A Koopa's Storyby MStar709ChaptersPrelude-2: Lost in the EverfreePrelude-3: ConfrontationsPrelude-1: Showdown between two giantsPrelude-2: Lost in the EverfreeKammy and Discord looked at each other nervously, then the two of them gave the royal a nervous smile. Bowser continued to glare at the two, his mouth was curled up to a snarl. “One thousand years…” he muttered, glaring at the draconequus. Discord looked towards Kammy for support, but the witch simply shook her head, backing away from him. “Y-yes…. you two have been gone for at least a...” he gulped, “thousand years…” he finished weakly, Fire started to leak from the koopa’s mouth as he slowly began to get up. “Discord… I know how you love making jokes…” He started taking a deep breath. “But… I thought you knew better than to say things that you know will make me angry..” He took a single step towards Discord. “So tell me, Discord… Just how long have we been gone…? And this time make sure I like your answer..” Bowser warned. Discord gulped nervously, “You... two have been… gone for… about…” He gave Kammy a pleading look, but the witch turned away from the draconequus, suddenly taking an interest at the local wildlife. “One thousand years… your majesty,” he muttered weakly, his fear growing when he saw the Koopa’s face get twisted with rage. Taking a deep breath, Bowser turned away from Discord and let out a stream of fire. The two backed away from him, not wanting to get burned from the white hot flames. After calming down, Bowser turned to Discord again, this time with a pleading look. “Discord… please… just tell me… this is one of your jokes, right?” He laughed weakly, “This is a prank, right? Right? Well, you got me good…” Discord shook his head, placing a hand on his shoulder. Angrily, Bowser pushed him away. “ENOUGH!” he roared, “You got me! You can stop pretending!” He clenched his fist angrily, gritting his teeth. Discord flinched from the tone of his voice, his eyes widening when he caught the distraught look on Bowser’s eyes. “Bowser… I’m sorry,” he said, not being able to think of anything else to say. As the Koopa King looked like he was about to explode from rage, Kammy pulled out her wand as a precaution, but she sighed in relief when she saw Bowser start to calm down. “Your Grouchiness… I know how hard it must be for you to accept this…” She twiddled her thumbs, trying to think of something to say to the prince. “But-“ “BUT WHAT?!” Bowser roared, “We’ve been gone for a thousand years, and it’s all because of me adding too much power to my Time Warp spell!” He growled, stomping his foot onto the ground. Kammy and Discord both flailed their arms, trying to regain their balance as the earth around them shook. Discord’s eyes widened and he snapped his talons, teleporting himself to the sky. He gulped, “I can’t believe I forgot about his strength! Even as a baby, his strength was enough to cause shockwaves in the ground.” He slowly floated downwards, putting a comforting paw on the Koopa’s shoulders. “Bowser, you need to calm down... why don’t we go find Celestia and Luna, maybe they can help?” Bowser turned towards the floor, his shoulders sagging. “Discord… I was gone for a thousand years…” he started, “Just imagine what ma must’ve felt, what do you think might happen when she sees me….?” he questioned, “She hasn’t seen me for a thousand years!” Discord flinched at the volume of his voice. “Bowser… I’m sure nothing bad is going to happen.” he reassured him, “The most she will do is slap you and scold you for disappearing.” Kammy nodded, gathering the courage to step forward. “Your Worriedness, there’s no need to worry, your mother is a very kind and generous pony, I’m sure it will be just as Discord says it would be,” she said, getting on her broom. “If anything, she’ll be overjoyed to see you again!” He looked down at the floor, avoiding looking at them. Growling lightly, he sighed. "....Fine...." Discord leaned towards the Koopa, his ear seeming to get larger. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” He asked with a small grin. He glared angrily at the draconequus. “Discord…” Bowser growled threateningly at him. Chuckling nervously, Discord floated away from him. “Alright, alright, no need to get physical.” He put his arms up. “Let’s find your mother before we start messing with each other.” Teleporting, Discord grabbed the two Koopas and pulled them into a tight hug. “So how are we going to appear?” He asked the duo. “Should we teleport, or just walk?” Bowser sighed, running his claw through his hair. “If it’s fine with you, I’m going to just walk, you two go on ahead.” Discord frowned. “Well if that’s what you want… we’ll see you back at the castle.” Kammy approached Bowser, patting his side. “Bowser, trust me, everything will be okay,” she said comfortingly. “Don’t worry, I’ve got your back.” Bowser smiled at the old witch. “Thank you, Kammy.” Nodding, Kammy walked towards Discord’s side. Discord grabbed Kammy, disappearing in a flash of light, leaving the dragon-like Koopa alone. Looking around the area, a thought occurred to him. “Oh no…” Bowser growled, glaring up in the sky. In frustration, he fired a stream of fire into the air. “I forgot to ask Discord where we’re supposed to meet up!” Taking a deep breath, he looked around. “Well, staying here isn’t going to solve anything.” With nothing else to do, Bowser headed off along a random direction, hoping it would take him to the right path, punching any boulders and burning any tree that got in his way. “HIYAH!” Bowser stopped, looking around for the source of the voice. “Who’s there?!” The voice chuckled, “Down here!” Looking down, there was a small smiling golden ball of fur. “MEEORRK!!!” The smiling creature examined the confused royal. “You’re pretty big ain’tcha? I don’t think I ever seen one of your kind here before.” Bowser nodded, narrowing his eyes at the golden ball of fur. “Yeah, name’s Bowser.” He crossed his arms, almost glaring at the creature. “You’re a Fuzzy, aren’t you?” The golden Fuzzy bounced happily. “Meeoowrk! That’s right!” he yelled. “A Gold Fuzzy, to be more specific.” Bowser scowled, he eyed the creature with distrust, Fuzzies were known for being troublemakers and bloodsucking parasites. “Great, now there are different types of them,” he muttered quietly to himself. Glaring, he growled at the creature, “What do you want, anyways?!” The Gold Fuzzy tilted his head, frowning. “I just wanted to help, you looked lost,” he answered. Bowser snorted, glaring at the Fuzzy. “Thanks but no thanks,” He quickly turned away and started walking, ignoring the Fuzzy. The Golden Fuzzy jumped towards him, trying to keep up. “So where you going?” he asked between jumps. Bowser glared at the Fuzzy. “To the nearest village.” The Fuzzy looked at him, a bit confused. “The nearest village? Are you a traveler or are you just lost and hoping to get directions?” Growling, Bowser stomped his foot in anger. “I am not lost! I know where I’m going!” He turned to glare at the Fuzzy. “Now leave me alone!” “You’re going the wrong way!” the Gold Fuzzy yelled, catching the Koopa’s attention. “Nearest village is just outside the Everfree, I can show you if you want!” he offered. His eyes widened as he realized something. “I forgot to introduce myself! Name’s Dizz! Dizz the Gold Fuzzy!” The Gold Fuzzy smiled. “So, want me to show you the way?” Bowser growled, sighing, his shoulders slumped. He gave Dizz a defeated look. “I’d like that.” “So then I said, ‘Goomnuts?! Only Goombas eat those!’” Dizz laughed at the joke he told, before noticing how there wasn’t anyone else laughing with him, then he frowned at Bowser. “Geez, you really are a grouchy one, ain’tcha?” Bowser glared at the Fuzzy. “I am not a grouch!” He growled when he saw the Fuzzy snicker. “How long until we make it to this village, anyways?!” Dizz hummed in thought. “I don’t know,” he replied honestly, snickering when he saw Bowser’s shocked look. Before the Koopa could explode in rage, Dizz continued to bounce up ahead, “Don’t worry though, I have this one friend who’s been into the village before! She’ll point us in the right direction!” he said, trying to calm Bowser down. Bowser sighed. “Too late to turn back now… ” He grumbled. “You better be right about this, Dizz!” The Fuzzy laughed. “Don’t worry! I’m sure Zecora will be able to help!” He continued to bounce around happily. Bowser raised an eyebrow. “Who’s Zecora?” he asked. “Doesn’t sound like any pony or Fuzzy name I’ve heard before.” Dizz turned to face him, now bouncing backwards. “Zecora isn’t a Fuzzy or a pony! She’s a zebra!” he answered excitedly. “Well, at least that’s what she told me.” “A zebra?” he questioned. “Huh, never thought I’d see one of them again.” Dizz gave Bowser a questioning look. “You met one before?” “Yeah, I met one before…” Bowser answered, thinking back to when he was still a child. ‘Although Zeb was a manipulative, shadow stealing, tool.’ Bowser sighed, shaking his head. ‘Hey, come on now Bowser, you can’t judge this zebra because the first zebra you met was bad. Who knows, this gal could turn out to be nice.’ “Hey Bowser!” Dizz shouted, snapping the Koopa out of his thoughts. “We’re here!” the Fuzzy shouted, bouncing towards an odd looking tree and somehow knocking on the door. “Hey Miss Zecora, it’s me! Dizz! I brought someone here who needs help!” Bowser observed the tree a bit more, and as he got closer, he saw that there were several large mask that stood around the tree near the door, and one small one that laid above the door. “Wow, this is a pretty interesting place your friend’s got here.” Dizz bounced happily, smiling at the Koopa, “Thanks! This home is also where Zecora does all of her work!” Bowser raised an eyebrow. “And what type of work may that be?” The Fuzzy hummed, trying to remember what the zebra did. “I think she makes potions…?” Dizz nodded. “Yup, she practices potion making to help others!” “Potion making, huh?” Bowser chuckled. “I tried that once…” He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “It ended up blowing up in my face… not to mention it turned my hair green for a week.” Dizz laughed, bouncing around the front door. Hearing a click behind him, the Fuzzy bounced away from the door and towards Bowser’s side. The door creaked open, then a female zebra stepped outside, wearing golden rings around her neck and legs and a pair of saddlebags wrapped around her waist. Dizz gasped happily and bounced towards the zebra. “Zecora!” Hearing her name, Zecora turned, seeing a golden blur tackle her. Looking down, she saw the golden ball of fur nuzzle her chest. “Hello there Dizz.” She greeted. “It has been awhile since we last spoke.” She frowned, hugging the Fuzzy. “Tell me, how are your folks?” The Fuzzy smiled, “The Fuzzies are all safe!” he answered, “We managed to hide from the big monster by climbing up in trees, and hiding inside Fuzz Bushes!” “That is a relief.” Zecora smiled, letting go of Dizz. “I was worried by the end of this I would be in grief.” “Aw, thanks Zecora!” Dizz blinked when he heard a Bowser clear his throat. “Almost forgot!” Dizz grinned as he bounced towards the Koopa.“This is Grumpy! I found him lost in the forest! He’s trying to find where the nearest village is!” The Koopa scowled. “I am not grumpy!” he yelled. Bowser turned and smiled at the zebra, trying his best to ignore the mischievous Fuzzy. “I’m Bowser, Bowser Koopa at your service.” “The nearest village is your destination?” Zecora raised an eyebrow. “Tell me, why do you wish to reach its location?” “Hey no need to worry, Zecora!” the Fuzzy yelled. “He’s a really nice guy once you get to know him!” “You’ve only known me for about an hour…” Bowser whispered to himself. Zecora looked at the Fuzzy’s pleading look then, after glancing at Bowser, she glared at him. “Fine, I will take you to the village.” Seeing Bowser sigh in relief, she continued, “But if I find out your intentions are for greed, I will make sure that this will be your last pillage.” Bowser nodded, relieved that he finally had someone to show him the way, even if he was threatened. “Don’t worry, I promise not to try anything.” The zebra continued to glare at him, nodding. She briefly turned back to lock the door and started to walk towards Ponyville. Grabbing a small flask from behind the bushes, she tucked it in her bag. “I suggest you keep up. The trip is not long, but this forest is full of dangerous creatures, some of which are quite strong.” He nodded, following Zecora deeper into the woods. The small Fuzzy sat on the Koopa’s shoulder, grinning the whole way. Shining Armor blinked as he looked up at the large crystalline castle, the bright glare from the castle nearly blinding him and his fellow guards. “So did this really all just come out of the ground?” Luna nodded. “Indeed, it came from the box the Tree of Harmony sprouted.” She glanced at the other guards, “But anyway, on to the reason I called you here.” Luna turned towards the group of guards. “I have gathered you all here today to go into the Everfree Forest and search for anything suspicious.” Shining Armor raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by ‘suspicious’?” “Anything that looks or feels out of place,” Luna answered. “Something in the Everfree scared Discord.” The guards’ eyes widened. “Something in that forest scared him so badly that he has disappeared, and no one has seen him since.” She turned towards the guards, glaring. “I want you to find out what scared him, and if you find Discord, bring him here.” Glancing at the assembled guards, she nodded. “Dismissed.” She turned and walked towards the castle. Shining Armor walked towards the Everfree. “Come on men, you heard the Princess!” The guards nodded, following their captain to the forest. Author's Note Hello readers! