha Plants back on Lavalava Island, although Goombario warned them about their ice breath able to freeze their prey and confirming Twilight that there were indeed Piranha Plants that survived in the tundra region. It was simple enough to avoid them, but the other enemies roaming around were entirely different, which were known as Gulpits. They had a really big mouth and tongue, almost like a large, black penguin, although they weren't really cute and adorable. They were always around groups of rocks, using them as projectiles when they wanted to pick a fight, picking them up in their mouths and spitting them out at them. Depending on the size of the rock they nabbed with their tongue, it could hurt quite a bit if it hit any of the party in the face.

After dealing with the Piranha Plants and Gulpits that got in their way, they reached the edge of Starborn Valley, only to be stopped as a mysterious, ominous sounding voice rang out around them. "Ooooooooooooh!"

"W-What was that?" Fluttershy asked, then screamed as a mysterious, ghostly figure appeared before them, its body a nightly black and sparkled with sprinkles of red and green lights that reflected off its body.

"Tuuuuurn baaaaaack," the ghost moaned. "Cooooome nooooo fartherrrrrr, or I will eaaaaat yoooouuuuuu." As intimidating as the ghost was, Bow wasn't buying it, especially when they could all hear multiple voices speaking in sync while trying to sound scary. "Whaaaaat do you think? Scaaaary, aren't I?"

"...Is this some kind of joke?" Bow asked. "If you're some kind of ghost, you're doing a poor job. I'M a ghost, and I know more about haunting than you."

"Doooo you daaaaare doubt meeeee!? Feeeeeeel myyyyy furious wraaaaaaath!" The ghost raised its arms and let out a roar, sending shooting stars raining down on the party, making them flinch as they were about to get hit.



However, what should have felt like burning pain that weighed a ton striking them down, the stars barely did anything. It felt like small patters of rain smacking them as the falling stars fell weakly to the ground as they bounced off the group like a rubber ball. Confused, they looked at the ghost, who seemed proud of their move to try to run them out of Starborn Valley.

"...Umm...Was that it?" Rainbow asked.

"I don't think this ghost is all that intimidating as it appeared," Kooper said.

"That's because it's not a ghost. It's a bunch of dumb kids in a disguise," Bow said.

"W-What are you talking about?" the ghost asked, failing to sound spooky as it looked nervously at the Boo. Bow disappeared, scaring the "monster" as it looked around, then she appeared in front of it, letting out an eerie shriek with a terrifying face, making several voices all scream out in fear. "AHHH! RUN AWAY!"

The disguise dropped as the illusion failed, revealing several Star Kids making up the mysterious ghost. It was a surprise to all of them seeing so many Star Kids at once, and baffled them by how they wanted to drive out intruders by pretending to be a scary monster. The young Stars screamed as they flew into the town, fleeing from the scary Boo to hide from her.

"Star Kids? What are they doing down here?" Twilight asked with great curiosity. "I thought Stars were supposed to live up in the sky, in Star Haven?"

"Uhh, I have no idea," Goombario said, shocking everyone as the Goomba was considered the walking encyclopedia of knowledge. "I don't think Goompa told me much about Starborn Valley, or what was here. I thought it was just a little town and Ninji reside there as well."

Now that another, less annoying roadblock was out of their way, the party entered the village, only a few homes scattered about the hilly town, but aside from there being more Ninjis than the one who was searching for them, there were a lot more Star Kids than the ones who tried to stop them. Everyone stared in awe at the amount of young Stars living here, some of them almost similar to Twink, but unlike him, they didn't seem to want to fly up into the sky.

"So many Star Kids," Parakarry said in awe.

"And plenty more to come in the future." They turned their attention to someone approaching them, the cloaked figure almost exactly like Merlon, though he seemed younger and had a shorter mustache. "Greetings, Mario and co. Welcome to Starborn Valley."

"Hey, Merlon didn't tell us he had a twin brother!" Pinkie said. "But your mustache isn't as long or bushy. And you're younger...And you're not really his twin."

The younger wizard chuckled and shook his head. "That is because Merlon is my father. I am his son, Merle. I am in charge of taking care of the Star Kids here, along with the Ninji."

"Star Kids are raised down here?" Rarity asked. "But...how is that possible? Aren't they born...in the sky?"

"There is a lot to explain, but let us talk inside my home. It's a bit too cold out here to concentrate. Follow me, everyone." Merle turned and lead the group as they followed him, passing by Ninji either playing with the Star Kids or teaching them something, some of the ones who tried to keep them from entering hiding when they saw Bow. "I do apologize for the rude reception the Star Kids gave you. They frighten Bowser's minions from every coming into the village and keep the valley safe."

"Well, if their poor disguise is enough to scare Bowser's incompetent men, they're either doing their jobs right or they're just plain lucky," Bow commented. "Pretending to be a wailing ghost haunting the land isn't going to fool Boos since we'd know if they're really undead or not."

"It is a smart plan, though," Kooper noted. "Keep those who wish to harm the Stars from discovering where they're being raised."

They soon arrived at Merle's home, the wizard letting them inside the simple home as they filed in, lighting the fireplace with a snap of his fingers as the flames ignited the stacked wood. "Everyone, heed well to what I'm about to tell you. This frozen land is Starborn Valley. It is named this because this is where Stars are born and raised before rising up into the sky...But, ever since Bowser stole the Star Rod from Star Haven, the power of the land there has weakened, and Star Kids are unable to rise into the sky."

"How awful," Fluttershy uttered.

"So Bowser's also hurting the Stars because of his selfishness, too," Twilight growled.

"Stubborn, spoiled, and heartless," Sushie said, tsking as she shook her head in disappointment. "I don't know who his parents were, but I'm sure he deserved to be properly punished if he misbehaved as a child. If I babysat him and he acted up, he'll definitely get himself blasted with water and straight into a corner."

"Yes, it is tragic," Merle said. "However, there was one Star Kid who managed to ascend just before Star Haven's power waned during Bowser's invasion. I pray he reached Star Haven safely."

"Was his name Twink?" Pinkie asked, surprising the wizard, but he nodded his head. "Oh! We've met him a few times! He's helping the princess by helping us get info on where the next Star Spirits are!...Well, kind of, since we only got a little help."

"Well, good on him," Merle said, sighing in relief. "He was a special little Star Kid. I know he has such potential in him to being a great Star, maybe even that of a Star Spirit. But, speaking of Star Spirits, I asked one of the Ninji to seek my father and bring Mario here for a reason; I have found where the last of the Star Spirits is being held captive."

"You do!? Where!?" Twilight exclaimed, Merle getting everyone's attention now.

"It came to me in a dream," Merle began explaining. "A vision of the last Star Spirit begging me for help." Looking out the window, he stared at the top of the mountain not too far from Starborn Valley, near where the group had passed the group of snowmen and the massive wall. "If my vision is true, then the last Star Spirit is held at the summit of Shiver Mountain north of here, which is where the Crystal Palace lies."

"The Crystal Palace?" Kooper asked curiously. "Hmm...I think I've read about a place like that before."

"The Crystal Palace was originally built to honor the Stars many years ago, but as time had passed, its location and purpose had slowly faded from memories of the locals in the region," Merle said. "And no one remembers how to reach it. However, there is a way, and it involves specific items that have been passed down in these lands." He walked over to a dresser in the corner of the room, pulling out an orange and yellow-striped scarf similar to the ones worn on the snowmen. Walking back to the group, he held it out to them. "This scarf has been handed down through many generations in Starborn Valley. I wish I knew what to do with it, but I unfortunately have no clue."

Twilight levitated the scarf out of Merle's hands, inspecting it as she began to theorizing how they can reach Shiver Mountain. "So, along with this scarf, there's another item we need, and that second item is probably back in Shiver City, right?"

"Exactly," Merle agreed. "Without those two items, the way to open the path to the Crystal Palace will continue to be hidden. But I fear for the Star Kids who are stuck here. If things continue as they are now, they may never be able to rise to Star Haven. You all must expel Bowser from the sky, save the princess, and take back the Star Rod, for their sake."

"No problem!" Rainbow assured. "He caught us off guard last time, but next time, he's going down!"

"He's already caused enough harm to everypony in the kingdom," Rarity said.

"And if he actually decides to think about using the Star Rod to find a way into our world, if it's possible for it to grant such a wish, then all of Equestria wouldn't stand a chance," Twilight added, though Mario seemed to laugh and shake his head, finding it hard to believe Bowser would be smart enough to invade another world when he's too dead set on winning Peach over while taking control of the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Yeah, Bowser's not smart enough to think about invading other kingdoms," Lakilester said. "I don't think he'd need anymore power than the Star Rod he's already got giving him more with each wish he makes."

"Which is all the more reason why we need to hurry before he starts getting power hungry." Thanking Merle, the group set off to make their way back to Shiver City.

Before they could get far, Merle walked out of his house after them. "Wait, there's one more thing!" he quickly said, everyone stopping as they looked back at the wizard. "I almost forgot to tell you about a small shrine that's on the path to the Crystal Palace when you climb the mountain. There was a legend handed down in the valley regarding the shrine's secret: 'Truth lies not only in the eyes. Sometimes, even walls may lie.'"

"That sounds like a riddle," Goombario noted, keeping the rhyme in mind.

"...I don't get it," Pinkie said, Rainbow scratching her own head as she shared her pink pony friend's confusion.

"Confusing, yes, but you'll have to find this shrine and solve its mystery in order to reach the Crystal Palace," Merle said. "I wish you all the best of luck, and stay safe."

"Don't worry, Merle," Twilight said.

The wizard headed back inside, leaving the others to continue on their way to reach the Crystal Palace and rescue the final Star Spirit.





As they walked down the path back to Shiver City, the party spotted Jr. Troopa where they last saw him, now frozen in a block of ice while still face down in his daze. Now that they saw him in that state, the ponies felt kind of bad for him, hoping he didn't actually die. But after how stubborn the little Koopa could be, they expected him to find a way to break out of the ice, run off somewhere, then find them by some miracle and try to fight them...again.

Back inside the penguin city, Twilight suggested the first place they check to find the second item needed to open the way to Shiver Mountain and reach the Crystal Palace was the mayor's house. If they were passed down by generations, it would surely have been passed down to those who took charge of the city or town. If not, then maybe he would be able to find out who was given the second item.

Back at the mayor's house, Mario knocked on the door, and the mayor's wife opened the door. "Oh! Well, hello...again. What brings you back so soon?"

"We need to speak with the mayor again," Twilight said. "And we better hope he didn't fall down and knock himself out again."

"No, no! He's fine!" the female penguin said. She suddenly began to sweat nervously, then ran off to the door to her husband's study, opening the door and sighing in relief before closing it. "Yes, he's fine. One hundred percent conscious."

"I was...actually joking about that, though I wouldn't be surprised if we walked in to see him conked out again." With permission to be let inside again, the walked in the mayor's study, finding him going through a few books on his shelves. "Mr. Mayor, we're back."

"Well, fancy seeing you back so soon!" the mayor greeted. "Did you make it to Starborn Valley, or were you blocked by the guard?"

"No, we reached the valley," Goombario said. "We were stopped by an annoying little runt mere yards away from the entrance of the city, but he's a frozen statue now after Twilight showed him how much better at magic she was than him."

"...Ah...I see," the mayor said, slightly confused but letting the statement slide.

"We met Merle, and he told us how to find the last Star Spirit," Bombette said. "But in order to get there, we need two items handed down both from Starborn Valley and here in Shiver City. You don't by any chance have it, do you?"

"Hmmm...I believe there is something like that I was given by my father when I was old enough. Let's see where I put that darn thing." The mayor moved over to a cabinet and opened the doors, rummaging through the messy interior as he pulled out other useless objects he's hoarded. "No...No, that's not it. Oh, hey! I was looking all over for that last year!" Twilight and Rarity cringed as their OCDs began nagging at them, wanting to do anything to help organize the random mess the mayor had and find what they needed faster. "Aha! Here it is!" He pulled out a blue bucket, waddling back to the group and showed them the hand-me-down item. "Not sure how this whole legend about this bucket and the scarf from Starborn Valley is supposed to work, but I think you all can figure it out better than I can."

"So, the secret to continuin' on to the Crystal Palace is by usin' a scarf and a bucket," Applejack said, paraphrasing how the two strangest of items were used as keys. "...Where do we even put them?"

"There were those snowmen back between the city and valley," Kooper pondered aloud, the Crystal Palace sounding like an ancient ruin never been explored as his archaeological mind began racing. "Two of them were missing something, one a bucket hat and the other a scarf...I have a feeling the way to Shiver Mountain is beyond those snowmen, and if we put the scarf and bucket on the ones missing their respective 'clothing', it just might open the way forward!"

"Well, it's worth a shot. Thanks again, Mayor Penguin." The group said goodbye to the penguin couple again and headed off back to the snowmen.

After another calm stroll and passing by Jr. Troopa's still frozen form, they reached the six snowmen. Taking the two items, Twilight wrapped the scarf around the bare neck of the third one from the left, and placed the bucket on the head of the one far on the right. They waited for a moment for something to happen, only to be startled when they heard voices come from the snowmen.

"Wow! A cool bucket hat! Thanks!" the sixth snowman said.

"A warm scarf! Thank you!" the third snowman said.

"Talking snowmen? Now I think I've seen everything," Parakarry commented.

"What a kind group you are!" all six snowmen said. "As a reward for your kindness, we shall tell you our secret!" Simultaneously, the snowmen jumped and moved out of the way, making everyone stumble slightly as their landings managed to shake the earth around them. After a few bounces, standing three-by-three now, the wall that was behind them split open into double doors, revealing the hidden passageway leading up to Shiver Mountain. "Please pass through here. With many thanks and blessings from the snowmen!"

Baffled and speechless, the group stared down the pathway as they could see the base of the mountain not too far from where they stood. Kooper grinned a moment later, his explorer's intuition spot on as he pumped his fist in the air.

"Alright! Time to climb up this mountain and discover another ancient ruin!" Kooper cheered. "I wonder what people several centuries ago had done to worship the Stars back then. What offerings they made, how the Crystal Palace is structured, everything!"

"Easy, Kooper," Goombario said, trying to calm his Koopa friend down. "You can uncover the mysteries of the Crystal Palace once peace is brought back to the kingdom."

"Uhh, right," Kooper apologized, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Star Spirits and the Mushroom Kingdom first...And then a thorough exploration."

"I wonder if the Crystal Palace is almost the same as the one in the Crystal empire back home," Rarity pondered aloud, tittering a little as she can only imagine the gems and crystals that might have made the Crystal Palace. "Though, not as extravagant, I hope it's a sight to behold."

"Let's just be careful," Twilight warned. "We have no idea what we're going to face up there. Whoever's protecting the Star Spirit might be one of Bowser's strongest."

The others nodded in agreement, focused on what challenges will await them on the climb up and inside the Crystal Palace on Shiver Mountain's summit. Tightening his cap, Mario lead the way with the others following behind, only one Star Spirit to rescue before confronting Bowser and taking the Star Rod out of his greedy claws. Mario didn't want to admit that he was nervous, but even with the worst of situations storming his prior castles in the past, he always pulled through and rescued Peach in the end. But with no knowledge on who their next powerful opponent will be at the end of the Crystal Palace, they'll have to wait and see as they prepared themselves for what's to come.
> The Climb Up Shiver Mountain
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the party began their trek up Shiver Mountain, the path was clearly linear as it lead higher and higher until they reached the peak and the Crystal Palace. They first had to make their way through a long, cavernous path, running into a few Gulpits and Frost Piranhas along the way, but it was nothing they couldn't handle at this point. There was a point earlier in the cavern earlier where there was a large gap barely anyone could leap across, nothing but a pit with a block of ice covering a green button that was attached to that section of the ground. Mario took care of that, leaping up and performing a super spinning pound, shattering the ice, pushed the button, and raised the platform of land up to fix the path. As long as no one pressed the button again, they won't get trapped down at the bottom of the pit.

"Huh," Twilight pondered aloud. "A strange mechanism to be placed in such a mountain trail."

"If there were people who wanted others to worship the Stars like they did, why create a 'bridge' to raise and lower to 'trap' outsiders from reaching the Crystal Palace?" Kooper questioned rhetorically, both alicorn and Koopa Troopa humming in thought, unable to help but wonder about the ancient civilizations of Shiver City and Starborn Valley's histories with the ruins above the summit.

Unfortunately, their curiosity would have to wait as time was of the essence. As they continued their climb up higher through the caverns, they finally reached the end and made it outside. They wound up facing another wide gap that impeded their progress, though thankfully the fall below wasn't as deep as the one back in the cavern, and there was a stairway nearby to bring them back up if they fell. On the other side was a blue button, another switch that might activate a bridge to come out and allow them across.

"Why is it that ruins have to have such crazy contraptions that are either traps or puzzles?" Bombette asked. "Even with the road toward said ruins?"

"So, anypony want me or any of us who can fly to push it?" Rainbow suggested.

"Nah. I got this, guys." Kooper stepped up as he volunteered, cracking his neck as he readied to toss himself over. Diving in his shell, the blue-shelled Koopa spun around in place, then shot off over the gap and smacked into the button, creating the bridge for them. He didn't notice the others shocked expressions when he came back, popping his limbs back out of his shell as he clapped his hands of imaginary dust at his job well done. "Piece of cake."

"Uhhh, Kooper?" Twilight said in confusion.

"What?" Kooper turned around, but he noticed that there was another him beside him as he turned. Looking back at his clone, the two Koopers blinked, then both yelped and leapt away from each other. "W-What the heck!? Who are you, impostor!?"

"I'm Kooper...Yeah, that's it," the other Kooper said. "I should be asking you that question!"

"No, I'm Kooper!" the real Kooper exclaimed.

"You're not making any sense!" the fake said back. "I'm the genuine Kooper!" He then looked at the others, who were unable to tell the two Koopers apart and how it was possible for the Koopa to duplicate himself. "Come on, guys, you know me! Don't listen to this liar!"

"Shut up! You're the liar, you fake!" Kooper yelled, then looked at the others. "You have to believe me!"

"Ok, what is happening!?" Pinkie questioned. "Why does Kooper have a twin we never knew about!?"

"Pinkie, Kooper doesn't have a twin!" Twilight said. "Something's clearly impersonating him!"

"Ya mean there's things like the changelings in this world?" Applejack asked, making the mares worry if they encounter anymore creatures similar to the shape-shifting bug ponies back in Equestria, though the changelings were no longer a threat thanks to Starlight. "How are we gonna tell them apart?"

"Hmm..." Twilight began to think of a way to easily tell the two Koopers apart. She had an idea, completely foolproof as only the real Kooper would know everything about her. "...Ok, I can figure out which of these Koopers is the real one and the fake one, because only the real Kooper knows a lot about me." The real Koopa Troopa grinned, confident enough to ace any of Twilight's questions and prove he's the real Kooper, but the other one subtly flinched, but went to perfectly mimicking the real one as he copied his stance and expression. "First question: What is my name?"

"Twilight Sparkle!"
"Purple Twinkle!"

Twilight knew just from that first question alone was enough proof that the first Kooper got it right, but she had to be one hundred percent sure. "Second: What is the name of the kingdom my friends and I live in?"

"Equestria!"
"Magic Land!"

"Ok...Now, one more question, and only the real Kooper knows about this one," Twilight said, pausing for effect as she grew suspension between everyone and the two Koopas. "...My friends and I were bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Each of the six Elements represented us as specific parts of what makes the magic of friendship...What Element was I?"

"That's easy!" the impostor exclaimed first. "It's...uhhh...smarts?"

Twilight raised a brow at the fake, then looked at the real Kooper, who didn't hesitate or jump the gun at his response. "The Element of Magic," he answered.

"...Well, I know for a fact the fake Kooper...is YOU!" Twilight aimed her horn at the second Kooper, blasting the fake with a beam of magic, sending him flying onto his back with a groan.

The fake suddenly poofed into a puff of smoke, revealing the real identity of the impostor. None of them expected it to be a mysterious person in a white sheet covering his body, some red hair on his head, and a pair of black shoes, though the rest of his body was really invisible or concealed well under the sheet. The creature sat up, revealing yellow pupils in his black eyes and his scowling black mouth.

"Darn it with the questions," he grumbled. "You're lucky I don't even know anything about you or your four-legged friends!"

"W-What is that?" Fluttershy asked. "I-Is that a...g-g-ghost?"

"In a sense, sort of," Bow said. "It's a Duplighost: they mimic their opponents in every way, from their appearance to the sound of their voice. Unfortunately, they don't copy anyone completely and end up making a mistake when they talk, or make a transformation error that makes them stand out."

"Aww, can it, you Boo!" the Duplighost yelled. "I thought I had you fooled!"

"Unfortunately, you have no idea how many situations we've had involving shape-shifters trying to trick us in the past!" Pinkie said. "But Twilight figured you out like she did with Chrysalis when she pretended to be her sister-in-law at her brother's wedding and we didn't believe her because we thought she was too overprotective of her brother in a way that was kind of-"

Applejack quickly shoved her hoof in Pinkie's mouth, both from continuing with the horrible memory of no one believing Twilight during her older brother's wedding and finishing that odd statement of the alicorn loving her brother in another, more disturbing way. "We get it, sugarcube."

The Duplighost crouched as he prepared to fight. "Well, even if you figure me out, I'm not letting you by so easily!" Lifting his invisible hand to his mouth, he let out a whistle, calling in three more Duplighosts to help him. "And your little Boo friend is right about us mimicking everything about you, which includes your skills!"

All four shape-shifters transformed, the plume of smoke around them disappearing as they transformed into someone among them. There was a duplicate Goombario, Sushie, Parakarry, and Lakilester now standing before them, perfect copies of them in every way, shape, and form.

"Oh boy. We better be on our toes," Goombario said. Quickly thinking of a plan, he grabbed his blue hat and tossed it over to Sushie. "Sushie, put my hat on so we all don't get confused over who's who! Parakarry, take off your bag, and Lakilester, your glasses!"

"Smart thinking, Goombario!" Lakilester said as he took off his shades.

Parakarry did the same as he tossed his mailbag to Twilight while Sushie put on Goombario's hat. Luckily, the Duplighosts copying them can't exactly do the same as they had, forcing to stay as their victim they copied until harmed enough to revert back to normal. The quartet of mimics charged forward, but the Duplighost that had impersonated Kooper earlier wasn't exactly honest with them being able to use all of their opponents abilities in combat. The fake Goombario tried to headbonk the real one, only for him to miss and hit the ground, letting out a painful groan and got a massive headache. The fake Parakarry had trouble flying and missed dive-kicking the original. The fake Lakilester had terrible aim, the Spiny egg being real enough, though his shots lobbed too high and was easily avoided. And the fake Sushie had a similar problem like the Goombario one, only instead slamming hard on his stomach and knocked the wind out of him.

"Perfect copies by appearance, but not in a fight," Kooper said. Spotting the one who mimicked him, who happened to be the fake Goombario, he ran up to the downed impostor and kicked him up high in the air. "This is for trying to trick my friends into thinking I was a fake!"

He leapt up after him, hiding in his shell and spun rapidly, meeting the falling clone halfway and repeatedly smacking him with his spiraling shell. After enough abuse, Kooper flipped over and kicked the clone back down to the ground, popping him out of his disguise and back as the bedsheet-looking ghost he was. Lakilester showed his doppelganger how to really throw Spiny eggs, pulling out several and unleashing a hailstorm of spiked eggs down on the fake, making him yelp in pain and revert him back to normal. Mario leapt onto the fake Parakarry, dropping him down to the ground where he met the stone-headed Goombario's skull down below, bending his back in a painful way, then get shell tossed by the real Paratroopa straight in the face, which sent him tumbling across the snow, smoke poofing where he first landed as he continued rolling in his real form. The fake Sushie looked up when he heard sparks above him, where Watt hovered over him and surged with electricity.

"If you're like Sushie, umm, does that mean you also get hurt more from electricity?" Watt asked curiously.

"...Uhh, no?" the fake Sushie said with uncertainty, mimicking the eldest of the group's voice perfectly.

"Then let's see if it's true!" Watt dropped down and zapped the Cheep Cheep impostor, making the fake's body shudder and flinch from the powerful volts of electricity coursing through his body.

While getting shocked, it was powerful enough to revert him back to normal, leaving behind a charred Duplighost, his limbs twitching from the electricity in his invisible body. Pinkie bounced up beside him, taking her hammer and wiggled her hips, taking careful aim as she lined it up with the stunned foe before swinging it back.

"FORE!" she yelled, smacking the Duplighost hard in the stomach, sending him rolling off like a bowling ball and knocking him into his duplicating buddies, the sound of pins getting struck echoed around the mountain. "Strike! Bingo! Touchrun! Homedown! Other obligatory things to cheer when winning something!"

Knowing when they were beaten, the Duplighosts scrambled on their feet and fled, letting out a ghostly sounding scream as they ran. The copied party members put back their respective items on once the enemies disappeared from sight, Lakilester putting his shades back on, Twilight giving back Parakarry's mailbag, and Sushie returning Goombario's hat, who promptly put his cap back on his head.

"That was some quick thinking in case they decided to get us caught in a scuffle," Sushie commented. "But I doubt the same trick will work if there are more of them who copy any of us without an article of clothing or an accessory to wear."

"Sushie is right," Rarity said. "Those ghastly ghosts may not be as strong as the changelings back when they were evil, but they can easily get the jump on us if they pretend to be us."

"Then we're going to have to take a page from Starlight's book when she, Trixie, Discord, and Thorax went to infiltrate the changeling hive to rescue us from Chrysalis," Twilight said. "We need to come up with a code word that all of us will remember, and if we split up in any way, we say the first part, then they'll have to say the second. If the second part of the code word isn't said, then they're impostors."

"What's going to be the code word?" Bow asked.

The group grew silent as they thought of a good, memorable phrase to use as their code word. After several minutes of thinking, Pinkie chimed in as she came up with one.

"How about if one of us says 'paper', then we say 'Mario'!?" she suggested, then looked out in the distance, addressing something that the others couldn't see. "It's clever because the game is called 'Paper Mario', and this crossover's about the game while we're a part of it, but we're not made of paper in this story or the sequels when we get around to them."

"'Paper Mario'? Seriously?" Rainbow questioned.

"Well, it's pretty simple to remember, and the Duplighosts won't have any idea how to follow up with just hearing the word 'paper'," Twilight said. "'Paper Mario' it is."

Despite the odd code words, everyone else unanimously agreed since it surely would throw off any of the duplicator ghosts they'll end up seeing further ahead. Continuing on over the bridge, they continued on their way up Shiver Mountain. Now that had to deal with White Clubbas, a bit stronger than their green counterparts and were able to live easily in the freezing climate. They soon came up to a smaller cavern, where there were three rock carvings with slots that contained a random item in them: the first one a Shooting Star, the second one a Snowman Doll, and the last one a Thunder Rage.

"Hey, look! Free items!" Pinkie pointed out.

"That's...odd," Goombario noted. "Why leave some pretty decently useful items like a Shooting Star or a Thunder Rage in these rocks?"

"Let's take one! These will be very helpful taking care of big groups!" Pinkie bounced up to the Shooting Star and pulled it out of its slot. She was about to put it in Twilight's bags, only for a wall of ice to slam down beside the carved stone, blocking their way forward. "...I didn't do it!"

"Clearly, you did," Bow grumbled.

Rainbow walked up to the empty stone slot, staring curiously at it for a moment. She put her hoof down on it, the pressure plate sinking under its weight and lifting the ice wall back up. Moving her hoof, the wall fell back down again.

"Cool! This is kinda like the traps in the ruins Daring Do runs into with these doors!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Place something down with an equal amount of weight to keep the pressure plate down, and the door stays open!...Or keeps a trap locked to be activated by grave robbers who think they can take any treasure just sitting in the open...Thank goodness it wasn't that last one."

"Pinkie, put the Shooting Star back in the slot," Twilight said.

"Awww! But we barely used any of the items from the game aside from Mushrooms, a Sleepy Sheep, lemons and limes, a crummy broken hammer, and other not useful stuff that aren't as fun as anything else!" Pinkie whined. With no one vouching for her idea, the pink earth pony pouted and put the item back in its place. "Stupid, dummy writer not allowing items in any epic fight scenes..."

The ice wall opened back up, allowing them to keep moving without getting blocked off. As tempting as it was to take the helpful items, they had to leave them behind, or trade them with something else they had. Unfortunately, since Twilight had stocked up on supplies necessary for making it up the mountain and through the Crystal Palace and back, they couldn't waste their rations for those items, even if they would be beneficial if they run into a large group of foes.

Their next climb as they got closer and closer to the summit was practically impossible after passing through the cavern. It was right in front of them, but it was incredibly high up with no way of climbing the heavily steep cliffs. Even if they could fly up, the fliers in the party wouldn't be able to carry everyone up to the highest cliff, where they could practically see a side of the Crystal Palace from where they stood. There was a small natural staircase nearby, but it didn't lead far and had an icy structure in the shape of a set of stairs, a star-shaped hole in the center of it.

"Ok. How are we going to reach the top?" Goombario asked. "There's no way I can climb the walls. I have no arms."

"And it's too high to try to carry everyone up, even if we work in pairs to lift everyone one by one up there," Lakilester added.

"Well, aside from that mystery, there was also supposed to be a shrine we were supposed to find while we were climbing up Shiver Mountain...So far, we haven't found it." Twilight looked around the empty plain made of ice before them. The wall ahead was pretty solid aside from a sizable crack in the center. Seeing how there wasn't any way forward, and the Crystal Palace was really close, the shrine Merle told them about had to be nearby, and where there are cracked walls, there had to be some secrets hidden away. "It looks like the only way we can go for now is through the mountain. Bombette, can you blow up that wall over there?"

"With great pleasure!" The pink Bob-omb leapt down from the ledge and ran up to the cracked side of the mountain.

One explosion later and an opened passage later, the party made their way inside. Everyone gathered in the secret room, but they wound up at a dead end inside the crystal room. There wasn't any way leading up or down the mountain, just an empty room with clear blue crystals hanging from the ceiling.

"Well, that was a bust," Bow commented. "Dead end, and no way up unless you want those able to fly to traverse those ruins sitting several stories above us."

Twilight didn't give any remarks to Bow's snide attitude, distracted by a strange presence that was in this very room. Looking around, all she could see were crystals, but there was some sort of magical energy coming from further beyond the room through the opposite end from where they entered. She slowly approached the wall, staring at it curiously as she recited Merle's words to herself.

"'Truth lies not only in the eyes. Sometimes, even walls may lie.'" That phrase continued running over and over in her head, looking around the back wall. Lifting a hoof up, she slowly moved it toward the wall, but where she expected to touch the solid wall, it phased through it as if it was an illusion. Quickly pulling her hoof back in surprise, it clicked in her head as she managed to solve the riddle. She poked her head through, finding another room, but what lied inside made her eyes widen in awe. "Wow."

"Ahh! Twilight got her head stuck in a wall!" Pinkie exclaimed, alerting everyone when they saw the alicorn's head poking through the fake wall. "Hang on, Twilight! I'll save you!"

Pinkie ran up to Twilight, wrapped her forelegs around the alicorn's barrel, and pulled hard, making them yelp as she managed to send the two of them flying back, hitting the ground hard with the two of them in a tangled heap. They both groaned, Mario and Kooper helping them up on their hooves.

"Pinkie, my head wasn't stuck," Twilight grumbled. "I wasn't stuck in anything. That wall's not real."

"It's not?" Curious, Kooper approached the wall and pressed his hands against it, nearly stumbling forward when they passed through. "Whoa! She's right! This wall's an illusion!"

He passed through the wall to see what Twilight saw, the others following as they tentatively stepped through the wall. Once everyone was inside, they found what the alicorn had stared at while she looked like she got her head stuck in a hole in the wall: a piece of ice in the shape of a diamond sitting on the far end with a blue star-shaped stone trapped inside it. It was the perfect shape to fit into the the piece of ice stairs in the wall back outside. Before anyone could figure out how to break the ice open to take the stone, a spiritual being appeared before them, hovering over the ice. Startled by the mysterious ghost, they could tell it was female, and dressed similarly to Merlon and Merle, though her robes were a pale fuchsia and her long, curled hair was a grayish-fuchsia.

"Another ghost!" Pinkie screamed, making Fluttershy yelp and hide behind everyone.

"At long last, Mario," the spirit said. "I have been expecting you."

"You know Mario?" Goombario asked.

"Of course," she said. "I am Madame Merlar, a messenger of the Stars. I am sure you know Merlon and Merle well, for I am their ancestor."

"Whoa. That's pretty cool," Rainbow said.

"And we assume you have some important message to give us?" Bow asked.

"Indeed," Merlar said with a nod. "The Stars had spoken to me of you all in my dreams. They said you would come to the shrine on Shiver Mountain. And it is here that I guard the way to the Crystal Palace."

"So this is the shrine," Twilight said in awe. "I knew something was strange about this room." She looked at the star stone inside diamond-shaped ice. "And this stone will help us reach the top, correct?"

"Yes. But before I allow you onward, there is much I need to tell you," Merlar said. "Bowser's followers have already invaded the Crystal Palace, and are soiling the sacred ground of the place where the Stars were honored. Now, what I will tell you is very important, so listen to every word I say. It is quite long, however, so I will be brief." Mario and Goombario winced, the two looking at each other as they hoped beyond hope that Merlon didn't inherit his long rambling stories from his ancestor. "The story begins a long, long time ago. I was still a young woman back then..."

Mario and Goombario groaned and wilted, their fears already coming true as they had to wait for Merlar to finish her story. "Here we go again..."



Merlar continued her tale after what seemed to last for hours. Everyone wound up falling asleep out of boredom, even Twilight and Kooper despite wanting to learn more about some history from the spiritual mage floating above them. They either fell asleep standing up, leaning against each other, or slept on the ground, Merlar unaware that the ones she wished to convey her message to had slept through most of her story, especially with some of them snoring.

"...so that's why you must get Bowser's men out of the Crystal Palace. But..." Looking down, she was appalled to find the party sleeping after several hours of regaling them with her story. "Hey! Were any of you even listening to my story!?"

Everyone was startled awake, scrambling to get back on their feet while trying to pretend they knew exactly what she told them. "We weren't sleeping and ignoring your story because this cutscene is supposed to be a time waster to get something really important to continue progressing!" Pinkie blurted out.

Merlar raised a brow at Pinkie's sudden exclamation, but she ignored it as she foresaw that she was an odd case compared to her other pony friends. "...Ok, then...As I was saying, you need this Star Stone to reach the palace." She lifted her hands up, causing the Star Stone to rise up from the ice and rest it on top of it. "Take this stone, and you can open the way to the Crystal Palace."

"Uhh, thanks, Merlar," Goombario said.

Twilight used her magic, levitating the stone over to her, keeping it out of her bags since they were going to use it pretty soon. "Hmm...I wonder if you all understood the shortened version of my tale?" Merlar said her thoughts aloud. The others balked, surprised to know that her long-winded story was just the short version. "It really doesn't do the story justice, you know. Perhaps one day I'll tell you the full story."

"No thanks! We're good!" Twilight quickly exclaimed. "I-I mean, we got the gist of you...shortened tale."

"Oh, very well. Then I wish you all the best of luck." Madame Merlar began to disappear, her message given from beyond the beyond.

Once she was gone, the group filed out of the shrine, Kooper letting out a heavy sigh of relief. "I do not want to imagine how much longer the actual story is. I don't think there was anything of historical value to learn about what Madame Merlar told us."

"Yeah," Twilight agreed. "I ended up zoning out after she mentioned her husband and children with fortune telling. We didn't ask for her autobiography."

"I guess Mario and I were right about expecting a boring, overly long story," Goombario said. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree between Merlon and Merlar."

"At least we got the Star Stone," Lakilester said. "Let's put that bad boy in its place and keep on going higher."

Returning back to the stairway, Twilight placed the Star Stone in the hole where it belonged in the icy stairway sticking out of the wall. Once it was in place, the slot clicked, the ice slowly pushing itself in until it was part of the mountainside. The ground began to quake around them as the large area of ice between them and the shrine began to rise up. Sections of the ground rising up stopped randomly with a thud, creating three separate flights of stairs that lead higher and higher, reaching the tallest cliff and the peak of Shiver Mountain.

As soon as the mountain stopped shaking, the party climbed up the tall, icy steps, some of them slightly winded from constantly jumping up the long flights of stairs. Eventually, they made it to the top, stopping to let everyone catch their breath, most of them not used to the high altitude or excessive climbing they had to do.

"W-Who...Whoever...used to...worship the Stars-" Rarity wheezed, thankfully not worried about getting sweaty with the frigid air from the climate they were in, though still slightly miffed as she tried to breath. "-they should have wished...for a lift for this mountain!"

"And ruin the sanctity of what this place means to the region!?" Kooper exclaimed in shock at the unicorn's statement. "This is ancient history with a religion long-lost to this region of the Mushroom Kingdom, and I will not stand for any ruins to be defiled by modern society taking away the meaning of the journey up to the top of this summit!"

"Kooper, save the archaeological defense for after we kick out Bowser's men from the Crystal Palace," Bombette said, reminding the Koopa not to lose his cool while defending ancient ruins when they're already being defiled as they spoke.

"I'm just saying," the blue-shelled Koopa uttered bashfully. "What's there a point in an adventure without a trek that tests the traveler's determination to reach their goals?"

As soon as everyone was ready to go, they continued on as they walked down the path leading straight to the majestic Crystal Palace. They paused and stared up at the ancient structure, still in pristine condition after being forgotten for hundreds of years. After admiring the palace, they continued onward, but as they got closer, they noticed a slight sheen of light that seemed to split down the center of the building. Stepping out from the rocks blocking the oddly reflective surface, they gasped in surprise as they saw their reflections.

"What in Equestria?" As everyone stared at themselves, Twilight pressed her hoof against her reflection, looking over to the palace as she saw the mysterious glass somehow stayed stable in this cold weather and spanned across the road from the building to the mountain. "This is...interesting. The Crystal Palace is pretty long in length, but its width is pretty small. This giant mirror makes it look like it's bigger than it appears up close."

"It's like a funhouse of mirrors in a carnival!" Pinkie said cheerfully, making weird noises and faces at her reflection while moving about.

As everyone looked at the Crystal Palace, preparing themselves to enter the former place of worship to the Stars and drive out Bowser's army intruding the abandoned structure, Pinkie had stopped fooling around to join her friends. Oddly, her reflection didn't follow, panting heavily and wiping the sweat off her brow. Kooper looked at the mirror curiously, then back to see the landscape down below, finding it odd that they could see Starborn Valley down below, but the mirror didn't show it from what they were able to see. When he looked back, he got startled when he saw Pinkie's reflection nowhere near where she was supposed to be, having lagged behind in exhaustion while the rest of their reflections mimicked their movements.

"Uhh, Pinkie?" he called out, the pony reflection suddenly panicking and quickly ran up to mimic the earth pony.

"Yeah, Kooper?" Pinkie asked.

He looked at the real Pinkie, then back at the "reflection", not sure if he should chalk this up to Pinkie being Pinkie, or something oddly suspicious going on with this mirror. "...Never mind. I must be seeing things."

Pinkie shrugged, then bounced off with the others as they gathered at the entrance to the Crystal Palace. Kooper watched Pinkie's reflection, then looked at himself in the mirror, keeping a close eye on "himself" as he adjusted the bandanna around his neck. He joined the others as Mario grabbed the door handles, looking back at the others as they silently nodded, ready to see what lies inside the Crystal Palace and save the last remaining Star Spirit.
> The Crystal Palace
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mario and party walked through the doors of the Crystal Palace, marveling at the interior structure of the ancient ruins that was once used to worship the Stars in ancient times. The floor was made of crystal, their reflection able to be seen on the sturdy ground, stars patterned the worn out blue walls as a sign of the older culture's worship, and pillars were placed along the walls, both as a means of support for the long building and artistic with etchings of stars wrapped around the top and bottom portions of the crystalline cylinders. On their as they entered, the wall was a long and giant mirror, though Kooper made sure to keep a close eye on their reflections after witnessing Pinkie's somehow lag behind them outside earlier.

Ahead of them down the long hallway was a set of red doors and a red pressure switch, and along the wall was a normal white door that lead to possibly another hallway. However, the red doors were locked up tight, which means they'll need a key to get through.

"Oh my," Rarity said in awe as she looked around the hallways. "There may not be crystals all around, but this place is gorgeous."

"And shiny!" Pinkie added, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"But it's surprisingly empty," Twilight noted. "No furniture, no paintings or pictures of the landscape or founders. If this was someplace to be worshiped, there has to be at least something for wandering guests to come and relax onto."

"Maybe thieves took any valuables, including simple furniture, though with how the entrance to reach the mountain was closed off, that's unlikely," Kooper rambled, placing a finger against his chin in thought. "Maybe they had no need for furnishing, and the culture were able to easily traverse Shiver Mountain back then to pray to the Stars."

"Well, how about we pray for a key?" Rainbow suggested, pointing at the locked doors. "We're not getting through unless we find it. And the only way to go is through that door over there."

"No sign of Bowser's men just yet," Goombario said. "Everyone, stick together. If those Duplighosts are here, we can't afford to get tricked by those doppelgangers."

Staying together in a large group, they made their way down to the only accessible door and walked into another hallway, albeit smaller than the main foyer's. There was nothing much in the tightly spaced hall, only a mysterious red "X" a bit of a ways from the door on the other end. As curious as it was to find out why this "X" was placed on the floor, they steered clear out of its way in case it was actually a trap. The next hall had a few gray bats hanging from the ceiling, called Swoopulas, and as they dove down onto them, they clung on and tried to suck the life out of them like vampires. Luckily, a well-placed shock from Watt was enough to detach them, stunning them long enough to be smacked away by a fist, hoof, or hammer.

"Oh dear," Fluttershy uttered, feeling bad for hurting the squinty-eyed bats. "I know they're hungry, but do we have to be so harsh on them?"

"Swoopers are actually a really sentient species," Goombario said. "Some of them can talk, though, but they're just as dangerous as everything else we've encountered."

"Oh..." Fluttershy didn't feel as bad now, but it didn't help that the Swoopulas looked so cute to her.

Once the Swoopulas were dealt with, they entered the next room, holding a chest on a slightly elevated part of the floor. Mario opened up the chest and pulled out a key, but instead of it being the red key they needed to progress, it was blue.

"A blue key?" Parakarry questioned. "Well, that's clearly not going to work with the door."

"And there were no blue doors where we could get to," Sushie added. "So...are we stuck?"