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, if not please tell me why so I can improve. Also quick question, do any of you read the blogs? Cause I put up a blog concerning this story a while ago, but no one commented on it, if no one reads the blogs, I guess I will just post the blogs here in the author's notes...... though I prefer not to do that. It was a bit difficult trying to write for Zecora, I was about to quit the rhyming thing, but luckily a friend of mine showed me a link to a website that helps me with the rhyming. Sorry for making you wait so long for this chapter.... I was busy with a lot of things, promise not to take so long next time. So anyways, please comment on what you guys think on the chapter, if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to comment! Special thanks to m2tp5 for editing this! Expect more creatures from the Mario world to appear in the story, Fuzzies aren't the only Mario creatures that will make an appearance. Prelude-3: ConfrontationsPrincess Luna trod along through the lonely halls, trying to clear her head from her recent worries. Celestia was currently having a word with her student, leaving her younger sibling to deal with the situation with Discord. She had just returned to the crystal like castle after assigning the guards their newest task. Luna blinked, trying to banish the last pangs of tiredness from her body. Grumbling, Luna looked out the nearest window, seeing the ponies already starting to repair any damage Tirek may have done. She frowned when she felt a familiar pain on her horn, it was still aching from the events of his rampage. “We just barely made it out of this disaster, I don’t think we would be able to make it out another so soon.” Luna told herself, looking at the Everfree with a worried expression. “Just what was it that startled Discord?” She sighed, turning away from the window with a grim expression. “Whatever it is, it can’t be good.” "*ROAR*" Bowser roared angrily, a torrent of flames projecting from his jaws and burning a group of possessed trees. The koopa laughed, pumping his fist when he saw the Treevils turn to ash. “I RULE!” he yelled out, grinning. Bowser’s grin widened when he heard the golden fuzzy cheer for him. “That was amazing! I didn’t think you’d be able to take down a group of Treevils so easily!” Dizz praised, Zecora looked only slightly impressed. The Koopa laughed, soaking up Dizz’s praise. “Well what do you expect? Like a bunch of living firewood would actually be able to hurt this Dragon-Koopa!” he said, pointing at himself. Zecora raised an eyebrow. “Dragon-Koopa is the name of your kind?” She asked. “I was not aware that Koopas and Dragons were now intertwined.” Bowser scratched his head, frowning. “Well… to be completely honest, I’m not to sure about that either, it’s just what everyone assumed I was, they thought I was a hybrid between the two,” he answered truthfully. Dizz frowned, bouncing towards the large koopa. “But what about your parents?” he asked. “Weren’t they able to tell you?” Bowser shrugged. “Ma never knew exactly what I was, all she knew for sure was that I was a Koopa,” he answered. “Can’t expect a pony to know everything about a species that isn’t theirs. Dizz gasped, halting his bouncing and staring at Bowser, his eyes wide. “Wait, you were raised by ponies?!” Zecora was also surprised by the news, not expecting the large Koopa to have been raised by ponies. Bowser nodded, not surprised that the two were shocked from the news. The hyperactive Fuzzy continued to bounce alongside Bowser, asking multiple questions about life with the ponies. Zecora kept her gaze towards the direction of Ponyville, making sure they don't get lost while trying to listen to the Koopa’s story. Kammy frowned at the strange looking castle in front of her. It towered above the landscape, the sunlight nearly blinding as it reflected of the blended blue-purple crystalline trunk that led up to a darker violet stone-like structure that was perched on top. The branches snaked their way over the center of the stone, leading up and above the structure into a large multi-pointed star that shined the brightest of all. Along some branches there were several ribbon like decorations with multicolored stone along them, leading along even underneath the balcony built into the left side of the castle, and a single violet flag with a magenta star on it swayed in the wind above said balcony. Behind her glasses, she squinted at the crystalline tree. “It’s so… bright.” Kammy briefly took off her glasses and adjusted them. “I didn’t think the princesses would move into a place like this, it’s definitely a big change from the grand city of Canterlot.” “Well if you ask me, the whole thing looks just plain hideous,” Discord commented, frowning at the tree. “I mean, just look at it!” He gestured towards it, making gagging noises. Kammy walked up towards the draconequus, jumping up and grabbing his ear, yanking it downward so they were at eye level. “Now Discord, you shouldn’t go around making fun of the princesses’ living choices,” she scolded, waving her wand in front of him. “Even if they are somewhat odd,” she added. Discord wiggled around in the Magikoopa’s grip, trying desperately to get free. “Ow! Kammy! This isn’t even the princesses’ castle! I’m pretty sure it belongs to Equestria’s newest princess!” he explained. Kammy raised an eyebrow, not entirely believing Discord. “Oh? And who exactly is this ‘new’ princess?” the witch asked. Discord nearly whimpered, knowing that teleporting away would only make his situation worse. “Her name is Twilight!” he answered, nearly yelling at her. “Can you please let me go now?” Kammy sighed, releasing her hold on his ear. “So, Equestria has a new princess…” she mumbled to herself, frowning. She turned towards Discord. “Are there any more new royals in Equestria?” she asked him. Discord hummed. “Yes,” he answered. “There are at least three more royals that I know of.” Kammy eyes widened, shocked by the news. “Three more?!” “Yes, three.” Discord nodded, snapping his claws to produce pictures of them. “There’s Princess Cadance, she’s the Princess of Love.” He gave her a picture of pink alicorn with a yellow, pink, and purple mane. “She rules the Crystal Empire with her husband, Shining Armor.” Discord gave the witch another picture, this one was of a white unicorn stallion with a blue mane. “And then, last and least important of them all is Prince Blueblood!” he yelled dramatically, letting a picture of a trash can fall onto Kammy’s claws. Kammy raised an eyebrow. “Discord,” she called. “This is a picture of a trash can.” He nodded. “I know, you can hardly tell the difference between the two.” Grabbing Kammy’s arm, Discord dashed towards the castle, leaving a trail of dust behind. “Hurry along Kammy! It’s getting late and we still haven’t talked to Celestia yet!” He ignored the Koopa’s protest and continued to run down the crystal halls. “Discord!” Kammy cried. “Please slow down!!!” The old witch flailed around, only being able to see everything around her as a blur. The draconequus ignored her request, continuing to dart around the castle halls. Discord laughed when the koopa started throwing out threats. Turning his gaze back at what was in front of him, his eyes widened when he saw a familiar blue alicorn trot out of a hallway. “Get out of the way!!” Discord shouted, knowing that it was too late for him to slow down or stop. The alicorn’s eyes widened when she heard Discord’s shouting. Looking to her left, she glared at him. “And just where have you been-” She stopped, her eyes widening, then panicked as she processed the draconequus heading straight towards her. Her wings spread out instinctively, and while backpedaling, she tried to block the draconequus with her hooves. The duo crashed into the blue mare, and Kammy flailed around in the air momentarily before falling onto Luna’s back, causing her to grunt. Luna groaned, pushing whatever was on her back off and lifting herself up from the floor. Seeing Discord laying on the ground in front of her, she stomped her hoof, catching his attention. “Discord!” she yelled. “Just where have you been?! Do you have any idea how worried everyone was because of your little disappearing act?!” Discord looked away from Luna, not being able to look her in the eye. “Luna, look,” he started. “I know my recent actions were a bit…” he hummed. “questionable. But please listen!” Discord got up, grabbing Luna’s shoulders and looking straight into her eyes. “I have a good reason for disappearing.” Luna sighed. “And just what is this reason?” she asked. Discord suddenly grinned. “It has something to do with your nephew,” he replied. The royal raised an eyebrow. “I don’t see how Blueblood has anything to do with today’s events.” Discord waved a dismissive paw. “I’m not talking about the glorified trash can.” His smile grew. “I’m talking about your other nephew,” he said, putting emphasis on the word ‘other’. “You know, mister ‘I’m so cool and awesome! No one can beat me in a fight!’” Discord tried his best at making his voice sound as deep and monstrous as possible. “The great big boss of the ‘Bwahaha!’” Luna stared at Discord, confused for a few seconds, then suddenly her eyes widened as she began to understand who he was talking about. “Discord…. surely you don’t mean…” She didn’t dare finish her sentence, fearing that it could be just a cruel joke. “He’s been gone for over a thousand years…” Luna muttered to herself. Discord continued to mimic Bowser’s voice while listing down several traits, not hearing Luna. “Captain ‘I don’t sleep with my Teddy-Goomba anymore, but I really still do.’ The ‘Violent Face-Puncher.’” “Discord.” The draconequus chuckled softly. “Alright, alright.” Discord pointed at the dizzy witch behind her. “If you need more proof, just turn around.” Luna raised an eyebrow, sighing, and she turned, fully around expecting to see nothing there. Her eyes widened when she saw the stumbling magikoopa clinging onto a crystal spire. The magikoopa groaned, clenching her stomach. “I’m getting far too old for this.” She turned around and smiled at Luna. “Ah, why hello there Princess Luna.” Kammy bowed. “I didn’t expect you to be up so early." *Thud* Kammy and Discord both stared at the unconscious body, neither of them knowing what to do with it. Kammy looked back and forth between the two. “Was it something I said?" The trio continued to make their way out of the forest, stopping occasionally for the Treevils, Timberwolves, and even Piranha Plants that tried to attack. The Golden Fuzzy continued to hop happily ahead of the other two, never once losing his grin. Stopping, the Fuzzy leapt up onto a tree, narrowing his eyes. “Guys! We’re here! We made it!” He cheered, bouncing in place. Stepping out of the forest, Bowser’s eyes widened at the sight of the village. Looking around, his gaze landed on the large crystal castle all at the back of the village. “Well... Discord has to be there… there’s no denying it.” He turned back towards the other two. “Hey, I just want to say thank you for leading me here, really, I appreciate it.” "Goodbye, grumpy!” Dizz yelled. “Try to be less of a grump, will ya?!” He laughed, ignoring the koopa’s grumbling. Zecora nodded with a smile, her eyes widening as she reached inside her bag, taking out a flask with red liquid. “This is for you.” She said, giving the koopa the flask. “It is a Mushroom Tonic, with this any damage you have taken will be undone.” Zecora smiled. “It is quite the useful brew.” Bowser smirked, storing the tonic inside his shell. “Thanks, Zecora!” He turned towards the village with a nervous grin. “Well, I’ll be seeing you two later!” He waved at them as he made his way to the village. Shining Armor trotted along the road out of Ponyville, a group of at least twelve guards marching behind him. Shining stopped when he saw one of the pegasus guards flying towards him with a large brown bag in his front hooves. The pegasus saluted, presenting the bag to him. “Sir, I have gone to the local guard as you requested, they could not spare any men but they were generous enough to hand us a large sum of Power-Ups for our mission.” Shining nodded, peeking inside of the bag. He turned back towards the guard. “Good work, I’m sure that with these Power-Ups we’ll have a bigger chance against whatever it is that we’re looking for.” He handed the bag back to the pegasus. “Give everyone one Fire Flower, we’ll save the rest for emergencies,” he said. The pegasus saluted, taking the bag and handing everyone a small orange flower, with what appeared to be eyes. Shining looked away from his group, looking around the area for anything suspicious. With a satisfied nod, he began trotting towards the forest, his men following closely behind. The group marched to the Everfree, the pegasi of the group flying ahead of the others. Shining kept his eyes narrowed as he marched forwards, a frown on his face. His eyes narrowed even further when he noticed the pegasi flying back towards them and landing in front of him, all of them looking out of breath. Stepping forward, he addressed the group. “What’s wrong?” he asked. One of the guards took a deep breath, turning towards his captain. “Sir!” He saluted. “While flying towards the forest, we spotted a large beast heading towards the village!” One of the other pegasi turned towards his captain with a fearful look. “We think it might be a dragon, sir.” Shining’s eyes widened in shock and fear. “A dragon?!” The rest of the group started chattering among themselves, all of them panicking at the thought of fighting a dragon. “Everypony calm down!” Shining yelled, stomping his hoof. Once the group quieted down, he turned back towards the group of pegasus. “What did this dragon look like?” “The dragon is short compared to most dragons I’ve seen. He’s still taller than all of us, perhaps bigger than the Princess,” the pegasus said. “The creature had a spiked shell on his back, and had a fiery red mane. He also had a pair of horns on his head,” he listed off. Another pegasus landed between them, looking out of breath. “Sir! The dragon!” he cried. “He saw me, I think he followed me!” The captain gritted his teeth, not wanting to face a powerful opponent so soon after Tirek. He turned back towards his platoon and started to bark orders. “Men! Form up! We mustn’t let this thing get past us! Be ready to use those power-ups at my command!” Darting towards the tired pegasi, he took out six pairs of small golden mushrooms, handing them each to the tired soldiers. “Eat up, you’ll need your strength.” The guards nodded, eating up the Mushroom Drops. Once they regained their strength, the pegasi gathered above the others. Shining nodded in approval, turning back towards the dirt road towards the Everfree. Taking a deep breath, he waited patiently for the dragon to come towards him. Not having to wait very long, the captain began to feel some light vibrations in the ground before spotting... something stomping towards them. Walking down the hill in front of them, the creature revealed itself to the guardsmen, causing a few of the guard’s eyes to widen in shock and fear. Shining stared at the creature in complete surprise. “A Dragon-Koopa…” he muttered to himself. Dragon-Koopas were known for being a rare species, only a handful of them were around in the world. They were also known for being much more magically powerful than true dragons, not to mention their incredible brute strength and short tempers. Shining gulped, shaking his head, narrowing his eyes at the large koopa. “Excuse me, sir!” he yelled out, catching the creature’s attention. “What are you doing so close to Ponyville’s borders?!” he questioned, lowering his horn at the Dragon-Koopa. The Dragon-Koopa raised an eyebrow at Shining before giving him a wide grin. “Ah, finally! I was wondering where that pegasus was going.” He chuckled, though the laugh put Shining Armor on edge. Shining eyed the hybrid koopa before him, trying his best to not be intimidated by the large being. Gathering his courage, he looked at straight into the Koopa’s eyes. “Good afternoon, sir,” he started. “Due to a recent incident we are required to know of your intentions before allowing you to enter the village.” The Dragon-Koopa raised an eyebrow. “Alright.” He shrugged. “I’m here to visit some… relatives of mine, haven’t seen them in a while and I thought I’d stop by,” he answered. Shining stared at the large koopa, conflicted. On the one hoof his reason was a good one, yet he couldn’t help but feel as if there was something more to it than just a family visit. “I wasn’t aware that there were any Dragon-Koopas in Ponyville. In fact, doesn’t your species prefer to live in volcanic areas and in deserts?” Bowser frowned, crossing his arms. “Well, yeah, but not all of us like the extreme temperatures those areas have. Some of us prefer small quiet villages,” he answered. Shaking his head, Bowser uncrossed his arms. “Now can I leave? I’d rather not keep my family waiting any longer.” Before Shining could respond another guard from his squad spoke first. “Oh please! Do you really expect us to believe that?” a large white unicorn cried. “Captain, you can’t really be buying this thing’s story?” Shining turned back towards the guards, feeling shocked and angered at the outburst. Seeing who it is, he groaned mentally. ‘Of course it was him.’ The captain took a deep breath and addressed him. “Stronghoof, stand down.” The large unicorn snorted. “Your highness, surely you see through this thing’s lies! I mean, the timing of this supposed ‘visit’ is far too convenient if you ask me! It’s obvious that this beast is in leagues with the demon Tirek!” “Stronghoof!” Shining yelled, stomping his hoof. Bowser growled. “I’d listen to your captain, little unicorn. I have nothing to do with that thing." Stronghoof snorted. “Please, you’re obviously just saying that to save your own hide.” The guard looked at Shining with an unamused stare. “My prince, why continue this any longer? The princess made it clear that we are to bring anything that may seem suspicious or out of place.” He then turned to Bowser, scowling. “And this creature is obviously the thing that we were sent to capture!” Before Shining could respond, a loud stomp cut him off, as well as a small tremor. Bowser stood above them all, growling angrily. “Listen up pipsqueak! The only relation I have with Tirek is the one where I use him as a punching bag!" he said, pounding a fist into his claw. “And unless you want to be my new punching bag, I suggest you move out of the way! I’ve kept them waiting long enough and I don't intend on keep them waiting any longer.” Stronghoof sneered. “Did you just threaten a member of the Royal Guard? I should have you arrested for that!” He then smiled. “In fact…” His horn lit up, handcuffing the Koopa with magic. “You are under arrest for disturbing the peace, threatening a royal guard, and interfering with our investigation.” Bowser raised an eyebrow. “You can’t be serious.” “Silence, beast! The Princesses will decide your fate now.” Stronghoof said smugly, ignoring his captain’s cries of protest. Shining stomped his hoof. “Stronghoof, you’re out of line! Stand down and release him now!” The unicorn raised his head in the air. “Your highness, I’m afraid I cannot do that. Princess Luna had instructed us to locate the anomaly and this thing is obviously it. If you can’t bring yourself to take it in, I will.” Bowser sneered. “Alright, that’s it.” Concentrating, the koopa’s eyes glowed a bright green. The magic binding his claws bubbled with dark magic. The two arguing unicorns turned towards the koopa with wide eyes, watching him use dark magic to dispel the magic cuffs. Looking at the unicorns, he growled. “Now then, are we going to have any more problems, soldier?” Author's Note Hello everyone! Star here! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, if so please tell me what you liked about and if you didn't like it, please let me know why in the comments. Also sorry for being gone so long and not updating for a whole year... Honestly I've just been preoccupied with life and school. Still with all the free time I have you can expect chapters to come more sooner. So please don't worry and I'm sorry for the wait. Originally this chapter was going to be longer.... but I just decided to cut it into two parts and have the fight between the Royal Guards and Bowser be it's own chapter. Prelude-1: Showdown between two giantsAhem! Today! I’m going to tell you a story… a story about a mother and her child… An awfully long time ago in a strange and far-off land, a large city in the middle of a forest thrived. It was a town where all people lived happy lives and it was said that in that city were two very powerful beings who ruled and protected the land… The Princess of the Sun… and… The Princess of the Moon… But because of their power, others felt intimidated by them… this led them to live a rather lonely life with only themselves to keep each other company… But one day… something strange happened. Out of the sky… came an egg. This egg was then found by one of the rulers of this land… Seeing the egg fall from the sky, the guardian sought to return the egg to its mother… But try as she might, she was nowhere to be seen. Saddened by the fact that she couldn’t find the egg’s mother, she took it upon herself to raise the egg. One day, the egg hatched into a being that had never been seen before, a cross between a dragon… and a turtle… The being was odd compared to most children… he was smart… he already understood speech… he was scared… but like a normal hatchling, he still could not speak and could only cry. As time went on, the two became close to each other, and the guardian had finally found someone other than her sister to fill the void in her lonely life. Excited, the guardian announced to her subjects the news of her now adopted son… …To say the least, they were outraged…. There were a few who were open to the idea of the guardian adopting a child of a different species… but many were not… They attempted to separate the two many times… But try as they might, nothing would stop the guardian from loving her son. As time went on the populace slowly became open to the idea of their guardian keeping the child… Years passed and the child grew to be a respectable young man, whenever the city was in trouble he would come to protect it… The populace came to see the child as a new guardian! But one day… tragedy struck… And the two were separated… ...Never to see each other again… The mother mourned… She searched the land, the sea, the skies… …to no avail… The guardian was distraught… No longer did she have her child… ...But still the guardian clung to hope… Hope that one day they would see each other again… This is a story about a mother and her child… The graceful guardian and ruler of the land… and the monstrous kind prince… Celestia… The Princess of the Sun… ...And… Bowser… The Koopa Prince… Twilight groaned, having teleported herself into a crack in a large rock. “And just when I thought I was getting my teleporting under control...” “Princess Twilight!” a loud voice commanded, instantly getting her attention. “Tirek!” she gasped, her mind racing. “You have something that belongs to me!” Tirek bellowed. Twilight took a deep breath, doing her best to calm herself before she burst out of the rock, utterly destroying it. She zipped past Tirek and made a quick u-turn, trying to land. She skidded across the ground, eventually bumping into something. She looked up, gulping as Tirek glared down at her. She quickly backed away, trying to come up with a plan. “You're going to give me what I want!” Tirek asserted, opening his mouth wide. Twilight seized the chance, teleporting on top of the library. She quickly grabbed her telescope, zooming in on Tirek, watching as he fired a blast of magic directly at her. She dove into the library. The demonic centaur watched in amusement as the library exploded, chunks of wood and burning books flying everywhere. The lavender alicorn flew out of the library, an owl held safely between her hooves. Gasping, Twilight looked back at her home, distraught. Exchanging a sad look with the owl, she released it, letting it flee from the scene. Shaking her head, she held back her tears and glared at the large centaur. Spreading her wings, she teleported directly into Tirek’s face, unleashing a massive blast of magic, which blew him back and carved out a path in the ground. Grunting, Tirek emerged from the blast, almost completely unscathed. “Now I understand what your fellow princesses have done.” He started, raising his hand to block the incoming magical blast. The black centaur roared, charging straight at her. Twilight flew straight up, firing another blast of magic, aiming it onto Tirek’s face. He let out a scream of rage, slapping the blast away, and sending out a magic pulse that caused her to flinch. Taking the opportunity to backhand her, Tirek sent the alicorn hurtling into a nearby mountain. Twilight groaned, her eyes widening in fear as she saw Tirek charge straight at her. Grunting in pain, Twilight ignored the feeling of rocks breaking on her back. She growled, teleporting above him before hurtling down, driving him deep into the earth, burying him under several tons of dirt. Twilight panted, resting on the ground above Tirek. Before she could do anything, a blast of magic tore out of the ground, cutting a circular pattern around them. “Oh no…” Spreading her wings quickly, she dashed towards the sky just as Tirek ripped out of the ground with a roar of pure fury. Twilight growled, firing off another blast of magic. Tirek responded in kind, the two beams slamming into each other, their power mixing together, creating a sphere of energy on the battlefield until it burst outward in a massive explosion. A few moments of silence occurred before the two emerged from the rubble, looking rather battered and worn. “It appears we are at an impasse.” The demonic centaur grinned, his horns glowing. “How about a trade, Princess Twilight?” He snapped his fingers, not a moment later, a group of seven bubbles appeared, the rest of the element bearers appeared, suspended in bubbles, along with Spike and Discord. “Their release for all of the alicorn magic in Equestria!” “Girls!” Twilight cried, feeling helpless. “Don’t do it Twilight!” Rainbow yelled. “We aren’t worth it!” Fluttershy cried. “Oh, but you are, Fluttershy,” Discord said, surprising Fluttershy. “You were the pony who taught that friendship is magic…” he said remorsefully. “I had magic and friendship, but now… I don’t have either.” He turned away in shame. “Enough!!” Tirek yelled, slamming his hooves against the ground. “I want an answer and I want it NOW!” She watched as they all began pounding on the bubbles, screaming. Looking at Discord, he gave a quick apology, then looked away in shame. Her eyes widened as she saw the bubbles glowing. Taking a deep breath, she glared at Tirek. “I will give you the magic… in exchange for my friends.” The ponies gasped, their eyes widening. Tirek smirked. “As you wish.” He snapped his fingers and most the bubbles floated down next to the lavender alicorn and popped, releasing their captives. Twilight glanced at Discord’s bubble, then glared at Tirek. “All of my friends!” Tirek raised an eyebrow, “After the way he has betrayed you, you would still call him a ‘friend’?” he asked. “Release him!” Twilight ordered, stomping her hoof. He frowned, “If that’s what you want.” He snapped his fingers, releasing Discord. Discord turned towards Twilight, bowing his head gratefully. “Thank you Twilight.” He glanced at Fluttershy. “I’m sorry,” he whispered apologetically. Fluttershy looked away, tears threatening to escape her eyes. “I know…” Tirek turned away, disgusted. He glanced at Twilight, a smirk quickly growing on his face. “Your turn.” He opened his mouth and drew a flow of energy from Twilight's horn into himself. Panting in exhaustion, Twilight collapsed onto the ground. The group of friends ran towards Twilight, Spike helping her up. “Twilight, what were you thinking?!” he asked. “RRRAAHHHH!!!!!” They turned around to see Tirek roaring, his size and power growing to practically titan sized. “YES! YES!” He laughed maniacally, feeling the power coursing in his veins. “Your highness! Stop this at once!” an elderly woman's voice cried out, “You’re putting too much power into this spell!” “Quit your nagging, Kammy! I know exactly what I’m doing!” the gruff voice assured. “You taught me everything I need to know about magic! I got this!” “Darling, I really think you should listen to Kammy.” “Ma! I’m telling you, don’t worry!” “Stop! This is too much! You're going to overshoot your destination!!” a second elderly, a male, voice yelled. “Aw come on Starswirl! Not you-!!! TOOOO!!!!!!!” “Your Cluenesses!!!” “BOWSER!!!!!” Tirek laughed, testing his new strength on a couple of trees. He smirked as the trees burnt to ash. “AHAHAHA! YES THIS POWER! I’M UNSTOPPABLE!!!!” He laughed maniacally, not seeing the tear in reality that opened up