"I don't think so." Kooper took the key from Mario and looked at it closely. "There was a switch back out in the foyer...I wonder what'll happen if we press it." Heading back through the halls and in the main hall, the party approached the switch sitting in front of the red doors. Leaping up onto the pressure switch, the Koopa jumped up and slammed his body weight down on the switch, pressing it down into the ground and making a sound as it activated something. The whole palace shook, shocking everyone, but the quake wasn't enough to send them falling over. Suddenly, the wall with the door in front of them began to move down, shifting part of the palace as another section lowered and stopped evenly with the floor, revealing a set of blue double doors similar in design to the red doors that were also locked. The switch beneath Kooper changed to blue after rising back up, stepping off and grinning as his hunch was correct. "And here's where we use the key."

"This...This is incredible," Twilight said in awe.

"There's more 'floors' in this place we have to search through???" Applejack questioned. "How are we supposed to know which way we're goin's the right one?"

"That's the fun part of exploring, AJ," Rainbow said, nudging her friend's shoulder. "Search every nook and cranny until we find the secrets hiding lots of treasures."

"Sounds more like a chore," Bow uttered. "And I thought Tubba Blubba's mansion was big..."

Kooper unlocked the door, the lock dropping to the ground, and opened up the door to let them through. In the next hall, there was another mirror wall yet again, which was probably a really big theme that the Crystal Palace had. They were stopped by a wall, but it was cracked enough for a certain Bob-omb to blow it up.

"Alright, stand back, guys," Bombette said as she approached the wall, fuse lit up and ready to blow.

She exploded, crumbling down the wall to access another room. But there was something odd that Kooper noticed as he looked at the mirror. If it was supposed to reflect the room and their movements, then how come the cracked wall in the reflection didn't crumble, or why wasn't there an explosive blast from Bombette? Something suspicious was going on, and he had a feeling that this mirror isn't exactly a mirror to begin with. As soon as everyone walked through, barely paying attention to the mirror, their "reflections" tried to huddle against the wall as they failed to get through the wall in front of them, and Kooper spotted his reflection sweat a little while mimicking his pose.

"I knew it." He ran to catch up with his friends in the next room, which was a dead end that had several "mirrors" split by a few columns. The center one didn't have any glass in at all as Kooper pressed his hands against the mirror, his hands pushing through to the other side. "These aren't mirrors. It's just glass!"

"Kooper, what's going on?" Twilight asked.

"Those aren't mirrors in the Crystal Palace. They're windows!" He walked through the gap between the pillars, walking in the reflective side of the room. "This place is completely symmetrical on both ends, but there were some flaws with our side and the 'mirrored' side. Back outside the entrance, I saw Starborn Valley down the side of the mountain, but the village wasn't in the reflection. And our 'reflections' aren't really our mirror images."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Rainbow asked in confusion, the others not following despite how odd it was that there was more to the room with the gap in between the pillars.

"Pinkie's mirror was able to keep up with her, even after bouncing around excitedly, but I saw it get exhausted and caught up, continuing mimicking her," he explained.

"...Or it could have been Pinkie being Pinkie," Bow stated. Kooper gave the Boo a deadpanned stare, and without even explaining the last flaw, he pointed at the wall they just blew up and walked through, then the still crumbled wall on the other side. It was then the group finally noticed the inconsistency with the mirror image and what they saw, Bow's eyes growing wide before grinning sheepishly. "Uhh...How did we not see that?"

"So that means there's so much more to this palace than shifting those doors," Parakarry noted.

"And that means..." They all looked at the crumbled wall on the other side as Kooper came up with the answer to their copies mimicking their actions, they plan failed after being unable to create a mirror image of the previous hall. "Duplighosts were disguised as us to make it look like we were walking alongside a long mirror."

"Then let's give them the element of surprise," Bombette said, running over to Kooper and lit up her fuse.

The rest of the group joined them and waited, Bombette blowing up and destroying the wall. Several startled yelps rang out on the other end, Rainbow and Watt zipping forward past their doppelgangers, the speedy pegasus bowling through them while the Lil' Sparky shocked and paralyzed each dazed Duplighost, knocking them out of their disguises. Fifteen stunned Dupilghosts groaned, unable to move their limbs as the hero party walking into the hall, now able to explore the other side of the Crystal Palace.

"Aww, crud," the foe that was disguised as Kooper grumbled. "I knew we were going to get caught."

"Hey, it's not my fault she's so hyper and moves around so much!" the Duplighost who copied Pinkie exclaimed. "You guys try pretending to be her!"

"And it didn't help you copycats when I stayed behind and watched you all press yourselves against the wall when you failed to blow up your side's crumbled wall," Kooper said.

"...I can't blow up like a Bob-omb," the one who mimicked Bombette sadly admitted. "We can't do everything we copy."

They then knocked out the Duplighosts, continuing on as they now had to search through more of the palace than they expected, the mirror sides merely an illusion thanks to the perfectly symmetrical design of the ancient temple and the many glass walls splitting the two sides in half. Making their way back into the foyer, they went through the white door on this side, finding a similar looking hallway they traversed before, only instead of a red "X" on the floor, there was a wooden floor panel.

"Two different ways to go, huh?" Lakilester asked. Mario approached the wooden floor, jumped up, then spin dove down, smashing through the board and bouncing off a spring down below into a lower level. "Think we should split up and see where each route takes us?"

"It's risky with Duplighosts running around, but it'll save us less time," Twilight said. "And remember the code word."

They soon split up into two separate groups, exploring their floors down a hallway until they reached a dead end. On the upper level, the first group found a Shooting Star sitting in at the end, while the lower level group's had a treasure chest containing a green badge with an orange and yellow arrow twisting in opposite directions. Unfortunately, there was no red key, both groups meeting back up in the foyer, making sure to use their code phrase to make sure they weren't impostors.

"Now what do we do?" Fluttershy asked.

"Umm, are we really stuck now?" Watt asked. "We didn't find another key."

"Neither did we," Goombario said. "And the only way further in the Crystal Palace has to be through those red doors."

While they pondered what to do next, Kooper put his mind to use as he looked around the symmetrical foyer. "Hmm...This place is symmetrical...No differences between either side split between the glass..." He suddenly had another idea, recalling the red "X" that was on the opposite side. "If that includes any side rooms...Guys, let's head back to the other side. I have a feeling that 'X' must be where a lower level is just like this side!"

"You mean on the real side or on the mirror side?" Pinkie asked. "Can we call the side we're on the Mirror Side and the side we entered is the Reality Side to avoid confusion?"

"Ah second that," Applejack agreed, feeling her eyes cross as she rubbed her head in bewilderment. "Ah'm already confused with which one's the right one."

"Just follow me." Kooper lead the way, making the long trek back around to the side they entered and made it to the hallway where they found the blue key. The red "X" wasn't there anymore, a hole similar to the one Mario broke through in the Mirror Side. "Aha! I knew it!"

"W-Where did that hole come from!?" Rarity exclaimed as everyone was just as shocked and confused.

"We broke through it," Kooper explained. "The Crystal Palace has to have some magical properties with how much this place was meant to be a temple of worship to the Stars. This place is symmetrical in design, so anything that happens on one side..."

"...It has to be the same on the other," Twilight finished, already fascinated by the mystical, mysterious ruins that have been lost for many years. "That's incredible. And the hole looks exactly like the Mirror Side's."

"Ok, no idea exactly how that works, but we'll go with it," Goombario said. "So, what's down there? Hopefully the next key."

Sticking together, they all jumped down, bouncing off the spring and continued onward. At the other end of the hall, the next room was actually blocked off by a crumbled wall instead of an open passageway. Bombette was on the job as she approached the wall and blew up, but as she fell, four other Bombettes fell from the ceiling along with the original, startling the group as they all backed away from the five pink Bob-ombs.

"W-What the-!?" Bombette exclaimed. "Oh, Great! Now it's happening to me! Quit looking like me, you impostors!"

"Excuse me!" the first copy spoke, putting a lot of dramatic emphasis in her words. "You're the one who's the impostor! Mario, do something about that fake!"

"Oh, no, I'm the real Bombette," the second one said with a soon, her cheeks turned a brighter pink as if blushing. "You have to know its me, everyone. Those other Bob-ombs are big liars."

"NO! I'M THE REAL BOMBETTE!" the third one screamed. "DON'T FALL FOR THEIR TRICKS! I'LL BLOW ALL OF YOU UP IF YOU SO MUCH AS TOUCH ME!"

"N-No," the last copy said timidly, acting like Fluttershy as she stammered and paused in nervousness. "P-Please...You have to t-trust me...I'm n-not lying..."

The real Bombette let out a frustrated groan, leering at the copies as none of them even got close to how she spoke to everyone. "I'm starting to get sick of Duplighosts already! Guys, you have to believe I'm the real Bombette, right?"

It was clearly obvious the others were fakes, especially the last three where one's a hopeless romantic, one screams like a banshee, and the last one's scared of speaking up. The ones who did know Bombette more could tell the real one from the impostors. Mario grabbed his hammer and approached the shouty Bob-omb, giving it a hard thunk on the head.

"OWWWW!!!!!" the copy screamed, poofing back into his real form. "Aww dang it! How did you find me out!?"

"Bombette doesn't scream her head off," Goombario answered, bonking the shapeshifting ghost, making him flee in defeat.

Mario then smacked the one who was giving Mario goo-goo eyes. "Oooh! That hurt!" the fake said, almost as if it enjoyed it before turning back to normal. "I thought for sure I confused you guys!"

"I don't sound like a lovesick teenager who immediately has a crush on some boy she likes," Bombette grumbled.

After that Duplighost fled, Mario smacked the timid one, letting out a terrified whimper before reverting to his original self. "I-I won't forget this..."

Now with only one left, Mario approached the last clone and smacked it hard. "Ow! A painful blow!" the final Bombette doppelganger said with terrible acting before turning back to normal. "Crud. I thought this would have worked, but I guess we screwed up."

"No kidding," Bombette said, ramming into the Duplighost and sent him scurrying away. With the last of the Duplighosts gone and their plan to confuse everyone failing horribly, Bombette approached Mario. "Thanks for seeing I was the real Bombette, Mario. If you hit me with that hammer, I probably would have blown up on you while you were asleep. But you didn't, so here's a little something for my gratitude."

Bombette leapt up and gave Mario a kiss on the cheek, flustering the plumber as his cheeks turned red. The other girls giggled as the hero got his reward from the damsel of a bomb, though he was sure any girl he rescued aside from Peach would have probably done the same. Once Mario stopped blushing, they continued into the next room to find a chest, and inside that chest was the red key to the red doors. It was ironic how both the keys were in the same section, but on different floors, and it involved breaking the floor on the Mirror Side to make it open on the Reality Side. Mario kept hold of the key as they backtracked to the main foyer and finally progress further through the palace.

Making it back in the foyer, the group approached the switch, pressed it, shifted the wall back to the red door, and finally unlocked the door. It was odd to see just from unlocking one of the doors, the other side's lock also unlocked through some mysterious power, but at least they didn't have to find duplicates of the keys if they ever had to switch between either side. Entering the red door, they were now in a small room, the glass in here separated by a big gap, allowing them to enter the next hallway on either side. Sticking to the Reality Side, they walked through the doors and found a very peculiar sight.

Both sections had a thin bridge in the middle leading across the other side, the Reality Side had three White Clubbas barring their way forward, while the Mirror side had statues of them on pedestals, looking far too heavy to move even with Mario's enhanced strength through Applejack's inherited power. The only difference was that the Mirror Side had the doorway to continue onward while the Reality Side lead to a dead end. The Clubbas saw them, though they made no movements to charge after them.

"No one may pass!" the first White Clubba proclaimed. "The great and honorable Crystal King will not allow you all through!"

"And we aren't budging an inch!" the second one said.

"Yeah! The only way you'll get by is if you defeat us, but you're going to have to come to us because otherwise we'll end up moving the statues on the other end as well." The first two Clubbas turned around and leered at the third one for blabbing way too much, shocking the others when they saw the first two statues on the Mirror Side turn around along with them. "...What?"

"We're supposed to intimidate them into running away, not tell them how things work around here!" the first one yelled. "This is why you're in the back, because not even the Crystal King can trust you with being the first to guard the bridge!"

"Yeah, you guard the door like a lackey!" the second one said, putting his two coins in their comrade's loud mouth.

"Actually, we kinda figured out this place had a symmetrical feel to it when we encountered the Duplighosts pretending to be us a few rooms back," Twilight said. "And we don't even need to physically confront you anyway."

Twilight lit up her horn, grabbing the White Clubbas and lifted them up in the air with her telekinesis. "Wah! What's going on!?" the first Clubba exclaimed. "How are we flying!?"

As the alicorn kept the Clubbas hovering above the ground, the statues moved along with them as they flew off the ground, mimicking the real foes. She moved them over the pit the crystal bridge rested over, the three Clubbas looking down and gulping as they looked at Twilight, her horn fizzling out as she let go.

"...Oh no," the second Clubba said before all three of them screamed and fell down the pit, the statues following suit until they fell to a crash a moment later.

The party heard the statues crumble to pieces once they hit the ground below as well, their way forward no longer barred. They could hear the Clubbas reprimanding their third companion while trying to figure out how to climb out of the surprisingly deep hole. As they headed back to pass through to the Mirror side of the halls, they wondered who the Crystal King the Clubbas mentioned.

"So, was there a king who once lived here?" Sushie asked. "I thought the Crystal Palace was a temple."

"Did Merlar mention any royalty in her rambling?" Goombario asked. No one answered since they all fell asleep, Kooper and Twilight ashamed to be the more studious ones on ancient folklore as they nodded off from Madame Merlar's life story. "Of course not..."

"I'm gonna guess and say this Crystal King is working with Bowser," Lakilester said. "If his troops are here, then he must be 'ruling' this place while keeping the last Star Spirit from us."

"If there's anything informational to find once this is all over, maybe I'll work with Prof. Kolorado and go on an expedition with him to uncover what other secrets any older residents from Shiver City or Starborn Valley have heard stories about," Kooper said, ensuring himself to come back after they deal with Bowser and the Mushroom Kingdom was at peace again.

Passing over the bridge on the Mirror Side, they walked through the doors and found themselves in what appeared to be a dead end again. However, there was a small platform in the center between the thick glass splitting the rooms throughout the palace in half, and there was a red switch on either side. Curious, Mario pressed the switch, causing the platform to spin around like a turntable, everyone getting the idea as they used it as a means of switching themselves back to the Reality Side. It was a menial task as the party individually stepped on and off as Mario pressed the switch over and over, but once everyone was across, he hopped onto the turntable while Pinkie volunteered to press the switch.

As soon as they were all together, they continued onward, getting into a fight with a few more White Clubbas, but they easily overpowered the tougher foes. The Mirror side had a Duplighost wandering around, having watched the Clubbas get beaten, but he was at a dead end with a cracked wall back in the previous hall, and the way forward was on the Reality Side anyway, so they didn't bother dealing with the doppelganger and continued on.

The next room, they found only two doppelgangers on the other side of the glass, the Duplighosts disguised as Mario and Kooper. Instead of trying to mimic them, they approached the other side of the wall, where, on both sides, there was a small crawlspace that was only able to fit something as small as a shell. Not even Goombario or Bombette could squeeze through with how low it was. The Duplighosts demonstrated what to do as the Mario copy gave the Kooper copy a bounce, shooting him straight through the hole.

"Are they...trying to help us?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, the wall's not breakable, so I don't think there's much I can do if it's stable," Bombette said.

"I can get through by myself," Kooper said. "I'll see if there's some kind of switch on the other end to open a way up."

The Koopa tossed himself through the small gap, the others waiting to see what he found. After a few minutes, they began to grow concerned when he didn't say anything and nothing happened.

"Kooper?" Parakarry called out. "Everything alright over-?"

Suddenly, they head numerous yelling on the other side of the wall. Before Bow tried to phase through the wall to find out what was happening, the wall suddenly broke down as several people came tumbling out, everyone moving back before the charging group bowled them over. Kooper groaned as he fell on his back in a slight daze, but along with him were Goombario's grandfather, Mario's brother, Luigi, Kolorado, and an elderly Koopa Troopa with a forest green shell, a grayish-white goatee, and had a walking stick in his hand.

"W-What in the heck!?" Goombario exclaimed as he saw Goompa lying on the ground.

Kooper stood up, rubbing his sore back as the other surprise guests stood up as well, the older Koopa firmly planting his cane to the ground to keep himself up. As soon as he got a look at them, he was shocked to see Kolorado and the elderly Koopa he knew back in Koopa Village, but it soon turned to irritation, knowing there was no possible way the older Koopa Troopa could even be here, let alone leave his house.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Kooper grumbled. "More Duplighosts!"

"Who are you calling a Duplighost, sonny?" the elder Koopa questioned, then turned to the surprised party. "Don't listen to this fake, everyone. I'm the real Kooper."

Their shock faded away as they stared at the elder Koopa, all the party's eyes blinking at him as they processed what he had just said. "...Are you kidding me?" Kooper questioned, his eye twitching out of bafflement. "...You're trying to pretend to be ME!?!?!?!? You're disguised as the old Koopa who lives next door to me, Koopa Koot! That's not even close to looking like me!"

"Then that means I'm the real Kooper," "Kolorado" said. "Mario, ol' boy, give that fake a good pounding, eh wot?"

"You're pretending to be Kolorado!" Kooper exclaimed. "He's back in Koopa Village as well, and there's no way he could have gotten up here without us if he went on another expedition!"

"I'm the real Kooper!" "Luigi" said. "Mario, brother, you've known me since we were babies! It's obvious I'm the real Kooper!"

Mario gave the fake a deadpanned stare, then let out an irritated sigh, rubbing his forehead as he got a worse headache than trying to figure out Pinkie Pie for the first since meeting her. The plumber just shook his head, knowing his brother was back at home watching the house. He needed to go back to check in with him before he thought his older brother almost got himself killed again, but that would have to wait until they stopped Bowser. Defeating the Koopa King is far more important than the previous times he's trounced him, his power increasing dramatically with the Star Rod in his claws.

"Nonsense! I'm Kooper," "Goompa" said. "My own grandson should know me better than you all."

"You're not even a Koopa!" Kooper complained.

"Ok, I'm getting sick of this pointless charade." Twilight lit up her horn, firing a beam of magic at the obvious fakes, zapping the Duplighosts back in their normal forms.

They turned to the alicorn, blinking in silence as their plan had ultimately failed. "...Well, this didn't work out quite as well as I thought it would."

"Clearly," Rarity commented. "Were you even trying?"

"We ran out of ideas!" one of the foes exclaimed. "We may be master's of disguise, but we can't come up with lots of ways to trick you!"

"That means no," Pinkie said. "I could have done a better job changing into a disguise."

"Yeah, right," another Duplighost said with a roll of his eyes. "How can you change the way you look when you clearly don't have the same skills we-" Within the blink of an eye, he froze on his words as Pinkie was suddenly wearing a white sheet over herself, her blue eyes peeking through the eyeholes cut out through them, wearing pink shoes similar to the footwear the Duplighosts wore, and a small bit of her pink mane had stuck out similarly to theirs, although it was still pretty poofy. Flabbergasted, the Duplighosts stared at the pink pony as she tried to pretend to be one of them. "...H-How...How did you do that?"

"Because I'm a Duplighost, too!" Pinkie said, lifting up her forelegs up in the air, waving them around creepily as she let out a ghostly wail. "Oooooooooh! Spooky shape-shifting ghostie-goo I beeeeeee! I turn into somepony and pretend to be them to steal their sooooooouuuuuul!"

The shape-shifters looked at each other, headaches already forming, yet they were shocked that their enemies invading the palace not even remotely shocked by Pinkie's random costume change or antics. "...You know what, forget it. Let's get out of here."

The other Duplighosts agreed and fled, admitting defeat from their failed attempt to trick the group. "Good riddance," Kooper uttered. "At least that's one way of getting through. Couldn't find a switch or lever to open the wall in a safer, less painful way, but as long as we don't run into anymore of those things, I'm good."

Continuing onward through the hole in the wall, there were two doorways to go through, along with two others on the Mirror Side. Going down to the closest door, the only thing in the next room was a big statue of a Dino, as Goombario explained to the mares after witnessing the carving of the dangerous-looking creature. This also brought more questions for Kooper, wondering what Dinos had involved with the Crystal Palace, but that would have to wait until he really explored this place like an archaeologist. They headed back to the central hall and pressed on to another longer hallway.

They found their "reflections" again on the other side mimicking their movements, having had enough dealing with Duplighosts copying them. Ignoring them, they saw a wide gap leading across to another doorway, but the switch was on the Mirror Side. Since their "reflections" could mimic them, Parakarry decided to fly over the gap, and watching his doppelganger, pressed his hands down to where the switch was, forming a bridge that moved out from the walls. They walked across and reached the door, entering a room where there was an empty space in the glass shaped like a doorway, their way forward blocked by two sets of locked doors. Preparing themselves to face the copies on the other side, they walked through the gap to the Mirror Side, Mario gripping his hammer while placing his free hand on the door handle, then slammed it open as everyone charged in to fight them.

"Time fight, you-" Rainbow exclaimed, only for everyone's adrenaline to droop when there was no sign of the Duplighosts disguised as them earlier. "-...are not...here???" Being cautious, the group looked around, but there was no way the Duplighosts could turn invisible. "...Uhhh, weren't they just here?"

"They couldn't have escaped," Goombario said. "It was a dead end back in the other room. And with both sides mirrored, it should be a dead end with a Dino statue as well."

"...You don't think it's possible that...maybe that was actually our reflections?" Fluttershy asked. "If they were those...things, would they have risked copying us to help us through?"

Fluttershy's question only brought so many questions for Kooper and Twilight, making them both eager to explore this ancient building and discover what secrets that has been forgotten by the locals. It was too bad they had to force that eagerness to learn about the ancient culture, no thanks to Bowser and his growing strength threatening the peace of the Mushroom Kingdom as the days passed. Wondering where their mirror selves were in this hall no more, they hurried on and backtracked to the other room and checked the adjacent doorway with the Dino statue.

This room had a smaller Dino statue instead, and there were scratch marks on the floor beside it. "And, yet again, no sign of there being a key to nab," Bow commented.

"Maybe we can move this statue?" Bombette asked. "It looks like it's been moved frequently in the past."

"Let's give it a go." Applejack volunteered, being the physically strongest member of the party outside of Mario and the magical strength enchantment he willed to use in combat. Getting behind the statue, she shoved her shoulder toward it and pushed with an exerted grunt, making it move across the ground, and if this was like the statues of the White Clubbas, she could have also moved the larger Dino statue in the opposite room. "There we go-WHOA!"

Applejack didn't notice the hole the statue covered up and fell down. Luckily, there was a spring that broke her fall, springing her up a bit before plopping to the ground with a grunt.

"Applejack!" Twilight shouted, she and the other mares running up to the hole and looked down. "Are you alright!?"

"Ah'm fine," Applejack assured, grabbing her hat after falling off her head during her short plummet in the room and fixing it back on her head. "Didn't think there was gonna be a hole. These here springs sure are helpful, though."

"Are there any Duplighosts, Swoopulas, or White Clubbas down there?" Lakilester asked.

"It's safe. No baddies down here." The others leapt down, making sure everyone was all together before entering the next hall.

At the other end was a room with a chest, holding another badge that was similar to the other one they had found, only the badge was red and the arrows spiraled counterclockwise. Figuring the key was in the Reality Side's hidden passageway, they backtracked all the way around to where the big Dino statue was.

"Ok, backtracking is really annoying!" Pinkie commented. "It's not fun, and it's tiring! Who thought this was a good idea to put into a game to get back to something and fight more things to exhaust us!? They are not geniuses and should be put in the corner of shame!"

Ignoring Pinkie's rambling, they reached the big Dino statue, their hunch correct as it had moved just like the smaller Dino statue had, covering a hole just like its mirrored counterpart. Mario decided to go down on his own to check if the key was down here, finding a chest with said key, returning, and answered the code phrase when Twilight asked to be certain it wasn't a Duplighost. Now with the key, they made their way back to the locked door, Mario unlocking one of them, making both locks open and clatter to the ground.

"Please let there be no more glass," Rarity pleaded. "The climb up here was tiring, and wandering around is hurting my legs. And I think my hooficure I just got is already ruined."

Thankfully, the next room was actually very spacious and wide, no glass to separate the halls or rooms into two mirrored sides. There was a doorway up ahead, but it was suspended in the air with no staircase reaching it. Before them were three Dino statues on their left, and on the right, to their surprise, were living Dinos, their scales white with red spines.

"Whoa! Actual Albino Dinos!?" Goombario exclaimed.

"Albino Dinos?" Twilight asked.

"Albino Dinos have white scales, but regular Dinos are green," the Goomba explained.

"And...they're alive," Kooper noted as he saw their eyes looking in their direction and calm breathing. "How long have they been here?"

"You cannot go through here unless you solve the puzzle," the three Albino Dinos said simultaneously. "Once you solve the puzzle, we'll let you through."

Despite how scary and threatening they seemed, Fluttershy didn't care, flying over to one of them and hugging them as she tried to get to know them. The Albino Dinos were stoic, the one being hugged barely showing any emotion or movement, almost as if it had been trained for decades to stand at attention, being as still as the statues on the opposite end of the room. Letting Fluttershy be, the rest of the group looked around the room to figure out what the puzzle the Dinos mentioned that they should solve.

The Albino Dinos and their statues were placed on a slightly lowered section of the floor. There were three floor panels in the center of those two sections, which must have been the answer to solving the puzzle. And since there were three Dinos, living and statue, they had to stand on those panels in order to create the solution.

"I think I figured it out," Kooper said, snapping his fingers as he approached one of the Dinos. "Let's push these guys on those panels and see what happens." He tried to shove the closest Dino over to the nearby panel, only for the stoic creature to turn around and face him, his statue turning around as well to face where Kooper would have been on the opposite end. Kooper yelped and leapt backward, waiting for it to attack him for being to rough, but the Albino Dino didn't move. "Ok...Guess pushing them around won't work."

"That is so strange how the statues face the opposite direction the real ones are," Rarity noted. "It was just like those Clubbas in that one hallway."

"Then maybe we can move the statues." Twilight lit up her horn, surrounding her aura around one of the Dino statues. But as she tried to lift it, she grunted, unable to even pick it up. "Huh?" The alicorn poured more magic into her levitation, but no matter how much she struggled, it barely even budged an inch. Giving up on lifting it, she tried pushing it. Sadly, she tried ever direction, just about to give up until it finally did move when she pushed it in the same direction it face, causing the Albino Dino it was connected to to move and follow its mirrored direction. "Ugh! Finally!"

"Wait, Twilight, push that Dino forward!" Kooper said, noticing something interesting as he watched Twilight's struggles. The alicorn obeyed, moving the statue forward a bit, making the Dino move as well. "Ok, now try pushing it back where it was."

Twilight nodded, but as she pushed it backward, the statue didn't budge. "What the hay? Why isn't it moving??? It moved before."

Mario had noticed what the Koopa Troopa had discovered. Running up to a different statue, he pushed in the direction where he was facing the Dino's gaze, no movement whatsoever. Then, he walked around and got behind it from the direction it faced, and with a small push, it moved forward. It clicked with the others when the plumber helped explain Kooper's discovery: the Dino statues are able to be moved, but only in the direction they're looking in, and the only way to change them around and move them onto the three panels was to making the living Albino Dinos turn to face a direction.

Figuring out the puzzle, everyone split up and worked with a Dino, one side teasing the Dino to turn to them while the other side pushed the statues around to maneuver them onto the panels. Fluttershy tried to ask one of them to turn in her direction, but they only responded to physical touch instead of a verbal command. After a bit of work, they got the Dinos and their statues to stand on the special panels, making the stairway roll out from the doorway, giving them access to climb up and continue onward.

"This place is just plain weird," Applejack commented, climbing up the steps, Fluttershy chasing after them after saying goodbye to the Dinos. "Everythin' bein' symmetrical, mirrored creatures and rooms. How is this related to the Stars?"

"It is strange," Lakilester commented. "Not sure if we'll get much out of Bowser's cronies with them messing around here."

"Not to mention the Crystal King," Kooper added. "I have a bad feeling he's going to be a lot tougher than anything else we've faced before."

"We've got the strength in numbers and awesome skills!" Rainbow reassured, pounding her hooves together as she psyched herself up for the battle against the Crystal King. "There's no way we can lose, especially when you have the six of us!"

"Yeah! Rainbow power all the way!" Pinkie cheered. "One easy blast of friendship and one less baddie to deal with!" Just as she began to celebrate using their powers of the Elements of Harmony, Pinkie stopped as she looked out to something with a leer. "Unless of course somepony wants to draw out the boss fight for a whole chapter while adding more story at the end, or transitioning back to what's been happening in Equestria."

Parkarry grew confused, looking around him as Pinkie seemed to be looking at him. "...Uhh, were you talking to me?"

"Not important," she quickly said before lifting a hoof, pointing at her eyes, then pointed it at what the others couldn't see.

Letting Pinkie be Pinkie, Parakarry shrugged his shoulders. They were getting close to what seemed like the end of the temple, which only meant that the last obstacle standing in their way of retrieving the final Star Spirit was beyond the next room after the large puzzle room with the Albino Dinos. Mario took the lead as the party walked through the final set of doors, reaching the back of the Crystal Palace as they prepared to face the Crystal King, the last of Bowser's strongest henchmen.
> The Crystal King
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the flurry of snow falling down over the rear side of the Crystal Palace, Mario and his band of companions along with Twilight and her friends carefully made their way up the natural thin bridge connecting the temple with the large flat summit. Though the snow obscured their vision slightly, they were in awe as they saw the mountain region of the north, an aurora of lights dancing in the sky above. If it weren't for the fact that the palace was swarmed with Bowser's minions, this place would have been a beautiful tourist spot as long as they could handle the cold.

"Wow. It's so...pretty," Fluttershy commented.

"And the end of the road," Bombette added. "So, where's our villain for the day?"

"Who comes to my palace!?" Everyone readied themselves as the mysterious voice spoke to them.

"Speaking of, here he comes," Twilight said.

Floating in the air as he appeared through the veil of snow, they met face to face with the Crystal King. The ruler of the Crystal Palace had an invisible body, the only part of him visible was his yellow eyes peering at them as he floated down. If it weren't for the royal blue cloak with a frilly white collar, white shirt, and the crystal crown with rubies embedded at the base of the four-pronged crown, there would have been no way they could have seen him at all. The frilled collar seemed to act as his mouth since he had none that was visible on his invisible form, whether a creature or a spirit beyond anyone's knowledge.

"Ah...So, it is Mario and his fellow companions," the Crystal King said. "You have arrived. And bringing the magical creatures Lord Bowser and Kammy Koopa have asked us to capture. They should have stayed somewhere safe, not come to my domain to risk getting caught within my icy grasp."

"This place isn't your domain!" Kooper exclaimed, pointing his finger at the spirit king. "You and the rest of Bowser's followers are trespassing on a sacred temple of an ancient culture! And to keep preserving this palace, we're taking you down and taking the Star Spirit from you!"

The Crystal King chuckled, his invisible arms crossed against his chest as he looked at the Koopa. "I'm the one trespassing? What about you all when you traversed the Dry Dry Ruins, or even Mt. Lavalava? Have you ever wondered how much you all defiled the ruins of those cultures? It's like a pot calling the kettle black. Imagine how many precious pieces of history you stomped on while having your fun exploring or learning about the ancient cultures from several centuries ago. Those crystal floors throughout my palace could very much be worth millions of coins, and their value has surely dropped with all your running around."

"Says the follower of Bowser's army who invaded those ruins while hiding the Star Spirits from us," Goombario stated. "You and your minions have been watching out for us, so your tactic with putting words in our mouths won't work."

"It matters not what you think, but this is my palace, and I know you're here for this." The Crystal King pulled out the last Star Spirit from inside his robes, who was a yellow Star with a black mustache on his upper lip. "You think you can rescue the final Star Spirit, but I will not allow you to take this from me." He placed the card back under his robes, giving them a sly grin as he raised his invisible arms up. "Let's skip past the pleasantries and begin our fight."

"You've got no backup, and you're facing a lot of us, buddy!" Rainbow goaded, raising her forelegs up in a boxer's stance as she hovered in the air.

"True, but that doesn't mean I can't even the odds just a little bit." The Crystal King leaned back, then thrust his neck out, the hole in the neck firing out a thin beam of ice out from him and straight toward Rainbow Dash. Surprised, the pegasus was hit, quickly turning into a block of ice, unable to move as she fell to the ground like a statue. Before the others could react from their shock, he shot a few more beams, aiming at the surprised mares as he encased them in ice as frozen statues. With the mares frozen in place, some in odd positions, the others tried to break them out, but the Crystal King created a blizzard, blinding Mario and co., hearing him chuckle as he used his power to levitated the frozen mares toward him, setting them down in a line behind him as he slowed the blizzard down to its gently flurry. "There. Now they are safe from harm, and useless to help you."

"Twilight can bust herself and her friends out of your ice blocks!" Lakilester exclaimed.

The Crystal King glanced behind him to look at the frozen alicorn. Everyone waited for Twilight's horn to glow and melt away the ice, or even teleport away, but nothing happened. The king chuckled at the lack of an escape attempt the others expected, turning back to face his opponents.

"Sorry, but I don't think she can move," the Crystal King said snidely. "Or use her otherworldly magic. Those six creatures are frozen solid; no amount of force, or even fire, can break or melt them free thanks to the magic I possess."

"What!?" everyone exclaimed, even Mario was shocked before he glared spitefully at their foe.

"The only way they'll be freed is if I'm defeated, though I doubt that will be the case," he said. "Unfortunately, my magic is limited to a certain amount of things I can permanently freeze, so, Mario, the only way I'll keep you as a statue is if I knock you unconscious. When I turn you into a living ice sculpture, I will deliver you and these six to Lord Bowser personally; a gift to show my loyalty to the almighty Koopa King."

"You sure you're not just following him because you're scared of his power using that Star Rod?" Bow questioned.

"I am not interested in taking over an entire kingdom like King Bowser. All that matters to me is that this palace belongs to me, and if it means working under him while protecting the last Star Spirit from you so he can keep his growing power, then so be it." Raising his arms again, the Crystal King summoned several shards of crystal around him, each of them shaped as cubes, diamonds, or spheres, each of them bearing the same yellow eyes he had. "But I have had enough talking to my foes. Have at you!"

Taking three of the floating crystals into the neck of his clothing, the Crystal King fired them straight toward Mario rapidly. The plumber quickly took out his hammer, smacking them away while shattering the weak crystals as they struck the ground. As the spirit king reloaded three more of the floating crystals in his "mouth", everyone split up as they went for their targets, Parakarry, Bow, Watt, and Lakilester dealing with the Crystal Bits the Crystal King summoned, while Mario, Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, and Sushie fought the Crystal King. They avoided the next volley of crystals he fired, Kooper rushing in first as he tossed himself straight into the Crystal King.

Mario grabbed Goombario and Bombette, tossing them both high in the air as they aimed for the Crystal King from above, both of them slamming down on him hard with their combined weight. As he tried to suck in more crystals, the flying group were faster than him as they easily knocked out each one that floated around them. Instead of being discouraged, the Crystal King simply summoned more of them, clearly showing a lot of magical skill than they anticipated, but instead of shooting them from his body, he flung them with his magic. Lakilester unleashed a Spiny Storm, smacking each crystal headed their way and knocking them to the floor in shattered pieces.

"How many more of these things can he summon!?" Parakarry questioned, ducking as the Crystal King summoned more and one of them nearly struck him in the head.

"Far too many!" Bow shouted, turning intangible to avoid a barrage of crystals headed her way.

Mario rushed the king and threw a punch, but his fist missed as he teleported a few inches to the side. Growling, he tapped into the magical powers bestowed upon him by the trapped Mane Six, his fists turning blue as he delivered a swift punch. This time, his blow connected as the Crystal King grunted in surprise, dumbstruck at the incredible speed compared to the instantaneous teleportation he was able to use. He was struck by several more blows before calling his crystals to dive down on Mario, backing away as the plumber smacked them all away with his fists and feet.

"Hmm...Interesting," the Crystal King uttered, noticing the glowing pendant around Mario's neck. It changed from blue to pink, the blue aura disappearing as a pink glow appeared in Mario's eyes, sensing a similar aura that came from the ponies frozen in the background. "The can inherit magic to others? What kind of creatures are these that Kammy is so interested in?" Forgetting about calling more crystals as it would drain his power, he fired a beam of ice at the plumber to try to freeze him for a short while. What he didn't expect was Mario side-stepping out of his aim, no all his next few shots as he tried to trick the plumber into getting hit by one. "How is this possible?"

A blast of water splashed the Crystal King as all his focus was on Mario, now completely drenched, though he didn't suffer from the freezing cold of the region as it was his element. Before he focused on turning Sushie into a fish stick, Watt let out a yell and zipped her way into him, shocking him with a powerful jolt that was greatly conducted by his soaked body. The Crystal King juddered from the electricity coursing through his body, the sleeves of his arms moving erratically as his invisible limbs twitched in all different directions. His body was singed as the electricity finally stopped, blinking a couple times before shaking himself out of his shock.

While trying to find the offending Li'l Sparky whizzing through the snow, Mario smacked his hammer against Kooper and Parakarry while they hid in their shells, volleying them off the distracted Crystal King as each shell smacked him backward a couple steps, both of them popping their feet out to kick and push back toward Mario for another rebound. Growling in frustration, the Crystal King took in a deep breath and blew out a powerful gust of freezing cold wind, turning both Koopas into ice. Taking hold of them in the small ice blocks they turned into, he flung them back at Mario at blinding speed, making the plumber yelp as he used his hammer to block them, being sent flying back as both shells made impact, shattering the ice around the Koopas while the trio grunted as they tumbled across the flat summit.

"Bombs away!" Lakilester called out, flinging Bombette with her fuse lit.

The Crystal King looked up, only to get blasted with a powerful explosion point blank in the face. Greatly hurt by the explosion, the spirit growled, using the cover of the smoke as he pulled in the snow floating down around them, using some of the flurry to heal some of his injuries. He smirked as he also used it to cast another spell, one that would surely give him the edge and exhaust his opponents easily. There was a brief flash as the heroes still standing waited for the Crystal King to attack, but when the smoke cleared, they saw not one, not two, but three Crystal Kings standing in a row, all three of them phasing in and out simultaneously like illusions due to the complex duplication spell he performed.

"There's three of them!?" Goombario exclaimed. His eyes glanced at each one, but he couldn't tell which one was the real Crystal King among the two fakes. "Oh crud! Which one's the real one!?"

"Step right up and take a chance," the Crystal King and his duplicates said, all three of them laughing at their confusion.

"I know which is the real one!" Watt said as she flew down and rammed into the one on the left. "Hyaaaaaaa-huh!?" She flew right through her target, the illusion disappearing as she felt discouraged. "Uh oh..."

"Uh oh, indeed, you electrified ball of energy," the duo Crystal Kings mocked, shooting a beam of ice at the Li'l Sparky, who let out a shriek as she was sent flying back, part of her sparking body covered in ice. He renewed his spell, bringing back his third clone as he and the other remaining clone disappeared and reappeared. "Want to try your luck again?"

Mario, Kooper, and Parakarry scrambled off each other, ignoring their painful crash as they leered at the Crystal King and his two illusions. "Alright, let's hit them all at once," Kooper suggested, Mario and Parakarry nodding in agreement. "On my mark!" Kooper and Parakarry ducked in their shells, preparing themselves to shoot off into one of the Crystal Kings while Mario readied his hammer, his gloves glowing purple so he'd be ready to call it back if it missed. "Launch!"

The trio attacked at once, the heavy hammer spinning rapidly between the two Koopa shells. As they flew into the Crystal Kings, Kooper was the one who hit his target, knocking the wind out of the spirit, while Parakarry flew through one illusion and Mario's hammer went through another. Finding the real one, Mario shifted the hammer around, pulling it back to slam it into the Crystal King's back, squishing him between the red and yellow hammer and the blue-shelled Koopa Troopa.

Teleporting away, the Crystal King grunted irritably, using his power to heal himself using the snow around them, lowering the intensity of the snow as he regenerated what strength he had lost. "I think we've got him on the ropes," Goombario said.

"And he thought we'd have a problem without Twilight or the others helping us," Kooper added. Grabbing Mario's hammer, he tossed it back to the plumber, who caught it and gripped it tightly as they turned to face the Crystal King as he once again used his illusion spell again. This time, however, the Crystal King levitated himself in the air, avoiding getting hit by any of the party who weren't able to jump high enough to reach him. "Then again, he's a lot more competent than some of Bowser's other followers."

"I am not going to fall," the Crystal King said. "I will not allow this! Mario, you will not get this last Star Spirit, and if I have to use every single ounce of my frozen magic to destroy you, then I will unleash all of it!"

The Crystal King and his copies split up and spiraled around the group, everyone standing back to back as they watched out for the real one. Taking in a huge breath, the spirit of crystal unleashed a powerful blizzard breath, catching the party in a tornado of frozen air. As they braced themselves, their bodies started to stiffen and turn into ice, but Mario tapped into one Fluttershy's bestowed powers, the yellow aura flowing into his blocked hands as it formed a small shield, protecting him from the sheer cold. Once the Crystal King stopped, he grinned as he managed to freeze the Mushroom Kingdom allies temporarily, their bodies shifting as they tried to break free, but Mario was still standing, barely an inch of frost on him.

Growling, he fired an ice beam at the plumber, three beams zigzagging from all three Crystal Kings. Mario leapt in the air, avoiding the beams as he spun around, his eyes and Lucky Star now glowing white as he observed each Crystal King. Despite how perfectly alike he made his illusion clones, his keen eyes thanks to Rarity helped him see a key difference in the original from the clones; the copies of the Crystal King were intangible, but the real one had an icy-blue glow around him as he channeled his illusions. As he continued spinning as he landed, Mario pulled out his hammer and gave it a hard toss at the real spirit, flinging it too fast for the Crystal King to react as it smacked him hard in the face.

"AGH! W-What!? HOW!?" the Crystal King exclaimed, his illusions disappearing as he was struck, his concentration thrown off from the blow.

Mario rushed the Crystal King, his hands and feet glowing a mixture of blue and orange, keeping him from teleporting away and continue casting more illusions to keep tricking them. While Mario caught the Crystal King in a flurry of fast and powerful blows, his friends had managed to break free from their ice prisons, shivering slightly as they recovered from being frozen solid.

"Man, he's tough," Lakilester said.

"Not tough enough to handle Mario," Bow said, pointing at the dueling pair as Mario was clearly winning.

After several punches in the Crystal King's gut, Mario grappled the spirit and flipped backward, kicking the Crystal King hard to where his hammer laid after throwing it. A purple aura merged with the blue and orange, controlling his hammer and swiftly brought it toward him, sending the Crystal King sailing back toward him with a hard smack. Mario volleyed the Crystal King back and forth with his fists and hammer, barely giving his foe a chance to retaliate so he can defeat him, save the Star Spirit, and free the ponies from their permanent frozen states. One more harsh punch in the face back to his hammer, Mario slammed the Crystal King down hard into the ground face first, his body barely moving as the floating hammer came back to Mario's hand.