behind him. “ARGH!!!” a loud deep voice yelled, a more feminine elderly voice soon following after. Tirek’s head snapped towards the source of the two voices, but he narrowed his eyes at the sound of the familiar voice. “That voice… it can’t be…!” He stomped towards the source of the yelling, hoping to find out where it came from. I groaned, feeling a massive ache pounding in my head. “Your Tiredness! Wake up!” a familiar elderly voice yelled. I growled at the sound of my grandmother’s voice. Groaning, I pushed myself to my feet, shaking the fog out of my head as I started to feel the magikoopa’s spells heal me. “That oughta fix you up!” the witch said smugly. I opened my eyes, seeing my old teacher and grandmother grinning at me. “Thanks, Kammy,” I said a bit reluctantly. Kammy was a old magikoopa. She wore purple robes covering her whole body, with a matching purple hat atop her head. Her face reminded me of a turtle, probably because turtles and Koopas are kinda the same. She wore a pair of glasses, covering her eyes. Kammy wagged her finger at me. “What did we learn today?” I growled, crossing my arms. “Always pay attention to when my elders are talking or giving me advice?” I flinched in pain as I felt the magikoopa hit me with her golden wand. “Yes, but that’s not all,” she said a bit angrily. “You should’ve also learned to listen when your elders-!” She stood rigid, smiling apologetically. “Um, yes. You’re right… sorry for hitting you sweetie,” she apologized, pinching my cheek. “Kammy!” I yelled, pulling myself away. “Stop treating me like a kid! I’m an adult now!” I stomped my foot, not being to stop the blush coming. Kammy grinned. “Oh I know, your Shyness, but you just make it so easy to mess with you.” She pulled out her broom, got on, and started to fly above me. “We seem to be in a forest… perhaps we’re still in the Everfree…?” I sighed in relief, “That’s good, we should go back with Mom, she’s probably worried sick!” I flicked the dirt and grime off my body. “Which way?” Kammy, using her broom, flew above the trees to scan the area. I watched in concern when she grew pale and darted towards me. “Kammy, what’s wrong?” “It’s terrible Your Cluelessness!” she yelled, panicking, “It’s Tirek! He’s free and coming towards us!!!” “WHAT?!” Tirek stomped towards the source of the yelling. He slowly began to worry… he knew one of those voices sounded familiar; he didn’t recognize the elderly one, but he knew the first one. His horns glowed, a ball of magic growing between them. Grinning, he launched the orb towards the source of the yelling, causing a large cloud to cover the area. When the cloud of smoke disappeared, his eyes widened when he saw the source of the familiar voice. “Bowser…” he hissed. Groaning, he saw the familiar face emerge from the rubble. The creature from the rubble was large compared to most of the creatures living in this land. He had a large turtle-like shell with spikes covering it on his back. His body was dragon-like, with yellow scales and a green head with a red mohawk, along with two bull-like horns. He wore several spiked cuffs around his wrists along with a spiked collar. His eyes widened when he saw the large centaur glaring at him. “Tirek…” he whispered. “Hello Bowser.” Tirek sneered, his eyes glaring hatefully. “Tirek.” The large Koopa gulped. “It’s been a long time since I last saw you… Koopa!” he spat, clenching his fist. Bowser glared, standing straight up and getting into a fighting position. “Not long enough it seems…” He grinned. “What’s with the whole giant thing, Tirek?” he asked. “Taking a page off my book? I practically invented that thing!” The Koopa chuckled. “I should sue you… but I think sending you back to Tartarus would be much more rewarding…” Tirek shifted his attention towards the smaller turtle-like being wearing witch’s clothing, and he glared at her suspiciously, not knowing what to make of her. “And who are you…?” Kammy yelped, hiding behind Bowser. “K-Kammy Koopa, sorceress...” “A sorceress…” Tirek growled, already placing Kammy as a high level threat. He preferred not to take any chances. “Kammy,” Bowser whispered, getting the old Koopa’s attention. “I need you to give me a boost… and I need you to use that Super Size spell…” Kammy nodded hesitantly. “Yes, your highness…” She waved her wand. “Please be careful…” She pointed the wand towards Bowser and a rainbow-like aura surrounded him, causing his muscles to expand and his body to grow. Tirek scowled as he watched Bowser slowly begin to grow, his size beginning to rival Tirek’s. “What’s wrong old man?” the giant Koopa jeered, his transformation complete. “Scared? Or perhaps you’re already complementing defeat?” Bowser let out a laugh, his voice sounding much deeper and more monstrous than before. “Not that I blame you! I already kicked your butt once before, you're probably remembering how it was with this transformation that I beat you last time!” the Koopa boasted. Growling, Tirek launched himself towards the titanic turtle. Bowser raised his fist, letting out a roar. “Oh my…” Kammy whispered. “I think it’s time for me to go!” She got on her broom, floating above the battlefield. “Call me if you are in need of any help your Giantness!” “*ROAR!!!!*” Everyone stopped moving, looking around frantically for the source of the roar. Fluttershy’s knees shook violently. “Wh-What was that?!” Applejack paced around, worrying about their safety. “I-I don’t know, but whatever it is, I don’t think we want to find out.” Twilight nodded, turning back towards their destination. “Come on girls, we have no time to lose.” Beginning to walk away, she stopped when she noticed Discord looking at the source of the noise with a disbelieving look. “Discord? What’s wrong…?” Not paying any attention to them, he paced around, his eyes wide. “That voice... it can’t be… he’s been gone a thousand years… it’s not possible…” Twilight and the others looked at each other nervously. “Discord… What’s not possible?” Twilight asked nervously. Discord turned to look at them. “I-it’s nothing Twilight…” He clenched his paw into a fist. “I-I have to go!” Ignoring their protest, he quickly ran towards the direction of the battle. “It can't be! He can't be here!… Yet… there is only one being I know with a voice like that.” Seeing a stray beam of magic heading towards him, Discord quickly jumped out of the way. “And judging by how deep it is… If it's really him, then he must be using that growth spell.” Discord stopped running, his eyes widening when he saw a torrent of fire passing through the sky. Bowser growled, glaring at the centaur in front of him. The two glared at each other hatefully. Hoping to end the fight quickly, Tirek fired a ray of magic at his opponent, but Bowser was quick and countered it with his own flames. The two attacks collided and deflected skywards, whipping away in the winds as the two giants charged. Tirek laughed, throwing the first punch, but Bowser countered it again, and snarled in frustration. “You know, you’re pretty quick for a turtle!” Tirek said before firing a blast straight onto the Koopa’s face. Bowser roared in pain. He clutched his face, trying to ignore the pain. “Your highness!” Turning around, he saw Kammy flying directly towards him. “Kammy… what are you doing here?” he asked. Kammy took out her wand and fired a healing spell at the injured Koopa. “I told you to call me when you needed help! Look at you! He’s tearing you apart out there!” Kammy yelled, putting her wand away. Bowser groaned, feeling all of the pain vanish. “Thanks Kammy, but you should go, before Tirek catches you,” he warned. “Of course.” The witch nodded, gripping her broom and turning away. “And where do you think you’re going?!” Tirek asked, grabbing the magikoopa. “Did you really think you can just heal him and get away with it?!” he roared. “Well… unfortunately for you, that’s not the case.” He opened his mouth, absorbing all the magic from the wand and Kammy. After absorbing the witch’s magic, he dropped the old koopa, turning back to face Bowser. “Kammy!” Bowser roared, charging straight towards her, slamming Tirek out of the way. As gently as he could he caught the magikoopa and set her down on a nearby cliff. “Kammy, are you alright?” He asked. “Just… fine… your worriedness,” Kammy whispered, coughing. Bowser sighed in relief, getting back up and facing Tirek. “Thank goodness… Kammy, I need you to stay here and rest, you got that?” The witch nodded. “As you command, my prince…” Discord stared wide-eyed at the scene in front of him, even his chaotic mind only barely able to process what was happening. “Bowser… But that’s not possible! He’s gone! He’s been gone for 1000 years!” he yelled, jumping out of the way from a large fireball. “Discord…?” His head snapped towards the tired rasping. His eyes widened even further when he saw the the elderly magikoopa. “Kammy?!” The witch smiled, “Hello to you too, Discord…” She coughed violently. “Have you come to aid the prince?” she asked. Discord shook his head. “I wish I could, but my magic was stolen from me,” he explained, still not believing the witch was actually there. Kammy gave a sigh. “A shame… then again I guess that does explain why the demon is so big.” She struggled to get back on her feet, narrowing her eyes at the draconequus. “My, Discord… you look so much older… why is it you look a bit different?” she asked. Discord gave a small smile. “Well yes, things do tend to change after a thousand years,” he answered. “Speaking of which, how is it that you still look exactly the same even after all the time that has passed?” he questioned. Kammy looked at him, confused. “What are you babbling on about? We’ve only been gone for about thirty minutes.” “Thirty minutes…?” Discord looked at the Koopa in shock. “But that’s impossible! You and Bowser have been gone for around a thousand years!” he yelled. “Now look who’s talking about impossibilities!” Kammy screeched. “How is it that we’ve been gone for that long?! I know for a fact that it’s only been thirty minutes at most!” Discord frowned, giving the Koopa a light glare. “Kammy… what’s the last thing you remember…?” Kammy rose an eyebrow, staring at the draconequus. “Why… I believe that it was when we were warning his cluelessness about using too much power into that time warp spell.” “Yes,” Discord nodded, “Time Warp spell, emphasis on the word time.” Her eyes widened as she started to piece together what the spirit was saying. “You don’t mean…?” Discord sighed, patting Kammy in the back. “Well… welcome to the future…? I think?” Kammy collapsed on the ground, trying not to faint. “Oh my…” She gave Discord a scared look. “I can only imagine what the princesses must’ve felt…” She gasped, looking back to the fight. “What am I going to tell the prince?! Surely he’ll be devastated by the news!” Discord sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “For now… let’s just focus on one problem before we get to the other…” “You wretched reptile!” Tirek roared, “You’ll pay for that!” He spat as he got to his hooves, looking livid. Focusing his power to one blast, he blasted Bowser, knocking him unconscious. Tirek laughed as he picked up the massive Koopa. “You’re pretty strong Bowser, I’ll give you that… it’s a shame that power had to go to waste on such a weak minded fool.” He frowned, opening his mouth to absorb his magic. Tirek laughed, dropping the shrinking Bowser as he felt his power grow. “Now, with this power, no one will be able to stand in my way!” he screamed, his size and power growing once more. He looked down and glared at the unconscious Koopa. “This time, I’m going to make sure you stay down.” Before Tirek could deliver the finishing blow, a bright ball of light rose into the air, with six ponies inside of it. Tirek stared at it for a moment, firing a blast of magic at them, only for it to shimmer around the bubble of magic to no effect. “How is this possible?!” he asked. “You have no magic!” “You’re wrong, Tirek!” Twilight countered, flying high with the rest of the elements, “I may have given you my alicorn magic, but I carry within me the most powerful magic of all!” Six different colored beams fired at the centaur, merging into a rainbow, causing him to stumble back. He gave a grunt as he started to push back against them. His eyes widened when he felt some of the magic start to leave him. Tirek shouted in disbelief before the blast started to drain him of all of his stolen magic, eventually sending him back to Tartarus. The six ponies rose up to the air and with a loud bang, they burst out, spreading magic all over Equestria. Discord and Kammy both gasped, stumbling back a little as they felt their magic return to them. The two looked at each other and nodded, Kammy getting on her broom and Discord using his wings to get back in the air. The two quickly flew towards the site where they last saw Bowser and Tirek. After about a few minutes of flying around, the two landed near the unconscious Koopa. Kammy panicked, firing a number of healing spells at Bowser. Bowser groaned, opening his eyes. “Prince! You’re alright!” Kammy cried, hugging Bowser. “For a second I was starting to get worried!’ Bowser patted the witch on the back, his gaze eventually settling on Discord. “Well if it isn’t Discord… where were you?” he asked, chuckling a bit. “You missed the fight! I was just about to send that old goat packing!” He sighed, looking around. “Judging how everything isn't a burning pile of ash, I’m assuming you guys put him back in his place?” Discord grinned. “Well I can’t take any of the credit, it was actually the elements’ new bearers,” he said, helping Bowser up. “New bearers?” He asked, “Why would the elements choose new bearers?” Bowser asked, not sure if he should really believe what Discord was saying. “And why do you look a bit older?” Discord sighed sadly, putting his hand on the Koopa’s shoulders. “Well Bowser, you might want to sit down… it’s a long story.” Author's Note Welcome readers to my newest story! Please comment on this story to tell me what you think and please feel free to leave any suggestions or ask any questions, if you dislike it, please tell me why so I can improve. Also for those who follow me, don't worry, I'll be sure to work on my other stories, I just had to get this one up. Also I got inspiration for this story off of Paper Mario and Yoshi's Island!
Prelude-2: Lost in the EverfreeKammy and Discord looked at each other nervously, then the two of them gave the royal a nervous smile. Bowser continued to glare at the two, his mouth was curled up to a snarl. “One thousand years…” he muttered, glaring at the draconequus. Discord looked towards Kammy for support, but the witch simply shook her head, backing away from him. “Y-yes…. you two have been gone for at least a...” he gulped, “thousand years…” he finished weakly, Fire started to leak from the koopa’s mouth as he slowly began to get up. “Discord… I know how you love making jokes…” He started taking a deep breath. “But… I thought you knew better than to say things that you know will make me angry..” He took a single step towards Discord. “So tell me, Discord… Just how long have we been gone…? And this time make sure I like your answer..” Bowser warned. Discord gulped nervously, “You... two have been… gone for… about…” He gave Kammy a pleading look, but the witch turned away from the draconequus, suddenly taking an interest at the local wildlife. “One thousand years… your majesty,” he muttered weakly, his fear growing when he saw the Koopa’s face get twisted with rage. Taking a deep breath, Bowser turned away from Discord and let out a stream of fire. The two backed away from him, not wanting to get burned from the white hot flames. After calming down, Bowser turned to Discord again, this time with a pleading look. “Discord… please… just tell me… this is one of your jokes, right?” He laughed weakly, “This is a prank, right? Right? Well, you got me good…” Discord shook his head, placing a hand on his shoulder. Angrily, Bowser pushed him away. “ENOUGH!” he roared, “You got me! You can stop pretending!” He clenched his fist angrily, gritting his teeth. Discord flinched from the tone of his voice, his eyes widening when he caught the distraught look on Bowser’s eyes. “Bowser… I’m sorry,” he said, not being able to think of anything else to say. As the Koopa King looked like he was about to explode from rage, Kammy pulled out her wand as a precaution, but she sighed in relief when she saw Bowser start to calm down. “Your Grouchiness… I know how hard it must be for you to accept this…” She twiddled her thumbs, trying to think of something to say to the prince. “But-“ “BUT WHAT?!” Bowser roared, “We’ve been gone for a thousand years, and it’s all because of me adding too much power to my Time Warp spell!” He growled, stomping his foot onto the ground. Kammy and Discord both flailed their arms, trying to regain their balance as the earth around them shook. Discord’s eyes widened and he snapped his talons, teleporting himself to the sky. He gulped, “I can’t believe I forgot about his strength! Even as a baby, his strength was enough to cause shockwaves in the ground.” He slowly floated downwards, putting a comforting paw on the Koopa’s shoulders. “Bowser, you need to calm down... why don’t we go find Celestia and Luna, maybe they can help?” Bowser turned towards the floor, his shoulders sagging. “Discord… I was gone for a thousand years…” he started, “Just imagine what ma must’ve felt, what do you think might happen when she sees me….?” he questioned, “She hasn’t seen me for a thousand years!” Discord flinched at the volume of his voice. “Bowser… I’m sure nothing bad is going to happen.” he reassured him, “The most she will do is slap you and scold you for disappearing.” Kammy nodded, gathering the courage to step forward. “Your Worriedness, there’s no need to worry, your mother is a very kind and generous pony, I’m sure it will be just as Discord says it would be,” she said, getting on her broom. “If anything, she’ll be overjoyed to see you again!” He looked down at the floor, avoiding looking at them. Growling lightly, he sighed. "....Fine...." Discord leaned towards the Koopa, his ear seeming to get larger. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” He asked with a small grin. He glared angrily at the draconequus. “Discord…” Bowser growled threateningly at him. Chuckling nervously, Discord floated away from him. “Alright, alright, no need to get physical.” He put his arms up. “Let’s find your mother before we start messing with each other.” Teleporting, Discord grabbed the two Koopas and pulled them into a tight hug. “So how are we going to appear?” He asked the duo. “Should we teleport, or just walk?” Bowser sighed, running his claw through his hair. “If it’s fine with you, I’m going to just walk, you two go on ahead.” Discord frowned. “Well if that’s what you want… we’ll see you back at the castle.” Kammy approached Bowser, patting his side. “Bowser, trust me, everything will be okay,” she said comfortingly. “Don’t worry, I’ve got your back.” Bowser smiled at the old witch. “Thank you, Kammy.” Nodding, Kammy walked towards Discord’s side. Discord grabbed Kammy, disappearing in a flash of light, leaving the dragon-like Koopa alone. Looking around the area, a thought occurred to him. “Oh no…” Bowser growled, glaring up in the sky. In frustration, he fired a stream of fire into the air. “I forgot to ask Discord where we’re supposed to meet up!” Taking a deep breath, he looked around. “Well, staying here isn’t going to solve anything.” With nothing else to do, Bowser headed off along a random direction, hoping it would take him to the right path, punching any boulders and burning any tree that got in his way. “HIYAH!” Bowser stopped, looking around for the source of the voice. “Who’s there?!” The voice chuckled, “Down here!” Looking down, there was a small smiling golden ball of fur. “MEEORRK!!!” The smiling creature examined the confused royal. “You’re pretty big ain’tcha? I don’t think I ever seen one of your kind here before.” Bowser nodded, narrowing his eyes at the golden ball of fur. “Yeah, name’s Bowser.” He crossed his arms, almost glaring at the creature. “You’re a Fuzzy, aren’t you?” The golden Fuzzy bounced happily. “Meeoowrk! That’s right!” he yelled. “A Gold Fuzzy, to be more specific.” Bowser scowled, he eyed the creature with distrust, Fuzzies were known for being troublemakers and bloodsucking parasites. “Great, now there are different types of them,” he muttered quietly to himself. Glaring, he growled at the creature, “What do you want, anyways?!” The Gold Fuzzy tilted his head, frowning. “I just wanted to help, you looked lost,” he answered. Bowser snorted, glaring at the Fuzzy. “Thanks but no thanks,” He quickly turned away and started walking, ignoring the Fuzzy. The Golden Fuzzy jumped towards him, trying to keep up. “So where you going?” he asked between jumps. Bowser glared at the Fuzzy. “To the nearest village.” The Fuzzy looked at him, a bit confused. “The nearest village? Are you a traveler or are you just lost and hoping to get directions?” Growling, Bowser stomped his foot in anger. “I am not lost! I know where I’m going!” He turned to glare at the Fuzzy. “Now leave me alone!” “You’re going the wrong way!” the Gold Fuzzy yelled, catching the Koopa’s attention. “Nearest village is just outside the Everfree, I can show you if you want!” he offered. His eyes widened as he realized something. “I forgot to introduce myself! Name’s Dizz! Dizz the Gold Fuzzy!” The Gold Fuzzy smiled. “So, want me to show you the way?” Bowser growled, sighing, his shoulders slumped. He gave Dizz a defeated look. “I’d like that.” “So then I said, ‘Goomnuts?! Only Goombas eat those!’” Dizz laughed at the joke he told, before noticing how there wasn’t anyone else laughing with him, then he frowned at Bowser. “Geez, you really are a grouchy one, ain’tcha?” Bowser glared at the Fuzzy. “I am not a grouch!” He growled when he saw the Fuzzy snicker. “How long until we make it to this village, anyways?!” Dizz hummed in thought. “I don’t know,” he replied honestly, snickering when he saw Bowser’s shocked look. Before the Koopa could explode in rage, Dizz continued to bounce up ahead, “Don’t worry though, I have this one friend who’s been into the village before! She’ll point us in the right direction!” he said, trying to calm Bowser down. Bowser sighed. “Too late to turn back now… ” He grumbled. “You better be right about this, Dizz!” The Fuzzy laughed. “Don’t worry! I’m sure Zecora will be able to help!” He continued to bounce around happily. Bowser raised an eyebrow. “Who’s Zecora?” he asked. “Doesn’t sound like any pony or Fuzzy name I’ve heard before.” Dizz turned to face him, now bouncing backwards. “Zecora isn’t a Fuzzy or a pony! She’s a zebra!” he answered excitedly. “Well, at least that’s what she told me.” “A zebra?” he questioned. “Huh, never thought I’d see one of them again.” Dizz gave Bowser a questioning look. “You met one before?” “Yeah, I met one before…” Bowser answered, thinking back to when he was still a child. ‘Although Zeb was a manipulative, shadow stealing, tool.’ Bowser sighed, shaking his head. ‘Hey, come on now Bowser, you can’t judge this zebra because the first zebra you met was bad. Who knows, this gal could turn out to be nice.’ “Hey Bowser!” Dizz shouted, snapping the Koopa out of his thoughts. “We’re here!” the Fuzzy shouted, bouncing towards an odd looking tree and somehow knocking on the door. “Hey Miss Zecora, it’s me! Dizz! I brought someone here who needs help!” Bowser observed the tree a bit more, and as he got closer, he saw that there were several large mask that stood around the tree near the door, and one small one that laid above the door. “Wow, this is a pretty interesting place your friend’s got here.” Dizz bounced happily, smiling at the Koopa, “Thanks! This home is also where Zecora does all of her work!” Bowser raised an eyebrow. “And what type of work may that be?” The Fuzzy hummed, trying to remember what the zebra did. “I think she makes potions…?” Dizz nodded. “Yup, she practices potion making to help others!” “Potion making, huh?” Bowser chuckled. “I tried that once…” He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “It ended up blowing up in my face… not to mention it turned my hair green for a week.” Dizz laughed, bouncing around the front door. Hearing a click behind him, the Fuzzy bounced away from the door and towards Bowser’s side. The door creaked open, then a female zebra stepped outside, wearing golden rings around her neck and legs and a pair of saddlebags wrapped around her waist. Dizz gasped happily and bounced towards the zebra. “Zecora!” Hearing her name, Zecora turned, seeing a golden blur tackle her. Looking down, she saw the golden ball of fur nuzzle her chest. “Hello there Dizz.” She greeted. “It has been awhile since we last spoke.” She frowned, hugging the Fuzzy. “Tell me, how are your folks?” The Fuzzy smiled, “The Fuzzies are all safe!” he answered, “We managed to hide from the big monster by climbing up in trees, and hiding inside Fuzz Bushes!” “That is a relief.” Zecora smiled, letting go of Dizz. “I was worried by the end of this I would be in grief.” “Aw, thanks Zecora!” Dizz blinked when he heard a Bowser clear his throat. “Almost forgot!” Dizz grinned as he bounced towards the Koopa.“This is Grumpy! I found him lost in the forest! He’s trying to find where the nearest village is!” The Koopa scowled. “I am not grumpy!” he yelled. Bowser turned and smiled at the zebra, trying his best to ignore the mischievous Fuzzy. “I’m Bowser, Bowser Koopa at your service.” “The nearest village is your destination?” Zecora raised an eyebrow. “Tell me, why do you wish to reach its location?” “Hey no need to worry, Zecora!” the Fuzzy yelled. “He’s a really nice guy once you get to know him!” “You’ve only known me for about an hour…” Bowser whispered to himself. Zecora looked at the Fuzzy’s pleading look then, after glancing at Bowser, she glared at him. “Fine, I will take you to the village.” Seeing Bowser sigh in relief, she continued, “But if I find out your intentions are for greed, I will make sure that this will be your last pillage.” Bowser nodded, relieved that he finally had someone to show him the way, even if he was threatened. “Don’t worry, I promise not to try anything.” The zebra continued to glare at him, nodding. She briefly turned back to lock the door and started to walk towards Ponyville. Grabbing a small flask from behind the bushes, she tucked it in her bag. “I suggest you keep up. The trip is not long, but this forest is full of dangerous creatures, some of which are quite strong.” He nodded, following Zecora deeper into the woods. The small Fuzzy sat on the Koopa’s shoulder, grinning the whole way. Shining Armor blinked as he looked up at the large crystalline castle, the bright glare from the castle nearly blinding him and his fellow guards. “So did this really all just come out of the ground?” Luna nodded. “Indeed, it came from the box the Tree of Harmony sprouted.” She glanced at the other guards, “But anyway, on to the reason I called you here.” Luna turned towards the group of guards. “I have gathered you all here today to go into the Everfree Forest and search for anything suspicious.” Shining Armor raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by ‘suspicious’?” “Anything that looks or feels out of place,” Luna answered. “Something in the Everfree scared Discord.” The guards’ eyes widened. “Something in that forest scared him so badly that he has disappeared, and no one has seen him since.” She turned towards the guards, glaring. “I want you to find out what scared him, and if you find Discord, bring him here.” Glancing at the assembled guards, she nodded. “Dismissed.” She turned and walked towards the castle. Shining Armor walked towards the Everfree. “Come on men, you heard the Princess!” The guards nodded, following their captain to the forest. Author's Note Hello readers! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, if not please tell me why so I can improve. Also quick question, do any of you read the blogs? Cause I put up a blog concerning this story a while ago, but no one commented on it, if no one reads the blogs, I guess I will just post the blogs here in the author's notes...... though I prefer not to do that. It was a bit difficult trying to write for Zecora, I was about to quit the rhyming thing, but luckily a friend of mine showed me a link to a website that helps me with the rhyming. Sorry for making you wait so long for this chapter.... I was busy with a lot of things, promise not to take so long next time. So anyways, please comment on what you guys think on the chapter, if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to comment! Special thanks to m2tp5 for editing this! Expect more creatures from the Mario world to appear in the story, Fuzzies aren't the only Mario creatures that will make an appearance.