The Crystal King let out a pained grunt, slowly getting back on his invisible feet, his crown slowly cracking as a look of shock was expressed in his eyes. "N-No," he uttered, spotting pieces of his crown breaking as he felt his body was on the verge of death. He tried to heal himself with the small sprinkle of snow falling around them, but it started to lighten up. "T-This can't be..." His shaky eyes stared at Mario, noting the glow around his chest fading along with the aura in his limbs, then looked back at the frozen mares behind him, their blocks of ice beginning to crack as his magic and life was fading. "T-That...magic...So...powerful...King Bowser...forgive me..."

The overwhelming pain suddenly washed over the Crystal King, letting out a painful yell as his body spiraled in place and began glowing. In a flash, his body exploded into snow and ice. With him beaten, Twilight and her friends were freed as the ice around them shattered to pieces, all six mares gasping while also shuddering from being frozen for what felt like hours.

"H-H-Hol-ly g-g-guaca-m-m-m-m-loe!" Pinkie exclaimed, her teeth chattering while her limbs wrapped around herself several times to try to warm herself up.

"T-T-T-Twilight, d-d-d-d-did y-y-you pack w-warm b-b-b-blankets?" Rarity asked.

Always prepared for any exploration, whether in the Mushroom Kingdom or back in Equestria, Twilight levitated several blankets from her never-ending inventory space of her enchanted saddlebags. The ponies quickly bundled themselves up, miraculously having stayed nice and warm even after the alicorn was frozen solid with all their belongings.

"Ok, didn't expect that guy to freeze us," Rainbow said. "I thought he'd be like Sombra and go crazy about crystals, using them against us."

"You girls alright!?" Kooper called out as he, Goombario, Parakarry, Watt, and Sushie ran up to check on them.

"Ah think so," Applejack said, shivering slightly as she tightened her blanket around herself. "Never been frozen like that and still lived. Worse than that winter that one year in Ponyville."

"Or running through the blizzard when the Crystal Empire returned," Fluttershy added.

Knowing they were ok, Mario walked over to where the Crystal King fell. Digging his hands through the snow, he found the final Star Spirit he dropped as he faded away from existence. Without Twilight or her friends needed to release the last Star Spirit, the card began glowing and float out of his hand. Spinning rapidly in the air, the card burst open and freed the trapped Star. The last Star Spirit slowed his spiraling and hovered down before Mario.

"Mario, you have done well making it this far," the Star Spirit said. "I am Kalmar. Now that we have all been freed, we can finally put an end to Bowser's misuse of the Star Rod, save Princess Peach, and return peace back to the Mushroom Kingdom. There is no time to waste, so I shall grant you my power." Kalmar lifted his arms, sprinkling Mario with stars as he granted the heroic plumber his special ability. "My power, Up and Away, will drag those who get in your way in a fight. Though it might not work most of the time, it can be helpful if you're ever in a bind with tougher foes."

"So all that's left now is to reach Bowser's castle," Twilight said. Looking up at the sky, it was hard to tell exactly how far up he managed to lift Peach's castle after getting caught in his dastardly scheme. "How exactly are we supposed to get there? I doubt Rainbow, Fluttershy, or I could even fly up there by ourselves if he's made it past the stratosphere."

"We will find you a way," Kalmar said. "For now, you must all make your way to Shooting Star Summit. We will prepare you a route to reach Star Way and reach Star Haven. My only wish is for you all to save this precious world." He then looked at the Mane Six, humming in thought. "Hopefully, we can figure out how to help you six return to your home. Best of luck to you all."

Without any time to spare, Kalmar floated up into the sky to return to Star Haven. Once the Mane Six had warmed up slightly, the party left the summit and backtracked through the Crystal Palace, Kooper hoping the Crystal King's defeat will discourage any of his minions from trespassing in these ancient ruins any longer. They were one step closer to reaching their final battle against Bowser. Not only that, but everyone was curious to know what Star Haven would be like, which only spurred on their haste to reach Shooting Star Summit.





Peach stood out on her balcony with Twink hovering by her side, both looking down at the kingdom below. As much of a sight as it was to see part of the world from this high up, it was still painful for the princess to know that everyone down on earth was worried about her safety. Even though she's been in such dire situations while kidnapped by Bowser, she knew things would turn out fine when Mario comes to her rescue. Everyone should really be worried about the ponies from another world, who were not only attacked by Bowser when they tried to stop him as well, but had been split up and were lost in different parts of the Mushroom Kingdom and had no experience with anything involving their world and its dangers outside of any safer towns and cities.

"You alright, Peach?" Twink asked, noticing the look of concern on her face.

"I'm just really worried about Twilight and her friends," she said. "I'm sure they're reunited and safe with Mario by now, but I can't help myself. They're visitors from another world, albeit by complete accident, and their first welcoming committee was by Bowser barging in and painfully zapping them with the Star Rod."

"They seem to be doing ok when I last saw Twilight, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Rarity," Twink said. "I kinda wished I was able to relay some good news to them." The Star Kid floated over the railing, looking up at the massive floating platform by the top of the castle. "Speaking of news, and the bad kind, what's Kammy Koopa got planned?"

"I don't know, but something tells me it's not going to be good." Peach looked down at her kingdom again, hoping all her sneaking and snooping was helpful to Mario and they rescued all seven Star Spirits. "Let's head back inside. I wonder if we can figure out what that platform is and see if we can warn Mario if it's some kind of last resort if Bowser starts to lose."

"Good idea," Twink agreed, the duo heading back in Peach's room. "Too bad the Sneaky Parasol broke no thanks to-"

The door suddenly opened as Bowser barged in unannounced, making Peach groan as she saw his flirty grin on his fanged maw. Twink quickly hid above the princess's canopy of her bed, staying out of sight as the Koopa King approached.

"Honey, I'm home!" Bowser greeted.

"We're not married, you idiot," Peach uttered. "And don't call me 'Honey'."

"What? Can't we just have a nice, friendly conversation?" Bowser asked. "...Without you finding a way out of your room?"

"You know, I do get bored sitting around my room every day, right?" Peach questioned, her arms crossing over her chest while giving the fire-breathing Koopa a disdainful glare.

"And that's the big problem, princess," Bowser accused. "Are you bribing my troops ordered to guard your bedroom door with coins? Let them allow you to do whatever you want when you flash them some money?"

"I don't stoop that low with the treasury!" Peach exclaimed. "I'm above petty, filthy methods of winning over my subjects, or even my enemies!"

Bowser gave peach a deadpanned stare. "You're not exactly innocent when you find a way to escape your room, like a rebel." He then grinned, giving the princess a wink. "Actually, I think I kinda like that. Be more of a naughty princess. Just not when you're trying to escape."

Peach let out a disgusted noise, sticking her tongue out at Bowser apparently having a thing for her being a rebellious princess, even if there were some regal things she wanted to slip away from when Toadsworth requests them without her consent. Even Twink silenced his retching, feeling sorry for the princess being hounded by someone as weird as Bowser.

"You're a pig," Peach said. "Mario's going to be coming any moment to rescue me, so I wouldn't get too cozy trying to get me to warm up to you."

"Uhh, have you forgotten something, princess?" Bowser pulled out the Star Rod, waving it around to let it jog Peach's memory, even though she already knew about his invincibility while wielding it. "Mario can't even touch me. Not even those weird, colorful animal things that tried."

"They are called ponies, not animals!" Peach shouted. "That's insulting to sentient creatures when you just call them animals! How would you like it if I called you a mutated turtle crossbred from a dragon and a Koopa!?"

Bowser blinked a couple times, tapping the Star Rod against his chin. "...A compliment?" he asked, making Peach facepalm as he didn't understand what the difference was between a compliment and an insult. Bowser scratched his head as he grew more deep in thought. "Actually...I don't even know who my parents were...I was raised by a Kamek, that much I know, but I have no idea where he went when I grew into a teenager."

At the mention of Bowser unable to recall the last time he ever saw his parents, Peach almost felt sympathetic for the Koopa King. She would feel bad for him if he actually had any remorse for his actions and wasn't so arrogant, though growing up without any parental guidance might leave a child growing up to be a delinquent, even if he had a nanny or guardian who actually tolerated his spoiled attitude. The door opened up again, this time Kammy Koopa barging in with a look of panic.

"Your Raunchiness, we have an emergency!" Kammy exclaimed.

"This had better be important," Bowser grumbled as he turned to face his right-hand witch.

"Uhh...Mario has rescued all the Star Spirits," Kammy announced, shocking Bowser while Peach and Twink silently cheered. "Not only that, but we've also heard that those six equines I've been demanding your soldiers to capture are together, and are traveling with Mario as we speak. And with all seven Star Spirits, it might be possible that he may use their power, so we need to be prepared for him and those six mythical creatures' with their powerful magic."

Bowser growled, gripping the Star Rod tightly. "Of course. That pesky plumber just can't give up, can he? Alright, then. Kammy, send everyone to their posts! We'll ambush them the moment they enter my castle!" Kammy nodded, but the Koopa King stopped her before he turned to Peach giving her a toothy grin. "Why don't you come with me and watch, Princess Peach? You'll get a front-row seat to watch as I crush Mario again. And this time, for good."

"I'd rather be stuck here in my room than watch something as horrendous as that again," Peach said.

"That wasn't a request." Bowser snapped his fingers, calling forth two Koopatrols, one of them carrying a rope in his hands. "You two, tie up the princess! I'm not letting her escape again and cause anymore stress than she's already caused."

"W-What!?" The soldiers rushed the princess, the one lacking the rope holding Peach so she didn't try to run off while the other began tying her arms down at her sides. "No! Let me go!"

Having enough of Bowser's cruelty, Twink revealed himself to the Koopas. "Hey, you jerks leave her alone!"

Kammy gasped as she saw the Star Kid, recognizing him from the small glimpse of him back when Peach snuck out and disguised as the recently fired Clubba who constantly napped on the job. "I knew it! I knew there was someone helping Peach break out of her own room!"

"I said get off of her!" Twink shouted, ignoring Kammy as he tried to kick the Koopatrols in the head, barely making them flinch as they looked up at him.

"What is this whiny little piece of confetti?" Bowser asked.

"The name's Twink, and you're gonna get it, you nasty Koopa! Take this!" Twink began attacking Bowser, flying around his head while smacking into him.

Bowser let out an irritated grumble, feeling like he was being annoyed by a fly who wouldn't stop buzzing around his face. He then grabbed the Star Kid, making him yelp as he was being squeezed in his powerful claw.

"No! Bowser, don't you dare hurt Twink!" Peach shouted, trying and failing to struggle out of her bindings as the Koopatrols continued tying her up.

"Lord Bowser, we need to get rid of this Star Kid!" Kammy said. "I knew something was fishy when I noticed a third plate of cake under the table in the dining room a few days ago. And I saw him floating away like a little sneak when I caught Peach pretending to look like that Clubba using the Sneaky Parasol she had on her!"

"So, this twerp's been trying to help the princess escape?" Bowser questioned, lifting the captured Star Kid up to his eye level.

"Y-You wish," Twink grunted, unable to move in the Koopa King's grip. "I...have been helping Peach. But it wasn't...mostly about escaping." Bowser raised a brow in confusion while Twink smirked. "You ever...wondered how Mario was able...to find the next Star Spirit? Or gave him info on what he'd be facing?" As it began to click, Bowser's eyes widened in shock, then turned into a glare as he growled. "Heheh...Looks like your plan's been duped and you'll still lose. What a suck-AHHHHHHH!!!"

Bowser began squeezing Twink harder, almost crushing him as the Star Kid screamed in pain. "NO! Stop it, Bowser!" Peach cried out.

"You little pest," Bowser growled. "You think it's funny, thinking you really helped Mario beat me? I'm still powerful AND invincible, so even if he found those Star Spirits, I'm not in the least bit scared of losing to that plumber. I'm never going to lose with the Star Rod, and not even a runt like you can stop me, either." He stopped squeezing Twink, the little Star panting and groaning in pain as his limbs ached. "Now, how about you make like a Bzzap!, and BUZZ OFF!"

Bowser reared his free hand back, balling it into a tight fist. He let go of Twink as he swung his arm, punching the Star Kid hard and sent him flying out of Peach's room, straight out the balcony window and down to the earth far below.

"TWINK! NOOOOOO!" Peach cried, struggling to break away from the Koopatrols' hold on her.

"Take the princess! Now!" Bowser ordered, his soldiers nodding as they lifted Peach above them instead of gently escorting her like before. They left the room with the princess to await Mario's inevitable arrival while Bowser and Kammy slowly followed after them. "Hmph. All this time, where Mario figured out where to go, it was no thanks to a little Star. Took care of that runt for good."

"Lord Bowser, there's still the matter of those equines," Kammy mentioned.

"So what?" Bowser asked. "You've been raving about how important they were. They're just rainbow-colored creatures who are weird."

"It's about their magic they tried to use on you," Kammy explained. "If only I had a chance to study just one of them, I could figure out exactly what they are, and what that rainbow power they tried to shoot at you could do. You were lucky the Star Rod made you invincible, otherwise it could have killed you."

"Pth. Rainbow's can't kill," Bowser scoffed cockily. "Probably would have made me want to frolic through a field of flowers while giggling like a little girl. Invincible or not, it wouldn't do anything to me anyway."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Your Rancidness," Kammy uttered. "Their magic combined rivals my own. But with the Star Spirits freed, they're sure to have something up their sleeve to try to negate your invulnerability. Luckily, if push comes to shove, there's my secret weapon we can fall back on if you're about to lose."

"What exactly does this 'secret weapon' of yours do, Kammy Koopa?" Bowser asked curiously.

"You'll have to wait and see," she said vaguely. "I haven't had a chance to test it out, but I'm positive it'll be a guaranteed success."
> Star Haven: The City of Stars
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now that all seven Star Spirits were freed from Bowser's strongest followers, everyone made their way back to Toad Town as fast as they possibly can. They had to painfully backtrack through the Crystal Palace and climb down Shiver mountain, but all that was left was a sewer trek back to the central town of the Mushroom Kingdom and past the giant hole where Peach's Castle used to be. While making their way back to Shiver City, they didn't find any sign of Jr. Troopa in his frozen state on the road. Either someone took pity on the crazy Koopa seeking revenge and took him in to thaw him out, or he managed to break free and run off somewhere to wait for them to cross his path. They hoped they didn't encounter the young, surprisingly strong Koopa Troopa again with so little time to stop Bowser from getting too strong as he continued holding the Star Rod.

Once they made their way back through the sewers, Rarity staying firmly on Lakilester's cloud to avoid getting filthy and ruining her hooficure she got at Shiver City's spa, they leapt out of the warp pipe leading to the sewers and made their way to Peach's castle. "If we have to go through another sewer, I am immediately going to the nearest spa and getting a full treatment," Rarity said.

"Give it a rest," Bow uttered with a groan. "You didn't get your pretty little feet dirty by hitching on a Lakitu cloud. I think Lakilester will get sick and tired of being a taxi driver if he has to carry your prissy tail over several mud pits ever few feet."

"I actually don't mind a passenger riding along," Lakilester said. "My buddy can handle heavier things, even without me." The Lakitu earned a deathly glare from the unicorn, he and his cloud suddenly scared out of their minds as they realized how he worded his statement. "N-Not like I'm saying you are heavy, Rarity! I just mean he can hold several people at once without getting tired or weighed down!" Rarity didn't respond, continuing leering at him with a raised brow. "...I'm just going to shut up...and fly waaaaay up here."

Lakilester hovered higher in the air to avoid Rarity's wrath, who began laughing as soon as he was high enough. "I know what you meant, Lakilester," Rarity assured. "I was just messing with you."

"Ugh. Please don't!" Lakilester said. "Last time Lakilulu gave me that look when I slipped up on a weight comment, I could barely move with all the spiny eggs she threw at me sticking in every part of my body. That's why I don't ever try to tick off a girl, even by accident."

They eventually reached the gates of the castle, everyone aside from Mario and Goombario pausing to see the damage Bowser caused by lifting Peach's Castle up with his. "Wow," Pinkie said. "That's a really big mess."

"I guess if it wasn't for the Star Rod, there would be no possible way Bowser could have ever pulled something like this off," Twilight uttered. She looked up at the sky, unable to see where exactly Bowser's floating fortress is. "We're not going to let him get away with this."

"Shooting Star Summit's not too far from here, guys!" Goombario called out, he and Mario waiting for them to catch up as they observed the damage around the area.

Continuing on, with more reason to defeat Bowser after witnessing the aftermath of his latest ploy, they made their way up the path to the flat summit of the small mountain not too far away. As soon as they set foot on the land, the others noted the shooting stars falling down around them, worried at first that they might hurt, only for them to phase through their bodies or land down on the ground around them. It was an awe-inspiring sight as the sky seemed to be dark and filled with stars, even though it was the middle of the day.

"Oh my," Rarity murmured. "This would be a lovely spot for romantic couples. Shooting stars, clear night sky, and the atmosphere..."

"I'd love to come back here again," Fluttershy said. "If we find a way back home, that is...And stopping Bowser. That's more important."

After a short climb, they reached the top of the summit, Mario and Goombario recognizing the dais where they first met the seven Star Spirits in their ethereal images. They found no sign of the powerful Stars, having expected to see them as they waited for their arrival.

"Mario, everyone, can you hear us?" Eldstar's voice rang out.

"Eldstar?" Twilight called out as everyone looked around. "Where are you?"

"We are in Star Haven," the elder Star Spirit answered. "We are needed here, unfortunately, but I will open the entrance to Star Way for you all. Enter without fear and meet us at our shrine where we reside. We will also give you our remaining power to aid you against Bowser when he uses the Star Rod."



At the center of the dais, a blue, starry beam descended down from the skies. Everyone backed away in surprise as they watched the beam touch down, the glowing stars inside it illuminating Shooting Star Summit as they circled all around the cylindrical mass of energy.

"Whoa," Rainbow uttered.

"Make haste, my friends," Eldstar said. "We anxiously await your arrival."

"...Uhh, who wants to go first?" Parakarry asked.

As the party pondered if this beam was safe, Mario was the first to test it as he volunteered himself. He stood in the center, then after a moment, he yelped as he began spinning out of control, then shot up into the air. After reaching what appeared to be several thousand feet in the air, Mario finally reached a stopping point, his eyes spinning around in his head a little as he stepped out of the magical transporter. Coming to his senses, he looked down, gawking in awe as he saw Shooting Star Summit way down below, but what shocked him the most was the glittery starry ground he stood upon. His eyes followed the stars as they seemed to narrow out into a road, curving up around around as he saw Star Haven just a few blocks away from where he stood.

Before Mario could marvel at the starry road or what he could see of Star Haven only several yards above where he ended up, he looked back when he heard his companions yelling as they took the transportational beam. One by one, those who weren't used to spinning so much staggered out, their eyes spinning as they nearly stumbled over their own feet or tried to steady themselves for those that are able to fly. The only ones unaffected were Kooper and Rainbow Dash, being the first ones to stare in awe at the starry path, the height they were at, and Star Haven just a short walk away.

"Spinning Spike Tops," Kooper gasped. He then looked down at his feet, lowering a hand to touch the physical stars that made up the road leading to Star Haven to their swift lift from the surface. "This is incredible...I've never seen anything like this."

The others finally stopped the spinning in their heads as they too were wowed by Star Way and Star Haven only a sort distance away, Pinkie pressing her face to the ground as she watched the glittering stars and the earth down below. "Ooooooooh. Sparkly! You girls think Princess Luna might love this place if we brought her here?"

"Princess Luna? Please, darling!" Rarity said. "Everypony would want to come here! This beautiful road alone has me inspired to create gowns glittering with stars in a night sky! When we get back home, I'm going on a sewing binge, and nopony's going to make me take a break if it kills me!"

They had to force themselves from getting too lost in the majesty of a land no earth-dweller had ever seen before, remembering they had a mission to accomplish and save Princess Peach. They walked along the road, making sure to stay on the brighter physical mass of stars to avoid falling off. It wasn't to say that Star Way was also a safe walk up as they encountered blue Lava Bubble-like creatures called Embers, just as fiery as their red counterparts, only hotter and a bit stronger. With a swing of a hammer, a shell toss, or a blast of magic, the Embers weren't much of a problem as their casual stroll up the slightly winding star road finally lead them to solid ground, reaching the entrance to Star Haven, and the wonder never seems to end.

Floating about Star Haven were some Stars that appeared to be older than Twink, despite being as small as him. There were very few buildings around, and they looked more like gloriously set up tents with metal fences as the walls, but they were incredible and a unique type of architecture the likes of which no one has ever seen. There were some flowers and bushes around, so plant-life could live here since the water of around the city of Stars sparkled enough to always seem fresh and pure. Even the trees were unique to this city, the branches holding stars that glittered, looking remarkably healthy even without any leaves.

"So, this is Star Haven," Bow said, too stunned to express in words or emotion at how serene Star Haven was.

"Aside from Bowser and Kammy, I think we might actually be the first visitors who came here," Parakarry said. "I know I sure haven't been here with all my mail deliveries."

"Yup. Princess Luna would love to be here and have a heart attack when she sees this place," Pinkie confirmed with a nod.

One of the Stars nearby noticed the large group and approached them. "Hello, everyone! You must be Mario and his traveling companions, yes?"

"We sure are," Twilight answered. "And you knew of our arrival?"

"Of course. We are Stars and we're supposed to watch the land down below, granting wishes to those with pure hearts," the Star said. "...Or, those who do have pure intentions, at least. Unfortunately, none of us can grant any wishes with the Star Rod taken away from us by Bowser. And we can't even welcome any new Star Kids who are ready to rise up to Star Haven to make themselves comfortable among the skies."

"Do you by any chance know a Star Kid named Twink?" Goombario asked.

"Twink?" The Star hummed in thought for a moment. "I think I do remember him. Just recently ascended, and right before the Star Rod was stolen. He was supposed to meet with the Honorable Star Spirits at their shrine, but then he came back into the city in a panic, saying he witnessed Bowser kidnap the Star Spirits and take the Star Rod. I don't know what happened to the kid after he told us. He just flew off and we haven't heard from him since."

"He's with Princess Peach," Twilight said. "He's been a really big help guiding us to finding where the Star Spirits were being held, and trying to reunite me and my friends after we got separated."

"Ah. Her Royal Highness, Princess Peach." The Star grinned and nodded his head. "Her wishes are always answered, even though she never truly wishes for anything aside from peace in the Mushroom Kingdom and for Mario to save her when she's in trouble." Mario rubbed the back of his neck, giving a sheepish grin as he was forever loyal to rescuing Peach when Bowser comes and kidnaps her. "So selfless and kindhearted. If only every other inhabitant down below had the same kind of heart as hers. Eh. A Star can dream."

Right as they were about to ask where the Star Spirits' shrine was at, Pinkie's tail suddenly began to twitch randomly. "Twitchy Tail! Twitchy-twitchy!"

"Uh oh! Take cover, y'all!" Applejack warned as everyone except the Star looked up and covered their heads.

"Uhh, what are you doing?" the Star asked.

Suddenly, falling down toward them, Mario was the unlucky victim as something smacked him hard in the back of the head. The object bounced across the ground a few times before slamming to a halt against the wall of one of the staircases around the haven leading to the other buildings. Letting out a weak groan, the others gasped as they recognized the star-shaped object that Pinkie warned them of: it was Twink, his face scrunched up in pain as he limply laid against the wall.

"Twink!" Twilight exclaimed, teleporting over to him while the others ran up beside her. She carefully lifted the injured Star Kid in her hooves. "What happened?"

"Urgh...B-Bowser," Twink weakly mumbled. "H-He...knows...Mario's.........coming..."

The Star Kid fell unconscious after giving his last message, their element of surprise foiled if the Koopa King was aware of the Star Spirits being freed. "Well, it wasn't going to be easy, regardless if we found a way to sneak in," Bow commented.

"Oh no. Poor thing," Fluttershy said, taking Twink out of Twilight's hooves and into her own. "Is there anywhere we can lay him down?"

"There's a Toad House over there," the Star that greeted them said. They hurried over to the rest house, opening the starry door acting as the entrances to the buildings, alerting the Star running the Toad House of the last recently ascended Star Kid's injuries. Fluttershy gently placed Twink down in the bed, letting him rest and pulled the covers over him. "Bowser needs to be stopped. He could have killed Twink."

"We're going to put a stop to that Koopa," Applejack assured. "Don't y'all worry about a thing, sugarcube. Just keep watch over him and let us handle the rest."

After being pointed toward where the Star Spirits' shrine was, the party exited the Toad House, leaving the Stars to take care of Twink until he got better. The situation was dire now with Peach all alone, Mario having a gut feeling Bowser trapped her in a cage or tied her up, keeping her hostage right in his line of sight to distract him when they reach him. When they reached the shrine, everyone stopped for a brief moment as they looked at the domed structure surrounded by water, the only bridge leading to the shrine's steps welcomed by two pillars with slowly spinning stars at the top as they spouted water from the top.

"Agh! This place is too much!" Pinkie exclaimed in exasperation. "So much pretty when we need to be rushy!"

"Let's just hope we're freely able to come visit Star Haven when we bring peace back to the kingdom," Sushie said, wanting to test the water, yet not wanting to be rude and defile the crystal clear, shimmering surface of the starry lake.

They soon approached the stairs, climbed up the flight before them, and made their way inside the shrine. Inside, they found the Star Spirits eagerly waiting for them, floating on different pillars in the same order Mario and Goombario first met them back on Shooting Star Summit: Eldstar at the center at the far end of the room, and going around clockwise were Mamar, Klevar, Muskular, Misstar, Skolar, and Kalmar.

"You're finally here," Eldstar greeted. "Hopefully you have had some time to observe Star Haven while in your haste."

"We're trying to, but we don't have much of a choice but to leave now," Twilight said. "Peach is all alone with Bowser now. He hurt Twink and sent him flying off back here."

"What!?" Muskular gasped in shock, then growled angrily. "That no good Koopa hurt that kid!? That jerk! Where's Twink!?"

"He's resting right now," Fluttershy said. "He was hurt really bad."

Muskular twitched, the other Star Spirits sensing his anger as they knew he was deciding on either flying up to Bowser and try to pummel him with his power alone or be by Twink's side. "Muskular, calm yourself," Eldstar said.

"How can I when Bowser did something like that to a Star Kid!?" Muskular shouted. "And he's doing all this because we don't listen to his wishes!? Hah! Yeah, we listen to everyone's wishes, but that idiot doesn't realize that his wishes are selfish, which is why we don't grant wishes, or I should say 'requests' from the likes of him, of that nature!"

"Bowser is a bumbling buffoon who can't even bother to read a simple children's book for entertainment," Klevar said calmly. "I knew you grew fond of young Twink, like a little brother, but you must not let your emotions get the better of you, Muskular. As a Star Spirit, we are to judge those who wish to us with cool head. Isn't that what your specialty is?"

Muskular grunted, breathing deeply to compose himself, even though he still had some pent up rage he wanted to unleash. "...Alright...I'm cool. Slightly calm...Still agitated, but I'm fine..."

"I'm sure Twink will be just fine," Misstar said, assuring the blue Star Spirit. "If that little one can handle flying back and forth from the princess's castle to the earth to relay messages of where to find us or help Princess Peach with her discoveries, he can handle anything that comes his way."

"Let us not dillydally any further," Skolar said, getting back to the topic at hand. "Eldstar, now is the time to grant Mario our last remaining power for his confrontation with Bowser."

"Indeed," Eldstar agreed. "Now, hold still, Mario. Everyone, join together."

Mario stepped forward while his friends backed away, standing in the center of the room where the Star Rod used to rest. All seven Star Spirits focused their power, lifting their arms as they combined their energy to form one last ability for Mario to use. Sparkles began bursting around the plumber as he closed his eyes, feeling the abilities of all seven Stars combining into one. In one last, large burst, Mario was granted the power needed to stop Bowser.

"This is the Star Beam," Mamar explained. "Combining all seven of our strengths, we are able to nullify the effects granted on anyone who wields the Star Rod."

"Which means his invulnerability is practically useless now," Twilight summarized.

"I can't to see the look on Bowser's face when he thinks he's invincible and it gets taken away just after he uses it!" Rainbow said.

"That's great and all, but how exactly are we going to reach Bowser's Castle?" Bombette asked. "I doubt anyone who's able to fly can carry everyone up there if it's even higher than Star Haven."

"That is why we have another gift for you," Kalmar said. He hovered down to the center platform, pressing a switch that hid behind it. Mario yelped when he felt the platform begin to split apart, leaping onto the stairs with the others as it opened up before them. Rising up from beneath the shrine was a large ship, colored blue in the back while white on the front with a yellow star, a pair of small wings on the sides to give it some aerodynamics in flight. It was big enough to fit everyone inside, even Twilight and her friends. "This is our legendary Star Ship of Star Haven. This is sure to help you all reach Bowser's Castle."

"Nice ride," Lakilester commented. His cloud looked shocked, then looked up at the Lakitu with a leer. "Aww, come on, buddy! My butt's always gonna stick with you until someone splits us up for good! Besides, I don't think you're able to fly up that high without running out of steam."

The cloud rolled its eyes, but forgave his owner. "Climb aboard, guys!" Kooper said as everyone clambered inside, finding themselves a seat while Mario too the helm, even though there wasn't a steering wheel, buttons, or switches to control the Star Ship.

"We will always be with you," Eldstar reminded everyone. "Whenever you are in need, do not hesitate to call us to aid you."

"Yeah, even though he hasn't used any of your powers at all after being given explanations to what each one of them does," Pinkie said. "Are we ever going to see them in action, or are they just going to sit around on their spire throne thingies?"

"They might have a chance considering we're going to be charging into enemy territory," Goombario stated. "I hope we're all ready for this."

"We are," Twilight said. "Bags are filled with plenty of supplies, and our large group can easily dispatch several of Bowser's soldiers easily. Let's move out!"

With everyone ready to go, the Star Ship began hovering up and out of the domed roof of the shrine. As soon as they were high enough, the ship flew off on its own at an incredible speed, making most of the group yell in surprise and fear as they zipped off through the skies.

"Aww yeah!" Rainbow cheered. "Can this thing pull off a sonic rainboom!?"

"Ahhh! This is a speedy ride!" Watt exclaimed. "...Oh, wait. I'm a Li'l Sparky. I can move faster with electrical currents I can jump into. Heehee."

Down below as the skies began to turn night in Toad Town, many of the Toads strolling through the roads under the clear night sky noticed a shooting star fly overhead. They didn't know that shooting star was actually Mario and his friends zooming through the skies. Most of them began wishing, praying for the princess to return safely, while others had a different kind of wish, a young Toad wishing to eat tons of Shroom Cake, hoping to have several hundred pounds of his favorite dessert before eating dinner tonight.

The ship rose higher and higher as it continued moving at such a velocity, everyone looking forward as Bowser's and Peach's castles could be seen in the distance. The ponies were really surprised to see how big Bowser's floating palace really was now that they didn't experience getting lifted by the massive fortress.

"What in the name of oats and apples is up with them swingin' spike balls?" Applejack asked. "Are they supposed to kick anything out if they get too close?"

"Probably just there to try to make it look intimidating," Bow said. "My mansion drives visitors away better than a bunch of swinging maces."

"That base has a really creepy smile," Rarity noted. "Is that the same clown face that was on that strange flying thing Bowser flew in on when he crashed through the window? It's just ghastly!"

The ship flew closer to the castle, making its way up to the Bowser head at the front of the castle. Inside its maw was what appeared to be a docking station for the Koopa King's aerial vehicles, their own interstellar vehicle floating up to an empty dock, turning around to let its large group of passengers disembark from the back. One by one, they carefully stepped out and prepared themselves to storm Bowser's Castle.

"How come the ship didn't take us up to Peach's Castle?" Rainbow questioned. "Why bother going through this massive fortress?"

"There is the Star Rod Bowser could use to zap us out of the sky," Kooper said, reminding the pegasus of what happened to her and her friends last time. "And there could be anti-air artillery like Bullet Bill Cannons set up around the castle to shoot down anything not allowed within its general space. Not to mention Magikoopas and Kameks that could use magic as well."

"We also have to go through the castle and rescue the prisoners held hostage," Bombette added. "All those guests who got caught up in all this are probably scared to death and have no idea what's been going on outside for the past couple weeks."

Despite how boring and repetitive it would be to go through every single floor just to reach Peach's Castle, Rainbow could see the Bob-omb's point. There were others that needed their help inside, and if they were dragged into Bowser's Castle's dungeon cells, they had to make sure to scour every inch of the place and save all of them.

"Right. Well, if that's the case, let's save ourselves some unfortunate prisoners," Rainbow said. "I never leave my friends behind, and I'm not letting those party guests down either! Who's ready to do this!?"

As Rainbow put her hoof out, everyone else gathered around and placed their various limbs in the middle. "For the Mushroom Kingdom!" Kooper cheered.

"For the magic of friendship!" Twilight added.

Everyone nodded, raising their piled on limbs up and cheered, pumped up from their group huddle. Together, as friends and allies of different races and worlds, the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom and the Elements of Harmony from Equestria charged forward to storm Bowser's Castle, ready to save the day, save the imprisoned guests and Princess Peach, and liberate Bowser from the kingdom and his hold of the Star Rod.





Flurry Heart babbled as she played with Sci-Twi, the human-turned-alicorn trying to use her magic to control one of the two bears they were playing with. It felt natural once she got the hang of it, almost like how she could use her magical powers with the special gems she, Sunset, and their friends got from Camp Everfree. Even though she had some trouble adjusting from being bipedal to quadrupedal, it didn't matter much as she had fun playing with her pony counterpart's niece.

"Oh, you are just so cute!" Sci-Twi squealed. It suddenly dawned on her with how both their worlds paralleled with each other when it came to the people she knew. "Oh my gosh. Does this mean my brother and Principal Cadence are actually dating each other, then eventually get married, and have a baby, and will look just like Flurry Heart and have the same name as her!?" Flurry looked up at her curiously, tilting her head as an unsure response. Sci-Twi's smile only widened as the possibility was able to happen, then let out an excited scream. "I have to know! I need to call my brother and-Oh, wait, my cell phone's back in the human world. GAH! I hope they find pony Twilight fast so I can find out! I can't wait for my own niece!"

While the alternate alicorn grabbed Flurry and cuddled her, giving her loud, tickly raspberries on the foal's belly to make her laugh, Cadence was watching them from the doorway of the room they were in. She wore and amused grin, almost thinking that her sister-in-law really was back, only with her mane tied in a pony tail and wore glasses. Cadence made her way back to the library where her aunts, Starlight, Sunset, and Shining Armor were still trying to figure out how to bring their missing mares back from whatever world they wound up in.

"It's so uncanny how alike that Twilight is compared to ours," Cadence said to her husband. "I think Flurry might get overwhelmed if she saw her favorite aunt and her twin. And she can't wait for her own niece if our human counterparts tie the knot."

Shining winced at the information, despite being amused at first with the other Twilight's similarities to his actual sister's. "Yeah. Let's just hope there isn't a Chrysalis in that world who will try to tear our other selves' marriage apart."

"Oh," Cadence uttered. "Almost forgot about that..."

Celestia, Luna, Sunset, and Starlight were working on another mirror, enchanting it with different dimensional transportation spells while using Twilight's algorithm to test out the different worlds they could be in. "Ok, let's give this a shot," Celestia said, all four mares combining their magic to form a portal in the mirror. "I only hope that we don't spend an eternity searching through an infinite number of universes, dimensions, worlds, and the like."

"Then let's hope we get lucky," Starlight said. She also hoped they'll find them soon, for Spike's sake. He held himself up in his room for the last couple days after Sunset brought the Canterlot High girls over, still upset by Sunset's plan to keep everyone from thinking the Mane Six were still missing. It was understandable as he feared he might not ever see his Twilight again, having grown up with her since he was hatched and was like an older sister to him. As the mares stared at the new mirror portal, Starlight looked around as she waited for someone to test it out. "Uhh...anyone want to see what's through there?"

After a moment of silence, Sunset responded with a sigh. "I'll go first," she volunteered. "I've had some experience jumping through portals...But, if something happens..." Grabbing a nearby rope, she tied a loop around her barrel with several lengths of it out for them to pull her back if she gets into trouble. "If anyone feels me tug three times, pull me back in."

"Be careful, Sunset," Celestia warned.

The unicorn nodded, took in a deep breath, and walked through the portal. Celestia, Luna, and Starlight had their magic ready as they held the end of the rope, waiting anxiously for Sunset's return if they found the right world. After a short moment, they felt three rapid tugs, signalling them to pull her back through now. They pulled hard, dragging a terrified Sunset out as she scrambled away from the mirror.

"Close the portal! Close it now!" she screamed.

Celestia and Luna quickly closed the portal with their magic, sealing off the entrance to whatever made the orange unicorn panic. They turned to her, curled in the fetal position with fear-stricken eyes, shivering in terror while she held her tail tightly to her chest.

"Oh my goodness, what happened?" Cadence asked.

"I-I-I...I was in s-s-some catacombs, I-I think," Sunset shakily said. "T-There was this g-g-green...a-acid, or s-s-something in p-puddles...a-and there were...c-c-c-creepy z-z-z-z-z-z-zombies...standing around..."

Unable to explain more, Sunset rocked back and forth on the ground, bringing a hoof to her mouth and sucked on it like an infant. "...So, I assume that's not the right world, then?" Luna asked.

"Clearly," Shining said. "Maybe I should take a look at one of these other worlds. I not afraid of zombies."

"Well, we won't know where else it'll take you," Starlight reasoned. "It could be worse than a bunch of zombies in the catacombs of a poisoned graveyard."

Shining untied the rope around Sunset and tied it around him, letting out a chuckle. "Please. I've been dying for some action after I became a Royal Guard Captain. The most adventurous thing I've done since I married Cadence, became a prince of the Crystal Empire, and had Flurry Heart was chasing Flurry all around the castle while trying to get her to take a bath."

"Oh, so I'm not enough action for you, honey?" Cadence asked skeptically.

"I meant something dangerous to fight, Cadence," Shining said, knowing not to incite the wrath of his alicorn wife. Cadence rolled her eyes, smirking as she only teased him. "You know I love you."

"I know. I love you, too," Cadence said back. "Just don't get into anything too dangerous."

"No promises." Ready to jump into the mirror, Starlight, Celestia, and Luna created another portal, opening it up to a different world.

Shining Armor leapt inside, the princesses and Starlight playing the waiting game again to see if they found the right world. It didn't take long for something to happen as the stallion was suddenly sent flying back through the portal, covered in smushed bananas and peels as he hit the ground hard, sporting a black eye as he groaned. Quickly closing the portal before whatever attacked Shining tried to go through and finish the stallion off, Cadence ran up to her husband and helped sit him up.

"Shining, are you ok?" Cadence asked with great concern.

"Ugh...That hurt," Shining said with a wince, keeping his left eye closed from the painful shiner he received. "After I leapt in, I ended up slipping on a big hoard of bananas in some cave. Next thing I knew, this big brown gorilla with a red tie came out of nowhere, grabbed me, then punched me back through the portal. I think those bananas were his and he defended his territory."

"A gorilla wearing a tie???" Starlight questioned.

"Were they being held captive by this violent primate?" Luna asked.

"No," Shining said. "Or, at least what I was able to see before I got punched." He rubbed his black eye, yelping in pain and winced as he moved his hoof away. "I think I've had enough adventuring for one day."

"I'm going to get you some ice for that eye," Cadence said. Before she walked off, she looked at the mushed banana she got on her hoof that was on Shining's body. Curious, she licked some of it, humming with delight at the taste. "Wow, those must be really good bananas to be hoarding."

The pink alicorn finally left to get her husband some ice, and a towel so he can wipe off the delicious banana mush on his coat. Starlight let out a heavy sigh, crossing off yet another possible location where Twilight and the other ponies were.

"This is going to take a long while," she uttered.
> Siege on Bowser's Castle (Part 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was time for the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom and the six ponies from another world to storm Bowser's massive fortress and rescue Princess Peach. After their cheer, they exited the docking bay for Bowser's odd clown car contraptions and stood by the bridge, where they looked up to see the princess's castle sitting on top of the tall and wide fortress, where it would be crawling with the Koopa King's strongest and toughest defensive forces. The ponies looked down at the moat that the bridge crossed over, wincing at the sight of lava slowly flowing along as a means of protection from anyone daring enough to cross over and enter Bowser's domain. There were no guards watching the doorway, though they didn't need any with the door being locked from the outside, and no sign of a key outside.

"You sure we can't try to fly up there?" Rainbow asked.

"If Bowser's got Bullet Bill Cannons set up for aerial defenses, it's best not to take that chance," Goombario said. "We storm in. That's the only safest possible way of getting to him and Princess Peach."

"But where are the guards?" Twilight questioned. "Even if there is a lava moat, it would make sense to have guards watching the door for any intruders."

Mario shook his head, retelling previous methods of defense for when Bowser tried to take of the Mushroom  Kingdom several times in the past and storming his older castles. One of them that shocked the Mane Six more was that Bowser tried throwing an entire military at him, including tanks, warships, and airships to try to stop him. Even with heavy artillery, Bowser never stood a chance, and there were other insane methods Mario could describe, but left them out as the mares got the gist of why he had less guards standing outside his front doors.

"Bowser doesn't have any standards with defending himself, does he?" Pinkie asked.

"Nope. Just brute force and getting frustrated when his strongest guards can't stop Mario," Kooper said.

The party looked around for a side entrance, a secret passage Bowser left unguarded. There was one path that was on the other side of the moat, which looked to have been formed out of cooled molten rock and had a doorway etched out into it. Being the only way for now, they carefully treaded along the safer ground once they walked over the bridge. Having dealt with the unbearable heat of lava in Mt. Lavalava before, at least most of them, they found that it was actually part of the inside of the fortress with its grayish-blue cobblestone walls, wired fences blocking off sections of the wall, and the safe walkway overlooking the lava with fences to keep someone from falling over and burning themselves.

At the other end of the short walkway down the small flight of steps, they saw a Koopatrol standing guard in front of what appeared to be a cell, where they heard a few of the prisoners inside talking. Before the guard even had a chance to notice them, Mario gave Kooper's shell a hard whack with his hammer, sending the blue-shelled Koopa Troopa smacking into the guard's head, knocking him out cold. Hearing the Koopatrol fall over, the prisoners gasped from the impact, their saviors walking into view, feeling relieved to see Mario. Most of the prisoners were Toads, one of them being a guard of the castle while the older one the plumber recognized as Peach's adviser/father figure, Toadsworth.