Prelude-3: ConfrontationsPrincess Luna trod along through the lonely halls, trying to clear her head from her recent worries. Celestia was currently having a word with her student, leaving her younger sibling to deal with the situation with Discord. She had just returned to the crystal like castle after assigning the guards their newest task. Luna blinked, trying to banish the last pangs of tiredness from her body. Grumbling, Luna looked out the nearest window, seeing the ponies already starting to repair any damage Tirek may have done. She frowned when she felt a familiar pain on her horn, it was still aching from the events of his rampage. “We just barely made it out of this disaster, I don’t think we would be able to make it out another so soon.” Luna told herself, looking at the Everfree with a worried expression. “Just what was it that startled Discord?” She sighed, turning away from the window with a grim expression. “Whatever it is, it can’t be good.” "*ROAR*" Bowser roared angrily, a torrent of flames projecting from his jaws and burning a group of possessed trees. The koopa laughed, pumping his fist when he saw the Treevils turn to ash. “I RULE!” he yelled out, grinning. Bowser’s grin widened when he heard the golden fuzzy cheer for him. “That was amazing! I didn’t think you’d be able to take down a group of Treevils so easily!” Dizz praised, Zecora looked only slightly impressed. The Koopa laughed, soaking up Dizz’s praise. “Well what do you expect? Like a bunch of living firewood would actually be able to hurt this Dragon-Koopa!” he said, pointing at himself. Zecora raised an eyebrow. “Dragon-Koopa is the name of your kind?” She asked. “I was not aware that Koopas and Dragons were now intertwined.” Bowser scratched his head, frowning. “Well… to be completely honest, I’m not to sure about that either, it’s just what everyone assumed I was, they thought I was a hybrid between the two,” he answered truthfully. Dizz frowned, bouncing towards the large koopa. “But what about your parents?” he asked. “Weren’t they able to tell you?” Bowser shrugged. “Ma never knew exactly what I was, all she knew for sure was that I was a Koopa,” he answered. “Can’t expect a pony to know everything about a species that isn’t theirs. Dizz gasped, halting his bouncing and staring at Bowser, his eyes wide. “Wait, you were raised by ponies?!” Zecora was also surprised by the news, not expecting the large Koopa to have been raised by ponies. Bowser nodded, not surprised that the two were shocked from the news. The hyperactive Fuzzy continued to bounce alongside Bowser, asking multiple questions about life with the ponies. Zecora kept her gaze towards the direction of Ponyville, making sure they don't get lost while trying to listen to the Koopa’s story. Kammy frowned at the strange looking castle in front of her. It towered above the landscape, the sunlight nearly blinding as it reflected of the blended blue-purple crystalline trunk that led up to a darker violet stone-like structure that was perched on top. The branches snaked their way over the center of the stone, leading up and above the structure into a large multi-pointed star that shined the brightest of all. Along some branches there were several ribbon like decorations with multicolored stone along them, leading along even underneath the balcony built into the left side of the castle, and a single violet flag with a magenta star on it swayed in the wind above said balcony. Behind her glasses, she squinted at the crystalline tree. “It’s so… bright.” Kammy briefly took off her glasses and adjusted them. “I didn’t think the princesses would move into a place like this, it’s definitely a big change from the grand city of Canterlot.” “Well if you ask me, the whole thing looks just plain hideous,” Discord commented, frowning at the tree. “I mean, just look at it!” He gestured towards it, making gagging noises. Kammy walked up towards the draconequus, jumping up and grabbing his ear, yanking it downward so they were at eye level. “Now Discord, you shouldn’t go around making fun of the princesses’ living choices,” she scolded, waving her wand in front of him. “Even if they are somewhat odd,” she added. Discord wiggled around in the Magikoopa’s grip, trying desperately to get free. “Ow! Kammy! This isn’t even the princesses’ castle! I’m pretty sure it belongs to Equestria’s newest princess!” he explained. Kammy raised an eyebrow, not entirely believing Discord. “Oh? And who exactly is this ‘new’ princess?” the witch asked. Discord nearly whimpered, knowing that teleporting away would only make his situation worse. “Her name is Twilight!” he answered, nearly yelling at her. “Can you please let me go now?” Kammy sighed, releasing her hold on his ear. “So, Equestria has a new princess…” she mumbled to herself, frowning. She turned towards Discord. “Are there any more new royals in Equestria?” she asked him. Discord hummed. “Yes,” he answered. “There are at least three more royals that I know of.” Kammy eyes widened, shocked by the news. “Three more?!” “Yes, three.” Discord nodded, snapping his claws to produce pictures of them. “There’s Princess Cadance, she’s the Princess of Love.” He gave her a picture of pink alicorn with a yellow, pink, and purple mane. “She rules the Crystal Empire with her husband, Shining Armor.” Discord gave the witch another picture, this one was of a white unicorn stallion with a blue mane. “And then, last and least important of them all is Prince Blueblood!” he yelled dramatically, letting a picture of a trash can fall onto Kammy’s claws. Kammy raised an eyebrow. “Discord,” she called. “This is a picture of a trash can.” He nodded. “I know, you can hardly tell the difference between the two.” Grabbing Kammy’s arm, Discord dashed towards the castle, leaving a trail of dust behind. “Hurry along Kammy! It’s getting late and we still haven’t talked to Celestia yet!” He ignored the Koopa’s protest and continued to run down the crystal halls. “Discord!” Kammy cried. “Please slow down!!!” The old witch flailed around, only being able to see everything around her as a blur. The draconequus ignored her request, continuing to dart around the castle halls. Discord laughed when the koopa started throwing out threats. Turning his gaze back at what was in front of him, his eyes widened when he saw a familiar blue alicorn trot out of a hallway. “Get out of the way!!” Discord shouted, knowing that it was too late for him to slow down or stop. The alicorn’s eyes widened when she heard Discord’s shouting. Looking to her left, she glared at him. “And just where have you been-” She stopped, her eyes widening, then panicked as she processed the draconequus heading straight towards her. Her wings spread out instinctively, and while backpedaling, she tried to block the draconequus with her hooves. The duo crashed into the blue mare, and Kammy flailed around in the air momentarily before falling onto Luna’s back, causing her to grunt. Luna groaned, pushing whatever was on her back off and lifting herself up from the floor. Seeing Discord laying on the ground in front of her, she stomped her hoof, catching his attention. “Discord!” she yelled. “Just where have you been?! Do you have any idea how worried everyone was because of your little disappearing act?!” Discord looked away from Luna, not being able to look her in the eye. “Luna, look,” he started. “I know my recent actions were a bit…” he hummed. “questionable. But please listen!” Discord got up, grabbing Luna’s shoulders and looking straight into her eyes. “I have a good reason for disappearing.” Luna sighed. “And just what is this reason?” she asked. Discord suddenly grinned. “It has something to do with your nephew,” he replied. The royal raised an eyebrow. “I don’t see how Blueblood has anything to do with today’s events.” Discord waved a dismissive paw. “I’m not talking about the glorified trash can.” His smile grew. “I’m talking about your other nephew,” he said, putting emphasis on the word ‘other’. “You know, mister ‘I’m so cool and awesome! No one can beat me in a fight!’” Discord tried his best at making his voice sound as deep and monstrous as possible. “The great big boss of the ‘Bwahaha!’” Luna stared at Discord, confused for a few seconds, then suddenly her eyes widened as she began to understand who he was talking about. “Discord…. surely you don’t mean…” She didn’t dare finish her sentence, fearing that it could be just a cruel joke. “He’s been gone for over a thousand years…” Luna muttered to herself. Discord continued to mimic Bowser’s voice while listing down several traits, not hearing Luna. “Captain ‘I don’t sleep with my Teddy-Goomba anymore, but I really still do.’ The ‘Violent Face-Puncher.’” “Discord.” The draconequus chuckled softly. “Alright, alright.” Discord pointed at the dizzy witch behind her. “If you need more proof, just turn around.” Luna raised an eyebrow, sighing, and she turned, fully around expecting to see nothing there. Her eyes widened when she saw the stumbling magikoopa clinging onto a crystal spire. The magikoopa groaned, clenching her stomach. “I’m getting far too old for this.” She turned around and smiled at Luna. “Ah, why hello there Princess Luna.” Kammy bowed. “I didn’t expect you to be up so early." *Thud* Kammy and Discord both stared at the unconscious body, neither of them knowing what to do with it. Kammy looked back and forth between the two. “Was it something I said?" The trio continued to make their way out of the forest, stopping occasionally for the Treevils, Timberwolves, and even Piranha Plants that tried to attack. The Golden Fuzzy continued to hop happily ahead of the other two, never once losing his grin. Stopping, the Fuzzy leapt up onto a tree, narrowing his eyes. “Guys! We’re here! We made it!” He cheered, bouncing in place. Stepping out of the forest, Bowser’s eyes widened at the sight of the village. Looking around, his gaze landed on the large crystal castle all at the back of the village. “Well... Discord has to be there… there’s no denying it.” He turned back towards the other two. “Hey, I just want to say thank you for leading me here, really, I appreciate it.” "Goodbye, grumpy!” Dizz yelled. “Try to be less of a grump, will ya?!” He laughed, ignoring the koopa’s grumbling. Zecora nodded with a smile, her eyes widening as she reached inside her bag, taking out a flask with red liquid. “This is for you.” She said, giving the koopa the flask. “It is a Mushroom Tonic, with this any damage you have taken will be undone.” Zecora smiled. “It is quite the useful brew.” Bowser smirked, storing the tonic inside his shell. “Thanks, Zecora!” He turned towards the village with a nervous grin. “Well, I’ll be seeing you two later!” He waved at them as he made his way to the village. Shining Armor trotted along the road out of Ponyville, a group of at least twelve guards marching behind him. Shining stopped when he saw one of the pegasus guards flying towards him with a large brown bag in his front hooves. The pegasus saluted, presenting the bag to him. “Sir, I have gone to the local guard as you requested, they could not spare any men but they were generous enough to hand us a large sum of Power-Ups for our mission.” Shining nodded, peeking inside of the bag. He turned back towards the guard. “Good work, I’m sure that with these Power-Ups we’ll have a bigger chance against whatever it is that we’re looking for.” He handed the bag back to the pegasus. “Give everyone one Fire Flower, we’ll save the rest for emergencies,” he said. The pegasus saluted, taking the bag and handing everyone a small orange flower, with what appeared to be eyes. Shining looked away from his group, looking around the area for anything suspicious. With a satisfied nod, he began trotting towards the forest, his men following closely behind. The group marched to the Everfree, the pegasi of the group flying ahead of the others. Shining kept his eyes narrowed as he marched forwards, a frown on his face. His eyes narrowed even further when he noticed the pegasi flying back towards them and landing in front of him, all of them looking out of breath. Stepping forward, he addressed the group. “What’s wrong?” he asked. One of the guards took a deep breath, turning towards his captain. “Sir!” He saluted. “While flying towards the forest, we spotted a large beast heading towards the village!” One of the other pegasi turned towards his captain with a fearful look. “We think it might be a dragon, sir.” Shining’s eyes widened in shock and fear. “A dragon?!” The rest of the group started chattering among themselves, all of them panicking at the thought of fighting a dragon. “Everypony calm down!” Shining yelled, stomping his hoof. Once the group quieted down, he turned back towards the group of pegasus. “What did this dragon look like?” “The dragon is short compared to most dragons I’ve seen. He’s still taller than all of us, perhaps bigger than the Princess,” the pegasus said. “The creature had a spiked shell on his back, and had a fiery red mane. He also had a pair of horns on his head,” he listed off. Another pegasus landed between them, looking out of breath. “Sir! The dragon!” he cried. “He saw me, I think he followed me!” The captain gritted his teeth, not wanting to face a powerful opponent so soon after Tirek. He turned back towards his platoon and started to bark orders. “Men! Form up! We mustn’t let this thing get past us! Be ready to use those power-ups at my command!” Darting towards the tired pegasi, he took out six pairs of small golden mushrooms, handing them each to the tired soldiers. “Eat up, you’ll need your strength.” The guards nodded, eating up the Mushroom Drops. Once they regained their strength, the pegasi gathered above the others. Shining nodded in approval, turning back towards the dirt road towards the Everfree. Taking a deep breath, he waited patiently for the dragon to come towards him. Not