"Master Mario!" the elder, brown-spotted Toad exclaimed with joy, running up to the bars as best as he could in his old age. "Oh, thank the Stars you are alive! And you're here to save us, along with a lot of backup...Not unlike you, but help is definitely needed."

"Hello, old Toad!" Pinkie greeted.

Toadsworth blanched when he saw the six ponies, though took offense at Pinkie calling him old. "I am not that old. And my name is Toadsworth, Her Royal Highness's royal adviser and caretaker...Master Mario, who are these...creatures?"

"Uhh, I think it'd be too much of a long story to explain," Twilight said. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. We're here to help Mario stop Bowser and rescue everypony who were taken hostage, including you."

"...You mean 'everyone'," Toadsworth corrected.

"She does," Goombario said. "They have a different way of expressing the term for people. They come from another world."

Toadsworth raised a brow, but knowing they didn't have the time to sit around and chat, he went along with it until this whole mess with Bowser was settled. While the adviser spoke with Mario, Goombario, and Twilight, Rainbow decided to rummage over the unconscious Koopatrol. She hit the jackpot when she found a key he was hiding in his shell.

"Hey, guys! Looks like I found our key to actually get in!" Rainbow announced as she held up the yellow key. "Now it's time to really storm the castle!"

"Wait, Rainbow Dash!" Rarity said, snatching the key out of her friend's hoof. "What about these Toads? They're trapped in that cell!"

"Don't worry about us," the guard Toad said. "Just save the princess. She's more important than us."

"Not to worry," Twilight assured. "I've got this." Lighting up her horn, she aimed her magic at the bars to create a hole for the prisoners to walk out. Unfortunately, her magic bounced off the bars, dissipating her mana as it shot up in the air. "What in Equestria? A seal?"

"Probably one of Kammy Koopa's most powerful seals," Toadsworth uttered. "She went through great lengths to keep me contained, and far enough away from the princess. Even if you could break through, it would take too long, and I fear Her Highness is in trouble knowing Master Mario is here in Bowser's very castle. Don't worry about us. We'll be fine."

Twilight grunted in frustration, but seeing the looks on the Toads faces assured them that Peach's safety mattered more than their own. "I'm sorry I couldn't be much help," she apologized before they made their way back outside to the front entrance of Bowser's fortress.

Though discouraged that Kammy Koopa had some really powerful magic considering how little she did while beside Bowser, Twilight wasn't going to let her failed attempt at a jailbreak get her down, especially when it involved someone who raised Peach. As soon as they reached the door, they used the key and unlocked it, tossing the lock aside. Before they walked in, having a feeling there would be guards in the next room, Rainbow grabbed Watt and rubbed her around, making her giggle while sparking herself up to give their foes a shock. Once she was ready, she burst through the doors into what appeared to be where the lava was constantly flowing to keep the moat flowing. There were a few Koopatrol guards on the bridge connected over the lava, unable to react to the speeding, electrified pegasus bursting in, smacking into them, and shocking them with a powerful volt that knocked them unconscious along with getting tackled by her.

With the way clear, everyone else ran across the walkway and into the next hall, where they were met with more Koopatrols and a couple Hammer Bros. These guards were aware unlike their comrades in the last room when they heard the electricity sparking from Rainbow Dash. The gray, spike-shelled Koopas tossed themselves into the intruders, only to get sent knocked back by Pinkie and Mario with a powerful swing of their hammers.

"Five!" Pinkie shouted.

"I think you mean 'fore'," Parkarry said.

"No, five," Pinkie insisted. "That's five Koopatrols total that are getting their stubby-tailed tushies knocked out." One of the Koopatrols that got knocked back recovered and tried attacking them again, the Hammer Bros. backing them up prepping their hammers to volley back their allies if they got knocked away again. "Hey! No! You stay back there!"

Pinkie swung at him again, sending the Koopatrol hurtling toward one of the Hammer Bros., only to smack them right back. Mario and Pinkie alternated hitting the ping-ponged Koopatrol as if they were playing in a doubles match of tennis, only with a lack of a net and boundaries, and the only way to score a point was by knocking the "ball" into their opponents. The hammer-wielding Koopas tried to play dirty as they tossed several hammers at Mario and Pinkie to throw them off while still volleying their friend back and forth, but Rarity and Twilight intervened and dealt with them using their magic to send their hammers back toward them. Eventually, they ended up getting struck by a stray hammer, stunning them and leaving them open to get hit in the gut hard by the Koopatrol. Even though the elite guard tried to bounce himself back, aiming for Pinkie, the energetic party pony side-stepped away, tripped him with her hammer, and sent him flying into the thick skull of Goombario as he headbutted him right in his soft underbelly, knocking the wind out of him and knocking him out cold as he tumbled to a halt.

At the end of the hallway, they walked through the door into the next room, surprised to see a huge double door with Bowser's face on it, and on their left were a couple blocks with more of Bowser's face etched on them. "Boy, he sure does have an ego, doesn't he?" Applejack commented.

"Wait until you see how many statues of himself he has on display at his real castle in his kingdom," Lakilester said. "I swear, all the money in his treasury goes to those things, if there is any in there."

"Blooooooooagh!" Everyone jumped at the mysterious voice that appeared out of nowhere. They looked around, only to find no sign of any enemies waiting to ambush them. It laughed at their surprise, their heads turning to face the stone door with Bowser's head, shocking them more when they saw it move as it mocked them. "Welcome, worms! I am called the Guard Door of Bowser's Castle, and it's my job to keep intruders like you from passing through."

"And now we have magically enchanted talking door faces," Bow uttered. "What next? A talking cookie?"

"Aww, that means I won't be able to eat a cookie if it can talk," Pinkie whimpered.

"Alright, guard door thing," Kooper said as he approached the enchanted doorway. "Let us through, or we'll bash our way through."

"Oh no. You're going to try to break my face in," the door sarcastically said before blowing a raspberry at the Koopa Troopa. "I'm indestructible, genius. But I'm sure you three are desperate to pass through. Why don't you all come just a bit closer?" Being cautious, everyone gathered in front of the talking door. "Everyone standing directly in front of me?"

"Yes," Twilight said. "What exactly are you-?"

The floor underneath them suddenly flipped open, making everyone except Bow, Watt, and Lakilester scream as they fell through the trapdoor. The hovering members flew down after them to make sure they were alright as they surprisingly fell into the same cell where they left Toadsworth and the other Toads earlier, a big mistake on their part as the trap closed on them. The guard door laughed as everyone who fell groaned while trying to untangle themselves from the massive dogpile.

"Suckers!" the door guffawed. "Now you're all trapped! Try all you like to escape, but it'll be useless!"

"I think we should have seen that coming," Rarity grumbled.

"We'll find a way out, blockhead!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Good luck with that," the door said. "Tell you all what: If you all manage to make it back up here, which I doubt, I'll let you pass. But I know you won't even make it, so why bother!?"

His laugh echoed throughout the cell, leaving the determined heroes to find a way out while the Toads seemed worried about their predicament. "Well, this is quite unexpected," Toadsworth muttered. "Then again, Bowser did have ways of being sneaky for a brute his size."

"Oh great. Now we're all trapped in here," one of the Toads groaned in despair. "What are we gonna do now?"

Looking around the "impenetrable" cell, Bombette noticed a familiar looking crack in one of the walls. She smirked, if she ever had a mouth, humming a little tune as she walked over to the damaged section of the cell.

"Watch and be amazed as I make this wall disappear!" Bombette announced, lighting up her fuse and waited patiently. Hearing her about to go off, everyone backed up far enough as the pink Bob-omb exploded, cracking open the wall and giving them the escape route they needed. Bombette landed on her toes in a pose after landing from her explosion. "Ta da! And now, to make us disappear from this cell!"

"Looks like Bowser's fortress isn't as perfect as it was meant to be," Twilight noted. "At least now all of us can escape."

"Well, that's a bit of a problem," Parakarry said. "This section's got a moat of lava flowing around. So...how are those who can't fly get over without getting burnt?"

Exiting the cell, the storming party looked outside to see a section around the outer wall of the castle where they walked alongside the moat to the cell located here. There was a platform around the corner, but it was too far for any of them, aside from Mario, to jump across. This made it difficult to help evacuate Toadsworth and the other captives, though if Twilight, Rainbow, and Fluttershy were able to fly them to safety considering how small and light the Toads were compared to them, they could steal one of Bowser's clown copters and make it back down to the kingdom safely.

"We'll start by getting Toadsworth and these Toads over to the other side first," Twilight planned. "We'll try to work out what to do from there if we can find a route around."

"Umm, how about Mario, Parakarry, Bow, Lakilester, and me check what's down the other end of the moat?" Watt suggested. "Maybe we can stop the lava."

"Yeah. That one room had a mechanism that kept the lava flowing when we barged in," Kooper said. "If we stop the flow, it'll cool the lava into rock and make it safe for the rest of us to walk on."

"So, that means the rest of us will stay behind until it's safe," Sushie added. "Fine by me, as long as I don't end up a charred Cheep Cheep."

Going along with the plan, the alicorn and two pegasi lowered themselves down for the Toads to climb up on their backs. Once they were safely settled, they jumped over to the safe walkways, using the heat coming from the lava to lift them up as they glided across. Once they were by the outside section of the bars from the cell, the Toads climbed down and began making their way to the docking bay to escape, Toadsworth stopping as he turned to face the three mares.

"Good luck to all of you," he said. "And to you and your friends, Miss Twilight. I'm not sure how long you've been here in the Mushroom Kingdom, but Bowser is not one to be trifled with if you're assisting Master Mario."

"We had a bit of an...experience with him," Twilight said. "We sort of appeared in front of Peach when my spell backfired in her castle before Bowser showed up."

"Hmm...I see," Toadsworth mumbled. "Just be careful. You and your friends look like something from a storybook...though I cannot recall where I've seen you before. Creatures like you don't deserve to see violence of Bowser's nature."

"Oh, trust us, old timer. We've seen plenty of action in our world," Rainbow assured. "It's not so peaceful where we're from compared to here."

Toadsworth nodded in understanding and hurried to catch up with the other Toads, deciding to wait until Peach has been rescued to learn more about the otherworldly creatures. As soon as he left, the trio of mares hurried back around to the others, where Mario and the flying members of the party checked on ahead further down the moat. There were several perilous platforms close to the wall, some of them moving back and forth to each safer, more stable grounds, while others seemed to float and sink down with enough weight pushing them down. Mario was very careful leaping across each platform, a cakewalk compared to some dangerous gaps from Bowser's previous castles he's been through. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Parakarry simply glided across with their wings while Bow, Watt, and Lakilester floated across with no hindrance to their hovering.

Along the way, they found a hallway where some lave was flowing in, but it was too low for those with wings to try to fly into without getting smacked into the ceiling. Lakilester volunteered to check it out, floating over the lava and into a small room with a treasure chest. Taking a peek inside, there was a castle key, keeping it on him in case there was a lock they needed to open to continue onward. Moving on, picking up a Thunder Rage and a strange bag with a question mark on it for future groups of enemies, Bow had to help Mario pass through a waterfall of lava while on a moving platform to avoid getting burnt, the gap between both sides too wide for him to jump over without risking getting himself fried.

They soon found another hallway, this time with the lava flowing out, which happened to be the source of where the lava was flowing into the moat. Mario climbed onto Lakilester's cloud as they, Watt, and Bow went inside to take a look while the mares and Parakarry waited, unable to pass due to the low ceiling of the entranceway. There was the source of the lava flowing out like a faucet as it hit the ground, the group of four being careful not to let the drops of lava splashing around to burn them. As soon as they reached solid ground, they climbed around to the top of the spout, where they were met with a trio of Koopatrols and a Kamek behind them.

"Ah! Oh no! It's Mario!" one of the spike-shelled Koopas exclaimed in fear.

"H-He's gonna cream us!" another said, only to get smacked upside the head by the Kamek's wand.

"Quit your bellyaching!" the wizard shouted at the terrified Koopas. "He's not much of a threat, even with a Boo, a Sparky, and a Lakitu with him!...Wait a minute, that Lakitu looks familiar."

"You should, since I stand out among the others along with my girlfriend, Lakilulu," Lakilester said, adjusting his glasses. The Kamek balked, recognizing the shades as the Lakitu smirked. "That's right. Lakilester's the name. And I'm working with Mario now."

"...Oh, crud," the Kamek uttered.

"What's so special about that Lakitu?" the last Koopatrol asked, sounding curious as well as frightened.

"He's the Lakitu who's ever mastered...Cloud Nine," the Kamek said, the information blowing past the other three Koopas' heads.

"And don't you forget it!" Lakilester said, pulling out several Spiny eggs from his cloud. "Who's up for a spike storm!?"

He flung hundreds of eggs at the four foes, the Koopatrols quickly ducking under their shells while the Kamek yelped and danced around trying to avoid getting pricked. "You're not going to be around to gloat any longer, you traitor!" he exclaimed, aiming his wand at the Lakitu.

Behind the Kamek, Bow appeared with her fan in her hand, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention. "Excuse me," she said politely, but when he turned to face her, she gave him a sadistic grin and slapped him silly with her fan, spinning him around and immediately making him dizzy after several hard smacks.

The Koopatrols poked their heads out of their shells, thinking Lakilester had run out of Spinies to throw, only to be met with Watt as she zipped into their faces and shocked their limps out. Completely vulnerable from the paralytic shock, Mario charged forward and beat the stunned Koopas, punching their faces or abdomens and knocking the weaker of the elite guards unconscious. Once the group was beaten, Kamek given one last smack in the face by Bow that knocked him unconscious, the small party found a button near where the enemy Koopas were. Mario pressed the button down, stopping the flow of lava as it trickled to a halt, and with the lack of continuous heat from the flowing magma, it cooled down pretty quickly.

"Wow, that's some fast-cooling lava," Rainbow commented.

"It...shouldn't cool this fast," Twilight said, her sense of logic telling her this didn't make sense, but considering they were busy trying to save the kingdom, she'll throw any puzzling questions out the window to avoid wasting time.

Mario, Lakilester, Bow, and Watt rejoined Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Parakarry, waiting for a while as the rest of their friends caught up with them now that the lava was hardened and cooled enough to walk on. After regrouping, they continued on down the end of the moat, where there was a locked door. Luckily, Lakilester found that key, using it to open up the way and entered what was hopefully a route leading back up to where they were. Walking through, the next area was pitch black, no light source anywhere as they seemed to walk on what felt like a cavernous floor.

"It's r-r-r-really dark in here," Fluttershy whimpered.

She yelped when someone closed the door behind them, clinging onto someone nearby. Twilight lit up her horn to shed some light around them, Rarity joining her along with Watt as she was held in Mario's hands. Now that they could see, they were glad no one had moved any further. It looked like a massive cavern was built directly underneath Bowser's floating fortress, the pathways thin as it climbed up and around, and down below seemed to be a pit of nothingness. Fluttershy had latched onto Kooper in her fright, gently patting her head to help calm her a little now that they could see.

"Ok, everyone, be very careful," Goombario warned, daring to look down over the edge. He regretted to, swallowing the nervous lump in his throat as he stepped over to the dead center of the path. "Try not to slip off the edge..."

"What is this place supposed to be anyway?" Rarity asked.

"Maybe another section of a dungeon he was going to build," Twilight guessed, looking down over the edge. "There is a bottom, at least. If there wasn't, we'd probably be able to see the Mushroom Kingdom down below. No wonder this area was devoid of any illumination since it appears to be sealed off."

"Let's just hope that we'll find a way back to where we were," Bombette said.

Carefully navigating their way along the surprisingly stable pathways in the dark caverns, the party climbed up to the top while jumping across the small gaps in their way. It wasn't to say that it was a smooth walk since there were some of Bowser's henchmen lurking in the cavern, a new kind of enemy called a Bony Beetle that unnerved the Mane Six when Goombario explained that they were the skeletons of a Buzzy Beetle, only these ones were able to jut out spikes from their shell at will or whenever they get shocked. Mario decided to keep Watt in his hands at that to avoid everyone getting pricked if their spikes are in their shells.

Eventually, they finally seemed to reach the top where the cavernous ground shifted back to the stone tiles of the castle, and there was some light in the next room for them to see without a light source. Unfortunately, it was a dead end with only one of those Bowser blocks in the middle of the room, the same ones that were in that room with the guard door.

"Great. A dead end," Rainbow groaned. "I think it would have been better to try to go back around, fly everyone back up to the front entrance of the castle, and try again."

While the suggestion was a possibility, Mario stopped everyone from heading back into the dark cavern as he focused on the block. His Lucky Star began glowing white, making his pupils white as well as he tapped into the perception abilities bestowed upon him by Rarity's magic. He examined the block, which looked a lot more hollow than it seemed, then looked at one of the walls. There was a similar hollow block on the other side of the wall, which actually revealed a secret passage that was hidden by a similar Bowser block on the other side. Feeling curious, he pressed his hands against the side of the block and pushed. It moved against his strength, along with the same block that blocked the way, somehow connected with the one he was pushing while his actions surprised the others.

"Wowie zowie!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Secret passages!" She bounced over to their exit, poking her head out to see where they ended up. Ironically enough, the secret passage lead them right back to the same room with the guard door, the Bowser head's smug grin turning into a shocked jaw hitting the floor. "Hi, Mr. Scary Guard Door!"

"W-What!? But-but how!?" he exclaimed in confusion. The others walked into the room while the guard door was utterly baffled. "T-There was no chance for you to escape! The bars were magically enchanted, the moat prevented most of you from walking through, and there wasn't even an exit out of that cell without a Kamek around!"

"Next time, make sure your walls are kept in good condition before you trap a Bob-omb inside," Bombette gloated.

"...Ugh...Darn it...I guess I have to keep my word," the door grumbled. "Go on through...But don't think I'll forget this!"

The face let out an irritated roar, sounding eerily similar to Bowser's own roar before it went still and returned to being a statue carved onto the door. Free to pass after aggravating the enchanted door, Mario opened the double doors, continuing on as they entered what appeared to be a foyer with a path across from them and two more above them up a flight of stairs. Before heading upstairs, they went to the other pathway, heading down a long flight of steps and into what appeared to be another cell. The lone Koopatrol yelped in surprise, but didn't stand a chance when it tried to attack them, being flung hard into the wall by Twilight and her impressive magical power, knocking him out cold and dropping the key to the cell.

Twilight levitated the key over to the lock and opened the door, releasing some more Toads, one of them being a visitor that came from Dry Dry Outpost. After assuring the Toads they were freed and could get out while they had the chance, they thanked their saviors and made a break for it, leaving through the same hallway they came from to steal another one of Bowser's functioning copters. The party headed back into the foyer and climbed up the stairs, checking the left hall first for anything useful or a possible key to another locked door.

They found a storage room filled with supplies, treasures, and weapons that Bowser never issued any of his soldiers that would probably help them against Mario more than their own skills. It was inhabited by a Spiked Goomba, humming to himself as he seemed to dust some of the chests in the back. He turned around to check what else needed cleaning, only to freeze and stare in shock at the "visitors" who walked in.

"...Uhhh...Hi?" the Goomba greeted.

"What's a Spiked Goomba doing up here?" Kooper asked. "Isn't this fortress supposed to be protected by Bowser's elite guards?"

"...Cleaning duty?" he answered with a nervous grin. They didn't buy his lie, especially as Applejack raised a brow at his response. The Goomba let out a sigh, placing the duster on the crates where a couple of the items on display sat. "Ok, I'm not exactly the janitor. I'm...I guess you can call a shop keeper? I'm mostly just keeping stock of this warehouse: make sure stuff doesn't get spoiled, keep the place tidy to the best of my ability, and greet the elites while they just take what they need."

"Sounds like a shopkeeper to me," Bow said. "That's why I keep our shop in the basement, even though most guests don't stay long to look at what we have."

"And...you're not going to fight us?" Goombario asked curiously.

"What's the point?" the Spiked Goomba answered with a shrug. "I mean, Mario's right here, barging in through the castle to save the princess. Somehow, someway, he's going to beat Bowser with all your help, and the Koopa Kingdom's gonna go straight back to square one with taking over the Mushroom Kingdom. Kinda feels like the final ark of a big story with an epic conclusion."

Everyone was taken aback by the Goomba's pessimism, not even taking a chance trying to stop them. Pinkie, however, seemed suspicious as she strolled up to him.

"Have you read the script?" Pinkie questioned.

"...Uhh, what?" the Goomba asked, highly confused.

"How did you know this area would be the actual final ark of this story?" Pinkie asked, poking the Goomba's forehead as she continued questioning him. "What kind of 'epic conclusion' is there going to be? Do you know what's going to happen? Who's going to win? Do you know about our world!?"

"Ok, Pinkie, calm down," Twilight chided, dragging the pink earth pony back toward her friends. "Sorry about Pinkie. Whatever she says or does, it's just Pinkie being Pinkie."

"...Alright, then," he uttered. "So...seeing as there's no chance of us winning, wanna buy some stuff? This castle is pretty big, and there's going to be a ton more soldiers on the way up."

The group looked at each other, figuring this was a decent way of compensating with an enemy. They could just take everything, but they weren't thieves, even if some of the items here could be useful.

"I guess that seems reasonable," Twilight said once everyone came to an agreement. "Assuming you aren't going to rat us out and have guards ambush us."

"I'm the lowest grunt here," the Spiked Goomba said. "No one listens to my opinions anyway."

"Great." Twilight looked around, buying enough supplies for the long trek through the rest of the fortress and the future fights ahead, though she was curious about another item in particular that could help them navigate without getting lost. "By the way, do you by any chance happen to have a map of this castle on you?"

The Goomba walked over to a chest and pulled out a conveniently rolled up map, but the look in his eyes says he wasn't just going to part with it so easily. "You got enough coins on you to buy it off me?"
> Siege on Bowser's Castle (Part 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You sure that was a good deal, Twilight?" Applejack asked as the alicorn held the map of Bowser's fortress in front of her. "All the money from this world we had left from...fightin' every enemy in our way?...Still don't know how that's a thing."

"I don't think we'd have anymore use out of them now that we're already so far in the enemy stronghold," Twilight reasoned. "Besides, when I figure out a way for us to get back home, it'll probably be useless currency for us."

"We could still use it," Goombario said as he pointed out himself and the other Mushroom Kingdom inhabitants.

"We'll probably find more from the rest of Bowser's soldiers," Kooper said, looking over the map as the group made their way to the other hall on the other side of the foyer's upper level. "Looks pretty straightforward, although it would be helpful to see where patrol routes are in the later floors."

"We can do this, guys," Parakarry assured. "We've come this far, and we're not stopping now."

"Not when we got this awesome travel music accompanying us as we keep going and fight evil Koopas!" Pinkie added, humming along to a song the others didn't hear.

Through the next hallway, they fought a few more guards, more Kameks firing magic spells to try to slow them down, but with Mario and Twilight working together, they managed to respectively deflect or blast through their geometrical magic attacks. Even with a few Koopatrols and a Hammer Bro. with them, they stood no chance; Sushie squirting a burst of water at the shell-tossed Koopatrols while Applejack managed to avoid the flurry of hammers and bucked the Hammer Bro. hard in the chest, definitely knocking him out cold even as an imprint of his body was made in the wall.

The next room was split up in two sections, different levels connected to each other, though navigating around them was hard to figure out with the wooden 2x4's placed along the edges of a few of the platforms. Rainbow flew around to see what was on each level, finding a key sitting at the highest section near where they entered. She flew back down with it, figuring it was needed for a doorway up ahead, though it left everyone baffled by what exactly the point of these rooms were. In the next section of the room, there was a locked door which the key was definitely needed, but everyone paused as they wondered how this room was supposed to be solved.

"Ok, was there supposed to be some sort of puzzle?" Twilight pondered aloud.

Pinkie found a nearby spring and bounced up, finding a chained handle that reached up to the really high ceiling. "Oooh! Mystery cord! Let's see what's behind curtain number one!"

Jumping up and grabbing onto the handle with her teeth, Pinkie pulled the cord and a flushing sound echoed all around the room. Suddenly, water came rushing in, making everyone yelp as they floated on the surface as the room was filled up to the second level in the room. This explained how they were supposed to solve getting that key as the hallway in the water connecting both sections was tall enough to swim when the water was up to the third level, which would have been possible with the other cord higher up.

"Did that just sound like a toilet flushing when Pinkie pulled that?" Lakilester questioned.

"Eww! Are we in Bowser's sewage room!?" Rarity exclaimed, flailing her hooves around with a screech as she swam over to dry land. "Why is there always something related to sewers in this world!? The warp pipes, traveling underground to get to places faster! How do you all live like this!?"

"I'm sure if this was sewer water, it would be a lot filthier," Sushie said. "Water's pretty crystal clear, surprisingly."

"Pinkie, do you think you can lower the water level?" Fluttershy asked.

"If pulling the cord again can drain the water," Goombario hoped.

Pinkie tugged on the cord again, the flushing sound effect rolling in the room again, only this time the water began draining out of the room. Once it was fully drained and everyone was standing on dry land, Pinkie rejoined the others with Rarity slowly lowering herself down, her body shuddering as she quickly tip-hooved over to the locked door.

"Can we please get out of this area!?" Rarity pleaded. "I'm done with sewers!" Rainbow rolled her eyes, using the key she grabbed and unlocked the door. Rarity ran through, sighing with relief, only to yelp when she heard a blast come up from the flight of stairs beside her. Just as she was about to peek over the top of the stairs, she squeaked and ducked as a pair of golden bullets about as big as Mario flew over her head. "Ahh! What in the name of Celestia was that!?"

The others hurried in the next room to see what was going on, Mario, Goombario, Kooper, and Bombette gasping as they saw golden Bullet Bills flying over them, staying parallel with the ground on the upper level at the end of the staircase. "Oh crud! Bullet Bills!" Kooper said.

"Not just any Bullet Bills; they're Bombshell Bills," Goombario stated. Being one of the smallest of the group, he poked his head up at the top of the stairs, where he found what was blasting the Bombshell Bills out at them. "And they're being fired by Bombshell Bill Blasters, or B. Bill Blasters for short. They're tougher than regular Bullet Bills."

"I thought Bowser had his artillery outside to keep us from flying up to the top!" Rainbow complained. "Why are they in here!?"

"Ask him why he loves keeping lava pits in his castles to try to burn Mario into a fried plumber," Bow said.

They could hear more blasts coming from up above, Bowser's men having set up several more pairs of B. Bill Blasters along the path leading higher and higher to try to stop them. "Thankfully, these Bombshell Bills only go straight in a line from where they're fired, unlike some of those homing ones Bowser sometimes uses," Lakilester noted. "Those can be a real pain to avoid when the lock onto you."

"So, we're actually gonna run right toward them cannon things and avoid getting hit by these Bullet Bill things to get through?" Applejack asked worriedly. The ponies winced when they heard some of the Bombshell Bills flying over blowing up as they hit the wall. "Them things are gonna blow us to bits!"

"Not if we work together to destroy the cannons and knock back the Bombshell Bills," Twilight said. She flared out her wings and flew up, using her magic to reroute the pair of living artillery units toward the cannons, ramming them into another pair of Bombshell Bills as they blew each other up. "We've already gotten this far, and Bowser is not going to stop us this time!"

"I'm with Twilight!" Rainbow agreed. "Let's charge right in!"

"I got my hammer ready, so let's whack those bullets right in the bill!" Pinkie said, pulling out her trusty mallet and gripped it tightly in her maw.

Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack were a bit unsure of themselves, not willing to get blown up while struck by a Bombshell Bill of all things. They stuck to the back and followed as the others charged ahead, facing the Bombshell Bills head on and either knocking them away or pummeling them as they came right toward them. Twilight, Rainbow, Parakarry, Bow, Watt, and Lakilester flew overhead and saw three more pairs of cannons on the next raised levels of the long stairway, flying ahead to take care of the last one while the others dealt with the the other three. Mario grabbed Bombette and tossed her hard, sending her right into the barrel of one of the cannons for her to blow up inside, destroying it instantly while the close proximity of the explosion did some damage to the other. Kooper finished the second one off with his Fire Shell technique, his rapid spinning setting his shell ablaze as he dashed off and struck the B. Bill Blaster hard, shattering it to pieces while catching some of them on fire.

On the next floor, Mario and Pinkie used their hammers to smack away the Bombshell Bills to clear a path for their friends. Pinkie managed to knock one of them back into a Blaster, damaging it despite how similar they both were in metals. While she continued sending more Bills into the one she's targeting in its barrel, Mario rushed toward the other one, the Lucky Star glowing orange as his fists were surrounded in a similarly colored aura. After smacking the next Bill that aimed at him, sending it sailing off and blowing up into a wall, Mario swung his hammer down with an incredible amount of power, crushing the Blaster and turning the barrel into a flat piece of metal. Pinkie finished off her cannon, actually jumping inside the barrel as several loud clanging noises could be heard inside, the cannon suddenly pointing up in the sky and fired the party pony out along with several streamers and confetti while she cheered excitedly, landing perfectly beside her new party cannon.

"Ah, how I missed the party cannon," Pinkie said, giving a few hammer smacks in quick succession as she planted golden wheels on the B. Bill Blaster. "Now I've got my new patented Party Cannon Mark V, now with optional Bombshell Bills to fire and blast even more confetti!"

"Uhh, 'Mark V'?" Goombario questioned. "Was there ever a Mark I? And what happened to II, III, and IV?" Instead of answering the Goomba, Pinkie pocketed her new party cannon away in the random hammerspace for her random items for future use, baffling the Mushroom Kingdom heroes before they shook their heads. "Never mind. It's Pinkie Pie."

"Y'all are catchin' on quick," Applejack said, the ground troop continuing onward to the third roadblock of cannons on the other side.

Up ahead, they could see the flying group dealing with the last pair of Blasters, Watt dealing a majority of the damage with her electric tackles into the metal bodies while the others dealt with the Bombshell Bills. Sushie decided to take on the Bills, puffing up her body as she unleashed a powerful torrent of water on the incoming bullets in a massive tidal wave. She even managed to drench the Blasters as she landed behind them. Goombario charged forward while buffing himself up, veins in his head pulsing as he flexed every muscle in his body, and with a mighty leap, he dove down headfirst into one of the cannons, his tough skull managing to dent the tougher gold metal, bending it more and more as he bounced on it several times until it was unable to shoot anymore Bills out of it. The last one was finished off by Sushie, squirting a blast of water into a Bombshell Bill as it was fired from the Blaster, then hit by the Cheep Cheep's incredibly tough underbelly as she belly flopped on it.

With the last of the cannons destroyed, the party regrouped and continued on to the next room. It wound up being a dead end, to their surprise, but the foes in the room startled the mares yet again as they encountered Dry Bones, Kooper explaining to them this time that they were the living skeletons of Koopas. They can take the fact that there were ghosts living in the Mushroom Kingdom, some sensible and friendly like Bow and her Boos at the mansion and Gusty Gulch, but that the living dead was able to walk in this land, and were a part of Bowser's army, it made them feel sick to their stomachs. The Dry Bones weren't able to go down easy, because when they're were supposedly beaten as a crumbled pile of bones, their bodies shuddered, reassembled themselves, and were back to normal like nothing happened to them.

"Oh dear Celestia, these things are like the timber wolves back home," Twilight muttered. "Only instead of being made of twigs and bark, they're made of bones..."

"Ah think Ah'm gonna be sick," Applejack groaned while Fluttershy and Rarity fainted from the discovery of these undead Koopas.

"Well, there's only one way to kill a zombie," Pinkie said, pulling out her Mushroom Kingdom party cannon, designed similarly to her old one with a Mushroom Kingdom artistic twist, and had it aimed at the reviving Dry Bones. "Kill it with fiyah!"

She kicked the back of the cannon, the firing sound it made sounding similar to the squeaking sound her original party cannon made back home as it shot out a Bombshell Bill repainted to look pink with a big smile on its face. The speeding bullet flew past everyone, the Dry Bones rattling in surprise before it struck them, exploding on impact and turning their bones to ash from the fiery blast.

"...Ok, when did she get that?" Bow asked. "Better yet, HOW did she turn one of those Blasters into that!?"

"Have we not learned by now?" Parakarry answered the Boo. "I don't care as long as that cannon can help us in the future."

A few more shots killed off the other Dry Bones, leaving them to figure out where to go next. As soon as she recovered, Twilight pulled out the map of the fortress, noting there was a hidden passage behind the same Bowser blocks back in the room with the guard door. Pushing aside the center block revealed the hidden hallway, moving on to another room with some more guards, this time with a door at the other end that was locked up. They moved the next center block once the room was clear of enemies and continued down the next hall into yet another similarly designed room, only this time the center block in this one was already opened to reveal the next "hidden" hallway.

"Huh. That's weird," Twilight mumbled as she looked down at the map again. Pinpointing their location, she saw two different hallways that connected this section, but when she looked inside, there was only one direction as it lead to the right and not the left as well. "Two pathways, but only the right one?"

Mario volunteered to check the right hallway in case it was a trap. He came back a few seconds later, shrugging his shoulders as he found nothing but a dead end.

"Hmm...That's definitely interesting," Kooper commented. Feeling curious as he looked at the map again, he approached the middle block as his explorer's intuition began kicking in. "If that hall lead to the right, then there must be..." He pushed the middle block over to cover the hall, revealing an actual hidden hallway that was behind it. Going on ahead, he found the hall that actually turned left, reaching a dead end where it had the key they were looking for. Snatching it and returning back, he returned to his friends and held it out for them to see. "Jackpot! That was way too easy. It was more fun discovering secrets back in Dry Dry Ruins or Mt. Lavalava."

"That's because Bowser's castle aren't ancient ruins," Twilight said. "Besides, if Bowser designed these methods of trying to confuse us, he's not that bright if it's this easy."

"True," Kooper agreed.

The group backtracked to the locked door and unlocked it, walking into a room similar to the guard door room back near the entrance of the fortress. And just like the last door, this one moved as well as it spotted the intruders making it halfway through the Koopa King's fortress.

"Ugh, who'd have thought you'd all make it this far?" the door said, sounding exactly like the first one.

"Wait, aren't you that same door who tricked us by opening that trapdoor on us!?" Pinkie exclaimed.

"I'm an enchanted door. I'm connected to the only three special doors in this castle," the door answered. "You're lucky this room doesn't have a trapdoor to lock you in another cell, but this time, there's no way you'll make it through this door! The door chuckled mischievously as an idea came to mind. "But...if you are still willing to pass, I'll give you one chance. But I know it'll be impossible. For real this time."

Everyone looked at each other, feeling skeptical about this chance of passing through the next doorway. "...Ok. What do we need to do?"

"If we have to smell your rancid breath, count us out," Rarity said. "...Wait, do living statues even breathe?"

"I may have Lord Bowser's face, but like I mentioned earlier, I am an enchanted door," the guard door said. "Anyway, if you want to pass, you'll have to answer five out of seven different questions I'm going to ask you. What's going to happen is that these blocks will rise and release some minions." He gestured his head to the three Bowser blocks against the wall as he explained. "Pay very close attention to everything and answer correctly. If you can get five of them right, I'll let you pass, but you get three wrong, then you'll have to face the worst punishment of all time, which I doubt any of you would survive."

"So, basically, you're going to quiz us?" Twilight asked, giving the door a smirk as she was sure to ace this test like many others in the past. "Alright. Challenge accepted."

"Alright! Bring out the minions!" The blocks rose up to reveal three different passages, and coming out running from them three Dark Koopas and four Goombas. They ran all around the room to try to confused the group as they paid attention to the scrambling foes. "Time's up!" the door exclaimed, his announcement cuing the Koopas and Goombas to return back into the halls they respectively walked out of, the blocks closing down behind them. "Now, tell me: How many Koopas were there?"

"Three," Twilight quickly responded, the guard door growling as a chime was heard, a red circle appearing on the wall above the blocks.

"Grr...Right," the door grumbled. "But that was an easy one! They'll only get harder! Onto the next one!" The blocks opened up again, this time releasing several Shy Guys: three red, four blue, and four green. After a few seconds of them running around, they headed back in the halls as time was up and the next question was given. "Which were there three of?"

"Ok, that one's even easier!" Rainbow said. "The red Shy Guys!"

Another correct chime and another grumble from the door. "Correct." The next set of enemies that ran out were two four blue Shy Guys, two red Shy Guys, and two green Bob-ombs, exiting from left to right in order. The door was getting desperate to stop them, hoping to trick them into getting a wrong answer when the groups made their leave. "Now, then...Who came out of the middle entrance!?"

"Red Shy Guys," the majority of the group responded, making the door wince as they got it right.

"C-Correct!" The next group for the fourth question that came out were four Shy Guys, one blue and three green, two regular Goombas, and four red-shelled Koopas. The hero party wondered if this was supposed to be difficult, especially with their numbers able to spot other things the others might not have noticed. With time up, the guard door began to ask the next question. "How many Goombas were-!?"

"Two," everyone answered, giving them another correct guess and giving them their fourth circle up on the wall.

The door growled, grinding its stone teeth in frustration. "C-Correct! AUUUGH! You have four right already!" he exclaimed. "Alright, that's it! No more messing around! This one's gonna be harder than ever!" The blocks raised up, but instead of a large group, there was only a Goomba, a Koopa, and a Dark Koopa. They ran around for a bit before fleeing back in the entrances. "Alright then...How many arms did you see!?"

"Four," Twilight answered instantly.

"Ha! That's-!" The door paused, letting out a strangled gasp of distress as the alicorn answered correctly, having expected her to get it wrong. That last correct chime rang around the room, a fifth circle appearing on the wall. It squeaked, staring at the wall, completely flabbergasted. "...T-That's...right...I can't believe you solved five of my brain-busting questions..."

"They weren't even all that hard," Bombette said. "I think a five-year-old could solve those questions, even with them all running around like they were on fire."

"Or getting chased by Bzzaps!" Watt added.

"...Urgh...Again, I have no choice but to let you pass now...I've never felt so humiliated in my life." With a disappointed and shameful growl, the face stiffened and returned to its statue-like form, allowing the party through.

"If Bowser can stop us with brute force, he can do a pretty good job," Twilight said, sounding disappointed that their supposed test to pass was nothing more of a memory game that a preschooler could get right. "Mental puzzle solving, however...I think he needs to hire somepony else to do that for him."

"That Kammy Koopa seems like she's capable of giving a few brain-teasers," Goombario said. "Bowser just doesn't have the brain cells to think to agree with someone else's smarter ideas unless he likes them."

"In other words: never," Rarity summarized. "Makes it easier for us to get through this gigantic floating castle of his."

As they walked through the doors, they found themselves outside a section of fortress, where they could the spire of Peach's Castle getting closer the higher they climbed. They had to deal with some more guards, many of the Kameks riding on broomsticks, which made them more mobile while casting their spells to strengthen their Koopatrol allies or hinder the invading party. Luckily, the swifter flyers easily took care of them, even managing to knock them hard enough off their brooms and grounding them, being sure to swipe away their enchanted rides before they could get airborne again.

They went back inside the fortress after climbing up to the bridge onto the next level, entering a second foyer that was similar to the first one further back. Checking the hall across from where they entered, they headed down a long set of stairs where they found another cell, with more Toads trapped inside along with a penguin from Shiver City taken hostage as well. The Koopatrol noticed them as they came down the stairs, but unlike the rest of his comrades, he knew he had no chance since he was the only one keeping guard over the cell and immediately gave up. He dropped the cell key and fled, none of them bothering to go after him as they unlocked the door and released the prisoners, ushering them to quickly head back to the front doors of the castle and escape via airship, hopefully using either a working clown copter or the airship the Star Spirits gave them.

Heading back into the foyer, the group climbed up the stairs, Twilight looking over the map to see where to go next. Of the two pathways, the one on the left lead to a dead end, which meant their only and right way to go was the right path. In the next hall guarded by Hammer Bros., there were two doors they could go through, but the one on the lower path was locked while the one up the stairs was open. After beating up the duo of hammer tossing Koopas blocking their way, they went up the stairs into the upper room. Inside were a few platforms leading up to a room at the end, a gap separating the way to the door, though part of the flooring looked like the surface of the platforms as it missed part of the carpet, and a red switch nearby that could be reached from that oddly out of place floor. Parakarry volunteered to fly up to the door after launching himself into a Kamek, knocking the Koopa mage out cold with a good whack in the face, and inside the small room was a key they needed for the locked door outside.

Making their way back down, they unlocked the door and entered a long hallway. Luckily, they were given a break from fighting as they walked down the hall, Twilight noticing the torches on the wall positioned strangely. There were six sconces with blue flames, three of them raised a few inches higher than the other three, and in a specific order: up, down, down, up, down, up. The alicorn stopped and looked at the map again, Pinkie ignoring everyone as they all stopped when Twilight did as she bounced over to the other end where there were two paths, one up a flight of stairs and the other at ground level. On the map, there was only one room split between this long hall and the other few remaining rooms until they reached the top of the fortress, the next room marked with a "x6" above it.

"I hate how simplistic the layout of the map is that Spiked Goomba gave us," Twilight muttered. "Are there really six more rooms up ahead?"

Pinkie bounced through the lower door, but once the door closed, everyone turned around when they heard her yelp echo in the hallway, letting out a grunt as she landed on her belly as she hit the ground. "...I'm ok!"

"Pinkie? I thought you went through the door," Fluttershy pondered aloud.

"I did!" Pinkie said, bouncing back to the others. "It was so weird, I walked through, and suddenly, there was no ground and I fell! Now I'm back here!...Weird."

"...Is this...Pinkie being her weird self again?" Lakilester asked.

"I...don't even know myself," Twilight uttered. Feeling curious, she gave Kooper the map and tested something. She went to the lower door and walked through, winding up back at the beginning of the hall like Pinkie had through the enchanted hole above the door where they first entered. Everyone was even more confused, seeing how this wasn't some sort of random antic of Pinkie's that caused her to start over. "Hmm...Interesting..."

Twilight flew over to the upper door this time, and when she went through, she walked into a different room this time: a stairway junction where there were doors on both floors, though she ignored the lower one on her side considering they possibly needed to keep moving to progress. She tried the upper doorway again, winding up back at the beginning of the hall where the others waited by the stairway. Looking back at the wall of blue flaming torches, she figured out the little puzzle as they were connected to the multiple rooms and which door they needed to go through.

"That took a while for the door to mess up," Rainbow said.

"Actually, I know what we need to do," Twilight said as she regrouped with the others. "Did you guys notice how those torches are placed on that wall? It's not a design flaw; it's the solution to getting through those doors."

"Solution?" Bow asked skeptically. "You mean those torches are some kind of clue?"

"When Pinkie went through that bottom doorway, she wound up back near the beginning, falling out from that dark passage up there," Twilight explained, pointing at the enchanted hall where she and Pinkie ended up coming out of when they went in the wrong door. "When I went through the upper doorway after testing what the lower one did, I was in a completely different room. But when I went through the upper door in that room, it brought me back here, which meant that the lower door must have been the right answer in that room."

Kooper looked at the wall of torches, slowly getting what Twilight was saying. "So, there's a pattern we need to follow to progress through the enchanted rooms. And the correct path is given with that subtle hint from the sconces' positions...Gotta say that that's actually...kind of clever."

"Probably not Bowser's idea, but if it does, maybe there are some brain cells that have some sense in his thick skull," Bombette said.

Twilight lead the way as she followed the directions the torches gave them. It was a bit tedious going up and down the stairs in the six rooms beyond, but they were making progress until they finally reached the end of the enchanted hallways, now in a massive hallway with only a long bridge stretching between the doorways. There was nothing but the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the enemies in their way, apparently the last line of defense before they reached the end of their goal. The Kameks, Koopatrols, and Hammer Bros. went all out to try to stop them, but the party's skills were much greater and made short work of the roadblock keeping them from their king and the princess he's held captive. Once the elite Koopas were defeated, they hurried across the other side as they were only a long hallway, a short room, and a climb up some stairs to the roof of the fortress where Peach's Castle rests.





In the Sanctuary of Star Haven, the Star Spirits waited anxiously for the moment Mario and his friends met face to face with Bowser to pull off the Star Beam. They could tell they were facing some seriously tough foes, but despite the danger, they managed to pull through. Even though Mario didn't need to call them for assistance, they trusted that their numbers and abilities would be enough for their siege on Bowser's Castle. Muskular was on edge as he worried about Twink, wondering how the young Star Kid was doing after getting knocked all the way to Star Haven from Bowser. He wanted to leave his post to check on him, but as a Star Spirit, he had a duty to uphold, and keeping Bowser from using the Star Rod to make himself invincible when the Mushroom Kingdom heroes and six ponies confronted the Koopa King.

Back in the city of Stars, the Star watching over Twink in the Toad House kept a close eye on him while cleaning around the building. Twink let out a weak groan, squinting his eyes open as he looked at the ceiling of the tented building, recognizing where he was in the city he had only recently seen almost a couple weeks ago. He sat up in the bed, still feeling sore from getting slashed out of Peach's Castle by Bowser. Remembering how badly the princess needed him, he ignored his pain and floated out of the bed, only to grunt and fall to the ground.

"Oh, goodness!" the Star exclaimed as he heard Twink fall. He floated over to the Star Kid, setting him back down on the bed despite his squirming complaints. "Twink, you mustn't move yet! You've taken quite a serious injury!"

"T-The princess...needs my help," Twink groaned as he tried to float up, but the Star lowered him back down in the bed.

"Not in your condition," he said. "Don't worry about Princess Peach. Mario's on his way as we speak, and he'll stop Bowser and save her with his friends. For now, you need to rest, ok?"

Twink grumbled, but complied as he laid down. He didn't care if he was hurt when Peach was in trouble, tied up and being held hostage by Bowser while waiting for Mario to arrive. The Star in charge of the Toad House told Twink he'll be right back as he headed out to get him something to eat, though that gave him the opportunity to sneak away, which would actually be a challenge with the fenced walls for the houses in Star Haven. He floated out of bed, nearly falling down again, but he fought through the pain as he snuck out the door. Making sure no other Stars were outside or looked his way, Twink flew off into the sky, making his way back to Peach's Castle, determined to help no matter how hurt he was. He felt like he needed to be there, having a bad feeling that whatever backup plan Kammy had in store for Mario, Twilight, and the rest of the group would end up turning the tide in Bowser's favor.
> Siege on Bowser's Ca-...He's Back Again!? That's It! I'm Done!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ok, guys. It's the home stretch," Twilight said as she looked over the map. They were getting close to the top of Bowser's floating fortress, only a long hall, a short room, and a climb up a flight of stairs until they reached the roof and the entrance to Peach's Castle. "Let's hope we breached through Bowser's last lines of defense."

As they walked down the long hallway, about halfway through, the party stopped when they saw someone at the other end. All of them gasped in surprise when they saw Princess Peach, her hands pressed against the door as she panted like she had escaped from her own castle.

"Princess Peach!?" the Mane Six exclaimed, the princess turning around in shock, only to be relieved when she saw her saviors.

"Oh, thank goodness!" she said. They ran up to her, Mario greatly concerned as he asked her if he was ok. "I'm fine, Mario. I'm just so glad you're here to rescue me."

"What about Bowser?" Goombario asked. "How did you manage to get out of the castle?"

"I saw a chance to flee and took it," Peach said, although Applejack raised a brow, somehow able to tell what she was saying was a lie. "No need to fight anymore now that I'm safe, right? Let's head back home."

"But we can't just leave!" Twilight insisted. "Bowser has the Star Rod! We have to stop him before he gets too powerful!"

"Oh, we don't have to worry about that," Peach said. "I also snatched that Star Rod and threw it out the window."

Jaws dropped in shock, hearing Peach do something that crazy to a powerful artifact, but Applejack's gut feeling seemed to be true as she raised a brow. "...Ya did what now?"

"Yeah. Just threw it out the nearest open window so he won't ever have to use it again." Now the rest of the group began to grow suspicious. Mario knew full well Peach was a smart girl, able to have outsmarted Bowser and his guards in the past couple weeks and get them information to where the next Star Spirit was if they didn't know where to go next. Even the Mane Six knew Peach wasn't this airheaded, and they knew her for only a couple hours before Bowser intervened. "Now, let's go before anymore of Bowser's soldiers show up and take me away again."

Peach tried to walk past them, but Applejack cut her off. "Now hold on just an apple pickin' minute, 'Princess Peach'," she said. "If ya knew how powerful the Star Rod was, and if ya threw it how, then how come ya didn't think somepony else in the Mushroom Kingdom would misuse the free wishes it can grant?"

"...Uhh...W-Well, it probably fell in the middle of town," Peach reasoned. "I don't have a good throwing arm."

Applejack hummed curiously, keeping a stern glare on the princess, making sure to watch for any facial twitches when she spoke. "...Ok...Ya do know who we are, right 'Peach'? Mah friends and Ah met ya durin' that party y'all were throwin' when we ended up in your castle by Twilight's spell that went haywire."

"O-Oh, yes! Of course I remember that!" Peach said, grinning nervously.

"Then ya must know our names," Applejack said. "We knew about each other for a while before Mario showed up."

"Well, of course I know your names!" Peach looked at the mares and was about to say their names, only to pause as she had no clue. They waited for a response, but when they were met with silence after a while, it was clearly obvious that something was really wrong. "...Uhh...I-I do know your names, and it's quite obvious what they are!...Because I know you six...animals?"

"We're ponies," Applejack corrected. As Peach turned to face Applejack, she was met with a hard buck in the stomach by the apple farmer, knocking the wind out of her and sending her smacking into the wall in a crumpled heap. "And y'all ain't the princess!"

A puff of smoke suddenly billowed around Peach, revealing a Duplighost as he groaned in agony. "W-What gave me away?"

"I believe the first thing that screwed you over was how you said you escaped from Bowser," Lakilester said. "Someone who knew what was going on up there told us Bowser knew we were coming, so that meant he's got her tied up in her castle. Peach couldn't have just found a way to 'escape' as soon as we breached the front gates."

"And 'throwing the Star Rod out the nearest open window'?" Kooper restated. "Seriously? Peach wouldn't even think of throwing it away if she did manage to swipe it out of Bowser's claws! She'd use it against him and end his takeover!"

"And you called us animals!" Rarity shrieked. "She knew our names and who we are, and you have the nerve to call us animals like every other ungrateful follower of that horrid brute you call your king!"

"You were going to trick us and lure us away, but as soon as our backs were turned, you were going to ambush us with your Duplighost friends," Twilight added.

Behind them, three more puffs of smoke revealed the Duplighosts as they hid among the walls like chameleons, their king's backup plan clearly failing. "Well, that hit's the nail on the head," Bow said.

Clearly outnumbered and heavily outmatched, even if they transformed into one of them to try confuse them as they attacked, they hurried past the group and grabbed their wheezing friend, letting out a creepy wail of fear as they ran away. "Can we finally stop facing things that turn into anypony?" Rainbow pleaded. "I'm getting sick of tricks and disguises trying to throw us off!"

"Well, let's hope that's all we'll have to face," Bombette said.

"No. There's worse," Kooper said, having a gut feeling they'll encounter the Koopa Bros. again.

They passed through the door the Duplighost impersonating Peach was near and continued onward. The next room had the same exact design where they confronted the guard door, hopefully encountering it and its crazy schemes to try to stop them.

"You all again?" the door questioned. "I guess nothing's going to stop you at this point. But, this is going to be the end of your little adventure."

"Whatever test you've got planned for us here, then bring it on!" Rainbow goaded.

"Well your luck has surely run out," the door said with a smirk. "Come on out, boys! Time to knock some heads in!"

Jumping in as they hid in the shadows in the corners of the room, four familiar Koopa Troopas stood in their way as they landed in a row. "Surprise, Kooper!" Red Ninjakoopa greeted, he, Black, Yellow, and Green standing up and posed in their signature stance.

"...Oh...These bozos," Bombette grumbled. "Forgot about them."

"You'll be remembering us well enough when we floor you, you ticking time bomb!" Red exclaimed, pointing his finger at Bombette. "Won't cause us anymore problems after we rip off your key and fuse from your round, pink body."

"Try me, slave driver!" she exclaimed, her fuse sparking a little as she prepared herself to run up to the Koopas and blow up on them.

"If you can beat the Koopa Bros., then maybe I'll let you pass," the guard door said. "I highly doubt you'll be able to beat them, though."

Twilight, Kooper, Goombario, Bombette, and Mario looked at each other, highly doubting that the first of Bowser's toughest followers could stop them again, and with there being more allies in their group. "...You're kidding us, right?" Goombario questioned aloud. "The Koopa Bros. are going to try to stop us? Seriously? I don't know if we should laugh at them or pity them."

"Zip it, you burnt-up mushroom!" Black said.

"We're way different than the last time!" Yellow added.

"Since Kammy got us out of that cell those Bob-ombs trapped us in, we've been training our tails off every single day!" Green boasted.

"Bet you thought we would be stuck in there forever, right, Kooper?" Red asked.

"I had a feeling it wouldn't last long," Kooper said. "Those Lakitu in Flower Fields mentioned you guys. But even if you've gotten stronger, it doesn't matter. You're still going down, and we're passing through that door."

Red growled, taking the challenge as both Koopas stared each other down. "I told you I was going to get my revenge," he said. Red then pulled out the blue bandanna Kooper had dropped into the cell after their defeat. "Not only for you kicking our butts over that cell, but for leaving us. I'm not even going to try to ask you to come back anymore after you gave this up." He gripped the bandanna in both hands, tearing it in half, then threw the torn halves at Kooper. "You made your choice."

"I made my choice years ago." Kooper lowered himself into a fighting stance, no longer caring about the accessory he gave up that ended his faith in his former friends.

"Bring it on," Red uttered, he and the other Koopa Bros. getting in their stances as they prepared for a deadly rematch. "We're no longer the Koopa Bros. We're the Super Ultra Mighty Koopa Bros., the Great!"

"That's even more ridiculous than your own group name alone," Bow commented.

"Uhh, working title?" Yellow responded.

"UUUAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!"



Before the fight even began, everyone looked back at the doorway the heroes had just entered. "Uhh, what was that?" the door asked.

"Oh Sweet Suffering Shy Guys!" Goombario whined, recognizing the annoying yell. "You cannot be serious!"

The door burst open as none other than Jr. Troopa barged in, screaming wildly during his dynamic entry. The mares and Mushroom Kingdom heroes leapt to the side, avoiding the irate Koopa child as he ran in. The Koopa Bros. were caught off guard as he ran toward them, the four Koopas screaming as Jr. Troopa ended up pummeling them, a cloud of dust kicking up around the brawl. The group looked at each other, completely flabbergasted by the young Koopa's appearance, while the door stared, highly confused at what was happening. After getting a thorough beating, Jr. Troopa flung the Koopa Bros. across the room, sending them smacking into the wall and falling over each other in a crumpled heap.

"Finally! I've found you once again, Mario!" Jr. Troopa exclaimed, pointing at the plumber.

"Not again," everyone groaned in irritation, Mario facepalming at the worst possible time for the eggshelled Koopa Troopa to appear.

"Jr. Troopa, go away!" Goombario exclaimed. "We're in the middle of saving the Mushroom Kingdom, and we don't need your stupid grudge getting in our way!"

"Just how many times are you going to keep doing this, even after you keep losing?" Twilight asked, practically pleading the Koopa to stop hunting Mario down. "Don't you ever learn to quit while you're ahead?"

"How about when he's supposed to quit when he barely got ahead in the first place?" Bow questioned.

"I'm not back down until I get my revenge! REVENGE!!!!" Jr. Troopa shouted. "I'm settling my score with you once and for all, Mario! And not one of your friends is going to interfere this time, like that purple llama!"

"Ok, do those who lack any cognitive thought constantly hear the correct thing and it goes out the other ear?" Twilight questioned, her eye twitching angrily. "How many times do we have to tell you we're not any creature you call us when we keep telling you WE'RE PONIES!?!?!?!?"

"Like I care what you are!" Jr. Troopa said. He looked at Rarity, his attitude making a complete U-turn as he gazed at the unicorn with a lovestruck gaze. "Except for you, my white goddess from the heavens."

"Your flattery isn't winning you any favors," Rarity said, giving the Koopa a blank stare. "You keep attacking my friends, so why should I even show you any respect when you don't show the same to them?"

"Fear not, my angel! I'll sweep you off your feet and keep you away from those donkeys!" Jr. Troopa said, making Rarity growl in irritation.

"I do not like you at all, you boorish little ingrate!" Rarity shouted. "You are nothing but a little monster getting in our way when there are more important matters WE have to deal with to keep everypony in this kingdom from suffering under Bowser's tyranny! And he could crush you under his giant feet because he's more powerful than you are!" The Koopa tried to speak, but Rarity kept his lips shut with her magic as she continued scolding him. "No! I am not going to hear anymore of your 'smooth talk', because none of it has, or ever will, win me over! Not a single female will even come close to you with that spoiled attitude of yours! So, you listen to me very clearly: I will never, EVER, like an immature child like you, not even in a thousand years!"

Jr. Troopa could move his mouth again, but he was stunned silent. He lowered his head dejectedly, greatly disappointed as something finally went through the insane Koopa child's head.

"...I-I see," he muttered. After hanging his head in sadness for only a brief minute, he looked up and glared at Mario, pointing a finger at him again. "Now I see why you don't share my affections! Mario stole your heart from me!"

Everyone fell over and let out a yell in exasperation, their hope talking down Jr. Troopa failing immediately. Even the door with Bowser's face had no idea how to react, still shocked to see a small Koopa, still in his egg, had beaten the tar out of the Koopa Bros. without even getting the chance to see their improved skills since their defeat.

"So much for that," Rainbow groaned.

"He's not gonna listen," Pinkie said. "He's the kind of antagonist who thinks they're better, despite losing so many times. I think it's known as 'Gary Oak Syndrome'."

"Who in the heck is 'Gary Oak'?" Parakarry asked.

They all stood back up, still flabbergasted by Jr. Troopa's ignorance. "Well, even if Mario is like a heroic knight, but without the shining armor to go with him, he'd rather steal Peach's heart away than mine. No offense, darling."

Mario shrugged it off, knowing they were just friends, but Jr. Troopa didn't take the nickname Rarity gave the plumber. "'Darling'!? That's it! You're gonna get it, Mario!" Pulling out his staff, Jr. Troopa used his magic, dragging Mario away from his friends, then sealed the two of them in a wide barrier, giving them plenty of room for their duel. Twilight tried to dispel the invisible barrier, but her magic ended up failing as it stayed up. "This barrier's not going down until one of us goes down, so you can take your magic and shove it right back in that swirly, ice cream cone horn of yours!"

"Where did you learn spells like these!?" Twilight exclaimed, slightly amazed, but more incredibly annoyed. "And how did you break out of that ice you were in!? You should have suffered from hypothermia, or maybe frostbite!"

"Getting revenge gives me the strength to do anything!" Jr. Troopa reasoned, making the alicorn groan and hang her head, giving up trying to get any real answers or civil responses from the Koopa. Putting his staff away, Jr. Troopa brought up his fists, giving a few quick jabs at the air. "Only one of us is walking out of this fight, Mario, and I'm not gonna lose this time!"

Mario sighed and shook his head, but if they needed to progress forward, he indulged the Koopa. Lifting his own fists up, he was ready to fight Jr. Troopa, hopefully for the last time, and maybe try to let go of his grudge and help them in their cause, considering how powerful he became after their last few encounters. After staring each other down, they both rushed forward and threw their first punch, their fists colliding each other with equal force.

Fists and feet began flying as the duo tried hitting their opponent while blocking or dodging the other's strikes. Mario was really surprised by what Jr. Troopa was capable, able to learn and grow powerful in such a short amount of time, but his potential as a good guy was held back by his attitude and stubbornness. Mario blocked another punch, this time firmly gripping Jr. Troopa's arm, then spun around and flung him across the room. The Koopa hit the ground, but flipped back on his feet and ran back with a yell, jumping up and dive kicking the plumber. Mario blocked the foot with both arms, shoving the young Koopa back.

He took out his hammer, giving it a hard toss at the Koopa. Jr. Troopa ducked in his eggshell, avoiding the powerful hammer, but Mario pulled it back with his levitation, gloves glowing purple as he pulled it back toward him like a boomerang. Instead of expecting Jr. Troopa to get hit by the returning mallet, he popped out and grabbed onto the handle, using the momentum to get sent back to Mario and tried to headbutt him. Mario quickly dropped his telekinetic hold, diving away from the flying Koopa, dodging by mere inches.

Picking his hammer back up, Mario charged after Jr. Troopa, who rolled back up on his feet, only to turn around and meet a hammer smacking him hard in the face. He was sent flying off from the impact, slamming into the barrier, groaning in pain as he fell to his knees. The party stuck outside cheered as Mario finally got a hit on Jr. Troopa, but Mario didn't celebrate just yet, knowing the fight was just beginning.

"Urgh...You and that dumb hammer of yours," Jr. Troopa growled, standing up and shaking his head from the slight daze he had from the heavy blow. "I'm not going down that easy!"

Letting out a yell, Jr. Troopa sprouted his wings and the spike top on his shell hat, flapping up in the air and swooped at Mario. Mario's feet and hands glowed blue, his speed increasing to match Jr. Troopa's, backflipping under him to avoid a flying kick to his face. Swerving back around, Jr. Troopa sped off and rammed into Mario, the plumber quickly going on the defensive as he blocked the Koopa's flurry of kicks. Mario grabbed his young opponent's leg, slamming him down on the ground. He leapt up, Jr. Troopa tilting his head for Mario to prick his feet against the spike on his head, but the protective yellow aura around his feet, merging with the blue of his enhanced speed, ignored the sharp point as Mario bounced on his skull. Bounding off for another trounce, Jr. Troopa shook off the blow, flapping his wings hard and tackled Mario, slamming his back against the ceiling while punching his chest repeatedly.

Slightly winded, Mario gripped both hands together, slamming them down on Jr. Troopa's back in a hammer slam, stunning him slightly as he let go of the plumber. The duo dropped and landed back on the ground, gaining their second wind as they rushed each other again, but with Mario's magical speed matching that of Rainbow Dash's, Jr. Troopa was overwhelmed by the onslaught of punches and kicks that looked like a blur to him. Mario finished his swift combos with a powerful uppercut to the Koopa's jaw, leaping up to increase the pain as the sound of coins popping up from Jr. Troopa rang out as he flipped helplessly in the air until crashing to the ground.

"Hey, Mario could have gotten free money out of baddies if he did that all the time!" Pinkie noted as she saw some coins littered around the battlefield. "We could have been stinkin' rich, but not the Stinkin' Rich like Filthy Rich's grandfather, because he was a pony and not money."

"Thank you for the colorful commentary, Pinkie Pie," Bombette said sarcastically.

"Umm, pony names are kinda weird if someone's named 'Filthy Rich'," Watt said. "It's kinda mean."

"Parents can give their foals any name if it fits them," Applejack said. "Ya should know what Filthy's wife, Spoiled Rich, her old name used to be Spoiled Milk before they got married."

Bow snorted at the hilarious name. "Does she have the nickname 'Spoiled Rotten' if she splurges on her husband's money?"

"No, but she should when Ah found out she's the reason why her daughter, Diamond Tiara, kept pickin' on mah sister and her friends," Applejack said.

Jr. Troopa stood back up, grunting with each movement he made, but he definitely wasn't finished. "I'm...not losing again!" he shouted. His wings and spiked head were now gone as he pulled out his staff again, using magic as his last resort. "I am going to destroy you! I don't care if I have to be cheap and blast you with magic, I just want to win!"

With several waves, Jr. Troopa fired several geometrical magic spells at Mario. He dodged and leapt over the spells, unable to get close with the amount of magic the Koopa was able to unleash. Even as he tried, Jr. Troopa aimed right at his feet, the blast of magic exploding and sending him back a bit while also hurting him in the process. Mario decided to deflect the Koopa's spells, using his hammer as it shimmered in a sparkle of light and swung at the spells coming for him. Bouncing them back and startling Jr. Troopa, he began avoiding his own magic spells as they were struck back at him. Growling angrily, Jr. Troopa held his staff up in the air after ceasing his spells as he charged up an incredibly powerful one that will assure him a win over Mario's five, one of those wins actually belonging to Twilight in their magic duel, but he didn't care about the alicorn.

Mario could practically see the massive ball of magical energy hover over Jr. Troopa, gripping his hammer tightly as he prepared himself to knock it back. The young Koopa let out a powerful yell, sending it flying straight toward the plumber. Mario swung and made contact, both hammer and swirling energy of colorful geometric shapes meeting at a stalemate, Mario grunted as he struggled to push it back. Jr. Troopa only made it worse as he fired more weaker spells into it, making it grow bigger and more powerful, practically pushing Mario back, his back nearly reaching the barrier.

"Mario!" everyone cried out in horror, some unable to watch as they hoped he'll make it out alive.

"Come on, Mario! You can do it!" Pinkie cheered. "Bowser's worse than a puny baby Koopa!"

"Hey! Who you calling a baby!?" Jr. Troopa exclaimed.

While Jr. Troopa was distracted by being called a baby, Mario grit his teeth, not planning on dying, or nearly dying, again. Peach needed him, the Mushroom Kingdom needed him, and his friends needed him. Bowser needs to be stopped, and he wasn't going to let a little kid with a spoiled, selfish, and ungrateful attitude bent on revenge over stepping in his territory do him in. He pushed back with all his might, combining all six of the magical energies from the Mane Six in his Lucky Star, hoping beyond hope they would give him something to help him win. His chest glowed brightly from the necklace, all six colorful auras wrapping around his hands in a rainbow. The close contact of his hands against the giant sphere of magic as he held it off with his hammer surprised him as he felt the energy from inside it slowly being absorbed in his hands.

Curious, but being cautious, he lifted a hand up to the sphere, feeling it being absorbed in his palm, giving him strength as it got weaker. Dropping his hammer once it was weak enough, he held up his other hand and continued absorbing it until there was nothing left of it. Everyone in the room, aside from the knocked out Koopa Bros., stared in shock, while Jr. Troopa's eye twitched, his jaw literally hitting the ground.

"D-Did he just...?" Sushie asked, finding her voice for a moment as they all pondered what had just happened.

"B-B-B-But...t-that's...That was my..." Jr. Troopa uttered, pointing his staff shakily at Mario, the plumber clenching his fists tightly as his hands glowed brighter and brighter from the contained spell he absorbed. "H-How!? HOW!? WHAT IS GOING ON!?" While he threw a temper tantrum, Mario leered at the Koopa, finishing this fight for good. He brought his hands down to his right side and widened his stance, creating a small ball of the same magical energy from Jr. Troopa he had just absorbed. His hands began to dim slightly as he compressed the magic into the sphere, growing bigger and bigger as he prepared to unleash it back at the young Koopa Troopa. With a powerful yell, Mario thrust his arms forward, sending off a swirling vortex of geometrical shapes at his foe, spinning wider and growing out, making it impossible for him to escape. "No no no no nononononononononono!"

Jr. Troopa couldn't evade it, struck hard by the power of his own spell as it blew up around him. He was sent flying from the blast, smacking into the barrier before ricocheting forward, bouncing painfully against the stone floor until he skid to a complete stop face down, body singed while his staff bounced off into a corner. He didn't move, not even a single twitch of his foot, the barrier around him and Mario disappearing upon his defeat. Mario looked down at the defeated Koopa, staring down at his hands as the rainbow aura faded away, flexing his fingers as the absorbed magical energy was used up from his attack.

"...Is he...dead?" Rainbow asked. "Did you kill him, Mario?"

Mario kneeled down in front of Jr. Troopa, flipping the Koopa over, finding him unconscious. He was still breathing, to his relief, even though he's had his fair share of killing some of Bowser's men in the past, but even though Jr. Troopa was a nuisance, he didn't want to kill a kid. He assured everyone that he was just knocked out, to their relief.

"He's...a really tough kid," Kooper said. "Maybe if he was willing to trust us more, he could have been fighting on our side."

"He's just a spoiled brat, though," Goombario said. "He keeps harassing my family and thinks that empty patch of grass a bit of a ways behind our house is his playground."

"Are we just gonna leave him here while we move forward?" Lakilester asked.

The Mane Six looked at each other. They knew they shouldn't leave Jr. Troopa alone while he was unconscious, even after all the terrible things he's done. They silently came to a decision, Twilight pulling out a pink mushroom with heart-shaped spots. She was told this was a Life Shroom, a special mushroom to help revitalize someone from unconsciousness where regular Mushrooms would do nothing to help. Opening his mouth, she placed the head of the Life Shroom to his lips, the taste making him munch down on the piece as he chewed it. Squinting his eyes open, Jr. Troopa looked at what he was eating as he came around, grabbing it out of the alicorn's aura and nearly stuffed the whole mushroom in his mouth. After munching on it as if he were starving, Jr. Troopa swallowed the Life Shroom, feeling his energy coming back.

He sat up, blinking a few times as he was surrounded by who were supposed to be his enemies. "...What are you all doing?"

"Helping you," Twilight said.

"I don't need your pity!" Jr. Troopa shouted, flailing his arms around, making everyone back away.

"Even after we try to be nice to him, he's still a little brat," Parakarry uttered.

"I can't believe I lost again!" Jr. Troopa whined. He stood up, nearly falling over after just getting revived, but he fought against his weakness and went to grab his staff. Mario prepared to grab his hammer in case Jr. Troopa decided to attack them again. "I'm going to get my revenge on you one day, Mario!" He then leered at Rarity, his heart breaking after learning the "truth" about her "relationship" with Mario. "Of all the cruel fate for the love of my life to side with the likes of Mario! I will never find true love again!"

And with that, he fled back the way he came, making his way out of the fortress and planning to seek another way to grow stronger and finally destroy his rival. They stood there in silence, staring at the doorway.

"Well, so much for that," Bow said. "Waste of a Life Shroom if you ask me."

"...Wow." Almost completely forgetting that there was more than just them in the room, everyone turned back to the Bowser guard door, who found his voice after not only watching Jr. Troopa barge in and knock out the Koopa Bros., who were still piled up in a corner, but Mario surprisingly defeating Jr. Troopa with powers he didn't expect from the plumber at all. "Mario...beat up that kid...But, he didn't beat the Koopa Bros.; that other Koopa had...So, does that mean Mario beat up the Koopa Bros.?...No, wait, he didn't lay a finger on them, but the kid did, and they're beaten, so...GAAAAAAH!!!" it screamed in frustration, going cross-eyes as it confused itself. "Forget it! It's too confusing! It doesn't make a difference anyway. Mario technically won.

"Go on through. It doesn't really matter in the long run when you face Lord Bowser. He's invincible, and you all won't even stand a chance. I'll let you guys have the honor of getting beaten up by him personally." The door let out a roar, turning as still as a statue and allowing them to pass.

Now with nothing else barring their path any longer, they hoped, the heroes made their way to the door. Kooper looked back at his former friends, Red slowly coming around as he grunted in pain.

"W-What the heck just happened?" he asked. "...We lost?"

"Yeah...to a Koopa kid wearing an eggshell," Kooper responded. "We technically won, so there's no need to fight us since you're already beaten." Kooper dug his hand in his shell, pulling out a few normal Mushroom. He tossed them at Red, the edible fungus with a face bouncing to a stop in front of the confused Ninjakoopa. "You four need to leave. I have a bad feeling this fortress is gonna get destroyed when we stop Bowser. They always do when Mario comes to save the princess."

"Tsk...You think you can win?" Red asked, scoffing at the ludicrous assumption. "He's invincible. You won't even be able to touch him."

"That's why we have all seven Star Spirits on our side," Kooper said. "Should have chosen a different career than this, guys...You're going to lose when you work for the wrong crowd."

Kooper turned and walked away, waving his hand at his former friend as he caught up with the others. He didn't see Red sneer at him, snatching one of the Mushrooms and ate it to regain his strength. Once he caught up, the party climbed up the last flight of stairs and made their way outside. They were now at the top of Bowser's floating fortress, Pinkie looking down curiously by the edge to see they were further away from the ground than when they started. And right in front of them was Peach's Castle, where the Koopa King himself is waiting for them with a captured Princess Peach in his clutches.

"Well, this is it," Twilight said. "One more climb."

"At least we'll get to see what else was inside the castle," Rarity said. "Didn't have much of a chance with the party we crashed and Bowser showing up out of nowhere."

"But when we win, we'll throw a really big party!" Pinkie cheered. "And I'll do all the decorating!"

"Ah sure hope this Star Beam will work on Bowser if he uses that Star Rod again," Applejack uttered.

Steeling themselves for a tough final fight, they approached the front doors of Peach's Castle, Mario taking the lead as he lead everyone inside. The main foyer of the castle was barely lit, making the castle feel almost like it was haunted. They stayed cautious for any enemies patrolling the floors, but it appeared as though all of Bowser's troops were set up in his fortress. Climbing up the steps to the second floor, Mario first approached the doorway that lead to Peach's room, keeping everyone along the walls while he planned on barging in if Bowser was in her room with the princess. After counting to three, he slammed the door open and ran inside, but to his disappointment and slight relief, they weren't in the bedroom.

"Wow. Princess Peach sure does love pink, doesn't she?" Goombario noted, what with the pink carpeting, the pink couch by the wall near the door, the pink bedsheets, and several assortments of pink dresses hung up on a rack.

"How many of the same pink dresses can one girl have?" Parakarry asked.

"They're not all just one shade of pink, darling," Rarity said, looking over the princess's line. "This one is coral, and this is salmon, light rose, peach, and...Oh, well, this one here is definitely pink."

"What's the difference?" Kooper asked as the males and a few of the girls in the group can't tell the difference in the shades of pink. "It's all the same color; pink."

"Ok, we can argue about dresses later!" Rainbow exclaimed. "We've got a princess to save!"

Rarity huffed as the lecture on differing shades of color was put on hold, but Peach is more important than fashion at this very moment. They exited the room and continued up the stairs. Once they reached the end of the third floor, Mario and the Mane Six recognized the long hallway where the ponies wound up from Twilight's spell and Bowser's party crashing entry through the bigger window in the middle. And as luck would have it, they found Bowser in his clown copter, Kammy Koopa on her broom, and the princess dangling from the ceiling by a rope as she squirmed about.

"Peach!" the ponies called out.

The princess looked up, gasping in joy as her saviors had finally arrived. "Girls! Mario!"

"So, you finally arrived," Bowser said with a laugh. "I've been waiting for you, Mario! I'm kinda surprised you made it this far. You've been a big thorn in my side for far too long, and now we're going to finish this!"

"And we're ready for a round two with you!" Rainbow exclaimed, pounding her forehooves together. "Release the princess, or prepare for a whooping!"

"Gwa ha ha ha ha ha! This is gonna be too easy!" Bowser jumped out of his copter while the heroes met the Koopa King halfway, both sides stopping by the shattered window Bowser crashed through over a week ago. "Need I remind you, and your new little helpers, that I'm invincible? You can't even touch me!"

"Well, that's going to change today!" Twilight said, both sides getting into fighting position. "You won't stay invincible forever, Bowser!"

"You gonna try that little 'friendship beam' thing on me again?" Bowser asked, letting out another laugh, mocking the alicorn and her friends. "Good luck with that!"

"Oh, there's a beam alright," Twilight said, glancing at Mario as he looked at her, both of them smirking as the alicorn's horn sparked while the plumber clenched his fists. "And this time, it will render you powerless."

"Then let's end this!" Bowser said.

The final battle is about to commence, and Peach is forced to watch helplessly while Kammy kept a close eyes on the Mane Six, observing their magic closely in case her backup plan ended up being unsuccessful.
> Mario and Friends vs. Bowser, King of the Koopas
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mario and Bowser started the final bout off, the plumber rushing forward while the giant Koopa marched to meet him, both their fists thrown as they connected in a flash of power. Bowser was by far the strongest due to his size, pushing Mario back as he backflipped away, only to rush him again as he had speed and dexterity on his side. He dodged Bowser's powerful slamming fist into the ground, leaping forward and giving him a few good punches in the gut. Barely flinching, Bowser grabbed Mario's arm, then flung him up in the air.

Before he hid in his shell to spin himself and slash Mario with the sharp spikes on his shell, Rainbow Dash charged in and slammed into Bowser's chest, temporarily knocking the wind out of him. Mario flipped around, landing on his feet as he adjusted his hat, his friends charging in to help as they had a greater advantage in numbers and teamwork. Rainbow managed to flap away from a backhanded slap from Bowser, roaring in frustration before he was suddenly zapped by a beam of magic aimed at his shoulder. Twilight and Rarity fired beams from their horns, the latter's weaker and meant to distract him while the former's had a lot more power in them, planning on paying back the separation the Koopa King had endured on the ponies.

"You're not going to win this time, Bowser!" Twilight exclaimed, ceasing her blasts and teleporting behind him. "With all of us together, you will never stop us!"

"Bah! That only proves you're a bunch of weaklings who like to team up on someone!" Bowser said, blocking his body as Kooper and Parakarry shell shot themselves at him. He turned around and unleashed huge lungful of fire in the alicorn's direction, but the alicorn flapped her wings and leapt over the flames. She fired another beam, only for Bowser to counter with one from his Star Rod, both lavender and yellow auras colliding as they struggled for dominance. "And with the Star Rod, you still won't stand a chance!"

"That's what you think, buster!" Pinkie said, bouncing toward him with her hammer, slamming it down hard on Bowser's stubby tail.

Bowser let out a yell, his concentration thrown off as Twilight's beam struck his face, sending him staggering back a little. Ignoring the alicorn, he turned to glare at Pinkie, only to be met with Bow as she held out her fan, giving him a sadistic grin as she slapped him in the face with it. After only one slap, she realized she barely made the Koopa King spin about, leaving a sizable mark on his cheek, but it only angered him.

"...A fan? Really?" Bowser asked.

"Uhh...It worked when I smacked Tubba Blubba with it," Bow stated. "...Although, that was when he wasn't invincible anymore..." The two stared at each other in silence for a moment, Bow blinking as she had no idea how much help she could be if her weak fan barely fazed him. "...So, how's the weather?"

Bowser lunged his hands out to grab the Boo, but Bow disappeared, distracting him long enough for Sushie to blast him in the face with water. Growling as he glared at the soon to be roasted Cheep Cheep, he winced as he heard a spark of electricity beside him. Turning his head, he saw Watt floating right over his shoulder.

"Umm, hello, Mr. Bowser," Watt greeted politely before looking serious. "Prepare for a shocking!"

"...Uh oh," Bowser mumbled.

Watt tapped Bowser's head, sending volts of electric energy flowing through him as his body was conducted by his soaked skin. His body jittered in every random pose he made, his skeleton showing in brief flashes as he let out a shuddering yell. After the shock finally stopped, Bowser was a charred mess, his limbs twitching on reflex from the aftershock of the Li'l Sparky's powerful jolts. Blinking a couple times, Bowser, shook off the charred blackness, then leered at Watt. He roared and spun around, breathing a powerful blast of fire around him to keep everyone away from him.

"Where's the fire ponies when we need them!?" Pinkie exclaimed as she ducked under the flames. Her tail, unfortunately, got hit, lit on fire as the smell of roasted cotton candy marshmallows hit her nostrils. "Hey, who's toasting marshmallows at a time like this?" She sniffed the air, then looked back at her tail, letting out a shriek as she realized it was her tail that was being roasted, bouncing around in a panic. "AHHH! I'm gonna be the marshmallow!"

"Pinkie, hold still, dearie!" Sushie called out, squirting water at the flailing earth pony, drenching Pinkie and dousing out the fire on her tail.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh..." Pinkie sighed. "Thanks, Sushie."

"I'm starting to get fed up with this!" Bowser growled. He pulled out the Star Rod, chuckling deviously as he unleashed its power, making himself invincible again as his body was surrounded in a rainbow of light. Pounding a fist into his palm, he cracked his knuckles with a sinister grin. "Now, how about we do this the right way? Where I kick your butts yet again!"

"Oh no," Rainbow said in a sarcastic tone, feigning shock as she hovered behind Bowser. "He's gone invincible again. And there does not seem to be any way we can do any harm to him. Not even with our magic of friendship. Again."

Kammy raised her brow at the terrible acting the pegasus made while Peach was utterly confused by Rainbow's nonchalant worries. "What is going on?" Kammy questioned.

The others regrouped behind Mario, Rainbow continuing to act like they were doomed. "We're doomed! About to get burnt to a crisp by Bowser's disgusting fire breath, or zapped by a lightning bolt from his Star Rod!"

"...Ok, why are you being so dramatic?" Bowser asked, finding the mare's whining annoying. "I expected that from the white one just by how she looks, being all snooty and such."

"Snooty!?" Rarity exclaimed. "How dare you!?"

"Ok, Rainbow, cut it out," Twilight chided with a groan. "We don't need any theatrics to lull him into a sense of security."

"...Do what now?" Bowser asked in confusion, scratching his head slightly.

"Just blast him with our secret weapon, Mario," Goombario said, the plumber nodding in agreement, ending the terrible charade.

Clasping his hands together in a prayer, Mario closed his eyes, summoning the Star Spirits power to help aid them. Stars glittered around Mario before they rose up, and within moments, the seven Star Spirits appeared above the group, somehow invisible to Bowser as he didn't see the glowing flash from their arrival.

"Alright, you reptilian abomination!" Muskular shouted, even though Bowser couldn't hear him. "Let's get rid of your so called 'invulnerability'!"

"All together, everyone!" Eldstar ordered, the seven powerful Stars spinning in an orbit as they floated above the Koopa King.

Unleashing their combined power, they summoned a beam of light down in the center of their orbit, the Star Beam clearly striking Bowser dead on. Suddenly hit with a flash of light, Bowser yelped as he suddenly felt pain, and when the light of the beam dimmed, the rainbow aura around him that showed his invincibility was now gone, the Star Rod's power dispelled by the Star Spirits. Kammy flinched, being the first to spot her leader's diminished power after the surprising beam of light that came out of nowhere.

"W-What in the heck was that!?" Bowser questioned. Looking down at himself, he grunted in shock, his invincibility and slightly enhanced strength from it now gone. "What's going on!?" Looking at the Star Rod, he tried to bring back his invincibility, but it had been drained by the Star Beam's power. "Why is this stupid thing not working!?"

"Let's see if y'all can feel this!?" Applejack sprinted forward, and as soon as she got close, she spun in place and bucked her hind legs hard into Bowser's gut.

He let out a pained grunt, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull as he lost his breath, sent skidding back several yards before coming to a complete stop, doubling over as he clutched his stomach. "Oooh. I felt that from here," Kooper groaned with a wince.

"What is happening!?" Kammy exclaimed. "The Star Rod failed!?...Unless..." The witch growled, now seeing what had just happened. "Those Star Spirits. They had some sort of contingency plan ever since the Star Rod came to existence, didn't they? They must have given Mario all of their power and used that beam to dispel Lord Bowser's invincibility..." At first, she grew worried, but smirked when she had her own backup plan should Bowser's first round fail. "My plan B might still save us yet."

Bowser coughed, gasping for air as he tried to sit up on his knees. His ears heard a hissing noise, looking up to find Bombette with her fuse lit up, ready to self-destruct in his face.

"This is for all the Bob-ombs that were forced to work for those stupid Koopa Bros.!" she yelled as she grunted, her fuse burning faster.

Before he could try to get away, Rainbow Dash dove in with a battle cry, slamming her hoof into the back of his head and smacking his face into the ground. Bombette finally blew up, hitting Bowser point blank as he was sent flying back a bit, only to be grabbed by a lavender aura and sent flying back toward the party. Lakilester unleashed a barrage of Spiny eggs into the Koopa King's body, followed by a harsh headbutt from Goombario in his buffed up state, an enhanced uppercut punch from Mario, and another swift buck from Applejack, all three of them striking Bowser in the gut again and sending him soaring up in the air, smacking him into the ceiling.

Groaning in pain, Bowser gripped his Star Rod tightly, refusing to let it go, even as he was getting his tail handed to him. Feeling its power return again, he unleashed a barrage of lightning bolts down on the party, hitting all of them except Mario, the plumber taking it while the others were stunned from the magical lightning strikes. Mario's eyes flashed pink as he saw a vision, watching Bowser plummet down from the ceiling he was just stuck on, and slammed down on top of Twilight, the only one he was close to while stunned and unable to defend herself.

As soon as his vision ended, Bowser had already peeled himself out of the ceiling and began his decent, falling rump first as he aimed for Twilight. His feet glowing blue, Mario quickly ran up to the alicorn at mach speeds, tossing her to safety while he quickly slid away as Bowser landed, narrowly missing getting crushed under the large Koopa's posterior. Dodging near his tail, Mario quickly grabbed his foe's weakness, making Bowser yelp as the plumber tugged hard, sprawling the Koopa King on his stomach.

"Not again with the tail thing!" Bowser complained, only to start yelling as, with surprising strength not including the enhancement of Applejack's power from the Lucky Star, Mario swung Bowser around while spinning in place. His feet still glowing blue from Rainbow's power, he spun faster and faster, making Bowser dizzy as his limbs flailed helplessly, his eyes spiraling in dizziness. "I! Think! I'm! Gonna! Be!" Mario let go, sending Bowser sailing all the way across the long hallway. "SIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!!!!!!"