having to wait very long, the captain began to feel some light vibrations in the ground before spotting... something stomping towards them. Walking down the hill in front of them, the creature revealed itself to the guardsmen, causing a few of the guard’s eyes to widen in shock and fear. Shining stared at the creature in complete surprise. “A Dragon-Koopa…” he muttered to himself. Dragon-Koopas were known for being a rare species, only a handful of them were around in the world. They were also known for being much more magically powerful than true dragons, not to mention their incredible brute strength and short tempers. Shining gulped, shaking his head, narrowing his eyes at the large koopa. “Excuse me, sir!” he yelled out, catching the creature’s attention. “What are you doing so close to Ponyville’s borders?!” he questioned, lowering his horn at the Dragon-Koopa. The Dragon-Koopa raised an eyebrow at Shining before giving him a wide grin. “Ah, finally! I was wondering where that pegasus was going.” He chuckled, though the laugh put Shining Armor on edge. Shining eyed the hybrid koopa before him, trying his best to not be intimidated by the large being. Gathering his courage, he looked at straight into the Koopa’s eyes. “Good afternoon, sir,” he started. “Due to a recent incident we are required to know of your intentions before allowing you to enter the village.” The Dragon-Koopa raised an eyebrow. “Alright.” He shrugged. “I’m here to visit some… relatives of mine, haven’t seen them in a while and I thought I’d stop by,” he answered. Shining stared at the large koopa, conflicted. On the one hoof his reason was a good one, yet he couldn’t help but feel as if there was something more to it than just a family visit. “I wasn’t aware that there were any Dragon-Koopas in Ponyville. In fact, doesn’t your species prefer to live in volcanic areas and in deserts?” Bowser frowned, crossing his arms. “Well, yeah, but not all of us like the extreme temperatures those areas have. Some of us prefer small quiet villages,” he answered. Shaking his head, Bowser uncrossed his arms. “Now can I leave? I’d rather not keep my family waiting any longer.” Before Shining could respond another guard from his squad spoke first. “Oh please! Do you really expect us to believe that?” a large white unicorn cried. “Captain, you can’t really be buying this thing’s story?” Shining turned back towards the guards, feeling shocked and angered at the outburst. Seeing who it is, he groaned mentally. ‘Of course it was him.’ The captain took a deep breath and addressed him. “Stronghoof, stand down.” The large unicorn snorted. “Your highness, surely you see through this thing’s lies! I mean, the timing of this supposed ‘visit’ is far too convenient if you ask me! It’s obvious that this beast is in leagues with the demon Tirek!” “Stronghoof!” Shining yelled, stomping his hoof. Bowser growled. “I’d listen to your captain, little unicorn. I have nothing to do with that thing." Stronghoof snorted. “Please, you’re obviously just saying that to save your own hide.” The guard looked at Shining with an unamused stare. “My prince, why continue this any longer? The princess made it clear that we are to bring anything that may seem suspicious or out of place.” He then turned to Bowser, scowling. “And this creature is obviously the thing that we were sent to capture!” Before Shining could respond, a loud stomp cut him off, as well as a small tremor. Bowser stood above them all, growling angrily. “Listen up pipsqueak! The only relation I have with Tirek is the one where I use him as a punching bag!" he said, pounding a fist into his claw. “And unless you want to be my new punching bag, I suggest you move out of the way! I’ve kept them waiting long enough and I don't intend on keep them waiting any longer.” Stronghoof sneered. “Did you just threaten a member of the Royal Guard? I should have you arrested for that!” He then smiled. “In fact…” His horn lit up, handcuffing the Koopa with magic. “You are under arrest for disturbing the peace, threatening a royal guard, and interfering with our investigation.” Bowser raised an eyebrow. “You can’t be serious.” “Silence, beast! The Princesses will decide your fate now.” Stronghoof said smugly, ignoring his captain’s cries of protest. Shining stomped his hoof. “Stronghoof, you’re out of line! Stand down and release him now!” The unicorn raised his head in the air. “Your highness, I’m afraid I cannot do that. Princess Luna had instructed us to locate the anomaly and this thing is obviously it. If you can’t bring yourself to take it in, I will.” Bowser sneered. “Alright, that’s it.” Concentrating, the koopa’s eyes glowed a bright green. The magic binding his claws bubbled with dark magic. The two arguing unicorns turned towards the koopa with wide eyes, watching him use dark magic to dispel the magic cuffs. Looking at the unicorns, he growled. “Now then, are we going to have any more problems, soldier?” Author's Note Hello everyone! Star here! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, if so please tell me what you liked about and if you didn't like it, please let me know why in the comments. Also sorry for being gone so long and not updating for a whole year... Honestly I've just been preoccupied with life and school. Still with all the free time I have you can expect chapters to come more sooner. So please don't worry and I'm sorry for the wait. Originally this chapter was going to be longer.... but I just decided to cut it into two parts and have the fight between the Royal Guards and Bowser be it's own chapter.
Prelude-1: Showdown between two giantsAhem! Today! I’m going to tell you a story… a story about a mother and her child… An awfully long time ago in a strange and far-off land, a large city in the middle of a forest thrived. It was a town where all people lived happy lives and it was said that in that city were two very powerful beings who ruled and protected the land… The Princess of the Sun… and… The Princess of the Moon… But because of their power, others felt intimidated by them… this led them to live a rather lonely life with only themselves to keep each other company… But one day… something strange happened. Out of the sky… came an egg. This egg was then found by one of the rulers of this land… Seeing the egg fall from the sky, the guardian sought to return the egg to its mother… But try as she might, she was nowhere to be seen. Saddened by the fact that she couldn’t find the egg’s mother, she took it upon herself to raise the egg. One day, the egg hatched into a being that had never been seen before, a cross between a dragon… and a turtle… The being was odd compared to most children… he was smart… he already understood speech… he was scared… but like a normal hatchling, he still could not speak and could only cry. As time went on, the two became close to each other, and the guardian had finally found someone other than her sister to fill the void in her lonely life. Excited, the guardian announced to her subjects the news of her now adopted son… …To say the least, they were outraged…. There were a few who were open to the idea of the guardian adopting a child of a different species… but many were not… They attempted to separate the two many times… But try as they might, nothing would stop the guardian from loving her son. As time went on the populace slowly became open to the idea of their guardian keeping the child… Years passed and the child grew to be a respectable young man, whenever the city was in trouble he would come to protect it… The populace came to see the child as a new guardian! But one day… tragedy struck… And the two were separated… ...Never to see each other again… The mother mourned… She searched the land, the sea, the skies… …to no avail… The guardian was distraught… No longer did she have her child… ...But still the guardian clung to hope… Hope that one day they would see each other again… This is a story about a mother and her child… The graceful guardian and ruler of the land… and the monstrous kind prince… Celestia… The Princess of the Sun… ...And… Bowser… The Koopa Prince… Twilight groaned, having teleported herself into a crack in a large rock. “And just when I thought I was getting my teleporting under control...” “Princess Twilight!” a loud voice commanded, instantly getting her attention. “Tirek!” she gasped, her mind racing. “You have something that belongs to me!” Tirek bellowed. Twilight took a deep breath, doing her best to calm herself before she burst out of the rock, utterly destroying it. She zipped past Tirek and made a quick u-turn, trying to land. She skidded across the ground, eventually bumping into something. She looked up, gulping as Tirek glared down at her. She quickly backed away, trying to come up with a plan. “You're going to give me what I want!” Tirek asserted, opening his mouth wide. Twilight seized the chance, teleporting on top of the library. She quickly grabbed her telescope, zooming in on Tirek, watching as he fired a blast of magic directly at her. She dove into the library. The demonic centaur watched in amusement as the library exploded, chunks of wood and burning books flying everywhere. The lavender alicorn flew out of the library, an owl held safely between her hooves. Gasping, Twilight looked back at her home, distraught. Exchanging a sad look with the owl, she released it, letting it flee from the scene. Shaking her head, she held back her tears and glared at the large centaur. Spreading her wings, she teleported directly into Tirek’s face, unleashing a massive blast of magic, which blew him back and carved out a path in the ground. Grunting, Tirek emerged from the blast, almost completely unscathed. “Now I understand what your fellow princesses have done.” He started, raising his hand to block the incoming magical blast. The black centaur roared, charging straight at her. Twilight flew straight up, firing another blast of magic, aiming it onto Tirek’s face. He let out a scream of rage, slapping the blast away, and sending out a magic pulse that caused her to flinch. Taking the opportunity to backhand her, Tirek sent the alicorn hurtling into a nearby mountain. Twilight groaned, her eyes widening in fear as she saw Tirek charge straight at her. Grunting in pain, Twilight ignored the feeling of rocks breaking on her back. She growled, teleporting above him before hurtling down, driving him deep into the earth, burying him under several tons of dirt. Twilight panted, resting on the ground above Tirek. Before she could do anything, a blast of magic tore out of the ground, cutting a circular pattern around them. “Oh no…” Spreading her wings quickly, she dashed towards the sky just as Tirek ripped out of the ground with a roar of pure fury. Twilight growled, firing off another blast of magic. Tirek responded in kind, the two beams slamming into each other, their power mixing together, creating a sphere of energy on the battlefield until it burst outward in a massive explosion. A few moments of silence occurred before the two emerged from the rubble, looking rather battered and worn. “It appears we are at an impasse.” The demonic centaur grinned, his horns glowing. “How about a trade, Princess Twilight?” He snapped his fingers, not a moment later, a group of seven bubbles appeared, the rest of the element bearers appeared, suspended in bubbles, along with Spike and Discord. “Their release for all of the alicorn magic in Equestria!” “Girls!” Twilight cried, feeling helpless. “Don’t do it Twilight!” Rainbow yelled. “We aren’t worth it!” Fluttershy cried. “Oh, but you are, Fluttershy,” Discord said, surprising Fluttershy. “You were the pony who taught that friendship is magic…” he said remorsefully. “I had magic and friendship, but now… I don’t have either.” He turned away in shame. “Enough!!” Tirek yelled, slamming his hooves against the ground. “I want an answer and I want it NOW!” She watched as they all began pounding on the bubbles, screaming. Looking at Discord, he gave a quick apology, then looked away in shame. Her eyes widened as she saw the bubbles glowing. Taking a deep breath, she glared at Tirek. “I will give you the magic… in exchange for my friends.” The ponies gasped, their eyes widening. Tirek smirked. “As you wish.” He snapped his fingers and most the bubbles floated down next to the lavender alicorn and popped, releasing their captives. Twilight glanced at Discord’s bubble, then glared at Tirek. “All of my friends!” Tirek raised an eyebrow, “After the way he has betrayed you, you would still call him a ‘friend’?” he asked. “Release him!” Twilight ordered, stomping her hoof. He frowned, “If that’s what you want.” He snapped his fingers, releasing Discord. Discord turned towards Twilight, bowing his head gratefully. “Thank you Twilight.” He glanced at Fluttershy. “I’m sorry,” he whispered apologetically. Fluttershy looked away, tears threatening to escape her eyes. “I know…” Tirek turned away, disgusted. He glanced at Twilight, a smirk quickly growing on his face. “Your turn.” He opened his mouth and drew a flow of energy from Twilight's horn into himself. Panting in exhaustion, Twilight collapsed onto the ground. The group of friends ran towards Twilight, Spike helping her up. “Twilight, what were you thinking?!” he asked. “RRRAAHHHH!!!!!” They turned around to see Tirek roaring, his size and power growing to practically titan sized. “YES! YES!” He laughed maniacally, feeling the power coursing in his veins. “Your highness! Stop this at once!” an elderly woman's voice cried out, “You’re putting too much power into this spell!” “Quit your nagging, Kammy! I know exactly what I’m doing!” the gruff voice assured. “You taught me everything I need to know about magic! I got this!” “Darling, I really think you should listen to Kammy.” “Ma! I’m telling you, don’t worry!” “Stop! This is too much! You're going to overshoot your destination!!” a second elderly, a male, voice yelled. “Aw come on Starswirl! Not you-!!! TOOOO!!!!!!!” “Your Cluenesses!!!” “BOWSER!!!!!” Tirek laughed, testing his new strength on a couple of trees. He smirked as the trees burnt to ash. “AHAHAHA! YES THIS POWER! I’M UNSTOPPABLE!!!!” He laughed maniacally, not seeing the tear in reality that opened up behind him. “ARGH!!!” a loud deep voice yelled, a more feminine