Kammy turned and watched her king tumble across the floor, his spiked shell slightly tearing up the carpet with each roll until he came to a dead stop at the other end. Seeing how their odds were already failing them, she had no choice but for them to fall back and initiate their contingency plan, hoping that it would work in their favor. Bowser stood up, his body wobbling as he could barely stand up straight after being spun around like the world's biggest top.

"Your Grace, I believe we must make a tactical retreat!" Kammy suggested. "We can still beat them if we use our backup plan!"

Bowser shook his head, his eyes finally stopped rolling in his head as he grumbled. "You're right. Plan B, Kammy." Back at the halfway point of the hall, Bowser and Kammy saw Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Parakarry trying to safely untie and carry Peach out of her bindings and back to solid ground. "Oh, no you don't!"

Using his Star Rod, he fired a beam at them, but just as Twilight was about to intercept it, it stopped in front of them and struck them with a blinding flash. Everyone yelped as they saw nothing but white, the trio trying to help the princess lowering themselves to the ground before they crashed in their blinded flight. Bowser quickly hopped into his clown copter, flying up to Peach, hovering underneath her as he cut the rope holding her in the air while still keeping her arms bound to her sides.

"No! Let me go!" Peach screamed. "Mario, help me!"

"He's got Peach!" Twilight said, blinking her eyes rapidly as everyone's vision came back to them.

"If you want her, then come after us!" Bowser mocked, he and Kammy flying out through the broken window.

"Hey! Don't run off, you coward!" Rainbow shouted. She flew after them, only for Kammy to hit the mare with her magic, sending the pegasus falling back down into the hallway, cackling as she continued following her king. Rainbow got back up, but as she tried to open her wings, they were glued to her sides, sealed by the witch's magic. "Urgh! Darn it! She did something to my wings!"

"I wish we had time to fix it, but we need to chase after them," Twilight said. "I'm sorry, Rainbow."

"I'm fine," Rainbow said. "Peach still needs our help. I'll live without flying for a while. I just hope whatever magic spell she hit me with isn't permanent."

Hurrying after them, the hero party ran across the hall and further explored more of the castle as they gave chase. Climbing up the stairs and out onto the bridge leading toward the tower, Bowser laughed at them, taunting them as he and Kammy flew up to a strange, incredibly large platform floating higher up. After a long and winding climb up the tower, the ran across the bridge that lead to said platform, where Bowser waited for them, a button sitting in the middle of the platform while Kammy stood by Peach, keeping an eye on her so she didn't try to run off. As soon as they were all across, Bowser laughed once again.

"I see you're still not going to back down, Mario," Bowser said. "Well, then, let me welcome you all to your nightmare."

"Just give up, Bowser!" Twilight said. "There's no way you can beat us with the Star Rod now! It's over! Just give it up, let go of the princess, and go back to your kingdom peacefully!"

"As if I'm going to give up to the likes of a...whatever you are! Or even the likes of Mario!" Bowser chuckled and lifted up his foot. "And since Mario's been my rival so long, I had Kammy arrange this special arena for us!" Stomping his foot down on the button, the floating platform began to shake slightly. Once it stopped, they heard the bridge they walked across fall apart, trapping everyone unable to fly to safety on the giant battle arena. "Hah! Now you're all trapped up here! No one's leaving until I win once and for all!"

"Oh no," Fluttershy uttered, trembling slightly. "How can we get everypony else out?"

"I don't know," Rainbow said. She soon felt her wings finally twitch from her sides, Kammy's spell wearing out as she can now freely spread them and flapped in the air, fighting airborne again instead of on the ground. "But if Bowser still wants a fight, then he's gonna get one!"

"You fools must not have cleaned out your ears," Kammy said as she cackled. "You fell right into our trap!"

"We heard you the first time," Bow groaned irritably.

"Did you all really think that we've just been sitting back watching you save the Star Spirits?" Kammy questioned. "Ever since I sensed that magic coming from you six otherworldly creatures, I had a feeling Mario wasn't really down for the count. And the fact that you six are just as irritating and would be more frustrating to deal with aside from Mario, I've been working on a device to increase Lord Bowser's power! And when activated, not even the Star Spirits can rival his new power when it's active!

"Unfortunately, if I had more time to study you six equine creatures and your unique magic, I could have found a way to prevent you from using your powered-up forms. But, that won't matter much, considering Lord Bowser will be even more powerful than ever before!" Kammy readied her wand, summoning her magic power into the red jewel embedded in it. "Ready, my liege!? Here we go!"

Raising her wand, Kammy unleashed her "device's" power as her wand glowed brightly. A machine began humming to life under them, the two spiked rings around the edge of the arena started to move and spin faster. Purple lightning began striking the spikes and sparking the edge of the wide, circular platform. The ground beneath them began to creating swirling shadows, the powered up machine they stood on giving everyone an ominous feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

Bowser soon grunted, a pulsing heartbeat echoing in the air as the shadows beneath them seemed to flow under his feet. His pupils dilated slightly, hunching over as he felt the arena begin to feed power into him. He soon let out a loud roar, which grow in intensity as the party stood their ground as they watched Bowser start to grow; he grew until he was at least twice his normal size, his muscles bulged in his arms and legs, nearly snapping off the spike bands he wore, and surrounding him was a faint aqua aura, practically exuding magical energy that had enhanced his strength tenfold.

"What in the name of Celestia!?" Twilight exclaimed in shock.

"It's Giga Bowser!" Pinkie screamed.

"I-I didn't think he could actually get any bigger!" Kooper said, sweat dripping down his forehead as he and the others felt dwarfed by the giant Koopa King.

Bowser chuckled, looking down at his claws as he felt the overwhelming boost in power granted to him by Kammy's intellectual planning. "Ohhhhhh yeah! I feel fantastic!" he cheered, clenching his fists and felt his second wind come back, feeling rejuvenated as well after the beating he took earlier. "Kammy Koopa, you're a genius, and I love you for it!"

"Oh, don't flatter me, Your Grace," Kammy said. "Our fallback plan isn't sure to fail now. Time to put an end to this little hero troupe and finally take over the Mushroom Kingdom!"

"With the utmost pleasure," Bowser said, cracking his knuckles again, only to make the party wince as they could practically feel them from their distance from him. "Now, let's try this for the last time, you Mushroom-munching menace. I'm going to stomp you into the ground, and make sure there's nothing left for anything to bring you back that not even a 1-Up Mushroom can help!"

As Bowser stepped forward, his one stomp caused the ground to shake, nearly knocking everyone on legs off their feet. "Oh boy. This is gonna get tough," Parakarry said.

"Well, it's like they say: the bigger they are, the harder they'll fall," Bombette said.

"I think we're gonna need a miracle to knock Bowser down while he's THIS size!" Lakilester said nervously, his cloud shaking in fear.

Mario growled, determined not to give up. If he faced several Koopas with different, powerful skills, an invincible Clubba, a Shy Guy general, a towering Piranha Plant, a deadly cloud creature, and a ghostly crystal king, then he can face an enlarged Bowser with more power than ever before. He rushed forward, leaping up toward Bowser's face as he reared his arm back for a punch. Bowser anticipated his foe's first move, ducking his head and headbutting Mario hard, sending the plumber flying in the air from the strong blow. He took in a deep breath and blew out a massive wave of fire from his mouth, aiming it straight at the others.

"Scatter!" Twilight shouted, everyone splitting up as they narrowly avoided getting burnt: all of the flying party members climbed over the fire along with Twilight and Rainbow Dash, grouped to the left after dodging were Fluttershy, Applejack, Sushie, and Bombette, and to the right were Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Goombario, and Kooper.

After separating them, Bowser looked up, spotting Mario falling back down, holding his hammer as he swung it down on him as he fell. Bowser merely blocked the plumber's tough hammer with his arm, then with the other, grabbed Mario, and slammed him down hard into the ground. Just as he was about to crush his enemy in his giant claws, Rainbow and Twilight swooped down, slamming their hooves in Bowser's face and giving Mario a chance to escape from the Koopa King's loosened grip. Roaring in irritation, Bowser tried to swat the pegasus and alicorn as they dove down at him, too busy looking up at them to see Mario vault back on his feet and got as far away from him as he could.

Bow, Parakarry, Watt, and Lakilester joined the two mares, attacking from the air while the other split up groups flanked Bowser to try to cause some kind of injury to the gargantuan beast of a Koopa, except for Fluttershy, who stayed back as support while trembling at the sight of the magically enhanced foe. Even as everyone ganged up on Bowser, they were able to cause a little bit of damage, but it was like he didn't even feel their hardest attacks. Despite being bigger, it didn't diminish his original speed in the slightest, the party backing away when he swung his sharp claws, tried to stomp on them, or even roast them alive with his fire breath. Out of everyone's blows, he could feel Mario's heavily exerted blows, Applejack's powerful bucking prowess, and Twilight's magic beams as she poured more mana into them. The others' were only able to irritate or distract him at their strongest, mostly the former.

"Come on! Is that the best you've got!?" Bowser goaded, laughing in amusement at their failed attempts to try to hurt him. "I guess not." Pulling out the Star Rod, Rainbow saw an opportunity to try to swipe it from him. If someone snatched it away, then maybe they'll have an advantage and use it against him. She swooped in for the steal, but as soon as her hooves touched it while in his claws, she yelped as she felt a painful jolt of electricity shoot through her body, paralyzing her in midair. Everyone gasped in shock at what had just happened, Bowser smirking menacingly as he turned to the speedy pegasus, then snatched her out of the air with his other claw by her neck. "Nice try, rainbow head! Even before you got here, I made sure to grant myself a little wish in case someone was stupid enough to swipe the Star Rod from me! Try to take it while I'm still conscious, and you'll get zapped!"

"Ngh! I-I can...handle...a bit of electricity...you jerk," Rainbow grunted, flailing her hindlegs as she tried to break free.

Seeing her best friend in trouble, Fluttershy let out a gasp as she watched Bowser strangle Rainbow Dash. Watching any of her friends getting hurt was unacceptable to her, her anger fully expressing itself like when the mares had to get a full-grown dragon to leave his cave to stop spewing smoke out over Ponyville during his century-long nap. This time, instead of a scolding, Bowser was going to wish he got a verbal lecture. Flapping her wings, she flew right up in his face, glaring angrily at him.

"Let go of my friend right this instant, you nasty reptile!!!!" Fluttershy shouted.

"Gwahahahaha! Or wha-!?" Bowser's laughter died as he got a look at Fluttershy's eyes, letting out a confused, terrified grunt when her furious stare pierced through his soul. He was around five or six times her size, he could grab her and keep Rainbow in his hand if he wanted, but his body wasn't willing to listen. "W-W-W-What is happening?...W-Why can't I move my body?"

Rainbow chuckled, wriggling her way out of Bowser's slowly unclenching claws. "About time you used that Stare of yours, Flutters."

"'Stare'!? What is she babbling about!?" Kammy exclaimed, highly confused. "Lord Bowser, she's just leering at you! How is something that's supposed to be cute, fluffy, and adorable be menacing!?"

"Well, I've never seen it myself when Fluttershy told me about her signature Stare when they arrived," Peach said. "She uses it when her animal friends don't listen to her, and only for emergencies. She even used it on a dragon."

"Bah! How can something like THAT take on the likes of Bowser at his-?" Hearing Fluttershy let out an enraged yell, Kammy looked and gaped in pure shock as she watched the timid pegasus tackle into Bowser, making him grunt as the wind was knocked out of him. She then turned around, wrapped her forelegs around his neck, then flipped him forward with surprising strength, slamming him down on his hard, spike-shelled back. The witch's jaw dropped, taken aback by how someone that shy was able to do something to someone bigger and heavier than her by practically a ton. "...Uhhhhh...Did I take the wrong medicine today, or am I finally going senile?"

Met with silence from Peach, who was just as stunned, Fluttershy bounced off Bowser's stomach as she landed by his leg, the Koopa King scrambled to get away from the terrifyingly strong pegasus. He got to his belly, but she wrapped her hooves around one of his ankles, and in one swift movement, she flew over him, bending his back painfully as she caught him in a leg lock.

"AHHHH! I don't think I'm supposed to bend like that!" Bowser screamed, pounding his fist into the ground in surrender, but Fluttershy wasn't going to have any of it.

"Yay! Go, Fluttershy!" Pinkie cheered, all but the rest of the mares and Sushie stared, completely stunned at how easily Fluttershy pinned Bowser at his size. "Show that Koopa who's boss!"

"...Ok, maybe she's tougher than I thought after all," Bow commented. "...I hope she isn't able to find a way to 'wrestle' a Boo into submission."

"No time to gawk!" Twilight reminded everyone. "Let's get him while we have the chance!"

Everyone rushed the leg-locked Bowser, surrounding him as they prepared to knock his lights out. Bowser gripped the Star Rod in his hand, using its power to unleash a shockwave of yellow light. It struck everyone, sending them flying back as the magical wave hit them hard, Fluttershy's hold on Bowser's leg lost as she tumbled across the ground after being flung by the Star Rod's power. Grunting, standing up with a wince as he stood on his sore leg, he brushed off the nearly brutal, back-breaking lock, amazed his shell didn't break in half after being bent like that.

"Well, I guess you colorful things aren't as pathetically weak as you looked after all," Bowser grumbled. "But I'm done toying with you. Time to go invincible again!"

Raising the Star Rod, he used its power to make himself invulnerable yet again, the ethereal stars flowing around him giving him the rainbow aura of invincibility once more. As the party stood up, grunting in pain from the incredible shockwave, they saw the Koopa King back in his invincible state.

"He really doesn't learn his lesson, does he?" Twilight asked.

"Not after kidnapping Princess Peach several dozen times," Goombario said.

Mario shook his head, not surprised to see Bowser try to use the same tactic they were able to get rid of earlier. Praying again to the Star Spirits, he summoned them again as they appeared in a flash, then hovered over Bowser and unleashed the Star Beam again. He was shrouded in the dispelling beam of light, but something happened as the Star Spirits seemed to have lost their concentration, their power backfiring as they suddenly got flung in different directions with a surprised yell. Completely shocked, everyone stared in horror as Bowser remained invincible, smirking cockily with his arms crossed.

"Bah! That little attack isn't going to do anything anymore!" he mocked. "Just like that dumb friendship beam those six things tried!"

"H-How did it fail!?" Kooper exclaimed. "The Star Beam's supposed to nullify the Star Rod's power!"

Mario grew worried, fearing that he might actually lose this fight to Bowser again, and for good. "Mario, let's try combining the Star Beam with our power!" Twilight suggested. Looking over at the alicorn, he nodded his head, willing to give it a try at any cost. "Girls, form up!"

The other ponies nodded and joined Twilight. Closing their eyes, they focused on the magic of friendship, unleashing their Elements as their forms changed as spheres of light appeared and disappeared. Now in their Rainbow Power forms, the six mares hovered over Mario, focusing their magic together as the plumber began praying again, summoning the seven Star Spirits once again. Even the Star Spirits didn't back down, focusing their power once again as they flew over Bowser. The Mane Six shined brightly, releasing beams of colorful light from their being to create a rainbow, sending it spiraling over to the Star Spirits as they unleashed the Star Beam, combining both powers as they struck the Koopa King.

The beam seemed to stay for a while longer this time, but it began to waver slightly, the Star Spirits grunting to try to keep it held. Sadly, their strength waned as it backfired again, sending the powerful Stars scattering away while the rainbow of light shot straight back at the Mane Six. Gasping in shock, the mares were struck by their own power, sending them crashing down in a daze.

"You know, as amusing as it is to watch you fail, it gets boring to see these magic friendship beam things keep failing," Bowser said. "I think you need to look up the term for 'invincible', because that clearly hasn't gone through your heads yet."

Mario began to sweat nervously while the others checked on the downed ponies. They were still conscious, groaning in pain as they sat up, still retaining their Rainbow forms.

"Are you girls alright?" Lakilester asked.

"Ah guess," Applejack said. "But what's goin' on? How did that Star Beam work the first time, but it's not workin' now?"

"I don't know..." Twilight looked around at her surroundings, trying to figure out this mystery to Bowser's invincibility remaining intact even after two Star Beams, the last one combined with their magic from their Rainbow Forms. She looked at the ground where the dark, spiraling energy continued to flow into Bowser, the lightning dancing around the arena as it continuously struck the spinning rings, then back to Bowser and the Star Rod still held firmly in his hand. The realization of the situation finally clicked in, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks at the theory. "...Unless..."

"'Unless?'" Bow questioned skeptically, floating in front of the shocked alicorn. "I don't like the way you said that! What's 'unless' mean!?"

"This arena we're standing on," she started. "This is granting Bowser this power to grow him to the size he is now, right?" Slowly, most of the group nodded their heads, the answer slowly starting to be pieced together for the others. "Then...if that's true...then anything he has could be powered up, too...Which means...the Star Rod's power has surpassed even the Star Spirits' combined power to nullify it!"

"HUH!?!?!?!?!?!?" everyone shouted in shock.

"NANI!?!?!?!?!?!?" Pinkie exclaimed.

"N-No way!" Bombette said. "T-Then that means..."

"Umm, we can't beat him now!?" Watt asked nervously.

"T-This isn't fair," Rainbow uttered. "He can't win...He just can't!"

"He is...and he's going to..." Twilight felt hopeless as she slumped, already admitting defeat as their most powerful and only method of ridding Bowser of his invincibility was now useless.

Mario clenched his fists, stepping forward despite his nerves. After facing these odds, he wasn't going to give Bowser the satisfaction of winning by admitting his defeat. Twilight looked up at Mario, along with the others, surprised to see the plumber stand his ground despite the impossibility of the situation. Their morale slightly returning, the rest of the party joined Mario, standing by his side as they faced the invincible Koopa King, even the Mane Six after realizing they were going to lose. Bowser laughed at them, unsure whether or not he should commend them for their bravery or mock them for their stupidity.

Peach watched in horror, her hope slowly dwindling as Mario was sure to perish for good this time, along with Twilight, her friends, and the ragtag group of friends they befriended on their long journey. "No...I have to do something...but what?" she asked herself. "...Someone...anyone...help us..."

"No one's going to save you anymore, Princess," Kammy said. "It's finally over. And my king, if you decide to do any physical harm, leave those equines alive so that I may study their unique magic! If we figure out where they came from, maybe we can conquer their kingdom as well!"

Peach gasped, staring at the witch in shock. "No!" Kammy cackled, imagining how much more powerful her magic will become once she mentally dissects the Mane Six's magic prowess. The two soon heard a yell from above, but Kammy wasn't able to react in time as something smacked her hard in the back of the head, sending her in a daze as she fell off her broomstick. The thing that struck her hit the ground a few meters away from Peach, letting out a groan. When she saw what it was, Peach gasped again, recognizing the Star Kid struggling to hover back up. "Twink!? Is that you!?"

"Ugh...I'm ok...I think," Twink grunted.

Peach ran up to the injured Star Kid, wishing her arms were freed so she could hug him. "Oh, I'm so glad you're ok! But, you're badly hurt. Why are you here?"

"I...wasn't going to leave you hanging," he said. "Here, let me get you out of those ropes."

Twink flew around behind the princess, undoing the knot keeping her arms held down. Once she was freed, she turned around and hugged Twink tightly.

"You shouldn't even be moving," Peach chided. "Bowser hit you pretty hard."

"I'll live," Twink reassured, wincing a little as he pretended to be strong. "You needed my help. I promised to try to grant you any of your wishes as best as possible. So, hurt or not, I'm stuck to you like glue."

Their reunion was cut short when they heard Kammy grunt, getting back up with a heavy shake of her head. "Ow. What in the world hit me?" Looking over at Peach, she spotted Twink in her unbound arms, growling irritably at the Star Kid. "You!? You're back!?" As the witch climbed back on her broom, Twink hovered protectively in front of Peach, ignoring his injuries to defend her from getting tied up again. "I thought Lord Bowser got rid of you, you little pest!"

"You can't get rid of me!" Twink said defiantly, making Kammy cackle.

"You think a young whippersnapper like you can defeat me!?" she questioned. "You got lucky knocking me out like that!"

"I'm not scared of you! Take this, you old hag!" Twink flew forward, hurling himself into the experienced Kamek.

Unfortunately, with his weakened state and his size, he barely made Kammy Koopa flinch as he bounced off her face. "Nyeah hoo hoo hoo hoo! Did I feel a breeze? Was that really the best you got?"

She smacked Twink back with her wand, quickly stopping himself as he winced while floating in front of Peach. Seeing how determined the Star Kid was, Peach prayed in Twink, believing he was strong enough to stop Kammy. Stars twinkled around the princess while she held her hands together in a prayer, those same stars glittering around Twink, who gasped as he suddenly felt rejuvenated and slightly stronger. While distracted, Kammy used her magic to summon a giant sand block, slamming it down on the Star Kid's head, making him scream out in pain.

"Twink!" Peach cried out.

"Ngh...I-I'm fine," Twink assured, shaking it off as he leered at the witch.

He tried to tackle her again, but this time, he surprised Kammy Koopa when he had actually managed to hurt her, smacking her right in her face. "OW! W-What!? T-That actually hurt!?" Growling, she tried to swat him away with her wand, but he moved too fast for her to hit him as he returned to Peach, the princess praying more for him. "So, you do have some fight in you, eh? Well, I'll have to bury you under a bunch of sand blocks, then!" She slammed another block she summoned with her magic, injuring Twink some more, but not as badly as the first time. They continued exchanging blows, with Twink's strength growing more with each silent wish Peach gave to him, and Kammy's attacks were getting weaker and barely phasing the Star Kid. "Gah! What is going on here!? Why are you getting stronger!?"

By now, Twink's body was practically shimmering, now understanding where his newfound strength was coming from. Kammy tried to attack with yet another sand block, and when it was slammed down on him, Twink barely flinched, smirking at the witch as he puffed his tiny Star body.

"Did I just feel a breeze?" Twink mocked. "Was that the best you've got, witch!?"

"W-W-W-W-What!? WHAT!? T-That's impossible!" Kammy exclaimed. "How are my attacks not doing anything!? And how's he getting stronger!?" She finally noticed Peach with her eyes closed while silently praying. Kammy gasped, backing away nervously when she realized how it was possible that she was losing to a Star Kid. "Oh no...No! Now I remember...Stars get their power from ordinary people's wishes...Peach's wishing is granting this little brat power!"

Twink let out a battle cry, sprinkles of stars trailing behind him as he rushed Kammy. She tried to escape, but with Twink's increased strength and agility, he smacked the witch in the chin, knocking her off her broom and up in the air. He followed after her, constantly flying around and ramming into her like a storm of shooting stars. He followed up with a dive, slamming down on Kammy Koopa hard, sending her crashing to the ground on her broomstick, snapping it in two from the impact while leaving the bruised and battered witch unconscious.

"Twink, you did it!" Peach congratulated, making the Star Kid beam as he hovered down back to her. "I knew you could beat her!"

"We beat her," Twink corrected. "I felt your wishes. They made me stronger. And I feel so much better now! Without your help, I probably wouldn't have won."

As much as they wanted to celebrate, their victory was only short-lived. Looking back at the real fight going on, Peach and Twink watched as Bowser relentlessly attacked Mario, Twilight, and their friends, still invincible with the Star Rod's power all while being supercharged by the arena beneath them. Not a single attack could be dealt to Bowser as they tried and failed to fight back, despite all odds, until only Mario remained standing. The plumber tried to rush in again, ramming himself into Bowser's stomach, but he barely nudged the Koopa King. Bowser chuckled, grabbing Mario, then slashed at him with his claws before tossing him back with the others. He managed to roll back onto his feet, but his legs buckled as he fell to his knees, panting heavily while in devastating pain.

"Oh no. They're still in trouble," Peach said. "I want to help...but what can I do?"

Twink thought long and hard, not planning on giving up after all they've been through. Looking down at himself, he had a perfect, insane idea, and he knew it would work.

"Princess Peach, make a wish!" he said, Peach turning to look at him in confusion. "Just like you did for me, make a wish to the Star Spirits to make them grow stronger! Think of the Mushroom Kingdom, Star Haven, Mario, Twilight and her friends, their world! Make a wish to the Stars about everything you want to see live a brighter future!"

"Are you sure it'll work?" Peach asked.

"It has to! Your wishes felt pure when you gave them to me, and if they're strong enough, it'll reach the Star Spirits and give them the strength they need to overcome the Star Rod's power," Twink said.

Seeing as it was their last hope, Peach nodded her head and began to pray. Twink flew off to help the others as the princess prayed as hard as her heart would allow it: for Mario, for her kingdom, for the Stars, and for Twilight and her friends to return safely to their home. Several stars sparkled from the princess, her strong wish reaching out to the seven powerful Stars to give them the strength they need to help Mario defeat Bowser and the powered-up Star Rod.

Bowser laughed as he stomped over to Mario, the plumber looking up with a weak glare. "What's wrong, Mario? Feeling under the weather?" Mario struggled to stand up, only to fall back on his knees, feeling utterly hopeless as, this time, he was going to lose to Bowser for good. "Now it's finally time to end this. And no more second chances."

Twink rammed into the back of Bowser's head, surprising the Koopa King as he quickly turned around to see what tried to attack him, momentarily forgetting he was immune to getting hurt by anything. He walked off to see what hit him, confusing the beaten party.

"Twilight, as appreciated as it was to try to distract Bowser, I don't think buying us time will do much," Kooper said.

"That wasn't me," the alicorn admitted.

"Hey, guys!" Twink greeted as he floated down toward them.

"Twink!?" everyone exclaimed.

The Star Spirits appeared before them, both shocked by the intense surge of power flowing from the wishes they were receiving and by Twink's presence. "Twink!? Little buddy!?" Muskular said. The blue Star Spirit flew up to the Star Kid, looking him over like an overprotective older brother. "What are you doing here!? You're supposed to be resting! Are you alright!? How many arms am I moving right now!?"

"Honorable Muskular, I'm fine!" Twink assured, happy to be noticed by a Star Spirit, but hated being coddled like a baby.

"My friends, do you feel that overwhelming power flooding through us?" Eldstar asked in awe, the other Star Spirits nodding in agreement. "I feel...Princess Peach's wishes. The wishes of the Mushroom Kingdom. They are granting us all their power!"

"I knew Peach was a special girl, but her purity is such a spectacle for a princess of her generation!" Skolar said. "Gifted with magic and a kind heart. Truly one who deserves to have her wishes granted, but never selfish to indulge in such greed."

"I think we might have enough power to match Bowser's strength now!" Mamar said.

"We must not give up hope now, everyone!" Kalmar said. "This is our chance! Let us not waste it!"

"Mario, we will grant you our power once more and enhance the Star Beam!" Eldstar said. "Gather round, everyone, so that we may heal you for the true final battle!"

The Star Spirits flew into formation above everyone, but Muskular took Twink, letting him join them. "That includes you, squirt! Ready to help us with that impressive strength of yours?"

Twink was at a loss for words, but it showed in his expression as he grinned widely, nodding his head in excitement. The eight Stars focused their power, surrounding everyone in a shower of sparkles as their wounds were healing and their energy restored. Something else happened as the magic from the Mane Six merged with the Star Spirits', releasing a small rainbow light around them, making everyone gasp as they felt even more stronger than they had before. Even the ponies were surprised as their magic reached out to them, the light touching their friends and began forming rainbow star pendants around their necks, or bodies if they lacked one,  similar to the Lucky Star pendant that was around Mario's.

"Whoa," Goombario uttered, he and the others taking a look at the new accessories that magically appeared on them.

"Incredible," Kooper said. "It's just like Mario's Lucky Star."

"That is quite peculiar," Klevar said. "It appears as though both our power and the ponies' magic has mixed together to create these mysterious charms. And we can sense similar magics in them like that of Mario's."

"Umm, does this mean we can hurt more, move faster, see things, and all that other stuff?" Watt asked curiously.

"I'm not sure...but, I believe we can actually do this," Parakarry said. "Together, we can do anything, right?"

"Yeah! Together!" Pinkie cheered. "The power of friendship can beat anything!"

"Amen to that!" Lakilester said, his cloud nodding rapidly in agreement.

Mario looked down at his hands, feeling the enhanced power of the Star Beam as if he could control it himself. He looked up, spotting Peach staring at him, her hands held together as she gave him a confident gaze, believing in him that he will come to her rescue like he always does. He gave her a grin, promising her that she will be saved, then looked at Twilight, giving the alicorn a nod as she gave him one in return.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Bowser asked, shocking everyone as they momentarily forgot about him. They snapped back into fighting position, the Star Spirits and Twink disappearing until they were called to unleash the enhanced Star Beam, which they all dubbed the Peach Beam through Mario's thoughts. Grunting in confusion, Bowser noticed everyone was no longer exhausted or injured, and the Mushroom Kingdom allies in Mario's entourage now wore rainbow star pendants that shined brightly on them. "Hey, what's going on here!? I thought I had all of you beaten to a pulp!"

"...Super healing factor?" Pinkie answered.

"Maybe y'all might have that, Pinkie Pie," Applejack said. "Ya bounce back after anythin'. Most of the time."

"...Whatever. It doesn't even matter," Bowser said. "I'm still invincible, and you STILL can't stop me! Whatever healing magic you did, it won't do much to save you from the inevitable!"

"Well, you're wrong, Bowser!" Twilight said. "You can't beat the magic of friendship, and this time, we're finishing this!"

The Koopa King scoffed. "Alright, you want to lose again so badly? Fine then. Use that 'friendship' magic of yours again. And if it works this time, I'll eat my shell!" He waited for the beam to strike him, but this time, the heroes were confident that it will work this time. Mario clasped his hands together, everyone else joining him as they silently prayed and granted the Star Spirits' and Twink power through their wishes. The eight Stars appeared above them, the Star Spirits floating in orbit while the Star Kid hovered over them, then floated above Bowser, unleashing the Peach Beam, the white light now changed to a pinkish hue. Bowser let out a yell, feeling pain as his invincibility was taken away from him again while angrily leering in confusion. "W-What!? Not again! But I'm all souped up! It shouldn't have worked!"

"You can thank the princess for backing us up!" Bombette said.

"Huh?" Looking back at Peach, the princess was busy wishing her heart out, granting the Star Spirits the strength needed to dispel the Star Rod's power while enhanced by the arena's energy flowing into Bowser. "...She's not doing anything. And why's she not tied up!?"

Distracted and flabbergasted by Peach's escape and Kammy unconscious further away, the party took the initiative and rushed the Koopa King before he had a chance to defend himself. The Mane Six flew together, using their combined magic to send Bowser flying across the arena. He yelled in shock, tumbling across the ground before skidding to a halt, growling as he aimed the Star Rod at the six mares. They fired their beam of friendship as he shot a beam himself, but with the Star Rod weakened from the Peach Beam, it was completely overwhelmed, breaking through and hitting Bowser. He roared, swatting away the orbiting rainbow light hurting him before releasing a blast of fire, splitting the mares up before they got behind him, slamming into him together and back toward Mario and the rest of their companions.

Goombario was first up, pumping himself up to increase the strength of his tough skull. His pendant began glowing orange, enhancing his strength as the veins bulging around his head grew bigger, turning his soft, brown head into a silverish metal. Surprised as he felt a bit heavier, he ignored it and charged forward, running normally despite his heavier weight as he lunged into Bowser headfirst, slamming him right in the gut and knocking the air out of him. Bowser doubled over with a gasp as Goombario continued, jumping up high, then falling back down like a two ton anvil, smacking his skull into the Koopa King's. Bowser's body shuddered, completely frozen with his jaw dropped and his eyes glazed over in pain.

"Whoa," Kooper said in awe as Goombario flipped off Bowser's head, a sizable Goomba bump growing on the giant Koopa's head. He finally looked himself over, noticing his temporary metal body before it faded, his pumped up energy fading away. Kooper had a crazy idea, one that will surely hurt Bowser a lot while also feeling like showing off, he turned to his Koopa companion, Parakarry. "Hey, Parakarry, wanna pull off a super double team?"

"Uhh, with me?" Parakarry asked nervously. "What...What do you have in mind?" Kooper approached the Paratroopa mail courier, whispering his plan in his ear. Parakarry's eyes widened, a little nervous, but Kooper could see a glint of excitement in his eyes. "R-Really? Are you sure that'll even work with the two of us?"

"If these little charms are just like Mario's Lucky Star-" Kooper pointed at the rainbow star around his neck, making Parakarry look down at his. "-then we can use the same powers he's got from Twilight and the girls. Goombario turned into a metal Goomba using his supercharged headbutt, so maybe it'll enhance our greatest moves."

"...Well...Ok. If you're sure this will work," Parakarry said.

"Alright! Everyone, stand back!" Kooper warned.

Not sure what the blue-shelled Koopa was planning, everyone backed away, giving the Koopa Troopas some space. Kooper crouched down on all fours, Parakarry climbing on top of him, performing the same tower maneuver the Koopa Bros. had used before. They both hid in their shells and began spinning in sync, their shells glowing blue as their speed increased. Kooper's shell began to spark with flames while wind began picking up around Parakarry, their faster spinning shocking everyone as their combined attack created a massive vortex of fire. Bowser finally reacted to the painful skull bash, shaking out of his daze while rubbing his head, only to grunt when he felt himself getting pulled in by a strong tornado. When he noticed where it was coming from, he gasped, then screamed as he couldn't brace himself in time, getting sucked into the flaming twister, flailing out of control while the fire barely did much to him since he could handle a dip or several in lava before.

The two Koopas creating the fiery vortex launched up, spiraling through the wind as they smacked into Bowser like solid pieces of debris carried off by the powerful winds. Parakarry was a bit surprised to see himself catching fire, but just like Kooper, it barely affected him and only hurt Bowser as they slammed into him several times. With one last combined slam, both smaller shells struck Bowser on both sides, making him grunt in pain, the tornado ebbing away while the Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa landed side by side, the latter a little dizzy, but unable to keep his grin from shrinking after such an exhilarating rush.

"Wow...That was...awesome!" Parakarry cheered.

"Yeah, it was," Kooper agreed. "The Koopa Bros. could never come up with moves like that on the fly."

Bowser managed to stand up, holding his injured sides. As soon as his head stopped spinning, he growled and glared at the group after watching the awe-inspiring move Kooper and Parakarry pulled off. Sushie noticed him take in a deep breath, quickly flopping in front of her friends and took in a breath herself. The both exhaled, Bowser releasing more fire while Sushie shot out a massive hydro pump thanks to the powerful enhancements of her new charm, steam filling the air as both streams struck and fought for dominance as they pushed each other back. Eventually, Sushie's water began dousing Bowser's fire, making him splutter as it hit his face. The water around and on him began forming into a giant sphere held together by a purple aura, trapping the surprised Koopa King as he held his breath in confusion.

"Oh my. Am I doing that?" Sushie asked. She willed the water to move around with her thoughts, and it obeyed her mental directions. "So, this must be what Mario feels when he calls back his hammer. How exciting."

"My turn!" Watt cheered, letting out a loud grunt as her body sparked dangerously. Her yellow body flashed white, her vision seeing several glowing spots on Bowser's body while held in place by Sushie's levitating ball of water. "Ooooooh! I think I see weak points! Zappy time!"

Zipping off at the speed of light, her body struck Bowser as she dove into the sphere. Bowser let out bubbled screams of pain as the electric shocks conducted with the water he was trapped in, each sensitive point Watt bumped into actually paralyzing his limbs, if only temporarily. Seeing he's had enough, Watt appeared next to her friends, shaking off the droplets of water, followed by Sushie dropping her hold on her water, dropping Bowser as he gasped for breath.

Bombette was next, lighting up her fuse as she charged into Bowser. Her rainbow star pendant glowed brightly, increasing her size until she was just as big as he was. Unable to escape the giant pink Bob-omb, he let out a scream as Bombette exploded, sending him flying high in the air as she went off like a nuclear bomb, creating a large mushroom cloud of smoke in her wake. She landed first, her size back to normal as she let out a cheer, exhilarated by the most powerful explosion she's ever made.

Lakilester pulled out several Spiny eggs, tapping into his new pendant's magic power, making the spikes sharper and could pierce through any hard surface. He threw them out onto the arena, everyone looking up as Bowser fell back down, landing directly on the bed of deadly Spiny eggs. His eyes bulged out for a second with a grimace, then he jumped up and let out a roar of excruciating pain, the eggs sticking to him as he comically bounced around, trying to pull them off of him while trying not to prick himself further.

Bowser tried to stand still, not moving actually helping as it lessened the pain he was feeling, making him look like a mutated cactus from the Dry Dry Desert. Bow was the last one to do something to him, but she paused when she saw a small vision, though unlike Mario's involving something bad happening to the Mane Six, it was something sinister and mischievous. Giving a Boo's signature toothy grin, she chuckled, disappearing and reappearing in front of Bowser, holding her fan in her hand.

"Well, now. Trying to stay as still as a statue, Bowser?" Bow asked sadistically. An orange aura shimmered around her fan as she gently smacked it against her other hand. "Let me fix that for you!"

Winding up her arm, she smacked Bowser hard in the face, actually managing to cause him pain unlike last time, sending him spinning around while knocking off some of the Spiny eggs attached to his skin. She continued smacking him around with her fan, getting rid of all the eggs on him while making him dizzy and leaving big red marks on his face. After several hard slaps, Bow was satisfied and stopped, letting the Koopa King spin wildly out of control until he came to a complete stop. Bowser's eyes spun in his head as he stumbled, but to make matters worse, he stepped on the shaken Spiny eggs that littered the ground around him, yelping every time he walked on one as they constantly pricked him. Everyone laughed while Bow floated away with a smug grin, fanning herself with her paper "weapon".

"Oh man! That's hilarious!" Goombario said.

"I knew that would get a good laugh," Bow said. "I could get used to this foresight thing if I can see some good, scary pranks in the future."

Bowser finally came to his senses, his eye twitching as he let out a roar, spreading fire all over the ground to burn away the Spiny eggs. "That's it! I'm done with these games!" Using his Star Rod, he unleashed a storm of lightning strikes all over the arena, snapping everyone out of their laughter as they were all struck by the powerful magical bolts, stunning them for a moment, though thankfully protected by a yellow glow to prevent them from being completely paralyzed. Bowser used the Star Rod's power to make him invincible once again, letting out a roar as he released a much bigger wave of fire from his breath, engulfing the entire party as it burned them, the yellow aura keeping them from being turned to ashes, though it injured them greatly. "After so many years getting pounced on, knocked into lava and falling down pits, and being flung around by my tail into bombs, I am NOT letting this victory slip away from me again!"

Mario couldn't agree more, and this time, he wasn't going to let Bowser succeed again. He had a plan to finally beat him, and he was going to finish the fight himself. Helping Twilight back on her hooves, she whispered his idea to her, surprising the alicorn when he finished.

"Are you sure that'll beat him?" she asked. Mario nodded his head in response. Trusting him, Twilight gathered her friends, they and the rest of their companions groaning after getting blasted by Bowser's desperate overpowered fire breath. "Girls, Mario's going to use the powered Star Beam again on Bowser...Only this time, he wants to use it and our friendship magic on him."

"Seriously?" Rarity asked. "He wants us to use it on him?"

"Ooh! He's gonna use his super gloves like he did with Jr. Troopa and his super magic!" Pinkie guessed. "Let's do it!"

"Well, if he's sure," Fluttershy uttered.

"I say go for it!" Rainbow exclaimed confidently, Applejack nodding in agreement with the pegasus.

Given the ok with her friends, Twilight nodded her head as well. "Ok. Let's do it."

Joining together, the Mane Six prepared to unleash their combined might of the Elements of Harmony. Mario prayed to the Star Spirits to use the Peach Beam, only this time he commanded them to use it on him. The Stars appeared, along with Twink, unsure of what Mario had planned, but they went along with it as they charged their power. Mario raised his hands up in the air, his Lucky Star flashing an aurora of colors, making his gloves glow similarly. The Star Spirits and Twink fired the beam down on Mario, confusing Bowser as the mysterious pink beam struck his opponent instead of him, followed by the Mane Six releasing their rainbow light of friendship on Mario as well. Mario's gloves absorbed both attacks, feeling their power flowing through him as they unleashed every single ounce of power they had.

"What are you doing?" Bowser questioned skeptically. Mario answered with a clench of his fists, his hands glowing brightly as he widened his stance, then brought his hands down to his sides. Bowser raised a brow, then his eyes widened when he saw a sphere of rainbow light form between his palms, growing larger and larger until his hands were engulfed in the glowing orb of combined magical energy. "What is that!? T-That can't hurt me while I'm invincible, right!? RIGHT!?"

Mario didn't answer, only giving Bowser a smirk as he was sure to find out right now. After building up all of the collected magic, he let out a yell and thrust his hands forward, and released a massive, swirling vortex of rainbow and pink energy. Bowser yelled in shock, unable to escape the spiraling energy heading straight for him, regretting to be bigger thanks to the arena fueling his strength. He took the hit, hoping it wouldn't affect him since he was invincible, but his hopes were dashed when just a sliver of it touched him, immediately dispelling his invincibility as it quickly surrounded him and caused him a great deal of pain. He yelled, trying to get away from the swirling magic draining him of his power, causing him to shrink back to normal size, the energy from the arena no longer fueling the Koopa King's body with incredible power.

Panting heavily in exhaustion and pain, the vortex finally subsided and leaving him dazed. With what absorbed energy was left in his hands, Mario ran toward Bowser, then uppercut him in the chin, sending him staggering back as an explosion of light burst from the contact. Mario threw more punches, hitting Bowser's chest and stomach, each one making him grunt with more blasts of Star and Equestrian magic released with each blow. Pulling out his hammer for the final blow, he charged the rest of the magic in him into his hammer, making a great leap in the air, then fell back down, slamming his weapon down hard on Bowser's head, a powerful explosion sending Mario flying back, the plumber flipping through the air before landing on his feet.



The Koopa King was stock still after that hit, his eyes glazed over as he let out a defeated groan. His eyes rolled back in his head as he fell over unconscious, the claw holding the Star Rod failing as it clattered across the arena as he hit the ground. It slid toward Mario, the hero picking up the mystical wand, now finally out of Bowser's possession and in safer hands. He turned to his friends and held up the wand, everyone cheering in celebration at their victorious triumph over the Koopa King.

"Aww yeah!" Rainbow cheered. "That was awesome!"

"We saved the world!" Pinkie cheered as well. "This calls for a PARTY!!!!...If only I had brought my party cannon before we got stuck here."

"Mario!" Peach called out. Mario turned to see her run up to him, who quickly embraced him to his surprise, but he was glad to see her safe and sound. "My hero."

Peach shocked Mario by giving him a kiss on the nose, suddenly making him bashful as he grinned nervously while rubbing the back of his head. The other girls giggled at the hero's reward from the princess getting him flustered.

"Just go out with each other already!" Lakilester teased. "Lakilulu would ship it, knowing how much of a romantic she is!"