elderly voice soon following after. Tirek’s head snapped towards the source of the two voices, but he narrowed his eyes at the sound of the familiar voice. “That voice… it can’t be…!” He stomped towards the source of the yelling, hoping to find out where it came from. I groaned, feeling a massive ache pounding in my head. “Your Tiredness! Wake up!” a familiar elderly voice yelled. I growled at the sound of my grandmother’s voice. Groaning, I pushed myself to my feet, shaking the fog out of my head as I started to feel the magikoopa’s spells heal me. “That oughta fix you up!” the witch said smugly. I opened my eyes, seeing my old teacher and grandmother grinning at me. “Thanks, Kammy,” I said a bit reluctantly. Kammy was a old magikoopa. She wore purple robes covering her whole body, with a matching purple hat atop her head. Her face reminded me of a turtle, probably because turtles and Koopas are kinda the same. She wore a pair of glasses, covering her eyes. Kammy wagged her finger at me. “What did we learn today?” I growled, crossing my arms. “Always pay attention to when my elders are talking or giving me advice?” I flinched in pain as I felt the magikoopa hit me with her golden wand. “Yes, but that’s not all,” she said a bit angrily. “You should’ve also learned to listen when your elders-!” She stood rigid, smiling apologetically. “Um, yes. You’re right… sorry for hitting you sweetie,” she apologized, pinching my cheek. “Kammy!” I yelled, pulling myself away. “Stop treating me like a kid! I’m an adult now!” I stomped my foot, not being to stop the blush coming. Kammy grinned. “Oh I know, your Shyness, but you just make it so easy to mess with you.” She pulled out her broom, got on, and started to fly above me. “We seem to be in a forest… perhaps we’re still in the Everfree…?” I sighed in relief, “That’s good, we should go back with Mom, she’s probably worried sick!” I flicked the dirt and grime off my body. “Which way?” Kammy, using her broom, flew above the trees to scan the area. I watched in concern when she grew pale and darted towards me. “Kammy, what’s wrong?” “It’s terrible Your Cluelessness!” she yelled, panicking, “It’s Tirek! He’s free and coming towards us!!!” “WHAT?!” Tirek stomped towards the source of the yelling. He slowly began to worry… he knew one of those voices sounded familiar; he didn’t recognize the elderly one, but he knew the first one. His horns glowed, a ball of magic growing between them. Grinning, he launched the orb towards the source of the yelling, causing a large cloud to cover the area. When the cloud of smoke disappeared, his eyes widened when he saw the source of the familiar voice. “Bowser…” he hissed. Groaning, he saw the familiar face emerge from the rubble. The creature from the rubble was large compared to most of the creatures living in this land. He had a large turtle-like shell with spikes covering it on his back. His body was dragon-like, with yellow scales and a green head with a red mohawk, along with two bull-like horns. He wore several spiked cuffs around his wrists along with a spiked collar. His eyes widened when he saw the large centaur glaring at him. “Tirek…” he whispered. “Hello Bowser.” Tirek sneered, his eyes glaring hatefully. “Tirek.” The large Koopa gulped. “It’s been a long time since I last saw you… Koopa!” he spat, clenching his fist. Bowser glared, standing straight up and getting into a fighting position. “Not long enough it seems…” He grinned. “What’s with the whole giant thing, Tirek?” he asked. “Taking a page off my book? I practically invented that thing!” The Koopa chuckled. “I should sue you… but I think sending you back to Tartarus would be much more rewarding…” Tirek shifted his attention towards the smaller turtle-like being wearing witch’s clothing, and he glared at her suspiciously, not knowing what to make of her. “And who are you…?” Kammy yelped, hiding behind Bowser. “K-Kammy Koopa, sorceress...” “A sorceress…” Tirek growled, already placing Kammy as a high level threat. He preferred not to take any chances. “Kammy,” Bowser whispered, getting the old Koopa’s attention. “I need you to give me a boost… and I need you to use that Super Size spell…” Kammy nodded hesitantly. “Yes, your highness…” She waved her wand. “Please be careful…” She pointed the wand towards Bowser and a rainbow-like aura surrounded him, causing his muscles to expand and his body to grow. Tirek scowled as he watched Bowser slowly begin to grow, his size beginning to rival Tirek’s. “What’s wrong old man?” the giant Koopa jeered, his transformation complete. “Scared? Or perhaps you’re already complementing defeat?” Bowser let out a laugh, his voice sounding much deeper and more monstrous than before. “Not that I blame you! I already kicked your butt once before, you're probably remembering how it was with this transformation that I beat you last time!” the Koopa boasted. Growling, Tirek launched himself towards the titanic turtle. Bowser raised his fist, letting out a roar. “Oh my…” Kammy whispered. “I think it’s time for me to go!” She got on her broom, floating above the battlefield. “Call me if you are in need of any help your Giantness!” “*ROAR!!!!*” Everyone stopped moving, looking around frantically for the source of the roar. Fluttershy’s knees shook violently. “Wh-What was that?!” Applejack paced around, worrying about their safety. “I-I don’t know, but whatever it is, I don’t think we want to find out.” Twilight nodded, turning back towards their destination. “Come on girls, we have no time to lose.” Beginning to walk away, she stopped when she noticed Discord looking at the source of the noise with a disbelieving look. “Discord? What’s wrong…?” Not paying any attention to them, he paced around, his eyes wide. “That voice... it can’t be… he’s been gone a thousand years… it’s not possible…” Twilight and the others looked at each other nervously. “Discord… What’s not possible?” Twilight asked nervously. Discord turned to look at them. “I-it’s nothing Twilight…” He clenched his paw into a fist. “I-I have to go!” Ignoring their protest, he quickly ran towards the direction of the battle. “It can't be! He can't be here!… Yet… there is only one being I know with a voice like that.” Seeing a stray beam of magic heading towards him, Discord quickly jumped out of the way. “And judging by how deep it is… If it's really him, then he must be using that growth spell.” Discord stopped running, his eyes widening when he saw a torrent of fire passing through the sky. Bowser growled, glaring at the centaur in front of him. The two glared at each other hatefully. Hoping to end the fight quickly, Tirek fired a ray of magic at his opponent, but Bowser was quick and countered it with his own flames. The two attacks collided and deflected skywards, whipping away in the winds as the two giants charged. Tirek laughed, throwing the first punch, but Bowser countered it again, and snarled in frustration. “You know, you’re pretty quick for a turtle!” Tirek said before firing a blast straight onto the Koopa’s face. Bowser roared in pain. He clutched his face, trying to ignore the pain. “Your highness!” Turning around, he saw Kammy flying directly towards him. “Kammy… what are you doing here?” he asked. Kammy took out her wand and fired a healing spell at the injured Koopa. “I told you to call me when you needed help! Look at you! He’s tearing you apart out there!” Kammy yelled, putting her wand away. Bowser groaned, feeling all of the pain vanish. “Thanks Kammy, but you should go, before Tirek catches you,” he warned. “Of course.” The witch nodded, gripping her broom and turning away. “And where do you think you’re going?!” Tirek asked, grabbing the magikoopa. “Did you really think you can just heal him and get away with it?!” he roared. “Well… unfortunately for you, that’s not the case.” He opened his mouth, absorbing all the magic from the wand and Kammy. After absorbing the witch’s magic, he dropped the old koopa, turning back to face Bowser. “Kammy!” Bowser roared, charging straight towards her, slamming Tirek out of the way. As gently as he could he caught the magikoopa and set her down on a nearby cliff. “Kammy, are you alright?” He asked. “Just… fine… your worriedness,” Kammy whispered, coughing. Bowser sighed in relief, getting back up and facing Tirek. “Thank goodness… Kammy, I need you to stay here and rest, you got that?” The witch nodded. “As you command, my prince…” Discord stared wide-eyed at the scene in front of him, even his chaotic mind only barely able to process what was happening. “Bowser… But that’s not possible! He’s gone! He’s been gone for 1000 years!” he yelled, jumping out of the way from a large fireball. “Discord…?” His head snapped towards the tired rasping. His eyes widened even further when he saw the the elderly magikoopa. “Kammy?!” The witch smiled, “Hello to you too, Discord…” She coughed violently. “Have you come to aid the prince?” she asked. Discord shook his head. “I wish I could, but my magic was stolen from me,” he explained, still not believing the witch was actually there. Kammy gave a sigh. “A shame… then again I guess that does explain why the demon is so big.” She struggled to get back on her feet, narrowing her eyes at the draconequus. “My, Discord… you look so much older… why is it you look a bit different?” she asked. Discord gave a small smile. “Well yes, things do tend to change after a thousand years,” he answered. “Speaking of which, how is it that you still look exactly the same even after all the time that has passed?” he questioned. Kammy looked at him, confused. “What are you babbling on about? We’ve only been gone for about thirty minutes.” “Thirty minutes…?” Discord looked at the Koopa in shock. “But that’s impossible! You and Bowser have been gone for around a thousand years!” he yelled. “Now look who’s talking about impossibilities!” Kammy screeched. “How is it that we’ve been gone for that long?! I know for a fact that it’s only been thirty minutes at most!” Discord frowned, giving the Koopa a light glare. “Kammy… what’s the last thing you remember…?” Kammy rose an eyebrow, staring at the draconequus. “Why… I believe that it was when we were warning his cluelessness about using too much power into that time warp spell.” “Yes,” Discord nodded, “Time Warp spell, emphasis on the word time.” Her eyes widened as she started to piece together what the spirit was saying. “You don’t mean…?” Discord sighed, patting Kammy in the back. “Well… welcome to the future…? I think?” Kammy collapsed on the ground, trying not to faint. “Oh my…” She gave Discord a scared look. “I can only imagine what the princesses must’ve felt…” She gasped, looking back to the fight. “What am I going to tell the prince?! Surely he’ll be devastated by the news!” Discord sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “For now… let’s just focus on one problem before we get to the other…” “You wretched reptile!” Tirek roared, “You’ll pay for that!” He spat as he got to his hooves, looking livid. Focusing his power to one blast, he blasted Bowser, knocking him unconscious. Tirek laughed as he picked up the massive Koopa. “You’re pretty strong Bowser, I’ll give you that… it’s a shame that power had to go to waste on such a weak minded fool.” He frowned, opening his mouth to absorb his magic. Tirek laughed, dropping the shrinking Bowser as he felt his power grow. “Now, with this power, no one will be able to stand in my way!” he screamed, his size and power growing once more. He looked down and glared at the unconscious Koopa. “This time, I’m going to make sure you stay down.” Before Tirek could deliver the finishing blow, a bright ball of light rose into the air, with six ponies inside of it. Tirek stared at it for a moment, firing a blast of magic at them, only for it to shimmer around the bubble of magic to no effect. “How is this possible?!” he asked. “You have no magic!” “You’re wrong, Tirek!” Twilight countered, flying high with the rest of the elements, “I may have given you my alicorn magic, but I carry within me the most powerful magic of all!” Six different colored beams fired at the centaur, merging into a rainbow, causing him to stumble back. He gave a grunt as he started to push back against them. His eyes widened when he felt some of the magic start to leave him. Tirek shouted in disbelief before the blast started to drain him of all of his stolen magic, eventually sending him back to Tartarus. The six ponies rose up to the air and with a loud bang, they burst out, spreading magic all over Equestria. Discord and Kammy both gasped, stumbling back a little as they felt their magic return to them. The two looked at each other and nodded, Kammy getting on her broom and Discord using his wings to get back in the air. The two quickly flew towards the site where they last saw Bowser and Tirek. After about a few minutes of flying around, the two landed near the unconscious Koopa. Kammy panicked, firing a number of healing spells at Bowser. Bowser groaned, opening his eyes. “Prince! You’re alright!” Kammy cried, hugging Bowser. “For a second I was starting to get worried!’ Bowser patted the witch on the back, his gaze eventually settling on Discord. “Well if it isn’t Discord… where were you?” he asked, chuckling a bit. “You missed the fight! I was just about to send that old goat packing!” He sighed, looking around. “Judging how everything isn't a burning pile of ash, I’m assuming you guys put him back in his place?” Discord grinned. “Well I can’t take any of the credit, it was actually the elements’ new bearers,” he said, helping Bowser up. “New bearers?” He asked, “Why would the elements choose new bearers?” Bowser asked, not sure if he should really believe what Discord was saying. “And why do you look a bit older?” Discord sighed sadly, putting his hand on the Koopa’s shoulders. “Well Bowser, you might want to sit down… it’s a long story.” Author's Note Welcome readers to my newest story! Please comment on this story to tell me what you think and please feel free to leave any suggestions or ask any questions, if you dislike it, please tell me why so I can improve. Also for those who follow me, don't worry, I'll be sure to work on my other stories, I just had to get this one up. Also I got inspiration for this story off of Paper Mario and Yoshi's Island!