Mario winced, shaking his head rapidly while waving his hands at the Lakitu. Peach giggled, finding it funny how many people still thought she and Mario should be an item when their relationship is merely platonic, a princess being saved by her heroic knight with no need to be rewarded for his efforts. The Mane Six reverted back to normal, finally able to relax now that it was all over. Unfortunately, something went horribly wrong as the whirring of the arena started to go haywire, shaking slightly as explosions began to rock the floating platform. Bowser woke up from the explosions, sitting up in confusion.

"I'm up, mommy!" he randomly shouted. Realizing where he was and lacking his ultimate weapon that was now in Mario's hands. Quickly getting up and trying to sneak away from the group, he ran toward Kammy Koopa, grabbing the dazed witch and shaking her awake. "Kammy, wake up! This ain't no time for you to be napping right now!"

"Ahhhh! Lord Bowser, stop shaking me!" Kammy pleaded.

"Then tell me what's going on!?" Bowser yelled. "What's with the explosions!?"

"Uhh...W-Well, after seems as though your fight was so intense that my device is starting to malfunction," Kammy said, their foes able to hear them over the sound of the explosions. "It's all screwed up after trying to feed you more power that it's heading back to your castle."

"My castle? Why?" Bowser asked nervously.

"Where else was there supposed to be to power this arena?" Kammy answered with her own question. "And...that also means that both the castle and this exact spot are going to explode."

"Explode!?" Twilight exclaimed. "If that's the case, then...Peach's castle is also going to be destroyed, along with the rest of us and whoever's left in the castle!"

"Oh no! The prisoners!" Peach exclaimed in horror.

"They managed to escape!" Kooper assured the worried princess. "But we're screwed!"

Bowser gulped nervously as the explosions began to grow in intensity and more frequently. "...That's...not good. Let's get out of here right-"

Suddenly, right from under their feet, a massive explosion blew up where they stood, sending both the Koopa King and his right-hand Kamek flying off through the air. They both screamed as they flailed, disappearing in the distance as they were falling toward who knows where in the kingdom. The others trapped on the platform yelled as the shaking got worse, hearing explosions coming from Bowser's castle far below them.



"Quick, everypony, gather around me!" Twilight called out. "I'm going to try to protect us all!"

"But what about Peach's Castle!?" Parakarry asked worriedly.

"It can be rebuilt!" Peach assured. "I don't care what happens as long as we're all safe!"

Everyone huddled close around Twilight as best as possible, the alicorn's horn shining brightly as she encased them all inside a large, protective bubble. She grunted as she felt the explosive forces hit her barrier, but she focused on keeping her shield up and feeding more of her mana into it to keep them all from getting blown to smithereens. Everyone braced themselves, shutting their eyes and waited for the inevitable as more and more explosions could be heard around and below them, only for them to suddenly stop as Bowser's floating fortress began to light up, being destroyed by one last powerful blast as it lit up the sky, blinding any down below in the kingdom who witnessed it.

They waited for a long while, the malfunctioning platform no longer under their feet, though they seemed to be floating down instead of plummeting to their doom. Twilight squinted her eyes open, surprised to see them surrounded by a white bubble that had protected them and gently floated them down in the air. Dropping her lavender barrier, the others opened their eyes, just as awestruck as the alicorn.

"Whoa. Nice work, Twilight," Rainbow complimented.

"I'm not doing this," Twilight uttered.

"That would be us!" Looking up, they saw the Star Spirits and Twink floating above them, the Star Kid waving down to them as he hovered above the orbiting Stars who created the magic bubble protecting them.

"Twink!" Peach said cheerfully.

"And that's not all we rescued! Look over there!" Twink pointed out in one direction, everyone looking over and surprised at what they saw.

In another similar magic bubble they were in was Princess Peach's Castle, kept safe and sound from Bowser's exploding fortress as it floated gently back down to the ground where it belonged. The Star Spirits carried everyone toward the castle, letting them safely land on the solid ground in front of the castle's stolen yard.

"Well done, everyone!" Eldstar congratulated. "Mario, once again, you have once again brought peace back to the Mushroom Kingdom, and the world. Now the Star Rod is back in good hands, and we can grant wishes to the world once more."

The other Star Spirits thanked Mario and his companions as well, praising them for their hard work, their bravery, and that their names will go down in Star Haven's history as their saviors. Mario was about to give Eldstar the Star Rod back, but he paused when he looked back at Twilight and her friends. He knows how badly they wanted to go home, but knowing how they wound up here in the first place, he wasn't sure if Twilight could find a way to safely locate Equestria with her magic spell if they end up somewhere else, getting them lost in a sea of endless dimensions and no tethering line to bring them back in their world safely.

"Mario, what's wrong?" Peach asked, noticing his concerns. He explained his hesitation, bringing up the topic of the six mares wanting to return to their world and what other dangers they could face if Twilight's dimension hopping spell lead them to a different world. Shocked, but completely understandable, the princess, their friends, and the Stars knew that they couldn't bear to know these ponies, who got caught up in their world's mess of problems, would get hurt somewhere else. "Oh my. I almost forgot."

"Yes, that is quite a concern," Eldstar said. "And, we do owe you all for your heroic efforts." Looking back for confirmation from the rest of his fellow Star Spirits, they didn't need to voice their opinion as they all simultaneously nodded their heads. "...Very well. Twilight, if you like, we will allow you to make one wish using the power of the Star Rod."

"Really?" Twilight asked. "Can it send us back home?"

"It should," Eldstar theorized. "I believe that how you arrived in our world was the result of Bowser using its power while you tried to perform your magic spell weeks ago. With how powerful it is, it might have been able to sense your magic energy, which may have caused your jump to wherever you wished to go and brought you here, sensing it would be misused and requested help from another group of heroes."

"...Maybe...And, given what happened, I'm not confident enough to test my dimensional transportation spell again to try to return home." Twilight looked at her friends, having worried about them constantly after Bowser separated them. As exciting as it was to visit new worlds beyond theirs, she had no idea where her new spell might lead them, whether it's somewhere peaceful or dangerous. She didn't want to take that chance again, but she also didn't want to just leave the Mushroom Kingdom behind forever. After thinking over what she wanted to wish for, she took the Star Rod as Mario offered it to her when she was ready. "...Star Rod...please, grant my wish..."

Gripping the mystical, wish-granting wand in her telekinetic aura, she felt the power of the Star Rod through her magic, the star on it shining brightly as she raised it up to the sky. She then aimed it forward, away from everyone, a beam of magic flowing out from the wand and began to create something in the light. As soon as the light dimmed, it revealed a mirror that the alicorn created, but it was no ordinary-looking mirror as they all saw the designed frame around it: pegasi and clouds adorning the top, unicorns with magical auras and stars around the middle edges, and earth ponies with flora and fauna at the bottom. While the Mushroom Kingdom inhabitants were confused by Twilight wishing for a mirror, her pony friends gasped as they had a feeling they knew it was more than just a reflective surface with a beautiful frame.

"No way," Applejack uttered. "...Twilight...did ya wish for...?"

"A portal from our world to the Mushroom Kingdom," Twilight finished. She approached the mirror, hoping her wish came true as she leaned her head closer, her head phasing through the "glass" as it rippled at her touch. As Twilight looked inside, she gasped when she saw the main foyer of her castle, their home, and through a mirror portal that had magically appeared that connected their worlds together: this mirror's frame bearing Peach's Castle at the top, several Stars, Mushrooms, and Fire Flowers decorating the edges, and at the top of the spire of the golden castle was a hat with the letter "M" on it. Pulling her head back, she showed everyone her joyous, tear-stricken face. "It's my castle...We can finally return home!"

"No fooling!?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh, I've missed my animal friends so much!" Fluttershy said. "I hope they're doing ok without me!"

"Ah miss mah family," Applejack said. "Ah really hope Apple Bloom's been behavin' while Ah've been gone."

"And Sweetie Belle," Rarity added. "Ohh, I miss her so much! And my boutique!"

"And we can come back whenever we want!?" Pinkie asked, Twilight nodding her head in response. "YAY! BEST WISH EVER!!!!!!"

Twilight approached Eldstar, wiping away her happy tears as she gave the Star Spirit the Star Rod, returning it back to its original caretakers. "Thank you for giving us this wish, Eldstar."

"You're quite welcome, Twilight," Eldstar said. "You and your friends didn't have to help Mario, but it does go to show that with friendship, anything is possible." Twilight nodded in agreement, considering being the Princess of Friendship is her royal title. The elder Star Spirit turned to Twink, who nervously floated around while in the presence of the seven honorable Star Spirits. "And Twink, your actions are to be commended as well."

"Aww, shucks," Twink said bashfully. "I didn't really do much."

"You actually have, squirt," Muskular said. "If you weren't there for the princess, Mario probably wouldn't have gotten anywhere without you helping her. And just from how strong you've gotten, you really proved yourself to be a fully grown Star." The other Stars nodded, making Twink grin, shuffling his arms together in embarrassment at the praise. "Speaking of 'fully grown'..." The blue Star Spirit looked at his leader, Eldstar not needing to give his permission as he nodded to Muskular, knowing how much potential Twink had. Grinning, Muskular looked back at Twink, taking off his sailor's cap and placing it on Twink's head, though it was a bit bigger than the Star Kid as it mostly covered his entire body. "How would you like the idea of being a future Star Spirit when you get older?"

They couldn't see it, but Twink's jaw dropped as his face was concealed by Muskular's hat. Twink took the hat off, staring with wide eyes at his idols at the incredible news.

"...R-R-R-R-R-Really??????" Twink asked, finally finding his voice after being rendered speechless.

"You got the makings of one, but there can only be seven at a time," Muskular explained casually. "Eldstar will eventually step down, and Kalmar will take over when the time comes. So, you could be an official candidate to be the next Star Spirit...What do you say, squirt?"

Struck silent again, Twink's jaw seemed to drop further than it had before. Slowly, his shock turned into a grin, growing wider as his body shuddered with excitement until he could no longer contain himself.

"YEEEEEESSSSS!!!!" he shouted, flying around while everyone watched in amusement at the excited Star Kid. "YesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesYEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Twilight had a little flashback to something similar she did when she was a filly after watching Twink fly around while cheering at the top of his lungs. It reminded her of when she got her cutie mark after her entrance exam into Celestia's school, looking up to the alicorn ever since she first saw her raise the sun with her magic. And when she showed her potential to her future mentor and earned her mark all at once, she couldn't contain her excitement and cheered until she couldn't anymore. And reminding her of that made her miss home, even though the way back was right there now thanks to this opportunity the Star Spirits gave her and her friends for saving them from Bowser and his forces.

After Twink settled down, still giddy and shaking from the great news, Muskular picked up his hat the Star Kid accidentally dropped as the Stars faced their saviors. "I believe it is time we return to Star Haven, and put the Star Rod back where it belongs," Eldstar said. "It is time for us to say goodbye for now, everyone. May the stars forever shine brightly upon you!"

Everyone said goodbye as the Star Spirits floated up in the sky one by one, sparkles trailing behind them as they made their way back to Star Haven. Twink was about to leave after them, eager to begin learning how to be a Star Spirit in training, but he stopped and looked back at the others.

"I want to thank you all, too," Twink said. "It was great meeting you guys and helping you all, even if I didn't feel like I did much."

"You were just as important as all of us, Twink," Goombario said. "Without giving us any hints on where to go next, we could have spent months trying to find the Star Spirits."

"Yeah, that is true," Twink said. He then looked at Peach, hovering down before her. "And it was an honor to help you, Peach...Do you think...maybe we can see each other again?"

"Of course, Twink," Peach assured. "You've helped me out so much. You're quite a...stellar friend to me."

Peach giggled at her pun, so did the others as Twink grinned. The Star Kid's grin faltered a bit, tears welling up in his eyes as he choked up a little, sad to have to leave the princess's side after all they had been through. He flew closer to Peach and hugged her, who hugged him back as they shared one last goodbye. After managing to pry himself away, Twink wiped away his tears as he backed away.

"Just you wait and see, everyone!" he announced. "I'm going to be a respectable Star and make lots of wishes come true!"

"I know you will," Peach said. "You've made mine come true, even when you said you couldn't before when we first met."

Twink was a bit surprised at first as he recalled the first two wishes Peach tried to ask him to grant. He wasn't able to at that moment, but he had not only helped her escape from Bowser's clutches, but also helped take the Star Rod away from him as well. Smiling sadly, he nodded his head, said his farewells, then floated off to chase after his mentors, sparkles from Peach's wishes trailing behind him as he zoomed off while hearing everyone say their goodbyes to him. After flying off a fair distance, watching the seven Star Spirits flying on ahead, Twink turned around, watching Peach's Castle gently float down as it began to make its light descent toward the clouds.

"Goodbye, Peach," Twink said to himself. "Goodbye, everyone. I'll always remember you all..."

He turned around and continued flying back to Star Haven, a few tears trailing behind him along with the sparkles of stars in his wake. Back at the castle, everyone looked up at the sky as they watched the Stars disappear, heading back home to settle their fellow Stars of their worries. Now, it was another sad farewell as the ponies longed to head back home after a long, perilous journey in a new, fascinating world.

"So, I guess this is goodbye, then?" Parakarry asked.

"Not forever," Twilight said. "Just until next time."

"And we can always come back and visit," Rarity added.

"Or, you can come to Equestria and see what our world is like!" Pinkie suggested. "I'm gonna need to plan the biggest of biggest parties I've ever had to plan to welcome all of you to Ponyville!"

"I think we'll take you up on that offer," Kooper said. Looking down, he realized that he and the other members of the Mushroom Kingdom had the rainbow star pendants after defeating Bowser. "I guess these little trinkets are going to be mementos of traveling around with you girls, and are here to stay."

"Looks like it," Sushie said. "Now, none of you abuse what powers these can give us. We're supposed to be the heroes, so don't misuse them, Bow."

"What? And miss out on the hilarious outcomes from scaring new 'guests' at my mansion?" Bow asked. Sushie gave the Boo a glare with her squinted eyes, making Bow sighed in annoyance. "...Alright, fine...I won't use that foresight thing...most of the time."

"And you girls don't have to worry about the portal on this side," Peach assured Twilight. "I'll make sure no one like Bowser finds it and tries to sneak into your world to cause trouble."

"Thanks, Peach," Twilight said. "I think it's time for us to head back home."

"Not without a group hug!" Pinkie said, tearing up as she waved her hooves to everyone. "Come on! Everypony bring it in!"

Everyone couldn't agree more and gathered around, getting into a massive group hug before parting. After everyone separated, some of the party were in tears, sad to see their pony friends leave, but know that they will see them again. After one last wave goodbye, the Mane Six walked through the portal, finally back home as the Mushroom Kingdom heroes and princess watched. Now with peace finally brought back to the kingdom, Mario and co. waited as the castle floated past the clouds, returning back to solid ground where the damage done to the courtyard was fixed upon landing.





In the dining room in the Castle of Friendship, Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer, and the Canterlot High gang as ponies and a baby dragon sat silently at the table, Flurry Heart and Canine Spike the only one making noise as the former babbled while being spoon fed some mashed peas and the latter for munching away at his bowl on the floor. While the girls pretending to be the Mane Six took a big break from acting as their pony counterparts, they could tell the princesses, Sunset, Starlight, and Shining Armor were getting really worried about them. Spike had also managed to crawl out of his room to have dinner, though he prodded at his plate, a miserable wreck as he sighed depressingly.

"Spike, are you ok?" Sunset asked.

"I'm good," Canine Spike answered, letting out a belch and accidentally breathing out fire. "Oops. That's hard to get used to."

"I meant baby dragon, Spike," Sunset corrected. Spike didn't give much of an answer as he stared at his plate. "Look, I'm really sorry you thought I was trying to replace the girls with Twilight and the rest of the gang from Canterlot High. I know how important they are for everyone in Equestria, and if they wound up missing, they could have panicked."

"...I understand," Spike sadly said, sighing again. "...I just miss Twilight...I'm scared to know what happened to them, and...I got mad at you for the wrong reasons...I wish they were back safe and sound..."

"We know, Spike," Cadence said. "We all do."

"If they're as tough as us, then I'm sure they'll make it through wherever they wound up," Rainbow assured calmly.

"Didn't ya get zapped by a lightning bolt when ya tried to buck that cloud over mah pony self's orchard to try to make it rain?" Applejack asked with a smirk.

"Hey, I don't even know which clouds were safe enough to kick!" Rainbow argued. "It's like algebra and calculus! I can't tell the difference!"

"Technically, calculus does have algebraic equations, but there's a lot of involvement in understanding the much more harder solutions to some of the lessons on-" Sci-Twi's lecture was interrupted as Flurry Heart managed to magically snatch the spoon from Cadence, then flung the spoonful of mushy peas at the purple alicorn's face. The infant giggled playfully as she hit the mare, making a mess of her glasses as she took them off, using a napkin to clean them while letting out a groan. "I guess even my counterpart's niece wants to tell me to quit explaining everything no one else without an IQ similar to mine would ever understand."

"No, she just likes flinging her food," Shining stated. "Mashed peas are her favorite."

"More like her favorite to fling at ponies," Cadence corrected, taking the spoon away from her daughter and continued feeding her. "She does love eating them...when she wants to."

"So, what other worlds will we end up trying to search through next?" Starlight asked. "We've found a futuristic space racing world, some peaceful-looking world where I swore I saw a blue-quilled hedgehog that ran just as fast as Rainbow Dash could fly, strange-looking animals that have weird powers that humans are able to command, and several more that either scared us, confused us, or almost got us killed. It'll take forever to just try to find one of them in the infinite dimensions we could come across!"

The doors to the dining room opened up as the Mane Six stepped inside. They froze when they saw their doubles from the human world with the princesses, Starlight, Sunset, Shining, and Spike. Celestia and Luna looked up, able to see the door from where they sat, their jaws dropping in shock as they spotted the six mares they've been trying to search for.

"...Or, they could be standing right there," Luna said.

Confused, everyone at the table looked over at the doorway, bearing the same shocked expressions Celestia and Luna had. Spike bolted out of his seat, running to Twilight with tears running down his face.

"Twilight!" he cried out. He ran into Twilight, her hooves open as they embraced each other. "You're ok! You're all ok!"

"We sure are," Twilight said. The rest of the group at the table got up and surrounded the Mane Six, Twilight's brother and sister-in-law happy to see her alive and surprisingly well. "Shining Armor, Cadence, what are you two doing here?" She looked at the table, where Flurry Heart sat in her high chair, tilting her head as she seemed to have two Auntie Twilies. Then to the Canterlot High girls, turned into ponies thanks to the magic of the portal between their worlds. "And why are you girls here?"

"Well, we wanted to come over and visit, but when we got there, we kinda got the bad news," Cadence said. "We've stayed to try to help Aunt Celestia, Aunt Luna, Starlight, and Sunset bring you girls back, though...we had a few mishaps trying to use your new spell."

"We ended up seeing different worlds, but none where we could find you," Starlight said.

"I somehow end up finding the terrifying ones," Sunset said, shuddering as she reminded herself of the first place she explored. "Never again will I walk anywhere in a cemetery or crypt."

"And we're here to fill in for you so your families didn't worry," Sci-Twi said. "Kind of too late with me, and even though it took us a while to figure out how to walk on all fours, the others managed to fool everyone in town."

"Define 'fool' when Ah looked awkward tryin' to pick the apples one by one on the farm instead of simply kickin' them to knock them down," C.H. Applejack said irritably. "Never in mah life have Ah ever felt humiliated by the pony version of mah sister for buckin' an apple tree the wrong way."

Pony Applejack chuckled, imagining herself trying to climb up each apple tree on her orchard and painstakingly pick each apple by hoof. "Didn't Starlight instruct ya on how to be like me?"

"...Maybe," C.H. Applejack muttered.

"Where did you girls go to?" Celestia asked. She also noticed the saddlebags Twilight was carrying, Starlight never mentioning her bringing anything with her before they disappeared. "And where did you get those bags?"

"It's...quite a long story," Twilight said. She took off her bags and pulled out a few Mushrooms, shocking everyone when they saw the eyes at the base of the red edible fungus with white spots. "And I seemed to have brought some souvenirs as well."

"...Does that mushroom have a face?" C.H. Rarity questioned.
> Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once the castle had gently settled back down to the ground, Mario bid his fellow partners farewell as they all split up and headed back to their homes. It was a sad farewell as their work was done, but they at least got themselves a souvenir from the six mares who helped them as well, all of them wearing pendants enchanted with their Equestrian magic that helped them in their fight against Bowser. Now that Bowser was defeated, the Star Rod had returned to its rightful place in Star Haven, peace returned to the Mushroom Kingdom, and Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends are back safe and sound in their world, a portal to their world resting safely in Peach's Castle, and kept under close watch as the princess promised.

A week had passed since things returned to normal, Mario taking his time relaxing at home from such a dangerous adventure. He had almost lost his life once, given a second chance thanks to the Star Spirits remaining power from their imprisoned states, and he didn't let it go to waste. Along with that, having the Mane Six getting split up by Bowser when he struck them with the Star Rod was also quite intense, the six ponies from another world lost in a world they don't know about and could have been in potential danger from the Koopa King's army. Thankfully, with their help, they were able to save the day and rescue the princess.

Luigi was elated to have him back home, Mario seeing him only once after he came back from the dead to assure his little brother that he was fine and needed to go off to save the world again. After his little vacation, he finally told Luigi what had happened since then, the green plumber staying quiet as he listened to every detail at their dining table. After several hours sitting through the long story, Luigi slowly raised a brow at his older brother as he included the six colorful talking ponies, creatures that were considered mythical in their world, and how important they were in a world that sounded like it came from a little girl's storybook.

"...So, that's what happened?" Luigi asked, Mario nodding his head in response. "...You took the Star Rod back from Bowser...with the help of a group of...ponies from another world...And, that pendant you're wearing has some of their magic that helped you in your adventure?" Mario nodded again. "...Mario, have you eaten too many Mushrooms or something? I know you've been on crazier adventures, but this sounds like you made it up when it got to the ponies.

"...Well, at least the kingdom is safe again. You always come through in the end, just like always." Luigi sighed and leaned against the table. "Why couldn't I come along? Maybe I'd believe you if I saw these 'ponies' with my own eyes." Mario let out a grunt, leering at his little brother. He then explained why he couldn't come: not only was it far too dangerous for him to let his brother get hurt, but someone also needed to stay and watch the house. Luigi let out a groan, feeling as if he was being scolded by a parent. "Alright, alright, I get it. It would be nice to actually be involved in your adventures every once in a while.

"Anyway, since you've been back for a while, I wonder what's happened to your friends who traveled with you." Mario hummed in thought, curious to know what the gang was up to, including the ponies back in Equestria.





"Goombaria! Get back here!" Goombario shouted, chasing after his sister around the front yard of their home while the younger Goomba giggled teasingly. She snatched Goombario's magic pendant from him when he wasn't looking, and he was trying to stop her before she got herself hurt if she accidentally used its magic. "That's not a toy! It's incredibly dangerous!"

"I got the pretty star!" she taunted. "You can't catch me!" Suddenly, the pendant lit up and shimmered a blue aura, the magical energy surrounding her feet and making her zip off faster than she ever ran possible. "AHHHHHHH! WHAT'S HAPPENING!?!?!?!?!?"

"Just stop running!" Goombario advised, but his words fell on deaf ears as the little pink Goomba tripped over her feet, tumbling far across the grass until coming to a complete stop at the Goomnut tree near the house. Goombaria groaned, her eyes swirling in her head from spinning so much, the magic thankfully stopped when she had. Goombario let out a sigh and ran up to his sister, taking the pendant off her. "I told you so."

Once the world stopped spinning in Goombaria's head, she sat up and stared at the pretty pendant. "Where did you even get that, anyway? And why can't I have it?"

"I just told you it was dangerous, because you don't know how to use it properly," Goombario scolded. "It's more than just a necklace. This has the magic of six really close friends of mine, and they came from those ponies you and mom met, who are from another world."

"Ooooooooh," Goombaria said in awe.

"And I'm not asking them to give you one, too," he added, making his sister whine in protest.

"Hey, Goombario!" Turning around and looking up at the sky, Goombario spotted a familiar Paratroopa hover down into their home.

"Parakarry!" he called out, running up to the landing mail carrier to greet him. "Hey! How've you been, man!?"

"Oh, you know, the old grind," Parakarry said. "A mailman's work is never done. At least my boss was proud of my accomplishments."

"You didn't lose your mail again, did you?" Goombario teased.

"Nope. I've made sure that my bag is in pristine condition, and it's closed," the Koopa said, patting his mail bag.

Goombaria walked up to them, letting out a gasp of shock when she saw the same kind of pendant Parakarry had that her brother had. "Hey! You have one of those pretty star necklaces, too!"

"And he's not giving it to you," Goombario said. Goombaria huffed and pouted as she turned away. "My little sister, Goombaria. She got a taste of what our little Equestrian charms carried when she swiped mine."

"Oh. I see. Also, speaking of 'Equestrian'." Parakarry rummaged through his bag, pulling out a few pink envelopes out. "I've got some mail addressed to you and your family."

"Really?" Goombario asked. "From who?"

"Not sure, but judging by the handwriting, I can take a big guess as to who since I got the same one for myself." Parakarry delivered Goombario and his family's special letters, the cap-wearing Goomba looking at the envelope addressed to him. "I got to deliver some more letters. I'll see you later!"

"Later, Parakarry!" Goombario and Goombaria watched Parakarry fly off, heading to the east to continue delivering the mail on his route.

"So, what is it?" Goombaria asked. She grew a smug grin, thinking of another way to tease her big brother. "Is it your giiiirlfriend?"

"G-Goombaria, I don't have a girlfriend!" Goombario exclaimed, blushing slightly at the odd claim. "I haven't even met any other girl Goombas on my adventure!"

"Goombario's got a girlfriend! Goombario's got a girlfriend!" Goombaria singsonged, dancing around her brother.

"Oh, brother...I sure didn't miss you, sis." Ignoring the singing Goomba picking on him, Goombario opened up his letter. As soon as he lifted the flap, a burst of confetti shocked him and Goombaria, the younger Goomba shrieking in surprise as the older brother was now covered in streamers and confetti. Goombario blinked a few times, his shock turning into amusement as he began chuckling. "Ok. Now I know who sent this letter."

"Who? IS it a girlfriend?" Goombaria asked curiously.

"No, Goombaria," Goombario grumbled. He pulled out the paper inside the envelope and read its contents to himself. His eyes widened as it was a cordial invitation to Peach's Castle for a special occasion. "Whoa! No way! I've just been invited to Princess Peach's Castle for a party!"

"Really!? Lemme see!" Goombaria demanded.

"Here, open yours," Goombario said, handing his sister her letter. She struggled to open hers, but when she did, the same party favor explosion hit her in the face, all the letters apparently going to give the rest of their family a surprising blast of pieces of colorful paper and streamers. "I think we've all gotten invited to the castle! I need to tell the others! Mom! Dad! Gooma! Goompa! Guess what!?"

Goombario ran off into the house to tell his parents and grandparents the great news. Goombaria blinked a couple times, still covered in confetti, then sniff the bits of paper.

"Why does this smell like cotton candy?" she asked herself, taking a curious lick, only to cough out a piece of the confetti she caught on her tongue. "Bleck! Doesn't taste like cotton candy..."





Bombette relaxed under a tree as she spent her little vacation resting from the long journey she had with her friends. She wished Kooper was around, but he didn't want to say no when Kolorado asked him to join him on an expedition to the Crystal Palace. They already explored the area and had an idea of what sort of history the mirror ice palace had, but Kooper was dying to figure out what else they could find.

"Hmm...It's actually pretty boring doing nothing," Bombette said to herself. "At least I'm nowhere near that insane, love-sick Bob-omb who can't take no for a hint."

"Bombette!" Parakarry called out as he hovered in the sky.

Getting out from under the shade, she walked out so her bright pink body could be seen by the Paratroopa. Spotting her, Parakarry hovered down beside her.

"Parakarry! Long time, no see!" Bombette greeted.

"Same here," Parakarry said. "I can't stay long. Got a lot of mail to deliver. And I got yours and Kooper's with me."

"Mail? For us?" Parakarry handed Bombette her letter, but before he could fly over to Kooper's house, the Bob-omb stopped him. "Actually, you missed Kooper yesterday. He's off with Kolorado to the north to explore more of the Crystal Palace."

"Oh. Well, my route takes me up to Shiver City, so hopefully I'll catch him before they make it to the palace," Parakarry said.

"Oh! Parakarry!" Approaching the duo was Kolorado's wife, the female Koopa carrying a few groceries in her hands. "Just the mail carrier I was hoping to see."

"Hello, ma'am," Parakarry greeted. "Was there anything you need? I don't think I have any mail for you or Professor Kolorado today." Looking through his bag again, he actually did find something for Kolorado, finding it odd since he checked the addresses on the letters, and it was one of the pink letters he and Bombette had addressed to them. "Oh...I guess I do...Huh."

"Well, I'll just take that, then," the Koopa said, Parakarry giving Kolorado's wife the letter. "But, I do have a message I want you to pass on to my husband when you find him."

Parakarry and Bombette winced, the Koopa's tone and friendly expression unnerving them as they had a feeling Kolorado ran off on another expedition without telling his wife...again. "Uhh...Ok. W-What's...What's the message?"





Bow floated around her room in her dank, dusty mansion, finding herself unable to relax since her return. Her fellow Boos were glad to have her back safe and sound, especially Bootler, to her annoyance, but she appreciated the welcoming committee. Her home was peaceful now that Tubba Blubba wasn't going to be any trouble to them, though she had been bored doing nothing but sit around, coming up with new scare tactics for wanderers. While gently fanning herself, she looked down at her charm, getting a few glimpses of some cheeky pranks she'll pull off in the future, though it was confusing to tell whether it would happen immediately, hours from now, or even days or weeks. At least the latter times would be worth it as they would be the funniest.

"Miss?" Bootler called out as he entered Bow's room. "Your Paratroopa friend stopped by to deliver some mail."

"Parakarry stopped by?" Bow asked curiously as she turned to face her devoted butler. "Why couldn't he come in to give it to me personally?"

"His schedule is pretty packed and he has a lot of mail to deliver," Bootler said.

He floated up to his mistress and handed her the letter. Bow took it, and before she opened it up, her pendant shimmered pink, along with her eyes as she saw something. Once the pink aura vanished, she looked down at the letter, then grinned.

"Bootler, why don't you open it for me?" Bow asked, more like requested as she handed the letter back to Bootler.

"Uhh...Of course, M'lady Bow." Confused, Bootler opened the letter, only to get blasted by confetti and streamers that were somehow packed into the envelope. Bow cackled and rolled around, finding it hilarious as the elder Boo blinked his eyes. "...Well, good thing I'm a ghost, otherwise I would have died from a heart attack from that."

"Thank you, Foresight powers," Bow said to her pendant, giving it a grateful kiss. "That pony was not going to get me with something as childish as that." Turning intangible, Bootler made the surprising confetti and streamers that got on him fall through him, giving Bow the letter after cleaning himself off. She read the invitation, cackling excitedly after going through it. "Bootler, gather a few lucky Boos. We're off to a party hosted by Princess Peach."





Parakarry flew over Toad Town, his next destination being Shy Guy's Toy Box where he knew Watt had gone back to. He wasn't exactly sure where Watt was really from, but he figured the Toy Box was like a home to her. After finding the building, he walked inside, bounced off the spring, and jumped right in, shrinking down in the now massive location. He asked the nearby conductor of the toy train if he's seen Watt, which luckily wasn't too far as he pointed down the path where Parakarry last recalled seeing the Shy Guys with all the random stuff they stole.

He found Watt, along with the friendly Shy Guy who helped Rainbow Dash, Wiggy, the group chatting with each other now that the Shy Guys aren't causing much mischief anymore. And to make things stranger, Wiggy somehow managed to gain followers to his infatuation with the colors of the rainbow, the other Shy Guys wearing different multi-colored wigs while he wore a crude drawing of Rainbow Dash on his pink clothing. It was kind of awkward, but Wiggy was at least helping Watt keep the other Shy Guys in line.

"Watt! Mail call!" Parakarry called out.

"Parakarry!" Watt cheered, zipping over to the Paratroopa in a Li'l Sparky's type of hug, her contact against him making his spine tingle from the friendly electrical volts she gave off.

"Ok, easy before you give me an overexcited gap," he warned, Watt giggling sheepishly as she hovered away. "What, uhh...what did I walk in on?"

"The Rainbow Dash Fan Club!" Watt said, floating over to a nearby box of wigs, grabbing one as she flew back out as it sat on her head, though it made the hair all frizzy from her electric body. "Umm, you wanna join, Parakarry?"

"I'm...kinda busy," Parakarry said, his job a perfect excuse to not get involved with a club about a pegasus mare with an ego bigger than her flight speed. "I just came by to drop you off a letter." He pulled out a letter from his bag, accidentally pulling out a second one as well. When he looked at the name the other one was addressed to, it was for Wiggy. "Huh? Ok, I make sure to double check how many letters I was going to be delivering on my routes. I didn't see one for Wiggy."

Wiggy let out an excited noise, quickly snatching both letters as he opened his up, getting hit by a blast of confetti. Wiggy surprisingly ignored it, silently reading what was in his letter. Letting out a gasp, he excitedly told the other Shy Guys what was written to him, making the others in his newly made fan club cheer along with him. Parakarry didn't know what was going on, but he soon realized just who was responsible for these mysteriously appearing envelopes if the random confetti and streamers were anything to go by.

"Ooh! A party!" Watt translated. "At the princess's castle! Yay!"

"I guess I'm invited, too, since I have the same kind of envelope for me," Parakarry said. "I better hurry and deliver the rest so I can have some fun. I'll see you at the castle, Watt!"

"Bye, Parakarry!" Watt said, Wiggy and his Shy Guy friends waving the Paratroopa off as he quickly made his leave.





Sushie watched over the Yoshi Kids just outside the village, as her usual job entails, making sure the little scamps didn't wander too far away. They knew not to go too far after their latest escapade almost getting a couple of them killed. They were sad to know that Fluttershy had gone home, wishing they could have seen her off. The five young Yoshis were glad to hear she was back safe and sound, and that it was possible for her to come back to their world and visit whenever she gets a chance.

Parakarry flew overhead and spotted the Cheep Cheep in Jade Jungle, landing down a fair distance away so she didn't startle her. "Sushie!"

"Parakarry! It's been a while!" Sushie greeted. "Working hard, or hardly working?"

"I prefer working my darned hardest than slack off," Parakarry said, the two partners sharing a laugh. "I can't really stay long, but I've got mail for you."

"Anything from my daughter?" Sushie asked.

"No, but you'll see who it's from the moment you open it." Parakarry handed Sushie the invitation, said his farewells until the party, and flew off to continue on his route.

"Hmm...Who could it be from?" Sushie opened the envelope, yelping when she was hit by confetti that came from inside it. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed, getting the Yoshi Kids' attention, finding her covered in colorful bits of paper.

"Miss Sushie? What happened?" the red Yoshi Kid asked curiously.

"We didn't pull any pranks!" the yellow one quickly said. "We swear!"

Sushie recovered from the shock, knowing full well the Yoshis weren't the ones who tricked her with the confetti. In fact, those five couldn't even come up with something this random, which meant this letter came from someone else she knew. Pulling out the invitation, she read it to herself, already excited for the party that she and the Yoshis were invited to at Peach's Castle.

"Boys, great news!" she announced. "We're all going to the mainland!"





Lakilester and Lakilulu laughed as the couple relaxed in the middle of Flower Fields, having themselves a romantic date under the clear skies of the floral lands. It was a relief for Lakilulu when her boyfriend told her the amazing news pertaining Bowser's defeat, though she doubted that the Koopa King wasn't going to give up in his schemes, as he always does. The last week, Lakilester spent his vacation days from his adventure hanging with his girlfriend, no longer stressing about their "work" and can settle down with no one to separate them, or their clouds.

"It is such a nice day today," Lakilulu commented.

"Doesn't Flower Fields always have nice weather?" Lakilester asked.

"Yes, but I think it's better seeing everything from a grounded perspective," she reiterated. "Maybe I should give up my cloud." Both Lakitus' clouds gasped in shock as they both looked up at Lakilulu. Even Lakilester was surprised, his glasses tipping over at the statement. "I'm just kidding!"

"Sheesh, Lu, don't do that," Lakilester muttered. "Always gotta scare the daylights out of me, whether it's something I stupidly said or not."

"Lakilester!" The Lakitu couple looked up as they spotted Parakarry fly down toward them.

"Parakarry! What's up, dude!?" Lakilester greeted. "Haven't you had a break since we beat Bowser?"

"A mailman's work is never done," the Paratroopa stated. "I don't need rest after I fly through rough weather when they're on my routes."

"Well, you should get yourself some rest, at least," the Lakitu suggested.

"I'll do that later today." Lakilester and Lakilulu looked at each other in confusion at Parakarry's statement. He then pulled out the pink envelope addressed to his friend. "All of us are invited to a special party hosted by Princess Peach."

"An invitation to the castle???" Lakilulu asked, both shocked and excited.

Lakilester took the envelope and opened it up, being startled by the party favor blast of confetti and streamers as they hit his face. "...Ok, let me guess. Did Pinkie send these invites? Or did the princess do this?"

"Can Peach pull off crazy things like this?" Parakarry answered with his own question. "Or somehow give me more letters after the load I already have was accounted for?"

"...Good point." Pulling out the letter, Lakilulu and her cloud silently giggling at the sight of their lovers covered in party decorations as he read the invitation. "This is quite an honor, though. A fancy party at Her Highness's castle. And everyone's going to be there?"

"I believe so. I gotta get going, but I'll see you two later! I still have a lot of letters to deliver!" Parakarry flew off to continue on his route, hoping to finish in time before the party starts.

"Later, Parakarry!" Lakilester called out with a wave.

"Please tell me you're not joking," Lakilulu begged. "Are we really going to go to a party at the castle?"

"Yup. Legit invitation and everything," Lakilester said. "Sounds like we've got ourselves another date today. That's not going to be too much, is it?"

"Are you kidding!? A formal party with the princess! At her castle!" Lakilulu started squealing, temporarily at  a loss for words at her excitement. Lakilester and his cloud looked at each other with a smirk before looking back at Lakilulu. "Oh my gosh! I need to get ready! I have to put on makeup, find a decent dress! AHH! I don't have a dress! And I need to fix my hair!"

"Lulu," Lakilester calmly said, gently grabbing her shoulders, stopping her rambling. "You're beautiful just as you are. No need to doll yourself up for something fancy. Mario's going to be there, and he wears overalls and a red long-sleeved shirt. Peach doesn't mind how anyone looks, so don't freak out about looking pretty. Ok?"

Blushing slightly at her boyfriend's compliments, her glasses fogging up slightly from her heated cheeks, she adjusted them as she giggled nervously. "I'm really beautiful?" she asked, squeaking suddenly when Lakilester leaned closer and gave her a peck on the lips.

"More beautiful than all the flowers here in Flower Fields, babe," he said, making his girlfriend blush harder as she bit her bottom lip bashfully.

"Don't tell Rosie that," Wise Wisterwood said, surprising the couple as they almost forgot they were spending their date in front of the elder tree. "I sure wished we could come along, but being rooted to the ground is kind of hard to do."

"We'll make sure to mention you guys to everyone so you don't feel left out," Lakilester promised.

"Oh, you don't have to," Wisterwood said. "But we appreciate it. We hope to get some new guests to come in through the Flower Gate aside from Minh T."

"With how big of an event this party is, they'll probably be curious enough to walk through that door," Lakilester said. "Speaking of, let's get there before the crowd shows up and it gets too crowded."

"Ok!" Lakilulu said, the Lakitu couple floating together up to the door connected to Wise Wisterwood, quickly making their way to Toad Town via the enchanted doorway.





Up north in Shiver City, Kooper, Kolorado, and two of the famous explorer's assistants had their packs fully stocked for the trip up Shiver Mountain, their destination the Crystal Palace where legends of a cultural civilization once thrived who had worshiped the Stars. The group of Koopas gathered near the exit of town as they double-checked their gear.

"Alrighty, gentlemen!" Kolorado announced. "Time to scale Shiver Mountain and reach the magnificent Crystal Palace! Kooper, you're in charge of guiding us. Your experience there will be of the utmost importance."

"Leave it to me, professor," Kooper said. "I know that place like the back of my hand. I cannot wait to discover what other secrets we don't know about the Crystal Palace."

"Kooper!" Parakarry called out, panting slightly as he hovered down and landed beside his companion.

"Parakarry? What are you doing here?" Kooper asked.

"F-Finally caught you," Parakarry said, taking in a few deep breaths. "Sorry. I've been on a serious mail rush. I've got a letter for you."

"I do?" Parakarry handed Kooper his invitation, and when the blue-shelled Koopa opened the envelope, he flinched when he was hit by a blast of confetti. "Ahh! What the heck!?"

"Yeah, I have the same letter, but I know exactly what it is," Parakarry said. "And I didn't need my pendant's Foresight powers to help me see it coming."

"Lucky," Kooper grumbled. He pulled out the letter after brushing the confetti off him and read it silently. "Whoa! An invitation to a party at Peach's Castle!? For real!?"

"From what the others told me when some of them opened theirs, yeah," Parakarry said.

"Oh man! There's no way I want to miss this!" Kooper's excitement for the party suddenly disappeared as he looked back at Kolorado. "...But, I can't just turn down this expedition...I promised Prof. Kolorado."

"Oh, bladerdash, Kooper!" Kolorado exclaimed. "My dear boy, it would be terribly impolite to turn down such an invitation from someone of royalty to a formal gathering!"

"But-" Kooper tried to say, but Kolorado interrupted him.

"No buts, Kooper," he said. "Go to that party this instant! It would ruin the party if the hero of Koopa Village...nay, the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom isn't there."

Despite how badly Kooper wanted to really go on an expedition with Kolorado, without the threat of the kingdom in the way, his mentor was dead serious about him attending the party. "...Wow...Are you sure about this, professor?"

"Yes, of course!" Kolorado said. "Now get going! Skedaddle!"

"Ok. Thanks, professor! I hope you guys will do ok without me!" Kooper ran off, stripping off his pack as he whooped and hollered while making his way back to Toad Town.

"Professor, are you sure we'll be alright without Kooper?" one of Kolorado's aides asked.

"Pishposh, of course we'll be alright!" Kolorado assured. "Besides, the fun of exploring someplace new is expecting the unexpected! Kooper deserves to have fun. He's still young."

"Oh, speaking of, I have a message for you, Kolorado," Parakarry said. The Paratroopa cleared his throat, pulling out a slip of paper with the archaeologist's message. "'Don't bother coming back home, you wandering buffoon! What a no-good husband!'...That was...a paraphrased message from your wife."

"Paraphrased?" the other aide asked.

"You did NOT want to hear the actual message, but I think it's close enough," Parakarry said, shuddering slightly as the words Kolorado's wife used were quite articulate. "You didn't even tell her you were going off on another expedition as soon as you came back from Lavalava Island, didn't you?"

"Pah-pah-pah-pah...Parakarry! Why didn't you tell me this in the first place!?" Kolorado exclaimed in shock. "Oh, I'm going to be in for it now. I'd better head back home immediately!"

The explorer then ran off faster than he caught his butt on fire in Mt. Lavalava to appease his angry wife, or take his beatings if it was too late. Parakarry let out a sigh and shook his head, then flew off to continue delivering more letters. The two aides were left by themselves as both Kooper's and Kolorado's full backpacks sat by their feet. They then looked at each other, wondering what to do next.

"You wanna try out that spa here in Shiver City?" the first Koopa asked.

"Eh. Why not?" the second said with a shrug, both Koopas lugging two sets of bags back to where they had stayed at the previous night to enjoy a relaxing spa day in place of the canceled expedition.





Back in the Mario Bros. household, the brothers relaxed in silence in at the dining table. The silence was disturbed as they heard their mailbox clank, Parakarry quickly stopping by to deliver his last letter before flying off, without even alerting the two of his presence. Luigi volunteered to get the mail, like he always does, coming back in with a pink envelope that was dropped off for them.

"Looks like you got another letter, Mario," Luigi said. "Must be a fan of yours, because the handwriting looks pretty...childish?" Giving his brother his mail, Mario looked at the pink envelope closely. His name was written pretty poorly, almost like a child hastily scrawled his name on it before being mindful of their neatness. Curious, he opened it, nearly knocked out of his seat as he was hit by a blast of confetti and streamers. Luigi yelped in shock, falling over in surprise as he saw his brother covered in decorative party bits. "W-What the-!? Where did that come from!?"

Mario blinked a few times, a grin growing on his face as he had an idea who exactly sent him this letter. Pulling out its contents, he unfolded the paper and read what was on it.



Dear Mario,
You and any family or friends are cordially invited to Princess Peach's Castle for a super-de-duper fantastical party today! It is a fenominally wondiferous occasion for not one, but two special events: one as a celebration to the brave heroes (You especially!) who defeated Bowser and his power over the Star Rod, and the other for two special kingdoms uniting together in friendship and harmony! There will be lots of goodies, friends old and new, music and dancing, party games, and much, much more! We hope to see you and Luigi there, and actually believes your story about us helping you on a dangerous, but super fun adventure!

Sincerley,
You-know-who



Luigi peered over Mario's shoulder as he looked at the invitation. "Another party at the princess's castle? After it just got back on the ground last week? What is Peach thinking?" After Mario brushed the confetti off himself, making a mental note to clean up this mess, he corrected Luigi by stating who actually sent them the invitation. "Pinkie Pie? Isn't that the name of one of those pony creatures you mentioned? She sent this? And how was she able to make it burst with confetti when someone opens it up?" Mario simply told Luigi the usual mantra involving Pinkie Pie; never question Pinkie Pie. "That makes no sense! I have several questions!" Ignoring his brother's confusion, expecting him to understand when he finally meets his Equestrian friends, he hopped out of his seat and made his way out the door, accepting the invitation and ready to finally enjoy an exciting, non-kidnapping party. "W-Wait! Mario! Hold on a second!"

Mario dove into the Warp Pipe, Luigi chasing after him as the brothers made it to Toad Town's Entrance. They were surprised to see the town was actually quite crowded with not only residents who lived in the Mushroom Kingdom's capital city, but people from all around the kingdom. From the far east and west, far north and south, it was almost like everyone was invited to this grand party being held at the castle. Mario also recognized several of the people he and his friends have met on their journey as he and Luigi made their way to Peach's Castle. Some of them recognized him as they passed, waving to him and saying their hellos as he greeted them in kind.

Getting sidetracked by some of the visiting guests from all over the kingdom, the Mario Bros. arrived at the front entrance to the princess's castle. They were soon startled by a barking sound, a Chain Chomp bounced toward the brothers, both of them yelping as Mario was suddenly pounced, then licked to death by the heavy, animated iron ball.

"Chompy, heel, boy," a familiar voice called out, a green Nomadimouse with a brown keffiyeh pulling on the chain to bring the Chain Chomp back to his side. Mario sat up, wiping off the slobber drenching his clothes, happy to see Moustafa and Chompy again. "Nice to see you again, Mario. I'm not one for parties, but after receiving my invitation, I couldn't pass up this opportunity to see Pinkie Pie again."

"Who is Pinkie Pie?" Luigi questioned. "Don't tell me Mario put you up to this strange story of his. I find it hard to believe mythological creatures actually appeared and helped my brother save the kingdom."

"Oh, but it is true," Moustafa said. "In fact, I had rescued Pinkie Pie from the heat of the desert when I felt an odd magical disturbance out in Dry Dry Desert that day. She told me of her world, her problems, and in return for watching out for her, she and he friends have done me a great service by liberating the Dry Dry Ruins from Bowser's clutches." Chompy barked a few times, licking his lips to emphasize something the Nomadimouse forgot to mention. "Oh, yes. And her baked goods were to die for. Not a single crumb was left of the cake she left for me."

"...Something that has hooves was able to bake stuff?" Luigi asked skeptically. "And they were delicious?" Mario, Chompy, and Moustafa nodded, confusing the green plumber more. "...How?"

"A simple answer, my green friend; do not question Pinkie Pie," Moustafa said.

"Again with that!?" Luigi exclaimed. "How is it possible!? Just tell me and quit hiding secrets from me!"

"You'll see. I have a feeling we'll see her, and her friends, today." Moustafa and Chompy made their way to the front doors, stepping inside where the chatter of several guests drowned out what music was playing.

Mario lead Luigi in, the older brother able to see more familiar faces, including his friends who helped him on his journey with friends or family they invited. There was also Wiggy, the Yoshi Kids, Mayor Penguin and his wife, Merlon, Merle, and their family, and many more familiar faces who either knew the group or the Mane Six while split apart. This party was a lot bigger than the last one, and Mario had a pretty good idea who had the idea of inviting everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Master Mario! Master Luigi!" Toadsworth called out. The elder Toad and Peach's caretaker approached them, looking a little flustered at the grand event being held. "There you are! Right on time. Phew! This last week had been...quite surprising, and also a little stressful."

"Why? What's been going on?" Luigi asked.

"You'll see when the princess welcomes everyone." They didn't have to wait long as a couple Toads played an introductory tune on trumpets to get everyone's attention.

"Announcing, Her Royal Highness, Princess Peach!" one of them said, the duo stepping aside as the doors to the second floor of the castle opened.

Peach walked out and stood at the top of the stairs, the guests clapping as she made her entrance. She bowed her head, greeting everyone who could make it as she waited for their applause to stop.

"Greetings, everyone!" she said. "I'm glad to see everyone from across the Mushroom Kingdom to join me in celebrating this event today! As everyone was aware, Bowser had kidnapped me, and my castle, using the power of the Star Rod he stole from Star Haven to cause us all much trouble. But the Star Rod is back safe and sound where it belongs, and peace has once again returned. And the Stars above us shine even brighter than ever before, sending us their thanks for saving them and returning their treasured wand.

"I would also like to thank our heroes who braved through Bowser's forces and saved us all from this attempt to take over the Mushroom Kingdom: Mario, Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, Parakarry, Bow, Watt, Sushie, and Lakilester." The crowd cheered as Peach announced the kingdom's heroes, Mario being the most modest as he tipped his hat while his partners either waved, beamed with pride, or simply nodded as everyone around them praised their efforts. "Not only them, but everyone else who had helped them on their journey who are here or couldn't make it today.

"However, there were also six others who had helped Mario as well, and these six actually come from another world," Peach continued, confusing some of the guests, but Mario and his friends knew exactly who she was mentioning. "Appearing before me through mysterious magic unique to them, they were here to witness Bowser stealing me and my castle away, fought valiantly against him, and wound up getting separated when their attempts had failed due to his invincibility with the Star Rod. But their bond of friendship didn't keep them apart forever as they were reunited and joined Mario and company to help us despite not knowing what dangers were in our world compared to theirs. They have found a way back home, and with a wish made by the Star Rod the Star Spirits allowed, there is a way for them to come and go as they please.

"So, without further ado, I would like to introduce everyone to these six very special guests as we welcome our new neighbors from another world!" Looking back to a couple of her guards, she gave them a nod, taking it as her signal as they walked through the doors. They came back a few seconds later, pushing out the mirror that lead to Equestria, showing her guests the extravagantly designed frame. "From the kingdom of Equestria, please officially welcome Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends!"

From her announcement, the mirror shimmered and rippled, shocking the guests and exciting the ones who knew them as the Mane Six stepped through. Chompy barked happily as he saw Pinkie, Moustafa keeping a firm grip on the Chain Chomp's chain to keep him from startling the Toad guards as he tried to bounce to her, Wiggy and his Rainbow Dash Fan Club freaked out and cheered at the pegasus's appearance in their native tongue, and the Yoshi Kids jumped for joy when they saw their other favorite babysitter, Fluttershy. Each mare wore a unique dress for the occasion, crafted by Rarity herself as each dress matched their fur and manes while also with a touch of Mushroom Kingdom patterns from her experience in the world. Luigi's jaw dropped as Mario's details on the Mane Six in his journey had turned out to be true, stunned silent while the older brother crossed his arms, giving his younger sibling a cocky grin as if telling him, "I told you so."

Peach and Twilight gave each other a curt nod before the alicorn stood beside the Mushroom Kingdom's princess to speak out to the crowd. "Hello, everypony! It is an honor to be here today, and this time, not unexpectedly by a slight error in my magical calculations." Twilight giggled at the small joke she made, though not everyone else found it funny, most of them highly confused and amazed by the six ponies among them. "But, in all seriousness, we are glad to be here for this party, planned out by Princess Peach to commemorate this day. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Together, we are known as saviors of our own kingdom of Equestria, using the magic of friendship to fend off evil and bring peace to our world. And the same can be said for the Mushroom Kingdom as well.

"While trapped in your world, we found great friends who helped us when we were split apart, feeling lost in this strange world," Twilight continued. "I don't know what would have happened to us without them, otherwise we would have been Bowser's prisoners as well. But thanks to all of us, and the friends we made along our journey across the land, we managed to band together, rescue the seven Star Spirits, and put an end to Bowser's scheme."

"At least until the next time he tries to take over and kidnap Peach again!" Pinkie reminded Twilight.

"Right. He doesn't give up after a hundred tries." Clearing her throat, Twilight continued her speech. "Anyway, this party is more than just to remind everypony of our victory. For the past week, Princess Peach and I have had a few meetings about uniting our kingdoms. The Mushroom Kingdom and Equestria are now official neighboring kingdoms, and anypony wishing to visit our world is welcome to come."

"Yeah, just as long as no one tries anything funny," Rainbow added. "Just because our world looks peaceful doesn't mean we can't kick butt! So nopony cause any problems, or you'll have me to answer to!"

"Yes, thank you, Rainbow Dash," Twilight grumbled.

"And it goes the same with the ponies from Equestria able to come and visit our world whenever they want as well," Peach continued as Twilight leered at Rainbow Dash and her brash response toward any troublemakers, like Bowser or any of his soldiers. "Granted, we'll only be limiting our guests to the towns close to the magic portals connecting our worlds: Toad Town for Equestrians and Ponyville for us. I actually went there a couple days ago, and it's a delightful world, and I think Princess Twilight's castle is...much prettier than mine."

"Jealous?" Twilight asked.

"A little, but your niece distracted me while I met with the other rulers of your world," Peach giggled, recalling how energetic Flurry Heart was when she saw the princess during her meeting with Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, and Starlight Glimmer. There was also supposed to be Sunset Shimmer and her friends from another world who were just like the Mane Six, but they had to go back to their world or else anyone else might get confused as to who was who. "But I digress. I want to personally thank you girls for helping rescue me, even though you're royalty yourself and were completely new to what goes on in our world."

"Think nothing of it, Your Highness," Applejack said. "Y'all would have done the same for us if we were in your shoes."

"Except Twilight's not really the helpless damsel in distress kind of princess," Pinkie chimed in. "That would mostly be Celestia, Luna, and maybe Cadence...Oh, wait. We all got captured by Chrysalis and her changelings and got rescued by Starlight, Trixie, Thorax, and Discord...Never mind! We're all in the same boat!"

The rest of the girls let out a nervous laugh, though they hoped they didn't end up getting kidnapped or separated again. "Well, at least you're not like me; captured almost on a daily basis by someone who doesn't know what the word 'no' means," Peach said, then she turned back to their guests, Mario and his former party grinning with amusement. "But thank you again, and to Mario, his friends, and everyone who helped you all. I hope that both our kingdoms will forever remain friends, and that we both enjoy some peace and prosperity for a long time to come. This is my heartfelt wish." She then closed her eyes, silently praying that her wish will come true, knowing the Star Spirits may be watching and listening to her. Maybe even Twink as well. The mares prayed as well, along with Mario and co. "And now, let us celebrate! Enjoy the festivities, everyone!"

The crowd cheered and applauded as the party truly began, Pinkie having dragged in her party cannon and set it off, covering everyone in confetti. The girls made their way down the stairs, the mares mingling with the crowd as newcomers warmed up to their new guests and neighbors. Chompy pounced on Pinkie, who giggled happily as she was licked by the Chain Chomp. Wiggy and his fan club surrounded Rainbow Dash, having no idea what they were all saying to her as they complimented on her hair, dress, and awesomeness in their Shy Guy language. The Yoshi Kids ran up to Fluttershy, the pegasus catching them in a big hug as they expressed how much they missed her.

Toadsworth breathed a sigh of relief, wiping his head with a handkerchief as he sweated nervously at the populace's reaction. "Thank goodness that went well," the old Toad uttered. "I've been present for all those meetings, and if the Mushroom Kingdom was worse when it comes to dangerous creatures and villains like Bowser, Equestria has its similarities with its share of problems."

Peach and Twilight approached the Mario Bros. and Toadsworth, the alicorn and red-shirted plumber greeting each other with a friendly hug. "Great seeing you again, Mario," Twilight said. Mario nodded in agreement, then introduced the mare to Luigi, who was still in utter shock from seeing the ponies for the first time. "This is your brother?"

"Yes. That's Master Luigi," Toadsworth said. "On occasion, he does help Master Mario with stopping Bowser in his numerous schemes. Although, if he didn't leave before Bowser stole the castle, he would have been trapped in a cell like the rest of us."

"But, couldn't he have helped us fight?" Twilight asked curiously.

"I-I uhh...I'm not as brave as Mario," Luigi admitted. "At least, not by myself. He does most of the work."

"Don't sell yourself short, Luigi," Peach said. "Your contribution in the past with Mario is always helpful. Besides, Bowser could have seriously hurt you with the Star Rod, just like he had with Mario."

"H-How seriously hurt?" Luigi asked, looking greatly worried. Mario lowered his cap, clearing his throat nervously. The silence dawned on the younger brother, imagining exactly how seriously wounded Mario had gotten when he was missing that whole week. "...M-Mario...Did you...Did you actually die???"

"He was badly hurt, but he was still alive," Peach said. "...Before Bowser zapped him out of the castle and we helplessly watched him fall."

"W-What!?" Luigi shouted.

"Thankfully, the Star Spirits helped revive him, and our magic when we got hit as well landed him safely around Goombario's home," Twilight added, assuaging the younger brother's fears. "He has gone up against worse when you two confronted Bowser, right?"

"T-True, but still! I could have lost my brother!" Luigi exclaimed. Mario let out a sigh, reminding his brother that he also got into a few dangerous situations that got the older sibling worried sick. That was why he didn't want Luigi to come with him after he got his own butt handed to him by a cheapskate loser like Bowser using the power of the Star Rod. "Oh, sure! And you leave me alone to watch the house when I could have at least helped you out with rescuing the Star Spirits!"

"Ok, ok, let's not have you two get into a fight," Peach said. "This is supposed to be a fun party to celebrate the peace in the kingdom now and Equestria being our friendly neighbors. Mario was clearly concerned with your own safety, Luigi."

"...I guess...but I could have helped rather than just get stuck house-sitting," Luigi grumbled.

"Hey, you!" Pinkie chimed in, popping up out of nowhere and spooking Luigi. Her mane was sticking all over the place, her body drenched in Chain Chomp saliva. "Turn that frowny upside-downy and party! Here! Have some lemon and lime cupcakes!"

She then pulled out a tray of green and yellow cupcakes, though there were more green than yellow on the platter Pinkie mysteriously had out of nowhere. "When did you have time to make cupcakes?" Peach asked.

"Don't ask," Twilight said, reminding the princess of Pinkie's randomness.

"Eh, the lemons and limes aren't the same like the ones that grow in Dry Dry Desert, but they're still yummy!" Pinkie said. "Moustafa, that greedy mousey, really loves lemons."

"It is not my fault you made lemon treats this good," Moustafa called out, his cheeks splattered slightly with yellow frosting. "How much for another of those lemon cakes you made for me out of the lemons from Dry Dry Desert? I'll buy twenty."

"Twenty!? Moustafa, you're going to be a piggy if you eat twenty!" Pinkie chided. "...Ten bits per cake."

"Hmm...Bits are the Equestrian currency, yes?" Moustafa asked, Pinkie and Twilight nodding. "...Then I shall acquire some when I visit, and the deal will be sealed."

"Goodie! Wait until I tell Mr. and Mrs. Cake how much more popular Sugarcube Corner's gonna be with all the new visitors from the Mushroom Kingdom!" Pinkie cheered. "Ooh! And the twins are gonna love Chompy! And wait until he meets Gummy! Those two are going to hit it off big time!"

Pinkie bounced away to meet with new friends, Luigi snatching one of the cupcakes before she left. "...So, that is Pinkie Pie?" he asked. "...The...random one?"

"Yup. Pure randomness," Twilight said with a giggle. "You get used to her antics after a while. Just trust us when we say never question Pinkie Pie. Let her be herself."

"I still have several questions," Luigi muttered. He took a bite of the lime cupcake, pausing and looking down at the half-eaten pastry as his tongue made contact with the fluffy, lime-flavored sweet. Out of any of the baked goods he's tried, even from some commissioned dishes from Tayce T., this cupcake was out of this world, literally and figuratively. "...Wow...This is really good."

"Pinkie is quite the baker," Twilight said. "Although, I'm not sure how Ponyville's going to react if she brings Chompy over to our world. I know he's tame, but it's kind of scary having something that big acting like a dog barking and bouncing after somepony."

"Yeah...Definitely not a good idea," Luigi said, Mario agreeing wholeheartedly.

As Luigi finished his cupcake, the group of four wandered around the main foyer, Mario, Peach, and Twilight wanting to introduce the green plumber to the rest of the mares. They started with Rarity as she found Bow, Bootler, and a few other Boos from the mansion or Gusty Gulch who were lucky enough to be chosen to come to the party.

"So, are you finally happy now that you're back in your clean boutique and took a decent shower?" Bow teased after the other Boos asked how their unicorn guest was after she left.

"Ha ha, Bow. Very funny," Rarity sarcastically said. "...And yes, I am happy, thank you very much. Since I got back, I could barely stop designing new outfits, getting inspiration from the Mushroom Kingdom. And, despite your mansion's uncleanliness, I did create a small line involving Boos."

"is it invisible?" Bow asked with a smirk.

"No, but if you are curious, you can come to my boutique and see for yourself." Rarity noticed Twilight, Peach, and the Mario Bros. walk up to them. "Mario! So glad to see you again, darling!" she greeted as she hugged the plumber, then looked at Luigi as she pulled away. "And this is?"

"This is Mario's younger brother, Luigi," Twilight introduced, the green plumber looking away slightly, a little embarrassed to meet someone like Rarity with how elegant and radiant the mare was. "Luigi, this is Rarity."

"Well, I can surely see the resemblance between you two," Rarity said.

"Was it the clothes?" Luigi asked, giving the unicorn a monotone stare as he emphasized his clothing, then brushed his fingers against his mustache. "Or was it the mustache?"

"There is that, but I can see it from your facial features," she said. "And green definitely suits you. You know, I am curious to see what you both look like in a tux. Matching red and green outfits to compliment your styles and look nice for a fancy ball such as this. All I'd need is your measurements...and figure out how to make outfits for other species besides anything on four legs, but I think you two would look stunning with what I can make."

"Uh oh," Rainbow said, hovering over the group with her fanbase of Shy Guys following her, trying to jump up to her as they spoke in their native tongue. "You guys are gonna be in for a long, boring wait while getting pricked by pins and suffocate under rolls of measuring tape."

"Just because you can't stand in place for only a few minutes doesn't mean anypony else has that issue, Rainbow Dash," Rarity chided.

"I sat in a bunker hiding from General Guy's army for a week before I heard you guys were ok!" Rainbow exclaimed. "It was more frustrating than sitting in a hospital bed when I hurt my wing! I was bored out of my mind!"

"For only a couple hours," Twilight mentioned. "And without me introducing you to Daring Do, you would have kept whining and complaining about time moving so slowly."

"Speaking of, can't you read something else besides Daring Do?" Rarity asked. "There are other novels that have an adventure genre you might appreciate."

"How many other authors have you met that have stories based on their adventures?" Rainbow answered with her own question.

"There are books like that. They're called autobiographies," Peach said.

"Sounds boring." Rainbow hovered down in front of the Mario Bros., Wiggy and his friends surrounding her as she landed. She didn't pay them any mind, already used to fans before and after she became a Wonderbolt wanting her undivided attention. "So, who's this? Mario's twin or somepony who tried to dress as Mario but chose the wrong color?"

"This is Luigi, Mario's twin brother," Peach said, shocking the mares.

"Twin!?" the trio of ponies exclaimed.

"...Ok, THAT I couldn't tell from a glance," Rarity admitted.

"Yup. They're twins," Peach confirmed. "Mario's the oldest, though."

"Cool," Rainbow said. "What's up, dude?" She held her hoof out to Luigi, the younger Mario Bro. staring awkwardly at her. "Uhh, you're supposed to bump your fist with my hoof. Does your big brother have to show you how to do it?"

"N-No," Luigi said nervously. "I'm...still getting used to realizing my brother was right when he talked about you all..." He hesitantly held his hand up, balled it into a fist, then gently tapped Rainbow's hoof. "There. Happy?"

"Come on! You can do much better than that!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Give me a good hoof bump!" Luigi grumbled, giving the pegasus a harder bump to her hoof. "There! Just like that!"

"How do you deal with this one?" Luigi asked Mario, the older brother shrugging and simply answering he goes along with it. "I thought that was supposed to be Pinkie Pie. I'm confused."

"Rainbow Dash just has a big ego," Rarity said. "But when push comes to shove, she always comes out on top for her friends."

"I'm not the Element of Loyalty for nothing!" Rainbow boasted. She suddenly yelped as Wiggy tugged her tail, trying to get her attention. "Wiggy, don't yank my tail! I get enough of that from Applejack!"

While Rainbow was distracted by her Shy Guy fans, Twilight and Peach lead the Mario Bros. to the other side of the foyer so Luigi could personally meet the last of the Mane Six. Passing the crowd as guests greeted Peach and Mario, they found Fluttershy talking to the Yoshi Kids as she told them about her home in Equestria, and Applejack was chatting with Lakilester and Lakilulu, possibly wondering how the living flora in Flower Fields were faring.

"Fluttershy," Twilight called out, pausing the mare's story to the Yoshis as they all looked over at them. "Happy to see the Yoshis again?"

"Oh, yes, but I think they missed me a lot more than I missed them," Fluttershy said.

"Miss Fluttershy was telling us about her home," the dark blue Yoshi Kid said.

"I wonder if there's a lot of new delicious fruit in Equestria," the yellow Yoshi Kid wondered, licking his lips and patting his hungry belly.

"I think there's a buffet on the second floor with lots of delicious fruit from different parts of the kingdom," Peach said.

The Yoshi Kids gasped, letting out excited, hungry noises as they all scrambled up the stairs to eat their fill. "Oh my. I hope they save some for the other guests," Fluttershy said. She looked at Luigi, she tilted her head curiously. "Who's this?"

"This is Luigi," Twilight introduced, the green plumber too stunned as his heart felt like exploding from the innocent look Fluttershy had. "He's Mario's younger brother."

"Oh! I never knew Mario had a brother!" Fluttershy said. "Hello, Luigi. My name's Fluttershy. It's nice to meet you." Luigi didn't respond, beads of sweat running down his forehead as he stood as stiff as a board. "Umm...hello?" He then leaned back, crashing to the floor in a wide-awake coma, the two mares, princess, and older brother looking down at the shocked, green-clad plumber. "...Did I use my Stare by accident?"

"Uh oh! Fluttershy's cuteness strikes again!" Pinkie exclaimed out of nowhere. She leapt down from the ceiling, of all places, looking down at Luigi. "Stand back, everypony! I know CPR!"

Pinkie took in a deep breath, her cheeks bulging with air as she pressed her mouth over Luigi's, blowing air into him. Luigi's torso began comically inflating, his pupils shrinking as he was now wide awake, flailing his limbs to try to get the pink earth pony off him. When she finally moved away, Luigi hacked and spluttered, glaring at the random pony who gave him the kiss of life.

"Why did you do that!?" Luigi exclaimed.

"Saved you from suffering from the cutie-coma," Pinkie explained. "You're welcome! Now, if you'll excuse me, my ponies need me!"

Pinkie struck a pose, then Chompy lifted her on his head without even disturbing her stance, barking and bouncing away as her royal steed. While Luigi questioned what was wrong with Pinkie, Mario couldn't hold back his laughter at the hilarious situation his brother got in. Luigi wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt, hoping that was the only time he got CPR from a pony.

"I am never going to understand her," Luigi muttered, the girls giggling as he stood up. "What did she even mean by 'cutie-coma'? Is that a thing that exists in Equestria?...Or is that supposed to be a 'Pinkie Pie thing' I'm supposed to not question?"

"More like the latter," Twilight said. "Trust us, Luigi, you will get used to thinking that."

"I doubt I will," Luigi mumbled to himself.

After recovering from the "cutie-coma", as Pinkie put it, Luigi actually got to know Fluttershy a little bit before she hurried off to the second floor after hearing something crash, the Yoshi Kids no doubt causing some mischief. He didn't want to admit it, both as a man and in front of his own brother, but out of all the Mane Six, he thought Fluttershy was adorable. If she weren't sentient, he'd consider keeping her as a pet if possible. He didn't know if Mario had similar thoughts, but due to the fact these were ponies with colorful coats and big eyes, they should be suited for little girls to go crazy over, not fully-grown men.

They made their way over to Applejack, Goombario and his family, Kooper, Bombette, and Parakarry joining her and the Lakitu couple's conversation. Goombaria tried to climb up on Applejack's back for a ride, but was held back by Goombario. Even if Pinkie was ok giving her a ride on her back, he didn't want her interrupting Applejack while she was talking with their parents and his friends.

"...and don't get me started on mah little sister's shenanigans," Applejack said, in the middle of one of her stories from home. "Apple Bloom and her friends always make a mess, and a few times caused trouble for the whole town, let alone our home. One time, before she got her cutie mark, she made some kinda potion to give her one, only to curse herself and have cutie marks appearin' all over herself, makin' her do all sorts of random talents."

"Oh my!" Goomama gasped. "Was she alright?"

"Yeah, she was cured," Applejack assured. "Had to admit how she got them cutie marks to make a special flower our zebra friend, Zecora, had on her, then eat it to get rid of them all. Even though she has her cutie mark now, it was a pain to hear her whinin' about it all the time."

"Being the older sibling is a hard job," Goombario agreed. "Especially now that I have to watch Goombaria so she doesn't take my pendant again."

"But it's pretty!" Goombaria argued. "I want one!"

"I think I'm glad I'm an only child," Parakarry said. "I wouldn't be able to handle the responsibility of my job and looking after a sibling."

"Try being the younger sibling," Twilight interjected, getting the group's attention.

"Wait, you're a young sibling, too?" Luigi asked the alicorn.

"Yeah. I have an older brother," she said. "I think out of all my friends, I'm the only one who's the youngest in their family."

"And Rainbow's the only one who's an only child," Applejack said. She then approached Luigi and held her hoof out to him. "Howdy, partner. Name's Applejack."

"Luigi," the green plumber greeted, unsure if he was supposed to shake Applejack's hoof or bump it like with Rainbow Dash.

"Nice meetin' ya, Luigi." Applejack took Luigi's hand, then shook it hard, shaking the younger Mario Bro.'s arm. "Ya dress a lot like Mario? Y'all related or somethin'?"

"They are," Peach answered for them, Mario snickering as he watched his shuddering brother gripping his arm with a wince. "Mario's the oldest brother."

"No foolin'?" Applejack asked in surprise. She noticed Mario was a bit shorter than Luigi, but the plumber she and her friends traveled with certainly showed a bit more maturity. "Well, Ah can take a wild guess and say Mario seems to look after Luigi a lot when he gets into trouble, huh?"

"You have no idea," Luigi said. "Mario does most of the heroic work, and when I'm in a bind, he comes to my rescue."

"That means he takes his role as the older sibling very seriously," Applejack said.

"Yeah...That's true," Luigi said, getting a pat on the shoulder from his brother.

As the party continued on, Luigi had warmed up to the mares, along with the rest of the guests. It was hard for him to judge Pinkie Pie with her random antics, but he eventually got used to going through the motions of Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie. The party went off to a fantastic start as many of the guests greeted Twilight, being the most important of the six ambassadors from Equestria along with being a princess while they asked about their world. Everyone had fun, enjoying the food the chefs made in the castle's kitchen, and even some games set up by Pinkie Pie, which the kids greatly enjoyed.

Eventually, night began to arrive sooner than everyone thought as the party lasted for a long while. The evening ended with a fireworks show as everyone stood out in the courtyard. Many of the colorful embers sprinkling down from the explosions in the sky took many different shapes, some of them taking the image of Mario or his companions' faces as they lit up. Pinkie had also managed to sneak a few fireworks in the show, some of them creating pictures of the Mane Six's cutie marks in the colorful sparks from the explosions. It was a perfect way to end a celebration as the group watched the sky light up together, feeling a sense of accomplishment as they reflected on their biggest adventure yet.

As it got later, guests began to leave and head to bed, hopefully able to be taken in by Toad Town's inns if they weren't overbooked. Once the last of them were gone, the only ones left were the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom, the Mane Six, and Mario's brother, the group relaxing with Peach for the evening while the castle's staff cleaned up.

"Man, that was the best party ever," Kooper said. "I guess the expedition was completely canceled. I thought I saw Prof. Kolorado and his wife at the party earlier."

"They must have gotten invited as well," Parakarry said. "I wonder who made invitations to everyone we met throughout the kingdom."

Everyone looked at Pinkie, the answer clearly obvious as the mare raised her hoof. "Guilty!"

"Yeah. Who else could stuff a confetti bomb in an envelope?" Bow asked. "By the way, I saw it coming, so you didn't get me. Courtesy of these lovely little trinkets."

"Umm, is there going to be another party in Equestria?" Watt asked curiously.

Pinkie gasped, looking at Twilight hopefully. "I'm not sure," Twilight said, making Pinkie grunt as that meant no. "It's only been a week since we returned home, and I'm sure the others' families are probably wondering why they acted strangely after we, as Princess Celestia put it, 'Went off on an important friendship mission that required all of us to be there.' That, and we kind of needed to unwind with all the excitement we all went through in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"But, they can visit Equestria whenever they want, right?" Fluttershy asked. "I promised the Yoshis they could come and see my home."

"Yes, and they could walk through the portal right now if they want to," Twilight said. "As great as this party was, I think we should wait for a while until we throw another one in our world."

"And write another speech on cue cards to try to enlighten everyone about this union between kingdoms from different worlds?" Peach asked. Mario and Luigi raised a brow, hearing Twilight actually wrote her entire speech on cue cards if she stumbled and forgot anything important to note to her audience. "I usually just go with it instead of worry about preparing."

"I can't help myself," Twilight admitted with a light blush. "Old habits die hard, and they do help me...most of the time."

"Well, I know what I'm gonna do tomorrow!" Goombario said. "As soon as dawn comes, I'm gonna jump right in that portal and take a look at Equestria myself!"

"And we'll introduce y'all to everypony in Ponyville," Applejack added. "Includin' the princesses, our families, and our other friends!"

"I think you'll all like it," Peach said. "It's quite nice, and I've met Celestia, Luna, and Cadence. Celestia and Luna are...actually taller than I thought they would be."

"How much taller?" Luigi asked.

"...About as tall as Bowser," Peach answered, shocking the Mushroom Kingdom inhabitants. Twilight and her friends were only about as tall as Mario, Twilight being slightly taller since she is an alicorn, but they couldn't imagine the likes of Celestia or Luna being as tall as the tyrant who never gives up trying to take over the Mushroom Kingdom. "Yeah...Pretty tall."

"...Ok, now I'm dying to meet her and see for myself," Bow said, Pinkie letting out a laugh at the pun she made, considering she is a ghost.

"That'll have to wait until tomorrow," Twilight said as she began to yawn. "It's getting late, and I'm exhausted. Even though Pinkie was the one who had the idea to plan the party, Peach and I had to actually make sure everything was set up right."

"I actually got myself a good night's rest, but you kept insisting on triple-checking everything," Peach said. "I think you need a break from being a princess for a while."

"She needs a break from being Twilight all the time," Rainbow said.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Twilight questioned, her friends laughing as she leered at the pegasus with an angry pout.

"Twilight, darling, you do overwork yourself far more than you realize," Rarity said. "Maybe you need a vacation."

"But I'm a princess. I can't ever go on vacations," Twilight argued.

"I think Princess Celestia would be a lot more stressed out than she normally would if she didn't take a break every once in a while," Peach said. "I mean, I do. Mario, Luigi, and I went to Yoshi's Island a long while ago for a vacation."

"And then you get kidnapped by Bowser and his young relatives when they set up shop there to take over the island," Luigi mentioned. "He even trapped some of the Yoshis and held them hostage."

"...We started our vacation after you two rescued me?" Peach replied nervously. The Mario Bros. gave her a blank stare, making the princess sigh in defeat. "We didn't stay long after they saved me. The vacation was sort of ruined."

"At least the Yoshis are ok," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah. They were safe and sound," Peach said. After a bit of silence, she had an idea. "Hey, how about Twilight and I go on a vacation? Get away from our royal duties for a while and go somewhere where there's no servants, meetings, paperwork, anything but a fun adventure?"

"Really?" Twilight asked. "But where to?"

"There's plenty of other places outside of the kingdom we can go to. I'll look into some other places and pick a good location for us to just relax," Peach said.

Twilight hummed in thought, curious about what else there is in this world. Even if learning about new places is technically not a method of relaxing, seeing new sights is one and visiting other kingdoms or continents can lead to endless possibilities. And Twilight does relax more when it comes to studying, despite how tiring it can be staring at a book for hours on end.

"Well...I think I'll take you up on that offer," Twilight finally said. "When you find a good place to visit, let me know, and I'll pack up some things and head out."

"Great! This is going to be exciting!" Peach cheered.

"Not without a chaperone!" Toadsworth said as he walked out of the castle's kitchen. "Don't think I didn't hear that, princess. After all the kidnappings that's been happening, I am not letting you out of my sight ever again! And I am not going to let you drag another princess, from a different world, no less, and have the both of you risk getting kidnapped! It can start a war!"

"We're not that crazy to declare war against someone who's evil in your world," Twilight said.

"Nevertheless, anywhere the princess goes, I go!" Toadsworth insisted. "And if you don't like it, I don't care! The princess is like a daughter to me, and I get deathly worried if she ends up anywhere out of my sight!"

Peach let out a sigh, unable to assuage her father figure, seeing how adamant he was about the matter. "Very well."

"Good. I hope whatever location you decide to pick is actually safe, clean, and free of any criminal activity," Toadsworth said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to retire to bed. I am quite exhausted from overseeing everything at the party."

Toadsworth left to his room in the castle to get some rest, the others taking his advice as they headed off to sleep as well. Mario's friend made their way out of the castle into town to their hotel rooms, the mares heading back through the portal to their homes in Equestria. As they waved goodbye to their Equestrian guests, Mario gasped as the Lucky Star lit up pink, his eyes glowing a similar aura as he was given a vision. He only got these if something was about to happen to Twilight or her friends, and they weren't in any peril if they were in the safety of Peach's Castle and were heading back into Twilight's in Equestria.

This vision, however, was something that horrified Mario. He found himself in some kind of crypt, candles surrounding the walls of the room lit up with a dark flame. In front of him was a coffin that was opening up, some mysterious person standing to the side as they watched a dark spirit of some kind rising up as it stared down at both Peach and Twilight, both princesses barely able to move as they seemed to be in a slight daze. Whatever this spirit was, it looked feminine from its facial features, even wearing a golden crown that contrasted with its purple ethereal, spiral body, small stars in its form. It looked at Peach first, but then looked down at Twilight. The feminine spirits lips curled into a sinister grin, then raised a pair of giant ethereal hands, grabbing the alicorn and made her yell in fear.

"W-What's happening!?" Twilight asked fearfully, unable to escape the spirit's hold.

"Twilight!" Mario heard the rest of the Mane Six yell behind him, along with several other unfamiliar voices.

Peach tried to stand up and help Twilight, but the alicorn screamed as a dark energy surrounded the mare, a shockwave of darkness pushing the Peach back pretty hard. Mario quickly caught the princess, but he couldn't look away as Twilight was crying out in agony as the darkness began to seep into her.

"N-No!" she pleaded. "G-Girls! Mario! HELP ME!!!!!"

With one last, painful cry, the room was blinded by a flash of light. When Mario could see again, everyone gasped, the darkness that engulfed Twilight turning her into something wicked. Her coat and mane was darker, her wings grown to a larger size, and her horn was sharper and curved, turning black as it radiated a dangerously powerful aura. Her eyes were closed with her head hung low, but as she began moving, a sinister, eerie chuckle echoed in the ominous crypt, her voice mixed with another female's, though more demonic as it made Mario's skin crawl.

"Such power," Twilight said aloud, her horn sparking as whatever spirit possessing the alicorn tested her Equestrian magic. "Much stronger than the pure-hearted princess you also tried to offer me." Twilight lifted her head, opening her eyes to reveal blood-red irises, grinning as she now had sharp fangs for teeth. "With this body, I will be able to conquer this pathetic world, and take my vengeance on you worthless mortals!"

The vision ended as the transformed Twilight cackled maniacally. Mario panted heavily, suddenly growing worried as it felt all too real, but he had no idea if it was going to happen now. Looking up at the mirror, the other ponies have already gone through, and Twilight was the last one. Panicking, he ran and bounded up the flight of steps, surprising Luigi and Peach as he quickly stopped the alicorn, blocking her way back home.

"Ahh! Mario, what are you doing!?" Twilight exclaimed, startled by him suddenly stopping her. He held his hands out, silently telling her not to go anywhere. He turned around, and without taking caution to the wind, he poked his head through the mirror. Instead of there being a crypt, he saw the main foyer of Twilight's castle, no darkly lit candles or coffin, and found the other mares too busy leaving to get some shut-eye. Moving his head back into his home world, he let out a sigh of relief, but pressed his hand to the Lucky Star hiding under his shirt. "Mario, what's the matter? You look like you saw a ghost...And it's not a random Boo hiding around here."

Mario didn't know how to explain what he saw. His Foresight power was only meant to help keep Twilight and her friends from getting hurt when it was going to happen, but this moment didn't happen. He wanted to tell her, but he also didn't want her to panic if it involved the alicorn getting possessed by some monstrous spirit, if it was a real vision. These powers were still so new to him, even with powers he's had longer than others, but with how realistic it seemed, the terror he felt, he couldn't help but feel like it was going to happen sooner or later.

"Bro, are you alright?" Luigi asked, he and Peach climbing up the stairs to find out what made his brother act strangely.

After he caught his breath and calmed down a little, he chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head bashfully, claiming he thought that the mirror might end up taking them into another dangerous, unknown world. "...Seriously?" Twilight asked. "I made the wish using the Star Rod to take us back home. The first time, it was Equestria, and the several times I visited Peach this past week, it was still my world...Did you think the portal could have malfunctioned in some way?"

He nodded his head, letting out a sigh as he apologized, admitting he was just worried about them. Twilight understood why; getting transported to another world by complete accident, then split up by a crazed villain who had power that went over their head, ending up in some other part of the world with no way of knowing whether or not their friends were alright and if they could survive in the environment they landed in. Mario was a hero and cared deeply about the ones he saves, including new friends. She gave the plumber a hug, surprising him a bit, though the gesture helped ease his worries, if only a little.

Mario stepped aside after hugging Twilight, letting her through to the safety of her home. As soon as she disappeared through the rippling mirror portal, Mario and Luigi took their leave as they said goodbye to Peach, the princess soon growing worried by her savior's sudden fear.

"Mario, what happened earlier?" Luigi asked as the two brothers walked down the road back to the warp pipe connected to their home. Mario pulled out the Lucky Star, explaining the mysterious powers that came from it earlier in his story this morning, and saying he saw a vision about something awful happening to Twilight. "So, that future vision thing only happens if one of the ponies are about to get seriously hurt, and it's supposed to happen within seconds of it happening, but it didn't happen?" Mario nodded his head in response. "Hmm...Maybe that thing is broken and it's making you see things."

Mario doubted it was broken. As soon as they returned home, Luigi headed off to bed, but Mario stayed outside. He tested the other Equestrian magic powers to check if the Lucky Star was working just fine: flinging his hammer and calling it back to him with Twilight's levitation, spotting the owls in the trees around his home with Rarity's keen eyes, running at super speeds with Rainbow Dash's speed, and punching a nearby tree hard with Applejack's strength that knocked many of its leaves off its branches, even disturbing some of the sleeping wildlife as they leered at him. He apologized and quickly ran inside before they decided to maul him, testing Fluttershy's protection magic on the furnace as he put his hand on the hot surface. He didn't feel any burning sensation, so that proved his new magic was working fine, but it didn't explain the odd vision he had.

Maybe his vision was just a false alarm, just seeing things as the randomness of Pinkie's powers affecting his vision after using all six of the mares' powers all at once. Too tired to dwell on the matter further, Mario made his way to the bedroom, making sure not to disturb Luigi as he slept as he took off his hat and shoes, settling into the bottom bunk of their bed. He hoped that vision never happened, closing his eyes to get some sleep and maybe forget about the horrific image of a demonic Twilight Sparkle possessed by an evil spirit that could walk circles around Bowser and his harebrained schemes.